Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-08
WORK DIFFICULT IN PERSIA
DR.. J. M. YOnan, Physician and Mis-.
sionary, Tells Of Endeavors.
PLANS FOR HOSPITAL IN EAST
CASTELAR, Presbyterian Congregation
Hears sermon ny Visitor, In which
He Tells Of Power of MOham-
medRn Religion.

DR.. Jesse Malek Yonan OF Urmiah. Per-
sla, who is travelling in this country to
collect funds for the hospital which he is
building in the province Of Kurdestan,
was in the pulpit Of the CASTELAR,
Street Presbyterian church Sunday morn
ing.
THE work Of Christian missions in Mo-
hammedan countries is very difficult
said DR.. Yonan. "The Mohammedan thinks
that he Is a special apostle Of God and
that all Christians are infidels. He is
very religious, which makes him very IA
natical against the invasion OF other
faiths than his own. He thinks that II he
kills a Christian he is doing a great
service to his God.
THE real Mohammedan Persia has been
scarcely touched by Christianity. In my
own province. that Of Nastoria, there have
been Christians since the first century, and
it is there that the first missions were es-
tablished. BY %enthusing and aiding the
converts in this province they hoped to
get them to go among their own people
in other provinces and work for the
church, and that has been the result, as
hundreds Of young historian men are
going about Mohammedan Persia
preaching the gospel at. the daily risk of
their lives.
II came to this country and was gradu-
ated from the Rush Medical college in
1897. After a year in a Chicago hospital 1
went back to carry out my plan Of be-
coming a physician and missionary, sup
porting myself as l went. 1 set out from
my home in Urmlah to SIENNA, the capital
of the barbarous province of Kurdestan,
which was seventeen days journey, with a
caravan of twelve mules laden with med
icines and surgical instruments. II l had
not been a physician / should not have
been able to temaln in Kurdestan for
two hours in safety. The people knew l
was a Christian, and 1 was accosted as
soon as 1 entered the city by a crowd who
asked my mission there. No missionary
before ms had ever gone to them. I de-
clared that 1 was a physician come to
heal their sick and injured. and that gave
me standing among them. The governor,
who was a highly cultured man and a
graduate of oxford, told me he was glad
that l had come, as there was not a doctor
in the whole province.
Physicians Are Welcome.
las a doctor I was admitted to their
homes and their harems, and after be-
came somewhat acquainted with their
women 1 was asked many questions con-
~ NAt SNhpBNoh oAh NAAAA1 ANoAA
women. l told them of the freedom that
the western women enjoyed and that It
was due to the justice of the Christian
spirit. That was the first l was able to
do In spreading the gospel. 1 established
strong friendships with the young men, and
they invariably wanted to talk religion
with me. The Mohammedan is an eager
searcher for the truth, and when he lie
convinced that Christianity is the best
religion he becomes ardent in the faith.
Some OF them were not strong enough to
risk death. but many were martyred, and !
saw with my own eyes one man who was
ehoked to death in a prison for confessins
Christianity.
When cholera visited SIENNA 1 was the
only physician for the city of 5000 and
the province of 100000 people. They
were dying around me 100 a day. But
cholera can be controlled by modern meth
DDS and l was able to give them a great
deal of relief. When l had saved their
lives 1 read scripture to them, as ]
could do 1t then without danger. when
under ordinary circumstance it would
cost my life. I told them the Christian
spirit was responsible.
I'VE are now planning to build a hos
pital in Kurdestan, and we can do It there
for $4,000 on the same scale that would
cost 100000 here. 1 have already raised
5000, and l expect 70 get the rest Of II
before the first OF the year"