A Pleasant Trip by B. E. Connerly

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 14, 1907

A Pleasant Trip

By B. E. Connerly

B. E. CONNERLY

After celebrating the week of prayer with our two churches in Porto Rico, I left San Juan for the West Indian Union Conference, to be held at Kingston, Jamaica. Traveling by a slow steamer that did local work among the islands, I was given a good opportunity to visit several ports in the republic of Santo Domingo, and also in Hayti, and was able to do some work.

Santo Domingo has an area of 18,045 square miles, and a population of nearly seven hundred thousand. Spanish is the prevailing language. It would seem impossible for any country to pass through more changes, or to have more wars and revolutions, than have fallen to the lot of this little republic in the last four hundred years, since Columbus sailed his three little barks into the mouth of the Ozama River, the site of the present city of Santo Domingo, the capital of the republic. As war has been the principal occupation of the people, their country has been neglected, and its resources are undeveloped. The soil is still virgin. Vast forests of mahogany, ebony, and satinwood still stand, practically unmolested. Coffee, chocolate, oranges, bananas, and cotton grow wild. Sugar-cane is the only crop that the people pretend to cultivate. Some mining is being done at present, as gold, silver, copper, and coal are found there.

The Catholic religion is strong,—I counted sixteen churches in the capital alone,—and, as a result, there is much superstition and ignorance. Only a small per cent of the people are educated.

Columbus is a great hero among them. They claim that immediately after entering their harbor, he became infatuated by a damsel who came to meet him, married her, and made his home there. Now these people can show you the home of Columbus, the church he attended, and his tomb; the altar where his wife worshiped, and her tomb; also the home of his son, and many other antique memorials of the great sailor. But the traveler has little confidence in these stories, as history does not corroborate them. While listening to one man who was telling me about the great ‘Colon,’ I said, ‘Did you know Columbus?’ Throwing both hands above his head, in a gesture of astonishment, he replied, ‘Who-ee, a man! Columbus died when my father was a little boy.’

Since the intervention of the United States, Santo Domingo has a fairly stable government, making it perfectly safe for missionaries to come. Thus far there has been practically nothing done; but now is the time. The people are ready for the message; and, realizing this, Satan is astir, and is sending there ship-loads of liquor, and many gamblers. God has led one of our boys to go there from Porto Rico. He became discouraged, went to Santo Domingo, and got employment, and has been telling people of our work, of the Sabbath, and of the coming of the Lord, so that when I went there, I found quite an interest. We surely must follow up this opening that the Lord has made. Arrangements have already been made for Brother Spied, a tailor, elder of the Port Antonio church in Jamaica, to go next month to the city of Santo Domingo as a self-supporting worker.

We stopped at two places in Hayti, the black republic—another needy field. But here we saw signs of life. Brother Tanner has caused a ‘sound of going’ in many parts of that island.

At Jacmel we tried to land, but were not permitted to do so for an hour or two, because the mayor or some other official suspected me of being an ex-convict, who had escaped and was returning for treasure that he had hidden in the mountains. After some persuasion, and tangible evidence that I would purchase wares of the venders, he let me land, but placed me under the custody of some soldiers. Afterward I found the consul from Santo Domingo. As he could speak Spanish, we were able to converse, and he showed me about the city, telling me many things about these superstitious people.

Sabbath morning, January 19, we entered the beautiful harbor of Kingston. Soon after, we arrived in the city, and a little later reached the Seventh-day Adventist church, just in time for Sabbath-school. O how good it was to meet the dear brethren, after having been on the frontier for more than four years! After Sabbath-school, Elder Farnsworth preached. How it did our souls good to hear again a stirring advent sermon! After lunch came an excellent testimony meeting, in which five hundred brethren took part. The Jamaica Conference is developing some strong young men, who will be a blessing to the work.

Just as the business work of the West Indian Union Conference began, the great earthquake came. That, for the time, seemed to frustrate our plans; but in reality it turned to the furtherance of the third angel’s message. After arranging for some of the Jamaica brethren to go to Santo Domingo, to help us open the work there, we went to the States, by way of Philadelphia and Washington. At the latter place it was decided for me to visit the New York Conferences, and tell the churches of our work in the islands. It was, indeed, a great privilege for me, after more than four years’ absence, to visit the dear Advent people who are traveling the ‘narrow path.’ As we talked concerning what the Lord has caused us to experience, it bound us together in a bond of deeper love, and trials seemed to lose their sting. We talked of the time when Jesus will gather us beside the river of life, and, in the shade of the tree of life, will explain why he permitted trials to come into our lives, and their purposes there. In the contemplation of such joys, ‘Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.’