News, Both Sad and Cheering From the Mission Field
By Arthur G. Daniells
THE events that befall the human race are very much the same the world over. Some bring joy, others bring sorrow. The events that bring gladness to the heart are naturally looked upon as good, while those that bring sorrow are set down as evil, and against us. But the most of us have learned by experience, and many have learned from the Word of the Lord, that events are not always just what they appear to be. In the contemplation of the sad experiences in his life Jacob said, “All these things are against me.” But later he learned that these apparent disasters were not against him, but for him. From our distant mission fields we get word of some events that fill our hearts with sorrow. The cable has just brought the word that our dear brother, Clarence Hall, manager of our publishing house in Japan, is dead. This seems terrible. It fills our hearts with grief. His was a beautiful character. He was faithful, efficient, kindly of manner, beloved by all who knew him. I met him on his arrival in the Far East last April to take the management of the publishing house at Tokio. He took hold of his work intelligently and with true devotion. Letters written just a few days before the cable announced his death tell of the excellent work he was doing. Why the cruel hand of death should lay him low is a deep mystery to us. It is truly a sad event. Some day we shall understand its meaning. Until then we will wait in humble submission. The last mail from China brings an account of the sudden death of another consecrated worker, Sister Davis. She with her husband had only reached China from Australia and got settled in their language work at Nanking when death claimed her. Pastor James Shultz writes of this sad event as follows:— “Brother Woodward’s cable has already informed you of the death of Sister Davis. It is a real blow to our work here, for it takes from us a worker of courage and fidelity. When they landed here September 30, I was sick, very sick; and when they left a few days later for Nanking, Brother Davis came in to bid me good-by. As he was leaving, I told him to say good-by to his wife for me, as I did not think she would be in to see me. “Oh!” he said, “Mrs. Davis will be in to see you,” and it was only a moment until she came in. She occupied the time pointing me to the Saviour, and assured me of her faith in the promises of God which led her to believe that I should speedily recover. It was just the encouragement that I needed, and gave me new strength for the hard struggle to recover. “Little did I think that the first sermon after my recovery would be at her funeral, but thus it happened.” But the same mail that brought this sad news brought most cheering reports of the progress of the cause of God in many places in the Far East. We are told that in Szechuan, the most western province in China, a copy of our Chinese paper fell into the hands of a man in the postal department, close to the border of Tibet. After reading the truth set forth regarding the Sabbath, this man began to keep it according to the commandment. This is wonderfully encouraging, and it gives us the hope that soon we may hear of Sabbath keepers over the line in old Tibet. Pastor Frederick Lee, of Honan, tells us that the cause is advancing at a marvelous pace in his province. He tells of three men who came from Shan-si, a province north of Honan, to attend their recent general meeting. One was a preacher, another a deacon of a church, and the third a prominent layman. All three were baptized, and returned to their homes Seventh-day Adventists. There is not an idol nor a bound-footed woman in their town, and the Sabbath is laying hold of these people. And so the messages come, bringing both sorrow and joy to our hearts. All these events urge us on to greater diligence in the Master’s service. Let none neglect to heed the call.