Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1910-06-08
EDGEFIELD'S MISSIONARY
The Advertiser Publishes Inter-
esting Letter which Rev.
John Lake Wrote to
His Father.

you sometnlng aDOuC Cne cnape
that l have charge of in Cantor
City. 1t is the oldest Baptist meet
ing house in Canton, if not the old
est in China, and was originally
built, away back in the SOS by q
man who was ordained in our be.
loved Edgefeld, S. c. This was
Rev. 1. ]. Roberts.
Mr.. Roberts was born in Ten
nessee, February, 18th, 1902; was
converted at Shelbyville, Tenn.
studied in Tennessee and Kentucky
and also in South Carolina. He was
assisted in his education by the
South Carolina Baptist convention
in 1921, and ordained at Edgefeld,
S. c., April 22nd, 1928. On Janua.
ry 4th, 1880, he married Barsha
Blanchard, near Augusta, Ga.
Mr.. Roberts preached in Missis-
sisppi, where he owned property
said to be worth $4,000. This
property, donated by him, formed
the base Of the Roberts Fund So
ciety,'' under whose auspices he
went as a missi onary to China in
1886. He afterwards connected him
self with the foreign mission board
of the triennial convention, and
after the Southern Baptist Conven-
tion was formed, he became mis-
sionary of our board, though his
last years in China were spent
working as an Independent mission
ary. These and other facts, l have
CLEANED from DR.. Tupper's book
on the foreign missionary of the
Southern Baptist Convention.
The Southern Baptist Convention,
organized in Augusta, Ca, in ls45,
was first presided over by DR.. w.
B. Johnson of Edgefeld, whom you
doubtless remember. In fact I re-
member some funny stories you
used to tell me about his eccentrici-
ties when he visited your old home
when you were a boy.
Old South Carolina has played
no; small part in. foreign missions,
some Of the great heroes of the,
have lived, and some
have died, within her borde i
have been to the grave of Luther
I5ce at Pine PIeasant iin was
once Edgefeis eennty pow $
and Rev.J. u. Shhck The f & first zkIasTis
can Baptist Missionary to- China.
preached during his last years, and
found his last resting place, in Barn
well, S, G.
Frank Johnson, DR.. w. B's. even
more eccentric son, DR.. J. B. Hart
we'll and Miss Lula Whilden, still
actively engaged in the work; Miss
Whilden's father, mother and sis
ter, and Mr.. Gaillard, all South
Carolinians, were among those who
laid the foundations of the work in
China on which we of later date
are trying to build, sowed the seed
that we are reaping in the great
harvest of the twentieth century.
Through lack of care, Frank
Johnson's health failed and he had
to return to the homeland; through
lack of care when preaching to the
lepers, Mr.. Roberts contracted the
disease and died of'leprosy in 1871.
1 have preached to the lepers good
many times myself, but l am very,
very careful of my health, and now
this month / am entering into the
labors of those who have gone on
before, and am, in addition to my
work in the Sz Yap county, taking
on the care of Mr.. Roberts chapel,
the Oldest, as I have just said, in
this great city. A Chinese teacher
will live in the chapel and work un-
der my direction, and we expect to
hold services every Sunday, morn
ing and evening, and on most of |
the week nights too, year in and
year out.
AS you know, IS. c. and I live
in the great home of DR.. and Mrs.
R. Fl. Graves. This is DR.. Graves
ffty-fourth year as missionary in
Canton. He has proven that man
can stand the climate! There are
five cases of small pox in the wo-
mems school here on the compound,
Just found it out this afternoon.
IS. C." had some of her pupils
in the girls school to have small !
pox once but somehow we live, and
are happy
There are seven other Baptist
churches and chapels in this great
city, looked after by different mis-
sionaries and native pastors, besides
the chapels in our various schools
here on the compound. Five from
the orphanage were baptized yes
terday. / baptized fifteen candidates
in the Sz zap south west of Can
ton, the last half of last month, and
made trip just before that to a
church here 1 look after fifty miles
in another direction (north.) IS.
c." has over hundred in her board
inr. school and q larre attendance in |