Great Blessings and Great Responsibilities
By Arthur G. Daniells
THE most important and the most precious thing in the world to-day is God’s message for to-day. That is the third angel’s message of Revelation 14. The greatest gift, the greatest fortune, that can come to any one to-day is a saving knowledge of the third angel’s message. Those who receive it are brought under great obligations to God and humanity. This is the view that was taken by the pioneers of the cause set on foot by this threefold message. They reckoned themselves debtors to all men. They abandoned the pleasures and riches of the world, and addressed themselves to the one great task of making the message known to all the world. Their view was right, and it must still dominate this people. The supreme question of the hour is the proclamation of the third angel’s message to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. This will require the devotion of our talents, means, and lives to the work. Nothing less will answer the call to arise and finish the work. The signal to establish our headquarters at the capital of the American nation marked the beginning of a new era. Since this step was taken, events of great meaning have followed one another in quick succession. A profound impression has been made upon the minds of our people all over the world. Their hearts have been moved alike. A unifying work has been begun. The universal response to calls for the means required to establish the headquarters in the new location is a cheering omen. It expresses genuine confidence in the spirit of prophecy that has guided the movements of this cause from the earliest days. Possessing this confidence in this unspeakable gift to the cause to which we are giving our lives, we can not cease serving nor giving until all has been done that has been placed before us. The delegates to the recent General Conference will never lose the wonderful impressions made upon their minds as the delegates placed before the conference the contributions they had brought from their brethren for the work at Washington. It greatly stirred our hearts. The scene and the impressions are of the kind that grow brighter and more sacred as time passes. The grand response of our people all over the United States to the call of Sister White and a few brethren on the Pacific Coast to close up the One Hundred Thousand Dollar Fund by the close of the conference, has filled the hearts of thousands of people with deep gratitude. The way looks brighter ahead. It now appears more possible than it did a year ago to compass the work outlined in the instruction from the spirit of prophecy. In all the communications regarding the work to be done at Washington, it has been clearly stated that the publishing house should be placed on vantage-ground. In our original call for help, no provision was made for this. It was fondly hoped that the proceeds from the sale of the publishing house at Battle Creek would be sufficient, after paying all obligations, to provide all the publishing facilities that would be required in Washington. Whether this hope will be realized, remains to be seen. The property at Battle Creek has not been disposed of. The difficulties to be met are many, and the sales are tardy. The publishing interests at Washington are pressing, and they are enlarging. Since our removal to this place nearly two years ago, our printing facilities have been confined to what machinery we could place in two rooms of the basement of a dwelling-house. Here we have set the type and done the folding and mailing of the REVIEW, Instructor, Sabbath School Worker, and Life and Health. We have no presses, hence we are obliged to send all our type forms out to a city printing house. We pay this printing house about four hundred dollars every month for doing the press work on our papers. In addition to this, we are paying nearly two thousand dollars a year in rent. The loss in money, the inconvenience in conducting our work, and the limitations placed upon our power to do what is called for, make it absolutely necessary to erect a building and install machinery. Should conflict arise between the printing houses and the unions in this city, we should be paralyzed. Our papers would be cut off. These considerations led the General Conference at the session just closed to pass the following recommendations:— Whereas, It has been arranged that the Review and Herald Publishing Association shall make a credit to the General Conference Corporation of fifteen thousand dollars on the account owing to the Review and Herald by the International Training-school Association; and,— Whereas, Said Review and Herald Publishing Association was prepared to make this credit to the General Conference Corporation only with the understanding that said General Conference would endeavor to assist said Review and Herald Publishing Association if they came to need the same; and,— Whereas, Said Review and Herald Publishing Association have now requested said General Conference to provide a plan whereby this fifteen thousand dollars can be returned to said association; therefore,— We recommend, (1) That our people everywhere be requested to continue their contributions to the Washington fund so that there may be an overflow in excess of the one hundred thousand dollars for the Washington work. (2) That the first fifteen thousand dollars received on the One Hundred Thousand Dollar Fund above one hundred thousand dollars be turned over to the Review and Herald Publishing Association. When these resolutions were placed before the delegates,— I. H. Evans explained that for many years the Review and Herald had carried large obligations for the old Battle Creek College, representing money advanced, on which the Review Office had paid interest. He explained the efforts the college had made at various times to reduce the amount owing the publishing house, which had given credits to reduce the account, and had entered into various arrangements to favor the college. All this simply amounted to the granting of favors and the making of transfers by the publishing house until there was a balance of fifteen thousand dollars coming to it. At the College View council last September propositions were brought forward as to handling the college property. There it was proposed that the Review and Herald of Washington, should forgive the balance of the debt. But they could not give away their assets unconditionally. It was agreed that if the taking over of the business by the new association could be handled so that they would be able to7build in Washington, they might be able to forgive the fifteen thousand dollars against the college property. But this was doubtful, they felt. The brethren in council then said, Let us encourage all to make an overflow of contributions to this Washington fund, so as to help the publishing work if need be, and then have the Review and Herald carry out the suggestion of giving the credit of fifteen thousand dollars to the General Conference Corporation, which has taken over the title to the college property. The college obligations would have to be paid anyway, and by this means the overflow on the One Hundred Thousand Dollar Fund will not only help to establish the new publishing house in Washington, but by just that amount reduce the sum to be raised on the old college obligations. We are sure that this provision to meet the serious situation we now face will appeal to our people, and that those who have not yet done what they can to establish the work here will now come forward with their gifts. This move and these investments are not the wild fancies of men. They are a most important part of a great plan arranged by a divine mind and revealed to this people. There is nothing in this world for which money can be spent that will bring such great and enduring returns. Brethren, we know that God has led us to this place, we know he has directed what shall be established here, and now let us learn what unspeakable blessings will come as a result of prompt obedience to his instructions.