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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 3, 1908

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 85, No. 36.

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Louisiana

By C. F. McVAGH

I WAS most graciously received and entertained by the brethren at New Orleans, and met with a few of the Sabbath-keepers in their regular weekly prayer-meeting. I was sorry that the distance prevented many from New Orleans from enjoying the camp-meeting. The people are patiently awaiting the coming of Elder W. H. Saxby, and I am sure that he will receive a hearty Southern welcome, and find a field ready for the harvest. The mission property is, in my judgment, a valuable acquisition, as it is well located and adapted to the needs of the work.
From New Orleans I journeyed by the Southern Pacific Railway through fields of sugar-cane and rice to Lake Charles in the southwestern part of the State, where the camp was pitched in a beautiful park. There were about twenty tents on the grounds, and while less than one hundred persons were encamped, considerably more than that number were in attendance at least part of the time. But what pleased me most was the spirit of consecration, sacrifice, and willingness to work that prevailed from first to last. The revival spirit came in the first Sabbath of the meeting, and nearly half the camp came forward to seek the Lord. Young people and others surrendered for the first time, and others were revived and reclaimed.
The donation to missions the first Sabbath was $13.92, more than six times as much as for the first camp-meeting Sabbath a year ago. But when the second Sabbath was reached, a donation of over twenty dollars testified to the genuineness of the consecration. During the meeting three hundred dollars in cash and pledges was given to the general work, and nearly five hundred dollars to the emergency fund for home work, besides a canvassers' fund and other donations aggregating over nine hundred dollars. As might be judged from this record, there was a beautiful spirit of harmony in every meeting, and many of the citizens of the place came out to enjoy the feast of good things with us.
In the temperance rally, one of the local ministers and the State president of the W. C. T. U. assisted. The following conference officers were unanimously elected: President, E. L. Maxwell; vice-president, E. H. Rees; secretary and treasurer, Mrs. C. A. Saxby; Sabbath-school secretary and corresponding secretary, Mrs. E. H. Rees; young people's and educational secretary, Miss Kate Bickham. The general laborers present were Profs. B. G. Wilkinson and M. B. VanKirk, Dr. W. A. George, A. F. Harrison, and the writer. The outlook for the coming year in Louisiana is most encouraging.
C. F. McVAGH.