Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1907-08-28
shop than any other industrial scboa

Inc manager OF this Industrial
school is Rev. Graham Lee, who seems
to be . practical mechanic. in add
ton to running the industrial school
he is the pastor of the largest church
In Korea, and has charge of 40 country
churches besides.
Like Story-Book Missions.
This suggests the country work that
centers in Pyeng Yang. and one pecu-
liar phase Of Korean missions. The
church here is self-supporting. New
churches spring up almost in a night,
without ever having seen a missionary.
The Korean Christians are trained to
! do personal work. Everyone is ex.
pected to be an evangelist. Thus Il
comes to pass. that, by the telling OF
, the news from mouth to mouth, the
number OF believers spreads with
greater rapidity than the missionary
can follow. 1t seems literally true
here that the missionary cannot keer
up with the work. much less lead II
A few days ago DR.. Wells and DIR.
Sharrocks went to Wiju, a city north
or here. which figured often In the war
dispatches. En- route they looked in
upon some country congregations The
first night, in a little village of about,
LOO inhabitants. they found a prayer
meeting under way-the regular mid.
week service, with no less than TOO
persons present. This, be II remem.
bered. was in village where NO mis-
sionary resides, and where no white
man visits oftener than once quarter.
| t,i0
pectedly as before, upon another vii
lage prayer meeting, with 500 persons
In attendance. In these villages, as in
many others round about, the vii.
layers, Christian and non Christian.
are In the habit of gathering in the
church for morning prayers, before
going out to the fields for work.
IL seems as If religion has become
the very life OF these people. 1t is
certainly their supreme interest and
pleasure. They build their own
churches. with their own hands. In.
deed the Christian communities
throughout Korea probably come as
near communism, in their simplicity
and fraternity and cooperation, as any.
thing known in this present day.
One Man 6aptzes More Than a Thou
sand.
From Wiju / hear a story that
matches the famous incident of the
delegation of Indians to ST. Louis.
years ago, to seek somebody to 60
| back with them to teach them the
| white mans book. The Win Chris
tians have built themselves a commo.
dious church and have now established
| an academy or higher school. Among
them, however, was nobody qualified
to conduct the latter. So at the an.
nual meeting of the Presbyterian mis-
sion a delegation was sent down from
Wiju to Seoul to plead for mission
airy. The people agreed not only to
give him the heartiest of welcomes
and to pay all his expenses, but also
to provide his salary as we'll. Yet they
were sent back with their request de
MED. There are not enough mission
aries to go around.
Here in Korea there is no hunting
up of people for the church; the peo
pie are clamoring to come in. During
the mission year just ended, one man
in this region, Rev. c. f. Kearns, bap
tised LOO Koreans. Yet it is not made
easy for Korean to become a Chris
tian. Careful always lest men and
women should desire to enter the
church from unworthy motives. every
applicant is obliged to become a cate
chumen for at least one year. Then
he must pass a rigid examination as
n hic oh n nd n &c, -
Christian truth. The missionaries i'm
pose what they say is the New Tesla
ment standard of conduct upon the
people. Every Christian is required
to be total abstainer, to refrain from
all forms of gambling, to observe Sun
day strictly, and to have clean char
acter morally. An offending member
is promptly disciplined.
The Magistrates Concubine.
When it is considered that these
people are just emerging from the
raw heathenism and devil worship
which prevails around them, these
standards seem the more remarkable
The Korean Christians here go far
ther than their fellows in America
In the big church" OF Pyeng Yang
some OF the members have formed an
antl-tobacco society. for the Koreans
men and women. are confirmed smok.
ers. These people give the money
they thus save to the church, and two
colporteurs are so supported.
No distinction Is made among
classes. In a village near here the
magistrate. who is the chief resident
official desires to become Christian
The local church leaders came to the
missionary to ask what they should
do, since this great man keeps a con.
cubine. The decision was Immediate
and decisive that he could no' kq &C.
cepted as a catecnumen until he mad
conformed TO the church's standard
in all respects. no matter how high
his Office or how great his wealth.