Our Books and a Jew in Old Spain by H. A. B. Robinson

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 19, 1916

Our Books and a Jew in Old Spain

By H. A. B. Robinson

Although the high cost of living here is daily becoming more unbearable; although bakers are striking for more pay, and the people are clamoring for a reduction in the price of bread, an article which all families consume five times a day; although the industrial workers are organizing themselves and striking against the encroachments of capital, still the work of the Lord moves forward. During the first six months of the present year we have sold and delivered more than 17,000 pesetas ($3,400) of literature in this field. This amount is a little less than the sales during the same time during the preceding year, possibly because our men concentrated their work almost wholly in the smaller towns, which at first were thought not worth working with the large books. Now some are doing as well as they have done in some of the large cities, or better. One hundred per cent deliveries are not at all infrequent in these places, as well as in some of the large cities which are being reworked in a more systematic way than was done the first time.

After leaving several hundred papers as well as more than a hundred copies of our large books in Oran, Algeria, Africa, and its vicinity, Brother Lopez has come to Spain, where he expects to work until better conditions are established after the war.

We have had many experiences while going from city to city trying to point all whom we could to the Lamb of God, telling them of his soon coming to the world again, and of the signs which show that this event is near. In Seville, the city of auto-da-fé fame in Inquisition times, I met a young man who is a Russian Jew. For several years he had lived in New York City. Having won a scholarship in an art institute of that city, he is making a two-year painting trip through Europe, at the expense of the institute. I found him a self-satisfied, care-free person without faith and without God in the world. When we became acquainted, we began to talk freely about religion, and he read with pleasure copies of our papers lent to him. One Sabbath we had a talk which lasted two hours, and from this talk he seemed to learn that our heavenly Father is not a tyrant as he had thought, but a loving, kind God, who would have all men to be saved. After prayer, he said that some of the words he had heard brought tears to his eyes, and that he felt benefited. We continued studying, and he decided to have a Bible of his own, as I had to take mine with me when leaving for work in another city. He appreciates his Bible very much now, having found an excellent introduction to it in the book, “The Desire of Ages,” which I lent to him. He is now reading “The World’s Crisis,” and will probably soon start on “Daniel and the Revelation” or “The Great Controversy.” We pray for the conversion of this young man, who, we believe, might be a great help to our work among his people.

There is plenty of work here for those who will answer the Master’s urgent call for men to help in the whitened harvest. Will you answer the call, or persuade some one that should to do so?

H. A. B. ROBINSON.