p. 5 | On the Pacific Coast by W. W. P.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 27, 1908

On the Pacific Coast

By W. W. P.

After a comfortable journey direct from Washington via New Orleans I arrived in San Francisco Tuesday noon, January 21, my first visit to this city since the great earthquake of April 18, 1906. On all sides were the evidences of the terrible visitation, and also of the wonderful work of restoration which has already been accomplished. I especially desired to see one ruin,—that of the city hall,—and so I wended my way thitherward at the first opportunity. I lingered for some time, looking at the great piles of débris which have not yet been removed, and at the lofty dome, much of which is a mere skeleton, and seemed to hear anew the voice which spoke in rebuke of the high carnival of crime, and for a time thwarted all plans for heaping up wealth. As if in its grip upon the city hall it held in its grasp the city personified, the earthquake seemed to do its worst, apparently determined, by revealing the sham and the fraud of the builders through the naked framework, to make conspicuous the inevitable result of all disregard of righteousness in the passion for wealth. I did not wish to stay in the city. It was not a feeling of fear which took hold upon me, but a vivid sense of the awfulness of the iniquity which calls for such a manifestation of divine judgment, and of the unawed and unrepentant spirit of rebellion against God which prompts the effort to hide as quickly as possible the evidences of the destructive protest against wickedness. And so I departed, depressed with a foreboding of the evil yet to come upon other places where the same sins will provoke the same outbreak of divine indignation.

I received a hearty welcome from the delegates and friends in attendance upon the Pacific Union conference, which was held in the chapel of the St. Helena Sanitarium. It was a privilege to me to meet many fellow workers whom I had not seen for some years, and to join them in the meetings. I spoke once on Wednesday, the next day after my arrival, once on Thursday, and twice on Friday, besides joining in the other meetings. Thursday was an especially good day. Brother Daniells presented quite fully the work in the mission fields, and the plans proposed for raising the funds necessary for the more rapid extension of the message in the waiting lands. I joined with him, and tried to present a vivid picture of actual conditions in heathen lands and of what heathenism really means when observed on its own soil. An enthusiastic interest was aroused, and the meeting continued from half-past two until after six o'clock. The delegates responded with earnest remarks, and pledged themselves to renewed efforts in behalf of the missionary program. It was really a refreshing occasion, and another assurance that the Lord approves the determination to press the line of action forward.

The hospitality of the sanitarium was extended to the delegates, who greatly enjoyed the privileges afforded. It was a cause of satisfaction to me to find that the work of the institution is being greatly prospered under the management of Dr. H. F. Rand and his faithful co-workers. A pleasant feature of our stay was a social evening when we had the opportunity of meeting personally the members of the medical faculty, the nurses, and other workers connected with the institution.

For the first time since the Pacific Press Publishing Association removed from Oakland to Mountain View, I had an opportunity to visit them in their new home. In the meantime they have lost their first building by earthquake and fire, and have erected the buildings which they now occupy. The present quarters are plain, but well adapted to the work; and I was glad to find the brethren there of good courage, and much gratified at the financial results of their last year's operations, which show a gain of over twenty-one thousand dollars. We rejoiced together over this measure of prosperity, especially in view of the fact that only denominational work had been done during this time. I especially enjoyed the opportunity of meeting Brethren M. C. Wilcox and A. O. Tait, the editors of the Signs of the Times, and of spending some time with them in Bible study and conference. As we reviewed together the evidences of the truths of this message, we were mutually encouraged and helped. While at Mountain View we held three meetings of the General Conference Committee, considering various matters which needed attention.

I afterward spent several days at St. Helena with Brother W. C. White and his associates in the study of the different features of their work, and spoke twice at the sanitarium chapel. I was glad to find Sister White enjoying a reasonable degree of health and able to continue her work. The hospitality of her home was appreciated by me.

Thursday morning, February 6, I left St. Helena for southern California, arriving in Los Angeles the next morning. I was made welcome by Elder G. W. Reaser and his associates, who had already arranged plenty of work for me during my short stay. Early in the afternoon I went out to Glendale, about seven miles from Los Angeles and reached by trolley-car, to meet with the workers at our sanitarium there. Drs. M. M. Kay and Etta Gray are the physicians in charge, and Brother J. J. Wessels is acting as business manager. I had sufficient time before the Sabbath to look over the institution and grounds, under the guidance of Brother Wessels. In the evening I spoke to the patients, helpers, and members of the local church in the gymnasium of the sanitarium, dwelling upon the real meaning of this advent movement, and the place which it occupies in the development of the gospel in the earth.

The next forenoon I had the privilege of speaking to a large audience in the Carr Street church in Los Angeles. As the Sabbath-school lesson was upon the coming of the Lord, I made that subject my theme, and the old truths seemed to shine out with new luster. The usual appointments for the afternoon were taken up, and another large audience listened to a presentation of the subject of our mission work in the far East. Some strangers who had been studying the truth were in attendance, and were very favorably impressed by the evidences concerning the worldwide character of this advent movement, and were strongly drawn to unite with us.

After the Sabbath I went to Fernando, about twenty miles distant, where I had an appointment to speak to the faculty and students of our school the next morning. In the absence of Brother H. G. Lucas, the principal of the school, the hospitality of the institution was extended to me by Brother and Sister J. L. Kay, formerly of the Walla Walla College. A goodly number gathered at the appointed hour the next morning, and I talked with them concerning the nature of our message and the work of giving it to the world. There is an earnest missionary spirit at Fernando, and at the close of our meeting two or

three conferred with me concerning their intention to go to definite fields at the close of the school year.

By returning to Los Angeles on a freight-train I was able to make connections for Loma Linda, where I was scheduled for the evening. This was the closing hour of a local council concerning the educational work, and afforded another opportunity to lay before the workers assembled the conditions and needs in the great mission fields. Monday noon I met the students in the Loma Linda College of Evangelists, and found about eighty in preparation for the work at home and abroad. They gave earnest attention to a study of the problem of giving this message to the world in this generation, taking with me a survey of the work already accomplished in the many countries of the world, and of what remains to be done. The conclusions reached seemed helpful and inspiring to all. In the evening I spoke in the large parlor to the patients, nurses, helpers, and students, considering this advent movement from the standpoint of the place which it occupies in prophecy. The position which we occupy and the message which we have to proclaim never seemed clearer to me than as we studied them both that evening. I feel sure that the Lord blessed the words spoken. This closed my public work, and I started for the East the next noon.

Our institutions in southern California comprise the café and treatment rooms in Los Angeles, the sanitarium at Glendale, the training-school at Fernando, the sanitarium at Paradise Valley (which I was unable to visit), and the sanitarium at Loma Linda. All the workers in these institutions whom I met were of good courage and devoted to the work. Unity now prevails, and the outlook is hopeful. These several institutions ought to be a powerful agency under the blessing of God for the advancement of the truth in southern California.

The long ride across the continent has no attractions for me, and although I tried to make the best use of the time in reading and study, yet I was thankful to arrive in Washington again, and to join the workers here at the headquarters. It is only a pressing sense of the needs of the work and of our personal duty which induces any of us to undertake heavy field work in addition to the burdens which press upon us here. The results have justified both the effort and the expense. W. W. P.