Battle Creek — A City Warlike Only in Name
In the January number of The Four-Track News, “an illustrated magazine of travel and education,” published in New York City, there appeared an article on “Battle Creek — A City Warlike Only in Name,” in which mention is made of this denomination. We quote the following paragraphs:— In 1855 came a colony of Seventh-day Adventists from Maine. They erected a printing house, a tabernacle, and other buildings, and soon became an important factor in the town’s growth. The organization of this sect is very simple. They attach their names to a covenant to keep the commandments and the faith of Jesus Christ. The Bible, and especially the prophetic books, is their creed. Their distinctive principles are: to honor the seventh day (Saturday) and keep it holy, and to await the second coming of Christ, when the righteous shall reign with him, and the wicked be destroyed. They often maintain their worship without the aid of a preacher, only as one may occasionally visit them (like the Friends), leaving the ministers free to devote their time to missionary work. They believe in health reform and the curing of the sick, and banish the use of flesh foods, tea and coffee, tobacco and spirits. Among the illustrations is a very good one of “The Seventh-day Adventist Tabernacle.”