One Thousand Dollar Colporteurs by E. R. P.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 11, 1912

One Thousand Dollar Colporteurs

By E. R. P.

ONE of the most interesting features of the bookmen's conventions held in the Southeastern and Southern Union Conferences was the reports from those who had sold at least $1,000 worth of books during the year 1911.

The union conferences had offered to pay the traveling expenses to the bookmen's convention and union conference, and the publishing house to pay for the entertainment, of all who would sell $1,000 worth of books during the year, and pay in full for the same.

This generous offer was extended by the Southern Union to those who would work 1,600 hours during the year, even though their sales might fall short of $1,000.

Winners of the Prize

The following are the names of those who succeeded in winning the prize, with the value of the sales of each in the two unions mentioned:—

Southeastern Union

R. L. Underwood ........$1536.00

W. H. George ........... 1476.75

J. P. Allran ........... 1476.25

J. W. Siler ............ 1214.00

L. D. Wright ........... 1120.00

M. J. Weber ............ 1100.00

Southern Union

Benjamin Griffiths ...... 1000.00

Mamie Moore ............. 1003.00

C. H. McColrey .......... 1000.00

Virgil Smith ............ 1000.00

Those Who Worked 1600 or More Hours

C. G. Jorgenson

C. E. Morphew

M. L. Ivory

Emily Billups

Joseph S. Moore

H. E. Beck

I. W. Peevy

R. H. Hazelton

The Lake Union also introduced this feature into its work last year, and the following-named persons succeeded in delivering over $1,000 worth of books, and will have their expenses paid to the bookmen's convention, which will be held late in April:—

N. O. Kittleson ........$1340.60

L. Clarke .............. 1067.15

J. Hicks ............... 1173.25

R. Joyce ............... 1164.00

A. L. VanFossen ........ 1325.00

Hugh Stearns ........... 1081.35

Hugo Mitzelfeld ........ 1024.30

Louis Sholtz ........... 1079.00

An Experience Meeting

At the Southern Union conference, Brother A. F. Harrison had his workers take their places on the platform at one meeting and relate their experiences. The consecration; the faithful time put in, which in many instances reached an average of more than forty-five, and even more than fifty, hours a week for the whole year; the story of special blessings, of the bringing of some into the truth, of wonderful deliveries in territory that had been devastated by flood, or cyclone, or drought, or the boll-weevil,—all was told with the simplicity and eloquence of love and devotion. It might have been said of each of them, “How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?” for they had enjoyed few educational advantages, though it was evident that they were being taught in the school of experience.

We give here two of these inspiring reports. The first is from a colored sister about seventy years of age. No one knows really just how old she is. She was a slave girl several years before the war, and has the ingenuity, tact, and consecration of the colored “mammies,” who are still affectionately remembered by the white people of the South.

Generally, the colored colporteurs can not work among the white people. They must search out their own people, which of course considerably handicaps them. The white colporteurs can work among all classes. But this aged colored sister marches right up to the front door of the grand people's homes, and with her wit and good humor, defies the color-line and everything else.

Colored People in Heaven

One day she was showing her book to a fine lady, who felt it her duty to point out kindly to the old woman her proper place as a colored person. She said, “Do you mean to say that you think the colored people will ever go to heaven?” The old woman thought a moment, and then replied, “When I came along the road, I saw quite a number of cattle; some were red, some were white, some were spotted, and some were black, but they were all cattle.” And so she thought that though some in this world are white, some are yellow, and some are black, they are all sinners, and have the same chance through grace. Thus the old woman wins her way.

The Tact That Wins

One day she called at the front door of a grand home. A dignified gentleman in a long coat met her and asked what she wanted. “I want to see the missus,” was the reply. “But,” he said, “can you not tell me what you want; the mistress may not wish to be troubled?” In reply the old woman said, “I rather talk to the missus than to a man.” And so, supposing it was something about the washing, or something she did not care to speak to him about, he invited her into the parlor by the front way, instead of sending her around the back way, as would generally have been the case.

The mistress was called, and the old woman took out her prospectus and began to show it to her. The man was indignant. He began to walk up and down the parlor and to scold the woman for having called. He said: “We do not want to buy any books. We have plenty of good books, and we do not want you coming in like this and trying to get us to buy books.”

The old woman replied: “You don't have to buy no books. I just want to show my book to the missus, and if she don't want it, I will go right along and make no further trouble.” But as she proceeded with her canvass,—the most original and beautiful, Brother Harrison said, of any to which he had ever listened,—the gentleman stopped, and standing right in front of her, listened to the whole story. When she had finished, he said: “Didn't I tell you that we did not want to buy any books? But I have changed my mind; that book seems to be just what I want, and I have decided to take two of them.” And so he did, and she went on her way happy.

WINNERS OF THE PRIZE IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNION

And so all through the whole twelve months of the year that dear old woman tramped over her territory. She said that the sun never caught her in bed; she was off to her territory before the sun was up, and worked as late as she could. By hard work, tact, and consecration, she won the prize—the first colored woman who ever sold so many of our books in one year.

A Story of Sacrifice and Perseverance

Another most interesting story was told by Brother Smith. He is a plain, earnest man, about thirty-five years of age. He has a feeble wife and two or three children. Saturday night he fixed up his records, did his writing, and repaired his own clothes, ready for another week's work. On Sunday he did the washing for the family, and helped his wife with the cooking. Sunday evening he went back to his territory, so as to be ready for work early Monday morning. He came back to his family every Thursday night, so as to help his wife do the necessary work before the Sabbath.

His wife took as great interest as he in his effort to win the prize. He had never attended a bookmen's convention or a union conference, and, as can be easily understood, in view of his devotion to her and the children, she was extremely anxious that he should succeed.

Just Short of the Prize

In this way he worked on through the year until Christmas. When he came home to spend Christmas, he figured up all his accounts, and found that his sales had reached $978.50. Their hearts fell to zero as it dawned upon them that after all that year's work he had come so near to success and had failed. They shed

some tears over the matter, then had a season of prayer, and he decided that he would make a last effort, and if possible would win, even though he had no time to take orders for a delivery before the first day of the new year. His only chance for success was to sell books for cash, and he was in doubt as to whether he would succeed.

Snatching Victory From Defeat

On Tuesday morning, the day after Christmas, with just the number of books to make up the amount, he started for his territory. It was raining in torrents; and when he reached his field, he found the whole country under water, and the water was already running into the houses. All he could do was to take the train and go home, believing for the second time that he had failed. But that night they prayed again about the matter, and Wednesday morning the sky was clear, and he started again. This time he went to the hill country, where he thought the chances would be better. He started in taking orders the same as usual, and then told the people what he was trying to do, and in each case delivered the book at once.

The reader should have heard him tell the story, how he worked through that day and into the evening, and then early the next morning, and then of the finish Thursday night, when out in the hills, all alone, he took off his hat and swinging it in the air, gave three cheers for the successfully finished work.

It did us all a great deal of good to listen to his simple story. The workers had been hearing about this effort all summer, and they were greatly interested in these reports.

Considering conditions in the South and what they have struggled with this year in many ways, and considering the deliveries, which average only about fifty-four per cent of the orders taken, it was really a great achievement actually to deliver and pay for a thousand dollars' worth of books.

I trust that these experiences may inspire many others, and especially our young people who will soon be finishing school, to go out into the needy fields, and devote themselves to the circulation of our literature with the same untiring devotion manifested by these faithful workers.

E. R. P.