p. 126 | Santa Clara, Cal by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 13, 1874

Santa Clara, Cal.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

We closed our meetings in this place Sept. 20, after a stay of seven weeks. We came here designing to remain but a short time; but the attendance was so large and the interest so good that we could not get away till the present time. Though our meetings were so long continued, still we seldom had less than seventy-five out, and many times there were hundreds in attendance. Probably not less than six or eight hundred different persons have attended these meetings at different times.

We have seldom met such bitter opposition and such a real spirit of persecution as in this place. The first-day Adventists once had a flourishing church here; but it was divided and broken up by Eld. Miles Grant preaching his hobby of sanctification. Some of the few who went with him left no means untried to misrepresent and slander us. They would not come to hear a word themselves, and went from house to house to keep away as many as possible; thus doing the very work which they everywhere and so loudly condemn in the sectarian churches. This course has killed their influence in Santa Clara. A favorite and oft-repeated illustration of the ten commandments, used by one of their ministers in his arguments against us, was, that the law was an old dead carcass which we had dug up and were gnawing its bones—a very chaste and elevated illustration! I notice that these sanctified men delight in such language, showing the purity of their hearts, from whence it comes.

We had our tent on the public plaza. Some became so exasperated that they determined to drive us out of town; and one man, whose office gave him the authority, ordered us to move our tent from the plaza. This created great indignation in the public mind against those who had undertaken this mean persecution. A convenient location was immediately offered us, and a large number of prominent citizens and influential men turned out to help us move our tent. We had enough hands to move a dozen tents, so that it was all moved and pitched by 9 o'clock in the morning. Wealthy men, to show their sympathy, handed me sums as high as $10. Neither was this all. They turned out to hear us, so that our attendance was much larger than before.

I sold about $25 worth of books, obtained eighteen names for the Signs, and twenty-five have embraced the Sabbath. Among these is one first-day Adventist preacher, a young man of good education and good ability. He will make a good leader for the church at present, and we shall hope much for him in the future. Sister Tallman, the daughter of Eld. O. R. Fassett, has embraced the Sabbath and is a zealous worker in the cause. Besides those who have come out decided, we have a large number of warm friends who take a deep interest in the cause, attend our meetings, acknowledge the truth, &c.

We have hired a good hall, in which we shall have regular meetings. Wishing to raise $75 on the rent, we simply named it to them, and in a few minutes, without any soliciting, $110 was pledged, though many of our friends were not present. Every Sabbath, one or more new ones have taken their stand with us. On the last Sabbath, three publicly decided to keep the Sabbath. One of these was from San Jose.

So closes our tent-meetings for the season. I have been constantly in the tent for five months. Bro. and sister White and Bro. Loughborough labored more or less with us while in Oakland, and Bro. Cornell was with me most of the time, excepting the last three weeks at Santa Clara. As the result of these meetings, about one hundred have embraced the Sabbath, and I have baptized forty-seven. Have obtained ninety subscribers for the Signs, and have sold between $250 and $300 worth of books. What we have received in donations and for the use of our tent has much more than paid our running expenses. My health seems to be fully recovered, so that I labor as constantly and as hard as at any time before. I never felt of better courage and stronger confidence in the work than now, nor did the end ever look more near to me than at the present. We now go to camp-meeting, where we hope to enjoy a good season. D. M. CANRIGHT.

San Jose, Cal., Sept. 22, 1874.