FROM the multitude of voices already heard for improved conditions in India, we cannot but recognize the fact that something is earnestly expected, and11must be done. What does it all mean? It means the greatest step India has ever taken. It cannot mean less than the dawning of a new era for a great nation.
But what is it that concerns the missionary most? Surely the thought that all India may be given free and efficient education, is laden with marvelous possibilities. This will mean that the work of the missionary will be aided in a manner equal to that assistance which the invention of printing gave to the rapid dissemination of the Word of God. It means that every Indian will know more by far of the world, its people, and their movements than he knows now in a land where news travels quickly from mouth to mouth.
But perhaps it will mean more. It may mean the reawakening of old religions; the injecting of new fire into Hinduism and Mohammedanism as they become alarmed at the successes of Christianity. And while in one sense the task may be made easier, in another sense its difficulties may be increased. Obviously, now is the time to work. The close of the war must bring new opportunities and added responsibilities. India demands political rights; she must have the gospel privileges also. The former are not in the hands of the missionary to give; the latter it is our duty to give,—a duty enforced by the command of Christ.
THE GREAT MOSQUE AT DELHI, INDIA
After the war, thousands of Indian soldiers will return to their homes in India. Many months of residence in the West, in contact with Western thought and religion, will make a difference to them in their attitude toward that thought and religion.
In passing, of course, we are bound to ask ourselves what will be the Indian's idea of a stricken and exhausted “Christian” Europe, mutilated and torn by her own “Christian” hands, so-called. Yet, in spite of this, cherished ideas and old prejudices will to some extent be swept away, leaving the minds of these people open to the reception of truth. The question is, How will they receive that truth, and at whose hand? It ought to be at the hand of the Christian missionary.
But here the thought introduces itself, Is it to be another contest between Christianity and Mohammedanism? The Crescent has supplanted the Cross in many places; is it to do so in India when the time of India's awakening comes? It is not for us to prophesy regarding this matter, but inasmuch as Turkey is losing the place which she once held in the minds of the Moslem masses, who is to say by what means that place will be filled? One can merely suggest that India is the greatest Mohammedan country, and boasts great Mohammedan leaders.
Hence it is obvious that before the Christian missionary are two duties: (1) To supply that desire for truth which must soon manifest itself, by giving the people Christianity, lest they accept Mohammedanism; (2) to win the Mohammedian himself to Christ. And in regard to this latter duty, perhaps missionary endeavor presents no more difficult task. But there is, and will be, fruit from among the Mohammedans.
A great and strong foundation has been laid for mission work among Mohammedans. The names of such men as Raymond Lull, Henry Martyn, Karl Pfander, Valpy French, Ion Keith Falconer, Peter Zwemer, and many living today, challenge us to accomplish even more than they accomplished; for our opportunities are greater, and the Spirit of Jesus is still ours. Here in India, where modern Mohammedan missions were born, there is much fruit to be seen. This is especially true of northern India, where accessions from Islam have been continuous during all the years since the death of Henry Martyn. Here and there converts from Mohammedanism have been added, until now, looking over the rolls of Christian membership, one is surprised to find so many converts from Islam. In the north, especially in the Punjab and the Northwest Frontier that Province, every congregation has a representation from the Moslem ranks. In some churches the majority of the members were gathered from among Moslems.
Men like Valpy French, who became the first missionary Bishop of Lahore, the center of the most important diocese in India then, died, worn out with labor in Moslem lands, at the age of sixty-six,—brilliant university men, “eating up Oriental languages like bread,” have opened up the way by initiating the great scheme of theological colleges for Mohammedans and others, such as the one in Lahore today. Books by these great men, such as “Mizan-ul-hagg,” “The Scales of Truth,” “Asmar-i-sherin,” and “First Sweet Fruits,” have accomplished much.
Before us as a people lies a splendid opportunity, upon us rests a grave responsibility. Men who come to India should be linguists. They should by the blessing of God be able to eat up “Oriental languages like bread.” No one else in India knows as much about India or its people as the missionary; no one else approaches so close to the people as the missionary—absolutely none. He enters into their life, their homes. He sits with them, eats with them, sorrows and rejoices with them. The missionary is practically the only man in India who takes nothing out of India, and puts his “everything” into it. We do not wish to derogate from the respective merits of others who come to India, yet they “take out” without putting anything in that has eternal value. But what of the missionary who does not get a thorough grasp of the language of the people, who does not grasp those idioms which let light into the very lives and thoughts of the people? He, like the trader or the officeholder, walks in another sphere, in which the Indian usually does not walk or think.
Just a word in closing. One has said, “Islam goes with every Moslem.” Yes, Islam goes with every Moslem. Hence the success of Islam. Every time I see a Mohammedan devoutly saying his prayers, whether in a crowded, stuffy third-class railway carriage or in the midst of a howling, yelling bazaar, I say, “God help me to know my duty.” Would to God Christianity went with every Christian!
Lahore.
The Bible
By J. Hudson Taylor
EITHER throw it aside, or live up to it. If the Bible were not true, the sooner we found it out the better; but if it is true, the sooner we live up to it and act up to it the better. If any of you were offered a Bank of England note, whether for five pounds or five thousand pounds, you would never doubt the value of it. You would take the words printed on it as sure; and are not the words printed in this Book as sure? No part then is unworthy of our credit.—J. Hudson Taylor.
“Missionary Wives” or “Missionaries’ Wives”?
By MRS. I. H. E.
In many mission lands the problem of giving the gospel to the women has been and still is one of the hardest to solve. Unmarried women missionaries suffer in a double sense from the loneliness that must of necessity come in some degree to all those who cut themselves off from the homeland and its associations in order to carry the gospel to the heathen.
On the other hand, the wives of the missionaries have their hands and hearts full. The mother must often be the teacher of her children; she must constantly safeguard the health of her family; she must become an adept in making “something from nothing,” and in adapting the new and strange and unaccustomed to her household necessities. It is hardly to be wondered at if sometimes she shall feel herself justified in ignoring the calls that come so insistently from outside her own home walls, and devoting herself exclusively to the care of her little flock.
In far-away Szechuan, Sister Eva Allum, herself a “missionary wife” as well as the wife of a missionary, read the article that is given in the next column,—“Evangelism from the Home,”—and sent it to you to read also. “It was written by a lady with whom we are acquainted, and whose hospitality we have shared,” writes Mrs. Allum. “No one could question her devotion to her home and her children, while at the same time she does so much for the Chinese. It greatly appealed to us, and is just what we have often thought and talked of,—just how far we could help the Chinese, and yet not neglect the home duties. And as we read it, we thought it might be a help to a good many of our missionary wives in China and other lands; for surely we should not be content to be merely ‘missionaries’ wives,’ and not ‘missionary wives.’ It is true that, as Mrs. Goforth says, we often feel helpless, and miss many opportunities that come to us each day. I believe the Lord has a special care over our little ones when we strive to do our duty. When we were in Honan, I accompanied Mr. Allum on most of his itinerating trips, taking the babies with us, and we greatly enjoyed the work together.”
Mrs. Goforth’s article is very practical, and surely could have been written only by one who has unselfishly labored for the lost. While of course it is true that the proportion of missionary wives who read the home department is small as compared to the whole number, still they are a very important minority, and the article is given, first of all, for them, to encourage and help them. But the wives who are enjoying the blessings and comforts of the homeland should read it too—to gain a little insight, even if only a little, into the home life of their sister missionaries, and to have enkindled in their hearts a greater desire to share in their sacrifices. It should also have the effect of opening our eyes to the countless opportunities for mission service that come to us right at home.
MRS. I. H. E.
Evangelism from the Home
By Mrs. J. Goforth
How Can Missionary Wives and Mothers Take Part in the Work of Evangelism, and Yet Not Neglect the Home?
We all know that very many missionary wives throughout China are giving valuable and faithful service to the cause of Christ in every branch of missionary work. This paper is not written for those who have entered into some work to which they felt called of God, but it is written especially, and I may say only, to help those wives and mothers who as yet have done little or nothing to reach the heathen multitudes at their doors—not from unwillingness to help, but often from a sense of helplessness, even hopelessness, as to how and where to begin without neglecting home and family. I may say right here that work for Christians is barely touched on in this paper, my plea being for the much-neglected aggressive evangelistic effort, the preaching of Jesus Christ to those who know him not.
As a missionary mother of a large family, and one who from the beginning of her life in China felt intensely that only as she could work without neglect or hurt to her children could she take part in mission work, I venture to offer some suggestions for work in which a wife or mother may engage, and yet be true to her home duties. Some of these suggestions have been thought “impracticable” or “too idealistic,” but they have without exception all been lived and worked out in the writer’s own experience and in the lives of several missionary mothers (noted for their devotion to their children) known to her. They have therefore been proved to be workable.
Pray First
First and foremost we would put the work of intercession,—a work surely every mother could and should engage in. Really to enter into this as a work, we must believe in prayer. Nor is it necessary always to go apart. Rather learn the habit of intercession. Some years ago a lady in Scotland told me that near her lived a poor, hard-working13woman with a large family, their home being one large room. The minister of the district often visited this woman for the good he received from such visits. One day he said to her, “How is it you can be so full of joy and peace, when it must be impossible for you to get a moment alone with your Lord?” The woman, setting her iron down, looked steadily at the minister as she answered, quietly, “Ah, that is where you make the mistake! I just sit me down, put my apron over my head, and I’m in my tabernacle with my Lord in a moment.”
Dear sisters, pursued it may be from morning till night with the care of your little ones, think of this woman, and seek from your Lord the power to form the habit of prayer, of intercession, so that—it may be even with your little ones in your arms—you can help by the use of this all-powerful weapon. Get from your husband the names of evangelists, Bible women, students, and others who need to be prayed for.
Win Your Servants to Christ
Then, secondly, comes the work of winning your servants to Christ. Ah, you will say this is the hardest of all; for does it not mean the daily testing and discipline of one’s own character in the home life?—Yes; words fail one to express the importance to a mother of her servants’ being truly converted and in sympathy and Christian fellowship with herself. I would suggest from personal experience that the quickest way to bring this union about is for the mother to take her servants into her confidence, telling them frankly of her desire to do something for their people, and showing them how impossible this would be unless through their cooperation. Pray for your servants; rule them with a rod of love, not of iron. If you realize that you have been unjust, go to them and tell them you are sorry. Let them know you sympathize with them. Find out about their home people, and when possible show them acts of human kindness. In the successful reaching of her servants’ hearts and souls lies the door to a mother’s wider sphere of work.
Open Your Own Home
Thirdly, I would earnestly plead for the opening of the missionary’s home to the Chinese women. By this I do not mean simply welcoming a comparatively few favored Christians or even heathen into the home; I mean for the wife or mother to welcome into her home the women, rich and poor alike. Alas! most missionary compounds are so built that even if the missionary’s wife were ever so willing, the walls and gateways between her home and the heathen world outside are so many that it would require much greater courage than she possesses to cause a heathen woman, especially a stranger, to venture past all the barriers. Is it not true that in many missionary homes months, even years, pass without many heathen women seeing the inside? What, then, are we to do? Wait for the women who may never come?—By no means. Get out of the compound, take your Bible woman with you (a missionary’s wife should always have a Bible woman or at least a Christian woman to help her). Never pass a Chinese woman without a smile, and, if possible, a word of greeting. If invited to enter a courtyard, do so—or even to sit down on a doorstep. Keep praying for an opportunity to reach their souls. Don’t be afraid to speak at once of Jesus; it is wonderful how quickly and eagerly they learn of him. Invite them to come to see you, and when they come, never, no matter how busy you may be, never turn one away from your door, or ask them to remain outside till you are ready; this is fatal to the winning of the women. Even if bathing the baby, let them in to see the whole process. It will do them lots of good, and will do you and the baby no harm.
“But,” you say, “they will bring dust into my home, and infection to my children.”
Never mind the dust. It may be you will have to dispense with carpets, even rugs, should many come, and have your floors washed frequently; but what is that compared with the possible good you may do by receiving them? As to infection to the children, I can only say that for twenty-seven years I have kept an open house in China, many hundreds of women being received and preached to in a single day during those early years, yet I cannot recall any harm having come to my children through this plan. O, it pays! I verily believe that if every missionary’s wife in China would keep open house for the Chinese women, it would do much to break down the regrettable barrier which so often exists between the missionaries and the people around them.
Your Safest Place
There are several other lines of work I should like to enlarge on had I space, such as holding cottage prayer meetings in Christian homes within easy reach of the main station, making these a means also of reaching the heathen, etc. But I wish specially to mention two exceedingly important lines of work from which most mothers shrink with the foregone conclusion that those at least must mean neglect of home. They are the visiting of permanent outstations and the opening up of new places, with husband and children. Would that I could see burned into the conscience of each missionary’s wife in China the lesson which only long years of rebellion and sorrow taught me; namely, the safest place for a mother, for both herself and her little ones, is the path of obedience to God’s known will. If he gives you a vision of the awful need of your heathen sisters around you, oh, do not be disobedient to the heavenly vision, but go forward, trusting yourself and your children to your Lord! He will not fail you. The need is unspeakably great for each mother to do her part in reaching the mothers of China.
Let me give you, as I have been asked to do, a word of personal testimony. For many years I have gone with my husband, sometimes with as many as four children, opening up new places and visiting old ones, staying from three to six weeks in a place, and revisiting these places once or twice a year. God kept our children. They were healthier outside than inside the main station. God blessed, and is blessing, this united work in a very marked way. Every place visited became a Christian center. Sometimes it was hard. Yes, but I had the joy of working in closest contact with the women, with my children around me. And God was always faithful. I do most earnestly hope many missionary wives and mothers may come to see this is their work—the living and working side by side with husband and children. It requires courage, faith, dependence upon God, a literal laying aside of every weight, a simpler life in clothes and diet. It means giving up for weeks at a time the luxuries of the main station home, but it does not mean in the truest sense the neglect of home; for “home is where mother is,” to children, and home to a woman is where husband and children are.
There are grand compensations! And one learns to value some things very lightly when weighing them in the balance with the things of eternity.
In closing, a word to those missionary wives who have no children, or whose children are away from home, and who have not a sense of personal responsibility toward the heathen. Let me ask you one or two questions: Is Jesus Christ your only hope for eternity? If so, is not Jesus Christ the only hope for the multitudes of Chinese sisters around you? God uses human instruments to reach human hearts. You are one of his human instruments. Are you willing to be his channel? Consider prayerfully these words: “If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are needy to be slain; if thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?”
We've Always Been Provided For
“Good wife, what are you singing for?
You know we’ve lost the hay,
And what we’ll do for horse and kine
Is more than I can say;
While like as not with storm and rain
We’ll lose both corn and wheat.”
She looked up with a pleasant smile,
And answered, low and sweet,
“There is a heart, there is a hand,
We feel, but cannot see;
We’ve always been provided for,
And we shall always be.”
He turned around with sullen gloom.
She said, “Love, be at rest;
You’ve cut the grass, worked soon and late,
You did your very best.
That was your work. You’ve naught at all
To do with wind and rain;
Then do not doubt but you will reap
Rich fields of golden grain;
For there’s a heart and there’s a hand
We feel, but cannot see;
We’ve always been provided for,
And we shall always be.”
“That’s like a woman’s reasoning,—
We must, because we must.”
She softly said: “I reason not:
I only work and trust.
The harvest may redeem the day:
Keep heart, whate’er betide;
When one door shuts, I’ve always seen
Another open wide.
There is a heart, there is a hand,
We feel, but cannot see;
We’ve always been provided for,
And we shall always be.”
He kissed the calm and trustful face;
Gone was his restless pain.
She heard him with a cheerful step
Go whistling down the lane,
And went about her household tasks
Full of a glad content,
Singing to time her busy hands
As to and fro she went:
“There is a heart, there is a hand,
We feel, but cannot see;
We’ve always been provided for,
And we shall always be.”
Days came and went; ’twas Christmas time,
And the great fire burned clear.
The farmer said: “Dear wife, it’s been
A good and happy year;
The fruit was gain, the surplus corn
Has bought the hay, you know.”
She lifted then a smiling face,
And said: “I told you so;
For there’s a heart and there’s a hand
We feel, but cannot see;
We’ve always been provided for,
And we shall always be.”
—Selected.
Conducted by Mrs. J. H. Evans, Takoma Park, Washington D. C
By Mrs. J. H. Evans; Miss Lora E. Clement
Assisted by Miss Lora E. Clement
Through the columns of this department, hints will be given on all matters pertaining to the home life. Short articles and letters are solicited from home makers, telling of their everyday experiences,—their joys and sorrows, their failures and successes.
Seeds for Fall Planting
By AIDA
AIDA
For fall planting there is nothing so desirable as saxatile compactum, sometimes known as basket of gold, or golden saxatile, a brilliant, golden sweet alyssum, a very hardy perennial nine inches high. August 1 is a good time to sow, as the plants will get well established before cold weather, and will bloom very early in the spring, and make a beautiful display.
The perennial candytuft Iberis sempervirens, a white variety, is best sown in the fall. It is practically evergreen.
The gibratica is a lilac shading to white, a dwarf variety. It remains a beautiful green all winter, and blooms early in spring, and for a long period.
The candytuft is a general favorite, and is very sweet-scented. The seeds can be bought for from three cents a packet up, and no one should be without them.
Camp Meetings in the Southeastern Union
By F. W. Paap
This year the annual camp meetings of the Southeastern Union Conference were held earlier than usual in all the local conferences save Florida. It was the privilege of the writer to share in the labor and blessings of these annual gatherings. The arrangements were such that the workers from outside these conferences could remain till the close of each camp meeting, and then have a few days' rest before the opening of the next camp meeting.
It was a great pleasure to meet the workers and believers in this interesting field. The attendance of our people was not large, but those who came entered into the spirit of the meeting, and at the close of the several gatherings testified that they had enjoyed a rich blessing. The business of the conferences passed off smoothly, and all returned to their work with renewed consecration and a firmer determination to win souls to Christ.
To secure a larger attendance of the public, special field days were appointed, and careful plans laid whereby a personal invitation, with free literature, was given to every family. These occasions were seasons of refreshing.
We were glad to witness the spirit of liberality shown by all in supporting the work both at home and in the regions beyond. This spirit was especially noticeable at the North Carolina camp meeting. On the last Sabbath, at the conclusion of a mission talk, more than $800 was provided in cash and pledges, while on the following morning more than $1,200 in cash and pledges was given for the local work.
In all these meetings a spirit of real consecration was shown. Sins of omission and sins of commission were confessed and forgiven. Considerable back tithe was paid, and there was a determination to get right with God, to prepare to do his will, and to get ready to meet the King in his beauty.
Several changes were made in the officers and the departments of the different conferences, and definite shape was given to the work in each conference. With confidence in God and faith in the movement, all returned to their homes and to their fields of labor, determined to do more for God than ever before. A more loyal and self-sacrificing people you will not find anywhere than we have in the conferences of the Southeastern Union.
Besides the writer, there were present at all these meetings the union and local conference workers; we were also favored with a short visit from Professor Sorenson, at Fairburn, Ga., and Professor Machlan, at Statesville, N. C.
F. W. Paap.
The Wisconsin Camp Meeting
By I. H. EVANS
The Wisconsin camp meeting was held in Monona Park, South Madison, June 8-18. The location of the camp was most suitable. A beautiful park, with plenty of greensward, good shade, and fronting the lake, made a very pretty outlook, and afforded every possible convenience for the campers. There were copious rains preceding and during the meeting. The ground became softened by these continued showers, but the last Sabbath and Sunday the weather was good. The attendance of our own people increased until the last Sabbath about seven hundred were on the ground.
The proceedings of the conference passed off in a very satisfactory manner. The conference was divided into two, to be known as the North and the South Wisconsin Conference. It was thought that the Lake Union Conference Committee would arrange with the North Michigan Conference to annex six counties from the north peninsula of Michigan to the North Wisconsin Conference. Elder P. A. Hanson was elected president of the South Wisconsin Conference, and Elder J. J. Irwin, formerly of North Michigan, was chosen president of the North Wisconsin Conference.
All departments of the work were well represented, and the people showed a deep interest in all that pertained to the advancement of the message. Elder Daniells spent the first Sunday and Monday of the meeting with us, giving three of his lectures in a large auditorium seating about five thousand people, located on the camp ground. The attendance from the outside was not large at these meetings, but our people greatly enjoyed the labors of Elder Daniells.
In addition to the local and union conference workers there were present a part or all of the time: Elders A. G. Daniells, F. M. Wilcox, E. R. Palmer, Meade MacGuire, M. L. Andreasen, O. A. Johnson, C. C. Lewis, and J. H. Schilling; Drs. D. H. Kress, T. J. Evans, J. D. Shively, R. L. Stokes, and E. D. Haysmer; Brother L. A. Hansen; and the writer. Drs. Kress and Evans each gave a splendid talk to the campers regarding some phases of medical missionary work.
The conference showed growth in many ways, and the brethren and sisters seem of excellent courage in the Lord. The last Sabbath afternoon nearly five thousand dollars was pledged for foreign missions. A large amount of literature was sold, and our brethren were greatly cheered by the preaching of the word and the reports of those in charge of the work. We may reasonably expect brighter days for the work in Wisconsin.
I. H. EVANS.
Chesapeake Camp Meeting
By Emma S. Newcomer
A VERY interesting, and we believe profitable, camp meeting was held by the Chesapeake Conference at Rock Hall, Md., June 8-18. Very heavy rainstorms affected the attendance considerably, as many of our people could not get there because the roads were at times almost impassable. However, the outside attendance each night was very good.
A most excellent spirit prevailed during the entire meeting, and the testimony of those who attended was that it was15the best meeting Chesapeake Conference ever had.
Two special consecration services were held, one on Sabbath, June 10, by Elder B. G. Wilkinson; and one on Sabbath, June 17, by Elder George F. Enoch. At each of these a large percentage of the members of the various churches went forward for reconsecration, and a number of persons who had never before given their hearts to the Lord went forward with the determination to serve the Lord henceforth. Among the latter were some young people for whom parents and friends had been praying.
Other visiting workers who rendered excellent help were: Dr. D. H. Kress, I. A. Ford, C. V. Leach, C. M. Sorenson, B. F. Machlan, C. L. Stone, L. L. Caviness, and R. T. Dowsett.
Sunday afternoon, June 18, a temperance rally was held. The two Methodist ministers of Rock Hall united with us in this. The Rev. A. C. Smith offered prayer, and Rev. J. W. Prettyman delivered the first address. Dr. D. H. Kress, medical secretary of the Columbia Union Conference, also gave an address.
Elder J. O. Miller was elected president of the conference. Practically all the other conference officers were re-elected. Perfect harmony prevailed through all the business meetings. The treasurer’s report showed an encouraging increase in tithe and general trust funds for the year.
It was decided to purchase a new tent, which with the necessary equipment, will cost $700 or more. Cash and pledges to the amount of $224 were received on this fund.
Elder Enoch presented the needs of missions. The amount raised in cash and pledges for our needy fields was $503.
Two meetings were held each day for the young people, and two each day for the children. Considerable interest was manifested in these meetings.
Among the pleasing features were the beautiful illustrated songs at the night meetings, such as “Jesus Lover of My Soul,” “Alone,” and “The Holy City.” These were rendered in connection with the illustrated lectures given by Evangelist A. S. Booth.
The last day of the camp meeting ten persons were baptized. We believe seed was sown in many hearts that will yet bear fruit to the glory of God.
EMMA S. NEWCOMER.
Let Me Go Back!
LET me go back! I am homesick
For the land of my love and toil,
Though I thrill at the sight of my native hills,
The touch of my native soil.
Thank God for the dear home country,
Unconquered and free and grand!
But the far-off shores of the isles for me,
And the shores of the Promised Land.
My brain is dazed and wearied
With the homeland's stress and strife,
With the race for money and place and power,
And the whirl of the nation's life.
Let me go back! Such pleasures
And pains are not for me;
But O for a share in the harvest home
Of the field beyond the sea!
For there are my chosen people,
And there is my place to fill,
To spend the last of my life and strength
In doing my Master's will.
Let me go back! 'Tis nothing
To suffer and do and dare,
For the Lord has faithfully kept his word;
He is with me always there!
— Written by a returned missionary.
Western New York Camp Meeting
By R. D. Quinn
THE Western New York camp meeting was held at Buffalo, June 16-25. The first few days the weather was very unfavorable. Cold rains coming from the Lake regions made it very trying on the campers. However, large heating stoves were placed in the pavilion, making it very comfortable, and thus the meetings were carried on without any interruption. The attendance was good, and an excellent spirit prevailed.
Elder H. C. Hartwell resigned from the presidency of the Western New York Conference, and accepted a call to the presidency of the Eastern New York Conference a few days later. Elder K. C. Russell, religious liberty secretary of the Atlantic Union Conference, was elected president of the Western New York Conference.
About five thousand dollars in cash and pledges was raised for missions during the meeting, besides one thousand dollars for improvements at the Fernwood Intermediate School, in Tunesassa. Several thousand dollars' worth of books were sold, including nearly fifty full sets of the Testimonies.
Elders Geo. I. Butler, W. A. Spicer, and R. F. Cottrell of the General Conference were present. Besides these there were a number of laborers from the union in attendance a part of the time. The talks given by Elder Butler relating to his experiences in the early days of the message, and his long and valuable acquaintance with Sister White and her work were much appreciated. Brethren Spicer and Cottrell gave some most interesting and helpful talks on their experiences in foreign lands. All greatly enjoyed the labors of these workers.
On the last Sabbath the Lord came very near in the revival service, and nearly all in the congregation reconsecrated themselves to God. On the following Sunday a large number were baptized. We bespeak for this field a splendid future.
R. D. QUINN.
