The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-03-05

tories of Bolivar. Tables are set in: the .
shade of the bamboo cane. Taking a seat +
at the farther end Of the able we noticed
gentleman coming down the. street. He !
did not look like the dark Venezuelans. He |
had the fair complexion, blonde hair and
blue eyes of those sturdy sons OF a dis 7
tant and northern cline that are adding
so muchft to the industrial, intellectual and
moral power of our own state Hailing /
Are you from the states?'
yes $3.50. " .t5
"Where?' l,3.
Minneapolis Mimi |
Ina second We. had clasped hands over
the barbed wire fence. The stranger, but
stranger no longer was Rev David e. i
Finstrom from Pillsbufy township, Swift
county, MINI esota. and who has many
friends and relatives in Minneapolis. He
came here some five Years ago as a mis- |
sionary. Two anl|one-half years ago he |
returned to MINNEAPOLIS and brought back
the missionaries greatest earthly, comfort
and help a. Wife No American or Eng
speaking people in this city but these
two. In their work they have started a
school. Hearing the train whistle he left
! the school I in charge Of his wife, ran
down to, the station hoping he might see
some one who spoke English: little think
ing he; would meet any one from. his own
state. We can only imagine how hungry
one gets to see a friendly face, thus long
isolated from nome and friends. The
brief. stoppage of the train did not give
| time for me to visit his wife or for her
to come to the station. nv:
What a self sacrificing mission he has
chosen. 1t is a hard and difficult work,
and We're it rot one Of love would long
since have been abandoned. He had a
wedding the: day tefore These do not
come often. ( The masses here as else
where in the tropics, do not take kindly to
| the yoke More than Is per cent of the
children. here are, &fatherless. 7 will mot
say illegitimate.tt One might question the
worldly wisdom of SO self sacrificing and
| laborious work, away from home and
friends and all you live, but no one can
question the purity of motive that moves
one to give up all pleasures, comforts and
advantages that he,Smost~ enjoys and in
distant land, among foreign people whose
natural inclinations are, not friendly, day
after day, year after year, toll solely for
the good Of others. Most Of us are satis-
fed to live for SELF relatives and friends,
but not So with Finstrom. He lives not
for self. nor relatives nor friends, nor his
| home nor country He lives and 1abors
for those who are: strangers to him in
blood and tongue. Surely his love is not
measured in SO small a vessel as ours.
An American Welcome
Hot and uneventful is the ride to Val
encia. where an unexpected pleasure
awaited us. An American girl-not from
| Minneapolis am sorry to say-but from
Brooklyn, Mrs. j. A. Bttancourt gave us
a royal welcome. She heard that some
Americans were on the train. Up went the
American flag oyer her house: and with
a wagon load Of oranges and flowers tied
| in lunches with red. white and blue, she
FASTENED. to the station to, greet us Such
! a welcomes! No introductons necessary
You might as we'll ask a hungry man to
wait for an introduction to food before