A Trip Through Cuba by U. BENDER

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 10, 1907

A Trip Through Cuba

By U. BENDER

U. BENDER

THE first glimpse I had of Cuba was on the morning of January 11 while en route from New York to Kingston, Jamaica, to attend the West Indian Union Conference. As I came on deck that morning, Elder Warren pointed to a dark outline to the southwest, and said, “They say that is Cuba.” Nearly all day we kept close to the shore as we sailed around the eastern end into the Windward Passage, the outlet of the Caribbean Sea between Cuba and Hayti. Any bit of land draws the attention of people aboard ship, but Cuba was especially interesting to us, as it is the largest island in this field, and also has the largest population. The area is forty-seven thousand square miles, with a population of two million.

After spending some time in Jamaica, I took passage for Cuba, March 26, landing in Santiago the next morning. As we steamed into the long, narrow channel that leads to the harbor, I remembered the account given in the papers of the desperate attempt of the Spanish fleet to escape from this bay, where they had been bottled up by the American squadron. Old Moro Castle stands on the right hand near the sea, grim and solemn as a Roman guard. The marks of battle are still to be seen upon its walls and tower, giving evidence to the familiar history of those stirring times. Santiago is a beautiful city of about

seventy-five thousand people. It is very strongly built, after the Spanish fashion, of brick and cement. I stayed in the city from 8 A. M., the time we landed, until 6 A. M. the next day, when I took the train for Havana.

The distance between Santiago and Havana is five hundred and forty miles, and it takes twenty-five hours to make the trip by rail. Cuba is about eight hundred miles long. It is one of the great islands that are told to rejoice and be glad when the Lord reigns.

I enjoyed this car ride across Cuba very much. As soon as we passed out of the mountains in the eastern end, we came to long level stretches of country heavily timbered. Beyond this came the beautiful savanas (prairies) for which central Cuba is noted. Western Cuba is given largely to the sugar industry. I arrived in Havana in the morning, very glad to reach the end of the journey. Five hundred and forty miles is not a long trip, but when one rides second class and endures all the tobacco smoke the Cubans can puff, the last station is reached none too soon.

With her population of two hundred and twenty-five thousand souls, Havana sits proudly by the sea with an ease and grace seldom seen. She is fair to behold, and travelers leaving on the steamers usually gaze as long as a tower remains in sight. After some difficulty I reached the home of Elder E. W. Snyder. I was glad to meet Elder Snyder and wife, for it is unpleasant to travel when one is unable to understand the language of the country, and has no one with him to tell him the meaning of so many sounds and gestures.

Elder Snyder is the only worker we have in this field. Think of stretching the area of the State of Pennsylvania out into a narrow strip reaching from Philadelphia to Chicago, and then making it the field of labor for one man! If you were the one laboring alone in such a large field, would you feel that you were selfish to ask that some one come to help you?

I remained in Cuba only two weeks, but during this time I became deeply interested in the work there. Although Elder Snyder is alone, yet I thank God that he has a message which is “the power of God unto salvation.” As I visited among the people with him, I was glad to see that in some lives the seeds of truth are steadily growing. Since leaving the island, I have received good reports of the work being done near Havana.

The Church of Rome has hidden the truth from the people of this country, but through the darkness hanging over them, God will cause the rays of his truth to shine, and the honest in heart will see the beams of his glory, and will walk in that light which leads to the everlasting kingdom. I trust that our brethren and sisters will not forget this needy field, but that they will remember it in their prayers and by their means.

Bog Walk, Jamaica.