8,they're a ,multitoode0 and other stories ,illustration3 8,i wish you would tell me the story of ,yin-dee40 8,they're a ,multitoode0 and ,other ,stories ,,compiled ,,by ,,the ,,secretary ,,of ,,the ,,young ,,people',s ,,forward ,,movement ,,for ,,missions ,illustration ,,toronto3 ,the ,missionary ,society of the ,methodist ,church ,the ,young ,people's ,forward ,movement for ,missions ,f4 ,c4 ,,stephenson1 ,secretary 8,they're a ,multitoode0 8,we ain't expected to do only our part40 ,christopher ,morton1 ,jr41 was looking through the morning mail in the office when there came a knock at the door4 ,he glanced at the clock and frowned4 ,it was too early for visitors by five minutes1 and this vigilant young man of business was very careful of his minutes4 ,while he hesitated1 the door opened without ceremony and admitted a gaunt1 unfashionable figure1 hollow-chested and sallow-faced4 8,hello1 ,christy1 old chap60 cried the intruder1 stretching out a hearty hand and feeling apparently no doubt of a welcome4 8,how are you80 ,for an instant the other looked at him vaguely1 the crease still showing in his forehead4 ,then his eyes lit4 8,why1 ,jim ,perry1 is it you60 he shouted1 getting around the table with a bound4 8,part of me10 said ,jim1 sinking into a chair4 ,he panted a little1 but he smiled yet4 ,christy looked him over discontentedly4 8,what have you been doing to yourself80 he asked4 8,caught a fever10 explained ,jim1 with a nod4 8,the missionaries sent me home4 ,i might better have stuck it out there1 but ,i had no breath to argue with them1 so they packed me off4 ,i am to go back in ,september40 8,i have always believed in foreign missions10 said ,christy1 8but when they took you out of the country ,i found it hard to keep my faith4 ,and now--0 he stopped abruptly4 8,it was a mighty good day for me when ,i went10 said ,jim ,perry4 8,i have got a good deal out of living these past three years40 ,there was no mistaking the ring in his voice4 8,you have snug quarters here10 said ,perry4 8,they tell me that you are a prosperous man of affairs40 8,i am getting on10 said ,christy1 modestly1 8,i have some turn1 ,i think1 for making money40 8,we out in ,china10 said ,jim1 with a chuckle1 8haven't any2 it is the last thing we can do4 ,our strong point is spending4 ,we claim that nobody on earth can surpass us in that4 ,we will invest for you if you like4 ,by the way--0 ,he plunged his hand into his pocket and brought out a flat strip of cardboard which he proceeded to fit together into a money box4 8,there60 he said1 setting it up gravely on the corner of the mantelpiece4 8,you will kindly contribute40 8,what is it80 asked ,christy1 regarding the small object distrustfully1 very much as if it were a dynamite bomb4 8,we are trying10 explained ,jim1 8to raise a special ,christmas offering for missions4 ,along with the rest of her ,christmas giving1 the church is asked to give to those who have never learned what ,christmas is40 ,there was a slight pause4 8,could anything10 ,jim asked1 8be more acceptable to ,him in whose name our festival is kept80 8,the original meaning of ,christmas has been overlaid in a good many minds10 commented ,christy1 briefly4 8,to their loss10 said ,jim1 8and to the bitter loss of many besides40 ,he rose from his seat and began to pace back and forth over ,christy's thick carpet4 ,but he was weak2 he soon came back to his old place4 8,i have walked10 he said musingly1 8the swarming streets of heathen cities1 ,i have gone into heathen homes1 ,i have stood face to face with weary1 heavy-laden1 heathen souls1 and ,i have been taught what ,darkness is4 ,but then1 thank ,god1 ,i have time and again seen the ,star of ,bethlehem break in the black sky and stand still over some place where the ,christ was born1 and ,i know1 yes1 ,i know1 the brightness of its rising60 ,there was another silence4 ,again ,jim was the first to speak4 8,no doubt10 he said1 8you give a number of ,christmas presents40 8,i don't think of them in ,september10 said ,christy4 8,that is fortunate10 responded ,jim1 tranquilly4 8,it will give you more leisure to think of this betimes40 ,he looked at his watch and said that he must go4 ,they walked together to the corner where he took the car1 and then ,christy hurried back to his work4 8,that man will never go to ,china next ,september10 he muttered to himself1 as he rang up the elevator4 8,it will be another ,celestial ,kingdom for which he will start1 unless the signs are wrong40 ,for the rest of the morning1 ,mr4 ,morton was not so undivided in his attention to business as was customary with him4 ,many times his mind wandered to the face that was like1 and so unlike1 the face of his old college mate4 ,it was aged4 ,it was lined4 ,it was tired4 8,but you could trust it10 ,christy concluded1 8to the uttermost40 8,jim ,perry10 he said1 facing at last the crucial idea which he had sought to evade1 8has got much out of life4 ,what am ,i getting80 ,the roar of the city came in at the open windows4 ,christy did not hear4 8,if ,i should die to-night--that is too trite a supposition4 ,if ,i should have softening of the brain to-night1 or advancing paralysis1 what satisfaction would there be to which ,i could hold fast1 as ,i sat with my face to the wall while life passed me by80 ,the breeze fluttered the papers on his desk4 8,if my plans stopped now1 nothing would be left from the failure4 ,they need the future in order to amount to anything4 ,if ,jim ,perry never gets back to ,china1 why0--he leaned his head on his hand and thought came slowly--8he has lived for an object and attained it as he went along40 ,christy was still thinking of the look in ,jim's eyes and the sound of his voice when footfalls along the corridor foretold an interruption4 ,several men followed on the heels of one another4 ,when they were all gone1 ,christy's mind had largely recovered its ordinary temper4 8,jim ,perry is an awfully decent chap2 it was upsetting to see him looking so done4 ,if he had stayed in this country1 three-quarters of a lifetime of work would probably be before him4 ,one can't help remembering it4 ,but--,i can accept the logic of missions40 ,he took the little cardboard box from the drawer into which he had thrust it and read every ,scripture verse on all its sides4 8,yes1 the arguments are strong4 ,i don't pretend to gainsay foreign missions4 ,but yet it can't be denied that thousands of the holiest of saints have lived their lives out within the limits of ,christendom and found more than their hands could do with their might4 ,however1 that sort of incompatibility between the two sides of a truth is the commonest thing in the world4 ,it does not shake the claim of the missionaries40 8,i wonder10 he meditated1 8how much genuine missionary spirit there is in the church of to-day4 ,i don't mean among the specialists1 the experts1 like ,jim 7and me70--,christy had the grace to laugh a little--8but in the rank and file40 ,he lifted the contribution box and regarded it with a new expression4 ,by-and-bye he smiled broadly4 8,it will be an interesting experiment10 said ,christy4 8,let us try it40 ,he put the box up again on the mantelpiece1 where ,jim had first set it1 clearing a space about it that it might stand unshadowed in a small rim of black marble4 ,another hour of the afternoon passed as many other hours had done4 ,christy had returned to his habit of absorption in what was in hand4 ,an old woman1 rich and 8crotchety10 had been talking business with him for the last fifteen minutes4 8,the old dame is as keen as a weasel10 thought ,christy1 as he listened with bowed head1 deferentially4 8,not many men could fool her on a deal4 ,she is honest herself1 and she doesn't mean to be cheated4 ,the most of her time is given to padlocking and double-barring her money chest40 ,finally she came to a pause4 ,she pointed across the room4 8,you have something new there4 ,what is it80 8,a collection box10 answered ,christy1 accepting his cue1 promptly4 8,a college classmate of mine1 a missionary to ,china1 left it4 ,the missionaries are calling for a special offering at ,christmas40 ,the old lady heard him out patiently4 ,when he had finished1 she began to speak of further precautions and provisos that had occurred to her as to her affairs4 ,then she arose stiffly to go4 ,at the mantelpiece she stopped1 took a bill from her full purse and slipped it into the narrow opening of the missionary box4 ,she had given the first contribution to ,jim's heathen4 8,of her abundance10 quoth ,christy1 as he shut the door behind her4 ,miss ,craig1 his stenographer1 was moving at the other end of the office4 ,she shut up her typewriter2 it was the hour for her to leave4 ,a little time before ,christy had felt a sensation in regard to ,miss ,craig4 ,he did not often do this1 which was one of his chief virtues4 ,but1 just now1 in the midst of his discourse on foreign missions1 he had been arrested for an instant by meeting the straight1 intent gaze of the young woman who always1 unless directly addressed1 kept her discreet eyes upon her work4 ,miss ,craig put on her hat and gathered up her handkerchief and purse4 8,may ,i trouble you to post these1 ,miss ,craig80 said ,christy1 giving her a handful of letters4 8,thank you4 ,good afternoon40 ,she laid the letters down on the mantelpiece while she opened her purse1 which was shapely but thin4 ,out of it she took a dollar bill1 leaving some silver1 and put it in the money box4 ,christy had started up to expostulate4 ,he sat down to recover4 8,she was as calm and matter-of-course about it10 he gasped1 8as if it were only natural for poor working girls to help evangelize ,china out of their slim wages40 ,during the next two or three days much notice was taken of the missionary box4 ,the notice was diverse in kind4 ,the curiosity of some was quickly satisfied4 ,some stared politely4 ,others openly scoffed4 ,one fashionable club man put in a penny4 8,to see how it feels10 he said4 8,the shock can't be very great10 observed ,christy1 8even to so new a subject as yourself40 8,but you know10 said the club man with a grin1 8it comes on top of finding you running the machine4 ,my nerves are all gone40 ,a clergyman who coughed gave liberally4 8,if ,i could have guessed that he was coming10 said ,christy1 with chagrin1 8,i would have covered the thing up4 ,some men can no more pass a collection basket than a drunkard can a corner saloon4 ,but they are few40 ,a hard-headed merchant furtively dropped in a gold piece4 8,i got it in change10 he apologized1 when he met ,christy's gaze4 8,it is as well to make some special use of it before ,i pay it out for a quarter40 ,a circuit judge lifted the box in his hand and read the verses as ,christy had done4 ,when he set it down again he stood before it in silence while ,christy looked up1 wondering1 and did not disturb him4 ,at last the judge aroused himself4 ,he made a large donation4 8,my daughter was interested in all these things10 he said4 ,christy remembered then the young girl who had died the year before4 ,in one way and another1 ,jim ,perry's missionary box grew heavy4 ,then it was full4 ,christy took it apart1 put the money in a pigeon-hole in his desk and set it back into place4 ,he did not allow himself to comment4 ,illustration3 8,behold1 ,i bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people40 ,on the same afternoon1 ,chippy ,black1 the errand boy1 was waiting in the office for a note4 ,chippy was a new boy2 ,christy did not feel sure of him4 ,lifting his head now to give directions1 ,chippy was caught in the act of 8hefting0 the missionary box4 8,ah10 said ,christy to himself1 with vexed enlightenment4 ,hunting office boys was a bore4 8,why1 this is empty60 said ,chippy1 facing round on him and holding out the box4 8,did you send it off80 8,no10 answered ,christy1 uncertainly4 8,it was full4 ,i took the money out40 8,i see10 said ,chippy4 ,there was relief in his voice and in the clever1 dark1 little face4 ,he plunged his hand into his jacket and brought out a small newspaper parcel tied with twine4 8,i promised ,lin to bring it to you10 he said4 8,it would have been too bad if ,i'd been too late40 8,what is it80 asked ,christy1 receiving the packet with no show of distrust in its dinginess4 ,and he was fastidious4 8,who is ,lin80 8,it's money4 ,she's my sister10 answered ,chippy4 8,she wants it to go with the rest40 ,christy pushed a chair towards him4 8,sit down10 he said4 8,tell me all about it4 ,take your time40 ,chippy crossed his knickerbockered legs1 and by tilting forward a little managed to keep one toe on the carpet4 8,there's two of us boys home10 he began4 8,and there's ,lin4 ,my brother ,bob and me are like lots of other fellows4 ,but ,lin is extry4 ,i'd call her quite extry myself4 ,she's like--well1 she's like ,lin4 ,that's all ,i can say40 8,i have seen one or two such persons10 said ,christy4 8,one ,sunday night one of those foreign preachers was talking about the heathen4 ,if it hadn't been for ,lin10 said ,chippy1 8we'd have forgotten all about them inside of a week4 ,but ,lin was bound that something had got to be done4 #8,there's so many of them1 ,lin1' says ,miss ,loretta ,pease4 7,miss ,loretta lives on the next floor to us2 she's educated47 #8,they're a multitoode1' she says4 #8,you can't never reach 'em4' #8,not all of them at once1' says ,lin to her4 #8,not just us alone by ourselves4 ,we ain't expected to do only our part4'0 8,miss ,lin is sagacious10 said ,christy4 8#8,it isn't any more than right for us to do our part1' she told ,miss ,loretta4 #8,and for one ,i won't back out of it1' ,nor1 you may be sure1 she wouldn't4 ,lin is the sort that wouldn't40 8,an uncommonly good sort10 said ,christy4 8,you are like that1 too1 ain't you60 said ,chippy1 looking over at him kindly4 8,miss ,loretta came round all right after ,lin had worked over her a while4 ,she ain't obstinate4 ,she's genteel4 ,so ,lin fixed it up that we was all to chip in together and make up a purse for the heathen4 ,so we did it4 ,and there it is40 ,he nodded proudly toward the newspaper parcel4 8,you must have worked hard10 said ,christy4 8,it's savings1 mostly4 ,i mean our part of it is1 ,lin's and my brother's and mine4 ,lin got off the neighbors1 too1 you know2 it's all there together40 8,you saved yours80 questioned ,christy4 8,yes1 sir4 ,lin is grand on saving4 ,she scatters it4 ,she don't bunch it all on one thing till it appears as nothing else but just that was worth eating4 ,first it's sugar1 and then it's sausage1 and then it's something different again4 ,and sometimes it ain't anything at all4 ,you don't hardly miss it that way40 ,chippy slipped still farther forward on his seat and felt for his cap4 ,he glanced at ,christy's unfolded note4 ,christy got out an envelope and dipped his pen in the ink4 ,then he let it rest over the edge of the desk1 where it dried4 ,he picked up the roll of money4 8,you must have been collecting this for some time40 8,all summer10 said ,chippy4 8,there's a good deal of it4 ,lin and ,miss ,loretta had just begun to talk about where they would carry it when you first began to take up money here4 ,i told them about it and ,i told them that1 so long as this was where ,i worked1 ,i thought you'd ought to get it4 ,so after a bit they decided on that40 ,chippy plainly felt that the bestowal of ,lin's patronage was no light thing4 ,christy agreed with him4 8,i'm very much obliged to you10 he said heartily4 8,this will help me along splendidly4 ,let's put it in at once40 ,he pulled at the twine string1 which was tied in a very secure knot1 and laid open the hoard4 ,it was made up of all the original pennies and nickels2 there was also one dime among them4 ,the sum total was #b4aa4 ,christy handed ,chippy a nickel and held one himself4 ,he brought the missionary box4 8,now1 drop yours in10 he directed4 8,then ,i will drop mine4 ,we'll take turn about40 ,chippy was eager4 ,his interest grew with every rattling coin until the last was safely inside4 ,then he straightened himself with a long breath4 8,lin said she was going to do it1 and she's done it10 he said4 8,and she doesn't know how much she has done10 said ,christy1 soberly4 8,that's so10 answered ,chippy1 with quick perception4 8,that's the best of it1 ,i suppose4 ,the best of everything1 ,lin says1 is what the ,lord can make out of it4 ,anything will go twice as far with ,him1 she says4 ,you talk a great deal like her40 ,christy lifted the box4 8,it's about full10 he said4 8,it's just about ready to empty again4 ,but there is a little space yet4 ,we will leave it4 ,i shall be glad to see what gift will be put in on top of this40 ,the weeks passed4 ,several times over the missionary box was emptied into the pigeon-hole4 ,on a foggy ,december afternoon a ,mr4 ,richards was alone with ,christy in the office4 ,he had brought the young man a windfall of #a1jjj4 8,it is by happy strokes like these10 said ,mr4 ,richards1 8that a man grows rich40 ,many such strokes of various kinds had come in the way of ,mr4 ,richards during a long life4 8,i have built up my own fortunes10 he continued1 8from the stub4 ,from what ,i see of you1 ,mr4 ,morton1 ,i predict you success40 ,he regarded ,christy with a glint of favor in his iron-gray face as he added in climax1 8,you are very much like ,i was at your age4 ,you are like myself40 ,christy was rather silent4 ,when he was left alone he thought of ,jim ,perry4 ,he often thought of ,jim now4 ,his late visitor and his classmate stood side by side before his mind4 8,there is wealth and wealth10 he mused4 8,mr4 ,richards has one kind1 ,jim has another4 ,i am not so awfully pleased10 he thought resentfully1 8with my likeness to ,richards4 ,i don't fancy being a cash register4 ,all the man's fortunes are in money40 ,christy looked down at the cheque in his hands2 he looked at ,jim's box4 8,i said the real ,christmas was forgotten4 ,i said that all the missionary spirit of the present resided in the missionaries and me4 ,i doubt whether ,mr4 ,richards at my age was such a fool4 ,poor ,richards6 ,he is old4 ,i shall have a good part of my life yet1 ,i trust40 ,he wrote on the back of the cheque and folded it small4 8,richards1 and ,jim1 and ,lin1 and the others have spoiled my taste a little for happy strokes1 however innocently come by4 ,the mission shall enjoy this one40 ,he pushed the cheque through the slit in the money box1 which was getting frayed and worn4 ,christy met ,mr4 ,richards on the street soon afterwards4 8,i hope10 said ,mr4 ,richards1 8that you have found a good investment for your money40 8,i have10 said ,christy4 8,is it reasonably sure80 8,perfectly40 8,nothing in this world can be perfectly sure1 ,mr4 ,morton40 8,but there is another world10 said ,christy4 8,it may be10 he said4 ,as the man of millions passed on1 ,christy heard a faint sigh4 ,three days later the office door burst open and in walked ,jim ,perry1 broad and brown4 ,christy stared at him speechlessly4 8,i'm well again10 announced ,jim1 superfluously4 ,christy shook him by the hand1 clapped him on the shoulder and thumped him on the chest4 8,providence knows how to give to missions60 he said4 ,jim turned to the mantelpiece and shook his money box4 ,it was empty4 ,he was openly disappointed4 8,you lazy beggar10 he cried4 8,are you leaving all the giving to ,providence80 8,i am not a lazy beggar10 said ,christy4 8,i am a very industrious one4 ,look at this40 ,he put the contents of the pigeon-hole in front of ,jim and watched him fall upon them1 and enjoyed tremendously his blank delight4 8,why10 stammered ,jim1 8what does it mean8 ,is it all for us80 8,it means10 said ,christy1 8that a week from to-day will be ,christmas40--,y4 ,p4 ,m4 ,m4 ,the ,penny ,ye ,meant to ,gi'e ,there's a funny old tale of a stingy man1 ,who was none too good1 though he might have been worse2 ,who went to church on a ,sunday night1 ,and carried along his well-filled purse4 ,when the sexton came with his begging plate1 ,the church was but dim with the candles' light2 ,the stingy man fumbled all through his purse1 ,and chose a coin by touch1 and not sight4 ,it's an odd thing now that guineas be ,so like unto pennies in shape and size1 8,i'll give a penny10 the stingy man said2 8,the poor must not gifts of pennies despise40 ,the penny fell down with a clatter and ring2 ,and back in his seat leaned the stingy man1 8,the world is so full of the poor10 he thought1 8,i can't help them all--,i give what ,i can40 ,ha1 ha6 ,how the sexton smiled to be sure1 ,to see the gold guinea fall into his plate2 ,ha1 ha6 ,how the stingy man's heart was wrung1 ,perceiving his blunder1 but just too late6 8,no matter10 he said1 8in the ,lord's account ,that guinea of gold is set down to me1 ,they lend to ,him who give to the poor2 ,it will not so bad an investment be40 8,na1 na1 mon10 the chuckling sexton cried out2 8,the ,lord is no cheated--,he kens thee well2 ,he knew it was only by accident ,that out of thy fingers the guinea fell4 8,he keeps an account1 no doubt1 for the puir2 ,but in that account ,he'll set down to thee ,na mair o' that golden guinea1 my mon1 ,than the one bare penny ye meant to gi'e60 ,there's a comfort1 too1 in the little tale-- ,a serious side as well as a joke2 ,a comfort for all the generous poor ,in the honest words the sexton spoke4 ,a comfort to think that the good ,lord knows ,how generous we really desire to be1 ,and will give us credit in ,his account ,for all the pennies we long to 8gi'e40 ,rue's ,heathen ,the long line of blue check aprons followed the other line of small blue jackets through the wide hall1 up the bare1 polished stairs1 and into the clean1 airy chapel4 ,then1 at a signal1 every apron and jacket was still4 ,little ,rue's apron had been about midway in the procession1 and so she found a seat near the middle of the chapel1 where1 swinging the small feet that could not quite touch the floor1 she looked listlessly out through the window opposite1 over a beautiful view of grove and meadow1 and then up at the white ceiling1 where a great fly buzzed at his pleasure1 without having to walk in line4 ,on the platform a man in fine broadcloth and gold spectacles was beginning to talk2 but ,rue only listened dreamily4 8,my dear children1 ,i am delighted to visit this grand institution--to see so many of you in this beautiful home1 so well cared for1 so well instructed1 and so happy40 ,rue wondered why all the men who talked there said that4 ,she wondered if he really would like to eat and sleep and walk in a row and always wear a blue check apron4 ,then she forgot all about him1 in watching the sunlight play on the small head immediately in front of her4 ,what a brilliant red head it was6 ,and then a bright thought occurred to ,rue4 ,a few of those hairs1 twisted together1 would make a beautiful chain for the neck of her china doll1 her one treasure2 and1 of course1 ,mary ,jane ,sullivan would never miss them1 if she only pulled out one here and there4 ,forward crept ,rue's eager little fingers2 but they were too nervous in their haste to be sure that they held but a single coarse hair before they twitched1 and the result was a sudden explosive 8,ow60 from ,mary ,jane1 the turning of a battery of eyes in that direction1 and an immediate investigation by the authorities into the cause of the disturbance4 ,poor little ,rue was marched off in disgrace2 but1 as she reached the door1 she heard the speaker say3-- 8,i am sorry this has happened2 sorry that any one should miss what ,i am going to say2 for ,i hoped to interest all these dear children in the work of sending the gospel to the heathen40 ,it was kind of him to call them all dear children after that dreadful event1 ,rue reflected1 as1 with burning cheeks and tearful eyes1 she stood1 with a number of other little culprits1 in one of the wide halls1 for even punishment was in rows at the ,home4 ,shifting her weight from one restless foot to the other1 yet trying to stand sufficiently upright to answer the requirements of the penance1 ,rue did sincerely wish that she had been a good girl and remained quietly in the chapel1 partly because of the humiliation that had befallen her1 but also because she wanted to hear what he had to say on the particular subject he had named4 8,why didn't he begin with that1 and then ,i'd have listened60 she thought1 rather resentfully4 ,for back among ,rue's shadowy memories of the past1 of love1 and mother1 and a home that was not the ,home1 was a dim recollection of some curious articles which her baby hands had only been allowed to touch carefully1 because they were mementoes of an uncle who had died far away on a mission field4 8,so it would have been most like hearing about my relations2 only ,i haven't got any10 mused ,rue4 8,oh1 dear6 ,i wish ,i'd stayed good and hadn't pulled ,mary ,jane's hair4 ,i didn't mean to1 anyway40 ,she tried to find out about it afterwards by inquiring of one of the other girls4 8,oh6 he wanted the children to try and save up something1 so they could help send ,bibles to the heathen4 ,guess1 if he lived here long1 he'd find we hadn't anything to save10 was the hurried reply4 ,bibles6 ,that was where ,rue was rich4 ,she actually had two that had been brought from that faintly remembered home4 8,i don't suppose ,i'll read one of 'em to pieces2 not if ,i used it till ,i'm a big woman10 she said to herself4 8,i might give the other one4 ,i ought to help1 'count of being a relation1 somehow1 and ,i want to be good4 ,i just do40 ,later in the day she ventured another inquiry3 8,how will he get those to the heathen80 8,i don't know4 ,why1 yes1 he'll send 'em through the post-office1 of course4 ,what do you care so much about it for80 ,that was what ,rue did not mean to tell4 ,she chose her prettiest ,bible1 spent the play-hours of two days in writing an epistle on the fly-leaves1 and tied it up in a piece of brown paper4 ,her knowledge of the post-office and its requirements was exceedingly limited1 but she supposed it would be necessary to put something on the outside of the packet1 to tell for whom it was intended4 ,she wanted it to go where it was needed most1 and of course the post-office people would know where that was1 she reflected2 so she carefully printed1 in very uneven letters1 8,for the greatest heathen10 and then laid the precious package away to await a future opportunity4 ,she would trust her secret to no one1 lest some unforeseen interference might result1 and she cautiously sought information4 8,how do you do when you put anything into the post-office80 she demanded of ,mary ,jane ,sullivan4 8,why1 you just put 'em in4 ,you go in the door1 and there's an open place where you drop 'em right down10 exclaimed ,mary ,jane1 lucidly4 ,how good ,rue was for days after that4 ,how she washed dishes in the kitchen1 under the care of ,miss ,dorothy1 and made beds in the dormitories1 under the supervision of ,mrs4 ,mehitable1 and so at last earned the privilege of being the one sent to town on some trifling errand for the matron4 ,thus it happened that one bright morning the clerks in the post-office were surprised by a little packet tossed in upon the floor1 and a glimpse of a blue check apron vanishing hurriedly through the door4 ,unstamped1 and with its odd address1 it created a ripple of amusement4 8#8,for the greatest heathen4' ,that must be you1 ,captain10 declared one2 and the postmaster laughingly took charge of it1 and then forgot it until1 at home that evening1 he found it in his pocket4 ,illustration3 ,rue writing the letter to 8,the ,greatest ,heathen40 8,what is it80 asked his wife1 presently1 as she saw him silent and absorbed1 and1 looking over his shoulder1 she read the little letter with him4 ,original in spelling and peculiar in chirography it certainly was1 but they slowly deciphered it3 8,i haven't any money to give 'cause ,i'm one of the little girls at the ,home4 ,some of them have relations to send them things sometimes2 but ,i haven't4 ,i have two ,bibles2 but ,i wouldn't give this to any one but the heathen 'cause my own mamma gave it to me4 ,it's nice to have a mamma to cuddle you up and love you just by your own self1 and tuck you into bed at night1 and not have to be in a row all the time4 ,it makes a lump all swell up in my throat when ,i think of it1 and my eyes get so hot and wet ,i can hardly see4 ,i wish ,god did have homes enough1 so ,he could give every little boy and girl a real one1 and we needn't be all crowded up in one big place1 that's just called so4 ,sometimes1 when ,i see all the houses it 'most seems as if there must be enough to go 'round2 but ,i suppose there isn't4 ,i guess it'll be the real kind we'll have up in heaven1 and ,i want to go there2 and that's why ,i send you this ,bible1 so you can learn about it4 ,you must read it and be good4 ,oh1 dear6 it's dreadfully hard to be good when you haven't any mamma4 ,i hope you've got one1 if she is a heathen1 for ,i'm most sure that's better than no kind4 ,good-bye4 8,rue ,lindsay40 8,poor little thing60 exclaimed the lady1 half laughing1 but with a sudden moisture in her brown eyes4 ,captain ,grey looked around the beautiful room4 8,i'm inclined to believe that letter was properly directed1 and has reached its rightful destination10 he said1 thoughtfully4 8,think of it1 ,mary--all these cosy1 pretty rooms1 and no one to occupy them but you and me1 while there are so many little home-sick souls in the world6 ,you have spoken of it before2 but ,i was too selfishly contented to care about it4 ,if ,i'm not #8the greatest heathen' ,i have certainly been far enough from the sort of ,christianity this book requires40 8,well80 questioned ,mrs4 ,grey1 with shining eyes1 waiting for the conclusion of the matter4 8,shall ,i go to-morrow and bring this little midget home with me--for a visit1 say--and see what will come of it80 ,it did not occur to little ,rue that the stranger she met in the hall the next day1 and who had a long interview with the matron1 could be of any possible interest to her small self1 until she was summoned down stairs to see him4 8,would you like to go home with this gentleman1 for a visit of a week or two1 ,rue8 ,he has come to ask you10 said the matron4 8,me80 questioned ,rue1 oblivious of grammar lessons1 and with a dozen exclamation points in her voice4 ,there was no danger of her declining4 ,the prospect of a visit anywhere was delightful1 and the possibility of such a thing almost as wonderful as a fairy tale4 ,so it was a very bright little face that ,captain ,grey found beside him in the carriage1 and ,rue looked up at him shyly through her rings of sunny hair1 to ask1 as the only imaginable solution of the happy problem3 8,are you one of my relations80 8,yes1 but ,i didn't remember it until last night10 he answered gravely4 ,the weeks that followed were brimful of joy to ,rue1 and she won her way straight into the home and the hearts that had opened to receive her4 8,and so you think ,i may tell the matron that you do not care to go back1 but are willing to stay here80 questioned the ,captain1 when the allotted time had expired4 8,i guess10 replied ,rue1 looking down at her dainty dress1 and suddenly flinging her arms around ,mrs4 ,grey's neck1 8that you didn't ever live there1 and eat soup1 and wear check aprons1 and have nobody like this to love1 'r else you'd know40 ,but she has not learned yet that it was her own missionary effort that brought so great reward4 ,how ,yin-,dee ,changed ,her ,name ,,chapter ,i4 8,,lead ,,along ,a ,,brother40 ,the first thing ,i know about myself is that ,i was born2 and that ,i had a father and mother1 too1 just as you have4 ,i thought ,i had better tell you this1 as ,i have often heard ignorant country people ask the missionary if in his country children are born the same as in ,china1 just as they will ask him if there are a sun and moon1 rivers and hills1 there as here4 ,my grandfather used to say that foreigners belonged to a country where people had holes in their chests and were carried about on a long pole by two men4 ,but he had never seen any foreigners at all4 ,of course when ,i was born nobody wanted me4 ,whoever wants girls8 ,i was the first child2 so my parents were bitterly disappointed4 ,well1 ,i couldn't help it2 and ,i have often thought how hard it was that ,i should be badly treated1 as if it were my fault4 ,my father said bitter things to mother1 so she called me 8,yin-dee10 which means1 8,lead along a brother40 ,after a time they got more used to me1 and were not more unkind than most parents4 ,sometimes when ,i was extra good mother would take me in her arms and call me her 8precious10 for1 as the proverb says1 8,all have the parent heart40 ,now1 if ,i had been a boy how different it would have been--there would have been no end of rejoicing and feasting6 ,my mother's parents would have supplied me with a cradle and lots of pretty clothes4 ,when a month old there would have been another feast1 and the barber would have come to shave my head and mix the hair with rice and give it to the dog to eat1 to make me brave4 ,i should always have had my own way and have been petted by all4 ,when a year old1 they would have called my relations together and spread before me a lot of things1 to see what my future was to be4 ,there would be books and pens1 scissors and scales1 a rule1 and some money2 and they would have waited to see which was the thing ,i grabbed4 ,if it had been books how it would have pleased them1 for it would have meant that ,i was to be a scholar2 if scissors1 then a tailor2 and so on4 ,now1 ,i wonder which ,i should have chosen8 ,not books1 ,i'm afraid2 for ,i don't like learning--do you8 ,well1 as ,i wasn't a boy1 ,i had none of this1 so had to be content4 ,as smallpox was very bad1 ,i had a label on my back to say ,i had already had it 7though ,i hadn't71 but that was to deceive the goddesses4 ,then1 to make quite sure1 ,i had a cloth monkey strung round my neck1 which made a nice plaything4 ,i am afraid ,i wasn't always good at night--,i am sure you all are6--but cried1 for ,i didn't have enough to eat most of the time2 so father got the teacher next door to write a verse and paste it on the wall outside4 ,this is how it goes3 ,tien hwang1 hwang1 dee hwang1 hwang1 ,ngo jah yo go yea coo long1 ,go wong jwin dz nien san bien1 ,ee jo shway dao da tien liang4 ,in ,english it is-- ,ye gods in the heavens1 ye powers on the earth1 ,my baby began from the hour of her birth ,with horrible screams to rend the night6 ,o passing stranger1 these my rhymes ,read1 ,i pray you1 through three times1 ,and then she will sleep till broad daylight4 ,but ,i'm afraid there were not many who read them three times1 for it didn't make much difference4 ,still1 it was the correct thing to do1 so mother felt satisfied4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,orphaned ,,through ,,opium4 ,according to our ,chinese books1 when a son is born he sleeps on a bed1 he is clothed in robes1 he plays with gems1 his cry is princely loud2 as an emperor1 he is clothed in purple1 and he is the king of the home4 ,but when a daughter is born she sleeps on the ground1 she is clothed in a wrapper1 she plays with a tile2 she cannot be either good or evil1 and has only to prepare wine and food without giving any cause of grief to her parents4 ,so1 being a girl1 ,i learned to play with broken tiles1 and found them as good as gems4 ,when ,i was about three years old1 something dreadful happened4 ,another baby was born--and it was a girl4 ,i didn't mind at all1 as ,i wanted someone to play with1 and a girl is as good as a boy--better1 ,i think4 ,but our proverb says1 8,eighteen beautiful daughters are not equal to one son1 even though he be lame40 ,my father was dreadfully angry1 and beat mother2 so she was miserable1 and cried a good deal4 ,after a few days ,i missed my baby sister1 and when ,i asked where she was1 someone laughed1 and pointed to a pond1 near by4 ,i didn't know then what he meant2 but sister never came back1 so ,i had to play alone4 ,about this time ,i was betrothed4 ,practically all girls are1 in ,china1 and at a very early age4 ,my father said girls were a useless expense1 so he wanted to get me off his hands as soon as possible4 ,so a lucky day was chosen1 and two middlemen engaged1 who came and compared the day and the hour of my birth with that of the lad they suggested4 ,then followed a feast1 when the agreement was made and my future fixed4 ,the home of my future husband was some little way off1 and his father was a broken-down scholar1 who kept a small school1 and was a slave to opium4 ,the lad was his youngest son4 ,the mother bore a bad reputation for quarrelling and scolding1 so you may imagine ,i didn't look forward with much pleasure to entering my new home1 and hoped the day was far off4 ,but it came sooner than ,i expected4 ,when ,i was about seven years old1 ,i began to notice that father was away a great deal at night1 and that we didn't get much to eat4 ,the furniture slowly disappeared1 and our clothes were poor and scanty4 ,my mother seemed anxious1 and cried much4 ,i found out the meaning of it one day when ,i caught sight of father slinking into a dirty hovel near by1 which ,i knew to be an opium den4 ,alas1 he had become a victim to the 8foreign smoke06 ,day by day the craving grew upon him1 and every scrap of money he could get went in opium1 and mother had to support herself and me by making shoes and washing clothes4 ,father ate but little1 and gave mother so little money that we were nearly starved4 ,in the morning1 before the craving came on again1 he was very miserable and bad-tempered4 ,he cursed himself and the ,english who1 he said1 had brought this evil on ,china2 yet he couldn't break away from the habit1 and things grew worse and worse4 ,very soon we had to move into a smaller house1 and had hardly any possessions4 ,mother did the best she could1 but no money was safe from father2 and one day she said she could bear it no longer1 and went out with a wild look on her face4 ,she soon returned with some black stuff that looked like paint1 and went into the bedroom crying4 ,after a while she was quiet1 and ,i thought she was sleeping1 so ,i went away to play4 ,it was some time before ,i returned1 but mother was still sleeping4 ,she looked so strange that ,i ran next door to ask them to come4 ,they came2 and at once there was a great hubbub1 and somebody ran for father1 but he was smoking opium and wouldn't come4 ,then ,i knew that the black stuff mother had bought was opium1 and that she had swallowed it to end her troubles4 ,her relatives came and made a great row4 ,they abused father1 and he abused them2 and they demanded a lot of money1 now mother was dead1 though they never tried to help her when she was alive4 ,father didn't seem to care much1 as opium eats all the spirit and manhood out of its victims4 ,he hadn't any money1 so thought the best thing was to send me at once to my future husband's home1 and so obtain the amount they had practically bought me for4 ,with this he was enabled to satisfy mother's relatives1 and ,i soon found myself transferred to my new home4 ,i never saw my father again4 ,the cruel opium had made me worse than an orphan4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,little ,,golden ,,lilies4 ,when ,i was about four my feet were bound4 ,you must know that in ,china the smaller the feet the more a woman is admired4 ,for over a thousand years the custom has been observed1 and only a few give it up1 even though1 as the common saying has it1 8,for every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears40 ,so as my mother wished me to have 8little golden lilies10 as they were called1 she commenced to bind my feet early4 ,the calendar was consulted for a lucky day 7it would never do to commence anything on an unlucky day71 and mother brought some strips of calico a few inches wide and several yards long4 ,with these she tightly bound my feet1 making them narrow and pointed4 ,at first ,i went nearly crazy with crying4 ,no one took any notice of it1 and mother tried to console me by saying that no one would marry a woman with large feet4 ,she told me that when she was married hers were only two and a half inches long4 ,day by day the binding was done until ,i wished ,i could die and be rid of the pain4 ,gradually it became less as the feet ceased to grow1 and ,i was able to hobble about the house4 ,but with it all ,i was much more fortunate than little 8,pearl10 my friend next door4 ,they left the binding of her feet until she was nearly eight1 and then bound them very tightly4 ,she was only scolded and beaten when she cried1 and the pain was so great she nearly died2 and when one of her feet got very bad they called in the native doctor4 ,he said it was a demon in her left leg1 so they heated needles and poked them in her legs to let the evil spirit out4 ,but she didn't get better1 so they took her to a charm priest some miles away4 ,they couldn't afford a chair1 so little ,pearl was forced to walk part of the way4 ,the priest wrote some characters on paper1 put them in water1 and ,pearl drank it4 ,then they paid a good sum of money and returned4 ,the long walk was too much for ,pearl1 and she had a long illness1 and is now lame4 ,they say it was because she1 in her previous life1 was a bad man--so she was born again as a woman1 and has had all this pain4 ,i have heard that in the mission-schools of the foreigners the girls all have large feet2 but ,i am sure they must look very coarse--and whoever will marry them8 ,still1 ,i daresay it's nice to be able to run about without falling4 ,i remember once mother slipped on the ladder going into the loft1 and fell1 hurting her back2 but she didn't blame her feet4 8,little golden lilies make an insecure footing10 says the proverb4 ,i was about eight when ,i was taken to my new home1 and the following years were so full of sorrow that ,i hardly dare tell you about them4 ,i was just a little slave-girl1 nothing more4 ,there are many thousands in the same plight in ,china4 ,i was the property of my mother-in-law1 and she was a bad-tempered and cruel woman4 ,she seemed to take a delight in beating me1 and was always thinking of some new way to make my life miserable2 while from morning to night ,i had to work far beyond my power4 ,the opium-eating father used to grab all the money he could1 so the rice often barely went round1 and ,i was continually being half-starved--only having gruel1 and but little of that4 ,all the menial work of the house fell to my lot1 and1 as ,i was at the beck and call of all1 ,i was at it from morning to night4 ,the brothers1 too1 expected me to wait on them1 and struck me if ,i didn't obey their wishes4 ,my mother-in-law's cruel tongue and crueller hand drove me on all day1 and late at night ,i was glad to rest my weary bones on the straw bed in the loft4 ,things went from bad to worse4 ,not only was the father given to opium1 but the mother and sons were all bad--continually drinking1 card-playing1 and quarrelling1 till the house bore a bad name all round4 ,surrounding the house were several fields4 ,once there had been a large farm1 but one by one the fields were sold for opium1 until only a few were left4 ,these were tilled by the sons and so brought in a little money4 ,illustration3 ,the women and girls work all day transplanting rice4 ,the thing we depended on most was cotton1 and ,i had to take my share in cultivating it4 ,the fields had to be constantly weeded1 and that was done by the women and girls4 ,as with our bound feet it is difficult to stand1 we used to take small stools into the fields and sit with our hoe in our hands busily digging out the weeds4 ,then came cotton-picking--back-aching work1 with the sun fiercely shining overhead1 and plenty of angry words when the amount picked wasn't as much as my mother-in-law thought it ought to be4 ,in the autumn and winter ,i learned to wind the cotton1 and then to work at the loom1 weaving the coarse white cloth of which our garments were made4 ,this1 with making shoes and cooking rice1 was my chief work2 and though ,i suffered much ,i dared not complain--for ,i was like the dumb man eating wormwood1 unable to utter my misery4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,a ,,village ,,school4 ,i should like to tell you something about the school my father-in-law kept4 ,it was held in a little dark room at the back of the house1 and there were a dozen or so boys of about six to twelve1 who came daily1 as soon as it was light1 and studied till dusk4 ,they brought their own desks and stools1 paid for their own ink and pens and books1 and gave a little to the teacher1 either in money or farm produce4 ,they were mostly farmers' boys1 and in the busy season often had to help at home2 so their education proceeded slowly4 ,their chief work was to learn by heart long strings of words1 of the meaning of which they knew nothing4 ,they began with the three-character classic1 and went on to the works of ,confucius and ,mencius4 ,but what they learnt was of little good2 for they repeated the sentences like so many parrots1 and with just as much understanding of the meaning4 ,then there was writing--following a copy set by the teacher1 with a brush pen and ink rubbed on a stone slab4 ,that was all4 ,no geography1 or arithmetic1 or history2 it was dull indeed4 ,then1 too1 there was no discipline to speak of2 for the teacher was often under the influence of opium1 so the boys did as they liked4 ,the biggest boy in the school was called 8,seven ,pounds10 because he weighed that when he was born4 ,he was a bad boy and a regular bully1 lording it over the small ones and helping himself to their pens and paper4 ,no one dared to reprove him1 least of all the teacher1 for he was the son of the village pawnbroker1 the most wealthy and powerful man in the neighborhood4 ,large numbers of ,chinese regularly pawn their summer clothes in the winter1 and their winter clothes when the warmer weather returns2 so the pawnbrokers make a good harvest1 and are usually very wealthy and powerful4 ,so1 you see1 it didn't pay to quarrel with ,seven ,pounds1 and he knew this well enough4 ,now1 although my father-in-law was reckoned a scholar1 he was1 like all in the house1 very superstitious4 ,in the large room1 which was dirty and dusty in the extreme1 the place of honour was given to the ,god of ,riches4 ,there he sat in fat dignity1 presiding over the house1 though we never saw any of his riches4 ,in fact1 since the coming of wealthy foreigners into the country1 it is often said that the god has moved to foreign parts1 and is now bestowing his riches on the ,western nations4 ,certainly ,i never saw the use of him1 for our circumstances got worse and worse4 ,then on the outside door we had pasted a pair of door gods4 ,these pictures represent famous warriors who now are regarded as gods1 and they have to protect the house from calamities4 ,certainly they are ugly enough for anything2 but ,i have never known them ward off robbers4 ,but perhaps it is only the spirits that are afraid of them2 men aren't1 ,i am sure4 ,to frighten off the spirits we had a looking-glass hung over the front door1 so that when the spirits came round and were about to enter1 they should see their ugly faces and retire in a fright4 ,the calendar was invariably consulted for lucky days on which to begin everything2 and when there was an eclipse we joined our neighbors with gongs and drums to prevent the heavenly dog swallowing the sun4 ,every spring there were the sacrifices at the ancestral graves1 and much cash paper was burnt lest the spirits of our ancestors should not have enough to pay current expenses4 ,sacrifices were offered to them1 and it was a general holiday4 ,any paper on which there was any writing or printing was carefully burnt4 ,by this act merit was stored up4 ,on ,all ,souls' ,day my mother would burn incense and cash paper for the release of those wandering spirits who had no descendants to do it for them4 ,near by was a ,buddhist temple1 where a few lazy priests idled away the day in opium-smoking and gambling1 bearing out the common saying1 8,nine priests1 ten rogues40 ,my brothers-in-law often went there to try to find out whether any proposed undertaking was going to turn out successfully4 ,so by all these things you will see there was plenty of religion in our house1 though but little goodness4 ,new ,year1 which is the great ,chinese festival1 brought only added sorrows to me2 for the time was given up to gambling1 and ,i was busier than ever attending to the wants of the gamblers1 and only received blows in return4 ,only at the new year itself was there a little rest from abuse1 for at that time it is unlucky to use bad words4 ,to name the evil spirits is to cause them to appear4 ,i have heard missionaries say that they feel free to go where they like then without fear of abuse1 for no one calls them 8foreign devil0 then1 even though they make up for it later on4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,gods ,,many ,,and ,,lords ,,many4 ,over our stove was a paper figure of the kitchen god4 ,he presides all the year round over the cooking arrangements1 and listens carefully to all that is said4 ,a few days before the close of the year he goes up to heaven to report all he has heard to the gemmy emperor1 his master4 ,he must have had a lot to tell about our house2 so my mother-in-law took the precaution to daub his lips with sticky treacle so that he could not open his mouth and tell of her doings4 ,most of our neighbors did this1 too2 so ,i suppose they didn't feel any too comfortable about his report of them4 ,at the new year he came down again--at least we put up a new one in the place of the one we had burned1 which1 ,i suppose1 comes to the same thing4 ,the goddess of smallpox was much dreaded in our district4 ,she usually got to work at the beginning of the summer1 and unless big gifts were given to her1 she revenged herself by killing large numbers of little children as well as grown-ups4 ,i remember well how she came one summer4 ,one by one of the children fell ill of 8heavenly flowers10 as the disease was called1 and the temple was thronged with worshippers1 while every house had its image of ,niang-niang1 to which incense was burned to ward off her anger4 ,as nothing availed1 a great procession was arranged for1 in which many children took part4 ,they were gaily dressed and carried aloft on the shoulders of men to call forth the pity of the cruel goddess4 ,then we had a great theatrical performance which ,niang-niang watched from her shrine opposite the stage4 ,it lasted for over a week1 and crowds came from far and near4 ,the only result ,i know of was that the disease was carried into a number of villages near and many more died4 ,the expenses were paid by the people round1 and during the performances the gambling and opium dens reaped a rich harvest4 ,i was too busy to care for any of these things1 and so miserable that ,i prayed ,niang-niang to come and end my weary life by sending me the 8heavenly flowers40 ,but a worse calamity than the smallpox was to come upon us4 ,all the year but little rain had fallen1 and the fields were parched and dry4 ,it was the time for planting out the rice4 ,this rice is our staple food1 and if anything happens to the rice harvest we are in the greatest difficulty4 ,the rice is sown on flooded fields1 and when planted out has to be well watered for a month or more1 or the plants will dry up4 ,in spite of all the prayers at the temples1 the processions1 and the crackers1 the rain refused to fall1 and ruin stared us in the face4 ,the following winter was dry and cold1 and prices went up so that the poor began to be in great want4 ,still it was hoped the spring rains would put things right again4 ,the farmers sowed what little grain they had left2 but the heat set in earlier than usual1 and the fierce sun scorched up all1 and men prayed in vain for the rains that never came4 ,in their place came famine1 gaunt and relentless4 ,our family was one of the very first to suffer4 ,gradually clothes and goods were sold1 for my father-in-law's opium craving had to be satisfied somehow1 and with it all my miseries increased4 ,yet ,i dare not run away1 for that meant certain death4 ,in the wake of the famine came fever4 ,weak with constant opium-smoking1 my father-in-law was an early victim1 and we buried him hastily outside the village4 ,the two eldest sons left secretly1 and bitterly my mother-in-law cursed them for leaving her thus in her distress4 ,there should have been some help obtainable from the ,benevolent ,halls2 but though many subscriptions had been given in the good years1 the money could not be accounted for now that it was wanted1 and the man in charge committed suicide when faced by the angry people4 ,the wealthy hid their money lest it should be stolen by the bands of fearless robbers who prowled everywhere4 ,our home was now sold1 and as we soon used up the money1 there was nothing for it but to join the crowds of starving people going into the cities to seek for help4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,in ,,the ,,grip ,,of ,,famine4 ,on the way to the town1 in the blazing heat1 and living mostly on roots dug from the wayside1 the youngest son1 my prospective husband1 died of exhaustion4 ,i don't think any of us minded1 as we were too far gone ourselves4 ,i only remember feeling some relief that now ,i need never be married into that family4 ,how we reached the town ,i don't know2 but we got there at last1 and for a few days lived on a little rice doled out from a temple near the river4 ,the stores of grain supposed to be reserved in every town against famine were found to be bad from neglect1 and it was only with difficulty a riot was prevented4 ,the official dared not show his face1 as there were rumors that he had been pocketing some of the relief money given by the ,government4 ,on the third day we were all of us too weak to fight our way through the crowd to where rice was being distributed4 ,near by was a shop where a kind of coarse wheat bread was sold4 ,my mother-in-law eyed it hungrily4 ,there were few about1 so she went up to the man and whispered to him4 ,he looked across to me1 and then ,i saw him give her a lump of bread1 which she clutched eagerly and disappeared down a back street4 ,i never saw her again4 ,she had sold me to the baker for a piece of bread6 ,i was at the time too starved and ill to be frightened1 and the man appeared to be kind and good1 and told me not to be afraid4 ,he brought me to his wife1 a pleasant woman with a kind face1 who gave me a little food1 and after a while ,i slept4 ,then began a new life for me4 ,at first ,i was terribly afraid lest my old enemy should come back and try to get me away4 ,my new-found friends ,i soon began to like4 ,the man was a small trader1 who had done well in previous years1 and though1 like all the others1 they were hard pressed by the famine1 they had money enough to tide them over the worst4 ,they had no children1 so the man bought me as a servant for his wife1 and ,i found in her a good mistress4 ,meanwhile the distress grew4 ,many of the officials were so corrupt as to try to make money out of the calamities of the people4 ,transit by water was very slow1 so it was long before relief came4 ,at last we heard that kindly foreigners were bringing up some boat-loads of flour for the destitute people4 ,it was when these boats arrived that ,i saw a foreigner for the first time in my life4 ,there were two of them who attended to the transport of the rice from the boats to a temple4 ,a strong force of soldiers prevented the rush of the hungry crowd1 and the foreigners used to steal out late at night and early in the morning giving tickets to the destitute and taking care that they were not imposed upon by those whose need was not so great4 ,illustration3 ,making idols in ,china4 8,the idols in the temple could not help40 ,they told from time to time a strange story of a new religion of love1 and of ,someone called the ,lord ,jesus1 who had sent them in to save the starving4 ,they were very kind1 and gave the people work1 widening and draining the road4 ,my new father was greatly impressed by all this1 and ,i overheard him say that such a doctrine as this was worth listening to4 ,it was at that time that my new-found friends determined to leave that part and retire to their home far away in the country4 ,a long boat journey brought us at last to a small farm1 lying at the foot of a steep hill1 crowned1 as is usual1 by a temple4 ,here in this new home ,i began a new life4 ,my friends were very religious1 and belonged to the vegetarians4 ,nearly all the best and most spiritual people in ,china belong to this sect4 ,they are earnest worshippers of idols1 and give large sums of money to priests1 and in their life are careful and self-denying4 ,one of their chief reasons for becoming vegetarians was that they had no son4 ,this they regarded as the sure sign of the wrath of the gods4 ,to appease them they had made many pilgrimages to famous shrines1 but without finding peace4 ,when ,new ,year came1 there was a celebrated and much-attended festival on the ,fairy ,hill1 near our home4 ,from far and near crowds came to worship in the temple of the goddess1 bestower of sons and healer of smallpox4 ,beggars1 in all stages of filthiness1 lined the roads reaping a rich harvest from the worshippers1 eager to accumulate merit by acts of charity4 ,my father joined the procession that started one day from our village4 ,fasting and in silence they wended their way across the fields1 each man with a stick of burning incense in his hand1 and preceded by banners and an idol in a shrine4 ,arrived at the temple the noise was deafening4 ,drums and gongs clashed1 innumerable crackers spluttered1 and the air was heavy with the smoke of incense4 ,my father knelt before the grim idol4 ,the priest shook together a lot of bamboo slips1 from which my father took one1 and the priest handed to him the corresponding response of the idol4 ,anxiously he stepped outside and read4 ,would it be favorable8 ,would the angry gods regard his prayer at last8 ,he read the printed slip1 and a look of intense disappointment passed over his face1 for he read thus3 ,from sickness no release2 ,in lawsuits no success2 ,your children hard to rear2 ,from false charges no redress2 ,the lost will not be found1 ,nor flocks nor herds increase2 ,from marriage no good luck1 ,and from labor no release4 ,such was the result of many prayers and much fasting4 ,truly the gods keep their wrath for ever4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,i ,,receive ,a ,,new ,,name4 ,sadly my father wended his way down the mountain4 ,all was hopeless4 ,heaven had forgotten to smile upon him4 ,then he noticed ahead of him a small crowd surrounding a foreigner4 ,he was a missionary from the neighboring town1 and was busy selling books and preaching to the worshippers of the goddess4 ,father stepped up1 partly out of curiosity and partly remembering the good deeds of the foreigners in the famine district4 ,the crowd were inclined for some fun at the stranger's expense2 but he answered with such good humor and politeness as to win their good opinions4 ,then he commenced to preach4 ,he did not abuse the idols--there might have been trouble had he done so--but he told of a ,true ,spirit who was loving and good4 ,father listened4 ,who could that ,spirit be1 so full of love8 ,not the god of thunder whom everybody feared1 for he struck men dead in his wrath4 ,not the fierce god of war1 or the pitiless ,niang-niang rejoicing in the sufferings of the smallpox victims4 ,as the missionary spoke his face glowed4 ,he told of ,jesus1 who went about doing good and at last died for men4 ,there were no ,chinese gods who would do that1 father thought4 ,they would take your money1 but die for you8--well1 that was nonsense4 ,eagerly he listened to the wonderful story4 ,the stranger noticed him4 ,at the close of his address he approached father4 8,your name1 honorable sir80 he asked4 8,my unworthy name is ,lee10 was the response4 ,quietly and earnestly the stranger looked into father's face4 8,sir10 he said1 8,i noticed you listening intently just now2 may ,i respectfully ask you1 ,is there peace in your heart8 ,do you yet know the grace of ,god in forgiving sin80 ,forgiving sin--that was what my new parents had sought for so long2 and the missionary's words went home4 ,my father made a confused answer1 but bought a book the stranger recommended him1 and hurried home lest it should be known that he had talked with the foreigner1 and was in danger of eating the foreign doctrine4 ,that meeting was the turning-point in my father's life4 ,the book he had bought pointed out a new and living way of obtaining release from sin4 ,many visits were paid to the chapel2 and once the missionary came to our village and stayed at our house4 ,little by little my father's prejudices were overcome1 and the new doctrine entered his heart4 ,at first mother was bitterly opposed to it4 ,to draw her away from her gods and win her to this persecuted faith was no easy task2 but gradually the light dawned for her1 too4 ,the neighbors got to hear of the visits to the chapel1 and much petty annoyance was the result2 but father's patience and sincerity disarmed suspicion1 and his happiness was so manifest as to be a constant witness to the truth4 ,they were happy days for me1 and my new life was such a change from the old that it all seemed a dream4 ,one day the missionary heard my story4 8,you have come out of much tribulation10 he said4 ,then turning to father1 he remarked1 8,why not give her a new name80 8,yes10 said father1 8we will not call her ,yin-dee any more1 but ,ping-an--,rest and ,peace--for that is what ,i have now found in ,christ40 ,so that is how my name was changed4 ,then it was suggested that ,i ought not to grow up ignorant1 but should learn to read and write2 for in the ,christian religion there is no difference made between girls and boys--all are alike precious to ,jesus4 ,the missionary told us that at ,han-yang there was a school for girls1 where many were living and being taught useful things1 and1 best of all1 were taught the story of ,christ4 ,how excited ,i was at the prospect of going1 though not a little afraid of so strange a place6 ,at last the longed-for day came and ,i found myself with my father landing at ,han-yang4 ,at first ,i was bewildered by the busy crowds and clung to father's gown as ,i walked along4 ,how ,i trembled with excitement as we reached the school1 and ,i think father felt as nervous as ,i did4 ,but we were inside the gates at last4 ,in a large yard we saw a group of girls playing4 ,i gave a gasp of surprise4 ,how could they run so8 ,then ,i saw that their feet were unbound1 and the small1 pointed shoes had given place to comfortable ones1 which didn't cause them to hobble along4 ,i smiled a welcome at them1 and wondered how long it would be before ,i could run as they did4 ,we were shown in and introduced to the matron1 a ,chinese lady1 who made us feel quite at home1 and after a chat two foreign ladies came in4 ,at first ,i could only stare1 and ,i nearly forgot my manners2 but ,i found that though they were dressed strangely they spoke my language2 so my fear left me and ,i was soon enrolled as a scholar in the ,david ,hill ,girls' ,school1 and proud ,i was of the fact1 too4 ,truly my new name suited me--,i had found rest and peace4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,girls' ,,school4 ,so began my school-life4 ,there is not time to tell you all about it now4 ,there were about seventy of us there1 from five to seventeen years old4 ,some of them had been slave girls1 and could tell a story to match mine4 ,twice a day we gathered for meals1 and we learnt to clean out our rooms1 mend and wash our clothes1 and make our own shoes1 so as to be useful when we returned home4 ,then there was study and drill1 and all of it was so interesting--not a bit like the dry way they teach in ,chinese schools4 ,yet1 best of all1 were the ,sunday services in the chapel and the class-meeting and ,bible-study in the week4 ,my feet were gradually loosened1 and as they grew again ,i learned to skip and run with the other girls2 and when ,i went home it was wonderful the impression made on the people in our out-of-the-way village4 ,several years have gone by since ,i went to school and entered upon that new life4 ,now ,i am learning to teach others2 for teachers are badly needed in our schools and women teachers are difficult to get4 ,to-day ,i have been thinking over my life4 ,like a dreadful dream there rises before me the picture of ,yin-dee1 the neglected little slave of a cruel woman4 ,i see myself hobbling over the ground picking cotton1 or in the evil home making tea for opium-smokers and gamblers4 ,i almost expect to hear the harsh tones of my mother-in-law calling me to do some menial duty4 ,then ,i remember the famine and its horrors4 ,i can scarcely believe that it is all a thing of the past1 and ,i have become ,ping-an1 the child of rest and peace4 ,and what has done it all8 ,just this--the love of ,jesus4 ,it was ,jesus who sent the missionary with the message of love and pardon1 and it is ,jesus who now fills my heart with joy4 ,yet ,i cannot forget that there are many--oh1 so many6--of my sisters in ,china in the same sad plight as ,i was4 ,i wonder how long it will be before the message will come to them8 ,how long before they will enter the land of rest and peace8 ,in the city of ,pekin there hangs a great bell1 and there is a legend connected with it on which ,i love to ponder4 ,twice had the labor of years been lost at the time of casting4 ,the third time1 just as the molten metal was to be poured into the mould1 the lovely daughter of the maker1 knowing that by no other means could a perfect bell be cast1 flung herself into the cauldron and gave her life to save her father from disappointment and shame4 ,china now is waiting to be moulded4 ,old things are passing4 ,it is a new ,china we are beholding4 ,many ways have been tried for her regeneration4 ,the cold morality of ,confucius is powerless4 ,buddhist monks and ,taoist priests have come in vain4 ,only by the cleansing ,gospel of ,christ can ,china be purified and made a vessel meet for the ,master's use4 ,ages ago this girl sacrificed herself that the bell might be perfect4 ,what we women and girls of ,china need is that more missionary teachers should come to us1 bringing the love of the ,lord on their lips and in their lives--then will ,china be saved and won for ,christ4 ,it is worth it a thousand times4 ,will some of you come8 ,will more of you give8 ,will all of you pray8 ,there is something each can do1 if you will only try4 ,out of death springs life1 and out of your sacrifice for ,christ shall spring a new ,china1 free from the sins which have bound her in the past4 ,david ,livingstone ,,by ,a ,,fellow-,,townsman4 ,at ,blantyre1 ,scotland1 on the #aith ,march1 #ahac1 a child was born to ,neil and ,agnes ,livingstone4 ,we never know when is happening an epoch-making event4 ,every new soul ushered into the world is a shut casket of possibilities4 ,the boy born in the humble home consisting of a 8but and a ben10 was destined to become one of the greatest missionaries2 and the most conspicuous and intrepid explorer the world has ever seen2 to achieve for himself a deathless fame1 a name of imperishable memory1 and to leave to mankind a heritage of truth and influence4 ,his cradle was in the peasant's cottage1 but his grave is in ,westminster ,abbey4 ,i have many times visited the house where he was born1 and the mill where he worked1 and oftentimes ,i have read the inscription that is over his grave4 ,i esteem it a great privilege to have lived for years near the birthplace of the great and good ,david ,livingstone4 ,his home was one of those which are the glory of ,scotland1 the abode of the godly and intelligent working class4 ,his mother was a sweet1 gentle woman1 and his father was a good man4 ,when ten years of age he went to work4 ,his working hours were from six a4m4 to eight p4m4 ,his first week's wages1 sixty cents1 he gave with pride to his mother4 ,he saved a few pence and purchased a 8,rudiments of ,latin10 over which he pored when the day's work was done4 ,his thirst for knowledge was intense4 ,at the age of sixteen he had read many of the classical authors and knew ,horace and ,virgil well4 ,illustration3 ,,david ,,livingstone 7#ahac-ahgc7 ,the ,great ,missionary ,explorer4 ,went to ,africa #ahdj4 ,died in ,africa #ahgc4 ,how ,david ,livingstone gave4-- 8,i will place no value upon anything ,i have or may possess except in relation to the ,kingdom of ,christ40 ,it was about his twentieth year that the great spiritual change took place1 which was to determine ,livingstone's future life4 ,at that time he definitely received ,christ as his personal ,saviour1 and there can be no doubt that his heart was thoroughly penetrated by the new life that then flowed into it4 ,religion became the everyday business of his life and his daily prayer was that he might resemble ,christ1 a petition fulfilled in no ordinary degree4 ,a desire was born within him to preach ,christ in ,china1 and that he might be fitted for that work he entered as a medical student in the ,university of ,glasgow1 and in due time was graduated in medicine4 ,he received not a cent of aid from anyone4 ,what a struggle he had6 ,what economy he had to practice6 ,frequently his meal consisted entirely of oatmeal porridge4 ,he was accepted by the ,london ,missionary ,society and sent out in #ahdj--not to ,china--but to ,africa4 ,to ,god and to ,africa he gave his manhood's prime4 ,no grander work was ever done than that accomplished by ,david ,livingstone4 ,in him life's fire glowed4 ,with magnanimous and self-sacrificing devotion1 with undaunted courage1 in the midst of manifold sufferings1 through days of hunger and weariness1 and nights of dreadful loneliness1 he worked for ,africa's salvation4 ,he loved the natives1 and they loved the man who was ever kind and good4 ,he worked amongst them with a vision ever before him of the men and women1 whom they1 by ,god's grace1 might become1 and that vision shaped and controlled and sustained him in all his efforts4 ,with the vision of the latter day before him he addressed himself nobly and well to the work of the present4 ,god alone knows what ,africa owes to ,livingstone4 ,this full and overflowing life closed to earth's activities in ,may1 #ahgc4 ,his spirit marches on4 ,such men never die4 ,his spirit has entered into the great stream of the ever-swelling life of mankind1 and continues1 and will continue1 to act there with its whole force for evermore4 ,he lives in minds made better by his noble example4 ,he lives in the ,livingstonia ,mission1 that great beacon light2 he lives in great numbers of the regenerated natives of ,africa2 he lives in all who are constrained to work for ,christ in that dark land4 ,i pray our ,epworth ,leaguers to read the story of his life1 that they may know what one consecrated man did in a lifetime1 that they may have a revelation of the possibilities in man1 that they may be inspired to emulate him in his noble simplicity1 high resolve1 invincible courage1 exalted self-sacrifice2 that they may be possessed with the overmastering purpose which guided and drove him on4 ,read his life and be inspired with the thought that life is a high and noble calling4 ,reading of his toils and struggles and victories1 pray ,god for grace to 8follow in his train40 ,his motto was3 8,fear ,god1 and work hard40 ,make it your motto4 ,the greatest of all tragedies is to live and die without a thing done by the sweat of the soul4 --,loch ,ranza4 ,christmas in ,our ,boys' ,school1 ,junghsien1 ,west ,china ,,by ,,edward ,,wilson ,,wallace1 ,b4,a41 ,b4,d4 ,if you were a ,chinese1 and every day ate two meals of rice and some vegetables1 with meat only twice a month1 if as often2 if you worked from daylight to dark seven days in the week1 and had no summer vacation or ,christmas holidays2 if you had no books to read except possibly 7if you were lucky7 one or two greasy and tattered volumes of ancient philosophy1 not one word of which you understood2 in other words1 if you were an average ,chinese boy or girl1 don't you think that you would look forward even more eagerly than you did this year to ,christmas8 ,i think you would4 ,at any rate the boys and girls connected with the church in ,junghsien were expecting a great treat1 and we were planning to give them all that they expected1 and more4 ,then suddenly1 unexpectedly1 a terrible thing happened that put an end to all these hopes and plans4 ,can you guess what it was8 ,it was not a fire1 or an earthquake1 or a riot on the mission4 ,but one morning there came word that the ,emperor of ,china and his step-mother had suddenly died1 and that everyone must go into mourning4 ,and that was the end of the two ,christmas concerts1 the ,christmas tree1 and the feast4 ,for the rules for mourning for a dead ,emperor in ,china are quite strict4 ,no one could marry for a month--that rule did not affect us1 for the only wedding arranged for by anyone connected with the church1 that of ,mr4 ,mc,ammond's teacher1 took place a few days before4 ,no one was to be allowed to have his head shaved for a hundred days4 ,every ,chinese boy and man allows just enough hair to grow on the top of his head to form his 8pig-tail02 all the rest of his head is shaved clean4 ,but imagine what a messy effect it is to have the head covered with a couple of months' growth around the long cue1 as there is now4 ,it is the ,chinese way of going into black2 for1 of course1 every man's hair is as black as pitch4 ,another rule was that no one could wear satin clothes for a hundred days1 and the little red knobs on the top of the caps had to be changed to blue1 which is the second degree mourning color in ,china1 white being the first4 ,so far the rules did not interfere with our ,christmas entertainment4 ,but now we come to the fatal order1 8,there must be no music and no celebrations for a month40 ,alas6 for our ,chinese boys and girls4 ,christmas fell within the month4 ,it is true that we might have got around the trouble by claiming that ours was a foreign church1 and so did not fall within the common rules4 ,this1 ,i believe1 was done in other places4 ,but our church here is a large one1 and we are constantly trying to make the members understand that it is a ,chinese church1 not a foreign one1 and we decided that this was a splendid opportunity to impress on the people the fact that when a man joins the ,christian ,church he does not in any way become less of a ,chinese1 and that our ,church believes in honoring the rulers of the country4 ,as soon as it was finally decided that we should follow the regulations the members agreed that we had done the correct thing4 ,in one way it was rather fortunate for the boys in the school that we had no entertainment to prepare for4 ,just at ,christmas last year came the examinations1 and some of the boys were working very hard to prepare for the entrance examination4 ,so it gave them a better chance to study4 ,and during ,christmas week they had four examinations4 ,we did not intend1 however1 that ,christmas should pass without something to make the boys remember the day and what it means4 ,if they could not have a ,christmas tree1 ,i determined to give them the next best thing--in fact1 when ,i was a boy a year or two ago1 ,i thought it was away ahead of a mere tree--that is hanging up the stockings4 ,the boys had never even heard of such a custom1 so it was great fun for them4 ,one morning in school1 after prayers1 ,i solemnly asked the boarders1 8,how many of you have two pairs of socks80 ,there was blank amazement4 ,why did ,i wish to know that8 ,i only smiled1 as ,i began with the boy in the front1 little 8,georgie ,bond40 8,have you two pairs of socks80 8,yes1 but the extra pair have holes40 ,then to the next boy1 8,have you a second pair80 8,i have three pair1 but they all have holes1 some of them as big as this10 and he made a circle with his thumb and finger4 8,have them mended10 ,i replied1 and passed on down the line4 ,i found that all the nine boys had extra pairs and all of them1 as is the case with the stockings of every decent fellow ,i ever knew1 had holes4 ,i maintain that in ,china1 as at home1 it is a sign that a boy is a real boy when he wears holes in his stockings4 ,so ,i advised them to have one pair mended and washed before ,christmas ,eve1 and bring it to me4 ,and then--well1 we should see what we should see4 ,illustration3 ,the boys of the ,junghsien ,school who had a good time at ,christmas4 ,great was the excitement among the boys1 and not a sock was missing when the great night arrived4 ,i did not let the boys hang up their own socks1 but packed them all off to the school study-room upstairs1 while one of the teachers and ,i pinned the socks up in a row in the class-room under the blackboard4 ,you know we have no fires in the schools here1 and so there are no chimneys4 ,all the same ,santa ,claus found a way1 for next morning--but wait a bit4 ,when ,i got down to the school on ,christmas morning at half-past seven ,i found the boys already at breakfast4 ,they were casting anxious eyes in the direction of the room with the closed door1 and like other boys ,i have known they did not take long to eat their ,christmas-morning breakfast4 ,when they were all ready they filed into the room4 ,i am not going to tell you how those stockings were filled4 ,you may decide for yourselves how1 and by whom it was done4 ,i don't think the boys stopped to think anything about 8how40 ,they were too much interested in the sight of twelve white ,chinese socks in a row1 all bulging out in a knobby fashion1 with things sticking out of them1 and a flat1 red parcel behind every sock4 ,on the blackboard was written in ,chinese1 8,jesus' ,holy ,birthday40 ,after they had looked for a minute ,i suggested that they take down their socks and see what was in them4 ,then for the first time in their lives they had the joy of exploring the mysteries of a ,christmas stocking4 ,their presents were not very much1 you would say1 perhaps4 ,each boy found a story-book and a photograph of the school1 and then down in the sock were nuts and candies1 and right in the toe an orange4 ,the two teachers each got a ,new ,testament with the ,chinese and ,english on the same page4 ,they did not say much1 and ,i wondered if they were disappointed1 until one of the teachers1 ,mr4 ,jang1 came up to me with tears in his eyes1 saying1 8,you say we must not thank you1 so ,i think we ought to thank ,god4 ,can't we do it just now80 ,it touched me deeply4 8,yes10 ,i said1 and we all went up to the study-room and1 standing there about the long table1 one after another of the boys made a short1 simple prayer of thanks to ,god1 not only for the gifts of the morning1 but especially for the greatest ,gift of all1 ,jesus ,christ4 ,at nine o'clock we had our regular morning prayers1 and then ,i gave to the day-boys their presents1 a ,new ,testament and a bag of nuts and candy to each one4 ,we had a nice little service in the church for all the church people1 but our real ,christmas service was held the next ,sunday4 ,on that day we had a special musical service1 led by the boys1 who had been practising for months under ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,mc,ammond4 ,it would have done you good to hear them open the service with 8,come1 ,thou ,almighty ,king10 with ,georgie ,bond singing one verse as a solo4 ,the anthem was 8,hark1 the ,herald ,angels ,sing10 and our ,chinese angels sang splendidly4 ,on ,christmas morning the church members gave away free rice to five hundred poor people4 ,so that altogether the boys1 even if their ,christmas was quieter than usual1 have had something to remind them of the joy of this beautiful season4 ,god ,wants ,them ,all ,god wants the boys--the merry1 merry boys1 ,the noisy boys1 the funny boys1 ,the thoughtless boys2 ,god wants the boys with all their joys1 ,that ,he as gold may make them pure1 ,and teach them trials to endure4 ,his heroes brave ,he'll have them be1 ,fighting for truth ,and purity4 ,god wants the boys4 ,god wants the girls1 the happy-hearted girls1 ,the loving girls1 the best of girls1 ,the worst of girls2 ,god wants to make the girls ,his pearls1 ,and so reflect ,his holy face1 ,and bring to mind ,his wondrous grace1 ,that beautiful ,the world may be1 ,and filled with love ,and purity4 ,god wants the girls4 ,li ,liang ,chen ,student1 ,soldier1 ,trader1 ,evangelist4 ,,rev4 ,j4 ,l4 ,,stewart1 ,b4,a41 ,b4,d4 ,it was on the street of the ,temple of the ,four ,sages1 in the capital city1 ,chengtu1 ,szechuan4 ,there1 to-day1 its low1 grey gable abutting the entrance gates1 stands also the ,worship ,hall to the ,western ,god1 who is surely becoming ,father of the ,east and of all4 ,within the temple1 only the smoke of a few incense sticks mingled with the tobacco and opium fumes curled upward through cobwebs and tiles to the heavens4 ,in the ,worship ,hall1 three score and more of ,china's youth1 black-haired1 bright-eyed1 brilliant-minded hopes of her future greatness1 were gathered4 ,but half the hall was theirs4 ,up the centre ran a wooden wall past which presumably not even a wandering glance might go4 ,that part beyond was sacred to the women and school girls4 ,as not even these latter were present to embarrass the situation1 native eloquence found full fling4 ,it was the weekly meeting of the ,epworth ,league of the ,college boys4 ,moreover1 it was missionary night1 and members were all attention4 ,the leader was in fine form4 ,with flushed cheek and fervid voice he called his hearers to see visions4 8,jesus came to found a kingdom among men4 ,all within the four seas are brethren4 ,the kingdom must then include all under heaven4 ,jesus founded it first among ,his fellows1 the ,jews4 ,these carried the message to ,greeks and ,romans4 ,these bore it to barbarians in ,europe and ,britain4 ,these have wafted it round the world1 and to our land of the ,middle ,kingdom4 ,and we8 ,we must bear the glad tidings on to ,thibet1 to the tribesmen and to the aborigines44440 ,just then there was a commotion in the rear of the church4 ,someone was trying to make himself heard4 ,at this persistent interruption all turned4 ,a ripple of indignation quickly changed to interest as they saw the new speaker1 a big1 broad-faced1 burly fellow1 whose countenance beamed forth a happy combination of courage and child-like simplicity4 8,your younger brother begs his elders' pardon10 he ventured1 8but here in the seat just in front of mine are two of these strangers from the tribes country4 ,why wait indefinitely some future date8 ,they may leave before our leader is through4 ,why not begin here and now80 ,a voice of assent and approval ran around the room4 ,for ten minutes the speaker1 bending forward1 chatted pleasantly with the wanderers from the great ranges to the west1 well diggers1 it seemed1 seeking work on the plain1 welcomed them to the meeting and told them simply and sympathetically of the ,saviour of all and ,his message of love to men4 ,then the meeting went on as before4 ,a simple enough little incident1 surely1 but it is an index to the speaker1 sincere1 sympathetic1 fearless1 practical4 ,it was ,li ,liang ,chen1 that is1 ,li of ,perfect ,virtue1 as his parents had named him in hope4 ,to attain the ,chinese goal of greatness by becoming an official was likewise a longing1 and to that end he was sent early to school4 ,there1 year by year1 through youth and young manhood1 he had repeated his history1 rhymed his poetry1 patiently traced the puzzling characters and later written countless stereotyped essays under a still famous teacher of the district4 ,more than once he had gone up with the picked men of his county to try for the coveted degree1 that opening door to official life4 ,alas6 how few could hope for success2 oft-times scarce two in a hundred4 ,his heart was1 moreover1 ever too great for his head1 so those with more self-abstraction or secret alliances with the examiners1 won the day4 ,in military matters1 literary attainments played a lesser part1 the physical was the all-important1 so thither his ambitions turned4 ,here1 though some surpassed him in lifting the two and three hundred weight stone1 success came surprisingly4 ,he soon bent a strong bow and sent his arrow clean and quivering to the heart of the target4 ,in feats with fists his stature1 strength and courage placed him among the envied few1 while in swinging great swords he was scarce surpassed4 ,china1 however1 cares not for war4 ,in the long life of no other nation has history written so large1 8,blessed are the meek1 for they shall inherit the earth40 ,her list of honor runs1 scholar1 farmer1 mechanic1 merchant4 ,the scholar sways by thought1 so is first4 ,the farmer and mechanic each produces1 so come next4 ,the merchant does neither1 but distributes1 so is fourth4 ,the soldier is not even mentioned1 for he exists but to destroy4 ,such being the sentiment1 in times of peace but few are maintained or indeed needed to follow the profession of arms among these most easily ruled of the millions of earth4 ,li1 like the many of his fellows1 must have other means of support4 ,his father was a merchant in the market village of the ,chao family1 near ,jenshow4 ,by dint of industry and economy1 he had also added a small farm to his possession4 ,li was placed in the shop4 ,affability won friends1 time and tact got him trade1 while his fearlessness gradually carried him far afield4 ,back from the borders of the aborigines he brought white wax and ponies2 from the province of ,uin ,lan he led pack mules laden with tea4 ,in ,kweichow1 south and east1 he sought silks and horses4 ,from the far-flung tribes to north and west he bought musk and medicines1 and from the ,thibetans wools and hides4 ,soon agencies were established1 compass-like1 all about his centre1 and ,li1 the trader1 was known to big firms in scores of cities1 towns1 and in the great capital4 ,but travels had touched more than trade4 ,in larger centres he had seen the much-talked-of foreigner1 with his ever-present hospitals1 schools1 and churches1 and had heard him discussed from province to province in countless inns and teashops4 ,once1 only once1 he had paused one day in his busy life to listen to a street preacher4 ,he carried away little of what was said4 ,how could such things concern him and his sole search for goods and gold8 ,thus ten years fled by4 ,he lost much1 but made more1 and at length decided to settle in his native village1 among his own1 the better to be a filial son to his now aging father4 ,about that time mission problems assumed a new phase4 ,after the dramatic events culminating in the ,boxer cataclysm in #aijj1 the missionary found himself received in a new light4 ,previously permitted1 as a matter of indifference1 or in many places despised1 insulted1 persecuted1 he now found himself pushed into unsought prominence4 ,foreign troops had defeated the forces of the ,son of ,heaven4 ,foreign officials had but to say the word1 and ,china bowed to obey4 ,were not the missionaries friends of these consuls1 indeed might they not themselves be officials or paid to act as such8 ,in fact1 one nation1 ,france1 openly allowed their 8fathers0 official status4 ,the bishop ranked with a viceroy1 the humblest priest with the local magistrate4 ,the fruit of it all came fast4 ,people flocked to the churches1 not to be bettered by ,christian teaching1 but to gain power with which to threaten and coerce their enemies4 ,this1 it is not unfair to say1 was particularly true among ,roman ,catholic native priests and their converts1 where the worst characters of the community carried the day with high hand4 ,it was at least true of the ,jenshow district1 where1 abetted by the church1 8converts0 coerced1 blackmailed1 robbed1 assaulted their helpless neighbors4 ,should reprisals arise they were at once labelled 8persecutions10 appeal was made to the priests1 then to the bishop1 and thus to the chief officials of the province1 or locally to the magistrates4 ,the honest1 hard-working citizen's lot seemed hopeless and helpless4 ,then the knowledge slowly gained ground that there were two parties among these foreigners4 ,protestants1 it was said1 had equal power1 but did not countenance such coercion4 ,why not invite these into the county1 and join their organization8 ,the plan was plausible and prevailed4 ,representative men went to the capital to invite the ,protestant missionaries4 ,after a time they came1 received everywhere with honor and acclaim4 ,villages1 a score and more1 organized and sent representatives to support the movement4 ,a central organization sprang up and a big building was secured4 ,among the many villages that thus sent representatives was that of the ,chao family4 ,who should be sent but ,li1 the scholar1 soldier1 merchant1 man of affairs4 ,he went to ,jenshow1 listened1 gave hearty support1 bought books said to be necessary and went his way4 ,he was more interested now1 however1 and read his books carefully4 ,though his motives could scarce be called ,christian1 he was being led and to lead in a way that he knew not4 ,some months later1 a convention for leaders was summoned in the provincial capital4 ,li was ready and receptive4 ,he returned to his native village1 moved as not before to pilot his people4 ,many became converts1 not of convenience1 but of conviction1 among these his former teacher and his own family and friends4 ,another year1 and again a conference of those most worthy was called4 ,li came gladly4 ,this time his home-going meant the giving over of business interests to others while he went forth in his own village1 county town1 and all the surrounding district1 this time persuading men to make the greatest of all investments1 those eternal investments in the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,henceforth for him he felt his life's chief business lay in the extension of the reign of righteousness1 peace and joy throughout his native land4 ,two years have passed since then1 but he is still as of old--fervent1 fearless1 faithful4 ,a year's study at college in ,chengtu has given him greater grip and wider vision4 ,to-day he is again out in the work he loves1 the scholar seeing even more clearly the signs of his times1 the soldier going courageously forward in the great commission1 the trader offering in all market-places treasure that death cannot corrupt1 the evangelist heralding the glad tidings of great joy to a great people4 ,of such stuff are ,china's first apostles in the far west4 ,of such appeal is the message of the ,son of ,man to draw alien races unto ,himself4 ,to this end let us have firmer faith in all4 ,bo and ,nare1 or ,found ,out 8,rub-a-dub-dub6 rub-a-dub-dub60 ,little ,bo heard the music1 and ran after it4 ,he had been fishing in a pool with a bent pin for a hook4 8,it is lots more fun to run after the band than to fish with a pin and not catch anything10 thought ,bo4 ,so he gave the line to his little sister ,nare4 ,nare wanted to fish before1 but ,bo had said1 8,girls don't know anything 'bout fishing40 ,bo lived in a far country where even fathers don't love little girls4 ,bo did not share his playthings with his sister1 as you have done4 ,he made her wait on him4 ,he didn't know any better4 ,that was the way ,bo's father treated his mother4 ,bo was not white1 as are the boys and girls who read this4 ,he was brown as a berry4 ,so was his little sister ,nare4 ,so were all the people ,bo and ,nare knew1 except two ladies4 ,these white missionary ladies were ,bo's teachers4 ,they told him about ,jesus4 ,but ,bo's father taught him to worship idols4 ,bo sometimes wondered which was the true ,god4 ,but at this particular minute he only thought about the music1 and ran after it4 ,he saw a great crowd and a priest in the midst beating a drum4 ,he heard the priest cry in a loud voice1 8,let every one keep silence40 ,then the priest looked fiercely at the small boys4 ,bo began to tremble1 and wish he were back fishing4 8,on this day week10 again shouted the priest1 8at noon a god will arise from the ground in the field near our temple40 ,a second time the drum sounded1 and the priest moved on to convey the news to other villages4 ,everybody began to talk excitedly4 8,a god rise from the ground60 said they2 8can it be possible80 ,bo was delighted4 8,now ,i'll find out10 thought he1 8if men make our gods out of wood and stone1 as the missionaries say4 ,i'll go and see for myself40 ,that week seemed the longest ,bo had ever spent4 ,but the great day came at length1 and ,bo was very happy4 ,nare was not4 ,nare wanted to go too4 ,she begged ,bo to take her1 but ,bo answered1 8,you are only a girl2 it doesn't make any difference what you think4 ,by-and-bye ,i'll be a man2 so ,i ought to know what is right40 ,bo thought it manly to speak so rudely4 ,why1 even mothers are treated very badly by boys in countries where ,jesus' teachings are not known4 ,so ,bo started off alone4 ,he found the largest crowd he had ever seen in the great field near the temple4 ,in the centre was a vacant space1 where only priests stood4 ,bo made straight for that spot4 ,but a priest took him roughly by the shoulder1 and said1 8,the new god will kill any one who comes inside this circle40 ,bo ran back and hid behind a tall man1 who didn't look afraid4 ,it was a silent crowd4 ,most of the people seemed awe-struck4 ,every one was eagerly looking toward the vacant space where the god would rise4 ,at noon more priests in long white robes came out of the temple4 ,they began to mutter and wave their hands4 ,the tall man next to ,bo said1 8,something black is coming out of the ground60 ,bo stood on tip-toe and strained his eyes to see4 ,the something grew larger and larger4 ,every eye was fixed upon the spot4 ,could it be the top of a head8 ,yes1 for the brow1 eyes1 nose1 and mouth slowly appeared4 ,all this time the priests never once went near4 ,the big black idol seemed to rise of itself4 ,the crowd1 almost wild with excitement1 cried out1 8,a miracle6 a miracle60 ,bo thought the priests looked much pleased when the people shouted1 8',tis a miracle60 ,soon the priests went into the temple4 ,they didn't think any one would dare go inside the circle4 ,now it happened that the tall man who stood next to ,bo no longer believed that idols were gods4 8,the priests are trying to cheat us10 thought he4 8,a rival temple is the favorite1 where most money is given4 ,the priests of this temple are poor4 ,they have made up this miracle in order to draw more offerings here40 ,so this wise man said to a friend near1 8,let us make this god grow faster40 ,the other agreed4 ,they went boldly forward and took hold of the idol4 ,bo heard people say1 8,they will surely fall down dead40 ,but no2 the god came up quickly--head1 hands1 body--all complete4 ,still the two brave men stood unharmed and actually laughing4 ,they cried out1 8,the priests have fooled us2 come and see for yourselves60 ,then1 pell-mell1 pushing and tumbling over each other1 all rushed to the spot4 ,what do you think they saw8 ,a great pit full of soaked peas4 ,the priests knew that peas grow larger when left in water2 so they filled the pit with peas1 poured on water1 placed the idol on top1 and covered it lightly with soil4 ,by-and-bye1 when the peas had begun to swell1 the idol was pushed through the ground4 ,the people were very angry4 ,they nearly killed the priests1 whom they found feasting in the temple4 ,after one long look backward1 ,bo trudged home in disgust4 ,he could never again believe in their priests4 ,that evening ,bo told ,nare his decision3 8,we'll not be afraid of make-believe gods any more4 ,we must pray to the great ,father who lives up in the sky40--,selected4 ,results of a ,one-,cent ,investment in ,one of ,our ,country ,sunday ,schools ,at a ,sunday ,school missionary meeting1 the ,superintendent received a number of letters from the scholars1 giving an account of how they had traded with a cent which had been given them a year ago4 ,it is needless to say that this was by no means the least attractive part of the programme4 ,the following are some of the letters as received1 in which we have made no corrections3-- 8,i bought a cent's worth of radish seed and sowed them in a plot of ground which my ,mother gave me4 ,i tended to them with care and sold them at #e cts4 a dozen4 ,i sold #ab dozen and made #fj cts40 8,two years ago ,i took a cent to see how much ,i could make for missions4 ,one year ago ,i took another cent4 ,i spent them both and gained nothing with them4 ,you can't speculate much with a cent4 ,a lady wanted me to do some work for her and said she would pay me1 so ,i got #a4ae for last year1 but didn't get it in time for the meeting1 and this year ,i have added #ce cts4 more4 ,total amount1 #a4ej40 8,bot lead pencils at wholesale and sold them out retail1 with the proceeds bot some sugar and made taffy and sold it for missionaries1 making in all1 #eh cts40 8,i have twenty-five cents to give you for the missionaries4 ,i sold some cucumbers to a lady for five cents1 and the rest ,ma gave me for doing errands40 8,i earned this money buying and selling rhubarb1 #bj cts40 8,i bought one egg1 raised a ,pullet and sold one dozen for #bj cts41 one dozen eggs for #ae cents1 then sold the hen for #bj cts4 ,total amount made1 #ee cts40 8,i ernt this fifteen cents by buying and selling eggs40 8,i bought a patch of potatoes for one cent and tended to them and sold them for #aj cts41 making a profit of #i cts40 8,i have just #ea cts4 ,i went errands and washed dishes and did other little things for it40 8,i bought beans and planted them and sold them for #c cts40 8,i bought with my cent some radish seed1 and ,mr4 ,wilson gave me a plot to sow it in4 ,i watered and weeded them and sold them at #e cts4 a bunch1 and made #a40 8,i blacked the boots for a month and earned #ae cts4 ,i will try to do better next time40 8,my cent ,i invested in potatoes4 ,i planted and tended them and arranged with a gentleman to take the potatoes at #dj cts4 per bag4 ,i am glad to hand in my #a as the result40 8,i am a very little boy1 but ,i ain't too small to work4 ,last year you did not give me a copper to work with1 but ,i thought ,i would try and do something for poor little boys and girls away off in heathen lands1 so last summer ,i picked dandelions1 tied them in bunches1 and sold them around the town1 total amount1 #e cts40 8,total proceeds1 #ab4ab40 8,i first bought a can with my cent1 and picked berries and sold them4 ,received twenty cents40 8,i bought a row of carrots of my ,father for a cent1 and had five pails1 and sold them at #aj;c4 per pail1 which is fifty cents40 8,i bought a cents worth of knitting cotton and knit a pair of garters and sold them for ,ten cents4 7#aj;c470 8,we ,bought #b cents worth of ,eggs and ,sett them1 got #b chickens1 and sold them for #bj cents40 8,bought one ct's worth of ,bootblacking1 blackned boots for five cts4 bought five ct's worth1 blackned boots for five cts4 a week1 got one dollar40--,missionary ,outlook4 ,the ,schoolmaster's ,lesson ,the schoolmaster1 with the savings of two laborious years1 had treated himself to a fine large microscope4 ,this instrument1 in its mahogany case1 occupied a place of honor on a side table4 ,it was a world of wonder1 a more than ,aladdin's lamp to the children1 who looked with joy to the occasions when the schoolmaster revealed to their wondering gaze its enchantments4 ,whenever the schoolmaster took a little key from his vest pocket and approached the sacred altar1 where reposed the marvel1 the children stowed their books under the blue desks1 and fairly held their breath with expectation4 ,any one of them might have the honor of being summoned as officiating acolyte of the occasion4 ,on this afternoon the schoolmaster had a bowl of water and some small green weeds from the nearest pond4 ,he put some of the green plant in a large1 clear glass4 ,as it floated1 the children coming near to look1 one by one saw that the plant seemed supplied with minute green sacs filled with air4 8,now1 take your seats10 said the master4 8,this is called a bladder-plant1 from these wee1 green bladders1 whereby it floats4 ,listen1 and ,nathan will tell you what he sees4 ,nathan1 come forward40 ,nathan came gladly4 8,now1 tell us what you see in the water1 ,nathan40 8,i see little live things2 some have little shells on them like mussels1 only they look about as big as tiny pin-heads4 ,some have little whirling wheels on their heads4 ,a good many are like very1 very wee caterpillars40 8,those last are the water-bears10 said the schoolmaster4 8,now look at the bladder-plant40 8,the bladders10 said ,nathan1 8are little bags4 ,their mouths are open4 ,they are set round with hairs4 ,some of the bags look full of something1 and dark4 ,some of them seem to have some live thing kicking in them4 ,some are empty1 and as you look in at the door it is like a little clear green room4 ,oh6 ,i see a water-bear swimming up to one6 ,he looks in4 ,he seems to think it is pretty4 ,i guess he wants to know where there is something kicking4 ,he looks in there4 ,now he goes to an empty one4 ,now he swims by4 ,no1 he changes his mind4 ,he thinks he will go in4 ,he pokes in his head4 ,the little hairs at the door bend inward3 they let him go in easy4 ,he is in6 ,oh6 now he is trying to come out60 ,great excitement in the listening school--eyes wide open1 heads bent forward4 8,can he get out80 cried someone4 8,no6 no6 he can't10 exclaimed ,nathan1 all eager4 8,the hairs bend in1 and let him in1 but he cannot get by them to go out6 ,they won't bend out4 ,oh1 he can't get out40 ,the schoolmaster now took one of the dark1 full sacs1 cut it open with a very fine1 sharp instrument1 and put it under the glass4 8,now what1 ,nathan80 8,oh1 that bag is full of dead things1 of what you might call the bones of these bits of creatures1 the shells off one of those tiny things like mussels4 ,they are things that have gone in and have got all melted up40 8,here is another10 said the schoolmaster1 putting a lighter green sac in place1 also cut open4 8,what now80 8,that is the very sac the water-bear looked into to see something kicking4 ,the kicking thing was another water-bear4 ,now it is dead4 ,the one that went in just now is kicking1 too40 ,the schoolmaster took that sac also1 opened it1 and released the struggling water-bear4 8,what now1 ,nathan80 8,he is out1 but he doesn't feel good4 ,he doesn't swim round as he did before he went in4 ,i think he is going to die1 schoolmaster4 ,oh1 here is another bear just going into a sac4 ,let him out quick1 won't you80 ,the schoolmaster opened the sac and the freed little animal swam off4 8,he got out1 right off1 and nothing but him10 said ,nathan4 8,schoolmaster1 isn't it queer that when they look in and see the dead ones1 and the bones and skins1 or see other ones caught and kicking1 and can't get out1 that they don't learn better than to go in themselves8 ,i should think they'd have sense to keep out60 8,people do not have sense to keep out when the circumstances are just about the same4 ,now1 all of you children1 listen4 ,you know that ,nathan has told you of these little1 gay palace-rooms1 where the doors open in and not out1 and the things which swim by seem curious to know what is inside4 ,some of these gay places hold struggling captives2 others are full of the relics of the dead4 ,now1 that is a little parable to you4 ,let the little green sacs stand for places where strong drink is sold4 ,those who enter such places form the drinking habit1 and then they cannot get free from it4 ,persons1 yet free1 look into these dens for drinking4 ,they see in them people all ragged1 dirty1 poor1 unhappy1 bloated1 crazy1 sick1 wrecked and ruined victims of the habit4 ,they see yet others who mourn that they are enslaved1 who have a sense of shame and danger1 and struggle to get rid of the appetite that makes prisoners of them1 and will destroy them4 ,in this little plant1 when the little animals get into the sacs1 the plant melts up their bodies and seems to suck up their juice and feed on it until nothing is left but the fine bony parts4 ,so the unhappy person who goes into a grog shop finds that the dealer feeds on him until his health and happiness1 and money and respectability are all gone1 and perhaps nothing is left of him but the poor body that is ready for the ,potter's field4 ,is it not strange that when we see how many persons are utterly ruined by drink1 any will venture into places where drink is sold1 and will even begin to taste the fatal liquor8 ,whenever you see a place for selling whiskey1 ,i want you to think of the little water-bears and other water creatures which enter the snares of the bladder-plant40--,selected4 ,liu ,tsi ,chuin ,rioter and ,evangelist4 ,,rev4 ,j4 ,l4 ,,stewart1 ,m4,a41 ,b4,d4 8,ninety-five0 is a date of dates among the pioneer workers in ,west ,china4 ,all winter rumors of the doings of foreigners had been floating about the city of ,chengtu1 old stories of suspicion and superstition scarce heard to-day3 8,foreigners ate children40 8,doctors pulverized eyes for medicines1 hence their wonderful cures40 8,bodies were buried beneath the church floors40 8,foreigners having1 many of them1 blue eyes1 could see into soil and discover hidden treasure as the dark-eyed people of ,china might see stones on the bottom of streams40 8,foreigners were there to seek treasure or territory40 ,even high officials1 'tis said1 fed the flame with the hope that it would soon become so hot the 8foreign devils0 would flee4 ,there were1 however1 few open acts of hostility during these days4 ,then suddenly1 like a bolt from the blue1 it came4 ,it was the fifth of the fifth month feast4 ,according to time-honored custom1 the crowds assembled on the great east parade ground1 scarce a stone's throw from the ,mission compound1 for the throwing of plums4 ,vendors1 their big baskets well filled with the fruit still green1 had booths1 or pushed through the people everywhere4 ,everyone bought1 sowed his plums broadcast in the air1 then scrambled with the rest1 for1 aside from the sport1 the plums so obtained were said to ward off sickness1 demons1 disaster1 and brought good luck for the year to come4 ,as the day grew1 masses of roughs and toughs1 many from the yamen1 some say1 mingled with the thoughtless1 and jammed and jostled together till the air was filled with the hum and hue of voices1 and hearts and heads were half-hysterical for mischief and riot4 ,already as evening came1 the crowd had overflowed past the gateway of the mission premises4 8,here's where the foreign devils live10 said one4 8,let's hurl a stone at the gate10 said another4 8,who dares80 ,soon one stone by stealth1 then a volley1 rattled against the big black doors4 ,the gateman's rebuke only made the ringleaders more bold4 ,they fell back when the foreigner appeared2 but were at his heels1 a howling mob1 when the gates again closed behind him4 ,the rabble rushed to the point1 restraint was thrown to the winds4 ,a riot was on in earnest4 ,into the blackness of the night1 two men1 strangers1 homeless in a strange1 inhospitable land1 fled with their heroic wives and hushed little ones4 ,then and for hours afterwards1 as hiding from street to street they sought their way to our ,w4,m4,s4 home1 they heard afar the frenzied shouting1 and saw the flames pierce high into the darkness as church1 and hospital1 and homes1 and goods1 and gifts1 and many a treasured heirloom from half round the world became fuel for the fires4 ,next day saw the mob's return to its work of destruction till every building of every mission in the city1 ,protestant and ,catholic alike1 was in ruins1 and the foreigners1 irrespective of sex or creed1 huddled together in a few low outer rooms of one of the official yamens4 ,such was ,liu ,tsi ,chuin's first introduction to the foreigner1 for he was in the thick of the fray on the first night1 and followed on next day as one by one the missionary families fled1 and the buildings were looted and burned4 ,it was a full decade before he came in touch with them again and then--how changed the circumstances6 ,liu ,tsi ,chuin was of good family4 ,his name1 ,tsi ,chuin1 8,be princely10 would give a hint1 at least1 of his parents' goodness of heart4 ,his father was the trusted treasurer of a district magistrate not far from ,chengtu4 ,alas1 when ,liu was but a child of three the father died4 ,shortly after1 his little sister also died1 and ,liu and the little widowed mother were left alone4 ,his father1 however1 had been a man of thrift1 so that even after the exorbitant funeral ceremonies were over1 enough was left to buy a neat little home on the ,great ,well ,corner in the provincial capital1 and even some over to be invested for interest4 ,little ,liu was sent to school4 ,he had friends of his father in official circles4 ,that would mean influence in the days to come1 and that position1 promotion1 power1 so hope was high in the little household4 ,at the age of thirteen a change came in ,liu's life4 ,a relative1 of whom there are ever plenty in ,chinese families1 had persuaded the little widow that mints of money might be made by embarking in business4 ,after much persuasion1 she yielded4 ,was not the interest small8 ,and would not her boy need more as he grew older8 ,and was she not ambitious for him8 ,the sums loaned were called in1 and the little home mortgaged4 ,soon a great double shop displayed a new and euphonious name4 ,big lanterns swung below the eaves4 ,long boards with letters of gold told of the virtues of the place1 while within hams swung from the ceilings1 various confections covered the counters and long strings of tobacco lined the shop front close by the street4 ,for five years business went on briskly4 ,by degrees1 however1 other relatives and friends attached themselves till 8the money failed to fill the mouths10 and1 in brief1 business failed and had to be abandoned4 ,another venture was made in the then flourishing opium trade1 but their capital was limited and larger firms outsold them4 ,liu was now a youth of twenty4 ,with the little capital left he tried running a sox shop4 ,alas1 in his last venture he had lost more than money4 ,he had lost manhood as well4 ,his countrymen have a proverb1 8,you can't work in a dye shop and keep your clothes unstained40 ,liu had himself fallen a victim to the opium he sold to others4 ,illustration3 ,the evangelist and his family4 ,the record of his ruin is the old story of ,china's sorrow after that4 ,sucking his pipe1 sleeping1 sliding about stealthily from spot to spot1 seeking relief from the fiend which haunted him by day and by night1 he had little time for business1 his thoughts were busy with baubles1 trade fell off1 goods disappeared1 his last cash left him1 and despair and destruction followed fast4 ,it was during those days that he found himself one of the throng of thoughtless and rowdies1 assembled for plum throwing4 ,the sacking of the missions was but a new excitement with a possible gain to all1 and what could it matter anyhow to frighten away a few foreigners whom nobody wanted8 ,but that story we have told4 ,liu had married meantime4 ,a little daughter had come to his home4 ,then later his wife died4 ,he left the city and sought employment with his father's former official friend4 ,the latter gave him a small position as messenger4 ,but official life is precarious4 ,his benefactor lost his position1 and ,liu was once more down and out4 ,he wandered back to the capital and to his child4 99 99 99 99 99 ,no one visits ,chengtu who does not find his way some time or many times1 if he has the opportunity1 to the ,great ,east ,street at night4 ,by day it is filled with busy buyers at the great silk1 tea and porcelain shops1 but by night it is more animated still4 ,when the great shops close their shutters at sundown1 the curbstones are immediately pre-empted by swarms of junk dealers1 curio sellers1 vendors of fans1 needles1 chopsticks1 pictures1 rare old bronzes1 ink slabs and vases4 ,here1 too1 are diviners1 fortune-tellers and fakirs4 ,it is the bazaar of the capital1 once seen not to be forgotten1 with its twinkling candles stretching far away1 its lines of squatting vendors1 its hum of busy voices1 its clattering1 chattering1 crowding thousands who throng the thoroughfare4 ,there with his little store of stuff about him1 ,liu might be found each night4 ,the day he spent picking up a few curios from house to house1 when not too busy with his pipe4 ,one day he rambled again along the street where in former days he1 with the rabble1 had wrought such ruin to the cause of missions4 ,the church1 a new and larger one since those days1 stood open4 ,numbers of people were crowding in1 so he1 with an uncle and two friends1 sons of his former official patron1 joined the stream4 ,they listened half curiously1 half carelessly1 to the prayers and singing1 all so strange to them4 ,something in the sermon1 however1 brought ,liu to attention4 ,the speaker said that this ,god of love could so fill and thrill a man with ,his ,spirit that even the passion for opium could no longer hold him4 ,could it be possible8 ,liu was no willing victim to the habit4 ,he had tried all kinds of pills and strange concoctions guaranteed to cure1 or recommended by friends4 ,he had fought by his own will power till that became so weak he scarce struggled longer4 ,but here was a new thought from the truth-telling foreigner1 and a new hope4 ,perhaps this foreign ,god could help4 ,so at invitation he1 with his companions1 waited for the after meeting1 where all are welcomed who have questions or seek further light4 ,he became even more interested and came again and again1 bringing his friends with him4 ,then the ancestral tablet fell down in the official home one night4 ,the two sons took it as a sign that their ancestors were angry with their worship of the foreign ,god1 so they came no more4 ,a month later a storm burst over the city4 ,the thunder1 a somewhat rare thing on the ,chengtu plain1 so frightened the uncle that he1 too1 never returned to the church4 ,but ,liu was not to be balked in his search4 ,he met others among the members who had been helped by the foreign pastors and doctors1 and he was determined to be free4 ,the rest of the story is readily told4 ,it is the story of an ever-increasing number of ,new ,china's sons4 ,foreign medicine1 earnest counsel from his pastor1 daily reading of the ,word which is ,spirit and which is ,life1 prayer and service and the inflooding of the ,spirit of ,god brought a new power and peace to a life which for long had struggled and suffered1 and been all but slain through sin4 ,with health and hope and freedom came also a great longing that others might know the glad ,gospel message4 ,he took to selling books up and down the very streets where men knew him best4 ,as he went he told his story in shops1 at corners and in the homes of friends4 ,seeing his sincerity and ability1 our mission soon sent him farther afield1 till he traversed much of the northern district4 ,then he served for a time faithfully and effectively in ,kiating and ,chin ,ien4 ,he has now been a year at college as a probationer4 ,his little daughter is a promising pupil in our girls' school4 ,he himself married recently a beautiful young woman1 rescued and reared by our ,chengtu orphanage1 and they to-day are together laboring earnestly for the coming of ,his ,kingdom4 ,thus ,liu ,tsi ,chuin is realizing in a way his father never dreamed the hope of the 8,princely man10 for the greater ,father had need of him4 ,where ,do ,you ,live8 ,i knew a man1 and his name was ,horner1 ,who used to live on ,grumble ,corner-- ,grumble ,corner1 in ,crosspatch ,town2 ,and he never was seen without a frown2 ,he grumbled at this1 he grumbled at that2 ,he growled at the dog1 he growled at the cat2 ,he grumbled at morning1 he grumbled at night1 ,and to grumble and growl were his chief delight4 ,he grumbled so much at his wife that she ,began to grumble as well as he2 ,and all the children1 wherever they went1 ,reflected their parents' discontent4 ,if the sky was dark and betokened rain1 ,then ,mr4 ,horner was sure to complain2 ,and1 if there was never a cloud about1 ,he'd grumble because of a threatened drought4 ,his meals were never to suit his taste2 ,he grumbled at having to eat in haste2 ,the bread was poor1 or the meat was tough1 ,or else he hadn't had half enough4 ,no matter how hard his wife might try ,to please her husband1 with scornful eye ,he'd look around1 and then1 with a scowl ,at something or other1 begin to growl4 ,one day1 as ,i loitered along the street1 ,my old acquaintance ,i chanced to meet1 ,whose face was without the look of care ,and the ugly frown that it used to wear4 8,i may be mistaken1 perhaps10 ,i said1 ,as1 after saluting1 ,i turned my head2 8,but it is1 and it isn't1 the ,mr4 ,horner1 ,who lived for so long on ,grumble ,corner40 ,i met him next day1 and ,i met him again1 ,in melting weather and pouring rain1 ,when stocks were up1 and when stocks were down2 ,but a smile somehow had replaced the frown4 ,it puzzled me much2 and so one day ,i seized his hand in a friendly way1 ,and said3 8,mr4 ,horner1 ,i'd like to know ,what can have happened to change you so60 ,he laughed a laugh that was good to hear1 ,for it told of a conscience calm and clear1 ,and he said1 with none of the old-time drawl1 8,why1 ,i've changed my residence1 that is all60 8,changed your residence80 8,yes10 said ,horner1 8,it wasn't healthy on ,grumble ,corner1 ,and so ,i moved--'twas a change complete-- ,and you'll find me now on ,thanksgiving ,street60 ,now1 every day1 as ,i move along ,the streets so filled with the busy throng1 ,i watch each face1 and can always tell ,where men and women and children dwell2 ,and many a discontented mourner ,is spending his days on ,grumble ,corner1 ,sour and sad1 whom ,i long to entreat ,to take a house on ,thanksgiving ,street4 --,josephine ,pollard4 ,a ,bible for a ,pistol ,a ,true ,story 8,see1 mother1 see what ,i have brought you60 exclaimed a young ,brazilian1 holding up to view a well-bound1 gilt-edged book4 8,antonio ,marques told me that the priest ordered him to burn it1 but he did not like to destroy so good a book1 and was afraid to displease the priest by keeping it1 so ,i offered to trade my old double-barreled pistol for it4 ,i thought you might like to have the book1 for they say it is all about religion1 and you are so religious4 ,it might be of some use when you go to repeat your prayers for people who are dying40 ,the mother took the book from her son's hands1 and slowly reading the title1 8,a ,santa ,biblia10 said3 8,ah6 this is good2 this is the #8,rule of ,life1' ,i am glad to have it40 ,then beginning at the first of ,genesis1 she glanced over several chapters until she reached the tenth4 8,yes1 you are right1 my son2 here is just the kind of prayer ,i want4 ,here is a long list of names1 and as they are all in the ,bible1 they must all be of saints1 and some of them will surely help the poor creatures40 ,the youth frequently found his mother with the book before her when he came in from his work1 and had he taken the trouble to look over her shoulder he would have found her always reading the tenth chapter of ,genesis4 ,the woman1 who had the fame of knowing by heart a great many prayers1 was often sent for to go even long distances to repeat them for the hope and comfort of the dying2 and she was faithfully trying to master the long names1 so as to say them off glibly to serve as a prayer4 ,one day1 as they sat taking their noon-day coffee1 a messenger came from a neighboring plantation1 begging her to go at once to see a young girl who was very ill4 ,with book in hand1 she set out1 and arriving at the house a sad1 though to her not unusual1 sight met her eyes4 ,a girl of about fifteen lay upon the bed1 her beautiful black eyes looking strangely bright in contrast with the pale features4 ,the parents and sisters1 instead of caring for her1 were wringing their hands and wildly crying out1 8,she is dying6 ,she is dying60 ,the sick girl feebly stretched out a wasted hand1 gasping3 8,they say that ,i am dying2 teach me quickly how to die2 tell me1 what must ,i do80 ,the old woman gently took her hand and in a soothing voice said3 8,don't be nervous1 dear2 if you will repeat after me the ,pater ,noster1 the ,ave ,maria1 the prayer to ,st4 ,joseph and the rest1 and then a new prayer that ,i have learned from this good book1 you need not be afraid40 ,a sight never to be forgotten by one who knows that there is but the one 8name under heaven1 given among men whereby we must be saved10 was this death-bed scene4 ,the old woman1 in clear tones1 rapidly repeated among other things1 8,shem1 ,ham1 ,japheth1 ,gomer1 ,magog1 ,madai1 ,javan10 and so on through the long list4 ,the dying girl vainly tried to follow her as her voice grew fainter and fainter1 for she was1 with all her failing strength1 clinging to this false hope as she passed out into eternity4 ,some years later1 the young man who had gotten the ,bible in such a curious way1 married and left the old house to live at the wife's homestead4 ,one evening1 as the old father sat in his usual place reading1 the husband said3 8,anninha1 what is that book your father is always reading80 8,that10 she replied1 8is the ,bible4 ,he often tells me about what he reads1 and it is very interesting4 ,i wish ,i could read it for myself2 but it is a ,french book1 and ,i can read only ,portuguese40 8,if it is called the #8,holy ,bible1'0 said he1 8then my mother has it in ,portuguese1 for ,i gave it to her long ago4 ,i never read it myself1 but she used to learn things out of it for prayers4 ,they never sounded very interesting to me40 8,could you get it for me1 ,jose80 she asked4 8,yes2 ,i will go over and ask mother for it to-morrow10 promised he4 ,when the wife got the ,bible1 she carried it to her father1 who was much pleased to find this favorite book in his native tongue1 and1 opening it at the ,new ,testament1 he began to read aloud4 ,the young couple listened and soon grew so interested that they begged him to go on1 till they kept him reading late into the night4 ,deeply touched by the 8old1 old story of ,jesus and ,his love10 they began to read for themselves4 ,soon they learned that pardon and peace had already been purchased for them1 and that what ,god required of them was not penances and a bondage to fear through life1 and masses and the agonies of purgatory after death1 but child-like faith and loving obedience--that godliness which gives promise of the life that now is1 and that which is to come4 ,the son's first wish was to have his mother learn the good news1 so he carried back the ,bible1 saying3 8,why1 mother1 you never got the best out of this book6 ,you only looked for something to die by1 and it is full of good words to live by as well4 ,let me read you some40 8,no1 my son10 responded she1 8,i got what ,i wanted out of the book1 and that is enough for me4 ,i do not care to look for more40 8,but1 mother10 pleaded he1 8you would be so much happier if you knew the true way to live and to die40 8,hush1 ,jose10 said the mother1 indignantly4 8,do you dare to hint that ,i1 who have taught so many how to die1 do not know how myself8 ,let me alone1 and do not trouble me any more about the book40 ,the man went back to his wife troubled and disappointed4 ,the more they studied the book1 however1 the better they understood that it was ,god's ,spirit who had opened their eyes1 and to ,him they must look to perform the same miracle upon their mother1 that blind one leading the blind1 and for this they are still daily watching and praying4--,selected4 ,the ,giving ,alphabet ,all things come of thee1 and of thine own have we given thee4--#a ,chron4 xxix4 #ad4 ,bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse1 that there may be meat in mine house1 and prove me now herewith1 saith the ,lord 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--,mal4 iii4 #aj4 ,charge them that are rich in this world 444 that they do good1 that they be rich in good works1 ready to distribute1 willing to communicate4--#a ,tim4 vi4 #ag1 #ah4 ,do good unto all men1 especially unto them who are of the household of faith4--,gal4 vi4 #aj4 ,every man according as he purposeth in his heart1 so let him give1 not grudgingly or of necessity4--#b ,cor4 ix4 #g4 ,freely ye have received1 freely give4--,matt4 x4 #h4 ,god loveth a cheerful giver4--#b ,cor4 ix4 #g4 ,honor the ,lord with thy substance and with the first fruits of all thine increase4--,prov4 iii4 #ab4 ,if there be first a willing mind1 it is accepted according to that a man hath1 and not according to that he hath not4--#b ,cor4 viii4 #ab4 ,jesus said1 ,it is more blessed to give than to receive4--,acts xx4 #ce4 ,knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth1 the same shall he receive of the ,lord1 whether he be bond or free4--,eph4 vi4 #h4 ,lay not up for yourselves treasure upon earth1 where moth and rust doth corrupt1 and where thieves break through and steal2 but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven1 where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt1 and where thieves do not break through nor steal4--,matt4 vi4 #ai1 #bj4 ,my little children1 let us not love in word1 neither in tongue1 but in deed and in truth4--#a ,john iii4 #ah4 ,now concerning the collection for the saints 444 upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as ,god hath prospered him4--#a ,cor4 xvi4 #a1 #b4 ,of all that thou shalt give me ,i will surely give the tenth unto thee4--,gen4 xxviii4 #bb4 ,provide yourselves bags which wax not old1 a treasure in the heavens which faileth not1 where no thief approacheth1 neither moth corrupteth4--,luke xii4 #cc4 ,quench not the ,spirit4--#a ,thess4 v4 #ai4 ,render unto ,god the things that are ,god's4--,matt4 xxii4 #ba4 ,see that ye abound in this grace also4--#b ,cor4 viii4 #g4 ,the silver is mine1 and the gold is mine1 saith the ,lord of ,hosts4--,hag4 ii4 #h4 ,unto whomsoever much is given1 of him shall be much required4--,luke xii4 #dh4 ,vow and pay unto the ,lord your ,god4--,ps4 lxxvi4 #aa4 ,whoso hath this world's goods1 and seeth his brother have need1 and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him1 how dwelleth the love of ,god in him8--#a ,john iii4 #ag4 ',xcept your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the ,scribes and ,pharisees1 ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven4--,matt4 v4 #bj4 ,ye know the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that though he was rich1 yet for your sakes he became poor1 that ye through his poverty might be rich4--#b ,cor4 viii4 #i4 ,zealous of good works4--,titus ii4 #ae4