The West German Union by N. Z. Town

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Oct 15, 1914

The West German Union

By N. Z. Town

N. Z. TOWN

The West German Union meeting was held in Friedensau, Germany, July 19-26. The services were held in a large pavilion pitched near the school and sanitarium. More than 1,200 of our people were present. This union has at present a total membership of 5,845. The net gain in souls during 1913 was 619. The report of tithes for the biennial period showed a gain over the previous period of 55,210 marks, or nearly $14,000. Besides the laborers of the union, Elders L. R. Conradi, H. F. Schuberth, G. W. Schubert, P. Steiner, G. Dail, and W. Koelling and J. Persson from East Africa, and the writer attended this meeting.

Many of our young people who have attended the Friedensau School were present, and a deep interest was shown in the foreign mission work. Elder Conradi's stereopticon talk on Africa was very much appreciated. When he asked how many of the young people present were willing to go to Africa in case they were called, more than 150 arose to their feet.

Last year was a good year for the Friedensau School, which is located in the East German Union, but serves this field also. The school had an attendance of about 150, and 103 of these young persons entered the work at the close of school.

The sanitarium in Friedensau is at present [at the time of the writer's visit] full of patients, and the outlook for the future is good. The manager of the publishing house in Hamburg reported a gain for last year of 103,000 marks, or $25,000. Aside from the profits reported, this publishing house also donated 8,000 marks, the gain on their health paper, Gute Gesundheit, to the sanitarium in Friedensau.

The German papers published at Hamburg are being especially prospered. The Herold der Wahrheit had an average circulation of over 100,000 last year, and showed a financial gain of over $9,000.

A new building has just been completed in Hamburg, and will be occupied by the International Tract Society, the union treasurers' offices, the health association, and the European Division packing department. This building, which has cost $110,000, will have a debt of only $62,000 when completed. The property at Grindelberg 15a, which is worth about $80,000, is free from all obligations.

The Hamburg Publishing House now has six large presses, which are all kept busy printing present truth in over twenty languages. Nearly 1,000 colporteurs are at work selling this literature. While the manager's report showed an encouraging increase in the sale of periodicals and smaller books, the sale of large books in Germany was less last year than the year before. Owing to special difficulties which canvassers have to meet in Germany, they have found they could do better selling books for cash than working on the subscription book plan. This doubtless accounts for the decrease of the sale of large books. But definite plans were made at the German meetings to get out prospectuses for large books, and to make earnest efforts to introduce the subscription book methods. We believe that this will mean an increase in the large book business in Germany in the future.

About 150 colporteurs were present at this conference, and two meetings each day were held in the interests of the colporteur work. Special attention was given to the methods of work which have proved successful in other parts of the world. There was a general sentiment in favor of adopting the regular subscription book plan. All believe that it will result in larger sales in Germany. Special meetings were also held with the nine field agents, who attended this meeting.

The following recommendation was enthusiastically discussed by Elder Conradi and others, and was unanimously adopted:—

“The circulation of our literature being an important factor in the work of the third angel's message, we recommend our workers and church officers to do all in their power to assist the leaders of the colporteur work in selecting promising men and women who will make the colporteur work their life work, and we further recommend that in the future such students in our school who have had good success in colporteur work and possess ability for that work, enter this work after leaving school, with a view of remaining in it.”

In the past, from among the students who attended the school, none have entered the colporteur work, but have been encouraged to take up other lines of work.

Owing to the growth of the work and the size of the territory in the Middle German Conference, it was decided at this meeting to divide this territory (after Magdeburg had been added to it from the East German Union), and thus form a new field — the Thuringian Conference.

In the last meeting that I attended, Sabbath afternoon, the entire congregation expressed the unanimous desire that I take their hearty greetings to the brethren and sisters in America.

COLPORTEURS ATTENDING THE WEST GERMAN UNION MEETING