The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-07-06

taken uD. and it seemed TO me that
every one gave something, altnough
most could afford but a penny or SO.
| One woman brought in 81. This was
the widow Of a honey merchant who
had a huhch box, in which he put
his odd cents, and when the
lation amounted to something turned
it in. His widow is doing n same,
and his was her gift for the month.
No one who does not appreciate the
poverty of of Korea can realize how
the people are giving.They say money
talks. If it tells the truth these peo-
Faith With Works..
Faith without works is said to be
dead. If 50 our American Christian
ity is in a bad state in
with Korean Christianity. There is
a Methodist church in Seoul. main
tanned by tho natives, which IS larger
and quite as earnest as the one | have
described, and there are a numbe
Of other mission churches, most Of
which receive little help outside ko-
rea. There are many places in which
| money could be used to advantage,
and | know of no foreign country
where it will meet with such large re-
turns as right here. Some OF the ma
tive churches are miseTably poor.
Take that of DR.. Banker. near the
east gate in Seoul. 1t consists of one
room about the size Of a parlOr IN
an American fiat, and SO small that
only 100 men can be crowded down
upon the floor. At all the services in
that church the doors and windows are
full and many must stand outside.
1t has three meeting every Sunday
morning. There is one for boys,
which lasts from 8 to 10: then one for
men, from 10 to 12. and after that q
third service for the DR..
Banker tells me that his people all
give, although they are of h poor
est class Of Koreans, and that many
of them cut down their food in order
to give to the church. They will eat
q spoonful Or so less rice at a meal
or perhaps eat half the meal mount
on II day every week. h cOllec-
tons of the congregation amount to
about 50 per Sunday, and this is made
up of coins worth from One-fOrth Of q
cent to a nickel. The church has al
ready saved $3.50 toward a new build
churches on the outside. Last Sun
day DR.. Bunker baptized one woman
who was s~eventy-nine years of age.
At P~yengyang there is a Prebyte-
rian church which has twenty-five
hundred regular attendants on Sun
days and twelve hundred at the prayer
meetings during midweek. One of its
members is a middle-aged Wonan who
walks ten miles in from the country
twice a week, rain or shine. Think
OF walking forty miles q week to
preaching and prayer meeting! That
is what she does.
Bible Study Classes.
An interesting feature OF the Christ
ian movement here is the Bible study
classes which are carried on regular
~ in different parts Of the country
at certain times of the year. These
people are anxious to study the Scrip
lures and to have them explained.
Many Of them commit parts of the
New Testament, the Proverbs and
Psalms, and DR.. Gale tells me that he
has members of his church whom he
uses as a concordance, asking them
Where certain verses of the Scripture
are instead of looking at the books.
At a Christmas celebration last winter
an old woman of eightN-three was
told to repeat some verses from the
Elble. She started in With Proverbs.
and ratified of three chapters before
they were able to stop her. She said
she could give six more il they wanted
them. That woman walks three miles
every Sunday to church..
The Bible study classes come in the
winter and spring. The men have one
time and the women another when
they thus meet together. They will
walk for miles to these classes. bring
ing their rice or enough money to pay
for their beard while they stay. Some
en- 200 miles and walk ali the way.
These meetings last two weeks and
during this time the people read and
discuss the Scriptures. Last year the
mems classes were held in March. At
the meeting III Seoul there were 400
men, some Of whom came from near
the sea Of Japan, some from the north
and others from all over the country
The meetings were led by one of the
foreign missionaries who gave an
outline OF the book Of the New Testa-
ment which lac been selected for
study. After this, the men read the
book together. asking questions and
discussing each verse. They all take
notes IN order to carry their earning
back to their villages. At the women's
meeting the foreign ladies presided
and the exercises were similar.