,,the ,,fulfilment ,,of ,a ,,dream ,,of ,,pastor ,,hsi',s ,illustration3 ,,mrs4 ,,hsi4 ,frontispiece4 ,,the ,,fulfilment ,,of ,a ,,dream ,,of ,,pastor ,,hsi',s ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,work ,,in ,,hwochow ,,by ,a4 ,,mildred ,,cable ,of the ,china ,inland ,mission ,is it a dream8 ,nay1 but the lack of it1 a dream4 ,and failing it1 life's love and wealth a dream1 ,and all the world a dream4 ,,walt ,,whitman ,,london3 ,,morgan ,,scott ,,ltd4 #ab1 ,,paternoster ,,buildings1 ,e4,c4 ,,china ,,inland ,,mission ,,newington ,,green1 ,n4 ,,mcmxvii ,,to ,,dr4 ,g4 ,,campbell ,,morgan ,,the ,,apollos ,,who ,,by ,,prayer ,,and ,,sympathy ,,has ,,watered ,,this ,,work ,,this ,,book ,,is ,,affectionately ,,dedicated ,,introduction ,,twenty-,,one years ago1 on #aith ,february #ahif1 ,pastor ,hsi1 to quote the words of his biographer1 was translated to higher service4 ,those who read the fascinating and wonderful story of his life by ,mrs4 ,howard ,taylor will at once be interested in ,the ,fulfilment of a ,dream1 which is the story of the work in ,hwochow1 and gives the account of the carrying on of the spiritual labour of that remarkable man1 and of the fulfilment of his dream4 ,i think it is equally true that those who have not read ,pastor ,hsi's life will desire to do so after reading this book4 ,it is a commonplace observation1 but none the less true1 that the story commenced in the ,acts of the ,apostles could not be finished by ,luke1 because the great activity1 the commencement of which he recorded1 is still going forward4 ,every tale of missionary endeavour moving forward toward the uttermost part of the earth is an added chapter4 ,it has been given to ,mildred ,cable and her fellow workers1 to labour in the apostolic succession2 and then to ,mildred ,cable1 to write this wonderful chapter4 ,from my own standpoint the book is full of charm4 ,while by no means its supreme value1 the first impression made upon the mind is that of the naturalness of the story4 ,the reader is made the friend of the writer1 and listens to an artless and charming account of places and of peoples4 ,my first reading of the book at one sitting 7as all such books should be read71 left me with a sense of the atmosphere of the missionary's life and surroundings4 ,i was admitted into the actuality of everyday things1 and was made familiar with the pathos and tragedy and humour of life in a land and among a people largely unknown to me4 ,as ,i have said1 this is by no means the supreme value of the book4 ,that rather consists in something that grows upon you as you read4 ,the writer does not state it in so many words1 or very seldom1 and certainly is not trying to persuade you to believe it1 but there it is4 ,i refer to the tender and yet strong revelation of the power of the ,divine ,grace1 both in its sustenance of those who are called to missionary work1 and its transforming power in the case of those who1 often at cost1 yield themselves to its call4 ,in ,chapters ,i41 ,v41 ,,vi41 ,,vii41 and ,,viii41 the reader will trace the story of the development of the work1 and a wonderful story it is4 ,chapters ,,xi4 and ,,xii41 containing first the story of ,ai ,do1 and then a record of demoniacal manifestations1 show the reader how these quiet and earnest workers are brought up against the big1 naked1 awful things of life2 and also how being so confronted1 they are unafraid and unconquered in the name of ,jesus ,christ the ,lord4 ,the fact that ,i draw special attention to these chapters is not intended to suggest for a moment that the others are either uninteresting or unimportant4 ,they are neither the one nor the other4 ,for all that it is intended to be1 the book is a whole1 and is supremely precious1 because it is manifestly a part of the larger whole of ,christ's great emprise4 ,with confidence and joy ,i commend the story to all those in whose heart burns the passion for the coming of the hour when our adorable ,redeemer shall see of the travail of ,his soul1 and shall be satisfied4 ,g4 ,,campbell ,,morgan4 ,,author',s ,,preface ,i ,,wish to acknowledge that apart from my co-workers1 ,evangeline and ,francesca ,french1 this book would have been impossible4 ,to ,mr4 ,albert ,lutley1 ,superintendent of the ,china ,inland ,mission ,work in the ,province of ,shansi1 ,i am indebted for help and kindnesses which ,i can acknowledge1 but never repay4 ,i am also indebted to my ,chinese secretary1 ,miss ,wang1 for her able reporting of the many interviews which the compiling of this book has necessitated4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,chinese themselves say3 ,one mile alters the speech1 and ten miles change the customs4 ,in view of the fact that the ,province of ,shansi alone is larger than ,england and ,wales1 ,i wish it to be clearly understood that the usages and customs to which ,i refer throughout this book are local4 ,,editor',s ,,note ,,all personal names are spelt according to the system employed by the authoress1 except where it has been necessary to modify this to retain the identity of someone mentioned in ,mrs4 ,howard ,taylor's ,pastor ,hsi4 ,all place names are spelt according to the orthography of the ,chinese ,postal ,guide1 which system is now used in the standard maps of ,china and has been adopted by the larger missionary societies4 ,thus1 ,hoh-chau of ,pastor ,hsi becomes ,hwochow1 ,t'ai-yuean becomes ,taiyueanfu1 ,p'ing-yang becomes ,pingyangfu1 etc4 ,,contents ,,page ,,prologue xix ,,chapter ,i ,,mrs4 ,,hsi',s ,,gift1 ,,being ,,an ,,account ,,of ,,the ,,opening ,,of ,,the ,,station ,,of ,,hwochow #c ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,big ,,road1 ,,indicating ,,the ,,situation ,,of ,,hwochow ,,in ,,the ,,province ,,of ,,shansi #aa ,,chapter ,,iii ,a ,,new ,,venture1 ,,in ,,which ,,is ,,recorded ,,the ,,appointment ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,missionaries ,,to ,,hwochow #ai ,,chapter ,,iv ,,the ,,continuation ,,of ,,the ,,story1 ,,being ,a ,,record ,,of ,,some ,,who ,,were ,,counted ,,worthy ,,to ,,suffer ,,for ,,christ',s ,,sake1 ,,and ,,of ,,mrs4 ,,hsi',s ,,experience ,,in ,,the ,,boxer ,,outbreak #bg ,,chapter ,v ,,life ,,in ,,the ,,villages1 ,,an ,,introduction ,,to ,,chinese ,,home ,,life #cg ,,chapter ,,vi ,,our ,,reception ,,at ,,hwochow1 ,,showing ,,things ,,as ,,they ,,sometimes ,,are #dg ,,chapter ,,vii ,a ,,portrait ,,gallery1 ,,wherein ,,the ,,reader ,,is ,,introduced ,,to ,,some ,,of ,,our ,,fellow ,,workers #eg ,,chapter ,,viii ,,work ,,development1 ,,relating ,,how ,,we ,,sought ,,to ,,encompass ,,the ,,work1 ,,and ,,the ,,work ,,encompassed ,,us #fi ,,chapter ,,ix ,,mrs4 ,,hsi',s ,,second ,,gift1 ,,being ,,an ,,account ,,of ,,her ,,life ,,from ,,widowhood #gg ,,chapter ,x ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,an ,,opium ,,smoker #he ,,chapter ,,xi ,,the ,,great ,,furnace ,,for ,a ,,great ,,soul1 ,,being ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,ai ,,do #ie ,,chapter ,,xii ,,the ,,powers ,,of ,,darkness1 ,,being ,a ,,record ,,of ,,some ,,observations ,,in ,,demonology #aji ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,the ,,life ,,story ,,of ,,pastor ,,wang #abg ,,chapter ,,xiv ,a ,,visit ,,to ,,the ,,base1 ,,from ,,whence ,,we ,,are ,,again ,,sent ,,forth ,,with ,,fresh ,,supplies #ada ,,chapter ,,xv ,,the ,,builders1 ,,relating ,,how ,,the ,,supplies ,,were ,,used #aea ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,women',s ,,bible ,,training ,,school1 ,,which ,,tells ,,how ,a ,,link ,,was ,,established ,,between ,,westminster ,,and ,,hwochow ,,bible ,,schools #aei ,,chapter ,,xvii ,,the ,,draw ,,net ,,let ,,down ,,into ,,the ,,sea1 ,,an ,,account ,,of ,,fresh ,,efforts ,,to ,,reach ,,the ,,multitude1 ,,and ,,bring ,,them ,,to ,,decision #afi ,,chapter ,,xviii ,,life ,,amongst ,,the ,,upper ,,ten ,,thousand1 ,,recording ,,hospitality ,,shown ,,to ,,us ,,by ,,the ,,official ,,classes #agg ,,chapter ,,xix ,,the ,,revolution ,,of #aiaa1 ,,and ,,how ,,we ,,were ,,affected ,,by ,,it #ahi ,,chapter ,,xx ,,changed ,,conditions1 ,,wherein ,,some1 ,,though ,,following ,a ,,path ,,of ,,action1 ,,failed ,,to ,,understand ,,it #aii ,,chapter ,,xxi ,,another ,,portrait ,,gallery1 ,,wherein ,,the ,,reader ,,is ,,introduced ,,to ,,some ,,who ,,have ,,failed #baa ,,chapter ,,xxii ,,preaching ,,the ,,gospel1 ,,healing ,,the ,,sick1 ,,telling ,,of ,,the ,,daily ,,routine #bbc ,,chapter ,,xxiii ,a ,,casket ,,of ,,jewels1 ,,being ,,an ,,account ,,of ,,the ,,girls' ,,school #bcc ,,chapter ,,xxiv ,,the ,,treasure ,,house1 ,,where ,,the ,,reader ,,is ,,shown ,,the ,,lapidary ,,at ,,work #bdg ,,chapter ,,xxv ,,conclusion1 ,,being ,a ,,review ,,of ,,the ,,present ,,situation #beg ,,appendix #bfc ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,,mrs4 ,,hsi ,frontispiece ,,facing ,,page ,a ,,woman ,,opium ,,smoker #hb ,,pastor ,,wang #acf ,,women',s ,,bible ,,school #afj ,,puppy ,,and ,,her ,,mother #bah ,,the ,,teaching ,,staff #bbh ,,some ,,kindergarten ,,scholars #bcf ,,ling ,,ai1 ,,her ,,children1 ,,and ,,her ,,mother1 ,,mrs4 ,,liang #beb ,,prologue ,,the spirit of the ,confucian scholar ,hsi met with its ,master ,christ1 and overwhelmed by the vision yielded all to ,his control4 ,constrained by ,his love the souls of men were sought and won2 led by ,his ,spirit1 churches were established in the faith2 sharing ,his sufferings1 their failures became his burden4 ,in the darkest days the ,hwochow ,church has known1 when many forsook their faith1 he was strengthened by a dream1 in which he saw a tree cut down to the ground1 only to sprout again1 and throw out branches stronger than before4 ,in his dream1 ,pastor ,hsi knew this tree to be the ,hwochow ,church4 ,he knew that though it were brought low1 it would revive1 and by faith obtained the promise1 the fulfilment of which is recorded in these pages4 ,when ,thou wouldst pour the ,living ,stream ,then ,i would be the earthen cup1 ,filled to the brim and sparkling clear4 ,the ,fountain ,thou and ,living ,spring ,flow ,thou through me1 the vessel weak1 ,that thirsty souls may taste ,thy grace4 ,when ,thou wouldst warn the people1 ,lord1 ,then ,i would be the golden bell ,swung high athwart the lofty tower ,morning and evening sounding loud2 ,that young and old may wake from sleep1 ,yea1 e'en the deaf hear that strong sound4 ,when ,thou wouldst light the darkness1 ,lord1 ,then ,i would be the silver lamp ,whose oil supply can never fail4 ,placed high1 to shed the beams afar1 ,that darkness may be turned to light1 ,and men and women see ,thy face4 ,when ,thou wouldst slay the wolves1 ,o ,lord6 ,then ,i would be the keen-edged sword2 ,clean1 free from rust1 sharpened and sure1 ,the handle grasped1 my ,god1 by ,thee4 ,to kill the cruel1 ravening foe1 ,and save the sheep for whom ,christ died4 ,translated from ,pastor ,hsi by ,f4 ,l4 ,f4 ,,mrs4 ,,hsi',s ,,gift ,first love is the abandonment of all for the love which has abandoned all4--,dr4 ,g4 ,,campbell ,,morgan4 4 4 4 such men ,carry the fire1 all things grow warm to them4 ,their drugget's worth my purple1 they beat me4 ,r4 ,,browning4 ,,chapter ,i ,,mrs4 ,,hsi',s ,,gift ,,being ,,an ,,account ,,of ,,the ,,opening ,,of ,,the ,,station ,,of ,,hwochow ,,mrs4 ,,hsi was in great mental distress4 ,the blow she feared had fallen1 and her husband was a prey to the bewitching power of the foreign devils4 ,how cleverly the trap had been laid4 ,firstly1 the offer of a monetary prize for a classical essay--which he had won2 secondly1 the insistence of the foreigner on a personal interview with the writer1 on the occasion of which1 certain as her husband had been that he had tasted neither food nor drink under his roof1 some means had certainly been found to introduce into his system some of that subtle foreign drug which1 as every one knew1 must eventually compel the victim to embrace ,christianity and follow the foreign devil to the world's end4 ,thirdly1 he had been invited to become the teacher of this dreaded man 7,rev4 ,david ,hill71 and she had foolishly yielded her consent4 ,she had taken every precaution and had1 on three occasions1 sent for him on plea of her own illness during the time he was an inmate in the foreigner's household4 ,his clothing had been carefully searched for traces of the magical compound1 but in vain2 nothing had come to light1 and now here was her husband1 one of the leading ,confucianists of the district1 declaring that1 of his own free will and action1 he had determined to follow--not the foreign devils--but this ,jesus1 around ,whom all their preaching centred4 ,he attributed this change of mind1 evidently quite irrationally1 to the reading of a book printed under the strange title of ,happy ,sound1--but perhaps even the sacred ,chinese character might become a snare in their hands6 ,nothing but the influence of some powerful magic could have worked so complete a transformation4 ,even his intense craving for opium was gone1 the ,confucian writings which had been his constant companion were now neglected1 and in spite of her entreaties and fears1 the family gods were destroyed4 ,during his stay at home he spoke constantly1 both to her and in her hearing to many visitors1 of the teachings of this ,jesus ,who1 he explained to all comers1 was the ,son of the only ,true ,god4 99 99 99 99 99 ,time passed1 and gradually her fears were somewhat allayed1 so that she even consented to repeat certain sentences which1 he told her1 were to be used night and morning1 kneeling1 and with closed eyes4 ,her inclination to favourably regard what he told her grew1 especially during his absences from home2 for1 strange to relate1 she soon began to find herself under the influence of an unaccountable external power1 which compelled her on each occasion of a visit from her husband to fly into an uncontrollable rage at the sight of him1 and this despite her most determined resolution to the contrary4 ,to her husband it was most distressing to see so gentle a woman thus transformed4 ,as his own spiritual experience increased1 he recognised in this an onslaught of the devil1 and betook himself to prayer and fasting in order to discover how they had laid themselves open to the attack4 ,it was then that there was brought to his remembrance the fact that1 in a room at the top of the house1 there stood a small idol responsible for the health of the family1 whose existence ,mrs4 ,hsi had been careful not to bring to his remembrance1 and which had been overlooked in the general destruction4 ,the shrine was instantly destroyed1 and ,mrs4 ,hsi was free of the tormenting spirit1 and shortly afterwards openly confessed ,christ4 ,from that time their home in the ,western ,chang village was a centre of ,christian activity4 ,through intense suffering ,mr4 ,hsi had freed himself from the craving for opium1 and he felt that1 for the evangelisation of his native province1 some means might be devised whereby the treatment of opium patients might be combined with widespread preaching of the ,gospel4 ,the more he thought of this the stronger the conviction grew that it was of ,god1 and when1 through the agency of a dream1 a system of treatment was revealed to him1 he accepted it as a revelation and at once prepared the medicine which proved successful beyond his highest expectations4 ,after a time1 men who had been delivered from the opium vice and led to ,christ through the ,refuges1 were gathered into his home 7which he called the ,middle ,eden7 and trained for the work4 ,this community life for so large a number was only made possible by ,mrs4 ,hsi's enthusiastic devotion4 ,the extension of the opium refuge work was rapid and widespread1 and necessitated frequent absences from home on the part of ,mr4 ,hsi1 during which time a heavy burden fell upon his wife4 ,houses were rented in many towns and villages1 and patients entering the heavenly called refuges#a were numerous4 ,the burden of one city1 however1 lay heavily upon the heart of ,mr4 ,hsi1 and he and his household constantly prayed together that ,hwochow might be opened to the sound of the ,gospel2 but funds which seemed essential for the initial expenses of the venture were not forthcoming4 ,his itinerant journeys frequently took him through this important centre1 which was situated sixty miles north of his home4 ,day after day prayer was made1 and ,mrs4 ,hsi often heard her husband in the night watches1 as he knelt alone in the court1 plead with ,god that nothing might hinder what he strongly believed to be the ,divine ,purpose4 ,one ,sunday night she was wakened by the familiar sound4 ,she knew that her husband1 like herself1 had gone to bed tired out by a long day of preaching1 during which large numbers had joined their household from more or less distant villages4 ,according to their custom1 they had spent the day fasting2 it was ,pastor ,hsi's habit to refer to the ,scriptures direct for guidance on matters of daily conduct1 and in the early days of his faith he feared to sin against the law of ,god by allowing fires to be lighted and meals to be prepared on ,sunday4 ,in accordance with his habit1 he had arisen soon after midnight to give himself to prayer1 and her ear caught the murmured sentences1 ,i beseech ,thee1 ,o ,lord1 open a way for ,hwochow to hear the ,gospel4 ,as she listened1 the sound of his voice brought conviction to her own mind that she was to be the human agency by which the ,divine ,will should now fulfil itself4 ,in a flash1 the path of duty was clear4 ,at the back of her cave were large painted cupboards which contained the whole of her worldly possessions3 bundles of handsome silk1 satin1 and embroidered garments1 and a box holding the heavy jade and silver ornaments1 which had been her husband's marriage gift4 ,leaving her kang#b ,mrs4 ,hsi unlocked the cupboards and spent the rest of that night in sorting their contents4 ,all except a few cotton gowns were put to one side1 and as the voice in the courtyard still pleaded for ,hwochow1 even the earrings were taken from her ears1 the rings from her fingers1 and the ornaments from her hair4 ,he ,who is worthy to receive accepted the offering1 and her heart sang a song of thanksgiving as she murmured to herself1 ,hwochow shall have the ,gospel4 ,morning prayers at ,middle ,eden was an hour of joyful worship1 and on this day ,mrs4 ,hsi's heart was so full of happiness that she could scarcely wait until the full congregation had assembled before she1 laden with her bundles1 entered the room and placed them on the table1 saying1 ,i think ,god has answered our prayers2 ,i can do without these1 let ,hwochow have the ,gospel4 ,every heart present must have been moved1 for all could judge accurately what the sacrifice must be4 ,she had offered her only worldly treasures1 articles which her husband could not ask her to sacrifice1 ready as he was to use in ,god's service all that pertained to their home4 ,surely the angels joined their song to that of the little ,christian community that morning1 as the words of their own pastor's hymn ascended with the sacrifice of praise3 ,i hung for thee on ,calvary1 what dost thou still withhold from ,me8 ,thy strength1 thy time1 thy goods8 ,oh say1 what dost thou yet deny1 ,my heart of love to satisfy8 ,,footnotes3 #a ,heavenly ,invitation ,office 7,pastor ,hsi's translation74 #b ,the raised brick or mud platform1 heated by a fire1 used as a bed in ,north ,china4 ,,the ,,big ,,road ,allons6 whoever you are1 come travel with me6 ,travelling with me you find what never tires4 ,whoever you are1 come forth6 a man or a woman1 come forth6 ,you must not stay sleeping or dallying there in the house1 though you built it1 or though it has been built for you4 ,,walt ,,whitman4 ,the ,master said3 ,with coarse rice to eat1 with water to drink1 and my bended arm for a pillow2--,i have still joy in the midst of these things4--,confucian ,analects4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,big ,,road ,,indicating ,,the ,,situation ,,of ,,hwochow ,,in ,,the ,,province ,,of ,,shansi ,,the city of ,hwochow is situated on the main road which connects ,taiyueanfu with ,sianfu1 the direct route from ,peking to the northwestern provinces4 ,along this road pass strings of camels1 laden with the merchandise of ,mongolia2 thousands of donkeys1 carrying bags of flour from the more luxuriant southern plains2 cartloads of tobacco and paper from the large cities in the south of the province1 and caravans of travellers2 whole families packed into large carts moving to some new home2 mat-covered litters swung between two mules and heavily curtained1 in which the wives of an official are transported to their new abode2 pedestrians1 clad in sky-blue cotton1 yamen runners yelling as they ride at furious speed to clear the way before them1 and bearers of burdens combine to form a moving picture of interest and beauty upon the ,big ,road1 as it is called4 ,not least interesting among the wayfarers are the ,lhamas from distant ,thibet nearing the end of their long pilgrimage to the famous holy mountain ,wutai1 where each one hopes to be granted the vision of the famous opening lotus4 ,for many months1 stretching into years1 this hope has sustained them through the weary pilgrimage4 ,from the threshold of their ,lhama home they have walked every step of the thousand and more miles1 some at every tenth1 some at every fifth step1 touching the ground with their forehead1 and some measuring the whole length of the way with their outstretched body on the road4 ,as the traveller enters ,hwochow from the north1 he crosses a bridge1 passing on his right a large metal cow4 ,beyond1 flows the ,fen ,river1 and before him is the city gate4 ,to this brazen image is committed the important function of guarding ,hwochow from flood1 and so successfully does it accomplish its task that dryness and drought are the normal condition of the countryside6 ,turning to the east he faces the magnificent range of the ,ho ,mountains1 in winter covered with snow1 and in warmer seasons touched with the beauty of ever-changing colour4 ,these mountains are part of the range which1 farther north1 is traversed by the famous ,lingshih ,pass4 ,excepting in the early summer months when patches of vivid green indicate the fields of growing wheat1 the landscape is of a uniform shade which is best described as khaki4 ,owing to the friable nature of the soil formation known as loess1 the traveller1 whether journeying from north or south1 finds himself in a succession of deep gullies4 ,this wheat-growing land was formerly given over to the cultivation of the opium poppy1 and for miles over the plain the wonderful iridescent bloom gave the appearance of a sea of changing light and shade as the wind passed over it4 ,in the year #aijh a proclamation was issued forbidding the growth of opium under penalty of death1 and so vigorously has the law been enforced that the poppy has completely disappeared from view1 and no man is bold enough to openly grow that which has been forbidden by the authorities4 ,for ten months in the year brilliant sunshine can be counted upon1 and during that time1 except for dust combined with heat or cold1 the physical condition of a journey may be comparatively easy4 ,ease of mind1 however1 can only be attained by the philosopher who1 putting away all thought of unseemly haste1 shares the ,easterner's pleasures of observation1 contemplation1 and wayside intercourse4 ,the journey from ,taiyueanfu to ,hwochow is accomplished in five stages1 and nothing will induce the carter to shorten or change them1 though hours may have been wasted in some narrow gully where1 spite his warning yells1 his cart met another at a point where advance or retreat on either side were alike impossible4 ,after fierce recriminations the two men each produce a pipe1 and it is good practice for the impatient ,westerner to see them sit on their heels and talk the matter over4 ,time passes1 but the carter is untrammelled by any artificial measure thereof1 and after endless discussion1 amid comforting whiffs of tobacco1 he proceeds to think of a plan whereby the deadlock may be overcome4 ,how they manage to extricate themselves1 one never knows6 ,some of the bank comes down1 yells and shouts do their part1 and at last the traffic1 which may now amount to fifty waiting carts1 slowly passes by4 ,it is an everyday occurrence1 and you ask1 ,why do they not widen the road8 ,nobody's business1 is the reply4 ,who would spend the money8 ,it is1 however1 the rainy season that reveals to the full the horrors of ,chinese travelling4 ,the loess is slippery beyond description1 and the litter or cart in which you travel may be stuck for hours in a pit of greasy mud1 black by reason of the coal dust so plentiful throughout the district1 so deep that nothing but the mule's head is visible1 the plunging body being hidden in the black mass4 ,your only hope at such a moment is to throw yourself with the grace of an expert gymnast on to the bank1 thankful if you escape unhurt and only bespattered by mud4 ,these pits are carefully kept in condition by a small group of men who appear1 as by magic1 to offer assistance at the suitable moment4 ,no plight1 however1 excites their pity sufficiently to induce them to render help apart from a pecuniary reward of an exorbitant nature4 ,once within the city gates there is hope that you will soon find a shelter4 ,you will have accomplished the stage which has been allotted from time immemorial4 ,marco ,polo himself followed these stages in the year #abhj as we do to-day in the twentieth century4 ,the main road runs through the city of ,hwochow from north to south1 and many inns invite the traveller to rest1 the red scrolls at the door assuring him that ,from the four seas men all gather to this great hotel1 and that the fame of its food is far-reaching4 ,crossing this road from east to west is another important street where the official residence is situated4 ,here1 most of the large shops are to be found and in the centre of the city is a fine tower1 but all the smaller streets are alike1 running between blank walls1 from which access to as many as twelve courtyards may be through one small door4 ,numerous pigs walk unhindered up and down1 acting as scavengers1 and as such are not unneeded1 for every one throws the refuse of the household out of the court door1 caring nothing for the convenience of the public4 ,parallel with the ,yamen street is another important thoroughfare known as ,prospect ,hill4 ,here stands the largest and most important temple in the city1 and almost next door to this1 with the money given by his wife1 ,mr4 ,hsi secured small premises and announced that he was opening an opium refuge1 and was willing to receive patients4 ,particulars as to rules and expenses were widely published1 and in this place the first results of the love and self-sacrifice of ,mrs4 ,hsi were seen4 ,a ,,new ,,venture ,love has a hem to its garment ,that touches the very dust3 ,it can reach the stains of the streets and the lanes1 ,and because it can it must4 ,it dares not rest on the mountain2 ,it is bound to come to the vale2 ,for it cannot find its fulness of mind ,till it kindles the lives that fail4 ,,george ,,matheson4 ,the world had begun to stare1 she half apprehended the fact1 but she was in the presence of the irresistible4 ,in the presence of the irresistible the conventional is a crazy structure1 swept away with very little creaking of its timbers on the flood4--,,george ,,meredith4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,a ,,new ,,venture ,,in ,,which ,,is ,,recorded ,,the ,,appointment ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,missionaries ,,to ,,hwochow ,,the first endeavour to bring the people of ,hwochow within sound of the ,gospel proved in every way encouraging4 ,numbers of men entered the ,opium ,refuge1 and before long a nucleus of twenty were calling themselves ,christians4 ,the effort was1 however1 sterile so far as women were concerned1 and ,pastor ,hsi knew the impossibility of establishing upon a solid basis a work which left untouched those who so largely controlled the home4 ,the power wielded by the woman in ,china is immense1 for while she may be despised and1 in her young days1 even ill-treated1 her day of power surely dawns1 and woe betide the man who has to combat the determined will of mother or wife4 ,the question of providing women workers for ,hwochow became a pressing one1 and a visit from the ,rev4 ,hudson ,taylor was the occasion chosen by ,pastor ,hsi to bring before him the urgency of this claim#c4 ,his suggestion was that single women missionaries should be appointed who could give their time unreservedly to the teaching of women1 and preaching4 ,mr4 ,taylor pointed out the difficulties and the misunderstanding which would make their lot far from easy1 but these difficulties1 ,pastor and ,mrs4 ,hsi felt1 might be overcome1 and willingly promised to give all the help which lay within their power4 ,in any case1 the claim of the women constituted a call to make a forward movement1 and ,mr4 ,taylor promised to give the matter serious consideration4 ,by the end of that year1 #ahhf1 two ,norwegian ladies had offered for the post4 ,miss ,jacobsen1 an idealist1 strong1 capable1 and critical1 gave herself whole-heartedly to the work for which she had come4 ,enthusiastic and independent in thought and action1 she soon acquired the spoken language to a remarkable degree1 and with a praiseworthy tenacity she studied the classical works of the ,chinese1 and at the same time could vie with most of the women in all branches of their domestic activities4 ,her extraordinary ability is a byword to this day amongst the people who knew her4 ,she was accompanied by ,miss ,reuter1 a lady of education and refinement1 whose grace of manner and goodness of heart speedily endeared her to all with whom she came in contact4 ,varied as were the gifts and circumstances of the friends1 they were one in desire and purpose4 ,their home was one small room1 and here they dwelt and received all who came to them4 ,they wore the ,chinese dress1 ate the ,chinese food1 and whether in their own home or in the villages where they preached1 ever kept before them the one object of the salvation of souls4 ,as pioneer workers1 enthusiasm sometimes overstepped discretion1 and the violation of ,chinese custom in such matters as the public playing of stringed instruments and open-air preaching to mixed congregations1 led to misunderstanding1 and even to the gathering around them of some whose presence was far from helpful4 ,desire on the part of ,miss ,jacobsen to encourage in every way possible those who were already faced with persecution as they left idolatry1 led to the preparation1 each ,sunday1 of a simple meal which might be shared with any who walked long distances to attend services in the ,city ,church1 and who arrived weary and tired4 ,others1 however1 apart from the ,christian family heard of this1 and if matters of business brought them to the city1 ,sunday was considered an appropriate day to transact them1 as thereby dinner might be obtained free4 ,this naturally led to criticism on the part of the heathen1 and many of the more independent and self-respecting people refrained from intercourse with a community of whom it could be said3 ,they believe for their food's sake4 ,acting upon the advice of ,pastor ,hsi1 this practice was discontinued1 the missionaries themselves willingly taking no food from morning until evening1 that all might fare alike4 ,it could but be evident to all concerned that the mistakes were those of love and enthusiasm1 and such qualities do much to counteract any harm that might arise from unwise methods of expression4 ,in every land1 the world might well see more of the love that defies criticism1 and forgets its own interests in whole-hearted devotion4 ,miss ,reuter felt the importance of at once reaching the children1 and opened a small school for the daughters of ,christians4 ,three little girls were committed to her care1 and these she faithfully taught1 not despising the day of small things4 ,she1 with ,miss ,jacobsen1 travelled from village to village with the evangelist ,cheng ,hsiu-chi1 and preached the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,cheng was a native of ,hwochow1 and had1 at ,pastor ,hsi's request1 made ready the house for the missionaries when they came4 ,as a young man he had wandered far in the paths of sin1 and his mother1 eager for his reformation1 had spent no mean sum of money upon incense with which to seek the favour of the gods on his behalf4 ,seeing her devotion1 his heart was touched1 and he considered seeking refuge in a ,buddhist monastery from the fire of passion1 hatred1 and ignorance always burning in his heart4 ,with this in view1 he took counsel of a friend who had harboured similar ideals4 ,this man had lately been a patient in the ,refuge1 where he had learnt of a stronger power to break the bonds of sin than fasting1 penance1 and self-discipline4 ,with him ,mr4 ,cheng attended a meeting of ,christians where1 meeting with ,christ1 he became a disciple4 ,he returned home to face bitter persecution for refusing to pay the temple taxes2 it was understood that no robbery of his crops1 or ill-treatment of his person1 would be punished by the village elders4 ,he had finally no option but to leave his home and seek refuge elsewhere1 rejoicing that he was counted worthy to suffer for the ,name's sake4 ,he then helped ,pastor ,hsi in the ,hwochow ,refuge1 and later took charge of the same work in new and hitherto untouched districts1 returning from time to time to his own city4 ,a strong admiration for ,miss ,jacobsen and her whole-hearted devotion awoke a consciousness that this feeling was not entirely on his side1 and gradually1 but surely1 the difference of race and outlook was obliterated in the love which revealed to each the other's secret4 ,those to whom ,miss ,jacobsen in honour bound confided her purpose1 did all in their power to prevent what it seemed might prove to be a catastrophe to the work4 ,she was asked to leave ,hwochow1 and was sent to another province4 ,some years passed1 but nothing could change the determination which saw in this union a possible wider sphere of usefulness and understanding of the people she had come to love2 moreover1 the mysterious something which caused her to know that one man loved the pilgrim soul in her1 could not be ignored4 ,to her trusted friend ,pastor ,hsi1 however1 she did turn for advice1 and while many fellow-workers found it hard to express their indignation and regret1 he1 with a clearness of outlook only possible where there is absence of prejudice1 told her that while he could not regard it as a sin for a ,christian man and woman of different races to marry1 he felt convinced that the time had not come for such unions to be desirable4 ,as is usual in such cases where inclination runs contrary to the advice given1 the latter was ignored1 and in the year #ahih ,cheng ,hsiu-chi and ,anna ,jacobsen became man and wife4 ,painful as must have been the attitude of ,westerners to ,mrs4 ,cheng1 a greater trial awaited her when she came to realise that the ,chinese1 both ,christian and heathen1 regarded her action with disapproval1 and adopted so unappreciative an attitude both towards her husband and herself1 that she found only critical antagonism where she had looked for sympathetic understanding4 ,mr4 ,cheng proved himself worthy in all ways of the confidence she had placed in him1 and by self-sacrificing toil he1 both before and after his wife's death1 faithfully served the ,lord to ,whom he had yielded his life4 ,in the year #aiae he too passed to his reward4 ,miss ,reuter had some time previously married ,mr4 ,stanley ,smith2 young workers who had joined ,miss ,jacobsen for short periods had been moved to other places1 and when fresh appointments were made it was a time of great difficulty4 ,it was not easy to replace those whose absolute devotion had won the love of the people amongst whom they lived2 and while ,miss ,jacobsen's action necessitated her withdrawal from the staff of the ,china ,inland ,mission1 and made further residence in ,hwochow impossible for her1 they could not forget that she was the first missionary who had come to them1 and that they were losing with her the man who had been a help to so many of them in their early ,christian life4 ,,footnote3 #c ,it was on the occasion of this visit that ,mr4 ,hsi was ordained pastor4 ,,the ,,continuation ,,of ,,the ,,story ,death is short1 and life is long2 ,satan is strong1 and ,christ more strong4 ,at ,his ,word1 ,who hath led us hither1 ,the ,red ,sea must part hither and thither4 ,at ,his ,word ,who goes before us too1 ,jordan must cleave to let us through4 ,c4 ,,rossetti4 ,on the other side of the ,river was also a meadow1 curiously beautified with lilies1 and it was green all the year round4--,pilgrim's ,progress4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,the ,,continuation ,,of ,,the ,,story ,,being ,a ,,record ,,of ,,some ,,who ,,were ,,counted ,,worthy ,,to ,,suffer ,,for ,,christ',s ,,sake1 ,,and ,,of ,,mrs4 ,,hsi',s ,,experiences ,,in ,,the ,,boxer ,,outbreak ,,changes in the staff at ,taiyueanfu released for the oversight of mission work in ,hwochow1 ,jane ,stevens and ,mildred ,clarke4 ,they might well shrink from the task facing them4 ,work in the provincial capital had been of so totally different an order1 and life in a large community of foreigners had limited their sphere to the oversight of a small school for girls1 and the instruction of women inquirers4 ,none had felt more strongly the seriousness of the step taken by ,miss ,jacobsen1 and they came to ,hwochow with the determination that all should early understand the impossibility of intercourse outside the most rigid observance of etiquette1 ,chinese and ,western4 ,feeling strongly that such an attitude on their part would be the most helpful factor in the gathering around them of better-class women1 they faithfully carried it into practice4 ,men who were connected with the ,church were received by them only under the most formal restrictions4 ,finding it impossible to eat ,chinese food1 a simple1 but foreign menage1 took the place of the hitherto free-and-easy conditions4 ,it was a severe test for ,chinese and foreigners alike2 desire for renewal of the former conditions of intimacy met with no encouragement from those who could not but constantly bear the past in mind1 and who felt that1 for the highest interests of the work1 a new relationship must be established4 ,this attitude was naturally regarded as aloofness1 and was galling to those whose love had been set on the young missionaries fresh from ,norway1 with all the enthusiasm of youth1 to whom they themselves had taught the language and who belonged to them as others could not4 ,miss ,clarke gave her time to the ,girls' ,school1 the pupils of which now numbered nearly twenty1 and those who followed her have reaped where she sowed4 ,often sad and weary she plodded on1 but ,god in ,his time gave the increase4 ,miss ,stevens1 to the limit of her strength1 and often beyond it1 faithfully worked in the city and villages1 suffering much which to her was intense hardship1 and feeling keenly the isolation and lack of confidence amongst the people who misunderstood the course of action deliberately adopted4 ,thus1 while bringing heartache to themselves1 these missionaries were enabled to make easy the way to all who followed them4 ,the year #aijj dawned4 ,in the month of ,june the ladies closed school and gladly accepted an invitation from friends in their old station to visit them4 ,to ,taiyueanfu they went1 and after many anxious days spent with the missionaries gathered there they1 in obedience to the ,governor's command1 helpless to disobey1 even though they suspected his treacherous promises of protection1 moved to a house near his ,yamen4#d ,arrived at the house chosen for them1 they made themselves as comfortable as possible for the night2 and the next morning 7,sunday1 ,july #h7 were able to examine their surroundings4 ,they found that for their whole number 7twenty-six1 including children7 there were only two comparatively small courts1 the two inner courts being already occupied by the ,roman ,catholics4 4 4 4 ,when the fateful day 7,monday1 ,july #i7 dawned1 the foreigners evidently had no inkling as to what was to happen4 ,just before noon the sub-prefect called and took a list of all who were in the house1 both foreigners and ,chinese1 saying it was by order of the ,governor4 4 4 4 ,as was ascertained just a year later1 when other ,protestant missionaries returned to the province1 the ,governor had determined that on that day he would kill all the foreigners in ,taiyueanfu4 ,he evidently only took a few of the officials into his confidence1 and one at least--the ,tao ,tai--strenuously opposed the course he was about to pursue1 but unfortunately without result4 ,it must have been about two o'clock in the afternoon when he ordered a number of officers1 with their soldiers1 to accompany him1 and mounting his own horse1 led the way4 ,he made as though he would go out of the city by the ,north ,gate1 but before reaching that point1 he suddenly wheeled round and went to the house where the missionaries were confined4 ,he there ordered their immediate arrest1 and they appear to have made no resistance--as1 indeed1 it would have been useless4 ,all who were found within the compound 7,protestants and ,roman ,catholics7 were seized2 and it so happened there were several ,chinese there on business4 4 4 4 ,no excuse was listened to1 and all were marched off to the ,governor's ,yamen between files of soldiers1 where they were taken into the courtyard adjoining the street and surrounded by soldiers--not ,boxers4 ,as to what really occurred1 the whole truth will probably never be known1 but from inquiries made on the spot1 it seems certain that the ,governor did not assault any with his own hand2 but1 having asked the missionaries where they came from1 and being answered1 ',from ,england1' and ',from ,france1' just gave the order1 ',sha' 7kill7 to the soldiers1 who answered with a shout and immediately fell upon their defenceless victims1 killing them indiscriminately4#e ,the ,church in ,hwochow1 ,chaocheng1 and ,fensi had a marvellous escape4 ,the ,boxers1 practising their mystic rites1 overran the district4 ,whole families fled to the mountains1 and no one was safe from robbery and violence4 ,the mandarin of ,chaocheng1 fearful lest massacres should take place in the county under his jurisdiction and desiring at any cost to keep the peace1 called together some of the leading gentry and asked for advice as to the problem facing them4 ,i know1 said he1 that calling upon the ,christians to recant will be useless1 but can we not issue tickets to them upon which are the very words they use in entering the ,church1 ',i promise to repent8' ,there should be no difficulty in getting them to take these1 for it will mean to them what they themselves preach1 while to the anti-,christian fanatic it will be sufficiently satisfactory4 ,orders were accordingly issued that all ,christians were to receive this official paper whereby their safety would be ensured4 ,large numbers in the ,church regarded the mandarin's action as the overruling of ,providence on their behalf1 and accepted tickets which involved no verbal recantation of their faith4 ,others1 amongst whom was ,mrs4 ,hsi 7now a widow71 with more sensitive spiritual perceptions1 refused to take advantage of even the semblance of a subterfuge4 ,the ,chaocheng mandarin1 surrounded by his bodyguard1 went outside the city gates to the place where the ,boxers were practising their rites with the intention of burning incense in their presence1 by which act he would acknowledge them as invulnerable and holy men4 ,at the critical moment1 however1 one of them was said to have made a move as if to attack the official1 who instantly called upon his bodyguard to seize the men1 exclaiming3 ,these are insurgents1 and no holy men2 bind them1 they are prisoners4 ,as such they entered the city1 and ,boxerism never spread in the district4 ,thus did the ,hand of ,god protect the hundreds of men and women who in these three counties were called by ,his ,name1 and while in many places few escaped the sword1 the numerically largest ,church in the province of ,shansi was spared4 ,mrs4 ,hsi was in ,chaocheng seeking to help the women in their troubles1 when news reached her that her brother-in-law1 ,elder ,si1 was stabbed by one of the local ,boxers4 ,rumours followed rapidly1 and she heard that her mother-in-law was in serious danger4 ,she hastened to her home1 and found matters worse than she had feared4 ,there was no place in which to live1 the house was destroyed1 her clothes were stolen1 and had it not been for the thoughtfulness of one missionary who1 in the midst of personal danger1 found time to buy and send to her some garments and bedcovering1 she would have been in a sad plight4 ,her old mother could not walk1 so badly had she been beaten by the robbers1 and terrified1 the two women crept to the fields and hid themselves4 ,when night fell they returned to shelter and to get a little food1 crawling out to their hiding-place before the cock crew each morning4 ,terror was upon the whole populace4 ,the official had not been successful here1 as in ,chaocheng1 in dealing with the movement1 and the party of missionaries who had for some time been gathered in ,pingyangfu were openly attacked and robbed by ,boxer bands as they left the city under official escort4 ,in loneliness and peril ,mrs4 ,hsi and her aged mother cried to ,god1 as the anxious1 weary days passed by4 ,the missionaries were gone1 very many killed1 others in hiding1 and some1 after perils and sufferings unspeakable1 had reached ,hankow4 ,after some months came the additional sorrow of the death of her brother-in-law1 ,elder ,si1 who had managed for her all matters in which she required help4 ,gradually the storm blew over1 but those who passed through that period can never forget it4 ,for ,christ's sake they had suffered1 and they could not again be as before4 ,the ,church in ,shansi had a new and powerful weapon in her hands1 the power of her sufferings4 ,a few months later1 as soon as passports were available1 the missionaries were back at their posts4 ,there was much to tell and to hear1 as old friends met and were able to recount all the wonderful deliverances of the past year4 ,but how many vacant places there were6 ,how could they be filled8 ,ripe experience and ,christlike sympathy were needed to deal with the new situation4 ,some had1 under pressure1 in a weak moment1 recanted2 others had resisted this temptation1 but fallen over the more subtle question of indemnity for property destroyed4 ,the situation1 moreover1 was changed2 foreigner and ,christian alike were now in the ascendancy4 ,compensation for life and property was granted1 and though the members of the ,china ,inland ,mission declined to accept this1 their action was made the occasion of a laudatory proclamation which called upon the people to note and imitate such an exemplification of self-forgetting goodness4 ,in the providence of ,god the lives of a few missionaries had been spared to return1 and with the benefit of their experience1 to help new workers to an understanding of a situation which1 mishandled1 would inevitably lead to disastrous consequences4 ,nothing could give ,mrs4 ,hsi greater pleasure than to hear from her friend1 ,miss ,french1 that ,hwochow was to be her future centre4 ,i1 as a new worker1 was to accompany her1 and together we reached the city which was to be henceforth our home4 ,the reception given by the very few ,christians who gathered to meet us1 was both cordial and critical4 ,miss ,french was welcome as being one whose reputation had long ago reached them1 who had already paid several visits to the station1 and whose ,chinese1 they soon remarked1 was as good as ,miss ,jacobsen's6 ,of me they knew nothing1 and ,i had to meet the gaze of many eyes and listen to the remark1 before ,i opened my month to speak1 that it was impossible to understand my words4 ,i had only one asset1 and that was the fact that this being my first station ,i should belong to them1 and when the day dawned that would release my stammering tongue1 the honour of having taught and trained me would be theirs6 ,,footnotes3 #d ,yamenlaw courts or ,mansion ,house4 #e ,from ,fire and ,sword in ,shansi1 by ,dr4 ,e4 ,h4 ,edwards4 ,,life ,,in ,,the ,,villages ,great things are done when men and mountains meet2 ,these are not done by jostling in the street4 ,,william ,,blake4 ,arrived there1 the little house they fill1 ,no look for entertainment where none was2 ,rest is their feast1 and all things at their will2 ,the noblest mind the best contentment has4 ,,william ,,spenser4 ,,chapter ,v ,,life ,,in ,,the ,,villages ,,an ,,introduction ,,to ,,chinese ,,home ,,life ,,the house at ,hwochow1 which we were to inhabit1 was still in the hands of workmen4 ,we therefore decided to delay the unpacking of our boxes1 and to spend several months in visiting the homes of the ,christians throughout the four counties for which we were then responsible4 ,our travelling paraphernalia was simple1 luggage being limited to the amount that a small donkey could carry in addition to a rider4 ,clothes and books were tied up in large square handkerchiefs and distributed as evenly as possible1 along with a folded1 wadded quilt in a long bed-bag which1 thrown over the donkey's saddle1 reached nearly to the ground on either side4 ,on the early morning of the day decided on for our departure1 two donkeys thus laden stood at our gate4 ,on to one of them ,i was hoisted1 and took my first lesson in how to sit happily1 perched high on the voluminous luggage with neither reins for my hands nor stirrups for my feet1 for sometimes as long as twelve hours' travelling with but a short break for food and rest at midday4 ,from village to village we wandered1 received everywhere with cordial hospitality1 pressed to extend our visit1 and followed on our departure by the reiterated cry3 ,come again1 come again1 come again soon6 ,all was fresh and delightful to me and brimful of interest1 from the hour when ,i rode through the city gate1 passed the great tanks of lotus bloom to the edge of the swift1 shallow river1 where my servant stripped off his shoes and socks to lead my donkey knee-deep over the ford4 ,by narrow roads we travelled where the tall grain stood like a wall on either side1 ripening in the fierce sunshine which bathed the landscape in a dazzling glare4 ,through occasional villages we rode1 where the women called to each other to hurry and see the strange sight1 and groups of naked and semi-naked children commented freely on the appearance of the foreign devils4 ,a few miles farther and the first stage was reached--a deep courtyard backing the hillside1 from which had been hollowed a row of caves according to the economical method of the country4 ,scarcely any bricks are required for such building1 and the deep1 lofty1 arched room affords the warmest shelter in our bitter ,shansi winter cold1 as it does the coolest refuge from the burning summer heat4 ,come again1 come again soon1 and we were off again1 refreshed by a delicious1 beautifully cooked meal1 and our hearts warmed by the evident pleasure which our visit had given and the cordial hospitality which had sought to let us know how welcome we were4 ,and now we left the fertile plain and well-watered land which lay all along the river-bed to climb steep1 stony roads1 and follow narrow footpaths1 where the difficulty of its broad load made my donkey step gingerly as near to the chasm's edge as she could secure a foothold1 and ,i dug my knees into the soft bed-bag and longed for something on which ,i could get a grip4 ,how pleasant and easy such journeying became before the end of that autumn's wandering1 and how familiar the life of the village homes4 ,almost day by day the confused sounds took form to my unaccustomed ears1 and ,i was soon able to differentiate quite clearly between the two inevitable questions1 ,how old are you8 and ,how many brothers and sisters have you8 ,i ceased to cover myself with confusion1 by answering that my brothers and sisters numbered twenty-three1 and that my age was six--though now that the days of helpless shame are passed1 ,i would not not have made these mistakes1 so keen is the enjoyment still felt when some one repeats the old joke1 and all laugh merrily at the recollection4 ,happy1 irresponsible days1 in which ,i learned to know and love the ,chinese4 ,i saw them now to best advantage1 simple1 patriarchal1 industrious and thrifty1 extraordinarily resourceful1 and independent of all that their own fields and farm do not supply4 ,i saw the women's activities1 and how they picked the cotton in the fields1 spun and carded it1 then wove it into strong cloth on the loom made for them by their own husbands2 how they dyed the cloth with indigo of their own growing1 and finally converted it into the garments1 and even the shoes and socks1 worn by the whole family4 ,i saw how those same garments were wadded with a layer of cotton-wool as the cold season approached1 and behold1 the whole family was made proof against the severe onslaughts of the keenest frosts and bitterest winds4 ,i saw how a measure of wheaten or maize flour1 a vessel of water1 and a few vegetables dug from the field were daily converted into the three meals on which young and old alike thrived1 the men showing a muscular development and endurance and an agility unequalled by anything ,i had met in other countries4 ,i learned to recognise their simple1 unexpressed joys1 and to realise the deep tragedies which lay beneath the surface of their laborious lives4 ,i was in the midst of the province which--in the very year when ,i was born--had been swept by the horrors of a famine and pestilence which left whole villages with no other survivor than perhaps two or three wailing children1 feeding on garbage torn from the grasp of the dead hand4 ,my servant remembered the time well4 ,his whole family had been wiped out1 and he had escaped as by a miracle4 ,in those days1 dogs ate dogs and men ate men1 was the refrain of his tale1 only too literally and absolutely true1 for no man dared to venture on the lonely path leading from one village to another1 knowing that the likelihood was that murderers lay in wait1 and that a few picked bones alone would tell the tale even if1 satiated with horrors to the point of indifference1 any one cared to inquire of it4 ,when ,i expressed surprise at the many rows of caves allowed to fall into utter ruin1 and the traces of whole villages now returned to waste land3 ,famine year1 he would briefly answer1 dogs ate dogs and men ate men4 ,i learned1 too1 why it was that no merry groups of children wandered away from the village1 even now when no evil-doers lay in wait1 upon some game or exploring adventure4 ,i first discovered the reason of this through meeting a woman whose face was scarred and mutilated so as to bear small likeness to the human1 and on inquiry ,i was informed that1 as a little girl1 she had strayed away from home and been attacked by a wolf2 men had rushed to her rescue1 but her face1 which is generally the part first attacked1 was torn beyond recognition4 ,i then learned what a common thing it is for wild beasts1 wolves or leopards1 to come down from the hills1 and steal children even as they play around the courtyard grinding-stone4 ,i could not be surprised at the intense anxiety of a woman whose son was half an hour late returning from an errand1 when ,i heard that her eldest child had strayed off one day1 and never been seen again4 ,i was told of yet another woman who1 nursing her baby in the cave1 saw a leopard spring on her eldest child in the courtyard4 ,frantic1 she left the baby to raise the alarm1 and when she returned bearing the little mangled body in her arms1 she found that the wild beast's mate had noted her absence and carried the baby off to its lair4 ,i also heard1 and found myself compelled to believe1 things which ,i should have dismissed with an incredulous smile some few months earlier4 ,it was now that ,i found myself brought face to face with the strange phenomenon of demon possession4 ,there is so much to be said on this interesting topic1 that it will require a chapter under its own heading to note even a portion of what has come under my personal notice4 ,for the first time ,i heard1 often in the midnight stillness1 the high-pitched voice1 intoning the magic incantations whereby some young woman yielded herself to be the medium of communication between the spirit and the material1 the wild chant sometimes dying away in the distance1 as she led a group of inquirers over wild mountain paths in obedience to the directions of her control4 ,a few weeks were spent in the home of an elder of the ,church1 ,giang by name1 as from this centre it was easy to make daily itinerations in the neighbourhood4 ,what a welcome we received there6 ,the deep cave set apart for our use was decorated with flowers1 everything was clean and comfortable1 and we were made to feel at home4 ,being guests in the house1 our meals were always served separately1 but we liked to take our bowls into the courtyard and enjoy the family life4 ,we were able to consult with our host concerning many whom we had visited during the day1 and discuss our plans for the morrow4 ,as the daylight faded we joined in prayer and praise1 and listened to much that was of interest to us as the ,elder told of early years spent in dissipation1 opium smoking1 and gambling2 of his conversion through ,pastor ,hsi1 and of first efforts to preach the ,gospel4 ,meanwhile1 the shepherd folded his sheep1 carefully counting them lest one should be missing1 and the women prepared the millstones for grinding on the morrow4 ,i saw much illustrated that had been familiar to me from childhood in the ,gospel stories1 even to the midnight cry announcing the arrival of the bridal party to a neighbour's house4 ,a little oil was added to our long-extinguished lamp1 as1 being first to hear the clanging of the cymbals1 we hastened to the bridegroom's home to help arouse the drowsy guests4 ,we returned in due course to ,hwochow1 urged by our kind hostess to come again at any time4 ,such homes are resting-places to those who have left home for the ,kingdom of ,god's sake1 and are part of the literal fulfilment of the promise3 ,an hundredfold now in this time4 ,nowhere are we more sure of a welcome than in some of these ,chinese courts1 and for the ,church of ,christ in the home of ,elder ,giang1 ,i for one shall ever be thankful4 ,,our ,,reception ,,at ,,hwochow ,the ,master said3 ,at first1 my way with men was to hear their words1 and give them credit for their conduct4 ,now1 my way is to hear their words1 and look at their conduct4--,confucian ,analects4 ,the ,master said3 ,a man should say1 ,i am not concerned that ,i have no place1 ,i am concerned how ,i may fit myself for one4 ,i am not concerned that ,i am not known1 ,i seek to be worthy to be known4--,confucian ,analects4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,our ,,reception ,,at ,,hwochow ,,showing ,,things ,,as ,,they ,,sometimes ,,are ,,in spite of the valuable help given by study-circles1 training-colleges1 and other means by which the candidate for the mission field is equipped for his work1 ,i question if many are fully prepared1 when they arrive at the station to which they have been appointed1 to find themselves studied1 summed up1 and criticised by the people to whom they have come in the capacity of teachers1 and from whom they unconsciously expected some measure of deference4 ,the ,westerner1 as such1 has no prestige in the eyes of the ,chinese1 and though his wealth1 education1 and business capacity may command more or less respect1 the deep-rooted feeling is a sense of the intrinsic superiority of the ,middle ,kingdom and its sons to the barbaric subjects of a vague territory known as the ,kingdom without--that is1 without the pale of the ancient civilisation4 ,by grace1 the ,christian will welcome you as a fellow-subject of the ,kingdom of ,god1 but on this ground only1 and on no preconceived assumption of your superiority1 will you be accepted4 ,the fact that you have come several thousands of miles in order to preach the ,gospel1 is not sufficient to place you unquestionably on a pedestal4 ,by temperament you are either impetuous or slow1 easy-going or exacting1 courteous or brusque1 and you will prove to be by nature more or less reasonable or unreasonable when the ,chinaman seeks to make you understand li1 an untranslatable word1 which embodies the idea of the complete range of all that it is suitable that you should be and do1 on every occasion4 ,failure to readjust your mind to such conditions during the first years of your missionary life may prove an eventual fatal barrier to mutual sympathetic understanding1 and the establishment of that barrier has been one of the difficulties which has not been much spoken of by those with whom you have conversed1 though they have doubtless been keenly conscious of it themselves4 ,we returned to ,hwochow4 ,the house was ready for us1 and so were the ,church members4 ,new people1 said some1 we are unaccustomed to each other2 they do not understand our circumstances1 and we do not know them4 ,why did they spend months in another district instead of coming at once to make themselves acquainted with us1 our affairs1 and our homes8 ,it is a case of clear neglect1 said another4 ,i have been a ,church member for fifteen years1 and all the notice they have taken of me is to spend one paltry day in my home1 whereas they were three whole days in the village of ,peace and ,harmony1 where there are only heathen and not a ,christian to receive them4 ,i1 complained another1 have been unable to attend ,church service for two weeks1 and neither of them has been near1 as yet1 to inquire the cause of my absence4 ,well1 chimed in an old gentleman1 who by reason of his seniority in the ,church carried a good deal of weight1 had our beloved teacher of former days been here1 our homes would have been visited1 and ,i will take the first opportunity of telling them my mind on the subject4 ,the close of the following ,sunday morning service found us sad enough4 ,the congregation numbered thirty1 and while some were loyally ready to help1 there was a section of malcontents who since the early days had been a source of difficulty to ,pastor ,hsi and his friends1 and from whom1 in the light of past knowledge1 ,miss ,french knew that trouble would come4 ,the first indication of the brewing storm was the entrance to our guest-room of an aged ,church member who1 by reason of his rank as military mandarin1 was one of the glories of the ,hwochow ,church4 ,vigorous and stalwart1 his seventy years sat lightly on him1 his bearing and the play of his facial muscles affording proof of the brilliancy with which he had passed the necessary examinations for the obtaining of his degree4 ,unlike the civil mandarin1 whose examinations require such arduous study of classical writings1 the military honour was conferred as a reward for physical prowess4 ,the competitor was required to exhibit great skill in archery1 shooting at the target from the back of a galloping horse1 and to lift stones of immense weight2 meanwhile throwing the body into such postures as1 coupled with a terrifying expression of the countenance and accompanied by blood-curdling yells1 would strike such terror into the heart of the opponent that he would flee without striking a blow4 ,after such training he had little to fear1 and felt1 no doubt1 that a few moments' interview would be sufficient to reduce two young women to reason1 and place matters on a more satisfactory basis4 ,when the old gentleman entered1 we invited him to the seat of honour1 ourselves taking chairs at the lower side of the table4 ,he asked for an explanation4 ,had he been informed correctly that we had been appointed to carry on the work in ,hwochow8 ,yes1 we replied1 that is the case1 and also to help the women in the counties of ,chaocheng1 ,hungtung1 and ,fensi1 until such time as lady workers shall be in residence there2 moreover1 our schools are to be for the women and girls of these counties as well as ,hwochow4 ,this item of information fell as a severe blow4 ,hwochow is a curious district1 its natives physically and mentally being of a totally different type to all around1 in all relationships with whom there exists mutual distrust and suspicion4 ,it was odious to men and women of this exclusive type to hear that the foreigner1 in coming1 viewed the nurturing of a small band of discontents as of very secondary importance to the opportunity of spreading the news of the ,gospel far and wide amongst the heathen4 ,it was at this point of the conversation that the first traces of that terror-striking expression began to flit across his features1 and his eyebrows gathered themselves into a most terrifying bunch4 ,are you aware that ,i have been a ,christian for twelve years1 and that ,i am known far and wide by ,chinese and foreigners alike8 ,i am fully aware of it1 said ,miss ,french1 and might have added1 known and dreaded of all men4 ,should not the missionaries' conduct be regulated in accordance with the command1 ',seek the lost until it be found'8 ,it should1 acquiesced ,miss ,french4 ,then are you aware that during the past three months we have been as sheep without a shepherd1 left as prey to wolves1 with no one to care for us1 our homes have been unvisited1 and members who have absented themselves from ,church service have had no inquiries made as to the cause of their non-appearance8 ,did you say twelve years a ,church member8 inquired ,miss ,french4 ,nearly thirteen1 he replied4 ,then no longer a babe in ,christ1 but yourself able to seek the lost1 and to come to our assistance as we take up the responsibilities of our new work4 ,we have come here1 she added1 for the people who need us1 whether ,chaocheng or ,hwochow4 ,then go to ,chaocheng and leave us alone2 our missionaries must shepherd our ,church4 ,at this point wrath overcame him1 and throwing himself into the classical position of the ,chinese brave1 ,a couple of youngsters1 he yelled1 untaught in the wisdom of ,confucius4 ,with these words he flung himself out of the room4 ,his spirit was too much perturbed to call to mind the wisdom of the sage1 ,in archery we have something like the way of the superior man4 ,when the archer misses the centre of the target1 he turns round and seeks for the cause of his failure in himself4 ,the loud clanging of a gong was shortly heard1 and the tones of a well-known voice alternately carolling forth a familiar hymn with a recital of the wrongs needing redress4 ,the ,gospel way is the best of all1 hark6 ,i loud proclaim the same4 7,loud beating of the gong47 ,call that love6 ,i vow to report them at headquarters6 ,heaven's joy bestowed on earth1 saves poor sinners and sets them free4 7,again the gong47 ,much they care for our souls6 ,let them go to ,chaocheng6 ,the sounds gradually ceased1 as those who were truly grieved that we should be thus insulted pacified the old gentleman1 begging him to have a care for his aged body1 and refresh it with food and rest4 ,miss ,french's mind was made up4 ,we shall soon make another tour of villages outside this district1 she said1 and it shall be a long one4 ,these old members have stood in the way long enough4 ,new converts will join themselves to the ,church2 if they be welcomed1 all the better1 if not1 the old ones must go2 we can allow them to hinder no longer4 ,miss ,french's method was fully justified1 for when they saw new adherents keen with the flush of first love and enthusiasm they1 with very few exceptions1 awakened more fully to their responsibilities4 ,time heals many wounds1 and when we returned from ,england our old friend1 the military mandarin1 came in full official dress to welcome us4 ,good to have you back1 he said2 we are accustomed to each other1 and you know how to manage this place6 ,a ,,portrait ,,gallery ,we must be as courteous to a man as we are to a picture1 which we are willing to give the advantage of a good light4--,,emerson4 ,he asked them to come with ,him1 and they came2 and ,jesus did not begin by raising questions in their minds as to whether they were worthy to come4 ,it was the purpose of ,jesus to make them worthy to stay4 ,now the ,church of ,christ ought to be as hospitable as ,christ was4 ,i do not see for what other purpose she exists4 ,and the ,church ought to be as confident and believing as ,christ was1 that many a one whom it may be was unworthy to enter has at length become worthy to remain4--,dr4 ,,john ,,hutton4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,a ,,portrait ,,gallery ,,wherein ,,the ,,reader ,,is ,,introduced ,,to ,,some ,,of ,,our ,,fellow ,,workers ,,in meeting the members of an infant and unsophisticated ,church1 it is delightful to observe the directness of their spiritual characteristics1 unfettered by the artificiality which grows up with theological phraseology and the adoption of sectarian conventionalities4 ,so strongly individualistic a band of men met us at ,hwochow1 that ,christian himself on his ,heavenward journey encountered1 ,i think1 no more varied a company1 nor more striking1 in the various ways in which ,,christ had met them and called them to discipleship1 and turned their strongly-marked characteristics into the way of ,his service4 ,evangelist1 ,fu by name1 keen and even fierce in his determination to compel men to hear the truth concerning the ,city of ,destruction and the burden of sin which rests upon them1 would go from place to place with a bundle of books1 preaching and warning sinners to flee from the wrath to come4 ,he asked no remuneration from the ,church or foreigner for the time he gave1 but realising that necessity was laid upon him1 he pointed men to the ,saviour4 ,his best work was done alone for he was easily offended1 but1 true and straight1 he ruled his house in the fear of the ,lord4 ,his conversion was characteristic of the man4 ,having business to transact in the small city of ,great ,peace1 he found that large crowds had gathered to listen to a man proclaiming strange doctrines4 ,every one knew why ,pastor ,hsi1 for it was he1 had come that day to the city4 ,a family had professed their willingness to destroy idols1 and asked him to be present on the occasion4 ,when the ,pastor arrived1 however1 the man had changed his mind1 and fear of consequences had proved too much for him4 ,nothing could hinder the ,pastor from preaching the ,good ,news1 and he made much of this opportunity4 ,when he had finished speaking1 ,mr4 ,fu went to him and asked him what was this new doctrine1 and ,mr4 ,hsi told him the story of the ,garden of ,eden1 and the ,fall of man4 ,in ,adam all have sinned1 and in ,christ all can be forgiven4 ,it was a strange story1 and yet as ,fu listened he felt it was true1 and as he took the long1 lonely walk over the mountains to his home1 he meditated much upon it4 ,he had not as yet seen the wicket-gate1 but he had seen the direction in which it lay1 and a subconscious desire was in his heart to know more4 ,home affairs claimed his attention1 and he had no time to give to the further investigation of new religions2 and yet the seed which had been sown was gradually germinating1 so that when after a few months he found himself again near ,great ,peace1 in a small place where was an opium refuge1 ,mr4 ,fu went in to see the man who was in charge4 ,although he had never smoked opium himself1 ,mr4 ,fu was on this occasion in possession of some of the crude drug1 and was on his way to the hills to sell it1 and hoped by the transaction to profit considerably4 ,the ,refuge-keeper1 seeing he was interested1 asked him to share his evening meal1 and when he found out the errand on which his guest was bent1 he told him to sell the opium he had and avoid any further dealings with so deadly a poison4 ,mr4 ,fu was deeply touched by the kindness of this man4 ,i have no claim upon him1 and yet he treated me as a brother1 was his reflection4 ,from that day ,mr4 ,fu never sold opium again4 ,he started on his homeward journey1 and once more as he walked the lonely roads he was conscious of the constraining presence of ,one who has so often met with men as they travel1 walking through the fields1 and inviting them to leave all and follow ,him4 ,thus untrammelled by the words and requirements of men1 ,mr4 ,fu met with his ,god2 but still questioning1 he reached home to find that his wife was dangerously ill4 ,he went at once to a neighbouring village to fetch a doctor1 and found him unwilling to come until he had taken a dose of opium which was then due4 ,finding that all persuasion was useless1 ,mr4 ,fu suddenly decided to go to ,hwochow and see if the foreign missionaries1 or the ,opium ,refuge-keeper there1 had any medicine4 ,he walked the twelve miles1 and was directed to the missionaries' house4 ,the decision to go to ,hwochow was made suddenly2 not so the resolution to enter the open door of the house4 ,perhaps he had been wrong after all6 ,it was serious to so openly come in contact with foreigners6 ,it might be that the stories he had heard of their magical powers were correct6 ,and yet his heart had borne him witness1 in that lonely walk1 that what he heard in ,great ,peace was true4 ,after walking up and down for some time1 unconscious that ,goodwill was watching him from within1 he heard some one call and ask him to come in4 ,the call came at the right moment and he entered1 knowing as he did so that a definite step was being taken and life would never be for him the same again4 ,my wife is ill1 and ,i have come to ask for medicine1 he said4 ,after some talk he was taken to see ,miss ,jacobsen1 who told him that ,god could1 and would1 heal sickness in answer to prayer4 ,she and the evangelist prayed with him1 gave him medicine1 some books1 and made him promise to come again4 ,he left them1 saying that he would do so4 ,again the long1 lonely walk had to be faced1 and ,beelzebub gave orders that arrows should be shot at him1 and all manner of doubts took possession of his soul4 ,i must go again1 for ,i have given my word1 he reflected4 ,what folly6 and then again the words which he could not doubt reasserted themselves1 and he considered1 yielded1 and believed4 ,as he entered his courtyard1 he saw his wife grinding corn6 ,i am well1 she said4 ,and ,i1 he said1 have believed in ,jesus4 ,to his surprise1 not one word of anger escaped her lips4 ,i am glad1 was her only comment4 ,there was no time to be lost2 if he delayed1 others might hinder him1 and before his evening meal he tore down the idols1 and together husband and wife prayed to ,god4 ,fu was the youngest of four brothers1 and the three other families were not of the same mind2 he was unceasing in his efforts to bring them to the ,saviour1 but at the ,chinese ,new ,year festival they1 as custom required1 burnt incense to the idols4 ,serious illness seized upon various members of all three families1 and their lives were in danger4 ,fu1 seeing his opportunity1 offered to go to the city and ask the evangelist to come and pray for them1 and to this they consented4 ,when ,mr4 ,fu returned1 he was accompanied by ,mr4 ,cheng1 and in response to his exhortations their idols were destroyed and the three brothers professed their willingness to become disciples4 ,that place has been signally blessed of ,god4 ,all have given liberally of their substance to the work of the ,lord1 and they have now their own church1 a cave cut from the loess cliffs by their own hands1 where ,sunday by ,sunday men and women gather from the neighbouring villages to hear the word of ,god1 and many have been added to the ,church as a result4 99 99 99 99 99 ,mr4 ,ging1 little of stature1 so short-sighted as to be almost blind1 had recently been a patient in the ,opium ,refuge4 ,a scholar of note1 holding a high degree1 we first knew him when he was about forty years of age1 and the only ,christian in his village4 ,he was more than any ,chinaman ,i have met impregnated with the teachings of ,confucius2 and filial piety was for him no mere doctrine of words1 but a ruling factor in his life4 ,shortly before the time of which ,i write1 he had1 one day1 given some cause of offence to his aged mother1 in consequence of which she commanded that1 in recognition of his fault1 he should kneel on the ground before her until such time as she should see fit to excuse him4 ,for half a day she kept him in that position1 and he knelt quietly1 giving to all an example and illustration of the sacred duty of son to parent as taught in the ,chinese ,classics1 and as understood by those who earnestly follow their teachings4 ,by virtue of his learning and position1 no matter of importance would be settled in the village without him1 and he enjoyed great respect as a teacher of the young1 notwithstanding the fact that he was handicapped in his work as school-master by reason of his defective eyesight1 the boys taking full advantage of his disability and failing to appreciate as they should the virtue of the ,princely ,man of whom they read so much in their classical studies1 and of whom they daily witnessed so striking an example4 ,for some of these pupils of his1 examination-day dawned1 and the results were disastrous4 ,the consequences of much undetected mischief were now made clear in the light of day1 and the indignant examining missionary called upon ,mr4 ,ging to aid in devising a punishment adequate to the circumstances4 ,is it by extra imposed work1 or by the public disgrace of the rod1 that their misdeeds will be made most heinous in their own eyes8 he was asked1 the remarks being accompanied by a look which could not fail to assure the trembling band of offenders that the method of ,solomon met with unqualified approval4 ,i think1 replied ,mr4 ,ging1 that the case does not call so much for punishment as for exercise of greater patience on our side666 ,this answer was to the unbounded delight of the scholars1 and discomfiture of the missionary4 ,it was in his own village and home that he shone4 ,before many years had passed1 the people who were formerly unwilling to receive us had many of them become ,christians4 ,one of their number had lent his room1 rent free for ten years1 as a meeting-place for worship1 and a good work had begun4 ,if you spoke to them of the cause of this change1 they would tell you of ,mr4 ,ging and the force of his example1 and how even his old mother had1 before her death1 renounced idolatry and asked for a ,christian funeral4 99 99 99 99 99 ,what can ,i say of ,mr4 ,lan8 ,one is tempted to question1 ,how shall the superficial enter into the ,kingdom of ,god8 ,one of the aristocratic families1 no longer enjoying the prosperity of former days1 yet endeavouring to impress upon all its grandeur whilst inevitably sinking1 gave us ,mr4 ,lan4 ,contact with ,pastor ,hsi had been the turning-point in his life1 and from the early days he gave himself assiduously to the study of the ,bible4 ,few have more accurate knowledge of the ,scripture than he1 his addresses are well and carefully prepared1 and he has been the means under ,god of leading many men to a knowledge of the ,saviour4 ,his kind disposition and good-nature have given him many friends1 but love of money and appearances have crippled his usefulness4 ,any ,christian work he now does is independent of the missionaries1 and he will sometimes be invited to the official's residence to help some one to leave the opium habit1 he and his father before him having been doctors of no small repute4 ,he is constantly in debt1 and will often remain away from his home during the ,chinese ,new ,year when debts are settled1 but when he does return1 he enters the house with such perfect manners1 and is attired in such gorgeous silk1 that few would venture to mention anything so unpleasant as the settlement of a debt4 ,easily led1 he loves the glories of this present world and is fearful lest1 by too great zeal1 the rulers of ,vanity ,fair may regard him as a stranger and outcast4 ,and yet1 in his high moments1 he finds himself longing for the things that abide1 and his affections and desires are for the time being upon these1 but as a morning cloud they pass4 ,in other lands1 where the line of demarcation is less clear1 he might be considered a good ,churchman1 but neutral tints are rare here1 and a man must clearly show on which side he stands or he will get the benefit of neither4 ,he is ever faithfully served by his dependant and sycophant1 ,mr4 ,diao1 who is a weak1 physically decadent man who can neither offend by word nor deed the man from whom he has had so much4 ,his manner is too servile to allow one to place much confidence in him1 but he is a believer1 and proves by many actions that he is truly following ,christ4 ,if only he could get free from the net of the rich man1 and yet--what ,church has not such members6 99 99 99 99 99 ,mr4 ,tu1 weak1 good1 always trusting the ,heavenly ,father to supply his needs1 temporal and spiritual1 and ever ready to bear witness that ,he has done so1 in spite of the fact that life's outlook is always grey6 ,very poor1 he was the leader in his village by virtue of his sincerity4 ,is some aggressive movement proposed8 ,the time has not yet come1 is his ever-ready answer4 ,do the crops seem to fail for lack of rain1 and the farmers1 anxious and worried1 speak of the famine confronting them1 and him8 ,fear not1 the ,lord will provide1 he will say1 and though he may have to eat the coarsest flour1 and little of that sometimes1 he never doubts1 and never rejoices66 ,on the occasion of the marriage of his son1 even a short time before the bride arrived1 nothing was ready--he had so little--and all he said was3 ,we must wait and see how the ,heavenly ,father will provide4 ,when the moment came every one was ready to help him1 and he would be a discontent indeed who was dissatisfied with the result4 ,mr4 ,tu was full of praise to ,,god for ,his goodness1 and will quote the incident to those who may have doubts4 ,i have reflected much upon ,mr4 ,tu and his ways1 and ,i am reminded of the ravens1 who sow not nor gather into barns1 and our ,heavenly ,father cares for them2 and ,i come to the conclusion that to us is granted on rare occasions the privilege of being the medium by which our ,father will prove ,his care to the weak1 yet trustful souls4 ,good1 faithful old ,tu1 he could teach many of us of the active1 energetic temperament a lesson2 for he will tell you1 and truly1 that he has no strength1 yet he has never asked from man1 and he has perfect confidence that the ,good ,shepherd will lead him safe to the journey's end4 ,,work ,,development ,no ,church is fulfilling its responsibilities to ,god1 or preparing itself for its best and most effective work1 which does not regard itself in some respects as a great ,training ,school for ,christian workers4--,rev4 ,a4 ,,swift4 ,and ,he gave-- ,some indeed to be apostles1 ,and some prophets1 ,and some evangelists1 ,and some shepherds and teachers1-- ,with a view to the fitting of the saints ,for the work of ministering1 ,for an upbuilding of the body of the ,christ4 ,the ,letter of ,paul to the ,ephesians4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,work ,,development ,,relating ,,how ,,we ,,sought ,,to ,,encompass ,,the ,,work1 ,,and ,,the ,,work ,,encompassed ,,us ,,the events of #aijj resulted in an extraordinary quickening of interest amongst those who had a contact of some kind with ,christianity4 ,we very soon found ourselves quite overwhelmed by the many openings and opportunities which presented themselves on all sides4 ,hitherto untouched villages begged for a visit1 idols were destroyed by those into whose homes we had never penetrated1 leaders in the ,church were begging us to devise some means by which the women might be taught1 fathers were prepared for any sacrifice so that their daughters might be received as scholars4 ,for some time1 at vast expenditure of strength1 we attempted by travelling in different directions to spend1 at any rate1 one or two days in the various centres we were begged to visit4 ,each month we became more strongly impressed with the fact that the work of evangelisation was being carried on with tremendous aggressive force1 not by us1 but by the native ,church1 we being unable to even follow up the openings made by them4 ,such a mass movement afforded an unparalleled opportunity1 provided sufficient teaching were given to establish and build up in the faith those who believed2 but if left to itself1 this large numerical increase might prove a serious menace to the spiritual life of the ,church4 ,we had to seriously consider our ways4 ,should we contribute our small part to the widespread preaching of the ,gospel and visiting of those who had already heard through the ,chinese evangelising agencies1 or should we leave to the ,chinese ,church the responsibility of propagating itself1 reserving ourselves to preparing saints for the work of ministering8 ,chinese ,christians going from place to place spread the ,good ,tidings more effectually than we could hope to do1 and where such conditions exist1 it is surely an indication that the people of the land should hear the ,gospel first from the lips of their own countrymen4 ,moreover1 the ,government was seriously considering the establishment of girls' schools1 and we had to decide as to whether the work amongst the young should be an unimportant branch of our scheme of missionary activities1 or whether our schools should be established with the object of becoming training-centres for ,christian helpers4 ,we were faced with this fact3 unless we trained some ,christian teachers1 the education of the young would be in the hands of heathen2 no small matter when the exalted position of the teacher in ,china is borne in mind2 and the1 if possible1 more urgent fact1 that unless we seriously prepared some ,chinese missionaries we should go from year to year1 decade to decade1 with no trained ,chinese staff4 ,the material was there1 and the ,chinese ,church was supplying young men and women1 earnest devoted servants of ,jesus ,christ1 who1 given the training and granted the blessing of ,god1 could do a work which it would be impossible for the most earnest ,westerner to accomplish4 ,chinese of the ,chinese1 with neither linguistic nor climatic difficulties1 understanding the minds of the most subtle of people1 they enter their work with a flying leap which we may envy1 but cannot attain4 ,the ,holy ,spirit will deal with them as ,he does with us1 and recognising them as fellow-workers together with ,god1 we shall cease to hinder them by perpetual criticism and doubt4 ,faults they will have1 as we1 and while of a different order1 who shall say that these failings make them in ,god's sight more unfit for the work of preaching the ,gospel than ours have made us8 ,we therefore accepted the form of ministry which pressed with strongest necessity on us1 and from the free and irresponsible life of the itinerant missionary1 accepted the calling of teachers1 and allowed ourselves to be tied to the numberless claims and responsibilities of institutional life4 ,in addition to the girls' school1 a plan was formed whereby we agreed to accept married women for terms of varying length--twenty to thirty days--as far as possible classifying them according to ability and previous knowledge4 ,the teaching was graded from the first elements of ,christian doctrine to fairly advanced ,new ,testament classes4 ,from amongst the first groups of women who came to us1 it was evident that some were capable of receiving a far more advanced training1 and the zeal they exhibited in teaching the little they knew on their return home1 promised future usefulness4 ,two small rooms in our own living-court supplied the only accommodation for these station classes1 and as each group scattered it was almost immediately replaced by other eager inquirers4 ,a small inner court containing two good rooms was set apart for the use of the girls' school4 ,every term brought an increase in the numbers1 and it was soon evident that more suitable accommodation was essential if we were to meet the growing need4 ,though we knew it not1 the necessary provision was already made4 ,we sat together one evening in a shady spot adjoining our premises1 sharing our home letters2 we opened one to find it contained a cheque from a friend who could know nothing of our need1 marked3 ,for use in any necessary buildings4 ,the very spot on which we sat1 later on proved to be the site of the ,john ,holt ,skinner ,memorial ,court in the new school buildings4 ,by the next term ,chinese rooms1 providing for the accommodation of sixty1 were erected2 the old school-court was given over to women's station classes1 and we saw scope for the realisation of our wildest dreams4 ,the work amongst the men was increasing in a similar proportion4 ,mr4 ,wang1 who was in charge when we arrived at ,hwochow1 was now appointed ,deacon of the ,church1 and afterwards ,elder4 ,we soon recognised in him a man of no ordinary influence4 ,like ,barnabas1 he was a good man filled with the ,holy ,spirit1 and like him might well be called the ,son of ,consolation4 ,the large numbers who were baptized upon profession of faith each year entailed many responsibilities--new families to be visited1 more visitors to be received1 marriages and funerals to be attended4 ,cases of persecution1 real or supposed1 called for many hours of patient listening1 and1 withal1 the constant stream of city women who desired to inspect all that was going on1 parents to see children in the school1 friends and relatives of opium patients1 who lost no chance of visiting the member of the family under treatment1 changed the once quiet house into a beehive of activity4 ,in many ,shansi houses there is a large1 well-built room1 open to north and south1 which is set apart for the observance of the prescribed family rites connected with ancestral worship4 ,here are the wooden ancestral tablets1 image of the soul and tangible symbol1 erected to the memory of the deceased1 affording thereby a fixed object for filial piety4 ,this room on our compound was dedicated as a church for public worship2 enlarged once1 and again the second time1 it still proved too small for our growing congregation4 ,the strain attendant on such a rapid development was severe1 but each year found us supplied with increasingly able help from our ,chinese co-workers4 ,we found ourselves driven to the practical testing of the principle3 ,when the pressure of the work is too heavy1 then extend the work1 and we found it to be sound and workable4 ,each term some extra responsibility was thrown off on to the shoulders of willing helpers1 that we ourselves might be free to undertake fresh enterprises4 ,,mrs4 ,,hsi',s ,,second ,,gift ,it is ,jesus who has introduced into virtue a passion before which vice is not condemned but consumed as by fire4--,rev4 ,,carnegie ,,simpson4 ,round the cape of a sudden came the sea1 ,and the sun looked over the mountain's rim3 ,and straight was a path of gold for him1 ,and the need of a world of men for me4 ,,robert ,,browning4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,mrs4 ,,hsi',s ,,second ,,gift ,,being ,,an ,,account ,,of ,,her ,,life ,,from ,,widowhood ,,one direct result of the lack of foreign workers was the appointment of ,mrs4 ,hsi to the oversight of the women's work in ,chaocheng4 ,during her husband's lifetime she had been eager to learn all she could1 and had with difficulty mastered some of the ,chinese characters4 ,she often expressed to him her desire to learn more1 but he told her to remember that the need for her to attend to the domestic side of the large establishment at the ,middle ,eden was essential1 and her life until his death was largely a busy domestic one4 ,not entirely1 however1 was this the case4 ,when it became necessary to open a ,refuge for ,women in the city of ,hungtung1 it was to his wife that the ,pastor looked for help1 and she1 there and in other places1 did a truly ,christlike work4 ,it was in the city of ,hsugo that she accomplished her most difficult task4 ,it seemed as if the devil had a special power there1 and ,pastor ,hsi was almost in despair4 ,man after man1 amongst them some of his most trusted helpers1 fell into sin1 or were overcome by difficulties in that place4 ,how to hold it at all was a problem4 ,he solved it by sending his wife1 and alone she went to live six days' journey from the place where he was1 and for the first time the work in ,hsugo was successful4 ,almost immediately after her return home1 ,pastor ,hsi developed the illness from which he never recovered4 ,he was at work on some ,refuge accounts when he felt unwell1 and his spirit became conscious that the messenger had come with a command that he must prepare for a change of life1 for his ,master was not willing that he should be so far from ,him any longer4 ,for nearly six months he lingered still1 making preparations for the journey ahead2 he gave directions for the temporary closing of the ,refuges1 recognising1 doubtless1 that the time while he was still on earth1 but unable to exercise control1 might be an even more perilous period than that which would follow his death4 ,mrs4 ,hsi herself fell ill1 and so seriously that her life was at one time despaired of4 ,she was barely able to stand the fatigue of the public funeral to which hundreds gathered1 yielding to their grief and sobbing as children who had lost a parent4 ,she herself was bowed with sorrow1 for they had been truly one in ,god's service1 but strength was sent to her through a dream in which she saw her husband1 in glory beyond her imagining1 and with him the boy who had been their only son and had died in childhood4 ,when she desired to join them he rebuked her1 saying3 ,nay1 but you must return2 and obedient1 she turned her back on the heavenly glory and faced the need of a world of sin4 ,mrs4 ,hsi was now to realise to the full the unfortunate position of a childless widow4 ,according to the custom of the country1 the nearest male relative on her husband's side should have been her protector1 but this duty devolved on a nephew who was an opium smoker1 gambler1 and unregenerate heathen1 and what should have been protection took the form of persecution4 ,elder ,si1 her brother-in-law1 took over the control of the opium refuges and the preparation of the medicine used4 ,days of prayer and fasting always preceded the compounding of the drugs which were prepared in ,pastor ,hsi's own home1 and sent out in the form of pills4 ,it was in connection with the medicine that ,mrs4 ,hsi's first difficulties occurred4 ,large quantities of the various ingredients were stored at ,middle ,eden1 and the said nephew claimed possession of this stock1 declaring his intention of defending his rights by stabbing any one who dared to touch it4 ,the time came when the drugs were required1 and arrangements were quietly made for the removal of the material to the home of ,elder ,si4 ,before touching the goods1 ,mrs4 ,hsi called the young man to her1 and addressing him by name told him to fetch his knife1 as she intended to carry out her husband's wishes and supply the ,refuges with the necessary medicine without delay4 ,abashed1 and half-ashamed by her self-confidence and dignity1 he muttered excuses and left her presence with an apology4 ,nevertheless1 it required all her wits and most of her time to prevent this ne'er-do-weel from robbing her of all she possessed4 ,opium he would eat1 his gambling habits were strong1 and how could she prevent him from stealing that which1 as one of the family1 he could partially claim as his own8 ,the problem weighed upon her mind and she decided that division of the land1 each taking half the produce of the farm1 was the only solution4 ,even so she was not safe2 there is a ,chinese proverb which says3 ,it is hard to deal with a thief who is one of the family1 and she proved it to be true4 ,if she left home for a few days she would return to find her door broken open1 her clothes stolen1 and her grain visibly less4 ,although the ,chinese law would offer her redress1 she1 by reason of ,christian principle and the example of her husband1 never appealed for help to an earthly tribunal1 but daily prayed3 ,lord1 have mercy on him1 and change his heart4 ,in the early days of her faith1 ,mrs4 ,hsi had earnestly desired to unbind her feet as witness that she was a ,christian1 but her husband1 fearful lest any should be misled to regard ,christianity as conformity to foreign customs rather than to a change of heart1 was strongly opposed to her doing so4 ,he strictly forbade the binding of children's feet1 but saw no need for outward change of shoe in the foot already disfigured4 ,during his lifetime she yielded to his wish1 but after his death refused to let her mature judgment be held in abeyance by the dead hand of the past1 and did that which she felt was a testimony to many of her weaker sisters4 ,she unbound her feet and adopted a normal shoe and sock1 and many who had made her supposed attitude on the question an excuse1 now followed her example4 ,in order to give the ,gospel to ,hwochow ,mrs4 ,hsi had parted with the most valuable of her worldly goods1 and when the call came for the second great renunciation in response to the need for a woman worker in ,chaocheng1 she was ready to move into that city1 knowing as she did so1 that by leaving the family home she would finally close the way of return4 ,she well knew that no seal on the door would prevent her nephew from stealing her goods1 and her worst fears were realised when1 a few years later1 on the occasion of the erection of a memorial stone to ,pastor ,hsi1 she revisited what had once been ,middle ,eden4 ,all was gone1 and she was thankful to hurry away and leave the scene that could only cause her pain4 ,on entering her new sphere of work1 the missionaries at ,hwochow assured her that all the love and sympathy which she had promised ,mr4 ,taylor years before should be given to the first ladies who came to that city1 was now to be bestowed on her4 ,the loyal affection of the ,chinese ,church was hers1 for she is regarded by them with an admiration and reverence which they consider the right of so worthy a woman4 ,she knew that she could count upon a welcome1 but it was a costly step4 ,city and village visiting1 weekly classes for inquirers1 and a ,women's ,opium ,refuge occupy ,mrs4 ,hsi's time in ,chaocheng4 ,a sentence easy to write1 but only ,he to ,whom the offering is made can know the cost at which ladies1 with the refinements of their class1 give themselves to the ,christlike work of rescuing the opium sots who find their way to the ,refuge4 ,women of the lowest moral type at times appear1 dirty1 coarse1 and repulsive1 and yet gladly and graciously they are received4 ,the lady in charge will sleep with them in order to comfort and pray with them during the night watches1 and no service is too menial for these saintly women to render4 ,the impression made is never forgotten by those to whom they minister2 and even if they return again to the ways of sin1 the vision of that gentle lady with her kind heart will remain1 a reflection1 faint it may be1 yet a reflection of the love of ,god1 ever ready to welcome the wanderer from the far country4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,woman ,,opium ,,smoker4 ,to face page #hb4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,an ,,opium ,,smoker ,i know that1 because of this money-grasping1 trade-compelling feature of ,england's dealings with my country1 millions of wretched people of ,china have been made more miserable2 stalwart men and women have been made paupers1 vagrants1 and the lowest of criminals2 and hundreds of thousands of the weaker ones of my race--mainly among the women--have been sent to suicide graves4 ,all this because gold and territory are greater in the eyes of the ,british ,government1 than the rights and bodies of a weak people4--,h4 ,e4 ,,li ,,hung-,,chang4 ,o my brothers and all my friends1 ,if you would hearken to good advice1 ,avoid the poppy juice for ever and aye1 ,as it is a plague most noxious and vile6 ,it will eat out your minds1 ,it will rot away your vitals1 ,it will shrivel up your bowels1 ,it will make you walk as a leper1 ,it will cast you into prison1 ,it will send you to your death6 ,h4 ,e4 ,,li ,,hung-,,chang4 ,,chapter ,x ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,an ,,opium ,,smoker ,,the first man to enter the ,opium ,refuge in ,hwochow1 as patient1 was named ,fan of the village of ,southern ,springs4 ,he came from a once wealthy clan1 now reduced through opium smoking to comparative poverty4 ,he had not yet reached the stage of positive want1 but that condition is never far from the habitual heavy smoker1 and should he continue a few years longer1 beggary will be the ultimate fate of his wife and family4 ,the temptation was at his very door1 for all the best-watered land surrounding ,southern ,springs was given up to poppy cultivation4 ,during the time when the plant was in flower1 the village nestled amidst some hundreds of acres of exquisite iridescent bloom4 ,the beauty was shortlived1 even as the seeming prosperity of the grower1 and but a few days later ,southern ,springs stood amidst bare brown fields of dry poppy heads1 scarred by the cutter's knife1 exuding in thick drops the poisonous juices--a striking picture in the eyes of all men of the fate awaiting the smoker1 who1 lulled by the insidious charm of the fascinating drug1 would finally be the only one unable to see himself a hopeless1 helpless1 degraded wreck4 ,at the close of three weeks' treatment in the ,refuge1 ,fan returned home a new creature1 restored in body and mind1 and with a heart renewed in hope4 ,in his own immediate family were several members1 victims as himself of the deadly drug1 and amongst these was his nephew1 adopted into the family on the footing of a son since death had robbed him of the last boy who might pay the filial sacrifice of tears and lamentations at his tomb4 ,moreover1 his wife's keen intelligence and strong will were gradually being subjugated by a growing apathy1 result of her secret habit4 ,on these two ,fan urged a plea to give the ,refuge a trial1 and his nephew1 impressed by the evident good result in his uncle's case and the assurance that the treatment had induced very slight suffering1 pronounced himself willing to try the experiment2 his wife1 on the other hand1 repudiated with scorn any such suggestion4 ,another few weeks saw the young man return to ,southern ,springs loud in praise of all he had seen and heard in ,hwochow4 ,he recounted all his experiences1 every detail of the treatment1 the number of pills swallowed1 and the care with which the strength of the pills was graded from the powerful ,pill of life to the lesser ,pill of strength and the final ,pill of restoration4 ,he also knew by heart a number of verses from the ,new ,testament1 and could sing hymns written by ,pastor ,hsi on the subjects of salvation and the sin of opium smoking1 several of which numbered twelve verses in length4 ,all this caused much stir in the village1 and became the general subject of conversation when the men were home from the fields1 during the twilight hour devoted to social intercourse4 ,he was referred to as a competent authority on all matters relating to the ways and habits of those foreign devils who went to and fro between the various stations which they had opened1 and even penetrated into the villages amongst the homes of any who were rash enough to risk having them under their roof4 ,both uncle and nephew had secretly entirely changed their opinion concerning the foreigner and the ,christian doctrine which he inculcated4 ,fear had given place to confidence1 and one or other would frequently walk the four miles to ,hwochow on a week day1 or better still on ,sunday1 to sit an hour with the ,refuge-keeper1 whom it was hard indeed not to trust1 and who always had some good matter to unfold and kind1 earnest words with which to help a man in the hour when his old vice threatened to ensnare his soul afresh4 ,little sympathy was to be gained at home4 ,mrs4 ,fan still took opium1 endangering her husband's and nephew's principles as they returned1 weary from work1 to a room reeking with the odour so attractive to them4 ,she was a woman of no ordinary character1 exceptionally intelligent1 strong-minded and wilful1 capable in every duty which falls to the woman's share in the home2 by nature hard working and ambitious1 in physique of a pronounced ,jewish type4 ,not easily led1 and impossible to drive1 she flew into such a passion when her husband ventured to tell her that two lady missionaries had arrived1 and were prepared to receive women as patients in the ,hwochow ,refuge1 and gave such rein to her tongue that he1 poor man1 was thankful to escape beyond earshot of her loud recriminations and curses4 ,if his words were silenced we may believe that his actions were speaking louder and more effectually1 for influences stronger than the woman realised were even now at work1 preparing to overturn all her preconceived prejudices and hatred of ,christianity and its followers4 ,the climax came more suddenly than could have been anticipated1 revealing to herself and others the extraordinary change of viewpoint which had been silently working during weeks of apparently unchanged opposition4 ,on returning from the fields one evening1 ,fan found his wife in an unusual state of activity1 whilst the three little girls who constituted his family formed a tearful group on the kang4 ,with characteristic abruptness ,mrs4 ,fan delivered the information3 ,i am preparing to go to the city ,opium ,refuge4 ,scarcely able to credit her statement the husband stood aghast1 and she explained3 ,it is no good1 the children are taking it too4 ,a terrible statement1 yet true1 for whereas she knew that she had often pacified the tiny baby's fretfulness by puffing a few whiffs of the smoke into its mouth1 she had that day made the discovery that1 as soon as she herself lay down to sleep off the effect of her dose1 the two elder girls would seize on the opium pipe and share all they could get from it1 so that already1 unknown to herself1 the craving was well developed in them4 ,to the ,refuge they must all go1 and the next evening saw a cart at the door into which were being stowed various bundles of clothing wrapped in blue-and-yellow cloths1 each bundle having attached to it a small piece of scarlet cotton to ensure luck on the journey4 ,flour and millet for food1 and other necessaries were piled up behind the cart1 and the children were packed inside and told to keep quiet1 for they were leaving at night to avoid the jeers of the villagers4 ,the father sat upon the shafts1 the mother cross-legged inside1 and after an hour's drive the city gates were sighted1 and soon the party was welcomed at the ,mission ,house4 ,a very few days in the ,refuge served to largely alter the tenor of ,mrs4 ,fan's mind4 ,the woman who took charge of her was a kind1 confidence-inspiring body1 with nothing of the foreign devil about her4 ,she would hear no harm of the missionaries1 and flatly denied that children were enticed on to the premises to be done to death by foul means1 or that the foreigner's blue eye could see corpses in their coffins1 or that magic incantations were used by means of which all who drank their tea must become their followers4 ,all these questions and many others relating to the personal character of the strange beings were asked during the long night watches when sleep evades the opium patient1 and the nurse helps to while away the dreary hours by satisfying her curiosity4 ,then at dawn the longed-for dose of medicine is administered1 after a prayer that the medicine may heal her body1 and the blood of ,jesus cleanse her soul1 and she may settle to a doze which daily becomes more natural and peaceful as the body returns to a normal condition of being4 ,mrs4 ,fan saw that much was introduced by the foreigner in the wake of ,christianity which her alert mind recognised as being all to the advantage of women4 ,even the old ,refuge-keeper could read a little1 but she was quite dull and slow1 whereas without much trouble ,mrs4 ,fan herself could master quite a number of new characters every day1 and a few hours had been enough for the initial lesson of reading the large print rhyme3 ,there is but one true ,god1 the ,heavenly ,father ,he1 ,who feeds and clothes and pities me4 ,the only ,saviour1 too1 who can my sins forgive1 ,i trust and hearken to ,his word1 ,jesus my ,lord and ,saviour4 ,jesus loves the sinner1 ,jesus pities me1 ,he gave ,his life1 ,he washed me clean1 ,he verily hath loved me4 ,it was quite evident that a certain amount of education lay within her own grasp1 and quite unlimited possibilities were open to her three daughters4 ,the sinfulness of binding up the feet of girls was touched upon1 and a strong determination took form in her mind that her girls should be among the first who would have natural feet in the neighbourhood1 in spite of the lurking fear that all three might be left as old maids upon her hands if no man might be found bold enough to risk the disgrace of a wife with normal feet4 ,a short length of white cotton material was procured1 and the three little ones were soon free of compressing bandages1 each wearing a pair of calico socks and little red-and-yellow shoes1 ornamented on the toe with a grinning1 whiskered1 tiger's face4 ,these girls were all destined to lives of signal usefulness in the ,church4 ,two of them labour still as teachers and evangelists among their own people2 the third was early prepared by intense suffering and deep wrongs to be removed by death to the realm where the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest4 ,,the ,,great ,,furnace ,,for ,a ,,great ,,soul ,happy the pure in heart1 for they shall see ,god4 ,a white bird1 she told him once1 looking at him gravely4 ,a bird which he must carry in his bosom across a crowded public place--his own soul was like that6 ,would it reach the hands of his good genius on the opposite side1 unruffled and unsoiled8--,,walter ,,pater4 ,to radiate the heat of the affections into a clod1 which absorbs all that is poured into it1 but never warms beneath the sunshine of smiles or the pressure of hand or lip--this is the great martyrdom of sensitive beings--most of all in that perpetual auto-da-fe where young womanhood is the sacrifice4--,o4 ,w4 ,,holmes4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,the ,,great ,,furnace ,,for ,a ,,great ,,soul ,,being ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,ai ,,do ,,mrs4 ,,fan',s second daughter came into the world under the shadow of sorrow1 for apart from the fact that she was a girl1 whereas a boy had been ardently desired1 her first lusty yells revealed the fact that she was born with a tooth visible4 ,this was well known by every woman in the village to indicate antagonism to her mother's life1 and disaster would surely ensue were she not promptly drowned or thrown out to perish by the riverside4 ,her fate seemed sealed1 but that a woman seeing what a dear little baby she was1 was moved with pity1 and declared herself willing to take the responsibility of asserting that the child was hers in order that the demons which were ordering these events might be deceived1 and thus her real mother would escape the fate which threatened her life1 if the baby were not killed4 ,an incredible amount of ingenuity is expended in ,china on deceptions practised to mislead the gwei or demon1 whose influence you have cause to fear4 ,being a malignant spirit1 his object is to hurt that which you specially value1 therefore it is well to deceive him into thinking that your precious son is only a useless girl1 or even a little animal4 ,this is not difficult to manage1 for the gwei1 though powerful to work evil1 is a simple creature1 and it is sufficient for him to see earrings dangling from your boy's ears to make him think he sees a girl1 or if you call the child by some such name as puppy1 little pig1 kitten1 or goat1 he will quite fail to perceive that the object of your affection is two legs short of what one might be led to expect4 ,when a gwei has really determined to injure your child1 it is sometimes necessary to kill a dog and wrap your boy in its skin1 that it may be perfectly evident to the whole spirit world that if you are bestowing any affection1 it is only on a valueless beast4 ,in the case of ,mrs4 ,fan's little girl1 no gwei could reasonably be supposed to attach much value to her1 and it was therefore sufficient for this neighbour to pronounce herself willing to stand in the place of a mother4 ,she was allowed to live1 and with painful frankness given the name of ,one too many4 ,after the month spent in the ,opium ,refuge1 ,mrs4 ,fan often saw the lady missionaries either at ,hwochow or in her own house1 and when they were joined by a lady who had no previous knowledge of the ,chinese language1 ,mrs4 ,fan was asked if little ,one too many might come and live with the missionary so that her childish prattle should help the newcomer in recognising the difficult sounds and tones4 ,she was now eight years old and permission was readily granted1 so to ,hwochow she went and became an inmate of the ,christian household there1 her name being altered to the now appropriate one of greatly loved--in ,chinese1 ,ai ,do4 ,the years passed by1 and little ,ai ,do won the love and approval of all4 ,she received her education in the girls' school1 and there grew up in her the ambition to be a teacher1 as her elder sister was4 ,at fourteen years of age she sat one ,sunday evening reading her ,bible1 and came to the words3 ,the ,lord seeth not as man seeth2 man looketh on the outward appearance1 the ,lord looketh on the heart4 ,she stopped and pondered1 realising with the force that can only come with conviction of the ,spirit of ,god1 that while in the outward no one had fault to find with her1 yet the ,lord looking on the heart saw her full of sin and unreconciled to ,him4 ,in that hour her peace was made1 and henceforth she served and trusted ,god through all the vicissitudes of her short life4 ,she remained a pupil in the school until the year #aijj1 when ,miss ,stevens and ,miss ,clarke went to ,taiyueanfu1 never to return4 ,it was a reign of terror during which rapine and murder stalked unhindered through the land1 and young women fled to the remotest districts where they might claim a shelter4 ,the matter of ,ai ,do's marriage had been under consideration for some time1 she having now reached the age when custom exacts that this important matter should be settled4 ,various suitors presented themselves1 but in most cases there was some hitch which prevented the engagement from being finally settled4 ,in one case the man lived on the other side of the river1 and this would cause difficulty in the girl's frequent journeys from one home to the other2 in another1 the matter of the sum required as dowry could not be finally fixed2 in a third1 she would have been required to worship idols4 ,amongst the number was a young man1 favoured by ,mrs4 ,fan but known as a wild and dissolute youth1 and the missionaries who had cared for ,ai ,do so many years refused their consent to the engagement4 ,now they were dead1 and ,mrs4 ,fan had scope for the exercise of the domineering will which made her ruler of the home1 for while she was an enthusiastic follower of the ,church she had never given evidence of personal conversion4 ,it was certainly advisable that a young woman of ,ai ,do's age should not be unmarried at that difficult time4 ,christians went in daily peril of their lives1 and the soldier was scarcely less to be dreaded than the ,boxer4 ,no one uses good iron to make nails1 and no one will use a good man to make a soldier1 says a ,chinese proverb1 which has been proved to be only too true in many cases4 ,hastily1 and almost secretly1 the formalities of the engagement were performed1 cards were exchanged which fixed the contract1 and the earrings1 rings1 and silk and satin garments were brought from the bridegroom's home4 ,ai ,do had heard much of this man1 and his reputation was such as to cause her the gravest misgivings4 ,the household which she was to enter as a bride would not require her to join in the offering of nuptial sacrifices to idols because her future mother-in-law had come under the sound of the ,gospel1 but more than this can scarcely be said4 ,the son to whom she was engaged had been brought up on a regime of such extreme indulgence as can only be met with amongst an ,oriental people4 ,his mother had never once restrained him in a childish selfishness nor a manly vice4 ,from a spoilt1 inconsiderate1 wilful childhood he passed to a cruel1 passionate1 licentious manhood2 finally1 he took to opium smoking and ruin threatened the home4 ,his mother reaped a bitter harvest of sorrow from the planting of those wasted years1 and now her urgent plea was3 ,my son is good at heart1 and a virtuous bride will soon work a reform in him4 ,every relation and friend and neighbour had a say in the transaction1 only ,ai ,do must not be consulted1 and though she weep and plead to be left unmarried for a time yet1 her tears and supplications can cause no effect4 ,in vain were the silver ornaments and fine clothes displayed before her2 she refused to take food and wept bitterly1 not with the conventional tears of the ,chinese girl bewailing her virginity and begging that she may not be torn from the shelter of her maiden home1 but with a real horror of the fate which awaited her4 ,the day dawned when she was dressed in the scarlet bridal clothes1 a voluminous embroidered satin gown over all2 this came with the sedan chair which was to carry her to her future home1 being hired for the occasion4 ,scarlet shoes were on her feet1 a high tinsel crown on her head1 and covering her tear-stained face was a scarlet veil4 ,in accordance with the custom which demanded that the forehead of the bride must be perfectly smooth1 her front hair had been dragged out by the roots and left her with an aching head4 ,at last all was ready1 and she was in the embroidered sedan chair and caught the last glimpse of the familiar faces4 ,they disappear1 and alone she meets a cruel1 loveless1 unknown world4 ,a ,chinese village wedding is a terrible ordeal for the bride4 ,her life until that day has been guarded from every contact with the outer world1 and she has never spoken with a man outside the family circle4 ,her arrival at her mother-in-law's home is the signal for a wild rush of rough men to surround her chair4 ,the curtain is lifted1 insolent faces stare1 her personal appearance is commented upon in vile terms1 her feet being specially noticed because the artificial compression of this member has resulted in giving it sexual importance in a woman's appearance4 ,ai ,do had a normal1 unbound foot1 and had to listen to lewd insinuations levelled at her on this subject4 ,all the while she must patiently sit and wait until the appointed women of the bridegroom's family are ready to conduct her indoors4 ,the waiting is often for a considerable time1 for these new relations are going to make her feel that she is a most unimportant and undesirable person1 and her mother-in-law is not even going to see her until the next day2 moreover1 the longer she waits1 the greater her chances of longevity4 ,when at last she is told to leave her chair she is followed by a crowd1 and holding the end of a scarlet sash which is thrust into her hand1 she finds herself in a courtyard where the ceremony is to take place4 ,in accordance with the contract made by the middleman1 she is not asked to worship heaven and earth nor the tablets of her husband's ancestors1 but two cups of wine are placed on the table1 and she and her bridegroom must each take one and sip the wine1 the cups being joined together by a scarlet thread4 ,when this ceremony is over1 she follows her bridegroom to a room1 still led by the sash1 and when he enters he stands upon the kang and by walking around it demonstrates his position as head of the new home4 ,meanwhile the chair-bearers are clamouring for her dress1 as another young woman is waiting for the same gown and chair1 and delay may cause trouble4 ,the bride is assisted on to the kang by the women1 her husband having departed to make merry with his friends1 and the ragged opium smokers who carried her there leave1 one wearing the crown of tinsel on his head1 laughing and joking at much which they have seen and heard4 ,from the moment that she is seated upon the kang1 the bride becomes the centre of attraction to an insulting crowd4 ,her shoes are stolen1 but knowing that this is likely she has provided herself with additional pairs4 ,for hours she sits there and hears the remarks made4 ,one will whisper that she is married to an irresponsible idiot1 others will tell her that he is blind or dumb1 and knowing how often the middlemen deceive1 she waits with dread the moment when she will see for herself more than she was able to do on arrival4 ,at last the room is cleared1 and she has to face the final ordeal when she is left alone with a totally unknown man4 ,even the hours of darkness are not respected1 and every youngster in the village has the right to enter the courtyard at any hour of the night1 tear down the paper windows1 and heap shame upon her head4 ,christianity and the influence of the foreigner has done much to revolutionise the wedding customs1 but all this and more was endured by ,ai ,do1 and she found herself withal the wife of a depraved and vicious man4 ,it was indeed a deliverance when the ,hwochow girls' school reopened and ,ai ,do was invited to teach in place of her elder sister1 whose family claims had increased so as to prevent her holding the post as formerly4 ,school was opened in a small courtyard which adjoined our own1 and twenty girls entered as pupils4 ,ai ,do had all the characteristics of a natural leader1 and she easily controlled the girls and was much beloved by them1 for she had a kind disposition and the hidden sorrows of her life had made her both strong and tender4 ,i think that her life in school was a time of unmixed happiness to her1 but the holidays had to be faced and contact with the man whom she could only strive not to hate4 ,his opium smoking habits increased1 and the pinch of poverty was felt in the home from which he was able to steal so cunningly every article of value which might be exchanged for money and spent on the drug4 ,a great joy came into ,ai ,do's life with the birth of a little son1 and she realised for the first time that matrimony was not solely a horror1 since it brought so much compensation in its train4 ,the child was publicly dedicated to ,god1 and was its mother's joy for six brief months4 ,at the end of that time1 in the hot weather1 it sickened with dysentery1 and in spite of her prayers and entreaties that she might be allowed to deal with the disease as she had seen me deal with similar ailments1 she had to endure the torture of seeing it operated upon by a heathen ,chinese doctor1 whose method of treatment was to use long needles which he ran into its tender flesh4 ,the needles were of course unclean1 and the child's death was doubtless hastened by the shock thus sustained4 ,she was spared the last sorrow of seeing its body thrown out to be devoured by dogs and wolves through the fortunate advent of her father1 who insisted at her request that decent burial be given4 ,this was a cause of thankfulness for her to her life's end4 ,a year later1 when her second son was born1 the home was in a pitiful condition4 ,all the land which provided daily bread for the family was gambled away1 furniture and clothes had been sold or pawned for opium1 the wages she earned were all turned to the same use1 and the poorest1 coarsest food was all that was procurable at a time when her strength was quite insufficient to the strain imposed upon it4 ,as soon as the required month of purification was over1 she returned to us and then received all the care that love could suggest1 but we soon saw that she was going to escape from our poor1 inadequate efforts to protect and comfort her1 into the care of the only ,one who could save her from further sorrow4 ,phthisis took a rapid hold of her constitution1 and her strength daily declined4 ,during this time she for the first time opened her heart1 and spoke out her sorrows and sufferings and those deepest wrongs she had suffered which women have from time immemorial hidden as a shameful secret4 ,she spoke it all out now1 and left me with a determination that henceforth any one placed as she was should find an advocate and protector in me to the extent of my ability4 ,three months later she was carried back to her home1 a dying woman1 to end her days4 ,we were able to ride out and see her almost daily1 and once we found her very happy because in a dream she had seen a messenger who called to her to cross the river1 and when she shrank back ,i had been there to assure her that angels would receive her to her ,heavenly ,home4 ,that day her husband came into the room1 and in my presence she for the last time pleaded with him to leave the ways of sin and seek forgiveness through repentance4 ,to our care she committed her child1 asking that we would see that it was brought up as a ,christian1 and she also begged us to insist on a ,christian burial for herself4 ,to the schoolgirls she sent the message that they must meet her in her ,master's presence1 and a few hours later the bells of the city rang out for joy1 and it was said to her3 ',enter into the joy of thy ,lord4' ,the wail that went up from the schoolgirls when ,i told them1 ,i shall not forget2 she was the first of our company to pass over4 ,two days later the pupils of her class and ourselves gathered with the family for a simple service in the courtyard of her home4 ,on the coffin the words were written at her own request1 ,until ,he come--symbolic of the hope which sustained her through those years of suffering1 and kept her eyes ever upward turned to the promise of the great day of deliverance4 ,a congregation of some hundreds assembled to see the unique sight of so many girls mourning for a teacher and following the bier to the border of the village4 ,the girls and their parents showed their appreciation of ,ai ,do and her work by presenting a large banner to the school in her memory4 ,it was unveiled on their behalf by the elders of the ,church1 and above the names of one hundred girls who had been her pupils were inscribed the words3 ,she rests from her labours1 and her works do follow her4 ,we returned to take up the work which she had left1 but with heavy hearts1 and the school and my study seemed empty without her presence4 ,i missed her help in consultation over difficulties and dealings with the raw material which came into our hands at the beginning of each term4 ,who could replace her8 ,her friend and companion who had helped her during the past months was the only one to whom ,i could look1 and she was seemingly of too retiring a disposition to bear such responsibility2 but the trees of the ,lord are full of sap1 and if a leaf has fallen there is always a fresh one developing to replace it1 and ,ling ,ai was preparing for a development which was going to make her that which she still is1 my faithful and beloved fellow-missionary in this place4 ,with her quiet1 gentle spirit she has won the confidence of her pupils1 and made possible for me that which apart from her comradeship would have been impossible1 the establishment of a large school and training-college where in happy fellowship ,chinese young women are working together for the women and girls of their country4 ,,the ,,powers ,,of ,,darkness ,what name hast thou8 ,and he said1 ,legion6 ,whensoever the impure spirit goeth out from the man it passeth through waterless places seeking rest2 and not finding it there1 it saith-- ,i will return unto my house whence ,i came out2 ,and coming1 findeth it empty1 swept and adorned4 ,then goeth it and taketh along with itself other spirits more wicked than itself--seven1 and entering it1 findeth its dwelling there2 and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first4--,the ,gospel according to ,luke4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,the ,,powers ,,of ,,darkness ,,being ,a ,,record ,,of ,,some ,,observations ,,in ,,demonology ,,the ,chinaman1 though perhaps the most materialistic of ,easterners1 is no exception to his neighbours in the large place which the occult takes in his outlook4 ,for him1 the physical world is peopled with spirits good and evil1 capable of exercising the most far-reaching influences on the fortunes of men4 ,these spiritual beings are bound up in the forces of nature1 and combine to constitute that geomantic system known by the ,chinese as ,feng-shui 7wind and water71 by reference to which1 matters of human life1 inasmuch as they are designed to court the good influences and avoid those which are inauspicious to the man1 the time1 and the place1 are decided4 ,the ,chinaman can never experience the feeling of complete solitude which the ,westerner knows in wild and lonely places2 for him the hillside1 the ravine1 and the mountain gorge are peopled with presences best described as fairies1 though in nothing resembling the light-hearted beings which this description generally conveys to the ,western mind4 ,to him they present the appearance of aged1 venerable beings1 short of stature1 with white beards4 ,country1 town1 and human habitations are alike haunted by psychic beings whose condition cannot be exactly expressed by the word spirit1 neither form of ,chinese belief admitting of the conception of a pure spirit without matter4 ,these beings may be grouped into three classes4 ,gwei is the term most constantly used by the common people to indicate the being whose influence is feared by all1 and who receives from every family some measure of propitiatory sacrifice4 ,we read in the li chao chuan1#f or ,divine ,panorama1 that every living being1 no matter whether it be a man or an animal1 a bird or a quadruped1 a gnat or a midge1 a worm or an insect1 having legs or not1 few or many1 all are called gwei after death4 ,apart from these are the shen1 which have been defined as emanations de la nature personnifiees1 not1 as the gwei1 spirits of the dead1 but an emanation of nature clothed with a personality4 ,they possess varying degrees of intelligence and power4 ,their interest is not only in the affairs of men1 to the knowledge of which they have access1 but also in the secret springs of human action4 ,they reside in man as well as amongst men1 and witness to his good or evil works before the tribunal of heaven4 ,the classics of ,chinese literature1 recognising this1 urge upon readers the duty of decorum1 purity1 and care even when unseen by human eyes and according to the teachings of ,confucius2 one of the characteristics of the ,princely ,man is the discipline he will exercise upon himself when alone4 ,other spiritual beings are those who1 by their ascetic practices1 have attained to a life higher than that of humanity2 it will endure through many centuries1 and they are free to live in the pleasant places of the earth with considerable licence to enjoy good things1 yet free from the material claims which govern human life4 ,these are known by the term hsien1 and are referred to above as fairies4 ,each and all of these beings touch the destinies of man at various points4 ,it is1 however1 in the important events of life--birth1 marriage1 and death--that the interference of the spirits is strongest1 and such occasions are used by the sorcerer as a means of extorting money from his unfortunate victim4 ,in the ,divine ,panorama1 we read that3 ,it is not uncommon at the time of reincarnation to see women asking to be allowed to avenge themselves in the form of gwei before being changed into men4 ,on their case being examined1 it is found as young women they have been seduced or have been betrayed in other ways1 such as the husband refusing after marriage to fulfil his promise to support the girl's parents1 and in consequence of her disgrace the woman has committed suicide4 ,from that moment terror has dogged the steps of her husband1 and he has gone in hourly fear of sickness1 accident1 or sudden death4 ,if he be a student1 the day of examination presents terrors calculated to ensure failure1 for he knows that the gwei has power to hold his mind in subjection so that he cannot write his competitive essay4 ,the only hope he has of release is the taking of a vow1 whereby he undertakes to study and make known ,the ,divine ,panorama or precious record transmitted to men to move them1 being a record of examples published by the mercy of ,yu ,di1 that men and women living in this world may repent them of their faults1 and make atonement for their sins4 ,the punishments described include all the most painful tortures of which ,chinese ingenuity can conceive4 ,truly1 idols are the work of man's hands1 and they that make them are like unto them6 ,sculptural art also has left nothing undone to represent the god as animated by the worst passions of man1 but skill and ingenuity must inevitably stop short of the final act necessary to convince man that communication is possible between him and the spirit world4 ,in order to bridge this chasm a class of men and women called sorcerers 7mo-han and sheng-po7 has come into being1 whose work it is to be the spokesmen of the gods4 ,with deliberate intent and elaborate ritual they develop the mediumistic gift1 and learn how to attain conditions of frenzy and of trance during which period the body is controlled by a spiritualistic force4 ,not only as the medium of the gods1 but also as a resting-place for longer or shorter periods to the homeless1 unclean spirit1 do these sorcerers serve4 ,at tremendous physical cost--for the medium is never long-lived--they accumulate great wealth1 exorbitant sums being demanded in recognition of services rendered when freeing a family or village from the visitations of a tormenting gwei4 ,when sickness enters his home1 the ,chinaman's instinct is to attribute it to any cause rather than a natural one2 his appeal on such occasions is to the sorcerer whose time is largely occupied in giving what is called medical advice1 but is in reality the practising of the rites of exorcism4 ,sometimes he will declare that the spirit of a sick person has strayed from the body1 and means will be set on foot to secure its return4 ,a woman ,i know1 whose boy had apparently died from typhoid fever1 was told that his spirit had been enticed away by a god whose shrine was built on the mountain side near the city where she lived4 ,she took the child's coat and walked to the temple2 here1 standing before the idol1 she burned incense and begged that the boy's spirit might be restored to her4 ,holding the child's coat open to receive it1 she swayed to and fro1 and with heart-rending cries besought it to return4 ,she waited until she felt her request had been granted1 and with a movement as though to enfold the little wandering ghost1 she clasped the coat in her arms and swiftly returning home1 laid it upon the lifeless body4 ,the child revived1 and is alive to this day4 ,frequently1 after supplication to the gods1 the clothes of the patient are carefully weighed2 a procession is then formed in which one of the sorcerers holds a mirror directed backwards1 others1 wearing scarlet aprons1 carry brooms and with slow and mystic movements sweep widely on either side with the intent of gathering up the wandering soul4 ,meanwhile crackers are fired to the weird sound of a minor1 falsetto lilting4 ,after a considerable journey over the countryside they return to prove the success of their venture4 ,for this the clothes of the sick man must be reweighed to see whether the weight of the spirit has been added to that of the patient's garments4 ,should the smallest discrepancy be detected all is well1 and after feasting and opium the mo-han pockets his fee and departs1 frequently leaving a prescription behind him1 the results of which may be more or less harmful4 ,whatever the result1 nothing will shake the faith of the people in these degraded villains1 for they can1 by threatening to call in the intervention of the gods on their behalf strike terror to the heart of any man1 and once having sought aid of the sorcerer1 the family is pitiable indeed4 ,in a case which came under my personal observation1 the spirit of a young woman from a village at some distance from the one in which ,i was staying1 who had recently died in childbirth1 was said to have returned1 having found herself in difficulties in the spirit world for lack of means to defray the necessary expenses4 ,illness became so prevalent that necromancers were called in and agreed that a medium must be employed4 ,the spirit made its requirements known1 and by promising the sacrifices ordained1 the family passed under a bondage from which none dared to emancipate himself by omitting the prescribed rites4 ,night after night1 at the medium's command a table was spread at the cross-roads1 on which were laid the fantastic foods suitable to the requirements of the departed spirit4 ,gold and silver paper money was plentifully burned1 crackers were fired1 and following the medium1 a party of men left to place earthen bowls containing grains at various corners of the roads4 ,nothing but the deliverance of ,christianity1 or a daring known to few1 can set free those who have been entangled in such practices4 ,i saw this medium whilst under spirit control4 ,before a table elaborately decorated on which incense burned1 she threw herself into extraordinary contortions1 quivering and shaking1 her finger and thumb forming a circle1 whilst the little finger vibrated continuously4 ,she sustained a perpetual chant in the peculiar spirit voice1 the minor strains of which ,i find it impossible to describe4 ,a relative of the deceased acted as questioner1 and she dictated the terms by the fulfilment of which the spirit consented to a reconciliation4 ,another manifestation of mediumship may be found in the more or less conscious yielding of the personality to a controlling spiritualistic influence1 known as demon possession4 ,remarkable cases have come under my own personal observation1 and all incidents which ,i quote have been witnessed by foreign missionaries who are prepared to vouch for their accuracy4 ,those brought to my notice by reliable ,chinese are too numerous to include in this book1 but the fact that men and women who lay themselves open to demoniacal influences become possessed1 is beyond dispute4 ,in many cases the possession follows upon a fit of uncontrolled temper1 such as is not uncommon amongst the ,chinese2 in others it is connected with the taking of a vow on the occasion of illness in the home1 when service was promised to some particular god2 or again1 it has been undoubtedly connected with the neglect to completely remove idols from the home of a ,christian4 ,in yet other cases1 a spirit may take temporary possession of a human body in order to find a means of expression for some important communication1 and after delivering its message leave the person unconscious of that which has taken place4 ,an instance of this occurred in a family with which ,i am intimate4 ,the eldest daughter was married into a home where she received ill-treatment from her mother-in-law4 ,for several years she was systematically underfed and overworked1 and when at last she gave birth to a son we all expected she would receive more consideration4 ,the hatred of her mother-in-law was1 however1 in no degree abated1 and when the child was a month old she brought her daughter a meal of hot bread in which the girl detected an unusual flavour which made her suspicious4 ,she threw the remainder to the dog1 and before many hours had passed both the unfortunate girl and the dog were dead4 ,her father was away from home at the time1 the young men of the family meanwhile carrying on the work of the farm4 ,a few days later her brothers and first cousins1 strong1 vigorous young farmers1 being together in the fields1 her cousin1 aged twenty-two1 suddenly exhibited symptoms of distress4 ,he trembled and wept violently4 ,those with him becoming alarmed at so unusual a sight went to his assistance1 intending to take him home4 ,he wept1 however1 the more violently1 saying3 ,i am ,lotus-bud2 ,i was cruelly done to death4 ,why is there no redress8 ,others of the family were by this time at hand1 and recognising the effort made by the girl's spirit to communicate with her own people whom she had had no opportunity of seeing in the hour of her death1 spoke directly to her1 as though present4 ,telling her the facts of the case1 they explained that all demands must remain in abeyance until her father's return1 when the guilty party would be dealt with by her family whose feeling was in no sense one of indifference4 ,in about an hour's time the attack passed1 leaving the young man exhausted and unconscious of what had taken place4 ,the criminal law of ,china can only be put in action under such circumstances by the girl's own family undertaking a long and expensive lawsuit1 the result of which may end in the punishment of the criminal1 or may terminate in quite a different way4 ,in this case the demands took the form of a requirement1 the granting of which constituted a tacit acknowledgment of guilt4 ,the demand in fact was that a funereal monument should be erected in memory of the dead girl4 ,this constituted so uncalled-for an honour paid to one in her position1 as to be a public recognition that redress was due to her1 and a law case was avoided4 ,it may be remembered that in the first chapter of this book an incident is recorded of ,mrs4 ,hsi herself being tormented by a demon which had gained its power over her1 by reason of neglect to completely destroy all idols at the time when they were removed from the home4 ,such a case is not singular4 ,our first woman patient in the ,hwochow ,opium ,refuge became interested in the ,gospel1 and on her return home destroyed her idols1 reserving however the beautifully carved idol shrines which she placed in her son's room4 ,her daughter-in-law who occupied this room1 a comely young woman1 desired to become a ,christian and gave us a warm welcome whenever we could go to the house4 ,about six months later we were fetched by special messenger from a village where we were staying1 to see this girl who was said to be demon possessed4 ,we found crowds of men and women gathered to see and to hear4 ,the girl was chanting the weird minor chant of the possessed1 the voice1 as in every case ,i have seen1 clearly distinguishing it from madness4 ,this can perhaps best be described as a voice distinct from the personality of the one under possession4 ,it seems as though the demon used the organs of speech of the victim for the conveyance of its own voice4 ,she refused to wear clothes or to take food1 and by her violence terrorised the community4 ,immediately upon our entering the room with the ,chinese woman evangelist she ceased her chanting1 and slowly pointed the finger at us1 remaining in this posture for some time4 ,as we knelt upon the kang to pray1 she trembled and said3 ,the room is full of gwei2 as soon as one goes another comes4 ,we endeavoured to calm her1 and to make her join us in repeating the sentence1 ,lord ,jesus1 save me4 ,after considerable effort she succeeded in pronouncing these words1 and when she had done so we commanded the demon to leave her1 whereupon her body trembled and she sneezed some fifty or sixty times1 then suddenly came to herself1 asked for her clothes and some food1 and seemingly perfectly well resumed her work4 ,so persistently did she reiterate the statement that the demons were using the idol shrines for a refuge1 that during the proceedings just mentioned her parents willingly handed over to the ,christians present these valuable carvings1 and joined with them in their destruction4 ,from this time onwards she was perfectly well1 a normal1 healthy young woman4 ,upon recovery from illness a woman ,i knew yielded herself to the lord of hell for a certain period1 during which time she was under a vow to wear black garments1 to perform certain rites as required by the devil1 and to chant instead of speaking4 ,she told me once that she knew all ,i could tell her of the ,lord of ,heaven and of the death upon the cross of ,his ,son1 but that she served the lord of hell1 and his servant she remained1 only giving up her peculiar dress and manner when the time of her vow had expired4 ,the yielding of personality to the possession of a spirit no doubt seriously weakens the will power4 ,many cases are on record of those who once delivered1 like the man in the ,gospel from whom the evil spirit had been cast out1 unconsciously again prepare the empty house to receive the evil guest1 and whose latter state is worse than the former4 ,it was to a woman1 terror of the district in which she lived1 that a ,chinese evangelist was called4 ,after prayer in which he and some inquirers took part1 the evil spirit in obedience to their command departed4 ,a few weeks later on yielding to violent temper1 she fell into a worse state than before4 ,the missionary of the district was this time begged to go himself4 ,as soon as he entered the room the woman threw herself upon the kang1 rolling about in seemingly great agony4 ,the ,chinese helper1 ,mr4 ,li1 rebuked the spirit1 saying3 ,we ordered you to leave4 ,why have you returned8 ,i could find no dwelling-place1 was the answer1 given with extraordinary rapidity1 in the curious spirit voice4 ,find me a place to rest1 and ,i will leave at once4 ,we have come1 said ,li1 to command you to leave1 not to find you a place4 ,upon this the woman laughed and clapped her hands1 and in the struggle it seemed as if the powers of evil were in the ascendancy4 ,as she still chuckled with amusement1 ,li said3 ,let us sing a hymn1 and immediately the voice replied3 ,i too can sing1 and forthwith shouted some theatrical songs4 ,mr4 ,li then prayed1 but there was seemingly no power and the voice also mockingly prayed4 ,the missionary then interposed1 saying3 ,i have not come here to hold intercourse with demons1 and forthwith authoritatively commanded the demon to leave her4 ,there was a struggle1 and she fell down unconscious on the kang4 ,she came to herself in a normal condition and apologised to the missionary for her state of deshabille4 ,faithfully and sternly he rebuked her for sin and for giving place to the devil4 ,she recognised her fault1 and was from that time a changed woman4 ,an evil spirit has been known to claim a young girl as its possession1 forbidding her marriage under severe threats4 ,it was in such a case that a demon1 driven from a man who had become a ,christian1 went to a village eight miles distant and possessed a young woman4 ,speaking through her1 it forbade her marriage and manifested itself in the same manner as it had done in the man from whom it came1 compelling him to perpetually rub one side of his face and head until there was no hair left there4 ,when questioned as to whence it came the demon replied by giving the name of this man1 and to the question3 ,why have you left him8 replied3 ,i have been turned out1 for that man has become a ,christian4 ,two methods of exorcism are used by the sorcerers--defiance and bribery4 ,the ,christian method is that of commanding the evil spirit in the ,name of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ to release the victim4 ,some have been set free from the power of a tormenting spirit who have not been subsequently kept free1 through refusing to yield to the control of the great ,spirit of ,liberty4 ,pastor ,hsi1 than whom none better understood the conflict in the ,heavenly ,places1 in earlier days would cast out demons from all the possessed who were brought to him1 but in later years as experience grew1 he refused to do so unless idols were destroyed1 and he had reason to believe there was a sincere desire to obey the commands of ,god4 ,he doubtless saw1 as others have done1 the futility of temporary relief during which1 in that mysterious way so graphically described in the ,scriptures1 the demon wanders in waterless places1 joining himself to others more evil than he4 ,pastor ,hsi learned to distinguish between the greater and the lesser demons4 ,with the latter he would deal summarily1 but not so with the former4 ,this kind1 he would say1 goeth not out but by prayer and fasting2 and thus he would prepare himself for an encounter with the powers of evil4 ,young believers1 doubtless impressed by the ,pastor's command over unclean spirits and perhaps sometimes eager for a similar power1 were1 as in the instances recorded in the ,acts of the ,apostles1 in serious danger4 ,pastor ,hsi urged them not lightly to undertake the casting out of demons4 ,he had been faced by the awful realities of the spirit world1 and on one occasion at least1 by reason of a thoughtless word1 had been troubled by the very demon he had cast out and which attached itself to his person4 ,the experiences recorded here may be unfamiliar to many readers1 and some will doubtless think that madness1 hysteria1 or epilepsy may account for them4 ,to such ,i would suggest the following points for consideration3 ,firstly1 the striking1 detailed resemblance between the cases seen now in heathen lands and those recorded in the ,scriptures2 secondly1 the complete and lasting restoration resulting from prayer and from the command in the ,name of the ,lord ,jesus that the demon should depart2 thirdly1 the appalling sense of the reality of the conflict with the evil one at the moment of supreme test1 as the missionary is called upon to prove his personal faith1 and to give the command which shall decide whether ,god or demon remains conqueror on the field4 ,when the promise was given by ,christ that ,his witnesses should cast out demons1 it was with the foreknowledge that such equipment was essential to those who obeyed ,his command to disciple the nations4 ,let the signs following be a reminder to weary warriors that the ,captain of our salvation is actively leading ,his hosts2 and to the indifferent and half-hearted who profess and call themselves ,christians1 let it be a matter for serious reflection that there exist churches in many heathen lands1 the members of which have not lost their first love and faith1 and against whom the enemy has come with his whole strength4 ,a feeble conflict may provoke a feeble resistance1 but it behoves the aggressive warrior to prepare for the fight of his life when he invades the enemy's territory1 where the conflict is not with mere flesh and blood1 but with the despotisms1 the empires1 the forces1 that control and govern this dark world4 ,,footnote3 #f ,the ,precious ,regulations1 a book written under the ,sung ,dynasty4 ,its main tenets are derived from ,buddhism1 though some writers inscribe the book among the ,taoist documents4 ,its sub-title explains its contents3 ,a precious record of examples published by the mercy of ,yu ,di 7the ,jade ,emperor to whom is entrusted the superintendence of the world1 the ,jupiter of the ,taoists71 that men and women may repent them of their faults and make atonement for their sins4 ,it includes a description of the ,ten ,courts of ,hell and the judgments pronounced therein4 ,,the ,,life ,,story ,,of ,,pastor ,,wang ,happy the meek2 ,for they shall inherit the earth4 ,the labourer whom ,christ in ,his own garden ,chose to be ,his helpmate4 ,,dante4 ,he went out to seek wisdom1 as many a one has done1 looking for the laws of ,god with clear eyes to see1 with a pure heart to understand1 and after many troubles1 after many mistakes1 after much suffering1 he came at last to the truth4--,h4 ,,fielding ,,hall4 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,the ,,life ,,story ,,of ,,pastor ,,wang ,,if ,pastor ,hsi may be spoken of as the ,paul of the ,shansi ,church1 ,barnabas finds his counterpart in ,pastor ,wang of ,hwochow4 ,though possessing none of the peculiar gifts which made ,hsi a leader amongst foreigners and ,chinese1 he has exercised a remarkable personal influence upon hundreds of lives1 winning by consistency and sincerity those with whom he has come in contact4 ,on our first arrival we found him already in charge1 conducting the ,sunday services and generally caring for the ,church members4 ,his unfailing courtesy1 consideration1 and tact simplified many difficult situations1 and the exercise of his natural gift for gathering people around him and drawing out the best in them soon resulted in a rapidly growing work4 ,he was almost immediately chosen as ,deacon1 and before long the office of ,elder was given to him4 ,all turned to ,mr4 ,wang in difficulty1 sought his advice in perplexity1 and by the unanimous desire of the ,church he was in #aiji ordained ,pastor at ,hwochow4 ,he has developed his gifts in the school of adversity1 for trouble overtook him in his childhood when his father died only a few years before the great famine which was to sweep over the province of ,shansi4 ,poor they always were1 and his love for his mother was intensified as he saw the self-sacrificing devotion with which she earned enough by her spinning to enable him to continue his schooling4 ,at the age of fifteen he was married1 and on the bride's arrival the falsity of the middleman through whom the engagement had been long ago contracted was revealed1 for the bride was a helpless cripple and a serious burden on the already overpressed household4 ,food soon began to be scarce1 for the rains failed and the prospect of the wheat harvest was poor4 ,they endured and hoped1 being mercifully saved from the knowledge that they must now enter upon a period when the inhabitants of ,shansi should touch the depths of human suffering and call on death to end their woes4 ,no pen can fully describe the horrors of that time4 ,when summer and autumn crops had failed the rains were still withheld1 and despair seized on all as they saw the impossibility of sowing the wheat for next year's harvest4 ,the delicate bride1 unable to withstand the privations of that time1 soon died1 and ,wang's sister was married1 so that he and his mother remained alone to care for each other4 ,the poor young sister lived but a very short while in her new home1 and the circumstances of her death were so tragic that ,wang felt unable to forgive the man who had been her husband4 ,after many years1 when circumstances brought this man to his home1 he realised that ,christ's command to forgive those who have offended against you required of him a complete change of feeling towards this once hated brother-in-law1 and he invited him to share his food as a sign of forgiveness and reconciliation4 ,every month the distress became more acute2 weeds1 leaves1 bark of trees1 and even some softer kinds of wood were used as food1 but numbers were dying and of the one hundred and twenty families which inhabited the village1 at last thirty only remained4 ,the dead outnumbered the living1 and compelled by hunger the latter were driven to sustain life by feeding on the former4 ,wang saw his mother's vain endeavour to supply some kind of food on which they might subsist1 and his heart was torn to see her deprive herself even now that there might be more for him4 ,when the famine was at its worst1 the most tragic blow fell4 ,his mother one day told him it was her wish that he should accompany several neighbours to a near village where lived a relation4 ,in those days none dared to travel alone1 lest in their weak1 half-starved condition they should fall a prey to man or beast4 ,the pretext given was the possibility of obtaining the loan of a little grain from the aunt who lived there4 ,beggars were many and givers few1 and he wondered at his mother entertaining any hope of such good fortune4 ,he went1 however1 only to return a few hours later1 empty-handed4 ,as he entered the courtyard1 heart-sick with disappointment1 he called for his mother and received no answer4 ,doors and windows were locked on the inside1 and sick with apprehension he called the neighbours to his help4 ,on bursting open the door1 they saw her body swinging from a beam in the dim recesses of the cave4 ,the errand had been an excuse to get him out of the way1 while she performed this act which was the last expression of her love to him4 ,she had chosen this solution of their impossible position1 hoping that1 relieved of her presence1 he might be able to endure till coming harvest4 ,the body1 wrapped in matting1 was laid in an empty cave4 ,there was no money for a coffin1 and many were waiting like hungry wolves to eat the uncoffined dead2 moreover1 the boy and his uncle were too weak to drag the body to the burying-ground4 ,the months passed1 and still the arid1 sun-baked earth refused to bear any green thing1 and the despairing people longed for rain which never came4 ,the second year of drought had come and gone1 and there was now nothing sown in the fields1 but on the seventh day of the fourth moon of the fourth year of the ,emperor ,kwang ,hsue1 the longed-for rain fell and hope revived4 ,at this time also a stranger came to the village registering the names of survivors1 and announcing that foreigners had arrived and were distributing grain that the fields might be sown for an autumn crop4 ,the worst of the famine was over1 but the terrors of famine fever had yet to be faced1 and when the longed-for grain had ripened there were in many houses none left to eat it1 for whole families had been wiped out4 ,wang now naturally became an inmate of his uncle's home1 and gradually the conditions of greatest horror were relieved4 ,as soon as strength had sufficiently returned1 they made coffins and prepared to bury their dead1 that the required rites should not be lacking which should bring consolation to those who had entered the land of shades without the necessary honours having been paid to their memory4 ,not only for the coffins was money required1 but also to pay the fees of the geomancers who must decide the site of the graves and an auspicious day for the funeral4 ,in this one family1 thirteen coffins were made and graves dug in accordance with the following plan3 ,the four quarterings of the celestial sphere were borne in mind1 respectively governed by the ,azure ,dragon1 ,red ,bird1 ,white ,tiger1 and ,black ,tortoise1 these being identified with ,east1 ,west1 ,south1 and ,north4 ,the graves should face the south1 with ,white ,tiger on the right and ,azure ,dragon on the left1 as these respectively control wind and water4 ,on the day of the funeral the son1 dressed in coarse white cloth1 with unhemmed garments1 white twists plaited with the hair of his queue which he wore over his chest1 and his head unshaven1 walked as chief mourner1 the wailing relatives following the bier4 ,in due course1 paper money and other articles were burned for the use of the deceased1 and fire crackers were exploded to ensure the soul and the mortal remains against the attacks of demons4 ,the next year in early spring on the day known as ,pure ,brightness1 in accordance with national custom1 ,wang1 dressed in white1 again visited and repaired the grave4 ,for three years he wore signs of mourning in his dress1 and abstained from all festivities4 ,thus he strove to leave undone nothing which filial piety could contrive1 to make easier to his mother her sojourn in those mysterious realms whither she had passed4 ,for the next few years he worked as a silversmith in his uncle's shop1 this latter being a generous1 kindly man1 on whom the responsibilities of business life sat only too lightly1 for an illness revealed the fact that the profits were not sufficient to meet the interest due on the rapidly accumulating debts4 ,moreover1 the sick man1 with failing health1 had gradually acquired the use of the fatal drug known as foreign smoke1 which some years previously had been first introduced from distant lands1 and was gaining ground every year as a profitable crop in the best soil4 ,one ounce a day had become the necessary allowance for the sick man1 and to ,hwochow the nephew constantly went in order to buy the needful supply4 ,he tells how he walked between the poppy fields and heard the chant which always accompanied the sowing of the plant3 ,of ten acres1 fateful plant1 thou claimest eight1 ,thus only two are left for ripening grain2 ,from distant lands thou wert brought here1 ,and hast devoured the best of ,china's sons4 ,of famine1 of typhus1 and of the raids of wild beasts1 the inhabitants of ,shansi had tasted the full terrors1 but now this more insidious foe was working havoc in their midst4 ,amongst the villagers it already counted its victims3 one young man had recently died as a direct result of its use1 for after taking his accustomed dose he had so lain down that a portion of his wadded clothes was touching the lighted stove4 ,shortly after1 his mother entered the cave to find this1 her only son1 burned to death1 the charred corpse being all that remained to tell the tale4 ,another neighbour had gradually parted with all his possessions1 and when nothing else remained on which to raise money1 he took his young wife and sold her to an innkeeper in whose house she was not mistress of her actions and had no choice but to obey her purchaser4 ,nothing could save her1 and the tragedy of that broken heart still awaits ,his judgment ,who judgeth righteously4 ,the duty of preparing the pipe for his uncle devolved on the young man1 and before long he himself was a victim of opium4 ,meanwhile the uncle was weaker than formerly1 and a neighbour strongly recommended ,wang to visit the ,china ,inland ,mission station at ,hwochow to ask for some medicine1 and this was how he first heard the ,gospel story4 ,he was cordially received by the evangelist1 and given a dose to be administered according to regulation1 and told to pray earnestly for his uncle2 this he conscientiously did1 kneeling in the courtyard1 and saying3 ,heavenly ,father1 have mercy on my uncle4 ,the next day1 the sick man was better1 and continued so for many months4 ,troubles soon thickened around ,mr4 ,wang4 ,when his uncle died he found himself responsible for business and home1 and overwhelmed by debts4 ,the great spiritual crisis of his life was at hand4 ,he had from childhood pursued1 by what broken light he had1 an ideal which was intensely real to him4 ,in the five relationships wherein his teachers had instructed him as to conduct1 he had endeavoured to be blameless3 as subject to ruler1 son to father1 younger brother to elder1 husband to wife1 and friend to friend4 ,he had worked beyond his strength to clear himself of debt1 and when his best endeavours proved futile he had sold his goods and distributed their price amongst the creditors4 ,having taken the vow of an ascetic1 for years he was a vegetarian4 ,nevertheless1 all had failed1 and he bitterly reproached himself with having fallen into the sin of opium smoking4 ,now it happened that a certain man1 jealous of ,pastor ,hsi's success1 opened a rival opium refuge in which he treated patients according to the ,pastor's methods1 but with medicine of his own making4 ,the scheme was a contentious one1 and the man a cause of friction and difficulty to the ,christian community4 ,it was to this ,refuge that ,mr4 ,wang1 now thirty years old1 poor1 sad1 and dispirited1 came as a patient4 ,he found here a man who1 according to the established tradition of the opium refuge1 received even a degraded class of men into his house in order to care for them1 and performed many menial tasks in the discharge of his duty towards them4 ,also the good news of the ,evangel was proclaimed in the house4 ,if the preaching were not sincere but proclaimed a ,christ of contention1 it behoves us to rejoice that even so ,christ was preached1 for ,mr4 ,wang heard something of the life of ,jesus1 ,his love1 and ,his humility1 and thought that he saw the very spirit of the doctrine exemplified in the man who ministered to these unfortunate patients4 ,his heart was overwhelmed by the love of ,god2 and the beauty of ,christ1 after which he for so many years had blindly felt1 lest haply he might find1 was now revealed to him4 ,on the ninth day1 for lack of money1 he was obliged to cut his treatment short and return home2 but henceforth nothing could separate him from the love of ,god4 ,the rumour of his conversion soon spread1 and many visited the workshop where the silversmith sat at his daily occupation1 questioning him1 hearing his story1 and taking note of the great change in him4 ,from the first he exercised a great influence on men1 and soon a few were joining with him morning and evening for prayer and reading of the ,bible4 ,the last month of the year--a period dreaded by the ,chinaman whose liabilities exceed his assets--found him in great straits4 ,a fever had laid him low1 but as soon as strength returned sufficiently to sit up in bed and work he was plying his trade once more1 and it was thus his creditors found him when they came to press their claims4 ,the ,chinese universal system of debt does not allow for the exercise of mercy1 as each creditor is himself a debtor1 and his object in securing payments is to relieve the pressure brought to bear on himself by his own creditors4 ,nevertheless1 the sight of the sick man forcing himself to work1 and the reputation he had for integrity so affected them that they left the house again1 begging him to reserve his strength and free his mind from immediate anxiety on their account4 ,health and strength finally returned1 and intercourse was established with the ,hwochow missionaries1 which resulted in his baptism4 ,by the year #aijj a group of ,christian men and women formed the nucleus of a church in the village4 ,mr4 ,wang this year became a widower for the second time1 the wife he had taken some years previously dying in childbirth1 leaving him the care of two small children4 ,the newborn babe it was impossible for him to rear1 and he gave it away to a friend whose wife had lost her own child and now took this one to her breast4 ,as the dangers of that fateful year thickened and news came of persecutions and massacres1 the ,church trembled and wondered how she would endure4 ,finally it became known that ,boxers were marching on the village4 ,mr4 ,wang was recognised as leader of the local ,christians1 and to him they would certainly come4 ,he called his little boy and girl to kneel with him in the cave1 and committed the matter to ,god4 ,at sunset1 a sound of rushing wind was heard and a violent thunderstorm burst on the district4 ,hail1 wind1 and rain were followed by a terrific cloud-burst which swept man and beast away in its irresistible violence4 ,the narrow mountain roads were completely carried away by the course of the waters1 and the ,boxers never came4 ,illustration3 ,,pastor ,,wang4 ,to face page #acf4 ,it was a great spiritual experience for ,mr4 ,wang1 to whom ,god spake not in the thunder nor in the storm1 but in a still small voice which asserted ,his boundless claim on the life preserved from danger4 ,from that time he was conscious of a new strength and power1 which resulted in his shortly giving up his trade of metal-worker to take charge of the ,hwochow ,men's ,opium ,refuge4 ,that position he still holds1 and thanks to him the good name and repute of this institution is widespread4 ,all his noblest gifts find their full development in the work which makes hourly claims on patience1 forbearance1 devotion1 longsuffering1 meekness1 and all those qualities which are bound up in the one characteristic of love4 ,from amongst the men in his charge a steady stream return home to destroy idols and subsequently request baptism4 ,when the question is asked3 ,how came you to believe8 the answer will be3 ,i owe it to ,pastor ,wang1 who taught me about ,christ and taught me to pray4 ,his methods are not those of the evangelist who gathers in the crowds1 but one by one he wins them to the ,lord4 ,in one particular only did ,i hear him censured by a ,christian1 and that was on the occasion of his ordination to the pastorate4 ,a ,church member protested that a stronger man than ,wang ,bing-guin was needed for the work4 ,see my case1 he said4 ,when1 as you know1 ,i was recently the subject of persecution1 ,i came to ,elder ,wang for assistance4 ,he listened to my story and urged me to pray and have patience4 ,this ,i did1 but matters only got worse1 and ,i returned to insist on his taking action on my behalf4 ,would you believe that he spoke of nothing more practical than prayer and patience again8 ,on the third occasion1 when ,i had very nearly made up my mind to go straight to the ,mandarin1 he only urged3 ',i fear that prayer and patience are your only lawful weapons1 my brother4' ,the opinion of the heathen regarding ,mr4 ,wang was forced upon my attention in a rather startling way4 ,we were preaching one day to a group of village women1 and as an old lady in the crowd heard us explaining that all have sinned and come short of the glory of ,god1 she said3 ,those words are untrue1 for ,i knew a man who never spoke a false word and never did an unkind deed4 ,interested1 we asked who he was1 and she replied3 ,oh1 he afterwards followed your ,church2 his name is ,wang ,bing-guin4 ,a ,,visit ,,to ,,the ,,base ,your heavenly ,father knoweth that ye are needing all these things4 ,i would be undone if ,i had not access to the ,king's chamber of ,presence to show ,him all the business4--,,rutherford4 ,dear children6 ,let us not be loving in word nor yet with the tongue1 ,but in deed and truth4 ,the ,first ,epistle of ,john4 ,,chapter ,,xiv ,a ,,visit ,,to ,,the ,,base ,,from ,,whence ,,we ,,are ,,again ,,sent ,,forth ,,with ,,fresh ,,supplies ,,it was with mixed feelings that we came to realise that the days were few until that experience known as taking furlough was to be ours4 ,it was indeed hard to leave our post4 ,england seemed so far away1 and the thought of having to readjust oneself to ,english ways and ,english dress was not inviting4 ,the desire to see relatives and friends pulled toward the ,west1 but ,i realised that an even stronger magnet was drawing me with tremendous force to remain in the land of the ,celestial4 ,it was arranged that two experienced missionaries1 the ,misses ,higgs and ,johnson1 should join ,miss ,mandeville who had been with us for nearly two years1 during our absence4 ,a year of strenuous effort on their part in a post requiring the exercise of tact and forbearance1 enabled us to see marked progress in the work upon our return a year later4 ,in order to carry out our plan of advance new buildings were necessary1 and a consultation was held as to the sum required4 ,on the most economical computation this would certainly be ,l#ejj1 and we left for ,england with the hope and prayer that if it were for the glory of ,god this sum might be forthcoming4 ,the months passed by1 and sums various were contributed4 ,we were due to leave ,england in ,march1 and we were still far short of the required amount1 when in ,february1 my friend and ,pastor1 ,dr4 ,campbell ,morgan1 arranged that ,i should have an opportunity of telling the members of ,westminster ,chapel of the work in ,hwochow4 ,it was ,sunday morning and the usual collection for ,church expenses had been taken1 but at the close of the service ,dr4 ,morgan announced that those who wished to do so might send contributions to him1 which would be forwarded to me4 ,thanks to the generosity and kindness of those concerned1 we left for ,china with our ,l#ejj less ,l#ej4 ,in ,march we started on the interesting journey through ,siberia1 bringing with us that which was of more value than much gold1 ,miss ,french's younger sister1 ,francesca1 to join us in our missionary work4 ,we reached ,moscow1 that fascinating city with its churches1 ,kremlin1 and numerous historic interests4 ,we seemed to be at the parting of the way where ,east and ,west meet and merge4 ,partly for the sake of economy and partly for the interest of being more with the people of the land1 we decided to travel1 not by the train de luxe1 but by the ,russian daily post train4 ,we were thus able with comfort to do the journey from ,london to ,peking for ,l#bj each1 whereas by the ,international train ,l#ce is required for fare alone4 ,how keenly we enjoyed it all6 ,the wide1 roomy railway compartments1 the slow1 steady movement of the broad gauge train1 enabling one to read and write with comfort2 the rush with a tin kettle for hot water from the huge tanks with unlimited supply1 provided at each station2 the buying of the day's provision from the peasants who crowded to the platforms with eggs1 butter1 and milk2 the reading aloud of some ,russian book in the ,slavonic surroundings1 which contributed so much to make its disconcerting unexpectednesses seem the natural expression of the ,russian temperament4 ,how delightful it all was2 but when we reached ,manchuria ,town and found ourselves in the midst of ,chinese1 we felt the thrill which comes with the first sight of home4 ,a few more days1 and we were in ,peking4 ,we walked in the acres of parkland which surround the ,temple of ,heaven1 and saw its blue-and-yellow-tiled roofs outlined on the azure of the ,eastern sky4 ,we stood in the pavilion where the ,son of ,heaven1 fasting1 rested before he proceeded to pray for his people in the double office of priest and king4 ,what gorgeous scenes the midnight skies have witnessed where the altar raises its marble carvings and mystic symbols to the open vault of heaven4 ,no sign of idolatry is visible2 here he worshipped ,heaven and ,earth1 and bowed before the ,supreme ,ruler1 praying for the millions of his people to whom he stood as father4 ,a magnificent conception6 ,the mind of man could scarcely rise higher in ethics of worship1 as in solemn splendour the beasts are slain1 and the prostrate ,emperor under the starlit sky calls upon the unknown god4 ,confucius seemed to realise the unbridgeable chasm between the offender and his judge when he said3 ,if a man have offended against heaven1 there is none to whom he can pray2 and here the ruler of this great people prayed1 but with a recognition of limitation which brought him1 later on1 back to the familiar idol shrines with an offering of incense and acceptable gifts4 ,from the quiet dreams of that place1 we returned to the hustle and bustle of native city life4 ,our rickshaw men1 with marvellous speed and agility1 were soon rushing us through the crowds of peddlers shouting1 yelling1 and calling on every passer-by to purchase their goods4 ,beggars1 scarcely recognisable as human beings1 knocked their foreheads on the ground1 beseeching us to give them some cash4 ,the moral support of a policeman is inadequate to the task of protecting the newcomer who has yielded to an impulse of pity4 ,on we rushed through massive gates1 where we ran serious risks of an overturn in meeting a string of heavily laden camels1 with sonorous bell hanging to the neck2 brightly and gaily dressed ladies passed and repassed in rickshaws2 men on horseback1 coalheavers1 foreign women on bicycles1 shining motor-cars1 and glass-panelled1 silk-upholstered carriages composed a moving picture1 with the gates and huge enclosure of the forbidden city as background4 ,from the pandemonium of ,chinatown we swung into ,legation quarter1 where macadamised roads take the place of cobblestones1 and for this you call down blessings on civilisation1 the rubber tyres of your rickshaw running rapidly and smoothly over the way4 ,without transition1 you pass from ,east to ,west4 ,the ,wagon-,lits ,hotel's fine buildings face you1 large foreign shops abound1 at night electric lights will blaze over the streets still filled with pleasure-seekers1 thoughtless and forgetful1 though the words written in days of siege can be clearly descried on the broken fragment of ,legation wall3 ,lest ,we ,forget4 ,at the ,hongkong and ,shanghai ,bank we entered to transfer money which was to enable us to erect those longed-for buildings in ,hwochow4 ,whilst ,i was transacting my business1 a voice behind me addressed ,miss ,french by name1 and the cashier looked up quickly4 ,immediately upon the conclusion of my business he asked3 ,is that ,miss ,french of ,taiyueanfu8 ,fifty pounds have been lying to her account for three years1 and we have been unsuccessful in tracing her whereabouts4 ,identity having been fully established the money with interest was paid to us1 and with our ,l#ejj complete and some extra1 we journeyed homewards4 ,a strange coincidence you say6 ,yea1 verily1 unless we take our courage in both hands1 and call it ,god4 ,after a train journey for the next two days1 came slow travelling from ,taiyueanfu to ,hwochow4 ,long and weary days1 in which one takes many hours to accomplish thirty miles1 turning in at night to a ,shansi inn4 ,a wonderful place it is1 carried on with the minimum of expense and trouble to the owner1 whose responsibility ends when he has provided you with a kettle of boiling water in an absolutely empty room1 the walls and ceiling of which are dirty beyond description4 ,in the courtyard are a few sheds where your mules are stalled for the night1 while horses and donkeys1 kicking and braying1 vie with insecta in enlivening for you the hours of darkness4 ,meanwhile your landlord has sent to ask whether you are requiring food4 ,the bill of fare offers mien1#g with accompanying condiments of salt1 vinegar1 and red pepper4 ,should you be a bon vivant you will ask for onion and a few bean sprouts1 though this entail the reckless expenditure of the further sum of one penny4 ,you lodge a protest at such extortionate charges1 for1 as your servant remarks1 at such a price we cannot afford to eat4 ,two sticks cut from a tree serve for table cutlery4 ,i hate luxury1 said ,goethe1 it kills the imagination4 ,here imagination flourishes4 ,through the dirt and grime of the wall ,i can decipher a poem which tells me that when ,i come to reckon with my landlord1 my account will be as flowing river4 ,other scrawls eulogise him1 and assure me3 ,whoever sleeps upon this kang1 sleeps in peace4 7,i must have been an exception67 ,an idol1 half-torn1 hangs in one corner of the room1 and in another ,i discover a ,christian tract4 ,who has passed this way before me8 ,i am aroused from my reverie by the sound of a voice1 which utters1 without seeing the humour and pathos of the remark3 ,the foreign devil is reading characters4 ,i turn to see an eye filling the space of a torn piece of window paper1 shamelessly scrutinising me1 and as ,i do so the intruder withdraws to discuss with the muleteers my failings1 virtues1 and intimate habits4 ,long before light the men are calling us1 and we arise1 anxious to lose none of the cool morning air4 ,delays occur1 for last night a portion of the harness was pawned to pay for the men's supper4 ,either we supply the necessary money to redeem the pledge1 or wait there indefinitely4 ,we first declare that nothing will make us produce that sum which they are not entitled to receive until the journey's end1 but both they and we know that a compromise must be effected4 ,alas1 it is already light and the sun rises glorious1 but to-day we are to reach home1 and nothing seems hard4 ,a short stay for dinner1 and at sunset the gates of ,hwochow are visible4 ,i cannot describe these homecomings2 the welcomers and welcomed know1 and that is enough4 ,,footnote3 #g ,vermicelli--cut with a knife4 ,,the ,,builders ,the house is not for me1 it is for ,him4 ,his ,royal thoughts require many a stair1 ,many a tower1 many an outlook fair1 ,of which ,i have no thought1 and need no care4 ,where ,i am most perplexed1 it may be there ,thou makest a secret chamber holy--dim1 ,where ,thou wilt come to help my deepest prayer4 ,,george ,,macdonald4 ,toil1 workman1 toil2 thy gracious ,lord ,will give thee soon a full reward2 ,then toil1 obedient to ,his word1 ,until ,he come4 ,sing1 pilgrim1 sing2 ,christ's mighty ,hand ,will bring thee safe to that bright land2 ,then sing--it is thy ,lord's command-- ,until ,he come4 ,,anon4 ,,chapter ,,xv ,,the ,,builders ,,relating ,,how ,,the ,,supplies ,,were ,,used ,,in an incredibly short space of time our compound was overrun by a gang of one hundred men from the province of ,honan4 ,the land in ,southern ,shansi has been too fertile and yielded too rich a crop of opium to leave us good workmen2 when therefore we want work quickly and well done1 we inquire for a ,honan or ,shantung man4 ,our helpers searched the countryside for likely trees1 which were felled and in a few days made their reappearance as pillars and beams4 ,old buildings were bought1 demolished1 and sorted into usable and unusable material1 so that as the walls went up the empty spaces about the city increased in number4 ,before dawn each morning we were aroused by the beating of a loud gong which called the men to work4 ,this work they might not leave until the last streak of daylight had faded1 except for the brief space allowed for breakfast and dinner1 when huge cauldrons of a sticky mass of boiled millet was ladled out in generous portions4 ,millet is the cheapest grain food procurable1 and the ,shansi man cannot thrive upon it2 to the ,honan man it is the staff of life1 and in consequence their rate of wage is lower4 ,a race of giants they were1 handsome1 magnificently built1 and well skilled in the use of their simple tools4 ,in the use of the adze they were particularly proficient1 and able to plane a section of wood to within a hairbreadth of thickness by the use of this alone4 ,they liked to use it for the most delicate work1 so certain are they of their accurate manipulation1 and on one occasion when ,i supplied a bandage to bind a wound on the finger of a workman who had met with a slight accident1 as ,i turned to take up my scissors1 the head carpenter1 without a trace of humour on his face1 stepped forward with a four-foot long adze1 and offered to sever the calico4 ,heavy work requiring the combined strength of several men1 such as the beating in of foundations1 or the lifting of a great beam1 was accompanied by the sound of the weirdest rhythmic chant1 sustained for hours if needs be4 ,a night watchman was employed1 who in accordance with the custom of the country constantly beat a loud gong1 by means of which any intending thief is made aware that all are not asleep4 ,the ,english policeman's rubber sole1 and the ,chinese watchman's noisy methods1 strange to relate1 attain the same ends4 ,on one occasion1 hearing blood-curdling yells at midday1 we inquired and were told that a workman had caught a tramp1 red-handed1 in the act of stealing his tools4 ,our informant described him as aged1 starved1 and infirm1 truly pitiable1 and strung up by his thumbs to a beam4 ,the sound of those yells made us fear that something akin to the famous death by slow degrees1 so constantly referred to in ,chinese jurisprudence1 was being carried into effect at our very door4 ,pastor ,wang1 the merciful1 was already interceding on the man's behalf1 and we sent a peremptory message that the thing must stop4 ,our desire was acceded to1 and the wretched victim made his escape1 more terrified than really hurt4 ,the next reminder of the incident was the following item in the builder's final account3 ,to missing tools1 unclaimed in accordance with missionaries' loving heart1 #bs4 ,one of the minor expenses connected with our building operations was the inviting of guests to a succession of feasts4 ,the occasion of the stamping of the contract in the ,yamen1 which marked the conclusion of the middlemen's responsibility in the purchase of property1 was celebrated by a handsome meal1 to which all in any way connected with the transaction were invited4 ,the necessity of conciliating our neighbours to the inevitable trouble which the dust and litter of building would entail upon them1 caused us to spread another feast1 to which all who could shelter beneath the term neighbour were asked4 ,by the building contract we found ourselves obliged to conform to the customary requirement made by workmen that every tenth day we should provide a reward for work1 which1 in fact1 amounted to supplying one pound of white flour and a handful of vegetable to each workman4 ,this arrangement ensured pleasant relations between the men and ourselves1 for each time they were our guests grievances were forgotten and a fresh start made4 ,the swinging of the huge beams of the church roof was the occasion for extra festivity4 ,this custom of inviting guests does much to smooth over difficulties1 and is customary1 not only in matters of building1 but also on numerous other occasions4 ,for instance1 the autumn rains swelling the river necessitate the use of a ferry boat for about two months of the year4 ,the expense of this is met by public subscriptions from the more important people of the city1 and a small fare for each passenger4 ,those whose names appear on the subscription list are invited to an annual banquet given by the ferrymen2 ,i have often wondered what would happen were some simple soul to accept the invitation1 which in reality is only intended to serve as a reminder that subscriptions are now due4 ,it is part of the convenient social system of this land that no woman would presume to put in an appearance on such occasions4 ,throughout the building operations the only part of the feast in which we were privileged to share--which privilege was unquestioningly granted--was the payment of all expenses4 ,how glad we should have been to find such an easy solution to the problem of the importunate widow4 ,this aged lady entered a claim for two stones occupying nine square feet of waste land1 to the sale of which she declared her consent had never been given4 ,the matter had been referred to middlemen who decided in our favour2 nevertheless1 we learned to dread the daily tap1 tap1 of her stick1 and the shrill squawk of her strident voice as she came with fresh deeds 7some of them dating back to former dynasties7 of which she demanded the examination4 ,she was generally accompanied by friends1 all of whom were prepared to support her claim4 ,i have seen her stand by the workmen1 and with her nagging tongue drive them1 and the foreman1 almost to despair4 ,it was impossible to recognise her rights even to the extent of feasting her1 so we endured until the walls were built1 and then to compensate her for her trouble handed her the equivalent of #bs41 which sum she accepted1 but every time we meet her she reminds us that we are occupying land which belongs to her4 ,the first autumn frosts saw a large expanse of waste land1 which had formerly lain around our compound1 transformed into a neat series of courtyards1 and a spacious church occupied seventy feet of the main street frontage1 providing sitting accommodation for a congregation of six hundred4 ,in all1 we had erected fifty gien#h of room space1 in addition to the church4 ,thanks to an unusually profitable rate of silver exchange which held during these few months1 and owing to the faithful oversight and scrupulous economy of ,pastor ,wang and his helpers1 our ,l#ejj proved sufficient to meet all necessary requirements of ,church1 ,school1 ,bible ,school1 and ,dispensary4 ,,footnote3 #h ,the space between two beams in a ,chinese building4 ,,women',s ,,bible ,,training ,,school ,woe is me if ,i preach not the ,gospel4 ,motto of the ,hwochow ,bible ,school4 ,cornelius halted at a doorway in a long1 low wall--the outer wall of some villa courtyard1 it might be supposed--as if at liberty to enter1 and rest there awhile4 ,he held the door open for his companion to enter also1 if he would1 with an expression1 as he lifted the latch1 which seemed to ask ,marius1 ,would you like to see it8 ,was he willing to look upon that1 the seeing of which might define--yes6 define the critical turning-point in his days8--,,walter ,,pater4 ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,women',s ,,bible ,,training ,,school ,,which ,,tells ,,how ,a ,,link ,,was ,,established ,,between ,,westminster ,,and ,,hwochow ,,bible ,,schools ,,amongst the courtyards which constituted our new premises was one into the walls of which was inserted a stone1 engraved with the words in ,chinese and ,english3 ,women's ,bible ,school4 ,erected by the ,congregation of ,westminster ,chapel1 ,london4 ,jesus said3 ',i am the ,way1 the ,truth1 and the ,life4' ,the women's rooms had never been large enough to hold those who were anxious to come1 and now at last suitable premises were going to make possible the fulfilment of a long-cherished plan--that of giving adequate training to suitable women4 ,it seemed a long step from the days when1 freely roaming around the villages1 we taught some of these women the very first character they knew1 spelling out with them the text3 ,god so loved the world that ,he gave ,his only-begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth in ,him should not perish1 but have everlasting life4 ,the next step had been attendance at a station class for twenty days1 sometimes repeated yearly but never leading to advanced work4 ,in our new premises we divided the students into three groups3 ,firstly1 those attending a ten days' course1 who served as training-ground to a second group of more advanced women who had passed the initial stage1 and who now entered for the two years' course of ,bible training and practical experience as evangelists4 ,thirdly1 a picked few who1 having received more regular teaching1 were able to continue their own studies and help to superintend the work of the juniors1 especially on the practical side1 meanwhile giving a considerable portion of their time to aggressive evangelistic work4 ,foremost amongst these was ,mrs4 ,liang1 mother of ,ling ,ai1 the headmistress of the girls' school4 ,strong1 true1 a woman of no ordinary ability1 little escaped her penetrating glance4 ,it was in middle age that she first heard the ,gospel1 an indirect influence of the opium refuge work2 for ,mrs4 ,liang had never smoked opium1 nor had any member of her family4 ,a neighbour1 however1 had1 and on her return from the ,refuge she produced with pardonable pride the copy of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel which she had bought1 and better still1 could read4 ,it was hard for ,mrs4 ,liang to see the former degraded opium smoker ahead of her in learning1 and she persuaded her husband to give her the needed help4 ,she borrowed the book and started at the first chapter4 ,she had not been to the ,mission ,house nor had she seen the missionaries1 but before she met them she had met their ,lord4 ,it was but one more proof that the words ,i speak unto you they are spirit1 and they are life1 and the ,holy ,spirit illuminating the written pages brought home to her its meaning4 ,he came unto ,his own1 and ,his own received ,him not1 she read1 and how can ,i say what took place8 ,she tells me that she was convicted of sin1 and that she found her ,saviour4 ,illustration3 ,,women',s ,,bible ,,school4 ,mrs4 ,hsi on the left1 sharing a book with ,miss ,french4 ,mrs4 ,liang on the right1 sitting at ,miss ,cable's left4 ,to face page #afj4 ,intercourse with ,miss ,jacobsen was soon established1 and under ,mr4 ,cheng's influence her husband also believed4 ,mrs4 ,liang was baptized1 her own feet and ,ling ,ai's were unbound1 and the latter became a pupil in the girls' school4 ,mrs4 ,liang herself lived quietly at home until the year #aijj4 ,at that time the local ,boxer leader was a near neighbour of hers1 and he was prepared to kill these well-known adherents of a foreign religion4 ,on recovering consciousness1 however1 from the trance which preceded the issuing of inspired orders1 he uttered the surprising words3 ,return each to your own place2 let each busy himself with his own affairs4 ,not daring to disobey his followers scattered1 and the small group of ,christians was safe4 ,ling ,ai has described the experiences of those days in the following words3 ,for months we were as those whose hair is bound around the neck1 not knowing at what moment we should be called upon to die1 but after our deliverance we united in saying3 ',we have been under the shadow of the ,almighty4' ,when we came to ,hwochow ,mrs4 ,liang1 realising our difficulties1 was one of the first to come to our assistance1 and quickly endeared herself to us by her thoughtful1 kind1 practical ways4 ,to the work of preaching she gave herself with unusual energy and devotion1 so that to-day there are few women in ,hwochow who do not know her1 and scarcely a courtyard that has not been visited by her4 ,assisting ,mrs4 ,liang is ,mrs4 ,bah1 who the first time ,i saw her refused to have any intercourse with us4 ,she was the senior wife of a wealthy man who had died early1 leaving the two widows to arrange matters as best they could4 ,the younger one smoked opium1 but was the proud possessor of a son who by law was the property of the elder wife1 but it was obvious that to the younger was due the honour of introducing a son and heir to the house4 ,the fact that ,mrs4 ,bah the younger at last became a ,christian and left her evil habits1 did not make the elder woman more friendly1 though she had in time to confess that life was easier for both under the new conditions4 ,after some time the ,christians of the village received her permission to use a cave in her spacious court for worship1 in return for their offer to put it in repair4 ,it can do no harm1 she argued1 and repairs are badly needed4 ,every evening they met to read the ,bible and pray1 and ,mrs4 ,bah1 prompted by curiosity1 took her spinning to within earshot4 ,she understood little1 but the reiteration of the words ,heavenly ,father puzzled and interested her4 ,if it really be the ,heavenly ,father whom they worship1 she reasoned1 they should be in the best room4 ,the thought grew upon her until a change was effected1 and to this day ,mrs4 ,bah's guest-room is the village church4 ,she soon left her spinning-wheel to join the worshippers and gradually came to the triumphant belief1 weak at first1 but taking slow shape1 that the attitude of the soul to its ,maker can be something more than a distant reverence and overpowering awe1 that we can indeed hold converse with ,god1 speak with ,him1 call upon ,him1 put--to use a human phrase--our hand in ,his1 desiring only to be led according to ,his will4 ,this was the spiritual story of ,mrs4 ,bah4 ,i could tell of many others and the theme is tempting1 for by so many and such varied paths have these comrades travelled4 ,to mention only our youngest student who at the age of sixteen1 member of a heathen family1 heard the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ from an elder sister1 a patient of the ,women's ,opium ,refuge4 ,she determined that as far as in her lay she would be a ,christian4 ,yielding to her wishes1 her parents engaged her to the son of a believer4 ,after her marriage1 when her entrance to the ,bible ,school was suggested we demurred1 but agreed to her attending a station class1 only to discover that once more the ,spirit of ,god had accomplished that of which we knew nothing4 ,this young woman1 who had only heard the ,gospel from a sister who herself did not believe1 had been truly converted4 ,reference to the curriculum in ,appendix ,a will make it clear that the subject which has the pre-eminence is ,bible study4 ,the students prepare the books there mentioned1 and during the years they are with us cover also the course indicated by ,dr4 ,campbell ,morgan's ,graded ,bible1 which ,miss ,french has translated for their use4 ,the instruction of inquirers in the village centres is undertaken by those women evangelists who have completed their course4 ,in places to which they are invited by the local church they hold classes of ten days' duration1 following the course of study as in the central station4 ,by this means a large number of women are under instruction1 and heathens are brought in contact with the messengers of the ,cross4 ,city and village visiting forms an important branch of the training1 and last but not least1 classes taken under criticism1 when it falls to the lot of the missionary to ask the questions which might occur to a heathen audience1 and to impress upon the students the necessity of clear presentation of the ,gospel4 ,it is desirable that they should express the things which have gripped them in an individual way1 not adopting a ,western colouring but using to the full their ,eastern knowledge3 ,originality is like a fountain head2 orthodoxy is too often only the unimpeachable fluid of the water company4 ,the prodigal son1 for example1 naturally smoked opium in the far country1 and the ,chinese pictures so represent him4 ,it was not1 as we have supposed1 in her confidence that oil would be supplied that the widow's faith was exemplified1 but rather in her willingness at ,elisha's command to go forth on a borrowing expedition when she was already so deeply in debt4 ,we are sometimes treated to illustrations truly ,eastern in character1 as the following example will indicate4 ,it was accepted by the audience as a solemn exhortation1 as was the preacher's intention1 the missionaries being the only ones present to whom the humorous side was evident4 ,the subject was the importance of a whole-hearted acceptance of the ,gospel1 and the foolishness and uselessness of a half-hearted belief4 ,a man1 we were told1 was begging by the roadside2 he was very ill1 and a passing doctor had pity on him1 and gave him some medicine which the man promised to take4 ,questionings1 however1 arose in his mind as to the reliability of the said doctor1 and yet he could not but take the drug1 as he felt so ill4 ,a compromise was decided upon1 and he took half the dose4 ,for a few hours he felt wonderfully well1 and rejoiced in his restored condition2 towards night the pain was more acute than before1 and he was at his wits' end4 ,how he regretted his folly1 for his illness was certainly more serious4 ,a few months later the same doctor1 travelling over the same road1 met the same man now reduced to a bag of bones4 ,what6 said he2 are you not the man to whom ,i gave medicine last time ,i came this way8 ,i am1 he replied1 and ,i have been much worse ever since4 ,worse6 exclaimed the physician2 how is that8 ,i only took half the dose1 said the man2 ,i did not venture to take the whole4 ,alas6 alas6 he replied1 how terrible6 ,your illness is the result of parasites attacking your vitals4 ,that medicine would have killed them all4 ,had you taken the full dose you would have been well2 had you tasted none there would have been hope for you4 ,you took a small dose1 and the parasites were sent to sleep1 and later1 when the effect of the drug had gone over1 they awoke more lively than ever4 ,having once tasted of the drug and experienced its effect1 nothing will induce them to be trapped a second time4 ,return home1 and prepare for a lingering death4 ,in the moral drawn1 the folly of an endeavour to serve two masters was made clear--a truth which all present felt to have been powerfully interpreted4 ,,the ,,draw ,,net ,,let ,,down ,,into ,,the ,,sea ,take up ,god's inspired word anywhere you like1 and while we are called upon to adore the sovereign counsel of ,god and to say constantly that it transcends and surpasses all that we can do and all that we can expect1 yet ,he does not bring the season of refreshing without engaging ,his children to help ,him4 ,the splendour of the grace may sometimes conceal man's effort1 but it never cancels it4--,rev4 ,,elvit ,,lewis4 ,,chapter ,,xvii ,,the ,,draw ,,net ,,let ,,down ,,into ,,the ,,sea ,,an ,,account ,,of ,,fresh ,,efforts ,,to ,,reach ,,the ,,multitude ,,and ,,bring ,,them ,,to ,,decision ,,methods in mission work are many1 and the diversities of gifts bestowed by the one ,spirit are manifest in the striking variety of means put forth to bring to a knowledge of ,christ the people of the lands in which the members of ,his ,church are called to work4 ,the teacher rejoices to see the change brought about by discipline and regular life in those committed to his care4 ,the doctor1 exercising his gift1 succeeds where others have failed in establishing confidence and friendly relations which prepare a road for those who follow4 ,the itinerant missionary sacrifices the comfort of a settled dwelling to carry the ,gospel to those who dwell outside the radius touched by the central station4 ,by the exercise of his peculiar gift1 each expresses the longing that in the hearts of the people he sees around1 without ,god and without hope1 may take place that greatest of miracles called conversion4 ,nevertheless1 every missionary has ever to guard against a most subtle and deadening influence which may be likened to poisonous gas in the enemy's country1 lulling him to a condition wherein the idolatrous practices of the people around1 instead of stirring him to greater activity1 come to be regarded as customs of the nations amongst whom he lives1 deplorable but interesting practices4 ,the horror experienced on first seeing men bow down to wood and stone may give way to a complacency which ceases to expect an immediate response to the quickening and convicting power of the ,spirit of ,god1 and philosophises on the gradual emergence of light from the kingdom of darkness4 ,the deadening of that vitality which drives a man to the seeking of the lost is one of the master-strokes of the enemy of souls1 and one which no man doing spiritual work can afford to ignore4 ,the sense of this urgency1 and a great desire that our ,chinese fellow-workers might realise the fullness of their vocation as evangelists1 emboldened us to move in what was then a somewhat new direction so far as ,north ,china was concerned1 by the holding of a six days' ,mission for women in our new church in the spring after its dedication4 ,miss ,gregg of ,hwailu1 in the ,province of ,chihli1 when travelling through ,shansi some years previously had conducted meetings for schoolgirls in several stations1 upon which the blessing of ,god manifestly rested4 ,from that time plans were being matured in the minds of the missionaries at ,hwochow for a ,mission to women in that city at the earliest possible date4 ,the erection of a church building which could hold the number expected made that dream a possibility4 ,the city and villages were visited by the women evangelists1 placards were posted on the walls1 and every effort was made to widely advertise4 ,prayer was offered throughout the ,church that ,god would so prevent us in all our doings that we might see ,his salvation4 ,the men gladly undertook the arrangements for catering1 made necessary by the fact that women cannot go to the shops to buy food for themselves1 and this department was splendidly managed4 ,we prepared to receive three hundred guests1 and about three hundred and fifty took advantage of the invitation1 who1 with schoolgirls1 ,bible ,school students and helpers1 provided a resident congregation of little short of five hundred4 ,they came long distances on donkey-back1 in carts1 or even walking many miles4 ,large numbers of heathen1 attracted by the unique sight of so large a concourse of women1 swelled the numbers at the daily evangelistic meetings1 and it was an inspiration to see the new church packed with women and girls quietly and reverently listening to the ,gospel message4 ,a room was set apart where silence was observed1 that those who wished to do so might pray without fear of disturbance4 ,a band of helpers was appointed to teach the passage for the day1 and outside the church in an adjoining court was a book-stall1 and here a brisk trade was done in hymn-sheets1 gospels1 and block-printed texts4 ,the elder scholars1 anxious to do their part1 acted as stewards2 each one had charge of some part of the building1 so that should a baby cry and threaten to divert attention1 she could carry the small offender to an adjoining room and keep it there until such time as it was prepared to enjoy the larger gathering4 ,one of the old girls took charge of small children1 and managed her creche so successfully that we were undisturbed by the younger portion of the community4 ,each morning before seven a gong sounded and all assembled for prayer4 ,after breakfast a short ,bible-reading was given1 the subject chosen being the sevenfold ,i ,am of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel4 ,these meetings were simple and evangelistic1 and many testified to blessing received as they saw afresh all the wealth laid up in ,him who is the ,way1 the ,truth1 and the ,life4 ,it was to the eleven and four o'clock meetings that the crowds gathered4 ,while the congregation was assembling a choir of schoolgirls sang hymns1 and after reading of ,scripture and prayer by a ,chinese lady1 the address was given by ,miss ,gregg4 ,the women listened intently as she talked1 and illustrated her remarks by objects so familiar4 ,the fan used for winnowing the grain is1 ,i think1 now never used by those who attended without the thought asserting itself afresh that thus ,he will separate the wheat from the chaff4 ,this ,mission accomplished all that we had hoped4 ,christ the ,redeemer was revealed to some who1 in obedience to the wishes of the head of their household1 had passively substituted ,christianity for that system of idolatrous observances which had constituted their religious life4 ,christ the ,master laid ,his claim upon some who had believed1 but never served4 ,even heathen women1 listening to the earnest1 convincing words1 were startled to a realisation that the offer of salvation with which they were faced compelled a decision on one side or the other1 that the detached view with which they had hitherto regarded ,christianity could no longer be maintained4 ,amongst the schoolgirls were some1 daughters of ,christians1 who were in precisely the same position as girls in a homeland4 ,they neither doubted nor questioned1 but they now realised that the whole matter had assumed a personal aspect1 and the individual spirit was summoned to an audience with its ,maker4 ,the ,evangelists1 ,bible women1 and ripe ,christians amongst us suddenly saw the fields white1 and every dilatory thought which suggested the perennial excuse3 ,there are yet four months and then cometh the harvest1 was silenced in a sense of immediate urgency3 ,i must be about my ,master's business4 ,this gathering affected a wide area1 for our visitors came from the counties of ,hungtung1 ,chaocheng1 and ,fensi1 now all gladly welcomed by the ,hwochow church1 and missionaries from those districts came to share with us in the campaign4 99 99 99 99 99 ,six years have passed1 and once more a ,mission for women is advertised to be held on the occasion of an idol procession which brings thousands into town from the neighbouring villages4 ,this time our own evangelistic band was sufficiently strong to undertake the speaking to an audience almost entirely composed of heathen1 who now heard1 not from a foreigner1 but from their own people1 of the ,truth as it is in ,jesus4 ,once more we saw decisions made and the evidence of the working of ,god's ,spirit4 ,thus was a further step taken in aggressive work amongst the women1 and a further impetus given to the self-propagation of the ,gospel1 and to the fulfilment of the prophecy of ,pastor ,hsi that even ,hwochow should see a ,resurrection morning4 ,,life ,,amongst ,,the ,,upper ,,ten ,,thousand ,is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters6 ,,confucius4 ,all within the four seas are brethren4 ,,confucius4 ,society and solitude are deceptive names4 ,it is not the circumstance of seeing more or fewer people1 but the readiness of sympathy1 that imports4--,,emerson4 ,,chapter ,,xviii ,,life ,,amongst ,,the ,,upper ,,ten ,,thousand ,,recording ,,hospitality ,,shown ,,to ,,us ,,by ,,the ,,official ,,classes ,,in the centre of every ,chinese city stands the ,yamen1 where resides the ,mandarin1 addressed as ,father of the people1 before whom their wrongs must be laid1 and who1 as direct representative of the central ,government1 exercises autocratic power4 ,his word is law1 a man must kneel in his presence when addressing him1 and it is a penal offence to enter his private dwelling-court unsummoned4 ,his term of office is limited to a few years and a change of official entails the removal of his whole suite4 ,the new ,mandarin will bring with him his secretaries1 underlings1 men and women servants1 and the prosperity of a city will largely depend upon the personal attitude of the ,great ,man to matters of reform4 ,our intercourse with the ,hwochow ,yamen has been frequent1 and owing to the strong attitude taken by the leaders of the ,church against interference in law cases where ,christians are concerned1 it has been of a purely social character4 ,my first visit was in answer to a request from the ,mandarin that ,i would go to see his wife who was suffering from acute toothache4 ,i was requested to make preparations for an extraction1 and was informed that if it suited my convenience ,i should be fetched that same afternoon4 ,accordingly1 ,i made ready and in due course the ,yamen carriage arrived1 a springless1 but elegantly upholstered cart1 and accompanied by a woman servant we started4 ,ahead of us an outrider1 dressed in a long gown1 wore a hat of the inverted bowl shape1 decorated with a spreading scarlet tassel4 ,behind followed other retainers1 and thus escorted we passed in triumphal procession through the quiet ,hwochow streets4 ,after many bumps and anxious moments as we splashed in and out of mud-pits1 we turned into the wide space which surrounds the outermost entrance of the ,yamen4 ,here crowds of men were reading the latest proclamation pasted to the walls1 whilst others1 talking earnestly1 discussed the case tried that very day1 of the poor man who in vain sought redress from the rapacity of his wealthy neighbour4 ,he had knelt1 and laying his forehead to the ground at the feet of the ,mandarin pleaded for justice1 but only to find that his condemnation was a foregone conclusion4 ,all these groups were scattered by the yells of our outrider and the cracks of our carter's whip1 and the sellers of cooked food gathered their piles of little bowls and swiftly set them out of harm's way1 for the habits of ,yamen retainers are well known to the populace1 and there is little satisfaction to be had when complaints are presented and compensation for destroyed goods is claimed4 ,with ever-increasing speed and corresponding agony1 we were driven up the steep ascent which leads to the outer courtyard1 where after a preliminary bump down two steps we found ourselves on comparatively smooth ground1 and rolled along a broad1 high1 paved path leading to the second great archway where our conveyance came to a standstill1 and we waited whilst our cards were taken and presented to the ladies we had come to see4 ,many soldiers were standing about1 and various instruments used in the punishment of prisoners were fastened to the walls as warning to all who passed that way4 ,a very few minutes and we were invited to leave our cart and follow the man appointed to conduct us to the innermost court where the ,tai-tais#i lived2 slaves attended us on either side1 whilst the retainer went ahead carrying our scarlet cards breast high before him4 ,a vista of courtyards opened one from another1 and we saw a number of little ladies in charming1 brilliant1 butterfly-like garments coming to meet us with odd1 graceful1 stilted movements4 ,everything must from this point be done according to the strictest etiquette1 so the ,tai-tai of least rank came first to meet us1 and led us back to where stood the head wife1 in whose presence we respectfully removed our eyeglasses and made a bow4 ,there were a large number of women about1 for this ,mandarin had two wives besides several daughters-in-law4 ,we were invited to a reception-room where carpets1 felts1 tables1 and chairs were all scarlet in colour1 and here were served with delicious fragrant tea and small cakes1 in which were mixed rose leaves1 nuts1 and sugar4 ,all the preliminary questions required by good manners were first asked--our respective venerable ages and details of our various near relatives--but soon curiosity overflowed into many inquiries concerning our honourable country1 and we were helped to more tea and cakes1 and begged to make ourselves at home4 ,we1 on our part1 led the conversation back to matters concerned with the object of our residence in this country1 and received from our hostess extravagant compliments upon our extraordinary ability and learning1 the reputation of which1 they said1 was well known to the ,mandarin4 ,the object of my visit was then mentioned1 and ,i was asked to see the tooth1 of which1 being very loose1 ,i recommended the extraction1 and was able to assure the patient that the pain would not be very great4 ,many of the younger women gathered around her1 comforting her1 and covered her eyes that she might not see the forceps2 they begged her to remember that the pain would soon be over1 and as soon as ,i could induce her to open her mouth1 ,i removed the troublesome member4 ,how wonderful6 they all exclaimed4 ,why1 it did not hurt at all6 ,after such a surgical triumph1 long-neglected and half-forgotten pains were remembered by the bystanders1 and all the ladies on my next visit came to me with some complaint4 ,we sought to awaken in them the sense of those far deeper ills which they so little realised1 finding once more that in following the method of ,christ a sense of need had been awakened3 ,ye seek ,me because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled4 ,i am the bread of life4 ,as soon as the operation was over1 we suggested that we must be returning home1 but this could not be allowed until we had partaken of further refreshment1 and servants appeared with delicacies--meat balls in gravy1 flavoured as only a ,chinese cook can flavour1 lotus seeds in syrup1 luscious fruits1 sweetmeats1 and a drink of apricot kernels1 sweet to excess4 ,the meat balls were daintily wrapped in pastry1 and as she helped me to some of these1 the ,tai-tai said3 ,i think you do not care for pork4 ,i replied that we did not as a rule eat much pork4 ,i am so glad1 she said3 these are fowl1 and therefore you can eat them without fear4 ,a few days later we heard that the head cook was under severe punishment and incarcerated in a dungeon1 because he had not taken the trouble to find out what were our special tastes in matters of the table1 and had served pork in place of fowl6 ,some years later he was a patient in our ,refuge1 and told ,mr4 ,wang that he would like to make a feast for us4 ,we thought this extremely kind of him1 considering what he had suffered on our behalf1 and he was asked to our kitchen to prepare the food1 while we invited some friends to share it with us4 ,i think he was a man of preconceived ideas rather than a genius at making inquiries1 whatever his talent in the culinary art1 for he said he knew foreigners liked sweet things1 and he served us twenty or more courses of the sweetest food it has been my good fortune to eat6 ,our visit proved to be the commencement of a most friendly intercourse4 ,a few days later the outrider1 cart1 and retainers were at our door again1 this time escorting the ladies who had come to return the call4 ,they enjoyed the outing considerably1 as is easy to see they would1 when one remembers that they had lived three years in ,hwochow and had now crossed the threshold of their home for the first time during that period4 ,they could have no intercourse at all with the bourgeoisie of the town1 and apart from visitors staying at the ,yamen1 enjoyed no social life4 ,in due course we were invited to an eight times eight feast1 consisting of elaborate courses1 in which the sweet1 the fishy1 and the meaty alternated in bewildering miscellany1 whilst our vision was delighted by the elegant dishes1 the lovely coral china1 the pure form of the many-branched candlesticks1 and1 above all1 the graceful1 gay little ladies who manipulated the difficult1 slippery food with such a masterly command of their nimble chop-sticks4 ,here for the first time ,i tasted the delicious birds'-nest soup1 gelatinous in consistency and fishy in taste1 being1 in fact1 a mass compounded of seaweed and small fish into a nest by a sea-bird4 ,so far all was well1 but we came home faced by the difficulty that it was now our turn to offer a return feast which must be equally elegant4 ,there was only one cook in the city who was capable of the preparation of a suitable repast1 and he was in their employ1 and though some surprising things are possible in ,china1 we did not see how we could secure his services to cook a meal for his own mistress4 ,we were1 therefore1 thrown back upon our slender resources1 and decided that an ,english dinner-party was the only possible solution of the problem4 ,here at least we were treading upon familiar ground1 and were free from the snares of ,chinese etiquette4 ,we need have no fear of giving offence to our guests by placing the fish upon the table with its head toward that quarter which would indicate their position to be of military instead of civil rank1 and many other equally subtle and delicate questions would now have no terrors for us4 ,we felt it incumbent upon us to do all in our power to please the eye as well as the palate1 and while we fully realised our inability to delight our guests with such beauty as that to which they were accustomed1 we did our best4 ,salmon is a great asset1 being decorative as well as tasty1 and only the hard-pressed know the many uses of a tin of sardines4 ,jelly is a certain success1 and the last plum-pudding from home1 cut into dice and blazing in a blue flame1 looks mysteriously clever4 ,a bottle of cochineal is worth its weight in gold on such occasions1 and the piece montee1 which none but an expert could have recognised as spinach1 beetroot1 carrot1 and yam tinted pink1 would have done no discredit to ,benoist4 ,the novelty of handling spoon and fork1 and even so dangerous a weapon as a knife1 did much to enhance the pleasure of the meal4 ,the conversation was now much more intimate than on the earlier occasions1 and both sides felt free to ask questions on matters which had excited curiosity4 ,does the sun ever shine in your country8 asked the ,tai-tai4 ,i have heard that ,england is a land of shades4 ,when ,i left my home in ,szechwan ,i was very homesick4 ,are you8 inquired another lady1 but before ,i could reply1 her companion answered for me3 ,the ability of these ladies is so great that they would be incapable of such feelings4 ,a guest of their own1 who had spent much time in ,shanghai1 was thoroughly conversant with foreign dress and manners2 she described the former with great originality1 but admitted that even she was baffled by one thing3 ,the spotted webbing with which foreign ladies cover their face1 is it worn for purposes of concealment or as an aid to the eyesight8 ,my answer that it served to keep the hair in place carried no conviction1 for she had already remarked that though combs are so much in evidence in the foreign woman's coiffure1 she seemingly makes little use of them6 ,the conversation turned to the subject of a proclamation recently issued which forbade the binding of children's feet3 ,alas1 the people of ,china are not so easily governed as those of your honourable country1 lamented the chief ,tai-tai4 ,the ,mandarin finds it impossible to enforce this one order1 whilst he read in last week's paper that in ,england a man is imprisoned for refusing to send his child to school1 for omitting to vaccinate it1 and the article even stated that a parent is punished for refusing to call a doctor to see a sick child1 even if it be a girl2 but the newspapers are full of fabulous tales6 ,the next few months saw a growing intimacy and a constant exchange of presents4 ,we were often able to indulge in the famous delicacy of buried eggs1 of which the not unpleasant1 slightly ammoniated flavour is so much appreciated by the ,chinese4 ,once we were faced by a real difficulty on the occasion of receiving a present of meat1 when conscientious ,mr4 ,fu1 fearful lest we should shelter under a liberty of conscience whereby we would eat and ask no question1 hastily came to warn us that this had been offered to idols before being presented to us4 ,under these circumstances we had no option but to crave leave to refuse a present whereby a brother might have been caused to stumble4 ,how little we dreamed of the trouble which would so soon break over the official classes with the overthrow of the ,empire1 and the establishment of a ,republic4 ,i remember the last visit we paid to those friends1 and our departure from the ,yamen in the brilliant moonlight1 whilst huge lanterns lighted our path through the archways and great gateways4 ,as we left the huge enclosure the guard fired the first night watch4 ,except the ,lord keep the city the watchman watcheth but in vain4 ,that night the ,revolution broke out in ,hankow1 and the next time we saw our hostesses they were in terrible distress1 imploring our permission to make our house their shelter1 should the hatred of the mob break forth and their residence be rioted4 ,they were in a most defenceless position1 for the ,mandarin had taken a journey to ,taiyueanfu1 and did not return4 ,he was one of the old school1 and faithful to the traditions of the ,manchus whose court he had accompanied to ,sianfu in the flight of #aijj4 ,it was still far from certain which party would gain the ascendancy1 and he1 as most of his class1 wished to refrain from an expression of opinion until the situation was clearly defined4 ,this1 however1 was not allowed1 and during the massacres of the ,manchus in ,taiyueanfu he was arrested1 and made to declare himself4 ,he held the ,hanlin degree1 the highest honour to which the ,chinese scholar is admitted1 the ,emperor himself conducting the examinations4 ,faced by his enemies and fearing summary execution1 he sheltered himself behind the age-long reverence for scholarship which exists in ,china as in no other country3 ,death has no terrors for me1 he calmly said1 but1 alas1 that such a scholar should be lost to ,china6 ,no armed bodyguard could have afforded him such protection as this transference of insult from his own person to the learning he represented4 ,no man present was prepared to strike a blow at the embodiment of the ,divine ,right of ,scholarship4 ,he lived to return to ,hwochow1 where he faced death a second time and was dragged through the streets by an angry populace1 but finally escaped and with his wives reached a place of safety4 ,,footnote3 #i ,the polite term for the wife of an official4 ,,the ,,revolution ,,of #aiaa ,for an event to be great1 two things must be united--the lofty sentiment of those who accomplish it1 and the lofty sentiment of those who witness it4 ,no event is great in itself1 even though it be the disappearance of whole constellations1 the destruction of several nations1 the establishment of vast empires1 or the prosecution of wars at the cost of enormous forces3 over things of this sort the breath of history blows as if they were flocks of wool4 4 4 4 ,hence the anxiety which every one must feel who1 observing the approach of an event1 wonders whether those about to witness it will be worthy of it4--,f4 ,,nietzsche4 ,,chapter ,,xix ,,the ,,revolution ,,of #aiaa ,,and ,,how ,,we ,,were ,,affected ,,by ,,it ,,the revolution of #aiaa burst on us like a bolt from the blue4 ,one day we were mildly interested at the signs of trouble in far-removed provinces1 and the next1 the thing was in our very midst4 ,the first intimation of local disturbance met me in the shape of a contingent of men1 parents of some of my scholars1 who were introduced to my presence with the startling information that they had come to fetch away their daughters1 not daring to leave them in a marked place such as the girls' school would inevitably be1 and afraid to delay1 lest roads should become so dangerous that their removal would be impossible4 ,i had no option but to agree1 and at earliest dawn the next day a few carts and a string of donkeys conveyed them from a side door as quietly and unobtrusively as possible4 ,two days later the news of a massacre of the ,manchu population of ,taiyueanfu reached us2 and in accordance with the request of the parents1 we hastily scattered all the remaining pupils whose homes were nearer at hand1 and the whole city yielded itself to a condition of panic when every wild report was spread and believed4 ,the little group of foreigners in this town is popularly supposed to have access to the most far-reaching sources of information on matters national and international2 therefore when we saw fit to scatter our resident pupils to their homes1 the city concluded that secret information had been conveyed to us of trouble ahead4 ,that same night1 whilst we slept peacefully in our beds1 terror so seized the populace that every young woman who had a village home to which she could withdraw1 fled to it4 ,where horse or donkey was not available they escaped on foot1 carrying the bundle which held their clothes1 and the gates being shut at dark1 numbers climbed down the steep incline of the city wall rather than risk the dangers which they feared might threaten them in the town4 ,certainly an anxious time was ahead for all of us4 ,postal service was interrupted1 and we were completely cut off from intercourse by post or telegraph with the outer world4 ,it was uncertain whether the movement would declare itself anti-foreign or anti-,christian1 anti-dynastic or anti-,republican4 ,such uncertainty was felt on this latter political point1 that it was a difficult time indeed for the large number whose plain object was to be on the winning side1 whichever it might be4 ,even the commander of the military forces1 sent to restore peace in a neighbouring city1 provided himself with the badge of either party1 that he might1 at the city gate1 affix that which was representative of the predominant feeling4 ,the ,chinaman has for so long held the view that politics are no individual concern of his1 seeing that statesmen are paid to give their time and brains to the consideration of such questions1 that it would seem unnatural to be expected to have an opinion on such a technical matter as to whether the ,government of the land should remain ,imperial or become ,republican4 ,on our compound were collected seven foreign women and about a dozen ,chinese girls whose homes were in distant towns1 varying from the borders of ,mongolia in the north to places twelve days' journey by road in the south4 ,much anxious thought was devoted to the question of how the various members of our community could be placed in safe keeping1 should it become imperative for us to leave the place4 ,finally1 ,sir ,john ,jordan's recall of all ,british women and children reached us1 and feeling it our duty to obey orders1 we hastily boarded a few girls in suitable ,christian homes1 and left with the others by the ,north road4 ,a long line of nine litters swung through the great archways of the city gates1 soon after dawn on #dth ,december #aiaa1 to convey us to our nearest point on the railway line1 five days' journey away1 passing en route through a city where we knew that a trustworthy ,christian family would take charge1 pro tem1 of some of our ,chinese girls4 ,it was with relief that we saw the distant railway embankment1 which indicated to us that we had reached the end of our litter journey1 and might now expect to be shortly whirled back to the midst of ,western civilisation4 ,the time-table indicated #i a4m4 as the hour of departure for the morning train1 and long ere this our shivering group assembled on the bleak platform4 ,we were evidently not to be kept waiting1 for the train stood ready on a siding1 and our slight baggage was soon placed in the racks of the only third-class carriage attached to a goods train4 ,those who have spent years away from the sight of a train will understand the sense of luxury with which we seated ourselves1 and waited to hear the whistle which would be the sign of our departure1 and feel the swift1 easy movement which would carry us over so many miles of road almost without a trace of weariness4 ,our number had increased to about twenty foreigners1 assembled in response to ,sir ,john ,jordan's command from various stations1 and pleasant conversation so engaged the time that impatience was under control1 even though the sun was high in the heavens and still the train was stationary4 ,our servants1 who had heard much of the marvels of steam-engines1 still sat on patient heels at the edge of the platform2 but doubt of the superiority of this ,western notion gained on their minds as the sun passed the meridian and they1 with twelve miles to walk for their night's lodging1 left us still standing motionless4 ,a train is a handsome thing to look at1 and the amount of iron used in its manufacture must be immense1 but for practical purposes give me a cart1 was the report they brought home to inquiring friends at ,hwochow4 ,in the afternoon we steamed away1 under escort of a young man who had just been appointed ,secretary of the ,foreign ,office in the provincial capital by the new revolutionary party4 ,his qualifications for the post consisted chiefly in the fact that1 having been employed by a foreign firm as piano-tuner1 he could make himself understood in the ,english tongue on simple subjects4 ,as far as the station of ,yangchuen all went well1 but here fresh delay and the unwelcome announcement from our escort that a battle was in progress farther down the line1 the metals were required for the conveyance of soldiers1 and he must beg of us to make ourselves as comfortable as possible for the night in our compartment4 ,protest was useless1 and we had to submit to see the engine detached and ourselves abandoned1 a useless derelict1 on a rusty siding4 ,the ,secretary of the ,foreign ,office supplied us with hard-boiled eggs and biscuits1 and made his exit1 leaving in charge of the gentlemen of the party a packet of silver which he begged might be handed to his mother4 ,by morning stationmaster1 guards1 porters1 and clerks had all vanished from the scene1 for the news had come of a reverse to the ,revolutionary forces4 ,four days and nights we stuck to our third-class carriage and our siding2 for part of the time1 trains thundered past carrying men to the front1 and we were informed that the famous regiment called ,dare-to-die had gone to crush the ,imperial troops4 ,with a thrill we saw these brave warriors pass1 but a brief period sufficed to dispel the great illusion1 and twelve hours later the same men were dashing back to ,taiyueanfu1 carrying a terrible tale4 ,had we stayed longer we should have been dead men2 the bullets were falling in our midst4 ,the officer1 however1 gave a different explanation of their return4 ,poor chaps1 they are worn out1 and ,i must take them back to get a night's rest1 he said4 ,no one cared for our plight1 as cold1 hungry1 and deserted we watched the weary day pass to night1 and the yet more weary night give place to a dreary dawn4 ,such experiences are not to be desired1 for they who know ,china best1 and the anti-foreign feeling which may at any time manifest itself1 are aware how quickly such a position may become critical4 ,one thing only besides our miserable carriage had been left on the line1 and that was three trolleys4 ,the hour dawned on the fourth day when our exhausted patience refused further service1 and we determined those trolleys should be made to carry us and our goods to some inhabited region1 be it friendly or inimical4 ,that day and the next we spent racing down and crawling up the gradients of the line to ,niangtzekwan4 ,the ,dare-to-dies boasted of having mined the line1 and this did not conduce to ease of mind in being the first to travel over it1 especially when we rushed through long tunnels4 ,the line is one which taxed the ingenuity of engineers to the utmost in its construction1 and is one succession of light bridges spanning deep chasms1 tunnels1 and long gradients4 ,luckily for us1 we were travelling in the downhill direction1 else our journey had been impossible4 ,if the brave ,dare-to-dies were too hurried to leave the line mined1 they had taken time to destroy it in some places1 and once a broken-down engine blocked our path4 ,the fleeing soldiers had found the engine-driver preparing to take in water1 but they would have none of his lagging ways1 and compelling him to drive ahead1 were soon forced to abandon the useless locomotive4 ,each such obstacle was a lengthy hindrance1 and the kind gentlemen of our party were obliged to organise a breakdown gang to overcome the difficulty4 ,our trolleys1 with all the baggage1 had to be transferred to another line4 ,effort and energy were not spared1 and the following midday brought us face to face with the first engine carrying ,imperial soldiery towards ,taiyueanfu4 ,at ,niangtzekwan ,pass we were under the ,dragon flag once more4 ,the houses of the foreigners there were completely wrecked1 and my recollection of that place is a land of feathers1 contents of the beds of the ,frenchmen who had left their homes1 and would return to find nothing but a heap of ruins and a litter of broken glass1 china1 and furniture1 smothered in feathers and presenting a sad wreckage of what had once been a home4 ,that evening we reached an inn where food--warm1 satisfying food--was to be had1 and twenty-four hours later we steamed into ,tientsin station1 greeted by a hearty cheer from a friendly group1 for we had been missing and untraced since we left ,yutze4 ,,changed ,,conditions ,the ,master said3 ,the people may be made to follow a path of action1 but they may not be made to understand it4--,,confucius4 ,i have seen a ,chinese graduate of a ,western university1 dressed in proper ,western clothes1 in his dress-suit1 with an opera hat crushed under his arm1 beseeching the goddess of mercy in her temple1 with many rich gifts1 to give him a male child4--,rev4 ,c4 ,,scott4 ,from time to time ,jesus was offered a place in the ,pantheon1 but ,christianity perceived that the ,pantheon was the place for dead gods4--,dr4 ,,john ,,hutton4 ,,chapter ,,xx ,,changed ,,conditions ,,wherein ,,some1 ,,though ,,following ,a ,,path ,,of ,,action1 ,,failed ,,to ,,understand ,,it ,,the very week that the ,british ,minister issued passports for women to re-enter ,shansi saw us in ,tientsin on our way inland4 ,those precious documents which enabled us to return to our work were eagerly received1 and we lost no time travelling over the familiar ground4 ,how easily and smoothly we now sped over the iron rails as compared with our former journey2 we need now take no interest in gradients1 nor fear that the train would not start at the appointed hour1 nor convey us to our destination4 ,we found ourselves in a strange country4 ,in place of the dragon1 the five-colour ,republican flag was everywhere in evidence1 which by the ,chinese is thus explained3 ,china's eighteen provinces are represented by the red line1 ,manchuria by the yellow1 ,mongolia by the blue1 ,ili1 ,chinghai1 and ,sinkiang by the white1 and ,thibet by the black2 the ideal of the ,chinese republic1 a united territory1 being indicated4 ,soldiers in semi-foreign uniform lined up on each station platform to salute the train1 remaining at their posts until the puffing monster was out of sight4 ,at ,taiyueanfu were further surprises4 ,no man wearing a queue could enter the city4 ,should he make an effort to do so1 the soldiers guarding the gates speedily removed the appendage with a pair of large scissors4 ,the shops vied with one another in having the very latest ,republican goods2 the buttons one bought were ,republican2 all school-books were changed to the latest ,republican editions2 the cloth trade mark was ,patriotic4 ,everything was ,republican1 and we began to realise that ,china1 far from being the conservative country we had thought1 was one of the most progressive4 ,as we came to districts where the regulations had been less severely enforced1 we found the queue replaced by the most extraordinary head-dress2 the hair1 varying in length1 was sometimes braided and sometimes held in place by a strip cut from a petroleum tin1 and bent to a semi-circle4 ,the more wealthy members of society affected a style similar to that of an ,english schoolgirl1 the flowing locks reaching to the shoulders and held from the face by a circular comb4 ,others allowed the tresses to fall as nature dictated1 keeping them of such a length that with very little trouble the plait might again appear1 for as some remarked3 ,who knows1 maybe we lose tails to-day1 and heads to-morrow6 ,the hats were even more wonderful4 ,in place of the neat1 circular cap1 every shape and size was to be seen4 ,round hats like a pudding-bowl1 straw hats1 hard oblong hats1 soft hats1 home-made hats1 erections of cardboard1 giving proof that some devoted wife or mother had done her best to copy with the means available1 probably only cardboard and paste1 a tall hat1 which her lord described as having seen on some journey towards ,western communities4 ,women's dress was likewise being revolutionised1 and skirts were extraordinary4 ,one young lady whom ,i met1 desiring to be more up-to-date than the rest1 wore the so-called foreign dress back to front1 and was far more satisfied with her appearance than the charming little lady who accompanied her1 dressed in the dignified1 elegant attire of her own people4 ,not only had the style changed1 but travelling south we missed the bright-coloured clothes which had always added a touch of beauty to the landscape4 ,we discovered that with the introduction of the ,republic1 sumptuary laws were being enforced which commanded the exclusive use of earth-coloured garments for the men1 and forbade the wearing of silver ornaments to women4 ,proclamations followed one another in rapid succession1 several of which were framed with a view to altering the standing of the army4 ,from ancient days ,china has regarded the soldier as belonging to the lowest grade of society2 the highest place is given to the scholar1 and next to him the farmer1 who on account of his labour for mankind ranks high4 ,the artisan is placed third1 but the trader1 seeing that he only distributes and does not produce1 comes just before the soldier1 who neither producing nor distributing1 but only destroying1 ranks lowest in the social scale4 ,one proclamation stated that no one was to say that it was infra dig4 to enter the military profession4 ,it certainly needed some such move on the part of the authorities to add to the prestige of the army4 ,a few days before the recruiting agents had been through the district4 ,only those wearing the queue will be enlisted was the1 to us1 amazing dictum4 ,upon inquiry we found that former aspirants had given considerable trouble by running home when the labour became too arduous4 ,as the donning of military uniform necessitated the removal of long hair1 it was obvious that the new brigade would be freshers1 and1 as our informant said3 ,never having left home before they will not know the way back6 ,the next order forbade us to speak of any day as unlucky4 ,now from time immemorial1 some days have been regarded as good and others as bad for such important events as weddings and funerals2 in fact1 almost every day of the year is controlled by some fortunate or untoward influence1 governed by the conjunction of the ,celestial ,branches and ,earthly ,stems1 complicated with innumerable elemental antipathies and affinities4 ,as an example may be mentioned wood1 which is antagonistic to metal1 but has an affinity for fluid from which it draws its sustenance1 whereas the metal forged into an axe serves for its destruction4 ,the ,earthly ,stems are represented by symbolic animals1 and have zodiacal signs and control of certain hours4 ,of the twenty-eight zodiacal constellations1 seven are infelicitous and no one will risk entering upon a new venture on these days4 ,to repair the kitchen stove on a day when fire was in the ascendancy might cause a conflagration1 and to go to law on the day when water is the controlling element is equally foolish1 for the tendency of water is to fall1 and this may be the fate of the overdaring litigant4 ,on a day controlled by the snake it would obviously be foolhardy to start on a journey1 for with such a slow traveller as your controlling genius the journey might be impeded4 ,the calculations necessary for the correct adjustment of these various influences provide a livelihood for astrologers and fortune-tellers1 but this proclamation1 at one fell swoop1 attempted to abolish their profession4 ,the order was issued1 and ,i suppose in time the yellow paper faded in the sun2 some read it1 many talked of it1 but they still chose the day which according to their calendar was the auspicious one1 and no man hindered them4 ,other proclamations followed in due order3 there was to be no music at weddings or funerals1 only good cash was to be used1 women were to unbind their feet1 and brides were not to wear embroidered gowns4 ,we listened respectfully1 as in duty bound1 and waited for the pendulum to swing4 ,upon one point1 however1 the powers were insistent4 ,the ,western calendar must take the place of the lunar4 ,the actual change of date was a small matter1 but this alteration upset the whole organisation of ,chinese life4 ,the ,new ,year season is one which ensures to the ,chinese family its annual gathering1 and all the subsequent festivals date from that1 the greatest4 ,the orders were too insistent to be trifled with1 and we1 in common with all the government schools1 closed to enable our pupils to be at home for the #ast of ,january4 ,new ,year scrolls were exhibited outside every front door1 but apart from this1 the day passed unnoticed4 ,instead of paying and receiving calls1 inviting guests and enjoying the family gathering1 business was carried on as usual4 ,the first day of the first moon1 however1 found the populace given up to revelry1 shops were closed1 it was impossible to buy food1 and the children in school rebelled at the decree which separated them from their parents at such a time1 and longed for the golden days of the past4 ,before another ,new ,year it was quite evident that proclamations were useless1 and we joyfully returned to the old order1 and now all keep the first day of the first moon as our festival4 ,compulsory education was talked of1 even conscription was whispered1 and yet we had no criminal code1 and no one could touch a neighbour of ours who1 angry that her daughter-in-law presented her with a girl instead of the longed-for boy1 took the child and dashed out its brains4 ,the child is her property1 and she has power of life and death in her hand4 ,the new ,mandarin was a native of ,shansi1 the old rule that a man might not act as magistrate in his own province having been repealed4 ,he was not as his predecessor1 carried in a sedan chair1 but walked1 or rode in a cart as a commoner4 ,he wore cotton clothes in place of the gorgeous silk and satin embroidered gowns1 and when he sent to invite us to dine with his wives1 his card was foreign except for the characters written upon it4 ,our first visit to the ,yamen under the new regime revealed some of the many changes which had taken place during the last year4 ,no longer were we escorted by outriders1 but hired for ourselves one of the few carts that ,hwochow boasts4 ,the ,tai-tais were dressed in black1 relieved by fancy crochet work shoulder capes1 of varied hues4 ,the teacups were of white china1 decorated with a bunch of forget-me-nots1 and the well-known words3 ,a present for a good boy4 ,the feast menu was as before1 but instead of the beautiful china and ,eastern decorations1 we sat round a glass petroleum lamp and ate delicacies worthy of a better setting from plates of that familiar pattern1 white with a border of blue4 ,the exquisitely polished table was covered with a piece of white calico1 a knife and fork lay beside the chop-sticks1 and last but not least1 the ,mandarin1 to add to our pleasure1 ordered his servants to bring out the gramophone1 which during dinner poured forth a selection of ,london street songs and ,chinese theatrical music4 ,conversation was drowned1 and we were able the more to observe4 ,in place of scroll-decorated walls1 brilliant paper met our gaze at every turn1 white enamel basins and bowls replaced all the flowered china on which we had lavished so much admiration4 ,after dinner we were not offered the water pipe1 but cigarettes1 all expressing surprise that we could refuse so foreign an indulgence4 ,the ,chinese proverb to the effect that ,a wayfarer does not repair the inn nor the ,mandarin his official residence1 was for once in fault--the workmen had been busy6 ,we spent a very pleasant hour with the family after dinner1 receiving as on former occasions the utmost kindness and courtesy4 ,the classical writings of ,mencius were for a time excluded from the schools as teaching reverence for kings and rulers1 a doctrine not to be tolerated in the most republican of republics4 ,the friendly attitude of some of the leaders of the revolutionary movement towards ,christianity lent colour to a widely spread impression that republican government necessitated a change of religion4 ,some favoured the ,protestant1 some the ,roman ,catholic ,church1 others preferred the ,no-god society1 which gained many adherents as being more modern4 ,even the ,church was affected by the prevailing craze1 and the wearing of the queue and non-observance of innovations was regarded as sin by the ignorant and superstitious4 ,i heard a new convert warned by a ,church member that sickness in his home might well be due to his rooted objection to calendar changes4 ,this attitude of mind1 happily for us1 lasted only a few months1 but it was followed by another serious danger when the question of introducing the ,confucian ,ethical ,code as a state religion was brought forward4 ,this would have imposed limitations on ,christians1 ,mohammedans1 and others1 the alternative suggestion being that ,christianity should be given this status1 in which some saw far greater perils4 ,meetings of the ,chinese ,protestant ,church forwarded petitions to the ,central ,government1 protesting against both proposals and craving only religious liberty1 and the danger was averted4 ,the habit of revolution is a pernicious disease of the human mind1 and once acquired hard to throw off4 ,our political horizon has been draped in storm-clouds ever since #aiaa1 and our local social plans liable to disintegration on account of rumours calculated to disturb the mind of the people4 ,white ,wolf1 ,wolf ,king1 and other robber chiefs have announced their intention of visiting us4 ,our walls have been inscribed with the terrifying announcement that ,white ,wolf is a devourer of sheep1 which in ,chinese1 by a play on the last word1 can be understood to mean3 ,white ,wolf is a devourer of foreigners4 ,a bold sketch of a drawn sword was added that no doubt might be in our minds as to the bloodthirsty intention of the threat6 ,mohammedan rebellions to the west1 ,mongolian raids to the north1 have alternated with the political difficulties brought about by international negotiations1 to add to the sense of insecurity inevitably resulting from the removal of the very central foundation of governmental stability--the ,son of ,heaven--to whom four hundred million subjects bowed in reverential obedience4 ,transition periods are difficult1 and ,china has been troubled by those who in their enthusiasm for change have lost the sense of proportion1 and sought to revolutionise much that is dearer than life itself to many of their countrymen2 nevertheless1 this great nation1 permeated with ideals so free from sordidity1 will surely carve for herself a future worthy of her past4 ,,another ,,portrait ,,gallery ,in tragic life1 ,god wot1 ,no villain need be6 ,passions spin the plot3 ,we are betrayed by what is false within4 ,,george ,,meredith4 ,oh ,christians1 at your ,cross of ,hope a hopeless hand was clinging4 ,e4 ,b4 ,,browning4 ,after all what would he have had to sacrifice had he followed ,jesus8 ,he would have had to give up his house in ,jerusalem4 ,he would have had to renounce society2 but society would soon have forgotten him1 for society has a short memory for people who for any reason have fallen out of it4 ,that is what he would have lost1 and what would he have gained8 ,he would have had those walks with ,jesus across the fields1 and he would have heard ,him say3 ',consider the lilies4'--,,mark ,,rutherford4 ,,chapter ,,xxi ,,another ,,portrait ,,gallery ,,wherein ,,the ,,reader ,,is ,,introduced ,,to ,,some ,,who ,,have ,,failed ,,to the student of human nature the fact that man so often fails to respond to the highest ideals set before him comes with no shock4 ,in the early ,church men who had run well were easily hindered1 and in the greatest series of biographies we possess1 we see portrayed faithfully the faults and failings of those who now form the great cloud of witnesses1 and are shown at the same time the possibilities of such lives when brought into vital touch with the ,divine4 ,the generous1 impulsive ,david1 the man ,god's own heart1 was capable of a tragic fall2 ,peter and ,john1 privileged to personal intercourse with the ,lord1 in the hour of crisis were amongst those who forsook ,him and fled1 and ,demas1 who loves this present world1 is ever a disappointment to ,evangelist1 who hoped that for him such dangers were over4 ,for the fact remains that the natural characteristics of the man are strong forces1 and that while ,grace can1 and does1 make possible the new man in ,christ ,jesus1 we remain each in our own order1 and perhaps no point is so vulnerable as that wherein has taken place greatest change4 ,the emergence from heathendom is a difficult process1 during which time habits1 vices1 and superstitions cling to a man's soul with a tenacity that would cause us to abandon all hope1 were it not that monuments of grace abound to prove that the power and dominion of sin has been shattered4 ,sometimes the enemy will entrap a young ,christian when there is illness in the home1 and under pressure he will fly to magic incantations and heathen practices1 in order to get deliverance from the malignant spirit which he still believes has power to torment him4 ,many a convert has fallen on the occasion of a funeral4 ,it takes more faith than a ,westerner can realise1 to defy the legions of gwei which at that time threaten your home and its inhabitants with numberless ills2 and strength of mind is required to resist heathen relatives who accuse you of slighting the deceased4 ,the test is a severe one and may well make a strong spirit quail1 especially when1 as so often happens1 several members of one family will die in rapid succession1 quite evidently to us by reason of the agency of natural laws which govern physical life1 but to the ,chinaman1 a clear manifestation of the power enjoyed by demons whose pleasure it is to torment men4 ,even the very dead may rise from the grave to confront you with horrid vengeance1 should the body not have been buried with full rites as required for the laying of the spirit4 ,most subtly has the enemy caused many a man's downfall when his unmarried daughter has died1 and he has found himself confronted with angry relatives and irate villagers1 when he proposed to bury the body with the deceased of his own family4 ,by the rule of ancient custom a spirit bridegroom should be found for this girl1 or1 as an unattached spirit1 she will inevitably return to her neglectful relatives and trouble them in numberless ways in order to bring her pitiful condition to their remembrance4 ,in one way1 and one way only1 can the ghost be pacified4 ,a bridegroom of suitable age1 likewise deceased1 must be found1 and all marriage ceremonies be conducted with due pomp1 a memorial tablet being placed in the scarlet chair in which the bride should have sat4 ,clothes1 furniture1 and presents1 all made of paper1 go with the chair to the home of the deceased bridegroom1 and are there received by living bridal attendants4 ,a feast is spread1 and all make merry until a few hours later when mourning apparel is donned1 and to the sound of wailing two coffins are placed side by side in the family tomb4 ,the paper clothes1 presents1 and marriage-contract are burned1 and thus ascend in smoke to the spirit world4 ,the bodies may have been kept for years before a suitable match could be made1 but from the day of the funereal nuptials the two families regard themselves as1 or even more1 intimately related than they would have been had an actual marriage taken place4#aj ,it is easy to say that nothing so frankly heathen need ever raise a question in the mind of a convert1 but severe persecution and the responsibility of every misfortune that may occur in his village will be his1 if he defy public opinion and introduce an orphan spirit to the ,valhalla where his ancestors1 for countless generations1 have never failed to receive the rites of filial service4 ,the missionary knows the importance of keeping ideals high by precept and practice1 and that his best way to help the young believer is by emphasising the big claim that ,christ makes on a man4 ,that claim once apprehended will create in the man's heart an everlasting dissatisfaction with anything lower4 ,sad as is the case of a young believer falling into sin1 how much more tragic that of a man who abandons ,christ after many years of service1 allowing sins1 which he had overcome1 once more to have dominion over him4 ,it is an awful reality of life that the point on which a man has most conspicuously conquered is likely to be his weakest1 for the enemy plays a waiting game1 ,and where we looked for palms to fall1 ,we find the tug's to come1--that's all4 99 99 99 99 99 ,mr4 ,nieh came early under the influence of ,pastor ,hsi4 ,he was a man of conspicuous ability1 business capacity1 and influence4 ,in early days he1 too1 had smoked opium1 but when he left that habit1 he became a ,christian and an earnest student of the ,word of ,god4 ,few could speak with such power as he1 and at any conference where he was present1 eager1 interested crowds would gather to hear him4 ,many have been led to ,christ by his influence1 and he seemed a man raised up of ,god to carry on the work of the late ,pastor ,hsi4 ,he administered the opium refuges with great ability1 and the work of the ,church for many years prospered in his hands4 ,every one turned to him for advice and help1 and when the ,boxer troubles broke out1 it was to ,mr4 ,nieh that both ,christians and officials looked in their hour of need4 ,he was marvellously helped until he was strong1 and then1 as to ,uzziah of old1 came the decline4 ,power he loved1 and in the position in which he found himself1 holding office in the ,church1 was able to exercise it in many directions4 ,only ,god knows at which period the spiritual decay set in1 which silently1 and at first quite invisibly1 began a work which has ended in the complete downfall of this man on whom the hopes of so many were set4 ,a desire to increase the prestige of his name1 and love of popularity led ,mr4 ,nieh1 as opportunity occurred1 to lend his influence in law-cases and village disputes on behalf of unworthy men1 with the motive of self-aggrandisement4 ,slowly but surely the material overcame the spiritual in his life4 ,at this hour he is no longer even a member of the ,christian community1 having publicly repudiated his former profession of faith4 ,he even smokes opium again1 and finds his power and influence to be a thing wholly of the past4 ,extraordinary trials have come to him in family and personal life1 but he remains hardened and untouched4 ,the light has gone from his face1 for he has ceased to walk in the ,light1 but as we look on his dissatisfied appearance1 hope revives that he1 having tasted so deep of earthly bitterness1 may yet be found amongst the suppliants for mercy at the throne of ,god4 ,may it be in the midst of life1 and not only in the hour of death that he will witness the great confession3 ,thou hast conquered1 ,o ,galilean4 99 99 99 99 99 ,there is a failure which is partial success1 and under this1 ,i think1 may be placed ,yen ,keh-dao1 who1 when once he was clear of opium himself1 bought up eagerly every opportunity that presented itself for evangelistic work4 ,he had fallen so often1 and been obliged to return to the ,opium ,refuge time after time1 until new birth had made him a new creature4 ,now at last he seemed firm where formerly he had been powerless to resist temptation4 ,when he at his own expense entered his name for a two years' course of theological training1 we all hoped that a future of considerable usefulness lay before him1 but before that period was over1 the craving was on him again and he had fallen into open sin4 ,another effort1 and he was free once more1 and then again he fell and soon was lying very ill with typhus fever4 ,christian men visited him and prayed with him1 and he1 for so long as consciousness lasted1 prayed earnestly2 then delirium1 and in a few hours death released his spirit from the body of its humiliation4 ,according to man's statistics1 he is tabulated a failure--one more devil's triumph and sorrow for angels--but there are many who loved him1 and who look up in expectation to see him pardoned in heaven1 the first by the throne4 99 99 99 99 99 ,puppy's mother has lived at the door of our mission premises since they were first opened4 ,she1 according to the custom of the country1 is only known as the mother of her child1 so having elected to call her daughter ,puppy1 she must needs be ,puppy's mother throughout the town4 ,she has known the three generations of missionaries who have lived here1 and has been dressmaker to them all4 ,no one has been more deliberate in her choice of heathendom over ,christianity than she1 and no one has lent a more willing ear to the scandalous lies circulated concerning the foreign women1 even although she has seen enough of their intimate life to know such stories to be fabrications4 ,she nourishes a secret regard for ,mrs4 ,liang1 in whom she recognises a woman as intelligent as herself1 and a match for her in every respect4 ,it was to ,mrs4 ,liang she confided one day that there seemed little inducement to repent and be saved1 if going to heaven would entail associating with foreigners for all eternity4 ,until two years ago she was a healthy1 sturdy woman1 scarcely feeling the weight of her seventy years4 ,a slight dimness of eyesight caused her to raise her charges for dressmaking on the plea1 peculiar to ,chinese logic1 that old age made her movements slower and more uncertain1 and whereas three days were once sufficient to make a garment1 and make it well1 now after six days' work it was still far less well finished off than formerly4 ,so we have submitted to extra charges for inferior work1 for old acquaintance' sake4 ,then a long and painful illness laid ,puppy's mother low1 and for months we did not think that she could recover4 ,nevertheless1 her excellent constitution did finally assert itself1 and now she is walking about again1 leaning on a stick and on the shoulder of a small grandchild1 one of ,puppy's offspring4 ,she is curiously softened1 and told us once that she had endeavoured to pray1 but could not remember the sentences we had taught her4 ,time1 age1 and weakness work many transformations1 and we feel as though the veil of flesh were wearing thinner1 and the spirit within feeling its way out of gross darkness towards the light4 99 99 99 99 99 ,mrs4 ,deh had fallen so low through opium1 that it was to save her from positive starvation that we admitted her to our household once more4 ,she had been one of the failures of our ,women's ,refuge1 and had sunk deep into the degradation which accompanies opium smoking in a woman's life1 pressed as she finds herself to raise the money necessary for the price of her drug4 ,illustration3 ,,puppy ,,and ,,her ,,mother4 ,to face page #bah4 ,for three years she kept herself respectable under our roof1 living amongst ,christian women and joining in their prayers and hymn1 night and morning1 but not a trace of the softened1 repentant spirit could one see1 and finally a distinct retrograde movement accompanied with physical disability forced us to send her home4 ,i despair of ,mrs4 ,deh except when ,i look into the face of her daughter1 the good1 pure girl whose life's prayer it is that her mother should be saved4 ,she cannot admit that this one thing she hopes for on earth should not be granted to her4 ,her eyes are always full of tears when she speaks of her mother1 and when ,i see them ,i know they must1 with strong entreaty1 be pleading the cause of the poor sinful woman before the ,presence of the ,divine ,majesty at whose right ,hand stands the ,friend of ,sinners and the ,man who was acquainted with grief4 99 99 99 99 99 ,flower of ,love became one of my pupils at the age of twelve1 and attended school for six years with unfailing regularity4 ,bright1 happy1 and full of girlish enthusiasm she yielded her heart to ,christ1 and with her girl companions rejoiced in her new-found joy4 ,a horror of great darkness fell upon her soul when the news was broken to her that her parents had contracted for her a marriage with a heathen man1 and yielding to uncontrollable grief1 she became seriously ill4 ,remembrance of the promises of ,god1 and the resilience of youth1 caused her to arouse herself2 she returned to school1 and begged that all would pray that the impossible might happen1 and this engagement be broken4 ,prayer was answered1 and to me was granted the joy of telling ,flower of ,love the good news4 ,my life shall henceforth be wholly for ,god1 was her reply4 ,months passed1 and when the ,revolution of #aiaa broke out1 her parents once more sought for her a heathen husband1 a man whose wealth was accumulated by wrong-doing1 and before any step could be taken ,flower of ,love was his bride4 ,for months she struggled alone in the city to which she had been taken1 and then his orders were given that intercourse with foreigners must cease4 ,the fight was too hard1 and weary she yielded and allowed herself to drift with the tide4 ,to-day1 in her husband's house1 where men are too frequent visitors1 she seeks to get from the life she has to lead what pleasure she can4 ,she is beyond my reach1 but her broken heart will yet1 ,i believe1 find a resting-place upon her ,saviour's breast4 ,,footnote3 #aj ,this remarkable custom is declared by ,marco ,polo to be peculiar to ,north ,china4 ,,preaching ,,the ,,gospel1 ,,healing ,,the ,,sick ,you make a very great mistake in thinking ,christianity is a religion4 ,it is not a religion1 it is a person4--,words of a converted ,mohammedan4 ,lord6 how wouldest ,thou deal with this sick man--in body1 or spirit8 ,s4 ,,vincent ,,de ,,paul4 ,a sick person does so enjoy hearing good news4 ,,florence ,,nightingale4 ,,chapter ,,xxii ,,preaching ,,the ,,gospel1 ,,healing ,,the ,,sick ,,telling ,,of ,,the ,,daily ,,routine ,,like the apostle of old1 the missionary must be ready1 however heavy the claim upon his time1 to receive all who come4 ,at any hour of the day1 we may hear the clatter of sticks upon the ground indicating that some of our neighbours1 whose minute feet prevent them from walking unaided1 have found their way through the open front door and brought some friends to see the house of the foreigner4 ,the ,chinese woman is an inveterate sightseer1 but unfortunately the attractions of ,hwochow are not many2 there is no end1 however1 to the marvels found within the walls of the ,mission compound4 ,the leader of the party is frequently our old friend1 ,goat's ,mother1 the members of her clan being numerous and of an inquisitive nature4 ,the well-favoured ,goat1 aged five years1 wears a brilliant yellow cotton jacket1 on which are sketched in bold brush work every species of venomous insect4 ,on his left shoulder is a scorpion1 while centipedes1 beetles1 and other forms of poisonous insect life cover his back and chest4 ,to his right shoulder is stitched a diminutive pair of red-and-green trousers4 ,the yellow coat is his protection from stings and bites1 the tiny trousers from measles1 and longevity is secured by a heavy silver padlock1 which hangs from his neck by a silver chain4 ,with much assistance from the ,bible-women the whole party climb the few steps leading to the verandah1 and exhausted by the effort1 gratefully accept our invitation to be seated in the guest-room4 ,tea is offered1 but we know better than to press them to partake of any refreshment1 for these women have been warned on no account to let food or drink pass their lips while under our roof1 lest by a magic spell they find themselves compelled to become ,christians4 ,the room is furnished in conventional ,chinese style--a square table with scarlet embroidered table-skirt1 and backed by an ornate arrangement of banner1 scrolls1 vases1 and teacups1 with stiff chairs on either side4 ,our guests' first observation is to remark upon the surprising cleanliness of the apartment1 the next is to ask where we sleep1 and the third is to comment freely upon our personal appearance4 ,have you turned sixty yet8 ,i am asked1 and much surprise is expressed at the information supplied by ,goat's ,mother that ,i have not yet seen my fortieth birthday4 ,it is the white hair that makes her look so old1 is the comment offered in explanation of my fair complexion4 ,goat's ,mother has brought her relations on a promise that they shall see the foreigner's bedroom and little iron tailor1#aa hear the musical box1 and be allowed to inspect the enormous saucepan in which the school food is made1 ending up with a visit to the rooms where the women read the ,bible4 ,before1 however1 these favours can be granted1 as she well knows1 the party must be prepared to give its attention to the one topic upon which the missionaries never fail to speak4 ,this proves to be more interesting than they had anticipated1 for one wall of our guest-room is decorated with pictures which illustrate interesting stories1 the application of which throws light upon that problem which confronts every human heart3 ,how can the burden of sin be removed8 ,the time passes quickly and most of the wonders have been seen1 when a piercing yell from the young ,goat indicates that the limit of his patience has been reached4 ,the orders of this small autocrat allow of no question1 and further intercourse is impossible1 for his shrieks will not cease until his wishes have been complied with4 ,the whole party rises1 and we follow them1 urging them to walk slowly and to come again on ,sunday4 ,we will come1 we will come1 several answer1 but others are deep in a discussion as to what provision is possible for our old age1 seeing that we have neither husband nor son4 ,as they disappear through1 the street door1 they meet a fresh group entering who are in turn received by the ,bible-women4 ,thus1 from day to day1 the ,word is preached and cast as bread upon the waters4 ,sometimes a woman will return in a few days to hear more1 and sometimes1 years later1 in a remote mountain hamlet a woman will greet us with a smile1 surprised that we do not remember her visit to our house1 when1 as she reminds us1 we told her about ,jesus1 the ,son of ,god4 99 99 99 99 99 ,with those women who come as patients to the dispensary1 we enter upon a more intimate relationship4 ,the payment of their fee entitles them to three visits1 of which they take full advantage and often come under our care for a much longer course of treatment4 ,they are an interesting crowd with their varied complaints4 ,a child whose arm has been badly scalded months before1 and who has received no treatment during that period but an application of rat oil and charred matting1 is in a revolting condition1 a pitiful sight indeed4 ,a young woman who has lost her eyesight attributes her affliction to a fit of violent temper1 when for a whole day she worked herself into a frenzy1 and cried until the power of sight was gone4 ,the victims of tubercular disease1 the scourge of ,north ,china1 never fail to appear1 some evidently having fallen a prey to that form known as the hundred days' illness which will carry off an apparently healthy subject in three months4 ,at stated periods1 children may be brought for vaccination4 ,the method of inoculation for the prevention of smallpox is said to have been introduced into ,china by a philosopher of ,szechwan1 and has been practised since the year #ajad4 ,vaccination is now freely practised by the ,chinese doctors whose fees are generally #ej per cent4 higher for boys than for girls1 the lives of the former being of so much greater value4 ,the extraction of teeth is a popular diversion1 and the tooth is carefully preserved by the patient1 in order that with the other earthly remains it may be laid in the coffin on the day of her death4 ,amongst the number are some whose diseases are hard to find1 as in the case of one family whose several members persistently reappeared with such infinitesimal ailments that we felt compelled to tell them that no further treatment was necessary4 ,the answer we received was1 that the head of the house having become interested in ,christianity had signified to his wife his desire that she should be under treatment for a whole year1 in order that she might receive continued instruction in the ,scriptures4 ,they thought the dispensary would serve as the best face-saving subterfuge1 therefore she said3 ,if there be nothing more serious1 will you wash my ears6 ,broadly speaking1 the patients only recognise two categories of illness--one described as fire1 and the other as chill4 ,their chief desire is for a diagnosis which shall clearly state under which heading their particular ailment should be classified1 and we often receive a message to the effect that inward fire is causing trouble1 and the sufferer would like medicine such as was given to her on the tenth day of the third moon1 three years previously1 which had wonderful fire-extinguishing properties4 ,having been accustomed to the ,chinese doctor and his methods1 our patients1 begging that the best may be done for them1 assure the helpers that merit will be accumulated by those who work towards this end4 ,all are surprised to find that a uniform fee is charged and that there is no opportunity for bargaining1 as the regular physician writes prescriptions for first1 second1 or third-rate medicine1 according to the purse4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,teaching ,,staff4 7,see page #bcc47 ,to face page #bbh4 ,the male and female principle in nature1 by which all things are produced and which has been called the warp and woof of ,chinese thought1 forms the basis of ,chinese medical science1 and every line of treatment must be in accordance with the laws laid down by this dualistic principle4 ,unfortunately1 many of the more nutritive articles of diet1 such as the fowl and the egg1 are frequently denied to the sick woman as falling under that principle which makes them unsuited to many of her illnesses1 and while it is admitted that sleep is essential to a sick man1 the female patient must not be allowed to indulge in it except at night4 ,milk is renowned for its heating properties1 and is most unwillingly consumed by the tubercular patient1 who believes her disease to fall under the heading of fire and knows that anything so heating will only feed the flame4 ,had pears1 cooked or uncooked1 been ordered she would fully have appreciated the wisdom which prescribed them4 ,all these startling innovations are carefully and intelligently explained by the dispensary helpers and normal students who take the practical side of their course in ,first ,aid1 ,home ,nursing1 and ,invalid ,cookery1 in the dispensary4 ,their labours have not been in vain1 and the presence of the ,great ,physician has often been manifest in the midst1 as weary1 heart-sick women whose ills were beyond our help have found healing and1 touching the hem of ,his garment1 been made perfectly whole4 ,as the patients scatter1 the students impress afresh upon their memory how1 and in what quantity1 the medicine should be taken4 ,only too often the printed directions are entirely disobeyed1 and the week's supply swallowed in one dose1 on the strength of that unanswerable argument with which we wrestled in the days of childhood3 ,if one dose improvement1 ,twenty doses x1 i4e4 complete cure4 ,,footnote3 #aa ,sewing-machine4 ,a ,,casket ,,of ,,jewels ,happy is she who hath believed that there shall be a perfecting of the things which have been spoken to her from the ,lord6--,the ,gospel according to ,luke4 ,there is nothing more divine than the education of children4--,,plato4 ,the fate of empires depends upon the education of children4--,,aristotle4 ,take heed that ye despise not--offend not--forbid not--one of these little ones4--,the ,commandment of ,christ4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii ,a ,,casket ,,of ,,jewels ,,being ,,an ,,account ,,of ,,the ,,girls' ,,school ,,mrs4 ,,hsi has never replaced the ornaments she sold thirty years ago4 ,had she heard the story told of ,cornelia1 mother of the ,gracchi1 ,i fancy her thoughts would have found expression1 when she lately visited us and saw the many courtyards occupied by women and girls1 in the famous words of the ,roman matron3 ,these are my jewels4 ,the interest on that first small gift is incalculable1 and can never be tabulated in human statistics4 ,an attempt to record the many activities of the ,hwochow ,mission station as it now stands1 would be incomplete without some detailed account of the ,girls' ,school and ,normal ,training ,college4 ,the schools occupy four courts1 and the ages of the pupils assembled range from the smallest1 who is only five1 to young women of over twenty4 ,the ,teaching ,staff consists entirely of women1 all of whom have been trained here1 and we shall perhaps get our best view of them at the ,teachers' ,meeting held weekly in the ,principal's room4 ,a glance will reveal the strong individualities here represented1 and these twelve young women cover as many varieties of temperament4 ,here all matters connected with the school are mentioned1 and it is striking to see the various view-points taken4 ,the loving nature which would lead1 but never drive1 a rebellious child2 the puritan1 who will smile at no infringement of the law1 and whose stern eye has been even known to call the ,principal to order2 the quick glance of the woman whose type reveals an inevitable leader1 the stern disciplinarian1 and the easy-going1 good-natured woman--all are here1 their diversity of gifts revealing the unity of the ,one ,spirit4 ,ling ,ai and ,i alone know how much we have to thank ,god for the friendliness of their mutual relationships4 ,as to myself1 the loyalty1 love1 and unity of my band of fellow-workers is my joy and crown4 ,thrice already has the staff been increased by graduates qualifying from the ,normal ,training ,class1 and our students have included some from the borders of ,mongolia--a journey of twenty days--from ,shensi1 ,honan1 and ,chihli provinces1 in addition to those from all the ,china ,inland ,mission schools in ,central ,shansi4 ,the education given in the school is arranged to cover the double course required by ,chinese and ,western standards4 ,the capacity for memorising possessed by the ,chinese is well known4 ,a ,chinese classical scholar's memory is so trained for retentiveness that one who became a ,christian was able1 with ease1 to commit to memory five chapters of the ,new ,testament each day4 ,were it not for this capacity the mastery of ,chinese would be an impossibility1 for a small child of ten years old1 in addition to ordinary general subjects as taught in an ,english school1 is required in a term of three months to learn to write and recognise five hundred new ,chinese characters1 and by the time she has completed her course can repeat by heart the greater part of the ,new ,testament1 ,psalms1 and the classical works of ,confucius and ,mencius4 ,the ,chinese are extraordinarily observant1 and it is difficult to mention anything which has escaped their notice4 ,nevertheless1 the classification of their observations in a scientific form of nature study is an entirely new method to them1 though this gift1 once developed1 should cause ,china ultimately to rank high in the world of science4 ,the girls' restricted surroundings have yielded new joys since they learned the delight of an observation beehive1 the ramifications of an anthill1 and the notes and habits of the birds which visit us4 ,a thorough knowledge of the ,scriptures is considered of primary importance1 and only girls who by ,christian character give promise when trained of being missionaries to their own people1 are accepted as ,normal ,students4 ,during the course outlines of ,old and ,new ,testament are studied1 with detailed work of selected books4 ,the students are required to prepare their own analyses of various books1 following the system of ,dr4 ,campbell ,morgan's ,analysed ,bible4 ,the many classes which constitute the ,elementary and ,secondary schools form the training-ground for the necessary practice in teaching1 which aims at being very thorough4 ,the first lesson1 given in the presence of a critical audience1 is no small ordeal to the student who after elaborate preparation with diagram1 blackboard1 plasticine1 or sand-tray1 will realise when the moment of free criticism comes1 that in her nervousness she has omitted to make any use of that on which she had bestowed so much labour4 ,gradually1 however1 a new class emerges from utter helplessness into an encouraging self-confidence and resourcefulness4 ,illustration3 ,,some ,,kindergarten ,,scholars4 ,to face page #bcf4 ,a visitor to the school could see ten or twelve classes at various stages on the high road of learning1 each under the control of a capable young ,chinese woman1 before the ,kindergarten room is reached4 ,here1 with merry shouts1 the sixteen babies are all keen to display the glories of the dolls' house1 and all anxious to sing their action songs1 show their plasticine modelling1 paper-plaiting1 and fancy drill2 still possessing the child's heart1 and therefore fearless of criticism4 ,each one covets the role of spokesman to relate the travelling adventures of the doll1 which spends but little time in the house and is constantly undertaking long and difficult journeys4 ,from this intrepid traveller they have obtained most of their geographical information4 ,long hours of work are the order of the day in a ,chinese school1 the terms being short owing to the exigencies of the extreme climate4 ,the wheat harvest falls in ,june1 and it is necessary that wives and daughters should fulfil their obligations to the home during this busy season4 ,the month of ,september brings the eagerly looked-for day when by cart1 donkey1 litter1 or even on foot1 from north1 south1 east1 and west1 the small travellers wend their way to ,hwochow4 ,the babies of the ,kindergarten not infrequently sit in the panniers1 slung across a donkey's back1 or in baskets which a man will carry balanced on his shoulder4 ,each party on arrival passes through the room where ,mr4 ,gwo1 a capable deacon1 sits at the receipt of custom1 and thence to the guest-room where a respectful bow is made to the missionaries and head teacher4 ,the next visit is to the dispensary where ,fragrant ,incense1 my head assistant in this department1 conducts a strict inquiry into personal1 family1 and village health1 and where newcomers are being vaccinated4 ,i hear that your uncle has smallpox1 may be the alarming accusation4 ,it is not worth speaking of1 answers ,snowflake4 ,have you been to the house8 ,a few times1 says the puzzled scholar1 quite unable to trace the connection between her uncle's attack of heavenly blossoms and our unwillingness to admit her to the school court4 ,once a girl has entered the school premises it is not to leave them again for the period of the term1 and all that is necessary to fulfil the conditions of her life is supplied in this little world4 ,one of her first visits will be to the bank where an account is opened in her name1 it being one of the school rules1 in order to avoid loss1 that no girl may keep her own money2 any found on her person or in her box being forfeited4 ,every ,saturday afternoon eager young depositors can be seen drawing sums varying from one to fifty cash for shopping purposes1 or with a view to the ,sunday service collection4 ,at the same hour the school shop is open1 under the care of a teacher with a senior pupil as assistant4 ,what do you stock8 a newcomer will ask the young saleswoman4 ,everything1 is the bold answer1 and indeed the few necessities of a ,chinese schoolgirl may all be supplied4 ,materials needed for shoemaking1 hemp for making string which is required in attaching soles to uppers1 pretty silks for embroidery1 thimbles1 needles1 hair ornaments1 safety-pins1 bright-coloured cord with which the ,chinese girl holds every hair in place at the top of a long thick plait1 which is her mode of head-dress2 chalk1 with which to whiten her calico socks1 and the acacia pod1 the bean of which serves as soap4 ,all the requisites in stationery can be purchased1 and it is amusing to see the ,chinese brush-pen being carefully tested by minute prospective buyers4 ,a newcomer will try in vain to get goods on credit1 relying upon her father's generosity at an early date4 ,no1 is the answer2 come again when you have the cash4 ,in another room the lending library is attracting large numbers4 ,here again a teacher1 helped by a pupil1 is changing or renewing books4 ,with surprising skill any blot1 stain1 or torn page is discovered1 and for years the books will pass from hand to hand with but little damage done4 ,the range of literature is fairly comprehensive1 extending from world-wide favourites such as ,little ,lord ,fauntleroy1 ,christie's ,old ,organ1 ,just ,so ,stories1 and the ,wide ,wide ,world1 which are eagerly passed from hand to hand--for every one reads them several times--to such works as ,the ,history of the ,dutch ,republic1 ,biographies of ,great ,men1 ,works on ,social ,economy1 and many books of reference4 ,for the translation of these1 and many other works into the ,chinese language1 we are indebted to the ,christian ,literature ,society4 ,at the sound of the head teacher's gong1 all business ceases1 and the girls proceed to the playground1 where all enjoy swings1 seesaw1 and games4 ,sunday opens with the delight of an extra hour in bed1 and the wearing of best clothes4 ,sunday school and ,public ,service are enjoyed even by the smallest1 and precede the happy hour when parents and near relatives may see the scholars4 ,at its conclusion all are hungry for the dinner1 which1 though later than usual1 proves well worth waiting for1 consisting as it does of the popular white bread and vegetables4 ,the afternoon closes with a service of praise4 ,three times a day the children assemble in the large dining-hall for meals4 ,over one thousand pounds of flour are used each week1 and about one hundred pounds of vegetables1 in the preparation of the food4 ,the bread is steamed and eaten hot1 and the midday meal generally consists of flour and water1 made into a paste1 rolled out very thin1 and cut into long strips which are boiled for a few minutes1 and when cooked resemble macaroni4 ,if a man's greatness consists in the small number of his needs1 the ,chinaman must rank high4 ,a bowl and pair of chop-sticks is the sum total of the table requirements of each girl2 a cotton wadded quilt and a small1 bran-stuffed pillow comprise her bedding1 and a cotton handkerchief will hold her neatly folded wardrobe4 ,a child usually owns no toy1 and many have never thought of an organised youthful festivity until they spend their first ,christmas ,day in school4 ,with bated breath they hear from their elders of the joys in store1 and watch secret preparations for presents to class teachers and missionaries4 ,excitement reaches its highest point when1 with silent footstep1 they creep into our courtyard in the winter dawn to sing ,christmas carols1 and in place of the temple gongs and weird music of heathen rites1 the air rings with joyful strains as class after class takes up the refrain3 ,oh come1 let us adore ,him1 ,christ the ,lord6 ,the reputation of the evening illumination and ,christmas-tree is so widespread1 that two small newcomers were heard encouraging each other1 eight months before this event1 to endure with patience in hopes of seeing the glorious sight1 and becoming the possessors of a threepenny doll4 ,nearly five hundred girls have already passed through the school1 and every few years we have made an attempt to gather them together for an informal conference2 unfortunately1 the distances are so great1 and family claims so many1 that only a very small proportion have been able to attend1 and we have supplemented these by instituting an ,old ,girls' ,guild which includes a prayer union whose members receive a quarterly circular letter4 ,the postal system does not reach most of the villages1 so the letters must be entrusted to reliable messengers who may be going that way1 and who are requested by words on the envelope3 ,be so kind as to trouble yourself with this letter and deliver it into the hand of the ,mother of ,heavenly ,bundle4 ,the young woman whose identity is thus hinted at is but one of perhaps twenty1 whose offspring bear this name in the one village4 ,below are the mystic words3 ,the name is presented inside4 ,on the left side of the envelope is the urgent command3 ,quick as fire6 ,quick as fire6 ,thus nothing is omitted but the name of the addressee4 ,from early days an effort has been made to impress upon the students that a ,christian community is only justified in so far as it partakes of the nature of a centrifugal force1 extending its influence in every direction4 ,the interests of students have been much enlarged by the residence in their midst of girls from other provinces1 who are followed with prayerful interest when they leave us to enter their varied spheres of work4 ,beyond this1 the scholar's widened sympathies find their expression in the zeal with which they follow missionary activity in other lands4 ,most earnest thought is given to the choice of destination of the sums reported in hand by the missionary treasurer4 ,the ,evangelical ,union of ,south ,america1 ,british and ,foreign ,bible ,society1 ,pandita ,ramabai1 and ,dr4 ,zwemer in ,cairo have all received contributions1 and latterly money has been sent to supply ,testaments for the soldiers on active service4 ,nevertheless1 the consensus of general opinion is1 that the ,moslem situation is at present so critical that all available funds must go to meet that need4 ,small indeed the sums may appear on a subscription list1 but few gifts are1 ,i think1 more thoughtfully given and more prayerfully followed4 ,the money is contributed in various ways1 the two most important being the school working party and the takings of the ,debating ,society1 where debates and lectures are always sure of a full house4 ,the instinct for personal aggressive ,christian work finds an outlet in the following ways3 ,the annual fairs and idol processions held in the town bring large crowds of women visitors1 and afford a great opportunity for the senior scholars to take their part in preaching1 as also the evangelistic service held each week for ,dispensary patients4 ,the ,sunday ,school classes of small children are taught by elder girls1 and the annual ,summer ,campaign has provided scope for all those who have a will to work4 ,at the close of the spring term1 every girl who so desires is entrusted with a printed ,course of ,study1 suitable for the elementary instruction of village women4 ,at ,sunday and weekday classes these are taught by the elder scholars of the village1 even the younger children being able to take their part in helping the women to memorise a verse4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in order to secure the highest spiritual and mental efficiency amongst those who1 by the nature of their calling1 are constantly responding to the claims made upon them1 we have instituted a ,teachers' ,summer ,school1 to which are invited all former students now holding posts as teachers in ,mission ,schools4 ,the month of ,august is devoted to this delightful gathering when1 on the footing of fellow-workers1 free from the restrictions attendant on school discipline1 we meet for ,bible and secular study4 ,the curriculum of the coming term is discussed1 difficulties considered1 some new educational subject is studied1 and an invaluable atmosphere is created4 ,in the silence of the moments of spiritual communion1 lives are dedicated afresh to the service of ,god2 by contemplation of the ,word1 fresh ideals are apprehended and more of the wisdom that winneth souls is learned1 by which a band of workers is equipped anew for any manner of service1 wholly at ,his command4 ,the various activities recorded above each contribute a part to the upbuilding of character and the training of those who will be the future missionaries1 mothers1 and teachers of their people4 ,we desire that1 rejoicing in the abundance of life which ,christ came to bestow1 they may by sacrificial service gather around them many who will say3 ,happy the people whose ,god is the ,lord6 ,,the ,,treasure ,,house ,who ranks higher than others in the ,kingdom of the ,heavens8 ,in solemn truth ,i tell you that unless you turn and become like little children you will in no case be admitted into the ,kingdom of the ,heavens4 ,whoever shall occasion the fall of one of these little ones who believe in me1 it would be better for him to have a millstone hung round his neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea4 ,their angels in heaven have continual access to my ,father in heaven4 ,the words of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,the hope of the glory of ,god includes the responsibility of rejoicing4 ,if we really have the anointed vision which sees through the travail to the triumph1 and is perfectly assured of the ultimate triumph of ,god1 it is our duty in the midst of the travail to rejoice evermore1 to cheer the battle by song1 and shorten the marches by music4--,dr4 ,g4 ,,campbell ,,morgan4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv ,,the ,,treasure ,,house ,,where ,,the ,,reader ,,is ,,shown ,,the ,,lapidary ,,at ,,work ,,my study is perhaps to me the most sacred spot of the entire compound4 ,situated in the midst of the school court1 it is accessible to teachers and scholars alike4 ,for more than a decade this room has been sanctified by numberless confidences1 many too sacred to record4 ,at any hour of the day1 or after dark when it is easier for the girl to knock unseen at my door1 ,i may hear the words1 sometimes timidly whispered3 ,has the ,teacher time to let me speak to her8 ,a welcome being extended my young guest will usually begin to talk upon general topics1 and after a considerable time will gently hint that there is also one small matter in particular of which she wishes to speak4 ,on receiving encouragement she proceeds to unfold the matter1 which may vary in gravity from a message conveying a request that employment should be found for a neighbour of hers1 to a tearful pleading that ,i will use all my influence to prevent her parents from engaging her to a heathen bridegroom2 it has even been to tell me of a brother who1 having entered a ,college in the provincial capital1 is now in jail and likely to lose his life for revolutionary tendencies4 ,it is during the hour when the schoolgirls are at play1 or in the evening when they are in bed1 that the teacher will come to me who desires to be certain of no interruption4 ,one whose father was formerly a deacon1 but having relapsed into opium smoking has lost his office and ,church membership1 comes with her sad story4 ,how can ,i hope to influence my scholars when this sin is in my own home8 she asks me2 and goes on to tell of the downward steps taken1 and of the good mother who1 with herself1 has done all that love could suggest to save the father from public disgrace4 ,a letter from her distant home will sometimes bring her when the work of the day is done1 that together we may share its contents4 ,how plain it is to me1 that this scorching furnace of shame which seals her lips and makes her blush before her own pupils1 is the very test she requires for her perfecting4 ,i know that this is a spiritual crisis when in the thick darkness she will either meet with ,god1 or losing the hope whereby we are saved will grow cold and indifferent4 ,it is always a personal refreshment when ,fragrant ,clouds or ,pearl ,drops comes to see me4 ,a warm friendship exists between these two senior ,normal ,students1 strong1 robust young women1 prospering in body as in soul4 ,pearl ,drops1 keenly humorous1 is a famous mimic and ,i once had the delight of1 unnoticed1 joining an audience which she was fascinating by her mimicry of an old man well known to us all4 ,fragrant ,clouds is a more serious type1 and entered the ,high ,school here in answer to her prayers to ,god for many months1 at a time when innumerable obstacles barred her way4 ,she has proved barriers to be for those who cannot fly1 and possesses that quiet dignity and confidence which tells of character formed by difficulties overcome4 ,she knows the ,all great to be the ,all loving too1 and is strong4 ,little ,goodness is the boldest girl in the school4 ,she is only five years old1 but will any moment that she can run away from the ,kindergarten ,court unseen push open my door1 and show me with great delight and most disconcerting self-assurance some treasure she has found--a grub1 or maybe some one else's new handkerchief4 ,the frown ,i summon to my aid when the offence is repeated more than once a day1 is rather a failure1 but poor ,goodness has had to learn by sterner methods that the teacher's word is law4 ,it is not easy to be stern with her for she is a most fascinating little creature1 and yet her parents wanted her so little that she was found1 as a wee babe1 buried alive4 ,with difficulty her life was saved by the missionary to whom she was taken1 who has cared for her ever since4 ,her most serious offence in this school1 and a cause of scandal to the whole ,kindergarten1 was the helping of herself to five cash from the collection plate when it was handed to her in the ,sunday service4 ,when a new graduate who has been faced for the first time by her class appears at my door1 ,i know before she begins to speak that her errand is to inform me she has found herself to have accepted a burden and responsibility which she is utterly incapable of bearing4 ,i make no great effort to hide my amusement1 and call to her remembrance the complete assurance with which she was prepared to enter upon her career during her last term as a ,normal ,student4 ,i also tell her ,i have been expecting this interview and1 needless to say1 from the humorous side we naturally turn to the serious4 ,teachers are constantly coming to me for advice as to the best method of dealing with those symptoms of original sin which cause small children to bewilder their elders by the utter depravity of their moral nature4 ,what1 for example1 could ,i say to ,kingfisher who was heard1 when praying audibly1 to petition heaven that ,rosebud with whom she had quarrelled might lose all her good marks8 ,the weeping ,butterfly was peremptorily ushered into my presence1 accused of using bad language4 ,i could see by the expression on the teacher's face that it was no trifling matter4 ,she had said3 ,chrysanthemum1 when you walk it is like the hopping of a frog4 ,she had thus compared a fellow-scholar to an animal1 a form of speech which in ,chinese1 as ,i well knew1 amounts to a curse4 ,peach ,blossom1 ever since the first day she came to me has been a care and responsibility4 ,conscious of her good looks and of her capacity to secure a following of devotees1 she has conducted her small court with increasing joy to herself1 and annoyance to me and my ,staff4 ,it was impossible to ignore her presence1 and while she was scrupulously within the rules and regulations of school discipline she somehow managed to sail so near1 and yet avoid1 the point of defiance that we were baffled4 ,i am sometimes called upon to fulfil the vocation of motherhood in a very real sense1 as when ,i have to announce to some child who has no mother that the arrangements for her engagement are about to be completed1 but that her father1 who feels he could not expect her to speak of such a matter1 has asked me to find out her desires regarding the proposed bridegroom4 ,after an inevitable tear1 shed at the suggestion that she must some day leave her father's home1 she asks me if ,i am satisfied with the plan2 on my answering in the affirmative her face brightens1 though she conventionally begs me to use my influence to dissuade her father from any such intention4 ,i1 seeing that no difficulty presents itself1 change the subject and bring her a few days later the gifts and silver ornaments which indicate that all is settled4 ,she1 having no mother to do the necessary grumbling at the inferior quality of the bridegroom's presents1 comes to my room later on1 and says3 ,i have been examining these1 and perceive that the silver used is not pure in quality4 ,having shown that she1 though motherless1 is not easily taken in1 she accepts my exhortation to be a good child and to be thankful for what she has1 and without further ado begins her preparations for the day when she will change her home4 ,the more modern parent is sometimes desirous that his daughter1 who has reached years of discretion1 should from time to time correspond with her fiance4 ,the letters all being sent to the girl's father1 he forwards them to me1 and the fear lest any fellow-student should know of so immodest a proceeding always leads the girl to read them in my room1 and place them in my hand for safe keeping4 ,it was enlightening to receive a request on one occasion that ,i would1 at the close of term1 return those letters which are of no possible use4 ,i knew to what she referred1 and mentally noted that the useless paper found a very safe place in the recesses of her luggage6 ,illustration3 ,,ling ,,ai1 ,,her ,,children1 ,,and ,,her ,,mother1 ,,mrs4 ,,liang4 ,to face page #beb4 ,tragedy is interwoven with the life of almost every woman in this land4 ,disappointment at her birth finds its only consolation in the recognition of her value in the home as family drudge4 ,only as mother of her son does she enter on an inheritance of sufficient consideration to make her well worth the clothes she wears and the food she consumes4 ,how pathetic it is to see the efforts put forth by a child whose school life has been interrupted to endeavour to find some means of paying the necessary fees6 ,one girl of thirteen1 by making hair-sieves during the summer months renders it possible for her father to send her to school2 and many weave during the holidays all the cloth necessary for their own clothes4 ,one little girl who had no other means of helping herself1 gleaned so industriously that she gathered sufficient for her first month's expenses1 only to find one day that her little hoard had been used by her opium-smoking father for his own indulgence4 ,even the high ethics of ,confucianism can recognise no higher position for woman than one of obedient dependence throughout life4 ,in youth she must be subject to her father1 in middle age to her husband1 and in old age to her son4 ,the revolutionary power of ,christianity has established a new order1 and in the ,christian community we see her welcomed in babyhood1 cared for in childhood1 and receiving the honour due to her womanhood when she becomes a bride4 ,i have been amazed at the sacrifices ,i have seen made by parents for their daughters4 ,i have known a father1 too poor to afford the hire of a donkey1 carry his little girl nearly thirty miles to school4 ,i have known the only bedcovering in the home to be spared for the use of the little daughter during term1 and a man to endure the winter cold with the scantiest clothing that his child might be warmly clad4 ,one class1 a small one1 has outstripped me in the race1 and graduated to a higher school to render service more needed there than here4 ,i can think of each one with joy as in the ,great ,teacher's ,hand1 learning lessons which as yet are beyond me4 ,the one it seemed ,i could least spare was needed by ,him1 and since most of this book was written my beloved ,ling ,ai went to serve1 face to face1 the ,lord she loves4 ,the intimate sympathy required to enter into the joys and sorrows of so many lives is perhaps the heaviest strain laid upon the missionary1 and the mental discipline necessary to hold all in right proportion can only be exercised where there is true adjustment of spiritual vision1 whereby we see through the travail to the triumph1 perfectly assured of the ultimate victory of ,god1 and rejoice1 cheering the battle by song and shortening the marches by music4 ,,conclusion ,that ,church controls the future which can demand of her members the greatest sacrifices4--,dr4 ,,john ,,hutton4 ,when earth's last picture is painted1 and the tubes are twisted and dried1 ,when the oldest colours have faded1 and the youngest critic has died-- ,we shall rest1 and faith1 we shall need it--lie down for an aeon or two1 ,till the ,master of all good workmen shall put us to work anew4 ,and only the ,master shall praise us1 and only the ,master shall blame2 ,and no one shall work for money1 and no one shall work for fame2 ,but each for the joy of the working1 and each1 in his separate star1 ,shall draw the ,thing as he sees ,it for the ,god of ,things as ,they are4 ,,rudyard ,,kipling4 ,,chapter ,,xxv ,,conclusion ,,being ,a ,,review ,,of ,,the ,,present ,,situation ,,it is now thirty years since foreigners came to reside in ,hwochow1 during which time three generations of women missionaries have succeeded each other4 ,the period has been divided accurately at the fifteenth year by the ,boxer riots and massacres4 ,the many who have helped in varied ways to make this work possible may rightly ask2 ,is not this period sufficient to establish a self-propagating ,church independent of foreigners8 ,it would be hard to over-emphasise the need of the wisdom required at the stage immediately preceding the final lapse of total responsibility upon the shoulders of the native ,church1 that the move should not be made too hastily or at an inopportune moment2 even more emphatically1 that the ,church should not be driven to establish on a factional basis a so-called independent sect in opposition to the foreigner1 in order to secure the freedom and control for which it was ripe4 ,faith1 hope1 and courage1 without which the pioneer missionary's work must inevitably fail1 find their counterpart in the spirit of wisdom and understanding required for the proper adjustment of the new relationship1 whereby the ,chinese ,christian1 not in word1 but in deed and in truth1 may take precedence4 ,it is easy to gain ready acquiescence to this theory of equality1 but as was immediately evidenced when the strong and independent ,pastor ,hsi arose1 the situation in its practical bearing is not easily handled4 ,a word to the intending missionary3 ,be ready to lay aside your preconceived ideas as to how the ,gospel should be preached1 how ,church matters should be handled1 discipline enforced1 and your own position in the ,church4 ,come as a learner1 and men who were ,christians before you emerged from childhood will give you the benefit of a ripe experience1 and if you prove worthy of it1 admit you to fellowship in service4 ,in view of the preceding chapters1 few words will serve to review on general lines the situation as it has developed during these thirty years in ,hwochow4 ,the first fifteen called for unremitting effort in breaking up new ground1 broadcast sowing of the seed1 and establishing between ,chinese and foreigner some measure of confidence4 ,the second period has been one of reaping from the very commencement4 ,extraordinarily rapid development on every hand brought about new conditions which in turn necessitated new methods1 so that the missionary is no longer the main instigator of ,church activities1 but takes his place in a large and far-reaching organisation4 ,the work of evangelisation and all elementary teaching require no foreign help1 but we still seem to be necessary for the organisation which is giving training and advanced teaching to the men and women whom we hope to see equipped in every respect as well1 and better1 than we ourselves have been4 ,all non-institutional work amongst men is already in ,chinese hands4 ,pastor ,wang and eight deacons take entire oversight of the ,church of nearly four hundred members1 the examining and accepting of candidates for baptism1 as well as arrangements for ,sunday services in each of the eight out-stations1 where the local ,christians have1 at their own expense1 supplied a building for public worship where daily service is held4 ,in addition to this1 the entire evangelistic organisation1 ,elementary ,boys' ,school and ,opium ,refuge1 form part of their responsibility4 ,the more aggressive work includes a ,chinese ,evangelistic ,society entirely free from foreign money and control1 the object of which is to open up new districts1 preach at fairs1 and widely distribute ,gospels and tracts4 ,in the busiest thoroughfare of the city1 a preaching hall is daily opened which is freely frequented by merchants and travellers4 ,the systematic instruction of men1 both ,church members and inquirers1 is supplied by means of short station classes held at convenient times by the ,pastor1 or by some foreign missionary whom he may invite4 ,with the exception of the ,elementary ,boys' ,school just mentioned1 the men's institutional work is carried on in the neighbouring city of ,hungtung1 where1 under the presidency of the ,rev4 ,f4 ,dreyer1 a ,bible ,training ,institute for men has been established4 ,the students are drawn not only from our own1 but other provinces1 and during the two years' course a careful and thorough training is given in theoretical and practical work4 ,a long preaching list is served by these men in conjunction with a large band of local preachers4 ,to ,mr4 ,dreyer's influence amongst these men we1 as many other stations1 owe some of our best helpers4 ,the ,hungtung institutional work is supplemented by a ,higher ,grade ,school for boys1 the pupils of which are largely drawn from the fourteen ,elementary ,schools scattered throughout the district4 ,mr4 ,e4 ,j4 ,cooper1 assisted by ,chinese graduates of ,weihsien ,university1 is responsible for this department4 ,many former pupils are in charge of village schools1 the examining and superintendence of which is conducted from the centre4 ,it is thus possible for the sons of ,church members to obtain a thorough and ,christian education in their immediate neighbourhood4 ,the necessary demands for institutional work for the several counties mentioned throughout this book1 are thus met by the two stations of ,hungtung and ,hwochow4 ,united with these to form a ,general ,allied ,council to secure unity of action in all far-reaching enterprises1 and to avoid multiplication of work 7though each local church remains independent and self-governing71 are the stations situated in the cities of ,chaocheng1 and ,yoyang1 now severally in charge of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,ernest ,taylor and ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,f4 ,briscoe1 whose time is occupied with pastoral and evangelistic work4 ,mrs4 ,hsi still remains in ,chaocheng1 and carries on her work amongst the women of that city4 ,she1 in company with ,mrs4 ,liang and three others1 has been chosen by the ,church to be set apart to the office of deaconess4 ,she is now sixty-four years of age1 and her physical strength is visibly failing4 ,mrs4 ,hsi's life and example is one of the treasures of the ,shansi ,church4 ,she has served faithfully and long in active ,christian work1 and she recently told me that she is now giving herself to prayer and fasting more than was possible during the most active period of her life4 ,for this effectual share in the present conflict1 for her love and friendship1 and for her continued presence amongst us1 we give thanks unto ,god4 99 99 99 99 99 ,thus we believe the ,church has been rooted and established1 no longer propagated by any external energy1 but whose seed is in itself4 ,the dream is so far fulfilled4 ,more than thirty years ago ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,hsi1 in faith1 brought their small offering as a child once offered his barley loaves and laid them in the ,master's ,hand1 ,who gave thanks and blessed4 ,in these pages the story is recorded of the sower1 the waterer1 and the reaper1 who laboured in tears and in joy4 ,of the increase which ,god alone can give1 no human record can tell1 but told it shall be in the day when those from every nation1 kindred1 and tribe shall unite to ascribe honour and glory unto ,him who liveth and reigneth for ever and ever6 ,so have ,i dreamed6 ,oh may the dream be true6 ,that praying souls are purged from mortal hue 4 4 4 ,and grow as pure as ,he to ,whom they pray4 ,,hartley ,,coleridge4 ,,appendix ,,containing ,,bible ,,training ,,school ,,course ,,of ,,study ,,and ,,specimen ,,questions ,,of ,,the ,,normal ,,training ,,college ,,final ,,examination ,,papers 7,,inserted ,,by ,,request7 ,,hwochow ,,women',s ,,bible ,,training ,,school ,,course ,,of ,,study ,,first ,,term ,book of ,genesis4 ,gospel according to ,st4 ,luke or ,st4 ,mark4 ,acts of the ,apostles1 chapters i4 to ix4 ,a ,synopsis of the ,central ,themes of the ,holy ,bible4 ,reading ,lessons1 with necessary ,explanation and ,writing of ,chinese ,character4 ,arithmetic4 ,singing and ,memorisation of ,hymns4 ,,second ,,term ,book of ,exodus1 ,numbers1 and #a ,samuel i4 to xvi4 ,the ,gospel according to ,st4 ,john4 ,the ,epistle of ,st ,james4 ,a ,synopsis of the ,central ,themes of the ,holy ,bible--7continued74 ,reading ,lessons1 with necessary ,explanation and ,writing of ,chinese ,character4 ,arithmetic4 ,singing and ,memorisation of ,hymns4 ,,practical ,,work4--,assist in conducting ,elementary ,classes for ,women4 ,,third ,,term ,book of ,leviticus1 ,joshua1 and #a ,samuel xvii4 to xxxi42 ,ezra and ,nehemiah4 ,the ,gospel according to ,st4 ,matthew4 ,the ,epistle to the ,hebrews4 ,a ,synopsis of the ,central ,themes of the ,holy ,bible--7conclusion74 ,studies in ,christian ,doctrine4 ,reading ,lessons1 with necessary ,explanation and ,writing of ,chinese ,character4 ,arithmetic4 ,singing and ,memorisation of ,hymns4 ,memorisation of ,psalms4 ,pilgrim's ,progress4 ,,practical ,,work4--,conduct ,elementary ,classes for ,women1 ,teach under ,criticism1 ,city and ,village ,visiting4 ,,fourth ,,term ,book of ,judges1 ,ruth1 ,esther1 and #b ,samuel4 ,life of ,elijah and ,elisha4 ,acts of the ,apostles1 chapters x4 to xxviii4 ,studies in ,christian ,doctrine4 ,arithmetic4 ,singing and ,memorisation of ,hymns4 ,memorisation of ,psalms4 ,pilgrim's ,progress1 ,part ,,ii4 ,,practical ,,work44--,as ,term ,,iii4 ,,china ,,inland ,,mission ,,normal ,,training ,,college1 ,,hwochow1 ,,shansi 99 99 99 99 99 ,,specimen ,,questions 7,drawn from ,final ,examination ,papers1 #aiae7 ,,scripture ,what answer did ,christ give to the following questions8--,what must we do that we may work the works of ,god8 ,how can this man give us ,his flesh to eat8 ,hast thou seen ,abraham8 ,how can a man be born when he is old8 ,name five incidents in the ,gospel according to ,st4 ,john which illustrate the statement3 ,he knew what was in man4 ,name some of the abuses in the ,corinthian ,church1 and briefly state how ,paul dealt with each4 ,what period of human history is covered by the ,book of ,genesis8 ,briefly trace the degeneration of the ,individual1 the ,home1 and the ,nation1 as recorded in the ,book of ,genesis4 ,give an outline of the ,book of ,ezra4 ,state briefly the teaching of ,christ on the following subjects3--,fasting1 ,riches1 ,rewards1 and the ,forgiveness of ,sin4 ,the establishment of the ,church by ,constantine proved to be its spiritual loss4 ,quote five verses from ,scripture to show this might have been anticipated4 ,mention four reasons which conduced to the spread of the ,gospel in the days of the ,early ,church4 ,,history ,state clearly the advantages and disadvantages of ,feudalism4 ,what do you know of the ,spartan methods of treating children8 ,what do you know of the following3--,chaucer1 ,rienzi1 ,savonarola1 ,simon de ,montfort1 ,gladstone1 ,li ,hung-chang1 ,bruce8 ,what do you understand by the term ,ostracism8 ,who were the combatants in the following battles3--,crecy1 ,hastings1 ,marathon1 ,bannockburn1 ,waterloo8 ,give an account of the causes which resulted in the ,crusades1 or in the ,french ,revolution4 ,,physiology ,what are the various uses of the ,cerebrum1 ,cerebellum1 and ,medulla ,oblongata8 ,explain the process of ,hearing4 ,illustrate with diagrams4 ,what do you know of the ,crystalline ,lens of the ,eye8 ,what is meant by ,long ,sight and ,short ,sight8 ,what is the cause of each1 and how may each be remedied8 ,give a list of the ,cranial ,nerves4 ,,zoology ,draw a diagram of the ,blood ,vessels of a ,fish4 ,state clearly the main divisions of ,zoology1 and in detail those of the ,bird ,family4 ,give a detailed account of the ,ant and its habits2 illustrate with diagrams4 ,describe the ,fauna of the ,arctic ,regions4 ,,chemistry ,what weight of each of the following compounds is necessary to prepare #ej litres of ,oxygen8--,water1 ,mercuric ,oxide1 ,potassium ,chlorate4 ,explain the principle of the ,dewar bulb4 ,define the term ,acid4 ,enumerate the characteristics of a ,base4 ,two compounds were found to have the following compositions3 #dc4fd per cent4 phosphorus #ef4cf per cent4 oxygen #ef4ce per cent4 phosphorus #dc4fe per cent4 ,show that the ,law of ,multiple proportion holds in this case4 ,,classical ,,essay ,,subjects4--,the ,path may not be left for an instant2 if it could be left it would not be the ,path4 ,on this account the superior man does not wait until he see things to be cautious1 nor see things to be apprehensive4--,,confucius4 ,,morgan ,,and ,,scott ,,ltd41 #ab ,,paternoster ,,buildings1 ,,london1 ,e4 ,c4 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,obvious punctuation errors repaired4