The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1907-08-09
shop than any other Industrial school

The manager Of this Industrial
school is Rev. Graham Lee, who seems
to be a practical mechanic. In addi-
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 missionary.
The Korean Christians are trained to
do personal work. Everyone is ex-
pected to be an evangelist. Thus 1t
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 keep
up with the work, much less lead 1t.
A few days ago DR.. Wells and DR..
Sharrocks went to Win, city north
Of here, which figured often in the war
dispatches. En- route they looked in
upon some country congregations. The
first night, In little village of about
1000 inhabitants, they found prayer
meeting under way-the regular mid
week service, with no less than 700
persons present This, be it remem-
bered, was in village where no mis-
sionary resides, and where no white
man visits oftener than once quarter.
The next night they came, as unex-
pectedly as before, upon another VII
lage prayer meeting, with 600 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.
1t seems as if religion has become
the very life of these people. 1t is
certainly their supreme interest and
pleasure. They bui1d 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 Baptizes More Than a Thou
sand.
From Wiju 1 hear story that
matches the famous incident of the
delegation of Indians to st. Louis,
years ago, to seek somebody to go
back with them to teach them the |
white mans book. The Wiju Chris |
tians have built themselves 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 delegation was sent down from |
Wiju to Seoul to plead for a mission |
airy. The people agreed not only to |
give him the heartiest of welcomes,
to provide his salary as well. 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 |
ZIP 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. G. E. 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 cate
chumen for at least one year. Then
he must pass a rigid examination as |
to his character and his knowledge of |
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 a 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
Their than their fellows in America. |
In the "big church" of Pyeng Yang |
some of the members have formed an |
anti-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 |
are SO supported.
No distinction is made among |
classes. In a village near here the
who is the chief resident
official, desires to become Christian.
The local church leaders came to the
to ask what they should
do, since this great man keeps con-
cubine. The decision was immediate
and decisive that he could not be &C.
copied as catechumen- until he had
conformed to the church's standard
in all respects, no matter how high
his office or how great his wealth.
1t is said that, with respect to the
of gifts and with respect