p. 7 | Review and Herald, Vol. 86, No. 47. (11/25/1909)

Visits to Philadelphia, New York, and Newark

By William C. White

W. C. WHITE

FRIDAY morning, June 11, Mrs. E. G. White closed her work in Washington, and in the afternoon went to Philadelphia, to spend the Sabbath. She was accompanied by Miss Sara McEnterfer and the writer.

At the meeting with conference presidents and members of the General Conference Committee held in the Seminary building Friday morning, Mrs. White made another earnest appeal in behalf of the work to be done in the large cities. She said:—

“When I think of the many cities yet unwarned, I can not rest. It is distressing to think that they have been neglected so long. For many, many years the cities of America, including the cities in the South, have been set before our people as places needing special attention. A few have borne the burden of working in these cities; but, in comparison with the great needs and the many opportunities, but little has been done. Where is your faith, my brethren? Where are the workmen? In many of our large cities the first and second angels’ messages were proclaimed during the 1844 movement. To you, as God’s servants, has been entrusted the third angel’s message, the binding-off message, that is to prepare a people for the coming of our King.

“Time is short. The Lord desires that everything connected with his cause shall be brought into order. He desires that the solemn message of warning and of invitation shall be proclaimed as widely as his messengers can carry it. The means that shall come into the treasury is to be used wisely in supporting the workers. Nothing that would hinder the advance of the message is to be allowed to come into our planning.

“Night after night, I have lain awake, weeping and pleading with God, because of the seeming inability of some to discern opportunities for extending our efforts into the many unworked places,—near-by places that might have been warned years ago, had we chosen to do a broad work, rather than to hover around a few centers. We need to cultivate a spirit of self-sacrifice, and of constant devotion to the needs of a lost world.”

“For years the pioneers of our work struggled against poverty and manifold hardship in order to place the cause of present truth on vantage-ground. With meager facilities, they labored untiringly; and the Lord blessed their humble efforts. The laborers of to-day may not have to endure all the hardships of those early days. The change of condition, however, should not lead to any slackening of effort. And now, when the Lord bids us proclaim the message once more with power in the East; when he bids us enter the cities of the East, and of the South, and of the North, and of the West, shall we not respond as one man, and do his bidding? Shall we not plan to send messengers all through these fields, and support them liberally? Shall not the ministers of God go into these crowded centers, and there lift up their voices in warning to multitudes? At such a time as this, every hand is to be employed.”

“O, that we might see the needs of these great cities as God sees them! We must plan to place in these great cities capable men who can present the third angel’s message in a manner so forceful that it will strike home to the heart. Men who can do this, we can not afford to gather into one place, to do a work that others might do. Can we expect the inhabitants of these cities to come to us and say, ‘If you will come to us and preach, we will help you to do thus and so’?”

“Shall we not advance in faith, just as if we had thousands of dollars? We do not have half faith enough. Let us do our part in warning these cities. The warning message must come to the people who are ready to perish unwarned, unsaved. How can we delay? As we advance, the means will come. But we must advance in faith, trusting in the Lord God of Israel.”

Arriving in Philadelphia, we were met by Elder W. H. Heckman, and taken to the Pennsylvania Sanitarium. This institution is owned and loyally supported by the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. It is housed in an excellent building; it is well managed, and has an able corps of physicians and nurses. It enjoys a liberal patronage from the citizens of Philadelphia, but its location (where the noise of street-cars reaches it) and its limited capacity make it difficult for the institution to accomplish what was at first expected of it,—to pay all expenses, to pay interest on the investment, and to clear away the debt.

This sanitarium was one of the last to be located before our physicians began to consider seriously the counsel to select rural locations for our institutions for the sick. How to secure a proper location in the country for this institution, and thus open the way for the enlargement of the work, is a problem that must be studied.

Sabbath afternoon, the beautiful and commodious meeting-house in West Philadelphia was crowded to its utmost capacity. The day was warm, and abundant ventilation was needed. But the beautiful colored windows were not built to open. As a result, the congregation suffered intensely, and the speaker was so poisoned that she experienced great suffering for a week, and was barely able to fill one of her three appointments in New York City. Why will a people having abundance of information on health, sanitation, and ventilation, allow wrongly built meeting-houses to stand year after year as closed reservoirs for poison air?

During her discourse, Mrs. White urged the importance of consecrated efforts being put forth by church-members, to spread the gospel message. She said:—

“The Lord wants us to be co-laborers with him, to help those who are perishing for lack of the knowledge that we have. We need men clothed with the righteousness of Christ, to labor in every city, in every community. Those who profess to be his followers should humble their hearts, so that they can labor in a simple and acceptable manner.

“Our Lord called his disciples from the humble rank of fishermen. So to-day he can use those who will follow him, even though they may not have had opportunity to receive what is regarded as a high education. As they humbly and prayerfully study the Scripture, the spirituality of the Word will lay hold on their minds, and they will go forth prepared to labor acceptably for the Master. All who really appreciate the great sacrifice that has been made in our behalf will gladly make sacrifices, that others may be strengthened to grow up into Christ the living head.”

Friday morning, June 18, we went to New York. During the last thirty miles of the journey, Mrs. White viewed with lively interest the many cities located so closely to one another, and several she pointed out as places that had been presented to her as neglected communities,

where work should be done as soon as possible.

In New York, our brethren had located a large tent on a vacant lot in a populous district, and Elders S. N. Haskell, E. W. Farnsworth, G. B. Starr, C. L. Edwards, and C. S. Longacre, and Dr. D. H. Kress united with the ministers of the Greater New York Conference in conducting general meetings.

Mrs. White spoke in the tent on Sabbath forenoon, June 19, dwelling upon the experiences of Christ at his baptism, and during his severe temptations in the wilderness, as recorded in the third and fourth chapters of Matthew. In response to an invitation for all who desired to do so to signify their reconsecration to the Master’s service, practically the entire congregation arose.

The Newark Meeting

Before leaving Washington, it had been planned that if able to do so, Mrs. White would speak in Newark, N. J., Sunday morning, June 20. The church in Newark is one of the largest in the conference, and it was a convenient place for representatives from all the churches in northern New Jersey to gather. Therefore Elder B. F. Kneeland had urged the making of this appointment, and had notified the churches.

After the sickness in Philadelphia, the Sabbath service in New York completely exhausted Mrs. White’s strength, and it seemed unreasonable to ask her to go to Newark Sunday. But all necessary preparations were made for the trip, and we waited to hear her decision Sunday morning. Courage and a desire to fill the Newark appointment were her first words, and so the carriage was ordered, a hasty breakfast taken, and then came the twelve-mile drive.

At Newark a congregation of about three hundred were assembled, and Mrs. White spoke to them with her old-time simplicity and power regarding daily Christian experience, the duties of home religion, and the proper training of the children.

In the afternoon Dr. Kress gave an address on practical hygiene, which was greatly appreciated, and after this the representatives of several churches engaged in a council about tract and missionary work. The membership of the New Jersey Conference is not large, but there is among the workers a faith and enthusiasm that must bring great results.

The twelve-mile drive back to New York was warm and wearisome, and Mrs. White suffered much with rheumatism, therefore she pleaded to be released from further appointments in New York, and we took the early train Monday forenoon for South Lancaster, Mass.

Thy Will Be Done

By Worthie Harris Holden

WORTHIE HARRIS HOLDEN

I know not, Lord, that e’en one soul Hath through me found thy fold; I know not if my stammering tongue One half thy grace hath told; Nor half thy blessings daily given Do I to thee confess; Yet all my days, by mercies crowned, Proclaim thy faithfulness.

I would my lips might burn with fire From off thine altar, Lord, That so my praise, attuned to heaven, With angels might accord. I would my voice might travel far To those in darkest night, And lead them past the maze of sin Through penitence to light;

But one thing only do I plead, That Jesus may be mine; Each day, each hour, my guide, to lead Where’er thy will design. Then humbly may I live the task In love allotted me, Assured my place must be the best In which to worship thee.

Portland, Ore.

Clergy Censure Governor

By K. C. Russell

K. C. RUSSELL

The Washington Post of October 26 contains the following interesting and suggestive paragraph:—

“INDIANAPOLIS, IND., OCTOBER 25.—At a meeting of the Methodist Ministers’ Association to-day, Governor Marshall was severely criticized, and a resolution adopted censuring him for the following utterances at a meeting of the Associated Charities at Columbus last night: ‘When the average man joins the church, Mrs. Millionaire looks at him with her turned-up nose, and says, “He can not sit in my pew; he does not belong to my set.” When the average woman joins the church, her standing depends on the cut of her gown and the style of her hat. If the church of the living God would get back to where every man and woman were a brother or sister, the churches of the State would soon be filled with communicants.’”

To the mind of the thoughtful reader there are a number of queries that naturally arise as he reflects on the foregoing statements. He would probably wish to ask those who censured the governor, “Do you think the governor’s statement incorrect?” If so, it is nevertheless in fullest harmony with the utterances of many of the most faithful, talented, and discerning ministers of all the denominations. Then why censure him? We do not recall any similar rebukes for the men of God who have frequently and freely given utterance to the same scathing accusations. Was it because such words from so eminent a layman are more apt to offend the rich of the church and reduce the flow of finance into the sacred treasury?

If not for this reason, was the censure because the governor’s words were a reflection upon the clergy for their failure to preach against the rapidly growing spirit of pride and worldliness which is so alarmingly prevailing in many of the popular churches of the time?

To the careful student of God’s Word, the utterances of the governor are but too true a verbal portrait of a condition that is to exist in the last days among those who make a high profession of religion. That Word says that “in the last days . . . men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, . . . despisers of those that are good, . . . having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.”

At the time when these things are to exist, the charge to the gospel minister is, “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, . . . Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come [has come] when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” This scripture has its application to our own time, and we see its fulfilment to-day.

In view of this, then, let no one—much less a minister of the gospel—attempt to silence the voice of one who has the exemplary boldness to speak forth in no uncertain way against the worldliness that is sapping the very life of the professed church of Jesus Christ.

Takoma Park, D. C.

The Day at Hand

By D. T. Shireman

D. T. SHIREMAN

“The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” Rom. 13:12. Do we realize as we ought the great fact that the long night of sin, darkness, and suffering will soon be past? Do we really believe it? Are we putting off the works of darkness and putting on the armor of light?

Says Inspiration: “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” If we know this, we will show it by our works. How can we expect to be saved from the coming destruction if we fail to have on the armor of light and let that light shine out to those in darkness?

We do not need to go to foreign fields to find work. Our first work is around our homes—for our neighbors. It is not so much to argue with them as to show Christ’s love by deeds of kindness. “It is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” The time of our salvation is fifty-two years nearer than when I first believed. How glad I am that the Lord has given me a humble part in this solemn work. The words of our Saviour are, “Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand,” and, “Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” “The golden morning is fast approaching; Jesus soon will come.” May we be ready.

Hickory, N. C.

Keep the Church Out of Debt

By Helen A. Steinhauer

HELEN A. STEINHAUER

“Do you pay tithes?”—“Of course, I do.” Well, then, imitate the Israelites, and always put aside as much more as a free-will offering. In this way the contribution-box need never pass you, for be it much or little, you will always have something to put in. You will be able to keep up your end of church expenses; and if the rich will lay aside a free-will offering tithe too, as well as their poorer brethren, the church never will be in debt. Moreover, no one will feel the poorer for what he gives, as the Lord will repay.

Battle Creek, Mich.

Obedience Is the One Thing in Discipleship

It would make Christian life a great deal more simple for us if we would get it definitely settled in our minds that obedience is the one thing in discipleship. It is never ours to consider the expediency of any command that is given to us, or to inquire into the probabilities of success or failure in what we are bidden to do. The moment our duty is clear, it is ours to do it without question, without doubting, without reasoning. The lack of it is the cause of so much indefiniteness, indecisiveness, vacillation, and weakness in many Christian lives.— Southern Presbyterian.

A Bedtime Incident

By Mrs. L. Flora Plummer

MRS. L. FLORA PLUMMER

“I DON’T want to say my prayers.”

“Robbie, you must say them. Jesus won’t love you if you don’t say your prayers. Now come here and kneel right down and say them.”

“I don’t want to say them, and I’m not going to.”

“Well, I shall tell mama, and she will make you say them. Mama, Robbie won’t say his prayers!”

Mrs. Kent appeared in the doorway. Her clear eyes taking in the scene at once,—Robbie, irritated and angry, his sister, Jessie, anxious but tactless,—and in her calm, soothing way she said, “Never mind, Jessie, just let Robbie do as he chooses.”

Jessie looked at her mother in surprise, but passed out of the room and spent the evening studying her lessons. Mrs. Kent busied herself about the room, saying nothing to Robbie for some time. After a while she called him to her, and taking the little five-year-old in her arms, began to talk to him pleasantly about the things they had enjoyed that day. It had been a beautiful day, all nature rejoicing in the bright sunlight. A trip to the woods with Robbie and Jessie had afforded the children the keenest pleasure. Gradually Mrs. Kent led the little boy’s mind to think of the goodness of our Heavenly Father in giving us so much to enjoy. Then she said, “I thanked God this morning for this new day, and asked him to help me to enjoy it and to take care of me all day. Tonight I will thank him for the happy day I have had, and ask him to care for me through the night. I do not want to live a single day without asking Jesus to love me and care for me.”

Robbie looked sober. “Did you ask him to take care of me, mama?”

“O, yes, dear. But Jesus likes to have us ask him for ourselves. He listens to hear us ask him, and he knows when we do not ask him.”

“Won’t Jesus take care of me unless I ask him?” said Robbie.

“Jesus gives us many blessings that we do not ask for, but he wants us to ask him for the things that we need, and to thank him for all that he does for us. He hears us when we pray, and he misses our prayers when we do not pray.”

Other questions were asked, but Mrs. Kent held steadily to the one thought, that the little man might get it clearly. She repeated very often the words, “Jesus hears us when we pray,” and, “Jesus knows when we do not pray.”

“Mama, I want to say my prayers,” said Robbie, slipping down from her lap and kneeling at her feet.

“Very well, my son,” said Mrs. Kent. And the victory was gained, and rightly gained. It was a long time before Robbie needed a repetition of the lesson.

Takoma Park, D. C.

Why Should I Worry?

By Mark Guy Pearse

If we could have anticipated our coming into this world, no dream of horror could ever have seemed so dreadful.

If we could have stood and said: “I am going into that strange world the most helpless thing in it. Of course, I shall know nobody, and, of course, no one will know me. I shall not be able to understand their language, and I shall not have the sense to know my own wants, much less to tell them to any one else. I shall be so little that, of course, no one will care for me; I shall be in everybody’s way and quite unable to get out of it.” O, the agony of it, and that cruel loneliness! . . .

No terror that ever came into a man’s mind in thought of going out of this world would have compared with that terror of coming into it.

And lo! we came — and a mother’s love bent over us. O, the marvelous and perfect ministry! Little — and yet because little, so unutterably dear. Weak — yes, omnipotently weak. Waited upon day and night with a service unwearied, a service that found its heaven in its ministry. The power that made a mother is the power that I can trust forever and ever. A mother is the “Fear not” of nature to our hearts.

Now may we think of our gracious God speaking to us: “Come, let us reason together, my child. There was a time when thou wert all want, and in that time didst thou lack anything? Was not every want anticipated and perfectly supplied? And the love that fashioned the mother for thee at the beginning of thy life is the love that still holds thee dear, caring as surely and sacredly for the wants of manhood and of old age as for the wants of the little child.” —Mark Guy Pearse, in “Christ’s Cure for Care.”

Parental Responsibility

By Mrs. H. E. Warner

MRS. H. E. WARNER

“PARENTS need to be impressed with their obligation to give to the world children having well-developed character,—children who will have moral power to resist temptation, and whose life will be an honor to God and a blessing to their fellow men. The work of the mother is sacred and important. She should teach her children, from the cradle up, habits of self-control.”

Many mothers wait until the children are three or four years old before beginning their training. While mothers are waiting for the children to grow, Satan is molding their young lives, and they become wilful and headstrong. Children are apt students. Before they can talk, they learn how to manage their mothers so as to get their own way.

An orphan boy, just past his fourth birthday, had drifted from one place to another, till he finally found a home with a Christian family. For a few days all went well. One morning he asked for papa’s chisel, which was refused him, with an explanation. He persistently teased for the tool. The mother simply said No, and paid no more attention to him. From teasing he went to crying, from crying to screaming and pulling his hair. This he kept up for about half an hour, the mother all the time busy writing at her desk.

After a while the screaming ceased, and the little fellow walked over to the desk. After watching his mother for a few moments, he said, “You are a funny woman.”

“Why am I funny?” the mother asked. “Because,” said the child, “you are. In other places, if I wanted anything, I teased for it till I got it. If I did not get it by teasing, I cried. If I didn’t get it then, I would scream till I scared them, and then they had to give it to me. I’ve tried all these ways, but didn’t scare you, and I didn’t get the chisel; now tell me why.”

The mother took him up in her arms and told him why,—that, first of all, he must learn that mother told the truth, that when she said no, it meant no, and no amount of teasing would change it;

if at any time mother was in the wrong, she would come to him and tell him so: but as she had to obey Jesus in order to be happy, he must obey mother, then all would be happy.

I tremble for the children who are forming characters in this degenerate age. I tremble for the parents also; for they do not realize their obligation to train up their children in the way they should go.

Let woman realize the sacredness of her work, and in the strength and fear of God take up her life mission. Let her educate her children for usefulness in this life and for a home in the better world; and let the education begin while the child is in the cradle.

Clintonville, Conn.

What Have We Done To-day?

By Nixon Waterman

WE shall do so much in the years to come; But what have we done to-day?

We shall give our gold in a princely sum; But what did we give to-day?

We shall lift the heart and dry the tear, We shall plant a hope in the place of fear, We shall speak the words of love and cheer; But what did we speak to-day?

We shall be so kind in the afterwhile; But what have we been to-day?

We shall bring each lonely life a smile; But what have we brought to-day?

We shall give to truth a grander birth, And to steadfast faith a deeper worth, We shall feed the hungering souls of earth; But whom have we fed to-day?

We shall reap such joys in the by-and-by; But what have we sown to-day?

We shall build us mansions in the sky; But what have we built to-day?

'Tis sweet in idle dreams to bask, But here and now do we our task? Yes, this is the thing our souls must ask: “What have we done to-day?”

— Nixon Waterman.

Our Experiences in Turkey

By Z. G. Baharian

Z. G. BAHARIAN

It will probably be remembered that in 1904 Satan planned, through the government, to destroy God's work, but did not succeed. God marvelously saved us from jail, and his name was glorified. Satan, seeing that he failed in this, devised another way to cause a complete destruction.

From Egypt he opened the flood-gates of a fantastic heresy. It came suddenly, and professed to be the water of life. As we had always taught our people to try the spirits, everywhere they set themselves to investigate this question. One of our workers gave himself up to it, and began to teach it. Against it we could do nothing but distribute Bible studies on the principles of our message. In a short time the enemy was obliged to give way, because there was no unity among his ranks. Moreover, one believed one thing to-day, and to-morrow another, and in a short time the leader left this heresy, and followed others. When I went to Adrianople last, I found our former worker greatly confounded and ashamed, and willing to stand back on our firm platform. But he would not humiliate himself to confess. He is still opposing the spirit of prophecy, and, consequently, holding himself away from the message.

We do not know what Satan will invent next to turn people from the truth. Let us all earnestly study the principles of the message. Let us open our hearts to the sanctifying power of these principles. Only when we are sanctified through the truth, will it be so dear to our souls that we shall not be willing to change it for other things.

What did we gain in this controversy?—A deeper knowledge of the faith of Jesus. We studied the gospel which showed us that Christ died for our sins; that he was raised up for our justification; that he ascended to the right hand of God, as our Mediator, and as our Judge over the living and the dead; and that he will come again to finish the work of salvation. Belief in these things constitutes the faith of Jesus. This faith was counted righteousness to all believers, and the Holy Spirit was poured upon them. The study of this important subject was a blessing to all our brethren and sisters in this field.

This controversy taught us also the importance of keeping the Testimonies of the Spirit. Before this our people knew very little about the Testimonies, as they are not published in our native languages, yet all believed that these truths have been testified to by the spirit of prophecy. But when a severe attack was made against the spirit of prophecy, they began to doubt, even to that degree that they doubted the whole truth. God marvelously helped us in establishing them in the truth; but we found that in that the future we must carefully teach our people the Testimonies, as far as possible. Let us all appreciate this gift of Christ to us. It is a wonderful help in the study of the Bible, and is an assurance that we have the truth.

Constantinople.

Peculiar Names

WHEN one hears a child's name in America, one can almost immediately tell whether the child is a boy or a girl, but it is not so in Africa. No one can tell except by acquaintance to whom such names as Shilling, Sixpence, Penny, or Pound belong. One could hardly imagine that Donkey, In-the-way, Let-us-see, and Me could be names of children, but so goes the style in African nomenclature. With very little difficulty you might, perhaps, decide that England, Sunday, Waistcoat, Basket, and Office are boys, and that Lea, Rose, Miriam, and Ladywatch are girls. But even one learned in the art of naming children in Africa would be at a loss to pick out their owners by such names as In-the-sack, In-the-bush, Pine-town, To-tremble, and Watch-no-good. There are a few names common to both sexes, such as Charlie, Soap, and Table; and some are called by the very suggestive names, She-is-dead and We-die-for-Charlie. In Africa, at least, one may well echo Shakespeare and exclaim, “What's in a name!”—Selected.

A YOUNG Bengali student came to me the other day to ask for an explanation of difficult passages in a book he is reading. When I asked him his name, he said, “Sát Kori,” which means “seven cowrie shells,” and explained the reason of this curious name. His mother had had several children before him, but all had died; so, like many other Hindu mothers, she thought God or the evil one had a grudge against her, and, if he could, would take this last little one also. But if he could be brought to think the child some one's else, or not worth taking, he might leave it alone. So she called the nurse who attended her in her illness, and sold the baby to her for seven cowrie shells (less than a tenth of a farthing), and, lest the transaction should be forgotten, gave the boy the name of “Seven Cowries,” by which he has been known every since. I asked him if he thought it had made any difference. He said, “Perhaps; at any rate I did not die.” So a university undergraduate more than half believes that one can cheat God by a trick like that!—F. W. Hinton.

Hopes of Heaven

By L. D. SANTEE

L. D. SANTEE

“Let not your heart be troubled.” John 14:1.

WHEN the bloom and the joy fade out of the heart That no after-days can lend, And the hopes that formed of our lives a part, That we thought would last to the end; When the love that furnished the spirit’s wealth Has gone in the sweep of the years, And the song that the heart sings low to itself Is lost in the blur of tears;

When the days and hours that come to us now, Are sacred unto pain; When sorrow has seamed with its care the brow, And our joys come never again; When friends we trust become hard and cold, And some fall asleep by the way, And we sadly remember them when we are old And wrinkled and bent and gray;

When time has stolen the bloom from the cheek, And the roses come never again; When vanished the joys that we vainly seek, And the heart keeps tryst with pain;

When kisses are pressed on faces white, As they kiss whose hearts are wrung, And the song that the heart sang low in the night Is forevermore unsung,—

Let the darkness and silence softly fall To quiet the heart that breaks; Let the hush of God’s pity cover all, Giving rest to the bosom’s aches. The nightingale sings no more to the rose When the beautiful flower is dead; But God will the joys of heaven disclose When the years of time are fled.

Let the light return to the saddened eye, For the promise sure is given. Though the friends of earth may fade and die, We shall meet them again in heaven; And we wait and watch for the crown- ing day, When no heart is with anguish riven. Though the hopes of earth may fade away, There is hope above in heaven.

Moline, Ill.

C. L. BUTTERFIELD

By C. L. Butterfield

Korea

C. L. BUTTERFIELD

We are just in the midst of moving. Everything is packed, ready to go to Seoul, the new headquarters of our work. The man with the ox cart was to come this afternoon to get our goods and take them to the station, but it is raining hard, so he can not take them to-day. This has been a very wet summer. The crops now are looking fine, but if the rain continues much longer, there will be much lost.

HEADQUARTERS OF OUR WORK IN SEOUL, KOREA

I will send with this a picture of our house at Seoul. This place has been leased for a year, with the privilege of buying. It is an ideal place. It is one of the nicest locations in Seoul. The owner recently died, and his wife is returning to England, so it is for sale. The city wall is just back of the house, which is outside the wall, and about five minutes’ walk from the West Gate, and not more than a quarter of a mile from the railroad station.

There is about an acre and a half of ground, and it is beautifully laid out as a little park, with abundant shrubbery and fruit trees. While there are more than one hundred thousand people within a radius of a mile, yet at the house one seems to be in the country. If we should buy this place, there is room on it to build a small sanitarium and a publishing house, two very essential things. It can be bought for six thousand dollars. I trust that we shall be able to purchase before our option on it runs out. It is by far the most suitable location in Seoul at the present time. Of course there are many fine locations, but they can not be bought.

I have just held a series of meetings at Pyong Yang. I will write an account of the meetings in a few days, and send some pictures if they prove to be good.

We are all well, and are glad to know that more help is coming to our field. I am thankful that Miss Scharffenberg’s sister and brother-in-law are coming.

It seems as if there ought to be some one who would take the educational work in Korea. It offers great opportunities to the right person. There are just as bright minds in Korea as anywhere when they are trained. Our work will be greatly hindered until we have some one who can get this language and carry on advanced school work. We must train teachers and preachers to give this message to their people. There are many waiting for just such an education. But we are not yet able to give them what they need.

Seoul.

The North England and Welsh Conferences

By Ludwig Richard Conradi

L. R. CONRADI

DURING the latter part of September, the writer attended these two annual meetings. At the large city of Manchester, about one hundred eighty of our people in north England met, representing quite fully the twenty-six churches and companies in this conference. The little tabernacle, where the meeting was held, was quite crowded. Two new churches were admitted—Spark Hill, with twenty-one members, and Rushden, with seventeen. Four tent companies had been in the field this summer,—at Darlington, Sheffield, Coventry, and Worcester,—and about fifty persons had taken their stand for the truth, in consequence.

At the opening of the conference, Elder S. G. Haughey gave an interesting account of the vastness of the work yet to be done; of the twenty towns of over one hundred thousand souls, and the three hundred eighty of between five thousand and one hundred thousand. Thus far only twenty-five towns have been entered.

Elder J. N. Loughborough gave a number of talks on the spirit of prophecy. Prof. H. C. Lacey, Dr. A. B. Olsen, Elder W. J. Fitzgerald, and the writer filled in the rest of the time. It was a practical and blessed conference. Although the financial depression has been felt keenly in these industrial districts, yet when our people learned of the great need of a tent fund, to supply the equipment for 1910, seventy-five pounds was subscribed, also ten pounds for the Watford school fund. About two hundred seventy-five copies of “Christ’s Object Lessons” were disposed of for this last-mentioned object, and nearly five pounds was given in mission offerings. One of their promising young men was transferred to the south, to fill up the gap there, while three ordained ministers, four licentiates, and three Bible workers remain to carry on the work among sixteen million people. But among sixteen million people. There are fifty book and paper canvassers sowing the precious seeds of truth from house to house. The business of the conference passed off very harmoniously.

Our party went next to Porth, a small mining town of four thousand, in southern Wales, where the Welsh Conference had its second annual session in a hall belonging to the Y. M. C. A. Our opponents tried hard to get this hall closed down on us at the last moment, but failed. We were pleased to see such a good representation of our brethren and sisters in this field, and also the deep interest they took in all the meetings. Besides Elders Loughborough and Fitzgerald, Professor Lacey, and the writer, Elder W. T. Bartlett assisted in the meetings. Sabbath was indeed a good day. Good reports came from the northern part of Wales, where for the first time a tent effort had been put forth, the South and North England conferences having furnished financial aid. In view of other pressing appointments the writer had to leave early on Sunday.

God’s work in the British Union Conference is onward, and brighter days are ahead for this great field. The tithe is steadily growing, and Great Britain, with forty-five million people, is trying hard to cut down its appropriation to two thousand dollars for 1910, which will give scarcely thirty thousand dollars for the whole union. Their new college building was up one story, several new cottages for the workers were completed, and our publishing house and food factory are prosperous. The same can be said of our sanitariums. Seventy promising students are attending the school. The canvassing work is also doing well. A few years more, and the British Union Conference will not only be strong within itself, but will be an important factor in supplying help for the many British colonies.

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