Greater New York a Needy Field by Stephen Nelson Haskell

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Nov 11, 1902

Greater New York a Needy Field

By Stephen Nelson Haskell

Much has been said, but none too much, about the neglected field of the South. It has been neglected, and a great injustice has been done to it, and now is the time to redeem ourselves. So with the foreign fields. The message is to go to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people; but when the Saviour gave the commission to his disciples, he told them that they should be witnesses “both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” They were to begin and continue their work in Jerusalem and Judea until Jerusalem should be surrounded with armies. So with our large cities. The time will come when there will be a threefold union of the Protestants, Spiritualists, and Roman Catholics to enforce the observance of the first day of the week. Then will come the time to leave the cities of America. The time to leave the cities has not arrived, but the judgments of God are already in the earth, and the dark cloud of God’s wrath is arising; and at the present time the question comes home with great force. What are we going to do for our large cities? In them are millions who have never heard of present truth.

We have in the United States thirty-eight cities each containing over one hundred thousand inhabitants. These rank in importance according to their position and the number of inhabitants. The aggregated population of these cities is about one fifth of the seventy millions of people in the United States. Three of these cities—New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia—each contain one million inhabitants. The city of Greater New York contains twice the number of Chicago, and nearly three times that of Philadelphia. As to its commercial relation to the world, it stands first in importance. It is the wealthiest city. Wall Street dictates to London in finances. It is the second city in the world as to the number of inhabitants. London stands first by one third more than Greater New York, but it should be remembered that in New York there are the greater number of inhabitants in the smaller area. New York City is the gateway to Europe through which our laborers pass as they go east.

Within less than a radius of fifteen miles we have nearly four million people. On the island of Manhattan it is said that the houses average five stories high. It can better be appreciated by comparison. There are no States which have had greater light than the States of Michigan and California, with their publishing houses and sanitariums, their editors, ministers, physicians, and trained nurses; yet the entire number of inhabitants of the State of Michigan is a million less than is found in New York; that is, if all the inhabitants of the State of Michigan were placed in one city, it would then lack over a million of having as many as Greater New York.

California contains 1,485,053 inhabitants. It has been worked for twenty years or more by our best men. It has in it a publishing house, sanitariums, scores of churches; and yet in Greater New York there are nearly three times that number of people, and I think it is safe to say that there are more people in Greater New York who have never heard of the third angel’s message than there are people in all the State of California. Here we have a population of every class of people in the world. There are over half a million of the Jews who make no profession of any belief in Christ, and we have not one laborer among them. There is nearly one tenth as many people in Greater New York as there are in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales taken together. If one should have a congregation of one thousand each night in the year, it would require over ten years for each of the inhabitants of the city to hear one sermon. Now, what have we done? Who has a burden to labor in this city? About twenty-five years ago the work began in Brooklyn. At different times work has been done among the Scandinavians, who number about eighty thousand; also among the Germans, who number over a million. And what are we doing to-day to help these people? During the past season Elder Melsen has held tent meetings among the Scandinavians. Elder Reinke has conducted a similar effort for the Germans. The conference has been unable to furnish either company with more than one worker. Elder C. H. Edwards has had a tent in the Bronx, a suburb containing two hundred thousand people. Elder Warren has been with us in our work in the hall on Fifty-ninth Street.

We know of but one man in the past who has taken hold in New York with a real burden of the work to make this his continued field of labor; this is Elder Franke, who began his labor in the city in 1895. In the winter he secured halls, where he preached each Sunday night. Three summers he held tent meetings. Others have come in from time to time, and held meetings in different parts of the city. As a result of this labor between six and seven hundred have accepted the Sabbath. There is one church of Scandinavians, one of Germans, and one of the English-speaking people in Brooklyn; another church of English in the Bronx, three churches on Manhattan Island and another about to be organized. What are these efforts among four million people? We have no permanent treatment rooms in all the city, and until of late not a vegetarian restaurant. Now we have three, within a few rods of one another, and each of them has a good patronage.

Fifteen months ago my wife and I came here by the advice of our brethren. God has greatly blessed our efforts. Some who have accepted the truth in

connection with the efforts of the training school are now among our most efficient workers. We have brought into our family from time to time workers from Florida, Ohio, Nebraska, Massachusetts, Dakota, and Indiana. The majority of those who have been with us have been inexperienced. Our principal work has been to train laborers for the field. New England has sent two. One of them is doing successful work in Boston. Another has returned on account of sickness in her home, but is prepared to take hold of the work in almost any place. Others are in other conferences, making their work self-supporting.

One year ago when Elder Brunson was with us, in answer to prayer God gave us a hall on West Fifty-ninth Street for a rent of six hundred dollars a year. The price of the hall was six thousand dollars. The owner of it paid fifteen hundred dollars a year rent for the land on which it stands, besides water rates, taxes, etc. He rented it to us for $12.50 a week. From the time we first came to the city, the use of a room in a very wicked part of the city has been given us. As the result of the services held in this room a number of Sabbath keepers, believing all points of present truth, have been raised up. If labor is continued with them, they will soon be organized into a small church. They are colored people. The work among the colored people demanded a hall in a better locality. The price of this hall was forty dollars a week, but it was finally secured for twenty-five dollars. Three public meetings have been held continuously during the summer in halls exclusively under our control. One of our workers has been invited to give a talk on the book of Revelation one day each week, at one of the noonday meetings for business men in the heart of the city, conducted by the Baptists. There is a good interest.

Some persons of influence have recently taken their stand upon the truth at the hall on Fifty-ninth Street, and are awaiting baptism. If we had paid the usual price for these three halls, they would have cost us at the rate of six thousand five hundred dollars a year, but we have paid at the rate of nine hundred dollars a year. We recognize in this the special providence of God.

Last winter we held in the Metropolitan Lyceum two cooking classes and one health school, and one cooking school among the colored people, and a health school among the Danes. The church that has been organized since we came to the city, including the workers, has paid in tithe $2,106.22. Of this sum those Sabbath keepers received into the church by letter paid $717.38, and the new Sabbath keepers who joined by baptism, $606.28. Between fifty and sixty have decided to keep the Sabbath. Some of these are in the country, others have joined other churches, while still others are here in No. 3 church. For the financial statement see Bible Training School, November number. This church has now been received into the conference, and we enter an entirely new field in Brooklyn. We have secured rooms at a cost of ninety dollars a month. We feel grateful to God for what he has wrought for us. We are encouraged to venture out on his promises. During the past fifteen months, our house rent alone has been $1,275.25, and we have paid the workers while in training $2,591.62. This is besides our hall rent and other expenses. Less than one hundred and fifty dollars of this sum has come from any conference whatever, but most of it has been earned and gathered by personal labor with the people.

The present plans are that Elder Franke will occupy the Carnegie Lyceum each Sunday night, as he has done the last two winters, and labor in the city proper, and we in Brooklyn.

A number of trained nurses who are anxious to take the Bible studies will be with us this winter. Our new workers are gathering now, and by the first of November we expect to enter upon a vigorous campaign with a strong company of about twenty,—nurses, Bible workers, and colporteurs.

Were we to look at the expense of the enterprise this coming winter, we would not dare to enter upon it; but knowing how God has sustained us in the past, we believe that he will carry us through. We can be helped financially in two ways: first, by donations to the Bible Training School; secondly, by individuals and conferences paying the cost of educating workers. Last year there were those who sustained certain workers for six months. It will cost five dollars a week to support one laborer. Six months would cost one hundred and thirty dollars. This would fit an ordinary worker to do efficient work. And most of all, we want the prayers and sympathy of our brethren and sisters. Shall we go forward this coming winter? Will our brethren stand by us? A careful record is kept of every cent received by us, and our books are audited by the Atlantic Union Conference auditor.

Our address is “Vendome,” corner of Gates and Grand Ave., Brooklyn, New York.

S. N. HASKELL.