The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-03-24
A MISSIONARY FROM IAO.CHAU.

A MISSIONARY FROM KIA0.CHAU.
Was the First European There Lived
and Dressed Like "a Chinaman.
The Rev. Carl vingren is the first European
who ever lived in Kia, -Chau. He went there
as missionary, shaved his head, wore n
queue, dressed like Chuaman, and lived
with the Chinese. seeking to convert them to
Christianity.
At present Mr.. Vingren is helping the pas
tor of the First Swedish Baptist Church, i'm
Kim street. TO conduct revival meeting. He
j. young man with handsome head Of
hair, which bears no traces OF the head-shav-
ing he has gone through-unless its unusual
luxuriance may be due to IT,
The country about Kaio- o-Chau is undonbt
edly rich In minerals" he said. "though very
little is known about them. LII Hung Chang
opened gold mine about eighty miles from
the bay some time ago, and two Americans
who were there said ii was extraordinarily
rich but Ii Hung was obliged to close up the
mine again on account of the superstition "
the natives and their ancestor worship. They
believe that tho spirits OF their forefathers
have charge OF all valuables in the ground.
and are afraid that mining will anger thom
aud bring calamity on the country.
"For that reason none OF the extensive coal
deposits are worked, and as there Is no wood
in China proper-except little in the western
part-they chiefly use for fuel the stalk of a
plant resembling sugar cane, tho grain OF
which they eat.
''Fung sway, or ancestor worship. keeps
China back. Even tho educated ones consider
it the best kind Of religion. II is part Of
Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. 1t Is
similar to the ancestor worship Of the Ro
mans but goes good deal further; they not
only feel veneration for departed spirits, but
a terrible fear of offending them.
sswhen asked educated Cfinamen IL they
did not think the railroad from Tien- Tsin into
Manchuria (where the Russians are coming
in) good thing they would answer, 'Oh yes,
but when became better acquainted with
them, they would admit that they were afraii
the railroads. running over the graves of the
dead would disturb them and bring misfor-
tune.
''You remember about that railroad which
was built in Shanghai twenty years ago by
foreigners. After 1t was done the Chinese
asked to buy II, and the builders sold It,
thinking they were becoming civilized and
were learning the advantages of railroads.
But ms soon as the Chinese got possession OF
the road they tore up the tracks and threw
the whole thing into she sea to appease the
wrath Of tho dead.
'srhe fort which the Germans have seized
rs forty miles from the town of Kiao- Chau.
The bay up by the city is shallow, so that mer-
chandise has to be- brought TO the city on
lighters, but just Opposite tho fort Is deep
inlet, which is a splendid harbor. Altogether
they have chosen q magnificent place, and
there is no donbt that they will keep hold Of
II. il Is the bess position from Shanghai 10
Tien-Tsin.
"Thc climate is clear and exhilara,in z. not
hot and oppressive, as In Shanghai. The land
il beautifully cultivatcd-llSc garden; you
never sea weed IN the field. and the popula-
tion Ia dense. When travelling through the
country between LaiYank and KiapChau
you are always within sight of from twenty
Ave 10 thirty towns Of from two thousand to
twenty thousand inhabtonts, and this from
the plain, not from hill In other words,
you are continually in sight OF q hundred
thousand people.
,The country people are fine specimens,
strong phy ysicallv and with possibilities OF in
tcllectual strength. The men can generally
read and write some 90 the commoner charac-
tors OF their language. The women. Of course.
have no education.
"The three religions Of Cnina are Buddhism.
Taoism and Confncianisn,. Buddhss and
Taoists worship idols; Confucius revived and
ixcd ancestor worship. The people make
ancestor tables. on which they write the
names of the spirits they wish to kcep.in the
tables. ana then, before them. they burn
incense and kind Of paper money which is
supposed ts~be the money % the spirit world.
They also burn clothes and beautiful paper
houses, ON some OF which they spend years
work. former United States Consul at
Shanghai, who hsd been n missionary many
years. estimated that the value of .hc offer.
ings burned to ancestors amounted 90 500,
coo0vO yearly.
II was In Ksio.Chau in isq2 and isas. and
Opened the firsa MISSION station. dressed
JUST like them and lived regularly with them.
hope some day to 90 back to China. bat uy
health broke down completely. though I wss
unusually sfrosr when I went there. Eu.
rupcan cannot est Their food and keep his
health My digestion was ruined: this has not
only lssn my cxpericnce bat that Of al who
have tried a. Then. having the head shay ed
IL very disaerrcabic. and IN winter makes one
catch cold easily. ! hal q queuc eighteen
inches hong when came way."-Chicssc
Inter Ocean