The General Conference Committee Council
By W. A. Spicer
Since last week's report, additional members have arrived, as follows: O. A. Olsen, E. T. Russell, M. E. Kern, P. T. Magan, U. Bender. Our last report closed with the morning session, April 16. In the afternoon, study and discussion were devoted to the subject of camp-meetings, and many suggestions were offered as to making the most of these important gatherings. In the evening E. E. Andross, president of the British Union, led in a study of this field and its needs. The object of these evening studies by delegates from abroad is to set before the committee information having a bearing upon requests for help. The British Union has shown most encouraging progress since its organization in 1902. The eight hundred members at that time have grown to over eighteen hundred. The brethren are thinking now of organizing Southern Scotland and Wales as conferences. The book and periodical work has prospered, and last year $81,000 worth of publications were sold. The believers are loyally sacrificing in pressing the work, and are now engaged in raising $10,000 for the training-school at the Watford head-quarters. This amount, when raised, with the help they are to receive from the $150,000 fund, will pay for the land and the large residence upon it now used as a school building; but this building is insufficient even for the young women attending the school. Between seventy and eighty students are in training, and nearly every one will go from the school into the field at the close of the term. Great Britain needs help for school equipment, in order to train workers for its own vast population, and for the fields beyond. The British brethren have four workers on Lake Victoria Nyanza in British East Central Africa. A stone mission house is up, with blacksmith and carpenter shop and a school building. Each week they have a congregation of from two hundred to six hundred, in a region where no mission work has ever been done, and where even the language has never been reduced to writing. Following Elder Andross, Brother L. R. Conradi described the work in the three stations in German East Africa, to which Germany has sent eight young people. There are two hundred African youth in the schools, and it is likely that in March six converts were baptized, the first-fruits of the mission from heathenism. Now they are planning a new station on the western coast Lake Victoria Nyanza, near the Kongo Free State border. Much business considered is still in the hands of committees for report. A request from Newfoundland for a visit from some laborer to aid in meeting an approaching Sunday-law crusade, was favorably considered, to be granted if the anticipated movement develops. Earnest consideration was given to the question of guiding the students from our schools into service in the conferences. The Friday evening hour was occupied by Elder Daniells in a sermon on the development of our work, and the call of the present time for every resource of means and strength to be devoted to service in finishing the work. The morning session was devoted to business now before the committees. The afternoon was devoted to the publishing work. C. H. Jones, chairman of the General Conference Publishing Department, made a statement as to the development of this branch. In the thirty-five years up to 1882, $330,000 worth of literature was sold. Then an upward movement began, until in 1891, $819,000 worth was sold in one year. Then came a decline, continuing for years; but now for some years a steady growth has been maintained, and last year the figures rose to $1,024,000, according to publishing house records. Men have left their farms and trades, and even their professions, to go out with the publications bearing the message. Another factor in this growth is found in the fact that five publishing houses have, in recent years, moved into the country, and dropped commercial work, according to instruction given through the spirit of prophecy. Hearty co-operation of the schools, and the earnest encouragement of conference officers, have contributed to this splendid development. The periodical work is coming to be a great factor, publishing-house records showing that periodical sales are rising even now very near to the subscription book sales in value. Action was taken to foster this branch of the work, which is capable of so great development, in harmony with the following recommendations:— We recommend, That decisive action be taken immediately in manning the publishing department for conducting the church tract and missionary work in a thorough way, in harmony with the plans adopted by the General Conference Committee, the Publishing Department, and by the union conferences.— (a) By the appointment of a strong man as missionary secretary of the General Conference Publishing Department. (b) By urging the appointment of a6union missionary secretary in each union conference. (c) By the appointment of a missionary secretary in each local conference. (d) By making suitable provision, as soon as possible for instructing these workers in order to organize them into a harmonious band of leaders. L. R. Conradi occupied the evening hour with a study of the Scandinavian, Latin, and Levant fields. There is growth in all. Last year the Scandinavian Union sold $60,000 worth of books. Finland now has one hundred and twenty Sabbath-keepers. The Iceland work grows in influence, and now the temperance societies of that island propose to send Elder Ostlund as their representative to the great temperance gathering to be held in Washington this year. The tithes of the union show healthy growth. The union needs two or three young Scandinavians from America to join its small force of but thirty-five ministerial and Bible workers, and in some way help ought to be given for an educational fund. The Latin Union is the dark Catholic field, but there is a slow and steady growth. France, with its forty millions, has but twelve workers. In Spain eleven members were added last year. In all the union eighty-four members were added,—a small number, but considering the nature of such fields as Portugal, Italy, and others, these figures are most encouraging. The Latin fields call for an appropriation of $11,000, and beside this there is urgent need of assistance from without to provide an educational fund so that young people from these dark Catholic fields may be trained in the school at Gland, Switzerland. In the Levant, which means Turkey, Egypt, and Greece, we have three hundred seven Sabbath-keepers. Elders Robert Greaves, of Canada, and W. Ising, of Germany, are just joining the workers in Turkey; and Greece is now entered by Professor W. E. Howell. There are four German nurses in Jaffa, Jerusalem, and Haifa. Our Armenian brethren have endured hardness as good soldiers, in some cases enduring months of imprisonment. Educational facilities are needed to train the native believers in these countries. The speaker recounted the experiences in Europe by which our books have been placed in royal palaces, and the warning message brought before princes as well as peasants. The publishing work was again considered in the morning session, recommendations being passed regarding the division of the initial expense of new books between the different publishing houses, and regarding a very important development proposed by the managers of the Signs of the Times, by which a most effective agency is to be provided for spreading the truth, details of which we must leave for the management to announce as their plans are matured. The council seemed to regard this proposed step as marking a strong advance in periodical work. Decisions were made regarding handling the book “Ministry of Healing.” Another feature heartily approved by the council was the proposition of the Southern Publishing House to bring out a special temperance number of the Watchman, dealing with temperance and the prohibition of the liquor traffic just at this time, when the great agitation is being made everywhere. The council approved of their earnest request that each State circulate not less than five thousand copies of this temperance number, placing it, if possible, gratuitously in the hands of the W. C. T. U. organizations for use as campaign literature; and in addition our people were urged to give this number a wide circulation generally. In the afternoon session Mexican matters were considered. Brother J. A. P. Green, of southern California, was invited to act as general canvassing agent for Mexico, and Brethren H. H. Hall, G. W. Reaser, G. W. Caviness, and L. E. Borle were asked to act as a committee to select four colporteurs called for by that field. Recommendations regarding other evangelistic help for Mexico were adopted. L. E. Borle of the Pacific Press, was invited to go to Mexico as manager of the printing-office. It was voted to raise a fund to equip the office, the Pacific Press having donated one of their good cylinder presses, a splendid gift valued at $1500. Brother Julius Paulson, of Guadalajara, was added to the Mexican Advisory Board, and it was voted to pay the transportation of a teacher to join Mrs. Dr. Fattebert in self-supporting teaching work at San Luis Potosi. The evening session was devoted to the Department of Education, and a most enthusiastic meeting it was. Professor Frederick Griggs, chairman of the department, read a deeply interesting review of the year's work. Forty-two buildings have been added to the school equipment in the denomination, and over fifteen hundred additional students have been enrolled. Recommendations were adopted approving of a meeting of the heads of leading schools at Cleveland, Ohio, July 3-9, at the close of the annual meeting of the National Educational Association in that place, approving of raising a fund to assist in bringing out text-books, one of the greatest needs in our school work, and other recommendations, as follows:— Whereas, It is necessary that the Washington Foreign Mission Seminary be filled with the right class of students in order to train workers for the mission fields; therefore,— Resolved, That we urge each conference in the United States and Canada to send to the school, assisting them financially if necessary, at least two young people who they believe will make valuable workers for the mission fields. Whereas, The educational work in other lands is in need of an educational fund from which young people of promise may be properly assisted in attending our training-schools; therefore,— Resolved, That we call upon our young people in America earnestly to consider the need of providing such a fund, and to interest themselves in raising it. From six o'clock in the morning until the evening the work of the council is busily going forward.