The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1909-07-24
FAR-AWAY CHINA.
An Interesting Letter from ! Lincoln
County Boy % Pleasant Grove
Church.

Church.
Shanghai. China, June 4 '09.
TO Pleasant Grove Baptist Church,
Lincoln County, Miss.
My dear Brethren: II have been
thinking for some time that would
write you some things Of my work
and ways here in my new field Of
labor.
Let me say in the first place ! am
we'll and happy as / can be. I
would rather work for my God in
China than in any other place on
Earth. Not because the pleasures
from a human standpoint are great
Ter. for as matter Of course they
are not so great. But to realize
that You are working among a
people that need the gospel SO
lgreatly. and a people, at the same
time. that is as great as any
Ipeople on earth is surely an inspir-
lation. One does not have to be
there very long before he really
loves them. find they make good
friends as any body; and from a
social point Of view they are as
Igood among the better classes, as
Ianything you have over there.
EJust q few nights ago | was invited
Ito formal dining in one of the
best homes in Shanghai where there
were both English and Chinese. /
felt little embarrassed at first, be-
eause | did not have the clothes to
dixie outV ike some Of them wore,
but 4 got interested and got all
There was in it for me.
was very much interested in a
conyersati tion with a young China
Imam who Is connected with the rail-
road here He is very highly ed
iucated man. It was a treat to
Eher him talk: of couse, he was talk
ling English or | could not have I'M
Ederstood him very well. The only
trouble is they don't know our God.
Most Of my work is language
lstndy. Lam doing very little else
NOW. | preach occasionally at one
lof the English churches. Preached
last night to a very large crowd and
had fine service.
make some trips into the
country sometimes that are very
fine. Some days ago | went into
| the interior a distance Of some two
hundred miles. / enjoyed the trip
VERY much indeed. It was very
impressive from many points of
lview. A running account of some
lof the observations may be of some
Interest.
In company with DR.. Bryan left
here on Saturday morning on the
fast tHaintB Chingkiang. Arriving
there about three p. M, we went
Immediately to the steam launch
on which we went up the Grand
Canal to YangchDw.
The Canal trip is very interest
ing Chinese were packed on the
launch and on the barge as thick as
sardines. DR.. Bryan knows how to
make it pleasant for the Chinese as
well as to make them interesting
to another. So we had lots of fun
and helpful observations during the
afternoon. We arrived in Yang
chow about seven q clock that after
noon and spent Sunday there.
On Sunday DR.. Bryan and others
were talking and preaching nearly
all day. This is Mandarin speak
ing district and ! did not know a.
word that was said, but the good
spirit of the service could be felt
| by any one present.
AT the close Of the morning we
walked down the street with Dr.
Taylor our medical missionary
there, to discuss some things with
him. My heart was made to bleed
as / witnessed some Of the trials
that man has. On account of his
health She mission has asked him to-
close his hospital till later. But
| the fact that his hospital is closed
does not stay the ravages of disease
and the sick from every quarter
come to him. We met one on the
way who got down on his knees and
plead for help: we found another
at his gate with broken arm and
suffering intensely who got down
lin the dust and begged SO pitfully
that the poor tired doctor could not
longer resist Q. why should sol
many Of Gods creatures suffer
there with SO few to help
On Monday we continued our
journey up the Canal for twenty
four hours more. All types Of
humanity were to be seen through
this section. Some as fine spec
linens Of noble. cultured, intelli-
gent manhood as I ever saw. Then
there were all other types and the
beggar class not much in the mi-
|nority. This was the late famine
district and many who learned to
beg then continue ii still. Tues
day afternoon we arrived at Whai-
anfu and remained d couple of days
visiting some Of the near towns.
We went to the hospital there
where the doctor is treating from
l75 to 200 patients per day. +