This meeting was held June 14-19, in the delightful and beautifully located Norwegian capital. There is probably no foreign city with which our people in other lands are more fully acquainted than this, as they so manfully assisted in saving the cause of God from financial reproach by preserving the integrity of the Christiania publishing house a few years ago. We are thankful indeed that, while there is perhaps no marked change for the better in the commercial world in Norway, some can see tokens of improvement in the next year or two. Those who prophesy easier times, state that the power of the social democratic party is near its end, and there will be a renewal of business activity, and men who have money will be freer to invest it. However, within the last week, two more banks in the city have gone into bankruptcy, making eight Christiania banks to dissolve within the last four years, and during this time of business stagnation, the Norwegian banks have lost $11,000,000. Only the future will tell as to whether rock bottom has been reached or not. Overspeculation in land and buildings was largely responsible for the money panic that has been reigning here so long.
Delegates from our churches in Arendal, Bergen, Drammen, Frederiksstad, Hamar, Horten, Christiania, Christiansand, Larvik, Mandal, Moss, Sandnæs, Stavanger, Tromsø, and Trondheim were present; the churches in Fredrikshald, Gjøvik, Hadsel, Lille Vandve, Porsgrund, Skien, and Vardø sent no representatives.
Brethren P. A. Hansen, N. Clausen, and H. L. Henriksen, of Denmark, are here; from Iceland is Brother D. Östlund; while Brother O. A. Olsen, of Great Britain, has been with us. Brother L. R. Conradi had sufficiently recovered from the malaria he had contracted in German East Africa, to enable him and the writer to leave Hamburg Wednesday night; we arrived here Friday morning.
We found the routine business of the conference well under way. As some of the brethren had been richly blessed in their labors the past year, I have thought it might not be out of place to relate a few of their experiences. In one city, the wife of the chief civil engineer of the district, had, for a long time, been deeply interested in our work. She began to attend the course of lectures that was in progress in the town, but her husband was much opposed to the idea. To prevent her going, he locked up her best dresses, and refused to give her the key; she went to church in her working-dress, and this caused her husband to feel disgraced. He then tried other plans, which proved unsuccessful. Thus, after a number of years of waiting, she broke every tie that held her, determined to follow the Lord at all hazards.
Another interesting case was referred to: The sister of a gentleman who was much opposed to us, became convinced that we were presenting the Bible truth for these times, and she desired, also, to go forward in baptism; but her brother declared he would not allow it. The evening of the proposed celebration of this sacred rite, he was present on the shore of the lake, and very closely watched every candidate that stepped into the water. When the last one had been immersed, the gentleman inquired: “Was not my sister also going to be baptized?” The answer was, “Did you not see her as she went down into the water?” “Why,” exclaimed the astonished man, “she has not been baptized?” “Yes,” was the reply, “she was baptized quite a while ago.” Thus, in some way the man’s eyes had been holden, so that he had not seen what had occurred.
VISITORS AT THE MONUMENT
Another man, who wished to create still more bitter opposition to the truth, rented a large hall, at a cost of between twenty and thirty kroner for the night (a dollar is 3.70 kroner). He issued tickets, for which he proposed to charge fifty ore apiece, stating that the proceeds of the sale of these tickets would go toward establishing a fund to fight Adventism. He gave six of his friends complimentary tickets. The time of the appointed gathering arrived. These six friends came. The lecturer waited and waited; no other hearers were to be seen. He left the hall in disgust, bitterly railing at the townspeople and the members of the established church, because they had failed to support him in his opposition to the third angel’s message. In the cities in which these events took place, fifteen have already been baptized as the result of the effort put forth, and the interest continues.
At Stavanger, where one of our ministers worked two winters, we have a14church of fifty members. While engaged in proclaiming the truth there, he also held lectures in Sandnæs, and here we have a church of seventeen. Seven months ago he began laboring in Haugesund, where the established church had absolute sway. It seemed that everybody was opposed to him. Still his audiences ranged from three to six hundred each night, and many times the hall was so crowded that there were large numbers who had to go home, unable to find even standing room. The donations covered his expenses, as he received five hundred and fifty kroner to defray hall rent, light, fuel, etc. During Passover Week, representatives from Bergen and Stavanger were able to come over, so there were about sixty Sabbath-keepers together, and they had a good meeting.
The visiting brethren were largely entertained by the citizens of the city, free of charge. These brethren went out to Haroldstøtten, the national monument erected in memory of the king who first united Norway, and who was buried here A. D. 872. The accompanying illustration shows the group. People in Haugesund still desire to hear, and already sixteen have accepted the truth. The effort here will be continued during the summer. In this place we have had a great deal of opposition from Sabbath-keepers who once were our brethren, but have now formed themselves into a Seventh-day Zionist society: their purpose it is said to be to see the Jews reinstated in Palestine, and to oppose the spirit of prophecy.
The past year there were three church-schools in operation in Norway. The one at Hamar had fifteen pupils; it must keep its doors open nine months of the year, as this is required by law, in the cities. The young lady teacher receives ten kroner per month, and has board free. She follows the custom sometimes practised in earlier days in the West, of boarding around with each family interested in the school, for a week at a time. Thus she becomes better acquainted with the home life of her pupils, and the parents become better acquainted with her. The school at Hadsel has twelve pupils, and the one at Lille Vandve (on a little island in the land of the midnight sun) has eight pupils, and their term of school is three months, respectively, so that the same teacher is able to teach in both places. These schools are supported by tuition and donations. There was also a four months’ school for workers held in Christiania last winter. Twelve were in attendance. Seven hundred and twenty kroner was donated toward the enterprise. The common branches, book-keeping, and Bible were the principal studies. In the afternoon the students canvassed, thus assisting in defraying their expenses. Most of these pupils are now in the canvassing work.
The brother who is running the simple15treatment rooms in Hamar brings us a good report. He numbers among his patients many of the leading citizens of the place—lawyers, government officials, churchmen, merchants, etc. He considered the plan of starting a vegetarian restaurant. He did not have the money. He was not sure it would pay. He let his friends know of his project, and they advised him to try the experiment, and loaned him the utensils necessary to make it. He now serves two meals a week, and if he sees that the demand warrants it, he will open up this sort of work permanently. I was much interested in this man. I learned authentically, though indirectly, of one experience he had. It was just the day before Christmas. For the morning meal the family had eaten the last bit of food there was in the house. They had no money. The three or four holidays of the Christmas week were right upon them. The wife and mother was anxiously waiting for the father to get through giving his last treatment, that she might have the kroner and a half he expected to receive from his patient, to buy a little food before the stores should close at six o’clock. The door-bell rang. The postman came. He brought a letter. In the letter were ten kroner, sent by a friend who felt impressed of God to forward the money. God had answered their prayer. This brother can tell of other similar answers to his prayer of faith. He is always contented, never complains, works hard, and is a light to the neighborhood. God blesses him. A great many such men will be used in closing up the loud cry of the third angel. They may not be rich, nor have wonderful talents; but if they are rich in faith, and work hard, and are economical, and have good common sense, and love their neighbors, they will be useful Christians.
Our treatment rooms in Christiania and the Christiania publishing house have done well the past year, the property paying its way. The publishing house has printed a selection from “Sabbath Readings,” a neat book of two hundred and fifty-five pages; and the following tracts have been issued: “The Great Threefold Message;” “Christ’s Second Advent;” “Which Day Is the Sabbath?” “The Health Question;” and “The First Seven Steps on the Way of Life.”
There is another brother, of whose work I might speak. He has for years been doing what he could for others in Christiania. Now he has opened a vegetarian restaurant, where he plans to serve meals to five hundred a day. He already has one hundred and fifty for dinner, and about fifty for supper, though he is not really established in his work, as yet. He showed me the four floors he has rented, and told me that he takes his business affairs to God in prayer three times a day. He has within easy access of the patrons of his restaurant, our tracts and papers, and does what he can in this way to spread the truth. He is anxious to help others, and I believe that
if he keeps on as he has begun, he will be able to accomplish much good.
The brethren appointed to nominate officers for the coming year offered the following report, which was adopted: President, O. A. Johnson; Secretary, C. B. Jensen; Treasurer, A. C. Christensen; Missionary and Sabbath-school Department, Johan Nelson; Conference Committee, O. A. Johnson, O. P. Norderhus, O. J. Olsen, John Lorntz, J. Narem, N. P. Nelson, and O. R. Jordahl.
For 1903 the tithe of this field was four thousand dollars; offerings were nearly seven hundred dollars. Sixty-two persons were baptized. During the last seven months the conference debt was reduced about two hundred kroner, and five hundred kroner have been raised during the year for a tent, which will be used this summer. Nearly one hundred dollars was subscribed for the material fund at the meeting. The book sales amounted to forty-eight hundred dollars in 1903, and we hope this sum will be materially increased in 1904. The number of subscribers to our Norwegian health paper is twenty-three hundred, more than twice as many as a year ago, and for the religious journal we have thirteen hundred subscribers. The outlook is encouraging for a good year. Remember this field, with its six ministers, three Bible workers, and 2,200,000 people.
