After a few months’ respite from labor in the tropics, we are again at our post in Honolulu. The plat of land which was purchased by the Foreign Mission Board in February, 1899, for the purpose of giving more permanence to the character of our school work among the Chinese, was bought in August by a committee of Chinese merchants organized to promote the interests of the school, with the understanding that they erect school buildings thereon, at their expense, according to our plans and specifications, to be occupied by us free of charge. As the buildings could not be completed for at least three months, and as we were all much worn and debilitated we decided to spend a few months in California while the buildings were being erected, which we did with some improvement health-wise. Our stay was prolonged somewhat beyond our expectation, owing to some delay in the work of building. We were sometimes led to doubt whether the work would really be accomplished. But finally word was received from Mr. Wong Kwai, the chief promoter of the enterprise, to be on hand by the first of February; and by the advice of our board, I sailed on the “Moana,” January 25, landing in Honolulu the first day of February. On account of serious plague conditions in Honolulu, and the uncertainty as to when the school work might be begun, it was thought best that my family remain in California till such time as seemed best for them to follow. They arrived in Honolulu by the steamer “Mariposa,” March 28. This is the third time we have crossed the ocean without yet having the privilege of traveling together. At our first coming to Honolulu I came two months before them; on our return to the coast they preceded me two months; and on coming back to Honolulu I preceded them two months. We wish to thank our many friends in California for their part in making our stay among them both pleasant and profitable. We greatly appreciate their sympathy and interest in our work, and feel our courage increased thereby.
On my arrival I found the main building completely framed, but only two carpenters at work. This was really more, however, than I anticipated, because of the prevalence of the bubonic plague in Honolulu, which affected the Chinese more than any other nationality, resulting in the entire destruction of Chinatown by fire and the loss of the homes and stores of a majority of the Chinese residents, together with thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise and personal effects. When I reached here, nearly the whole of the Chinese population was in quarantine in various detention camps provided by the government. Under these distressing conditions I was much gratified to find even two carpenters at work, all the remainder of the force, including the contractor himself, being in quarantine. Had not the plague interfered, the building would have been completed at the specified time, February 1. The men have returned to their work as fast as released from quarantine, until, at the present writing there are eight.
The carpenter work is now nearly finished, the painters have begun work, and a few weeks more will suffice for the completion of the main building. It contains eight school-rooms, nineteen by twenty feet, and an assembly room thirty by forty feet, on the first floor; and on the second floor, twenty-two rooms for dormitory purposes, capable of accommodating comfortably three boys each in single beds. The dining hall, kitchen, bath rooms, office, reception room, library, etc., will be in a separate two-story building twenty by fifty-four feet. We shall live, for the present at least, in a small four-roomed cottage, twenty by twenty feet, in an adjoining lot. Our location relative to the Chinese population is changing. While old Chinatown was standing, we were situated just across the stream from its borders, near enough to draw students, yet not actually in Chinatown. Our place has not been under local quarantine at any time during the prevalence of the plague, though of course included under the general quarantine of the city. Now Chinatown is coming to us. It is shifting across the river and building up rapidly about us, so that henceforth we shall be within its borders. These points may be made clear by reference to the accompanying diagram. Beginning on land adjacent to our leased lot (itself contiguous to the school lot), twenty two-story tenement houses with stores on the first floor, and nine cottages and dwelling houses of different sorts, have gone up within the last month, and they are still building. We now have Chinese12on four sides.
Main school building in partially unfinished condition. The figure on the upper veranda is that of Kan Wing Chew, who happened to be inspecting the building when the picture was taken. He stands second to Wong Kwai only, in his activity for the interests of the school. At the right may be seen a portion of the cottage we are now occupying.
While our present situation is not what we would have chosen, yet our site was selected when present conditions could not possibly have been anticipated. Should pestilence again come to town we should find ourselves in pretty close quarters with its subjects; but there is doubtless a providence in it all as yet not fully understood by us. As these people are thus brought to our very doors without any planning of our own, we have the utmost confidence that God will cause his face to shine upon us and our work. Even should we be called to “walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” we will fear no evil, for He is with us.
At present we are unable to open a public school, as our buildings are not yet in readiness; but we are having some classes come to our house for recitation, and, beginning with our next-door neighbor, we have begun the work of visiting from family to family. On their first visit among the Chinese women, Mrs. Howell and Mrs. Kinner found two ready to receive instruction. A little time is now afforded for what our hearts have longed for: more visiting and gospel work among the people in their homes, and some study of their language; so we are assured that it is in the providence of the Lord that we are here. For about a month I have been taking a lesson a day in Chinese, with quite satisfactory results so far. Without the knowledge of a people’s language, it is just like working with the feet shackled and the eyes blindfolded, as all our foreign missionaries will testify. The difficulties to be encountered in acquiring Chinese, make it slow work. It is generally considered that one can not obtain a working knowledge of the spoken language in much less than two years, while the written requires a longer time, it being for the most part quite different from the spoken.
It has given us courage, as also shame, to observe the perseverance and fortitude displayed by the Chinese in carrying out their part of the school enterprise, in the face of such forbidding obstacles as have had to be surmounted since the appearance of the plague. The large amounts of money subscribed and donated for the relief of the fire sufferers, who were without food, clothing, or homes, have made collections on school pledges difficult; but never for a moment has the courage of the Chinese wavered with reference to carrying out the enterprise, nor has the work of building lost its vigor when it was possible to obtain men to do the work. It is enough to shame those who, in meeting difficulties, profess to trust in infinite power and wisdom, of which these people know nothing.
It is difficult to make a very definite forecast now. We are confidently assured by leading Chinese that we shall have eighty or a hundred boys to begin with, as soon as the boarding school is open. While it is the opinion of some that many of the Chinese will return to China as soon as they realize their fire claims, and while there is considerable talk by some of migrating to Queensland, Australia, yet the classes who may do this will affect our school but little.
Plague conditions in Honolulu are gradually improving. Within the last thirty-eight days there have been but seven cases, and but one within the last twelve days. The last two were white people. Up to March 31 the total number of deaths was sixty-one, of recoveries, nine.
Our hearts are encouraged by the fact that God has laid a real burden upon some for China and the Chinese, and we anticipate with much gratification the accession of some of these to our teaching force.
