Page 393 - Neglected Arabia (1902-1905)

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I littoral, has been tixecl by an exact process, and we depend on little
; more than guesses for all points in the interior/' N'ot in this sense,
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i however, does he speak of unknown Arabia. But in the south there
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“lies a virgin tract obscure enough. * * + Between the innermost
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points reached by Europeans in their attempts to penetrate it, inter­
venes a dark space of six hundred and fifty miles span from north to
•v*:> v::X : : south, and eight hundred and fifty from west to east. This unseen area
I i covers considerably more than half a million square miles, or not much
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less than half the whole superficies of Arabia." This unknown in­
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terior may hold important geographical or archaeological secrets; only
men like Doughty and Halevy who can turn Bedouin for months at a
; time will ever unravel them.
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I • The book has two important lessons for the missionary. First, he
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must contemplate the price that science paid to penetrate the peninsula, \
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; and it should move him to a godly envy to endure like crosses for a
higher service. Niebuhr alone of all his party returned to tell of ;
Yemen; the rest died of fever and exposure. Huber was murdered by
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i Bedouins and his journal published after his death. Seetzen was mur­
dered near Taiz and Manzoni shot with his own rifle by a treacherous
companion. Bent died from the effects of the Hadramaut climate, and
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Von Wrede, after suffering everything to reach the Ahkaf, returned to
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Europe to be scoffed at and his story labeled a romance! Only years
after his tragic death was it corroborated. And Doughty was turned
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out of Nejd sick and penniless to trudge on foot with a caravan and
i! to be betrayed near Mecca, escaping by the skin of his teeth.

n Secondly, there is much to learn from these heroes of geography,
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I although none of them penetrated Arabia in the spirit of Livingstone.
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; “The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the chil­
.: dren of light." A keen discernment of the Arab's character, a fluent,
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j i; accurate knowledge of his speech, a lively interest in his desert joys, a
• • i I heart of sympathy, and a dogged, undaunted perseverance—such were
the stepping-stones to success in the penetration of Arabia for the
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trophies of geography. Shall young men of such a stamp be wanting'
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i! to join our Mission and help penetrate the darkness with the Light of
life? To read a book like this is a challenge to faith as well as a re­
buke for neglect and apathy and love of ease. Arabia must be evatv-
gelized; not only penetrated by the traveler, but occupied by the mis­
j sionary. God’s providence is even now opening the way.
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