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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
WHY A GEORGIA METHODIST MIN
ISTER ENTERED THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH AND THE SOCIETY
OF JESUS
By F. X. Farmer, S. J.
This is the third of a series of articles on the con
version of Rev. Mr. F. X. Farmer, a native of Con
yers, Georgia, a former Methodist missionary in
China, and now a student for the priesthood in the
Jesuit Novitiate at Hastings, England. The account
first appeared in The Missionary, the editor of which
has granted The Bulletin permission to reproduce it.
Bishop Keiley of Savannah is responsible for its
first publication.
In previous instalments, Mr. Farmer told of his
boyhood days at Conyers and at Covington, where
his father was a prosperous merchant. He was edu
cated at Emory University, graduating with the de
gree of Bachelor of Philosophy in 1898, while Dr.
Candler, now Methodist Bishop of Atlanta, was pres
ident.
The influence of his mother, who is still living, a
devout Christian, and a member of the Methodist
Church, made him very religious in his boyhood days,
and resulted in his decision to enter the ministry.
He studied theology at Vanderbilt University, Nash
ville, Tennessee, and then decided on a career as a
missionary, going to China after a further course at
a missionary training school in New York.
He spent the time from 1901 to 1907 in the Orient,
being married to Miss Martha A. Beeson in 1903.
In 1907 he and his wife started to America on their
first furlough. Mr. Farmer’s father had died in the
meantime.
The time of furlough was spent partly in rest, of
which we were sadly in need, as we had been passing
through all the difficulties incidental to hard pioneer
mission life in the interior of China, and partly in
preaching and giving lectures on foreign missions,
especially in reference to China. When we returned
to China we had plans for a larger development of
the work at Fin Choe Fu, both among the men and
women; plans which we ourselves never had the
pleasure of fulfilling, as my wife passed away two
years after our return to China and I went again to
America, and while there wrote her life and pub
lished it.
Now all this time I had not the slightest doubt as
to the Protestant faith; but years of experience had
taught me something and I saw clearly that the
work of the C. and-M. Alliance was too ephemeral;
and that it not only lacked unity of doctrine, but held
errors; was poorly organized and carried on. So
when it was suggested to me by Bishop Candler to
return to China under the jurisdiction of my own
Church it seemed providential and I gladly accepted
it.
Having for some time desired to visit Europe, I
returned to China in 1912 by that route. During
the tour I visited England, Holland, Belgium,
France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy, sailing from
Naples for Shanghai. On the Continent I was, of
course, in continual contact with the Catholic Church,
but I was too ignorant of her teaching and too big
oted to appreciate the religious aspect of much that I
saw. Consequently all the beautiful cathedrals and
churches I visited, even at Rome, where I prolonged
my stay, had no conscious religious effect upon me
for the moment, and I viewed them all from a purely
historic and artistic standpoint; though later the im
pression made then had its influence upon me.
I considered the Catholic Church little better than
paganism, a cult corrupt and superstitious. Had I
not heard that all my life and also been taught in
theology that Rome had corrupted the primitive and
pure faith of Christianity? While at Rome I even
refused to accompany a party of friends who had
procured letters permitting them to assist at an
audience of Pope Pius X. O! how I now regret it and
shall regret it all of my life!
The Return to China.
I arrived in China in October, 1912. Once more
among the people I love and to whom I feel God has
ever called me to labor. I was given a most cordial
welcome by my fellow-missionaries of Shanghai, Suc-
how, Huchow and elsewhere and was soon busy with
my mission work. As I preferred parish and evan
gelistic work, I was appointed to a circuit on the
borders of the Cheh Kiang and Ngan Hwei Provinces,
with headquarters at Huchow Fu in Cheh Kiang. I
had four chapels, which I visited regularly and was
aided by several Chinese ministers and catechists. I
threw myself most heartily into the work, as I had
always done. I preached, baptized, celebrated the
Lord’s Supper, visited my Christians in their country
homes, and now and then held special service for
them when the farming conditions would allow them
to attend. I spared neither time nor effort to help
them along the ways of the Christian life.
As the chief means of travel in that part of China
is by water, the mission gave me the use of a small
native boat, barely large enough for a Chinese bed,
chair, table, and in addition, also places for my
Chinese cook and the boatman who rowed. When at
home in Huchow and during my trips back and forth
to my chapels, especially in the rainy season, when it
was impossible to do very much, I spent the spare
moments in reading and study. Now, during most of
my previous mission life, spent in Kwang Si, as I
have already remarked, I was married, and as we
usually had other young missionaries living with us,
I was kept busy with other things, as looking after
the needs of the newly arrived missionaries, helping
in their language study, etc. Now, this time I was
alone with no temporal responsibility of any kind
except my own, which was easily supplied.
About a year after my arrival in China, I began
to read anew the history of the Christian Church,
the same that I had studied at Vanderbilt University
when a young seminariarist. I had always loved
Church History, and the recital of the triumph of
the Christian Faith over heathen Rome and its ex
tension .throughout the world had an ineffable charm
for me, and it kindled in my heart a most ardent
desire to follow in the foot-steps of the great mission
aries whom God so marvelously used. But, of course
at the time I was a young theologian; I was ardent
and without experience, but had much zeal. Alas!
in many instances, zeal without the necessary knowl
edge. But, now at 36 years of age, I was better pre
pared to appreciate the just value of many things
to which I had before been blind. Indeed, twelve
years of practical experience in a laborious and diffi
cult mission field, more extensive reading and study,
wide travel, were all means which enabled me to re
gard the religious world with a maturer mind and
to consider anew some of the serious problems which
force themselves upon thinking people.
Inconsistencies of Reformers.
Now, one of the first things to strike me with a
new view was the very ugly aspect of the Protestant
Reformation. In the light of plain historical facts I
saw as never before, all the glaring inconsistency of
Martin Luther and the rest. For the very principles
which they claimed to be Divinely called to main
tain and defend, they continually denied in word
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