A CALL FROM KOREA by Isabella Bird Bishop

Pacific Press Publishing Company · OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA · May 13, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 19.

A CALL FROM KOREA.

By Isabella Bird Bishop

BY MRS. ISABELLA BIRD BISHOP.

I CAME here to Korea a fortnight earlier than I had intended, in order to attend the Presbyterian Annual Meeting, and I am very thankful that I did so, for I have not elsewhere seen such an earnest, cheerful, whole-hearted body of men and women, with so completely one aim in view and so much in harmony in the way of carrying it out. The accounts of work, specially of that in Pyeng Yang district, were absorbingly interesting. The harvest so far has fulfilled the promise of a year ago. The hearts of all present burnt within them as we heard these reports, and the feeling of gratitude found fitting expression in the hearty singing of the Doxology, "Praise God, from whom all blessings flow." But I confess that I feel very bad about the prospects for Korean work unless the church awakes to a sense of what the situation really is. I have no special interest in Korea, and in the three years of travel now drawing to a close I have visited over one hundred mission stations, and am not conscious of having felt a greater preliminary interest in the work at one than at another. But I am bound to say that the needs of Korea, or, rather, the openings in Korea, have come to occupy a very outstanding place in my thoughts, and I should not be justified in withholding my view of them.

The Pyeng Yang work, which I saw last winter, and which is still going on in much the same way, is the most impressive mission work which I have seen in any part of the world. It shows that the Spirit of God still moves on the earth, and that the old truths of sin, judgment to come, of the divine justice and love, of the atonement, and of the necessity for holiness, have the same power as in the apostolic days to transform the lives of men. What I saw and heard there has greatly strengthened my own faith. But it is not in Pyeng Yang only, but here in the capital, and especially through the women's work, of which Mrs. Gifford is such a noble and faithful representative, that the seed sown so long in tears is promising to yield a harvest, if the reapers come. And tho in lesser degree, there are signs elsewhere that the leaven of the Gospel is working.

A door is opened wide in Korea—how wide only those can know who are on the spot. Very many are prepared to renounce devil-worship and to worship the true God, if only they are taught how; and large numbers more who have heard and received the Gospel are earnestly craving to be instructed in its rules of holy living. I dread indescribably that, unless many men and women experienced in winning souls are sent speedily, the door which the church declines to enter will close again, and the last state of Korea will be worse than the first. The methods of the mission are admirable in the training of the Christians to self-help. They are helping themselves to the limit of their means. Also admirable are the methods used for fitting the Koreans to carry the Gospel intelligently to their brethren. This work alone requires four times the number of men already in the field to carry it on. Yet, on it, perhaps, more than on any other agency hang our hopes for the advancement of Christ's kingdom in Korea. Truly "a great door and effectual" is opened; I sadly ask, Is it to close again? Your church is rich in the silver and gold which are the Lord's. The abandonment of a few luxuries on the part of your members, with an increase in the spirit of self-sacrifice, might mean eternal salvation to many in Korea, but what a fearful responsibility it will be if the door closes. There are men and women willing to come to Korea if a moderate sustenance be provided. The money value of a ring, of an evening dress, of a carpet, of a seaside trip, would support a laborer for a year; I write strongly, I dare not apologize. I have been compelled to feel strongly by what I have seen and heard in Korea.—Letter to Dr. Ellenwood, of New York.