St. Catherines, Ontario
By F. C. Webster
We are glad to report, for the encouragement of our people, that the Lord has gone before us and with us and opened the hearts of the people in this city to receive the message of truth. Especially has he helped us in bringing the truth prominently before them through the public press. Our tent effort began with a small attendance, which has gradually increased, largely as the result of the publicity given to our work, until now we have a fair attendance of an excellent class of people. Up to the sixth week of the meetings every sermon appeared in the Daily Standard, which has the largest circulation of any paper in the city; and besides, these sermons have been printed in many of the war extras. These reports have averaged more than a half column, and have contained a synopsis of different phases of the message. One of the local ministers, who evidently became alarmed at the publicity of our work, attacked us through this paper in a most violent manner on the Sabbath question; but at the close of his second article, which was nearly two columns in length, the editor added the brief statement that this article would close the discussion so far as his paper was concerned. The next morning I called on the editor as usual with a report of the sermon the preceding night, and he informed me that they were glad to publish our sermons, and would continue to do so; that the idea was to shut out the minister who desired to monopolize so much space, and who had attacked us with such lack of courtesy. We have made no direct reference to this attack in a public way, but have gone on with our advertised subjects, and answered his arguments one by one as we have come to them. This incident has, of course, resulted in our favor. Some living in other towns have read the sermons in the paper and have come to the city for the purpose of attending the meetings. Up to the present time, nine have taken their stand for the truth, and others are much interested. Among those who have begun to observe the Sabbath is a young man who is planning to attend one of our schools to prepare for active service in the Lord's cause, one was a member of the Catholic Church, and another lives in a town several miles away and first heard of the meetings by reading the sermons in the paper.