Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1921-04-21

mountain and looked up at its dizzy
height, knew | did not need exercise
like climbing up there. To climb a
winding road up a mountain 5000
feet high was entirely too much like
work for man on vacation. My
friend Connely didn't consider my
wishes in planning my entertainment,
but went right on arranging to rise
at five next morning, take a lunch,
and climb.
Tai Shan," Sacred Mountain of China
That peak 5000 feet high. was ''Tai
Shan" or Great Mountain" the sac
red mountain up in Shantung Province
of China This is probably the old
est sacred mountain in the world,
worshippers having made their perlo-
dical pilgrimages to the place for sew
eral thousand years. Tradition says
that 1900 years before Moses got the
Law on Sinai, hte first Emperor of
China sacrificed to Heaven on Tai
Shan. Tradition dates Tai Shan back
to the twenty third century before the
Christian era. When the Emperor
finished this first sacrifice ESQ says
tradition), the Dragon" rose from
the waters of the Yello River in the
valley below and gave to the Emeror
all the secrets of husbandry, irriga-
ton, fishing, training of animals, mu-
sic, geography, civics, and the mystic
diagrams which are the foundation of
!all Chinese philosophy.
/ In gratitude, the dragon" has
been the symbol of the Empire from
about 5000 years ago until the es-
tablishing of the Republic within the
last few years.
At the foot of Tai Shan. in the city
,of Tai-an-fu, Confucius was born in
the year 551 B. c.
At five A. M. that crisp November
morning, | rose to climb up the nearly
six miles with about 1000 stone steps
leading to the top of the mountain.
But LO!! Out walked four men to
CARRY me, and four others to carry
!Connely. That is what l call noun
tain climbing ode luxe. NV troubles
vanished. | shall always thank Con-
nelly for planning that trip. The men
had a soft little swinging hammock
like seat made in between two poles.
One man in front and one behind car
ried me by putting the poles on their
shoulders. The two extra men re-
lieved them when thew were tired. Ii
one time their foot had slipped on any
of those precipitous places, / would
never have lived to write of it. But
it was worth the danger to get the
thrill. The view from the top of Tai
Shan-one of the finest in China
embraces what might be called the
Holy Land of China where her great
est sages, Confucius and Mencius,
lived, taught, and were buried.
In pilgrimage seasons, sometimes as
many as 10000 people make that as
cent daily. The top of the mountain
is covered with various shrines, tenn
pies, and places for sacrifice.
Visiting Interior Shantung.
+ Going into the country from the
railroad in Shantung, | found new
sort of vehicle, the "Shanza." 1t was
a sort of cot made between two poles,
and covered over with bamboo mats
like canvass covered wagon. A little
donkey was put between the poles IN
front of the cot, and one behind. Con-
nely and | got on the cot under the
cover while a Chinese boy walked
alongside to prod the donkeys. Sea-
sickness is not in it. On we logged
and iolted for 35 miles one day. Since
there are few passable roads up there,
Of course there are no bugg1es nor
cars. A shanza is considered a lux
ury and perhaps it is better than
walking.
We came to Pingtu. Pi1Sgtu seems
to be quite the hub of our North emma
Mission. 1t seemed to me that mis-
sionary work was more ideally proper
toned and more perfectly successful
there than anywhere | visited. The
work is we'll balanced The relative
Importance of evangelism education,
and medical work is wonderfully
worked out, all pointing toward one
thing. the salvation and training OF
the people.
The schools at Pingtu are full to
overlooking. Of the more than 2OO
girls in the school there, all except
: seven of the younger ones are Chris
tians. That would be a remarkable
record for an American school. The
statistics for the boys run just about
the same Of the graduated of both
SCHOOlS CllC lcASe COh ySe~Ao, -
most 100 per cent Of them have spent
at least two years in missionary work
among their own people as teachers
pastors, or evangelists. Most of then
continue it as their life work.
: The evangelistic spirit is evident
from the above facts. There has
+: sprung up among the Christians roune
-: Pingtu sort of Home Mission Boar1
!: of Evangelists, similar to our owl
I: Board with it's corps of evangellsts
!: This is real mission results. Aftel
!: being led to the Lord and educated II
!; the mission school they go out a!
! missionaries to their own people
!: Bro. VIM. Sears has been at Pingtl
!: for many, many years. He is quiet
f: modest, retiring. But when al
+: of us meet 1efore the Great Judge
!! | am convinced that quiet, modest
VIM. Sears viii receive the 'wel
done" along with Judson, Carey, ant
Livingstone.