Thomas Oliver

19th June 1871 - 12th September 1946

Tom Oliver was born in the rural district of Hawick in the Scottish border. Although of humble birth it was soon evident that he was very gifted intellectually. He left school at thirteen years of age and began to assist his father who was a shepherd. He then became interested in wool and what could be produced with it. Later he entered the firm of Wm Watson & Co. at Dangerfield Mills in Hawick and learned the art of weaving and designing of Tweed, moving later to be a teacher of power-loom weaving in the Border towns of Galashiels, Hawick and Selkirk. Taking distinctions in many subjects he was DSc Edinburgh, BSc London and had some fifty distinctions in different fields of science and mechanics connected with the textile industry for which the Border towns had some fame. To me a fellow-borderer of a later generation (my father worked with Tom at the mill) he was a mentor of the faith. I knew him well as a young man in the 1940´s when working for a short spell in the Galashiels area. He was a very able minister of God´s word having an excellent vocabulary, meeting him as I sometimes did in the Shiels of ´Gala´ he would converse in what is called the ´Soft Lowland Tongue of the Borders´ this was very sweet to my ears.

His was a mind which was interested in everything he came across, while visiting a Christian meeting-place in the Lake District of England alongside of which flowed a small stream, he was seen to be throwing small sticks into it, walking down a way then coming back and doing it again. When asked what he was doing by the children he told them that the stream could power a 3hp turbine. On another occasion a young Christian was very worried because he was to be tried in court for dangerous driving on his motor-cycle (against which there was considerable prejudice), he protested his innocence. Dr. Oliver, who was a well-known figure in the town, went to the site of the accident, did some measurements and some calculations and proceeded to demonstrate in court that the offence with which he was charged was physically impossible!

In his capacity as Emeritus Principal and Professor of Textile Technology he did a round the world tour in 1934-35 with the particular object of investigating and assisting the wool industry in Australia and New Zealand. I have some books by him on textile related subjects where he ensures that a Christian testimony is given. It is in this, his Christian ministry, that ´he being dead yet speaks´.

(Contributed by Willie Kerr, for many years the manager of the Scripture Truth Depot)

T. Oliver is represented on the site by the magazine ´Scripture Quarterly´ which he edited and produced for three years during the Second World War while in his seventies.And now [November 2024] by another 100 articles of his own.

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The following narrative by kind permission of SoundWords.de:
(Machine-translated from the German.)
© SoundWords.
© Gabriele Naujok

Dr. Thomas Oliver today belongs more to unknown 'brethren', especially in Germany – in contrast to his contemporaries F.B. Hole, J.T. Mawson or H. Smith, whose books and articles are still published and translated. As a very young man, he developed great professional ambition, but found that performance and success in his job could not fill his soul.

His childhood

Thomas Oliver came from the Scottish Borders in the southeast of the country on the border with England. There he was on the 19th Born June 1871 in the municipality of Cavers, about two and a half kilometers from the city of Hawick (Roxburghshire).

His mother Grace Oliver (1849 – 1929) was unmarried, and so Thomas grew up in very modest circumstances with his grandfather George Oliver (1819 – 1899) in a small house in Cavers. When Thomas was less than four years old, his grandmother died in 1875 at the age of 57. By the early 1880s, all of the grandparents' children had left the house. Now only Thomas, his mother and grandfather lived in the house.

Thomas attended school in the neighboring village of Kirkton, later high school in the neighboring town of Hawick. At the age of 13 he left school and helped his grandfather, a forester and shepherd by profession, to look after the sheep for the next two years. Through this work, Thomas first came into contact with wool, which from now on fascinated him all his life.

His job

Since Thomas was particularly interested in technical contexts, he began an apprenticeship in a wool mill in the neighboring town of Hawick in 1886 at the age of 15, where he learned to weave and manufacture tweed. Five years "he fought his way through this training and had the impression that it was leading to nothing. He then offered tweed goods for sale, for which there was little demand, and worked as a warehouse clerk. He wrote countless applications for another five years; here, too, all of his efforts seemed to be ineffective because he was never invited to an interview. In the beginning he was a "miserable writer", but in the end he was a "master" in writing. During this tough exam, as he said later, he learned something else: he developed the abilityto achieve a lot from little.

His first years of work were years of disappointment, bad luck and poorly paid work, Thomas Oliver later said in retrospect of this difficult time; for twelve years he was pushed in the mills here and there. Nevertheless, these years were not lost years; they had sharpened his mind and were more useful than all his awards: he had acquired knowledge about people and things that he could not have obtained through a textbook.

During all these years, when he was still living with his grandfather in Cavers with his mother, he spent his evenings attending evening courses in Hawick: science, art and technical instruction were on the curriculum. He received numerous awards for his achievements there. He also had the opportunity to experiment in a laboratory in Hawick.

After many years of learning and experimenting, he was finally admitted and certified as a teacher for weaving and designing wool. In November 1898 he took over the technical lessons at the Combined Technical School in Galashiels (Selkirkshire) and taught there and in other cities of the Borders (in Hawick and in Selkirk) in three-hour evening courses, among other things, weaving on looms. From his home town of Hawick from – Thomas had meanwhile moved from Cavers to Hawick – he had to teach 17 and 17 respectively in Selkirk and Galashiels Travel 27 kilometers for a distance.

A year later (1899) his first book on weaving was published, and within the next ten years he wrote three other specialist books.

In November 1898 there were not only changes of a professional but also of a private nature: immediately before Thomas started working as a teacher, he married on 4 November in Edinburgh the two and a half year younger Isabella (* 1874), who was also called Oliver with a maiden name, a common name in the Borders. She came from Hawick and was the daughter of the builder and sculptor Adam Oliver (1851 – 1907) and his wife Catherine McGregor (* 1840). Thomas lived in the immediate vicinity, just a few minutes' walk from Isabella and her family.

Thomas soon decided to continue his education. At the same time, he continued to teach evening courses. In 1901 he received a bachelor's degree in natural sciences from the University of London (B.Sc.; Theoretical science). He then continued his studies at Edinburgh University. He also drove more than 100 kilometers a day from his home in Galashiels to the lectures in Edinburgh and back again; in the evening he also taught three hours a week six nights a week.

In 1904 he received a bachelor's degree in engineering (B.Sc.) from the University of Edinburgh and in 1908 a doctorate in science (D.Sc.) in applied physics. The following year he became the first principal of the newly founded South of Scotland Central Technical College in Galashiels. When in 1922 the college was renamed the Scottish Woollen Technical College, he was appointed professor of textile technology. The college had a good reputation: many of the students trained there later worked in countries with wool industries worldwide: in England, Ireland, on the western European mainland, in North America as well as in Australia and New Zealand.

Thomas Oliver not only taught in the college in Galashiels, but also gave lectures at other institutes outside of Scotland and worldwide. He also traveled to many countries with sheep farming and wool processing industries to study wool production and processing in these countries. He went to France several times between 1904 and 1919, where he learned about the equipment and teaching methods in the technical schools in Paris and in textile cities in Normandy. He later also visited North America: shortly before his retirement, he traveled from June to September 1931 with his wife through Canada and the USA. First and foremost, he wanted to visit relatives there – some of his mother's siblings had emigrated to Canada and the USA – as well as former students from the college in Galashiels,who now worked in North America, but this trip also focused on the wool industry there.

After 45 years of employment, Thomas Oliver retired in October 1931 as soon as he reached the minimum age of 60. He wanted to make room for a younger man "because he had now" promoted the interests of technical training in the Scottish wool industry for a third of the century". He also planned "extensive trips to distant textile centres to study the wool industry and the market abroad", which could not be reconciled with his obligations as head of a college.

On the occasion of his retirement, Dr. Thomas Oliver - for his "excellent work", which he did, he was "the greatest man of his generation in the Scottish wool industry"; his success in training the students was "outstanding" - as a sign of great appreciation, after his long and extraordinary career, he was given a considerable amount of money with the suggestion to use it to buy a luxury car. However, he did not use the money for it, but invested most of it in war bonds. At his request, the interest should be paid annually as the "Oliver Prize" to an outstanding student of the past term.

Active retirement

Even after his retirement, Thomas Oliver kept in close contact with the college, and devoted much of his free time to studying the textile industry. He once again traveled to various countries with sheep farming and wool processing industries: from August 1934 to May 1935 he undertook a trip to New Zealand and Australia with his wife with the aim of studying sheep farming and the wool industry in these countries as well. They sailed from Southampton, England, across the Atlantic with a stopover in Jamaica, through the Panama Canal and across the Pacific and reached New Zealand in September. After visiting the North and South Islands, he visited several large cities and their wool industry in Australia, as well as in Tasmania. On this trip, too, he took the opportunity to see acquaintances and friends from the Borders as well as former colleagues and students. The return journey went via Ceylon, Aden, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal, Malta, Gibraltar and the Canal back to Southampton. In the brochure Round World Tour 1934 – 1935 he wrote down his travel memories. He remembered the religious offering on board with the words:

Not much can be seen of religious activities. They consist of a modified church service from the Church of England, which begins on Sunday mornings at half past eleven, lasts about half an hour and is held by the captain and the paymaster. On the other hand, an equally long service takes place around a quarter to eight Sundays in the evening because one of the passengers is a priest of the Episcopal Church in New Zealand. He must have been asked to hold the evening service. Although there is little interest, there are undoubtedly others who are not satisfied with a weekly fleeting encounter with the only things that are really important.

In 1938 Thomas Oliver was on the road again when it came to wool: he traveled to Central Europe – among other things, he was also in Berlin – and the following year he visited Belgium again three weeks before the outbreak of war.

After his retirement, Thomas Oliver was also active as a textile inspector and expert. He also wrote letters to the editor in specialist magazines and newspapers and also continued to give lectures, not just on the subject of wool. As the keynote speaker at an event in the Edinburgh School of Salesmanship for example, he wanted to convey to the students, among other things, what he had had to learn through a lot of effort even in his youth: the art of writing. You should cultivate "a simple expression" that the man on the street can understand:

Avoid the language of the journalist, be not a talker: after inaccuracy, ambiguity is the biggest mistake when writing. Try to express what you want to say in as few words as possible.

His belief

Thomas Oliver probably came to believe as a teenager. At that time he was a "skeptic and fatalist"; possibly during his training in the wool mills and due to numerous failures in the following years he had the impression that he had passed out to a fate. God did not use the whip to win his heart, but asked him so that he realized that he needed a saviour:

God does not need the whip, but urges us. That is the way He won my heart – me, a poor skeptic and fatalist. God sent Christ into the world not only to keep his glory, but also [...] to save my soul, to win my love, my trust and to have me with you for all eternity![3]

Thomas Oliver was one of the so-called 'Glanton' brethren, who separated from the 'London' brethren in 1908. While he has largely been forgotten today, some of his contemporaries are still known for their articles and books, which are still reissued or translated today; among them Hamilton Smith (1862 – 1943), John Thomas Mawson (1871 – 1943) and Frank Binford Hole (1874 – 1964), who gave up their profession and worked full time for the kingdom of God. They also belonged to the 'Glanton' brethren', as did Algernon James Pollock (1864 – 1957), William Henry Westcott (1865 – 1936), missionary in the Congo, and Harold Primrose Barker (1869 – 1952)

Thomas Oliver attended the meeting of the 'brethren' in Galashiels and worked there and in other gatherings in Scotland and England as a Bible teacher and conference speaker and also preached the gospel; for example, he had been in Aberdeen in the north-east of Scotland at least since 1919. During his trip around the world, he took the opportunity to visit the 'brethren' in New Zealand. His father-in-law Adam Oliver was also a believer; he attended the meetings of the 'brethren' in his home town of Hawick.

Thomas Oliver not only announced the word of God orally, but also in writing: articles by him were published as tracts (often under the pseudonym Omicron) and in magazines, for example in 1904 and 1914 in Simple Testimony (ed. by W. Barker) and from 1931 to 1934 in Help and Food for the Household of Faith. For more than 30 years he wrote numerous articles for Scripture Truth (ed. by J.T. Mawson). Most of his often very short contributions were encouraging and admonishing content. He wrote longer treatises in the 1940s Scripture Truth ("Meditations on the Psalms") and in Scripture Quarterly ("Notes on Baptism") and ("The House of God"). In his articles, his extensive knowledge, which he had acquired during his studies, sounded again and again when he explained technical, physical, chemical, biological, geological and astronomical phenomena in biblical contexts. He had also acquired knowledge of the Greek language.

When Thomas Oliver was already in the seventies, he published a Christian magazine for three years during the Second World War, which he also published himself: Scripture Quarterly, which was primarily devoted "to the interpretation of the scriptures", as he put it. He had already considered publishing a Christian magazine in 1915, but was prevented and only felt free to start this work in old age. After the first edition appeared in 1941, some readers contested Scripture Quarterly as the magazine of a certain group of 'brethren'. In the next issue he replied to this allegation with the words:

Several correspondents have claimed Scripture Quarterly is the magazine of a certain group; possibly more because of the names under the articles than because of the content. I would like to say the following: after thinking about it for 26 years, I started publishing the magazine without consulting anyone. In 1915, various circumstances prevented the magazine from appearing, and it was only in 1940 that I was free to do the strenuous work that the magazine brought with it. I have borne all the costs myself and have not accepted any financial subsidy from anyone and will not accept any, except for the fixed price for the magazine. The accusation that Scripture Quarterly is a magazine of a certain group, so it is completely unfounded! Current assembly matters are strictly avoided! I very much hope that brothers live together in harmony by representing the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace [Ps 133:1; Eph 4:3]. Therefore Scripture Quarterly, will God willing continue interpreting Scripture, which bears the fragrance of Christ's excellence. His excellence alone can elevate us above all discord and strife and cause our thoughts and speech to spread refreshment instead of resentment at every turn.

Finally, he asked those who wanted to contribute articles to be brief: "an article should not contain more than six hundred words", giving them the same advice that he had given a few years ago to the students: "Wordiness is the biggest mistake when writing!"

In 1943 the last year of Scripture Quarterly; Thomas Oliver was probably unable to continue the magazine due to an illness that severely affected him for the following two years and tied him up at home. He recovered again and became active again when it came to wool, for example by writing letters to the editor at daily newspapers and trade magazines, writing specialist articles and again working as an expert.

Thomas Oliver was called home on the 12th September 1946 at the age of 75 in Galashiels and left behind his wife Isabella; their marriage had been childless. Three days later – on Sunday the 15th September – he was buried in Eastlands Cemetery in Galashiels. Isabella Oliver was called home on the 10 January 1948.

Immediately before his death, Thomas Oliver had provided a £100 donation annually to support college students over the next seven years. The announcement appeared in the newspaper on the day of his death.

His personality

A newspaper from the Scottish Borders, where Thomas Oliver was well known everywhere, wrote about him when he received his doctorate in 1908:

Everyone getting to know Dr. Oliver is impressed that he lacks any intellectual conceit and any arrogance – Character traits that unfortunately only too often occur in people who have only a fraction of the knowledge that he has acquired. He seems to have absorbed Michael Faraday's healthy philosophy, which he formulated as follows: "The first and the last level of intellectual education is modesty and humility; a humility that is not based on the fact that we compare ourselves with the imperfect standards around us, but on the increase in that inner knowledge that alone can make us aware of our inner shortcomings."

Willie Kerr, the head of the Scripture Truth Depot and the publisher of the magazine Scripture Truth, remembered Thomas Oliver:
In the 1940s, when Thomas Oliver was an old man, I was still a young man. I knew him well when I was working for a short time in the area around Galashiels. I also come from the Borders, as does my father, who used to work with Thomas in the mill. For me personally, Thomas Oliver was a mentor in faith who advised and encouraged me. He was a very capable servant of the Word of God and had an outstanding vocabulary.
He had a mind interested in everything he encountered. Once he attended a Christian gathering in a place in the Lake District in England. A small river flowed past in the immediate vicinity. He threw a stick into the water, then followed the river a bit, returned and repeated the same thing again. When asked by the children what he was doing, he explained to them that the river could drive a 3 HP turbine.

Another event shows that Thomas Oliver was always very interested in getting to the bottom of things. In 1926, a young Christian from Galashiel was accused of manslaughter: he had "killed a motorcyclist by ruthlessly driving". The accused pleaded innocence. Thomas Oliver, a very well-known and respected man in the city, went to the scene of the accident, took some measurements and calculations and set about proving the innocence of the accused before the court: for many years he had been concerned with dynamism, the teaching of Influence of forces on the movement of bodies, and his calculations led him to conclude that the act, of which the young man was accused, is physically completely impossible! The accused was unanimously acquitted.

"Without Christ all is vanity and pursuit of the wind"

With determination, ambition and diligence, Thomas Oliver had reached the highest professional heights from very humble beginnings. His professional career is a "remarkable testimony to the axiom: "where there is a will, there is also a way". He was extremely successful in his profession and recognized worldwide as an expert. In total, he received around fifty awards and honors. On the occasion of his trip to Australia, an Australian newspaper in 1935 honoured the then 63-year-old and his life's work with the words:

Dr. Oliver's services for the Scottish wool trade were extremely beneficial. Several very important men in the textile trade in Australia come from Hawick like him; however, they all do not enjoy the same high reputation as Dr. Oliver.

The professional ambition that Thomas Oliver had as a young man apparently overshadowed his life of faith at the time; his "idols" were success and performance:

Everyone tends to have an idol, even if the idols in our enlightened age are not made of wood or stone. Our idols today are ideals – wish pictures – or creatures of our own imagination.

In serious words, he warned (in the article "The years that the locust has eaten.” Joel 2:25) from influences in the life of a Christian, "locusts", which could bring about his spiritual decline. The influences of the world of work could also be such a "locust"; they often led to "poverty of the soul". But restoration is possible. In any case, the goal of a Christian should not be a place in the world:

We should not strive for a place in a world that rejects our Lord.

In retrospect, Thomas Oliver also viewed performance and the pursuit of success as "other water", which, however, could not quench the thirst. "The years of failure" would not have changed "God's heart of love". Finally, he saw that only Christ alone could quench his thirst:

"If someone is thirsty, come to me and drink!" (John 7:37). I think that's a very important step. I've learned that in my own story. Christ satisfies the heart's desire. Presumably, many of us who are here today want to drink other waters after their conversion, and God has made us realize: "Only He alone can satisfy the desire." By God's grace, all other watercourses today are dry and waterless.

Looking back at the age of "other water" and how God changed his thinking, he said at the age of almost 60:
For almost 20 years I was in a "desert" – I admired human performance and success. In his wonderful grace, God has once again awakened the feeling for the preciousness of Christ in me. I have studied geology, biology, physiology, mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry, mechanics and the technology of various branches of industry, and therefore I can be considered an objective witness. I can testify that Solomon's wise saying is true: Without Christ "all is vanity and pursuit of the wind" [Ecc. 2:17].[12]