Do you remember when meetings had intermission?? (page 2)

cruzanheart

Oh, dear, I'm an oldtimer! Yes, I remember intermissions and the brothers who would dash outside for a quick cigarette. I kind of liked it -- it gave us time for a bathroom break without feeling guilty for missing the song.

Nina

Sassy

I only remember it when we had slides with the circuit overseer..

then they would pull of the screens and line them with green garbage bags to darken the room.. (before the hall was remodeled in the days when KH's had windows..

Iforget

I remember the intermission and how much fun the Sunday slide show from the CO was. Jeeeze who is the mean bastard that hates fun that runs the org?

garybuss

Here there was intermission Sunday AND Thursday. It was a smoker's break. Smokers stood outside in front of the Hall and smoked. The breaks were discontinued after smoking was banned since the reason for the breaks was eliminated. Many Witnesses here were smokers. GaryB

blondie

I inquired why, and was told they always did so because it allowed publishers who had brought bible studies and "other interested ones" a few minutes to walk them out to the car and chat. That made some sense to me at the time. Only later did I find out that while this had been done away with in most congos, it used to be a common practice. And one reason was so some could go out in back of the hall and grab a smoke. Smoking became a DF'ing offense in '72 or '73, as I recall, and I suspect (altho I was not part of the group then) it was that doctrinal change that led to the demise of the 10 minute break. Discussing all this with an elder one time, his theory was that too many people left during the break so they stopped doing it.

The first part fits what I was told; no smokers though, I would know, my mother smoked. I can remember in one congregatoin in the circuit that was near a store that sold candy. All the kids would run down and get candy and you would hear paper rattling all during the WT study as they opened it. Think about it though, at that time the PT was 1 hour and the WT study was 1 hour too and add in a 15 minute break....almost 2 1/2 hours with the songs and prayers. Around the early 70's th PT was reduced to 45 minutes and the break was eliminated making both meetings 2 hours long.

Also it was too hard to get everyone back in their seats and concentrating on the scintillating WT study.

Blondie

freedom96

I remember it when I was very young. It was great. Anything we could do not to sit down in our seats.

minimus

Yup, it was a smoking break.

Undecided

I remember it well. The public talk was at 3:00 and the WT study followed after a break for some to smoke. The WT study conductor worked for the American Tobacco Co. and invented a lot of the processes for making cigs. He had a lot of money back then. I rented an appartment in his large home not long after I got married in 1958. He died at a circuit assembly.

Right after the mettings ended, several of us young brothers would drive over to Greensboro NC to see a movie and hang out together. Those were some really good times for me and my cousins. I have some really good memories of those days with my family, most of them are dead now.

Ken P.

Jankyn

I have a very long memory (the product of a traumatic JW childhood). We had that break--about 15 minutes--until the mid-70s.

I just barely remember when some would use it for a smoke break, but only the "marginal" JWs: the husband of Sister Longsuffering, for example. Somewhere in the mid- to late-sixties, smoking became something that would result in loss of privileges; in the early 70s it became a disfellowshipping offense.

We held on to the break until the mid-70s; don't really know why, but it was kinda nice to be able to stretch your legs on Sundays. Of course, the elders "suggested" that it be used as a bathroom break so that the meeting wouldn't be interrupted by kids heading for the back.

Jankyn.

GermanXJW

Yes, I remember that intermissions: I was just a small kid and we did not have a local hall but met in the school building where I went to school.

Do you remember when meetings had intermission??

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