The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-05-06

OF tnls Guy WIN, WIN Elise -
Deering Is a missionary at Paoting Flu,
North China.
Paoting Bu, Tiensin. China.
March %, 1899.
Your letter of February 10 came today.
The postmsrks show that it took five
DAYS from Portland to San Francisco
It lay there three days; then "a days to
Shanghai, and six from Shanghai to here,
Thirty eight days in all. (Forty.two
days including delays for Miss Gould's
answer from Paoting Flu to Portland.
Please take notice that we no. have q
railroad from Paoting ku to Peking and
post ofiics here. Paoting Flu. Peking
and Tientsin form a triangle, 1t is little
farther from here to Tientsin than to
Picking AMI we can now get to FenR
Tai, the railway terminus, ten miles out
side of Picking In time to connecv with
the noon train to Yientsin, arriving there
by sunset instead Of going By the old
way and taking three or four days.
Everyone has turned out to see the
"tire wheel cart The last two Satur.
days our school girls have had their fun.
! sent eight girls In q hired cart the first
week and ten the second. 1t lisa very
great wonder to them; they come back
asking, Have l seen it;?" do they
have them in America "Have l ever
ridden In onef" etc., etc.
Today / went to visit our city Bible
woman. Her husband Is what We should
call n uuack doctor. He is self educated !;
has unlimited self confidence; . little
knowledge of 1.-The use Of certain drugs,
and book OF medicine. He has fairly
good common sense and judgment to
know what he can't tackle with success.
He is doing ficurishing business
While was there woman came In to
consult him about her niece who at
tempted uicide two months ago by tax
in kerosene oil and face powder which
contain ned arsenic. She had not succeeded
in killing herself but had had "internal
fire" ever since. 1 thought her best chanc 9
for recovery was to 60 to our dispensary.
Opium, face powder and matches are the
most common articles used for suicide.
The well is handy too II one wants to de-
part life suddenly.
Not far from US Is family OF
four brothers who live in q large COM
pound. with their wives, sons, sons wives
and children-three generations. They
are the proprietors of the salt trade of
Paoting Flu. think salt manufacture Is
a government monopoly, and the whole
sale dealers must have n license and bc
authorized by the Government by a pro-
cess as complicated as 1T Is to start u
national bank at home. The senior salt
merchant has always been friendly to our
mission but the elder son Is a hard man
to deal with, having very bad temper
The women are all Kept at home and have
serving women. About three months
ago the wife of the eldest son had bad
thumb which DIR. Noble saw needed to
fearing the Chinese would impute wrong
motives to him. He therefore tried to
heal 1t, and she came several times for
consultation. One day she said, II wish
you'd cut this thumb off," He did 50,
and with success and from that time she
has come for medical treatment and for
gospel instruction. Mary Miss Morrill)
was invited to her home once to talk
with the women of the family, and have
been there once myself The day after
my visit she came to the d1spensary and
to the wOmans meeting. Her husband
was furious because she was gone Sd long
from home and told her to kill herself;
he would give her rope or the well and
she could choose between. He says the
foreigners have bewitched her and threat.
ems to turn her out Of doors and his son
with her. He Is like a mailman when
he has one of his temper-spells and often
continues SO for q month. Fancy being
tied to such man. Mrs. Flu, our hospi-
tai nurse, suggests that he has heard
enough of 1.-THE doctrine" to make his
conscience prick him, and not desiring to
be thus prioked he kicks against 1t.
There has been vigorous case of perse-
cution in one of our out stations lately.
/ wrote you before of one where the
heather wanted one of our young men to
take a public Office which would require
him to lead IN an idol procession. When
l hear the sequel of this l will write about
it. The one 1 want to write of now Is
where they opposed the coming of our
native preacher, tried 10 beat IN. perse-
cuted tho church members ana all who
wished to 60 to hear 'the doctrine"
Finally they stirred up the father of one
of the ohuch members to accuse his son
of bsing hayward and unwilling to re-
ceive his fathers instruction. which are
serious offenses. you know. here in China.
They had already sent 10 this accusation
when Pastor Meng arrived with a counter
accusation. The official heard Pastor
Meng and asked what he wanted done.
Pastor Meng replied that We want to
be left alone and allowed to preach and
worship peaoeably. The magistrate sum-
moned the prosecutors and asked the
father, "How long since your son joined
this sect!" 1.-Two or three years. WINS
the answer. "1hen why have you waited
till nowY Why did you not come earlier
with your accusationP Now these
Christians are accusing you. l cannot
judge this matter, il will have to go to
the Viceroy." The men began to "kow--
tow and to beg for mercy. The magis-
trate told them they deserved to be beaten
for how had "a