FAITH and FATE in JERUSALEM by Birgitte Rahbek & Mogens Bähncke
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FAITH AND FATE IN JERUSALEM By Birgitte Rahbek & Mogens Bähncke CONTENTS Foreword..................................................………… 1.Disaster at Sea..........................................……….. 2.Anna and Horatio Spafford................................… 3.Religious Revivalism in America.......................... 4.Exodus to Jerusalem......................................……. 5.The Trial in Chicago.....................................…….. 6.Olof Henrik Larsson......................................…….. 7.Revival in Nås...........................................……….. 8.A Fateful Alliance.......................................……… 9.From Nås to Jerusalem....................................…… 11.The Early Years in Jerusalem...........................…. 12.Changing Times...........................................…….. 13.Shepherd without a Flock.................................…. 14.The Colony During the First World War............... 15.The Break-up of the Colony...............................… 16.Epilogue.................................................…………. Bibliography............................................... ………. "They were cynically said to have come to Jerusalem to do good, and they stayed to do well." (Ronald Storrs, British governor of Jerusalem 1920-26, about The American Colony) FOREWORD It was the coincidence of discovering Selma Lagerlöf's novel Jerusalem, and The American Colony Hotel in that city simultaneously that provided the inspiration for this book. Stepping through the doorway of a hotel as old as the century one can hardly avoid feeling an overwhelming sense of the famous history all around. It happened to us. And Selma Lagerlöf's novel aroused our curiosity about what had actually gone on between the Swedish and American emigrants who lived, fought, worked and died here. Common to all of them was their deep religious conviction, and they all lived a tumultuous, and, at times, hard existence. While the novel centres on the faith of the emigrants, and on love, the official history of The American Colony mostly entails their charity work. By accident we became aware that the story was much longer and more complex than would appear to be the case. Two books, written by Swedish emigrants who had grown up in the Colony, revealed another side to the story, aspects of The American Colony's life which were quite central to its development but which appeared to have been kept quiet up until then. Our interest began to grow, one source led to another until in the end we had most of the parts of what was a dramatic jigsaw puzzle that outdid Selma Lagerlöf's novel, if not in terms of its beauty, then in the fictional and imaginative aspects of the story. Like Selma Lagerlöf, we began in Jerusalem and ended in the little parish of Nås in Dalarna, where most of the Swedish emigrants originated. The story turned out to be very much alive in both places. There are many primary sources for the story, but most of them are influenced by the fact that the person telling the story has a personal or immediate interest in presenting it in such a way that it complies with certain ideals - or that it covers over a lie. We were therefore forced to treat such sources with great caution. This applies in particular to the primary source, Our Jerusalem, Bertha Spafford Vester's book (first published 1950. 2nd edition 1988). This is, first and foremost, a tribute to her mother, Anna Spafford, the central figure in the book; the Swedes are hardly mentioned here. But we also trod carefully with Edith Larsson's Dalafolk i heligt land ("The People of Dala in The Holy Land"). Published in 1957, not least of this book's aims is to resurrect her father, Olof Henrik Larsson, after the treatment he received from everyone in the Colony, including her. Fortunately we were able to make use of a great number of contemporaneous travel accounts, letters and newspaper articles, just as we have had access to existing research material. This account includes dramatic events, a glimpse of the revivalist movements in Chicago and Nås, as well as tales of life in Jerusalem. There is also the story of The American Colony, which began its existence in asceticism, but which, increasingly, was characterised by power struggles and division. Many aspects of the long course of events remain to be investigated and documented, and at times we have had to work out what might have happened from the diverse sources we had. The book does not, therefore, claim to be an academic study, but simply to provide a well founded account of The American Colony's activities in Jerusalem in the years from 1881 to 1930. And the time before and after this period. We are grateful to the people of Nås for their great assistance and interest in passing on information to us about the exodus in 1896. This applies not least of all to Ulf Närsjö who was very helpful in organising our visit to Nås. Furthermore we would like to give a big thanks to the relatives of the emigrant, Gästgifvar Bibi Andersson and her father, Gästgifvar Erik Andersson, along with Ingemar Matsson-Nåsell who supplied us with valuable letters and articles. To the writer and former rector Olof Fahlén of Linköping, who for many years has conducted his own research into the Colony's history, warm thanks for the interesting information. The same goes out to Åke Nåsander in Stockholm. Another descendent of the emigrants, Eric Dinsmore Matsson of Båstad is warmly thanked for good information. In Jerusalem we owe a great debt to professor Ruth Kark, The Hebrew University, for much valuable information, and the same applies to the many in and around The American Colony Hotel who have been helpful to us. Copenhagen, September 1996 Birgitte Rahbek Mogens Bähncke 1. DISASTER AT SEA In November 1873 the French luxury liner SS Ville du Havre set sail from New York on a course bound for France. The Ville du Havre was the most luxurious steamship of its day and, as was common at a time when sailing ships were giving way to steam driven vessels, the Ville du Havre was also rigged to hoist sails. The ship was under the command of a French captain, M. Surmount, and had a crew of 173 men. Among the passengers on board was a young woman, Anna Spafford, the wife of a renowned Chicago lawyer, Horatio Spafford. Aside from running his legal firm, Spafford was also a leading activist of the city's evangelist community. Horatio Spafford was not accompanying his family on this trip, but intended to join them as soon as he had taken care of a few business matters. Anna Spafford was travelling with her four children; eleven year old Annie, nine year old Maggie, seven year old Bessie, and Tanetta, who was two. They were all on their way to France for a holiday. Also travelling with Anna Spafford was her good friend and neighbour, Mrs Goodwin, along with her three children. Their party also included Willie Culver, the son of family friends and Nicolet, the Spafford family's French nanny. On board the ship Anna Spafford renewed her acquaintance of four French priests who were returning home from an evangelist conference in the United States. Horatio Spafford had chosen the cabins which his family and friends were to occupy with considerable thought. However, just before the ship was about to set sail he contacted the purser and asked him to move his family into two other cabins further forwards towards the bow of the ship. He did not quite know why he decided to do this; something simply told him that it was important. Heavy squalls off the coast of New Foundland made the sea very rough and most of the passengers became seasick. But from there on the Atlantic showed a more gentle side of its nature and the sea was indeed so calm that the passengers could hardly tell that they were sailing. At one of the tables in the rather grandiose dining room, where there were fresh flowers in the vases, the French pastor Lorriaux seized hold of the menu and began giving Anna Spafford impromptu lessons in French. Pastor Lorriaux was an acquaintance of the family, his sister having once been employed as a nanny by the Spaffords to take care of their young daughters. Elsewhere on the ship another of the French priests, Emile Cook, had organised Sunday school for the many children on board. It was the 21st of November, and after dinner Anna Spafford and the nanny, Nicolet, put the children to bed before rejoining the other passengers in the saloon. Later in the evening Anna Spafford and pastor Weiss went up on deck for some fresh air and to admire the stars. The air was clear and invigorating. There was no moon. Anna Spafford admired the view, despite the fact that her enjoyment was somewhat tainted by the absence of her husband whom she missed; this was the first time they had been apart for such a long time. Pastor Weiss and Anna Spafford bid one another goodnight and retired to their cabins. At about two o'clock in the morning the Ville du Havre was shaken by two thunderous reports followed by loud screams. The engines stopped and the ship came to a standstill. The corridors filled with frightened half-dressed passengers shouting to one another, but their questions remained unanswered. Anna Spafford and Nicolet hurriedly pulled on their dressing gowns and quickly got the children up and into their clothes. With little Tanetta in her arms, Anna Spafford was one of the first to reach the upper deck. In the water, a few hundred metres from the Ville du Havre lay the cause of the commotion; a large ironclad sailing ship, the British vessel Lochearn. Like two huge wounded beasts the Ville du Havre and the Lochearn lay in a sea foaming with the force of the collision. On the deck of the Ville du Havre Captain Surmount was shouting out orders to his crew and to the frightened passengers.