The Earthquake Special “Signs” Campaign in Washington
By K. C. Russell
AFTER receiving the intelligence that there was to be an Earthquake Special of the Signs, our Evangelistic Committee of the District of Columbia took immediate steps to inaugurate a campaign for a thorough canvass of the city of Washington and its vicinity with this paper. Tuesday, May 15, has been set apart for a concerted action by our people in the District of Columbia to make a special effort for the sale of this important issue of the Signs. The city is being thoroughly districted, so that each one who takes part in the work will be assigned his territory. To our satisfaction, just as we were organizing for this work, we received a visit from Brother E. R. Palmer, who had just arrived directly from the Pacific Coast, the scene of the great calamity. It was at once arranged for him to speak in all four of our churches in the District, and to describe to them some of the experiences through which the people of the Pacific Coast had recently passed, and also to urge upon them the importance of entering at once upon a vigorous and enthusiastic campaign in placing the Earthquake Special Signs in the hands of the citizens of Washington. His description of the earthquake experiences was both graphic and thrilling. No one could listen to the report without being impressed with the necessity of building upon something more firm than this old earth in its unstable condition. I only regret that all the readers of the REVIEW could not have enjoyed listening to the recital of these experiences by Brother Palmer. Although we had ordered by wire a good supply of Signs to begin with, we found, upon Brother Palmer’s arrival, that he had already shipped ten thousand copies here, which reached us soon after he arrived. It is remarkable how devoid the public press has been of anything concerning the real meaning of these things. While they have given very full reports of the terrible and frightful catastrophe as the result of the earthquake, yet they have seemed to leave the field free to us to tell the people what these things mean. There are many people, we believe, who are anxious to know more concerning the significance of these things than they are receiving through the daily papers. Much written for the public press is calculated to parry the force of anything that may be said concerning the true meaning of these things by impressing the people with the idea that this earthquake experience will give occasion for a lot of fanatics to arise and tell the people that these things are the result of the judgments of God, etc. Nothing, however, should deter us from heralding the warning, and doing it quickly. It seems to me that there is no agency that God could have provided that would do it more effectively than this special number of the Signs.