Portland, Maine by Stephen Nelson Haskell

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 12, 1912

Portland, Maine

By Stephen Nelson Haskell

THERE are several reasons why Portland is a very important center. First, the State of Maine is the storm-center of temperance and prohibition for the world, and Portland is the ruling city in the State. Second, Portland, with the many islands in Casco Bay, has become one of the largest summer resorts in the United States. Third, the same God that guarded the spot where Abraham offered his son, selecting it as the site of his temple, and promising that the heavenly Jerusalem would cover the spot, has a regard for the birthplace of the message, the place from which he chose the messenger whom he has used as his mouthpiece for over sixty years.

In July, 1911, we reached Portland, only a few weeks before the election which was to decide whether Maine would remain prohibition or not. We found no aggressive temperance work being done by our people in the State. We saw the great need of immediate action, and as the Temperance Instructor was the best thing in sight, we conceived the plan of distributing fifty thousand copies of this valuable paper throughout the State. The brethren both in and out of Maine took hold heartily to help as soon as they saw the work moving, and we passed the fifty-thousand mark. The Temperance Instructor was distributed in Maine to the number of 53,797, and even our enemies confessed that the Seventh-day Adventists saved the State to prohibition.

After the September election last fall, seeing the need of continuing aggressive temperance work in the State, we requested the Review and Herald Publishing Association to print in tract form the chapter in "Ministry of Healing," entitled "The Liquor Traffic and Prohibition." They not only printed the tract, but very generously gave to the temperance cause in Maine fifty thousand copies, which we have distributed throughout the State. As there was no political issue on, we have had more time in which to plan the work than in the campaign last fall, when everything had to be done in a few weeks.

Sister Jennie Bates, who was in touch with the W. C. T. U. workers, sent a sample copy of the tract to the leaders of all the companies of W. C. T. U. workers in the State, asking them if they should like to use the tracts in their localities. Very cordial replies were received, many asking for from ten copies to two thousand copies of the tracts. They paid enough to defray all expense of shipping the tracts. We received many expressions of gratitude from these faithful temperance workers for the literature. After we had supplied the temperance societies, we began a systematic work of distribution. Our workers visited ministers and men in charge of factories and different institutions and stores; and wherever they found men interested in temperance, the matter was laid before them, and often the worker was cordially invited to distribute the tracts to all the employees, or the man in charge would ask for a sufficient number to give one to each individual in the institution.

One minister took four hundred copies for his congregation. One Sunday-school teacher, who attended our health meetings last winter, asked for a quantity of the temperance tracts. After examining them, her minister had ushers stand at each door, and, at the close of the Sunday-morning service, give a tract to each member of his congregation. In all cases we gave the people to understand that the tracts were printed and given by the Seventh-day Adventists.

On holidays our workers distributed the tracts to the people at the different sea-side resorts. Many interesting experiences were related by the workers. One man to whom a tract was given, carefully examined it, then said, "I wish this had been given me three years ago, before I formed the habit of drinking." We often met individuals who greatly appreciated the work being done; and many spoke in high terms of the Temperance Instructor distributed last year. Several said they had been watching the work done by our people; had carefully read the reports of the cooking schools and health schools that have been published in the daily papers from time to time. The following remark made by one woman is similar to others made to the workers, "What I like about the Seventh-day Adventists is that they are not only doing aggressive temperance work,

but by their vegetarian cooking schools they are teaching the people how to live temperate lives."

For six months last winter, we held either a cooking school or a health school every week in the vestry of the Portland church. These were well attended by a good class of people, and we have learned of several influential families in the city who have almost wholly discarded flesh-meat from their tables as a result of the lessons learned at the cooking schools. These favorable impressions that have been made will, we trust, be a ray of light which will some day lead souls into the full light. After dropping our cooking school for a few months, we received so many requests to have the school continued that we held two schools during the month of August, and were well pleased to see a good audience present. The daily papers published gratifying reports of the school.

During the summer we have had three nurses connected with our work. Two of them have taken cases and done regular nursing; the other nurse, Sister Esta Svensen, has given treatments only. She has charged a first-class price, and has done first-class work. By the treatments, she has entered homes where our Bible workers could not gain access.

Our year's work in Maine has been largely in the nature of seed sowing. We have purchased over three hundred dollars' worth of our denominational tracts from the Review and Herald. These tracts were made up into thirty five-dollar packages. Fifteen of these were purchased by our brethren in the churches outside of Portland, and the remaining fifteen packages have been lent, sold, or given away in the city of Portland.

We wish to thank publicly the brethren at Washington for their generosity and kindness in helping to furnish us with literature to carry forward the work here. The Pacific Press has also very generously furnished a club of one hundred weekly Signs of the Times, which we greatly appreciate. These papers have all been faithfully used, and we trust have convinced many minds of the truthfulness of this last message of mercy.

During the year the following literature has been distributed by those connected with our training-school in Portland: 682,281 pages of tracts given away; 189,356 pages of tracts lent in families; 3,450 pages of tracts sold; 6,741 papers given away; 2,478 papers sold; 397 bound books sold. The copies of the Temperance Instructor distributed last summer are not included in this summary.

While we have not seen all the results that we hoped to see, yet we thank the Lord for a few faithful souls, and that some of them are already developing into good workers. We consider a foundation has been laid here in Portland for a substantial and fruitful work.

S. N. HASKELL.