Canal Zone by H. Louie Mignott

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 15, 1912

Canal Zone

By H. Louie Mignott

EMPIRE.— The town of Empire is about the largest town in the Canal Zone. It is thirty-five miles south of Colon, and twelve miles north of Panama City. It has a population of about twenty-five hundred, consisting of different nationalities, the majority being West Indians. The sanitation of this town is almost perfect, which makes it a very healthful place. The town contains the following places of importance: A market, post-office, two banks (one international and one governmental), two municipal buildings, three public schools (white, colored, and Spanish), one Y. M. C. A., and a fire department.

Its representative religious bodies are, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists, Christian Missions, Salvationists, Millennial Dawnists, and Seventh-day Adventists. I came to this place in June of the past year, and found a few believers who had been endeavoring to hold up the torch of truth amid the prevailing moral darkness. These few have come from other places with the knowledge of the truth.

Suitable halls are not available here. The better places are taken up by business men, saloon-keepers, operators of billiard-halls, etc. We are compelled to take “a manger,” as there is “no room in the inn” for us. In a little obscure hall, hot, incommodious, and illy ventilated, we have endeavored to proclaim the third angel’s message. Many have been convinced of the truth; but, as they are here seeking the treasures of Egypt, they fail to have “respect unto the recompense of the reward.” Their bread and butter being a weighty consideration, they can not esteem “the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures” of the Canal Zone. We are glad to state, however, that five are now preparing for the ordinance of baptism, and we hope to see a goodly number of the interested ones take their stand on the solid platform of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Panama is certainly a needy field. The work here is of great importance. Along the Canal Zone may be found men out of every nation under heaven. The work on the Zone will soon be finished, and these various peoples will be deported to their respective countries. These men must be apprised of the solemn fact that God’s judgment hour is soon to end. They must hear the threefold message of Revelation fourteen. We can not stand clear in God’s sight until we fulfil our mission in warning them.

Our canvassers have put within the homes of many, several million pages of our literature, which we expect to see do a good work. But that is not enough. The attention of the public needs to be arrested by the living preachers. They are to call the people’s attention to the events which are now taking place in heaven and on the earth. These things are recorded in the books that have been placed in their hands by the evangelical canvassers. When these truths are brought vividly before the people, there is going to be such a harvest of souls as is expressed by the following predictions: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.” “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things. . . . He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.” That is the outlook from this field, and from every other.

God is now calling for the eleventh-hour men. He asks: “Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.” May we heed God’s call to the needy fields.

H. LOUIE MIGNOTT.