p. 13 | The Hakka Country by S. A. NAGEL

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 16, 1913

The Hakka Country

By S. A. NAGEL

S. A. NAGEL

JULY 2 I left Wai Chow for the north section of the Hakka country. I had long wanted to take this trip, for the larger half of the Hakka people live there, and I had never visited them. There are five large cities of these people, with their adjacent villages, the largest being the Ka-Yin-Chiu. The best-educated and wealthiest Hakkas live in this section. In fact, wherever you meet a Hakka, he will speak of Ka-Yin-Chiu as the capital city. Some of the finest homes I ever saw in China I saw there.

From Wai Chow I came by way of Hongkong to Swatow, as the most convenient and quickest way to reach this field is to go inland from Swatow. Here I left my family to visit with Brother and Sister Hills until I should return. Brother Hills had just finished his home, and it is very comfortable. The work among the Swatow Chinese is growing rapidly. Brother Hills has more than he can do, and should have some help at once.

Ka-Yin-Chiu is about one hundred and sixty miles from Swatow. This is a matter of only three or four hours’ ride in the States; but to make the trip, it took me five days going and four days returning. About the first thing one learns here is that “You can’t hurry the East.” It does try one, though, to travel so slowly under a July tropical sun.

Part of the way I traveled by train, part by steam-launch, and the last fifty miles in a small boat which was pulled along up-stream by men walking on the bank. This last fifty miles took three days, as the river is very swift. As I had never been over the road before, I had taken a native preacher with me as guide, expecting to leave him in charge if the work opened up there.

I found a good company of people at Ka-Yin-Chiu, who welcomed me to the best they had. I stayed with them five days, rented a chapel in the city, and the native preacher remained to teach them, so one more place in dark China has a light-center.

From this place I went over the mountains to Chin-Phin, a distance of thirty miles. Brother Anderson opened up a chapel there a year ago. I found the evangelist of good courage, with an earnest company of believers. The people were very happy to see me. I feel that from now on we should visit that field two or three times a year. It is a very expensive trip to take, and being so far from Wai Chow, it is hard to manage from that place. It would be better, to my mind, if a worker could move to that country and live there.

The truth is really getting hold of some of these Hakkas. Last pay-day at Wai Chow three things impressed me very much. I overpaid the chapel boy twenty cents. I did not know it, and imagine my surprise when he came bringing it back in the afternoon. Another worker, out of a salary of thirteen dollars,—six dollars gold,—put down five dollars tithe, most of it back tithe.

We had had no papers all the month, so one of my canvassers had nothing to do. It was not his fault that he had no papers, and I felt it right that I pay him part salary anyway. I gave him ten dollars. He paid one dollar tithe, so that left him nine—about four dollars gold. In the afternoon he came back and said that his heart was not right over taking so much money when he had not worked selling papers. He said he had not eaten nine dollars’ worth of food that month, and gave back four dollars to the mission. Such things show that God’s Spirit is working upon their hearts. I believe Jesus will find some ready to meet him in this land.