p. 12 | Editorial by Editor

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 15, 1910

Editorial

By Editor

Europe’s Message to Us

IN closing the reports of observations in Europe during the summer season, I should speak of the cheering message that comes to all in other lands from Europe generally.

I do not refer to the greetings from our brethren. They do send salutations to all, and assurances of fellowship in the truth, and comradeship in the service. They have voiced this in public services, and again and again brethren have personally spoken, wishing their greetings to be conveyed to their brethren in America and abroad. Our European brethren appreciate the efforts that the believers in America have made to send laborers and means to establish the work in Europe. Their hearts warm with gratitude and thanksgiving as they think of it; for they count this truth their chiefest treasure. And as they received the good news from others, so are they ready now to sacrifice and toil to send on the message to those who have never heard.

But the work itself has a message of good cheer for us in all other lands.

A Vigorously Growing Work

In the first twenty years of our work in Europe, about a thousand souls had been gathered out; and gratefully we thanked God for that fruitage.

Last quarter in Europe about a thousand new converts were reported—now one brief quarter bringing the increase of that first score of years.

Every fresh recruit means another voice lifted up amid the millions, crying the message of the Lord’s soon coming. It is no figure of speech to say that the message is going with “a strong voice,” as the prophet wrote so long ago. Where, in this time of shaking, one drops out and raises the voice of murmuring and unbelief, in the same time,—this time also of the latter rain,—scores step into the ranks to raise to still louder volume the glad voice of the third angel’s message.

Not in accessions only, but in increasing gifts and tithes, Europe sends us a message of good cheer. Their tithes and offerings to missions this year are running close up to the quarter-of-a-million-dollar mark, if they do not go beyond that. Every field is growing in financial strength. The income in Europe to-day is about the same as our entire world-wide income only twenty years ago.

Eyes Upon the Goal

And our brethren there have their eyes upon the goal—the finishing of the work. They know that the only way to follow the Lord of the third angel’s message is to follow him on toward “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” They have one third of all the population of the world within the recognized territory of the European Division of the General Conference. And while they are working country and city in the older conferences, they are also continually sending the workers on into their newer mission fields. And of this very increase of membership in their older fields is evidence that the Lord is blessing the missionary policy of these conferences. Here is a strong and a blessed work going forward, that is reaching into a third part of the world, and even beyond.

My heart was made to rejoice as I mingled with the believers in Europe, north and south, east and west, and saw how this message that rose to organized strength first of all in America, has in a measure, duplicated in Europe what we have in America. It means a great force swung into line for the final effort. I could see it plainly, that if there could be so impossible a thing as that America should drop out of the work altogether, our brethren in Europe and in the colonies would yet carry the message to the ends of the earth in this generation, and see the glad triumph.

But while the cause in Europe has grown into vigorous strength, the brethren there have not the slightest feeling of independence of the general work. The organized work, of which they are a part, is their hope, under God; and they are ready at any time to sacrifice local needs for the general good. The message has in itself the power to weld together in one brotherhood of interest the peoples of all languages and races. For the prosecution of the work it is needful that the forces be divided into regiments and battalions, but it is all one army, marching under one standard.

Divisions That Multiply

A few years ago the Swiss Conference was divided into two, the German-speaking portion in the east, and the French portion in the west, each forming a conference. At first it seemed like cutting things back rather severely, especially to the German portion, as it meant the removal of the old institutional interests from Basel to the French division. But year by year the German-Swiss Conference has forged ahead, and now it is as strong as the entire conference before the division. And the French-Swiss Conference has had about the same experience.

Divide and multiply has been the rule, within natural geographical or national lines. Last year the German Union was divided into two unions. This year’s conference was a West German Union meeting; but the attendance was only about two hundred less than the year before, when the meeting was for the entire field.

And our brethren in Europe, judging by conference attendance, are not forsaking the assembling of themselves together. In the local conference meetings in Holland, and in German and French Switzerland, about three fourths of the membership was present. All seemed courageous in the truth. When, at the camp-meeting in the Catholic town of Olten, in German Switzerland, Elder L. R. Conradi opened the way for a social meeting, and said, “Who will be the first?” sixty persons stood up as one, and I noticed that one of these was a young brother who had but recently come out of prison, where he had been confined for refusal to work on the Sabbath.

In Latin Europe

The great Latin field of southern Europe, with its hundred millions, is passing through significant changes. We rejoiced at the good reports brought by field superintendents to the union committee meetings in connection with the good French-Swiss meeting at Cernier. Brethren J. Curdy and T. Nussbaum brought good words from northern and southern France. The power of the clergy is being broken in that country; and while irreligion is the fruitage of Catholic supremacy, there is a shaking up of conditions that promises to open wider the door of access to seekers after truth.

And Spain, so long under the fullest measure of clerical domination, is turning upon its oppressors in very desperation. We were glad to hear from Brother Walter Bond that these events of which we read in news despatches are evidently being overruled for the opening of Spain to gospel effort. It is a plain signal to us from Providence to enter in, and strengthen the work in Spain. And believers are being steadily gathered out. The same good report was brought by Brother C. E. Rentfro from Portugal. There is a breaking with the Vatican also in that land. In Spain and Portugal, Rome has had its own way for these centuries. Now, in God’s providence, it appears that out of the tumult and the unrest must come a time of greater liberty, for the message

of the coming of the Lord to be preached. And Elder L. Zechetto brought a cheering word from Italy, where our work has seemed to move most slowly. In the north and in the south, as they are getting among the people with cottage meetings, and with public services where possible, results are coming. The truth has power in Italy, and we believe the work there is to share in the revival that is making waste places bloom with hope. It seemed best to our brethren, under the circumstances, to decline to encourage the continuance of the school in Rome, to which friends in America had formerly generously contributed. The unconsecrated Italian teachers in the school have supplied abundant confirmation of the good judgment of our brethren by bringing suit in the courts for various sums on account of the discontinuance of the school. It is evidently unprofitable to conduct work with such material in mission fields. The methods that bring results in all the world are the gospel methods of the preaching and teaching of the truth by those who have the truth in their own hearts. But the brethren in Europe are encouraged by the evidences that the message still bears fruit in Italy, and will press the battle there more vigorously than ever.

Thus from every part of Europe comes the news of the onward march of the message. The splendid progress there, amid difficulties and hindrances, amid great masses crowded into cities, and amid Protestants and Catholics, is a signal to us to be of good cheer and to press the battle to the gates.

W. A. S.