Earlier text: Autumn Council of the Executive Committee of the North American Division Conference

A religious liberty convention was held in Baltimore, Md., Dec. 1-7, 1913, at the time the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America and the Lord's Day Alliance held their conventions. Elders S. B. Horton, B. G. Wilkinson, W. W. Prescott, F. W. Paap, R. T. Baer, and C. M. Snow, Brother Bourdeau, and your secretary took part in the program.

Scores of Sunday-law-enforcement campaigns have been carried on each year in different cities in many States. These have afforded our people splendid opportunities to bring our religious liberty principles to the attention of the public. In many instances the department sent out prepared articles through the Press Bureau, and had our local churches and church elders present them to the newspaper editors, who were always glad to get the material. Besides this, the department prepared memorials setting forth our principles, and our reasons for opposing the Sunday laws, and requested the local churches to appoint a committee to present a memorial in person to the mayor and his council, and afterwards have the memorial published in the newspapers.

A Sunday law campaign was carried on in Emaus, Pa., last winter. Elder A. R. Bell, religious liberty secretary of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, met the issue successfully by holding some religious liberty lectures in the town. He held a Sunday night meeting in the large theater, which was so crowded that quite a number of persons were unable to secure admittance. The whole audience registered a vigorous protest against the campaign, and passed a resolution requesting Senator Schantz to introduce a bill before the Pennsylvania Legislature demanding a repeal of the Sunday laws.

Similar meetings of opposition were held in many cities in connection with the above-mentioned Sunday campaigns, resulting in the triumph of religious liberty for the time being. On account of distance and expense, I was unable personally to attend all these opposition meetings, and it was not necessary. Our local elders, union and local religious liberty secretaries, and conference presidents arose to the occasion and met the situation splendidly.

A number of Sunday law prosecutions of our own people have occurred during the past two years. Brother Rooker and his son were indicted by the grand jury at Waverly, Tenn., because they worked on Sunday, on their farm which was in the river bottom three and one-half miles from a public highway or private dwelling house. The trial before the court took place Dec. 16, 1913. Hon. Cyrus Simmons, of Knoxville, Tenn., acted as counsel for the defense. It was a hard battle for over three hours, but the defendants were finally convicted, and fined one dollar and costs. It was useless to appeal the case to the supreme court of the State, as it had already rendered an adverse decision upon this question on a former occasion. The only thing to do was to suffer the penalty.

A number of our brethren were indicted recently in Oklahoma for Sunday labor and merchandising. The court finally threw out all the indictments for Sunday labor, but approved those for merchandising on Sunday. After three postponements, the trial occurred on August 3 and 4 of this year, at Watonga, Okla. Our brethren were convicted, and

fined $25 and costs. The case was appealed, as the State of Oklahoma has an exemption statute for our people, which it is believed covers these cases, and the State supreme court has never passed upon the law as yet. The case is still pending. Your secretary has just filed a brief with the court. This brief contains our reasons for appealing the case, together with a large number of supreme court decisions in various States declaring similar Sunday laws to be void, inoperative, and unconstitutional because of their religious character. This brief also contains a history of the Sabbath and of Sunday from a Biblical, historical, and judicial viewpoint, from their beginnings to the present time. If the case comes ultimately before the supreme court, this prepared brief will become a part of the legal proceedings, and will be entered in the law books for all time to come. This is simply another way that God has of getting his truth upon the Sabbath question before thousands in the legal profession.

A number of indictments have been issued again against our brethren in Tennessee for Sunday labor on their farms. These cases have not yet come up for trial. The department has been asked on the part of the defendants to supply counsel and assistance at the trial.

Just recently we received a personal letter from the chief justice of a State supreme court, stating that he greatly appreciated reading a certain article in the Liberty Magazine, and then added, “If you should like to get in possession of additional legal matter on your side of the Sunday question, consult Vol. 134, N. C. Reports, pages 508-515.” When I looked this up, I found it was a decision of Chief Justice Clark's, declaring the North Carolina Sunday law void and unconstitutional, and giving a detailed history of Sunday legislation from the days of Constantine to our own time. In this decision Justice Clark made the following significant statements:—

“All Sunday legislation is the product of pagan Rome. The first Sunday law, the edict of the emperor Constantine, was the product of that pagan conception, developed by the Romans, which made religion a part of the state. Counsel for the defendant contend that Christianity is a part of the law of the land. It is incorrect to say that Christianity is a part of the common law of the land, however it may be in England, where there is a union of church and state, which is forbidden here. Even if Christianity could be deemed the basis of our government, its own organic law must be found in the New Testament, and there we shall look in vain for any requirement to observe Sunday. The Old Testament commanded the observance of the Sabbath, and it designated Saturday, not Sunday, as the day of rest. Sunday was first adopted by Christians in lieu of Saturday long years after Christ. The first Sunday law was enacted in A. D. 321, by Constantine, and apparently for a different reason than the Christian observance of the day. Evidently Constantine was still something of a heathen. As late as the year 409, two rescripts of the emperors Honorius and Theodosius indicate that Christians then still generally observed the Sabbath (Saturday and not Sunday). The curious may find these set out in full in the Justinian Code. Not till near the end of the ninth century was Sunday

substituted for Saturday by law, as a day of rest, by a decree of the emperor Leo.”

Foreign Department

All felt sad that the secretary of this department had been taken from us by death. Reports, however, were placed before the council by S. Mortenson, superintendent of the Swedish work, and by P. E. Brodersen, superintendent of the Danish-Norwegian work. From these reports we have space for the following interesting paragraphs:—

THE DANISH-NORWEGIAN DEPARTMENT

“But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself.” Lev. 19:34. “Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me from his people. . . . Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: . . . for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.” Isa. 56:3-7.

While it certainly is not God's design that this denomination shall draw any sharp lines of national separation, nevertheless it remains a fact unmistakably proved, that, as foreigners, we have a special work to do for the foreigners; as Danes and Norwegians, we have a special work to do for the Danish-Norwegian nationality in this country. This must be all the more evident when it is known that there are very nearly two million Danish-Norwegians in North America; and every year large numbers flock to our shores from the home country. Other denominations have recognized their opportunity, as can readily be seen when one notices the large number of Danish-Norwegian churches wherever those of this nationality are to be found. This is true in rural districts as well as in our cities. In Chicago there are about 130,000 Danes and Norwegians, of whom less than 25,000 are affiliated with any church whatsoever. In Minnesota there is a Danish-Norwegian population of 325,000; in Wisconsin, 190,000; in North Dakota, 135,000. In North Dakota we have one licensed minister, while more than one fifth of the entire population of that State are Danes and Norwegians. Iowa, with a population of about 125,000, has one licensed minister engaged in active work for this nationality.

We now have 65 Danish-Norwegian churches, and 2,500 members in round numbers, in America. We have sixteen ordained ministers, nine licensed ministers, and eight holding missionary licenses. These figures include the teachers in our seminary. Several of these workers are, however, spending a very large share of their time in working for the English-speaking public.

It was at the beginning of this present year that I became secretary of the Danish-Norwegian department; therefore I can report for only the first three quarters of 1915. All the workers have not sent in their reports for this past quarter, so at best what I can report is only partial. From the reports so far received, I glean that 187 have been baptized and received into church fellowship during these three quarters. Some of these are undoubtedly Americans; while other15

workers have not reported all their work to me, because some of it has been done for the Americans. Thus I can cite, for instance, the case of one Danish-Norwegian minister who has baptized thirty-one Americans, which are not counted in this report. Considering the figures given in the report of the Danish-Norwegian department at the last session of the General Conference, we feel to thank God that some progress seems to have been made. Then, 667 had been received into church fellowship in four years, averaging 167 in twelve months, while the first nine months of this year show 187.

This is the sixth year of the operation of our seminary, located at Hutchinson, Minn. Each successive year has marked a little growth in the attendance; last year was the banner year so far, the total number enrolled being 132. This year a few more have enrolled than had last year at this time. With the exception of the first year, when the school showed a deficit, there has been a gain each year.

The industrial departments of our school are a pride to the institution. Besides giving the students the privilege of learning the trades taught, each department has operated with a small gain. Already the school has sent out more than a score of workers. Of these, two are in Manchuria, and two are now on their way to China, later to enter the Manchurian Mission field. We feel that we are not exaggerating when we say that a very earnest Christian and missionary spirit is signally animating both teachers and students.

We desire to thank God for the progress that has been made in this department of his great cause, and for the loyalty of our workers to the truths of the Bible. But somehow we feel that we must get a better hold of God, that the work may be set at a quicker pace. We also desire to express our appreciation to our American brethren for the interest they have taken in this work.

THE SWEDISH DEPARTMENT

In this department we have a great work to do. The Swedish population is scattered over all North America. The last warning message has been going to them for a good many years, but it has been proclaimed with special power since we started our Swedish paper, Signs of the Times, in 1874. With the kind assistance of our Danish-Norwegian and American brethren, it was circulated among the Swedes, and the truth was thus brought to their attention. Many of them were prepared to accept the message before they left the Old Country, where they had heard little boys and girls proclaim the first angel's message in the power of the Holy Ghost. The truth has met great opposition, but it has conquered all obstacles, and as a result we now have about 2,500 Swedish Sabbath keepers in North America.

Our regular working force in the field is made up of fifteen ordained ministers, two of whom give the most of their time to the work among the English-speaking people. Then we have five licentiates and ten Bible workers, making thirty in all. A number of them are veterans, tested and tried in many hard battles in the interests of truth.

The publishing work for the Swedish field is done by a Swedish department in the Pacific Press Publishing Association, at College View, Nebr. We have about forty different books, twenty

pamphlets, and over fifty tracts in the Swedish language, the most of them corresponding to our literature in the English language. Besides these, our pioneer paper and one little church paper are also published there, and they are both self-supporting. We like to have the cooperation of our brethren of other nationalities in circulating these printed pages.

The educational work is carried on at Broadview Swedish Seminary, La Grange, Ill. This institution was established in 1910, and has already turned out some good workers. It has seventy-eight acres of land, on which the Lord has given us a splendid crop this year. The institution employs ten teachers. This fall we have over sixty students, and others are coming. The school is very nearly self-supporting. Earnest efforts are being made to pay off all the debt this winter.

Last year, with twenty-one regular field workers, 212 new members were added to the churches. During the first two quarters of this year, 117 were added, and the reports of the last quarter show about 60 new Sabbath keepers. This compares well with results in other fields. But we are earnestly praying for greater victories and larger results.

The Scandinavian people are from old times noted as daring fighters. That same spirit is still in them, and we cannot expect to win any souls for the Lord among them without a hard struggle with the opposing factions; and that is why the faith, courage, and perseverance of the workers are tested to the uttermost. But we have this encouraging feature in the work, that when a strong people is subdued by the truth, they labor for its advancement. This is proved in the conferences where we have many Swedish brethren.

We have Swedish workers in only eighteen conferences, and there are at the least twelve more which we should enter. So we need more workers not only to strengthen the work where it is already begun, but in order to enter new fields. Very earnest appeals have come to us from several fields for a number of years, but in some cases we have had no ministers to send.

About 99½ per cent of the Swedes can read and write. They live much in colonies, where they have their own churches, and worship in their native language. They also have their own educational institutions, in which the Swedish language holds a prominent place. Their ministers have a good education. Therefore we are much in need of well-educated workers who have courage to go, and who are allowed to go, right into the Swedish colonies and proclaim the truth. A few may be led to the truth by our American workers, but we can never do justice to the work in the Swedish field without Swedish workers who will raise the standard of truth in the centers of the Swedish settlements, and proclaim the message in the Swedish language.

Above everything else, we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Relying on God and on the brotherly cooperation of the brethren of other nationalities, we will, with still more earnestness, press on with the work for precious souls until the Lord comes.

Further report of the council meetings will be given next week.

G. B. THOMPSON, Secretary.