The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-10-31

Had you been on board a little
transatlantic vessel that landed
at Philadelphia $50 years ago to-
day there would have been at least
one of its passengers that would
have attracted your attention. You
would not have marked this man
because Of his age. He was in the
springtime Of life. He was only
36. You would not have marked
him because of his rich attire. You
could not have but marked his
strong face, his serious and viva
cious manner. And you would have
been struck by those clear blue
eyes that had a trick of looking
straight out at you, and into you,
and through you. Then, too, you
would have felt the strong person.
atty of the man. the personality
that was made at once awful and
winsome OF the presence of God
Had Religious Purpose.
Had you entered into conversa-
ton with this young man he would
have told you that he was on his
way to the British colony OF Amer
lea. And pressed for a reason for
his coming, he would have made 1t
very plain that he was not coming
as. homesteaders Nor WAS he COM
ing to seek his fortune Nor was
he in search Of adventure. He
would have given you his full bur-
pose had you read his Journal"
For this entry he made soon after
his leaving the shores of England:
Why am ! going to America? In
heart For money? No.. am
going to live unto God and to in
duce others to do the same"
To come to America cost him the
giving up~.of, his native. country.
H ecame to this country an Eng
lishman. He died here in America.
To come to America cost him the
father and mother whom he de-
votedly and passionately loved. He
never forgot their tears at parting.
And when the news Of their death
came to him in the wilderness it
came with a stab Of unspeakable
pain. But he never went back for
one single visit
Man without . Home a-.
His high purpose cost him not
only his home in England, but his
spoken of as The man without a
home" There is something mag
nificent and yet extremely pathetic
in the address of the letter that
Bishop Coke wrote him from Eng
land. 1t is addressed like this:
The Rev. Bishop Asbury, North
America" II is marked by no city.
II is marked by no state. When
folks address US they have our
city, our street and our number.
We have homes. But Asbury's mail
came to North America.
But the big gift of all was that
he gave himself. For almost half
a century he travelled an average
Of nearly 5000 miles a year. This
distance he made almost wholly on
horseback. He made 1t over roads
that were at times next to impass-.
able. He made it in spite of the
fact that he was almost constantly
battling with disease. There were
times when the only entry he could
make in his Journal" was Pain,
pain, pain" He made II In spite
of the fact that there were times
at night when he had not a place
to lay his head, or when the places
that he did have were worse than
the out-of-doors. He tells US that
the only chance a man would have
to protect himself from yermin and
disease while sleeping in some
places that he slept was to wear
birthstone shirt He rode when he
was too weak to mount his horse
at its close. But in spite OF diff
hculties and dangers and pain he
kept on till the very close of his
life.
Travelled a. Crusader.
And, mark you. he did not travel
as q vagrant but as q crusader
Wherever he went he lifted the
cross of Christ. He entered into
the log cabins of the frontiersman
He stopped at the trading posts
He was received into the comfort
able homes of the wealthy. And
wherever he went he went as Gods
prophet Wherever he went he
preached that righteousness that
exalteth a nation. To the lonely
Of the wilderness he brought the
Christ Of all comfort. To the weak
he brought the secret of abiding
strength. To those whose feet were
in slippery places he pointed out
the Rock Of Ages. To those whose
skies had grown black he showed
the radiance Of the Star of Bethle-
hem The might of the influence
Of this man in the Christianizing
Of America, think, has never been
fully estimated. Under his minis
try the wilderness and the solitary
place became glad. and the desert
rejoicsd and blossomed as a rose.
As, corn of wheat he fell into
the ground and died. But as a re-
suit Of his sowing himself harvests
have grown and ripened that viii
forever make Heaven pulsats with
halleluiahs.
Firn In Ms Belief.
First Of all, Asbury was a man
Of faith. That IA he ~zA. . ma.