Editor’s Tour South

We left home at noon August 1st to attend the fraternal gathering at Martinville, Ark. By traveling day and night we arrived at Plumerville, Ark. at ten o'clock on the second, where vehicles of various descriptions were sent to convey visitors across the country, a distance of nearly twenty miles, to Martinville. Among the passengers overland were Brother Kelley, senior, of Windsor, Fla. and his wife, who has been known till recently in the Advocate as Sister Mary E. Deloziar; also Brother Teas, of Conway, Ark. After an experience of the roughness of Arkansas roads we arrived at our destination in time for the first meeting that night. A goodly number were present; but not till the next day did all the visitors from the surrounding country arrive.

We make our home with Brother and Sister Martin, who have a large summer house situated upon a high hill, where we get the benefit of every breeze that blows. Brother and Sister Martin's home is in Conway, but out here where they have a large farm they spend the summers. The house resembles a hotel, for everybody seems welcome, and during the time of the gathering it might be literally said that the doors are never shut. There is one respect, however, in which it is in contrast with hotels, and that is in the fact that the manifest cheerful welcome to all is not forced into the expression of the host and hostess by the "money there is in it." The welcome is the real thing, that one knows and is made to feel is inspired by the love of the Truth and the good cheer it begets for those who are interested in its progress. There is “no money in it" here; but there must be considerable money out, if one may judge by the number of guests and the hospitable care bestowed upon them. But it is a case where the two words able and willing are companions. The attendance was very good, and the meetings interesting and profitable. Many of the aliens who had attended the meeting last year were present and it was manifest that they had acted the part of the Bereans, ten giving an intelligent answer of the one hope and being baptized during the progress of the meetings.

Much progress has been made by the brethren of Arkansas. When we made our first visit there, about eight years ago, the few who had embraced the Truth seemed in a quandary, not knowing what to do nor how to do. They had not yet come to understand what it was to come out from the world, neither did they yet realize the necessity of forming themselves into an ecclesia for the regular assembling of themselves together to memorialize the Lord's death. An occasional meeting would do, just when it would happen to be convenient, and the convenience largely depending upon a chance visit from a brother able to lecture. Few at that time could see the evil of exercising the "sovereign right of citizens'' in helping the principalities and powers and civil wickedness in the heavenlies of the diabolos run their affairs according to the course of this kosmos. Indeed, some stoutly maintained that it was their duty to help the world run its affairs. But they were a teachable people, and time has shown that many of them were possessed of a "broken and contrite spirit that trembles at God's word." It did not take them long to see that there are dead to bury their dead, and that they could not serve God and diabolos. So they fully made up their minds that one line of politics was enough for them, and now the politics of God's kingdom engage their attention to an extent quite refreshing to an observer who has witnessed the progress made.

A good sized “shed'' has been built at Martinville by the brethren in which to hold the fraternal gathering, the little meeting house being too small. It is so constructed that it protects from the rain and sun and yet allows a free current of air. Standing as it does upon a high hill, it always catches a pleasant breeze that is a great relief from the sultriness of many parts of that southern climate. The gathering lasted live days, three meetings each day, except the first. The first hour of each meeting was devoted to reading, singing, prayer and short addresses. Every brother that could was expected to say a few words, and the subjects were mostly of a practical character, sometimes dealing with evils in quite a blunt, manner and yet taken by those rebuked in a kindly spirit. Indeed, they do not "rebuke sin afar off" down there. They generally speak to be understood by those for whom it is intended.

One feels sometimes that a little more polished method would lighten the blows; but they understand each other and the true spirit of Christ is seen to prevail, so that all comes out well in the end, and an hour is spent in a very profitable manner. This preliminary meeting over, we were expected to occupy from an hour to an hour and a half in a lecture, the subject generally being selected for us, and intended to deal with questions asked by inquirers or with difficulties this brother or that brother was not able to solve. This, with considerable conversational work between the meetings, kept us quite busy, and many times we had to retreat to our room for a much-needed rest. Two or three times Brother Teas came to our help and gave a couple of excellent lectures; for he has become a "workman that needeth not to be ashamed.''

From Martinville we were to go to Clinton, twenty miles farther in the country, forty miles from the railroad - the farthest we ever were from a railroad before in our life. We had arranged to go from there to Charleston before going on to Kansas, but Brother Teas, knowing of the country roads and rough distances of Arkansas, pointed out that we had given ourself a task impossible to be performed. Charleston was a new place to us, and we had not estimated the difficulty of the journey of twenty miles in the country in an opposite direction from our course, Clintonward. What should we do? It would be a disappointment to the Charleston folks, as we well knew by the tone of letters indicating the pleasure at the prospect of our visit. It would be very humiliating to us to fail. What could we do? Here again Brother Teas came to our help, and kindly consented to go in our stead. That will be just the thing, said the brethren from Morrilton; now you can give us two lectures at Morrilton upon your return from Clinton before you take train for Scammon, Kansas, and we will have all arrangements made for the lectures at the Town Hall. All well, and we are off for Clinton with Brother Dr. Huie. Twenty miles, we are told, is the distance, but in this they do not count the ups and downs, nor do they make any allowance for roughness. They talk about twenty miles just as it there were roads to drive over instead of stones and stumps. Notwithstanding, we started, we kept going, and, at last, we got there—to Clinton? A town? No indeed, but into the densest forest we ever struck. Here was a solitary house in a valley, surrounded with tall trees, trees, trees; and here the doctor lived, with his office and dispensary in the yard; but where the patients were to come from was a problem. But they came. The doctor had been from home a few days. Perhaps that was why the patients had lost ground and become numerous. Here they came, dragging one foot after the other. One of them—poor fellow, he did look sickly, but the poor horse that, carried him! The chorus of the old Welsh Christmas carol came into our mind—"Poor old horse, let him die." We were reaching the conclusion that we were in a very unhealthy country. Away down in a valley, with nothing to see but trees, a hot, heavy, damp and sultry air bearing down upon us; the doctor busy, and patients coming and going, it must be unhealthy here. But there was relief in the thought that you cannot judge of the health of a country by being at a doctor's office, nor by a visit to an undertaker's shop. So we will take courage.

The night passes, the day passes, and the time arrives to drive two or three miles to the school-house where the first lecture is to be given. Here an arbor had been built near the school-house and this is upon higher ground, with more pleasant surroundings than in the valley. Quite near by is the house of Brother and Sister Leonard, of whose hospitality we are to partake during our sojourn. This is quite convenient as to distance and spares us the roughness of travel over stones and stumps. The arrangement is, to give three lectures each day for four days—morning and afternoon in the arbor and night in the school-house. It was soon found, however, that the school-house would not nearly hold the people, and the arbor was lit up for night use. They came and they came, but where from the eye could not tell, for nothing could be seen but woods; and the people could not be seen coming, only, when they had come. Here they are, about four hundred strong, on horses and on mules and in buggies and wagons. Many covered wagons are arranged in a row and the people camp during the whole time of the meetings. We are away from the doctor's office now and the people appear healthier. Many of them healthy, strong and robust. There is a rough exterior to everything and to nearly everybody; but one is agreeably surprised to find that these choppers of wood and tillers of the soil are very much more concerned about the future life and how to obtain it than are the more outwardly polished people of city life. Indeed they are a people who reverence the Bible to the extent that a "thus saith the Lord" is accepted as a settlement of every question concerning man's future possibilities. Many people are under the impression that the back woods of Arkansas are inhabited by a wicked and dangerous lot of outlaws; but from our experience and observation we believe it safer to travel through those woods than it is to walk the streets of the great cities. During the two weeks we spent in Arkansas we did not hear a profane word uttered; and only one man did we see under the influence of intoxication, and even he very politely raised his hat when he met us.

The lectures were given four miles from Clinton, it being more central for the brethren than the town. We gave thirteen lectures, and the interest never waned; and we were assured that many were fully convinced of the truth of what was set forth, and that they would continue to study until their knowledge would be sufficient for obedience. The work, however, was too hard for us under the conditions. The weather was extremely hot and of a sultriness we never before felt. The country is also one of innumerable insects of various kinds, which seemed to have no regard for a visitor of thin and tender skin. Our appetite failed and we could not sleep. So we labored under great difficulties; and when our work was done we were nearly worn out, and began to fear we might be compelled to postpone our visit to Kansas and Missouri and hasten home for rest. When we reached the last meeting we felt sorry to leave a people so anxious to hear the Truth, and yet, leave we must. When we had finished our lecture we bade all good-bye; but the people were not to be put off with a wholesale good-bye, they must pass out in single tile and shake hands. This over we had the night to rest preparatory to an early start upon a rough ride of forty miles to Morrilton, a journey which took the entire day to make. Here we are again on a railroad, in a town of about two thousand inhabitants. We are to partake of the hospitality of Brother and Sister Walsh, and we are made quite comfortable—as comfortable as we could be in our exhausted condition, suffering from the poisonous bites of insects as we were. Two lectures on two nights is all the work we have to attend to here. If we felt improving during our stay we would risk going on to Kansas and complete our tour; if not, postponement would be the alternative. We continued to feel quite miserable, not having sufficient energy to work to our satisfaction, and this, with a fear that we might break down, caused us to decide to telegraph and write the brethren in Kansas and Missouri postponing our visit till we could feel better able to fill the appointments. While this caused extra travel of several hundred miles, the convenience in making connections is better; for we were informed that going north from Arkansas in the west would require a number of changes of trains and much loss of rest.

Very few attended the two lectures at Morrilton; but Brethren Walsh and Scroggin seemed satisfied with it as a start, hoping it might be the opening of the door for future efforts. They expressed a wish that we give one more lecture, but we felt that we had better hurry home for rest. Leaving Morrilton at eleven o'clock A. M. we arrived in St. Louis at seven the following morning. Leaving St. Louis at nine o'clock the same morning, we arrived at home at five P.M.

Thomas Williams

The Christadelphian Advocate, September 1895, pgs. 203-206.