The Missionary by J. Vuilleumier

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Dec 9, 1889

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 47.

The Missionary.

By J. Vuilleumier

THE EUROPEAN FIELD.

THE German nation owes, to a great extent, its strength, ability, and grandeur to the great reformation in the sixteenth century. Germany has been a favored nation; it has received invaluable privileges during its three and one-half centuries of Protestantism. We all love its noble race, and are greatly indebted to her. We all long to see a great work done in that country of Luther,—to see the reformation, begun in the sixteenth century, receive there a glorious completion.

A beginning has been made. The canvassing work there is fairly started. Companies, aggregating twenty or thirty workers, are having very encouraging success in placing the printed truth into the hands of the people. If we had, to-day, one or two thousand canvassers to put into that field, they could all be self-sustaining. Preaching may prove to be difficult in that country, but canvassing, as far as we have seen, will be a success. Germany is an immense field. She is all ready; she cries for workers. Where are the thousand canvassers? Where are the one hundred, or the five hundred? Shall not the end of this Conference year see two hundred canvassers in that great country?

The French field includes the French or western part of Switzerland, with less than a million of people, mostly Protestants; France, with 40,000,000, mostly Catholics, and Belgium, with some 5,000,000 people, of the Catholic faith. French Switzerland was the first field in the Central European Conference where the canvassing work was made a success. This was in the beginning of 1888. The news rejoiced our lamented Brother B. L. Whitney on his dying bed. There were soon from twenty to thirty canvassers in the field. French Switzerland being only a small country, that field was very soon canvassed; and then the question raised itself, Where shall we go? Quite a number went to France.

Here an unexpected experience awaited

them. France was found to be altogether different from French Switzerland. Money was found to be more scarce, and the people less willing to disburse it than in Switzerland. The interest to read was also found to be less. Religious subjects especially did not attract the attention they did among the French Protestants of Switzerland. In a word, the blighting influence of Catholicism was sorely felt. In one month the canvassers hardly sold as many books as they had in one day in Switzerland. Their courage was severely tried. The little money which they had made in Switzerland was soon exhausted. Their situation became critical. Before long they had to come back to Switzerland, a few to canvass with new works, and some to abandon the work for lack of territory. Two canvassers coming from France to the camp-meeting in Tramelan, last year, were so destitute that they had to walk some eight days in succession, many a time sleeping in the open air.

Fortunately, France is not so bad as this throughout. Now and then, when the canvassers would come into a Protestant community, they would meet with very encouraging success. They would often get their board and lodging for the night without charge. Sometimes the pastor would buy several copies of the book, or give them the address of his own people, thus opening the way for a large number of books to be placed in the territory. At other places they would be invited to hold a meeting, or a Bible-reading, or would be urged to stay a few days to instruct the people in the truth. I wish they were here to relate their own experience. However, as the Protestants are not numerous in France, such instances as these were rare. They were, rather, like oases in the wilderness, and only served to confirm the existence of that wilderness.

After the camp-meeting of 1888, two of our best and most devoted canvassers, Brethren Auger and Prudent, resolved to try France again, to see if they could not place this truth before the people in the form of books, and at the same time make their own living. They went in the northeastern part, where there are some Protestants. They soon were brought face to face with the sad reality. Enduring many privations, they went on. Hunger came. They had to live on some raw apples which they found on the road, and some milk which the people gave them. And still they clung to their field—remained at their post. Finally, both were taken seriously ill with typhoid fever. Both were carried to the hospital of Mont Céliard, where they were tenderly cared for by strangers and by the sisters of the hospital. One of them, Prudent, died after terrible fits of fever. The other, Brother Auger, slowly recovered and came to Basel, to leave soon after for America.

Thus was dearly demonstrated the fact that in France canvassers cannot make a living. Since that time there has not been a canvasser in France. The large and fine corps of canvassers had come down to a very few, there not being territory enough for them all in Switzerland, and the Central European Conference having not the means to support them in France.

Brethren, France needs the truth. France is calling for help. France is ready for it now. Religious liberty in France has been complete for eighteen years.

How long it will continue we cannot tell. If France had three hundred years ago enjoyed the liberty which it enjoys to-day, she would perhaps be the greatest nation in the world to-day. Hundreds of thousands of Huguenots would not have been massacred. The light of the Reformation, put out in a stream of blood, would have lighted the earth.

But now, another opportunity is granted to her. She is stretching her arms across the ocean to this General Conference. Come over and help us, while it is time! Sister White said, while at Basel, that there would come out from the Catholics a greater number than from the Protestants. Shall we leave France deprived of the message because it will cost us some money?—God forbid.—J. Vuilleumier, in Conference Bulletin.