The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-18


The Rev. Milton Grober was travelling
overland to San Francisco.
There was look of high exaltation upon
his clerical countenance, and an air of sup
pressed eagerness pervaded his whole
clerical person, for the Rev. Milton Grober
was on an errand of enlightenment to the
Pacific Coast.
Hewas the pastor of large and -four
ishing church in beautiful city in West
ern New York. His congregation was
wealthy, his people were devoted, he was
himself in the full enjoyment of good
health, and was regarded as al influential
man in the denomination of which he was
q member.
But the Rev. Milton Grober was not one
to idly take his ease in Zion. He was
full of zeal in the cause of evangelization.
Bethany congregation had an enyiable
record for iberalitY toward foreign mis-
sions. The church supported a mission
airy IN Upper, Whangee, two native teach
ers in Ballyboo, reader in Jingari and
three converted students in the seminary
at Tully-fowW hooparee. Every year in
the annual reports of the general secretary
of the foreign board Bethany congrega-
ton received honorable mention for it's
consecrated zeal toward the heather in his
blindness. But this was not all. There
had lately come into the city where the
church was a center of activity quite a
number of Chinese, who, common enough
in New York and on this s'ope, are even
yet enough OF a rarity in inland cities of
the East to- be the objects of lively interest.
To ha Por- flo Cd =
these interesting heather seemed quite
providential. While foreign missions were
at premium in Bethany the home mis-
sion field had of late languished in inter-
est. The native product in heathenism is
lacking in picturesqueness. There is a
certain squalor and incompleteness about
him, and one always has a suspicion that
visions of fleshpots luTk behind his inter-
est in spiritual affairs.
But the introduction of the real, live Orien-
tai heather into Bethany Sunday-school
was the signal for general revival of inter
est in home mission work. The first heather
brought a fellow. These TWO brought
others, until good sized class was formed.
Then it was discovered that owing to lin
guistic difficulties it was impossible
to deal with them in class, and eventu-
ally each pupil was assigned a teacher,
whose sole charge be was, to be led to the
light. Later it was noticed that the
most successful teachers were the young
ladies of; the congregation, and that
of these those most endowed with per-
sonal attraetiveness were the best adapted
to quicken the seed of repentance and of
saving faith in the cropping Celestial mind.
So, in time, it came to pass that the ser
vices of all the pretty young ladies in the
church were finally enlisted in the task of
plucking Chinese brands from the burning.
The regular Sunday-school classes were
forced to fall back for teachers upon the
more"elderly or the palmer ladies and GER
tain OF the spiritually minded young men
men who were not spiritually minded they
argued and pleaded with the girls for a
time, until at last unable to compete with
the triple alliance of opium smelling
heathenism, fascinating silk handkerchiefs
presented at frequent intervals to fair
teachers and precious jewels to be won for
prospective crowns, they retired to other
churches, where the girls were less
fully consecrated and had an occasional
smile for non-heathen and American
young men.
But the Chinese Sunday-school in Beth
anV grew apace, and the Rev. Milton
Grober, who If he had not been a clergy
man would have become leading states
man, became deeply interested in the
II
the progress of all legislation on the SUBJ
feet. The exclusion laws seemed to him
the crime of the century against people
for whom America had an indubitable
mission. Every fresh outrage which the
papers published as perpetrated against
the Chinese on the Pacific Coast filled him
with a sense of remorse for the sins OF his
people. He read with pain of the growing
feeling against John among the working
.paOple IF california Whonever he bes I'd
of a batch of newcomers being refused
landing his indignation knew no bounds.
'fWe are in danger" he said to his people
one Wednesday evening at midweek lee
ture, ''of being put on record by this in
famous exclusion practice, as an unchris-
tan, record-breaking nation. / shudder
at the thought" And all the young Chi
nese teachers shuddered with him. In
ministers meeting, too Mr.. Grober also
gave free vent to his sentiments and waxed
Jealous, indeed, when he learned that he
stood almost alone among his brethren as
q champion of the Chinese
You should go to San Francisco" said
The Rev. DR.. Broadaxe to him, at last, land
See what the Chinaman in America really
is before you condemn those who think
they have had enough of him." To Mr..
Grooer the suggestion seemed wise one.
He knew that he could speak to the gener-
ous-souIed but crude and somewhat preiu-
diced people OF California out of fullness
Of knowledge touching Johns spiritual
state. His was no merely commercial re-
lation with the Oriental for Mr.. Glober.
despite his enthusiasm, would have shrunk.
with true Eastern reluctance, from wearing
SO much as collar that had passed
Through Johns cleansing methods. But
he had come in contact with the China
man on spiritual plane, which, after all,
be is convinced is the only plane upon