Just before Christ left his disciples to return to heaven, he gave them their great commission: “All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Matt. 28: 18-20, A. R. V.
Some think that this commission was given only to the disciples, as representing the ministry: but the early church did not so understand it. “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word.” Acts 8:4.
We are expressly told that those who did this were not the apostles, but other members of the church. “At that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.” Acts 8:1.
BROTHER R. T. SISLEY AND A CLASS IN ENGLISH AT SOEKABOEMI, JAVA
“The words, ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature’ (Mark 16:15), are spoken to each one of Christ’s followers. All who are ordained unto the life of Christ are ordained to work for the salvation of their fellow men. The same longing of soul that he felt for the saving of the lost is to be manifest in them. Not all can fill the same place, but for all there is a place and a work. All upon whom God’s blessings have been bestowed are to respond by actual service; every gift is to be employed for the advancement of his kingdom.”—“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. VIII, p. 16.
There is one thing to be noted in this great commission, and it is that the promise, “Lo, I will be with you always,” is given only to those who go out to seek the lost. The New Testament in Modern English brings out this thought rather more clearly than the other versions: “Go you out, therefore, and instruct all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you: and then I am with you through all time, even unto the completion of the age.” Matt. 28: 19, 20.
OUR SCHOOL AT PADANG, SUMATRA
It is then, when we are doing our part to fulfil the great commission, that the presence of Christ is with us. Do we desire him with us? In unselfish service to others we shall find him always at our side. As long as we go in the appointed path, we shall always find him there with us. When we leave it and settle down in selfish ease, we leave him, too. Or if we leave it to give all our time to the work of the world, no matter how necessary that work may be, the result must be the same. As the great commission has been given to every believer, it must be possible for each one to do his part in it; and all who are true followers of Christ will find ways and means of doing their part of God’s work.
EDITH M. GRAHAM.
Home Missionary Department
E. M. Graham - - - General Secretary
F. W. Paap - - - N. Am. Div. Secretary
Appear As Thou Art Not
TAKE care lest thou appear to be what thou art not.—Ovid.
News and Miscellany
Notes and clippings from the daily and weekly press
— Three sharp earthquake shocks recently occurred in Panama. The whole city of Panama and the Canal Zone were shaken. No danger to the canal locks or dams is reported.
— Hon. Elihu Root, whose remarkable speech before the Republican State Convention without doubt sounded the keynote of the Republican Presidential campaign, is seventy-one years of age.
— The New York Tribune, one of the largest and most influential daily newspapers in the United States, has recently issued an announcement that after April 1, 1916, it will not carry advertisements of any alcoholic liquor.
— Not many years ago the seed taken from cotton fiber was considered of no more value than the sawdust that accumulates in sawmills. But behold a change! The cottonseed now harvested in one year from our fields is worth $136,000,000. After the oil has been taken from the seed, the part remaining is used as food for cattle.
— A disastrous fire occurred on the Brooklyn (N. Y.) water front on February 16, causing the destruction of three British steamships, thirty-seven lighters and barges, a new 900-foot pier, and about $1,000,000 in merchandise. The total loss is estimated at about $4,000,000, several persons were injured, and one life was lost. Defective electric wiring is thought to have been the cause of the fire.
— Census Bureau experts report estimates showing that the population of the United States on Jan. 1, 1916, was 101,208,315, and that by July 1 it would be 102,017,302. Western States have led in the growth, Washington heading the list, with Oklahoma, Nevada, North Dakota, and New Mexico following in the order named. The bureau’s estimates are based on the rate of increase between the 1900 and 1910 censuses.
— Lindley M. Garrison resigned as Secretary of War, because of dissatisfaction over the President’s attitude toward national defense legislation, and the pending bills providing for the independence of the Philippines. Henry Breckinridge, Assistant Secretary of War, also resigned his office, out of loyalty to Mr. Garrison and a belief in the principles for which Mr. Garrison stood. Both resignations were accepted immediately.
— Judge Ben Lindsey, of Denver, has left the Ford party to start a war relief campaign. This is different from the previous abortive effort to stop the war. The judge is launching a scheme for the purpose of raising $50,000,000 to aid war orphans. He says the accounts of suffering in the lands of the belligerents are so terrible that no language could adequately detail them. It is said that Mr. Ford gave his hearty approval to the plan before the judge and Mrs. Lindsey left the peace party at Christiania, and that he has also promised financial support to the scheme.
— The trade between the United States and South America reached a new record during the past year, according to the figures made public Friday by the foreign trade department of the National City Bank of New York. The imports from South America amounted to $320,000,000, and the exports to $145,000,000. This combined total is $92,000,000 in advance of the figures of 1912, which was the previous banner year.
— A month’s celebration of the national golden jubilee of the Young Women’s Christian Association was begun with an elaborate banquet in New York City on February 1. There were present on the occasion 3,339 women diners, and nearly 3,000 men and women spectators in the galleries of the Sixty-ninth Regiment Armory, where the banquet was held. The gathering was addressed by Theodore Roosevelt and Mayor Mitchel of New York.
— In the days when the horse was king of the road, the people of the United States bought 1,000,000 buggies a year. The sale of automobiles is just reaching the mark set by the buggy. Last year, 448 manufacturers produced 892,618 vehicles, and orders for 300,000 remained unfilled. This year, plants are being increased to provide the 1916 market with at least 1,000,000 cars. There were registered in 1915 in all the States 2,400,000 motor cars, which is more than one for every mile of public highway in the Union.
— The heads of the nineteen great coal companies in the anthracite field met in New York City on February 3, and rejected all the demands made by representatives of 147,000 miners. The miners demand twenty per cent increase in wages, complete recognition of the United Mine Workers of America, a two-year working agreement, an eight-hour day, and changes in methods of fixing wages. The anthracite operators and their men have been at peace for thirteen years. The operators say to grant the demands would make necessary an advance in the price of anthracite to domestic consumers of sixty cents a ton. The raise in price would apply to all domestic sizes. The coal companies assert that they will lay their whole case before the people, and let the consumers themselves decide.
— Many millions of dollars will be added to the railroad pay rolls if the 400,000 men in train service force the carriers to meet their new demands for higher wages, which are expected to be presented in March. Engineers, firemen, conductors, and trainmen from Maine to California, on every mile of railroad in the country, are now voting authority to their leaders to bargain with the roads for more pay. A simultaneous demand will be made on all the roads to adopt the new rates if the vote is favorable. This is the first country-wide demand by railroad workers for more wages. The battle ground for bigger pay checks has never before extended beyond the boundaries of one section of the country,—the East, the West, or the South,—and even in these territorial struggles the four brotherhoods have never made joint demands. Some of the leaders of the men have announced that this will be a fight to a finish, and that they are opposed to arbitration.
— The world’s largest telescope is now being installed at the Carnegie Solar Observatory, near Los Angeles, Cal. The tube, which was sent by steamer from New York, with its casings, weighed 47,000 pounds, and was refused by railways because too wide for flat cars and too high for some tunnels. The lens of the telescope weighs four and a half tons, and although several years’ work has been expended on the instrument, it is not yet completed. It will be finished in 1917.
— There are several centennials occurring during 1916, one of them being a weather centennial. The year 1816 was known as “the year without a summer.” January was so mild that fires were allowed to go out except for cooking purposes. In April there was snow, frost, and ice, and in June all vegetation was practically wiped out by the cold weather. There was a severe snowstorm June 17, 1816, and snow, frost, and ice continued through July. It was not until September that the weather conditions were normal once more.
— An interesting study of the relation of a college education to the present governing bodies of the United States, was issued last week by a New York newspaper. It is shown that sixty-eight per cent of the United States Senate and sixty-two per cent of the members of the House attended higher institutions of learning. The University of Michigan leads, with twenty-six of its alumni in Congress; Harvard is second, with twenty; the University of Virginia is third, with nineteen; and Yale is fourth, with sixteen. More than one fourth of the total number of college men now in Congress are from the alumni of these four institutions.
— One hundred years ago on May 8, representatives of the various State Bible societies met in Garden Street Dutch Reformed Church in New York and organized the American Bible Society. It was a historical gathering, a convention of men distinguished in many directions, who were impressed with the need of coordinating the work of spreading the Bible. Among them were Hon. Elias Boudinot, who was president of the National Congress at the close of the Revolutionary War and signed the treaty of peace with Great Britain; Rev. Dr. Lyman Beecher, father of “all the Beechers;” James Fenimore Cooper, the novelist; and others of equal note in various walks of life. After the organization Dr. Boudinot was elected the first president of the society; Hon. John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, was chosen vice president, with others; Rev. Dr. J. M. Mason, secretary for foreign correspondence; Rev. Dr. J. B. Romeyn, secretary for domestic correspondence; and Col. Richard Varick, second mayor of New York, treasurer. The American Bible Society has made extensive plans for the universal observance of this centennial anniversary of its birth, May 7 being designated as Universal Bible Sunday. Exercises will be held not simply by churches as such, but also in Sunday schools, young people’s societies, and other organizations. Assurances have been received already that the day will be observed in practically all climes in grateful recognition of the blessings that have come from the Book.
Getting Definite Results
By Editor
That definite results for good can be accomplished by the use of our truth-filled magazines can be testified to by a large number of those working with our papers. A thirteen-year-old girl in Idaho has been having some good experiences. In a recent letter to the publishers of the Watchman she writes as follows:—
“I was thirteen years old the eighteenth of November, and have sold magazines for seven years.
“There are five different people who are interested very much, four of whom I expect to see take their stand for the truth any time. The other is a man who said he would be at prayer meeting tonight. Of course there are many more, but these seem to be especially interested.”
This girl reports some definite results from the sale of our magazines. No one will doubt that she has been doing faithful missionary work. The Watchman is one of the magazines she uses in her work. Many others are having good experiences selling the Watchman, and are seeing persons take a deep interest in spiritual things as a result of reading its pages from month to month.
The April number of the Watchman is an exceptionally good issue, and should have a wide circulation. Space will not permit us to give the whole table of contents, but we wish to mention the following articles:—
The Federation of the World.
The True Sabbath.
The Resurrection.
Present Conditions a Fulfilment of Prophecy.
The Supernatural.
Forces Beyond Control.
The April Watchman is now ready, and can be secured from your tract society office at the usual prices. It has a message for you and your neighbors.
Publications Wanted
By Editor
THE persons named below desire late, clean copies of our publications, sent postpaid, for use in missionary work. In sending publications care should be exercised to select only such as are free from soil and disfigurement. We have been credibly informed that some who oppose this movement and the truths which it represents answer these requests for literature, and are sending to our brethren and sisters in various parts of the country tracts and papers representing their opposition. Our workers should be careful not to confound this literature with our denominational publications, and thus unwittingly become agents in sending out matter not printed in the interests of the cause of truth.
Raymond Carlisle, R. F. D. 5, Hickory, N. C.
Mrs. Park Drake, Johnsonville, Pa. Tracts and papers.
George Beermann, Clatskanie, Oregon. Instructor and tracts.
J. H. Downes, Y. M. C. A., Cornhill, London, E. C., England.
Miss J. M. Gillam, 29 Gray St., Asheville, N. C. Tracts and magazines.
Mrs. L. A. Chilson, Larmer, S. Dak. All our publications except the REVIEW.
Request for Prayer
A MICHIGAN sister desires prayer for healing from asthma, and also that her son and family may accept the truth for this time.
Change of Address
THE Cumberland Tract Society has removed from Graysville, Tenn., to Room 31, Deadrick Bldg., Knoxville, Tenn. All mail which is intended for the conference or tract society should be addressed to that place.
Obituaries
By E. K. SLADE; W. H. THURSTON; J. E. HERRINGTON
GRUBE.—Mary Grube was born Sept. 4, 1828, in Fairfield County, Ohio, and died Feb. 14, 1916. She was married to Tobias Grube on May 7, 1850. Six of their eight children are left to mourn. She will also be missed by a large circle of friends. For several years she was a faithful member of the Seventh-day Adventist church at Defiance, Ohio.
E. K. SLADE.
ASCHENBRENNER.—Josie Frederick Aschenbrenner was born in Cornwall, Idaho, April 4, 1894. She was married to Joseph Aschenbrenner July 24, 1910. Two years ago she was baptized by Elder F. D. Starr, and united with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Her husband and little daughter, together with her parents, one sister, and three brothers, mourn her death, which occurred Jan. 12, 1916.
W. H. THURSTON.
WORTHINGTON.—Minnette Herrington was born in Rochester, N. Y., March 18, 1878. She was united in marriage with H. S. Worthington, and five children were born to them. Through the influence of her parents she was led to accept present truth. Her sudden death, which occurred at her home, in Buffalo, N. Y., Feb. 20, 1916, is mourned by her husband and children, two brothers, and a sister. Funeral services were conducted by Elder H. Lesley Shoup.
J. E. HERRINGTON.
Southwestern Union Conference Corporation
By G. F. WATSON; C. E. SMITH
THE legal meeting of the Southwestern Union Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists will be held in Oklahoma City, Okla., in connection with the Southwestern Union Conference, April 7-13, 1916. The first meeting will be called at 10 A. M., Tuesday, April 11, 1916, for the transaction of such business as may come before the constituent body, which is composed of the delegates of the Southwestern Union Conference.
G. F. WATSON, President.
C. E. SMITH, Secretary.
Southwestern Union Conference
By G. F. Watson; C. E. Smith
THE eighth biennial session of the Southwestern Union Conference will convene in Oklahoma City, Okla., April 7-13, 1916. Each local conference is entitled to one delegate without regard to numbers, and to an additional delegate for each one hundred of its church membership. All members of the Southwestern Union Conference Committee, of the North American Division Conference Committee, and of the General Conference Committee who may be present at any meeting are also delegates.
This will be an important session, and we trust that all delegates will be present at the first meeting. Officers for the coming term will be elected, and such other business transacted as may properly come before the meeting.
G. F. WATSON, President.
C. E. SMITH, Secretary.
Southern Union Conference Association
By S. E. WIGHT; G. H. CURTIS
NOTICE is hereby given that the fifth biennial session of the constituency of the Southern Union Conference Association of Seventh-day Adventists will be held in the chapel of the Southern Publishing Association, 2123 Twenty-fourth Ave. N., Nashville, Tenn., at 9 A. M., Monday, March 27, 1916, for the purpose of electing a board of directors for the ensuing quadrennial term, and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting.
S. E. WIGHT, President.
G. H. CURTIS, Secretary.
Southern Union Conference
By S. E. WIGHT; G. H. CURTIS
THE first meeting of the seventh biennial session of the Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists will be held in the chapel of the Southern Publishing Association, 2123 Twenty-fourth Ave. N., Nashville, Tenn., at 9 A. M., Wednesday, March 22, 1916. Each conference is entitled to one delegate for its organization, and to one additional delegate for each fifty of its church organization.
S. E. WIGHT, President.
G. H. CURTIS, Secretary.
Legal Meeting of the Southern Training School
By W. H. Branson; A. N. Atteberry
WE hereby call a meeting of the Southern Training School of Seventh-day Adventists, Inc., to meet in the Seventh-day Adventist church building, 508 East Fair St., Atlanta, Ga., at 10 A. M., Monday, April 3, 1916, to elect trustees, to change the constitution and by-laws, and to do such other business as may properly come before the meeting.
W. H. BRANSON, President.
A. N. ATTEBERRY, Secretary.
College of Medical Evangelists Annual Meeting
By E. E. Andross; S. S. Merrill
THE annual session of the constituency of the College of Medical Evangelists is called to convene in Loma Linda, Cal., at 10 A. M., March 22, 1916, for the purpose of transacting such business as may properly come before the meeting.
E. E. ANDROSS, President.
S. S. MERRILL, Secretary.
Graysville Sanitarium and Benevolent Association
By W. H. Branson; R. L. Williams
NOTICE is hereby given that a meeting of the Graysville Sanitarium and Benevolent Association will be held in Atlanta, Ga., in conjunction with the regular biennial session of the Southeastern Union Conference, April 3, 1916. At this session trustees will be chosen, amendments to the constitution will be made, and such other business transacted as may come before the constituent body, which is composed of the delegates of the Southeastern Union Conference.
W. H. BRANSON, President.
R. L. WILLIAMS, Secretary.
Something to Rub On
STRANGE, isn’t it, how many people in this intelligent age are wedded to the idea that it is helpful and really necessary to rub something on any part of the body that is in pain, no matter what the real cause of the pain may be? Many do not search for the cause, but seek to allay the pain by rubbing something on. Massage is often helpful, especially when the pain is in the muscles or in the outer nerves; but the substance applied, unless it contains cleansing properties, is often valueless, except as it helps the mind of the patient. Keeping the surface of the body clean is necessary, but most of the “rub-ons” clog the pores of the skin, and render the body incapable of discharging its natural functions.
As an illustration of the “rub-on” idea, we cite a case related a short time ago by one of the contributors to Life and Health. The doctor was called to see a lady seventy years of age. She and her husband were the “rub-on” kind. The old lady could not remember ever taking a bath. The doctor knew that a bath was about all she needed, but he could not prevail on her to take one. She thought it would kill her. She was afraid of water. She and her husband insisted upon having something to rub on, something good and strong. So the doctor made up a quart bottle of “rub-on” for them. The quart was for one application, and it was all innocently colored water, with plenty of cleansing properties, and something to give it a satisfying odor. This preparation was to be applied vigorously to all parts of the body, and the body wiped dry with a coarse towel. A few daily applications resulted in a cure, and the old couple insisted upon the doctor’s giving them the prescription so they could have it to use when he was away. He gave it to them, and now they rub on water in the form of a bath every day, and are well and happy.
In dealing with the people, Life and Health even makes use of the “rub-on” idea when it can be turned to the welfare of the patient. It is all things to all people, that it may turn some to the true principles of healthful living.
Something in a Bottle
By Florence W. Whitney
For every ache and every pain,
For every ill of toe or brain,
So many folks have the belief
That they will surely find relief
From something in a bottle.
Some folks want something they can
smell,
Or something they can “rub in well,”
While some prefer to taste the stuff,
And never seem to get enough
Of something in a bottle.
No matter if they always fail
To find relief, you’ll see them hail
With great delight some new affair,
Some fake to swallow, smell, or wear—
Or something in a bottle.
If folks would quit these things, and
pause
Just long enough to find the cause
Of all their ills, they soon would learn
How they’d been fooled, and then they’d
turn
From something in a bottle.
Remove the cause of all your pain;
’Tis thus good health you can obtain.
Read Life and Health, and give close
heed,
And then you’ll have no further need
For something in a bottle.
FLORENCE W. WHITNEY.
Fresh Air
WHILE fresh air is essential to health, there are comparatively few who really know what fresh air is. Most people seem to think that only outdoor air can be fresh, no matter if there is a good ventilating system in operation in a building.
In the April number of Life and Health, Dr. John Lovett Morse, professor of diseases of children in the Harvard Medical School, defines fresh air as being that which is cool, dry, and in motion, free from bacteria, dust, and smoke. He takes issue with the claim that breathing charges it with poisonous organic constituents, especially when the temperature is low and the air is in motion. It is claimed that cold air has no advantage over cool air in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases, there being no more oxygen in cold air than in warm air.
Dr. Morse's article on fresh air in the April number of Life and Health is worthy of close study. If he is right in his conclusions, the sleeping-porch idea will lose some of its present popularity in the near future. Read Life and Health, and keep up with the times.
National Degeneration
In the United States the death rate is steadily diminishing. This is due largely to the lessening of infant mortality. Among adults from thirty to sixty years of age there is a steady tendency toward shortening the period of life. Insurance corporations, recognizing this fact and paying heavily on losses, have been quite active in locating the cause. The conclusion reached is that people at this time of life do not give proper attention to personal hygiene, to some of the simplest and most necessary essentials to health and long life, such as moderation in eating and drinking, proper care of the mouth, teeth, and other organs, with plenty of sleep, regular exercise, and deep breathing. In the mad rush of business and ever-increasing greed for gain, this class neglect themselves, and do those things which make for disease and shorten life.
One of the purposes for which Life and Health was brought into existence was to help this class. It points its readers to the better way, an easier, more pleasurable way to live, and to greater usefulness.
The journal is properly named, for it is indeed life and health to all who follow its teachings. This statement is verified by many who, through gratitude, have taken the trouble personally to thank the editor for his counsels. As a sample of many, we quote one expression of appreciation just received:—
“EDITOR LIFE AND HEALTH: I wrote you last year for a young man that was almost given up to die. The doctors disagreed as to his disease, but he followed your advice, and is now practically well, for which we thank you.”
It Meets the Needs of All
“EDITOR LIFE AND HEALTH: I have read your little magazine for almost three years, and I enjoy each issue. In fact, I generally lay it aside for an evening at home when I can read it to my wife while she attends to some household duty. The baby admires the front page. Each number is filed away for future reference.”
All Have a Place and a Work
The most practical evidence of appreciation of our literature is found in the orders received. The 2,000,000 copies of the REVIEW Extras ordered last year are a very substantial testimony in their favor, and the present increasing flood of orders reveals a growing interest in these Extras; yet they are not injuring the circulation of our other papers, but are creating a demand for them and also for books. The Extras being cheap, our people can afford to use them generously; and being excellent in contents, they create a demand for larger and more expensive literature. They might be called the skirmishers of our army of publications.
One of our workers in Virginia in a recent letter makes the following comment on the Extras and other literature:—
“The REVIEW Extras with our weekly Signs of the Times, I am sure, will play an important part in the closing message among my people. Some years ago when I labored in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, I desired to have cheap literature for the colored people in the Southern States. Many could not afford to pay ten cents for a magazine. The Signs was the only paper we had for them, and many copies of it were sold; but now we are planning to sell more literature, for we have a godsend in the Extras, at a small price.
“We have used a large number of the Extras, and are planning to see that every home is visited with them. We sell them at one cent each. This gives us a little percentage. We were not told what to sell them at, so this price appealed to us. We are encouraging the children, as well as older persons, to sell them. They all take delight in selling them. A little boy took some to a factory where his mother worked, and he told me he sold all of them. I encouraged him in his sales, and gave him another supply.
“Some of our people like a large bundle of literature for a small price, for many look at ten cents a good while before they will part with it, but five cents or less they will let go easier. But my burden for some years has been for cheap literature for the colored people of the Southern States, and now the Lord has given it, and the larger papers seem to sell better. One lame sister sells one hundred Signs every week. She is in her seventies. Another sells about fifty a week. She is in her eighties. The twenty-five-cent books, ‘The Shadow of the Bottle,’ ‘The World’s Crisis,’ and others, are special gifts of the Lord, and are being sold in large quantities.
“Brethren, you need to be encouraged. Do not allow the Extras to stop. Let them still come to the homes of the people, filled with the message for this time.
W. H. SEBASTIAN.”
The 1916 Year Book
IT CONTAINS a complete directory of the General Conference and all its departments, of the four division conferences, of the union conferences, and of every local conference and mission, with the name and address of every officer and laborer connected therewith.
IT LISTS the names of all educational institutions, with the names of boards of management, and the studies taught by each member of the faculty.
IT GIVES the members of all managing boards of publishing houses, the editors, the papers issued, their subscription price, size, frequency of publication, and other data.
IT PRESENTS a list of all sanitariums, treatment rooms, food factories, cafés, etc., with physicians, the members of all managing boards, and other officers.
IT ILLUSTRATES the growth of the denomination since its organization in 1863, by statistical tables, more complete than ever before, representing all departments of work; it also states by conferences the number of churches and their membership, as shown by the last published statistical report.
IT MAKES a survey of the field for the past year, prepared for this work by those in charge of the fields, in which many indications of progress are given.
IT INDICATES the location of churches in many of the larger cities in the North American Division.
IN FACT, the Year Book contains information respecting every laborer connected with this cause, indicating the line of work in which he is engaged, and his address; every institution under denominational control, and for easy reference a separate list for each union conference; and the growth of every department is represented statistically.
THE YEAR BOOK is therefore an indispensable compendium of information respecting this cause. No officer or other laborer can afford to be without it. With the many, many changes that have recently been made in organizations, the Year Book is more necessary now than ever before.
AND THE PRICE—Simply cut in two for your benefit. Now only twenty-five cents. Money lost on every copy, but the benefit comes back in other ways. Order your copy before the limited edition has been sold. Order from your tract society.
Circulation of Our Literature
By Editor
THE movement with which we are connected has been greatly accelerated by the circulation of our various publications. It is interesting as one visits a large assembly of Seventh-day Adventists, to learn what a large percentage have accepted the message for this day through reading. Thousands of others who have not yet made a decision have received favorable impressions which will lead them ultimately to identify themselves with the remnant people of God. Who can measure the good accomplished by the circulation of gospel literature?
And the conditions which have arisen on the earth do not unfavorably affect the circulation of the printed page. On the contrary, as our papers and books call attention to these conditions, and show that they are signs of the times, the demand for reading matter is greatly increased. This has been demonstrated in the largely increased sales of our agents, not alone in the United States, but even in some of the troubled countries of the Old World.
In this country, the last two years have witnessed a marked increase in the circulation of the Watchman and the Signs of the Times, and in the sale of the REVIEW AND HERALD Extra, and also such small books as “The World’s Crisis,” “The Vatican and the War,” and “The Shadow of the Bottle.” We believe that the two books, “Armageddon” and “The Other Side of Death,” which are being put out by the Review and Herald and Southern Publishing Associations, will have a large sale. We earnestly hope that our brethren and sisters throughout the field will take advantage of the existing desire to read on these subjects, and will place these and similar books in thousands of homes. Now is our golden opportunity for the circulation of our literature. Let us be faithful in improving it.
The Work in South Africa
FROM a personal letter from Elder W. B. White, under date of Jan. 19, 1915, we quote the following regarding the work in the South African Union Conference:—
“We are very busy, and rejoice to see the work in this field taking on new life. Since our Durban meeting last April, 40 Europeans have been baptized in the Natal-Transvaal Conference, 60 in the Cape Conference, and 35 in the Free State, making 135 in all. Probably as many more natives have been brought to the truth.
“We have just printed 2,000 copies of a reader in the Chitanga for Northwestern Rhodesia, and are now beginning a hymn book of two hundred hymns for that people. During the last two months the people of that section of Africa have just received the whole New Testament in the vernacular, which will be a great help to us.
“Quite a temperance agitation is now on in South Africa, and we are putting out a special on this question. We hope to scatter 60,000 copies. We have just prepared a tract on the Sabbath question, and also one on the second advent which we hope to print soon in a number of the native languages. We are also at work on ‘Steps to Christ’ in the Sechuana, and are translating ‘The World’s Crisis’ into Dutch. We hope soon to print ‘Early Writings’ in the Dutch, as there has been quite a demand for it. Our courage is good. Pray for us.”
