HOW OUR ATTENTION WAS CALLED TO AUSTRALIA

In 1861, Miss Hannah Moore, who had charge of the Mendi Mission in Africa, was making a visit in New England, and for the first time attended a meeting where she heard presented some points of present truth. We staid one night with a family where she was visiting, and had some conversation with her on religious subjects. She soon returned to her mission in Africa, and through correspondence and the reading of publications she finally embraced the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Through her influence, Alexander Dickson, a missionary from Melbourne, accepted the Sabbath. After he returned to Australia, we lost all connection with him. For years we labored by correspondence to learn his whereabouts. Finally we found him in San Francisco, having renounced the Sabbath. The only reason that he gave for this was that he had spent a small fortune, without success, in publishing and traveling to get the people to keep the Sabbath.HSFM 93.4

At a meeting held in Battle Creek, Mich., in 1874, Sister E. G. White said that there were many nations that would receive the present truth, and that she had seen presses running in many countries, printing papers and books on present truth. When asked what countries these were, she said that Australia was the only name she could remember.HSFM 94.1

If the work in Australia had been begun twelve years ago, there is no doubt that we should have found many persons interested in the Sabbath truth. Mr. Dickson and others aroused more of an interest in its favor than they were aware. A number who then embraced it have since given it up. At that time there were great numbers coming to Australia from England, and many imagined themselves like the Pilgrim Fathers. They had a desire to imitate America, and no doubt would have received more readily a truth coming from this country at that time than after the customs and beliefs of society had become settled and established.HSFM 94.2