TRIP WEST by James White

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 29, 1868

TRIP WEST.

By James White

[SINCE Bro. White left for the western camp-meeting, we have received from him the following line, which may have been intended for a private note; but as it will be of interest to all the readers of the REVIEW, we give it.]

Bro. Smith: In an hour after we left you and the friends at Battle Creek, the excitement of packing up and getting on the train passed away, and we found ourselves very weary. These visits to Battle Creek, where we find so much to do in a short time, are wearing to brain and nerve. If frequently made, and attended with so much labor, our work will be quite as wearing as if we were located near where we could perform a more temperate amount of work each day.

We reached Chicago at 8 in the evening, and stopped at the Massasoit House, near the Great Union Depot. I called for a retired, well-ventilated room, and good bed, and found as good as we ever occupied, and at reasonable cost. We never slept better at a hotel, and are refreshed.

We are now passing the open prairie, in full speed, toward the place of meeting. The day is fine. The sun is shining brightly, and the cool breeze comes in at the open window as I write. Its refreshing influence is in wide contrast with the fire-heated air in yesterday's car, which made us all faint and languid. When good air is so cheap, and so necessary to life and health, what a shame that car-travelers must be deprived of it.

I find in this car a widowed lady of middle age, from Ohio, with her son and daughter, who has often entertained my brother that is a Methodist minister in that State. Our conversation has been agreeable. I have given her tracts, and wish I had a copy of Life Incidents for her. I have handed each of the children a copy of “Little Will,” the sweetest little book for children ever in print; and they are all reading.

A lady living at Morrison, Ill., by some reason learning that we were to stop there, made such inquiries of Bro. Andrews as led him to state that we were going to camp-meeting near her place. He has invited her to attend, giving her books. While I write, she is reading.

I question the propriety of going through the cars, and handing our tracts to all. But the close, discerning observer will find in every car, more or less who will gratefully receive our tracts, and will converse candidly upon important points of Bible truth. This is a delightful field of labor. How pleasantly and swiftly pass the otherwise tedious hours of travel.

In our haste in leaving you, we did not take a full supply of tracts and books to give to fellow-passengers. This is often the case with us, and we as often resolve to take more the next time. JAMES WHITE.