p. 78 | Notes of Travel by Editor

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Feb 15, 1883

Notes of Travel.

By Editor

DURING the last thirty years we have traveled a great deal by public conveyance, and have very seldom spoken a word concerning our travels, or the means of conveyance to which we resorted. We now depart from our custom because we have a few things which we wish to say.

Having business in Chicago to detain us a couple of days, we took occasion to call on our old-time friend, Col. George R. Clarke, whose principal business is the care of the "Pacific Garden Mission," in which he is doing a good work for the poor and destitute who cannot be reached by ordinary church work. He has spent considerable money to establish the mission, and is spending considerable to keep it in operation; but he and his estimable wife have devoted their lives to the work, and feel happy in the performance of their duty to suffering humanity. We accompanied them to their home in Morgan Park, where we had the pleasure of calling on Prof. W. R. Harper, who is at the head of the "Hebrew Correspondence School," and editor of the Hebrew Student. Dr. Harper is doing more than any other man in the United States to extend the knowledge of the original of the Old Testament. We are pleased to know that his work is proving successful, and that many are studying Hebrew who would probably never have learned the Hebrew alphabet had it not been for his efforts; while many who have studied it, are availing themselves of the opportunity offered in his school to increase their knowledge of this interesting and important branch of Biblical study.

From the amount of labor he has been performing we have feared that he would early break down in health. But we found him of strong build, in the prime of youthful manhood, and we think he is capable of enduring much. We have little fear of his health if he will carry out the plan he laid down for himself: to take rest whenever he found that he could not eat heartily and sleep readily. We commend this rule to all mental workers; wish we could carry it out ourselves!

While in Chicago we had the pleasure of making acquaintance with "Bishop McNamara," who stands at the head of the "Reformed Catholic" movement in the United States. The Bishop says he is "Catholic, but not Roman." We have before spoken of this movement, to which we wish abundant success. These people can meet the Catholic people and show them the errors of Romanism where Protestants cannot.

In our frequent journeyings over the "Great West" we have traveled over the various lines of railroad, but mostly over the "Burlington Route." The "C. B. & Q." became a favorite with us some years ago, and our "bump of continuity" is so large that we have retained it in our favor still. By this line we went to Kansas City. Here we find something to blame. So many roads have their terminus in the Union Depot in Kansas City that we consider it inexcusable that the waiting-room should be so destitute of comforts and conveniences. It is a fault that should be remedied without unnecessary delay.

Of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad we have heard but one opinion; it receives the unqualified praise of all its patrons as far as we know. The managers seem to strive to unite their interest with the interests of those who travel on it; not inclining to take advantage of the circumstance that many are obliged to travel on that line. We sincerely hope that it will sometime extend as an independent route to the Pacific Coast.

Feeling a just pride in California enterprise we are more than willing to extend a good word to our Pacific lines wherever the occasion offers. They have done much to develop the wonderful resources of this State. The improvements they have made are of a substantial nature, an honor to those who have projected and perfected them. But we consider it a duty we owe to the public to mention a matter hoping thereby to prevent its recurrence.

For several reasons we chose to take the "Emigrant Train" from Kansas City to San Francisco. At Deming, where we changed to the Southern Pacific road, a sick Chinaman was placed in the rear car, which was in part occupied with families containing women and children. We do not mention this because the sick man was a Chinaman, but the man was very sick, and his sickness was of such a nature as to make his presence a grievous annoyance to the passengers, especially to the families. We were not in that car, but formed a pleasant acquaintance with some who were, among whom we will only mention Mr. Amos Hill, who, with his wife and the family of his son, was going to join his son in San Juan, Washington Territory. Mr. Hill was formerly from Rugby, England, but lately from Knoxville, Tenn. He was in the employ of the well-known "Rugby Colony" in Tennessee as one of the early managers of the farming interests there. He is an intelligent Christian gentleman of pleasing manners. He made several efforts to have the passengers relieved from their disagreeable surroundings, but in vain. Finally at Indio, where a stop was made for supper on Tuesday evening, Feb. 6, he appealed to the agent. It was evident that the sick man could not live many hours, and he asked that he might be removed from the car, to die somewhere else. Relief was promised; but the promise was not made good. About midnight the Chinaman died in the car, and there he lay, just where he died, until the train reached Los Angeles next morning. And even then there seemed to be no haste in the work of removal.

We cannot think that justice was done to the passengers in this car; and we chronicle the event that the managers of the road may instruct their employees to not permit its repetition, or that the public may understand the facts if a repetition is to be expected.

We arrived in Oakland the morning of Feb. 9. Though we felt worn, we stood our journey well, and are thankful for good health. A dry, cold winter is the best for our health, but of course, we cannot bear exposure as we could years ago. This winter we suffered too much exposure to enjoy the cold of the East, and we are free to confess that, under the circumstances, we longed for the temperature of Oakland. But this has been a dry, cold winter in California, as almost every appearance indicates. Many leaves have been touched with frost; flowers are few; the callas have mostly made futile attempts to unclose; there is a lack of the usual deep green of this season of the year. The valley of the San Joaquin gives little encouragement of a wheat crop; and the papers report snow as recently as Feb. 6 in Petaluma, Napa, Dixon, and four inches of snow as far south as Hanford. But our friends in the East may form some idea of the difference between "cold weather" there and in California from the fact that we saw fresh strawberries in the market in Los Angeles.

We find the work prosperously moving in Oakland, though some have had to bear too many and too heavy burdens in the absence of Bro. White and our-self. We hope Bro. White may soon return, and we trust that, after a few days, we shall recover our strength and energy for constant labor in the cause to which we have cheerfully, gladly, devoted our life.