The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-06
BABY TOWERS OF CHINA
HOW INFANTS ARE THROWN FROM
SUBMITS OF STONE COLUMNS.
Horrible Practice Which American
Baptist ChnpcIs on Wheels.

Special TO the Indianapolis Journal.
NEW YORK, March 5.-Some years ago
the Rev. G.. S. Miner was an itinerant
Methodist minister on a. circuit in Ne
braska. He used to have charges situated
many miles apart, and underwent many
hard journeys to reach them. Under the
advice of Bishop Foss he went to Foo
Chow, China, and, while filling position
in the Anglo-Chinese College, he has been
able to establish, at no cost to the mission
board sending him out, over one hundred
small schools. That which led him to es-
tablish the first school was the sight, often
witnessed by him, of men passing his door
bearing small bundle wrapped in bit of
old mating. The bundle consisted of girl
baby, and the man, or men, was on the way
to the baby tower to throw the still
breathing child from the top of it to the
stone floor and so dash it's brains out. This
horrible sight, so often repeated, led Mr..
Miner to try to establish a school one
of these towers, for there are hundreds
of them in order to teach people to value
human life
A very complimentary greeting to a
Chinese bride is that she may have one
hundred sons and ten thousand grandsonS.
When the news of a childs birth is an
nounced it is of the first Importance If it
is boy there is great rejoicing; if girl,
sympathies are extended. Not infrequently
girl babies are drowned or tossed into the
baby towers. baby tower is built just
outside nearly every city, which is in the
DRY, "a burial place for infants, but which
in fact is often the living tomb of many an
infant girl
A BABY tower is usually built of stone,
from ten to fifteen feet in height, eight to
twelve feet in diameter at the base, and
single window at the side, near the top,
into which the child, done up in mating or
old straw because a coffin would cost or
cents, Is cast Just when the baby tower
came first into is unknown, and L am
glad to be able to state that as Christianity
is extending baby towers are decay1ng.
There are about one million people in and
around FOo-ChOW, and as practical effort
toward wiping out these terrible towers
Mr.. Miner has gone on extending his school
system until the conference of his church,
at its session just held, relieved him en-
tirely from work in the Anglo Chinese Col
lege, leaving him free to devote all his time
to them. They now number 139, and the
only reason there are not more is because
of lack of means to establish more. 1t is
said that 81 dollar will support a pupil for
a whole year, and that $40 Will maintain an
entire school Tor three terms anciudlng pay
of native teacher and extras in the form
OF lecturers who go from school to school
and teach music, sewing, homework and
similar useful things.
An event of the Baptist anniversaries at
Rochester in May is to be the dedication Of
a new chapel car. This car is now building
in Dayton, O., at a cost of $500, which sum
was contributed by seventy-five women of
the denomination 1t is the fifth car to be
put into commission by the Baptist Publ
cation Society, and a sixth is planned,
money for which is now being raised by the
young men in Baptist churches everywhere.
Railway companies in the East, quite as
cheerfully as those in the West, haul these
without
haul it from Dayton to Rochester, and then
to its field of operations in Nebraska. side
track it as many times as may be desired,
and in the end say to the society, only call
upon us when you desire further service of
the same sort 1t is the testimony of the
Rev. Dr. A. j. Rowland that these cars are
doing wonderful work which could not
and would not be done by any other means.
The society has lately added two gospel
wagons and cars religious literature is dis
tributed. Services are also held, of course;
cliIfehesl established by them runs up into
the hundreds. A large number of the ladies
who contributed to the cost of the new car
are going to Rochester TO attend the ami
versaries and take part in the dedication.
The Texas Presbyterian University, which
will probably be located at Dallas, and for
which fund of 100000 is raising, has just
received gifts of $1,000 and $4,000 from
donors who wish their names withheld from
publication. site for the university is not
to be selected until the endowment fund
reaches 100000. The aim is to make this the
great educational institution of the lower
Mississippi valley.
The rector of the little American chapel
in. the famous Latin quarter of Paris is
just now here on short visit. Speaking
of students in that quarter, he says far too
many young Americans go there with too
little money and too meager talent. His
advice to intending students is Don't
come" He thinks two years study little
enough, and declares the chances for sue
cess even then are very small indeed. AS
for living expenses, he points out that they
are higher in Paris than in most American
cities.
Preparations are well under way for the
celebration of the twenty-ffth anniversary
Of the ordination to the priesthood of Arch
bishop NJ. A. Corrigan, of New York The
anniversary occurs in May, and the celebra-
ton will be entered into by almost all lead
ing prelates in America, especially by those
in sympathy with the conservative leanings
of the famous archbishop. Cardinal Glib
bons, Archbishop Martinelli, Archbishop
Ryan and many other dignitaries have ac-
cepted invitations. There will be an hstor-
ical sermon and a grand musical service in
st. Patrick's Cathedral in the see city.
The notwithstanding movement started
by Presbyterians to increase by half a
million the number of children in Presby-
~~A~eeA@ ONAANteay
and April, 1901, is being taken up by other
denominations and similar movements are
being inaugurated. The latest to begin it is
the Reformed Church in America The plan
has been adopted of going into the families
OF nonchurch attendants and there holding
classes for the children, the thought being
that once interested, the children will come
to the church schools. The movement is
arousing great deal of interest and the
prediction is made that it will result in a
marked spiritual revival among churches
of all denominations. statement just
made by the American Sunday School Union
is to the effect that there are II OO0, 900 chill
dren in the United States not in any Sun
day schools.
R0 Clad