Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1922-06-28
Interesting Letter From Rev.
John jackson.
Dear Mr.. Minis:

- john JaChSOu.
Dear Mr.. Minis:
Since tomorrow is holiday, / shall
try to snatch few minutes from my
regular program and write you few
words. Tomorrow is "Dragon Festi-
val" We heard something of drag
ons while in America, but they are
actually here in China, as far as the
Chinese are concerned They can pic
ture them perfectly, but when we
leave their imagination, we cannot
find the much dreaded dragon. I do
not yet know the significance of this
feast day. All holidays in China, l
think, are days for feasts. At any
rate, we are sometimes as glad to see
! a holiday as the students are.
When you last heard from me l
think [ was in Shanghai. On the mis-
sion field we are subject to change.
I was transferred to Soochow to fill
a vacancy made by the death of one
| of our young men in the academy. I
did not want to come here because I
wanted to do church work. However,
/ think am soon to get at the thing.
for which my heart longs. For the
next year I am to be in country evan
lgelistic work. l got a glimpse of it
recently when I made trip to the
country to baptize nineteen men. At
/ this place we had no ordained man..
I am helping in little Sunday
school that meets at 2:90 p. m. Last
Sunday there were ffty-two present.
Miss Bagby and ] from the mission
aries, one woman from the Bible
school, and six students from Yates
made up the teaching staff. Among
the fifty-two, there were two or
three men, three babies and two wo-
men, the rest being small children.
Last year we had a school there but
now we. have not. To get the children
to come we give them cards with pic
lures. If one child brings another, he.
gets two cards. Last Sunday onelarge
boy went up for his Especial men
1tionn and extra card. When asked
lWhom he had brought he held out the.
little baby in his arms. Another lit
| tie fellow said he. brought another.
He was too little to bring him him
self, so his big brother brought him
UP, little child of few months old.
Very few of the children can read,
so we are reviving the old system of
teaching them to read, and at the
same time they are learning about
the Bible, God and Jesus.
In our boys high school here we
have 180 students, and the girls num-
Der more than 100. There are also
four lower primary schools in our
work in the city. This week We are
having special services twice a day
for the boys. The girls had their
meeting last week and the general
meeting in the church the week be-
fore. There have been some conver-
sions. One senior today said that he
took Jesus as his Saviour and then
prayed a good prayer. This was in
private meeting of only two besides
the Holy Spirit.
Since coming to China there have
come into my life two events of vast
Importance. My transfer to Soochow
has meant much to me in negative
way, as well as positively. The fact
that I had topart with my friends
and my work in Shanghai was one Of
the hardest to face that have met in
China. The other was the death of
my father last July. This was not
easy. We try to face such things be-
fore we come out, and try to be ready
to meet any news like this in the spir-
| it of submission. But when it comes
so suddenly, it is hard, lonely and
trying. My friends in America and in
China wrote many letters of comfort
and consolation. I deeply appreciated
the sympathy of each. I also should
like to express my thanks and appre-
citation to all those who offered aid
of all kinds to the family at home
during those hours of heart throbs
and anxieties.
One friend sent me the following
lines (borrowed):
cone less at home; the charmed cir
| o1o broLon and dear face