During the Dark Ages, when the education and enlightenment of the common people were under the ban and conscience was made an outlaw whenever it sought to assert itself, there came a time when it seemed as if the blood lust of war would depopulate the world. There were feuds of family against family, of clan against clan, and of nation against nation. In the thirst for revenge, men almost forgot to till their land; and though professing the name of Christ, they forgot their duty to love their enemies, and broke every command of the divine law to accomplish their enemies’ ruin. War was an occupation, and murder a pastime; and the victor and the victim were members of the same church, absolved by the same priest, and given passports to the same heaven.
It was in such a time that there was brought into existence what was known as “a truce of God,” or “God’s truce” (treuga Dei). It originated in southern France in 1027, and soon spread over western Europe. By the terms of this “truce” there must be no fighting from Wednesday night until the following Monday morning, nor during Advent or Lent, nor on principal saints’ days. Pilgrims, priests, women, agriculturists, and merchants were specially exempt from the ravages of war.
This arrangement left four days for peaceful pursuits, and three days for war and for all private and public combats. Peace had the advantage over war by one day of each week regularly, and an added advantage during Advent and Lent and special saints’ days. These continued interruptions of the business of war and feudal strife served to decrease the cruel business to a very considerable extent. It also gave the people an opportunity to attend church with greater regularity, for the days of peace included Sunday.
It is proposed now to reenact this “truce of God,” not to stop literal war, but to put an end to the conflicts of the creeds for a time, and unite Christendom in some kind of religious undertaking. Now it is well known that every truce is a compromise. Each party to the conflict or controversy yields something in order that they may meet on common ground for a time without fighting. Sometimes, in actual war, a truce is declared that both armies may bury their dead and get their wounded off the battle field. Sometimes a truce is declared that terms of surrender may be discussed.
A truce is always a compromise. But nowhere in the Word of God do we read that God has ever made a compromise, or truce, with sin or with his enemies in this world. This conflict calls for victory. When the Spirit of God enters into battle with a human being in sin, there is no alternative offered, no compromise, no truce. The human heart is called upon to surrender. If it refuses, God still is conqueror, for man perishes. If it yields, God is victor, and man is victor also, for, in the triumph of God over him he himself has triumphed over self and sin and Satan. But there is no truce and can be none. God must triumph completely, or he does not triumph at all. A world is in rebellion, and God calls for surrender. Human hearts are in rebellion, and God calls on each individual for surrender. The gospel of Jesus Christ is nothing but a call of God upon individual hearts to surrender. The blessed part of it is that they who surrender conquer. The sad part of it is that they who refuse to surrender perish.
This “Call for a Truce of God Throughout Christendom,” which is issued “by order of the Advisory Committee of the Commission on the World Conference on Faith and Order,” reads in part as follows:—
To Our Christian Brethren in Every Land, Greeting.
We, the advisory committee, representatives by appointment of many churches in the United States, have become associated with the commission of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the preparation of the world conference on questions of faith and order as a first step toward unity. We believe in the one people of God throughout the world. We believe that now is a critically hopeful time for the world to become Christian. We believe that the present world problems of Christianity call for a world conference of Christians.
This proposal has already received the approval and cooperation of a large number of Christian churches; approaches are being made to others as rapidly as possible; so that we hope ere long its world-wide representative character will be established beyond peradventure. . . .
From the mission field the long-outstanding problem of Christian unity has been brought by the providence of God and set directly in the way before all8Christian communions. It cannot longer be passed by. The great interests which Christian people of every name have most at heart call for its solution. But solution cannot be secured by surrender. It must be preceded by conference. Before conference there must be truce. The love of Christ for the world constrains us to ask you to join with us and with his disciples of every name in proclaiming among the churches throughout Christendom a truce of God. Let the questions that have troubled us be fairly and clearly stated. Let scholars, Catholic and Protestant, give freely to the people whatever light from their historical studies they can throw over these subjects. More than that, it is of essential importance for us to seek to understand what in the religious experience of others are the things of real value which they would not lose and which should be conserved in the one household of faith.
. . . We would therefore urge all who hold positions of leadership or authority in the church to labor without ceasing to work out in this generation, by mutual recognition and possible readjustments, a practical basis of union and liberty, in order, in truth, in power, and in peace.
It will be noted that this union of all Christendom through this “truce of God” is designed to be brought about in this generation. We also have a work set before us to be completed in this generation. Is it not significant that the leaders of that great movement for the union of Christendom expect to accomplish their purpose within a period when such a work must be accomplished to fulfill prophecy? The “image” power, whose decree goes forth against commandment keepers, is a union of religious forces; and such a union there must be before the work of the third angel’s message closes. We expect it to close in this generation. By the proposed “truce of God” it is expected to unite the religious forces of the world, in some way, into “one household of faith” in this generation. How can any one continue to doubt God’s Word when he sees its prediction actually working out under his own eyes? The true Christian cannot repress a thrill of exultant joy in the presence of such demonstrations; for just beyond the culmination which that involves is the paradise of God and the reward of the faithful followers of Christ.
The call for this truce states that the solution which is sought for the problems of a united Christendom “cannot be secured by surrender.” But unless there is surrender of one to another, the purpose of the “truce” will not be accomplished. There will be compromise, there will be surrender, and out of that compromise and surrender will come some basis of unity; and through that unity a decree will be formulated which will bring about the culmination of the controversy. “It is high time to awake out of sleep.” C. M. S.
How the Lord Sent the First Inquirer to Somabula
By W. A. S.
IN the planting of a mission station in a new region, the missionary is led to feel in a special way this dependence upon God. The trust is in the divine power alone all along; but it is most essential at the beginning that the Lord’s own hand shall be seen in awakening a genuine spirit of inquiry, and in bringing forth first fruits that shall indeed be promise of the coming harvest. Human undertaking may draw the curious or the self-seeking, but of souls that pass from death unto life, the work truly must all be wrought by the Spirit of the living God, who alone “giveth the increase.”
Speaking of first experiences in the Somabula Mission, near Gwelo, in Rhodesia, Elder F. B. Armitage has told how the first inquirer was sent to the mission from the heathen villages. Here is the story:—
We had been on the new location about two months, endeavoring to get a start and praying the Lord to send to us hearts open to receive instruction in the way of salvation. With us we had some Matabele orphan children, brought from our first Rhodesian station, near Bulawayo, where we had formerly labored. One Sabbath day, as we were gathering in our little meeting, in came four young people, three men and one woman. As the meeting closed, the eldest of the young men arose.
“Teacher,” he said, “I should like to speak some words to you.”
“Speak on,” I said.
“Night before last,” he went on, “I had a dream. In my dream I came here to this little room, and as I put my head into the door, I saw one of the boys sitting by the door reading from a book. I listened to the words and became interested. I sat down by the boy, and at last I said to him, in my dream, ‘What are you reading?’ ‘This is God’s Word,’ he told me. It was the first time I had ever heard of God’s Word. I had never heard before that God had spoken words. Then my dream ended.”
To make the story short, he told us that in the morning when he rose up he went to his father, and told him how he had visited the new mission school in his dream, and now he wanted to go and visit the place in person. “They have God’s Word there,” he said to his father. “I saw it in my dream. Now I want to go and hear God’s Word.”
“So we have come today,” the young man told us; “and I have seen and heard it all just as it was in the dream. This little boy,” pointing to one of the orphan children, “is the same one that I saw sitting by the door, in the dream.” And pointing to another boy and a girl, he said: “I saw these also, and the teacher there is the same. I would have known him if I had met him many miles from here.”
That was our introduction to the work in Somabula, and we felt that truly our Heavenly Father was verifying the promise: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: . . . yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isa. 41: 10.
It was this promise that had been special strength and assurance in the starting of the new station. “And what about the first inquirer?” we asked. “Did he accept the gospel fully?” “Ah, yea,” said Elder Armitage; “he became one of the trusted workers in the mission.” Thus again, as so often in the story of missions, we see the direct working of the Spirit of God, preparing the way before the human witnesses, and searching out true hearts that are waiting in spiritual darkness. W. A. S.
“Speaking the Truth in Love”
By F. M. W.
THE apostle Paul exhorts the Ephesian brethren that they “be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” Eph. 4: 14, 15.
The spirit of the world is that of enmity, hatred, jealousy, evil surmising, and strife. There are but few in the world’s great conflict today but that are possessed of the partisan spirit. Zeal for some cause or for some party overshadows every other impulse. This spirit cannot actuate the worker for Christ. He cannot become partisan in the affairs of the world, nor take part in party bickerings. He stands as the representative of Heaven, as the ambassador of God, to the inhabitants of a lost world. As the ambassador from one country cannot take part in the party strifes of another country to which he may be accredited, no more can the minister of Christ affiliate with some of the world’s orders and organizations in opposition to those of an opposing class. His mission is to the men and women of every order and every organization.
Religiously he cannot become a partisan of one church as against another church. He cannot ally himself with the Catholics as against Protestants, or with Protestants as against Catholics. He must stand for the truth of God and for the principles of that truth wherever taught or by whomsoever advocated.
“Speaking the truth in love.” How much is comprehended in this experience! This kind of preaching engages in no acrimonious debate, employs no unkind criticism, no ridicule, no scoffing. It speaks the plainest truth in tenderness. Its one object is to win men rather than to embitter them. It seeks to reveal to men the beauty of the truth as it is in Christ Jesus.
We need in our labor today more of this kind of preaching. Love will break the hardest hearts. Love wounds only that it may heal. It points out error in order that it may give in the place of9error the precious truth. The cause of God today needs brave men and fearless men who will penetrate to the very citadel of error, and stand bravely and boldly for God and in defense of truth though it may cost them life itself.
But the cause of truth needs also kind men, loving men, gentle men. Indeed, the greatest strength of the cause of right is the strength born of love. Weak, feeble, frail women have gone to the stake because the indwelling power of love made them fearless in the face of danger. Let us not mistake brute courage for the courage of true manliness. Let us not mistake the loud denunciatory arraignment of error as the voice of the loud cry. “The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” James 3: 17, 18.
F. M. W.
The Outlook Encouraging
By I. H. Evans
OUR union conferences and Bible institutes are now in the past, except one to be held in June in Eastern Canada. Most of our workers who have attended these institutes will acknowledge that the Lord has been present in a marked manner, and has bestowed rich blessings upon his people. A new era in soul winning has set in, and our workers seem determined to give their lives in a very definite way to the finishing of the work.
Encouraging reports concerning the spread of the message are coming in from all parts of the field. Elder O. Montgomery, president of the South-eastern Union Conference, writes:—
I am sending you the following report of home missionary work done in our union during the first quarter of 1914:—
Letters written .................. 1,900
Missionary visits made ........... 5,000
Bible readings given ............. 3,500
Papers sold ....................... 5,600
Papers given away or lent ........ 8,000
Books sold ......................... 1,000
Books lent ........................... 700
Tracts given away ................. 10,000
Hours of Christian Help work ...... 4,000
Meals given away .................. 1,700
This report indicates that our churches in this part of the field are being aroused. We hope soon to see every man, woman, and child in this union actively engaged in service for God.
We have recently held some very interesting home missionary and religious liberty institutes, half of the time being devoted to each department of work, and I must say that I had never taken hold of any work that so enlisted my interest and stirred my heart as this. The people respond readily, and I am convinced that most of our people need only to be shown how to work, and to get just a little taste of the joy of service, and they will become firebrands for God.
It is our plan to carry on a strong campaign in home missionary work in each of our camp meetings, and we are asking the privilege of having one hour a day to devote to this work in the different meetings. I believe we can make this hour one of the most spiritual and uplifting meetings on the day's program.
I am trying to secure from the different presidents a statement of the number of persons who have been brought into the truth during the early part of the present year. One worker reports thirty-seven baptized the first four months; another reports thirty-four taken into the church by baptism; and this does not include quite a company that have accepted the truth as the result of a tent effort, but have not been organized as a church. I hope the first four months of the year will show a little more than one third of our part of the twelve thousand souls for the North American Division to be won to Christ for the year. We are sure that during the year we can come far above our pro-rata portion, but we shall not be satisfied until we have done all that the Lord would have us do.
Brother Charles Thompson, president of the Northern Union, writes concerning the work that has been going on in his field since the union conference, which ended the middle of February:—
There have been reported six efforts in different parts of the union, which have resulted in eighty-three persons accepting the truth. Twenty-nine of these are reported from Iowa, twenty-six from Minnesota, twenty-three from North Dakota, and five from South Dakota. There have been several instances where one and two persons have accepted the truth as a result of some Sabbath and Sunday meetings, but these eighty-three were brought in through regular efforts. We have also organized three churches with a combined membership of fifty-nine, in addition to the eighty-three reported above. One of these churches is in Iowa, one in South Dakota, and one in Minnesota. Two meetinghouses have been dedicated, one in Iowa and one in South Dakota.
From the Southern Union, Elder S. E. Wight reports as follows:—
I have just received a letter from the president of the Alabama Conference, stating that eight have accepted the Sabbath in one place where he has been laboring. Things are moving all through the field. The Mississippi Conference sold $1,567 worth of books last week. Our book sales for the last month amounted to more than $9,000. This is probably the largest report ever sent in from this union. We hope to raise our report this month to more than $10,000, and keep on increasing throughout the year. . . . The Tennessee River Conference reports fourteen converts during the month of March. We begin to feel that the work is moving.
Brother J. H. Schilling, of New York City, superintendent of the German work in the United States east of the Mississippi, under date of April 15, writes:—
On my tour among the churches, I expect to reorganize the missionary and tract societies in the churches, urging all the members as far as possible to help spread the message. I also expect to do each personal work with the workers, in order to encourage them to greater success in the work. I am constantly studying and planning how I may be able to develop the work in our department.
We are glad indeed to report that our work among the Germans in the East is onward. Some of our German workers have labored very hard; and where faithful work has been done the results are good. In 1913 the tithe averaged twenty-one dollars per capita. The donations to foreign missions in 1913 averaged nineteen cents a church member weekly. But in the German churches that had no American members the average was considerably over twenty cents a church member. So you see that we are standing pretty well in tithe and offerings, especially when it is remembered that most of our German people in the East are poor. In some churches the sales of tracts and periodicals have reached quite an amount, yet we are by no means satisfied. It is our purpose to double our sales this year. Our workers are all of good courage, and, as far as I know, feel like putting forth greater effort in the dissemination of present truth. Remember us Germans at the throne of grace. We will remember you.
Elder C. W. Flaiz, of the North Pacific Union Conference, writes:—
I believe these institutes will mark a new era in our work. The workers here seem to be of good courage, and are working with energy, and results are already being seen. The prospects for our camp meetings are good. There is considerable inquiry relative to these meetings, and we look for a good attendance.
We might quote from many others who have written concerning the work in their fields, but it can plainly be seen from the extracts already given that our men are determined to win souls to Christ. We believe that our people should follow these workers with their prayers, asking the blessing of God upon them while in the harvest field, that many souls may be brought to Christ this coming year. I. H. EVANS.
The Bible House at New York City
THE BIBLE HOUSE AT NEW YORK CITY has recently made a shipment of 1,000 Bibles on a voyage of 15,000 miles. Poison was worked into the covers of the books to hinder the operations of destroying insects. The Bibles were soldered up in tin boxes containing ten each, for protection against waves and weather. The tin boxes were repacked in pairs in heavy wooden crates designed to withstand the hard knocks incident to many reloadings and to long journeys under varying conditions. These Bibles, being a part of the eighth edition printed in the language of the Gilbert Islands, are to arrive ultimately at Ocean Island, a small speck in the Pacific 5,000 miles southwest of San Francisco, lying almost under the equator. Ocean Island is only a mile and a half in diameter, but it is visited by many steamers on account of its rich deposits of phosphate. Hence its choice as a distributing center for Bibles in the islands of the Gilbert group.
Only a Girl
By EDITH BRUCE
EDITH BRUCE
“ONLY a girl!” One must live in an Oriental country to grasp fully the meaning of these words. More than that, he must know the people; he must care, really care; he must see in each and every soul one for whom the dear Saviour gave his precious life. Only then can he see and understand the true condition of the lives and needs of the people. It is so easy to drift along, to meet the throngs of people day by day without giving a thought as to how these people live or where they will spend their eternity. But there are some who think, some who care. Some are in the field giving their lives for these precious souls. Some are at home toiling nobly to send means to carry on the work. Would the toiling ones at home like to get a glimpse of the real conditions? O, I know so little of it myself compared to what there is to know!
If you would see something of it, just a glimpse, follow me in your mind as we go into this little mud hut. It has but one door, and that is rather low, so you must stoop in order to enter. In one dark corner of the room lies a woman on the ground (it would be defiling for her to lie on any excuse for a bed). She is sobbing and moaning. There is no one near to comfort her or to minister to her wants. Outside a crowd of neighbors have gathered. A man who we learn is the woman’s husband is saying something to them, and with contempt on their faces they turn away. We can catch only a sentence of what the man is saying. It is this, “Nothing has come; it is only a girl!”
We draw nearer to the sobbing woman. We see a little new life enfolded in her arms. We inquire the cause of her grief, and in broken tones she tells her sad story. She was the mother of two little daughters, but of no son. The husband had threatened that should another daughter be born to them, he would marry another wife; the little one in her arms was the third, and she knew her doom was sealed. Three daughters,—what a calamity! Why should such an affliction come to her? Had she not offered to the gods?—Yes, all these rites had been performed faithfully, but to no avail; and she, poor innocent creature! must now suffer more than tongue can tell; for, after all, human nature is the same the world over. We find the same feelings of love and hate, joy and sorrow. The Eastern mother loves her child as dearly in her way as the Western mother does hers; it is only the cruel custom of an idolatrous nation that has brought the people to this condition.
YOUNG WIDOWHOOD IN INDIA
The census returns for one year revealed that three hundred children were carried off by wolves and jackals from one city, and they all happened (?) to be girls. In 1894, at the sitting of the Opium Commission, Miss Greenfield , superintendent of the mission hospital for women at Ludhiana, said: “Fathers insisted on daughters’ being killed to avoid the expense of weddings.” Miss Carter, another medical missionary, said: “I know of one mother who has destroyed seven daughters.” I remember a case in Grand Rapids, Mich., a few years ago, of a little girl who was cruelly treated by her parents. The newspapers for days were full of the account, arrests were made, and great excitement prevailed. Recently in Manipur, a district of the United Provinces, a little Brahman girl of five years was found tied in a sack and thrown under some shrubs to die. Her little body was hacked and mutilated by a cruel knife, though life was not yet extinct. Her lifeblood had been offered as a sacrifice to the gods of her parents, and by their own hands. Nothing but the blood of a living human creature would satisfy this god and bring the blessing desired by the parents. Their prayer was that they might have a son,—the dearest treasure on earth to the Hindu’s heart,—and so this little daughter was offered a sacrifice upon the altar of superstition.
The police officer who happened to find the mutilated child, took her to a hospital, where she soon died. The parents may or may not receive punishment. The papers mentioned it in one brief paragraph, for after all she was nothing but a little native girl, and there are so many. Yes, there are many! In spite of infanticide, in spite of famine, pestilence, and plague that infest this land, there are thousands and tens of thousands of these little ones who know not the comfort of a home; who are without training, without education, without even proper food, yea, more than that, without love and affection, and above all, without the dear Saviour, who said, “Suffer little children to come unto me.” Our Father has said that not a sparrow falls to the ground without his notice. Does he know? Does he care? We know that he does, and that he wants us, his representatives, to help these people up from this life of sin.
Is the picture too dark? Do you want me to tell something pleasant? How I wish that I might, but I must tell the truth as I see and know it. I can say this, that the happiest time of an Indian woman’s life is her very early childhood, before she is old enough to realize how accursed she is in the sight of her fellow beings. For a few short years she is left to romp and play at her own sweet will. If insult or scorn is heaped upon her, she does not understand, or her young nature rebounds and it is soon forgotten. But suddenly, before she has reached her teens, she finds herself under a yoke of bondage either of wifehood or widowhood, and heavy burdens are placed upon her.
Yes, India is darkened. It needs light. It needs the penetrating light of the gospel. There is a mighty work to be done for the women. Only women can do this work.
Let us suppose we have seventeen women workers in India who can devote all their time to working for India’s women. Each would then have 8,470,588 women for whom to labor. Friends, can you grasp these figures? Do they mean anything to us? It meant something to our Saviour when he left all and died for them.
A Missionary Conference in West Africa
By L. R. CONRADI
L. R. CONRADI
DECEMBER 2-11 was the date set for the missionary conference at Freetown, West Africa. All our white and native workers took part, and our students came down from Waterloo. Brother Garbrah, our teacher on the Gold Coast, arrived December 2, and December 6 Brother Babcock with his family returned from America. Our two large buildings in Freetown gave us ample room for this meeting. Our program consisted of social meeting at 6 A. M.,11workers’ prayer meeting at 8:30, Bible study at 9:30, conference meeting at 11, committee meeting from 2 to 5 P. M., and sermon in the evening at the chapel.
The following resolutions were considered and unanimously adopted:—
“Whereas, The Lord has graciously spared the lives of our workers and granted a degree of prosperity to our work by increased numbers of believers and added facilities, therefore,—
“1. Resolved, That we render our heartfelt thanks to our Heavenly Father for these blessings, and invoke his future blessings upon our efforts.
“2. Resolved, That the West African Mission extend its sincere thanks to the Mission Board at Washington for its great help rendered in men and means during past years.
“3. Everywhere we behold souls bound down in heathen darkness, and unoccupied territory inviting us to enter. In view of this crying need, we fix our future policy as follows:—
“a. To give our chief attention to the preaching of the everlasting gospel.
“b. To extend as fast as possible our work into the unoccupied hinterland.
“c. To select two sufficiently large districts in the hinterland, and place in charge of each a white missionary with a number of native assistants, these districts to be if possible in the Mendi and Timme countries.
“d. That as quickly as possible an efficient white worker be located on the Gold Coast, as we are otherwise in danger of losing what we have thus far secured.
“e. That we consider favorably the call of brethren in Liberia to locate an efficient worker there.”
Professor French gave an interesting report of the school work at Waterloo, stating that thirty-one had been in the boarding school and sixty in the day school. During the year their school building had been finished and better equipped. Brother Lewis gave an encouraging report concerning the factory, stating that their gains for the past year had amounted to $567.23. Dr. Myers reported that he had given 974 treatments during the year, and received $199.67 for them. Brother Dauphin gave an encouraging account of the work at Matotoka, saying that several were already interested. He also spoke of his visit to Liberia, and of some there who are anxious to have more work done for them by us. Brother Harding reported the establishment of the work at Gbangbama, that they had eight in their school, and several were keeping the Sabbath. Brother Barbrah reported from the Gold Coast that twenty-five persons were baptized at Kickham last year.
It was also recommended that British West Africa be divided into three separate fields: (1) Sierra Leone, including Liberia; (2) Gold Coast; (3) Nigeria. There was also quite a discussion concerning the standard of our workers and of our educational work. Credentials and licenses were granted to each field separately. Sierra Leone will have for the present one ordained minister, two licentiates, eight Bible workers, and one canvasser. The Gold Coast has one ordained minister, one licentiate, and two Bible workers. Nigeria has two ordained ministers and one licentiate. Three mission churches were then organized in Nigeria, Gold Coast, and Sierra Leone. Besides these, we have a regular church at Waterloo and at Freetown, and also at Kickham, Gold Coast. We looked carefully into the church rolls and found that the membership stood as follows: Canary Islands, 2; Gold Coast, 75; Sierra Leone, 83; Nigeria, 5—a total of 165.
In our committee meeting it was decided that Brother Babcock take charge of the work in Nigeria, Brother Lewis of the work on the Gold Coast, and that Brethren Myers, French, Lewis, Hartley, and During be the committee for Sierra Leone. Since Professor French has been forced to resign on account of his wife’s health, Elder Greaves, who was in charge of the Grecian Mission, has been appointed to take charge of the Sierra Leone field and of the Waterloo school. It was also voted to sell our Freetown property, but to hold the chapel building, and retain only a small amount for the securing of a lot and the erection of a small dwelling there.
Sabbath, December 13, was a good day. Brethren Lewis and Dauphin were ordained to the ministry, and Dr. Myers to the eldership of the mission church. Brother Babcock and the writer had several visits with the commissioner of public works, the colonial secretary, and the governor of the colony, and they expressed themselves especially well pleased with our industrial school at Waterloo. A good price has been granted us for our mission properties, which will enable us to put up good stations in the hinterland of Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and the Gold Coast.
On the sixteenth we were in Waterloo once more, settling a number of matters here with regard to the school and church. December 18 I again embarked on the “Lucie Wormann,” reaching Teneriffe the twenty-third, where Brother Aldrich again met me, and we had quite a visit together. After reaching the Bay of Biscay, we had some rather rough weather, so that our steamer reached Southampton one day late, December 30. Expecting that it would be still worse on the North Sea, and having to leave home January 1 for the Rhenish conference, I left the boat at Southampton and reached Hamburg the next evening. Crossing the Channel by way of Flushing, we experienced very rough weather indeed.
I much enjoyed my trip to West Africa, which gave me an excellent opportunity to become acquainted with the field and the workers. Only a small beginning has been made. A few churches have been established in Sierra Leone and on the Gold Coast. A number of native workers have been educated, and are ready to join our white missionaries in entering the interior and opening up mission work among the heathen tribes. But we shall need more white missionaries as leaders, more appropriations, and more of the power of God. The people who already have been gathered out need greater consecration, more faithfulness in giving, and more of the missionary spirit. Then, in a little while we shall see these large English colonies on the West Coast lighted up with the glow of the message.
Panama Canal Zone
By W. G. KNEELAND
W. G. KNEELAND
AFTER a pleasant voyage from New York, I arrived in Cristobal, Canal Zone, March 23. I have visited all the churches in the Zone, and am glad to report that the work has advanced since my visit in 1908.
Owing to the fact that the ordinary work on the canal is nearly completed, many of our brethren who have been employed here the past few years will soon return to their island homes. This will break up or greatly weaken several of our churches and reduce our resources.
The government of Panama is making liberal offers of free lands in the interior of the republic for actual settlers. Good openings could be found for a few families of consecrated workers to pioneer the way in these new fields, establish missionary stations, and teach the people how to carry on self-supporting missionary work.
Colon and Panama must necessarily be the center for future work in the Canal Zone. In the former city we have a small chapel, tract society office, and mission rooms for three families. We are beginning evangelistic work here with prospects of success.
At Panama, the capital of the republic and also of the Canal Zone government, we have no such facilities for aggressive work. There are about fifty Sabbath keepers there with only a very small rented hall in unfavorable surroundings. This hall does not comfortably seat the members, leaving no provision for the visitors who crowd around the place whenever there is preaching service. This place of worship costs us twenty dollars a month.
Building lots suitable for our work are held at $1,500 to $2,500. We have just secured a few days’ option on a lot that is centrally located and will meet the present needs of our work, for $800 cash. We shall try to begin building at once with materials already in hand.
The governments of both America and Panama are spending money freely to provide substantial buildings in which to carry forward their work. Large manufacturing companies find abundant capital with which to build suitable factories. Elegant residential palaces are springing up all about us. Has not the time come for a humble house to be erected in this important Spanish and American headquarters where the third angel’s message can be proclaimed?
