Book Work in South Africa by G. H. Clark

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jun 19, 1913

Book Work in South Africa

By G. H. Clark

UNITED SOUTH AFRICA is twelve hundred miles long and eight hundred miles wide. It has four provinces. We have a union conference composed of three local conferences. The union conference missionary agent is the only canvassing agent in the entire field.

The total population is six million. There are less than 1,280,000 white people here. About one half of these are Dutch, and the remainder are mostly English or of English descent, Jews, and Scotch. There are more people in Philadelphia than there are white people in our entire field. The remaining four and three-fourths millions are natives (mostly heathen), colored people, and Indians.

We have two cities, Johannesburg and Cape Town, that, including suburbs, contain respectively 237,000 and 155,000 inhabitants. Outside of these two places, we have only 11 cities with over 25,000 and 26 towns with over 5,000 inhabitants. Three fourths of the people live in the country and small villages. They are widely scattered. Farmers live from two to seven miles apart. These long distances make our work very difficult, as traveling on foot or bicycle is impossible. On account of horse sickness, mules or donkeys must be used, and books sold out of hand. Just how to reach and help these scattered country people is one of our serious questions; but the Lord has a plan, and in due time it will be revealed and carried out to the salvation of souls.

We have two well-equipped and well-manned tract societies. They are each at the extreme end of their conferences. One canvasser is now working nine hundred miles from the office, and the freightage on one hundred large books will be about eight dollars.

Nearly all our work during the past four years has been done at the centers of population. Some places have been canvassed as many as three times. In the majority of the homes in the cities and towns from one to twelve or fourteen of our books can be found, and yet we are still going over the territory. Probably no country on earth has purchased, according to its white population, more books than has South Africa.

The command to work the cities has been well heeded here. With the deepest gratitude to our Heavenly Father, we submit the following report of book and periodical work for three and three-fourths years, or since the last General Conference to the middle of March, 1913.

	ORDERS	DELIVERIES
1909	$21,700.00	$4,916.00
1910	$27,845.00	$16,670.00
1911	$20,653.00	$14,190.00
1912	$14,585.00	$10,415.00
1913	$1,819.00	$1,282.00
Totals	$86,602.00	$47,473.00

The average deliveries reported are fifty-five per cent, which, of course, is below the real average.

In one day, one canvasser secured $123 worth of orders, and during another week secured $240 worth. Three of our number together delivered $12,600 worth of books. One of these delivered $2,850 worth of “Daniel and the Revelation,” in Pretoria, the capital city of the union. One worker reported 170 weeks canvassed out of 183 weeks.

The following nationalities have been represented in the work,—American, English, Scotch, Welsh, Holland, German, Jewish, Scandinavian, Dutch, colored, and Kafir,—all pressing together to help finish the work in this generation.

We have used mostly “Daniel and the Revelation,” “Great Controversy,” and “Patriarchs and Prophets,” with “Coming King” and “Christ’s Object Lessons” as helps. Two thirds of our orders are for the morocco binding. The people prefer this, even at a higher price. As the English publishing house is nearest to us, we deal mostly with it.

Several of our canvassers have been permitted to bring precious souls into the truth, and these, in turn, have become laborers together with God. There is yet a great work to be done

here, especially among the white farmers and the colored and native people.

Our leading brethren, especially, have given much assistance and most hearty cooperation to this department of the Lord’s work, for which we are grateful.

At the present time, we have ten canvassers, and all join in sending hearty greetings to our fellow workers at the General Conference and elsewhere. May our wise Counselor be in all your deliberations, and guide till the work is done.

G. H. CLARK.