Hutchinson, Minn by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 17, 1872

Hutchinson, Minn.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

Since writing our last report, things have lightened up very much. After the first few days the people began to come in more, and our congregation has gradually risen from 30 up to 300, and there seems to be a very healthy interest indeed. They seem to be a very intelligent people, and all classes are represented here,—Infidels, Universalists, Spiritualists, Mormons, Age-to-come, First-day and Seventh-day Adventists, Lutherans, Catholics, and the whole list of Orthodox. We have had a Bible-class in our tent every day, commencing right after breakfast; and frequently lasting nearly the whole day, in which there has been present all the way from six to twenty; and a very interesting time of it we have had indeed. We have given particular attention to the Age-to-come theory. This is the first time I ever met it. I think we have received some light on that theory, particularly on Zechariah 12:13, 14. May write it out sometime.

Friday night, preached on spiritualism. Saturday night, Mr. Potter, trance speaker, a celebrated lecturer among the spiritualists, and their traveling agent for this State, came to town, to fill an appointment; so we had a debate Saturday evening and Sunday forenoon, the first one I ever held with a spiritualist. He spoke in a trance. Our tent was crowded, and there was a great interest among the people. He started off very reverential in his talk about the Bible, as though he believed it, believed in a God, and the Christian religion, and would stand by the Bible as his proof.

Thus, of course, we had the whole advantage of him. In the second session, he came out and squarely denounced the whole thing and said that God told the first lie, and the devil told the truth; and much more to the same effect. The congregation hissed him, upon which he called them geese and other low names. Then they laughed at him, and he got madder still and acted very unbecomingly, until he lost the sympathy of everybody. This made them very enthusiastic in our favor. I think I have never witnessed a better victory in a debate than the truth gained in this. He undertook to lecture in the meeting-house in the afternoon, but he only had about fifteen or twenty to hear him, while we had the tent full; and at night he had to withdraw his appointment, and so came to hear me. I preached on the end of the wicked, with good freedom. At the close of the meeting, some of our outside friends requested the privilege of taking up a collection to defray our expenses, when about $20 were raised.

We sold all our books on spiritualism. It is the general feeling here now that spiritualism is pretty thoroughly killed in this place for some time to come at least. We are having invitations out to visit now in every direction, more than we can fill. Also there seems to be openings around here now for lectures as soon as we are through here. We feel in hopes that we may now be able to accomplish something. So far as we can judge, we have not in a long time seen a better or more healthy interest than we have here.

Bro. Long was at Glencoe last Sabbath, and reports a more encouraging state of things there than we expected. There are twelve keeping the Sabbath as the result of our meetings, and they have regular Sabbath meetings, although all are not near enough to meet with them. Bro. Russell will probably give a course of lectures in some of these openings as soon as labor with the tent is closed. This, either he or Bro. Long are now well able to do, I think. These brethren have taken hold and helped me in preaching and laboring with the tent so that I have got along well. It has been discouraging to see no more interest than we have had all summer, but they have improved in studying and learning to go out alone. Hope our brethren will still remember us.

D. M. CANRIGHT.

Hutchinson, Minn., Aug. 29.