Earlier text: To the Fields in 1914A Pleasant Call at Fiji
By A. G. DANIELLS.
Our journey of nine days on the Canadian-Australian steamer “Marama,” from Honolulu to Fiji, was very pleasant and restful. Early Friday morning we found ourselves sailing among the two hundred and thirty islands of Fiji. About noon we sighted Suva, where we hoped to meet Pastor J. E. Fulton, the president of the Australasian Union Conference. When near enough to locate the wharf, a passenger kindly placed at our disposal his long-field glass. Among those gathered to meet the boat we could discern a tall man looking over the heads of all the rest. Our party all agreed that this must be Brother Fulton. We were not mistaken; for when we drew near enough to distinguish the features of the people, there he stood with a number of our European missionaries and native students from the mission school. As soon as we could land, we were placed in an automobile to be taken to our mission station about five miles around the bay. But before leaving Suva we were driven about the town to get a glimpse of the tropical foliage, the governor’s residence, and the principal places of business. Suva is a larger and more modern and attractive town than we had expected to find in what had seemed to us such an isolated spot. But by the aid of steamship lines, isolated places that once seemed so far apart are being brought closer together and developed into centers of prominence and importance. On our way to the mission station we passed the Suva cemetery, and knowing that our beloved Brother J. I. Tay was buried there, we took time to visit the grave. As we stood in silence by the resting place of our fallen brother, the early history of our island work in the South Pacific was revived. We praise Him who has charge of this work, for its glorious triumphs since our pioneer missionaries first began work in these islands. Could Brother Tay have visited the mission with us that afternoon, he would have rejoiced in the sacrifice and service he was permitted to share in starting the good work in Fiji. He rests from his labors, but the work he began goes on. We were glad that Brother Fulton, who went to Fiji to labor soon after Brother Tay’s death, knew just where the grave was, and we were pleased to find it as well kept as any in the cemetery. It is marked by a neat marble slab bearing the name and the dates of the birth and death of our fallen brother. As the light was favorable, we were able to get a photograph of the grave. I believe that in our mission fields the graves of all our workers who fall in the battle should be well cared for by those who succeed them. A neat head-piece giving suitable information should be placed at the head of the grave, and the grave itself should receive attention from time to time. It will do the living good to remember kindly those who toiled in the fields before them, and into whose labors they have entered. On arriving at the mission station we had the privilege of meeting all our European workers in Fiji, and about two hundred of our Fijian brethren and sisters. They were attending the annual council, the date of which had been fixed so that we might meet while passing through Suva on our way to New Zealand. We were sorry that we could stay with these dear friends only twelve short hours. But we could not remain longer without being held a fortnight or a month, and this our general plans and appointments would not permit. Shortly after reaching the mission station we were all gathered on the lawn in front of the church. We shall never forget the impressive exercises that followed. After a hymn and prayer, Pastor A. G. Stewart, the superintendent of the field, introduced us to the native brethren and sisters. Pastor Pauliasi Bunoa, our Fijian minister, gave us a cordial, whole-hearted welcome. He told how they had, for a long time, looked forward to this meeting, and how they had prayed that our ship might arrive in the daylight, that the weather might be good, and that no sickness nor anything should prevent us from having the meeting. He said that they were now all praising the Lord for answering their prayers. He had the people grouped according to their church membership, and called them forward, a group at a time, for hand-shaking. In harmony with Fijian custom, each church brought one or more presents. The first who came forward spread on the grass in front of us a native mat made by those who brought it. On this were placed the presents brought by those who followed. These presents consisted of mats, baskets, fans, bottles of oil, whales’ teeth, and silver coins. Brother Bunoa said that the presents themselves were not great, but that they represented something great,—the love and gratitude of the Fijian brethren and sisters to the brethren in America and Australia for the glorious message they had brought to Fiji. In explaining to us the feelings of the native brethren and sisters in making these presents, Brother Fulton told us that the whale’s tooth presented by a very aged brother had probably been treasured by him for half a century or more, and that very likely it was the dearest thing to him that he had ever possessed. He would not have parted with it for anything in this world but the saving message of Revelation 14. In closing this part of our meeting, my wife and I told the brethren and sisters how we appreciated the presents they had brought us, and that we should take them with us as tokens of their love for our people who had sent the message to them. We also told them of the deep interest our people in America and Australia still feel in the work in Fiji, and of our hope of meeting them around the throne of God in his kingdom. We then retired for lunch before the evening service. This lunch hour was a most enjoyable and profitable one. Eleven European guests gathered round Brother and Sister Stewart’s table in the mission home. These were Brother Fulton; Brother and Sister White, who have charge of the school; Brother and Sister Butler and Sister Clark, who are connected with the school; Sister Meyers, in charge of the work for the Indians; and our party of four. We were so glad to form the acquaintance of these workers and to learn from them all we could about their field and their work. We should fain have prolonged this interview into hours, but we could not stay the hands of the clock, and before we had finished, the bell rang calling all to the evening service. When we entered the church, we looked upon one of the most impressive scenes of our lives. The building was packed with two hundred Fijians sitting on the mat-covered floor instead of on chairs or forms. The bushy heads and stern countenances of the men reminded us of the pictures and the accounts we had seen of the Fijians in their savage, cannibal days. But the Bibles they all held in their hands, and the quiet, reverent attitude they manifested, testified that a marvelous change had come to them. In the light of this transformation, the sight was a beautiful one. They followed me closely with their Bibles as I turned from scripture to scripture during the discourse. They were not at all demonstrative, and I was not altogether sure while speaking that they fully understood me (of course I was speaking through an interpreter); but in the testimony meeting that followed, I learned that they understood all, and that they were deeply impressed. In a quiet way, yet with deep feeling, they told of their gratitude to God for sending his Son to redeem them. They also told of the great blessing the third angel’s message had brought to them, and of their determination to hold on to the end. It was deeply impressive and very touching to see the tears glistening in the eyes of these dear souls rescued from cannibalism and savagery, and to hear them tell with quivering lips of their love for Christ, and of their desire and determination to put away from10their lives everything that is wrong. The only believer in that audience of two hundred who was then using tobacco confessed his wrong, and promised that by the help of the Lord he would turn from it. What a marvelous transformation God has wrought in the lives of these people! At the close of this wonderful meeting the brethren and sisters and the little boys and girls all filed by to say farewell, and wish us Godspeed as we continued our journey. The Lord has greatly blessed the labors of our missionaries in Fiji. This is the largest, strongest center we have in the island mission fields of the South Pacific. We have between three hundred and four hundred members living in nine of the principal islands of the group. Among these are a number of chiefs who have a strong influence among their people. This helps to gather the natives to our fold. Our brethren and sisters are active in missionary work. Some are developing into good evangelists. The headquarters of our work is located at the mission we visited near Suva. At Buresala, on the island of Ovalau, only a short distance from Suva, we have a good school, in which we are giving the young people who attend the education and training they need to prepare them to work in the Master’s cause. We met several of these students, and were greatly pleased with their appearance. They have bright, intelligent faces, and show in every way that they are responding to good training. We were also pleased to meet Sister Meyers, formerly of India, who is in charge of the work being carried on in Suva in behalf of a large number of Indians who have come to Fiji to live. Sister Meyers understands the language of this people, and has a deep burden for their salvation. Their change of views and of heart is a slow process, but she toils on, confident of good results. She needs our prayers as she pursues this difficult task. At 10 P. M. we motored back to Suva to catch our steamer for New Zealand. Our hearts were filled with gratitude for the privilege of even a short visit to Fiji. It was an inspiration to us, leading us to renew our consecration to our Master for the finishing of his work. Brother Fulton accompanied us to New Zealand. The four days we were together at sea gave us an opportunity to become better acquainted and to counsel regarding various features of the work in the Australasian Union Conference. The Results Justify the Sifting
By R. C. Porter
SAYS the servant of the Lord concerning this time:— It is not learned, eloquent speakers that are needed now, but humble, Christ-like men and women, who have learned from Jesus of Nazareth to be meek and lowly, and who, trusting in his strength, will go forth into the highways and hedges to give the invitation, “Come; for all things are now ready.” Luke 14:17.—“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. IX, page 36. Let every idler awake, and face the realities of life. . . . The Lord has a place for every one in his great plan.—Id., page 37. Let not those who write for our papers make unkind thrusts and allusions that will certainly do harm, and that will hedge up the way and hinder us from doing the work that we should do in order to reach all classes, the Catholics included. . . . All sharp thrusts will come back upon us in double measure when the power is in the hands of those who can exercise it for our injury. Over and over the message has been given to me that we are not to say one word, not to publish one sentence, especially by way of personalities, unless positively essential in vindicating the truth, that will stir up our enemies against us, and arouse their passions to a white heat.—Id., page 241. This message must be given, but while it must be given, we should be careful not to thrust and crowd and condemn those who have not the light that we have. We should not go out of our way to make hard thrusts at the Catholics. Among the Catholics there are many who are most conscientious Christians, and who walk in all the light that shines upon them, and God will work in their behalf.—Id., page 243. When these principles are fully applied, and “when the reproach of indolence and slothfulness shall have been wiped away from the church, the Spirit of the Lord will be graciously manifested. . . . The church will see the providential working of the Lord of hosts. The light of truth will shine forth in clear, strong rays, and, as in the time of the apostles, many souls will turn from error to truth. The earth will be lighted with the glory of the Lord.”—Id., page 46. When “a large class” is being sifted out, it will be a time of trial to those who have been associated with them in the message. The disaffected ones will attribute their leaving the ranks to administrative policies, or will give some other excuse. But as in the days of Gideon and of the apostles the loyal remained in the ranks, so it will be in the last-day sifting time. None should be misled by any such plea for sympathy. There is safety only in abiding in the ranks and marshaling with the forces that are giving the third angel’s message. Those shaken out in the days of Joshua did not enter the Promised Land. Those shaken out in the days of the apostles did not receive the early rain, nor proclaim the message in its fullness of power. So it will be now. The work will be similar to that of the day of Pentecost. As the “former rain” was given, in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the opening of the gospel, to cause the upspringing of the precious seed, so the “latter rain” will be given at its close for the ripening of the harvest.—“The Great Controversy,” page 611. Following the sifting time comes the glorious triumphs of the message under the latter rain. We must overcome weaknesses and besetments now or be sifted out when God sifts his people. In that closing proclamation God will be glorified by manifesting his power in contrast with the power of Satan. Servants of God, with their faces lighted up and shining with holy consecration, will hasten from place to place to proclaim the message from heaven. By thousands of voices all over the earth, the warning will be given. Miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and signs and wonders will follow the believers. Satan also works with lying wonders, even bringing down fire from heaven in the sight of men. Rev. 13:13. Thus the inhabitants of the earth will be brought to take their stand. The message will be carried not so much by argument as by the deep conviction of the Spirit of God. The arguments have been presented. The seed has been sown, and now it will spring up and bear fruit. The publications distributed by missionary workers have exerted their influence, yet many whose minds were impressed have been prevented from fully comprehending the truth or from yielding obedience. Now the rays of light penetrate everywhere, the truth is seen in its clearness, and the honest children of God sever the bands which have held them. Family connections, church relations, are powerless to stay them now. Truth is more precious than all besides. Notwithstanding the agencies combined against the truth, a large number take their stand upon the Lord’s side.—Id., page 612. The results demonstrate God’s wisdom in sifting the church preparatory to its final movements. Our decisions today fix our destinies in the sifting time. Shall we be overcomers, or surrender to the temptations of Satan and be sifted out? Let us say with the apostle, “We are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” Heb. 10:39. The Destiny of the Wicked
By G. B. Thompson
The Reward of the Wicked Is Death, Not Life in Misery
NOWHERE in the Bible is it taught that the wicked will live eternally in a lake of fire, suffering untold agony and excruciating torture. The penalty of sin is not life in misery, “remorse of conscience,” but death. “The wages of sin11is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom. 6:23. Death is a cessation of life, a state of unconsciousness. The Lord through his prophet declares, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Eze. 18:4, 26. It is not to live in misery, but to die. Those who are finally lost will experience the second death. “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Rev. 21:8. “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” Chap. 20:14. The wicked, being “alienated from the life of God,” are compared to the most perishable and combustible substances. “Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matt. 3:12. If the language of the Bible means anything, we have here a good illustration of the end of the wicked. They are compared to chaff, that which is dry and dead, and easily consumed. There is nothing in this figure indicating eternal torture, but rather the reverse. The utter destruction of the impenitent is further emphasized by the Saviour’s statement that the fire which annihilates them is “unquenchable.” Not that it will burn eternally, but that it can never be extinguished until that upon which it preys is utterly consumed. Then it will cease to burn, as did the unquenchable fire which consumed Jerusalem anciently. Compare Jer. 17:27 with 2 Chron. 36:19. A similar comparison is made by the prophet of God. “For while they be folded together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.” Nahum 1:10. The psalmist declares, “But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.” Ps. 37:20. And then he further says that “evildoers shall be cut off. . . . For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.” Verses 9, 10. How plain and positive is this language! The wicked shall “not be,” or exist, and no place for their existence will be found. The earth, where they have lived, has become the saints’ eternal abode. If such language does not denote the complete destruction of all who have refused to lay hold upon eternal life, it is difficult to conceive of any language which could have been used to convey this thought had the Lord intended to do so. Many other figures are used concerning the wicked which indicate that they will not live forever, but will be completely devoured from off the earth. They are compared to thorns and briars (Heb. 6:8), to wax, which “melteth before the fire” (Ps. 68:2), to tares (Matt. 13:30); to dry branches (John 15:6). If the wicked are indestructible and are to live eternally, all these comparisons, and many others which might be given, are deceptive; but if, as the Scriptures everywhere affirm, they are without life, dead in sin, and are finally to be destroyed and cease to exist, and the curse to be forever eradicated from the earth, the figures used are forceful, and teach the great truth that man, apart from Christ, cannot live forever. The agent by which sinners are to be destroyed and by which the earth is finally to be cleansed from sin is fire. There are some things that only fire will purify and make clean. Once the Lord cleansed the earth from the putrid effects of sin by water; the second and final purification will be by fire. “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. . . . And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.” Mal. 4:1-3. “Upon the wicked he [the Lord] shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest; this shall be the portion of their cup.” Ps. 11:6. The seer of Patmos, beholding the countless host of the lost as they come forth in the second resurrection and are led by Satan to surround the city of God in a frenzied effort to capture and destroy the “camp of the saints,” describes their utter and eternal overthrow in the following language: “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” Rev. 20:9. Surely these texts do not give any warrant to the doctrine of a lake of fire in which the ungodly will be plunged to be tortured throughout numberless cycles of time, cursing and blaspheming God in their despair and unutterable woe. They are to be “burned up,” become “ashes,” be “devoured,” or eaten up. Such language denotes the extinction and utter annihilation of the ungodly. They are to be destroyed “root” and “branch.” Satan is the root, his children are the branches. The curse of sin will be rooted out of the universe. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” How religion may enter politics while claiming not to do so, was illustrated at the last annual convention of the American Federation of Catholic Societies in Baltimore. In that convention the following instruction is reported to have been given by Bishop P. J. Donahue, of Wheeling, W. Va.:— Religious bigotry should never influence a Catholic in his vote; but if religious bigotry does influence a political man to be unfair, then, in justice to the government and to themselves, the Catholics should strive to remove such an unfaithful man from office. The cry that Catholics were not receiving proper treatment at the hands of politicians has been one of the chief slogans of the American Federation of Catholic Societies and the real reason for its existence. To the leaders of that organization no politician is fair who will not do what the federation desires, and no official is fair who will not yield to the federation's demands. All such are worthy of dismissal, and the above instruction gives Catholic voters warrant to work and vote for their removal. While purporting to warn against religious bigotry in political affairs, it is all the warrant any Catholic needs for doing what it warns against. In his commencement address at Columbia University, June last, Pres. Nicholas Murray Butler, in deprecating the tendency of the times away from the true spirit of liberty, said:— When this college was young, the word that rose oftenest and instinctively to the lips was liberty. . . . It meant freedom of conscience, of speech, and of the press; it meant participation in the acts of government and in the choice of governing agents. . . . But during the years that have passed we have moved far away from this view of what is important in life. There has grown up, not alone in America, but throughout the world, an astonishingly widespread belief in the value of regulation and restriction not only as a substitute for liberty, but directly in opposition to it. . . . Not liberty, but regulation and restriction are the watchwords of today. . . . The only logical and legitimate restriction upon liberty is that which is drawn from the like liberty of others. . . . We had physical, mental, and spiritual regulation and restriction during the Dark Ages, and the world still suffers from it. The program of political religionists today would give the world another experience of the same kind, with its blasting and blighting effects. True liberty brings out the best there is in the race; but regulation and restriction stamp it out. Through Siberia
By J. T. BOETTCHER
A WEEK ago I returned from my trip which I took to the Far East. The Siberian missions had never been visited by a general man from the European Division, so it was planned for me to visit them this summer. I left Riga July 8 and reached Vladivostok, on the Sea of Japan, July 24, stopping over one Sabbath with the brethren in Irkutsk. The distance from Riga to Vladivostok is 5,967 English miles, and can be made in a twelve-day journey. Very few have a proper conception of the immense size of the Russian Empire. Siberia proper has an area twenty-five times as large as that of Germany. We have 623 church members in this field, who love the message as much as any believers in the world, and who are ready to help support it to the extent of their power. Our first meeting was held in Vladivostok. The worker who is stationed at this post has no permission to conduct public meetings. There must be twenty-five members before a hall can be procured. The government does not allow people to come together for worship unless there are twenty-five regular members who apply for the privilege of meeting to worship God. This brother knows the language well, and is doing missionary work right along. A friend of our work, not a member as yet, is building a meetinghouse for us. We are working hard to get members enough to open up the hall. Vladivostok is a very fine modern city. There are also many Chinese and Koreans living there. We next took the train and went to Nicolsk-Ussuri, where the superintendent of the Amur Mission lives. I held a meeting with interested persons in the home of Brother Goebel. There is only a little company of Sabbath keepers at this place, but the prospect for additions is good. We next went north about five hundred miles, to the city Chabarowsk, the terminal of the Amur railroad. The city has about fifty thousand inhabitants, and its location on the Amur River has made it a large trading center. Here we found a Russian who is interested in the message. This man opened his house to us, and called in others so that they might hear the truth of God. He insisted that a worker be sent at once, promising to do all that he could to help him. The Amur railroad is not yet finished, but soon will be. Russia will then have its own road to Vladivostok. Our next stop was in the city of Iman, on the Ussuri railroad. A few years ago a young man from Petrograd was sent there to serve his time as a soldier. He had accepted the truth, and was anxious to see others rejoice in the blessed hope. As soon as he arrived at his post, he looked about for a mission field, and soon found it. An interest was awakened, enough to call for a minister, and at present there is a church here with fifteen members, all active and having their own meetinghouse. We called in the brethren from the churches in that district, and thus had a good opportunity to see nearly all of them. It was very interesting to hear their many questions. They seemed to think I could not get tired. I had to hold meeting all day and answer questions until midnight. Our beds were made on the floor, and on the seats in the meeting room. The Russian people do not care very much for a bed. They will lie down almost anywhere and sleep. It almost seems as if they have no bones to ache on a board. We had a splendid meeting. On the Sabbath day, August 1, five believers were baptized. One brother said that he was impressed to make a donation of $50, which he did. This was the day Germany declared war on Russia. We knew nothing about it, only floating rumors, but the next day we saw trains laden with soldiers pass the stations. Even though we were one thousand miles from the front, the word to mobilize had reached the uttermost of the Russian Empire with the speed of lightning. Telegrams were read at the station, and each asked his neighbor what it all meant. There was a sober look on the faces of the men, but they were ready to shoulder the gun and go to save the country from the invasion of the enemy. I have never seen such readiness in any people to respond to the call of the war signal. Sunday evening, August 2, I was back at Nicolsk-Ussuri. There at the railroad station, thousands of patriotic people had gathered to make a great manifestation. Military bands played, the czar's picture was carried by the young men, the national hymn was sung, and shouts filled the air. There came over me a queer sensation, which told me that it was a time to be very calm. I pursued my journey to Harbin. While I was passing through Manchuria, every train was packed full of soldiers and officers. Heavy rains had washed parts of the track away, but it had been repaired by the time we arrived, our train being only a few hours late. Manchuria is a fine country, with a semi-tropical climate. The Chinese have more knowledge of agricultural methods than I had supposed. The wheat, barley, oats, beans, and all the vegetables are planted in drills wide enough apart to be cultivated, and to my surprise there were no weeds to be seen. I concluded that the Chinese people were very thrifty. They are also great burden bearers, and never seem to get tired. Harbin has about one hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants, with a great mixture of people: Russians, Germans, Finns, Lettonians, Esthonians, Tartars, Armenians, Grusiniens, Greeks, Persians, Turks, and thousands of Chinese. It is one of the most wicked cities in the world; all manner of vice is carried on. We have a church of thirty-four members in the city, with a good meeting hall. It was my privilege to conduct meetings in their hall. The persons were first interested through an aged brother who moved there from Russia. Afterward, through reading matter, they accepted the truth. They are good tithe payers. The most of them work for the government in the railroad shops, but have the Sabbath free. There had just been a big flood, and hundreds of families were housed in freight cars until their houses could be repaired. I visited them in their car homes. Each family had a car. I thought it was a fine way to help them, better than tents would have been. By this time everybody was talking about the war. The German consul had left Harbin, and the Austrian consul was to leave that same day. Our people were thinking that they would be drafted at any moment. I went to our American consul, who told me that I had better get a new Russian vise on my passport before I left, otherwise I might have trouble. I was glad for my passport, for the Germans and Austrians were all sent to prison or out of the country. After midnight I took the train at Harbin, but it was almost impossible to find a seat, there were so many officers going; but I finally got a seat in a compartment with a number of others. Our next change of cars was in the city of Manchuria. Here one has to pass the customhouse and present passports to the Russian officers. After these formalities were through (and it takes two or three hours), we were permitted to go to the platform. To our surprise, we learned that all the fast trains had been off, so we took what was to be had. However, we were very comfortable. The trip from Manchuria to Irkutsk, around Lake Baikal, is one of the finest in the world. The Russian government has spared neither money nor engineering skill to make it a splendid road. It goes over rivers, through more than fifty tunnels, across swamps, and along precipices, making all kinds of twists and turns. The lake is said to be 499 miles long and over 3,000 feet deep. During the winter the whole lake freezes to such a thickness that a railroad train crossed upon the ice before the road was built around it. In our company was an English fur dealer, a French officer of the army, an Italian doctor of chemistry, and a Russian merchant. The13French officer went all those thousands of miles that he might reach his country to serve in the army. The Italian doctor was also an army officer and ready to serve his country. The only question with them was how they could get home the quickest. It was impossible for them to pass through Germany, so they chose the water route, via Odessa and Constantinople. We had very interesting times together. If the Christian young men all loved the cause of God as much as these men love their country, there would never be a dearth of men and means. There is a lesson in it for us. Words From the Late Walter G. Bond
Just about the time the cable message came from Spain bringing the sad word that Elder Walter G. Bond, superintendent of the Spanish Mission, had passed away, a letter was received from him. Evidently it constitutes his last message to the Mission Board. We therefore give it here almost entire. It was written from a town in southern Spain, while Elder Bond was out among the scattered believers. The letter was written in reply to one from the secretary of the Mission Board reporting that the believers in other lands meant to stand by the needs of the missions of the European Division in these war times:— “BAEZA, Oct. 16, 1914.
“DEAR BROTHER: Your kind letter reached me yesterday. I was indeed glad to hear from you. While we have not been able to obtain our money regularly from Gland, thus far our branch publishing office in Barcelona has been able to keep things afloat. We are endeavoring to keep expenses down as low as possible. The most of us are spending some time selling the special number of our paper. We have just now received our first money from Switzerland since the war broke out. . . . “The annual meeting for Spain was appointed for August 19-24. After war was declared we heard nothing whatever from the union office for a number of weeks, so did not know that the meeting had been called off until two weeks after it was over. We were much disappointed in not having Elders Tieche and Fitzgerald with us, as had been planned. But the Holy Spirit was present, and bestowed an abundant blessing. Nine adults were baptized during the meeting, all but one coming directly from Romanism. The evening meetings were well attended by those not of our faith. “I have just been visiting the believers along the Mediterranean coast. Nearly all are of excellent courage and are working to advance the message. A dozen or more wanted baptism, but it was thought best for them to wait awhile. “I am now in Baeza, a city of fourteen thousand inhabitants, in the province of Jaen, in Andalusia. Here one of our native brethren has been laboring for some time. But it has been a continual warfare with the priesthood. Ignorance, superstition, priests, and fanaticism abound, making it probably the most difficult place that we have thus far entered. But even here we hope for fruit. “At present our publishing house is paying expenses, I think, and our canvassers are all selling enough to keep them alive. Our courage is good, and our one desire is to see this work triumph and to triumph with it. “Mrs. Bond and the family are in Barcelona. All were well the last I heard from them. “I hope that we shall be able to get our money from now on, but something might happen to prevent, so here is our list. . . . I shall not write more, as it is almost Sabbath. South China
By R. C. PORTER
After the departure of Elders Harlow and Hills with their families, for America, by request of Elder B. L. Anderson, the acting superintendent of the South China Mission, I left Shanghai, August 27, for a visit to Amoy and Swatow. Our coasting vessel carried two passengers, five hundred sheep, and a heavy cargo of freight. On our arrival at Swatow, there was a heavy typhoon blowing against the movement of the tide. When the boat was lowered to tie the anchorage rope to the buoy, it was caught by the undertow of the current and the outgoing tide, and crushed against the front of the steamer. One sailor caught the rope by which the boat had been lowered. Three others were swept out toward the sea with such rapidity that life buoys falling near them could not be reached by the men in the water. Elder J. P. Anderson, who was coming to the vessel in a small boat, urged the Chinese oarsmen to pull for the men overboard and pick them up, but their superstition was too great to allow them to do so. They said the water devil was after those men, and they would not go near them. If they lived, it was for them to live; and if they died, it was for them to die. Two of them were rescued by the customs launch, the other drowned. The typhoon was so terrific that it was with great difficulty that Elder Anderson’s launch reached the steamer. The captain advised passengers to remain aboard until morning, but we ventured to go ashore. After a hard battle with wind and tide, we reached our landing safely. The steamer cast anchor, and made no further effort to tie up to the buoy until morning. About ten the next morning we took passage on a Chinese river steamer for a four hours’ run into the country. We then transferred to our own house boat for a night’s run to Lo Kang, where our meetings were to be held. Just as we were ready to start, our Chinese evangelist living in the town where we changed to our boat, came and urged us not to risk a night ride on the house boat, as the country was infested with robbers. We desired to meet the appointment on time, and so went forward. After committing ourselves to God, we slept as sweetly as at home, and awakened the next morning safe at our destination. The Chinese brethren and their friends gathered from the different outstations in that vicinity. Our chapel could not accommodate all who wished to attend. Children stood two deep, that is, one behind another, and two high, hanging on to the fence in front of the chapel during the services. The meetings were conducted by Elders B. L. and J. P. Anderson, assisted by Elders Keh and Ang, Evangelist Chang, and the writer. The interest was very good throughout. At the close of our stay with this people, fifty offered themselves for baptism. After very careful examination, twenty-three, all but one of whom were from heathenism, followed their Lord in baptism. It was the most beautiful and picturesque baptismal scene I ever witnessed. A high stone wall protected the river front. Stone steps led down to the water. In front of this wall, standing in the water’s edge, a hundred Chinese children, half of them scantily dressed and half wearing no clothing, witnessed the baptism. On the top of the wall, eight hundred persons, attired after the most primitive fashion, satisfied their curiosity by seeing how Seventh-day Adventists administer baptism. Another hundred, grouped under the shade and in the tops of the majestic trees, the largest I have seen in China, formed the right and left wings of the assembly. Fully a thousand persons, with little conception of the solemn rite of baptism, chattered and laughed while they waited for the opening of the service. Many laughed as the first candidate arose from the water; but as one after another was buried in the watery grave and arose with a countenance expressive of the peace and joy that reigned within, the spirit of peace so constrained the audience that order and quiet prevailed. One of those baptized was a middle-aged village headman. Others were well-to-do farmers and laborers. A good foundation is being laid by the outstation work in the Swatow field for a strong advance throughout the country territory. On our homeward journey we encountered one of the most terrific typhoons of the season. We could say with Paul, “A night and a day I have been in the deep.” For thirty-six hours we were buffeted by the waves, making thirty miles during the time. The officers became concerned for the safety of the vessel, but the Lord gave us a safe passage, for which we were exceedingly grateful. Very encouraging reports of progress are coming in from all parts of the field.