The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1900-01-03

publication:
BRDGMAN HoME, SHANGHAI, CHINA,
September s, $780,
DEAR FRIENDS:
have never ceased to regret you
could not be present at our last semi
annual commencement, and seen the
admirable way in which Kyung Men
acquitted herself You would have
been delighted, like myself, at the
progress she is making in her studies,
and her invariable good conduct, her
home training, supplements the school
influence, so we hope she will grow in
spirit, as we'll as in mind and body, to
be beacon light for her countrymen.
She has q sister who is doing
grand work in the girls school,
started by the high class Chinese
ladies. Confucianism is the religion
of that school, but she is unrestrained
in the expression of her belief in
Christianity, and improves every OPP
portunity to stand up for her Saviour.
/
school, receives high salary, and is
anxious to improve still further and
acquire modern methods of teaching
She comes and spends two hours with
me every week. Shei very sweet and
charming. / have written about her
that you may know something of the
home environment and family of
Kyung Mon.
L Tsung, your former protege,
comes in every day for lessons in
English, and is very, very bright; brt
the Chinese tongue requires niue
patient drilling to be made pliable to
our sounds. You would have laughed
over their struggles to speak kitty.
Even now some of them try several
times before they approach it. But
by patient plodding they, like the tor
toise in the race, win eventually.
+ Tsung also attends the G. l.. meet
ings and does her part. As the hos
pital is still unfinished, her services
are not now needed there, so | give
| her work to fill her leisure hours.
As you know, her family are all
Christians, but / like to retain hold
of the girls. Since my last letter she
has been betrothed to a fine little
Chinaman, about her own age, and
who is learning the printers trade
The marriage will not occur for some
tune. | fully approve As social GUS
tom now is, every Chinese girl should
be married
Under another cover | send you
periodical and two weekly papers.
The first is in classic style and re-
quires several years of study before n
child is able to read it. The others
are in the yernaeular, or the language
of the common people. This is their
great delight and is looked for with
the keenest zest. II is edited by DR..
Gale, formerly of our mission. 1t Is
the only newspaper that is printed
that meets the wants of the younger
pupils in the many schools in Shang
hal, as we'll as of the Christian men
and women who are able to read but
little. 1t is exerting a great influence
for goed among this large class,
We hear much about the heather
darkness prevailing in China, but it is
all true, every word. But this gloom
is sometimes relieved by some sweet
surprises, like the following, showing
that the Lord often works powerfully,
unseen by the great world about it.
A missionary in Ningpo received
letter, signed by forty men, from
Chinese city. where no English speak
ing missionary had ever set foot, ask
ing him to come and examine them
and baptize them in the faith of the
Lord Jesus Christ Besides this re-
quest, the letter contained the title
deeds of Buddhist temple they had
bought with their own money and
wished to dedicate to the service of
God, and church organized that they
might be light in dark place. The
missionary went, the men were exam
med and found to be resting solely
upon the Sayiour's merits as believers
in Him. SO one Sabbath morning ut
o'clock in the Buddhist temple, from
which the idol and all that belonged
to idolatry had been swept away, these
forty men were baptized. AT midday
they assembled again and the rite OF
confirmation was administered, and at
sunset the table that had so often
smoked with incense to Buddha, was
spread with the emblems of the Lords
dying love, and these forty men pro-
fessed their faith in Him. What a
memorable day for them!
Whence these results Two years
previous there came to live in this
great city two or three Chinese
Christians, with the love of Christ in
their hearts and the Chinese Bible in
their hands, and they preached and
loved Christ.
Many believe that work like this is
going on far more widely than we
think. But so many are the cities and
villages where the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ has not yet been heard
estimated to be Il million-there is
certainly loud call upon every one of
us to practice more Of the spirit Of the
"meek and lowly Jesus"
Let us expect great things of God
and attempt great things for God.
Thanking you for your continued
interest and prayers, / wish you every
blessing our Father deems best for
you. Yours in Christian service,
MARIETTA MELVIN.
BY order of the society.