The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-10-15
A Missionary scene in China.

"Carlrton" writes as follows TO the Boston
JOurddi, from Canton, China:-
Il preached every day to the Chinese" said
Mr.. Preston. "Would you like TO see what sort
OF a congregation have?"
"By all means"
We take our seats in sedans, and are carried
through the streets, turning now 10 the right,
now to the left. so often that l give up all
attempts OF keeping track OF our whereabouts,
aud trust that we shall get back again all
safe. We come into one of the principal
streets at lasr, and stop before a little
store kept by the missionaries tor the sale OF
books. Dozen OF pe}ple are already there
waiting for the opening Of the doors. IT
is l O'Clock, and the ilde OF life s1rgng
through the streets is at its Hood preacher
would have a slim audience IN state street at
Change hour, but the Chinese are an old people,
their empire IS finished, heir civilization COM
plete, and time is drug. They have abundant
leisure, while we foreign barbar1ans are WORRY
ing and hurryiug ourselves to death. The doors
are opened, and we enter the chape-a room
with "a large window at the further end behind
the desk, brick walls, settees capable of seating
two hundred or more. In i've minutes the room
is full. Sitting by the desk, | have an oppor-
tunty to study the audience. On the front seats
are some literary students-young men who are
III white, clean frockS and troWsers, their
pigtails neatly braided. Here at my right
hand, as / face the audience, is coole
with the three bundles done up IN brown paper
and porter bottle in his aims. He has stepped
in 10 rest himself a few minutes, to hear what
the ''ioreign devil" has to say. Behind him is
al OIner COOIle wearing MS DrOau Drlmmeu nat.
On the other end OF the bench, at my lett hand,
a man with q moustache-a sign Jnat he is u
grandfather " custom has established it that
none but grandtalhers can wear hair Oh their
upper lip. Men OF all ages, all conditions, from
the well-to-do merchant down to the poor
wretch who lives on rice and snails, citizens
and strangers from up country, composed the
audience.
These men are actuated by various motives
lovesof novelty or curiosity to hear a foreigner
talk huenty in their language. They are not
accustomed to hear public speaking; they have
their story y-tellers, but no gatherings where
arguments are put forth. Very few Of them are
seekers a ter truth, and their conceptions of the
Christian religion are exceedingly low, but yet
every day they flock to this chapel to hear this
American preacher, short, thick-set, good
nalured maa, who understands their language
perfectly, and who Is well read in their ltera-
ture.
His subject is the conflict between good and
evil-holness and sin.
young man sWith bright eyes, student,
breaks in:-
'If your doctrine is tree, why don't you for
eignels practise 1t; why do you bring opium TO
ChinaW
home question, practical, rieht to the point.
The audience all alert to hear what Mr.. Preston
will say.
"There are wicked men all over the world,
and if foreigners bring opium to China you must
have nothing TO do with it.
The laugh which goes up shows that the audi
ence appreciate the reply.
"Why did you make war upon ChinaN
another one asks while the man with NOUS
tache put this question:-"Why do you come
and take the coolies and make slaves OF them I"
The replies are evidently satisfactory, for the
audience maintains its good humor to the end.
This brief sketch of the meeting Is sufficient
to show those who support missions that one
great difficulty IN the way OF missionary effort
in this empire is the attitude of England on the
opium question. The people are ready to hear,
but they suppose that the missionaries are In
the pay of foreign Governments, aad that all
their taking about new religion is political
game. The church connected with the PresbS-
terian mission numbers between thirty a0d
forty members The Church OF England, the
London Missionary Society, and the English
Wesleyans have missionaries at Canton.