My Lodge Experience by GEO. O. STATES

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 7, 1910

My Lodge Experience

By GEO. O. STATES

For a number of years I have felt I ought to write out my experience for the benefit of our own ministers, and the fathers and mothers, that they might intelligently warn the army of young people growing up among us of this terrible evil. After I began writing, I thought I would obtain experiences from some of our own people who had been members and seen the evils of lodges, and abandoned them. I then decided to correspond with ministers of other denominations and get short experiences from them. So for some years I have been gathering up these various experiences from those I believe to be earnest Christians, both in our own and in other denominations.

At first I thought of asking space to put it in the REVIEW, but as I studied the question, and saw more and more of its terrible evils, I decided to write only four or five articles for the REVIEW, and take more time and get out a pamphlet of about sixty-four pages, thus affording our people an opportunity to study this question from different points of view. I have made a long study of the nine volumes of the “Testimonies for the Church,” gathering principles bearing on this question. I have arranged with the Southern Publishing Association to print my booklet. Our brethren have kindly consented to fill all orders from there. It will contain my picture, so my old friends that I have known so many years can get a copy. It will be mailed to any address in the postal union for fifteen cents a single copy, or ten copies for one dollar. I hope every minister in our ranks will read it, and then do all he can to place it in the homes of our people.

I want to make a special appeal to every father and mother in our ranks to make a special effort to place this work in the hands of your young people. Other denominations have learned from sad experience that as surely as the young people unite and become interested in the various lodges, just so surely they lose their usefulness in church work.

Brethren and sisters, I am not an alarmist, but I tell you earnestly in the fear of God that unless there is a waking up all through our ranks, these influences will become such that they will sweep our dear children into the lodges and out of the third angel's message.

Send all orders to the Southern Publishing Association, 2123 Twenty-fourth Ave., North, Nashville, Tenn. GEO. O. STATES.