Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1908-11-26

Missionory Blaylock Writes!
Dear Brethren and Friends of Wa
tauga County:
Most likely you will learn ere
this reaches you that l am on
my way to China alone. We
were undecided before | reached
New Mexico as to whether my
wife would accompany me to
China or not, but after seeing
her and learning just how she
felt about it and seeing her i'm
provement felt encouraged to
70 and leave her. Only those who
have had to undergo such sepa-
rations know the heart aches it
cost. But with a hope Of such a
course preparing her better for
the work and living in China
and a conviction OF duty, we feel
encouraged to go forward.
1t will make the years. expense
much heavier, but God who has
so graciously supplied us since
we went to China fourteen or fif-
teen years ago will not let His
people and our fellow workers
at home forget US. Let me a 8 k
our supporters to forward all
contributions to me in China as
l will haye charge of the accounts
and do all the corresponding
with the churches. This will not
only save my wife of any trouble
but enable us to keep our &C.
counts and receipts together. My
post office address will be Tai
An Flu, Sbantung, China.
This letter will be mailed at
Honolulu, the only very good
port and harbor in the waters ut
the Hawaiian Islands This port
is abort 1000 miles from San
Francisco, and it takes us about
six days to make the trip. We
willstop off one day at Honolulu,
which is a beautiful and largely
an American city. Until our ship
leaves this port I shall still be on
American possession. 1t is a pos.
session we can well afford to be
proud of, because it has been de-
veloped into the valuable little
country it is by our own United
States people.
The great work OF the mission
aries in bringing these islands I'M
der christian influence and COM
pletely overthrowing the idoli-
try OF the natives, is unparallell-
ed in the history OF modern mis-.
sions. Where a few tens of years
ago there were nothing but saw
ages, we now have a people but
little behind those oil the United
States IN education and intelli-
gence. The strongest element OF
the population are Americans OF
high ideals and progressive en-
ergies, some OF whom have mar
ried wives from among the ma.
tive Hawaiians.
These islands are not only val.
liable to the United States from
a commercial standpoint, but as
a coaling station and base ol
supplies in time OF war, they are
the key to American success. As
a simple matter OF self defense
the United States can never al
ford to let these islands fall into
the hands of any other nation
While the United States holds
these and keeps herself well forti.
| fed here no nation can success
fully attack our Western coast
No man OF war or alien feet ol
any nation can cross the Pacific
ocean and fight a battle without
coaling in our waters before they
can possibly return to their own
coast, and so long as they are
deprived of a coaling station al
Hawaii, they are rendered harm
less, if not helpless to even re-
turn to their own shore.
The little talk OF trouble with
E Japan some time ago stirred th'
: United. States to the necessity o
(: fortifying herself at Honolulu