SINCE John Faust carried the first printed copies of God's word into the palaces of the nobles of Paris, the printing press has been a powerful factor in gospel work.
The colporteur work in China is doing more for the spread of the gospel message than almost any other one factor.
The picture in the lower right-hand corner shows a group of colporteurs ready to start from Nanking. These men are as enthusiastic over their work as are gospel workers in America or any other country. They represent about one hundred earnest and faithful workers in this country who are circulating gospel literature in like manner.
From Szechuan in the west to the eastern port of Shanghai, and from Manchuria in the north to the borders of China in the south, this grand work is carried on. As the direct result of this campaign, a harvest of souls is being gathered from the densest darkness of heathenism. Already hundreds are rejoicing in the glorious freedom of God's gospel, whose attention was first arrested by the visit of the colporteur with the printed page.
Shanghai, China.
Colporteurs in Java, One a Former Mohammedan
A LIBRARY
A Band of Chinese Colporteurs
Robbie
THE father and mother of little five-year-old Robbie died of plague at Kalyan. The Mohammedans took him, but cruelly treated him, even burning his body with hot irons, and putting hot spices in his eyes. They hoped thereby to get some property owned by his parents. The Hindus brought him to our dispensary, where he was treated. He was covered with sores. We have had him one year and six months. He reads and speaks English well, as also three other languages. He knows a number of Scripture verses, and can pray. He loves Jesus, and says he wants to go to America to study. God grant he may be a preacher to his own people.
ROBBIE
A Mohammedan's Treasure
By Vera Chilton
VERA CHILTON
LITTLE Ali Badshah was weeping bitterly, as though his heart were breaking. Too deep was his grief for words. What could be the trouble?
It was a very serious trouble for him; for had not he himself seen that little packet of sugar come from the bazaar, and had not his own hands taken the paper off and smoothed it out, while he deciphered what was written on it? And oh, what joy filled the little heart to find it was all about the dear Jesus that the Miss Sahib was always telling them about, who loves him, even little Badshah, and gave His life for him! Carefully the precious paper was folded, and became the child's constant companion day and night. In the hours of darkness, it was placed under his pillow.
But that sad, sad day! In some unaccountable manner, the paper was lost; and nothing would console the child till the Miss Sahib drew him gently to her, and told him he should have another paper, all about Jesus. This little one is an earnest listener to the beautiful gospel stories, and his greatest joy is the Bible pictures. Some day, when he is old enough, he is to have a precious Gospel all his own to love and treasure.
Oh, pray God to bless this little blade growing out of a dry soil, that it may bring forth fruit in due season, and be gathered into the heavenly garner.
Lucknow, India.
"Meet Me in That Beautiful Garden"
By Mrs. R. C. Wangerin
IM SUKI was a little nine-year-old Korean girl who had come to the mission school and learned to be a Christian. About two months ago, she became ill, and told her mother she knew she would die. Every day while ill, she would ask for her songbook and Bible, and would read and pray. She was not afraid to die, for she was under Jesus' care.
The last week before her death, she suffered greatly. One night at two o'clock, her mother came for me, to see if I would not come and try to relieve her suffering. I went and stayed several hours, though there was not much that I could do, and I feared she could not live till morning. She was getting weaker and weaker all the time.
Although she was in great agony, her mind was clear, and I talked to her of the beauties of the new earth,—of the long tables laden with beautiful apples, peaches, grapes, and other fruits, of the beautiful angels, and of the hills where she and other little children would be able to gather roses and lilies, and of the shining river of water of life, when Jesus comes to take us home.
From that time until she died, she would talk of nothing but the "new Garden of Eden," as she called it, and she would comfort her mother and sister by telling them she would meet them in this beautiful garden when Jesus comes to gather His children.
A MIXED SABBATH SCHOOL CLASS IN SINGAPORE - AMERICAN, CHINESE, EURASIAN, AND TAMIL, WITH THEIR TEACHER
On the last afternoon, she seemed to be far away in thought. After a while, she called for her pretty hair ribbon, then for her songbook and Bible, and she sang one verse of "There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood." Toward evening, she wanted to be washed and have her hair combed, and then she called for the new clothes, which, according to the Korean custom, had been prepared. Her mother put them on for her; and then she said: "Now I am ready to die. Meet me in that beautiful garden." Thus she passed away, sweetly trusting in Jesus and His promises.
This is only one of the precious little jewels from Korea whom you may meet in the kingdom. There are many, many more. Will you not help us to find them?
Keizan.
Time Cannot Efface It
By Jessie Butler
JESSIE BUTLER
SOME one has said, "He who saves the children, saves the church." A missionary said to me recently, "If the children are well taught and trained, it will mean more than if we should spend all our time with their parents."
We have had special classes for the children each week, teaching them new songs, Bible stories, etc. Occasionally they render a program incorporating what they have learned.
In one picture on these pages you will notice a little girl with a book in her hand. She won this by repeating Matt. 5: 1-12 perfectly. No child could be happier than she was when she received the Testament, and she expressed a desire to follow Jesus.
The children with the letters "P O R-T O R I C O" are from the Moco church. They gave an interesting program last summer. The children learn quickly, and it is a pleasure to work for them. They become very dear to us.
One noted writer has said: "If we work upon marble, it will perish; if we work upon stone, it will crumble to dust; but if we take a child and train it well, we carve a monument which time can never efface."
Animals on the Zambezi
By S. M. Konigmacher
ONE very hot day, as I was climbing the mountain on my way from the Zambezi River to our school, I came to a native garden by the dry bed of a stream. It was high noon, and the sun was cruelly hot. There was no water near. The natives were living some distance from the garden, so I sat down in the shade of a fine large tree. The grass along this little stream bed was very tall. As I sat resting, I heard a rustling in the grass. I waited to see what was coming toward me. I was not afraid, for the country was too dry for much game, and I knew that lions follow the game.
I sat perfectly still. In a few moments, a little deer came out of the grass.
When it saw me, it did not know what to do. The lovely little creature first looked one way and then the other. It did not know whether to trust me or not. Perhaps I had a rifle. It wanted to go on to the stream for a drink; but it decided not to take any more chances with such a strange object, and away it bounded over the grass. Oh, how it did leap! I have often seen them scurry off through the brush as I was passing, but this is the first time one has come close and had a good look at me before deciding what to do.
AN AMERICAN MISSIONARY GIRL WHO SPEAKS THE CHINESE LANGUAGE AS WELL AS THE NATIVES
Down near the river, I saw three wild boars. Twice a crocodile put up its head close by, and surveyed us as we were walking along the bank. In the evening, a hippopotamus played near where we were sitting. Several times, we saw a number of baboons. One was carrying its baby on its back as it walked away. We saw the huge track of a mother elephant, and just beside it the small footprints of the baby. Though we sleep out in the open many times, God protects us.
Near the Zambezi River, Africa.
ONE boy at our mission school in Sierra Leone, West Africa, found it hard to acquire book learning. He kept failing in his examinations. But as he was faithful, and handy with tools, I tried to encourage him to remain in the workshop. His eyes filled with tears as he answered, "But, sir, I want to go up country, to teach the gospel to my people."
To Their Mothers-in-Law
By Mimi Scharffenberg
A FEW days ago, there came into the house where I was visiting, a lady with two little girls of six and ten years. The mother said she wanted to believe, and attend the meetings oftener; but as it is a long distance to the church, she could not come evenings and leave the children at home alone. The little girls at once began to persuade their mother to go to church and take them along. They put their arms around her neck, and urged her to go, and begged for permission to go to school.
The mother was very tender-hearted; but in Korean fashion, she told them that soon father would send them to their husbands' homes, and then they would get pretty colored skirts and jackets to wear, whereas if they went to school, they would have only white to wear.
The little six-year-old said: "I do not care if I never get a colored skirt. I want to go to school." And the older girl cried because her father was planning to send her away to her mother-in-law. They kept teasing their mother to go to church, and now they come each Sabbath.
Soonan, Korea.
With Medical Missionaries
By Miss Irene A. Fourie
MISS IRENE FOURIE AND ASSISTANTS, IN AFRICA, WITH SOME OF THEIR PATIENTS
At the Nyasaland Dispensary
MISS IRENE A. FOURIE
IN this land of sultry middays, the sun, the school bell, and the mission all start together.
The hospital first claims our attention. There an anxious mother with a very sick child awaited us this morning. After we had treated the little fellow, a boy came to ask that an ointment be sent to one of the out schools. By the time I had this made up and dispatched, the patients began to come in. Some were better, and gratefully said so, while others said "No," and looked reproachfully at us. One attributed miraculous results to the dose of Epsom salts given the day before.
One case this morning was a boy with ulcers on arms and legs. These were cleansed and dressed immediately. Next came a mother with a child whose foot was in a very bad condition, caused by jiggers. We treated the foot to an alternate hot and cold bath, and dressed it, thus disposing of the case till to-morrow.
In a litter is brought a boy who has a large boil in one of the armpits. One of my assistants began fomenting the boil while I attended another case, a boy with a sore throat; and then in walked one of our teachers, looking very miserable. We found him to be suffering from an attack of tonsillitis, and set about trying to make him comfortable. Our present hospital consists of only one small room. We have a vapor bath, which serves for vapor bath, cot, table, etc., as occasion demands. He lay on the vapor bath, and my assistant fomented his neck while I attended to other cases. After a good fomenting, I painted his throat with iodine, had him gargle a solution, and then applied a heating compress.
The next case was a little boy suffering of malarial fever and itch. A baby with a badly burned arm was then brought in. His mother had malarial fever. Next a woman brought her two children, one having itch, and the other a severe cold and cough.
Then entered a woman with a small child whose head was covered with awful sores. The next was another itch case; and when we thought we were about through, in came another schoolboy with a bad foot, due to tropical ulcers. We then had a girl with an ulcer on the leg, and thus ended the two hours before breakfast.
We had breakfast at 8:20, then the Sabbath school lesson portion was studied for the day.
After breakfast, the boil that I mentioned was lanced, washed, and dressed. Later in the afternoon, when the boy was visited to see how he was, he had taken off the bandage, and taken out the packing, and was finding great comfort lying on some green banana leaves.
I then spent some time studying the language, and also attended to the dinner.
After dinner, I again studied, had three more cases, and then it was supper time.
Thinking the day's work done, I settled down to my lesson in the language, when a little girl was brought to me with a cut on the head. After attending to the child, I had my lesson.
Near Blantyre.
Treating a Wealthy Indian Prince
By C. MANSON
C. MANSON
THE medical work in Mussoorie has become firmly established; and each season, the number of patients increases, as our treatment rooms become better known.
NURSES AND PATIENT Mrs. A. G. Kelsey, with the little Indian girl who was so badly burned, and an Indian trained nurse.
Last season, we had an Indian prince with us for treatment. He is reported to be the second wealthiest prince in India. He came with his retinue of servants, who looked very nice in their navy blue and red uniforms. Two of his secretaries also accompanied him. The prince, whose title is "Gaekwar of Baroda," is an educated man, and speaks English well. He was much interested in our methods, and greatly benefited by the treatments he had. His malady was gout. When he first came, he could not walk without limping; but after a few days, his limp quite disappeared.
He evidently talked with the ladies of his household about the various treatments he received; for one day, two of them came to take a treatment, "just for fun," they said. They wanted to try everything, to see how it all felt.
This is what we gave them: first an electric light bath, then the galvanic tub bath, after that a Scotch douche, then the arc light a few minutes, dry galvanism, and the vibrator. Finally they came to high frequency—the blue light—and then the full volume. It was evening, and they were amused to see how they could be made to sparkle with the high frequency current. They left us much pleased with their "just for fun" treatment.
The prince permitted himself to be photographed while taking treatment, and said we might use the picture. He seemed interested in the Bible truths taught him.
Mussoorie, India.
Led to the "God Book"
By H. C. Menkel, M. D.
H. C. MENKEL, M. D.
MEDICAL work was opened in this Himalayan station early in 1915; and from the beginning, we purposed making Christ's methods our pattern, combining medical work with the preaching of the gospel. The result has been that many who came to us for healing of physical infirmities have at the same time become keenly interested in the prescriptions for soul healing.
Among other inquirers are a rajah and his wife. After receiving physical help, they requested me to study the Bible with them, and other members of the family have also been present.
An Indian gentleman holding a high government position came to us in much the same manner that Nicodemus came to Christ.
A business man, observing a strange sight in the heavens, desired to know what the "God Book" had to say about the end of the world.
A Mohammedan patient, after studying with us for a time, has opened his home, and has requested that Mrs. Menkel give Bible lessons to his wife, who is in purdah.19We have had two baptisms this year, and others are preparing to take this step. In furnishing our new meeting hall, we are assisted by Hindus and Mohammedans, as well as Christians.
