News from the Mission Field by Editor

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 16, 1913

News from the Mission Field

By Editor

THE constituency meeting of the Review and Herald Publishing Association and the Washington (D. C.) Sanitarium will be held February 12, 13, in Takoma Park, Md.

IN December Brother R. M. and Mrs. Adams, both graduates of the Sydney (Australia) Sanitarium, sailed for Tahiti, Society Islands, en route to Pitcairn Island.

WE learn from the Australasian paper that Miss W. Osborn, a graduate nurse from the Sydney Sanitarium, sailed for Fiji on December 3. She will be connected with the school work at Buresala.

We begin in this number the publication of a series of articles on “The Holy Spirit,” by Elder G. B. Thompson. These articles will afford valuable instruction and spiritual help to those who will carefully follow them.

LETTERS from Elders L. R. Conradi and Guy Dail report their ship in the Indian Ocean, nearing German East Africa. A large number of missionaries, Catholic and Protestant, are going out to Africa on the same boat.

IN a letter reporting some stirring experiences in Roumania, which will be passed on to our people later, Elder H. F. Schuberth, president of the East German Union, says: “Here in Greater Berlin and surroundings we are working in sixteen halls, and all our lectures are well attended. We hope for a good harvest of souls.”

BY a post-card to the Mission Board Office, Elder E. E. Frauchiger sends greetings from the believers in Urfah, the old Ur of the Chaldees, Abraham’s home, from which the patriarch was called forth to be a pilgrim and stranger in the earth.

IN response to several requests that have been received, the REVIEW will be paged continuously during the year, and an index will be provided at the close of the volume. This will prove a convenience to those who are in the habit of keeping our church paper on file.

THREE superdreadnoughts and nine first-class cruisers will shortly be presented to the British government by the independent rulers, princes, and nobles of India if they can carry out successfully a plan recently drawn up by them to collect funds among themselves for the purpose. It is suggested that the warships, when presented, be stationed in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean and in the Indian Ocean.

THE General Conference Committee Council meeting to be held in Mountain View, Cal., January 20, is taking several of the brethren westward. Elder N. Z. Town left ten days ago to attend the bookmen’s convention in Mountain View preceding the General Conference Council meeting. Elders G. B. Thompson and W. T. Knox left last week, and Elders A. G. Daniels, W. A. Spicer, and B. G. Wilkinson left this week for the Coast. Some of these brethren will stop off for a day or two en route at different centers of our work.

THE January Missionary Review of the World (Funk and Wagnalls, New York) presents its readers again with a statistical table showing the work of the Protestant missionary societies of the world. Seventh-day Adventists are listed in the report, so far as our work in Catholic and heathen lands is concerned. Most of our training-schools must have this missionary journal, and our students will study the report with interest. By an error in making up the table from our own printed report, the Missionary Review credits us with 2,679 converts from heathenism during the year, whereas our own report shows that this was the net increase of baptized members in heathen and Catholic fields.

THE following item appeared in a recent issue of the Christian Herald, one of the leading religious papers of this country, published in New York City, and having a large circulation: “The subject of the ‘Second Coming of Christ’ is attracting much attention both in England and in this country, especially in view of the threatened dismemberment of Turkey in Europe. Recently a Sunday was set apart by the Ministerial Union at Denver (Colo.) when twelve ministers preached upon the subject from a Scriptural point of view. The movement attracted general interest, the churches were crowded, and the newspapers next day devoted whole pages to the subject. A similar symposium service took place in London, England, a short time ago. A movement has been set on foot in New York, in which it is hoped upon a given Sunday united action may be taken which will not only stir the metropolis to an interest on the subject, but that other cities may catch the fire. It is proposed to form a prayer union with the object of making special supplication to God that interest in the general subject may spread.”

SINCE the headquarters of our work was moved to Washington, the Takoma Park, D. C., church has held its services in the Takoma town hall and later in the chapel of the church-school building. Last week excavation was begun for the foundation of a church building, which will be completed by June 15. The building is of pebble-dash construction, with a seating capacity of six hundred.

FOR the ninth time in the history of the United States the Senate is sitting as a court of impeachment. Judge Robert W. Archbald, of the United States Commerce Court, is charged by the House of Representatives with having attempted to commercialize the judiciary, prostituting and degrading the high office he holds, and is declared to be unfit longer to serve on the federal bench. The Senate will try him on the charges presented in the thirteen articles of impeachment, and will determine whether he is guilty or not guilty.

INSPIRING indeed is the word that comes to us from Elder J. E. Fulton, president of the Australasian Union Conference, concerning the good camp-meeting held in New South Wales. Five hundred persons were encamped on the ground. Attendance from surrounding churches doubled this number at the Sabbath services. Eighty-two persons were baptized at the close of the meeting. Brother Fulton adds: “In looking over the field, we can see that the Lord is blessing, and progress is being made in all lines. We are sending out a goodly number of persons to the islands.”

RECENTLY a brother raised the question as to what becomes of all the graduates each year who leave our various training-schools. We pass the question on for the consideration of others, for it is well worthy of our most careful thought. Some, no doubt, return to their homes to engage in various occupations, such as farming, mercantile business, and trades; but are any of them lost to this work and people? Are there those who enter upon some worldly pursuit and lose their interest in the movement which gave them their education and training? Have we a duty toward these young people? Can we afford to maintain training-schools to educate our youth for this work, and then let the enemy snatch them out of our hands just as they are prepared for service? These surely are vital considerations. The responsibility can not be borne by any one conference or board of management. It is a responsibility which rests upon the entire church, upon every conference, upon the members of every local church. Heaven holds us responsible to look carefully after the young men and women who by God’s grace may gain that experience which will make them valuable workers in the promotion of the cause of God in the earth.