_December 12th, 1902._[1]
We think that your little table is the most beautiful of all the carved
work that our Singo has done. A short while ago he was saved as though
by a miracle, from a great calamity. Eleven houses near his own were
burned to the ground. The cocoanut tree in his little garden was all
ablaze, but by great good fortune his house remained uninjured. The
whole village ran out to see the miracle and asked the lucky owner of
the only remaining house, what "Ilmoe"[2] or "Djamat"[3] he had to
protect him. For they thought, of course, that he had saved his house
through some magic spell. No, he had no "Ilmoe" or "Djamat," nor magic
spells, he had only "Goesti Allah" who had spared him for his own
purposes. The day after the fire, the man came to us, and fancy! he
thanked us for the preservation of his dwelling. He insisted that it was
the power of our prayers for him that had kept his house from
misfortune. Such naïve and simple faith is touching.
I asked myself if it would be right to take away from these poor souls
the simple faith that makes them happy. What could I give them in its
stead? The stupidest person can tear down, but it is quite another
matter to build up.
We have found so many charming qualities in our humble friends.
We were turned away for a long time from all religion, because we saw so
much uncharitableness under its mantle. We learned, at first slowly;
that it is not religion that is uncharitable, but man who has made what
was originally Godlike and beautiful, bad and ugly. We think that love
is the highest religion, and must one be a Christian in order to love
according to that Heavenly command? For the Buddhist, the Brahmin, the
Jew, the Mohammedan and even the Heathen can lead lives of pure love.
A little while ago I received a letter from Dr. Adriani in which you
would be interested. I told him what you had done for us, and he is so
glad for our sakes. "What Mevrouw Van Kol has made you see," he wrote,
"is the substance of all religion, the recognition of God as a person,
not as goodness, but the Good."
There are many earnest things in his letter, I wish that I could read it
to you and talk about it with you; I must answer it. Somewhere he says,
"But I can see no other way, Christianity alone does not bring one
happiness, only the personal love of God does that, of which
Christianity is the symbol."
[1] To Mevrouw Abendanon.
[2] Magic power to obtain what one wishes.
[3] A talisman which protects from calamity.