J. N. ANDERSON by J. N. Anderson

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Apr 19, 1906

J. N. ANDERSON

By J. N. Anderson

China

HONAN.—It was my privilege to visit our four different mission stations in Honan during the Chinese New-year season, the last part of January and the first of February. We have now nine adult missionaries in this province. All are in usual health, and fully enlisted in the work. According to previous arrangement, all the workers except Sisters Pilquist and Westrup and their children, came together at Sin-tsai Hsien for a week's counsel and Bible study, January 25-31. As we reviewed our work and personal experiences during the past year, and considered plans for the future, it proved a season of real profit and encouragement to us all.

It is now a little more than three years since the work in Central China was opened up; and it is just three years ago since, out of a small class of inquirers, six were baptized: these were our first Chinese converts on native soil. It was a small, but hopeful beginning, which, during the last three years, has steadily assumed larger proportions. Within that period about fifty additional converts have been baptized, several of whom, however, have been found to be hypocritical and faithless. Of all people in the world, the Chinese are the most commercial, and hence to the great majority of them the gospel has no meaning except as it can be made to serve some material interest. Nor is it at all difficult for the Chinese convert to thus utilize the foreigner and his religion. This is a national trait that always bewilders and baffles the foreign missionary, and one which he must guard with constant vigilance.

Of the converts already mentioned, twenty-four have been organized into a company at Lo-shan, under the leadership of Elder Pilquist. At the close of the Chinese year ending Jan. 25, 1906, there were in operation three day-schools for girls, with an attendance of about forty, and one school for boys, with fourteen enrolled. Regular and systematic dispensary work has been carried on at three of the stations. A nominal charge is made for all medicine given out, and this ministration to the sick is always made to serve a higher end, that of healing the soul. Direct evangelistic work, such as preaching, Bible study, prayer-meetings, and personal work, is, of course, carried on at all the stations, and so far as possible it is made to include both men and women. And all this time steady and very gratifying progress has been made in the study of the language, with the result that those who came a little over two years ago are now able to do active and effective work.

There is still another item connected with the work that must not be overlooked; and that is the training of men and women to act as native helpers. In all our work this is doubtless the first and most important consideration. Several of this class are now being trained to act as preachers, teachers, Bible workers, and printers. This means much, since our work in this field must be done largely by the native himself, though with the sympathetic counsel, and wise, but modest leadership of the foreign worker. Should the foreigner be driven out of the country, as many signs all about might lead us to believe may happen in the not distant future, the message would then, humanly speaking, rest entirely with the native believers, especially the workers. How important, then, that we carefully and thoroughly train a class of good workers, who, in turn, will bear this message forward!

During the last year the little hand press donated to the Chinese work has been set up and put into successful operation by Dr. H. W. Miller at his station, Shang-tsai Hsien. A small monthly paper, of which he is the editor, is now being printed, and sent to our different missions here in China, and a few are going to the States to be used among the Chinese there. Something has also been done in the way of adding to our Chinese literature,—a primer for school use by Dr. A. C. Selmon, and some tracts (translations) by Elder Pilquist.

Elder J. J. Westrup and his family, who came here last fall, are now quite comfortably located at Lo-shan. They are bending all their energies in the study of the language, and what missionary work they can do either in treatments or in teaching the truth through an interpreter. The two nurses, Misses Errickson and Simpson, are still alone at Sin-tsai Hsien, doing a good work in the face of many difficulties. They should be re-enforced, and I hope that day may soon come. At first thought it might seem that Honan, having nine missionaries, is quite generously supplied; but when it is remembered that there are no less than thirty-five million people within its boundaries, twice that number of missionaries could not be considered too great. We are indeed thankful to have even nine, but with each passing day the field seems to enlarge, and the harvest is ripe. Let us, then, all pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth more laborers, both native and foreign.

J. N. ANDERSON

Nanking, China.