rstern Canattian ittings " BEHOLD I. BRING YOU GOOD TIDINGS " Vol. 1 Regina, Saskatchewan, May 15, 1912 � No. 1 CAMP-MEETINGS The Cainp-meeting season is drawing near, when our people in Western Canada are to meet together in their respective Provinces for conference and prayer. The Lord admonishes us to take advantage of these opportunities set apart for our spiritual help : "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is ; but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Heb. 10 : 25. The greatest day in the history of the universe is soon to break upon us, therefore, these annual meet- ings are of greater value to us than we are able to appreciate. In this connection the following solemn, words come to mind :— "God gave directions to the Israelites to assemble before him at set periods, in the place which he should choose, and observe special days wherein: no unneces- • sary work was to be done, but the time was to be devot- ed to the consideration of the blessings which he had bestowed upon them . . . God requires no less of his people in these last days, in sacrifices and offerings, than he did of the Jewish nation." "But many . . . cannot afford to leave- their business cares, and come before God even once a year . � . � . Come brethren and sisters to these sacred con- ' vocation meetings, to find Jesus. He will come up to the feast. He will be present, and He will do for you that which you most need to have done. Your farms should not- be considered of greater value than the • higher interests of the soul . . . You need not • weary yourselves with busy anxieties and needless cares . � . Jesus will deepen and widen your blessings . . ." Test. Vol. 2; pages 573-576. Another testimony speaks on this point as follows: —" The faith of some Christians will waver if they constantly neglect to meet together for conference and prayer: If it were not possible for them to enjoy such privileges, then God would- send light direct from heaven by the angers, to animate, cheer and bless his scattered people. But He does not propose to work a miracle to sustain the faith of his saints. They are required to love the truth enough to take some little pains to secure the privileges and blessings vouch- safed to them of God. The least they can do is to devote a few days in the year to a united effort to advance the cause of Christ, and to exchange friendly • counsel and sympathy." "It will pay then to improve the 'privileges wit'hi'n our reach, and even at some sacrifice, to assemble with those who fear God and speak.for him ; for he 'is repre- sented as harkening to those testimonieS, while *angels write them in a book. God will' reinenibei those 'who have met together and thought upon • hiS 'naine, and he will spare them from the great cOnitadration . � '." Test. Vol. -4; pages .106407. 1 • 1' Good help will, be furnished for theSe meetings, and we are expecting the largest and stroni4t Camp- meetings this year that we have ever had since -the EVENING PRAYER In the hour that is sacred to silence, The dream-haulted dim of the day, I knelt in the gloom of the shadows, In the stillness of evening to pray. All the -noise of the day had departed, On the far shores of silence had rolled, And a•peace settled down o'er my spirit, A gladness that cannot be told. For my Saviour was there, and His presence Made holy the shades of the night; And in that sweet hour of communion, My spirit was filled with delight. For there in His presence, the worry, The burdens that lay on my heart, When lifted by His loving fingers, Did into the darkness depart. In that hour that is sacredto silence I rejoiced in the truth of His word, As I knelt in the dream-haunted shadows, And lifted my heart to my Lord. And in that sweet hour of communion, I pillowed my head on His breast; To the joy of an infinite union, Is add6d an infinite rest. —L. D. Santee new � 2 � WESTERN CANADIAN TIDINGS. work was started in this field. The people who will succeed in the Christian warfare, will be. the ones who do not allow any ordinary obstacle to keep them from placing themselves in the channel of God's appointed opportunities for mutual counsel and encouragement. H. S. SHAW. THE COLPORTEUR WORK The sale of our literature is destined in the Prov- idence-of God --to--be -a very prominent factor -in these last days in the carrying to every nation and tongue and people the last message of warning this world will ever receive. It is to be the advance guard, or fore- runner of what is to follow., Our colporteurs are the pioneers in all this work. Then how careful we should be of .our conduct, our words, and all our dealings with the people. There are many times that those who enter this work, who fail to realize the sacredness and great im- portance of this movement, not realizing that this- message before its close will be the great topic on the tongue of every one, and that it will be the theme of interest to the exclusion of every other before the close of probation. Then we will wish we had been true to ourselves and to our God in all we did. This may have been so in'the past, but now we can not help that, but we can help the future, and I trust that every col- porteur in this great territory of the Western Cana- dian Union will prove true to God in everything that is done. 0, how much it means to be a messenger for the great God who made the universe, and to think he has made us laborers together with Him ! How it ought to lead us to walk carefully and softly before Him, and, at the same time to put into use every faculty of our being that success may crown our efforts. Success cannot always be guaged by the number of orders taken, but with this, other qualities must be combined. The pleasant word spoken, the kindly attitude we exhibit toward all we meet, and the courteous affable manner in which we deal with those who may not be favorable to our work will all make an impression that will tell on the side of God. I presume there were times when even the great apostle to the Gentiles did not see his 'work advance as he would like, but this Scrip- ture was .no doubt a comfort to him : "In the morn- ing sow thy seed, and .in the evening withhold not thy hand: for thou knowest not whither shall prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike shall be good." So it may be to us, and I believe that as a band of colporteur-evangelists, as we go out in the field this summer, it will be to "Believe great things of God ; 'expect great things from God; and do great things for God." In closing. I will quote a paragraph from Test. Vol. 9, page t4: "Blessed will be the recompense of Grace to those who have wrought for God in the simplicity of faith and love. The value of service to God is measured by the spirit in which it is rendered, rather than by the length of time spent in labor. W. L. MANFULL. Alberta Conference Office Address, Lacombe, Alberta President, C. A. Burman; Secretary, F. L. Hommel; Treasurer, U. Wissner; Educational and M. V. Secretary, J. T. Beardsley; S. S. Secretary, Bertha Gillbank; Tract Society Secretary, U. Wissner; Field and Missionary Secretary, L. T. Heaton; Re- ligious Liberty Secretary, C. A. Burman. TRUE TO HIS PROMISE At the time of our annual gathering two years ago a brother who has ever been deeply interested in the advancement of this message, ,made a pledge of $500 toward the erection of a new school building at the Academy. The crop on which he was depending prov- ed to be a complete failure that year. When the pledge came due, he forwarded the money with which to set- tle it. This he did while supporting five of his chil- dren at the Academy and keeping up other expenses. We have watched this case with interest, for we be- lieve that, according to His promise, God would re- ward this act of loyalty. Last year this brother har- vested the largest crop of any of our brethren yet heard from in this Province, and recently circum- stances have changed so that a portion of his farm will be greatly advanced in value. We would not have any one draw 'the conclusion from this account that we mean to teach that a man may become rich in this world's goods by giving to the cause of• God, for the man who would give from such a motive would be so selfish that God would not trust him with his goods. The Lord is testing men to see if they will be loyal to him, and unless there is a great change, many will. he lostbeca.use .of dishonesty. Seek- ing to become rich, is the spirit of the age, and some among God's chosen people are on dangerous ground. The individual who is honest with God and man, and gives from a pure motive, will never come to want in this world, and will be rewarded with life eternal. C. A. BURMAN. STRATHCONA Sometime ago I returned to Inga to continue the interest there. But after one meeting I decided to leave it for the present, as the roads were so bad, and the nights dark, that the people could not be ex- pected to attend. At present I am laboring in house to house effort, preparatory for the coming Camp-meeting. We, are looking forward anxiously for that event, and hope to see some souls brought to a deciding point. Each day the work seems to grow harder. The WESTERN CANADIAN TIDINGS. � 3 enemy is making every effort to get the people en- grossed in the things of this world. It will need one judgment more severe than the preceding one to awaken many to the fact that there will be a second coming of the Saviour. Pray for the coming Camp-meeting, that it may be a grand success. Not only pray, but be in attendance also, to add one more influence toward helping some soul to reach the haven of rest. Pray for me. H. A. NIERGARTH. Wei � AN UNEXPECTED REVIVAL IN LACOMBE ACADEMY As the students collected for their chapel exercises at the usual time Thursday morning, May 9, nothing more than the ordinary routine of exercises was ex- pected by the students, or planned by the teachers, but the Lord was watching over his institution for good, and had planned a blessed revival, far better than any surprises ever planned by man. Prof. Beardsley read a selection from Testimony Volume four, beginning on page 430, in which are found such statements as the following : " Some souls will be lost in consequence of this wrong influence . . . Never was there a period when results so im- portant depended upon a generation of men ; then how important that the young should be qualified for the great work, that God may use them as his instru- ments �If youth could see that in complying with the laws and regulations of our institutions they are only doing that which will improve their standing in society, elevate the character, euoble the mind, and increase their happiness, they would not rebel against just rules and wholesome requirements, nor engage in creating suspicion and prejudice against these insti- tutions. Our youth should have a spirit of energy and fidelity to meet the demands upon them, and this will be a guaranty of success." After reading and prayer, opportunity was offered for remarks, and a large number of definite confes- sions were made of irregularities which at the time had appeared trifling, but in the light of the Testimony were seen to be of grave importance, separating the soul from God. While the school had been progressing with ordin- ary smoothness, and no case of discipline was on hand, yet there was need of closer harmony and co-operation in order to meet the mind of God. We request for the school the earnest prayers and the fullest co-operation of all our people through- out this Union. P. P. ADAMS. ALBERTA ACADEMY NOTES Through the kindness of Brother Charles Rick, of Claresholm, Alta., we have been able to purchase a prac- tically new Chapel organ, and last Friday it was brought up and permanently located in the dining-rooni. We- are very much in need of musical instruments, and this ones is very much appreciated. Several letters have been received lately inquiring about the school for next year. The largest number is in the school at present that has been in attendance in the month of May since the Academy has been in existence. Last Thursday Brethren W. A. Clemenson and W. G. McCready had the privilege of presenting our views and plans for temperance, including our work with the "In- structor," before the W. C. T. U. of Lacombe. Our chorus class is becoming proficient in the render. ing of the beautiful selections of "Hymns and Tunes." Our broom factory is now supplying most of the La. combe stores with brooms. So far nearly all that are here have definite plans to return next year "if possible," and many realize that the possibility is in their own power if they take God into part- nership. So we expect to see a large number of our old students in school again next year, as well as many new ones. It is time now to make definite plans for next school year. Let us hear from any that are planning to be here then. VERMILLION LAKES The Lord willing I will spend Sabbath and Sun- day, May 19, with the Vermillion Lakes Church. The ordinances will be celebrated, and opportunity given for baptism. C. A. BURMAN. British Columbia Conference Office Address, 1708 Maple Street, Vancouver, B. C. President, J. G. Walker; Secretary-Treasurer, Andrew Roedet; Educational Secretary, K. R. Haughey; Religious Liberty Secretary, F. H. Conway; S. S. Secretary, Mrs. Birdie Con- way; Missionary Volunteer Secretary, Lydia Stickle.; Tract Society_ Secretary, Andrew Roedel; Field and Missionary Sec-. retary, E. R. Potter. KAMLOOPS CAMP-MEETING AND CONFER-. ENCE The appointment of Kamloops for our place of meeting is a new departure, as hitherto we have al-, ways had them in each of the districts, which natural-. ly are divided by a high range of mountains. This year the brethren feel that a union meeting would be best and Kamloops seems to be quite centrally located for the three southern districts, the Coast, the Okana- gan and the Kootenays. The 1\Iayor of Kamloops has offered assistance in,' locating our camp, and assures us of a hearty wel- come to the city. Pastures for teams have been secured at a reasonable rate to accommodate the fern: that will drive to the meeting. Reduced rates have also been secured on the Canadian Pacific Railway, and those coming should buy a ticket only one way, taking from the agent a standard certificate showing that a ticket has been bought to the meeting. If for any reason the agent should not have a certificate - WESTERN CANADIAN TIDINGS:: blank, -take a receipt. • If this rule is observed the holder Of a certificate will be entitled to return at a reduced rate. Brethren. and sisters let me write' a word in regard to attending. The Lord has told us that the camp meeting is one, of the most important agencies in our Work one of the most effective in arresting the atten- tion of the people and reaching all classes. Since we \ are to have a strong effort after the Camp-meeting in this promising junction town, a well attended, orderly and spiritual meeting will in a large measure insure success.