heathen's thread "property tax and the home bible study" veered off onto this subject, so I am starting a new thread for it.
The granite pyramid monument placed next to Charles Russell's grave site was also a Time Capsule! Placed with it were photos of Russell, his writings, books, and other items!.
RR wrote:
The Society opened the pyramid in 1994 to retrieve the items, but it was found empty, apparently someone beat them to it!
Just like the pyramids of Egypt, this pyramid had someone make off with its contents!
--VM44
AT THE GRAVE On Monday, a party of about 150 was conducted by Brother Bohnet to the grave of Brother Russell. Upon a hillside, sloping towards the south, we joined hands around the grave and sang: ?Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love; the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.? Our last lingering look upon the scene recalled the peaceful manner of our Pastor?s ?passing beyond the vail.? Brother Rutherford?s words came to mind: ?I am glad this prison experience was reserved for us, rather than for our dear Brother Russell.? We visited the marble works and there watched the workmen slowly but surely chisel out the monument to be erected as a memorial to the Society. The Watchtower Society burial lots in Rosemont United Cemeteries, five miles due north of Pittsburgh City, contain ample grave space for all the members of the Bethel family, and the pilgrims and their wives ? in all more than 275 adult graves. In the exact center of the Bethel lot will be erected diagonally the Pyramid Shape Monument as designed by Brother Bohnet, and accepted by Brother Russell as the most fitting emblem for an enduring monument on the Society?s burial space. The size of this structure is nine feet across the base, and its apex stone is exactly seven feet above the ground surface level. It rests upon a concrete foundation five feet deep and heavily reinforced with barbed wire, the work of Brother Bohnet, who would not entrust this important task to anyone else, so we are assured that the job was well done. The brother gave a full description of the securing of the rock material at the time he piloted the conventionists to the cemetery and urged us to help ourselves to souvenir chips in the shop of the granite worker nearby ... Each slope of the pyramid will face one of the large lots, and on each of these slopes is cut in four-inch embossment a Teacher?s Bible, on the pages of which will appear the names of the ones buried there. The burial space for Brother Rutherford was indicated and his name, like that of Brother Russell, will be at the top of opposite Bible pages. A Bible space is being set apart for the Pilgrims ? all in one lot of forty eight grave space[s], so all their names will appear on the same Bible. Above the Bibles are spaces for inscriptions in full, W.T.B & T.S., I.B.S.A., ?Dead with Christ?, ?Risen with Christ?, etc. And above these the Cross and Crown and Wreath, and the whole capped with the apex stone, highly polished ? its shape of course being pyramidal. Within the structure, incased [sic] in a block of granite, will be a sealed metal box in which is a complete set of Karatol Scripture Studies, the Memorial Tower, and one of every tract, photographs of Pastor Russell, a copy of the Society?s charter, and many other things to interest the people who at some future date may open the pyramid and find them. It is expected the monument will be in place before the next Decoration Day. Any truth people desiring a chip of the stone may send postage enough to carry a piece about the size of an egg, with enough additional to pay the Society for the trouble of having it wrapped for the mail.? [Souvenir Report of the Bible Students Convention, Pittsburgh, PA., January 2-5, 1919, p. 7.]http://www.midwestoutreach.org/02-Information/02-OnlineReference/04-Etc/01-TheJournal/Volume5/No4-EnduringMonumentToPaganOrigins.html