,chinese ,diamonds for the ,king of ,kings ,,by ,,rosalind ,,goforth 7,,mrs4 ,,jonathan ,,goforth7 ,god hath made of one ,blood all ,men under ,heaven4 ,,evangelical ,,publishers ,,incorporated #heh ,college ,street1 ,toronto4 ,canada ,,copyright #aibj1 ,,by ,,evangelical ,,publishers ,,incorporated ,,publishers1 ,,importers ,,and ,,distributors ,,of ,,sound ,,christian ,,literature #heh ,,college ,,street ,,toronto ,,canada 99,,foreword99 ,whole libraries have been written on ,christian evidences4 ,the resources of philosophic and scientific research have been drawn up in defence of the ,christian faith4 ,yet important as these are1 it may be questioned whether any or all of them together bring home to the heart such conviction as does the story of a redeemed soul--a soul lifted out of the fearful pit and miry clay--cleansed1 purified and established in righteousness4 ,whatever intellectual difficulties may occur1 a countenance illumined with a light that is not of this world is irresistible4 ,henry ,ward ,beecher spoke of a nest of infidels he had encountered upon whom argument made little impression4 ,there lived in the same village a humble washerwoman of singularly beautiful character4 ,when asked what they thought of her the sceptics were silenced4 ,harold ,begbie says of ,old ,born ,drunk that he advertised salvation4 ,before the miracle of ,old ,born ,drunk the arguments of the tavern atheist melted into thin air4 ,we are indebted to ,mrs4 ,goforth for having gathered from her long experience in ,china a series of instances as convincing as any told by ,harold ,begbie in ,twice ,born ,men4 ,they are not the outcome of generations of development1 for ,china has no religious background4 ,they are miracles of grace4 ,luther said1 ,god is the ,god of the humble1 the miserable1 the oppressed1 the desperate1 of them that are naught4 ,it is ,his nature to give sight to the blind1 to comfort the broken hearted and to justify the ungodly4 ,the divine nature is beautifully and impressively illustrated by these stories of redeemed and glorified ones whose after life verified the reality of the miraculous change4 ,he is able to save unto the uttermost4 ,with ,him there is plenteous redemption4 ,go ye1 therefore1 and tell it out4 7,,rev47 ,r4 ,p4 ,,mackay1 ,d4,d4 99,,introduction99 ,the following sketches are as photographically true as my knowledge of ,chinese life and people can make them4 ,they are written primarily as an answer to the oft met questions1 ,do missions pay8 and1 ,after all1 are there any real ,christians in ,china8 ,we missionaries are frequently told that the average church member at home has come to think of missionaries' letters as too dry to read4 ,wherefore1 my attempt to give missionary facts in a different1 possibly more readable1 form4 ,with what success remains to be seen4 ,the little book is sent forth with the earnest hope and prayer that those who read these sketches may come to see the truth of what ,paul said3 ,god hath made of ,,one ,,blood all men under heaven4 ,,rosalind ,,goforth4 ,kikungshan1 ,south ,honan1 ,china1 ,july #bd1 #aibj4 99,,contents99 ,,sketch ,i4 ,,as ,,silver ,,is ,,refined ,part #a4--,,the ,,birth ,,of ,a ,,soul ,part #b4--;,,from ,,gleam ,,to ,,glory ,,sketch ,,ii4 ,,characters ,,from ,,one ,,village ,part #a4--,,wang-,,ee ,part #b4--,,wang-,,ee',s ,,neighbors ,,sketch ,,iii4 ,,the ,,man ,,who ,,proved ,,god ,,sketch ,,iv4 ,,opening ,a ,,new ,,station ,part #a4--,,the ,,missionary',s ,,home ,part #b4--;,,as ,,rain ,,from ,a ,,clear ,,sky ,part #c4--,,sowing ,,before ,,the ,,storm ,,sketch ,v4 ,,testing ,,god ,,sketch ,,vi4 ,a ,,christian ,,general ,,sketch ,,vii4 ,a ,,chinese ,,nobleman ,,sketch ,,viii4 ,,mr4 ,,doong ,,sketch ,,ix4 ,,heathenism ,,as ,i ,,have ,,known ,,it ,part #a4--;,,heathen ,,versus ,,christian ,,worship ,part #b4--;,,facts ,,sketch ,x4 ,,the ,,blind ,,famine ,,refugee ,,sketch ,,xi4 ,,links ,,in ,a ,,living ,,chain ,,sketch ,,xii4 ,,our ,,first ,,woman ,,convert--,a ,,mere ,,memory ,,sketch ,,xiii4 ,,two ,,rice ,,christians ,part #a4--,,the ,,wolf ,,boy ,part #b4--,,the ,,wolf ,,boy',s ,,mother ,,sketch ,,xiv4 ,,daybreak ,,in ,,one ,,home ,part #a4--,,little ,,slave ,part #b4--,,slave',s ,,father ,part #c4--,,slave',s ,,release 99,,sketch ,i99 99,as ,silver ,is ,refined99 ,,part #a3 ,,the ,,birth ,,of ,a ,,soul4 ,,part #b3 ,,from ,,gleam ,,to ,,glory4 99,as ,silver ,is ,refined99 99,part ,i4 ,,the ,,birth ,,of ,a ,,soul499 ,one sultry afternoon in ,june1 #ai--1 an elderly woman4 seated in the shade of her front gateway1 the coolest spot she could find1 was fanning vigorously in vain attempt to keep cool1 discontented mutterings keeping time to her fan4 ,it was time the long summer siesta ended and for folks to get to work1 so thought ,mrs4 ,dwan1 but folks evidently thought otherwise1 for the whole village seemed as still and lifeless as a graveyard4 ,just as the woman was about to rouse the sleeping household her attention was attracted to a man wheeling a barrow on which lay a sick child4 ,putting his barrow down opposite the ,dwan's gateway the man wiped his steaming brows as he stepped forward saying1 ,honorable ,lady1 my child is very thirsty1 we have come a long way1 will you give us water8 ,gladly1 said the woman1 hastening into the inner court as fast as her excessive avoirdupois would permit4 ,in a moment or two she reappeared1 not with ice cold water as in our country1 but with a kettle of boiling water and two bowls4 ,wheel the child into the shade and rest yourself1 said the woman as she filled the bowls2 then setting one down beside the sick child1 she motioned to the man to take a seat on the stone steps4 ,where are you going1 she asked by way of opening the conversation4 ,i'm taking my child to the foreign doctor at ,w----4 ,what6 she exclaimed1 with a look of horror1 you are surely never going to venture inside that place6 ,we have heard some terrible things about those people4 ,well1 replied the man1 all ,i can say is this1 a neighbor woman of ours went to that hospital perfectly blind and came back seeing almost as well as you or ,i4 ,a man in my village had a terrible leg1 he would certainly have died1 but he went there too and came back healed4 ,he told us the doctor treated him as well as the patients who could pay1 though they knew he was too poor to pay4 ,but1 why then do people talk so8 persisted ,mrs4 ,dwan4 ,you know the proverb1 replied the man1 with rather a contemptuous shrug1 ,you can bridle a horse or a mule1 but who can bridle a woman's tongue4 ,with this parting thrust and a polite bow1 the man caught up his barrow and hurried on4 ,mrs4 ,dwan's husband was what is known in ,china as the leading man of his region4 ,he was a landowner of considerable means1 and was widely known and sought after as a doctor though he had no knowledge whatever of ,western methods of treating diseases1 nor of surgery1 but was an expert in the art of needle pricking1 a common ,chinese treatment not infrequently used with fatal results4 ,as the man with the barrow disappeared in the distance1 ,dr4 ,dwan appeared at his dispensary gateway1 across the street from where his wife was sitting4 ,calling him to her she related what had just passed4 ,the ,doctor listened1 but said nothing2 paying no attention to the fierce denunciation of the missionaries with which she ended2 her husband had learnt through many years of bitter experience with her to say little but act4 ,when the following morning the ,doctor announced his intention of taking the younger son to the foreign ,doctor to have a growth on his foot removed1 of course1 ,mrs4 ,dwan began to storm and rage but to no purpose1 except to give matter of interest to her neighbors1 trouble to her household1 and sickness to herself4 ,her fits of temper were so violent and sustained that it is little wonder ,nature usually had her way by a general collapse1 when the naturally strong woman would lie for days as helpless as a child4 ,as ,dr4 ,dwan started off for the ,mission ,hospital1 it would be too much to imagine that his mind was quite free from fear or doubt1 but his intense curiosity to see the foreign ,doctor about whom he had heard such conflicting reports1 and a desire1 if possible1 to see something of his methods of treatment1 overcame every other thought4 ,a walk of some twelve ,english miles brought them to the city of ,w----4 ,on reaching the ,mission ,hospital they found themselves in the midst of a crowd of sick and suffering ones4 ,procuring their tickets of admission they joined themselves to the queue moving towards the ,dispensary door4 ,the moment ,dr4 ,dwan found himself and his child1 with a dozen or more others1 ushered into the ,doctor's presence1 all fears vanished1--who1 indeed1 could not trust those keen1 quiet1 kind eyes8 ,stepping aside purposely so that the others might be treated first and thus give him his chance to watch the foreigner1 ,dr4 ,dwan made the most of his opportunity4 ,at last the assistant called him forward to take his name4 ,the moment he had given it1 ,dr4 ,blank1 the missionary1 looked up quickly and said1 ,why1 are you ,dr4 ,dwan of ,c----8 ,that is my unworthy name1 replied the other4 ,immediately ,dr4 ,blank left the patient he was treating1 and came forward with such a friendly smile the ,chinese doctor was completely taken by surprise4 ,i'm very pleased indeed to meet you1 the missionary said heartily1 and in a few moments had the other quite at his ease4 ,from their first meeting these two men drew naturally together4 ,the missionary doctor recognized in ,dr4 ,dwan the true instincts of a physician and generously remembered that this man's ignorance and inefficiency as a doctor was not due to lack of natural ability but from the lack of advantages such as he himself had enjoyed4 ,the removal of the growth on the boy's foot was a simple operation1 but it required the administration of chloroform4 ,when this was about to be given the father showed decided nervousness1 but a few quiet firm words from ,dr4 ,blank allayed his fears4 ,he stood aside and watched with intense wonder and admiration every detail of the operation4 ,dr4 ,blank saw the man's keen interest in everything connected with the ,hospital1 and arranged for the care of his boy so that the father could be with him in the operating room1 the afternoon clinic1 and ward visitation4 ,when the work of the day was over the missionary sometimes invited ,dr4 ,dwan to his study in his house at the rear of the compound4 ,it was at such times the missionary doctor opened to his less favored brother the way of ,salvation4 ,it was not till the close of his stay that ,dr4 ,dwan seemed to really understand4 ,the two men were talking in the study when ,dr4 ,dwan spoke out suddenly as if to get something off his mind3 ,dr4 ,blank1 ,i have a request ,i find hard to make4 ,dr4 ,blank's face fell as visions of many past requests came before him1 but he said merely3 ,what can ,i do for you8 ,the fact is1 continued the other1 people say you have strange things in your home4 ,would you allow me to see the place8 ,the missionary jumped to his feet with a relieved smile saying1 ,why1 come along now4 ,i'll show you everything4 ,through the house they went2 each room seemed more wonderful to ,dr4 ,dwan than the last1 everything was a wonder1 but what especially aroused his admiration and astonishment was the school-room where the missionaries' children--girls as well as boys--were at their lessons4 ,all he saw made a deeper impression on his mind than the missionary or even he himself at the time realized4 ,some days later when in conversation with one of the missionaries something like the following took place3 ,dr4 ,dwan1 looking intently at the missionary1 suddenly said with deep feeling1 ,do you know what people are saying about you all8 ,yes1 ,i think we do1 returned the other1 with a little laugh4 ,at least we know quite enough4 ,then ,i cannot understand how you can stay and do what you are doing with my people4 ,my friend1 replied the missionary1 drawing his chair nearer to the other and speaking from the depths of a full heart1 ,it is like this1 ,jesus ,christ left ,his home in heaven to suffer and die for us--for me4 ,the love that made ,him do that ,he has given to me and those with me4 ,it is this ,,love that makes us do all this for your people4 ,you mean then that you are just following in ,jesus ,christ's steps--just doing as ,he did8 ,yes1 came the answer quietly1 just that4 ,will you follow ,him too8 ,there was a firm and set purpose in ,dr4 ,dwan's face as1 after a moment's pause1 he said gravely3 ,yes1 ,i will1 ,i will follow the ,lord ,jesus4 99 99 99 ,this man counted not the cost2 he simply saw the ,gleam and faced for it4 ,little did he dream how short and stormy the path would be that led from the ,gleam to the ,glory beyond4 99,part ,,ii4 ,,from ,,gleam ,,to ,,glory499 ,the ,son of ,god goes forth to war ,a kingly crown to gain2 ,his blood-red banner streams afar3 ,who follows in ,his train8 ,who best can drink his cup of woe1 ,triumphant over pain1 ,who patient bears his cross below-- ,he follows in ,his train4 ,when ,dr4 ,dwan informed his family that he had become a ,christian1 or as they put it1 become a slave of the foreigners1 it was as if a thunder-bolt had fallen in their midst4 ,the first step the doctor felt he must take as master of his own home1 was to destroy the household gods4 ,while the first ones were being torn down1 the family were too terror-stricken to offer any resistance1 but by the time the kitchen god was reached ,mrs4 ,dwan had somewhat recovered her senses and stood before the stove over which the god was pasted1 prepared to fight4 ,firmly1 without undue violence1 her husband put her aside1 and1 securing the god crumpled all together in his hands1 7for they were made of paper71 he faced the crowd which filled the court2 here1 for almost an hour the brave man preached with intense earnestness of the love of the ,one ,true ,god in giving ,his ,son for them4 ,he then kindled the gods and burnt them before the crowd1 who1 when all was over1 dispersed1 but with black looks and ominously quiet4 ,for many months ,dr4 ,dwan labored among his neighbors and through the whole region trying to win men to his new faith1 but public opinion was too strongly against him4 ,it was universally believed1--by his family as well as outsiders--that the foreigners had bewitched him and that the gods would certainly wreak their vengeance upon him4 ,strange to say1 what followed1 tended to strengthen them in this belief4 ,a railway1 which had recently been built by foreigners1 passed over part of ,dr4 ,dwan's land4 ,one day1 soon after he had come out as a ,christian1 one of the doctor's hired men was ploughing a piece of this land with a yoke of oxen 7or mules74 ,when crossing the rails1 and blinded by a dust-storm which was blowing1 the man did not notice the train which struck and killed both animals1 though the heathen hired man remained uninjured4 ,the most precious possession a man can have in ,china1 next to a son1 is a grandson4 ,dr4 ,dwan had one such treasure2 a fine healthy child1 he was the pride and joy of both grandparents4 ,soon after the above accident had come to try the new ,christian's faith1 this child took ill suddenly and died4 ,we can only imagine what a tremendous test this must have been to the grandfather's faith4 ,shortly after the grandchild's death the eldest son purchased an animal at a fair2 after it had been put with the other animals it was discovered to have a distemper1 and1 though at once removed the mischief was done1 for a few days later most of the doctor's animals were dead4 ,they were indeed dark days1 and through all these special testings which ,i have mentioned1 was the unceasing nagging and at times violent raging of his wife2 but later the testimony was given that through it all ,dr4 ,dwan's faith in ,god never flinched4 ,when feeling the need of help and encouragement1 a visit to his friend the foreign doctor1 never failed to give fresh courage4 ,but darker days were in store for him1 and he surely needed all the help his fellow ,christian could give4 ,one day a deputation waited upon him to ask for his contribution towards the village theatrical held in honor of the village god4 ,dr4 ,dwan received them courteously1 and endeavored to show them how impossible it was for him to give to such an object now that he worshipped the ,one ,only and ,true ,god4 ,when finally the deputation saw that they could not move him1 they left in anger1 threatening1 that since he chose to go against the will of the people1 he must take the consequences4 ,the price he had to pay for this stand we shall see4 ,a few days after the above took place1 the doctor's watchdogs were both found poisoned4 ,the ,chinese depend very much upon these dogs for protection against thieves1 who are everywhere in this land4 ,from this on the neighbors carried on a system of petty thieving of the doctor's property which continued till within a short time of his death4 ,the village people1 as is general in ,china1 worked their farms on the co-operative plan1 at least to the extent of sharing as common property many necessary farming implements4 ,when ,dr4 ,dwan came to require these as was his right1 they were refused4 ,patients ceased to come1 and calls from a distance became a thing of the past4 ,in a hundred ways he was subject to petty persecution4 ,when these failed to bring him to his senses1 more serious action was planned4 ,one day when the doctor was away from home1 the news reached him that his barn and dispensary had been set on fire and burned4 ,a few months later1 just before the wheat harvest1 his wheat field was set on fire4 ,and through it all he stood alone with his ,god1--never shrinking1 never doubting4 ,then1 as if ,god saw he needed but the final refining1 malignant cancer of the throat brought his body low4 ,it was then that the tide of ,public ,opinion seemed to turn4 ,his wife even began to show signs of real change4 ,she no longer opposed her husband1 but it was not till much later that she seemed to be really converted4 ,the eldest son1 who had all along been secretly with his father1 now came out boldly as a ,christian2 and from the time when ,dr4 ,blank gave his verdict that ,dr4 ,dwan could not live1 he devoted himself to his father endeavoring in every possible way to make up for the past4 ,even his heathen neighbors began to ask themselves1 ,have we done this man wrong8 ,the missionaries from ,w---- made frequent visits to the dying ,christian1 and as every detail of these visits was discussed by all the villagers 7everything is done openly in this land7 there is little doubt but that the love and interest shown by the foreigners on these visits had much to do with the rapidly changed attitude towards ,christianity4 ,before ,dr4 ,dwan passed away1 he had the joy of hearing that his two sons1 his elder son's wife1 as well as several of his neighbors had become ,christians4 ,as this saint's last struggle ended and his last breath was drawn1 we can almost hear the welcome that awaited him1 and the ,saviour's voice as ,he said1--,well done good and faithful servant--enter thou into the joy of thy ,lord4 99 99 99 ,within three years of ,dr4 ,dwan's death1 the writer witnessed the destruction of the village ,temple4--destroyed by ,,public ,,consent that the materials might be used in building a ,christian ,church on the outskirts of the village1 the land on which the ,church was built being given by one of the men who so bitterly persecuted the first ,christian4 ,it was in this little village ,church the writer heard some of the finest personal testimonies she has ever heard4 ,it was the last of a week's special meetings1 the leader had given opportunity for any who wished to give a personal testimony2 in an instant a poor working man was on his feet1 as if afraid lest others would get ahead of him4 ,this is what he said3 ,please1 ,pastor1 ,i want to tell how ,i know ,god answers prayer4 ,i was wheeling a barrow full of coal down a steep place the other evening when it broke down4 ,i did not dare leave my barrow or the coal would be stolen1 and ,i did not dare stay there or ,i would freeze1 so ,i just knelt down by the roadside and asked ,god to send some one to help me4 ,as ,i was praying a man came along1 and seeing me on my knees called to know what ,i was doing4 ,i told him ,i was asking my ,god to send me some one to help me mend my barrow4 ,the man then said1 ,your ,god has certainly heard you this time for ,i'm a carpenter and ,i have my tools with me1 so come along4 ,he mended my barrow and helped me down the hill4 ,now ,i do know ,god answers prayer4 ,before the man was seated1 young ,mrs4 ,dwan had risen4 ,putting the little baby she had been holding in the arms of the woman next to her1 she stood erect with quiet dignity and speaking in a low but clear voice that all could hear1 she said3 ,pastor1 ,i too wish to tell how ,i know ,god answers prayer4 ,the first days of these meetings ,i received such a great blessing ,i longed to help some one else to know ,christ1 but ,i had so many duties with my little children and my home ,i could not go out1 so ,i just kept praying as ,i went about my work1 ',lord1 make the people go to the ,church1' over and over again4 ,now1 hasn't ,he heard my prayers8 ,and with a look of triumph she waved her hand first to the women's side and then to the men's1 saying as she did so1--,look there1 and there6 ,the building was packed1 aisles1 window seats1 even the windows were banked with faces1 all listening quietly and attentively4 ,and now the closing scene4 ,the day following the above-mentioned meetings1 a number of ,christians and a crowd of not unsympathetic villagers1 gathered about ,dr4 ,dwan's grave and erected to his memory a stone slab4 ,well might it have recorded on it that his path had been by way of the ,cross1 from his first ,gleam of the true ,light to his entrance into the ,glory beyond4 99,,sketch ,,ii99 99,characters ,from ,one ,village99 ,part #a--,,wang-,,ee4 ,part #b--,,wang-,,ee',s ,,neighbors4 99,characters ,from ,one ,village99 99,part ,i4 ,,wang-,,ee499 ,the large and prosperous village of ,ta-kwan-chwang is situated twelve miles southeast of ,changte4 ,as in most villages in ,china it had its best1 or head-man1 and its worst character--the leader of the worst element4 ,in this case the former was ,wang-ee2 the latter a man named ,liang4 ,in ,december of --1 a ,men's ,bible ,class was being conducted at the main station by ,mr4 ,m---- when to the surprise of all1 this notoriously bad ,liang was led in by one of the ,christians who begged that he might be permitted to join the class as he was breaking off opium and wanted to be a good man4 ,as the days passed poor ,liang seemed incapable of taking in anything4 ,he slept most of the time1 would fall asleep the moment ,mr4 ,m---- began speaking1 and his snores1 to say the least1 were most disturbing4 ,at last the missionary's patience became exhausted when an unusually loud snore reached his ears4 ,liang was told he had better leave as his presence was useless to himself and disturbing to others4 ,the man returned home apparently much crestfallen1 and all thought he would never return2 but a deeper work than others knew of had begun in him4 ,on his return home his changed life became the talk of the village4 ,wang-ee1 the headman1 who was probably the wealthiest farmer in the region1 heard of ,liang's becoming a ,christian1 and of his wonderfully changed life4 ,he talked with ,liang and soon became interested4 ,the ,missionary1 ,mr4 ,g----1 hearing of the movement in this village1 was preparing to pay them a visit when he received the following letter from ,wang-ee4 ,honorable teacher ,keo1--,i hear you are planning to visit me1--do not come6 ,when ,i get one hundred others to believe as ,i do ,i will come to you--not before4 ,this message awakened much interest in the man1 and day by day he was remembered in prayer4 ,several weeks passed when one day ,wang-ee appeared at the missionary's door1--a typical1 burly1 well-to-do farmer4 ,he lost no time in coming to his point4 ,the first greetings over1 he said1 ,i want to see through your home4 ,may ,i8 ,the missionary led him through each room4 ,the sewing machine puzzled him--not till it had been opened and examined inside would he believe but that a witch had made such stitches4 ,when at last the kitchen was reached ,wang-ee turned and said abruptly1 but is there nothing more8 ,no1 replied ,mr4 ,g----1 nothing except the cellar4 ,the cellar6 ,wang-ee exclaimed1 why that is what ,i wanted to see most of all4 ,down they went4 ,then he began a vigorous search1 the book boxes1 then the coal and inside of the furnace was examined1 then1 when apparently satisfied1 he faced the missionary1 saying3 ,well1 we ,chinese are liars4 ,a neighbor of mine told me he had seen in your cellar great crocks filled with children's flesh salted down4 ,the two returned to the study1 when a long and earnest talk followed1 at the close of which ,wang-ee asked to have his name recorded as a probationer4 ,some days later ,wang-ee reappeared leading a large band of the chief men of his village4 ,these he insisted on personally conducting through the house4 ,on reaching the cellar ,wang-ee became much excited4 ,now look everywhere1 he urged1 look now1 see if there are any of those dead children you told me of4 ,will you ever lie to me about these missionaries again8 ,the men seemed very humble and not at all resentful4 ,later ,wang-ee took them all into the city and treated them to a good dinner before returning home4 ,nor was this all4 ,a few days passed when again ,wang-ee appeared--this time with a large wheeled cart drawn by six mules1 and loaded down with women1 all the women he could coax to come4 ,these he led through the same process of enlightenment as the men4 ,this time ,wang-ee's face was a study1 beaming as it was with delight as he saw the women's fears giving way to astonishment and delight at what they saw4 ,with one or two exceptions all of these women became ,christians4 ,within a very short time a flourishing little church existed in ,wang-ee's village4 ,year by year the church grew till the cloudburst of #aijj4 ,most1 if not all the ,christians suffered in that terrible time of persecution1--,wang-ee lost heavily1--animals and grain were stolen1 his life threatened1 but he remained faithful4 99 99 99 ,the storm passed4 ,the missionaries returned1 work was reorganized4 ,the ,chinese ,government ordered indemnity to be given to the ,christians for their losses4 ,then1 like many others1 ,wang-ee1 though brave and faithful in peril and persecution1 fell under prosperity4 ,he gave in false estimates of his losses and received in proportion4 ,god knew1 though the missionaries did not4 ,year by year the church at ,ta-kwau-chwang declined4 ,then came a time of wonderful revival at ,changte4 ,wang-ee sent his son to the meetings4 ,the missionary missed his old friend and sent the son home to bring his father4 ,when ,wang-ee arrived he met ,mr4 ,g---- with1 ,why did you send for me8 ,i am too old and1 anyway1 ,i've no sins to confess4 ,that night poor ,wang-ee seemed shaken as by a tempest4 ,hour after hour he wept4 ,those in the same room with him knew not what to do--for ,wang-ee would say nothing4 ,when morning came ,wang-ee sent a message to ,mr4 ,g----1 saying1 ,oh1 ,pastor1 give me a chance to confess before the meeting1 ,i can't bear this1 ,i will burst4 ,the missionary met ,wang-ee a little later near the church door4 ,with their arms around each other1 and tears flowing freely they entered the building4 ,reaching the platform ,wang-ee cast himself down on his knees weeping bitterly4 ,for several moments nothing could be heard but the man's sobs and sympathetic weeping throughout the audience4 ,at last he made a full confession4 ,he told how the church had gone down1 down1 and how when the missionary would question him as to the cause he would reply1 ,the time for blessing has not come4 ,he took the whole blame upon himself4 ,he said it was not until he had come to the meetings that his eyes had been opened to the fact that he had been deceiving himself and trying to deceive ,god and man4 ,he promised full restitution and kept his promise4 ,from that time ,wang-ee's ,christian character grew more and more in the likeness of his ,master4 ,he is now an old man of well-nigh eighty1 ready for the call--beloved and honored by his fellow-,christians and surrounded by his family to the fourth generation4 99,part ,,ii4 ,,wang-,,ee's ,,neighbors499 ,the great plain of ,north-,central ,china stretches for six hundred miles ,north and ,south4 ,the villages are for the most part as thick as the homesteads in the more thickly populated districts of ,western ,ontario4 ,it was while visiting in one of these villages1 ,ta-kwan-chwang1 that the writer came to know and love the characters sketched here4 ,first there comes to mind ,wang-ee's aunt1 the leading woman of her class1 the one who chaperoned the women's party on their first visit to the missionary's home4 ,she was the first woman to be baptized and was always for years1 till called ,home1 the one who most delighted in extending to us the hospitality of her home4 ,then there was ,wang-ee's gentle frail little wife1 a striking contrast to the strong-minded1 masterful personality of the aunt4 ,this little woman seemed to spend her time sitting on a low stool in front of the great family caldron or pot in which the food was cooked4 ,as she fed the fire with long1 dried corn-stalks she directed her household1 her sons and daughters-in-law1 her grand-children1 and later even great grand-children1 not in the loud and stormy tones usually heard in heathen homes1 but with a quiet dignity and self-command which often astonished the writer4 ,what a monotonous life hers was6 ,day after day1 year after year the same6 ,no summer holidays for her6 ,was it much wonder she appeared always like a worn-out1 tired-out human machine8 ,her faith was the faith of a little child1 but she seemed incapable of fixing her mind on herself1 so long and systematically had she thought of others4 ,she1 too1 has passed on4 ,then there comes ,mrs4 ,lee--one of the first to accept ,christ4 ,long standing eye trouble was fast destroying her eyesight1 to save which she came to the women's hospital at ,changte4 ,her one earnest request was that she might be permitted to hold the writer's hand during the operation1 which was performed without chloroform4 ,when all was over1 she rose and said1 ,oh1 ,jesus was beside me through it all4 ,among the first converts in this village were two women1 widows of two brothers4 ,for years these women had never allowed the burning incense to become extinguished before the family tablets4 ,they were both earnest devotees of a heathen religious sect4 ,these women accepted ,christ as their ,saviour at the same time4 ,the elder whom we called ,sung-ta-sao had a wonderful answer to prayer early in her ,christian life4 ,a young nephew whom she was bringing up as her own 7she was childless7 became critically ill with enlarged spleen1 a terribly fatal disease4 ,hearing of another ,christian having had her child restored to health in answer to prayer when the doctor had pronounced him past hope1 she gave herself to prayer for her nephew who was completely restored4 ,this proof of the reality and power of ,god made a deep impression on the band of young ,christians4 ,it was the second ,mrs4 ,sung1 however1 who was next to ,wang-ee himself1 the character of the village4 ,i shall not attempt to describe her appearance1 especially as she looked when in winter garb1 her clothes being quite as heavily wadded as a bed quilt1 but undoubtedly she could truthfully say as another old lady said when seeing her photo for the first time1 ,i'm certainly the most unbeautifulest woman under heaven4 ,from the time of her conversion she was eager to preach the ,gospel1 but her appearance was against her4 ,miss ,m---- tried again and again to use her as a ,bible woman4 ,then ,i tried her1 but in vain4 ,she could not hold an audience for five minutes4 ,and yet of all our ,christian women she was the most earnest4 ,she could support herself and was entirely free1 being motherless1 so she had to return home1 and for years did what she could in her own region4 ,then one day she came to our lady doctor and begged that she might have a place to spread her bed so that she might work among the women patients and try to lead them to ,jesus4 ,the doctor hesitated1 knowing the merriment her appearance caused1 but decided to try her4 ,that was more than three years ago1 and ,mrs4 ,sung is still working faithfully among the patients4 ,she found her nook4 ,she keeps herself1 and is as happy as the day is long in teaching the women to pray and learn the simple ,gospel leaflets4 ,her face so shines with joy and contentment as to appear almost lovely to those who know her4 ,there are others worthy of being introduced to you1 my reader1 but there is room for only one more4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,wang-chang-ling were among the earliest believers4 ,mrs4 ,wang was slow to learn4 ,how could she be otherwise1 never having read a word in her life1 accustomed to the hardest toil in the fields and in the home1 her face and hands showing only too plainly what privation and hardship she had come through1 and then at fifty years of age trying to master the ,christian ,catechism4 ,it is no wonder she would sigh and say1 ,i shall never learn to read1 and then in her characteristic way look up and say1 ,but never mind1 ,i can pray anyway6 ,she always had a bright smile of welcome1 and would take one's hand and thank us again and again for coming4 ,then the ,boxer uprising came4 ,both ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,wang-,chang-ling suffered greatly4 ,the ,boxers came to their home1 bound and carried off the husband4 ,for days the wife knew not what had become of him4 ,he suffered much at the hands of his captors1 but finally made his escape4 ,for three months he was driven from place to place1 until nigh unto death1 but as he testified ,god never left him1 and always provided a way of escape and raised up friends when most needed and least expected4 ,while he was fleeing for his life his wife suffered too4 ,the soldiers came1 bound her1 and carried her off to the ,changte official4 ,she afterwards testified that when being taken away thus1 not knowing but that even death awaited her1 she felt so happy she could not keep from singing4 ,she was beaten two hundred blows to make her tell where her husband was4 ,then her finger was twisted1 but she remained firm and true through it all4 ,on our return in #ai-- the writer cannot forget1 though many years have since passed1 the joy of meeting these dear people1 but it was but a short meeting4 ,both husband and wife died shortly after within a few days of each other1 both witnessing triumphantly the hope of the ,christians to the ,life ,everlasting4 ,they shall hunger no more1 neither thirst any more2 neither shall the sun light on them nor any heat4 ,for the ,lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them1 and shall lead them into living fountains of waters3 and ,god shall wipe away all tears from their eyes4 99,,sketch ,,iii99 99,the ,man ,who ,proved ,god99 ,him that honoreth ,me ,i will honor4 99,the ,man ,who ,proved ,god99 ,him that honoreth ,me ,i will honor4 ,the last of a long stream of patients had just gone4 ,it was five o'clock and the tired doctor turned his face once more towards the rear of the ,mission ,compound1 where lay his beloved garden1 his one source of relaxation after a day spent in fighting disease and death4 ,to-day as he reached the inner gate1 something1 shall we not more truly say1 ,someone1 seemed to make him turn about1 and he retraced his steps1 he knew not why2 back past the dispensary door he went till he had reached the main gateway4 99 99 99 ,two men carrying a stretcher upon which lay a sick man1 came staggering along the road leading past the ,mission premises4 ,they were evidently not in the best of humor1 for as they mopped their streaming brows1 frequent oaths escaped them4 ,suddenly1 as the ,mission gate was reached1 they dropped their burden with a cruel thud upon the ground1 for both bearers had caught sight of the foreigner coming up to the gate4 ,this was by far too interesting a sight to miss1 so both men squatted down opposite the gate to rest while they watched with keenest interest this foreign man of whom they had heard many wonderful stories1 but whom they had never seen4 ,the doctor1 with true instinct1 walked straight to the sick man and raised the cloth covering his face4 ,hardened as he was to all kinds of cases1 what he saw evidently shocked him1 for he gave an exclamation of surprise4 ,where are you taking him8 he asked the bearers4 ,home1 was the reply4 ,but do you know he will certainly die8 ,that's certain1 was the answer4 ,we were just considering as we came up whether we would not just bury him as he is1 for neither of us cares to stand for forty li more 7#ad miles7 what we have stood those last forty li4 ,the doctor knew well it meant for him many months of hard fighting with a most loathsome disease1 with only a bare chance of success1 yet in the spirit of his ,master he did not hesitate but said1 ,give him to me4 ,if he can be saved1 ,i'll save him4 ,if he dies1 he will have proper burial4 ,after consulting together for a few moments the men turned to the doctor and said1 ,you can have him4 ,so the man was carried into the hospital4 ,the following day1 at the missionaries' noon prayer-meeting much interest was roused as the doctor told of his strange leading the day before and of the result4 ,earnest prayer rose for ,lu ,yung ,kwan1 the sick man1 whose past history made his case seem the more hopeless4 ,he had been a professional juggler 7about as low in the scale as one could well get71 and had lived a very depraved life4 ,the history of the year that followed could better be told by the doctor or his colleague who worked1 rather fought for the man's salvation1 both soul and body4 ,but the day came when he went from the ,mission ,hospital healed in body and a professed follower of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,twice in the months that followed ,lu ,yung ,kwan fell2 the second time he went back to his old life so deep and so long his ,mission friends almost despaired of him4 ,but ,god had mercy on him1 and he rose as the future proved1 a new creation in ,christ ,jesus4 ,barely has there been a more striking illustration of ,paul's words1 ,put off the old man with his deeds1 than ,lu ,yung ,kwan's after life4 ,he opened a small bakery and food shop where many passed to and fro with their barrows of coal1 the coal pits being in the region4 ,he was the only ,christian in the region4 ,on his counter was always a place for ,christian books and tracts2 and he was ever on the alert to take advantage of the curiosity and interest these awakened1 and to bear witness to what the ,lord had done for him4 ,from the first opening of his business he determined to obey the injunction of ,malachi #c3aj1--;,bring ye the whole tithe 444 and prove me now 444 saith ,jehovah of ,hosts1 if ,i will not open you the windows of heaven1 and pour you out a blessing1 that there shall not be room enough to receive it4 ,he not only gave a tithe of all he made to the ,lord1 but put aside for ,him one cash in every hundred1 ,just to bless the rest4 ,he married a bright ,christian girl1 who proved herself a true helpmeet to him4 ,four children came to bless their home2 one girl whom they named ,glory1 and three boys1 ,paul1 ,luke and ,joseph4 ,one day when visiting near their home1 the writer asked the second boy1 whom she met on the street1 his name4 ,he answered1 ,my name is the ,gospel according to ,luke6 ,it is not too much to say that the ,lord prospered this man in all that he did4 ,as an example of this3--,one year almost famine conditions prevailed through ,lu ,yung ,kwan's region1 when the missionary paid a visit to the little band of ,christians which had gathered around this faithful witnesser to the ,truth4 ,one day ,mr4 ,lu and the ,missionary went for a walk4 ,noticing a fine field of wheat in striking contrast to the almost dead fields of grain surrounding it1 the missionary asked to whom it belonged4 ,mr4 ,lu replied that it was his1 and quietly remarked1 ,that is how the ,lord blesses me4 ,some time later when the writer was visiting near his home1 ,mr4 ,lu called upon her when he told her the story of his life4 ,one thing he said was1 ,i know now why the ,lord allowed me to fall twice4 ,i was too self-confident4 ,i had to learn that ,christ must be all and ,i nothing4 ,only a few months later the call came to meet his ,master4 ,he glorified the ,lord in his death as in his life2 he died in full assurance of ,eternal ,life4 ,he left behind his widow and children comfortably provided for1 and a band of ,christians to testify to ,god's faithfulness in opening as ,he had promised windows of blessing for the man who dared to prove ,him4 99 99 99 ,before closing this sketch ,i would like to record an incident which occurred some years after her husband's death in which ,mrs4 ,lu proved to be a veritable ,god-send to the writer4 ,to be understood the story must be told somewhat in detail4 ,returning to our station from an unusually strenuous autumn's touring1 ,i planned as usual to give the month of ,december to the children's sewing1 so as to leave ,january free for a ,woman's ,bible ,training ,class1 but my health broke down and strive as ,i could scarcely any headway was made with thirty-five or forty garments which had to be made by the time the children returned to their school in ,chefoo4 ,by the #ahth of ,december the ,january class had to be cancelled and word was sent to all the women who were to attend with one exception--,mrs4 ,lu1 and she was overlooked6 ,as the days passed the burden of the almost untouched sewing became very great till ,i was forced to cry to the ,lord for a way out of the difficulty4 ,on ,december #bhth1 while leading the ,chinese ,woman's ,prayer meeting1 ,i noticed ,mrs4 ,lu in the audience and at once knew she had come from her distant home over rough mountain roads with her little child for the class which was cancelled4 ,feeling very sorry for the thoughtlessness which had given her the needless trouble and expense ,i invited her to my home and gave her some money for a barrow to take herself and child home the following day4 ,i then sat down to the sewing machine while ,mrs4 ,lu stood beside and watched4 ,in a few moments she said1 ,you look very tired4 ,let me run the machine for you4 ,i looked at her in amazement1 and said1 ,you run the machine8 ,why you don't know how4 ,yes ,i do1 she replied4 ,i joined a band of women in our village and had a machine brought and we all learned to run it4 ,just try me4 ,as ,i gave her first easy and then more and more difficult things to do and saw how she did them perfectly1 ,i felt awed at the plainness of ,god's leading1 for there was only one other ,chinese woman1 as far as ,i knew1 in our whole ,changte field who could run the sewing machine4 ,but again came a test of faith1 for when ,i asked her to stay and help me with the sewing she replied that she must return home on the morrow4 ,puzzled and disappointed ,i could only again ask the ,lord to undertake1 and again ,i proved ,his faithfulness4 ,that night a fierce storm1 lasting several days1 came on1 making the roads quite impassable4 ,mrs4 ,lu1 finding herself storm-tied1 gladly gave all her time to me4 ,the roads remained impassable for a whole month1 during which time all the sewing was finished and ,i had not needed to sit down to the machine once6 ,they shall abundantly utter the memory of ,thy great ,goodness4 99,,sketch ,,iv99 99,opening a ,new ,station99 ,part #a--,,the ,,missionary',s ,,home4 ,part #b--;,,as ,,rain ,,from ,a ,,clear ,,sky4 ,part #c--,,sowing ,,before ,,the ,,storm4 99,opening a ,new ,station99 99,part ,i4 ,,the ,,missionary',s ,,home499 ,wee ,nell's eyes had closed at last1 and the tired mother rising from the child's bedside crossed the cement floor to the adjoining room1 where a boy of six was busily engaged drawing on a blackboard to the evident delight of his little sister4 ,my boy1 said his mother1 baby has just gone to sleep and must not be disturbed4 ,these constant crowds of women keep her from proper rest1 so run out with your little sister to the back compound and play4 ,as the children disappeared1 the mother prepared to cut out some little garments1 but scarcely had she taken scissors in hand when suddenly she laid them down again1 and stood listening4 ,in the distance could be heard the noisy shouts of a band of cotton gleaners4 ,would they come in8 she asked herself4 ,then1 as they could be heard sweeping through the front gateway1 she pushed her work to one side exclaiming aloud1 ,oh1 dear1 dear1 how can ,i ever get the children's clothes made6 ,if only a rainy day would come ,i might get something made4 ,patience1 patience1 her husband's voice came through the study door4 ,these crowds will not last indefinitely1 so do your best to reach them while you may4 ,before he had finished speaking his wife's voice could be heard greeting the crowd in the courtyard4 ,please sit down here in the shade and rest1 do sit down1 see1 here are benches and mats1 she urged as they crowded about her1 a wild unruly mob4 ,we have come to see1 cried a dozen voices at once4 ,i know you have1 she replied1 trying to speak so as not to waken the baby and yet be heard above the din of voices4 ,i really cannot let you inside unless you first sit down and listen to what ,i have to say4 ,then as they still hesitated she continued1 ,if you will sit down and listen1 ,i will promise to let you inside and show you everything4 ,this promise had the desired effect--down they sat on mats1 some on benches1--a few timid ones kept close to the gate so as to be ready to flee at the first approach of danger6 ,as the mother tried to tell them why she had come--of a ,saviour from sin--of a hope after death1 some listened intently and seemed to get a gleam of light1 but for the most part the crowd was restless and keen only to get inside the house about which they had heard so many strange stories4 ,at last baby ,nell wakened1 and making the fact known by lusty cries1 gave the women the opportunity they desired4 ,as the mother ran to her little one the crowd of forty or fifty women and children pressed in after her4 ,with the baby in her arms the mother faithfully kept her promise4 ,nothing escaped their curious eyes--beds were turned back1 drawers opened1 sewing machine examined1 and organ played before they appeared satisfied4 ,whereupon they rushed off as quickly as they had come1 saying to one another1 ,the foreign devil woman does not seem as bad as people say she is4 ,others said1 ,but who knows1 you can never judge by appearances6 ,half an hour later the husband returned from the man's preaching to find his wife in tears4 ,why1 what's wrong8 he asked4 ,oh1 everything1 his wife replied between her sobs4 ,i just can't bear it4 ,you don't know how they despise me and what terrible things they are saying4 ,besides when ,i came back to my work ,i found they had carried off my last pair of scissors and part of the material ,i was making a dress of4 ,that is not all4 ,the cook has just been in to say that several teaspoons are missing4 ,tut1 tut1 replied her husband1 man-like4 ,that's nothing4 ,why they are only things anyway6 ,a few days later came the missionary's turn to need sympathy4 ,he came in from the front looking pale and apparently quite worn out4 ,i tell you what1 wife1 he said1 ,i cannot stand this strain much longer without help6 ,if ,i only had a good preacher to put in charge of the preaching hall1 ,i could get along2 but with lime to weigh1 bricks to count1 wood and timber to measure1 and all the ,mission accounts to keep1 besides the oversight of all these workmen1 and the preaching to these crowds of men that are coming daily1 well--,i just must get help4 ,he went into his study1 but returned a moment later with an open ,bible in his hand4 ,pointing to these words1 ,my ,god shall supply all your need1 he said1 ,wife1 do we really believe this8 ,if we do1 then let us join in asking ,god to meet this pressing need of ours for an evangelist4 ,but how is it possible1 returned his wife4 ,we have not got even one convert yet1 and have promised the other stations not to ask help of them as they are undermanned8 ,true1 but ,god is able to fulfil ,his own promises4 ,as the husband prayed1 the wife thought1 but1 oh1 how can help come4 ,it is as if we were praying for rain from a clear sky4 ,two days later the answer did come1--not1 indeed1 as they expected1 but above all they could have thought4 ,the story of this must be left for our next sketch4 99,part ,,ii4 ,,as ,,rain ,,from ,a ,,clear ,,sky499 ,call upon me in the day of trouble and ,i will deliver thee1 and thou shalt glorify me4 ,a poor broken opium slave lay on a kang or brick bed with only a thin straw mat between his emaciated form and the cold bricks4 ,his livid color1 with the peculiar dark shade of the moderate opium user1 his sunken cheeks and labored breathing1 all betokened the man had reached the stage when only a miracle could save him4 ,beside him stood a missionary1 who was saying earnestly as he laid his hand kindly on the man's shoulder3 ,wang ,pu ,lin1 ,i tell you ,god can save you4 ,no1 no1 ,pastor1 the man replied sadly1 ,it's no use4 ,i've tried and failed too often4 ,i believe all you preach1 but what is the use of believing when this opium binds me as with iron chains8 ,even ,pastor ,hsi's ,refuge failed to cure me4 ,no no1 don't waste your time on me4 ,i'm beyond hope4 ,and the man turned again to his opium4 ,but the missionary was not the kind to be so easily rebuffed4 ,the next day found ,wang ,pu ,lin and the missionary on the ,mission court en route for the station of ,chu ,wang4 ,for ten awful days ,wang ,pu ,lin's body1 mind and soul hung in the balance4 ,the missionaries united in doing all that was possible to relieve the man's agonies4 ,it was on the tenth night the crisis came4 ,many times later ,wang ,pu ,lin told how that night he went out when in bitter agony into the darkness4 ,to his distorted brain there appeared to him a horrible being urging him to jump the wall and get relief once more in opium4 ,as he stood wavering a voice seemed to call to him1 ,wang ,fu ,lin1 ,wang ,fu ,lin1 beware6 ,yield now and you are lost4 ,as he heard this voice he made one desperate effort1 crying aloud1 ,oh1 ,god1 help me4 ,i will die rather than yield4 ,staggering back to his brick bed he threw himself upon it and slept till morning4 ,he wakened1 as the future proved1 a new and victorious man4 99 99 99 ,three years passed4 ,the missionary at the new station is facing the crisis described in our last sketch4 ,help must come in the shape of an evangelist1 or he would break down4 ,the spiritual wireless is set in motion4 ,the cry for aid is heard4 ,and help is sent truly as rain from a clear sky4 ,during the three years since his deliverance from the opium1 ,wang ,fu ,lin and his family had had a bitter struggle for existence4 ,as a ,christian he could no longer make a living by street story telling and the keeping of low opium dives1 and every effort to get honest employment had failed4 ,at last he determined to seek a position in the city of ,changte1 to reach which he must needs pass by the ,mission where the missionary was then facing his crisis4 ,wang ,fu ,lin called on the missionary as he was passing4 ,but no one could have looked less like an answer to their prayers4 ,still fearfully emaciated1 racked with a cough which ere long would end his life1 dressed in almost beggar rags1 the poor fellow presented a pitiable spectacle4 ,but the ,lord seeth not as man seeth4 ,after consulting together the missionary and his wife determined to try him for a few days--for he could at least testify to the power of ,god to change and keep the lowest opium slave4 ,within an hour or two of his entering the ,mission gate1 apparently a beggar1 ,wang ,fu ,lin was cleansed and clothed in a ,chinese outfit of the missionary's1 and was seated in the men's chapel preaching to a crowded audience4 ,from that very first day of his ministry1 there was no doubt of his being a messenger sent by ,god4 ,he had in a wonderful degree the power and unction of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,he had natural gifts as a speaker1 and these had been developed during the many years of street story telling4 ,now all was consecrated to the one object--the winning of souls to ,christ4 ,he seemed to be conscious that his time was short1 and always spoke as a dying man to dying men4 ,from the very first men were won to ,christ2 the first being a native doctor of some note1 the second a wealthy land owner4 ,for three years during those early days of stress and strain1 he was spared to help in laying the foundations of the ,changte ,church4 ,then ,god took him4 ,though more than twenty years have passed since his death1 he is still remembered and spoken of as the ,spirit-filled preacher4 99,part ,,iii4 ,,sowing ,,before ,,the ,,storm499 ,the five years between #ahie and #aijj were years fraught with much danger and many difficulties to the missionaries at the new station at ,changte4 ,the anti-foreign1 anti-missionary attitude of the people was hard to live down4 ,it became quite a common thing for the missionary to be called hastily to the front to quiet a threatening crowd4 ,on one occasion the ,mission premises were practically surrounded by an unruly mob and for many hours the missionaries were in imminent peril4 ,one thing helped greatly in living this danger period down safely4 ,the missionaries of whom ,i have already written had moved from the poor1 unhealthy ,chinese house with the cement floor into a semi-foreign house1 the first of the kind to be built in that region4 ,as this house was being built they feared it might prove a barrier between themselves and the ,chinese1 and perhaps hinder the progress of the work which had begun to be very encouraging1 so they prayed that ,god would make their new home a blessing and a means of reaching the people still more1 and like so many of our prayers they came to see the answer lay largely with themselves--so they determined to allow all who wished1 to see through their home4 ,many thousands took advantage of this permission4 ,the high water mark in numbers was reached when eighteen hundred and thirty-five men passed through the missionary's home in one day4 ,many hundreds of women were received that same day by the wife and her colleague in the work4 ,on ordinary occasions the missionary had his wife play the organ for the bands of men he led through1 but on this particular occasion she was too much engaged with the women to do so4 ,the missionary therefore was forced to be his own organist4 ,though he did not know one note from another1 he could at least pull out all the stops1 lay his hands on as many notes as possible1 and pump the bellows vigorously4 ,the result called forth from admiring crowds the gratifying remark1 ,why he plays better than his wife6 ,the ,gospel was faithfully proclaimed to all who came4 ,the missionaries soon began to see good fruit from this plan of reaching the people4 ,during the second year at ,changte hundreds of students had come to the city for the tri-annual government examinations4 ,many of these visited and showed plainly their anti-foreign attitude--sometimes causing quite serious trouble4 ,before the next examinations came round1 three years later1 the missionary was well prepared for them4 ,at first they came as before full of self-satisfied convictions that they were quite superior representatives of the most superior race4 ,curiosity alone led them to the foreigner's home4 ,but no sooner would they catch sight of the large astronomical charts on the missionary's study wall than their attitude invariably changed4 ,the missionary knew well the importance of reserving his ammunition till the right moment6 ,the proudest of those scholars in face of those charts became like children4 ,as the man of ,god led them 7at their own request7 step by step on into the wonders of creation of which they knew nothing--often would come the cry1 ,teacher stop1 have pity on us--you make us feel like the man in the well who thought he saw the whole heavens6 ,the change that came over hundreds of these students was truly remarkable4 ,just one instance of the fruit of this work4 ,the missionary was touring far west of ,changte and stayed with his party at a certain inn4 ,the inn-keeper when asked for his bill as the party was leaving replied--,honorable teacher1 ,i could not accept anything from you4 ,my son was at the recent examinations at ,changte and has told me of his visit to your home and what you are doing for our people6 ,one day early in #ai-- three of the missionary's children were gathered in front of a curious looking chart tacked on the wall of the study4 ,it was a rough map of the ,changte field1 and over parts of the chart were red dots4 ,the eldest child was counting those red spots and had reached to forty-nine when his father entered4 ,oh1 father1 cried the boy1 just look1 there are almost fifty red places4 ,yes1 said his father1 ,and do you know dear children that every red mark means a place where one or more ,christians are1 and where the light of the ,gospel that can save men has entered8 ,oh1 won't it be lovely1 father1 when the whole map is red8 said a sweet fair-haired little girl as she threw her arras about her father's neck4 ,oh kind ,heavenly ,father1 who withheld from ,thy children's human sight what ,thou knewest was so soon to come upon them6 ,a few short weeks after the above scene the spirit of the little fair-haired child had returned to the ,god who gave it1 the missionaries even fleeing before their would-be murderers--the ,chinese ,christians scattered4 ,many throughout ,china1 both missionaries and ,chinese ,christians were witnessing a good confession even to cruel death for ,christ's sake4 ,so the blood of the martyrs became in ,china1 as in the early times1 the seed of the ,christian ,church in ,china4 99,,sketch ,v99 99,testing ,god99 ,a ,true ,incident4 99,testing ,god99 99,a ,,true ,,incident499 ,faith steps out on the seeming void and finds the ,rock beneath4 ,few in the home-land have any just conception of what it means for a missionary's wife with little children to engage in aggressive evangelistic effort for the reaching of her heathen sisters4 ,the following sketch which is true in every detail may serve to illustrate what a missionary mother must face when engaging in such work4 99 99 99 ,i simply cannot1 dare not1 go1 the wife was saying as her husband stood before her with a ,chinese letter in his hand4 ,the letter states plainly that an epidemic of smallpox has broken out in the very place we planned to go to4 ,if it were not for baby ,i would gladly go2 but supposing he should later take the smallpox and die8 and her voice ended with a sudden break4 ,but1 replied her husband1 ,i am perfectly sure that if we definitely trust ,him for the child ,god will not let him come to harm4 ,the ,christians are all expecting us1 and would it be right to show the white feather at the first appearance of danger8 ,how can we tell the ,chinese to trust ,god if we do not8 ,for an hour or more the mother went through a bitter struggle between her fears for her child and an impelling sense of duty towards her heathen sisters4 ,at last she determined to go1 but with fear and trembling lest the child should get the smallpox4 ,the following evening after bumping 7the only word to express the movement7 for eight hours in a springless cart over hills and stony roads1 the missionaries reached the village of ,hopei4 ,some distance outside the village a few ,christians were awaiting their arrival and escorted them through the darkness to the ,inn--each one anxious to help in getting their guests settled4 ,one carried the roll of bedding--two others the food box1 still another sought to get possession of the baby1 but the mother feared to part with him4 ,everything was piled in a promiscuous heap on the large brick platform which took up about half of the room which they were told was to be their living-room and women's preaching place as well4 ,the room was certainly not inviting2 the roof was broken in 7ceiling there was none71 the walls were black with the soot and dirt of generations1 and hard uneven lumpy earth did for floors4 ,furniture1 there was none--not even a table or chair4 ,the mother's first question was where can ,i keep the baby8 ,for answer she was led to an opening in the wall beyond which was a mud hole just large enough to spread their bedding1 but at the further end were several great rat holes6 ,a sudden desperate fear for her child took possession of the mother1 but pride kept her from letting her husband know her fears4 ,early the following morning the women and children from the surrounding country began crowding in4 ,by nine o'clock the room was packed to suffocation with a great crowd outside trying to get in4 ,all were clamoring to see and feel the foreign woman and her child4 ,these women knew absolutely nothing of the ,gospel1 and as the missionary mother looked into their rough1 ignorant1 sensual faces and thought how she had even risked the life of her precious child to come to them1 a great yearning came into her heart to be used of ,god to bring light to their dark minds4 ,for many hours a day she and her faithful ,bible woman preached to the ever changing crowd4 ,sometimes they were both in despair at the crush and confusion4 ,constantly could be seen children marked with smallpox carried in their mother's arms4 ,at times the atmosphere was so over-powering the mother could only cry to ,god to keep her from fainting4 ,though early in ,may the weather was very warm1 and the husband continually had the easier time for he had both light and air preaching as he did in the open court4 ,all through the week the baby had stood the confinement and conditions wonderfully4 ,when not asleep he would delight and win the women by his happy ways4 ,but ,saturday morning found him ill and feverish1 lying listless in his mother's arms4 ,the mother was for at once rushing home with him1 but her husband gently rebuked her lack of faith1 and reminded her of their promise to hold a communion service at a distant village on the morrow4 ,before day-break the next morning1 ,sunday1 all the missionary's party was astir1 and as the dawn was breaking they filed out of the yard through the quiet deserted streets into the country1 following a winding mountain path4 ,when at last the summit of quite a high hill was reached1 the missionary sent the rest of the party on ahead1 while he and his wife sat down with their sleeping child4 ,for a long time neither could break the silence1 their hearts were too full4 ,never will either forget the peace and beauty of that hour4 ,it was all intensified by the contrast with what they had left behind4 ,the mother could only think with horror of the darkness and dirt1 sin and suffering1 turmoil and unspeakable degradation in which they had lived for those six days4 ,but now it seemed as if they were in heaven itself4 ,oh1 the beauty of that scene6 ,to the east the sun was just appearing in all its height of glory4 ,to the north1 south1 and west1 rose mountains and hills still in shadow1 except for the tipping of the coming sun whose herald of glory lit up the eastern sky and plain which stretched out before them as far as the eye could reach4 ,it seemed there on that hill-top alone with ,god so easy to trust for the little one who was still feverish and ill4 ,but all too soon1 as it seemed1 they had to leave that quiet spot and go down into the valley--to the noise and confusion of the village where their ,sabbath ministry lay4 ,the following morning early they once more turned their faces homeward1 and as the mother saw the bright1 happy smile on her child's face1 the fever gone1 she pressed him to her with joy and thankfulness1 and there arose in her heart a cry for forgiveness that she had been so faithless and unbelieving4 ,this cruel self1 oh how it strives ,and works within my breast1 ,how many subtle forms it takes 99 99 99 99 ,as if it were not safe to rest ,and venture all on ,thee4 ,as years passed the mother's faith did grow1 but it was on ,god's faithfulness until she learnt it was safe to venture all on ,him4 ,dear fellow-mother in the homeland1 as you realize from these lines something of what it costs a mother in ,china to step out from her home to save her ,chinese sisters1 ask yourself ,could ,i do it8 ,oh1 my sisters1 criticize less and pray more for the missionary mothers of ,china4 99,,sketch ,,vi99 99,a ,christian ,general99 ,hope for ,china's ,soldiers4 99,a ,christian ,general99 99,,hope ,,for ,,china',s ,,soldiers499 7,the following letter was written on board river steamer immediately at the close of the visit to ,general ,feng's camp47 ,on ,board ,yangtze ,steamer1 ,september #b1 #aiai4 ,dear ,home ,friends3 ,about the beginning of ,july1 a very urgent message reached ,doctor ,goforth from ,general ,feng of ,chang-teh1 ,hunan1 asking for a mission among his troops4 ,the only possible time he had to give was the last week of ,august1 and the meetings were arranged for this time4 ,later the ,general telegraphed for me to come for meetings among the #gj or #hj officers' wives4 ,when the time drew near that we should have to leave ,chi ,kung ,shan for ,chang-teh1 word came that cholera was raging at places along the railway4 ,then the heat became so intense ,i was tempted to listen to some who urged me not to go4 ,but as ,i hesitated1 ,i was led to ,ecclesiastes #aa3d--;,he that observeth the wind shall not sow1 and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap4 ,how could ,i refuse to go1 in face of such a text8 ,if ,i had not gone1 what ,i would have missed6 ,the journey of one day by train and three by steamer was extremely hot4 ,it was as if we were in a ,turkish bath day and night4 ,we slept at night on the deck of the steamer4 ,on ,sunday afternoon1 ,aug4 #bdth1 we reached the house of ,mr4 ,caswell of the ,holiness ,mission4 ,it was amusing to read the ,general's letter written in ,english by his ,chinese ,english ,teacher1 in which he said to ,mr4 ,caswell1 ,i beg you to prepare the treatment for their coming4 ,general ,feng called within an hour of our arrival4 ,he is over six feet tall1 and every inch a ,general1 yet without a trace of the bombast so often seen in the higher-class ,chinese4 ,his manner is a curious and striking mixture of humility1 dignity1 and quiet power2 he has a handsome1 good face4 ,he at once impresses one as true and sincere1 a man to be trusted4 ,he has been a ,christian for six years4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,his ,,conversion4 ,the story of his conversion is most interesting1 but it is too long to give in detail4 ,in brief1 it is as follows3--,when a young fellow of sixteen1 he joined the army4 ,shortly after1 the ,boxer ,uprising broke out4 ,he was among those sent to put down the ,boxers at ,pao-ting-fu1 but his commanding officer was really in league with them4 ,one day he stood in a mission courtyard when the ,boxers came in4 ,a single lady missionary came out to meet them1 and pleaded for her own life and the lives of the others with her1 and with great power recounted what she and others had been doing for their people4 ,what she said touched the young soldier4 ,she and the others were spared then1 but he heard that they were all beheaded later4 ,soon after1 he was taken ill and treated at the mission hospital in ,peking4 ,on leaving1 he wanted to give money2 but the doctor said4 ,if you are truly grateful for what we have done for you1 then all ,i ask of you is to remember that there is our ,god in heaven ,who loves you4 ,later1 he was again obliged to go to hospital for treatment at a place far distant from the first one4 ,here the doctor1 on his leaving1 said almost exactly the same words--,remember there is a ,god in heaven ,who loves you4 ,some time after this1 the future ,general was in ,peking when ,dr4 ,mott was holding meetings4 ,he heard ,dr4 ,mott1 was much impressed1 signed one of the cards1 and joined a ,bible ,study ,class4 ,he was thus definitely started on the right road2 and1 though other circumstances combined to lead him to take an out-and-out stand1 he dated the beginning of his ,christian life from ,dr4 ,mott's visit4 ,,the ,,general',s ,,work4 ,before coming here to ,chang-teh1 we had heard a great deal of what marvels the ,general had accomplished in the year he has been here2 but what we have seen surpasses what we heard4 ,general ,feng has the welfare of his soldiers1 both body and soul1 at heart4 ,this is seen by the fact that he has put down vice of all kinds4 ,all bad resorts and their inmates are removed far from the camp4 ,no smoking1 drinking1 gambling1 or opium is allowed4 ,the officers1 including himself1 dress in the plainest gray cotton4 ,even the officers' wives are not allowed to wear silks1 but just plain cotton4 ,no foot-binding is allowed4 ,the ,general has arranged all sorts of athletic sports for officers and men4 ,there is a fine reading room2 the illiterate are taught to read4 ,there is a school for officers' wives taught by a ,christian lady1 the wife of one of the officers and a graduate of the ,peking ,girls' ,school4 ,there is an industrial school for women2 also an industrial school for men who are nearing the age limit of the army1 to teach them ways of earning a livelihood4 ,christian worship is taught and encouraged in every way4 ,one morning ,dr4 ,goforth and ,i had occasion to pass through several courtyards of the men's quarters just at breakfast time4 ,as we passed along1 we saw the men in groups standing before the food singing their morning hymn of thanksgiving4 ,and we were told by the missionaries living near the camp that every evening they can hear the soldiers singing their evening hymn4 ,sometimes it is1 ,oh1 come to my heart ,lord ,jesus2 there is room in my heart for ,thee--or ,pass me not1 ,o gentle ,saviour4 ,as the soldiers march along the street1 they sing ,christian hymns1 one of the favorites for marching being ,onward1 ,christian ,soldiers4 ,the ,general has a band1 and also a choir2 but ,i hardly know what to say about the quality of the singing and music generally4 ,i can only give my impression of it as ,i heard them in the ,assembly ,hall at one of the meetings4 ,the band1 organ and men all start at once on the third stroke of the baton1 no leading note being given4 ,every instrument in the band seemed to my ears to be tuned to a different key1 and every man seemed to sing without the least regard for the key of his neighbor4 ,all kept the tune1 as far as ,i could hear1 and all played or sang as loudly as they could bang1 toot1 or shout4 ,the general effect was deafening1 and to me almost appalling1 for there were about #a1jjj men and some twenty instruments engaged4 ,when the ,general later called upon the choir of twenty men to sing by themselves with just the baby organ accompaniment1 it was really delightful to listen to them4 ,they sang very well indeed4 ,,the ,,mission ,,and ,,its ,,result4 ,and now as to the ,mission we have just held4 ,from the first1 ,god has been very manifestly working4 ,twice every day ,dr4 ,goforth has had an attentive and keenly interested audience of about #a1jjj men1 chiefly officers4 ,at three of these meetings the wives were permitted to be present2 but all the rest of the women's meetings were separate1 when ,god gave me much help in speaking to them4 ,at our last meeting1 practically all the officers' wives present said they wished to follow the ,lord ,jesus4 ,at one of the last meetings for the men1 ,general ,feng broke down as he tried to pray4 ,what seemed to affect him was the thought of his country4 ,as soon as he could recover from his sobs1 he stood up and1 facing his officers1 pleaded for his country--pleaded with them to join him in putting aside all mean motives1 and think and work and pray for their country4 ,one of his staff officers followed1 praying earnestly1 then one after the other of the officers1 with sobs and tears cried to ,god on behalf of themselves and their country4 ,an old missionary who was present1 and who described the scene to me1 said he did not think there had ever been such a scene before when a general wept before his own officers1 with all that followed4 ,but the discipline was not broken by it2 for when the ,general rose to leave1 the audience rose as one man4 ,dr4 ,goforth and ,general ,feng went yesterday to a camp #bc miles away1 where there are about #d1jjj troops4 ,five hundred of these have already been baptized1 and hundreds more are enquiring4 ,a ,christian ,chinese gentleman1 who has won a fine name1 is to come to act as the ,general's chaplain and organize the work among the troops4 ,,the ,,coming ,,man ,,of ,,china4 ,many feel that ,general ,feng is the coming man of ,china4 ,his troops belong rightly to the north1 but were sent down here to fight the ,southern ,army4 ,general ,feng1 however1 has made it clear to the ,peking ,government that he is willing and eager to fight the enemies of his country2 but1 unless forced to do so1 he will not fight his own countrymen of the south4 ,when the war was on1 he telegraphed more than once to be sent to ,france2 and when the situation looked very serious in ,shantung a few months ago1 ,general ,feng was spoken of as the man to cope with the ,japanese4 ,surely it is a cause for most earnest praise to ,god that such a man is being raised up4 ,the very fact that such wonderful possibilities lie before him1 and that after all he is but human1 should call forth definite prayer for him4 ,china needs--oh1 so terribly6--just such men4 ,may ,god grant that ,general ,feng be kept and used to save his country at this time of crisis4 ,july #bdth1 #aiai4--;,almost a year has passed since the above letter was written4 ,several thousands of ,general ,feng's soldiers are now baptized and the splendid work continues4 ,but as ,i write1 civil war1 which has been simmering for years1 has now broken out in dead earnest1 ,general ,feng and his men are in the midst of the conflict and all are looking to him and his friend ,wu-pei-fu to save the situation in this crisis4 99,,sketch ,,vii99 99,a ,chinese ,nobleman99 99,a ,chinese ,nobleman99 ,as ,i review the life of the man of whom ,i am to write1 two incidents of over thirty years ago come to mind4 ,on our way to ,china one of our fellow-passengers was a man who had been in business twenty odd years in ,china4 ,he declared there were no real ,christians in ,china1 that they were all rice ,christians--followers of the foreigner for what they could get and so on4 ,practically all the passengers1 except the missionaries heartily agreed with these statements4 ,later we heard the same thing repeated on the coast steamer4 ,shortly after reaching our destination a well-known resident of ,china1 who had occupied for twenty-five years a responsible position in the ,customs made such positive statements along the same line that the writer began to wonder if these things could be true4 ,six weeks later this accuser1 and as ,i know now to be1 cruel slanderer of the ,christians had gone to meet his ,judge--dying suddenly in his chair as the result of a vicious debauch6 ,it is now the writer's privilege to give testimonies after thirty years standing1 to the genuineness of the ,chinese ,christian--here is one of them4 ,twenty miles northeast of the ,mission ,station of ,changteho lived a well-to-do banker and landowner named ,chen-,lao-,jung4 ,he was a man of most masterful personality4 ,his old mother1 to whom he was greatly devoted1 had long been afflicted by attacks of what the ,chinese called demon possession--which from all accounts exactly resembled those recorded in the ,bible4 ,every heathen means had been used for her relief4 ,witch doctors1 necromancers1 ,buddhist priests1 and others had used their arts upon her 7some of these being very cruel71 but the poor woman was nothing better1 but rather grew worse4 ,one day a ,christian called when the woman was in a serious and violent condition4 ,mr4 ,chen asked ,mr4 ,hsu1 the ,christian1 to pray to his ,god for his mother1 but the ,christian replied1 ,i would gladly do so1 but it is useless for me to pray to my ,god1 who is the only true ,god1 when you recognize so many other gods that are false4 ,these household gods must first be destroyed3 then ,i can pray4 7,oh1 that our home ,christians would realize this too1 then would they know the power of prayer74 ,after some demur ,mr4 ,chen decided that he had tried these gods and they had failed him1 now he would burn them rather than lose this opportunity of having his mother healed by the ,christian ,god6 ,in face of the bitterest opposition from his family and neighbors he publicly burnt all the household gods4 ,then he and ,mr4 ,hsu followed by all the family and a crowd of curious neighbors went into the mother's room where she lay foaming on the bed4 ,mr4 ,hsu first sang the hymn ,jesus loves me--then prayed1 then sang again4 ,gradually the woman quieted down and before long was completely restored4 ,thus the ,lord as of old answered prayer and delivered the woman from the terrible power which had had such a hold upon her4 ,her deliverance was so wonderful that all the family and some neighbors immediately accepted the ,gospel4 ,mr4 ,chen left his home and business for several weeks and came to the out-station where the writer and her husband were4 ,here he took the place of a little child4 ,his humility1 earnestness1 and sincerity impressed us all4 ,when he felt he had grasped the main truths of the ,gospel he returned home realizing as few ,christians seem to do1 that he had been saved to save others4 ,he at once started family worship1 and prepared a building as a chapel and preaching hall--here he gathered and taught all who wished to learn4 ,his whole family became out and out for ,christ and soon neighbors were won4 ,the first of these was a notable opium slave4 ,the story in detail of the growth of ,christianity in ,mr4 ,chen's region would fill a volume1 but space permits only the brief record of open outstanding facts4 ,about two years after ,mr4 ,chen became a ,christian the locusts came over the country in great numbers1 eating all before them4 ,mr4 ,chen told his family that since they would all be busy fighting the locusts1 family worship would for the time be given up4 ,a few days later a fine boy in the family1 about seven years of age1 became paralyzed in one side and was unable to get off the kang 7or brick bed74 ,the following is ,mr4 ,chen's own account of what followed4 ,one day ,i was out in the fields fighting the locusts when ,i suddenly seemed to waken out of sleep4 ,hsing ,wu kuo lai ,i cried aloud--',why6 the connection is cut6 ,the connection is cut6' ,i hastened home and called all the family together4 ,i told them to get down on their knees and confess with me our sin of putting ,god aside1 that by doing so we had cut the connection with ,god1 for ,god had said1 ',your iniquities have separated between you and your ,god and your sins have hid ,his face from you4 ,oh1 ,lord now that the connection is mended1 won't you heal the little boy8' ,and as we prayed we heard the child get off the kang1 and before we rose from our knees he was running around quite well4 ,mr4 ,chen became a tower of strength to the missionary1 who when obliged to be absent sometimes from that part of his field would commit the affairs of the ,church into his hands4 ,did he get money for this1 you ask4 ,no--all his service was for love of his ,lord4 ,not many months ago this man stood bravely1 grandly1 one of the severest tests any ,christian could be put to4 ,he had a very dear little daughter1 a pretty1 gentle1 timid child of about nine years of age4 ,this child was away from home when she was attacked by a young woman of violent temper1 the daughter of another ,christian4 ,the child was struck several times with a heavy stick1 and as she fled terrified was followed and struck again1 it is believed1 on the head1 a few days later the child returned home1 but could say little else than1 ,i'm afraid over and over again4 ,she sank rapidly and died2 but before her death she told her father of the attack upon her4 ,a few days later the writer received a most touching letter from ,mr4 ,chen in which he reviewed the past--what he had been saved from--what ,christ had been to him--then wrote as follows-- ,shepherd ,mother--,my heart is crushed1 my little daughter is dead4 ,i do not want the one who killed her to be punished4 ,i only ask that you warn her so that other children shall not suffer as mine has done4 ,those of us who know how exceedingly revengeful the ,chinese are by nature will agree that one could scarcely find a more beautiful example of the power and fruit of the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ than this4 99,,sketch ,,viii99 99,mr4 ,doong99 99,mr4 ,doong99 ,my husband and ,i with our children had settled down for a few weeks' stay at one of our out stations1 when ,i noticed one morning at breakfast a strange man sweeping the yard4 ,he looked such a queer bundle of incongruous clothes ,i could not make out if he were a teacher1 a poor farmer1 or a coolie4 ,the man's face was so wrinkled and his shoulders so stooped he looked a much older man than his years1 which could not have been more than fifty4 ,who is that queer old man8 ,i asked my husband4 ,his name is ,doong ,lin ,huo1 he replied1 he has come to study the ,gospel and is so grateful for what he is getting he has begged me let him do something to shew his gratitude4 ,some days later one of the ,evangelists came to me for some medicine for ,mr4 ,doong1 saying he was very ill with that foe of native and foreigner alike--dysentery4 ,i had only one small bottle of expensive medicine which ,i kept for ourselves in case of emergency4 ,it was unopened and when once opened ,i knew it would lose its strength4 ,so ,i said3 ,i have only medicine for ourselves4 ,i fear if something is not done for ,mr4 ,doong he will die1 the ,evangelist said as he turned away disappointed4 ,this decided me and ,i hastily gave him out several doses4 ,later he came for more and a few days passed when ,mr4 ,doong himself appeared dressed up in fine borrowed garments1 and his face shining with the extra rubbing he had given it4 ,before we could prevent him he had prostrated himself before me knocking his head several times on the floor1 saying1 ,oh1 lady1 you have saved my life6 ,the story of this man's conversion is of interest in that it is typical of thousands in ,china4 ,his people were farming mountain villagers4 ,some years ago when visiting his village ,i was impressed with the picturesqueness of the situation1 built as it is on the side of a steep mountain cliff above a rapidly running stream4 ,as we went through this village street we walked up steps as if going up stairs4 ,mr4 ,doong's family was large even for this land1 it consisted of several of the old passing generation1 also his five sons and their wives and children and some of their sons' wives and their children4 ,all lived within one enclosure4 ,the family owned some land but as the mouths increased it was not sufficient for their needs and some sought employment1 especially during the winter months4 ,mr4 ,doong himself was among these1 he joined a low travelling theatrical company1 as cook and lived as low a life while with them as any human being could well live4 ,when the missionary first came across him he was using his animals during the slack winter months to escort travellers over the mountains west of his home4 ,one day the missionary arrived in the village with his party of preachers on their way to a famous goddess' temple situated two hundred ,chinese miles further west among the mountains4 ,mr4 ,doong and his animals were hired for the journey4 ,day by day as the party stopped at noon and for the night preaching was carried on in the open4 ,during those days ,mr4 ,doong caught little else of the preaching than that they were speaking against the gods4 ,he became alarmed and so sure was he that the great goddess would cause some terrible calamity to overtake them on their arrival at their destination he determined to leave the party as speedily as possible1 and it was with a sense of real relief that he saw1 as he thought1 the last of them4 ,some weeks later he had occasion to go to the distant city of ,lin-,hsien far off among the mountains4 ,here he found the same missionary with his preachers still preaching as before--and no calamity had befallen them6 ,he began to have doubts as to whether they might not be right after all4 ,every opportunity was taken advantage of to hear what they had to say with the result that when the time came for him to leave1 he turned his face towards home a changed man4 ,his first step was to destroy the household gods1 much to the horror and anger of his family and neighbors1 who all believed him to have become bewitched by the foreigner and waited to see some dread judgment fall upon him4 ,surely facing such odds as bravely as this man did and with quiet steady calmness raises him to the place of a real hero4 ,his next step was to give up his opium4 ,this he did without the aid of other drugs4 ,he simply sought ,god's help and got it4 ,his is one of the rare cases we have known of1 where the terrible opium habit has been broken without human aid4 ,then came his visit to our out-station to learn to read and understand the ,bible4 ,it was no easy task for either pupil or teacher at his age1 but so earnest was he and diligent that in a few weeks he could read the ,chinese ,new ,testament sufficiently well to get the meaning and in a few months had practically mastered its characters4 ,three years passed during which time ,mr4 ,doong had won the highest opinions from missionaries and his fellow ,christians4 ,his name was suggested as a probationary evangelist1 and although his lack of education was against him1 his beautiful spirit1 so gentle1 and so full of love to all with whom he came in contact1 seemed to more than make up for this lack and he was unanimously called to the preaching of the ,gospel4 ,as time passed1 results from ,mr4 ,doong's ministry amply justified this step1 for wherever ,mr4 ,doong was placed the work flourished and converts were added4 ,on one occasion the writer visited one of these places with her husband4 ,it was a busy pottery centre1 known far and wide for its unspeakable immorality4 ,yet even in this most difficult field ,mr4 ,doong had gathered out a little company of believers4 ,i shall not soon forget the welcome we received on our arrival after a long trying dusty journey1 at the door of the humble place where he lived and where we were to stay4 ,he was so hearty and kind and yet had a certain dignity and courtesy which made me say inwardly1 ,can this be the same man who was cook in a low theatrical company8 ,yes he was the same1 yet not the same1 for his whole life1 his looks1 his wonderful power of holding heathen audiences for over an hour at a time all testified to the power of ,christ to save and transform men4 ,at the close of our visit ,i told my cook to settle as was the custom with ,mr4 ,doong for the coal we had used during the ten days we had been there4 ,the cook returned to say ,mr4 ,doong refused to take anything for it4 ,i called the dear old man and protested that this would not do4 ,he looked at me with tears in his eyes and said1 ,mother1 ,shepherd1 will you not allow me the privilege and pleasure of doing even this much for you1 when you and your husband have done so much for me8 ,what would ,i have been had you not come with this blessed ,gospel8 ,with full heart and dim eyes ,i could only put my hands together and bow low my thanks4 ,when home on furlough ,i sent to a missionary for a photo of ,mr4 ,doong for a lantern slide4 ,in due course the photo arrived with a note from ,mr4 ,doong himself1 which ran as follows3 ,dear ,shepherd ,mother1 ,i thank you for the compliment you have paid me in asking for my photo4 ,i would reciprocate and ask for yours but there is no need for your countenance is engraved on my heart6 ,after an absence from our old field for some five years it was a great joy to both my husband and myself to have ,mr4 ,doong once more our co-worker1 but it was only for a brief period4 ,our hard pressed doctor needed the best man we could give him as ,hospital ,evangelist and ,mr4 ,doong was chosen for this position4 ,there he remained till advancing years with its increasing physical weakness forced his retirement and he returned home1 but not to the home of the early years for now almost all had been won to ,christianity1 as well as many of his neighbors4 ,for behold 4444 how that not many wise after the flesh1 not many mighty1 not many noble are called4 ,but ,god hath chosen the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame them that are wise4 99,,sketch ,,ix99 99,heathenism ,as ,i ,have ,known ,it99 ,part #a--;,,heathen ,,versus ,,christian ,,worship4 ,part #b--;,,facts4 99,heathenism ,as ,i ,have ,known ,it99 ,if thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death1 and those that are ready to be slain2 if thou sayest1 ,behold we knew it not2 doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it8 ,and he that keepeth thy soul1 doth not he know it8 ,and shall not he render to every man according to his works8 7,prov4 #bd3aa1 #ab47 ,if you can get our church people to really believe the heathen ,,need the ,gospel1 you will have gone a long way to bring about the desired attitude towards ,foreign ,missions4 ,so said a prominent ,foreign ,mission ,secretary to the writer4 ,another ,foreign ,mission ,secretary1 who had spent many years on the ,foreign ,field as a missionary1 suggested the subject for this ,sketch1 saying1 ,draw it plain1 for they need to know4 ,the subject is not a pleasant one2 draw the picture of heathenism as you will1 it can be only dark and repelling2 neither dare one write all one knows4444 #a4--;,,heathen ,,versus ,,christian ,,worship4 ,missionaries and converts were gathered in full force for their annual evangelistic campaign at one of the largest1 most important centers of heathen worship in ,china--the ,hsun-,hsien ,fair or ,festival4 ,inclement weather had somewhat delayed the influx of pilgrims4 ,it was suggested that my husband and ,i take advantage of this fact to make a long planned visit to the temple of the goddess ,lao ,nai ,nai1 7,old ,grandmother7 who drew to her shrine every year vast crowds of men and women of every class4 7,it is estimated that during the ten days of the winter festival alone1 over a million pilgrims kneel before this image47 ,we started quite early one morning hoping thereby to escape any possibility of great crowds4 ,as we ascended the hill on which the temple stood1 the road was lined on either side with booths and mat stalls where commodities such as pilgrims required1 were sold4 ,there were paper babies1 made of brilliant colored paper on cornstalk frames4 7,the goddess was believed to have power to bestow living children in return for the paper offerings47 ,there were paper horses1 and women and young girls1 made to look very life-like1 all of which were supposed to turn into the real kind for the use of the spirits beyond4 ,dice and gambling cards were much in evidence2 also peep shows1 which we were told were of the most obscene kind4 ,by the time we had reached the main entrance to the temple my courage had begun to fail1 and gladly would ,i have backed out1 but my husband felt we must go on4 ,passing through the great gates we entered a large court1 on either side of which were crowds of men and women1 some at tables1 some seated on the ground1 all feasting or gambling4 ,in and out among these1 peddlers passed calling loudly their wares4 ,utter confusion prevailed1 but we had no difficulty in getting through to the court beyond2 here1 however1 we found the crowd increasingly great4 ,a large iron caldron resting on a pedestal stood in the center of the court surrounded by several men stripped to the waist1 these were dancing and shouting as they stirred the fire in the caldron with iron sticks1 the fire being fed by the paper offerings of the pilgrims4 ,the men's faces and bodies were blackened by the paper ashes4 ,the whole scene was most gruesome and reminded one of ,dante's ,inferno4 ,the men1 catching sight of us1 demanded fiercely our paper offerings2 one of them going so far as to seize me by the arm4 ,i shrank in terror behind my husband1 who urged me not to show fear1 but to keep moving on2 to go back now was impossible1 for the whole crowd was moving on towards the right hand flight of steps leading up to the goddess' temple4 ,on reaching these steps there was a pause and then a sudden rush1 strain1 and crush1 when ,i found myself landed at the top of the steps1 and my husband pushing me out of the crowd into a ledge of the balcony4 ,here we stood apart1 almost hidden from the crowd4 ,what a sight the courts below presented6 ,the crowds1 seethed and crushed2 hundreds of explosives seemed to be fired every moment2 the noise and confusion was indescribable4 ,as we watched there were some things that made one's heart ache4 ,heathenism seemed stamped upon most of the faces4 ,old men and women could be seen helped along by younger ones4 ,some of these must have been well on to eighty2 some were so frail and old as to be almost carried4 ,we knew that these were old grandfathers or grandmothers being taken to the goddess' shrine to ask for a grandson4 ,as ,i turned from the sight1 sick at heart1 and closed my eyes for a moment1 ,i seemed to forget my surroundings and before me rose a vivid scene in the dear homeland4 ,i seemed to be once more in the old seat in ,knox ,church1 ,toronto4 ,our beloved1 white-haired pastor1 ,dr4 ,parsons stood at the ,communion ,table4 ,and ,i could hear him say1 ,that ,i might know ,him1 and the power of ,his resurrection1 and the fellowship of ,his sufferings4 ,the quietness1 the reverential worship1 the solemnity of the whole scene seemed as real as if ,i were there4 ,but oh1 the contrast as ,i opened my eyes on the scene before us6 ,that was ,christian--this heathen worship6 ,taking advantage of a lull in the crowd1 we entered the temple4 ,on one side a group of ,buddhist priests at a table were counting the money offerings4 ,in the center was the shrine of the goddess1 the image itself being far back almost out of sight4 ,immediately in front of the image a brass ring was suspended4 ,a railing kept the pilgrims from getting too near1 and as they knelt at this rail they threw their offerings through this ring4 ,if the cash or coppers passed safely through the ring their petitions were sure to be granted6 ,this1 of course1 encouraged many trys4 ,it is said many millions of cash are thus offered year by year4 ,the ,buddhist priests use this money largely in gambling1 drunkeness1 and evil living4 ,we had seen enough4 ,gradually we made our way out by a back gate through the kindness of a friendly ,chinese4 ,we passed a small side shrine just behind the goddess' temple4 ,looking inside ,i noticed what seemed like a bundle of filthy rags1 but seeing it move1 ,i looked closer and found beneath a beggar--dying of starvation4 ,from a near by eating house we procured a bowl of hot soup1 but the poor creature was too far gone for help4 ,there at the very foot of the heathen goddess the man died1 with multitudes of her devotees passing him by without a thought of pity or sense of responsibility towards a fellow being4 ,as soon as his last breath would be drawn1 yes1 and knowing what ,i do of heathenism1 ,i dare say1 even before1 he would be taken out1 thrown into a hole and barely covered2 while his poor beggar rags would be claimed by other beggars who perhaps before long1 came to share the same fate4 ,that is heathenism6 99,,ii4--,,facts499 ,the tender mercies of the heathen are cruel4 ,some years ago my husband and ,i went to a certain out-station where a camp of soldiers was stationed4 ,a day or two before we arrived a man had killed one of the soldiers in a fight4 ,the man escaped1 but was later caught4 7,the utter injustice and often cruel oppression of the soldiers towards the people1 lead us to believe quite possible1 even probable1 the man had right on his side47 ,he was taken before the military chief who said1 ,since the man has killed one of yourselves you can do as you like with him4 ,for three days1 while a platform was being erected1 the poor creature was tortured by the soldiers with the most unspeakable refinement of cruelty4 ,the platform on which he was to be executed was erected quite close to where we lived4 ,the man was put on this high platform and in the presence of a great multitude of men1 women1 and children was cruelly done to death4 ,we could hear the shouts of the people as they witnessed fresh signs of suffering4 ,the awful details of this execution cannot be put on paper4 ,that evening ,i called our chief ,evangelist in and said1 ,please write out as full a description of what has taken place as possible1 for ,i wish to send it to the press with an appeal against such barbarism4 ,and this was his reply1 ,but what is the use1 ,teacher ,mother8 ,this is not an isolated case4 ,it is done by the soldiers all over ,china1 under like circumstances6 ,much more could be said on this phase of heathenism-cruelty4 ,but we do not wish to dwell longer than necessary on any one part of this dark picture4 ,but as ,i have studied the fruits of heathenism during these years of closest contact with a heathen people ,i have come to feel that this heartlessness and lack of pity is one of the most prominent features of heathenism4 ,one outstanding illustration of this4 ,li ,shan ,pao was the son of one of our ,evangelists2 he was a young lad of promise and we had been helping him through the ,high ,school at ,wei ,hwei ,fu4 ,one day he and some other lads were by the river near the school4 ,li ,shan ,pao undressed and went in for a swim1 though the others tried to dissuade him1 for the weather was still cold4 ,he swam across the river and about half way back1 when he seemed to get into difficulties4 ,the other lads on the shore called frantically to a passing boat for assistance4 ,the men on this boat by just putting out an oar1 or stretching out a helping hand1 could have saved the boy1 but though the lads on shore kept offering more and more money the only answer they received was1 ,it's not enough6 ,then over the drowning boy they went without an effort to save him6 ,when the missionaries came on the scene and drew the boy out1 he was quite beyond help4 ,that is ,heathenism4 ,but terrible as the guilt of these men may seem to us1 yet are they not more guilty who deliberately close their eyes to their personal responsibility towards the dying souls of their fellowmen1 whether at ,home or on the ,foreign ,field8 ,the practice of ,infanticide1 which is one of the most terrible fruits of heathenism1 is far more common than many believe4 ,for several years ,i scarcely knew of its existence till my work began to take me out among the people4 ,the three cases which ,i shall confine myself to in this ,sketch1 came to my notice within a short time of each other4 ,when preaching in a district among the hills ,northwest of ,changte1 my husband1 through what seemed a mere accident1 found out that the custom existed through a wide region1 of putting all girls but one to death at birth in each family6 ,this they justified by saying the grain and water would not be sufficient for all if the population was not kept down6 ,a ,chinese woman1 belonging to a well-to-do family1 called to see me one day4 ,she had a beautiful baby boy in her arms4 ,her husband had just become a ,christian and she seemed interested and some time later became one of our leading ,christian women4 ,but how dark her heart was then can be seen by what follows4 ,a few weeks after her first visit she came again1 but without the baby4 ,the following conversation took place3 ,why6 ,where is your beautiful boy8 ,oh1 it's thrown away4 ,but it was quite well when you came before4 ,what disease did it have8 ,it did not have anything wrong4 ,by this time ,i felt there must be something not right and determined to find out the truth4 ,at last the woman told this story4 ,one cold night the baby was lying on the outside of the kang or brick bed1 it got out from under her cover and rolled off on to the floor4 ,it was quite naked for the ,chinese do not use night clothes1 and instead of the mother taking the child up off the cold brick floor1 she let it stay there all night4 ,when she picked it up in the morning it was dead4 ,i said1 ,oh1 how could you be so cruel8 ,she replied with a laugh1 ,i had plenty of other children and did not want the bother6 ,when at an out-station a man brought a little baby1 asking me to give it something to stop its crying as the mother was so tired of hearing it cry she did not want the child4 ,i could not find anything the matter with the little one and told the father so4 ,some days later ,i saw the man in the yard and asked about the baby4 ,he said it was thrown away meaning dead4 ,i called my ,bible woman and told her to find out the cause of the child's death4 ,this is the story the father told her4 ,on returning home the mother received her husband with angry looks saying1 ,i told you ,i don't want it2 take it away4 ,the father took the little one to a field away from the village and making a hole put the baby into it1 but as he ran away the child's cries caused him to return and take it out again1 but when the little one kept on crying he became impatient and throwing it back1 covered it over and returned home4 ,who can say how many children meet a like fate in this heathen land every year8 ,what can one say of the injustice1 cruelty1 and oppression meted out to vast numbers of young brides and the younger wives and women by the older ones or their husbands8 ,the marriage customs of ,china which demand that a young woman be under the care of1 or rather guarded and watched1 by her mother-in-law is necessary so long as the morality of the men is what it is4 ,my ,bible woman and ,i were preaching in a heathen home4 ,i had noticed a very fine young woman of about twenty among pur listeners4 ,as we were preaching cries and sobs came from a room to the side of the court where we were4 ,i signed to ,mrs4 ,wang to find out the cause4 ,a few moments later she called me out1 and led me to the room from which the cries had come4 ,as we passed through the court ,i noticed a poor idiot boy1 a most pitiful sight4 ,i found in the room we entered the fine young woman ,i had noticed among our listeners4 ,she was sitting on the brick bed1 a picture of utter despair4 ,tears were streaming down her cheeks1 and as she rocked herself back and forth she moaned and sometimes cried aloud1 always the same words1--,oh1 it is for life1 for life6 ,i tried to discover the cause but failed4 ,the only thing anyone would say was1 ,she often takes these turns4 ,on our way home my women told me the truth4 ,this beautiful girl in the prime of life had been married to the idiot boy4 ,the boy's family needed a strong woman of ability to do their weaving and sewing4 ,an extra gift to the ,go-between on condition she secured such a wife for the idiot boy procured for them what they wanted4 ,but what did they care for the broken heart8 ,they were heathen6 ,the last phase of heathenism ,i will touch upon is--,its utter hopelessness in face of ,death4 ,again and again have ,i asked heathen women what they had to look forward to after death2 one and all have said1 only horror and fear4 ,never has the story of my own dear ,mother's wonderful death1 passing as she did with the very ,glory of heaven shining on her face1 failed to move an audience of heathen women3 again and again have they come to me at such times saying1 ,we want to know how to die like that4 ,we suffer enough here1 how can we go where there is no more suffering8 ,many dark scenes come to mind as ,i write2 but what ,i have given is sufficient to justify us in saying that ,heathenism is cruel2 it is wicked1 and heartless1 and selfish1 yes1 and devilish6 99 99 99 ,if ,,thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto ,,death 444 ,he that keepeth ,,thy ,,soul doth not ,he know it6 99,,sketch ,x99 99,the ,blind ,famine ,refugee99 99,the ,blind ,famine ,refugee99 ,the winter of ---- was a sad1 bitter one for those living in ,eastern ,shantung4 ,the great ,yellow ,river1 truly called ,china's ,sorrow1 had burst its banks1 devastating a large area of thickly populated country4 ,in spite of well organized famine relief administered by missionaries and other representatives of foreign countries 7some of whom lost their lives from famine fever when engaged in this work71 many people perished from starvation1 fever or exposure4 ,early one morning towards the end of ,february when the weather was still bitterly cold1 a sad thing was happening inside a little wayside temple not far from one of the villages in this famine region4 ,on the cold brick floor just in front of the idol's shrine lay a dying beggar4 ,famine was claiming one more victim4 ,beside him knelt his blind wife1 swaying backwards and forwards moaning piteously4 ,on the opposite side1 nestling close to his dying father1 as if for protection and warmth1 slept a little boy of about six years of age4 ,all through that cold pitiless night the poor woman had knelt there listening to the hard breathing which told what she could not see1--that the end was near4 ,as the day dawned the last struggle ceased4 ,quietly1 with the quietness and numbness of despair1 the woman arose1 felt for her child1 awoke him1 then grasping her stout beggar's stick with one hand and laying her other on the child's shoulder she motioned him to lead her away4 ,reaching the road she hesitated4 ,where should they go to8 ,death from starvation seemed to await them on every side4 ,as she stood there hesitating there came into her mind the remembrance of what someone had said long before--that a long way off1 about one hundred miles distant1 lived a man who could give sight to the blind4 ,quickly with a sense of desperation the poor blind beggar woman resolved to try to reach that man4 ,the sufferings of that journey can only be faintly imagined4 ,they had no protection from the bitter winds by day1 nor the cold frosty nights1 but thin1 torn1 beggar garments4 ,no resting place by day or night1 but the roadside or the shelter of a wayside temple4 ,sometimes a whole day would pass when they failed to obtain even the few crumbs of black mouldy bread 7made chiefly of chaff7 usually thrown to them4 ,later1 when attempting to tell the story of these days1 the poor woman seemed able to recall little else than the ever present dread she had1 lest when they reach the doorway of the wonderful man who could give sight to the blind1 it would perhaps be closed against them4 ,needless to say these fears were groundless1 for when at last the mother and child reached the ,mission gate almost dead from starvation and exhaustion1 kind loving hands received them4 ,they were taken into the ,women's ,hospital1 cleansed1 clothed1 and fed4 ,the day following their arrival one of the missionaries went to ,mrs4 ,ma1 for such was the blind woman's name1 and said3 ,mrs4 ,ma1 ,i have been sent to tell you that the doctor has great hopes of restoring your sight4 ,but you are far too weak for the operation yet4 ,he says you are to have all the food you can eat1 and that ,i am to get you anything you fancy4 ,now just tell me what you want4 ,at first the poor woman could not take it in4 ,then when ,mrs4 ,s----1 repeated what she had said1 and the meaning began to dawn upon her1 she stretched out her hands and with an indescribably touching cry in her voice said1 ,if it is true indeed that ,i can really have what ,i most crave for1 then oh1 please just give me a little ,,salt6 ,reader1 you1 who have never known want1 can scarcely comprehend the full significance of that request4 ,just a little salt6 ,what deprivation1 what agony of want is revealed in that word6 ,to those of us who had seen something of the sufferings of famine victims1 it meant volumes4 ,with tender loving care ,mrs4 ,ma was nursed back to strength and health2 but many weeks passed before the doctor pronounced her fit to stand the operation4 ,sight was restored to one eye1 the other being quite beyond recovery4 ,with glasses she was able to learn to read4 ,the woman's gratitude knew no bounds4 ,at first her eagerness to hear the ,gospel and learn to read was largely due to this intense gratitude1 but gradually the ,true ,light entered her soul1 and she became a sincere1 earnest1 humble ,christian4 ,later she was appointed matron of the ,women's ,hospital where for twenty years she worked faithfully for the salvation of the women in the hospital4 ,mrs4 ,ma's little son was put into the ,boys' ,school soon after their arrival4 ,as the years went by he passed through one ,mission ,school into another1 until he reached the ,union ,medical ,college of ,peking4 ,his whole life as a student had been such that the missionaries felt amply justified in paying his expenses through his medical course4 ,he received his ,m4,d41 graduating with high honors in #ai--4 ,a large hospital had just been erected in an important city in ,north ,china4 ,dr4 ,ma was asked to become house physician of this hospital4 ,soon after his appointment to this position he married a fine ,christian girl1 one of the most promising graduates of the ,women's ,college of ,peking4 ,it was in ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,ma's cosy home near the hospital that the writer last saw old ,mrs4 ,ma who was there on a visit to her son4 ,she had long been too frail for active work4 ,her sight was gone1 but the reflection of an inner light illumined her countenance as we recalled together the goodness of the ,lord since the day she arrived at the ,mission gate a poor starved ,blind ,beggar ,refugee seeking ,light4 99,,sketch ,,xi99 99,links in a ,living ,chain99 99,links in a ,living ,chain99 ,a poor suffering woman lay in the ward of the ,womens' ,hospital at ,changte4 ,she had been there for over a month4 ,had she come earlier her life might have been saved1 but ignorance and fear had kept her back till the terror of ,death drove her to the ,mission ,hospital4 ,as the ,missionary ,doctor entered with her assistants the woman's face brightened up with a glad welcome smile4 ,how much have you learnt to-day8 said the doctor bending over her kindly4 ,oh1 doctor1 ,i'm so stupid1 and the pain is so bad ,i can't learn like the others4 ,but oh1 doctor1 ,i have learnt this1 and as she spoke she drew out from under the coverlet a sheet of paper on which was printed in large ,chinese characters the hymn ,jesus ,loves ,me4 ,and as she crooned over slowly the four verses making some slips the doctor listened patiently1 correcting when needed4 ,then with a few tender words she passed on through the wards4 ,not many days later1 ,mrs4 ,chang1 the sick woman1 had to be told nothing more could be done for her but she must return home to die4 ,the long journey home over rough stony roads was borne with amazing fortitude1 for had not her life been one long lesson in bearing hardness4 ,for weeks she lay on the brick bed in her home at ,linchang1 a wonder to her family and neighbors4 ,what was the secret of the change8 ,she had left them with the horror and dread of death upon her face4 ,she returned with her face shining with joy and openly stating she no longer feared death although she knew her days were few4 ,she seemed happy and in peace4 ,the hymn sheet was always in her hand and when asked why she was not afraid to die she would point silently to the second verse of the hymn and then chant aloud1 trying to sing as she had heard others sing in the ,hospital1 but though the tune she sang could not have been recognized it sounded sweet in the ears of ,one who heard4 ,over and over that second verse was repeated for it contained that which was the ,hope of her soul3 ,jesus loves me1 ,he who died1 ,heaven's gate to open wide1 ,he will wash away my sin1 ,let ,his little child come in6 ,then the day came when according to ,chinese custom neighbors and friends crowded into the chamber of death to see the end4 ,as long as she had breath she urged her husband to go to the mission and learn the ,gospel4 ,she begged that none might go to her grave to weep1 for she said1 ,i will not be there4 ,i will be in ,heaven4 ,when the last moments came her face was illuminated with joy and she raised her hands as if to welcome someone as she passed away4 ,the effect of this deathbed scene was truly remarkable4 ,mr4 ,chang her husband1 her only son and daughter and son's wife immediately became ,christians4 ,a quarrel which had separated ,mr4 ,chang and his eldest brother for ten years was made up and this brother became an earnest ,christian4 ,only a few months passed when a time of severe testing came to this family4 ,the son's wife was taken ill and died4 ,during her illness and at her death she witnessed as wonderful testimony to the ,christian's hope as her mother-in-law4 ,the neighbors on the east side of the ,chang's homestead were a large influential family named ,fan4 ,the younger ,mrs4 ,chang's death-bed scene so touched one of the young men of this family that he determined to break away from the heathenism of his home and become a follower of ,christ4 ,his soul became so on fire for the ,lord that he influenced many in his family until they were on the point of turning away from their heathenism4 ,it was at this juncture that my husband and ,i began an aggressive evangelistic campaign in this town near their home1 and great hopes were felt that the entire family would become ,christian1 when as in the case of ,dr4 ,dwan 7see ,as ,silver ,is ,refined7 a series of events so terrorized the family that for over a year they refused to believe but that the gods were fighting against them for changing their belief4 ,and is it any wonder8 ,almost immediately after young ,mr4 ,fan became a ,christian one calamity after another came upon the family till the climax was reached when one of the younger sons1 about fourteen years old1 went to visit a relative some ten miles distant4 ,he never reached their home1 but disappeared and was never heard of again4 ,a little later another son who had become a seeker after ,christ went to the ,mission ,hall apparently well was taken suddenly ill and before even a neighbor could be called passed away4 ,but in spite of these things1 which to the heathen people of ,linchang were certain proofs of the power of the gods to take revenge1 young ,mr4 ,fan stood true and within a year had won back several of his family4 ,from this time the church grew in ,linchang4 ,within a few years a nice ,christian church and school house was erected by the ,christians within sight of the ,fans' home1 the evangelist in charge also being supported by themselves4 ,some years later it was the writer's privilege to assist her husband in a series of special meetings held in this little ,linchang church1 which during the ten days of the ,mission was filled to its utmost capacity4 ,not soon could one forget the scenes of those days when one after another consecrated himself afresh to the ,lord4 ,two cases stand out prominently4 ,one was that of a wealthy landowner who also was partner in a prominent business concern in ,linchang4 ,at considerable financial loss to himself he gave up this business to become a preacher of the ,gospel4 ,the second case was that of a proud ,confucian scholar who at that time held a position of head teacher in a government school4 ,he also caught the vision which forced him to resign his position in order to preach the ,gospel4 ,many times during those days as ,i witnessed the ,holy ,spirit working in the hearts of these men and women and saw signs of the light of the ,gospel beginning to spread throughout that whole region ,i thought of that first little seed of truth sown in the heart of the poor suffering woman as she lay in the women's hospital in ,changte4 99,,sketch ,,xii99 99,our ,first ,woman ,convert99 99,our ,first ,woman ,convert99 99,a ,mere ,memory499 ,the following is but a brief memory of the long gone past4 ,even the name of the woman is forgotten but not the look on her pale patient face as she lay for weeks in the ,mission ,hospital--our first woman in-patient4 ,though almost thirty years have come and gone since those earliest days in ,north ,honan the memory of this woman remains as one of the very few bright gleams in what was to us pioneer missionaries a time of darkness and peril4 ,the people were still bitter against us though a year had passed since a foothold had been gained in what we had so long looked forward to as our ,promised ,land4 ,stories of the vilest nature widely circulated and believed did much to hinder the progress of the ,gospel1 and make the people fear and hate us4 ,they believed we were capable of the very worst atrocities4 ,were ,i to attempt the plain record of many of these stories ,british law would forbid the publication4 ,it is little wonder1 therefore1 that our good doctor1 a man of exceptional ability who had left brilliant prospects behind to come to ,china1 chafed under the petty cases which came to the ,hospital1 and had more than once openly expressed his wish for some good cases which would help to open the people's hearts towards us4 ,before long his wish was abundantly gratified for three years later that hospital recorded twenty-eight thousand treatments in one year1 a goodly proportion being good cases4 ,the beginning of the breaking of the ice of prejudice came when one day a man wheeled into the hospital yard a barrow on which lay his sick wife4 ,he seemed very loath to come but his poor wife appeared past feeling4 ,it was most evident that only the hope of relief from otherwise certain death could have induced them to risk coming for help to the foreign doctor4 ,a little later the doctor announced a serious operation imperative4 ,to this the woman gave her consent but the man hesitated4 ,how impossible it is for those brought up in a ,western land to form any conception of the struggle the man went through in face of such a sweeping away of life-long prejudices1 but at last in face of that great enemy1 ,death1 he yielded4 ,oh1 how we prayed for that case6 ,there we were1 a mere handful of missionaries in the midst of a bitterly hostile people many of whom were only waiting and watching for an excuse to attack and murder us4 ,should the operation prove fatal and the woman die under the doctor's knife it would have been quite sufficient to stir up a mob which would in all probability have destroyed us all4 ,but the operation passed safely and during the weeks of convalescence the doctor's wife told into willing ears the message of a ,saviour who died to open ,heaven's door4 ,from the first the woman showed a wonderful keenness in learning the truth4 ,while still unable to sit upright and scarcely strong enough to hold her book she studied almost constantly the simple ,christian ,catechism4 ,one day to my great surprise as ,i responded to a timid tap at my door1 ,i found this dear woman shrinking and uncertain as to whether she would be admitted1 and almost fainting from weakness4 ,i led her gently in and as she lay on the sofa we talked together of the blessed ,saviour4 ,after all these years the joy ,i felt1 in speaking of the precious truths to this first ,christian ,woman of ,north ,honan1 still remains4 ,she seemed even then to have her thoughts turned toward ,eternity for she loved to have me dwell on the ,heavenly ,home1 and the hymn she loved best was3 ,my home is in ,heaven1 my home is not here4 ,soon her visits became quite regular and as she lay on the lounge listening and asking questions she was not the only one who was learning for many were the lessons she unconsciously taught me of fortitude under suffering1 and the simpleness of childlike trust4 ,it seemed at times as if every separate fruit of the ,spirit in that glorious cluster could be seen in this very babe in ,christ4 ,love1 joy1 peace1 long-suffering1 gentleness1 faith1 meekness1 all just shone from her countenance4 ,one day shortly before her return home she asked a question concerning the ,holy ,spirit which showed what wonderful progress she had made in spiritual understanding4 ,although she left us apparently cured1 a few months saw her back again for treatment4 ,it was then she was received as our first ,probationer for ,baptism but long before the year of probation had ended she had passed away in certain hope of entering into the ,presence of her ,saviour4 99,,sketch ,,xiii99 99,two ,rice ,christians99 ,part #a--,,the ,,wolf ,,boy4 ,part #b--,,the ,,wolf ,,boy',s ,,mother4 99,two ,rice ,christians99 99,part ,i4 ,,the ,,wolf ,,boy499 ,as one travels ,westward from the city of ,changte1 the country becomes more and more mountainous and rocky4 ,villages throughout that region are frequently troubled1 during the cold winter season1 by wolves1 desperate with hunger venturing into the village streets injuring and sometimes carrying off children4 ,during the winter of ---- a lad about fourteen years of age1 named ,cheng 7surname7 ,woo-tse 7given name71 left his home near ,changte to visit an aunt living in a village ten miles west of that city4 ,one day1 as the lad was going on a message1 a great wolf rushed down the village street1 and1 before he could be driven away1 jumped upon the boy clawing and eating part of his face4 ,for months the ignorant villagers did what they could to relieve the poor boy's terrible sufferings2 but1 alas1 those who are at all acquainted with ,chinese methods of treatment know how worse than useless such attempts would be4 ,only when it became apparent the boy would die were the people willing for him to be taken to the ,mission ,hospital4 ,naturally this most unusual case aroused great interest2 all came to know of the ,wolf ,boy as he was called4 ,for almost a year he remained in hospital1 carefully and tenderly nursed by his mother2 her devotion to her boy being most noticeable4 ,the doctor and his assistants set themselves to do their utmost for what they felt was one of the most difficult cases that had ever been in the hospital4 ,the doctor sought to give the boy1 as far as it was possible1 a new face2 but1 after months of careful treatment and clever grafting1 he was only partly successful4 ,he succeeded in saving the sight of one eye and in forming practically a new mouth4 ,but after the doctor had done all it was possible to do the boy still remained such a horrible sight he was forced to wear a mask4 ,while in the hospital all those months this poor torn lad won the hearts of all by his gratitude for every kindness1 his cheerfulness and patience under great suffering1 and his simple loving nature4 ,the kindness shown them opened the hearts of both mother and son to the ,gospel message and both became ,christians4 ,it was the boy1 however1 who received the story of the ,saviour's ,sacrifice with real joy4 ,what it meant to him came out one evening at the weekly prayer-meeting4 ,the little group of ,christians gathered were startled and deeply touched when the ,wolf ,boy suddenly began to pray2 his face was so bound as to make speech difficult but this is what he said3 ,o ,lord6 ,i thank ,thee for letting the wolf eat my face1 for if he had not ,i might never have heard of this wonderful ,saviour4 ,when at last the time came for the boy and his mother to leave the hospital1 the missionaries felt it would be heartless to turn the boy adrift to the tender mercies of the heathen1 so gave him the situation of water-carrier for their yard4 ,here he lived and worked amongst us for some years4 ,the writer can never forget this boy's sympathy and sorrow when one of the little foreign children1 whom he looked upon as his friends1 became sick unto death4 ,outside the sick child's door he waited and waited every moment he could spare from his work1 hoping and praying for the word of hope that was not to come4 ,when1 at last1 he was told the precious spirit was no longer with us1 his grief was most touching4 ,four years later the boy left us to take a situation at an adjoining mission station4 ,near this mission a river1 wide and deep1 flowed4 ,it was here the wolf boy met his death4 ,when bathing with some other lads he was carried out of his depth and drowned4 99 99 99 ,many years have passed since this humble servant died1 but there still remains in many a heart a warm remembrance of the lad1 so physically hampered1 but through whom the ,christ-life shone so brightly as to make him a blessing and an example to those who knew him4 99,part ,,ii4 ,,the ,,wolf ,,boy',s ,,mother499 ,faithful in that which is least4 ,the following brief sketch is a true and grateful tribute to the faithfulness of one who has been to the writer one of the greatest blessings a mother1 with little children1 could have--a faithful1 devoted nurse4 ,as ,i write there comes before me a vivid picture of the scene in the hospital ward where ,i first saw ,mrs4 ,cheng4 ,on the wide brick platform or bed1 which reached across one end of the room from wall to wall1 were stretched a number of patients1 each one on their own thin mattress or bedding1 and each attended by their own friends2 foreign nurses being unknown in ,china then4 ,in the further corner of this kang or general bed1 ,mrs4 ,cheng bent over her poor mangled son1 whose face was completely hidden by bandages4 ,on that first visit ,i remember being much impressed with the mother's soft voice and quiet dignified manner1 and with her extreme gentleness in tending her child4 ,each subsequent visit increased the desire to secure this woman as a nurse for my children4 ,soon the opportunity came4 ,mrs4 ,cheng soon found that months instead of days or weeks must elapse1 before her child could leave the hospital4 ,the question as to how she could support herself and her son while in the hospital became a serious one2 she1 therefore1 gladly accepted my offer to meet their expenses in return for her help some hours each day with the children4 ,by the time the doctor had pronounced the ,wolf ,boy ready to leave the hospital1 ,mrs4 ,cheng had proved herself such a blessing and treasure in our home that a warm welcome awaited her from the children as well as their mother and she was installed as their permanent nurse4 ,less than one year after ,mrs4 ,cheng came to us1 that terrible cataclysm of horror--the ,boxer uprising--took place1 and we were all ordered to flee4 ,with four small children the thought of that long cart journey without ,mrs4 ,cheng was appalling2 but would she come8 ,her boy still needed her to dress his face1 and her old mother1 of almost eighty1 to whom she was greatly devoted1 looked constantly to her for help4 ,we laid our need before her and for one day she hesitated1 going about the house as if dazed4 ,at evening she came with tears1 saying1 ,shepherd ,mother1 ,i must go with you4 ,my old mother weeps but tells me to go4 ,my boy needs me1 but he1 too1 says ,i must go1 for the children need me most4 ,days and weeks of terrible experiences followed1 during which ,mrs4 ,cheng proved herself a blessing to the sorely tried mother4 ,again and again she was tested as few have ever been2 how she stood the tests we shall see4 ,the story of that journey has already been written1 and only what specially concerns ,mrs4 ,cheng will here be mentioned4 ,on the eleventh day of the journey a band of armed men came down upon our party like an avalanche1 and in the melee ,mrs4 ,cheng and our little daughter1 ,ruth1 became separated from us4 ,can we ever forget1 how1 when men stood over the faithful nurse demanding the child1 she refused to give her up1 but lay upon the little one1 and took blow after blow upon her own body8 ,only the greed for loot saved them1 for the men seeing others getting our things left them to get their share4 ,that same night when again our party was facing what seemed almost certain massacre1 several ,chinese came to ,mrs4 ,cheng urging her to leave us1 promising to see that she would be taken safely back to her home if she would1 but she refused4 ,about #b o'clock that morning ,i heard the sound of weeping in the courtyard2 going out ,i found ,mrs4 ,cheng sitting by the steps weeping bitterly1 and moaning aloud3 ,i must go1 ,i must go2 they need me1 even if they kill me ,i will go4 ,sitting down beside her we clung in our distress to each other4 ,then a strange thing happened4 ,two ,chinese women came creeping towards us through the dark court1 and kneeling down at our feet took our hands in theirs4 ,almost too surprised for words ,i said3 ,are you ,christians8 ,we don't understand1 they replied4 ,then why have you come to us now8 ,because our hearts feel sorrow for you4 ,these words but imperfectly convey the beautiful and touching sympathy of these heathen women1 for as they spoke1 tears were in their eyes1 and their look and manner meant more than words4 ,before ,i had time to say more than a few words to them the call came to get into our carts4 ,once1 during the wonderful day of deliverances that followed1 the cry was raised by the mob that surrounded our carts3 ,get the nurse out1 drag her out1 we will have her6 ,and for a few terrible moments it seemed we would lose her1 but ,god in ,his great mercy heard the cry that went up for her4 ,a man came through the crowd1 evidently one of some influence1 and shouted3 ,don't touch her1 leave her alone2 don't you see there are children and they need her8 ,so we were allowed to pass on4 ,in those terrible days that followed1 when almost starved1 when sickness came to first one and then another1 when all were exhausted and tried to the lost point of endurance1 ,mrs4 ,cheng thought not for one moment of herself1 but only for those she served4 ,during all those hard1 hard days not a word of complaint or of her own sufferings escaped her4 ,almost a month from the time we left our home we reached ,shanghai and here we had to part with our faithful helper4 ,it was arranged that ,mrs4 ,cheng should go to a friend of ours in ,chefoo till the troubles were over1 and we return to the ,homeland4 ,last words of farewell were being said at ,mrs4 ,cheng's cabin door1 as her steamer was about to leave4 ,the dear woman clung to me unwilling to part and her last words were3 ,oh1 my ,shepherd ,mother1 do take good care of the children6 ,so smiles were mixed with tears as we parted4 99 99 99 ,two years passed4 ,conditions were once more becoming normal1 or nearly so4 ,missionaries were returning to their various stations1 but could we1 who had been through that ,baptism of ,blood1 ever be just the same as before8 ,we had been spared for further service1 while others had been ,,translated4 ,surely we had been saved to serve as never before4 ,a new and difficult life was entered upon--the opening of new out-stations1 the breaking of new ground4 ,all through the years of that life when traveling constantly from place to place1 ,mrs4 ,cheng was a patient and willing sharer in all the hardness and a never failing source of comfort to me4 ,never once in all those years1 that ,i can recall1 did this woman ever get really angry or even out of temper with the children1 and it was a life that tried temper and patience to the utmost4 ,the years have passed on and with them the little children from our care1 but ,mrs4 ,cheng remains4 ,although sixty years of age she appears in some things to be renewing her youth6 ,during the recent war1 when we women were trying to do our bit through the ,red ,cross1 ,mrs4 ,cheng came to me one day and begged me to allow her to take my place at the sewing machine4 ,at first ,i refused1 but finally let her try but with some fear lest she break the needle4 ,to my great surprise she was soon able to go on with the ,red ,cross work quite alone2 indeed she came to make the soldiers' garments so well as to call forth special praise from the ,red ,cross ,headquarters4 ,this greatly surprised me1 for ,i could never get her to attempt to learn the machine when the children were small4 ,one day ,i asked her why this was so1 and her reply was3 ,then ,i could not learn because the children filled my heart1 now1 my ,shepherd ,mother1 it is empty6 ,let us take1 in closing1 a peep into ,mrs4 ,cheng's own home4 ,at break of dawn on ,new ,year's morning1 #aiah1 ,mrs4 ,cheng1 her only remaining son and his wife1 and their three children1 were busily engaged preparing their ,new ,year's feast1 which consisted of dozens 7amounting probably to hundreds7 of tiny meat dumplings1 each one just large enough for one 787 luscious1 mouthful4 7,these dumplings are to the ,chinese at the ,new ,year season what turkey and plum pudding are to the ,westerner47 ,when all was ready1 even the pot or rather large caldron1 at boiling point awaiting the precious dumplings1 ,mrs4 ,cheng gathered her household around her and together they knelt and worshipped the ,christian's ,god4 ,heathen neighbors gathered about the open doorway and watched1 in wondering but respectful silence1 the kneeling group1 and listened to their hymn of praise4 ,worship over1 while the rest dropped dumplings into the bubbling water1 ,mrs4 ,cheng preached to the curious and questioning neighbors4 ,telling me of it afterwards she said1--,of course1 ,i could not preach1 but ,i just told them what ,i knew of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,oh1 that all ,god's more favored children in every land would do just ,,that4 99,,sketch ,,xiv99 99,daybreak in ,one ,home99 ,part #a--,,little ,,slave4 ,part #b--,,slave',s ,,father4 ,part #c--,,slave',s ,,release4 99,daybreak in ,one ,home99 99,part ,i4 ,,little ,,slave499 ,one of the most wonderful things about this wonderful old land of ,china1 is the number1 size and length of her great waterways4 ,millions of her people live1 yes and die1 on the large and small craft 7chiefly the latter7 which ply up and down these great streams4 ,twenty-five days' hauling up one of these rivers from the ,port of ,tientsin1 brings us to the town of ,swinsen4 ,there can be little doubt but that this place dates far back1 for not far distant can be still seen the ruins of what was once--three thousand five hundred years ago1 or before ,moses led the ,children of ,israel out of ,egypt1--the flourishing capitol of the ,kingdom of ,china4 ,the ,wang family1 for many generations1 had made their home in this curious old town of ,swinsen4 ,to trace the history of one section of this family1 as ,i think you would like to hear it1 we shall have to go back forty years4 ,could we about that time1 have taken a peep through one of the gateways on a narrow street of this town1 we would have seen a strange sight4 ,standing in the centre of the court1 and surrounded by a rough mocking group1 was a young girl4 ,she was dressed in all the gaudy garments of an ,eastern ,bride1 but her finery served only to show forth the more conspicuously how ungenerous ,nature had been in the matter of good looks4 ,tall and very thin1 with a slouchy uncertain manner which gave her loose ill-fitting garments the appearance of being made for another1 and with deep smallpox marks covering her face1 and only partially concealed by powder and paint1 she certainly did not appear the beautiful bride they had been led to expect4 ,a storm of ridicule and scorn was kept up by the group surrounding her4 ,evidently1 said one1 she has been brought up in a poorly-managed home or why have her feet been allowed to grow so large8 ,were we not promised a beautiful1 rich1 clever1 bride1 with tiny feet8 said another4 ,and the storm of abuse upon the innocent girl and absent go-between became so bitter as to make the poor creature shrink in terror4 ,at last1 like an animal brought to bay1 she turned pleadingly towards a bright young man standing on the outskirts of the group1 her bridegroom of a day1 who till that moment seemed heartily to enjoy the fun of tormenting her4 ,catching her pleading terrified look he flushed as if with shame2 then calling out sharply1--,enough1 enough6 ,let her alone4 ,she is not to blame1 and1 anyway1 she is here to stay4 ,with this he gave her a not ungentle push towards the door of their apartment1 then hastened through the gate and disappeared down the street4 ,as is the custom in ,china the ,wang household was ruled with a rod of iron by the old grandmother4 ,and the old lady certainly had her hands full for there were four sons1 and four daughters-in-law1 also numerous grandchildren4 ,the new daughter-in-law was no favorite with her1 and young ,mrs4 ,wang1 as we shall call her1 had a hard and bitter life4 ,all the women of the family joined in making her the drudge4 ,one would have to understand heathenism and the conditions of a heathen home to fully comprehend what refinement of cruelty and meanness can be exercised by women under like circumstances4 ,again and again ,mrs4 ,wang was tempted1 as she knew so many other brides had been1 to end her wretchedness by jumping down the well or taking opium poison1 but something seemed to keep her from this awful deed4 ,one day there arrived to comfort the poor girl's heart a tiny stranger4 ,because it was a girl the other members of the family took no interest in its arrival1 but the mother's heart1 crushed and starved for so long1 went out to her little daughter4 ,she thought long for a beautiful name for her1 and at last decided to call her ,lily ,blossom4 ,but when the old grandmother heard of her choice of a name she was furious1 and asserted her authority in no uncertain manner1 declaring1 ,no girl in my family will ever receive such a name4 ,why6 it is just tempting the fairies to send us only girls4 ,her name is to be ,,slave4 ,and ,slave she was called4 ,the child grew up pretty and attractive1 surprisingly so considering the coarse and unattractive surroundings in which she lived4 ,she was her mother's constant companion1 and even when very young would try to shield her mother from the blows often showered upon her4 ,when ,slave reached her sixth birthday preparations were made to have her feet bound4 ,three or four women were needed for the performance4 ,one to hold the child1 a second to bandage1 and one or two more to pull the bandages4 ,a veil must be drawn over one terrible hour4 ,then we see her rolling from side to side on the large brick bed in a state of semi-consciousness4 ,her shrieks and cries had become reduced to low moans4 ,at last her mother in pity offered to loosen the bandages1 but little ,slave pushed her away with all her remaining strength1 saying1 ,no1 no1 ,i want my feet small1 ,i must have my feet small4 ,and the mother knowing well the bitterness and cruelty she had suffered because of her own feet being allowed to grow to almost natural size1 yielded4 ,for months ,slave was practically a cripple1 then gradually she learned to balance herself on her crushed and broken stumps of feet4 ,later the child's delight knew no bounds1 for everywhere she went her tiny feet1 clothed in beautiful embroidered shoes1 attracted the admiration of all4 99 99 99 ,seven years have passed and we now find ,slave a beautiful girl of thirteen4 ,her beauty had been much talked of1 and great expectations were indulged in regarding her marriage4 ,the child outwardly seemed to take more interest in making her pretty shoes than in these discussions regarding her future ,mother-in-law's home1 but in reality she was a keen and interested listener to all that was said on the subject4 ,more than one go-between had visited the home for the purpose of arranging a match with ,slave1 but the family knew her market value and were hard to please4 ,at last a woman came from whom ,slave instinctively shrank4 ,yet it was she who succeeded in satisfying the demands of the family4 ,this woman stated positively that the ,mother-in-law's home1 for whom she was the middle-woman1 was all that could be desired4 ,they owned considerable property1 and were the chief family of their village4 ,as to the man himself1 why he was all a girl could wish for or be proud to call a husband1--young1 handsome1 clever1 and so on4 ,the outcome of it all was the usual gifts were exchanged and ,slave's fate was sealed for life4 ,two short years passed then word was received from ,slave's mother-in-law's home that the wedding must take place on a certain date in the near future4 ,during the busy days of preparation that followed1 ,slave's heart palpitated many times as with mixed feelings she thought of the future4 ,then alas1 all too soon the eventful day arrived1 when two ,sedan chairs were set down at the ,wang's gateway4 ,the one containing the waiting bridegroom1 was handsomely decorated in blue and silver1 but the bride's chair was even more gorgeous in its trappings of gold and crimson4 ,when the time came for farewell1 tears of real sorrow were shed1 but little ,slave's heart was too full of the handsome young bridegroom to permit such sad feelings remaining long4 ,no sooner was she safely behind the curtains of her chair than she arranged with utmost care1 her veil and ornaments1 seeking meanwhile to get a glimpse of the one who was to be hers for life4 ,often had she pictured to herself the handsome young man described by the go-between1 and it was with only joyous anticipation that she thought of the future4 ,no response1 however1 came from the other chair4 ,the journey was soon over1 and as they approached her future home ,slave became increasingly nervous and shy4 ,she could easily have caught a glimpse of her bridegroom's face through her veil as they alighted from their chairs1 but her eyes seemed glued to the ground4 ,she felt herself led through the crowd of noisy spectators1 and was conscious that he was beside her4 ,together1 side by side1 they knelt before the household gods4 ,but it was not till she had been led to the bridal chamber and seated on the brick platform or bed1 with her garments arranged to the best advantage1 that the crowd was admitted and her veil was raised4 ,a low murmur arose at the sight of her great beauty4 ,still little ,slave's eyes would not rise4 ,it was not till all had left and she was alone with her husband that her eyes rose with one swift glance4 ,but1 alas1 poor child1 it was not to see the bridegroom of her dreams1 but instead she saw a man old enough to be her father1--a man with the marks of a debauched and wicked life plainly written on his countenance1--a typical opium slave2 in other words a man only in name1 rather a brute in human form6 ,as ,slave caught sight of this man standing there1 intoxicated with wine1 and looking like a beast about to pounce upon its prey1 the shock of disappointment was too great4 ,her face became deathly white1 and with a piercing cry1--,my mother1 oh my mother1 she fell forward unconscious4 ,we must leave our little friend to enter the darkness alone1 only one of multitudes in this dark heathen land of ,china whose innocence and happiness are year by year sacrificed to the greed of gain and cruel marriage customs of their own land4 ,we shall see later how the ,light that can lighten the deepest darkness1 came at last into little ,slave's life1 giving peace and hope4 99,part ,,ii4 ,,slave',s ,,father499 ,slave was gone6 ,as really lost to her parents as if she were dead4 ,when the truth concerning the man she now belonged to for life became known1 her mother wept long and bitterly1 but there was no redress2 they had to bear as others had borne1 who had been deceived by an unprincipled go-between4 ,some months after ,slave's marriage1 there came to fill her place two fine twin boys4 ,mrs4 ,wang's day had dawned at last4 ,the old grandmother could not do enough for her and the once despised and ill-treated drudge was waited on hand and foot by the other women1 at the command of the old lady4 ,for three whole years this state of things lasted1 then one day the grandmother announced her intention of making the two boys take the smallpox4 7,many of the ,chinese believed that children must have the smallpox when young or they will not grow up strong74 ,the mother's heart sank as she thought of what the result might be4 ,she ventured to protest but was silenced by a shower of blows4 ,the grandmother took both of the fine healthy boys to a neighbor's house where they had smallpox1 and kept them there a whole day to ensure them getting the disease4 ,a week later both became ill4 ,we must draw a veil over the horror of the days that followed the agony of the mother1 the despair of the father1 the rage of the grandmother when she saw the children would die1 and the ill-concealed malice of the other women4 ,a few days passed when a little body1 wrapped in a piece of old matting1 was carried by the father to the children's pit outside the city4 ,a little later this scene was repeated1 and ,mrs4 ,wang's day of happiness ended4 ,the cruel death of their two beautiful boys was the beginning of dark days for our ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,wang4 ,the old grandmother died shortly after from excess of rage4 7,the fits of rage to which women give way in ,china cannot easily be understood by the ,westerner74 ,it was in one of these attacks1 caused no doubt by disappointment at the result of her treatment of her grandchildren1 that the poor old autocrat collapsed and died4 ,the day before the funeral was to take place the old husband was found dead in bed4 ,an expensive funeral and excessive feasting which followed and which custom required reduced the family to desperate financial straits4 ,the days following the funeral were tempestuous ones for the ,wang household1 and the domestic typhoons1 as they have been correctly described1 were fiercer and more frequent than ever4 ,at last the day came when the family mutually decided to separate1 which they did in true ,chinese fashion--each couple would be responsible for their own finances1 but would continue to live as before within the one gate4 ,this arrangement would have been favorable to our branch of the family had not ,mr4 ,wang lost his situation as teacher almost immediately after the change4 ,then followed several moons 7months7 of fruitless search for employment4 ,everything that could be was sold or pawned to get food4 ,one day ,mr4 ,wang's boatman brother returned from the coast4 ,he told them of a man who had come up on their boat who was looking for a teacher for a missionary living in an adjoining province1 and he urged ,mr4 ,wang to take this position4 ,the women-folk1 however1 bitterly opposed saying1 ,if he once gets under the spell of the foreigner we shall never hear of him again4 ,but they could not starve1 and when it was learned the salary would be considerably more than what he had been getting even the women yielded4 ,mr4 ,wang was himself only half inclined to go1 for he could not get out of his mind the remembrance of stories he had heard of wholesale poisoning carried on by the missionaries4 ,shortly after his departure a little girl came to comfort ,mrs4 ,wang in her loneliness4 ,now that she was her own mistress1 she chose a pretty name for the child1 little dreaming what a beautiful herald it was of the brighter day so soon to dawn1 she called it ,spring6 ,one morning when little ,spring was just three weeks old1 the ,wang family received a great surprise4 ,they were all seated at their own doorsteps or squatting around the court1 each with a bowl of millet poised in one hand and a pair of chop sticks in the other1 when the front gate opened and who should appear but ,mr4 ,wang4 ,it was as if a bomb had fallen6 ,in a few moments the court was crowded with curious neighbors1 all eager to hear the reason for his return4 ,the truth in brief was that he had reached the ,mission ,compound safely1 had been well received by the other ,chinese teachers1 had been in the missionary's home and had taught him and his wife for one day1 but that night had been seized with sudden panic lest he get under the spell of the missionaries1 and had gathered up his belongings and when all were asleep had quietly slipped away4 ,this1 however1 was not just how ,mr4 ,wang told it to the waiting crowd4 ,he found it necessary to add a good many embellishments to make it a less humiliating story than it would otherwise have been1 and these additions were not always favorable to the foreigners4 ,the family had to face the fact that there were three mouths to fill and some work must be got1 but weeks of searching resulted as before in failure4 ,our friends would certainly have starved had not other members of the family given1 sometimes almost thrown1 food to them4 ,at last in sheer despair ,mr4 ,wang accepted a position in the ,yamen 7,city ,hall7 for just his food4 ,thus ,mrs4 ,wang was left to battle with her little babe alone4 ,the cold pitiless winter faced her and bitter indeed did she find the struggle for existence4 ,to earn even three and a half cents a day1 she was obliged to sit at her spinning wheel far into the night1 with her babe inside her wadded garment to keep it warm4 99 99 99 ,during those long winter months ,mr4 ,wang sat at his desk in the ,yamen the face of the missionary seemed to come before him vividly--so kind1 so true1 so different from any face he had ever seen before4 ,gradually he came to the point of resolving that had he another chance he would return to the missionary4 ,the opportunity was nearer than he imagined4 ,while at his work one morning he heard an unusual commotion outside4 ,stepping to the front gate he found a great crowd hurrying towards the river4 ,a man shouted to him1 ,two foreign demons are coming up the river4 ,come and see the fun4 ,without so much as a thought for his work awaiting him1 ,mr4 ,wang caught up his teacher's long gown to accelerate speed1 and before the man ceased speaking had started to run with the others4 ,his behaviour on this occasion at least was quite unworthy of a proud ,confucian scholar1 all of whom pride themselves on imitating the sage in never making haste under any circumstances4 ,just as the tiny house boat1 with two foreign men standing on its deck1 came in sight1 ,mr4 ,wang reached the river bank4 ,had he tried he would have found it difficult to say why he trembled so4 ,he was only conscious of an intense desire that one of these men might be his foreigner4 ,at last as he recognized the missionary he had taught for a day1 he could scarcely repress a cry of joy1 or wait till the boat was drawn up to where he stood4 ,then1 not waiting for the plank to be put down1 he leaped on board and faced the astonished missionary1 who looked his amazement as he recognized him4 ,before the other could find words1 ,mr4 ,wang1 making a low bow hurriedly asked forgiveness in a few humble words4 ,he ended by saying1 ,i know1 sir1 you are not what people say you are4 ,i was wrong1 forgive me4 ,if you will take me back ,i will be glad to teach you4 ,while he was speaking the missionary's face was a study--surprise1 annoyance1 relief1 pleasure--all came in turn4 ,the missionary1 who could now speak the ,chinese language a little1 laid ,ids hand kindly on the young man's shoulder and said3 ,not a word more1 ,mr4 ,wang4 ,i am in need of a teacher so you may consider yourself engaged1 but you must be ready to start back with us three days from now4 ,the poor fellow looked his gratitude but could find no words4 ,as he turned to leave the missionary called him back and said in a low voice as he handed him some money1 ,take this1 you have a wife and she must be provided for1 we will reckon later4 ,this thoughtful act completed the capture of ,mr4 ,wang's heart4 ,from that moment he became the devoted follower of the missionary although as yet he knew nothing of his message4 ,three days later found ,mr4 ,wang settled in his little tsang or cabin on the missionary's houseboat4 ,next to his was the larger cabin occupied by the two missionaries as sleeping and living apartment4 ,a partition of open woodwork covered with paper separated the two cabins4 ,mr4 ,wang had not been in his compartment very long before he had1 in true ,chinese fashion1 by moistening the tip of his finger and applying it to the paper partition1 made a hole sufficiently large to enable him to watch all that passed in the adjoining cabin without himself being seen4 ,day by day he spent every moment he could get at his self made vantage ground4 ,how those men puzzled him6 ,as he noticed how quiet and orderly1 and above all how strangely happy they were1 without being boisterous1 he became conscious of a growing sense of respect and admiration4 ,before they had reached their destination1 the missionary's home1 ,mr4 ,wang had lost every trace of doubt or fear of the foreigners4 ,mr4 ----1 the missionary1 was a keen judge of character4 ,his knowledge of human nature was gained in the slums of a so-called ,christian city1 and it was well for him that such experience had been gained before meeting the more complex problems of the ,chinese character4 ,as day by day the missionary studied with ,mr4 ,wang he became more and more convinced that this man must meet ,christ first in him1 ,his representative1 for he found him sharp1 keen1 critical1 and alas1 utterly untrustworthy4 ,but the day came when ,mr4 ,wang testified1 when he was being received into the ,church1 ,i learned first to love the ,pastor1 then to love his ,saviour4 99,part ,,iii--,,slave',s ,,release499 ,six years have passed since ,mr4 ,wang entered on his duties as teacher to the missionary4 ,during all those years he had been an invaluable assistant to ,mr4 ---- in the strenuous and difficult work of opening a new mission station at the large and important city of ,c----4 ,the time had now come when it was thought best for ,mr4 ,wang to bring his wife from their old home4 ,a small cottage was secured just opposite the mission gate for them1 and here a happier life began for ,mrs4 ,wang than she had ever thought possible4 ,mr4 ,wang1 like so many ,chinese ,christian men1 thought his wife too stupid to learn1 and when she first came in touch with ,mrs4 ----1 the missionary's wife1 she was practically a heathen4 ,as she came in with little ,spring1 now a bright little girl of nearly seven1 the foreign woman could scarcely hide her disappointment when she saw ,mrs4 ,wang1 she was so extremely 7shall ,i use the word7 ugly1 so untidy1 slouchy1 and even far from clean4 ,yet there was a look in those small deep set eyes which said plainly1 ,yes1 ,i know how different ,i am from you1 but oh1 ,i do want you to love me4 ,and the other felt herself strangely drawn to her4 ,before long a deep and abiding affection sprang up between the two1 so different1 yet at heart one4 ,many times in the lesson periods that followed ,mrs4 ---- was tempted to give up in despair1 ,mrs4 ,wang was so slow to learn4 ,one day after a particularly discouraging time of study1 ,mrs4 ,wang turned to her teacher and said1 ,teacher ,mother1 do not be discouraged because my mind is like a sieve1 for my heart has ,jesus there4 ,the evidence of the new life within soon began to be seen in the changed1 happier1 more restful face1 and in the cleaner1 tidier garments4 ,willingly she allowed little ,spring's feet to remain unbound1 which meant much at that time when women and girls with unbound feet were unknown4 ,although ,spring had not the beauty of her older sister1 ,slave1 she was bright1 quick1 in her ways like her father1 and most affectionate4 ,from the first contact with the missionaries the child's heart seemed open to the ,gospel1 she came soon to show a love for the ,saviour unusual in one so young4 ,the greatest treat little ,spring could have in those early days was to be allowed to play with the gentle fair-haired foreign child of her own age4 ,one day the two children wandered outside the backgate into the fields beyond4 ,suddenly they came upon some dogs devouring the body of a little child4 ,spring1 to whom such a scene was not unknown1 looked on unmoved1 but the tenderly guarded foreign child gazed in speechless horror1 then screaming loudly ran towards home4 ,her mother1 anxious at her disappearance1 had just reached the gate when the child appeared almost frantic with terror and shock4 ,a word was sufficient for the mother to learn the cause of the trouble4 ,oh1 ,mother6 cried the child1 sobbing on her mother's breast1 ,i see it now1 a dear little baby4 ,oh1 mother1 mother1 those terrible dogs4 ,i can never forget it4 ,that night the mother knelt long beside her child's bedside4 ,other little ones had come and gone4 ,this child seemed like a delicate lily1 too sensitive and high strung for such a land as ,china1 where outside the ,mission ,compound one could never tell when one would come upon a scene that might hurt and shock4 ,some time later the child was taken ill4 ,there was no doctor near and once more the parents went down into the ,valley of the shadow of death with a precious child4 ,meningitis developed4 ,spring and her mother watched and waited outside the child's sick door for some word of hope4 ,but after days of great suffering the little one was taken to where there will be no more pain1 neither sorrow nor crying4 ,a day later missionaries and ,christians gathered about the open grave beside which rested the little coffin almost covered with beautiful flowers4 ,it was then that ,mrs4 ,wang recalled the cruel death of her two boys and what had been done with their little bodies4 ,the contrast was indeed great3 here were every token of love and honor for the precious remains2 but what moved ,mrs4 ,wang end went to her heart was the look of ,hope written on the mother's face as they all sang together-- ,little children1 little children4 ,who love their ,redeemer ,are the jewels1 precious jewels1 ,his loved and ,his own4 ,like the stars of the morning ,his bright crown adorning1 ,they shall shine in ,his beauty ,his loved and ,his own4 ,as these words sank deep into ,mrs4 ,wang's very soul1 there came a great yearning that her own people might hear of this ,gospel that gives a soul a hope after death4 99 99 99 ,sometime after her little friend's death1 ,spring entered the mission school for girls1 the first girls' school to be opened in that part of ,china4 ,year by year as they passed1 ,spring grew in the love and esteem of her teachers4 ,her bright1 happy ways and true ,christian character endeared her to all4 ,but the one ,spring loved most of all was the mother of the friend she never forgot4 ,on one occasion when the writer was home on furlough1 she received the following letter from ,spring3 ,dear ,teacher ,mother1 ,come back very soon4 ,as one who is hungry longs for food and one who is thirsty for drink1 so my heart longs for you6 ,when fifteen years of age ,spring graduated with such distinction that she was sent to the advanced school for girls in ,peking4 ,upon her return she became assistant teacher in the ,mission ,girls' ,school4 ,about this time ,mrs4 ,wang's health broke down4 ,a little daughter had come whom they named ,brightness4 ,through all the months of weakness and failing health1 the poor suffering woman showed forth a true spirit of patience and resignation4 ,one day an urgent call came for the missionary's wife to go and see the sick woman4 ,hastening to the little cottage across the way1 she found the court empty so entered the door unannounced1 and passing through the outer room she lifted the curtain that served for door into the room where she could see dimly the form of her loved friend lying on the brick bed4 ,there was no mistaking the look which plainly told the last call had come to ,mrs4 ,wang4 ,overcome with the shock of seeing the end so near1 ,mrs4 ---- sank down beside her friend and wept bitterly4 ,slowly the dying woman raised her hand and stroked the head of the weeping woman1 and with difficulty said1 ,don't grieve for me4 ,there is much ,i want to say1 but the time is too short4 ,listen6 ,my child1 my little ,slave1 does not know about the ,saviour4 ,help ,spring to go to her before it is too late4 ,there was a long silence broken only by suppressed weeping from ,spring who was standing by4 ,then ,mrs4 ,wang continued1 ,and you1 my friend2 thank you again for bringing this precious ,saviour to even me4 ,and you have helped me so much4 ,no1 no1 said ,mrs4 ---- unable to keep silence longer4 ,it is you who have helped me4 ,your patience under trial has been a constant rebuke to me for my impatience4 ,she could say no more for even while she was speaking the ,glory of the unseen world seemed to shine on the dying woman's face4 99 99 99 ,some months after her mother's death the way was opened for ,spring to visit her father's old home4 ,she had many times longed and prayed that she might fulfil her mother's dying request4 ,with some difficulties ,spring found where her sister lived and as she drew near the house her heart rose in earnest prayer for her sister's conversion4 ,an old woman responded to her knock at the gate1 to whom ,spring made herself known1 then asked to see her sister4 ,the old woman who turned out to be ,slave's mother-in-law1 directed her to the door of the room where we last parted with poor ,slave--a broken-hearted bride4 ,tapping gently on the door and receiving no answer1 ,spring entered4 ,on the long brick bed at one end of the room lay her sister4 ,the wasted frame and racking cough told all too plainly ,slave's days on earth were few4 ,as ,spring stood looking at her sister for a moment1 almost too overcome to speak1 she thought of her mother's words1 before it is too late4 ,for three days ,spring remained with her sister4 ,fortunately for them both ,slave's husband was not at home1 and the old mother-in-law left them alone only too glad to have someone to relieve her from waiting on the sick one4 ,when ,spring described to her sister their mother's beautiful death1 tears ran down ,slave's cheeks as she said1 ,oh1 that ,i too could have such a hope6 ,you can1 my sister1 eagerly cried ,spring4 ,i have come as mother wished1 to tell you how you can go to where she is4 ,then patiently and lovingly she opened up to her sister1 step by step1 the glorious ,gospel of a ,saviour from sin and a hope after death4 ,slave listened and drank in the message as one parched with thirst would drink from a living spring4 ,once when the sisters were talking closely together1 ,slave suddenly broke into a passion of uncontrollable weeping4 ,then came little by little as she had strength to tell it1 the story of those terrible years since she left her father's home4 ,at last as if words failed her1 she loosened her garment and revealed her shoulders and back covered with bruises and healed scars1 silent witnesses to the cruelty of the past4 ,gradually the ,peace and ,hope born of her new found faith came into ,slave's poor starved soul4 ,and as the sisters parted never as they knew well to meet again on earth1 ,slave said1 ,yes1 it is different now1 ,i shall be in heaven before you4 ,i have no more fear now4 ,but pray for my husband4 99 99 99 ,there is a ,love that longs with deep affection ,to gather all the sinsick sons of men ,beneath its wings of shelter and protection1 ,and give them health again4 ,it is the love of ,jesus1 sweet with longing1 ,his full salvation to the world to give1 ,crying to all the dead1 earth's highways thronging1 ,come unto ,me1 come unto ,me1 and live4 ,by ,annie ,johnson ,flint4 ,copyright1 ,evangelical ,publishers4