SUGGESTIONS ABOUT CONDUCTING A COURSE OF LECTURES by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 21, 1878

SUGGESTIONS ABOUT CONDUCTING A COURSE OF LECTURES.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

Having devoted a good share of my time for thirteen years to lecturing in new fields, and having observed a great many others who are doing the same thing, perhaps I may make some profitable suggestions to our younger brethren who are just beginning in the same work. Frequently I have been much pained to see the lack of judgment manifested by some in conducting a course of lectures. Sometimes the success of a meeting turns upon a very small thing. A little blunder, a lack of energy, an improper connection of subjects, or something like that, may result in losing what might have been a grand success. Certainly, so far as the Lord is concerned, he is as willing to bless the labors of one man as another, if he is a good man.

How is it, then, that some of our brethren of considerable ability seldom have much success? They will go from one field to another, trying here and there, but their reports generally end about the same. Three or four or a half dozen have embraced the truth where there was a good interest, and that is all. They finally conclude that their Conference is a very hard field in which to labor. But other laborers go into these same fields, and have the best of success. There must be some reason for this. I am more and more satisfied that it is in the laborers themselves, and not half so much in the field. Of course every man has not the same calling, and some could not accomplish as much as others anywhere; yet all can improve, if they make a proper effort.

SELECTING A FIELD.

I have observed that with us all it is generally a matter of great solicitude to select the best field for labor. When one of our ministers thinks of going out, how anxious he is! How long he will discuss the probabilities of this, that, or the other field! As for myself, I have worried over this much more in the past than I ever shall in the future. The more I observe, the more I am satisfied that you can tell little or nothing about it. Some general principles may hold good; but even these will fail you in the majority of cases. Where you would least expect good results, you often have the greatest success; and where you think you have a flattering opening, in the majority of cases it is a failure. My advice is to begin at the first place you can put your hook in. Don't spend much time or money in running hither, and yon to

find a field. Stop at the first four corners or little village, and go to work.

MAKE YOUR PLACE OF LECTURES ATTRACTIVE.

Whatever place you have in which to lecture, whether tent, hall, or house, do all in your power, that is reasonable, to make it pleasant, cheerful, and so attractive. We should learn from the children of this world about these things. Observe the successful merchant, grocer, hotel-keeper, or liquor-dealer. See how neat, clean, and attractive he makes his place of business. His success depends largely upon this. Why should not we have as good sense as they? But, I am sorry to say, I have frequently seen our brethren unaccountably stupid in these things. If they are in a hall or school-house, they will allow the floor to become as dirty and black as a barn floor. The windows you will see covered with dust and cobwebs. The seats are left to shift for themselves. Perhaps the room is not half lighted; there is one lamp where there ought to be three, and these smoked up and half trimmed. People of good taste will not come many times to such a place, whatever the speaker may say. They receive the impression right off that he and the people he represents are an ignorant, low class of people.

Our truth and our people are necessarily unpopular anyway; we always meet much prejudice in entering a new field. Hence every possible effort should be put forth to make a favorable impression the first time. The appearance of our meeting-house is the first thing at which people will look. Look out well for that. But some preachers with whom I am acquainted don't seem to have the least idea of what a clean lamp and a well-lighted house mean. After talking with them personally about it, I have found them lecturing, with a house so dimly lighted that only a few nearest the lamps could see to read a hymn. Oil is cheap. Last summer we burned fourteen large lamps in our sixty-foot tent; and the whole cost was only sixty cents a week. I have seen brethren running a tent with only four lamps. Then there is everything in cleaning a lamp. Every evening it should be as bright as a new silver dollar, from top to bottom, and full of oil.

If a tent is used, more care still is required. If the tent is not pitched right, it will look more like a scare-crow than a meeting-house. It should sit as tight and trim as a new silk hat. Then the seats should all be of the same length to an inch, and they should all have backs to them, and be kept arranged in exact order. Generally seats in tents are not high enough. They should be as high as chairs,—sixteen inches.

ADVERTISING.

After all that has been said by our people about advertising thoroughly, it should not be necessary to say any more. Very much depends at first on advertising. Every person within several miles of the place should be informed of the meeting. Don't put up a few bills in the most prominent places, and then imagine that everybody knows everything about your meeting. Send a bill to every house, and then post them thickly all over town. Take advantage of every daily and weekly paper. Get something into them. If papers have spoken favorably of your labors elsewhere, make short extracts from them, and put on the backs of your bills. It will help you wonderfully.

D. M. CANRIGHT.