Messages From The Missions

Messages from the Missions. Elder Charles Bergeson, president of the New South Wales Conference, Australian Mission, gives the following interesting account of affairs in his field of labor: Ten years had barely elapsed from the time the Church was first organized until the first Latter-day Saint missionary was set apart to

EDITOR'S TABLE. 645 labor in Australia. On Saturday, July 11, 1840, Apostle George A. Smith ordained and set apart William Barratt, at Burslem, Staffordshire, England, for a mission to South Australia. Since that time, many have been assigned to labor in the Australian Mission, and although missionary labor has not been continuous from the time it was first inaugurated, yet a good work was accomplished in the early fifties, and many Saints emigrated to Zion under extreme difficulties. Owing to the large territory embraced in the Australian Mission as it was first established, it was deemed advisable to divide it up into smaller fields. Consequently, in 1897, such divisions were made, under the direction of the First Presidency, and what was once the Australian Mission is now embraced in the Australian, New Zealand and Samoan Missions. As now constituted, the Australian Mission embraces all of Australia and Tasmania, which is a territory of about the same area as the United States of America. While there are not nearly so many inhabitants as in the same extent of country in the United States, yet there are over four and one-half millions of inhabitants, nearly all of whom are white people, and easily reached by the elders, as the larger majority of the inhabitants of Australia are residents of the cities particularly located on the sea coasts. Sidney, located on the shores of one of the best, if not the best, natural harbors in the world, boasts a population of over half a million. Melbourne, too, with her broad streets which give the appearance of an American city, claims a population of about half a million. Other prominent cities, in each of which conference headquarters have been established, are Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart. There are in all six conferences in the Australian Mission, i. e., New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, West Australia and Tasmania, making one conference for each of the six states which comprise the commonwealth of Australia. In each of these conferences there are from one to three branches, which now hold regular sessions of Sabbath school, and Mutual Improvement associations, in addition to other Sunday meetings. There are now over six hundred persons who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Australian Mission, and the work is gradually expanding and increasing. During the past year fifty-nine persons were baptized and twenty-nine children were blessed, while fifteen members were received from other branches. There are forty-three persons in addition to the elders from Zion who hold some

646 IMPROVEMENT ERA. degree of the priesthood, and one hundred and sixty-six who are tithe payers. "There are at present forty-four elders from Zion laboring in the field, tracting from house to house, and holding street meetings in an effort to reach the people; but, as in most of the fields, there is work for many more missionaries than can be secured for the purpose. In the past year 230,000 tracts, 567 standard works, and 10,171 other books were distributed among the people, without mention being made of several different periodicals of the Church which, with the Era and Deseret News, are doing their share in the disseminating of gospel truths in this broad land of sunshine and flowers. ELDERS OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES CONFERENCE, AUSTRALIA. Front row, left to right: Claud Sutton, Grantsville, Utah; John McClive, Taylor, Arizona; Arthur S. Bingham, Ogden, Utah. Middle row: Charles Bergeson, (Conference President) Lewiston, C. Alvin Orme, (Mission President) Tooele, Charles B. Richmond, (Mission Clerk) Salt Lake City, Utah; E. Rollin Hamblin, Lyman, Wyoming. Back row: John Boden, Dayton, Idaho; Ernest E. Hansen, Brigham City, Raymond R. Tonks, Horace Heiner, Morgan, Utah; Edwin M. Claridge, Thatcher, Arizona.

EDITOR'S TABLE. 647 The people of Australia are generally broad-minded, to erant and hospitable. The government is free, and the inhabitants are allowed perfect religious freedom, the elders being accorded exceptionally good police protection when holding their meetings, either upon the street corner or in the halls. The past few seasons in this land have been very fruitful, as there has been an abundance of rain and no long periods of excessive heat, consequently this country is now enjoying prosperity, and doing much to conserve the surplus waters, and otherwise develop the natural resources, which in time will make Australia not only well populated, but the people well supported. The New South Wales Conference has its headquarters at Sidney, where President C. A. Orme is also located with mission headquarters. The first baptism in New South Wales occurred Wednesday, December 3, 1851, and the first branch was organized at Sidney, with twelve members, on January 4, 1852. There are now branches located in Newton, North Sidney and Bathhurst, where Sunday schools, sacrament and evening services are held each Sabbath. There are one hundred and eighty-four members in New South Wales, and the local brethren and sisters are ably assisting the elders in carrying on the work. Elder Archie 0. Gardner, who is leader of Company A. of the Missouri Conference elders laboring in the extreme southeastern part of Missouri, writes that they can visit that district only during the winter months, because of the unhealthy condition of the climate in the summer, caused by the overflow of the Mississippi river. There is considerable prejudice in that district against the elders on account of the missionaries having been driven out of the town of Caruthersville several years ago, but nevertheless the elders were enabled to leave thirteen Books of Mormon and some small books, besides holding twenty-nine meetings and four cottage meetings. A friend opened his home to them and it was filled every night. Prejudice is now dying out. "We have in our company the first native elder from Missouri since the Saints were driven west. He is from Missouri, and shows the Missourians." The elders are, from left to right: 0. L. Johnson, Shoshone, Idaho; F. A. Jack, Salt Lake City, William Lee Huff, Moab, Utah; E. D. Roberts, Louisiana, Missouri; and Archie 0. Gardner, Pine Valley, Utah.

648 IMPRO VEMENT ERA. Elder, J. F. Kinghorn, laboring in Southern Illinois, writes the Era that he and his companions find continued joy in their missionary labors and that the people in that district are becoming more desirous of learning the true side of "Mormonism." Many doors are opened to them, and they are kept busy in explaining the gospel message. The elders in the picture, from left to right, are: A. F. Harding, Preston, Idaho; Adair Patterson, Pine, Arizona; Robert L.Bills, Elders W. H. Lawrence, of Erda, and John C. Burrell, of Colonia Juarez, Payson, Utah; and J. F. Kinghorne, Rigby, Idaho. E. J. Curtis, of Moroni, Utah, Mexico, standing at the back of the other brethren in the picture, are being blessed with excellent results from their labors in Chattanooga. In addition to the weekly Sunday school and the Sunday evening service, held at the mission headquarters, there are five cottage meetings a week. During the last few week these brethren have sold nineteen Books of Mormon, two hundred and eighty-three other books, distributed twenty-three hundred and forty-nine tracts, and performed two baptisms. About a month ago one of these elders, in visiting a house, presented the Book of Mormon for sale. The good housewife bought it. She stated aftewards that she purchased it thinking it would help the elders. The woman started to read it, however, and she became interested in it. So did her husband, with the result that they invited the elders to hold meetings at their home, and they were both baptized in the Tennessee river, Sunday, March 12.

EDITOR'S TABLE. 649 Elder Newel K. Leavitt, writing from Ada, Oklahoma Conference, March 20, says that the elders laboring in that conference are blessed with a rich portion of the Spirit of God, enabling them to help the work prosper. Friends are being made rapidly. The elders laboring in the conference are, top row: Jesse Allen, L. G. Tanner, Prescott, J. Gyllenskog. M. J. Richardson. Bottom row: E. J. The elders shown in this cut are laboring in and about St. Johns, Kansas, and are known as Company B. They have recently used the tabernacle phonograph songs, and have in this way obtained many listeners, to whom they later explained the principles of the gospel. "0 my Father" has made a deep impression on [the listeners. The elders are, standing: C. C. Hintze, Holliday, Horace Holly,Slaterville, Utah; T. L. Richardson, Inkom, Idaho. Sitting: J. A. Vernon, Rookport, Utah; T. D. Leavitt, Bunkerville, Nevada. ELDERS OF THE BERGEN BRANCH, NORWAY. Left to right: Peter H. Jensen, Christian M. Jenson, Erastus Johnson, President Joseph A. Christensen, Secretary Leonard Larson, Walter E. Fridal.