Reports of committees being called for, the committee on the deputation to see the President of the United States reported through its chairman, Elder K. C. Russell. He stated that the deputation was received by the President. Elder S. B. Horton introduced Elder G. A. Irwin as spokesman for the delegation. Elder Irwin presented the address adopted by the Conference, engrossed on parchment. The address is as follows:—GCB June 4, 1909, page 312.25

THE GENERAL CONFERENCE OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS

WASe

WASHINGTON, D. C., June 1, 1909.

The Honorable William Howard Taft, President of the United States.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.1

SIR: We have the honor to wait upon you as a deputation from the World’s Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, now in session at Takoma Park, composed of three hundred and thirty delegates from six continents and the islands of the sea.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.2

We desire to express to you our appreciation of the blessings of liberty, both civil and religious, preserved by the founders of this Republic, and transmitted by their successors to the present generation.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.3

We acknowledge God as the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and the duly authorized officers of state as his ministers for the preservation of the social order.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.4

We affirm our confidence in the eternal principles of justice and righteousness, taught in the gospel, as the foundation of all permanent forms of government.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.5

We heartily desire the peace and prosperity both of the church and the state during your administration, and pray that the blessing of heaven may attend your efforts to this end.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.6

Signed by the officers and 125 others.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.7

In presenting the address, Elder Irwin said:—GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.8

“As vice-president of the North American division of the World’s Conference of Seventh-day Adventists now in session at Takoma Park, Md., and because I am a Buckeye by birth and education, and a veteran soldier from the great State of Ohio, I have been accorded the honor of heading this deputation and presenting to your Excellency this brief address containing the sentiments and greetings of our people throughout the world. I wish you a peaceful and prosperous administration.”GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.9

The President replied:—GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.10

“Doctor, I am very glad to meet you and your coreligionists. I am glad to meet them here and to welcome them to Washington. I have no doubt that your Conference has led to satisfactory results, and that your aims are high, and that you are entitled, like all the rest of us, to worship God in the way that seems best to your conscience, and under our Constitution everybody figures on an equality in that regard.”GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.11

The President shook hands with each member of the delegation.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.12

Chairman: Note of this report will be published in the BULLETIN in the usual manner.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.13

Discussion of Resolutions ContinuedGCB June 4, 1909, page 313.14

Chairman: When we adjourned this morning we were in the midst of a discussion of Resolutions 41 and 44, the former relating to the ten-cent-a-week plan and the appropriations for missions, and the latter recommending that conferences share their tithe with the mission fields.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.15

R. F. Andrews: In Resolution 41 the statement is made, “That our local and union conferences be urged to curtail their expenses.” It seems to me, it will be better to get up a little higher in the stream if you want to catch the whole run of the water. I have known many men who had only seven or eight dollars a week to live on; in a few years they received higher wages; and they put just as much into the cause when they received small wages as when they had more. It is because they do not curtail expenses. I believe we ought to be careful upon these points. I am heartily in favor of these resolutions.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.16

G. F. Haffner: I do not believe it is right for a man to withhold his tithe, but, nevertheless, it is a fact that some are withholding it. When I was on my way to this Conference, I visited a family who paid $500 back tithe, which they had been withholding for years for certain reasons. But they were finally convinced that this was not right. I believe this action will cause our people to pay their tithe more faithfully.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.17

H. G. Thurston (Arizona): I favor this recommendation, and I am glad to unite in the enthusiasm that is manifested here. But I believe there is one point that we might well consider. If the mission conferences that are not self-supporting shall send a third of their tithe, they must receive more appropriations from their union conferences. I should like some light in regard to this.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.18

B. F. Kneeland (New Jersey): There are conference, especially in the Eastern States, which have large cities and mission fields, and their work is not self-supporting. They have to receive appropriations from the union conference or from the General. I believe in raising funds for missions. Our conference last year raised an average of about twelve and one-half cents a week.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.19

But if we are to divide our tithe, which is recommended in this resolution, we shall need more appropriations from other funds. I should like to see some provision made so that we can go home and carry out Resolution 44. I expect to vote for Resolution 41, on the ten-cent-a-week plan; for I know it can be carried out.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.20

It was moved to amend by making Resolution 44 read, “and that self-supporting conferences be invited to appropriate from one fourth to one third,” etc.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.21

The amendment was seconded, and discussed by various speakers, all in harmony with the idea, but desiring to have it worded so that weak conferences, unable to meet the recommendation, would not be brought into embarrassment. It was explained that this was not a matter of compulsion, and that conferences must be left to act conscientiously, and by their own judgment. One speaker suggested that attempts by amendment to guard weak conferences took the force out of the resolution as applied to stronger conferences.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.22

The question was called on the amendment, which was lost.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.23

Discussion upon the resolution was continued.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.24

M. C. Wilcox: I would like to say a few words. I am not a conference president, but I have been much associated with conference committees. I am in favor of the resolution. I believe it is one of the most vital resolutions that has come before this entire body. I believe that it means more to us as conferences, and as a people, than any other resolution that has come before us. I believe, brethren, that what it means depends a great deal upon the men who are here, and the spirit with which they carry it back to their fields. Therefore I am anxious that the spirit of the resolution shall come into the hearts of us who are here. It means, if we go back with the spirit of that resolution in our hearts, we are going to see our people all the way through, from one end of this world to the other, stand with us on that resolution. It means that a great many, who have become dissatisfied and discouraged in the past because they have not seen the progress which they thought they ought to see in our own fields, will come in with all their hearts, as they see that our fields lie outside the immediate boundaries of our own conference, and that our message is world-wide. It means that every president of a conference, when he goes back to his own field, can say to his people that we have more than Nebraska, more than Iowa, more than Southern California, more than Michigan; we have a world-wide field, and it demands world-wide faith on our part to take hold of this message. It ought to mean that to every one of our conferences.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.25

I think we ought to mention, in connection with this another thought that has been before us in this Conference, and that is this: not only ought there to come a division of funds, but there must come a division of laborers. Some of our conferences, which find their tithe whittled down so that they do not know how to use it, can solve that problem by saying, “Take the very best of our laborers, and send them with the tithe.” That is what we want to see, and I will tell you that in the carrying out of the spirit of this resolution, God will develop laborers much faster than he has been doing in years in the past.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.26

J. A. Burden: I feel intensely interested in this. Nothing has so rejoiced my heart in this meeting as the reports from the foreign fields, and the present move to strengthen the foreign fields. It seems to me that we need to learn some of the lessons taught to Israel. They camped when the cloud settled. When the cloud move, they all moved. The cloud certainly is moving into the regions beyond.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.27

Allen Moon: I firmly believe that if our hearts are filled with a love for this work, we can accomplish more with two thirds of labor in our conferences than we are now accomplishing. It is not that we have not a love for the work. But when we take hold of this work in the way proposed, I believe the Lord will bless the work that we do in greater measure.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.28

The Secretary: Brother Corliss has suggested a transfer of phrase only, which smooths the wording of the resolution, making it read:—GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.29

Resolved, That our local and union conferences be urged to curtail their expenses wherever expedient, and that they be invited to definitely appropriate to the support of the work in the regions beyond, from one fourth to one third of their total tithe receipts, after taking out the tithe to the union conference and the General Conference.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.30

The question was put, and Resolutions 41 and 44 were adopted unanimously. At the suggestion of E. E. Andross, a rising vote was taken, first of the delegates, then of the entire congregation.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.31

A. G. Daniells: I did not want to take the time of the delegates to speak on the resolution; but I would like to call your attention now to the blessing that may come from this. The tithe in the United States is about $800,000. While we have been discussing the question, I have run over what we call self-supporting conferences, and I find fifteen of these conferences pay a tithe of $500,000. Now if these conferences pay one third of their tithe, after the tithe has been taken out, it will come to about $150,000.GCB June 4, 1909, page 313.32

I have taken the tithes of these conferences for 1903 and 1908, and I find that the increase during the five years has been $147,000. So after giving to the mission fields the one third, they will still have left as much in their conferences for their work as they had five years ago.GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.1

A. T. Robinson: If you count the continued increase for the next five years, you will have more to add.GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.2

A. G. Daniells: Did we not think five years ago that we had enough for our general operations? Nebraska did, for I visited the field at the time, in 1902, and they had about $7,000 surplus. The conference then voted $2,500 to missions. At that time the tithe was $22,000; now it is $34,000. It has increased $12,000 in five years. They had enough then, and what they had then is enough to-day; and the $12,000 increase can go to the missions, and not cripple the conference a particle. And that argument is true, in varying degree, of all the fifteen conferences. Here is one conference in which the tithe for 1908 is $21,000 more than it was in 1903. In 1903 that conference had $45,000, and not more than a million inhabitants. What can be done with the $21,000 that has been gained?—Send it on to missions.GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.3

Our tithe in this country is not, in many of our States, a full tithe. The average tithe for the United States is $12.26. That is not a tithe, and we all know it. Some time ago I figured out the average wage of fifteen different classes, and on a conservative basis, it comes to over $20 a year. We are paying only two-thirds of that, $12.26.GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.4

Now our tithe is $800,000. Let us spring that tithe to its true place, on a conservative reckoning, and we have added over $400,000 to our tithe in this country. I believe if something of the earnestness of these conference presidents and ministers can come to our people, to spring them to a full tithe, we shall soon have our tithe increased a half a million, all of which can go into the mission fields. And when that is done, it will seem that we are in the loud cry of the message, surely.GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.5

I pray the Lord to let his rich blessing rest upon us in the step we have taken. With Elder Wilcox, I believe that this is the most important resolution we have passed in this Conference. I believe it is worth this Conference to come here and study this great problem, as we have, and deliberately take the step we have. And I hope that our conference presidents will go back with the earnest determination to see that, just as far as possible with consistency, their conferences will send one third of the tithe during the coming year to the mission fields.GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.6

I believe the conferences that do that will gain the confidence of the brethren and sisters to such an extent that thousands of dollars more tithe will come in.GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.7

Resolution 42 was read, as follows:—GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.8

REMITTING FUNDS

WASe

42. We recommend, That our people be encouraged to send their offerings to missions through their local church treasuries, rather than to forward donations direct to missions or to individuals; and that isolated believers remit their offerings to missions through their state conference or mission field treasury.GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.9

The resolution was adopted.GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.10

Resolution 43 was read, as follows:—GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.11

43. We recommend, That all funds be passed from the respective treasurers through the regular channels monthly.GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.12

G. F. Haffner: I would like to ask a question; that is, whether all the funds that we raise are included in this. For instance, in the German work we have a fund called the German Mission Fund that is kept in our paper, and the people send their money to the paper and the paper receives it, or the International Association in College View. Is this included in the money that should go in the regular channel? If I understand the regular channel, it means that the conference treasurer receives it and passes it to the union and General treasury. In one case I know of, it took five months for a donation to the church building in Chicago to get to the place for which it was given.GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.13

H. W. Cottrell: I want to ask you if you do not think it would throw us all into confusion if we paid no attention to the local treasurer of the conference. Do you not believe that if we have no system about the work it would be impossible to work?GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.14

G. F. Haffner: I believe in system, but should our money go that way? Can not the International Association be also a regular channel? or is there only one regular channel? I received the understanding from some of our leading brethren that this could be so regarded.GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.15

Chris Juhl: I am somewhat opposed to this resolution, on this ground that it works too slow. It says that all funds be forwarded through the regular channels. When would the parties get the money? We have from time to time had complaints from those that gave money, and also from those that received it. It was months before they got their money.GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.16

On the train coming up here one of our brethren asked me if I remembered his paying me some money for a poor self-supporting missionary, down South. I said, “Yes.” When do you suppose he got that money? It was the next spring. I believe in order, I believe the money should go through the regular channel; but I believe it ought to go a little faster than it does sometimes. Why could not this be changed to read weekly instead of monthly? Or else why could not we send our money direct to the General Conference?GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.17

R. A. Underwood: The last speaker indicates that it stops at the union. But we have traced that from the union, and we find it at the headquarters here. All the funds that come into our union go out every month. And it goes on to the General Conference. Now, the treasurer of the General Conference has been away nine months in the year, and here and there, and I hope that the present administration will give authority to the man that sits at the desk to see that the funds that are labeled will reach their destination in proper time.GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.18

Union conferences and State conferences like to know how much funds are being raised in their fields, so as to make certain reports which we are called upon to make. If they don’t receive the funds they know nothing about it.GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.19

G. A. Irwin: While I am a firm believer in the regular channels and in order and system in our work, I am also quite thoroughly convinced that there is a reform that is needed along the very line of this resolution. Some of our people are coming to speak of the regular channels in rather a slighting way, and some are taking a short cut, going across, ignoring the general channels. I believe there is a reform needed in our system. While believing in the general channels, in the organized way of handling our funds, I know from experience that there is unnecessary delay, and it does not all occur in the General Conference Office. Last year I was connected with the work in the South. We had a collection for the colored work in October. I was here in Washington the first of January, and the brethren in charge in the South wrote asking me to look up the matter, and see that the funds were sent on. I went to see the sub-treasurer, Brother McNeill,—Brother Evans was in China—and he opened up the books, and showed me what had come in and was ready to pass on; and he did pass it on. But what I want especially to emphasize is this, that a great deal of our funds that should go promptly, is delayed in the local treasuries. Now I personally knew what had been given at the Sanitarium church here. I asked Brother McNeill how much had been paid in from the Sanitarium church. He said, “I have not received a penny.” That collection was taken in October, and this was the middle of January. That money was still in the hands of the church treasurer. I found the same thing existed in the Takoma Park Church. So I am not here to defend the general treasury, because I do not know that the insinuation is correct that it lodges there. I am inclined to think that it does not; but I do know from these two instances at least, that funds do stay in the local treasury a great deal longer than there is any need of. One of the treasurers said, “Well, I was holding it back, thinking there might be a dollar or two more paid in,” and the other said the same thing. Now this resolution says monthly, and that would be a decided improvement over the condition I have brought to your attention. I believe if we do not want our people to get to sending cross lots, and getting them to despise and ignore the regular channels, we must be prompt in forwarding the funds they contribute for needs outside the immediate church. We must keep the channel open, and keep this money going right along. I believe if we do, the brethren will be satisfied, and will let all their funds go through the regular channels, in order that we may know what is being contributed to carry forward the work in the earth. I would think, if this resolution is not sufficiently strong, it ought to be amended in some way, in order to keep this money constantly going on to the fields where it is needed.GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.20

J. A. Burden: I feel there is some need for emphasizing this matter. I have run across the question in Sabbath-schools and churches this last year. In one case, a brother had $500 that he wanted to go to some of the fields. He did not want it to be sent through the Conference, because he did not know when it would get to the field. We have got to work carefully in order that the people may be convinced that this money is going to the fields more quickly.GCB June 4, 1909, page 314.21

Morris Lukens: It seems to me that this resolution is to correct the very troubles which some of the workers have spoken of. I am glad that the resolution states, “through the regular channels.” I believe it ought to be stated so emphatically that every one in our conferences will understand it. Some of the people in the South have gone up into our Northern conferences, collecting money, and urging the people to give toward certain purposes; and in many cases our conferences do not know where the money is to be used. Only a few weeks ago a young man came into our conference collecting money for one of the schools of the South. He may have had authority to do so, but we did not know what the money was used for. I therefore hope it will be made so emphatic that every one of our people in the conference will so see the need of sending their money through the regular channels that we may know just what the money is used for, not only that every conference may know what is sent out of the conference, but also that it is sent in the right way.GCB June 4, 1909, page 315.1

C. M. Everest: I have observed one thing that hinders the money going promptly to the sources for which it is intended, and that is the lack of directions to go along with the money. It hinders especially when it comes to the General Conference, for they do not know just where the money is intended for. One speaker has figured out that it takes three months for the money to get through to its destination. As I understand it, a local treasurer sends it to the local conference treasurer at the close of the month. Then the conference treasurer sends it to the union treasurer during the first ten days of the next month, and the union conference treasurer remits it to the General treasurer by the tenth. Now we do not have it lying in our treasury beyond that time, if all send it in on time. I believe every church treasurer, these ministers, and other workers, should be careful in giving instruction as to how to send the money, and in giving full directions when it is sent.GCB June 4, 1909, page 315.2

An AmendmentGCB June 4, 1909, page 315.3

C. S. Longacre: I would like to amend this resolution as follows: “We recommend, That all our people be encouraged to pay their tithes and offerings weekly, and that all regular funds be passed from the respective treasuries through the regular channels monthly, and that special funds be forwarded immediately.”GCB June 4, 1909, page 315.4

The motion was seconded.GCB June 4, 1909, page 315.5

C. S. Longacre: I know that many of our people pay their tithe only quarterly, and if they were encouraged to pay their tithe weekly or monthly, according to their income or salary, I believe it would greatly increase our offerings and tithes. I know of one experience in a church where we introduced the system of paying weekly. It increased the tithe $150 the first quarter, $175 the second quarter, and nearly $250 the third quarter.GCB June 4, 1909, page 315.6

I. H. Evans: I do not believe we can improve upon the weekly envelope plan. This resolution only purports to instruct the treasurers to forward the funds in their possession to the next treasury every month. In this way a continual stream is kept going, and if all will work to it, I think we shall have as good a system as we can have, taking into consideration our scattered membership.GCB June 4, 1909, page 315.7

J. O. Corliss: It is to be greatly regretted that our people should attempt to take what has been termed a “short cut.” One brother said that he knew of a case where a brother had sent $500 direct to a mission field, instead of through regular channels. Not only was that money lost sight of in the local conference, but they had no knowledge of it in any of our offices. Such a course is injustice to our foreign fields, because when money is thus sent to the foreign fields, and there is no record of it in the local, union, or General Conferences, that field receives $500, or whatever the amount may be, in addition to the appropriation made by the General Conference. The result is selfishness in the field to which it is sent. I believe our brethren should take a second thought before they send money in any other way than through the regular channels.GCB June 4, 1909, page 315.8

A. J. Breed: I am in sympathy with the move of sending the money through the regular channels, but there is a little circumstance connected with our work in the Northwest that I would like to relate. Missionaries sometimes write home, and state certain needs, and say that they would like to have some of our brethren go to work and raise a little fund to supply them. I have in mind Brother J. C. Rogers in Africa, who wrote home, and stated that if the brethren felt free, he would like to have some money to supply some windows which were very much needed. The money was raised, and went through the regular channels, and it has never reached him. Another case has arisen where money raised for a certain mission field is held in the hands of the treasurer for fear that it will not reach its destination. That is what we have to meet in the field. If this matter can be straightened out, we would like to have it done.GCB June 4, 1909, page 315.9

J. V. Willson (South Africa): I would like to say the appropriation for the windows came through in the regular way, and I myself forwarded it to Brother Rogers from South Africa.GCB June 4, 1909, page 315.10

W. A. Spicer: This is just what I expected to hear from South Africa, and, brethren, again and again, as complaints have been made, we have traced them up, and found the money went through. A mistake in bookkeeping may now and then easily occur in handling a half-million dollars a year; but I have never yet gone after a sum but what I would find it somewhere moving on to the field. Now, it takes a little time for money to get through the State treasury and union treasury to the general treasury. As secretary of the Mission Board, I am anxious to have that money go on, and not get stuck anywhere; but for my part, I do not want to do without any of these sub-treasuries. These sub-treasuries make possible a steady volume of funds flowing toward the field. But if every individual undertook to supply a want as he saw it, it would be just like trying to provision an army out in the field by allowing every family at home to send whatever they thought best. It would bring disaster. Our funds are handled by men who are willing to give their lives to render true account for that which they do. I believe our brethren in the fields and in the conferences know that every dollar they give for missions will be handled by men conscientiously. I do not know of anything that frightens me more than to hear people talk about money being interrupted from flowing into the mission fields. Our many workers out in the field must have their money regularly. Their very lives depend upon it. We could do nothing without a regular system and a regular channel by which the money is to keep going on in a steady flow.GCB June 4, 1909, page 315.11

J. N. Anderson (China): Speaking as a representative from the other end—the mission field—and from my own personal experience, I would say that these regular channels constitute the shortest and the safest course to reach those fields. I would like to say, further, that while some of these special calls may be all right, I think that in some cases they might well wait, even if it does take a little longer time to get the funds through the regular channels. In our field, at least, all the work that needs financing is properly attended to by the workers in the field; and if any worker is in special stress, he can always find relief by appealing to the mission management. He does not need to appeal directly to his friends in the home land, as a rule. So I think that the best and safest and shortest way of carrying on work in foreign fields, is to send all remittances through these regular channels. I might say, further, some things about dealing with special interests in foreign fields; but we may have something further on this point later, when there will be opportunity to say more.GCB June 4, 1909, page 315.12

J. W. Westphal (South America): As a representative of a mission field, I should not want to be dependent upon these irregular and spasmodic gifts that come direct. I feel that I want to be able to depend upon something that is regular and steady because without this we can not exist in the mission field.GCB June 4, 1909, page 315.13

D. C. Babcock (West Africa): I have not had very much to say in this Conference, but I am much interested in this question before us now. Quite often we receive letters from America, mentioning certain sums of money that have been raised for the work in our field, and invariably I have directed that those individuals forward that money to the Mission Board; and I have never had any reason to believe but that those funds found their proper place. There have been only one or two instances where small amounts have failed to reach us, and I have no doubt but that these will come in due time. Yesterday, when going down to the city, I chanced to be on the street car next to one of the clerks of our treasury department, and, without asking him about these details, he explained to me just how they labeled everything that comes in, and how careful they were in seeing that each item reaches the work specified. I have all confidence in the way our means is cared for. I have never written letters around, asking for special donations, and I do not think that I should. I believe that our people will provide means sufficient to meet all our needs in these various missions. Over in West Africa we have all confidence that we shall be provided for well.GCB June 4, 1909, page 315.14

G. F. Haffner: The question I raised has not been answered yet. I will restate it here: Our German brethren believe in this general principle of sending means through the regular channels, and they are sending in their regular funds through the regular channels,—that is, the mission funds. But the question I raised is concerning little funds that we are raising in behalf of the German work.GCB June 4, 1909, page 315.15

The Chairman: I should think that such details as this could be fixed up later.GCB June 4, 1909, page 316.1

I. H. Evans: I would like to say just a word, Mr. Chairman, in regard to the regular channels. Now it would be out of the question for us to think that in the handling and transmission of several hundred thousand dollars in a year, from a postage stamp up to a large donation, that sometime, somewhere, an offering would not be passed on as promptly to a field as the donor could well wish. We would have to grant that, to start with; and I do not suppose there is a conference here, or a union conference, and I am sure not the General Conference, that would wish to argue that every item that has ever entered their treasury, was passed out of that treasury for the specific purpose for which it was contributed, properly labeled, within a month.GCB June 4, 1909, page 316.2

But now, I think, instead of looking at the matter from that standpoint, we ought to take a broader view of the situation, and determine whether the channels that we are operating though, are as good as the ones that are being suggested, or whether they are not.GCB June 4, 1909, page 316.3

Now I remember a case of a very severe criticism that came to my notice a little over a year ago. The president of one of our conferences, which had been contributing very liberally, wrote me a letter, and said that he had a letter from a mission field where they were supporting a worker, that the money had not been transmitted. I was greatly surprised, but glad to look it up, and I found that the man who had written the letter to the president of this conference, had not carefully investigated the matter. He had written from memory, and instead of the money not having been sent, it had been invariably sent; and I found seven letters where the office of the foreign field has acknowledged the receipt of the money sent on at different times.GCB June 4, 1909, page 316.4

Now sometimes we make careless statements, and those statements convey wrong impressions, and people jump at conclusions.GCB June 4, 1909, page 316.5

The Finance Committee has to-day placed before this audience a budget. It aggregates $200,000, and, as I have said before, you would have to add $150,000 to this, to have the total expense of our general work for this coming year. How is that large appropriation to be met? If every man in the denomination chooses to send his money direct, how is the distribution to be equalized, and each field receive the amount it ought to have, without either a surplus or a deficit? For instance, you say you prefer to send your money direct to China, rather than through the regular channels. To whom are you going to send it? To Brother Anderson? or Dr. Miller? or Brother Westrup? or Brother Allum? or Dr. Selmon? “Why,” you would say “I will send it to those whom I know the best.” Very will; supposing we all do that. Now there are men in China whom we have never met, and with whose names we may not be familiar; and some of these have a very small constituency of friends in this country. Who are likely to remit to them? And what would be the consequence? Those poor men, faithful though they may be, would starve for want of means to provide necessary food; while those men who have many friends and sympathizers in the home land, would have a surplus. On the one hand, you would create suffering, poverty, deprivation, and even starvation; on the other hand you would create waste, extravagance, and independence. I know of individuals who have taken it upon themselves to send money direct to mission fields, and those men who received these funds have become insubordinate to the Mission Board. They declared their independence of the Board, and would not have anything to do with it so far as receiving suggestions; but they demanded their salary right along, to the last dollar, in addition to the money they received through private sources. Now do you think that is the way to finance our work?GCB June 4, 1909, page 316.6

The Mission Board wishes to anticipate and to meet every need in the whole world-wide work, for which we are responsible. Every year the committees in our mission fields are instructed, that, before asking for appropriations, they shall carefully calculate all probable expenditures, and try to anticipate their needs for the year to come. Our men stationed in various localities send in a budget to their superintendent, who passes the summary of the needs of his field to the home board. Then the Mission Board meets and makes an appropriation to cover the needs.GCB June 4, 1909, page 316.7

Now if an individual, after having had his needs covered by this appropriation from the Board, receives a remittance for some specific purpose, and we have already met it, is it not right for the Mission Board to use that money in reimbursing the treasury, instead of passing the amount on a second time to the one who has already received sufficient money for the work that he is contemplating doing?GCB June 4, 1909, page 316.8

So, my friends, about ninety per cent of the criticisms that have been reported to us, when sifted, are found to have no foundation in fact. But that is not saying that sometimes we do not miss the mark.GCB June 4, 1909, page 316.9

Why are not all funds transmitted promptly?—I will tell you: If we had all the money needed for these mission fields, these funds would all be sent on, every month. But with an empty treasury, with three hundred men and their families whose living is dependent on our meeting their needs regularly, we have made a rule in our office that we will send, above all things else, enough money to every field in this world, to give our workers a living. When we have done that, then just as soon as we can get together enough cash to cover the amount of these specific donations that have come in, for such things as have not been covered by the appropriations, we forward them on at once.GCB June 4, 1909, page 316.10

Brethren, if we do not support our ever-widening mission work through our God-given organization, which has provided for regularly appointed channels through which means shall come in and be passed on to the laborers in the field, what will our poor men do in these foreign lands, where they are not surrounded by friends, and where, if they do not receive their remittances promptly, they face hunger and disease and death? They can not fall back upon their credit, as can many who live in the home land. If you fail of keeping open these divinely appointed agencies for supplying these men with the funds necessary, you will simply drive the missionaries into the grave; you will ruin their health and cause them to lose their lives. Our duty is to stand by these selfsacrificing workers, and send to every man his money every month in the year, if it is possible to get the means. And the Mission Board has been so intent on that thing, that it has borrowed as high as $40,000 in order to have our missionaries receive their monthly installments, and not suffer lack.GCB June 4, 1909, page 316.11

By this statement, you will know what I mean when I say that the Mission Board does not always have funds so that it can invariably take these special donations and pass them on to the field within the month; but it seems to me, brethren, that it is the imperative duty of every man in this denomination either to give money, so that these appropriations can be met, or else to tolerate the unfortunate condition that we are sometimes compelled to place ourselves in, namely, to take a fund that is labeled specifically, and use it temporarily for the support and maintenance of the workers in the field, until such time as we can catch up, and get sufficient funds into the treasury so as to be able to send money on without depriving the workers of the necessaries of life.GCB June 4, 1909, page 316.12

A. J. Breed: I just wanted to say that I think if the question I raised brought out this explanation, I am glad I raised it. I think this matter ought to go into the BULLETIN, and be read by all our people. I am glad that the situation has been so fully explained by Brother Evans.GCB June 4, 1909, page 316.13

Question was called on the substitute for Resolution 43, and the motion carried.GCB June 4, 1909, page 316.14

Question was next called on the report. That also carried.GCB June 4, 1909, page 316.15

A further report of the Committee on Plans and Finance was read, as follows:—GCB June 4, 1909, page 316.16

Further Partial Report, Committee on Plans and FinanceGCB June 4, 1909, page 316.17

61. We recommend, That all State conferences and mission fields give thorough attention to the organizing and carrying on of the home tract and missionary work in churches, companies, and by isolated members, and that the home work, thus organized, be made the basis both organically and educationally for the upbuilding of all lines of the publishing work.GCB June 4, 1909, page 316.18

62. We recommend, That in the varied lines of our home missionary and publishing work, we recognize a progressive system of education and practical training; beginning with mailing papers, loaning tracts and books, and selling periodicals and forty-per-cent books in the vicinity of the church, and advancing, step by step, to the systematic sale of periodicals in the great cities, and to the sale of regular subscription books; and that all these have as their object the training of workers for all departments of Christian service in the world-wide field.GCB June 4, 1909, page 316.19

63. We recommend, That a field missionary secretary be appointed in each local conference to take general supervision of the home tract and missionary and periodical work; that he be assisted energetically by every officer and employee of the conference; and that he devote his entire time to this work where consistent.GCB June 4, 1909, page 316.20

64. We recommend, That each conference take full charge of the work of canvassers for periodicals in their respective territories by,—GCB June 4, 1909, page 317.1

(a) The selection and training of workers for periodicals.GCB June 4, 1909, page 317.2

(b) The assigning of territory.GCB June 4, 1909, page 317.3

H. W. COTTRELL, Chairman,
W. A. SPICER, Secretary.

Conference Proceedings. THIRTY-SIXTH MEETING

The Sermon - GOD’S PROPHETIC PURPOSES