Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-07-19

Pupils Spiritual Salvation With
Cricket, Made Good Use of 1t
Against Some Chinese Cutthroats.
Apropos Of the recent experiences OF
missionaries in China the following ac-
count of how two English missionaries
saved their lives some years ago Is of
timely interest:
This is little story Of the way two
missionaries in China, surrounded by
a dense and hostile population of IA
natics who whispered tales of child
eating and black art against them,
saved their lives and the property Of
their church not more than a dozen
years ago, at a time when other Chris
tan workers not far away from them
were being cruelty murdered, says
John r. Rathom in the Chicago Times
Herald.
OF all Chinese rivers the Yang-tse is
by far the most interesting. Its long
course offers every variety of scenery
from low marshes away ON both sides
as far as the eye can see TO great over
hanging precipices that in places to-
tally exclude the sunlight. Pursuing
its winding way through great stretch
es of country above the tea shipping
town OF Hankow, this river taps the
very heart of the Chinese empire and
cuts into a country where, shut OF al
most as completely from their friends
as If they were dead, are many little
bands of devoted missionaries.
One morning 10 years ago two young
men reached the town of Hankow
from Hongkong on a small steamer.
They were brothers-the Steele twins,
people used to call them-and two
years before they had been the idols of
the English cricketing world. One day,
just after both had been selected for
prominent places on the British team
of cricketers to visit Australia, an hon
or the significance of which cannot be
understood except by cricket enthusi-
asts, they calmly dropped out of the
ranks, announced that they had decid-
ed to make some serious use OF the bal
ance of their lives and n week later
boldly set their faces away from their
home and all their associates and be-
came missionaries to China. 1t was
the wonder Of the sporting world for a
month, and then people forgot all
about it.
But the young men were in earnest,
and they lost 30 time in going out to
Hongkong and fitting themselves as
rapidly as possible for the work. Pang
Soc, n dangerous station, was about
to be vacated when they were ready,
and, Notwithstanding that the country
for miles around was most heartbreak-
ing soil for the planting of the seed
they carried, they willingly took the
to go.
For two years they labored incessant-
~ in their little mission, never falter-
ing in the work. But once in awhile
their thoughts drifted back to the old
days and fingered on the dangerous
ground of n happy, careless, active |
past. One afternoon one brother came |
across the other in the back of the |
mission Enclosure, relieving his feelings |
with a coal oil can for n wicket and a |
stone for a ball. His ardent love for |
the game had finally broken through |
the shell. Both brothers colored up, |
one because he had been caught, the |
other because the lapse expressed so |
we'll his own hard struggle 20 keep the |
old Adam away.
Then they sat down and talked 1t |
over. Their mission work was Ian
gushing. The simple pastimes they |
had inaugurated in the settlement were
looked on, even by those half unfolded
minds, as babyish. The outcome was
4 decision that Gods work would be
helped, not hindered. by a manly form
Of sport. Next day a sampau took let
ters down the river TO Hankow bound
for home" They were orders for a
of the best bats, balls and
stumps that money could buy.
The co scholars that the Steeles had
gathered at the mission school were
set TO work leveling off a field and
pitch. and by the time the box of ma
-erial arrived they had everything In
readiness. Patience and two teachers,
whose services could not have been
secured for any club in England for
thousands of dollars, finally brought |
.hese awkward, numbering Chinese
boys to such a pitch of perfection that
! year later a big junk was chartered
1y the missionaries, and a crowd OF
officers and apprentice lads from a
British ship loading tea down at Han
tow were brought up for a game, IS
players n side-"England versus Chi
Inc mission lduS VOL ne sdll- |
RS hardly knew, until they got back
o Hankow, whether it was all n dream
II not When they found out some
ime after that the missionaries "Ah
luoy" and "Ho All Yid" were the IA
nous Steele brothers, they began to
Understand.
As time went on the antiforeign ele-
1ent-they call them Boxers nowadays
began to get restless again. Bands
4 cutthroats made their appearance
10Th IN and down the river with their
ry OF Death TO the white man"
Death to the Christians At Pang
Zoe they began TO hear rumors OF burn
ne missions and murdered workers.
One day the storm broke Word
anne that a band OF 500 wild fanatics
ras ten miles TO the southeast march