THE Lord designs that his followers shall be victors, and know no defeat. He has assured them that he who dwells in them is greater than he that dwells in the world. To the seventy whom he sent out he said: “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Luke 10:19. He assures us further that “sin shall not have dominion over you.” We are promised victory over sin, not alone in the world to come, but in this world. Where sin abounds, grace much more abounds. There is more grace than sin, thank God.
What is it to really have victory over7the world, the flesh, and the devil? One writer aptly states it as follows:—
“When you are forgotten or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you smile inwardly, glorying in the insult or the oversight,—that is victory.”
“When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your taste is offended, your advice is disregarded, your opinions are ridiculed, and you take it all in patient and loving silence,—that is victory.”
“When you are content with any food, any raiment, any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruption,—that is victory.”
“When you can bear with any disorder, any irregularity and unpunctuality, any annoyance,—that is victory.”
“When you can stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility, and endure it all as Jesus endured it,—that is victory.”
“When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or to yearn after commendation,—when you can truly ‘love to be unknown,’—that is victory.”
This is the attainment of righteousness by faith. “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” 1 John 5:4. Faith is the victory. It is through believing that we overcome. Christ, by means of the Holy Spirit, dwells in the heart through faith. To have the victory is to believe God. It is to say “amen” to what the Lord says. “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” The failures and defeats which have marred our experience are the fruit of our unbelief. Some of us have had a terrible harvest. Shall we not make the words of Paul, tossed on the stormy Adria, our own, “Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me”?
Washington, D. C.
Rolling Away the Stone
By Edward V. Orrell
EDWARD V. ORRELL
“THEY said among themselves, ‘Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?’ Thus anxiously questioned, the grief-stricken women hastening toward their beloved Master’s tomb, against the aperture of which a mammoth stone had been rolled.
How they had loved him! How fully they had believed on him! How hopefully they had followed him! Yea, their living love still cherished hope, even though confronted by the hope-blighting fact that their Redeemer was dead; and they pressed on, hoping at least to have access to the presence of his precious clay. But behold! “when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away.” On entering the sepulcher they saw an angel, and heard a voice saying, “He is risen; he is not here.” And the angel commissioned them to publish the glad tidings, “He is risen.”
It was not the first time that this anxious inquiry had come from the human heart,—this day when these disciples of the Lord “said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?” Ages back, before death was common, Adam, noting the beginning of the awful work of the great enemy to whom he had foolishly transferred his dominion over the earth,—the parched grass, the ominous pallor tipping the leaves, the blighted bud, and the fruit untimely cast,—in bitter anguish of spirit sighed forth from his stricken heart that same interrogation. Later, when bowed to the earth in grief beside the first grave, he gave utterance, from a still greater depth than before, to the same cry, “Who shall roll us away the stone?” Then He who has been in all ages an ever-present help came near, and spoke to him, saying: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
This gracious invitation has been pleadingly repeated, over and over, to every heart that has throbbed on earth; and all who have heeded this loving call have been guided by the Spirit into an understanding of God’s wonderful plan for rolling away the stone.
The trail of death has wound so constantly around every part of the earth, from the very gate of Eden until now, that this planet has become a vast sepulcher, filled with the dust of the dead. Of this age it can be said more truly than of any gone before, that “to die is common.” However, there are quiet moments, even in the experience of the madly rushing men of to-day, in which attention is reined up before the threatening tomb, and the inquiry of the heart is voiced in a pitiful question: “After death, what? Whence cometh deliverance from that awful doom? I must die! Who will roll away the stone from the door of my sepulcher?” Let such listen to the pleading Spirit: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
When the women at the tomb of Jesus were bidden by the angel to make known that all their fears concerning the power of death had been swept away, they were invited to yoke up with the Saviour, and become colaborers with him in his work of deliverance. As soon as they saw, they were directed to tell. The same Spirit is in the world to-day, inviting all who have seen to yoke up with the Lord, and go telling. The footsteps of the angel who rolled away the stone shook the earth; so the powerful vibrations of this telling have thrilled the souls of men, and shaken the kingdom of darkness to its very center.
God could have spoken from his throne on high to call his Son back to life with his own voice, but he did not choose to accomplish even this great work alone; he condescended to grant others the privilege of assisting him. Angels of his power were commissioned to deliver the sleeping Saviour from the prison-house of the enemy.
This same unselfish desire to favor others with the high privilege of co-operating in his wonderful works was always manifested by the man Jesus. Witness how graciously he assigned to his disciples a part in the feeding of the multitude, and in the seemingly greater work of raising Lazarus. Upon the latter occasion, he said to them, “Take ye away the stone.” This he is still saying to all who will take up the cross and follow him. “Take ye away the stone,” is the Master’s command to his followers; and in responding with willing, loving obedience, they take up his cross, and unite in his labors.
To earnestly strive against evil is to oppose the power that seals the tomb, and to thus strive is to press against the obstinate stone which the prince of darkness determined should remain forever at the door of his prison-house.
The glorious deliverance of God’s people is now almost accomplished. Very soon the stone will have been rolled away, the mouth of the sepulcher will be opened, and death, the last enemy, will be forced by the power of His glory to yield up the prisoners of hope. Then from the gloom of the tomb will come forth glorified life, and from the dismal depths of chill and silence, loving warmth will respond to Love’s call with loud hosannas to greet the King of kings.
Hasten to co-operate with God. Promptly take up the cross of Christ. Carry the message. Sound it loudly and faithfully. Let every personal interest be made subservient to this great privilege. Let nothing connect with your experience to muffle the sound of the glorious proclamation: He is risen, triumphant over death; he holds the key of the tomb, he is coming soon to deliver the captives from the grave.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.”
Baltimore, Md.
The Mastery of Self
MAN was intended by his Creator to rule himself and the material universe. That is a greater achievement in God’s sight than to be a crowned victor on the bloody battle-field, or a crowned hero as an explorer, or a lauded discoverer of a new star, or a world-famous inventor; for the mastery over self affects not only man’s entire life, and his destiny in the beyond, but it may affect the spiritual and eternal well-being, here and hereafter, of multitudes of his fellow men. As the spiritual is higher than the material, so the conquest involved is of greater significance. Solomon says: “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” The fact is, man must master himself, or he will be mastered. It is a question of bondage or of freedom, of servitude or of liberty.—United Presbyterian.
If I Knew
If I knew the box where the smiles are kept,
No matter how large the key
Or strong the bolt, I would try so hard,
'Twould open, I know, for me.
Then over the land and the sea broadcast
I'd scatter the smiles to-day,
That the children's faces might hold them fast
For many and many a day.
If I knew a box that was large enough
To hold all the frowns I meet,
I would like to gather them, every one,
From nursery, school, and street.
Then, folding and holding, I'd pack them in,
And, turning the monster key,
I'd hire a giant to drop the box
In the depths of the deep, deep sea.
— Selected.
The Century Mark: How to Reach It
By G. B. Starr
G. B. STARR
MATERIAL for the construction of monuments, buildings of state, and other large edifices, designed to resist decay and the elements of destruction in storm and time, and for centuries hold their place as witnesses of a nation's deeds, are most carefully selected. We do not erect such buildings of soft woods or sandstone. Iron and steel, marble and granite, are chosen, and carefully wrought into the structure. Parts exposed to wind and rain are constructed of specially selected material, containing the greatest possible resisting qualities. Joints are made weather-proof by the application of the best-known wear-resisting substances. In all this men act wisely; but how much attention is given by the average man, woman, or child to the careful selection of body-building material? As much more care and thought should be given to this subject as the living body temple is superior to, and more valuable than, any building constructed of the rarest marbles and decorated with the finest gold.
The question most often asked about our food is not: “Is it good body-building material? Will it work into solid muscle and steady nerve fiber? Will it strengthen my disease-resisting forces?” but rather, “Does it taste good?” Taste is the god that rules the twentieth century, both in food and drink; but as surely as this standard continues, man's days are numbered.
The postponement of old age and premature death depends largely upon the body-building material worked into the living structure at the family table three times each day. Grains, fruits, nuts, and the finer vegetables are the best body-building materials. Witness the long time-resisting power of all grains. They even outlive marble and granite in their power to resist the destructive elements of the centuries, and retain their hidden life-treasure, to reproduce themselves, and supply man with heat, energy, and the best of food elements for body-building. The nuts contribute their beautifully prepared lubricating oils, generated in nature's germ-proof laboratories; and the fruits contribute nectars most rare, colored and blended in flavors to suit the most exquisite and exacting taste. Here again, produced in her own laboratory, free from germs, bottled dust-proof, or protected with insect-destroying coverings, as the orange and lemon, nature offers to man the very best of what he most needs,—water, absolutely pure, and mingled with acids in exactly the right proportion.
Why do we turn from such gifts to the poisoned, germ-filled substances offered by man as substitutes? The decayed apple-juice, grape-juice, and caffein-filled soft drinks, the flesh foods, rich cakes and pastries,—these are not good brain- and body-builders. Witnesses to this statement may be seen by the tens of thousands on every street and in the majority of homes; they testify to its truth in the bloated features, the fatty heart, and the body temple ready to fall to pieces at the slightest strain.
In contrast note the elastic step, the erect bearing, the noble mien, of the men and women who eat of God's best body-building materials, and who drink pure water and fruit nectars. See them as they resist the attacks of disease, and come forth from the conflict with death again and again, until, with the bearing of a conqueror, they near or reach the century mark, victors over appetite, in one sense over death itself, nature's greatest noblemen. In those who thus obey the laws of God will the words of the psalmist have their fulfilment:—
“Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.” Ps. 91:5-7.
Melrose, Mass.
Hints to Persons Suffering With Flatulence
1. LET your diet be simple. Two or three articles will be sufficient at one meal, and they should be such as will agree well together.
2. Avoid tea and coffee, and all drinking at meals. Cultivate a fondness for solid foods, which require some chewing.
3. Avoid coarse vegetables, such as onions, turnips, cabbage, etc. Baked potatoes, green peas, and very tender carrots may usually be allowed, but no vegetables should be taken in quantity.
4. Well-toasted bread (zwieback) may well form the staple food at all meals.
5. Avoid fried foods, pastries, and rich, greasy foods generally. They are slow of digestion, and on that account favorable to the formation of gas.
6. Avoid the tough skins of prunes, and use even the pulp of this fruit sparingly.
7. Use freely sweet oranges, good mellow apples (fresh or baked), apricots and peaches, steamed figs, dates, ripe bananas, and, in season, cherries, raspberries, and strawberries.
8. Avoid cheese of all kinds, meat, oysters, etc. Use only sterilized milk, and that rather sparingly.
9. Drink a glass of water the last thing before retiring and the first thing in the morning.
10. Use whole-meal bread or wheat flakes if there is a tendency to constipation, and take sufficient exercise out-of-doors to keep the muscular system in9good, healthy trim and well toned up.
11. Be extremely careful to avoid anything approaching excess in the quantity of food taken, and chew every morsel thoroughly.
12. Limit yourself to three meals daily, and let the last meal (to be taken not later than 7 P. M.) be very light, consisting simply of fruit, or fruit and bread; allow five and one-half to six hours between the meals.
13. Finally, notice carefully the foods that exaggerate your difficulty, and avoid them.—English Good Health.
Tell Her So
By D. D. Fitch
D. D. FITCH
You may have had many hard battles to fight since leaving home in the morning; affairs may have taken a trying turn, and you may feel the need of sympathy and comfort when you return at night. But do not forget, when you are in need of cheer, that it is your privilege to dispense it. When you enter the home, and find the wife and mother burdened with cares and perplexities, you may forget your own troubles in an effort to smooth her pathway.
Try the advice given in the following poem, and notice the happiness that will result:—
“Amid the cares of married life,
In spite of toil and business strife,
If you value your dear wife,
Tell her so.
“When days are dark and deeply blue,
She has troubles, same as you;
Show her that your love is true;
Tell her so.
“Don’t act, if she has passed her prime,
As if to please her were a crime;
If e’er you loved her, now’s the time—
Tell her so.
“She’ll return, for each caress,
A hundredfold of tenderness;
Hearts like hers were made to bless—
Tell her so.”
Prosperity and Health
BELOVED, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.—John.
Aunt Hepsey’s Recipe
“Mother,” said Emily Rand, as she placed an empty jelly tumbler and unsoiled napkin on the dining-room table, “you haven’t any idea how much I enjoy going up to Aunt Hepsey’s.”
“Did she seem as bright and well as usual, dear?” asked Mrs. Rand, as she hurriedly laid the cloth for the noonday meal.
“I think so, mother; and she was delighted with the bread and jelly.”
“I imagine Aunt Hepsey’s gratitude, which is always so genuine, is the secret of my little girl’s pleasant visits there, isn’t it, dear?”
“No, mother,” replied Emily, thoughtfully, as she took the knife-tray from her mother’s hands; “it isn’t that; for when I don’t have anything for her, it’s always the same. It’s her beautiful face that attracts me; and when I come away, I always feel—why, I can hardly express it—sort of purified. I wish I had such a sweet face; then every one would love me too.”
“You can have such a face, dear, if you follow Aunt Hepsey’s recipe.”
“Recipe, mama? Why, that seems very strange. She doesn’t do anything to make her have such an attractive face; of course she doesn’t.”
“She certainly does, Emily; and it’s a recipe my own little girl may follow with like results. It’s to think beautiful thoughts, and beautiful thoughts make a beautiful face. The face, dear, is the mirror of the soul, and what the soul thinks the face expresses. Never allow yourself to think sour and disagreeable thoughts, but only those which are pure, unselfish, and sweet; and in time my little girl’s face will be just as beautiful and attractive as dear Aunt Hepsey’s.”—Exchange.
Your Mother: Do Not Forget
To manifest an interest in whatever interests or amuses her.
That, though she is old and wrinkled, she still loves pretty things.
To make her frequent simple presents, and be sure that they are appropriate and tasteful.
To remember that she is still a girl at heart, so far as delicate little attentions are concerned.
To give her your full confidence, and never do anything which you think she would disapprove.
To make her a partaker, so far as your different ages will permit, in all your pleasures and recreations.
To lift all the burdens you can from the shoulders that have grown stooped in waiting upon and working for you.
Never to intimate by word or deed that your world and hers are different, or that you feel in any way superior to her.
To treat her with the unvarying courtesy and deference you accord to those who are above you in rank or position.
To study her tastes and habits, her likes and dislikes, and cater to them as far as possible in an unobtrusive way.
To bear patiently with all her peculiarities or infirmities of temper or disposition, which may be the result of a life of care and toil.
To remember that her life is monotonous compared with yours, and to take her to some suitable place of amusement, or for a little trip to the country, or to the city if your home is in the country, as frequently as possible.—Success.
Cheerfulness at the Table
“An old lady who looked as if she might have belonged to the Sunshine Society all her life, was asked by a friend for the secret of her never-failing cheerfulness. “I think,” said she, “it is because we were taught in our family to be cheerful at table. My father was a lawyer with a large criminal practise; his mind was harassed with difficult problems all day long; yet he always came to the table with a smile and a pleasant greeting for every one, and exerted himself to make the table hour delightful. All his powers to charm were freely given to entertain his family. Three times a day we felt his genial influence, and the effect was marvelous. If a child came to the table with cross looks, he or she was quietly sent away to find a good boy or girl; for only such were allowed to come within that loving circle. We were taught that all petty grievances and jealousies must be forgotten when meal-time came; and the habit of being cheerful three times a day, under all circumstances, had its effect on even the most sullen temper.”
Much is said and written these days about table manners. Children in well-bred families are drilled in a knowledge of good form as to the use of the fork and napkin, and proper methods of eating. This is well; but training in the most important habit a child should have, that of cheerfulness at table, is too often neglected.—Selected.
Friendliness
By Cora Bartmas
FRIENDLINESS is not the most unprofitable grace to cultivate. It sometimes goes farther than expensive car-springs or elaborate menus or comfortable beds, in making travel a pleasant thing; and it can even be practised in the home, the office, and the church, and pay good profit on the amount invested.
You naturally feel drawn toward the friendly child, the one who answers pleasantly when you speak to him in passing. The way you feel concerning him, other people will feel concerning yourself, if you give out some of your natural warmth.
Where is there a person who does not care for friends? What would this world be without them? But in order to have friends, one must study the art of pleasing, he must be congenial and friendly.—Cora Bartmas.
The Careless Word
'Twas but a word, a careless word—
As thistle-down it seemed as light;
It paused a moment on the air,
And onward then it winged its flight.
Another lip caught up the word,
And breathed it with a haughty sneer;
It gathered weight as on it sped,
That careless word, in its career.
Then rumor caught the flying word,
And busy gossip gave it weight,
Until that little word became
A vehicle of angry hate.
And then that word was winged with fire;
Its mission was a thing of pain;
For soon it fell like lava-drops
Upon a wildly tortured brain.
And then another page of life
With burning, scalding tears was blurred;
A load of care was heavier made,
Its added weight, a careless word.
How wildly throbbed that aching heart!
Deep agony its fountain stirred;
It calmed, but bitter ashes mark
The pathway of that careless word.
— Selected.
Divine Preservative
EVER since the Egyptian obelisk, known as “Cleopatra’s Needle,” in Central Park, New York City, was treated to a coating of paraffin many years ago, in the hope of staying the ravages of the weather on the soft, porous stone, that method has been more or less in favor as a preservative. The crumbling tombstones in the old Trinity churchyard have been given a coating of wax with the same end in view. The monument to Alexander Hamilton has been cleaned, restored, and treated in this way. With a renewal of the waxen filling every fifteen or twenty years, the landmarks will endure for centuries.
What a great preservative God has provided for every labor-burdened soul, which may be carried everywhere in the chambers of the heart. This spiritual power may be thrown over the life at any moment, and preserve it from the blast of the furnace of business or social unrest and disappointment. This preservative is the peace of God.—Selected.
A Moment in the Morning
“A MOMENT in the morning take your Bible in your hand, And catch a glimpse of glory from that happy, peaceful land.”
Workers for Moslems and Best Methods of Approach
By J. L. SHAW
J. L. SHAW
MOHAMMEDAN MOSQUE, INDIA
The consensus of opinion of the recent conference on missions to Moslems, held at Lucknow, was that in the selection of workers for Moslems, men and women of more than ordinary education and intelligence should be chosen. While laborers of less ability should not be excluded, yet in choosing workers exclusively for the Mohammedans, for whom there is a tremendous need, those should be selected who give evidence of being able to learn and use Arabic, who are careful students of history, and who will be able to show forth in a scholarly way the inconsistencies and inaccuracies of the Koran, and at the same time the incomparable excellences of the Bible and the religion of Jesus Christ.
A very necessary qualification of workers for Moslems is patience. He who goes to meet the combativeness of the followers of the false prophet should school himself in the practise of patience before going to his field of labor. Islam has ever been defended by heated argument no less than by the sword, and for that reason Moslems as well as others, whether educated or unlearned, are quick to pick up an argument, and frequently as ready to take offense. For this reason great patience and much of the love of Christ are necessary. Controversy, especially in public places, should be avoided. As Mr. Wherry has said:—
“Though armed to the teeth with controversial weapons drawn from Arabic and Persian tomes, the preacher must preach Christ and him crucified. In my opinion, controversy in public places, and especially in the bazaar, should be avoided. What is wanted there is not so much debate, or assault on Mohammed and Islam, as clear statements of gospel truth, bearing on the practical side of religion. Our Lord’s sermon on the mount and his discourse to Nicodemus are models for our guidance; the primary object of every sermon or conversation should be to convince the conscience of guilt before God, and so lead it to feel the need of a Saviour.”
The question was raised at the conference whether missionaries in Moslem countries should eat pork. Dr. Zwemer answered for the conference, stating that he did not think missionaries working for Moslems should eat pork, owing to the great offense the use of swine’s flesh is to Mohammedans. In India, Hindus can give no greater offense to Mohammedans than to slaughter a pig, and place it in a Mohammedan mosque. Open riots often occur from this cause. What a pity every Christian denomination does not abstain from the use of swine’s flesh, which is so plainly forbidden in the Bible, and so offensive even to the enemies of Christianity.
Some point of contact should always be sought in approaching Moslems, and it is well to avoid the explanation of the Trinity, especially in public, as the intricacy of this doctrine makes it difficult to explain to Mohammedans, whose slogan has ever been, “There is one God, and Mohammed is his prophet.” The subjects best suited to arrest and hold the attention of Moslems are: The nature and attributes of God; his relation to sinners; the penalty of sin; man’s need of a Mediator and Saviour; his character and work; why he has been exalted on high; and the fact that he is a present, living Mediator.
One veteran missionary gave much emphasis to the preaching of Christ as the Lamb of God, telling of many occasions where large audiences of Moslems had been held by the simple statement of the sacrifice and suffering of Christ. This can be done with ever-increasing success as the missionary, through prayer and daily meditation, has ever before him the Lord Jesus and his ministry and mediation for man.
A converted Mohammedan, now an archbishop of the Church of England, telling of his own conversion, said that the strongest factor outside of the Holy Spirit was the loving ministry of a missionary doctor, who, by giving of his time, his means, his clothing, and even his bed in a time of need, showed his love for those without the fold of Christ, and thus drew him to accept Jesus as his Saviour.
Medical workers have many advantages in Mohammedan countries; often they are given opportunity of work where other missionaries are forbidden. Instances in proof of this were given at the conference. In our own work in India we have recently had an example. The son of a Mohammedan ruler of one of the native states of India came to the sanitarium in Mussoorie. He was greatly pleased and benefited by our methods of treatment; so much so that he and his mother, the only Mohammedan woman ruler in India, have urged us strongly to send them medical workers, with a definite promise of financial support.
The Moslem world affords a large field of effort for Christian women. They alone can enter the homes, and teach the women and children, whose lives are so largely filled with sorrow, bitterness, jealousy, and sin of all sorts. So great is the need of women workers, that the following resolution was passed by the conference:—
“That the aid of Christian women is urgently needed for the evangelization and uplifting of Mohammedan women, who, with their little children, constitute the larger part of the Moslem world. The conference accordingly recommends: (1) That those missionary boards which send forth both men and women should endeavor to secure, wherever possible, that both sexes are reached in every mission station through the fullest co-operation between the workers; (2) that distinctively women’s societies, while not relaxing their efforts to reach their sisters elsewhere, should seriously consider the extension of their work in Africa, effective co-operation between the various departments of missionary activity being maintained; (3) that in view of the special requirements of mission fields, existing training colleges for women missionaries should lay stress upon such special lines of study and preparation as have been indicated in the other findings of this conference.”
There is no better means of reaching Mohammedan women than by telling them of Jesus and his acts of help for women. His attitude of love and condescension, even to helping women, is a tenderness not shown in the teachings of Islam.
In conclusion let me express my profound and growing conviction that the great and imperative need in checking the spread of Islam, and witnessing to the cross of Christ among Moslems, is a well-trained, Spirit-filled, vigorous army of young men and women, willing to enter Moslem mission fields, and, notwithstanding11privation and danger, to hold aloft the banner of the gospel of present truth. For this every lover of missions should labor and pray.
Lucknow, India.
Laborers Visiting South America
By J. W. Westphal
J. W. WESTPHAL
It is about eighteen years since the message began its work in South America. Before a minister was sent to remain in the field, the president of the International Tract Society made a brief visit to the brethren who had moved to Argentina from Kansas. No General Conference man visited South America again until Elder W. A. Spicer came, in 1906. The circumstances attending his visit are still fresh in my memory. At the time of the General Conference in 1905, it was arranged that some one come to our field the following year. Only two months before the general meeting, appointed in view of his visit, I received a letter from Elder Spicer, saying that no one would come; that since I had been at the General Conference only the year before, the committee had concluded that it would not be necessary for any one to come. I was away north, in the Chaco, when the letter came. My heart sank. It seemed I was never so disappointed before. Had I not been a man, I should have wept.
Endeavoring to resign myself to the situation, I wrote Elder Spicer of our disappointment. Among other things, I told him that the fact that it was not thought necessary for any one to visit our field was the best possible evidence that some one should come. Our brethren were not acquainted with South America and its needs.
It was not expected that the letter would change any plans; we thought it was too late for that. Finally, when a cablegram came announcing Elder Spicer's departure for South America, we were as happily surprised as we had before been sadly disappointed. That visit,—how much it has meant for our field!—its effects will be felt when the Lord comes. At almost every turn we still feel its benefits.
We hoped to have Elder A. G. Daniells present with us in our union conference in March, 1910, as well as to visit some of our local fields. Extended notice had been given of his visit, and much disappointment was felt in South America when the news came to us that he could not come. Although perplexed for a while to know how to arrange satisfactorily for a visit so brief and unexpected, we can assure our brethren that it was a most agreeable surprise to us to receive a cablegram that Elder L. R. Conradi would be able to come in November.
Even though he could attend but two conferences and three general meetings, we believe that his visit was timely, and the means well spent; so much were some of our brethren pleased with his visit and work that they, of their own initiative, took up an offering to help defray his expenses. His presentation of Bible truth, his talks on missionary work, his instruction to workers, and his counsel on business matters relating to the work, have been of great value to the work in our field. His long successful evangelistic and business experience in connection with the development of the work in Europe, enabled him to help us in South America; and his visit will mark the beginning of a third epoch in our work.
These visits to foreign fields are necessary; they form the connecting link between the missionary and home. They bring joy, and hope, and strength to the mission field, and in return breathe courage, faith, and new endeavor to our brethren in the home land. Two visits to South America, in some sixteen years, are not very much. We believe they ought to be more frequent. The kindness of our brethren in making these two visits gives us courage to ask for and expect more.
South America has now two union conferences. Their biennial sessions will be held beginning in February, 1912. We are asking and looking for help for these meetings from the General Conference. Surely our brethren and sisters in the States will gladly forego the labors of one man for a few months, for the benefit of a needy and more distant field. Their sympathies, their prayers, and their means have followed us these years, and I am sure they will not now regret the absence of a laborer, and the expense involved in sending us the very best.
Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Meiktila (Burma) Industrial School
By R. B. THURBER
R. B. THURBER
It is now a year since we opened this school, and during that period we have had varied experiences. Not having land, nor any money with which to buy at first, we endeavored to get a grant of land from the government. In this we failed, no doubt because God desired us to have freehold land. Later we found a better piece, and in a better location than that which we tried to get from the government. Our divine Treasurer sent us the money when we were ready for it, and recently we purchased some twenty-six acres of second-class land about a mile from town. The price paid was twelve dollars an acre. The soil is similar to that of a property next to us, on which the owner is getting excellent results in raising many varieties of fruit.
Up to the present time we have procured for the school about one thousand dollars in cash, and twice as much in pledges, from the people of the country. This has come mainly from Rangoon merchants, through the efforts of Brethren H. H. Votaw and A. W. Stevens. With this we have bought the land, and secured some equipment for the school. We are expecting four hundred dollars soon, with which to buy material for our first building.
When the school opened, one year ago, we had fifteen boys. By the middle of last summer the number had increased to fifty. Then the plague visited the town. Before its ravages were stopped, over four hundred persons had died, and this in spite of the fact that nearly all left the place. We had to close the school for three months. Two of our boys died, and many others did not return. At present we have twenty-three pupils.
The principal cause of our small attendance now, however, is that we have set the formal opening of our school for June 1, and many are waiting until then. Besides, we can not now take boarders, and our larger attendance will be from a distance. We have issued a printed announcement in English and Burmese. What we plan to do is well known all over Burma, and everywhere the people are much interested in our efforts.
A small carpenter shop has been equipped, and a few boys are being instructed in wood-working. The Lord sent us a good Christian Chinese carpenter and contractor. He will teach his trade, and will superintend the construction of our buildings. He is a Sunday-Sabbath keeper now; that is, he is at the transition stage, where he keeps both days. We hope he will soon identify himself fully with us. He is one of the kind that moves slowly, but that is faithful. His workmanship in his craft is excellent.
The pressure of school and business duties has been so great that our progress in the language is not all that we had hoped. We should have help; for we are working to the limit, and then not doing all we should be glad to see done. And, too, we must push on through the hot season, which is now beginning. The time lost last fall must be made up. We are conscious of a depleted treasury, and do not desire to make any vain cries, but sometimes our situation seems desperate, because of lack of help.
Besides our other work, we have filled an occasional opening to speak the message to the English soldiers in the barracks here. Deep interest is shown by those who attend, but we can not follow it up, for our native work must be first in our consideration.
One Burmese boy, an orphan, who came to us, is now fully in the truth. He was a strong Buddhist when he came, but he says Buddhism is all dark to him now. A sister in the United States is helping him through school. Another boy is being supported by another sister. These boys are devoted and energetic, and are working hard every day to prepare themselves to carry the third angel’s message to others. Perhaps there is some one else at home who would be glad to send thirty-five dollars a year to keep a boy in school. It is seed that will bear much fruit.
