Central America by A. L. PHILBRICK

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 28, 1909

Central America

By A. L. PHILBRICK

GUATEMALA.— The work in general seems to be taking “homeward” strides here. But personally I have been much occupied, trying to master a new tongue. You doubtless know some of the difficulties of learning a new language. Being in a country so wholly Spanish gives one the feeling that doubtless prevailed in the time of the building of Babel. Notwithstanding the difficulties, we are making some progress, and are now able to make necessary purchases, and when talking to some one who knows a few words of English, we are able to get along fairly well.

One of the great difficulties encountered here in presenting the truth is the fact that the people have been so long taught the beliefs and superstitions of the Catholic Church. The training has been of that type which undermines faith in the Bible. Thus we are left without much to use in convincing them of the true way. The superstition is appalling. There is always a concourse of people, making their way to the cathedral, candle in hand, who bow down to images of wood, stone, or even mud. The craftsmen in the shops make these images, paint them pretty colors, and send them to the cathedral, and perhaps these very men go with lighted candles, to say their prayers to these same images. Often the church parades march all night,—poor, tired, sin-sick souls, seeking rest, and yet refusing it.

When a man thinks he can obtain eternal life by paying a certain amount of money and burning so many candles, it is no small undertaking to convince him that he needs to practise a life of self-denial. To these people, religion is no barrier against sin or crime, but rather a license to practise them. This seems to them an easy road, as they follow the desires of the mind and heart. For example, we have a native helper

who we are convinced regards very lightly, to say the least, the eighth and ninth precepts of the decalogue, yet would not think of going to bed without smoking a number of cigarettes, and then saying prayers before a lighted candle and an image. I have used every argument to convince her that dead people can not walk around, but seemingly to no avail. She still persists in saying that we are nightly visited by numbers of restless spirits, and she thinks we ought to burn some candles. Every kind of candle will not be accepted; it must be made of dirty, stale grease, the odor of which is unpleasant to one not accustomed to such things.

It seems that the only way in which we can overcome such unreasonable superstition is by educating the people away from these ideas. This seems a slow process. But we are of good courage, and believe that the Lord has some souls here whom he would have us seek out.

Each day it is plainly to be seen that the enemy is at work darkening the minds of the people, to make sure they will not accept the truth when it comes to them.

A. L. PHILBRICK.