72
THE WATCHMAN
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY TIE
SOUTHERN PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
Single Copy, 5 Cents
S. N. HASKELL }Agspciate
Price, $1.00 per Year
G. |. BUTLER
L. A. SMITH
| Editors; BurRNHAM | Editors
ENTERED AT THE POST OFFICE AT NASHVILLE, TENN.
AS SECOND CLASS MATTER, APRIL 12, 1906.
Nashville, Tennessee, January 29, 1907.
THE COUNCIL AT GRAYSVILLE, TENN.
HINKING it might be of interest to the
readers of the Warcnarax to know of
will
the progress of the council, we
write briefly concerning it.
full
coni-
It assembled on time, with nearly a
representation of the members of the
mittee and others visiting and attending the
services. The time has been very {fully oc-
cupied, and the Lord has heen present to bless.
This 1s Sunday morning, and we have had
days during which considerable busi-
We have morning
three
ness has been transacted.
meetings at six o'clock — prayer and social
worship. These have been seasons of spirit-
ual profit more than ordinarily
the workers have attended.
IKlder Horton has been giving instruction in
civil and religious liberty before the students
and visitors in the school chapel. There is
a large attendance at the school this year,
more than ordinary. The school seems to he
prospering, and we hear of no dissatisfaction.
The business sessions begin at nine or half
past nine, and occupy the time in the forenoon
and afternoon.
at night, at which we have a large attendance
precious to
who
There are preaching services
of the members of the church and others vis-
iting, so that the commodious church is well
filled at every service.
The Importance of Organization
Our mectings excellent.
Elder Rufus Parmele spoke at the beginning
of the Sabbath, and Elder Washburn Sab-
bath A. a. The writer preached two nights
at the request of the council on the subject of
organization. The best of attention was paid,
and a deep interest was manifested. Tt was
generally thought by the council that the time
had come for instruction such as we used to
vesterday were
have when organization was first entered upon
That was a season of
great blessing to the cause.
In later years much questioning has occurred
with some in reference to organization. and
cfforts have been made to change our organi-
zation more or less according to the notions
of those who were not in harmony with its
principles. We feel very certain that these
movements were not well advised, as our
work has fallen into a lax condition that is
detrimental to the best interests of the cause.
Our brethren in the Southern Union Con-
by the denomination.
Tie WATCHMAN
ference thought it high time that more full
and complete instruction be given on this im-
portant subject. At the close of the second
discourse, great interest was manifested, many
presenting questions which had been puzzling
them as to what had heen the proper thing to
do under varied circumstances. The answers
seemed to he very satisfactory.
New Orleans an Important Center
One of the most interesting subjects that
has come up in the council was in regard to
establishing an important center at New Or-
leans. Elder llorton has for years been ur-
gently presenting the claims of Louisiana, and
especially New Orleans. This is the largest
city in the Southern Union Conference, and
1s now rapidly growing, since there is a pros-
pect of the great ship canal across the isthmus
being completed. This will add much to the
mportance of New Orleans as a port of entry
and departure. Tt has already a very large
Many representatives of different
This city evidently has not
comiuerce.
races come here.
received the attention that it should.
Tt is clearly evident that there 1s a unani-
mous feeling that something must be done for
New Oricans especially. There 1s great need
of a church building, also a mission huilding
New Orleans
1s the best point of departure for the West
India Islands, South America, and even South
Africa. Many of our missionaries have left
the country by way of New Orleans. There
are many Spanish-speaking people here, a very
large French population, and many Ttalians.
It 1s believed that steps can be taken by which
being either rented or erected.
great benefit may result to these different na-
tionalities New starting
point. The plans have not yet heen consum-
mated, but we think important steps will he
taken in this direction.
from Orleans as a
The Religious Liberty Question
Another interesting feature that is being con-
sidered is the great importance of civil and
religious liberty for the South. Elder Horton
has given this subject much study. He is the
secretary of the Religious Liberty Department
of the Southern Conference. hut his
time has been largely devoted to the Louisiana
Conference.
by the council that he should devote his time
largely to instruction in different parts of our
great field on the subject of Religious Liberty.
Influences are at work to strengthen the Sun-
day laws, that will be sure to bring hardship
to our people.
The ‘recent arrest of Elder R. I". Nash and
two other brethren and their trial in South
Carolina 1s calling special attention to this
branch of our work. There can he no doubt
Union
Tt is felt to he very important
but that the Southern states need instruction
on these principles more than almost any other
part of the country. The greatest persecu-
tions we have ever suffered because of work
on Sunday have been in the states of Arkansas,
Tennessee, Georgia, and other Southern states.
We have in Brother Horton a very able ex-
ponent of these principles, and the one alto-
gether more prominent in this particular than
any other. We believe that his time should
be largely devoted to this branch of the work.
Others must be called in to look after the
common interests of the cause, so that he can
have time to take the general superintendency
of the Religious Liberty Department, giving
instruction here and there, helping the breth-
ren who are arrested for Sunday labor, in-
structing them in what is best to be done, and
looking especially after the circulation of our
literature on that subject. We must wake up
oir this subject; for we are in the very storm-
center here in the South, where the storm will
be apt to strike us more heavily than in any
other portion of the country.
It was expected that we should close the
session here by Wednesday, the 23d; but we
see we shall have to have considerable more
time, so it has been decided to continue our
mectings until about the 3oth. We have many
most important questions to consider.
6. I. B.
LS BN
ow
THE SPARTANBURG TRIAL
N another page will be found an ac-
count by Elder R. I". Nash of the trial
and conviction of himself and compan-
ions at Spartanburg, S. C, for doing
secular work on Sunday.
The charge against these persons was that
they had profaned the Lord's day. This
purely ecclesiastical charge was considered by
the civil court of Spartanburg, and it was de-
cided that Mr. Nash and his fellow-Adventists
were guilty. In other words, the civil court
of Spartanburg decided that Sunday is the
Lord's day, although the only evidence on the
question offered at the trial seems to have been
that presented by Mr. Nash, who quoted a
number of Scripture texts which show that the
Lord's day 1s not Sunday, but the seventh
day of the week. This argument did not
please the court, which requested Mr. Nash to’
confine himself to the civil side of the ques-
Mr. Nash admitted that he had per-
tion.
formed secular work on Sunday; on this point
But he could not
admit that he had violated the Lord's day, and
the argument on this point, that is, as to
whether Sunday 1s or is not the Lord's day,
was necessarily of a religious character, the
only authority on the subject being the Bible.
To confine the defendant to the “civil 7 side of
there was no controversy.
the charge against him when the main point
at 1ssue was of an ecclesiastical nature, was of
course to practically deprive him of the right
to make any defense at all.
The Light Penalty and What It Indicates
The small fine imposed by the court is all
that the law allowed; but the fact that no
costs were added is evidence of the court's
appreciation of the fact that the defendant was
not a criminal in the true sense of the word.
Being in the religious minority does not make
observing a different
day from that set apart by the majority is not
a criminal act. Doing secular work is not a
crime. Yet put these things together, none of
which are criminal, that is, observing the sev-
enth day instead of the first, and doing secular
work on the latter day, and the result is crim-
inal! How can this be? If it is not a
any person a criminal ;
crime to work, and not a crime to differ from