T h e K i n g ’ s B u s i n e s s
October 1932
428
of the rastras. The rastras nearly always-belong to the owner of the boat, so that he receives three and a half shares, while the men receive six or seven, according to the number of rancheros needed. The half-share is usually given back to the captain. When divers are used, the boat owner gets half of the proceeds, and the rest is divided among the men, the diver getting at least a double portion. If he is able to do so, the owner buys the pearls at a price agreeable to all. Otherwise, the owner and the men go together and sell the pearls to some dealer who is licensed by the government. T he V alue of the P earl Before a price is set, the “ lot” of, pearls is classified. Three divisions are made: mostacilla, or birdshot, is the
ered him and put on him the robe of righteousness. It is a beautiful sight to see mounds of pearls on a dealer’s black- topped table. Some day the Saviour will present His bride in shining splendor to the Father. What a glorious day that will b e ! Taking the view that the gospel is the pearl of great price, there are lessons for us, too. It is the suffering of our Saviour that is the fountain of the gospel. The pearl is the only precious stone whose value is intrinsic. The raw pearls are washed, but that is all. No cutting or polishing by a lapidary is necessary to enhance their value. So Christ pre sents in the gospel a finished work. The moment a man, tries, by his own efforts, to help in his own redemption, he takes from the glory of Christ, and the gospel loses its luster for him.
smallest and least valuable ; re donda,' or round, the better pearls, are worth about twice the price of the. mostacilla; the de vista, or good pearls, are sold according to individual weight. Small dealers buy at the ranch erías or in the cities. After making more complicated classi fications, the small dealers sell to larger dealers, most of whom take the gems to Paris for final sale. The prices are not steady, and one merchant will classify differently than another; so that there is not only the uncertainty of what will be found in the oysters, but also the uncertainty of what the final result will be. The whole business takes on the semblance of a great gamble, and the gaming spirit animates many of the owners and deal ers. So the kings of the earth and the merchants shall bewail
Babylon and lament her fall; they will weep and mourn because no man buyeth any more their merchandise of pearls (Rev. 18:9-12). No longer than a decade ago, the officials here cooper ated with the Roman priests in animating the men and own ers to dedicate a day’s catch to the Rbman Catholic Church-. Some priests bought pearls to send them, they said, to Spain or to Italy, where the images, are reputed to have costly necklaces of pearls. In Revelation 17:4, we read, “ The woman was . . . decked with . . . pearls.” The quality that is first sought in a pearl is perfect roundness. The gates of the New Jerusalem are not said to be of mother-of-pearl, but each gate is a separate pearl (Rev. 21:21). In the Twenty-fourth Psalm, where we read, “ Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors,” we might reasonably infer that the gates will be gigantic pearls, perfectly round, and moving up and down to open and close the gate. It is a revelation of Christ and His perfect salvation wrought for tis. By His suffering, He has gained for us a glorious entrance through the pearly gates. Nothing unclean can enter, be cause the blood of the sacrifice cleanses. The pearls would close and crush the unclean thing that tried to enter. Only those who trust Christ’s finished work on Calvary shall enter the New Jerusalem. Walking back to Porlamar in the moonlight, two hours along the shore, we thought of the oysters down beneath the [Continued on page 432]
The fishermen work very hard during the pearl season. Sailing from the ranchería about two or three o’clock in the morning, they catch fish for their food. At dawn, they go to work with the dragnets without stopping until three or four in the afternoon. The men on shore are not idle, as you can see. Yet, when pay day comes, most of the men spend their hard-earned money in the saloon and have one “ grand time,” returning penniless to their work after hav ing borrowed money from the owner to leave with the family before sailing. Job was right in placing the price of wisdom so high that the value of pearls should not be mentioned. These men who handle precious pearls have not the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom. Many are quite superstitious, and are easily led into fanaticism. Only the Spirit of God can change their hearts and give them a love for the truth. Services among them must be very informal,' and the explanation of the gospel simple. It was in Las Maritas that we held a service entirely by the light of the full moon. The tropical moonlight was sufficiently bright to enable us to read the hymns quite well. It was the first time most o f them had ever attended a gospel meeting, so that their audible comments as we spoke were surely to be pardoned. The profits for every one in the pearl fishing are always on a share basis. Each fisherman and ranchero gets one part of the price when the pearls are sold. A share and a half is given for the use of the boat and one share for each
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