This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1894 edition. Excerpt: ... FOUR AND ONE-HALF YEARS IN THE ITALY MISSION CHAPTER I THE CALL AND JOURNEY "Well, we have a call to the mission field, but it is not to Mexico." "Where, then?" "To Italy." "We are going." Such was the salutation and response on a December evening in 1887 on entering home after having spent the afternoon at a missionary convention. My wife had read the letter received from the Bishop, and hence the announcement. We were not wholly unprepared for the call, since the Missionary Secretary had informed us a few days before, that our appointment to a foreign Mission was under consideration of the authorities and had asked, "How would you like to go to Mexico?" "Have not given the matter any consideration," was the reply. "Well, think of it, and let me know." It needed little thought, for we were ready to go to Mexico or anywhere else. Indeed this was included in the original consecration to the ministry. During the ten years spent in the ministry in Maine the entire Mission field had been a constant study, and it was a delight to collect and present to the people facts and statistics to show how the kingdom of God was getting on in the world. Every piece of good news and encouraging note from foreign fields was hailed as a signal of victory. All was taken for face value. We had not yet learned to read between the lines. Standing on the heights of faith and missionary intelligence we caught the foregleams of the advancing millennial day. It was no irksome task to take the missionary collection, going from house to house and from person to person and soliciting something to help save the world from superstition and sin. Geography became a fascinating study. Weeks were spent in making a wall-map of Africa, on which was traced every new discovery...