General Conference Bulletin, vol. 7
Department Meetings
W. A. Spicer, C. P. Bollman, C. C. Crisler, T. E. Bowen, H. E. Rogers, J. N. Anderson
EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT
First Meeting
The Educational Department held its opening meeting Friday, May 16, at 4:30 P. M. H. R. Salisbury, the chairman, invited all educators present to take part in the council, and vote. He extended a hearty welcome to representatives from abroad. Brief remarks were then made by the heads of some of our leading educational institutions. W. E. Howell was elected secretary. GCB May 20, 1913, page 62.19
The following committees were appointed:— GCB May 20, 1913, page 62.20
Plans: C. L. Benson, M. E. Olsen, B. F. Machlan, M. E. Cady, C. W. Stone. Certificates: H. G. Lucas, J. A. L. Derby, W. W. Ruble, H. M. Hiatt, Sarah Peck. The Reading Course: C. C. Lewis, H. E. Osborne, Myrta Kellogg, Almetta Garrett, Florence Howell, Minnie Hart. Life Certificates: To act with the secretary, C. W. Irwin, J. Morrison. GCB May 20, 1913, page 62.21
The chairman then made a brief address. He expressed his satisfaction over the arrangement made by the General Conference Committee calling upon Professor and Mrs. C. C. Lewis, of the Pacific Union College, to take charge of the Fireside Correspondence School, in order that W. E. Howell might be able to give his whole time to editing the educational journal and attending to other work of the department. He said that he had not felt free to urge a large attendance of teachers at the present meeting, as the time was not opportune; but he hoped that the General Conference would take action at its present session permitting the holding next year of a national, or perhaps an international, educational convention, something like the one held three years ago in Berrien Springs. GCB May 20, 1913, page 62.22
The present council, he said, should have for its key-note thoroughness and constructive work in the fear of God. The past four years have been years of rapid growth. State schools have grown more rapidly than they could be equipped or manned. Church-schools have sprung up rapidly. GCB May 20, 1913, page 62.23
It may be necessary to do some reconstruction; but while we try to set in order what is wanting, we must still GCB May 20, 1913, page 62.24
forward. Educational leaders of GCB May 20, 1913, page 62.25
world are awaking to the need of combining moral with intellectual training and are calling upon the denominational schools to come to the rescue of the boys and girls of this country. Roman Catholics are hard at work to bring their educational institutions up to such a high standard that the Protestant youth of this country will be attracted by them. Surely it is possible for us to have the work done in our schools GCB May 20, 1913, page 62.26
thoroughly in all intellectual essential as well as so true to the principles GCB May 20, 1913, page 62.27
Christian education, that they will be credit to us in every way. The steady growth of our schools, both at home and in foreign fields, ought to be a sour of great encouragement. The increasing attendance has much more than kept pace with the increase of the denomination, and the prospects for still greater growth in the future are most excellent. GCB May 20, 1913, page 62.28
SABBATH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
First Meeting
The first Sabbath-school departmental meeting was held at 4:30 P. M., on Thursday, May 15, the first day of the General Conference. The walls of the assembly-room were lined with star-decked maps representing the location of the Sabbath-schools in the home and foreign fields. Prominent among the decorations was the new Sabbath-school chart, showing the amount of the offerings to missions year by year from the first $700 given previous to 1887 to the $228,029.24 given during the year 1912. A display scroll bearing the three mottoes for which all Sabbath-school workers are striving,—“Daily Study of the Sabbath-School Lesson,” “Personal Work for Every Pupil,” “A Million Dollars for Missions in Four Years,” was conspicuously displayed. GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.1
The attendance of the secretaries and those especially interested in the Sabbath-school work was excellent, the seating capacity of the room being taxed to the utmost. GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.2
After prayer by Elder E. W. Farnsworth and a few words of greeting by Elder G. B. Thompson, the entire roll of secretaries was called, those present giving a one-minute response, mentioning encouraging items of progress in their respective fields. Forty-eight Sabbath-school secretaries are in attendance at the Conference. As they spoke of the advancement of the work, and their personal experience in it, the Spirit of God melted hearts, and a marked feeling of unity, sympathy, and love was plainly manifest. All are of good courage in this blessed work. GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.3
MISSIONARY VOLUNTEER DEPARTMENT
Second Meeting
Those who came late to the second meeting were compelled to turn away disappointed, for even before the time of the meeting the Seminary chapel was packed to its utmost capacity. GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.4
Of Elder Daniells’s stirring address on “The Place of the Missionary Volunteer Movement in Our Denominational Work,” we can give only the following extracts:— GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.5
“There is no subject upon which I speak that appeals to my heart so strongly as that relating to our youth. First of all, I wish to say that the Missionary Volunteer department has a place in this denomination, a rightful and a legitimate place. It is demanded. GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.6
“The great object of this department is to lay hold of every child in the denomination, old and young. Every family that has a boy has an object for which this department exists. Every girl, old or young, in every family of Seventh-day Adventists, is an object at which this department aims, and which this department desires and designs to take hold of. That is the scope of it. And we must never rest satisfied until the influence of this department is being brought to bear upon every child in the denomination. It does not matter how much the Sabbath-school is doing to get them to study the Sabbath-school lesson, and to recite it on the Sabbath day; it does not matter how much the schools may do to draw them into those institutions when they reach the right age; it does not matter what these other departments do; here is a work by itself to be done by this department, that must lay hold of these children while they are small, and keep a grip upon them until they are landed in the work of God somewhere in the world. That is what we must do. And our educational work, and our evangelical work, and our canvassing work, and all branches, will reap the results of this service rendered these children.” GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.7
The paper on “Leadership” presented by Elder MacGuire emphasized personal work for others as the supreme qualification of leaders, and stated that personal work was largely the Great Leader’s method. GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.8
Elder J. W. Christian, who led in the discussion of the paper on “Efficient Leadership,” appealed for it in these words:— GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.9
“Upon our local conferences must rest the responsibility of giving their best to the work among our young people. We say to Elder Spicer, and to Elder Daniells, and others, when they come to our conferences, ‘Choose the men you want for foreign fields,’ and we send these men abroad with our prayers and sympathy, and oftentimes with our means. I want to tell you that when we come to our home laborers, I believe it is right before God that we take the best we have to wait upon our young men and women.” GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.10
The closing remarks by Prof. M. E. Kern left with all this all-important truth: “Our Missionary Volunteer work to be successful must reach the home.” GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.11
MEDICAL DEPARTMENT
Third Meeting
The interest in the medical meetings is growing wonderfully. A paper read by Elder W. J. Stone, entitled “How Can We Secure the Cooperation of All Our Workers in the Interests of the Medical Work?” was listened to by a full room, with many on the outside unable to gain an entrance. GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.12
Years of endeavor have been put forth in the effort to bring about a union between the workers in different lines, but without the desired result. We are living in the last days. The end of all things is at hand. The gospel message must be given in this generation, and the work is delayed so long as there is a lack of interest in any phase of the work. GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.13
There must be a combination of evangelical and medical work. This combination was manifested in the life of Jesus Christ, and must be in the lives of his representatives. A union of interests must be seen and felt before the work can be finished. Dr. D. H. Kress and Elder G. B. Starr in their remarks emphasized the importance of this unity. GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.14
A paper read by Dr. Belle Wood Comstock, of Glendale, Cal., on “The Status of Health Reform in Our Sanitariums,” called attention to the fact that some in responsibility in our sanitariums are not always faithful in living out the principles of health reform—that at times when outside the sanitariums they indulge in the use of that which is objectionable. This is inconsistent, and brings into disrepute the gospel message. Those who do this are liable to fall away, and not only fail to enter into the kingdom of God, but hinder also those who are entering in. GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.15
It has been said that the world is catching up with us. Why is this so? It can only be because we disregard the light that God has given us—the greatest light ever given to the world—and we fail to receive a love of the truth. Health reform is of God, and should be cherished as a precious gift from him. The rule given concerning it should not be considered restrictive but as counsel from God, which, if followed, will bring life and blessing. GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.16
PUBLISHING DEPARTMENT
Third Meeting
In addition to the Publishing Department representatives, including managers of publishing houses in this and other countries, union conference and local agents, there were present at the third meeting of the Publishing Department, 17 canvassers who have each sold $1,000 worth of books during the year 1913. GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.17
Brother C. H. Jones, chairman, in opening the meeting, referred to the appeals that have been presented from foreign countries for workers, and the strong recommendations every foreign leader has made concerning the continuous use of the printed page. GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.18
The leading topic considered in this meeting was presented in a paper by E. R. Palmer, entitled, “Our Publishing System.” He brought out the following points:— GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.19
1. The importance of the publishing work as an evangelizing agency; its use during the Reformation; its use in connection with the work of the pioneers in foreign fields, as Robert Morrison, William Carey, Judson, and others; and the part it has taken in the rise and growth of the work of the third angel’s message. GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.20
2. This work, while worthy of the same support that other lines of gospel work receive, has, in the providence of God, been made to a large extent self-supporting. Hence the volume of work which can be done is limited only by the number of workers who can be enlisted and trained. In foreign fields, however, where at first it cannot be made self-supporting, investments should be made so that the circulating, printing, and distributing of gospel literature may accompany the preaching of the word. GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.21
3. Universal success is dependent largely upon thorough system. While in some details this may vary in different parts of the world, comparatively uniform methods can be adopted. The advantage of such system has not only been proved in the book work, but we have beautiful examples of it in our thorough tithing system, the development of regular mission donations, and Sabbath-school offerings. GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.22
4. This system must be independent, and carried on by Seventh-day Adventists. Dependence on the world’s agencies will fail. GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.23
5. Each part of our organization is a factor in making this system a success; namely, the General Conference Publishing Department, the publishing committee of the union, the conference tract society, the publishing houses and their branches, together with every single canvasser and church missionary society. GCB May 20, 1913, page 63.24
6. An efficient system and organization cannot be carried on without expense. Our work must be aggressive, and different from the ordinary commercial work, because we are carrying to the world books with an unpopular doctrine, for which demand must be created. GCB May 20, 1913, page 64.1
7. The necessity of educating our people as to what enters into the expense of our books. (Brother Palmer went carefully into this expense, showing that seventy per cent of the retail price of a book must needs be spent in its sale.) GCB May 20, 1913, page 64.2
8. Let us recognize how wonderfully God is building up our publishing work, and look upon the success that has thus far been made as only the beginning of what may be done if we press together, improve our methods, and depend upon God. GCB May 20, 1913, page 64.3