FOR THE HEATHEN’S SAKE

It is recommended that this money be given in lieu of Christmas presents. Presents may be given just the same, as there is no law against it, but those of limited means are recommended to deny themselves and their families, and turn over to the missions the money that would otherwise be squandered on Christmas knick-knacks for the children. In this way $27,000 was raised last year, and it is fondly expected that a larger sum will be realized this year. No regular Sabbath collections are taken up during the year. Their mode of raising funds is a little bit peculiar. Each household is provided with a little box, something like a child’s bank, into which, through a slot, regular weekly donations are dropped. At the end of each quarter the church secretary collects these boxes, abstracts the money and sends it to the state conference treasurer, and thence it goes to the conference headquarters and is distributed according to the judgment of the finance committee. Adventist children are from their earliest infancy taught to make sacrifices, earn as well as save some money, and deposit it for the good of the church in the family bank. The children, as a general rule, are brought up to take a more serious view of life in general than the ordinary run of people. This method of raising the money necessary to carry on the conference has been in vogue for some years, and it is expected that the committee on finance will recommend that the same plan be followed this year.MMM 583.1