The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-10-19

Let us begin our work wherever
God has cast our lot, and as we show
willingness to do even little, we
shall find more and larger work sud :.
denly revealed to us and reckoning
us to enter new and untried paths.
Let us learn of our neighbors and we
shall soon lay aside all false pride in
our present achievements, as we see
how small they ale compared with the
work of the Christian church at large.
We all feel justly proud of the work
of our missionaries in Japan, and love
to honor them and hold up their
hands; but if one reads few num-
bers of the Missionary Review of the
World, although our Mission is given
due recognition therein, he will al
most want a microscope to find it
among the grand army of missiona-
ries advancing into every corner of
the earth. And we are now asked, as
denomination, to contribute $4,000
as our quota of the expense of main
tanning this grand army,-in other
words for the support of our Mission
in Japan for the coming year.
How does this modest estimate of
the amount of our responsibilities
look in the light of the following re-
port of the work for missions of
single congregation of Seventh Day
Adventists at Battle Creek, Mich?
$50 indoctrinated are they with the
idea of giving tenth of their income,
that they do it religiously, absolutely
throughout the whole church. So
that on the day of Missions no sermon
is preached, there is no begging nor
pleading for dollar, and yet this
church, the other day, laid down $21,-
600 on the altar of missions; one who
spent the Sabbath there week ago,
said there was not a rich man in the
church. They are body of working
people,, 450 members of the church.
They give, besides this $21 900. ST.
900, making $4,000. The $1,000
goes toward other benevolences, and
all this is laid on the altar because
they have the conscientious convic-
ton and principle firmly imbedded
that they must give, every one of
them, tenth to God, for this great
work of benevolence. Now it is a re-
markable fact that did not appear to
me until l figured little, that in
evolving $4,000 from l ,450 members,
each one had only an income of 1852"
In other words, 1,450 people with an
average income of only 1852 made an
average contribution of S26.20 each,
aggregating $4,000 for the church.
"Now, surely, here is an intelligent
interest and sympathetic interest in
missions. 1t is part of their duty
to respond without pleading, without
begging"
No doubt, this is an extreme in
stance, but there are many others
that approach it. In the town where
| live, there is Presbyterian church
whose people annually give many
thousands of dollars for missionary
work, spending more for missions
than they spend upon themselves,
and they lack no comfort or even lux
ury in their house of worship and
they maintain their pastor we'll.
Let us learn that giving is more
matter of habit than of wealth.
There is money enough in the Uni
veIsalist Church to make it one of
the foremost missionary churches of
the country, if we were all in the
habit of giving, every one of us,
young and old, rich and poor; not
systematically and under excitement
alone, but regularly and constantly,
beginning as matter of education