p. 12 | Our Work and Workers

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Dec 5, 1895

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 21, No. 48.

Our Work and Workers.

Brother J. F. Rothrock was recently tried at Albion, Edwards County, Ill., for keeping open store on Sunday in the village of West Salem. The case went against him, and he was fined $10 and costs. A new trial was granted, and the case continued till next spring. It is stated that the jury was influenced by one member who is a minister.

Now it is Lake County, Tenn., that is taking a turn at persecution for conscience’ sake, just as the people of Rhea County have become somewhat ashamed of the disgrace and tired of the expense. Lake is the fifth county in that state to try the despotic experiment. Brother J. W. Lewis was arrested on the 17th ult., and lodged in jail at Tiptonville, on a charge of doing ordinary work on Sunday. His case was called in court on the 20th, and while a bond was being made out for a continuance until the next term of court, a second indictment was presented against him. Concerning his arrest Brother Lewis writes: “I now have a chance to see and know for the first time in life how the inside of prison walls appear, with solid iron ceiling and heavy iron bars. Though suffering for want of a fire, my hope was never better.”

Four of our brethren were arraigned for Sunday labor at Olney, Richland County, Ill., on the 13th ult., and one young man was tried and convicted. In an effort to procure a jury, sixteen men were rejected. The prosecuting attorney invariably asked the question, “Did you attend the camp meeting last fall at this place?” and if it was answered in the affirmative, the individual was immediately dismissed. There was one Catholic on the jury, and when asked if he ever heard of the Sabbath question, he replied, “No, I came up here to hear about it.” One who was in attendance, in writing of the trial of the young man, says:—

One old lady of seventy-two testified that she lived about a quarter of a mile away, and was disturbed by the noise the young man made in plowing; yet she admitted he was a good boy. She was troubled to see a good boy work on the sabbath she was taught to keep. The family, she said, were all nice citizens till the cranky Adventists got them into such foolishness. She was so troubled over Sunday work she could not sleep nights. Another witness, a quarter of a mile away, said he was so disturbed that neither he nor his family could rest. Another was troubled in mind who the Sunday before had helped hire bees. The two chief prosecutors had been arrested and fined for disturbing a singing school.—All conspired to show that it was religious bigotry and spite at the bottom of the persecution.

The jury was out six hours, and it was generally thought they would acquit the defendant, but they did not. It should be remembered that the state Sunday law of Illinois has a clause exempting from its provisions those who observe the seventh-day Sabbath; also that the question of the constitutionality of the law itself is now pending in the state Supreme Court.

There is a Seventh-day Adventist Church of seventy members in Constantinople, and the prospect is good for material increase. During all the recent riots in that city a Bible school was being conducted by Elders H. P. Holser and A. T. Jones. The school was held in the midst of the Armenian quarter, and, although all the attendants were Armenians, they suffered no disturbance. From the first of our work in Turkey, the Protestants have denied before the Turkish authorities that we were Protestants, hoping thus to hinder the spread of the Sabbath truth. Of course neither the Greeks nor the Catholics would own that we were even Christians, and the Turks were for a time suspicious of our brethren, who were mostly Armenians. It had seemed that there would be difficulty for our brethren in traveling, since no one can travel in Turkey without a passport, and no one can get a passport without a certificate from his representative. None of the Christian representatives would own our brethren. But even this has turned to their advantage, since the present troubles of the government are due to the efforts of those who are called Protestants, and were we known there by that name, or as of that class, we should have to fare as do the others who are thus known. But we are now known as Sabbatarians, and as being harmless to the government. So the minister of police has agreed to grant passports to our brethren directly, as Sabbatarians, and has so notified the provinces. Thus the Sabbath, the seal of God, is the distinguishing mark and the safeguard of those who “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” in Mohammedan Turkey.