Seed Sowing in Manila by J. L. McELHANEY.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 20, 1908

Seed Sowing in Manila

By J. L. McELHANEY.

WHEN we came to Manila, we began sending literature to the American school-teachers scattered among all the islands. We were able to do this only because many sent us literature of various kinds, and we heartily thank those who have helped us in this way. There are about eight hundred American school-teachers here at the present time. You can readily see that to reach such a number of people, it would require a large supply of literature. We felt very anxious to make a systematic effort in setting the truth before these people, and we prayed earnestly that some way might be opened whereby this could be done.

We know you will rejoice with us, when I tell you that we received a letter from Elder E. W. Farnsworth, telling us that he had laid our need before the General Conference, and as a result five hundred copies weekly of the Special Series of the Signs of the Times are coming to us for use among these teachers. We had never told Elder Farnsworth anything about our needs, but the Lord impressed his mind to do this. This was a direct answer to our prayers. A few of these papers we are sending to the Filipino teachers, and other kind friends are sending us clubs of American and Australasian Signs, and these also we are using among this class.

There are a great many Filipino teachers, and as they are familiar with English,

we are very anxious to carry on a systematic work among them. These teachers belong to the different tribes, and so speak their native languages in addition to English. Does this not seem to you to be a wonderful opportunity to reach with the truth many who speak these languages? We believe that it is, and if we can reach some of these teachers through English literature, they in turn will become channels of light to their own people.

We feel deeply in earnest over these matters: they mean so much to the work here. We post a letter to every person to whom we have sent literature, calling his attention to the papers, and asking him to give them a careful reading. We have received a number of letters in reply expressing appreciation. These have been received from both American and Filipino teachers. One of the latter writes that he had translated some of the articles in the papers into his native language for the benefit of his family, and that they were pleased at hearing such good articles. Praise the Lord for that! The Lord can carry the truth to those to whom we can not speak. This man wanted more literature, and we have sent it to him.

I wish we had time and space to copy some of the good letters we have received, but I must give you a few sentences from another Filipino's letter. He says: “This paper, especially in its Bible department, meets one of our needs—the reading and study of the Bible, of which we have been deprived for the last three hundred years. It might be a further indication of my interest in your paper, to say that an association is being organized by the teachers of the province, and one of the features to be pursued by it is the reading of magazines for the purpose of cultivating the habit of reading among its members. Your paper will be given place in our reading club.” We are in the seed-sowing stage of the work here, and we want to scatter the printed page as the leaves of autumn.

We are holding studies here in Manila with a young man, a Filipino, who is secretary to Archbishop Aglipay, the head of the Filipino Independent Church. This young man is an Ilocano, from the north of Luzon. He speaks two native languages, and Spanish and English. We have a study almost every day, and he is becoming greatly interested in the truth. The teachings of his church are mostly from evolution and higher criticism, with a very little from the Bible. As we have studied the truth, he can see that their teaching is error, and he told me that he could no longer teach their doctrines. We believe this young man will take his stand for the truth. It will mean much for him to cut loose from his present church connection, especially in a country like this. We want you to unite with us in prayer for this young man. His name is Santiago Fonacier.

I may say he has already helped us in correcting a translation into Tagalog of some matter on the second coming of Christ. He has started to translate the same into Ilocano. He wants us to take his sister into our home, and train her. We would gladly do this if we had room for her; but rent is very high here, and we have only a small place. I believe it will be necessary to have a place large enough to enable us to take young people into our home, and teach them how to live, physically as well as spiritually, that they in turn may become workers for their own people.

J. L. McELHANEY.