Tent Labor | AdventAI

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Aug 17, 1876

Tent Labor.

THE California tent has been taken down in Visalia, and is waiting to be pitched at the camp-meeting. The North Pacific Tent is still at Salem, where the interest and attendance have been excellent. From the Eastern States come interesting reports, too lengthy to be copied. But that some idea may be gained of the increasing interest manifested to hear the warning message of the “third angel,” we give a few lines each from several of the tent laborers:—

New York.

Rome.—Of the meetings held in that place Elder Canright says, that the number of the audience is limited only by the capacity of the tent. “The introduction of the Sabbath question has not diminished the interest any. Nearly every one admits already that we have the truth upon it.

“Last Sabbath we held our first Sabbath meeting. We had one hundred out. After speaking a short time, twenty-three arose and testified for the truth. It did our hearts good to hear the hearty indorsement they gave to ‘the present truth’ and the Sabbath. Many wept. It was an excellent season indeed. How many are keeping the Sabbath we cannot tell, but probably about twenty or thirty.”

Ohio.

The Ohio Tent, No. 2, was pitched about two miles from Norwalk, near where the camp-meeting was to be held. Of his previous meetings in Frazeysburg, Eld. St. John says:—“There are some precious souls here whom we believe will be saved when Jesus comes. From twelve to fourteen, as near as we could learn, have decided to keep the Sabbath. There are many persons in this village and vicinity that cannot read, and as a consequence they learned the truth slowly, and were more disposed to be influenced by their former teachers.”

Wisconsin.

The Wis. Tent, No. 1, has been pitched at Mount Pisgah, where a good interest had been raised by Bro. O. A. Johnson. “About twenty,” says Eld. Sanborn, “commenced keeping the Sabbath. Our meetings removed much prejudice, and the number of Sabbath-keepers was increased to thirty. Last Sunday ten were baptized.”

Indiana.

Brn. Lane and Horney report a good work in Marion which place they left July 30, to pitch their tent in Peru. “Sunday nights,” they say “all could not get into the tent. The last Sabbath meeting was a precious season. A goodly number took part, and were very thankful for having heard the truth. Some twenty or more have taken a stand to obey the truth. We have procured the Wesleyan church in which to hold future Sabbath meetings.”

Canada.

Eld. Bourdeau had been laboring four weeks in Waterloo, P. Q., when he wrote the following paragraph: “We gave our first lecture on the Sabbath question two weeks ago yesterday (Sunday); and last evening we gave a lecture on the change of the Sabbath, telling how, when, and by whom, the change was made. A large concourse of candid and attentive persons were in attendance. At the close a vote was taken; some arose in favor of the Lord’s Sabbath, none arose in favor of Sunday; and many influential persons expressed the opinion that more than nine-tenths of those present believed that ‘the seventh day is the Sabbath.’ Some of the French are deeply interested in the truth. We shall soon commence a course of lectures in French in the tent.”

Maryland.

W. W. Stebbins, the brother whom Eld. Canright, in his report from Maryland, mentioned as being a leader in a Sunday-school held in his neighborhood, after stating the good result of Eld. Canright’s visit, describes the course of the Methodist minister as follows:—

“Eld. Nicholson, Protestant Methodist, has had an appointment here every two weeks. At his suggestion the Sunday-school was organized. At his last meeting he made a very weak effort to sustain Sunday-keeping, charging us with supplanting him. He also charged upon his own people an indisposition to sustain his meetings and to erect a tent to worship in. This being the case said he would take up his own appointment and recommend to the Conference no future one for this place, and he would thus give the intruders the field. But still more he would do: With a great deal of dignity, he said, ‘I hereby disband the Sunday-school.’ This hasty, spite action has gained him no friends, neither has the truth lost by it.”

“The following evening we replied to his arguments, holding forth the Bible Sabbath. At the same time we called for a vote of the people whether the school should be disbanded or not, when nearly every man, woman, and child voted to continue the school. Thus has he left his flock. May God help us to feed them.”