The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-05-04
MRS. RALPH kEENE
TALK ABOUT CHINA
Tells of Her Experience In
That Country While
Missionary

Mrs. Ralph Keene Of Spokane.
Wash, who was a missionary for
twelve years in China, eighteen
years ago, when missionaries were
few and riots among the Chinese
were an everyday occurance, spoke
Yesterday TO the ladies of the For
eign Missionary society of the Meth
odist church. She had to return TO
her home from China on account
IF i'll health and has worked con
stantly here in the interests of mis-
sionary work, making two trips year
~ across the continent. She is now
on her way TO Chicago to attend the
Foreign Missionary society of the
Methodist church. She Is the secre-
tary of the home base of Columbia
river branch of the w. F. NJ. S. Mrs.
keene was formerly Miss Wilma
Rouse of Lakefield before her mar
riage to DR.. Ralph Keene, formerly
of this city. Mrs. A. M. Clements
one of her classmates in the high
school at Winnebago, now living in
Mankato, was present at the meet
ing yesterday. Mrs. Keene was in
Japan and India but she confined
her talk to the women of China. She
had an experience that few people,
even missionaries have. Her death
was cabled TO America among the
thirteen missionaries who had lost
their lives in a Chinese riot, and it
was some time before her people
could locate her. When she returned
from the interior she found thirteen
of her English missionary friends
had been murdered by the vege
tartan Buddists near ku Cheng who
do not believe in taking the life of
animals but will take the lives OF
reople. When a riot occurs in the
inferior OF China" said Mrs. keene,
1T is not because We are mission
aries, it is because we are foreign
ers. They hate foreigners of any
kind. one nationally as well as an
other They claim that it was the
foreigner, members Of an East India
company who forced opium upon
them. years ago at the point of a
hayona 1t has since become the
curse of their country.
Mrs. Keene then described a
heather village where they had
never heard of a Bible and the con-
'dition of the women there. and then
OF another village where mission
aries had visited. In the latter the
girl babies were left to be raised by
the mothers where in the heather
ones they were taken away. She
work in China as she sailed down
the river in a Chinese boat, the
body of a dead baby fioated along be-
side them. She gave a thrilling de-
scription of one time when she and
her Bible woman. Chinese, riding
in a sedan chair propelled by coolies,
lost their way in a mountainous re-
gion, infested even with tigers and
other animals, they came upon a
heather village. They were afraid
to return on account of the animals
and afraid Nto go into the village.
Mrs. Keene spoke the Chinese lang
uage, so she and the Bible woman
marched ahead of the coolies. The
crowd began TO surge around them
and thicker and thicker they grew,
crowding them against the wall of
the building. "A foreigner" they
cried and still they crowded until
practically all of the villagers were
present One of the coolies climbed
upon the top of the sedan basket
and squelched the excitement OF the
heathens by telling them the woman
was just pressing through. She had
lost her way, that she was kind,
peacesble and could talk Chinese
and she would tell them, not of the
God of hate and evil that they knew,
hut of the God of love. Little by
little the mob quieted and finally she
mustered up enough of courage to
take the stand and tell them every
thing that might appeal to them.
First she prayed. They asked her
outright. what she was doing. She
explained and asked them to close
their eyes with her once again. She
said il was the hardest she ever
prayed in all her life for she did not
know but any moment when there
would be a riot.
Finally they quoted and listened
from curiosity. Then after she had
talked an hour or more, in her fright
they demanded more. She talked on
until nearly exhausted. Promising
them she would talk early next
morning they released her. At day
break she heard them coming. She
hurriedly dressed and talked still
longer than the night before. They
begged her to return again as she
resumed her journey. Thousands
of villages are just like this one,
away back in the mountains or along
the river banks where they never
heard of missionaries, said Mrs.
keene. 1T is so today and there are
not enough missionaries. If only
those who are against foreign mis-
sionaries could see what have seen
and could take them with me on a
journey from a heather village to a
christian one, they would never be-
grudge money or hinder the work"
Previous to Mrs. Keenes talk Mrs.
Frank Gregg sang Show Me the
Way" by Tourjee, in a lovely voice
which she sang with much feeling.
delicious luncheon was served at
the close of the meeting.