Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1921-06-15
LETTER FROM MISSIONARY

Ny sister Della as you know, Is working
under the w. T. M. s. ] am under the par
ent board. 1t Is all the same work, Of course
except that she works IN the girls school,
IL the boys.
that one of the weaknessesf il our work IS
that we have not been touching the home life
Of the people. especially those of the students.
as much as We should Our work IS so largely
educational and those who are tied down 20
the school work cannot possibly find the time
and strength to do much in addition. For this
reason have been set free from much of the
regular routine school work and given evan
geiistic work which consists largely in visit
ing m the homes o. the students However,
] would not have you get the idea that the
schools are not eyangelistic agencies. for they
and further more they the best pos
sible means of breaking down barriers of su-
perstition. Perhaps ] ought TO tell you right
here Just little about the religious work done
IN the schools.
In the first, second, third. and fourth grades,
use the graded Sunday school lessons. In
addition to this, the boys are required to men,
orize the Lords Prayer, Ten Commandments,
The Law OF Love- Golden Rule. The Beatitudes
and as many Of the Psalms as we can find
time for. The students above the fourth grade
have chapel exercises FOR half hour iaily.
Having chapel hall large enough 70 ac-
commodate all the students at one time they
have TO come in relays. Ii has become nv
privilege and delight to conduct the chapel
exercises on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fri
days. ! am now taking up with them a study
Of Old Testament characters beginning with
Abraham, In British Territory, all schools
So on Wednesday Of Passon week. | took the
story Of the Crucifxion and the Resurrection
and dwelt for few moments the fact that
the Christ whom we serve is not dead being
such as Mohamed. Budha, Confueius, but
a living Christ whom has all power in hesv-
en- and earth. ] wish you could have seen
now attentive the boys and they are
bright enough too TO grasp these great but
simple truths of the Gospel and it is a rare
thing that any student who has been in
Mission Schools for any length of time will
even argue against christianity. The great
question at issue is how 70 get that touch with
them that viii lead them TO accept Jesus Christ
as personal Saviour and become members of
Sunday school and church.
II must be kept in mind that the majority of
students come from heather homes in which
they are surrounded by idolatry every day and
i they wish to attend Sunday school, they are
SO often forbidden because their parents know
that if they become christians that means that
they won't worship them after death Over
and over again. ! have had parents tell me-
that they do not object to their children going
to Sunday school and learning about chris
tianity, but / must promise not to let them
become baptized, beeause to them that is chris
tlanity, so l hcte to explain and over
again that We never compel anyone TO be bap-
tiled. we only wish to teach them the very
best things in life. but to tell them that chris
tlanity teaches their children respect for par
ents means nothing to them, for the word re-
spect TO them means worship after death, and
you would be surprised 10 how this spirit
OF filial piety is in the very system Of the
The other day was talking with an eighth
grade boy about coming to Sunday school and
ne said, My mother viii not let come and
I cannot go against my mother" told him
was not asking him to go against his mother
but to reason with his mother and explain to
her what the Sunday school would do for him.
however, there is not the stern opposition now
that there was when ] first came 10 Singaport
eight years ago. The bigger boys, If they
can be properly interested and touched, the
large majority of them can attend so you
see while have great many Il ings TO
work against, also have many more things
TO be thankful for, but as mentioned above,
the atmosphere in the homes is so far .emoved
from Sabbath observance and the teachings
of christianity that ia large plumber of cases
i never occurs to many of the students that
they ought to attend church or Sunday school,
but / have been overwhelmingly surprised,
over and over again in the last few months
how little personal touch and conversation
awakens interest and often changes the whole
trend OF thinking. just yesterday / was in
the home of one of the junior Cambridge
students of our school and / asked him If he
ever attended Sunday school and he said NO
have not because / cannot believe the teach
lngs of the Bible. The Bible says Thou shalt
not kill and why did christian nations rise
up and kill each other during the great war
and why did Great Britain force opium on
China some years ago?" So proceeded TO ex-
plain to him that not every one or every ruler
the sins that committed were done so as
q result of the lack of christianity in their
responsible for what individuals VINO were not
christians did. false pointed out TO him that
the countries who have the least christianity
are the ones which have the most ignorance
and crime and that the light and, education
and blessings which have come to China have
come through the channels of christianity
IN other words that christianity is a producer
OF love and unselfshness. Well he saw the
point and not only promised to come to Sum
Gay school himself but said he would bring his
friends with him. This Is q very encouraging
thing.
Boys quite frequently say to me when ask
them 70 come to Sunday school: YES, Ill come
and bring Ely friends too" These very offers
have lead me to begin very definite plans by
the way of making the boys who are already
in the Sunday school feel responsible for bring
ing some one else. Every Friday just before
give them names and addresses q boys whom
II is most easy for them TO each. Chinese
boys, just like American boys, like to be
given work to do and delight in sharing re-
sponsibility. Last Friday as | gave out names
and addresses one boy said to me. Are these
all you are going to give me p gladly added
some more names to his list
The most difficult task is to build up the
primary department of the Sunday school and
especially to get permission for girls to come.
You viii be interested in knowing how care
fully the Chinese guard the reputation of their
girls. They do not despse their girls as they
used to. but are quite anxious to give them an
education. OF course. If il comes to a finan-
eial question. the boys have the first chance
always, but l often think of the conditions
OF which ! have heard Miss Blackmore pio-
neer missionary, speak how thirty years ago
when the mission was started she used to have
TO go about and beg and coax to get only a
little handful OF girls TO come TO school but not
so any more. Every day we have to turn
away boys and girls from our schools because
of lack of room. With regard to the difficulty
q getting the girls intc the Sunday school
] wish to relate to you incident which /
met with some time ago.
l had made the acquaintance of two beauti-
full girls who very anxious to come into
my class. i know they could not come with
out their fathers permission so / went TO see
him and after having explained TO him my err
rand this is what he said 10 me. Il have no
objections to christianity and my daughter
were boy ! should not hesitate for a mo-
ment but if we Chinese people let our girls
go out and go places into mixed company
that leads people TO think our girls are not
and you know We have to look out for
do not have good regulations good marriages
are not possible" He went TO say, Il wish
my daughter to fix her mind on her studies
for few more years until she has finished
her Normal Training and when she is capable
Of taking UP a profession then she may 90
your own conclusions from the above named
incident but you will doubtless say as / said
TO myself Many American girl would have
been better off If she had been similarly guard
ed" However, the Chinese are gradually get
ting away from much of their old time con-
servatism. II only few years ago that
the girls who came TO our Methodist Girls
closed carriages and taken home again after
school in like fashion. A new day has come
and the opportunities for rendering service in
these Eastern lands are without limit and /
am profoundly thankful that have been given
place IN this great work.
] am sending you in addition TO this letter
an article that / wrote for the w. F. M. S.
fna0 will rripa