OUR WORK AND WORKERS

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Mar 29, 1905

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 13.

OUR WORK AND WORKERS.

THREE converts to the truth at Stoughton, Wis., are noted in the Reporter, by Brother H. R. Johnson.

THREE candidates were recently baptized near Placerville, Cal., by Brother Isaac Morrison. He also reports two new converts to the faith at Auburn.

A SABBATH-SCHOOL recently organized at Viborg, Dak., with twenty members, was increased to thirty in two weeks. Brother J. W. Christian and wife are laboring there.

WRITING from Acampo, Cal., under date of the 10th inst., Sister Laura Bowman says: "We have organized a church of twenty-three members, with a Sabbath-school of thirty-two."

THE recent dedication of a new church building at Greenbush, Mich., is noted in the Banner. The sermon was preached by Brother E. K. Slade, president of East Michigan Conference; and Brother O. Soule also took part in the services.

THE Kansas City (Mo.) branch of the Pacific Press Publishing Company is now located at 1109 East 12th Street, near the corner of Troost Avenue. This is a fine residence neighborhood, and within five blocks of the new Seventh-day Adventist church.

THE North Carolina Messenger says: "Brother R. H. Mathe and family, from Almond, Wis., have come to connect with the work in Haywood County, and are thinking of starting another school a few miles from Cove Creek, where there seems to be an opening."

IN the Pacific Union Recorder Brother H. Shultz reports the organization of a church of two dozen members at Lodi, Cal. The membership is mostly of brethren who have come to that vicinity during the past year from the Western States. Brother T. H. Watson has been laboring in Lodi.

THE April number of the Life Boat is to be a temperance number. The patent-medicine delusion, the morphine and cocaine evil, the liquor traffic, tobacco curse, tea and coffee, and the causes underlying all, will be considered; and also deliverance from the same through the Gospel. Names and addresses can be sent to the Life Boat, Hinsdale, Ill., or they will be furnished in quantities at two cents each.

A REPORT from Brethren S. A. Jordan and W. H. Sebastian includes the following items: Five persons covenanted to keep the Sabbath of the Lord at Greenwood, Miss. Three had accepted the truth in Brookhaven, one in McCombs City, one in Magnolia, and a school teacher at Bentonia, whose home is at Port Gibson. A Sabbath-school was organized at Logtown with seven members. Four decided to be baptized; and a Baptist deacon and his wife acknowledged that we hold the truth. This was the result of a short tour out from Vicksburg, from which place the report comes. The address of these brethren is 209 Fayette Street, Vicksburg, Miss.

THE Supreme Court of Canada has rendered judgment with reference to Sunday observance, confirming the decision of the judicial committee of the Privy Council, that the province has no power to enact laws for the regulation of Sunday labor; but this judgment of the Supreme Court has no bearing upon the Dominion's right in the matter. "It is expected," says an Ottawa paper, "that in view of the above judgment, the Lord's Day Alliance will renew its application to the Dominion Parliament for a bill embodying its suggestions as to the limitation of Sabbath work." Our brethren in that field have been active in circulating petitions to the Parliament to the end that religious liberty may be upheld, and freedom of conscience may be regarded throughout the dominion as a fundamental principle.

FROM the Journal of Hanford, Cal., we take this friendly notice: "Considerable interest is being taken by the residents of the east side of town, in the fine garden which is being cultivated by the pupils of the Seventh-day Adventist school. The fifty pupils have each been allotted a small piece of ground, 4x30 feet, and, acting under the instruction of their teacher, Mrs. Mina Mann, they have planted a variety of vegetable seeds, which are now growing in a flourishing condition, not excelled even by the Chinese gardens. In addition to this course of manual training, the pupils are to be given a course of instruction in the manufacture of rustic furniture, and putting cane seats in chairs. The school is constantly growing, and lately a class in oil painting has been started. Mrs. Mann is assisted in teaching by Miss Edith Bond."

WRITING to the Welcome Visitor from Shan Tsai Hsien, China, Dr. H. W. Miller says: "While the Chinese have been a very conservative people, still we can see an awakening and a willingness to change from the views of their ancestors. While we have but begun work here, still we have a number of interested inquirers. Last Sabbath the mandarin of the place sent for one of these inquirers, and had his soldiers beat him one hundred strokes, giving as his reason that the man had been a Catholic, and now was about to be a Seventh-day Adventist. After learning of the circumstance and knowing what a disgrace it is in China for a teacher to be beaten at the mandarin's command, we were anxious to see the outcome, for it is hard for a Chinaman to bear opposition and stand for principle. To-night this man came back to our meeting, and, while he had not previously expressed himself as to what he thought of our Gospel, the persecution has served to plant these truths firmer in his mind. We trust he will make a man that will proclaim this message of warning to this people."

WHILE the spirit of intolerance is on the increase, the sentiment of religious liberty is not dead yet by any means. The danger lies in the fact that the latter is lodged in so many minds that may, sooner or later, be swayed by an apparent temporal advantage—from a political or business standpoint. However, that intolerance has not yet gained full control is instanced by the manner in which many people will throw their influence for religious liberty when squarely confronted with the issue. Writing to the Wisconsin Reporter from Barron, in that state, Brother J. B. Locken says:

Our experience in securing names for the petitions against Sunday legislation, both at Washington, D. C., and in our own state, has created quite a stir in this place. The church people made a great fight for Sunday legislation, which only added to the interest. We were subjected to many abuses and hard speeches from them, but in spite of all their opposition I secured the names of nearly all the business men and county officials, from the judge down. Many became really interested in the principles underlying Sunday legislation, and men congregated in stores and followed me from place to place to discuss the question. In the post-office there were about thirty men present. Many of them took part as we read and discussed the Sunday bills for the District of Columbia. While church members railed on us, non-professors took the arguments out of my mouth and defended the true principles of religious liberty. An evangelist who is here said I would get a few fools to sign it, whereupon a member of the M. E. Church, who has for some time been interested in the truth, said, "I will sign it, whatever they call me." . . . One of the city papers has offered its columns for whatever we wish to write on the subject.