Our Office at Basel, and the Swiss Conference.
By W. C. White
We reached Basel Thursday morning, September 3, and were met at the train by Brother Whitney and Brother Charles Andrews. In a few moments we were at the new publishing house. It is a noble building, 46x76 feet in size, with four stories and basement. It was built so as to accommodate not only the present and future wants of our publishing work, but it also contains a large meeting hall which will seat a congregation of three hundred, while in the upper stories are convenient lodgings for several families. The whole building is planned so that with the growth of the publishing work partitions can be removed to make large, convenient rooms for the various branches of the book-making business. At first it was intended to build it but three stories high; but it was found that adding another story would increase the cost but little, and that this room could be rented to families so as to pay the interest on twice the amount of the additional expense. At present there are thirty-eight residing in the building, and during the Conference and council there were over one hundred sheltered under its roof. The laws of Switzerland are very peculiar with reference to the construction of buildings. Each city has a building department, from which you must obtain permission to build. And this department dictates with reference to the thickness of walls, the depth of foundation and of basement rooms, the construction of stairways and doors, and the length of time that newly-constructed walls must stand before the building is occupied, and many other things that seem to be of less importance. Then a tax is levied for insurance, and the building is insured by the State without the option of the owner. In this new building we find added to the strength and durability of the Swiss architecture many American conveniences, such as windows hung upon weights, and the pneumatic elevator running from basement to attic, which unite to make it the most substantial and convenient of any of our public buildings. The Swiss Conference, which was held from September 11-14, was attended by about one hundred and twenty-five persons from the churches in Switzerland, Germany, and France. These, with the fifty residing in Basel, composed our congregation. This is named the Swiss Conference for convenience. It is composed of all the organized churches in the Central European Mission. Most of the services were conducted in three languages. Sometimes the first song was in French, the prayer in English, and the second song in German. Then, if the sermon was given in English, those who could understand only the German and the French would group themselves together, and some one would translate for them. When the sermon was in French, it would be translated into German and English. There was a large number who understood two or three languages. The social meetings were conducted in much the same way. Testimonies were given in German, French, Italian, and English, and translated so that all could understand. While this occasioned some delay, it also tended to brevity of speech, and gave the hearers time to meditate upon what was being said. The characteristics which are found in companies of people who have had the courage to accept unpopular truth, were noticeable in a marked degree here; earnestness and intelligence and moral courage could be read on every countenance. The Swiss Conference has had an encouraging growth since its last meeting, and the tithes and donations have more than doubled during the past year. The most marked feature of the entire meeting was the earnest seeking after God. The early morning prayer-meetings were seasons of rich blessing. Under the influence of the practical discourses, of which there was at least one each day, there was developed an intense desire for a deeper spiritual life, and that the great truths of the message might sanctify the heart, bearing the fruit of a consistent and exemplary daily life. The sermon on Sabbath afternoon was followed by a social meeting, in which sixty-six took part, and in a similar meeting on Sunday afternoon one hundred and fifteen took part. The Conference gave credentials to three ministers, and license to four colporters. It was recommended that Brother Albert Vuilleumier be ordained to the work of the ministry and he was ordained during the missionary council, which followed the Conference. The Sabbath-school was an interesting feature of the meeting. Twenty classes took part, reciting the lesson in three languages. On Monday afternoon, fourteen persons were baptized, and then our friends returned to their homes, determined that for the year to come their lives and example shall honor the solemn truths that they have espoused. W. C. WHITE.