History of the missions of the American board of commissioners for foreign missions to the oriental churches, Volume II.Anderson, Rufus
Religion
History of the missions of the American board of commissioners for foreign missions to the oriental churches, Volume II.
Anderson, Rufus
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions; Missions -- Eastern churches
The mission was sorely afflicted in September by the sudden death of
Mr. Walker of Diarbekir. The cholera was prevalent in that city, and
seemed to follow no laws. In the previous year, it had been almost
wholly among the Mohammedans; but this year, it prevailed most in
the Christian population. Mr. and Mrs. Walker removed to a khan
outside the walls. "His last sermons were from the texts 'The Master
has come, and calleth for thee;' and 'Except ye repent, ye shall all
likewise perish.' On Monday, September 10th, he went into the city,
spending some time over one stricken with cholera, besides customary
duties. Tuesday morning, after a somewhat restless night, he rose as
usual, and proposed a mission excursion to Cutterbul, but was
persuaded to remain at home and rest. The premonitory symptoms soon
appeared, but nothing peculiarly alarming, and as he had been held
back from over-exertion, and been very careful in diet, all were
full of hope. At the first whisper of illness the Christians
gathered to aid, and the faithful Shemmas, without Mrs. Walker's
knowledge, telegraphed to Mr. Williams, who started from Mardin at
one o'clock, P. M., on Wednesday, and riding all night reached
Diarbekir after sunrise to find that six hours before, September 13,
1866, his brother had gone 'to be with Christ.'" His age was
forty-five.
"Diarbekir was filled with mourning. Not Protestants alone, but
Moslems and Armenians, all were stricken. Such a funeral, as of one
who was a father to all, was never witnessed there before. The
native preacher conducted it appropriately and tenderly, praying not
only for the stricken there, but for those in his native land who
would so feel the loss."[1]
[1] _Missionary Herald_, 1867, pp. 33-37.
Mr. Walker was one of the best of missionaries. "His warm and
affectionate nature," says Mr. Barnum, "quickly gained the hearts of
the people wherever he went. His great desire was to see men coming
to Jesus; and this he never forgot, whether at home or abroad. I
have been with him not a little, and seldom have I seen an
opportunity for a personal appeal, though only for a moment, pass
unimproved."
The tribute to Mr. Walker's memory from his brother Williams, of
Mardin, who knew him well, and has so lately followed him into the
eternal world must not be omitted.
"His peculiar gifts were three:--1. He remembered faces, and
recalled the names which belonged to them. He knew everybody.
Ordinarily he needed to meet a man but once to recognize him ever
after. And this pleases men; it appeals to their self-appreciation;
they feel that they have made a permanent impression. Especially is
this a power among a people who look up to the missionary as
occupying a higher plane of civilization. It gives him a vast
influence over them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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