p. 235 | TASMANIA by E. HILLIARD

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 10, 1900

TASMANIA

By E. HILLIARD

This island, containing 26 251 square miles, is situated to the south and east of Australia, between forty and forty-five degrees south latitude. Its population, according to the most recent census, is 137,211.

Its cool summers, mild winters, and great variety of luscious fruit, have made it a favorite resort for the people of Australia, as well as for those in other parts of the world. I have seen gooseberries that measured more than three inches in circumference.

Those who live in the southern part of the island raise small fruit; such as, red raspberries, strawberries, cherries, plums, currants; and also acres of apricots, pears, apples, nectarines, and some peaches. On account of the destructiveness of the codling moth, fruit growers are becoming somewhat discouraged in growing apples. Much of the fruit is shipped to Melbourne and Sydney, in Australia, and a good price received.

Farmers raise fine crops of wheat, and usually realize from thirty to thirty-five bushels an acre. Nearly every year they grow two crops of wheat and oats. They also raise corn, but never let it come to maturity. They feed it green to their stock. Cattle and horses graze the year round, although the grass during the winter season is quite short.

Its rivers, beautiful mountains, gold, silver, and tin mines, of which the chief export is tin, add wealth and grandeur to this island.

In a country place, called Bismarck, about twelve miles from Hobart, on a mountain slope, stands the Seventh-day Adventists' house of worship; and farther up the valley are the little dwelling-houses of its worshipers, surrounded with fields of living green. The church record shows a membership of fifty-six. There are several young persons in this

as well as in the Hobart church, some of whom are planning to attend the Avondale School, in New South Wales.

The mountain scenery in this vicinity is especially grand. Mt. Collins Cap, Boar's Back, Mt. Brown, and Sleeping Beauty, stand forth as sentinels against the deep-blue sky, as if to guard the quiet German settlers below from the intrusion of tidal waves.

But it is not in the physical geography of the country, or in its fruit and grain, that the readers of the REVIEW are the most interested. Those who have a world-wide interest in the Third Angel's Message, whose treasure and heart are in it to spread it to the utmost bounds of inhabited lands, will be eager to know what progress it is making in this island.

It was brought to Tasmania in 1887 by Brethren Israel and Baker, through the influence of Brethren Foster and Higgins. A company of Sabbath-keepers was raised up in Hobart, a city of thirty-four thousand inhabitants, situated in the southern part of the island. It increased in numbers until one hundred and forty-four names have been registered in the church book. Removals, death, and apostasy have reduced the enrollment to about ninety. A small company was raised up in Launceston, in the northern part of the island, a city of about the same population as Hobart. They have been recently organized into a church. There is a small organization of believers at Latrobe, and another composed entirely of sisters at St. Mary. Besides these, there are a few Sabbath-keepers scattered throughout the island.

The little church at Launceston are actively engaged in missionary work. They have divided the city into districts, each worker taking one or more. He distributes a package of tracts, leaving one at each house. At the expiration of one week he revisits the family, hands out a fresh tract, taking to the next door the one they have read.

In some cases where there is a family of children to look after, the mother does her missionary work on some regularly appointed day of the week, and the father his on another. This leaves one a missionary at home, while the other scatters the printed pages. At the Wednesday evening missionary meeting, each worker reports the work done. Once each month they have what is called “Pound Night.” Each worker is supposed to purchase, or bring from home, one pound of sugar, flour, salt, fruit, or some other edible commodity. This is apportioned to the needy poor, who have been searched out in the various districts, and some one is appointed to deliver it. Similar work is carried on by the Hobart church.

If the workers are faithful and do not grow weary in this work, they will at last be placed on the King's right hand, and given the invitation, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” The reason assigned for this benediction and invitation to eternal happiness is, “For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in,” etc. And all this work is done to Christ through the needy poor. Says the King, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Glorious work! Blessed reward! Let not our churches in any land become weary of it, lose sight of the suffering poor, be classed on the left hand, and receive the sentence, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”

It was my privilege to accompany some of the workers in their distribution of reading-matter, and also in their visits to the homes of the sick poor. I found most of the readers of the tracts anxious for a fresh one, and some who noticed the advertisement of other tracts ordered them.

I went with one brother, who is a dentist, to see a poor man who had been thrown from a cart, and had his hip broken. We had a Bible reading with him on the sufferings of Christ and his love for afflicted humanity. He was much comforted. Sometimes his face would light up with a smile, and sometimes his eyes would fill with tears, as we dwelt upon Christ's Gethsemane suffering and his mangled, bleeding form upon the cross. At the close he joined most heartily with us in prayer, thanking God for the light from his word. He has expressed himself convinced respecting the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, has decided to keep it, and will be baptized as soon as his broken hip recovers. When we left, I noticed that the brother whom I accompanied left some money on the stand by the bedside. I learned afterward that he had been in the habit of visiting him weekly, and leaving $2.50 each time to help support his family. He is also giving the same amount to another afflicted family. This brother has a wife and seven children to support, and is dependent upon his profession for a living. He told me that his tithe is from five to twelve dollars a week. He takes thirty-six copies of the Bible Echo, distributes them among the people, and talks the truth to his patrons, when a favorable opportunity presents itself.

We also visited a woman who has been confined to her bed twenty-four years. While thus afflicted, she, through reading her Bible, became convinced that the seventh day is the Sabbath. She was troubled over the matter, and sent for her pastor. He visited her, and advised that she continue Sunday-keeping, and dismiss the seventh-day theory from her mind. Her conscience could not be quieted by man's word, and the pastor being unable to produce Scripture for Sunday observance, she decided to keep the Sabbath. A few days after she came to this decision, he was about to call on her again, when he met one of the family, and upon inquiry learned that she was observing the Sabbath. “Well,” said he, “she had better join the Jews and be done with it.” This made her all the more determined to continue her obedience to God's holy law.

For several years she has been unable to rise from her bed or to be placed in a chair. She speaks words of comfort and faith to all who visit her, and is an example of faith and patience.

There are some in the churches in this island who are good Samaritans, and others who are asleep spiritually, doing but little, and caring mostly for their own comfort. Some are bringing false doctrines into the churches, and even trying to persuade the members to withhold their tithe. But a majority pay a faithful tithe.

In some places those who pay no tithe are beginning to notice the prosperity of those who do pay the tithe, and speak about their crops being so much better. Not only have they had better crops, but they have received a higher price for their produce. They work on the principle that nine tenths with the blessing of God is better than ten tenths without it. E. HILLIARD,

Hobart, Tasmania.