Newspaper Page Text
July 10, 1912]
Forty Years Ami
Highl
By REV. DR. EDW>
If forty years' experience among the
Highlanders glveB authority to speak of
them, then I may be granted that privilege.
For more than forty years I have
traveled among them, as soldier, physician
and minister.
I was brought up la a village of
entireties, and thought all people this
side of China were equally blessed.
^ ^ome oiaer people are yet laboring under
this same deluBlon.
When a young man, I went to Virginia,
the land of my fathers, to join the
army, and rode more than a hundred
miles across the Cumberland Mountains.
Although not looking for "churches or
preachers, I do not remember seeing a
single one. During the war I crossed
those mountains several times, I was
surprised.
After the war I became a physician,
and frequently rode through those
mountains, visiting the sick, and still
found only a churoh or two in many
miles, though there were thousands of
people with souls.
When 1 became a minister, I naturally
remembered that country where many
of my old comrades lived, Christless
and ohurchless, and determined to give
them what little help J could.
In the Synod of Kentucky I tound a
mighty champion of these long neglectpd
nonrvln fKo t\? 1 ** *
.. ivci. ui. oiuari itoDinson,
r man who believed the Gospel was for
"every creature" In "all the world."
Through his influence largely, the missions
to the mountains were Inaugurated
by the Synod of Kentucky, over
twenty years ago, and I was honored by
being called from the .First church in
Icuisville to serve the Synod as
evangelist. I thought tl had some
idea of the vast destitutions of
the mountain regions, but when I
entered the work I was amazed to And
a region as large as the German empire
practically without churches, Sabbath
schools, or qualified teachers;
whole counties with tens of thousands
of people, who had never seen a church,
or heard a GoBpel sermon they could
understand; and there are thousands of
them yet.
This vast Appalachian region covers
some eighty-six thousand square miles,
and is inhabited by some four millions
of 'people, nearly all white, and they are
to-day the purest stock of Scotch-Jrish
and Anglo-Saxon races on the continent.
For hundreds of years they
have lived isolated from the outside
u orld, with no foreign intermixture. I
do not remember ever seeing a foreigner
in the mountains.
They are not a degenerate people.
They are a brave, independent, highspirited
people, whose poverty and location
have isolated them from the advantages
of education and religion.
They have been simply passed by in the
march at progress in this great age, hecause
they were out of the way. The
world to-day?even our own people?
know more of Japan and Ohina than of
these neighbors, our contemporaries of
the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
No railroads or any other kind of
roads invited travellers, scholars, or
Preachers Into ?? kU-?
vuo 0V11LUUCD VI WUCIl
mountain homes. The inevitable result
has been, the want of the blessings
which education and religion bring,
churches and schools. With the fewest
exceptions, there are none of either.
'n the largest county in the Cumberlands,
when f entered it, there was not
THE PRESBYTER!
ong the American
anders
\RD O. GUERRANT
a church In the whole county, and the
only school in its capital taught in the
court house. One of our oldest evangelists,
and a mountain man, after a tour
through a large section, said: "Of all
the destitutions I have ever seen, this
excels all. Not a Bible nor a Christian
did I find."
I have no hesitancy in saying that this
is the largest body of white people on
this continent who are practically with
out tne uospel. And 1 do not know
any people who will make greater sacrifices
to hear It. d have known them
to walk from five to ten miles over their
rough, mountain roads to hear the
Gospel, and sit on the ground and rough
boards from 9 A. M. till 4 P. M., with
only a brief intermission at noon.
Though without education they are
naturally bright and easily comprehend,
and gladly receive the Gospel meB&age;
and when converted are as faithful as
any others under similar conditions.
To their honor be it said, I have never
seen an infidel among them.
We believe in Foreign Missions, but
we also believe In "beginning at Jerusalem."
These are the "heathen at our
doors." Their souls are worth as much
as others. They are more easily reached.
It costs less than half to reach
them. The results aTe quicker, because
their language is our own. Their
traditions, hiBtory and ancestors are the
same as our own. The consequences of
their conversion are greater. They will
furnish teachers, ministers and missionaries
to the heathen abroad.
After forty years knowledge of these
people, and twenty-five years labor
among them as a minister, I was convinced
that all agencies now employed
or available by neighboring churches,
would never reach them In this genera
tion, or may be in a dozen generations
So I appealed to all other Christian people
who loved their own countrymen to
help save them.
The response was such as only God
could inspire. From every branch of
the church, and every section of our
country. an<l beyond it, even from China
and the Sandwich Islands, God has
raised up loving hearts and lihomi
hands to help.
In ten years 362 missionaries have
labored exclusively in these wild mountains.
They made 51,000 visits, held
over 22,000 -public services at 10,069
places, had 6,304 conversions, taught
859 Bible schools, with 39,456 pupils,
distributed over 250 boxes and barrels
of clothing to the poor, even 10,000
Bibles and Testaments, and 125,000
tracts, built 56 churches, sohools and
mission houses, including three colleges
and an orphan asylum.
No man wit.H n -i->~
? uvw* w wuiu nun
through these wild mountains and behold
the almost universal destitution of
everything necessary to human life and
haupiness, without pity and compassion.
He certainly would not have the
heart of Jesus, who "had compassion on
the multitude scattered abroad as sheep
having no shepherd." These people belong
to the ruling race of tbt world,
and are worthy to belong to it. They certainly
should have an equal chance for
the blessings of religion and education
with the Asiatics and Africans. They
have not had it in the past. For our
missions are but light-houses yet, on the
shores of a continent of darkness.
That God will honor you with a pari
in this work and its glorious reward is
my earliest prayer.
Wilmore, Ky. t
f V
AN OF TH1 SOUTH
TONG SA KE, AND HOW GOD IS
BLESSING THE WORK THERE.
By Iter. Lowry DaVis, Hashing.
Let us first get an exact idea of where
Tong sa ke is. So let us take a stroll
from the North Gate, Kashlng, where
our ISain compound is, to the EaBt Gate,
following all the while the course of
the city wall. Then after passing
through the narrow winding streets
leading from the Inner East Gate to
the outer East Gate, we come to the
railroad station, a very creditable affair
Indeed, pass under the bridge across
the street, see the train coming in the
distance, listen with delight to the long,
loud sounding whistle of the American
locomotive, and hasten thence along the
paved walk to Tong sa ke, feeling that
China has begun to adopt much of
western civilization after all, including
a very favorable view of Christianity.
This paved walk to Tong sa ke, due
east from Kashing, 1b a remnant of a
flourishing suburb of Kashing, destroyed
during the Taiping Rebellion some
fifty years ago. We soon come to the
tall "Rant !Po?nAo oaa - *J
??? - ouuie ovu jrenrtJ oiu,
and after passing several old and beautiful
bridges, enter Tong sa ke, which
Is very much like some of our American
towns in being "long and stretched out,"
it Is fully one mile In length, and has
about two thousand inhabitants.
Tong sa ke is an evidence of what
the medical work can do In opening up
the way for the gospel. Dr. Venable
and his wife, through their faithful
service to the body In past years, have
treated many of the people of this town,
and hence, when Mr. W. H. Hudson
went there a year or so ago to rent
a house in which to preach, he had
little difficulty. For a year or more old
IVlr. Nyu has been living there and proving
by his life as pastor that there Is
something in the gospel. Soon an intellectual
young bookkeeper joined the
churcTT^Ge first fruits at Tong sa ke?
and afterwards a woman showpd much
interest. But the house was too small
for the crowds, especially after the Sun
day school of 30 members was organized.
Through the activity of the young
bookkeeper above mentioned a most
commodious dwelling belonging to the
Don (pronounced Durr) family was
rented for almost a song, considering
the size of the house. God's hand can
be seen In this, working through the
present disturbances In China. First
of all, this Durr family has been opnosed
to the gospel. But the losses they
have sustained during the war, and
the chance to rent one of their unused
buildings, together with the general attitude
of favor which Is now being found
among the Chinese (at least In this
section) toward the gospel, this rich
family decided to rent to us for a year.
We had our opening In the new place
of worship December 31, 1911, or prac
ucany on tne now year. Yes, New Year
for China, as well as for ua, as China
has adopted the foreign calendar. The
Sunday school was most flourishing;
the morning, afternoon, and night services
well attended; Mr. Blaln, Miss
Watklns, iMIss Hawkins, Mrs. Davis, and
the writer attended, and on the whole,
in spite of a very bad, cold day, the
opening was a great success. Since
then the crowds have been increasing
every Sunday, especially at night. Fully
126 were present one Sabbath night.
A Friday afternoon Woman's Meeting
has been begun hy Mrs. Davis for
the Tong sa Ice mothers, young ladles,
and children. At the first meeting there
were 60 to 70 present The interest
is something most encouraging. Some
of the women of the best families In
1 the town came regularly, and already
many have showed more than usual
interest in the old story of the ctosb.
(831) 17
The secret of the state's prosperity, and
that of the church, is in China what it
is in America; namely, the Christian
family, and in it the Christian mother.
The mothers of .Tong sa ke if Christian
will make Christian children and husbands.
Already the men are showing
a marked interest
The day school which has developed
at Tong sa ke since February has succeeded
beyond our most sanguine expectations.
At first we hoped for 15
scholars, feeling that our efforts would
be amply rewarded. Now, May 20th,
there are enrolled some 35. The teacher
is a bright young man educated at
the Kashlng High School, and Is most
ambitious. Dvery week the writer goes
out to look after the school. After recitations
he then sits down and hears
lessons in three "English books from
this teacher, and one 'lesson in Greek.
This teacher's name Is U Ong Din.
The scholars are learing by heart one
verse a day in the Gospel of St. John.
In two years many of them will be able
to recite the whole gospel by heart, no
doubt. At this out station we already
have some eight enquirers, all told.
!Not long ago .Miss Li, a distinguished
worker In this section among the Chinese
women, held meetings at Tong sa
ke. The Interest was marked. Many
women confessed their hearts were
Christian in belief.
One candidate for the ministry has
already come from this place. He is
the bookkeeper mentioned above, and
is proving himself worthy of the high
calling to which he aspires.
It is highly encouraging to feel that
most of the work done at Tong sa ke
has been done right in the midst of
the revolution. The people seem to be
turning to higher things. The fact that
Sen Yat Sun, the first President, is a
Christian, and that in China there are
so many Christians, combined with other
influences for good too numerous to
mention here, makes one feel that before
long China, which has been so long
n the toils of Satan, will be enjoying
the liberty of Christ. Will not every one
who reads this make China an especial
object of prayer, and consider the question
of a call to come to China to work?
Of if the reader himself cannot come,
will he not influence some one else?
Now is the day of opportunity. Now
the idols In many places have been
thrown away, and the people have nothing
to worship. A dangerous time Indeed.
Come over to Macedonia and
help us. Give hungry souls the gospel.
A UOOD EXAMPLE.
An interesting story is related in an
exchange, of a San Francisco woman
and her physician. The doctor performed
an operation very successfully
upon this woman, who was quite wealthy.
When asked for his bill, the physician
presented one for fifty dollars.
The good lady smiled. ^
"Do you consider that a sufficient
charge, doctor?" ehe asked, "considering
my circumstances?"
"That is my charge for the opera
uvu, juur circumstances have nothing
to do with it"
The lady drew a check for five hundred
dollars and presented it to him.
He handed it back, saying: "I can not
accept this. My charge for that operation
is fifty dollars."
"Very well," the lady replied. "Keep
the check, and put the balance to my
credit." Some months after she received
a long, itemized bill,, upon which
were entered charges for treatment of
various kinds, rendered to all sorts of
nuraanaty, male and female, black and
white, who had been treated at her expense.
She was so delighted at It that
she immediately placed another check
for flvft hundred dollars at the doctor's
disposal.