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Laichowfu, Shantung Province
China, April 3, 1913.
Dear Bro. Upshaw:
As we followed the donkey and
muleteer out of the village where I
had been to examine a school on my
way to preach at a town where a
church was organized last fall, one
of the brethren said: “Can’t you pos
sibly come back next week and help
us preach to the hundreds that will
be here to see the theatre and wor
ship at the temple?” He had been
assured that a native evangelist and
colporters would be sent; but the
brethren are always anxious that a
missionary be present at such times.
He continued to beg that one of us
come, but when reminded again of
the large class of enquirers already
arranged for here at the station next
week and of calls at other places, his
mind turned to the great harvest field
now so ripe. He spoke in strong
terms of the great opportunity that
now is ours.
The opening for thei progress of
the gospel in China at this time is
such that one finds himself searching
for a term stronger than the word
‘ opportunity” with which to express
the present conditions. It is, too, well
agreed that the next eight or ten
years will determine whether the Chi
nese are to be a Christian people or
not. The answer to this question
rests largely with the Christians of
the United States. The Americans as
a people and as a nation are held in
higher esteem by the Chinese than
arc any other people. The Chinese
are looking to us for leading. Now
is our opportunity.
The opportunity to reach the many
in our fields is such as we have pray
ed for these many years. Now that
the time has come are we to go back
ward in our work? With a debt hang
ing over the Board and they not even
able to send reinforcements to take
the places of those who have gone to
their reward or broken down in
health, it looks as though the people
at home are willing for us to retreat,
but we are not willing to do so.
Look, if you will, at the progress at
this one station as a result of the
money given the past several years,
and think of what may result here
and elsewhere the next few years if
Southern Baptists do their duty. It
is the glorious outlook that consti
tutes the striking feature of present
conditions, and it enthuses both mis
sionaries and Chinese. We feel the
weight of the great changes, and the
attendant opportunity. It is evident
that our Baptist churches at home
have not yet taken seriously present
conditions in China.
A well-attended class has just been
held at an out-station north of here
and the Christians of that section de
clare that they never saw such an
opening for work and that a new day
has indeed dawned there. In a few
days a class for enquirers will be
held here. Some fifty are expected,
the largest single class held at our
station. There are requests for class
es at other places just as soon as can
be held.
Since the revolution a marked
change has come in the attitude of
the people toward the gospel. One
feels the consciousness of the change
as he goes among people who hitherto
were hostile to the missionary and
his message. This is especially true
The Golden Age for May Bth, 1913
NEWS FROM THE WORKERS
Good News From China
of Laichowfu city, from where every
few weeks both men and women are
received into the membership of the
church, whereas up to a year ago
there was only one Christian in the
whole city. More people of the high
er classes than formerly are seeking
Christianity.
There has been so large an increase
in the sale of Scriptures here that it
has been almost impossible to supply
the demand. It is probable that as
many portions have been sold the past
five months as during the preceding
five years. Whereas colporters form
erly took away for sale a hundred or
twc at a time, they now carry off as
many as a thousand at a time and all
are sold. The word is now being
read in hundreds of homes and, at
tended by the Holy Spirit, will bring
forth fruit.
The Boys’ Boarding School is in a
most flourishing condition. The Girls’
School has had to deny entrance to
desirable girls because its buildings
are inadequate. The Training School
for Bible women has more than dou
bled its enrollment of last year, hav
ing now thirty-one pupils. There is,
too, advancement in self-support.
We are much encouraged for there
is reason for encouragement. What
we ask is that the debt be removed
from the Foreign Missionary Board,
and that the Judson Centennial Fund
be speedily raised. Our Mission is
exceedingly anxious to open some new
stations, but so far the Board has
not been able to send us a single new
missionary to take the place of Miss
Abernathy, Bro. Lowe and family, Bro.
Owen and family, or Dr. Hartwell and
Miss Moon. Our hope is that we may
scon have reinforcements.
Sincerely,
CHAS. A. LEONARD.
A SISTER STATE IN DISTRESS.
My mother had an old song book,
one of whose songs bore the name:
“The Old Ship of Zion.” “Ship of
Zion” —the symbol is a good one. But
our Zion is not a single ship, it is a
whole fleet. It seems to this writer
that the figure may be pressed, some
what, and that the Baptist cause in
each state may be regarded a mem
ber of sucji fleet. This articlel is
written for the purpose of giving a
signal of distress from one of the ships.
The Baptist State Convention of
Oklahoma owns a valuable college
plant in the city of Blackwell. The
property consists of two large brick
buildings and a campus of sixteen
acres of ground within the corporate
limits of the town. The property is
easily worth a hundred thousand dol
lars. Officers of the three banks here
have recently signed statements to
the effect that, upon a conservative
estimate, the property is worth at
least SIOO,OOO. This is the only prop
erty owned by our state convention,
that is being used for school purposes.
The college is in great peril. It is
in debt in the sum of nearly $40,000.
Judgments against the institution have
been obtained and the whole prop
erty will soon be advertised for sale,
and the matter closed up in July;
then every penny’s worth of college
property owned by the Baptists of
Oklahoma will be snatched from Bap
tist hands. Then the college for which
out people have been praying and
sacrificing from a time ante-dating the
beginning of sisterhood, will pass into
Wonderful Atlanta Revival
Over One Hundred Conversions at Cooper Street Church.
; j
Rev. A. C. Shuler.
alien hands. And the wreck of de
nominational education, so far as the
Baptists are concerned, will be com
plete.
Brethren of the Baptist faith every
where, our ship is sinking in mid-ocean.
Will our signal of distress reach the
other ships bearing the Baptist flag?
NUTT IS “UP IN THE AIR.”
In sending his renewal to The Gold
en Age, Rev. J. R. Nutt, formerly of
Ackerman, Miss., but now the popu
lar new pastor of the Baptist church
at Gilmer, Upshur county, Texas,
writes the following personal letter
which is good enough to “pass along”:
Dear Will D.:
The blesings of God are upon us.
We have just closed a two weeks’ re
vival which began oh the second Sun
day in April and continued through
the fourth Sunday. The pastor did
the preaching at the request of his
own people and Prof. W. A. Stewart
o* Pittsburg, Tex., led the song ser
vice. The results were sixty-eight ad
ditions, thirtytnine by baptism, |
was the greatest meeting I have ever
seen. At the close of the meeting we
took a collection for Home and For
eign Missoins which amount was
$450.00, besides S2OO for the singer
and myself, and also a nice suit of
clcthes for the pastor and a ten-dol
lar bill for my wife. It is said to be
the best meeting in all respects ever
in the history of the church. God is
among our labors and we are all hap
py. Our people love The Golden Age
and its editor is known by “a few
people” in this part of the State.
There are a few things I must say
or pop. Here it is:
Texas is a great State, Gilmer is a
great town, the people are among the
best in the world, and this old Bap
tist church beats any big city church
or any other church. It has now over
four hundred and fifty members and
many of them are just about the best
people on earth. I would say the best,
but some folks at- Ackerman and
French Camp, Miss., take The Golden
Age.
We are just as happy as can be.
I am up in the air and would not
come down if I had an air ship. We
One of the most remarkable revival
meetings held in Atlanta in years re
cently closed at Cooper Street Bap
tist church. The pastor, Rev. W. A.
Hambric, was assisted by Pastor-
Evangelist A. C. Shuler, of Boston,
Ga. Mr. Shuler was formerly pas
tor of Western Heights church, At
lanta, and is now holding frequent
meetings in connection with his South
Georgia pastorate. Mr. Shuler's preach
ing during the Cooper street meet
ing was so vigorous and striking from
the start that the house was pack
ed, and while there were over a hun
dred conversions and accessions to the
church, the scope and influence of
the meetings suffered greatly on ac
count of lack of room to accommo
date the crowds.
Pastor Hambric declared: “Some of
the most wonderful manifectations of
redeeming grace that I ever witness
ed took place during the meeting.”
He and Evangelist Shuler believe that
ne Lord still lives,” and rchly bless
es the faithful preaching of His word,
have a fine public school and Booth
Lowrey will be our first number, on
our Lyceum course this falk Wei
would love to have Hon. W. D. Upshaw
before the season is over. Prof. Cos
ton is principal of the public school
and a fine man at the right place.
Come over and see him and the chil
dren just any old time.
The Golden Age gets better all the
time.
Gilmer, Texas, April 29, 1913.
RAKE’S GREAT WORK IN ST. LOUIS
The editor of The Golden Age owes,
and hereby makes, a most humble
apology to Rev. J. F. Rake, the en
terprising and highly successful pas
tor of Euclid Avenue Baptist church,
St. Louis, also to Rev. J. S. McLemore,
who is leading the First Baptist church
at Dalton, Ga., in the most prosper
ous period of its history. When sick
ness in the family of the editor pre
vented his filling an appointment at
the Mid-Winter Soul-Winners’ Confer
ence at the Euclid Avenue church in
January, the Dalton pastor kindly took
the editor’s place in St. Louis, so
electrifying the people, of course, that
they were “kinder glad” The Golden
Age editor could not come. But the
story which McLemore wrote about
his visit at our request was lost on the
road, somewhere, and in the busy whirl
of an editor-lecturer’s life a request
for its duplication was overlooked.
Anyway, McLemore declares that Pas
tor Rake is doing a superb work in
St. Louis, and he (furthermore says
with a provoking smile: “If those royal
people missed Upshaw they didn’t tell
me so. They gave me a glorious
time.”
Certainly. And here’s to Rake, Eu
clid Avenue church and McLemore for
evermore! W. D. U.
PASS THE NEWS ON.
If folks were as quick to pass along
good news as they are ready to spread
scandal, there would not be a single civil
ized town in the world without its quota
of remarkable cures made by Tetterine. the
great remedy for Tetter, Eczema, Ring
worm, Itqh, Acne, Pimples, Itching Piles,
etc. And there would be less suffering.
Get a box —try it, then tell it. 50 cents at
drug stores or by mail from Shuptrine
Company, Savannah, Ga.