p. 17 | Good Work Done in West Virginia by D. W. Reavis

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 28, 1912

Good Work Done in West Virginia

By D. W. Reavis

THE last two weeks in October our workers and members in West Virginia joined the organized temperance forces of that State in a vigorous temperance campaign, and materially helped in winning a great temperance victory through an overwhelming vote, on election day, for the State prohibition amendment. In this work our people not only discharged their duty by assisting in a good work for the general improvement of society, the defense of homes, and the saving of men and boys from the curse of licensed liquor, but they set themselves and the work they represent right before the people of that State. To-day Seventh-day Adventists have a more favorable standing in West Virginia among the temperance people of that State, as the result of their recent effort.

How the Work Was Done

Enough money was raised to purchase 30,000 copies of the Temperance Instructor for free distribution. These papers were sent by the publishers direct to leaders in different parts of the State. These leaders organized bands of distributors, as circumstances required, and thorough work was done in each locality. The leaders themselves reported to the local headquarters of the Anti-Saloon League, and were assigned territory for public lectures. Arrangements were also made for each lecturer of the league to have a supply of our papers sufficient to give a copy to one member of every family represented at their meetings. So, not only our members were busy with our literature, but regular lecturers of the league were placing the Instructor in the homes of the people.

The union conference engaged Brother James Jeffreys, who is a regular lecturer for the Anti-Cigarette League, and sent him to a large number of towns and cities which could not be reached by the regular workers of the conference. In these places he called upon leading temperance

people in the different temperance organizations, and arranged with them for lectures and a generous distribution of the Instructor. Our literature was the strong feature of this campaign, and our workers assure us that it was very effective.

Brother I. D. Richardson, who was very active in the work in West Virginia, says:—

“In towns where we hope to hold a series of meetings soon, our people placed a Temperance Instructor in every home. Some told us that the Instructor was the first temperance literature they had seen. We know of votes that were changed from ‘wet’ to ‘dry’ by the Temperance Instructor, and of prejudice so removed that the people read our literature, and admired our work. One of the business men told me that he had heard more about our work in the campaign than that of any one else.

“While the liquor party spent and lost about one million dollars in this campaign, the few hundred dollars we invested in literature will soon be returned to us; for when men spend money for drink, they do not spend it for books. Our book sales are very small in the cities. When the husband is loafing in the saloons, he is not attending our tent-meetings with his wife. Liquor robs a man of his reason; consequently the truth does not appeal to him. The liquor traffic hinders the advancement of the message of God in every way; so, as the saloon in West Virginia is to pass away, our work will be the less hindered; and, besides, it would not have been possible for us, with the same amount of expense, to promote our general work so effectively in any other way. These temperance campaigns are most favorable opportunities to make our health and temperance literature powerful ‘entering wedges’ for our full message, and to bring our workers into a close, friendly, working relation with the temperance people of other churches. Conferences failing to use these providential openings make a serious mistake.”

D. W. REAVIS.