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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 8, 1912

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 89, No. 6.

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China

By O. A. HALL

O. A. HALL
ABOUT the first of October, 1911, I wrote from Chowkiakow. At that time I was traveling from station to station, making the usual round. I came in to Chowkiakow for a day or two before going to visit the stations to the south. While on the way I heard rumors that in Hupeh, the province south of Honan, a rebellion against the government had arisen. I thought little of the matter at the time, but on reaching home I found the report to be true, though no one thought it would immediately interfere with our work.
As I was preparing to continue my visits to the out-stations, our leading Chinese evangelist came to my room, and said he thought I would better remain at the station a few days longer, until we could learn the real condition of affairs, and that he would go out in my place to the companies. His suggestion was followed, and I waited two weeks for some news regarding the situation.
During this time mail and telegraphic communications were cut off. One or two telegrams reached us four or five days after they were sent, but no news regarding the rebellion was allowed to go through. Finally a mail came through, containing one or two letters written some three weeks before. Two Chinese newspapers also came, from which we were able to get some information and a little idea of the gravity of the situation.
The same mail brought a letter from the American legation at Peking, containing permits for the women to board troop trains returning northward, and stating it was apprehended that it would become advisable to remove women and children to a place of safety. This was Friday. Sabbath passed, and we had given the matter no thought. Sunday morning rumors came of acts of lawlessness not far from Chowkiakow, and also of threats to cut off the railway connections to the north.
The entire company was unanimous in the opinion that the women and children should leave at once for Shanghai. They could not undertake this difficult journey alone; and Brother Allum, not being able to leave the school, felt that I, with one of the Chinese evangelists, should go with them, procure a supply of money, and return, that we might go on without any break in our work.
As we proceeded north, we found those from other missions leaving for Tientsin, having been notified from Peking to remove from inland points immediately. Much excitement was manifested all along the line to Peking. Train-load after train-load of cavalry, infantry, cannon, provisions, etc., impressed one deeply with the fact that he was in the midst of a great battle-field.
On reaching Shanghai, we learned that the situation was much worse than we had thought, and the brethren felt that it would be both dangerous and unprofitable for me to return to Honan, as it would be impossible to remain there long. The other workers from the interior were advised to come to Shanghai. All workers from Mandarin-speaking China are here.
It is almost unbearable to have to be here away from our stations, and unable to carry out our plans for the fall and winter work; but the Lord knows best, and can turn all this to his glory. We were unable to hold our yearly meeting, as planned, which was a great disappointment to us and to the people.
While here we are endeavoring to improve our time in language-study. We have daily class work, in which Dr. Selmon gives us profitable instruction. Three evening prayer-meetings are appointed for this week, in which we may unitedly seek the Lord that the winds of strife may be held and such conditions of peace concluded as will give greater freedom for the proclamation of this message. We are expecting a blessed season next week during the week of prayer. In China we have not had the privilege of spending a week of prayer together, so we are looking forward to it with great expectations.
While this trouble has brought a sort of gloom over our spirits, we are not discouraged; for we know God can cause light to spring out of the darkness, and bring forth good where only evil seems to prevail. There are many lessons we can learn while we wait, and we desire faithfully to learn each one.
sands of men from southern India clearing the land on each side of the railway. There are seen well-ordered plantations of pineapples, coconuts, peppers, and more abundant than all, rubber. During the late rubber boom in this country, valuable fruit-trees were cut down in order that rubber-trees might be planted on every available piece of ground. A gambling epidemic seemed to take possession of the people. Men and women were in feverish haste, running about and inducing every one, rich and poor, to put his last cent into rubber shares. It was, “as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower.” It seemed difficult even for the missionaries to keep themselves from entanglement with this last-day snare. I was told that a number of missionaries were as much under the excitement as were the populace. A few became suddenly rich; but the majority, especially the poor who had by hard earnings and difficult savings been able to invest, irretrievably lost their all. The jungle of the Far East has become the speculative object of the gambler of the cities of the Far West; and the scripture is undoubtedly fulfilled, which likens the present age to the time of Noah,—“they bought, they sold, they builded, they planted.”
About half way up the Malay Peninsula, among the hills, is Kuala Lumpur, a modern city of beautiful suburbs and pretty bungalows. Here are the headquarters of the federated Malay states government. In this important place Brother and Sister R. P. Montgomery are located. They report an interest among some of the better class, and also among the Tamil people. From time to time hundreds of our large subscription books have been sold in Kuala Lumpur, as well as in most other parts of the Malay states and Straits Settlements. We expect in due time a rich harvest as the result of the canvassers’ faithful work. Their work will live, and be the means of bringing many into the kingdom of God, though they have been obliged to return to home lands in order to build up broken constitutions, caused by the enervating and malarial climate of this land. They did what they could at the expense of loss of health, and the Lord has promised not to forget their labor of love. We desire your prayers for the prosperity of the work and workers in this trying climate.