The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-01-09
INTRODUCTION.

AAAANS ONSesA> - SSs~'@OS SNAA
til it reaches the shore line. Every
breeze that blows through the trees is
an influence. We are told that every
wave motion of the air widens in it's
reaches until it affects somewhat the
whole universe. The human mind and
emotional nature is susceptible to the
electric touch from the world without
that has never by the individual been
explored. A boy living in the interior
of the American continent who had
never seen the ocean, was drawn to the
life of sailor. His parents little un-
derstood. Though the sea may have it's
charms in Imagination how could the
nearer environment be overcome by
world so remote of which he knew so
little? They forgot the book Of adven-
lures they bought for him that Christ
mas season years ago. They failed to
count all the companions in the home.
There was picture hanging on the din
ing room wall, of ship at sea battling
heroically with the waves of the deep.
She was the picture Of strength! She
looked like monarch reigning tri-
umphantly over the rebellious walls of
water! An influence from the world
without made it's appeal.
Varied are these subtle calls that
lead men. The desire to satisfy curl
osity, the pleasure in adventure, the fad
of doing the unexpected, the craving of
knowledge for knowledge sake, or the
appeal Of opportunity to do things and
know things for service sake. The last
mentioned, all else being equal, the
most worthy. The life Of value is the
one capable of highest service.
Methinks upon reflection and obser-
walton, the field of travel broadens sym
pathy, enlarges the circumference of
truth, that things may be seen as they
are. That which formerly seemed in
applicable becomes reasonable in the
adjustment of truth, and public man
becomes the better able to offer "a rea-
sonable service" to God and to human
ity.
We have had constant joy in tho
thought that our travels have been the
result of opportunities and invitations
to service-the preaching Of the gospel
of Jesus Christ Of which we are not
ashamed. The Lord has blessed us
abundantly in foreign fields where
English speaking people live. That
which primarily Influenced us is to try
to extend little the kingdom OF His
love and we pray be led into more Of
fectual service. Along the way we are
trying to "gather up the fragments
They will be chiefly Of things secular.
May crumb be of value to those who
read.
The contents of this little sketch
will cover the field of labor and travel
in two trips around the world. In point
of time, covering over two and a half
years; of distance exclusive of 1.-THE
United States, moro than sixty thousand
miles.
The first trip may be outlined on your
map as follows: From San Francisco to
Honolulu; from there, stopping enroute
at the Samoan Islands, to New Zealand;
from Auckland through New Zealand to
the bluff at the sou thern extremity of
the colony which is the most southernly
sea port in the world; from here to
Melbourne, Australia, via Van Diemen's
Land formerly the English convict
island), stopping at it's capital city
We then cross the continent island
along it's southern coast from Mel
bourne to Ere Mantle; thence on our
good ship Orizaba (Which sank on her
return journey across the Indian ocean
to tho soft breezes of Ceylon's Isle
where we landed at Colombo. From
this tropical quarter, so luxuriant
against the monsoon winds" the vessel
braves her way on over the Arabian
Sea to the straits of Rab-el-Nandeb, by
the Apostles Islands in the southern
part of the Red Sea; through this his
toric sea and the Suez Canal. After ,
short stay in Egypt our course is tc
London, stopping in at Naples, Mar
settles, Gibraltar, Plymouth, and land
ing at Tilbury docks along the Thames
Frank A. Wilkinson accompanied me a.
singer in meetings held in New Zealand
The tour now on is more extensive
and thorough. The main point of inter
est on which our hearts are set is thu
Holy Land. We are reading in prepare
tion such works as Stoddard's Lectures
Geikes' Holy Land, and at the presen
writing one Of the very best on the sub
ject, Prof. McGarvey's Holy Land AM
Letters of Travel. Our plan has BEEF
rather than to make trip to Palestin,
by New York and return, to accept tn,
opportunity opened to lead in an evan
gelistic campaign in New Zealand an,
approach the goal from the vantag