EASTWARD BOUND by W. C. White

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Feb 11, 1897

EASTWARD BOUND.

By W. C. White

[A few notes by the way from the district superintendent of General Conference District No. 9, embracing Australasia.]

At the Sydney Australia Conference, it was decided that I should attend the General Conference, appointed to convene in Lincoln, Nebraska, Feb. 19, 1897. For five years we had been in Australia, and the matter of a visit to the United States was freely discussed. Both my mother, Mrs. E. G. White, and myself had received urgent invitations to attend this conference. While mother advised me to attend, she said that she did not think it her duty to cross the Pacific Ocean again, and again engage in active labor, where there were so many calls that would take time and strength from the work of writing, which she felt to be of first importance.

The days allotted to preparation for the journey soon slipped away, and December 20 I bade farewell to my family and friends in Cooranbong, and the following day boarded the Monowai, the most comfortable of the five ships sailing between Australia and America. Sister May Israel, going to join her family in California, was also a passenger on the Monowai. Four days and five hours’ sailing brought us to the Auckland pier, at 10 P. M. December 25. We looked in vain for a familiar face, and the next morning early, started out to find our friends. The first suburban train took us to Remuera, where we found Elder Steed and family, who gave us a hearty welcome, and told us that Elder S. N. Haskell was in Auckland. Brethren Geo. Teasdale and Thomas Skinner, with whom I wished to confer about the educational work, were also there.

Here we learned that the recent general meeting in Auckland, and the conference session, held in Napier, were occasions of great encouragement to our people. Reports from the field showed that interests were springing up in various places, and it was ascertained that during the last twelve months, forty persons had embraced the Sabbath truth, who had never seen a Seventh-day Adventist minister. This was largely the result of the faithful circulation of our religious books and periodicals.

A decided thrill of encouragement passed through the conference when it was ascertained that Elder E. W. Farnsworth would spend most of his time in New Zealand, and fully identify himself with that conference. His first work will be to organize a corps of workers, and open up a mission in the important city of Christchurch.

After brief interviews with our friends, we attended the regular Sabbath meeting, where Elder Haskell spoke with great clearness on the Judgment. Altho sometimes suffering from physical weakness, Brother Haskell presents the precious and thrilling truths of the Gospel with even greater power than in former years. He was going north to visit old friends at Kaeo, after which we hope he will spend some time in Sydney and Brisbane.

We left Auckland at two o’clock Sabbath afternoon, and six days and three hours brought us to Apia, Samoa. Immediately the anchor dropped, Dr. M. G. Kellogg was on board, and in ten minutes we were on shore. What a delightful sensation, to walk on solid ground, surrounded by the most delightful tropical scenery in the midst of our sea voyage. At the landing we were met by Mrs. Dr. Kellogg, Miss Emily McCoy, and Miss Louise Burkhardt. Leaving the boat, we crossed Apia’s one principal street, which skirts the beach of the semicircular harbor, and, taking a path which led straight into the thick groves of tall tropical trees, we found that this thick forest was everywhere intersected with these narrow paths, along which were built the native houses.

Ten minutes’ easy walk brought us to the Samoan Medical Mission and Hospital. On a gentle rise of ground stands the mission house, a good wholesome-looking structure, with fourteen rooms, and a two-story veranda all around it. I call it a house of fourteen rooms, because that is the plan. When we were there, some of the board partitions were not yet built, and heavy canvas served as partitions till the two faithful workmen could complete the subdivision. Dr. Kellogg estimated that he and Brother D. A. Owen had earnest work for six months yet to complete this large house. The hospital was a three-roomed cottage standing just across the way, which had been rented for the use of natives and their friends and attendants, when recovering from surgical operations.

At the mission we met Dr. and Mrs. Braucht, Brother Owen and a younger daughter, and Brother Flooding. Here also we met Elder E. Hilliard, of Tonga, who had come to have some much needed dental work done by Dr. Braucht, who is dentist as well as physician and surgeon.

After a careful inspection of the grounds and buildings, during which I was convinced that the location was well chosen, and that the buildings were well planned, and would be very suitable for the work in hand, we devoted three hours to conversation about the work. How glad I was of the captain’s assurance that the ship would not sail before ten o’clock! We talked fast and faithfully, stopping only for refreshments, where an ample table was profusely spread with both tropical and American products. Fresh young coconuts served for milk, breadfruit boiled, for one of the vegetables, with German lentils and Michigan sweet corn, California nuts and raisins, and then native pineapples, oranges, bananas, guavas, and other fruits whose names I have forgotten, composed the supper.

We learned that on first coming to the island, the doctor had been thronged with patients, some really sick, and some curious to see his new instruments, and try his new medicine. After the curious were disposed of, and

departed with the bottle of medicine which they insisted on having, there were numbers needing skilful attention, and many who required serious surgical operations. Success has attended all lines of work, but that which has caused the greatest surprise, is the rapid recovery of the severe surgical cases.

Each patient undergoing an operation, brings three to seven friends and attendants, who stay with him, day after day, till he goes home. Right here, with these waiting friends and attendants, is a most excellent opportunity for evangelistic work. The doctor is too full of his medical work to learn well the language, and this grand opportunity goes unimproved. His only male attendant, Willie Flooding, is too young to bear this responsibility.

The work here calls for an energetic evangelist, a graduate from one of our colleges, quick to learn language, and full of energy. I plead for such a man for Samoa. Island work calls for a large proportion of educated men.

There were twelve of us to unite in praise and prayer, after which they loaded us with hampers of choice fruits, and bade us good-by. Drs. Braucht and Kellogg and two of the ladies accompanied us to the boat landing. There we learned that over seventy-five tons of copra were going on board, and the steamer would not sail till after one. So we found shelter from the rain, and continued our visit.

At half past ten our boatmen called us, for others were ready to go. We said, “Go, and return for us.” They returned in thirty minutes, and soon urged us to go, as others were ready. We said, “Go, and return for us.” Then we visited on, uninterrupted. Twelve passed, and half past, but no boatmen. At one we began to be uneasy; at half past one, anxious. Finally the whistle of the Monowai told us to come on board, but yet no boatmen. The boatmen were all engaged in a dance on the deck of our steamer, at the close of which they collected about $3.00.

We began to think how it would seem to spend a month in Samoa, when we were expected in California. Dr. Braucht rushed into the forest, and soon found a boatman. He came out very sleepy, and we helped launch a clumsy boat. Then our boatman discovered that he had no oars. We sent him off for oars, and were just ready to start when the other boatmen came, and began quarreling about our patronage. We pushed them aside, entered the clumsy boat with the single oarsman, and scarcely breathed for anxiety, during the fifteen minutes he was rowing us to the steamer. At last we were there, and in less than five minutes the great steamer was moving out of the harbor. W. C. WHITE.