ALASKA by Dora E. Henton

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 29, 1901

ALASKA

By Dora E. Henton

SKAGWAY.—I thought it might be of interest to you to know the amount of literature distributed by us, which is as follows:—

Periodicals distributed, 1,680; pages given away, 24,284; pages loaned, 4,707; yearly subscriptions taken, 6; Bible readings given, 14; letters written, 32; “Christ’s Object Lessons” sold, 1.

This is for ten quarters, and, of course, is not nearly as large as it should be. But you know we are both wage-earners, and what we do must be done outside of our regular work and house cares.

In the Y. M. C. A. library we have placed a full set of our bound books, and given a copy of “Christ’s Object Lessons” to the Presbyterian and Baptist ministers and the secretaries of the Y. M. C. A., respectively.

In addition to this I have had a class of bright young people in the union Sunday-school for nearly two years, where many opportunities are given for sowing the seeds of truth, as well as at the weekly teachers’ meeting.

I find there is a growing interest in favor of our methods of treating the sick, and I am often called upon to give treatment.

This field is so different from most fields, in that the population is so shifting. Most of those who come are here for the purpose of getting rich as quickly as possible and returning to their homes. But we know that, if the seed is sown here in faith, the Lord of the harvest will have a loving care over it, and ripen it in other fields.

We find many earnest Christians among the other denominations, with whom it is a pleasure to associate, and some of whom we fully expect to see accept the truth when the time of real testing comes.

There is not much encouragement for work among the natives. They are a low class, and have become so contaminated from their association with worse white men that it seems an almost hopeless task to try to do anything for them. The Catholic Church and the Salvation Army are about all that appeal to them in a religious way, the first because it gives them nothing to do, and the second because of its noise and display.

There is a blessing that comes from being alone with God, and if our people could only realize, for one week, the joy and comfort that comes from getting out into places where the truth is not known, and letting their light shine, they would not be content to remain congregated in large churches in careless indifference. Mrs. Dora E. HENTON.