Protestant proselytism

As we have said elsewhere in this work, the English colony began to be of importance here at the end of the 16th century. From that time until the introduction of representative government, we have no record that members of that colony, or of any other Protestant nationality, tried to promote their religion among us by making converts within the Madeiran population. They had churches reserved for their own worship, attended only by their adherents, to the complete exclusion of the natives. And in fairness it must be said that, in general, the foreign subjects living in Madeira as merchants or invalids, and also the visitors who seek out our mild climate or the beauties of our privileged natural surroundings, do not devote themselves to propagating their religious ideals, nor do they try to turn Catholics away from the practice of the religion they profess. Several Protestant foreigners have even supported some Catholic works and helped to build and repair churches and chapels, as John Howard March did when he rebuilt the parish church of Santo da Serra (‘the saint of the uplands’).

What has just been said does not exclude the undeniable fact that some English Protestant propagandists, acting as emissaries of the so-called Bible societies, attempted on several occasions, with greater or lesser energy, to win converts to their religion on this island, at times bringing disturbance and disorder to some of its parishes. This propaganda began chiefly in 1838. Several attempts had been made before, but they proved entirely fruitless. It was Dr Roberto Kalley who truly succeeded in conducting an effective campaign here. His personal qualities contributed powerfully to this: his captivating eloquence, his charity towards the poor and, above all, his eminent skill in the art of healing, for he was a most distinguished physician and treated everyone free of charge. It was chiefly in this that the secret of his campaign’s effectiveness lay. We have already dealt with it, and with its baleful consequences, on p. 207 ff. of volume II.

Dr Kalley’s hurried departure from this island in 1846, never to return, did not put an end to the adherents of Protestantism among the inhabitants of some Madeiran parishes, above all in Santo da Serra, Machico, São Roque and Santo António. The propaganda had taken root, and proselytising never ceased in these and other centres, though under more moderate conditions and without the enthusiastic fervour Dr Kalley had given it. The truth, however, is that the results of this propaganda are not great. More than 90 years have passed since the celebrated Scottish physician left this island, and the number of converts, far from increasing, has fallen considerably. Although the propagandists have powerful means of attraction at their disposal – the press, with the publication of a newspaper and the distribution of countless pamphlets, the maintenance of schools, and even handouts of money and clothing – it is nonetheless certain that the adherents of Protestant ideas do not exceed about a hundred individuals in a population of 169,000 inhabitants (1921). That number would be much larger if one were to believe the reports sent to the Bible societies and other foreign associations that foster this propaganda, but the truth is that such reports are written to suit the interests and convenience of those who maintain the propaganda in this archipelago.

The proselytising carried on by Dr Kalley lasted roughly eight years, from 1838 to 1846, apart from a few short journeys the celebrated propagandist made to England. With his abrupt departure from Madeira, Protestant propaganda almost disappeared among us, not only because it had lost its chief support, but also because of the well-founded fear that popular anger might again break out in violence as lamentable as that of 9 August 1846.

The propaganda became less intense and more cautious, but it never ceased, and was carried on especially in the parishes of Machico and Santo da Serra, as well as in some parts of Funchal. Shortly after Dr Kalley’s hasty flight, the Protestant minister Hewitson appeared and began a moderate campaign; or rather, he came to nourish and preserve the fruits of the Scottish physician’s proselytism. In 1850 the civil governor José Silvestre Ribeiro had to intervene in the attempts that a certain Wilkinson was making in Machico to draw various individuals into the Calvinist sect.

The ardour of the propaganda then cooled, gaining a certain momentum some years later when, around 1860, a Calvinist church was established in Funchal. A new and more active campaign took place around 1875, and it grew still further after 1894. The ministers Angus and Buchanan were the chief agents of this propaganda. It is certain, however, as we have already pointed out, that Calvinist proselytism has always had meagre results here, except for the propaganda carried on by Dr Robert Kalley, owing above all to the eminent qualities that distinguished him and to the way in which he knew how to address the people of this island.

It is a tribute owed to the truth to state here that in recent years the English colony on this island has not lent its action and influence, which are considerable, to this propaganda, and that at times it has even openly condemned the conduct of certain Calvinist ministers who sought to win over the inhabitants of this island to the practice of their religious ideals.

The article Kalley (Robert), on p. 207 of vol. II, offers further interesting information on this subject, which should be consulted.