Earlier text: Christ as a Sabbath ReformerOur Council With the Siberian Union Committee
By L. R. Conradi
ON May 28 I left Hamburg for eastern Russia. That I might have an interview with the newly appointed governor of German East Africa, at Berlin, it was necessary for me to delay my departure from Hamburg one day longer than I had intended; but this will save me at least a week in Africa. As it had been my privilege to meet the two former governors of German East Africa several times, I knew the advantage to be gained by a personal acquaintance with the governor, and tried hard to secure an appointment with him before his departure, about the middle of June. The governor received me very kindly. I informed him as to our work, and sought his personal advice concerning a suitable place for a health station in German East Africa. After we had thus spent about twenty-five minutes, he began to question me concerning our faith, especially regarding Christ's second advent, the destiny of the wicked, and the hope of the righteous. He also inquired whether we, as do some others, believe in the conversion of the world, or whether we expect to see the gathering in of a chosen few from all parts of the world. He appreciated our German mission report for 1910 very much, and I promised to send him our annual mission reports in the future, and also to supply him with some of our other publications. Brother Guy Dail met me at Berlin that evening, and we reached Warsaw the next morning. Poland, with a population of about ten million, has been recently cut off from the West Russian field, and is now a special mission, Elder H. Schmitz being in charge. In Warsaw, the third Russian city in size, with a population of eight hundred thousand, we have a neat place of meeting, and a church of thirty-five members, whose tithe and offerings last year were about one thousand dollars. Although the brethren here had been together the day before, expecting us, yet we were pleased11 that they again took pains to meet, at 10 A. M., and that after our meeting with the church we could spend over an hour with our workers in this field. Seeing that we have scarcely a hundred members in all Russian Poland, and only a handful of workers, there is surely a great field yet before us here. There is but one fast second-class daily train from Warsaw to Moscow, so we had much difficulty in securing a place. In fact, all the places were taken, so we were compelled to secure a berth in the sleeper. Of late years there has been quite a change for the better in the Russian train service. Our train stopped only at the main stations, and only for a short time, so that we averaged a speed of about thirty-five miles an hour. The country between Warsaw and Moscow is mostly level or rolling land, with considerable timber. We reached Moscow about 3 P. M., May 30, and Elder O. Wildgrube, accompanied by one of the brethren, met us at the station. In connection with his dwelling, which is well situated, Brother Wildgrube has a meeting-hall. Moscow, a city of a million inhabitants, is really the center of the national and religious life of Russia, so that our workers here have experienced much of the worst sort of opposition. The enemy did everything possible to break up our meetings. However, through the blessing of the Lord, there is now a church of fifty-three members in this city. Until last winter the Central Russian field, with a population of sixty-five millions, had only one ordained minister. Several districts have recently been cut off, but still the field remains as large as Texas, and has a population of twenty-eight millions, with a membership of seventy-seven. Here we have a field with a population greater than that of any American union, and yet containing only one ordained minister, a few Bible workers, and not a hundred members. However, humble as the beginning has been, the little effort we have made has caused a wonderful stir. On the evening of our arrival in Moscow, we took the train for Saratof, which we reached Friday afternoon. Elder G. Perk and others met us at the station, and we immediately went to the hotel, where most of our laborers had already secured rooms. Elders J. T. Boettcher and J. Sprohge had arrived from Riga, Thursday afternoon. We were glad to greet not only all the members of the Siberian Union Committee, but several leading brethren from the Central Asiatic and West Siberian fields, and nearly all the workers and quite a number of our brethren from the Ural and Volga fields. Saratof is a city of about two hundred thousand inhabitants. Our brethren here have secured a well-situated meeting-place for our small church of twenty-three members at this place. The Siberian Union exceeds any other union of the world in the extent of its territory. The East Siberian Mission, with a population of over three millions, is larger than all of Europe, and the West Siberian Mission is about half as large. The Central Asiatic field is about three times as large as Texas. The total population of this immense Siberian Union is something over forty-four millions. In all this vast territory we have thus far had only seven ordained ministers, and five of these, including the union superintendent, have had charge of a local field. We have had a dozen other workers. Altogether, there are fifty-three churches, with over one thousand members. The superintendent of the East Siberian field had to travel not less than five thousand miles to attend this meeting, and he was fourteen days on the way. He reports excellent meetings north of Vladivostok, near the Pacific Ocean. We spent part of our time giving instruction, and part of it in council. In view of the great needs of the field, the Russian Union gave us Brother G. Zierat, who has labored faithfully in the hot climate of the Trans-Caucasia. After careful consideration, it was decided to ordain him, with Brethren H. Gobel and H. Ostwald, to the gospel ministry. Brother Zierat, with his family, will settle in Samarkand, thus giving us one ordained minister to assist Elder J. Ebel, the superintendent of the Central Asiatic Mission. Samarkand, and Tashkent, where Brother Ebel is situated, are the centers of the Mohammedan world in that part of Asia. Elder Gobel, who has thus far been working in the Ural field, accepted an appointment to the district north of Vladivostok, where the superintendent of the field has reported such a good interest. Therefore, we shall now have an ordained minister near the shores of the Pacific, thus spanning the vast distance between the Atlantic and the Pacific—nearly three times as far as from New York to San Francisco. As we proceed with our work in the Russian empire, one thing becomes more and more apparent,—that under the present laws, our workers ought to be citizens of the country, and have a good knowledge of the Russian language. We were pleased to secure two promising native brethren of some education as students at the Friedensau school. One was at the meeting, and the other one comes from Harbin, Manchuria. While but a few years ago the very name of Siberia reminded one of all the horrors of the exile system, matters have greatly changed, and there now seems to be a constant stream of immigrants to this vast territory. Russia is doing everything possible to hasten the construction of the Amur Railway, which will give her connection with Vladivostok, on the Pacific, without using the Manchurian Railway. Those who go to assist in the construction of this railway receive free grants of land along the railway, and thus many Russian settlers are attracted to this eastern field. But although Siberia is so sparsely settled, yet our people often find great difficulty in living the truth there, because some of the Russian officials do not desire to tolerate any one unless he is a member of the Russian church. Quite a number of our brethren who had settled near members of the state church, had to leave their homesteads and houses without any remuneration, and form a settlement three hundred miles away. Three of our western fields—the Volga, the Ural, and the West Siberian—have greatly suffered from drought. Thousands had to receive government aid, and many of our own members have had to be assisted. Thus far nearly one thousand dollars has been sent them for their relief, the money coming in from various parts of Europe and from our Russian brethren in America. The Siberian Union Committee passed a vote of thanks for the help thus rendered. The canvassing work has also suffered in these fields. Worst of all, quite a number of our canvassers could secure no permission whatever from the government to circulate our literature. During this meeting Elder Boettcher received two telegrams definitely informing him that the tract society in Riga must be dissolved, and our Riga house closed. Seven other religious societies were dissolved at the same time. As a consequence of this information, Elder Boettcher had to leave for Riga before the meeting closed. It remains for us to see what can be done under the present circumstances, and in the midst of these difficulties. In spite of the many troubles the workers have to meet, they are of good cheer. The Lord came into our midst by his Spirit, and the prospects for the future seem brighter than ever before. The few days we spent together proved a season of profit and blessing. All feel grateful to God for his kind protection during our meetings and council here. Although the number of workers is small for this great field, yet we are indeed happy that, according to the present arrangement, each field will have at least one ordained minister in addition to its superintendent. As some of these men must travel hundreds of miles by sleigh in the severe cold of the Siberian winter, and often live in the humblest huts, and work under the greatest difficulties, let us all remember them in our prayers. Especially let us ask God to raise up more workers for this tremendous field. The Work Is Wholly Thine
By C. P. Bollman
I NEED the mystic touch, O Lord,
That makes a life divine;
I need thy power, O my God,
To make my heart like thine. Thou dost give pardon, gracious God,
My soul hast freely shriven;
But, O, I need transforming power
To fit me, Lord, for heaven! Thou hast imputed, O my Lord,
To me thy perfect life;
Come and impart it hour by hour,
Give victory in strife. Grace must be inwrought, blessed Lord,
Flow out as if 'twere mine;
And yet, abiding in thee, Lord,
The work is wholly thine. The Unfathomable Love of Christ
The love of Christ is like the blue sky, into which you may see clearly, but the real vastness of which you can not measure. It is like the sea, into whose bosom you can look a little way, but its depths are unfathomable.— Selected. Beware of Turning Light Into a Curse
“Light will blind a man sooner than darkness. Are we, then, to pray that we may be left in darkness?—No; but beware, ye who walk in light, lest ye turn your light into a curse.” Secret Prayer, Secret Power
"SECRET prayer is secret power, and without the secret of prayer the secret of power will never be known." That Is What Takes Courage
By Charlotte Perkins Gilman
It takes great strength to bring your life up square
With your accepted thought, and hold it there,
Resisting the inertia that drags back
From new attempts to the old habit's track.
It is so easy to drift back, to sink;
So hard to live abreast of what you think. It takes great strength to live where you belong,
When other people think that you are wrong,—
People you love, and who love you, and whose
Approval is a pleasure you would choose;
To bear this pressure and succeed, at length,
In living your belief — well, it takes strength, And courage, too. But what does courage mean
Save strength to help you bear a pain foreseen,—
Courage to undertake this lifelong strain
Of setting yours against your grandsire's brain? Dangerous risk of walking lone and free
Out of the easy paths that used to be;
And the fierce pain of hurting those we love
When love meets truth, and truth must ride above?
—Heroism. The Origin of Some Familiar Songs
By Lora Clement
THIS beautiful hymn was written by Charles Wesley, one of England's noblest and most gifted writers of song. It is said that as he stood by an open window one summer day, a little bird, pursued by a hawk, sought refuge in his bosom, and this incident led him to pen the words which have so often come as a benediction to human souls in their night-time of sorrow. Countless incidents connected with this hymn might be recited. Henry Ward Beecher said of it: "I should rather have written that hymn than to have the fame of all the kings that ever sat on the earth. It is more glorious; it has more power in it. It will go singing until the last trump brings forth the angel band; and then, I think, it will mount up on some lips to the very presence of God." "On an intensely warm day," Mr. H. P. Ford relates, "as I stood on the corner of a sun-baked street in Philadelphia, waiting for a car to take me to the cool retreats of Fairmount Park, I heard a low, quavering voice singing, with inexpressible sweetness, 'Jesus, Lover of My Soul.' Looking up to an open window whence the sound came, I saw on the sill a half-withered plant,—a pathetic oasis of green in a desert of brick and mortar,—and resting tenderly and caressingly upon it was an emaciated hand. I could not see the person, but that was unnecessary; the story was all too clearly revealed. I knew that within that close, uncomfortable room a human soul was struggling with the great problem of life and death, and I knew that the life was going out serenely and triumphantly as these words were borne to me on the oppressive air:— " 'Other refuge have I none;
Hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
Leave, O, leave me not alone,
Still support and comfort me!' " "Some years ago a ship was being dashed to pieces on a lee shore. As she drew nearer in the thralldom of relentless breakers, and as the brief winter twilight faded into night, a few men could be dimly seen desperately clinging to the rigging. A small boat could not live in such a sea, and there was no other human means of rendering aid. One by one the sailors gave up the struggle that was beyond mortal endurance, and their bodies were cast upon the beach. The watchers on the shore thought that all had perished, when, in a momentary lull in the roar of the wind and the booming of the waves, a man's voice was heard, full of pleading, away off in the blackness, singing— " 'Hide me, O my Saviour, hide,
Till the storm of life be past;
Safe into the haven guide;
O, receive my soul at last!' " And then the brave voice was stilled forever. Tender hands drew his body from the surf, and buried it in the village churchyard. When the humble fisher folk gather for worship, the story of the storm and song is often repeated. The words of this matchless hymn, so full of comfort and assurance, pointing out the soul's one sure place of refuge in time of need, will continue to sound through the years, making the world better, faith stronger, and God more real until time shall be no more. This history would not be complete without a few words concerning the beautiful tune to which the hymn is sung. The music was composed by Simeon B. Marsh, a singing-school teacher of New York State. "One morning in the autumn of 1834 he started on his weekly circuit of singing-schools. As he journeyed, the fire of inspiration burned within him, and at the foot of Tribes Hill, a few miles west of Amsterdam, he dismounted, and leaving his horse to graze near by, seated himself beneath an elm-tree which stood where now the four tracks of the New York Central Railway bear a mighty commerce to the sea, and jotted down on such paper as he chanced to have, the tune 'Martyn.' Arriving at the place of his next appointment, he wrote the new tune on the blackboard for the children's class." Encouraged by the welcome it received from his singing classes, Mr. Marsh taught it to his choir, and for the first time it was used in public worship. "The appreciation of the music-loving congregation was instant; but they little dreamed that the fame of the tune which they had just heard would be more wide-spread and enduring than the hills encircling their classic valley, and that its ministry of service would extend through time and eternity." Keep Happy Rules
By The Continent
It is one thing to be happy for an hour, a day, a week. But it is quite another matter to keep happy. A few little "keeps" have been suggested as guideposts along the way to that big "keep" which means so much not only to ourselves, but to all who may come within our reflecting radius:— Keep cheerful. Hunting trouble ruins more nerves than trouble when it arrives. Keep alert. Mental ruts make more hypochondriacs than does overwrought imagination. Keep physically active. The inert woman who hates to move is usually the greatest growler about her health. Keep clean. The close connection between the pores of the skin and good health is not considered carefully enough. Keep interested. There is nothing like a fad or an object in life to put aches and pains into the background. Keep busy. The satanic mischief provided for idle hands is better known than the physical mischief that hounds the woman with time to think about her health. Keep your feet warm. More cold is taken through the ankles than in any other way, so do not wear low shoes in winter. Keep away from drugs. Walk more, and take medicine less. Keep a curb on your appetite. Over-eating is the menace of the age. Keep out of debt. There is nothing like money troubles to worry one to death. Care will kill the nine-lived cat, and what gives more care than a budget of debts with no money to settle? Keep smiling.—The Continent. Speak Loving Words Now
By Kate Tannatt Woods
NEVER, never wait for post-mortem praise. Speak the kind words which love prompts, and remember that words of loving-kindness are the best possible tonic which can be given, even to the happiest of mortals. The Massachusetts Camp-Meeting
By Fannie D. Chase
THE Massachusetts camp-meeting was held June 13-23, at Taunton, a city in the southern part of the State, about seventeen miles from the historic town of Plymouth. It is also about the same distance from New Bedford and Fair Haven, where Elder Joseph Bates lived and worked so courageously for the early propagation of this message. It was here, too, that Miss Harmon, now Mrs. E. G. White, in 1846 in company with others, crossed from Fair Haven to West Island in a sailboat. During the passage a terrific storm arose, and it seemed that all must be lost, but as they sought God, it was revealed to Miss Harmon in vision that sooner would every drop of water in the ocean be dried up than they perish, for her work had just begun. There were one hundred tents on the Taunton ground, and the attendance, both of our own people and of the neighboring community, was very satisfactory. The weather was unusually pleasant, there being only one slight rain, and no excessive heat. The camp was pitched in the fair-ground, about ten minutes' walk from the railway station and from the center of the city. The grounds were grassy, and provided with a few acceptable shade-trees; and pleasant groves were easily accessible to the campers. The camp was well organized, everything appearing to be in readiness from the first. There was no waiting for an interest to be awakened in the spiritual services. It seemed to be assumed that the camp-meeting was but a binding off, or continuation, of previous evangelistic work. The first Sunday afternoon there were sixteen baptized. On the next Sunday, the last day of the meeting, twenty-five were baptized. A number of children participated in this service. The children's meetings were in charge of Mrs. Lee Wheeler, who was assisted by Miss Cora Spencer and the writer. One little girl told her mother that every meeting made her feel that she wanted to be a better girl. The children's interest in the temperance question was aroused to the extent that several enlisted as Temperance Volunteers, and immediately began to sell the Temperance Instructor. The young people's meetings were in charge of Mrs. M. M. Hare. Much earnest counsel was given to the young people by the various speakers invited to lead out in the services, and in general there was an earnest response to this counsel. A spirit of faithful service and consecration characterized the majority of those in attendance. Young people who live this truth are of inestimable value in the program of the message. The General Conference men in attendance at the meeting were Elders A. G. Daniells, F. C. Gilbert, and A. J. Haysmer. Elder Daniells came at the early part of the meeting, but gave only one discourse, as very soon after his arrival, he was called by telegram to Washington. Elder Haskell conducted two of the early morning services, and spoke on Sunday forenoon. Elder W. B. White was present, and at one service made a strong plea for gifts for foreign missions. Nearly seven hundred dollars was pledged in response to this appeal, and about two hundred dollars came in later as the result of other appeals. The Sabbath-school offering to missions on the first Sabbath was unusually generous, more than one hundred dollars being given. On the last Friday, through circumstances our brethren could not control, a Wild West show took possession of a part of the grounds. Our people felt quite concerned over the situation, fearing that a rough crowd might trespass on the grounds, and that perhaps some of our youth might be attracted to the show. But fortunately no inconvenience nor harm seemed to result from that which might have been a real menace had not the camp been fortified and protected by prayer and wise counsel. Notwithstanding serious fears, the Friday evening service proved to be one of the quietest held; for the noisy crowd that had been frequenting the grounds were attracted to the show. Even the children of the camp manifested praiseworthy self-control, and many prayed that some of the showmen might be attracted to our meetings and be converted. Altogether, the camp-meeting was a profitable one, and many expressed themselves as having gained great victories in the spiritual life. Those bearing the responsibility of the administrative and evangelistic work in the Massachusetts Conference are largely young men, men who claim the South Lancaster Academy as their alma mater, and who have recognized the fact that it is wise to bear the yoke of the Lord in youth. We believe the Lord is blessing their labors, and that this conference will not come behind in any good work. Alberta (Canada) Camp-Meeting
By G. B. Thompson
The annual camp-meeting for Alberta was held in Strathcona, June 20-30. The annual conference was held in connection with this meeting, and the usual business transacted. The utmost unity prevailed in all the work of the conference. The reports rendered by the various departments and the conference laborers showed an encouraging growth. There has been quite an increase in the membership of the conference during the past year. But few changes were made in the officers of the conference for the coming year. Elder C. A. Burman was reelected president. That conference has raised more than its share of the Fifteen-cent-a-week Fund for foreign missions for the first five months of the year. They are planning to raise their entire quota for the year. The attendance of our people was very good. The conference has grown until it has over seven hundred Sabbath-keepers. About three hundred fifty of these attended the meeting. There were some encamped on the ground who were not Sabbath-keepers, but had become interested in our views. The territory of the Alberta Conference covers a vast area, and some came quite a long distance. Services were held in three languages, English, German, and Scandinavian. Some Russians were present, and there was a call for meetings in this language, but none could be arranged, for lack of an interpreter. There is now one Russian church in the conference. A revival spirit was present throughout the meeting. The Lord especially blessed on both the Sabbaths. Some gave their hearts to God for the first time, and began the observance of the Sabbath. A spirit of consecration took possession of all on the ground, and a good work was wrought among the young people. Twelve or more were to be baptized the last day of the meeting; others will be baptized in the home churches. The academy at Lacombe is doing an excellent work. Over one hundred students attended it last year. That school lies close to the hearts of the fathers and mothers whose children are receiving the blessing of a Christian education there. After considering the needs of that school, about four thousand dollars in cash and pledges was raised with which to erect an additional building, and to complete the ones already erected. This, it is hoped, will provide the necessary buildings, and leave but a nominal debt resting upon the school. The Spirit of God was very richly manifested during that session, showing that Heaven approved the steps taken to strengthen the educational work in the conference, and to provide better facilities for the education of the young in that field.14Canada is a country of its own with strong national prejudices. Her laws and customs are different from ours, and are peculiar to the country. For this reason, if for no other, we should have schools in which our young people in Canada can be educated there to labor in that country. The camp was conveniently located in the city, on the street-car line, and some interest was manifested in the meeting by the citizens. It was planned to leave a strong tent company there for the summer to follow up the interest awakened by the meeting. Pastor H. S. Shaw, president of the Western Canadian Union, Elders G. F. Haffner, L. H. Christian, J. G. Walker, and A. O. Burrill, Dr. E. P. Hawkins, and the writer attended the meeting from outside the conference, and shared with the local laborers in the burdens and blessings of the meeting. Alberta is a prosperous country. Edmonton, of which Strathcona is a part, is a growing city. People are locating there faster than houses can be built, and many are living in tents. A liberal spirit characterizes our people in that field, and we are sure that in the future strong financial assistance and many consecrated workers will be sent from that conference to labor elsewhere. On my return trip I passed through Regina, which the evening before had been visited by a terrific cyclone. The best part of that beautiful, thriving city had been laid in ruins in a few minutes. Large buildings, churches, grain elevators, etc., were overturned, and railway cars were piled in indescribable ruin around the depot. The financial loss reached into the millions, and twoscore or more of the citizens were killed, and several hundred reported wounded. No part of the world is free from destructive judgments. If from these visitations the people will turn to the Lord, the lesson will not be without some value. Up and Doing
By Albert Carey
EARTH'S golden days are flitting.
And art thou idly sitting,—
Sitting, idly waiting for
The passing of the tide?
Soon they're gone, and gone forever,
Gone whence thou canst bring them
never:
They are lost, forever lost,
On time's vast ocean wide. This is the day for doing;
This is the day for truing
Every line of life's great walk
With God's eternal law.
Wait not for vain to-morrow.
Waste not, in grief and sorrow,
The precious moments given
For that which God foresaw. Then when the triumph gleaming,
From his blest hand forthstreaming,
Falls upon the conqueror,
On time's great festal day,
Thou shalt not be forsaken,
But with the ransomed taken
To dwell in peace eternal,
Where Christ doth reign for aye.
Nortons, Oregon. The Eastern Pennsylvania Camp-Meeting
By R. A. Underwood
THE Eastern Pennsylvania conference and camp-meeting were held June 19-30, 1912, at Emmanuel Grove camp-grounds, located about six miles from the city of Allentown, Pa. These grounds are owned by the Baptist Association, and occupied each season by two or three camp-meetings. The street-car service is quite good, except that the fare for round-trip tickets to and from Allentown is fifteen to twenty cents. The attendance of our own people numbered about four hundred fifty, who were encamped upon the grounds, occupying largely cottages erected by the Baptist Association. The grove, cottages, and conveniences of the camp are well suited to a meeting of this kind, and the place would be ideal if it were near the city, so that large numbers of the people could attend. The question of securing a hearing from those not of our faith, at our camp-meetings, should be carefully considered in selecting a location for such a meeting. If we fail to reach the public, we lose much in our efforts to maintain our camp-meetings. It was a great pleasure to me personally, to meet many of the brethren and sisters I had labored with and for years in the past. Many of the children have grown up, and some of them are now workers, who were but mere youth when I left the conference eight or nine years ago. Among some twenty or more of the laborers of the conference, there is only one now, Miss Jessie M. Weiss, who was a worker in the conference when I was here. From the beginning of the meeting, a good spirit was in the camp; and those in attendance from the surrounding community seemed interested. Representatives of the union conference and of the General Conference united with the local laborers in making the meeting a great spiritual blessing. Both Sabbaths of the meeting were exceptionally good, and a large number renewed their consecration, while a goodly number were converted to God. There were twenty-three baptized, and several others chose to be baptized at home in their own church. I was glad to note the steady growth in the conference. Eastern Pennsylvania is keeping up her record in the sale of our publications. During the year 1911 the conference sold more than $12,000 worth of our denominational literature, thus continuing to fill the homes of the people in the Keystone State with the message-filled pages of the truth for this time. The following statements show a steady increase of the tithe. For the year 1909, the tithe was $14,709.13; for 1910, $16,075.77; for the year 1911, $18,866.75. During these three years the conference has also raised for foreign missions the sum of ten cents a week per capita for its membership, and for the year 1912 the conference is planning to reach fully fifteen cents a week per capita, according to the General Conference recommendation. The conference stands ahead $527.76 on the fifteen-cent-a-week plan, for the first five months. Elders B. G. Wilkinson and S. M. Butler presented the needs of the Mount Vernon College, and also a plan by which its debt of about $10,000 can be lifted. For this object the brethren subscribed about $900 on the grounds. The report of Mount Vernon College shows that the school during the past three years has made a gain of $2,000 besides its operating expenses, which speaks well for its management. Those in charge of the movement are hopeful that the present effort will relieve the school from the burden of debt when the matter is presented throughout the entire union conference. The Sabbath-school collection the first Sabbath amounted to $60, and that for the second Sabbath to $140, making a total Sabbath-school collection of $200 during the camp-meeting. There was contributed to the foreign work, besides the above, more than $610 in pledges and cash on the last day of the meeting. There was a large number of young people upon the grounds. Last year twenty-five students went from Eastern Pennsylvania to the Mount Vernon College. The students at this meeting resolved to secure not less than fifty students from Eastern Pennsylvania for Mount Vernon College the present year. The brethren felt that the meeting was a source of great strength. The foreign work, the home missionary work, the religious liberty work, and almost every phase of the various kinds of missionary effort were presented. Prof. W. W. Prescott was with us during the last few days of the meeting, and presented strong appeals to our brethren in behalf of religious liberty and the great responsibility of Protestants of the present day. Elder H. F. Graf assisted the local laborers in speaking in the German language each day. Dr. H. C. Menkel, with a corps of nurses from Washington, D. C., was with us, and rendered most excellent service to the camp. Altogether, the meeting was a great blessing, and the workers go from the camp to enter immediately into the summer's campaign, with courage and faith, expecting a rich harvest of souls. Little change was made in the officers of the conference. Elder W. H. Heckman was reelected president, and Miss Ella M. Talmage, formerly of Ohio, will connect with the conference to take up the work of the Sabbath-school, Young People's, and Educational Departments. Tennessee
By J. S. Washburn
MEMPHIS.— After it was decided that we should remain in Memphis this season, we at once began to search for a place for our tent-meetings. During previous tent seasons we had pitched in the suburbs, but we now decided to secure a central location where we could reach the entire city. We found this a difficult matter, and for weeks we were unsuccessful, but at last secured the most central and in some respects the most suitable of any tent ground I have ever had in all my experience. It is on the very best car line in Memphis, and at the junction with a cross-town car line that connects with the other principal lines of the city. It is on one of the finest streets of the city, and we have shade, grass, and shrubbery. The first day of the meetings it rained all day, but we had as good congregations as we could expect under the conditions, and yesterday (Sunday) the church made a special rally, going from house to house and personally inviting the people to attend the meetings. In consequence, last night we had a most encouraging meeting. While I was waiting for a car at a transfer point in the heart of the city on my return from the meeting, some invitations were handed out, when a man stepped up and inquired if this was the same tent that was at a certain place in Memphis last year. A member of my family answered in the affirmative. He said he attended two of those meetings the year before, and was deeply interested, and was anxious to attend again this season. When I introduced myself as the man who was holding the meetings, he greeted me most cordially, and said, "I am a Roman Catholic, and you cut me on several points when I attended your meetings; but I was greatly impressed with the truths spoken, and am anxious to attend the meetings further." This encouraged me much, and reminded me of an experience in Washington when, after speaking at the tent on the seven seals of Revelation and describing the awful persecutions by Romanism during the dark ages, a woman who seemed most friendly requested the privilege of seeing my Protestant Bible, stating that she was a Catholic Sunday-school teacher, had been educated in a convent, and had never seen a Protestant15 Bible. I asked her if she was not offended at what had been said about the Catholic persecutions. She said, "No," and seemed greatly interested in the prophecy. She continued coming to our meetings, stopped going to confession, and when I left Washington, was in reality entirely out of the Catholic Church. The thought has come to me recently with great force that the direct preaching of the prophecies carries with it a power that lays hold upon the hearts of sincere Catholics and turns them from the darkness of Romanism to the blessed light of the Word of God. The Scripture itself convinces. If with love and tact, yet with all the force of the Scripture, we present the Bible description of the true character of Romanism, it will surprise us in its power to win, convince, and convert. What a weapon is the sacred prophetic Word! As David said of Goliath's sword, so may we say of the Word of God, "There is none like that; give it me." We have recently had three baptisms. Last Sabbath seven were baptized, among them an intelligent woman and her two sons, who we trust will make workers, also a woman who recently accepted the truth against terrible opposition from her husband and relatives. We are thankful to see people here continually coming into the truth, people who will be able to lead others into the light of life. Pray that this season may be a harvest-time in Memphis. Surely the truth is onward in all the South. Maryland
By Gustavus P. Rodgers
BALTIMORE.—At the time of this writing, I am preparing to leave for Wilmington, Del., to assist Elder F. H. Seeney in his tent effort for the colored people of that city. During the past six months the Lord has wonderfully blessed the work in Baltimore. Our Sunday night meetings, held in the large, comfortable, up-to-date hall in the very center of the best colored population of Baltimore, are still well attended, every chair being occupied even though the evenings are quite warm. As the work is progressing so well, the conference brethren recommended that I continue the Sunday night meetings all summer, installing an electric fan for the comfort of the people. This will make it necessary for me to return to Baltimore each week to the Sabbath and Sunday night meetings. As the result of our earnest prayers and labors, nine have united with the church, four following their Lord in baptism on Sunday, June 30, when a large crowd witnessed the sacred ordinance. About seven others will soon take a similar step, while scores are much interested, some are on the verge of decision. We have much to thank the Lord for in this city, yet the work is so great that I must labor every day, early and late, reading from house to house, that the message may be placed before the people. Many backslidden ones are regaining their first love, the tithes and offerings are increasing, and we see nothing ahead but rich blessings from on high. May the readers of the REVIEW pray that more laborers will be sent to this field, as at present I am the only worker among ninety thousand colored people.