THERE are few things more calculated to enlarge the mind, quicken the imagination, and deepen sympathy in the ways and affairs of men than a tour of the world. It was indeed a happy thing for the subject of this biography that he was able, through the generosity of his parents, to undertake such a journey. The enforced quietness of life on board the S.S. Oceana gave him much needed rest for mind and body, and enabled him to think over in detail the scheme he was so eager to promote, and to prepare for the arduous campaign of the months to come. One may be sure that to one of his ardent and enthusiastic temperament, the voyage would be one of intense interest. He would be finding on every hand matter for thought, subject for illustration and confirmation of the great need for Gospel grace in the lives of men. It is a pity that no letters or notes relating to his voyage remain.
Mr. Black arrived in Adelaide on, or about, 15th March, 1891, and remained on the Australian mainland until the middle of the following October, spending four months in Victoria, five weeks in New South Wales, three weeks in South Australia, and two weeks in Queensland. The city of Melbourne received the greater part of Mr. Black's ministry. During his stay of three months he was the guest of Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Davies. Mrs. Davies was formerly married to Mr. Thomas Hughes Milner, Evangelist of the Churches of Christ in Great Britain, a man who had left a deep influence upon the churches, both by the clearness of his teaching and the piety of his life. His early death was a great loss to the community. Mrs. Davies gladly received the young preacher, and his stay at her hospitable home was amongst the pleasantest recollections of his tour. Mrs. Davies is happily still living, and active in every good work.
Mr. Black's labours in Melbourne were abundant. Considerably over one hundred set addresses were delivered, at first in the Collingwood Town Hall and later in Swanston Street Chapel, where the services were so successful that it was decided to close the Meeting House and take the Theatre Royal for four Lord's Days. Here the interest aroused by the English Evangelist was so great that over 12,000 people crowded into the meetings to hear the good news of salvation, and hundreds were turned away from the doors. From a record of the meetings taken from an Australian paper we learn that:-
"The preacher delivered four very able and impressive discourses on the following subjects, in the order given, 'Love's Wonderful Gift,' 'The Captive's Vision of God,' 'The Great Revolution of Life,' and 'The Triumph of Unselfish Love.'"
His message, his manner, and breezy personality soon won the regard of the Australian brethren, his visits were triumphal in their nature, and the expressions of appreciation contained in the journals published by the brotherhood were all most laudatory. The West London Mission was in no way forgotten, for it was part of Mr. Black's programme to devote one evening at each Church he visited to a detailed statement of his aims and hopes for the new work. He succeeded so well in this that he was able to obtain about £1,000 towards his scheme, a decided proof of the generosity and sympathy of the Australian Churches for the poor and sinful of the Old Country, as well as a testimony to the enthusiasm of the pioneer of the Mission.
Nor did his public advocacy from the platform exhaust Sydney Black's efforts in the good cause, for we find him, by means of interviews, obtaining a hearing in the columns of the daily press for an exposition of the truths he loved to proclaim. In addition, his pen was busy writing articles for English papers, and in conducting correspondence in the local papers on various questions that arose out of his addresses, and had aroused public opinion at the time.
In South Australia also success awaited Mr. Black. Large and interested meetings were held in the Town Hall at Adelaide. Local churches were visited, and every moment of the short stay used to the full, in the proclamation of the Gospel, and in the advocacy of the Mission. In Adelaide the pleasure of his visit was greatly enhanced by the fact that he was the guest of Dr. Joseph C. Verco, with whom he had spent happy days in London, when Dr. Verco was resident there, and a member of the Chelsea Church.
From Adelaide Mr. Black made his way to the Colony of New South Wales, and speedily found himself engaged in a special mission held in the Central Protestant Hall, Sydney, where in five weeks, twenty-seven meetings were addressed, and many thousand persons reached by the message. In addition to this effort, all the Churches in the surrounding districts were visited. Here the preacher laid aside his work for four days to camp in the bush in the Blue Mountains, and to visit the famous Jenolan Caves.
Nor was the Colony of Queensland forgotten, and the brethren at Brisbane were not a whit behind the others in the warmth of their welcome.
It would be tedious to prolong the record of the work undertaken in Australia by Mr. Black. Everywhere he was received with unmistakable welcome, everywhere he departed amidst expressions of loving regard, carrying with him happy memories of a warm-hearted brotherhood, eager for the prosperity of Zion, practically sympathetic to his plea for the multitudes of London, and true to the Faith once for all delivered to the saints.
Leaving the Australian mainland Mr. Black determined to sail to New Zealand by way of Tasmania, and to visit Hobart and Launceston. In both of these places he was received with warm welcome by the delighted brethren. Of his visit to Hobart the following account, which appeared in the columns of The Australian Christian Standard, will serve both to show the manner of his work and the influence he was able to exert:
"We have been encouraged and strengthened during the past three weeks by the visit of our gifted brother, Sydney Black, of London. He preached on three Lord's Day evenings to large and attentive audiences in the Temperance Hall (the largest hall in the city), and it was a sight to be remembered to see the hundreds of upturned eager faces drinking in the wonderful words of life, that poured in a perfect torrent of eloquence from the lips of our brother. His burning words and intense earnestness compelled the attention of his audience. The 'Old, Old Story' gathered beauty as he told it, and stirred the hearts of many to their depth. A spirit of enquiry has been aroused by brother Black's visit, and New Testament Truth has been brought prominently before the public, both by the meetings and the press. One local Editor placed a column of his paper at Mr. Black's disposal, and through it a full explanation of the principles and teaching of the Churches of Christ were sent broadcast through the City.
"Brother Black endeared himself to all who had the good fortune to hear him in public or to meet him in private. His straightforward and manly character won him the respect of everybody, whether of like opinion in matters of religion or not. The earnest wish of the brotherhood here is, that he may soon see his way to once more visit us, and reanimate us by his unbounded zeal for Christ."
A wish, alas! never to be realised.
On 19th November, Sydney Black sailed for New Zealand in the S.S. Talme. The voyage is interesting for the fact that on board he fell in with Dr. Charles A. Berry, of Wolverhampton, the well-known Congregational Minister of Queen Street Chapel, with whom his intercourse would appear to have been of the friendliest nature, for in a letter written about this time, Mr. Black speaks of the delightful and edifying conversations they had together.
Four days later Mr. Black reached Invercargill and immediately took up his work again, preaching in Hannan's Hall. The Church here was not a large one, but it seized every opportunity to use the service of the English visitor with good results. A week later he was in Mataura where his intense earnestness and his unconventional manner appears to have roused great interest, for he had large and appreciative audiences and favourable notices from the daily press. The Southern Standard of Otago not only gave an extended account of an interview with Mr. Black, but also in a subsequent issue devoted two columns to a descriptive sketch of one of the services, in which, describing Mr. Black's appearance, it said:
"Mr. Black is as unministerial in outline as a man could well be. No broadcloth coat, no Oxford waistcoat, no M.B. collar, nothing to give a person the slightest inkling that he is a religious teacher."
In this statement the reporter has touched upon one of Sydney Black's strong characteristics: his utter dislike of anything that savoured of clericalism in attire, in manner, or in title. It grieved him to have the title "Reverend" prefixed to his name, for he held that the word was nowhere in the Scripture applied to man, but only to God.
Dunedin was the scene of his next labours. Here Mr. Black remained for over three weeks preaching in the Tabernacle and City Hall. On New Year's Day, 1892, he reached Oamaru, where he had the joy of meeting with an old friend, one whom he had known in his boyhood, Mr. Henry Exley, Evangelist, with whom he spent several happy days, even though his host at the time was in a condition of ill-health. The intercourse of the aged saint, whose days were fast closing, with the enthusiastic, earnest young preacher must have been peculiarly blessed to both. To the old man, the sight of one in strength and buoyant energy carrying on the work he loved and had lived for would be a cause of deep thankfulness; while to the young man the influence of one so near to the end of his pilgrimage would but deepen his own desire to serve and to be used for God's glory. Of this visit Sydney Black wrote:-
"He (Mr. Exley) is an old traveller and missionary, and his experience is very ripe and extensive. Our communion with him was sweet indeed. May he long be spared to labour for his Lord."
Alas! for human wishes. Only a few years remained for both. The young warrior and the aged saint were both soon to be called to their rest. Their warfare was even then nearly accomplished.
A short tour amongst the smaller Churches on the West Coast of the South island followed. Greymouth, Ross, Hokitika and Brunnerton all received a visit. In Ross, after services in the Presbyterian Church, six persons desired baptism, and three days later were immersed in the Totara River in the presence of an intensely interested throng, to whom such an incident was altogether unique.
After a visit to Nelson, Mr. Black completed his tour of the South Island by a short stay in Christchurch, where the brethren had taken the Theatre Royal for the special services. In addition to his Gospel addresses, he spoke also at a great Temperance Demonstration in the same building, to what he termed "the most enthusiastic audience he had faced in the Colonies."
Crossing to the North Island, we next find him at Wellington, where again the ordinary resources of the Meeting Houses would have proved too small for the audiences who gathered, and the Opera House was engaged. From this place he moved on to Auckland, which was to be the last place in his Colonial wanderings. Here once more an Opera House was requisitioned, and again followed the same success in arousing and holding the attention of the people by the Gospel message. At Auckland Mr. Black was privileged to meet and reside with his uncle, Caleb Wallis, his mother's youngest brother. This visit was in all respects a happy termination of his Island adventures.
The four months of his New Zealand tour had been busy ones for Sydney Black. Crowded with work, every day brought its new experience of places and people. The brethren, delighted with their visiting brother from the Old Country, vied with each other in their endeavours to make his stay a happy one, while they rejoiced in the inspiration and uplift of his brave, strong personality and service. Little time could be spared for mere sight-seeing, for we can only find mention of a four-days' coaching trip through the Otira Gorge and the Buller River Valley, and a day at the goldfields of Ross and Kumara, where the Evangelist - turned gold-digger - was able to accumulate a fortune of seven pennyweights of the precious metal.
On 26th March, 1892, Mr. Black sailed by the S.S. Alameda for San Francisco. Of his wanderings across the Continent of America the records are few and scattered, so that the chronicler can only give an imperfect account of his work there. After preaching and lecturing in San Francisco, Denver, Pueblo, and Colorado Springs, we find him at Salt Lake City, Utah, where his visit created something like a sensation amongst the Disciples of Christ in that place. The following extract from a letter, written by Mr. F.B. Clay, will give an idea of the impression his preaching made upon the American brethren. He writes:-
"Yesterday Mr. Black preached for us both morning and evening, and it has seldom been my pleasure to hear such splendid presentations of the Truth. He fairly electrified the audiences with his great plea for more unselfish love in our lives and labours. He is a most earnest and faithful preacher of the Word. He is quite conservative on some points, but treats with fairness the convictions of those who differ from him. He is a man of power and is sure to do great good in the world. His personal presence is splendid, his spirit excellent, and his earnestness contagious and inspiring. Give him a cordial welcome."
This is interesting because the writer indicates what was one of the paradoxes of Sydney Black's character, his conservatism in matters of faith allied with his radicalism in all that pertained to the social and political side of life.
Mr. Black's visit to Des Moines, in the State of Iowa, was perhaps the most interesting episode of his American travels. It is a city in which the Disciples of Christ, with a membership of 3,000 souls, are at the head of the Protestant Churches. They had four Meeting Houses at the time, and in addition to their Gospel propaganda, were interested in social and mission work. In this city also is situated the Drake University, one of the principal theological colleges maintained by the Churches of Christ in America. Mr. Black reached Des Moines on 14th May, 1892, and received a hearty welcome from the brethren. Of his preaching and the interest created by the man and his message, let the following extract from a letter by Mr. A.E. Cory bear witness. Mr. Cory writes:-
"On Lord's Day morning, 15th May, Brother Black was prevailed upon to preach in the University Church. It was a great audience and a great sermon. Those who were fortunate enough to hear this sermon were thrilled and delighted. Our Brother's fervid oratory and methods of exegesis drew all those who listened to him once to hear him again. He preached again at night by urgent request, in the same Church, which was thronged with over 1,000 souls, of whom several hundreds were University students. His subject was 'God's revelation to men, God's incarnation among men, God's impartation of Himself to men.' On the following Tuesday morning our Brother lectured to the Drake students on his tour. Over and over again did prolonged applause greet his words of wit, philosophy and eloquence. From the first time be appeared before the Drake faculty and students to the last, he was greatly loved and admired. On the same afternoon our visitor gave a lecture to the Bible College students on 'The Relation of the Christian Church to the work of the Social Salvation of the Masses.' A very large audience was in attendance. On Wednesday night Brother Black preached at the Central Church. The discourse was an eloquent exegesis of the Johannine conception of the nature of evil. At this service our Brother was induced to remain over a second Lord's Day. Thus on the following Lord's Day he preached for Dr. Hobbs in the East Des Moines Meeting House. The place was filled to overflowing with the most cultured people of the city. Brother Black seemed to drink in the spirit of the occasion, and delivered, in the opinion of some, his finest sermon in Iowa on 'The Judgment that begins at the House of God.' In the afternoon our Brother addressed a mass meeting of all the Disciples of Christ in the City in the Central Church. His subject was 'The Forward Movement in the Churches of Christ in Great Britain,' and for over an hour the audience sat in rapt and sympathetic attention. At the close of the discourse $1,000 were forthcoming for the work in London. As had been previously announced, our Brother delivered his last sermon in the evening. The large auditorium and galleries were filled to overflowing with 1,400 people. Our Brother's last effort was a grand one. Some declared it to be the greatest sermon ever delivered in the Central Church. The hearts of the people were touched as seldom before. The prayers of the brethren follow him in his noble work for the Master. May God bless him wherever he goes, and in every enterprise for the uplifting of mankind, for he is a great and good man."
We next hear of Sydney Black in July, at Detroit, in the State of Michigan, where the welcome he received was not a whit less cordial than he had experienced elsewhere. The same earnestness on his part evoked an answering response from those he addressed. A visit to Niagara followed, and the sight of the great Falls appears to have much impressed Mr. Black, for he seems to have delighted his American friends by his enthusiastic declaration that Niagara was the grandest scene in all his travels.
Later we hear of Mr. Black paying a visit to the State of Maine and there interviewing the veteran of the Prohibition Cause, General Neal Dow.
Bridgeport, in the State of Connecticut, was another place of call. Here he met with Mr. Charles Abercrombie, who, as an Evangelist at one time in the service of the British Churches, had laboured in the Gospel with much acceptance, chiefly in Scotland. The older Evangelist was much attracted by his visitor, and reported in glowing terms the pleasure the visit had been to him and the Church. Everywhere throughout the States the record is the same. Sydney Black came, preached and won the affectionate regard of the brotherhood, as much by his singleness of aim and the sincerity of his manner as by the fervour of his preaching.
In September we find Mr. Black in Alleghany City in the State of Pennsylvania, where he addressed large audiences. His dislike of everything clerical was shown here. An evening paper had announced his services as by the Rev. Sydney Black, of London, England. In the evening, before commencing his address, Mr. Black took occasion to repudiate the title, saying with characteristic bluntness:-
"Believing as I do in the universal priesthood of all obedient believers in our Divine Redeemer, I know of no hierarchy of priests and ministers in the Christian Church. Every immersed believer here tonight is a priest. Every immersed believer here tonight is a Christian minister. I never dabble in prefixes nor affixes of any description."
Mr. Black observed this principle thoroughly, and refused to take advantage of the reduction in fares usually granted by the railway companies in America to ministers of the Gospel. On one occasion when purchasing some articles of clothing he was offered by the seller a discount from the price, because he was a preacher. His surprise was great, but the astonishment of the shopkeeper was even greater when Mr. Black indignantly refused to pay one penny less than an ordinary customer. He never could understand any one making a gain of the Gospel.
This almost fierce spirit of independence dominated him all his life. He never accepted any money for any sermon or service of his, but spent himself freely, ungrudgingly, willingly, because of the great love he bore for his Redeemer and his God.
After a pleasant visit to his kinsfolk in Pittsburg, he sailed from New York in the S.S. Majestic, arriving in Liverpool on the 17th November, 1892, after an absence of nearly two years.
The advantage that this pilgrimage conferred upon Mr. Black was incalculable. It widened his mental horizon, intensified his faith in the message of Redeeming Grace and his belief in the principles of New Testament Truth, emphasised by the Church he served. His love of the brethren, always strong, was deepened by the intimacy and new friendships formed with so many good men in the Colonies and America. He ever after spoke in terms of warmest admiration of the Churches in those countries.
If he were optimistic when knowing only the small and almost unnoticed communities of Christians in this country professing a like faith with himself, after his tour and contact with the larger and more flourishing Churches throughout the world, his belief in the possibilities of the movement for the Restoration of Primitive Christianity became unbounded. With him, faith laughed at difficulties and cried, "It shall be done."