WILMINGTON.—A tent effort was opened here July 19, with an attendance of four hundred twenty-five. The meetings continued for eight weeks, closing Sunday night, September 13, with an attendance of three hundred fifty. During these eight weeks we held fifty-two meetings in the tent, having an average attendance of one hundred sixty-one adults for the whole effort.
On Sunday, September 27, twelve persons were baptized; several others will be ready in a few days.
At the last meeting the audience gave forty dollars to hold Sunday afternoon19meetings in the Garrick Theater. We have held two meetings in the interests of religious liberty. The expense of these meetings has been $70.50, fifty dollars for rent, and $20.50 for advertising. This expense has been fully met by those attending, so these meetings have cost the conference nothing. A number of copies of Liberty were sold at each meeting, and at the close of the last one the people crowded forward to sign the petitions against the Johnston Sunday bill.
For the victories won for the truth, and for the blessings of God upon the work here, we return grateful praise to Him who has led in it all.
CARLYLE B. HAYNES.
Oakwood Manual Training-School
By HUGH W. JONES
On the seventeenth of September it was my privilege to visit this our only training-school for colored workers, and I was gratified to see the improvement made in the nine years since I last saw the institution. Being a native of the South, and having a special interest in the colored race (one of whom was the first Seventh-day Adventist to call my attention to the Sabbath) I feel grateful to God for this training-school, and for the work that men and women who have the fear of God before their eyes are there doing in training promising individuals of this race to give the last solemn message of mercy to that people.
As I am the son of a Confederate soldier, and the grandson of a slave-owner, I keenly appreciate the fact that there is being built up at Oakwood, what was once an old slave plantation, an institution where the sons and daughters of that race may get a speedy preparation to go out and proclaim liberty to the slaves of sin and Satan. I want to say to our brethren and sisters all over this nation that these students appreciate what this school through your gifts enables them to do. It was an inspiration to me to hear the personal testimonies of these earnest young colored people.
I know that the conditions in the South are just such as the Spirit of God through the Testimonies has declared them to be, and I urge you who read this to help us in solving the hard problem of giving the third angel's message in this, the most difficult field, by remembering the Oakwood School, its students, and faculty in your petitions to God, and by your gifts through the appointed channels. Thus will you hasten the coming of Him who said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
HUGH W. JONES.
Experiences in Australia
By R. C. PORTER
SINCE my last report, in company with Elder O. A. Olsen and Elder J. E. Fulton I spent two weeks at Warburton and Melbourne. The printing-office formerly known as the Echo Publishing Company, now known as the Signs Publishing Company, is located at Warburton, about forty miles out of Melbourne. This is a small village, and the printing-plant is located nearly a mile from the station, in a very quiet country place. The plant is inexpensively built, yet is well equipped for its work. Water-power to operate the plant comes from a large spring on the mountain, and gives abundance of power, through the aid of a recently invented water-wheel, to operate their entire plant. This is quite a saving to the institution in operating expenses. The water-supply from the springs also provides abundance of water for the homes of the people in the vicinity of the office. The atmosphere is pure and bracing, and the location is excellent for the purpose for which it has been selected.
The premier of Victoria recently paid a visit to the printing-plant there, and thoroughly examined all the details of its working. After returning to Melbourne, he gave a most favorable report through the city papers of the practical plan on which the plant is operated, and spoke most highly of the wisdom of the management in removing from the city into such a delightful country place to carry on factory work. I am very sure no mistake was made in removing this plant from the city, and discontinuing commercial work. God has called our institutions into being for the one purpose of finishing this work, and they will never meet his mind until they give themselves wholly to it, saying with the apostle Paul, “This one thing I do.” This office has been very busy keeping up the regular work, without any commercial work, ever since moving from the city.
The missionary convention held in Melbourne was a success. The instruction given in all lines of church and missionary work, by Elder Olsen, Brother J. M. Johanson, and Sister Edith M. Graham was very practical. The Victoria tract societies throughout the conference were quite well represented in the convention, and they will carry to the churches much help, which will give to the missionary campaign work a new impetus in that field. The evening Bible studies were well attended, and they were occasions of spiritual refreshing. Nearly all present renewed their consecration to the Lord to give themselves to the finishing of the work in this generation. A number started for the first time in the service of the Master, and the Spirit of the Lord was very manifest upon several occasions during the convention work. It was on the whole one of the most profitable conventions that I ever attended. Since then, in company with Mrs. Porter, Elder Olsen, and Elder J. N. Loughborough, I spent a week with the sanitarium family at Wahroonga. The same tender Spirit leading to whole-hearted consecration was present with the sanitarium family during these meetings. They have a large and well-equipped plant, and there is every evidence that the Lord is preparing to accomplish much through this institution in the advancement of his work.
We are now in the midst of the convention at Avondale, which precedes the meeting of the Australasian Union Conference. Last Sabbath was a good day for all present. The Lord came very near, and by his Spirit subdued hearts and led all to a renewed consecration for service. All are very glad that Elder Loughborough has been able to come to Australia to give his experiences in connection with the rise and development of the message. The Lord is especially blessing his servant with divine strength to bear a clear testimony of power in connection with the message for this time. We expect the blessing of the Lord to attend the coming union conference. We leave for Africa, September 30, reaching there November 3.