Heritage Snapshot: Part 147

Mervyn G. Hardinge, the son of a surveyor who worked for the Survey of India, grew up in India with snakes (including an 18-foot python), man-eating tigers, monkeys and his dad’s elephant. Before becoming Seventh-day Adventists his parents decided to stop drinking alcoholic beverages and become vegetarians. Later, his father stopped smoking pipes and cigarettes. A vegetarian cookbook ordered from a Seventh-day Adventist colporteur led to cooking lessons, Bible studies, and eventually church membership for the Hardinge family, the first European SDA converts to the church in India. The world of nutrition education would someday change forever as a direct result of Mrs. Hardinge’s initial spark of interest and the eventual impact of her son’s scientific research at Harvard University. As a child Mervyn hated school with a vengeance. A teaching order of very strict Irish Christian Brothers disciplined their elementary and secondary students at St. Edmond’s College by freely punishing them on the spot with a leather strap about 18 to 20 inches long, 1.5 inches wide, and 1/3 of an inch thick. The children in the all-boys school were “strapped” for all kinds of supposed misbehavior, including misspelling a word, making too many errors in mathematics, or being late for class. Also, because he was a Seventh-day Adventist, he and his family were considered to be misfits in the community: oddballs. Because his parents didn’t drink or smoke they were ostracized from membership in the local club. And furthermore, they were all “vegetarians” (spoken with derision). In spite of these stormy years the Hardinge children achieved academically, got a good elementary and secondary education, and developed character that stood the test of time. A spiritual atmosphere pervaded the Hardinge home. Morning and evening devotions included reading from the Scriptures and personal devotions. Mervyn’s dad prayed out loud. His mother prayed quietly. They both studied the Bible diligently and held service for the Lord before their children. Desiring to be a minister, Mervyn sailed from Calcutta, India, to Southampton, England, to attend Newbold Missionary College. For the first time, at age 18, Mervyn attended a co-educational institution. To sit at a table for four with two men and two women was a real experience. As much as he hated high school, he loved college. He greatly appreciated sitting at the feet of godly teachers whose life interest was to prepare students for a place in God’s work. He took a double major in theology and business (accounting). Shortly after his 1935 graduation from Newbold Missionary College, the president of the British Union Conference hired Mervyn to conduct Ingathering among the wealthy residents in the suburbs of London and on the Island of Guernsey. At one large mansion on the Island of Guernsey, Hardinge’s request was rejected by the master of the house saying, “I’m not interested in missions. But since you took the time to tell me what you are doing, I’ll give you a trifle.” He then wrote a check for the equivalent today of 250 American dollars. And then in large letters, with a flourish, he signed his name, “Earnest Hemingway.” While still Ingathering during the late summer, Mervyn received a call from the British Union President informing him that he had been hired by the North England Conference. He was to start his new duties as assistant pastor of the Sheffield Church on October 1. Following a tour of the city to locate billboards for an evangelistic meeting, Mervyn walked from a bus stop to his new home. As he crossed an intersection, a voice told him, “You must take the medical course!” Mervyn stopped in his tracks and looked all around. Not a soul in sight. He decided that the Devil was trying to sidetrack him from his work, tried his best to banish the command from his mind, and threw himself into his work with diligence. Even though his brother, Ivan, had become a physician, Mervyn had never thought of taking the medical course. Through October, November, and most of December, 1935, the battle raged in his mind. If he took medicine he would make more money. But money had never tempted him. Even though every waking moment when he was not concentrating on something he was doing, that voice would ring in his ears, “You must take the medical course.” The directive was unequivocal; it was clear, concise, and commanding. When he awoke in the night he would hear the voice say, “Mervyn, you must take the medical course.” Then one day, the thought entered his mind: Maybe God wanted him to be a medical missionary. On Thursday, December 23, 1935, after studying and praying that God would help him make the right decision, words of Scripture started spinning in his mind, “Commit your ways unto the Lord, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Mervyn fell on his knees as he had done many times and prayed, “Lord, You know all about the struggle I am having. You know I want to do what You want me to do. But Lord, I don’t like the thought of taking medicine. However, if You want me to do it, I’ll do it, and I’ll do it as if it was the only thing I ever wanted to do in life. I have no money and I assume You would want me to take it (medicine) in ‘Your medical school’ (He knew the SDA Church had a School of Medicine somewhere in the United States, but didn’t know its name or where it was located.) It’s now in Your hands, and if I am doing the right thing, please open the way. Thank You, thank You, for hearing my prayer. In Jesus name.” He rolled into bed and with peace of mind slept better than he had for many months.