Through Korea by Arthur Grosvenor Daniells

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jun 24, 1915

Through Korea

By Arthur Grosvenor Daniells

Our journey from Tokio to Shimonoseki, the port of departure from Japan to Korea, gave us an excellent view of the beautiful scenery of Japan. For seven hundred miles the railway winds around the foothills of mountain ranges and through beautiful valleys, giving new views of magnificent scenery at every turn. The railway almost encircles the world-famous, snow-capped Mt. Fuji. This journey also gave us a better understanding of the density of the population of this country. Cities, towns, and villages line the route all the way, and everywhere one sees these active, energetic, and self-reliant people forging ahead with their various lines of work.

On arriving at Fusan, at the extreme southern point of Korea, we were met by Elder C. L. Butterfield, the superintendent of the field. I am sure our brethren in the homeland will be interested to know that during this long journey from country to country, we have been met by warm-hearted, loving Seventh-day Adventists at every port we have entered. Here is the list: Honolulu, Hawaii; Suva, Fiji; Auckland, New Zealand; Sydney, Australia; Launceston, Tasmania; Freemantle, West Australia; Colombo, Ceylon; Danooshkoda, India; Rangoon, Burma; Singapore, Malaysia; Hongkong, China; Manila, Philippine Islands; Nagasaki, Japan; and Fusan, Korea. Meeting our dear people at all these ports, emphasizes the world-wide character of this movement. It is truly marvelous how this message has spread out over the world, and taken root in so many places. Wherever the seed falls, it seems to spring up and bear fruit. Like the leaven in the meal it is leavening the mass. And in all these places, the message has the same regenerating, transforming effect in the hearts of the people. Seventh-day Adventists are alike the world over. National boundaries and racial peculiarities seem to be obliterated; at least they are not noticed in our association together. The one thing that stands out most prominently is that we are one in Christ, believing the same things, rejoicing in the one joyous hope, and living and working for hearts, the one great purpose,—the finishing of our Lord’s work in the whole earth.

Brother Butterfield took us to the train, where we began a journey through the entire length of Korea—six hundred miles. We had scarcely left Fusan when he began to point toward villages some distance from the railway line where we have little companies of Sabbath keepers.

A ride of sixty miles brought us to Keizan, where Brother and Sister R. C. Wangerin are located. We left the train here, to spend a day at their station. Brother and Sister Wangerin have been living and working alone at this station the most of the time during the last five years. Their district embraces the southern end of Korea, and includes about six million people.

In the afternoon, Brother Wangerin took us to the top of a high peak in the ranges back of his house to show us a hundred villages that can be seen dotting the valley and hills from his station. Over the ranges and in valleys beyond, are hundreds more. After scanning this great stretch of territory, and hearing him tell of the believers that had been won to the message in villages in all these sections, and then listening to his request for just one couple to join him and Sister Wangerin, we all bowed in prayer on the hillside, asking God to send these dear workers help. They are the only Europeans in the village. Sister Wangerin stays here year after year, caring for her two little girls, and encouraging her husband in his work. Should either of them fail in health, and they be compelled to leave the field, we should surely sustain great loss while waiting for some one to take up this work. We believe that at least two families should be associated in a district containing six million people, and we felt the blessing and approval of the Lord of the harvest while praying for another family to come to their help.

Our next stop was at Seoul, the headquarters of our work in Korea. Here we met Sister Butterfield and Brother and Sister Oberg, who do the clerical work of the mission, and made the acquaintance of the Korean brethren engaged in the work of the printing office. In the morning we spoke to a company of brethren and sisters in their neat chapel in the city, and in the evening to a larger number in the chapel of the printing office. Our church membership at Seoul at the present time is one hundred and twenty.

Our mission compound is about two miles from the city, and seems to be as well located for health and other advantages as it could be. The homes of the workers and the printing office are neat, creditable buildings. It was certainly a pleasure to go through this printing

office, meeting workers and inspecting work and literature—all Korean. We are now circulating the following lines of literature in the Korean language: one monthly magazine with an edition of 5,000, three different bound books, and fifteen different tracts. During 1914 the value of literature sold by the fifteen agents in the field was $2,400.

From Seoul we hurried on to Soonan, one hundred and seventy-five miles north, where our Korean school is located, and where a general meeting of our foreign and native workers was in progress. We were glad indeed to greet dear friends at this place—Dr. Riley Russell and wife, Sister Mimi Scharffenberg, and Sister May Scott, whom we had known so well in former days. These workers are all looking well. They love the people and their work in Korea, and would not choose any other place on earth to work for lost souls. Brother and Sister Smith had come over from Wonsan, their mission station on the northeast coast. For years they have been toiling in this section, alone much of the time. Brother Smith has a long stretch of country along the coast to visit. As there are no good roads in that part, traveling is very wearing. But they feel repaid for their toil and sacrifice by seeing others brought to the light and joy of the truth that is so dear to them.

Our Korean school has forty acres of land for cultivation. Part of this is in the valley, where good crops of various kinds are raised to profit, and part is on the hillsides, where excellent fruit can be grown. All the ground that can be cultivated is being worked. The buildings already erected are the main building, a dormitory for boys, another for girls, a dispensary, two cottages for teachers, and barns and sheds for cattle and grain. These buildings are located well up on the hillside, which gives them a good appearance from the village lower down. All except the teachers’ cottages are well built and present a neat appearance. I was sorry to have missed seeing Professor Lee, who has had charge of this school for several years. He had just returned to the States on account of Sister Lee’s health. The attendance at the school the past year was ninety-five—fifty boys and forty-five girls.

The general meeting held at Soonan while we were there was most enjoyable and encouraging. The daily attendance was about three hundred. On the Sabbath four hundred crowded into the school chapel. We considered the room well filled with three hundred, but it was packed to the limit by the addition of another hundred. In view of the steady growth of the membership in this section, it was decided to enlarge the chapel.

I think I may truthfully say that I have never met a more appreciative congregation. They were hungry, and received the word with gladness. One sister about fifty years old walked nearly four hundred miles over high hills and across narrow valleys to attend this meeting. She sold literature on the way. Another sister walked two hundred miles. It was a joy to preach God’s message to such hearers.

The reports presented by the workers were very encouraging. The Lord’s work is going forward in Korea. The lack of workers is the one serious drawback. We now have six hundred church members, and nearly six hundred others are keeping the Sabbath and awaiting baptism. The tithe for 1914 was $1,392. The offerings to missions amounted to $1,350. There has been a steady increase in these funds from 1908, when they began to be paid, showing loyalty to the cause and steady growth in funds.

As we saw what the third angel’s message has done for these people, and measured the working strength of our staff in the field, it made us sad to see how far we come from meeting the situation. The doors are wide open to us. Wherever our workers go, they find people ready to listen, to investigate, and to obey. Korea has not yet turned from Christianity as it is reported Japan is steadily doing. With Japanese rule complete, and with her influence so dominant in Korea, no one can foretell the swing back that may take place among the Koreans during the next few years. Today the whole field is most favorably wide open to us.

From the top of the range of hills back of our compound, Dr. Riley Russell pointed to scores of villages he is working as a medical evangelist. The calls from these villages are so numerous and pressing that the doctor can spend but little time in the dispensary connected with the school. Sister Russell, with native workers, attends to the dispensary work. In addition to treating hundreds of people for all kinds of ailments and diseases, Dr. Russell preaches God’s message of salvation to thousands, leads them to the obedience of the truth, baptizes converts, and cares for churches. He told me he knew of no greater joy, and cared for no greater honor in this world. And what can bring a greater blessing to lost, suffering humanity? Dr. Russell is the only foreign evangelist in that region. Brother Smith is the only one we have on the northeast coast, and Brother Wangerin is the only one at work in the southern part of the country. Elder Butterfield is kept busy with the general work and with the special interests of the printing office and the school. We have two ordained native ministers and twenty native evangelists working under our four foreign ministers. We had the privilege of joining in the ordination of Brethren Chyong Mun Cook and Ne Keun Ok at this meeting. These brethren have been doing faithful work as licensed preachers for several years, and all were united in recommending them for ordination.

Korea is a truly interesting field. The providences of God have opened it to his church, and precious jewels are being found and gathered for the kingdom. I was sorry to leave these workers and people, but our appointments made it necessary to hasten on.

A. G. DANIELLS.