Atlantic Union Conference
By H. W. Cottrell
The sanitarium department of the work in this conference is developing encouragingly. The sanitarium at South Lancaster is well filled with patients, who represent various sections of the Eastern States. It has been well patronized since its opening. There is complete co-operation with the management, the medical faculty, and helpers, for which we are grateful to our Heavenly Father. The influence of sanitarium work on the general public is excellent. Similar work is also being started in Philadelphia, New York City, and some other sections of the conference. The academy is well filled with a promising company of young men and women, the larger number of whom have much zeal for active missionary work. The faculty and trustees are of one mind in plans to bring about the best results in the school. The importance of special educational work among us is being more fully appreciated. Church schools are prospering throughout the field. One lady has contributed thirty-five hundred dollars to apply on the erection of a dormitory for the boys at the academy. We need several thousand dollars more to erect the structure, and we are already quite well assured of the larger portion of this. We will contract no debt, but will build when the money is in hand. There are ten local conferences in our union, the larger number of which are making a special effort to close out the sale of their quota of “Christ’s Object Lessons” at an early date. The New England Conference has completed the sale of its quota, except the actual cash sale of four hundred and ninety-eight copies. The spirit to canvass for our subscription books is rapidly coming to the front in conferences which have taken hold with a strong spirit in the sale of “Christ’s Object Lessons;” but there is room for many more canvassers in the field, and the Lord is calling for them, too. The interest in the Sabbath-school work is good, and is constantly increasing, especially where conventions have been held in their interest. Missionary work that may be accomplished by the distribution of periodicals should be largely augmented in each conference in the union. There has not been as much evangelical work done of late by the regular ministers as was being done before so many of them took a hand in the distribution of “Christ’s Object Lessons.” However, there are sections—such as for Boston, New York, and some other places—where excellent work is still being carried forward. The prospect for tent- and camp-meeting work for the summer campaign is encouraging. We appreciate the fact that great responsibilities devolve upon us to bear a clear and definite message, seeing there is more than one third of the entire population of the United States living within our borders.