p. 378 | The Missionary by S. N. Haskell

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 19, 1884

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 24.

The Missionary.

By S. N. Haskell

Nebraska Camp-Meeting.

IN company with Bro. J. E. White, I left Kansas City for the Beatrice camp-meeting June 4, at 6:30 A. M.; arrived at 2:30 P. M. Elders Farnsworth and Van Horn went to northern Missouri.

Beatrice contains between 6,000 and 7,000 inhabitants. The camp-ground was about half a mile from the city. As we saw the 50x125 foot pavilion for regular preaching, with other 40, 50, and 60-foot tents for special services, stationed at proper distances from each other, and the regularly laid-out streets of cotton houses for families and churches, the language of inspiration forcibly came to mind: "How goodly are thy tents, O Israel." God is a God of order. When Israel pitched their tents in the wilderness, perfect order was preserved by the direct command of Heaven. See Numbers 2. We serve the same God, who is no less particular now. A boarding tent which would accommodate not less than 100 persons at a time, was nicely arranged. Preparations in every respect were made for a large gathering of people.

It was through this section of country that the short term subscriptions canvass for the SIGNS was extensively carried forward last year. The same had been done this year, besides the work of loaning and selling prepared packages of tracts, doing colporter work, holding Bible-readings, etc. For ten days before the camp-meeting, there had been preaching in the city both in the German and English languages. Two meetings were held each day with an over-crowded tent of eager listeners. At many of the meetings large numbers went away because they could not get a seat or even a sight of the speaker, so great was the crowd of interested persons. Twenty had arisen to their feet at the meetings in the city, acknowledging the claims of God's law, and expressing a determination to keep all of his commandments. Under these circumstances the camp-meeting commenced.

On the camp-ground there were services in the Scandinavian and German languages each day. From the first there were at the English services as large congregations of interested listeners as we ever saw, excepting Sunday afternoon, when about half an hour after the services commenced the black clouds and rising winds caused almost a panic. The people might have been quieted, had not a storm of wind which arose the evening before while the crowd was assembling, resulted in breaking the three center poles of the pavilion, and bringing to the ground also three other large tents. Although the preaching tent was comparatively well filled, not one was injured. A few rods from the ground a building 40x60 feet was removed from its foundation. Thus two meetings apparently proved a failure.

Notwithstanding the rain Saturday night, a large representation came from the adjoining towns on Sunday morning, some walking three miles to take the cars. The whole country was stirred. Favorable reports of all the proceedings, and synopses of the sermons presented, appeared in the daily paper. This general interest must in a large measure be attributed to the extensive canvass for the SIGNS last year, and the work being followed up by colporters this year. It is repeatedly demonstrated that the distribution of a periodical will leave a community in a better condition for future labor than distributing the denominational tracts at first. If the various Conferences would take the same interest in this branch of our work and expend at least $100,000 in this manner, there would be, in less than two years, the greatest religious movement this country ever witnessed.

We as a people are not doing one-twentieth of what we might do and what God would be pleased to have us do to place the light of truth before the mass of mankind. God's providence, both in Europe and America, is greatly in advance of us. There should not be a town, city, or neighborhood, where the language is spoken in which our publications are written, into which the truth should not, by means of these publications and personal labor, find its way within the next twelve months. Add personal labor where it can be done. But for the truth's sake and the cause of humanity, let the mails be a means to carry the truth to the thousands who now have no knowledge of the truths for this time.

It was feared by some that the effort of last year for the extensive circulation of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES in this State would not work well financially even if it did spiritually, and that other branches of the work might suffer; but the following shows the present feelings of the friends of the cause: It was recommended by the leading brethren that this Conference raise $25,000, to be appropriated as follows: $10,000 Reserve Fund for capital stock in the State Tract Society; $5,000 for city missions; $4,000 for an Educational Fund; $3,000 for the Scandinavian mission; $2,000 for the European and German mission (last year they raised about $2,000 for foreign missions); $1,000 for a tent and camp-meeting fund. Of this, $12,347 was pledged at the meeting; this, added to $6,000, which had been pledged previous to the meeting, makes nearly $19,000 of the $25,000 actually secured by pledges. Considerable of this has already been paid in.

The spiritual interest of the meeting was good. On the Sabbath about fifty made a special move to seek God, by separating themselves from the congregation for the prayers of God's servants. Special meetings were held with the ministers and leading brethren. Daily meetings were held with the children. Instructions were given in canvassing; and Brother White met with the Sabbath-school officers and teachers to consider the best means to revive the Sabbath-school interest. We cannot report the result of the meeting as to the number being baptized, subscriptions received for our periodicals, etc., as I was obliged to leave Monday, before the meeting was over, to reach my next appointment.

Elders Olsen, of Minnesota, J. H. Cook, and T. H. Gibbs, from Kansas, R. Conradi, from Iowa, L. B. Whitney, from Dakota, and myself were the ministers present from abroad.

One feature of this meeting was prominent, namely, individuals laboring for each other. The voice of prayer could be heard by walking in any direction either day or night. This is a commendable feature in any camp-meeting. A healthy spiritual growth is always seen by earnestness, in promptness to attend each meeting, and the discharging of every duty. Prayer can never take the place of other duties, neither can other duties take the place of prayer. From our hearts we can pray for God to bless the Nebraska Conference.

S. N. HASKELL.