“PRINCES shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.” Ps. 68: 31.
There is a special interest attaching to fields connected with Bible history. We are familiar with the names in the good old Book. While we rejoice to know that a church is raised up in some large city, be it in England, or Scandinavia, or Germany, it gives a special thrill of joy to know that a church is being built up in Jaffa, Jerusalem, on the shores of the Nile, or in Rome, places which are more or less connected with the Bible story.
The French-Latin Field
The French-Latin field takes in France, French Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and the northern part of Africa, which is under French influence. In this great field, with one hundred million people, we have at the present time about six hundred Sabbath-keepers. Of these, four hundred, who speak the French language, are in French Switzerland.
The student of the Reformation will be interested to know that during the last two years quite a church has been raised up in the city of Geneva, one of the great centers of the Reformation. Last year we had a camp-meeting in that city. Elder Wilkinson, who is in charge of that field, also conducted a Bible school in Geneva. He had about twelve young people around him, instructing them in the truths of the Lord, and at the same time he, with Elder Tieche, our French minister laboring there, raised up a good, strong church in that center of the Reformation. We have a strong German church at Zurich, the home of Zwingli, and I hope the day is not far distant when we shall have one at Wittenberg. The tithe in little Switzerland was over four thousand dollars, making over ten dollars for each church-member. They have twelve churches and seven ministers.
Now let us come to France. It is a hard country; it is filled with infidelity, and is also the stronghold of the papacy; but we are thankful to God that there the truth is spreading. At the present time France has about seven churches, with one hundred and thirty members; and during the last two years, work has been opened up in Paris, a city of about three millions. An institute was conducted there last winter. Seventeen young people were gathered in and instructed in the truth, to be fitted as workers in this great field; and at the same time the truth was preached to others. Those are the best schools after all, because they bring direct results in souls, and the truth is being established. I think Paul of old had a school, and carried it right along with him, and the result of that school wherever he went was a good strong church. That was the telling effect of the good teaching of Paul.
Our brethren are very anxious to extend the work in France. But they have for that great field, with forty million people, only seven laborers, and with its colonies it has as large a population as the United States.
Passing from France into Italy, brings us nearer to Paul—to Rome. Up to the present time, most of our work in Italy has been carried on in the Waldensian valleys, and in these valleys the Italian language is not spoken, but the French. The valleys are on the very border of France, high up in the mountains, and the people speak a poor French, but the work has been continued there during the last two years; and far up in the Waldensian valleys, the home of the old church during the Dark Ages, we have to-day a church of forty members. It cheers me to think that these old places are again to be lightened with the knowledge of this blessed truth. But we are not satisfied to stop in the mountains, in the refuge provided for the church in the days of persecution. God has broken the bonds, and given us liberty; and I am thankful that one good minister—I think he is from the State of California, Elder Everson—to-day is at Rome. And he is not simply at Rome, but he has full liberty to preach this precious gospel in that city. What we want to do is to lift up our15hearts in prayer, that God may stay up his hands and may raise up laborers, and by the time another conference assembles, we may bring you greetings from the church at Rome.
In the writings of the apostle Paul, we read about Spain. Paul had in mind to go to Spain and Portugal. There are about twenty-three million people there. The last thing we did before leaving Europe was to send three good men to Spain to investigate matters concerning our publishing work, and the gospel work in general, and you have heard the report from Elder Wilkinson’s letter, which read by Brother Daniells, that Spain is open to-day for the gospel. Shall we enter the field? Several young men are ready to go, but what is needed first is a good, strong laborer to enter that country.