p. 269 | NEW ENGLAND by D. A. Robinson

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · April 22, 1880

FromThe Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 55, No. 17

NEW ENGLAND.

By D. A. Robinson

March 12-14, I was with the company at Walpole, N. H. Our meetings were interesting, and I trust profitable. Nearly all seemed anxious to know how they could work the most successfully in the missionary cause. This branch of the work was fully talked over, and we hope to see them engage in it as never before. This company, with the one at Westmoreland, should be organized into a church. This may be done this spring.

After leaving Walpole, I spent several days in looking after the scattered ones in this region, spending the following Sabbath, March 20, at South Amherst, Mass. Was here until the 28th. A lively interest is taken in the Sabbath-school, there being quite a number of youth and children here. Sold here and at Walpole $13.65 worth of publications.

April 2-6, held meetings with the church at Haverhill. The interest is better here now than it has been for years. In some things, however, they need to reform. The same order and decorum that is seen in a church of hundreds, it seems to me, should be manifest in a company of a dozen. Where this is not so, and outsiders come into the meeting, their sense of propriety is shocked, and they go away disgusted, perhaps never to return again. A kind of disorder and confusion is no doubt partly attributable to the fact that some of our churches meet in private houses, and ere they are aware of it the meeting is sadly marred. Perhaps two or three are talking at the same time, the children are running about the room, and the scene is one of confusion. Now while a small company may endure this, and even become so accustomed to it that they do not see the evil of it, habits are being formed which will have to be broken up if the truth ever makes any progress in their midst.

The church at H. now have a neat hall in the city, where their meetings are held. I tried to set before them the necessity of a thorough reform on the point above mentioned, and shall watch to see it brought about. Every act tells either for or against the truth. Let us be careful to have them all right. The brethren and sisters are taking hold of the missionary work well, and their efforts are not without effect. It was encouraging to see the husband of Sister Peabody make up his mind “not to break another Sabbath.” May God help him to carry out this resolution.

Quite an interest is being awakened here through reading matter. One sister has about effected a sale of the ten-dollar library of our books in a shoe-shop, several of the hands having clubbed together to meet the expense. The V. M. society increased their club of Signs from eighteen to twenty-four copies, and changed them from the eight-page to the twelve-page edition, and have now ordered twenty copies of the College Record to mail with the Signs.

I go this week to the western part of the State.

D. A. ROBINSON.