p. 16 | CHARLOTTE SIMPSON by Charlotte Simpson

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Mar 29, 1906

CHARLOTTE SIMPSON

By Charlotte Simpson

China

SIN-TSAI HSIEN.—We have a nice little company of believers—some who have been baptized, and others who are waiting for Brother Pilquist to come and administer the rite. Most of our believers are farmers. They attend meeting very regularly, although they have quite a distance to come. One man walks forty-five li (fifteen miles) every Sabbath, weather permitting. Every Sabbath the evangelist, and our Chinese teacher, who is a Christian, hold three meetings. We help in these. Both men and women attend. During the week Miss Ericksen and I have the women come to us, or we go to some of their homes, and teach them the Bible. This is not easy, for scarcely any of the women can read, and our poor Chinese talk prevents us from saying many things we would like to say. But we do the best we can, and I know the Lord blesses our efforts, for the women seem to understand much better than we thought they would. We take courage in the thought that, though we are not able to do a great deal now, the time is not far distant when we shall be able to put all our thoughts into work.

We are thinking of opening a day-school for girls, in the near future. At present, however, we have plenty of work on hand, and are still hard at work on this very difficult language.

We have a dispensary, and although we are not doctors, we treat many sick people. It seems rather strange that, as the Chinese have such contempt for women, they are so willing to come to us for treatment, in preference to their doctors. Skin diseases, sore eyes, malaria, enlarged spleens, are the most common ailments. We have had several children who were paralyzed on one side, who recovered completely after a few treatments.

We treat many kinds of sores, but ulcers are perhaps the most common. We use the water treatment, and usually have success.