er eee Nen 
 
 Serna ieee 
 eae 
 
 
 

 
D 
 
 Ek te IJ An 4 . 5 i 
 DEP SBE Se RR ee ee tai 
 ee = é Te ae Soe : 
 ot = ay le , Se 
 oi" 2 a Sr . — é 
 ie , er en 
 d rn ee ne ee aie EN? i po 
 
 ae 3 et er ss 2 wiene” , 
 He ad? Sut a mi ac sis : 
 
 = 
 oe) 
 ns ae 
 
 Ten 
 
 at Thei 
 HERIK 
 A ‘ 
 
 vi 
 eh SE Cd 4) 
 \, Ware A) st 
 
 Nie aa? We 
 KN. NIN AEG 
 Bytes 
 
 
 

 
df 
 
 Eset, 
 
 
 

 
 FATHER FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
Sh OF PRINCE DD 
 MR , MAY 4 1920 | 
 FELIX WESTER REUS 
 MISSIONER IN BORNEO 
 
 
 
 
 Bres Vi RAW. 
 (His sister) 
 WITH A COMMENDATORY LETTER FROM | 
 HIS EMINENCE, CARDINAL VAN ROSSUM 
 
 _ CARDINAL PREFECT OF PROPAGANDA 
 
 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE DUTCH BY 
 REVEREND T. W. LEFEBER 
 
 OF SAINT JOSEPH’S FOREIGN MISSIONARY SOCIETY 
 OF MILL HILL 
 
 EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY THE 
 CATHOLIC FOREIGN MISSION SOCIETY 
 OF AMERICA 
 MARYKNOLL : : ; NEW YORK 
 
Mihil Obstat: 
 ARTHUR J. SCANLAN, S.T.D. 
 Censor of Books 
 
 Jmprimatur: 
 PATRICK CARDINAL HAYES 
 Archbishop of New York 
 
 New York, APRIL, 1924 
 
 PINE NERI 
 
 Copyright, 1924, by the 
 Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America 
 Maryknoll, N. Y. 
 
 Printed in the United States of America 
 
PREFACE 
 
 | MONG his brethren of Mill Hill, the 
 A memory of Father Felix Westerwoudt 
 
 is preserved as most precious. Many 
 who were his contemporaries at Hageveld and 
 Warmond repeatedly expressed, and not without 
 emotion, their sincere veneration for the humble 
 missioner who in far-off Borneo had given him- 
 self so generously to his mission work. 
 
 It had long been our intention to gather some 
 particulars of Father Westerwoudt’s life. Re- 
 cently we learned of the existence of a biography 
 written by one of his nearest relatives for the 
 occasion of a family jubilee, and we requested 
 permission to make this account more widely 
 known. After some hesitation, the permission 
 was granted. ‘The story is all the more touching 
 because it is so intimate, so loving, so simple. 
 
 As for its accuracy, Father Reyffert, Father 
 Westerwoudt’s co-worker in Borneo, declares: 
 << Having known Felix intimately for many years, 
 living and working with him during the latter 
 part of his life, I readily join in the praise 
 which is bestowed upon him as a humble, hard- 
 working, and holy priest, beloved by his flock.” 
 
 iil 
 
Iv PREFACE 
 
 The question naturally arose as to whether it 
 would not have been more in accord with Father 
 Westerwoudt’s spirit to keep his story confined 
 to a small circle. One of his fellow priests 
 wrote that, to his mind, Father Felix “ would 
 prefer to remain like the flower in the mountain 
 cleft, blooming unseen by man, blooming for God 
 alone ”. 
 
 Thanks be to God, among Catholic missioners 
 there are many like him! Yet we were of the 
 opinion that much good might be accomplished 
 by the publication of this life story. This priest, 
 though dead, will still preach by his example, 
 and will prove to the world that even in our own 
 days apostolic men are found to whom the folly 
 of the Cross is sublimest wisdom! 
 
 — H. AHaus 
 (Rector, Saint Joseph’s Preparatory College) 
 
 Tilburg, Holland, 1918. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PREFACE . 
 LETTER FROM CARDINAL VAN RossuM 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 At HOME 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 AT THE SEMINARY 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 Mitt Hur - 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 THE JOURNEY 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 Tue DyAKs 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 OPENING OF THE SINGHI MISSION . 
 Vv 
 
 I2 
 
 2I 
 
 27 
 
 38 
 
vi CONTENTS 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 TRIALS 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 Dyak FEAST Days . 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 First FRUITS 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 JoURNEYINGS BY LAND AND SEA 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 REINFORCEMENTS 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 Via CRUCIS . 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 Tue LABORER GOES HOME . 
 
 PAGE 
 45 
 
 53 
 59 
 ae | 
 82 
 04 
 
 107 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 Father Felix Westerwoudt. . . . . Frontispiece 
 
 FACING PAGE 
 An Exchange Market in North Borneo . . . 16 
 PPE IRVALOUSLIVAKALAUCS gehe Criewiite varden tie ban lg 2 
 Enemies’ Skulls as Hut Decorations . . . . = 50 
 PCS ULNVEASSIOI Seine IVER Eje FEM ie head) ee GG 
 misteromwitn Natives Ups. ie) eet OV aie Be 
 Father Westerwoudt and His Boys . . . . 98 
 
 Father Westerwoudt’s Successors and the Boys of 
 Pee VISSOU Me reve eis ie es ae LA 
 
 vii 
 

 
A LETTER FROM 
 HIS EMINENCE, CARDINAL VAN ROSSUM, 
 CARDINAL PREFECT OF PROPAGANDA 
 
 The picture of Father Felix Westerwoudt, 
 drawn in this simple and touching biography, 
 might be gazed upon with great profit by present 
 and future missioners. It furnishes them with 
 a living, concrete example, more clear and for- 
 cible than many abstract suggestions and lessons. 
 In this picture will be seen, not only the man of 
 principle, having but one ideal; not only the man 
 of character, directing all his endeavors toward 
 the realization of that ideal, and sacrificing all 
 to that; but also. the apostle, filled with love for 
 the Crucified Jesus, and using all efforts to be- 
 come like Him and remain united to Him, know- 
 ing that his own personal sanctity is a requisite 
 to spread this love and successfully preach it to 
 others. 
 
 Father Westerwoudt burned with desire to be- 
 come like unto Jesus, and to remain united with 
 Him there where our Divine Redeemer opened 
 up the fountain of all salvation — on the Cross. 
 He well knew that in that union lay the strength 
 to gain the treasure of faith for the poor souls 
 
 ix 
 
x FROM CARDINAL VAN ROSSUM 
 
 of the heathen; and he did not stop with knowing 
 this, but in an heroic manner during long years, 
 day after day, he turned the knowledge into prac- 
 tice. | 
 
 Hence, we are confident that those who, an- 
 swering God’s call, have chosen the apostolate 
 for their inheritance, will reap the greatest benefit 
 from the repeated reading of and meditation 
 upon this book. They will find their ideals puri- 
 fied by it more and more, and will ever draw 
 nearer and nearer to the highest ideal, there to 
 remain. The love of Jesus will become the only 
 motive urging them towards the field afar, and 
 will grow continually in them, teaching them to 
 make sacrifices. It will awaken in them the 
 thirst for suffering, for mortification, poverty, 
 hardship, disappointment, and trial, — means 
 which Jesus Himself chose to accomplish the 
 work of our Redemption. These they will choose 
 for their life companions; these they will joy- 
 fully welcome and embrace, in order to be more 
 intimately united with the Heart of Christ, re- 
 membering the Apostle’s words: “ When I am 
 weak, then am I strong.” 
 
 How eagerly, then, do we desire that this 
 book should be read by missioners of both sexes, 
 by those who are now being trained to the sub- 
 lime life, by the youth in seminaries and colleges, 
 that while listening to God’s call they may learn 
 
FROM CARDINAL VAN ROSSUM xi 
 
 from the example of Father Westerwoudt to set 
 aside and overcome all the difficulties and 
 obstacles which may hinder them from accom- 
 plishing God’s Holy Will. And if we may 
 express a wish it is that this book may be trans- 
 lated into some other language giving facilities 
 for a wider circulation than the Dutch edition 
 can attain, in order that the book’s beneficent 
 influences may no longer be confined to narrow 
 limits, but may go out over the whole world. 
 
 We pray God and Mary, the Queen of the 
 Apostles, to bless this work and make it thrive. 
 Grateful to Your Reverence for the part you 
 have taken in it, we gladly bless you, with your 
 many brethren and students, and all the readers 
 of this excellent book. 
 
 — WILLIAM CARDINAL VAN RossUM 
 
 Rome, Palace of the Propaganda, 
 February 13, 1919. 
 
w 
 
 EM ne 
 bid vorpal 
 nv f 
 
 
 
FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 MISSIONER IN BORNEO 
 
 I 
 AT HOME 
 
 ELIx JoHN Mary WEsTERWOUDT was born 
 
 k in Amsterdam on the fourteenth of March, 
 1861, in a thoroughly Catholic family. 
 
 His father, Felix Westerwoudt, LL.D., counted 
 three religious among his sisters. His mother, 
 Laurentia Bruynen, selected as godfather for the 
 ‘new-born child her uncle, John Cyprian Schermer, 
 a missionary priest in Curacao. This worthy 
 missioner, who labored for Christ in the tropics 
 for fifty long years, cooperated, no doubt, by his 
 example and by his prayers in turning Felix’s 
 thoughts and desires to his own high calling. 
 
 Felix was the third of eight children, the 
 youngest of whom became a nun. 
 
 Felix grew up under most favorable circum- 
 stances. The ample resources of his parents pre- 
 served him from any privations, and made it 
 possible for his mother to devote herself entirely 
 to the education of the children. His father was 
 a busy man, a member of Parliament and officer 
 
 I 
 
2 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 or director of many financial and charitable insti- 
 tutions, yet he always contrived to spare an hour 
 or two daily for his dear ones. Felix’s favorite 
 friend and companion was his elder ‘brother, 
 William. The boys usually spent their free 
 time together, in long walks or with practical 
 lessons in carpentry, and the usefulness of the 
 latter Felix as a missioner many times experi- 
 enced. 
 
 Often Mr. Westerwoudt joined his sons at 
 their recreations, devoting to them all the time 
 that he could spare. He aroused in them an inter- 
 est in plants and insects; he taught them to make 
 small, unsightly photographs — for amateur 
 photography was then in its infancy; he went 
 fishing with them, or took them to visit interest- 
 ing places in and around the city. Although 
 slender and pale, Felix was well and strongly 
 built and delighted in out-door sports, in many 
 of which he excelled. Whatever might come to 
 him in later years, his youth was a happy one 
 and helped to lay the foundations of that never- 
 failing cheerfulness that was one of his most 
 striking characteristics. 
 
 As a child, Felix was sometimes irritable and 
 hot-tempered. On one occasion, having been 
 placed in a room by himself as a punishment, he 
 smashed a pane of glass with his fist to cool his 
 temper. Jealousy, too, occasionally had its way 
 
AT HOME 3 
 
 with him. Once, at a children’s party, he stub- 
 bornly refused to join in a race, and when his 
 father insisted on knowing the reason, he replied: 
 “Tf I lose, I shall cry. And I do not want to 
 do that.” But no one ever knew him to be 
 guilty of a deceitful, false, or disloyal act. 
 He was a lively, pleasing, playful boy, full of 
 innocent gaiety, ready for a prank at any time, 
 and a favorite alike with his fellow pupils and 
 his teachers. 
 
 From seven to thirteen, Felix was at a private 
 school for Catholic boys of comfortable means. 
 The principal bore testimony, thirty years later, 
 that Felix was his best and dearest pupil and was 
 beloved by all. When he was thirteen, his 
 schoolmates elected him to represent them on an 
 occasion when all the schools of Holland were 
 uniting to present a token of homage to the King. 
 This was in 1874, at the silver jubilee of King 
 William III. Later Felix delivered an address 
 to the King at the palace, in the name of all the 
 youth of the kingdom. 
 
 When Felix was eleven years old his vocation 
 to the priesthood was made evident to him, on 
 the day when he made his First Holy Com- 
 munion. His mother, who had had a large 
 share in the careful preparation, rejoiced to see 
 that her boy longed for the great day. When it 
 came, it brought him All — and asked all in re- 
 
4 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 turn. Jesus gave Himself wholly to the innocent 
 child in that first embrace, but asked in return 
 a total surrender of soul and body. | 
 
 The next day Felix told his mother that he 
 wished to become a priest, that he believed it to 
 be his vocation. The mother’s heart was thrilled. 
 Her son, her child, a priest of God! Some day, 
 in the far-off future, the fair head that she loved 
 so well, crowned with the halo of the holy priest- 
 hood! She shared the good news with her 
 husband, who rejoiced with her. But both 
 parents decided that it was incumbent upon them 
 to seriously test the vocation of their son. They — 
 advised him to make himself worthy of so high 
 a calling by ardent prayer and good behavior, 
 and they forbade him to speak of it for the next 
 few years, excepting with his confessor. 
 
 In no way disclosing his high aspirations, the 
 boy took up again his school life with sufficient 
 diligence and punctuality to content his superiors 
 in every way. And all the time he remained 
 the gay youngster, full of fun and innocent 
 pranks, the favorite of his school, the joy of his 
 home. When he had finished his course at the 
 elementary school, his father, on the advice of 
 wise counsellors, sent him to the High School at 
 Amsterdam, but his vocation was equal to this 
 test, also. The father, puzzled at first by the 
 easy-going cheerfulness and contentment of the 
 
AT HOME 5 
 
 lad, asked his wife: “ Do you believe that Felix 
 is still thinking of becoming a priest? ” 
 
 The mother’s eye, however, saw rightly; the 
 mother’s heart did not err. “Oh, undoubtedly! ” 
 she replied. 
 
 And indeed, before long, the high-school boy 
 came rushing down the stairs, as was his wont, 
 and knocked at the door of his father’s study. 
 Going straight to the point, he said: “ Father, 
 I wish to tell you that my desire of becoming a 
 priest has changed in no way. Is it not time 
 now to make arrangements? ” 
 
 Thus it became evident to his father that there 
 was question of something more than a childish 
 fancy, and that henceforward nothing would 
 stand in the way of his son’s aspiration. Felix 
 had finished the two lower classes at the High 
 School and had réached his fifteenth year. After 
 the summer holidays of the year 1876, he entered 
 the diocesan preparatory seminary, “ Hageveld ”, 
 near Leyden. His heart’s desire was no longer 
 to remain hidden within him; henceforth every- 
 body was free to know: he wished to become a 
 priest. 
 
IT 
 AT THE SEMINARY 
 
 + length Felix was in the Seminary. At 
 A the beginning he had to apply himself 
 principally to the profane sciences. But 
 gradually the higher studies of dogmatic. and 
 moral theology came to the front, and soon they 
 required all his attention. 
 
 How often in the first years, while the torch 
 of mere human knowledge was being lighted in 
 him, did the well-chosen words of his priest- 
 teachers unfold to him the treasures of divine 
 grace! Great was the change from the High 
 School, where nothing spoke to him of God, 
 where nearly all his fellow-students were either. 
 Protestants or young unbelievers, to this nursery 
 of levites, where everyone’s ideals were raised to 
 a divine height, albeit not always fully realized. 
 
 What Felix had been at Elementary School 
 and High School, he became at the Seminary: 
 everybody’s favorite. At his death, many years 
 after, this was unanimously affirmed by all who 
 had known him in those early days. Father 
 Driessen, of pious memory, said: “ Both at Hage- 
 veld and at the Major Seminary of Warmond, 
 
 6 ; 
 
AT THE SEMINARY - 
 
 Felix was loved by all for his kindheartedness. 
 As long as I knew him, I never saw him in a 
 bad temper or out of humor. He always was 
 the same jovial, kind and friendly boy.” 
 
 If at playtime a large strong hand placed a 
 blow too vigorously on some sensitive spot, it 
 was always forgiven, for the generous, - boyish 
 laughter of Felix Westerwoudt told that no of- 
 fense was meant. 
 
 Although the boy was so generally liked, there 
 was a time when his professors were not entirely 
 satisfied with him. Pranks occurred too fre- 
 quently, and the Rector felt obliged to inform 
 the parents: “Felix ought to understand that 
 seminary life requires also more exterior com- 
 posure.” 
 
 From this evil, however, came good. To 
 Felix’s mother it was the revelation that a future 
 priest needs prayers no less —nay, even more — 
 than the other children who remain exposed to 
 the perils of the world. From that day, 
 especially, Felix never lacked those prayers. 
 
 Only a few months after he had entered the 
 Seminary, a great happiness awaited him. His 
 Easter vacation was prolonged by his Superiors 
 to enable him to accompany his parents and 
 brother and sister to Rome. It was Pius IX, 
 of glorious memory, whose hand was laid in 
 blessing on the head of the young levite. In 
 
8 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 the Eternal City Mr. Westerwoudt suggested 
 that Felix return to Rome for the doctorate at 
 the end of his Seminary course. Felix smiled, 
 but did not answer deasively. Even then an- 
 other offer had been made to him; his heart was 
 turning to the toilsome life of the foreign 
 missioner rather than the less arduous one of a 
 Roman doctor, meritorious and noble though 
 the latter be. 
 
 A vocation to the foreign missions was growing 
 in him all through the days at the preparatory 
 seminary at Hageveld. When he left to take up 
 the theological course at Warmond, he felt with 
 increasing certainty that God was calling him to 
 something different from home-mission work. 
 Two years later he wrote to his sister: “ Indeed, 
 for many years I have had the desire, once 1 am 
 a priest, not to confine my labors to the diocese 
 of Harlem, but to go where the laborers are so 
 few. I have always wished to become a foreign 
 missioner. I believe I am called to it.” 
 
 During the retreat which followed his entrance 
 into the Major Seminary of Warmond, he laid 
 the matter before his confessor, seeking advice. 
 The father advised him to keep praying for 
 light. He bade Felix repeat constantly during 
 the retreat the words of holy Samuel: “ Speak, 
 Lord, for Thy servant heareth! ” 
 
 Now, a picture of the child-prophet had been 
 
AT THE SEMINARY 9 
 
 familiar to Felix from earliest infancy. Often, 
 indeed, from his little cot at home he had fixed 
 his eyes on the ornament of the nursery: the 
 picture of young Samuel, startled from his 
 slumber, with the listening face, the big attentive 
 eyes, the little hands piously folded! To Felix, 
 too, God’s answer came quickly. It grew ever 
 clearer, till, at the close of the retreat, he was 
 cheerfully and most firmly resolved to work for 
 souls in the field afar. 
 
 He decided to offer himself for the foreign 
 missions after ordination, and consequently went 
 on with the regular course at Warmond, pursuing 
 his theological studies and following the exer- 
 cises with the other seminarians. Although Felix 
 did not mention his own hopes, he often spoke 
 of the missionary life and all connected with it 
 so warmly that some of his friends came to sus- 
 pect his heart’s desire. With one in particular 
 these conversations grew so enthusiastic that both 
 young men began to fear they would impede a 
 clear view of their respective vocations. Not 
 wishing to unduly influence each other in the 
 choice of the apostolic vocation, they generously 
 decided to sacrifice the pleasure of these talks, 
 so that no voice from without might deaden that 
 of God. Felix was the first to see his course 
 clearly; more than a year later his friend fol- 
 lowed. 
 
10 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 After two years at Warmond, Felix heard at 
 his own home a conversation which caused him 
 to change his plans. Mr. Westerwoudt — who 
 knew nothing of his son’s missionary aspirations 
 —defended the opinion that, for a future 
 missioner, it was desirable to secure in time an 
 adequate preparation at an appropriate institution. 
 Felix took no part in the conversation, but felt 
 that he had heard the voice of Providence. 
 Accordingly, when the guests had departed, he 
 went to his father and asked to be dealt with as 
 the father had advocated. 
 
 “ Poor father! ” a member of the family wrote 
 later, “at that moment a sword pierced his heart. 
 He knew then that the days when he would have 
 his dear son with him were numbered. But no 
 difficulties were raised, no obstructions put in the 
 way, no postponement asked for or advised. Nay 
 more, Felix could testify in after years, ‘ Father 
 was continually of assistance to me’.” 
 
 Such assistance meant more in Felix’s youth 
 than it would now. Today Holland has many 
 missionary institutions, and anyone wishing to try 
 out his missionary vocation may apply in person 
 and talk over his problems with the missioners 
 themselves, submitting himself and his vocation 
 to their judgment. But in 1883, a secular priest 
 feeling a call to the missions had no such clear 
 road before him. Occasionally a priest left for 
 
AT THE SEMINARY 11 
 
 the United States to undertake parish work there. 
 One heard sometimes of the Norwegian mission, 
 or the African missions, or the works of the Paris 
 Foreign Mission Society, but there was no actual 
 intercourse. The work of the Mongolian 
 mission, directed by the Scheut Fathers in Bel- 
 gium, was a little better known, but only in the 
 southern part of Holland. A few pioneers had 
 crossed over to England, to Saint Joseph’s Foreign 
 Mission Seminary at Mill Hill, and Mr. Wester- 
 woudt was advised that Saint Joseph’s offered the 
 only opportunity for a secular priest to reach the 
 mission goal. 
 
 In the spring of 1883 Felix had an interview 
 with his Bishop, who received him most kindly, 
 made short work of all hindrances, and gave him 
 full liberty to go where God called him. Should 
 he ever repent of the step, the Bishop declared 
 he would receive him back into the diocese with 
 open arms. With this warm support and the 
 cordial consent of his family, Felix crossed the 
 Channel and began his actual mission preparation 
 at Saint Joseph’s. 
 
EEL 
 MILL HILL 
 
 ARDINAL VAUGHAN had founded Saint 
 6 Joseph’s Society for Foreign Missions 
 and its College at Mill Hill in 1866, 
 when he was still a young priest in his early 
 thirties. In 1871 it had sent out its first gradu- 
 ates to work in the negro settlements around 
 American cities. In 1875 the Vicariate of 
 Madras in India had been confided to it, followed — 
 in 1881 by North Borneo with Labuan and Sara- 
 wak, and later by Kashmir and Kafiristan. 
 Hardly had the young Society been established 
 when, by the election of its founder to the epis- 
 copal see of Salford, its strongest support seemed 
 to be taken away. However, by permission of 
 the Holy See, Bishop Vaughan was allowed to 
 continue the direction of his dear Society, a rector 
 being appointed to act in his name. Canon Benoit, 
 a saintly priest filled with zeal for the missions, 
 and a kindly and prudent man, was the first 
 called to this office, and under his wise direction 
 Felix Westerwoudt was to be moulded to the 
 missionary career. 
 Felix entered Saint Joseph’s College in 1883, 
 when he was twenty-two years old. Very many 
 I2 ’ 
 
MILL HILL 13 
 
 of the students were of his own nationality. 
 English vocations had been few at first, and the 
 Society and College welcomed applicants from 
 the Continent. Hollanders and Tyrolese re- 
 sponded in such large numbers that the Society 
 was often reproached in those early days with not 
 being English at all. “Very well” Dr. 
 Vaughan would rejoin, “let the English apply 
 in greater numbers; they will be received with 
 open arms; but millions of souls on the brink 
 of perdition cannot wait for the English.” 
 
 It was a comfort to Felix, no doubt, to have 
 so many Hollanders among his fellow-students. 
 But he did not let that deter him from perfecting 
 himself as much as possible in his new language. 
 Nor did he take too hardly the gradual modifying 
 of his national character. ‘ More and more I 
 begin to take after the English,” he wrote home, 
 “though the Dutch blood flows no less through 
 my veins than before. We are constantly re- 
 minded that nationalities must be put aside now; 
 that the missionary’s fatherland is the Church of 
 God.” And again: “A few words in my mother 
 tongue, since you prefer it. Do not think that 
 I have forgotten it; but I try to forget it a little, 
 or rather, to put some English in its stead; and 
 that is why I write ‘my letters in that language.” 
 
 At first many things seemed strange to Felix. 
 But he generously resolved to put aside all boy- 
 
I4 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 ishness, all pranks, and whatever might in any 
 way conflict with the rule of the house. He had 
 made the sacrifice, and he wished to make it in 
 full. The daily manual labor period was a wel- 
 come change from study. It found our future 
 missioner scrubbing the floor of the chapel; or, 
 dressed in old clothes, standing knee-deep in mud 
 to drain a pond; or pursuing with ardor the car- 
 penter’s or cobbler’s trade. At hay-making 
 time, when the students forsook their books for 
 the pitchfork, none was happier or more active 
 than he. | 
 
 “As in every Seminary,” he wrote to his 
 family, “there is very little variety here. 
 Every day is much the same. So I am glad they 
 have appointed three-quarters of an hour each 
 day for manual labor. It brings some little 
 change; and besides, I rather like such work. I 
 am parading just now a pair of boots which I 
 myself provided with their solid soles, an opera- 
 tion which I intend shortly to repeat on another 
 pair.” | 
 
 On the feast of Saint Joseph, in 1884, Felix 
 received Sacred Tonsure and Minor Orders. 
 The call to the subdiaconate followed sooner 
 than usual, and Felix at first hesitated, not be- 
 cause of the step, but because of the unexpected- 
 ness of it. A letter written at the time reveals 
 the hesitation and the subsequent decision: 
 
MILL HILL 15 
 
 CT did not in the least expect that this would 
 take place before the holidays. But after con- 
 sultation with Bishop Vaughan it was so arranged. 
 Under these circumstances I think myself justified 
 in taking this important step. Treading with 
 God’s help a path chosen for His sake, I believe 
 that I may expect from Him the necessary 
 strength to proceed and to reach the end.” 
 
 Early in 1885 Felix was prepared for his 
 approaching ordination to the diaconate, but he 
 was not informed of the date of his ordination 
 to the priesthood, and he had no inkling as to 
 his future mission. Obedience was to be the 
 watchword. It was not, however, contrary to the 
 spirit of obedience to form wishes, and Felix, 
 drawn towards Borneo, spoke of it frequently and 
 mentioned it in his letters. The Right Reverend 
 Father Jackson, Prefect Apostolic of Borneo, 
 tells us concerning Felix: 
 
 When, in 1884, I came to Mill Hill for the 
 General Chapter, I met Felix Westerwoudt, who was 
 then a student. One day he begged me for a private 
 interview and told me that, having embraced the 
 missioner’s career, he desired to give himself to it 
 soul and body. He added that, having obtained all 
 available information about our various missions, he 
 had reached the conclusion that Borneo was the field 
 where the richest harvest might be reaped. “There 
 was scope there for great suffering for God, and so 
 
16 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 he longed to be sent to Borneo. If his superiors should 
 grant his desire, he asked of me as a special favor to 
 send him to a region where the harvest would be 
 plentiful and where there would be much to suffer. 
 I was favorably impressed by this interview and by 
 what I had learned from others about him, so I 
 asked our Superior to send him to Borneo immediately 
 after his ordination to the priesthood. ‘This was 
 promised me. ; 
 
 By special dispensation, Felix was ordained 
 priest the day after he had been ordained deacon. 
 The ceremony took place in the Bishop’s Chapel 
 at Salford, on March 1, 1885, and Bishop 
 Vaughan himself presided. Beside Felix knelt 
 one of the best friends of his boyhood days, 
 Albert Reyffert, who had followed the same path 
 from the Seminary in Holland to Mill Hill. 
 
 For this day of days, Mr. Westerwoudt and 
 his wife made the journey to Salford so that 
 their son’s happiness might be complete. They 
 beheld their boy transformed into another Christ 
 — Sacerdos alter Christus—and these holy 
 parents knew joy such as the world cannot give. 
 On the day following his ordination, they received 
 Holy Communion from his hands. His mother 
 wrote to a friend: 
 
 Rejoice with me, and bless our good God, for I am 
 the mother of a priest! 
 
OINUOG HLUON NI NOISSIJN OIIOHLV) V YVAN LAN4VIN JONVHOXY NV 
 
 
 

 
 ief 
 kt 
 : ie 
 bye 
 Ve 
 ? 
 ae | 
 = A 
 ee 
 . . 
 . 
 ; ti 
 j 
 « 
 i 
 - hd 
 An 
 oy 4 
 + B 
 Ge sl 
 Ad 
 oy | 
 eld 
 vt 
 , a 
 1 
 ’ 
 =, % 
 y) he 
 i . 
 e Md 
 2 
 E ah 
 Aga 4 
 a . 
 EAS os 
 "eters 
 - a 
 Th, 
 ' ep 
 4 ‘ , 
 Fen Wa 
 td | 
 » . 
 
 + 
 
 ' vy 
 ib LAN | 
 : 
 te : 
 . ik 
 en 
 Ly Pas 
 ‘ . 
 ’ a 
 k al 
 El fv 
 Ene 
 _ : Fs 
 ¥ Wk 
 tr ie 
 J Ld 
 é 
 ry 
 U ’ 
 ? Û A 
 ‘at 
 a oF 
 ty i 
 24 
 — -~ 
 i ~~ 
 d 4 
 4 Pra 
 : 
 1 
 4 = 
 7 
 iy 
 = 
 ' = 
 Ed He ‘ 
 ve LN 
 ed 
 5 be 
 Ty at 
 <a 
 T P 
 wy 
 ro 
 a se 
 da 1 
 a Ne 
 ‘ 
 vey Ae * 
 eo MT 00 
 : 5 4 
 EPA, 
 i Ke 
 (Gan ye 
 is 
 “4 cr, 
 “ < 
 ‘ 
 
 d 
 Wig 
 ke 
 +. 
 4 * 
 
 
 
 > aie 
 a ie ie 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 
MILL HILL 17 
 
 ‘L'wenty-five years ago I wrote to you when this 
 child was born. How well I recall my happiness. And 
 yet what a great distance between the happiness then, 
 and that which fills my soul now! 
 
 I am the mother of a priest. Those little hands 
 which twenty-five years ago I kissed with maternal 
 tenderness, those hands are consecrated now, those 
 fingers have touched God! ‘That intellect which re- 
 ceived its light through me, how highly it has risen 
 above my intellect by study and grace — and now it is 
 consecrated. That body which I protected and cared 
 for, over which I watched so many nights in cruel 
 anxiety, has grown up tall and strong — and now it is 
 consecrated. Servant of a priest soul, it will exhaust 
 itself to lift up the sinner and to teach the ignorant. 
 That heart, that pure heart, that trembled at each touch 
 of the world, has been consecrated. Oh, I know my 
 son’s heart, I know that it contains treasures! 
 
 At the altar he was recollected in all his actions. 
 I was quite near to him. I did not pray. Or rather, 
 I do not know if it was praying; it was the ecstacy of 
 a Christian mother. I only repeated: “Thanks, my 
 God, thanks! ‘That priest belonged to me. I have 
 formed him. His soul kindled its light at my soul. 
 Now he does not belong to me any longer, but to You 
 alone. Keep him from the very shadow of sin! I 
 love him, I honor him, I revere him—he is Your 
 priest! ” | 
 
 At the moment of Holy Communion my child 
 raised his hand in blessing over the head of his mother. 
 When, with the ciborium in hand, he came to me, a 
 
18 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 sob escaped him. What a moment, what a union! 
 God, His Priest, and I! ... Oh, Iam happy! What- 
 
 ever may come after this, do not pity me any more, 
 
 Yet they were the parents not only of a priest, 
 but of a missioner, and the shadow of the cross 
 was over their joy. Felix returned with them 
 to spend his last vacation under their roof. 
 Much of the time was occupied in visiting rela- 
 tives and bidding farewell to friends. Then 
 came the day of parting. On August 28, the 
 future missioner said Mass for the last time in 
 the village church of Teist, where his parents had 
 their country home. All the relatives were 
 present, and Felix gave to them their God, the 
 Comforter of those who mourn. 
 
 At the breakfast that followed, the young 
 priest was unable to raise his eyes from the 
 table, fearing to behold the grief on the faces so 
 dear to him. When the moment of departure 
 arrived, he knelt to receive his parents’ blessing 
 and then held his own anointed hands in bene- 
 diction over them. The flood-gates of their 
 pent-up grief gave way at last, and poor Felix 
 was obliged to leave hurriedly, for his own endur- 
 ance was well-nigh spent. His heart was very > 
 human, and he cherished dearly the happiness 
 he was forsaking for Christ. From Mill Hill 
 he wrote later: “ God has been very good to us. 
 
MILL HILL 19 
 
 You cannot know how I dreaded that day as 
 something far beyond my strength. But every- 
 thing went particularly well, thanks be to God! ” 
 
 Soon after reaching Mill Hill, Felix learned 
 that he was to sail from Trieste on October 1. 
 His brother-in-law went to Mill Hill to repre- 
 sent the family at the departure ceremony. No 
 one who has witnessed a departure ceremony can 
 ever forget the spectacle. Pain and exaltation 
 are so intimately interwoven that the impression 
 defies analysis. Felix’s departure ceremony took 
 place on September 26. A farewell address was 
 given by the Vicar-General of Madras. That 
 experienced missioner did not attempt to make the 
 way appear easy to the young men about to enter 
 the field, but he presented the manifold difh- 
 culties and sufferings of the missioner in a manner 
 which inflamed the zeal of his hearers. Then the 
 departing missioners stood before the altar and 
 the congregation came forward and kissed their 
 feet. The significance of this solemn act is of 
 great beauty, for it recalls the blessing of the 
 prophet upon the missioners of future ages: 
 “ How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet 
 of him that bringeth good tidings and that preach- 
 eth peace, of him that sheweth forth good, that 
 preacheth salvation, that saith to Sion: Thy God 
 shall reign! ” 
 
 Preceded by the Crucifix, all set out in pro- 
 
20 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 cession to the train. There the missioners gave a 
 final blessing to the crowd, and Felix left Europe 
 forever. Of those who had known and had 
 loved him none would ever see him again, except 
 the few who would be sent to fight on the same 
 battle field. Father Reyffert, also, had been as- 
 signed to Borneo, and the ties of this holy friend- 
 ship were to grow ever closer. 
 
IV 
 KELE JOURN EY, 
 
 HE two missioners for Borneo sailed 
 from Trieste on October 1. The boat 
 was good but, as they were second-class 
 passengers and the ship was crowded, they had 
 to share their cabin with two strangers. This 
 prevented them at first from saying Mass, but 
 after a few days they became acquainted with 
 three Jesuit Fathers, bound for Bombay, and said 
 Mass in the cabin of these new friends. 
 
 Felix wrote to those at home the account of 
 his adventures and impressions. He was keenly 
 sensitive to the beauty of the changing scenes but 
 they could not distract him from the goal on 
 which his heart was set. Alexandria was the 
 first real taste of Oriental life the missioners had. 
 The crowded streets, the noise, the bright colors, 
 the smells, were all new and rather confusing. 
 Most of the passengers got off there, and con- 
 ditions on the boat became better. 
 
 At Port Said the missioners visited the Fran- 
 ciscan Fathers, provided themselves with candles 
 for Mass, and went to confession. The town did 
 
 2I 
 
22 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 not attract them, as it was even less clean than 
 Alexandria. They went ashore once more at 
 Aden and were able to secure Mass-wine. Then 
 followed six days of open sea till, on: Friday, 
 October 23, Bombay loomed up in the distance. 
 This was the destination of all the remaining 
 passengers, except the two Borneo Fathers and 
 one German. The Jesuits welcomed the mission- 
 ers to their immense College. The Bishop of 
 Bombay was likewise most hospitable. ‘The city 
 with its splendid harbor, its university, schools, 
 shops and hotels, gave the la, of a great 
 metropolis. 
 
 On October 29 the voyage was resumed. It 
 had grown rather monotonous. The first stop was 
 at Colombo, on the island of Ceylon. Here 
 Felix and Father Reyffert stayed with the Oblate 
 Fathers. At Penang they met a warm welcome 
 from the Paris Foreign Mission Fathers, who 
 conducted a large seminary for Chinese, Anna- 
 mites, and other Asiatics. And so they experi- 
 enced the Catholicity of Holy Mother Church, 
 whose priests are united in a bond unaffected Ey 
 considerations of nationality or locality. 
 
 Singapore was the last stopping place. 
 “Though our lazy life had spoiled us,” wrote 
 Felix, “ how glad we were to see the end of our 
 journey! ” They were taken ashore by a Father 
 of the Paris Foreign Missions Society, whose 
 
THE JOURNEY 23 
 
 Procure was of great service to the Borneo mis- 
 sioners. The boat for Borneo left early the next 
 morning, so they had but one day to make pur- 
 chases, change money, and attend to the shipment 
 of some goods previously ordered by the other 
 Fathers. 
 
 The boat which took them over to Borneo was 
 a good little vessel, but in rough weather she 
 rolled more than the larger mail boat had done. 
 After a journey of two days, on November 15 
 they distinguished from afar the coast of Borneo. 
 The weather was fine and Felix was able to say 
 Mass “on a Borneo boat gliding over a Borneo 
 river”. He offered it for the people of Borneo 
 and for the Singhis in particular. “But you 
 were not forgotten, either,” he wrote to those 
 at home, “you to whom I owe it, under God, 
 that I am able to exercise my priestly duties in 
 Borneo.” 
 
 A disappointment awaited the travelers at 
 Kuching. When they landed there, after a few 
 hours on the river, there was no priest to greet 
 them. A couple of Chinese school boys, shy and 
 clumsy, had been sent to show the way. It 
 was Sunday, and one of the missioners had gone 
 to an out station, while the other was singing 
 High Mass in Kuching’s little church. So the 
 newcomers entered the town, carrying bag and 
 baggage, laden down by the heavy sacks of silver 
 
24 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 coin obtained at Singapore for themselves and the 
 other Fathers. Of course, they received a cordial 
 welcome later, at Saint Joseph’s Mission, but the 
 loneliness of that first landing was a foreshadow- 
 ing of the loneliness Borneo would hold for them. 
 
 The conversion of the part of Borneo allotted 
 by Propaganda to the Mill Hill missioners was a 
 gigantic task. They had charge of Labuan and 
 North Borneo. Borneo, the second largest island 
 in the world, is situated under the equator, so 
 that the heat is tremendous and there are count- 
 less rainfalls. These conditions develop dense 
 forests which cover the whole island. Seventy — 
 years ago it was absolutely impossible to pene- 
 trate into the northern part of Borneo. ‘The 
 coast was unsafe because of pirates, and in the 
 interior the different tribes were always at war 
 with one another. Head-hunting was still prac- 
 tised and the desire of the warriors to obtain as 
 many enemies’ heads as possible made permanent 
 peace out of the question. 
 
 Then a rich young Englishman, Lieutenant 
 Brooke, became friendly with the Rajah of Sara- 
 wak. This Rajah later grew weary of his 
 position and offered it to Lieutenant Brooke. 
 The singular offer was accepted, and the English- 
 man actually became Rajah Brooke of Sarawak. 
 He was noble and humane of character and made 
 it his first task to pacify the warring island tribes. 
 
THE JOURNEY 25 
 
 Later, with the help of some English cruisers, 
 he did away with the coast pirates. The Catholic 
 missioner could then start his labors in the interior 
 with some chance of success. 
 
 In 1881 the first Mill Hill Fathers arrived in 
 Borneo. The country was safe enough, but the 
 missioners met great poverty. They lived just 
 as the natives did, dwelling in the same rough 
 huts. They explored the interior region, sailing 
 in small boats on rivers abounding in rapids and 
 crags, and journeying through wild forests and 
 treacherous swamps. When Felix arrived in 
 1885, Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, was the 
 head station of the mission. Felix described 
 the town as larger and more civilized than he had 
 anticipated. Trade was carried on by the intelli- 
 gent Chinamen, while the Malays did no more 
 than provide for their own simple wants in their 
 scattered settlements along the river. The 
 missioner worked mainly among the Chinese, for 
 the Malays were such nomads that it was difficult 
 to get a hold on them. There was a Protestant 
 mission in Kuching. Somewhat farther away 
 from the center of the town, about ten minutes’ 
 walk, stood the little Catholic church and mission 
 school, which was then only a wooden structure. 
 The Sisters? house was a quarter of an hour 
 distant, but steps had already been taken for a 
 new convent that would face the mission proper. 
 
26 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 Father Jackson, Felix’s Superior, was absent, 
 so Felix remained at Kuching until after Christ- 
 mas. This gave him a chance to observe the 
 work and methods of his experienced fellow 
 priests, and to study the language a little. He 
 amused himself with the school boys, who were 
 nearly all Chinese urchins, but he felt himself 
 drawn towards the uncivilized Dyaks among 
 whom he was to labor. He paid two visits to 
 his future mission; but his letters home, describing 
 these visits, were very brief. He wished to spare 
 his loved ones details which he feared might 
 alarm them about his future lot. | 
 
 After Christmas he said good-bye to the breth- 
 ren, especially to his friend and companion, Father 
 Reyffert, who was to take over the mission at 
 Kanowit. Then Felix set out to become a shep- 
 herd of souls. 
 
Vv. 
 THEY DYAKS 
 
 o souls were ever hidden under a more 
 N repulsive exterior than those for whose 
 salvation Felix was now to labor. But 
 had he not asked for the mission that promised 
 greatest suffering? Would disillusionment set in 
 at the flagging of the first fervor? Could he 
 endure throughout the lonely years, face to face 
 with the most sordid reality of pain and apparent 
 failure? He did endure, because his desire for 
 suffering had undoubtedly been inspired by God. 
 Father Jackson, Felix’s Superior, was surely very 
 strongly convinced of God’s special help, when he 
 sent the newly-ordained young priest to Singhi’s 
 lonely heights. God rewarded that trust. 
 
 The Singhi is a solitary and very steep moun- 
 tain, two thousand feet high, about a day’s jour- 
 ney from Kuching. Half way up is a plateau 
 on which dwelt some five thousand land Dyaks. 
 About fifteen hundred of these were known on 
 Felix’s arrival. They lived scattered over seven 
 or eight campongs, or settlements, all under 
 separate chiefs, one of whom, the Oran-Kaya, was 
 the head of all the Singhi Dyaks. These cam- 
 
 27 
 
28 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 pongs were very close together, but they remained 
 invisible up to the last moment on account, Kor 
 the dense surrounding foliage. 
 
 The villages of the Sea-Dyaks consisted of one 
 large house accommodating all the families. This 
 was not the case with the Singhi campongs. The 
 latter were composed of many small dwellings, 
 but even these sheltered several households. The 
 huts were raised on poles and made of bamboo 
 and palm leaves. There were a covered space 
 and an open veranda with six or seven doors 
 indicating different apartments. There were low 
 partitions within, and neighbors overlooked one 
 another’s family affairs. The floor consisted of 
 tree trunks, arranged to leave large gaps through 
 which refuse could be thrown to the space be- 
 neath the hut. The entrance ladder was a pole 
 with foot-holds cut in it at intervals. ‘The huts 
 were usually built in uniform style, but in each 
 campong there was one separate round hut for 
 the older boys. This boys’ hut was decorated 
 with skulls, the trophies of bygone wars. | 
 
 All who visited the Singhi were repelled by its 
 nauseating atmosphere. ‘The paths between the 
 huts were filthy. They were covered with mud, 
 rotting cocoanut shells, and all sorts of refuse. 
 Through them, as well as through the indescrib- 
 ably unclean heaps beneath the huts, a multitude 
 of pigs rummaged at liberty. It will be easily 
 
THE DYAKS 29 
 
 understood that diseases, more particularly those 
 of the skin, abounded on the Singhi. An im- 
 moral life and the long custom of close inter- 
 marrying helped on the evil; while rice, which 
 was almost their only food, is not sufficient in 
 itself for the building of a healthy body. 
 
 Father Jackson described the Singhi Dyaks as 
 the most untidy, repulsive, and intractable people 
 he had met, in Borneo or anywhere else. There 
 was not one Christian in the whole tribe; in fact, 
 there was scarcely one individual worthy of the 
 name of man. Many of them were covered 
 with horrible scurvy. They were extremely 
 poor, and yet proud and arrogant. The tribal 
 chief, the Oran-Kaya, was particularly unmanage- 
 able, and he was a ruler of great power and in- 
 fluence. 
 
 The Singhis were not brave and warlike, like 
 other Dyaks. They were timorous, and on that 
 account they had settled on the mountain, which 
 afforded a safe shelter against their enemies. 
 Their plateau was all but inaccessible, for its side 
 was even more precipitous than the rest of this 
 very steep mountain. The choice of a mission 
 station had fallen on this poor tribe because they 
 were never long absent from their village, and 
 never ventured far. ‘The other tribes led a more 
 nomadic life, which constituted an almost unsur- 
 mountable obstacle for the missioner. 
 
30 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 The Dyaks were short, always below medium 
 height. Felix towered over them so much that 
 they measured his height with a stick. Their 
 dress was of the most primitive kind. ‘The men 
 wore a long piece of linen, wound several times 
 round the waist, the ends hanging down in front 
 and at the back. Usually it was dark blue mixed 
 with red. At work it was replaced by one of 
 less value, of a yellow color and made of the 
 bark of trees. Some of the village notables 
 ornamented the ends of the cloth with Chinese, 
 English, and Dutch coins. Those who had 
 worked at Kuching sometimes donned trousers 
 and jacket, but this was the exception. They 
 wore their hair short, usually winding a gaudy 
 red scarf very adroitly around the head. 
 
 On the left side the men wore a large knife 
 which was used for cutting wood and for 
 all manner of work. On the right they carried - 
 a short but thick bamboo stick, sometimes carved, 
 in which they kept Dyak dainties, such as betel- 
 nut, sirih, gambier, and a kind of lime, all of 
 which were mixed together for chewing purposes. 
 As may well be imagined, chewing this red concoc- 
 tion did not add to cleanliness. With the bam- _ 
 boo stick was a small knife used only for cutting 
 the betel-nut. Really fine workmanship was 
 often found on the sheaths of these knives. 
 
 The women, the girls, and the boys wore ear- 
 
THE DYAKS 31 
 
 rings made of pieces of wood or brass wire. 
 Sometimes the boys had brass or wooden brace- 
 lets around the wrists or the upper part of their 
 arms, and some of them had their teeth ground 
 to a point. The garment of the women was an 
 ornamented petticoat reaching to the knees. 
 Their hair was long and uncovered, only the old 
 women occasionally wearing a cap made of leaves. 
 The girls wore short petticoats also, but fastened 
 around the waist by bamboo straps, trimmed with 
 a number of alternating rings of brass and of red 
 colored rattan. The upper part of the body was 
 encased in a kind of bark cloth, covered with 
 small projecting rods. This was extremely awk- 
 ward, particularly when the wearers were at work. 
 When the light canoes were overturned in the 
 river, less encumbered folk could swim to safety, 
 but the poor Dyak maiden in her heavy harness 
 soon. sank. 
 
 Polygamy was not a custom of the Dyaks, but 
 divorce was of daily occurrence and subsequent 
 marriage was tolerated. The Dyaks had some 
 notion of a higher Being, whose friendship they 
 must cultivate. But they considered the friend- 
 ship of the numerous evil spirits far more im- 
 portant, for otherwise the latter would send sick- 
 ness and adversity. 
 
 They burned their corpses and believed that 
 they were afterwards changed into rain. After a 
 
32 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 death, the survivors smashed up everything in the 
 hut, simulating great rage. They laid the corpse 
 with uncovered face in a corner of the hut, tied 
 his two big toes together, and placed beside him 
 everything that had been of use to him during 
 life, especially the skulls of his enemies. Then 
 the cremator led the procession, carrying a burn- 
 ing torch. After him came a man bearing the 
 corpse on his back; then those carrying fire-wood; 
 and, at the rear of the procession, the male and 
 female relatives. There were several spots set 
 aside for cremation, and for the most part they 
 were so near to the campongs that the horrible 
 stench could easily penetrate within. Conditions 
 were worse when the wood was damp and did 
 not burn properly, or when the cremator left his 
 work half finished. It was not uncommon to see 
 a dog or a pig enter the campongs with a half 
 charred arm or leg. Babies were not burned, but 
 hung in a basket on a tree near the crematories, 
 or placed in the undergrowth to be devoured by 
 birds, swine, or wild beasts, — a ghastly spectacle. 
 
 The Dyaks did not fully believe in immor- 
 tality, but they thought that some sort of soul 
 survived death and roamed about. Thus, they . 
 related that one or another had been turned into 
 a pig or a bear, had visited the sun, moon or stars, 
 had generated birds, or had taken the form of a 
 cocoanut. here was a survival of primeval tra- 
 
RENE 
 
 
 
 ETET Ee 
 
 
 
 og 
 
 uid 
 
 (See page 28) 
 
 THE ELEVATED Dvagk Hurts 
 

 
THE DYAKS 33 
 
 dition among them, as among so many other 
 peoples, but in a maimed form. In their geneal- 
 ogy Adam and Eve come first under the names 
 of Adam and Haeva. The only picture in the 
 catechism which awoke some interest in them was 
 that of the first human couple, for they looked 
 upon them as their own ancestors. ‘The story of 
 the deluge, also, was known to them. Their 
 religion proper was inseparable from their ma- 
 terial wants. Everything in it related to abun- 
 dant rice crops and protection from sickness. As 
 means to this end, they had many festivities and 
 wore charms such as shells, the teeth of croco- 
 diles and of bears, and various stones, all of 
 which were greatly treasured. The missioner’s 
 task was to transform all these superstitions 
 into Christian feasts and ceremonies. 
 
 The principal feast, the Dyak New Year, 
 occurred in May or June, after the rice harvest. 
 It lasted several days. On the first day large 
 quantities of rice mixed with cocoanut were pre- 
 pared, and a great many pigs and hens were 
 killed. These were eaten at the feast dinner on 
 the following day, together with decayed fish 
 many weeks old, and a kind of strong liquor 
 drawn from a certain palm tree. A fair portion 
 of each article of food was set aside for the good 
 and evil spirits. Furthermore, everything which 
 the Dyak himself ate, such as bananas, gambier, 
 
34 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 and so forth, was presented to the Supreme Being 
 on a kind of altar. Towards evening the priest- 
 esses made their offerings. After much noise and 
 confusion, they fell into a sort of trance, during 
 which the Supreme Being was supposed to speak 
 to them. Then they received rice and stones 
 from heaven in an invisible shower, and these 
 they distributed among the crowd. The succeed- 
 ing days were devoted mainly to the merry- 
 makings of the youth of the tribe, which took 
 the form chiefly of very strange dances. Felix 
 was present only once at such a performance; he 
 declined later invitations, to show his disapproval. 
 
 The temperature was very changeable, with 
 extremes of heat and cold. The cool nights were 
 pleasant, but when a thunderstorm swept its 
 wind and rain over the mountain, even the palm- 
 leaf huts were cold abodes. The Singhi campong 
 was reduced to a slough during the rainy season. 
 At such times the few belongings of the missioner 
 were almost spoiled by dampness. But the com- 
 bination of heat and humidity was very favorable. 
 to vegetation. The whole mountain was covered 
 with colossal trees, most of which bore fruit. 
 Fantastically shaped creepers abounded, of the 
 thickness of a tree, with long air-roots hang- 
 ing to the ground, and these proved a real 
 obstacle to the missioner on his journeys. There 
 were not many flowers, but the precious orchid 
 
THE DYAKS 35 
 
 and the passion-flower thrived. Ferns were nu- 
 merous and some grew to a great height. They 
 also were hindrances in the path of the traveler 
 and their sharp edges often cut legs and face. 
 
 A tree whose fruit was much relished by the 
 natives was the lofty durian. Despite its repulsive 
 odor, Felix declared that he relished the fruit. 
 It was somewhat larger than a baby’s head, and 
 was divided within into five cells, the only ed- 
 ible part of which was the pulp surrounding the 
 seeds. Felix described the taste as that of a 
 mixture of thick cream, sugar, and onions. No 
 one was allowed to pick the fruit from the enor- 
 mous tree, so, during the season, men, women 
 and children waited for hours, and even for 
 days, until a fruit ripened and fell. The right 
 of the most agile was never disputed. During 
 this period, as during the harvest, the missioner 
 was forced to remain inactive, for no one had 
 time to receive him. 
 
 The Chinese, who were not afraid to work, 
 made use of cocoanuts, bananas, and the magnifi- 
 cent pineapples. They also laid out, in the 
 neighborhood of the Singhi and elsewhere, plan- 
 tations of sago, sirih, and gambier, from the sap 
 of which they manufactured dyes. Coffee and 
 tea were cultivated by some Europeans, as well 
 as by the Chinese, and coffee-growing, which does 
 not require too much strenuous labor, was taken 
 
36 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 up later by Felix as a means of keeping his Chris- 
 tians together. 
 
 The forests were full of deer. Boars were 
 also met with, and occasionally a small species 
 of bear and the tiger-cat. There were, of course, 
 many varieties of monkeys. Several of these 
 animals would be edible were it not for the heat, 
 which made it impossible to keep meat any length 
 of time. But Dyaks were not particular and en- 
 joyed meat even in an advanced state of decay. 
 The same was true of fish; when its odor alone 
 was enough to drive away a European, the Dyak 
 would not scruple to offer it to his guest. Pigs 
 were considered sacred and eaten only at feasts 
 and during illness. On account of the filth which 
 was their chief nourishment, their meat had a 
 taste which a European could not tolerate. The 
 Dyaks raised hens, and the eggs were a welcome 
 addition to the rice menu. : 
 
 A large lizard, three feet in length and very 
 dangerous, was common. A smaller kind, quite 
 harmless, would creep over the table during 
 meals. Snakes were numerous and snake flesh 
 was considered a dainty. 
 
 The birds of Borneo’s forests had gaudy plum-. 
 age, but their songs were not sweet like those 
 of the unsightly nightingale or the blackbird. 
 Borneo simply swarmed with insects. The most 
 troublesome of these were the scorpion and the 
 
THE DYAKS 37 
 
 large milleped. There were enormous spiders, 
 wasps, mosquitoes, beetles, and locusts. At night 
 the shrill note of the locust indicated the hour 
 pretty accurately. The forest was often so dense 
 that the darkness would mislead the traveler, 
 and it would be impossible to take counsel from 
 the sun; but the buzzing, chirping, or whistling, 
 at different times, of some insect or another, 
 would tell the time to the half-hour precisely. 
 Enormous moths, beautifully coloured, soon 
 tempted Felix to try his hand at stuffing them. 
 But the white ants destroyed his work within a 
 few hours time. 
 
 Such are, roughly sketched, the surroundings 
 of the remaining years of Felix’s life. 
 
VI 
 OPENING OF THE SINGHI MISSION 
 
 mission, but difficulty is not always measured 
 
 by time. On his first visit Felix and the 
 priests who accompanied him started overnight. 
 Two Malay rowers pulled them down the Sara- 
 wak river. They tried to snatch a little sleep, 
 but without moving, for fear of upsetting the 
 frail skiff. They reached the mooring at dawn, 
 where the path to the Singhi starts. There they 
 halted for their morning meal, consisting of rice 
 and dried fish. On this occasion, their fingers 
 did the work for which nature intended them. 
 One of the Fathers, on seeing Felix relish the 
 unsavory meal, said: ‘This raises you at least 
 twenty-five dollars in our estimation! ” 
 
 Between the mooring and the foot of the 
 mountain there were several swamps, so the 
 Fathers provided themselves with stout sticks. 
 A Dyak carried their few belongings. The heat. 
 was particularly unbearable that day. The 
 missioners sometimes sank up to the knee in mud. 
 Needless to say, they were obliged to remove 
 their shoes and stockings. Dyak bridges were of 
 
 38 . 
 
 | was only a few days’ journey to Felix’s 
 
OPENING OF THE SINGHI MISSION 39 
 
 a primitive nature, usually consisting of a single 
 bamboo stick without any railing. As there were 
 several little rivers on the way, Felix wondered 
 how he managed to avoid a serious fall. “ But”, 
 he added, “ once you are wet, what does it matter 
 whether it is above or below the knee? ” Their 
 clothes and hands were torn by the dense under- 
 growth before they reached the base of the Singhi, 
 where they halted for awhile. 
 
 At first the path was overshadowed by tall 
 fruit trees which covered almost the whole slope. 
 The steep parts consisted practically of sheer 
 rock. Sometimes they climbed by means of 
 bamboo ladders. In other places trees did the 
 duty of ladders; these were cut out, at intervals 
 of twenty inches, thus affording a support for the 
 toes. This mode of climbing was very perilous, 
 and it inclined one to dizziness. The continual 
 listing of the climber’s own weight was extraor- 
 dinarily wearisome. Carrying baggage under 
 such conditions seemed well nigh impossible. 
 The Dyaks were very clever in the carry- 
 ing of weights on their heads, but many things 
 of larger dimensions were of necessity left be- 
 hind. Before the campongs were reached, a 
 beautiful cascade refreshed the travelers. All 
 along the way they could drink of the milk of 
 the cocoanut, which grew profusely. 
 
 On Felix’s first visit the site for a future dwell- 
 
40 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 ing was selected, and the chief was informed of 
 the white man’s plan to return and live amongst 
 them. He made no objection, and they gave 
 him seven dollars and a few presents to start the 
 building of a hut. In honor of the occasion he 
 had donned a pair of trousers, and he added a 
 finishing touch to his attire by crowning himself 
 with a basket of glass beads which had been 
 presented to him as a gift for his wife. The 
 second time that Felix visited the Singhi he stayed 
 five days, to direct the building of his house. 
 On December 29 it was ready. The new mission 
 was then named for Saint John Baptist. Saint 
 John never had the consolation of seeing Jesus 
 reign over His own; Felix, too, prepared the 
 way in suffering and loneliness, and died before 
 Christ’s truth could be said to rule over the 
 Singhi. 
 
 We may only dimly guess what passed through 
 the heart of the young apostle when he found 
 himself alone amongst the Singhi Dyaks, he who 
 was by nature lively and gay. He never be- 
 trayed the secret of his sufferings, but as he 
 was about to start for his mission he wrote: “1 
 count now more than ever on your prayers; for 
 myself, that I may be brave and cheerful, a 
 special grace much needed in my future solitude 
 amongst such a people; and for them, that God 
 may prepare their hearts for our holy Faith.” 
 
OPENING OF THE SINGHI MISSION 41 
 
 The Dyaks were much astounded when Felix 
 took up his abode under his roof of palm-leaves; 
 they could not guess his motive for wishing to 
 live with them. He had had his house built 
 so as to face the precipice. On the other side 
 he was within two minutes’ walk of the chief’s 
 hut, and almost as near to the rest of the cam- 
 pong. The front of the hut gave him a magnifi- 
 cent outlook on miles and miles of country, but 
 on the other sides it was screened in by heavy 
 foliage. It had been erected in Dyak fashion, 
 raised above the ground and supported by poles, 
 or rather, bamboo sticks. This left a space under- 
 neath, where the missioner could keep hens. A 
 tree-trunk led to the door of split bamboo reeds. 
 
 The first room served as kitchen. A couple 
 of stones covering a square space of sand were 
 the stove, and a few little pots and pans com- 
 pleted the illusion. A second door opened on 
 to the sitting-room, which measured twenty feet 
 in perimeter. Part of this was walled off 
 and did duty as bed-room and chapel. The 
 floor was made of bamboo, covered with split 
 bamboo-reeds. The walls and the roof were of 
 sago palm leaves. A couple of Dyak mats were 
 the only carpet. The furniture consisted of a 
 large stone pot of rice, three hand-bags which 
 also did duty as linen-presses, and two benches. 
 One of these benches ran along the whole length 
 
42 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 of the house and took the place of a book-case. 
 No one was to be admitted into this little sanc- 
 tum; it was the only nook where the missioner 
 could enjoy a little privacy and, moreover, it was 
 his Holy of Holies, with its little portable altar. 
 
 For Felix was not entirely alone in his loneli- 
 ness. He could never have endured his exile 
 among the Dyaks had it not been for the daily 
 visit of the Greatest of all friends, the Friend 
 for Whom he had left all things and learned to 
 glory in the Cross. A few months after his 
 arrival, Father Westerwoudt announced exult- 
 antly that his hut was to be considerably enlarged. 
 A little chapel was to be added, separate from 
 his bed-room, where he intended also to store all 
 his “ preciosa”. Most of the so-called articles 
 had been left at Kuching, on account of the 
 difficulty of bringing them up the mountain. In 
 spite of all his efforts, the hut was not strongly 
 built and in June, 1887, only a year and a half 
 later, Felix complained that it was getting rickety 
 all over. 
 
 Felix tried very hard to cultivate the small 
 plot of ground around his hut. He sowed and 
 planted, but, as the soil was very stony, it was 
 almost impossible to find a suitable spot, and the 
 numerous rainfalls, streaming down the moun- 
 tain, washed away the seeds. He sowed onions, 
 beets, and carrots, which might have been a 
 
OPENING OF THE SINGHI MISSION 43 
 
 pleasant addition to his wretched stock, but the 
 seeds were always carried away by the rains. 
 For years his food consisted of dried fish, rice 
 with a few wild herbs, cocoanuts or bananas, and 
 sometimes a bit of boar, deer, or bear meat, 
 generally in a state of decay. Tea was his usual 
 drink, varied only by cocoanut milk and by a 
 cool draught from the waterfall. Better food 
 he never asked for, and when it was sent him 
 it was left untouched and put aside for one or 
 another of his fellow priests, on their visits to 
 the Singhi. 
 
 Before long he went barefoot like the Dyaks. 
 Shoes and stocking were a hindrance on swampy 
 ground and especially when brooks and rivers 
 were to be waded. So he was always barefoot 
 except at Holy Mass. In later years he experi- 
 enced the painful consequences of walking 
 through all kinds of filth, and he again wore 
 shoes. But they annoyed him. Friends at 
 home had sent him some wooden clogs and 
 he sometimes found those useful. This was 
 especially the case when he walked between the 
 huts, where the mud had the effect of a mustard 
 plaster and burned the skin from the soles of the 
 feet. His outfit consisted of a thin black cassock, 
 a large white sun-hat, a stout stick, and the indis- 
 pensable knife to clear his way. He was very 
 scrupulous about the wearing of his red sash, the 
 
44 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 livery of his Society, which puts its members in 
 mind that they should be in constant readiness 
 to shed their blood for Christ. 
 
 As soon as he was somewhat settled, he fol- 
 lowed as punctually as possible all the points of 
 the Mill Hill rule. During the thirteen years 
 he passed in Borneo he never omitted a yearly 
 retreat of ten days, followed by a general con- 
 fession. He was deeply convinced that a time 
 of recollection and care for his own spiritual life 
 was imperative after his continual toiling and 
 plodding among the Singhis. The holy fear of 
 Saint Paul was ever before him, — lest, having 
 preached to others, he should himself become a 
 castaway. | 
 
VII 
 TRIALS 
 
 HEN Father Westerwoudt went to live 
 W with his Singhi Dyaks he did not 
 know a word of their language. The 
 missioner who had first awakened interest in this 
 tribe and had visited them several times, was in 
 Europe. Felix was, moreover, unable to form 
 a notion of their character and customs by com- 
 parison with other tribes, as an older missioner 
 could have done. One of the chief virtues 
 ascribed to Felix by his brethren was that of 
 prudence. He was extremely fearful of making 
 a mistake in the selection of his means at the very 
 outset of his life’s work. So, at the beginning, 
 he was like a man feeling his way in the dark. 
 
 “ Even now,” he wrote on the second of 
 March, 1886, “everything is as unsettled as can 
 be.” What he called a school looked more like 
 a grocer’s shop with its owner waiting for cus- 
 tomers from morning until night. 
 
 Whatever vices the Dyaks may have had, it 
 cannot be denied that they were honest and hos- 
 pitable. Since their own doors were never 
 
 45 
 
46 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 closed, they expected that the priest would be 
 equally accessible to everyone at all times. He 
 was rarely left alone for one minute. Many 
 were drawn to Father Westerwoudt’s hut by 
 curiosity. They made themselves comfortable 
 and watched all his actions for hours at a stretch. 
 He was often forced to go outside in order to 
 have a chance to say his breviary. But the 
 missioner must endure this painful lack of 
 privacy, for free access to his house is the first 
 step to friendly intercourse. 
 
 Some of the Dyak visitors amused themselves 
 with toys or looked at pictures from the illus- 
 trated paper. To Felix’s surprise, they always 
 held them upside down. They contented them- 
 selves with such explanations as: this is a horse, 
 this is a man, this 1s a house, and did not ask for 
 more. They were greatly impressed by the 
 workings of a magnet which, in their primitive 
 way of speaking, they called “the courageous 
 iron”. An old Dyak asked Felix to give a piece 
 of it to his dog, as the animal was not brave © 
 enough for boar hunting. He was satisfied, 
 however, when permission was granted to have 
 his dog lick the iron. 
 
 Sometimes Father Westerwoudt showed them 
 catechism pictures, but these did not arouse any 
 interest. His hearers did, it is true, express the 
 opinion that heaven must be better than hell, for 
 
TRIALS 47 
 
 in the former people wear clothes, but not in the 
 latter. When the missioner showed them the 
 image of the Crucified Saviour, or when he spoke 
 of things pertaining to the soul, some burst into 
 loud laughter, others left the hut; no one lent 
 a willing ear. On those occasions Father Wester- 
 woudt’s heart shrank with pain and he thought: 
 “Not yet, not yet. I must first make myself 
 loved by them.” 
 
 At Kuching he had been advised to master as 
 much medical knowledge as possible. Dyak 
 medicine men make use of so many superstitious 
 practices that no Christian could have recourse to 
 them; so it was absolutely imperative that the 
 missioner should know how to doctor his native 
 Christians. Father Westerwoudt regretted that 
 he had not acquired the fundamentals of medicine 
 when he was in Europe. He set himself to be- 
 come the savior of their poor sick bodies as well 
 as of their souls, and did for them all that energy 
 and charity could achieve. Another means by 
 which he sought to win them was interest mani- 
 fested in all their temporal concerns. He fol- 
 lowed them to their rice-fields, and incidentally, 
 by inquiring into every particular, he became 
 acquainted with their many superstitions. 
 
 His favorite means, however, was to get the 
 boys together at his house. The older ones, who 
 lived together in one hut, were soon perverted 
 
48 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 and boys of fourteen and fifteen were already 
 depraved. Felix devoted himself more es- 
 pecially to the younger ones and made every 
 effort to win their affections. ‘They were willing 
 enough to play and joke with him, and they 
 executed their strange dances or performed the 
 most intricate gymnastic feats without any urging. 
 But when it came to learning anything, the dusky 
 urchins fled. After a few months they were 
 less shy of him than at first, when they used to 
 scurry away like frightened rats at the sight of 
 the tall white man in his black dress. 
 
 At first he could not succeed in getting any 
 boys to live with him. They came and went as 
 they chose, and it was long before he could exer- 
 cise any real influence over them. Father Jack- 
 son, his Superior, did not greatly favor the found- 
 ing of a school, as he thought it would leave too 
 little time for visiting the grown-ups. Felix 
 yielded to his Superior’s wishes, as always, but 
 he remained convinced of the urgent necessity of 
 a school. Later on, by making the most of his — 
 time and strength, he was able to have his school 
 without neglecting the older folks. 
 
 He gradually established a rule of life for 
 himself and for his people. He had stated hours 
 for prayer, for meals, for school, and for visits. 
 Six months later, in August, 1886, he wrote: 
 “ You ask whether I am making progress, but the 
 
TRIALS 49 
 
 question of success or no success does not even 
 come in yet” The germination of the seed was 
 very slow. But Felix never wavered. He strove 
 more and more to become like his flock, Like 
 his Divine Master, he became “ like one of them 
 in all things save sin”. When Father Dunn was 
 made Superior of the Mill Hill Borneo mission, 
 Felix said of him: “He loves the natives and 
 knows how to share their life and yet shun 
 familiarity. He might be called a Dyak gentle- 
 man.” These identical words describe Father 
 Westerwoudt himself. 
 
 Not only was success as yet out the question, 
 but difficulties multiplied rapidly. It was evident 
 that Satan would put up a mighty struggle to 
 maintain his kingdom. The devil’s allies were 
 powerful in a. place where such morals and 
 habits prevailed. But light had already pierced 
 this kingdom and the prince of darkness was 
 destined to flee before it. Felix himself was 
 deeply convinced of this. He would often re- 
 peat that the Holy Sacrifice was not celebrated 
 daily in vain on the Singhi. Even if he did not, 
 himself, live to see the result of his labors, the 
 Mass would undoubtedly call down God’s mercy 
 on this poor pagan people and they would be 
 converted in the Master’s good time. 
 
 At first most of the natives thought that Felix 
 was an agent of the Rajah and that he would be 
 
50 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 recalled before long. When they understood 
 that he had come to stay many remained indiffer- 
 ent, but others began to manifest hostility. 
 Among the latter were the chief and his advisers, 
 and the priests and priestesses. The chief hardly 
 ever visited the white man, and thwarted him 
 whenever he could. He embittered Father 
 Westerwoudt’s life for many years until at length 
 his own subjects grew weary of him and com- 
 plained to the Rajah, who had the chief deposed 
 and arrested. 
 
 In 1887 forty-two huts of the Singhi campong 
 were destroyed by fire. The bamboo and dried 
 sago leaves of which they were made flared up 
 like paper, and in less than an hour the howling, 
 yelling, wailing population saw their homes re- 
 duced to ashes. The chief was away at the time 
 with one of his principal subordinates. When 
 they returned, their fury knew no bounds. They j 
 brandished their swords and threatened to kill 
 anyone who should venture to approach; then, 
 of a sudden, they sat down in front of the ashes 
 of their huts and wept like children. It seems 
 that many ascribed the disaster to the presence of 
 the Christian priest. Yet Felix risked his life in 
 the work of rescue, and, in addition to fighting 
 the flames, he gave pecuniary aid to the homeless. 
 
 When the Dyaks planted their rice, they 
 observed all sorts of superstitious rites. Felix 
 
(9S söpd 239) SNOIivuo0daq IN SV GHAUASAUG ‘STIAAG SAINAN? 
 
 
 
 
 

 
TRIALS SI 
 
 had acquired a good deal of influence over a 
 certain man and he obtained leave to bless his 
 field according to Christian rites. He planted a 
 wooden cross where the Dyaks were wont to erect 
 the altar of an idol. There was great expecta- 
 tion among the natives, for many had promised 
 to study the Christian faith if the harvest suc- 
 ceeded. It failed, and it was even rumored that 
 deer had eaten away the plants at the very foot 
 of the cross. Felix wrote to the home-land: 
 “ God will turn this to good in His own way.” 
 
 The sorest trial to the missioner was the 1m- 
 possibility of approaching the sick. When a 
 Dyak fell ill he was placed under the care of the 
 priests and priestesses. Various superstitious rites 
 were performed, according to the seriousness of 
 the malady. The most common of these was for 
 the priestesses to chew gambier, betel and tobacco, 
 and to spit on the spot where they imagined the 
 disorder to be located. If the patient grew 
 worse, they killed a hen and cooked it, together 
 with some rice. They ate most of this them- 
 selves, though a certain portion was set aside for 
 the spirits. Then they made a pretense of re- 
 moving from the patient’s body various objects 
 which were supposed to have lodged there and 
 caused mischief. ‘When all these measures had 
 been taken, the hut was darkened for a fortnight 
 and the patient forbidden to go out or to allow 
 
52 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 anyone to approach him. In case of mortal ill- 
 ness, these practices were multiplied. Imaginary 
 incisions were made, stones and like objects sup- 
 posed to be removed from the body, a pig killed, 
 a dog beaten to death against the door post, and 
 the evil spirit given opportunity to leave in a 
 small boat. 
 
 Thus Father Westerwoudt could not approach 
 the little ones to baptize them at the hour of 
 death; he could not enlighten the men and 
 women who had shown some good will. His 
 heart must have been sad, indeed, as he stood 
 at the closed door and longed to minister to the 
 departing soul and wrest it from the devil. At 
 first he found it difficult to take timely measures, 
 for he knew too little of the nature and symptoms 
 of illnesses. Sometimes, when he did succeed in 
 baptizing infants, they recovered. Only once 
 was he able to send to heaven a little intercessor. 
 
 Smallpox attacked the Singhi in 1890. The 
 epidemic spread gradually, so that Felix was able 
 to follow up the individual cases. At first he 
 was allowed to approach several children. “ The 
 devil”, he wrote later, “has probably become 
 jealous, for now I am forbidden entrance nearly 
 everywhere. Even offerings of sugar for the 
 sick, or paraffin for night use, are no longer sufh- 
 cient bribes. Fifty children have died already 
 and I have baptized only fifteen.” 
 
VIII 
 DY ARR RAST! DAYS 
 
 N 1888 a cholera epidemic ravaged all Borneo. 
 | The Singhi did not suffer much from the 
 plague, but it was the occasion of a great 
 festival, at which Felix was present, and which 
 he afterwards described. The festival was for 
 the purpose of warding off the cholera. It was 
 a revival of old tribal ceremonies and the descrip- 
 tion of it shows clearly what a miracle of grace 
 was needed to make Christians of those poor 
 people. | 
 The opening day of the festival ‘was August 
 26. Great preparations had been made. The 
 fate of four pigs and a few hens had been 
 solemnly debated by the chief and the elders. 
 The younger men were kept busy making a path 
 to the summit of the mountain and preparing 
 six huts near a very old giant tree, held sacred 
 by the tribe. Early in the morning the chief was 
 borne on the shoulders of a few subjects to the 
 sacred tree, where a throne of bamboo and palm 
 leaves had been prepared. With him were 
 brought the skeleton heads of a deer, a tiger, a 
 53 
 
54 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 crocodile, and a bird. All the young people who 
 felt so inclined were allowed to take an oath, 
 while touching these bones, that they would never 
 eat venison, chicken, or eggs again, — a strange 
 and rather stringent act of self-denial. Three 
 pigs were killed and each family received a part. 
 A procession, headed by representatives of the 
 chief, who for two days must not leave his sacred 
 tree, then started out for the place of sacrifice. 
 Two priests were followed by about twenty 
 priestesses, decked out with beads and the teeth 
 of animals. Then followed a native with the 
 fourth pig, another with a hen, and a third with 
 a burning torch. Behind them came the notables, 
 and then the remainder of the tribe, together with 
 all the children. The road was a difficult one, an 
 hour’s journey over tree-trunks and: boulders, u 
 a steep slope. ache 
 At last the gruesome spot was reached. It was 
 marked by thirteen little idols, statues of differ- 
 ent Oran-Kayas (chiefs). They were made of 
 wood and measured about one foot in height. 
 The reigning chief was not allowed to erect a 
 new statue, but was expected to renovate that 
 of his predecessor. This was done by his son, — 
 who polished the statue for about half an hour 
 with some rice and a piece of pigskin. All the 
 priestesses, young and old, sang their sacred 
 hymns which, though wailing and monotonous, 
 
DYAK FEAST DAYS 55 
 
 were not without harmony. A hen was killed 
 and roasted over the fire; the fourth pig, after 
 many mysterious passes with a spear, was pierced 
 and only its heart was prepared. Then the sing- 
 ing began anew, accompanied by the beating of 
 gongs and cymbals. The neck-bone of the pig 
 and some bits of copper wire, which repre- 
 sented gold, were buried close to the idols, to 
 obtain a cool and prosperous year. ‘These cere- 
 monies took about three hours, after which the 
 party returned to the chief. 
 
 Then every one brought rice and fire-wood and 
 prepared the midday meal, squatting near the 
 enormous tree. The night and the following day 
 were passed in merrymaking. On the evening 
 of the second day, the chief was carried: home in 
 the same way as‘he had come. Thirty or forty 
 men set out on a boar-hunt on the morning of 
 the third day. They returned with only five 
 little ones. On the fourth day they tried their 
 luck again, but in vain. 
 
 Head-hunting was no longer allowed under 
 the reigning Rajah, but, on the fifth day of the 
 festival, forty men and youths armed themselves 
 with swords and spears and set out on an imagi- 
 nary head hunt. They returned the next after- 
 noon and were received with great rejoicings by 
 the whole village. In the middle of the cam- 
 pong a mat was spread, and they deposited there 
 
56 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 the basket which was supposed to contain the 
 heads. Around the mat a war dance was exe- 
 cuted, to the beating of drums and the clashing 
 of panies Then the Oran-Kaya appeared, 
 followed by one of the priestesses. The latter, 
 muttering her so-called prayers, brandished a 
 cock over everyone’s head, strewed some rice 
 about, and smeared some red liquid on the Ager 
 heeds of the head-hunters. 
 
 A very important part of the festival was the 
 skull-dance. All sorts of ornaments for the 
 dance were purchased at Kuching, the capital. 
 Mats were spread on the floor of the huts around 
 the sacred tree, and all the gongs were taken 
 there. On the eve, the Oran-Kaya and all the 
 participants went to the hallowed spot. They 
 carried with them the skulls of the animals 
 already mentioned above, and exhibited them in. 
 the chief’s tent, where they occupied the place 
 of honor. Thirty skulls were selected from those 
 used for the decoration of the young men’s hut. 
 These were carefully polished, and the noses and 
 mouths painted red. Then they were tied to- 
 gether in threes and hung around the sacred tree. 
 One pig and two hens were killed for the feast- 
 ers. All the fish caught during the previous 
 fortnight were deposited on trimmed bamboo. 
 A dog was slain to appease the hungry and si 
 spirits. 
 
DYAK FEAST DAYS 57 
 
 On the following day the feast began in earnest 
 and gave abundant proof that the Dyaks were, as 
 yet, uncivilized. From daybreak until late at 
 night the men of the tribe did nothing but jump 
 and dance around the sacred tree, holding drawn 
 swords or knives in one hand and the skulls or 
 “ holy ” bones of the animals in the other. They 
 tried to seize each other’s trophies and gave such 
 shrieks, yells, and howls that it seemed as if 
 they were all possessed by the devil. Sometimes 
 the jumping and yelling subsided a little, for 
 they were well nigh exhausted. Then the chief 
 raised himself from his bamboo throne, or one 
 of the elders urged on the women and children, 
 who beat the gongs and cymbals more wildly than 
 before. At these signals the warriors took fresh 
 courage. When'a rest was absolutely necessary 
 the skulls were deposited on a little mound and 
 the crowd walked round and round in procession, 
 singing a somewhat melancholy tune. 
 
 Those who participated for the first time in 
 the skull dance were not allowed to return home 
 but had to stay in the round huts for four days. 
 Furthermore, they had to abstain till old age 
 from venison, chicken, eggs, and several kinds 
 of vegetables and fruit. It was believed that the 
 smallest infraction of this law would be punished 
 with sickness or even death. That they should 
 inflict such heavy and such strict obligations on 
 
58 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 themselves seems incomprehensible. It only 
 shows how deeply their superstitions were rooted 
 in their hearts. 
 
 During Father Wester wotaes stay on the 
 Singhi the old sacred tree, around which these 
 festivals were held, suddenly withered and fell. 
 Some of the Dyaks ascribed this sudden death 
 to the presence of the Christian priest. Another 
 tree grew upon the spot but, with God’s grace, 
 idolatry will have perished on the Singhi long 
 before it reaches the venerable age of its prede- 
 cessor. 
 
IX 
 FIRST FRUITS 
 NorceED inactivity is the heaviest cross which 
 
 can be laid on the shoulders of a missioner 
 
 zealous for souls. Father Westerwoudt 
 did not falter under its weight, but something 
 of what he endured may be learned from a letter 
 which he wrote in April, 1886: 
 
 How much poetry our imagination puts into the 
 missioner’s life! We picture him roaming through vir- 
 gin forests. He comes upon some out-of-the-way hut 
 and preaches the Gospel, crucifix in hand, to an atten- 
 tive audience. But, in reality, the journey is most 
 often made on an empty stomach and in wet clothes 
 or under a scorching sun. As to the attentive audi- 
 ence, it is non-existent. Some one always says laugh- 
 ingly: “ That is all right for white men, Dyaks have 
 other customs.” Then the romance of it all is a 
 little overshadowed, and one sees that consolation and 
 help from on high are indispensable. 
 
 The thought of the numerous conversions 
 granted to Saint Francis Xavier and to many 
 other missioners filled Felix with a holy envy. 
 
 59 
 
60 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 But for himself, he knew how to contain his soul 
 in patience. An experienced fellow-missioner 
 had told him that he must be prepared to wait 
 four, six, or even eight, years before any results 
 would be perceptible. After two years his anx- 
 ious relatives asked him if his prospects were 
 growing brighter. ‘We must not bind God to 
 time,” answered Felix. 
 
 When he had spent the greater part of a year 
 amongst the Dyaks he could say that a couple 
 of boys knew the “ Our Father ” and were study- 
 ing the Apostles? Creed. This had already 
 severely taxed the missioner’s patience. It was 
 extremely difficult to find terms in the Dyak 
 tongue which would express the supernatural and 
 yet be intelligible to the ignorant natives. The 
 boys themselves were absolutely tinmanageable 
 and paid far more heed to the cries of birds of - 
 good or bad omen than to the white man’s words. 
 Several times he tried to have the boys live in 
 his own hut, but on the slightest pretext they ran 
 away. 
 
 He baptized the first infant on his mother’s 
 birthday, after he had been six months on the 
 Singhi. But it recovered. At the end of a year, — 
 however, he had sent two little ones to heaven 
 and baptized a boy of twelve in his dying hour. 
 The boy had fallen from a tree and nearly 
 severed his hand with an axe. The missioner had 
 
FIRST FRUITS 61 
 
 been allowed to bandage him. After a few days 
 the boy tore off the bandages and had recourse 
 to the native remedy, juice from the betel-nut. 
 Inflammation set in and the result was obvious. 
 The lad had visited Felix several times and it 
 was not too difficult to explain the ideas of God 
 and of heaven to him. It was another matter, 
 however, to awaken contrition in him; he had 
 never done anything wrong, everybody liked him! 
 Felix, trusting to God’s mercy, baptized the poor 
 heathen and had the joy of seeing him die a 
 Christian. At first he doubted the wisdom of 
 giving publicity to this fact, but in the end he 
 decided to do so. He was obliged to allow the 
 corpse to be cremated, but he openly blessed it 
 with holy water and said prayers over it. When 
 he was asked the meaning of this, he explained. 
 Thus they knew on the Singhi that one of their 
 tribe had died a Christian. But when would one 
 of them live as a Christian? 
 
 Among the more faithful of the missioner’s 
 boys was the young Kottir, a lad of thirteen. He 
 was apparently better disposed than the others, 
 and well-endowed intellectually. We have 
 proof of this in a letter written by his own hand 
 to Father Westerwoudt’s father in Amsterdam, 
 in April, 1887. It was the first time that such 
 a masterpiece had been achieved by a Singh: 
 Dyak, and it must have cost the boy and his 
 
62 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 teacher no small amount of pain and exertion. 
 The incentive had been powerful. Father 
 Westerwoudt owned a “ quick-match ”, self-ignit- 
 ing by means of small cartridges. It was now 
 broken, but it had always excited Kottir’s curiosity, 
 and Felix promised that his father would send 
 the boy one from Holland as soon as he could 
 ask for it in his own handwriting. Felix trans- 
 lated the letter literally as follows: 
 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 I have seen the child of the rifle of the missionary 
 on Singhi, your son. Me glad to play, now is broken. 
 I ask of you one large enough, strong, otherwise soon 
 broken. I asked the missionary to buy at Kuching, 
 but is not; I think in land of white man many. Send 
 powder much enough, to use ten years;. and two 
 threads yellow string, long ones. Me glad your son 
 lives on Singhi, bid not return to land of you, else me 
 not capable exercise religion true. Boys others not 
 yet like me, three only come always on Sunday. All 
 the old ones, father and mother, always angry with 
 me; this not touches me, me glad follow religion true. 
 Rising and sleeping and at night I pray also. I have 
 learned writing a little, not yet I know much. Send 
 pictures three: picture Gabriel comes from Heaven to 
 house of Mary, picture kings three adore the Lord 
 Jesus, picture St. Joseph and his Child, all pictures nice. 
 
 Name, my name Kottir. 
 
 The missioner did not know why Kottir 
 selected just those pictures, but it was the boy’s. 
 
FIRST FRUITS 63 
 
 own wish. He already knew part of the cate- 
 chism and wished to be baptized. The parents 
 were strongly opposed. It required a good deal 
 of will power not to yield to them, and to all 
 the temptations and bad examples which con- 
 stantly surrounded Kottir. Yet he stood firm! 
 His temper was hot and irritable and he had many 
 faults, but he was in earnest. When told that 
 he must go to confession once a year he proposed, 
 of his own accord, to go once a month. But even 
 then he knew that he could not possibly remem- 
 ber his faults so long. Se he resolved to keep 
 a bit of paper always near him, on which all his 
 shortcomings should be jotted down as soon as 
 committed. When the time of Kottir’s baptism 
 was drawing near, Felix decided to call him 
 Joseph. “This Saint has so often helped our 
 family,” he wrote, “ no doubt he will particularly 
 favour my mission work.” 
 
 On August 15, the feast of the Assumption, 
 the Dyak lad was baptized at Kuching, and the 
 following Easter he made his First Communion. 
 Two more boys were baptized that year. But 
 the number of pupils at the missioner’s little 
 school remained very small. There were be- 
 tween three and six. It was uphill work, for, 
 though there were so few boys, they took up all 
 Father Westerwoudt’s time. He had to trans- 
 late morning and night prayers for them, and, 
 
64 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 above all, the catechism. Their secular education 
 was very simple. After morning prayers, Mass, 
 and breakfast were over, they received lessons in 
 reading, writing, and arithmetic. This seemed 
 to the Dyaks the height of civilization. Special 
 attention was given to the catechism. Every day 
 they worked a short time in the garden or on the 
 missioner’s new house. ‘They were so restless 
 that they could not remain at their studies for 
 more than an hour at a time! But they were 
 very eager to fetch provisions from the quay, 
 gather wild vegetables in the woods, or examine 
 their Dyak fishing nets. | 
 
 The boys’ up-keep was certainly not expensive. 
 One dollar sufficed to provide for a boy for one 
 month. Felix allowed his pupils to follow Dyak 
 customs as to food, and also as to clothing, so 
 long as the latter remained within the limits of 
 modesty. He thought it best not to risk too 
 abrupt changes. Though they had been such a 
 short time with the missioner, his boys were al- 
 ready more civilized than their tribesmen, and 
 their influence made itself felt to a certain 
 extent. However, Father Westerwoudt suffered 
 many a disappointment in his boys. 
 
 Only one of the six, Kottir, was destined to 
 persevere. Another, Myrgon, strayed for long 
 years. At last he returned, made a Christian 
 marriage, and settled in the mission. ‘The others 
 
FIRST FRUITS 65 
 
 succumbed to the many temptations and married 
 heathen girls. Little Dagiany, attracted by 
 the pleasure of flying about everywhere, chose 
 the Archangel Gabriel as his patron, and for a 
 long time he served the missioner as assistant 
 teacher. But he afterwards married a heathen 
 priestess and became a bitter enemy of the Chris- 
 tians. Yet in spite of so many disappointments, 
 when Father Westerwoudt’s Superior suggested 
 that he should undertake more promising work, 
 the missioner begged to be left with his people. 
 When the palm-leaf hut tumbled down, Felix 
 undertook to build a solid wooden house and 
 chapel, chiefly from his own means. In case his 
 work should have no visible fruits, he wanted to 
 spare the impoverished Borneo mission. He 
 made it clear, however, that he would never de- 
 sire this to constitute a tie binding him to the 
 Singhi against the wishes of his Superiors. 
 There was no level ground available for the 
 mission compound, and digging revealed such 
 enormous masses of rock that Felix was obliged 
 to have recourse to the Borneo Company for 
 dynamite, which was used in its mercury and 
 antimony mines. A spot was cleared by blast- 
 ing, in almost the only place where the sun could 
 penetrate and dry the extraordinarily damp soil. 
 It was a pretty site, but it did not offer the 
 splendid view which the missioner had enjoyed 
 
66 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 from the old palm hut. There was a small 
 garden in front of the house and all the rest of 
 the premises were surrounded by thick woods. 
 Building material was another drawback. All 
 that did not grow on the spot could be brought 
 there only with the greatest difficulty. .Camphor- 
 wood, which is proof against the white ants, was 
 found near the cremation grounds, but no native 
 would touch it, as such places were considered the 
 natural haunts of witches, ghosts, and evil spirits. 
 Iron-wood did not grow on, the mountain, and 
 the quantity necessary for the poles had to be 
 brought up from the river, a distance of seven 
 miles. | 
 
 At first the roof of the house was of palm 
 leaves, but later these were replaced by more 
 durable iron-wood. ‘The greatest. ornament was 
 a wooden turret containing a solid church bell. 
 It resounded over an area of a mile and soon it 
 would call the Dyaks to worship the God Whom 
 the white man had made known to them. This 
 bell was highly necessary, for the Dyak idea of 
 time was most primitive. It was no wonder they 
 could not tell the day of the week, when their 
 only designation for the hours of each day was 
 the name of some occupation. Thus they would 
 say: “It was at rice-pounding time; or, at rice- 
 drying time; or, it lasted twice the time of cook- 
 ing a meal.” 
 
NOISSIJN IHONIS AHL LV STAUAAUANO) ANV HOSSAHIINS S,LGNOMUALSAM YAHLVY 
 
 
 

 
FIRST FRUITS 67 
 
 The work progressed slowly but it was finished 
 at last. Felix had started building in the early 
 months of 1888, and he asked Father Goossens 
 to bless his wooden church at the end of June. 
 The bell was a present from the missioner’s 
 parents. On the evening of June 27 it sounded 
 over the campong, to the great stupefaction of the 
 Singhis. They could not understand how a thin 
 rope could draw such a beautiful voice from that 
 heavy copper thing. 
 
 The next day the blessing took place, and the 
 Holy Sacrifice was offered in the little church. 
 The remaining festivities were partly a failure. 
 The chief had forbidden his subjects to partake 
 of the Dyak meal which was to enhance the 
 splendor of the feast, because all pagan practices 
 were to be eliminated from it. Several dis- 
 obeyed his commands, however, partly to please 
 the missioner and partly because of the proffered 
 dainties, such as a pig killed for the occasion and 
 rice cooked in bamboo. A newcomer from 
 Europe, who should have witnessed the beating 
 of cymbols and gongs, the performance of Dyak 
 dances, and the firing of old guns, would have 
 thought himself at a scalping party rather than 
 a church consecration. The house was red with 
 spittle stained with betel-nut and other sub- 
 stances. Father Westerwoudt had decided to 
 have this feast to show that it was possible to 
 
68 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 rejoice without superstitious practices. He ac- 
 knowledged to himself that his success was 
 doubtful. | 
 
 Near the mouth of a small river, the Musi, 
 about seven miles from Singhi, there was a 
 Malay house, surrounded by a few fruit trees. 
 This was the missioner’s landing place. At the 
 time of which we write, he bought the property 
 for ten dollars. This gave him a place where he 
 could pass the night, whenever it was necessary, 
 and where he could store the goods that awaited 
 a carrier. Such goods were perfectly safe, as 
 stealing was unknown among the Dyaks. 
 
 About this time Felix acquired a welcome 
 neighbor in the person of Father Goossens. The 
 latter was appointed to a new mission station half- 
 way between Kuching and Singhi, at Sang-kap- 
 kong. Felix could reach Father Goossens, by 
 land or by sea, within a few hours. The mission- 
 ers journeyed to the new station together, and 
 were invited to stay with a Chinese. Christian, 
 who gave them a site for a good chapel on his 
 own grounds. When this man was still a pagan 
 he had built a devil’s temple. Since his con- 
 version it was a constant reproach to his conscience, 
 but he had allowed the neighbors to make use of 
 it and it had become public property. He asked 
 the missioners to destroy it by fire, but they did 
 not feel that it would be well to do so. How- 
 
FIRST FRUITS 69 
 
 ever, as soon as Mass had been said in the new 
 mission chapel, the temple became useless to the 
 pagan Chinese; the devil no longer answered the 
 questions put to him. Henceforth the missioners 
 met frequently at Sang-kap-kong, and Father 
 Goossen’s companionship was a great comfort to 
 Father Westerwoudt. 
 
 At the end of 1889, Father Westerwoudt cele- 
 brated Christmas for the first time on the Singhi 
 itself, with his Christians and catechumens. 
 There was none of the Christmas cheer of former 
 years, with snow and glittering stars in the frosty 
 heavens. But the missioner said Midnight Mass 
 in his own neat little church, among those few 
 souls he had begotten in Christ, and his heart was 
 full of joy. He was able to give Holy Com- 
 munion to some, and there were two baptisms. 
 
 Thus, in spite of all obstacles, a little Christian 
 community was forming. Christ said: “ For 
 where there are two or three gathered together in 
 My name, there am I in the midst of them.” So 
 He was surely in the midst of Father Wester- 
 woudt’s little flock, which already outnumbered 
 two or three. More Dyaks began to come to the 
 church on Sunday. The bell reminded them of 
 the white man’s worship, and the wooden chapel 
 was more attractive than the rickety palm leaf 
 hut of the first days. So the zealous missioner’s 
 parish work increased gradually. 
 
70 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 Aside from this, Father Westerwoudt was 
 carrying a new and heavy burden. The Prefect 
 Apostolic of Borneo, Father Jackson, asked 
 Propaganda to relieve him, as he felt his strength 
 failing. His request was vain, so he set out for 
 America on a begging tour, to gather the funds 
 necessary for a church and school in Kuching. 
 He was gone from the latter part of 1888 till the 
 spring of 1893. During all this time he en- 
 trusted Father Westerwoudt with the government 
 of the whole Borneo mission. The other 
 missioners had ample faculties, it is true, but 
 Felix was obliged to oversee everything as 
 minutely as possible because of reports which he, 
 as acting superior, was expected to send to the 
 Mother House, to Propaganda, to the Society for 
 the Propagation of the Faith, and so forth. He 
 had to erect new stations from time to time, and 
 visit the old ones. He traveled a great deal 
 during this period, and his journeys in the interior 
 of Borneo were a fresh source of that suffering 
 he had longed for in his seminary days. 
 
X 
 JOURNEYINGS BY LAND AND SEA 
 
 when he arrived at Singhi, to go to 
 
 Kuching every two weeks, was never put 
 into effect. It was usually a month between his 
 trips to the valley, and then he was driven by 
 necessity. He had to go to confession, and he 
 had to procure certain indispensable articles such 
 as salt, oil, tea, salt fish, and matches. These 
 trips were also the only means he had of receiving 
 and posting mail. Quite frequently the danger- 
 ous journey was made by night. 
 
 Sometimes the road to the Singhi was over 
 six feet under water, for a distance of several 
 miles. This happened after the heavy showers, 
 when the little streams were swollen to rivers. 
 Once Felix swam nearly the whole way. He 
 made a small raft and put his clothes and breviary 
 on it. This was pushed through the water by his 
 boy, and the missioner himself swam from one 
 tree to another, resting in between. Another 
 time, instead of going by boat from the landing 
 on Musi river, he made the whole journey from 
 
 71 
 
 Pome WESTERWOUDT’s resolve, made 
 
vie: FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 Singhi to Kuching on foot. He started at dawn 
 and barely managed to reach his destination by 
 nightfall. The first half of the journey led over 
 a mountain. The missioner had to follow a 
 Dyak foot-path, as narrow as a cart rut, where 
 it was impossible to put his two feet side by side. 
 The second half of the way was even worse. 
 The ground was very swampy, and trees had 
 been cut down to form a primitive sort of road. 
 If the traveler did not watch each step very care- 
 fully, he was liable to fall on the hard trunks. 
 
 One of Father Westerwoudt’s first inland 
 journeys was to the Bambok tribe, from whom 
 he bought a boat for use on the Musi river. The 
 one that he purchased was heavy and unwieldy, 
 and after the frequent rains it generally had 
 to be fished up from the bottom of the river. 
 
 Father Jackson strongly advised Felix to keep © 
 to a single tribe in his pioneer work. But the 
 missioner thought it well to visit the surround- 
 ing tribes from time to time. He wanted to 
 make known his presence on the Singhi, and the 
 fact that reading and writing were taught at his 
 mission, in the hope that some might be attracted . 
 to visit him or to put their boys in his keeping. 
 It might seem, at first thought, that these journey- 
 ings were a waste of energy, but they occasionally 
 were the means of winning a soul. When the 
 Good Shepherd goes out to look for the lost shéep 
 
JOURNEYINGS BY LAND AND SEA 73 
 
 he does not heed the thorns and the briars which 
 wound him along the way. 
 
 In October, 1886, Father Westerwoudt visited 
 some neighboring tribes of Land Dyaks and got 
 as far as Sambas, on Dutch territory. At first 
 the road was fairly good but the heat was almost 
 unbearable. After a particularly trying day, 
 they reached the hut of a European who was 
 prospecting for mercury for the North Borneo 
 Company, and who received them kindly. Felix 
 wished to visit the Tringus tribe and, in order 
 to do this, they had to push on through a swampy 
 primeval forest. The missioner and his boys 
 had not forgotten to bind their trousers tightly 
 around their legs, but in spite of that precaution 
 they suffered greatly from leeches, which clung 
 to their skin. .No matter how often the leeches 
 were removed, they returned, and seemingly in 
 greater numbers. Betel-nut juice is a prevent- 
 ive, but its effects are not durable. 
 
 Further on, the path led along a broad but 
 shallow river, which had to be waded some 
 twenty times. The cool water was temptingly 
 refreshing, but the Dyaks manifested great pru- 
 dence. They passed through as quickly as pos- 
 sible, and stopped on the brink merely to rinse 
 their mouths, in order to avoid the danger of a 
 sudden change from the heat of the journey. 
 When Father Westerwoudt reached the Tringus, 
 
74 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 he learned that the chief was absent. He was 
 allowed to await his return in the large round 
 hut where the older boys slept. The white man 
 was an object of great curiosity to the boys, 
 especially when he knelt to pray before lying 
 down. | 
 
 On the following day the chief gave him a 
 hearty welcome, and, in return for some half- 
 penny knick-knacks, provided him with hens, 
 rice, and eggs. The missioner wished to go on 
 to the Sidin tribe on Dutch territory. That tribe 
 often set traps for the wild swine, hardly dis- 
 cernible to the inexperienced eye, and hence very 
 dangerous. So the chief, with his son, insisted 
 on accompanying Father Westerwoudt. At frst 
 the way led along the slope of a mountain, where 
 it was difficult to keep one’s footing: The chief 
 went first, sword in hand, to clear the way if . 
 necessary. Then the travelers were obliged to 
 walk in the river for two hours. The water 
 reached only to their waists, as it was the dry 
 season, but the river bed was covered with sharp 
 stones. On either hand stretched an impene- 
 trable forest. Dinner was eaten sitting on a rock _ 
 in midstream. 
 
 The missioner found the Sidin to be a tribe of 
 some two hundred families. Scurvy was so 
 prevalent among them that half the population 
 was infected by it. Then the indefatigable priest 
 
JOURNEYINGS BY LAND AND SEA 75 
 
 visited the Krokon, a very small tribe, and re- 
 turned to the Singhi after a long day’s journey 
 through swampy ground. “ My feet”, he wrote, 
 “deserved a rest, and my boy declared that he 
 would not make such a journey again. At any 
 rate, these poor people know now that a white 
 man is living near them, willing to take their 
 sons.” 
 
 A year later, in July, 1887, Father Wester- 
 woudt visited the Seramboe Dyaks. There were 
 three tribes on Seramboe mountain, which is not 
 far from Singhi. After a steep climb, the cam- 
 pongs were reached, but the natives had left for 
 their rice fields. The missioner had no pro- 
 visions with him and, though he was quite ready 
 to fast, his boy was of a different opinion. So 
 they hastened’ homewards, in order to pass 
 through the wilderness before dark. On the 
 way they came upon a Chinese temple, or devil’s 
 house, kept by an old Chinaman. There, near 
 some sort of altar, and in the company of vermin 
 large and small, they passed the night. At sun- 
 rise Felix set out for the rice fields of the Seram- 
 boe Dyaks. But the natives scattered and the 
 chief was absent, so the expedition was a failure. 
 However, Felix did not forget his Seramboes 
 and he returned later for a more successful visit. 
 
 Father Westerwoudt usually made these inland 
 journeys as rapidly as possible, in the company 
 
76 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 of one or two of his boys. After the arrival of 
 Father Goossens, his cheerful company made the 
 trips less painful and they were sometimes length- 
 ened. The two missioners also arranged for a 
 monthly visit to Kuching in each other’s company. 
 On the appointed day Father Goossens went to 
 his own landing place and watched for his con- 
 frére’s boat. It was recognizable at a great dis- 
 tance by its ungainly form, wobbling movement, 
 and long oars. Felix rested a while, and then 
 the two friends covered the twelve miles which 
 still separated them from Kuching, in the much 
 lighter boat belonging to Father Goossens. They 
 spoke of their difficulties and of an occasional 
 consoling event, and talked over the news from 
 their common fatherland. | | 
 
 A journey which Father Westerwoudt took in 
 company with Father Dunn and Father Reyffert — 
 to their missions at Kanowit, was a real relaxation 
 to him. This journey was made by rowboat, 
 steamer, and native man-of-war. The latter, its 
 rowers emitting terrifying war cries, ploughed 
 through the water at high speed, but the necessity 
 of remaining huddled down with one’s chin on 
 one’s knees made this mode of travel not too 
 agreeable. At Kanowit they found two other 
 Fathers and a lay brother. The pretty house 
 was almost too small. Felix was able to enjoy 
 a bath, a luxury unknown on the Singhi. A com- 
 
JOURNEYINGS BY LAND AND SEA 77 
 
 parative study of the local customs and dialects 
 gave a useful scope to his visit; and moreover, 
 he was refreshed in body and soul by the sorely 
 needed rest and the brotherly intercourse. The 
 astonishment of the Singhi boy who was with 
 him beggared words. On his return he gave a 
 wonderful description of the Christians and their 
 ways, and emphasized especially that they could 
 read and write and were happy. 
 
 In June, 1891, Father Westerwoudt visited 
 the stations of North Borneo. A missioner had 
 died and the vacancy had to be filled. The voyage 
 should have lasted only three days and nights, but 
 it extended over a week. As there was no cabin 
 available on the little Sarawak steamer, the 
 missioner slept on deck. When he landed at 
 Labuan a most agreeable surprise awaited him; 
 he found there Fathers Reyffert and Driessen, 
 who had been intimate companions of his at the 
 Seminary in Holland even before the Mill Hill 
 days. The joy of the reunion compensated for 
 the discomforts of the journey. 
 
 Father Reyffert and Felix visited the small 
 town of Papar, opposite the island of Gaya. Its 
 inhabitants were descendants of pirates, and they 
 maintained the fame of their ancestors, for no 
 better boatsmen could be found. The missioner at 
 Papar was ill and needed help. The two visit- 
 ing missioners remained as nurse and school- 
 
78 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 teacher for ten days, until the patient was well 
 enough to be left alone. The trip brought 
 Father Westerwoudt into contact with conditions 
 slightly different from those on his own moun- 
 tain. 
 
 The coast of North Borneo is inhabited by 
 Malays and Bajans, the interior by Dusans. 
 These people were more civilized than the 
 Dyaks. They were not nomads like the Sea 
 Dyaks, nor did they cluster round a mountain 
 like the Land Dyaks. They dwelt in the valleys 
 and used buffaloes to plough their rice fields. 
 These animals were not only indispensable for 
 cultivation, but they also took the place of vehicles 
 of all kinds, and often one could see two or 
 three people crossing a river on the back of a 
 buffalo. The youngest children could ride them 
 unsaddled, holding to the bridle when going 
 uphill, and to the tail when going down. 
 Towards the end of his life, Father Westerwoudt 
 made an attempt to import some of these buffa- 
 loes for Singhi’s rice fields. His death frus- 
 trated this plan, but he succeeded in buying some 
 for the Fathers in Kanowit. 
 
 From Papar the missioners went to Patatan. 
 Three men and a boy accompanied Fathers 
 Westerwoudt and Reyffert. Because of the 
 stormy sea, they had chosen the land route, but 
 this proved especially difficult. What bridges 
 
JOURNEYINGS BY LAND AND SEA 79 
 
 there were had been swept away in the rains, and 
 the missioners nearly lost their lives more than 
 once in wading small rivers. The roads in the 
 hill country proved so rough that the Dusans 
 refused to carry the baggage any farther and 
 the little band was forced to make for the coast. 
 Finally, all the stations were visited, and then 
 Father Reyffert remained to take the place of 
 Father Rientjer, who had been drowned. Father 
 Rientjer was the latest comer to Borneo, but he 
 was the first to go to his reward. 
 
 On the return voyage from Patatan to La- 
 buan great difficulties were met. It was impos- 
 sible for the boat to plough its way through the 
 surf, though it was manned by Bajans. It was 
 necessary to pass the night in the open, under a 
 heavy rain, in.the mouth of the river; but with 
 morning came a favorable wind and the voyagers 
 were able to make land. The boy who accom- 
 panied Father Westerwoudt gave the following 
 account of the journey in a letter to the mission- 
 er’s father: 
 
 Not long ago I traveled to Labuan and to Papar and 
 to Patatan, and when we left there the missioner of 
 Singhi asked three men to take us over to Labuan. That 
 night we reached the mouth of Kanowit river. As 
 we were going to cross over to Labuan, there came 
 rain, a great storm and large breakers. Much water 
 entered the boat. The boat nearly turned over and 
 
80 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 we did not know where we were going. Land and 
 water were black. ‘The Malays who rowed us were 
 afraid, so they called for help from Mohammed. As 
 the storm did not cease, I became afraid. ‘The Singhi 
 missioner, seeing my fear, said: “ Be not afraid, for 
 our Guardian Angel watches over us” When he said 
 this my heart was no longer afraid. 
 
 Ten years later, in 1896, Felix revisited Kano- 
 wit. This time the trip was made merely to 
 restore his failing health. Father Keyser, whom 
 Felix had not seen in all that time, gave him a 
 hearty welcome and did all he could to nurse 
 him back to health. Great changes for the better 
 had taken place at Kanowit during the decade 
 and they must have filled Father Westerwoudt’s 
 heart with hope for his own dear mission. For- 
 merly the Kanowit mission had only one small 
 house, which served as residence, chapel, and 
 school. Now, in addition, it had a school build- 
 ing and a beautiful large church, made wholly 
 of iron-wood. Forests had been transformed 
 into meadows and rice-fields, and there were 
 fifteen buffaloes at work in them. The spiritual 
 returns were as satisfactory as the material 
 progress. 
 
 We have spoken, for the most part, only of 
 Father Westerwoudt’s own journeyings. But 
 journeys were frequently made to the Singhi by 
 the other missioners. Father Dunn, who was 
 
JOURNEYINGS BY LAND AND SEA 81 
 
 Prefect Apostolic of Borneo during the last 
 years of Felix’s life, never lost an opportunity 
 of seeing him. He said that he considered a 
 visit to the Singhi a sort of pilgrimage, from 
 which he returned edified and strengthened. 
 
 Felix’s poverty, his many hardships, and his 
 precarious health, were thus known to a few but 
 he wished to keep them from as many as pos- 
 sible, particularly his dear ones at home. Doctor 
 Driessen, brother of the missioner, who was in 
 Java on business, once made his way up the 
 Singhi, and Felix was eternally grateful to the 
 kind physician that he did not reveal, on his 
 return to Holland, the details of what he had 
 found. In 1896 Felix was visited by Father 
 Aelen, Superior of Saint Joseph’s, Roosendael. 
 Father Aelen knew some of the missioner’s fam- 
 ily and Felix was overjoyed to be able to talk 
 of his dear ones. “I forgot”, he wrote, “ that 
 I was a missioner; I was only a son and a 
 brother.” After his return to Holland, Father 
 Aelen was besieged with questions, and he 
 finally admitted enough of the truth about Felix 
 to open his family’s eyes. This was harder for 
 Felix Westerwoudt to bear than his own suffer- 
 ings. 
 
XI 
 REINFORCEMENTS 
 
 | \arneR Wesrerwoupr passed five and 
 
 a half years without a helper on the 
 Singhi. He had been offered a lay 
 brother, but refused. He felt that others needed 
 such help more than he, for he had neither a 
 school nor a plantation. What caused him the 
 gravest anxiety during those years was the impos- 
 sibility of gaining any real influence with the 
 women and the girls. For what would become 
 of his boys if they contracted heathen marriages? 
 He began to look forward to the day when 
 there would be Sisters on the Singhi. The 
 Franciscan Sisters who worked for Saint Joseph’s 
 Society had already started girls’ schools at 
 Kuching and elsewhere, and they were expecting 
 several more Sisters from England. Father 
 Westerwoudt seized the opportunity and invited 
 the Mother Superior to visit Singhi, and see if 
 she thought it a fit place for Sisters to live. He 
 hesitated at the thought of the journey, which 
 at some seasons of the year was impossible for 
 a woman. But he knew of what courage and 
 generosity a Catholic Sister’s heart is capable. 
 82 
 
STIdNd dAILVN UIJHL ALIM 
 
 SNOISSI JN IHONIS AHL JO SHALSIG 
 
 war henra nnee 
 
 rn 
 eas 
 ata 
 
 * 
 
 d 
 
 * 
 
 sy 
 
 * 
 
 a 
 
 Ee |. 
 
 SLEEN 
 
 
 
 ERN | 
 eae 
 EN ZP OM 
 

 
REINFORCEMENTS 83 
 
 Fortunately, he was not deceived. Two Sisters 
 were allowed to settle on the Singhi. As this 
 was in the nature of an experiment, Felix offered 
 to bear the expense of the building of a house 
 and he agreed to provide for their wants for three 
 years. He had made the plan for the house 
 himself, but just as he was about to start build- 
 ing he was called to North Borneo. Father 
 Goossens insisted on his friend’s going, for his 
 health was not at all satisfactory at that time. 
 He promised to take care of the building during 
 Felix’s absence, and when the latter returned he 
 found everything in perfect order. So, in Sep- 
 tember, 1891, the Mother Superior brought to 
 Singhi two Sisters, for whom a life of great 
 poverty and privation now began. 
 
 The Sisters took care of the chapel and did 
 the missioner’s cooking. In their actual mission 
 work, success was heartbreakingly slow in coming. 
 Father Westerwoudt had expected this and pre- 
 pared them for it. It was difficult to secure 
 desirable girls as pupils, because many were 
 trained from an early age in the superstitions of 
 priestesses and medicine women. Moreover, in 
 the family life most of the work fell to the lot 
 of the women and girls, and it was almost im- 
 possible for the girls to be spared to go to live 
 with the Sisters, or even to study with them for 
 short periods. As for the Sisters themselves, 
 
84 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 one of them was soon at home and quickly 
 acquired a smattering of the Dyak language. 
 But the other fell ill and suffered continually 
 from fevers. The children were afraid of these 
 white women in their long black robes, with their 
 heads wrapped in black and white cloths, and 
 they ran at their approach. 
 
 A full year after the Sisters’ arrival, however, 
 in September, 1892, Father Westerwoudt felt 
 that the prayers he had asked for were being 
 answered. The Sisters had four girls and a little 
 boy in their care. “The quality is not exactly 
 first rate,” he wrote, “for two of them have 
 bow legs, and a third has skin disease. Our con- 
 vent looks more like a hospital than a school. 
 But it is all for the love of God, and perhaps we 
 shall be DE later by a GIN number of 
 healthy ones.’ | 
 
 By Easter, 1893, there were a few more little 
 ones in the convent, and two girls were baptized. 
 They were called Mary and Catherine, after the 
 patron saints of Singhi convent. Father Wester- 
 woudt had a greater number of school boys, also. 
 Some had already left him, making room for 
 others. Joseph Kottir was in the service of the © 
 Sisters. He did all the rough work for them, 
 such as chopping wood, carrying water, and so 
 forth. Another boy who had grown beyond the 
 school age was a poor hunchback, who was in- 
 
REINFORCEMENTS 85 
 
 capable of doing any work. He became quite 
 famous as Singhi’s first and only shop-keeper. 
 In reality his sole trade was a certain amount of 
 bartering, which sufficed for Hwmpy’s modest 
 needs. 
 
 That same year the Christians planted a rice- 
 field, which the missioner blessed. The crop 
 was a poor one, but at least the Christians’ field 
 produced as much as any other. Father Felix 
 was not too exacting. He wrote: “ Praise be to 
 God! now the heathens can no longer claim that 
 becoming a Christian and rice-planting are irrec- 
 oncilable. Probably they will find some other 
 excuse. Conversion is a grace from God. This 
 the missioner daily experiences; but that is just 
 why he always looks forward so hopefully to the 
 future! ” | 
 
 Felix had long been turning over in his mind 
 the idea of a coffee plantation, where his Chris- 
 tians could find profitable employment. He 
 made a first attempt in 1890. As coffee does not 
 grow on damp and level ground, it would be 
 possible to utilize the mountain slope. Here, as 
 elsewhere, the missioner met with great opposition 
 from the chief, who gave his sanction to the plan 
 only after intervention by the District Resident. 
 
 The most direct way to the plantation from 
 the mission-house led through one of the cre- 
 mation grounds. Father Goossens accompanied 
 
86 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 his friend on one of his trips thither and after- 
 wards wrote: “I saw, hanging from trees, baskets 
 in which babies had been deposited. Only two 
 or three days ago a dead babe had been brought 
 there, and it was one mass of corruption. Human 
 limbs, half burnt and decayed, lay around, and 
 their fearful stench reached the missioner-planter 
 even at a distance. The rest is best left unsaid.” 
 
 Yet the “ missioner-planter ”, as Father Goos- 
 sens called him, persisted in these unpleasant 
 expeditions till the time of his death. After his 
 school hours and the visits to his Christians, he 
 went with his boys to weed the plantation. No 
 labor was too great for him when it was a ques- 
 tion of the good of his flock. In a material way, 
 the plantation was not a success, although Felix 
 did have the satisfaction of actually tasting his 
 own coffee. Coffee planting demands hard labor — 
 and does not yield immediate results. The 
 Dyaks were not good cultivators and preferred 
 immediate gain. So they did not respond to 
 Father Westerwoudt’s efforts. But until his 
 death the plantation provided a means of employ- 
 ment for his boys, and they were pleased with 
 the pay the missioner gave them for their work. © 
 
 In the midst of such incessant labors for his 
 own flock, Felix did not cease to think of the 
 other tribes and to desire that they, too, might 
 have the gift of faith. His friend, Father 
 
REINFORCEMENTS 87 
 
 Goossens, had opened an out-station at Paku for 
 the Chinese. A little farther on lived several 
 tribes of Seramboe Dyaks, and the two priests 
 decided to combine their efforts and do some- 
 thing for them. With the help of a couple of 
 boys they built a hut of wood and palm leaves, 
 near Paku. This structure was to be used as a 
 school, served by the two priests in turn. They 
 started with four boys, but one was removed by 
 his father and another got home-sick. After 
 four month’s time, Felix was obliged to admit 
 that the Goossens-Westerwoudt Company had 
 gone bankrupt. The failure was definitely con- 
 firmed by Father Jackson, who visited the differ- 
 ent stations after his return to Borneo. Among 
 the changes which followed his visitation of the 
 missions, was the transfer of Father Goossens to 
 North Borneo. 
 
 This loss was a real trial for the Singhi 
 missioner. He was also deprived of the com- 
 pany of Father Van den Broeck, who had been 
 stationed at Kuching and who was sent north. 
 “He made my monthly visits at Kuching so 
 pleasant,” he wrote, “and Father Goossens, only 
 three hours distant. from Singhi, was my con- 
 frère, my confessor, and my adviser.” 
 
 The new school at Paku was totally abandoned. 
 Those boys who could be persuaded to do so, 
 went with the missioner to Singhi, and on the 
 
88 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 list of newly baptized at Christmas, 1894, were 
 five Seramboe Dyaks. But they did not get on 
 well with the Singhi boys, and one by one they 
 left the mission house. Father Westerwoudt, 
 however, did not lose sight of his Seramboe 
 Christians, and he visited them whenever it was 
 possible. Though they were only at an hour’s 
 distance from Paku, they profited nothing, or 
 almost nothing, by the Chinese mission station. 
 For the Chinese had a great contempt for the 
 Dyaks, whom they called forest-dwellers, and 
 this contempt was so extreme that they wanted 
 their own priests. The missioners who worked 
 among the Dyaks were not able to influence the 
 Chinese, and were deemed of little account. But 
 better days were at hand for the Seramboe Dyaks. 
 In October, 1895, good news reached the 
 Singhi. Father Reyffert had been assigned to 
 help Felix. This was done chiefly that Felix 
 might be free to do more for the Seramboe. He 
 at once opened an out-station at Podam. “ The 
 new Saint Anthony’s”, he wrote, “is a very 
 humble station. It lies at the foot of Seramboe 
 mountain, and it numbers only thirty doors, as we | 
 say here; which means three long houses, built 
 on poles, containing ten families each. A few 
 smaller campongs lie scattered in the vicinity.” 
 There Felix began life once more, in a hut 
 of palm leaves twenty feet square. As of old 
 
REINFORCEMENTS 89 
 
 on the Singhi, a partition shut off the chapel-bed- 
 room from the rest of the hut. Unfortunately, 
 he was frequently absent. Singhi continued to 
 be his own main station and he often assisted 
 Father Reyffert there. He was also called else- 
 where, for there was a great scarcity of missioners 
 in Borneo at that time. Father Jackson, who was 
 really too old to carry the burden of the Apostolic 
 Prefecture, had resigned with the approbation of 
 Propaganda, and had left for England. Almost 
 at the same time, several of the missioners who 
 had so valiantly shared the burden succumbed. 
 They died or else were obliged to return to Eng- 
 land. If Father Reyffert’s appointment had not 
 been previous to all these trials it would prob- 
 ably never have been made. As things stood, it 
 seemed doubtful whether the new station, 
 Podam, could be maintained. 
 
 The hopes of the Borneo mission were staked 
 on the newly ordained priests, but in August, 
 1896, news came that, by wish of Propaganda, 
 all the out-going missioners were to be sent to 
 Central Africa. Father Westerwoudt did not 
 lose courage. He wrote: “ We must do the same 
 amount of work, with four priests less. But at 
 least the upkeep of the mission will be cheaper! ” 
 
 Father Haidegger, the Acting Prefect, had 
 great difficulty in maintaining the different sta- 
 tions, and this would have been entirely impos- 
 
90 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 sible if the missioners had not been so willing 
 to substitute. Thus, Felix celebrated Christ- 
 mas, 1896, on the Singhi; the next day he 
 hastened to Podam; and from there he went to 
 Kuching, where he was to substitute for Father 
 Haidegger. The following year Father Reyf- 
 fert was called away from the Singhi by the 
 illness of a confrère. Would he return? No- 
 body knew. “I am again sole master on my 
 mountain,” Felix wrote in May, 1897, “ but 
 Podam will be the loser. However, we must 
 take things as they come.” | 
 
 In the fall of 1897 an event took place which 
 Felix called the most important in the sixteen 
 years’ existence of the Borneo mission. Father 
 Jackson’s place was filled by Father Dunn, one of 
 the first three missioners to land in Borneo. Trav- 
 elers in Borneo know that it is almost impossible — 
 to meet at a certain place on a fixed date. But 
 Father Dunn would hear of no insurmountable 
 obstacles, and convoked a provincial chapter at. 
 Kuching. The chapter opened on All Souls’ 
 Day. What a reunion that was! Priests met 
 who had worked for years in the Borneo missions | 
 and had seldom or never seen one another. Some 
 met for the first time; some were classmates who 
 had not met since leaving the Seminary fifteen 
 years before. Father Westerwoudt wrote as 
 follows: 
 
REINFORCEMENTS OI 
 
 The few hours that remained for chatting passed 
 all too quickly for our liking. ‘That night our retreat 
 began, conducted by the Very Reverend Father Prefect. 
 It was a spiritual delight, such as we had never before 
 experienced. In my opinion, the greatest trial the 
 missioner has to endure is not the want of material 
 comforts, but the total lack of all that awakens devo- 
 tion, such as Solemn High Mass, Benediction, proces- 
 sions, and also a common retreat. ‘Time was limited, 
 so the retreat was short. It was followed by a free 
 day, and then the chapter was opened. Each priest 
 related his personal experiences. It was not an easy 
 task to fix a general rule for missions so widely dif- 
 ferent in language and customs, but within three days’ 
 time everything was arranged to the satisfaction of 
 both our Superior and his subordinates. 
 
 How much we should have liked to prolong our 
 reunion! But the hour of parting had struck. The 
 boat for Labuan and North Borneo was weighing 
 anchor and five of our nine missioners were obliged 
 to leave. ‘The farewell of friends when missioners 
 leave Mill Hill is deeply moving, but perhaps not more 
 so than this farewell of the Borneo priests. The ex- 
 pense and the difficulty of traveling, and the failing 
 health of some, amply justified the doubt whether they 
 would ever meet again. So much the heartier was 
 the good-bye: “Farewell till we meet again; if not 
 here, then hereafter! ” ‘That same day the boat from 
 Singapore brought three new missioners, but I could 
 only spend a few hours with them, as I had to return 
 that night to my Dyaks. 
 
92 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 On the occasion of the chapter the whole Bor- 
 neo mission was especially consecrated to The 
 Sacred Heart by the Very Reverend Prefect. The 
 missioners did this, as we read in their report, to 
 call down God’s blessing in a special manner on 
 their work. Writing to his parents later, Father 
 Westerwoudt begged them to be especially mind- 
 ful of the poor Borneo heathen on the First 
 Fridays, and to set aside on those days a small 
 alms, that the missioners might have the means 
 to prepare worthier abodes for their hidden God 
 in their miserable chapels. | 
 
 The previous efforts of the Borneo missioners 
 had not been crowned with the desired success. 
 This they considered to be due wholly to their 
 own weakness and imperfections. So they deter- 
 mined to make a further sacrifice and increase the 
 number of fast days in the week. They hoped | 
 that thus The Sacred Heart might bless more 
 abundantly their efforts, and that by spending 
 themselves more they might become worthier . 
 instruments of God for the salvation of souls. 
 This resolve is a revelation of the apostolic spirit 
 which animated those priests. Their life was 
 already beset with every kind of hardship, but 
 they were ready to suffer more, if by so doing 
 they might promote the kingdom of God. 
 
 After the chapter, since three new arrivals had 
 somewhat reinforced the thinned ranks of Borneo 
 
REINFORCEMENTS 93 
 
 missioners, Father Reyffert was sent back to the 
 Singhi. God’s mercy was evident in this, for 
 thus the poor Singhi Dyaks would not be left 
 alone in that near future, when their first 
 missioner would go to his well-earned rest. 
 
XII 
 VIA CRUCIS 
 
 s we have seen, Father Westerwoudt did 
 Ai conquer whole regions for the Faith; 
 he did not lead thousands, or even hun- 
 dreds, of souls to the Mother Church. A tiny 
 flock of the faithful was the fruit of his entire 
 apostolate, and the cross which he planted on the 
 Singhi had only begun to take root when the 
 missioner died. There were about twenty Chris- 
 tians, who had been confirmed, and two Catholic 
 households, the children of which Felix had bap- 
 tized. His labors might appear vain to those 
 who, looking on from afar, do not understand 
 what it means to be a victim. But such was not 
 the opinion of those who came in contact with the 
 Singhi missioner. They felt in him a holiness 
 far beyond the ordinary. All his actions were 
 accompanied by the same perfection. He stayed — 
 his own weakness on the infinite strength of 
 God and apparent failures had no power to dis- 
 quiet him. 
 The main characteristics of Father Wester- 
 woudt’s life on the Singhi were his remarkable 
 94 
 
VIA CRUCIS 95 
 
 prudence, his invincible confidence, his patience, 
 his never failing good spirits, and his love of 
 poverty and mortification. Some of these virtues 
 were part of his nature as, for instance, his innate 
 cheerfulness. But others were the result of a 
 constant struggle. He was not naturally very 
 patient nor meek. And yet his life of humility 
 won the admiration of all who knew him. His 
 prudence showed itself throughout all the years 
 of his apostolate, and had much to do with the 
 final success of his mission. One thoughtless 
 action might have ruined his chances. He always 
 sought advice and deferred to the judgment of 
 those more experienced than himself, and acted 
 only after long deliberation and prayer. In this 
 manner he gained, step by step, a footing on the 
 Singhi. 
 
 The conversion of the Singhi Dyaks had be- 
 come his goal. He did not stop to question 
 whether it would be reached during his own life- 
 time. He knew that the ultimate victory would 
 be Christ’s. So he never desired to be trans- 
 ferred. When this question was broached, he 
 always asked to be allowed to stay with his 
 people, spending himself to the last. Towards 
 the end, when a temporary leave would have been 
 beneficial to his health, the very mention of it 
 was painful to him. He knew well that his 
 Dyaks could not do without him. Those chil- 
 
96 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 dren in the Faith, surrounded by every tempta- 
 tion, had need of all his devotion and patience. 
 His love for them manifested itself at all sea- 
 sons, day and night. He shared in their games 
 and in their work, he taught them, he nursed 
 them when they were ill, he washed and bandaged 
 their wounds and their sores. His Superior, 
 Father Dunn, said of him: “For more than 
 twelve years, day after day, to visit after school 
 hours those who cared nothing for him and re- 
 mained indifferent, never to rebuff anyone, never 
 to let anyone wait, always to be at everybody’s 
 disposal, this does, indeed, require heroic 
 virtue.” 
 
 Father Dunn related an instance of Felix’s 
 patience which he witnessed during his first visit 
 to the Singhi. The two missioners were seated at 
 their usual meal of rice and bananas. Fraternal 
 intercourse seasoned the humble dish, and this 
 was a happiness the solitary Singhi pastor did not 
 often enjoy. Of a sudden a Dyak entered. His 
 arms were covered with sores from his hands to 
 his elbows. He sat down unabashed and leaned 
 his elbows on the table. The matter from his 
 sores trickled down. Father Westerwoudt be- 
 trayed neither impatience, disgust, nor irritation. 
 He cheerfully asked the man his business, with- 
 out discontinuing his meal. In his opinion, it 
 would have been a mistake to turn the man away, 
 
VIA CRUCIS 97 
 
 for he would not have come again. Father Reyf- 
 fert reported that the instance related by Father 
 Dunn was a daily occurrence. The presence of 
 such guests at table certainly did not render the 
 Singhi missioner’s miserable food more savory. 
 And yet, in his younger days Felix was extremely 
 dainty in food and drink and much bent upon 
 cleanliness and order. Now, his life was the 
 realization of the maxim of Saint Francis de 
 Sales: “ Ask nothing, refuse nothing.” 
 
 Once Felix and Father Goossens were to spend 
 several days together at Kuching. On the 
 appointed day Father Goossens went to meet his 
 friend at the landing place. He was not there, 
 and Father Goossens became anxious, for usually 
 Felix was very punctual. Half-way up the 
 Singhi, he met boys who had come to tell him 
 that their missioner had a swollen leg. When 
 he reached the house he found Father Wester- 
 woudt reclining in a half-sitting, half-lying posi- 
 tion. His red sash hung from one of the beams, 
 and his leg was resting in the sash. A few old 
 women stood around him. The leg was red and 
 inflamed and looked very bad, but the missioner 
 himself was as cheerful as ever. He asked the 
 women to withdraw, and then told Father 
 Goossens that they had been nursing his leg. 
 They had been squatting around the leg and 
 spitting on the injured region. As usual in such 
 
98 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 cases, they had chewed betel, sirih, and gambier, 
 and their spittle was red. Felix was too kind- 
 hearted to refuse this disgusting remedy. Some 
 leeches, applied by Father Goossens, were more 
 efficacious, but the old women cried out that their 
 father was being killed. 
 
 This was in later years. At first the life or 
 death of the white man would have been a matter 
 of total indifference to them; in fact, if anything, 
 they would have preferred his death. The 
 Dyaks appeared to be the most unfeeling and 
 heartless people imaginable. Expressions like 
 CT thank you” were unknown to them. They 
 would ask for all kinds of things, and when they 
 received one gift always asked for another; yet 
 their manner was so indifferent that it seemed 
 doubtful whether they would carry the gifts 
 away, or drop them on the spot. They never 
 rendered the missioner a service, nor gave him 
 anything unless it was so decayed as to be use- 
 less to themselves. Only on one occasion was 
 this ingratitude known to wring a complaint from 
 the missioner’s heart. His boys had run away 
 without the least sign of thanks to the man who 
 had given them education, food, clothes, and 
 love. Father Westerwoudt wrote: “ When you 
 give a dog a crust it wags its tail, but from them 
 there is nothing, nothing whatever! ” 
 
 In spite of the coldness of their hearts, how- 
 

 
 FATHER WESTERWOUDT AND His Boys IN THE EARLY YEARS OF THE MISSION 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DEN rn k Fi! If sk r a bet ee 
 EA CA aan Pe a bd / ‘i oh 
 A 7 os . i " i > ye 
 lik: ys 
 ti) SL 
 
 
 
 7 
 el 
 ARA A | 
 1 
 i 
 4 
 ‘ * 
 J t 
 } »® 
 i 
 <a 
 : 
 gr ai 
 N 
 1 . 
 i 
 4 
 n 
 ie 
 ‘ 
 af 
 1 À . ‘ { 7 
 = ‘ 4 A 7 f F Ma 
 oa Wel ie RET EN RK, nt 
 : ‘ aut & 5.» f . ie - 
 phe. 444i ‘a . . 
 fe elf Th wbt re ik À \ 
 Ld ER | le - A 7 ek! jam i } 
 i hr ORS ao, frat d 
 ag Ne y Balie Ant me ib 
 = ’ > 4 Teal, x 
 i aes ee) ent y x af - a 
 j “ © ree Les tte ,) # Ee er 
 
VIA CRUCIS 99 
 
 ever, the Dyaks loved their children. A Dyak 
 never beat nor ill-treated his children, and even 
 boys of twelve and fourteen played with their 
 little brothers and sisters for hours at a stretch. 
 Father Westerwoudt’s unfailing kindness towards 
 the little ones could not fail to touch the hearts 
 of their mothers. Gradually they learned to 
 love the tender-hearted missioner who bore all 
 their ingratitude with a smiling countenance. 
 This constant cheerfulness was one of Father 
 Westerwoudt’s greatest attractions. He per- 
 formed the vilest offices as if it were a pleasure. 
 And yet he had to fight against ill health, great 
 weariness, and the torrid heat. Nothing was 
 ever too much for him to undertake. He was 
 never known to be bad-tempered, he never took 
 anything amiss. - No excitement was visible in his 
 actions. He complained of nothing and nobody, 
 always spoke kindly of persons accused, and 
 quietly discouraged all detraction. It must not 
 be forgotten that he was dealing with a most 
 primitive people who, even when they were con- 
 verted, were subject to many of their old vices. 
 Such a people called for a sublime degree of 
 devotedness, patience, and long-suffering on the 
 part of the missioner who sought to win them. 
 In the end not only the Christians, but even the 
 pagans, respected and loved Father Westerwoudt. 
 They conversed with him intimately and be- 
 
100 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 stowed on him the honorable title of “ Grand- 
 father? 
 
 The Singhi missioner did not see his brethren 
 very often, because of the inaccessible nature of 
 the mountain. When in their presence, he never 
 put himself forward. He was cheerful and 
 pleasant, though always recollected. When his 
 opinion was asked, he was straightforward yet 
 prudent, careful not to wound. ‘The missioners 
 who worked among the Chinese used to tease 
 him about his parishioners, for the Chinese have 
 a great contempt for the Dyaks. Felix took it 
 all in good part but he himself never spoke 
 ill of another, not even of a native. He was 
 admired and loved by all his fellow-missioners. 
 
 Though good to others, Felix was pitiless to 
 himself. He offered himself as a victim for his 
 flock and strove to become by personal merit the 
 mediator for those entrusted to him. His 
 favorite weapons in this holy warfare were 
 humility and mortification so great as to recall 
 the most beautiful examples of God’s saints. 
 The Borneo mission was very poor and all its 
 priests often suffered want; but everyone testi- 
 fied that Felix was Borneo’s poor missioner “ par 
 excellence ”, and this by his own choice. There 
 were hardships that were unavoidable in his difh- 
 cult post; but besides these, there were others 
 which he voluntarily imposed upon himself. , He 
 
VIA CRUCIS IOI 
 
 had rivetted his will in the fetters of mortifica- 
 tion, and, like Saint Francis of old, had given 
 his heart to his beloved Bride, Holy Poverty, for 
 the love of God. 
 
 If he had permitted it, his parents would have 
 kept him supplied with more nourishing food. 
 But he chose to live like his flock, a Dyak with 
 the Dyaks. At first he did not always fare even 
 as well as they. There were times when he actu- 
 ally had nothing to eat and when the Dyaks re- 
 fused to sell him anything. Once, when he had no 
 food, he saw a basket of eggs hanging under a 
 house. He asked to buy some but met with a 
 refusal. Fearing to be overcome with hunger, 
 he threw down twice the price of the eggs and 
 appropriated them. His hunger must have been 
 great, indeed, for ordinarily he fasted with won- 
 derful fortitude. His fellow-missioners who 
 accompanied him on his journeys bore witness to 
 this. And not only did he show fortitude in the 
 face of hunger, but he remained cheerful and 
 serene. 
 
 When dainties were sent him from the home- 
 land he left them untouched and offered them as 
 a treat to the next missioner who visited him. 
 When Father Reyffert joined Felix on the Singhi 
 he tried to persuade him to allow himself some- 
 thing extra on Sundays and feast days. ‘“ No, 
 no,” answered Felix, kindly but firmly, “it is 
 
102 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 not at all necessary.” And there the matter 
 ended. This refusal of what is pleasing to 
 the taste was not the only mortification which 
 Felix practised. He often partook readily of 
 what others would have refused with disgust. 
 He accepted gratefully the decayed food given 
 him by the Dyaks. He even found the pre- 
 served durian eatable, though neither the other 
 Fathers, to whom he had sent some on trial, nor 
 their black boys, could eat the fruit. 
 
 It may be safely said that every day which 
 Felix passed on the Singhi was a fresh source of 
 mortification. His hardships were legion; the 
 burning sun which beat down upon him during his 
 journeys, the torrential showers which soaked him 
 to the skin, the chilly nights, the sharp peb- 
 bles of the river beds, the swamps full of 
 leeches, were only a few of the things he had to 
 endure. 
 
 At night Father Westerwoudt voluntarily pro- 
 longed the day’s sufferings. Father Goossens 
 has given a description of his friend’s bedroom. 
 While Felix was in North Borneo, Father 
 Goossens looked after his mission for him. Once 
 while he was there he felt feverish and wanted 
 to lie down. He had great difficulty in climbing 
 on to his friend’s bed, for it was four or five 
 feet from the ground. There was no mattress, 
 and the only pillow was a piece of bamboo about 
 
VIA CRUCIS 103 
 
 five inches in diameter. Father Goossens said to 
 himself: “ If he can do it, I can, too! ” But he 
 was soon obliged to give up, for a round block of 
 wood was not the most comfortable of pillows. 
 
 In the evening after his boys had gone to bed, 
 Father Westerwoudt often worked for hours. — 
 He wrote by hand the little prayer books, a real 
 labor of love and patience. As more were al- 
 ways needed, the task was endless. He also 
 wrote his own textbooks and a Land-Dyak lexi- 
 con. The first piece of printing done in the 
 Singhi language was a memorial sketch of Father 
 Westerwoudt himself. 
 
 Father Reyffert hardly dared to tell of the 
 state of his friend’s clothing. After Father 
 Westerwoudt’s death his few belongings were 
 sent home. But his faithful companion did not 
 send the threadbare cassock with its many patches, 
 nor the satchel which had a strip of lamp-wick 
 by way of a handle, nor the hat held together by 
 woolen rags. ‘These would have revealed too 
 much to the loving hearts in the homeland. 
 Father Westerwoudt’s brethren were wont to call 
 him by the name of his patron saint, the poor 
 Capuchin, Felix of Cantalice. The allowance 
 which the Borneo missioners received was so 
 scanty as to be often insufficient; yet Felix always 
 managed to put something aside. Sometimes 
 he returned the allowance or asked to be passed 
 
104 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 over, saying that he could hold out a few months 
 longer. 
 
 In his letters, Father Westerwoudt “leas 
 made light of ill health. He sometimes spoke 
 of a swollen foot as “something very common 
 here”, or of a little fever as “natural to the 
 climate”. Then, after relating his doings, he 
 would usually conclude: “So you see, I am all 
 right.” But in reality his complaints were far 
 from being passing trifles. Owing to the circum- 
 stances in which he lived, to his privations, and 
 also to the fact that he never spared himself when 
 help was needed, he was soon attacked by open 
 wounds, especially on the legs. These were 
 caused partly by leeches and insects in the swamps, 
 and partly by mosquitoes. The irritation was 
 almost unbearable, and as soon as these bites were 
 rubbed they became deep black holes. All the — 
 Borneo priests suffered from them, but Felix 
 more than many, and his wounds were exception- 
 ally slow in healing. Yet he never betrayed his 
 suffering, nor sought relief by stretching his legs 
 nor resting. them on a chair. 
 
 Once, when he went to visit Father Goossens _ 
 at Sang-Kap-Kong, he tried a new short cut. “I 
 remember well”, this Father wrote, “ how he 
 scrambled up to my house, greatly exhausted. 
 He sat down and began to tell of the manifold 
 difficulties peculiar to the road. Of a sudden I 
 
VIA CRUCIS 105 
 
 saw blood dripping on the floor, and I drew his 
 attention to it. Then he told me how often he 
 had been obliged to take off his clothes in order 
 to remove the big leeches which had covered his 
 body. With him, such annoyances were accepted 
 as a matter of course.” 
 
 Sometimes the wounds obliged Felix to give 
 up his missionary visits. Then he would be 
 found half reclining, talking and joking with 
 visitors. He never complained, and only this 
 tell-tale inactivity indicated his sufferings. His 
 legs were discolored up to the knees, and often 
 festering very badly. Even when the wounds 
 had healed, the scars bothered him to the end of 
 his life. This genuine self-denial went hand in 
 hand with an even temper and a gentle behavior 
 in all things. _When anxious inquiries reached 
 him from home, he would reply: “ I am looking 
 after myself well. I climb the mountain as 
 quickly as ever, and I am cheerful and contented, 
 so you see I am all right.” But a photograph 
 which reached Holland a few years before his 
 death told a different story; there was suffering 
 and exhaustion in the features, and the cassock 
 hung in folds around the shrunken and bent 
 shoulders. The priest’s body had indeed become 
 the slave of a soul that knew no rest. 
 
 There remains to be mentioned one mortifi- 
 cation which was harder to bear than any other. 
 
106 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 There were good people who misunderstood 
 Felix and misrepresented his intentions. He 
 never spoke of this, but it caused him great suffer- 
 ing. God did not deprive him of this trial, 
 which He usually sends to His elect. 
 
 The only possible source of such a mortified 
 and saintly life was deep faith and an ardent love 
 of God. No weariness could keep Father 
 Westerwoudt from his devotional exercises. He 
 visited Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament many times 
 in the day, to seek strength and courage for him- 
 self and grace for his flock. He prayed often 
 and at regular hours. When Father Reyffert 
 came, the two missioners always said their rosary 
 together, pacing up and down on the veranda of 
 their house. When Felix was weaker than usual 
 his companion tried to persuade him to sit down, 
 but only once would he do so. Much of Father ~ 
 Westerwoudt’s inner life remains hidden from 
 us. At Kuching, when he felt that death was 
 near, he asked Father Reyffert to destroy all 
 his papers and notes without exception or delay. 
 In the absence of these documents, however, we 
 may apply to the Singhi missioner the judgment _ 
 of our Divine Savior: “ By the fruit the tree is 
 known.” 
 
XIII 
 THE LABORER GOES HOME 
 
 N March, 1898, Father Westerwoudt was to 
 | give a retreat to the lay Brothers of the 
 
 mission, at the station of Paku. He was to 
 start after celebrating the feast of Saint Joseph 
 on the Singhi, but was taken suddenly ill the 
 night before. Father Reyffert, hearing sounds 
 which aroused his anxiety, went to Father Wes- 
 terwoudt’s room and found him suffering with 
 pains in the chest. The next morning Father 
 Westerwoudt said Mass as usual, in spite of his 
 fellow missioner’s protests, but his weakness was | 
 so great that he trembled at the altar. He was 
 very ill all day and, though all visitors were 
 kept away from him, his state did not improve. 
 On Monday, March 21, he wished to go to 
 Paku, and it was difficult to prevent him from 
 doing so. On Tuesday morning he said that 
 he felt quite well again and that a brisk walk 
 was just what he needed. 
 
 “ And go he did,” said Father Reyffert, “ his 
 departure filling me with anxiety. I can see 
 him now as he descended the stairs of our house 
 and left the Singhi, never to return.” 
 
 107 
 
108 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 He seems to have borne the journey well. 
 The Brothers, who had had word of Father 
 Westerwoudt’s illness, did not expect him. 
 They had gone on a visit to Father Klerk at 
 Bau, and were not at home to receive him. 
 When they returned they found the Singhi 
 missioner waiting. Brother Theodore, who had 
 known Father Westerwoudt at Mill Hill, soon 
 perceived that he was far from well. The re- 
 treat opened that evening, but all who were 
 making it saw how difficult it was for the 
 missioner to speak, and what actual pain he was 
 suffering. During the whole night he lay 
 awake, and they heard him groaning incessantly. 
 In the morning he was unable to swallow any 
 food. The Brothers were much disturbed, and 
 on the third evening Brother Theodore could 
 bear it no longer. He advised the missioner to 
 go to Kuching and consult a physician. ‘ Non- 
 sense, man,” replied Father Westerwoudt with a 
 smile, “I shall be quite well within a couple of 
 days. Now don’t worry about me any longer.” 
 
 So the retreat was continued. Father Wester- 
 woudt grew worse every day, and on the follow- | 
 ing Sunday the Brothers again urged him to have 
 medical aid. “Tomorrow we will go to the 
 Singhi together”, he told Brother Theodore, 
 and I will show you my new mission.” Luck- 
 ily, Father Klerk arrived just in time to prevent 
 
THE LABORER GOES HOME 109 
 
 the execution of this project. Felix was obliged 
 to yield and was sent at once to Kuching. He 
 was taken by rail and boat, through the good 
 offices of the Borneo Company, which had its 
 own railroad near the Paku mission. Mean- 
 while Brother Theodore was sent to break the 
 news on the Singhi. “Don’t frighten them,” 
 Felix warned him, “don’t tell them that I am 
 4 
 
 The missioners at Kuching were much startled 
 by Father Westerwoudt’s appearance. Fora few 
 days he was able to sit up, but soon he grew too 
 weak to leave his bed. Father Reyffert hastened 
 to Kuching, where he found his companion very 
 ill, coughing continually, and with a fever which 
 did not leave him. As soon as malaria and 
 pneumonia declared themselves simultaneously, 
 little hope was entertained for this precious life. 
 The suffering missioner was surrounded by every 
 comfort and received good medical care. Cath- 
 olics and Protestants vied with one another in 
 kindness, but the patient declined visibly. 
 
 On April 4 he was advised to arrange all his 
 affairs and to receive the last Sacraments. He 
 received Holy Communion on his knees beside 
 his bed, and then he was anointed. “Now I 
 am quite prepared ”, he said. Father Dunn was 
 absent and it was feared that he would return 
 too late, but he arrived just twenty-four hours 
 
110 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 before Felix’s death and was able to say adieu 
 to his beloved son in Christ. 
 
 During his illness Felix never rt 
 He prayed constantly and declared that he had 
 placed himself entirely in God’s keeping. He 
 felt great joy in the thought that his dear Dyaks 
 would be cared for by Father Reyffert, and he 
 was sure of the Sisters, too, for they had promised 
 him never to forsake the Singhi. His soul knew 
 no shadow of fear. “I trust that Our Lady 
 will not suffer me to remain long in Purgatory ”, 
 he said. He spoke of all his loved ones in the 
 homeland, and sent them his greetings and his 
 last blessing. His brethren had given him a 
 bottle containing a few drops of Lourdes water. 
 This afforded him great consolation. But he was 
 unselfish even at the end and he feared to de- 
 prive the other missioners. ‘ My people will 
 soon go to Lourdes,” he said, “and if you ask 
 them they will certainly send you some water.” 
 
 Meanwhile, Holy Week had begun and the 
 dying pastor insisted that Father Reyffert return 
 to the Singhi so that his beloved flock might ful- 
 fil their Easter duties. On the Singhi a novena 
 was in progress for Father Westerwoudt’s re- 
 covery, for he had won at last those unfeeling 
 hearts. When the Dyaks learned from Father 
 Reyffert how serious their pastor’s illness was, 
 they wept bitterly and some set out for Kuching 
 
THE LABORER GOES HOME III 
 
 to visit him. There they were told that there 
 was no hope. The missioner spoke to each one 
 in person. He made them promise to remain 
 faithful to God and to their religion, in order 
 that they might see him again in heaven. 
 
 On Easter Sunday, Father Reyffert returned 
 to Kuching. The Sisters had given him some 
 roses and lilies from the Singh: altar for Father 
 Westerwoudt. While the patient was asleep 
 they were removed from his bedside, as it was 
 feared their odor was too strong. When he 
 awoke he missed them and said: “ Where are 
 the flowers the good nuns sent me? Bring them 
 back and do not take them away again. The 
 Sisters might think I had forgotten them in my 
 last hour” Even in his agony his heart kept its 
 exquisite delicacy. 
 
 On Easter Monday Father Westerwoudt began 
 to be delirious. While in this state he asked 
 urgently for something, but his brethren could 
 not understand him. When he came to himself 
 they found that he had asked for holy water. 
 He wished to be sprinkled repeatedly with it, 
 for he feared that he might give way to a tempta- 
 tion of anger or of impatience during his attacks. 
 He suffered greatly during the night, but did not 
 die until Wednesday morning at nine o’clock. 
 Then he expired peacefully in the arms of his 
 brethren. The next morning, Thursday, April 
 
Liz FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 14, a solemn Requiem Mass was sung and Father 
 Westerwoudt was buried. His grave was not in 
 the Catholic cemetery of Kuching, but near the 
 church, in the very shadow of the tabernacle. A 
 friend of former days chose for him an epitaph 
 from the Roman catacombs: | 
 
 Felix in pace, 
 Vivas in Deo beatus. 
 
 Meanwhile, the news of his death had been 
 sent in all haste to the Singhi. His people made 
 wreaths of all the white flowers they could 
 gather, and late at night, by torchlight, they 
 hurried to Kuching to behold their beloved father 
 once more. Father Westerwoudt had gone to 
 God on the closing day of the novena his people 
 were making for him. On the following Sun- 
 day they had no priest to say Mass for them. — 
 One of the boys started the rosary, but he was 
 unable to continue, for the little congregation 
 burst into sobs, weeping for the Father they had 
 lost. They wished to see his grave, and so, 
 sometime afterwards, the Sisters with their pupils 
 went down to Kuching. | 
 
 The Borneo missioners felt that Father Wes- 
 terwoudt’s death was a loss to the whole mission. 
 They were unanimous in praising his virtue, and 
 this meant not a little from men who themselves 
 practised priestly virtue to a heroic degree. Dur- 
 
THE LABORER GOES HOME 113 
 
 ing Felix’s last illness, Father Haidegger wrote, 
 while he was seated by his friend’s death- 
 bed: “It is a heavy blow to the mission to lose 
 its best and holiest man.” Father Reyffert said 
 of him: 
 
 He kept nothing for himself, but gave all for 
 all. Holiness, for him, consisted in doing everything 
 as perfectly as possible with regard to God, to his 
 fellowman, and to himself. His every action was 
 modeled on the lives of the Saints. His whole life 
 was a species of martyrdom. It was all the more 
 sublime because he endured in patience and gladness 
 of heart without any human consolation, without en- 
 couragement nor admiration, and, for the greater part 
 of the time, alone. 
 
 Father Dunn, Father Westerwoudt’s Superior, 
 said that he considered it one of the greatest 
 blessings of his life to have known Felix. He 
 felt drawn towards the Singhi missioner some- 
 what as people must have felt themselves 
 drawn towards Our Divine Saviour during His 
 mortal life. Father Jackson, Felix’s first 
 Superior in the mission, wrote of him: “TI never 
 met a priest who followed more closely in the 
 footsteps of the Saints, and I know that the other 
 Fathers and the Sisters thought likewise.” 
 
 Father Aelen, during a visit to the Singhi, was 
 obliged to stop several times while saying Mass, 
 
114 FELIX WESTERWOUDT 
 
 so overcome was he by the realization of how 
 the Singhi missioner was spending himself for 
 his handful of Christians. He declared that 
 what he had witnessed there would suffice to con- 
 vert even an unbeliever. Father Driessen, eight 
 years after Father Westerwoudt’s death, wrote: 
 
 Without fear of exaggeration, I testify that Felix 
 was the most humble and most mortified missioner I 
 ever met. His sole end was God and the salvation of 
 souls; and no fatigue, no hunger or thirst, was ever 
 too much for him. I believe there was no virtue 
 which he did not possess in an eminent degree. 
 
 This testimony was given after the passing of 
 time had allowed first enthusiasms to cool. The 
 same year Father Westerwoudt’s © OEE 
 recorded: 
 
 The dying of the seed has brought life in the Singhi - 
 mission. ‘The Christians are not sham Christians; they 
 understand the Catholic religion, and they practice it. 
 They stand firm against the pagan influences that 
 surround them. One of the surest proofs of this is 
 the way they receive the Sacrament of Penance. Else- 
 where, the missioner finds that the newly converted may 
 have very little conception of what sin is, and, there- - 
 fore, no contrition, or else may wilfully conceal sins; 
 but on the Singhi administering the Sacrament is a 
 consolation to the missioners. 
 
 By what miracle of grace did the Singhi missioner 
 bring his flock to this understanding? Was it by 
 
(SIT oövd 299) NOISSIJN IHONIS AHL AO SAOY AHL ANV SUOSSAIING S, LANOMHALS AM UAH LVI 
 
 
 

 
THE LABORER GOES HOME 115 
 
 teaching, by prayer, or because he had offered himself 
 as a victim for them? God alone knows. 
 
 The Christian families live quite apart from the 
 heathen, whom they far surpass in civilization. All 
 the Christians can read and write, as none of the 
 pagans can. Father Westerwoudt’s first and most 
 beloved convert, Joseph Kottir, is now a good husband 
 and father and a real pillar of the mission. ‘There is 
 a great difference between the semi-savage boys who 
 surrounded Felix as his pupils, and the friendly and 
 neatly-clad lads, intelligent of face, who now gather 
 around the Singhi missioner. 
 
 The Singhi Christians are as yet a little flock — ten 
 families, numbering seventy souls. But, thanks to the 
 efforts of Father Westerwoudt and his successor, that 
 day is at hand when Christ will reign over what the 
 Prefect Apostolic, Father Dunn, does not hesitate to 
 call — 
 
 BORNEO’S MOST PROMISING MISSION. 
 
OTHER MARYKNOLL PUBLICATIONS 
 
 Maryknoll-At-Ten. . $ 10 
 A pam phlet history “of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society 
 of America’s first decade. 
 
 Thoughts From Modern Martyrs. . .60 
 Inspiring extracts from the letters of ‘four voung pas rts 
 priests of the last century. 
 
 Field Afar Stories, Vols. I, II, III, each . ‚85 
 Independent collections of tales bearing on ‘foreign ‘missions 
 and the foreign mission vocation. 
 All three volumes in one order, if ordered from Maryknoll, 
 $2.25 postpaid. 
 
 An American Missionary .2'.0 0s cca's 5) aha) olga sb we ee val 1.00 
 Fr. Judge, S.J., in Alaska. 
 A Modern Martyr.. ~ 1.00 
 
 Life and letters of Bl. “Theo phane ‘Venard, of ‘the ‘Paris For- 
 eign Missions, martyred in Tongking in 1861. 
 
 Father Price of Maryknoll. . ber ciel oe ta 
 A sketch compiled from letters ‘of his friends. 
 For ‘the: Faith Are eee ea AE eee EE al alae NN 1.00 
 
 Just de Breteniéres, of the Paris Foreign Missions, martyred 
 in Korea in 1866. 
 
 The Martyr of Futuna. … 1.00 
 ‚ Bl. Peter Chanel, S. M., ‘martyred in ‘Oceania in 18: 30. 
 In the Homes of Martyr 1.00 
 
 Visits to the hae, ea homefolk ‘of five young missioner- 
 martyrs of the last century. 
 
 Observations in the Orient. 2.50 
 A SUrvey,, by the Superior of. Maryknoll, ‘of the Catholic : 
 missions in the Far East, chiefly in China and Japan. 
 
 The first book of its kind in the English language. wa „4 
 
 Maryknoll Mission Letters. 3.00 
 Informing, entertaining, and inspiring ‘extracts “from ‘the 
 letters and diaries of the pioneer Maryknoll missioners to 
 China. 
 
 The Field: Afate yd ee ek | ae oe ee eels ok een 12 issues, 1.00 
 Monthly magazine of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society 
 of America. 
 
 The Maryknoll Junior. . „ro issues, ‚50 
 Maryknoll’s mission monthly for ‘boys and girls. - 
 
 All prices subject to change 
 For further information, address: 
 
 THE CATHOLIC FOREIGN MISSION SOCIETY 
 OF AMERICA 
 MARYKNOLL : : : : ss NEW YORE 
 
4 
 
 Leni 
 
 hi 
 Mi ibn 
 
 Ni] 
 
 ih 
 
 EN ar 
 Ek 
 A / 
 
 er 
 Aj 
 
 1 
 
 / 
 
 | 
 } 
 1 
 
 fy vy shy AA 
 rea ; aa 
 oy 
 
 HOM 
 te 
 
 GOEDEN 
 He B Mist 
 B We i 
 
 iat 
 
 IOA PIM 
 | ij nk y 
 | a 
 
 DI 
 
 Kil 
 
 HE hi 
 MOLES 
 AV Hh ik 
 
 ak 
 INL NEN 
 en it ae 
 
 rity 
 
 xy Ae 
 
 
 
DATE DUE 
 
 
 
 Gebhardt EEN 
 waere eit rr 
 7 valt. Bigs Ri 
 
 | 
 
 GAYLORD | | 
 
 PRINTEDINU.S A. 
 
day vi 
 iy i 
 : 
 
 
 
1 
 
 Seminary 
 
 Princeton Theological 
 
 ANIM 
 
 LO | 
 wz 
 © 
 _ 
 Cc} 
 N | 
 pe 
 © 
 ™ 
 y= 
 
 | 
 
 te 
 
 teilen,