MISSOURI

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 4, 1878

From March 16 to 25 I was with the churches of Utica, Hamilton, and Half Rock. Spoke to them twenty times in all. At the former place, the church is small. It has been passing through some discouragements because of the apostasy of some of its members; but the most of them seem of good courage, and desirous of pressing forward. There is quite a good outside interest, and several are almost persuaded to obey God. Obtained a club of nine SIGNS. The church are young in the cause, and hardly realize, as yet, the importance of the T. and M. work.

At Hamilton our meeting was held in the middle of the week; but our stay there was pleasant. This little church sets a good example for many larger churches in the State, in its interest in the tract work and in S. S. I had not been here before this winter, yet they were taking a club of twenty SIGNS, which was increased to thirty-two; and not more than eight or ten members were present to take part in the work. They are much encouraged to work in the cause. I spoke once in the public hall, on spiritualism. For several evenings a lady had been speaking to crowded houses, not saying anything directly of spiritualism, but dressing up its doctrines in as beautiful a garb as possible, thereby captivating the hearts of many. The public mind, unsettled by skepticism, is in a condition to receive spiritualism, when cunningly presented, with its deformities kept in the background; and its doctrines are being received by many. The time is rapidly coming when it will be thought almost blasphemous to speak the truth concerning this monster deception. The evening was unpleasant and other meetings were being held, so that our congregation was not as large as it would have been; but some good was done, and quite a number of our books