GENERAL REMARKS ON THE MISSION

sweden

The past year has witnessed some increase in the number of Sabbath reapers in the Scandinavian countries. A tent meeting has been held in Sweden, conducted by J. R. Ericksen. They have had a large hearing, and some 18 or 20 have commenced to keep the Sabbath. Two churches have organized up to the present time, one at West Boda, with 16 members, and one at Geffile with 14 members. The whole number baptised during the year was 47. A good degree of interest is manifested in many places to hear the truth. The churches have not received the help so much needed, especially in the line of tract and missionary and the Sabbath School work. Since the close of the mission school 28 colporters have been at work, and have had a good degree of success, so that with a little encouragement they have paid their own way. The aggregate amount of book sales up to September 1, as near as we can learn amounts to $5,410.09. Sweden seems to be a good field for labor, but we lack both men and means to push the work as would be desiredMMM 369.8

denmark

Here also an increase of interest is manifested. A tent meeting has been held at Holbek the past summer with a good degree of interest Quite a number have commenced to obey the truth. One new church was added to the conference. The whole number baptised was 40. Since the close of the mission school 14 colporters have been at work. The amount of book sales was about $558. Here too, we find many calls for labor, and a rising interest in a number of places. The obstacles in the way of the canvassing work are very great, as the law of the land is opposed to us in selling books the way we do. Here also the tract and missionary work, and the Sabbath School work have been neglected. The reason for this neglect is that we have not been able to get around.MMM 369.9

norway

Here we cannot present so much apparent success, yet we have many encouraging features. Since the close of the conference Bro. Brorson has labored in the Northern part of the kingdom and met with very encouraging success. On different islands there he has found people very much interested to hear the truth. In one place 18 had commenced to obey the truth, at his last writing. There are also Sabbath keepers at other places and many other open places to present the truth. Also in the south of Norway we find an interest is being awakened at different places. Much could be done if we only had the needed laborers and means with which to carry the work forward. Here in Norway we have 7 active colporters. Since the close of our mission school they have disposed of about $1,461.21 worth of books. All of them are of good courage and some of them are meeting with very good success for this country. Besides this there are others working mostly for our health paper, some who are not of our people.MMM 369.10

a general glance or summary over the past year

We have now in all 24 churches, with a membership of 766, and of scattering Sabbath keepers not yet organized into churches 265, making a total of 1031 Sabbath keepers. Still this is not complete, as a number has embraced the truth more recently that had not been placed with these figures. We have now 40 colporters, and 8 ministers. We have sold about $8063 worth of books, wholesale. We have printed 4000 “Life of Christ,” Swedish, and 400 “Life of Christ,” Danish, 4000 Swedish “Home Hand Books,” and 4000 Danish; the number of tracts and pamphlets, Swedish and Danish, different sizes, from a four-page tract to the largest size of pamphlets, 135,000 copies. Have printed 24,000 Tidendes, 24,000 Harolden, 90,000 Danish “Health Journal,” and 50,000 Swedish “Health Journal.” Have 4000 subscribers for the Danish Health Journal, and about the same for the Swedish; and with the blessing of God our courage and prospects are good.MMM 369.11

The following was read from Eld O. O. Olsen:MMM 369.12

I wish to set before you some plans which are in my mind as to how to best forward the work here. I meet many perplexing problems. It is one thing to get people out keep the Sabbath; believe in the non-immortality of man, etc.; it is a very different thing for them to get hold of the spirit of the message and become identified with this work and its object They first meet with some opposition, but the last is ten-fold more difficult. I think you understand me. People who merely keep the Sabbath and believe in some of the leading doctrines that we hold, yet after all have never gotten hold of the spirit of the message, can not be heartily with us. They mean well, and think they are all right, but they do not know why. This is the greatest difficulty at the present stage of the work in this field. Yet here is our only hope. If we cannot gain this, all is lost. To reach this point by directly educating these older people is not possible. If we cannot gain it by educating the youth I cannot see how it is possible to gain it at all. If there is need of schools in America for our young people, we need it ten times more here; for we have ten times the difficulties to meet from this standpoint than you have in America. Our churches over here are now increasing in numbers, consequently we have a large number of youth and children to care for, and it is a study how we shall relate ourselves to this. Our work is in need of educated youth. I see an opening from this standpoint that has created in me some courage if we can carry it out.MMM 369.13

Here are some of my present projects. In reference to Bro. Ottosen. Since I became acquainted with him, I have felt for him the deepest interest. He is far on the way to finish his education as a doctor. It has been a question for him and also for us whether he should continue his course, or give himself more directly to the message. We have all wavered somewhat. We need an educated physician among us in the Scandinavian branch of our work, but I could not feel that it would meet the object by his going on in his studies and taking up his practice outside of any special connection with this work. What was dark in the education of the young has been the fact that we have not had any one to educate them. And now Bro. Ottosen is the only man that we have over here who can help us in this.MMM 370.1

In talking over this matter with him the problem now shapes itself like this. While Ottosen still pursues his studies he can, and is, willing to give a part of his time to educating our young people. This coming winter he will give us three months, Feb., Mar., and April. Next year he can give us six or seven months. That is as far as we can plan now. But this will be a beginning. Now I propose in the time of our school to gather young people from fifteen to twenty years of age, and have them taught in the most practical branches to begin with. Also to instruct them in the truth, the T. & M. work, Sabbath School work, etc. We have a few young people who already have a start, so that with a little more help they could be available for teachers among our churches. My plan is, as I have intimated, to have these teachers instructed in these branches of the work so that when they come to a church these teachers can be a help to the church. Now I do not mean to say that these young people shall come into the church and be [original illegible] to rule over them,-No!-No! But I do mean that when the church seeks one of these young people to come and teach their children that they shall have a preparation. And while the teacher thus quietly gathers the children about him and gains their confidence, the children try to lead the parents to Christ. In this way we reach the hearts of the parents, and thus the way is opened to impart to them instruction in some of these lesser things that we cannot now. These young people we can educate into the machinery of the Third Angel’s Message, but not he older people; but through the young the old will be helped, and be the back-bone of the work after all.MMM 370.2

This is the way it worked in our first experience in America, and from this little experiment made here, I am fully persuaded that we can do the same here. I do not mean that we will not meet with any difficulties in this plan. I know we shall; but God will help us, for this is his work.MMM 370.3

I have given you a very brief outline. Will yon encourage me in this? Please give advice. And will you allow that some of the mission funds be used in supporting Bro. Ottosen in this work? For it will be utterly impossible to think that this enterprise can be self supporting?MMM 370.4

To my mind there is light in this view of things, and if we shall not be able to reach a certain point in this way, I do not know how we can reach it. But I have hopes that this will succeed.MMM 370.5

In two or three places here in Denmark they have already commenced a school for children. It is very humble indeed, and makes no pretentions. They obtained one of our young sisters to teach the children. She holds her school in private houses. She has four places in one town and stays two days in each place. Humble as it is, this has worked well, and altogether this sister has had but a small chance, and can only teach the first principles, and has been but little instructed in the truth, yet it has been a real help in the church in several directions. Placing this by the side of my own experience I an fully persuaded of the utility of this idea.MMM 370.6

If we do not do something in this line the most valuable of our young people here will leave for America, and we will be left to plod along as well as we can. There is very little here to hold them. They cannot have access to the schools and are educated only to the most limited extent. This is the reason why we cannot now find any that have education to take hold of the work in an intelligent manner.MMM 370.7

Bro. White stated that the question would doubtless be raised whether our foreign publications might be made self-supporting.MMM 370.8

Under the existing state of things this would be impossible. Papers are published very cheaply in Europe. especially in England, and in order to sell our publications there at all, they must also be furnished at a very low rate, so low that with a small edition, as we now publish, there must be a constant financial loss. If we could publish in editions of 100,000 or more, the foreign papers would be self-supporting.MMM 370.9

The necessity of establishing schools in the various countries of Europe, where our young people can be properly educated in the work, was also dwelt upon by the speaker; this at the present time seems to be an absolute necessity. The work will be greatly retarded there unless such schools can be established.MMM 370.10

Just before the conference adjourned, the president of the Inter. T. and M. society announced the following committees for that society:MMM 370.11

On nominations: J. D. Van Horn, Wm. Ostrander and Geo. Stars. On plans and resolutions for the future of the society: W. C. White, G. G. Rupert. R. Conrad, A. T. Robinson, and C. Eldridge.MMM 371.1

Meeting adjourned to 2:30 p. m,MMM 371.2