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“...Page, The By the Editor 16, 32, 48
64, 80, 96, 112, 128, 111, 160, 176, 192
China, Prize Essay on .... 102
Chinese Episode. By Lucy Soothill . . 8
< 'liinesc Stronghold of Idolatry. By J. W.
Heywood . . . . . 87, 101
Eakly Years in Ningpo. By Frederick Galpin.
Chap. I. Parting from Home . . 97
„ 11. First View of China . . 113
„ 111. The Study of the Chinese
Language. . . .129
„ IV.. Introduction to Foreign Resi-
dents ..... 145
,, V. Missionaries and Merchants . 161
„ VI. My First Chinese New Year . is I
Feast, A Chinese. By Lucy Soothill . . 166
Galpin, Rev. Frederick. By the Editor . 81
General Outlook, The 7, 22, 37, 51, 72, 86, 101
JIS, 135, 152, 161, 183
General Secretary’s Notes, The 6, 20, 36, 53, 70
84, 116, 132, 151, 1S1
Harvest Thoughts. By II. M. Booth . . 136
Henry Barton’s Missionary Book. By William
Yates ....... 170
History of our Hymn Book. By the Editor
II, 28, 12, 59, 74, 91
Letters from China . . 1.0, 73, 119, 120, 168
Literary Notices .... 159, 189
Little Treasure, The...”
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“...W'N a letter to
j, ■ the Mis-
si on ary
y Secretary,
dated Sep-
tember
1 8 9 5,
10th,
R e v.
James Proud-
foot describes
the condition of
affairs at Bocas
del Toro. The
excessive rains
had caused quite
an epidemic of
fever, greatly
interfered with
their religious
services, and
reduced the
church income
to a very fine
point. Happily,
the rainy season
was passing a-
way, and better
times seemed in
store. The day
school progress-
ed slowly, as
the children
were suffering
from whooping
cough, which
CHINA.
D r. IIogg
writes to the
Missionary Sec-
retary, congra-
tulating him on
his appoint-
m ent, a n d
giving him some
p a r t i c u 1 a r s
about his work.
He says : “ I
have now a h un-
dr ed patients to
see every week
at the dispen-
sary, and a few
visits as well.
Though word
has not yet
come from Pe-
king, it is very
probable that I
shall get the
appointment of
Medical Officer
to the Chinese
Customs, which
will mean an
income of £80
per annum for
the benefit, of
the medicaL...”
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“...Editor, dated Wenchow, Sep-
tember 27tli, 1895, Rev. W. E. Soothill refers to
the outrages perpetrated on Christian Missions in
China, specifying those in Sz-chuan, Fo-kien,
and elsewhere. He continues “Coming to this
district three months ago, the China Inland Mission
suffered a re-
verse at Ping-
Yang, 30 miles
.from here.
Twenty or
thirty houses
were wrecked,
their occu-
pants driven
forth, a n d
though com-
pensation has
been made in
part, they have
not been able
to re-build,
and Christians
have to put up
with great
■opposition.
* * * *
to
“As to our
■o w n w o r k,
F u n g -L i n g
was going on
splendidly, till
the Mandarins
putoutanotice
forbidding the
sale of land to
foreigners.
"These officials
have enormous
power, and
whilespeaking
suavely as man
can speak, are
all the time
doing their ut-
most against
us. They are
at the bottom
of almost all
the riots in China. Soon after this proclamation
■appeared, I received warning of the changed
demeanour of the people. Through the British
Consul...”
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“...have the notes of
beautiful little episode lain in my drawer,
and time after time have 1 put them aside,
because I feared to spoil a touching story
with the rude strokes of an untutored pen.
But in our sinful old world it would seem
almost another sin to keep locked up, away out of
sight, either in heart or desk, an incident which
brought ourselves great joy and encouragement,
when we might give it a further opportunity of
appealing to the highest sympathies of others,
by showing that even in China there is “ Holy
Ground.”
The subject, of this sketch was a woman of fifty—
and old at that (but Chinese women are all old at
fifty), her dress of the simplest, most countrified
description, of dark blue coarse home-spun cotton,
though clean and tidy withal.
Her feet were big, as compared with the tiny
“ golden lilies ” of her city sisters, nor had her
yellow homely face any beauty that we should
i desire it.
Her home is in a village buried amongst the...”
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“...10
LETTERS FROM CHINA.
On tlie Sunday she, with the rest, knelt at the
Communion rail and was received into the Church
below; but before then, we trust, her name had
been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
The tears rolled down her face the whole service,
and her’s were not the only tears that fell.
LEXERS ejIiplA.
No. I.
BY R. WOOLFENDEN.
have just returned from the hills,
and a few particulars of our five
weeks’ stay there will, doubtless, be
of interest to you. It was a great
relief to get away from the city and
its narrow streets, where, in the heat of summer,
the stifling atmosphere and the abominable smells
are well-nigh overpowering. The journey up was
delightful, specially so as we ascended the narrow
mountain stream, which, clear as crystal, came
rushing down a rocky bed, forming a chain of
innumerable rapids, up which we made our way.
Arriving at the landing stage, we took possession
of our chairs, and were conveyed up the steep
mountain path through charming groves of
bamboo...”
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“...especially that which relates to the
Christian Church, to discriminate very carefully
between the merely human and the truly divine
elements, and accord to each its proper place and
share of influence in any given historic episode.
And it is because so many men have not done this,
that they have come to such erroneous conclusions,
and delivered such glaring misjudgments concern-
ing the part which Christianity particularly has
played, in the evolution of history during the past
two thousand years.
CHINA.
WN a letter to the Missionary Secretary, from
Rev. R. Woolfenden, dated October 17th,
1895, the writer tells of a visit he had paid
to a new station, which had been established
J
<^5* through the efforts of converts who had been
blessed physically and spiritually as patients in
Dr. Swallow’s Hospital. A native preacher had
been sent, and at length Dr. Swallow proposed to
visit the place, but at the last moment he found it...”
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“...OUR FOREIGN FIELD.
19
impossible to go, and requested Mr. Woolfenden to
take his place. In a short time the boat was made
ready, and he took his departure. A young China-
man, a medical student, accompanied him. Mr.
Woolfenden continues.
* * #
“ Our journey was to the east of Ningpo, a six
hours’ sail up the canal. This brought us to our
starting point for the next morning. We had a
good two hours’ tramp before us, and right well
we enjoyed it. Our walk was through a long
narrow valley, one of the prettiest I have yet seen.
The air was delicious. In some places the road
ran along a beautifully clear mountain stream.
Another feature of the road was the number of
porches arranged about every half-mile, for the
convenience of travellers, where the weary burden-
bearer can lay down his load to obtain a moment’s
ease. But the chief feature of this district was the
number of forts, dotted here and there on the hill
tops, where bands of soldiers are stationed, to pro-
tect the country from the...”
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“...”
& &
Our latest news from East Africa came to hand
on January 12th. The state of the country was
not much more settled at the time of writing.
* * *
There are two things we can do for our brethren
in East Africa. 1. We can pray for them, and let
our prayers have the element of agony in them.
2. We can express our deep sympathy with them
by making a special contribution to aid them in
this grave crisis, a contribution which shall not
diminish our regular one, but rather increase it.
CHINA.
The news from China has for the most part
been of a painful nature. After our last “ Notes ”
had been sent to the Editor, we received a cable-
gram saying, Bev. F. Galpin would sail for
England three days later. The day before this
came we had received a lettei' from Dr. Swallow
informing us.that Mr. Galpin was better than he
had been, and the hope was that he would be able
to stay and finish his term of service. Clearly our
dear friend must have become much worse after
Dr. Swallow’s letter was written...”
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“...heart, for
I could not de-
tect any trace of
malice or crime ;
on the contrary,
meekness, gen-
tleness, and
sufferingseemed
to be enshrined
in this shattered
BUDDHIST PRIEST, CHINA.
th e
ex-
there
and sickly hu-
man form.
I asked the
poor man a few
questions, and
soon knew his history of beggary through opium
smoking. Meanwhile, as I asked my questions,
the other Chinaman remained silent, and appeared
indifferent to the tale of poverty which the suf-
ferer was unfolding to me.
Presently, I asked the beggar a question which
required him to give me the name of some China-
man who could confirm his story ; then, to my
surprise, he appealed to the other man to corro-
borate his tale, calling him “ his sister’s husband.”
To this request the brother-in-law granted an
answer as full of cruel indifference as only a China-
man knows how to give. I turned then to him,
and said, “ Is this man your wife’s brother ? ” and
he answered “ Yes.” I must add also, in justice to
him, that he agreed to my...”
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“...East African Missions,’ ‘ A trip to East Africa,’ and
‘ A visit to Western Africa.’ Sets of slides (with-
out readings), may also be had on China and
Jamaica, as well as on Greenland and North
America. For Sunday afternoon meetings, sets
of coloured Diagrams may be had on ‘ A peep at
Sierra Leone,’ ‘ East Africa and its Missions ’ (2
sets), ‘ The Gospel in New Zealand,’ and ‘ China
and the Chinese.’ There are no readings with
the Diagrams, though the titles of the slides are
given, and suitable books are recommended to
those addressing the meetings.” For particulars
as to open dates, application should be made to
Rev. Robert Brewin, Cornholme, Todmorden.
plO'fEg.
CHINA.
HOUGH all will regret the cause of Rev.
F. Galpin’s sudden return to the home
land, all will rejoice that he has arrived
safely. Physically, he is much better
than when he left China; he is a good
sailor, and the long voyage did him good.
Though much better physically, his nervous
system is in a very shattered condition ;...”
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“...Buddhist priest. In his hand were a bible and
hymn-book. When we stood up to sing, he joined
with us. When we reverently kneeled in prayer,
he did likewise. How had he been led to do these
things ? Some two months before, one of our
native Christians came to me, and told me he had
met a Buddhist priest, with whom he had had
several conversations about Christianity. The
priest professed to be very much interested, and
expressed a desire to know more. He was troubled
with a disease common here in China, and the
Christian, knowing of this, told him that if he
would go to Wenchow City, the foreigners would
do their best to cure him. The priest expressed
doubt, however, as to whether we would be willing
to help such as he. So the Christian came to me
and asked me would we do our best for him.
There was only one answer to such a question.
“ Certainly. Of whatever class, or condition in
life, so long as we could ameliorate their sufferings,
and possibly lead them to a knowledge of the
Truth, we should...”
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“...is no longer any living connection
with Christ.
In the end, the withered branches that are cast
forth are gathered and burned. If the wood of
the vine does not help in bearing fruit, it is worth-
less. Its fitting place is the fire which consumes
useless things. And we shall wither and perish
unless we are bound up with the True Vine whose
root is eternal. Shall we not seek blessed,
vitalizing oneness with Him, for then shall we
be fully equipped for worthiest service ?
EDltfORIHL ]\[0tfEJ5.
CHINA.
Y readers know of the proposed erection
Wenchow, of a much needed
Ww/Vl R hospital. They will be as gratified as
yl b I am to learn that Mr. G. Dingley, of
Great Yarmouth, has presented £200
for this object, through Rev. A. J. Walkden, a
member of the Missionary Committee. In a letter
to the Editor, Mr. Walkden says, “ When I left the
last session of the Missionary Committee, I was
deeply impressed with the importance of that
question relating to the hospital at Wenchow.”
This led to a request...”
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“...idolatry,
singing hymns and offering prayer to the only
true God, and our Lord Jesus Christ! The Gospel,
our retirement; to lay ourselves open to misunder-
standing ; to abandon long-cherished aims; and to
pass on the incomplete programme to others.
. This step carries such grave consequences,
that we could not have dared to take it, but for
our confident assurance that it was the only one
possible to us, and entirely justified by the circum-
stances.”
OUR WEST AFRICAN MISSIONARIES.
•even in China, is the power of God unto
salvation.”
SIERRA LEONE.
A very full and interesting report of the work
in Western Africa has been published by Rev.
William Vivian, who still retains the position of
Superintendent, which he vacates at the Assembly
of 1896. The necessity for this retirement is
deeply regretted by the Missionary Committee, and
by Mr. Vivian himself. Concerning it, he says,
•“ It has demanded considerable courage to face
Mr. Vivian takes a review of the changes in the
personnel of the...”
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“...some Deputation work since he got home, not only
with comfort to himself, but great pleasure to the
Churches he has served.
BOCAS-DEL-TORO.
The Rev. T. Halliwell, has, ere this, I have no
doubt, safely arrived at his new sphere of work.
He wrote from Colon, saying he had had a
pleasant voyage to that port, and expected in four
days more to be at Bocas itself. The report of
Rev. J. Proudfoot of the progress of the work at
Bocas is most cheering. God is greatly prospering
our work on that Station.
CHINA.
It is with the utmost pleasure that I make
known the fact that we have received a cheque for
£200 for the “ Wenchow Hospital.” To our friend,
Rev. A. J. Walkden, we are deeply indebted for
his share in obtaining the money, and to the
donor, Mr. Dingley, we are profoundly
grateful. This sum will enable the Missionary
Committee to proceed at once with the urgently-
needed work of building and furnishing the
Hospital.
Several other friends had sent and promised...”
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“...anything but
regret the strife that has arisen amongst those
earnest workers for the world’s weal, but God can
make the wrath of man to praise Him, and cause
even dissension amongst saints to fall out for the
futherance of the Gospel.
* * #
The eminent Missionary, Rev. Griffith John,
has paid a visit to a number of places in the far
interior of China, and reports that the people are
willing to hear the Gospel. The hostile feeling-
created by the efforts of the Mandarins appears to
have passed away. Our own Missionaries con-
stantly attest that it is the ruling class which
excites and fosters enmity to “ the foreign religion ”
amongst the people of China.
* * *
A remarkable conversion has occurred on the
Congo. A chief who was held in great repute as
a fetishman, assembled the people of his village,
and told them he had become convinced that there
was one, and only one God. With the help of his
son he threw all his fetishes into the water. The
people wondered that father and son were not
struck...”
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“...as class leaders. If so,
why should they be kept out of leaders’ meetings ?
Lord Jesu, when we stand afar,
And gaze upon Thy holy Cross,
In love of Thee and scorn of self,
Oh, may we count the world as loss !
'I'jlE ‘ l^ELI^IOU^’ LIFE OF WEpIejIoW.
BY J. W. HEYWOOD.
“ W^^IFENCHOW is the most ‘ jossy ’ (idol)
place I have yet seen in China.”
TnfivWl Such was the comment of one of
| H.B.M. Consuls stationed here. He
-J paq peen jn mOst of the open ports
of China, thus making his judgment one of weight
and value. There can be no doubt that the
‘religious’ side of the Wenchow people’s character
is more developed than is the case in many of the
large cities of China. Nor can the fact be
questioned that with the great majority of the
people their devotions are performed with great
zeal and earnestness.
The term 1 religious,’ however, may not always
be synonymous with those of “ righteousness ”
and purity ! This is true of the term as used
in this sketch of the devotional life of the
Wenchowese...”
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“...56
THE ‘RELIGIOUS’ LIFE OF WENCHOW.
worshipped as a God. No image of him is ever
set up in any temple, Buddhist or Taoist. Prayer
is never offered to him, nor his aid implored on
any occasion. Such action would bring legal
punishment upon those who ventured to do so.
Still, it must be noted that twice a year, bloody
sacrifices are offered to Confucius in about 2,500
places of worship all over China. For according
io the laws of China there must be a Temple of
Confucius attached to every Prefecture, sub-pre-
fecture, district, and in every market town
throughout the Empire. Wenchow City has its
large temple consisting of three courts, lying in
the orthodox position, from south to north. This
yeai’ the sacrificial days are Friday, March 1st,
and Friday, September 27th.
It is as teacher and pattern that they worship
their sage. The Chinese estimate of him is,—
“No day can pass without an experience of the
benefits derived from Confucius, and his influence
among men is like that of Heaven and...”
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“...Trinity is
Maitreya Buddha—the Merciful One, expected to
open a new era about 3,000 years hence. This
PRIEST.
TAOIST
idol is known as The Laughing Buddha of Chinese
temples. These Three Precious Ones are the
Almoners to the departed spirits, who would other-
wise make serious trouble if they were not
remembered by their descendants.
This atten-
the
tion to the
needs of the
ghosts of
deceased
a n c e s t ors
for seven
generations,
does not be-
long to very
ancient
times. It
was intro-
duced in
China about
A.D. 733,
by Amdgha,
known by
the Chinese
as Pa i h
K’ung, the
Singhalese
B u d d h i st
who gave a
great im-
petus to his
religion
under
T’ang Dy-
nasty.
By ‘
festivals is
the religious
life of the
W e nchow-
ese nurtur-
ed. That
the people
should be in
gross dark-
ness and
superstition
is cause for
little sur-
prise. We
believe,
however,
that as a
Mission we
are doing
much to bring light and spiritual liberty to them.
Our hearts are full of hope despite the great
enemy we have to fight...”
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“...mighty victory. And so shall it be
with the darkness and superstition which enshroud
this land of China. The Sun of Righteousness is
rising and dispersing ignorance and sin, which are
the strongest allies of Idolatry, and we may repeat
the words:—
“ The world swings out toward the light,
And skies are growing clearer,
The grey of dawn is on the hills,
The golden glow grows nearer.”
EDI1'O^I£L
CHINA.
f; HAVE been favoured with the perusal of a
* long and interesting letter from Miss
Hornby, to a dear friend in Liverpool.
----- After describing her voyage, and how she
was met at Shanghai, &c., she speaks of her arrival
at Ningpo, where she met with a cordial welcome.
* * *
“ We took breakfast at Mrs. Wilson’s,
after which, several of us went to an English
service at a Presbyterian Church. I cannot express
the feeling that came o’er my soul, as I sat for the
first time at a church in the land of China. Many
petitions went up to God during that service.
After the service, we crossed the river to...”
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“...mounted, or otherwise ? They would be a
great boon I ” I have wondered, also, if some
friend would make the Mission a present of these
MOPOPHI CHURCH AND MISSION HOUSE, WESTERN AFRICA.
and Mrs. Abercrombie are very well indeed ; quite
as well as when in England, almost better from
their own reports. Mr. Abercrombie is very
diligently making himself acquainted both
with the Missionaries and their Stations. I am
sure he will be more than pleased to have a letter
from any of his friends in England.
CHINA.
The Chinese New Year has just commenced, and
all our Missionaries have commenced it full of
hope. All are in good health, except Dr. Swallow,
needful things; I have a notion they will, and
hence this appeal.
* * *
In the Doctor’s last letter, a most interesting
one, he says, what he greatly needs, is: “ 1.—A
good set of osteology, particularly a skull; 2.—A
set of anatomical and physiological plates, or
models.
* * *
There is a “ Medical Mannikin,” or, life-size
model of all the organs of the...”
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