p. 204 | The Pacific Coast by James White

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, Cal. · May 6, 1875

The Pacific Coast.

By James White

THE out-look is cheering all along the coast from the especial missionary headquarters of Elder Van Horn at Walla Walla, W. T., to San Diego Co., Cal., to which field Bro. John Judson, of Bloomfield, Sonoma Co., has moved, and where he is letting the light shine.

Elder Canright is at Stockton with the tent. Elder Loughborough is active in the churches at present, and God is blessing Elder Waggoner greatly and he finds a hearty welcome by the friends in California, and an encouraging field of labor.

The subject under most earnest consideration at the present time by the church in San Francisco is a house of worship central and commodious. It will at once be seen that this is an enterprise of considerable magnitude when we say that a tolerably acceptable site, at least one mile from the Postoffice, fifty-five or sixty feet front, costs the handsome sum of $13,000. But the house of the Lord must be built in this great city, which is one of the most attractive points in the world's great thoroughfare of travel. More than 100,000 emigrants will land in San Francisco in 1875, besides the constant moving in and out of the city, of tourists and business people from all parts of the world.

The church at San Francisco is not able to do what must be done to build a suitable house of worship in the great metropolis of the Pacific Coast. The evening of the 29th ult. we were in counsel with the church upon the subject of a house of worship, and offered $1,000 as an individual donation, and promised our influence with others for further help. There is more work to be done in San Francisco than that little church can do at present. It is a vast missionary field to be taken under the direct care of General Conference, when all its members, without a single exception, shall pledge in good faith to do what they reasonably can to advance the cause and to have confidence in those who have the oversight of the work. To accomplish that which should be done it will be necessary for every member to consecrate their efforts, and apply their means that they can spare for this one object. There are many charitable institutions and objects worthy in themselves, but far inferior to the one mentioned. When the church at San Francisco will come into this position, and do what they can, the balance will come from other sources.

We deeply sympathize with the church at San Francisco. At the very time when Eld. Grant was holding a very strong dividing influence over many, the condition of things was made far more critical by the imprudences and rashness of one who represented our cause in that city. This was the state of things when we first visited California, and which made our work very hard. But God has helped us, and we have seen the cause rising in union, numbers, and strength. Our policy to let Eld. Grant alone, as far as possible, has been the true one. The Elder has run a most singular course until he has run himself completely out. He could do nothing in his few, weak, divided churches, and after attending the great revival meetings in San Francisco, he made a most perfect failure at Healdsburg and Petaluma, attempting to ape Hammond, after he had disgusted the people by preaching by special appointment against Mrs. W. At Healdsburg he asked fifty cents admittance to hear him abuse a humble Christian woman. A number left in disgust before they got their money's worth. Oh! Oh! Elder Grant! Oh!

But we have neither time, space, nor disposition here and now to give even a sketch of the singular course of this man in his reports of success, most of which have been as false as false can be, of his pious railings and his determined, bitter spirit against Seventh-day Adventists, under his peculiar sanctimonious garb of holiness. We find in Himes' Journal for March, 1875, a statement originating in the city of San Francisco, given by seven persons whose integrity we have no right to call in question, which sets the position and condition of Seventh-day Adventists in contrast with Eld. Grant and his few friends, in a correct light excepting what is said of our retaliation. The statement is here given for the truth it tells, without the least disposition to take any part whatever with either party in the disgraceful scandal being published by Eld. Grant and the editor of the Journal from which we copy the following.

J. W.