Untitled article by M. E.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 18, 1910

From Our Workers

By M. E.

An important feature of the young people's part in the Temperance Instructor campaign, was to place that number of the Instructor, and if possible yearly subscriptions, in the public libraries, and in Y. M. C. A. and Y. W. C. A. reading-rooms. Some excellent reports have come in from this work. In Southern Illinois last quarter, each society adopted the plan of using the first dollar raised for sending the Instructor to the library in its community. The Missionary Volunteers in Kansas are sending yearly subscriptions to sixty public libraries.

The following extract from a letter written by Miss Edith M. Graham, Missionary Volunteer secretary of the Australasian Union Conference, will encourage every faithful worker for the youth. She says:—

“While we are working to get our young people to devote some of their energies to working for the island missions, we do not wish this to take the place of spiritual work, and efforts have been made in all our camp-meetings for the upbuilding of our young people and children on spiritual lines. We have been very much encouraged by the results. Many among the young people and children have given their hearts to the Lord, and we can see that the work is growing steadily and in a very encouraging manner. As we think of what is being accomplished, we can not but wish this work had been started many years ago. Had this been done, we would have in the field to-day a volume of workers that we do not have.”

An issue of the South African Missionary contains an interesting report of the Jeppestown young people's society. Annie E. Grant, leader of the society, says:—

“We have two departments—a senior and a primary. Different members of the senior department take charge of the primary section each week. The meetings are held every Sabbath afternoon at three o'clock, and periodically the society visits the Johannesburg hospital, where hundreds of our papers are distributed among the sick. The reports I receive from the members each week are encouraging. I feel very thankful for the spiritual advancement which is manifest in the lives of many of our youth in Johannesburg, and pray that the good work begun among our young people here will continue until every one is fully consecrated to God and his service, and not only here but all over the wide harvest-field.”

Brother F. W. Temple, who has charge of the Missionary Volunteer work in Alaska, recently sent us an interesting letter. We pass on a few items for your encouragement:—

“I am indeed glad to be able to assist in this good work for the young people, for I know that it is meeting Heaven's approval. I shall do the best I can for this department, and I trust the day is not far distant when we can have the Missionary Volunteer work organized in this northern field. Unlike the conditions in the States, the majority of the people are campers, and do not stay long in one place. At the present writing we have only eighteen Sabbath-keepers that we know of in the territory, and these are scattered from the northern to the southern part of this great peninsula. Letters from some of our brethren have to travel for weeks by dog-team before we get them. Nevertheless we are of the best of courage, and the prospects for future success are bright.”

The following encouraging letter from Brother H. Kuniya, of Japan, where we have two earnest Missionary Volunteer societies, shows his deep interest in both the young people's work and the temperance cause:—

“I am anxious to push the young people's work with all my might. There are many thousands of bright young people in Japan, but because they do not know the true gospel of Christ, they are ruining soul and body by smoking and drinking. It is important that we help them to stop their bad habits. Though they hate Christianity, because they know nothing but the Buddhist and Shinto religions, they are willing to hear how to overcome their bad habits. I was converted to this new religion through this temperance work. How happy I was then! As soon as I stopped smoking and drinking, I began to persuade others to stop their wrong habits. Finally I began to preach the gospel of Christ; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

“We must have hundreds of Christian soldiers to preach this message among our fellow men. I hope that this work for the youth will cause many young men and women to become God's messengers. As you know, our youth like to fight. If they are educated to fight with the Word of God against evil, they will quicken all the island in a few years. Usually the youth have great ambition, and they like to act. I am very much interested in helping the youth, and this is why I proposed to organize the young people's work in Japan.”

“Most of our young people are engaging in canvassing work. I have translated two tracts, ‘Some Effects of Tobacco Using,’ and ‘Is Alcohol a Food?’ into the Japanese language.”

M. E.