An Appeal in Behalf of the Large Cities
By Stephen N. Haskell
[The following appeal was read at the General Conference, and we think it ought to reach all our people. We therefore present it through the columns of the Review.—Ed.] To the General Conference Assembled: As I shall not be able to attend the General Conference, I wish to make a plea in behalf of the leading cities of America. About twenty years ago there was a boom to enter our large cities and establish missions, until the cost nearly ruined many of our conferences. But now it has been demonstrated that missions can be established without robbing any conference, and be made self-supporting. We do not say this boastingly, but understandingly. We have tried it in some of the largest cities in the world, and while not every mission has been entirely self-supporting,—the conference has helped us in some instances,—yet as a general rule a company of workers will in one year support themselves, build meeting houses, and not be dependent on funds that would go to other portions of the work. There are in the United States thirty-eight cities the smallest of which contains over one hundred thousand, and they aggregate over fourteen million. Is it not the people that we are after? And what are we doing in these cities? Something is being done in most of them. But all must admit that there is not one half as much being accomplished as should be. There should be training schools in every one of them, and workers should be trained to enter other cities, both in this country and in foreign fields. They should be trained in the field, and instructed both in the Bible and in practical work. It was in the leading idolatrous city of the world that the great apostle taught and “showed” how, both in public and in private, from house to house, the workers are to labor for souls. Acts 20:17-21. Three of these cities—Boston, St.5Louis, and Baltimore—have a population of over half a million each; while three of them—Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York—have over one million each. The six taken together, have a million more than the other thirty-two of the thirty-eight cities. The relative importance of these cities is in the number of inhabitants they contain, their wealth, and their commercial relations to other parts of the world. In each of these three points, Greater New York stands far in advance of every other city in this country, and in wealth and commercial relations it is the leading city in the world. Many trusts and money monopolies have their headquarters here. It is the gateway to the Eastern world—Europe, Asia, Africa, and the islands of the Atlantic Ocean. These are important considerations; for the truth is to go to every people, nation, and tongue. And God says to his people, “Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings [who knows but this refers to money kings, as well as other ruling monarchs?]. . . . For brass I will bring gold, for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.” Isaiah 60. That is, our resource, as compared to God’s supplies, will be as brass to gold, iron to silver, etc. The entire chapter is in the loud cry of the third angel’s message. It can be read and studied with profit. Greater New York alone has a population of nearly three and one-half million. These include people of every class and clime. It contains nearly one twentieth of the entire population of this country, reckoning the population at seventy million. It is a world by itself. It is in our own land. Every class of people can be reached by the English tongue, only their native tongue is better. It is a foreign field. It has a million Germans; eighty thousand Scandinavians; hundreds of thousands of Jews of every grade and class; and some of every other nationality in the world. Every kind of religionist, from the Buddhist and Confucian to the most enlightened Christian, may be found here. There are the fewest of the East India people and the Mohammedans. India is the place in which to reach the most enlightened of these people. As to the customs of the people, they are different from any other English-speaking city in the world. On the surface there is no acknowledgment of the races, as in the South, but beneath the surface it is as strong as in the South. First-class houses or flats are refused if colored people are taken on social equality. Each day you will see every class and shade of people mingling as in all other cities, only more so; but when they retire to their homes, the line is drawn. It is the strongest city I ever was in for social lines and caste. This being the case, no person can judge of how the work is to be carried forward in detail unless he is on the ground and knows the people. There are scores of men who are agents for the wealthy, looking around for some philanthropic enterprise, some religious work, and other enterprises where they can invest their money. To obtain access to these men there are as many sentinels to pass as to reach a general of an army. But there are avenues to every one of them. God works through means, and if the means or agents exist, that is one essential step. This city is to be warned, and what are we doing? We have three vegetarian restaurants, all private enterprises. We do not say but that each one of them is doing what it can. They have all been advertised and are known as Seventh-day Adventist restaurants. We do not wish to cast the least reflection upon any of them, but should the denomination take one of them, and it be conducted under a committee of management, there might be an improvement in some respects. As for treatment rooms, what have we? There are many nurses scattered throughout this city, and we do not say that they are not Christians, nor that they do not represent our work; but I think we can truly say that there is not one representative treatment room in the city. We have some graduated nurses; we take patients for treatment in our training school, and they receive good treatments; but a private house is not a representative place for public treatment of the sick. This needs no argument. We have held several cooking schools and health schools, and are holding a cooking class now. This has opened doors for us in some of the best homes in the city. On the 8th of April we have a demonstration of healthful foods, when we intend to furnish luncheon for one hundred women of the W. C. T. U. They are among the very best ladies in the city. Openings whereby we can reach the best class of people in the city are presenting themselves. We have nurses in the mission who are equal to the occasion, we have no fears as to that part of it; but what we fear is that when a good impression is made by the proper persons, those will enter as Seventh-day Adventists who will not leave a good impression of our work. It is God’s work, and he can take care of it. But it has already been demonstrated that when he opens a door for us, and we do not enter it, others do, and the last is not as favorable as it was to begin with. I am not talking in parables. There are to-day in this city scores of individuals claiming to represent sent our principles, ready to step in any opening, but they do not, from our standpoint, correctly represent our work. This is so everywhere, in every branch of the work. God always sets before his people the first open door, and if they enter at once, many a severe battle is saved. Some of the severest battles were fought in the wilderness after God had prepared the way for Israel to go over, and they failed to move forward. It has been so in our work over and over again. The city of New York is not an exception. To fill such openings as I have referred to, costs money. We furnish this luncheon at our own expense. We feed one hundred of the ladies of the W. C. T. U. We shall have to do such things from time to time at the expense of some one. We can not in this city, while we are introducing the work, go at their charges, but it must be at our own to a great extent. There is a volume I might say were I present and had the opportunity, which would not be appreciated by writing it out. This is not a country town where a public place can be secured for a trifle, and a few pay the bill. It is very different. Rents are high. If we do anything, it costs money. We should have first-class, experienced help in these enterprises. Second-class will reach those of their kind. But if we place the health question on a proper basis, there must be proper persons and proper occasions, and it should be done in a proper manner. Some will appreciate what I say, and some will not. I never knew grace to take the place of common sense, when God has given it to us to use.