WHEN INTEREST IS AROUSED
This may not necessarily show itself in the intention to " come to the meetings," and we should not make this the touchstone. People with children, people infirm and afflicted, people in charge of those who are, people working night shifts, people who are simply shy of appearing to their friends to frequent the gatherings of a small and rather strange sect: all these and more may have a real interest in finding the Truth, and there should be other means of furthering that interest. Discreetly, we should try to gain their confidence, give them our name and address, and if it is possible, obtain theirs. The address, of course, we can have for the taking, and if it seems certain that to ask for the name will arouse mistrust, we can be satisfied with that. To give our name is a token of our frankness, to ask for theirs could be construed as the prelude to an undesired pestering with literature, and perhaps worse.

If possible, likely interest should be followed up by a second and later visits. If we leave the district we should write. This is a point which needs some emphasis. Those who have taken part in " campaigns " know how easy it is to collect addresses, and then either forget them or lose them, or simply neglect to accept the rather burdensome responsibility which is involved in keeping track of them. But this responsibility must be faced. Fruitful canvassing work is bound to be cumulative, and the follow-up of such an effort must be not less diligent than the first work itself. We should treat all interest which we arouse as our personal responsibility.

Nevertheless, there should be an effective system of coordinating such interest, and providing for its furtherance. The names and addresses we collect should be gathered together by some one appointed as registrar, and given priority in notification of subsequent meetings, or in distribution of literature.

Inevitably, even the meagre proportion of interested people we do select from our canvassing will drop heavily again as we call, or write, or invite to further meetings. This is saddening, but no cause for discouragement. Jeremiah's fruitless warnings were nevertheless from the mouth of God and had to be continued; Ezekiel's melodious protestations were elegantly ignored by his contemporaries, but he was doing God's work. We will be very glad when God's Word through us brines glory in acceptance, but we will be patient in well-doing whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.12