FIELD NOTES by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 3, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 43.

FIELD NOTES.

By Editor

We are informed that in Great Britain our book canvassers are generally doing well.

THERE are at present 215 employees engaged in the Review and Herald Publishing House at Battle Creek, Mich.

BROTHER W. SIMPSON reports that seven precious souls have accepted the truth as it is in Jesus, as a result of meetings held at North Branch, Mich.

ELDER J. B. GOODRICH, writing from Quebec, reports three additions by baptism to the church at Buckingham, two at Fitch Bay, and two at South Stukely.

ELDER I. H. EVANS, president of Michigan Conference, writes that the interest is such in Toronto, the Sunday-law city of Ontario, that a house of worship must soon be erected.

ELDER S. N. HASKELL is doubtless now on his way to South Africa, as he designed to sail from London August 10, by the steamer Hawarden Castle. May God go with his worn and tried servant.

WE wish to call the attention of our workers everywhere to the articles on the first page of the Review and Herald of August 7 and 14, entitled “Look to God for Wisdom.” They are meat in due season.

IT is with regret that we chronicle the news of the death of Elder A. E. Flowers, who went to the island of Trinidad to labor, February last. He died of yellow fever, after an illness of five days, June 29. Our sympathy is extended to his bereaved companion. “God buries his workman, but he carries on his work.” Sister Flowers will return to this country.

ELDER E. E. ANDROSS, who has been in attendance at the teachers’ institute in Battle Creek, Mich., passed through this city on the 24th inst., en route to his future home in Healdsburg. He returned by way of the Northern Pacific route.

WISCONSIN.—At Bloomville, under the labors of Brethren Swinson and McIntosh, twenty-seven have embraced the truth, twenty of whom were baptized August 5. At Richland Center eight souls have been converted. The laborers there are Brethren Anderson, Wilkenson, and Phelps.

ONE of the encouraging features of the tent meetings held in Asheville, N. C., by Elders George I. Butler and D. T. Shireman, was the acceptance of the truth by the Baptist minister of that place, who addressed a large audience in the tent on the subject, “Why I Am No Longer a Baptist.”

THE new church at College View, Neb., will, the Lord willing, be dedicated by appropriate services September 23. Elder J. H. Durland will preach the dedicatory sermon. Elders E. W. Farnsworth, W. B. White, J. G. Matteson, H. F. Graf, C. C. Lewis, and Brother A. R. Henry will be present and assist in the exercises.

THE meetings recently held at Gouverneur, N. Y., closed with eight converts to the faith. These, with four believers already there, and other interested ones, were organized into a Sabbath school, and will continue Sabbath meetings weekly. The meetings were conducted by Elder S. M. Cobb and Brother H. L. Bristol.

THE tent meetings conducted by Elder J. W. Collie in Tampa, Florida, resulted in eighteen additions to the church. The daily papers were very kind in their notices, but the clergy were generally quite persistent in their opposition. The church has purchased a meetinghouse formerly occupied by the Presbyterian Church.

ELDER C. L. BOYD, president of the Tennessee River Conference, says that “they are doing more work and seeing more interest in that field than ever before. One member of the grand jury which indicted Brother Capps, who is now lying in jail for conscience’ sake, has with his family begun the observance of the Sabbath. Seven adults have recently united with the church at Nashville.”

WITH reference to the trouble experienced by Brethren John F. Jones and A. J. Howard on Kent Island, Chesapeake Bay, mentioned last week, we learn that no further molestation was offered, but the people ignored the meetings altogether. They were deterred by the sheriff from doing violence, and determined not to hear the preaching. It was a clear case of utter rejection of the gospel truth, and the tent was taken to another locality.

BROTHER JOHN QUINN reports an invitation from Friendship Liberal League, Philadelphia, to address the League on the subject of “Christianity As We Find It vs. Christianity in Fact.” On complying with the request, he was again invited to speak on “The United States a Subject of Prophecy.” We may expect to find in these days, as it was during the first advent, that the world will be more ready to hear the searching truths of the gospel than will those who profess to be the people of God.

PENNSYLVANIA.—The president of the Pennsylvania Conference, Elder I. N. Williams, reports that since their camp meeting, in June, they have organized four churches, as follows: At Bradford, with 19 members, since increased to 22; Indian Creek, with 20 members, with 5 more ready to join, not one of whom was a member of another church when the truth found them, and some of them professed infidels; Harrisburg, with 11 members; Lebanon, with 21 members. There are four more companies nearly ready for organization at Cobham, Butler, Waynesburg, and Oakland. The addition of 10 members are reported at Lowville, Erie County, and 7 new converts at Geneva.

ELDER A. T. ROBINSON writes from South Africa that the people of Claremont presented to our people there a formal petition to open a school for the general public at such rates of tuition as would place the school within reach of those of limited means. This has been acted upon, and ground has been purchased, and a building erected at a cost of £410, or $2,000. The building is 24x48, and is completed and furnished. The school opened July 4 with an attendance of 37, which has since increased to nearly 50.

NEWS has been received from the brethren who left Cape Town for Mashonaland. They reached Bulawayo, the capital of Matabeleland, July 5. Here the governor of Mashonaland, Dr. Jamieson, was visited, who gave them a liberal donation of land for mission purposes. It was hoped that one tract could be secured near Bulawayo and another north of Fort Salisbury. Brother Harvey writes the Foreign Missionary Society that they have been molested by no wild beasts or venomous reptiles, but that they dwell safely.

THE following admonition of Elder H. E. Robinson, president of Atlantic Conference, to the brethren in his field, is timely in other fields: “I am constrained to admonish our people who have thus far been prospered financially that hard times are probably before us, and, therefore, all should use economy in expenses, devoting as much as possible to the work of the Lord. Millions are to be warned, and much money will be needed. Be ready to help in all the calls that are made for the progress of the message. It is no time to bury the talents in the earth.”

IOWA.—At Sumner, Iowa, as a result of the meetings held by Brethren Henderson, Habenicht, and Shaver, eight souls have embraced present truth. The wife of a minister in that place is reported to have instructed young people in this way: “It is your duty to hate the Adventists, and do everything in your power to put them down.” At Atlantic, Brethren Larson, Ketchum, and Guthrie report twenty who have embraced the Sabbath. Twelve have united with the church, ten of whom were baptized. Thirteen have been baptized at Milford, and others soon will be. A church will soon be built at this place. Brethren Watson, McClintock, and Berguson are in charge of the work.

BRAZIL.—Brother A. B. Stauffer, writing from Brazil to the Review and Herald, says of the town of Santos (which by its name ought to be holy), which has a population of 15,000:—

In all my travels I never have seen a place where there is such disregard of the Bible and everything religious, such drunkenness, sin, and demoralizing habits, as are practiced openly here. This is not to be wondered at when we know that there is neither a gospel mission nor a missionary in all the place.

Here a medical missionary should locate at once; and not only here, but there is room for many more to engage in the same line of work in other parts of this country. But these must be men who will not count their lives dear unto themselves, men who are saved themselves, having realized the cleansing, saving, and healing power of Christ, and who have a faith that will not be deterred by difficulties, however great.

One brother [in the State of Santa Catharina] writes that there is a company of upward of seventy-five Sabbath keepers in the locality where he lives. They are divided, however, into two factions, but all keep the Sabbath. May we not hope that these dear souls will yet receive the truth fully, as some of them are already rejoicing in the light, and call to us to come and help them? Brother Dressel, in another section of the same State, writes very encouragingly, and makes an earnest appeal for help. Also the German brethren in Argentina write that

the Lord is blessing them greatly, and adding others to their company, so that in all there are now twenty-six who are keeping the Sabbath there. Praise God for this. I rejoice to know that Elder Westphal will soon be with them, and I am certain that a rich harvest of souls awaits his efforts there. And a still richer harvest is to be reaped by earnest labor bestowed upon this field. But where are the reapers?