The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-07-26

welcome, and hot lunch, and soon
after we were off to bed.
The island of Haitang is twenty-five
miles long, and varies from two to
eight miles in width, and has popula-
ton of seventy thousand 1t lies just
at the head OF the wind-swept For
mosan channel, where many mariner
loses his life during the typhoon sea-
SON.
| The story of the introduction OF
christianity into this island is most
interesting. Thirty-six years ago a
Chinese soldier travelling on the main
LAND heard the Jesus doctrine at an
inn, from the lips Of a Christian fel-
low traveller. He accepted the truth,
and when, shortly after, he returned
to Haitang he did not rest till he had
carried the gospel message to every
one of the four hundred and eleven
villages of his island home. He died
exhorting his sons to be faithful chris
Itians, and number of his family are
today active members of our mission.
| We have twelve church buildings on
Haitang, and regular Sunday services
are held in thirty villages. There are
eleven day schools for boys and six
teen for girls. When Miss Lydia
Trimble was stationed at Ngucheng in
1881, her heart yearned over the peo-
pie on the island beyond. She visited
Haitang and opened the first day
schools and Bible Woman's Training
school, supervising the work from the
mainland. Seven years ago Miss
Mamie Glassburner was sent to Hal
tang, the first foreigner to be regu-
larly appointed there. For two years
and half she lived in the primitive
Chinese house used by the women OF
the training school. then the commodi-
GUS building for the girls boarding
school was erected, with accommoda-
lions for resident missionaries. For
most of the time during the first five
years Miss Glassburner bravely and
faithfully carried on the work alone.
Then she was Joined by Miss Jessie
Ankeny, recently out from home. All
honor to these two young women, en-
tirely cut off from social privileges,
from a foreign doctor and from much
that on the human side makes life at
tractive, and who through the long
lonely months have been true to their
tasks and to duty!
| Haitang is desolate and barren,
much OF it being simply sandy waste,
while the higher portions are crowned
with Enthusiastically shaped rocks OF
mammoth proportions. Near the cen
ter is a beautiful fresh water lake two
lmiles long and half a mile wide, which
lis in the undisputed possession OF
fiocks of wild ducks, as the govern
ment forbids the islanders to carry
firearms. A few patches of green may
be seen here and there, where an at
tempt is made to grow beans and
wheat, but the crops are pitifully
scant. The inhabitants depend main
ly for their support on the fisheries,
the oysters, crabs and Holsters found
in these waters being remarkably fine.
The people, however, are Of the poor
est of the poor, and cannot afford even
diet of rice, but subsist mainly on
sweet potatoes, which grow plentiful
ily in this region.
But poverty stricken as they are, our
Haitang christians are loyal givers,
and many of them subscribe regularly
from one.fourth to one-half Of their in
come to the support of the work in
their own village, besides sending spe-
cial contributions to other parts OF
the island and sometimes to the main
land. As we looked into the bright.
earnest faces of the women and girls
in our schools, we thought with glad
hearts of what their training meant
for the future of Haitang. Tie people
are so receptive and the work so prom.
Using that it seems as if it might not