The October Collection for the Colored Work in the South
By George I. Butler
About three years ago the General Conference Committee of our people assembled in College View, Neb. After a careful consideration of the matter, it was unanimously voted to set apart each autumn a day for the taking up of a collection for the colored work in the South. The primary reason for this collection is the great and distressing need that exists. We are a missionary people, making strenuous efforts to-day for the spread of what we firmly believe to be the saving truths of the third angel’s message throughout our world, the everlasting gospel in fact, with the glorious truth of the close proximity of the second advent of our Lord Jesus Christ embraced in this message. It is a source of deepest interest to us as a people that this message is being proclaimed in all the great nations of the world to-day, and that every part of our world is being made acquainted with it. While we greatly rejoice at the rapid progress of our work in all climes and in all lands, and behold thousands in foreign countries embracing it and rejoicing in the light of present truth; and while we are sending missionaries far away to benighted Asia, dark Africa, and the islands of the sea, and intend to continue to do so, may it not be proper to carefully consider a neglected branch of missionary effort in our own land? It is gratifying to know that the United States of America was the highly favored country which God chose in which to originate and develop the great system of present truth which we believe is so important for the world in these last days. This country must ever be the place from which are sent forth the ambassadors of truth to enlighten all lands. It is our greatest joy as a people that God has bestowed upon us this inestimable privilege of thus scattering the seeds of divine truth in all lands. May God help us faithfully to do this work. But we must not neglect unfortunate peoples or races in our own borders. To such we owe special consideration. The Africans are naturally a religious race. Even the intense and degrading superstitions practised in their native land are evidences of this. Those are Satan’s perversions of their religious natures. The earnest piety of many converted Africans is other and better evidence of the same thing. Had the glorious light of present truth been diligently taught this race in our6own country since the abolition of slavery, as it should have been, we might have had many colored missionaries to send to the Dark Continent, to better endure the perils of that climate than white races can. How many are the reproofs and admonitions of the Testimonies to us for not having done far more for the colored race among us? Probably there is no one thing which has more grieved the heart of the servant of the Lord than this neglect on our part to do a greatly needed work for that unfortunate race. It is some little perception of this fact that has prompted the appointment of a day each year for the collections for the colored people. The facts warrant the necessity of this step. There are in our country to-day about nine or ten millions of the descendants of those shipped from Africa’s coast in the horrible slave ships, perhaps fully one eighth of the whole population of the United States. To the best of the writer’s belief, there is considerably less than one thousand colored Sabbath-keepers in the United States to-day. Probably three fourths of these are in the Southern Union Conference. The writer is perhaps as well informed as to the number of these Sabbath-keepers as any one, having given the subject close consideration because of his official position, and he doubts if there are over five hundred colored Sabbath-keepers within the bounds of this union conference. Quite a portion of these came into the truth as the result of the trips of the “Morning Star,” and the labors of those who made earnest efforts in connection with her for the building up of the colored work. It can be readily seen that here is a work that has been sadly neglected. The Testimonies have reiterated this fact over and over. Our denomination in the United States, numbering in the aggregate some sixty or seventy thousand, can not justly shirk this great responsibility. It rests upon us as a people. God will not bless our efforts to ignore it or thrust it off. It is absurd beyond all expression to assume that the less than two thousand white Sabbath-keepers in the South, in their poverty and weakness, can carry this immense responsibility. That burden of responsibility rests upon all our Sabbath-keepers in the United States. God has given them the light of truth. He has given them the means. Perishing souls in our own country must receive attention. There is no other source to which to look. It is useless to think of looking to foreign fields for financial aid. The blood of souls will be found on our garments if we do not heartily endeavor to carry forward this work. Neither is this collection taken up for the benefit of the Southern Union Conference alone. To be sure, the larger part of it goes to that union conference, but solely from the fact that probably three fourths of all the colored people in the United States live therein. The Southwestern Union Conference has a portion of the collection, as do also Virginia and Maryland; and at the late meeting of the General Conference Committee last spring another small percentage was claimed for the colored work in Washington. We make no complaint of these subdivisions of the fund. The progress of the work among this unfortunate race in any part of the United States is of the same interest and importance. Yet the great bulk live within the bounds of the Southern Union Conference. There is the greatest need. The educational interests predominate above all others in importance; indeed, our whole work is educational in its nature. In the “Morning Star,” which served as a meeting-house where the truth was preached to the benighted toilers of the dark race, night-schools were also held, and young people, middle aged, and even old people came as pupils. One interesting case may be mentioned of an old woman who had never learned to read. She had a great longing to be able to read her Bible for herself. Under great difficulties she resolutely studied, with this object in view, and triumphantly succeeded, being at last able to read her Bible through. What a lesson and reproof for multitudes of the more favored white people who are well able to read all kinds of literature, but who care nothing for the blessed Bible. As the work broadened from its initiation on the “Morning Star,” schools for colored pupils were established, and wherever established, finally resulted in the organization of churches of that race. These schools have been kept up by the aid which the Southern Missionary Society has furnished. Here is a great field of usefulness opened up; and the great need which the collection is designed to supply is to help sustain and enlarge the sphere of these most useful schools, establishing them all through the South, helping to erect suitable school buildings, pay teachers, etc. Help must be extended, as they can not be made self-supporting in view of the great poverty prevailing among Seventh-day Adventists. We have but one training-school for the colored people in the world to-day. This is established near Huntsville, Ala. It has been in progress about six years. It needs the fostering care of our people generally. It ought to be filled to its utmost capacity by the brightest students to be obtained among the colored population. It is an industrial school, situated on a large farm. Improvements and added facilities are greatly needed. This training-school is the hope of the colored work; here teachers, nurses, Bible workers, and young ministers should be instructed and trained to carry the truths of this message among this needy people. The spirit of prophecy has spoken in the most positive terms of the importance and great needs of this school. Will our people help to meet the expense of this undertaking? We must look to this collection to meet this crying want. A small percentage of the collection is also appropriated to assist the weaker State conferences of the Southern Union and other fields in sustaining this work in their territories. Such funds are greatly needed. May the Lord put it into the hearts of our people to be liberal in their gifts to this most important October collection. President Southern Union Conference.