NEW ZEALAND by A. T. Robinson

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 14, 1902

NEW ZEALAND.

By A. T. Robinson

Neidpath Road, Eglinton, Dunedin, New Zealand, Nov. 22, 1901.

My Dear Brother Smith: My mind often wanders back to the homeland, and to dear friends whom we learned to love in the Lord. How sad it seems to think that the ranks of the pioneers in the message have become so thinned; also to learn of so many of the younger generation of laborers falling at their post. We received word a few days ago of the death of Brother Fred Mead, of Buluwayo, also of D. T. Jones. How long shall death, the tyrant, reign? How many more of the faithful soldiers of the cross must fall ere the last enemy shall be destroyed?

I think I have not written to you since we left South Africa, but presume you have had a general idea of our movements. We were in South Africa a little less than six years. We came to Australia in October, 1897, and were connected with the Victorian Conference until February, 1900, when Mrs. Robinson and I were called to Cooranbong, New South Wales, to act as Bible teachers in the school. We remained there until the last Union Conference, when, in response to a request from the New Zealand Conference, we were invited to open mission work here in the city of Dunedin, New Zealand, where we arrived September 1, of the present year.

We have enjoyed a good degree of health and many precious experiences during these ten years. By the way, as I think back, I am reminded that it is just ten years ago yesterday since we left New York.

Unless it be Port Elizabeth, Cape Colony, Dunedin is the most picturesque city I was ever in. The main business portion of the city is composed of three or four streets running the whole length of the city, on flat ground close to the water of the bay; but all the resident portion of the town is built on the sides and top of hills, and much of the way to these houses one has to climb up by steps. For instance, the house we live in is so high that our front veranda is on a level with the houses on the opposite side of the street, while the fruit garden, at the back, is just on a level with our back veranda. From the bay window of the room where I am writing, we look down upon terrace after terrace of residences, and at the bottom, the whole of the southern suburbs of the city is spread out before us; and looking out over all, we get an excellent view of the ocean. In another direction, we look down upon the main business portion of the city, and thence out upon the bay and harbor. There are the most charming views from these hills that I have ever seen. A climb of fifteen minutes, some of the way so steep that only foot passengers can get up, brings us from the post-office, and center of the city. I suppose it is about three quarters of a mile up and one half a mile down.

We are beginning to see good fruit of our work here. Some are accepting the truth, although we have so far worked in a quiet way, not having held any public meetings. This is a Scotch city, and very Scotch at that. If one wants to see Scotch Presbyterianism, blossomed and gone to seed, he never need go farther than Dunedin.

The New Zealand camp-meeting is now in session at Palmerston North, in the North Island. About the end of December we are expecting Elder Farnsworth to spend a month or six weeks here in Dunedin, and we hope to open fire on the town, in quite a vigorous manner. We are expecting to see a great stir when the nests of the Presbyterian preachers are meddled with.

My heart was touched with tenderness and love for dear old Elder Butler, on reading his letter in the REVIEW several weeks ago. I thought I would write him a good long letter, but I presume, like many other good resolves, time will pass without my doing so. If you should be in correspondence with him, kindly remember me to him. I believe the Lord has a special regard for the men who have worn themselves out, and have almost gone into the grave, beneath the pressure of the work.

What I started to write you about was to say that I am sending, under another cover, some copy for the REVIEW, if it is deemed suitable matter. One short article is on “The Rich Man and Lazarus.” I have also written a series of six articles under the general heading of “God’s Kingdom in This World.” These articles are written especially to meet the fallacy of the British Israel theory. Perhaps you do not meet that error so much in the States, but here it is almost universally believed. The churches are just permeated with it. It is the worst doctrine we have to meet, in the way of taking off the real edge of every phase of the message. You may look these articles over, and if you think they will not meet some real want, in the way of presenting this question to the readers of the REVIEW, of course I would rather you would not use them. I am sending them for publication in the Bible Echo, and I thought they might be run through the REVIEW as well, as the two papers are not very extensively read by the same persons.

With very kind regards to yourself, family, and co-workers, Sincerely yours, A. T. ROBINSON.