The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-09-06
CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA.

l
Twenty-Five Hundred Missionaries,
Ono Hundred Thousand Protestant
Converts.
(Prof' John Fryer, in Ainslee's,
| When China was opened in l842
after the first war with Great Britain
400, QUO converts were already enrolled
In the church, and eighty foreign
missionaries were found ministering
| to the scattered locks. Since then the
| Roman Catholics have more than re-
covered their lost ground in China.
Their converts arc upwards Of q mil
lion In China proper. Imposing cathe-
drals, church editices, schools, col
leges, orphanages, fOundling hos pitfalls
and other buildings testify everywhere
to their activity and prosperity.
THE Crock Church began its labOrs
In Pekin In tho year 1856, when q
treaty made with Russia allowed the
| establishment OF q church and college
with an archimandrite in charge. In
recent years this church has boon
working with sOmo earnestness both
| In China and Japan. In tho latter
| country 1t has made more converts
| than either Catholics or Protestants
| have made. In proportion as Russian
lhhuenco increases ln Pekln 1t Ia eX-
pectod that the Greek Church influence
will expand among the Chinese.
| " 1t will bo noticed that all theso
| Christian missionary labors, extending
over ton or moro centuries, were, to a
greater or loss degree, q preparation
Tor the work OF our Protestant mia.
| sionarles. 1ot their commencement
OF tho task 0f spreading evanpelistic
doctrines nearly ninety years ago was
much beset with diIiculties, some of
which were the results OF the Roman
Catholic mlsmanagement. Tho lives
OF Robert Morrison and other pioneers
OF the Protestant faith are we'll known.
1t Ia worthy Of note that Morrison WAS
refused a passage to China IN the East
India Company's vessels, aud had,
| therefore, first to make voyage to
Now York. Thence he sailed to China
on an American ship. He was nine
months in reaching Macao, and there
this m,ssionary-this first Anglo.Saxon
missionary-began his highly success
ful lifework.
What has been subsequently &C.
complished is told In the reports OF the
various missionary societies now work.
Ing In China. Tho work ia we'll
among the various boards. The Evan.
gelists the Educati0nist and tho Medl-
cal missionary zach finds his suitable
sphere OF labor In ministering TO the
various needs Of the people with whom
each comes In contact. Thus each de-
partnent OF the work Is now receiving
It's full share OF attention.
Tho present distressed and un.
settled state Of Ghi1e makes the ueo
pe look for help and enlightenment to
the missionaries In q way they have
never done before. Fifty. three sepa-
rate organizations arc at work, having
q total OF about $500 missionaries, be-.
! sides whom are over 5000 native pns-
tors and assistants. Tho Protestant
converts now number nearly 100, 900.
while nearly 600 scholars are under
instruction In mission schools and col
leges. Auxiliary societies uFo con.
tinually being added, such as Bible
societies, tract societies, educational
societies, mission printing offices
Young Mons and Young Womon's
Christian Associations, Christian EN-
deavor societies and others, all OF
which are vi gorouelY pushing forward
| on their special lines the great cause
whose watchword Ia The ChristianiZs-
| tion Of China
:" ALI these facts and figures arc full
| OF encouragement and hope. The mis-
| sion hospitals, however, appear to i'm
press tho Chinese most with the dis
interestedness and efficiency OF mis-.
sionary work. 1t Ia said that LII Hung
Chang once remarked, We Chinese
think VIC can take care OF our souls
we'll enough; but 1t Ia evident YOU car
take care OF our bodies better than VIC
can; 80 send us medical missionaries
as many 40 you like. This sontimon,
is now generally shared by all intelli
gent Chinese. They may not undo r
stand our religious systems, but or
seeing the results uf the medical work
they cannot fall to admire the phllsn.
thropy which establishes dispensariee
and hospitals toB do good to the bodies
OF suffering humanity, In the name
and imitation of Christ.
In tho three branches of religion.
| education and medicine, who can denv
| that the Christlan missionaries have
not already conferred benefits upon
tho Chinese beyond all calculation (!
But they have done moro. They have
helped tn awaken China from her
lethargy, and TO start her stagnan
Ideas Into motion. Our civil engineera
are surveying the vast territory Of
China for projected railways but they
arc bcing aided by information furnish
cd by tho pioneer missionaries. Our
merchants are closely following the
missionary routes to open up lucrative
trade. The flag OF commerce always
follows close behind tho banner OF the
cross, and he who would check the
progress OF the bearer OF that bannor
necessarily Injuries the interests OF
the nag OF commerce. From the En-
peror downward tho tocsin begins to
be reform, and whom reform really
occurs, will not much Of the credit be.
long to the faithful laborers now At
work In the various branches OF mis-.
BiOnarY enterDrise ?"