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Twenty-Third Meeting

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jun 12, 1913

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 90, No. 24.

Read the full edition

Twenty-Third Meeting

By W. T. Knox; W. A. Spicer

May 29, 10 A. M.

A. G. DANIELLS in the chair.
Prayer by W. J. Fitzgerald.
A. G. Daniells: Last evening there was a meeting of the Loma Linda Medical College Board, and, after careful consideration of the interests of the school, it was decided by the board to request the Conference to permit this morning the presentation of Loma Linda Medical College interests. This is a good opportunity to place before a large number of our people the interests of this school and the needs of the institution, the efforts that are being made, and the object that we have in view.
There are a few statements to be made about this school. We know there is a difference of opinion regarding it, and we would like to have the one least interested in it, the one feeling most doubtful about it,—we would like to have your attention above all the rest, for we want to convert everybody that feels uncertain about it; at any rate, we want to come to a common understanding.
Now just a word with reference to the object of the medical college. Its object is to furnish a medical school for Seventh-day Adventist young men and young women, in which they may receive thorough training as competent physicians, and from which they may be graduated to do the work we believe this denomination is called to do. That is the object. Now, if we still need physicians, if we ought to have our young people take the medical course and qualify for medical work, should we attempt to give them that education in our own institution, or should we not?
George I. Butler: We certainly should!
Other voices: Yes! Certainly!
A. G. Daniells: Should we place them under our Christian medical teachers?
Voices: Sure! Amen!
A. G. Daniells: Or should we send them to the world, to get their education from men who do not know this message, and many of whom do not believe the Bible at all?
A voice: Never!
W. A. Ruble: The following resolutions have been formulated:—
Whereas, The world-wide proclamation of health reform and rational principles of healing, connected with the third angel's message, calls for a special training of a large number of workers; and,—
Whereas, Under the special providences of God, and in harmony with plain instruction from the Testimonies of the Spirit, the College of Medical Evangelists has been established at Loma Linda, Cal., as a training-school for gospel medical missionary evangelists, some of whom are to be fully accredited as physicians of the highest order; therefore,—
1. We, the delegates of the General Conference assembled, indorse the work of the administration in establishing this center of medical evangelistic training for physicians and medical missionary workers; and we further—
2. Recommend the College of Medical Evangelists to all our young people who desire advanced medical training, and ask all our people everywhere to acquaint themselves with its principles and purposes, and give to this worthy enterprise their moral and financial support.
Whereas, The college is in need of hospital and clinical facilities to properly carry on its work, and meet all State requirements; we, therefore,—
3. Recommend, That the North American Division Conference be recommended to advance the necessary means from its treasury, and to arrange for a call in all its churches throughout the division to raise the funds thus advanced; and we further—
4. Recommend, That a systematic effort be put forth with men and women of means to secure an endowment fund for the college, sufficient to meet the necessary running expenses.
W. T. Knox was called to the chair. Motion was made to adopt the resolutions, and numbers 1 and 2 were read.
W. T. Knox: Are there any remarks on these resolutions?
E. E. Andross: The question would naturally arise in the minds of the delegates as to why this school has been established. I have long felt that we ought to establish a medical school, but the financial obligations to be imposed upon us in consequence of the establishment of such a medical school were so great that at first I felt that we were unable to carry it. Those who were in most direct touch with the beginning of the medical school, as such, were in great perplexity. We did not know what to do, and at the biennial session of our Pacific Union Conference in 1910, this question was given very careful attention, and a committee was appointed, consisting of Elders I. H. Evans and H. W. Cottrell and myself, to interview Sister White, and to ascertain, if possible, whether she had any counsel from the Lord bearing directly upon the question under consideration.
We did not interview her personally, as we did not wish to come into touch with her and to have it said that we had influenced her mind in any way whatsoever. Therefore, we addressed a communication to her bearing on this point, a paragraph of which I will read: “Are we to understand, from what you have written concerning the establishment of a medical school at Loma Linda, that, according to the light you have received
from the Lord, we are to establish a thoroughly equipped medical school, the graduates from which shall be able to take State board examinations, and become registered, qualified physicians?”
In response to this question, Sister White wrote:—
“The light given me is, We must provide that which is essential to qualify our youth who desire to be physicians, so that they may intelligently fit themselves to be able to stand the examinations essential to prove their efficiency as physicians. They are to be prepared to stand the essential tests required by law, and to treat understandingly the cases of those who are diseased, so that the door will be closed for any sensible physician to fear that we are not giving in our school the instruction essential for the proper qualification of a physician. Continually the students who are graduated are to advance in knowledge; for practise makes perfect.
“The medical school at Loma Linda is to be of the highest order, because we have a living connection with the wisest of all physicians, from whom there is communicated knowledge of a superior order. And whatever subjects are required as essential in the schools conducted by those not of our faith, we are to supply, so that our youth need not go to these worldly schools. Thus we shall close a door that the enemy would be pleased to have left open; and our young men and young women, whom the Lord would have us guard religiously, will not need to connect with worldly medical schools conducted by unbelievers.”
E. E. Andross: When this communication came to us, we felt it was so plain, and direct, and clear, in answer to our question, that there was left no ground whatever for either hesitancy or questioning; that we must find some way of providing all that was required in order to qualify physicians to practise and to receive the indorsement of the medical profession generally.
But still the question lingered in the hearts of some as to whether or not we might not furnish the first two years of the medical course, with all the necessary equipment, and the latter two years be spent in the very best medical schools of the world; for we understood, after studying the question thoroughly, that the largest expense would come in the latter two years of the medical course. After this matter had been given careful consideration, the following word came to us:—
“Some have advised that the students, after having taken some work at Loma Linda College, should complete their education in worldly colleges. But this is not in harmony with the Lord’s plan. God is our wisdom, our sanctification, and our righteousness. Facilities should be provided at Loma Linda that the necessary instruction in medical lines may be given by the instructors who fear the Lord, and who are in harmony with his plans for the treatment of the sick. I have not a word to say in favor of the world’s ideas of higher education in any school that we shall organize for the training of physicians. There is danger in their attaching themselves to worldly institutions, and working under the ministrations of worldly physicians. Satan is giving orders to those whom he has led to depart from the faith. I would now advise that none of our young people
attach themselves to worldly medical institutions in hope of gaining better success or stronger influence as physicians.”
W. A. Ruble: Our present facilities are sufficient to conduct only half of the medical course. Two years ago there was built one of the best laboratories on the Western coast for our school at Loma Linda, and it has been in successful operation since that time. We have, however, entered upon the last two years of the medical course, which requires us to have, in order to give proper instruction during these two years, a hospital and a dispensary. It was for the purpose of constructing the hospital that the donation was asked for; but this has not come in sufficiently to enable us to go forward and complete it. We have it partly constructed at the present time; but the workmen have been called off, because the means have been exhausted, and we are here today appealing to our people to help us to go forward.
Medical requirements are the most rigid—well, I will say that in another way. Medical men are compelled to undergo more rigid requirements than any other class of people among us. From the time they begin their study until they lie down in death, they are under strict medical laws, enacted by the governments under which they are operating. This is right. In taking into their hands the lives of men, medical men are given the greatest responsibility that is committed to any class of people; and so they should be under the most rigid laws, in order to carry out the instruction that we must carry out for the health of our people and others.
These requirements demand that there shall be eight years of preliminary education up to the academic studies; then four years of academic studies, in which the exact subjects are indicated, the number of weeks in each one of those studies, the number of hours each week, and the number of minutes for each hour’s study. A medical student’s certificate from the State is then required of all who desire admittance to any medical college. Then the student is under the necessity of undergoing a set course of study, which will fit him, according to the laws of the land, to present himself for examination before a State board. After having undergone all that, which with the preparatory work takes at least sixteen years of study, he is not then permitted to take up medical practise until first he submits to an official examination before a State board. If he passes, he is given full privilege in that State or county to take the lives of his fellow men into his hands under any circumstances, and the law will uphold him.
In establishing a medical school, we must submit to these laws, because we, as Seventh-day Adventists, claim to be the most law-abiding citizens in the world; and we are conscientious in this matter of meeting proper requirements. We held out the hope that this donation was going to give us the full means to establish that school. We needed twenty-five thousand dollars; we got eight thousand. That has all been exhausted, and the workmen have been called off. The young men get these letters from other schools, and can you expect them to have more faith than we have? It is a trying proposition; and, furthermore, we have a five years’ course there. The young men who have been there
two years can go to the universities and complete their medical education in two years more; whereas they will have to stay with us three years. That is another temptation to these young people. But we have a five years’ course in order that we may give the Bible instruction needed, and the instruction in the special features that we emphasize in our medical work. We are trying to follow the spirit of prophecy in getting away from drug medication; and for that reason we are under the obligation to continue our course for five years. But, in spite of that, our young people are willing and ready to stand by the institution, if we will give them the assurance that we are going to make good. We have made good thus far, and by the grace of God we are going to make good all the way through, because the Lord has spoken, and we are trying to follow in his steps; and with that help we are going to succeed.
I cannot emphasize too strongly the necessity of acting promptly for these young people. There is no question but that we shall lose some of them unless something is done, and that quickly; because we must give them some assurance that we are to get the facilities that are necessary. We need a hospital. It will require several thousand dollars to complete it. We must have a dispensary in Los Angeles, which will call for the expenditure of a few thousand dollars. When that is done, we cannot expect that the few students we have are going to meet the entire expense of operating that school from year to year; so it will be necessary for us to face the proposition of supplying some means from which we can draw support for the school, to a certain extent, for the coming years. And for that purpose, the resolution has been placed before you this morning.
H. R. Salisbury: A year ago the heads of our advanced training-schools in North America met at Loma Linda for our yearly departmental meeting, which is provided for by the General Conference. We met at Loma Linda especially that we might study carefully the equipment and efficiency of that plant from our standpoint, because we felt that it was from the advanced schools of this denomination that the students of the medical schools would be drawn. We spent six days on the ground. We were shown through all their laboratories. We examined very carefully their courses of study. We spent three nights with the doctors, discussing in careful detail the whole question of their curriculum; and at the close of that meeting we passed—not as having to do with the medical men, but as the educators of our advanced schools—a resolution of confidence in the Loma Linda Medical College, which meant that the heads of our training-schools in North America returned to their schools and told the young men who were finishing in our colleges that we as educators had confidence in the Loma Linda Medical College, that they could get there the necessary training in medicine.
There is an objection I have heard raised, as to whether we need a medical college or not. It has been said to me that we have had strong men, strong doctors, graduate from the schools of the world, and come out all right. But is it not because they were men of deep consecration that they have come out all right? That which has opened my
eyes, has been what has been told me by those who have passed through the schools. The reports coming to me of prevailing evils have caused me to believe that for the moral training, for the moral protection, and for the spiritual upbuilding of our young men, it will be vastly better if we have a medical college of our own.
W. C. White: There are two questions which come very quickly to the minds of our people,—“Is it a necessity?” and “Can we do it?” I have seen a little of the workings of various schools and their influences. I have correspondence from men in middle age, who, because of special circumstances, are attending the universities nearest them, and I have asked them, “Will you permit your sons to attend the same school?” They say: “No, by no means. The moral atmosphere, the worldly influence, is beyond description, and we shall not send our sons to these places that we are attending.”
O, how I wish that others could have the opportunity I have had of hearing the verbal counsels, and of reading the written letters and testimonies of instruction, and could see, as I have seen, the perfect harmony of the long series of instruction. Some say: “There is confusion. The testimonies call for a school to train nurses with extraordinary ability to go out as medical evangelistic nurses. The testimonies call for medical missionaries to go out with qualifications to be gospel ministers, and to connect the medical work with it. Some of the communications seem to warn the people in Loma Linda against going too fast and too far; and then others say, Go ahead. How do you harmonize all these?”
If you were near to the movement, and could see how each of those messages applied to the time it was given—how necessary it was to save mistakes—you would see perfect harmony in the whole series of counsels, and you would discern that the testimonies call upon this people, not only in Loma Linda, but in each one of our sanitariums, to maintain a strong medical faculty, strong gospel workers, teachers, and leaders in gospel work, so that every one of these institutions shall be an important training-center for missionary nurses. You would also see that it calls upon Loma Linda, and other places that may have simple facilities, to train medical evangelists. You would also see that the demand is clear, definite, emphatic, for us to have a school in which instruction will be given—a full course of instruction—to men who can stand in our institutions, recognized by the State, honored by the medical profession, as full, competent physicians, to minister to the sick, and to teach; and that these men should be trained in our own schools. It also calls for men of special ability to stand in our great cities, at the head of medical missionary enterprises in those cities, leading and teaching those who are going forth in house-to-house work in the cities.
Brethren, I do not see how we can drop out the main feature of this plan and carry on the plan. I do not believe our people want to do it.
I. H. Evans: I am sure it is not necessary to discuss this proposition any further. I think there could hardly be one who believes the testimonies but that would say that it is a necessity that we have a medical school. It is recommended that our people study the principles of the school, and familiarize themselves with its policy. I think that would be a very good thing, and it ought to be done. Every father and mother who have a son or a daughter that they intend to send out to a medical school, ought, before selecting that school, to study carefully the principles that govern our Loma Linda school.
I can scarcely think that a Seventh-day Adventist parent, under ordinary circumstances, would desire his child to be educated in any other medical institution than that of our people. We have the institution—it belongs to us, it does not belong to an individual; and I think the whole denomination ought to rally around this institution and make its work a splendid success, with a spirit of confidence, with a spirit of sympathy, with a spirit of cooperation.
So I am in favor of rallying around this school, giving it our financial support, sending our boys and girls to receive their medical education in this school, and making it what it ought to be—a real denominational medical school. I believe the graduates from this school ought to be genuine Seventh-day Adventists. Their faith in this message ought not to have weakened, but to have strengthened. Instead of going out crippled, not knowing whether they want to work for God or themselves, they ought to come out of that school with one determination,—to give their lives to God’s work.
We could use a thousand doctors in the world today if we had them, those who were loyal to this message, whose hearts were in sympathy with it, who were not mere Sabbath-keepers, but who were genuine, earnest missionaries. We could put them in every city in this land; we could scatter them over Europe, and out in the heathen lands. They would be a rallying power, a center of influence. They would be mighty men for this work, if only the message burned in their souls when they completed their medical course.
Therefore, I believe that we ought to take hold of this school and make it a genuine Seventh-day Adventist medical training-school.
W. T. Knox: The question has been called. The secretary will read the next recommendation.
Recommendation 3 was read.
W. T. Knox: Now, the Loma Linda school does not have the necessary facilities. Our people generally, in America especially, are aware that we attempted to provide funds for the hospital by a special donation taken up in March. It was anticipated that this donation would give us twenty thousand dollars or more. We believed that, as the needs of the college were placed before our people, there would be a hearty response. It is evident, however, that we are to be disappointed. While all the offerings have not yet come to the general treasury, we conclude that the offering will not be more than $9,000. It is necessary that we should have something like $23,500 for the hospital and its equipment. And to establish a dispensary even in rented quarters in Los Angeles will cost approximately another $5,000, making something like $28,500. Before the offering was asked, there was a nucleus for the building fund amounting to some $2,500. This, with the amount of the offering, makes it still necessary for us to provide for some
$17,500, in order properly to equip the school.
This equipment that we spoke of as being proper equipment, is not spoken of from the standard of the personal desires of the men that are connected with it, but it is to meet the requirements of the State. They must have the hospital; they must have clinical facilities. They are already drawing to the close of the school year in which these facilities are needed. They will be needed from now on. How much better it will be for us to recognize the necessity, and provide for it at once, than to expose the school to the harm and the danger and the actual evil that result from being improperly equipped.
But now, given the recognition on our part of the school, add to that the plain, definite counsel that has come to us; the requirements of the State; the school in operation, with the students becoming unsettled because of the lack of proper facilities, and to them no results if that continues, is it not the reasonable thing for us to do to provide the necessary funds at once? I think it is. We cannot delay this. It would be unwise for us to delay this until we can muster our forces, select a proper date, and again appeal to our people for their donations. The denomination should provide the necessary money. I believe they will, as the necessity is forced home to them. But we cannot delay for that; for if we postpone our efforts in this line, the furnishing of the money, until such time as we can again make a general appeal to the people, months will pass before relief will come, and many of the students will not only be tempted to leave, but I actually believe they will leave the college and seek other quarters.
It is therefore suggested that the North American Division Conference be authorized to supply, or to advance, the necessary means from its treasury, and to arrange for a call in all the churches throughout the division to raise the necessary funds. Now, I should hope that a proper appeal made to the churches, with the necessities of the case properly set before them, would result in our gathering together the necessary money. But if one offering fails, and it has; if the second offering should fail, what is there for us to do but to make the third call, and the fourth call, until we have it? [Voices: Amen, Amen!] But we cannot jeopardize the interests of the school, nor of our young men and women who are attending it, by delaying and making it possible for repeated appeals. I do firmly believe—I have expressed myself over and over again to the effect—that we should raise the money before we attempt to expend it. But every general rule has its exception, and I believe that here we are facing one of the exceptions, and it will be a good and proper exception if this people gathered here, the representatives of all the denomination, instruct the officers that are to be, to do this thing. Therefore I am in favor of it.
There have been some questions sent up to the stand, as follows: “Will the hospital asked for meet the requirements of the law?” “Will Los Angeles furnish needed clinical material for dispensary?” I will call upon Dr. Ruble to answer these.
Dr. W. A. Ruble: The legal requirement made by the American Medical
Association is for a hospital of at least one hundred beds, to be owned and controlled by the school. This hospital that we are providing is for seventy beds; and with the close affiliation we have with various medical institutions affording clinical facilities and other advantages, we believe we shall be abundantly able to meet the requirements of the law, so far as clinical hospital facilities are concerned.
The next question is, “Will Los Angeles furnish the needed clinical material in its dispensaries?” The clinical material comes from three sources,—first, from the clinical hospital; second, from the out-patient department; and, third, from the dispensary. We have already worked up a very good out-patient clinic in our own neighborhood. We have within six or eight miles of us a population of about one hundred thousand. We have four or five small cities there, which, of themselves, have a population of over sixty thousand. We are in close contact with them, and are receiving a number of patients from them, and are conducting quite a large out-patient department in those towns and in the surrounding country.
The city of Los Angeles will furnish a large amount of dispensary practise. There are several dispensaries there already, one of which is one of the finest I have ever seen in the United States. There can be no question but that there is plenty of opportunity in the city of Los Angeles for our dispensary. At the time our students are there, they will also have access to the city for out-practise, and will be privileged to attend the clinics in the hospital in Los Angeles. But our own hospital, with the additional facilities we have, will, I am sure, be amply sufficient to meet the requirements of the law.
Charles Thompson: I would like to ask if this resolution means, if adopted, that there are to be $17,000 advanced out of the North American Division treasury?
W. T. Knox: That is what it means, Brother Thompson.
W. H. Thurston: The difficulty seems to be in getting the money. The resolution provides, or suggests, that the college cannot wait until the money be raised, and that it, therefore, be advanced from the North American Division Conference. And there is no money in the treasury of the North American Division Conference. That seems to be the difficulty—where the money is coming from.
W. T. Knox: The North American Division will certainly begin business sometime.
W. A. McCutchen: I move to refer recommendation 3 to the two finance committees, that of the General Conference and that of the North American Division Conference, jointly, for further consideration.
The motion to refer carried.
Other excellent remarks were made by Elders Charles Thompson, W. T. Knox, L. R. Conradi, F. W. Stray, F. M. Dana, R. W. Parmele, F. H. Westphal, and J. A. L. Derby, but the sentiment of the Conference is expressed in those given. We regret that we cannot report all that was said.
Resolution 4 was read, and question was called on the whole, the report being adopted save for the portion referred.
The Chair called for reports from committees.
Guy Dail responded with a further report from the committee on plans. The committee submitted a form of constitution for the Asiatic Division Mission, requesting that it be printed on slips for study by delegates before taking up its discussion.
Guy Dail (reading):—

Report of Committee on Plans

The committee on plans and resolutions submit the following further partial report:—
Whereas, The efforts of the Young People’s Missionary Volunteer Department to reach all of our youth where they are, and to enlist and train them in Christian service, are of the utmost importance to this denomination; and,—
Whereas, Success in this work requires Missionary Volunteer leaders who are especially qualified to work for and with the youth; and,—
Whereas, There is a growing demand for well-qualified leaders,—
16. Resolved, (a) That our conference officers and school faculties encourage promising young people to prepare for this line of the Lord’s work. (b) That for increasing the efficiency of conference Missionary Volunteer secretaries and the preparation of those who contemplate entering the work, we favor some form of special training, such as Missionary Volunteer secretaries’ institutes. (c) That the General Conference Missionary Volunteer Department endeavor to arrange with the Fireside Correspondence School to conduct a course of study for the benefit of Missionary Volunteer secretaries, and of those who contemplate entering this work. (d) That all conferences make a special effort to build up this department of their work by a careful selection of secretaries, in counsel with the union and General Conference Missionary Volunteer departments, and by having secretaries who have been reasonably successful, remain in office long enough to enable them to build up a strong work.
17. Resolved, That in raising funds for interests outside of the local fields, our young people be encouraged to devote their efforts to those enterprises receiving appropriations through the regular channels.
Whereas, There is a call from many fields for the publication of portions of the writings of Mrs. Ellen G. White, selected from the “Testimonies for the Church,” and other of her books and manuscripts; therefore,—
18. Resolved, That the General Conference Committee be authorized to appoint three or more persons having a broad knowledge of the needs of the field, to outline plans, and to assist the workers who are very familiar with these writings, in the preparation of several compilations from these writings of such matter as they regard fundamental in character, and believe will be most helpful to the fields; these compilations to form a basis for a series of somewhat similar tracts and pamphlets, in many languages.

Discussion of Report

On motion to adopt, question was called on resolution 16.
Resolution 17 was read.
W. T. Knox: Allow me to say a word here. Our young people have been very
helpful to us in supplying funds for different enterprises in the foreign fields. And we have greatly appreciated what they have done. They are raising now I think something in the neighborhood of twenty thousand dollars a year. Now in making their efforts in this line, they sometimes desire some special object to which their offerings shall be given. They write to the Treasury Department; or the object may be supplied by correspondence with foreign missionaries. Our local conferences are all straining every effort to supply mission funds. The pressure has become so strong that conferences greatly desire that money raised in their territory for mission work shall be credited upon the amount they are expected to raise in that particular territory.
For instance, here is a conference that is supposed to raise $25,000 a year in mission funds. It may have a strong young people’s society there, that raises $500 or $1,000 a year for some kind of mission work. Now the conference desires that that $500 or $1,000 that is raised by their young people’s society shall help make up the $25,000 that we expect them to raise; and we are quite willing it shall be counted so. But if Brother So-and-so over in India appeals to the leader of the young people’s society in that particular conference for help in accomplishing something to which we are not appropriating money, then we are not able to count the money thus secured in our regular mission funds. Thus the General Conference is arbitrarily compelled to increase its appropriation to India by the amount the young people are adding to that field. Now we do not object to the young people or to churches having some special object to which they shall give their money; but we do desire that they shall select something to which money is being sent, to which aid is being given, and thus help us to raise the funds that we are appropriating.
In our appropriations we must act by faith. For 1913, we have appropriated $525,000, a number of thousands of dollars in excess of the mission funds of the preceding year. We had to do that by faith. Why did we dare have such faith?—Because we believed our people would raise their offerings this year, increasing the supply coming to us. We must, therefore, encourage our people to lift along the lines of appropriations made; otherwise the gifts do not count on these needs which the fields list as of first importance.
W. A. Sweany (Bahama Islands): I should like to ask a question for information. I have a letter in my pocket now, received from a secretary of a young people’s society in one of our large churches, asking what they can do to help us in our mission field. I have not answered the letter yet. It was not in response to any call. The question I want to ask is this, If I write and tell them what they can do to help us, and they send the money direct to us, or if I instruct them to send the money through the regular channel, and we report it as so much money received from such and such a source, will that meet all the requirements?
W. T. Knox: First of all, brother, you should discourage this being sent to you direct. It always brings confusion; and if allowed to go unchecked, it will completely disorganize us and it will
destroy our financial strength in mission work. It would result eventually in leaving some fields absolutely bare, while others would be supplied. Hence, if you write to them and suggest that they devote their gifts to some work in your field that we are appropriating to, then it will count on the mission funds coming from that field; but if it goes to some work to which we are not appropriating, we cannot credit it to the conference, and that will result in dissatisfaction.
W. A. Sweany: Of course we are not carrying on any work but the general work to which the board is appropriating.
W. T. Knox: For instance, many requests come from different parts of the fields: “We would like a stereopticon;” “We would like a colporteur wagon;” “We would like an organ;”—all commendable things, helpful in the message, but things to which we are not appropriating.
Now we want every field to be well equipped, and to have all the facilities that can possibly be supplied, but I am sure that better results will come if these extras are obtained in the same way that we obtain the greater things. Let me say a word to the missionaries. When you send into the General Conference your requisition, asking for this or that, you know that not a single thing is denied that it is at all possible to supply. And now it will not result the best if, after having placed your wants before the General Conference, and having obtained your appropriation, knowing, as you do, that the appropriation thus made is made in faith, and must be obtained from the churches and the conferences and the young people’s societies and the Sabbath-schools,—it will not work the best, I say, if you then throw out other pleas, separate and independent of that.
An instance comes to me now. I have in my desk over there some correspondence to show to one of the superintendents from one of the great mission fields. What was it this person was calling for? Coming from one of the department heads in the mission fields, stating that they had been sending out letters to their friends, some of them not of the denomination, and to their brethren here in America, pleading for a large sum of money for a particular purpose that had not been presented to the committee, and to which no appropriation had been voted, and saying that in these letters they had been careful to state to the parties to which they were writing, that money that would come from this appeal would be separate from the mission funds and would not be counted. They said they had every reason to believe that their appeals would result in their obtaining what they wanted, but they informed me so that I would know what it meant when the money began coming into the conference for this purpose. Some will come from the Northern Union, perhaps; some, perhaps, from Southern California; some, perhaps, will come from Greater New York. That brother did not think how those donations coming to us with the information that they were not to be counted in the mission funds, but for this specific purpose—how that would appeal to the brethren in these conferences that were still obliged to raise forty thousand dollars for that same field.
Now if that field needed that machine
all that was necessary in order to get it was that the request come in the regular way, before the General Conference, and then that the General Conference have faith enough to believe that they would have money enough to buy it; but to inject a secondary way of raising this money is injurious to the great work of financing these world missions. We appreciate all that our brethren in foreign lands are doing to help us raise these funds, but I do appeal to you, my brethren, in your seeking to help us, to do it in a way that will really be cooperating with us and not weakening our hands.
Question was called, and resolution 18 was read. Question being called, vote was taken on the whole report, which was adopted.
Meeting adjourned.
W. T. Knox, Chairman; W. A. SPICER, Secretary.