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6 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 (Continued on Page 15)