Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1909-07-23

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not yet been met fully, since the
Korean Christians are devoted Bible
students. The New Testament has
been put into the native tongue, and
a board of translation is at work upon
tie Old Testament. This matter of
Bible translation, which is financed
and directed by the American and
British and Foreign Bible societies, is
considered of far reaching impor-
lance, inasmuch as it is done for all
he future. Owing to the lack of ma
tive words to express many religious
terms, new Christian vocabular Ia
practically created
The Cross on the Dance Hall.
The visible signs of Christianity
which the casual visitor may find in
Seoul would by no means tell the
whole story. On two hills outside the
old city walls (whose gates no longer
shut at curfew, as they did few
years ago. may be seen imposing
Roman Catholic churches. The Meth
odist church, not far from the Amer
lean legation, is also in western style,
as is likewise the Anglican church.
One other large outbuilding on the
main street bears the sacred symbol
in the form usually seen over Protest
ant Episcopal churches; investigation
shows, however, that the building ~
low dance hall, the vilest resort In
the city How it ever came to be
| nf cd nv q
able to explain.
The churches, for the most part,
are in low one-stOry Korean buildings,
the exterior giving no adequate con-
ception of the seating capacity. The
Presbyterians have what they call
Collegiate Church" 1t comprises
three congregations, meeting together
for a joint preaching service by
missionary in the afternoon. In the
morning Sunday schools are held.
more adults than children attending.
and in the evening the congregations
worship separately usually with a
Korean preaching. Several of the
church buildings are too small TO
hold the crowds in attendance. Union
services in English are held every
Sunday afternoon on the Methodist
compound.
The Methodist churches, like the
PreSbyterians, are experiencing ire
mendous growth Rev. DR.. George
Heber Jones, pastor of the largest.
tells me that upon his recent return
from America he found no less than
500 prObationers on the waiting list.
One Sunday of my sojourn in Seoul
one of the most notorious characters
in the city arose in the Methodist
church, and. confessing his sins,
asked to be admitted as a probation
er. He has been a high Office holder
and a wealthy man; his extOrtions
had earned for him a nickname which
DR.. Jones says can only be translated
as Min the cuss.'
A Young Woman With Nerve.
A great deal of religious work in
Seoul. From this point many of the
missionaries who reside here go out
on their itinerating trips. 1t is sell
dom possible to find all the mission
aries at home at once. A newspaper
| page could be filled with stories of
the experiences of the itinerating mis-
sionaries.
At little dinner party in Seoul
CHANGED to be seated alongside of a
charmingly dressed young American
woman. Apropos of my tale of riding
IL hours to Pyeng Yang in zero wealth
er in absolutely unheated cars, she
told how before the railway was run
ming she once started to come down
from Pyeng Yang to Seoul, in
Korean sampan filled with natives
There was only one room, no sleep
ing accommodations, and no privacy
The boat was scheduled to start at
noon: by wild rush the missionary
arrived in time, and there she had
to stay until six o'clock the next
evening, expecting the boat to start
| at every minute, and with no heat
and no food except Korean rice.
After that delay OF 80 hours came
the long ride down the ice-filled river.
/ LILO JOuA5 UOAAoAy dplOpOO VI ltlG
subject of foreigners feeling obliged
to travel armed, for fear of Japanese
coolies, related how in the earlier
days, when there was considerable
hostility to foreigners in the interior
Of Korea, she was wont to examine
her revolver every night, in spectacu-
lar fashion, in order to impress the
natives, although she was as much
afraid of the weapon as they. Once,
sojourning in an inn with an evil repu-
| tation, she overheard an ominous con-
versation. Going out front, and with
great circumstance OF preparation.
the missionary made as If to shoot a
maybe in distant tree. The terri
fed natives besought her not to do so,
and, with seeming reluctance, she put
away the revOlver-and slept undis-
turbed through the night. There is
an amusing side as well as a seamy
side and hopeful side, to mission
! work in Korea.
Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowlesl