MY EXPERIENCE IN CANVASSING.
By Charles P. Whitford
For the encouragement of those who have felt they had a duty to do in this branch of the work, but who have as yet neglected to engage in it, I wish to give the result of my experience. I have felt for a long time that I ought to take our publications and go from house to house, trying to interest the people in the truths for our time; but to do so seemed a great cross. I could give of my means to advance the precious cause of God with comparative ease; but to think of giving myself was far from being pleasant to the feelings of the natural heart. But a sense of duty, dictated, as I believe, by the Spirit of God, finally compelled me to lay aside all personal feelings in the matter; and in the name of our Lord and Master, I resolved to go out and do what I could. I have labored but three days, yet I have settled the question in my own mind that a perfect success can be made in canvassing for the REFORMER and our denominational works, when we take hold of the work in a right manner and with the same earnestness and zeal which characterize us in our worldly affairs. The result of three days’ work is as follows: visited 35 families, obtained 17 subscribers for the REFORMER, 4 for the SIGNS, and sold and gave away 4,470 pages of books and tracts. With scarcely an exception, the people are willing to listen to all we have to say; and it is an easy matter to interest them in the REFORMER with “The Way of Life,” presenting Christ, while explaining this, as the great central light of the world, and showing that the people of every age and dispensation can find salvation through him alone, while at the same time they are amenable to the moral law of God. I have seen eyes moisten with tears, and many have listened with marked interest; and nearly every one will say they never understood the plan of salvation so clearly before. It does seem to me that God is giving us the hearts of the people. I believe he is now calling upon us in an unusual manner to scatter the light of truth by means of the publications, which are all prepared and ready for our hands, thus preparing the way for him to work by his Spirit. If we do all on our part we may be sure the Lord will not fail on his, and there will be a large ingathering of souls such as will be saved in his kingdom. We have taken in our district, 123 premiums to use in canvassing for the SIGNS and REFORMER. We urge our members who have these premiums to be active, and see that they are all used before our next quarterly meeting. Our time to labor is short. Ruin is coming upon our world. Let us give ourselves earnestly to this work now, and our resting time will come in the “sweet by and by.”