“A day or two after my arrival I went to the village seeking my assistant, Sixto, and found the house deserted and the household goods removed. Glancing in and out among the trees, I found all the huts likewise vacated, but presently I espied two solitary little girls of six or seven years of age playing near one of the huts; and on approaching, instead of scampering away like frightened animals, they remained quite still, and shyly but very clearly explained to me, with many gestures, that the man whom I sought had built another house on the other side of the road. Only those who have attempted to tame one, know the wild, shy nature of a little Indian girl!
“The other day I went to visit the Mataco Camp at Mira Flores, and at the sound of my voice a young fellow came forward with a broad smile on his face and saluted me. A little girl instantly sidled up to me, and immediately from several huts came the women to smile recognition of me.
“Then the men flocked round. I speak specially about the women, because their rule is that when a stranger visits their camp the women keep in the background, or peep out through their well-ventilated grass-huts; but these people were from Tres Pozos, and they had seen me squatting round their fires, and moving freely in and out among their friends. I was no longer a stranger but one of themselves.”
We will now make our way southward through Argentina, travelling for many miles from one city to another by mule back. They are inhabited by children of all nations, but speaking the one common language of Spanish. These cities have their churches, convents and cathedrals, and everywhere you see priests and so-called “holy” women.
In Cordoba, the Brethren are doing a splendid missionary work. Mr and Mrs Will Payne and their children, with Miss Emily Reynolds, and others are seeking to win the children to Christ.
A priest was holding a service at one of the Roman Catholic churches. Amongst other things he promised everyone present that evening seven years’ release from purgatory for their attendance at the service! A rich young lady promised candles to one of the Virgins, if her prayers were answered.
In the Sunday-school work only the better-class children are being reached, as for the most part the poor children live so far away.
In San Martin, a village near Cordoba, a little Sunday-morning school has been started. There are always a few listeners at the door, who are afraid to come in. When invited to enter they say: “No, I must not, you are heretics!” One of the Sunday-school boys, who attended a day-school under the supervision of Roman Catholics, was expelled because it was discovered that he attended the little morning Sunday-school.
How helpless the missionaries are in matters like these! For the power of Rome is very great in these fanatical places. But this little difficulty was speedily removed, for a Spanish woman who had recently come from Spain had been a day-school teacher before her marriage in a missionary school in Spain! She felt constrained to open a day-school here, and so the children who attended the Sunday-school went also to the day-school.
Best of all the Word of God is read and taught every morning for half an hour. How true the proverb is: “What you put into the life of a nation, you must put into its schools.”