Missionaries of experience in China say that ancestor worship is one of the greatest obstacles, if not the greatest, to surmount in bringing converts to realize how fully the disciple of Christ must forsake “all that he hath” in order to follow the meek and lowly Saviour.
Ancestor worship truly does so thoroughly permeate the whole life of the Chinese, from childhood up, and is so far-reaching in its effects upon the practical things of experience, that it is almost impossible to sense how greatly it influences every act, every decision, every step taken, until one is thrown in actual contact with it, and sees in what practical and unexpected ways it operates.
An illustration of this may be seen in the case of a young man who has been under our instruction for about two years. He has always exhibited strong preferences for things Chinese, and although favorably inclined toward Christianity, when put to the test, has identified himself a veritable Chinese in his whole make-up. A few days ago while conversing with him on his attitude toward Christianity, he said, in substance: “I like very much be a Christian, but if I be Christian, my older brother give me no more money come to school. I want come to school two or three years more, but if have no money, how can come? I believe Bible, and want come school few years more and learn be teacher, so I can go back China and teach Chinese people do right. I think I come school now, and by and by finish school, be Christian, go back China, teach. Now if I want to spend only one cent or half a cent, must ask my older brother. If I be Christian, he give me nothing.”
So much from a financial point of view. There seems to be no difference in the degree of servitude, whether yielded to parent or to older brother. That the relation of son to parent or to older brother is, in many cases at least, a slavish servitude, and not respect or even honor, is illustrated in the case of this same young man. Not long ago, being detained down town till past the dinner hour, he came about two hours later for permission to go out and buy something to eat. On our urgent invitation, he consented for Mrs. Howell to set him out a lunch; but in spite of all the instruction he has had on wholesome foods, he could not be induced to partake of fruit, either raw or cooked—not because he did not like it, nor because he was not convinced of its dietetic value, but because his older brother told him not to. He is nearly of age. Here is his picture.
It makes one’s heart ache to see young men of promise bound down to such mental slavery, and one’s soul yearns to see them set free in the liberty wherewith Christ can make free. Only three days ago, a young man of twenty-five left the school, so much against his own wishes that he could scarcely speak for emotion, because his older brother told him to leave and go to work, although they are well situated financially. I have seen many instances of this kind, but can not recall one where the boy dared to try, dissuade his superior, even though only a brother, from his expressed purpose to send him here or there or have him do this or that. The grace with which the younger brother surrenders his own will is the only commendable feature about it; but there is one encouraging element in it, and that is, if the boy can once be led to see that this place of superiority should be occupied by God, because God made and loves him, he might be expected to yield Him implicit obedience, not from servile fear, but from filial love. Then it is that he can see that his former servility was but a perversion of the true “filial piety” enjoined in the Fifth Commandment.
The same conversation already mentioned, let in a ray of hope for that young man. In common with most Chinese, his love of money is pretty strong; and when in our Bible class, a week or two before our conversation, we read the passage of Scripture, “The love of money is the root of all evil,” he immediately took exception to it, saying, “If have no money, how going come school? If get sick and have no money, how going to do?” In our conversation he said, “I am sorry before in our Bible class I made mistake and talked against what the Bible says, because now I know Bible is true, because Ah—showed me some verses in the Bible, and I understand now.” Ah—has accepted Christianity, and this little incident in the conversation is doubly encouraging, because it reveals the fact that Ah—is working for his schoolmates. I will speak more fully of Ah—further on.
W. E. Howell.
