The Council of the General Conference Committee
By W. A. SPICER
The further proceedings of the General Conference Committee Council concerning matters of general interest may be briefly summed up as follows:— The West Indian Union was advised to transfer the Caribbean Watchman office from Trinidad to Colon, Panama, consolidating with the new plant the Porto Rico Spanish publishing work. Four thousand dollars was appropriated for the establishment of the Panama office. It was voted to issue a Thanksgiving number of the REVIEW, giving a survey of our missions in such a way as to make it a medium for informing the public, and interesting them to give for our missions. The appropriations voted were by far the largest in our history, as the treasurer's report will show. The council felt that only by the blessing of the Lord and the loyal effort of every believer could the amount be secured, but that by the blessing of the Lord it must be secured. Aside from regular appropriations, action was taken providing for securing financial help for the Madison school enterprise, near Nashville, Tenn. The resolutions adopted pertaining to religious liberty are given elsewhere in the REVIEW. A discussion of the question of health foods resulted in the following recommendations by the council:— That we hereby pledge ourselves to do everything we can to advance the medical phase of the third angel's message by encouraging our ministers to lecture on health principles; by teaching our people to prepare suitable foods in a way to preserve health; by encouraging the physicians in our sanitariums, and our other medical workers, to visit churches and camp-meetings to give lectures and to hold cooking-schools; that we encourage our people to circulate the magazine, Life and Health, and to distribute tracts on health topics; and, further, that we do all we can to extend the cause of temperance, and to stem the tide of intemperance prevailing everywhere in the land. In the session devoted to a consideration of the medical missionary work, Dr. W. A. Ruble, Secretary of the Medical Missionary Department, outlined the following topics for the consideration of the council: Making the most of medical help at camp-meetings; sustaining free beds for sick poor in our institutions; working with “Ministry of Healing;” etc. It was felt that the help of our physicians should be had in the camp arrangements in our large meetings, in order to provide for healthful conditions and for prompt attention to any outbreak of contagious disease. It was voted— That our conferences be encouraged to make arrangements for attendance and instruction from our medical workers at the camp-meetings, and to provide suitable tents and facilities for their work. The following action regarding the soliciting of funds for special enterprises was taken:— Whereas, There are many demands for financial aid in building up institutions in our weaker conferences and mission fields; and,— Whereas, The request is often made that persons representing these enterprises be permitted to solicit donations in our stronger conferences, and, unless care is taken, confusion is likely to result from several persons soliciting donations through the different conferences for various enterprises at the same time; therefore,— Resolved, That any special enterprises for which donations are solicited from the people should first receive the sanction of the General Conference and the union conference in which such enterprise is undertaken. And that any person sent out to solicit such donations first receive suitable credentials from the union conference from which he comes, and that satisfactory arrangements be made, certified in writing, with the union and local conferences in which he wishes to solicit before he enters upon his work. Laborers were recommended to the different fields as follows:— R. C. Porter and wife, of the South-western Union, to South Africa, Elder Porter to take the presidency of the South African Union Conference, releasing Elder Hyatt. W. S. Hyatt and family, of South Africa, to return to engage in the work in America. E. E. Andross, of the British Union, to the Columbia Union; and W. J. Fitzgerald, of the Columbia Union, to the British Union. W. A. Westworth, of the Southern New England Conference, to the presidency of the Southeastern Union, F. M. Burg, who had been elected, having found it impossible to arrange to take the work. Carl Hansen and wife, of the Foreign Mission Seminary, to Norway. Two young Scandinavians in America to be encouraged to prepare for the Abyssinian mission field. Two young men to be selected to study Danish-Norwegian in Europe, for the purpose of entering the work there. J. B. Huguley and wife, of the Foreign Mission Seminary, to Quebec. A Dutch laborer for the East Indies, to be selected by the German Union Conference. E. Schwantes, of Portugal, to Brazil. Miss Jennie Nelson, of Minnesota, to the Danish West Indies. E. Fawer, French laborer, to Quebec. Dr. H. N. Greaves, qualifying in London, to British Guiana. Canvasser for cities of the West Indies, to be selected by the publishing department. Miss Winifred Trunk, of the Foreign Mission Seminary, to the Cooranbong school, Australia. George Teasdale, of Java (who brought his wife to her home in America on account of ill health), was advised to labor in this country for a time. E. C. Widgery and wife, of the Foreign Mission Seminary, to British Guiana. J. A. Strickland, of Jamaica, to work in the District of Columbia. Elihu Wood and wife, of Takoma Park (Brother Wood has worked as a builder on the school and sanitarium buildings since the work began at this place), to Jamaica, to connect with the West Indian Union school being established at Riversdale. H. S. Prener, of Baltimore, to Brazil. Miss Bertha Fuller, nurse of the Boulder Sanitarium, to India; the Caterham Sanitarium, England, to select a second nurse for India. Miss Belle Shryock, of the Foreign Mission Seminary, to India. L. G. Mookerjee and wife, of the Foreign Mission Seminary, to return to India. Miss Edythe Ayers, of the Review and Herald proof-room, to India. Other recommendations, relating to laborers for America and fields abroad, are being taken up by correspondence with the persons concerned, and it would not be proper to print such actions in5this report. All through the council the tremendous pressure of need in the great mission fields was always in evidence. While this expansion of the work on every side involves heavy additional expenditure, it was the solemn conviction throughout the session that Seventh-day Adventists, who are commissioned to go to all the world with the closing message, can do nothing less than to respond at this time with just a few workers added to the fields, representing but a fraction of the recruits actually demanded by the situation. Throughout the council the spirit of fellowship and courage and co-operation made the meetings seasons of blessing to all.