p. 20 | The Lady Colporteur of Memphis by E. R. P.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 22, 1912

The Lady Colporteur of Memphis

By E. R. P.

Miss MAMIE MOORE, who has been canvassing for “Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation” for four years and a half among the most wealthy and influential citizens of Memphis, Tenn., is generally known by the people of that city as “the colporteur of Memphis.”

Sister Moore is one of the colporteurs in the Southern Union Conference who sold and delivered one thousand dollars’ worth of books during the year 1911. The wonderful and yet simple story of God’s providences over her work in the great city of Memphis, and the brief sketch given of her personal struggles and experiences as told by her in the bookmen’s convention of the Southern Union Conference, will never be forgotten by those who enjoyed the privilege of hearing it.

She is twenty-eight years of age, and has been in the colporteur work for nine years. In introducing her, Brother A. F. Harrison, the general agent, said:—

“Sister Moore needs little introduction. She is well known to you all. She is another one who has won out during the past year, having sold $1,003 worth of books. During the previous year, 1910, her sales amounted to $1,012, and once before she delivered $1,100 worth in nine months. I remember when Sister Moore first began. She was an uneducated girl, still wearing short dresses, and I had serious doubts of her ever becoming a colporteur. But she has been faithful all these years; while other girls were going to school or following their own course, she worked on, and the Lord has given her a rich reward for her labors. For four and a half years she has been selling ‘Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation’ in the city of Memphis. For three and a half years, since her father died, she has been the father of the family, having supported very largely her mother and eight younger brothers and sisters. But I must not tell her story for her. You would rather hear her speak for herself.”

Sister Moore, who has never had many advantages, having been brought up in poverty on a farm, and having never passed beyond the fifth or sixth grade in school, is a good example of what consecration, courage, and industry can accomplish in one’s education, culture, and success. She is a young woman of rather more than ordinary address and bearing. She spoke slowly and clearly, using good language, and showing little nervousness, and no appearance whatever of sentiment or artificial feeling. She said:—

“I Was Not Satisfied”

“Brother Harrison said he can remember when I wore short dresses, and when he feared I would not succeed as a colporteur. A friend told me at that time she thought I was the worst subject for a colporteur she had ever seen. But I was not satisfied with plowing the corn and cotton and chopping wood. I was my father’s oldest ‘boy.’ While working in the fields, with no prospect before me, I often asked myself the question, ‘Is there nothing different for me than this? Must I always do this kind of work when I know this precious truth, and thousands are dying all about us with no knowledge of it?’ Notwithstanding the things that were against me, I resolved that I would do my best to accomplish something.”

The First Effort

“I secured a few copies of ‘Best Stories,’ paper binding, which sells for twenty-five cents. The first day I sold nothing, and yet I came home happy and not discouraged, for I had not expected to sell anything the first time I tried. But the second day I sold the three books I had taken with me, receiving the money; and with it in my hand I ran home, and bounding into the house, shouted, ‘I have sold them! I have sold them, every one of them! and have come for some more!’ I took three more with me, and sold them before night. That was the beginning.

“Later I sent for books in a better binding, which sold for fifty cents, and succeeded with them. Then I took ‘Coming King,’ and next ‘Bible Readings,’ and last of all I learned to sell ‘Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation.’

The Lord’s Call to Memphis

“Four and a half years ago, when the testimony came from Sister White that work should be done in the great cities, I did not see how I could excuse myself from responsibility; for I was one of the workers, and could perhaps take the books to many homes which would never receive the truth from the tent-meetings. As the city of Memphis was definitely mentioned in the testimony, I decided to go there, and have been working there ever since. The Lord has greatly blessed me in my work; and some have accepted the truth through reading the books I have sold, and are now members of the Memphis church.

One Copy of the Watchman

“I have been asked to tell some of the results of this work in Memphis. I have been working among the most wealthy classes, and it is wonderful how, in response to prayer, the Lord has opened the homes and hearts of the people to me. As an encouragement to those who are selling the Watchman, I want to begin by telling you what one copy of the Watchman did. One copy of the Watchman opened the way for me to get the truth into a home which I could not otherwise have entered.

“A traveling man of Memphis, while in Arkansas, was persuaded by a lady customer of his to take a copy of the Watchman and read it; she said that it told of the signs of the Lord’s coming, and that many of these things were already fulfilled. Out of curiosity, he took it, read it, and became interested. He wrote to the publishers, asking them to supply him with the first six numbers of the year, and tell him the subscription price. The publishers sent him the desired information, and then wrote to me to visit him and follow up the interest. I found him in his office, and easily sold him a copy of ‘Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation,’ half morocco, to be delivered the next day.

“On calling at his home to deliver the book, as he had arranged to leave the money there, I found it to be a place where I had been before. His wife was very angry because her husband had bought the book. She said it was a foolish book, and should not have a place in her library with her standard books. I told her she would not call it a foolish book after reading it, and urged that she study it carefully, for there was a message in it for her. Before I left, she became more friendly, and gave me the names of several of her friends who she thought would buy the book. This was all brought about by one copy of the Watchman.

“You Must Be a Seventh-Day Adventist if You Keep Saturday”

“A daughter of a Memphis physician purchased from me a copy of ‘Daniel and the Revelation.’ She was very glad to get it, and in a few days began to keep the Sabbath. In her joy over the new-found light, she talked it to her neighbors, and they said to her, ‘You must be a Seventh-day Adventist if you keep Saturday.’ She inquired who they were, for she knew nothing of any such people. They told her of Elder J. S. Washburn and his work in Memphis, and she rejoiced that her prayer had been answered; for she had been praying the Lord to send her some one of like faith to be with her, not knowing there were any such people in the city. She went to the telephone and called up Elder Washburn, weeping aloud for joy that she had found a people keeping the commandments. She requested him to send her more literature. He sent her a Bible worker, and she gladly received all the light that came to her, and could hardly wait until she could be baptized. She bought six copies of ‘Daniel and the Revelation’ to lend to her neighbors to read.

One Lady Buys Fifteen Copies

“Another lady in Memphis, a sister of a lawyer, has purchased from me fifteen copies of the same book, ‘Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation,’ and has given them away to friends. Whenever she gets any one interested in studying the Bible, she sends over for a copy of the book to give them. She bought one in the full morocco binding for a Christmas present for her brother. She now has another of her brothers taking Bible readings.

“A real-estate man’s wife bought ‘Daniel and the Revelation,’ and soon both she and her husband were keeping the Sabbath.

“The Lord Watches Over Each Book”

“Another lady to whom I sold the same book, did not become interested in it, but she lent it to a neighbor, who, after reading it, soon decided to keep the Sabbath. They are people of high standing in society. This illustrates how the Lord watches over each book, and when one falls into the hands of some one who does not appreciate it, he sees that it finds its way to some one else.

Results From a Stormy Day’s Work

“Some interesting things have been said in this convention about working on stormy days. I had one experience which illustrates this point. One disagreeable, stormy day, I sold a copy of ‘Daniel and the Revelation’ to a family for cash. I found the mother had been reading the Millennial Dawn books, and was very much interested in the coming of the Lord. About two weeks

after this, I saw her on the Sabbath in the congregation. She had already begun to keep the Sabbath and was rejoicing in the light, and now is one of our strongest and most active members.

“But this is not all that one book did. One of her sons, who was not at all religious, became a diligent Bible worker. He loves this truth above everything else, and rejoices that that book ever came to their home. His sister took her stand for the truth before he did, and is a very active member. Her husband also is almost persuaded. The family have lent their books and tracts to their relatives and friends, some of whom are interested, and have attended our meetings. A sister of this lady, who was a Christian Scientist, is now rejoicing in the truth, and another sister is also a member of the church. One of her sons, a doctor, and his wife are deacon and deaconess of our Memphis church. Her husband would be in the truth only for his tobacco. Two other sons are believers and are almost ready to yield, it seems. I feel glad, indeed, over the fruit of that day’s work.

“The daughter of the lady who was a Christian Scientist had bought ‘Daniel and the Revelation’ from me, and said she had read some of it—all she had dared to read. Another lady who bought the book soon took her stand for the truth, and is a very consecrated member, though previous to that she had been a woman of the world, not even a church-member.

Other Sowing and Its Fruit

“A faithful colored woman in Kentucky is in the truth as the result of a copy of ‘Bible Readings’ I sold her. I have never seen her since selling her the book, but I hear of her.

“The only relative I have outside of our own family who is in the truth, came in as the result of reading books and tracts given her.

“One of our deacons in the Memphis church heard the debate there. He had a copy of ‘Bible Readings.’ So he went home, got it out, and began studying it, and he and his wife soon took their stand.

“A number of others, also, in Memphis to whom I have sold books are attending Bible readings, and are deeply interested. It rejoices my heart as I attend the Memphis church and look over the congregation, to see here and there those who have accepted the truth through reading the books sold. Many of them are active workers and the most influential members of the church. I enjoy my work very much, and ask your prayers that I may always be faithful in it. I trust my work shall never be taken from me.”

A Gem From the Deep Mine of Personal Experience

I can give you but a feeble intimation of the impression made by this simple, direct story of blessing and achievement. When Sister Moore had finished, I believe there was not a person in the house who was not silently weeping. Strong men could hardly control their feelings, and many tears flowed from the eyes of the ministers and other workers while they listened.

That story was worth going to Nashville or around the world to hear. It was a true gem, fresh and shining, from the deep mine of personal experience in house-to-house and heart-to-heart colporteur work.

A Trumpet-Call to Service

Dear reader, what message does this story bring to you? Do you hear the Master saying, “Go work to-day in my vineyard”? Listen again to those words, “I was not satisfied with plowing the corn and cotton and chopping wood. I was my father’s oldest ‘boy.’ While working in the fields, with no prospect before me, I often asked myself the question, ‘Is there nothing different for me than this? Must I always do this kind of work when I know this precious truth, and thousands are dying all about us with no knowledge of it?’ . . . I resolved that I would do my best to accomplish something.”

To our young people this story should be a trumpet-call to service. Again that precious truth is illustrated, “I can of mine own self do nothing,” but “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

E. R. P.