PUBLICATION AND SABBATH-SCHOOL WORK. WHY SHOULD I CONTRIBUTE? The question is often asked, Why should I contribute to the BOARD OF PUBLICATION? The answer is simple and conclusive, Because it is also the BOARD OF SABBATH-SCHOOL WORK. This Board has two sides: the one, including the editorial and publishing departments, business; the other, as thoroughly missionary as the Board of Home or Forign Missions. The former supports itself and is also a large contributor to the missionary side, and, as will be seen, to other benevolent agencies of the church; the latter alone looks to the church for support. DEPARTMENT OF SABBATH-SCHOOL AND MISSIONARY WORK. This department is far more extensive and important than is generally supposed. Its work is twofold. In the first place, it operates through a corps of approved missionaries, generally laymen, who are appointed to labor in the spiritually-destitute portions of our land. Their duty is to visit from house to house; to converse and pray with individuals and families; to distribute Bibles and the pure and spiritually-uplifting literature of the Board, by sale to those who are able and willing to purchase, and by gift to the needy; and, lastly, to organize Sabbathschools and see to their equipment where they do not exist, and where schools do exist to visit them and labor for their improvement. The second part of the work of this department is to make grants, either partial or total, of single books, periodicals, libraries and lesson helps to individuals, Sabbathschools, churches, theological seminaries and missions, not only in our own land, but throughout the world. DEFICIENCY IN CONTRIBUTION. It must be apparent to every thoughtful mind that to carry on successfully the work of this department the amount recommended by the last Assembly, viz., one hundred thou sand dollars, at least, is necessary. It is a lamentable fact, as has already been noticed in this periodical, that last year only $39,437 was contributed, and that by considerably less than one-half our churches. Only twenty-six hundred and seventy-four churches gave us anything; thirty-seven hundred and twenty-four failed to contribute. REASONS FOR NON-CONTRIBUTION. It is possible that some failed to contribute in consequence of being misled by the old title, Board of Publication. They imagined they were asked to give to a merely business concern that should support itself. All possibility of misunderstanding on that ground has been removed by the change of the title. It is probable, however, that a still greater number, consisting of those who recognized that the Board had a benevolent department, declined giving because of the association. of that department with a publishing house. They may have argued, The Board of Publication has a large capital; publishing is a profitable business, many men make fortunes by it; why does not the Publishing Department support the Missionary? Perhaps the best answer that can be given to such objectors is that contained in the report of the special committee on the Board to the last Assembly-a report unanimously adopted by the committee and unanimously approved by the Assembly: BUSINESS DEPARTMENT. We found the Business Department of the Board well managed and self-supporting, and we take pleasure in correcting an erroncous opinion in the church growing out of a misapprehension as to the use of the large capital employed in this department. In the first place, many of our books do not pay the expense of their publication, not being generally salable. Of these we may mention those of a strictly denominational character, and those published by order of the Assembly. Secondly, the aim of this department is to cheapen its books and periodicals, rather than reap profits from sales. Thirdly, a large amount of books are gratuitously distributed every year, not school missionaries. Are these not calls cal institutions, on which no profit is made. The Business Department not only provides rooms rent free, warmed and lighted, for the Boards of Education and Relief, but also for the Missionary Department of its own Board. It is not too much to say that on a fair business calculation it has heretofore contributed not less than $8000 per annum to the benevolent work of the church. It is also proper to state that, under the direction of the Assembly, it will in the future place two thirds of its net profits annually to the credit of the Sabbath-school and Missionary Department. BEAR IN MIND 1. That the missionaries of the Board of Publication and Sabbath-school Work have organized within a few years 1392 Sabbathschools. 2. That they have made over 20,000 visits to Sabbath-schools, many of which were aided by grants of lesson helps, papers and books. 3. That there is no way of planting churches more economical or effective than by establishing Sabbath-schools. 4. There are thirteen states and territories, and among these many of the most important in our country, in which we have not one Sabbath-school missionary. This simply for want of money to support missionaries. 5. Touching appeals come to this Board. from those fields to send there Sabbath Here is one of many letters received daily by the Sabbath-school Missionary Department of our Board. Through these we are given glimpses of the possibilities and the sore needs of just such work as the Sabbathschool missionaries of this Board are doing in saving precious souls and in the building up of the Master's cause and the honor of his name. From the Board's missionary in Montana: DEAR DR. WORDEN:-Last week I went across the river and visited the people there. Yesterday (Sabbath) we met in the schoolhouse and organized a Sabbath-school. I found only one Christian man in the neighborhood. I think he is the only one among the ranchmen who does not use profane language. The majority of the men are infidels (profess edly). Several ladies have been Christian workers in former days. They will help in the Sabbath-school. If ever a Sabbath-school was needed anywhere, this is one of the places. lies of children are growing up in utter ignorance of Christ and the Bible. Dancing and horse-racing are the only amusements. Mr. Fami -, a Christian man, was elected superintendent of the Sabbath-school. They will have to buy hymn-books, and, as the people are quite poor, I think it would be well to donate supplies for the quarter preceding Christmas, and after that they can get along. On my way here last night, I drove past a saloon. An old man, Mr. B., at whose house I had called ten days ago, was there. He takes the Truth Seeker, and is full of the spirit of the devil. He came out and asked me to go into the saloon and talk to the men. I read part of the third chapter of John's Gospel, and began to explain, but he kept breaking in and asking questions. Finally he agreed to keep still. The proprietor had said I might talk, and the men had stopped their game of billiards. I trust that God will bless his word, even there. When I came here I found that a lady had died suddenly and had been buried Sabbath afternoon. There was a large attendance of the neighbors at the funeral, but when the bereaved husband asked some one to pray, there was no response. Mr. D., the superintendent of the new Sabbath-school, came just as the body was buried, and prayed when asked. 1887.] PUBLICATION AND SABBATH-SCHOOL WORK. The husband was almost distracted, as they had been married only a year, and there had been no physician. I have just come from there. We went early this morning and tried to comfort him by pointing to the Saviour.; Only one known Christian man in a whole community! Children in families growing up in utter ignorance of Jesus Christ and the Bible! Dancing and horse-racing the only amusements! Surely in this place is needed the light and knowledge of God's truth. Surely the smile of the Master will rest upon those who will help us to send Sabbath-school missionaries to just such localities, where the well-known name and the sweet story of Jesus are unknown, and where even the children whom Christ loved so much are in such utter darkness. In the name of these dying ones who have no one to comfort them, "no one to pray with them;" in the name of the Lord Jesus, who appointed his church to be his agent in seeking and saving the lost, the Board of Publication and Sabbath-school Work makes an earnest appeal for means to enable it to send the light into all these lonely, remote and godless homes, and to gather 463 and scantily-clad children will be unable to attend after the cold weather sets in. So, Mr. Rice bids me say that your papers will not again be needed until April; but, if it be not asking too much, he will be more than grateful if you can at that time again supply his school with lesson helps, as you have done this year. These Negroes are utterly poor, and Mr. Rice has no aid in teaching his school, now numbering one hundred and fifty. You sent an abundant supply of papers, the little folk of course not needing them. If you have any cards, simple little story books, etc., to be given away, pray remember this remote corner of the world. Mr. Rice would be glad to be able to give his pupils little books, etc., at the close of the school. They would be rewards for the past and incentives for the future. You may imagine that his work is arduous and discouraging enough, with so little help and sympathy. He sends gratitude for what you have done, that is not by any means altogether according to Talleyrand's definition, "a lively sense of favors to come." May both you and he be rewarded by the fruit of the great lessons the world has been learning this summer. Sincerely yours, MARIE GORDON PRYOR RICE. And here a call for the aid of schools VINITA, IND. TER., Sept. 1, 1887. REV. E. R. CRAVEN, D.D. the children into Sabbath-schools that they amongst the Creeks, Choctaws and Cherokees: may learn of Christ and his wondrous love. We long to send our Sabbath-school papers and lesson helps to these weak, struggling schools that have no money to buy them, and that send to us so many touching appeals for help. God's truth has found entrance many times on the Sabbath-school paper into homes otherwise tightly closed against it. What a DEAR BROTHER:-We have special need in this territory of tracts and matter suitable for Sabbath-schools-papers, lesson leaves, etc. We must supply these things, as the people connot pay for them, and I am sure you will co-operate with us in our work here in behalf of the Indians. We can organize a number of schools if we can supply papers and leaves. Will not the Board of Publication help us? Faithfully, ROBERT W. HILL. The Board is doing its utmost to meet And here another appeal from Virginia: GENTLEMEN :-Mr. Rice desires me to thank you most warmly for the gift of lesson papers and quarterlies, which have enabled him to carry on his work among the freedmen most helpfully to himself and to them. He does not know how he could have kept up his school without your generous aid. After next month it will close until the spring, as the barefooted A Sabbath-school missionary in Michigan I have visited the strongest churches in Saginaw Presbytery, and hope that my appeals to them in behalf of the dear souls in the wilderness may not be in vain. As time rolls on the need of our work becomes greater. This may seem strange to those who are not acquainted with the field, but it is a fact that there are now ten times as many families in the West needing this colportage as there were ten years ago. In 1884 the census gave a population of half a million in the twenty-five coun ties in which I have been laboring, and I see now that there are forty thousand settled north of the Saginaw Valley. I spent the last week and a Sabbath in the northwestern corner of Gladwin county, two hundred miles from here. Five years ago I walked eighteen miles through the woods without seeing a house to find the people, and organized a Sabbath-school here. There are thirty families, and among them noble, earnest Christians. They have kept up their Sabbathschool organization, and are now about to organize a church. The church would have been organized while I was there had it not been for bad weather. While there I found a family that had suffered the loss of their property by fire. They had neither Bible, Testament nor anything else to read, so I had a good opportunity to place in their hands a copy of the Bible. DIFFICULTY OF MISSIONARY The following will give some idea of the nature of the work of our missionaries in the far West: One Saturday last December I worked my way into a small town in southern Minnesota, expecting some one, according to previous appointment, to meet me with a team and take me out about six miles north, where I had organized a Sabbath-school; but such was the state of the weather that there were very few in from the country. A heavy thaw had set in accompanied by gentle rain, which gradually increased until by afternoon it literally poured down. It was more like the opening up of spring than a day in midwinter. One of the first persons I met on the street was the Methodist minister. He had taken quite an interest in my work in that locality, and had helped it on by going out to preach therein occasionally. On learning where I was going he said that he had engaged to preach there the next day, but as I would be with them he would go the following Sabbath instead. He then interested himself in helping me off, and soon succeeded in finding a farmer going part way. As there seemed to be no probability of my getting all the way that night, he advised me to stop with one of his people, two miles out, till morning. I was acquainted with some of the family, who were Sabbath-school workers. They gave me a warm Christian welcome, and the next morning I completed the journey on foot. What with rotten snow-banks, ice, water, mud and a heavy mist almost as bad as rain, it was any thing but pleasant or even safe going; but I reached the neighborhood in good time, and after a hearty dinner with some friends, my kind host, his adopted daughter and myself walked to the school-house. The mist had changed to snow with some wind, which increased to a driving storm. We thought surely we should have our miserable walk of a mile and a half for nothing; but as we approached the school-house we were cheered by seeing smoke issue from the chimney, and on opening the door we had a mutual but very agreeable surprise they to see me and I to find sixteen persons already assembled, and such an afternoon too. After taking off my wrappings, I drew my chair up to the stove and joined in a social chat while we waited for the superintendent; but he did not come, so I took charge of the school, and we had an interesting and, I trust, a profitable time, in spite of adverse weather. "He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap." "A HORSE, A HORSE, MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE.” A letter under the above caption appeared in the Presbyterian of the 17th of September. It stated that one of our most faithful missionaries in the wilds of Minnesota was in sore need of "a colporteur's conveyancehorse and all." It further stated that $250 were needed for the entire outfit, and that $52 had already been contributed. A few days thereafter the secretary received a letter from a generous brother enclosing $50 as his contribution toward the object mentioned. The secretary had nothing to do with the publication of the letter. He rejoices, however, that it was published, and will gladly act as "the medium of supply" for others who may desire to contribute. It gives him pleasure to state that the missionary in whose behalf the appeal was made is one of the most faithful and successful in the employ of the Board. Within the last quarter he has organized five Sabbath-schools. He was the writer of the immediately preceding communication. The efficiency of our missionaries in the far West would be more than doubled if each one had a complete conveyancehorse and all." |
