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 UNIVERSITY 
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Cornell University Library 
 BV 2853.B6G49 
 
 A wandering Jew in Brazil; an autobiograp 
 
 3 1924 020 401 992 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tliis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924020401992 
 
PLATE I. 
 
 Upper— Mr. and Mrs. Glnsburg and Children. 
 Lower— The Glnsburg Children. 
 
A WANDERING JEW 
 IN BRAZIL 
 
 AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SOLOMON L. GINSBURG 
 
 By the 
 
 REV. SOLOMON L. GINSBURG 
 
 For Thirty Years Missionary of the Foreign Mission Board 
 of the Southern Baptist Convention in Brazil, 
 ■f South America. 
 
 Sunday School Board 
 
 Southern Baptist Convention 
 
 Nashville, Tenn. 
 
 1921 
 
L. H. Jenkins, Inc. 
 
 Edition Book Manufacturers 
 
 Richmond, Va. 
 
TO 
 
 MRS. EMMA MORTON GINSBURG, 
 
 the consecrated missionary, self-sacrificing mother, 
 and devoted companion, who for these thirty years 
 has shared with me all my trials and joys. 
 
 This Book is affectionately dedicated. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Forward 7 
 
 Introduction, by Dr. T. B. Ray 9 
 
 First Chapter : Preparation for Service 15 
 
 Second Chapter : Getting My Bearings 44 
 
 Third Chapter : In Bahia, 1892 69 
 
 Fourth Chapter: In Campos, 1893-1900 90 
 
 Fifth Chapter : In Pe^nambuco, 1900-1909 129 
 
 Sixth Chapter : In Many Places 161 
 
 Seventh Chapter : Recruiting for the Master 190 
 
 Eighth Chapter : Companions and Friends 207 
 
 Ninth Chapter: .Brazil as Mission Field 238 
 
 Alphabetical Index 
 
FOREWORD 
 
 Just a word as to the reason for publishing this 
 book. If there is one thing I always disliked, it was 
 to speak or write about myself or my own personal 
 experiences. But friends, who have heard me tell the 
 incidents that have happened to me in my life and 
 work, have insisted upon my collecting these in book 
 form, so that they might be put to a wider use, both 
 for the glory of God and the good of the great 
 Cause of Missions. 
 
 Acceding to their wishes I have endeavored to 
 satisfy them, for, if there is one thing I want to do 
 above all others, it is to be of some use to the Master's 
 Cause, especially to Brazil. 
 
 I have not attempted to make this book one of 
 perfect literary style. After thirty years of work in 
 a country where the English tongue is not in general 
 use, striving to perfect myself in the native language, 
 it would be almost impossible to attempt any perfec- 
 tion in style or even elegance of expression in English. 
 My chief object has been to relate the incidents in a 
 way that they might be understood by all. 
 
 In placing this little book before my brethren in 
 the faith, my heart's prayer to God is that it be used 
 for His glory and Cause. 
 
 There are very few books that tell of the great 
 opportunities and the urgent need of workers in that 
 great Mission field — Brazil. I do pray and hope that 
 
8 FOREWORD 
 
 this book will be used by the Spirit of God to draw 
 many of our young men and women to that great field 
 of labour, where they can make their lives count a 
 thousand fold for the Master. 
 
 In the preparation of this book I have been helped 
 greatly by Dr. T. B. Ray, the Associate Secretary of 
 our Foreign Mission Board, whose knowledge of the 
 work and workers is almost incomparable; also by 
 Dr. W. O. Carver, Professor of Missions in the 
 Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and by Mrs. 
 J. R. Miller, of Columbia, Mo., proficient stenog- 
 rapher, who, very graciously, prepared my Manu- 
 scripts for the publishers, to all of whom I extend my 
 sincere gratitude. 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 Kansas City, Mo., June, 1921. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 When some months ago Rev. S. L. Ginsburg an- 
 nounced to me that he was expecting to write an auto- 
 biography, I said to him jokingly, "Solomon, I 
 suggest that you call it 'A Wandering Jew in Brazil'." 
 Imagine my surprise when he sent me his manuscript 
 with this title. My jest had been taken seriously. 
 
 Well, after all, it is a good title, because this man 
 of God has traveled very extensively over Brazil. He 
 is one of the most widely known men in Brazil. He 
 is called "Pastor Solomon," by multitudes. 
 
 While he has covered much territory, his has not 
 been a vagrant work. His longest periods of service 
 were in Campos and Pernambuco. In both of these 
 fields he did a monumental work. In both of these 
 fields our cause has had a splendid development. 
 Brother Ginsburg does not claim that he is personally 
 responsible for all the remarkable growth in these 
 fields. Others have labored and God has blessed their 
 labors, but Ginsburg rendered a splendid account of 
 himself in Campos and Pernambuco. He served a 
 shorter period in Nictheroy and Bahia and did his 
 work well. 
 
 Then came his call to the Carroll Memorial Publish- 
 ing House. His service in that great institution gave 
 him an opportunity for doing a work to his liking and 
 it has been a notable success. During a part of the 
 time he has been with the Publishing House, he has 
 
10 INTRODUCTION 
 
 been Secretary of the Brazilian Baptist Home Mission 
 Board, which widened his contact still more. He has 
 done much evangelizing also. So it can be said justly 
 that this Christian Hebrew has really wandered far in 
 Brazil and gathered in many precious sheaves. 
 
 Brother Ginsburg has been in Brazil thirty-one of 
 the forty years of Southern Baptist mission work in 
 that country. Only Dr. and Mrs. W. B. Bagby, the 
 founders of our Brazilian Mission work, and Miss 
 Emma Morton, now Mrs. Ginsburg, have been in 
 Brazil longer than he. Dr. and Mrs. W. E. Entz- 
 minger. Dr. and Mrs. J. J. Taylor and Dr. J. L. 
 Downing entered our work about the same time as 
 did Brother Ginsburg. His time in Brazil almost 
 spans the period of Southern Baptist effort in that 
 country. He is in position, therefore, to give much 
 information upon our work. This thing he does very 
 successfully in the following pages. 
 
 The first effort of the Foreign Mission Board of the 
 Southern Baptist Convention to establish work in 
 Brazil was made in 1859, when Rev. T. J. Bowen was 
 sent to that field. Mr. Bowen had explored Nigeria, 
 Africa, and had founded our African Mission in 1849. 
 His health would not permit him to return to Africa, 
 so he asked to be designated to Brazil. After a little 
 more than a year in Brazil, he was forced to return 
 to the United States and the Mission in Brazil was 
 abandoned. 
 
 Had it not been for his poor health, Mr. Bowen 
 would have, no doubt, won the distinction of founding 
 two of our Board's great missions. Mr. Bowen re- 
 
INTRODUCTION 11 
 
 turned to North America in 1861, at the beginning of 
 the War Between the States. The general demoraliza- 
 tion of that period was such as to discourage any 
 effort to maintain the Brazilian Mission. 
 
 After our Civil War closed a large number of 
 families from our Southern States emigrated to 
 Brazil, in the hope of recuperating their fortunes and 
 with the feeling that they would find conditions more 
 endurable in Brazil than they expected them to be in 
 our Southland. Amongst those immigrants there were 
 Baptists, who organized themselves into a Baptist 
 church at Santa Barbara, in Sao Paulo State. 
 
 In 1873, this small church of thirty members urged 
 the Foreign Mission Board to consider Brazil as a 
 mission field and asked that their church be recog- 
 nized as a self-supporting mission of the Board. 
 Action was not taken on this proposition until 1879, 
 at which time it was decided to accept the invitation 
 to appoint as missionary of the Foreign Mission Board 
 Rev. E. H. Quillin, who was then pastor of the Santa 
 Barbara Church. Mr. Quillin did not receive a salary 
 from the Board. He returned to the United States in 
 1882. His work was almost entirely in behalf of the 
 North American emigrants. 
 
 The attempt by Bowen to start a mission in Brazil 
 failed and the connection of the Foreign Mission 
 Board with the Santa Barbara Church was fraternal 
 rather than administrative. So, the work of Southern 
 Baptists in behalf of Brazil began really in 1881, when 
 Rev. and Mrs. W. B. Bagby were appointed as mis- 
 sionaries to that country. While Dr. Bagby was ac- 
 
12 INTRODUCTION 
 
 quiring a knowledge of the Portuguese language, he 
 rendered faithful service to the American church in 
 Santa Barbara and another small American church 
 nearby at Station. For many years Dr. Bagby exer- 
 cised a sort of superintendence over the work among 
 the American emigrants, but he concentrated his main 
 energies upon reaching the native Brazilians. 
 
 In 1882 the Bagbys were joined by Dr. and Mrs. 
 Z. C. Taylor. After a short time at Santa Barbara, 
 both these missionary families moved to Bahia. On 
 October 15, 1882, they organized themselves into the 
 First Baptist Church of Bahia. 
 
 After remaining a little over a year in Bahia, tne 
 Bagbys moved to Rio de Janeiro, for the purpose of 
 opening our work in t'"\t city and also of giving some 
 attention to the churcnes at Santa Barbara and Sta- 
 tion. On August 24, 1886, the First Baptist Church 
 of Rio de Janeiro was organized. 
 
 Thus came into existence the work in Bahia, which 
 is the religious capital, and in Rio, which is the poli- 
 tical capital of Brazil. From these two centers, the 
 Taylors located in one and the Bagbys in the other, 
 our cause spread gradually in the north and south to 
 the inspiring proportions it has attained at the present 
 time. 
 
 The work grew in the country around Bahia, spread 
 to Pernambuco, further north, and the region around 
 about, up the seacoast, on up the mighty Amazon 
 Valley a thousand miles even to Manaus. 
 
 From Rio it took root in Nictheroy, Campos, the 
 States of Minas, Sao Paulo and, of late, has widened 
 
INTRODUCTION 13 
 
 until we have Baptist churches in every State in the 
 southern part of the country and Baptist State Con- 
 ventions in a half-dozen of them. 
 
 By and by reinforcements were sent and institutions 
 came into existence. There are now three leading 
 schools of learning — the College and Seminary in Rio, 
 the College and Seminary in Pernambuco, and the 
 College for Women in Sao Paulo. These schools are 
 flanked and supported by a growing number of 
 academies and day schools, 
 
 Another most potential institution is our publishing 
 house known as the Carroll Memorial Publishing 
 House, whose headquarters are in Rio. It has a fine 
 printing plant and is rendering valiant service in send- 
 ing Baptist literature all over the land. 
 
 The native churches have so developed that a Na- 
 tional Baptist Convention has been formed, which 
 functions after the fashion of the Southern Baptist 
 Convention. It has its Home, Sunday School, Educa- 
 tion and Foreign Mission Boards. It supports foreign 
 missions in Portugal. 
 
 There are 221 Baptist churches in Brazil, with 
 20,135 members. One-half of these churches are self- 
 supporting and own their church buildings. The 
 South Brazil Mission has the distinction of being the 
 largest mission fostered by the Foreign Mission 
 Board. 
 
 Certainly, our cause in Brazil has experienced great 
 progress. The growth of our membership through 
 these forty years has shown an average net gain of 
 five hundred a year. 
 
14 INTRODUCTION 
 
 It should be borne in mind that the author is not 
 attempting to write a history of Southern Baptist 
 endeavor in Brazil, nor is he trying to give even a full 
 survey of it. He has written an autobiography of 
 more than usual interest and has woven into it much 
 about our work. His profound devotion to Brazil 
 makes him feel that a knowledge of the successes and 
 of the needs of our work will draw others into this 
 field. He also hopes that the material about Brazil 
 will make the book more useful to Mission Study 
 Classes than an unmixed autobiography might do. 
 This combination plan has given us a volume of 
 absorbing interest. 
 
 The reader will come through the first two chapters 
 which describe the triumph of Christ in the author's 
 Jewish heart and his thrilling experiences in London 
 as a mission worker, prepared to find narrated in the 
 following chapters stirring adventures in Brazil. The 
 reader will not be disappointed. The remarkable fund 
 of stories about his own missionary experiences and 
 those of pthers give colorful vividness to the personal 
 story. The human interest is intense. The testimony 
 to the presence of Divine power is most inspiring. 
 The book should have a wide reading and study. It 
 contains a throbbing, uplifting message. 
 
 T. B. RAY, 
 
 Richmond, Va., July 1, 1921. 
 
A WANDERING JEW 
 IN BRAZIL 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 PREPARATION FOR SERVICE. 
 
 Birth and Education, — I was bom near Suwalki, 
 Poland, on the 6th day of August, 1867, of Jewish 
 parents, my father being a Jewish rabbi. 
 
 All that I remember about my early life is that 
 when I was about four years old, I was taken to the 
 home of my father's people who lived in that town 
 and was sent to school. 
 
 When six years old, my good mother, who was a 
 devout Jewess, born and reared in Germany, prevailed 
 upon my father to allow me go to her people in 
 Koenigsberg and study in the German schools, as there 
 was very little opportunity for a Jewish boy to obtain 
 higher education in Russian-Poland. Though very 
 reluctant, because of his orthodox Jewish faith and 
 fear of the Gentile teaching, he consented on condi- 
 tion that I return to him at the age of fourteen. 
 
 I remained in Germany until I was fourteen, having 
 completed not only the grammar school but also the 
 lyceum. My mother's father was a wheat merchant 
 and owned several sailing vessels. He was a very 
 
16 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 learned, widely traveled and liberal minded man. 
 During my holidays he would take me with him on 
 his trips to various parts of Europe. 
 
 Returning to Orthodoxy. — When I had finished my 
 studies at the lyceum my father insisted upon my 
 returning to him, at which time I was to begin pre- 
 paration for becoming a Jewish teacher. His plans 
 were very simple. I was to marry the only daughter 
 of a wealthy Jewish family who would support me 
 and the possible future family, for at least seven years, 
 while I was to give myself to the mastery of Hebrew 
 and the Talmud, as well as to the Rabbinical social 
 exigencies. It was not an easy nor congenial task 
 and my heart revolted against it, especially against the 
 strict Jewish, or perhaps I may say pharisaical cus- 
 toms and habits prevailing. I could not accustom 
 myself to them. For instance, no match could be 
 lighted on a Sabbath Day — no handkerchief could be 
 carried in one's pockets, and so on. The strict 
 orthodoxy of the Jews in Poland and Russia becomes 
 intolerable to one who has been trained in other cir- 
 cles. I wanted to get out of it all and get into the 
 world and live my own life. 
 
 Matrimonial Speculation. — Not until after much in- 
 sisting was I allowed to see the girl my father, or 
 rather the matrimonial agent, had chosen for me to 
 marry. I found her to be a child of perhaps not more 
 than twelve years of age. Needless to say my whole 
 soul revolted against the business, and I determined 
 not to have any part in the affair. However, it was 
 very difficult for me to escape, as my father, suspect- 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 17 
 
 ing my determination, watched me closely. It was 
 only after every preparation had been made for the 
 viredding-feast that I was able to run away. I was 
 then only about fifteen years of age and I have never 
 since seen the face of my father nor did I ever learn 
 what became of the girl. 
 
 Alone in the World, — I wandered about some cities 
 and villages in Poland, working my way from one 
 place to another as waiter, apprentice at several trades, 
 and, finally, fell in with a traveling merchant who kept 
 me as his secretary, but really used me as an instru- 
 ment for some kind of a secret political society. This 
 brought me into many difficult situations and im- 
 prisonments, from which I was usually taken out 
 quite readily. Finally I had to flee from Russia to 
 save myself from being sent to Siberia. I was near 
 Suwalki when word came to cross the frontier, and I 
 managed to send word to my mother to meet me in 
 the cemetery, near the tomb of my great-grandfather 
 for whom I had been named. There my mother and 
 I met for the last time. To my mother I owe my life 
 and greater usefulness, for had it not been for her, I 
 would have been doomed to live the circumscribed life 
 of a Jewish recluse. 
 
 I crossed the frontier that night and reached 
 Koenigsberg where I found letters and money enough 
 to take me to New York City, the United States of 
 America, the land of liberty and opportunity and 
 where friends and relatives were ready to receive me. 
 
 Arriving in London. — ^Unfortunately or otherwise, 
 I spent all the money I had on the way, arriving in 
 
18 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 Hamburg with only thirty pfenings (three nickels) 
 in my possession. No vessel to New York would take 
 me over and I found a sailing boat, carrying horses 
 to London that was willing to take me. I was to do 
 some kind of work, but we had a very rough sea and 
 I suffered great agonies until we reached the Thames. 
 I will never forget the arrival in London on that 
 early September morning of 1882. I at once seemed 
 to smell the warm odors of a bakershop and, enter- 
 ing, placed my three German nickels on the counter 
 and pointed to a loaf of bread. How rapidly this bread 
 disappeared can more easily be imagined than de- 
 scribed, as I had not had any food for three days. 
 In London I found an uncle of mine, my mother's 
 brother, who owned a large dry goods store in the 
 East End who gladly took me in and gave me work 
 in his office as assistant bookkeeper. He was a 
 splendid man, a typical orthodox Jew, adhering 
 strictly to all that Moses and the Holy Fathers re- 
 quired. I had my own room in the attic and was 
 taking special lessons in mercantile bookkeeping as 
 well as in the English language. 
 j. Hearing the Gospel for the First Time. — One 
 Sabbath afternoon while passing through Whitechapel 
 Street I met a missionary to the Jews — a converted 
 Jew — who invited me to hear him preach at the 
 Mildmay Mission to the Jews on the S3rd chapter of 
 Isaiah. Now, I was particularly interested in this 
 certain chapter of the Bible because of an incident 
 that had happened to me while in Poland, and most 
 likely had it not been for this peculiar incident I 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 19 
 
 would not have gone to this meeting. The incident 
 as it occurred was as follows : 
 
 My father was celebrating the feast of the Taber- 
 nacle, living in a tent that he had put up close to our 
 home. He had a number of visitors staying with him 
 and as I had passed the age of thirteen and was con- 
 sidered a full-fledged Jew, I was allowed to stay and 
 listen to the talks and discussions. Upon the table 
 were several books and among them was a well used 
 copy of the Prophets. Accidentally, for the question 
 had never been brought to my attention, I opened 
 that book and was reading the 53rd Chapter of Isaiah. 
 There were some comments on the margin and one 
 remark seemed to lopm out above all the other scrib- 
 blings, viz. : "To whom does the Prophet refer in this 
 Chapter?" Innocently I turned to my father and 
 asked him the very same question. He looked at me 
 quite surprised and a profound quietness seemed to 
 come over him. Not being answered I repeated the 
 question, when my father snatched the book out of 
 my hand and deliberately slapped me in the face. 
 I felt quite chagrined and humiliated and I confess 
 I did not like that kind of an answer — but in the 
 Providence of God, it served its purpose, for, when 
 that Jewish Missionary asked me to go and hear him 
 explain that very same chapter I could not but remem- 
 ber that scene in the tent and, of course, went, out of 
 curiosity to see if he had a better explanation to give 
 than the one my father had given. 
 { A Glimpse of Christ. — That was the turning point. 
 I went to hear him explain that marvelous prophetical 
 
20 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 chapter and though I could not understand it all at 
 that time, it sank into my heart. / He asked me to 
 read the New Testament, and when Tie called my at- 
 tention to the wonders of the life of the Messiah and 
 how every prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus, I was soon 
 convinced that the Son of Mary, the crucified One, 
 was the Christ of God, the Messiah of Israel, the 
 Rejected One of my people. Oh! how I wept when 
 I came to the Crucifixion scene and read those awful 
 words: "His blood be on us and on our children." 
 It seemed to me that I had taken an active part in 
 the murder of the Innocent One and I realized for the 
 first time the reason for the terrible history of the 
 Jews, the sufferings and persecutions they had gone 
 through and even were still enduring. It was not 
 long after this that I realized I must cast in my lot 
 with Jesus and plead for forgiveness for the part I 
 had in that great crime of Calvary. 
 
 But if I did this I knew the consequences, for I had 
 heard my uncle condemn and curse the Jews who had 
 abandoned their faith. They were imposters, accord- 
 ing to his opinion, persons who had sold their souls 
 for money. I knew that my lot would be hard. I 
 knew I would be driven away from his home where 
 I had spent so many happy days. 
 
 Struggling Against the Light. — I struggled hard 
 for nearly three months, against my own convictions 
 and against the light. My soul yearned for a com- 
 plete surrender to Him who died for me but who, 
 as risen Lord, was seated at the right hand of the 
 Father, patiently waiting to receive and forgive. My 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 21 
 
 head reasoned but my heart trembled for the future. 
 I could not eat nor sleep, and my uncle was con- 
 templating sending me to some health resort, as I 
 was beginning to look very haggard. Personally, I 
 was fearing that I would lose complete control of 
 myself or even my mind. I was in a dreadful dilemma. 
 
 Finally the Lord had pity on me and gave me peace. 
 It happened this way : As was my custom I went to the 
 Wellclose Square Mission and on this particular 
 Saturday afternoon the Reverend John Wilkinson had 
 been announced to preach, (^e took as his text 
 Matthew X, 37: "He that loveth father or mother 
 more than me is not worthy of me." He emphasized 
 especially the last phrase "not worthy of me" — not 
 worthy of Jesus. All that the preacher said seemed 
 to touch my soul and, when he asked for testimonies 
 I could not help standing up and tremblingly saying : 
 •(Ijvant to be worthy of Jesus !" 
 
 lygasion and Happiness. — I went to my room and 
 paced the floor until past midnight, when at last I 
 surrendered my all to Jesus, all I could say was, 
 "Lord, make me worthy of Thee!" I felt my load 
 lifted. I knew that I was forgiven and accepted and 
 when at last, through tears of joy and happy com- 
 munion with Him, I stretched myself on my bed, I 
 slept the most refreshing sleep I had had for a long 
 time. Happiness and joy filled my soul. 
 
 Testifying. — Early next morning, it was Sunday 
 morning, I appeared in due time for breakfast. My 
 uncle was at the table and no doubt noticed my happy 
 and satisfied look. As I sat down to the table he 
 
22 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 asked me why I looked so happy and I told him 
 frankly : 
 
 "Uncle, for the last three months I have been going 
 through a great struggle." I told him of my going 
 to the Mission and the reading of the New Testament 
 and finished by saying: 
 
 "Last night I decided and have accepted Jesus as 
 my Saviour and from now on, Uncle, I want you to 
 know that I too am a Christian." 
 
 It would be difficult to describe how the good man 
 received this bit of information. He left the table 
 unable to touch the food, pale and sad as if his heart 
 would break. I, however, was able to eat and enjoyed 
 my breakfast as I had not done for a long time. 
 
 Going into the store I found my uncle pacing the 
 floor furiously angry. I went into the office and, 
 when I had an opporttmity, I related to the senior 
 bookkeeper my happy experience of the previous 
 night. He cautioned me not to tell it to my uncle 
 if I wanted to keep my place. Imagine his surprise 
 when I informed him that my uncle was the first 
 person to whom I had given the information. Later 
 in the day the bookkeeper informed me that my tmcle 
 had told him, that as long as I was not baptized it 
 did not matter. 
 
 "These boys," he had said, "one day believe one 
 thing and the next day another. These notions will 
 soon disappear and as long as he does not submit to 
 that rite and publicly deny the faith of his fathers, it 
 does not matter." The Jews think that Jewish candi- 
 dates for baptism pass through a special ceremony 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 23 
 
 when they are forced to curse their God and the 
 religion of their Fathers. 
 
 Profession of Faith. — I then and there determined 
 to make my profession of faith and immediately spoke 
 to Mr. Wilkinson about it. After due inquiries we 
 agreed to have it done at the Wellclose Square Mis- 
 sion, in the East End of London, one Saturday 
 afternoon. I invited my uncle and a great many 
 Jewish friends to be present. He came and during 
 the whole time did his utmost to get me out of the 
 meeting. However, I remained firm, and after hear- 
 ing my testimony on behalf of Christ, he and his 
 group of friends walked out boisterously, slamming 
 the door after them. After that never-to-be-forgotten 
 meeting, Mr. Wilkinson and the staff of missionaries 
 met in the Home of Inquiries, situated in the North 
 of London, at Mildmay Park, where we had a de- 
 lightful time of prayer and consecration. It was 
 almost midnight when I returned to my home and 
 when I opened the door a shower of curses, broom 
 sticks, hot water, met me. After being cruelly in- 
 sulted and beaten, I was driven away from that door 
 and home. 
 
 My heart, however, was so full of joy and happi- 
 ness that I did not notice the cold of that October 
 night. My tired body did not feel the hard stones 
 as I walked those streets the whole night, awaiting 
 the arrival of the first day of my new life. 
 
 Expelled From Home. — Early Monday morning, 
 after walking all the night through the streets of 
 London, I went into my uncle's store ready to continue 
 
24 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 my work. At the door I met him, as if expecting me. 
 
 "What do you wish, Sir?" he said. I told him, 
 "Uncle, I have come to work." 
 
 "Don't call me Uncle any more," he exclaimed, "I 
 do not know you any more and you have absolutely 
 nothing more to do here and the sooner you get out 
 of this place the better it will be for you." 
 
 "All right," I said, "but I would like to go to my 
 room and get my clothes." 
 
 "You have absolutley nothing here," he shouted at 
 the top of his voice and pushing me to the door 
 shoved me out. 
 
 I expected to be asked to resign from my work, 
 but to be expelled like that, without a piece of cloth- 
 ing except what I had on, was quite a surprise. It 
 left me in bad shape. I only had a few shillings in 
 my pocket and with these I tried to begin my new life. 
 I felt sad, but in my heart I was happy for being 
 permitted to suffer for my faith in my Lord and 
 Saviour Jesus Christ. 
 
 The first few days passed along smoothly. I made 
 the pennies I had go a long way. I ate as little as 
 possible and slept in what is known as the thieves' 
 kitchens where for a few pennies one can get a 
 clean bed. I tried to get work, but as all my ac- 
 quaintances were Jews, after I would tell them the 
 reason why I lost my job refused to give me work. 
 When at last my limited funds gave out I had a very 
 trying time. I could have informed the missionaries 
 about my trouble, and they, no doubt, would have 
 been glad to find some work for me ; but I was 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 25 
 
 ashamed to do so, as I did not wish them to think 
 that I was after their money. Finally one of them 
 noticed some difference in my appearance and inquired 
 as to my way of living and I informed him of my 
 predicament. He found me a place in the Home of 
 Jewish Converts where I was accepted and taught the 
 art of printing which has been of such great use to 
 me in my work in Brazil. Soon after entering the 
 Home I was baptized by the Rev. John Wilkinson, 
 at the Central Hall, Mildmay Mission, before a crowd 
 of over three thousand people. 
 
 Learning a Trade. — I spent about three years in 
 that home and due to the manager, Mr. McClure, a 
 godly Christian gentleman, who seemed to realize that 
 my work would not be that of setting up type, but 
 something of much more value to the Kingdom of 
 God, he had me pass through all the departments of 
 that printing plant. My allowance was very meager, 
 only a shilling a week, but we received good food, 
 good sleeping quarters, good clothes, ai^'.d everything 
 necessary to existence. Again and again dear Mr. 
 McClure would let me do a little work overtime, 
 which would put an extra shilling into my pocket 
 at the end of the week. 
 
 A Godly Teacher. — We had excellent teachers. 
 One of the best and most consecrated men of God was 
 Mr. J. Clancy, a retired officer of the English army 
 who had seen service in India. His life and his 
 Words helped me wonderfully and saved me many 
 times from spiritual disaster. The spiritual life of 
 that man of God to whom I took all my difikulties 
 
26 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 and trials and who taught me how to lay it all at the 
 feet of the Master in prayer was an inspiration to me. 
 
 Street Preaching. — Sunday was always my best 
 day, and was begun by attending a Men's Bible Class, 
 under the direction of a layman, Mr. Badenoch, of 
 the Mildmay Mission. We were fifty or more and 
 had an excellent program prepared for the whole 
 year, studying some book of the New Testament. 
 That was a real spiritual uplift, which I experienced 
 every Sunday morning before breakfast, and it was 
 there that I also received my first lesson in winning 
 souls for my Master. This Bible Class did not content 
 itself with the study of the word of God, but after 
 breakfast we would meet again and go into the high- 
 ways and by-ways of London and call the wanderers 
 in. Several of the members of this class are now 
 at work in the Lord's vineyard — some in far-away 
 distant lands. 
 
 Thrown Into a Dust Bin. — During one of those 
 street meetings I almost met my Waterloo. Anxious 
 to tell my own people, the Jews, what the Lord had 
 done for me, I asked a few of the members of that 
 Bible Class to go with me to the East End of London 
 and help me in an open-air meeting to be held in a 
 district thickly settled with Jews. They readily con- 
 sented and we chose a corner of the street where four 
 buildings, almost entirely occupied by Hebrews, 
 fronted. The meeting began as usual, with singing 
 of hymns and prayer, and as the crowds gathered I 
 was pointed out as the Jewish renegade. As long 
 as my companions addressed them nothing happened. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 27 
 
 but as soon as I got up and began telling them of 
 Jesus, the Jews, whose number had constantly in- 
 creased, attacked us. My companions were driven 
 away and I was caught by the persecutors, who threw 
 me to the ground and kicked me about until I was 
 almost dead. When I came to myself I was told 
 that I had been found by the police in a garbage 
 box more dead than alive, with my skull cracked and 
 my body all covered with bruises. Oh, but those 
 were glorious times, and I praise my heavenly Father 
 for having been permitted to suffer for Him and His 
 Holy Cause, even from the hand of my brethren ac- 
 cording to the flesh ! 
 
 ^^Excommunicated. — It was a year after I had been 
 living my new and happy life, enjoying the fellow- 
 ship of Christian men and women and preparing 
 myself for a life of more usefulness to my Master and 
 Lord, that one day, like a bolt of thunder from the 
 clear sky, I received a note from another uncle of 
 mine, a brother of my father. He had come to 
 London "on business," said the note, "but wished to 
 see me before returning to Russia." Obtaining per- 
 mission I ran with all haste and fell into the arms 
 of this dear uncle who had always treated me with 
 special affection, even while I was studying in Ger- 
 many, and who, being childless had given me to under- 
 stand that I would one day inherit his wealth. 
 
 I need not tell here all the particulars of our meet- 
 ing and how he made my heart yearn for home as 
 he gave me all the hews about everyone that I loved 
 and from whom I had not heard since my conversion. 
 
28 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 News from mother and father and especially from 
 my only sister, with whom I had spent most of my 
 time at grandmother's home in Germany, and to whom 
 I was greatly attached as only a brother can be to 
 a sister when they are living under a strange roof. 
 He gave me all the news and ended by asking, "Do 
 you know what I came to London for?" 
 
 "On business," I said. "That is what you wrote 
 me. 
 
 "Yes," he said, "I had some business to do, but 
 my special business is to take you back home." 
 
 "That is great," I exclaimed, "and I am ready to 
 go with you any time you may wish to go." 
 
 "I know," he replied, "that you are ready to go, 
 but there is one condition and that is that you leave 
 your apostasy behind." 
 
 It was then that my eyes were opened and I realized 
 that my greatest trial was at hand. Confused as it 
 left me for a moment, with a clear and distinct note 
 I told him that such a thing was impossible, as I 
 had given my heart to the Lord Jesus, and to abandon 
 my religion I would have to tear out my heart also. 
 He smiled sarcastically and informed me that he had 
 full power from my father to have me excommuni- 
 cated, disinherited, disowned by the family and con- 
 sidered as dead. The reason that it had not been 
 done before was because he himself had interceded for 
 me, hoping to get in touch with me and have me realize 
 the consequences. I told him again that before ac- 
 cepting the Lord Jesus as my Saviour I had struggled 
 for three full months and had counted the cost. I was 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 29 
 
 prepared for everything and every loss and if it only 
 depended on me I was decided to leave all there and 
 then. He gently pushed me out of the door and told 
 me to return a week after that and then give him my 
 final answer. 
 
 Oh, the horror of that long, seemingly never-ending 
 week ! The devil tried his very best to get a new hold 
 on me. Due, no doubt, to my state of nervousness 
 and sleepless nights, everything seemed to go wrong. 
 I fell out with some of my companions in the home 
 and one day, provoked to anger by one of the in- 
 mates, I broke a chair over his head. The manager 
 thought it best to expel me from the home. No one 
 knew of the great trial I was passing through except 
 dear Mr. Clancy and he asked the manager to over- 
 look my fault. It was a terrible week of trial and 
 temptation and had it not been for the Lord Himself 
 I would have surely failed. What frightened me most 
 was the terrible Jewish excommunication. I remem- 
 bered, how on my return to Russia from Germany, 
 I attended upon one such scene where a poor fellow 
 was excommunicated for some foolish little fault, I 
 think it was for kissing his wife too soon after 
 childbirth (a thing forbidden by the Rabbis). It was 
 a harrowing scene, and the curses, as they were read 
 out by the rabbi, made me shiver. My soul revolted 
 and I did not want to see it any more, much less be 
 the protagonist himself in such a ceremony. 
 
 Cursed and Disinherited. — The week ended and I 
 went out fortified by the prayers of that man of God, 
 Mr. Qancy, ready to give my testimony concerning 
 
30 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 my Saviour and Lord. I found my uncle, or rather 
 both of my uncles, and several elderly Jews, whose 
 flowing- white beards inspired great respect and at- 
 tention. All received me gladly and gave me a hearty 
 welcome. We had a long talk about the greatness of 
 the God of Israel, of the God of Abraham, Isaac 
 and Jacob. I was finally asked for my decision and 
 I gave it to them in a few very simple and plain 
 statements. I told them of my struggles before ac- 
 cepting Jesus as the Messiah. I gave them my ex- 
 perience when I first went to hear the explanation 
 of the Fifty-third Chapter of Isaiah. I told them of 
 my life and happiness since then and of my desire 
 to serve Him, my Saviour and Lord, even as a 
 printer, helping to spread the knowledge of Him whom 
 to know is life eternal. Sadness came upon all their 
 faces, especially upon those of my uncles. One of 
 the elderly Jews, with tears in his eyes, informed me 
 of the consequences, and of his awful duty to proceed 
 with my excommunication and disinheritance. I told 
 him that I had counted the cost, that I was ready to 
 go to the limit and if necessary give my life for 
 the Messiah. 
 
 Ole then began to read the excommunication cere- 
 mony : "Cursed be he by day, cursed by night ; cursed 
 when standing and cursed when lying down; cursed 
 when eating and cursed when drinking" ; and so on 
 for a long time. 
 
 At first my heart fell within me and it seemed to me 
 as if the ground upon which I stood opened and that 
 I was being hurled into a bottomless pit. Oh, the 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 31 
 
 horror of that moment! Thank God it was only a 
 moment! Then my heart cried unto my Lord and it 
 seemed to me as if I saw Him upon the Cross with 
 outstretched arms and over the Cross I saw written 
 in plain and shining letters that wonderful text: 
 
 "HE REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE OF 
 THE LAW, BEING MADE A CURSE FOR US." 
 Galatians3:13 
 
 ^I heard the good old man finish the reading of 
 those curses. Tears were streaming down the faces 
 of my uncles and they wept as if their hearts would 
 break, but my own soul was filled with a peace that 
 / passeth all understanding. I felt myself filled with a 
 joy unspeakable and full of glory. When the good 
 man had finished reading those curses and he gave 
 me to understand that from that moment on I was 
 an outcast and dead to the family, I merely said in 
 answer: "Gentlemen, is that all?" They nodded their 
 heads in assent. I then said, "Well, good-bye, and 
 may the Lord have mercy upon your souls." 
 
 I left that room with my heart rejoicing. I was 
 so happy that I did not know what I was doing. I 
 walked into the arms of a big policeman and he asked 
 me if I was drunk and I told him, "No, sir, but I 
 am very happy !" 
 
 Regions Beyomd Mission College. — I spent three 
 wonderful years in that Home for Jewish Converts. 
 There I not only learned a trade, but also how to 
 work for my Master. 
 
 One other great joy to me was the Sunday School 
 
32 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 and work among the little children. It was at one of 
 these meetings that my attention was called to the 
 need of preparation for better service. I was having 
 two weeks' vacation at the seashore in Brighton, help- 
 ing in the meetings for the children on the seashore. 
 It was there I met Miss C. Bishop, a young English 
 woman, a trained nurse, and a volunteer for foreign 
 mission work. We had long talks together about the 
 Master's service and she convinced me of the neces- 
 sity of consecrating my life to the great work of sav- 
 ing souls in the foreign field. On my return to the city 
 I applied to the China Inland Mission for work. I 
 was called before the Board and was informed that 
 they would be glad to send me out, but that I needed 
 more instruction in Christianity. I was advised to 
 apply to some seminary. I wrote to the great 
 London preacher, Charles H. Spurgeon, stating my 
 need and desire. I received a very kind and helpful 
 letter, telling me that all vacancies in his seminary 
 were taken and even if they had a vacancy there 
 were a great many of their own denomination waiting 
 for an opening and that it would be better for me to 
 apply to the Regions Beyond Missionary Training 
 School, where cases like mine would be immediately 
 taken up. Desirous of a preparation for my Master's 
 service I wrote immediately to Dr. Grattan-Guinness 
 and it was not long until I received the welcome letter 
 advising me that I could report to the school, Harley 
 College, Bow Street, London. I suppose there was 
 no happier man on the face of the earth than the 
 writer when, with the few pieces of baggage I pos- 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 33 
 
 sessed, I entered the gates of that great school. I 
 passed three years of my life there, never-to-be- 
 forgotten years, learning not only how to rightly 
 divide the Word of God, but also how to work ac- 
 ceptably for my Master and Lord. 
 
 Training for Work.— After a few months of trial 
 I was sent to Cliff College, Derbyshire, a branch of the 
 Regions Beyond Missionary Training College, where 
 the great man of God, Professor Rutcliff, wielded a 
 singular influence. It was there that I received the 
 world vision of work to be done. It was in this in- 
 stitution that I began to realize the possibilities of a 
 life for Kim who gave His life for me. The visits 
 of Dr. Gordon, Joseph Parker, F. B. Meyer, Grattan- 
 Guinness, the great Bible expositor and that of his 
 son Harry, the great evangelist, the coming and going 
 of missionaries, their stories of heroism in the far- 
 away foreign fields, made my heart yearn to do and 
 dare something also and when the three years were 
 finished and I received an invitation to the Neglected 
 Continent, I did not hesitate. Although I had no 
 guarantee for my support, I went, fully realizing that 
 I was in His service and was ready to give my life 
 and my all to Him who had done so much for me. 
 
 First Attempts in Service. — During my three years' 
 stay at the Regions Beyond Mission College, both at 
 Cliff and Harley College, I took active part in mission 
 work, especially during the holidays. I had a 
 permanent work at the Industrial Home situated in 
 the London slums and still possess a beautiful Bible, 
 given to me by the lady superintendent. Miss Annie 
 
34 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 Macpherson, in the name of the co-workers in 
 recognition of services rendered. 
 
 Most of my time was given to work among the 
 Jews, and during the holidays I was employed by 
 the Mildmay Mission to the Jews as visitor and Bible 
 distributor. I cannot narrate all that happened to me 
 during those days; however, I give one or two in- 
 cidents which will show the difficulties of working 
 among the Jews. 
 
 Beaten by White-Slavers. — On one of my furloughs 
 I was employed for the purpose of visiting the in- 
 coming boats from Europe and watching for girls that 
 were smuggled into England for white-slavery. My 
 work was to meet the boats before touching the docks 
 and find out the destination of the Jewish girls. 
 
 As a rule, the white-slavers consigned the girls, 
 either married or to be married, to some rascal in 
 London, and from there they were transferred to 
 some other country for exploitation. It was easy for 
 me, after conversation with some of the girls, to find 
 out where they were going and then call their attention 
 to what was awaiting them. Some would listen to me 
 and would accept the offer of help and gladly follow 
 the lady to whom I would direct them, and thus be 
 saved from a life of shame and disgrace. Others 
 would refuse to listen to reason, and these I had to 
 turn over to the proper authorities. Soon, however, 
 these white-slavers learned of my work, and so it was 
 not long after that they waylaid me and gave me a 
 beating from which it took me a long while to re- 
 cover. Why they did not kill me I cannot imagine, 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 35 
 
 except that the Lord had some other work for me 
 to do. 
 
 Thrown Down a Spiral Stair-Case. — At another 
 time, I was visiting the Jewish district with a young 
 Jewish convert, who was at the same College pre- 
 paring himself for work as a medical missionary, a 
 Mr. Davidson by name. We were accosted by a young 
 Jewish fellow who told us that at a certain building 
 on the fifth floor, was a shoe factory where all em- 
 ployees were Jews and where the subject of Chris- 
 tianity was being discussed daily. He asked us to 
 visit the place and bring New Testaments, as they 
 were very anxious to possess a copy. He spoke so 
 earnestly that we did not suspect the trap that had 
 been set for us. When we appeared there later in the 
 afternoon, we knocked at the first door and as soon as 
 they recognized us they asked us to go to the next 
 door. When we reached the next door, all men work- 
 ing in the first room came out with their implements 
 of work, hammers, stones, and knives and attacked 
 us from behind, barring the way to the stair-case, 
 the only way of escape, while those of the second 
 room attacked us in the front. As soon as I dis- 
 covered the situation my first thought was to save 
 Davidson, who was a frail, weak young fellow. 
 Covering him with my body, I pushed him to the stairs 
 and made him run down telling him to call the police. 
 Meanwhile the group of Jews, numbering about thirty 
 or forty, after belabouring me the best they knew 
 how with their hammers and lasts, got hold of my 
 limbs and turning me head downwards placed me in 
 
,36 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 the middle of the spiral stair-case and deliberately- 
 dropped me down with the intention, of course, of 
 having me break my neck. Fortunately I had had 
 excellent training while in Germany and I had not 
 gone far down the space whefn I managed to lay hold 
 of the spiral stair-case and getting astride the banister 
 I slid down and made good my escape, which was a 
 very narrow one indeed. 
 
 The Call to Service. — .The above experiences as well 
 as a great many other facts convinced me that my 
 call for work was not to be among the Jews, but 
 among the Gentiles. Today I am more than ever 
 convinced that the mission of the converted Jew is 
 not to the lost tribes of Israel, but to those who know 
 not God, the true God and his Saviour Jesus Christ. 
 I was in the College studying and biding my time as 
 well as awaiting my call. I knew that in due time my 
 Lord would open a way for me. Meanwhile I was 
 preparing myself the best way possible for whatso- 
 ever He would think me fit to do. 
 
 While in College I received several invitations. A 
 missionary from India came to see me and we talked 
 and prayed long and earnestly about the great oppor- 
 tunities for work in that great field, especially in the 
 line of the translation of the Scriptures, but that work 
 did not appeal to me. Another appeal came to me for 
 work in Jamaica, among the needy negro churches, 
 but I passed that by. One day young Dr. Harry 
 Guinness, called me to his office, told me that a lady, 
 just returned from Brazil, where she and her deceased 
 husband had spent a great many years, was anxious 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 37 
 
 to send out a missionary to that country on the fol- 
 lowing plan: Pay his passage and outfit and one 
 hundred pounds sterling, on condition that he learn 
 the language and work for a year as a self-supporting, 
 independent missionary. Dr. Guinness thought that I 
 was the man for that work, and I asked for time to 
 think and pray about it. 
 
 That offer appealed to me. Once there came to our 
 Bible Class in the Mildmay Hall, a Mr. VanOrden, a 
 converted Jew and Presbyterian missionary in Brazil, 
 who told us about the opportunities in that great 
 neglected field. I was greatly stirred by his message 
 and remember having contributed something to his 
 printing outfit, though my salary then was only one 
 shilling a week. Then also when a child, while study- 
 ing in the schools of Germany, I used to read all the 
 books I could secure about Brazil, its vast prairies, 
 its wonderful gold mines and diamond fields, its wild 
 Indians and its unexplored regions. Now while I 
 prayed for light all those facts came back to me and 
 the neglected Indians seemed to loom up with out- 
 stretched hands and appeal to me to come over and 
 help them. The next day I gave Dr. Guinness my 
 decision. I accepted the offer. Though I did not 
 know it then I found out later that the lady in ques- 
 tion was no other than Mrs. Kalley, the wife of the 
 founder of the Congregational Mission in Brazil. I 
 was invited to spend a week with that good lady at 
 her home in Edinburgh, where I suppose I was duly 
 inspected and must have given satisfaction, as it was 
 not long after that I was told to prepare for my trip 
 
38 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 to Brazil, by way of Portugal, where I was to stay 
 in the home of a Brazilian family and learn the in- 
 tricacies of the Portuguese language, the language 
 used in Brazil. 
 
 1 Ordination Service and Farewell. — My farewell and 
 ordination service took place at the Conference Hall, 
 Mildmay Park, London, and the following ministers 
 took part: Rev. John Wilkinson, Episcopal minister 
 and director of the Mildmay Mission to the Jews; 
 Rev. H. Grattan-Guinness, D. D., Baptist minister and 
 director of the Regions Beyond Mission; Rev. Hudson 
 Taylor, of the China Inland Mission ; Mr. P. S. Bade- 
 noch, my Bible Teacher; Honorable James Mathieson, 
 director of the Mildmay Mission, and another minister 
 of the Wesleyans, whose name I cannot recall. It was 
 a very impressive service and I will never forget the 
 advice and counsels given to me during that solemn 
 hour. 
 
 CM.y farewells did not take long. I had no relatives 
 in England to whom I cared to say good-bye. My 
 uncle would not receive me. In the Home of the 
 Mildmay Mission to the Jews I had several friends 
 that had endeared themselves to me and so also those 
 of Harley College and some of the companions in the 
 different mission stations where I had been working 
 while studying. But the only person that really cared 
 for me, in some sort of a personal way, was Miss 
 Carrie Bishop, a trained nurse of the. Royal Hospital, 
 to whom I was then engaged and who was the last 
 one to leave the boat on which I was leaving London. 
 We prayed together for a long time and consecrated 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 39 
 
 our lives anew to the Master and to the work in that 
 great and neglected continent, to which I was then 
 going, and to which she was to come after a year or so. 
 
 I left London on January 21, 1890, on a small vessel, 
 with capacity for only eight passengers for Oporto, 
 Portugal. We had a very rough voyage. We en- 
 countered bad weather from the start and had to take 
 refuge several times in several ports on the South 
 coast of England. It took us twelve days to make a 
 trip that usually only took two or two and a half days. 
 Finally we reached Vigo, on the coast of Spain, in a 
 very dilapidated state, and after a little trimming and 
 repairing we continued our voyage reaching Oporto, 
 situated on one of the most beautiful bays one could 
 possibly imagine. It seemed as if nature was com- 
 pensating us for the many days of suffering. 
 
 Learning the Language. — I reached Oporto, Por- 
 tugal, on February 2, 1890, and was received into the 
 home of Senor Fernandes Braga, a rich Brazilian 
 merchant and consecrated believer, a Portuguese by 
 birth, who was spending a few months in his native 
 country, recuperating from effects of the tropical heat. 
 
 In the home of this good Christian family I began 
 the study of the Portuguese tongue. I was very 
 anxious to learn the language as soon as possible and 
 to facilitate my object I gave myself to the task of 
 learning at least a hundred words per day out of the 
 dictionary. The family had a young English, though 
 Portuguese-bom, governess, who helped me wonder- 
 fully in the way of pronouncing the words. At the 
 end of the first month I had a fairly good number of 
 
40 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 words to begin on and so resolved to write a tract 
 first in English, translate it into Portuguese and then 
 go into the country to sell it to the people. 
 
 I prepared the tract giving it the following title : 
 "Sao Pedro Nunca Foi Papa!" ("Saint Peter was 
 never a Pope"). The study of this subject helped me 
 to grasp the questions that always arise when you 
 talk to a priest, as well as illustrate to the public one 
 of the most debatable questions among them. Mr. 
 Jones, an independent Baptist merchant, member of 
 Spurgeon's Tabernacle, helped me not only in cor- 
 recting the final proofs, but also in certain important 
 historical data. 
 
 After printing the tract I stuffed my hand-bag full 
 of them and put my dictionary into my pocket and 
 boarded a train for my first venture into foreign 
 mission work. I had been only a month in Portugal 
 and, though I could read Portuguese, I was not able 
 to speak it nor understand it very easily. 
 
 It is surprising to me even today the number of 
 tracts I sold. I really did not meet with any difficulties 
 except once when I offered the tract to a Catholic 
 priest. He read the title and began to gesticulate very 
 excitedly. Not understanding him at all, I just smiled 
 my most captivating smile, which seemed to anger him 
 more than ever. Finally he began shaking his fist 
 at me, which, of course, I understood perfectly and 
 got out of his way, but the Portuguese passengers 
 took the matter up for me and made the place so un- 
 comfortable for the poor priest that he had to leave 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 41 
 
 the car at the next stopping place, and I was able to 
 sell every tract I had with me. 
 
 Portuguese University Students. — ^Another time I 
 was in the city of Coimbra, where the celebrated Uni- 
 versity is situated, and sold a good many of those 
 tracts. In the afternoon the University students saw 
 me and suspected that I was English. There was some 
 political trouble between England and Portugal then 
 and I had purposely published on the title page, under 
 my name, that I was Russian. A group of the str 
 dents soon gathered, and followed me as I went fror^. 
 house to house offering that tract. Finally I saw 
 that one was being sent to look into the matter. 
 
 Upon reaching me, he brutally snatched a tract 
 out of my hand asked me what I was doing. I told 
 him that I was trying to sell my tracts. 
 
 Then he began a tirade against the English, of 
 which I could not understand much, except what I 
 had been told to expect. I gently called his attention 
 to the fact that I was Russian and not English. As 
 soon as he was convinced of the fact, he beckoned to 
 his companions and informed them that I was Russian 
 and therefore an enemy to the English and they 
 cheered me for all I was worth. Of course, I sold 
 every tract that I had brought with me and was indeed 
 sorry that I had not brought thousands, instead of a 
 few hundreds. 
 
 Fleeing From Portugal. — Having sold some three 
 thousands of this my first tract, I set myself to write 
 another, this time a stronger and more impertinent 
 one about Roman Catholic teachings. As was my 
 
42 A WM>[DERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 habit I had visited and examined most of the native 
 churches, I found a great many relics and super- 
 stitious rags that the Roman priesthood was exploit- 
 ing and against which my heart revolted. The wor- 
 ship of relics, of rags and bones of the saints, the 
 idolatry, the overbearing domination of the priests, 
 the ignorance concerning God among the people; all 
 these things stirred me powerfully. I then wrote the 
 second tract entitled, "The Religion of Rags, Bones 
 and Flour ("A Religiao D.e Trapos, Ossos E. 
 Farinha"). After getting this tract in shape and 
 selling a few hundred copies, I received warning that 
 the best thing I could do would be to leave the country 
 immediately as the Ultramontane element (Jesuits) 
 were working up a case against me to put me in prison, 
 a place I was not very anxious to go just then. So 
 packing into my trunk the few articles of my posses- 
 sions and taking advantage of the company of Mr. 
 Maxwell Wright, a celebrated English-Portuguese 
 evangelist, who was then going to Brazil to hold 
 evangelistic services, I left Portugal. I reached Rio 
 de Janeiro on June 10, 1890. 
 
 My stay in Portugal had, however, been very help- 
 ful to me, not only because of my learning the lan- 
 guage in the land where it is spoken, but also because 
 it had given me a splendid insight into the working 
 of the Roman Catholic Church. Brazil was originally 
 a colony of Portugal and the majority of the inhabi- 
 tants of Brazil are descendants of Portuguese stock. 
 What I appreciated most was the study of the 
 (^Catholic religion in Portugal from whence it was 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 43 
 
 transplanted into the colony, and which today, with 
 very little modification, is the religion that prevails 
 in Brazil. Most of the priests in Brazil are Portu- 
 guese by birth whose only object seems to be to 
 make a fortune and then return to the home-land and 
 live in prosperity ever after. The same superstitions, 
 the same ignorance and thoughtlessness about per- 
 sonal responsibility toward God and toward one an- 
 other prevails. Rome ruined Portugal and made it 
 the laughing-stock of other nations. Rome is doing 
 the same in Brazil today. Brazil, although the richest 
 in natural products among the countries of the world, 
 is today being degraded by the craftiness and intrigues 
 of the Roman Catholic Church just as has been the 
 case with all peoples, nations and tribes that have 
 come under its baneful influence. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 GETTING MY BEARINGS. 
 
 Among Congregationalists. — I had no definite con- 
 victions nor settled ideas as to denominations. I 
 really never had studied the question of denomina- 
 tions on account of my conversion having taken place 
 in an undenominational mission. 
 
 Arriving in Brazil I naturally looked for a church 
 of an undenominational character. I found that the 
 Fluminense Church, of which Dr. Kalley was the 
 founder and to which the Braga family belonged, was 
 more to my liking, being a kind of a Congregational 
 church with a Presbyterian directorate. One thing 
 especially that I liked about it was the fact that they 
 did not practice infant baptism, a practice that my 
 conscience repelled as soon as I accepted Christianity. 
 It always seemed to me like a shadow of Judaism 
 and ceremonialism, which I abhorred. 
 
 The pastor of this church was the Rev. John M. G. 
 dos Santos, a native Brazilian educated at C. H. 
 Spurgeon's College. He was a good man, but ex- 
 tremely conservative. It took me quite a time to con- 
 vince him that I had no intentions of substituting him 
 and that my only desire was to help him in his 
 ministry. As an illustration, let me tell what he did 
 when I was beginning open-air services in Brazil. 
 
 A temporary Constitution had been adopted by the 
 new Republic and was then being discussed. In it 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 45 
 
 complete liberty was given to all faiths and creeds and 
 separation of Church from the State recommended. 
 I thought it an excellent time to try the worth of 
 such a law. I asked the pastor to announce an open- 
 air service for a certain Sunday afternoon, to take 
 place on the same square on which the Republic was 
 proclaimed. Having to preach that morning in 
 Nictheroy, across the bay, I was not present at the 
 announcement. I was informed that he had made the 
 following statement: 
 
 "Brother Ginsburg asked me to tell you that he 
 intends to hold an open-air meeting on the Square 
 of the Republic. My advice to you is not to go, as 
 the Constitution has not been approved and we may 
 thus endanger the adoption of such a law." 
 
 At three o'clock I was on the Square and looking 
 around for helpers I only found four women — a 
 mother with her two daughters and one sister. Asking 
 for the loan of a stool from the keeper of the Public 
 Garden, situated on one side of the square, I climbed 
 upon it and started singing a hymn. Not more than 
 a minute passed before a great multitude stood around 
 us listening attentively to the message I gave them 
 in the name of Jesus. As the meeting continued more 
 listeners came until there must have been more than 
 five thousand standing around us. I told them of 
 Jesus and His power to save and nothing else hap- 
 pened than a man shouting: 
 
 "Why don't you tell us something about the Virgin 
 Mary. You speak only of Jesus, Jesus ; tell us some- 
 thing about Mary." 
 
46 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 I did not pay any attention to that and continued 
 to preach Christ and Him crticified. It was a glorious 
 beginning. When I finished my discourse a group of 
 about a hundred members of the church were near 
 me and said, "What a fine meeting that was !" I said, 
 "Yes, but not with your help." 
 
 Work in Nictheroy. — During my first few months in 
 Brazil I worked across the bay in the Nictheroy 
 church or rather congregation. I found a small group 
 of believers that had preaching in the home of a 
 family about once a month. We soon changed that 
 to full-time preaching. We rented a house on one 
 of the principal streets of the city right in front of the 
 bay, I began a series of meetings that grew in interest 
 and power. The open-air services helped wonderfully 
 and I began to hold them regularly all over the town. 
 In one of the districts, known as the toughest, the 
 people tried to topple over the chair on which I was 
 standing with the object of falling on me and stabbing 
 or wounding me. The believers, however, stood 
 around the chair that was serving as my platform and 
 when any of the ruffians attempted to get in between 
 them they closed up shoulder to shoulder and kept 
 them away. 
 
 Kicked Out of a Store. — My financial support, at 
 that time I received from selling Bibles and books. 
 It is a work that helps one to get better acquainted 
 with the people. The work, however, is very dif- 
 ficult, especially with what I tried to do in the church, 
 but it gives excellent experience and helps wonder- 
 fully in the acquisition of the language. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 47 
 
 One day I went into a store in one of the suburbs 
 of Rio de Janerio and offered for sale a Bible. The 
 man refused to buy; but as I thought that the man 
 ought to buy one, I insisted until he lost his temper 
 and laying hold of me and the books deliberately 
 kicked me out of his store. 
 
 I calmly picked up the books, wiped the dirt off 
 their covers and returned to the store again. I in- 
 formed the man, in the best Portuguese I knew, that 
 he had committed a crime because having a public 
 store, with an open door, he naturally had to have 
 people coming in to buy or to sell and that his way 
 of treating me was altogether inhuman. If I had 
 committed any crime the police were there to protect 
 him, but that he had no right to throw me out like 
 he did and injure the goods I had for sale. The best 
 thing, I suggested, for him to do was to buy the 
 book I offered, or else I would call the poHce and 
 tell them what he had done. The man bought the 
 Bible. 
 
 One day I was in very great need of money. I did 
 not have a cent of my own and was very hungry. I 
 went to the agency of the British and Foreign Bible 
 Society and asked for 100 Gospels of John. I took 
 them to the most frequented Public Square in Rio, 
 right at the head of the celebrated Ouvidor Street. 
 Qimbing up the steps of the Catholic Church situated 
 on that Square I offered to the worshippers coming 
 and going to and from the church the Gospel of John, 
 and in less than a half hour I had the hundred copies 
 sold. When, I returned with another hundred I 
 
48 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 found a priest watching. I suppose some one must 
 have called his attention to it. Though there is no 
 difference between our edition and the one published 
 by the Catholics, yet the priest does not want his 
 people to read the Bible and I thought it best to 
 leave the place. 
 
 Evangelizing In the Interior. — Mr. Maxwell Wright, 
 who had crossed the ocean on the same steamer with 
 me in 1890, was holding evangelistic services in the 
 various evangelical churches of Rio. My knowledge 
 of the Portuguese language at that time was rather 
 imperfect and, being unable to preach, I did my best 
 to fill the churches for the preacher, inviting the public 
 and sometimes rather forcing them to go in. I know 
 that in many places, were it not for such efforts he 
 would have preached to empty benches. At least that 
 was what he himself told me. 
 
 After a period of work in the great city of Rio de 
 Janeiro we went into the interior and had wonderful 
 times together. Mr. Wright was a good Gospel 
 preacher and knew the langur je well, though his 
 pronunciation was markedly continental and not 
 Brazilian. The people liked it though, as it sounded 
 like he was a native Portuguese instead of an English- 
 man. We usually managed to obtain the largest hall 
 in the town, as a rule the Public Theatre, and the 
 crowds would come to Hsten to the Gospel message. 
 During the day I would visit the homes and sell all 
 the Bibles and books I could. I certainly enjoyed that 
 kind of work. 
 
PLATE VII. RIO BAPTIST COLLEGE AND SEMINARY, RIO. 
 
 1. J. W. Shepard, President, 
 
 2. Baron's Palace, Now Seminary Building. 
 
 3. Judson Hall (Main Building). 
 
 4. Building and Grounds, Girls' Depaj-tment. 
 
 5. New Dormitory. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BBAZIL 49 
 
 In my seminary days I was taught that the best 
 way to evangelize people was to visit certain places, 
 preach for a few days or a week, visit during the day 
 and then go to another city. There is nothing like 
 experience and keeping your eyes open. I found the 
 following to be the case: After preaching for a few 
 days in a place with good results apparently, selling 
 books and having a good many people stand up and 
 manifest a desire to follow the Lord Jesus and His 
 teaching, we would find on our return trip, that most 
 of these we left interested would refuse to receive us. 
 The reason for it was apparent. 
 
 After we left the city the priest would go from 
 home to home and take the books and bum or destroy 
 them and would then fill the hearts and minds of those 
 people with intense prejudice against us. 
 
 This experimental knowledge was a great blessing 
 to me, for it helped me wonderfully in my work for 
 the future. I realized then that the Apostolic plan 
 of evangelizing a place was to stay in the place until 
 a church was organized. That is the only way to do 
 the Master's work effectively. The sufferings the 
 native converts have to undergo is almost impossible 
 to describe. Especially is this the case in the smaller 
 villages where the priest is feared and where every- 
 body knows everybody else. For a man or a woman 
 to face the opposition of his own people or of the 
 priest and of the leading men of the place necessitates 
 great courage. It is only the power of the blood of 
 Jesus that enables a person to do this. Even then, 
 the missionary has to stand by the convert and help 
 
50 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 him to overcome those trying days until the young 
 convert is able to stand alone. 
 
 Using the Printed Page. — One other wray of evange- 
 lizing that I tried during those early days was through 
 the printed page. With the help of Senor Fernandes 
 Braga I published a little monthly paper on the style 
 of "The Christian," of London. The title of that 
 paper was "O Bibha" (The Bible-Man), because the 
 believers in Rio de Janeiro were known by that name 
 on account of always carrying a copy of the Bible 
 with them. Up to the present time the believers in 
 Rio and neighborhood are known by that name. In 
 other States they are known as Protestants or Bap- 
 tists. The value of that paper as an evangelizing 
 agency was proved by the fact that nearly all the be- 
 livers received and supported it and up until today 
 the paper is read, though now it has the title of 
 "O Christao" (The Christian). 
 
 Visiting Pemambuco. — Unable to accomplish and 
 carry out my plans of work in Rio de Janeiro on ac- 
 count of the opposition from the native pastor, I 
 gladly welcomed an invitation from Mr. Fanstone, a 
 Canadian Baptist, who was doing excellent mission 
 work in the great city of Pernambuco, to substitute 
 for him while he was on his furlough to England. 
 I left Rio for Pemambuco in the beginning of 1891 
 and took charge of Mr. Fanstone's work as substitute 
 pastor. The church in Pernambuco had about 100 
 godly and consecrated members with whom I had a 
 blessed time. During the eight months I spent with 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 51 
 
 them I had some of the most glorious experiences of 
 my life. I will mention a few of them. 
 
 TJtjiliziiig Market Day in Cabo. — For my support I 
 was, as usual, selling books. Putting into use my 
 Jewish instinct I made quite a success of it, selling 
 many Bibles and much other literature and making 
 enough for myself and many of the poor of the 
 church. 
 
 In the neighboring cities and villages Saturday was 
 weekly market day. All I had to do was to buy a 
 license, costing about 500 reis (10 cents), and then I 
 had permission to sell my Bibles and literature during 
 the entire day. 
 
 About forty miles from the city Pernambuco was a 
 place called Cabo. It was a prosperous little village 
 to which a great many farmers would come from all 
 over the neighborhood to sell their goods. I sold 
 Bibles and books there for four Saturdays in succes- 
 sion and every time I went I would sell every book 
 I had taken with me. 
 
 On the fifth Saturday, however, when I reached the 
 place I saw that my steps were being closely watched. 
 As soon as I got my stand on the market place a 
 great crowd of buyers gathered around me. Looking 
 up I saw that the priest was coming with a crowd of 
 his faithful flock and every one was carrying a club. 
 It so happened that the priest was the political boss 
 of the town. An illegitimate son of a rich sugar 
 farmer, with a brother, or rather half brother, in a 
 prominent political position, he had everything in his 
 favor, including judge, justice and all. I realized soon 
 
52 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 that any stand I took would be useless and to avoid 
 disagreeable handling by a hundred or more fana- 
 tical and infuriated men, incited by an all-powerful 
 mulatto priest, I decided to leave the field to him. 
 Gathering up the books that the would-be buyers were 
 then handling I mingled in among the crowd of peo- 
 ple, passed on to the other side of my persecutors and 
 took to the sugar cane fields. 
 
 I walked for over three hours and finally reached 
 the nearest railroad station, where I took a train back 
 to Pernambuco, which I was glad to reach with my 
 skin unscathed. I may state, however, that my time 
 was not lost, as I sold Bibles all along the road, and 
 arrived home with my satchel empty, as usual. 
 
 I very seldom ran away from a persecuting crowd, 
 but there is no valour in resisting a mad crowd of 
 over 100 fanatics led by a good-for-nothing priest. 
 However, the precious seed sown was not lost for it 
 brought forth in its own time abundant fruits, lead- 
 ing many to Christ. Today we have a splendidly 
 organized Baptist Church in that city that is doing 
 excellent work for the Master. 
 
 In Prison for the First Time. — ^Another interesting 
 experience I had at that time in Pernambuco was at 
 an open-air service. We used to hold those meetings 
 every Sunday afternoon. A good many souls were 
 converted through these efforts. 
 
 One of my best helpers was a self-supporting 
 Methodist missionary, the Rev. George B. Nind, a very 
 excellent man of God. He supported himself by 
 teaching music in some of the best schools and col. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 53 
 
 leges. Every Sunday afternoon he would come to 
 our open-air service dressed in his tall hat and Prince 
 Albert coat, and lead the singing of our hymns. One 
 Sunday a group of drunken men came to the open-air 
 service and began provoking this good Methodist 
 brother by striking his tall hat with a switch. He 
 suffered this as long as he possibly could resist. 
 Presently he lost his patience and fell upon the man 
 and tried to drag him to the police station. 
 
 The companions of this wretch, however, came to 
 his rescue and a fight ensued which ended in my good 
 brother instead of the ruffian being lead to the police 
 station. I protested and dismissing the meeting went 
 up to the two policemen that were leading my 
 Methodist brother and demanded his release; but 
 they would not pay any attention to what I had to 
 say. Without great difficulty I wrenched the brother 
 out of their hands. 
 
 Then, of course, they laid hands on me also and 
 took me to the police station, which was really what 
 I wanted. Our imprisonment caused a great commo- 
 tion at police headquarters and the Lieutenant- 
 Governor himself came to make apologies and to give 
 us back our freedom. While we were in custody the 
 church was praying and when we were freed we 
 found the hall crowded. The Lord gave us that 
 night many souls. It certainly was a great reward for 
 thg little we suffered. 
 /Anxious to Read the Word of God. — Just another 
 illustration(_about the power of God and the heart- 
 hunger of the Brazilian converts. A poor mail carrier 
 
S4 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 was converted. Duringf his life as a slave, his legs had 
 been hurt and he walked knock-kneed. To deliver 
 the mail he walked a distance of about 75 miles. 
 Soon after his conversion he asked me to teach him 
 to read. He was about 50 years old. 
 
 "Why do you want to learn to read?" I asked him. 
 He replied, "First, because I want to read with my 
 own eyes the letter of my Father in Heaven; then 
 also, as I walk along the road delivering mail from 
 farm to farm, I should like to be able to deliver my 
 Father's letter to all that do not know him yet." 
 
 I bought him a copy of an A B C book and taught 
 him the letters. When he returned from his first 
 trip, a fortnight afterwards, he knew the whole book. 
 
 I then gave him a copy of a New Testament, printed 
 in large black type, and taught him how to read and 
 use it. He took it with him and on his return from 
 the next trip he told me of the remarkable things he 
 was able to do. As soon as he reached a farm, espe- 
 cially where he had to stay all night, after delivering 
 the mail, he would sit down in some corner of the 
 kitchen and take out his Testament and stammeringly 
 start reading a verse or so. Soon everybody with 
 eyes and ears open would come and listen and give 
 their comments. Interesting talks would start last- 
 ing through a great part of the night. 
 
 The seed sown by that good man has brought forth 
 abundant results. Many souls were brought into the 
 kingdom of God through the testimony and labors of 
 this good man of God, who is now enjoying his re- 
 ward. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 55 
 
 Herculano: A Miracle of Grace. — "Lord, have com- 
 passion on a poor sinner !" was the continual wail and 
 cry of a big giant of a Brazilian, as he lay rolling on 
 the floor of his adobe cabin, in an agony of tears, 
 touched by the Spirit of God, realizing, for the first 
 time in his life, the awful, sinful state of his soul in the 
 presence of God. 
 
 A day before he had climbed the stairs leading to 
 our preaching hall in Pernambuco. I was preaching 
 about the "Blood of Jesus, the Son of God, cleansing 
 from all sin." Herculano had listened with eyes 
 riveted on me. One could easily perceive that never 
 before had such teaching reached his ears nor his 
 hungry heart. 
 
 The preaching over, I went to where the new- 
 comer stood, and, as was my custom, inquired as to 
 his appreciation of what he had heard. He expressed 
 himself highly satisfied, and when asked if he would 
 like a visit to his home, where these truths could be 
 gone over with more care and calmness, he readily 
 assented and a meeting was arranged for next day. 
 
 Little did I realize, being new in the field, the 
 danger which I would encounter. I was soon informed 
 that the place where this Brazilian was living was 
 one of the most dangerous in Pernambuco — a verit- 
 able den of thieves and murderers — which even the 
 police feared to enter alone, and strangers that had 
 ventured there were never heard from again. Imagine 
 my feelings when told about these things ; but as I 
 had given my word to meet the man I resolved, after 
 prayer and a renewed consecration of my life to the 
 
56 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 Master, to go and meet him even at the risk of 
 my life. 
 
 At the appointed place and hour I was by the side 
 of this great Hercules of a Brazilian, walking from 
 the street car across a small rickety old bridge made 
 of a few planks, into that dangerous district. People 
 who saw me pass watched with curiosity, and some 
 with pity, imagining the speedy end. 
 
 When we reached the small adobe hut, the home of 
 Herculano, everybody inside seemed to disappear, his 
 wife, his children, the dog and the cats — all seemed to 
 fear his presence and fly for their lives. 
 
 Nothing had been said as yet concerning religion, 
 and as I was invited to enter the house and to be 
 seated upon an old kerosene box, I could not help but 
 notice the blood-shot eyes and murderous features of 
 him whose home I had entered for the first time. 
 
 Realizing my position and that perhaps this was 
 my last opportunity to speak of Christ and His power 
 to save I made up my mind to speak plainly and 
 clearly and, after sitting down on that dirty, old, 
 rickety box, I expressed myself as follows: 
 
 "My dear friend, I really do not know who you 
 are and what you intend doing with me. After ar- 
 ranging for our meeting here I was informed of the 
 danger of coming to this place, of the kind of people 
 that live here and of what has happened to many a 
 stranger who ventured into this district. But as I 
 noticed last night your hunger for something better 
 and your desire to learn more about Jesus and his 
 power to save, I resolved to keep my promise and 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 57 
 
 come and tell you these facts even at the risk of my 
 life. Personally, I may tell you, that I am not afraid 
 to die, because my soul is safe and sure in the keep- 
 ing of Jesus, my Saviour and Lord. I am more con- 
 cerned about your soul than about my own life." 
 
 The countenance of that man can be more easily 
 imagined than described. He turned pale and his big 
 bsdy trembled to such an extent that I feared that 
 something was going to happen to him. He after- 
 wards confessed to me that he was struggling with 
 himself not to fall on me and strangle me — but that 
 something, some invisible power, withheld him and 
 would not let him move. 
 
 "Tell me more about Jesus and how he saves," he 
 then exclaimed. "What you spoke about last night in 
 that hall disturbed my sleep. I have been thinking 
 and wondering if what you affirmed last night was 
 really the truth. I never heard anything like it." 
 
 In simple, plain language I explained to him the 
 gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ: How God 
 gave his only begotten Son to die in our stead on the 
 cruel cross, and how we can obtain a full pardon if we 
 repent and fonsake sin, and accept this blessed offer. 
 
 The words did not seem to reach the heart and 
 mind of the poor man, and I was almost despairing 
 of ever being able to reach him when I bethought 
 myself of calling to my aid the Spirit of God, and, 
 turning to the poor fellow who was sitting and staring 
 in a most helpless condition of despair, I said to him : 
 
 "My dear friend, I can perceive that my words do 
 not reach your understanding ; let us ask God to make 
 
58 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 these things plain to you. Now if you really desire 
 to know these blessed truths, let us kneel down and 
 ask God, who is here with us ready to bless you — let 
 us ask Him to pity and save you." 
 
 I then slipped to my knees and the big giant who, 
 very likely, had never previously bent his knees before 
 his Maker, knelt down beside me. Then, with a 
 trembling voice, and eyes overflowing with tears, I 
 began pleading with God on behalf of this poor soul. 
 
 The answer was not delayed! 
 
 Soon I heard a body fall prostrate to the floor and 
 a choked voice, which seemed to come from the bottom 
 of a heart touched by sorrow and despair, pleading 
 for mercy and forgiveness. 
 
 "Oh, God! save a poor degraded, miserable lost 
 sinner!" was the piteous, continual, cry of this poor 
 man as he was rolling in agony on the floor. 
 
 With tears of repentance, of shame and sorrow, he 
 told of his terrible and miserable life: That he was 
 the hired assassin of one of the most influential poli- 
 ticians of the State; that only a few days before he 
 had returned from the convict island to which he had 
 been sent, sentenced to thirty years' imprisonment, but 
 had been pardoned after seventeen years; and that 
 the day after his arrival on shore he had received 
 orders to do away with a person and had done it. 
 
 Herculano, by the power of God, became a new 
 man and a powerful instrument in the Master's Cause. 
 He was afterwards baptized by Dr. W. E. Entzminger. 
 His home became a center of spiritual influences which 
 slowly transformed the whole district, not only into 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 59 
 
 a place of safety, but also prosperity. Every time I 
 went to preach in that district, Herculano would stand 
 by me and none dared to throw a stone at me for fear 
 of the great, big giant whose fame was known to all 
 and who, though converted, was still feared by every- 
 body. 
 
 In all his difficulties, trials and temptations — and 
 these, after his conversion, seemed to multiply — espe- 
 dally with his own family, who would insult and call 
 him a coward because he had given up making a 
 living by murder — in all these trials he would come 
 to me and open his heart and then both of us would 
 kneel down and put it all into the hands of God, feel- 
 ing secure in His power. 
 
 One day, very early in the morning, while I was in 
 my study, Herculano came in all upset, with his eyes 
 full of blood and his features speaking plainly of 
 murder. 
 
 "What is the matter, Herculano ? What is troubling 
 you now?" 
 
 "Oh, Pastor, I want to kill a man. My heart just 
 tells me to go and kill him," and tears came rolling 
 down his cheeks. 
 
 "But why? What has happened, Herculano?" 
 
 And then he told a pitiful tale of how he had given 
 hospitality to a former companion of his who had just 
 been freed from the prison island and while he was 
 away, very early, and his wife had gone to the market, 
 this criminal had outraged his little daughter, a child 
 of only eight years old. 
 
 "Pastor, my heart tells me to go and kill that 
 
60 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 man. . . . \ know where I can lay my hands on him." 
 
 "Let us ask the Lord about it, Herculano," I said. 
 "Let us see what the Lord will tell you to do." With 
 a troubled heart and a bleeding soul in pity and sym- 
 pathy for the poor father, I laid the whole affair 
 before the Lord, pleading for wisdom and comfort 
 and peace on behalf of this poor brother. 
 
 The answer came! We arose from our knees com- 
 forted and strengthened. We both went to the chief 
 of police who took the matter in hand and brought 
 the criminal to justice. 
 
 Herculano continued firm and faithful to the end. 
 A few days before his death he came again and told 
 me that he had come to say "adeus" for good. 
 
 "Why, what is the matter now?" 
 
 "Well, you see, pastor, my wife will not look after 
 me and I am going to the hospital to be treated and 
 am sure that I will not come back alive." 
 
 "Do not say that," I exclaimed, "you are strong 
 and quite able to survive an operation and we expect 
 a great deal from you yet. Do not be so discouraged. 
 Go and get well, and let us know how you are doing." 
 
 Not a word came from him and when a week after- 
 wards I made inquiries I was informed that Herculano 
 had died a few days after his entrance and that up to 
 the last moment he had spoken of Christ and his love 
 and His power to save. To the priest, who wanted 
 him to confess, he replied: "I have already confessed 
 myself to Christ." 
 
 What a Stereopticon Slide Did. — It is really re- 
 markable how the Lord uses little things, unthought of 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 61 
 
 incidents, to call people to His truth as well as to 
 greater service. While I was in England I would 
 not listen to any denominational discussion. Even in 
 the seminary, where all kinds of denominational dif- 
 ferences were tabooed, but where I was approached 
 several times on the question of baptism, I refused to 
 consider it, thinking that such questions were not 
 necessary to the development of the kingdom of God 
 on earth. I always thought such questions were de- 
 trimental to its growth and development. 
 
 However, I was not long on the field, and in active 
 service, until I discovered that such questions were 
 vital to the stability and continual growth of the 
 work and that definite positions had to be taken by 
 leaders and workers if they desired to be true guides 
 to the believers and make them firm in the faith once 
 given to the saints. 
 
 One of the questions that forced itself upon my 
 attention very early in my work was that of baptism. 
 The Baptists in Rio de Janeiro were very active in 
 propagating their distinctive principles and con- 
 sequently many of the converts of other evangelical 
 churches were drawn into the Baptist fold. No pastor 
 likes to see his people disturbed and much less led 
 away by divers doctrines. The Apostle teaches us to 
 look out for such and admonish them. Some of the 
 deacons of the church with which I was then work- 
 ing, called my attention to these things and urged me 
 to attack the enemy with all my might. I was editing 
 a monthly paper and I determined to study the ques- 
 tion thoroughly and publish an article or tract th^t 
 
62 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 would answer all the arguments of those Baptists. 
 As they appealed to the Scriptures for the justification 
 of their belief and conduct I began studying the 
 Scriptures preparatory to answering these argu- 
 ments. 
 
 One incident incited me to do that immediately and 
 that was the loan of a set of slides by the Rev. W. B. 
 Bagby, the resident Baptist Missionary in Rio de 
 Janeiro. Among those slides was one representing the 
 Baptism of Jesus by John in the river Jordan. As I 
 threw the slides on the screen I purposely made the 
 following remark: 
 
 "You have no doubt heard of spoken lies, and also 
 of written lies, but never perhaps of painted lies ; but 
 if you will look upon the picture before you, you will 
 no doubt see one." 
 
 This statement was reported to Dr. Bagby and he 
 immediately wrote me a scathing letter which made 
 me angry and more than ever determined to study 
 the question of baptism and proclaim the errors of the 
 Baptists and their evil doings to the whole world. 
 
 Discussions and Discoveries. — To say a thing is 
 easy, to do it is quite another, especially when you 
 appeal to the Bible on a question where you discover 
 that you are wrong. The reason why so many do not 
 see the right side of the baptismal question is no doubt 
 because they do not study it from the standpoint of 
 the Bible. I had no other book to examine. Some- 
 times I did wish that I had studied the question in 
 England and on the other hand I was glad that I had 
 not done so as this gave me an opportunity to study 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 63 
 
 the question at first hand. I took it up very seriously. 
 I knew that the Baptists based their arguments on the 
 Bible and the Bible was the best book to decide this 
 question and so to the Bible I appealed. 
 
 It was not long until I discovered that the word 
 "baptism" meant immersion in the Old Testament, as 
 in the case of Naaman who was told to dip himself 
 in the river Jordan (2 Kings 5:14). I found the 
 same word used by the great Hebrew-Greek scholar, 
 Dr. David C. Ginsburg, in his translation of the Greek 
 Testament into the Hebrew tongue. I also remem- 
 bered that in the synagogue where my father often 
 taught and preached existed a baptistry in which I 
 myself and many others had been immersed many a 
 time. That question was soon settled. 
 
 The question that troubled me most was the follow- 
 ing: Was immersion the only form of baptism? If it 
 was the only form mentioned in the Bible and prac- 
 ticed by the Lord and His disciples, then the position 
 of the Baptists on restricted communion, the great 
 bone of contention against the Baptists, was perfectly 
 justified. This question of various forms of baptism 
 troubled me for a while. I had a good many dis- 
 cussions with several of the brother missionaries, 
 notably with the Rev. George W. Nind, the Methodist 
 missionary stationed in Pemambuco, and with Dr. Z. 
 C. Taylor, the Baptist missionary stationed in Bahia, 
 who while visiting the Pernambuco field, I invited 
 to my rooms. I verily believe that I did not let him 
 have much rest, asking him all sorts of questions until, 
 to obtain some relief, he hastened his return to Bahia. 
 
64 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 The result of these studies soon became manifest. 
 I recognized that the Baptists were right in their con- 
 tention and that I was wrong. I also realized that 
 the converts I had sprinkled in my ignorance had to 
 be taught the right way. As supply pastor in the 
 Pernambuco Evangelical Church I felt that I could 
 not conscientiously continue. Having two candidates 
 to sprinkle my conscience refused to allow me to prac- 
 tice a thing which I began to consider as blasphemous. 
 I was in a very trying position. I was without any 
 society to look after my support and without other 
 friends but those that sent me out from England. 
 To take a position in favour of the Baptists I knew 
 would mean to sever all friendly relations with my 
 good friends in England. Just at that time friends 
 were organizing an interdenominational missionary 
 society in England and Pernambuco was to be the 
 first place to be taken under the wings of that Society. 
 But I considered the following: If for the sake of 
 Jesus I had already left all and yet nothing had 
 failed me, I could be certain that by following the 
 truth as it was taught and practiced by Jesus His 
 favor would continue as before. Blessed be His name, 
 He has never failed me, in spite of great and bitter 
 opposition. 
 
 /Just in passing let me say this : A great many have 
 .thought that I became a Baptist on account of marry- 
 ing Miss Emma Morton, then missionary of the 
 jSouthern Baptist Convention. SufiSce it to say that 
 my baptism took place in November, 1891, and I mar- 
 ried Miss Emma Morton in 1893. When I decided 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 65 
 
 the baptism question I was engaged to be married to 
 a young lady I had left in London, England, who 
 afterwards became my first wife. 
 
 Decision and Baptism. — Having decided to throw in 
 my lot with the Baptists I gave notice to the church 
 in Pemambuco informing the brethren as to the rea- 
 sons that led me to take that step. I had several 
 candidates to baptize the following Sunday, and I 
 asked the Rev. W. C. Porter, a Presbyterian mis- 
 sionary, to perform the ceremony for me. I told the 
 church that I was going to Bahia to be baptized and 
 that I would not return to Pemambuco until the pastor 
 of the church was back from his furlough. I would 
 then visit every candidate I had sprinkled and teach 
 him the right way of being baptized. 
 
 When I arrived in Bahia I fotmd that Dr. Taylor 
 was expecting me. Though I had not informed him 
 of my decision he knew, and had told the brethren 
 that they should expect me. He had been praying 
 about me and knew that I would decide aright. In 
 Bahia I also met the newly arrived couple of mis- 
 sionaries, Dr. and Mrs. Entzminger. 
 
 Soon after my arrival I informed the missionaries 
 of my conversion to the Baptist position and before 
 the church made my public confession of the faith. 
 I was baptized by dear Dr. Taylor before a great 
 crowd of interested brethren and friends. The follow- 
 ing Sunday Drs. Taylor and Entzminger and two 
 native pastors formed a council and I was ordained 
 into the regular Baptist ministry. It was the most 
 memorable day of my life. There were not many 
 
66 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 present and the congregation was not the most select, 
 but the presence and power of the Spirit of God was 
 there. With a heart full of joy I consecrated myself 
 anew to the task of saving souls for my Master and 
 Lord in the great neglected continent. 
 
 New Persecutions, Trials and Victory. — One of the 
 first results of my decision in favor of the Baptists 
 was the enmity of those who were helping me finan- 
 cially and especially of those who were organizing the 
 new interdenominational missionary society for Brazil. 
 The person, however, who seemed to be most upset 
 over the step I had taken was the good sister who 
 paid my passage and outfit to Brazil. But since I had 
 fulfilled my contract, having worked as a self-support- 
 ing missionary, she could do nothing more than 
 criticise my step. 
 
 I was engaged to a sweet English young lady, a 
 professional nurse, who was completing her training. 
 I had saved sufficient money to send her money for 
 her passage to Brazil, and we were to be united in 
 marriage. She had written to me to expect her on a 
 certain boat, and you can imagine my excitement when 
 the boat finally appeared. I dressed myself in the best 
 I had and having secured an excellent row boat, went 
 to meet the large steamer to welcome my beloved. 
 Imagine my disappointment when I did not find her 
 on board. In my mail I found a letter telling me 
 that she had heard so many contradictory things about 
 the step I had taken and the denomination I had 
 joined that she had hesitated to come until I could 
 explain it all satisfactorily to her. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 67 
 
 My answer was brief. I knew more or less from 
 whence the trouble had come and I wrote telling her 
 that if she had no faith in me, but believed in what 
 others had told her about me it would be best for her 
 not to come. I also insisted that if she did not come 
 by the next vessel I would take it as an answer that 
 our engagement had been dissolved. 
 
 She came, and in due time we were married, and it 
 was not long after that I had the privilege of baptiz- 
 ing her into the same faith and doctrine. Though her 
 life in Brazil was short, very, very short, as she only 
 lived five months after reaching Brazil, dying of the 
 dreadful scourge that then prevailed in Bahia, yellow 
 fever, her sweet spirit, gentle disposition and wonder- 
 ful missionary enthusiasm helped me marvelously in 
 the beginning of my ministry in Bahia among the 
 Baptists. 
 
 Baptizing Those I Had Sprinkled. — It was about 
 Easter of 1892 that I returned to Pernambuco to hold 
 a series of meetings with the local Baptist church. 
 The pastor of the Congregational church had not re- 
 turned, but another man was in charge. I was then 
 able to fulfill my promise to visit all those that I had 
 inadvertently sprinkled, thinking that it was what 
 Christ had taught. The Lord was very good to me in 
 that he permitted me to baptize nearly all those that 
 had accepted Christ through my instrumentality. 
 Only one I did not baptize, because he had moved 
 away from Pernambuco and I have not been able to 
 meet him, though I hope to do so yet. This brought 
 me the epithet of "proselyter," though I do not think 
 
68 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 I deserved it. I have always respected other people's 
 convictions and am ready to condemn those that per- 
 secute others for not agreeing with their ideas. But 
 this case was different. 
 
 Here were about twenty-five people that I had led 
 to Christ, but had misled on the question of baptism. 
 I considered it my incontestable duty to, at least, ex- 
 plain to them that I had led them into error through 
 ignorance. The fact of their accepting the truth and 
 submitting to be baptized was independent of the 
 question of my discharging my duty in explaining 
 my mistake. 
 
 The same thing was repeated in Nictheroy. Several 
 families that I had been instrumental in leading to 
 Christ, as soon as they heard that I had joined the 
 Baptists, began to study the question of baptism in a 
 new light and with an open Bible. Later I had the 
 privilege of visiting that city and it was my great joy 
 to present a good many of them to Dr. W. B. Bagby, 
 who taking advantage of the opportunity, moved to 
 that city and organized the first Baptist Church of 
 Nictheroy. 
 
 The experience I had in becoming a Baptist always 
 gives me an opportunity to give a word of testimony 
 concerning why I became a Baptist and perhaps for 
 that very same reason a good many have left the Pedo- 
 baptist ranks and become staunch Baptists. Still that 
 does not mean that I am a "proselyter" unless giving 
 your testimony to the truth is proselyting. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 IN BAHIA. 
 
 Baptists in Bahia in 1892.— Dr. Z. C. Taylor had, 
 soon after my baptism and ordination, gone to the 
 United States not only for a needed rest and change 
 of climate but also to have a very delicate operation 
 performed on his wife, one of the most cultured and 
 consecrated lady missionaries I ever met. She was 
 suffering from a malignant sarcoma on one of her 
 limbs and was unable to obtain adequate treatment in 
 Brazil. 
 
 The church in Bahia was then in a very precarious 
 condition. Dr. Z. C. Taylor, one of the most con- 
 secrated and self-sacrificing missionaries Brazil ever 
 had, held some peculiar views about marriage and 
 divorce. He believed that the local church had a 
 right to grant divorces to innocent parties and once 
 granted the divorce he believed the church could 
 legitimately celebrate a new marriage ceremony. The 
 laws of the country, however, were against divorce 
 and no such marriage was recognized as legal. 
 
 Due to such proceedings the church had gotten into 
 bad repute, and when Dr. Taylor left for the States 
 I found myself confronting a grave problem. Young 
 and inexperienced in mission or even church work, I 
 realized the terrible situation in which the church 
 found itself and after much prayer determined to 
 drop out the element that was injuring the work. 
 
70 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 We had to exclude about a dozen members. To the 
 honor of the BraziUan believers be it said that the 
 best element of the church stood by me and realized 
 the need of such drastic measures. Most of the mem- 
 bers excluded also recognized the justice of the step 
 taken and returned to the church humbled and 
 changed. 
 
 Dr. Entzminger, though barely escaping death by 
 yellow fever, was a tower of strength to me in those 
 days and I was very sorry when he decided to move 
 to the Pernambuco field, where he developed a wonder- 
 ful work, building up a flourishing enterprise for 
 Christ and the Baptists. He and his wife accomplished 
 great things in that field, one of the most difficult in 
 all Brazil. 
 
 Early History of Work in BaMa. — ^The early history 
 of the Baptist work in Bahia would make one of the 
 most interesting chapters of modem missionary en- 
 deavour. It was in this city that the first native 
 Baptist church was organized in the year 1882. It 
 was there that the first native worker was won, bap- 
 tized and afterwards ordained to the ministry, and (a 
 curious coincidence), his name was John the Baptist. 
 It was there also that the first attempts at a Brazilian 
 Baptist Publishing House were made and the first 
 Baptist books published in the Portuguese language. 
 The first piece of property bought for the Baptist 
 denomination in Brazil was purchased in this city, the 
 old Jesuit prison in which many men of God had 
 suffered for conscience sake. This place was trans- 
 formed into a great center of spiritual light and 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 71 
 
 liberty. In this city also met the first Brazilian Bap- 
 tist General Convention in 1907 in which plans were 
 laid out and methods of work adopted that are telling 
 upon the country mightily and transforming the Bap- 
 tists in Brazil into a great spiritual conquering host. 
 In Bahia the first Brazilian Home Mission Board had 
 its headquarters, as well as the first Brazilian Foreign 
 Mission Board. The Brazilian B. Y. P. U. work was 
 initiated in this city and from it went forth the 
 literature that organized the Baptist young people 
 of Brazil into a great force for Christ. To the Bap- 
 tists, therefore, Bahia is a great historical center and 
 to describe the first attempts at evangelization is im- 
 possible here. A better understanding will be had 
 when there appears soon an autobiography of Dr. Z. C. 
 / Taylor, the first missionary who gave himself to the 
 building up of the Kingdom of Christ in that great 
 metropolis and who for twenty-seven years labored 
 and toiled in that field almosta lnne — — — - 
 
 "r^aTr"ofiIy~mention a few of the results of the 
 marvelous seed-sowing done by Dr. Taylor: 
 
 1. Fields Visited by Dr. Taylor. The work was 
 inaugurated in 1882. When I reached Bahia for the 
 first time it was in November of 1891. In that decade 
 Brother Taylor had managed to visit and sow the 
 good seed in almost every part of that great State of 
 Bahia. Few realize what this means. The State of 
 Bahia is larger than the State of Texas with the addi- 
 tional inconvenience of not having good transportation 
 facilities. In spite of bad roads, lack of railways, 
 rivers full of malaria and swamps full of deadly dis- 
 
n A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 eases, Brother Taylor, in the short space of ten years, 
 managed to spread the good tidings of great joy all 
 over that great State. 
 
 Not content with the work in Bahia he extended his 
 usefulness into the neighboring State of Alagoas. The 
 ex-Priest Teixeira, a charter member of the first 
 church in Brazil, was a native of this State. Dr. 
 Taylor sent him on a visit to that field and soon 
 followed him with the message of life and light. 
 
 2. Churches Organized. In 1891 I found the fol- 
 lowing churches organized and in fairly good work- 
 ing conditions : 
 
 (a) The First Baptist Church that was worshipping 
 in the old Jesuit prison building transformed into an 
 excellent spiritual center. The membership was not 
 very large but notwithstanding the difficulties men- 
 tioned above, full of zeal and anxious to spread the 
 good news of salvation. 
 
 (b) Another church existed in the city of Valenca, 
 a small but very industrious little place situated about 
 fifty miles down the coast. The membership was not 
 large but composed of some of the better class of 
 people. They also were spreading the good tidings 
 all around. 
 
 (c) Another church existed in the city of Maceio, 
 capital of the State of Alagoas. The membership was 
 very small and the persecutions the believers suffered 
 were severe, but this no doubt caused every member 
 to become a strong and stalwart soldier for Christ. 
 The church, that still continues faithful is a strong 
 spiritual center for God. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 73 
 
 3. Literature Published. Dr. Taylor believed in the 
 printed page and consequently used it to great ad- 
 vantage in laying the foundations for the future. It 
 is impossible to give the whole list of books and tracts 
 he published, but I will mention a few, especially those 
 that had, and still have, a mighty influence upon the 
 work in Brazil. 
 
 (a) One of the first books he published was a 
 translation of Dr. S. H. Ford's "Origin and History 
 of the Baptists." In the same book he included a 
 translation of the Philadelphia Confession of Faith as 
 well as a few Rules of Order as to Church Govern- 
 ment. Next to the Bible this book has been a main 
 stay in almost all of the Brazilian churches. The 
 translation is not one of the best and the historical 
 arguments may not be up-to-date, but the book has 
 been a means of building up the young churches in 
 the Faith once delivered to the saints, and has de- 
 veleped a Baptist brotherhood proud of its history and 
 jealous for its privileges and opportunities. 
 
 (b) Amongst the other books that have helped to 
 form the Baptist character in Brazil might be men- 
 tioned: Dr. Harvey's "The Church and State," 
 Tertulians "Apologetics," Broadus' "Harmony of 
 the Gospels," etc., etc., all translated and published 
 by Brother Taylor in his small printing plant. 
 
 (c) The greatest amount of literary work was 
 done, however, in the publication of leaflets and small 
 tracts which Brother Taylor used to an almost un- 
 limited extent. He had the knack of issuing leaflets 
 and tracts that would tell upon the people and bring 
 
74 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 forth results. One of these was entitled "Three 
 Reasons Why I Left the Church of Rome," written 
 by the~ex-Priest Teixeira. That tract has had a most 
 creditable history, having been instrumental in the 
 opening of blind eyes to many a sincere Catholic. 
 
 Another tract that caused a great commotion 
 amongst the Catholic clergy was one entitled "A 
 Photograph of the Virgin Mary in Heaven." Brother 
 Taylor published that tract first in the daily press and 
 then issued it in leaflet form and spread it all over 
 the country. It accomplished wonders and is still 
 doing the work for which it was prepared. 
 
 Two small tracts that have helped to organize a 
 good many churches in Brazil have the titles: "How 
 to Pray" and "The New Birth." Both of these sub- 
 jects are entirely unknown to the Catholics. 
 
 And so I could go on mentioning the good things 
 I found when I made my appearance among the 
 Baptists in 189L What it was when I returned to 
 that field in 1909 can more easily be imagined than 
 described. The number of churches had grown to 
 that of about thirty-five with hundreds of preaching 
 places. In the capital of the State instead of one 
 little church there were four, all prospering and on 
 the good road to self-support. Best of all, I found 
 established and in good working order an educational 
 institution that was exercising a powerful influence 
 upon the field and the workers. The good Lord was 
 abundantly blessing the faithful and self-sacrificing 
 work done by his servant who, in that very year, had 
 to leave the field, on account of his health, and to 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 75 
 
 which he never returned, being swept into glory on 
 the occasion of the great Corpus Christi, Texas, 
 catastrophe in 1919. 
 
 A Public Debate. — I had not returned to Rio de 
 Janeiro since becoming a Baptist, so taking advantage 
 of a meeting of the missionaries at the home of 
 Dr. W. B. Bagby, I went, not only because of my 
 desire to know all the Baptist missionaries, but also 
 to meet some of my old friends and converts in the 
 Congregational church, and tell them of the change 
 that had taken place in my doctrinal beliefs. 
 
 Several families in Nictheroy had become greatly 
 interested in the teaching of the Baptists and through 
 these a public discussion had been arranged between 
 the pastor of the Congregational church and myself. 
 I consented to the discussion being held in the Con- 
 gregational church under certain conditions to which 
 both parties subscribed, but to which I alone was 
 obliged to adhere. At the last moment the Brazilian 
 pastor thought it best to change the program calling 
 to his help other speakers hoping, I suppose, that I 
 would desist and thus give them an easy victory. 
 I stuck to the opportunity and when the time for 
 the discussion arrived I enjoyed it immensely. Mr. 
 Tucker, of the American Bible Society, presided over 
 the session and instead of my discussing with the 
 native pastor alone I had to answer about a half dozen 
 of them. The outcome of it all was that each party 
 claimed victory, but the families that had arranged 
 for the discussion soon after joined the Baptist church 
 
76 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 and became very zealous workers in the kingdom, 
 some of them continuing faithful up until today. 
 
 First Visit to Victoria. — While in Nictheroy, the 
 Baptist missionaries thought it opportune to begin 
 work in the neighboring State of Espirito Santo, and 
 I was asked to visit that field. Taking a small coast- 
 ing vessel I sailed for Victoria, the capital of that 
 State, asking the Lord to guide and direct me. On 
 board the vessel I became acquainted with the Chief 
 of Police of that place who was a Brazilian of German 
 descent and who spoke German fluently. Before leav- 
 ing the boat he urged me to be very careful about the 
 work I was going to do as the fanatical element in that 
 city was very bitter against the Protestants. How- 
 ever, if I should be in need he promised to stand 
 by me. 
 
 It was a beautiful Sunday morning when I landed 
 in that enchanting city of about 10,000 inhabitants and 
 it happened to be Carnival Sunday, a day given over 
 to sin, vice and crime. I was wondering whether it 
 would be wise to do anything in such a time, but, 
 asking the Lord about it, I thought that it would be 
 well to take advantage of the Carnival season and 
 distribute the tracts I had brought to the multitudes 
 that were crowding the streets. 
 
 The people must have taken my work as a carnival 
 joke, for I had not gone far with my tract distribu- 
 tion when a crowd began to follow me asking for 
 more. I distributed all I had and when I saw the 
 multitude begging for something else my heart began 
 to yearn to tell them the story of salvation. Climbing 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 17 
 
 upon a rock that was lying at the corner of one of 
 the public squares I began to tell them of Jesus and 
 His power to save. I was having the best time of 
 my life. I suppose more than two thousand people 
 stood around me listening attentively to the message 
 of love and salvation. 
 
 Soon, however, I noticed a change coming over the 
 multitude. Some one was poisoning their minds. I 
 began to notice hatred and anger and then protests. 
 I continued to preach, however, without paying much 
 attention to those things. Then someone threw mud 
 at me which struck me right on my cheek. This act 
 provoked laughter in the crowd and pandemonium 
 broke loose. It was fortunate that the chief of police 
 was present and managed to get close to me. Taking 
 my arm he led me, covered by a protecting guard, to 
 my hotel, where I was kept closely guarded during 
 the night. 
 
 The next day I visited many of the citizens of the 
 place and sold a good many Bibles and books. The 
 better class of people deplored the scene that had 
 taken place the day before and promised to help when 
 the work was to be started. I returned to Nictheroy 
 and reported favorably about the opening of a mission 
 station if competent help could be found. I was sure 
 that the work would prosper and it certainly did when 
 a few years afterwards the Lord led Brother Reno to 
 give his life to that field and work. It is now the 
 general observation of the missionaries that in every 
 place where the Cause of the Master is persecuted, the 
 work prospers. Also, in every place where the Cause 
 
78 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 is received by the people with indifference the work 
 seems to lag and, in spite of every effort, does not 
 seem to go forward. 
 
 The Power of God's Word. — Returning to Bahia I 
 received one day the visit of two gentlemen, one a 
 retired officer of the army and the other a lawyer. 
 They had come from the city of Amargosa, a small 
 interior town of about five thousand inhabitants. 
 They brought two little tracts with them on which 
 was printed the address of the mission. One was 
 entitled: "Como Orarl" (How to Pray), and the 
 other: "O Novo Nascimento!" (The New Birth). 
 These tracts had done a great work in the heart of 
 these two men. They had come as a delegation from 
 the town to ask the missionary to visit that city and 
 explain in the town theater the meaning of such teach- 
 ings. They informed me that not long before the peo- 
 ple had expelled the local priest on account of his 
 immoral life and that the best elements in the town 
 were anxious to learn about the teachings of the 
 Protestants. Of course I accepted the invitation, and 
 on the day set was on my way to the place, never 
 dreaming of the great things the Lord was calling 
 me to. 
 
 To reach the place I had to cross the bay, sleep in 
 a city on the other side of the bay and take a train 
 the next day for that place. I filled my satchel with 
 Bibles and books and utilized my time both on board 
 the small vessel as well as in the hotel and trains 
 selling books and talking to a great many about 
 Jesus and His power to save. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 79 
 
 In the train I noticed a nice young man sitting in a 
 second-class carriage and I felt the Spirit of God move 
 me to sell him a Bible. I had sold about all my books, 
 but had kept one good looking copy of a Bible for a 
 present to one of the higher ofiicials of the town. 
 But I felt impelled to go and get that young fellow 
 to buy that book. I went up to him and sitting down 
 by his side I asked him to buy that Bible. I told him 
 plainly what kind of a book it was and how the priests 
 hated and abused the Bible. I opened up several 
 pages and read different passages to him. He at first 
 seemed to hesitate, but at last bought the book. I then 
 asked him to come to the meeting that I was going to 
 hold in the theater in the city to which both of us 
 were traveling and he promised to come and we both 
 went to the same hotel. 
 
 The meeting was a great success. It began about 
 seven in the evening and we got through with it 
 about three o'clock in the morning. After explaining 
 the two tracts, the position of the Baptist churches 
 and their beliefs on several topics, the lawyer who 
 had come to see me presented a series of questions to 
 be answered right before the crowd. It was very in- 
 teresting and instructive, though it does tax the 
 knowledge of a fellow greatly. I was glad that in 
 the Seminary I had gained a medal on the study of 
 Popery, as Dr. Grattan-Guinness, the director of our 
 college, who was a great authority on the Romish 
 question, had drilled me so well on such discussions. 
 
 Of course I did not talk all that night. We also 
 had singing of hymns and with my little Bilhom I 
 
80 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 pianaged to teach the crowd some of our beautiful 
 Gospel songs. One little verse captured the crowd. 
 It was sung with a Salvation Army tune and ran as 
 follows in Portuguese: 
 
 "O sangue de Jesus me lavou, me lavou, 
 O sangue de Jesus me lavou, me lavou; 
 Alegre cantarei, louvores ao meu Rei, 
 Ao meu Senhor Jesus, que me salvou!" 
 
 Translation: 
 "Oh, the blood of Jesus cleansed me. 
 Oh, the blood of Jesus cleansed me. 
 Happily will I sing praises to my King, 
 To my Lord Jesus, who saved me!" 
 
 As I left the theater for a little sleep, the young 
 man who bought the Bible came along and asked 
 me to teach him that song and those words as he 
 was very anxious to take that song to his people. 
 We sat up the rest of the night singing aiid talking 
 and then I saw him off to the station, asking the Lord 
 to use him as a messenger of God to some needy soul, 
 little thinking how wonderfully the Lord would an- 
 swer that prayer, for though this young man was 
 never converted, in spite of having made a public con- 
 fession of faith, the Lord used him to take the mes- 
 sage to many that were hungering for the light of life. 
 
 It was a few years afterwards that Dr. Taylor told 
 me of the effect of that Bible. The work in Amargosa 
 was moving along nicely. A church had been or- 
 ganized as a direct result of that visit, but what in- 
 terested me most was what that Bible accomplished. 
 This is what had happened. The young fellow on 
 
PLATE V. 
 
 1. Delegates Sunday School Institute, Rio. June, 1919. 
 
 2. North and South Brazil Missionaries in Meeting, Rio. 
 
 3. State Convention, Victoria, January, 1920. 
 
 4. Delegates to National Brazilian Baptist Convention, Pernambuco, 1920. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 81 
 
 reaching home and thinking about the danger of 
 having a book prohibited by the priest in his posses- 
 sion, went to a brother of his who was the baker of 
 the town and a very devout Catholic. He took the 
 Bible to him and told him : 
 
 "Marcellino, an American, a foreigner, made me 
 buy this book. He told me that the priests prohibited 
 the reading of such books and I want you to throw 
 it into the fire." 
 
 The baker looked at the book and asked him all 
 about it. The man told him of the meeting in the 
 theater and the singing of hymns and, as an illustra- 
 tion, sang that Salvation Army song about the "Blood 
 of Jesus cleansing from all sin." It was like a live 
 coal from the altar of God. The baker was hunger- 
 ing and thirsting for salvation and that message of 
 song stirred his heart and soul as nothing else had 
 done. 
 
 The was living in the village an old believer who 
 had told the baker about Jesus and His power to save 
 and had been praying for his salvation. The Bible 
 sent to him through the instrumentality Of his un- 
 believing brother brought him to the saving knowl- 
 edge of Christ. He asked the brother to let him look 
 through the Bible before throwing it into the fire. 
 He opened it and finding several of the pages turned 
 down began reading therein. ^ 
 
 The first passage he read was Exodus XX., the 
 Ten Commandments. He read the chapter through 
 once, twice and several times more until, stirred by 
 the Spirit of God, he called for his wife and asked 
 
82 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 her to listen to the words of God. He read the passage 
 to her, laying stress on the second commandment, 
 where it is plainly prohibited to have idols to worship. 
 He called her attention to it and also to many idols 
 that adorned the walls of their home. He had a great 
 many of them and with tears in his eyes he said : 
 
 "Wife, what shall we do about it?" 
 
 "Why," he said, "the only thing to do is to bum 
 them." He did not wait for further instructions, but 
 gathering up the whole outfit he threw them all into 
 the oven. That was a glorious beginning. The baker 
 became a burning torch for God. He gave his all, his 
 life, his time and his means to the work of the 
 Kingdom of God. 
 
 He had a brother who was a rich land and cattle 
 owner as well as a leading politician in a neighboring 
 county. This brother came to see him and to argue 
 with him about his change of religion. Unable to con- 
 vince him he brought a priest along to drive the devil 
 out of him, but both returned unable to destroy the 
 work of the Spirit of God. 
 
 It was not long after that until this brother also 
 saw the light and became a veritable Evangel for 
 Christ in that vast interior of Brazil. As a result of 
 that Bible there are today dozens of churches and 
 preaching places proving once more the reality of that 
 glorious promise of God: "My Word shall not return 
 unto me void." 
 
 A Narrow Escape. — Dr. Taylor had returned from 
 the States and we had decided to divide the work. 
 He was to stay in town and build up the local church 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 83 
 
 and I was to take up the interior work. Soon I left 
 in the city of Bahia, my young wife, and started on a 
 trip of about 1,000 miles inland to a city called 
 Jacobina, one of the oldest in the State, a great gold 
 mining center, and where we had several persons in- 
 terested in -the Gospel. 
 
 The train took me as far as Queimadas, the terminal 
 of the railroad. I reached the place on a Saturday, the 
 great market day, and found the town crowded with 
 thousands of people that had come from all over that 
 region to sell their goods. It was considered one of 
 the greatest market centers of the State. Gambling 
 and drinking as well as every other crime was the 
 order of the day. I had with me an old colporter, a 
 well-known and highly-respected character of that 
 region, who was a great help to me, especially 
 through his knowledge of the road, and of the medi- 
 cinal value of herbs and plants. 
 
 I set up my little organ in the most public place 
 of the market and began playing some of our hymns. 
 If there is one thing a Brazilian appreciates it cer- 
 tainly is music, and it did not take much time to col- 
 lect an enormous crowd. 
 
 Having their attention I began singing a hymn and 
 the crowd continued to grow and to listen. They had 
 never seen nor heard such a thing. Then some one 
 thought that I was singing for money and the crowd 
 began to place nickels and dimes on the little organ. 
 This, of course, gave me my text. Standing upon a 
 stool I began to explain to them my object and mis- 
 sion, telling them that I had not come for their gifts. 
 
84 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 but to tell them of the great gift of God — of a Saviour 
 whose gifts were free and whose blessings were to be 
 had for the asking. fV)h, the joy of preaching the 
 Gospel to hungry multitudes! My heart was over- 
 flowing with joy at the opportunity to tell those thou- 
 sands of souls that had never heard of the love of a 
 loving God, and of a Saviour mighty to save. And 
 how they listened! With ears and eyes and mouths 
 wide open they seemed to drink in every word of my 
 (^essage. 
 
 Just as I was reaching the climax of my speech the 
 good colporter called my attention to a commotion 
 that was taking place on the outskirts of the immense 
 crowd, informing me, in frightened tones, that the re- 
 latives of the local priest were stirring up the fanatics 
 against me telling them that I was the long expected 
 anti-christ. It so happened that the priest who had 
 charge of that town had a great number of children. 
 Though not supposed to have children, almost all the 
 priests, especially in the interior, live in sin, having 
 one or more women, and consequently a good many 
 descendents. As the income of a priest in a place 
 like the one mentioned is large, he finds no difficulty 
 in marrying off his illegitimate children, as the mar- 
 riage is always accompanied by a good dowry. This, 
 of course, enhances his hold upon the people. These 
 descendents watch carefully over the interests that 
 affect the income of the priest and will naturally op- 
 pose any movement that might injure his business 
 which is also theirs. 
 
 These innumerable descendents of the priest were 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 85 
 
 stirring up the fanatical elements in that great vast 
 throng and it did not take me long to see the danger 
 I was in. I kept on preaching fearing that as soon as 
 I stopped they would fall on me and destroy not only 
 my organ and books but also myself and the good 
 colporter. While I preached I also prayed and asked 
 the Lord to come to my rescue. I was alone in the 
 place. I did not know anyone and had not even visited 
 the Chief of Police to tell him of my work and stop 
 over in. town. My intention had been to pass through 
 the place and go on the next day to Jacobina. How to 
 escape this great crowd, growing every minute more 
 threatening and dangerous, I really could not imagine. 
 Several were taking out their daggers and passing 
 the edge over the palm of their hands, and were 
 pointing them at me as if to say, this will do you all 
 right. Oh, how I prayed, asking the Lord to show 
 me a way out, not so much for my own sake as for 
 the sake of the man who had so willingly left his 
 wife and children and come with me to help me in 
 my work. /He looked up to me several times with 
 eyes full of tears as if to say, "we are lost." 
 
 Qn a flash a thought came to me to make the Ma- 
 sonic sign of distress. Could it be possible that in 
 that out-of-the-way place I would meet with a brother 
 Mason? I tried it and it seemed to me as if someone 
 was just waiting for that sign, for in less than five 
 minutes about a half a dozen men came to me and sur- 
 rounded the stool upon which I was standing and told 
 me that they had come to take me to their homes. 
 It certainly was a great surprise ! Soon I was safely 
 
86 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 installed in one of the best parlors of the town, pro- 
 tected by soldiers with loaded guns. I thanked my 
 Heavenly Father for delivering me so wonderfully 
 from that infuriated crowd. 
 
 Near Death's Door. — The next day I continued my 
 trip, this time on horseback. ^ being my first trip 
 into the interior I was not very careful about the food 
 I ate nor the kind of water I drank. Consequently 
 the third day out I began to suffer with a very high 
 fever. The colporter was distressed. To take me 
 back to the place I had left he was afraid, as he did 
 not have much confidence in the medical help which 
 I would get. So after preparing a concoction of tea 
 with the bark of the quinine tree which he gave me 
 to drink he tied me on my horse and after two days 
 of hot and burning sun and violent fever he brought 
 me into Jacobina, and turned me over to a Jewish 
 merchant who happened to be the local physician. 
 
 What happened to me after that was told by this 
 Jew. For two days I had high fever and was very 
 delirious. The colporter had found in one of my 
 pockets a letter I had received from the lodge of 
 which I was a member recommending me to this 
 Jewish brother. Of course my name was Jewish 
 enough, but he could not make out my business, and 
 when the corporter told him that I was a Baptist 
 preacher he of course knew that I was according to 
 his ideas, a Jewish Apostate. (Just a few weeks before 
 my arrival he had driven out of his home his only 
 daughter because she was resolved to marry a Gentile, 
 and one can imagine his feelings when right to his 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 87 
 
 door was brought, in a most helpless condition, a 
 Jewish renegade. His desire was to let me die, as I, 
 in his opinion, surely deserved. But there was that 
 letter from the lodge calling him to the fulfilment of 
 his duty as a member to a needy brother and forget- 
 ting his own personal resentment, he began to treat 
 me as a father would his own child. Someone must 
 have been interceding for me, for I was not only 
 saved from death, but before leaving I was able to 
 reconcile that father to his daughter and leave them 
 with their ideas completely changed about Christ. 
 
 Death of Mrs. Carrie Bishop Ginsburg. — When I 
 reached home from this interior trip I found my wife 
 sick with yellow fever. The salary I was receiving 
 was so meager, that to be able to live, I had to move 
 into the Mission property, the old Jesuit prison. It 
 was no doubt there that Mrs. Ginsburg had contracted 
 the dreadful disease. The day I discovered that she 
 was sick with fever I searched the town for a physi- 
 cian and though Bahia boasts of a medical faculty, on 
 that day not one decent or capable physician could 
 be found. It was Memorial Day or All Saints' Day 
 and everybody seemed to be away from home. The 
 only English physician in town was sick in bed. 
 Finally I managed to get one who, misunderstanding 
 the malady applied leeches, which I have no doubt 
 hastened her death. 
 
 That was a sad day for me when she breathed her 
 
 ^ast. For ten long days I watched by her bedside, 
 
 [doing all that was in my power to save her precious 
 
 life. We had known each other for more than three 
 
88 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 years and had been married only about four months. 
 A portion of those few months I was away in the 
 interior. We had planned to do a great work and 
 were on the way to accomplish something for our 
 Master in Brazil and, lo, here she was being taken 
 away from me before we really had begun to live. 
 When her last moments came and she realized that she 
 was dying she called me to her side and whispered in 
 my ear : "Do not weep for me, I am happy, for I am 
 going home." While the believers who had learned 
 to love her sweet and sunny smile and great help she 
 gave them as a trained nurse, stood around weeping, 
 she breathed her last, the same sweet smile hovering 
 over her face. 
 
 No one was allowed to follow her last remains on 
 account of the yellow fever and my heart felt sad and 
 lonely when I saw her lowered into the grave in the 
 English cemetery to await the great and glorious re- 
 surrection morn. 
 
 Thus ended a short but sweet life, consecrated and 
 used by the Master. Little did she do herself, though 
 she was preparing herself for a great work ; but she 
 did one thing and that was to guide my steps into the 
 mission field. It was under God, due to her, that I 
 was led to think of the Foreign Mission field as my 
 sphere of labor. Had it not been for her, and her en- 
 thusiasm for the work in foreign fields I very likely 
 would have never thought of it and would have no 
 doubt continued setting up type until the present time. 
 
 I will never forget the first time we met on the sea- 
 shore off the south of England where I was passing 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 89 
 
 my holidays. She was taking an active part in the 
 meetings for children. We talked together for hours 
 about the Master's work and, oh, how she opened my 
 eyes to the possibilities of one's life in the foreign 
 field where millions were dying without the knowledge 
 of God and the blessed Saviour. It was she who in- 
 troduced me to the China Inland Mission and it was 
 also she who helped me to get through the Regions 
 Beyond Mission College. She had accomplished her 
 purpose and the Lord took her to her reward. 
 
 The Lord gave, the Lord took her away. Blessed 
 be the Name of the Lord ! 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 ' IN CAMPOS (1893-1900). 
 
 Return to Nictheroy. — After the death of my first 
 wife in 1892, I thought it best to leave Bahia. 
 
 Dr. W. B. Bagby happened to pass by the city of 
 Bahia about that time on his way to New York. He 
 had left Dr. J. J. Taylor, one of the new missionaries 
 lately arrived in Brazil, to look after the mission af- 
 fairs as well as care for the work in the great city of 
 ,Rio de Janeiro. Dr. Bagby asked me to move to 
 Ttio and help in the work in that great metropolis of 
 Brazil. I gladly accepted the call seeing in this a 
 call from God. I moved to Rio and across the bay 
 to Nictheroy. There I took charge of the local 
 church in the same community in which I first began 
 to work for my Master in Brazil and where the Lord 
 had been so good to me. 
 
 Nictheroy is the capital of the State of Rio de 
 Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro proper is the name given 
 ' to the Federal District. Nictheroy lies just across the 
 bay from the Federal District and has a government 
 of its own. It is a city of about 50,000 inhabitants. 
 Though many of its inhabitants work in Rio, just 
 across the bay, it has a life of its own and industries 
 that flourish. It is a great evangelistic center and a 
 very important field to be occupied for Christ. 
 
 Moving to this field was a real delight, as it brought 
 me back to my former friends and brethren. We 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 91 
 
 were greatly blessed, the small church growing apace 
 in number as well as in good works, so much so that 
 we had to enlarge our rented hall and in less than six 
 months tear down two walls. Most of our work was 
 done in the open air. Every Sunday I held two or 
 more open-air meetings and our preaching place was 
 always crowded. The number of members grew from 
 twenty to over sixty and the believers were beginning 
 to lay aside means for building a chapel and entering 
 into self-support. 
 
 V2uddenly, the whole work had to be laid aside on 
 account of a revolution that broke out. The Brazilian 
 Navy and the Army, stopping all traffic between the 
 Federal Capital and Nictheroy, separating families, 
 scattering our believers, transformed the great city 
 of Nictheroy into a military camp. After struggling 
 for a month, helping to unite the families that had 
 been separated on account of this revolution, I was 
 finally obliged to leave Nictheroy also. Storing my 
 furniture in a convenient place I moved to the city 
 of Campos, a city about 150 miles to the north of 
 Nictheroy, hoping to be able as soon as the revolu- 
 tion should end to return to Nictheroy and continue 
 the work there. But the Lord had other plans for me. 
 /"Hllarriage to Miss Emma Morton. — After the death 
 /of my first wife my chief desire was to return to the 
 /united States and take a special theolog'cal course in 
 ] the Louisville Seminary. My knowledge of Baptist 
 principles, customs and usages was very meager. But 
 dear Dr. R. J. Willingham asked me to stay in Brazil 
 as labourers were very few and the work was in great 
 
92 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 need of help. To remain in Brazil I could not remain 
 single, as the work of a single missionary is greatly 
 hampered. God in His marvelous providence seemed 
 to have raised up a qualified and competent helper 
 for me, one who, also single, was hampered in her 
 usefulness in the Master's service. 
 
 The person mentioned was Miss Emma P. Morton, 
 missionary of our Foreign Mission Board, who had 
 arrived in Brazil in 1889. We were married on the 
 1st of August, 1893, in the First Baptist Church of 
 Rio de Janeiro by Dr. J. J. Taylor. It was a very 
 quiet and unostentatious marriage. 
 ^^What this good woman has been to me and to my 
 work it is impossible to state. Had it not been for 
 her, her courage and counsel and prayers, I would 
 never have been able to do the work the Lord has 
 enabled me to do. Quiet and unassuming, never utter- 
 ing a discouraging note, though only God knows the 
 trials and sufferings we have had to go through, she 
 has stood by my side like a strong tower upon which 
 I have been able to lean and rest. She is known on 
 the mission field as one who has never been heard to 
 utter a disparaging word about any other missionary. 
 Never a complaint could be heard from her lips. 
 
 What a wonderful blessing the Lord had in store 
 for me! How glorious are his dealings with us and 
 for us ! Who would have thought that the ends of the 
 earth should meet in far away Brazil and together we 
 would live and work for the Master these many years. 
 And the children He has given us, what a joy and 
 what a treasure! He certainly has been gracious to 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 93 
 
 us and we praise and magnify His Holy Name for all 
 His goodness to us during all these years of labor and 
 \b lessing s untold.- - 
 
 Driven to Campos. — ^The city of Campos, situated 
 in the north eastern part of the State of Rio, is the 
 largest, richest and most progressive city of that State, 
 larger and more important commercially than the 
 capital of the State. Surrounding the city are wonder- 
 ful plains, rich low-lands, filled with the best of sugar 
 cane, corn and rice fields. Three hundred sugar cane 
 mills are situated in that section of the county, some 
 of these being the largest in Brazil. The Sugar King 
 of Brazil lives in Campos^ Though situated about 
 fifty miles inland, it has an outlet to the Atlantic Ocean 
 via the port of San John da Barra, and has a small 
 fleet of vessels that ply between Campos and the 
 Federal Capital, taking down its own merchandise and 
 bringing back to Campos most of the necessities of 
 life. 
 
 ^ Campos was living an American Southern gen- 
 tleman who after the Civil War, in which he lost 
 everything, had moved to this city in an effort to start 
 a new fortune. Though not a religious man, every 
 American found in him a great friend and his home an 
 open house. Having spent over thirty years in that 
 city and gained the good will and confidence of the 
 people he thought it time to take a furlough and re- 
 turn to his own country and find out how things were 
 going in the land of Dixie since he had left it. Before 
 leaving he informed me that any time I was in Campos 
 
94 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 he would consider it a personal favor for me to stay 
 in his home, which he had left in the care of a Brazi- 
 lian who would treat me with his usual gracious 
 hospitality. 
 
 When the revolution compelled me to abandon 
 Nictheroy we moved to Campos and into the home 
 of this American gentleman whose name was Beale. 
 Having to leave all our furniture in Nictheroy and 
 expecting to return to it as soon as the revolution was 
 over, we thought it a real God-send to have a palatial 
 home like that to go to and where we found every- 
 thing necessary for our comfort. 
 
 Our work in Campos had "^en started one year 
 previously by Dr. Bagby, though religious work had 
 been carried on for several years before by the Presby- 
 terians and Congregationalists, but they had aban- 
 doned it. Dr. Bagby was invited to visit that city 
 and, realizing its importance for the future, remained 
 there long enough to organize a church, leaving a 
 native helper to look after it in his absence. 
 
 In 1892 the Minas missionary couples. Downing 
 and Soper, moved to Campos and did good work, but 
 unfortunately they were unable to stay on account of 
 sickness. Both missionary couples had to leave. 
 When I moved into Campos the work had dwindled 
 down to a minimum. 
 
 ^ found a group of about thirty members. From 
 that little handful of seed there has come forth the 
 greatest mission field in Brazil, j At the present time 
 the Campos Mission reports over sixty organized 
 churches, most of them self-supporting, with a mem- 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 95 
 
 bership of over eight thousand^nd preaching places 
 to the number of about 150, which in the next five or 
 ten years will be self-supporting churches. In baptisms 
 this field is now reporting every year about a thou- 
 sand. We thank God for the privilege of having been 
 permitted to lay the foundations that have stood the 
 test of time. 
 
 I do not intimate that all the success is due to my 
 labours because I know that those who followed, 
 Dunstan, Crosland, Christie and the native preachers, 
 hke Joaquim Lessa and others did the greatest part 
 of the work. But I do thank God for having given me 
 the opportunity and privilege of being on the field 
 just at the beginning and of having had some part 
 in the laying of the foundations of the great edifice 
 that is now glorifying God and our Saviour Jesus 
 Christ so wonderfully. 
 
 fl had glorious experiences in Campos and great 
 struggles and difficulties. Of these experiences I can 
 only relate a few. These, however, will prove to the 
 reader that our God is still doing wonders and that 
 in the great enterprise of missions it is He and He 
 alone that does the work. "Not unto us, O God, not 
 unto us, but unto Thy Name give glor;^' Psalm 115 :1. 
 
 Building My First House of Worship. — One of the 
 first things I attempted was the building, of a good 
 house of worship. The believers were few and all 
 were very poor. We fortunately had the good will 
 of the people of the city. After some struggle we 
 obtained for a reasonable price an excellent piece of 
 property right in front of the public market place. 
 
96 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 Then I began to pray for means to put up the build- 
 ing. I went to the Board in Richmond, but Dr. 
 Willingham informed me that there were no funds 
 available. The church had about $100.00 in the 
 treasury and we decided to start the building. 
 
 One of my maxims, learned from dear Dr. John 
 Wilkinson, of the Mildmay Mission, to the Jews, was 
 to ask the Lord and tell the people about our needs. 
 One day I thought I would let the citizens of the 
 place know what the church was trying to do and of 
 what benefit it would be to a city like Campos. I did 
 not make an appeal, but let them know that we would 
 welcome any help if anyone felt disposed to give. 
 Next day the Vicar of the town, a bitter Jesuit priest,- 
 published an article in which he denounced the Pro- 
 testant religion, calling it all the vile names imaginable 
 and closed his tirade with the following admonition: 
 "Anyone daring to help, in any or whatever shape or 
 form the building of a Protestant chapel will be 
 ipso facto, by that very act, excommunicated." c That 
 article helped me to finish the building of that beau- 
 tiful chapel, one of the best in Brazil. Every day 
 after that article appeared the mail brought me let- 
 ters containing cheques or money orders from ten to 
 fifty or more dollars, which almost always concluded 
 with the following statement: "Mr. Ginsburg, please 
 publish my name and that I have sent you some money 
 for I do want to be excommunicated." Most of the 
 Brazilians believe that the greatest blessing that could 
 come into their lives is an excommunication from 
 the Pope or priest. Many also truly believe that the 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 97 
 
 greatest disaster that could come into their lives or 
 homes is a blessing from the Pope. 
 
 Starting in San Fidelis.— After establishing the 
 work in Campos, I turned to the next important center 
 of the State, viz.: the city of San Fidelis, in a rich 
 coffee district, a city of about 10,000 inhabitants and 
 where there were a few interested. 
 
 I rented a house in the heart of the town and fur- 
 nished it with a few benches and a table. Taking 
 with me the inseparable folding organ, I went to that 
 city to commence the work for the Master. Mrs. 
 Ginsburg went along and also one of our native 
 helpers who brought one of his daughters with him to 
 help us with the singing of the hymns. The interested 
 persons in that place were only three, a man, his wife 
 and his servant girl. Altogether we were seven and 
 we began the Work. At about seven in the evening 
 I began the meeting by singing a few hymns and 
 soon a crowd of about a thousand people came and 
 stood before the house. The preaching hall was a 
 front room with three windows and a door opening 
 into the street. Leading this crowd was a small stout 
 elderly looking man who, I was informed later, was 
 the political boss of the place or county, which is 
 quite an important political position in Brazil. He 
 had one son as Chief of Police and another as Regis- 
 trar of Deeds. All three had a great political pull in 
 the dty, and county and State and as such were able 
 to cover up i good deal of their rascality. 
 
 As long as hynms were sung no opposition de- 
 veloped except the throwing of stones, grass and rub- 
 
98 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 bish. As soon as I began to speak, however, pande- 
 monium would break loose. Indecent and insulting 
 words were launched at us. Unable to make myself 
 heard I resolved to sing hymns. It is still surprising 
 to me why they did not enter the room and attack us 
 directly and break up everything and everybody. 
 However, the Lord seemed to have restrained them. 
 Once I said to the political boss as he was standing 
 in the door: "Why don't you come in?" The only 
 answer he gave was to lift up a thick club that he 
 had in his hand and say, using a very insulting term, 
 "If I go in it will be to break your head." I said, "All 
 right, come in and break my head, but first listen to 
 what I have to say." Finally a stone struck the temple 
 of the daughter of the native helper and I had to close 
 the meeting, announcing another one for the follow- 
 ing day. 
 
 In Prison Again. — ^Next day, quite early, an emis- 
 sary of the Chief of Police came to the hotel where 
 I was staying and invited me to appear at his office. 
 I suspected that I would not be allowed to come back. 
 Having some money with me I turned it over to my 
 wife and told her not to fear and that if I should not 
 be allowed to return to her, to telegraph to Rio de 
 Janeiro and get the brethren to take up the matter. 
 
 Reaching the office of the Chief I found him sitting 
 at the head of a long table, having on one hand his 
 secretary and at the other his brother, the Registrar 
 of Deeds, and walking up and down the floor the 
 political boss, his father. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 99 
 
 "What is your name and profession?" he asked. I 
 took out my card and gave it to him. 
 
 "You are prohibited to preach your damnable reH- 
 gion," he shouted in a very angry voice. "You are 
 prohibited to preach your damnable doctrines in this 
 whole county." 
 
 I was standing in front of him and answered him 
 in a calm voice and a broad smile on my face, "Sr. 
 Delegado (Mr. Chief), I am very sorry not to be able 
 to accommodate you in this particular case. You see," 
 I said, "I am a Baptist and we Baptists do not accept 
 orders in matters of religion from any civil authority, 
 neither from you, nor the governor of the State nor 
 even from the President of the Republic. We have 
 orders from one who is superior to all of you." 
 
 The poor fellow must have thought that I had 
 orders from the President of the United States, for he 
 asked in a furious voice and with a fiery, indignant 
 expression, "And who is superior to the President of 
 my country?" 
 
 I happened to have my New Testament with me 
 and opening it at Matthew 28:18 and 19, I read to 
 him the following words : 
 
 "All authority hath been given unto me in heaven 
 and on earth. Go ye, therefore, and make disciples 
 of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the 
 Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." "This 
 is my authority and I am here to fulfill the orders 
 of my Lord and Master Jesus Christ. I am here obey- 
 ing this order," I informed him and sat down. 
 
 He certainly did not expect such an answer for a 
 
100 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 profound silence settled over them all. After a few 
 minutes he, more furiously than ever, began to in- 
 sult me, using abusive language on account of a 
 baptism I had celebrated in the river and that malici- 
 ous tongues had twisted into a kind of indecent cere- 
 mony, as he expressed it. I told him that in matters 
 of religion I had absolutely no desire to justify my 
 actions. "If I have committed a crime or practiced 
 something unlawful, I was ready to appear before the 
 competent judge and answer for myself, but as to 
 what I did or practiced in my religious work he had 
 nothing to do with it." Losing his temper, not ex- 
 pecting such plain, outspoken Baptist principles, te 
 told me that I was a prisoner at the disposal of the 
 Governor of the State, and calling a soldier with a 
 loaded gun, he told him to keep his eye on me and 
 that he would be responsible with his life for my 
 person. 
 
 That day and night I passed in a large spacious hall 
 a prisoner. He would not allow any one to see me 
 and I barely managed to obtain some food, as it was 
 sent to me by my wife. I passed the night sleeping 
 on a hard bench, though I did not sleep much on 
 account of the abundance of rats that infested that 
 place. 
 
 Next morning before the train left for Nictheroy, 
 the capital of the State, the Chief came to see me. 
 He allowed my wife to come also. I suppose he 
 thought that I would sue for mercy, but as we walked 
 along that hall chatting and laughingjffpr the very joy 
 of being permitted to suffer for the Master, he called 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 101 
 
 to me and said in a very gentle and kind voice, 
 
 "Ora, Sr. Salomao !" (Ginsburg was too difficult a 
 name for the natives to pronounce so they would call 
 me Solomon). "Now, Mr. Solomon, you could easily 
 avoid this inconvenience." 
 
 "Well, what must I do to avoid it?" I asked. 
 
 "You promise me that you will not return to this 
 city to preach your religion and I will let you go 
 back to Campos." 
 
 I just smiled in his face and told him that I did not 
 preach the day before because I was a prisoner, but 
 sliould I get out he could be sure that I would preach. 
 As soon as I was released he might expect me to re- 
 turn and continue the services announced. 
 
 Disgusted I suppose at my obstinancy he called 
 four more soldiers with loaded guns and told me to 
 march to the station. Mrs. Ginsburg came along also. 
 Though not knowing what might happen to me or her, 
 never for one moment did she advise me to give in to 
 the authorities. I begged her to return to Campos, but 
 she would not listen to that. She stood by me like a 
 real American wife and seemed perfectly happy and 
 satisfied at the privilege of suffering for the Master. 
 The rabble had a good time then, yeUing all kinds of 
 insults and throwing stones at us, but we really did 
 not mind it, for we were just happy. 
 
 Surrounded by the five soldiers, we left the city 
 for the capital of the State where we arrived in the 
 evening. The soldiers, though they were supposed to 
 look after us, left us entirely to ourselves. They cer- 
 tainly treated us better than the chief. 
 
102 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 When the train reached Nictheroy, the sailors who 
 were fighting the soldiers, as soon as they saw some 
 uniforms began firing at the squad that was with us 
 and they had to run for their lives and we ran after 
 them. 
 
 Before the Lieutenant-Governor of the State. — 
 Reaching the police headquarters we were presented 
 to the Lieutenant-Governor of the State. He, after 
 reading the documents, told one of his officers to take 
 me to the "xadrez." (This name is given to the hold 
 or place where the common prisoners, drunkards, 
 thieves or even murderers are kept until transferred to 
 the jail.) My heart failed me when I heard what he 
 said and I inquired of him. 
 
 "Tell me, Sir, what is my crime?" 
 
 "Why," said he, "Don't you know that you were 
 disrespectful to the authorities and disturbed the pub- 
 lic peace !" I meekly answered : 
 
 "Sir, I was pastor of a church here in Nictheroy for 
 a long time and have preached the Gospel in almost 
 'every part of this city and you can ask any of your 
 officials if I ever disturbed the public peace or was dis- 
 respectful to the authorities in any way." 
 
 "Do you mean to say then," he asked, "that the 
 Chief of San Fidelis lied to me in these official docu- 
 ments?" 
 
 "I answered him quite innocently, "Whether he 
 lies to you officially or unofficially I cannot say, but I 
 will tell you what happened." And he listened pa- 
 tiently to what I had to say, but when I had finished 
 he told the officer to take me to the "xadrex." Then 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 103 
 
 I asked him "What about my wife? I would like 
 to send her to some friend, as this city is now a mili- 
 tary camp. I did not know where to take her." He 
 called a common soldier and told him to take charge 
 of her, but I was to go to the "xadrex." I thanked him 
 for his offer, but told him that my wife preferred to 
 go alone. 
 
 We parted not knowing whether or not we would 
 be permitted to see each other again and commending 
 each other to the Lord, we separated. 
 
 I was taken to the "xadrex." That xadrex was a 
 horrible place. Imagine a small room, two by five 
 yards, with windows barred and opening out upon a 
 dirty yard, with only one door and no other ventila- 
 tion. In this room there must have been, huddled to- 
 gether at least forty or more criminals. The stench 
 that assailed my nostrils, when the jailor took me 
 to that place, was awful and nearly prostrated me. 
 I hesitated somewhat, but was about to pass the door 
 when the Lord sent me one of his angels in the person 
 of a soldier who was a believer. Recognizing me he 
 said, 
 
 "Pastor, if you will promise me that you will not 
 run away we will let you stay in the hall with the 
 soldiers." You can imagine how readily I accepted 
 that offer and how grateful I was for that favor, 
 thanking my heavenly Father for that kindness. 
 
 Next day while I was standing at the gate of the 
 police station I saw the Portuguese Consul, a personal 
 friend of mine. Calling him, I explained my predica- 
 ment and asked him to see what he could do to help 
 
104 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 me. He promised to try his best, but warned me that 
 he might not be successful as the Portuguese were 
 suspected of helping the navy in its fight against the 
 Brazihan Republic. 
 
 He went to the authorities and when he left, the 
 Lieutenant-Governor sent an officer to take me to the 
 penitentiary, where I was to be kept incommunicable 
 as a dangerous political criminal. Why they did not 
 treat me as they did a great many political antagonists 
 I can only attribute to the good mercy of our heavenly 
 Father. The way they got rid of those political anta- 
 gonists was to place a soldier's uniform on them and 
 put them on the beach where the sailors would snip 
 them off as fast as they made their appearance. I 
 suppose that was the idea the Chief of Police of San 
 Fidelis had when he sent me to headquarters as a dis- 
 respector of authorities and disturber of the public 
 peace. 
 
 Released After Ten Days. — But the Lord had some 
 work for me yet. My good wife, brave as a lion, full 
 of faith and courage, walked through the streets of 
 Nictheroy while the bombs were exploding over her 
 head, and worked until she reached the ear of the 
 Governor of the State. After midnight on the tenth 
 night of my imprisonment, he sent for me and apolo- 
 gized for what had taken place, declaring that it was 
 all a mistake and asked me to overlook the affair as 
 it was entirely due to the revolution that was then 
 raging in that part of the land, promising to look after 
 me as soon as things became normal again. 
 
 I told the Governor that as far as I was concerned 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 105 
 
 I had nothing to say and personally would not con- 
 sider the matter any further; but what I wished to 
 know was whether I could return to San Fidelis and 
 continue the preaching of the Gospel. 
 
 He then said to me, "That is exactly why I sent for 
 you. We want you to do us a favor. Just now the 
 State is under martial law and every Chief of Police 
 has full power in his hands. Should you go back to 
 San Fidelis before this revolution is over we would 
 have to change a good many things which we are 
 just now unable to do. If you will do us the favor 
 not to return to that city until the revolution is over 
 we will then stand by you and see that you receive 
 the protection you need." 
 
 I answered the Governor, "All right. Sir, Since it 
 is a favor you ask, I cannot refuse. But were it an 
 order, my dear Sir, I would have to tell you what I 
 told that Chief of Police, viz.: That as a Baptist I 
 do not accept orders in matters of religion from any 
 civil authority." 
 
 Starting Again in San Fidelis. — On March 13, 1894, 
 the revolution ended with the surrender of the fleet, 
 and on the 20th of the same month I returned to San 
 Fidelis. Persecutions continued as the same authority 
 was still in power. 
 
 One day while in Rio de Janeiro I received a letter 
 from my native helper telling me of a great persecu- 
 tion that had taken place in San Fidelis the previous 
 Sunday. Looking up the Lieutenant-Governor of that 
 State, I asked him if he remembered me. He said 
 "yes !" 
 
106 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 "You remember the promise you made to me about 
 San Fidelis?" "Yes!" "Well, then read this letter." 
 He read it and asked me when I was expecting to be 
 in that city and I told him "Next Sunday." 
 
 "Very well," he said, "You go and I will see that 
 you are fully protected in your mission." 
 
 As I was taking the train on Saturday morning I 
 saw a group of about fifty soldiers ready to embark 
 for San Fidelis. I spoke to the officer in charge, and 
 was informed that they were going to defend a Pro- 
 testant pastor who was being persecuted by a Catholic 
 politician. All those soldiers, he told me, were either 
 Protestants or friendly to that cause. I informed him 
 that I was the pastor and begged him not to let the 
 Chief know why they were sent and to await develop- 
 ments. What I asked him especially was to avoid the 
 shedding of blood. 
 
 Arriving in San Fidelis the soldiers presented them- 
 selves to the Chief, who thought that they were sent 
 to him to finish up the Protestants. On Sunday we 
 had our usual meeting. At the evening service a large 
 group of persecutors were brought into town by the 
 political boss to finish up the job, now that they had 
 the soldiers to help them as they thought. You can 
 perhaps better imagine their surprise when they real- 
 ized that the soldiers were there to preserve the peace. 
 And to understand that fact some of them returned 
 to their homes with bad bruises and cuts and some 
 even with broken limbs. After that we never again 
 were disturbed. 
 
 A Missionary's Revenge. — Before finishing this 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 107 
 
 story I wish to tell how I got my revenge upon that 
 Chief of Police. I suppose few of my readers would 
 think that a missionary would think of revenge, but I 
 do and I practice it pretty often. Just read it and see 
 how we do it and how greatly we enjoy that part of 
 our game. 
 
 Not so long after the late persecution the political 
 party, led by the father of that Chief, lost its power 
 and he and his family lost their prestige. The opposi- 
 tion boss was a personal friend of mine and a daugh- 
 ter of his was a member of our church. When the 
 new party assumed the political power, I asked them 
 for only one favor and that was this: 
 
 "If ever that Chief of Police gets in trouble or 
 prison let me know." It turned out that during the 
 elections, frauds were discovered and a shooting took 
 place in the very hall where I was kept a prisoner 
 for twenty-four hours, and three were left dead. The 
 chief, the one who had me imprisoned, was caught. 
 
 The day following I received a telegram advising 
 me of the fact and I hastened to San Fidelis and 
 asked the political boss (the new one) to turn the 
 prisoner over to me and let me do to him what I had 
 in mind. The man was afraid that I might take 
 justice into my own hands, but I assured him that I 
 had no intention of doing that man any harm, and if 
 he wished he could come along and see what I in- 
 tended to do. With a permit of release in my hand I 
 went to the prison and told the man that the time of 
 my revenge had arrived and that it gave me great 
 pleasure to restore him to his wife and children. He 
 
108 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 certainly was dumbfounded and even forgot to thank 
 me. He went home and the next day disappeared fear- 
 ing the vengence of others worse than myself. 
 
 Today San Fidelis is proudly glorying in a very 
 prosperous church. One well-to-do merchant was con- 
 verted and made a present of a choice piece of prop- 
 erty in the heart of the city on which to build a 
 church. A brother of this merchant, a rich coffee 
 farmer, gave me the necessary means to build a chapel 
 that stands today as a monument to the power of God 
 in keeping his servants and in glorifying Himself in 
 the spreading of the Good News. In spite of all tl^e 
 opposition of the power of darkness, 
 
 "The gates of hell shall not prevail." 
 
 tfhc Work of a Little Bible.— "My father has a 
 book just like yours and he has been reading it to 
 his family almost every day; would you not like to 
 meet him?" This was put up to me by a young lady 
 after she had listened to my Sunday evening sermon 
 in our rented hall in the city of Campos. 
 
 I had noticed her and her close attention. As soon 
 as the meeting was over I hurried to the door and 
 asked her if she had enjoyed the meeting and if she 
 would like to have a talk with me about the subject. 
 She came into the hall and we had a good long chat 
 about her father who was living about fifty miles away 
 from the city, on a large farm, and who she said 
 would be glad to see me and talk about the book out 
 of which I was preaching. 
 
 On reaching the farm a few weeks afterwards, I 
 found an elderly man awaiting my arrival on the steps 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 109 
 
 of his farm house, reading out of a well-worn little 
 Bible, of the cheap kind, copies of which we used to 
 sell for about 10 cents. He received me with open 
 arms, embracing me in a real Brazilian fashion. 
 
 The farm was very extensive in land, but greatly 
 neglected and dilapidated. Although the members of 
 the family were very numerous, there being about a 
 dozen children, exclusive of sons-in-law, daughters-in- 
 law and grandchildren, yet due to slavery, that had 
 been abolished only a few years previous, the family 
 had not learned how to take care of themselves or even 
 look after their own welfare. 
 
 The old man practiced real Brazilian hospitality and 
 treated me royally. 
 
 /X)ne of the first things I asked him soon after my 
 arrival was, "How did that little Bible come into your 
 possession?" and he told me the following wonder- 
 ful story. I will give it to you just as he told it to me, 
 though it will be impossible for me to describe the way 
 he told it and the tears that coursed down his cheek 
 as he related some of the most touching incidents. 
 
 Faithfulness of a Young Colporter. — "One even- 
 ing," he said, "as I was sitting on the steps of this, 
 my home, cooling off after a hot and hard day of 
 labor, a young man walked up, carrying a satchel on 
 his shoulder that seemed to be very heavy. He looked 
 tired and hungry and in a very humble way 
 asked me for a night's lodging. I immediately told 
 him that he was very welcome and that he could relieve 
 himself of the heavy load he was carrying and make 
 
no A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 himself at home. But the young man came up a little 
 closer and said : 
 
 "Before I accept your offer I want you to under- 
 stand that I have asked this same favor of some of 
 your neighbors and they all refused, some of them 
 even threatening me with their dogs." 
 
 Astonished, the old man asked, "What can be your 
 crime?" The Brazilians are a very hospitable people 
 and only a great criminal is refused a night's lodging. 
 
 But the young man answered me quite sincerely, "I 
 am not a criminal, but I am a Protestant, and for that 
 reason I have been refused hospitality." 
 
 The old man saw the point immediately and repented 
 having offered his home, for he, too, had been warned 
 not to have anything to do with the Protestants ; not 
 to take them into his home, not even to give them a 
 glass of water when in need. But he did not like to go 
 back on his word and looking at the young man and 
 realizing that there was no other farm near he had pity 
 on him and told him, 
 
 "All right; I am not going back on my word and 
 you can find yourself a sleeping place in one of the 
 barns. But tomorrow, real early, before sunrise, you 
 just get out as quietly as possible and let no one see 
 you. I do not want anyone to know that I have 
 harbored a Protestant in my place and get me in 
 trouble with the priest." 
 
 The young man thanked him heartily and finding 
 himself a comer in one of the many bams that were 
 about the house he retired, or, as the farmer put it, 
 "made himself scarce." 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 111 
 
 Supper time came, however, and while the farmer 
 was supping his hot cup of coffee, the hungry and 
 haggard face of the poor traveler came to his mind. 
 Thinking that the young man very likely had not had 
 anything to eat that day, he told one of his sons to 
 invite him into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. The 
 man came in and enjoyed immensely the hot cup of 
 coffee and bowl of farinha (a vegetable substance 
 made out of the mandioca root and after proper grind- 
 ing and roasting is used as food). 
 
 Turning to the old man he said : "I am very grate- 
 ful to you for your kindness and would like to show 
 you my appreciation for what you have done, for you 
 have, no doubt, saved my life ; but I am poor and un- 
 able to do anything. But, if you have no objection, 
 I will ask our heavenly Father, who is Almighty, to 
 bless and reward you." 
 
 The Power of Prayer. — The old man did not know 
 what he wanted to do and curious to know what was 
 going to happen he told him to go ahead. The col- 
 porter, kneeling down, and lifting his eyes and hands 
 to heaven, invoked a touching blessing upon the man, 
 upon his loved ones and upon all that were near and 
 dear to him. Every time the farmer told that story 
 tears would stream down his face. He had never 
 heard a man pray. 
 
 No Catholic knows real heart-to-heart prayers. 
 Usually he goes to mass and hears the priest repeat 
 phrases in Latin, the Lord's Prayer or Hail Mary, 
 without understanding a word. Whenever the priest 
 stands up, he stands up. If the priest smites his 
 
112 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 breast or makes the sign of the cross, he imitates him. 
 That was as far as the old man's religious experi- 
 ence would go. But when he heard this young man 
 talk with God and speak to him, as a son speaking to 
 his father, it was something wonderful to him. 
 
 The colporter went to his barn to sleejl) and the 
 farmer went to his room, but could not sleep. That 
 prayer penetrated his heart and made him wonder if, 
 after all, the Protestants did not have something that 
 he had never dreamed of. Early before sunrise he 
 stood watching the entrance to that bam. When, at 
 last, the young man came forth ready for his journey, 
 the farmer asked him to go into the dining hall for 
 another cup of coffee before his leaving. 
 
 As soon as he had finished his cup of coffee the 
 farmer asked him to teach him that prayer of the 
 previous day. The colporter informed him that those 
 prayers were not printed but offered extempore, just as 
 a child would speak to his own father. 
 
 "Well, then," said the farmer, "please pray again 
 and ask the heavenly Father for a blessing upon me 
 and my loved ones." 
 
 The colporter readily acceeded to that request. In 
 the presence of all, kneeling down, he offered a very 
 touching prayer asking the Lord to bless and open 
 the eyes of all present to the truth as it is in Jesus. 
 When he had finished there were very few dry eyes 
 and the odd nian b'^ged him fo write that praye* 
 down Snd let him learn it by heart. But the young 
 man told him that he had something better for him 
 and that was a book that would teach him how to 
 
PLATE VI. SCENES, PERNAMBUCO COLLEGE. 
 
 1. H. H. Muirhead. President. 
 
 2. Ministerial Students. 
 
 3. Training School Students. 
 
 4. Main Building. 
 
 5. Student Body. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 113 
 
 speak to his Father in heaven. He gave him that little 
 Bible, marking several chapters for him to read. 
 
 As soon as the old man got hold of that book he 
 began reading it. First he read the parts marked by 
 the colporter, then the whole book from cover to cover. 
 First he read it by himself then called his wife and 
 children. Then/Iarrived on that farm and after spend- 
 ing a few weeEs/ teaching and preaching I baptized 
 and organized a church of over^fifty_believers. 
 
 Oh, the zeal of those converts 1 There were young 
 girls of not more than twelve or thirteen years of age 
 that would walk, ten, fifteen and even as many as 
 thirty miles, to invite some friend or relative to the 
 meeting. Today, we have in that district a chain of 
 churches, self-supporting, spiritual and powerful cen- 
 ters for God and righteousness, 
 i Persecution in Macahe. — ^About fifty miles south of 
 Campos, along the railroad and near the Atlantic 
 Coast, is the city of Macahe, a strong business center 
 with a population of about fifteen or perhaps twenty 
 thousand persons. It is a pretty little town, the prin- 
 cipal one of the county, and which is one of the 
 richest in the State, boasting of sugar cane fields as 
 well as rice fields and other valuable products. The 
 political boss of that section was a scion of an old 
 aristocratic family, owner of extensive tracts of lands, 
 as well as of a beautiful castle right opposite the rail- 
 road station, comma'nding a view of the whole towii; 
 One of the sons of that family was Federal Senator 
 and another was owner and chief editor of the local 
 paper. Every political position of importance was 
 
114 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 occupied by one or another relative of that family. 
 Old aristocrats, their religion was Catholicism and 
 no other faith had been allowed to enter the town 
 or community. 
 
 After much prayer I decided to move a family of 
 believers from Campos to Macahe, whose relatives 
 lived in Macahe. That man was Brother Antonio 
 Maia, who was a cooper by trade, and now a good 
 preacher of the Gospel. He had been tried and proved 
 a strong believer and faithful Christian. We rented a 
 place for him in Macahe where he not only could work 
 at his trade but also could have a home for his rather 
 large family and furnish us with a hall to preach in. 
 His place was not in the heart of the city, nor very 
 attractive, but it gave us a begiiming, an entering 
 wedge. 
 
 Persecutions began immediately. The politicians, 
 though not in person like those in San Fidelis, but, 
 nevertheless with their approval, began the attack. 
 I was subjected to all kinds of persecutions. The 
 articles published against me and against the cause of 
 Christ were so vile and so low that I had to call the 
 editor to the courts, asking the judge to make him 
 produce the original so that a suit of slander could be 
 brought against him. The editor, however, had the 
 article signed by one of the vilest characters in town 
 and when presented I informed the judge that I was 
 perfectly satisfied, as insults coming from such a 
 source was an honor. I paid the cost and left the 
 court. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 115 
 
 Conversion of Sr. Curindyba. — But the greater the 
 persecution the more abundant usually are the results. 
 Souls were being saved and it was not long until a 
 very live, spiritual church was organized and an ex- 
 cellent hall rented in one of the principal streets of 
 the town. Means were being gathered also for a build- 
 ing in which the church was to establish its working 
 center. 
 
 One thing that helped wonderfully was the con- 
 version of pne of the most dangerous characters of 
 the district, a man used by the politicians to terrorize 
 the people, especially on election days ; a man whom 
 the police were afraid to oppose as he was protected 
 by the political faction or rather family. 
 
 This man lived near our preaching hall and was 
 the father of two beautiful little girls. His wife and 
 the two children began coming to the meetings and 
 the two girls became very fond of our hymns and 
 great friends of mine. When the preaching place was 
 moved into the larger hall, they also came, though 
 the father would not enter on any condition. 
 
 One day he found out that the Catholics had re- 
 solved to break up our meeting. The plan was for 
 some of the persecutors to enter the hall and in the 
 midst of the service begin a disturbance, then break 
 the lamps and destroy everything and everybody they 
 could lay their hands on. He did not tell me a word 
 about it, but asked some of his companions to be on 
 hand. When the persecutors arrived he just told them : 
 "You may go in, but remember my wife and children 
 are in there and woe betide you if anything should 
 
116 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 happen to them. You can go in, but I do not guar- 
 antee that you will come out alive." 
 
 Of course that frightened most of them away and 
 not one of the persecuting group entered. One, how- 
 ever, a tall, strong looking fellow stood at the door 
 waiting for an opportunity to do something. I hap- 
 pened to be giving a simple and plain Gospel message 
 when this fellow began shouting: "I protest! I pro- 
 test 1" But he could say very little more, for before 
 he really knew what had happened to him, he was 
 lying in the middle of the street with his throat 
 scratched, enough to make him realize the danger he 
 was in. Who ever did it has not been known to this 
 day, but it was after this incident that the father of 
 those girls began to come into our meetings and before 
 long surrendered to the Lord and it was my privilege 
 to baptize him as well as his wife. Today this man 
 is a great worker for the Master. 
 
 Starting All Over Again. — With the conversion of 
 this man persecutions more or less ceased, and, after 
 locating a competent native helper in this place I began 
 looking around for another important center to open 
 up for the Master when I was suddenly called back to 
 Macahe on account of a new and this time a more 
 dangerous persecution. The cause of it was a very 
 simple thing. 
 
 The native pastor, a young but very zealous 
 preacher, had been found on his knees praying in a 
 bedroom, with the wife and daughter of a man who 
 was very bitter against the Gospel. This man, taking 
 advantage of the occasion, immediately went into the 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 117 
 
 street shouting at the top of his voice, "Come and see 
 where I found the Protestant preacher; in my bed- 
 room with my wife." Though everyone knew that the 
 native pastor would be incapable of committing any- 
 thing immoral, yet it was taken up by the enemies and 
 a new persecution broke out that threatened to anni- 
 hilate the whole work. This obliged my return to the 
 city where I had to start the work almost anew. 
 
 The Catholics hired the man who had signed that 
 vile article against the cause to which I referred above 
 to persecute us. A more brutal, vile and degraded 
 creature could not be found anywhere. He was paid 
 to do all that his low and degraded mind could imagine 
 and he certainly did invent some of the most devilish 
 tricks against us. 
 
 One thing that I was determined to do was to keep 
 up our open-air meetings and thus reach the people. 
 It was this very thing that the Catholic group were 
 resolved to oppose at any cost. Every time I would 
 hold a meeting in the public square, this vile character 
 and his drunken companions would come and howl in 
 favor of the other religion. Of course, as long as he 
 howled I could not preach, I had to keep quiet and 
 would ask the believers to sing a hymn. Then he 
 would come very close to my face and with a tobacco 
 and alcoholic stench coming from his toothless mouth 
 would begin to yell. Often I was tempted to try my 
 knuckles on his face, but instead I asked the Lord to 
 keep my fist quiet, for it was just that that they 
 wanted. It would then give them the opportunity they 
 were looking for to justify their attacks upon us. 
 
118 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 Prohibited to Preach. — However, some brother 
 Masons could not tolerate this persecution. Not being 
 obliged to respect the Catholic group as we were ob- 
 liged to, they resolved to teach them a lesson and one 
 night had a good fist fight, breaking some Catholic 
 noses and heads. I was very sorry when I heard what 
 had happened, for I knew that it would stir the Catho- 
 lics up to yet greater persecutions. 
 
 The Sunday following I was about to hold my reg- 
 ular open-air meeting in the Public Square when I 
 received notice from the Chief of Police prohibiting 
 me from holding the meeting. I asked him why and 
 he informed me that it was to prevent the shedding 
 of blood. I asked him who gave him the right to 
 prohibit me from shedding my blood for the cause I 
 represented, or to show me at least one clause of the 
 Constitution or Civil Law, if he could. 
 
 I knew that he could not, and I protested that I 
 would take the cause to the Governor of the State 
 and that if he approved of his action, to expect me 
 back ready to take me to prison, for I was determined 
 to preach the Gospel on the Public Square as the 
 Brazilian Constitution gave me the right to do; 
 
 The fact was that the Catholics had arranged from 
 the surrounding district for a group of about 150 
 bandits, to come on horseback to finish once and for 
 all the Protestant propaganda in Macahe. The Chief 
 of Police, unable to protect me, had resolved to pro- 
 hibit both meetings — mine and the Catholics — but I 
 did not like to be classified in the same category as the 
 law-breaking element and naturally protested. I told 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 119 
 
 the Chief that he ought to stop the persecutors but 
 not the preacher. 
 
 I asked Dr. Bagby to accompany me, and we went 
 to the capital of the State to see the Governor. He 
 was one of the pioneer Republicans, a signer of the 
 Republican Constitution and a thorough gentleman. 
 He received us cordially and went over all the details 
 of the disturbance as I presented them to him and he 
 assured me that he would stand by us and that we 
 could return to Macahe and hold our meetings accord- 
 ing to the dictates of our conscience. 
 
 On my way back to Campos I stopped over at 
 Macahe and asked the Chief of Police if the prohibi- 
 tion against my meetings continued and he answered 
 in the affirmative. I told him that I had seen the 
 Governor and that he should be ready to take me to 
 prison on the next Sunday, as I would be back then 
 determined to hold the meeting. 
 
 When I reached Campos I telegraphed to the Gov- 
 ernor more or less in the following words : "Passing 
 through Macahe I saw Chief of Police, who affirms 
 that my meetings are still prohibited, but, I trusting 
 in your promises, will be in Macahe next Sunday to 
 hold my meeting in the Public Square. Please look 
 into this affair." 
 
 Complete Victory. — Sunday I reached the town 
 about two o'clock in the afternoon and I brought 
 bills with me announcing a meeting for four o'clock 
 in the Public Square. The Governor had sent a very 
 severe telegram to the Chief that was published in all 
 the daily papers and contained the following : 
 
120 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 "You cannot prohibit the meetings of the Rev. Solo- 
 mon L. Ginsburg on any or whatever pretext. If you 
 have not enough forces to protect him in the exercise 
 of the right that our Constitution gives him, you can 
 call upon us and we will place at your disposal all the 
 military forces of the State; and if, peradventure, 
 those are not sufficient, I will see to it that all the 
 Federal forces are placed at your disposal, but the 
 Constitution must be upheld." 
 
 That was a bitter pill for the Chief to swallow, but 
 it taught him to do his duty. At four o'clock the 
 Square was crowded with over 5,000 people. Our be- 
 lievers numbered only about 25. As soon as I stood 
 up to speak the Catholic group began its usual howl- 
 ing process close to where our group stood. Then 
 the Chief appeared with only a dozen soldiers, but all 
 had loaded guns. He spoke to the leader of the op- 
 position group to move to another part of the square 
 alleging that he was disturbing our meeting. The 
 leader began to harangue and to call upon his com- 
 panions to protest. 
 
 The Chief only said : "Soldiers, prepare arms !" 
 
 That was enough. The group cleared the square 
 and we were left in peace. I preached for over an 
 hour and ever afterwards the meetings were held in 
 comparative peace. Today we have in Macahe a 
 strong, self-supporting spiritual church, a center for 
 many other churches in the rich surrounding district. 
 Had we given in at Macahe we could not have done 
 anything more in that part of the State. 
 
 Rumours of Assassination. — ^A very comical thing 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 121 
 
 happened in connection with this persecution. One . 
 daily paper in Campos, received information that I had 
 been assassinated and placed the rumour on the black- 
 board in front of its offices. Some brethren saw it 
 and wondered if my wife knew anything about it. So 
 they resolved to send one man to inquire. It was late 
 in the evening and he found Mrs. Ginsburg ready to 
 retire and he very delicately inquired if she had re- 
 ceived any news from me. She thought it rather 
 strange that he should come out at such a late hour, 
 but she encouraged him by saying that she was sure I 
 was all right. 
 
 This man, not a believer, though a very honest and 
 well-meaning friend, resolved to telegraph to me and 
 and he did it in the following terms : 
 
 "It is rumored here that you are assassinated ; please 
 inform me if it is true." I telegraphed to him that 
 the rumor was rather exaggerated ; that it was true I 
 had gone through a very trying time, but that the 
 Lord had delivered me from the hands of the assassin 
 and that soon I would be there to tell him all about it. 
 
 The Power of the Printed Page. — Almost as soon as 
 I established myself in Campos, I tried to make the 
 best possible use of the printed page. Dr. Z. C. Tay- 
 lor maintained a small press in Bahia, publishing a 
 monthly eight-page paper. In Baptist literature we 
 had almost nothing, except Dr. S. H. Ford's Origin 
 and History of Baptists, in a very poorly translated 
 edition. 
 
 I had no available means for that kind of work, 
 but saving some from the meager salary, exchange 
 
122 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 being rather favorable, I managed to buy a few cases 
 of type and a small press and began the publication 
 of a paper called "The Good News." At first it was 
 published monthly, but soon it became fortnightly 
 and for one year it was published every week. Later 
 the Lord enabled me to buy, at an auction, a large 
 French cylinder press for very little money, which, 
 after being cleaned and properly oiled became an ex- 
 cellent help to the work as well as a means of income, 
 as I rented it out for night work. That brought me 
 in money enough to pay the printers and enabled me 
 to run the paper for a good while at almost no ex- 
 pense. 
 
 With this press I was able to publish a series of 
 doctrinal and evangelistic tracts, and keep up a dis- 
 cussion through the daily press, both with the Jesuits 
 and Spiritualists, 
 
 I had a very simple way of utilizing the printed 
 page. To teachers, judges, police authorities, priests, 
 etc., etc., I would send the paper asking them not only 
 to read it, but, if they so desired, to send for other 
 literature, especially for a copy of the Bible. It was 
 wonderful how the people availed themselves of this 
 offer. From the priests alone would come all kinds 
 of insults. Some of them would return the paper all 
 covered with insulting terms. Others would write 
 begging me not to send the paper to them, but out 
 of the 2,500 copies distributed every week, few would 
 come back. The results were really beyond expecta- 
 tions. The seed sown brought forth abundant harvest. 
 
 One source of good results was our own hymn book, 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 123 
 
 called "Cantor Christao." I started that book while in 
 Pernambuco, even before becoming a Baptist. The 
 first edition was a small leaflet containing 16 hymns. 
 The first one I ever translated into the Portuguese 
 language was that inspiring one: "Showers of Bless- 
 ings." The native believers took to my hymns gladly, 
 which encouraged me greatly. It did me good to hear 
 them sing those beautiful Gospel songs in their homes, 
 in the work-shops and even as they were walking 
 along the streets. Today we have a hymn book con- 
 taining about 600 hymns. 
 
 Organizing the First Church in the Amazon Valley. 
 
 Through the little paper, "The Good News," I got in 
 touch with Brother E. A. Nelson, who was working 
 heroically in the Amazon Valley, trying to preach and 
 support himself and family by the sale of books. Sev- 
 eral times he urged me to make him a visit and help 
 him organize the First Baptist Church in that region 
 as he himself was not an ordained minister then. 
 
 Needing a change and a little rest I resolved, with 
 the permission and help of our Board in Richmond, 
 to make a visit to that region. At that time from 
 Rio de Janeiro to Para we spent about seventeen days 
 on the sea. Today the voyage can be made in about 
 twelve days or less. 
 
 The change of air and the absolute rest on board 
 the vessel did me a great deal of good and when I 
 reached Para, I was ready for work again. 
 
 I found Brother Nelson and his good wife in great 
 difficulties. He was living in a basement, having 
 
124 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 transformed the front part into a preaching hall. The 
 benches were made of boxes in which had been ship- 
 ped the Bibles from the Bible Society. Next to the 
 front room was a dark room with no windows which 
 was Brother Nelson's bedroom, where he, his wife 
 and children slept. No wonder that both he and his 
 wife had suffered a double siege of yellow fever and 
 the surprise to me was that they had not died. Be- 
 hind that room was the kitchen transformed into a 
 dining and guest's sleeping room, where I passed the 
 days I spent with him. Fortunately I passed most of 
 the time in a neighboring park. It is a mystery to 
 me yet how I escaped yellow fever and slept those 
 eleven nights in that place. Of course it was the 
 Lord's doing for He took care of me. 
 
 Every night we had blessed meetings. Brother Nel- 
 son possesses a voice that can be heard for miles. 
 He was once upon a time a cowboy and when he lets 
 his lungs function he can make himself heard far 
 away. At a convention in Rio I once suggested that 
 to evangelize South America all that was needed was 
 to place Brother Nelson on top of the Andes and let 
 him preach. He drew the crowds, especially when he 
 played his fiddle and sang some of his hymns, com- 
 posed by himself or rather translated by him. We had 
 several conversions and it was my privilege to bap- 
 tize for the first time in history some converts in the 
 great Amazon River and then organize the First Bap- 
 tist Church of that region. After the organization of 
 the church Brother Nelson was called to the pastorate 
 and the nearest Baptist Church, which was then in 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 125 
 
 Pernambuco, a distance of about 2,000 miles, was 
 asked to ordain him to the ministry. 
 
 Ordination of Brother E. A, Nelson. — ^A few weeks 
 afterwards while passing through Pernambuco I 
 found Brother Nelson awaiting my arrival. The 
 church in Pernambuco had called a Council of which 
 Dr, W. E. Entzminger, the missionary in charge of the 
 field, was moderator. Brother Nelson was examined 
 in the doctrine and found to be correct and the church 
 voted in favor of his ordination. That was a never-to- 
 be-forgotten occasion and a blessed privilege. 
 
 Brother Nelson was sent back to" the Amazon Val- 
 ley rejoicing. The work he has done ever since in 
 that extensive field, attests the correctness of our 
 action and recommendation. The Board in Richmond 
 accepted our request, and Brother Nelson was ap- 
 pointed missionary of our Board. Today his name 
 as the "Apostle of the Amazon Valley" is known all 
 over our Southland, and truly no one, that knows him 
 and the great work he has accomplished in that vast 
 region can deny him that title. 
 
 Another Attempt at Assassination. — On my return 
 from the Amazon Valley I stopped over with Brother 
 Entzminger, and held special meetings both at the 
 Recife and the Nazareth Churches. In Nazareth the 
 meetings were well attended every night, but the 
 majority of the people, intimidated by the local priest, 
 were afraid to come into our spacious hall. To be 
 able to reach those I thought it best to hold an open- 
 air meeting and announced one for the following Sun- 
 
126 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 day afternoon in the public street. Here began our 
 troubles. 
 
 We had a very active church and some of the mem- 
 bers belonged to the best families of the town. The 
 city, though not very large, was considered one of the 
 most important in the State, both intellectually as well 
 as financially. The county, of which Nazareth was 
 the seat, was considered the richest and most im- 
 portant. Unfortunately the spiritual life of the church 
 was not then at the very highest. Some difficulties 
 had arisen and some of the best members had been 
 found wanting. 
 
 My object in holding the open-air meeting was to 
 get the ear of the people and to tell them something of 
 the power of God to save, as well as to hold, those who 
 were really saved. 
 
 The priest found it a good occasion to show his 
 power and, in combination with the leading authori- 
 ties of the place, arranged with a bandit to assassinate 
 me while I was preaching in the open air. On the 
 day I was to preach, the priest and all the police au- 
 thorities, even the soldiers left the city ; the public pro- 
 secutor and all the judges went away so that I would 
 have no one to appeal to and the assasin could accom- 
 plish his job without being hindered. 
 
 I was warned and, relatives of some of the better 
 class members, begged me not to hold the meeting, as 
 it might endanger our lives and the lives of some of 
 the families. But I would not desist. I knew per- 
 fectly well what it would mean to desist after an- 
 nouncing such a meeting. The enemy would think 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 127 
 
 that we were afraid and the news of our fear would 
 spread far and wide and would make it very difficult 
 to hold open-air meetings in other places. I preferred 
 dying to running away. Then, also, I knew that my 
 heavenly Father was able to take care of me and if 
 He thought it best for me to lay down ray life then 
 and there, who was I to run away ? I was determined 
 to hold the meeting even if I had to go alone. 
 
 At the appointed time I was at the place and, I may 
 add, very few of the believers were absent, though 
 most of them knew that they were risking their lives. 
 Brother Entzminger was there and with his strong and 
 splendid voice, sang those beautiful Gospel hymns of 
 Zion, filling the street with the blessed Gospel news. 
 All the windows, however, around about the place, 
 were closely fastened, although we knew that ears 
 were pressed to everyone of them, awaiting the begin- 
 ning of the fight. 
 
 I began my sermon and preached about the various 
 doctrines the Baptists believe. I spoke for about an 
 hour, expecting every minute for some one to start the 
 persecution, but nothing happened. I was beginning 
 to get disappointed. After speaking for about an hour, 
 I asked the brethren to sing another hymn and then 
 started anew, this time attacking the Church of Rome 
 in all of its teachings. I explained about Purgatory, 
 attacked the confessional, showed the results of Celi- 
 bacy, and so on. But nothing happened and I finished 
 the meeting cruelly disappointed. 
 
 What had happened? A very simple thing. The 
 priest in withdrawing every civil authority from the 
 
128 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 place had forgotten to remove King Alcohol, one of 
 his best allies. The poor fellow who was bought to 
 accomplish the job, needed courage, and to obtain 
 that, he went to drinking and once started on that 
 track he overdid it, for drink over-powered him and 
 put him to sleep. Here is one good job King Alcohol 
 accomplished, saving my life. When he awoke from 
 his sleep the open-air meeting was over and he had 
 missed his opportunity. The poor fellow was so im- 
 pressed with that happening, that he began to fre- 
 quent the meetings and two months afterwards made 
 his public profession of faith, and, with tears stream- 
 ing down his face, told the church what had happened 
 on that memorable day. 
 
 Several years afterwards this same man, having 
 joined the State militia, was sent to Limoeirio to pro- 
 tect my life, then being threatened by a band of eighty 
 assassins, and how wonderfully he gave an account of 
 himself looking after me day and night, not allowing 
 any suspicious character to get near me. 
 
 Yes, our Lord still reigns and is able to care for 
 those who trust in Him. Blessed be His name ! 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 IN PERNAMBUCO (1900-1909). 
 
 Conditions of Work in 1900.— Baptist work in the 
 Pemambuco field was really organized in 1892. A 
 small church had been organized by Dr. Z. C. Taylor 
 and C. D. Daniel in that city before that time, but its 
 spiritual condition was so low that it was practically 
 dead. When Dr. Entzminger and myself went there 
 to see what could be done to place the work in order 
 the organization was dissolved and out of a group of 
 sixty or more only eleven were kept and the present 
 First Church organized. 
 
 Brother Entzminger took hold of this small but 
 ■valiant group of believers and built up a great and 
 lasting work. He spread the truth far and wide and 
 established churches and preaching places that have 
 stood the test of time. One of the things that helped 
 the Baptist cause in that State more than any other 
 during Brother Entzminger's period, was a discussion 
 in the daily press with one of the leading Catholic 
 priests. The discussion was about the Apocryphal 
 Books and Brother Entzminger gained a signal vic- 
 tory. He not only proved to the satisfaction of all, 
 that the Aprocryphal books were not canonical, but 
 also established the fact that the Baptist ministry was 
 not ignorant and backward. 
 
 Another characteristic of Dr. Entzminger's min- 
 istry was the evangelistic spirit he infused into the 
 
130 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 believers. Due to that, Baptist principles and ideals 
 spread rapidly into a good many new places, villages 
 and districts. Every believer was like a torch-bearer 
 and the Gospel was entering into places where the 
 Lord's Name and Saving Power were completely un- 
 known. It was this fact that stirred up bitter and 
 unheard of persecutions. Church edifices were burned, 
 believers were flogged and their homes burned over 
 their heads. 
 
 In some places the persecutors would break into 
 the home of the believer and turn every one out of 
 their beds and into the yard. There masked ruffians, 
 each one with a leather whip would stand in line. The 
 believer, man, woman or child would be forced to pass 
 through the lines while each ruffian would strike at 
 the poor victim who many a time would fall almost 
 lifeless at their feet. In one farm house they found 
 the lady of the house in bed just a week after child- 
 birth. They cut the hammock in which the innocent 
 baby was asleep and let it drop to the ground killing 
 it, and the poor mother was forced into the yard and 
 made to pass through a double row of bandits, each 
 one striking as hard as he could on her almost naked 
 body. 
 
 These persecutions instead of diminishing the 
 growth of the Kingdom helped it on. Many of the 
 persecutors who took part in these crimes could not 
 help admiring the testimony and marvelous faith of 
 the Christians. Today some of the worst persecu- 
 tors are leading members in some of our Baptist 
 churches in that great field. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 131 
 
 Unfortunately, however, the health of the mis- 
 sionaries gave way under the strain of such trying: 
 times. Mrs. Entzminger was almost given up by the 
 physician who ordered her to leave the State and seek 
 a better and cooler climate. Hearing of their need I 
 invited Brother Entzminger to come to the hills of 
 Nova Friburgo where Mrs. Ginsburg had been also 
 wonderfully renewed in health. 
 
 They had not been with us more than a week when 
 a telegram reached them about a new persecution, one 
 of the most terrible that had ever happened. That they 
 might be able to enjoy their much needed rest and 
 change I oflfered to go to Pernambuco and help the be- 
 lievers or rather stand by them during those terrible 
 hours of danger. It was that persecution that took me 
 to Pernambuco again after eight years of absence. 
 
 Bom Jardim Persecution. — Bom Jardim (Good 
 Garden) is a small interior city about twenty miles 
 from the railroad. Nestled among the hills and moun- 
 tains in the northern part of the State, it is known as 
 one of the most enchanting places. Surrounded by 
 rich sugar cane and cattle plantations it is a wealthy 
 center and has a great future, especially if the plan 
 for a railroad should materialize. 
 
 On several of the farms located in that district the 
 Gospel had had an entrance, and was also being 
 preached in one of the homes of one of the leading 
 citizens of that city. As it often happens, the young 
 converts full of zeal and lack of prudence began to 
 laugh and scoff at the Catholics and their priest. 
 Nothing would have happened had it not been that 
 
132 A WANDERING JEW IN BRA2IL 
 
 the leading convert and some of the believing farmers, 
 who were allowing the Gospel to be preached on their 
 farms, belonged to the opposing political party. The 
 politician who was then in the lead, resolved to stop 
 not only the propaganda of the Gospel, but also to 
 teach his political opponents a lesson. I really believe 
 that this man never imagined that his plan would go 
 to the extreme that it went to, but it turned out to be 
 one of the most awful catastrophies in the annals of 
 crime in the State of Pemambuco. What happened 
 was as follows : 
 
 The political boss, a physician, had combined with 
 the Catholic farmers to send a detachment of their 
 hired help, most of them ignorant bandits, into town 
 on the eve of Easter Sunday of the year 1900 for the 
 purpose of attacking the group of believers as they 
 were gathered in the home of the leading convert. 
 The object was to punish and if necessary kill every- 
 one present, especially the preacher. Rumors of this 
 reached the believers and though they did not think 
 it possible for such a thing to happen they neverthe- 
 less prevailed upon the women that night to hide in the 
 forest, while they, the men, fifteen in number took 
 themselves to prayer. 
 
 Meanwhile in the outskirts of the city the bandits 
 were assembled and after much drinking and shouting 
 they decided to divide forces, one group to enter the 
 city and attack the house from the front and the other 
 group to attack the house from behind. Over eight 
 hundred bandits had come together to attack a group 
 of fifteen harmless and helpless believers. The signal 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 133 
 
 for the attack for the group that was coming from 
 behind was a gun shot in the air. 
 
 The night was very dark. Very few in town knew 
 what was going to take place. The public theater 
 situated close by the meeting place was crowded with 
 men, women and children from nearly all homes. 
 
 It was about eight o'clock at night that the bandits 
 made their entrance into the town with wild shouts. 
 The people, not knowing the object of their coming, 
 thought that the bandits had come to rob and kill 
 everyone, as had lately happened in many other places. 
 The news reached the theater and then pandemonium 
 broke loose. Women and children screamed and 
 fainted and men begged the political boss to stop the 
 entrance of those bandits into the city. 
 
 But the bandits were already in town and were 
 coming down the street where the theater and meeting 
 place were situated. However, the political boss, urged 
 by the mayor of the town, seeing what was taking- 
 place in the theater, met the group and managed to 
 ■ make himself heard by the leader of the bandits tell- 
 ing him to return as it was causing great consterna- 
 tion and alarm among the women of the town. The 
 leader of the bandits apparently consented to with- 
 draw, but whether purposely or not, he raised a gun 
 and gave the agreed upon signal shooting in the air 
 and shouting, "Long live our Lady Saint Ann." 
 
 The group that was coming from behind, not know- 
 ing what was taking place, as soon as they heard the 
 shot came rushing into the street and began firing 
 thinking that they were attacking the Protestants. 
 
134 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 The group in the streets, seeing that they were being 
 attacl<ed, thought it must be the Protestants that were 
 making the attack, began to fire into the other group. 
 Before the mistake was discovered more than twenty- 
 five were killed and over a hundred wounded. Oh, it 
 was a terrible night ! While this killing was going on 
 the believers were on their knees praying and asking 
 the Lord to deliver them from the hands of their cruel 
 enemies. 
 
 All the night the Catholics were working hard to 
 hide the results of their fight, burying the dead and 
 removing the wounded. Some of the families, how- 
 ever, could not hide their sorrow, especially the poli- 
 tical boss who lost one of his own nephews, a promis- 
 ing young man, who was killed cold-bloodedly as he 
 was watching the scene. Were it not for this fact the 
 political boss would have kept very quiet, but he lost 
 his head at the sight of the dead body of his sisters 
 only child and he resolved to evenge himself on the 
 now more than hated Protestants. 
 
 And the way he did it was to make out a case of 
 willful murder against the Protestants, obliging the 
 judge, a silly young rascal, who was a tool in his 
 hands, to accept false testimony and order the arrest 
 of the few men who were present at the meeting and 
 on their knees praying. Not one bit of evidence could 
 be found against the believers. They even did not 
 have a gun in the house, but the politician had his 
 false witnesses who swore to having seen the Pro- 
 testants attack the Catholics and the judge ordered the 
 imprisonment of eight of the believers, while the 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 135 
 
 others were obliged to hide until justice could be ob- 
 tained. 
 
 ^Standing by Persecuted Converts. — It was at this 
 juncture that I arrived in Pernambuco. My first visit 
 was to Bom Jardim, to see what could be done to 
 release the believers from the awful accusation and 
 imprisonment. I visited, before leaving Pernambuco, 
 the Governor of the State, asking him for a safe con- 
 duct. I had brought with me a strong recommenda- 
 tion from some of the leading men of Brazil and when 
 the Governor heard my request asked me if I was not 
 afraid to go to such a place. I answered him : "Afraid 
 of what?" "Why, of the people that did such an 
 awful deed not long ago." I frankly stated : "If you 
 can guarantee me the authorities I am not afraid of the 
 people." He did not seem to like my answer, but gave 
 me the necessary safe conduct and I went to Bom 
 Jardim. Brother Jefthe E. Hamilton, now deceased, 
 was my companion. On the road to Bom Jardim, just 
 as we were about to pass through the district from 
 whence came the bandits that had been enlisted for 
 the persecution, I met a detachment of soldiers who 
 were to accompany me to the city, but after takinsr 
 their picture I told them to look after Brother Hamil- 
 ton, and I putting the spurs into my horse crossed the 
 hills and entered the citv ainne 
 
 I was royally entertained in the home of the new 
 political leader. Another party had come into power. 
 The leader of this new partv was of Pnrtuo-uese de- 
 scent, a baker bv trade, and anxious to be in rtower to 
 be able to make his pile of money. The position of 
 
136 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 political leader in the interior of Brazil is one of the 
 most remunerative ones. To be able to get the be- 
 lievers freed I had to make liberal presents both to 
 the children of the political boss as well as to those 
 of the judge who happened to be the father of eight 
 girls. Then I had to pay for the entertainment of all 
 the farmers who were to serve on the jury. To make 
 a long story short, it took me about four years to 
 obtain the acquittal of the nineteen men that were 
 dragged into the case and spent over $2,500 in gold. 
 And even then, were it not for the political boss, whose 
 power over the judge and jurors was so great that he 
 would enter the court, and in the very presence of the 
 judge, open the urn containing the names of the jurors 
 and place the names of those he thought might not 
 vote according to his own view, where there would 
 be no possibility of their being called, the poor in- 
 nocent believers would have been condemned as mur- 
 derers. 
 
 It was a great fight but the results were wonderful 
 for today the Gospel is spreading over that vast dis- 
 trict in a most marvelous way. Churches and preach- 
 ing places are springing up everywhere and some of 
 our best native preachers have come from that very 
 city. The pastor of the First Baptist Church in Per- 
 nambuco, Rev. Orlando Falcao, is a son of the lawyer 
 who was the first one to defend the persecuted be- 
 lievers in Bom Jardim. 
 
 Discussions in the Daily Press. — ^Making Per- 
 nambuco my new headquarters I immediately began 
 efforts to strengthen the Baptist position in the capital 
 
PLATE II. 
 
 1. First Baptist Ciiurch. Pernambuco. 
 
 2. Ginsburg Traveling Interior. 
 
 3. First Baptist Church. Campos. 
 
 4. Prison In San Fidelis, 
 
 5. San Fidelis Baptist Church. 
 
 6. Traveling in the Interior of Brazil. 
 
 7. Open-Alr Meeting In Campos. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 137 
 
 of the State. We were then worshipping in a rented 
 hall on a second floor, into which about sixty could 
 hardly squeeze themselves. Shortly after my arrival 
 I bought an excellent piece of property on which a 
 temporary hall was put up. To this hall we trans- 
 ferred the meetings. The Lord blessed the work in 
 that temporary hall. Hundreds of souls were con- 
 verted and a continual revival prevailed. I organized 
 open-air meetings in several districts of the city and 
 the Master's cause was spreading like a fire through 
 every district. Though the hall was not attractive, it 
 somehow drew the people, and even some of the better 
 class and the Lord converted them. 
 
 This naturally provoked the opposition of the 
 Catholic clergy and soon an Anti-Protestant League 
 was organized to combat Protestantism, and especially 
 the Baptists. Every day articles would appear in one 
 of the dailies, written by some of the leading men of 
 the city or State. They began attacking our doctrines 
 which I answered indirectly, addressing myself to the 
 public instead of to the clergy that wrote. As a rule, 
 the Catholics and Jesuits in public discussions quibble 
 and quarrel over phrases and words instead of doc- 
 trines and principles. To avoid useless discussions I 
 thought it best not to pay any attention to personal- 
 ities, but teach and explain the truth and the simpli- 
 city of the Gospel. In my articles I never attacked 
 parties or persons but took up the arguments pre- 
 sented by the opponents, and addressed my answers 
 and appeal to the public in general. 
 
138 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 The results of this discussion, which lasted three 
 years were most satisfactory. The monk, who was 
 spokesman for the league, lost his head and began 
 insulting me in a most shameful way and unable to 
 stop my teachings and appeals, began to solicit my 
 expulsion from the country as an undesirable char- 
 acter. It was then that the republicans and liberal- 
 minded men took up the discussion and began to an- 
 swer the priest, writing terrible articles against him. 
 
 They finally denounced him publicly proving that 
 most of his articles were plagiarised. They broke up 
 the Anti-Protestant League. Two very interesting 
 things happened during these public discussions. One 
 was the attempt to bum copies of the Bible and the 
 other the meeting of a priest in a railroad carriage. 
 
 Public Burning of the Bible. — In all my articles 
 published in the daily press during the three years of 
 discussion I would urge the readers to verify my state- 
 ments in the Bible, no matter whether a Catholic or 
 Protestant. If, peradventure, they did not possess a 
 copy of the same, to let me know, that I would gladly 
 furnish them one. I never distributed so many Bibles 
 as during those three years and, as is usually, the case, 
 it accomplished its purpose, converting souls and 
 opening the eyes of many to the truth as it is in 
 Jesus, our Lord. 
 
 This statement of mine in the papers aneered the 
 priests more than anvthin? else. Thev did evervthine 
 in their power to convince the peonle that thev oup-ht 
 not to have anvthing to do with Bibles : never to read, 
 but to burn every copy that might fall into their hands. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 139 
 
 And to convince them not only that our Bibles were 
 false and that they ought to be burned they organized 
 a public Bible burning affair. This insult to Pro- 
 testanism, I thought, ought to be prevented, as the 
 Constitution of Brazil, as well as the Civil Law, pro- 
 hibited public insults against any religious symbol of 
 whatever creed. I, therefore, sent a cablegram to all 
 the papers published in the Federal Capital. Another 
 to one of the Senators of the District as well as to the 
 President of the Repubhc and the Secretary of State 
 protesting against this outrage in the name of the 
 Brazilian Baptists, as well as that of the millions of 
 Baptists in the world. 
 
 That telegram accomplished wonders. The question 
 was taken up by one of the leading representatives 
 who was from the State of Rio Grande do Sul, where 
 there are more than 250,000 German Lutherans, and in 
 their name as well as in ours attacked the bishop of 
 Pernambuco for allowing such an outrage to take 
 place in his city, making him responsible for it. The 
 President of the Repubhc was asked to stop that Bible 
 burning and he immediately telegraphed to the Gover- 
 nor of Pernambuco to that effect, and it was stopped. 
 That was a great victory for the cause of righteous- 
 ness. I was returning from a trip to the interior when 
 an evening paper was handed to me. The paper 
 brought extensive telegrams from Rio de Janeiro giv- 
 ing full accounts of the epoch-making speech delivered 
 in the Senate by the representative of Rio Grande 
 do Sul. As soon as I read it I just had to shout and 
 throw my cap as high as the railroad carriage would 
 
140 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 permit. It was a glorious victory and I was grateful 
 for having been permitted to have had a part in it. 
 That evening, while visiting the editors of the paper 
 that published my articles, I met one of the leading 
 politicians of the State who told me: "Sr. Solomao, 
 you have killed the bishop and gained a great victory. 
 I congratulate you and wish you continued success. 
 Just go on as you have been doing. You have many 
 friends in town who are waiting for the opportunity 
 to come out openly and stand by you." Soon after 
 that these friends came out and many of them helped 
 substantially in the building up of the Kingdom of 
 God in that great center, and today stand valiantly 
 on our side. 
 
 /Meeting a Catholic Priest on a Train. — During the 
 time of my discussions with the Anti-Protestant 
 League there was no name more hated and denounced 
 than mine, especially by the Catholic clergy. One 
 day while traveling to the city of Nazareth an old 
 priest came into the railroad carriage in which I was 
 traveling. As the only available place to sit down was 
 next to me, he sat down by me and ere long I began 
 to chat with him. I had heard about him a good deal, 
 especially of his eccentricities. A good many interest- 
 ing stories were told about him and it was generally 
 rumored that he had about eighty children, of as many 
 women, who were living all over his parish. He was 
 a clever and witty man and I had a good long talk 
 with him. I ventured finally to ask him about the 
 discussion that was going on in the public press and 
 to my surprise learned that he did, not know me per- 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 141 
 
 sonally. He began attacking my name and person, 
 telling some terrible yarns about me. He talked loudly 
 and as most of the people in the railroad carriage 
 knew me, they had a good laugh to themselves, which 
 the priest interpreted to mean he was making a good 
 impression on the hearers in his attack on the hated 
 "Solomao." Finally I asked him if he knew personally 
 that hated "Solomao." 
 ,"Oh, yes," said he, "I know him well." 
 ("What does he look Hke," I asked. 
 / "Oh," said he, "he is an ugly looking man, his face 
 is eaten up by smallpox and by a bad disease. No- 
 body can be near him for he suffers from a disease 
 that drives people away. He cannot eat pork, for it 
 aggravates his sickness." The poor priest went on 
 like that telling some of the vilest lies, which made 
 me laugh so much that tears came to my eyes. 
 
 At last I said, "Look here, Senhor Padre, I also 
 know this Solomao and I have seen him eat pork and 
 he really is not so ugly looking as you make out." 
 
 "Oh, no," he insisted, "I know him and what I tell 
 you is the truth." 
 
 This conversation brought us to the station where 
 he was getting off and in wishing him good-bye I told 
 him that for a long time I had desired to meet and 
 know him personally, as I had heard so many in- 
 teresting stories about him and that now I was per- 
 fectly satisfied. 
 
 "And with whom have I had the honor to speak," 
 he asked, and you should have seen his face when I 
 ,+old him that I was that hated "Solomao." 
 
142 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 "No, no !" he exclaimed excitedly, "that cannot be 
 Solomao is not such a cultured person as you are." 
 But when I assured him that I was the very one and 
 everyone else confirmed my assertion he left without 
 saying another word, no doubt terribly chagrined at 
 the ludicrous mistake he had made. 
 
 Soon after that I moved into the district where this 
 priest was vicar. Right opposite the house where we 
 stayed, one of his sons was living, whose children, the 
 grandchildren of that priest, became great friends of 
 my children. When my daughter, Arvilla, organized a 
 Children's Society, one of the priest's grandchildren 
 became the Secretary of the Society and the other 
 grandchildren charter members. Every time he would 
 meet me on the street he would hide his face in shame 
 because of what had happened on the train. 
 ^Growth and Development. — Never did the Cause of 
 She Master prosper so wonderfully as during those 
 years of persecution and public discussions. Every 
 step we took was watched by the members of the 
 League. Spies were sent to our meeting places to 
 watch if any prominent persons came to our preach- 
 ing services and the following day that person would 
 receive warning not to continue if he wished to keep 
 well with society. A good many physicians, lawyers, 
 merchants, etc., were driven away from our meetings 
 by those threats, but the Cause continued to prosper 
 nevertheless. 
 
 A Beautiful Church Edifice. — One of the great at- 
 tractions was the new church edifice that the natives 
 themselves built, helped with the amount of $L500 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 143 
 
 by the W. M. S. of South CaroHna in response to 
 appeals from Mrs. W. E. Entzminger, a sum not suf- 
 ficient to pay for the lot on which the building is 
 standing. Every Simday morning the church would 
 be crowded with believers and after the meeting I 
 would ask them not to return to the night service, but 
 preach to their neighbors in the suburbs where they 
 were living and thus leave room for the many out- 
 siders that were anxious to hear the Gospel. At five 
 o'clock we would have our Young People's meeting 
 and at six we would go out and invite outsiders, using 
 handbills as well as open-air preaching. The hall 
 every Sunday night would be crowded to overflowing. 
 I very seldom had congregations of less than eight 
 hundred or a thousand, especially on the nights when 
 we would baptize our candidates. 
 
 The plans for the church and the supervision of the 
 work was done by an American, a Baptist deacon 
 from Alexander city, Ala., Bro. W. W. Robinson, 
 who was then working for an American company in 
 Pemambuco. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, who stayed 
 with us for about two years, were a great help and 
 blessing both to the Cause and to us personally. 
 
 While in the Campos Mission 1893-1900, I noticed 
 the lack of competent native help and in corre- 
 spondence with dear Dr. WilHngham, the then corre- 
 sponding secretary of our Board in Richmond, I 
 suggested the setting apart of a sum of money for the 
 purpose of preparing a few young men for the min- 
 istry. I also suggested that, as Dr. J. J. Taylor was 
 then living in Sao Paulo, he could easily undertake 
 
144 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 that kind of work for which he was so well prepared, 
 and the students could also take advantage of the 
 MacKenzie College for the study of other subjects 
 than theology. That suggestion was accepted by the 
 Board and Dr. J. J. Taylor was given a fund for the 
 purpose of preparing, if I am not mistaken, four 
 young men. I know that some young men were sent 
 to Sao Paulo with that object in view. The final result 
 of that attempt I am unable to tell, as, soon after that, 
 I was transferred to the North and there I asked for 
 the same favor from our Board for our Northern field 
 
 Brother Jefthe Hamilton, realizing the same great 
 need, promised to help. Mrs. Ginsburg was anxious 
 to do her part and several young men, some of them 
 with a fairly good education, were ready to teach as 
 well as study in this theological class. The class was 
 organized with ten students. Some good work was 
 done, but Brother Hamilton moved to Para and I 
 was so occupied by the evangelistic work that I could 
 not look after the class. It was, therefore, disbanded. 
 
 Soon after this Brother W. H. Cannada arrived on 
 the field and before long organized a theological class 
 into which a few of the students in the former class 
 entered. I rendered some assistance by lecturing to 
 this class. A little later Brother Cannada organized 
 also a day school. This day school and theological 
 class developed eventually into the Colegio Americano 
 Baptista, with its magnificent buildings and over 900 
 pupils. 
 
 When on my furlough in the United States in 
 1904-'0S I urged upon two young men the great need 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 145 
 
 of taking up the Seminary work in Brazil. One was 
 Dr. J. W. Shepard, who soon after came to Pernam- 
 buco and after obtaining a knowledge of the language 
 moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he organized and 
 established the great Rio College and Seminary. The 
 other one was the Rev. H. H. Muirhead, the present 
 director of the Pernambuco College and Seminary, 
 What a difference from the days of struggle and per- 
 secution! Praised be the Lord for the little part He 
 permitted me to have in that work. The seed sown 
 has certainly brought forth abundant results. 
 
 Growth in the Suburbs. — Due to the testimony of 
 the believers in their respective neighborhoods the 
 work began to spread into every nook and corner of 
 that great city of 200,000 inhabitants. Mission sta- 
 tions were organized in different sections where now 
 we have strong and prosperous churches. In some 
 of them the work was not greatly hindered though 
 we had to contend with the enemy in almost every- 
 one of them. The place where the persecution was 
 severest was in Uptinga. Very few believers lived in 
 that suburb. One was a black brother, deacon of our 
 church, who had a large family and who was highly 
 respected by everybody for his honesty and excellent 
 behavior. Renting a front room near the suburban 
 station we began preaching services to which the 
 neighbors came en masse. 
 
 The first two nights everything went along very 
 smoothly, but the third night brought a disagreement. 
 Just as I was teaching the people a Portuguese version 
 of that beautiful hymn: "Stand up, stand up for 
 
146 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 Jesus !" a group of assassins boldly entered. The first 
 one had a scythe in his hand and struck the man that 
 was standing at the door and felled him to the ground. 
 Fortunately he did not kill him. The second came in 
 on horseback having a revolver in his hand. We 
 found the revolver case afterwards and why he did 
 not shoot I cannot explain even now. The third wore 
 a mask. I was told afterwards that he was the station- 
 master himself. He had a long sword in his hand and 
 was making his way straight for my head. 
 
 I was sitting behind the little organ and close to my 
 face was a very large lamp that a neighbor had 
 loaned to us. The bandit either mistook my head 
 for the lamp or really wished to put the light out 
 of commission. The fact was, he struck the lamp 
 with his sword and complete darkness ensued. I was 
 wondering what would happen next, but as quietness 
 seemed to prevail, I struck a match and found that 
 the room was deserted, everybody having disappeared 
 except the poor man lying at the entrance with a bad 
 wound on his head. That, however, was the last per- 
 secution that we suffered in that neighobrhood. The 
 police after that gave us the escessary protection and 
 today we have a splendid self-supporting church there, 
 with a well-organized Sunday school. 
 
 Great persecutions took place in some of the interior 
 districts, but these would be too innumerable to relate. 
 I will only refer here to the two outstanding ones, and 
 to the wonderful way the good Lord delivered me 
 out of the hands of the assassin, due no doubt to the 
 prayers of the Lord's people. One about my en- 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 147 
 
 counter with the most notorious bandit then roaming 
 about the State, Antonio Silvino by name, and the 
 other about the opening up of our work in Limoeiro. 
 
 My Encounter With a Bandit, or the Wonderful 
 Power of Prayer. — ^After a prolonged three years' dis- 
 cussion through the daily press with the organized 
 forces of the Catholic Priesthood in Pernambuco ; 
 after every effort had been made to expel me from 
 Brazil, especially from the Pernambuco field, where 
 the Lord was blessing us, a reactionary Italian monk, 
 whose name was Celestino, resolved to eliminate me 
 by assassination. 
 
 In the Northern part of the State of Pernambuco 
 there was a band of bandits roving about, committing 
 all kinds of atrocities. The chief was one of the 
 most daring men that ever appeared in Brazil. His 
 name was Antonio Silvino. A great many crimes 
 were attributed to this band and the Government had 
 offered a sum of $10,000—40,000 milreis— for his ap- 
 prehension, dead or alive. The capture of this man, 
 however, was very difficult. He had a disconcerting 
 gift of shooting and hitting the mark, usually killing 
 the one who dared to attack him. He was also very 
 good to the poor and would share with them much of 
 the spoil he would obtain from the rich or even trom 
 the government. 
 
 It was to this man that the Italian monk appealed. 
 He worked upon his creduHty and superstition, and 
 obtained his consent to have me killed for the sum of 
 250 milreis (about fifty dollars). They found out the 
 
148 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 exact day I was expected to visit the small village of 
 Moganga and had the man ready to waylay me. 
 
 I left the city of Nazareth at about 2 o'clock in 
 the morning. I had one companion with me, Brother 
 Amaro, a native convert who went as my guide. At 
 about 5 o'clock I saw a small, slender, but wiry look- 
 ing man standing in a field close by the road I had to 
 pass. In his hands he held a double-barreled gun and 
 across his chest was a long chain of cartridges. My 
 first thought was that he was out hunting and, as is 
 my usual custom, I stopped the horse and greeted him, 
 wishing him a good morning and asking if he was 
 out for a hunt. He did not seem to care to reply, so I 
 asked him if he had caught anything that morning, 
 but he continued silent. So, putting the spurs to my 
 horse, I was about to follow my companion who had 
 ridden ahead of me, when a negro jumped out of a 
 tree right in front of my horse and was trying to lay 
 hold of the bridle. The man behind me shouted some- 
 thing to him that I could not understand, but evidently 
 the negro did, for he jumped out of the way and let 
 me continue my journey. 
 
 Soon after that I passed through a small village, 
 called Sape, and there I met Cocada, a heavy white 
 man whose flushed face bespoke him a member of that 
 celebrated bandit band. This one was sitting on the 
 ground receiving presents or goods from the inhabi- 
 tants of the place. He did not even look up to see who 
 was passing. At eight o'clock I reached the village 
 of Moganga where I was to pass that day, preaching 
 and teaching. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 149 
 
 As soon as I arrived, however, I could see surprise 
 stamped on the faces of every one I met. The poH- 
 tical boss of the village, in whose home I was to stay 
 during my sojourn in the village, received me with 
 evident joy and embraced me repeatedly asking all 
 the while: "Did you meet Antonio Silvino?" I told 
 him that I did not know him personally so could not 
 say whether I met him or not. However, I told him 
 whom I had met and he informed me that the first one, 
 with the double-barreled gun in his hands was the 
 person in question. 
 
 He then gave me the information that he had been 
 informed that this bandit had received money to have 
 me removed from the land of the living. As soon as 
 he had learned that news he had been trying to get in 
 touch with me, but that I had already left the place 
 where they expected to reach me and therefore did not 
 know what to do, but to leave it to Providence as the 
 good man put it. (He was not a believer.) 
 
 I had a very busy day. Rejoicing because of my 
 escape from the hands of the bandit I had a glorious 
 time with the believers. Our public meeting began 
 about 7:00 P. M. and lasted until nearly midnight. 
 We had singing of hymns, preaching, praying and a 
 testimony meeting, as well as acceptation of candi- 
 dates for baptism. Tired and almost exhausted, as I 
 had not slept the previous night, I asked the native 
 brother to continue the meeting and I went to a small 
 room, back of the front room in the home of the poli- 
 tical boss and was about ready to crawl into my ham- 
 mock, when a knock came at the front door. There 
 
150 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 was a demand to open immediately. The owner of the 
 house went to inquire who it was disturbing the mid- 
 night hour when he was told, to his consternation, that 
 it was Antonio Silvino and that he wished to speak to 
 Sr. Solomao. 
 
 You can imagine how my heart fell within me as I 
 realized that those were very likely my last moments. 
 I had congratulated myself on having escaped the 
 bandit and here he was in the very home of the poli- 
 tical boss and right across from the police station! 
 (l fell on my knees asking the Lord for just one thing 
 and that was to give me the necessary strength to 
 give a good testimony. The Lord has given me the 
 gift of not fearing anybody or anything, but he also 
 gave me a very sensitive nature. I cannot bear the 
 sight of blood and all my courage flees from me when 
 I see anyone suffering. The only thing I was afraid 
 of was to show that fear in case he was going to 
 torture me and it was for that that I was asking 
 strength. Praised be His holy Name, He did not fail 
 me! 
 
 As soon as he was seated they came and called for 
 me. I told them that I would be out in a moment. 
 Coming into the front room, a large, spacious room, 
 I saw the bandit sitting with bowed head on the sofa. 
 The political leader was pale and trembling while his 
 wife and sister, two slender women were wringing 
 their hands and weeping as if their hearts would break. 
 
 Walking up to the man, feeling my heart strong, I 
 said, "You wished to see me ; what can I do for you?" 
 
 "Do you know who I am," he asked me after a 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 151 
 
 while, and I answered, "Yes, you are Captain Antonio 
 Silvino." 
 
 ^o you know why I came here?" he then asked, 
 aild I said, "Yes, you have been bought to kill me"; 
 and he answered "E' verdade 1" ("That is true.") 
 
 I breathed another prayer to my heavenly Father as 
 I stood before this bandit, asking Him to help me and 
 to take care of my wife and little ones. After a few 
 imoments had gone by without his making any move, 
 I said, "Well, why don't you go ahead and do it?" 
 
 But he did not move and after a few moments of 
 silence, I noticed that he was wiping his eyes, tears 
 streaming down his face. 
 
 Finally he said, "No, I won't kill you. I would 
 much rather kill the pferson who asked me to kill you. 
 I won't kill a man like you. This morning while I 
 was waiting for you near the Sape village, you stopped 
 your horse and spoke to me so gentlemanly and kindly 
 that I was surprised. I had been told that you were 
 a dangerous person, that your doctrines and teachings 
 were a curse to the people and to the country and 
 that killing you would be a blessing to many. But 
 you spoke to me so kindly that I determined to find 
 out a little more about you. I was present while you 
 were preaching and teaching and praying and singing 
 and I tell you that I am not going to kill a man that 
 is doing such good work." 
 
 We passed the night together and he told me his life 
 story, one of the saddest that I have ever listened to. 
 He was not a common criminal. He belonged to a 
 very wealthy and aristocratic family. He himself is 
 
152 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 the owner of a great tract of valuable land in the State 
 of Parahyba. But on account of political feuds his 
 father, brothers, uncles and cousins had been exter- 
 minated and to escape the same fate he had resolved 
 to turn bandit and destroy not only his political oppo- 
 nents but all that would dare to rise up against him. 
 Up to the time I had met him he had killed sixty-six 
 (persons. 
 
 We talked and prayed together until daybreak. 
 Ever after that encounter, this bandit became the de- 
 fender of our cause, in that region. He would not 
 permit any persecution against the Gospel and against 
 the preachers. I have no doubt that my life was saved 
 several times from destruction at the hands of bandits 
 on account of the strict orders received from this man. 
 
 Some time after I went to the Lieutenant-Governor 
 of the State and offered to take this bandit out of 
 the State and give him a chance of regeneration on 
 condition that neither I nor the bandit would be 
 molested. His excellency, though a great admirer of 
 the work we were doing, did not see his way clear to 
 grant me this request. 
 
 Soon after I left Pernambuco this man was caught, 
 wounded and brought to the capital of the State, where 
 he was tried and condemned to the penitentiary. In 
 prison his delight is in reading the Bible and telling 
 the people, that come to see him, as well as his fellow- 
 prisoners, what the Lord had done for him. One of 
 the editors of an evening paper went to interview him 
 and came back quite disgusted: 
 
 "All you can get out of Antonio Silvino," he wrote, 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 153 
 
 "is about the Baptists and the Bible." You will 
 always find him with his Bible in his hands reading 
 and praying. It is simply wonderful what the Lord 
 can do for a poor degraded sinner. The blood of 
 Jesus is still efficacious and saves unto the uttermost 
 all that come to Him by faith. 
 
 Now the most remarkable part of this narrative: 
 
 It took me about a month to return home. I visited 
 several dangerous places and passed through great 
 trials and difficulties, but rejoicing because His 
 presence was with me and His blessings multiplied. 
 
 Opening my mail on my return home I found a 
 letter from a Young Women's Society of Americus, 
 Georgia. In it the secretary, evidently a young lady, 
 wrote me more or less the following: 
 
 ^QDear Brother Ginsburg, today is our missionary 
 dciy and we have been studying about you and your 
 work and have been offering special prayers to our 
 heavenly Father to bless you, keep and protect you 
 from all danger and use you mightily in His service." 
 Upon looking at the date of the letter I noticed that 
 it was the very day I met that celebrated bandit, 
 Antonio Silvino. 
 
 Our God is a prayer hearing God. Blessed be 
 His name ! 
 
 Opening of the Work in Limoeiro. — The city of 
 Limoeiro is a very strategic center in the Pernambuco 
 field not only because of its population and railroad 
 facilities but also because of its rich surrounding cot- 
 ton and sugar-cane farms. A few years previous to 
 our moving to Pernambuco, Dr. Entzminger had tried 
 
154 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 to open a mission station in that city and after renting 
 and furnishing a hall had sent one of his native helpers 
 to inaugurate the work. The morning after the first 
 night's service a group of ruffians broke into the home 
 where the native pastor was staying, tied him hands 
 and feet and placed him on the train that was about 
 to leave the city and told him in very plain language : 
 "This time we let you go this way, but don't you 
 dare come back, for then you will be carried out in 
 quite a different fashion." The poor man was so 
 frightened that you could not get him to look at the 
 place even on the map. 
 
 After our great convention in 1909 when it had been 
 resolved that I was to move to Bahia, from whence 
 dear Dr. Z. C. Taylor was obliged to retire on account 
 of failing health, I determined with God's help to 
 establish the work in Limoeiro. The Catholic element 
 in that city had been daring us to do it and promising 
 a very warm reception, in case we ever attempted to 
 venture. Several times, when passing through the 
 city, I had been taunted about it and I had told some 
 of the bitterest foes that the time would come when 
 the work would be established and that they would 
 receive due notice about it. 
 
 It was a daring undertaking and I knew perfectly 
 well that I was risking my life, but trusting in the 
 Lord and knowing that He was able to care and keep 
 and protect me as He had done many a time before, I 
 went ahead. 
 
 We rented a house and furnished the front room 
 with the necessary benches, pulpit, lights, etc., I also 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 155 
 
 obtained, due to the Masonic brethren, the use, free 
 of charge, of the public theater for my first lecture. 
 I left an announcement inviting the public for the 
 following Sunday to the first lecture on the subject: 
 "The Objectives of the Evangelical Propaganda." 
 
 Wednesday before that Sunday I received a tele- 
 gram from a friend advising me that the local priest 
 and the fanatical Catholics were bringing into town 
 eighty bandits for the sole purpose of driving out, or 
 if necessary exterminating every Protestant that 
 would dare to preach his religion. I had expected a 
 move like that and I immediately took the telegram 
 to the Lieutenant-Governor of the State, who was a 
 personal friend of mine, having helped me out of sev- 
 eral difficult situations. He told me to go ahead and 
 he would see to it that I had sufficient protection. 
 
 Saturday I took the train to Limoeiro. Midway, 
 at a Junction called Entroncamento an officer of the 
 State mihtia, accompanied by a half-dozen soldiers, 
 met me and placed themselves at my disposal. I 
 thanked them and asked, "Why such haste ? Why had 
 they not waited till I reached the city?" The officer 
 then informed me that the persecutors had witnessed 
 the arrival of the police force and naturally had sus- 
 pected that they had come to keep order and protect 
 the Protestants. The persecutors had then instructed 
 the bandits to board the train two stations before it 
 reached Limoeiro and accomplish their object there. 
 The officer was advised about that resolution and de- 
 termined to frustrate it. He resolved to meet me at 
 
156 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 the junction and sit down by my side thus saving my 
 life and those of my companions. 
 
 Sure enough, when the train arrived at Ilheitas, just 
 two stations on this side of Limeiro, a group of 
 suspicious-looking men boarded the train and seemed 
 to be anxiously looking for me. Seeing the officer 
 close by me and two soldiers with loaded guns at one 
 end of the coach and another two at the other end 
 and several more near by, they thought it best to await 
 another opportunity. 
 
 Reaching the city of Limoeiro I found lined up at 
 the station platform sixty soldiers, all fully equipped 
 and armed and no one was allowed to approach the 
 railroad carriage without my permission. I felt im- 
 portant for once in my life. The most surprising part 
 of it all was the fact that the sergeant who was de- 
 tailed to watch me day and night, was a member of 
 the Nazareth Baptist Church, who, a few years previ- 
 ous, while I was preaching at an open-air meeting 
 in that city, had been hired to kill me. As related 
 already in the previous chapter to be able to carry out 
 that intention he tried to obtain a little courage from 
 King Alcohol, who, most naturally, put him to sleep 
 instead. When he awoke from his drunken stupor, 
 the meeting was over and a few months afterwards 
 being converted, informed the church about that ex- 
 perience. How that man watched and cared for me 
 would be impossible to describe. I know that, under 
 God, I owe my life to him. 
 
 Sunday afternoon I gave the lecture in the theater 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 157 
 
 to an enormous crowd. The priest had left the city 
 hoping that the bandits would do the job while he was 
 away. But nothing happened ! The meeting went off 
 splendidly and I invited the crowd to the next meet- 
 ing which was to take place in our own preaching hall. 
 
 Monday evening I met the priest at the train and 
 invited him to the meeting and he promised to come. 
 I was preaching on that beautiful text : "I am not 
 ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power 
 of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." 
 The hall was crowded and the priest was leaning in 
 at the window. Now and again I would appeal to 
 him asking him whether what I was preaching was 
 not true? The poor fellow did not know what to do. 
 To approve of my preaching was something he did 
 not wish to do. To deny the truth of what I was 
 saying he could not do since it was a self-evident fact. 
 He finally decided to withdraw from the window and 
 turned round to the people near him exclaiming: 
 "Vamos embora, meus filhos !" (Let us go away, my 
 children.) But one man shouted back to him quite in- 
 dignantly: "Eu nao sou filho de padre." (I am not 
 the child of a priest!"") To be called a child of a 
 priest is a very degrading term. 
 
 I thought the priest had left for good, but when 
 the meeting was over and I was ready to leave for 
 my night's rest, just as I was stepping out of the hall, 
 I saw the priest with his group of bandits waiting for 
 me. Fortunately the soldiers had not left and it was 
 no doubt their presence that saved me from those 
 assassins. 
 
158 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 Suspecting that the priest was up to some mischief 
 and anxious to know if he was armed or not I used the 
 Brazilian way of greeting and stepping up to him I 
 greeted and embraced him and found out that he had 
 a big revolver sticking in his belt under .his cassock 
 and a large dagger on the other side. 
 
 Taking his left arm in mine I took him along the 
 way I was going and immediately he began to insult 
 me, but I kept quiet. I could see through his plan. 
 He, no doubtj thought that I would answer him back 
 and thus give him an opportunity to say that I had in- 
 sulted him and his religion and justify the murder he 
 was contemplating. You can imagine how hard I 
 prayed, asking the Lord to keep my fist and tongue 
 quiet. 
 
 Meanwhile the bandits were trying to get through 
 the wall made by the believers round about me. A bad 
 woman came very near me and I could see a small 
 dagger gleaming in her right hand. I asked her what 
 she was up to, and she told me that she belonged to 
 the priest. Taking hold of her with my left hand I 
 told her that she would be safer on the other side and 
 pushed her on to the priest's side. 
 
 How I escaped assassination that night I cannot tell, 
 except that the Lord was watching and delivering me 
 from the hands of the assassins. No doubt many were 
 praying for me, not only in Pernambuco and at my 
 home, but in the great Southland of ours. Our God 
 hears and answers prayer and He knows how to take 
 care of those that trust in Him. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 159 
 
 Reaching a lamp post and realizing that the police 
 were near, I withdrew my arm from that of the priest 
 and told him: "You certainly tri^d your best to pro- 
 voke me to anger, but I saw through your game. You 
 wanted me to say something that would justify you in 
 murdering me. But I want you to know this. When 
 I determined to come to Limoeiro I counted the cost 
 and came ready to lay down my life if necessary. The 
 same thing can be said about all of these crentes 
 (believers). But even if you succeed in killing all of 
 us, that would not stop the preaching of the Gospel in 
 this city. There are thousands and millions of Bap- 
 tists in Brazil as well as in the United States of 
 America ready to take my place if I should fall here. 
 They would gladly lay down their liyes, if need be, 
 for Christ's Kingdom and His glory." I then left him. 
 
 In less than a month a church was organized. About 
 the end of that month the priest committed some in- 
 discretion with a young lady in the vestry of the 
 Catholic church and he experienced the effect of the 
 Gospel on a city where the citizens had been aroused 
 by the preaching of that Gospel. The people drove 
 him out of town like they would a leper. What he 
 had tried to do to me he reaped on the day he took 
 the train, for the whole population turned out and 
 heaped upon him the most shameful insults. 
 
 A year afterwards Dr. and Mrs. T. B. Ray visited 
 the same city and spoke in the same theater and a 
 group of the best citizens offered him a special dinner 
 at the best hotel, thus manifesting publicly their ap- 
 preciation of the sending of the Gospel light to that 
 
160 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 place. And today that city and the whole surround- 
 ing neighborhood is rejoicing in God-given freedom 
 coming from having the Gospel preached to them. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 IN MANY PLACES. 
 
 Again ia Bahia. — It was in October of the year 
 1909 that I reached Bahia for the second time. There 
 were about thirty organized churches and a great 
 many mission stations. The greatest drawback to the 
 work, at that time, was the lack of competent native 
 helpers, especially trained workers, of whom there was 
 not even one in the entire Bahia field. 
 
 But the Spirit of God was working and using them 
 wonderfully and souls were being saved. 
 
 The first task I tmdertook was to line up the 
 churches and cultivate in them the spirit of self- 
 development and self-support. To accomplish this I 
 organized a State Board, composed chiefly of native 
 believers, and gave them the task of developing the 
 churches through their own native pastors, while I 
 gave myself to the building up of the Mission stations. 
 
 Over One Thousand Souls in One Year. — Nineteen 
 hundred and eleven will always be remembered as one 
 of the most wonderful years in the Bahia field. 
 
 Avaihng myself of the good-will of our Rio Col- 
 lege and Seminary teachers who volunteered to visit 
 our field for the purpose of holding Bible institutes 
 with the workers, I invited Drs. J. W. Shepard and 
 A. B. Langston for a week's special meetings in 
 Bahia, making arrangements for the presence and 
 entertainment of all of the native helpers of the field. 
 
162 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 Before the Bible Institute began we had a workers' 
 meeting and adopted as our motto for the year : "One 
 Thousand Souls for Christ." This objective gave 
 great impulse to the meetings as well as to the Bible 
 Institute which was a great success. 
 
 As soon as that meeting was over we organized our 
 forces and adopted the following program and plan 
 of action : 
 
 1. To speak to some unsaved soul at least once 
 every day ; 
 
 2. To pray every day at mid-day for the conversion 
 of some soul to whom we had spoken about his salva- 
 tion; 
 
 3. To give a Bible or New Testament to every 
 neighbor in whose home no Bible or New Testament 
 was to be found. 
 
 These resolutions were printed on cards that would 
 fit into a small Bible and sent out to all of the workers. 
 I also took them with me on all of my missionary 
 trips. 
 
 I never traveled so much as during that year. I 
 visited almost every church and mission station in 
 that great State of Bahia, holding special meetings and 
 organizing the forces for the great campaign. It was 
 a great and glorious year! The Lord was with us in 
 great power, saving souls and bringing back those who 
 had been drifting away! Thousands of Bibles were 
 sold and many who never before had spoken a word 
 in public for the Master were used by Him to the 
 salvation of many. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 163 
 
 The first three months were used for rallying the 
 forces. The second quarter we went from place to 
 place advising and training for the campaign. During 
 the months of July, August and September we began 
 to draw in the net, holding evangelistic services all 
 over the great field. By the end of December of that 
 memorable year we had more than 850 baptisms re- 
 ported and more than 150 ex-members returned to 
 fellowship. Besides that number we had about 250 
 couples who could not be accepted into our churches 
 because of their not being legally married. 
 
 At our annual meeting held in the city of San 
 Antonio, in January of 1912, we had great rejoicing 
 and wonderful manifestations of the power of God. 
 Dr. Entzminger, editor of our denominational paper, 
 was present and reported that he had never before 
 witnessed such a meeting and listened to such a won- 
 derful report. 
 
 Gun Shooting at Barra de Itabapoana. — While sta- 
 tioned in Bahia, Bro. L. M. Reno, the missionary in 
 charge of the Victoria Mission, asked me to look 
 after his field while he was away on his furlough to 
 the United States. I could not give the mission much 
 of my time, as I had over forty churches and over 100 
 out stations to look after in the Bahia field. All I 
 did was to take care of the finances and advise the 
 native helpers mostly through correspondence. How- 
 ever, I attended the annual meeting at the Rio Novo 
 Church, where the Lord's presence was felt and souls 
 were converted. From there I went to a new preach- 
 ing place, called Barra de Itabapoana, situated across 
 
164 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 the border of the State of Espirito Santo. I was 
 entertained in the home of the Chief of Police who 
 was the father of one of the members of the Rio 
 Novo Church, and husband of one of several converts 
 I had the privilege of baptizing. Sunday afternoon 
 about 3 P. M. the baptismal scene took place witnessed 
 by a great crowd. The preaching service was an- 
 nounced for seven o'clock. On the previous night I 
 had preached in the home of one of the converts where 
 a persecution had been staged by a group of fanatics, 
 but the Chief had managed to disperse this group. 
 Rumors were afloat that a greater persecution was 
 being organized for the Sunday night service. I never 
 pay much attention to rumors, knowing by experience 
 that the Lord will deliver in His own good way if He 
 so desires. Awaiting the development of aiifairs I 
 prepared myself for the work on hand. 
 
 The meeting began punctually at seven with a 
 crowded house. The native pastor began the service 
 and all went along smoothly until I stood up to preach. 
 A shrill whistle was heard and I noticed that the 
 group standing by the window abandoned the place. 
 One woman, a brave little soul, a married daughter 
 of the Chief, who, though not a Christian, had warned 
 me of the attack and begged me to leave the place 
 before it was too late, placed herself and her two 
 little children in front of one of the two windows and 
 dared the assassins to shoot. Soon missiles and shots 
 began flying all around the building, breaking every 
 window pane and most of the tiles on the roof. The 
 first shot seemed to have been fired at me and struck 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 165 
 
 the wall about an inch above my head. It buried 
 itself in the wall. Only one of the converts was 
 wounded in a limb, though the room was crowded 
 with believers and friends. 
 
 The most remarkable happening of that evening 
 was the following: As soon as the bandits began 
 shooting the Chief, an elderly man of over sixty, left 
 the room to remonstrate with the assailants. Seeing 
 him leave I ran to the door, ready to stand by him, 
 fearing that the bandits would injure him. But, I had 
 not reached the door when the youngest daughter of 
 the chief, a young lady of about 20 or 21, placed 
 herself against the door and told me that I must not 
 leave the room. I informed her that I could not let 
 her father stay outside alone facing a mob of over 
 a hundred bandits. 
 
 "They won't do anything to my father," she said, 
 "they just want you." I did not see it that way and 
 tried my best to get by her. The door was one of 
 those old-fashioned ones with the upper part done in 
 lattice work. While we were struggling, she trying to 
 keep the door closed, and I, doing my best to open it, 
 a ball came tearing through the lattice work passing 
 between our two heads. Had it gone a little more 
 to the right or to the left one of us had surely been 
 killed. Oh, how wonderful is God's power ! He cer- 
 tainly knows how to protect His own. 
 
 Dr. T. B. Ray Visits Brazil. — One of the greatest 
 blessings that came to Brazil in 1910 was the visit of 
 our Foreign Mission representative, Dr. T. B. Ray. 
 Never before had Brazil been visited by any repre- 
 
166 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 sentative of the Foreign Mission Board. Many of 
 our needs and appeals were not understood, for the 
 simple reason that the members of our Board were 
 unable to realize the vastness of the field and the 
 importance of our opportunities. Then there were 
 also very important questions to be discussed with 
 the missionaries. The missionary, like every other 
 mortal man, has his own way of looking at certain 
 problems, and likes to have his own mode of think- 
 ing prevail, even though it does not meet with the 
 approval of everybody else. In 1910 the Brazilian 
 Baptists had a great many problems, some very dif- 
 ficult ones to solve. Though our secretaries are not 
 infallible, nor invested with powers to frighten us 
 into their way of thinking, and always give us liberty 
 to carry out our own plans and ways of working, yet 
 every missonary realized that a visit of a representa- 
 tive from our Board, would be of great help. Such a 
 representative would necessarily need a great deal of 
 wisdom and tact, not only on account of the opposing 
 currents that he would find but also because of the 
 Baptist principles of independence and self-govern- 
 ment that he would have to uphold. 
 
 How well Dr. Ray fulfilled his mission in that great 
 crisis, eternity alone will prove. It was certainly 
 remarkable the way he managed to show to each ana 
 every missionary his duty and obligation, satisfying 
 every one without infringing upon the individual 
 rights of any one. I will not specify the subjects that 
 were discussed and the resolutions that were adopted 
 because it is all a matter of record. But this I must 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 167 
 
 say: Had it not been for the tact and the great gift 
 of harmonizing manifested by Dr. Ray the great Rio 
 de Janeiro College and Seminary would have suf- 
 fered terribly and perhaps been crippled in its use- 
 fulness for a great many years. The Carroll Memo- 
 rial Publishing House also owes, under God, its pres- 
 ent status and worth to this man of God, for after 
 realizing the opportunities of such an enterprise in 
 such a great field, he has been able to counsel our 
 Board in Richmond, the wisdom of placing it on a 
 basis of greater usefulness. 
 
 Would to God that our brethren in the homeland 
 could see their way clear to send men like Dr. Ray or 
 Dr. Love to visit the mission fields that thus they 
 might obtain a personal insight into the needs and 
 opportunities. 
 
 It was my privilege to accompany Dr. Ray as in- 
 terpreter, to the various fields and note the great ef- 
 fect upon his great heart and soul of what he saw and 
 heard everywhere he went. Those were never-to-be 
 forgotten days. Not only will the Brazilian believers 
 never forget that visit, but only eternity will reveal 
 the great results that came from it. 
 
 In the Arroz Novo Church, of Bahia, forty-eight 
 came forward weeping and touched by the Spirit of 
 God after he gave a stirring message. In the Espirito 
 Santo field, young Almir Goncalves, Brother Reno's 
 right-hand man and perhaps best native helper, de- 
 cided to give himself to the Lord after a talk with 
 Dr. Ray. The visit we made to the President of the 
 Republic, where we were so cordially received and 
 
168 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 which has been of such a wonderful blessing to the 
 Cause of Christ in Brazil, giving to the Baptists a 
 national standing and character, will stand forth as 
 one of the historical sign-posts in the history of our 
 work. 
 
 Escaping the Titanic. — In the beginning of 1912 I 
 obtained permission from our Board to go home for 
 a much needed rest. I made my return trip by way 
 of Europe, touching Portugal, where I visited the 
 work the Brazilian Baptists were carrying on their 
 Foreign Mission Enterprise and attended to some busi- 
 ness for the Publishing House. 
 
 I left Bahia about the end of the month of Febru- 
 ary, reaching Portugal in safety. I preached in the 
 cities of Lisbon and Oporto. The Lord gave us a 
 few souls that decided to follow the Master. One of 
 the best results of that visit to Portugal was a talk 
 I had with dear Brother Joseph Jones, a Christian 
 gentleman and a staunch Baptist, a member of Spur- 
 geon's Tabernacle, who was living in Oporto. He 
 imagined that the Southern Baptists were of the 
 hardshell type and was, therefore, unwilling to join 
 in with us. It was a pleasure to be able to enlighten 
 him on our true position and enlist his great gifts and 
 sympathies on behalf of our work there to which he 
 has proved himself a great power and blessing. 
 
 From Portugal I went to London to visit the Mild- 
 may Mission to the Jews, my former home, and some 
 old friends and colleagues. How my heart rejoices 
 whenever I can go back to this great center of work, 
 where so many of God's ancient people are led to the 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 169 
 
 light and knowledge of the true Saviour and Christ ! 
 Though most of the old companions have disappeared, 
 some into eternity, there are still a few that remind 
 me of the times gone by and with whom it is a privi- 
 lege to have spiritual communion. 
 
 It was while going from Lisbon to Southampton 
 that a very remarkable thing happened to me re- 
 minding me once more of the loving, protecting power 
 of our heavenly Father. No doubt many were pray- 
 ing for me both in the homeland and in Brazil and 
 the good Lord, as is His custom, hears and answers 
 the supplications of his loved ones. 
 
 Just as I was ready to embark in Lisbon on board 
 the "Avon," telegrams were posted telling of terrific 
 storms that were raging the dangerous bay of Biscay. 
 Several streamers were reported as having been lost 
 along the coast of France. I confess that my heart 
 failed me when the time came for me to take the boat, 
 as I had had sufficient experience of stormy weather 
 in that very same famous bay when I passed through 
 it in 1889. I had a stop-over ticket and could easily 
 delay my journey for a week and go on another boat. 
 I hesitated and finally took the matter to the Lord in 
 prayer. I used to carry with me the W. M. U. Prayer 
 Calendar and every day would look up the subject for 
 prayer as well as the text for the day. Soliciting light 
 and guidance from on high, I looked up the calendar 
 and found for that day the following text, given as 
 if in direct answer to my inquiries : 
 
 "He knoweth thy walking through this great wil- 
 derness ; these forty years the Lord thy God has been 
 
170 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 with thee; thou has lacked nothing." Deuter. 7:2. 
 
 Now notice what happened. I had a fairly good 
 voyage to Southampton, though the sea was rough 
 and our boat was greatly harassed. On reaching 
 London, where I had previously secured a passage to 
 New York on one of the cheaper vessels of the White 
 Star line, I was informed, that on account of the coal 
 strike, the sailings of several of the steamers of the 
 White Star line had been suppressed, and the pas- 
 sengers would have the privilege of changing their 
 boats, taking either the "Majestic," due to leave in the 
 first week of April, or the "Titanic," scheduled for 
 the following week. The desire to travel on the 
 maiden trip of the "Titanic" was great, but, having 
 finished my business in London, and being homesick 
 for wife and family that I had not seen for years, I 
 resolved to take advantage of the first boat, and ar- 
 rived home just a day before the terrible news of the 
 sinking of the "Titanic" horrified the world. Had I 
 delayed in Portugal one week I would have been 
 forced to take the "Titanic," and only God knows 
 what would have happened to me. A brother to whom 
 I related this incident told me that the Lord would 
 have saved me on the "Titanic," had I been on board 
 that fated vessel. This might be very true, but I pre- 
 fer not to have gone through that terrible experience. 
 
 In the Carroll Hemorial Publishing Plant. — One of 
 the most interesting pages in the history of our Bap- 
 tist work in Brazil is that of the printed page. Some 
 day some one more capable will do it justice, for in 
 this chapter it is impossible to describe it as it ought 
 
PLATE III. J. S CARROLL MEMORIAL BAPTIST PUBLISHING 
 HOUSE, RIO. 
 
 1. W. E. Entzminger, Editor-in-Chief, Book Dept, 
 
 2. S. L. Ginsburg, Field Representative. 
 
 3. S. L. Watson, General Director. 
 
 4. J. S. Carroll, In Whose Name the House Was Endowed by His Wife. 
 
 5. Entrance to Grounds of Publishing House. 
 
 6. Carroll Memorial Baptist Publishing House Grounds, Rio. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 171 
 
 to be done. However, a word as to its beginnings in 
 Brazil will not be out of place. 
 
 From the little information on hand it may be said 
 that the first one to establish a small printing plant 
 in Brazil was the great missionary, Dr. Z. C. Taylor. 
 He had help in this attempt from Mrs. Osborne, of 
 Louisville, Kentucky, who through the "Baptist 
 Basket" collected funds for that object. That little 
 press established in Brazil grew to a considerable 
 plant and printed some very valuable books and thou- 
 sands upon thousands of tracts that were distributed 
 broadcast all over the country. 
 
 Another little press was afterwards established in 
 Campos, by me, without any help from anyone. A 
 small paper was edited, entitled "Boas Novas" 
 ("Good News"), which was sent free to thousands of 
 persons, especially to those in high places, as well as 
 priests. It did an effective work, stirring up inquiries 
 as well as bitter opposition especially from the clerical 
 element. 
 
 In 1900, when Dr. Entzminger moved to the South, 
 a few missionaries met in Rio and combined upon a 
 unified paper and publishing enterprise, selecting 
 Brother Entzminger as its leader. Both presses, that 
 of Bahia and Campos, were merged into one and 
 moved to Rio de Janeiro. The Jornal Baptista was 
 started and has been kept up as the denominational 
 voice ever since. 
 
 In 1910 during the visit of Dr. T. B. Ray to Brazil, 
 the brethren decided to enlarge the publishing inter- 
 prise, dividing it into three departments: The Edi- 
 
i;2 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 torial, the Business, and the Colportage Departments. 
 Dr. Entzminger was chosen as head of the Editorial 
 Department, and I was invited to take charge of the 
 Colportage and field work. 
 
 In 1912 'was inaugurated the Judson Centennial 
 Campaign and the Publishing House received the 
 great blessing of a gift of thirty thousand dollars 
 made by Mrs. J. S. Carroll, of Troy, Alabama, in 
 memory of her deceased husband. It was a noble 
 gift and it has helped us to place the publishing enter- 
 prise on a solid basis for progress and usefulness. 
 
 That in brief is the historial beginning of our 
 Baptist Press in Brazil. It was in 1913 that I was 
 called upon to give myself to this department of our 
 work. 
 
 On account of lack of helpers, for a good part of 
 the time I had to do the entire work of the house. 
 Dr. Entzminger, the head of the Editorial Depart- 
 ment, left Brazil for his furlough. The Business Man- 
 ager had not made his appearance on the field and so 
 I had to take up all the departments of the house. 
 For many months I had to be Editor, Business Man- 
 ager as well as Field Worker. It was no easy job, 
 considering the conditions we were in, the lack of 
 machinery, as well as lack of capital. 
 
 I worked every day from early morning until late 
 at night, rising about four and retiring at midnight. 
 The Lord, however, helped and His presence cheered 
 me on. One of the most agreeable things that I re- 
 member of those days is the hearty co-operation of 
 nearly every man on the field. Dr. J. J. Taylor, 
 
& 
 
 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 173 
 
 Brethren D. L. Hamilton and S. L. Watson helped on 
 the S. S. Literature, and everyone of the missionaries 
 sent in splendid contributions to our paper. Brother 
 and Mrs. Reno were indefatigable in their help with 
 the literature for the children's papers. It was a great 
 joy to work with and for the brotherhood. 
 
 Then came the great gift of Mrs. J. S. Carroll 
 which enabled .us to move out of the narrow quarters 
 in which we were working and begin realizing the 
 great dream of a Publishing House worthy of Brazil 
 and the great Baptist hosts. What the final outcome 
 of it all will be no one can foresee. The Baptists in 
 Brazil have the greatest opportunity of establishing 
 one of the greatest Mission enterprises in the world. 
 As for myself I hope to be able to help it on to its 
 realization. 
 
 Colportage Work. — One of the branches of the 
 work of the Field Secretary is the Colportage work. 
 It is really one of the most fruitful, as well as exciting. 
 Whenever I had an opportunity to leave the Publish- 
 ing House I would fill my satchel full of Bibles and 
 books and sell them as I went along, in the trains, on 
 board the vessels, in the villages, cities as well as 
 farms. Endowed with a natural gift for selling (due 
 no doubt to my Jewish ancestry), I always managed 
 to sell all the books I carried along, both Bibles, 
 books, tracts or anything else. How heart-hungry 
 the peoole in Brazil are for the Word of God. Of 
 course the Bible is the most difficult book to sell be- 
 cause the priests tell the people that our Bibles are 
 false. 
 
174 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 One of the first things I do when I want to sell a 
 Bible is to tell them plainly why the priests prohibit 
 the reading of the Bible, calling their attention to 
 what the Bible teaches about the priests and their 
 doings. As a general rule, the buyer will get interested 
 and listen and, if he is sincere, will buy the precious 
 book and read it for his soul's salvation. I never give 
 away a Bible, for that would only confirm them in 
 their idea that our Bibles are what the priest tells 
 them. Oh, the wonderful times I have discussing the 
 doctrines we teach and the many falsehoods the priests 
 spread about Luther and the Protestants ! But as with 
 patience and tact one answers all the questions and 
 finally sees a ray of genuine inquiry appear on the 
 face of the inquirer, what a joy it is to lead them 
 gently to the feet of the Master and teach them how 
 to get in touch with Him who is able to convict, con- 
 vert and save! 
 
 I wish I could repeat some of the conversations I 
 have had with people as we traveled together. That 
 of course is impossible, as it would fill all the avail- 
 able space in this book. After thirty years' experi- 
 ence in that kind of work I can unhesitatingly affirm 
 that there is nothing that satisfies so thoroughly a 
 hungry soul as the Holy Book of God. Say what you 
 please about Catholics, but it is the Word of God that 
 they want. The husks of ceremonialism and tradition 
 do not satisfy them and never can satisfy. Give them 
 the Bible, a plain "Thus saith the Lord!" and they 
 will open their mouths wide and their hearts also. 
 
 At other times, however, one meets an enemy, or a 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 175 
 
 fanatic or perhaps an interested Catholic, whose busi- 
 ness and life is linked up with the Catholic church 
 (and only God knows how many there are in the 
 clutch of the Catholic machine) then you have to look 
 out and thank God if you escape with a whole skin. 
 Just one example: 
 
 Insulted by a Rich Farmer. — It was in the State of 
 Pernambuco. I was traveling in a railroad carriage 
 crowded with passengers. Before offering the books 
 for sale I distributed a small leaflet not only to whet 
 the reading appetitue but also to see how many were 
 able to read. A priest was in the same car and he 
 accepted the tract gratefully and so also did all the 
 other passengers. As I was returning to my seat, 
 one man, a rich landowner, whose son happened to 
 be a leading politician, tore the tract in pieces and 
 threw them into my face, saying in a very provoking 
 tone: 
 
 "You had better go and plant sugar-cane on my 
 farm than do this kind of work." 
 
 Not losing my calmness, I answered him very 
 politely, but loud enough to be heard by every one 
 in the car: 
 
 "Thank you, sir, for the offer of a job which I will 
 remember whenever I may need it ; but just now you 
 see I am pretty well occupied teaching a few necessary 
 lessons." 
 
 This made him angry and he began calling me bad 
 names and using very insulting terms. I paid no more 
 attention to him, but went on speaking to the other 
 passengers, selling or rather explaining to them about 
 
176 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 the Bible. However, I noticed that some of the pas- 
 sengers who knew me went to him and informed him 
 that I was not such an ignorant individual as he 
 imagined but the missionary in charge of that field 
 and in daily discussion with the Catholic hierarchy. 
 The poor man was greatly disturbed and could not 
 continue his trip for very shame. At the nearest sta- 
 tion he left the carriage and thus left me free to sell 
 every book I had brought with me. 
 
 The Antidote for Spiritual Blindness. — ^A very in- 
 teresting story was related to me by one of our Col- 
 porters. I always tell them to be very careful how 
 they approach a priest and never provoke him to 
 anger, but be very polite and civil to him. Very few 
 priests, however, know the Bible. They are taught 
 how to answer all the arguments about the Bible, but 
 are not allowed to read it. Rome knows the effect 
 such reading would have upon a sincere soul and there- 
 fore the Book is not studied in the Brazilian Semin- 
 aries, except in abridged and adulterated forms. This 
 colporter met one day the Vatican Envoy, as he was 
 passing through one of the streets of Rio de Janeiro 
 in his carriage. He felt the impulse of the Spirit of 
 God to offer Him a copy of the Bible. Stopping the 
 carriage in which the Envoy was reclining comfort- 
 ably, he looked into the old man's face and said : 
 
 "Excellency, will you allow me to offer you one of 
 the most powerful antidotes for spiritual blindness?" 
 
 "And what can that be, my son?" asked the Envoy. 
 
 Taking out of his satchel a beautiful copy of the 
 Bible he presented it to the man who took hold of it. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 177 
 
 looked through its pages and then very gently re- 
 turned it to the Colporter saying: 
 
 "Thank you, my son; I have a copy of the same 
 book in my home and I can assure you that I use it 
 very often myself and it has helped me wonderfully." 
 
 The Colporter left the carriage delighted with the 
 conversation. 
 
 I could naturally go on filling these pages with 
 similar stories and experiences, but must hasten on. 
 f Work Among Prisoners. — I believe that the Lord 
 put me in prison for ten long days, as related above, 
 just to get me interested in the sad conditions of the 
 poor prisoners in Brazil. During the ten days I was 
 kept incommunicable I tried my very best to obtain 
 a book or a copy of a paper to read, but nothing could 
 be found in the prison, though there must have been 
 nearly five hundred prisoners in that establishment. 
 I then and there resolved to do something for the 
 prisoners, if ever I had an opportunity. 
 
 That opportunity came when I joined the forces of 
 the Publishing House and a blessed experience it has 
 been to me as well as a great source of blessing to the 
 Publishing House. Many a hungry and sinsick soul, 
 lying in darkness and misery and spiritual death, has 
 thanked God for that blessed thought. Today we are 
 supplying, with the help of nearly every Baptist in 
 Brazil, about seven hundred and fifty prisons with our 
 weekly paper, and S. S. Literature. We have also 
 a special fund for sending copies of the Bible and 
 New Testaments and Hymn books to the prisoners. 
 
 In many of the State prisons regular Bible classes 
 
178 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 are held every Sunday where our literature is used 
 and where the blessed results in changed lives have 
 been a surprise to the authorities. The Director of 
 the Bahia Penitentiary declared in his annual report 
 to the Governor that the work done by the Baptists 
 in his establishment is telling wonderfully upon the 
 behaviour of the prisoners. Oh, the wonderful letters 
 that have come to us from all over the country from 
 these dungeons of sin and misery untold! Yes, the 
 blood of the Lord Jesus is still powerful to save and 
 His word, a mighty agent that convinces and convict' 
 as well as heals and consoles. 
 
 Just a few illustrations: 
 
 Plea of a Father in Prison. — One poor father who 
 is separated from his loved ones for a good many 
 years, in prison for a crime that will keep him for a 
 good many years to come, wrote me begging me to 
 send the paper and the Bible to his loved ones, saying, 
 in very touching language: 
 
 "Senhor Solomon, please send your paper and a 
 copy of the Holy Book to my loved ones. I have a 
 wife and two children and I do not want them to come 
 to this place." 
 
 We sent the New Testament and a copy of our 
 weekly paper. We have had very good news from 
 both the prisoner and his family. 
 f Conversion of a Farmer. — ^A well-to-do farmer had 
 a"quarrel with a political boss of his place and it was 
 not long after that a false charge was brought against 
 the farmer and he was taken to jail. The local con- 
 gregation was supplying that jail with a copy of our 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 179 
 
 •wccKiy paper as well as copies of the Gospels. This 
 farmer finding his time heavy on his hands looked 
 about for something- to read. In the waste box or can 
 he saw a piece of white paper. He pulled it out of the 
 can, and, not having anything else to do, began read- 
 ing it. 
 
 He had never before heard a Gospel sermon, though 
 he had heard something about the Protestants. The 
 paper he extracted from the basket was a copy of 
 the "Jomal Baptista," our weekly religious paper pub- 
 lished in Rio. After reading the paper through and 
 liking the articles he began to search for more and 
 found in the same can a copy of the Gospel of Saint 
 Mark. 
 
 The Catholics are taught by the priests that Saint 
 Mark is a very powerful saint with the devil, and is 
 capable of making the evil one obedient to his bidding. 
 Imagine the delight of the farmer in finding such a 
 valuable little book. But he was soon disillusioned. 
 Instead of the false teachings and worthless supersti- 
 tions he found the wonderful story of the Life of 
 Christ. He read the Gospel several times and soon the 
 teaching of Christ gripped him. 
 
 The Sunday following the believers visiting the jail 
 brought a new copy of the paper and he informed 
 them the good that the reading had done him. Not to 
 prolong this story, I wish to state that the man was 
 released and his first visit was to the house of God. 
 Soon he made his public profession of faith and when 
 last I saw him he was the deacon of the church re- 
 joicing not only in his Lord and Saviour, but also 
 
180 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 in the salvation of his loved ones, who had joined the 
 same church. To the building of the beautiful new 
 house of worship in that city, he was one of the lead- 
 ing contributors. 
 
 A Bible Class in the Bahia Penitentiary. — In the 
 Bahia Penitentiary there is held a Sunday school and 
 Bible class every Sunday afternoon. There are about 
 thirty-five that come together to study the Bible, sing 
 hymns and pray. Every time I pass through the city 
 of Bahia it is one of my great privileges to preach 
 to the prisoners in that penitentiary, of whom there 
 are about 350. We never baptize any that profess 
 conversion until they complete their sentence and are 
 released and then if they come and present themselves 
 to the church, making a public profession of their 
 faith, they are baptized. One of these men completed 
 his time and presented himself to the church, where 
 he was received, having given an excellent testimony 
 as to his change of life. We found him a job and 
 the first money he made he sent it to me and wrote 
 the following: 
 
 "Please convert this amount into New Testaments 
 and send them to my father. I am going* back home 
 to tell my people and old chums what the Lord has 
 done for me." 
 
 That man walked on foot from the city of Bahia to 
 his home town, a distance of about one hundred 
 leagues (three hundred miles), just to tell them of the 
 Lord's mercy, love and compassion for his soul. 
 
 And so I might continue through a great many 
 pages relating such interesting incidents. The letter§ 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 181 
 
 that come to the Publishing. House from all over 
 Brazil are numerous and very touching. It is a great 
 work and the Lord is using it greatly to His honor 
 and glory. 
 
 God's Blessing Upon Our Press. — Just a few illus- 
 trations of what tiny leaflets, copies of our weekly 
 paper or the promiscuous distribution of tracts, has 
 accomplished in the regeneration of Brazil. 
 
 That is one thing our native converts love to do, 
 viz. : distribute tracts. Some of our churches have 
 special funds for that purpose and, every Sunday, 
 hundreds of tracts are handed over to the members 
 who use them in every way imaginable, as they go 
 to their work in railroad carriages, or street cars, in 
 the work shop or in the Government offices. A good 
 many business men will slip a tract into the bundle of 
 goods and will even wrap up bundles in copies of our 
 weekly paper so that the Gospel message may be read 
 by some one in the home. In the Campos Mission the 
 believers organized a tract distribution society offer- 
 ing as a premium a book to anyone proving to having 
 read ten leaflets. This society was maintained through 
 the free will offering of believers. 
 
 Saved From Suicide. — ^Jose Domingues was a bad 
 character. Having married money he squandered 
 everything he had, by gambling, drinking and with 
 bad women. This brought him to poverty and dis- 
 grace. One day, disgusted with himself and the lite 
 he was leading, bankrupt, with a life in jail staring 
 him in the face, he looked for his revolver in one of 
 the drawers of his desk. A small leaflet, that had 
 
182 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 been handed to him while he was passing through the 
 street and that he had thrown into the drawer, stared 
 him in the face. Its title printed in bold type, "Como 
 Orar" (How to Pray) challenged his attention. For- 
 getting the object of his search he sat down and read 
 that small, four-paged leaflet. It was a revelation to 
 him. After reading it over several times he fell on his 
 knees and with tears streaming down his face he 
 pleaded for pardon and peace. Jose became a great 
 spiritual power in the Kingdom of God in the Bahia 
 District. Many a soul was led to the feet of the 
 Master through the testimony often given with 
 repentant tears streaming down the face of this dear 
 man of God. 
 
 /-iFruit After Twenty Years.— One little leaflet that 
 ^has been extensively used of God was written by an 
 ex-priest, the first native convert that came into our 
 first Baptist organization in Brazil. Its title was 
 "Three Reasons Why I Left the Church of Rome." 
 It is very popular among all denominations and has 
 been instrumental in bringing about the conversion of 
 many souls. Thousands, if not hundreds of thou- 
 sands of these tracts have been printed and scattered 
 broadcast all over the country. As the missionaries go 
 up and down the land they come upon remarkable 
 results from some of these tracts. Here I give one 
 related to me by our missionary, D. F. Crosland, of 
 the Minas field. 
 
 He was trying to reach a certain village one late 
 afternoon, but providentially missed the road. Too 
 late to return to the place he had left, he resolved to 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 183 
 
 find a night's lodging at a neighboring farm. The 
 inhabitants in the State of Minas are known to be very 
 fanatical and he advised his companion to be very 
 careful as to their testimony and conversation. 
 
 On reaching a farm, he asked for a night's lodging 
 for himself and companions and they were heartily 
 received. The Brazilians are very hospitable, and are 
 usually glad to receive visitors. Soon the farmer 
 began to inquire of Brother Crosland as to his life 
 and business. He informed the man that he was a 
 Protestant preacher. A joyous, happy and anxious 
 countenance stared into Brother Crosland's face as 
 the farmer in a trembling voice asked: 
 
 "Do you mean to say that you are a preacher of the 
 Holy Book of God?" 
 
 Brother Crosland, surprised and thinking the man 
 was about ready to drive them out, answered in the 
 affirmative. 
 
 Then the man laid hold of Brother Crosland's 
 shoulder and asked him in an anxious and yet yearn- 
 ing tone: 
 
 "And have you got God's book with you?" 
 
 For an answer Brother Crosland opened his suit- 
 case and showed him not only one Bible but a good 
 many Bibles. 
 
 "At last, at last!" shouted the man as tears came 
 streaming down his happy face. "For twenty years I 
 have been seeking and longing for this book and 
 praised be the Name of the Lord He has given it 
 to me at last." 
 
 He then ran into his bedroom and out of a chest in 
 
184 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 which he kept locked his treasures and valuable docu- 
 ments he brought forth a copy of that little tract: 
 "Three Reasons Why I Left the Church of Rome," 
 and told Brother Crosland the following: 
 
 "Twenty years ago I went to Diamantina, a distance 
 of about sixty leagues (one hundred and eighty miles) 
 to sell some cattle. While standing in the market 
 place a foreigner gave me that tract. I put it in my 
 pocket and on my return home began reading it. 
 The tract stirred my heart. What troubled me most 
 were the references to the Bible. I wanted to verify 
 the texts, but had no copy and did not know where 
 to obtain one. I searched everywhere and asked of 
 everybody, but no one had a copy of the Bible. 
 Finally I went to the priest and asked him to loan me 
 his Bible, but he also had none. And so I have been 
 hungering and longing for a Bible. This tract I have 
 read to almost every person in the neighborhood and 
 all are anxiously awaiting the arrival of a Bible." 
 
 Brother Crosland remained in the home of that 
 farmer for some time and today a great spiritual 
 organization exists there and Bibles enough to satisfy 
 the hunger and thirst of hundreds of souls. 
 
 Organizing Churches and Missions. — The far west 
 of Brazil, like our own far west of former times, at- 
 tracted men and women from all over Brazil. Some 
 believers, persecuted on account of their faith, had 
 to move into the far west and wherever they went 
 their life and behaviour would tell and ere long small 
 groups of interested persons would gather together 
 for the study of the Word of God. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 185 
 
 Such a group existed in the city of Corumba, State 
 of Matto Grosso, the most important commercial cen- 
 ter of that great State. This group was anxious to 
 organize themselves into a church, but did not know 
 what denomination to join. Some had come from the 
 State of Rio Grande do Sul where the Episcopalians 
 lead in the evangelical work. Others had been in 
 touch with Presbyterianism. They did not know what 
 to do. One of the Baptists present ventured to call 
 their attention to an article published in the Jornal 
 Baptista, our weekly paper printed and edited in Rio. 
 In that article an outline of our faith and practice was 
 given in very simple language. They read it, prayea 
 about it and finally resolved to telegraph to the editor 
 and ask him to visit them at their expense and help 
 them organize into a Christian organization. Brother 
 Entzminger, the editor of the paper, not being able 
 to go, called on Brother A. B. Deter to make the trip 
 H° remained with those people for a month, taught 
 them the truth as it is in Christ Jesus ; baptized over 
 fifty adults ; organized them into a Baptist organiza- 
 tion, and returned to his work in Sao Paulo, gloriously 
 elated. The work has continued since then to grow 
 and to prosper to the glory of God, and is today one 
 of the most prosperous mission fields in Brazil, with 
 Brother Jackson as director. 
 
 Revolutionizing Rio de Janeiro. — That is what a 
 little tract, written by an ex-priest, accomplished in 
 1919. It was the talk of the Metropolis and stirred 
 the Catholic hierarchy as nothing else had done. 
 
 The priest who wrote the tract was one of the 
 
186 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 most noted in Brazil. He belonged to the seven of 
 the secret council working under the Vatican Envoy. 
 His name had been sent to Rome as a candidate for a 
 Bishopric. Suddenly he abandoned all, and marry- 
 ing the young lady of his heart, he gave himself to 
 teaching for support. Persecuted by the hierarchy he 
 was driven to the feet of Jesus and made a wonderful 
 public profession of his faith before an assembly of 
 thousands of spectators. Eloquent, cultured, a pro- 
 found student of the Bible as well as of history, he 
 stated his reasons for accepting the Lord Jesus and 
 rejecting the Pope. 
 
 I asked his permission to publish that speech in 
 tract form, and printed fifty thousand as a first edi- 
 tion. I stereotyped the tract and continued to print 
 them by the thousands. 
 
 Anxious to place it into the hands of the public I 
 spoke to a man, whose occupation is to sell novelties 
 in the central streets of the great city of Rio de 
 Janeiro. He employed a group of young men to board 
 all the street cars, meet all trains and station them- 
 selves at all the principal public squares of the city. 
 I told him to have his boys shout all over the town : 
 "The Defense of an Excommunicated Priest." A few 
 days before that the Cardinal had published the ex- 
 communication of that priest in the daily press. The 
 tract was the talk of the day. That man sold in one 
 week fifty-five thousand copies. 
 
 The Cardinal tried to stop its sale and had the 
 man come to his palace. He offered him two hundred 
 mil reis (about $50.00) if he would stop the sale of 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 187 
 
 those tracts. But the man told him that he was mak- 
 ing a great deal more out of the sale of the tract. 
 Finally he agreed to stop selling it if he would give 
 him two thousand mil reis ($500.00). I understand 
 that the Cardinal gave him the sum, but more than 
 60,000 ,copies of that tract had been sold in one week 
 and who can tell what such an abundant seed-sowing 
 will bring forth ? 
 
 A Tract Changed His Sermon. — There was a priest 
 known nation-wide who was usually called upon to 
 give a series of sermons in places where the Catholic 
 faith was seriously attacked. One of these lectures or 
 sermons was against the Evangelical faith. 
 
 In the struggle against the Anti-Protestant League 
 during 1901 up to 1905 the Evangelicals were getting 
 the victory, and as a last resort the League arranged 
 with that priest — Julio Maria by name, to deliver his 
 series of sermons, the last one to be the one attacking 
 the Gospel faith. 
 
 On his way to Pemambuco the priest stopped in 
 Maceio, where our dear Brother J. E. Hamilton was 
 working and while there he delivered four of his 
 sermons. I asked Brother Hamilton to let me know 
 the theme and the way of attack in his sermon against 
 the Evangelicals. 
 
 Brother Hamilton informed me that the priest used 
 in that sermon the most violent language, declaring 
 that the Protestants were of the lowest and most 
 ignorant classes, etc. 
 
188 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 As soon as I found out the exact date the priest 
 was to give his sermon against us, I published in the 
 daily press an article or rather pamphlet written by 
 Brother Z. C. Taylor, in which was enumerated some 
 of the things that the Protestants had invented in the 
 last decade or so. The printing press, the telegraph, 
 and telephones, the autos and aeroplanes, and finished 
 by calling attention to the fact that the plates out of 
 which the priests were eating came from Protestant 
 England, the cloth with which he covered his body 
 was made in Protestant factories and even the razor 
 with which he shaved the crown on his head came 
 from a Protestant firm. 
 
 I issued five thousand copies of that article in tract 
 form that were distributed over the city. Five hun- 
 dred of these tracts I distributed at the door of the 
 church where the priest was to make his speech. 
 
 Availing myself of the company of the Lieutenant- 
 Governor of the State I went to hear the priest make 
 his attack against the Protestants. To my surprise, 
 a better sermon in favor of Protestantism I could not 
 have made myself. He extolled Lincoln and Wash- 
 ington and drew attention to the example of the 
 great American nation, the country of liberty, peace 
 and prosperity. 
 
 The tract made him change his sermon and the 
 effect of that little leaflet can be seen even now in the 
 wonderful development the work of our Lord is hav- 
 ing in that great Pernambuco field. 
 
 Thank God for the printed page and especially may 
 the Lord's choicest blessing rest upon those who have 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 189 
 
 helped with their prayers and sacrifices in establishing 
 in Rio that great publishing enterprise, the Carroll 
 Memorial Publishing House, for that vast and wonder- 
 ful field. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 RjeCRUITING FOR THE MASTER. 
 
 The Missionary's Joy. — One of the great joys of a 
 missionary's life is to lead many to the feet of the 
 Master. But his joy increases when one of his boys 
 or girls becomes a worker in the Lord's vineyard. 
 Naturally the missionary has to be on the lookout for 
 such and lead them with care and caution into the 
 road of usefulness and needed instruction. 
 
 As a rule, the Brazilian convert is a natural bom 
 evangelist. Usually when the Gospel message enters 
 his heart and life he wants to tell everybody of his 
 new found faith and blessing. Sometimes it is even 
 difficult to hold him back and make him understand 
 the need of study and preparation. Having been de- 
 luded by the priesthood, kept in utter darkness as re- 
 gards God and His great love, as soon as the convert 
 has his eyes opened to the truth, he cannot keep still. 
 He wants to proclaim it to everyone he meets, espe- 
 cially to his own loved ones. It is easy to see how 
 such devotion can be used for the spreading of the 
 Gospel throughout the field if it is well directed and 
 cultivated. 
 
 Fortunately we have now in Brazil institutions 
 where young men and young women can be trained in 
 the Master's service and prepared for greater useful- 
 ness. Every missionary on the field has had the 
 privilege of guiding not a few into those great in- 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 191 
 
 stitutions from which, after a few years of study, 
 they have come prepared to accomplish much for the 
 /Master. ..-., 
 
 I want to mention a few that are today making 
 history in our Baptists ranks in Brazil and whom it 
 was my privilege, not only to lead to the feet of the 
 Master, but also into the paths of usefulness and 
 service. These cases will illustrate a good deal about 
 the methods of work we are using as well as encourage 
 us to look for a marvelous future for the Baptists 
 in that wonderful South American Republic. 
 
 Joaquim Femandes Lessa, State Secretary. — It was 
 soon after my arrival in Campos in 1893. We were 
 having our meetings in an upstairs hall and it was 
 difficult to get the people to come to the meetings, not 
 only on account of the inconvenience of climbing up 
 a flight of back-stair steps, but also because the priest 
 had it spread all over town that the Protestants used 
 a certain substance, powder or ointment which they 
 placed on the benches or chairs with the result that 
 anyone sitting in one of them had to turn Protestant 
 whether he wished it or not. This report kept the 
 people from the meetings. So I decided that the best 
 thing to do was to hold open-air services on the public 
 square. There we had large crowds who came and 
 listened attentively. But as soon as the Vicar found 
 out what was being done he had the sexton of the 
 church situated on the public square to ring the big 
 brass bell whose noise literally drowned my voice and 
 what I had to say. 
 
192 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 One Sunday afternoon I was in the midst of one 
 of my addresses and had the attention of a great 
 crowd when, lo, that big brass bell began to pour forth 
 its metallic noise and I had to stop. The people sur- 
 rounding me showed signs of impatience and I re- 
 solved to invite them all to the hall to hear the last 
 part of my speech. Many came and among them was 
 Joaquim Lessa. He interested me as soon as I laid 
 my eyes on him and I asked the Lord to favor him 
 with a special blessing that day. I had a good long 
 talk with him. He was a prosperous young business 
 man belonging to a well-known family. His heart 
 was touched and his soul was yearning for a better 
 life. It was not long after that meeting that he de- 
 cided for Christ, made his public profession of faith 
 and was ready for baptism. Then began his great 
 struggle. 
 
 The church had no baptistry and all candidates were 
 baptized in the river Parahyba do Sul, one of the 
 largest in South Brazil. Every time a baptism was 
 to take place I used to announce it in the paper and 
 thousands of people, including priests, would come to 
 the river to witness the baptismal scene. This gave 
 me a splendid opportunity to explain the act as well as 
 to preach to the multitude the everlasting gospel. To 
 be baptized before a crowd like that required great 
 courage and determination especially in those who 
 were related to the aristocracy in town. The parents 
 and relatives whenever knowing of the candidates' in- 
 tentions would try their utmost to keep them from 
 
PLATE IV. 
 
 1. A. O. Bernardo. 
 
 2. Thomaz da Costa. 
 
 3. Corindyba de Carvalho. 
 
 4. Z. C. Taylor. 
 
 5. Manoel Avelino. 
 
 6. Dr. Nogueira Paranagua. 
 
 7. F. F. Soren. 
 
 8. Theodora Teixelra. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 193 
 
 fulfilling their duties and it has always been a wonder 
 to me that no one ever turned back. 
 
 Through this great trial Brother Lessa had to go. 
 His father, as soon as he heard of his son's resolution, 
 went to see him and began to argue, to threaten, to 
 plead and finally with tears flowing down his cheeks 
 begged him : "My son, do not disgrace your family ; 
 do not deny your baptism," and young Lessa with 
 tears streaming down his face answered : "Meu queido 
 pae! My dear father, I have never disobeyed or dis- 
 respected you, but in this matter you must have pa- 
 tience, for I must do the will of my Saviour first. 
 However, the time will soon come when you will see 
 that I did the right thing and you will then bless and 
 not curse me." 
 
 Brother Lessa was baptized before an audience of 
 over three thousand witnesses and his family after 
 that would have nothing more to do with him. Soon 
 he won the heart of a splendid Christian girl whose 
 mother was British (from the South African white 
 colony), a young lady Mrs. Ginsburg was training 
 and preparing for the Master's work. The marriage 
 ceremony took place in our own home, and one of 
 Brother Lessa's brothers, the youngest, had the 
 courage to come and witness the marriage scene. This 
 act so touched the heart of this young man that he 
 went home and told his father that he also was a 
 Protestant and would soon be baptized. In less than 
 a year Brother Lessa's life and testimony brought 
 to the feet of the Lord Jesus nearly all that were 
 near and dear to him and though his father held out 
 
194 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 for a longer time he also is today a leader in the 
 Campos church. 
 
 Although not a college graduate he is one of the 
 most remarkable preachers of the Word of God and 
 a mighty spiritual influence among his people. Gentle 
 and sweet in spirit, hard-working, self-sacrificing, he 
 is a wonderful example of what God can do. 
 
 I will never forget the first time I asked him to 
 speak in public. He trembled like a leaf and when he 
 had spoken his few words he said to me, "Never 
 again !" But I gave him my experience and told him 
 that when I was converted and was asked to give 
 my testimony I could only say one phrase. I told 
 him that the Lord would help him if he would only 
 submit himself to His guidance and direction. 
 
 On most of my evangelistic trips I would have 
 him with me and began to teach him how to study the 
 Bible, how to analyze a text and how to prepare for 
 a little talk. On Fridays, in the evening, I held a 
 Bible class and Brother Lessa never missed one. He 
 loved to study the Bible. Mrs. Ginsburg taught him 
 to read the English language and he began to read 
 our English commentaries. 
 
 As the work in the Campos Mission developed I 
 pushed him forward giving him the care of one of our 
 preaching places in that city. Gradually he developed 
 until he became indispensable to me, accompanying me 
 on almost all of my Colportage and Evangelistic trips. 
 He soon became a mighty man of God. Today, as 
 State Secretary, elected and re-elected I do not know 
 how many times, he is leading the churches, that have 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 195 
 
 now grown to the number of sixty, into ways of self- 
 support and self-development. 
 
 One trait of his religious life is gratifying, and that 
 is his love for the missionaries and faithfulness to the 
 denominational and organized work. 
 
 We had a split once in that great field. The work 
 was divided and some of the workers and churches 
 turned against the missionary then on the field, and 
 naturally against the organized work. But Brother 
 Lessa stood firm and though every inducement was 
 offered him to turn against the organized work he 
 stood like a rock and the work was saved from a com- 
 jilete collapse. Today almost all the revolting churches 
 and workers have come back to the organized work 
 and the Cause of our Master in that State is growing 
 wonderfully. 
 
 Adrian Onesimo Bernardo. — Brother Bernardo is 
 today one of the most acceptable evangelists of Brazil 
 and was for a time director of the campaign among the 
 Baptists of Brazil to raise seven hundred and fifty 
 thousand dollars in five years. He is eloquent, spiri- 
 tual, well-prepared, intelligent and mighty in the 
 Scriptures. 
 
 I shall always remember the day when he held up 
 his hand indicating his decision for Christ as I was 
 preaching the Gospel in a small city in the interior 
 of Brazil, called San Antonio de Jesus. 
 
 The day that he and six others were led into the 
 baptistry before a multitude of onlookers, was a red- 
 letter day in that little country church. 
 
 Brother Bernardo was apprenticed to a tailor in 
 
196 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 that city. Every Sunday he would go to listen to 
 the Gospel message and it drew him and satisfied his 
 heart-hunger. The church had no pastor but every 
 Sunday one of the deacons or brethren would lead 
 the meeting. They were a small group of Christians, 
 but full of faith and great believers in the power of a 
 prayer-hearing and prayer-answering God. 
 
 When I took charge of the Bahia field in 1909 one 
 of my first visits was to that little church and after 
 a few days of preaching Brother Bernardo and a great 
 many others decided for Christ and after instruction 
 were buried with Christ in baptism. 
 
 Brother Bernardo with a heart full of joy and a 
 burning desire to serve the Master threw himself into 
 the work of the little church, building it up in all its 
 departments. His enthusiasm and zeal became irrisist- 
 able and God used him mightily. He belonged to a 
 well-to-do family and having had a good school edu- 
 cation he gave himself to the cultivation of his natural 
 talents and before long made of himself a capable and 
 valuable helper in that section. 
 
 On several of my visits to that part of the field I 
 noticed with growing pleasure the usefulness of that 
 young man and on several occasions took him with me 
 on my visits to the interior churches studying his 
 character and natural gifts. 
 
 One day I suggested to him the necessity of a better 
 preparation for the Master's service and he readily 
 accepted the suggestion and manifested great eager- 
 ness to take it and to give himself, heart, and soul 
 to the work. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 197 
 
 After corresponding with the Seminary men of 
 Pernambuco I sent him there, and he proved himself 
 a splendid student. After a few years of study in 
 Pernambuco he was sent by the missionaries to the 
 United States where he graduated with high honors 
 at Baylor University. 
 
 Today Brother A. O. Bernardo is a mighty leader, 
 a great power for good among his own people. He 
 is in the prime of life, has a strong physique and 
 his heart is full of zeal for the salvation of his people 
 and the spreading of the Baptist principles in his own 
 country. He has recently accepted a call to teach in 
 the Theological Seminary in Pernambuco. 
 
 Manoel Avelino de Souza, Pastor in Wictheroy. — 
 Having graduated with honors from our College and 
 Seminary of Rio de Janeiro, after seven years of hard 
 work and many struggles. Brother Avelino, as he is 
 usually called, is now the efficient pastor of the church 
 in Nictheroy, the capital of the State of Rio and one 
 of the Baptist leaders in Brazil. 
 
 I found him in the interior of the State of Bahia, 
 serving as an employee in a Venda. (In Brazil a 
 Venda is considered something like a saloon in our 
 country, though, besides alcoholic drinks, other things 
 are sold, such as vegetables, fruits, and the like.) 
 
 When I met him the first time he had already joined 
 the church in Arroz Novo and his heart was anxious 
 to do something for the Master. He did not like his 
 job, especially the selling of drinks, after his conver- 
 sion. But he was indispensable to his employer, not 
 only on account of his untiring service and knowl- 
 
198 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 edge of business, but also because of his honesty and 
 faithfulness. 
 
 To try him out I gave him the assignment of look- 
 ing after the Sunday school work in the church. He 
 accomplished the task and developed a great Sunday 
 school in that country church. 
 
 In 1910 Dr. T. B. Ray visited that district and 
 Brother Avelino went along with us helping and serv- 
 ing in every possible way. I called Dr. Ray's atten- 
 tion to the boy as well as to his excellent character 
 and asked Dr. Ray to speak to him about deciding for 
 the Master's service. Dr. Ray had a good talk with 
 the boy and he afterwards informed me that the con- 
 versation he had with Dr. Ray helped him to decide 
 for the Master's work. 
 
 After proving his worth I wrote him to obtain the 
 approval of the brethren and to come to our State 
 Board meeting prepared to go to Rio and enter as a 
 ministerial student. I was sure that the State Board 
 would recommend him once they saw and heard him. 
 
 A great struggle took place between him and his 
 employer. This man did all he could to keep him from 
 going. He offered the boy a larger salary and an 
 interest in the business. He told him that the promises 
 of the missionary were all false, that instead of study- 
 ing he would be made a slave and polisher of shoes. 
 But the boy stood his ground nobly, resisting all temp- 
 tations. He had seen the vision and was ready to 
 follow the Master wherever He would lead. If the 
 shining of shoes would enable him to prepare himself 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 199 
 
 for the Master's work he was willing to shine the 
 shoes of every missionary. 
 
 He did an excellent work in the College and 
 Seminary. Although he entered with very little pre- 
 paration he worked hard and became a very proficient 
 student, graduating with full honors. During his 
 studies he helped Dr. Entzminger as pastor's as- 
 sistant in the Nictheroy Church and when Dr. Entz- 
 minger resigned he was called to the pastorate. The 
 church now is not only self-supporting, but has re- 
 cently finished building a beautiful temple, at the cost 
 of about $25,000. He is young and in the prime of life 
 and will accomplish yet greater things for his people 
 and the Baptist cause. 
 
 Manoel da Paz, Pastor in Pernambuco. — Brother 
 Da Paz has a very weak and slender body, but his 
 heart and soul are on fire. His sermons are short, but 
 well prepared, eloquent in language and profoundly 
 touching. He is a mighty preacher "and a great 
 worker. The last time I saw him he was pastor of two 
 of the most prosperous churches in the great city of 
 Pernambuco, besides being director and principal 
 teacher of a parochial school connected with one of 
 those churches where over one hundred and fifty chil- 
 dren are studying. 
 
 I remember well the first time he came into our 
 meeting, held in one of the suburbs of Pernambuco. 
 How he listened to the message ! Every word seemed 
 like the Balm of Gilead, delighting his soul. He was 
 soon baptized and became an active worker in the 
 church. His greatest delight was in taking part in 
 
200 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 open-air services. One could easily locate the place 
 where he could be found, if one inquired which meet- 
 ing place was the most dangerous. 
 
 Brother Da Paz was one of the first Bible students 
 in Brazil when it was my privilege to open a small 
 Bible class in our home in 1900. 
 
 His home surroundings were not the brightest. His 
 father had not treated his mother right and he was 
 brought up amidst poverty and suffering. But he was 
 a good boy and his care of his poor mother until her 
 end was wonderfully touching. He had the privilege 
 of leading her to Christ and of even helping his father 
 in times of need and difficulty. 
 
 Brother Da Paz studied hard and used every op- 
 portunity to make himself useful in the Master's work. 
 Today he is considered one of the best preachers and 
 workers among the Baptist host in the great Northern 
 field of Brazil. 
 
 Being of a very quiet and unobtrusive disposition he 
 seldom forces himself to the front, but the believers 
 love him and often have elected him as Moderator of 
 their State Conventions. 
 
 Augusto Felippe Santiago, Pastor in Parahiba. — 
 When I first met Brother Santiago he was a cigar- 
 maker. His mother and sister and one of his brothers 
 were members of the church, but he did not believe 
 in God nor anything else. He had been a student in 
 a Catholic Seminary and had seen so much hypocrisy 
 and corruption and sin, all under the guise of religion 
 that he determined not to have anything to do with it. 
 
 But his mother and sister were praying and the 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 201 
 
 good Lord heard their cry. We estabHshed a preach- 
 ing service in their home, situated in one of the most 
 popular suburbs of the city of Pernambuco and it was 
 not long after that Brother Augusto felt the Spirit of 
 God laying hold of his soul and forcing him to his 
 knees where he pleaded for pardon and power. 
 
 Soon after his conversion, as it often happens with 
 the Brazilian believer, he threw himself heartily into 
 the work, taking active part, especially at the preach- 
 ing service held in his own home. His testimony, 
 after so many years of opposition, was convincing and 
 many were brought to the feet of the Master. 
 
 As soon as the idea of a Seminary in Pernambuco 
 was brought up he came to see me and informed me 
 that he would give his life to the work of preaching 
 the Gospel to his own people. I had been praying 
 about him and had planned to speak to him at an 
 opportune time, but the Lord answered my prayer 
 before I expected. 
 
 He became a good student and is today one of our 
 best preachers and workers. Every church that he 
 has served has grown. Just now he is serving in two 
 States — Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte. With 
 very limited funds, as the believers are poor, and the 
 opposition not only of Catholics, but also of some of 
 our Pedo-Baptist brethren, yet he is doing a mighty 
 work, training the churches in self-support and self- 
 government. 
 
 Several business men of the capital of the State 
 where he works, noticing his great gift of attracting 
 people have made him offers that could bring him 
 
202 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 twice or three times as much money as he is receiving 
 from the churches, but, though he has a family of ten 
 persons (including two mothers-in-law) he prefers to 
 work for the Master. 
 
 Tertuliano Cerqueira, Pastor in Para. — The Cer- 
 queira family is one of the largest and richest in the 
 interior of the State of Bahia. At a place called Irara 
 a visit by Dr. Z. C. Taylor in company of Dr. Ottoni, 
 a celebrated ex-priest, had brought about the conver- 
 sion of a member of that family who afterwards was 
 ordained to the ministry and placed in charge of that 
 district. 
 
 It was at the invitation of this native preacher that 
 I went to Irara and had splendid meetings. 
 
 The hall being too small for the crowds that came 
 flocking to listen to the message of God, we trans- 
 ferred them into the open air, the Lord's blessing fol- 
 lowing us in a most wonderful way, many being saved. 
 
 One that never missed a meeting was young Tertu- 
 liano, then a boy only fourteen years old. The native 
 preacher was his brother-in-law. He had heard him 
 speak about Jesus and His love, about the Word of 
 God, and had heard him pray. His young heart was 
 yearning for God and His salvation. But, his parents 
 and relatives were against him. His father threatened 
 to kill him if he should go to the meetings and his 
 brother, in whose shop he was employed, threatened 
 to drive him out for the same reason. 
 
 But Tertuliano came in spite of the threats. Before 
 the meetings would begin he would come and hide 
 behind the small organ that I usually took on my mis- 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 203 
 
 sionary trips. Before the series of meetings were over 
 he begged for baptism. He wanted to follow the 
 Lord Jesus even at the risk of his life. 
 
 I baptized the boy before a great multitude of 
 witnesses and recommending him to God I advised him 
 to consecrate his life and his talents to the blessed 
 Lord for His service in needy Brazil. 
 
 In the absence of the pastor, Tertuliano would take 
 the lead and rnade himself very useful. Though per- 
 secuted and mistreated by his own he continued firm 
 ;and faithful giving an excellent testimony before all. 
 
 Soon after his baptism, he expressed to me his desire 
 to preach the Gospel to his own people. I was pray- 
 ing, watching him and supplying him with books and 
 papers until the time came when I realized that he 
 would make good. The church recommended him 
 heartily and the native pastor gave his full consent 
 and so I brought him to the capital and presented him 
 to the State Board. The brethren on the Board 
 thought him very young, but after hearing him speak 
 and pray they also unanimously agreed to recommend 
 him to our Seminary in Pernambuco. 
 
 Tertuliano arrived in Pernambuco and the Dean of 
 the Seminary, Brot,her D. L. Hamilton, after looking 
 at the boy, wrote and asked me if I thought that the 
 Seminary was a baby nursery. However, as I had 
 recommended him so highly they thought they would 
 try him for at least six months. 
 
 Tertuliano proved himself an excellent student and 
 a leader in athletics. He graduated with high honors 
 and today is pastor of the First Baptist church in 
 
204 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 Para, the New York of the Amazon valley, and he 
 is doing an excellent work. To crown it all he is now 
 studying medicine and before long will be a full- 
 fledged medical preacher making his life count yet 
 more for the Master's cause in that great and needy 
 field. 
 
 Orlando Falcao, Pastor First Baptist Church ia 
 Pernambuco. — I cannot close this chapter without 
 telling something of Brother Orlando and how he 
 was brought into the Master's service. His father was 
 practicing law in the city of Bom Jardim, where a 
 terrible persecution had taken place and had brought 
 much death and misery into the town. When the be- 
 lievers were imprisoned on false accusations, Orlando's 
 father was the only lawyer who dared to take up their 
 case and offer his services to the missionary. I am not 
 saying that he did it for the love of the cause or the 
 brethren. He no doubt had in sight some monetary 
 compensation, but he helped the cause and the good 
 Lord made it good to him in a most remarkable way, 
 by calling his boy to the highest and noblest service 
 a man could be called to and making of him one of the 
 most popular and useful servants in that service. 
 
 • Orlando was living with his mother on a little farm 
 not far from Bom Jardim. The Gospel found its way 
 into that district and his mother was drawn, by a 
 power she could not resist, into the fold. On account 
 of her decision, the husband abandoned her to her 
 fate — btit her boy stood by her and though only four- 
 teen years old he helped his mother in her daily toils. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 205 
 
 A preaching place was organized in the home of 
 Orlando's mother, and when the preacher failed, 
 Orlando, then not a meipber of the church would help 
 in the services by reading portions of Scripture and 
 sermons or articles published in our weekly paper. 
 
 One day I visited that district and stopped over 
 night at the home of Orlando's mother. I was drawn 
 to the boy and his life and history touched me pro- 
 foundly. He made his public profession of faith and 
 I baptized him together with several others before a 
 great multitude of witnesses. His mother with tears 
 streaming down her face consecrated him to the Mas- 
 ter's service then and there and the Lord accepted her 
 gift. 
 
 Before leaving Pernambuco for another field I saw 
 that Orlando was enrolled as a student in our Semi- 
 nary, where he made splendid progress. After finish- 
 ing his course in Pernambuco he went to Baylor Uni- 
 versity, from which he graduated with honors. He 
 then spent some time in the Louisville Seminary. He 
 was called heartily to the pastorate of the First Bap- 
 tist church in Pernambuco at a salary that he thought 
 was above his needs and refused to accept it all. 
 
 Today Orlando is a mighty man of God. Pastor 
 of the First Baptist church in Pernambuco with a 
 membership of over 500. He is also teacher in our 
 great College and Seminary there and is making his 
 life count for his Master and his beloved fatherland. 
 
 And thus the life and work of the missionary un- 
 folds and multiplies and reaches unto the end of the 
 ages. 
 
206 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 Oh, what a privilege is ours ! 
 
 The responsibilities of our work are great, but the 
 joys and blessings compensate for all. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 COMPANIONS AND FRIENDS. 
 
 Helps and Hindrances. — Every life is helped or 
 hindered by his companions and friends. The mis- 
 sionary is no exception to the rule. In this auto- 
 biography I am not going to mention the names of 
 those who have been a hindrance. Opposition and 
 even unbrotherliness may after all be a great help in 
 the building up of character. Had I always had my 
 own way I would surely have been spoiled and made 
 overconfident. 
 
 Dr. Zacharias Clay Taylor. — I have mentioned the 
 name of this good brother several times in previous 
 chapters, but in this one I must give him the first 
 place. I am hoping to be able, before long to write 
 his biography. His children have been kind enough 
 to turn the manuscript of his auto-biography over to 
 me, and before long I am expecting to prepare the 
 book for the public. 
 
 In this chapter I wish to state what his life has 
 meant to me. We did not agree on every subject, 
 but to be with him and in his home was a privilege 
 and a blessing. He was the most unselfish man I ever 
 knew. His only object in life seemed to be to preach 
 Christ and make Him known to the Brazilians. 
 
 The first time I met him was in Pernambuco. I 
 was then substitute pastor in a Congregational church 
 and was studying the subject of baptism. The Bap- 
 
208 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 tists in Pernambuco were then in bad repute and 
 Brother Taylor had come to help them. I invited him 
 to share the room with me at the back of the building 
 where I was preaching and we had great times to- 
 gether discussing the subject of baptism and close 
 communion. 
 
 ^What helped me most in those three days we were 
 together were his prayers. Whenever a difficulty 
 would appear he would say : "Brother, let us take it to 
 the Lord in Prayer!" Who can resist the man that 
 argues with prayer and with an open Bible?; I just 
 could not resist him and soon was drawn not only to 
 the truth, but also to the man of God and together we 
 united our lives to spread the truth far and wide. 
 Dr. Taylor was one of the most remarkable seed- 
 sowers I ever knew. He was untiring and unceasing 
 in his efforts to spread the truth all over the vast 
 territory in the North of Brazil. He did not limit 
 his work to the State of Bahia, but whenever he had 
 an opportunity to send a tract or make a personal 
 visit anywhere else he would do it. I thought that 
 my desire to evangelize and conquer Brazil for Christ 
 was great, but his spirit was like a burning torch that 
 could not be extinguished. He visited almost every 
 district in the Bahia field — a field as large as half of 
 Europe. From Bahia he went to the North visiting 
 and preaching in the States of Alagoas, Pernambuco 
 and Sergipe. He visited the Victoria field and started 
 the work there as well as in the great inland mission 
 of the State of Piauhy where we now have the Inland 
 Industrial School. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 209 
 
 /Not only did he sow the seed but he was a great 
 cuffivator of the seed. Wherever a group of believers 
 sprang up he would visit them and encourage them 
 until they were able to withstand the enemy and 
 ^stand alone. He never shirked nor feared persecu- 
 tioiis nor sufferings. Often I have seen him return 
 from a long interior trip with his body tired 
 and full of sores on account of the bites of insects or 
 vampires — but with his eyes aflame with a joy un- 
 speakable because of the souls he had been able to 
 lead to the Master. Every time he had to make a 
 sea voyage he would suffer very acutely from sea sick- 
 ness, but that would not deter him from doing his duty. 
 When the time came to make the voyage he would go 
 with gladness of heart even though he knew that he 
 had before him three or more days of hunger, sea- 
 sickness and even danger of perishing on the high 
 sea he just went. 
 
 One of the most remarkable traits in his character 
 was his desire to work in harmony with all the 
 brethren. Often he would give way to the opinion of 
 others and gladly submit to the majority whenever a 
 majority adopted a rule, though sometimes it was 
 entirely opposite to his way of thinking. I remember 
 how his heart was set on keeping up the work of our 
 Brazilian Home Board in the Acre Territory, and dur- 
 ing the Convention of 1908 held in Rio plead and 
 argued in its favor all the time; but when the vote 
 was taken favoring a move in an entirely different 
 direction he gladly submitted and labored in favor of 
 
210 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 this policy as if his own ideas had been adopted. Very 
 few men can do a thing Hke that. 
 
 Whenever Brother Taylor found himself in difficul- 
 ties he would call upon me to help him and to me it 
 was always a great delight to go, not only to his aid 
 but to spend a few weeks in his home and in his com- 
 pany. What blessed times we had together ! Oh, how 
 I have missed him, his loving, cheerful, Christ-like 
 spirit ! And the native believers, how they loved and 
 trusted him ! I saw his grave a few months ago and 
 though no monument yet marks it, it seemed to me as 
 if I could see hosts of angels hovering around that 
 mound of earth in that cemetery outside of Waco, 
 Texas, close by his Alma Mater. In my fancy they 
 praised and glorified God for the great life of that 
 man of God, the Apostle of Brazil. 
 
 What his life, and testimony and example has been 
 to me personally, I am utterly unable to express. 
 I thank God for ever having known and loved and 
 worked with Brother Zacharias C. Taylor. 
 
 Dr. W. E. Entzminger. — The first time I met 
 Brother Entzminger was when I was telling of my 
 conversion and was asking for baptism in the home 
 of Dr. Z. C. Taylor in Bahia, in 1891. It was his 
 first year in Brazil. Shortly after Dr. Taylor was 
 obliged to go to the United States, on account of his 
 wife's illness. Brother Entzminger and myself were 
 left alone in that great Bahia field. He was strug- 
 gling with the difficulties of the Portuguese language 
 and I, trying to learn the doctrines, rules and prin- 
 ciples of Baptist churches. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 211 
 
 It was then that I learned to know and to love 
 Brother Entzminger. We established a bond of friend- 
 ship that has endured throughout these thirty years. 
 
 Our first united effort was in Pernambuco where we 
 held a series of evangelistic meetings that stirred the 
 city. We reorganized the local Baptist Church and 
 started it on its way of usefulness and present great- 
 ness. Brother Entzminger moved his headquarters to 
 Pernambuco and with great care and caution built up 
 one of the finest mission fields in Brazil. 
 
 Our work, for a good many years was in different 
 sections of Brazil, but we kept in close touch with 
 tach other and several times it was my privilege to 
 visit his field and spend days and weeks in his lovely 
 home where I was always received with open arms 
 and treated with Christian grace. 
 
 It was in 1914, after moving to Rio and joining 
 hands in the great Carroll Memorial Publishing House 
 that I became better and closer acquainted with 
 Brother Entzminger. 
 
 As a worker very few on the field can equal him, 
 especially in his line of work, which is editing and pre- 
 paring our Baptist literature. His knowledge of the 
 Portuguese language is marvelous and his thoughts, 
 studies and arguments in favor of our doctrines and 
 principles unsurpassed. When he undertakes the study 
 of a subject he knows how to dig deep and then 
 present it in such a way that his judgment is received 
 as final. 
 
 In spite of numerous difficulties he organized and 
 established the Baptist press in Rio and for years 
 
212 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 maintained it almost alone. He had to be Editor, 
 Manager and Field Agent, as well as meet all of the 
 opposition. Brother Entzminger stood the ground, 
 fought the good fight and today the Brazilian Baptist 
 hosts have a publishing enterprise worthy of any 
 denomination. 
 
 It has been my privilege to be in close touch with 
 him in this work for the last seven years. We do not 
 always agree, but we have learned to agree, to dis- 
 agree and to forget many things of minor conse- 
 quence, but stand firm for the Baptists and the Mas- 
 ter's cause at whatever sacrifice. 
 
 And what a great help he has been to my spiritual 
 life — for, besides being a great student of the Word 
 of God, Brother Entzminger is also a man of prayer. 
 Often when we have found ourselves in difficulties 
 that seemed to threaten the very existence of the en- 
 terprise entrusted to us, we would retire to our sanc- 
 tuary and there prostrate ourselves before God and 
 plead together until heard and answered. 
 
 The most notable gift of Brother Entzminger be- 
 sides that of editor and writer is his capacity for or- 
 ganizing churches. Every church that he has taken 
 hold of, in spite of his endless toil in the Publishing 
 House, has grown and is today a strong spiritual 
 center. As proofs of it, one has only to cite the First 
 Baptist church in Nictheroy, where he labored for 
 years ; the Second Baptist church in Rio, which he 
 helped to steer through a great crisis and the church 
 in Meyer, organized in a popular suburb of Rio near 
 the Publishing House, which he took hold of a few 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 213 
 
 years ago and which is today a great spiritual power 
 house. 
 
 In the church work his consecrated wife helped him 
 effectively. 
 
 Dr. Entzminger still has many years of usefulness 
 before him. May our heavenly Father continue to 
 prosper and use him as He has done up to the present. 
 These few lines, but tamely reveal our mutual love, 
 and how helpful he has been to me in my life's work 
 and struggles in Brazil. 
 
 Dr. John W. Shepard and Bro. H. H. Muirhead. — 
 During my furlough in 1904 it was my privilege to 
 meet these two men of God, and present to them the 
 great work of preparing our Brazilian young men for 
 the Master's service in Brazil. 
 
 I had been struggling with that problem in Brazil 
 for years. A Bible class had been organized in my 
 own home and Mrs. Ginsburg, the late Brother J. K. 
 Hamilton and myself with the help of a few native 
 teachers had been trying our best to do it justice. 
 The Foreign Mission Board had sent Brother W. H. 
 Cannada, to our rescue and he had moved the school to 
 a larger building and the pupils were coming in from 
 all parts of the city, as well as from the neighboring 
 States. The conversion of the ex-Priest Piani, through 
 the efforts of Brother Cannada, and the great persecu- 
 tions we had to suffer helped us wonderfully and the 
 cause was prospered mightily. 
 
 Someone was needed urgently to take up the special 
 work of training the native ministerial students and we 
 appealed to our heavenly Father to lead us in this very 
 
214 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 important matter. Praised be His name, He did lead 
 us and answered in a most wonderful way. 
 
 I met Brother Shepard in the home of his brother- 
 in-law. Dr. W. O. Carver, professor in the Southern 
 Baptist Theological Seminary. It was my privilege 
 to spend a week in that lovely Christian home, a never- 
 to-be-forgotten experience. There I was introduced to 
 Brother Shepard who was then finishing his theolo- 
 gical studies in that great Southern Baptist institution. 
 I was most favorably impressed with him and it was 
 my privilege to lay before him the great possibilities 
 of a life spent for the Master in Brazil, especially in 
 the training of native preachers. I saw that a deep 
 impression had been made on his heart and mind. 
 After we separated I went to my room and on my 
 knees asked the Lord, if it was His will, to send hiw 
 to Brazil. 
 
 As soon as he graduated and got himself his help- 
 meet, the lady of his heart, he came to Pemambuco. 
 He mastered the language rapidly and before long was 
 also master of the situation. He worked out a pro- 
 gram and plan that the Board in Richmond, Virginia, 
 heartily approved and it was not long until Brother 
 Shepard was in the Federal capital of Brazil, the city 
 of Rio de Janeiro, laying the foundation of Rio 
 Baptist College and Seminary and an organized sys- 
 tem of education that is telling upon the lives, not only 
 of our churches, but upon the whole nation. The 
 college and seminary that he has developed, with the 
 help of God, is today considered a mighty factor in 
 Brazil. It has an extensive and finely located campus 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 215 
 
 on which have been erected several splendid build- 
 ings. Its enrollment last year taxed its capacity. Al- 
 most fifty ministerial students were in attendance. It 
 has a promising normal department also. Xhe new 
 property acquired recently for the young women puts 
 that department in excellent position. Some industrial 
 features have been introduced. Indeed the institution 
 is in a most flourishing condition. 
 
 I have been connected with the Board of Trustees 
 of the Seminary and College for many years and have 
 been glad to support to the best of my ability Brother 
 Shepard and his plans through a great many struggles 
 and trials. 
 
 One outstanding characteristic of his life is his 
 persistence in the realization of his plans. Not all the 
 members of the Board of Trustees or even faculty can 
 always agree with him or realize the vastness of the 
 plans, but they all trust him and follow him gladly. 
 He works hard and builds wisely. The choice of the 
 land on which the college is located, the plans for the 
 future, the great objective in view — all tend to prove 
 that Brazil has the right man in the right place. 
 
 To me personally. Brother Shepard has been a 
 tower of strength and continual inspiration. Although 
 our work is on entirely different lines, yet we are often 
 together. As president of the Board of Publications 
 he has stood by me in developing the plans for a 
 greater and more efficient enterprise in the publishing 
 line. 
 
 His life to Brazil, especially in the training of young 
 Brazilians for the ministry, is of untold value. 
 
216 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 May our heavenly Father spare him for many 
 years, and use him as He has done for greater good 
 in His mighty work in Brazil. 
 
 During the same furlough I met, in the home of 
 Dr. Dement, then pastor of the First Baptist Church 
 in Waco, Texas, Brother Muirhead. My first glimpse 
 of his young, intelligent looking face, impressed me 
 favorably and after telling him of the great open 
 door in Brazil urged him to consecrate his life to 
 that field. 
 
 After special preparation for educational work he 
 came to Pemambuco and it did not take Mrs. Gins- 
 burg and myself long to see that he was a natural bom 
 leader, especially in the building up of an educational 
 institution in the great city of Pemambuco. 
 
 What his life has been worth to that field and in- 
 stitution which he is now directing, eternity only will 
 tell. From a small school, harassed and persecuted he 
 has built up an institution that is a standing monu- 
 ment of what God can and-will do through those who 
 consecrate their all to Him and His cause. The 
 Pemambuco Baptist College has now over nine hun- 
 dred pupils coming from all classes of society. The 
 Seminary has forty young men who are preparing 
 themselves to serve the Master. The Girls' Training 
 School has thirty-five or more young ladies who are 
 being trained for the Master's service and who will, 
 before long, be scattered all over Brazil serving tht 
 Master whose call they have heard and obeyed. 
 
 Brother Muirhead is untiring in his efforts and has 
 had the wonderful gift in surrounding himself with 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 217 
 
 capable helpers that love and trust him. Mrs. Muir- 
 head, too, is inimitable in her position and work. A 
 full graduate of Baylor University she is always on 
 hand to fill up any gap that may occur in the teaching 
 force, for she not only is great in the training of her 
 family, her seven lovely children, but also is a wonder- 
 ful musician,! and can teach just as well higher 
 Mathematics and Greek as prepare a real Southern 
 biscuit. 
 
 Brother Muirhead's life and work has been of great 
 value to the Baptists in Brazil and his example of 
 consecration and spiritual life a stimulous to my life. 
 It was my privilege to work with him for some time 
 and guide his first steps in the work in Brazil. Gentle- 
 manly, courteous, straight-forward and clean, he at- 
 tracts you to himself and conquers your affections. 
 The need of the work in Brazil placed us in different 
 fields of labor, but our hearts and lives are united as 
 in the days gone by, for our objective is the same. 
 
 Soren, Theodore and Thomas da Costa. — Further 
 on in this chapter the reader will find a fuller state- 
 ment about Dr. W. B. Bagby, our veteran' missionary 
 to Brazil, but in connection with the three names that 
 head this paragraph, I must say that if Dr. Bagby had 
 done nothing more during his long life of usefulness 
 in Brazil than bring these men to the feet of the 
 Master his life's work would have been a complete 
 success. 
 
 Just think of it : Here is Brother Soren, for about 
 twenty years the efficient pastor of the First Baptist 
 Church in the great Brazilian Metropolis ; Theodoro, 
 
218 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 whom God gave the gift of a scribe, editorial secre- 
 tary of the Carroll Memorial Publishing House; and 
 Thomas da Costa, the consecrated business man, who 
 not only contributes liberally to the cause, but has 
 given his life to the Master's service in Brazil. Was 
 it not worth while to go to Brazil and win such men 
 for Christ? Although Dr. Bagby has been separated 
 from them for years, working in another part of 
 Brazil, these men are doing their part, in the conquest 
 of the Brazilian nation for Christ and the Baptists. 
 
 It has been my privilege also to come in close touch 
 with these three men and a word about each of them 
 will not be amiss, for every one of them has been a 
 great help and blessing to my life and work. 
 
 The first time I met Soren was when he had just 
 started in his Christian career. He was still working 
 at his business, but would come almost daily to the 
 home of Dr. J. J. Taylor to study English and the 
 Bible. One characteristic of his impressed itself upon 
 my mind and that was his love of cleanliness and neat- 
 ness. This characteristic he has kept all through life 
 not only in his apparel but in his home and in his life. 
 
 Ever since then I have followed his life and work 
 and praised the Lord for such a life of consecration 
 and usefulness. No doubt the good wife he found in 
 dear old Kentucky has helped him wonderfully. Who, 
 looking upon the great work that he has been able to 
 do, does not praise God for it? In spite of the 
 obstacles and difficulties, in spite of the almost unbear- 
 able conditions under which he has labored, in a hall 
 unfit for any ordinary congregation, let alone the 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 219 
 
 enormous crowd that fill the preaching place, he has 
 already organized ten Baptist churches and still has 
 a congregation of over five hundred. It is simply 
 astonishing ! 
 
 What is the secret of his great success ? The only 
 answer I can give is his preaching of the plain Gospel. 
 After all it is this that the sick soul longs for. Soren 
 can be eloquent when he wants to be, but you will be 
 disappointed along that line if you go to hear him 
 preach, for then he forgets himself and with a heart 
 full oi love for lost souls, pleads the cause of His 
 Master in such simple plain, touching language that 
 one can hardly help surrendering. 
 
 Soren is a great man of God, a power in his de- 
 nomination. His love and sacrifices for our Rio Col- 
 lege and Seminary have no limit and though on that 
 account has been misinterpreted and misunderstood, 
 yet Soren has no object in view except the glory of 
 God, the good of his people and the establishment of 
 the Baptist cause. 
 
 What Soren is to the Baptist cause as a preacher 
 Theodoro is as a writer. God gave Soren the gift 
 of preaching with which he has drawn thousands to 
 the feet of Christ — to Theodoro he gave the gift of 
 expressing his thoughts in writing and the Lord has 
 also used him and the gifts in winning many to Him- 
 self. I 
 
 The first time I had anything to do with Theodoro 
 was soon after my moving to Nictheroy in the early 
 part of 1893. He was anxious to do something for 
 the Master and I tried him at selling books and Bibles 
 
220 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 as a Colporter. He did not seem to be very suc- 
 cessful in that line of business and I lost trace of him 
 until Brother Entzminger started the editing of our 
 denominational paper in Rio and called Theodoro as 
 his helper. His knowledge of Portuguese cannot be 
 matched and his way of expressing his thoughts is so 
 unique that one cannot help but see the point he tries 
 to describe. Brother Soren taught him English which 
 he can read and translate readily, though he is unable 
 to speak it. In this particular he has been a great 
 help in the editorial department, translating direct 
 from our American papers. Baptist news and passages 
 that have helped to build up the Baptist sentiment 
 and cause. His life and his work have been wonder- 
 fully helpful to our cause in Brazil and we thank God 
 for having given to us such a life with such a gift. 
 
 For the last seven years I was closely associated 
 with him in the Publishing House and I must say 
 that had it not been for him I would have found it very 
 difficult to carry out the program of the Publishing 
 House. Quiet, unassuming, untiring, faithful, honest 
 and loyal, he stands today as a monument of God's 
 power. Not content with the great amount of work 
 he accomplishes in the Publishing House he is un- 
 tiring in his service in the First Baptist church, where 
 he is Sunday School Superintendent, Treasurer and 
 President or Secretary of some of the church or- 
 ganizations. 
 
 And what shall I say about Thomas da Costa? 
 Very little need be said except that he is a layman that 
 believes in giving God the first place. Wherever he 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 221 
 
 has been or worked, his church and his Saviour have 
 always had the pre-eminence. And God has blessed 
 him most wonderfully, giving him not only what his 
 heart desired, a splendid Christian home, but also 
 wealth and honors that he has laid at the feet of the 
 Master. 
 
 I knew him, first in Rio, when he was working as a 
 poor bottle-washer in a wine shop. Then I met him 
 in the city of Para,, where he was manager of a shoe 
 shop. In spite of the heat and great amount of work, 
 he helped to build up the local church. Afterwards I 
 met him in Sao Paulo, in Bahia and Rio de Janeiro, 
 always hard-working, always faithful and true to his 
 Master and His cause. 
 
 A few years ago he started in a business of his 
 own, taking God as partner. His business grew and 
 before long instead of having one store he had four. 
 
 Today he is director of one of the largest shoe 
 factories in Brazil. 
 
 Oh, how men of such a type (and their number in 
 Brazil is growing rapidly) can help one to continue 
 in the great work of preaching the Gospel ! May 
 God's richest blessing rest upon him and all others 
 like him. 
 
 Deacons Paranagua and Miranda Pinto. — It would 
 be impossible to give in this chapter a description of 
 all the lives that have been of blessing and help to me 
 in the work in Brazil — ^but I cannot close this chapter 
 without writing a few words about these two laymen. 
 One a physician, a man of high social standing, ex- 
 governor and ex-senator of his own native State, 
 
222 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 whose life has been of such remarkable consequence 
 to our cause in Brazil. The other a civil engineer, 
 holding one of the highest positions a man can obtain 
 in an English railroad company, a full graduate of an 
 American Polytechnical University and high related 
 socially on his wife's side as well as his own. 
 
 It was my privilege to stay in the home of Dr. 
 Parangua for over six months and watch his clean, 
 pure and wholesome life from close quarters. It was 
 simply wonderful to witness what I saw with my own 
 eyes daily. How a family of such high social stand 
 ing, visited continually by some of the highest of the 
 land lived the simple and pure gospel life is still a 
 miracle to me. Dr. Paranagua and his noble wife, a 
 daughter of a former Swiss Ambassador to Brazil, 
 never lost an opportunity to testify for the Master. 
 In a masterful way he would lead the conversation to 
 the theme that was uppermost in his heart and then, if 
 I were in the house, he would call me and introduce 
 me to the party that I might speak of Jesus. 
 
 And what he did in his home he was doing every- 
 where he went. Sometimes he would invite me to visit 
 the Senate or House of Rpresentatives and, using the 
 privilege of the House as former Senator of the 
 Republic, take me into the private chambers of his 
 former colleagues and introducing me have me speak 
 of the Gospel and its power to save. He was untiring 
 and unceasing in his testimony. Once I found him 
 sitting in the chair of a shoe-black and while the 
 Italian was shining his shoe he was reciting to him 
 portions of his New Testament. After he left I took 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 223 
 
 the same chair and the Itahan told me that that was 
 almost a daily custom. When I informed the man 
 who Dr. Paranagua was he was surprised. He 
 thought Dr. Paranagua was some kind of a religious 
 worker. 
 
 By living in his home and noticing the great spiri- 
 tual influence of such a life upon the nation, I have 
 been encouraged to go on in the preaching of Christ 
 to such a people, certain that the victory will be ours. 
 
 One of the most remarkable things about this man 
 of God is his humility. I have noted with surprise, 
 and yet with my heart overflowing with a joy, when 
 I saw Dr. Paranagua as deacon in the First Baptist 
 church work side by side with deacon Santa Anna, 
 whose countenance was as black as one ever saw, but 
 with a heart as white as snow. It is inspiring, 
 and I praise God for the power of Jesus' blood which 
 even today can work such a marvel. 
 
 The first time I saw Brother Mirando Pinto was 
 when he was Traffic Manager of a Brazilian railroad 
 that had its headquarters in Campos, where I was 
 then stationed. One of my boys — a member of my 
 church — brought me the news that the traffic manager 
 had a Bible on his desk. I made it a point to visit him 
 and learned from him that he had been in the States, 
 having taken a six-year course in the Boston Poly- 
 technic Institute, from which he graduated in Civil 
 Engineering. 
 
 When I moved to Pernambuco, Brother Pinto 
 moved with his family to Nictheroy, where Dr. Entz- 
 minger had reorganized our Baptist work, which had 
 
224 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 relapsed, and was pastor of the Nictheroy Baptist 
 church. Through the good offices of one of the mem- 
 bers of the church, Dr. Entzminger and Brother Pinto 
 became acquainted and the acquaintance soon ripened 
 into lasting friendship. By patient and perservering 
 effort. Brother Pinto was led step by step into ac- 
 ceptance of Christ as his Saviour, and, despite the op- 
 position of his own family and numerous relatives and 
 friends, he accepted baptism and for many years was 
 the most prominent member and worker in the little 
 church in Nictheroy serving for several years as dea- 
 con. Brother Pinto's wife, though a fervent Catholic, 
 was soon so impressed by the remarkable change that 
 had taken place in her husband, that she too accepted 
 Christ and received baptism. One by one their eight 
 children have been converted and have become mem- 
 bers of the church. Today the Pinto family is one of 
 the model Christian homes in all Brazil, known far 
 and wide among our Baptist brotherhood for its zeal 
 and good works. Wherever Brother Pinto goes, he 
 stands four-square for the Gospel of his Master and 
 Lord and is a tower of strength in his denomination. 
 He takes a deep interest in every phase of church 
 work, but if there is one thing he especially emphasizes 
 it is the Sunday school. To his way of thinking, the 
 Sunday school can render the most effective service 
 for the spreading of the Gospel in Brazil. In the 
 church of which he is an efficient deacon, he is also 
 Sunday school superintendent, and to it he gives him- 
 self, whole-heartedly. To be able to develop the Sun- 
 day school of his church in all its departments he 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 225 
 
 rented a house across the street from the church, 
 fitted it up with every necessary article — organ, black- 
 boards, cards, maps, charts and so on, all at his own 
 expense, and today he has the joy of knowing that his 
 Sunday school is not only one of the largest, but also, 
 by far, one of the most efiEcient in Brazil. 
 
 Oh, it is a joy to be with him and watch him work 
 for the Master ! 
 
 Drs. R. J. Willingham and T. B. Ray. — I cannot 
 fail to mention the names of two of our secretaries in 
 the homeland who have wielded such a decided in- 
 fluence for good, not only upon my life, but upon all 
 of the Baptist work in Brazil. 
 
 It seems to me as if it were only yesterday that I 
 was kneeling in the office of our Foreign Mission 
 Board together with dear Dr. Willingham and with 
 one of his hands on my head I heard him offer the 
 most touching and heart-felt prayer for my welfare 
 and work. He was a friend indeed and his influence 
 upon my life has been profound. Often when dif- 
 ficulties and trials would abound and my heart would 
 almost fail, a letter would appear from that man of 
 God full of encouragement and cheer and I would con- 
 tinue my task happy and satisfied. 
 
 And what shall I say about dear Dr. Ray. What 
 his life and friendship has been to me personally it 
 is impossible to relate. Ever since it was my privilege 
 to know him and for three months tour with him 
 over some of the fields in Brazil, I have loved him and 
 opened to him my heart's troubles and aspirations. 
 He has been a real brother in need and a sane adviser 
 
226 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 in all of my difficulties. Oh, how often have I praised 
 the heavenly Father for the gift of such a friend! 
 And I do so, even now, praying God's richest and 
 choicest blessings upon him and his great work. 
 
 Campanions Innumerable. — I wish that I had space 
 to write something worth while of everyone of my 
 missionary companions in Brazil, especially of those 
 with whom it has been my privilege to work, but I 
 must be brief or else this book will be too voluminous 
 to handle. However, a few words I must say, for 
 everyone of them has been a blessing to me per- 
 sonally and I hope by enumerating them to enable the 
 reader to see how our Baptist work is distributed in 
 Brazil. I will cite them beginning with the field in 
 the extreme south of Brazil. 
 
 Rio Grande do Sul. — While Corresponding Secre- 
 tary of the Brazilian Home Board I received an urgent 
 call to visit a small group of Baptists in the city of 
 Porto Alegre, capital of that great State. I was un- 
 able to leave my work, so I telegraphed to Brother 
 A. L. Dunstan then working in San Paulo, and asked 
 him to visit those brethren. I offered to pay his ex- 
 penses from the Home Board fund. He went and the 
 great opportunities, the wide-open door so impressed 
 him that he resolved to move his work to that part 
 of Brazil. This move has been signally blessed of 
 God. Brother Dunstan, with untiring energy, has 
 established the Baptist cause in that region. I am 
 glad to learn that Brother R. A. Clifton and wife are 
 to be located in Rio Grande do Sul. There are now 
 about a dozen churches, mostly self-supporting, and 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 227 
 
 a great many preaching places. The future of that 
 field is wonderfully bright. 
 
 Parana and Santa Catharina Field, — ^When Brother 
 Deter was Corresponding Secretary of the same Home 
 Mission Board, a call came from a few independent 
 Baptist churches, situated in the State of Parana, to 
 visit them and help them to join the Brazilian Bap- 
 tist Convention. Brother Deter went and, after re- 
 maining with them for about a month, left the field 
 organized and duly affiliated with our convention. 
 Brother Pettigrew was asked to move into that State, 
 and later Brother Deter himself, moved his head- 
 quarters to the capital of that State. Today there 
 are a great Baptist host in that field, promising won- 
 derful things for the near future. Brother Deter lately 
 organized a regional convention, embracing the two 
 neighboring States in which also joined several Ger- 
 man and Lettish Baptist churches. It has been my 
 privilege to be with both of those brethren, abiding in 
 their homes and preaching in their churches, as well 
 as pleading together in heartfelt communion before 
 the Throne of Grace. Consecrated men of God, they 
 are both striving earnestly to advance the Kingdom of 
 God in that great field. 
 
 Sao Paulo Field. — Here we have living and working 
 the Bagbys, Taylors, Edwards, Ingrams and Jacksons. 
 How I wish that I had space enough to do justice to 
 everyone of these consecrated and faithful men, who 
 are accomplishing, in their respective fields of labor, 
 wonderful things for the Master. But I must be brief 
 with only a few lines about everyone of those. 
 
228 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 I cannot refrain from giving a more extended notice 
 to Dr. and Mrs. W. B. Bagby, who are our oldest mis- 
 sionaries in Brazil. They went to Brazil in 1881. 
 Their forty years of service have had in them the 
 thrilling experiences which come to pioneer mission- 
 aries and, of late, the satisfaction arising out of a 
 substantially developed work. They went first to 
 Santa Barbara, the American colony in the South. 
 When Dr. Z. C. Taylor came in 1882, they moved to 
 Bahia, where the Bagbys remained for over a year, 
 and then moved to Rio de Janeiro and gave them- 
 selves to the establishment of our cause in that great 
 capital city. Dr. Bagby fostered also the work in the 
 regions around about Rio with tireless activity. 
 
 When the Bagbys returned from their furlough in 
 1901, they located in Sao Paulo, the capital of the 
 State by the same name. In the following year (1902) 
 they launched the now celebrated Sao Paulo College 
 for Women, the headship of which Brother A. E. 
 Ingram has recently accepted. 
 
 Their lives and work show a splendid record. After 
 forty years of faithful toil, they can look back over 
 the past and recall many triumphs of the Lord's cause, 
 in which they were permitted to have a large share. 
 No one should get the impression, however, that the 
 work of the Bagbys is done. Even after making a 
 record of such length, they press forward still, with 
 the undaunted activity of youth. 
 
 Speaking of the Bagbys, I must not forget the 
 young Bagbys. T. C. Bagby is building up a great 
 church in the city of Santos. Fearless, and with an 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 229 
 
 unbounding zeal, he is preaching the Gospel and win- 
 ning souls for Christ continually. Alice Bagby, the 
 accomplished daughter of the elder Bagby's, has re- 
 cently been appointed to service in the Sao Paulo 
 Girls' School, a work for which she is peculiarly well 
 fitted. 
 
 Dr. J. J. Taylor is another veteran who can look 
 back upon his thirty years of labor in Brazil with 
 satisfaction and joy. The great secret of Brother 
 Taylor's work is his knack of winning the confidence 
 and love of the natives. They go to him with all 
 their trouble and he sends them away happy and sat- 
 isfied. An excellent writer, a profound student and 
 scholar, he is now giving to the Baptists in Brazil, as 
 editor of our Sunday school literature, the best of his 
 Hfe. 
 
 F. M. Edwards is known in Brazil as the "Sledge 
 Hammer" Evangelist. One should hear him when his 
 heart is set on fire and he seems to grip the audience 
 with a power divine. He is a great worker and soul- 
 winner, having accomplished an abiding work for 
 Brazil. One of the greatest delights in my life is 
 when I have the privilege of visiting his home and 
 his people. Every morning we would spend an hour 
 or so together in the study of the Word of God and 
 in intercession before the Throne of Grace. Those 
 were moments of spiritual uplift that have helped me 
 on my life's way. 
 
 E. A. Ingram is the director of the Brazilian Baptist 
 Woman's College. "Happy Ingram" was his nick- 
 name in Baylor University, and he is certainly doing 
 
230 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 his utmost to keep up that title. I have never seen 
 him upset. He is always bubbling over with happi- 
 ness and joy. It is a great delight to spend a few 
 days in his lovely home. He is in charge of the 
 Woman's College of Brazil, and one of the greatest 
 marvels to me has been, to see how he and his excel- 
 lent wife, after a very short period in the country, 
 have taken hold of that great institution and are mak- 
 ing good. 
 
 The E. A. Jacksons have been living in Sao Paulo 
 until recently they have moved. Their field of labor is 
 in the State of Matto Grosso. Full of zeal and self- 
 sacrifice, the Jacksons are building up a great work 
 in that far-away western State. 
 
 I must not forget my young friend Stanton, one of 
 the young missionaries, also stationed in, this field, 
 making his headquarters in the interior city of 
 Ribeirao Preto, a very important commercial center. 
 Although new in the field, he is building up a strong 
 Baptist church, in spite of great obstacles. 
 
 The Campos Field. — There are two missionary 
 couples in this great Mission Station — the Christies 
 and the Bratchers. The first giving himself to evan- 
 gelistic work, and the other to educational. 
 
 To describe the life and work of these men would 
 need a volume. These men have built wisely and 
 established a work that is now self-supporting in al- 
 most all of its departments. Sixty churches with only 
 two or three receiving a little help from the State 
 Board; over one hundred Mission Stations that will 
 be churches in the near future; a Baptist Hospital, 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 231 
 
 established and financed by the native believers, etc., 
 etc., this is the story these men can tell. Brother 
 Christie, the older of the two, is a great power, a real 
 missionary statesman, a worker that need not be 
 ashamed. 
 
 The Victoria Field. — Some day some one will write 
 the history of this Mission field, when it will be shown 
 that the work done by the Renos has perhaps no 
 equal in the annals of missionary work in South 
 America. It has been my privilege to be with them 
 and in their lovely home several times — to preach for 
 them, and travel with them all over that great field. 
 Consecrated, self-sacrificing and diligent, they have 
 built up a work that has stood great persecutions and 
 will stand firm until the end. The greatest asset in 
 that field is the spiritual life of the missionaries, re- 
 flected and reproduced in the lives of the natives. 
 Honored and respected by both converts and unbe- 
 lievers, they are making the Baptist name esteemed 
 and the name the Master revered. 
 
 The Minas Field. — Here we have four missionary 
 couples : The Maddoxes, Crosslands, Aliens and Mor- 
 gans. The two latter couples are new in the work, 
 having only lately arrived on the field. ,, Both Brother 
 Crossland and Brother Maddox have done a great 
 work in Brazil and are building up a very well or- 
 ganized mission field in the great State of Minas, 
 perhaps the largest in the Brazilian nation. Both men 
 are intensely evangelistic and both are strictly ortho- 
 dox, believing in a whole Gospel with a complete Bap- 
 tist program. Both have wrought valiantly and ac- 
 
232 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 complished great things, and are destined to do yet 
 greater things for Christ and the Baptists. 
 
 The Rio de Janeiro Field. — I have already men- 
 tioned some of the workers stationed in Rio de Janeiro, 
 but I must not forget to mention the others who are 
 toiling most effectively in that great metropolis — the 
 heart of Brazil. 
 
 There is Dr. A. B. Langston, dean of our Seminary 
 and pastor of one of the most progressive churches — 
 untiring, loveable, studious and sincerely loved and 
 honored by all that come to know him intimately. 
 
 In Rio we also have Brother S. L. Watson, lately 
 elected Secretary of our Publishing Enterprise, but 
 for the last six years efficient professor in our College 
 and Seminary. In the absence of Dr. J. W. Shepard, 
 Brother Watson was in charge of the great Rio Col- 
 lege and Seminary and for two terms proved himself 
 a great administrator, gaining the confidence and ad- 
 miration of everyone. 
 
 We also have in Rio de Janeiro the Bakers. Brother 
 Baker, besides his work in the College, to which he 
 gives most of his time, is also pastor of one of the 
 city churches. These two positions would be more 
 than enough for any man, but he is also Secretary 
 of the South Brazil Mission, Treasurer of the Rio de 
 Janeiro field, and member of innumerable Boards. 
 Unceasing in his labors, full of zeal and devotion, he 
 gives his time and his all to the Master and His 
 cause. It has been my privilege to live with and 
 know him in his lovely home, and often have I 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 233 
 
 praised God for such men and lives as that of the 
 Bakers. 
 
 In Rio de Janeiro we have also the Hites. Brother 
 Hites began preaching when only two months on the 
 field. He has a wonderfully clear mind and although 
 very new on the field, is already doing a great work. 
 
 I must not forget Miss Ruth Randall, the capable 
 secretary and bookkeeper of our College and Semi- 
 nary ; Mrs. Soren, who, besides the great work in the 
 church where her husband is pastor, is looking after 
 the one hundred and fifty or more girls in our Girls' 
 School, who look to her for inspiration and help. 
 
 The latest addition to the Rio forces is Brother 
 J. J. Cowsert, who has gone there to lead in the 
 evangelistic work. 
 
 I wish that I could also tell of the work that our 
 missionary women are doing — Mrs. Shepard, the 
 councilor, adviser, and untiring helper of her husband ; 
 Mrs. Watson, the corresponding secretary of the W. 
 M. U. of Brazil ; Mrs. Langston, the treasurer of our 
 W. M. U. ; and so on, but I must hasten and say a 
 few words about the brethren in North Brazil. 
 
 The Bahia Field. — Just now we have on this great 
 field — the Whites, the Stapps, and Brother Sherwood. 
 
 Brother Sherwood is new on the field and is trying 
 hard to get a grip on the language and is succeeding. 
 He is the kind of a man that does not easily give way 
 and will succeed or die in the attempt. I spent a few 
 days with him while passing through Bahia and fell 
 in love with him. I am sure that he will make good 
 and will be heard from ere long. 
 
234 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 As to the Whites, how they kept up, all by them- 
 selves, such a great field as the Bahia Mission, is a 
 marvel. There are over forty churches in that field 
 and more than a hundred preaching places. Traveling 
 facilities are very poor. Just imagine one man in a 
 State as large as Texas, with only a few hundred 
 miles of railways and you can realize the task that 
 Brother White has on his hands. That the work in 
 that field has not suffered, but really gone forward, 
 is a proof of the tenacity of purpose of the man sta- 
 tioned there. 
 
 The Stapps have lately moved their tent into a 
 neighboring State, the smallest in the Brazilian Union, 
 yet the most densely populated, that of Sergipe. A 
 flourishing work is going on in that section. Brother 
 Stapp is gaining the love and trust not only of the 
 workers, but also of the converts and is helping to 
 establish a very prosperous work for the Master in 
 that region. 
 
 The Alagoas Field. — Before choosing this field as 
 his sphere of labor. Brother John Mein was doing 
 excellent work in the Campos Mission. He endeared 
 himself greatly to the natives and was anxiously ex- 
 pected by the believers of his new field. Active, zeal- 
 ous, consecrated, and spiritual, he is accomplishing 
 great things in this new field so wonderfully ripe for 
 the harvest. 
 
 The Pemambuco Field. — I have already mentioned 
 the work the Muirheads are doing. Besides these, 
 there are stationed in this field, the Hamiltons, the 
 W. C. Taylors, the Johnsons, Miss Pauline White, 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 235 
 
 who is in charge of the Woman's Training School, and 
 some new missionaries sent out lately, that I have not 
 met, and whose names only I can give. They are 
 Professor and Mrs. A. E. Hayes, Professor and Mrs. 
 R. S. Jones, Miss Essie Fuller, Miss Bertha Lee Hunt 
 and Rev. and Mrs. E. G. Wilcox. 
 
 I remember meeting Brother Hamilton and his good 
 wife in Texas, soon after the death of his saintly 
 brother and when he had offered himself to the For- 
 eign Mission Board as a substitute of his brother. 
 He was then superintendent of schools in Georgetown 
 county. I could not fail to admire his courage and 
 determination. I have been in his home at various 
 times and my admiration for him has deepened more 
 and more. He is a great worker and has made his 
 life of great value to the Kingdom's work in Brazil. 
 Capable, hard-working, and full of faith, he has made 
 good in every position he has occupied. 
 
 Brother W. C. Taylor, as dean of the Pernambuco 
 Seminary, is wielding a wide influence upon the work, 
 and the future manhood of the great North of Brazil. 
 Well prepared for the important work of training 
 native helpers, he has given himself unstintedly to it 
 and is making a most gratifying success. Not con- 
 tent with his teaching and preaching, he is also writ- 
 ing and translating several books of great value. 
 Brother Taylor's coming to Brazil has been a great 
 blessing and we expect from him yet greater things. 
 
 I have not had an opportunity to be much with 
 the Johnsons. I saw him only once and that at a 
 convention. But good reports about his life and work 
 
236 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 can be heard from all over the field. He was in charge 
 of the evangelistic work, visiting the churches and 
 opening up new places. All the natives speak highly 
 of his zeal, knowledge, and spiritual life. 
 
 Miss Pauline White is doing a notable work among 
 the thirty or forty young ladies that are sent by the 
 churches to be trained for the Master's service. All 
 the girls love her. Her love for the girls equals that 
 of a mother. It was my privilege to be in the college 
 for about two weeks and see her spiritual influence 
 upon the girls and I could not but praise God for such 
 a life and such a gift to Brazil. 
 
 The Maranhao Field. — Almost directly under the 
 equator you will find the young Parkers in charge of 
 a district that embraces three of the largest States — 
 that of Ceara, Maranhao, and the North of Piauhy. 
 Alone, with almost no native help, they work and 
 struggle day and night, to keep up the great work. 
 How they do need re-enforcement! It makes one's 
 heart ache to see them there alone — yet they are not 
 discouraged. Happy, full of faith and full of zeal, 
 they continue to preach the unsearchable riches ot 
 Christ to poor lost souls and the Lord is graciously 
 blessing their efforts. 
 
 The Amazon Valley. — I have mentioned in another 
 chapter the great work Brother Nelson is accomplish- 
 ing in the Amazon District. This is just to add that 
 Brother Nelson lately returned to his field of labor 
 the happy possessor of a river launch in which he ex- 
 pects to live, move and have his being, traveling up 
 and down the mighty rivers of the great Amazon 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 237 
 
 valley. Few, except those that have visited that 
 region, can realize the courage and determination ne- 
 cessary for such an undertaking; but Brother Nelson 
 is a man of faith and a man of God. He goes trust- 
 ing in the One who has all power in heaven and on 
 earth and who has promised to be near him. In our 
 prayers let us not forget this servant of God as he 
 travels all through the Amazon valley and through 
 the virgin forests of Brazil. 
 
 The Interior Mission. — About a thousand miles 
 away from the coast, in the great interior of Brazil, 
 you will find two more missionary couples — the Down- 
 ings, and Terrys. They are trying to establish an 
 Industrial School for the benefit of the thousands upon 
 thousands of Brazilians who never had an opportunity 
 to study. Brother Downing is a skillful physician 
 and, with his surgical skill, is not only helping in 
 the school, but is also drawing many to the knowledge 
 of the Great Physician, who not only can cure the 
 bodies, but also their souls. Brother Terry is an ef- 
 fective preacher and evangelist, having already done 
 a great work in the North of Piauhy. 
 
 With that Industrial School established and equip- 
 ped, at Corrente, a great center for Christ will be or- 
 ganized in the very heart of Brazil, whose spiritual, 
 moral, and social influences will affect the whole vast 
 and almost untouched interior. What an opportunity 
 and wh?t a future awaits the Baptists ! 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 BRAZIL AS A MISSION FIELD AND WHAT 
 THE BAPTISTS ARE DOING THERE. 
 
 Catholicism the Greatest Obstacle to Christianity. — 
 
 /Why did I go to Brazil and what led me to that part 
 
 &f-4fce world instead of to the work among the Jews ? 
 
 The answer can be given in a very few words. 
 
 In the first place, as to my working among Catho- 
 lics instead of Jews, my answer is that I am con- 
 vinced that no converted Jew ought to work among 
 the Jews. His mission is to the Gentiles, to those 
 who know not the Messiah, the Saviour of the World. 
 Of course, there are some converted Jews that are 
 able to do a great work among their brethren accord- 
 ing to the flesh — but their mission and usefulness is 
 greatly limited. They could have accomplished a great 
 deal more if they had given themselves entirely to the 
 work among the unregenerated Gentiles. 
 
 Paul, the Apostle, the most eloquent and competent 
 of the Lord's disciples had to turn his back upon his 
 brethren according to the flesh and labor among the 
 lost Gentiles^ His life and work stand until this day 
 as a monument of blessing and power. 
 
 This same result is noticeable, though in not such 
 a wonderful degree, in the labors of each converted 
 Hebrew, who has given himself to the work of evan- 
 gelization, among the Gentiles. Take, as examples: 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 239 
 
 Mosheim, the historian; Edersheim, the theologian; 
 Saphir, Schwartz, and many others, in all parts of 
 the world. 
 
 It was this conviction that made me turn my back 
 to the work among my brethren according to the flesh. 
 Why then did I go to work among the Catholics? 
 Why not to the teeming millions of China? For the 
 simple reason that I came to the conclusion that the 
 greatest obstacles to the conversion of the Jews (and 
 Gentiles also), and, therefore, the greatest obstacles to 
 the evangelization of the world, is the Catholic church, 
 with its claim of being Christian and yet with its 
 idolatry, its materialistic customs and traditions, and 
 its degrading superstitions. 
 
 Clf there is one thing that is drilled into a young 
 /Jewish heart it is hatred towards the worship of 
 \ idols. His very instinct and nature revolt against this 
 ipractice. 
 
 VCatholics Worship Idols. — I will never forget an 
 incident that happened to me as I was once walking 
 with my father through the streets of Warsaw. We 
 were passing a Catholic church out of which a great 
 number of people were issuing. He took me into the 
 building and called my attention to the multitude of 
 persons kneeling and praying to an idol in the form 
 of a human body that was stretched out under the 
 altar. He asked me if I remembered the ten com- 
 mandments. I answered in the affirmative. He then 
 asked me to repeat to him the second commandment 
 and I did. Then he said: "These Christians affirm 
 
240 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 that theirs is the true religion; but you have sense 
 enough to see how far they are from the truth." 
 
 Cathohcism is pure and plain idolatry. You can 
 call the idol "Diana" or "Mary," "Jupiter" or 
 "Peter," it is an idol about which the Psalmist plamly 
 speaks in the 115th Psalm: "They have mouths, but 
 they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; 
 they have ears, but they hear not . . . they have 
 hands, but they handle not . . . they that make 
 them are like unto them; so is everyone that trusteth 
 in them." 
 
 It was in the city of Braga, Portugal, that I visited 
 a church edifice built by the Romans in the time of 
 the Emperor Trajan, who lived before Christ. There 
 I saw two idols that in the time of Pagan Rome were 
 called Janos and Jupiter, but these were worshipped 
 now by the Roman Catholics under the changed titles 
 of Saint John and Saint Peter. 
 
 (To combat this idolatry, worse than pagan, be- 
 cause of its Christian veneer ; to make known the true 
 'God and His beloved Son, the Messiah, the Saviour 
 of Mankind, was what drew me to work among 
 .^Catholics. 
 
 Brazil tile Most Neglected Mission Field. — Then, 
 also, Brazil was thirty years ago and is today, one of 
 the most neglected mission field in the world. 
 
 In 1890 very few missionaries or Mission Boards 
 were working in Brazil. The Baptists had only a few 
 couples of missionaries with a small number of 
 churches, in that great and immense field, a country 
 larger in territory than this United States of ours. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 241 
 
 And even today, with the number of missionaries 
 greatly increased we have only about twenty or 
 twenty-five men who are dedicating themselves to 
 evangelism — twenty-five to about twenty-five millions, 
 or one missionary to a million souls. 
 
 It was this fact that drew me to Brazil, the most 
 neglected field in the Neglected Continent, and I do 
 thank God for having led me there. I look back upon 
 my thirty years of labors in Brazil, upon the great 
 changes that have taken place, on the marvelous 
 growth of the cause of the Master and feel like prais- 
 ing and magnifying His name for having permitted 
 me to have some part, though really a very little part, 
 in that work. 
 
 In a very few words I wish to close this book with 
 a short statement about Brazil and its people, some 
 of our problems and plans of work as well as the 
 progress made by the Baptists up to the present time. 
 I am sure that it will not only be interesting, but very 
 helpful to those who wish to have a part in the evan- 
 gelization of the many millions who live in Brazil, 
 as well as help us to prepare the ground for the mil- 
 lions who are pouring into Brazil and who in the next 
 few decades will take possesion of this great land, 
 "The Future Storehouse of the World." 
 
 'Physical Aspects of Brazil. — Take a glance at the 
 map of Brazil and notice that the immense west with 
 its rich, fertile lands is still unexplored. Yet hidden 
 in those virgin forests are treasures untold. In the 
 Amazon district you will find the Manisoba tree that 
 yields rubber which has no equal in the entire world. 
 
242 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 Add to this innumerable specimens of timber, whose 
 excellency is incomparable, and that is just beginning 
 to be exported to all parts of the world. 
 
 To the south of the Amazon district you find the 
 vast cotton areas in the States of Maranhao, Ceara, 
 Rio Grande do Norte and Parahyba. 
 
 In the State of Pernambuco, and as far south as 
 the San Francisco river, you will find sugar-cane, 
 cotton, and rice in great abundance. In Bahia you 
 will see tobacco fields producing the finest leaves in 
 the world and Cacao groves that yield the finest beans 
 for chocolate. The rivers are full of precious dia- 
 monds and the earth is full of gold, copper, coal, and 
 so on. 
 
 And what shall I say of Sao Paulo with its millions 
 of coffee trees and Parana with its forests abounding 
 in pine, and Minas with its inexhaustible mines of 
 iron and manganese, gold and precious stones, and 
 Matto Grosso with its cattle upon a thousand hills 
 and prairies full of horses of the finest breed. 
 
 Brazil is no doubt, a veritable land of Goshen, a land 
 flowing with milk and honey, destined by the Creator 
 to play a great role in the history of the world. 
 
 The People of Brazil. — Four traits, among many 
 other characteristics, are predominant among the 
 Brazilian people, due no doubt to their historical make- 
 up or sociological formation, and these are: intelli- 
 gence, courage, refinement and sacrifice. 
 
 The Brazilians, as a rule, are exceptionally in- 
 telligent. I am not saying that they are learned, for 
 unfortunately, on account of their leaders, especially 
 
^ A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 243 
 
 the priests who fear education and knowledge, there 
 are only, according to the latest census, about 15 per 
 cent of the people who can read and write. But when 
 given an opportunity they manifest a quickness of per- 
 ception, a clearness of mind and a readiness to learn 
 that is surprising indeed. 
 
 Among the better classes there are very few that 
 do not speak more than one language. They have 
 physicians, lawyers and engineers that rank with the 
 greatest in the world. Few will have forgotten the 
 masterful way the Brazilian lawyer and Senator Ruy 
 Barbosa surprised the world at the Hague Conference 
 with his profound knowledge of and courageous stand 
 for the principles of justice and right. He fought and 
 victoriously obtained equal rights for the smaller 
 nations. 
 
 To realize the extraordinary capacity of its civil 
 engineers, all you have to do is to visit some of their 
 engineering feats in Brazil, like the Central Railway 
 with its thirteen double tunnels or the railroad that 
 climbs up the hills from Paranagua to Curityba, in the 
 State of Parana. 
 
 One of the most encouraging things in our mis- 
 sionary work is to see the transformation that takes 
 place in the youth that are sent from the Brazilian 
 lands to our colleges and seminaries. They learn 
 readily and rapidly and, after finishing their courses, 
 they become powers for good in the great work of 
 building up the Kingdom of God in Brazil. 
 
 Then, also, the Brazilians are very courageous. 
 Brazilian history tells us of many instances of bravery 
 
244 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 and courage in peace as well as in war, both of men 
 and women. It would occupy too much space to cite 
 them here ; but, as I look back upon my own experi- 
 ences with the native converts and helpers and re- 
 member the many occasions when, for the sake of 
 their faith and love to the Master, they would risk 
 their lives and their all, I cannot fail to testify that 
 they are a wonderfully courageous and brave people, 
 a people that when occasion requires are ready to 
 stand firm and if need be sacrifice their lives for the 
 cause they love. 
 
 When ready to open the work in Limoeiro, Per- 
 nambuco, I asked the boys in the Pernambuco Semi- 
 nary for volunteers. Notifying them of the danger 
 and that, very likely, we might have to lay down our 
 lilves. All the boys stood ready to go. They were 
 ready to die for the Master. 
 
 Before leaving for the homeland in 1920 I spent 
 a few weeks in Pernambuco and, as Corresponding 
 Secretary of the Brazilian Home Board, I had the 
 opportunity of laying before the Seminary boys and 
 girls the need of the Native Indians in the far west 
 of Brazil. I had photos of men and women in their 
 naked and savage state and described, in plain lan- 
 guage, the present state of things in the virgin forests 
 of the Far West, the hardships, the dangers, the dif- 
 ficulties. When I made my appeal for volunteers, 
 more than a dozen young men and women, with tears 
 streaming down their faces, consecrated themselves 
 to that work and are even now preparing themselve§ 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 245 
 
 to go and live for Qirist among those savage and 
 neglected tribes. 
 fXhe Brazilians are also a refined people. 
 
 What I mean by refined is a natural disposition of 
 gentleness and culture. The educated classes treat you 
 with great attention and respect, especially those that 
 live in the interior. If you are in need, they will 
 share with you their last bowl of farinha. They are 
 never rude, bold or provoking. They will always 
 listen to your side of the argument before they an- 
 .swer. They never laugh at your mistakes. 
 
 I was once preaching in San Fidelis about the 
 Prodigal Son. There were present a great many 
 of the better class that listened attentively to my poor 
 efforts. Now there are two words in Portuguese very 
 much alike. Bezerro, which means a "calf," and 
 Besouro, which signifies a "beetle." Imagine my 
 horror when instead of using the word that signifies a 
 calf as I spoke of the Father's joy in having his 
 younger boy back home, I said that he ordered a 
 "fatted beetle." But to my great surprise, not a 
 muscle could be seen to move in any of the counten- 
 ances. If they laughed they did not let me see it. 
 
 As you walk through the streets, as you visit public 
 places, in their homes, everywhere you will be treated 
 with politeness and refinement. 
 
 Then also the Brazilians are a people ready for 
 sacrifice. 
 
 The sacrificial spirit, especially of the Brazilian be- 
 lievers, surpasses description. Just think of a body 
 of twenty thousand young converts, half of them not 
 
246 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 getting any salary and the other half not averaging 
 more than fifty dollars per month, contributing over 
 $170,000 a year for their own work! They love to 
 give and to give abundantly to the work of the Master. 
 
 The above facts should teach us at least one great 
 lesson, viz., that the Brazilians are a stratej^cal 
 people. 
 
 To gain this nation for Christ and His cause will 
 mean wonderful things in the near future. Brazil, 
 with its open doors, will, before long, have a popula- 
 tion of 100,000,000 souls. To be on the ground now, 
 to have places of worship from the extreme North to 
 the South, from the Atlantic to the borders of Bolivia 
 and Peru, will spell success in the next twenty-five to 
 fifty years. Instead of having to overcome customs 
 and usages of hundreds and thousands of years, asj 
 our missionaries have to contend with in China and 
 Japan, we in Brazil will be able to teach and mouia 
 the generations to come for Christ and His Truth. 
 
 A great people and a great future is before the 
 Baptists of the world and with God's help we ought 
 to make this people and this nation the greatest Bap- 
 tist Commonwealth of the world. 
 
 Hindrances. — The chief problem in our work in 
 Brazil is the universal problem of sin, in all its mani- 
 festations, aggravated by four hundred years of Tropi- 
 cal Roman Catholicism. Notice that I especially men- 
 tion "Tropical Roman Catholicism," for I believe that 
 Roman Catholicism in the tropical climate is much 
 worse than in temperate or colder climates, though 
 only God knows how bad it is even in these regions. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 247 
 
 What terrible havoc has Rome wrought upon a 
 people, naturally religious and God-fearing. After 
 four hundred years of ceremonialism, of cultivating 
 and teaching superstitions and traditions of men, of 
 prohibiting independence of investigation and inquiry ! 
 Jlere are some of the results: 
 
 1. The Word of God is an unknown book. The 
 better classes think it worthless and useless. The 
 poorer classes do not know it at all. 
 
 2. Prayer or intimate communion with God, the 
 Father in heaven, is unknown. Those that do pray 
 only repeat phrases, counting the beads. Heart-to- 
 heart communion with God is entirely unknown. 
 
 3. God Himself is an unknown Being to most of 
 them. They have images, crucifixes, statues, idols of 
 all colors, shapes and forms, but the God of heaven 
 and earth, all-powerful, omminiscient and omni- 
 present is not known. 
 
 4. Consequently spiritual life, spiritual ideals and 
 spiritual power are unknown, except in those who 
 have accepted Christ as their personal Saviour. The 
 power that changes life, that creates a new being, that 
 does away with sin and corruption is unknown. The 
 priests themselves will tell the people, "Do as I say, 
 but don't do as I do." The corruption of the con- 
 fessional is not easily removed from the heart and 
 life of a nation. 
 
 5. The saddest thing of all is the fact that Christ's 
 love and free offer of pardon is not known. Oh, how 
 they strive to save themselves and to pacify their 
 troubled consciences! But all to no avail, for only 
 
248 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 Jesus pardons and forgives and saves ! Jesus is not 
 preached — His Gospel is not published, and the people 
 die in their sins for lack of knowledge. 
 
 These are the problems that confront the worker 
 in Brazil and their natural results can easily be 
 imagined. 
 
 Praised be His name, these problems are being 
 solved 1 Slowly, but steadily, the workers with the 
 help of Him who has promised to be with us even 
 unto the end, are solving all these problems in a most 
 remarkable way. 
 
 What Baptists Are Doing In Brazil. — It has been 
 my privilege to witness the growth of the Baptist 
 cause in Brazil for the last thirty years, and it seems 
 to me that it will encourage our brethren, who so 
 willingly and gladly contribute to the cause of Foreign 
 Missions for me to recount here briefly what Baptists 
 are doing in Brazil. 
 
 The first missionaries sent to Brazil were great seed- 
 sowers. They spread the Good news far and wide 
 and laid the foundation for the present growth and 
 development. Just as it happened in the time of 
 the Apostles, so today: "I have planted, Apollos 
 watered ; but God gave the increase." 
 
 Z. C. Taylor, W. B. Bagby, E. A. Nelson, W. E. 
 Entzminger, A. B. Christie, F. M. Edwards, O. P. 
 Maddox, A. B. Deter, and others, many others planted 
 the good seed. J. W. Shepard, H. H. Muirhead, A. B. 
 Langston, Miss Voorheis, Mrs. Bagby and others, 
 many others, watered, and God has given the increase, 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 249 
 
 the wonderful, marvelous increase. Who can estimate 
 what the future will yet bring forth ? 
 
 To my mind the miracle of the five loaves and fishes 
 repeates itself continually on the Mission Field. The 
 money that we give, the sacrifices we make for Him, 
 He accepts and blesses and then uses, multiplying it a 
 thousandfold and satisfying the multitudes. 
 
 The Book of the Acts of the Apostles has never been 
 finished, for the doings of the missionaries in the 
 Mission Fields are the continuation of the same acts. 
 The same God is with them — the same spirit inspires 
 them — the same power upholds them. Our monthly 
 magazine the "Home and Foreign Fields" ought to 
 change its title to the following: "The Acts of the 
 Apostles in Modern Times." As you read the letters 
 from -the workers stationed in China or AfHca, Okla- 
 homa or Mexico ; Italy or South America, does it not 
 strike you that you are reading new editions of the 
 happenings related of Paul and Barnabas? 
 
 Mission work is usually divided into three branches : 
 Evangelistic, Educational, and Social. I am going to 
 show you, dear reader, what the Baptists in Brazil 
 have done and are doing in these three lines of work 
 as I have witnessed it during my thirty years. 
 
 1. Evangelistic. — If there is one characteristic that 
 distinguishes the Brazilian convert more than any 
 other it is his desire to tell the good news to others. 
 Having been kept in ignorance and superstition, 
 harassed by priest and politician, oppressed and down- 
 trodden, his heart overflows as soon as he grasps the 
 meaning of the Gospel. He just bubbles over with 
 
250 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 joy and he cannot keep quiet. He must go out and 
 tell others. 
 
 On account of this spirit of evangelism, the cause 
 has spread and prospered in a most remarkable degree. 
 The first church was organized in Bahia, October 
 15, 1882, with five members, only one of these was a 
 native convert. In 1891 when I joined the Baptists, 
 we had two flourishing churches in the two principal 
 cities of Brazil and several smaller churches and out- 
 stations in the interior of Bahia, Alagoas, and Minas. 
 Ten years after that, 1900, we had work in the Amazon 
 valley; in the Pernambuco district in which were in- 
 cluded the States of Parahyba, Rio Grande do Norte, 
 and Alagoas ; in Bahia, which had extended its opera- 
 tions as far west as the San Francisco valley and as 
 far south as the Victoria field. The Rio de Janeiro 
 mission had developed and was operating in the 
 Campos field, and was just entering into the great 
 State of Sao Paulo. 
 
 In 1910, when Dr. T. B. Ray made us that memor- 
 able visit, Brazil reported the following progress, as 
 can be seen in his book "Brazilian Sketches": 
 
 1910. 
 
 Churches 142 
 
 Membership 9,939 
 
 Church buildings 44 
 
 Outstations 497 
 
 Sunday schools 138 
 
 Sunday school pupils 4,438 
 
 Missionaries 44 
 
 Native helpers 117 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 251 
 
 That was excellent progress. Now have a look at 
 the statistics ten years after as presented to our For- 
 eign Mission Board for the year ending 1920. 
 
 1920. 
 
 Churches 221 
 
 Outstations 820 
 
 Baptisms 2,627 
 
 Membership 20,135 
 
 Houses of worship 143 
 
 Sunday schools 322 
 
 Sunday school pupils 14,957 
 
 Native contribution $176,721 
 
 Missionaries 86 
 
 Native helpers 197 
 
 Truly the Lord is doing wonders and looking at the 
 results we cannot but praise him and magnify His 
 blessed name ! 
 And yet, how much there still remains to be done ! 
 The chief employment of the missionary who gives 
 himself to evangelistic work is opening up of new 
 centers. Although in some places a competent native 
 could do it, as a rule, it has to be done by the mis- 
 sionary, who in a certain way can demand, if neces- 
 sary, the protection of the authorities. Our schools 
 and seminaries are preparing excellent men for the 
 ministry. As soon as a church is organized and the 
 work is running smoothly, it is turned over to a com- 
 petent native minister who usually carries it forward. 
 Now, according to information received from the 
 government, there are about 2,228 county seats in 
 Brazil, cities with a population ranging from 2,500 to 
 
252 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 more than 50,000. Some of these counties are larger 
 than some of our States. The county of Jacobina in 
 the interior of the State of Bahia is larger than the 
 Republic of Portugal. 
 
 Now look at the statistics and make your own cal- 
 culation. We have 221 organized churches. Suppose 
 one hundred of these are situated in those important 
 centers — county seats — that leaves over 2,000 yet to be 
 occupied. Now for that work we have eighty-six mis- 
 sionaries of which forty-one are men. Out of these 
 forty-one, about fifteen are occupied in educational 
 work and you will realize that we have only twenty- 
 five who are able to give themselves to the great work 
 of evangelization. 
 
 Oh, the need of workers, especially evangelists, men 
 full of zeal and courage and above all full of the Holy 
 Ghost ! 
 
 Two great evangelistic agencies are helping to con- 
 quer Brazil for Christ: The Sunday school and the 
 Bible institutes. I do not mean to say by this that 
 those are the only agencies. Thank God for our 
 schools and colleges that are doing so much as I will 
 be able to prove before long. But I am mentioning 
 these two because of their direct connection with our 
 evangelistic work. 
 
 Every Sunday school class in Brazil is an evange- 
 listic agency. We not only train our young converts 
 there, but have special classes for outsiders. As it is 
 in the homeland, so also on the foreign field, the 
 Sunday school supplies the church with most of its 
 candidates for baptism. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 253 
 
 The same can be said of the Bible institutes held in 
 almost all of the mission fields. They are carefully 
 organized with special, well arranged programs and 
 the evangelistic note is upheld. Christ is lifted high 
 and souls are brought to the Master's feet in a most 
 remarkable way. 
 
 II. Educational. — The first school started by the 
 Baptists in Brazil was in 1888 by Miss Maggy Rice, 
 in Rio de Janeiro. Unfortunately yellow fever robbed 
 Brazil of the precious life of that young missionary 
 and with her died the first attempt in educational 
 work. 
 
 In 1895 Mrs. Ginsburg opened a school in the city 
 of Campos that was making rapid progress, patronized 
 by the best families of the town — but, failing health 
 and a great epidemic of smallpox, destroyed that 
 effort. 
 
 Two Baptist ladies from the United States came to 
 Brazil in 1898 with a small capital of their own and 
 started a school in the new capital of the State of 
 Minas, the city of Bello Horizonte. It prospered con- 
 siderably as long as the city was prospering; but as 
 soon as the city quieted down and most of the work- 
 men occupied in government buildings had to leave 
 town the school waned and was finally closed out. 
 
 The year 1898 witnessed also the organization of 
 the sl;hool in Bahia by Mrs. Z. C. Taylor. This school 
 was opened under most auspicious circumstances. A 
 wealthy coffee planter, who was a devoted Baptist and 
 was anxious to see his own girls as well as the girls 
 of other people educated gave Mrs. Taylor $5,000 for 
 
254 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 the equipment of her school; $2,000 were added to 
 this sum by other members of our churches and the 
 school assumed at once the leading place in our school 
 work in Brazil. This school made a splendid record. 
 After Mrs. Taylor gave it up on account of the neces- 
 sity of her returning to the United States, Brother 
 C. F. Stapp conducted it down to about three years 
 ago, when it was discontinued with a view to re- 
 organizing it in the interior of the State, after the 
 fashion of our mountain schools. 
 -"It was in 1901, while stationed in Pernambuco that 
 
 i'Mrs. Ginsburg and myself were able to realize our 
 .dreams of starting a school for the children of be- 
 
 ^lievers and a Bible class to train those who were anxi- 
 ous to preach the Word of God. The primary school 
 we opened in the temporary hall situated on the 
 property that the First Church had acquired. The 
 Bible class we started in our own home — Mrs. Gins- 
 burg, Mr. J. E. Hamilton, and others helping. That 
 was our first attempt. Now see what the Lord has 
 done. 
 
 Looking over the report for 1920 you will find that 
 we now have in Brazil: 
 
 Fifty-one Primary or Elementary Schools. 
 These are usually connected with the local churches 
 and supervised either by the local pastors or a com- 
 mittee appointed by the churches. They are almost 
 all self-supporting. 
 
 The reason for the existence of such schools is very 
 simple. While most of the public schools are sup- 
 posed to be free from religious teaching, yet the 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 255 
 
 Catholic priest has such a grip upon the politicians 
 that very few teachers are appointed unless they have 
 the approval of the priest. As a result the teachers, 
 especially in the smaller towns, are more or less sub- 
 ject to the priest and Romanism is taught and prac- 
 ticed openly. In some of the interior cities, where the 
 priest rules with a strong hand, I have seen the chil- 
 dren of Baptist families forced to bow down to 
 idols and to accompany public processions. 
 
 Now if there is one thing that believers in Brazil 
 hate, with a holy hatred, it is idolatry — Roman Catho- 
 lic idols — and they will make any sacrifice to keep 
 their children away from idol worship. Hence this 
 sacrifice for primary schools in connection with the 
 focal churches. I have seen small churches of one 
 hundred or one hundred and fifty members pay their 
 pastor's salary in addition to paying all current ex- 
 penses of rent, etc., and also pay the salary of three 
 or more teachers in order that their children be edu- 
 cated without being contaminated with this baneful 
 Roman Catholic idol-worship. 
 
 Besides these elementary schools we have academies 
 and high schools, both for boys and girls in the fol- 
 lowing mission centers: 
 
 Victoria. This school is under the competent man- 
 agement of Brother and Mrs. L. M. Reno, who are 
 preparing more than a hundred young men and as 
 many young ladies for a great future, not only for 
 their own people, but also for Christ. 
 
 Campos, directed by Dr. and Mrs. Bratcher. A 
 great school whose influence upon the community is 
 
256 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 powerful. There are about two hundred pupils in 
 this school coming from the best families of the dis- 
 trict all under the influence of the Gospel and of the 
 spiritual lives of this godly couple. 
 
 Bello Horizonte, the capital of the State of Minas. 
 This school was opened a few years ago by Brother 
 and Mrs. O. P. Maddox. It is now under the direc- 
 tion of Brother and Mrs. Morgan. It is a great 
 blessing not only to the children of the believers, but 
 also is drawing the youth of the outsiders and is 
 exercising a mighty influence for good in the whole 
 community. 
 
 Parangua, the most important commercial city of 
 the State of Parana. This school is under the direct 
 supervision of Brother Deter and is making a most 
 encouraging progress. 
 
 Brother Dunstan, in Porto Alegre, and Brother 
 Jackson, in Campo Grande, Matto Grosso, have 
 flourishing schools. The latter opened only lately, 
 both exercising tremendous influence for good in their 
 respective communities. 
 
 Altogether we have eleven academies or high 
 schools under the direct supervision of our Baptist 
 forces. Their influence is powerful, yet their number 
 in comparison with our need is so limited that it is 
 really pitiful. 
 
 Every Mission Station ought to have a well- 
 organized and well-equipped academy in charge of a 
 couple of missionaries specially prepared to do that 
 kind of work. It is only thus that we will be able 
 to meet our educational opportunity. 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 257 
 
 The greatest blessing that has come to Brazil along 
 with the preaching of the Gospel was the gift of our 
 great colleges and seminaries, whose spiritual in- 
 fluences are exercised effectively, not only upon our 
 churches and believers, but also upon the whole 
 Brazilian nation. I refer to the College and Semi- 
 nary in Rio with its 600 pupils; the College and 
 Seminary and Training School in Pernambuco with 
 its 900 pupils, and the Woman's College and Training 
 School in Sao Paulo with its 250 pupils. 
 
 Just a few lines about each. 
 
 The College and Seminary established February, 
 1908, in the Federal Capital of Brazil under the direc- 
 tion of Dr. J. W. Shepard, is considered to be one of 
 the best colleges in Brazil. It has a splendid body 
 of teachers, and is attracting pupils from the leading 
 families of the land. It occupies an excellent piece 
 of property, situated in the best residential section of 
 the great metropolis. It naturally has a promising 
 future before it. According to the plans of the direc- 
 tor and the Board of Trustees, that college will soon 
 be transformed into a great Baptist University. Wor- 
 ship is held in the chapel every morning and special 
 evangelistic services once every week and the Lord is 
 converting many. The influence of this institution is 
 felt not only in the great city, with its million and a 
 quarter of souls, but all over the county, for Rio de 
 Janeiro is the heart of Brazil and whatever happens 
 in Rio is felt all over the country. 
 
 The same might be said about our College, Seminary 
 and Training School of Pernambuco, under the direc- 
 
258 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 tion of Brother H. H. Muirhead. Pemambuco being 
 a smaller city, with a population of only 250,000, the 
 influences of an institution like that are naturally 
 greater in the local community than in a city like Rio 
 with a million and a quarter population. Then also 
 the opposition of the iconoclastic element in Pernam- 
 buco is greater than in Rio and consequently the bless- 
 ings are more signal, for wherever persecution is 
 wielded the work prospers far more than where in- 
 difference prevails. The college in Pernambuco is cer- 
 tainly destined to do a great work for our Master and 
 Lord. The preparation of forty young men for the 
 ministry and about forty young women for the service 
 of the King is a great asset for the future of our 
 churches and mission fields. 
 
 The Woman's College of Brazil, located in San 
 Paulo, was started by the Bagbys in 1902. For many 
 years they struggled and toiled and now its future is 
 guaranteed. Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Ingram are directing 
 this great institution with great skill and good re- 
 sults. Lately an excellent piece of property was 
 bought, on which a new modern building will be put 
 and the numerous young women, that are anxious to 
 enter, can be accommodated. One of the greatest de- 
 lights in my missionary journeys is to pass a few 
 days in this great institution, look into the faces of 
 these beautiful young women coming from the best 
 people in the land, and preach Christ to them. Just 
 imagine the future of Brazil with these young ladies, 
 touched by the lives of such women as Mrs. Bagby, 
 Mrs. Edwards, Mrs. Ingram ! It is sure to tell, and 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 259 
 
 the future looks to me wonderfully hopeful and bright. 
 
 III. Socially. — ^What effect do the Baptists produce 
 
 upon the social life of the Brazilian people? This is 
 
 a great question and I want to give you a plain answer. 
 
 1. Every Baptist church raises the standard of 
 morals in the community. When it is first organized 
 it is combatted and ostracized, but once the people 
 realize the principles we stand for, they admire and 
 uphold. To become a member in a Baptist Church in 
 Brazil, one has to prove he has real and true regenera- 
 tion. A committee is appointed to investigate the life 
 and behavior of a candidate before he is accepted into 
 the church. The Baptist church is looked up to as a 
 standard of morality in its community and can be 
 depended upon to stand up for all righteousness. The 
 influence of over 200 Baptist churches and about 800 
 mission stations spread over the whole territory is 
 telling wonderfully upon a people whose standard of 
 morals was the priest with his immoral dictum : "Do 
 as I tell you, but don't do as I do." 
 
 2. Then the life of the converts is exercising a 
 powerful influence for good everywhere. At first the 
 people will laugh and scoff at him, but finally receive 
 him with open arms and admire him for his moral 
 courage and behavior. I have found this to be the 
 case all over Brazil, in every class of society. Dr. 
 Paranagua, ex-governor and ex-senator, moving in the 
 highest circles of society, was at first ridiculed by his 
 former colleagues. Today all this has changed and 
 when he enters the Senate, everyone is anxious to 
 wish him God-speed in his efforts to witness for Christ. 
 
260 A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 
 
 It has been my privilege to visit in his company the 
 Senate and House of Congress and distribute books 
 and papers to his former colleagues and enjoy the 
 respect with which all would listen to the message 
 we brought them. 
 
 What Dr. Paranagua is doing is being done by 
 practically every convert in Brazil. Such lives and 
 living testimonies tell and will bring forth inevitable 
 results. 
 
 3. Our convention with its various Boards is mak- 
 ing a fine impression upon the natives. Our annual 
 meetings together with the annual reports of our 
 Boards receive wide publicity through the daily press. 
 Our Home Mission Board with its program of work 
 among the many tribes of uncivilized Indians is stir- 
 ring up not only our own Baptist folk, but also the 
 general public. Our Foreign Mission Board with a 
 progressive work in Portugal and a great program 
 of evangelizing all Portuguese-speaking people is at- 
 tracting much attention. The whole work of the con- 
 vention laid out upon the plan of our Southern Baptist 
 Convention, so simple, so democratic, yet so aggressive 
 and unified is drawing the attention of the leaders of 
 the nation and is having its effect not only upon their 
 public speeches, but also upon their deliberation and 
 laws. 
 
 Just one illustration will suffice. When an appeal 
 was made to Congress to let us have at a reasonable 
 price a certain piece of property in Rio belonging to 
 the government which was going to be sold at auction 
 as we intended to use it for school as well as for 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 261 
 
 church purposes — Congress passed an act giving us 
 the property at SO per cent discount on the price for 
 which the adjoining properties might be sold, stipulat- 
 ing, however, certain conditions that inhibited us, on 
 account of our principles, from obtaining that prop- 
 erty. Imagine the surprise of the government leaders 
 when we informed them that we could not accept that 
 property on account of the conditions. We were not 
 willing to even appear to establish a union between 
 the church and the State, a principle that we as Bap- 
 tists opposed. This incident gave us a tremendous 
 opportunity for making our principles known. 
 
 4. The Publishing House is exercising a powerful 
 influence upon the nation. Our weekly paper pene- 
 trates into all parts of the land. We issue an edition 
 of over 5,000 copies and its editorials and valuable 
 articles are read by thousands upon thousands of the 
 people. In some places it is the only paper that is 
 received and when it arrives it is read and discussed 
 in the public square. 
 
 Then several of the books that have been published 
 ire exercising a great influence upon the people. 
 
 Yes, the Baptists are making a powerful impression 
 upon the Brazilian people. The seed sown is bringing 
 forth its fruit and in due season we shall reap, if we 
 faint not. 
 
 Thirty years or even forty or fifty is not a long time 
 in the Lord's work for showing actual results — ^but 
 even in this short time we have seen results and what 
 we have seen is an earnest of what is to come. 
 Our Lord's arm has not been shortened and His power 
 
262 A WANDERING JEW IN BEAZIL 
 
 has not diminished. Today, as He was ye,, tj^rday, 
 and as He will be forever — He is the same ! 
 
 And now, in bringing this book to a close, let me 
 tell the following story, as being typical of the power 
 of the Gospel in Brazil and of the cry of all Christian 
 Brazilians on behalf of themselves and their people. 
 
 A Bible Organizing a Baptist Church, — ^A Bible had 
 been given to the Registrar of Deeds in the city of 
 Conquista, situated in the extreme south of the State 
 of Bahia. He began reading it and read it to his 
 neighbors. A group of about ninety persons had 
 gathered about him, anxious to follow the leadings 
 of the Word of God. They began to study the Holy 
 Book trying to accommodate their lives to its teach- 
 ing. Soon they had organized themselves into a New 
 Testament church. The only thing that troubled them 
 was the question of who should baptize them, as they 
 had come to the conclusion that only the baptism of a 
 believer was valid. Finally they heard of the mis- 
 sionary in the capital of the State. The Registrar of 
 Deeds, Theophilo de Queiroz, by name, spent a month 
 in the home of the missionary, Dr. Z. C. Taylor, was 
 instructed, baptized, ordained, and on his return to 
 Conquista, he in turn baptized about ninety believers 
 and organized a church — a complete Baptist organiza- 
 tion. 
 
 In 1911, I visited that city, preached there for two 
 
 weeks and had over sixty conversions and baptisms. 
 
 is I was returning to the capital, more than fifty 
 
 ladies and gentlemen, the aristocracy of the district, 
 
 followed me on horseback for about five miles and 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 263 
 
 J^^tt'^l^e time came for separation one of the most 
 touching incidents of my missionary life happened. 
 If you will read Acts 20 :36, 37 and 38, you will under- 
 stand it better. We all knelt by the roadside and 
 prayed and wept. The men fell on my neck and kissed 
 me and begged me not to forget them. As I was soon 
 to leave for the homeland they asked me to tell the 
 brotherhood in the States of their gratitude for send- 
 ing them the good news of salvation and to please not 
 to forget them in their prayers. 
 
 In our prayers before the Throne of Grace, in our 
 love and sympathy, in our gifts and sacrifices let us 
 not forget Brazil with its millions of needy, hiuigry 
 souls. 
 
 As for myself I can truthfully repeat the words of 
 the Apostle Paul given to the elders of Ephesus : 
 "But none of these things move me. 
 Neither count I my life dear unto myself, 
 So that I might finish my course with joy. 
 And the ministry, which I have received of the 
 
 Lord Jesus, 
 To testify the Gospel of the Grace of God." 
 
 —Acts 20:24. 
 
ALPHABETICAL INDEX 
 
 SUBJECT Page 
 
 AUen, Rev. J. R 231 
 
 Amazon Valley, In the 123 
 
 Americus Georgia, Y. W. A. of. 153 
 
 Antonio Silvino 147 
 
 Assassination, Another At- 
 tempt at 125 
 
 Assassination, Rumors of 120 
 
 Bagby, Rev. T. C 228 
 
 Bagby, Rev. W. B 228 
 
 Bahia 70 
 
 Bahia Penitentiary 180 
 
 Baker, Rev. C. A 232 
 
 Bandit, My Encounter With a.. 147 
 
 Baptism 25 
 
 Baptist Church Standard of 
 
 Morals 259 
 
 Baptists in Bahia 69 
 
 Barra de Itabapuana, Gun- 
 shooting at 163 
 
 Bernardo, Rev. Adrian Onesimo 195 
 Bible, Public Burning of the.. 138 
 
 Bibles, Selling 47 
 
 Bible, The Work of a Little.. 108 
 
 Birth and Education 15 
 
 Bratcher, Rev. L. M 230 
 
 Brazil, What Baptists are Do- 
 ing in 248 
 
 Brazil, The Future Storehouse 
 
 of the World 241 
 
 Brazilian Problems 246 
 
 Brazilians, Four Traits 242 
 
 Brazilian Baptist Convention... 71 
 Breaking My Neck, Saved from. 36 
 
 Called to Service 36 
 
 Campos Mission 93 
 
 Cannada, Rev. W. H 144 
 
 Cantor Christao 123 
 
 Carroll Memorial Publishing 
 
 House 170 
 
 Cerqueira, Rev. Tertulliano. . . . 202 
 
 Christ, A Glimpse of 19 
 
 Christie, Rev. A. B 230 
 
 Church, Building My First 95 
 
 Church of Rome, Three Reasons 
 
 Why I Left the 182 
 
 Clancy, Mr. J 25 
 
 Colportage Work 173 
 
 ColpoTter 109 
 
 Companions and Friends 207 
 
 Congregationalists 44 
 
 Consecration Service 38 
 
 SUBJECT Page 
 Contents 5 
 
 Corumba, Matto Grosso 185 
 
 Costa, Senhor Thomas da 217 
 
 Crossland, Rev. D. F 231 
 
 Daily Press, Discussions in the 136 
 
 Death of My Wife 87 
 
 Debate, A Public 75 
 
 Decision 21 
 
 Deter, Rev. A. B 227 
 
 Discussions and Discoveries 62 
 
 Downing, Dr. J. L 237 
 
 Dunstan, Rev. A. L 226 
 
 Dust Bin, Thrown Into a 26 
 
 Education 15 
 
 Edwards, Rev. F. M 229 
 
 Entzminger, Dr. W. E 210 
 
 Escape, A Narrow 36 
 
 Evangelism 168 
 
 Excommunicated and Cursed.... 27 
 
 Falcao, Rev. Orlando 204 
 
 Farewell 38 
 
 Feast of Tabernacle 19 
 
 Foreword 7 
 
 Fruit After Twenty Years 182 
 
 Ginsburg, Mrs. Emma Morton. . 253 
 
 God's Word, The Power of 78 
 
 Gospel, Hearing the 18 
 
 Growth and Development 142 
 
 Hamilton, Rev. D. L 235 
 
 Herculano, A Miracle of Grace. 55 
 
 Hites, Rev. L. T 233 
 
 Home, Expelled from 23 
 
 Hospitality, Brazilian 183 
 
 Idols, Catholics Worship 239 
 
 Ingram, Rev. E. A 229 
 
 Interior, Evangelizing in the... 48 
 
 Isaiah, Chapter 53 18 
 
 Introduction 9 
 
 Jackson, Rev. E. A 230 
 
 Johnson, Rev. L. L 234 
 
 Jomal Baptista 179 
 
 Langston, Dr. A. B 232 
 
 Language, Learning the 39 
 
 Lessa, Conversion of Rev. 
 Joachim F. 191 
 
A WANDERING JEW IN BRAZIL 265 
 
 SXIBJECT PagS 
 
 Limoeiro, Opening of the Wor'c 
 
 in 153 
 
 London 19 
 
 Macahe, Persecution in 113 
 
 Maddox, Rev. O. P 231 
 
 Masonic Order 85 
 
 Matrimonial Speculation IS 
 
 McClure, Mr. 25 
 
 Mein, Rev. John 23^ 
 
 Mildmay Mission to the Jews.. 18-21 
 
 Morgan, Rev. F. A. R 231 
 
 Morton, Miss Emma 91 
 
 Native Ministry, Training of the 143 
 
 Nazareth Church 126 
 
 Near Death's Door 86 
 
 Neglected Continent 33 
 
 Nictheroy 9fl 
 
 Nind, Rev. George B 63 
 
 One Thousands Souls in a Year l61 
 
 Open-Air Service, First 44 
 
 Organizing Churches and Mis- 
 sions r^ ,>.... 184 
 
 Ordination Service 38 
 
 Orthodoxy, Jewish 16 
 
 Paranagna, Dr. J. N 233 
 
 Parker, Rev. James B 236 
 
 Paz, Rev. Manuel da 199 
 
 Pernambuco, Conditions of Work 
 
 in 1900 129 
 
 Pernambuco, Visiting 50 
 
 Persecution in Bom Jardin 131 
 
 Persecutions, New 66 
 
 Pettigrew, Rev. R. E 227 
 
 Pinto, Dr. F. Miranda 221 
 
 Places, In Many 161 
 
 Portugal, Fleeing from 41 
 
 Preparation for Service 33 
 
 Printed Page, Using the SO 
 
 Printed Page, The Power of 
 
 the 121 
 
 Prisoners, Work Among 177 
 
 Prison for the First Time 52 
 
 Primary Schools 254 
 
 Profession of Faith 2} 
 
 Randall, Miss Ruth 23i 
 
 Ray, Dr. T. B 225 
 
 Recruiting for the Master 190 
 
 Regions Beyond Mission College 3f 
 
 SUBJECT Page 
 
 Reno, Rev. L. M 331 
 
 Revenge, A Missionary's 106 
 
 Rice, Miss Maggy 253 
 
 Rio de Janeiro 42 
 
 Robinson, Mr. W. W 143 
 
 Santiago, Rev. Augusto Felippe 20O 
 
 Sao Fidelis, Persecution in 97 
 
 Sermon, A Tract Changed His.. 187 
 
 Shepard, Dr. J. W 213 
 
 Sherwood, Rev. W. B 233 
 
 Soren, Rev. F. F 217 
 
 Southern Baptist Convention.... 260 
 Souza, Rev Manuel Avelino de 197 
 Spiritual Blindness, The Anti- 
 dote for 176 
 
 Sprinkled, Baptizing Those I Had 67 
 
 Stanton, Rev. Rufus B. 230 
 
 Stapp, Rev. C. F 234 
 
 Statistics 251 
 
 Steriopticon, What A Slide Did 60 
 
 Store, Kicked Out of a 47 
 
 Street Preaching 26 
 
 Students, Portuguese University 41 
 
 Suburbs, Growth in the 14i> 
 
 Suicide, Saved from 181 
 
 iTaylor, Rev. Hudson 38 
 
 Taylor, Dr. J. J 229 
 
 Taylor, Dr. W. C 235 
 
 Taylor, Dr. Z. C 207 
 
 Teixeira, Senhor Theodore 72-74 
 
 Terry, Rev. A. J 237 
 
 Testifying 21 
 
 Titanic, Escaping the 168 
 
 Tracts 181 
 
 Trials 66 
 
 Victory 119 
 
 Victoria, First Visit to 76 
 
 Victoria Mission 231 
 
 Watson, Rev. S. L 232 
 
 White, Miss Pauline 236 
 
 White, Rev. M. G 234 
 
 White Slavers, Beaten by 34 
 
 Wilkinson, Rev. John 21-25 
 
 Willingham, Dr. R. J 225 
 
 W. M. S. of South Carolina.... 143 
 Word of God, Learning to Read 
 
 the 53 
 
 Wright, Mr. Maxwell 48