The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-31

doesn't have light, and his situation is
really so dangerous that he can't afford to
do without it.
The light plant which has been put in is
one OF the finest in the East. 1t came from
America, and was SO well put up by Mr..
Power that one of the dancing girls could
have run it. The Koreans, in fact, had
been managing the machinery for several
weeks, and the officials thought that the
light was complete, and those to whom
the King had handed the money for Mr..
Power held it back and refused to give it
to him. He protested and waited for few
days. They showed no signs of paying his
salary until, at last, one night when the
King was in the midst of his state business
with his officials about him, the light
went out. Couriers were at once dis
patched to the plant, and the Koreans in
charge were asked what was the matter.
They could not tell. They pointed to the
but there was no light Mr.. Power, L
was told, had merely disconnected the
dynamo, by taking out hidden screw,
which left the wheels running as usual,
but which produced no light. The
King was enraged at his officials, but
not at Mr.. Power. He knew nothing abont
the salary having been kept back but he
simply told the high Korean noble who
had charge of this department that if the
light was not at once produced his head
would be chopped off. This would also
necessitate the cutting off of other heads,
and within an hour Mr.. Powers money
was in his hand and he had a lot of
Korean mobiles on their knees about him,
begging him to use his magic and bring
back the light to the King. He held off
for time, but was finally persuaded, and
having turned the Koreans out Of the light
plant, he inserted the screw, and, presto!
the palace blazed with the rays of cleo
tricity. There was no trouble after this
about Mr. Powers salary, and he steadily
grew in influence. He had charge OF the
Kings armory and repaired his Calling
guns. He was about to build an electric
railroad from Seoul to the Han River when
the present rebellion broke out and every
thing stopped
There is a large colony of missionaries in
Seoul, and there are missionary stations at
the leading seaports of the country. The
field is taken up almost entirely by the
Presbyterians and MethodiSts, and both
churches are doing excellent work. In adj
dition to these the French Catholics and
the Church of England have a number of
missionaries, and the Methodists have a
Korean school or college, under the charge
of the Rev. ID. A. Appenzeller. l paid some
attention to mission work during the trip
which | made through Japan, China and
Korea last summer. | found the mission
aries Woodworking, earnest men, and they
are doing vast deal of good through the
masses upon whom they have to work are
so many and the missionaries so few that
there is not as rapid progress as might be
otherwise There are mission stations
scattered throughout the Chinese empire,
and there are now 1886 missionaries at
work in that country. They claim that
they have 10000 Chinese who are regular
communicates, and the increase has been
rapid within late years. It is eighty-six
in China, and the chief work has been
done during the last thirty-five years. at
the beginning of which there were only six
communicates. One of the friends of the
missions claims that if the same advance
continues during the next thirty -fiye years
there will be 26,000,0 600 Protestant commu-
nicants in China and a Christian commu-
nifty of 100000 people As for me,
very much doubt this estimate. There is
great mission work going on in Japan, and
Japan is the paradise of the missionary.
He is allowed to do as he pleases, and the
people are more easily converted. Some of
the best work of the missionaries is
through their hospitals, which are very
much needed, and which are now thor
ougly appreciated by the Asiatics. The
work in this line has been improving every
year, and the man who tells you that the
missionaries are not doing anything in
Asia has not, as a rule, been inside of a
missonary's house nor looked at all into
the real work which they are attempting
to accomplish.
Japan is now considered quite as desir-
able country by our diplomatic agents as
England or the Continent. The salaries
of the Consuls are high and our diplomats
live much better in Japan than they do in
Europe Nearly every one of them has
large establishment, with plenty of serv-
wants, and they are, as rule, of a higher
grade than those appointed to the big cities
OF Europe. The Consul-General at Yoko-
hama is one of the ablest men who has
ever been sent abroad in that capaci ty