San Jose, Cal by Dudley Marvin Canright; M. E. Cornell

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 28, 1874

San Jose, Cal.

By Dudley Marvin Canright; M. E. Cornell

We have now held meetings here one week. San Jose is fifty miles south-east of San Francisco, in the Santa Clara Valley, one of the oldest, richest and most wealthy parts of the State. The climate is most delightful. Fruit, grain, and vegetables grow in abundance. The population of the city is about 10,000. The Catholics are very numerous, and there is also a strong spiritualistic and infidel element. The Methodists and other Protestant churches also have flourishing churches, schools, seminaries, &c. On the whole we have not regarded it as a very flattering opening. The first-day Adventists have labored here with but little or no success; yet for several considerations we thought it best to make an effort here.

When we began our meetings, the city had just passed through a terrible excitement over the temperance question; and then the celebration of the Fourth came the same week that we began. We advertised freely in all the daily papers, and put up large and small bills all over the city. The first evening we had about seventy. This increased in three evenings to ninety. Then the excitement of the Fourth dropped it down considerably. To raise the interest if possible, we advertised to expose spiritualism in two discourses. We had printed a thousand bills and scattered them freely over the city. This had the desired effect, and for two evenings we have had from two to three hundred hearers, and a good deal of excitement. The spiritualists are greatly stirred, interrupting our meetings with questions and objections, and much loud talk at the close. But the sympathy of the audience is wholly with us, and we are making many friends.

The spiritualists will reply to us, and we shall review them. We hope in this manner to get the attention of the people. The substance of the lecture each evening is written out by us and published in one of the papers each day as editorial. They put it in just as we write it, and are glad to do so. We have sold all the books we had on spiritualism. We are all well and enjoy good freedom in preaching the word.

We feel much encouraged with the good success at Oakland. And then the glorious reports that come to us from all the camp-meetings are cheering indeed. Truly the Lord is at work for his people. The signs of the end are rapidly increasing. Now is our time to work. In the providence of God the winds are so held that we have peace and plenty all over the country. This cannot last long. The time of trouble is drawing on. It becomes us, therefore, to make the most of the present opportunity. We ask the brethren everywhere to remember us in all their prayers.

D. M. CANRIGHT,

M. E. CORNELL.

San Jose, Cal., July 9, 1874.