Presented, with The Missionary Echo for Jamiary, 1912.
With the Compliments and New Year Greetings of the Editor.
MISSIONARY PLATFORM, MANCHESTER CONFERENCE, JULY 12TH, 1911.
REAR; Dli. SWALLOW, liEV. II. PARSONS, REV. A. E. GREENSMITH, REV. W. IÖ¾DY BASSETT, REV. W. EDDON, DR. SAVIN.
־FRONT; ־Princival CIIAVMAN. MWH E. M. SQUIRE, P.A., RIN. CHARLES STEDEFORD, SECRETARY, MR. COUNCILLOR BURNLEY, J.T»., CHAIRMAN, MRS. SAVIN.
THE
Missionary Echo
OF THE
,Untteb flftetbobtst Cburcb.
Editor :
Rev. J. E. SWALLOW.
VOLUME XIX.
(VOLUME VII., NEW SERIES.)
1912.
“In that day shall they come unto thee,
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
and from Egypt even to the River, and
from sea to sea, and from mountain to
mountain.â€â€”Micah vii, 72 (R.V.).
London:
HENRY HOOKS, 12 FARRINGDON AVENUE, E.C.
The Magnet Press,
1S8 Rye Lane, Peckham,
London, S.E.
INDEX.
PAGE
Africa, England to, Rev. W. U. Bassett 193
Alphabet, A Missionary, Sister Edith - 208
Altar of Heaven and a Christian Uni-
versity, The ----- 158
Auxiliary, Junior ----- 284
Bethel Church, Freetown, Rev. A. E.
Greensmith ----- 153
Blantyre Boy, A (See Livingstone) - 181
Booth, General, Rev. W. Stephen 252, 277
Booth, William, O. Seaman, D.Litt. - 255
Chao Tong, Women’s Work in, Mrs.
Dymond ------ 45
China, On the Road in North, Rev. W.
Eddon ------ 9
Chinese University, Rev. W. E. Soothill 49
Chapel, The Seventh Edition, Rev. S.
Pollard ------ 25
Christ did for Me, What, Ishiguro - 110
C.E. and Missions, Miss Berkeley - 211
Civilization, The Burden of - - - 116
Colleges, Missionary, Rev. H. T. Chap-
man ------ 160
Committee, With the - - 20, 130, 275
Conference, S.V.M.U., Mr. Craddock- 62
Conference and Missions, Rev. J. A.
Bedward ------ 202
Collectors, Notable :
Morecambe Group - - - - 22
Donald and Marie Rider - - 37
Miss Mabel Martyn - - - 72
May Allenson and Dorothy Crabtree 93
Miss Parker ----- 109
Harold Gooding - - 127
• Kathleen and Phyllis Howarth - 165
Mrs. Hamilton - 179
Penzance Group - - - - 198
Mr. Peckitt ----- 212
Miss May Gill - 212
George and Ronald Nodder - - 232
Miss Daisey Carpenter - - - 256
Ewart Awdas, Sheffield - - - 276
Darkness to Light, From, Dr. Grandin 144
Diary, The Missionary - - - - 101
District Bazaars for Mission Debt :
Sheffield, Rev. W. PI. Lockley - 133
Leeds, Rev. W. Stephen - - 175
East Africa Problems, Rev. J. Baxter - 105
Eddon,. The Rev. W., Mr. S. Arnold - 222
Education in China, Mr. T. W. Chap-
â– man, M.Sc. ----- 31
Experience, An Appeal to, Rev. W. Hall 184
Fairbrother, Miss Maggie, Rev. S. E.
Davis - - - - - - 233
Flag, The Symbolic Peking - - - 127
Fifteen Years After, Mrs. R. Swallow 70, 94
Folk-lore, ,The Spider in Mendi, Rev.
A. E. Greensmith - - - - 227
PAGE
Foreign Secretary’s Notes, 3, 23, 53, 76,
89, 124, 149, 169, 198, 219, 249, 267
Freetown, Collegiate School at - - 60
“Friend in Need,†A Needy (Bible
Society) - - - - - - 138
Galla Beliefs and Customs, Rev. J. II.
Phillipson ----- 121
Galla Chiefs and Heroes, Mrs. Wake-
field -------7
Gallas and German Mission, Miss
Minnie Linthorn - - - - 102
Giving, Those Exempt from - - 215
Haystack Prayer Meeting, The, Rev.
J. Harrison - 234, 256
Heaven, Linked to, Rev. H. Parsons - 169
Jamaica : A Historical Survey, Rev. W.
Hall.........................155
Jesus, How Mrs. Tsui First Heard of,
Mrs. Eddon ----- 11
John, Dr. Griffith, In Memoriam - - 201
Labrador and the Moravians, The
Editor ------ 97
Landlord An of Iang Kuan Chia, Rev.
H. Parsons ----- 115
Ling and Iang, Dr. Plummer - - 19
Livingstone, David, Marianne Farning-
ham ------ 181
London Missionary Meetings, The
Editor ------ 80
Martyn Centenary, The Rev. R. Brewin 217
Mazeras in the Making, Mrs. Baxter - 139
Meru, On Going to, Rev. B. W. Rose - 83
Meru or -——, Rev. F. H. Robinson - 84
Meru, A Settlement at, Rev. C. II.
Goodman ----- 104
Meru, My Call to, Rev. R. Worthing-
ton ------- 272
Missionary Methods, St. Paul’s, Rev.
Dr. Clemens - - - - - 145
“ Missionary Methods, St. Paul’s or
Ours,†Rev. Dr. Clemens - - 148
Missionary Mother, A - - - - 266
Missions, Glimpses of Other, The Bap-
tists and India, Rev. R. E. Crad-
dock ------ 164
Mission-house ׳at Chao Tong, The
First, Mrs. Pollard - - - - 177
Mountain, Melting the, Rev. W.
Stephen - - - - - - 175
Mullion and Cury, W.M.A. - - - 107
New Year Call, A, The President- - 1
Ningpo Holiday School Mrs. R. Swal-
low - - - - - - - 239
Nosu-land, 500 Miles through, Rev. C.
N. Mylne ------
“Other Lands,†An Exhibition, Editor- 161
Peace, but a Sword, Not, Mrs. Soothill 61
PAGE
PAGE
Penny, A Missionary - - - - 180
Points and Parables : III., Rev. W. H.
Proudlove ----- 41
Prayer Meeting, 23, 48, 72, 96, 120, 145,
168, 192, 214, 240, 264, 283
Prize Competitions - - â– - 24, 48
Proclamation at Ningpo, Momentous,
Mr. H. S. Redfern, M.Sc. - - 151
Poetry :
Christ. The Suffering, El.Sie - - 2
New Year and the Nations, The,
Miss Gertrude Ford - - - 6
Macedonian Call, The, Miss Picker-
ing ------ 15
Asia, To Friends in, El.Sie - 30 Ö¾
“ Bound by Gold Chains †- - 55
Christ and the Doctor, Miss Ford - 60
“ Give ye them to Eat,†Mrs.
Kumm ----- 66
Until Calamities be Past - - 67
The Celestial Awakening, Miss
Pickering - - - - - 96
The Wells of Peace, Miss Muriel
Harris.........................Ill
A Psalm on India - - - - 114
Not Africa, but Christ, El.Sie - - 140
The Signs of the Times, Harold
Johnson ----- 151
To Workers in Africa, Miss Picker-
ing............................173
The Harvest, Miss S. Gertrude
Ford -.........................174
Hymn for Missionary Bazaar, Rev.
W. Walker - 201
Deep unto Deep, Miss Sangster - 213
The Price of a Girl, Miss Ford - 226
God’s Surprises, El.Sie - - - 248
William Booth, Owen Seaman,
Esq. - - - - - - 255
Christmas Vision, A, Miss Ford - 273
Do you Believe in Missions? Rev.
W. Hall .......................280
Revolution in China, Record of the - 56
Revolution in China, Further Glimpses
of the...........................112
Robinson Crusoe and Missions, Rev.
H. T. Chapman - - • - 136
Reviews of Missionary Books :
The Call of the Dark Continent - 12
On Foot through China - - - 16
Review of Missions, The Inter-
national - - 38, 104, 207, 261
Giving,‘ Dust of Desire, etc. - - 44
The Peach Garden - - - - 48
“Among the Tribes in South-West
China †----- 63
A World-book of Missions - - 65
Hudson Taylor’s Early Years - - 87
God’s Image in Ebony - - - 137
Missionary Methods - - . 148
Lyric Leaves - . - - - - 174
Sun Yat Sen and the Chinese
Revolution ----- 224
A Manual of Evidences - - - 274
A Chinese School - - - - 280
Sandv of Mendiland, Chief, Rev. A. E.
Greensmith.......................73
Spider in Mendi Folk-lore, Rev. A. E.
Greensmith ----- 227
Students’ Missionary Demonstration - 91
Sudan’s Millions, Rev. W. L. Broadbent 39
Sun Yat Sen and the Revolution, Rev.
F. B. Turner ----- 224
“They Presented Gifts.†Rev. J. Ellis 265
Typhoon in Wenchow District - 241—248
University, The Altar of Heaven and a
Christian ------ 158
University for China, Rev. W. E. Soot-
hill, M.A. ----- 49
Women’s Auxiliary, 22, 47, 69, 94, 118,
141, 166, 190, 214, 238, 262, 281
W.M.A. Rambles - - - - 210, 211
Watchtower, The Editor’s, 18, 43, 68,
108, 132, 163, 180, 205, 237, 260, 274
Wenchow Typhoon, The - 241—248, 270
Yunnan, The Position in, Rev. C. N.
Mylne ------ 81
X-ray Photograph, An, Dr. Plummer - 67
PORTRAITS,
Chapman, Principal - - - - 32
China Group, North - - - - 198
Collectors at Penzance - - - - 191
Conference Group (Frontispiece) - - 1
Conference, W.M.A. at - - - - 214
Bassett, Rev. W. U- 132 Ö¾ Ö¾ Ö¾ Ö¾
Bassett, Rev. W. Udy and Mrs. - - 193
Booth, The late General - - - 252
Booth, The late Mrs. - - - - 253
Booth, Gen. Bramwell - - - - 278
Butler, Lt.-Col. ----- 129
Dingle, Dr. Lilian - - - - 205
Eayrs, Mrs. G. - - - - - 215
Eddon, Rev. W. - - - - - 201
Fairbrother, Miss Maggie - - - 233
Fell, Mr. J. C.....................202
Haigh, Dr. Henry ----- 162
Hicks, Rev. C. E. - - - - - 204
Hinds, Rev. J. - - - - - • 172
Ishiguro, Rev. T. - - - - Ö¾ HO
Jones, Dr. Fletcher - - - 56, 61
Le Huray, Mr. J. E. - - - â– 128
Littlewood, Rev. G. P. - - - - 233
Martyn, Henry ----- 217
Mazera, Thomas ----- 140
Missionaries from Sheffield - - â– 134
Mylne, Rev. C. N. - - - - 82
Oldham, Mr. J. H. - - - - 38
Packer, D.D., Rev. G. - - - - 1
Redfern, M.Sc., Mr. H. S. - - - 78
Sandy, Chief ------ 73
Smith, Sir George - - - - 258
Squire, B.A., Miss - - - - 220
Stobie, Rev. W. R. - - - - - 125
Students at Manchester College - - 91
Sun Yat Sen ------ 225
Taylor, The late Hudson - - - 87
Thorne, Mr. and Mrs. - ‘ - - - 178
Turner, Miss ------ 203
Wakefield, Rev. C. T. - - - - 175
Worthington, Rev. R. - - - - 272
Yuen, Railton ----- 78
Missionary Echo
OF
ftbe Ö¾United fiDetbodist Cburcb.
A New Year Call
frerp tlje President.
?1
GREAT responsibility, the re-
sponsibility imposed by price-
less privilege and abounding
blessing, rests upon us, and it is well
when the dawn of another year awakens
us to the rapid flight of time to consider
carefully its significance.
“ I am debtor both to the Greeks and
to the Barbarians; both to the wise
and the unwise.†In what way was St.
Paul debtor? Stripes and imprison-
ment, hatred and scorn, he had re-
ceived, but he had learned the golden
way of overcoming evil with׳, good, and
thoughts of reprisal were as distant
from him as the poles are asunder.
Nay, the very opposition he encoun-
tered became a stronger and more ur-
gent motive to discharge the obligation
under which he lay, since it was a
startling revelation of a fearful want he
could relieve, a pitiable wretchedness
he could assuage. The Gospel he was
willing and eager to preach at Rome
or elsewhere, he regarded not as a
monopoly, but as a sacred trust for
others; the means first of his own sal-
vation, but sufficient also for the salva-
tion of all mankind. He recognized
and proclaimed the truth that possession
constitutes obligation, that poverty has
a claim on wealth, ignorance upon
knowledge, weakness upon strength.
This was the secret of a missionary ar-
dour that no persecution could damp,
of a missionary zeal that burned with
increasing brightness notwithstanding
floods poured out to quench it.
Is the obligation of any Christian less
to-day? It may not demand the kind
or the amount of toil gladly rendered by
the apostle, but whole-hearted service
it does require. We have, therefore we
January, 1912.
Tl>e Rev.
GEORGE PACKER, D.D.
must give; we possess, therefore we
must distribute; we enjoy, therefore we
must share. “ If,†is the noble declara-
tion of Job, “ If I have eaten my morsel
myself alone, and the fatherless hath
not eaten thereof, then let mine arm
fall from my shoulder blade, and mine
arm be broken from the bone.â€
A deep and permanent interest in the
missionary work of the church can only
be created and sustained by growing
knowledge. To think about this work
at the mission anniversary, and then
forget it for the next twelve months is
not merely worthless: it is heartless.
Before St. Paul had visited Rome he
knew the names of all the principal
Re▼. George Packer• D.D. (President).
[Favoured by Ed, ״ United Methodist."‘
The Suffering Christ
church workers there, and knew with
such exactness what they were doing
that he could distribute his commenda-
tions with varying degrees of warmth.
And information in those days could
not reach him by the penny post or by
the daily newspaper: it was, doubtless,
studiously acquired by painstaking
efforts. “ The cause which I knew not,â€
says Job, “ I searched out.†Doors
are wide open to-day by which we may
enter upon full and correct knowledge
of the deep needs of the heathen world,
and every Christian should make him-
self acquainted with all that concerns
the growing Kingdom of Christ. Mis-
sionary literature is an essential element
in any Christian home.
From accurate knowledge of mission-
ary opportunity will spring systematic
support. One of the saddest things to
see in any mission report is the way in
which subscriptions, appropriate enough
when originally started have become
frozen into an unchanging amount not-
withstanding that financial ability has
indefinitely expanded. The blessing of
those who are ready to perish will not
come upon us in its fullness until the
once-a-year gift becomes once a week,
and every contribution is baptized with
intense spiritual longing.
Prayer, systematic prayer in com-
plete dependence upon the Holy Spirit,
is absolutely indispensable ; prayer for
the missionary, for the native evangel-
ists, for the members of the churches,
surrounded, as they must be, by an
atmosphere unfavourable to their
spiritual life. But more than this is
required: prayer for the he'athen peo-
pies among whom our missionaries
labour, that the Holy Spirit may unseal
their hearts, and open the doors now
closed toi receive salvation. How often
has the Holy Spirit gone in advance of
the missionary enterprise! Moffat has
spoken of African tribes who had some
premonition of pale-faced strangers
with good news appearing in their
midst. Judson, unable to enter the
doors of Calcutta, and of Madras,
rudely and violently shut in his face,
went to the Karens and found them
partially prepared to receive him owing
to a tradition that white men were some
day to bring them good tidings. Grif-
fith John met with a prepared people
when, after many endeavours, he ob-
tained access to the interior of China.
Our greatest and most important work
in North China began with the vision
of an old dreamer, and his visit of in-
quiry to Tientsin, and when the evan•
gelists went at his request to Chu Chia
Tsai, the people were eager for the
message they joyfully delivered.
It was from a prayer-meeting held in
the upper room that the first preachers
of the Cross issued, and gathered the
first-fruits of the Jews in the conversion
of three thousand souls. It was by
means of prayer that the Gospel bless-
ings were first received by the Gentile
world in the conversion of Cornelius:
“ his prayers and his alms had ascended
as a memorial before God.â€
Careful study, abounding liberality,
persevering prayer: Can we start the
New Year better than with these? It
is from these sources that the fountains
will arise which will make our own souls
as a “ watered garden,†and transform
heathen and desolate wastes into the
“ garden of the Lord.â€
THE SUFFERING CHRIST.
OLD to Mrs. Soothil! :—
“ I turned my eyes from the light
. . . became aware of a FACE . . .
my pillow became my Saviour’s shoulder
. . . I who never knew a Mother’s com-
forting held my breath. . . .†Reply :
“Pei tai ho, June 28th. . . but, oh,
how lovely that when it has to come you
are prepared for it by JESUS Himself.â€â€”
LUCY SOOTHILL.
Beside Him in His sorrow
He bade me stand awhile—
What Sun shall light the morrow,
0 Face too marred, for smile?
Scarce dimly seen the Vision,
My head He drew to rest—
John's â– pillow! (Yea, provision
For all souls sorely press’d.)
At once the pain was lifted,
Breath held for very awe—
0 deathless Heart, Love-gifted
For dark hearts mourning sore,
The world’s whole woe, each burden,
Is Thine alone to bear;
And yet Thy Grief and Guerdon
Thou callest each to share.
El. Sie.
2
Secretary’s
Notes.
Greeting. A Happy New Year to
our readers, a Prosperous
New Year to the MISSIONARY Echo,
and a year of abundant blessing on all
our mission stations! This fervent wish
is mingled with faith and hope. The
New Year promises to be a memorable
one. Times are moving swiftly and
great changes are transpiring at home
and abroad. In our missionary enter-
prise we begin the year face to face
with great obstacles and great oppor-
tunities. Will this year witness the re-
moval of the financial obstruction which
bars our progress? It will, if the spirit
manifested in some places pervades the
whole Denomination. We hope to see
our income made equal to our expendi-
ture, and any friends who have not
done so cannot begin the year better
than by making a generous promise to
the increase campaign.
How the Happily the revolution
Revolution brought no great alarm
came to our to our missionaries and
Stations in hardly disturbed any of
China. their work. It is wonder-
ful with what promptness,
decision and unanimity the revolution
was effected in many places. Evidently
the people had been well prepared for
the change and when the hour struck
it was welcomed with rejoicing. From
the letters of the missionaries we supply
the account of how the revolution came
in our different Districts.
North China. The revolutionary spirit
seemed to be universal,
and considerable excitement was
created by the report of the progress
of affairs in the Hankow region. Tient-
sin was crowded with refugees from
Peking, and there was probability that
Tientsin would pass over to the re-
volutionary party without any struggle.
At Tongshan comparative quiet pre-
Vailed, nevertheless 130 Baluchi troops
had arrived for the protection of
foreigners. In the more remote parts
of Shantung rumour was busy and pro-
voked an alarmist, feeling. Mrs. Rob-
son says that the brother of one of the
school girls told the gatekeeper it was
not safe for his sister to go to school
because the foreigners would soon be
By tl>c
Rev. C. STEDEFORD.
killed. The city students had fled, and
it was rumoured that the rebels were at
Tsinan Fu and would soon arrive at
Wu Ting Fu. Notwithstanding all the
unrest Dr. Robson was starting off on
a six days’ itineration to heal the sick
and preach the1 Gospel.
Ningpo. The revolution at Ningpo
was swift and complete.
Within an hour on Sunday, November
5 th, the whole city and suburbs passed
over to the revolutionaries. The Man-
chu Taotai took counsel with discretion
and left the city at the end of October.
Mr. Heywood says:—
Up to Sunday noon the city was as usual.
Within an hour all the yamens, the tele-
graph office, the police station, the settle-
ment, and the Government Bank had been
peaceably taken possession of by the rebels.
With wonderful unanimity and spontaneity
thousands of white flags were flying from
houses and shops—the symbol of the peo-
pie’s willingness to join the new party. The
troops and policemen put a white band on
one arm, and as far as Ningpo was con-
cerned the revolution was an accomplished
fact. Five departments of Government were
immediately established, viz., Military, Cavil,
Law, Commerce, and Foreign Affairs. The
head of the Bureau for Foreign Affairs is a
Mr. Lu. I met him in Sheffield when I
was the guest of Sir Charles Skelton when
on deputation work. He was then a stu-
dent at the Sheffield University. He gave
a short address at the Monday evening meet-
ing, and on many other occasions addressed
U.M.C. audiences in other parts of Eng-
land. He is taking active measures to pro-
tect all foreigners, and especially mission-
aries and church property. I have not yet
met him, but I received a card from him׳
yesterday with the intimation that he in-
tends to call on me at two p.m. to-day..
A proclamation has been issued ordering
all officials, students, soldiers and policemen
to cut off their queues within three days.
Hundreds are obeying; many of our stu-
dents, teachers, and even preachers have to
conform to this decree. We are maintain-
ing the strictest neutrality. What the future
holds we know not. We are, however,
thankful for present peace and safety, and
the liberty to continue our work—even the
usual visits to the out-stations.*
Wenchow. Early in November the׳
air began to vibrate with
premonitory signs of revolution. Stu-
* See next article p. 5, also p. 23.—Ed.
3
Foreign Secretary’s Notes
dents had returned from their colleges,
and the flow of merchandize was
checked. Silver became scarce and it
was necessary for our mission to secure
a supply direct from Shanghai. The
Taotai issued telegrams which were
manifest untruths, announcing the com-
plete dispersal of the rebels. On
November 5th the merchants and gentry
asked the two chief officials to resign;
they made no resistance, and a party of
Republicans, who arrived the previous
day, organized a new central authority
composed of twelve persons. Soldiers,
carrying the Republican flag, marched
through the streets to show that the
new authority was duly sustained, and
the people were exhorted to continue
peacefully at their work. All the
Chinese schools were closed, but our
College still remained open. Every-
thing was quiet except for a certain
amount of excitement. The two old
officials were seeking to escape, and the
chief judge, who fell into ill favour on
account of his action during the rice
riots, was reported to have been taken
in charge. Mr. Sharman desires to as-
sure us that there is no need for con-
cern on their account. There was no
feeling against the foreigners, and his
experience proved that the Wenchow
people were not a bad sort, and he
believed all would go on peacefully.
Mr. Stobie was continuing his country
tours as usual, and he found the people
more interested in the restoration of
their chapels, after the injury done by
the floods, than they were in the reno-
ration of the Government.
Ynnnan. No news has yet reached
us of any change of au-
thority at Chao Tong and Tong Chuan.
The air was rife with rumour, but de-
finite information was scanty when Mr.
Dymond wrote last. Mr. Pollard, who
made a circuit of Miao stations, and
reached the capital, Yunnan Fu, on his
way to meet Mrs. Pollard, is able to
state what took place in, that city. The
Republic was declared on October
30th. The President of the Yunnan
Republic assured the Consuls that
foreigners would be safe, and the Con-
suls told him that if a foreigner’s life
were lost troops would march in at
once. It was expected that Chao Tong
and Tong Chuan would pass easily into
the hands of the reformers. Cities in
the south of the province had passed
peacefully into the hands of the revolu-
tionaries.
To Meru The Committee has de-
at Last. cided to send a mission-
ary to Meru next Spring.
Unless we enter Meru our work will
be restricted to the malarious coast re-
gion because the more healthy high-
lands will be divided among the vari-
ous missionary societies by Government
arrangement. To be confined to the
coast while all the great developments
in East Africa were taking place fur-
ther inland would leave us in the most
unpromising locality. The deliberate
judgment of Mr. Griffiths, whose ex-
perience gives great weight to his
words, is thus expressed: “ If we do
not advance and occupy Meru I wish
to say with all( my heart that as a mis-
sion we have no future. We have no
room for expansion where we are, and
there is no field unoccupied excepting
Meru. Your decision to advance, or
not to advance, will decide the fate of
this mission.â€
While the call to enter Meru is so
urgent the state of our funds will not
permit us to increase our staff, and, as
far as possible, the extra expense will
be limited to the initial outlay, and we
have reason to expect that the initial
cost will be met by a special gift. The
Committee is sending an urgent request
to the Rev. J. B. Griffiths to lay the
foundation of our mission in Meru.
Mr. Griffiths is now a tried and trusted
veteran. He has been in East Africa
longer than any man excepting Mr.
Wakefield, and his sound judgment and
wide experience would be most valu-
able in the opening of a new mission.
Our friends will hear with great sor-
row that Mr. Griffiths has passed
through a severe illness. He was under
the necessity of consulting two doctors.
We assure him of our deepest sym-
pathy. When he wrote on October
27th, he was nearly well, and says he
“had kept a cheerful heart through it
all.†It is hoped that the more healthy
climate of Meru may enable Mr. Grif-
fiths to continue longer than he could
elsewhere in the work he loves so well.
4
Nip§po ip
Revolution.
w!
I FIAT marvellous people the
Chinese are!
We have often marvelled at
their solid conservatism, their patient
endurance, their benumbing fatalism.
We have marvelled at the suddenness
with which empty and foolish rumours
have stirred them to frenzy and cruel
massacre. But now behold a new mar-
vel! In Ningpo (a city of half a million
inhabitants) on Sunday last, November
6th, within two hours, from start to
finish, the traditions of centuries were
calmly thrown aside; the national flag
was hauled down, and replaced by the
white ensign of a new republic; a
bloodless revolution, skilfully planned,
and promptly executed, had taken
place; and all with the most perfect
orderliness and unanimity.
In the middle of October, when the
news of the outbreak of revolution in
Wu-chang reached Ningpo, there was
no indication that it was regarded as
other than one of the many similar
uprisings which have occurred in re-
cent years. But as, from day to day,
it became evident that it was a serious
revolt against the Manchu dynasty, the
Ningpo people made no secret of the
side on which their sympathies lay.
The hardships which had been suffered
through unsatisfactory and corrupt go-
vernment; the manifest preference
always shown to Manchus over Chinese
By tl>e
Rev. G. W. SHEPPARD.
in all important Government offices;
the futility of the frequent promises of
reform, were all tabulated in the talk
of market-place and tea-shop. The de-
linquencies of the throne were discussed
with amazing boldness. Still business
proceeded as usual, and, saving for
vague rumours, there was no indication
that any revolutionary move would be
initiated.
The Taotai (the chief official of the
city), himself a Manchu, was probably
the first to show apprehension by send-
ing his family away to Shanghai, and a
few days later fleeing thither himself.
Still there was no disorder, or indica-
tion that the city would transfer its
loyalty. Popular interest in the conflict
waging in Central China was intense,
and there was no wavering of sympathy
with the Revolutionists. News of Im-
perial successes at Hankow ; the issuing
by the throne of a self-incriminating
edict, promising all that the reformers
had demanded, failed entirely to effect
any change of sympathy. No one could
say what was going to happen, but that
Ningpo was on the side; of the Revolu-
tionists was clear to everyone.
On Sunday morning the churches
opened their doors for the usual ser-
vices. Congregations were somewhat
larger than ordinary; there was evident
a deep fervour in the prayers for peace,
and that right might prevail, but not
The “Foreign†Settlement at Shanghai. [From * The Foreign Field," by permission.
5
The New Year and the Nations
the slightest indication that the
momentous change was imminent. The
preacher returned home through the
streets where business seemed only a
trifle quieter than usual. It was only
when on his way to the afternoon ser-
vice that he knew what had happened.
Promptly at twelve o’clock a young
Chinese gentleman (educated in Eng-
land) dressed in a black foreign suit, at
the head of half a dozen armed men,
marched to the telegraph offices and
took possession in the name of the
“ Chinese Republic,†hauling down the
Imperial dragon, and hoisting the white
ensign. Proceeding to the official
yamens, the police stations, the Govern-
ment bank and all other important pub-
lie offices, within two hours all had sur-
rendered. With spontaniety and unani-
mity the whole city displayed the new
colours. There was absolutely no op-
position. Perfect order was maintained.
Temporary arrangements for control of
the city under the new regime were
immediately inaugurated.
We assembled for our afternoon ser-
vice without the slightest hindrance,
only dimly conscious that a new era for
Ningpo had dawned. A new nation is
being bom; the youngest of the family
of nations in self-consciousness, though
the oldest historically, and potentially
probably the mightiest of them all.
It is too early to forecast even the
immediate future. Before these lines
are read in England the whole pros-
pect may have changed. At the
moment Peking seems to be paralysed
with fear and dissension. In Central
China fighting still continues. In the
provinces, city after city is transferring
allegiance even as Ningpo has done.
Whatever the outcome, we pray and
hope and believe that the Kingdom is
advancing in the midst of, and indeed
through all, the tumult.
Tlje New Year apd
tbe Nations.
THE old things crumbling and the new fer-
menting
In tumult of unrest ;
The greed of each the good of all preventing ;
North, South and East and West
Fears rife, and nation rising against nation,
Under a sky grown drear
With storm and gloom, the thunder’s habi-
tation—
In such wise dawns the year.
And we, who where the field of harvest whitens
Watch with the labourers few,
Still watch, though night falls and the tempest
heightens,
We tremble, Lord ! we too.
Fails yet, for ever fails our hope, our mission,
And shall despair make dumb,
In this New Year, the lips that made petition
So long, “ Thy Kingdom come ? â€
For darkly, lo, the storm is rising round us,
And the great wind thereof,
Cloud, and the lightning of the cloud have
found us ;
Hate, wounding sore Thy love,
Threatens ; war reigns, and wrath and deso-
lation
That on its path attend,
And the world shakes, in world-wide agitation ;
And what shall be the end ?
But Thou, Lord! from the Valley of the Vision
Yet speakest, would we hear.
And Thy evangel dies not, nor our mission—
Our hope bears down our fear.
Though round Thy rock the floods beat, fast
and faster,
And year by year assail,
“ I am the same,†Thy word is, Lord and
Master,
“And My years shall not fail.â€
S. GERTRUDE FORD.
6
Galla Chiefs
apd Heroes.
׳HE Bararetta Gallas now asso-
ciated with the district of the Tana
River, seceded from the Bworana
Gallas dwelling north of the Jub
River because of an unjust and oppres-
sive law, giving to the eldest brother
in a family an excess of privilege which
was resented by the younger brothers
as tyrannical and unfair. For instance,
when the Gallas went out on cattle-
lifting excursions the elder brother
claimed the younger brother’s spoil;
consequently the younger brothers
separated from their families and tribes
as a protest against the injustice of th'e
law.
They removed to a district to the
south-west of Bworana. For a long
time the seceders remained there until
their numbers very greatly increased,
when they removed again still farther
south to Garse Gamma. In course of
time a third migration took place to a
region now called Harr a Gamma.
Again, after a certain period had
passed, the Gallas made another exo-
dus into the regions of the rivers Tana
and Sabaki, where they have since re-
mained, and are known as the Bara-
retta Gallas. These people were go-
verned by successive chiefs whose his-
tories, taken from the lips of the Gallas
themselves, would cover a period of
about 250 years, dating from the first
migration.
There are some curiously interesting
stories told by the people respecting
these Bararetta chiefs.
One of the most important was a
man called Babo Haru, a hero who con-
quered many of the provinces now con-
stituting part of the Southern Galla
country. Because of his prowess and
fame many of the districts of this coun-
try bear his name.
.The large lake in Chaffa, which was
discovered by the late Thomas Wake-
field and Charles New in 1867, and
which is fed by the River Tana, is
called “Ashaka Babo.â€
Babo Haru is said to have expelled
the Persians from the district of Ashaka
Babo.
"From Notes taken by the late Thomas Wakefield.
By
Mrs. WAKEFIELD *
A legend attributes to him the pos-
session of a very powerful voice. When
he shouted he was said to be heard over
a distance of five miles. The Gallas
say that he dwelt quite alone with his
family in the districts he conquered.
The date at which he flourished cannot
be correctly ascertained. It is claimed
for him that he was a giant twelve feet
high and proportionately stout. The
Gallas declare that formerly they were
men of gigantic stature.
Another hero in Galla lore is Kwi
Bilali, but his story bears a striking
resemblance to that of Samson. He
is said to have lived a solitary life, clad
in a suit of rhinoceros hide, impervious
to stroke of spear or sword. He was
so strong that when aroused to anger
he could expand his muscles to such an
extent that the thick ivory ring worn
just above the elbow would snap. He
was often attacked by the neighbour-
ing Masai, Wakamba, Bworana Gallas
l
4
A native hut in East Africa.
7
Galla Chiefs and Heroes
and others, but he was always victori-
ous, smiting his assailants hip and
thigh.
At last the Bworana Gallas resorted
to a “ wise †man, and asked what could
be done to overcome the mighty war-
rior. The wise man told them to select
two or three handsome young men, and
to feed them up until they were re-
markable for physical beauty and at-
tractiveness of person. Then these
young men were sent to obtain an in-
terview with the hero’s wife. They said
to her: “ Many have tried repeatedly to
slay your husband, but have failed.
Tell us the secret by which we may
overcome him, and we will marry you.â€
The hero’s wife told them to come at
a certain time and attack him. She
would conceal his armour, and then it
would be easy for them to kill him.
The time being fixed, the wife con-
cealed her husband’s armour, and the
attack was made on Kwi Bilali’s estate.
Finding himself in danger Bilali
promptly sought to equip himself as on
former occasions, but his armour was
gone. Failing to find it in its accus-
Somalis and Gallas.
tomed place, he turned to his wife, and
asked her where it was. She said she
did not know, and threw her arms
round his neck in false sympathy, ex-
pressing her fear that her husband
would die. The legend states that pre-
viously she had given him intoxicating
drink, brewed with extra strength, and
the time being the height of the hot
season, Bilali was seriously affected
and unfit for fighting. Under these cir-
cumstances he became an easy victim,
and was slain.
The Bworana were afterwards so
disgusted with the unfaithfulness and
treachery of the woman that they put
her to death.
Adele Chonte was another chief
famous for his strength. In battle he
would seize a wounded man and carry
him off under one arm, running with
him to a place of safety. It is said also
that he would take hold of a man and
use him as a two-handed club with
which to kill people.
Siriba Gariyo Yayu was a great war-
rior who inflicted severe losses on the
Masai. He was one of those Gallas
who lived in the prosperous days
of the Bararetta settlers, and
reached the heart of the Masai
country in their cattle-lifting ex-
peditions. He met his death
fighting the Masai at Bore Bilisa,
and is said to have died standing.
His body was a mass of gashes
and wounds, and he was found at
the end of the battle in an erect
position. A Galla went up to the
body, and gave it a gentle push,
when it fell to the ground.
Of Gwiyo Kono, the Gallas
say that he also was a “brave.â€â€™
He appears to have had a whole-
some fear and apprehension of
Masai tactics, and warned his
people to be prepared for inva-
sion. They, however, laughed at
his advice thinking that the Masai
had no chance against the war-
like Gallas. Even the women
said: “ Why we ourselves could
kill the Masai.†At this time the
Bararetta region was very popu-
lous and prosperous, the people
being rich in pastoral wealth, each
family having large folds filled
8
On the Road in North China
with cattle. But Gwiyo Kono’s pro-
phecy was fulfilled, the Masai came,
saw, and conquered, and by their con-
stant depredations reduced the Bara-
retta Gallas to the verge of extinction.
Galgalo Buy a Kumbe was a warrior
who led his people out against the
Wakamba.
The pasture land of the two nations
lay close together, and one was always
waiting for a favourable opportunity to
attack the other, and carry off the
cattle. Galgalo was conspicuous for his
bravery as a leader of the Gallas in the
interchange of fights.
Guyo Nyamba is one who stands out
historically from the list of Galla heroes
as being the harasser and devastator of
the maritime regions of East Africa,
where the Persians had settled and
built towns of stone, the houses having
rounded arches, and being of a superior
style of building, as the ruins of to-day
bear testimony.
Guyo was also the opponent of the
Wanyika tribes, who all fled before
him from their original place of habita-
tion to the south and south-west, where
they still remain. One of Guyo’s camp-
ing-places was Ribe, and the Shimo
la Tewa district still bears the marks
of his passage to the coast, a heap of
stones, the natives say, still remaining,
by means of which he numbered his
followers. He is said to have made
each of his men bring a stone to the
camp and thus record the number of
his force. On his return northwards,
when passing the camp again, he ascer-
tained to what extent his force had
suffered diminution by requiring his
followers to take each man a stone and
make the pile in another place, thus
showing, by what remained of the first
pile, how much he had suffered loss.
To this day when the natives of Giri-
yama are playing “ ubao â€â€”the African
game of chess—and wish to speak of
an impregnable position on the board,
they say: that it is Guyo Nyamba’s
head, which means: “You can do no-
thing there.â€
׳=>§=» «=־§=»
Op tbc Read ip
North Cbipa•
yOU asked me in your last for any
notes of recent journeys. Well,
some time since I took a trip
round the most distant section of our
circuit extending from Chan Hua city,
seventy li from here to the sea, the
most distant place being Hsia Chuan,
180 li from here. I went there to see
about a new chapel. They have long
had the desire to build a chapel as the
place used is a room lent by one of the
members. They have been offered two
plots of land from which to choose a site,
and have raised 107,000 cash towards
the estimated 360,000. My object was
to confer with the members and try to
devise a method for raising the balance,
but most of them were away from home,
and so I had to postpone the arrange-
ment. The church there is a small one,
there being only about eighteen mem-
bers, but the majority of them are very
earnest Christians, and it is always a
pleasure to visit them. The village is
By the
Rev. W. EDDON, Jut?.
not far from the sea, and the majority of
its people are fishermen and seamen,
so that the winter time is the only time
we can be sure of finding them at home.
From there I went to Fu Kuei, which
is the chief market town in the district,
and of a fairly large size. We have no
cause there, but have a small cause at
Fu Kuoa Lu Chia, less than half a mile
away. This little church is in trouble
just now, due to the member in whose
house they met for worship not being
able to spare the room any longer. A
few weeks before a house in the market
street of the big town was offered to
us for rental, and my object was to
see this house, and, if suitable, secure
it for a chapel and move the small cause
over to it. But the house was not suit-
able, so my object fell through. From
there we went to Ta Ma Li Chia where
we have a big membership, and a very
good meeting. The number of women
joining the church and taking an in-
On the Road in North China
telligent interest in the services and
church work is unusual and very pleas-
ing. It is at this place where our Anti-
footbinding Society originated, which
now has a roll of ever seventy families
all pledged to do away with that curse
in their own families, and do all they
can to influence others.
About eight li from here is a little
village called Hua Chia where also we
have a church. The principal family
at this place is named “Keng,†and it
is at their place where the services are
held, and where the preacher resides.
Since I returned home trouble has
arisen at this place. Mr. Keng has been
quarrelling with a villager named Wang
about a bit of land. The dispute has
been dragging on for nearly two years,
and several times, at my instigation,
the preacher and others have tried to
make peace but without effect. Matters
have now come to a head. About three
weeks ago, after a severe storm which
destroyed scores of trees, etc., both
these men claimed a tree which had
been blown down on the land in ques-
tion. The quarrel of words led to blows
and they fought with their knives, each
party receiving wounds. Mr. Wang ran
off to the city Yamen, sixty li away,
and accused Keng of wounding a mem-
ber of his family, and when Keng ar-
rived to lodge a simi-
lar complaint against
the Wangs he and
his ’ companions were
cast into prison, the
mandarin saying he
must hold them until
he knows how the
wounded man is. If
he dies then one of
them must die, but if
he recovers then they
will be liberated. Im-
mediately, on hear-
ing this, the Keng
family, and the
Christians there
came running to me
beseeching me to in-
terfere with the man-
darin and get him to
let them go. Of
course, I cannot in-
terfere, but I’ve sent
A Group of Galla Christians.
my preacher from here to investigate and
try and get at the facts of the case, and
then try and persuade the two families
to make peace outside the Yamen. I
have told them that if they keep it in
the Yamen I can do nothing, but am
willing to help them to make peace
privately. I am now waiting the
return of Mr. Li with his report.
I mention this case to you not
that it has any great interest for
anyone, but simply to illustrate the fact
we are all conscious-of out here, that
our country members are all imbued
with the idea (and nothing the mission-
ary can say to the opposite will re-
move it from their minds) that all who
become members of the church, when
they have any little trouble, or quarrel
with others, have a right to expect the
Church to protect them and act for
them, and that practically they are
to be shielded from the laws of the land
and all consequences of lawless acts.
No argument will ever remove this idea,
and only experience and strict discipline
will avail. This feeling, I’m sorry to
say, seems to be quite general in this
district, and I am frequently receiving
requests to take up lawsuits for our
people and help them in the Yamens.
But I never do.
[P/tofo: Rev.J.H.Duerden.
(See article, page 7.)
10
How Mrs. Ts’ui
First Heard of Jesus.
By
Mrs. EDDON.
7W
RS. TS’UI is one of our women
members in the Wu Ting Fu
Circuit, and we first made her
acquaintance when she came to a
women’s station class a year and a half
ago. She was not then baptized, but
showed so much intelligence and grasp
of the truth, and was so well recom-
mended by the preacher that she was
received into the church shortly after-
wards, at the same time as her husband
and younger son.
Last autumn she came again for a
second course of teaching. We asked
all the women to tell us how they first
came to believe in Jesus, and heard
some most interesting accounts.
Mrs. Ts’ui was ahead of most of the
others, both in knowledge and experi-
ence, and surprised us often by her
understanding of the deeper truths,
therefore we were amazed when she
told us that only three years before she
knew nothing of the “ Jesus doctrine.â€
At that time she was very ill, had been
gradually getting worse for more than
ten years, and had at last become so
weak that she could at best scarcely
walk across the room, and was often
unable to rise from her k’ang. She had
applied to several Chinese doctors, and
tried all sorts of remedies, but all had
failed.
Her husband keeps a small village
school, and one day bought a copy of a
Gospel from one of our colporteurs at
a village fair—just from curiosity. One
night, as he sat reading this Gospel by
the tiny smoky lamp in their mud-brick
room, he surprised his wife by saying:
“ Here’s a strange thing! This book
says that if you pray to the Lord of
Heaven in the name of Jesus you can
get what you ask if you only believe.
Isn’t it worth trying? You have been
ill all these years. Do you think you
could believe ?â€
“Yes,†said Mrs. Ts’ui, “I’ll believe
anything if I can only get better! â€
“ There’s a ‘ Jesus doctrine hall ’ at
Lao Chia Tien Tzu,†said her husband,
“ and a man who preaches about it
there. We had better go and find out
more about it.â€
So a mule was hired or borrowed,
and Mr. Ts’ui succeeded in getting his
wife to our chapel at Lao Chia Tien
Tzu, twelve li from their own village,
where they made known their wishes.
The preacher explained about Jesus,
prayed with them and invited them to
come again on the next Sabbath. They
went home with a catechism and a . little
more enlightenment, and prayed to God
themselves as the preacher had taught
them. Sure enough, in two days, Mrs.
Ts’ui was much better. On the follow-
ing Sunday they again went to Lao
Chia Tien Tzu, and by the end of an-
other week she was better than she had
been for ten years! She shall go on
with the story herself
“ When we went the third time to the
chapel I was nearly well. Until then
we had gone just to make me better,
but after the third time the story had
sunk into our hearts, and we went to
hear more of Jesus. Indeed, there was
no need to go for anything else for I
was well again, and have never been ill
since.â€
The preacher vouches for the truth of
this story, and testifies to the consistent
lives of this family. They have re-
gularly attended worship and shown
unusual earnestness. The husband has
actually taught his wife to read the
catechism, and one of her proudest
possessions is a small manuscript hymn
book which he has written out and
taught to her.
They have done their best to teach
others, and we hear that their conver-
sion has had considerable influence in
their village. To quote Mrs. Ts’ui
again:—â–
“ I often thought over what I had
heard here about our giving the
Heavenly grain to the starving, and
thought of my mother starving while I
had plenty, and though I had offered
it to her, I perhaps had not tried hard
enough to make her take it. So I be-
gan to go to her every market day, and
tell her and my father about Jesus, and
jnow my mother believes and loves the
Lord, and is anxious to be baptized,
11
The Call of the Dark Continent
and my father, too, is beginning to
believe.â€
So the good news spreads among the
Chinese. We may explain Mrs. Ts’ui’s
cure how we will, renewed hope and
more fresh air no doubt played their
part, but we see much in China that
can be accounted for in no other way
than by direct answer to prayers of
simple faith.
•=׳§=’
A Review.
“Tbe Call of We
Barlf Coptipcpt.â€*
׳ HIS well-written and beautifully-
illustrated volume on African
missions would be a valuable
addition to Sunday School and mission-
ary libraries, and should be in the
hands of all interested in the uplift of
Africa. It is very clearly printed, has
three excellent coloured maps, and the
price is only one and sixpence.
Among other subjects this interesting
work deals with the early history of
Africa, with its people, with the con-
ditions affecting missionary effort in the
Dark Continent, and has also informing
chapters on methods of work, the diffi-
culties presented by the spread of Mo-
hammedanism in that great country,
and on the call of the hour to the Chris-
tian world. The book has, indeed,
been written as a text-book for the use
of missionary study circles, where it
will be deservedly welcome.
So far, so good. The volume is a
Wesleyan publication, and will be
specially interesting to Wesleyan
readers. United Methodists must not
go to this book for information about
our own East or West African missions.
Two lines, or less, contain all that is
said about us and our work in these
regions. There is a bibliography; but
in this list of books on Africa and its
missions no United Methodist volume
is named, and throughout the volume I
have not discovered that any of our own
missionaries are mentioned in any way.t
It may be said that the remedy for
this is in our own hands, and this is
true. A very interesting volume of a
similar kind might be written on the
* “ The Call of the Dark Continent.†By F. Deaville
Walker. (London: Wesleyan Methodist Missionary
Society. Price Is. 6d. net.)
I See also p. 262 (1911).—Ed.
subject of our own West and East Afri-
can missions. It would have a good
sale, as our recent Methodist Union has
brought in a wider circle of readers
interested in these missions. If, how-
ever, the lives of Rebecca Wakefield
and John and Annie Houghton are out
of print (though still called for), Mr.
Kirsop’s “ Thomas Truscott,†and
“R. M. Ormerod,†Mr. Vivian’s “ Cap-
five Missionary in Mendiland,†and an
abridgment of Mr. Barton’s “ Charles
New,†beside the larger and more re-
cently written “ Life of Thomas Wake-
field,†by his widow, are still on sale.
Until a new and up-to-date volume on
“ United Methodist Missions in Africa â€
appears, may I speak a word in favour
of these volumes?
Returning to the book now under re-
view, I will quote two paragraphs from
it on the subjects of the climate and of
medical missions:—
“ In Western Africa the climate has been
regarded as the great obstacle to the em-
ployment of European lady missionaries;
but the experience of recent years seems to
show that with care a woman may keep in,
at least, as good health as a man. The
C.M.S. has given special attention to
women’s work in Yoruba and Sierra Leone,
where it has forty lady missionaries (four-
teen of whom are wives), and only thirty-
five men on the field.â€
“Medical missions should have a very im-
portant place in our programme for the
evangelization of Africa. All death (except
from old age) and all sickness is thought to be
caused by bewitchment, and the whole heal-
ing art is deeply involved in superstition.
Under such conditions medical science be-
comes a most effective weapon against witch-
doctors and fetish priests.â€
Let United Methodists take these
two paragraphs to heart. R. B.
12
five Hundred Miles
Ujrouglj Nosulai^d.
By the
Rev. C. N. MYLNE.
'HE rain it raineth every day,â€
said the poet, and if he had
been living in NosulandJ during
the last three months, he would have
endorsed the above quotation, and
would have added a few descriptive
adjectives.
It began to rain early in April, and
has been raining ever since. Our re-
cent travels have, therefore, acquired
a charm all their own, and altogether
different from the journeys of a mere
commonplace fine day.
A month of rain gives one different
experiences. Thus the main incidents
on this journey have been: Rivers swol-
len so high as to be impassable.
Bridges swept away, compelling us to
make wide detours. Tremendous land-
slides which frequently carried away
a few feet of the road as well. Houses
falling in, because the incessant rain
had loosened the foundations of the
mud walls, and last, though not least,
roads that were veritable quagmires.
There was a genial glow of optimism
in your breast when, after wading
through twenty-five miles of mud, all
in the pouring rain, you arrived,
drenched to the skin, at some dirty,
smoky Nosu house. You introduce
yourself to the master of the house, you
bow, say the prescribed quantity of
complimentary nothings, perpetrate the
usual amount of polite fiction, and then
you are at liberty to please yourself.
The first thing is to find some cloth-
ing which is not so damp as that you
have travelled in, and the next thing
is to change. This, for a modest indi-
vidual, is not so easy as it looks. Your
arrival is the signal for all the neigh-
bours to come and inspect the new
specimen of the “ genus homo.†Men,
women and children all flock in, and
stand round gazing with eyes that miss
little. The cubicle idea has not reached
here yet, and guests, with all those
who come to see the guests, are accom-
modated in the middle room. Most
Nosu houses have three rooms, and the
middle room is where the idols are
erected and the guests are lodged.
However, in spite of innate bashful-
ness, and by the exercise of a little
diplomacy, the desired object is pre-
sently achieved, and you sit round a
fire in the centre of the room (for grates
and chimneys are not fashionable yet,
and the sooty stalactites hang from the
roof in graceful profusion), and you
talk, or, rather, are talked at until
supper arrives.
Perhaps the most common question
received is, “ What do you eat ? †Ah!
that is the question! What do we eat ?
On this point ignorance is certainly bliss.
It does not do to inquire too closely.
Much depends on the status of your
host. Sometimes a goat is sacrificed
to do honour to the foreign teacher.
But more frequently it is an ancient
chanticleer who has cause to rue the
coming of the foreigner.
Age is greatly respected in China,
which is a good thing in itself. But
when you are called upon to partake of
a goat or a rooster who; could tell you,
if they could speak, of things which
happened almost before you vi ere bern,
then you are prepared to concede a
great "deal in favour of youth. If, how-
ever, shortly after your arrival, you
should chance to hear a noise of much
squeaking and grunting, and a dozen
porkers rush by with two or three
natives in pursuit, then you can guess
at the nature of your coming banquet.
Rice is usually offered to guests. We
have also made a meal of buckwheat,
which is not quite so palatable. But
more than once, when in a poor district,
we touched rock-bottom and were re-
galed on ground maize and lumps of
fat pork, which for want of a better
name we should call smoked scavenger
and steamed sawdust.
The native food is, speaking gener-
ally, poor, being deficient in those con-
stituents which to us are the essentials.
We have tried the experiment of living
entirely on native food, but are not en-
amoured thereof. The experience of
older missionaries also goes to prove
the unwisdom of such a course.
In travelling about among the Nosu,
there are some startling things to be
learnt—startling as showing the depths
13
Five Hundred Miles through Nosuland
of cruelty it is possible for the human
heart to harbour. There are ancient
feuds between some of the families,
which are carried on with relentless
ferocity. Some of their doings will not
bear telling. Their lands are also a
fruitful source of bloodshed, and even
loss of life. At one house where we
stayed for two nights there were nearly
twenty guns standing in a row behind
my bed. One of them, a handy little
weapon quite nine feet high, would
need, at least, two men to carry it.
Under the Nosu reserve there is a
keen sense of humour with sometimes
an element of grimness in it. As for
instance, when one of them came to me
and asked for a little drop of kerosene
to oil his gun. I said to him: “ How
can you expect me to give you oil for
that kill-man-thing †He replied:
“Teacher! if this gun happens to go
off artfi kill someone, then we won’t
blame you.â€
Yet there are some among them who
dislike fighting, and would do away
with it if they could. They deprecate
the constant bloodshed, and have a
strong faith in the Gospel to reform
their people.
Those who have come under the in-
fluence of the church are eager to
supply themselves with Bibles, hymn
books and other literature intended to
explain the Bible. This brings out an-
other feature of their life, namely, the
absence of ready money. Their wealth
consists in cattle, grain and land. One
of them, who had bought several books,
explained that he could not bring the
money this time, tie said. “You know,
Teacher, I have got some pigs and
some cows and some sheep, but I have
no money.†Said a wag who was
standing by. “Yes, Teacher! his money
runs about on four legs, and eats grass.â€
The rain has hindered us from doing
much that we should like to have done.
Nevertheless we have been able to visit
over twenty places. Eight of these
were already recognized centres. We
are hoping that before) long some more
of these twenty may also become recog-
nized rallying points for the Nosu who
A Group of No-su Women.
An Illustration from “ Among the tribes in South-West China,†by Samuel R. Clarke. (Favoured by C. I. M.)
This book will be reviewed next month.
14
The Macedonian Call
live in the immediate neighbourhood.
The Nosu do not live in towns, nor
even in villages, but each family on its
own farm. Their nearest neighbours
are often a long way off. In choosing
a site for a Nosu chapel, therefore, one
of the chief considerations is, what
place will be most central for the
largest number of these isolated home-
steads.
The visits to these twenty places
have taken us over 500 miles of coun-
try. We were quite disappointed when
on reckoning up we found that our dis-
tances only amounted to 500 miles. We
should have guessed about 2,223
miles. What our horse thought about
it is another question. Probably he
cannot find words to express his feel-
ings.
In travelling about among a people
who are still, in many respects, primi-
tive, there is bound to be much of
a sameness in one’s experiences. Some-
times, however, things occur which,
though small in themselves, set one
thinking. We well remember one eve-
ning in a Nosu house. Some native
Christians had come a journey of
twenty-five miles with us, and they
were in a side room, teaching a crowd
of local people to sing hymns. Mean-
while the missionary is in the central
room preparing for the lantern service.
At the chief end of this room are the
household idols. The idols in the chief
room, and Christians singing hymns
in the side room. The missionary
goes on to prepare his staging with a
rickety old bed, a table with two legs
shorter than the other two, a box, and
a few stones, while the Christians con-
tinue to sing their hymns.
Enters the principal room, a boy of
perhaps twelve years. He carries two
lighted incense sticks. He stands in
front of the idols, and repeatedly bows
very low, waving the incense sticks
from side to side. He then goes to the
open door and performs a similar cere-
mony. After this, he returns and again
making a deep obeisance, places the
burning incense-sticks in a censer.
Listen! What are the Christians sing-
ing? They are singing the Chinese
version of—
“ Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all.â€
Mere coincidence, of course? Per-
haps so! Who knows! But as the
missionary hears that hymn being sung
in the side room, and watches that lad
at his devotions, the feeling comes that
here in miniature are the symbols of
our warfare. It is not the Christian
hymn in that side room, but the Christ.
It is not the idol in the chief room, but
the power behind the idol. And let that
power, strong and cunning though it
may be, tremble. For its long and undis-
puted sway is now challenged, the
Christ has entered this house. Only in
the side room as yet, but not for long.
The struggle has begun not only here,
but in many, many Nosu homes. What
shall the issue be?
Ora pro nobis!
(The torrential rain has spoiled the photographs
I had hoped to send.—C. N. M.).
•=>§=> =״§=״
Tl>e Mncedepiap Call.
A CRY from far-off Macedon
Is heard above the wave.
A Man whose brow is pierced with thorns
Needs someone strong and brave;
Wants someone who will leave his home,
His friends and kindred, too,
In Macedon to sow a seed—
And is that “ someone †you ?
What matters it if human eyes
But little fruit behold?
The sleepless orbs that watch the world
Will see each bud unfold;
And looking through the endless years
A plenteous harvest view,
Just grown from someone’s tiny seed—
And is that “ someone †you ?
This joyous harvest-feast, you say,
A precious life will cost.
And is the sacrifice too great?
Or will that life be lost?
For when the harvest-chorus swells
To someone staunch and true
A shining martyr’s crown is given—
And is that “ someone †you ?
A Father of eternal love
Is watching o’er His own ;
Then fear not duty to obey,
To go and stand alone.
O Christian youth, O gentle maid,
Refusal you may rue ;
This urgent Macedonian call,
Perhaps is meant for you.
—Gladys Pickering.
15
Ap Eye-Witpess
ip Cljipa.*
W'
kHEN this book came to us and
we noticed the dedication, it
had a deepened intrinsic in-
terest, and this will be shared by our
readers.
“In grateful esteem. During my travels
in Interior China I once lay at the point of
death. For their unremitting kindness du-
ring a long illness I now affectionately in-
scribe this volume to my friends, Mr. and
Mrs. Evans, of Tong-ch’uan-fu, Yunnan,
South-West China, to whose devoted nurs-
ing and untiring care I owe my life.â€
We were also interested in the author,
because three photographs of his came
to illustrate an article by Dr. Lilian
Grandin, which appeared February,
* “Across China on Foot.†By Edwin J. Dingle. (J. W.
Arrowsmith, Bristol. 16s. net.)
A Review.
THE EDITOR.
1911 (see pp. 25—27). We almost
hoped to see these illustrations in the
well-embellished volume, but they are
not included—however, the photograph
on p. 132 (by Mr. Parsons) appeared in
the Echo for July, 1910. There are
no less than 108 excellent photographs,
and our kinship with the book is seen
in the fact that the Revs. S. Pollard and
H. Parsons are specially thanked for
help in this direction.
The author went " across China,â€
hence there is no reference to our mis-
sions in the North and South-East. It
is specially gratifying that so much
space is given to appreciative remarks
about our West China Mission.
This first book reveals carelessness in
i
Two days from Tong-ch’uan-fu. [From ,,Across China on Foot."
Favoured by Publisher.
16
An Eye-Witness in China
preparation, but that may be forgiven
in the face of where it was written,
14,000 miles from the publisher. Many
things are said and then corrected:
many things were done and data dis-
covered amid great difficulty. One
wonders whether any accident hap-
pened to his photographs and pack-
ages ; for we read this :—
“A friend of mine, needing־ a typewriter,
wrote home explicit instructions as to its
packing. ‘ Pack it ready to ship,’ he wrote,
‘ then take it to the top of the stairs, throw
it down ; then take machine out and inspect,
and if it is undamaged, repack and send to
me. If damaged, pack another machine,
subject it to the same treatment until you
are convinced that it can stand being thus
handled and escape injury.’ This is how
goods coming to Western China should be
sent away.â€
We are grateful to him for many tri-
butes to our faithful workers at this dis-
tant outpost. We have heard from Dr.
Savin’s own lips how lonely and isolated
the district is. But we are thankful
we are there! How ironical! They are
there: we only in imagination! In re-
counting the incidents of his hazardous
journey Mr. Dingle frequently ex-
presses gratitude to our missionaries.
He names nearly every one of them
somewhere in the book. The dedica-
tion speaks eloquently of the worth of
two, then in other connections we have
kindly mention of Dr. Savin, Dr. Gran-
din, Rev. C. E. Hicks, Rev. H. Parsons,
and Rev. S. Pollard. (Rev. F. J.
Dymond was not then in residence.)
Mr. Pollard’s hard work for the Miao
language and translation is mentioned
approvingly. We need not quote it for
it is common knowledge to us.*
For the reason frankly indicated little
attention has been paid to anything but
“ Book I.†The rest is interesting, but
not equally to us. We are reminded
of how much travellers and explorers
are dependent on missionaries for hos-
pitality (and not only in China) when
the author’s record shows that he was
with Mr. and Mrs. Evans from May
2nd, 1909, to January 2nd, 1910. “A
broken arm, dysentery, and malaria.â€
We are grateful to the author for his
deep and sincere acknowledgment. He
has learned, as we all have, that:
“ When the power of imparting־ good,
Is equal to the will, the human soul
~ Requires no other Heaven.â€
We wish we could spare more space,
but it is impossible. We appeal for the
circulation of the book, and hope for
the future usefulness of the author.
* See Echo, p. 207, 1911.
Hwa Miao boys on.holiday in United Methodist {.From "Across China on Foot.â€
Mission House in North-East Yun-nan. Favoured by Publisher.
17
Tl?e Watchtower.
THE EDITOR.
ANOTHER YEAR!
kITH this number we commence
the nineteenth volume of this
magazine, and the seventh of
the present editorship. The years have
flown with swallow’s wings. We are
deeply and increasingly grateful for the
steady rise in our circulation—but we
are not satisfied! One lay friend
writes:—
“ We had six subscribers: now we
have thirty-six.â€
A minister says :—
“ None circulated. I have paid for
twenty-four for December, and shall
get orders.â€
Another minister:—
“ I gave away the specimen copies
you sent, and at one meeting got six-
teen orders.â€
These are just examples. Verb. sap.
A NEW REVIEW.
And there is room for it! “ The
Missionary Review of the World†is
almost purely American. We welcome
heartily “ The International Review of
Missions.†The first copy is to hand,
and it will be reviewed next month by
the Rev. J. Baxter.
THROUGH THE DANGER ZONE.
Mrs. Evans was due from West
China on December 6th. She was de-
layed at Hong-Kong, but managed to
get away on November 14th. She was
expected to arrive December 20th at
Southampton, and we hope that antici-
pation has been realized.
GRADED QUARTERLY LESSONS.
The Y.P.M.M. has commenced a
series of lessons on “ Missionary Per-
sonalities.†The first set is on Mackay
of Uganda (78 Fleet Street, price Ad.).
A DIFFERENT APPROACH.
The “ Chinese Recorder †for May
contains three illuminating papers,
along with much other valuable matter:
“ Missionaries' as Seen by Chinese,â€
by Mr. S. K. Tsao.
“ The Missionary and the Chinese
Christian,†by Mr. Gilbert McIntosh.
“ The Hardships of Christian Con-
fession in China,†by Mr. V. D. Kao.
The names will indicate the stand-
point. Very touching is the method
of attack adopted by the Chinese
writers. A glimpse of the outline of
the last-named paper will show that an
Eastern soul “ finds it hard to be a
Christian.â€
The “ hardships †of the Chinese
Christian are stated to be “ official, edu-
cational, domestic, social, through
poverty, and through lack of training.â€
If our readers will run in thought along
these lines with Mr. Kao it will
“ Speed the soft intercourse ’tween soul
and soul.â€
WAS IT DELIBERATE?
We may be hyper-sensitive, but we
think there is an intentional slur on the
character of missionaries in a West
African story which appears in the
“ Cornhill Magazine †for October:—
When Christianity was introduced and the
white missionaries began to lay tentative
fingers on the Gold Coast, they stayed in the
sea towns, and sent black converts to at-
tack the fetishes in the interior.
This is a libel, because so untrue.
The writer, Mr. W. H. Adams, might
have narrowed it by the convenient
phrase, “In my experience.â€
THE GROWTH OF A SOUL.
Under the title of “ Hudson Taylor in
Early Years: The Growth of a Soul,â€
the first part of the official biography
of this great missionary leader and
founder of the China Inland Mission is
now ready. The record is by Dr. and
Mrs. Howard Taylor.
We have received a copy for re-
view, and we hope to insert the notice
next month.
THE MISSIONARY IDEA IN THE GOSPELS.
In the “ Expository Times †for No-
vember, Professor the Rev. George
Jackson, B.A., has a long article on
this subject. Professorially critical and
timid in its earlier paragraphs it be-
comes, exultant in its completion. He
seems at first to be feeling his way.
After this he “ gets up into the high
18.
Ling and Iang
mountain.†and becomes buoyant and
triumphant, and thus concludes —
What an impulse lies in all this for
modern missionary effort. . . . We some-
times envy the apostles their nearness to the
earthly life of Jesus, but might they not
rather have envied us our deep sense of com-
radeship with the past, our knowledge of
what Christianity has proved itself to be
over the broad fields of the world’s life? We
have, as they had, the Will of Christ ex-
plicit in one great charge, implicit in all
He said and did; we have also, what they
could not have, the confirmation of the cen-
turies. It is no doubtful venture on which
we are bidden to embark. Not Scripture
only, but Scripture interpreted and made
luminous by history, calls us to the mission-
ary task. On our bowed heads an awful
past has laid its consecrating hands.
“To doubt would' be disloyalty,
To falter would be sin.â€
ANOTHER DEGREE.
We are always delighted when mis-
sionaries are honoured by our Univer-
sities. In our report of the Foreign
Missionary Committee we have re-
ferred to the Rev. W. E. Soothill, M.A.
This degree has been conferred upon
him by the University of Cambridge,
and we congratulate our dear friend
most cordially.
A Voluntary Ipccrpe Tax.
A Presbyterian Church in Mil-
waukee has adopted a self-imposed in-
come tax. All those having an income
of $1,000 (;£200) pay 2 per cent to the
church. Those with larger incomes
pay a larger percentage, till those who
have £600 and over pay 5 per cent.
The payment is to be in full, and from
those who pay, no further contribution
is asked. We should like to have the
chance of manipulating giving on such
a scale. We once had a dream of ap-
propriating twelve Sabbaths to outside
objects, leaving forty Sabbaths (last
year 41) for the church itself, but this
beats it. There would be plenty for
everything—and if missions had a tenth
of the accumulated amount any church
would contribute magnificently.
<־§=â– =׳§=â–
Lipg apd Iap§; Mr. Li at By
tl?e City Cl?apel, Wcpcbow. Dr. plummer.
CAST Sunday, Mr. Li, the principal
Hospital assistant, was speak-
ing at our City Chapel in Wen-
chow, and he took as his text “ God is a
Spirit, and they who worship Him must
worship Him in spirit and in truth.â€
In the first half of his discourse he
showed that Spirit which is here called
“ Ling,†is not material. Material
things (called “ Iang â€) can be felt, and
are either round, square, smooth or
rough; they can be measured or
weighed ; they are confined to one place
at one time; they all sooner or later
decay.
Ling was the converse of iang
(material) in every way, therefore God,
who is a Spirit, cannot be represented
by idols which are material and can be
felt and seen, are confined to one place,
and, as is often seen in the temples,
quickly rot and decay.
As God is a Spirit He needs to be
worshipped by “ Ling †and not by the
material (“ Iang â€); so the preacher
went on to say—Your bodies are
“ Iang †(material) so that when you
come here to worship, if your thoughts
are away on your business and the
things of everyday life, you are not
worshipping God, as only your “ Iang â€
is here, and your “ Ling †is away, and
that is what is needed to: truly worship
God. He also showed them that
although the united worship was most
valuable, yet they could draw near
to God in their homes as “Ling†was
the essential thing for this purpose.
These are but one or two thoughts
from a capital sermon, and as many of
the Chinese preachers do not get much
beyond saying what actions become a
Christian, it is encouraging to know
that there are men who have realized
that it is necessary to get the main-
spring of our actions put right.
19
With tbe Foreign By
Missionary Coipipittcc. the editor.
׳Tp״OR a great number of years the
Foreign Missionary Committee
has held its autumn session at
Baillie Street Chapel, Rochdale. This
year the meetings were deferred be-
cause of certain prominent members
being in Canada, and were held No-
vember 28th and 29th. They were at-
tended by great inspiration and trust
in our people. The members steadily
refused to be pessimistic, feeling that
under God’s blessing a financial revival
is not only probable but certain. One
could wish that we had faith to conduct
such a campaign as a session of the
Committee involves without a single
appeal for cash—but at our present
state of grace as a Church, it is im-
possible. When the inflow is recorded at
the rate of five shillings per member per
annum then we may talk about God and
man and universal need—prayer and
faith will have its way, and the rest will
“follow, as the night the day.†Till
then our Secretary must work as a
financial medium when he ought to be
doing deeper and more lasting work.
Will our readers think and pray about
this?
The President occupied the chair at
each session, and immediately after de-
votional exercises the Ex-President
phrased the feelings of the members on
the Toronto University accretion to
the name of our honoured friend, and
Dr. Packer suitably replied.
Eight of the members were absent
through illness or the claims of circuits
and business ; we are thankful to record
chiefly the latter.
The agenda was not apparently
lengthy, but every item seemed
momentous, and even at six o’clock on
the second day some things had to be
hurried.
CHINA.
The proposal to unite with American
Methodists in the training of Chinese
preachers was favourably received but
deferred for further enquiry, as was
also the question of the employment of
native evangelists, as per Conference
“ Minutes,†p. 227.
Dr. Swallow’s arrival in Ningpo was
reported. The question of a mission-
ary to be added to the staff at Wen-
chow, in consequence of the new work
undertaken by the Rev. W. E. Soothill,
M.A., was anxiously considered. The
resignation of Miss Roebuck was re-
gretfully received. She is remaining in
China as a “ foreign †nurse.
Thanks were tendered to the Arth-
ington Trustees for grant for Mr. Pol-
lard’s translation work, and it was re-
newed for five years at £200 per year.
The Revs. C. E. Hicks and W. R.
Stobie are to return home for next Con-
ference, the latter to take up home
work for a brief spell.
EAST AFRICA.
The Rev. W. Udy Bassett had an
interview with the Committee on the
work in East Africa, especially with
reference to the Meru extension. The
Rev. James Harrison had been invited
to this session of the Committee as per
resolution of Conference. In an elo-
quent paper he pleaded for the estab-
lishment of a training home for natives
in a healthy district beyond Nairobi on
the way to Kenia, on the lines of that
now conducted by the Free Church of
Scotland. It was felt that at present
the Committee could not incur any ad-
ditional expenditure, however much
they might desire to do so. Mr. Harri-
son’s sincerity and' devotion were grate-
fully acknowledged. Mr. Bassett
pleaded for the immediate opening of
Meru, as referred to by Mr. Stedeford
on p. 4 of this issue. Great regret
was felt at the illness of Mr. Griffiths,
and their confidence in him received
another marked illustration, as will be
seen from the page indicated.
Mr. Northon reported satisfactory
progress with the agricultural work at
Ribe, and that he and Mr. Mimmack
were arranging to push forward the
same work at Mazeras.
JAMAICA.
This mission demanded serious con-
sideration, as per resolution of Confer-
ence. Further enquiry is to be made
ere vital steps are taken.
20
Notable Junior Collectors
WEST AFRICA.
The arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Green-
smith at Bo was reported, and that they
were looking forward to another term
of service with joy and confident hope.
Arrangements were made for the
London meetings, April 22nd.
Sincere credit was unanimously given
to the Foreign Secretary for the vigor-
ous way in which he had pushed along
“the increase campaign,†and great
was the rejoicing that such success had
attended his efforts. It was resolved
to free him, as far as practicable, from
purely deputation work for the present
year, that he might continue the cam-
paign between now and Conference.
The Ex-President was asked to take
services for the Secretary where neces-
sary, and Mr. Chapman cheerfully
placed himself at the disposal of the
Committee.
Progress was reported in the pro-
jected Missionary Exhibitions for the
reduction of the missionary debt, to be
held at Sheffield and Leeds in the
spring, and the hope was expressed
that other districts would undertake
them in 1913.
On the Tuesday evening an enthu-
siastic meeting was held in Baillie
Street Chapel, over which the Trea-
surer, Mr. W. H. Butler, presided, and
addresses were given by the President,
the Foreign Secretary, and the Rev.
W. Udy Bassett.
Notable Junior Collectors, 29—72.
A quartette from Morecambe, Sandylands Sunday School.
(Reading left to right.) /×™ s j
Ida Wilson, in four years ... 6 0 6
Eddie Coulthurst, in four years ... 11 18 9
Elsie Haviour, in three years ... 3 11 1
Willie Wheeldon, in three years ... 2 9 1
£23 19 5
(Per Rev. J. Smallwood.)
21
Our Worpep’s
Auxiliary.
By Mrs. BALKWILL.
׳ITE sub-committee of the W.M.A.
met at Rochdale in November
to deal with the method) of pub-
lishing news, etc., connected with our
Auxiliary. After long discussion it was
decided to continue our usual ECHO
pages, also the Monthly Letter to the
fourteen Districts which ask for its re-
tention. The “ Messenger †will be dis-
continued, and a fortnightly column,
kindly offered by the Editor of the
“ United Methodist,†will be utilized
for home and general missionary intelli-
gence, Mrs. Vivian having consented
to take charge of this part of the work.
With much regret we have received
the news of the resignation of Miss
Roebuck, of our North China Mission.
The meetings of the General Mis-
sionary Committee were crowded with
business, but full of interest.
Mrs. Robson writes from Wu Ting
A Gal la Woman. [Photo : Rev. J. H. Phillip son.
(See article p. 7.)
Fu, September 29th, of the very heavy
rains:—
The country has not been so flooded since
before the Boxer time. Travelling is diffi-
cult. For a time it was almost impossible.
Several deaths form drowning were reported.
In two cases “ the only son of his mother.â€
We have been sorry for the harvesters
almost everywhere working ankle or knee-
deep in water. Very much more grain and
beans have been spoilt this year than last
year, and the people are consequently poorer.
As soon as roads are a little better I hope
to have the Biblewoman and school teacher
here. Meanwhile Mrs. Li, the pastor’s wife,
goes into the city with me on Mondays.
Though women are vejy busy preparing
the cotton for weaving and padding their
winter clothes, and others are still in the
fields picking it, we get encouraging gather-
ings almost every week. It is still—after
two years—a matter largely of sowing
first seed and much like speaking to way-
side hearers at home in the streets or at a
camp meeting say. The address or the talk
is very different from that at an organized
meeting or a meeting of members.
One old lady, who came at the very first,
comes pretty regularly, and tries to get
others to come. As we talk her face wears
an expression befitting the occasion. It re-
minds me of the countenances of the old
folks at the week-night service in our home
country church as I saw them in my child-
hood. How much this old friend compre-
hends I do not know. I have known her
leave her washing to come into the meeting.
One day a speaker suggested that it was
hard that after so long a time spent in
preaching the Gospel there nobody believed,
and our old woman quickly retorted, “Who
does not believe? †The people—I mean
the women—are busy. Two rooms in the
yard, where we rent our premises in the
city, are occupied by a small family. There
is an old woman and one middle-aged. We
never go without seeing these women hard
at work. They are poor and respectable.
Rarely they snatch a few minutes to listen,
and at New Year, which is the holiday time,
the younger woman manages to come in for
a whole meeting. For more than eleven
months in the year without Sundays off
they must be almost unremittingly busy in
order to get the bread that perisheth. Yes-
terday morning a young woman, with whom
I have a “ How-do-you-do †acquaintance,
came to ask me for medicine for a friend
who six days before had swallowed two
boxes of match heads. From the account
22
Our Women’s Auxiliary
I thought it hopeless. I gave her medicine,
.after consulting my husband, and asked for
•a report this morning. None came, and I
suppose the girl is dead. Such an incident
is too common to be even a nine days’
wonder.
All through the summer I have had, more
â– or less, cases coming regularly requiring
aseptic dressing. I can stand any sight,
and I love to see the gradual return to
sightliness. We have had quite a lot of
dreadfully-mutilated hands. Now the sum-
mer is past the winter’s work is planned,
and it will take all our time and thought and
strength. At the quarterly meeting a col-
porteur told me that his wife, who was in
one of our winter classes for a course of in-
struction, is leading a good weekly meet-
ing of women in her own village.
Miss Holt has taken her first lan-
guage examination, but as Mr. Soothill
is now in England does not know re-
suits. Writing of the present crisis in
China she says:—•
November 8th.
No doubt you will be following the ac-
counts of the revolution in China with great
interest. Wenchow went over1 yesterday.
The officials are in hiding, and several will
prebably leave by the steamer as soon as
possible. This morning we got the news
of the fall of Peking, and of the escape of
the little Emperor. I should think the other
Powers will now recognize the new party
as the governing body. There has been
much excitement in Wenchow, but no dis-
turbance, though the latter was feared.
The prisoners have been set free, and the
colleges (except ours) and schools are all
closed, as many of the teachers are taking
an active interest in the affair.
This afternoon a temporary committee of
twelve has been formed to take charge until
the responsible representatives of the new
party arrive. There was fear of an attack
from the brigands who are getting rather
daring in parts of the surrounding country,
but soldiers are being enlisted, and there is
little danger of any trouble inside the city.
You will be glad to hear that I am at-
tempting to prepare for my future work in
the school by beginning the training of one
of the elder schoolgirls as a helper. Her
mother is the teacher at present, and with
the assistance of a Chinaman, who teaches
the “character†work, carries on the school.
Of course, the great need is for more
teachers. So, though my vocabulary is very
limited, and my speech very halting, I am
trying to prepare Mi-chi a little for teaching.
She is .a nice, bright girl, and takes on in-
terest in her work. Her mother was for-
merly a C.I.M. schoolgirl, and did not have
a very happy married life, the result being
that she does not wish her daughter to be
betrothed for some time. This is quite con-
trary to the usual custom, but we hope that
in this case the schoolgirls will reap some
benefit from it.
The other week, while returning on the
Friday evening from the meeting at the
C.I.M. compound, I saw for the first time
the ceremony performed for the dead—in
which paper money, paper food, furniture
and. other things are burned. A table was
placed in the street on which were incense-
sticks burning, and piled up behind were
the paper articles. In front of the table a
woman knelt in the act of burning the paper
money. Inside the house the priests, curi-
ously arrayed in special garments, and beat-
ing instruments, chanted some Chinese air,
standing in order round a table in the middle
of the room. The whole effect was very
strange—especially to one seeing it for the
first time. When will these customs cease?
It was suggested by Mr. Stedeford
that a programme for our monthly
prayer-meetings might be helpful. We
therefore give the following:—
Hymns.—Come, Kingdom of our
God,†“From North to South,†solo-
hymn “ Charles New,†Echo, p. 222,
1911.
Scripture.—Rom. x. 10—21.
Praise.•—For preservation of mis-
sionaries in China during recent
troubles; for safe voyage of those who
have lately sailed to that land ; that a
new tribe has come under the influence
of the Gospel through the Miao Chris-
tians; that at last an advance is to be
made into the Meru country in East
Africa.
Petitions. — For God’s gracious
guidance in connection with the African
missions, and that the right person
may be sent to Meru ; for the new tribe
in West China who wish to receive the
Gospel.
Paper or Address.—From July
Echo, pp. 152—154.
HOSPITAL SUPPLIES FOR EAST AFRICA.
Miss Stacey (Ranmoor Crescent,
Sheffield') makes appeal for these for
the Rev. W. Udy Bassett to take back
with him in April or May. All parcels
should be in her hands on or before
February 29th. This is the first appeal
for such supplies for East Africa: may
the solicitude of the W.M.A. be pro-
phetic!—Ed.
Prize Coippetitiop.
e
kUR first duty is to give the actual
titles of the societies whose ini-
tials gave us what has proved an
interesting competition.
(1) Baptist Missionary Society.
(2) British Society for the Propaga-
tion of the Gospel among the
Jews.
(3) Baptist Zenana Mission.
(4) China Inland Mission.
(5) Church of England Zenana Mis-
sionary Society.
(6) Church Missionary Society.
(7) Colonial Missionary Society.
(8) Edinburgh Medical Missionary
Society.
(9) Free Church of Scotland Foreign
Missions Committee.
(10) Friends’ Foreign Mission As-
sociation.
(11) London Missionary Society.
(12) .Presbyterian Church of Eng-
land Foreign Missions Com-
mittee.
(13) Regions Beyond Missionary
Union.
('14) Society for the Propagation of
the Gospel in Foreign Parts.
(15) Student Volunteer Missionary
Union.
(16) United Methodist Church Mis-
sions.
(17) United Presbyterian Church of
Scotland Foreign Missions.
(18) Wesleyan Missionary Society.
(19) Young People’s . Missionary
Movement.
(20) Zenana Bible and Medical Mis-
sion.
The greatest difficulty has been No.
7; only one has it actually right. The
one approaching rightness says too
much — Colonial and Continental
Society. No. 8 was also a poser to
many, and also No. 13. Strange to say
No. 16 was not “taken†by all, but
there were but few that) thus erred. A
good many gave No. 20 as the Zenana
Bible Mission: this fits the letters but
not the spirit. Still strictly it should
be Z.B.M.M., and so we have been
lenient.
Award in Noâ– 23.
(November.)
Class A. (under 17). The competitors
are all thirteen or under. Connie
Ward, Sheffield, stands at top with only
one error. They shall be stated in
order, the numerals showing the titles
correct:—
(1) Connie Ward 19
(2) Edith Brooks i8|
(3) Ann E. Greensmith 17I
(4) Alice Bridger 15
(5) Edith Woodhouse 14I
Connie Ward receives the prize (an
African modelling outfit) but as Edith
Brooks’s only additional error is the
one in No. 20 referred to, we are send-
ing her a copy of “ Tight Corners.â€
Class B. Naturally we received more
entries in this division. It will be noted
that not one has all correct. The fol-
lowing is the order:—
(1) G. C. 19
(2) Minnie Evans 19
(3) “Emanuel†19
(4) “ Progress †18
fS) Mildred Greensmith 18
(6) W. T. F. 18
(7) L. E. M. S. 18
(8) Olive Carpenter 18
(9) F. R. C. 18
(10) E. B. 17
(n) J.D. C. 17
(12) T. B. 17
(13) B, J. Drake i6|
(14) Alice Unstead i5i
(15) “Crofton†i5
(16) L. L. 13I
Those not mentioned were received
too late.
The copy of the Rev. Andrew Mur-
ray’s book has gone to G. C., and as
two others are equal we are sending
“ The Peach Garden : a Chinese Story,â€
just out, to Miss Minnie Evans, and
“ The Uplift of China,†by Dr. Arthur
H. Smith, to “Emanuel.â€
There is no further competition set.
As stated, they are discontinued for a
while, the sole reason being want of
space.
24
THE
Missionary Echo
OF
€be ■United fibetbobist Cbuvcb.
Tlje Seveptlj
Edition Chapel.
By tl>e
Rev. S. POLLARD.
THE Christians who live in the Rice
Ear Valley district are among
the most independent of the
Miao Christians. They often give us a
lot of trouble, and sometimes one gets
exasperated at the actions of some of
the people. In spite, however, of many
faults they have doggedly stuck to their
chapel, and notwithstanding disaster
upon disaster they have succeeded now
in getting a place of worship which
should reasonably last for a century.
Six times the old building collapsed,
and last year it was determined to build
a smaller place, and have the walls all
of stone. The cost was more than the
people could
undertake,
but through the
kindness of a
few friends I
was able to pro-
rnise them some
assistance.
In the mean-
time a small
bamboo and
plaster building
was run up,
and this has
sheltered the
people for
nearly twelve
months.
Mr. Knot, a
Chinese
teacher, was
stationed at
Rice Ear Val-
ley as clerk of
A band of the labourers who came to level
the ground around the new chapel. (Mr. Pollard in sun-hat.)
the works, collector of subscriptions,
etc. His difficulties began at once.
There was no supply of timber near at
hand, and the country had to be
scoured for many miles before sufficient
trees could be purchased. Here a
willow tree, there a walnut tree, else-
where a few fir trees were purchased,
and after these had been cut down and
split up they were, at expense of great
labour, brought to the site of the
chapel. Human labour did it all. Hun-
dreds of men worked hard in bringing
the wooden pillars on which the roof
rests. Sometimes the place was all
alive with men looking much like a
February, 1912.
The Seventh Edition Chapel
nest of ants which had suddenly been
attacked.
Now and again I visited Rice Ear
Valley to see how things were going
on, and to encourage the workers. We
thought that by July we could open the
chapel. Heav-y rains delayed, and after
waiting weeks for an invitation to go
down I took advantage of a few days
of fine weather to make a start. In the
rainy season you can make ,a start any
day, but you are never sure when you
will reach your destination if there are
any streams and rivers to be crossed.
After one or two exciting experiences
Rice Ear Valley was reached, and for
a few days brilliant sunshine smiled on
the workmen and their efforts. Satur-
day, August 12th, was the day fixed
for the opening. There was to be a
big luncheon and three oxen were pur-
chased to be eaten on the great day.
Tickets were got out, and six hundred
were sold in a short time. Everything
was in a rush. The chapel was far from
complete, but we hoped to be able to
get fairly ready if only the rain would
keep off. On the Wednesday the fine
weather ceased and right on until
Saturday evening we had torrents.
Rivers rose to a great height. Banks
gave way. ׳Hills slipped down and the
Some of our Rice Ear parishioners* children
at an Out-station Day School.
The two girls on the left (front row) are pickles. The little one on the extreme right
of the same row knows how to win the Missionary’s heart. S.P.
roads were quagmires. And we had
prayed so earnestly for fine weather!
Our people, however, were not to be
denied. Through mud and rain and
swollen rivers they fought their way,
and over a thousand sat down to the
luncheon. The three oxen disappeared.
The people were drenched, but they
smiled all the same, and on Saturday
night the chapel was packed. There
must have been people there from a
hundred villages.
Sunday was fine and the crowds
were enormous. It was really a great
day. How proud they were of their
little chapel, with its stone walls and
great wooden pillars, and new arrange-
ment whereby, by means of folding
doors, two classrooms and a gallery can
be thrown open into the larger building
to accommodate crowds on special oc-
casions. Ordinarily 500 will fill the
chapel, but by the new plans we can
make room for a thousand if need be.
The four extra rooms upstairs and
down will be of great value for Sunday
School work.
When the preachers saw the Sunday
crowds they said : “ Had it been fine,
like this, last week we should have had
another thousand to the luncheon and
our three oxen would not have been
sufficient. The
rain came to
keep us from
having too
great a crowd.â€
What is that an
example of ?
D u r i n'g the
chief service of
the day nine-
teen people
were admitted
into the church,
and on the Sun-
day after, at
one of the out-
stations of Rice
Ear Valley,
seventy - four
more were bap-
tized. The Lord
is working with
our native bre-
thren.
The bam-
26
The Position in China
boo and plaster chapel-of-ease is
now used for day and Sunday Schools,
and with a fresh lot of desks, made
a day’s journey away and carried
in sections to the place, the day school
should become more than ever popular
with our people.
I think Rice Ear Valley is the! nicest
chapel in our West China Mission, and
probably the best in the whole of Yun-
nan.
On Monday a couple, who had separ-
ated, were remarried in the new chapel.
I am not quite sure, but I fancy one
of the preachers fell in love at that
service with one of the bridesmaids. I
think the go-between is about to initiate
negotiations. East and West at bot-
tom are the same.
There is nearly always something
startling wherever I go on missionary
rounds. A woman about fifty years of
age came to me on this Monday ask-
ing me to extract her tooth. I re-
quested her to, show me which one she
wished out. Looking into her mouth, I
asked her: “ Is it the one right at the
end?†“Yes, teacher,†she replied,
“ The one at the end at the top all of
them.†Not being clear as to her mean-
ing I got a Miao friend to repeat the
question. Again came the same an-
swer, and then I saw it was wholesale
extraction the lady wanted. Out came
number one clean. Then, to my in-
tense surprise, the patient looked up
and said: “ That is delightful, teacher,
thank you very much ! †Then a second
was extracted, and again came the
startling answer: “ This is most com-
fortable, teacher, thank you very
much.†No anaesthetic was used. It
was old-fashioned forceps work. One
after another I extracted five, and after
each one the lady looked up with the
same expression of thanks and pleasure.
She wanted me to keep on, but not
knowing how far she wanted me to go
I stopped, more tired apparently than
the woman was.
When I remember how I felt at simi-
lar times I own up to a great admira-
tion for this plucky Christian Miao
lady. Those Rice Ear Valley folk are
a sturdy lot.
In addition to giving over two hun-
dred dollars to the new chapel the peo-
pie gave over two thousand days of
free labour, many of the strong young
women joining in and taking their
share of the given labour.
The painters are now busy decorat-
ing the building, towards the expense
of which the people are making another
levy on themselves. They said: “ The
chapel of the Flowery Miao shall be clothed
in flowery garments as we are.â€
Ttye •Position ip Cl>ipa.
To be able to set out the rapid de-
velopments of the revolution in China
in a monthly paper is a bewildering
task. When the news is printed, some-
thing else, even more startling, renders
it obsolete. We are therefore greatly
indebted to the Editor of the “ United
Methodist,†who is giving us from week
to week the latest news from the har-
assed ,country. The letters to hand
during the month only confirm the im-
plication above, that before they can
arrive something else has pushed them
out of meaning, and only daily cable-
grams—an impossible luxury—would
meet the difficulty. Of one thing our
brethren and sisters are sure—of our
deep sympathy and constant prayer for
their safety and guidance in the dire
hour.
Mr. Evans writes from Amichow, giv-
ing similar news to that sent by Mr.
Pollard from the same place, given
by Mr. Stedeford on p. 30. Dr.
Baxter reports the movement of the
missionaries and staff to Tientsin,
and expresses the hope that the
restrictions may soon be removed,
and that they may be allowed to re-
turn to their work. Mrs. Hedley is
still held back by her husband from
starting out to China, though a few
days before he had said she might come
any time. So we hope, and wait, and
pray.
27
F©rei§p Secretary’s
Notes.
Commenda- It has been very gratify-
•tion. ing and encouraging to
receive a large number
of letters from ministers and circuits in
hearty support of the denominational
endeavour to raise our missionary in-
â– come. There are evident signs that the
heart of our Denomination is being
moved by the need of the case, for both
ministers and people have shown the
most commendable spirit in responding
to the Conference appeal. Some quar-
terly meetings express the fullest sym-
pathy, but the local financial strain
makes it impossible for them to do
much more for our missions. We
should like ministers and circuits so
placed to feel that sympathy and prayer
are a most acceptable offering, and as
necessary as money for the prosperity
of our missionary work. It is evident that
many of our churches support our mis-
sions in the midst of constant financial
pressure for local needs which gives the
savour of sacrifice to their missionary
contributions. With such offerings the
Lord is well pleased, and His blessing
will reward them. These facts should
be remembered by our churches and
friends more favourably situated. Many
are doing as much as they can at pre-
sent, and if there is to be a considerable
increase it must come from those who
have the larger financial ability.
Our What the result of the
Prospects. Conference appeal will be
it is impossible to fore-
cast, but there is reasonable ground to
hope there will be a substantial in-
crease. We would remind our friends
that we are in the closing months of
our financial year, and that it is neces-
sary to make the best use of them in
gathering the new and enlarged sub-
scriptions. At its meeting in June, the
Committee will receive the verdict .of
our churches on the crucial question,
whether we must abandon any of our
mission stations. The proposals for
future policy will necessarily be
governed by the financial position. We
earnestly pray that there may be no
By the
Rev. C. STEDEFORD.
need to weaken our staff nor to call a
retreat from any part of the field.
Missionary Under the exceptional
Prayer pressure we have been
Meeting's. obliged to say much about
our monetary resources,
much more than we care to do. Its
missionary work should be the natural
and unforced expression of the life and
energy of the church. It cannot be sus-
tained by extraordinary appeals. Our
ordinary expenditure must be kept
within the limits of our normal income.
Our first appeal is far beyond the finan-
cial plane. Our sufficiency is of God.
We all believe this, and ought to pro-
vide opportunity for the expression of
our faith. Let me plead that a mission-
ary prayer-meeting should be held in
connection with each of our churches
once a month. A monthly prayer-meet-
ing is one of the features of the
Women’s Missionary Auxiliary, and
suggestions for the conduct of such a
prayer-meeting will be found on the
W.M.A. page of this Echo every
month. These suggestions might be
used with advantage in any missionary
prayer-meeting, and where a church
has a weekly prayer-meeting let me
suggest that it take the character of a
missionary prayer-meeting once a
month. In this way we might secure
a concert of prayer throughout our De-
nomination which would tell powerfully
upon our work abroad. Revival on the
mission field is often traceable to united
prayer in the home churches. Pray ye
therefore.
The While we write the
Situation struggle between the Im-
in China. perialists and the Repub-
licans seems to be enter-
ing upon its last phase. Fourteen
provinces have elected Dr. Sun Yat Sen
as the President of the Chinese RepubÖ¾
lie,* and Yuan Shih-Kai has staked
everything on a desperate effort to save
the throne. Unless the princes are
prepared to provide the sinews .of war
the struggle will not be maintained,
* Seep. 43,—Ed.
28
Foreign Secretary’s Notes
;and Yuan will retire. There is little
prospect of the four provinces defeating
the fourteen which have declared for the
Republic. The great fear is that there
may be a continuance of civil strife
which will multiply the distresses of the
people.
Our Our missionaries, who
Missionaries were stationed in remote
Ordered to districts have been or-
Leave their dered by the Consuls to
'Stations. come into the central
cities. In North China
Dr. and Mrs. Robson from Wu Ting
Fu, Mr. and Mrs׳. Hinds, Dr. and Mrs.
Baxter, and Miss Turner from Chu
Chia, have been called into Tientsin.
Dr. and Mrs. A. F. Jones and Mr.
Littlewood at Yung P’ing Fu will pro-
bably retire to Tongshan. In Yunnan
a similar order has been given, and our
missionaries have had
to leave Chao Tong
and Tong Chuan for the
capital, Yunnan Fu.
Previous to their de-
parture their premises
had been guarded day
and night by soldiers,
and the latest news was
despatched when they
were making prepara-
tions for the journey to
the capital.
Rev. S. Pollard, Mrs.
Pollard and Rev. A.
Evans, when they ar-
rived at Yunnan Fu
from Tongking early in
November, were im-
mediately ordered by
the Consul to return
down the line toward
Tongking. This was a
most difficult journey
because the line was
flooded over a wide
plain and in other
places broken by the
recent torrents. One
night was spent in the
train, and Mrs. Pollard
suffered in conse-
puence. The letter
with this news was sent
by Mr. Pollard from
Amicheo where they were stranded,
with other missionaries, awaiting in-
structions, and wondering what it all
meant.
This action was taken by the Consuls
in November when events were more
threatening than they appear to be at
present. As precautionary measures
they were very necessary, but as the
papers have not reported any disturb-
ances in these regions we may believe
that our brothers and sisters suffered
no more than the mental strain, which
must have been very great. “ O Lord,
preserve Thy servants,†is our most
earnest prayer.
Hurried Mr. and Mrs. Pollard and
Retreat to Mr. Evans were not
Haiphong׳. allowed to remain in
peace at Amicheo. The
retreat was sudden and alarming. The
[Photo: Rev. S. Pollard.
(See p. 25).
The new Chapel (Seventh Edition)
among the trees at Rice Ear Valley.
29
To Friends “in Asiaâ€
account is given by Mr. Pollard in a
letter dated December 7th.:—
“ On Sunday last the soldiers at Mengtsz,
between Amicheo and Tongking, revolted,
burned down several foreign places, looted
the Foreign customs of 25,000 taels, wounded
several foreigners, putting seven bullets into
one of them, and then went for the railway
station.
“We heard of this on Monday, and that
night the revolters were expected at
Amicheo. The stationmaster, a Frenchman,
called me in and told me that word had been
received that all Europeans were to leave for
Tongking, and that a â– train with full steam
up would be waiting to move on at the first
alarm. We were guarded that night by
about 500 soldiers. Some of them were
there to overawe others who were expected
to join the revolters. It was an uncanny
sensation to see guns and bayonets and re-
volvers all about and to be waiting for a
mob to come over the hills. The revolters,
however, turned aside for the railway lower
down, where some Government opium was
stored. At four o’clock one engine started
o׳ff and reached Laokay riddled with bullets.
The rest of us French, English, Japs, etc.,
left at eight, and reached Tongking safely.
Here we remain for a while. Some C.I.M.
ladies are with us, and our U.M. party con-
sists of those who went up the line so
joyfully a few weeks ago, Mrs. Pollard,
Ernest, Mr. Evans, and myself.â€
" ork This withdrawal of our
Interrupted, missionaries from their
stations means a serious
interruption to the work, and a severe
testing for the faith and courage of the
Christians left behind. The mission-
aries in North China were hoping to
return to the Shantung stations in a
short time. But in the present un-
settled condition of the country it is
probable that it will be some time be-
fore the Consuls will take the respon-
sibility of consenting to the occupation
of more remote stations. These are
events we cannot control, and we must
wait upon the will of Providence.
Illness of We are exceedingly sorry
Dr. Lilian to hear that Dr. Grandin
Grandin. has suffered a serious
illness. For some days
her condition caused great anxiety, but
the last letter from Mr. Dymond said
she was, improving. Fever with cardiac
complications was the cause of the
trouble, and it was considered necessary
that she should take a change to lower
altitudes to recuperate. Dr. Grandin
has enjoyed very uniform health during
her term of nearly eight years in China.
Since Dr. Savin left she has had sole
charge of the medical work in connec-
tion with the hospital at Chao Tong,
and being the only European doctor in
all the wide region it is probable that
the strain has overtaxed her strength.
We assure Dr. Grandin of our deepest
sympathy, and pray for a speedy and
complete recovery.
Joy and Mrs. A. Evans arrived
Sorrow safely at her home in
Mingle. Southampton on Decern-
ber 20th. She was soon
summoned to Bournemouth to see her
husband’s mother, and was just in. time
to see her, for she passed away on
Christmas Eve. How often a mission-
ary’s home-coming joy is mingled with
the sorrow of bereavement! Mrs. Par-
sons, since her return, has been called
to bid final farewell to both her parents.
To the bereaved we offer our deepest
sympathy, and especially to Rev. A.
Evans who will receive the sad news in
the far-off land.
We are glad to know that the health
of Mrs. Evans has considerably im-
proved during the homeward voyage.
T© Friepds
“ip Asia.â€
Be assured of “love and prayer,â€
For in spirit we are there! â€
Distance seems to grow more wide—
Does ׳blue ether aught divide?
Science teaches better faith ;
Prayer-wrought links (the poet saith),
Golden-chains HE stoops to own,
Bind God’s footstool to His Throne !
All saints one! “ Blue waves that rolled
Round the farthest coasts, enfold
Each diverse and sundered shore †;
We in Him live evermore.
El. Sie.
30
Cl?ipa apd A
Education, re-statement.
CHINA IN A NEW LIGHT.
IN spite of the fact that, everyone
knows of the existence of the
Trans-Siberian route to China,
China remains to the mind of the aver-
age Englishman a part of that romantic
geographically ill-defined region, the
Far East. It is thousands and thou-
sands of miles away. We have scarcely
yet reached the point of view of con-
sidering the Chinese as near neigh-
hours, but what are the facts? Pekin
is thirteen days distant from London.
Can anyone who is interested in his
own country, or who has the welfare of
his own nation at heart, be indifferent
to the movements of four hundred mil-
lions of people, the capital of whose
country is only thirteen days from the
capital of their own ? Improved means
of communication imply that China is
becoming a nearer and nearer neigh-
bour, and the influence of China on
England cannot be neglected by think-
ing men and women. When we con-
sider our connection with China, we
naturally, as the more civilized nation,
consider our influence upon the Chinese,
and rarely, if ever, their influence upon
us. If we did we should find that in
all our missionary work we were per-
forming not only a duty to the Chinese,
but a duty to our own country. If we
are to have new neighbours, does it
not behove us to consider their moral
tone? Lord William Gascoyne-Cecil
assured that opium-smoking had spread
from the Chinese colonies to France,
says:—
'“Would it not ibe a just punishment on
a Europe who proved herself indifferent to
the welfare of so many millions of humanity
If those vices which desolate China should
affect and injure her own people? â€
*This article has suffered regrettable de-
lay : partly in consequence of its length.
But we wished neither to shorten nor divide,
and the pressure on our space has been great.
It wilJ be seen it was written before . “ the
revolution,†which came so suddenly and has
developed so rapidly, but the principles so
ably treated by Mr. Chapman will help to
reunite the country when calm has been
restored.—Ed.
By Mr.
PRINCIPAL CHAPMAN,
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION OF FUNDAMENTAL
IMPORTANCE.
China is prepared to learn. China
will learn. Practically the whole of this
great nation is turning towards the ac-
quirement of knowledge In a large
measure it is for the Christian Church
to determine whether China adds
Western knowledge to Chinese morality
or not. China imbued with an aggres-
sive spirit of scepticism and materialism
would soon become a curse to herself
if not a menace to mankind. If China
is allowed to develop along all lines ex-
cept the moral and religious the yellow
peril will become very real indeed. For-
tunately the Chinese are not aggressive ;
but they have awakened to the realiza-
tion of their true position in the scale
of nations, and are determined to ad-
vance. At every turn the Chinese are
feeling the need for Western know-
ledge. A few years ago thousands went
yearly to Japan, but returned, for the
most part after a very short period of
study, feebly equipped as teachers,
lowered in moral tone, and often filled
with the most advanced revolutionary
ideas, based largely upon ignorance.
For China to be saved from debasing
tendencies of materialism there must be
no divorce between knowledge and
Christianity. It will depend entirely
on the work done by Christian
Colleges whether the Chinese obtain
their Western science with materialism
or with ׳Christianity. China ivants
Western knowledge, â– she needs Christ,
but she does not yet know her need,
and so of herself seeks nothing new in
religion. China demands the know-
ledge of the West, and it is for the
Christian Church to say in effect: “We
bring you Western knowledge, but we
recognize that knowledge, to be of any
real value to a nation, must not only be
physical and intellectual, but moral and
spiritual; that it is rightemisness that
exalteth a nation.â€
ECONOMICAL MISSION WORK.
We believe that the Christian Col-
lege forms the point of contact between
the knowledge that the Chinese want׳
and the Christ that they need
31
China and Education
Let us, however, be a little more
specific as to our aims and objects.
(1) To undermine superstition, to
purify opinion and make the Christian
community intelligent and self-reliant.
Although this is not an aim peculiar to
educational work, yet the College avails
itself of its special privileges of instilling
in the minds of the young the principles
of public morality and true citizenship.
(־ב To attract within a sphere of
Christian influence those desirous of
securing an education, with the hope of
making them Christians. The Mission
College comes into contact with a class
of Chinese as yet scarcely touched by
any other agency of the Christian
Church, the class from which is drawn
the most influential men of the country.
This is one of the most important
aims, because of the peculiar part that
the student class takes in the national
life. This class at least moulds, if it
does not create, public opinion, and the
Principal Chapman, at Wehchow.
[Photo : Mr. W. H. Butler, J.P.
bringing of this class, therefore, under
the influence of Christianity means, at
the lowest estimate, the creation of a
public opinion more congenial to the
advancement of Christianity•. An cdu-
cated Chinaman says :—
In no country in the world does the stu-
dent have so great an influence over the
populace as he does in China. The Chinese
student is not only the head of the nation,
crowning over the farmer, the artisan and
the merchant, but he is also the backbone
and brain, yea, the very soul of the nation.
It is in his guiding hand that the country
has outlived all the important ancient
nations and is now being rejuvenated and
becoming once more one of the most vigor-
ous young nations of the world. . . .
If Christianity does not speedily developâ–
an educated ministry, it will soon fail to
command respect or exert any great in-
fluence over the people and their leaders.
Everything lies within the grasp of Chris-
tianity now if the best talent of the native
Church can be given good Christian edu-
cational advantages. In China, as in noâ–
other land, education and training are in-
estimable assets for those who would wield,
great influence and assume successful'
leadership.
(3) To train pastors and teachers, to׳
send forth strong, self-reliant men, men
capable of leading. The call of the
hour is for leaders. The time is coming
when the native Christian Church must
assume more and more control over its
own affairs, and more responsibility for
the Christian propaganda. This will
be a time of great peril, and if this as-
sumption of leadership is to be crowned
with success, the training of these men
must be the best that we can give.
“It is our experience that the intelligence
developed by education leads to prosperity,
and where church-members are poor, the
problem of self-support can only be solved
bv members bettering their worldly circum-
stances.â€
And Mr. F. S. Brockman (Y.M.C.A.r
Shanghai) maintains that—
there is no more economical way of doing
missionary work than through the mission-
ary college, and this would be true even
if we spent on it tenfold as much as at
present.
(4) Not only into the Church, but
into the community at large we must
try and send forth well-trained Chris-
tians to take the lead in every move-
32
China and Education
ment for the political, social and ethical
advancement of the people.
(5) To send forth men well trained
and self-reliant, who, while not yet pro-
fessing Christ, have got something of
the spirit of service and sacrifice ; men
who have new ideals, whose outlook on
life has been broadened, whose sym-
pathies have been enlarged and whose
sense of justice has been rendered more
keen and sensitive.
All these aims and purposes may be
stated simply as the. perfecting of the
Chinese character by the inculcating of
the supreme conception of God as re-
vealed by Jesus Christ. There are
depths of the Chinese character that
nothing but this all-compelling dynamic
can reveal and use for the reconstruc-
tion of this mighty nation on a grander,
nobler and more perfect plan.
Let us now see how far our aims have
been realized. There is gradually
growing up in the districts, where
schools and colleges have been estab-
lished, a community of men and women
whose minds are not only open to see
the futility and inutility of much that
education used to stand" for, but whose
minds are filled with new ideas and
ideals, resulting in purer lives and
nobler characters. Why is China to-
day doing so much for herself in the
matter of education ? I say without fear
of contradiction, by anyone who knows
China, that it is largely because the
splendid work done by all missionary
societies was a constant reproof to her
own systems. Consequently national
education is becoming better each year.
But if the Government institutions be-
come more and more efficient it is quite
clear the mission colleges must not. be
satisfied with the standard they have
held in the past, but must do all they
can to keep well in advance of all other
educational institutions, that the Chris-
tian Church may retain its hold on the
youth of China. Nothing but the best
will do.
MENTAL CONVERSION AND CHRISTIAN
TRUTH.
Of all the great changes that have
taken place in China within the last
ten years perhaps the greatest change
is the complete revolution of China’s
system of Civil and Military Service•
examinations.' For two thousand years
for almost all positions in the Civil Ser-
vice of China literary examinations—•
the composition of an original poem
and one or two essays on given subjects
taken from the Chinese classics, i.e.,
the works of Confucius and Mencius,
have been the sole means of entry into
official life.. The only difference be-
tween the higher and the lower exami-
nations has been that more has to be
done, and a higher literary style re-
quired in the former than the latter.
This system has been the most potent
bond, which .amidst all the changes of
dynasty has kept the Chinese a nation.
It is this and not railways and tele-
graphs and all the facilities of rapid
communication that has been the cord
binding the North of China to the
South, the East to the West. It is this,,
with its offering of the highest position
in the land to the humblest villager of
the country, that has fired the enthu-
siasm of tens of thousands of young
Chinamen for generations—men speak-
ing different vernaculars, and, in many
cases, with different customs and habits,-
and has made of these Chinese people׳
one great nation.
Now this is changing: the mental
torpor and lifelessness of the system has
been succeeded by a strange alertness
of mind as well as of body. For the
first time in many centuries physical de-
velopment is forming a part of the
national education. Then the intellec-
tual revolution is one of the greatest
the world has ever seen. The old sys-
them that has had the nation in its grip
for 2,000 years is thrown aside, and a
new one is taking its place. The stu-
dent class of China, although it may
not be possessed of a thirst for know-
ledge, for the sheer love of knowledge,
and for truth, because it is truth, are
not without noble motives in their de-
sire for Western knowledge. They are
intensely patriotic, and they believe
that Western knowledge will make their
country strong. For some time it has
been cherished by the more intellectual
classes of China, and is now cherished
by the student class, and to some extent
by the great masses of the people, that
China can be regenerated bv the mere•
33
China and Education
externals of modern Western civiliza-
tion and knowledge, that the mere con-
tact with Western civilization is suffi-
cient, and that railways, steamboats,
telegraphs, chambers of commerce and
a Constitutional Government will bring
about all that is necessary to place
China in the forefront of nations. It
has become, however, more and more
evident, and the thinking onlooker is
receiving constant demonstration that
these expectations can never ipso facto
be realized. The result of the Russo-
Japanese War, whatever the effect may
have been in regard to the stopping of
Russian aggression in the Far East, has
by no means been an unmixed blessing
to either Japan or China. Japan, as
a nation, is making national aggrandise-
ment and material prosperity the sole
ambition. As for China it is becoming
very seriously affected by the too pre-
valent spirit of materialism. Now here
is one of the greatest dangers of this
intellectual revolution in China. Scien-
tific truth has great destructive tenden-
cies; much of the old error and super-
stition is giving way before the light of
science. But with the rejection of much
that is evil there is great danger that
the noble Confucian standard of life
and morality which commends itself to
men’s conscience is going too, and in-
stead of giving way to a nobler ideal
may be replaced by one that appeals
merely to the lust for power and
material prosperity. The Chinese are
saying: If Japan who in bygone days
was our pupil, who obtained all that
it has of civilization and literature from
us; if Japan with a population of only
fifty millions can, after a few years of
the adoption of Western methods, con-
quer one of the greatest countries of
the West, what cannot China do with
a population ten times as great and with
powers of endurance and capacity for
toil greater than the Japanese? Thus
there comes to the mind of the Chinese
people the idea that material aggression
and prosperity is an end to be desired.
But if the spread of education and the
teaching of Western science are bring-
ing about this disastrous result then it
Wenchow.College. The present Students, with the Rev. T. M. Gauge (2),
Mr. Principal Chapman (1), and Chinese Masters in front.
34
>
China and Education
must be that Christian missions are, by
the establishment of schools and col-
leges, helping in this work of destruc-
tion. Let us see. The idea that mis-
sion colleges are established primarily
to teach science is untrue. We must
realize that, mission colleges or no, the
introduction of scientific truth into
China was the natural and inevitable
outcome of contact with Western
nations. The Chinese are seeing to it
themselves that they obtain Western
science, but it is the duty of the Chris-
tian College to show that Christianity
is indissolubly connected with, nay, is
an integral part of modern civilization;
to prove that the moral product of the
new education is infinitely superior to
the moral product of the old, and to
demonstrate that the mere externals of
a nation’s civilization are of themselves
disturbing forces, destitute of moral
qualities, and consequently inherently
incapable of remedying any of the evils
existing in China to-day. The out-
break of 1900 made plain to the world,
although China might be possessed of a
lofty system of theoretical morality, the
prevalence of “ a dauntless mendacity,
a barbaric cruelty and a colossal pride
unexampled in modern history.†and
unless China is soon essentially changed
the past conditions may gradually recur.
Here, then, is the door of opportunity
flung wide open to the Christian school
and college to influence China for Christ
and to spread Christian civilization. Is
the new knowledge to enter China
saturated with materialism and agnos-
ticism or imbued with the living Spirit
of Christ? China from an internal
political point of view is just emerging
from a state of chaos. Leaders are
wanted, and the leaders are always
chosen from the student class. The
literati form the only intellectual and
social aristocracy of China. Under the
new regulations the future leaders will
be the students from the Government
and mission colleges. Just at present
the students of mission colleges are
placed under certain disabilities, but
these are passing away, and personally
I feel confident that in a very short time
all students will have the same privi-
leges. The Chinese, says Dr. A. H.
Smith, “more than any other non-Chris-
tian people have never been profoundly
moved by other than moral forces.â€
Consequently the present moment when
the old outworn forces are become dis•
integrated is an opportunity such as
has never been offered before for intro-
ducing the Spirit of Jesus Christ not
only as a new moral force, but as a
spiritual regenerator. The Chinese
want many things from railways to a
new Government, and are strenuously
striving after them, but the great need
of China is Christ, and it is a function
of the Christian College to bring before
the youth of China a full and perfect
realization of that need. The late
Bishop of Durham, Dr. Westcott, said
that it was necessary in all heathen
countries that there should be a mental
conversion, before Christian truth,
Christian civilization and Christian
ideals could be properly appreciated
to make their appeals to the
Oriental minds. Years ago a well-
known evangelist, after an evan-
gelistic tour in the East, said that
with few exceptions the conversions
were among those who had been
educated in mission schools and.
colleges. Then, again, the new system
of education that is being introduced in
the Government colleges has a great
tendency to become purely physical and
intellectual. It not only leaves the
highest parts of man’s nature unsatis-
fied, but has never yet, in the history
of the world proved adequate for the
regulation of conduct. General educa-
tion is advancing by rapid steps, and it
will prove of untold help to the advance
of Christianity in China, if the universe,
natural phenomena, history, science,
and all branches of knowledge are pre-
sented to the young mind of China from
a Christian standpoint so as to counter-
act, if possible, the agnosticism that is
already spreading. The educational
missionary is doing pioneer work, pre-
paring the minds of the Chinese for the
reception of new truths, bringing about
that mental conversion of which Dr.
Westcott speaks.
THE ALTERNATIVE.
Such is the opportunity; but what
about our obligations to take advantage
of it. First, because if we do not evan-
gelise China. China will heathenise
China and Education
England; and heathenism does not
simply mean the worship of false
deities, it means injustice, oppression,
cruelty, lying, cheating, licentiousness,
polygamy and numerous other evils of
which we can form but a faint concep-
tion. To know heathenism at first
hand—says one who was twenty-five
years a missionary—would suffice to
convince the dullest heart of the need
that the world has for Christ. That
China would heathenise England
seems a strong statement to make, but
look the facts plainly in the face. Here
is a country waking up to the realisa-
tion of new power, but losing its grip
of the only moral teaching that has been
in the past some restraint for good.
Conceive a nation of 430,000,000 peo-
pie, a nation patient, industrious, tena-
cious, with talents for endurance adap-
tiveness and continuance, bvt in which
insincerity, callousness to the sufferings
of others, cruelty and mendacity are
racial characteristics; conceive such a
nation possessed of the immense capa-
cities for good or evil that acquaintance
of Western knowledge brings, but with-
out any moral restraining force, and you
have a conception of what China may
become.
RESULTS AT WENCHOW.
While it is impossible within the
scope of this article to give the same
The College at Work.
Mr. Gauge (then in charge) may be seen near the shadow cast by the door.
36
personal details of students that have
already been given at many of our mis-
sionary meetings yet certain definite
results may be stated. Of those who
have received instruction at the Col-
lege, two have become pastors, others
teachers in elementary schools, others
again have become assistants to Dr.
Plummer at the Hospital, while six of
the present teachers at the College, five
of whom are church-members, have re-
ceived the whole of their College train-
ing at our institution. Others there are
in positions of trust—the Post Officq,
Customs, Telegraph Department, and
as teachers in different parts of the
country who, while not all Christians,
themselves will always be on .the side
of the principles of Christianity, and
who, on account of the time spent at
the College, have minds and hearts
more ready for the reception of Chris-
tian truths. One of our first young
Christian students, who has also filled
the position of teacher of English
at the Wenchow College for several
years, is at present in America
completing his training preparatory
to entering upon his duties as theolo-
gical tutor at the Union Theological
Seminary at Han-Kow.
BY THE PROCESS OF EXCLUSION.
China needs Christ, but does not
yet feel her
need. Does
this free us
from our obli-
g a t i o n s
as Christians?
All the talents,
gifts and
graces that
God has so
abundantly be-
stowed on us
have their
consequent ob-
ligations a.nd
.the present
day facilities
for taking the
Gospel to
other lands
render it more
incumbent on
us that we
Notable Junior Collectors
supply the need that we know
exists. Is there not a tendency
to-day to consider the condition of
affairs in which we live as nor-
mal, and the acceptance of all that
tends to make life grand and glorious
as not needing notice or comment? We
can only truly estimate a blessing or
gift when we are deprived of it. Take
away the Bible, and all that it stands
for, out of our lives, and what are our
lives worth? What of our environment
if you ,eliminate Christianity? Is it
possible at all to estimate the effect
of Christianity on our national and in-
dividual life, the benefits to our char-
acters that the Christian atmosphere
gives, and the effect upon our whole
outlook upon life that by the Holy
Spirit we can say that Jesus is the
Lord ?
Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
And the only way to even acknowledge
that debt—a debt that we can never
repay—is to contrast our position with
that of the millions who still grope
about in the darkness of heathendom.
Without coming down to specific texts,
the whole Bible is a missionary book.
The story of creation, the universality
of the first commandment, the promise
to Abraham, “ I will bless thee and in
thy seed shall all the nations of the
earth be blessed,†all indicate the mis-
sionary tenor of this Book of books.
The psalms call on all the ends of the
earth to praise God ; the whole teach-
ing of the Book of Jonah is against
exclusiveness; the Book of Ruth is
filled with the missionary purpose.
The parables of our Lord are of uni-
versal application, and cannot be fully
interpreted by application to the Jews
alone. Bishop Bashford says: “ It is
at least significant that Jesus preferred
death to the acceptance, at the hands
of the Jews, of the identical programme
which the opponents of modern mis-
sions mark out for Him.†He died, not
for the Jews alone, nor for the Anglo-
Saxon, but for the race !
Notable Jupior
Collectors, 77, 74•
Donald and Marie Rider,
Bishopston, Bristol.
Father and mother â– both ardent
church workers. Mr. Rider is the
leader of the men’s Bible class, and as-
sistant superintendent of the Sunday
School.
Donald (aged 10). Marie (aged
1904 £1 1 0 —
1905 1 10 0 —
1906 1 3 6 —
1907 2 1 0 —
1908 1 18 0 ... £0 .18 0
1909 2 0 2 ... 1 10 6
1910 2 5 5 ... 1 12 0
1911 2 9 3 ... 2 1 3
£14 8 4 £6 1 9
Per Mr. c. Vallis,
Church Missionary Secretary.
<=§׳־>
37
The New
Ipterpatiopal Review.*
By tbe Rev.
J. BAXTER.
IS there any justification for this new
missionary quarterly ? The answer
comes in the first words of the
Editor’s Notes ; referring to the World’s
Missionary Conference he quotes:
Phe Conference must not be an end
but a beginning.†That Conference
lives to-day in its “ Continuation Com-
mittee,†and this Committee expresses
itself through the pages of the new'
Review. By such means first-hand in-
formation from all over the world will
be placed at the disposal of its readers;
existing missionary forces, both inter-
national and interdenominational, are
combined; and an opportunity pro-
vided for united study and interchange
of thought.
This Review is intended to׳ meet the
growing demands of to-day. It frankly
Oxford University Press, London; or 100 Princes Street,
Edinburgh. 2s. 6d. per quarter, or 8s. per annum.
Mr. J. H. Oldham, M.A., Editor.
[Photo: Moffat, Edinburgh. Reproduced by permission.
38
discusses many perplexing problems,
takes into full view the native outlook,
and aims to promote unity, co-operation
and economy.
The quality of the present issue may
be judged by a few of its articles. The
Right Hon. James Bryce, D.C.L., His
Majesty’s Ambassador at Washington,
writes upon “ The Impressions of a
Traveller among Non-Christian Races.â€
Missionary experts deal with such sub-
jects as “ The Growth of the Church
m the Mission Field,†“ Christianity
and Islam,†“Education in China and
Japan,†“The Special Preparation of
Missionaries,†“The Place of Women
in the Modern National Movements of
the East.†Almost every missionary
question pressing for solution is pre-
sented in one article or another. It is
not light reading, but it is full of food
for thought.
Equally valuable is the section—â–
“ The Review of Books †dealing
with important publications mostly
issued in iqii. The missionary
student will find the last section—
“ Bibliography †— indispensable.
The missionary publications of
Europe and America for 1911 are
classified under the readings: “ His-
tory, Biography, Home Base, Home
Fields. Works of Reference, Theory
and Principles of Missions, Training
and Qualifications of Missionaries,
Methods, Comity, Co-operation and
Unity,†etc.
This'Review is a requisite to the
man on the field. It deals with the
problems which confront him; he
will be helped by the efforts of other
minds working at the same issues,
and by the sense of comradeship
which dispels the terrible feeling of
loneliness.
It is equally requisite to the
worker at the home base. We have
as much to learn at home as they
have abroad. The spirit of unity
is more evident on the field than
among the home churches. Some-
one remarked at the Edinburgh
Conference that the native churches
have as much light to throw upon
The Sudan : 40 Millions Unevangelized
the Gospel as we have ever revealed to
them.
This Review fosters the feeling that
ugly chasms are being bridged, that
many strands are being spun into one
strong cable, that the best spirits are
preparing the way of the Lord, and
that with all the evidences of progress
Christ is still the desire of all nations.
As Shelley says :•—
“ The Cross leads generations on.â€
<=§<=>
Sudap : 40
Millions Vpcvapgclizcd.*
By the Rev.
W. L. BROADBENT.
O†HE population of this largest
unevangelized area on earth,
* stretching 3,000 miles across
Central Africa south of the Sahara, is
by the most recent computation forty
millions. Have you realized
what this vast number of
40,000,000 non-Christian
Sudanese signifies ? We get
lost when we talk of millions.
Do we even grasp the mean-
ing of thousands? It is only
some 2,000 stars that we can
see in England on a clear night
with the naked eye. It re-
quires only the knowledge of
about 2,000 words to read
newspapers and well-written
books, Milton used 8,000
words and Shakespeare 16,000.
But millions! These baffle
our comprehension. How can
I aid your imaginations and
memories ?
One million seconds are
almost 12 days.
One million minutes are
nearly 2 years.
One million hours take us
back 115 years to the time
when Dr. Carey was commenc-
mg Protestant missions in
India.
One million days bring us
to 827 B.C. into the reign of
Joash, King of Judah, and
Jehu, King of Israel.
If it is difficult to conceive
By permission from “ Who is sufficient ?â€
the Annual Report of the Sudan United
Mission for 1911. (16 New Bridge Street,
one million, how much more so 40
millions!
40 MILLIONS.
Of seconds; that means more than 15
months.
{From S.U.M. Report, by
courtesy of the Secretary,
Senior Girls of Freed Slaves
Home, at Rumasha.
39
The Sudan: 40 Millions Unevangelized
Of minutes; that is over 76 years, the
life of an aged man.
Of hours; that reaches back beyond
4,562 years, which land us in the time
of Noah, before the Flood.
That is far more than twice the num-
ber of hours since the birth of Christ.
There are only 773,746 words in the
A.V., yet for each of those words in
the Bible there are 52 unsaved Sudan-
ese.
For each of the 3,566,480 letters in
the- Bible there are 11 in the Sudan in
ignorance of salvation.
Count them one a second, day and
night, week in, week out, month after
month, without any pause, and it will
take you over 1 year and 3 months be-
fore the last of the 40,000,000 of non-
Christians in the Sudan have been en-
umerated.
Line; them off in single file, .allowing
one yard from heel to heel, and these
benighted Sudanese will more than
girdle the globe at the Equator, leaving
nearly 4,000,000 to commence the
second lap. All these 40 millions are
redeemed but do not know it, because
You have not told them.
March them past you in single file at
three miles an hour without ceasing,,
with the same yard between them from
heel to heel, and it will be more than
ten months before the last of these
40,000,000 Christless Sudanese has
filed past—and they are marching by in
darkness because you have refused -
them the light.
That means one-twenty-fifth of the
whole non-Christian world lies in the
dark Sudan, but it by no means gets
one - twenty - fifth of the attention,
prayers, and missionary efforts of
Christians, since it is still largely for-
gotten and unknown. It is the worst-
manned mission field on earth, and has j
probably less than 100 missionaries all
told—male and female, ministerial and
lay, Protestant and Papist—for its ,
40,000,000 souls, giving an average
parish to each Christian worker of i
400,000 souls.
Put them in your largest church of
say 5,000 seats. Let 5,000 have a
morning service, 5,000 have an after-
noon service, and 5,000 an evening ser-
vice. Tha.t is, in one day let 15,000
perishing Sudanese hear the Gospel
once only, and let these services go on
without a break day by day, month by
month, year by year. It will take over
[By permission, from the S.U.M. Report*
Travelling on the river Benue,
Night-camp on a sandbank.
40
Points and Parables
seven years and three months before
the forty millions of the vast Sudan
have heard the message even once.
Nay, not even then, for in that time
the population of the Sudan at the
present rate of increase, now that wars
are ceasing and slave-raiding ending,
would have increased by hundreds of
thousands. And all these 40,000,000
in pagan darkness or Mohammedan
twilight are your brothers and sisters,
for whom Christ died, and He says to
you. “ Give ye them to eat.†What will
you do towards the salvation of these
40,000.000 of the Sudan who are fast
passing—thousands daily—beyond your
reach for ever ? Will you pray ? Will
you give ? Will you go ?
Poipts apd
Parables.—ni.
Fipe Fishing : A
Story for Missionary
Collectors.
By the
Rev. W. H.
PROVDLOVE.
THREE boys went for a day’s fish-
ing, under the guidance of Tom
Trusty, a skilful angler of wide
experience. He knew all that there
was to be known about fishing it was
said ; he was a fine fellow to look at,
and to talk with, for he had grown hale
and hearty through love for the open
air, and he had meditated so much by
the running streams and in the grassy
meadows that he had many wise words
to speak on other matters besides his
favourite sport. He had been asked by
Farmer Friend, at whose house the
boys Were staying, to give an eye to
them for that day, and a little help ;
and he was glad
to do it, for
whenever he was
enjoying himself
with boys, some-
how the years
seemed to roll
away, and he was
himself like a boy
again. He had
already made
friends with
these boys, and
the time passed
pleasantly e n -
ou gh as they
went through
the fields, until
they found them-
selves on the
banks of the
stream. Without
the waste of a
minute they all began to mount their
tackling.
One of them had scarcely patience
enough to do it properly before he
threw his line, with a splash, into the
water just where he stood. “ Hi!
Robert Rush-at-it!†growled Tom.
“You mustn’t throw in like that, and
it’s no use fishing there.†And calling
the three boys to him, he advised them
to try the swim a few yards away.
“ Always fish in the running stream,
boys; yon’s a good place.†But the
second boy objected. “ Why,†he said,
“ if we all fish in the same spot, we
shall be crowded. I shall find a place
{.Photo. Mr. D. SharrocJts, J.P., Salford.
An action song in East Africa.
41
Points and Parables
for myself.†“Very well,†said Tom,
“ but don’t go far.†So Richard looked
out a' place for himself, but he couldn’t
find one to suit him. Sometimes the
stream was beyond his reach, some-
times the banks were too slippery, or
the bushes were too thick; there was
always something that didn’t please
him. At last, he saw a labourer work-
ing in a field, and he called to him.
“ Which is the best place to fish ? †The
man grinned as he shouted back: “ I
usually fish i’ the watter.†Richard
flushed, and went back to the first spot
where the bank offered a foothold. He
swung his bait in, and then held his
breath. But nothing happened. A
long time went by, and still nothing
happened! Richard soon tired. He put
his rod down at last, and, as he threw
himself down on the grass, he pulled
a book out of his pocket, and began to
read. He was soon so absorbed in his
story that he forgot all about his fish-
ing. The fish were busy about his
hook, and the float was bobbing quick
and fast, but he never saw it; and
when Tom came to look for him, and
drew up his line, the bait was clean
gone, but he had caught nothing.
“ Aye, Richard Ready-to-Rest,â€
grumbled Tom, “you'll never make a
catch unless you attend to it better
than this.â€
The other boy proved himself a
grand fisherman. The first bait he
tried didn’t take, but he didn’t blame
the fish, he changed the bait; tried
gentles, then worms, and soon had the
joy of pulling out big fellows. When
they tired of that bait, he laid down
his rod for a while, and turned up the
stones to catch the “ many-legs †who
were hiding there, and used them. He
did everything he could ; and when the
sun began to throw his shadow across
the water, he dropped on his knees
and fished that way, so that his shadow
might not frighten the fish'.
“ Aye, lad, aye,†said Tom, as he
watched him with delight, “ thou’lt
make a grand man.â€
So throughout the day Tom helped
the boys by his knowledge and his care,
and as they tramped home that night
they were glad because they had had
a good day, but Sammie Stedfast’s
basket was far the heaviest of them all.
* * *
These three boys are to be found
amongst the missionary collectors in
every Sunday School. Robert Rush-at-
it responds easily when the appeal is
made for new collectors. “Yes,†he
says eagerly, “ I will be one.†He
starts in a hurry. He doesn’t think
enough before he goes. He rushes at
people who are not likely to receive
him gladly, and so his spirits are soon
damped by some curt refusal. Don’t
make that mistake! Give your mind
to your work. Don’t start at a pace
you can’t keep up. Go first to those
likely to help you, and when you are
sure of them you will be encouraged to
go to those who need to be persuaded.
Richard Ready-to-Rest tires after the
first month. It’s such a nuisance, he
thinks, this missionary collecting when
you want the time for cricket and foot-
ball and other things. So he doesn’t
call, although the people expect that he
will, and their pennies are lost, and
they lose their interest in the matter.
And Richard has little to bring at the
end of the year, and no satisfaction in
his work.
But Sammie Stedfast is the real
friend of missions. He goes regularly,
he goes cheerfully on his round. People
expect him, and are glad to see him.
He keeps his old friends, and is ever
on the look out for new ones, and he
has a rare gladpess as he watches his
money mounting up, for he knows that
every penny spells power to the cause.
* * *
It’s fine to have a full basket at the
end of a day’s fishing, but it means
work. It’s fine to have a full box at the
end of a year’s collecting, but you'can
only get it by patient, persistent effort.
It’s fine to feel that you are really help-
ing the cause of God, but that satisfac-
tion comes not by dreaming, but by
doing. It costs something to win that
pure joy, but it is worth while.
י=>§=י ’=>§=’
42
Tlje Watchtower.
THE BUSINESS SIDE.
W1
^ITH the kindly help of the Pub-
lishing House we have re-
cently been analysing our cir-
culation. We did this in 1909 (p. 19),
and after three years we may be per-
mitted to refer to it again.
The circuits worthy of honourable
mention then were as follows:
Per cent on
Membership
1 Oxford 112 36 â–
2 Salford 164 30
3 Sheffield, Hanover 408 21
4 Derby, Beckett St. 67 19
5 Rochdale, Castlemere... 160 18
6 Liverpool North 60 17
7 Newcastle, Glo’ster St. 108 15
8 Barnsley, Blucher St.... 68 15
9 Nottingham Central ... 90 10
The end of 19 n shows some of these
circuits still in happy evidence, while
others have come into the field of vision.
Per cent
1. Oxford 111 33
2. Cowling 168 32
3. Derby, Beckett St. ... 68 21
4. Salford ... 127 20
5. Leeds, Lady Lane Mis-
sion 60 20
6. Newcastle, Glo’ster St. 132 18
7. Rochdale, Castlemere... 138 16
8. Sheffield, Hanover 306 15
9. Bury 112 13
10. Manchester Fourth 84 11
11. Stockport 107 11
12. Wakefield, Market St. 90 10
13. Bristol East 80 10
14. Mansfield 57 10
All the rest of the home circuits—
viz. 396—circulate fess than ten ■per cent.
DEFICITS.
The B.M.S. reports that their last
self-denial week removed the deficit on
the year—of £7,717. This year they
are asking for £10,000 in the week
following January 28th, and are con-
fident of getting it. But this will be all
to the good, for “ The Herald,†for
January, announces that the loss on
ign is also swept away, and they have
commenced 1912 free of all outstanding
deficits. O for the same joy for us!
SUN YAT SEN.
In an article in the “ Contemporary
Review,†Mr. Arthur Diosy * speaks
thus of the coming man of China:—
“ Having known him for a number of
* Writer on Japan and the East in general; a Vice-Presi-
dent of the Japan Society; Member of the Council of the
China Society, etc., etc.—(Who's Who, 1912).
THE EDITOR.
years, and watched his romantically-eventful
career, the writer has no hesitation in ex-
pressing his admiration of Sun Yat Sen’s
clyaracter. A true patriot, he is entirely un-
mindful of self. His honesty is rigid ; with
very large sums passing through his hands,
he leads a most frugal life. His intellect is
of the highest order, his mind attuned to
high thoughts. . . . He is a Christian,
â– born at Fat-shan, near Canton, about forty-
four years ago, the son of a native evan-
gelist; and it betokens the tolerant spirit of
the New China that his Christian belief has
been no obstacle to his acquiring the im-
mense influence he now possesses.â€
In this quotation the italics are ours.
It is. immensely significant for our
cause that the gentle usurper should be
a Christian of the second generation.
USEFUL GIFTS.
The Rev. C. N. Mylne gratefully
acknowledges a gift from Mr. Pickard,
of Manchester, of a set of lantern slides,
and, by special request, a lantern sheet.
Here is a sidelight:—-
11Such a vast stretch of cloth had never
been seen before. . . . Another thing
which excited the admiration of the Nosu
was the ‘ whiteness ’ of the sheet. They
all crowded round waiting for a chance to
feel the ‘ foreign clean cloth.’ It took us
all our time to keep them from making the
clean cloth dirty.
“I am grateful to get the slides. These
tribespeople certainly do not suffer from a
surfeit of pleasure. There is much of grey-
ness and monotony in their lives, and the
invariable question is, ‘ Have you brought
the foreign lamp and the foreign pictures
with you? ’ â€
ISLAM.
In the “ Moslem World for January
there is an interesting translation from
the Arabic, “ The Burden-bearer,†ap-
parently founded on the text from the
Koran: “ A burdened soul cannot bear
the burden of another soul.†It is a
pathetic outcry of a human soul.
A symposium treats of “ The nearest
way to the Moslem heart †; Dr. Zwe-
mer, the editor, gives us “ A working
library on Islam.†These are but sug-
gestions of a strong issue.
DR. GRIFFITH JOHN.
Every missionary society will rejoice
in the home-coming of this saint and
hero. He arrived in England in the
early days of the year. He left Hankow
on the fiftieth anniversary of the day
he set foot therein.
43
Tlje Missionary
Bookshelf.
“ Our Giving: What it is and w. hat it
- ought to be. A plea for increased
liberality on the part of God’s
people.†By J. Forbes Moncrieff.
Third edition. (Morgan and Scott.
is. net.)
We are glad to see that a third edi-
tion of this excellent book on a fertile
subject has been called for. It is a
book to buy and read and lend. It
may be thought that those who need it
most will be least likely to get rid of
a shilling to teach them how to get rid
of more. And yet it will pay. The
author quotes thus :—
“ What is called giving is GETTING
when it concerns God’s work,†and then
sagely remarks: “ This is a truth too
much unrealized, because too much un-
tried.â€
Plow unwilling we are to trust our
Heavenly Father in this way. But, of
course, if we do it for the alone pur-
pose of getting, then we shall lose!
There lies the mystery of God's work-
ing. So the reader will find a chapter
here on “ Wrong Ways of Giving.â€
Other phases are well treated, and the
book is additionally valuable as it
finishes with a bibliography.
* * *
The same publisher sends “ The
Table of the Lord : A manual for in-
tending communicants.†By the Rev.
D. M. McIntyre. (3d. net.)
They also send three samples of their
“ Golden Treasury Series,†to which we
regret we cannot give space as they
are not missionary books, is. net:—
“ The Bells of Is,†by Dr. F. B.
Meyer.
“ Pleasure and Profit.†Moody Anec-
“The Way to God.†D. L. Moody.
“ The Dust of Desire ; or, In the Days
of Buddha.†By Evelyn S. Kar-
ney, of the C.E.Z.M.S. Foreword
by Dr. St. Clair Tisdall. and pre-
fatory article by Dr. W. O. E.
Oesterley. (Robert Scott. 3&. 6d.
net.)
We had the pleasure of reviewing the
author’s “ Broken Snares,†some time
ago, and are glad to welcome this fur-
THE EDITOR.
ther contribution to missionary story by
her. Dr. Tisdall says:—
“ The authoress has evidently studied
early Buddhism with much care. . . .
The reader cannot fail to notice how strik-
ingly even an enlightened Judaism (fore-
shadowing the further light of the Gospel)
contrasts with the gloom and despair en-
gendered by Buddha’s cheerless creed.â€
The story represents Buddhism at its
best, in its influence on family life, and
is an endeavour to get the best out of
one of the great foundation principles
of that creed, that “ Suffering originates
through desire.†Ultimately the heroine
is led to the satisfaction of the greatest
human desire, and she passes away
murmuring: “ Whom have I, in Heaven
but Thee.†For both thought and
style we heartily commend the story.
* * *
“ Darkness and Dawn.†This is an
excellent “ missionary representation,â€
prepared by the Rev. W. Bainbridge for
our District Missionary Bazaars and Ex-
hibitions, and is to be used at Sheffield
in April in connection with the first of
these great efforts. Its sub-title is
“ Voices from Africa and China.†It is
well-conceived and equally worked out.
It cannot fail to be useful, setting forth,
as it does, the true genesis of missions,
and suggestions for its happy represen-
tation with a wealth of illustration. The
first scene, “ Redeemed from Slavery,â€
is founded on the story of Mr. Green-
smith’s which has appeared in our
pages. The ' second refers to East
Africa, and is adapted from a sketch
supplied by Mr. Bassett. In part second
we pass to China, and Mr. Eddon’s
pen has been claimed to tell us about
work in Wu Ting Fu Circuit. In this
part medical and educational work are
also illustrated ; for the latter Mr. Prin-
cipal Chapman and Miss Ethel Squire
being laid under requisition. Finally
one of Mr. Pollard’s chapters from
“Tight Corners†is adapted. The
whole reflects the greatest credit on the
thoughtfulness and agility of the com-
piler, and it is deserving a good sale.
It may be obtained for 2d. from Mr.
Bainbridge, or the Publishing House.
44
Wotpep’s Worlt
ip Cl?ac Topg.
G
HAO T'ONG is a city of 10,000 in-
habitants, and for all the women
of this city, hundreds of whom
have never even heard the Gospel
or seen a foreigner, we have one
Biblewoman employed â– by the British
and Foreign Bible Society. Mrs. Heo
is sixty-six years of age, but she
works with the energy and enthusiasm
of a woman much younger. Lately I
have been with her visiting. She is a
well-known character in the city, as she
goes on her daily round carrying her
little bundle of Gospels, spreading the
message of light and life in dark homes.
Through narrow, ill-paved and crowded
streets we made our way into quieter
ones where it seems all that cannot be
conveniently done indoors may be done
in the street. How different it all is to
the home life (how strangely unfamiliar
it all seems, even after having lived
here for years), and yet oftentimes as
we sat and listened to the joys and
sorrows that fill the daily lives of these
women, I felt they were indeed sisters
who had been denied our privileges;
dark, ignorant, bound by their senses,
it is difficult for them to apprehend any-
thing but what is evident to sense and
sight.
Sitting outside their doors are women
attending to their toilet, sewing, wash-
ing clothes, preparing vegetables for
cooking. All Souls’ festival had com-
menced, and groups of women were
busy making paper garments, and gilt
and silver paper ingots, to burn to their
ancestors; while boys were carrying
baskets of sprouting wheat, which they
were selling to numerous purchasers
for the souls of their ancestors to come
and rest in. All along streets like these
we wended our way ; we could not ac-
cept nearly all the invitations we had
to “ Come in and preach â€â€”but in all
the homes of those who are being regu-
lady taught, we had crowds of women
who listened eagerly. We met with
nothing but kindness, our only difficulty
being how we could refuse the cups of
tea and cakes that were offered us in
every house. One day going towards
By
Mrs. F. J. DYMOND.
(See p. 47.)
the North Gate we took a short cut
through what might be called a slum
of a slum city. The squalid misery.,
filth, degradation of these people are be-
yond description, crowded in dilapi-
dated mud hovels unfit to herd cattle
in. There were crowds of children,
their only covering being dirt. Three
infant children were lying on the
ground, put outside the door to die;
the people too afraid of the devils to
permit their dying inside, and at this
time, towards the close of the summer
season, the mortality amongst young
children is terrible. 1 wondered if it
would be possible in any other part
of the world to go through such a place
as this, alone and unprotected as we
were, and yet come out unharmed, in-
deed we did not hear a rude remark.
Groups of men, hideous with sin and
profligacy, and women in such a state
of destitution and misery, they hardly
looked like human beings, looked at us
with stolid indifference; a few asked
us if we had any medicine with us. Is
it any cause for wonder that a people
so oppressed, so neglected in their
dwellings, bodies and souls, should
every now and again try to prove their
existence and their right to live, by
riot and rebellion? Just round the
corner in front of a temple we saw a
huge pile of blackened paper, for the
previous night a large quantity of paper
clothing and money had• been burnt to
orphan spirits in the vain hope that it
will turn into real money and clothing
in the spirit world. A Buddhist priest
was standing here. This is the very
spot to study Buddhism. Here is a
seething mass of corruption—no pure
family life, infants thrown outside to
die; hate, malice, envy working des
traction everywhere ; men and women in
helpless, hopeless despair- -and where
is there any willing hand outstretched
to save and bless ? Where can you
find any disinterested philanthropy? If
the fruit is like this, must not the root
be something like it also ? The priest
looked steadily at us ; I do not know
his thoughts, but I wondered how he,
a -supposed leader of the people, could
45
Women’s Work in Chao Tong
be so apathetic in the midst of so much
misery, and I thanked God that in this
far away, dark, heathen city there is a
Gospel Hall. Jesus Christ has come to
this city to stay, and walks these streets
in many of ׳His servants, and where He
goes compassion awakes, and the works
of darkness must go before the Light
and the Truth. In the mighty power
of the living Christ a dead Buddha
must be overthrown.
There are two villages, near ׳ the city
where a number of women and girls
are learning to read, and, during the
months when little work is being done
in the fields, there are many listeners
who are gathering an intelligent know-
ledge of the Gospel. Here we are
hoping soon to put up a chapel; or,
rather a building, where school can be
held during the week-days and services
on Sundays, for many of these girls
can never come into the city for service
because of Chinese etiquette. Some
of these girls are apt learners, and
eager to gather information. Here I
was shown a piece of land they are'
willing to give for a chapel. Again the
only trouble we had was with the over-
kindness' of the people, who expected
us to eat hot maize cakes and eggs
cooked in sugar at every house.
It is a common saying that the
women of Chao t’ong are noted for their
ability. Any Chao t’ong man admits
that cleverness is not peculiar to men
only. It would be impossible to teach
these women anything in thrift or
economy. The simple life is lived here
in its austerest form; the art of doing
without has reached perfection, and in
the majority of cases it does not mel-
low, but hardens and sours; yet with
many, even where excessive poverty
exists, there is a kindness and graci-
ousness which is truly attractive. But
a brighter day is da.wning for the
women of Chao t’ong, for wherever
Jesus comes the emancipation of woman
follows, and it is no paradox to say
that the bondage, in which for ages
they have been kept, may have engen-
dered silent forces in them, which will
yet make for true greatness and power.
Every worker knows that the power of
the mother-in-law has to be reckoned
with, and, as a rule, if we do not get
the mothers we do not get the families.
Now is the high tide of opportunity:
wherever we go women are ready to
give attention to our message. They
are very dark, ignorant, degraded, op-
pressed by fears, enslaved by» odious
A Family at Chao Tong.
[Photo : Rev. S. Pollard.
46
Our Women’s Auxiliary Page
customs, blindly trying to find a path
to Heaven, by heaping up merit, wor-
shipping and sacrificing to dumb idols,
becoming vegetarians, and fasting as
they grow older; in vows and pilgrim-
ages. Is it not time that they heard
of forgiveness of sins through no merit
or works of their own, and life eternal
won for them, through life laid down?
Remember only one Biblewoman for
all the heathen women of Chao t’ong,
and breathe a prayer that God may
raise up many more willing and able
to be the bearers of life and light to
those who still sit amidst the shades
of a lost Eden.
Our Woipcp’s
Auxiliary Page.
T*ROM many quarters during these
׳T* opening days of the year 1912
×™1Ö¾ we have received indications of
the progress of our W.M.A. at home.
New branches are being formed, and
others, which had been allowed to lapse,
have been revived and reorganized,
while fresh efforts are being put forth
to reduce our missionary deficit in a
systematic and energetic manner.
Abroad the Gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ is reaching many for the first
time through the ministry of our mis-
sionary sisters. But much “territory,â€
in the very midst of our mission centres,
is as yet untouched for want of workers.
The great need for evangelistic work
among the women of West China, and
its possibilities, is shown by the pre-
ceding article, which, as it refers so
specially to our work the Editor has
passed through my hands.
Simultaneously with this comes an
appeal from Miss Turner (North
China):—
“ I have left the most important matter
until the last, that is about the Women’s
work here. Please do try to ••send us some-
one for evangelistic work, which is so much
needed. It does seems as if we are never
to â– be able to set station-classes and all the
other work on a really solid footing.â€
What shall be our answer to these'
appeals? The spirit of the times in
China had evidently reached the school-
girls. Miss Turner says:—
“ I received a letter a few days ago from
the six senior girls asking for the redress of
several grievances. . ... The girls will
be delighted with the gloves and scarves.
I am keeping them for Christmas, along
with a few other things. Will you please
thank the donor for the girls and for me? â€
Edited by
Mrs. BALK WILL.
Mrs. Swallow sends an interesting ac-
count of her journey to Ningpo, and
her impressions of the country after
fifteen year’s absence, which, for want
of space, must be left over till next
month. Meanwhile I have pleasure in
passing on the following message :—
“Dr, Swallow and 1 wish, through you, to
thank the members of the W.M.A. and all
kind friends at home׳ for all their good
wishes for us, and for every kind word and
deed â– they spoke and wrought for us. May
God bless them all!
It is with very deep concern we hear
that Dr. Lilian Grandin has had a seri-
ous breakdown in health, and for the
present is quite prostrate. Apparently
it is due to overwork. As soon as she
has sufficiently recovered to be able to
travel she will require rest and change.
We deeply sympathise with Miss
Grandin, and those to whom her illness
must cause great anxiety.
Mrs. Evans arrived at Southampton
on December 20th, after a comfortable
voyage, from which she had derived
considerable benefit, but she feels the
need of complete rest for a time. Mr.
Evans’s mother passed away at Bourne-
mouth on Christmas Eve, having lived
iust lo.ng enough to see her daughter-
in-law once more. We beg to tender
our sympathy to the bereaved family.
The news of Mr. Evans, with Mr.
and Mrs. Pollard, being delayed on
their return journey had just come to
hand. We trust by the time this ap-
pears in print the restrictions will have
been removed, and our missionaries
permitted to return to their much-loved
work.
47
Prize Competition
THE MONTHLY PRAYER-MEETING.
Hymns :
“ Spread, O spread thou mighty Word.â€
“ Saviour, sprinkle many nations.â€
“From Greenland’s icy mountains.â€
Scripture: Ps. cxv.
Praise: For safe journeying of mis-
sionaries by land and sea; for increase
of enquirers after the Gospel; for fresh
impetus given to efforts to extinguish
missionary deficit.
Petitions: For all missionaries in
danger through revolution in China, or
any other cause ; for stations bereft for
the present of those in charge; for all
the hospital work, especially that at
Chao Tong, and that Dr. Lilian Gran-
din may soon be restored to health;
that new workers may be raised up
where most needed.
Reading, or talk, on current mission-
ary news and notes.
The Price of
Christianity.
A REVIEW.
*HIS is a Chinese story emanating
from the Wesleyan Book Room
written to reveal at what cost a
Chinaman becomes a Christian. That
it is in story form will add to its attjÖ¾ac-
tiveness, and it is well illustrated. We
follow with deep interest the adven-
tures of Ta-lo and Sha-lan, but the
problem centres around Min-teh. When
Ta-lo died—
Even at that very moment a little group
of Christians . . . sang together in the
despised Gospel Hall their evening hymn
of praise and thanksgiving. To the soli-
tary missionary it awakened again the ques-
tion. “How long, O Lord, shall the church
at home think it enough to send but one
messenger to face the task of bringingÖ¾ the
Gospel to tens of thousands of perishing
souls? †And borne on the night breeze
there came to his ears the sound of homeless
grief.
Then at the end of the fourth year
at the Mission School, Min-te'h makes
*“ The Peach Garden.†By J. S. Helps. Methodist Pub-
lishing House, Is. 6d. net.
his choice—of Christ, the Saviour of
the world, and through the book there
rings the thought of the Browning lines
faltering one word):—
“Thank God, no paradise stands barred
To entry, but I find it hard
To be a Christian.â€
His family despised him, he went
away “ an outcast,†and for twenty
years he suffered thus. And then—but
read the story. J. E. S.
Prize Corppetitiop.
AWARD IN No. 24.
THE BEST MISSIONARY LIBRARY.
cue uuunu LU aasuiiic uidA nils-
sionary libraries are not as a rule “ ex-
tensive.†To the first-named the book
offered has been sent, and the com-
petitors, with the volumes they pos-
sess, are indicated :—
Volumes.
1. “ Finis †* ... ... 47
2. Miss Lambden ... 43
3. Miss Goldsworthy ... 32
4. F. R. C. ... ... 23
3. Miss Olive Carpenter .. 17
Miss A. E. Cooke ... 17
6. "Beta†13
As no one has had the temerity to
compete for the prizes for the “ best
denominational library,†we are send-
ing to each of the above, copies of
stamps offered.
It may be stated in passing that if
the writer of th'ese lines had been eligi-
ble he would have won the prize in
both cases.. To test the matter further:
to the minister (not a Missionary
Secretary, or ex-ditto!) who will send
a post card beating the Editor’s record
he will send John Hedley’s “ Tramps in
Dark Mongolia†(16s.). This is an
extra, and had not been contemplated
heretofore. To save time on both sides
this will be sufficient:—•
“ The number of missionary volumes
in my possession is â€: with name
and address.
* Mr. W. T. French, of the Gloucester Street Church,
N ewcastle-on-Tyne.
48
THE
Missionary echo
OF
ZTbc* ׳lUniteb fibetbobtst Cburcb.
The Proposed University
for C^ipa ip its
Relation to Missions.
By the Rev.
W. E. SOOTHILL,
M.A ,
President-Designate.
^HAT is the object of missions in
China ? It is to plant the
Kingdom of God in that coun-
try. What is meant by the Kingdom
of God? That state in which the rhee
and the individual are brought into the
most beneficent relationship with God
and each other. In what way will the
proposed University aid in attaining
this object? In two ways : First, in the
realm of intellect by leading able young
men, both Christian and not yet Chris-
tian, to search after truth, to diligently
and fearlessly enquire into the laws by
which God rules men and things, and
thereby rid themselves, and through
them their fellow countrymen, of the
false and superstitious notions which
bar their own and the race’s upward
progress. Secondly, in the realm of
a
The High School, Wuchang (Wesleyan). [This, and the one on p 51 are two of the Colleges proposed to lie affiliated.
March, 1912.
The Proposed University for China in its Relation to Missions
morals and religion, by providing,
through hostels in which all the stu-
dents will reside, for the definite pre-
sentation of the highest known moral
and spiritual truth. In these two direc-
tions, and by the best known methods,
it is hoped to influence Chinese stu-
dents at the most critical period of
training, so that their intellectual edifi-
cation may be founded on a sound moral
and spiritual basis..
TO LEAD THE LEADERS.
When it' is remembered that the stu-
dents, who are expected to pass through
the University, are men whose influence
will tell over a very wide area, possibly
extending over the whole of the coun-
try, it will be recognized that the dyna-
mic effect of the wise training in know-
ledge and character, which it is pro-
posed to give, cannot be small. At its
best, indeed, it cannot be overestimated,
at its least it will be far-reaching. The
reaction of such education on the peace
and mutual goodwill of East and West
will be felt to some extent immediately,
and to an increasing extent throughout
the future. The University will form a
potent factor in fulfilling the prophecy
of peace on earth, which is one of the
chief conditions and glories of the Mes-
siah’s reign.
INTER-DENOMINATIONAL.
What, too, can be more desirable
than that the Christian Church should
unite for mutual intercourse 'and under-
standing at a great centre of learning.
Taught by past errors in their own
countries, the leaders of the various
sections of the Church in the Orient are
desirous of exhibiting the unity of our
Faith to the Church in China, and edu-
eating its future leaders therein. But they
desire also to show that true unity does
not necessitate uniformity. Homogeneity
of faith does not exclude heterogeneity
of presentation. Wise Methodists abhor
the thought of all the world being
Methodists, and wise Anglicans equally
dislike the idea of the whole world
being Anglican with its present limita-
tions.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.
The hostel system provides for both
Anglican and non-Anglican forms to be
presented ; indeed, no barrier will exist
Prefects at the High School, Wuchang (Wesleyan). [Favoured by "The Foreign Field."
50
The Proposed University for China in its Relation to Missions
in the University itself to the Roman or
Greek mode of presentation, if those
communities are willing to found hostels
in the University. Should there be
men, also, sufficiently enthusiastic to
found a Confucian Hostel there is no
reason why it should not have equality
of opportunity with the others. Truth
is fearless and so is Christianity. If it
feared the Light it would show itself
an ally of Darkness. Christianity has
nothing to fear from without. What
foe it has is within its own household,
and that foe is uncharitableness. The
University, on its hostel side, will be
a foe to this foe, and will work for sym-
pathy, and not for antipathy, in reli-
gion.
That this is the desire of its pro-
rnoters is evident from the list of their
names. Amongst these we have leading
High Churchmen, Low Churchmen,
Broad Churchmen, Presbyterians, Con-
gregationalists, Baptists, Methodists
and Friends. The non-political charac-
ter of the project, also, is shown by the
varying shades of political views which
are represented, including such names,
for instance, as those of the Marquess of
Salisbury and the Right Hon. Walter
Runciman.
The list of leading men in the Uni-
versifies of Oxford, Cambridge and
London, guarantee the religious and
academic freedom that is now so highly
valued in our own
country. The Vice-
Chancellors of Ox-
ford and Cam-
bridge, and the
Principal of Lon-
don University
joined the three
University Com-
mittees directly
they were formed.
H.R.H. the Duke
of Connaught has
generously become
the Patron of the
scheme.
INTER-UNIVERSITY.
The movement,
like many great
movements that in
the past have grown into world-
wide influence, began at Oxford
in consequence of the visit of a
missionary from China. This was in
March, 1908. Committees were almost
immediately formed in both Oxford and
Cambridge. Canon Lord William Gas-
coyne-Cecil had recently returned from
a prolonged tour in China,* where he
had met all the leading people in that
country, both English and Chinese—
officials, missionaries and business men.
He had visited the principal mission
stations, enquired into the conditions of
education, both Governmental and mis-
sion, and returned home convinced that
the one pressing need was a thoroughly-
equipped and staffed University in
order to crown the educational work of
missions, and assist China in her
struggle towards reformation. The Ox-
ford and Cambridge Committees, hear-
ing of this, invited him to take rhe lead
in their movement, and he has done so
with unswerving constancy against •
great odds. Later a Committee of
London University men was formed,
and now there are other Universities
expressing a willingness to form com-
mittees.
INTER-NATIONAL.
In order to avoid rivalry in the field of
higher education the United States and
Canada are invited to take part in the
■See his “Changing China,†published, 1910.—Ed.
The Griffith John College, Hankow. [Favoured by L.M.S.
(Four feet of flood happened to be in front at the time).
51
The Proposed University for China in its Relation to Missions
project. Harvard, Columbia and Cali-
tornia in the States, and Toronto in
Canada, have formed provisional Com-
mittees on which, in each case, is the
President of the University.
AMOUNT NEEDED.
It is proposed to raise a capital sum
of .£250,000 for buildings and endow-
ment. Of this sum England is asked
to supply one-half, and the United
States and Canada the other half. The
funds of these Universities are not, of
course, available for supplying either
money or men to China, so that
the scheme is absolutely dependent on
the contributions of private individuals.
The promoters are keenly anxious not
to divert a single penny from ordinary
.mission funds. While recognizing that
.all great religious leaders have been
learned men, they are as anxious for the
success of Christianity amongst the
.common unlearned people of China as
they are for its success amongst the
educated. They are not appealing,
therefore, to that class of people whose
contributions would interfere with or-
dinary mission income. They are ask-
ing rather the wealthier people of the
country to assist in this important enter-
prise. While not despising small sums
they are looking rather to men who are
able to give in some cases a thousand
or thousands, and in other cases a hun-
dred or hundreds.
During the past few weeks the three
University Committees in England
have undertaken to use their best en-
deavours expeditiously to raise funds
sufficient to guarantee three chairs for
five years, until the endowment fund is
in hand: an Oxford, a Cambridge and
a London chair. It is hoped that
other Universities will follow this
example, for while it may be difficult
for East and West to meet on other
grounds, there can be no difficulty in
their meeting on the common ground of
intellectual enquiry. The . offer of the
kindly hand of fellowship on the part
of our great Universities will reveal a
catholicity and fraternity of spirit on
the part of English and American men
of learning that will arouse a ready re-
.sponse from the best men of China.
ENGLAND’S DEBT TO CHINA.
England owes no little to׳ China, and
on this ground it is not unreasonable
for an Englishman to appeal to his fel-
low countrymen for an acknowledg-
ment. Moreover it is difficult to see
how such acknowledgment could take a
better form than that of a University.
As to our indebtedness, though not
generally recognized, it is none the less
true that China has done more to help
England to become a sober England
than any other country has done. What
is it that has become the principal sub-
stitute for alcohol in this country ? And
to whom do we owe it ? People must
have something to drink, and they are
not content with water. Were it not
for the advent of tea, and its extended
use in this country, we should have had
nothing to take the place of our national
drink. No one will say that in opium
we have given to China a satisfactory
return for what she has done for us in
this respect.
The other day a man in the train,
who did not know me, started a conver-
sation by saying, “ They’re having fine
ructions there in China/’ “Yes,†said
I. “I don’t think we should miss much
if that country were wiped off the
map.†he cheerfully continued. “No?â€
queried I, “ has it ever occurred to you
what effect that would have on our
trade ? †“ What! tea ? †he asked. “ Oh,
no, †replied I, “ China pays for only a
small portion of our goods with tea.
Are you aware that if China were wiped
off the map thousands of families in
Lancashire and Yorkshire, in Northum-
berland and on the Clyde, would be
plunged into poverty? To wipe China
off the map would affect every trade in
this country, from cotton and shipbuild-
ing down to paper and string making.â€
No nation liveth to itself.
Can this country better repay some of
its indebtedness to China for aiding in
the amelioration of our social conditions
than by offering it something to amelio-
rate its social conditions ? In Christian
education lies the remedy for the misery
and poverty of China, the inspiration
of its spiritual and moral faculties, the
raising of its social standard, the de-
velopment of its resources and therewith
of, a commerce beneficial both to East
and West, and the dissolution of the
Yellow Peril to us and the White Peril
to them.
52
foreigp Secretary’s
Notes.
Anxious The month of December
Days at will not be soon forgotten
t'hao Tong. by our missionaries at
Chao Tong. General un-
rest, exciting rumours, the coming and
going of soldiers, the flags of the Re-
public decorating the streets, telegrams
from the British Consul advising the
missionaries to withdraw, and, in addi-
tion, the illness of Dr. Grandin which
made it difficult for. them to leave, alto-
gether produced a situation sufficient to
tax the strongest faith, courage and
judgment. Mr. and Mrs. Hicks, who
were leaving on furlough,, took their
departure on December nth. They
were accompanied by Mr. Mylne and
joined by Mr. Hudspeth as they passed
Tong Chuan on the 18th. Mr. Dymond
for a long time debated in his mind the
proper course for him to take. Writing
on December 4th he says: “ We are
wondering what our duty is. The town
is quiet and we are able to do our work
in the city as usual, but we do not know
what is happening in other parts of the
By tbc
Rev. C. STEDEFORD.
Empire. We hear that at Yunnan Fu
the new people were nearly coming to
blows among themselves. Then in the
next province civil war is raging, ac-
companied with brigandage and general
dislocation. At Huei-li-Cheo one poor
priest has been slashed to death, and our
friends of the American Baptist Union
at Ning-yuan Fu have had a bad time.
To stay here, in our home, would be far
pleasanter for us. The work needs us
badly. On the other hand, in this chao-
tic condition of things, when military
law is in force, one cannot but feel a
bit timorous, and rather than needlessly
endanger our lives it may be better to
retire to a place of safety just over the
border.â€
At last, however,' the order from the
British Consul at Yunnan Fu became
peremptory, and Mr. and Mrs. Dymond,
with their little girl, and Dr. L. Gran-
din and Miss L. O. Squire left Chao
Tong on December 15th, and arrived
in Haiphong, Tongking, at the end of
the month.
showing display of white revolutionary flags.
53
Foreign Secretary’s Notes
Trouble There is much cause for
for our concern on account of the
Christians Christians who have lost
in Yunnan. for a while the help and
presence of the mission-
aries. The Chinese pastors and evan-
gelists will have to direct the affairs of
the infant church during a period of
turbulence and alarm. The mission-
aries will be in constant correspondence
with them, and will do all that is possi-
ble in that way to hearten and counsel
them. At the best it will be a time of
severe testing, and we should pray that
their faith fail not. It may be the ex-
perience will develop the finest Chris-
tian qualities and make them better men
than they could have been without it
It must not be forgotten that the re-
gion around Chao Tong was recently
seething with a rebellion which was
sternly suppressed and numbers were
executed. Exasperated survivors may
seek in the present turbulence an oppor-
tunity for revenge, and any anti-Chris-
tian "feeling will be revived. The poor
Miao are once more in a distracted state.
Some have run into hiding in the woods
and caves, because the people have
threatened to kill them. Mr. Dymond
succeeded in securing the aid of the
mandarins in suppressing lawlessness in
several places.
Narrow This account is given by
Escape of the Rev. F. J. Dymond :
one of our “ Liang Fah Ch’ee * was
Chinese returning from Long Sea
Preachers. the other day when he
was caught by a band of
robbers armed to the teeth, four Miao
who were with him ran off, but poor
Liang went through a most trying or-
deal. They searched him, taking two
and a half dollars from him, and then
made preparations to kill him. He
cried, bumped his head on the ground,
and begged them to spare him, he was
the only son, his parents were dead, etc.
Some of the people of the neighbour-
hood warned, these fellows that they
would get into a big row if they
molested him. He was held all night,
slept by the side of a robber, and in
the morning was allowed to go with
four Miao who had returned. This has
* The photograph of Liang Fah Ch'ee appeared on p. 86,
1911.—Ed.
given him a nasty fright. It shows how
bitter some of the people are, and how
anti-Christian they become at such
times as these. Stone Gateway was
badly threatened, but up to date re-
mains intact. Nearly all the Chinese
evangelists have made their way back
into the city.â€
Military General Tsai is in charge
Preparations of the.revolutionary forces
at Yunnan Fu. in Yunnan Fu, the capital
of the province. He is
said to be a man of great ability, and
his own soldiers are devoted to him. He
is evidently preparing for emergencies.
There is a hill, called Five Glories Hill,
which completely dominates the city.
This hill was occupied by a large Go-
vernment College, but the students have
been sent elsewhere, and General Tsai
is making it his headquarters and
strongly fortifying it. He may antici-
pate a possible revolt within the city,
and he knows that if the Imperial troops
are successful in the next province they
will turn their attention to him. Thou-
sands of revolutionary troops have been
sent from Yunnan to fight the* Imperial
army in Sichuen, and if the Imperialists
triumph Yunnan may expect retribution.
Mr. Pollard reports that recently some
soldiers mutinied within the city and
attempted to seize the armoury. Tsai’s
soldiers, with a Maxim gun, appeared
on the scene almost immediately ; seve-
ral revolters were killed, a hundred cap-
tured and imprisoned, and some were
executed right off. It is not surprising
that with all these things transpiring in
his own city the British Consul was very
anxious to get all the missionaries safely
out of the province. Mr. Pollard has
faith in General Tsai. He says. “ If
only we can see a strong central Govern-
me.nt again, Yunnan will fall into line,
and Tsai will reduce things to order.â€
Affairs in Happily our work in
North and North and South-East
South-East China has suffered far less
China. disturbance than in the
West. The Ningpo and
Wenchow districts have not been affected
adversely. In North China the mission-
aries, under Consul’s instructions, have
withdrawn their families from Shan-
54
Foreign Secretary’s Notes
tung, but Rev. J. Hinds and Dr. Rob-
son have not been prevented from tak-
ing excursions into their circuits, and
directing their affairs. If war had been
decided upon the railway lines would
indicate the Shantung plain as the pro-
bable scene of conflict between the
forces from North and South. Neces-
sarily there has been considerable ex-
citement along the line northward from
,Tientsin, but Mr. Candlin at Tongshan
and Mr. Littlewood at Yung P’ing Fu,
have continued their regular work with-
out any alarm. It gives the. people a
far greater sense of security when they
see the foreigners performing their
usual duties.
Peace in We greatly rejoice in the
Sight. latest intelligence which
promises an early and
satisfactory settlement of the Chinese
demand for a free and democratic go-
vernment. The Manchu Court consents
to resign all sovereign power, and to be
content with sovereign titles. Yuan Shi
Kai’s diplomacy has triumphed, as was
expected by those who knew him best.
If for no other reason he will deserve
the gratitude of his country for securing
the armistice, and averting the immi-
nent catastrophe of protracted civil war.
On the other hand, the revolutionaries
must receive the credit for great
patience and conciliation. Sun Yat Sen
has shown a magnanimity equal to his
patriotism in offering to yield to Yuan
Shi Kai the first place in the new Re-
public. The secret of the marvellous
success of this revolution, a revolution
so vast as to affect one quarter of the
human race, lies in the fact that apart
from the Manchus the Chinese people
are fundamentally agreed. Conse-
quently we may expect to see all re-
maining differences disappear, a united,
strong and efficient Government and ad-
ministration established, and all the
eighteen provinces will soon feel the
stimulating and regenerating influence
of free and progressive institutions.
We are hopeful that the establish-
ment of the new Government will en-
able our missionaries to return to their
stations without long delay. Order has
been well maintained in those parts of
the country which early proclaimed the
Republic, and with Ö¾such guarantees for
good government the whole country
ought very soon to resume its tranquil
industrial pursuits.
The Meru Rev. J. B. Griffiths feels
Pioneer. obliged to decline the re-
quest of the Committee to
undertake the task of opening our mis-
sion in Meru. He says his state of
health will not warrant his going there,
though if there were no other person to
go he would risk any consequences
rather than that Meru should be lost to
our mission. We are glad to know that
Mr. Griffiths has recovered from the re-
cent illness, which he says was the worst
of all the bad attacks he has had in
Africa. It robbed him of twenty-two
pounds in weight. We thank God for
restoring His servant and permitting
him to continue his labours on the mis-
sion field. Under urgent orders from
her doctor, Mrs. Griffiths sailed for
England early in January.
The task and honour of opening the
mission in Meru will now fall upon Mr.
and Mrs. Udy Bassett. By his excellent
service at Ribe, and his addresses at
home, Mr. Bassett has convinced our
people that he is an enthusiastic mission-
ary. He accompanied Mr. Griffiths on
the first tour to Meru, and he has great
faith in the new enterprise. He and his
wife will enter upon this work in all the
freshness and vigour of life with the
prospect of many years in which they
may hope to see the foundation and de-
velopment of a splendid mission.
“ Bound by gold Chains
about the feet of God.â€
The weary ones had rest, the sad had joy
That day, and wondered how,
A ploughman singing, at his work had prayed,
“ Lord, help them now.â€
Away in foreign lands, they wondered how
Their single word had power.
At home, the Christians, two or three had
met
To pray an hour.
Yes, we are always wondering, wondering
how.;
Because we do not see
Someone, unknown perhaps, and far away,
On bended knee.
The Record of
the Revolution.
I—NORTH CHINA.
From the Rev. G. P. Littlewood.
(To the Foreign Secretary.) Jan. 15.
“£T" HE times being somewhat out of
" 'â– joint I am writing fairly early,
Ö¾* as the latest information of
our position will doubtless be welcome.
You may perhaps regard me as acting
foolishly in disregarding the advice of
the Consul. But the fact is all the in-
formation he has from the interior of
the country is almost solely contributed
by missionaries. What the Tientsin
Consul knows about this district he
knows from what I have contributed to
the Tientsin newspaper. Therefore,
knowing the terrible expense of re-
moval. and, above all, that it would be
simply inviting thieves and house-
breakers, we decided to remain and go
on with our work. Even the ladies
were very unwilling to go, not seeing
the slightest reason, but when it was
again urged that if we stayed the ladies
must not, they reluctantly went. . . .
Strangely enough they got into the
danger zone, for there was a battle
within two miles of the station. But
they sat up till two a.m. making a Red
Cross flag for use on the morrow,
nothing fearing, and hoping they might
be of service to any wounded. . . .
So confident were they of our safety
Mr. Talkorn, Railway Engineer. Dr. A. Fletcher Jones.
[Photos taken on I.anchow City wall, January 4th; at the point where the troops fired on the rebels below.—A.F.J.l
56
The Record of the Revolution
that a number of merchants in the city
asked if they might come out and stay
with us. Besides, and this is the chief
factor, the soldiers on both sides are
our friends. ... I think therefore
you will agree with us that it would be
very unwise to leave.
Dr. Jones got back yesterday from
escorting his family to Tientsin,' to
please other folk rather than them-
selves. He attended to a number of
wounded on his way back, and brought
two back with him to the Hospital. All
along the work both in the churches
and Hospital, has been going on as
usual.
As for the general prospect I fear it is
dart Yesterday was the last day of
the armistice, and up to the day previ-
ous no conclusion had been reached. It
is to be hoped that in the eleventh hour
better counsel prevailed. . . . It is
refreshing to read the speeches of Sun
Yat Sen. To hear of freedom of con-
science being granted in China is a mat-
ter for much thanksgiving, but unfor-
tunately his chair is not yet—
“ Broad-based upon the people’s will.â€
If hostilities are resumed it is likely this
will be the scene of activity. It is to
be feared we may yet have frequent op-
portunity for Red Cross work. But be
‘ ping-an ’ * in respect to us. We will not
■At peace.—C.S.
court danger, but we will try to be use-
ful in the sphere in which we have been
placed.
II.—WEST CHINA.
From the “United Methodist†(by per-
mission).
Mrs. Pollard (December 15th).
“ Two days’ journey from A-mi-chow
the soldiers mutinied. We were warned
to leave our quarters. We had a guard
of 500 soldiers. The trains were in
readiness, and we were told not to un-
dress, but to make straight for the sta-
tion at the first sound of the whistle.
The first train left at 4 a.m. It got
into Lao Ray riddled with bullets. Two
passengers were seriously wounded.
We left at 8 a.mâ– ., and reached Lao Ray
just before dusk. The solitary hotel
was crowded. We went to a storekeeper
and asked his help. He gave up his
bedroom to the ladies, and the two gen-
tlemen slept on the floor. He gave us
breakfast next morning, and steadfastly
refused payment for his kindness. We
took train again, and at length got to
Haiphong. We put up at a Chinese
inn ; but the bad food made it impera-
tive for us to get into a more â– civilized
place- We found on enquiry that there
were a number of closed bungalows at
a quiet resort fifteen miles away. We
“Firing took place from this wall within two miles of where we stayed.’״—Dr. A. F. Jones.
57
The Record of the Revolution
succeeded in-getting one of these. Our
Chao Tong and Tong Ch’uan friends
are on their way to the capital. Dr.
Grandin is better. We trust the friends
at home will not lose heart. Our love
to you.â€
From Rev. S. Pollard, to the Foreign
Secretary.
“ This great upset is distressing to
us, and must be to you. But China is
a great country, ' and in saving such
there are bound to be great troubles
and disturbances. Keep a brave heart!
Mylne and Hudspeth are still
at Yunnan Fu, but may have to leave.
There is great fear of anarchy. If the
central Government can be constituted
Yunnan will soon get quiet. If the two
parties cannot agree there may be
greater troubles still to come. .
The Miao are being harassed by their
landlords and other bad men. Robbers
are about everywhere. ... If our
evangelists can come through this time
of stress safe, they will be the better
fitted for their work.
Mrs. Frank Dymond, at Tong Ch’uan
(December 21st). — (From “United
Methodist.â€)
“ Flere we are. We got in yesterday,
having been six days on the road from
Chao Tong. We had such urgent tele-
grams from the Consul, and Dr. Gran-
din felt she could travel. We hear that
the soldiers mutinied at Meng-tse, seized
the Treasury, burnt down the premises
of some foreign merchants and de-
stroyed two railway stations. The west
of the Province, we hear, is in flames.
We have had a good journey, though
the first day we had some trouble. The
people all along were very friendly, and
cannot understand why we need go.â€
The Rev. C. N. Mylne (December
30th).—(From “United Methodist.â€)
“For myself, I am now at Yunnan
Fu, capital city of this province, thirteen
days from Chao Tong. Am here
against my own will and conscience, but
the Consul made us come. He sent
several wires, each one more insistent
than the last. I said I would not go,
but the problem was that if I did not go
he had the power to cancel my passport.
It makes one feel very despicable. We
preach the Gospel to these people.
Some of them believe. They come out
from their surroundings and at once are
' marked.’ We teach them to pray to,
and trust in, the living God and not to
worship idols. Then, when trouble
Returning to Yung P’ing, 40 li (about 13 miles) [Dr. A. F. Jones.
from Lanchow with the Imperial wounded.
[N.B.—The Imperialists killed all the Rebel wounded.]
58
The Record of the Revolution
conies, we, through whose teaching they
have laid themselves open to persecu-
tion, run away to safety, while they per-
force are left behind to stand the brunt.
It makes one feel a coward. But if the
Consul refused to issue a passport to me
I might have to go to England. It is
a proper dilemma. Now I am just wait-
ing for the first opportunity to dash off
back again.â€
From the Rev. Alfred Evans (to Mrs.
Evans, at Southampton), and Rev.
W. PI. Hudspeth. . . . Christ-
mas Day.
“ There have been cries on the street,
1 Kill the foreigner, and destroy the
church.’ Of course, all the reports,
whether good or bad, are repeated to
the missionary by the natives, and the
difficulty is what to believe and what
not to. Yesterday there was a great
confusion caused through an altercation
in the street about the price of rice, and
one man was beaten and dragged into'
the gutter. . . . Everyone, how-
ever, is working well, and the prayer-
meetings are what they ought to be.â€
Then Mrs. Evans says:—
“ For some time my husband’s ser-
mons have been on the personal know-
ing of God. A few Sundays before I
left he said something like this : 1 Sup-
posing before long all the foreign
teachers had to leave, if we could be
assured that our people knew God there
would be no need for us to “hang our
hearts up †’ (be anxious). I believe that
many of them do know Him, and that
grace will be given them for what they
may have to endure for His sake.
Surely there is a special call for prayer
just now on their behalf?â€
III.—SOUTH-EAST CHINA.
CHEERING NEWS FROM WENCHOW.
(To Rev. Henry T. Chapman.)
Principal Chapman, in a communica-
tion under date of January 13th, reports
that the College examinations for the
close of the year are most satisfactory,
and that our College in Wenchow is the
only one in residence in the city. What
may happen after the New Year’s! holi-
day is a matter of great uncertainty,
though, under all the circumstances,
prospects of a good start are decidedly
encouraging.
The whole missionary staff had been
invited to a meeting held in honour of
the election of “ Dr. Sun Yat Sen to the
position of President of the provisional
Republic.†With the exception of Mr.
Sharman, who was away on up-country
work, the entire staff went, including
the ladies! How significant this latter
fact! The meeting was a great success,
and passed off in a most happy manner.
There were many features in connection
with this significant function which indi-
cated that not only was the Empire ap-
proaching a period of great change, but
that great changes had already taken
place!
One incident in connection with the
gathering was very significant. At the
outer gate of the hall in which the meet-
mg was help, stood two stalwarts with
large scissors, or shears, and as each
Chinaman presented his ticket for ad-
mission his queue was cut off, if it had
not been already done. All the students
of the College are now queueless, and
also the teachers with one exception.
In connection with this casting away of
the badge of the Manchu servitude and
sovereignty has come the idea that a
foreign hat must of necessity take the
place of the excised queue. The result
is that old “ trilbies †and “ bowlers †are
being worn by children and men alike,
presenting an appearance strange and
grotesque. Principal Chapman says
that while the students look much bet-
ter without their heads shaven and their'
dangling queue, and instead their hair
nicely brushed, they have not yet found
a suitable kind of head-gear. The repre-
sentative of the Reform Government at
the great meeting presented himself in
an old shapeless “ trilby †hat.
There are many things which call for
profound thankfulness in connection
both with the condition of things in
Ningpo and in Wenchow. At the same
time the very atmosphere is charged
with uncertainty. We earnestly appeal
to the members of our churches, through
the pages of the ECHO, to make unceas-
ing prayer for our own missionaries, and
for all missionaries in China in this hour
of unparalleled crisis.
H. T. C.
59
Christ apd tlje
Cbristiap Doctor.
“ He touched her hand †: the fever His con-
trol
Knew, and across the fiery sickness stole
Health, cool and sweet as dawn, and she
who languished
Rose on the instant, every whit made whole.
He healed the loathsome leper at His feet
Praying, till flesh and soul grew sound and
sweet
Even as a little child’s ; till he, the outcast,
Stood with his fellow-men, a man complete.
He raised the dead : the widow’s son at Nain
Heard Him and knew, and straightway lived
again.
Jairus for his daughter, for their brother
Martha and Mary, sought Him not in vain.
And I—I, too, this day my watch have kept,
Even as He, where a sick woman wept
In fever and pain ; have seen the dews of
healing
Drop till her brow grew quiet, and she slept;
(Supposed to be written
by a
Medical Missionary.)
Have seen the writhing limbs and burning
head
Lie cool and still; the sick heart comforted;
The health, the hope that had not been
without me,
The life given back to Love that thought
it dead.
They told me in the homeland I should miss,
In wilder lands, Fame and her beckoning
bliss,
Fortune and power and honour: let me
miss them,
So I be crowned at last in saying this :
Behold, I did but seek, I did but see,
My brother and my sister : can it be
That when I thought to succour these,
these only,
O Master of mine ! I did it unto Thee ?
S. Gertrude Ford.
Winton, Bournemouth.
Sierra Lecpc:
Opening of a Collegiate School.
Abridged from the
** Sierra Leone
Weekly News.â€
A
N event which stands alone in the
history of the United Methodist
Church in this Colony has re-
cently been celebrated. A Secondary
School for the education׳ of the sons of
the Denomination and others has en-
tered upon its incipient stage.
Possessing a well-trained native
ministry this latest achievement cer-
tainly adds weight to the acknowledged
status of that Denomination, and one
may look forward to even steadier and
more effective developments.
Preceding the formal opening of the
Collegiate School, there was held in
Samaria Church a most impressive in-
augural service which was attended by
the ministers and representative mem-
bers of all the churches in connection
with the Denomination in and near
Freetown. A short reminiscent address
was delivered by the Rev. A E. Green-
smith, general superintendent. The
service being over, the ministers and
congregation formed a procession to 8
Pademba Road, which had been fitted
as the tentative home of the school.
The Rev. C. A. E. Macaulay, B.A.,
of Oxford University, who is the latest
acquisition to the ranks of the native
ministry, is in charge of the institution.
The last District Meeting appointed
him as vice-principal in view of the
fact that the English Committee had
been previously asked to send out a
minister who would act as Principal of
the school. For the purpose of obtain-
ing the paternal oversight of the
Foreign Missionary Committee as well
as enlisting the sympathy of the Eng-
lish churches in the new enterprise,
this was deemed a wise course by the
local authorities. This request, we un-
derstand, has, so far, not been com-
plied with.
On the opening day, we learn, there
was an enrolment of forty-six scholars
The Acting Principal, who spent
nearly eight years in England in going
through first a theological and after-
wards an academic course is in every
way qualified for the task before him.
Mr. Macaulay seems to be not only an
ardent lover of his race, but one who
holds steady convictions as to the latent
possibilities thereof. He is not likely
to be disobedient to what he conceives
to be Divine purpose for himself and
those whose future he will henceforth
largely influence. Himself a diligent
student he may therefore safely be en-
trusted with the care of boys.
60
“Not Peace, but
a Sword.â€
Matthew x. 34.
By
Mrs. W. E. SOOTHILL.
THE household arrangements are
primitive. An earthen floor, a
simple bed, a table, stools in lieu
of chairs, these, with the brick stove
and shallow pan for the cooking of the
indispensable rice, sum up the furniture.
Here, we were told, lived Christians,
and so we must stop to make their
acquaintance, and, if possible, encour-
age them in the faith. A sonsy dame
greeted us cheerily, and invited us to be
seated. With her it was evidently a
high day, for seated at a diminutive
table was a craftsman (a relative, we
were informed) who was busy fashion-
ing wonderful things in white rice-
dough, artistically tipping his “ crea-
tions †with all the colours of the rain-
bow.
These were the yearly regulation pre-
sents for various relatives, a married
daughter amongst them, but a pair was
generously set aside for us, and were
later brought home in triumph-—stags
couchant, with blue and red antlers, and
having in their mouths a spray of
feathery green, plucked doubtless from
a certain tree, and no other, so iron-
bound are our Wenchow customs.
But it was when we sat drinking a
cup of tea with her in the late after-
noon that we learnt somewhat of the
history of the occupants of that poor
home, and also of what mettle they
were made—especially the mother, who
was no meek, down-trodden Chinese
woman who “did as she was told,†but a
person of independent mind, capable,
not only of striking out a path for her-
self, but also of carrying her sons along
with her! They had formerly lived
elsewhere, and, I should suppose, in
much better state, but when Christ
came to the family He came as a sword
•—as a divider. The head of the family
resolutely refused to countenance Chris-
tianity, he himself was a confirmed
idolator, and the defection of his wife
and two sons served but to increase his
ardour. There was trouble. With such
opposing forces set in battle array, how
could it be otherwise?
It ended in a separation, and, strange
though it seems in China, the sons
elected to go out with their mother to
where they might worship God in peace
rather than remain under the old roof
tree with their father and his idols.
They set out, and when they came to
this lonely spot in the bosom of the
hills there they made “ a tent to dwell
in†by planting a few poles, covering
them with thatch and setting up a rice
pan. Happy enough, too, they seemed,
every Sunday journeying regularly to
Broker’s Bridge to service. The poor
dame bemoaned the fact that of late she
had been unable to take the arduous
walk having partially lamed herself by
accidentally falling into a deep rice field
close by. Very proud seemed she, too,
of her sons—the eldest, a good-looking
youth of twenty, whom I recognized as
having seen at service the Sunday be-
fore; the second, a boy just entering
his teens. They were “ good lads,†she
said, and never hesitated about doing a
day’s work for anyone who needed it,
after their own sweet potato patches
were tilled.
We were not the only foreign visitors
she had ever had. Once Mr. Stobie
had passed that way, and had called in
On the road in winter garb.
Rev. G. P. Littlewood’and Dr. Jones.
61
The Student Conference, Liverpool, January 2nd to 7th
to “ hae a bit prayer.†“ East is East
and West is West,†and who shall gain-
say it, but that day in the wilds of Far
Cathay both Oriental and Occidental
were able to kneel as children at the
footstool of a common Father by virtue
of the sword which had “ broken down ״
the middle wall of partition between
them, uniting them under the Banner
of the very Prince of Peace.
«־§=> ׳=■§=>
Tl>c Studcpt Copfcrcpcc,
Liverpool, January 2r>d to 7tb.
׳O those who were privileged to
attend the fifth quadrennial Con-
ference of the Student Volunteer
Missionary Union, the New Year has
already brought new life and hope. Not
only because over 2,000 students, re-
presenting twenty different countries,
gathered together to face the problems
of the non-Christian world, but also
because the solution of all the problems
of mankind was convincingly shown to
rest with Jesus Christ and His disciples.
Quite a new departure was made.
Recognizing that “the social and mis-
sionary problem is not two or many,
but one,†the Executive decided that no
smaller scope could be selected for the
field of study than that of “ Christ and
Human Need.†The morning and after-
noon sessions were accordingly devoted
to. the presentation of missionary and
social facts ; and the evening meetings
to the consideration of Jesus Christ and
his sufficiency to meet the need of the
world.
When it is said that it is almost- im-
possible to . decide which were the
greatest speeches delivered, it may per-
haps be imagined what was the cumu-
lative effect of so many magnificent
utterances. Some of the thoughts ex-
pressed are worthy to be enshrined for
ever in the heart and mind of the Chris-
tian Church, and a few may be given
here to serve as illustrations of many:
“To treat others as precious to God is
the secret of Brotherhood †CRev. N. S.
Talbot). "If we are not going to be
truly Christian in industry and com-
merce we are not going to the Christian
at all in any serious or worthy sense â€
(Rev. A. H. Gray). “ Our hideous
social system . . . has grown up
. because people generally are
as good as we are and no better †(Rev.
W. Temple). “War will never cease
By Mr.
F. R. CRADDOCK,
of Ranrooer College.
nor international civilization arise until
some nation has chosen to perish rather
than stain its soul with the passion of
war†(lb?). “What the slum is to the
great city, heathenism is and always
has been to the world †(Rev. Dr.
Cairns).
Over an hour and a half each day was
spent in devotion and intercession.
During those periods “ there arose to
God a cloud of aspiration, the aspira-
tion of the human heart toward the
best.†God■received that aspiration,
and in response He gave inspiration.
While such effectual fervent prayer con-
tinues to ascend to God, greater things
will be wrought than many dream of.
A favourite hymn was “ Jesus, Thou joy
of loving hearts,†and the singing of
this alone was sufficient to make the
hearts of weary secretaries and tutors
leap for joy and throb with hope.
Not the least significant feature of
this inspiring Conference was the very
fine “ Exhibit †in the preparation of
which considerable time and thought
were given.* All kinds of curios, books
and diagrams, were skilfully arranged
to make a tough meal easily digestible.
It remains to be said that our hearts
were filled with a sense of our own sin
and helplessness, which still makes us
feel very sad. But, in the closing meet-
ing, the chairman voiced the feelings
of all when he asked us to take “ God is
Love †as our building-ground. Only
in that fact have we hope for the future,
but knowing that we have courage to
face every problem “ in His name.â€
The addresses are published in book
form, as “ Christ and Human Need,†at
2s, 3d. post free from the S.V.M.U., 93
Chancery Lane, W.C. They make
splendid reading.
*We were glad to note a “ U.M.†exhibit, which had been
prepared by the Editor of the “ Echo,†by request of Mr.
Stedeford.—F.R.C.
“Anjopg tlje Tribes ip
Soatb=Wcst Cbipa•â€*
By tl>c
Rev. H. PARSONS.
WE are indebted to Mr. Clarke for
his book on the aboriginals of
Yunnan and Kuei-Chow pro-
vinces. Much valuable information re-
specting tribal history, customs and be-
liefs, has been collected. The West of
China is the home of many people not
of Chinese origin. In the opening
chapter Mr. Clarke endeavours to trace
the movements of China’s oldest in-
habitants, and shows how the tribes
have been, to a large extent, driven by
the conquering and pushful Chinaman
to the hills and plains of the South-West
of the Celestial Empire.
Despite his long experience of more
than thirty years, Mr. Clarke makes no
claim of finality for his investigations.
This is necessarily a “ first book.†Fuller
information will probably cause some of
the statements made to be modified.
This is not the work of a globe-trotter
■—who rushing through the country in
record-beating time, claims to possess
adequate knowledge of what he both
sees and hears (or rather thinks he
does), and ever after poses as an autho-
rity on things and people in general—
but the result of careful observations
and much patient inquiry, and as such
we heartily welcome it.
The first part deals with the non-
Chinese races of Kuei-Chow, and has
chapters on the Miao, Shans, No Su
and others. The second contains an ac-
count of the missionary labours among
the tribes.
United Methodists will turn with
special interest to this volume on ac-
count of our work as a Church among
some of these peoples. The customs
and legends here recorded will interest
all who are curious, and fond of fairy
tales.
Mr. Clarke wisely points out that
every custom and story he records,
whilst true of those people whom he
has met, is not necessarily common to
all the tribe. Some of thei legends, for
example, which are recited by the Miao
of the An Shuen district, seem not to
be generally known among “ our Miao,â€
* By Samuel R. Clarke, for 33 years a missionary in
China (China Inland Mission). Morgan and Scott, 3s. 6d.
and stories which our people around
Stone Gateway tell are not given by
Mr. Clarke.
The religious beliefs of the Miao are
an interesting study.
“Among the Miao . . . spiritual beings
are demons, and always inimical to human
kind.â€
“At first we were inclined to think that
the Miao worshipped demons, but, again
and again, they denied this.â€
“The performances they go through are
done to drive away or keep away the demons
and to counteract their evil influences.â€
Mr, Clarke devotes several pages to
the marriage customs of the Miao. We
doubt if the writer is correct in all par-
ticulars. For instance, it is stated—
“ that among the Hua Miao, after the eve-
ning• meal, the bride and one of her com-
panions lay aside their fine clothes, and,
taking a tub half full of water, wash the
feet of all the guests, beginning with the
men.â€
We have been guests at many Miao
weddings, but have never had our feet
washed, nor once seen it done to any
other visitor.
If young people would like to know
what the Miao say is the reason why the
cat worries the rat, the dog chases and
bites the sheep, and the swallow has a
flat head, they should read the stories
on pages 85—88.
The Shans or Chung-chia, one of the
large tribes of the West, are described
in a separate chapter. The author
states that the Shans are anxious to
claim relationship with the Chinese, but
that this claim has done them little
good.
“They appear to have all the defects of
the Chinese, and none of their better quali-
ties. The Chinese generally describe the
Miao as turbulent, simple and without pro-
per notions of propriety; while they describe
the Shans as crafty, lying and dishonest.â€
For his descriptive account of the
No Su, Mr. Clarke is greatly indebted
to our Mr. Hicks. The article from
which the information is taken appeared
in the “ Chinese Recorder,†and has:
been noticed in our publications. Mr.
Clarke’s notes on the No Su contain
63
“Among the Tribes in South-West Chinaâ€
little that is new to readers of the
Echo.
In telling the story of the introduc-
tion of Christianity among the Miao,
Chung-kia and No Su, Mr. Clarke gives
the thrilling account of the opening of
the first station at Panghai. It is a
narrative of opposition and persecution,
of fire and sword. We follow the jour-
neying of Mr. Fleming and his Miao
helper^ P’an-sheo-shan, and shudder at
their murder:
“ Mr. Fleming left for Kuei-yang accom-
panied by P’an-sheo-shan. . . . After go-
ing about fifteen miles, they reached "the
market town of Chung-ngan-kiang. .
The people of this place knew it had been
decided to kill the foreigner, and no one
would sell them rice to eat. They succeeded,
however, in buying some vermicelli, and
while they were eating, it, the man who
killed Mr. Fleming was sharpening his
knife. . . . They crossed the river on
the ferry. . . . The three men who had
been deputed to do the deed crossed on the
boat at the same time. ... As the party
stepped off the ferry and went along the
road, the people of the town streamed out
along a road on the town side to see the
devoted foreigner done to death. The coolie
went first carrying the luggage, then Mr.
Fleming riding a mule; after him went P’an-
sheo-shan. The murderers, whom Mr.
Fleming regarded as ordinary travellers,
followed close behind. Just as they reached
the bend, a man with the cavalry sword
came behind the unsuspecting P’an and
struck him down killing him almost in-
stantly. He uttered a cry,' and Mr. Fleming,
turning round, saw what had happened. He
was unarmed, but dismounted at once, and
going to P’an’s assistance was set upon by
the other two. . . . Mr. Fleming׳
struggled for some time with his assailants,
but was finally done to death with many
wounds.â€
Then the story is told of the spread
of the Gospels among the hills :—
11 One very admirable and encouraging cha-
racteristic of these Miao Christians is that,
when they believe the Gospels themselves,
they are unwearied in teaching it to others.
The movement among them has spread not
so much in consequence of the travelling
and preaching of the missionaries, as by the
zeal and persistent testimony of these simple
believers.. It is thus that the Gospel has
spread from district to district.â€
A group of Hwa Miao at Panghai. [Favoured by Publishers.
(Lady Missionary on the left.)
64
“A World Book of Foreign Missionsâ€
The mass movement of the people
toward Christianity, which is already
familiar to 'United Methodists, is told
again in these pages ; the articles con-
tributed to our magazines by Mr. Pol-
lard being largely quoted and heartily
commended.
Experience of the people inclines us
to believe that the Christians do not
know the meaning of what they read,
to the extent that the paragraphs on
p. 216 would lead us to infer. Nor
that cases of falling away from the
faith are quite so few as the writer sup-
poses. We can, however, agree most
heartily with the general statement
that “those simple believers have not
backslidden (in any large numbers), but
are growing in grace, in knowledge,
and in Christian character.â€
We do not think that the rule stated
on p. 244 respecting unmarried persons
is a wise one. Some of the best of our
Miao Christians are to be found among
the boys and girls.
The book is brightly written, and we
recommend it heartily to all United
Methodists. There are a number of
splendid photographs.
Only about one in ten of the words in
the Hua Miao vocabulary at the end of
the book is correct for the Stone Gate-
way district.
“A World B00H of
Forcigp Missions.â€*
By tbc Rev.
HENRY T. CHAPMAN.
THE writer in preparing this book
had two objects before him:—
(1) “A book bringing together,
in a concise form, the history and results
of modern missions, and at the same
time showing their connection with the
past †; and
(2) Supplying a work “ that may be
used as a regular daily course of mis-
sionary reading extending over one
month—a chapter of Part I. in the morn-
ing, a chapter of Parts II. and III. in
the evening." The work is divided into
three parts as follows:—
I.—WHAT MISSIONS ARE.
The author begins with the mission-
ary element as set forth in the Bible' in
the religion of God’s ancient Israel. The
first note he claims is struck in the call
of Abram (Gen. xii. 1—3), laying special
emphasis on the words: “ In thee shall
all the families of the earth be blessed.â€
The religion of Israel is the base of
modern missions. From this point the
author proceeds to indicate the way in
which both the Greek nation and the
Roman contributed to God’s great pur-
* By the Rev. E. T. Reed. London: Headley Bros.
2s. 6d. net.
pose of evangelizing the world: Greece
by its subtle, flexible and universal lan-
guage ; Rome by its laws, organization
and world-wide conquests.
He then describes in short chapters
the mission enterprise of Patrick in Ire-
land, and that of Columba in Scotland.
Then with equal brevity he outlines
the rise of Mohammedanism, and from
his point of view gives the causes of its
great success. These causes may or
may not cover the whole ground, but
. one of the causes alleged may well give
pause to the Church of to-day: “ The
corrupt and divided state of the Church.â€
The writer then proceeds to deal with
the relation of the Reformation to the
great missionary enterprise. The con-
tribution made by the Reformation was
not in the way of supplying any great
missionaries, nor in emphasizing the
missionary commission of Jesus Christ,
but in arousing the Church from a me-
chanical and lifeless formality to a con-
dition of vivid and intense spirituality
through individual faith in Jesus Christ.
To do this was a great and glorious
work; a deep, intense and quickened
sehse of the love of God and of per-
sonal responsibility has ever been the
“A World Book of Foreign Missionsâ€
root of missionary enthusiasm and en-
terprise. It was so in the eighteenth
century, following on, and growing out
of, the revival of the Wesleys and their
coadjutors. Is not this the supreme
need of the Church to-day ?
Following the chapter on the “ Re-
formation,†the author passes in review
the planting of the first “ Protestant
Mission in India,†giving the names of
the principal actors. Then follows, in
a series of very interesting chapters, an
account of the beginning, and the
spheres of the missions of the Moravian
Church, Roman Catholic, Baptists,
Presbyterians, Church of England,
Wesleyan Methodists, Friends, C.I.M.,
“ Salvation Army †and the “ Regions
Beyond.†This section of the work is in-
terestingly done and very informing.
Our own missions and the Primitive
Methodists’ have a place in the review,
but the author has clearly contented
himself with the statistics supplied in
the Annual Missionary Reports. For
dates, names and places of British
Foreign missions, the review will prove
very useful to hard-pressed missionary
advocates, Sunday School teachers and
leaders of C.E. classes.
The reader will also find interesting
information on missions to the Jews,
the British and Foreign Bible Society,
the Religious Tract Society, Medical
Missions, Women’s Missionary Societies
and German and American Missions.
The chapter dealing with missions
to lepers is one of tender pathetic, and
tragic interest.
II.—WHAT MISSIONS PROVE.
This part of the work supplies to the
busy thoughtful reader, in a clear and
concise form, and, as far as space per-
mits, a cogent answer to two ever-press-
ing questions : (a) Is religion an essential
factor in' the development and progress
of mankind ? (F) What can Christianity
do for man, universal man, that other
ancient faiths and religions have failed
to do? Animism, Paganism, Hindu-
ism. Buddhism. Confucianism, Moham-
medanism! The strength of these
ancient systems of religious faith, and
their painful and vital failure are placed
side by side in vivid contrast.
In a sub-division, in which the author
deals with the “ Results of Missions,â€
especially in their bearing on the “ Life
that now is,†several historic cases are
given. The story of Bishop Crowther
is re-told with much beauty and force.
The case also of Khama, his conver-
sion, his persecutions, his rule, his
beneficent and splendid life, whilst an
old story, is re-stated with convincing
force. The record of the work among
the women of the Far East, and the
gruesome but Christlike work among
the lepers, is one to move the heart as
well as arouse the interest of all earnest
readers.
III.—HOW TO HELP.
This is a concise statement and
enforcement of the duty and privilege
of “ How to Help Missions.†What is
urged is pertinent, but too scanty.
We cannot call this book a great
book; it is, however, a good book,
written from the historical point of view,
concise in statement, clear and easy to
read—a great quality—and written by
one who believes in Christian missions
with his whole heart, and has the power
of making his readers conscious of his
faith in missions and his love of Jesus
Christ.
The best informed may peruse Mr.
Reed’s book with pleasure and profit.
To those beginning a study of Christian
missions it is among the best introduc-
tions with which we are acquainted.
We strongly recommend it to all busy
Christian workers, and especially to our
young friends. It also gives a splendid
list of other missionary books.
“ Give ye then) to eat! â€
“Give them to eat? †Nay, Lord, it cannot
be !
Let them go home, o’er darkening Galilee :
We need our little loaves and fishes small!
These multitudes? We cannot feed them all.
* * *
Give us soft raiment, comfort, affluence,
ease :
Give us fair churches, prayer and creeds
that please :
What if the people die for lack of bread?
It is â– enough, O Lord, that we are fed.
The late Mrs. Kumm.
From S.U.M. Report.]
An X-Ray
Photograph•
OtII R. STOBIE suggests that you
IVI ke interested to see my
■* ’ *״ first X-ray photograph.
The apparatus arrived at the begin-
ning of the year', but owing to a chap-
ter of accidents I have only just got it
working after nine months’ labour.
First the coil was damaged on the way
out, the woodwork and insulation being
broken ; but with the help of glue and
beeswax it has been made usable.
The ordinary difficulties were experi-
enced with the oil engine such as ama-
teur motor-car drivers will be able to
understand, but the principal trouble
has been with the dynamo. First the
field magnet lost its insulation, and
when, after some difficulty, it was re-
wound, the armature went wrong. I
thought this was the end of its exist-
ence, but one of the engineers of the
steamer that calls here came to the
rescue. He re-
wound it, and
although there
have been some
minor hindrances
it is now running
smoothly. The
week after
everything was
in working or-
der, two cases
came in which
without the X-
rays would have
been treated
with much diffi-
culty and pos-
sibly without
success. The
first man had a
needle in his
foot, but as part
of the needle!
had come out he
was not quite
sure if any was
left, and as we
could not feel it
I think it would
have had to be
An X-ray Photograph (note the visible needle). [Dr. Plummer.
67
By
Dr. PLUMMER,
Wenchow.
left in but for this apparatus. The
photo shows the position clearly.
Although the needle went in through
the sole of the foot it was re-
moved from the top. The second case
was a man with a needle in his hand,
and here, too, it could not be felt or
located, and its successful removal was
entirely due tol the X-ray photograph.
“ Until these calamities be overpast.â€
—P». lvii. l.
Forget them not, O Christ, who stand,
Thy vanguard in the distant land.
In flood, in flame, in dark, in dread,
Sustain, we pray, each lifted head.
Exalt them over every fear,
In peril come Thyself more near.
Thine is the work they strive to do,
Their foes so many, they so few.
Be with Thine own, Thy loved, who stand,
Christ’s vanguard in the storm-swept land.
—The “Bible in the World.†ANON.
Watchtower.
THE EDITOR.
THE BUSINESS SIDE AGAIN.
FOLLOWING our analysis of circu-
lation last month (on p. 43) we
are now able to compare the total
circulation in January, 1912, with the
corresponding month of 1911. The in-
crease in that period was 430 per month,
or an aggregate increase of over 5,000.
We are thankful—on behalf of the
cause, yet we look for a much greater
increase during the present year.
It is regrettable that in some cases
the circulation in a particular church
or section is high, and yet the rest of
the circuit reduces the average pain-
fully. This is especially true of Paign-
ton in the Torquay Circuit, and Milk
Street Church, Bristol. We have had
most kindly letters from these centres
of activity, and hereby respectfully ex-
press our admiration for their good
work. Paignton section of three
churches (thanks to the Rev. W. E. C.
Harris) circulates 31 (a percentage of
22), while it was only two last August;
Milk Street 31 (thanks to Mrs. Eayrs),
which is about 24 per cent.
THE CHINA EMERGENCY APPEAL.
We are sorry to hear that the effort
to raise £100,000 for Education and
Medical Training in China׳ has had to
discontinued. The Rev. E. T. Reed *
has laboured hard as secretary for over
two years, and has been able to report
about £?15,000 as raised. This has been
voted to the various medical and train-
ing colleges in China, and to the Chris-
tian Literature Society. It was an am-
bitious thought, but it ought not to have
been beyond Christian Britain! (For
particulars see p. 213, 1911.)
THE UNITED UNIVERSITIES’ SCHEME.
Closely akin to this is the effort with
which the honoured name of Soothill is
associated. We need not say more this
month than to draw the attention of our
readers to his most important article on
another page, and refer them also to p.
195, 1911.
THE CHINESE REVOLUTION.
We may hope that since February
1st this has entered on its concluding
* A book by him is reviewed this month. See p. 65.
phase, for which we are devoutly thank-
ful. We are able to give some account
of the movements of our missionaries in
North and South-West China; or, to
report when they would not “ move.â€
Happily the South-East section has
been free from any trouble, and almost
from anxiety. See our record, pp.
56—60.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE CHINA REPUBLIC.
This Republic is the marvel of the
twentieth century. Mr. J. Ellis Barker
has written an able and informing
article on Sun Yat Sen and the1 revolu-
tion without once mentioning Yuan Shi
Kai. It appears in the “Fortnightly
Review.†Mr. Barker believes in H.E.
Sun Yat Sen, and describes personal in-
terviews with him.
MISSIONARY RECITATIONS.
We have received a copy of a very
useful book.* We are frequently asked
to name suitable recitations for junior
missionary meetings. The quality of
those in this volume is unequal, but
several are very good and “ fetching.â€
“ The Red Cross Flag †is a true story
from Ningpo, and therefore appropriate
for us. Novelties for our meetings
would be “ The Missionary Cake,â€
“ The Doll Sale,†or “ The Flower
Sale.â€
Missionary Recitations for children. By Frances
Stratton (Elliot Stock, Is. 6d. net.)
NOW READY.
A
Missionary Parliament
0 0 0
A Representation for Juvenile
--- Missionary Meetings.--
Compiled by the Editor of the "Missionary Echo."
000
*‘MISSIONARY ECHO†EXTRA, No. 4.
PRICE ONE PENNY, NET. --------------
(Six copies and over, post free.)
68
Our Worpcp’s
Auxiliary Page.
LL friends at home will have
felt deep sympathy with our
missionaries in China who have
been forced by the authorities, much
against their own wish, to leave their
stations for central cities, owing to a
reign of lawlessness as a result of the
revolution throughout the country. Yun-
nan, from its remote position, seems to
be especially affected in this way, and
we hear of robbery, wanton destruction
of property—particularly that of foreign
merchants—and of railway stations, and
in some cases of murder committed.
Letters from Mrs. Pollard and Mrs.
Dymond, as published in the “ United
Methodist,†February 1st, make very
pathetic reading, and prove the â– sore
need of Christianizing influences in that
unhappy country.
Mrs. Pollard says: “We hope the
friends at home will not lose heart.â€
Surely the situation is a call for greater
faith, for more earnest prayer and more
devoted giving! Our clear friends may
be assured that they are affectionately
remembered by our W.M.A. in this time
of trial and anxiety, and that prayer is
being offered by night and day for them
and the work from which they are for
the time perforce separated. May this
apparent set-back result eventually by
The refugees (B.M.S.) leaving Shansi.
(Some of the ladies slept for four nights in this railway carriage.)
[.Favoured by B. M. Herald.
Edited by
Mrs. BALKWILL.
God’s blessing in the strengthening and
widening of our missionary work.
We are glad to hear that Dr. Grandin
had so far recovered from her serious
illness as to be able to leave Chao Tong,
December 14th, for Yunnan Fu, in com-
pany with Mr. and Mrs. Dymond and
Miss Squire. From there, as soon as
circumstances would permit, she was to
proceed to Wenchow, where her sister,
Mrs. Chapman, was eagerly anticipating
her arrival.*
From a home letter, I have been
kindly permitted to use, we find Mrs.
Chapman installed as organist at Mrs.
Plummer’s and Miss Holt’s meeting for
women and girls, and industriously
working at the language to be able to
sing as well. At Christmas Mrs. Chap-
man and Miss Holt gave all the school-
girls a treat, with games, etc., and had
a happy time. “ Afterwards,†the letter
continues:—
“we made parcels of the fragments and
carried them over to the Hospital to the
women’s ward, where one is always greeted
with joy and curiosity. Here they insist on
chattering away to me, while I can only
smile in return, and I do long to speak to
them. I have two hours with my teacher every
morning. Then 1 have a Chinese young lady,
whose marriage was a fiasco, resulting in
her living again with her father, a magis-
trate in Wenchow, who comes to
me three times a week for lessons
in English.â€
Thus all was apparently
quiet at Wenchow, and work
going on as usual. (See p. 59
—Ed.)
From North China, how-
ever, the following letter is re-
ceived from Miss Turner:—
Tientsin, December 18th.
“ I was grieved to have to send
my girls home; some, owing to the
widespread floods, seemed to have
only just arrived, and we hoped to
have done two months’ more good
work before the Chinese New Year.
As far as school work w'ent all was
peace, but the attendance at meet-
* A letter from Mrs. T. W. Chapman, Feb.
5th, states that Dr. Grandin reached Hong Kong
safely on Jan. 23rd, and she hoped to be at
Wenchow Feb. 2nd.—Ed.
69
Our Women’s Auxiliary Page
ings in the villages was falling off;
the people fear being seen to have
anything to do with the foreigners who,
they say, want to divide up China
amongst them. Mr. Hinds brought Mrs.
Hinds and me down, and, after three
days, set out back again; he would
be able to reassure the poor folk a
little. My girls and the women were
very sad at parting; my packing, etc.,
had all to be done at night for I had con-
stant visitors every' day, some fearing that
we should never meet again on earth. I
comforted them with the hope of speedy
peace, and we sang ‘ God be with you till
•we meet again ’ together, and read our
‘ Good-bye ’ chapter (Phil. iv. 4—9). The
elder girls all promised to keep up their read-
ing and to bear witness for the Saviour, both
by word and conduct. Mr. Annand has
just, as I write, brought in the news that
Peace is made.â€
(A rumour which unhappily did not
prove to be true.—E. B.)
And again, on December 26th :—
“ I went down yesterday morning to our
service in the city where a good congrega-
tion assembled : after the service they had
a feast to which I did not stay. My thoughts
were with our Chu Chia friends who usually
have such a happy Christmas Day. There
are prayer-meetings held here daily.
AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS.
From Mrs. Swallow’s interesting ac-
count of her journey to China we give
the following extracts —
“At Victoria Station, on September
24th, many kind friends had assembled
to wish us God-speed. As we sped
along day by day there were various
points of interest; the few hours waiting
in Berlin was repaid by a drive ‘ in and
out and round about ’ that splendid city.
A dashing drive through Warsaw is not
easily forgotten, but the one outstand-
ing feature is the crossing through
Siberia, with its miles upon miles of
silver birch trees, its long, waving grass
and its glorious sunsets. Now and
again, owing to the long stages, certain
. parts of the train became overheated
and sparks flew about in every direction,
but a little timely attention would be
given, and off we went again ; arriving
1â–º at Tientsin on the morning of October
8th, Dr. Swallow soon got away to
Ningpo, where he was warmly wel-
corned.
“ As for myself I visited Peking, and
saw its wonders, both ancient and
modern. As I stood on its grand old
wall, and looked down on to its im-
posing, yet homelike legation, and away
to the glinting roof of the Royal Palace,
and round about me, I was charmed,
and would fain have lingered long; here
and there a garden chair invited me,
but other scenes awaited. I was inter-
ested in the old Lama Temple; here
I noted the dull, stolid look of the
priests, and the terrible need of a ‘ good
spring clean.’ I was greatly impressed
by the ‘ Temple of Heaven,’ and its
glorious surroundings, and when, after
climbing to the top of the Water Gate
Tower, Peking lay at my feet, I was
full of delight. Modern buildings of a
foreign type were going up far and
near. I was glad to see the large, hand-
some building that the Government is
raising for the Y.M.C.A.
“ On the third day I took train for
Tai-yuan-fu, the Capital of Shansi,
where I spent a week of satisfaction and
joy with my son, meeting several mem-
bers of the English Baptist Mission who.
are working there. Under a brilliant
sunshine I gazed sadly at two enclo-
sures in the foreign cemetery, where
the dust of the martyrs of igoo is rest-
ing. My intention was to spend a week
also in the province of Honan, but on
October 15th, while I was conversing
with friends gathered for a ‘social hour,â€
my son Robert hurried in saying there
was news of an uprising, and that I
had better take train for the coast on
the first day I could get through, or I
might be kept a prisoner for weeks. I
therefore retraced my steps to Tientsin,
and on October 22nd reached Shang-
hai. As I had to wait until the follow-
ing afternoon for a boat to Ningpo I
had! the pleasure of once more meeting
Miss Milligan, who is now working
bravely in * The Door of Hope,’ a res-
cue mission for Chinese girls. I went
through the rooms and saw the excel-
lent work the girls are doing, and heard
how many of them are now followers of
Jesus, and some have become wives of
pastors and teachers in various missions.
From there I went by rickshaw, tram,
train and barrow to a branch of the
‘ Door of Hope ’ at Chiairgwan where־
70
Our Women’s Auxiliary Page
Miss Ethel Abercrombie is doing a
noble work.
“With thankfulness in my heart,
grateful for the plain, guiding hand of
God upon me, I left the steamer (Octo-
ber 24th), and stepped on to the Ningpo
Bund, after fifteen years of absence in
my beloved native land.* The day was
breaking into a glorious promise, and,
as I came unexpected I was glad for
some reasons to be alone. I tried my
rusty Chinese on waiting coolies. A
foreign gentleman hurried up to offer
assistance, but he seemed well satisfied
that I could get on very well, and pre-
sently I was seated in a native chair,
being carried through narrow streets to
our own fine compound. Here I was
quickly seen by Dr. Swallow, and a little
later was warmly welcomed by foreig-
ners and natives. We breakfasted with
Mr. and Mrs. Sheppard, who are look-
ing well; their home is made bright by
their little son, Tom, and the twinnies
now one year old. ... I was glad to
see the foreign staff looking well, but
at the time I actually arrived Mr. Hey-
wood and Mr. Lyttle were visiting coun-
try stations. The good friends lent us
some furniture; our boxes had arrived
in good order, and we soon bought a
few things and started housekeeping.
“ On the day after my arrival we re-
ceived a note headed ‘ The English
Methodist College,’ and signed by
H. S. Redfern, stating that the teachers
and students were holding a social meet-
ing of the Y.M.C.A. that night to wel-
come Dr. Swallow and myself. So
some hours later we found ourselves in
the midst of a group of interesting stu-
dents; some of the teachers I had left
as boys, and I returned to find them
men of light and leading. During the
interval I went round with Mrs. Hey-
wood to speak to young boys whose
parents I had known in the old days.
The impression of that pleasant upper
room, the well-filled platform and beam-
ing, upturned faces of the boys, and
the cordial words of greeting will linger
long in my memory.â€
* It is only ten years since the Dr. concluded his
former service in China, but Mrs. Swallow returned with
him in 1897, and it was arranged that he should return
alone in 1898 for five years.—Ed.
(The remainder of this letter will be
given next month.)
Miss Murfitt, also writing from Ning-
po, November 29th, says:—
“ I am greatly enjoying the work ambng
the children, in whom I have become keenly
interested. The work has not been easy,
and there is much yet left to be desired,
but things are running smoothly, and all
that is wanted now is a lady who will im-
prove on present conditions, and develop the.
school so that the girls may be trained to
grow up useful, God-fearing women. Our
numbers have kept up splendidly, and in
spite of the usual falling off towards the
latter part of the year we have now thirty-
four scholars.
“This seems to me the most important part
of our women’s work, for the truths im-
parted to the girls now will never be for-
gotten, and, by God’s blessing, may be the
means of spreading the Gospel in many
directions. Besides, where else is the pre-
sent generation of Christians to obtain Chris-
tian wives if our mission schools do not
train them? So much is done for the boys,
and so little for the girls, in this direction.â€
An interesting account of Miss Mur-
fitt’s latest visit with the Biblewoman
to one of the villages must also stand
over for another month.
The Twins s George and Mary Sheppard.
(A Christmas card to the Editor: reproduced
without permission.)
71
Notable Collectors
THE MONTHLY PRAYER MEETING.
Hymns:
“ Bright as the sun’s meridian blaze.â€
“ Lord, her watch Thy Church is keep-
ing.â€
Solo with chorus: “Far, far away, in
heathen darkness dwelling.â€
Scripture: Acts xvii. 22—31.
Praise: For mercies vouchsafed to
our missionaries in China during the
past weeks of much anxiety and dan-
ger.
Petitions: That God would graci-
ously continue to preserve His servants
in this time of trial; that friends may
be raised up for them wherever they
may be sent, and that they may still be
enabled to witness for Him; that all
our home churches may realize in a
greater degree the responsibility and
privilege of helping to extend the King-
dom of our God. (See verses on p. 55.
—Ed.)
Talk, or reading, on current mission-
ary news, vide ECHO and “ United
Methodist.â€
Notable Collectors.—35.
THIS month we have to omit the word
“Junior,†in order to record the quiet
telling work of one who was a junior
when she began collecting. We have
succeeded in obtaining the splendid his-
tory from back reports, and we never
Miss Mabel Martyn, St. Stephens, St. Austell.
had greater pleasure in the acknow-
ledgment of worthy , and continuous ser-
vice. Miss Martyn travels over a radius
of four miles, month by month, to
gather her missionary subscriptions.
She is the daughter of a Cornish farmer,
and is a teacher and C.E. worker. The
following is her record:—-
895×’
1896
1897
1898
1899
1900
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
(estimated)
£ s. d.
1 15 6
280
300
469
4 15 o
600
6 13 o
615 6
6 10 o
700
7 10 o
7 14 o
800
820
8 6 6
£107 13 o
8 8
It will be noted that only once has
there been a decrease, and it was well
rectified the following year.
—Per Mr. T. Barnicoat,
Circuit Missionary Secretary.
72
THE
Missionary Echo
OF
Gbe ׳United flDetboOist Cburcb.
Chief Sapdy.
(TV LL who have read Mr. Vivian’s
thrilling book, “ A Captive
־* * Missionary in Mendiland,†will
be interested in hearing a word of Chief
Sandy of Tikonkoh. At the time of the
1898 rebellion Sandy was the Acting-
Chief of Tikonkoh. When peace was
restored to Mendi, he was confirmed in
the appointment by the British Govern-
ment. He continued to rule until a few
months ago, when he passed away.
Chief Sandy was a strong man and a
very shrewd ruler. I have been told
that he was not equal to Chief Maca-
voreh whom he succeeded, and who
permitted Messrs. Vivian and Good-
man to enter Tikonkoh, yet he
was undoubtedly a strong man, and
was recognized by the Government as
such. In the many boundary disputes
that crop up between chiefdom and
chiefdom in Mendiland, the services of
Sandy were often in demand, and con-
siderable reliance placed on his judg-
ment. He ruled over some thirty or
forty small towns with ability, and a
few years ago there was a considerable
likelihood of the chiefdom of Bo being
placed under Sandy’s guidance, the
chief objection being that his successor
might not be able to administer such a
large area as the combined Bo and
Tikonkoh chiefdoms would make.
A paramount chief like Sandy must
live a busy life. He must keep all his
towns in order, although each town has
its own sub-chief. All the roads lead-
ing from town to town must be kept
clean, and he it is who must decide
when his subjects must leave their farm
work and come to work for the common
good. He has made splendid roads
throughout his territory. If Mr. Good-
man and Mr. Vivian could see the
By Rev.
A. E. GREENSMITH.
Tikonkoh road which runs from Tikon-
koh to Bo they would greatly wonder.
It is eight miles long, and was sur-
veyed by some of Sandy’s “ boys †who
had been employed on the long roads
which the Government made in other
parts of the hinterland to act as feeders
to the railway. Instead of the old ver-
micular bush path, which sometimes
narrowed down to a few inches wide in
places, this is a road nine feet wide
Chief Sandy [Photo : Rev. A. E. Oreensmith.
wearing his favourite robe, presented to him by
our Sheffield (Hanover) friends.
April, 1912.
Chief Sandy
running from village to village in almost
a bee-line. Swamps have been filled
in, substantial “ country †bridges have
been made, and the road runs through
small cuttings in the hillsides in places
to lower the gradient.
This road continues, and is quite as
remarkable, on the Kasamma side of
Tikonkoh. When it is remembered
that the Mendies are content with
roads of any description, it can
then be realized what firmness and
statesmanship must have been required
on the part of Sandy to induce his peo-
pie to turn out.in hundreds to work for
weeks for nothing on a road which to
them could only be regarded as an orna-
ment of the chiefdom.
Chief Sandy never liked to be con-
sidered behind other chiefs, and if the
Government made roads through other
chiefdoms he would make his own
roads.
Though a Mohammedan, Sandy ren-
dered considerable assistance to our
mission at Tikonkoh. He was proud
when asked to come to Bo to be pre-
sent at the foundation stonelaying of
our new church,* and he was pleased
to hand in an envelope, like the Chris-
tians, with his donation.
* See 1907, p. 149.—Ed.
He was hoping to come and assist in
this •way at the opening of the church,
but by that tiipe he was dead.
He was one of the few Mendi chiefs
not guilty of taking rum or gin.
Fond of aping Europeans, his house
was a medley of European and African
arrangements. Iron bedsteads, spring
mattresses, and an eider quilt, beautiful
country cloths, and several mirrors
formed the chief features of the royal
sleeping apartments, which I suspect
were more for show than for use. A
table and chairs, another spring bed,
two country wooden couches covered
with country cloths, cheap prints of
Edward VII. and Queen Alexandra,
George V. and Oueen Mary, of General
Roberts, and a good-going clock were
the main features of the combined din-
ing and sitting room. There was a
very good Pasteur filter in the pantry,
but I dared not use it when staying
there, for there was nothing but cock-
roaches in it when I looked.
This royal residence was mainly for
visitors, and was the only house in Ti-
konkoh that boasted a boarded floor.
In the same compound, in various
houses were a number of Sandy’s wives
of whom there were about 120 in all.
Some time ago I asked Chief Sandy if
The Mohammedan Mosque, where Chief Sandy worshipped. [Photo : Rev. A. E. Oreensmith.
Close by his compound.
74
a
Chief Sandy
he was still increasing his•' number of
wives. He said: “ Yes, only yesterday
a person presented me with a young girl
of about ten years of age, in order to
win my favour in a certain matter; but
I would rather have a goat and a bag
of rice than the gift of such a young
girl•â€
Referring in conversation to the olden
days when he was a war-boy, I asked
him if, supposing the British were not
in the country, and a native war began,
would he have the strength to fight
again. His eyes gleamed for a moment
as he answered parabolically, “ Baboon
is never too old to fight.â€
It was only rarely that I got him to
talk of olden times, but once or twice I
succeeded. Speaking of his experiences
as a war-boy he told me that he had
paid a large price to a Mohammedan
priest for certain charms which had
made him successful in war. He be-
lieved he had in his inside seven axes,
placed there by the priest, that gave
him a sevenfold chance of winning in
battle. For this he paid a number of
things always in sevens: seven slaves,
seven head of cattle, seven pieces of
silver, seven needles.
What he liked about the old war days
was, that though he might be poor on
the eve of battle, at “ do clean †(dawn)
he was often a rich man. The biggest
capture he made was on one occasion
when fighting near the Liberian border ;
he himself captured 120 slaves in one
night.
Sandy was active up to the last. My
wife and I visited him two days before
he died. His eyes were swollen so that
he could not see. He was placed in a
specially-constructed barri, surrounded
by about a hundred people, including
some of his wives and other relatives,
his counsellors and sub-chiefs. A dwarf
was engaged in driving off the trouble-
some flies which pestered him.
We. knelt in prayer by his side feel-
ing certain that the end was near. Oc-
casionally he would give an order to
one of his wives. He asked if we would
stay at his house, or did we intend go-
ing to the mission to stay; when we
decided to stay in his house, he gave
orders for the room to be swept, and
certain country cloths brought out toâ–
adorn it.
I could scarcely repress a smile when
he next asked if Mrs. Greensmith had
brought some of that kind of cake she
had occasionally made for him. The
question had been anticipated, and
Sandy’s cake was soon produced; he
was able to eat only a little bit of it,
but said he enjoyed it very much. The
old warrior was fighting with a disease
against which he had no chance of vie-
tory. His heart, which had been brave
and had carried him to victory in the
forest fights of other days, was now
worn out.
Two days later he died. It was not
until two days after his death that it was
“officially†declared, and then Tikon-
koh and district broke out into one of
those terrible wails that characterize the
death of a “ big man †in Mendiland.
He was buried in a specially-con-
structed barri only a few yards from his
house.
Though we could never claim Sandy
as a Christian, it was often clear to us
that his heart had been touched by the
influence of the mission upon him ; and
he often asked after the welfare of the
men of the mission whom he had met
at Tikonkoh—Messrs. Vivian, Good-
man, Micklethwaite and Vercoe.*
Sandy has been succeeded by his
brother Jigba, a man who has neither
the strength nor ambition of Sandy.
We would ask that all readers of the
ECHO should remember this chief in
their prayers. i
*In “A Captive Missionary in Mendi-
land†Sandy’s name often appears. In the
light of his association it is interesting to
recall the following words of Mr. Vivian :
11At â– the time of the rising in 1898 we had
569 persons in adherence, seventy-one being
in full membership. In one terrible week
the work of years was scattered, every na-
tive worker was put to death, and property
was destroyed valued at between ;£3,000
and ;£4,000.—Ed.
Give thou as I gave thee,
Thy life-blood and breath,
Green leaves of thy labour,
White flowers of thy thought
And red fruit of thy Death.
—Quoted in Fortnightly in an article-on
‘The Use and Abuse of Machinery,â€'
by Edward Spencer.
75
Foreign Secretary’s
Notes.
Welcome We extend a warm wel-
Home. come home to the Rev.
J. Hinds and Mrs. Hinds
and Miss A. J. Turner, from North
China, who are returning on furlough,
.and expected to arrive during this
month. Mr. Hinds has completed an-
other ten years’ term of service, mak-
mg thirty-three years on the mission
.field. For the last fhree years he has
held the position of chairman in North
China, an evidence of the confidence
and esteem of his colleagues, and of his
â– own conscientious devotion to duty.
Miss Turner has special permission
to return this year instead of next, on
account of the revolution. She has
been compelled to disband her school
and to retire to Tientsin. Possibly
•several months will pass before it will be
expedient or possible for the school to
to reassemble. Therefore it is most
advisable for this period of enforced
inaction to form part of the furlough
which is so soon due, and we may hope
that as soon as Miss Turner is ready
to return the country will be perfectly
quiet and her school will start again
with the beginning of the new era in
'China. It would have been ' difficult
By the
Rev. C. STEDEFCRD.
to find a supply for Miss Turner
during her furlough, and this difficulty
is now removed in a way we did not
anticipate.
We pray that our friends may have
a prosperous journey, and that during
their furlough they may both receive
and impart new inspiration for mission-
ary work.
Faith and With the terrible mem-
Fear in ories of 1900 fresh in
Shantung. their minds it is not sur-
prising that the Chris-
tians of Shantung were assailed with
fear when, amid the recent commotions,
there came rumours of another Boxer
rising. Dr. Robson reports that at least
one ex-Boxer leader, not far from Wu
Ting Fu, attempted to ferment the
people; but by the prompt action of
the magistrate he was captured and im-
prisoned. Our Christians have reason
to dread the time of disquiet because
it has been easy to turn popular feeling
against them, and when the public
schools were closed, the reading of
newspapers by students forbidden, and
every day brought tidings of revolution,
we can imagine that they suffered no
The old and the new. [Photo : Dr. W. E. Plummer.
(Since the Russo-Japanese war many of the schoolboys have adopted the kind of
clothing worn by the smaller boy. The taller lad is wearing “the style."—W.E.P.)
Now another change is proceeding.—Ed.
76
Foreign Secretary’s Notes
little alarm.. According to Dr. Robson
the state of feeling was manifested at
Wu Ting Fu by a falling off in the
attendance at the chapel and dispen-
sary, the preachers were shy about
walking with the missionary along the
public streets, and the students shrank
from the comments they heard from
passers-by. Requests were received
from some places that preachers should
not be sent until the present troubles
had passed.
Notwithstanding these natural fears
Dr. Robson was delighted to witness
the faith and steadfastness of the peo-
pie. He says :—
“The pluck of the preachers and the cour-
age of the Christians is cheering. There
are some Faint-hearts, but not many.
'Since my return from Tientsin I have visited
the Yang Hsin and Hai Feng districts,
where I have held meetings and conducted
school examinations. The state of the
׳.schools, with one exception, is encouraging,
while the attendance of our members and
their cheery manner indicated that they
had Christian grit and grace. The special
services conducted in the autumn by our
1Circuit evangelist were well attended and
have, I venture to think, kept the Christians
â– calm amid present conditions.
“ I have been helped by the two ordained
men, Li Lien Chen and Li Hsi Sheng.
Their influence on the younger preachers
has been good, and their willingness to
assist in circuit management most encour-
aging. Li Lien Chen has the spirit of
an evangelist, and is seen at his best in
our city preaching-place, where his know-
ledge of the Scriptures, familiar illustra-
׳tions, and earnest spirit command the at-
׳tention of many hearers on market days
and Sabbaths.
“ Li Hsi Sheng is doing good in the
northern section of the circuit. His quick-
ness of perception, business ability, and per-
sonal influence mark him out as a leader,
and as far as I can judge he is throwing
all his energy into any and every scheme
which tends to the good of the Church,
especially along the lines of Chinese self-
support and self-development.â€
Our Christian From North China, and
Schools set Ningpo and Wenchow
a Good also we receive gratifying
Example. reports׳ of the excellent
behaviour of our schools
during the excitement caused by the
!revolution.
At Wu Ting Fu when all the public
schools in the city were closed on ac-
count of the disturbances, and even
when the boys of other mission schools
in Shantung either left for home or dis-
played a premature political patriotism
of a disturbing character, our own In-
termediate students calmly continued
their work, much to the surprise of the
citizens. This excellent behaviour Dr.
Robson attributes to the Christian
earnestness, tact and ability of the
teacher, Mr. Feng.
At Ningpo Mr. Redfern says some
of the principal schools, notably the
Prefectural School, have been closed
ever since the city turned Republican.
Our students shared the excitement and
celebrations connected with the recog-
nition of the new President and the
adoption of the Western calendar, but
there was nothing to mar the order
and discipline of the school and the
studies were not seriously interrupted.
A similar report appeared last month
from Wenchow.
It is very gratifying to know that our
institutions have maintained through-
out the national crisis a dignity and
propriety consistent with their Chris-
tian character thereby commending
themselves and their faith in the eyes
of the public.
Promotion Mr. Railton * Yuen, the
for Mr. chief Chinese master in
Railton Yuen. our Ningpo College, has
been elected, by the votes
of his fellow citizens, to a responsible
position under the new local govern-
ment. It is a high honour for Mr.
Yuen, and while it lessens the service
he can render the College it gives us
much satisfaction to know that he has
the opportunity of leavening the city
councils with his Christian influence.
It appears that this revolution is
bringing the best men into places of
leadership and responsibility. The
young men who have been educated in
Christian Colleges are qualified to fill
these important positions, and the work
of those colleges is about to reap a
grander harvest than was ever antici-
pated. Working quietly, slowly and ob-
scurely the Christian teachers have
* Called thus, after Railton Road School, Herne Hill. S.E*
which paid for his early education.—Ed.
77
Foreign Secretary’s Notes
been unconsciously qualifying and pre-
paring the leaders of a new China.
A new master to take part of the
work of Mr. Yuen has been secured in
Mr. Redfern and Mr. Railton Yuen.
[Photo: Rev. C. Stedeford.
Mr. Wong Da-fahâ– Mr. Redfern
speaks of him as a young man of ex-
cellent Christian character, outstanding
ability, and fine presence.
Under Some of the missionaries
Consul’s are very restive under
Orders. Consul’s orders to retire
from their stations, and
they have questioned his right to im-
pose his will upon them. When the
missionaries arrived at Yunnan Fu, in
obedience to the order of the Consul-
General, Rev. C. E. Hicks says they
asked him plainly whether they stood
to him in the relation of a soldier to his
general and were obliged to obey him.
His answer was a decided “No.†“He
said, however, that he could cancel our
passports, and then send word to the
authorities to that effect, and we should
then be deported.†Mr. Hicks adds:
“ If such a thing were done in time of
stress like this I fear the deportation
would be to another realm by means of
violence.â€
Dr. Robson says that in North China
one or two American missionaries, who
remained at their station in spite of the
Consular command, on consulting their
Consul later as to their safety, were
informed that inasmuch as they had
ignored his order he declined to take
any further responsibility for their
safety.
The Consul bears grave responsibili-
ties. International complications might
arise through any failure in his duty.
The acceptance of a passport is a recog-
nition of his authority which, in my
judgment, carries with it the obligation
to obey that authority when it is offi-
cially expressed.
Our missionaries in West China have
been permitted to return as far as Yun-
nan Fu. The Rev. A. Evans got back
to Yunnan Fu on January 22nd where
he joined Mr. Mylne and Mr. Hud-
speth who had been allowed to remain
there. The city was quiet, but the Con-
sul refused permission to proceed fur-
ther, and it appeared unlikely that per-
mission would be given for some time.
P-S.—I have just received a letter
from Rev. A. Evans, dated Feb. 5th, in
which he says: “You will be pleased to
hear that things remain quiet here. We
have just seen the Consul again, and
he has given his permission for the three
of us to return to Tong Ch’uan
but no further. Mylne, Hudspeth, and
I, therefore, will be leaving here on
Wednesday (February 7th) for Tong
Ch’uan, and before you receive this we
may be all at our stations again and
work in full swing. At present it is only
permission for three of us to return.â€
Remember that it was not by inter-
ceding for the world in glory that Jesus
saved it. He gave himself. Our
prayers for the evangelization of the
world are but a bitter irony so long as•
we only give of our superfluity, but
draw back before the sacrifice of our -
selves.—M. F. COILLARD.
78
The Mutipy
at Lapcl>eu׳.
I CAME down here to ascertain the
truth at first hand. The three
regiments of the 20th Division,
who had been at Lanchow so long, at
last declared themselves definitely revo-
lutionary. The General of the Kaiping
Huai Chuns, hearing of the mutiny,
came along to Lanchow to inquire into
the cause of the trouble. The revolu-
tionists were in no mood for parley, and
fired on . the General’s company. He
himself escaped injury, but the bearer of
his umbrella was shot dead, the General
and the others retreating somewhat hur-
riedly. The revolutionists then took
charge of the station, and seized a train
which came up from Kaiping. A train
with two cars was coming up from
Shanhaikuan, and proposing to go
through without a stop, but the en-
gineers in charge, wishing to do a good
turn to one or two friends, ordered it
to pull up. As it came to a standstill
the revolutionists boarded it, and
searched the cars for deserters. They
found an officer of their own No. 3 Re-
giment who had deserted them. This
man they dragged out with the inten-
tion of inflicting the full penalty of their
military law. The incident came to the
By the Rev.
G. P. LITTLEWOGD.
ears of the loyal officers of the same re-
giment, and these were opposed to the
execution of their erstwhile comrade.
The men of the First and Second Regi-
ments insisted upon his death. The
quarrel became acute, and the men
divided, those of the Third Regiment
taking refuge in the city. A battle fol-
lowed between these two factions, and
lasted from half-past twelve (midnight)
until nearly two a.m. in the morning
of the 4th January. At that time the
First and Second Regiments left their
posts outside the city intending to take
a train westward towards Kaiping,
either to meet the Government troops,
who had already arrived there, or with
the hope of carrying' out their threat
to reach Tientsin. They therefore de-
manded a train from the railway en-
gineer. This request was refused, so
they took French leave, seized the train
that was in the station, and induced the
driver to proceed by means of threats.
What men could boarded the train,
which was then started. General
Wang, of the Huai Chun at Kaiping.
h'ad prepared an effective obstacle by
pulling up a rail of the permanent way.
When, therefore, the train reached this
Officers of the Japanese Guard sent to protect Lanchow. [Photo : Dr. A. P. Jones.
79
The Mutiny at Lanchow
[Photo : Rev. J. Hedley.
[See March, p.
The Railway Station at Lanchow.
spot, a mile and a half from Leichuang
station, it left the rails. General
Wang’s troops were waiting, and as the
revolutionists left the derailed train
they were fired upon. Many succeeded
in making good their escape, but some
were shot dead, and others were taken
prisoners. Several officers were among
the prisoners, and it is reported that
they were׳ summarily shot.
On the 5th, three battalions of Im-
perial troops advanced and occupied
Lanchow station and the barracks.
LANCHOW CITY.
I have just come in from a visit to
Lari chow City, having walked along
there with the three battalions of Im-
perial troops who are now to take up
their quarters in the school buildings
outside the North Gate, recently occu-
pied by the mutineers. The city gates
were closed and the walls were still be-
ing patrolled by members of the Third
Regiment who sought refuge in the city
on the night of the quarrel. There were
four or five dead soldiers, still unburied,
beneath the walls. I inquired of the
patrols on the walls- whether they had
suffered at all. The reply was that their
casualties were one dead and three
wounded. The latter were still in the
city. On my return to the station I
found that a trainload of Imperial
troops, w-ith field guns, etc., had just
arrived.
Dr. Jones and
family are at Lan-
chow station house
preparing for Red
Cross work if re-
quired.
LATER.
The soldiers who
were wounded in
the fight on the
night of the 4th,
and have since
been housed in a
shop in Lanchow
city, have now
been removed to׳
the temporary Red
Cross Hospital im-
provised by Dr.
Jones at the house
of Mr. Tatham, the
Lanchow engineer..
56. Name mis-read
“Talkhorn.†Apologies to Mr. Tatham,
and blame handed on to Dr. Jones’s hand-
writing.—Ed.]
Loijdcp Missionary
Sunday and City
Ternple Meetings•
APRIL 21st—
General Exchange of Pulpits, and Appointments•
of Foreign• Missionary Committee.
APRIL 22nd—
City Tetnple Meetings.
Afternoon—HOME MISSIONS.
James Le Huray, Esq., of Manchester, in the
Chair. Speakers: A. H. Marshall, Esq., M.P.,.
Rev. T. J. Cox, and Rev. J. Moore, Secretary.
Evening—FOREIGN MISSIONS.
Chairman: J. B. Butler, Esq., Bristol.
Speakers : The President, Miss Squire, B.A.
(West China), Rev. W. E. Soothill, M.A.
(South-East China), Rev. W. Udy Bassett
(East Africa), Rev. C. Stedeford, Secretary.
The President will present Missionary Prizes•
to all Juvenile Collectors in the London area
who have brought in /1 or more.
80
Tlje Position
ip Yuppap.
IT may be that you and your readers
would like to hear how things are
going with us in West China.
Folks at home, reading that serious
fighting has been going on in and
around Hankow, are apt to think‘ that
the revolution is confined to the Eastern
part of the Empire.
As a matter of fact the revolution
was general, and almost instantaneous
in all the provinces, but the aftermath
is riot the same in each case.
In Yunnan, we have no Manchu
population, and little, if any, Imperial
sentiment, being too far removed from
the influence of Peking. The trouble
here has been with rival factions, with
a secret society having a strong influ-
ence in West China, and with the gene-
ral anarchy consequent on the tempor-
ary suspension of law and order.
The man who has been, and still is,
acting as Viceroy of •Yunnan for the
revolutionaries is a Hunanese, a young
but energetic man, who has so far kept
a strong hand on affairs. He is named
Ts’ai. The leaders in this city are di-
vided into two groups. The larger
group support Ts’ai, the smaller group
are against him, probably preferring
that a Yunnanese should be at the
helm. This division constitutes one of
the dangers of the situation in Yunnan.
Another danger lies in the army. This
city is the Aldershot of the province,
and although some thousands of troops
have been drafted off to help in other
provinces, there are still a few thou-
sands left. Yunnan being practically
the poorest of the provinces, and the
revolution having, to a great extent,
suspended business, there is no money
with which to pay the troops. Already,
in some centres, the troops have re-
volted, and loot and pillage have fol-
lowed. So that there is a sort of panic
in this city lest the troops here should
follow suit. If they do—God help the
city!
The British Consul has ordered all
missionaries out. Most of them have
gone down to French Tongking.
By tl>e
Rev. C. N. MYLNE.
Thinking probably that we were of
small account, the Consul has allowed
Mr. Hudspeth and myself to remain in
Yunnan Fu. How long we shall be
here depends entirely on the turn events
may take.*
Up till now there seem to be no signs
that the anti-foreign feeling manifested
in some places will break out here.
Outwardly the people are friendly, but
he is a magician, indeed, who can sound
the depths of John Chinaman.
Pigtails are a minus quantity now,
and many of the people are at a loss to
know the best way to part their hair.
In the matter of clothes some hundreds
are adopting a sandwich style. Thus
there will be a cap and a pair of boots
in foreign style; the rest will be
Chinese. A style much affected by the
See page 78.
Mr. Lin, the principal military [Photo :
official at Chao Tong. Rev. H. Parsons
The Position in Yunnan
׳dandies of Yunnan Fu is something
like this:—-
A pair of dancing shoes, which show
white socks. Check trousers, blue
waistcoat, and a swallow-tail, which
surely came from a Strand restaurant.
Over all is a hat which in England is
associated with parsonic uniform. A
revolution has its humours. To see a
people which, but a few years ago, des-
pised with unutterable scorn the clothes
and manners of these “foreign devils,â€
now frantically rushing to ape their
clothes and manners is really ludicrous.
Be it said to the credit of the new
.party that throughout the few weeks
which have elapsed since the coup
Rev. C. N. Mylne, illustrating [Photo :
the reverse process. , Rev. H. Parsons.
d’etat they have shown a commendable
restraint and moderation. Their insis-
tence on the protection of foreigners
and of foreign property showed their
political sagacity. The lesson of the
Boxer year has not been forgotten.
The numerous Dick Turpins of Yun-
nan have been reaping a bountiful har-
vest of late to which the United
Methodist missionary has contributed
his share, though he cannot take credit
for it as a voluntary contribution.
Rather it was a forced levy. It is like
this. There are many schools being
opened in the United Methodist sphere.
Teachers of said schools are at a Toss
to know the time. “ Please, teacher,
will you buy a clock for our school ?
We will pay for the clock when it
comes.†Said teacher pleased to see
awakened interest, as evidenced by re-
quest. So orders some. The bill
comes in and is paid. Clocks are sent
from store on a journey of a fortnight
by post.
Alas! Dick Turpin and Co. descend
on the mail bags. What ho ! my merry
men! foreign clocks! And “ bang went
saxpence,†in fact quite a few of them.
No one scans the latest paper with
greater interest than the United
Methodist missionary, and we are all
longing for peace. But it is a great
movement, this revolution. Something
like this was almost inevitable from the
condition of the country. To free the
people from a gross and an alien
tyranny, to replace corruption and ex-
tortion with purity and justice, to allow
the hitherto inarticulate voice of the
masses to be heard, to elevate the con-
dition of these masses from but little
above slaves to free and conscious citi-
zenship, these are the tasks of those
whose patriotism has forced them to the
front in this momentous struggle. The
final victory is in the future, and before
that comes they must write many pages
of history as other nations have done.
May the hand of God help them on, and
may the Christian Churches of the world
not fail China in this hour of need.
Now is the time, if ever, when no sacri-
fice or toil should be considered exces-
sive if it but assist in disseminating
that light, that truth, by means of
which this nation and every other
nation must win its ultimate salvation.
82
Op Goip§ to Mem—
Bat How?
By the
Rev. BRUCE W. ROSE.
I HOPE our Missionary Society will
take possession of Meru, and so
redeem the tears and treasure of
fifty years from the reproach of not ad-
vancing beyond the coast service. For
many years our brethren and sisters
have laboured, hoping for a door and
a sphere inland. Now it is ours to take
if we will. But how ?
Present proposals seem to indicate
that the Rev. Udy Bassett will go as
our pioneer founder, with or without
lay helpers or doctor, according to our
financial resources. It has come to this
—that we are watched by other mis-
sionary societies anxious to send ample
men and means. We are watched and
expected by Government officers to fit
up a new station with fresh agents and
materials. And what they are to see
is a parsimonious‘, frugally-fitted expe-
dition, consisting of a man on the spot
required where he is, and who can be
ill spared, as our attempt at further mis-
sioning Africa. What a sight for God
and men! I protest against such a
policy, with all my heart, as inadequate.
1 wish to ask if United Methodism
is going to allow quietly such an igno-
minious outcome of all our trumpeting
of opportunities to pass without protest
and alteration. And with equal vigour
I protest against lessening white con-
trol over our present work by overtax-
ing it, and risking it on so small a
margin of life as two men.
Surely, in spite of our debts, and
our excess of expenditure over income
to the tune of £5,000 a year, we are
not so lost to honour, and a sense of
our resources, as this policy suggests.
I sympathize with the Missionary Offi-
cers and Committee. But what has
been done to link up our young people
with this young enterprise ? Who has
turned our students on to the problem
of seeing this through as a young men’s
call ? What has been done to push and
found a pioneer fund earmarked speci-
ally for this task? Have New and
Gutting in Uganda Railway.
83
To Meru or——?
Wakefield, Houghton and Carthew
died in vain? Have men like Conster-
dine laid down their precious manhood
for naught ? Will none baptize an offer-
ing annually for these dead saints—
that their work may reach the interior
at last ? Is it beyond us to get £ 1,000,
and, if need were, as much yearly for
five years, to root this cause, to finance
our new men, and do this work in-
dependent of present burdens, appeals
and wants ? What cause have we bet-
ter than this with which to fire our
young men and women? Will our new
church rise to the level of its chances ?
If older men hold back and are timid,
may God raise up some of our students
to volunteer, and young laymen to
finance this thing right on!—or else
move us out of the way for better men
and other societies.
To Mcru or—?
IT is high time that every United
Methodist knew the facts about the
Meru country, and the relation of
our Church to it. Were these facts
fully known and appreciated we should
not have long to wait before means were
found to carry to the tribes of Central
Africa the good news of God.
For the sake of those who “have
heard and not heard and let it overflow â€
their ears, let me enlarge upon our great
opportunity. About 500 miles to the
north-west of Mombasa, on the coast
of British East Africa, there is a wide-
spread elevated table-land with a great
mountain as its centre, Mount Kenia.
In every direction from the heights of
the mountain streams flow down scores
of valleys, and provide necessary mois-
ture for the cultivation of hundreds of
square miles of upland country. Mount
Kenia forms part of the watershed of
the Nile, the Tana and other rivers
flowing northward and eastward.
Though the country is directly under
the Equator its lofty elevation gives its
climate a character like that of the tem-
per ate zone.
The tsetse fly is not there. The
mosquito is absent. There are no man-
grove swamps nor tropical fever-beds.
There is no poisonous, enervating, mari-
gold-scented fetid atmosphere. This
land is healthy, bracing, breezy—a veri-
table tropical African sanatorium.
Consequent upon its climatic condi-
tions and its numerous streams it is
thickly populated with settled and agri-
By tl>c
Rev. J. H. ROBINSON.
cultural tribes of uncontaminated blood,
and of superior physical and mental
type. The people are well-framed,
well-grown, tall, strong, athletic. They
are a clothed people. (Mr. Selous’s
formula was, the more naked the tribe
the more savage and cruel.) The
women wear a picturesque smock, de-
corated in quaint and pretty beaded
patterns from neck to knee. The men
are more lightly clad. They are a fine
race shining like copper bronze.
What, to,us, is of still greater conse-
quence, as making the missionary task
less difficult, is that they are uncon-
taminated by the vices and diseases
spread on the coast through contact with
Europeans and Asiatics. They are fifty
miles away from the main line of the
Uganda Railway, and have therefore
escaped contagion with the Asiatic
coolie introduced for the building and
maintenance of the State railway. A
branch line is now being constructed
from Nairobi to Fort Hall. Thence,
right into the Meru country, runs a
smooth well-metalled road on which
vehicles can travel sixty or eighty miles
in a day.
For us these conditions are of untold
advantage, fraught with vital conse-
quences to mission work. The healthy
land with its healthy and industrious
people is there. The peace of Britain
is bringing the several tribes into tran-
quillity, and the most warlike of Central
African tribes, the Masai, is being used
for scouting, guiding, police and patrol
To Meru or---?
purposes. Thus the tribal jealousies
and quarrels, alluded to by Colonel
Patterson, will wear out as the tribal
raids of the militant Masai have ceased.
There has never been delivered to us
a more favourable—even a glorious—
opportunity for our Church in Africa.
We have hitherto hugged the coast, to
our heavy loss in precious lives and
hardly-won money. We have monu-
mental graves in East Africa. We have
paid the price of lingering in the low-
lands. (And yet Mr. New penetrated to
Mount Kilima-Njaro a generation ago,
and described a territory, now given to
Germany, which reads like a description
of Meru.)
The Governor of British East Africa
has assigned to us this region north of
Mount Kenia, seventy miles by fifty
wide. For several years we have pro-
crastinated through lack of enthusiasm,
enterprise and money. Now a crisis
has arrived, and we are not prepared for
it. Unless we arise and possess the land
forthwith we shall be deprived of it, and
it will be assigned to others. There are
ecclesiastical eyes that covet and hands
that itch for it. Others all but rushed
our claim, and would again, under pre-
text, do so. A word from the civil au-
thorities would be sufficient to block us
out and condemn us to lose even that
which is ours for the occupying and use.
In that case we should be confined to
the malarial coast, the nomadic Gallas,
and the demoralized coast negro. In
losing Meru we should also lose an
alternative station with a healthy cli-
mate to which, if in possession, we could
send our fever-sodden, wilted coast
workers for recuperation, change of
scene and service, instead of bringing
them, at great cost, home to the
changeful and chill climate of England.
What blocks the way ? Lack of men
and women? No! We have them.
They are able, willing, and some even
eager, to go. Is the Missionary Com-
mittee supine? No! But they are
justly afraid of going more deeply into
debt. Their mission ship is water-
logged with debt, and cannot move.
Her engine fires are quenched. The
only real block is the lack of an extra
£1,000 per year for Meru.
For lack of that sum, shall we miss
the chance of a century? Shall we
doom our East African Mission to wast-
ing malaria on a debased coast? In
the greatest and most enterprising of
all centuries, missionary and commer-
cial, when the world is being torn open
and exploited for rubber; when the mis-
sionary pace is being speeded up like
an express train, shall we condemn our-
selves as unworthy of high sacrifice and
great service for the Lord and His
world ?
Are there not ten rich men amongst
us whose joy through life it might be to
shoulder this burden, and say : “ Here’s
£100 apiece from us. Go ahead for ten
years. Prove your case. Use your op-
portunity.†Or, failing ten of Christ’s
men of great riches, are there not a
hundred (out of our 170,000 church-
members) who would say: “ We will
give you an extra Z’lO a piece for ten
years. Goon! Right away! Full speed
ahead! †Or, failing a gallant hun-
dred from the moderately well-off, are
there not amongst our 170,000 just one
thousand who would say: “ For Christ
and for Meru here we table an extra
£1 each for ten years to open and keep
open this missionary door †?
Oh! for the “ Love that will not let
us go †from the way of the Cross! Oh !
for the due distribution of money! A
sovereign a year for Meru! What does
it mean? The cost of a musical man’s
box-seat at a festival! The cost of a
schoolboy’s subscription to his tennis
club, or of the girl’s dress for hockey.
The cost of the golfer’s balls for a sea-
son. The price of a hundred cigars for
the father of the family!
And for lack of a thousand of these
yellow discs of metal the United
Methodist Church cannot occupy Meru.
Then may God have mercy on us and
cast us not away, nor take from us this
promising vineyard. Shall we, or shall
we not, advance in force and effectu-
ally occupy Meru? Or shall we go, as
often with “ the thin red line,†and say
to our men : “ There’s no retreat. The
men will die where they stand.†Like
the Highland soldiers who responded :
“ Aye, aye, Sir Colin,†so the mission-
aries would reply. But that’s not the
way to save Meru. The cry to-day is
not, “Who will go for us? †but, “Who
will foot the bill ? â€
Watchtower.
MISSIONARY ENTHUSIASM.
eN p. 140, 1911, we referred to a
record offering for missions on
the part of a village church—
Arclid, in the Winsford and Sandbach
Circuit. The .Rev. E. S. Mills writes
again to report that they have broken
their own record substantially. Last
year, as will be seen, they raised
£22 6s., an average of 32s. per mem-
ber. This year Mr. Mills asked for
£25, and they have raised £34, an
average of £2 12s. 3d.
£ s. d.
1910 ... ... 1100
1911 ... ... 22 6 o
1912 ........ 34 o o
Mr. Mills then says :—
“Can any church beat or even equal this?
It is a magnificent example of self-sacrifice
and service. And it should be borne in
mind that this church is as intensely loyal
to its circuit obligations, and is also busy
raising money for an extension to its
premises.
“The items are as follows :.
Public Collections ... ... 3 4
Ladies, for “Ningpo Cotâ€... 5 0 0
John and Lilian Clarkson... 13 10 1
*Miss Young ... ... ... 11 6 7
/.'84 0 0
Who can measure the enrichment
accruing from work like this ? “ There
is that scattereth,†etc. Would that our
churches would “ trust in the Lord †in
this way!
AN INTERESTING COMPETITION.
It will be remembered that we offered
Hedley’s “Tramps in Dark Mongoliaâ€
to the minister, not a secretary or ex-
secretary, who. could beat the Editor’s
record of missionary books. We keep
our book, and are glad, because we
prize it. The Rev. W. Tremberth pos-
sesses 81, the Rev. G. Coates 53, and
the Rev J. A. Bedward 50. These are
the highest recorded ; the Editor has
120. It is necessary to state that most
* See page 226. 1911.
THE EDITOR.
of these were on his shelves before he
became Editor.
AN ENTHUSIAST
In a certain circuit, one of the collec-
tors, it has been computed, walks—in
all sorts of weather, and along country
roads—210 miles to collect the sum of
£1 is. 8d. from five “ penny-a-week â€
subscribers. Name? No! She is con-
tent to do it.
A PRIZE OFFER.
The editor of “ The Christian Com-
monwealth†is offering a prize of five
guineas for the best paper of 3,000
words on: “ What, . in the Light of
Modern Knowledge, should be the
Motive, Message and Method of Chris-
tian Missions in Non-Christian Lands.â€
Readers desiring to compete may find
particulars in the “ Christian Common-
wealth†for February 14th. (Salisbury
Square, E.C.) The papers are to be
delivered by August 31st.
A VETERAN.
Dr. J. B. Hartwell, an American mis-
sionary in China for fifty-three years,
passed away at Chefoo on January 3rd.
He was seventy-six years old. Fifteen
years ago he received the impression
that he should live till 1912, and re-
peatedly he has reminded his friends
of this. So he is another Hezekiah (2
Kings xx. 6).
“The last years of his life he gave to
teaching evangelists in the Seminary at
Wanghien. He was often too feeble to go
to the classroom, and after finding he could
not dress himself, would send word to the
men that he would come on the morrow,
and was ever loving and praying for them.
His influence, over them was wonderful,
and many who knew him well think his
latter years have been the most significant
of his long and useful life.â€
EAST AFRICA.
We have not been able to get in all
we would this month. Next month we
shall have an article suggesting the
possibility of the colonization of the
Meru district by United Methodists.
86
“The Growth
of a Soul.â€
WESLEY’S Journals relate his
visits to the district (where it is
supposed his xcivth printed
sermon may have been heard) and an-
cestral home of the Taylors. Method-
ism was exercising a renovating power
in economizing time and money hitherto
wasted (cf. “ roystering †and Roy-
ston!), and Yorkshire contained a
fourth part of all the Methodists in
Great Britain.
Uniquely woven, here begins this
brightly-written biographical history
showing: How the simple and con-
tented pious cottage home-life of cen-
turies back is helping far heathen lands
to-day. Influences of heredity and en-
vironment with moral response. Effects
of strict training, of exercise in self-
denial and control, and thrift; of teach-
ing and exemplifying the practice of
frequent aloneness, “ Spirit with spirit â€
(“ only in such communion can fresh-
ness of spirit be maintained both for
work and burden-bearing â€), a vital
truth rarely realized or impressed.
Many a love story is spun, that at
the end charmingly proving again that
lovers must preserve faith in one an-
other as well as in God.
The volume, with its beautiful dedi-
cation, is more than biography. The
writers pause to enforce truths illus-
trated, evincing rare understanding
and sympathy with all conditions, e.g. :
“ One Infinite Heart—always young,
always touched . . .†(pp. 112, 60).
Especially see “A Place of Springs,â€
228, and such paragraphs as 128, 301-2,
311. They fall into rhythmic cadence
as “ with all the glad fruition that lay
beyond this pain â€â€”“ by nothing more
and nothing less than all the promises
of God.†The father’s evident love of
old hymns is inherited, and we suspect
they wrote p. 386.
We are allowed to see the Divine
preparation for this life, one trait after
another being brought in to the old
village family, Scotch sturdiness of
mind and body, with the artistic tem-
* Published by Morgan and Scoll for the China Inland
Ö¾Mission. Price 7s. 6d.
A Reviaw of
“ Hudson Taylor ir>
Early Years.â€*
By El. Sie.
perament of the dales ; while the early
ardour for merry-making and music be-
came toned into the love of quiet fun,
the very saving of a lonely missionary
in many trying conditions, and the up-
springing of holy song in a joyous
heart.
It is good to find James Hudson Tay-
lor a merry, ordinary boy ! a little lonely
and serious amidst elder people, learn-
ing the Hebrew alphabet at fpur, at
five making his life’s resolution, when
a man, to go to China.
The Rev. Henry Cooke, born within
a few miles of Hudson Taylor’s birth-
place, five weeks earlier, whose ances-
tors, too, were persecuted in Wesley’s
day, a waggon-wheel being taken and
hidden in harvest time (vide old Wes-
leyan Magazine), furnishes illuminating
recollections of Yorkshire life, and boy-
hood in those days—his mother’s work-
box—Goldsmith’s “ Grammar of Geo-
graphy †(already quoted in MISSION-
ARY Echo, April, 1906, p. 87). See
Hudson Taylor in early years.
(From a portrait by his aunt, Mrs. Richard Hardey,
painted in 1852, just before he left Hull for London.
[Favoured by C.I.M.
87
“ The Growth of a Soul â€
114. “ By very ancient policy, all foreig-
ners are excluded from China ; and a
very restricted intercourse is permitted
only at Canton. . . . Altogether China
is the most original and remarkable
nation on the globe.†Enough, “ tiny
picture,†and all, to fire a boy’s dreams!
The steps by which Hudson Taylor,
“ set apart †before birth, was led to .
personal surrender and “ assurance â€
(another instance of the ministry of
tracts) despite lapses and longing to be
as other lads, then futile efforts to make
oneself good, may be briefly summed
thus: Conversion=the outcome, praise!
Consecration = meant “others,†Holi-
ness (thorough in this as in everything,
he was determined to have full deliver-
ance) = “Then go for Me to China.â€
Heart-rest and satisfaction. The beau-
tiful story■of what mother’s and sister’s
love and prayers can effect lends signifi-
cance to his later wish : “ Oh, may God
give China Christian mothers and
sisters.†Parting with a sister led to
the correspondence to which we owe so
much.
It will be seen how readily facilities
for studying chemistry and medicine
were afforded.
Success in finding the meaning of
strange characters by comparison with
the familiar Bible page.—Some day the
painfully-gained knowledge of returned
missionaries will be utilized in preparing
the intending missionary who ordinarily
lands with all to learn and “ lips sealed.â€
Carefully read p. 210.
A missionary magazine providing
valuable education (later, authentica-
tion of himself!) he followed Giitzlaff’s
extraordinary career, his purposes, of a
native agency and widespread evange-
listic work, disillusion; the outcome,
apparent frustration of all, eventually
teaching lessons of inestimable! value.
Remarkable ’ characters encountered.
Impression of the “Friends.†A
Ladies’ Auxiliary.
Student days. “ Inexperience †needs
guidance, one thinks he failed to
see the Heavenly Father’s double pro-
vision for his wants, rejecting both
sources of supply. Imagine, an earthly
father having arranged with equal fere-
thought, and the son refusing to open
the door to provisions, throwing stores
88
out of window, . and then writingâ– :
Father, I am trusting you—I am trust-
ing to pick up crumbs. What would
be said ! These self-made tests, “ volun-
tary †privations, may have impaired
the strength, perhaps the length, of a
valuable life. Beyond carrying out
early training, he chose quarters as
“ Chinesey †as possible. “ Drainsirle ! â€
and lowered vitality! On the held,
“ setting to work faint and weary, no
food since breakfast,†his attacks of ill-
ness seem countless. “ How soft the
boards felt.†His wiser views deserve
study, even so he forgot (Ps. iv. 8,
cxxi.) that sleep and eyesight are gifts
to be prized (pp. 234, 338-9).*
Very momentous is the footnote to
p. 121, in its entirety, clear perception
of “ mistake,†anxious warning against
the presumption of neglecting means
created, for help and food, with prayer.
“ Faith healing! †a matter settled sensi-
bly ages ago (Apocrypha, Ecclesiasti-
cus xxxviii. 1—14).
That he was sensitive is shown by
the fact that disappointment upon ex-
haustion made him faint. Early rising,
and long hours of study were continued
there despite severe extremes of cold
and heat, malaria, insects, rodents and
reptiles.
Crossing the ocean does not make a
soul-winner. From the first he׳ sought,
by humble loving efforts, to reach souls
—at home—amongst Dr. Brown’s
patients—on the outgoing ship. How
fascinating the Southern Seas—“ Island
after island,†“ no hope full of bliss.â€
Then, at length, the Chinese! praying
to shattered idols, craving help.
Equally ready was he, in early home-
life, the London square, or Shanghai
nursery, to lift up and tend little chil-
dren ; an ideal nurse to a sick comrade.
(We know. M.E. and “ M. Courier,â€
“ for what purpose †that hen was
brought!)
Important pages are 220-1, 376. Con-
nect pp. 25, 38-40; 56, 143, 481. The
inheritance of Nature lore, its service to
himself and in parable. The adjectives
applied to him throughout the book are
* Our reviewer's friend, fresh from years in Indian
Zenana-work, wanted to say " H. T. was very foolish
thus to restrict his diet, to save for his future. It was play-
ing with life. Any youth might imitate. He would be
wrong. ,Thoushalt not tempt the Lord thy God.'†We•
have said it for her.—Ed.
“ The Growth of a Soul â€
a study. I have a long column of them.
This Pilgrim's Progress is a Book of
Lessons. On the value of solitude, de-
sert places—avoidance of introspection
—-there may be self-will in what looks
like devotion—consistency, no hind-
rance in self—sense of responsibility,
but it is Jesus who is to shine in me!
What He would do through us. To
move man through God by prayer
alone. Of exigencies bringing out re-
sources — providential interventions —â–
God’s plans ever go forward, though to
our imperfect point of view they may
appear at times to retrograde—“He
shuts, that He
may open other
door s.†Giving
up, inevitably re-
ceiving ■— “ If it
be Thou.†Ps.
Ixxxiv. 5, not
partly in Thee,
and partly i n
self. “ Pray that
we may be kept
from harm spirit-
ually as well as
physically,†also
345-6, 192, xviii.
338-9, very im-
portant senten-
ces. Learning to
value i n c r e a s-
ingly the steady,
settled line of
things that main-
tains its influ-
ence over the
same hearers;
their claims and
need of nurture.
“English-
women little rea-
lize all they owe
to the Gospel.â€
Lessons for
“those who
stay.†“If one
soul is worth
worlds, mother,
am I not amply
repaid. And are
not you?†Again
A temple in the cleft of a rock'atlLo Dui,"China.
— lessons — for missionary societies
as well as for the untried mission-
ary. Even now all missionary societies
have not learned to take full care of
their most valued veterans, whether at
work, or upon return to very different
climatic conditions to those to which
they have become inured. “Needful to
have a practical, intimate knowledge of
many phases of life and work,†see 238,
a significant page. Amidst the horrors
of heathenism the young missionary
won “ the highest respect from the
Chinese,†living “ an open life, whose
love and purity told on their sad, dark
[Photo: W. H. Butler. Esq., J P.
89
“ The Growth of a Soul â€
hearts far more than he had any ideaâ€
“ His influence was like that of a frag-
rant flower diffusing the sweetness of
true Christianity around.†The family
gift of portrait-painting comes out in
the vivid portraiture of our hero under
the cedars at Tottenham, or the banyan
at Hwa-wu, in a garden of mulberry
trees, or a huge incense vase for a pul-
pit! looking over the vastness of the
country from the gallery of a pagoda, or
the heights of the Sacred Mountains,
pp. 294, 300. “ Hudson Taylor told me
that on the threshold of his great life-
work God came to him and said: ‘ My
child, I am going to evangelize Inland
China, and if you like to walk with Me
I will do it through you.’ †Dr. F. B.
Meyer, “The Soul’s Ascent,†p. ioi.*
“APPEAL OF THE UNREACHED.â€
Interesting are his first hostess—first
baptism—first home in the interior!
We meet with Corneliuses, and many
a Nicodemus on rainy days.
Identification with the people—even
painful alteration of physical aspect—
gave access to a quieter, less curious,
class; women and children no longer
fled as from a wild animal, he found
scope for his “ resourcefulness †and
“tact,†while medical practice ensured
respect. “ Receptivity †and “ elasti-
city†were caught, doubtless, from con-
tact with W. Burns.
His wife’s father had been a mission-
ary soul, and she had awaked to feel
missionary work no longer a philanthro-
pic carrying on of parents’ wishes, but
the natural, even necessary expression of
her great and growing love to the Eter-
nal Saviour and King. Hudson Tay-
lor’s parents having joined the “Re-
formers,†he visited the Bible Christian
Conference, relating his explorations
up the Yangtze (three years at least be-
fore the Treaty of Tientsin, then open-
ing the way to Hankow), and likewise
influenced the United Methodist Free
Church Conference to send out. He
seems to have omitted to state the diffi-
culties he had experienced in obtaining
foothold in Ningpo. The Rev.
Frederick Galpin recollects several of
the pioneers mentioned here, and their
* See M.E., p. 85,1909,—Ed.
kindness. Rev. J. Meadows had been
a local preacher of the U.M.F.C. Mr.
Galpin most kindly explains the
Chinese characters upon the cover—Tai
Tuh Sang—“to sustain a virtuous life,â€
Chinese surnames being monosyllabic,
the hrst syllable of the missionary’s
name would be taken, “ Tai,†as we
read within. Of course, the Wu Family
Bridge, pagoda, lakes, etc., are all
familiar. Then says our friend : “ When
shall I forget China? Last night 1
awoke—a dream had placed me in the
midst of my Ningpo boys.â€
The book gives glimpses into history
—the Duke of Wellington to General
Gordon—the Crimean War—the Opium
War—revivals and the work of many
societies, the Jubilee of the Bible
Society Ö¾(for which Mr. Taylor distri-
buted thousands of Scripture portions
and tracts as he traversed the endless
waterways of the vast alluvial plain).
Its geographical information and maps
must be of utmost service to outgoers.
We must praise the thoughtful index,
type, and tint of paper.
Its bearing upon present-day prob-
lems: In one day we read in the London
paper of “ secret societies dating from
the Tai-Ping Rebellion,†and in the
“ United Methodist †of difficulties un-
der consular authority, consult p. 334,
and V., ch. xxvii.*
The Tai-Ping (“ Grand Peace â€). en-
terprise, actually carrying on the work
of Morrison, Gutzlaff, and others; its
moral code the ten commandments,
hostile to idolatry, including Romish
priestcraft and image worship, earnestly
desiring Christian teaching, utterly pro-
hibiting opium. It “ began to decay â€
when “ moral enthusiasm disappeared,â€
degenerating into civil war and “ tra-
gedy †as at Ningpo.
ITS CONCLUSION.
“ The only life possible in view of
such stupendous facts.†“ The great
need and the unutterable privilege of
giving. . . . Had I a thousand
pounds China should have it. Had I
a thousand lives China should claim
every one. No, not China, but
Christ.â€
* See “United Methodist,†February 22nd, p. 203.
90
Students’ Derpopstratiop:
Manchester College.
£1" HE fourteenth annual Demonstration
B arranged by the students of Victoria
-* Park College was held February 27th,
at Brunswick Chapel, Burnley.
A good afternoon audience was presided
over by Mr. W. D. Harris, who said the
only excuse he had for occupying the chair
was that he was just one of the many men
whose hearts God had touched. He de-
plored the mad rush to amusement and
pleasure, and so few in God’s house dis-
cussing vital things. There are so many
other sounds and voices round us that they
seem to drown the voice of God. As we
read of missionary work at home and
abroad we find the harvest is great and the
labourers few.
Mr. Harris was aptly followed by Mr.
Arthur F. Viney, >vho said : “ Our students’
effort is some indication of our great con-
ception of the missionary topic. I want to
speak to you along two lines only : The pre-
sent day Christian attitude to the Gospel,
and the present day heathen attitude. The
attitude of the Christian community to-day
towards the Evangel presents a paradox.
At the present time we are joyful witnesses
of a keen interest in missionary and social
work. The Christian ideal is rising in
popular regard, conferences are gathering
together, Missionary literature is increasing,
and never was it so much understood, nor
so direct as at the present day. Organiza-
tion is at its highest point. These are the
things we rejoice in. Above all, the whole
world is showing a growing interest in the
missionary programme. It may criticize
that programme, but we have no .fear for it.
We believe in that programme. We may
sometimes fear that the Church is under a
cloud, but the Christian ideal is not. It is
at its height of popularity. But here is the
paradox. Christian mijssionary funds are
decreasing. Despite the eager interest, the
general approval, the response to the call of
the Christian programme is weak. There
is a great response of the lip, but while we
hear this we see no movement of the hand.
S. J. Adie, W. Cass, A. F. Viney.
A. F. Deighton, A. Hearn, W. Jollans, T. B. Reed, C. Taylor.
C. H. Jones,
E. S. Winter, A. F. Reeves, J. W. Pilkington,
Principal, tutors, and students in Manchester Victoria Park College, Manchester, 1912.
[Photo: Warwick Brookes.
Prof. Peake, M.A., D.D., Rev. R. Abercrombie, M.A., Principal Sherwood, Rev. J. T. Brewis, M.A., B.D., Prof. A. Brymer.
91
Students’ Demonstration: Manchester College
Perhaps the call for social service may seem
to come into conflict with the missionary
call. But if between these claims there is
conflict there is a failure to understand the
simplest elements of the Gospel of Christ.
The Church has but one Gospel, and that
Gospel is world-wide. Now as to the
foreign attitude to the Evangel. We have
all round us indications of a very consider-
able change. Once it was an attitude of
repugnance and violent opposition. The
missionary was an object of indifference, and
Seven detestation ; but now he is welcomed.
Doors are opening. The prejudiced native
has come and has seen and is persuaded.
China is setting her house in order, and
she would keep it clean. The demons of
I materialism and rationalism are ready to
rush in- and make the condition worse than
before. Africa may be more dull and
apathetic, but she sits and waits. There is
an open door in Africa, but if we enter it
for profits alone we shall receive nothing but
devastation.â€
After a solo by Madame Smith, Mr. A. F.
Deighton presented yet another side of this
!multi-sided question: “ People are urgent
about collection missionary subscriptions,
and we are pressed to give. Why? The
first answer is that Christ commanded. ‘ Go
ye into all the world,â€'was His great last
word. If God is our Father, then all men
I are our brethren, and we must go to our
'brethren with what of truth we know. But
that does not really show us the necessity of
missionary work. The fact is, Christian
missions are just as necessary to the Church
as fruit is necessary to a healthy fruit tree.
Expression is the great end of life, and the
expression of Christian Endeavour is neces-
sary to the life of the Church. Some regard
Christian missions as an addendum to the
Church. Others, perhaps, are entirely in-
different to the need of Christian missions.
Others are openly hostile. The Christian
mission is not something added, but the
necessary expression of the inward life of the
Church, life expressing itself in the beauty
and grace of service. If that is. the case,
how do we stand to-day. If life, then ser-
vice; if love, then good works! Think of
China. Our missions are hampered, they
cannot expand. Why is there this lack of
funds? The soul of the Chinaman, so long
asleep, is now awakening, looking in every
direction for truth. We can do little, for
we have not the means 1 Our African mis-
sions are waiting for want of funds. It is
an ideal, it is becoming a necessity, to link
East and West Africa to stop the incoming
flood of Mohammedanism. But we have not
the resources 1 Our home Church is
thousands of pounds in debt. That has a
message for us. It is the sure effect of a
certain cause. Our work abroad is hin-
dered! We work back to the cause of it,
and 'find our churches are in an unhealthy
condition. Thus our missions are the ex-
piession of the life of the Church at home.
Our life is in jeopardy. Remember the
self-centred, self-satisfied Church in Lao-
dicia. But to it the message of the Lord
came : ‘ Thou knowest not that thou art the
wretched one and miserable! ’ We have
closed our eyes and have settled down into
a false calm. We must open the windows,
let in the light, face the facts and face them
boldly. It is wholly foolishness to turn our
backs upon the sun and deny its existence.
If a child came and asked for bread and w’e
were to spurn him, man would say we were
callous! But can we not see that a call is
being made—and is being disregarded? We
cannot afford to stop our ears, we must
listen to the great cry of humanityI Before
we can solve this problem Christ’s Gospel
must mean something in our own lives. Let
us first live that Gospel, then we can tell it
out! â€
After tea, and an organ recital by Mr.
Matthew Watson, the evening meeting was
held under the presidency of Mr. James
Holt, of Bury. The speakers of the even-
ing were Messrs. C. Taylor and A. Reeves.
Mr. Holt said : “ I agree with what Dr.
Mott says in one of his latest works : ‘ This
is the decisive hour of Christian missions. ’
There are four hundred millions of people
in China, and a great change has come
since a century ago. In that country to-day
there are half a million native Christians.
* Be not weary in well doing. We shall
reap, if we faint not.’ Dr. Griffith John
says that fifty years ago it was difficult to
give away any Christian literature ; but now,
during the past few years no less than one
and a half millions of copies have been sold.
Early in 1900 great efforts were made to rid
the country of Christians, and we had the
Boxer rising. Another change is taking
place to-day, but We find it has been said
that no foreigner is to be arrested. Dr.
Sun Yat Sen is the' son of a native Chris-
tian converted under the London Missionary
Society. This change of Government has,
I believe, been- brought about entirely by
the influence of the Christian religion.
In presenting the report the secretary,
Mr. J. W. Pilkington, said: 1'To-day we are
continuing a movement begun fourteen
years ago. For the past thirteen years the
students of Victoria Park College have held
a Missionary Demonstration in support of
Connexional Funds. This Demonstration
calls into activity every student in the Col-
lege. For many weeks before the actual
day of the meetings the students had been
sending out appeals. They were expecting
good things from Burnley. It was well un-
derstood that this year exceptional diffi-
II
Notable Collectors
culties had to be faced. Almost every Dis-
trict was organizing some special effort on
behalf of the missionary cause, and the
Students’ Appeal had suffered somewhat.
However, they had not suffered hopelessly.â€
In conclusion, Mr. Pilkington expressed the
gratitude of the students to the many Burn-
ley friends, and to the chairmen, for their
presence and great kindness. Principal
ShcTwood being unavoidably absent, .the
secretary read a letter expressing his deep
regret.
Mr. Chas. Taylor spoke with particular
reference to missionary results. ×´ Practi-
rally,†he said, “the whole world is open to
the Christian Church to-day. Thirty years
ago almost the whole of. the interior of
Africa was unknown country to us. What
is the Christian Church going to do in the
face of this great opportunity. Long ago,
when Jesus looked at the suffering
multitudes, He said, ‘ The harvest
truly is plenteous, but the labourers are
few ’; and this saying of our Lord was
never truer than it is to-day. We see world-
movements rather than national movements;
the Spirit of God seems to he moving over
the whole earth. The rise of the Portu-
guese Republic will mean opportunity for
evangelical truth. In Turkey we have seen
the old regime abolished. In. Africa the
Church has great opportunities. It is at the
piesent time engaged in a great conflict with
Islam. .1 fear few of us realize the greatness
of the danger. In East Africa, of the nine
millions of people practically three-fourths
are unreached. We ourselves have only 600
members. We are faced, too, with the
widespread dissatisfaction in India. We see
China awake. Everywhere there is the
great unrest, movement and change, and it
gives to us the great opportunity to show
forth the Saviour whom we love.â€
Mr. A. F. Reeves’ speech was the appli-
cation of the speeches of the day. He
briefly referred to the remarks of other
speakers, then went on to point out how
superstition is decaying in foreign lands. For
many reasons the uneducated races are more
impressionable. Civilization is spreading
farther and wider, and we are being more
readily received. We have got into the front
room of the Hindu and the Chinese. Are
we now going to help them to keep it clean?
In place of the fast-dying and decaying re-
ligions, what shall we offer, and how shall
we offer it? Such, to-day, is the new prob-
lent which we are facing. The world stands
ready, waiting, and asking. What are we
going to do? E. S. W.
®§=י
Notable Collectors.—36, 77.
May Allenson (standing) and
Dorothy Crabtree, Spalding.
Year. £ s. d. £ s. d.
1901 0 17 6 —
1902 0 17 6 —
1903 1 0 0 —
1904 1 6 0 1 4 9
1903 1 7 0 0 18 4
1906 1 10 6 1 4 9
1907 2 18 3 1 3 5
1908 2 5 0 1 1 5
1909 4 0 0 1 4 4
1910 3 14 2 0 18 0
1911 4 5 0 1 7 7
1912 3 0 0 1 2 4
27 0 11 10 4 11
May is the daughter of the circuit mis-
sionary secretary; Dorothy is the niece of
Mrs. Skillings, of Matlock. The two are
great chums, and wished to be taken to-
gether.—Per Rev. W. Downing.
93
TV© WorV of tV©
Woip©p’s Auxiliary.
Edited by
Mrs. BALKWILL.
A
S we write for our April number
we are reminded that this month
ends our financial year, and we
would like to impress upon our members
to continue their efforts to make it the
most successful on record. We are
cheered by news of still more Branches
being formed, or work extended, and
of others which prove they are very
much alive by their unfailing monthly
prayer-meeting and unflagging interest
in the Cause.
Our West China missionaries, up to
the time of writing, had not yet received
permission to return to their work, while
in the North, Tientsin, where our lady
missionaries and children on out-stations
had been compelled to retire for safety,
had itself become a war centre. Under
these circumstances it was considered
advisable for Miss Turner to take her
furlough during the trouble which seems
likely to be prolonged, and then to be
able to return to her work when peace
is restored.
We are sorry to find that Mrs.
Griffiths, whose address at the first
×´×´ He’s not heavy : he’s my brother ! â€
[.Favoured by “ Woman's
Evangel," Dayton, Ohio.
united meeting at Sheffield is not yet
forgotten, has been obliged to return
from East Africa on account of con-
tinued ill-health ; we trust her visit to
the homeland . may have its desired
effect in the restoration of her health.
“AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS.â€
(Mrs. Swallow’s letter continued from
page 71.)
“ On the first Sunday morning I went
to the Settlement Chapel and listened
to an eloquent sermon by Pastor Zi,
who made kindly reference to my pre-
sence amongst them, and in the after-
noon, across the 1 Bridge of Boats ’ of
old-time memory, through the densely-
crowded city to Kae-ning-saen. One day,
in company with Mrs. Heywood, Mrs.
Redfern, and Miss Murfitt, I attended
the wedding ceremony and feast of Mr.
Yiang and his bride—a rather fine
girl from Miss Abercrombie’s Home,
who, while not a decided Christian, is
quiet and industrious. While at Shang-
hai I saw her well-selected trousseau;
none of the equipments of an Eastern
bride had been forgotten, from jewel-
lery to garments for varying needs, all
neatly stored away in two red boxes.
And such is life, whether East or West,
that I soon found myself in a house of
mourning, one of our members having
died suddenly. He was a good Chris-
tian, and only a short time before, while
in his usual health, had given a clock
to our Hospital. Mr. Sheppard con-
ducted a short service in the house,
which I attended accompanied by our
Biblewoman. We have visited the
widow twice since. She is a regular
attendant at the chapel and loves our
beautiful hymns; she says next year,
when her wound is somewhat healed,
she would like us to teach her more of
our holy religion. On my second Sun-
day, in company with Mrs. Yiang, I set
out for our chapel in the East Suburb.
As we passed up the Bund there was•
plainly something unusual stirring, and
a Chinaman recognizing me, and think-
ing we were going into the city itself,
told me we could not do so, as the gates
94
The Work of the Women’s Auxiliary
were closed. On every side were re-
fugees fleeing from the city, carrying
their belongings with them; still, the
â– exodus cons'isted of women and chil-
•dren ; the men stayed in their shops and
places of business. We crossed the busy
bridge, and saw as we passed along
thousands of small, white revolutionary
flags stuck over doorways and houses of
business. So Ningpo, or “ City of the
peaceful wave,†passed over to the other
side on that bright Sabbath afternoon
without a shot being fired. On my third
Sunday morning I went to the early
meeting at the Settlement Church—9.30
■—a good preparation for the service
proper, and in the afternoon went by
boat to Ah-saen-i, a small village on the
banks of the canal that passes our Hos-
pital, where Mrs. Redfern has an in-
teresting Sunday School.* On our way
we stopped to take in some children and
one woman. Looking at this feature of
our work as a whole—a heathen village
easy of access, a neat little room, a
weekly lesson—last year on the Life of
Christ, this year on the Old Testament
—taught by question and answer, the
joyful singing, the little texts given to
the most attentive to be stored up as
an earnest of a greater prize to be given
at our Christmas festival—I came away
with a glad feeling that these children
were being taught something of Jesus
and His love.
The fourth Sabbath found me again
crossing the river with Mrs. Yiang on
our way to Cii Song. Here the little
Bethel consists of a single room given
by an old gentleman who lives near.
The place is well provided with seats,
and scrolls hang on the wall. We called
at the residence of the donor, whose
wife had died a few weeks previously.
We did not see him, but had a friendly
talk with his young daughter-in-law, a
heathen girl in ill-health. About twenty
came to our service, and we returned
home encouraged by our visit. In Cii
Song, and the villages near, Miss Mur-
fitt and Mrs. Yiang have done a good
deal of seed-sowing. Another Sunday
I was invited to a meeting in the
women’s ward of the Hospital where a
bright service was held. For afternoon
tea Dr. Swallow brought in three
See p. 8 1911—Ed.
Chinese friends—a preacher, a Hospital
assistant and a student. Over the tea
cups we talked together, and heard with
sympathy their patriotic hopes for this
great country. Then I brought out my
album and portfolios of photographs,
past and present. I had one taken about
1877, showing our first generation of
converts, gathered with other Christian
missionaries, and their children in our
garden, and the student, looking at it,
at once said: “ Here is a picture of my
father, which I have sought for years.
Will you lend it toâ– me to have a copy
made of it ? †— a request willingly
granted. The recognition of other faces
followed, causing much amusement to
the young men.
One day Mrs. Yiang took me into the
city to call on native Christians: some
of them I had left poor are now well-
to-do, their children a credit to them.
There are instances where the seed
sown in eary days has yielded a
hundred-fold. A point of great interest
has been the welfare and whereabouts
of our old schoolgirls, but that will fur-
nish a starting-point for ,another letter.
“ Yours in the dear Master’s service,
“Alice Swallow.â€
The remainder of Miss Murfitt’s
letter, also continued from last month,
shows some of the circumstances under
which the seed-sowing referred to by
Mrs. Swallow is being carried on:
“ The last time I visited one of the
villages we had quite a number of
people gather round us to hear the
‘ Jesus Doctrine ’—probably about one
hundred heard the message that day.
“ The first person we met was an old
woman, who, when the invitation is
given to come to the church, says, with
an air of surprise, as though it were the
first time she had ever heard of such a
place, ' Church, where is the Church ? ’
the same answer being given each time.
She suddenly realizes where it is, and
says she will come if she has time. We
have a little talk, and she says finally
she will come along, but she has never
turned up yet.
“ At another time we were surrounded
by a crowd of women and children,
when suddenly one little chap took a
fancy to a shining button on my coat,
95
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