Study Spanish by H. A. Washburn

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Sep 22, 1904

Study Spanish

By H. A. Washburn

“ANGELS of God are moving on the hearts and consciences of the people of other nations, and honest souls are troubled as they witness the signs of the times in the unsettled state of the nations.”

These words indicate clearly that there should be no delay on the part of any soul in hastening to give the gospel of the kingdom to the people of all the world. The world is ready. All things are ready, except the people of God. Great opportunities are now presented to the people of God, but they must be improved soon if they are improved at all.

A large portion of the earth is populated with Spanish-speaking people. Several millions of these people are now under the government of our own nation. A great opportunity is ours for laboring in behalf of these souls.

A large portion of these people are in the Philippine Islands, and of them the following words are written in a recent letter from a missionary laboring there: “We are very fortunate in having a reading people with whom to work. . . . The people are fairly wild for a piece of paper with printing on it; and they grasp eagerly for tracts or portions of the Scriptures; and some of the largest crowds I have yet seen in the Philippines were the throngs about the colporteur as he distributed literature.

There throngs of souls will take whatever

mental food is given them on printed paper; and right now, while they are so hungry, should we press in everywhere with our literature, and feed them with the truth of the third angel's message.”

Now, what should we be doing to meet these crying needs of the world? “Young men should be qualifying themselves by becoming familiar with other languages.” In the same connection we are told that young women also “could qualify themselves for usefulness by studying and becoming familiar with other languages. They could devote themselves to the work of translating.”

Applying this instruction to the responsibility we bear to the Spanish-speaking millions, we call for a large number of young men and women to study the Spanish language. We wish to call attention to the fact that an unusually favorable opportunity to do this will be afforded the students of Emmanuel Missionary College during the coming year. We have a teacher who is not only well acquainted with the Spanish language and people, but who has had experience in preaching the third angel's message on foreign soil. The class in Spanish will thus give much more to the students than a mere knowledge of the language. We are glad to learn that there are a goodly number whose hearts are burdened for the Spanish work, and we trust that a large class can be formed at the beginning of the fall term. Address inquiries to Emmanuel Missionary College, Berrien Springs, Mich.

H. A. WASHBURN, President.