Doreen Hosford Owen The Camel Bell Mathilda Miller

The Camel Bell by Doreen Hosford Owens
Drawings by Mathilda Keller

The Camel Bell

Doreen Hosford Owens, author
Mathilda Keller, illustrator

This blog post written by Mary Katherine May of QualityMusicandBooks.com.

Broadman Press, Nashville TN
Copyright 1937 Baptist Foreign Mission Board, Richmond VA, The Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, Owner, Nashville TN. Printed in the United States of America. 12.5NT503.

84 pages
7-1/4 x 4-7/8 inchs, 19 cm.

Doreen Hosford Owens (1905-2001) was born in Argentina, daughter of Rev. and Mrs. Robert Sangster Hosford, Southern Baptist missionary parents originally from Ireland.  Doreen followed in her parents’ footsteps, serving as a missionary in Palestine with her husband, Rev. Roswell E. Owens.

In the Annual of the Southern Baptist Convention 1941, Rev. Owens comments are noted on the dangerous conditions in the Palestinian mission field:

Driven out of Haifa recently by the bursting Italian bombs, Mr. and Mrs. Roswell Owens removed to Jerusalem.  In a communication which came several weeks ago, Mr. Owens said that three persons had just been baptized in Haifa where Italian bombs had fallen two or three days previously.  Wars may come, bombs may fall, but the work of the Spirit goes on!

Doreen remained actively involved in missionary activity through the Woman’s Missionary Union.  Her obituary tells us that she was personally interested in literary ministry, and to that end taught English as a second language to immigrants whom she befriended.

Bibliography

The Camel Bell
sources: Worldcat.org; Rochester NY: A Baptist Bibliography, Volume 17, American Baptist Historical Society, 1972.

First: Broadman Press, Nashville TN, 1937, 84 pages. Drawings by Mathilda Keller.

Second: Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, Richmond VA, 1937. 118 pages.

Spanish Language Edition: La campanilla del camello. Santiago: El Lucero (19--). 93 pages. Doreen Hosford Owens ; dibujos de Mathilda Keller y Orlando Moreno ; traducción de Ruth Moore de Moreno.

Summary by Mary Katherine May:

The Camel Bell by Doreen Hosford Owens
Copyright and Contents Pages

The Camel Bell is historically interesting educational material published for use by children by the Southern Baptist Convention, written by Doreen Hosford Owens based upon her firsthand experiences living in pre-World War II Palestine.

This is the story of a young boy named Assad and his family who are residents of Nazareth. It tells of the family’s everyday life and their relationship with a missionary family whose children have blonde hair and blue eyes.  Assad likes the sound of camel bells.  At the end of the story Assad helps a Mohammedan traveler with whom he and his father, Gusteen, share the Good News of Jesus Christ.  The traveler is given a copy of the story to take with him when he leaves, and in return he gives Assad camel a bell. Gusteen wonders what Assad will do with the bells since he has no camel.

Assad sat very still for a moment.  He was thinking.  “But, Daddy, I’d like to put it on our gatepost so that it will tinkle whenever anyone opens our gate to come to see us.  The sound of a camel bell always makes me happy inside, just like the sound of the voice of a guest”…”And, Daddy, the stranger said that he will never forget tonight.  Neither shall we.  And when we hear the camel bell, we shall always pray for him.  I hope that he will learn to love Jesus, too.  He was kind to give me the camel bell!”

The Village Oven.  Foreign Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention, 134 pages, illustrated.

In the Baptist Messenger of May 27, 1937, The Camel Bell and The Village Oven are introduced as part of a graded series of books on Palestine.

For juniors, we have “The Village Oven” by Doreen Hosford Owens. This little book portrays the home life of a Christian Arab family of Palestine giving also their experiences in the community, church and school. This book is 25 cents each.

A very attractive book, “The Camel Bell” by Doreen Hosford Owens, has been prepared for Sunbeams.  This fascinating story of family life in Nazareth brings to our primaries the home life and customs and the influence of Christ’s spirit in the home. This book is also 25 cents.

The Camel Bell: Drawings by Mathilda Keller

Mathilda Keller is noted as partner in the Phildadelphia studio of Esther R. Bell, known as Miss Media. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania collection 3095: Esther R. Bell Papers.

Mathilda Keller illustrated many books through many publishers including the Bethany Press in St. Louis MO, Judson Press and the Jewish Publication Society of America both in Philadelphia, PA.