Earlier text: THE WORK AND THE WORKERSPreparation for War
By Francis M. Wilcox
WILL the time ever come in this world's history when wars will cease and there be ushered in a reign of universal peace and righteousness? There are many who fondly anticipate this; it is taught from many pulpits and lecture platforms; it is the dream of peace advocates. We would indeed that it might be so. We devoutly wish that all international questions might be settled by arbitration. The Scriptures of Truth, however, warrant no faith in this doctrine. On the contrary, they repeatedly assert that conditions in this world will grow more and more complex; that perplexity and distress among the nations of earth will increase; that wars will multiply, strife intensify, and evil men and seducers wax worse and worse till the day of Christ's coming.
It is difficult for many who in the quiet of their own homes and neighborhoods pursue from day to day the even tenor of their ways, to appreciate the manner in which the nations of earth are preparing themselves for the last great conflict. The prophecy of war, as given by Amos, pictures with unerring accuracy conditions that we see existing in the world today. Warfare in this age has been reduced to a science. Scientific genius and invention have been made to contribute to its destructiveness. To its promotion and support all industries of peace pay heavy tribute. The extent to which this is being done is well illustrated by some striking statistics which have recently been published. In the November number of the Nineteenth Century and After, an article by Edgar Crammond gives the immense monetary cost of the leading wars for the last sixty years, as follows:— | WAR |
DATE |
MONETARY COST |
|---|
| Crimean |
1854 |
$1,700,000,000 |
| Italian |
1859 |
300,000,000 |
| Schleswig-Holstein |
1864 |
35,000,000 |
| American civil war |
1861–65 |
|
| Northern army |
|
4,700,000,000 |
| Southern army |
|
2,300,000,000 |
| War of 1866 between Prussia, Austria, and Italy |
1866 |
330,000,000 |
| Franco-German |
1870–71 |
2,200,000,000 |
| Turko-Russian |
1877 |
510,000,000 |
| Chino-Japanese |
1894 |
100,000,000 |
| Spanish-American |
1898 |
1,295,000,000 |
| South African |
1899–1902 |
1,350,000,000 |
| Russo-Japanese |
1904–05 |
2,515,000,000 |
| Balkan war |
1912–13 |
1,230,000,000 |
“The debt of practically every nation has either originated or been built up by the processes of war.” These debts at the present time amount to immense sums, entailing for European nations alone an annual interest of one billion dollars. In the Literary Digest of November 29, the national debts of the leading nations of the world, showing the increase of ten years from 1902 to 1912, are presented in the following figures:— |
1902 |
1912 |
|---|
| France |
$5,857,000,000 |
$6,284,000,000 |
| Russia |
3,414,000,000 |
4,553,000,000 |
| United Kingdom |
3,885,000,000 |
3,486,000,000 |
| Japan |
262,000,000 |
1,242,000,000 |
| German Empire |
699,000,000 |
1,178,000,000 |
| German States |
2,688,000,000 |
3,736,000,000 |
| British India |
1,103,000,000 |
1,475,000,000 |
| Italy |
2,561,000,000 |
2,707,000,000 |
| United States |
925,000,000 |
1,028,000,000 |
Large expenditures for war in the past have been mostly confined to the nations of Europe, but the war spirit is now taking possession in a marked manner of the leading nations of the Orient and of the great American nation. According to Senator Burton, in the Saturday Evening Post of Dec. 6, 1913, for the current fiscal year, ending June 30, 1914, the United States has appropriated five hundred and thirty-five million dollars in preparation for prospective wars, and for the payment of pensions, etc., in consequence of the wars of the past. Two thirds of the money appropriated by Congress today is expended on the army. Says Senator Burton:— In short, sixty-seven cents out of every dollar expended by our national government goes to feed the present-day mania for wars and armament. The remaining thirty-three cents goes toward the payment of civil accounts. Think of it! in the United States, a nation founded to secure universal liberty and consecrated to peaceful pursuits, two thirds of our money goes for warlike purposes, and only one third is disbursed for all other purposes, including internal improvements, the erection of public buildings, the improvement of our rivers and harbors, the conservation of our natural resources, the maintenance and enlargement of our agricultural work, the salaries of our civil employees, the fight against tuberculosis and other diseases, and the countless other national expenditures. Contrast is made between the amount of money required for navy purposes today and the total war expenditure in the period of the civil war: “June 30, 1861, at the beginning of the civil war, the total expenses of the government were sixty-six million dollars a year, or considerably less than half of what we are expending for the navy alone during the current year.” Not only are the leading nations making, from year to year, large appropriations which are consumed directly in the building of war-ships and in the improvement of the army and navy, but there is continual demand for the increase of the money reserve which every nation has laid aside to meet the unusual pressure that would arise in consequence of the outbreak of hostilities. Germany for some time has had an imperial war chest amounting to thirty million dollars, but by the recent German Army Act steps will be taken to increase this immediately to ninety million dollars. In event of war, it is proposed that Germany, on the basis of this metal reserve, will issue new notes to the value of two hundred and seventy million dollars, and this, Dr. Riesser, the well-known German economist, carefully estimates would cover the war expenditure during the first six weeks of active engagement, affording time for the making of new loans, the levy of new taxes, etc., to meet the continued demand. The expenditure for an army in the field has been reduced to a mathematical calculation. Dr. Riesser estimates that six shillings a day per man would suffice for the German army, but in the Franco-German war of 1870 the army cost per day per man for the French army amounted to six shillings fourpence, and in the British-Boer war the cost per day per man in the British army amounted to one pound. The utter foolishness of this vast expenditure of money is well illustrated by comparison with the conditions of actual1240need which exist on every side. Says Senator Burton:— And while civilized nations are thus spending hundreds of millions of dollars in the mania for arms, in all the metropolitan cities of the world people are starving in the slums, children are dying for lack of pure milk, and illiteracy is rampant. In England alone there were last year, by authentic census reports, 1,086,707 paupers,—people entirely unable to take care of themselves, and dependent for every mouthful of food and every stitch of clothing on public or private charity. Mr. Lloyd-George declares that under the old-age pension bill there are in Great Britain twelve million people who, under the terms of the act, are entitled to this public charity to permit them to end their lives decently, to die properly and be buried respectably. But these figures deal only with the financial side of the question. We now turn to the personal factor, to the one which involves the expenditure not merely of money but of men. It is estimated that the loss of life resulting directly and indirectly from wars since the beginning of authentic history amounts to fifteen billion men, equal to nine times the present population of the world. In the wars of Napoleon alone six million men were slain, and the great American civil war cost eight hundred thousand lives. And those who fall in battle are the fittest of their fellows,—the strong, able-bodied men,—and in that period of life when their productive powers are the greatest. These are withdrawn from the industrial pursuits which otherwise they would follow, and instead of becoming producers become actual charges upon the taxpayers of the country. By this means, for the most part, the country is robbed forever of the strength and flower of its male population. By a system of conscription many of the nations require military service from every male subject. After several years of service the majority are permitted to return to their homes, but with the understanding that they are subject to the call of their country in time of need. The following figures, taken from the World's Almanac for 1913, present the peace strength of the leading armies of the world, their reserves, and the total number of men that may be summoned to the field of battle:— |
PEACE STRENGTH |
RESERVES |
WAR STRENGTH |
|---|
| Germany |
620,000 |
3,380,000 |
4,000,000 |
| France |
560,000 |
2,440,000 |
3,000,000 |
| Russia |
1,200,000 |
3,300,000 |
4,500,000 |
| Austria-Hungary |
360,000 |
1,640,000 |
2,000,000 |
| Italy |
275,000 |
925,000 |
1,200,000 |
| Great Britain |
254,500 |
545,500 |
800,000 |
| Japan |
230,000 |
970,000 |
1,200,000 |
| Spain |
115,000 |
185,000 |
300,000 |
| Turkey |
420,000 |
780,000 |
1,200,000 |
And let it be remembered that these reserves are by no means raw material. They are men who have been trained in the science of war, and are prepared on the call of their country to enlist in a struggle to the death against opposing forces. In view of these figures, consider how many armed troops could be brought onto the field of action. When it is realized that these armies are equipped with the most modern implements of warfare, capable of dealing death and destruction on every side, it is terrible to contemplate the time when they will come together in deadly conflict. Unquestionably the withdrawal of so many men from the productive pursuits of life, and the expenditure of such large sums of money for military and naval equipment have to do in a large measure with the increased cost of living. This at least is the opinion of many students of political economy, and the view taken by the Massachusetts commission on the high cost of living, in its report made in 1910. The commission says:— This diversion of labor and capital from productive industry to waste and destruction, with the accompanying diminution of the necessaries of life and an inability to supply the world's demands, inevitably resulted in an advance of the prices of the commodities of common consumption. . . . In weighing the causes which have contributed to increase the cost of living, this commission is convinced that a most far-reaching influence in creating, fostering, and perpetuating high prices is militarism, with its incidents of war and its consequences in taxation. The debt piled up for war and waste remains a burden on the life of the world,—a burden calling every year for a huge interest payment of more than a billion dollars taken from the earnings of the nations. This is supplemented annually by many other billions to maintain huge armies and navies of men taken from industry, who are organized, trained, and maintained for the day when they will again be hurled at each other, to duplicate the destruction of the past and pile up new and heavier burdens upon the thrift and industry of the world. Quoting with approval the report of this commission, Senator Burton adds:— It was this terrible and growing burden of the armaments of the nations of the world that inspired the first Hague Conference in 1899. In the language the czar then used in summoning the conference, these financial burdens “strike at the public prosperity at its very source.” The strength and resources of the world were everywhere being diverted from their natural channels and consumed in unproductive lines. The lower classes were staggering under a terrible burden of taxation, and were compelled to give two or three years out of their lives to the government. . . . Hundreds of thousands of Europeans have immigrated to the United States to escape these burdens of taxation and enforced military service. And now this country has entered the mad contest for military and naval supremacy, and in her expenditures for this purpose runs abreast of the leading exponents of militarism among the European nations. The navy of the United States is now second in cost to the navy of Great Britain—more costly than that of Germany. . . . Seemingly no nation dares to stop. They seem all imbued with the mad delusion that every nation is waiting to pounce upon any country that is not armed to the teeth. Suppose this armament struggle continues for another decade, what will be the result? It was in view of these appalling figures that Winston Churchill, last March, advocated in a speech made before the House of Commons the arrangement of a naval holiday, proposing that for one year the great powers of earth cease increasing their naval and war armaments, maintaining for a twelvemonth their present relative relations to one another. This policy, however, met with no substantial encouragement either in England or among the nations of the Continent. And what will be the end of all this great preparation for war? The growing burden of taxation, resulting in the increasing unrest of the people, will find vent in internal strife, and in order to ease the burden and preserve unity at home the nations will hazard a conflict. “No wonder that the oppressed in France and Germany cry out: Let us fight and have it over with. We would rather die in war than stagger along under this terrible load.” The end of it all will be that foretold by the prophet, the end looked for by far-seeing statesmen—the battle of Armageddon, the last great conflict of earth just preceding the coming of the Lord. No wisdom of man can forecast the immediate future. We know not how soon the dogs of war will be let loose. It is only as the restraining power of God has held in check the passions of men that the world today is enjoying a reign of political peace. He has a message to go to the world. The winds of strife and commotion are being held in check till the gospel message shall do its work. Rev. 7: 1-4. An occasional outbreak reveals to us the pent-up strife and suppressed emotion hidden under the surface. But sometime in the near future, this suppressed passion will break forth in all its power and fury. May God help us to be warned by what we see around us today of the things that are coming on the earth. May he enable us to do our part now, while yet there is opportunity, to reach our fellows with his saving truth. We have assurance only of today. We know not what the morrow may bring forth. But we have the promise that when the Lord shall roar out of Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem, and by his mighty power shake the heavens and the earth, “the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.” This is our assurance for the uncertain future. F. M. W. “PROCLAIM ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.” Joel 3:9-16. Ten Years Ago—and Now
By W. A. S.
Year by year the field of this advent movement of Revelation 14 widens and extends, reaching into the uttermost parts of the earth. Each year marks progress; and a ten-year period witnesses the addition of many thousands of believers, with many tongues and nations added to the list of those represented in the movement. A few of the facts and figures of a ten-year period may well be reviewed as 1913 closes. At the opening of 1903 our membership was 73,000; at the opening of 1913 it was 114,000, an increase of 41,000 believers and helpers in the advent proclamation. With the losses by death of those who rest from their labors, and the sad losses by drift back to the world, the increase means many more thousands of new believers than this forty-one thousand. Ten years ago the total funds being raised for the work were $842,000; last year the amount was $2,702,000, over three times that of the opening of the decade. In 1903 contributions to foreign missions were $102,000; in 1912 the amount was $362,000. Here again the figures are multiplied by three. These are evidences in figures of the blessing of the Lord upon his work and people, and this expansion is contributed to by the growth in every continent of earth. This is according to the vision of the prophet, which described the rapid progress of the last message to every nation, tongue, and people. From all the great national divisions of earth come the figures showing the hand of the Lord fulfilling his word. But here are a few more figures for the period: The Sabbath-schools gave to missions in 1903 the total of $34,000, and thankful were we all for that splendid growth beyond former years. In 1912 the gifts were $232,000. During the current year, as we know, the figures must run away beyond the quarter of a million mark. Just what the Mission Board was appropriating to Europe in 1903 we do not readily find in the reports. But in 1905, when the systematic publication of appropriations began, we find that Europe was allotted $26,300 from the general mission funds. Now what—eight years later? So far from receiving appropriations now, the European Division has just made appropriations of $122,000 for its mission fields for 1914. That is more than our total gifts to missions in 1900. The Australasian Union, which received appropriations ten years ago for island work, has for years been carrying the burden of the island world of the South Pacific, and is joining the General Conference just now in passing on workers and means for China. Turn where we may, the story of the ten years is bright with evidences all along the way of the divine hand leading on. In 1903 we were making our real beginning in China. Now there are a thousand Sabbath-keepers there, with the message spreading into new communities in a marvelous way. In 1903 our European brethren were organizing their first mission in German East Africa. Now they have in their African territories over 250 baptized believers,—gathered out of raw heathenism,—and schools and stations are multiplying. We are reminded, too, that the headquarters of the denomination, and the Review and Herald Office were camping in a dwelling-house in the city of Washington, in 1903. The call had come to move eastward, nearer to the populous and less evangelized Atlantic slope of this country; and as the headquarters moved onward to the new location, the hearts of the believers, we know, felt that the hand of God was leading on another step toward the finishing of the work. The General Conference and the offices of the Review and the Instructor were packed into the old building near the national Capitol, a job-press and a linotype in the basement, and the other offices crowding the narrow floors above. Now the large General Conference building at Takoma Park is almost equally crowded with the work of the various departments of the General and North American Division Conferences, while across the lawn is the large Review and Herald plant, where more than one hundred workers are engaged in preparing literature for the field. And the expansion of the publishing work in the last eight years is a wonderful story as told by the printing-offices in all the world. In 1905—when regular annual reports began to be published—the total value of sales from twenty publishing houses was $850,000; in 1912 thirty-seven houses, in all parts of the world, reported sales of $1,679,000. Truly the printed pages are falling like the leaves of autumn over many lands. And if the present awakening in home missionary activity is the beginning of a permanent movement among the churches in ministering this last message to the unwarned millions,—as our conference brethren believe it is,—the pages of printed truth are to be scattered hence as never before. The power of God is leading his people onward. We see it not only in the statistical reports, but in the earnest buckling on of the spiritual armor for the last service in this precious cause. The results come by consecrated service, under the Spirit’s power. Yet ten years ago some who were separating from the organized movement and standing in an attitude of opposition, were declaring that the movement was going to pieces. Far from it! From those very times of trial and apostasy, there was a new impetus given to the movement, and the hand of the living God was revealed, arousing believers and hastening the message on into new fields. The Lord, who began the advent movement of the prophecy when the time of the prophecy came, will finish the work. And the same message that began the work and that has won believers to the “commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus,” from among many nations and tongues through these past years, is the message that will finish the work. Thank God for the third angel’s message, revealing the gospel of Christ’s saving grace for this last generation. National Reformism in China
By C. M. S.
THERE is a strong and persistent movement now on foot in China to have Confucianism declared the national religion of the new republic. A great Confucian society has been organized by Dr. Chen Huan Chang and other distinguished Chinese scholars, and this society has recently held a national convention at the birthplace of Confucius. The members of this organization are putting forth strong efforts to influence the members of the Chinese parliament to insert Confucianism in the national constitution as the state religion. A league of foreign missionaries, native Christians, and representatives of other religions has been formed for the purpose of opposing this state-and-religion movement, and if possible causing the Chinese legislators to see the inconsistency and iniquity of establishing religion by law. The constitution as adopted by the Chinese republic made no provision for any state religion, but a presidential mandate published on November 27 seems to anticipate the selection of Confucianism as the national religion. Strangely enough, the chief promoter of this project uses the same argument to accomplish his purpose that National Reformers use in their institutes and before legislative committees to prove the necessity of a union of religion and the state in America. Dr. Chen Huan Chang declares that “if China is to be saved from political ruin and moral anarchy, reverence for China’s sages must be restored.” This has a very familiar sound. The argument is as old as the first advocate of church-and-state union. The nation can be saved only by selecting some religion and compelling the people to practise it; and by “saving the nation” in that way, freedom of conscience has been taken away, individual1242hypocrisy has been fostered, and the ground drenched with the blood of the most conscientious and stalwart Christians. Under such a régime it is always the most substantial and best-principled who suffer, while those without conscientious scruples bow to the mandate, save their lives, and live on to beget a conscienceless posterity. Another peculiarity of the undertaking is that the leader in this movement received his degree of doctor of philosophy from an American educational institution, Columbia University. We cannot dispel the thought that Dr. Chen must have absorbed National Reform ideas while pursuing his studies in America. If this is the case, and he succeeds in his undertaking, the Christian world will have National Reformism to thank for the most fearful blow that China has ever struck at Christian progress and evangelism in that great republic. It is to be hoped that, for her own sake, China will refuse to take this backward step. The Atlantic Union Conference Meeting
By I. H. Evans
ACCORDING to appointment, the Atlantic Union Conference convened November 25 and closed on the evening of December 6. The meeting was held in the South Lancaster church building, which furnished room for the large number in attendance, and proved very convenient for all. The attendance at this meeting was remarkably good, nearly all the workers in the union being present. Most of them were at the opening meeting and remained through the business session. The committee on location had greatly exerted itself to provide suitable accommodations for all visitors. The school being full of students, it was necessary to secure rooms outside for most of those who were in attendance. A splendid cafeteria was operated, which gave the best of satisfaction. South Lancaster Academy adjourned its school work two days preceding Thanksgiving and the day immediately following. It also adjourned on the following Tuesday, allowing the students to attend the institute from the beginning, with the exception of one day. A Bible institute preceded the business of the conference. This was conducted by Elders A. G. Daniells and G. B. Thompson and the writer. The key-note of the instruction given at this institute was the finishing of our work. All the studies were given with this special point in view. On the first Friday morning the workers were much stirred by a study given by Elder Daniells on “How We Can Finish the Work in This Generation.” It is hardly possible that those in attendance will ever forget that day. It was a time when the heart cried out for God. The day was given to heart searching and seeking God in prayer. As one speaker followed another in stating our greatest need in order to finish the work, one could but note the unanimity of sentiment,—a clean heart, the infilling of the Holy Spirit, every believer at work. To many it seemed that we were face to face with the greatest crisis in our lives. Either there must be a new experience, a new power, a new baptism of the Holy Spirit, or the work cannot be done. The following evening Elder Thompson gave a very stirring talk on personal piety and the need of meeting the high standard required by the Word of God. Those present were greatly moved. That sermon is indelibly inscribed on many hearts, never to be forgotten. Special revival services were held during the institute, and again and again the workers consecrated themselves anew to God. Many sins were confessed, experiences which had been a hindrance in the spiritual lives of the workers were acknowledged, and solemn promises were made to rectify past wrongs. Nearly all resolved to make such a complete consecration that the blessing of God can fill the soul. A number who requested special prayer for physical healing testified publicly of the remarkable experiences through which they had passed, and of the work wrought in their bodies; still the greatest encouragement to all was the spiritual healing and the spiritual infilling which came to those in attendance at the meeting. At the beginning of the meeting, the president of the union read his biennial address. Committees were then appointed, which worked at intervals during the institute. The business was well done in three days. Careful consideration was given to the various branches of the work, and recommendations were passed inaugurating such policies as the brethren present thought best to set on foot. The attendance on the last Sabbath of the meeting was probably as large as at any time since the church building was erected. The afternoon service was a solemn, earnest one. It was a testimony meeting in which many took part, nearly all of whom put themselves on the Lord’s side for the finishing of the work. The majority bore the testimony that this was the best meeting they had ever attended. The spirit of the services reminded one of the earnest seeking of the Lord which characterized our workers in 1893-94. The brethren went to their respective fields full of courage, determined to press the preaching of the message as never before. On parting, the warmest wishes expressed were that our other union conference meetings might be blessed with the same spirit and the same power that attended this meeting. BUT few have any idea as to the hold which this amusement craze has upon millions of people throughout the country. A writer in the Congregationalist, Edwin W. Bishop, D. D., furnishes some statistics which he has gathered. While there are 1,400 theaters in the United States, there are 10,000 places where motion pictures are presented. In one Western city a canvass of 10,000 families showed that representatives from 6,653 attended moving-picture shows. In another city containing forty-eight motion-picture halls, there was a daily attendance of 35,000. In one town 5,813 children were canvassed, and of these 3,892 were found to be regular attendants at moving pictures. Of the influence on the life of uncertain beliefs the New York Weekly Witness of Oct. 1, 1913, says:— In one most important respect it is a very easy-going age that we are living in—more's the pity. A very large proportion of the people, in the churches as well as outside of them, have absorbed the idea that it does not matter much what one believes, because, as they suppose, truth is a mere matter of opinion, and one opinion is as likely to be right as another. And of course there can be no fixed principles of conduct where there is no fixed standard of truth. The churches must get back to the Bible. THE Northwestern Christian Advocate for Dec. 10, 1913, contains the following:— A compendium of Christian Doctrine prescribed by Pope Pius X and published in 1906 contains the following question and answer, the head of the Roman Catholic Church being author of both:— Question.—“What ought a Christian [a Roman Catholic, of course] to do if a Bible is offered to him by a Protestant or by an agent of Protestants?” Answer.—“If a Bible is offered to a Christian by a Protestant, or by any agent of the Protestants, he should reject it with horror; and if he should happen to have taken it without being aware of it, he ought to throw it into the fire or consign it to his parish priest.” These are pretty straight orders and need no comment. It might be remarked that the Roman Catholic Church cannot burn Bibles fast enough to destroy the issue. The Book is being printed in four hundred and fifty dialects and languages, and more copies are being printed today than at any time in the history of the world. PEARL WAGGONER
By Pearl Waggoner
“By the Things That Are Made”
Where'er I turn, where'er I look,
God's handiwork is there displayed;
I hear the singing of the brook,
I view the things his word has made:
The mighty, everlasting hills
All tree-bedecked, with sparkling rills
A-wandering o'er the sides of them
Like ornament of precious gem;
Or here, perchance, a waterfall
Whose roar can drown the song-bird's call
As, spendthrift-like, it seeks to fling
Its store away. And here a spring,
A shaded, cooling, wondrous thing
Whose depths new strength and freshness bring. I see the traces everywhere
That speak a God. The sun's bright glare
By kindly cloud is veiled oft,
Which then in rain—refreshing, soft—
Will break betimes. And when the night
Extinguishes the greater light,
Then, lo, the moon and stars appear,
All telling of a Watcher near. O, who can doubt God's word, or power,
When every day, yea, every hour,
In all creation it is seen,
Upholding worlds and planting green?
And who can doubt that power so vast
Will guard his children to the last?
Where'er I look, where'er I turn,—
If to the hills, or sky, or wood,—
One truth I there can read and learn:
That God is love, and God is good. The German Emperor's Jubilee Mission Collection
By Louis Richard Conradi
In June, 1913, the German emperor celebrated the twenty-fifth year of his reign. As it was the desire of His Majesty that the jubilee should be marked by appropriate gifts to all sorts of philanthropic enterprises for the sick, aged, orphans, etc., millions of marks were given throughout the empire to launch such enterprises. But at the same time, the leading missionary authorities felt that it was an opportune time to encourage the missionary spirit and raise donations throughout the empire, and on approaching the emperor with their desire, he immediately agreed to their proposal. The Catholics desired to have their own collection, but the emperor, on the other hand, was anxious that the Protestants might unite, without respect to their belief, and present their offering as a whole, that it might then be distributed among the different Protestant missionary societies according to their strength and need. As I had returned from German East Africa in February, and had been very busy in general meetings up to the time of the General Conference, I only incidentally learned the outlines of this plan from the German colonial paper before leaving for America. Hardly thinking that we, as Seventh-day Adventists, would be considered, yet desiring to help the mission work in our German colonies as well as to take part in honoring the emperor's jubilee, we urged our brethren in Germany to have a special collection for this purpose. Considering that the regular Sabbath collection was omitted, this collection brought from the Sabbath-keepers in Germany $6,200 (26,000 marks). While we were endeavoring to find a proper way to bring this matter to the notice of the emperor, an official letter was addressed to us by the commission that had been appointed by the emperor to distribute the collection, asking us to state the number of missionaries, schools, pupils, and the amount of mission12expenses, as well as deficits, in connection with our work in the German colonies. This was the first intimation we had that we were to be considered in the distribution. In order to learn all the particulars, I called on the high official who was the secretary of the committee, and had quite a long and interesting visit with him. When he was informed that we had had our special collection, he at once urged that it be put into the general fund, in accordance with the express wish of His Majesty, to which we forthwith complied. As far as we could learn, the Catholic contribution amounted to only about $300,000, while the Protestant contribution amounted to over $800,000. During my recent visit in Berlin, I called on the secretary again, and from him learned many interesting items about the result. The basis upon which the fund was to be distributed was eighty per cent in relation to the number of mission employees, twenty per cent in relation to the number of schools and pupils, then also the medical mission work and great deficits were to be considered. The mission societies received altogether about $675,000; the medical missionary school at Tübingen received $24,000, and other institutions of similar nature in Germany about $15,000, while the sum of $120,000 was reserved for the future development of mission interest in the colonies. As to the particular mission societies, His Majesty ordered by a special decree, on October 29, that the money be distributed in sums varying from $120,000 to $800. Thus the Berlin and Basel mission societies received each about $120,000; the Barmen, Bremen, Moravian, and Leipzig, about $50,000 each; then the Bielefeld, Breklum, etc., between $25,000 and $40,000 each; the German Baptists, $23,000; and the German Seventh-day Adventists about $12,000; five mission societies received smaller amounts, varying from $8,000 downward. While this means about $6,000 more than we ourselves turned in, yet, on the other hand, we are glad that we could show our loyalty to the powers that be, and above all, our loyalty to God and his cause, and also that this loyalty was recognized by the highest authorities. We know this means much more than the money, and will be helpful in many ways in placing our work before the German public in the true light. On accepting this sum, we had to agree to the one settled condition, and that was that this money should be spent only in direct mission work in the German colonies, some fearing undoubtedly that we might use the money for the extension of our work in Germany itself. But in agreeing to this condition, we had the very best opportunity of showing that our work in the German Empire is not only covered by the tithe raised in the land itself, so that all mission gifts can go to the fields beyond, but that the German Empire today, with a tithe of nearly $100,000, already sends out $125,000 second and surplus tithes to mission fields. In other words, the work among the 66,000,000 in Germany today is carried on in its fourteen conferences and three unions at an expense of about $160,000 a year. Thus far we have begun active work in only two parts of German East Africa. But we are now taking steps to open up the work in the Kamerun Colony, where there are large and populous fields calling for both men and means. We feel grateful to our Heavenly Father that the threefold message of Revelation 14 has assumed such proportions in the fatherland that it is not only self-supporting at home, but can turn over between $80,000 and $100,000 to fields beyond, and that the mission spirit of our German believers receives recognition from the very highest authorities.