The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1909-06-17
Miss Kate [. Shaeffer Of Somers
Tells Of Work Done by Mis-.
slOnariss in China
WORK SHOWS PROGRESS
Kenosha Woman Who is Devoting Her
Life to the Work of the Church
Tells of Great Advance Of
Christianity in China
(By Katherine L. Schaeffer)

(By Katherine L. SchaeHer)
The spirit of progress which is abroad
in the Chinese Empire is also felt to
some extent in our island, which is the
most southerly portion of China.
The Hainan Industrial Development
Association, syndicate consisting of
several wealthy Chinese capitalists resi-
dent in Singapore and the Straits Set
Elements, obtained a concession from
the throne last year, and the work Of
developing the resources of Hainan has
begun The ten mines on the western
side Of the island were the first to
claim attention. A small force Of
about thirty men has been at work
there the past six months. The fore
man, who has been accustomed to a
semi western mode of living, comes to
the missionaries IA Nodoa occasionally
to get bread to relieve the monotony of
his Chinese fare.
The second step in the development
of Hainan, was the opening Of salt
works on the northwest coast, and now
an automobile road is being surveyed
between the tin mines and the salt
works. The opening of copper and
gold mines is also being contemplated
The Chinese Imperial Customs, which
has charge of the postal services of the
country, has recently opened three more
Offices in anterior towns, making the
number Of inland Offices six. The post
office in our town of Kachek has now
been in successful working order for
four years, and receiving mail regular
ly once in four days is convenience
greatly appreciated by us missionaries
resident seventy-fve miles from the
port.
The antiopium edicts are not being
taken up very seriously as yet though
one occasionally hears of the closing
of an opium den for violating the rule,
that permits but one lamp to be burn
edain2a9shop; the idea is to make opium
smoking difficult by compelling the
smokers to wait their turn at the sim
gle lamp still allowed in each opium
chop. The price Of opium is steadily
advancing, owing to the taxes on this
drug.
Six victims of the opium habit have
gone out of our Kachek Mission Hos
pital cured this year, and at present
there are twelve other patients heroi-
cally going through the various stages
of the treatment necessary in order to
"a cure. One of these ifs a woman, and
H2saw considerable of her when she was
'bravely holding out during the first
three days of her stay; she is much
more comfortable nowto on the fifth day,
but llIest vremain here three weeks.
Plague'is an ever present enemy dur
Aug the spring months of the year IN
some parts of Hainan One Mission
School Of over hundred pupils has
been broken up forptwo or three months
each year FOR several years in success
sion, owing to its proximity to mar
ket town which has been repeatedly
visited by this scOurge. The inha-
bitapts of that town are gradually los
ing faith in the old heather methods
lof gettingnup professions and theatre
calls for the purpose of appeasing the
wrath of the plague spirit, but they
areinot quites educated up to acting up
On*westsTn advice, regarding the cleans
ing of the town and keeping4 several
catsrin every house to rid the town
OF rats which are the means ofaeom-
mllnicatihg the disease to man. Flight
from the infected town into grass huts
out on the open plain is the safety to
which the terror stricken people resort
when the epidemic is upon them. We
hope that the hot sun of this month
(May) may help TO arrest the epidemic.