The Republican journal., 1908-06-11
THE MISSION MAIL. BAG.
PURSUING ONES PROFESSION UNDER
DIFFICULTIES.

0ACcANOA11Eo.
Medical men in the United States and
Europe can avail themselves in cases
of emergency of telegraphs, telephones.
railroads and other modern annihilators
of space. Not SO with the physician in
China, except in few cities where
| western ideas and methods have been
adopted. One of the medical mission
| aries working under the American
Board gives a graphic picture of re-
| cent visit to patients living at five diff
ferent places, all within 200 miles of his
station. The journey required eleven
days. He started out in a sedan chair,
but his two bearers being opium smok-
ers caused so much delay and annoy
ance that at the end of 30 miles he de-
cided to walk. His luggage consisted
of food enough for the entire trip, cook
ing utensils and bedding, a load of medi-
cines and instruments, also literature
to distribute among the Chinese, for
they are great reading people. Fancy
an American doctor starting on round
of visits with such paraphernalia! Its
weight, 100 pounds, was divided between
two carriers who walked from Is to ~
miles per day with apparently little
fatigue. The route took them along
by precisely the same methods used
1000 years ago. There were no roads,
| in our sense of the word, nothing but a
narrow foot-path paved with small,
round stones, which had become smooth
and slippery from being traversed by
thousands of sandaled feet for cen
turtles. Naturally foreigner becomes
little footsore walking over these
stones. Another drawback was the
native inns, full Of dirt and vermin,
where they had to spend three nights.
On reaching village the doctor made
straight for the little chapel, used both
as place for Christian worship and a
schoolhouse and thither the natives
flocked for treatment. The scene at
such time is almost an exact parallel
of the one mentioned in Luke 4:40. The
native pastors in these villages are in
telligent and often Well-educated men,
being graduates of the mission schools.
With the present craze for western
learning they could easily earn more
money in government positions. But
believing that Christianity is the SUI
preme need of China at this hour they
stick to the work of spreading its truths.
A typical case is that of a young preach
er who manages somehow to support
wife and four children on the munificent
salary of three and half dollars in gold
per month, AS the medical missionary
tours among these people and sees what
stuff they are made of, he prefers to
pursue his profession there, in spite OF
the difficulties, to an easier job IN the
United States.
EMPIRE BUILDERS.
Lord Cromer, the maker of new
Egypt. Cecil Rhodes, the promoter of
mining and other commercial interests
in the Transvaal region, and Alfred
Belt. giver of millions to help develop
the Cape to Cairo railroad, are three
names that we naturally associate with
modern Africa. They and others like
them have done much for the Dark
Continent. Meantime another group
OF empire builders have been quietly
at work trying to make the right kind
of citizens out of the raw human ma
terial in that vast continent. This is a
far more difficult task than building
bridges and railroads, and has been
undertaken by the Christian church
through its foreign missionaries. In
the initial stage they were laughed at
as religious fanatics. Today they are
recognized as far-sighted statesmen
who see that the successful rulers OF
any country must be the people them
selves. Hence the effort to make Chris
tian men out of Negroes and Filipinos
and Mongolans are the surest way to
secure the highest type of civilization.
| One of the American Board workers
in Natal, Rev. F. B. Bridgman, gives a
glimpse of the varied duties of mod
ern missionary by saying that he him
self has to consider almost every SUBJ
ject from locust destruction to the
proposed South African native college"
Two educational plants in his field COM
pare favorably with similar institutions
in the United States. One is the thrlv-
ing girls seminary at Inanda where the
curriculum includes sewing, dressmak-
ing, laundry and farm work. The other
is a large industrial school in charge OF
a native PASTOR John L. DUDE. Schools
of this type, together with the churches
and Sunday schools, are developing
new type of Zulu man and woman.
Mr.. Bridgman says that the social evo-
luton of this race ''is proceeding at an
ever accelerating pace" Thus in diff
ferent cline and among alien people
this class of empire builders are spend
ing useful lives. American money in
vested in the work is bound to yield
rich returns
YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS.
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