Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-30
ROCKVILLE PREACEIER'S BOOK
IS TRUE TALE OF ADVENTURE
Sea Stories Are Combined
With Equally Thrilling
Scenes on Land.
Box Wrote Introduction to
Pasma'S Work, Praising
Qualities Revealed.

Sailor, farmland, painter and min
lister, Rev. Henry K. Pasma, pastor of
the Presbyterian Church South of
Rockville, Md, has been disclosed as
the author of "Close Hauled" thrill
ing story of his own experiences as q
Dutch boy in Frisia, The Netherlands,
in a fo'c'sle on a windjammer in the
Baltic and as struggling immigrant
in the New World.
AS a youth in FriSia Mr.. Pasma one
day watched, fascinated, a graceful YES
sci crowd on sail and head out of the
hartor for the open sea. Watching the
ship race away toward misty horizon,
close -hauled and hugging the wind, the
youth felt an urge to follow the sea
and later, having overcome the objec.
tons of his parents, he shipped on the
Baltic Packet as cabin boy.
Put Thrill Into Story.
During several years on the Baltic
Packet and other sailing vessels, and
later on steam ships, he Travelled the
Baltic Sea and the oceans, visiting
many lands and mixing with many
peoples. His story is crowded with
thrilling experiences In storms and de-
lightful incidents in life at sea.
The late Edward Box wrote an In
PRODUCTION to Mr.. Pasma's book and to
read the story is to understand how
Mr.. Box found himself, in the midst of
busy life, as he writes in his intro
duction, reading and finishing it at a
single sitting.
Mr.. Pasma came to America with his
parents and brothers and sisters when
he was in his teens. The family set
tied with other Dutch families on land
somewhat removed from the center of
Dutch population and Mr. Pasma, after
q year. left his parents to become a
farmland farther West.
Student in Michigan.
Still later he worked as assistant to
mouse painter, attending school at
night and spending much of his spare
tlme IN public libraries. He had learned
TO speak English in a school for navi-
CATION in the Netherlands. when his
father half hoped he would decide to
work In his export business. and this
knowledge of the language helped him
greatly when he finally entered college
in Michigan.
The writing of the book was sug-
gesteo to Mr.. Pasma by his love of the
sea and the more moving passages of
Cne story nave to do with his expert
ences as a sailor. He shipped on sail
ing vessels to Jutland, to Ktel and IN
the Mediterranean. He Travelled from,
the White Sea and the Arctic To the
East Indies, weathering terrific storms
and sharing many dangers with rough
men In the fo'c'sle.
Attracted to Pulpit.
Away from the sea now, Mr.. Pasma
writes that the old craving for the adj
venturous life is almost stilled, but he
breathes life into the incidents of his
youth, in America as well as at sea
In the fo'c'sle he experienced soul
| promptingS that in later wears turned
his thoughts to the ministry. The
customs of the Dutch that his family
pract1ced aSsiduously, marked by sim
pnclty and a rugged devoutness, were
not worn from him by buffetings on
any sea, and he recalls that he re-
NAMED aloof to the roughness asso-
ciated with life before the mast.
On first entering the ministry. Mr.
Pasma was afflliated with the Dltcl
Reformed Church and lived in the
creeds Of his native Netherlands fol
eight years as pastor. His later afilia.
ton with the Presbyterian denonina.
ton came with American experience.
Recalling the scene of the vesse
| leaving harbor for the open sea, thu
sight of which stirred him deeply as {
youth, he writes:
| Like a spirited, prancing horse. FRESH
from the stables, beginning its journey
the graceful ship appeared to rear arc
plunge once or twice as she caught thu
outgoing tide outside the harbor ietties
thereupon, leaning over and SettlinI
upon her side, she raced away toward
the misty horizon, close -hauled now
and hugging the wind"
| Mr.. BOk's Comment.
MANY a man, reading this life, will
See his own modest career reflected il
j It," Mr.. Box wrote in his introduction
"All through it's pages you are thrilled
with the dramatic experiences through
which this Dutch boy passes; you won
der how he passes, unscathed, through
the perils which he encounters on TIL
sea. These scenes are sketched Will
the genius of Conrad, for you actual,
become wrapped up in them, and men
tally experience what the boy expert
enced physically"
The publishers of Mr.. Pasma's bool
| announce in a note that they left thu
manuscript in the form in which i
came to Them" fearing that ever
slight editorial change might take from