The Saint Paul globe., 1897-04-28
EYES AND HEARTS ARE OPEN.
DR.. Hunter Has Seen q Great Change
in China

EN- ES And HEARTS ARE OPEN.
DR.. Hunter Has Seen n Great Change
in China.
Missionary work in China was the
subject Of an interesting address by
Rev DR.. Corbett Hunter, of Chefoo,
China, delivered in the lecture room
OF the Central Presbyterian church
!aSt nlghts DR.. Hunter knows whereof
he speaks, having spent the last thirty
three years in the land Of the Celes-
tials, as Presbyterian missionary.
DR.. Hunter is a tall slender man
With long, iron-gray beard and
! mOuStache, fluent Of speech and en-
| thusiastic in manner While much of
| his discourse was Of a distinctiveIy
| religious character, comprising person
! al "reminiscences of individual converts
| among the natives, it contained inter-
eStIng information concerning the ma
tionaf character of the Chinese, their
peculiarties and their opinions of the
outside world.
When DR.. Hunter began his mission
ary work in North China in 1863 the
task before him appeared tremendous.
The vast empire numbered but little
more than 1000 converts. The seem
ingly insurmOuntable obstacle to the
conversion Of the Chinese was their
belief that the whole world outside Of
barians. Even the converted Chinese
still retained that notion. AS an in
stance Of this, DR.. Hunter cited the
case of an unusually intelligent con-
Vert-a man forty years of age-WhO,
after he had become cOnVersant with
the Christian Bible and with the
Epistles of Saint Paul in particular,
once expressed the belief that Saint
Paul must have been a Chinese or at
least lived in China, or how could he
have so perfectly understood the Chin
eSe character. This same interesting
man asked DR.. Hunter if he lived as
the Bible said he must without quarrel
ing with or beating his wife, and some
years later he confessed to DR.. Hunter
that he had secretly watched him to
see whether he was in the habit Of
beating his wife.
DR.. Hunter told Of the conversion Of
an old man of seventy-five years, who
marvelled greatly that God did not
send His Son to China. instead Of the
"outside barbarian world" This same
old man at last cOnf1ded to Dr. Hunter
his dread of going to heaven. He fear
ed 1t would be a most lonesome place
for him, because he did not look for
ward to meeting any of his kindred
there, no friend who could speak the
Chinese language, for his friends and
ancestors had all died before the mis-
Referring to the present condition
Of China and it's people, DR.. Hunter
said: 'Since the late war with Japan
the whole land has been opened up as
it never was before. Their eyes have
been opened and they realize that they
have something to learn. Now the
people bid us welcome. There is not
only an intellectual but a spiritual and
a moral awakening among them. The
whole land is now open to the spread
of the gospel. The trouble is not there
No, it is at this end of the line The
board of foreign missions has already
cut down the estimates and now an
nOunces that they must be still further
reduced with the advent of the coming
year. which is right at hand, as the
present year closes April 80. Must we
then call a halt and dismiss those
faithful and, in many instances. learn
ed Chinese preachers who are spread
ing the gospel in that land, many of
whom are receiving only $4 a month,
and none more than $S
AS an illustration of the progress Of
the mission work in China, DR. Hunter
said that in 1907 there were but two
converts in all China; in 1912 this num-
Der had grown to six, and in 1863, when
DR.. Hunter arrived, there were some
2,000 In 1890, at the conference held
in Shanghai, the number had reached
ter left China, the statistics showed
that there were 10000 communicates
in the Christian church. Thus the
number had almost doubled in the last
five years. Why Christ's last COM
mand. Go ye into all the world and
preach the gospel" had been SO ignor-
ed for hundreds of years, DR.. Hunter
could not understand.
In conclusion DR.. Hunter predicted
a great future for China. Its resources
were bOundless, it's people industrious,
laW-abiding and possessed Of brains
equal to any task to which civilized
people could assign them. They had
everything except the gospel of Christ
and its fruits. No charitable institu-
ton, such as hospitals, asylums and
other establishments attendant upon
the presence of the Christian religion
were unknown. save that recently a
hospital costing $4,000 had been built
at Shanghai. There We're no people
more grateful and liberal than the
Chinese, and added DR.. Hunter
''When you win them for Christ, you
win them for your friends"
Speaking of Lii Hung Chang. who is
at the head of the college established
at Tin Sing, DR.. Hunter said that he
was a great and liberal man, but that
like the bishop who admitted that he
was "sanctified in spots" only, Ii
Hung Chang was enlightened in spots
only, as he still bowed down before
his idols.
DR.. Hunter also spoke at House Of
Hope in the afternoon.