A Golden Opportunity by S. H. Lane

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 23, 1902

A Golden Opportunity

By S. H. Lane

DURING the past five months I have traveled extensively throughout the Middle West, and in all my travels over these States, I never saw such a fruitful season as is the present one. The rain has been abundant in almost every place. In the early part of the season the drought affected parts of Kansas and Texas to that extent that the wheat and corn and oats were cut short,—especially was this true in Texas,—but later rains redeemed in a measure the withering crops, and developed later ones. The most important crop in Texas is that of cotton, and for several years no crop has presented a finer appearance than does the present one, the earlier bales of which are now being marketed.

The wheat, flax, and oat crops of Minnesota and North and South Dakota are simply wonderful. The corn, wheat, and oat crops of Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri are so immense that it has been very difficult in sections to harvest them on account of rain and the scarcity of laborers. In the Indian and Oklahoma Territories, and the States of Arkansas and Texas, the cotton and cane crops are abundant, also the corn crop, except in the State last named. Small fruits have been abundant in all these States, while apples and peaches are abundant in Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas, and the two Territories mentioned. These crops are being secured and marketed, and as the result money begins to flow into the country; and when the crops are marketed, the West will be filled with money, which will be spent freely by the people for things which they may be pleased to purchase. They will part with it more freely than in the past, from the fact that a few years ago thousands of farms were mortgaged, but on account of the prosperity and good prices of produce during the past few years, the majority of these mortgages have been discharged, and people are now at liberty to spend money more freely. Shall not some of it come into the cause through the sale of our books? Indeed, our entire country has been wonderfully blessed with good crops, and money will soon circulate freely, and now is our golden opportunity to sell our publications.

If we had hundreds of canvassers in the States of the Middle West, they could place thousands of dollars' worth of books in the homes of the people. Every one of our people in the States I have mentioned, and in every part of our great country, should from now until the holidays engage in book selling as never before. Every copy of “Christ’s Object Lessons” should be sold, and the last debt of our schools should be liquidated. The sale of our subscription books should be such as to tax the capacity of our printing presses.

Reader, have you ever engaged in the sale of any of our good books? If not, will you not now begin? You have near and dear friends who will purchase if you will present the books to them, and both you and they will be benefited. The holidays are before us, and it is none too early for every one who can sell books to begin their work of securing orders. Our publishing houses have the books on hand. Will not every union conference and State agent, and every canvasser now work as never before, and inspire others to do valiant service?

S. H. LANE.