The North African Mission by L. R. CONRADI

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 3, 1914

The North African Mission

By L. R. CONRADI

(Concluded)

L. R. CONRADI

In the afternoon we took the train for Algiers and reached it in nine hours. Here Brother Colthurst and another brother met us, and took us to a pension kept by one of our aged sisters. This beautiful city has today, with its suburbs, 172,000 inhabitants, mostly European. From the high tower of the Emperor Fort, we enjoyed a beautiful view of the whole city, which spreads out around the bay in the shape of a half-moon and then rises in terraces to a considerable height. The European quarter contains fine buildings from six to eight stories high. The finest one is the new post office.

A German sister who carries on a good business here with native embroideries, and employs about one hundred native women in their homes, was so kind as to introduce us into some of their homes. In order to visit the Jewish and Arab quarters, we had to climb up hundreds of steps. The alleys are so narrow that the houses often touch one another, and sometimes are connected by covered gangways. Over many doors, one sees a hand painted, which probably serves the same purpose as a horseshoe with superstitious persons in some countries. In one of the houses seven poor families live. The houses have but few windows toward the street and let in no sunshine, but they have an open court in the interior. The women wore no veils, and showed us all the rooms, which had hardly any furniture. In another house a well-to-do Arab lived, who had two wives. We were not admitted to the women’s apartment. His best room was beautifully furnished with inlaid furniture. These Arabic homes often contain in their interior furnishings greater luxury and pomp than many European houses.

But the most pleasant scene we saw in the evening. Our little hall was filled with forty listeners. Some of them had come over an hour’s journey on foot and were very much interested. Several had already begun to obey the Sabbath commandment, and there is a good prospect of an increase. Elder L. P. Tieche spoke the next evening. Elder J. C. Guenin came a week ahead of us from Constantine and celebrated with them the Lord’s Supper, and held a meeting every evening.

On May 13, fourteen hours in some of the best cars I have seen anywhere on French soil brought us to Constantine. The country through which we passed was very fruitful in sections. High up in the mountains we saw bare rocks, then we came down again into beautiful valleys. As there had been no rain for a long time, immense wheat fields were ruined, and had to be plowed up.

Elder Guenin has a good hall in the center of the town, and his lectures are well attended. Constantine, the ancient capital of Numidia, has rather a peculiar location. It is situated on a rocky plateau at an elevation of about 2,000 feet; mighty bridges span the stream that flows in a gorge far below. There are 62,000 people in this town.

Another fourteen hours brought us to Tunis. On the Tunisian border, French customs officials with the Tunisian star on their caps, examined our luggage. Tunis has a population of about 2,000,000, 200,000 of whom live in the capital. One fourth of the population are Jews, and the Jewish women here wear wide trousers instead of skirts. Of the 80,000 Europeans, the majority are Italian. The European quarters contain fine modern buildings and stores. In the narrow bazaar passages, one sees a variegated picture of North African life.

But the most interesting of all was a visit to the ruins of old Carthage. Every half hour the electric tram goes along beside the channel to Goletta, and suddenly we see a railway station named Carthage. Carriages stand ready to take tourists up the hill on which the acropolis of old Carthage stood. We preferred to walk and thus see all the sights to better advantage. We found on the old Byrsa hill a large Catholic cathedral, a mission seminary, orphanage, etc., which Cardinal Lavigerie, the founder of the White Fathers, had erected. The White Fathers are found everywhere in Africa, despite the unhealthful climate. They are on the Victoria Nyanza, Tanganyika, Nyasa, and Kongo. They have a fine museum at Byrsa, with a multitude of Punic antiquities. A little south we come to the village Malga, whose inhabitants live chiefly in the old cisterns of Carthage; and near by is the Roman arena where so many Christians sealed their faith with their blood. In this very arena there is a little subterranean chapel which is dedicated to the martyrs Dativ, Felix, Saturninus, and Victoria, who are referred to in the revised “History of the Sabbath,” pages 283-288. The Catholic Church, by planting its immense institutions here, has made excellent use of this old historic site of Carthage. From this center, Cardinal Lavigerie carried on his zealous propaganda to Romanize Africa. He died here in 1892, and on one side of his tomb we see the representation of a Negro who has been loosened from his chains by the cross. There are immense ruins all about,—old Punic tombs, the ruins of a Christian church, Roman theaters, etc.

Thus far we have no worker whatever in Tunis, nor in Tripoli, where there are one million people. We have only three in Algeria, and one now for populous Morocco. The Lord has done considerable work to prepare the way for us. These old African pirate states, where thousands of Christians were once kept in the worst of servitude, and where a little while ago a Christian was insulted in the public streets, are all now under European rule. The gospel can be preached everywhere. There are thousands of miles of good railways, which facilitate travel in every direction. Fast steamers bring the missionary in a day from France or Italy and in a few hours from Spain. A few decades have sufficed to develop here modern cities with from 30,000 to 200,000 inhabitants. Mighty tracts of barren land have been changed through European industry into fruitful grain fields, vineyards, and orchards. The railway, the pioneer of culture and mission work, is already built right into the Sahara. A million Europeans have settled in North Africa, and they offer a promising field of labor. Many understand Arabic; most of the children can speak it. These people know the customs and the country, and are used to the climate. When they are won to the truth, they have excellent opportunities to win souls, as they employ thousands of Mohammedans. Many of the sixteen million natives know French, others Italian or Spanish, and can be reached through these tongues.

Should we not arise and send more workers to these countries, that the light of the divine truth may again shine there? By God’s grace, already fifty souls are walking in the present truth. The first fruits have been garnered in, the country stands open, and we hear the call, Come over and help us. Certainly it will cost sacrifices, but in this we can learn something from the children of the world. France carried on a terrible war for forty years, sacrificing 500,000 of her sons and spending $500,000,000 in order to conquer Algeria alone. France, Italy, and Spain have not been disheartened by their sacrifices, but each has gone right on in conquering other states. But we have a nobler object in mind: we want to lead souls to Christ. Should we not remember these fields in our prayers? Should we not intercede for our missionaries and members in these countries? Should we not readily give our means in order that the work of the threefold message can be finished, and the Lord of the harvest appear?