Ceredo advance. [volume], August 28, 1907, Image 6

About Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939

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ON THE TRAIL OF THE
AMERICAN MISSIONARY
By WILLIAM T. ELLIS
™. Distinguished American Journalist is Traveling Around the World for
the Purpose of investigating the American Foreign Missionary from
a Pu.r.?*y Disinterested. Secular and Non-Sectarian Standpoint.
Illustrated with Drawings and from Photographs.
PICTURESQUE OLD KOREA IS
NOW “GETTING RELIGION."
•_ A
Pyeng Yang. Korea.—To the trav
eler in Korea, Pyeng, the second
city in the empire, is notable as
a boat-shaped city where the peo
ple are afraid to dig wells lest they
■hould sink the city; and as the an
cient capital of the nation where Keja
who was Korea’s Peter the Great, ruled
about the time King David was on the
throne of Israel and Keja's grave and
Keja's well are still preserved. To the
religious world, Pyeng Yang is known
as the center of the most remarkable
missionary work now under way any
where on the earth.
Within 16 years a Christian con
stituency of 5,000 persons, that Is
doubling itself annually, has been built
up and in the surrounding country the
number amounts to more than 25,000.
As an instance of the way in which
the church grows may be mentioned
the fact that the mother church of
Pyeng Yang has swarmed three times
within four years and yet retains a
membership of 914 communicants
and 334 catechumens. The church,
which seats 1,200 persons on its floor
—of course there are no pews or
chairs—is crowded every Sunday.
The attendance at the mid week pray
er meeting ranges from more than 700
to 1,200 or 1,300. The smallest of the
congregations which have gone out
from Central church numbers more
than 250 members; the largest twice
that many.
Where Religion Has Introduced Baths.
All of these congregations are en
tirely self supporting, and they main
tain several religious enterprises, such
as day schools, colporteurs and a book
store and library. They have estab
lished a school f«- the blind, and have
Rible and followed the Scripture read
ing. The address was listened to with
all the intentness and responsiveness
that any speaker could desiie. At its
close the leaders and many of the
other men crowded to the platform to
speak with their beloved “Moksa,” or
pastor. It struck me that this Korean
missionary, and many of fit's associ
ates. have a work and an opportunity
which the ablest preacher in America
might covet.
How American Doctors Fit the Orient.
One of the first facts about the mis
sionary community here which strikes
a visitor is the harmony and coopera
tion existing between the tw# mis
sions. The missionaries are the only
white people in Pyeng Yang, except
one French tradesman and a French
prlesC Their social solidarity Is as
marked as the unity of their labors.
The three hospitals are run as one,
although maintaining, in some re
spects, their separate identity. The
largest is the Presbyterian hospital,
conducted by Dr. J. H. Wells, and min
istering to about 10,000 patients a
year. Dr. E. D. Foil well, at the Meth
odist hospital, treats about 9,000, and
Dr. Hall, whose work is entirely for
| women, about 8,000 patients a year.
| Jointly, the two men doctors are traln
! ing 22 students, who not only pay for
their Instruction, and for the privilege
of working in the hospital, but are
also required to do evangelistic work
among the patients. One notable char
acteristic of these hospitals, which are
almost entirely self-supporting, is "he
adaptation to the Korean style of liv
ing. While they have wards contain
ing beds, most of their patients sleep
on the floor, aa la their own homes,
A Missionary Home at Pyeng Yang, Korea.
made the beginnings of an Insane
asylum, both the first of their kind In
Korea.
More significant than any of these
ofTshoots of the church, is the public
bath house run by the Christians; for
badly as it needs religion, Korea needs
soap and water. I ask no further
proof of the genuineness of the con
version of these people than the fact
of this bath house, with Its four bath
tubs and two shower baths—the latter
made by up tilted and perforated
Standard oil cans. The full meaning
of this institution can be appreciated
only by one who has traveled in
Korea.
The three pioneers of this Pyeng
Yang work are still here, and still
young men. They arrived 16 years
ago. Rev. Dr. S. A. Moffett. Rev. Ora
ham Lee and Dr. J. Hunter Wells, of
the northern Presbyterian board.
They chanced to be men of large vis
ion and statesmanlike mold, and so
they laid broad foundations upon
which the present phenomenal enter
prise has been rising. Following them
at Intervals came 17 other mission
aries of the same denomination. Prior
to the Presbyterian settlement. Dr
and Mrs. W. J. Hall, medical mission
aries of the Northern Methodist
church, were already In Pyeng Yang,
but at the death of Dr. Hall In 1894
the Methodists withdrew for a time,
but later they re-established and now
have missionaries in the field, and two
thriving churches In the city proper,
as well as their country work I
found Mrs Noble, wife of a Methodist
missionary, teaching the blble one
week day morning to a class of more
than a hundred women and girls. *?ho
tiad come in from the country for that
purpose. Mrs. Hall, who Is a physi
cian. has since returned and conducts
i hospital for women, which, however,
turned down a few weeks ago.
An Extraordinary Prayer Meeting.
What may safely be called the most
remarkable midweek prayer meeting
n the world Is that which I attended
n the big church in Pyeng Yang The
puildlng is reshaped and divided Into
salves by wooden partitions at the
ingle of the L. fine side is reserved
'or women nnd the other for men.
The church Is utterly devoid of furnl
ure. except rough straw mats on lhe
loor. Into it were gathered on this
Wednesday evening no less than 1.200
persons, men and boys, women and
:hildren, all seated upon the floor
The congregation was quiet, alert
ind reverent. At prayer they all
>owed forward, with their heads to
he ground. Missionary Lee led the
nusic with a coronet, and the people
tan* lustily. Everybody carried a
and are there treated. Like Korean
houses these wards have heated floors.
Dr. Wells has been conspicuously suc
cessful in curing the morphine habit,
which the Japanese have introduced
among the Koreans.
Adaptation is one of the character
istics of mission work in Pyeng Yang.
Approaching the city, the visitor can
not at first distinguish the missionary
compounds from the native homes. All
the residences and the school build
ings. and all except one of the
churches (the Methodist), are built in
native style. The interiors of the
homes are naturally adapted to the
use of Americans, and yet they are
small and simple dwellings.
Teaching the East to Hustle.
The schools are cooperative. Re it
understood that there is no public
school system throughout Korea. Be
fore the missionaries came, the higher
class boys were taught the Chinese
| classics. The creation of the popular
taste for learning, as well as the pro
duction of most of the literature In
the language of the plain people, may
be credited to the missionaries. It Is
quite general for native churches to
maintain primary schools for secular
instruction There are In this district
at least three higher academies and
the demand for education are by no
means met. It is probable that the
missionaries will soon have to forego
all direct teaching and become super
intendents of instruction. The strate
gical importance to Christianity of
thus having a controlling hand upon
the education of the nation Is appar
ent at a glance.
In Pyeng Yang proper are three
noteworthy schools. One is the rol
lege, with 300 students, all of whom
are Christians and all of whom pass
a stiff entrance examination. This is
taught by both Methodist and Presby
terian missionaries and by native
teachers. It Is expected shortly to
crow info a Christian college with a
thousand students. There is also a
girls high school with half a hundred
students. I was much struck Wjfh
the Industrial school attached to the
college, where some students work
their way through an education. Mere
they have a genuine blacksmith shop,
machine shop and carpenter shop, all
Of whifh are producing marketable
wares. The machine shop, for In
stance. Is unable to supply the de
mand for a certain braiding machine
which It turns out. The Industry and
the skill shown by the student work
men would seem to Indicate unsus
j>ected capabilities on the part of the
Korean. This establishment more
nearly resembled a bona lids work- I
shop than any other Industrial scbMl
I recall. »
The manager of this Industrial
school Is Rev. Graham I^ee, who seems
to be a practical mechanic. In addi
tion to running the industrial school
he is the pastor of the largest church
in Korea, and has charge of 40 country
churches besides.
Like Story-Book Missions.
This suggests the country work that
centers in Pyeng Yang, and one pecu
liar phase of Korean missions. The
church here is self supporting. New
churches spring up almost In a night,
without ever having seen a missionary.
The Korean Christians are trained to
do personal work. Everyone is ex
pected to be an evangelist. Thus It
comes to pass, that, by the telling ol
the news from mouth to mouth, the
number of believers spreads with
greater rapidity than the missionary
can follow. It seems literally true
here that the missionary cannot keep
up with the work, much less lead It
A few days ago Dr. Wells and Dr.
Sharrocks went to Wiju, a city north
of here, which figured often in the war
dispatches. En route they looked in
upon some country congregations. The
first night. In a little village of about
1,200 inhabitants, they found a pravei
meeting under way—the regular mid
week service, with no less than 70C
persons present. This, bo it remem
bered. was in a village where no mis
sionary resides, and where no whit*
man visits oftener than once a quarter.
The next night they came, as unex
pectedly as before, upon another vll
lago prayer meeting, with 600 person*
In attendance. In these villages, as in
many others round about, the vil
lagers. Christian and non-Christian
are in the habit of gathering In the
church for morning prayers, before
going out to the fields for work.
It seems ns If religion has become
the very life of these people. It is
certainly their supreme interest and
pleasure. They build their own
churches, with their own hands. In
deed the Christian communities
throughout Korea probably come as
near communism, in their simplicity
and fraternity and cooperation, as any
thing known in this present day.
One Man Baptizes More Than a Thou
sand.
f rom w iju I hear a story that
matches the- famous incident of the
delegation of Indians to St. Louis,
years ago. to seek somebody to go
back with them to teach them the
white man's book. The "Wiju Chris
tians have built themselves a commo
dious church and have now established
an academy or higher school. Among
them, however, was nobody qualified
to conduct the latter. So at the an
nual meeting of the Presbyterian mis
sion a delegation was sent down from
V\ iju to Seoul to plead for a mission
ary. The people agreed not only to
give him the heartiest of welcomes,
and to pay all his expenses, but also
to provide his salary as well. Yet they
were sent back with their request de
nied. There are not enough mission
aries to go around.
Here in Korea there is no hunting
up of people for the church; the peo
ple are clamoring to come in. During
the mission year just ended, one man
in this region, Rev. C. E. Kearns, bap
tlsed 1.100 Koreans. Yet it is not made
easy for a Korean to become a Chris
tian. Careful always lest men and
women should desire to enter the
church from unworthy motives, every
applicant is obliged to become a cate
cliumen for at least one year. Then
ho must pass a rigid examination aa
to his character and his knowledge oi
Christian truth. The missionaries lm
pose what they say is the New Testa
ment standard of conduct upon the
people. Every Christian is required
to be a total abstainer, to refrain from
all forms of gambling, to observe Sun
day strictly, and to have a clean char
acter morally. An offending membei
is promptly disciplined.
The Magistrate’s Concubine.
When it is considered that these
people are just emerging from the
raw heathenism and devil worship
which prevails around them, these
standards seem the more remarkable
The Korean Christians here go far
ther than their fellows In Amerlra.
In the “big church” of Pyeng Yang
some of the members have formed an
anti-tobacco society, for the Koreans
men and women, are confirmed smok
ers. These peoplo give the money
they thus save to the church, and two
colporteurs are so supported.
No distinction is made among
classes. In a village near here th«
magistrate, who is the chief resident
official, desires to become a Christian
The loral church leaders came to the
missionary to ask what they should
do. since this great man keeps a con
cublne. The decision was Immcdiats
and decisive that he could no,* ae
repted as a cateenumon until ho had
conformed to the church's standard
In all respects, no matter how high
his office or how great his wealth.
It Is said that, with respect to the
percentage of gifts and with reaper)
to the activity of the ordinary mem
hers of the churches. Christianity In
Korea in far ahead of Christianity Ir
America. Certainly for Ingenious
open hearted, child like Christianity
1 have never Keen anything to equa
these Koreans. Their manner, their
words and their work Irresistably sii(
gest the church of the apostolic age.
(Copyright, bv Jo«.«ph B. Bowl*-*.)
Banyan’s Prlmitt >c Flute.
The most curious ste.y told of Job!
Banyan's life in Bedford Jail is this;
To pass aw.iy his gloomy hours ho
took a hg out of his stool and with
his knife fashioned it into a flute. The
keepers repeatedly searched his cell
to flt.d the cause of the music t.it
when he heard them coming he would
always replace the leg in the stool,
and they never discovered how tbs
music tad been produced.
From Her Own Experience
By ANNA BANCROFT COUSHAINE
(Copyright, by Daily Story Hub. Co.)
“My criticism, ah yes, a-h y-e-s—
constructions good, fine; English
couldn't be better; plot is excellent,
character delineations perfect—but
niy dear young woman, there is some
thing very essential lacking, some
thing in the quality. Probably it has
not occurred to you to put it in just
that way, but do you think you could
write intelligently of the life and hab
its of the natives of Africa, unless you
personally visited the country?”
"Why, no I don't suppose I could,
but then I haven’t anv idea of writing
on any such subject.
"Of course not, of course not. I
simply wanted you to know that you
can't write love stories that have the
true ring, until you've been in love
yourself. Hang on to this story; don’t
let it get out of your possession; keep
it six months, a year, two years if
necessary, then rewrite It, bring it
back and we’ll take it right gladly.
Don't try to do it now, though; you'd
only make a botch of it.”
Disappointed and discouraged Ruth
Alnslie walked down Broadway. "It's
well enough for Mr. Brown to talk
about people experiencing the things
they write about.” she thought. "I
wonder if he imagines people fall In
love to order. One would think a love
affair was like a newspaper assign
ment, and that it was only necessary
for him to tell me to write from ex
perience in the same way an editor
tells a reporter to cover a story.
Something lacking in the finality, was
there? Horrid thing, he needn't have
been so brutally frank about it. Well,
If there is something lacking in the
quality of the story then there must
have been something lacking in the
quality of the love-making I’ve known.
I suppose he thinks I've never been in
love. I wonder if I really have—per
haps not.”
Winter has passed and the first flow
ers of early May were beginning to
show their modest heads when the
letter from Mrs. Jack Rossiter ar
rived.
‘Here, Ruth, here comes something
for you in Laura Rossiter’s letter,”
called out her sister. "She wants you
to spend the summer with her at
Hath Reach. Rossiter’s going abroad
and she’s planning to have a lot of
jolly people down there for house
parties and week-ends. Go child, it
will do you good.”
• • •
Ward Loring, man of affairs, club
man and all around good fellow, paced
slowly up and down the pretty boxed
walk surrounding Mrs. Rossiter’s Bath
Reach summer place. Somehow or
other lie didn't seem to be quite in ac
cord with the day’s Jollity. Life had
been cast in rather too serious a mold
for him to fit in very well with the
frivolous and the past week had
brought an added problem.
Just ten days before his hostess
has asked him to meet Ruth Ainslie
• t the train. Neither of them had
realized it, but their love story began
when the horses, startled by the honk,
honk, honk of an approaching ma
chine had reared and plunged and
started on a mad race down the hill.
In agony of fear, Ruth had grasped
Lorlng’s coat sleeve, crying: "The
train! the train!"
Loring’s hold on the reins never re
laxed; his eyes never left the road in
front of him as he replied: "Sit down,
Miss Ainslie, there is no danger."
On, on, went the maddened animals,
the light runabout swaying from side
to side until, when 15 yards from the
approaching engine, Lorlng jumped to
ills feet, and with one supreme effort,
pulled the horses to their haunches
Just as the train rushed by.
A week had passed, a blissfully
happy week to the two, who, without
a spoken word, felt that a casual
friendship had led to a strong affec
tion.
There was one closed chapter In
Ixiring's life which had caused him
endless and unceasing pain and worry
for five long years, and it wits of this
chapter that he had decided to tell
Ituth Ainslie.
"It is only fair to her," he said to
himself; “she will understand and she
will forgive. It will separate us, but
it Is right.”
The train of thought was interrupt
ed by the soft frou-frou of a woman's
skirt. Ruth Ainslie. clad In the dain
tiest. of white gowns with her arms
full of dewey roses hurried down the
walk toward hitn. White almost to
the lips but with the light of a great
love in bis eyes he took the out
stretched hand
Let s sit down here, I've something
to say to you. Miss Ainslie.”
There comes a time In every girl's
life when some ono dear has somc
ihing to sr.y. Ruth felt a new shyness
come over her «s she raised her eyes
to those of the man she loved and i
then lowered them under the intense
gaze of his own.
An hour later a white faced girl sat
alone in the arbor, her head buried in
the fragrant, drooping roses, she had
heard the voice that had grown dearer
to her than nny otfefr In the world
tell her that he loved her. She had
felt the clasp of his arms ns he al
most crushed her In their embrace
»nd then—oh, heaven, the pity of R;
she had listened while he told her of
that other marriage and of the wopian
who for five years been ln«:ar
t
cerated in an asylum, hopelessly in
sane.
Her happiness had been snatched
away from her in an instant, even
while the kisses of her lover were'
upon her lips.
“I couldn’t help loving you dear. bi;t
It Is only fair to both of us that you
should know. It would have been
wrong to have gone on any longer In
the way we have, growing nearer and
dearer to one another almost hourly,
wrong and cruelly unfair to you.”
“Oh, it doesn’t matter, nothing real
ly seems to matter much now. But I
am glad, oh, so glad, you told me; Ftn
glad to have lived this one gloriously,
happy week. Glad that you were
courageous enough to tell me. It
would have killed me to have learned
It from another's lips. Kiss me just
once, dear, and then go quickly,
quickly, before 1 call you back.”
A long, long time Ruth had sat with
her face buried in her flowers looking
with hopeless eyes into the future,
seeing nothing but the weary vista of
months and yejirs of sorrow, bitter
ness and disappointment.
Strange that at this time the thought
of the pigeonhole story should come
to her.
“Mr. Brown was right. I didn't
know what love was; perhaps I can
rewrite that story now. Surely I know
enough of love and sorrow to Le ablo
to do that.” The thought came like
an inspiration, just a bit of saving
grace, perhaps, from her guardian an
gel.
On the evening train she went back
to the city, but weeks elapsed before
she could bring herself to look at the
story that now seemed to mock at
her out of a far off past. At last, how
ever, she had rewritten It and mulled
It to the publishers. Presently she
had received a note of acceptance and
an order for another, but with injunc
tion to have it in a slightly happier
vein than the last.
Happier vein, happier vein, oh, all
knowing editor, do you think women
who are broken hearted can write In
a happy vein?
‘‘Poor little girl,” had mused Rrown
when he read it. “I’m afraid some
thing has happened. Well, it's none
of my affair. Love was hound to come
into her life; it wasn't my criticism
that caused it.”
A year later Ruth sat alone in the
library reading the flattering criticisms
of the serial that had brought her
countless requests for future stories.
The remembrance of that first visit
to the big publishing house crossed
her mind.
"Yes, Mr. Drown was right. I need
ed experience; the story is better than
it was at first, but 1 wonder if all
successful people purchase their fame
at so great a price. I wonder 1/ they
all suffer as 1 have suffered during
these unhappy months.”
A sharp, imperious ring interrupted
her musings. A voice in the hail ask
ing for her—could it be—no, of course
it was only a fancy—what would he
be doing here? And then the curtains
parted.
"Ruth. Ruth darling, at last I've
come and I’ve a right to be here.
Seven months ago to-r.ight God ended
Alice’s sufferings and sweetheart I've
stayed away, I’ve fought temptation
because I knew you would not want
me to come sooner. I've waited, wait
ed, waited all these weary months un
til the time I dared to come.”
Late in the evening they sat plan
nlng their future, looking ahead into
the days when they would be together
for all time, when the white-capped
maid entered. “Miss Ainslie, Mr.
Drown called up on the 'phone and
said not to disturb you if you were
busy, hut would you pi rase and get at
that, other story soon As you can and
make It a happier ending than the
last one.”
"A happier ending—do you think
you can dear?”
Rut an answer wasn’t necessary;
they both knew that there wouldn’t
be any more stories with unhappy end
ings.
Bananas.
The highest known authority on
bananas, the golden treasure of the
tropics. Is Rdward W. Perry. Said
he: “Bananas pay their producet
nearly three times as much money aa
potatoes are worth an acre; bring the
grower profits which are three times
the farm value of the chief foorj
crops of the United States, and have
paid gnlns equal to five per cent, pei
annum on 11,138 an acre for the last
25 years. The crop is sold years ahead
of production at prices Ins-tiring good
profits.” Mr. Perry adds: “Banana;
are by millions of people eaten greet
or ripe, raw or cooked; are served Ir.
all ways in which apples, grains and
potatoes are used, and nre palatable
healthful and nutritious in e/ery way
In which they are prepared. They
make excellent bread, rakes and pics
puddings, confectionery and cofle*
substitutes; yield brandy, beer, vine
gnr, sugar, oil-and fibers. They ari
bought as a luxury by millions whe
may use them as a staple food. Yet
they may be grown profitably In i
small area only; therefore hanant
culture affords a perfectly safe end
gainful use of time and money,”
A wise man accepts all the advlct
that Is offered him but hs doesn’t
use it In his business.
Be Dedicated In Buffalo Sept. &
Former Residents Invited.
The beautiful white marble shaft
erected by the state of New York la
Niagara Square. Buffalo, N. Y., to the
memory of President McKinley, Is to
be formally dedicated Thursday, Sept.
6, and the event will be the central
feature of Buffalo’s Old Home Week,
Sept. 1 to 7. Former residents of Buf
falo and the public at large are cor
dially invited to attend the dedication.
The McKinley monument was planned
and executed under the direction of a
commission of prominent men, at %
cost of $150,000. Gov. Charles E.
Hughes, with his military stafT. will
take part In the ceremonies and Presi
dent Roosevelt and former President
Grover Cleveland have been invited to
attend and speak. Military parades
will be a feature of the occasion.
MONDAY UNIVERSAL WASH DAY.
Recognized as Such Over Almost All
the World.
Why does nearly all the civilized
world wash clothes on Monday? What
ha3 Monday to do with washing? It
was originally the moon’s day and
was sacred *.o the queen of night.
I read in a schoolboy’s history that
the Pilgrims landed on Monday -*nd
the good women immediately set
about washing the clothes thut had
been soiled on the trip over. We
might judge from that alleged fact
that no washing was done aboard
ship; yet the finest place for such
necessary work of sanitation and
blessedness is out at sea where there
is plenty of water and nearly al
ways a drying wind.
The voyage of the little Mayflower
lasted G3 days. I believe, and as near
ly as we can now reckon the landing
was made at Plymouth Rock on a
Monday, though some historians In
sist on Friday. It must have been a •
vile and Uilhy vessel on arrival, with
102 passengers and crew going over
two months without washing their
linen. Linen? What did they wear
lu 1G20? Can you realize how big
was the Mayflower? A miserable lit
tle hark oT 1G0 tons (Capt. John
Smith) or ISO tons (according to
Bradford).
Of Course.
‘ What makes you so absent mind*
ed?"
"Well. I stopped to think on*
day—”
"Yes?"
"And my thoughts ran on and on—"
"Well?"
"And I haven't caught up with ’em
yet.”—Cleveland Lender.
Shotgun Shells
" Leader" and'‘Repcater"and
Repeating Shotguns
make a killing combina
tion lor field,fowl or trap
shooting. No smokeless
powder shells enjoy such
a reputation for uniform
ity of loading and strong
» shooting qualities as
“Leader*’ and “Repeater"
brands do, and no
shotgun made shoots
harder or better than f
the Winchester. A
.—M