The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1907-08-08

week service, with no less than 700
persons present. This, be it remem.
bered, was in a village where no mis-.
sionary resides, and where no white
man visits oftener than once a 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 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 Baptizes More Than a Thou.
sand.
From Wiju l hear a 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 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 a mission.
ary. The people agreed not only to
give him the hearticst 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. G. e. Kearns, bap-
tised LOO Koreans. Yet it is not made
easy for Korean to become 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 Testa-
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
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
colporteurs are so supported.
No distinction is made amons
classes. In 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 not be ac'
cepted as a catechumen until he had
conformed to the church's standard
in all respects, no matter how high
his Office or how great his wealth.
It is said that, with respect to the
percentage of gifts and with respect
to the activity of the ordinary mem
bers of the churches, Christianity in
Korea is far ahead of Christianity in
America. Certainly for ingenious,
open-hearted, child-like Christianity,
have never seen anything to equal
these Koreans. Their manner, their
words and their work irresistably sug.
gest the church of the apostolic age.
Copyright. by Joseph B. Bowles.)