Spalding and Magan Collection

Methods of Work in the Southern Field

Armadale, Melbourne, Victoria,

Nov. 20, 1895.

Elder A. O. Tait, Battle Creek, Michigan, U. S. A.:

Dear Brother,

This morning I attended a meeting where a select few were called together to consider some questions that were presented to them by letter, soliciting consideration and advice on these subjects. Of some of these things I could speak, because at sundry times and in diverse places many things have been presented to me in reference to some matters of labor that required great caution in speech as well as in the expression of thoughts with the pen. The advice given to our brethren in the Southern field has been diverse. It would bring in confusion. SpM 26.2

As my brethren read the selections from letters, I know what to say to them for this matter has been presented to me again and again in regard to the Southern field. I have not felt at liberty to write out the matter until now. I will endeavor to make some brief statements at this time, hoping soon to have an opportunity to speak more clearly and at length. SpM 26.3

The light that the Lord has given me at different times has been, that the Southern field, where the greatest share of the population of the colored race is, can not be worked after the same methods as others fields. They are excitable, and outward actions in bodily exercise is wrought up to a high strain of fanaticism, and exercises are more to them than inward piety and compose their religion. Should the colored people in the Southern States be educated as they receive the truth, that they should work on Sunday there would be excited a most unreasonable and unjust prejudice. Judges and Jurors, lawyers and citizens, would if they had a chance, bring decisions which would bind about them rites which would cause much suffering, not only to the ones whom they term guilty of breaking the laws of their state, but all the colored people everywhere would be placed in a position of surveillance, and under cruel treatment of the white people, that would be no less than slavery. They have been treated as chattels, regarded as not much above the dumb animals, to do just as their masters told them to do. This has degraded all their powers, and different methods of labor altogether must be pursued toward them than where the colored people have had greater advantages of schooling, and have learned to read. SpM 26.4

As the colored people have not been educated to read and have not been uplifted, their religion is more of bodily exercise than inward piety. There can not be anything like the kind of labor pursued toward them as that bestowed upon the people whose religion is not outward workings. The Lord will look upon this poor, neglected, downtrodden race with great compassion. Everything of a character to set them in a position of opposition to authorities, as working on Sunday, would cause the colored people great suffering, and cut off the possibility of white laborers going among them; for the workers that intended to do them good would be charged with raising insurrections. SpM 27.1

I do not want anything of this character to appear, for I know the result. Tell them they need not provoke their neighbors by doing work on Sunday; that this will not prevent them from observing the Sabbath. The Sabbath should not be introduced until they know the first principles of the religion of Jesus Christ. The truth as it is in Jesus it to be made known little by little, line upon line, and precept upon precept. SpM 27.2

Punishment for any offence would be visited unsparingly and unmercifully upon the colored people. Here it is a neglected field where medical missionary work can be one of the greatest blessings. In this line the truth may be introduced, but the very first principles of Christianity are to be taught in the A B C. The schools are to be established, having not only children, but fathers and mothers learning to read. Teaching the truth is involving great liabilities. It is essential, then, that there be families to settle in the South, and as missionary workers they can, by precept and example, be a living power. There can not be much preaching. The least notice possible should be given to the point of what is doing, and what is to be done: for it will create suspicion and jealousy in the minds of men, who, with their fathers and grandfathers, have been slaveholders. There has been so little done for the South that they are in moral degradation, and are looked upon as slaves to the white population still, although they have been emancipated at terrible cost. SpM 27.3

We are to study the situation with great care: for the Lord is our enlightener. The Lord has given men capabilities to exercise, but there is too little deep thinking, and too little earnest praying that the Lord would give wisdom at all times, and show how to work difficult fields. We are under obligation to God, and if we love God, we are in duty bound, not only on the general ground of obligation and obedience to obey the orders of our Spiritual Leader, and to save as many souls as we can to present them as slaves to Jesus Christ, who gave Himself a living sacrifice to ransom them, and make them free servants of Jesus Christ. There is not to be one word uttered which would stir up the slumbering enmity and hatred of the slaves against discipline and order, or to present before them the injustice which has been done them. Nothing can be done at first in making the Sabbath question prominent, and if the colored people are in any way educated to work on Sunday, there will be unsparing, merciless oppression brought upon them. Already there has been too much printed in regard to the persecution of the Sabbath-keepers in the Southern States, and those who are bitter against the law of God, trampling it under their feet, are all the more earnest to make human laws a power. Their religious prejudice and bigotry would lead them to do any acts of violence, verily thinking they were doing God's service: for they are in great error. A blind zeal under false religious theories, is the most violent and merciless. There are many who are stirred up by the representations in our papers, to do just as their neighboring states are doing. All these things give them the appearance of defying the law. In Christ's day, when persecuted in one city, they fled to another. It may be the duty of those persecuted to avail themselves of finding refuge in another city or another country. Matthew 10:22, 23. “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake; but he that endureth to the end, shall be saved. But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of Man be come.” “The disciples is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.” SpM 27.4

At present, persecution is not general, but let the Southern element have word come to them of a nature to raise their excitable disposition, and the whole cause of truth would suffer, and the great missionary field be closed. Let all be warned. Let the instruction be given to this much oppressed class that the keeping of the Sabbath does not necessitate their working on Sunday: for, if they should do this, they would have instigated against them all the powers of the white population, who are transgressors of the law of God. Church members and priests and rulers will combine to organize secret societies to work in their hand to whip, imprison, and destroy the lives of the colored race. History will be repeated. Let efforts be made in as silent manner as possible, but this people need not be told that the observance of Sunday is the mark of the beast until this time shall come. If the Southern people get some of the ideas in their minds of the mark of the beast, they would misconstrue, and give honestly the most false impressions on these subjects, and do strange things. As many of the people can not read for themselves, there are plenty of professed leaders who will read the Bible falsely and make it testify to a lie. Many are working in this line among those who are poor scholars, and have not a knowledge of the Scripture. Our publications also will be misread. Things will be read out of the books that were never there, advocating the most objectionable things. An excitement could be easily worked up against the Seventh-day Adventists. The most successful methods are to encourage families who have a missionary spirit to settle in the Southern states and work with the people without making any noise. SpM 28.1

In such places as the Southern field, there should be established sanitariums. There should be those who believe the truth, colored servants of God, under training to do work as medical missionaries, under the supervision of white managers: for this combination will be much more successful. The medical missionary workers, cooperating with families who shall make their home in the South, need not think that God will condemn them if they do not work on Sunday: for the Lord understands that every effort not to create prejudice, must be made if the truth finds standing place in the South. The words of truth can not go forth with great publicity, but schools should be started by families coming into the South, and working in schools, not with a large number congregated in one school, but, as far as possible, in connection with those who have been working in the South. Dwell particularly upon the love of God, the righteousness of Christ, and upon the treasure house of God, presenting the truth in clear lines upon personal piety. There will be bad influences of the white people upon the blacks as there has been in the past. Evil angels work with their own spirit upon evil men. Those cooperating with those who work in any place to uplift Jesus and to exalt the law of God, will find to all intents and purposes that they wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places. “Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God.”..... SpM 28.2

(I would not advise that this be published in our papers, but let the workers have it in leaflets, and let them keep their own counsels.) SpM 29.1

Ellen G. White