Part 5

It is easy to see that a Chinese, returning to his native land from California, would be likely to have special advantages for doing missionary work. In the first place, by a process of natural selection, they are picked men. It is not the dullards or the drones that undertake to cross the Pacific, and make their way to fortune in a land so strange to them as this. And by the same process it is, again, among those who come, the picked men that enter our schools. The great mass do not care enough about learning to follow up each hard day’s work with two hours of evening study. Those that come do care, and care so much that they brave bitter reproaches in coming, from those whom they leave behind.

Then, besides the limited education which they are able to get in our schools, there is an unconscious education, which they _must_ be, all the while, unconsciously receiving, as they breathe the air of a free and Christian land. Their views are broadened; the old crusted conservatism is broken; and they can speak out, with a force and an authority which, it seems to me, no Chinese who had never left his native district could possibly use.

Then, there cannot but be an interest gathering about them, as having been in “the land of the golden mountains.” They have the story of this to begin with where-ever they go; they gather a crowd by means of it; they gain attention; and the gospel of Christ will come in after it as easily as if it belonged—as, indeed, it does—to the very theme.

Now, what have I to propose? It is this: We ought to have a mission at Hong Kong. It ought to be in close, vital relationship with our California Mission. It ought to be at Hong Kong, because there our steamers land their passengers, and from that point our brethren scatter. Most of them do not enter Canton at all. We ought to have, then, at least one American missionary—not necessarily a great man, but a man of earnest piety and business capacity, and sound common sense—a man who would give to his mission the atmosphere, which, I am sure, our brethren recognize in the mission here, of Christian kindliness and brotherly love—not that of a condescending benevolence, but that of a hearty Christian brotherhood.

He ought to meet every converted Chinese—at least, from our own mission (others, if they are willing)—and take him home to his mission-house; find out his destination, and arrange to keep track of him, and make use of him as an errand-bearer for Christ. And we, on our part, ought to be raising up and sending men who, educated either here or in China, may give themselves, under direction of this missionary, to district gospel work.

So far forth, I am confident. It is no new thought with me, and, in proposing it, I feel that I am walking on solid ground. I feel that I speak in God’s name when I say this ought, forthwith, to be done. Whether the proposed mission should be sustained by the A. M. A., or by the American Board; whether more than one efficient American missionary will ever be needed; what sort of mission work he should go about in Hong Kong itself—concerning these and other matters of detail, any suggestion I could make would be crude, and, likely enough, mistaken. But the proposal itself, as to its essentials, I stand in no doubt about, and I ask the prayers and co-operation of all who love Christ and souls, that it may be speedily fulfilled.

Let me add, as if by postscript, that a Chinese brother, Wun Ching Ki, a member of one of the London Missionary Society’s churches at Canton, who is in business at Hong Kong, has been doing something in the line above marked out; has kindly welcomed and aided our brethren on their arrival; has suggested that, in that English city of Hong Kong, mission work among the Chinese could be conducted most successfully, upon the very plan which we use here; and is very desirous himself to send native preachers into the neglected interior districts, asking whether our Chinese brethren here could not help him so to do. The emphatic testimony which these bear to his good judgment and general efficiency, as well as to his Christian character, makes both the work he has done, and the work he wants to do, confirm my confidence in the suggestion I have made.

* * * * *

THE CHILDREN’S PAGE.

We make the following extracts from letters of Mr. A. E. White, one of our missionaries to Africa, to his former teachers at Hampton Institute:

I have just returned from the Shangay Mission, where I have been for near two weeks (this mission is carried on by the United Brethren of Ohio.) The brother there sent for me to come and spend some time with him, and to give him some advice in regard to his work while I was there. This mission is on the mainland, and one can see more of the habits of the people than he can here. When their children have gotten up to be two or three years old they send them to the bush, called the Purroo and Bundoo. The Purroo is the place where they send the boys, and the Bundoo where they send the girls. They keep them there for a good many years, and cut on their backs the shape of a hamper-basket, and teach them the use of the country medicines and the way of worshipping the heathen’s gods, and all the heathen’s habits. If a man wants to marry, he can go to the Bundoo Bush and pay eight pieces of cloth, of two yards each, and take any girl he wants. After these boys have spent all the time which the chief says they must spend in the bush, they come out and go to whatever trade they have learned. Some are doctors, others teachers, and some are farmers. The doctors go around with their medicine, and sell it at a very high price; and when they attend the sick they carry a board about one foot long and nine inches wide, with a bottle of ink and brush. On this board they write, and then wash the ink off and give it to the sick to drink. Then they have various things to sell to keep away sickness and to give good luck. These children are taught all kinds of vice, and they think it is right—such things as lying and stealing. They are very easy to teach, and they put a great deal of faith in the person who teaches them, and whatever they are taught they believe. So one can see that the hope of this country lies in the children. It is a hard thing to get a heathen to turn from his god; and I believe you can only do this by prayer. The missionaries who want to do anything must use the weapon of prayer. The chief of Shangay is an educated man; he spent eight years in the high school of England. When you find one of the heathen educated, he is ten times worse than an uneducated one. This man was taken up and sent to England and educated there. If he had been trained under some good missionary, he might have been of use to the country.

I have given the school to Mr. Miller, one of the new comers, and I have taken other work. We had an examination, and all the people seemed to be pleased. We had, also, pieces recited on the stage, and a dinner for the children and the friends of the school. The people said that they never saw anything of the kind in Africa before. I think now we have about 140 pupils that are coming. We don’t have that many any one day, but they are in attendance. I have some fine boys in school, and one whom I want to send to Hampton next fall, if I can find a place there for him, and some one to help me pay for his board. Please ask the General if he can have a place there? He is the boy who has been with me since I have been here, and I have taken him and want to do all I can to educate him.

Last Sunday was the happiest day I have seen for many. We had thirteen new members to unite with the church—twelve on profession; and one who once was a member, and was shut out when the church was closed, came back and united the second time. And of this number, six were members of my Bible-class—four were my best boys, as I call them, and two I own as the fruits of my own labor. The young man whom I have already written you about was one. He has been trying ever since his brother became a Christian on the ship, and at last has made up his mind to follow Christ. You can imagine how I felt to see all these—my boys—standing up acknowledging Christ to be their Saviour. There was another of my class to unite with us, but he was sick and could not. I hope he will be able by the next Communion-day.

* * * * *

RECEIPTS

FOR JULY, 1878.

* * * * *

MAINE, $153.75.

Cumberland Centre. O. S. T. 50c.; E. J. B. 25c. 0.75 Foxcroft and Dover. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 20.00 Newfield. Mrs. N. C. A. 1.00 North Yarmouth. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 4.00 South Berwick. J. B. Neally $5; Hugh and Philip Lewis $5 10.00 Windham. Rev. Luther Wiswall 5.00 Winthrop. ESTATE of Mrs. Mary Carr 100.00 Winthrop. Stephen Sewall 18,000 pages Anti-Tobacco Tracts. Yarmouth. First Cong. Ch. 13.00

NEW HAMPSHIRE, $460.88.

Amherst. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 18.75 Bristol. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 3.35 Concord. South Cong. Ch. and Soc. 45.82 East Jaffrey. Eliza A. Parker 20.00 Exeter. Friends in Second Cong. Ch., _for a Teacher, Wilmington, N. C._ 40.00 Gilmanton Iron Works. Luther E. Page 5.00 Hebron. J. B. C. 1.00 Hinsdale. Cong. Ch. and Soc. $11.30; Dea. G. W. 50c. 11.80 Keene. A Friend 50.00 Lancaster. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 15.00 Lebanon. Cong. Ch. 25.66 Manchester. Mrs. Kinsley (proceeds sale of pictures) 3.00 Mason. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 13.00 Meredith Village. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 7.45 Milford. Cong. Ch. 50.01 Nashua. W. P. Clark 20.42 New Market. T. H. Wiswall $10; Cong. Ch. and Soc. $9.36 19.36 North Hampton. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 13.35 Pembroke. Mrs. Mary W. Thompson, bal. to const. MISS EMILY L. GRIGGS L. M. 10.00 Rindge. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 4.53 South New Market. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 4.00 Swanzey. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 5.00 West Lebanon. Cong. Sab. Sch. 15.00 Westmoreland. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 31.13 Wentworth. Ephraim Cook 5.00 Winchester. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 13.25 Wolfborough. Rev. S. Clark and Wife 10.00

VERMONT, $201.70.

Brandon. Cong. Ch. and Soc., to const. CHAS. M. WINSLOW L. M. 30.00 Danville. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 20.00 Greensborough. Cong. Ch. and Soc. $5.75; Rev. Moses Patton and Wife $17 22.75 Lyndon. First Cong. Ch. and Soc. 12.00 Lyndonville. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 11.00 Manchester. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 39.56 Newport. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 5.05 North Craftsbury. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 23.81 Sheldon. Cong. Ch. 8.73 South Hadley. First Ch. and Soc. 8.00 Townshend. Mrs. Nancy B. Batchelder 2.00 West Brattleborough. Cong. Ch. 17.80 West Randolph. Mrs. S. W. 1.00

MASSACHUSETTS, $2,582.51.

Amherst. First Cong. Ch. and Soc. 60.25 Andover. Chapel Church and Soc. 134.00 Arlington. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 12.50 Auburn. Cong. Ch. and Soc., to const. BENJ. F. LARNED L. M. 30.29 Beverly. Dane St. Ch. and Soc. 35.60 Boston. Mrs. E. P. Eayrs $10; “A Friend” $10 20.00 Boston Highlands. Eliot Ch. $106.40; Emanuel Ch. $50; “Friends” $1.25 157.65 Boxborough. Mrs. J. Stone 10.00 Bradford. Mrs. S. Boyd, _for Student Aid, Atlanta U._ 5.00 Bridgewater. Central Sq. Sab. Sch. 15.00 Brookfield. Evan. Cong. Ch. 18.00 Brookline. Harvard Ch. and Soc. 62.50 Canton. Evan. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 24.74 Chelsea. First Cong. Ch. and Soc. 45.91 Concord. Trin. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 20.00 Curtisville. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 15.25 Easthampton. First Cong. Sab. Sch. $25; “A Friend” $10 35.00 Fitchburgh. Wm. L. Bullock 5.00 Framingham. E. K. S. 0.50 Franklin. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 20.00 Hingham. Evan. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 26.50 Hopedale. W. W. Dutcher, _for Student Aid, Atlanta U._ 5.00 Hopkinton. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 52.25 Hyde Park. First Cong. Ch. and Soc. 27.49 Lawrence. Lawrence St. Church 141.00 Lexington. Hancock Ch. and Soc. 12.69 Lynn. Central Ch. and Soc. 14.36 Malden. First Cong. Ch. and Soc. 55.31 Marlborough. Union Cong. Sab. Sch. 10.00 Medway. ESTATE of Clarissa A. Pond, by A. Pond, Ex. 145.00 Melrose. Orthodox Cong. Ch. and Soc. 31.42 Methuen. First Cong. Ch. and Soc. 10.34 Middlebury. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 37.68 Middleton. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 10.00 Milford. Cong. Sab. Sch. 24.22 Millbury. First Cong. Ch. and Soc. $57.88; M. D. Garfield $5.—First Cong. Soc., bbl. of C., _for Atlanta, Ga._ 62.88 Needham. Evan. Cong. Sab. Sch. 4.65 New Bedford. North Cong. Ch. and Soc. $100.01; First Cong. Ch. and Soc. $30 130.01 Newburyport. Henry Lunt 5.00 Newton. Eliot Cong. Ch. and Soc. 137.66 Newton Centre. “Friends,” by Mrs. Furber, _for Student Aid, Atlanta U._ 50.00 North Adams. Cong. Ch. 27.90 North Brookfield. First Cong. Ch. and Soc. 100.00 Norton. Trin. Cong. Ch. ($30 of which from E. B. Wheaton, to const. ELIZA R. BEANE L. M.) 38.00 Orange. Mrs. E. W. M. 1.00 Oxford. First Cong. Ch. and Soc. 23.48 Plymouth. Church of the Pilgrimage 44.16 Quincy. Even. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 54.00 Reading. Bethesda Ch. and Soc. 45.00 Salem. South Cong. Ch. and Soc. $65.77; “A Friend” $10 75.77 Sandwich. Cong. Sab. Sch. 10.00 South Deerfield. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 15.00 South Weymouth. Union Cong. Ch. 8.11 Spencer. First Cong. Ch. and Soc., to const. J. W. BOWERS, CHAS. H. JOHNSON and WM. G. MUZZY L. M.’s 115.21 Templeton. Trin. Ch. and Soc. 20.39 Upton. Cong. Ch. and Soc. $30, to const. LYMAN L. LELAND L. M.; Cong. Sab. Sch. $4.60; Mrs. E. F. S. $1 35.60 West Barnstable. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 10.00 West Brookfield. Cong. Ch. and Soc., to const. MYRON W. SHERMAN L. M. 32.56 Wellesley. Cong. Sab. Sch. $25; College Miss. Soc. $2 27.00 West Medway. Cyrus Adams 10.00 West Roxbury. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 73.63 Williamsburgh. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 21.68 Williamstown. First Cong. Ch. 15.12 Wilmington. Mrs. Noyes, box of C. and $2.70, _for freight, for Wilmington, N.C._; “Friend” $1 3.70 Winchendon. “A Friend” 5.00 Woburn. J. P. M. 0.50 Yarmouth. First Cong. Ch. and Soc. $49.05, and bbl. of C. 49.05

RHODE ISLAND, $879.87.

Pawtucket. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 45.00 Providence. Union Cong. Ch. 734.87 Providence. Beneficent Cong. Ch. 100.00

CONNECTICUT, $3,145.27.

Bennington. Cong. Sab. Sch., _for Student Aid, Atlanta U._ 5.00 Berlin. Second Cong. Ch. 9.00 Bethel. Cong. Ch. 20.22 Bristol. O. C. 1.00 Ellsworth. Cong. Ch. 9.00 Fairfield. —— 5.00 Farmington. Cong. Ch. 56.79 Gilead. Mr. and Mrs. Thos. L. Brown 5.00 Goshen. Sarah Beach, to const. JOHN BEACH and JOSEPH BEACH L. M’s. 60.00 Greenfield. Cong. Ch. 9.00 Greenville. Cong. Ch. 37.75 Guilford. Mrs. Lucy E. Tuttle $50; First Cong. Ch. and Soc. $24 74.00 Hadlyme. R. E. Hungerford $50; Jos. W. Hungerford $50; Cong. Sab. Sch. $20.40 120.40 Hanover. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 20.00 Hartford. Asylum Hill Cong. Ch. $92; South Cong. Ch. $50 142.00 Hebron. Mrs. Jasper Porter, _for Woman’s Work among Women_ 25.00 Kent. First Cong. Soc. 19.53 Manchester. First Cong. Ch. 15.00 Meriden. First Cong. Ch. 34.08 Middletown. First Ch. 19.75 Morris. K. Goodwin 10.00 New Haven. Church of the Redeemer $164; O. A. Dorman $100; Dwight Place Cong. Ch. and Soc. $83; “A Friend in a Time of Need” $50; Taylor Ch. $6.50 403.50 North Guilford. S. R. Fowler $6; “A Friend” $2 8.00 North Madison. Cong. Ch. 9.00 Norwich. Broadway Cong. Ch., in part 200.00 Old Saybrook. Cong. Ch. 10.09 Orange. Mrs. E. E. Rogers 10.00 Portland. Miss Maria White 2.00 Prospect. ESTATE of David W. Hotchkiss, by Hervey D. Hotchkiss, Ex. 1,000.00 Rocky Hill. Cong. Ch. 17.10 Salisbury. Cong. Ch. 35.30 Terryville. Elizur Fenn and Mrs. Elizur Fenn $5 ea. 10.00 Thomaston. Cong. Ch. 72.76 Torrington. ESTATE of Henry Colt, by H. G. Colt, Ex. 500.00 Union. Rev. Samuel I. Curtiss 10.00 Washington. Mrs. Rebecca Hine (of which $30 to const. LIZZIE J. POND L. M.) 45.00 Watertown. Truman Percy, to const. MISS HATTIE E. PERCY L. M. 30.00 West Killingly. Westfield Cong. Ch. and Soc. 75.00 Winsted. Mrs. M. A. Mitchell 10.00

NEW YORK, $876.49.

Brooklyn. A. Merwin $10; Church of the Covenant, M. C. Coll. $4.00; Mrs. T. C. F. $1 15.00 Camillus. Isaiah Wilcox 30.00 Dryden. H. B. W. 0.50 East Wilson. Rev. H. Halsey $30; C. M. Clark $3 33.00 Evans. Mrs. R. P. R. C. 1.00 Gloversville. Cong. Soc. $269.92 (of which $50 from Mrs. U. M. Place, _for the debt_), to const. MRS. SETH C. BURTON, ASHLEY D. L. BAKER, JOHN L. GETMAN and CYRUS STEWART L. M’s. 219.92 Lenox. Cong. Ch. and Sab. Sch. $19.18; Amos S. Johnson $5 24.18 Leyden. ESTATE of Mrs. Amanda K. Merwin, by Hon. M. H. Merwin, Ex. 200.00 Livonia. ESTATE of Mrs. Susan Fowler, by Rev. S. M. Day 124.62 Lysander. N. Hart 5.00 Marion. “A Few Friends,” by M. M. Heslor, bal. to const. MRS. HATTIE A. DEWOLF L. M. 5.00 Newburgh. Miss E. I. P. 0.50 New York. Mrs. J. A. V. A. 0.75 Owasco. Mrs. A. S. 0.50 Parishville. First Cong. Ch. and Soc. 5.73 Poughkeepsie. Cong. Ch. 15.22 Rensselaer Falls. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 15.00 Richville. E. J. S. 1.00 Riverhead. First Cong. Ch. 6.00 Rochester. Plymouth Cong. Ch. 90.50 Sherburne. “A Friend” 20.00 Syracuse. “A friend in Plymouth Ch.” $4; A. B. $1, _for Mag._ 5.00 Walton. First Cong. Ch. Sab. Sch. 31.60 Warsaw. Cong. Sab. Sch. 15.47 West Groton. Cong. Ch. 10.00 West Yaphank. H. M. O. 1.00

NEW JERSEY, $64.70.