Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1921-08-10
Learning to Love the Lepers.
Rev. John Lake.

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Asked today, by the editor of the
New East to write an account OF my
unworthy efforts in behalf of the lep-
ers, and especially of what led me to
this undertaking, I have commenced
the task, between very, very frequent
calls.
Frequent calls-for, besides this
work for the unfortunate lepers, 1
have the care, in Canton City ana
Province, of more than thirty church
es and chapels; and my wife and l
are kept busy trying to do duty
by the more than a thousand mem
hers in these little scattered congre-
cations, and by our more than a hum
dred Chinese preachers, teachers, BIZ
BILE women, colporters, and student
workers-for, connected with these
churches, there are more than twenty
day schools, to say nothing OF h
Sunday schools, and the special or
carnations for women and for the
young people.
But the editors request brushed
aside, for the moment, the things that
hourly press so heavily upon me
and I was a college boy again, back
in my native county of 'Edgefeld, S.
c., and in the town of Edgehela,
where 1 spent some of the years OF
nv childhood and early manhood.
1t was about the year 1890, either
while I was on vacation from Charles
ton, or between my student days in
Charleston and in Columbia, that 1
noticed a book belonging to the late
Mr.. Alvin Hart, in his place of bust
ness in Edgefeld.
The book was entitled "The Lepers
of Molokai"-an account of the work
among those sorely outcasts in the
Hawaiian Islands, of the Belgian
priest, Joseph de Veuster, generally
known as Gather Damien" Mr.. Hart
was absent, but one of the young
clerk, Mr.. T. B. Lanham. a friend
through all these years, loaned me
the book, which I took home Ito
"East Hill") for a few days; and
there in that quiet ~well-shaded hill
top retreat, but without telling to
parents or brothers or sisters what
was in my heart, / read it through;
and there I conlmuned with God
about work for the lepers, and re-
solved that if His call should ever
come to me, I would be willing to
undertake such a task, somewhere. l
had already become a student volun-
teer for foreign missions, while at
summer school in Mortified, Mass,
more than a year before.
The thought of such an undertake
ing made me shudder, / must con-
fess-ah, I have shuddered over it.
since, and over the loathsome, revolt
ing objects that demanded my pity
and help, many and many a time!I
but shuddering and shrinking have
given place to the joy of such service
for Him and for those He loved to
touch and heal, in the days of His
flesh, and over whom He yearns to-
day.
A beautiful Bible reading on "Je-
sus and the Lepers" could be made
from the three parallel passages,
Matt. 8:2-4; Mark, 1:40-44; Luke
5:12-14; and from Matt 1917, 8 and
Luke 1%7:11-16.
Strangely enough, I did not think
of the lepers when I decided to come
to South China, where the disease is
so common, or when I first reached
Canton; but on my first journey to
the So Yap country, a few weeks
later, I saw some lepers for the first
time in my life-however, as l threw
them plying, but almost frightened
glances, and threw them some coins,
I knew that I must now begin to do
something for them, as l had promis-
ed God I would be willing to do.
Soon after that, I visited, with DR..
Beattie of the Presbyterian Mission,
the leper work that was then carried
ON out beyond the East Gate of Can
ton. And soon I became acquainted
with "Father Conrardy, "who was
founding the leper colony at Shek
Lung, where l now have a chapel
and talked with him about his work,
in former years with "Domien" as
he called him.
During one of my early preaching
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