Herbert Melbourne, V

HERBERT MELBOURNE. BY EDWIN F. PARRY. Three weeks from the time he received his call, Herbert Melbourne was on his way towards his mission field — Great Britain. It is needless to relate the details of his departure, or the incidents of his journey. As much of the route by rail had been gone over by him before, he was not interested so much in the scenery by the way as he was in the lives and experiences of his fellow missionaries. With them he became very sociable, and delighted to interview them one after another, as opportunity presented. This proved to be a profitable pastime, and offered him considerable encouragement, and added strength to his faith in the cause he was going to represent. It was a valuable part of his education and preparation for usefulness in the Lord's vineyard. From the time he left home, our young missionary began to keep a daily journal, and some extracts from his jottings are here reproduced. March 28, 190 — . In company with eight missionaries from various parts of Utah (including one from Idaho) I left Salt Lake City for a mission to Great Britain. Our train left the Oregon Short Line depot at 7 p. m. A number of my friends came to see me off. Friends of some of the other missionaries were also there, making quite a large gathering. One young man was accompanied by his sister and his sweetheart. Their parting with him was very affecting. Both girls burst out in uncontrollable sobs, while they clung to him hysteric-

HERBERT MELBOURNE. 353 ally. With difficulty he broke away and boarded the cars as the train began to move. Until this time I had been enabled to control my feelings, but the sight of those two almost distracted, broken-hearted girls caused me to give way, and I could not hold back the tears. Others were similarly affected, and it was fully half an hour before any of us said scarcely a word. We appeared a sad looking group. At an early hour I stretched out on my reclining chair, buttoned up my overcoat and tried to sleep as best I could. Mar. 29. — A cold morning. We are passing over the dreary wastes of Wyoming. Had an interesting conversation with one of my companion travelers. He is on his way to his native country to fill a mission. He was born in Denmark some thirty years ago. At the age of twenty-two he met some of our missionaries, was invited to read their tracts and attend their meetings. In time he became convinced that they had the truth, and he accepted the gospel. As soon as he was able to pay his emigration he went to Utah. This was about six years ago. He was then unmarried. He arrived in^alt Lake City late one evening, alone, having very little knowledge of the English language, and having but one acquaintance there — a returned missionary whom he met at his old home. He found a place to stay for the night; and the next day found his only friend living near the outskirts of the city. Since his return from a mission, his friend had lost faith in the doctrines he had been advocating, and sought to poison the mind of the young immigrant by falsehoods and misrepresentations. But the new convert was firm. He trusted in the Lord, and was satisfied with his faith. He obtained work, and at the end of the week, when he received his wages, he was desirous of paying his tithing. Not knowing where to take it, he asked his host — for he was still living with this same friend. But the latter refused to direct him where to go. He might have asked his employer, but that man was not of his faith, and he thought it useless to do so. So he went to the Lord and prayed that he might be directed aright. That night he dreamed he was led to a certain place. It appeared to be a house of worship. He went inside and a certain man was pointed out to him as the one to whom he

854 IMPROVEMENT ERA. might pay his tithing. The dream impressed him, and he recalled it distinctly. The next Sunday was fast day. He set out alone to find a meeting place, and was directed to one. He entered, and there, sitting at a table, he saw a man whom he recognized as the one he beheld in his dream. To him he went with his contribution, and found the man to be the bishop's counselor, and he was then receiving the tithing and other contributions from the people, previous to the opening of the meeting. He continued to reside in Salt Lake City, having steady employment. He was there without relatives, being the only one of his kindred in the Church, so far as he knew. He was sparing with his means and in a short time accumulated enough to buy himself a little home. In the meantime he made the acquaintance of a young lady who was also alone in the community so far as relatives were concerned. She, too, was from one of the Scandinavian countries, and had left father, mother and brothers in the fatherland — all members of the Church. Their conditions were similar; their faith and hopes were alike; they had the same aspirations; they were nearly of the same age: was it any wonder that there sprung up in the hearts of this young couple an attachment for each other, and that they united their interests and became one? — united for life here and hereafter. Soon the young lady's parents and family were sent for, and when they came they were taken care of by their faithful daughter, and their new son-in-law. Happiness was in their cosy little home. Parents and children were contented. Prosperity continued to smile upon them in their humble surroundings. The days and years glided by. Then the head of the young family was called upon a mission. He responded cheerfully. His wife would be left with her parents and would be able to earn her own living and help her parents some as well. He was gone but a few months when his dear wife was taken seriously ill. She failed to improve, the doctor gave her no hope, so the missionary husband was sent for. He came home in time to comfort his wife for a few short days, then she passed away. Filled with sorrow, but with unfaltering faith and courage, he began again to labor and to save. Feeling unsatisfied at not having performed a com-

HERBERT MELBOURNE. 355 plete mission, his desire was to earn means to keep himself for two or three years and then go again. It was also his wife's dying wish that he should return and complete his mission as early as he could after she passed away. He had accomplished his object so far, and now he is on his way to complete the labors to which he was called, more than a year ago. I greatly admire the faith and courage of this young man. He is certainly sincere, and his reliance upon the Lord seems not to have been in vain. His narrative strengthens my faith, and I begin to see more in "Mormonism" than ever I did before. I also had a talk with another of my companion missionaries. He told me of some of the hardships he had endured, and of the sacrifices he had made in order to go upon his mission. But he seemed to have no misgivings as to the result, or as to how his family would fare in his absence. He had sold half of his little farm, which he had worked hard to secure, to get means for his journey, and for the support of his family in his absence. Yet he had done it willingly, esteeming it a great privilege to be called even at this cost. I feel ashamed to regard my response to the call as a sacrifice, after contrasting my circumstances with those of my companions. Well, I am learning. Mar. 30. . . One of my companions is Elder Larsen, also a native of Denmark. He is a middle-aged man, happy and good-natured. I listened with interest to his narrative, and enjoyed his open, outspoken manner, and his quaint, broken English. Having emigrated to this country after he was upwards of thirty years of age, he has not completely mastered the pronunciation of English words, although his vocabulary is of good range. He was raised in the country on a farm, and a poor farm it was, as many farms are in his native land. His parents were poor, and the family worked hard and saved scrupulously in order to exist. Having been trained during all his early life in the art of saving, those habits clung to him, and when he came to this country, he soon began to accumulate wealth in a small way from his hard-and honestly-earned means. He settled in one of the northern towns of Utah, where first he hired out as a farm hand. In time he obtained a farm of his own, and gradually he has been accumulating property, and now is regarded as one of the most

IMPROVEMENT ERA. prosperous farmers and fruit raisers in the community where he resides when at home. He was too poor, he says, to think of getting married while in the old country, and that is hi? excuse for not getting, a wife till he was between thirty and forty years of age. Now he has a family of eight children, ranging from the age of three to twenty. His two oldest children are boys, and they are capable of taking care of the farm, with their mother's direction, so Elder Larsen does not worry about his home affairs. ''When my neighbors learned that I was called upon a mission," said he to me, "one remarked, 'I guess old man Larsen will make some excuse to get out of going.' 'Yes,' said another, 'he's too close-fisted to spend his money in paying his own way as a missionary for two or three years;' and other such remarks were made, of course, not in my presence, but I heard of them indirectly. Well, I am no preacher, and can make money easier than I expect to be able to make converts to the gospel, but I just made up my mind to fool those fellows, and so I wrote and told the presidency that I would go. You see," he continued, "I was taught to be saving when I was a boy. It was absolutely necessary to be sparing in order to live, and, of course, you Yankee people look upon us foreigners as stingy. Well, we can't help it. Besides, if it wasn't for some of us Danishmen showing you Americans a few lessons in economy, many of the towns of Utah would not be enjoying such prosperity as they now are. "When I first went on my farm, some of the people said I was crazy to think of making a living on such a place. But I am better off today than those who made such predictions. Of course, I have had to work hard to do this. Well, when it comes to going upon a mission , I have always felt that I would gladly accept a call, if it ever came. I am satisfied that the gospel is true. I have seen too much to dare to deny it. I have witnessed scores of the predictions of our leaders fulfilled, and I know they must have been inspired or they could not have uttered them." Then he went on to relate some remarkable instances of divine interposition, which, if true, are sufficient to convince any one. I have read of some similar occurrences in some of our home periodicals and other publications, but never before have I

HERBERT MELBOURNE. 357 conversed privately with any one who has told me of such personal experiences. I cannot doubt this man's sincerity, nor do I believe he is superstitious. He impresses me as an honest, sensible and practical man. ....... Mar. 31. — We arrived in Chicago this morning, and after changing cars and waiting about two hours, we again proceeded on our way eastward. In getting acquainted with my fellowmissionaries, I find they are men of varied and interesting careers. Yesterday afternoon I had an extended conversation with Elder Graham, a Scotchman. He is a man of between fifty and sixty years, I should judge. He is gray and venerable in appearance. (Most of the missionaries in the company are young men — one of them is not yet out of his teens.) When he was born, there lived in the neighborhood of his parents' home a member of the "Mormon" Church. And in the presence of his parents and the older children of the family this Latter-day Saint convert predicted that the child would some day become a member of the Church, and that he would gather with the body of the Saints in Utah. This did not please the parents, as they were opposed to "Mormonism." In time the incident was forgotten by the family, and when the child grew up he knew nothing of the prediction. When he was about forty years old, he received the gospel, and some six years later he prepared to go to Utah. It was then his older sister, for the first time, related to him the incident that occurred when he was a child; and now, some ten years since arriving in Zion, he is on his way back to the home of his childhood to preach "Mormonism" to his fellow countrymen. We have a man in our company who has filled one mission in England, and is now on his way to fill another in the same place. I consider his conversation as valuable because of his experience in the field. I have gathered from him a pretty fair idea, as I suppose, of what I may expect when I reach my destination. I observe, however, that returned missionaries as a rule, dwell upon the pleasant experiences of their missions. They tell in glowing terms of their triumphs and say but little of the discouraging features. Well, perhaps this is all right, after all. I suppose it is natural, anyway. Being elated with their successes

358 IMPR 0 VEMENT ERA . they forget all their difficulties and failures. Then, too, they may have a purpose in picturing to us the bright side, so that we will take courage. This elder of whom I speak, Brother Whitley, although a humble man, of very meagre education, evidently performed a good work, and was abundantly blest in his labors. He and a companion were sent to a new district some six months after his arrival in England. There were no Saints in the place at the time they began their labors. They were both short of means, and as for himself, he did not have enough to pay for his board, and they saw no prospects of getting money to hire a hall in which to hold meetings. But they were not discouraged. They labored diligently, calling upon the people whenever they felt led, and holding out door meetings in the streets. They soon made friends, and some of these friends became converts and applied for baptism. Other friends were slow to accept their message, but were not slow to assist them with means. They, without being solicited to do so, proffered to pay for the renting of a hall for meeting purposes. Elder Whitley told of an instance where one of his friends came to him one morning and handed him ten shillings with the remark that the previous night he had dreamed that he (Elder W.) was in distress and needed financial assistance. It was true that he was in need, but he had not intimated to any one that such was the case, although he prayed to the Lord for assistance; and the amount he received was quite sufficient for his purpose. Soon after this, a friend was raised up who was well-to-do. He was led to inquire of Elder W. as to his circumstances, and reluctantly the elder told him of his condition. The friend then gave him to understand that he need not be any longer embarrassed for want of funds, that he would supply him as long as he needed anything, and did so: and yet he was not in the Church, and did not join the Church while Elder W. remained in the mission, but was true to his word to the last. The result was, a good sized branch was raised up in that place. Elder W. had the satisfaction of baptizing some seventeen souls while there. Hearing such narrations from the lives of those who were participants in the incidents is faith-promoting and encouraging.

HERBER T MELBO URNE. 359 One of my companions is a young man from the southern part of Utah. His name is Brierly. He was born in England. At the age of nineteen he left his home and went to Australia. He remained there for several years, moving from place to place, and corresponded with his parents from time to time, and sent means to them occasionally. Then he became dissatisfied with the country and went to California, and from California to Utah. He had learned very little about the Latter-day Saints, and had paid no attention to what he had heard about them until he reached their country. But when brought in contact with them, his interest was awakened . He attended their meetings in the settlement where he lived, became acquainted with the people, and finally joined the Church. He married a "Mormon" girl and made himself a home among the Saints in the little town where he first settled. The restless spirit that had possessed him left, and he was content to remain where he was. Then he began to realize, as he believed, that it was the Spirit of the Lord operating upon him that caused him to become restless, and to wander about the world, although he was not especially in search of religious truths. He was not interested in the religions taught in his native place, but had little if any hope of finding anything better. Now that he had found the truth, he was anxious that it might be carried to his parents. But unfortunately he had lost their address. While he was in Australia they moved to another town. They wrote him about it, but he lost the letter and forgot the address. He had sent one letter addressed to the place to which he thought they had moved, without giving the street number, thinking it might possibly reach them. He received no answer, however, and concluded that the letter failed to reach his parents directly or indirectly, and they, of course, heard nothing from him. It is now eleven years since he left his parents' home. But as he is now going to England as a missionary, he expects to find them if they are living. "It will surprise them," he remarked, "to find their wandering boy returning to them as a missionary, for I do not believe they ever even thought of me becoming a preacher."

360 IMPROVEMENT ERA. I became interested in Brother Brierly's narrative and asked him to write me after he found his parents and tell me about it. To me his story is romantic, or I fancy it will be when complete, providing it ends happily. . April 12, H>0— . We are nearing the end of our sea voyage. We are now sailing off the west coast of Ireland. It is a beautiful day, although the wind is cold. We can see some of the villages, with their whitewashed cottages, along the coast. Last night a concert was held in the dining room for the benefit of the sailors' home. I was invited to take part on the program. As I had not recited anything in public for over a year, I felt timid about acceping the invitation. But thinking it might do some good in creating a favorable impression towards us among the passengers, I promised. As a missionary sent in the Lord's service, I went to my state room during the afternoon and asked the Lord to help me in performing my humble part in the evening's performance. The result was my recitation created much favorable comment, not so much from the character of the piece recited, but from the fact that the reciter was a "Mormon." While some of the pasengers on -board have been friendly and sociable with us during the whole voyage, others, knowing we are "Mormons," have kept aloof, and have had nothing to say to us. This morning, however, one of the latter class, a lawyer, shook hands with me most heartily, congratulated me very highly on my reciting, said it was the finest he ever heard, and wanted to know where I had studied. I then had an opportunity of telling him some little of my history, and, of course, I related to him the nature of our present mission and explained to the best of my ability some of the principles of our belief. Later, another gentleman— one very pompous and dignified, who hitherto had not deigned to pass the time of day with any of us— approached me very pleasantly and made many inquiries respecting our people and our doctrines. Feel as though my mission work had already begun, for I believe, some prejudice has been removed by the conversation I have had this day. [to be continued. I