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CHAPMAN AND ALEXANDER IN CHINA
Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman and Mr. Chas. Alexander and their Mission Party <Begin Their 'Rebtbal Work in Shanghai— A
Wonderful 'Rebibal Meeting Tor Chinese Young Men.
DR. J. WILBUR CHAPMAN and
Charles M. Alexander and their
party have reached China in
their misisonary and revival tour of
the world. For four months they con
ducted campaigns in Australia, dur
ing which they traveled six thousand
miles, held three hundred services, led
thousands to Christ, transformed hun
dreds of ministers and churches, and
inaugurated a religious awakening
which may change the destiny of the
Commonwealth. On the eleventh of
August they left Sydney amidst
scenes of enthusiasm such as have sel
dom been witnessed in the history of
modern evangelism. Fully five thou
sand people crowded the piers to bid
the evangelists an affectionate fare
well. As the steamship Kumano Maru
left the dock, the great throng sang
again and again until the ship was
far out in the stream, “God Will Take
Care of You.”
The journey from Australia to China
was marked by a continuous revival;
on the ship a number were led to ac
cept Christ as their Savior, and at
every port at which the steamer stop
ped, revival services were conducted
with glorious results. At Thursday
Island, the northernmost point of Aus
tralia, the mayoi' of the island presid
ed, and influences were started which
will quicken missionary work through
out a number of the equatorial islands
in that far-off region.
At Manila the steamer stopped an
entire day, and, in spite of the ter
rific heat, the evangelists conducted
seven services in addition to speaking
at a midday banquet for business men.
It was one of the most strenuous ex
periences since the evangelists had
left America, but no one can estimate
the influence of the day’s services on
the future religious development of
the islands. Before seven o’clock in
the morning, the evangelists were wel
comed to Manila by a committee, the
chairman of which was the Rev. Geo.
William Wright, president of Ellin
wood Bible Seminary. Automobiles
were in readiness at the wharf and
the party were soon speeding into the
city where a special breakfast had
been provided. During the remainder
of the day, one meeting followed an
other in quick succession. There were
meetings for theological students, for
missionaries, for natives, for business
men, for soldiers, and for the general
public.
The advent of the evangelists to Ma
nila was a red-letter day for the city.
The leading morning newspaper is
sued a special souvenir edition with a
four-page illustrated supplement enti
tled, “Souvenir of Chapman-Alexander
Day in Manila.” During the morning
the party were introduced to Judge
Gilbert, who had charge of the gov
ernment affairs in the island during
the absence of the acting-governor,
and who entertained the party at his
home in the afternoon. Judge Gilbert
also evinced his interest in the visit
of the evangelists by presiding at the
midday meeting for men in the Em
pire Theater. This was a notable*
meeting, the men joining heartily in
Alexander’s Revival Hymns, and lis
tening with rapt attention to Dr.
Chapman’s address. At 11 p. m. the
party returned to the steamer after
sixteen hours of meetings and sight
seeing, physically exhausted, but full
of joy over the victories of the day.
The visit of Dr. Chapman and Mr.
Alexander to Hong Kong was of ab
sorbing interest, During the brief stay
in the city two meetings for natives
were tield in Hi-* London Mission
Church which were attended by large
audiences, and were deeply marked by
the presence of God’s Spirit. Mr. Al
exander sang “I Surrender All” to the
Chinese, the words being interpreted
to the audience. Dr. Chapman spoke
with power one evening on the “Twen
ty-third Psalm,” and declared that he
found speaking through an interpre
ter far more effective than he had im
agined.
Each evening after the meeting for
Chinese, the evangelists conducted a
service at nine o’clock for Europeans
in the Theater Royal. The audiences
were composed of missionaries and of
business and prfessional men, of va
rious nationalities. At the second the
ater meeting the Bishop of Hong Kong
presided and gave the missionaries a
most cordial welcome to Chinese
shores. He said in part: “We all feel
that the great need of the churches
is a spiritual revival. We feel it here
especially, where on account of the
climate perhaps, there is a certain
laxness of spiritual tone. If you study
God’s dealing with mankind in the
Old Testament or the New, you will
find that God was in the habit of us
ing special agents. We feel that it is
the same in our day: that men like
Moody and Torrey were raised up to
do a special work. And we feel that
it is the same with these men who are
with us tonight. We thank God for
the marvelous work they did in Aus
tralia, and we hope that though they
are here only two days, that great
good will be accomplished.”
Before going to Shanghai the evan
gelists made a brief trip to Canton,
spending one day only in the city. In
addition to inspecting mission work,
Dr. Chapman addressed a meeting for
native Christians in the afternoon, and
he and Mr. Alexander conducted an
inspiring meeting for missionaries at
night.
The evangelists and their party are
now in the midst of a ten days’ mis
sion in Shanghai. It is proving to be
one of the most remarkable series of
meetings in the tour of the world thus
far. Much prayer was offered pre
vous to the coming of the missioners
both by the native Christians and the
missionaries, and the meetings are be
ing marvelously owned of God. Each
day a union service for native Chris
tians is conducted by Dr. Chapman or
some member of the party; at 5:30
each afternoon Dr. Ford C. Ottman
has a Bible reading for Europeans
which is largely attended and much
appreciated; and at 9 p. m., Dr. Chap
man and Mr. Alexander conduct a no
table meeting for missionaries and
European residents in the Martyrs’
Memorial Hall. Many of the mission
aries declare that the present series
of meetings are proving the means of
reaching numbers of business and pro
fessional men who have hitherto been
untouched by such gatherings. Mis
sionaries from all parts of this prov
ince are in the city specially to attend
the series of meetings.
Last Sunday afternoon Dr. Chap
man and Mr. Alexander conducted a
meeting in the Martyrs’ Memorial
Hall at which were witnessed some
of the most thrilling scenes in the en
tire worldwide tour. It was a gather
ing exclusively for Chinese young men
and the hall was packed with about
seven hundred sturdy and intellectual
looking young men. From the begin
ning to the end the service was one
of great power. During the opening
song service, Mr. Alexander captivat
ed his Chinese audience in the same
manner in which he has Avon the
The Golden Age for November 11, 1909.
Vy GEORGE T. R. DAVIS.
hearts of audiences in Australia, Eng
land and America. He had prepared
large hymn-sheets with the Chinese
version of “Don’t Stop Praying” which
were fastened on the wall at the back
of the platform. These could be seen
from all parts of the hall. Quickly
under Mr. Alexander’s magnetic lead
ership the young men were singing
the hymn with all the enthuisasm of a
trained chorus. The great song lead
er seems to possess equal facility in
making people of all classes and
grades, in all parts of the world, sing
the Gospel melodies. In the meeting
for Chinese in Shanghai this fact was
strikingly exemplified.
Dr. Chapman’s address was on
“Sowing the Wind and Reaping the
Whirlwind.” It was a straight and
powerful address on the terrible ef
fects of sin. Though he spoke through
an interpreter, the message seemed
to lose none of its force, and it held
the audience spellbound from first to
last. Dr. Chapman declared that we
must reap if we sow; we must reap
what we sow; and we must reap more
than we sow. He told how the law
of sowing and reaping was written in
the Bible, in history, and in the daily
newspapers, giving telling instances
from each. He told how every man
has the ability to sow; there are just
two ways of sowing; one way is eas
ier than the other; and the results of
the two ways of sowing are vastly dif
ferent. After holding over the audi
ence for a time the terrific law of sow
ing and reaping, he quickly turned
from that and proclaimed to them the
wonderful love of Christ, in forgiving
sin of every kind the moment one re
pents, confesses Christ, and begins to
live for Him.
In making the appeal for decisions
at the close of his address, Dr. Chap
man called upon those who would
then and there forsake sin and defi
nitely accept Christ as their Savior,
to come forward and take Mr. Alex
ander by the hand. A wonderful scene
followed. From all parts of the hall
young men arose and pressed their
way to the front, filling the aisle for a
considerable distance. Then the evan
gelist called upon those who were
yielding their lives to God to kneel
down, and fifty-three Chinese men of
various ages knelt in public acknowl
edgment of their acceptance of Christ.
Through the interpreter, Dr. Chapman
further called upon those who were
yielding their lives to God to say the
two words “1 will,” and chorus which
arose in response was the most thrill
ing sound I have heard since reach
ing Chinese shores. No one can esti
mate the results of that single meet
ing upon the future of Christianity in
Shanghai. Dr. Chapman requested the
men who had publicly confessed
Christ to remain behind for an after
service. This they readily did and
again the way of Life was clearly ex
plained to them. Finally, all of the
men present expressed their desire to
carry a Testament with them and read
at least a chapter a day and thus be
come members of the Pocket Testa
ment League. Each of them will be
presented with a Chinese pocket Tes
tament.
In a few days most of the members
of the party begin an extensive tour
to a number of leading cities in the
interior of China, visiting Nanking,
Hankow and Peking. The party will
(D. V.) include Dr. Chapman and his
son Hamilton, Mr. and Mrs. Charles
M. Alexander, and Mrs. Alexander’s
sister, Miss Cadbury, Dr. Ford C. Ott
man, Mr. Robert Harkness, Mr. and
Mrs. Ralph C. Norton, Mrs. E. A. R.
Davis, and the writer. Mr. and Mrs.
William Asher are returning to Amer
ica via Japan and England. They have
just completed a month of remarkable
meetings in the Philippine Islands, and
expect after their arrival in England
to make arrangements for public-house
and saloon meetings in that country.
Dr. Chapman’s daughter, Miss Agnes,
has proceeded directly to Japan to
spend a few W’eeks with her aunt, Miss
Strain, who is a prominent mission
ary in Yokohama.
The evangelists feel that the victo
ries achieved wherever meetings have
been held have come about directly in
answer to believing prayer; and they
desire that Christian people every
where should continue to pray earn
estly for them.
•6
PROHIBITION—THE ULTIMATE
GOOD.
By Lloyd Logan.
Ambition is the pushing, persever
ing, indomitable characteristic of the
American people. This is as it should
be if a man’s mind “moved in char
ity, rested in providence, and turned
upon the poles of truth.” But, there
is now a dreadful ambition abroad for
being fashionable. There is a con
stant struggle and pressure for the
front seats in the social amphitheater.
The women are no more keen for
this distinction than the men, who
produce the money that makes at least
an outward semblance of this kind of
success possible.
For this reason, the vast wealth ac
cumulated by the dealers in liquor, in
the many various branches of the
trade, will not be lightly considered.
They will put up a tremendous fight
against prohibition. They use their
weapons: the revenue derived by the
cities and towns from the license; the
employment given to thousands of
men; and the necessity of catering to
the habits and temperaments of this
vast foreign population, that form so
important a part of the laboring class
es. Underling all of this is the funda
mental principle of personal ambi
tion.
This is no colder question than slav
ery, nor fraught with more danger for
many really good people. Ever since
the days of the beginning of things,
thinking people have been fearful in
every great action, lest the very foun
dations of the government would be
shaken. And yet, the great high road
of human happiness lies along the old
highway of steadfast well doing. There
is only one attitude toward any great
wrong, and that is to abolish it.
The government has the right to
deny the indulgence of liquor when
the majority wish prohibition. Even
as a father will banish it from his
home, when most of his family agree
to save the few among them, who use
it for their personal indulgence or the
weakness of others to gratify their
money making ambitions.
The great weight of scientific med
ical opinion, that the use of drinks
containing alcohol is sinful, so over
balances the alternative, that the
question is of no consideration.
“Man will develop through the ex
ercise of his will and through the ex
ercise of his intelligence.” The strong
est wills, and the finest, the supreme
height of intelligence is not found in
the liquor sodden brain; nor in the
high strung temperaments, really a
high order of mentality, that a few
glasses throws completely out of kil
ter It is not to the exercise of their
(Continued on page 16.)
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