p. 13 | The Work in Austria by Guy Dail

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 11, 1909

The Work in Austria

By Guy Dail

GUY DAIL

For a long time Austria seemed quite a European Tibet, so far as our work was concerned; for it was very hard to obtain a foothold there. We would send laborers into the kingdom, only to have them deported. Religious meetings, such as we may hold in Germany, were forbidden. It seemed impossible for us to secure permission to sell our publications. In spite of the fact that there was a great away-from-Rome movement, yet, because of its political aspects, this did not help us very much. It is surprising how wide awake the Austrians are for news, especially political news. You do not find the daily paper left in the tram-cars, or thrown into the street; but it is devoured with a keen relish, the people being anxious to know the trend of current events. As one moves about in the country, and comes in contact with the people, he observes that the various political parties and the many racial problems create a condition of alertness not to be found in countries lacking a cosmopolitan population. Unbelief, theosophy, and Spiritualism are live issues here. In many of the cities there is a hearty dislike shown toward the priests and an aversion to the church.

But there is no field that is not to be reached by the message for these days, and the Lord reveals methods and means by which the truth may be carried to those who need its divine influence. This is true also of Austria. In the course of time, God has opened the doors for us. It is true that the average reader of the REVIEW might think the manner of conducting our lectures in Austria rather unique, if not somewhat unbecoming; picture to yourself the holding of a Seventh-day Adventist service without an opening song, without an introductory prayer, without the Bible; and without a benediction! Furthermore, the minister himself dare not open the meeting, as we have no ordained minister who is an Austrian citizen; so a citizen of the land must formally open the lecture, and then he may give place to the speaker of the evening, for whose words he has agreed to be responsible to the authorities. Our introductory public work does not assume a religious aspect—it is rather scientific and historical. This brings the worker into contact with the people, giving him opportunity to secure the addresses of those who are really interested, and with them he can carry on Bible study in the home.

The second annual meeting of the Austrian Mission was held this year in Prague, the city of Huss and Jerome. November 11-15. Owing to the recent clashes between the Germans and the Czechs, hundreds of gendarmes had been called into the city to preserve peace. The bitterest race feeling is mutually manifested by these two nationalities here. We desired to rent a nice hall for our meetings in Prague. The owner, who is a Czech publisher, said: “If you can assure me that the hall will be used in no way to benefit the Germans, I will gladly let you have it. I do not object to your religion.—I rather favor it,—but I fear that if it should become known that I had let a hall which could be used to further the good of the German-speaking people, my business interests would suffer much more harm than would be repaid me through the annual rental of the property in question.” We could not secure the hall.

We were glad to see the power of the message manifest here also; for our own people are composed of the German and the Czech nationalities, and they peaceably met together, conducted their business, listened to the proclamation of the message, and united their voices in social worship, where both the German and the Czech language were used. The evening lectures, too, were delivered in German, and translated into the Czech. Intelligent and interested audiences were out each night. An officer sent by the police was present, and made notes of what was said. Brethren Wolfgarten and Makowsky remain to continue the meetings.

Four companies were taken into the Austrian Mission—Vienna, Reichenberg, Gablenz, and Aussig. During the last nine months fifty were received, and the net growth of the membership was forty-seven seven, so that the present membership in Austria is one hundred thirty-four. About forty of our people were at the meeting. An Austrian Educational Fund was founded, three hundred fifty-five kronen being pledged toward it, besides seventy-six kronen received in cash. As foreign periodicals may not be sold in the country, it was recommended that we publish an Austrian paper in the German language, in addition to the monthly Bohemian Herald of Truth. Special efforts are to be made in behalf of the health work in Austria. Some of our nurses there are doing real well, and finding excellent openings for the extension of health principles. As the authorities have requested Brother Prillwitz, the former director of the mission, to quit the country, Brother J. Wolfgarten was chosen superintendent of the Austrian field for 1909. Two ordained ministers, one licentiate, six Bible workers, and two colporteurs can not certainly be considered an adequate force for this field, with its nearly twenty-eight millions of people,—Germans, Czechs, Poles, Ruthenians, Slovenes, Italians, Rhenians, Romanics, Servians, Croatians, Rumanians, and Magyars.

We hope that this land with its wide-awake peoples, its interesting openings for the truth, and its small band of workers will be continually remembered by our readers in their prayers for the progress of the message of the soon-coming Saviour.

Hamburg, Germany.