Wilson-Apostle To Islam.pdf - Radical Truth

72 Apostle to Islam Seeking Recruits and Funds 73
were convinced one of them asked if he would accept a nominatio; to the
Royal Geographical Society, and the questioner turned to another of the
party asking, "Colonel, 'would you second the nomination?" The Colonel was
willing, and so some time later the news came that he had been elected a
Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. The initial fee for membership
was twenty pounds Sterling, as Zwemer remembered it. Though the amount
nearly floored the prospective member and caused Cantine much mirth at
his expense, stilI he raised the fee and sent it. At a later time he \vas elected
an honorary member for life.
There were student conferences in Oklahoma and Colorado during ~Iay
and June. Later in the summer the traveler went to Europe again for the
Baslow Student Conference of 1908. The major portion of his work
throughout the year was for the Student Volunteer )'lovement.
That his mind was stiil on the work for :Mohammedans, howeYer, is illustrated
from an incident in the home at ~Iount Vernon. The boy, Raymund,
who was six or seven years old, ""-as playing with some papers on the floor.
His mother called him several times but he did not answer. Finallv the
fatheT, fTom the next room, said .. "Raymund don't you hea.r your ~otber
calling you?" The boy replied, "Tell her I'm busy. I'm making a map of the
Moslem World."
Throughout the year 1909 Zwemer continued to work for the Reformed
Board in raising funds, and for the S.V.~L in finding missionary recruits.
The arrangement was that the Board continued to pay his salary and the
Volunteer 1vlovement his travel expenses. Throughout these years, as al1
his life, enough money ,"vas provided to meet the expenses of the family, but
like the manna in the wilderness there was nothing left oyer. On various
occasions in later life Zwemer made the remark, HI have always lived from
hand to mouth, but it has been the Lord's hand and my mouth."
In addition to other responsibilities he took on, about this time, the solicitation
of funds for the Nile Mission Press. Yet divided attention did not
seem to make him less effective in any- one of the directions taken by his
effort. All of the work seemed to fit in together like a jig-saw puzzle and
as he often said there was no way to account for the fact aside from the
guiding hand of God in all of it.
Amy Ruth was very ill at home in :rvlount Vernon, New York, but was
well enough so that the father could leave to attend the Laymen's Convention
in Birmingham, Alabama, February 16, 1909. Then he returned directly
for a week at the University of 'Wisconsin in the latter part of the same
month. In April there was the Missionary Congress in Toronto. In all of
these and many others Zwemer was one of the most powerful speakers.
In May he was again at the University of Virginia and shortly after at
Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. As he raced across the Campns there from one
meeting to another he was accompanied by a young medical student by the
name of Paul W. Harrison. They talked as they ran, the student said that
if Zwemer could prove that Arabia was the most difficult field in the world
he would go there as a medical missionary. Gasping for breath as they ran
the older man promised to prove that to him the ne..."'Ct day if he would come
around and talk to him. He did, the else was proved, Harrison went to
Arabia and became one of the best known medical missionaries of the
world.
Zwemer taught courses on Islam and the need of the Moslem 'World for
the Christian Gospel at conferences in Ashville, North Carolina l
Lake
Geneva, Northfield and other places. He continued work in colleges and the
churches throughout the year, his efforts being crowned ,"vith more than
ordinary success. He began to be ,"vearied, however, Ivith the constant schedule
of trains and he longed to be back in the heat and humidity of the Persian
Gulf among his beloved Arabs.
One incident in raising funds would never be forgotten. Dr. John Timothy
Stone had given the missionary the opportunity of speaking five minutes
from his pulpit at the Sunday morning service. Following this Zwemer was
invited to dir.ner \vith Mrs. Nettie "'rcCormick. Without too much in the
way of persuasion the good lady was constrained to make a donation toward
the Nile l\iission Press, which desired a new building in Cairo for this great
work of spreading Christian Literature among Moslems.
?lIrs. McCormick made out a check and handed it to the solicitor. He soon
afterward politely excused himself and left. He wanted to see the amount
of the check. It was for $10,000. He also noted it was made out to- Arthur
J. Brown, the Secretary of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions,
for the Nile :Mission Press. Of course, another sales talk was required upon
the return to New York to get Brown to endorse the check for this enterprise,
but it was accomplished and the Nile IvIission Press was assured of
its building.
The young missionary was becoming more and more an..""{ious to return
to Arabia but was persuaded by Dr. John R. Mott to stay over for the Studem
Volunteer Convention held in Rochester in January, 1910, where he
proves! ag;