THE sad catastrophe of the wreck of the passenger steamship "Drummond I Castle," lost off the coast of Brittany at the entrance to the English Channel in the late summer of 1896, has not yet been forgotten: nor should it be, in connection with the burial of Protestants with a Romish ceremonial.
English Protestants yield to none in sorrow for, and sympathy with, the afflicted, nor in gratitude to those who promptly respond to an appeal for kindness in distress, as displayed by the inhabitants of the little Island of Molène; but many must have been grieved with the decay of loyalty to the truth of the Gospel, on that occasion.
The committee of the Trinitarian Bible Society, however, desired to do something which should at once witness for God and His Truth, and be a blessing to the people concerned, and they sent through the Mission of Pasteur Lecoat, on behalf of the Society, copies of the Word of God in remembrance of the help given to the victims of the "Drummond Castle.”
The colporteurs entrusted with the copies of the Scriptures, entering the only house on the island where one can get anything to eat, and greeting the proprietress, addressed her as follows: "Madame, the director of our society sends us here on behalf of the lovers of God's Word in England, to offer to you and to all the inhabitants of the island a copy of the New Testament of our Lord Jesus Christ, in Breton or French, in remembrance of your help to the victims of the Drummond Castle.'”
She immediately received them with much kindness, as did also her married sister, who lives a few steps away.
“We offered her a copy of The Word of God, and another to her sister," continues the colporteur, "and then went from house to house throughout the isle to fulfill our simple but noble mission.”
Everywhere we met with a friendly reception and sympathy;, the people were grateful, and the one expression was, "What a terrible calamity! Never have we experienced such an one here. Now, even though they were Protestants, each time we go to the cemetery to pray for the dead we pray for them also." When we replied that there was no purgatory for those of the victims who had received the free salvation that Jesus Christ came to bring to the sinner, and no other means of cleansing from sin but the blood of Jesus Christ, they replied that they had never heard of such things. They promised to read our books and keep them carefully. One mother begged us to place a New Testament on a cradle, promising to instruct her child, if God spared it to her, in the Holy Scriptures.
At the mayor's we were equally well received. Refreshment was given us; then he thanked us for having given such a precious souvenir to the inhabitants for what they had done to the poor victims. He himself accepted gratefully a copy of the Word of God. At the convent we had a hearty welcome; and with joy they received our books. We also gave a copy to the schoolmistress of the island, who had only a single scholar!
We then visited the curd. "Monsieur le Cure," we said, "we have come to offer you a copy of the pure Word of God on the part of those who love it, as we have already done to all the inhabitants of the island." He replied, "If you give me this book you will not have one for everybody." "Oh, yes," we said, "we have plenty for all who know how to read.”
Presently he said, "Where did you study? These books are false! Who authorized you to distribute them here?”
“If the books are false, will you kindly show us a single passage or verse which is incorrect?" was the reply.
“Do you mean to say, young man, that you came here to instruct me?" said the priest. "Go out immediately.”
The priest followed, saying, "You do not believe that there is a purgatory?”
“No, sir, because you can't find it in the Word of God.”
“If you had said that to me in the house I would have struck you. I am going to call my sailors to throw you into the sea. All the inhabitants of the island are my children.
Fear not; Sunday I will destroy all the books which you have distributed.”
So we left. When we departed from the island nearly all the inhabitants came to say "good-bye" and to thank us; and those who had not received books begged us to give them a copy, saying that "they would keep them carefully, and that they would not allow them to be destroyed.”
True to his word, the priest said from the pulpit: "I have seen two gentlemen who had been sent here by the English people to offer you a book—a good book indeed, but, as it is not approved by one of our own bishops, you must burn or destroy it.”
The next day the priest went to pay a visit to the mayor, and saw a copy at his house.
“Monsieur le Maire, you have one of those Protestant books," said the cure.
“Yes, Monsieur le Curd," replied the mayor; "and yesterday you surprised us all very much by saying that the book was a good one, and yet you asked us to destroy it. Please explain this.”
The priest invented an excuse and went back to his presbytery.
This simple record will show the character of the people of the Island of Molène, the need of the Word of God, and the opposition of the Church of Rome to the Gospel.
The Trinitarian Bible Society has provided Brittany with a Revised New Testament, and separate portions, and has been the first to prepare and give to that people the whole Bible in their own tongue. For Brittany—our nearest foreign mission field—was left without a Bible until within the last few years!
The work in Brittany is most important and cheering. The simple people receive with gladness the Words of Life, and already many a Breton has found through them pardon, peace, and joy.
An edition of five thousand copies is now in the hands of the people, and the committee are looking for help to enable them to print and send out a second edition.
Contributions will be thankfully received on behalf of this important work.