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Daniells Begins His Mission Journey

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 9, 1914

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 91, No. 28.

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Daniells Begins His Mission Journey

By A. G. Daniells

From Elder A. G. Daniells

[June 3, Elder A. G. Daniells, president of the General Conference, accompanied by Mrs. Daniells, his niece Miss Hare, and Miss Florence Shull, a mission worker en route for China, sailed from San Francisco to visit some of the great outlying mission fields. The following interesting details of the beginning of his long journey are taken from a personal letter to the editor. Our readers will enjoy the personal details of the narrative.—ED.]
My journey thus far from Washington has been a very agreeable one in every respect. On the way to San Francisco, Mrs. Daniells and I were able to visit, without any extra cost, quite a number of our relatives.
We spent our first Sabbath after leaving Washington in Dallas, Tex., the town in which we landed thirty-six years ago when we left Iowa to take up the work of the ministry. At that time we went there to act as tent master and cook for Elder Kilgore’s party. Our main effort with the tent during the summer was at Plano, about twenty miles north of Dallas. There we raised up a large church. The Huguley family, in all its branches, came into the truth at that place. At Dallas I found Brother Job Huguley, son of old Father Huguley, still rejoicing in the message. He is elder of the Dallas church. He and his wife and his grown-up children are all earnest workers in the church. I also found Brother Will Huguley, a nephew of Job, who, with his family, is faithful in the Lord’s cause. Will is a brother to J. B. Huguley, who was once at the Boulder Sanitarium. I cannot tell you what a pleasure it was to come back to this town where we left the train to take up our work, and to find persons who embraced the truth in our first efforts still faithful and rejoicing in the message, after a separation of thirty-six years. As our train neared the city of Dallas early Sabbath morning, I had an hour or two of serious but sweet reflection while reviewing God’s mercies and care and help during these years. I started when very young and inexperienced and full of trepidation. How little I knew of the future, and how strangely and wonderfully the Lord has led since those days of beginning and fear and trembling!
Leaving Dallas, Mrs. Daniells and I visited one of her nephews, about our own age, with whom we were brought up in childhood. We had not seen him for forty years. We found him gray, and surrounded by a large family of sons and daughters. They met us at the railway station with three automobiles, and still left a small houseful of grandchildren to welcome us on our arrival at their home. We could stay with them only two days, but we enjoyed the visit very much. We went to the homes of five of his married sons and five of the married daughters. I spoke one evening in the town in which they live.
In California we visited my people at Fresno, and many dear friends in Loma Linda, Los Angeles, Oakland, and St. Helena. We spent only one night in Los Angeles, and one night each in St. Helena, Oakland, and Mountain View.
Our visit in the northern part of the State around the bay was most pleasant, and we would have greatly enjoyed a full week there. Sister White sent an invitation while we were at Loma Linda for us to visit her and to make our home with her while in St. Helena. We found her feeble, but her mind was quite clear, and we had a very pleasant visit. We talked over old times, and she expressed herself as very happy in the Lord and rejoicing over the progress of the work.
As Sister Shull, who has done stenographic work in the Pacific Press office for years, was to sail with us on her way to China, quite a delegation of brethren and sisters came up from Mountain View to see us off. This made our departure a happy one.
Our voyage from San Francisco was one of the most pleasant I have made during all my travels. The first day out was a little rough, but after that the sea was like a mill pond. The service on the boat was good, and the company of my wife, my niece, and Sister Shull made the journey unusually pleasant to me.
On our arrival at this place [Honolulu] we were met by Brother and Sister Conway, Brother and Sister McKeague, and Sister Robinson, our missionary workers, and also by some of the church members. They gave us a royal welcome, I can assure you, and we are having a delightful time in this beautiful place.
Each night we gather in our church for service. The brethren and sisters have wanted meetings, and they have needed help. So I have felt that I must have a meeting every night. On Sabbath they wanted me to give the Sabbath school a talk. I also spoke at the regular hour in the forenoon. As they were having an interesting time in the federal prison, they were anxious for me to meet the officials and the two hundred prisoners, and had arranged for me to address them, which I did at three o’clock. Then they asked me to speak to the young people at four thirty, and as this would be my only chance, I felt that I ought to do so. This made four addresses during the day, but really, I did not see how I could do anything less. Had I been remaining several weeks, I could have avoided it. I hope I shall not have to repeat this program; and yet you can imagine how it will be all the way along. Well, I am out to do the best I can, and shall go, I suppose, to about the limit of endurance.
Today is a national holiday in honor of Hawaii’s first great king, Kamehameha I. Leading natives have come from the different islands for a great pageant. We shall see them in their native costumes of nearly a century ago.
In a little less than a week we are to leave on the steamship “Marama” for Fiji and New Zealand. We can spend only one day, the twenty-sixth, at Fiji, and are due at Auckland, New Zealand, the last day of this month. It will be twenty-eight years since I landed in that city, a total stranger to everybody, to proclaim our message there. I need not tell you that I am looking forward to my visit there with great interest.
A. G. DANIELLS.