Experiences in Locating Our Press at Soekaboemi, Java
By J. W. HOFSTRA
WELL do I remember the seventeenth of January. I had been riding horseback all day in the penetrating sunshine of this climate, returning home a few minutes before our mail was received. Among the letters was one from Brother W. W. Fletcher, saying we were selected to locate the press in Java. He wrote me when he planned to leave Singapore, and appointed the place of meeting. This letter had been delayed, so that when I received it, Brother Fletcher was already awaiting me in Soekaboemi. I had no time to lose. That very evening about half-past eight I started off in the dense darkness to find Loembang, a village where Tindik and I would be able to get horses to carry us to Pandaan. Tindik is one of our Chinese brethren, born in Sumatra; he speaks the Malay language fluently, and for this reason it was thought best to take him with me to the place where I had to board the train, because I spoke as yet very little Malay. We succeeded in securing good horses, arriving at Pandaan about eleven o’clock. Here the Lord again blessed our efforts, this time to get a man to take us to the next place, called Porrong. And here, too, although past midnight, and with more difficulty, a man was found to take us with his docar, a small carriage, to our railroad station, Sishoardjo, where we arrived at half-past one. The first thing naturally, was to inquire for a hotel. The only one in the whole place was kept by a Chinese, so the next thing was to arouse him out of his slumbers. In this we succeeded, too, to our sorrow. He evidently knew that he was “the only one,” and that we were dependent on him for some rest and sleep. He acted so mean and used such language that I suggested to Tindik that we take our suit cases and leave him, choosing the silent stars for company, rather than to be in the power of this man. We walked to the depot, but found this closed, as no trains move at night in Java. For this reason we sat down on the front step of the building under the arc-light. We felt sure our troubles had then ended, and all there was left for us to do was to look for daylight; but herein we had made a miscalculation. We had only been there a few minutes when a Javanese watchman came walking slowly toward us. It was evident he did not notice any one until close by, and he was more scared than we were; for undoubtedly he thought he was face to face with a couple of desperadoes who were planning to relieve the depot of its valuables. When he recovered from his fright, he stammered out to us that we were not allowed to stay there, and on asking where we had to go, we learned we had “to be so kind” as to go to the Javanese watchpost until daylight. He accompanied us to this place, and left us under the protecting care of four of his companions, with whom we spent the rest of that night,—not the most pleasant experience, you would agree, if you had the chance to see the place, and to get just one breath of the filthy odors all about us. At six o’clock we left this never-to-be-forgotten place for Soekaboemi, where we arrived the next day in the evening. Brother Fletcher was awaiting us at the depot. I had expected to meet only him; but on arriving at his rooms, we found11Sister Fletcher there also. This was indeed a pleasing surprise; for you know things look so much more homelike when a woman is one of the company, and the food also tastes so much better. Brother Fletcher had used the time he had been waiting for me to secure information regarding the shipping fares to the nearest seaport, Tandjong Prick, from Soekaboemi and from Buitenzorg. After seeking the Lord for his guidance, the next two days were devoted to looking the town over, street after street, for empty houses wherever the location seemed fit. We found many vacant places. Usually the houses for Europeans are very scarce in the cities of Java; but Soekaboemi being a refuge from the heat of Batavia and other cities, made at this time of the year a happy exception, as this was in the cool or rainy season. We feel sure God guided in our reaching Soekaboemi at this season of the year. As the next day was the Sabbath, we “rested . . . according to the commandment,” God graciously fulfilling his promise that, “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Sunday we started over the town once more, this time sifting the places looked over, until we had but three left, the most suitable of all we had found. From these three locations we chose again with regard to the following points: price, importance of street, healthfulness of surroundings, location as to the depot and the business section of the town, and finally the adaptability of the house for our purposes, the result being that we settled upon our present location.