Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-24
American Missionaries Closest
to the Rider of 1.-THE Hermit
Kingdom" SIT Side by
Side on Church Floor.
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
Copyright, 1907, by Joseph B. Bowles.)

SEOUL, Korea, December.
Outside Of one or two minor states IN
Africa, there Is probably no mission f1eld
where Christianity is accorded so great de-
gree of royal favor as in Korea. From the
beginning Of the opening of Korea to the
world, a little more than twenty years
ago, until the present time the closest
friends Of the emperor, to whom ne mas
turned in every crisis, have been the
American missionaries. He is not yet
Christian, although he reads the Blbie
and has received some instruction in Chris
tianity. In attendance upon the Seoul
churches today may be found members of
the royal family as well as leaders of the
nobility.
This is one of the remarkable facts about
the recent phenomenal religious history
of this country. While enjoying the favor
of the court to a marked degree, the mis-
sionaries have yet devoted themselves
chiefly to work among the plain people.
The latter have been converted by thou
sands-the number of actual communicates.
and not merely adherents, is now given as
about 50C00-and gradually Christianity
has worked from the bottom up, until today
all of Korea seems favorable and hos
pitable toward it.
When interviewing the man who had
been indicated to me by natives, japanese
officials and missionaries as probably the
greatest living Korean he said, speaking
of the growth of Christianity and Chris
tan schools: 1.-The only lights in Koreas
black sky are the churches" The opinion
widely prevails that the real transforma-
ton of Korea will be effected, not by
Japan, but by Christianity. The mission
aries are Weakening up and lifting up the
natives, and they assert that the latter
have greater potentialites than either the
japanese to the south or the Chinese to the
north.
X u
With the situation throughout Korea
previous articles have dealt; this final one
has to do with some of the outstanding
works and marks of missions in the capital
itself. Here it is noteworthy that the mis-
sionaries constitute the dominant Anglo
Saxon community. There are at this capt.
tai more missionaries than all other white
foreigners combined. Because of their
homogeneousness, as well as because of
their activity and long residence, they are
the best known to the Koreans. While
there is a small and not very closely knit
consular set, and a business set, as in
other capitals, they rank after the mis-
mate relations with it than usual.
A missionary physician is the doctor of
the white community. This is DIR. o. r.
Avison, head of the Severance Memorial
Hospital, which is spoken of in Seoul as
''the hospital" though the Methodists also
conduct a busy and successful hospital
here. There Is no lack of work for the
medical missionary in Korea. The Sever
ance Hospital, which is the gift of Louis
N. Severance, well-known Presbyterian
layman of Cleveland, Ohio, is built and
equipped on the lines of first-class Ameri-
can hospital. Its patients include the best
people in Seoul, and DR.. AViSon is physician
to his majesty.
The king recently made gift of 81, 500
to the hospital, and another of like amount
to DR.. Avlson himself. The latter has
been through dramatic and bloody scenes
at the Korean court, but always as a per-
sonal friend of the emperor; he says that
he and the emperor never talk politics. As
ISOLATED with Dr. Avison, who is Ca
madam, is DR.. j. w. Hirst Of Philadelphia,
and these, with a trained nurse, Miss E. L.
Shields of Lewisburg, Pa, constitute the
responsible heads Of the hospital.
In connection with his hospital duties Dr.
Avison conducts a medical college He is
having translated into Korean, and mimeo-
graphed, a complete set of modern medical
text books; and his ambition is to turn out
set Of competent native physicians who
mand, build up Korean modern medical
profession along up-to-date lines. With
such an ambition as this man Is not to
be blamed for working far into the night
as DIR. Ayison does.
Conspicuous among the religious enter
prises Of Seoul is the Young Mems Christian
Association, which is at present housed in
some little old Korean building, but which
is about to break ground for the erection
of a modern structure, the gift of John
Wanamaker of Philadelphia. The associa-
ton has 800 members, including more than
fifty members of the highest rank of Ko-
rean nobility. The emperor's nephew
teaches q Bible class in the association
Twice the emperor has given subscriptions