Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1922-06-01

near our boat; laid him in the crude
coffin; stuck some of the paper
cash in his hands; nailed the lid
down with hoe; and carried him
/ away. According to the custom a
/ great quantity of this paper
money was burned. AS paper ad-
herring closely together does not
burn well, it was loosened up and
torn apart, being deposited a little
at n time. A quantity of firecrack-
ers was burned as the body was
about ready to be moved, and one
man followed the corpse, while two
others remained burning the cash
for possibly a half hour. In the
meantime two little sticks of in
cense were being burned.
Along toward morning friend
Smith aroused some of the officers
in his desire to get an early start.
but was not thanked for his eager
ness to be on the way back home.
He had just returned from opening
a mission station on the Saturday
he found our telegram, and rushing
to the river he boarded a soldier
boat so filled up that the COM
mander told him he could not carry
him, but Smith is nothing if not
persistent. The officer had no ac-
commodations, but Smith would be
thankful for just a stool But we
might have trouble on the way. Get
a coolie and take your things off so
| can open (move) the boat" But
Smith insisted that he was not going
to get Off. He must ride on that
boat. Finally the officer told him
if he would give a writing relieving
him of responsibility he might stay
aboard. "Ali right. My Heavenly
Father takes care of ne anyhow"
And it was only by this persistence
that he was in Wuchow when we ar
rived. Now that we had been delay
ed so long (and he feared to send
telegram lest it might add to Mrs.
Smiths anxiety. naturally he was
eager to go, and without delay we
did go. "a smaller boat, a lighter
load. larger motor and shorter
road
On Sunday evening, just as the
sun went out of sight, we arrived in
Kwai Hsien and went up to the an
cestral hall in which the Smiths are
living and conducting mission work.
These were formerly BOARD" mis-
siOnaries but resigned some time
ago and opened this work in April.
The premises consist Of three barn
like buildings with two open courts
Gall built together as to the outside
walls) with some other rooms at
tached and a garden or two in the
back. There is no provision for
heating and the quarters are not
closed in as our residences are, but
each "building" has a kind of open
space through the middle CORES
pOnding to the'place a farmer drives
his hay wagon on the barn floor.
One Of these has a floor in each end
open like the farmers haymow,
and in one of these we slept while
the missionaries occupied the other.
On the premises were five blind
boys. II blind girls, three blind
teachers. five seeing orphans. six
boarding students, the cook and his
wife and we four Americans. At the
street chapel were the native
preacher and wife Ca Bible woman) !
the chapel keeper, the boys teacher
mel, they are maintaining nine blind
children in school at another place; /
have opened four mission stations;
have worker at each place and /
one itinerating preacher. Though /
careful in dealing with converts, |
145 have been baptized from April |
to the end of November. There is
no society back of these people, yet
we have been nowhere treated with !;
greater kindness or liberalty.
To describe the experiences of 10 |
or II days spent in this interior
city, would require a good deal of !
space. / can only mention the for
NAL opening of chapel in the /
premises occupied as residence and |
school: the converts from outsta-
tions coming in for 90 and 80 miles |
on foot, bearing their gifts (and /
bringing another blind girl in bor- !
rOwed clotheS); of the messenger /
from the Yamen coming about sun
set on Sunday evening with word !
that the spies had returned and the |
robbers (about 1000 ex-scldiers of /
the old government and other rob-
bers) were expected to come that /
night, and the fact that we needed i
a boat by Tuesday or Wednesday to |
enable us to reach Hong Kong ac-
cording to our desires for sailing on
this ship. Only two boats, it seem
ed, were left at Kwai Hsien, and |
now one of them has been seized |
and the other did not get back in
time for us. Tuesday we were hav
ing the river watched and praying
God to provide way when it pleas