Open Doors in Europe by A. G. Daniells

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 2, 1902

Open Doors in Europe

By A. G. Daniells

The pressure of other work prevented me from furnishing last week’s REVIEW with an article on “Open Doors in Europe.” In order to refresh the minds of the readers with the statistics presented in my former article, I will restate some of them.

The territorial area of the European General Conference is seven and one-half million square miles—more than twice the size of the United States.

The population is five hundred million—one third of the entire population of the world, and six times that of the United States.

There are thirty nations, thirty languages, thirty governments, and twenty rulers.

Scattered over this great field are eight thousand Sabbath keepers, three hundred churches, and one hundred and seventy-eight regular gospel workers. The annual tithe paid is forty-three thousand dollars.

The United States, with only one sixth of the population, has seven times as many believers, six times as many laborers, and twelve times as much tithe.

In the United States there is one Sabbath keeper for every thirteen hundred people; in the European field there is one for every sixty thousand people.

In the United States we have large printing houses, and many schools and sanitariums. In the European field these facilities are few and small.

Is it not perfectly clear from these figures that the cause in the United States should share its abundance with the European field? Why should a State with only two million people have three thousand believers, fifty preachers, and twenty-five thousand dollars yearly tithe, while Scotland, with five million people, has only forty believers, two preachers, and four hundred dollars tithe annually? No good reason can be given. The only reason why such conditions exist is because this message has been preached in that State thirty years, and in Scotland only one year.

About one year ago one of our ministers went to Scotland to preach the third angel’s message. He located in Glasgow. From the first he found the people ready to hear the message he had to present. Some good preparatory work had been done by a faithful canvasser. During the year forty or fifty people have accepted the truth.

At the close of the London Conference last May, two of the canvassers who went with the company of ten to Great Britain were sent to Scotland. Two months later I met these canvassers at the Leeds camp meeting. They reported large sales, and also stated that they had never met a kinder people anywhere. They brought an earnest, intelligent young Scotchman to the camp meeting to be baptized. This young man had his attention first called to this message by these canvassers. He was the first fruits of their labors in Scotland. The fact that they were able to gather this sheaf so soon, shows how white and ready the field is for the harvest.

What is true of Scotland is true of other parts of Great Britain, and of many other countries on the Continent. Two years ago a young minister was sent to Hungary to learn the language, that he might preach this truth to that people. When he entered that country, there were but very few Sabbath keepers there. During the two years that this brother has been learning the language, he has been working alone for the people, and nearly two hundred have accepted the truth. This is convincing evidence that the Lord has gone before us into all lands, and that he is pouring his Spirit upon all flesh, and preparing hearts to receive his last message of warning to the world.

While in Europe last summer, I had the privilege of visiting one of our ministers who had recently located in Prague, Bohemia. Although this minister had been working in that city only a few months, and had never before come in contact with the Bohemian people, twenty or thirty had accepted the truth. Those I met were as warm-hearted, zealous Sabbath keepers as I have found anywhere in my travels. This minister assured me that he had

never enjoyed ministerial labor anywhere more than in Prague.

All parts of Europe in which earnest, faithful work is being done bear testimony that the fields are white, ready to harvest. Again I say that the reason why there are so many more believers and laborers and so much more tithe in the various States of America than in the different countries of Europe, is because the message has been preached so much longer in the States than in Europe.

But let us return to our statistics. The Scandinavian Union Conference has three organized union conferences and two mission fields. The conferences are Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The mission fields are Finland and Iceland.

The population of this union conference is 12,500,000. The number of Sabbath keepers is 2,165, and there are twenty ministers. There is one school in operation, also a printing establishment, and there are two sanitariums and three treatment rooms.

In many respects Scandinavia is a most promising field. When the truth was first presented there, it was readily accepted, and excellent conferences were established. Many promising young men and women were trained in the simple training school conducted by the laborers. These young people have been true to the Lord, and are now bearing heavy responsibilities in different departments of the work. But Scandinavia needs more laborers. Denmark, with two and one-half million people, has but four ordained ministers, and two licensed preachers. One of the ordained ministers is president of the union conference, and another is editor of the Danish paper. We are pleased to report that Elder Lewis Christian, of Chicago, has recently gone to Denmark to strengthen the staff of workers in that conference.

Once Denmark had a school, but it has been discontinued. The educational work in that conference should be started again by the establishment of at least a small training school. This would give the young men and women an opportunity to prepare for efficient service.

The medical work in Denmark is prospering. The Skodsborg Sanatorium is the leading medical institution of our cause in Scandinavia, and most of the time has as many patients as it can provide room for. During the summer months, many guests occupy rooms outside the building, and take regular treatment. Dr. Ottosen and his consecrated staff of helpers endeavor to make this institution a preacher of the third angel’s message. Many people of standing and influence from all parts of Scandinavia, and even from Germany and Switzerland, patronize the Skodsborg Sanatorium, and from it carry some knowledge of the truth for this time.

Since the financial crisis of two years ago, the blessing of the Lord has been especially manifest in the different conferences of Scandinavia. Earnest efforts have been made by the leaders to place the finances in good shape. The efforts of the American brethren to pay the creditors of the Christiania publishing house have brought new life and courage to the Scandinavian brethren. While they have rejoiced to receive this help from America, and to see the cause of God in their country saved from dishonor, they have at the same time put forth the most earnest efforts to wipe out all their debts, and to build up the cause in all its branches. God is blessing their efforts, and new life and large results from labor are being seen.

Finland is a mission field of the Scandinavian Union Conference. It has a population of two million six hundred thousand. In the western part of Finland there are about three hundred and fifty thousand people who speak the Swedish language. It is in this part of the country that we have begun our work. At present we have two ministers at work in Finland. The last report from them stated that at the close of 1901 there were sixty-five Sabbath keepers in that country. The tithe for the year was $540.52. That is over eight dollars per member,—a large tithe compared with what is paid in many of our rich States. During the first four months of this year those poor people paid four hundred and thirty-five dollars tithe.

Owing to the repressive religious laws of the country, our laborers experience many difficulties in preaching the truth, and in selling our books and papers. All our Sabbath keepers must remain members of the Lutheran, or state, church, and pay to it their annual dues. When our minister enters a city to preach, he must notify a minister of the state church, and invite him to attend. This state preacher can permit the meetings to continue, or he can close them. In order to sell our literature, one must have a recommendation showing that he is a good Lutheran, a license from the censor, and a passport from the police.

Yet with all these difficulties, our brethren are working away, and God is blessing their labors. They are gathering out a people for translation. They have sold fourteen thousand copies of “Prophecies of Jesus,” and thirty thousand of “Steps to Christ.” At the present time they are selling two thousand copies of their Finnish paper, The Signs of the Times, every month. One person who lives in a remote part, and whom the ministers have never met, sells one hundred copies each month.

These dear people in Finland have recently been brought under the Russian government, and are fast losing their civil and religious liberty. The greatest blessing that can come to them is the third angel’s message. They are ready for it. Shall we not extend to them our sympathy, prayers, and means? All Scandinavia is a beautiful field, and its doors are wide open for our messengers. Why should not every person who can speak the Scandinavian language give his whole time and energies to that people? Why should not Scandinavia, including Finland, be supplied with a larger staff of earnest workers?

Brethren, let us arouse to the opportunities and demands of this hour.

A. G. DANIELLS.