NOTES ON THE GENERAL CONFERENCE.
THE Sabbath-school work was the theme of consideration at the fifteenth session of the conference, Mrs. L. Flora Plummer presenting her report and recommendations, and a discussion of the recommendations following. This report included reports from foreign lands, plans of work, reports of the work carried on by branch schools, and the organization of young people's societies. Mrs. Plummer strongly urged the bringing in of the missionary idea and spirit into the Sabbath-schools—that the young be taught to pass on to others the lessons which they are learning. She reported excellent results following the sending out of missionary programs during the past year. THE educational work of the denomination was taken up at the fourteenth meeting of the conference. At this session E. A. Sutherland, secretary of the educational department, delivered an address upon the subject of Christian education, showing from the Scripture God's plans for the education of the children, and showing from history how God had sought through different individuals and religious bodies to carry out those plans. Now He was using this denomination, in this last generation, to set before the world His purposes in education. Professor Sutherland reported that in the last four years much had been accomplished in the line of carrying out these plans. Nearly five hundred church-schools have been established for the little ones in that time, and eleven industrial schools have been established for the education of the youth, while the larger schools, the academies and colleges, are doing all they can to train the older ones for the Lord's work. Those having charge of the church-school work in various conferences then gave reports of the progress of the work in their fields, and it was strongly urged by some of the speakers that greater representation be given to this work on the General Conference Committee, and that there be plans laid for the unification of the work throughout the world. AT the seventeenth meeting of the General Conference Geo. I. Butler was requested to present his report of the work in the Southern Union Conference. In brief, his report was as follows: The territory of the Southern Union Conference embraces the States of Kentucky, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, which contain a population of 14,908,379, one-half of whom are colored. In this territory there are eighty Seventh-day Adventist churches and 2,240 believers. These paid in tithe, during the year 1902, the sum of $20,571.30, and donated to foreign missions $2,178. In this Union Conference there are 119 laborers, 70 of whom are on the pay-roll of the conferences. A publishing house has been organized and incorporated at Nashville, Tenn. The conference has one school at Graysville, Tenn., for the whites, and one near Huntsville, Ala., for colored pupils. This session of the General Conference ought not to close without adopting some measure that will place the Huntsville school on a footing that will harmonize with the call of God for this hour. The financial question has been one of great difficulty with us. It has been intimated that more laborers ought to be sent into that field; but the question that stares us in the face is, How are we going to support them? Elder Butler stated that the work in the South was in a backward condition, when compared with the work in the North. This was due to the fact that no laborers were sent into the South until long after conferences had been organized in the North. Now they were encouraging the young people in the southern schools to prepare themselves for work in their home field, and felt that their success depended largely upon their efforts in this direction. At the same time he wished it understood that they greatly appreciated the help furnished. He mentioned particularly the help furnished by California and Iowa. A sanitarium has been started at Graysville, Tenn., and it is expected soon to have small sanitariums in other places. Treatment rooms have been started in Nashville and Louisville, and in Hildebran, N. C., and vegetarian restaurants in Nashville and New Orleans. Elder Butler made a stirring appeal for help in the support of the colored work in the South. He stated that it was the duty of the people of the North to share the responsibility and burdens of this work with the people of the South, and plead for the necessary help to enable them to carry it on successfully. Commendatory reference was made to the work of the Southern Missionary Society and the hardships borne by those connected with the missionary steamer Morning Star. He also laid before the conference the needs of the publishing work in the South, and asked for substantial assistance in the establishment and maintenance of the publishing office in Nashville. The delegates present were certainly made to realize that there is a Southern field in the United States; that it is a needy field; and that it is one deserving of support. C. P. Bollman introduced a set of resolutions looking to the support of the publishing work and the canvassing work in that field, and these were adopted. THE afternoon session of the conference on Sunday, April 5, was given to a report by E. J. Waggoner on the progress of the work in Great Britain, showing the needs of the cause there; what is being done; and what it is proposed to do. In the evening E. H. Gates reported on the progress of the work in the South Pacific islands. This work had been begun thirteen years ago, and now in many of the islands companies of Sabbath-keepers had been raised up. In the Fiji group there are at the present time nearly two hundred believers. In this group a monthly paper is being published in the native language. Some progress has also been made in the translation of our literature into the Samoan language. Doors which were formerly closed are now being opened to the progress of the work. Young men are being educated for evangelical and Bible work and for the production of literature in their native languages. Plans are now on foot for employing native Fijian believers in spreading a knowledge of the message through the cannibal groups to the west of Fiji, as it is thought they can find readier access to the people than could the whites. ON Monday evening, April 6, G. A. Irwin presented a report of the progress and needs of the work in the Australasian Union Conference, a conference embracing Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and the islands of Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia, and having supervision also over the work in the Malay Archipelago, with a population in all of about 50,000,000 persons. There had been an increase of 349 in membership since the last General Conference, giving a present membership of 2,460. Their present working force includes thirty-two ministers, seventeen Bible workers, and seventy-eight colporters and canvassers. The tithe reported for the biennial period amounted to $71,990, or a yearly average of $15 per capita. There was a good showing also in the matter of Sabbath-school, missionary, and miscellaneous donations. The blessing of the Lord has been upon the publishing work. Though many institutions had been forced to close, owing to the terrible drought in Australia, which had created a business depression, the Echo Office had had a good run of work, and showed a net profit for the year of $4,665. The Avondale Press also showed a net gain, and good work was being done in the publication of works in the languages of the Pacific islands and in the circulation of English literature in Australia and New Zealand. The Avondale school also was in a prosperous condition; the school farm had not suffered materially from the drought; and a large proportion of those who have completed their work in the school have gone into the work as canvassers, church-school teachers, and nurses. The medical work also was encouraging, though only beginnings had so far been made in this line. THE eighteenth meeting of the conference was held April 9, at 11 A. M., and the report of the committee on education was deferred in order that the committee on plans and constitution might bring in its report. This committee presented a majority and minority report upon the matter of a constitution. The former contained the constitution as recommended by the majority. The minority regarded the adoption of another constitution as unnecessary and the proposed constitution as a departure from the principles enunciated and adopted at the General Conferences held in 1897 and 1901. After a full and free discussion of the principles involved in the adoption of a constitution at this time and in the constitution itself as a whole and as to its several parts,—a discussion which lasted through sessions eighteen, nineteen, and twenty—the constitution, amended in a few particulars, was adopted. Tho the discussion was a long one, there was an excellent Christian spirit manifested on the part of those who spoke to the question. AT the morning session of the conference on April 7, E. J. Waggoner conducted a study upon the subject of “Bible Education.” He began with the position, familiar to Seventh-day Adventists, that “the cross of Christ will be the science and the song of the redeemed throughout eternity;” and read scriptures which proved the statement to be true. The kernel of the study was, The knowledge of the Lord. That knowledge opened up to those possessing it all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hid in God. The cross of Christ is the science of the saints, because it is the cross of Christ which reveals God to us; but it takes searching and application to make ours that knowledge which is wrapped up in the cross of Christ. The speaker asked the delegates to test themselves as to whether they were as familiar with the different books of the Bible as a mathematician must be with the different books in mathematics. It was evident that they were not; and yet, if one would call himself a Bible student, he should be. Solomon did not get his wisdom by going to sleep and waking up the next day a wise man. He cried for it; he inclined his ear toward it; he searched for it as men search for silver and gold. Now the Lord says that every man who searches for wisdom in that way will get it, and he will know every right way; he will know the right thing; he will not make mistakes. He closed his study by showing the use of the Bible as a text-book, and then comparing the results of the education of the worldly man and the education of the man who makes the cross of Christ, the wisdom of God, his study. THE educational work was the topic of consideration at the twenty-first meeting of the conference, which was held April 10, at 8:00 A.M. At this meeting the committee on education presented its report. A portion of its recommendations were adopted, but the recommendation that the church-school teachers be employed by the conferences and paid out of conference funds as are other conference laborers, was referred to the committee of council created for the purpose of considering such problems. AT this point P. T. Magan was asked to give a report on the “Object Lesson” work, and did so. He stated that, although the work had not gone as rapidly as it should, material progress had been made, and the debts on our various educational institutions had been greatly reduced. Up to date the effort to clear the debts on the schools by the sale of “Object Lessons” had resulted in the realization of $237,910.75. Since the “Object Lesson” work began, the debts on the various schools had been reduced by the following amounts (though not all of this was due directly to the sale of that book): Walla Walla, $29,925.59; Healdsburg, $20,162.12; Union College, $48,940.70; Mount Vernon Academy, $7,000; South Lancaster Academy, $25,569.60; Emmanuel Missionary College, $22,393.10; Graysville Academy and Huntsville School and the Southern Missionary Society, $12,262; Keene Academy, $12,228.76; Battle Creek College (before and since its transfer), $26,669.86; Avondale School in Australia, $10,000; London school, about $10,000; European schools, $15,000; and Canadian school, $1,000. There had been raised on the material fund for “Christ’s Object Lessons” $53,271.92. AT the twenty-second meeting of the conference there were called up the resolutions offered at a previous meeting by C. P. Bollman in reference to the work in the Southern Union Conference, especially the publishing work. The series of resolutions was adopted, thus throwing the moral support of the denomination into the Southern publishing project. The Southern Union Conference is authorized by the denomination to raise a fund of $10,000 for the equipment of the Nashville publishing office.13 Another action of importance taken at this meeting was the provision for the support of aged ministers and the dependent widows and orphans of deceased ministers. It was voted that as the tithe was the inheritance of God's ministry, these persons were entitled to support from that source. THE Sabbath morning service on April 11 was conducted by Geo. I. Butler, who spoke from the text, “Despise not prophesyings.” He showed that while the gift of prophecy had been manifested in past ages, the Scriptures clearly indicated that this gift was to be connected with the remnant people of God, living in the last days and looking for the second coming of the Lord. He showed that this gift had been with the people who have been giving the Third Angel's Message, had met every Biblical test given, and that its value had been shown in carrying us through many a crisis. Experience had shown that those who had believed in and heeded the instruction, corrections, and warnings, had been loyal to the Message. AT 3 P.M., April 11, a memorial service was held in the church in memory of Elder Uriah Smith. Remarks were made by Elders Daniells, Butler, Loughborough, Lane, and Irwin. Hymns composed by Elder Smith and by his sister, Anna R. Smith, were sung during the service. THE report of the publishing committee and the committee on nominations occupied the time of the twenty-third meeting of the conference, which was held Saturday evening, April 12. The publishing committee brought in a series of twenty-five recommendations in reference to the publishing work, the gist of which was as follows: That a vigorous campaign be entered upon for the circulation of our literature; that this work be done under the supervision of the conference officers; that ministers, church officers, and heads of families take up this work; that the General Conference begin a systematic publication of Gospel literature in all the mission fields and send such persons to these fields as will engage in the circulation of literature; that the publishing work in the other countries be strengthened; that the Union Conferences and Union Mission Fields have the right to take charge of the publishing work in their fields, securing their books from what source they may choose, this work to be so conducted as not to interfere with the work of publishing houses already established; and that a general advisory committee for North America be selected for the purpose of unifying and building up the publishing work. These recommendations were adopted. The committee on nominations presented the following names for General Conference officers: President, A. G. Daniells; first vice-president, L. R. Conradi; second vice-president, W. W. Prescott; secretary, W. A. Spicer; treasurer, I. H. Evans; auditor, D. B. Parmelee. For executive committee: presidents of Union Conferences and Union Mission Fields, and the following named persons: W. A. Spicer, L. A. Hoopes, A. T. Jones, W. C. White, C. H. Jones, David Paulson, J. C. Ottosen, A. J. Read, Frederick Griggs, W. C. Sisley, S. N. Haskell, and R. M. Kilgore. For members of the General Conference Association: S. H. Lane, W. H. Edwards, H. M. Mitchell, W. A. Spicer, A. G. Daniells, I. H. Evans, W. W. Prescott, P. T. Magan, Allen Moon, J. D. Gosnell, William Covert, C. D. Rhodes, A. G. Haughey, R. A. Underwood, J. E. Jayne, H. W. Cottrell, S. N. Curtiss, J. S. Comins, A. E. Place, D. B. Parmelee, and J. Sutherland. For legal trustees of the Foreign Mission Board: A. G. Daniells, W. A. Spicer, S. N. Curtiss, H. W. Cottrell, I. H. Evans, A. J. Breed, Frederick Griggs, W. W. Prescott, and J. E. Jayne. The entire report of the committee on nominations was adopted as read. AMONG the principal recommendations brought in by the committee on plans at the twenty-fourth meeting of the conference was the recommendation that the Sabbath-school officers throughout the world be elected by the church. The resolution carried. Other recommendations in this report provided for the raising of funds for the support of the work in the South, also in German East Africa. An interesting report of the work of the Southern Missionary Society was given by J. E. White, showing the work accomplished, and the needs of that large, neglected field. This report was followed by an earnest setting forth of the needs of the Southern field by Mrs. E. G. White, the work before us there, and the duty of the people of the North to that destitute field. An excellent sermon on “Christian Education” was delivered by A. T. Jones on April 10, at 7:30 P.M., even a brief summary of which it is impossible to give in these notes. THE chief feature of the twenty-fifth meeting of the conference was an address on “An Educational Health Campaign,” delivered by Dr. S. P. S. Edwards, the field secretary of that department, in which he plead for a thorough education of the people upon the lines of health work. This address was followed by a report from the Mexican field by G. M. Brown, the superintendent of the work in Mexico. Meetings number twenty-six, twenty-seven, and twenty-eight were devoted to the finishing of the work of committees, and the presentation of memorials. At the close of the last named meeting, it was voted that the conference adjourn, to meet in Battle Creek, Mich., on April 22.