p. 12 | Review and Herald, Vol. 82, No. 7. (2/16/1905)

Earlier text: Common Honesty in Church Relationship

What Religious Liberty Embraces

By K. C. Russell

K. C. RUSSELL

It is a fact that many honest souls regard the question of religious liberty as dry and prosy, or as a mere political issue.

There is, however, no question that is more practical than that of religious liberty. It is as practical and as essential as the gospel itself; indeed, it is the gospel, for the object of the gospel is to free men from sin. Such freedom is the highest kind of liberty. Certainly it is a religious thing to set men free from sin. Therefore this work is the work of religious liberty.

Witnesses from every age can be produced to demonstrate that religious liberty has been both a practical and a personal experience to those who have received it. The most brief and comprehensive record of such witnesses will be found in Heb. 11: 24-40. It will be observed that faith was the element that these witnesses possessed, not simply a nominal or historic faith, but a soul-living, personal faith, which is evidenced by the fact that they endured the persecution, the suffering, and even death itself, to which the record shows they were subjected.

It is easy to understand from the foregoing that none can be in possession of religious liberty unless he has been made free from sin, and has a personal faith in Christ. This liberty not only sustains us through the hour of severe trials, but it makes the home happy; for every member of the family who possesses this liberty will sacredly regard the rights of all other members, and will do what he can to promote their happiness. Is this true in your home? If so, you are in possession of the true liberty which manifests itself in the golden rule, which says, “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.”

This same principle is true in the church; and it is only when it is disregarded that trouble arises there. It manifests itself in a variety of ways that may be briefly comprehended in heeding the injunction to esteem others better than themselves, in honor preferring one another.

We can not carry to the world this precious gospel of religious liberty until its principles actuate us personally, in the home, and in the church.

May this day mark a period in each life when he shall manifest the spirit that characterized the Author of liberty, for “if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” It is high time that all should awake, and co-operate with the Lord in giving the light on the subject of religious liberty, and thus warn the world of the threatening danger. In “Testimonies for the Church,” No. 33, page 242, is the following: “If our people continue in the listless attitude in which they have been, God can not pour upon them his Spirit. They are unprepared to co-operate with him. They are not awake to the situation, and do not realize the threatened danger. They should feel now, as never before, their need of vigilance and concerted action.”

Let this day mark a period of concerted action on the part of all in the study of these heaven-born principles, and in responding to the call to assist this work by the giving of their means.

The Advantages in Having Our Headquarters at Washington

By W. A. Colcord

W. A. COLCORD

THE advantages to our religious liberty work in having our headquarters located at Washington are many. Especially is this so just now when Sunday legislation is again being urged upon Congress, and when, as we all believe, measures are soon to be proposed, and laws enacted, which will result in the complete formation of the image of the beast, and in giving life to it. One can generally see better and work to better advantage at close range than at a distance.

Of all the departments of our work none, it seems, could more appropriately or more advantageously be located here than our Religious Liberty Department.

Here is where the laws are made. Here nearly five hundred senators and representatives gather from all parts of the country from year to year to make the laws. Here is where the president and his cabinet reside. Here the ambassadors from the various countries of the world come to represent their respective governments. Here is where the judges of the Supreme Court of the United States, the highest judicial tribunal of the nation, sit. All these must have their attention called to the message for this time,—the warning against the worship of the beast and his image and the reception of his mark. How can this be done so effectively as to have our headquarters located right here at the capital of the nation, and a strong aggressive work going on in their midst?

We are not here as “lobbyists,” to secure legislation; but as Protestants, to sound a warning against religious legislation, and to proclaim the everlasting gospel of peace and deliverance from the bondage of sin and oppression. Here is where the iniquitous laws are being demanded. Here, therefore, let the protest be sounded, and from here let it ring out throughout the length and breadth of the land.

We are not here to court persecution, nor to escape it, but to give the message which God has commissioned us to give to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.

From here are issued three great daily newspapers, the Washington Post, the Evening Star, and the Washington Times. These speak not simply for Washington, but for the nation. By having our headquarters located here, and carrying on a strong aggressive work, we are able to secure notices, articles, and reports of our work in these papers, which we could not if we were located at some other place. The fact that we have located our headquarters here, that we have a school, a sanitarium, and a publishing house established here, that we have four churches in the city, and are carrying on an aggressive work in the place, gives us a standing and influence not only with the people of the District, but with Congress, which legislates for the District as well as for the nation.

Being here, we can hold meetings, publish and distribute literature, meet and interview men of influence, and carry on our petition work in a way we could not do if we were located elsewhere.

Here also is the great Congressional Library, the largest library in the United States, where may be found and consulted not only the vast number of books which it contains, but the current and back numbers of all the leading journals of the country, as well as many foreign publications.

These are some of the advantages of having the headquarters of the denomination, and especially of the Religious Liberty Department of our work, located at Washington.

_A Call for Active Work_

THE following extracts from a communication from Sister White, under date of Jan. 16, 1905, addressed to some of our workers in Washington, are both instructive and encouraging:—

“Now is our time to press to the front in Washington. A decided testimony must be borne to the people in the national capital, and this work must not rest upon a few.

“A most important work is to be done in Washington, and I inquire whether you do not need the help of those who in years past have stood prominently for religious liberty.

“As we work with all our might, our trust must be in God. Sooner or later Sunday laws will be passed. But there is much for God’s servants to do to warn the people. This work has been greatly retarded by their having to wait and stand against the devisings of Satan, which have been striving to find a place in our work. We are years behind.

“God’s law is to be vindicated, by the obedience of heart and mind, and by strong arguments.

“For a long time I have carried a heavy burden regarding the work to be done in Washington. Not one in a thousand of the people there knows what the Bible says about the Sabbath. The instruction given me is that the ten commandments should be printed in plain letters in a prominent place in the REVIEW. Had these commandments been obeyed, the wickedness now seen in our world would never have existed.

“The time has come when the liberty of the church of Christ is endangered. Let it be a time also when true missionary work shall be done, in public ministry and in house-to-house labor. The oppression of Christ’s church would apparently be a great victory for the side of transgressors of the Sabbath, and would cause rejoicing among evil-doers. But nothing should discourage us. God has victory for his people. Let sanctified ability be brought into the work of proclaiming the truth for this time. If the forces of the enemy gain the victory now, it will be because the churches have neglected their God-given work.

“When all our ministers and physicians come into line, taking their stand under the blood-stained banner of Prince Emmanuel, we shall see an army of men and women going forth to work for Christ, speaking the word with holy boldness and power.

“Remind our people often of the work that may be done by the sale of our books and the distribution of tracts. Encourage them to sell the periodicals containing the message for this time. Our large books can be sold in Washington and other cities in the East, if the canvassers will take up the work courageously.

“Instruction has been given me that the important books containing the light that God has given regarding Satan’s apostasy in heaven should be given a wide circulation just now; for through them the truth will reach many minds. ‘Patriarchs and Prophets,’ ‘Daniel and the Revelation,’ and ‘Great Controversy’ are needed now as never before. They should be widely circulated because the truths they emphasize will open many blind eyes.

“When ‘Patriarchs and Prophets’ was first issued, it was neglected for a book easy to sell and more profitable to the publishers. Many of our people have been blind to the importance of the very books that were most needed. Had tact and skill then been shown in the sale of these books, the Sunday-law movement would not be where it is today.

“I am glad that the Lord has at Washington able men, who can treat this Sunday movement as it should be treated. Let every minister, every evangelist, now put on the whole armor of God, and work and watch and pray. Our church-members also should humble their hearts before God, and cry aloud, and spare not. O that the Lord would imbue the members of his church with a sense of the importance of the responsibility of being laborers together with him!”

Experiences in the Petition Work

THE experiences of our people in circulating the petitions to Congress against religious legislation have been interesting and varied.

One brother from North Dakota writes:— “I had many interesting experiences in circulating the protest. On the first column are the names of most of the officials of the county, the lawyers, and leading business men of the town. I feel confident that this is the beginning of a new experience for the Lord’s people.”

A brother in Oregon says:— “I had many good experiences with the petition.”

A Kansas brother writes:— “I have many wonderful experiences in circulating the petition, and many rebuffs. I find Rev. 12:17 fulfilled, and the people ready to fulfil Rev. 13:15, 16.”

A brother, writing from a town in North Carolina, says:— “I have done more preaching here with this petition than I ever did before.”

An Ohio sister, who for some time has been an active worker in her locality, writes:— “People sign the petition readily; but we have quite a time with some.”

A brother, writing from Kansas, says:— “I found it comparatively easy to secure the signatures after I started out. About three out of every four I presented it to signed it.”

Sending a petition from Alabama, a brother says:— “I enclose the names of most of the business men of this little place. With a few exceptions, the petition met a cordial reception.”

A brother in South Dakota writes:— “Nearly every one I asked signed it. Some were much interested in the principles underlying each side of the question. It is surprising to see how ignorant the people are on these subjects.”

A Wyoming brother writes:— “It seems to me that the people are not so ready to sign these petitions as they were years ago.”

After putting in a whole day with the petition, a brother in Illinois writes:— “I hasten to inform you of my non-success with the petition against the Sunday bills now pending in Congress. It seems to me that the people are ripe for this event, as every one with whom I conversed is now positively in favor of such legislation. Men who in the past have stood squarely opposed to such measures seem to rejoice that that event is about to be realized. I did not obtain even one protest, although I had supposed I would succeed in obtaining the signature of almost every one.”

Another brother in Illinois says:— “I find that some of the people are most ready for the bill to pass.”

A Nebraska brother writes:— “I was astonished to find so many who would not sign the petition. I verily believe that if this question of Sunday enforcement was submitted to a popular vote, it would become a law at once. The time is surely ripe for very decisive movement on the part of God’s people.”

A brother, who, for over two years, has been holding meetings in his vicinity, sends in a petition with seventy-one names attached, and says:— “Every one here is a Sunday observer, except my wife and myself. Those who have heard me preach were ready to sign the petition. They seem to remember what I said.”

A sister in Pennsylvania writes:— “I am sixty-five years old, and am living in the country; but I have had some good talks with the people while getting their names.”

Speaking of his experience while circulating the petition, a church elder in Indiana says:— “It has given me opportunity to present the true Sabbath.”

A Vermont sister writes:— “When I went out with the petition, I took copies of all our tracts on the Sabbath question, for I thought the people would have something to say about the Sabbath,—in this I was not disappointed,—so I had a tract that was adapted to each case. This gave me a chance to do two days’ missionary work, and I worked hard. Most of the business men’s names in — are on the petition.”

An Iowa brother writes as follows:— “Enclosed find petition. I sent in one some time ago, and could fill another if I had it. I had one hundred and eight names on the first petition, and have one hundred and four on this one. I have to paste on to your petitions. They are not long enough.”

Another brother in Indiana says:— “Many would not sign it. They said they wanted the Sabbath better observed and protected. I presented it to the Catholic priest. He said he could not sign that because he wanted the Lord’s day better protected. I asked him to show me by the Bible that Sunday is the Lord’s day, and he told me that the Bible was not their rule and guide. And when I asked him what was, he said, ‘The church.’ And when I asked him which church, as there were many churches, he replied that there was only one church, and that one was the Catholic Church.”

A sister, writing from one of the large cities in the State of New York, says:— “I find business men here generally in favor of a Sunday law, but I also find that they have not considered the subject of religious liberty. I believe the United States should be flooded with literature upon this subject. We need brief tracts right to the point upon this question.”

A brother in North Dakota writes:— “A district judge, with whom I am well acquainted, was the first to sign my petition. He said he would also write to our senators and representatives to Congress from this State about the matter, with the view of influencing them against the bills. From the experience I have already had with the petition, I am alarmed at the ignorance of the principles of liberty even among officials. These things ought to stir our hearts to their greatest depths, and cause us to sense the fact that the crisis is just before us.”

From a town in Minnesota a brother writes:— “The general sentiment of the business men here is in favor of Sunday closing.”

Sending in a petition with one hundred and fifty-six names attached, a brother from Michigan writes:— “The business men are well represented, including several lawyers, bankers, and one minister. As you glance over the list of names, you will hardly appreciate what it means to secure them unless you have had personal experience in the same work, in a place made up largely of people who, having never heard or read anything on the subject of religious liberty, naturally believe that legislation on the matter of Sunday observance is all right. Some signed the protest readily, some required much persuasion. I am thankful to the Lord, the Author of liberty, for the truth, and for the education I obtained through reading the Sentinel. I am glad this matter has come up, as it gives our people an opportunity to get out and enlighten others on a subject which is not generally understood. As one meets opposition, he is made to realize something of the way one will be regarded (after the Sunday laws are passed) who holds God’s law as supreme, and refuses to receive the mark of the beast and to worship his image. I trust you will do all you can through the REVIEW AND HERALD to arouse our people to immediate action.”

What Has Been Done

By W. A. Colcord

W. A. COLCORD

UNDER the name of the Religious Liberty Bureau, the religious liberty work has become an integral part of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

The Bureau has been officered, provided with an office, and the office supplied with the necessary furniture, stationery, stenographer, etc.

Thousands of letters and communications have been sent out.

Nine thousand petition blanks, and twenty thousand copies of the leaflet “Sunday Bills Now Before Congress,” have been published, and supplied, for the most part, free of cost to our people.

Numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the “Religious Liberty Leaflets” series have been prepared and published.

The issuing of the “Open Letter” to the Washington clergy, which grew out of our religious liberty work, the Religious Liberty Bureau issuing and circulating the first ten thousand copies of it, and attending to its publication in the Washington Post, has made a stir, and is doing a great work. About a quarter of a million copies of this have now been published in one form or another.

Hundreds of thousands of signatures have been secured to our petitions to Congress against religious legislation; the petitions have been returned, and presented to Congress.

Many congressmen have been interviewed, and every one supplied with religious liberty literature.

Five public meetings, among them a mass-meeting to discuss the Sunday bills, and the results of religious legislation in general, have been held in Washington this winter under the direction of the Religious Liberty Bureau, the department bearing the expense of half rent and advertising.

As the result of all this agitation, over twenty columns of matter on religious legislation and the Sabbath question have appeared in the Washington papers.

And all this has, under the blessing of the Lord, had its effect. One of the men who introduced one of the Sunday bills now before Congress assured us that he did not think it would be called up or reported on at all at this session. “There is opposition to it,” he said. “The Seventh-day people are opposing it.”

In addition to all that has been mentioned, through this means our people have had an opportunity to call the attention of their friends and neighbors to the truth for this time, and thus a widespread agitation has been created.

What has been done has required time and thought, and has entailed some expense. But what has been done is only a beginning to what we desire, plan, and expect to do. We therefore hope for a generous contribution from our liberty-loving people at this time, that the work may be carried on.

The Work in the Latin Union

By L. R. Conradi

L. R. CONRADI

(Concluded)

SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH BUILDING AT CHAUX-DE-FONDS

SCENERY there is, and in great abundance. Before us is the picturesque, crescent-shaped “filter of the Rhone,” Lake Geneva, neatly tucked in between two of the world-famous hills and mountains of the Swiss republic; in the far-removed horizon to the south is that giant peak of the Alps of Europe—Mt. Blanc (the second highest of the continental peaks)—whose “glaciers and snow-fields cover one hundred and four square miles;” behind us is the lovely Jura mountain chain, whose uniform slopes are covered with vineyards and fields, which give place to pine woods and pasture lands as we ascend. Switzerland is the great health resort of Europe, and the shores of Lake Geneva furnish one of the chief resorts of Switzerland, so that here we see strangers by the thousand, and listen to the various languages of the East and of the West, the North and the South; it is estimated that visitors leave about twenty million dollars behind them in Switzerland every year. We hope the newly chosen location for our health work will enable us to reach some of those who spend their vacations on the shores of this lake.

The reputation of Basel is just the opposite of that of the section where our institution is to be located.

To be sure, such a move as we have begun involves considerable expense. We must transfer our machinery, furniture, and fixtures from Basel; legal expenses connected with the transfer of land generally amount to quite a sum; and there is the installation of the electric lighting and the heating apparatus, and the remodeling of the barn into the food factory, and the erection of the treatment rooms, all of which will amount to about ten thousand dollars.

So long as our treasury was full, and our people knew it, they did not see the need of self-denial as they otherwise would. But when our French-speaking brethren learned of the fact that they were finally to be supplied with a suitable institution in their own field where their young people could be trained, and their sick cared for, and where they could have their permanent headquarters, not only did they eagerly vote for this, but they demonstrated their interest by their liberality. In French Switzerland, where we have not quite four hundred and fifty members, we have raised about two thousand dollars toward the new enterprise, and thus far have visited but three of our churches, and we hope to raise double this sum in this small conference. We do not doubt that others will also help. Had we used none of the capital for the evangelical work the past two years, we should to-day be able, without any debt whatever, to fit up this place for a sanitarium twice the size of the Basel institution, and to provide for the food factory, school, etc., in addition. Under the circumstances, we shall not be able to do this, but we feel fully warranted to go ahead, believing that whatever additional investment may be necessary in the very beginning, will be returned to us through the increased earning capacity of the new plant. In view of our favorable location, and enlarged facilities, and the help which the brethren will render, we have no doubt but that this institution will be able to carry itself.

We should remember that in Basel we never could have had a successful school for the education of French workers. This is now assured; and we also have room for twice as many patients as at Basel, and for a much larger and more conveniently arranged food factory. The agreement is such that we shall be able to occupy the Basel property until May 1, 1905. Meanwhile, we shall have time to make the necessary changes in the property as it now stands, and to erect the required treatment rooms, etc. We moved onto the new place October 20; and after carefully studying the situation, we were able to let the contract for the erection of the treatment rooms, and the remodeling of the barn, November 14.

The school is already in operation. It began November 15. Brethren, Vuilleumier, S. Jaspersson, and Sister Noually help in the school. We had but seven students the opening day. Others have arrived since, and still others intend to come. If we consider that this field is a large field, that it is a difficult one, it will readily be admitted that something ought to be done toward educating the native talent that can be found in these lands. In considering the size of the field, we should not forget that France has in her colonies of Africa, Asia, and Oceanica, a population of over forty-six million.

We had a very profitable union committee meeting, October 12-16. Brother Wilkinson was at that time relieved of his responsibilities as union president. The brethren would gladly have kept him, but they felt that in view of the urgent call from Washington, D. C., it would not be proper for them to try to hold him. During the last few years, the local fields have been more or less supplied with local help. Brother Tieche has been acting as president of the French-Swiss Conference; Brother Everson is working in Italy; Brother Robinson is engaged in Spain; Brother Curdy is leading out in French Belgium; and it has been thought best to ask Brother Nussbaum to supply Brother Wilkinson’s place in the French Mission, and to invite the president of the General European Conference to act as president of the Latin Union for the time being.

As to the general work in the Latin Union, we are glad that we can say it is prospering. We have good churches in such leading cities of French Switzerland as Geneva, Lausanne, Chaux-de-Fonds. We are also making some headway in France. We are glad to welcome Brother H. H. Dexter, of America, to that field. Brother Everson, of Rome, reports favorably. Several native workers are joining with him in his efforts to raise up a church in Italy proper. Brother Curdy is working in French Belgium, where one company has thus far been brought out. This is a hard field. We are glad that some members have been gained in Spain. However, we have been made sad that Brother Frank Bond has been stricken down with smallpox, and that Brother Robinson, who nursed him, was later taken ill of pneumonia. This misfortune has retarded the progress of the message to some extent in this ancient country. Brother Rentfro, who was kindly sent us by the Iowa Conference, has settled in Lisbon, and is now busy studying Portuguese, fitting himself for the work in Portugal.

As there are not seven hundred members in all the Latin Union, and their tithe is about four thousand dollars per annum, it does not take long to convince the average reader that the needs of this field must be great. If, in America, where there are only three fourths as many people as there are in this field, there were seven hundred believers, and only four thousand dollars for the support

of about twenty-five workers, and if the population was almost wholly Catholic, do you not think there would come a call for men and means for so impoverished a field? Therefore, we trust that our friends in the United States will not think hard of us, or feel that we are doing them an injustice, when we ask that they, through the Mission Board, help the Latin Union with six thousand dollars a year for the next few years; for this would give us, with the native funds, only about ten thousand dollars annually for sending the gospel to one hundred and ten millions of people. Some of our smaller conferences in America, with only a million or so of inhabitants, probably have that much money at their disposal. So, then, we hope and pray that our brethren in other lands will respond so much the freer in giving of their means for the support of the gospel in the “regions beyond,” that we may be able not only to support our present force of workers in the Latin Union, but to press forward into yet unentered parts, as other workers offer themselves for service.

And, lastly, while you pray for the fields white unto the harvest, do not forget to ask God’s blessing and wisdom to attend those who must look after the evangelical and institutional work in the Latin Union Conference.

Hamburg.

A Visit to Burma

By J. L. Shaw

J. L. SHAW

A TRIP to Burma, across the Bay of Bengal from Calcutta to Rangoon, during the monsoon season, is not a most enjoyable one. During the season, which lasts from the middle of June to the first of October, the monsoon winds blow continually from the southeast across India and the Bay of Bengal, proving a great blessing to India by bringing an abundance of rain to cheer the millions of Indian farmers, but lashing the bay into a boisterous foam, making travel by sea hard, and often perilous.

We had a trustworthy boat, and, being a mail steamer, it made the journey of nearly eight hundred miles in less than three days. It had been over two years since we last visited Burma, and we naturally looked forward with pleasure to meeting the little company of Sabbath-keepers in this new field. There is something encouraging and inspiring about the Burmese people. They are cheerful and contented, and are remarkable in this part of the Orient for their independence of character. Aside from the several English-speaking Sabbath-keepers, we have, in Burma, six natives who are keeping the Sabbath. All of them have had more or less trouble and persecution by their fellow countrymen since accepting the truth. One brother—Maung Maung, by name—especially, gave up a lucrative position in the government, against the advice of friends and family, and has really suffered privation and hardship for the cause of present truth. For two years he and his faithful sister, Ma Ma, have stood stanchly for the truth, and, while being condemned as heretics, have used the larger portion of their time in telling their fellow Christians of the true Sabbath and the near coming of Christ.

These dear friends are very anxious to get the truth before their countrymen, and again and again they have earnestly pleaded that a minister be sent to them to learn the language and join with them in laboring for the Burmese people. There certainly is an open door for such a worker, and we know of no work more interesting and encouraging. It will be joy to us and to the native brethren there when a minister goes to that field to throw his heart and soul into the work.

The people are by no means illiterate. It is their pride that all the men and women are able to read and write their own language. This being true, it is very important that we have tracts and leaflets printed in their tongue as soon as possible. Brother Maung Maung has written a tract entitled “The Law of God Written in the Heart.” On the outside he has the picture of a heart, with a hand writing upon it the law of God. Brother Myat Tun has translated one of our tracts on the second coming of Christ, and has it ready for the press. These brethren have done this work so far at their own expense, and it is only now that they are asking if the mission will not share the expense of printing. There is no question about our duty to help them in this. We must lose no time in getting our literature into their language. As fast as funds are available, we should have tracts on present truth translated and published. It costs two dollars to print one thousand eight-page tracts, and one dollar to print one thousand four-page tracts. How providential it is that printing is so cheap! Even a few dollars goes a long way in publishing the message in this land.

We held a number of meetings while in Burma, but, living apart, it was difficult to get all our Sabbath-keepers together at one time. We managed, however, to have one such meeting. The occasion was of profit to all. Brother Maung Maung interpreted to his countrymen what was said, and at the close of the meeting, after several songs in Burmese, the company broke up.

For nearly two years Brother and Sister Meyers have been working in Burma. Through their efforts and the efforts of those who have worked with them, our literature has been having a wide circulation among the English-speaking people in various parts. The Oriental Watchman has a good circulation. Our health books have taken well, and many have been sold in different parts of the field. Brother Meyers has also held public meetings, and conducted many Bible studies in the homes of the people, so that a large number have heard the truth.

The Burmese, as a whole, are contented and happy. They live in a productive country, and, not wishing to accumulate wealth, live an easy-going life. Their religion teaches them to be very hospitable, and it is said that a foreigner can go from one end of Burma to the other and never want for food. Their liberality is particularly shown in their temple service. Pagodas to the memory of Buddha are to be seen in many places. These are relic shrines which have been built as monuments wherever some of the supposed remains of Buddha or articles belonging to him are to be found. In the foundation of one, the guide will tell you, is said to be found a tooth of Buddha; in another, a lock of hair; and in still another, some article that once belonged to him.

Many of these pagodas are very high, and have their domes covered with gold-leaf, which glistens in the sunlight. Swayda Gong pagoda, whose dome can be seen in the picture, is one of the largest, and its dome is wholly covered with gold-leaf. It costs much to make this

large display of gold in honor of Buddha; and putting it on as they do, in time it wears off, and has to be renewed. But the people have been taught to give in a remarkable way. One pagoda we visited had a large chest placed in a conspicuous place. The chest is covered with gold, and on one side there is an opening for contributions. Judging from the elaborate display of gold on every hand, the contributions received in this box must be enormous; and the exceptional size of it is also an evidence that large giving is expected. If the stream of wealth that pours continually into this and other heathen coffers in Burma could flow into the cause of Christian missions, what a work could be done! Though the gold is yet tenaciously held for the service of Buddha, the object-lesson remains. Every missionary who visits these shrines must wish that the same free spirit of giving might be seen in Christian lands for the propagation of the gospel of Christ.

Many are the evidences that Burma is now open for our work. The government has built railways running to many parts. Peace and quiet reign everywhere. A woman can travel alone, and be courteously and kindly treated. Education has been promoted by the government to a remarkable extent, and a spirit of inquiry prevails. Are these not evidences that God is going before us? Just now is the time to enter Burma. We know of no more encouraging field; and surely, among that many people there are loyal hearts who will respond to the warning call. The same hardships which Judson bore are not now to be met. It was with the greatest difficulty that he started the work; he labored many years under the most trying circumstances, with apparently small results. But, in time, God showed his signal blessing upon his efforts, and a work was begun which nearly a century has by no means effaced. The work of reform which he started, and which finally found for him so large a place in the hearts of the Burmese people, is to meet its completion in the proclamation of the third angel's message. Where are the men and women who will give brain and brawn for the salvation of the Burmese people?

Calcutta, India.

California

By E. H. Adams; P. P. Adams

ONTARIO.—The thirteenth of last October we began a series of tent-meetings in Ontario, which has a population of about eight hundred. In some respects this was a very hard field. There are ten churches here. Our people held a series of meetings in this place about two years ago. At first the attendance at our services was very small, but by the blessing of the Lord it gradually increased till we had a fair audience. We held eighty-one evening meetings, and twenty adults accepted the truth. The twenty-sixth of December the Christian Church kindly granted us the use their baptistery, and six precious souls were buried with their Lord by baptism, Elder J. W. Adams officiating. Others are now ready for baptism. We gave away fifteen dollars' worth of papers and tracts, and sold fifty dollars' worth of books. The week-of-prayer meetings were held in the tent in the afternoon, and thirty-five dollars was raised for foreign missions. The expense of the tent-meetings was $37.59. The collections were $81.09.

We are now holding meetings at Upland, two miles from Ontario. Four meetings have been held, and the attendance is not very large, but our courage is good, and our hope is bright; for soon, very soon, we expect to see Jesus.

E. H. ADAMS, P. P. ADAMS.

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