The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1943-08-12
Navy Chaplain Gives
Interesting Account Of
South Pacific Voyage
Rev, Ralph c. Robinson, In
A Letter To His Mother,
Relates His Experiences

A most interesting account of a
voyage to the South Pacific and a
visit to one of the islands located in
that vast sea, has been received from
Rev. Ralph C. Robinson, chaplain in
the United States Navy, by his
mother, Mrs. John G. Robinson, Sew
enth street, Oakland.
Rev. Robinson until recently was
stationed on an island off the coast
of California. He has been assigned
now to an island in the South Pacific
! and in his letter he tells of his ex-
periences as he travelled to his obiec-
tive. The Republican has been privi-
legged by the recipient to print the
letter in these columns, as follows:
No doubt many of you have been
looking for word from me. Circum-
stances beyond my control have pre-
vented any earlier posting of mail.
For three weeks now | have been
completely out of touch with my
/ homeland, save for the brief radio
news dispatches which we receive
daily. had hoped by this time to have
/ reached my new station, but our ship
! has been delayed because of a stop
at another island enroute.
] Our trip thus far has been pretty
i much Of a pleasure cruise. We have
had fine weather. Some of the nights,
sailing under the moon and the South
| ern Gross, were too beautiful to at
tempt description. Our food and &C
commodations have been excellent,
and the fellowship among officers and
! men most enjoyable. | am sharing a
cabin with a fellow-chaplain who is
going into the same area as the one
to which | have been assigned He is
a Methodist from Mississippi and has
a wife and two small children. We
! enjoy much in common. Thus far we
have conducted five services of wor-
i ship aboard this ship, one of which
was climaXed by the celebration of
1 the Sacrament of the Lords Supper.
! 1t was most impressive. Our altar was
made from large case Of gas masks
covered with a sheet, and upon it |
] placed the silver cross, chalice and
! paten provided for my use by the
! Service Commission of the National
] Lutheran Council. We used a porta-
bic organ provided by my chaplain
friend and the Army and Navy Ser
vice books furnished also by the
] National Lutheran Council. The ser
vice was held on the top deck of our
| ship as she ploughed through the blue
waters Of the Pacific. | shall always
remember the power and beauty of
/ that moment when the captain of the
ship, followed by officers and men,
| knelt on the hard deck to receive in
| the Holy Communion the Body and
Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1t was
thanks to God for the wonders of His
grace.
A little over week ago we crossed
! the Equator, and in the usual manner
Of such an event Neptune Party
was held. Practically all of us aboard
were initiated into the mysteries of
the domain Of Neptunus Rex, 1t was a
! lot of clean wholesome fun, even
though we did lose some Of our hair
and was 'dunked" in large tank of
salt water. Pm a regular Shellback
| now!
A few days after crossing the Equa-
tor we crossed the International date
line. That was the time when we went
to bed on Monday night and woke up
on Wednesday morning!
Shortly after that we anchored in
a bay near one of the many islands
in the South Pacific For military
reasons ! cannot tell you what island
it was. | can say, however, that | had
not known Of it's existence even tho
it is quite large and has a native pop
ulation of some 10000. 1t is a typical
tropical island with its coral reefs
and coconut trees. The climate is
about as ideal as one could find
anywhere. There is no malaria OF
other contagious disease among the
people. There are no snakes or wild
animals (save wild pigs in the jun
giles. In fact, we were told that the
most harmful thing on the island was
the wasp! Truly an island paradise!
Our ship had no sooner anchored in
late afternoon when the natives be-
gan to appear in their boats and out
rigger canoes. They came to trade and
sell, and their boats were laden with
coconuts. bananas, necklaces made of
brightly colored seeds and shells, tapa
(native made) cloth, woven baskets
and mats, and the inevitable hula
skirts. They would trade for anything
from a pack of cigarets to a shirt and
they almost always got the better of
the bargain. They seemed to prefer
clothing above any other article. At
this island, at least, the Junk jewel
ry," which has been gathered in the
States to be given to the armed forces
for barter with the natives has little
value. I'd advise anyone coming out
| here to bring articles of clothing.
White bed sheets are very popular.
Our first trip ashore conceded with
the day the native parliament was
being closed. Their queen (name CEN
sorcd), is said to be a most remark
able woman She is six feet one inch
tall and carries herself with great
dignity and grace. She was born in
1900 and has been on the throne since
1918. When we reached the dock we
found several hundred boys and young
men in white shirts and skirts called
/ (censored) guard of honor for the no.
tables who were shortly to arrive for
the closing of the parliament. There
was a thirty-piece brass band that
would have been "hit" in any Amer
lean parade, not only for their smart
appearance but also for the way they
played Following the band came a
contingent of native soldiers and after
them the royal guard in full uniform,
all of them very military in appear
ance and movement The only incon-
gruous note was their feet. There was
not one pair of shoes in the entire
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