Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1921-03-31
my VISIT IN CHINA
Roland q. Leavell
CANTON.
Chapter /.


If you had stepped with me off the
river boat "Kinshan" early that morn
ing as we arrived in Canton, you
would have been pulled at by the
scores of half-clad coolies waiting to
take the boat passengers in their
rickshaws into the city. 1t takes an
American a long time to get used to
! seeing a man between the shafts of
the buggy where we have always
seen horses. While watching his
strong 1.-the muscles tighten and re-
lax, | looked at my rickshaw man and
thought to myself, "Old fellow, |
would have you up in this buggy
with me if there were any possible
way to do it." A low estimate is put
on human life in heather countries
where men and women are used in the
places of animals.
"Tungshan," the Southern Baptist
MISSION Compound.
But he soon pulled me about two
miles to. "Tungshan," our mission
property, where ] was thrilled to
look about for the first time on a mis-
sion field. Mr.. and Mrs. King took
me in for breakfast and while eating
we heard some singing.
whats tnat ?" asked. for 1T was
the tune of "All Hail the Power of
Jesus Name" but the words were
not familiar to me at all.
"Oh, that's the singing over at
Mrs. Greene's school for women"
And very soon I heard the tune
Come Thou Fount of Every Bles-
sing" coming from another direction,
but so far as could tell, the words
were the same as the other song.
"And what's that?" asked. "That
is sweet singing"
'That," said Mrs. King, as she
poured out the coffee. sis the sing
ing in Mrs. Graves school for blind
girls. They sing better than any
other class of students in all our
schools"
| After breakfast we went out on
the grounds and saw the buildings
of the schools for girls, boys, kinder
garden. preachers. Bible women, and
blind children. 1t is the best equipped
of all our mission stations. The
Church building there is hardly large
enough to hold all the students. 1t
was an inestimable privilege to speak
through an interpreter to more than
five hundred Chinese students there
one Sunday morning.
| But | wanted to see. the kindergar-
den children. MIS-. Wulin, Chinese
woman VINO came to Kansas City for
her training, is there as a missionary
! to the little tots of her own people.
How bright and happy their little
faces We're as they sat in a circle
singing in Chinese 81 Washed My
Hands This Morning." and Jesus
Loves Me, This l Know" They hop
lped, skipped, played games, and lis
tened eagerly 70 stories about the
love of Jesus. My six year old niece
lCornelia was with me, carrying her
doll Laurie" When the little chill
dren saw Laurie, that broke up the
Kindergarten. They all rushed
around to see a real doll. for not one
of them owned one. So Cornelia
held out Laurie and let all the little
children touch her. They were quite
thrilled just to touch doll. l never
wanted fifty dolls at once so badly in
all my life as l did there.
| The Old Chinese City.
| Pretty soon we went into the old
Chinese section of the city, going
along broad street made where they
tore down the old city wall. 1t is
very significant to think that Chris
tian influence is making them tear
down these old useless relics of bar
barrie days, and build in their place
highways for the advance of all good
things of Christian civilization.
The streets of the old city are still
narrow, ranging from three to seven
feet wide Imagine the congestion in
there with the thousands of people
going to and fro all day long. The
streets are made very crooked in or
der to enable the people to dodge the
"evil spirits" or the dragon" when
they pursue. The people live in their
little shops, having their family
shrine and idols in the front, thus
using the front room which opens
out on the street for workshop, store,
parlor, dining room,- and bed room
To describe the filth anti dirt and
smell of these narrow streets so
crowded with people, so full of fish,
vegetables, soup stands, and gambling
dens-to describe that adequately is
for me an impossible task. We were
there about two hours until my nose
got really sore from the smell. See
ing people living in these terrible con-
ditions made me more deeply CRATE
full for the gifts of Southern Baptists
and other denominations which send
to these people teaching about clean
living, sanitary conditions, and the
Gospel of our Master.
A Chinese Funeral.
"What's all that coming?" l ask
led.
"Why, that is funeral" Mr.. King
told me.
A Chinese funeral. This was only
the parade part of it for neither the
corpse nor the family of the deceas-
ed were in the procession. Evidently
the dead had been rich man for it
was long, long procession of many
people hired for the purpose of show.
In front came two men supporting on
lpoles two large white and blue strip
II