Hard to Remember but Back in the Ninteen Fifies... (page 3)

new boy

wow! Thank you all for the things you all have helped me remember.

Yes, I remember the pianos now.

"The written reviews"

The "quotas" and then the "goals." The "National" averages and how your hall fell above or below those. One bible study each minimum. 6 "back calls" I thought it was 10 hours not 12.

The breaks at the meeting. When us kids would run around the KH.

The reasons why people got DFed. I guess the society had to change that one, after they got sued a few times.

The canned "8 minute sermon."

In the sixties with the short dresses and the below the knee rule.

I only remember as far back as the early 1960's but they were still using the tote board as was mentioned. They'd draw a curtain on the back of the stage revealing the board and examine how well the congregation as a whole was doing in comparison to the expected national quotas.

I remember feeling pressure to "place" my quota of magazines and to get my quota of hours in for the month. Others have mentioned the "Rotten Review" that you had to sign and turn in to your Book Study Conductor but no one has mentioned the Rooming Work.

The Rooming Work involved knocking on doors and instead of peddling magazines we were told to ask the householders if they had rooms available in their home for JW's to say in during the summer convention. It was the oddest thing to be told at meeting that the "world" hates us and then turn around and ask them to let us use their bedrooms and bathrooms. Some of the Witnesses had pretty low standards and the visiting Brothers and Sisters sometimes ended up staying in some very sketchy places. I was always impressed at how generous"worldly" people were because none of the JW's I knew offered up rooms in their own houses.

I also remember the smell of the literature when you first came into the Kingdom Hall and the sound of the brother banging those big rolls of Watchtower and Awake magazines against the literature counter in order to break the paper ring that held them together. Looking back, I Wouldn't be surprised if the home made ink and glue the society used back then, could be linked to all the cases of depression one used to see among the JW's. (come to think of it, it was probably a combination of the glue and the contents of the magazines that was at the root of it all)

ShirleyW

I remember the back calls and the intermission between the talk and the watchtower.

In the early 60's our book study conductor (which was seemed to always be on a Tuesday for a lot of congregations back then) was a sister.

Poztate

I remember the back calls and the intermission between the talk and the watchtower.

They "claimed" the intermission was so you could take your book studies and back calls home if they wished to go.

The real reason... SMOKE BREAK It wasn't a sin back then but considered a weakness.

under the radar

I clearly remember the congregation activity chart you're speaking about. And yes, it listed quotas (not goals) for each item and then that congregation's actual numbers. I believe it gave the numbers for about a year, but I don't remember whether it was a calendar year or a "service" year (September through August).

I have some old 8 mm film of my sister's 1961 Kingdom Hall wedding. Sure enough, in several of the shots is that congregation chart, mounted in some sort of frame (but not behind glass) just to the left of the stage. It's not clear enough to read, but you can easily see that it's the chart we're talking about. I was very young at the time, but I remember seeing rolls of paper about the size and shape of a typical fluorescent light bulb. The paper had numbers printed on it and whoever kept the chart up to date had to cut out the desired numbers and paste them onto the chart. If I remember correctly, they used some kind of rubber cement. It came in a glass jars and was applied with the brush built into the cap. Similar to a bottle of fingernail polish, but larger.

Bonnie_Clyde

The chart not only showed the numbers for the publishers but also for the pioneers. If there was only one pioneer in the congregation, everybody knew exactly what they did each month.

Marvin Shilmer

My blog has two images of these things. One is a photograph and the other is an illustration published by Watchtower.

You can see the images in my article titled Reporting Time Weekly

berrygerry

a cardboard prop to look like a car

We had this one as well, four chairs arranged behind the cardboard to look like a group in service.

One of my favourites was the segment of the Theocratic News (in the KM, done one SM in a month).

The bros made a cardboard TV set, with a cut-out the size of the TV screen.

Speaker says, And now, with the Theocratic News, Br. Schmo.

Br. Schmo (inside mock TV): Good evening, ...

Also, with the written review, the review sheets were passed out, as well as pieces of thin pressboard, smooth on one side, to use as backing for writing the written review, The written review was passed to a neighbour for evaluation - the kids were always strict in marking each other's answers.

Juan Viejo2

In reference to the live pianists who would often accompany the Kingdom Songs, our congregation in southern California had a regular pianist who more or less lived hand-to-mouth - but could really play well. He would sometimes give young JWs piano lessons at our Kingdom Hall (we had a very nice "baby grand" that one of the members donated when the Kingdom Hall was refurbished). I took about ten lessons from him, but could never get the hang of it. My mother would pay him $5 a lesson for me, but soon gave up as I was surely not cut out for that. When he and his family moved to another state, another brother stepped in and played for our Kingdom songs. He was quite good and we all loved his style. But he was "gay" before I even knew what that was all about, and even though he never did anything untoward toward any of the children in the KH, he was eventually harrassed and chased out by a few brothers and sisters who thought he was a little too "fey" to be trusted around their kids. Sad case. Lovely man. Great friend. Good piano player. Just a victim of hate. After they managed to chase him away, the congregation had to sing "a capella" - imagine how that sounded. So only about ten songs were ever chosen - because no one else could lead or play the piano and keep everyone in tune.

They got what they deserved...

JV

LoisLane looking for Superman

NewBoy/OldBoy,

Are you putting anything in about the piano players because I would like to add what/who we had.

The best was a sister who trained to be a concert pianist. She is 90 now and still a Jdub. The last time I was in her area and wanted to come by and see her, I was not allowed. She did not want to talk to me or see me because (I guess, I never did get the final word) Jehovah does not like divorces and I was going through one. Gee thanks. Let's not be too judgemental, shall we?

The most beautiful piano playing though, was a bro that had mucho talent, played like Liberace, and was of the same persuasion. A lovely, lonely, only child, that found himself a nice plain sister to marry. He was found out and his wife stayed with him and they left the area to parts, still unknown to me. I wish them both much happiness, peace and love.

We too had for a short time a bro who played, I don't know what it was. Kind of weird to my ears. He added notes, maybe it would be called old timer's piano playing. He was from up North, the piano was tuned but he played it out of tune??? Maybe that was just his style? He was also, unfortunately, an alcoholic. His wife was a pioneer. Oldest son left after hgh school and pursued higher education. Yay for him. I exchanged emails with him a few years back. He has had a successful life, retired now, has a motor home and he and his wife take off each winter. His father died a long time ago after his wife divorced him. His mom, who was a regular pioneer for many years, has dementia.

For a while, in one congo I was in, we were between players, so a dear sweet young sister volunteered. She hadn't had many lessons but she could play with one hand and so she did.

One young teenager, did not want to go to the KHall anymore but was not yet 16 so her parents made her go. Her last time playing before she matured into that magic number of 16, she played the song on Thursday night between the ministry school and the service meeting. She played so fast, no one could sing, but her parents got their wish. She was there, she played, then she ran out, never to return to a Jdub meeting again. I called her a few years ago after I heard her dad died. She had reconciled with her parents decades ago, which I knew. She has had a lovely and happy and contented life away from WT. I am so very happy for her.

There was a sister who was partially deaf and played the piano. No comment.

Did you ever attend a meeting where there were no piano players? For a while the only musical players who showed up, was, one had an accordian and the other had a violin. God, I'm getting old.

Hard to Remember but Back in the Ninteen Fifies...