CHRISTIANA, NORWAY by J. G. Matteson

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · June 3, 1880

FromThe Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 55, No. 23

CHRISTIANA, NORWAY.

By J. G. Matteson

BY ELD. J. G. MATTESON.

We are still laboring to spread the truth in this city and country, and not without some success. Quite a number of believers in the truth are longing to keep the Sabbath, but do not yet have courage to take this step, because it will throw them out of employment. There is truly a hard struggle for many souls on this point. The interest on the immortality question has not abated. When a lecture on this subject is announced, our hall is better filled than usual, and among the hearers we see preachers and students.

There is a good interest in our Sabbath-school. One of our brethren has now the second time been summoned before the magistrate for keeping his children from school on the Sabbath. The superintendent of the school insists that he must be fined. Our brother presented the catechism of the Lutheran church, which teaches that the ten commandments are perpetual, and that God will severely punish those who transgress them, but greatly bless all who obey them. He asked the judge to say himself whether he did not act according to this teaching, in keeping holy the seventh day. The judge answered that he could not see but he did. He then inquired about our church and faith, and the system of teaching in our Sabbath-school; whereupon our brother was again dismissed without any fine.

Bro. Jasperson leaves Skien next week. He is having a good hearing at present. The Lord willing, I commence a series of meetings in Denmark next week. Bro. J. will then labor in Sjælland, Denmark. Bro. Ræsqvist is having a very good hearing in Aamot, Sweden. A few more have embraced the truth there. Bro. Tökzelius is also preaching the truth quite diligently. Bro. Olsen has to labor at his trade in Söderhamn this summer, to get a living, but will preach again in the winter. Bro. Klungland is gathering subscribers, selling tracts, and holding meetings now and then in Arendal, Norway. All these brethren are single. It seems to be difficult for them to sustain themselves by the means that can be obtained from friends. Bro. Brorson is most successful in this respect, but he had also a better start, since more than one year's labor had been bestowed by me on his field before he commenced.

We have a colporter here in Christiana who employs all his time in selling tracts, bringing around the paper, collecting dues, and getting new subscribers. It is much more difficult here than in America to find men who can present the truth intelligently to others, even after they have had some chance for instruction; and it is far more difficult to find a man that unites a little financial ability with his other powers. Still we do not doubt but that the Lord will help us, if we do all we can. He always blesses earnest and faithful efforts, if well directed.

Our American brethren can realize few of the difficulties we have to encounter here,—hard times, unreasonably low wages for labor, high taxes, tithes and offerings to be paid to the priests' and state church, etc. A low state of education and civilization prevails in the farming districts, and in whole towns it is frequently the case that there is not enough interest to secure a single subscriber for a paper. We feel thankful to God that under these circumstances so many thousand papers and tracts have gone out in Denmark and Norway.

In this city we are peculiarly situated. That the battles for the truth have been fought so successfully against, and in the presence of, the ablest theologians of the country, gives a general interest to the work, and is a great help in all its branches. But our spiritual as well as our financial condition is such that this place cannot be left alone very long at a time. Our friends here have not been idle in trying to help the work. Besides laboring in the tract society and helping in the Sabbath-school, and also donating some to my expenses, they have during the past year given more than $1,000 into my hands to meet payments and taxes on the property we have bought, and running expense for the meetings; and lent to the building society nearly $200 more to fit up the house. To urge these friends to do more, or to withdraw much-needed labor from them at present, when their religious prosperity is so much dependent on this labor, is not wise.

The American Methodists and the Mormons have planted successful missions in this country; the American Baptists have been very much prospered in Sweden. They still sustain several missionaries, and have also helped to build meeting-houses here and there. The work cannot move so fast in Europe as in America. It will take a longer time to become self-sustaining, and the whole mission here is not yet very old. When a good interest has been started, and a good foothold obtained in a few places, it does not pay to leave such interests to go down, while going hither and thither in new places to labor for that which is more uncertain. We shall advance as fast as our forces allow, but we shall also try, by the help of God, to hold what we have gained. Our paper is sent to nearly nine hundred subscribers, and we send to no others; but we solicit the help of our brethren to increase our list. The tract societies help us here, and our brethren in America are also ordering for their friends in Europe. One brother in Texas has just sent us one hundred and four addresses for Norway, and pays for sending the paper three months. He also corresponds with these persons. Please notice that we send Tidernes Tegn for three months to any subscriber in Denmark or Norway for eight and three-fourths cents. Thus one hundred copies cost only $8.75. Now we pay only one and three-fourths cents postage, in all, for the three months; and in Norway we can send letters back and forth free to each subscriber during those three months for the same one and three-fourths cents, if they contain only such matter as concerns the continued subscription of the paper. And when the subscriber wants to renew his subscription, he sends his money in a letter free of postage.

Those brethren in America who have friends in Denmark and Norway, or can obtain addresses of people in these countries, can, for a small sum of money, send out many copies of a paper which proclaims the truth in a manner peculiarly adapted to the Scandinavian people. Our subscriptions all begin with January, April, July, or October. Orders can be sent to Advent Tidende or directly to us. Address only Tidernes Tegn, Christiana, Norway.

With humble thanks to God and to all my brethren for past favors, I still ask an interest in your prayers.

Christiana, May 12, 1880.