The Work Among the Colored People
By James E. White
(To be Read in all the Churches on Sabbath, October 7) THE annual offering for the colored work in the South will be taken on Sabbath, October 7. The General Conference has set apart this day as the time when collections shall be taken up in all our churches in this country to aid in carrying forward the work among the colored people of the South. These donations, when received, will be divided so as to aid the different departments of this field. Last year a portion of the collection was apportioned to the Southern Missionary Society for its work in establishing and maintaining mission schools in various portions of the Southern Union Conference. Another portion was given to the support of the training-school at Huntsville, Ala. A third portion was given to the medical work among the colored people. The division of these funds is in the hands of the Southern Union Conference, which will apportion the money according to the needs of different branches of the colored work. All branches of the work for the colored people are in distressing need of all the aid that can be given. The Training-School at Huntsville
Last year a special effort was made to place this school upon vantage-ground. Great improvement was made upon the place, and the efficiency of this school is now much greater than it ever has been before. The present condition of the grounds and of the buildings is such as to teach object-lessons to the pupils which will be of great value to them in all their future life-work. But the work for this institution has just begun. A water system must be supplied to the place. Bath rooms must be put in operation. This school must not be allowed to fall behind, in equipment and efficiency, other schools for colored people operated by other denominations. Every teacher and worker before going to the field should have a training in simple treatments, practical hygienic cookery, and housekeeping. To no other workers are these requirements so essential as those who go out as instructors among the colored people in the South. Some thorough preparation must be made, and funds are required to fit up for this work. The Southern Missionary Society
This organization has in charge the mission-school work for the colored people. We must be pardoned if we express our opinion that perhaps this is the most important of all lines of work among the colored people in the South. Early in the history of the work we were instructed that not much could be done in the way of ordinary preaching, but it is through mission schools and house-to-house work that the most success can be attained. Through ten years of experience the correctness of this instruction has been demonstrated over and over again. Beginning in some place with a tent effort, or with preaching in some church, stirs up the ministers to opposition, and the people make decisions against the truth before they have an opportunity to investigate. On the other hand, school work pleases everybody. It does not awaken prejudice, and the teachers make friends in the homes of the pupils. Gradually the truth accompanies the work of teaching, and in quite a short time a church is raised up as the result of school work. In fact, every school established so far has resulted in the organization of a church. After a work is thus established in a place, it can be followed by tent work or other ministerial labor to good advantage. From the foregoing it will be seen that among the colored people of the South the mission-school work occupies a place similar to the tent-meeting or course of lectures given in schoolhouse or church in the North. In counting the cost it is demonstrated that the expense of this work, according to results accomplished, is much less than it is in the North as now being conducted. And a long time ago the word came to us that “this is the most fruitful field.” The success of the work demonstrates that nowhere in the North is there as much fruit gathered according to the labor and money expended as can be shown in this field. The Southern Missionary Society is the pioneer in this work. It goes ahead and builds small schoolhouses, which are also used as churches. Companies of Bible-reading Christians are raised up, and taught to read the Word of God for themselves, and the most promising ones are then chosen to be sent to the training-school at Huntsville to be fitted for workers among their own people. A united effort in all our churches ought to result in raising quite a goodly fund at this October offering. In a recent conversation with Elder I. H. Evans,20he said that he hoped that not less than ten thousand dollars would be raised as the result of this offering. This can be easily done if all our churches will lift together; and what a blessing it would prove to this important work in this needy field! It can be done if all the church elders will properly present this matter before their churches. A united effort is always successful among our people. There are demands at the present time for more than twelve new mission schools, and other demands are also important. Shall we all lift with our might at this time so that the work can go forward with a greater impetus than ever before?