I wish to make an appeal for my country to my brethren and sisters in the truth, as I am afraid that a great many in far-away America have a wrong conception of what we are as a people, and very few realize what a vast field for gospel work my country is.
I am an Italian, and accepted the truth about six years ago, at the sanitarium in Basel, Switzerland, where I was baptized. I had gone to that institution in a desperate condition of health, but God mercifully raised me from sickness, and has ever since kept me by His loving power. When leaving the sanitarium, I was presented with an English Bible, and one of the scriptures noted on its first page was Acts 23:11: “And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul; for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.” The last few words impressed me deeply at that time, as I was going back to Rome, where I was to have no home, and ever since, those few words have re-echoed in my heart, as if the Lord himself addressed them to frail little me as He had once said them to Paul; and ever since, I have had, in my heart’s heart, the greatest desire to witness and to work for my Lord, and to do it in His Spirit, led by Him, sustained and comforted by His presence.
With heavy responsibilities upon me, with a frail body, the daily struggle for life, and now with an invalid father on my mind and on my hands, I feel, at times, as if it all would crush me, and prevent my doing the work I desire to do. In my small circle I have given and lent our papers and books, but for lack of means have not been able to do as much as I wished. I have bought several copies of “Christ’s Object Lessons,” and given them to my friends not in the truth. Last winter I had a class of poor mothers, the poorest of the poor. I read the gospel to them, and taught them to pray. Those were blessed hours; God was with us, and His sweet presence made my heart so warm and my mind so clear. The loving Saviour touched the poor women’s hearts, and many, not satisfied with our weekly meetings, came to my home to ask me to pray with them, as they said it did them good to have me pray with them. Unfortunately, when I felt that we were accomplishing some good, my physical strength gave way again, and I was laid up for several months with nervous prostration, unable to do anything whatever. While ill in bed, unfortunate influences marred the Lord’s work, and I have not been able to take it up again on account of family cares.
While holding the mothers’ meeting, with the help of some of my friends I had started a crèche for poor little ones between two and six years of age. They were taught of Jesus in the hours when their mothers were at work, given milk and bread at noon, and washed and kept nice and clean. I had to give up my little crèche a few months ago, when my dear father became suddenly an invalid. To care for him was my first duty, and I submitted to God’s will, as I have learned, through much suffering, that “all things work together for good to them that love God.”
My people have responsive hearts, and are generally very intelligent and clear-headed. They are not, as is supposed, slaves to the priests; in fact, the majority have very little respect for them. The priests may be feared in some parts of Italy where poverty and ignorance keep the people under their authority; but when the pure gospel of love is preached and presented to our people in its simple and perfect beauty, very few can resist the blessed influence of their Saviour’s love, and they become at once interested. “It is so different,” they say, “from what we have been taught to believe of God.” Italy is not like Spain, where all outside influence is fought by the priests. There are many Protestant missions, and we have many Protestants among our people, and they are ready for more light.
We need laborers. Our poverty is the great drawback with us. The Lord is soon coming, and Italy cannot be neglected any longer. Nothing has been done until now. While thousands and thousands of dollars are spent to enlarge and build new institutions in America, where there are already too many, nothing has been done for Italy; yet the Lord died for us as well as for others, and we are all, every one of us, equally precious to Him.
LOUISE CHIELLINI.
MEDICAL MISSIONARY WORK IN LOS ANGELES.
By David Paulson
GENERAL hygienic dining rooms, open to the public so that they may have an opportunity to procure a healthful and wholesome dietary, prepared and served under Christian management, is the latest missionary enterprise to be developed in the ever-increasing scope of our missionary operations.
In establishing this missionary feature, there have been special difficulties to meet, obstacles to surmount and peculiar dangers to be guarded against. However, this work is now rapidly passing beyond the experimental stage, and the hygienic dining room is speedily coming to be recognized as a great missionary opportunity whereby we may come in contact with many, and help them in various ways.
Several years ago Dr. Moran, with some co-workers, opened a hygienic restaurant in Los Angeles. This enterprise has steadily grown until now nearly one thousand meals are served daily.139Los Angeles is one of America's greatest winter resorts; among the crowds that throng its streets may be seen some of the nation's leading citizens; so it can readily be seen that this is an especially favorable place for a health restaurant. Thousands of these people are invalids who have come to this locality in search of health, many of them having ruined their health by vicious habits of eating and drinking. How absurd to suppose that they can be permanently benefited by a change of climate if they do not change their dietary so as to secure a more wholesome climate within the system! As a matter of fact, this is a far more important factor in the recovery of health than is the climate that is outside of them.
Fairly well-equipped treatment rooms have been maintained on the floors above the restaurant, but the growth of the work seems to demand that a sanitarium be located in this vicinity. We trust that God will move on the hearts of men of means to help this worthy enterprise. DAVID PAULSON.
Special Mention.
A Warlike Alliance.
The new alliance between Great Britain and Japan, the purpose of which, as announced, is to maintain the independence and territorial integrity of the empire of China and the empire of Korea, is quite generally regarded as foreshadowing an early clash of arms between Japan and Russia, in which possibly Great Britain and France will participate.
Speaking of the probabilities in the matter, the Literary Digest says: “Notoriously, Japan wants to fight Russia. The desire for war with the czar’s empire is almost unanimous throughout Japan. It has been more than acknowledged, it has been professed and proclaimed, ever since the conclusion of Japan’s war with China. The new alliance provides that in case of war between Japan and any other single Power over the far Eastern question, England shall remain neutral; but that if two Powers attack Japan, England will come to her aid.”
The Buffalo Express observes that Japan might begin the war with an ultimatum to China demanding the expulsion of Russia from Manchuria, and would then find herself at war with both China and Russia, and entitled by the terms of the treaty to England’s aid. “It certainly is the strongest, most belligerent action,” says this paper, “that the British government has taken, where a great Power was concerned, since the close of the Russo-Turkish War.”
Prevalence of the Cigarette Evil.
Alarming reports are made by educators touching the prevalence of the use of cigarettes among school children, and the effects of this vice upon their mental and physical development. We note in the Chicago Tribune of February 20 one such report, made by the superintendent of public schools at Kokomo, Ind. The Tribune says:—
“Professor Ogg, superintendent of the Kokomo schools, reports to the Board of Education that out of thirteen hundred boys in the city schools, four hundred are addicted to the cigarette habit, and are, in consequence, two years behind the non-smokers in their studies.
“Of the effect on their studies and conduct Professor Ogg in his report says:—
“‘These various reports include nearly thirteen hundred boys, from the first grade through the high school. Over one third of these admit that they do smoke or have smoked. Those who belong to the class of smokers average one year older than those who do not smoke. Taking those who are habitual smokers, the difference in age is two years, making them two years behind the non-users in their studies.
“‘But there are other losses besides that of progress. In the teachers’ reports are annotation marks of “self-control, poor,” “inattentive and untrustworthy,” “bad memory,” “lazy, very dull,” “no concentration,” “vacant stare,” etc. We now propose to invoke the law.’”
Women Addicted to Narcotics.
An ominous sign of the times is the increasing use of narcotics by women. On this point Dr. Norman Kerr writes as follows in Woman:—
“Alcohol is the narcotic most frequently used. But I could give you a formidable list of narcotics which women in all ranks of society are daily using: chloral, chlorodyne, ether, chloroform, less used by women in England than in America, sal volatile, eau de Cologne, and so on. I have known ladies addicted to alcohol to drink three bottles of brandy a day. A bottle a day is by no means an uncommon quantity. I have had patients who had habituated themselves to two ounces—nine hundred and sixty grains—of chloral as their daily allowance. Twenty grains of chloral, I may say, is a full medicinal dose. I have treated patients who have been in the habit of swallowing eight ounces of chlorodyne a day; and I have known women who could take a pint of chlorodyne in the twenty-four hours. Both tea and coffee are used in excess. I found a patient insensible in her room one day who had drunk nothing but tea. But she had consumed a pound of tea during the day. Tobacco, in the form of cigars as well as of cigarettes, is constantly resorted to. Thirty cigarettes a day has been the allowance of some of my patients.”
The Church Federation Movement.
This movement, which had its origin in New York City, is steadily being extended. Reports from Los Angeles, Cal., state that there is being formed there a “city alliance of churches,” which is designed to include all denominations, and which provides for a thorough canvass of the city, the canvassers gathering such information as is desired relative to every family in the city. A card system is used for keeping on file the facts gathered. A similar movement is under way in San Francisco, where a corps of twelve hundred canvassers has been at work. The movement affiliates with Roman Catholics and with Hebrews.
The purposes of this movement for church federation, so far as they have been revealed, are humanitarian in nature, and above criticism; but the use to which the power of a church federation may eventually be put, may not be in any way indicated at the present time. Whatever does not come into harmony with the movement will find itself opposed by a most formidable confederacy.
Faithfulness in Temporal Riches
God designs to trust men with eternal riches—the riches of the eternal inheritance prepared for the overcomer. But before God puts any man in possession of eternal riches, He must know what use the man will make of riches. And this is revealed in every man's life here in this world. He who uses the goods—whether much or little—intrusted to him here, in such a way as to recognize God as the Creator, and that all things are from Him and belong to Him, so that God is all in all, will make the same use of the eternal riches, and can safely be intrusted with them. He will never jeopardize the interests of God's kingdom by attempting, as Satan did, to become independent of God. But he who, on the other hand, refuses to recognize all things here as coming from and belonging to the Creator, by withholding the tithe which God demands, or the offerings for which God calls, would as certainly, without a change of heart, refuse to recognize God's sovereignty in the world to come, and the universe would again be marred by disobedience. By our use of that with which God intrusts us here, we are settling the question whether or not God can place in our hands the eternal riches.
B. G. WILKINSON
By B. G. Wilkinson
Sister Chiellini has requested me to add a few lines to the letter printed above, which I do with pleasure. While at Rome, I could appreciate the conditions which made her work acceptable to the people. While one sees on the streets of Rome, in the course of one day, enough priests to last him the rest of his life, that does not say, by any means, that Rome or Italy is under the power of Catholicism. Far from it. And those who will go to the Italians, carrying the gospel in the gospel’s spirit of love, will find responsive hearts. The doors are open, but the country sadly needs workers.
I was much interested in Sister Chiellini’s recital of her mothers’ meetings, and also of the school for little children, the crèche, as she calls it. While present afflictions do not permit this sister to work now as she would like, she is earnestly awaiting the arrival of the workers for Rome. May the day speedily come when Rome shall at last be entered.
B. G. WILKINSON
BETHEL INDUSTRIAL ACADEMY.
By H. A. WASHBURN
The winter term of the Bethel Industrial Academy (heretofore known as Woodland Academy) is just closing. It is the general opinion of the faculty that this term has been richer in the blessing of God than any preceding term. The week of prayer brought special blessing with it, and each succeeding week has been more abundantly filled with spiritual blessing than the preceding one. We have the most gracious evidences that the Holy Spirit is at work here, developing an army of noble missionaries from among our children and youth.
While numbers are in themselves no evidence of the success of a Christian school, yet we are thankful for the prosperity which the Lord has given us in this respect. There have been one hundred and forty-three students in attendance at the school since the opening of the fall term. Our daily attendance during the last term has been about one hundred and ten.
We are endeavoring continually to make our school more industrial in character. Industrial work for students in the home, and industrial study for all students of the school, are made as truly a part of the work as is arithmetic or grammar. Each student selects one or more industrial studies, unless excused by vote of the faculty. The first hour following the chapel period is devoted to industrial classes, which recite under regular teachers. Classes in the following branches have been continued throughout the winter term: agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, carpentry, sewing, cooking, and nursing (simple treatments). At first this seemed to be a great innovation, but the students now look upon industrial education as an important matter. The industrial instruction is made more practical to the students in the home than to those residing outside. Every student in the home spends some time daily in work, generally occupying most of the afternoon in labor. All the teachers of the school engage in work with the students during the afternoon. The lady teachers divide among themselves the responsibilities of the work in the various departments of the home, while the gentleman teachers engage in outdoor labor with the young men, cutting wood, clearing land, erecting buildings, etc. Some very neat buildings have been erected by the students, under the direction of one of the teachers, who is a skillful carpenter.
By means of this manual labor, all students in the home have earned a large portion of their expenses. The young men have earned about one half of the expense of their board, room, and tuition, and the young ladies have earned about one third. The industrial work, which was a source of some difficulty in the early part of the year, is now recognized as the best means next to the Bible lessons, for maintaining good school discipline. Our people should by all means send their children to the school home, rather than move their families to the vicinity of the school. Vastly more can be accomplished for the youth when they are under the care of the teachers all the time. We sincerely trust that those contemplating moving to the vicinity of any of our schools will regard this counsel.
We are giving earnest study to the agricultural work, by which we hope to accomplish several objects, among which are the following: to teach the gospel in the operations of tilling the soil; to teach a scientific knowledge of farming; to place our school on a good financial basis, at the same time giving opportunity for many students to attend the school who have little or no money. In all probability our strongest term of school will soon coincide with the season of active farm work.
From these statements it may be correctly judged that the work of the school is practical and elementary, rather than of a character to militate against the interests of the larger schools. From the results we have observed, we are confident that the attendance at our larger training schools will be augmented by the wise establishment and management of intermediate industrial schools. This school is certainly a blessing to the Wisconsin Conference, and similar schools would be blessings to our other Conferences.
H. A. WASHBURN.
WALLA WALLA COLLEGE.
By E. L. Stewart
Our school year opened September 4,—one week earlier than usual,—with an attendance of seventy-eight; this was six or eight less than on the corresponding occasion of the previous year. The number rapidly increased, however, to more than one hundred, so that during our first term we enrolled nearly two hundred, with an average attendance of about one hundred and fifty; this is much better than last year's record. Our enrollment has now reached two hundred and nine, with an attendance of about one hundred and sixty.
The blessing of the Lord has rested upon the school work this year in many ways. As a class of students, I can truly say they are a fine company of young people. In this respect, I can see a special blessing. Most of these young people are in school for the purpose of receiving a training for missionary work, and we are sure that many of them will soon be found in different parts of the earth, carrying forward this great work of the Lord.
At the last meeting of the college board in the latter part of December, steps were taken to carry forward some new enterprises connected with our industrial department. The industrial work started last fall is moving forward quite satisfactorily. Our broom shop is well filled with young men who are faithful and earnest. This shop will run the year round in the future. Our blacksmith shop is running also this year, and a few of our boys are learning this trade. The carpenter shop is also open. A class in dressmaking has been conducted throughout the year, with a good attendance. Bee culture, poultry raising, and practical gardening will be carried on during this coming summer, as we are able.
During the week of prayer, services were held daily, an inquiry service being held each evening before the regular service. There was a deep interest among the students. The Spirit of God had evidently been working among them for some time, but during this week there was a large number converted, who, we believe, are proving faithful. The Lord's work is still going forward. The Young People's Society is doing a noble work for these young converts, and there seems to be a spirit among the students to work for one another.
E. L. STEWART.
SOUTH AFRICA.
In a letter to the Mission Board, dated January 29, Elder W. S. Hyatt sends encouraging news of the advancement of the message in Cape Town, South Africa. He says:—
“The Lord is blessing us here in the Conference in many respects. I must mention the sale of our paper, the South African Sentinel. For many years we have been printing only twenty-five hundred copies at each issue, and then we did not know how to use them. I have been trying to get our people to sell them, but it was not till lately that we began the work. Now there are several who are doing something in this way. They go out into the city Saturday nights, when the streets are full, and the canteens also, and go from place to place and sell, about as the Salvation Army does. In this way they sell from seventy-five to one hundred each Saturday night; sometimes more. Some have begun to sell among the business houses and from house to house, and in this way we are enabled to print at the present time forty-five hundred papers. The Lord is blessing this work, and all are very much encouraged. For some time we have been able to print five hundred extra copies each month, and still the good work goes on. Today we started a school in Cape Town. We had a meeting of the parents, and the Lord blessed in the opening. There will be about twenty-five students.”
GEORGIA
By J. T. Eaton
ALPHARETTA.—“If there is one work more important than another, it is that of getting our publications before the people, thus leading them to search the Scriptures.” “Some classes would be more benefited by papers and tracts than by books.” Believing the statements quoted above, we started a colporteur wagon in this State in December. In six weeks we have sold $45.87 worth of books, papers, and tracts, and have about $20 worth of orders for our next round; have given away 2,403 pages of tracts, 386 papers, taken one yearly subscription for the Signs of the Times, and held fourteen Bible readings.
When meeting the people the second time, many ask for the papers again, saying they are the best papers they ever saw. I fear that many of us do not appreciate our literature as we should, nor do we realize the influence it is exerting among the people. We want to continue this good work, but we will need help to do so. Our Conference is very small and weak. We have less than one hundred and fifty church-members in the State. We would appreciate a little help, as our wagon is only partly paid for. If we could get even a few dollars just now, it would be a great help to us. We need tracts and late, clean copies of our papers. Many can furnish these with little cost, and thus hasten the coming of the Lord. J. T. EATON.
VIRGINIA
A SERIES of meetings at Alexandria, continuing three weeks, resulted in the addition of two to the little company in that place. At Arlington several new converts are reported.
MINNESOTA
At Robbinsdale a number have decided to keep the Sabbath, as a result of meetings held by Brother O. O. Bernstein, among these being one whole family of seven. The interest continues good. A Sabbath-school has been organized at St. Hilaire.
MICHIGAN
BALDWIN.—At the close of the week of prayer I began meetings at Foreman, a hamlet three miles from Baldwin. The meetings were continued without interruption for nearly five weeks, the interest being good. Almost every meeting was a revival service, and much of the Comforter's presence was enjoyed. I never had greater freedom in presenting the truth.
At this writing I cannot state the results, but some are already keeping the Sabbath, and others are in the valley of decision. We are hoping and praying that these will decide aright, and that all will become thoroughly established on all points of faith. C. P. HASKELL.
ELDER WM. OSTRANDER has been holding meetings for several weeks in Dryden, and reports that much interest has been aroused, and also a strong spirit of opposition. As a result thus far, he states that “some of the leading members of one of the churches have publicly announced that they are going to keep the commandments of God. Others who made no profession are now rejoicing in the freedom found only in Christ.”
A MODEL MISSIONARY MEETING.
By David Paulson
Recently, while in Los Angeles, Cal., I improved an opportunity to attend the regular missionary meeting of our church in that city. The first part of the meeting was occupied by different members who had been engaged in some phase of missionary work. This portion of the meeting was very interesting, as it represented individual effort. The leader related some interesting and instructive experiences that she had met with during the week; and a quartet rendered an inspiring missionary song, after which a study of China was taken up. Half a dozen workers had been assigned different parts of this great subject; as, “The Country,” “People,” “Religions,” “Industries,” etc. Dividing the program in this manner has the advantage of setting a number to work, thus furnishing them an excellent incentive to study the subject under consideration; and it also serves to present to the audience more of a variety than when the whole subject is presented by a single person. These workers gave evidence that they had given careful thought to the preparation of their respective papers.
It was really refreshing to drop into this live missionary meeting. If worldly men can become enthusiastic over purely worldly schemes and business projects, is it too much to expect enthusiasm of us when we gather together to talk over our experiences in helping perishing humanity, and to lay plans for the rescuing of human souls that are going to destruction right before our eyes? What a pitiful sight is a dull, half-dead missionary meeting, some of the members asleep, and most of the rest so indifferent and restless that they are impatient for the meeting to close! We trust that there are but few missionary meetings where such a picture could fully apply, but there is usually plenty of room for improvement. Let us make our missionary meetings so interesting that the young people will be drawn into them.
DAVID PAULSON.
The Relief of the Schools
Donors to the Relief of the Schools.
NAME
AMOUNT
Lena Hughes
$1 00
Estella G. Norman
5 00
Sister Hardy
1 00
Mrs. W. J. Bowman
2 00
Albert Beck
2 50
W. R. McMindes
1 00
Anna J. Foster
2 00
Joseph Monte
5 00
Flora A. Deiner
3 00
William & Mary Griffith
20
Mrs. Annie Hanson
5 00
J. E. Miller
5 00
Henry E. Mortenson
1 00
Mrs. Stimpson
25
Emma Shafer
2 00
H. L. Ogden
7 50
Blanche Shafer
1 00
Mr. & Mrs. H. R. Searle
100 00
C. E. Shafer
2 00
Mr. & Mrs. H. R. Searle (Scandinavian fund)
100 00
J. P. Bowman
2 50
Lucy & Mary Searle
1 75
B. F. Noble
5 00
Mrs. L. E. Fuller
50 00
J. J. Snyder
10 00
A. E. Moore
5 00
S. A. Synder
2 00
Mrs. C. F. Russell
5 00
Ira Workman
10 00
Jessie F. Griffin
1 00
Mrs. F. Kingsbury
2 00
Mrs. Harriet Daniells
1 00
Harry Kingsbury
2 50
Mrs. G. H. Pebworth
1 00
W. C. F. Ward
5 00
W. C. Rahn
25 00
Mrs. Wm. McCollum
2 00
I. M. C., Colo.
6 00
Mrs. Lottie Decker
1 00
W. J. Barnes
25 00
Mrs. Etta Pier
2 00
Sacramento (Cal.) church
5 00
Conrad Dick
1 00
C. W. Peter
1 00
Mary A. Pickard
2 00
St. Helena (Cal.) church
50
Mr. & Mrs. J. H. Worton
2 00
J. R. Reed
1 00
W. H. Battson
1 00
A. A. Clark
5 00
Friends (Oregon)
20 00
A sister
25
A friend
1 00
M. Erway
5 00
Mary J. Jones
5 00
Mrs. J. F. Stevens
2 50
Mrs. S. James
2 00
M. Smith
50
J. M. Logan
10 00
Pearson
5 00
Blanche H. Groynne
5 00
Mrs. C. L. Berry
1 00
A. Y. Stephenson
2 00
Mr. & Mrs. C. N. Miller
2 00
J. Milton Cross
5 00
F. J. Stafford
2 00
N. S. Brooks
5 00
A. Friend
2 50
Hiram F. Hall
25 80
A. L. Atwood
5 00
William & Eliza Tabum
6 00
Rachel Novak
1 00
O. Johnson
5 00
E. J. Drake
5 00
N. L. McCormick
50
Mogle
5 00
Floyd D. Moore
1 00
Mrs. Sebe Ellyson
1 00
Matthew Parker
5 00
Lakeside (Cal.) church
2 50
W. J. Johnson
5 00
Wolfsen
1 00
T. W. Manchester
5 00
J. Briggs
1 50
L. W. Jacobs
6 00
W. A. Morris
5 00
Nana E. Rothwell
1 00
A. C. Smith
1 00
A. S. Beers
7 89
Lucy Bush
10 00
Sunshine Band (Columbus, Ohio)
1 50
Mrs. R. Hosking
2 00
George Ross
5 00
A. Butcher
5 00
A. Cloake
5 00
Reinhard
3 00
J. A. Chamberlain
1 00
Mrs. A. Holtgen
5 00
Fritz Guy
1 50
Mrs. S. A. Bryant
10 00
Sarah Conner
2 00
Minnie James
5 00
D. P. Ziegler
10 00
Otto Johnson
5 00
Miss Maggie Spee
5 00
Mrs. R. F. Gregory
10 00
R. A. Underwood
5 00
Gertie Dart
25
Mrs. T. J. Butler
1 00
Mr. & Mrs. A. M. Dart
1 00
Mrs. J. G. Butler
1 00
Miss Belle Carver
1 00
Mrs. C. Bush
2 50
A. Newell
5 00
P. S. Marshall
25 00
ON THE MOVE.
By S. H. Lane
We are glad indeed to report that progress is being made in the sale of “Christ’s Object Lessons.” Wherever the work is heartily engaged in, good results are realized. Several States are working in earnest, while others are seemingly doing very little. We feel solicitous that every Conference shall take hold of the matter now as never before. The various States are adopting different plans. We will suggest a few of these, thinking that they may be beneficial to those who are not earnestly pushing the matter:—
The officers of the Oklahoma Conference, which has a membership of thirteen hundred, are asking every church-member to pay five dollars toward the liquidation of the school debt, then each one is furnished, free of charge, four books, which, when sold at $1.25 each, will replace the money given. As a result of this plan, three thousand books have been sold during the last six weeks; and what is even better than the money thus obtained, three thousand books are in the hands of the people.
The same plan is being adopted by the Texas Conference, and books are being rapidly sold there, and they hope during the month of April to pay at least ten thousand dollars toward the school debts. For the last two months Iowa has been prosecuting the work by putting her laborers into it. These laborers have aroused enthusiasm among the churches, and many books have been sold. In the Lake Union Conference in the States of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin, the work is being pushed by ministers and laymen.
Ohio has caught the spirit, and a thousand books were sent to them a few days ago. The writer has visited several places, and the brethren have taken hold well. Many rich experiences have been related as the brethren and sisters have had opportunities to testify of the blessings which they had received in trying to place the book in the homes of the people.
The month of March will be a favorable time in which to sell these books. Some will be disposed of during the summer and early autumn, but all will be so busy that much more can be accomplished in the late autumn and winter; but we now have the month of March in which to labor. We trust the elders in all our churches will endeavor to make the work a success, especially between now and the first of April. If the ministers, Bible workers, and elders do not take hold of this work in your vicinity, reader, will you not send to your tract society for several books, and begin the work? Let every one take hold now as never before. The Lord has given us this opportunity to redeem our schools from debt, and we should never falter until the work is fully accomplished. Who will place among the people a number of these books during the month of March? Who will say, “I,” and proceed immediately to the work?
