SOUTHAMPTON ENGLAND by John Norton Loughborough

The Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · December 18, 1879

FromThe Review and Herald, Vol. 54, No. 25

SOUTHAMPTON ENGLAND.

By John Norton Loughborough

Our cause in this mission is advancing in its various branches, not only here in Southampton, but in other parts where we are making efforts by the distribution of reading matter and by correspondence. Last week another sister commenced to keep the Sabbath; and some who have ability to defend the truth have written favorably, and think of taking their stand with us soon.

The work of placing our publications on ships has been increasing in interest and importance every week. England is an important point from which to distribute reading matter all over the world, being the mother country, or home port, of a kingdom “whose soil the sun never sets.” As one English writer says: “Before the sun’s evening I leave the spires of Quebec, his morning beams have shone three hours on Port Jackson, and while sinking from the waters of Lake Superior, my eyes open upon those of the Ganges.”

There is a continual passing and repassing of ships from England to all the numerous branches of this vast kingdom, which embraces possessions in Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as America and numerous islands of the sea.

Since the completion of the Suez Canal, connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas, transit is rapid and more frequent to the East Indies, Bombay, Calcutta, etc. Below is a table making a comparison of the ships of all nations that passed through the canal from May 1, 1878, to April 30, 1879. In that time, one year, just one solitary American vessel of two thousand tons burden went through the canal, while of English vessels there were 1,173, bearing 1,686,239 tons of freight. The highest number of vessels from any other nation was France, which passed through in ninety-two vessels.

It is true, Southampton is not the best port in England from which to reach parts of the dominion by sea; but it is second in importance, standing next to London and Liverpool. We could have done more ship-work than has already been done, had we not lacked material in the different languages with which to work.

Just at present there is a great emigration to the United States. The steamers of the North German Lloyd Line from Bremen to New York stop at Southampton several hours every Tuesday. Of late they have had from two to four hundred passengers a week going to all parts of the United States. What an excellent chance to introduce Stimme der Wahrheit into the various German colonies in the United States; and again, to send some copies on returning steamers into parts of Germany. We have had ten copies of the paper that Bro. Ings paid for, and I had to make up the rest of the scanty matter for the hungry passengers with a few copies of German tracts. If some who are interested spread the German paper will furnish us with the amount of fifty or sixty papers, prepaid at the rate of two cents a number, I will see that they are judiciously distributed.

Again, many ships from Norway, Denmark, and Sweden come into this port, some of which return to various parts of their native country, some go to the United States for grain, and some sail to Russia. To supply these clear-headed sailors we have had five copies of Tidernes Tegn, and a few Danish and Swedish tracts.

Bro. Ings found one man the other day who had read, in Norway, the false reports against Bro. Matteson. He was much pleased to learn that Bro. Ings was acquainted with him. Conversation removed the prejudice. He read tracts and papers, and is now reading with interest Bro. Matteson’s Sabbath in the New Testament, which he purchased. We must have more papers in Danish and Swedish from some source, to help in that branch of the work.

More has thus far been accomplished here in distributing our American Signs of the Times than in any other branch of the tract work, and as the subscription of many of these clubs has nearly expired, I would say, We know that the Signs distributed by sea and land have done a great work, not only in calling attention to our views, but in deciding many on the truth. We hope that our friends in America who so kindly sent us clubs last year, will see fit to continue them. And if others who have clean papers, either Signs, or the Swedish, Danish, or German paper, will please mail them to J. N. Loughborough, Ravenswood, Shirley-road, Southampton, England, prepaying postage at the rate of two cents for each number, we will promise that they shall be judiciously distributed.

Our ship-work has been in operation long enough for many of the ships to return a second and third time. They not only report that the periodicals and books in the various languages are read with interest on the ships, but that after being thus read they have been scattered at the various ports where the vessels have called. In some instances stewards or captains have themselves become so interested as to purchase our larger works. Last week a steward of a steamer bought six of our $1.00 volumes to put on his own table at home, after having read them himself. These ship officers not only request more reading matter, but kindly offer to do all they can to help us distribute our publications. One who had read our works said to another ship’s crew that had just received the papers and tracts for the first time, “Now you have some reading matter that amounts to something.”

We were never of better courage to labor in all these branches of the work. While we work we are praying, hoping, and waiting to see the salvation of God. J. N. Loughborough.