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Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists - Contents
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    THE GERMANS IN RUSSIA

    Ever since the time of Peter the Great, Russia has offered many good openings for German industry, skill, and knowledge. By his invitation many German miners, mechanics, and military men were led to settle here. Catharine II., by offering them land and many privileges, induced a large number of farmers also to come to this country. In May, 1776, a company of emigrants numbering over twenty-five thousand left Lübeck, a German sea-port on the Baltic, en route for Russia. They went by ship to St. Petersburg, and then traveled in wagons the long distance across the country to Saratov on the Volga, the entire journey occupying nearly a year. The number in this colony has since increased to three hundred and fifty thousand, who are nearly all Protestants. In the south of Russia there are also large and flourishing colonies scattered from the Caucasus in the east to Bessarabia in the west. But besides these colonies there has been in this century a continual increase of German immigration to the different towns of Russia, mostly merchants, doctors, engineers, teachers, and mechanics. German churches can be found in nearly all the larger cities, and St. Petersburg alone contains about ninety thousand Germans. Besides these there are several millions in the Baltic provinces, nearly all Protestants. The Germans are highly esteemed, being regarded as the most intelligent part of the population.HSFM 252.3

    On the morning of the 8th I reached Odessa, the largest city in Southern Russia, and the most important port on the Black Sea. The next day I met Bro. Gerhardt Perk, who came here for the purpose of accompanying me on my journey through Russia. He had labored as a colporter for the British Bible Society, and had in this capacity traveled extensively in European Russia and in Siberia. His knowledge of the Russian language was a great help to me. He received the light on the Sabbath by reading some of our tracts, had already observed it over a year, and had been the means of leading several other colporters to accept it.HSFM 252.4

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