The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-27
Rev. A. Y. Napier.
Miss Lois Dave of Gayton Will Travel Across the World to Become Bride Rev. Y Napier Baptist Missionary Who Was Former E Montgomery Minister Journey Begins Today.

| "Whither thou goest, will go, and
 where thou lodgest, will lodge; thy
 people shall be my people, and thy God | my God.
 | Where thou diest, I will die, and there will I be buried; the Lord do SC
 to me, and more also if aught Lut death I part thee and me-"
 Thy cry of the Moabitish woman
 wrung from a yearning soul, has come down through the ages Uttered in simplest phrase, the outpouring of a loyal heart has come to be recognized
 as the highest expression of constancy | and loyalty. The story of Ruth is told
 to the children in the nursery. AS they grow older, the other figures in the story may fade from the mind, but al- ways there will remain the dialogue of Naomi and her daughter Jaw as they | reached the point of parting It Is a classic model of affection. patient, un-
 selfish. enduring.
 Centuries ago the ashes of the wife
 of Boaz turned to dust. Her resting
 place was long since forgotten. But the spirit of the woman has come | down through history as a beacon light for loving, true and courageous | hearts, even in the prosaic existence of
 the twentieth century. Patriots have | repeated her words in vowing alle- | glance to flag or principle. Lovers
 have plighted their troth, softly quot ing:
 ''Thy people shall be my people, and | thy God my God
 In the little village of Cheng Chow, | lost in the center of the vast Chinese
 Empire. is a small colony of Baptist
 missionaries. Twice a month. when
 fortune Is favoring, the Chinese mail
 carrier brings to these loyal Christians
 the mail from Hankow. A slender | thread of communication 1t is, extend
 ing fifteen thousand miles, through the | narrow roads of the Flowery Kingdom, l by way of canal and river, then across | the expanse of Pacific waves and be- | tween the Golden Gate to the dear ones | back in Gods country. Oftimes floods l intervene, missives, worth their weight in gold, are lost or delayed. and the pioneers of religion in the country of | idolaters feel they are lost indeed and separated from their loved ones for ever. But the workers in the Cause never waver. Cheerfully brave in dis appointment, they set about their daily tasks, strengthened by the inner con sciousness of duty well performed, of the value of their labor in tho fields of Him who seeth all
 Among the toilers of the colony is one, zealous as the rest, but glad when at last the work of the day is done. As the sun sets behind the western hills, off toward the borders of Tartary, he wanders through the paths of the low walled gardens of the mission. About him the roses, growth of seedlings brought from that far-oR America; away toward the golden glow, the wa ter-coVered fields of rice; above, the first pale stars of evening. A night bird wakes and calls its mate. He lis- tens, smiles, and resumes his walk.
 Fifteen thousand miles away. in her native State of Alabama, a bright-faced girl is thoughtfully packing her trunk. One by one she lays the garments with in the huge. stout, brass-bound case. They must be neatly and compactly ar ranged, for they will pass through a long journey before again exposed to the light of day. Once the lid has de- seconded, here in America, it will not be opened until they have been carried more than halfway around ne world They will traverse time and space When next their owner puts them on, 1t will be in the home of the oldest peo- ple, centuries behind the world she Is leaving.
 Side by side with texture and fab ric, the girl has placed little trinkets. They are presents--a few jewels, brie- a-brac, photographs. tableware and use full articles for the household. They are wedding gifts, the remembrances of those who will not be present when the bride and bridegroom are united, but whose prayers will go out to a newly married couple in the new world which will open before them. AS the young girl gently placed them in the trunk,-and with loving hands caressed them, she murmured softly to herself, Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God"
 ba month Of AnriI there will be a quiet wedding in the chapel of the Baptist mission in Nagasaki. There will be some twenty or thirty Ameri- cans present. The minister will repeat the solemn lines which unite husband and wife. The bridal party will be showered with roses of Japan. There will be a happy bridal breakfast, per haps a few days spent in the mountains of the Mikado's island empire. Then will come another sea voyage, a long trip by canal and overland through the most beautiful part of China at the time of year when it is most beautiful. Then Cheng Chow will be reached, the mission will open it's arms to receive another worker, and the real lifework of MT. and Mrs. A. Y. Napier will be- gin in the field of their own choosing
 It is a beautiful romance to meet in practical busy-day America-this trip across continent and seas to the altar The bride to- be, not yet out of her teens, Is facing an unknown universe. She is leaving behind parents. home and friends She is severing all ties with everything that heretofore In her few years has been most dear. But love points the way, and the feeling Of duty is strong. Lois Davie is not hesi- tating. She looks the future squarely in the face. and goes confidently to meet It. She longs for the work which