By Rev. A. B. McCoy, D.D.
S.S. New Amsterdam, Mid-Ocean, September 11, 1926
Goodbye to friends, a kiss and a tear for home folks, aboard the train for New York and we are off on our first lap to Europe. Final details are attended to in New York and I mean some details! I at last struck a point where all of Uncle Sam’s “chillum” are one. Every American citizen that leaves these shores must do the same thing.
A visit to the steamer the day before sailing added the first real kick. Due to sail Saturday A.M. at 10 the schedule was changed overnight to sale at 9, one hour earlier. Notices were sent out. We missed ours. Result: We crossed the gang plank just one minutes before it was raised. Moral: Advantage of being a Sunday school missionary—they never get left by trains.
There were some pleasant surprises. Dr. Holley and his “lady friend” saw us off. In our cabin was a lunch by mail from friends, candy and flowers. Letters bidding us bon voyage came from Mrs. Agnes B. Snively and Miss Cora Duncan of Pittsburgh, Miss Maude A. Kinniburgh of Barber College, Miss Dorothy Kinniburgh and Miss Bell of Kansas, Miss Smith of California, Miss Doolittle of Iowa, and Miss Wolf of New York. Some of these messages were sent special delivery.
Candy and flowers came from Mr. and Mrs. Somerndike of New York. All of this was so thoughtful on the part of our friends, so new and unexpected to us, but greatly appreciated. It was impossible to record our feelings.
Three sounds of the whistle and we are off. A salute to the Statue of Liberty and we are gone. Travel is light going East at this time of the year. There are about 200 passengers. We are the only representatives of Ham. Most are Dutch. All are extremely nice. We are seated at the Purser’s table, which is a coveted position—by some. The lovely flowers from the Sumerndikes are put on the table in the dining room to the delight of all. Although this is the 8th day out, the flowers are still fresh and exceedingly attractive. I was anxious to have everybody at the table know that these flowers were ours. Mrs. McCoy advised silence. I held out for two days. The third day I bleated out the facts about these flowers. Meals tasted better after then.
Among the pleasant surprises before we left New York was a purse sent by telegram from the Canadian Convention in session at Cotton Plant, Ark.
It is remarkable how close people get together when they are surrounded by water and can see nothing but water, water, water.
This is Saturday and we are planning to land at Rotterdam sometime Tuesday A.M. Our Conference opens Tuesday night in Belgium. The sea has been fine, except for one or two days. Mrs. McCoy bowed for two days to His Highness, Neptune, but I completely ignored his existence.
I have often wished for our friend, Dr. Dillard. We eat six times a day and we are always ready.
We read, we eat, we sleep. Then in order to change the monotony we sleep, we eat and we read, but with the “Missus” along, it is not lonesome.
My next letter will be on “How It Feels to Be In Europe.” That is if we ever get there. One never knows what will happen with all this water at your feet.
From the front page of the Africo-American Presbyterian, Wilmington, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 30, 1926
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn84025826/1926-09-30/ed-1/seq-1/
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