p. 176 | The International Tract and Missionary Society

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Apr 12, 1883

The International Tract and Missionary Society.

By Stephen Nelson Haskell

BY ELD. S. N. HASKELL.

This society was organized in 1876, and although reports have been published yearly, some additional particulars concerning its history and work may be of interest to the readers of the SIGNS. For two years following its organization, very little was accomplished. The report for 1878 showed the receipts of that year to have been only $447.15. During that year, however, reading matter was sent to nearly all of the Southern States, England, Holland, Italy, and Africa, and, by means of agents in these countries, to nearly all parts of the civilized world. Notwithstanding this, for several years we saw but little fruit as the result of the efforts put forth.

The object of this society is to enter those fields which are outside of Conference limits, and there place our reading matter in the hands of honest inquirers. It has also assisted persons and companies, whose circumstances have seemed to make it advisable to do so, where organizations have been effected, until they were otherwise provided for. In this way there are those in nearly every State in the Union who have been helped.

THE RESULTS.

Since the more perfect organization of our V. M. and T. and M. Societies, the International Society seldom occupies a field long exclusively. Only one person was known to be observing the seventh day as the Sabbath, and in harmony with our views in other respects, south of Maryland, when publications were first sent South. At the present time observers of the Sabbath are numbered by scores in nearly every Southern State, and in some of them by hundreds, having ordained ministers, licentiates and organized churches. All this commenced in an interest which was awakened by reading matter sent by mail into that field. Now this effort is carried forward and increased a hundred fold by those who thus received the truth then.

In some of the Western Territories publications have been sent to every town. In New Mexico the truth was received by a missionary who for years did what she could to scatter the light there. In foreign countries the work has been equally encouraging, although the numbers embracing the truth have not been so great. A hearty co-operation has been secured with missionaries of nearly every denomination, many of whom have been for years active workers with us. In this, God's providence has opened the way for the truth in a most remarkable manner. A missionary in Bristol told me that it would do my heart good could I see with what eagerness our publications, especially the writings of Sister White, are received by many.

While reading aloud from them to the sailors they have sat and wept. The next time he would see them, they would inquire if he had any more of that Mrs. White's writings. At Cardiff and Liverpool much interest is also manifested. In Grimsby and in Glasgow, Scotland, persons have been found to co-operate with us in the missionary work, both of those who are, and those who are not, in sympathy with our denominational views.

THE SHIP WORK.

This work is very important both in Europe and America. At Hamburg, Germany, the International Society is supplying a ship missionary with French, Swedish, German, and Danish publications; also some English. More than a ton of reading matter sent from Battle Creek, Michigan, has been used in the ship work at San Francisco, Cal. As the result of this, persons of influence and culture have been known to embrace the Sabbath.

Boston, New Bedford, and New York City, are points of much interest in the ship work, and are constantly supplied with our publications by the International Society. In New York City there are quite a number of sailors' missions. One of these which we visited had received our publications, and before I made myself known I learned that those having charge of the mission, preferred the SIGNS OF THE TIMES to any religious paper which they received. The superintendent said that it was a live paper, and that he had never before read such articles as Mrs. White's. When I asked if it did not contain objectionable doctrines, he replied that he was a Methodist and did not believe all that the paper taught, but that its influence as a whole was good, and just what they wanted. A constant supply of reading matter is kept at this and other missions, where a similar interest is manifested. Much more might be said showing that our reading matter is appreciated by persons who are interested to co-operate with us in its distribution. Another person having charge of a mission, told me that he had known a vessel to wait two days after it was loaded ready to sail, for the purpose of obtaining a set of our publications, a set having been removed with the view of supplying another in its place.

EXTENT OF ITS EFFORTS.

About six thousand of our standard bound books have been taken with the view of presenting them to the public libraries in this country, quite a proportion of which have already been disposed of in this way. Many of these libraries have reading rooms connected with them, to which our publications are sent weekly. Also a goodly number of the libraries in Old England have been supplied with "History of the Sabbath."

Quite a proportion of the life-saving stations on the Atlantic Coast, have been furnished with our publications, including the set of bound books presented to libraries. From four to five thousand dollars' worth of publications, at reduced prices, have been distributed in quantities to nearly every State in the south, and to England, Scotland, Italy, Germany, Holland, Norway, Sweden, the West Indies, and India. Ship work in California, Boston, and New Bedford, Mass., Portland, Maine, and New York City, has aided much in this work. In Nova Scotia, a company of seven are observing the Sabbath, and meet regularly for worship. Others are interested. And in nearly all of these places believers are reported as the result of this labor, which is exclusive of small packages sent by mail to these, and nearly every other country where the languages are spoken in which they are printed. There never has been a time when openings for our publications presented themselves before this society as at the present, especially the few past months. Any readers of the SIGNS wishing to make donations to this society can do so by sending to the Pacific Press, Oakland, Cal., Review and Herald, Battle Creek, Mich., or Miss M. L. Huntley, South Lancaster, Mass., which will be thankfully received and appropriated for the above purpose.