Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-04-25
DESCRIBES NEED
OF WORK IN CHINA
MRS. j. p. ENGsTRoM GIVES IN
SPRING TALK AT PRESBY-
TERRAIN CONVENTION.
GREAT OPPORTUNITY

GHEAI OPPORTUNITY
Speaker Outlines Clearly The Chance
That Is Being Given to Ameri-
cans For Service
The first day of the twenty seventh
annual meeting of the women's socie-
ties of the home and foreign missions
in the Iowa Presbytery which opened
in Ottumwa Thursday, was featured
by the address delivered In the even
ing by Mrs. j. P. Engstrom of Chicago
and field SECRETARY of the work The
speakers subject was THE Century
CALI and was very excellent and in
spirational address on the great need
in the present day for good efficient
work among the heather people OF
China. She described the scenes in
that country, as she has seen them
herself, and was able in that way to
bring the message closer home by u.s.
ing actual occurrences and real Incl.
dents to serve as examples for the
truths she brought to her audience.
The Thursday evening service was
opened with the devotionals in charge
Of Rev. c. A. Montanus, pastor of the
East End Presbyterian church. This
was followed by musical number
given by the choir of the First Presby-
terrain church, Mrs. E. c. Peirce taking
the solo obligato work and Miss Hazel
NJ viz n
ment. Mrs. Engstrom then took
charge Of the gathering. She based tho
greater part of her talk on Paurs let
ter in Philippians. chapter 3-11 to IA.
This had to do with the mingling OF
the old and the new in life and the
speaker emphasized this thought over
and over again as being brought out
so plainly in the work of the foreign
missionary. She said that when this
idea was brought out strongly in the
work, then life was placed on higher
plane, above the petty things and small
Ter ideas and one would grow old
strcnpusly and Justify. if at all. The
example of Paul, when he was in the
dark, dank cellar, writing the letter
in which he said that it was all JOY
with him if he might be with Christ
and enjoy the fellowship of the suffer-
ing Of Christ ought to be used as a
basis upon which the workers should
build their strength and hope, the
speaker said
March of Progress.
Mrs. Engstrom. then spent some lit
tie time in the comparison of the work
being done now and that accomplished
by the missionaries awhile ago. The
great progress of life, industrially. COM
mercially, economically and educa-
tional1y all have had much to do with
the change that has been brought out.
She mentioned that today we are near
er South Africa than we were to Phlla-
delphia a century ago. The doors OF
the world are open now to the mission
airy worker and the march of progress
has made the world small for accom-
plishing the work. A century ago, the
speaker said, there were scarcely
hundred missionaries, today there are
10000 and $4,000 is the number of ac-
tive teachers who are bringing the
message to their own people. In our
schools in the foreign lands there are
1890, 900 children gathered and S,OO0,-
900 are in our hospitals. being taken
care of by our nurses and given med
ical treatment by our physicians.
Mrs. Engstrom then took up the ex-
ample of the Boxer uprising in China
in 1900. That" she said, was the
time of the real test. 1t was then that
the churches and the societies at home
stood or did not stand to the work.
When those people arose once more
and wanted to rebuild their schools,
colleges and churches, every stick and
stone of which was near and dear to
them, and which they had seen torn
down before their eyes, then 1t was
that those at home, far from the actual
scenes of strife, had their chance to
do something. The scenes of that az
fair are awful to describe. Young
men, young women, old men and chill
dren were all struck down by the up
risers on their doorsteps when they re-
fused to deny the religion Of Jesus
Christ. If they had only lighted one
candle on an heather altar they would
have been given their life, but they
preferred to go down to death In the
Joy and peace of Christ. If the gospel
Of the Christ is given half chance
it will spread to the Hottentot, the
Zulu, the Jew and the Turk all the
same"
Slavery in China.
Mrs Engstrom outlined fully the
life thai is spent by the women and
girls in China. They are compelled to
reside in slavery practically for they
have absolutely no freedom. no chance
to cypress their own ideas or give Vent
to their own thoughts CT plans. "A
frequent scnne in the streets ever
there" said the speaker, "is to see the
people following twelve year old Roy
about the streets and exclaim!ng what
a fine looking fellow he is and all that
sort of thing, while maybe a few feet
behind is another crowd beating and
l;.shing his poor old mother on account
Of some petty grievance that they
have against her. One-fsth Of tho
sill babies born into Chinese homes
al" unwelcon4e. One-fourth Of the
rewy made graves over there are
those of the ones who have gone down
without the least signs or inl1l.ng of n
hope of life beyond the grave They