Darlaston, England by John Norton Loughborough

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Nov 10, 1881

Darlaston, England

By John Norton Loughborough

DARLASTON, ENGLAND. THOSE who have read the lives of John or Charles Wesley well remember the account of their persecutions from the mob at Wednesburg, Staffordshire, and how Charles, being taken by the mob at Walsall near Birmingham, was carried by them to Wednesburg and Darlaston, being in their hands for more than an hour. Although the mob met him intent on killing him, his mild and kind course in talking with them caused even their captain, who approached with his sword drawn, to retreat in silence.

I came from Southampton to this place Oct. 7. Leaving the train at Wednesburg I walked, with a friend who met me, to Darlaston, one and one half miles. In doing this we passed over the route that the mob carried Charles Wesley, and to the point where John met him. John said, "From the usage they had given Charles' clothing, while in their hands, he looked very much like a martyr." Their earnest labors and sufferings in these parts have borne fruits that remain. In this town are two large Methodist Chapels, the Wesleyan and the Primitive Methodist. These are both well filled with worshipers. In fact the main strength of dissenters at this point is Methodism. On Sunday morning last I listened to an earnest discourse given in the Wesleyan Chapel, and in the afternoon, by request, I spoke for nearly half an hour to their Sunday-school of over two hundred scholars. In the evening I commenced a series of meetings in the "Public Hall" in the town with an attendance of over one hundred persons. A home has been kindly offered me with a family who have been reading our publications with interest.

Our work at Southampton is still making some advancement and we are gaining interested readers of our papers all the time. A fortnight since we learned of a free reading-room for sailors at the harbor of Odessa, Southern Russia, on the shore of the Black sea. Odessa is the great outlet for the vast quantities of grain raised in Southern Russia. A large proportion of this grain comes to England, and so many of her ships are attracted to that port. The harbor is some little distance from the city. The English Consul at Odessa found the sailors exposed to many temptations to evil by having no suitable place of resort near the ships. He had much difficulty in settling drunken quarrels, etc. He proposed to the English residents of the city the erection of a "Sailors Home" at the port. His proposition called forth a ready response of the needed means. A building has accordingly been constructed with three separate departments; one for captains, one for officers, and one for seamen. A man and his wife are paid £80 (about $400) per year to keep the building in order. Twenty beds are always kept in readiness for any disabled or destitute seamen, and meals are served for those in need. Stamps and writing materials are kept for the accommodation of the guests. A reading-room is attached where books and papers are furnished. The expenses of the institution are met by voluntary contributions, chiefly from captains of vessels visiting that port. As a rule with themselves they each give on entering the port five roubles, about $2.50 American money. Captains have also the privilege of furnishing books or papers to the reading-room.

A captain, who visited the port of Southampton with grain, while his ship was in port became much interested in reading our publications and kindly offered to place some in the reading-room at Odessa. We made up quite a parcel for him, consisting of one of our ship libraries, some back volumes of the Review, Signs, Instructor, True Missionary, and nearly one year's numbers of Good Health. He cheerfully accepted these to be placed in the Odessa English Sailor's Reading-room.

As the result of posting Signs and Catalogues, orders for books and subscriptions for Signs still continue to come to our depository. A paper seems to be an indispensable auxiliary to our work in this mission. We hope our American brethren will either continue the one thousand Signs per week for 1882, or permit a paper to be started here; either a monthly, or an eight page semi-monthly, of magazine form.

Bro. Ings and the friends at Southampton are pushing on the work at the depository while I make an effort in the "midland counties" of England. Still pray for us. Our hope is in God. He is our help and our strength in this work. He has himself said, "Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH. Darlaston, Eng., Oct. 11, 1881.