Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1914-03-25
Mr.. LAKE INTERVIEWED
Rev John Lake Gives Out In.
teresting Information Con.
cernin. Conditions in
China.

things look rather pessimlstic lr
China and that there has been al
adverse reaction following the two
wears of rapid advancement made ny
she young republic, the Rev. JOIN
Lake, missionary at Canton, who i
at The sanitarium, believes that there
will be a change for the better il:
the near iature, and that once start
ed the republic will thrive and al
vance rapidly.
MIR. Lake states that the Chinese
are quick to learn and that already
prea, things have been accomplish,
ed with them by outside workers
Many of the barbarous customs sucl
~ binding the feet of the women,
wearing of pig tails, and SO on, have
been almost enllrely abolished in
this part of china.
For the past ten years Mr. Lake
and his wife have been in the zap
tist mission in Canton. While a
great deal Of work has been done in
the city itself, tn have had charge
OF chspels and schools spread over
several hundred miles or territory
in the Sc Yap region, near Canton,
and both he and his wife were Of
ten5called upon to make trips sever
al hundred miles up the shallow
rivers in light draft barges.
Owing to the fact that most of
those rivers are only a few inches
deep the boats are ecessarlly small
and Tor weeks at a time Mr.. LAX,
and his wife have lived in small
Junk" occupying one side of th'
pnal shelter, while the ChlneSr
family that owned the boat ncru.
pied the other half. The cabins on
thrs. river boats are SO low that a
parsos&a5Aaat ,s.aaa up, :iyzt ztker.a.
During very trying voyage III
October in one Of these crude crafts.
Mrs. Lakes health gave out and re
alizing that she was in a critical con-
diliun MIR. Lake rushed with her I"
q small island in the ocean, not far
from land where chapel was 10,
Gated, hoping that the fresh ali
would be good for her. He was ad-
vl>ed however to come to America
where she could receive proper care.
Having heard of he sanitarium.
he decided to come to Battle Greek
Tie passed Shanghai on Novembe'
: en- route to America, and a shoit
time afterwards was on the bosom
., ,ne stormy Pacific, on board th'
Empress of Russia. He reached
Battle Creek on November 20. be
to,e January Z. he was again H.
China in the longitude of Shanghai,
having circumnayigated the globe
in less than two months, over tw'
weeks of which time was spent o.,
. speaking tour in the southern
states OF America. In reality then.
be had been round the world in less
than 45 travelling Gays. After tn
annual meeting in b., territory b"
was granted fu lough and late in
January he again lied tor Am ri
G. tnl> time on the Mongolia. Tn
captain and crew sta ed that t. Is
was on. of the stor,niest pa>sa. eS
that the ship hal ever had. IL
reached Battle Creek on February
26, and is now at the sanitarium fu'
q few weeks rest following a strenn
ous life of ~ years. He will spen"
a goud share Of his fulough in max
ing speeches in America. He will
talk not alone IN English, becaus.
he expects to make several npeeche'
in the Chinese sections Of number
of large cities.
Mr.. and Mrs. Lake have written
and pub ished . number of book
f,r Chinese children and grown.ups
Dir. Lake has also edited severa
Chinese religious magazines. All of
these books and mag .zines are start
ed at the upper right corner of wh.'
would be the last page in E"glisf
and read backward, as looked q
from an American standpoint. MIR
Lake ,s also very pleasing write
O.: noetrv and ha has published on,
volume of his verses. Most of lhes'
were written Inprunplu tU his Wlf'
in letters which he serS her from
time to time. In his last journey h'
sent a poem from almost every stop
One describing a trip across the con
tinent on the tlans-Siberlan railroad
is especially good. Mrs. Lake ha,
saved these poems and copied then
in a note book and they Will proba
bly, be published in the future. Th'