An interesting incident was brought to our notice a few weeks ago. A certain Tongan choirmaster, of about thirty years, became exercised concerning the keeping of the law of God. It seems that he came in contact with the truth a few years ago, but made no outward sign as to his relation to it. After some time he went to the leading Free Church ministers (native), and questioned them with regard to the obligation of the law; and the old-time arguments against keeping it were placed before him. But he was convinced that all are under obligation through Christ to keep his Father's law, and concluded that the Free Church ministers did not believe in the Bible, and being conscientious in his belief, he discontinued attending church, although still holding the position of choirmaster.
A year or so after this, the choirmaster died. A minister who visited him just before his death, said to him, “You are going to hell.” The dying man looked calmly at him and answered, “I am not ashamed to meet my God; see to it that you die as happily as I.” His friends and relatives marveled to see him close his eyes in death as peacefully as a child closes its eyes in sleep. Some one's seed sowing had borne fruit, although this man's name was not entered in the books of God's people upon earth.
JEREMIAH, THE ZULU PREACHER
An old Tongan translator named Uga (Unga), who some years ago worked for Elder E. S. Butz, is living here in Vavau for a few months, engaged in hospital work. He visits us frequently. He said, “I shall never forget the things Mr. Butz taught me, never!” We have hopes of this man yet, although the white man's fire-water gets control of him at times.
A number of people come to the house for our Tongan paper, and some of them sit down and read it before they leave. This is a great factor in our work in these islands. The other churches have no literature for the people, and this makes them more anxious than ever to read ours.
We are planning to have the excellent current Sabbath-school lessons translated, and distributed among the people. The Tongans have reached an important place in their history as a people. Many of the one-time earnest Christians are becoming infidels, and the country is in a political unrest. Give liberally of your prayers, brothers and sisters, on behalf of this important field.
At the present time we are experiencing a water famine. No rain has fallen for two months. This is a serious matter when one considers that there is not even one stream or river in the group. Every one depends upon tanks, and most of these are empty. We have sufficient for cooking and drinking purposes for a very short time. Full baths have been out of the question for four months. The grass is all dried up, and vegetation is languishing. It has just begun to rain at this very moment. It does not bid fair to be more than a sprinkle, but it is a token for good, as a five years' drought has been predicted for Tonga. We are having an average of nearly two earthquake shocks a day. But we are of good courage in the work, and hope in God's mercy.
It is early yet to speak of our school, but it has started well, and we believe it will grow. We have a nice class of young men and women, and we hope to sow some good seed in their hearts.
Niafu, Friendly Islands.
A Converted Battle-Field
By Herbert J. Edmed
HERBERT J. EDMED
The onward march of the third angel's message is the one theme of interest which this world offers to Seventh-day Adventists. The rainbow that John saw (Rev. 10:1) casting its varied hues around the angel's head was not without meaning, and its interpretation is read to-day in the faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God who is causing the words of the “little book,” like the sun, to flash and reflect their light so that “there is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” True, the feet of the messengers must tread the path of trial. Yet there is no faltering nor uncertainty in their step. In the fire they are made “pillars” of deep spiritual strength, and nothing thwarts the purpose of those who to-day are whole-hearted in God's work.
Ladysmith is the third largest town in the colony of Natal. For many years its strength lay in its railway workshops, but in the meanwhile the surrounding country has developed into one of the richest farming districts of South Africa. This little town became famous in history during the conflict between the British and the Boers in the years 1899 and 1900, having been besieged by the Boers, and ably defended by a small untrained force within, until relieved by British forces under Buller. From Waggon Hill the Boer guns poured in a continual stream of shell, and the damaged buildings may still be seen, many having been preserved to remind the visitor of the fierceness of the struggle.
Eighteen miles from the city is a mountain called Spion Kop. It was here that the deadliest battle was fought, on Jan.1324, 1900. Up to that time this beautiful mountain had been held as a Boer stronghold. On the southwestern side there are beautiful, but precipitous slopes, while at the back of the mountain there is a wide plateau which slopes gradually toward the town. On this plateau the Boers were strongly entrenched. The British general gave command to seize the hill from the precipitous side, with the result that his forces were mowed down like the wheat of the field. However, the hill was finally captured by the British, and to-day the boundaries of the farm of which the mountain forms a part are marked by monuments that have been erected in memory of the British soldiers who were willing to spill their blood for the glory of their king. What an example of fidelity to the children of God, the soldiers of the King of kings!
But this historic place had then only begun to lay the foundations of its fame.
SPION KOP, A SOUTH AFRICAN BATTLE-FIELD, NOW A SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST ZULU MISSION FARM
The providence of God had destined that a still more glorious and triumphant battle should be fought on the slopes of that mountain; and by a series of circumstances in which we see God's hand, that mountain, with its blood-stained slopes and with its monuments to the dead, has passed into the hands of Seventh-day Adventists, who have purchased the two thousand two hundred acres of which it is composed, for the purpose of establishing a mission for the Zulu race in Natal.
The circumstances, in brief, were these: Elder F. B. Armitage for two years had patiently traversed the country, seeking for a suitable farm for this mission. In the meantime a company of Zulus accepted the truth, thus forming the nucleus of a school for teachers, among whom is Jeremiah, a faithful and devoted believer in the message, as well as a capable preacher.
But while natives were accepting the truth, there seemed to be no suitable place on which to locate the new mission. The last time I saw Brother Armitage before this site was purchased, he seemed much depressed and disappointed. But he little knew how God was working things out for him. At that very time a canvasser, Brother van der Molen, had been out toward Spion Kop selling the book 'Patriarchs and Prophets.' A copy was purchased by Mr. Stockill, who, with his family, soon embraced the truth.
To Brother Stockill's farm Brother Armitage was led, and while there, learned of the possibility of buying Spion Kop. His spirits rose higher and higher, and his faith deepened and broadened, until he grasped the idea that God was pointing us to this battle-field. Pacing the land, he found that with the beautiful historic mountain at the back, good for sentiment, the slopes were bounded by the great Tugela River for about three and one-half miles—good for utility. All the slopes of the farm are capable of cultivation, and along the river, about forty rods wide, is a belt of the finest alluvial soil. Here was an asset that, if placed in wise hands, would promise self-support from the first year. The only question was, Would the brethren consent to the purchase? In a few days Elder W. S. Hyatt (in the absence of Elder R. C. Porter) and I accompanied Brethren Armitage and Stockill to the farm, and decided—subject to the consent of the union conference committee—to make the purchase.
The accompanying picture gives some idea of the entire property, which is one of the finest in the district. There are several springs on the place, and an abundant supply of water. The white path to the left shows the location of the future mission home. The promise of God gives us faith that prosperity will attend Brother Armitage in his work with the Zulus, and that our people will send in their offerings to help speed on this glorious work, so soon to be consummated in victories far more reasonable, glorious, and triumphant than the victory of Spion Kop.
The Bridegroom Tarries
By Eliza H. Morton
ELIZA H. MORTON
The Bridegroom tarries; weary grow
The watchers in the night;
Their faith is tried; the test has come;
Some lamps emit no light.
The foolish virgins know not God;
The form alone is there.
They heard the solemn words of truth,
The message fail to bear.
The peace-and-safety cry they sound,
And lull themselves to sleep,
Forgetting that an hour will come
When careless ones will weep.
The oil, the precious oil of grace,
Would make their hearts o'erflow
In loving service for the world,—
A joy that all may know.
Buy ye the oil before too late;
Be willing to receive,
That faith may shine in rays of light
To many hearts in need.
No money take, a gift it is;
Just let the glory shine.
The beauty of a perfect life
May be, dear soul, all thine.
Then when the Bridegroom comes to
take
His ransomed home to dwell,
With lifted heads we'll shout and sing:
“It is our God. All’s well.”
Yea, alleluias! for the Lord
Omnipotent doth reign;
Let us be glad, and honor give
To his great, holy name.
Portland, Maine.
The Work in Australasia
By J. E. Fulton
J. E. FULTON
We have had much to encourage us recently in the Australasian field. In many places there has been a deep interest to hear the truth, and some of our evangelists have had excellent success. Our missionaries in the island fields are also reporting progress.
Two council meetings have recently been held,—one in Tahiti for the Society Islands and the Cook group, and one in Fiji for western Polynesia. Brother J. M. Cole, who attended the Fiji council, writes very enthusiastically. He tells of the interest on the part of the natives to be in attendance, giving one instance where forty-five natives came in a small three-ton boat. Others walked long distances to attend the meeting. One native sister carried her child many miles on her back. Brother Cole reports that the first meetings were excellent, and that the native brethren greatly enjoyed the feast of good things.
The writer attended the meetings in eastern Polynesia. In Tahiti the Lord was present with us, and we believe the workers have been greatly encouraged. There have been some difficult problems to solve in that field, but we believe that God has been helping his servants, and we look for brighter days in the future.
Brother C. H. Parker, who was appointed to open work in the New Hebrides, stopped for a month or two on Norfolk Island, but the interest was so great in the revival meetings that he held there that his stay was lengthened from two months to four; and when he was all ready to go, the steamer could not take on passengers or freight on account of a storm, so our missionaries were left there another month. This was no doubt in God's order, for the meetings continued with interest, and Brother Parker baptized thirteen before he left.
The interest awakened by Brother A. H. Ferris on Lord Howe Island has been followed by Brother and Sister Meyers. Several have taken their stand for the truth. The Sabbath-school has14thirty members, which number is about one third of the population.
Cheering reports come to us from the tent efforts in Auckland, New Zealand, where Elder J. Pallant and a corps of workers have been laboring for some time. The interest has steadily increased, and quite a number have accepted the message. Several of the meetings have been held in one of the large halls, where large and attentive audiences have been secured. From Wellington, New Zealand, Brother W. Westerman reports that about ten have taken their stand for the truth.
Our city missionary in Melbourne, Australia, Elder J. H. Woods, has also been successful, under the blessing of God, in bringing out a company. This will be of interest to the first laborers who came to Australia, as the first meetings were held in Richmond, where Brother Woods has been laboring. This is one of the evidences of the vitality of the message. The truth does not wear out, but is ever fresh. God is raising up standard-bearers everywhere.
The interest also among the Sydney churches is growing. The evangelistic efforts in this city are under the direction of Pastor R. E. Burke. In some places special efforts have been put forth with success, and individuals are joining the church, “such as shall,” we trust, “be saved.”
The ministerial institute in Victoria was a most enjoyable season. The Spirit of God was present, and the workers enjoyed the studies. It was a time of drawing near to God, and of renewing our vows of consecration. It was the first meeting of the kind held in our home field, and we believe it was a success. Others will follow, the next one being in New South Wales, to be held in connection with the Australasian Missionary College.
Elder Morris Lukens, one of the vice-presidents of our union, reports excellent camp-meetings in West Australia and in South Australia. He also tells of the progress of the work in the South Australian Conference, of which he is president. Some of the laborers have had good success, and one church has been organized.
“Pilgrim on the road to glory,
Pressing toward the heavenly prize,
Mid the ills that now disturb thee,
Mid the dangers that arise;
When the way is dark and dreary,
Rugged, filled with vain alarms,
When perplexed, exhausted, weary,
Trust the ‘Everlasting Arms.’”
God will not be hurried. The building of a Christlike character is not work for a day. Experience can not be acquired without experiment. Patience must have her perfect work. Triumph now would be premature and petty; but the way of faith and patience is the way that leads to victory, which shall be part and parcel of the final glorious triumph of the Son of man.—I. O. Rankin.
Young Christians Working for Christ
“YOUNG Christians may make mistakes in working for Christ, but they make a greater mistake in not working for him. No failure in making the attempt is so bad as to fail to make it.”
Sometime
By May Riley Smith
SOMETIME, when all life's lessons we
have learned,
And sun and stars forever more have
set,
The things which our weak judgments
here have spurned,
The things o'er which we've grieved
with lashes wet,
Will flash before us; and as in earth's
dark night
The stars shine forth in deeper tints
of blue,
So we shall see how all God's plans were
right,
And how what seemed reproof was
love most true.
And we shall see how when we frown
and sigh,
God's plans go on as best for you and
me;
And how sometimes he heeded not our
cry
Because his wisdom could the end
foresee;
But e'en as prudent parents disallow
Too much of sweet to craving babyhood,
So God, perhaps, is keeping from us now
Life's sweetest things, because it seemeth good.
And if sometimes commingled with life's
wine,
We find the wormwood, and rebel and
shrink,
Be sure a wiser hand than yours or mine
Has mixed the potion for your lips to
drink.
And if some friend we love is lying low,
Where human kisses can not reach
his face,
O, do not blame the loving Father so,
But bear your sorrow with obedient
grace!
And shortly you shall know that lengthened
breath
Is not the sweetest gift God sends his
friend,
And that sometimes the sable pall of
death
Conceals the fairest boon his love can
send.
If we could push ajar the gates of life,
And stand within, and all God's work-
ings see,
We could, interpret all the doubt and
strife,
And for each mystery could find a key.
But not to-day. Then be content, sad
heart!
God's plans, like lilies, pure and white,
unfold;
We must not tear the close-shut leaves
apart,
Time will reveal the calyces of gold,
And, if through patient toil we reach
the land
Where tired feet, with sandals loose,
may rest, When we shall clearly know and under-
stand,
I think that we shall say, God knew
the best.
—May Riley Smith.
The Conservation of Energy
By Arthur W. Spaulding
Come, Let Us Live With Our Children—No. 2
The Conservation of Energy
ARTHUR W. SPAULDING
It is useless to resolve without having the power to fulfil. And we are all weak. How often, after we have studied out the proper course, have decided just how to direct the developing mind of our child, how to curb some evil tendency, how to tide over some dangerous desire,—how often, then, do we find our strength of body and brain unequal to the requirement! The Sabbath program that was to absorb the eager restlessness of our boy is abandoned because of tired feet and aching brain; the superb patience that was to be proof against the incessant chatter and noisy activities of the children, is dissipated like snow under an April rain; we plan a confidential talk, and at its due time we feel our forbidding poverty of tact and strength. And thus, not so much because of the lack of sight and will, but because of the lack of vitality, we fail.
It is this same lack of vitality, of abundant life, that parts us in every way from our children. To keep the child's point of view, it is necessary for the man and the woman to keep in touch with the activities and the feelings of childhood; it is necessary often to talk and discuss and plan with the children about the things that interest them, to play with them, to help in making their kites and boats and dolls' clothes, to take walks with them, and teach them in the mysteries of bird lore and woodcraft and balancings of the clouds. It is necessary to take some zest, along with them, into seed sowing and wood chopping and bread baking and gardening, that these may be no tasks of drudgery, but worlds of investigation and learning. In short, it is necessary—I say it emphatically—to be grown-up boys and girls, educated, disciplined, but still youthful in spirit. That so many are not is due, sometimes in part to temperament, more often and most fully to unwarranted exhaustion of nervous energy. Yes, unwarranted; for if it is our duty to live with our children, we have no warrant for preventing that life through dissipation, by whatever means, of the powers that enable us to live it.
And now, fathers and mothers, let us face these two facts: Unless we succeed15in saving our children, our chief mission in life is a failure; and unless we can find and stop the leaks of our nervous energy, our power to fulfil our mission is small. When, therefore, we are able to find some of the causes of nervous dissipation, it becomes our sacred duty, our very first work in preparation for child-training, by persistent effort to remove those causes. Here are some of the causes of dissipation of nervous energy:—
Errors in Physical Living. In diet come the errors of overeating, wrong combinations, insufficient nourishment, wrong times for eating, hasty eating. One or more of these causes operate in almost all the cases of nerve exhaustion, and it may often be proved by experiment, for instance, that a discontinuance of supper, with rigid adherence to other correct principles, brings an improvement in nerve power. This diet question, parents, is no question of mere doctrine; it is a question of the salvation of our children. If you lack will-power, ask it of God.
Sleeping or living in impure air is one of the surest means of preventing nerve recuperation. Outdoor life as much as possible, and bringing outdoors indoors, is the remedy. The sedentary need daily exercise that will bring the sweat. Those who labor mostly with one or a few sets of muscles, need to seek corrective exercises. A bowed back fosters a downcast mind. “Jesus was an earnest, constant worker. Never lived there among men another so weighted with responsibilities. Never another carried too heavy a burden of the world's sorrow and sin. Yet his was a life of health.” To bind earth to heaven, he rose from the toil of daily labor to the glory of nature's cheer. “With the voice of singing he welcomed the morning light. With songs of thanksgiving he cheered his hours of labor, and brought heaven's gladness to the toil-worn and disheartened.” Mothers and fathers, it is not a question merely of feeling well or looking beautiful; it is a question of whether our powers are going to be in good form to save our children.
Worry. Feverish days and sleepless nights are the fruit of worry. It is easy to say, Don't worry; but how can you help it? The remedy is simple, if it is taken up with a single-hearted purpose. It is this: Get your sins forgiven, and go to work for Christ. We worry about debts and needs, about slanders, about reputation, about opposition to our plans, about the mistakes we have made. Just one thing stops it all: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.” Now if we haven't made up our minds to do that one thing, then we must now choose whether we will do that one thing, or offer a divided service. But “ye can not serve God and mammon.” To get our sins forgiven, to give up foolishness, to trust God for support and training and strength,—this stops worry; and, worry stopped, nervous power increases. It is not merely a choice, brethren and sisters, of having a bright or a doleful Christian experience to relate in social meeting; it is a question of plugging up a leak of energy, to turn that energy into the channel of learning to know our children.
The ignorance of or the false teachings concerning sexual life which most men and women had as children and youth, require for their correction not merely the teachings of personal experience, but the purifying fires of God's truth. The purity and the noble ideals of life which must be our gift to our children, must have their foundation in our personal purity and guilelessness. Neither the license of the prurient on the one hand nor the unnatural vagaries of the celibate on the other hand, are to be our pattern or guide; but the marital relations must be brought upon that high plane of thought and action which will make them a fit symbol of the relations of Christ and his church. The father and mother who from their own knowledge and experience can conscientiously and gladly teach their children the science of life with Christ, as symbolized in the marriage state, have a hold most powerful, enduring, upon their children's souls.
The one thought of the real Christian can be only, How shall souls be saved? You as a Christian parent see first your children, beyond them your neighbors and acquaintances: your one purpose and aim is their salvation. What high standing you might obtain in town or church or wider public, you care not. What fripperies of dress or smartness of speech you might be famed for, attracts none of your energy. What gratification of appetite or passion you might indulge in, you, by the grace of God, sternly repress. Released from the drain of worry, appetite, and passion, you conserve your energies for the one great purpose of winning and training the souls about you, the souls of your children and your friends. This, and not personal gain, is the purpose of the conservation of energy. And doing this, you will discover that the Sabbath day finds you with power as well as a will to engage with your children in the Master's work; you will find that the evenings are times of relaxation and social intercourse with your children, and that the days have a buoyancy that encourages effort.
Finally, though with all this conservation our energy yet is insufficient for our duties, we shall learn to find a refilling of life through communion with our Heavenly Father. The study of the Word of God imparts real life; sincere prayer opens the doors of our storehouse and swings wide the gates of heaven, that power may flow into us. Of Jesus it is written: “Often his incessant labors and the conflict with the enmity and false teaching of the rabbis, left him so utterly wearied that his mother and brothers, and even his disciples, feared that his life would be sacrificed. But as he returned from the hours of prayer that closed the toilsome day, they marked the look of peace upon his face, the freshness and life and power that seemed to pervade his whole being. From hours spent alone with God he came forth morning by morning to bring the light of heaven to men.”
Not idly, not listlessly, must we take this truth. If there is a work to be done for our children, if they are to be saved for God's work now and God's kingdom hereafter, if you and I, fathers and mothers, have any responsibility at all in this business of the King's, we must lay a sound foundation for our work, and lay it now. And that foundation is, in great part, an experience in the saving of vital energy for this our only work. When will you begin?
The Noon-Hour Prayer
“Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.” “And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends.”
A NUMBER have written us of their great appreciation of the noon-hour prayer service. In presenting their own needs before the Lord at this hour, and in remembering the needs of their brethren and sisters, they have felt the special blessing of the Lord.
Sometimes we feel that our trials are greater than those borne by any other soul. However, as we come in touch with the sickness, sorrow, and suffering in the great wide world, we come to see that we are only one of the many whose hearts have been grieved, or whose bodies have been racked by pain, and we can say with the apostle Paul, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man.” 1 Cor. 10:13. When we are tried and tempted, the Lord in his infinite wisdom may not always see fit to remove the trial, but we have the definite assurance that he will make a way to escape through imparting to us strength and making us able to bear it.
If we commit our ways unto the Lord and let him guide and lead in all our experiences, he counts our sufferings as endured for him. Every taunt, every rebuke, every affliction, every trial of life, however small, if borne patiently in the Master’s name, will work out in the life and character the infinite purpose of God. Committing our ways unto the Heavenly Father, let us believe confidently that in the end “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
The past week has brought us the following requests:—
93. A sister who has been lame for twenty-four years and who is suffering from nervous trouble and sleeplessness, writes from Washington asking prayer for healing. She is anxious to take part in the selling of our truth-filled magazines.
94. An Iowa sister requests prayer for her husband, who, because of the condition of his eyes, has been unable to read for four years; and also for herself that her hearing and eyesight may be restored.16
95. A mother writes from Texas asking prayer in behalf of her unconverted son, who is suffering from a serious throat trouble. She longs to have him healed and accept Christ as his Saviour.
96. From Oklahoma a sister writes us earnestly asking prayer for her husband, who is being drawn away from the truth by worldly influences, and has begun again the use of tobacco.
97. A sister writes from California: “My niece, reared a Sabbath-keeper, is now living with wealthy worldly people, and is losing all interest in religious things. Pray that she may give herself wholly to the Lord.”
98. Prayer is requested by one of our sisters for her mother, who lives in California. She is suffering from injuries due to a fall some months ago, and her daughter desires that she may be healed and converted.
99. From the same State (California) a brother sends a request for prayer for the conversion of his wife and son, who are not believers in this truth.
100. A sister from New Jersey asks prayer for her husband, who is ill, and for the conversion of her four children.
101. A mother in Ohio requests the earnest prayers of God’s people for the healing of a son, whose constantly failing health is discouraging him spiritually.
102. From Kentucky a burdened sister writes asking prayer for her husband, who is just now passing through great difficulties; for herself that she may have faith and courage to stand by him; for the conversion of her mother; and for the healing of her sister, who is a great sufferer and to whom medical treatment brings no relief.
103. An anxious mother sends this request from Kansas: “I earnestly desire prayer for my son. He has been estranged from me on account of my being an Adventist, and has not written to me for years. He was separated from me when about ten years of age, but my prayers have always followed him, and I long for his heart to be turned to the Lord and to this truth.”
104. From the same State (Kansas) another mother asks our prayers for her son and his wife, who, under the pressure of adverse circumstances, have given up the truth. She desires to see them again rejoicing in the Lord and keeping his commandments.
105. A brother and sister send a request from North Carolina for prayer for the healing of the five-year-old daughter of one of their neighbors, who is afflicted with epilepsy. The parents are not believers in this truth, but have asked that this request for prayer be made.
“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” Ps. 27: 14.
We shall be glad to give in this column short, concise statements regarding answered prayer. If our brethren and sisters have had special answers to petitions in their experience, we shall be pleased to receive a short, definite statement of these for the encouragement of others.
The Cumberland Camp-Meeting
By C. B. Stephenson
The annual session of the Cumberland Conference was held according to appointment in Sweetwater, Tenn., August 22 to September 1. Sweetwater is a small town about sixty miles west of Knoxville on the Southern Railway. The camp was situated quite centrally in the conference, and the meetings were well attended from both our churches and the outside. The audiences reached eight hundred at times. A strong corps of laborers will remain to develop the interest.
The business meetings of the conference were harmonious and pleasant. Some changes were made. Elder W. H. Branson, of South Carolina, was invited to accept the presidency. Elder P. G. Stanley, who has faithfully performed the duties of this office for nearly three years, has been blessed in advancing the work in many departments, and retires with the good will of those for whom he has labored. But few other changes were made. One church was received into the conference.
The brethren and sisters showed their interest in the great unsaved world by donating twelve hundred dollars to missions, besides the Sabbath-school donations, which amounted to over forty dollars. Some decided to sell their farms and give the proceeds to the cause of missions. Others will soon do so.
The Spirit of the Lord came very near during the Sabbath meetings, and made hearts tender and responsive to his leadings. The last Sabbath was a day long to be remembered by all. The Spirit brooded over the congregation while Elder Branson spoke on the importance of victory over all sin, and the willingness of our great Captain to fight the battles for us. Truly his power was manifested. Some who had almost decided to give up Christian service were delivered, and turned back to God. In the afternoon thirty were buried with their Lord in baptism.
Plans were laid to carry on a more extended campaign for the unworked territory of the conference, and also for the prosecution of the Harvest Ingathering and “Ministry of Healing” campaigns.
At the close of the services Sabbath morning Brother John L. Shuler was ordained to the gospel ministry. Elder C. B. Haynes offered the prayer, and the charge was given by the writer. The tender heart and tearful eye evinced the presence of the Holy Spirit and God's acceptance of this dear young man as his ambassador.
Those who attended the meeting from the outside were Elders J. N. Anderson, C. B. Haynes, W. W. Eastman, and V. O. Cole; Profs. C. L. Stone and H. M. Hiatt; Brother W. H. Williams; Drs. M. M. and Estella C. Martinson; and the writer.
We can truly say that the Lord has visited his people. In all, five thousand two hundred dollars was pledged to missions, besides the offerings for the home work. The prospect is encouraging for a prosperous year.
C. B. STEPHENSON.
Camp-Meeting for the Colored People in Georgia
By Le Roy T. Crisler
This meeting was held in Savannah, Ga., August 15-25, in connection with the series of meetings that has been conducted there the past few months by Brethren J. W. Manns and R. E. Williams.
The delegation from the other churches was not large, but the goodly number present from the newly organized church in Savannah made a larger congregation than would have been secured elsewhere.
A daily program was carried out in the usual way. Five conference sessions were held, in which the various resolutions were read and discussed. Interesting reports were rendered by our ministers, Bible workers, and mission-school teachers. The president's address showed an encouraging growth, and a considerable increase in tithes and offerings.
The executive committee of the Negro Mission Department acted as a committee on the distribution of labor, and recommended the following: That the meetings in Savannah be continued until winter under the leadership of Elder Manns, assisted by Brother Williams; that Sister Elizabeth Smith continue her Bible work in Savannah; that Sister Anna Knight continue her work in Atlanta; and that Sisters Tait and Lennard conduct mission schools in Atlanta and Macon.
The outside attendance at the night services was excellent. During the camp-meeting, the membership of the Savannah church No. 2 was increased to one hundred, four. This church has been raised up within the last four months. On the last Sunday, between sixty and seventy were baptized.
Perhaps one of the most interesting services during the meeting was a foreign mission rally held in the evening. After a stirring address on the conditions in heathen lands, by Sister Anna17Knight, Elder Manns gave all an opportunity to make an offering. In a very quiet way, with the Spirit of God manifestly present, $500.39 was raised in cash and pledges. This, with the amount raised at Barnesville, makes a total of over $2,000 for missions from Georgia during the camp-meeting season.
Elder T. H. Jeys, of the Huntsville school, was present during the latter part of the meeting, and rendered valuable service. Brother C. G. Manns, from the South Carolina Conference, was also present, and did the principal part of the speaking. These were the only laborers from the outside.
The prospect for the work for the colored people in Georgia is excellent, and we are praying for its rapid development.
Le Roy T. Crisler.
Be Still
By Eliza H. Morton
ELIZA H. MORTON
It is the rest within the song
That makes the music sweet;
And so in life when trouble comes
There's rest at Jesus' feet.
'Tis God that strikes a higher note
Beyond the rest, and gives
A fulness in the soul that makes
Us one with him who lives.
