Next morning he was called to the police headquarters and the officer forbade him to preach.  He asked what the missionary was doing there, to which he replied, “To preach the gospel.”  The missionary was then prohibited from preaching in the province.  He replied that he was sorry he could not obey, for he had superior orders.  He could not accept orders from the police, nor the Governor, nor even from the President of the Republic.  The officer asked who this superior authority was.  The missionary replied it was God.  God had told him to go preach the gospel in all the world to every creature; some of God’s creatures were in San Fidelis and he was there to preach according to the command of his Lord.  The police officer, after plying him with insulting epithets, kept him a prisoner of the State as a disturber of the peace.  On the following day he was sent to the State prison at Nictheroy, where he was confined for ten days.  Friends, through the solicitation of Mrs. Ginsburg, brought pressure to bear upon the Government and the missionary was released.  He was requested then as a personal favor not to return until after the naval revolt, which was then in progress, should be suppressed and a degree of quiet could be restored to the State.  Being thus requested, he remained away from San Fidelis awhile.

When the revolt was suppressed he returned to San Fidelis and persecution arose again.  He appealed to the chief officer of the State and fifty soldiers were sent to his relief.  In choosing these fifty soldiers the officer asked for believers to volunteer.  Twenty-five responded.  He asked then for sympathizers and twenty-five more volunteered.  These were put under the command of the missionary, who instructed them not to appear armed at the church.  They came unarmed, but when the mob began to thrown stones again and refused to respect the soldiers, they pounced upon the evil doers and there was a rough and tumble fight.  Several were bruised considerably and a number of limbs were broken, but after this conflict the persecution ceased.

We relate these incidents for the purpose of making it clear that our missionaries have been called upon to suffer greatly for the cause of Christ.  Every missionary who has been in Brazil any length of time has felt the weight of personal, physical persecution, and all in the gravest dangers have conducted themselves as became the heroic character with which they are so splendidly endowed.  And this suffering, we are sorry to say, is not yet over.  For many years to come the desperate and despotic hand of Rome, which could in the name of religion invent the horrible inquisition and organize the bloodthirsty order of Jesuits, has not changed its attitude completely and will resist desperately to the last the inevitable progress of Protestantism in Brazil.

Let me hasten, however, to say that it is very easy to get the wrong impression of what the heroism of the missionary consists.  It is easy for us to think it consists in his willingness to face personal danger.  If such an idea should obtain amongst us permanently and alas, it has persisted altogether too long; it will rob the story of missions of its true interest and hazard appreciation of the enterprise upon the ability of the historian to find thrilling tales of adventure to gratify the appetite of the sensation-loving public.