p. 7 | Amoy and Swatow by R. C. Porter

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D.C. · Jan 6, 1916

Amoy and Swatow

By R. C. Porter

On account of a cable stating that I must come by first steamer in order to make connection at Hongkong for Borneo, I could stop only one day each at Amoy and Swatow.

In Amoy the boys' training school is well under way, and will soon be ready for occupancy. It is constructed of solid stone masonry, and will be strong to resist the force of the typhoons that sweep the Chinese coast. The brethren hope to secure a piece of ground near by for a girls' school. The Amoy is a distinct dialect, and this makes necessary a school for the training of workers for that field. Schools for girls are as much needed as schools for boys, as most of the work for women must be done by trained women workers. In China men cannot work for women, as in America.

The Amoy work, under the supervision of Elder W. C. Hankins, is making a good advance. The members are paying tithes and offerings for the extension of the work, and are beginning to manifest a missionary spirit toward their fellow men who still bow as worshipers at the shrines of Buddha.

The Swatow field, under the management of Elder J. P. Anderson, assisted by Elder Ang, is making a strong and steady advance. I was informed that three hundred persons would convene for the general meeting, which I was obliged to miss in order to reach Borneo at the appointed time, as there would not be another steamer for a month.

While in Swatow, I visited the school conducted by Brother Ang and his daughters. It is very orderly, and closely adheres to the same Chinese order and courtesy mentioned in describing the school at Fu-chau. The students were all neatly dressed, and many of them show marks of intellectual ability. This school now numbers about ninety, and it is doing excellent primary work in general educational and Bible teaching. A foreign family is greatly needed to take charge of the missionary training of the more advanced students.

Brother and Sister F. E. Bates had settled in Swatow for this purpose, but Sister Bates was taken with severe hemorrhages of the lungs shortly after their arrival, which made it necessary for them to remove quickly to Amoy, where they could live at a little higher altitude. Since their removal to that place, she has had no further hemorrhages, and it is hoped that they will be able to connect with the school work there. Another family is needed at once to fill the place made vacant by their removal from Swatow. The church members there now number more than one hundred.

While in that place, we had opportunity to sell the foreign residence erected for our mission headquarters. As the building was very poorly located, being quite a distance from the portion of the city where most of the work was required, we decided to accept the proposition, and proceeded at once to secure another location. By careful investigation, we found a good location about three blocks from the railway station and about four blocks from the main street of the city, much nearer the place where the larger part of the work of the mission is required. This land is on a small island in the river, and is thus isolated from the undesirable odors arising from the congested portions of the Chinese city. As possession of the mission house must be given soon, the work of building a dwelling house for the superintendent will begin at once. A dwelling for the school-teacher and a building for the training school are needed in order to provide for the immediate needs of the work in Swatow. Ten million Swatow-speaking people are waiting for the message.

In order to supply workers to meet the demands of this field, a small training school in this dialect is an absolute necessity. Our work here is far in advance of our facilities at the present time, and no time should be lost in supplying facilities for opening this training school, that workers may be speedily developed to meet the requirements of this field.

R. C. PORTER.