MANY people spend all their life looking for the place in this world which they were intended to fill. They never settle down to anything with restful or contented feeling. What they are doing now is not by any means the work that is suited to their abilities. They have a sunny ideal of a very noble life which they would like to reach, in which their powers would find free scope, and where they could make a very bright record. But in their present position they can not do much of anything, and there is little use to try. They go on, discontented with their lot, and sighing for12another; and while they sigh, the years glide away, and soon they will come to the end, to find they have missed every opportunity of doing anything worthy of an immortal being, in the passage to eternity. The truth is, one's vocation is never some far-off possibility. It is always the simple round of duties that the passing hour brings. No day is commonplace, if we only had eyes to see its splendor. There is no duty that comes to our hand but brings to us the possibility of kingly service.—Christian Work.
Cruelties Connected with the Meat Trade
In a report given by a special sanitary commissioner of the London Lancet, who is engaged in an investigation of the American meat trade, some startling facts are brought to light concerning the cruelties practised in the large slaughter-houses, and the disgusting and filthy way in which meat is prepared for human consumption. He says:—
“I saw bullocks slaughtered in the following manner: the animals are brought up to a huge building which looks more like a lofty prison than a slaughter-house. As they approach the outer wall, men strike them on the head with a mallet. Then a sort of wooden partition gives way and lets the half-stunned animals fall into the basement of the building beyond. As they come tumbling in, men seize their hind legs, affix ropes, and they are strung up to some machinery above that moves them along with their heads hanging downward. Sometimes, however, and before this can be done, the animal jumps up and rushes out. It has then to be shot, at the risk of the bullet striking an on-looker. Indeed, so great is the hurry that the unfortunate animals are frequently not given time to die. When strung up, the machinery carries the living animal forward, and men have to run after it to cut its throat, while others follow with great pails to catch the blood; and all this without interrupting the dying animal’s journey to the part of the factory where the next process of manufacture begins. Sometimes the cattle are struck down and stunned more quickly than the men can pick them up and cut their throats, so they are left to live some time suspended in the air by their hind feet.”
“The machinery carries forward the animals that are hooked on to it regardless of their agony. On they go from stage to stage of manufacture, and the men have to keep pace with them whether dead or alive. Quickly the throats are cut, no time can be lost to let the animal bleed, a man with a pail must walk by its side to catch the blood. Much of the hot blood is spilt over the man or over the floor; that does not matter so long as a small section of a minute is economized.
“In a short time the bullock, whether it has bled sufficiently or not, and while still warm, will reach one of the darkest , lowest, and worst-ventilated portions of this huge and gloomy building. Here the entrails are taken out. The dirtiest work is done in the closest, the darkest, and the dirtiest place, instead of being carried on in the open air or under such slight shelter as would not prevent the free access of air and sunshine. It would be quite impossible to disinfect such premises. There are innumerable rafters, sharp angles, nooks, and corners where blood, the splashing of offal, and the sputum of tuberculous workers can accumulate for weeks, months, and years. It does not look as if the floors are ever really cleaned, though I am told they are occasionally scrubbed. Nevertheless, it is difficult to believe in any genuine cleanliness, for here is the evidence of the windows about which there can be no doubt, and they are heavily caked with dirt.
“In these dark places the meat falls on the floor and comes in contact with the dirt from the boots of the workers and the bacilli from the sputum of a population among whom pulmonary tuberculosis is more prevalent than among any other section of the inhabitants of Chicago.
“Many of the workers hold the food which they produce in utter abhorrence. Diseased meat is often sold.”
“It Is Not My Business”
A WEALTHY man in St. Louis was asked to aid in a series of temperance meetings, but he scornfully refused. Being pressed, he said: “Gentlemen, it is not my business.”
A few days later his wife and two daughters were coming home on the limited express. In his grand carriage with liveried attendants he rode to the depot, thinking of his splendid business and planning for the morrow. Hark! Did some one say “Accident”? There are fifteen railroads centering in St. Louis. If there has been an accident, it is not likely to have occurred on the — and Mississippi Railroad. Yet it troubles him. It is his business now. The horses are stopped on the instant, and on inquiry he finds that the accident has occurred twenty-five miles distant on the — and Mississippi. He telegraphs to the superintendent:—
“I will give you five hundred dollars for an engine.”
The answer flashed back, “No.”
“I will give you one thousand dollars for an engine!”
“A train with surgeons and nurses has already gone forward, and we have no others.”
With white face and anxious brow, the man paced the station to and fro. In a half-hour, perhaps, which seemed to him a half century, the train arrived. He hurried toward it, and in the tender found the mangled bodies and lifeless forms of his wife and one of his daughters. In the car following lay the other daughter with her dainty ribs crushed in, and her precious life oozing slowly away.
A quart of whisky, which was drunk fifty miles away by a railroad employee, was the cause of the catastrophe.
Who dare say of this tremendous question, “It is not my business?”— Selected.
Health in the Arctic Circle
The arctic circle bids fair to come into prominence as a health resort, especially for persons suffering from tuberculosis, according to claims which are made for that region by arctic explorers. Strange as it may seem to some, the extreme cold of the arctic regions is not productive of catarrhal disorders, and it is well known that the natives never suffer from colds, though they are liable to this malady, and often succumb to pneumonia and tuberculosis, when brought into warmer climes. A recent issue of The Medical Record (New York) contained the following on this subject:—
“Catarrhal conditions do not exist in the arctic, and septic bacteria are not native. In the summer months all life is forced and stimulated; men and animals quickly recover from the winter anemias, and there is just such a forcing of vitality as consumptives especially need. Patients here would be removed from all influences which favor an extension of the disease or militate against an improvement. The never-setting sun unintermittedly imparts energy; the atmosphere is dustless and sterile; there is entire freedom from danger of colds and other ills which cause setbacks. The sailing distance from New York to the extreme end of Baffin Bay is about half that between New York and Europe, and from the northern railroad connection at Sydney, Nova Scotia, to the arctic circle the distance is approximately that between Boston and Key West. The waters are usually smooth. From the zeros of the morning in May there is a constant rise of temperature until past the midday, or, as we should say, mid-summer, and then a decline toward the evening in September. During most of this long day the temperature is above the freezing-point, and rises in the forties and fifties after the snow melts in the spring, and the rocks are sun-warmed. The usual fluctuations in any twenty-four hours do not equal the changes which occur in the single hour following our sunrise and sunset. The question of a proper food supply in the far north is not radically different from the same question here. In that region the time required for a cure of tuberculosis is far shorter than in other climes, and so the summer voyage might suffice; at least it would lay a good foundation for a permanent cure.”
The immunity from colds and kindred disorders experienced in the dustless and germless air of the arctic regions, teaches a lesson of the importance of thorough domestic sanitation in the preservation of health. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
The Meeting in Holland
By GUY DAIL
GUY DAIL
To the lover of nature, no land is without its interest and attractions, and for those who are sent into the world with the great truths of the gospel for this time, no people is of little importance. Tidings of progress are read with joy by every true-hearted believer in the Lord’s soon return. Of Holland, it has been well written:—
“What land is this that seems to be
A mingling of the land and sea?
This land of sluices, dykes, and dunes?
This water-net that tesselates
The landscape? this unending maze
Of gardens, through whose latticed gates
The imprisoned pinks and tulips gaze;
Where in long summer afternoons
The sunshine, softened by the haze,
Comes streaming down as through a screen;
Where over fields and pastures green
The painted ships float high in air,
And over all and everywhere
The sails of windmills sink and soar
Like wings of sea-gulls on the shore?”
UTRECHT, HOLLAND
The city of Utrecht, where we have been having our yearly gathering, has been the theater of many important events since the Belgians were subdued by Julius Cæsar, and the Batavians (as the inhabitants of this morass-covered land were then called) became allies of Rome. In the fourth century the ancient Batavians disappeared, being merged into the Friesian tribes farther to the north. These Friesians were a rebellious people, and did not like the nominal rule established over Holland by the Franks; neither did they take very kindly to the Christian religion as it was then taught them; but Charlemagne conquered Friesland, to which Utrecht belonged (it was then called Trajectum ad Rhenum—the Ford of the Rhine), and after a great battle against the Friesians by Charles Martel, they submitted to the establishment of the new religion. The first Bishop of Utrecht was Willibrord, the Anglo-Saxon missionary who had been teaching the gospel to the people in Walcheren. The first Christian church in the land was founded in this city. The foundation of the Netherlands republic was laid here by the famous treaty of union between the southern provinces in 1579, and in 1713 the Treaty of Utrecht ended the Thirty Years’ War.
As to the city of Utrecht at the present time, one finds much to interest him in its canals, unique, because, unlike those in most Holland cities, they are considerably below the level of the houses. In Oude Gracht, as well as in some of the other leading thoroughfares, there are in reality two roadways on either side of the canal, the upper roadway forming a roof to the lower line of shops and vaults and storerooms opening near the water’s edge. The most noted building is the “Dom,” the cathedral erected, in the thirteenth century, on the very ground occupied by Willibrord’s church, which was built in the eighth century. The brick-and-stone tower is three hundred and forty feet high, and on a clear day one can see from its summit nearly the whole of Holland. The building was partially destroyed by a great storm in the seventeenth century, so the church and tower now stand at some little distance from each other. Of course, as one would naturally suppose, the city is clean and neat, for of all Europeans the Hollanders have the greatest reputation for cleanliness, which they have well earned, judging from the amount of time they spend beating their carpets, washing their windows, and scrubbing their floors and pavements. Many of the streets and shops have a modern appearance, and impress the stranger very favorably.
Our meetings were held in the Irene Hall, one of the nicest in the city. They began Friday evening, September 15, and close to-night, the 18th. The weather has been very nice indeed,—in this respect we could not have desired anything better,—and the Spirit of God has been with us. From the eleven churches and companies in Holland and Flemish Belgium, about sixty representatives were present. This is fifty per cent of our membership in the field. At the close of 1904 we had ninety-nine believers here, and now there are one hundred and twenty. Two were baptized this afternoon. The ordinances of the Lord’s house were celebrated this evening, Elder Erzberger presiding. God was near to bless.
The instructions of Brethren Schuberth and Conradi have also been to the upbuilding of the hearers. Special attention has been given to the simple truths of the third angel’s message, especially the sanctuary question, and care has been taken not to neglect any department of our work in planning for the future.
The officers chosen by the people are the same as those selected by the union committee at Friedensau, with one exception, where a change seemed best. They are: Director, R. G. Klingbeil; Secretary, J. Wibbins; Advisory Committee, R. G. Klingbeil, J. Wibbins, J. Wintzen, M. Arndse, P. Schilstra. One minister, two licentiates, and three Bible workers received credentials or licenses for the coming year. They have, in Holland and Flemish Belgium, 8,860,000 people to care for.
The tithe of the mission is increasing. Last year it was $625. The first six months of 1905 it has been $357, as against $322 for the first six months of 1904. There is also a more hopeful outlook for the canvassing work than heretofore.
Here is a field where the work goes slowly, if compared with some other fields; and yet the workers are of good courage, and seem to enter upon their labors for the coming year in better hope than ever before. Let our people remember their laborers in prayer to God, and do all they can to assist in spreading our literature among the Dutch-speaking people wherever they may be found. We are very glad to report that our health food store in Rotterdam is doing well this year, and will have a fair gain if things go on as they are now. Brethren, do not forget the work and the workers in Holland and Flemish Belgium.
General Meeting in Castro, Parana, Brazil
By John Lipke
JOHN LIPKE
This meeting was the first of its kind among our Brazilian brethren, and was held where we have only two families of Adventists. Our brethren came with teams, on horseback, and very few by railroad. Some traveled about five days overland, and you can imagine how glad we were to meet one another. Such a meeting is a thing unknown to Brazilians, and we were glad to see so many at the meeting.
The nearer we come to the end, the more clearly we can see our Heavenly Father working for us in a different way than we expected him to work. This we found to be true in regard to our general meeting in Castro. Some time before, two American Presbyterian ministers had, one after the other, published leaflets against us; and, judging from the moral condition of the people14in the city, we did not expect a great manifestation of interest on their part. But at the opening session we were happily surprised to see the meeting-room filled. Even rain and bad roads did not keep people away.
As we have no tents in Brazil yet, we have to arrange our general meetings differently than our brethren do in the States. We rented two houses. One was used only as a dwelling for our people. In the other we had sleeping-rooms, a dining-room, a kitchen, and a meeting-hall. One sister did the cooking, and two of our canvassers helped, and did the serving. Meals were served on the European plan,—a new plan in this country,—which gave satisfaction to our people.
The laborers at the beginning of the session were only Brother Hoelzle and the writer. Near the close, Brother Spies arrived. You may wonder that so few laborers attend such a meeting. I wish we had more laborers in Brazil. We are very short of faithful, devoted men. Brethren in the States, give us some of the many laborers you have in the States!
The meeting lasted about a week. It made our hearts glad to see our people drink in the truth as they did. They indeed appreciate it. They do not often have an opportunity to hear one of our ministers. Some do not hear one oftener than once a year, or perhaps a year and a half, because we have so few workers, and our people live far apart. It takes much time and money to travel; but the heart of the laborer rejoices as he sees souls accept the truth, which changes their hearts and makes them loyal to the Lord.
The last day of our meeting, the Sabbath, was the best one. In the forenoon, after the Sabbath-school and a sermon on the Spirit of Prophecy, the examination of the candidates for baptism took place before the public, and after that a number were baptized. There was solemnity as we celebrated the Lord's supper and the ordinance of humility. The earnest faces of the strangers during this time showed the deep impression made upon them. The meeting-room was soon crowded. Never before had the Brazilians seen such a solemn scene.
Brother Hoelzle remained after the meeting, to develop the interest, while Brother Spies and the writer left for the State of Santa Catharina, to attend a German general meeting at Timbo, Blumenau. The Lord guided us, so that we reached the place on time. To reach one's destination on time is sometimes a difficult thing in Brazil. In order not to be late, we went by way of railroad, steamer, and on muleback. The heavy rains, of which we have so many, made the roads bad, and if we had gone on muleback, overland, we could not have reached there in time. I wished I could take some of our brethren in the States, who have a good time, on one of our trips overland. I believe they would see that the work must go slowly, and would furnish us with more laborers. But we praise the Lord for what he has done for us in Brazil, and are of good courage.
A Missionary Collection in West Africa
ELAT is an interior mission in West Africa. A missionary service held there is described in The Interior, as follows:—
“At six o’clock in the morning the great drum sounded out the ‘first call’ for church. The African drum is a unique feature of African life. The Elat drum is placed on a platform some twenty feet from the ground, and, when properly beaten, can be heard for twenty miles. The sound was repeated at seven, at eight, and at nine o’clock. Every native for miles around who heard the drum knew the sound as accurately as if a trusty messenger brought the word. By nine o’clock every seat in the Elat schoolhouse was taken, and willing hands brought planks to place outside, where the worshipers could sit and hear and see the preacher.
“At half-past nine, 1,531 persons, by actual count, were within sound of the sweet gospel hymn with which the service opened.
“It was a strange audience which greeted the preacher. Every face bore evidence of interest, every eye was fastened on the speaker, and a more orderly, attentive congregation it would be hard to find.
“It was foreign mission day, and the preacher’s theme was ‘The Widow’s Mite.’ During the sermon he used a forceful object-lesson. The measure of value in this part of Africa is the ‘kank,’ a stick of cassava, about fourteen inches long and an inch thick, done up in a plantain leaf. The cassava is a tuber, the root of a plant thought much of by the natives. The root is dug up, and soaked in water for many days, in order to remove certain deleterious ingredients. It is then crushed, and beaten very small, when, after a thorough washing, it is wrapped in plantain leaves, and is ready for use. The boys at the boarding-school at Elat are paid one halfpenny an hour for working in the gardens. The payment is made with one stick of cassava.
“To illustrate his text, the preacher took a ‘kank,’ cut it in twain, then cut one half again in twain, and then cut the half of the half, and held up the small pieces as illustrative of the amount given by the poor widow. The audience watched and listened attentively, and then gave vent to their suppressed feelings in one great ‘Ugh, ugh, ugh.’ It was evident the point was understood and appreciated.
“The great event of the morning was the offering. It was taken at the close of the service. A platform had been erected near the entrance, and the people were bidden to bring their gifts to the platform, where the native elders stood ready to receive them. With much eagerness, the crowd pressed forward. It took a good-sized wheelbarrow to carry away the plantain leaves after all the bundles had been opened.
“More than five hundred separate offerings were given. Note that a few ‘kank’ constitute a fair day’s wage for a full-grown African man, and that the great majority of these fellow Christians of ours in Bululand are very poor. I have yet to see a Bulu house with either a chair, table, or lamp. Giving means something for these poor people.
“The people were fully informed that their gifts would be used in sending the gospel to other lands than Africa. It is a long step from the raw heathenism of the average Bulu to the high-grade type of Christianity in the Elat church of foreign mission day.”
Mission Notes
THE Presbyterian mission in the Canton field gives new testimony this year to the great influence of native evangelists. In that field there have been 1,284 accessions to the church, and over $11,000 contributed to Christian work by the people during the year. The village visitors who preach to little groups in out-of-the-way places stand for much in this result.
THIRTY years ago (1875) Stanley gave King Mtesa, of Uganda, his first lesson in Christian doctrine. At that time there was not a Christian in all Central Africa. This year the London Times, in the regular course of its news, publishes an account of the consecration of the great Christian cathedral, built by the Uganda church, at Mengo, which was formerly King Mtesa's capital. Ten thousand native Christian Ugandans attended the consecration services.
A LUTHERAN (General Synod) missionary in India tells of finding out in the course of the year that one of the native workers, besides doing his regular work among the people of his station, is walking eight miles, when he gets time, to teach the people of two other villages who wish to hear the Bible. It is no more than his duty to his Master. Yet what meaning there is in the fact that this man, who was a pagan, now has such a sense of his duty to Jesus Christ.
A MISSIONARY of the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society tells of a native lady in India who was ordered by her father to repeat the Mohammedan confession of faith. She refused, although a hot iron was pressed upon her bare foot as a persuasive. “I can not,” she said. “You will not?” thundered her angry father, and with that he heated the iron in the fire again. Pressing the hot iron upon the other foot, he triumphantly shouted, “Now you will!” The brave woman, white to the lips from pain, answered, “No, I can not, for I am a Christian.” A conclusive answer. But let us envy the sturdiness back of it.
West Virginia
By T. H. Painter
AFTER our good camp-meeting at Clarksburg, Elder Purdham and I pitched our tent near the fair-ground, and continued meetings for two weeks, to follow up the interest awakened by the camp-meeting. We were invited to preach in two Methodist Episcopal churches several times while there. We had good congregations at both places, and those present seemed deeply impressed with the themes presented.
I then went to Elk Garden, and held meetings two weeks. The church there has been strengthened, and all are of good courage as they see others interested. Several say they are nearly ready to live out the truth. I also held two meetings at Wabash. The house was nearly full both times. Two promised to live out the truths they heard. I feel sure that others would obey the truth if we could hold a series of meetings there. Our people are coming up with the tithe at those places. I visited Bloomington; four or five faithful souls there desire baptism. Brother Morehead has an interesting little Sabbath-school there. I have taken orders for the REVIEW and for the Gleaner.
T. H. PAINTER.
Missouri
By W. S. Cruzan
AFTER our good camp-meeting at Sedalia, I remained there with the tent, in company with Elder D. E. Scoles, for two weeks. A fair interest was developed, and later word from there states that eleven signed the covenant.
After leaving Sedalia, I visited St. Joseph, Joplin, Carthage, and Mt. View in the interest of the church-school work. Most of our church-schools in the Missouri Conference are now in operation. Ten schools have been started so far this fall in our conference.
I was called to Gibson to assist Elder Terry in his tent effort. Soon after my arrival there, Elder Terry was taken sick, and had to return home. I continued the meeting one week, and five more signed the covenant, making twenty-three in all who have decided to obey during this tent-meeting. Plans were laid to build a church-house, and a building committee was selected to carry forward that work, and nearly one hundred dollars and part of the material were subscribed. We hope to see a church organized, with a church building, at this place in the near future. This is the first general effort made in southeastern Missouri by the conference, and fairly good results were effected.
On closing the meetings at Gibson, we moved the tent seven miles south to Frisbee's Switch, and began meetings September 28. Teams were sent after our tent outfit, and considerable interest was manifested to get us to locate here. We are now presenting the Sabbath question, and a number are interested. The attendance has been good. Brother Victor Piepineur is with me as tent master, and renders valuable aid in the music, and also in the preaching. This is a needy portion of the Lord's vineyard. Brethren, remember it in your prayers. W. S. CRUZAN.
A Brief Report of the Plainfield Mission, for Quarter Ending June 30, 1905
By Thomas H. Branch
We wish to report the work as onward; true, there have been many disappointments, according to our plans, but we trust that even these things that seem failures, in God’s way may tell on the side of right. We labored to get the message plainly before some bright young men who were in the school, but when the law of God and its obligations were made plain, these boys turned away, saying, “We will trust in Sunday.”
A FEW OF THE BOYS WHO CARRY THE MESSAGE TO
THE VILLAGES SABBATH AFTERNOONS
Of course one must meet many hard problems in a land of darkness, where darkness not only covers the earth, but gross darkness the people. Thanks be to the God of all love, whose mercy never faileth, there are some who are studying, and the message is taking hold on them. The boys were anxious to go out and teach what they have learned concerning the message for this time, and were so filled with a longing desire to go to their villages and speak to their friends, that they asked for a month’s vacation; this I granted them, and at present they are still there. Some of the boys wish to go to their former teachers, thinking, “Surely they had not seen these things in God’s Word.” I believe that God is fulfilling his promise among these young men, that he would put his Spirit on young men of every kindred, tribe, and tongue, and fit them to give the last message of mercy. If there is one thing above another that lifts the heart in hope, and inspires the worker to greater diligence, it is when he sees the children taking a deep interest in the written Word.
There is a good interest now in the villages, from the labor of the boys on Sabbath afternoons; and the people come regularly to the Sabbath services, and the older men and women are in constant attendance at the Sabbath-school, and take part the same as the children,—and children they are. There are a number of the village women who come once a week to study the Word of God, and also to learn a verse to say in the Sabbath-school. Mrs. Branch has charge of this department of the work. One afternoon, while teaching them the importance of prayer, she asked them, “Do you pray when you are at your homes and about your work?” The answer was, “If we did not pray, we would not be here.” Surely God’s word has found the way through superstition and close clinging ivy-vines of unbelief; and through the accumulated darkness of many years, the sunshine of God’s word is entering. Then, too, there are the small girls, who come every noon at the close of school, to study the Bible and learn verses for the Sabbath-school. Mrs. Branch has a prayer-meeting every Monday afternoon for these women, girls, and small boys, and those are precious seasons. It does one good to hear those heathen mothers praying for God to help them to get away from the old village life.
There has never before been such an interest taken by the people in the study of the Word of God since our coming to the station. We remember that it is written, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Not much is done in a hurry, or at a single bound, but it is the every-day, slow, plodding work that tells for the Master.
In our school the enrolment for the quarter has been fifty-two. Some of the village children have been dropped, as their parents have moved away; yet the attendance has been very good, and the interest is growing. We feel greatly encouraged at the progress most of them are making. We have two out-schools; one is six miles away, and the other is two miles. Two boys go every school-day to teach in each of these schools, returning in time for the afternoon session here. The attendance in those schools is good. At the Sabbath services which are held there, the children and their parents gather to hear the word of God, sometimes asking many questions about the word preached.
Our crops did not turn out well, though we planted three times. The first planting was burned by the sun, the second planting was washed out by the heavy rains, and the third planting, being rather late, was stunted by the hot sun; yet we have harvested enough to feed our boys. The crops consisted of corn, Irish and sweet potatoes, beans, and peanuts. We hoped to have an abundance for the market; we may have a small amount.16The market has changed greatly in prices, as so many of the planters have failed on the cotton and other crops, and they are leaving the country. The natives also are leaving this part of Africa in large numbers, until there is a dearth of laborers to the few remaining planters.
We know that the work is the Lord’s, and he will carry it forward to a victorious completion. We are striving to do all we can to teach all men that Jesus saves. Our courage in the work was never better, and our health has been good. Pray for the work here, that God may give us wisdom to do his will, and that there may be an abundant harvest of souls to the glory of our God.
THOMAS H. BRANCH.
China
By LAW KEEM, M. D.
CANTON.—We have been in China now almost two months, having reached Hongkong the twenty-sixth day of July. Our trip was a fairly pleasant one, although we had a cold, dense fog most of the way until we reached the coast of Japan. Mrs. Law was very seasick all the way, but I was sick only once.
We visited the sanitariums at Kobe, the native institution, and the one in charge of Dr. Lockwood, which is for Europeans. We found both institutions doing splendid work.
Sisters Anderson and Thompson met us at Hongkong. We were very glad to see some of our own people after so long a trip, and happy to be at last in China, where there is so much to be done. We remained in Hongkong over three weeks, and then came to Canton, where we see China in its truest light. Brother Wilbur met us here.
I visited my native village, where I found many changes in the people as well as in the village itself. The people had heard that I was soon to visit them, and it did not take long for the word to spread through the village that I had at last arrived. The old friends and relatives came in crowds to see me. All seemed glad that I had returned to China. I took my medicine case with me, and had about sixty patients to see in the few days I remained.
I find quite a change in the sentiments of the people. Several men, some very old, wish to cut off their queues, and would if several in the same village would join them in doing it. They thought it much more sensible and convenient. A few more years will show many great changes in China.
I gave away a number of Chinese tracts to those who showed some interest. Truly the way is open now for17gospel work among these people. We are searching the city to find a suitable house to live in, and start our medical work in a small way. This is a very hard thing to find here. The prospects are good for patients as soon as we can get settled.
Our church-membership is small, but the Lord has promised to meet with a few as well as with many, and we certainly enjoy our little gatherings here. At the chapel we have had as high as one hundred Chinese men, women, and children in attendance.
The girls from Miss Thompson’s school always attend, and their merry voices add a great deal to the singing. Some of them show a deep interest in the gospel. They sit very still all through Sabbath-school and meeting, which lasts, altogether, nearly three hours. I wish our children of America could visit them one Sabbath to see how quiet and orderly they are, and they pay such good attention to whatever is being said. Miss Thompson never has to ask them to be quiet, or to correct them for disturbance. How they do enjoy singing our songs! Surely the Lord has some precious jewels for his kingdom among the girls.
Brother Anderson and Sister Van Scoy have arrived, and our company of workers is increasing slowly but surely. The work is great, but the Lord can do much with little if necessary. We are very thankful to have a part in this work. We ask the people in America to remember us all in their prayers that we may do faithfully the work God gives us here in China.
