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 (Cornell Hmneraitg Slihrarg 
 
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 CHARLES WILLIAM WASON 
 
 COLLECTION 
 
 CHINA AND THE CHINESE 
 
 THE GIFT OF 
 CHARLES WILLIAM WASON 
 CLASS OF 1876 
 1918 
 
Cornell University Library 
 DS 721. D76 
 
 Among the dark-haired race in the tlow^^^ 
 
 3 1924 023 241 353 
 
 All books are subject to recall after two weeks 
 Olin/Kroch Library 
 
 DATE DUE 
 
 PRINTED IN U.S.A. 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tliis book is in 
 tlie Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31 924023241 353 
 
AMONG THE DARK-HAIRED RACE 
 IN THE FLOWERY LAND 
 
 SAMUEL B. DRAKE 
 
 Of the Baptist Missionary Society 
 
 LONDON 
 
 THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY 
 
 56, PATERNOSTER ROW, AND 65, ST. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD 
 1897 
 

 DS7a,| 
 
 Printed by Hazell, Watson, & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 T F the circumstances in which a work is being 
 -*- carried on are unknown, neither the difficulties 
 nor the successes of the worker can be properly 
 appreciated, even by his friends. Hence the 
 object of the following pages is to set forth some 
 of the social conditions amid which missionary 
 work is being pursued in China. The facts 
 presented and the experiences related in this 
 work will, it is hoped, enable the reader the 
 better to understand the difficulties besetting the 
 path of the Christian missionary in China, and 
 also the more deeply to sympathise with those 
 who are bom into, and live their lives in, the 
 midst of a stagnant and degrading civilisation. 
 
 If this book should stimulate the interest of 
 China's friends, especially those who seek her 
 intellectual and religious advancement, the object 
 
 5 
 
6 PREFACE. 
 
 whicli the writer liad in view will have been 
 secured. 
 
 I take this opportunity of expressing my thanks 
 to the Rev. R. C. Gardner, of Stajnford, and 
 Mr. E. J. Sowerby, for valuable suggestions and 
 assistance in preparing this book for press. 
 
 S. B. D. 
 
 Chow-Ping, 
 
 N. China, 1897. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 I. SOUTHERN SHAN-SI 
 
 II. LAYING A FOUNDATION . 
 
 HI. A MONTH IN A CAVE FIGHTING OPIUM 
 
 IV. MR. CHU .... 
 
 V. THE FAMINE STRICKEN . 
 
 VI. DISTRIBUTING RELIEF 
 
 VII. china's SORROW . 
 
 VIII. FRUITS OF CHARITY 
 
 IX. CENTRES OF INFLUENCE . 
 
 ^. FRESH NEEDS AND NEW METHODS 
 
 XI. THE SICK AND THE AFFLICTED 
 
 XII. TRAINING NATIVE LEADERS 
 
 7 
 
 9 
 H 
 27 
 40 
 47 
 57 
 62 
 
 68 
 
 77 
 81 
 
 89 
 
 94 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 XIII. THE DAUGHTERS OF THE FLOWERY LAND . lOI 
 
 XIV. SISTERS OF MERCY IO5 
 
 XV. THE CAUSES OF SUICIDE . . . -US 
 
 XVL AN INJURED HUSBAND. . . . • 119 
 
 XVII. AN UNLADYLIKE PERSON . . . .124 
 
 XVIIL NEW WINE AND OLD BOTTLES . -135 
 
 XIX. LOYAL TO CONVICTION . . . . I4I 
 
 XX. INTOLERANT OF LIGHT. .... I46 
 
 XXI. SHARP PRACTICE. . . . . -153 
 
AMONG THE DARK-HAIRED RACE 
 IN THE FLOWERY LAND. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 SOUTHERN SHAN-SI. 
 
 DURING the winter of 1879 W. HiUier, Esq., 
 of H.B.M. Consular Service, and I reached 
 the city of Ping-yang. This city is situated 
 nearly in the centre of the southern half of the 
 province of Shan-si, and stands close to the river 
 Fen. It is about thirty days' journey distant 
 from the port of Han-kow, and about twenty days' 
 from that of Tien-tsin. We found the Revs. 
 Canon (now Bishop) Scott, David Hill, Timothy 
 Richard, and J. J. Turner at work there. These 
 gentlemen were at that time engaged especially 
 in relief work. The great famine was still raging, 
 and Ping-yang had been made one of the centres 
 for the distribution of foreign relief. 
 
 9 
 
10 SOUtHEkN SHAN-Sl 
 
 The city possessed little of an interesting cliaf- 
 acter ; it wore the appearance of having seen 
 better days. The natives say that thirty thousand 
 of its inhabitants were butchered by the Tai-ping 
 rebels. The famine, too, had left its impress 
 upon the place, both as regards the number and 
 appearance of its inhabitants and the ruined 
 condition of many of its buildings. During the 
 period of drought even the gods suffered injury ; 
 for temples were not restored, and the idols, in 
 many instances, were left on their pedestals, with- 
 out a roof to protect them from the disintegrating 
 effects of the storm. 
 
 In ordinary times, however, the inhabitants of 
 this district would seem to be fairly well provided 
 for. The manufacture of paper supplies labour 
 for many village communities. Coal is obtained 
 cheaply, and the land is fertile : its fertility, in 
 many places, is increased by means of irrigation. 
 The natives have said that one acre of water land 
 is equal in productiveness to ten acres of dry. 
 Consequently, large quantities of wheat, millet, 
 maize, opium, and tobacco are grown. The fact 
 is that, if there were good roads and a method 
 of cheap transit, Ping-yang-fu would be a 
 wealthy district. I have heard the natives speak 
 of productive seasons as ' famines of plenty.' 
 Their meaning was this, that in abundant years, 
 every one having enough and to spare, it was 
 impossible to sell the surplus produce, and so 
 
SOUTHERN SHAN-SI ti 
 
 turn it into cash. The result was, that nearly 
 every one, in the matter of ready money, was hard 
 up. During productive years I have known the 
 officials to be compelled to take produce instead 
 of cash for the land-tax ; and following such a 
 year, the larger landowners have cultivated only 
 a portion of their farms. In these circumstances 
 crops producing less than an average yield 
 conduce to local prosperity ; they promote the 
 circulation of money. 
 
 In point of scholarship the district of Ping-yang 
 has attained provincial notoriety, its scholars 
 being considered more competent and finished 
 than those living further north. 
 
 The chief interest attaching to Southern Shan-si 
 lies in its historical associations. Wheresoever 
 the Chinese race may have originally come from, 
 it is generally supposed to have been located for 
 some time in this neighbourhood, and thence 
 to have descended upon China proper, to begin 
 the subjection and absorption of the three abo- 
 riginal tribes — a work not yet completed. It 
 is supposed, too, that this district formed part 
 of the territory ruled over by Yao and Shun. 
 These rulers flourished B.C. 2357 to 2208 — the 
 beginning of the semi-historical period. Although 
 they lived so far back in the ages, yet their 
 virtues, real or supposed, have never failed to 
 fascinate the people and to ensure national 
 respect. Yao is said to have reclaimed the 
 
12 SOUTHERN SHAN-SI 
 
 empire from tlie waters which covered its surface. 
 He set two astronomers, Hsi and Ho, to observe 
 the heavenly bodies, and he also established 
 universal concord. In his day the reigning 
 monarch could name his successor. The occupant 
 of the throne was chosen, not for his birth, but by 
 reason of his virtues. Yao upheld this ancient law- 
 On the score of unfitness, he set aside his only 
 son from the succession, and raised to the imperial 
 dignity the son of a peasant, who was a man of 
 character. But his virtues were not taken on 
 trust. Yao tested his powers to obey and his 
 fitness to rule by a series of exhaustive trials. 
 He gave him his two daughters in marriage, and 
 he made him, during twenty-eight years, his 
 associate in the government. Shun, who thus 
 became the ruler of the empire, was supposed to 
 have been the son of a blind peasant. While 
 young he lost his mother, and his father took to 
 himself another consort, who in due time gave 
 birth to a son. This second boy the father pre- 
 ferred to the first, and naturally, also, his mother. 
 As her own son advanced in years, he, too, 
 developed a strong dislike of his half-brother. 
 Dislike grew into hatred, and at last father, 
 mother, and brother united in trying to bring poor 
 Shun to an untimely end. Providence, however, 
 interposed, and brought their purposes to nought. 
 Shun was aware of their designs, yet he not only 
 abstained from resenting their conduct, but acted 
 
SOUTHERN SHAN-SI 13 
 
 as though their feelings toward him were of the 
 kindliest character. He returned good for evil, 
 and fulfilled the law of filial piety. So extra- 
 ordinary and affecting was his goodness that it 
 led to the reformation of his family — a remarkable 
 example illustrative of Chinese opinion that correct 
 conduct leads to reformation in others. Shun is 
 thus the type of a filial son, while Yao is that of 
 the typical ruler. Confucius said : ' How great 
 indeed was Yao as a sovereign ! How majestic 
 was he ! It is only Heaven that is great, and 
 only Yao corresponded to it ! ' 
 
 This eulogium in praise of Yao has been 
 endorsed by the Chinese people, who have paid 
 him homage for four thousand years. Nor is their 
 admiration of Shun inferior to that which they 
 accord to Yao. To the palmy days of these two 
 rulers the mind of the nation still turns with 
 delight, and looks forward to the return of those 
 good old times, believing that thus only can 
 China's best interests be advanced. The Christian 
 prays, ' Let Thy Kingdom come, ' and believes 
 that better days than those of the past will be 
 ushered in by Him who is greater than either 
 Yao or Shun. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 IvAYING A FOUNDATION. 
 
 WHEN relief work was finished, some of 
 tlie missionaries who had been engaged 
 therein returned to their former spheres of labour, 
 while the rest determined to remain in the 
 province of Shan-si. These latter occupied two 
 centres for evangelistic operations, viz., Tai-yuan- 
 fu in the north, and Ping-yang-fu in the south, 
 of the province. The first thing attempted 
 after settling down was a general distribution of 
 Christian books, Mr. Turner taking charge of 
 that section of the work which was carried on 
 from Ping-yang-fu. 
 
 During the period whilst relief was being 
 distributed, a good many people appeared to be 
 favourably disposed toward the foreigners. Some 
 attended Divine worship, and even expressed their 
 willingness to enter the Christian Church. When 
 relief distribution had ceased, the good intentions 
 of the majority of these failed to bear fruit. 
 Scarcely ten persons remained true to their former 
 
 14 
 
LAYING A FOUNDATION ij 
 
 resolution, and of these only five ultimately 
 proved staunch Christians. 
 
 When book distribution was about to begin, 
 Mr. Turner called for volunteers for the work. 
 Whereupon these five men offered their services. 
 It was necessary to check in them any expec- 
 tations of a pecuniary advantage ; so they were 
 told that only food and travelling expenses could 
 be promised. Further, it being desirable that the 
 missionary himself should get into close contact 
 with the natives, in order that their difficulties 
 in respect of Christian truth might be known and 
 cleared up, Mr. Turner arranged to take his food 
 with these five native helpers. At the end of 
 several weeks this practice was discontinued ; for, 
 while the missionary had become perceptibly more 
 genteel in appearance, the natives had grown 
 more rotund. Nevertheless, the object aimed at 
 was secured, difficulties were removed, and these 
 men were led to embrace Christianity. Subse- 
 quently, they testified to the benefit derived from 
 the conversations engaged in at table, and said 
 that through their talks with Mr. Turner they 
 were led to decide for Christ. 
 
 One of these men was named Li. His mind 
 at this time was filled with all the crudities of 
 Chinese alchemy. To his own satisfaction, he 
 could give the cause of, and reason for, almost 
 every mortal thing. He became known among 
 us as Philosopher JJv. Some one was cruel 
 
I6 LAYING A FOUNDATION 
 
 enougli to remark that his eloquence increased 
 with the size of the moon ! 
 
 Another man was named Hsi. He was a Con- 
 fucianist and a literary graduate, a good scholar, 
 and possessed of remarkable energy. Whilst he 
 was receiving Christian instruction from Mr. 
 Turner, prizes for the best essays upon religious 
 subjects were oflFered to the graduates of the 
 province by the Revs. D. Hill and T. Richard. 
 Mr. Hsi obtained the first prize. He acknow- 
 ledged that he never fully realised the weakness 
 of the arguments usually urged in support of 
 idolatry until he wrote this set of essays. Mr. 
 Hsi subsequently became a native pastor, and has 
 done a great religious work. 
 
 The missionary must learn to harden himself 
 against the bad effects of petty dodges, and must 
 not despair of good being done, although these 
 should be frequently resorted to. For instance, in 
 connection with this competition, the first and 
 second prizes were obtained by Ping-yang-fu men ; 
 then, three years afterwards, on other prizes being 
 offered on similar conditions, the first two prizes 
 were again secured by two Ping-yang-fu men — 
 Mr. Hsi and another. At this time it came to 
 light that the winner of the second prize on each 
 occasion was a brother of Mr. Hsi. To prevent 
 suspicion, he had written under an assumed name : 
 Mr. Hsi had supplied his brother with the 
 necessary knowledge of Christian doctrine. 
 
LAYING A FOUNDATION ij 
 
 Again, in another part of China a similar thing 
 happened. An illiterate Christian provided doc- 
 trinal knowledge ; a Confucianist, scholarship ; and 
 they divided the prize-money they won between 
 them. In this latter case the Confucianist, as 
 a result of the writing of the essay, became a 
 Christian. 
 
 Among the first Shan-si Christians there was 
 a Mr. Sung. Soon after his conversion an in- 
 teresting episode in connection with him occurred. 
 He had no children of his own ; but he had an 
 adopted son. This boy unfortunately became 
 a disreputable character. In China, unless a son 
 be publicly repudiated, however old he may be, 
 the father is held responsible for both his crimes 
 and his debts. This son stole some silver, and 
 the father was therefore called upon to refund 
 it. He assembled the members of his clan, to 
 learn what was their opinion as to what should 
 be done under the circumstances, and they decided 
 that the son ought to be buried alive. 
 
 This custom of burying alive is still practised 
 in China. On one occasion a man persuaded the 
 wife of another belonging to the same village to 
 leave her own husband and to live with him ; 
 whereupon the villagers rose up against him, and 
 buried him alive. When asked whether they did 
 not fear the consequences of their act, they replied, 
 ' Oh no ! it was the action of the whole village, 
 and they were therefore protected.' A clan may 
 
i8 LAYING A FOUNDATION 
 
 punish any one of its members in this way. This 
 criminal son, it was resolved, should be thus dealt 
 with. 
 
 Mr. Sung, however, had misgivings as to the 
 propriety of the verdict. He therefore called 
 upon Mr. Turner, to ask his advice. Mr. Sung, 
 in turn, was asked what he himself thought about 
 it, and his answer was a very interesting one. 
 ' Well, ' said he, ' I have suffered many losses 
 through this boy, and I doubt not that he deserves 
 the punishment. But I have been thinking about 
 these words, ' ' Forgive us our trespasses as we 
 forgive those who have trespassed against us. 
 And, if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither 
 will your Father forgive your trespasses." Now,' 
 he said, ' if I consent to the death of my son, I 
 shall not be acting in harmony with these words.' 
 Evangelical doctrine had thus taken hold of his 
 heart, and it was beginning to bring forth one of 
 its sweetest fruits, viz., mercy. It is needless to 
 add that the boy's life was spared. 
 
 By such men, by such methods, and in such 
 circumstances as these was the planting of 
 Christianity in Southern Shan-si commenced. 
 
 As one result of the book distribution referred 
 to, several men became interested in the Christian 
 religion, and visited the missionaries for the 
 purpose of making inquiries concerning it. 
 Among these was a Mr. Fan, a farmer from a 
 village situated some twenty English miles distant 
 
LAYING A FOUNDATION 19 
 
 from Ping-yang city. He was of medium height 
 and of forbidding aspect. He could read only a 
 little, but he possessed the energy of a fanatic. 
 He was a man of some property, for, taking 
 irrigated and other land together, he owned 
 seventy or more acres ; but as Chinese acres 
 vary from two hundred and forty square paces to 
 seven hundred and twenty, and as the writer did 
 not inquire whether Mr. Fan's land was divided 
 into small, medium, or large acres, it is not 
 possible to state precisely what was the actual 
 extent of his earthly possessions. 
 
 It happened that this Mr. Fan was a member 
 of a society known as the ' Secret Sect '—a 
 society denominated secret because its members 
 do not openly declare themselves as belonging to 
 it. Its members meet in private and under cover 
 of night, and during their meetings their leader is 
 supposed to be under the influence of some secret 
 power ; while so entranced he sees visions and 
 dreams dreams, which, by his followers, are regarded 
 as authoritative revelations from the unseen world. 
 
 Just before the outbreak of the war, in 1895, 
 the members of this sect, in a district well known 
 to the writer, supposed themselves to be in 
 possession of a revelation, to the effect that the 
 Man-chu dynasty was about to fall, and that 
 under the new regime that would supplant it 
 they would be a specially favoured people. So 
 entirely was this revelation relied upon that there 
 
20 LAYING A FOUNDATION 
 
 were some persons who sold their possessions — 
 thinking that, as the members of their society 
 would shortly obtain abundance of land free of 
 charge, they might as well make what profit they 
 could by the sale of their present holdings. 
 
 This secret sect exists in all parts of China, 
 but in different localities is known by different 
 names. Its objects appear to be both moral and 
 political. The books popular among its members 
 insist upon a high form of morality, but it is 
 generally supposed that the members entertain 
 designs hostile to the present dynasty. For the 
 latter reason, they have frequently received harsh 
 treatment at the hands of the Government. 
 
 During the war with Japan, the officials in a 
 well-known district were trying to hunt down 
 some of these men. But they nevertheless 
 succeeded in outwitting the officials ; they escaped 
 through having secured copies of Christian books, 
 and said that when they met together they did so 
 for ' worship ' ! 
 
 The friends of Mr. Fan read to him the 
 Christian books which had come into his 
 possession. Impressed by their contents, he 
 visited Ping-yang city, to make inquiries con- 
 cerning the new religion. He remained there 
 several days, and, by means of conversation with 
 Mr. Turner, obtained much needful information. 
 He returned home, but there dreadful news 
 awaited him. One of his two sons was dead. 
 
LAYING A FOUNDATION 21 
 
 While the boy was sitting in the yard of the 
 house, a wolf had suddenly entered and worried 
 the little fellow to death. This burden, which 
 in itself was quite heavy enough to bear, was 
 increased by the superstition which gave to his 
 loss the appearance of punishment — for the 
 Chinese entertain the opinion that wolves are 
 possessed by avenging spirits. 
 
 I remember that during and after the famine 
 wolves greatly increased in number ; and the 
 reason assigned for the fact was that the spirits 
 of those persons who had received harsh treat- 
 ment, or whose bodies had been consumed for 
 food during the famine, had returned, in the form 
 of wolves, to torment their tormentors. 
 
 Indeed, the Chinese are naturally superstitious, 
 and that in respect of most matters ; but they are 
 especially so when having to deal with foreigners 
 and foreign things. It has been deemed a 
 sufficient cause for a spell of bad luck that a 
 foreigner had passed the door. A visit once 
 paid by the writer to a family was seriously stated 
 to have occasioned the subsequent illness of one 
 of its members. On one occasion, the reading of 
 the New Testament was declared to be the cause 
 of demoniacal possession. 
 
 All these things told against Mr. Fan. His 
 son had been killed by a wolf while the father 
 was staying in a foreigner's house for the purpose 
 of inquiring about a foreign religion : surely this 
 
22 LAYING A FOUNDATION 
 
 was a manifestation of tlie wrath of Heaven. His 
 neighbours said it was strange that Mr. Fan 
 did not say so too. True, the event startled 
 him, but he did not break with Christian truth. 
 After a time he again, for a similar purpose, 
 visited Ping-yang city, and again he returned 
 home. During his absence on this second occasion 
 a similar disaster to the first had befallen him : 
 a wolf had killed his only remaining son ! As 
 on the former occasion, so on the present, his 
 well-intentioned, but misinformed, neighbours 
 confidently asserted his own apostasy to be the 
 cause of his loss ; and thus again his faith was 
 tried, for had not their charge the appearance of 
 being true ? The unfortunate man was compelled 
 to ask himself, ' Have I not visited the foreigners 
 twice, and on both occasions have I not been 
 overtaken by calamity ? Am I right, then, or am 
 I wrong ? Have I exchanged falsehood for truth, 
 or truth for falsehood ? ' 
 
 Men cannot propose to themselves more im- 
 portant questions, and under the most favourable 
 circumstances they find it difiicult to answer them. 
 But when a man, in the act of exchanging an old 
 for a new religion, is in the presence of events 
 that rob him of his children and that favour 
 the old rather than the new, then the questions 
 are proposed and answered under most difficult 
 conditions. 
 
 In the autumn of 1881 Mr. and Mrs. Turner 
 
LAYING A FOUNDATION 23 
 
 were compelled for a time to leave Ping-yang-fu 
 on account of ill-health. This was a great loss 
 both to the work and to myself. I was left alone, 
 and my nearest European neighbours lived two 
 hundred English miles away. The loneliness was 
 trying, yet it proved to be a blessing in disguise. 
 
 Being the solitary representative of Christ and 
 His Gospel in a large district creates a deep sense 
 of personal responsibility ; it at least compels 
 you to look at the problems attaching to mission 
 work with your own eyes and to settle them in 
 your own way. You are compelled to make the 
 natives your companions. Above all, the heart 
 and mind are taught to find more entirely than 
 before their satisfaction in God and in His Christ. 
 When thus left alone, I visited Mr. Fan, and at 
 the same time he expressed a desire to learn to 
 read more perfectly the New Testament. Having 
 promised to help him, it was arranged that I 
 should visit him every Monday for this purpose. 
 His village was reached on horseback early in 
 the day. I read with him during the middle 
 part of it, and rode back again in the evening. 
 
 To travel forty miles, and devote a whole day 
 for the benefit of only one man, seemed a great 
 price to pay for so slight a gain. It seemed too 
 expensive a method of converting the heathen, 
 and I could not help asking, ' Is the game worth 
 the candle ? ' The missionary, however, especi- 
 ally in beginning a new work, must learn to 
 
24 LAYING A FOUNDATION 
 
 be satisfied with slender opportunities and with 
 equally slender results. He must do with his 
 might what his hands find to do, and then 
 with composed mind leave the issue with God. 
 Confidence in a wisdom more far-sighted than 
 his own, and contentment with the method of 
 its working, will give courage and strength to 
 his soul. 
 
 The weekly visit was continued for four months, 
 and our scholar made satisfactory progress. But 
 who learnt most ? — the teacher or the taught ? 
 The answer is doubtful. The point of view from 
 which a Chinaman looks at a thing, the novel 
 construction he puts upon statements of Scripture, 
 were made again and again apparent. For 
 instance, the reference to the ninety and nine 
 just persons who needed no repentance was 
 interpreted as meaning that they actually did 
 not need to repent. Because Jesus said to the 
 guilty woman, ' Neither do I condemn thee, ' it 
 was thought that He intentionally connived at 
 vice ; while the parable of the unjust steward 
 was taken as giving permission to make fortunes 
 by dishonest means. 
 
 I naturally desired to benefit more than one 
 man by this effort, but how to bring it about did 
 not immediately appear. On one occasion Mr. 
 Fan said, ' Don't return to-night ; stay here.' 
 Invitations generously tendered must not be 
 always taken seriously in Fngland ; they must 
 
LAYING A FOUNDATION 25 
 
 be greatly discounted in China. Of course the 
 reply was, ' I am unworthy.' The invitation, 
 however, was pressed with such evident sincerity 
 that it was at last accepted. During the evening 
 a number of villagers called to see me. Some 
 of them had never before met with a foreigner. 
 They all appeared friendly, drank tea, smoked 
 tobacco, and asked questions. Some wanted to 
 know the distance of England from China ; 
 others, whether the same sun shone in both 
 countries, and whether there were trees, literary 
 graduates, and officials in England similar to those 
 in their own land ; while others wished to know 
 what was meant by worship, prayer, etc., and 
 to hear me sing. The evening was profitably 
 spent, and the experience was especially valuable 
 to me. It suggested the answer to the question, 
 How could this weekly visit become a benefit to 
 more than one ? It furnished a wider outlook ; 
 and I decided that, in the future, whenever 
 possible, I would remain for the night. 
 
 The conveniences for the accommodation of 
 guests were not numerous. For instance, in the 
 matter of bedroom, there was only that one room 
 in which the visitors had sat during the evening ; 
 neither did my host possess a spare bed. I 
 wondered how the deficiency would be met. 
 Chinese methods for meeting a difficulty of this 
 kind are generally remarkable for their simplicity ; 
 it was so in this instance. My host took down 
 
26 LAYING A FOUNDATION 
 
 the door of the room, and placed it upon the floor, 
 saying, in an apologetic tone of voice, ' Won't that 
 do ? ' So, with a saddle for a pillow, and wrapped 
 in a Chinese coverlet, I laid down to sleep. 
 
 The Chinese are frequently at a loss to under- 
 stand why Englishmen prefer to sleep in separate 
 beds and rooms. In their view, such a practice 
 is neither economical as respects space, energy, 
 nor expense. The habit, moreover, appears to 
 them unsociable. My host entertained the same 
 opinion about the matter ; and a few minutes 
 after I had lain down, to my surprise he brought 
 another coverlet, wrapped it round him, and laid 
 himself down on the door. When a man never 
 takes a bath, wears the same clothes through a 
 whole season, and frequently also sleeps in them, 
 does not unplait his pigtail or comb his hair 
 more than twice a month at most, you cannot 
 expect him to be a very savoury bedfellow. I 
 made, therefore, a slight longitudinal movement 
 in the opposite direction to him, but he followed 
 on. Next morning, when we awoke, I was wedged 
 between a mud wall and my host. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 A MONTH IN A CAVE FIGHTING OPIUM. 
 
 THE Monday evening meeting thus begun 
 soon became a recognised institution. On 
 one occasion one of the men, to my surprise, said : 
 ' You have talked to us about repentance. Well, 
 some of us smoke a little opium. We know that 
 this is not right. Can you help us to break off 
 the habit ? ' My reply was, ' Yes, if you will 
 come and live with me for a month.' 
 
 On my next visit, I found there was an objection 
 to living with me. It was urged that absence 
 from home would be inconvenient. This was not 
 the chief obstacle. The real reason was that their 
 friends had not yet persuaded themselves that 
 foreigners could be trusted. Their wives said 
 that they should cry all day if their husbands 
 were living with a foreigner. Possibly, too, the 
 husbands even feared for the results. The pro- 
 position next made was that I should spend a 
 month with Mr. Fan, and treat the opium-smokers 
 on the spot. This turn of affairs was quite 
 unlooked for, and required consideration. I 
 
 27 
 
28 A MONTH IN A CAVE FIGHTING OPIUM 
 
 ultimately, having decided in its favour, with 
 fear and trembling took up my abode with 
 Mr. Fan. 
 
 In North China the dwellings are of three 
 kinds : first, substantially built stone or brick 
 houses ; secondly, houses built of sun-dried 
 bricks ; thirdly, caves dug in the sides of the 
 hills. Now Mr. Fan lived in a cave. In the 
 province of Shan-si, hills are many and lofty. 
 Among them there are many cave-dwellers. 
 Sometimes a hill is terraced, and the caves rise 
 one above another from the base to the summit. 
 From the upper terrace the occupiers converse 
 with those of the lower, and at times the ladies, 
 in this way, proclaim to the world what they 
 think of each other. I have seen, too, from this 
 point of vantage, the glance of the maiden answer 
 to that of the youth. 
 
 A space, say at the base of the hill, is levelled 
 and then enclosed. This enclosure serves the 
 purpose of a yard, in which animals are fed, 
 straw stacked, etc. The face of the hill is then 
 cut level to the height of twenty or more feet. 
 Parallel with each other, two, three or more 
 tunnel-like excavations are made. Between each 
 a good thickness of earth is left, to prevent the 
 roof falling in. A narrow passage is cut through 
 these earthy partitions to admit of inter-communi- 
 cation. In the front of one room a door-frame 
 is fitted, and in the fronts of the others, window- 
 
A MONTH IN A CAVE FIGHTING OPIUM 29 
 
 frames, about a square yard in size, while the 
 remainder is built up. Paper is pasted over the 
 window openings. 
 
 These caves vary in size. The largest measured 
 by me was about twenty-five feet long, ten feet 
 wide, and twelve feet high in the centre of the 
 arch. They also vary in quality. The interior 
 of the best class is faced with varnished, brickwork ; 
 the walls of the second class are chopped smooth, 
 and then covered with lime plaster, while those 
 of the poorest kind are plastered with mud only. 
 Mr. Fan's cave belonged to the second class, and 
 consisted of two rooms. 
 
 As a rule, each cave contains a family bed 
 made of brickwork, and which is called a k'ang. 
 These k'ang are generally the width of the room, 
 about two and a half feet high, and project from 
 six to seven feet into the room. Reed mats are 
 spread upon them, and the sleepers, rolled up in 
 separate coverlets, lie side by side. 
 
 In the front face of the k'ang a primitive kind 
 of fireplace is constructed and connected with a 
 flue running in a zigzag fashion under the upper 
 surface of the bed. The flue is connected with a 
 chimney — frequently a very indifferent one. These 
 k'ang not only supply sleeping accommodation, 
 but in the winter provide a continuously warmed 
 bed. They economise bed-linen, and give shelter 
 to several generations of omnivorous insects. 
 By their means, too, the house is warmed ; and 
 
30 A MONTH IN A CAVE FIGHTING OPIUM 
 
 on them, in daytime, the female members of 
 the house sit, cross-legged, doing needlework or 
 regaling themselves with the fumes of tobacco. 
 
 The walls, as a rule, are destitute of all de- 
 coration, and the rooms are but sparsely furnished. 
 In some there may be several pigskin boxes ; in 
 others, earthenware vessels about three feet high 
 and two feet wide, containing grain, pickled vege- 
 tables or vinegar ; and these vessels again may 
 act as resting-places for agricultural implements. 
 
 Besides the two caves already referred to, and 
 furnished with the conveniences indicated above, 
 Mr. Fan possessed a detached room. Now, under 
 ordinary circumstances, Mr. and Mrs. Fan, together 
 with the little Fans, occupied the inner cave. But 
 as a guest, intending to remain a whole month, 
 had arrived, Mrs. Fan and her little ones were 
 relegated to this detached room. By virtue of 
 this arrangement, the two caves, with all their 
 appurtenances, their animate and inanimate 
 belongings, became available for the use and 
 special benefit of Mr. Fan and his friend. 
 
 Thus situated, I made my first attempt at helping 
 opium-smokers to break off their baneful habit. 
 For this interesting experiment six men pre- 
 sented themselves as patients. Their resolution 
 proved firm, although they showed considerable 
 dread as to consequences. 
 
 When once the system has become accustomed 
 to the influence of opium, this symptom occurs, 
 
A MONTH IN A CAVE FIGHTING OPIUM 31 
 
 viz., that at the particular hour of the day 
 when the habit was indulged, a longing for the 
 drug returns. This is known as the ' craving. * 
 The intensity and bad effects of this craving 
 vary with the length of time the drug has 
 been taken and the quantity that has been 
 used. If the longing is left unsatisfied, great 
 inconvenience is always experienced ; and in the 
 more serious cases, diarrhcEa, dysentery, vomiting, 
 and cramp, accompanied with intense pain, follow. 
 The thought of this craving makes the opium- 
 smoker quail. To appease it, he continues a 
 habit which he himself condemns. To obtain 
 the means to gratify it, he will steal, or even offer 
 his wife for sale. 
 
 These six men knew what to expect, but they 
 were determined to fight the demon. I told them 
 that, besides a strong resolution and medicines, 
 in order that they might break the habit one 
 other thing was needful, viz. , that they must pray 
 to God for assistance. This was insisted upon, 
 because I wished them to discontinue the use of 
 opium on moral grounds, and not merely because 
 it was an injurious or expensive luxury, and be- 
 cause I had but little faith in the unaided power 
 of man to battle successfully with the strong 
 craving that is set Up. To cut off the possibility 
 of access to the pipe during the night, and to 
 render close observation possible, my host under- 
 took to provide sleeping accommodation for the 
 
32 A MONTH IN A CAVE FIGHTING OPIUM 
 
 patients. The outer of the two caves already 
 referred to was placed at their disposal. 
 
 It was interesting, while painful, to watch these 
 poor fellows as the craving came on. There was 
 first sleeplessness ; then pain, accompanied by 
 a marked decline of will power. They rose up, 
 walked about, moaned, and drank hot tea. My 
 host and I cheered them up as best we could, 
 and reminded them of God's readiness to help 
 them. We prayed for them, and persuaded them 
 to do the same for themselves. One patient asked. 
 How was he to pray ? he had never prayed in 
 his life. He said, 'Teach me to pray.' To 
 teach a man in middle life to ofier his first prayer 
 is a pleasing but solemn thing. We told him to 
 ask for what he needed, and in simple obedience 
 thereto he offered his first prayer. The men 
 finally fell asleep. They had gained their first 
 victory. 
 
 Besides the six men already referred to, several 
 others had expressed a desire to break off the 
 opium habit. When the time arrived to make 
 the attempt, they faltered, from fear of suffering 
 from that awful craving. They said, ' There is 
 no need to hurry. We can wait, to see how those 
 other men get on.' 
 
 During the next three or four days these men 
 came several times to inquire about the patients. 
 The subject of conversation was always the 
 ' craving. ' Fortunately the patients were able 
 
A MONTH IN A CAVE FIGHTING OPIUM 33 
 
 to assure them that it could be controlled. Their 
 testimony was not readily credited. They were 
 questioned and cross-questioned until it was 
 evident the truth had been told. At last the 
 confidence of the inquirers was won, and they, too, 
 submitted to treatment. As the days passed, the 
 patients increased until they numbered nineteen. 
 
 The house accommodation now became more 
 severely taxed. There were only two rooms at 
 our disposal, and twenty-one persons to sleep in 
 them. These cave dwellings cannot at any time 
 be well ventilated. With only eight occupants 
 the atmosphere was frequently unpleasant ; the 
 stench was almost suffocating with twenty-one. 
 On several occasions I was in a condition of 
 high fever. 
 
 This close contact with the Chinese afforded 
 many opportunities of noting their strange habits : 
 their extemporised beds ; the way in which they 
 economised space, bed-linen, and cash ; the 
 extreme simplicity of their toilet, — all were inter- 
 esting. One practice proved more inconvenient 
 than interesting : during the night one man 
 would wake and give his neighbour a nudge. 
 Both men would then sit up, indulge in a chat 
 and a pipe of tobacco, and lie down again. In 
 a few minutes two others would repeat the 
 performance, followed by two more, and so on 
 through the livelong night. 
 
 Several men having arranged to board with 
 
 3 
 
34 A MONTH IN A CAVE FIGHTING OPIUM 
 
 Mr. Fan, we took our food together. In some 
 parts of North China millet takes the place of 
 rice. There are some places where rice is 
 regarded as a luxury, so, occasionally, we ate 
 boiled millet. Wheat flour is also used — some- 
 times in the form of steamed bread, while at 
 others in the form known among the natives 
 as mien. 
 
 Now mien is a paste made of flour and water. 
 The paste is made of a good consistency, and well 
 kneaded. To insure a suitable toughness, it is 
 then raised above the head and brought down 
 with a bang on a table a goodly number of times. 
 It is then treated in one of two ways : it may 
 be cut into shreds, and called mien-tiao-tzs, or 
 it may be pulled into flakes, and called pien-mien. 
 The paste is put into boiling water ; onions, 
 chopped up small, are added, and, the whole 
 allowed to boil for a short time. When sufli- 
 ciently cooked, it is baled into basins. A 
 spoonful of oil and a small quantity of vinegar 
 are then added. Sometimes a further addition is 
 made, consisting of hard-boiled eggs and pickled 
 vegetables. The basins are then handed round, 
 and, by means of chopsticks, their contents 
 scooped into the mouth. This is mien. Two 
 or three basinfuls of this mixture, followed by a 
 loaf of steamed bread and a cup of tea, consti- 
 tutes a meal. Our meals were of this character. 
 As a rule, mien was served up morning, noon, 
 
A MONTH IN A CAVE FIGHTING OPIUM 35 
 
 and night. Occasionally the stomach heaved for 
 a change of diet ; but we must not complain — 
 life was sustained ! 
 
 The Chinaman's power of imitation has become 
 proverbial. His indulgence of it does not always 
 add to the comfort of other people. I had a 
 suspicion that an unauthorised liberty had been 
 taken with my toilet requisites. Next morning 
 I slept with one eye open. When all the other 
 men had left the room, my host entered, with a 
 bowl of water ; he took up my soap, with which 
 he well larded his face and neck, and then dried 
 himself on my towel. When he had finished, a 
 most superb smile lighted his countenance. I did 
 not grudge the soap, but wished he had spared 
 the towel. The acme of enjoyment had not been 
 reached ; that had still to come. He fetched a 
 cup of water, took up my toothbrush, and most 
 vigorously brushed his teeth. I groaned inwardly, 
 and suddenly formed a resolution. The next 
 night, towl, soap, and a few other articles were 
 deposited safely under the pillow, secure from 
 molestation. 
 
 Those persons who were desirous of ridding 
 themselves of the opium habit were farmers. The 
 season was then their slack time. Owing partly 
 to the severity of the cold, and partly to the 
 absence of pasture-land, and consequently of 
 flocks and of herds, the farmer in North China, 
 during the winter months, enjoys a large amount 
 
36 A MONTH IN A CAVE FIGHTING OPIUM 
 
 of leisure. During this period lie and his family 
 retire early and rise late in the day. By this 
 means oil and iiring are economised, and only two 
 meals per diem are taken instead of three. 
 
 As soon as the sun is risen, the farmer, together 
 with the other male members of his family, turn 
 out into the open air, and, squatting themselves 
 down, with their backs against a wall and their 
 hands thrust up the long sleeves of their dress, 
 and, it may be, with small fur-lined hoods 
 covering the lobes of their ears, enjoy the com- 
 forting effects of a sun-bath. All this time the 
 women of the household are busily engaged in 
 pursuing the culinary art, as the frequent clack 
 of the wooden bellows and the volume of smoke 
 issuing through the open doorway abundantly 
 testify. 
 
 At this season of the year the farmer visits the 
 neighbouring markets to effect needful sales or 
 purchases, but the greater part of his time is 
 occupied in looking after the baby. Not that he 
 rocks it in a cradle, or frequently dangles the 
 child on his arms ; but, having tied a girdle round 
 his loins and unbuttoned the front of his gown, 
 he puts it next his skin. The man looks after 
 the baby because the woman is busy ; and at such 
 times, as every husband has been occasionally 
 assured, it is a great convenience if both baby 
 and father, especially the latter, are out of the 
 way. The wife may be engaged in a home 
 
A MONTH TN A CAVE FIGHTING OPIUM 37 
 
 industry, such as spinning sewing-cotton, or 
 weaving calico on a hand-loom, or plaiting straw 
 braid. By her efforts the greater part of the 
 clothing materials required by the family are 
 produced, and she may add to the income of her 
 husband some twopence per diem. 
 
 The season of the year relieving them from the 
 pressure of business, the patients were enabled 
 to remain with me all day. It became a matter 
 for consideration how their time could be used 
 to the most advantage. It is a custom with the 
 Chinese to memorise their books. This they 
 do in a sing-song tone of voice. I suggested, 
 therefore, that the patients should memorise 
 Christian books. Some among them could not 
 read, but others were able so to do. It was 
 suggested that those who could read should help 
 the more ignorant. The plan was readily acted 
 upon, and, raising their voices to an inconveniently 
 high pitch, they set to work. 
 
 The book first memorised contained the Ten 
 Commandments, with a short commentary. This 
 was followed by another book prepared in the 
 form of question and answer. The majority 
 committed these two books to memory, while 
 the remainder also memorised part of a gospel 
 as well. Both morning and evening a short 
 service was held, and these services were well 
 attended, especially the evening service, for at 
 that non-patients put in an appearance. Indeed, 
 
38 A MONTH IN A CAVE FIGHTING OPIUM 
 
 it soon became known far and wide that a 
 foreigner was visiting the village, and the result 
 was that a large number of persons from other 
 villages called to see him. Their conversational 
 powers proved to be inconveniently great ; their 
 patience almost exhaustless. These visits usually 
 extended over two or three hours. Visits of this 
 duration afforded many opportunities for religious 
 conversation, but frequently induced a feeling 
 of great weariness. At times the noise was 
 distracting, while the atmosphere was always foul. 
 I required fresh air and quietude. To secure 
 these I visited the adjacent villages ; and as many 
 as fourteen villages were thus visited, in each 
 of which Christian books were distributed. 
 
 Thus the term of my visit was spent, and with 
 a feeling of relief I returned to Ping-j'ang city. 
 When passing in review the novelty of the 
 experiences and the lessons learned during this 
 period, my visit forms a distinct epoch in my life. 
 Before returning, I asked how many men would 
 promise to meet every Sunday for the worship 
 of God. To my joy, nineteen promised to do so, 
 and during a period of twelve months the number 
 increased to twenty-six. Nor was the influence of 
 this work confined to that immediate neighbour- 
 hood ; it extended to three other counties. 
 
 It is always desirable, with those who have but 
 recently forsaken idolatry, to proceed slowly in 
 the matter of administering baptism. Their 
 
A MONTH IN A CAVE FIGHTING OPIUM 39 
 
 conceptions of Christian truth and duty are of 
 necessity extremely crude ; and to my mind it is 
 unfair, both to the converts and to the Christian 
 Church, to allow them to become its professed 
 members before they can possibly understand the 
 importance of the step. Consequently, a pro- 
 bationary term, of two or three years' duration, was 
 required before inquirers were received into the 
 Church. On this account, at the end of four years, 
 there were only twenty persons baptized ; but there 
 were three hundred inquirers, that is to say, persons 
 interested in Christian truth, and more or less 
 regularly meeting for worship. 
 
 At this time my health gave way, and the work 
 passed into abler hands. It is more than ten 
 years since I left the district. Both time and 
 persecution have tested the work then done. 
 Some who promised well have turned out unsatis- 
 factory. But, on the whole, the work has stood, 
 and it has become a starting-point of extensive 
 missionary operations. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 MR. CHU. 
 
 EARLY in the year 1883 a visitor was 
 announced at my station. This person — a 
 Mr. Chii — lived in a village belonging to the county 
 of Ta-ning — a place three days' journey distant 
 from Ping-yang city. Mr. Chii possessed some 
 land, he had obtained a literary degree, and was 
 a man of some influence among his neighbours. 
 His manner, immediately on acquaintance, pro- 
 duced a pleasing and assuring effect. There was 
 evident frankness and humility of mind, while 
 there was no suspicion of obsequiousness. His 
 simple naturalness at once made me feel that I 
 could trust him with perfect security. These 
 traits of character were the more marked because 
 of their rarity among the Chinese. 
 
 Never before had Mr. Chii met with a foreigner, 
 neither had he met with a native Christian. For 
 three years he had desired to meet with either 
 one or the other. Business now brought him to 
 the city of Ping-yang ; therefore he seized the 
 
 40 
 
A CHINESE GENTLEMAN IN WINTER COSTUME. 
 
MR. CHTJ 43 
 
 opportunity of visiting the missionary. It was 
 not idle curiosity that brought him, but a desire 
 to learn something about the Christian religion. 
 The history of this desire is both interesting and 
 instructive. A friend — how or when he did not 
 know — had come into possession of two Christian 
 books, and, if I recollect rightly, one was a 
 translation of Line ttpon Line., the other a single 
 gospel. These this friend lent to Mr. Chii, and 
 he, in the quietude of his home among the hills, 
 read and re-read them. Their contents deeply 
 impressed his mind. The gospel he epitomised, 
 and spelt out its meaning as best he could, though 
 he wondered whether he understood it rightly. 
 He ardently wished he could meet with an 
 interpreter. 
 
 Cases of this kind are sometimes met. with on 
 the mission field, but only rarely. It was the 
 first instance of the kind that had come under 
 my notice ; therefore my interest in him was 
 greatly heightened. Here was an educated and 
 intelligent Chinaman, whose mind, without the 
 assistance of a living interpreter, for three years 
 had ruminated upon two Christian books. What 
 were the truths that had most impressed him ? 
 I found that these were three. First, God being 
 represented as a Father. Secondly, That God 
 might be approached in prayer by all men. 
 Thirdly, That there was a Kingdom of Heaven 
 upon earth. Audible prayer seems not to have 
 
44 MR. CHU 
 
 been suggested to his mind. He had, however, 
 begun to pray in his heart and to lose faith in 
 idol worship. He was asked to remain for a few 
 days. During his stay he spent much time in 
 the company of Mr. Sung and in reading Chris- 
 tian books. He obtained a deeper insight into 
 religious truth, and was favourably impressed by 
 what he saw and heard. Before he returned 
 home, several of the best books at my disposal 
 were given him, together with an invitation to 
 come again, and, if possible, in company with 
 some of his acquaintances. In the following 
 autumn he came again, bringing with him several 
 friends. They stayed three weeks, and the time 
 was devoted to religious reading. Mr. Chii and 
 a Mr. Chang were especially interested in what 
 they read. When leaving for home, they desired 
 books and tracts for distribution among their 
 neighbours. In the following year they both 
 received baptism. 
 
 After his baptism, Mr. Chii not only maintained 
 a course of consistent conduct, but greatly exerted 
 himself in spreading abroad a knowledge of the 
 Gospel. This work was undertaken at his own 
 suggestion, and carried on without financial 
 assistance. There was but the minimum of 
 pastoral oversight ; for I never visited the 
 district, and only occasionally did a native 
 Christian do so. Thus was the evangelisation 
 of the Ta-ning district begun. The beginning 
 
MR. CHU 4S 
 
 of it, in a true sense, may be said to have been 
 the work of a native. 
 
 In the space of two years there were some two 
 hundred men favourably impressed, and with open 
 minds were reading Christian books. When I 
 left Southern Shan-si the work was still advancing. 
 Subsequently, a foreign missionary took up his 
 residence in the district, to find in existence an 
 evangelistic work of very respectable dimensions. 
 
 For ten years Mr. Chii has occupied the 
 position of unpaid native pastor. During the 
 famine in Shan-tung, when I was engaged in 
 relief work, he sent me the sum of one pound 
 for the benefit of the poor. 
 
 The religious history of Mr. Chii suggests 
 many thoughts. The lonely man trying to master 
 the contents of two books which he had found, 
 apparently by accident, draws out our sympathy, 
 and reminds us of the fact that frequently in the 
 religious education of individuals 
 
 ' God moves in a mysterious way 
 His wonders to perform.' 
 
 We are also led to entertain the hope that others 
 in the heathen world may be similarly engaged, 
 and to pray that a fuller light may pour its rays 
 into their minds. 
 
 The circumstances connected with the conversion 
 of Mr. Chti show how wise it is that there should 
 be various kinds of Christian effort. In bringing 
 
46 MR. CHU 
 
 him to Christ, there was the work of the translator 
 co-operating with that of the book-distributer and 
 with that of the local missionary. All were laid 
 under contribution. The relative value of each, 
 or which shall prosper most, this or that, cannot 
 be known ; but this is certain, that one kind of 
 work may supplement another in leading men 
 to the Father. 
 
 Again, the zeal displayed by Mr. Chti in 
 spreading the knowledge of the Christ whom he 
 had found, and the results following his efforts, 
 strengthen the hope, dear to every missionary's 
 heart, that Chinamen may be found who, with only 
 a limited amount of pastoral oversight and without 
 pecuniary reward, will prove themselves capable 
 of planting the Christian Church in new districts. 
 
 Personally, I feel grateful to God that it was 
 possible for me to render a service to such a man 
 as Mr. Chii. But especially am I grateful when 
 I recall the circumstances surrounding me at the 
 time of his first visit. Mrs. Drake was with me 
 at the station, but I was in an indifferent state 
 of health. Our nearest European neighbours were 
 six days' journey distant from us. The native 
 Christians were being persecuted on every hand, 
 and the local officials were prohibiting men from 
 entering the Church. I knew not which way to 
 turn. It was during this season of darkness and 
 anxiety that I enjoyed the privilege of lending a 
 helping hand to Mr. Chii. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE FAMINE-STRICKEN. 
 
 DURING the years 1888 and 1889 the province 
 of Shan-tung, in common with several other 
 provinces in North China, sufiered from famine. 
 There had been a series of unfavourable seasons ; 
 these had been followed by drought ; the drought 
 was succeeded by floods. What had weathered 
 the former was destroyed by the latter. These re- 
 marks will apply to the whole of the famine region. 
 Within the larger area there was a smaller one, 
 viz., the district immediately affected by breaches 
 in the banks of the Yellow River, and over which 
 its waters spread. Here the distress was both 
 general and acute. From this district thousands 
 of refugees wandered in search of food. It was 
 estimated that in the neighbourhood of the city 
 of Chi-nan alone more than sixty thousand such 
 persons sought shelter. Chaff, weeds, and bark of 
 trees were eaten for food ; men sold their wives and 
 daughters for six shillings, or even less, per head 
 in order to procure food ; while there were women 
 who gave themselves away in exchange for it. In 
 
 47 
 
48 THE FAMINE-STRICKEN 
 
 the province of Shan-tung all these causes of 
 distress obtained. The distress was indeed great ; 
 so, also, were the difficulties in the way of relieving 
 it. In the city of Chi-nan the officials attempted, 
 but abandoned, the task. The missionaries, al- 
 though they were not ignorant, as to the difficulties 
 connected with relief distribution on a large scale, 
 nevertheless ventured upon it ; they appealed for 
 funds, obtained the money, and worked right nobly 
 to save life. 
 
 It may be interesting to the reader to have 
 pointed out some of the difficulties in the way 
 of administering relief, and to show the way in 
 which those difficulties were overcome. The first 
 thing of importance — a prime necessity under 
 the circumstances — was to obtain accurate ideas 
 concerning the actual condition of the people. To 
 gather these ideas, there must be investigation, 
 and this involved house-to-house visitation. But 
 in China it is by no means easy generally for 
 a foreigner to obtain an entrance to the homes 
 of the people without previous arrangement. 
 Then, at such a time, should a visit have been 
 previously arranged, various little plans would 
 be devised by the individual called upon to 
 render the apparent poverty more intense than 
 it actually was. As, for instance, furniture would 
 be removed, clothes cast away, and neighbours' 
 children passed off as belonging to the family. 
 To accurately gauge the poverty, it was necessary 
 
THE FAMINE-STRICKEN 49 
 
 at first to enter the homes of the people without 
 having previously arranged to do so. 
 
 Again, to have a famishing population on the 
 one hand, and only one or two men to relieve 
 it on the other, is to have a condition of things 
 existing in which the resources are unequally 
 matched with the need. Too much work to do 
 may prevent anything being accomplished. It 
 was necessary to avoid that degree of pressure 
 which would paralyse effort. 
 
 Another difficulty was found in the choice of 
 methods for distributing relief. The object of 
 the distributer was to put the necessitous in 
 possession of relief, and enable them to keep 
 what they might get. Unfortunately, the moral 
 condition of China renders the attainment of these 
 two objects extremely difficult. 
 
 I undertook the work in two counties, viz., 
 in Kao-yuan and Hsin-cheng. Both these places 
 had suffered from drought and flood. Up to this 
 time they had lain outside the area of Protestant 
 missionary effort ; consequently, I was a complete 
 stranger in them. The city of Kao-yuan was 
 reached in the month of February 1889, and a 
 room was secured in an inn standing outside 
 the east gate. I scrupulously abstained from 
 obtruding upon the notice of the people, or 
 engaging in anything suggestive of the real object 
 of the visit. By means of a native assistant, the 
 names of several of the villages supposed by the 
 
 4 
 
50 THE FAMINE-STRICKEN 
 
 natives to be among the worst off were obtained. 
 From , among these villages, one conveniently 
 situated was chosen as the first to be visited. 
 When this village was reached, I inquired for the 
 school house. On account of the hard times, 
 the ■ school had been disbanded, but the teacher 
 still remained. In conversation with him, he was 
 drawn out on the subject of the great distress. 
 He told me piteous stories respecting the poverty 
 in his village. It was suggested that probably 
 his remarks only applied to a few cases. He 
 assured me it was otherwis,e. I^ater on he said 
 'the poverty could be seen.' Having suggested 
 ■ he should show it me, he looked rather surprised, 
 but replied, ' Yes, I will let you see it. ' 
 
 Many and profuse were the apologies the old 
 man offered to his neighbours for introducing into 
 their homes a foreigner whom he had never before 
 seen. There was poverty manifest in its every 
 stage. Some houses still stood intact, but parts 
 of many dwellings had been pulled down for 
 the sake of turning the timbers into cash ; in 
 inclosures where there should have been stacks 
 of straw, fowls, pigs, etc. , there were found only 
 mud-built rooms destitute of everything save 
 human beings. In one such room was an aged 
 couple, only just alive, without fire or food ; in 
 another, the members of a family were huddled 
 together on a brick bed, trying to keep themselves 
 warm as best they could. The poorest people 
 
THE FAMINE-STRICKEN 51 
 
 were subsisting upon weeds and bark of trees ; 
 others not quite so badly off were using black 
 bread — a compound of flour-chaflf and dust ; wbile 
 tbe people best off were reduced to yellow bread. 
 All tbe inhabitants showed signs of being under- 
 fed, while quite one-third were famishing. 
 
 This visit being quite unexpected, there could 
 not be the slightest suspicion that the actual 
 poverty had been exaggerated by artificial arrange- 
 ment. The poverty had been seen as it actually 
 existed. The distress that was in the home, but 
 unseen from the street, had been revealed. And 
 thus we had obtained a standard of comparison by 
 which the degree of poverty in other places might 
 be inferred. These were valuable results. 
 
 Next day it was known far and wide what had 
 been done. The people at once suspected relief 
 would follow, and the headmen from several places 
 quickly invited a visit to their villages also. 
 
 The functions of the headmen are very numerous. 
 To describe them adequately would require a long 
 chapter. Let it suffice us to say that they 
 represent the communal life of the Chinese. 
 They are charged with the public interests of 
 their respective communities. If any public 
 advantage is to be obtained, they are expected to 
 exert themselves to secure it. On the other hand, 
 they may be held responsible for any misadventure 
 that occurs, and also may be placed under arrest 
 and punished for communal crimes. 
 
S2 THE FAMINE-STRICKEN 
 
 -Because of the representative position occupied 
 by the headmen, they played an important part 
 in relief work. They prepared the communal 
 register, and invited the distributer to visit their 
 respective communities. When the distributer 
 visits the village, the headmen receive him, and 
 accompany him in his house-to-house visitation, 
 and whilst relief is being distributed they make 
 themselves generally useful. These headmen, for 
 the time being, really act as a committee for the 
 management of relief. 
 
 Unfortunately, in China all public work is 
 associated with jobbery and peculation. In this 
 direction ofEcial relief work has attained great 
 notoriety. The result is that, the headmen 
 being corrupt, the public are accustomed to the 
 practice of shameful acts of bribery even in 
 connection with charity. For instance, when an 
 official distributes relief, his underlings will first 
 drive a bargain with the headmen. This bargain 
 ensures to the underlings a certain percentage of 
 the money received for distribution in any one 
 village. The headmen seeing that their own 
 prospective gains will suffer to the amount of 
 this percentage, to protect themselves will try to 
 obtain a larger sum than that originally assigned 
 to the village. This will be consented to, on 
 condition that a larger percentage is returned to 
 the underlings. And so the game goes on. Until 
 the terms of the bargain are agreed upon, either the 
 
THE FAMINE-STRICKEN 53 
 
 request for relief from any one village will never 
 reach the official entrusted with its administration, 
 or the condition of the place will be represented 
 as not entitling it to assistance. Both villagers 
 and headmen know this, and act accordingly. 
 Conduct of this kind is sufficient to weaken, if 
 not destroy, all the virtues. I have been assured 
 by educated Chinamen that three-fourths of the 
 whole amount devoted to relief have disappeared 
 in the manner indicated above. I have had men 
 pointed out to me who laid the foundation of a 
 fortune while taking a prominent part in official 
 relief work. 
 
 When a foreigner is about to distribute relief, 
 the Chinese naturally expect that he will proceed 
 on the lines with which they are familiar. In 
 their view, the foreigner is the fortunate individual 
 destined to come off with the highest score in the 
 matter of profit, while his native assistants will 
 appropriate all they can. The headmen therefore 
 take it for granted that to obtain relief they must 
 bribe, and to make profit they must squeeze. 
 But when they find out that neither of these 
 practices are tolerated by the foreigner, some 
 surprise is manifested. On this account some 
 begged to be excused taking an active part in 
 the good work, while others adopted methods 
 which secured a squeeze without the inconvenience 
 of giving a bribe. On the other hand, I gladly 
 bear testimony to the fact that there were found 
 
54 THE FAMINE-STRICKEN 
 
 among the headmen some who rejoiced because 
 all corrupt practices were disallowed, and who 
 rendered to the public willing and conscientious 
 service. 
 
 Before distributing relief in any place, a register, 
 in which were written the names of its families, 
 together with the number of adults and children 
 belonging to each, was prepared. On a certain 
 day the distributer visited the village, and the 
 headmen met him and accompanied him from 
 house to house. 
 
 The objects of these visits were twofold : first, 
 to be satisfied that the families entered in the 
 register really existed ; secondly, by the general 
 appearance of the house and its inmates to judge 
 whether relief should be given or not, and if so, 
 how much. The inmates of each house of course 
 made strenuous efibrts to prove their need of help. 
 It was necessary to distrust their representations, 
 and to be guided by the general appearance of 
 things. When starvation-point had been reached, 
 the fact was obvious. The shrunken features 
 and the yellow skin of the starveling, together 
 with the bare and ruined condition of the house, 
 were the truest, though silent, witnesses of need. 
 In some instances, to save time, the headmen 
 were asked to mark off' from the register the 
 names of those persons who, in their opinion, 
 did not need relief. They wished generally to be 
 excused. They replied, ' If you do not call upon 
 
THE FAMINE-STRICKEN 55 
 
 them, all those overlooked will be angry, and 
 we shall be blamed.' They consented to place a 
 mark against such as they thought were not in 
 need. To prevent unpleasantness, these persons 
 were visited. To get credit for themselves, the 
 headmen, when in their presence, declared they 
 needed relief. 
 
 Occasionally there was detected an attempt to 
 multiply the number of families in a village. 
 Sometimes one household was split into two, or 
 unoccupied houses were tenanted for the day by 
 beggars or persons belonging to other villages. 
 The number of juveniles in a family were frequently 
 over-stated. In some cases the deficiency was 
 made good in the following way : — While the 
 distributer was passing from one house to another, 
 children belonging to families already visited 
 became members of another household. This 
 was discovered quite accidentally. I happened 
 to ask all the inmates of a house what were 
 their honourable names. The question was quite 
 unexpected on the part of some, especially by 
 the females, and the proper answer had not been 
 provided. A woman was named Li, a boy was 
 named Ting, but, according to the register, they 
 should all have been named Feng. 
 
 Subsequently, two good opportunities presented 
 themselves for exposing these practices. Six 
 miles distant there was a village to be visited on 
 a certain day. During the previous night snow 
 
56 THE FAMINE-STRICKEN 
 
 had fallen, and on the morrow, at the time of 
 starting, snow was still falling. My arrival quite 
 astonished the villagers. The headmen suggested 
 that on account of the snow it would be best not 
 to go round the village. But all the families 
 entered on the register were visited. It soon 
 became evident that something was wrong. 
 Families were missing ; and in some of those 
 found there was a deficiency of either great mouths 
 or small ones. In the second instance, snow had 
 again fallen, and the people were taking a longer 
 rest than usual. I reached the village before 
 some of its inhabitants had left their beds. The 
 result, in this case, too, was similar to that in the 
 other. 
 
 These attempts at deception did not benefit 
 the people to any great extent ; for relief was 
 given to those in a famishing condition only, and 
 not according to the number of families or of 
 inhabitants in each place. 
 
 It was not pleasant to witness these little tricks. 
 At the same time, in view of all the circumstances, 
 great allowance must be made. Those persons 
 not actually famishing were, as a rule, very badly 
 off ; and, moreover, distribution of relief, in their 
 minds, had always been associated with jobbery. 
 People with only a low moral standard before 
 their eyes, and in straitened circumstances, will 
 not be guided by high moral principles when the 
 chance of getting relief presents itself. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 DISTRIBUTING REI.IEF. 
 
 ENROLLING the names of those persons who 
 need relief is to the distributer the most 
 arduous part of relief work. That it may be done 
 satisfactorily, it is necessary that house-to-house 
 visitation should be carried on day after day. 
 It involves continuous contact with persons in 
 extreme poverty, and it also requires that mental 
 alertness should be constantly maintained. The 
 inmates of each house must be questioned, and 
 their surroundings noted, so that then and there 
 a correct judgment may be formed as to whether 
 relief should be given or not, and if so, how much. 
 This constant physical and mental exertion is 
 difficult to maintain. 
 
 This work of enrolment always proceeds in 
 view of a group of persons who are very observant 
 of the manner in which it is done. The manner 
 will, to the Chinese mind, indicate the moral 
 quality of the undertaking. Carelessness or want 
 of shrewdness on the part of the distributer will 
 
 57 
 
58 DISTRIBUTING RELIEF 
 
 suggest the possibility of jobbery, and thus lower 
 the morale of his work. On the other hand, if 
 there be patience and kindness combined with 
 impartiality and discernment, a great moral effect 
 will be produced. To impress all parties — 
 especially in China — with the thought that 
 considerations of right and wrong should enter 
 into a work of charity is of the highest import- 
 ance. 
 
 Relief was given in the form of copper cash — 
 the only coin in the country. Three hundred 
 of these coins were allowed for each adult, and 
 one hundred and fifty for each child. The larger 
 sum equalled about one shilling in value, and 
 this sum was paid each month during the time 
 the famine lasted. The amount given as relief 
 was small, but it must be remembered that the 
 object of the distributers was to save life only. 
 The copper coins reinforced the food supply 
 already available, such as roots, bark, etc., and 
 so rendered existence possible. Occasionally the 
 sum was increased, as, for instance, when the parties 
 were too old or too weak to go into the fields 
 to grub up weeds, etc. 
 
 The relief money was not paid at the houses 
 of the people, but tickets, on which were written 
 the names of their holders, together with the 
 amount to be received, were first issued. The 
 villagers were arranged into groups, and holders 
 of tickets belonging to the same group, on a fixed 
 
DISTRIBUTING RELIEF 59 
 
 day, proceeded to the city of Kao-yuan and 
 received into their own hands the proper quantity 
 of copper coins. The ticket was then stamped 
 and returned to its holder, that it might be 
 presented at the next distribution. 
 
 At first, to save my time, it was arranged that 
 the holders of tickets should go to the money- 
 shops, and there receive payment. Reports came 
 to hand, however, that each string of coins con- 
 tained either too few or several worthless ones ; 
 consequently, I decided to pay out the money 
 myself This entailed much extra work, but it 
 resulted in coins of good quality and in sufficient 
 quantity finding their way into the hands of the 
 poor. 
 
 Circumventing Chinese trickery, however, is no 
 easy task. The poor received the money into 
 their own hands, yet even then, in some instances, 
 they let it slip. In some villages the headmen 
 levied a rate upon all persons who had obtained 
 relief, intimating that such was the custom, and 
 unless it were observed the foreigner would not 
 again render any assistance. Official employees 
 tried to play the same game. By such means 
 as these were starving people imposed upon and 
 robbed of part of their shilling per month ! 
 Complaints to the official stopped the action of 
 his underlings. The headmen of the villages in 
 question were punished in the following manner : — 
 On the day those villagers were to receive relief. 
 
6o DISTRIBUTING RELIEF 
 
 and while they were waiting to be admitted, 
 a placard was posted at the side of the door. 
 This placard intimated that common report, which 
 was most probably wrong, said that in such 
 and such villages, in connection with relief, some- 
 thing had occurred which was not quite clear. 
 Therefore, on this occasion, no money would be 
 distributed among them. This intimation was 
 sufficient ; it was felt to be a reflection upon 
 the whole village. The headmen were especially 
 discredited, and the poor charged them with being 
 the cause of their disappointment. The head- 
 men quickly comprehended the situation, and felt 
 compelled to take action of some kind. Con- 
 sequently, assuring the people that the matter 
 should be set right, they advised them to return 
 home for the day. The headmen then came to 
 inquire what false reports could have come to the 
 foreigners' ears. They felt shocked to think that 
 suspicion should attach to them. They assured 
 me that they were reliable men, but now they 
 had lost ' face. ' Upon being informed what the 
 charges against them were, they at first professed 
 innocence, but at length they wished to know 
 how the difficulty could be arranged. They 
 appeared a little surprised to find that the 
 probable amount of their squeezes had already 
 been calculated, and that they were advised to 
 refund it. They did the prudent thing, however, 
 and returned home carrying the news that the 
 
DISTRIBUTING RELIEF 6 1 
 
 holders of tickets should receive payment on the 
 following day. 
 
 Relief work was continued up to the month of 
 June, at which time, from the various relief centres 
 in the province of Shan-tung, the missionaries 
 had relieved more than 319,000 persons. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 china's sorrow. 
 
 IN Shan-tung the wlieat is gathered in the 
 month of May. This is known as the spring 
 harvest. Millet, beans, etc., are gathered at the 
 end of summer, and are spoken of as autumnal 
 crops. The spring harvest of 1889 proved to be 
 abundant, and the autumnal crops promised well. 
 Those of us who witnessed the distress of the 
 preceding winter rejoiced at the prospect of plenty. 
 Unfortunately, the pleasant outlook too quickly 
 passed away. A fresh disaster overtook the people ; 
 for, during the last week in July, the banks of the 
 Yellow River gave way, and considerable portions 
 of ten or twelve counties were submerged. I 
 happened to be in the city of Kao-yuan whilst it 
 was being surrounded by the water ; and in the 
 course of two days I sailed over a large inland 
 sea,< the water of which was ten or twelve feet 
 deep. Many houses were washed away, standing 
 crops and garden produce destroyed, and all this 
 followed on the heels of a year of famine. No 
 
 62 
 
CHINA'S SORROW 63 
 
 wonder consternation and despair were written on 
 the faces of the people. 
 
 Strange to say, there was no loss of human life. 
 There are medical men who have attributed the 
 outbreak of influenza in Europe to thfe poisoned 
 atmosphere occasioned by the decaying bodies of 
 those drowned in this flood. This opinion would 
 seem to require some modification ; for, all the 
 time the waters were out, there were several 
 missionaries at work in the district, none of 
 whom met with any dead body, nor with the 
 influenza. Undoubtedly the flood was nothing 
 less than a catastrophe, but its most serious effect 
 was, that it greatly diminished the food supply 
 of thousands of people just emerging from a year 
 of famine. 
 
 The Yellow River has been called 'China's Sorrow.' 
 Why can it not be numbered among ' China's 
 blessings ' ? The ordinary Chinaman replies, 
 ' Heaven's will.' He might more correctly say, 
 ' Man's greed. ' It is impossible, without access 
 to ofiicial records, to state how much money is 
 annually expended upon works connected with 
 the Yellow River. The sum is generally supposed 
 to be very large. ^ Despite this expenditure, how- 
 ever, we hear yearly of breaches being effected 
 either in the north or south bank. 
 
 ' One competent authority has estimated that the annual cost 
 of such repairs amounts to at least 2,000,000 taels (ounces) of 
 silver. 
 
64 CHINA'S SORROW 
 
 It is strange tliat the Government has not 
 seriously set itself effectually to control this cause 
 of many sorrows. The natives account for it in 
 this way : — The present condition of the river, 
 though ruinous to the people, is profitable to the 
 officials. It supplies opportunities for pocketing 
 large sums of money. It must be admitted that 
 facts harmonise with this opinion. Names of 
 men residing in the city of Chi-nan have been 
 mentioned to me who but a few years ago were 
 poor men, and now are rich, as the result of 
 obtaining an appointment in connection with the 
 Yellow River. During the war with Japan I 
 learned that to watch a certain section of the 
 river five camps of soldiers were maintained. 
 There should have been a total of two thousand 
 five hundred men. These troops happened to be 
 ordered to the seat of war, when barely fifteen 
 hundred men could be found. Yet the pay for 
 two thousand five hundred had been allowed. 
 
 As a result of such official peculation as this, 
 the inhabitants of the counties already referred to 
 became suddenly involved in a second calamity. 
 Seven dreary months passed away before the flood 
 completely subsided. During this time thousands 
 left their homes to search for food in more 
 fortunate districts, and those wretched men who 
 thrive in the trail of poverty brought their silver 
 to purchase women and girls. 
 
 In view of the general condition of things, the 
 
CHINA'S SORROW 65 
 
 missionaries on the spot considered that relief, if 
 only on a limited scale, should be attempted. A 
 second appeal to the public was of course out of 
 the question. • The relief committee in Shang-hai, 
 however, had funds available, and these they placed 
 at the disposal of the missionaries. 
 
 Part of my own field, viz., Kao-yuan and Hsin- 
 cheng counties, lay in the heart of the flooded 
 district ; consequently, I devoted myself to the relief 
 of these places. 
 
 An opportunity now presented itself- of giving 
 relief in the form of wages for labour. Through 
 these counties, for a distance of ten miles, flowed 
 a river, the banks of which, in many places, had 
 been severely damaged by the recent floods. The 
 rainy season would soon set in, and if it did so 
 before the banks were repaired, the water would 
 overflow the land, and render a harvest well-nigh 
 impossible. Previous misfortune had cowed the 
 people and reduced materially the circumstances 
 of the gentry. In their need they appealed to 
 the local official for help, but that gentleman 
 refused assistance. That being so, and knowing 
 that I was beginning to give relief, the gentry 
 approached me with a view to the restoration of 
 the river banks. I informed them that, providing 
 the poorest men only were employed as workmen, 
 and no materials were purchased by foreign funds, 
 and that they would superintend the work, I 
 would then pay wages. This offer was readily 
 
 5 
 
66 CHINA'S SORROW 
 
 accepted. The breaches, which were two English 
 miles in length, were measured, and the villages 
 were visited for the purpose of procuring work- 
 men. The villages were classified according to 
 their degree of poverty. Those worst off amounted 
 to about one hundred, and from these some two 
 thousand workmen were selected and set to work 
 on the river banks. 
 
 On the south side of Kao-yuan city is a piece 
 of low-lying land about two miles wide. Near 
 the centre flows the river, on either side of which 
 the land was frequently under water. Within the 
 memory of the oldest inhabitant, raised roads were 
 in existence ; they were swept away long ago, 
 however, and during the wet season, carts, barrows, 
 and travellers crossed the water as best they 
 could. When the river banks had been repaired, 
 the men were set to make raised roads through 
 the swamp. The high land on the south was 
 connected with that on the north side. 
 
 There was yet another obstacle in the way of 
 trafSc. In front of the east suburb, and standing 
 in mid stream, was a bridge minus its two ends. 
 This bridge was repaired. The material was 
 purchased by the gentry, and the cost of labour 
 defrayed out of the relief fund. 
 
 These works benefited the whole neighbour- 
 hood. Many families rejoiced in a harvest-home 
 who otherwise would have been destitute of 
 food. Traffic was rendered possible and more 
 
CHINA'S SORROW 67 
 
 certain, and, consequently, inns and sliops that 
 had been closed were reopened. But, above all, 
 the morale of relief had been heightened ; for 
 men obtained relief only as the reward of honest 
 work. When speaking about the advantages 
 thus obtained, the natives said they had taken a 
 full net and the foreigner had got the spirit of 
 a god. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 FRUITS OFCHARITY. 
 
 TO know men well they must be seen in 
 a variety of circumstances. This is pre- 
 eminently true of the Chinese. The works in 
 connection with the river banks, etc., brought 
 into prominence many traits of character, and 
 furnished illustrations of their habits and customs. 
 The simple manners and hardihood of the rural 
 Chinaman provided an interesting study. Before 
 those selected as workmen left their respective 
 villages, they all had to provide — some even to 
 borrow — a few necessary things, such as reed mats 
 and split bamboo for tents ; poles and baskets 
 with which to carry earth ; saucepans, basins, 
 chopsticks, and in some cases even clothes. The 
 men belonging to the same village were led by 
 one of their own headmen, and, carrying the 
 articles mentioned above, proceeded to their 
 allotted place. Here long, narrow tents about 
 three feet high were erected, and reed mats 
 spread upon the ground to provide sleeping 
 accommodation. A fireplace, ingeniously con- 
 
 68 
 
FRUITS OF CHARITY 71 
 
 structed of earth, was prepared, and a wide- 
 mouthed saucepan fixed upon it. A lad was 
 detailed to attend the fire, keep up a supply of 
 hot water, and to cook the millet and weeds. 
 
 Before commencing work, each batch of work- 
 men, on account of their poverty, received in 
 advance one-half of the total amount due to them 
 for their work. With this money a supply of 
 millet was purchased of some well-to-do man in 
 their village, and many curses were privately 
 pronounced upon him unless, in consideration of 
 the circumstances, he sold at reduced prices, or 
 gave ' full measure, pressed down and running 
 over.' At each meal the cooked millet, reinforced 
 by steamed bread and hot water, was served about 
 equally to each man. Thus they lived, having 
 things in common ; and when the work was 
 finished they equally divided among them what- 
 ever money might be left. 
 
 Each man received barely fourpence per diem 
 for his work. When the banks of the Yellow 
 River were repaired under official direction, the 
 same class of men were offered three times the 
 amount they received from me, yet many of 
 the workmen ran away. In one case a headman 
 was so terribly squeezed that he hanged himself. 
 These things occurred because barely one-fourth 
 of the amount promised was actually paid the 
 workmen. Although the men received barely 
 fourpence per diem from me, and one-half of the 
 
72 FRUITS OF CHARITY 
 
 total amount was paid in advance, tliere was not 
 a single case of absconding. This fact speaks 
 well for the men, and at the same time suggests 
 another fact, viz., the large amount of cheap 
 labour the Chinese Government could command, 
 if it only set itself seriously to effect public 
 improvements. 
 
 Further, the owners of land situated near to 
 rivers are expected to give gratis the earth 
 necessary to maintain the banks in repair. This 
 liability was frankly recognised. In many places 
 it was necessary to tear up ground on which 
 wheat was growing, but in every case it was 
 ungrudgingly parted with. 
 
 Occasionally the communal spirit manifested it- 
 self ; most conspicuously in this : — The inhabitants 
 of the north side could not tolerate the thought 
 that men from the south side of the river should 
 do work on the north side, and vice versa. This 
 objection looked rather absurd to an outsider, 
 but in their view it was quite a legitimate one. 
 This state of feeling caused no great inconvenience ; 
 but it had to be taken into account, and it made 
 the work of doing good rather more difficult. 
 Self-interest sometimes produces honest work. 
 In China this is one of the things most surely 
 believed. Therefore, it was suggested that the 
 men should repair the breaches in the. river banks 
 nearest their own villages. For then, if the 
 banks should again give way at these particular 
 
FRUITS OF CHARITY 73 
 
 places, not only would the people know whom 
 to blame, but their own villages would suffer 
 most from their carelessness. Through fear of 
 this, the workmen would not scamp their work. 
 
 In connection with this undertaking I came 
 across the following instance of dignified poverty. 
 A family of poor Mengs, supposed to be connected 
 with the clan of the great philosopher Mencius, 
 was enrolled among the applicants for relief All 
 persons belonging to this clan enjoy certain 
 privileges, one of which is exemption from forced 
 labour. Strangely enough, these Mengs regarded 
 this relief work as such, and intimated their 
 inability to share in it. They assured me, 
 however, that they greatly needed help ! 
 
 It was a great pleasure to be a medium through 
 which the practical sympathy of the West reached 
 the men of the Bast ; and in connection with 
 these public works that pleasure was increased 
 by the conduct of the Chinese. The gentry kept 
 their word, no complaint was lodged against 
 the headmen, the workmen willingly did their 
 work, and all loyally co-operated in the under- 
 taking. 
 
 There is only one unpleasant recollection in 
 connection wifh the whole scheme. One official 
 refused help to the people, and, when I had 
 completed the work, drew up a statement to the 
 effect that these public works had been done by 
 himself This was forwarded to the governor of 
 
74 FRUITS OF CHARITY 
 
 the province, asking his permission to be allowed 
 to use public funds to defray the cost — a glaring 
 exhibition of what may be termed ' China's open 
 sore. ' 
 
 Foreign generosity stimulated the charity of 
 the native authorities. In many distressed 
 districts nothing of an ameliorating character was 
 attempted by the officials until the foreigner had 
 made a start. In some cases they even tried 
 to prevent him rendering aid to the famishing. 
 When, however, foreign relief work had been 
 begun, then, for the sake of their reputations, 
 the local authorities followed suit. In harmony 
 with these statements is the fact that since the 
 year 1890, whenever trouble has been occasioned 
 by the overflowing of the Yellow River, the 
 officials have immediately sent inspectors to report 
 on the extent of the mischief, and to promise 
 assistance to the sufferers. The natives are 
 unanimous in saying that no such zeal was 
 apparent prior to the entrance of outside relief. 
 Again, the foreign relief contributions have 
 convinced the natives that Western people must 
 be wealthy. The dwellers on the coast had long 
 since become accustomed to this thought. To 
 the inhabitants of the interior it was a revelation. 
 They still entertained the orthodox view that 
 people other than Chinese must be inferior both 
 in civilisation and in wealth. For a people 
 as contemptuous of outside nations as are the 
 
FRUITS OF CHARITY 75 
 
 Chinese to be taught that they are not relatively 
 as superior as they thought themselves is a great 
 gain to all parties. 
 
 The foreigner, when giving aid to the distressed 
 in China, is prompted by a large-hearted kindness. 
 There are natives who perceive this, and are 
 profoundly affected by it. But these are com- 
 paratively few, however. The major part only 
 see a sinister intent — an attempt to mask by 
 a kindness an ulterior object ; to them, it is 
 done in order to biiy people's hearts. Hence, 
 in some quarters, while relief was being given, 
 the people were advised to accept the gift, but 
 to resist its insidious influence upon the heart. 
 Despite this suspicion, the fact remained the 
 foreigners had shown themselves in a more 
 favourable light than it was expected, for, what- 
 ever doubt might attach to the purity of their 
 motives, they had done themselves the honour 
 of helping the Chinese. One effect of the 
 impressions so made was to put foreigners and 
 foreign things on a somewhat higher level in 
 the estimation of the people. The improvement 
 may have been slight, yet there was improvement. 
 The missionaries, while prosecuting their work, 
 met with many proofs of this. Persons who would 
 not have visited them did so ; their books were 
 in greater demand, and there was earnest inquiry 
 as to the object of their work. A friendly feeling 
 towards the missionaries having been established, 
 
76 FRUITS OF CHARITY 
 
 led to an openness of mind on the part of the 
 natives with regard to Christianity and its claims. 
 In several parts of the famine region, as a result, 
 large additions have been made to the Church. 
 
 Again, in some quiarters, though there was no 
 pretence to any regard for Christianity, yet a 
 greater tolerance of the presence of the missionaries, 
 and even cases of direct aid being rendered them, 
 resulted from relief work. During the famine 
 several Chinese gentlemen became very friendly 
 with me. They were professed Confucianists, 
 and, if possible, avoided all reference to religious 
 questions. When one of our Christians was being 
 persecuted by a new official, one of these gentle- 
 men, of his own will, called upon the official and 
 intimated that the gentry would not be pleased 
 if I was interfered with in my work. The 
 persecution ceased at once. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 CENTRES OP INFLUENCE. 
 
 WHEN several persons residing in tlie same 
 neighbourliood become interested in Chris- 
 tian truth, they generally desire to have Divine 
 worship regularly conducted in their own or an 
 adjacent village. As a place of meeting, one of 
 the native Christians will offer a room : this room 
 is always the most commodious in his possession ; 
 in some instances, even, it may be built specially 
 for the purpose of worship by the united efforts of 
 the Christians. The size of the room will vary 
 from twenty by ten to thirty by eleven feet. The 
 building is without an upper story, and may be 
 of stone, burnt bricks or sun-dried bricks. The 
 roof may be tiled or thatched, or the building 
 may have a flat roof. In this case, the timbers 
 supporting the roof will be covered with a good 
 thickness of reeds, and these, again, with earth. 
 These flat-roofed houses not only economise labour 
 and building materials, but their roofs become 
 places of retreat in the event of flood ; consequently, 
 if the floods come, a mat tent will be erected 
 
 77 
 
78 CENTRES OF INFLUENCE 
 
 Upon the roof, and wife and children, with their 
 belongings, will be hauled up. Several fowls and 
 a pig, with their legs safely pinioned, may also be 
 reluctantly compelled to make it their temporary 
 abode. It is evident, therefore, there may be 
 considerable diversity in respect of the external 
 appearance and surroundings of these places of 
 worship. 
 
 When the place of meeting is entered, it will 
 be found dingy with smoke, and containing, by 
 way of furniture, one table, two chairs, and a 
 number of short forms for the use of the 
 worshippers. Piled upon a stand will be a 
 number of Christian books, and behind the door 
 a shovelful of dirt. The walls may be bare, but 
 most probably they will be relieved by a copy of 
 a Christian calendar, the Ten Commandments, 
 the L,ord's Prayer, and last, but not least in 
 importance, a statement of the contributions 
 received and the payments made on behalf of 
 the meeting-house, etc. At one end of the room 
 there will be a brick bed supporting a number of 
 coverlets, rolled up and placed end to end against 
 the wall. In winter, from this bed proceeds heat, 
 and, owing to a defective chimney, frequently 
 smoke and suffocating fumes. The paper on 
 the windows may be whole or otherwise ; but in 
 summer-time the wasp and the mosquito will 
 come buzzing through the holes. A swing of a 
 fan will prevent them settling on your face or 
 
CENTRES OF INFLUENCE 79 
 
 neck ; but if your feet should be incautiously 
 thrust under the table, your attention is soon 
 drawn to the irritation going on above the tops 
 of your shoes. 
 
 Such are the village meeting-houses, and such 
 the circumstances in which Christian worship is 
 carried on. Judged by the style and the standard 
 of comfort obtained in the places of worship in 
 a land which has been dominated by Christianity 
 for centuries, these Chinese meeting-houses are 
 very humble places ; they may even appear 
 contemptible. They possess a value of their own, 
 however ; and that value can only be accurately 
 estimated when the facts, principles, and convictions 
 they represent are taken into account. 
 
 To the missionary, the existence of one such 
 place may be a crown of rejoicing. Before it 
 could come into existence, he had to travel many 
 a mile, master a difficult language, obtain a 
 moral influence over men naturally distrustful of 
 foreigners, and lead them out of the darkness of 
 heathenism into the light of the Gospel of God. 
 
 A place of worship, too, speaks of progress on 
 the part of the native Christian. From being a 
 hater of foreigners he has become a worshipper 
 of the foreigner's God. He has braved public 
 opinion ; he has burst the bonds of superstition ; 
 so that now he and others like-minded with himself 
 are desirous of meeting together in a place 'where 
 they are well known and marked men to worship 
 
8o CENTRES OF INFLUENCE 
 
 the true God all have so recently found ; and 
 this meeting-house represents their first effort to 
 establish His worship in their own district. 
 Nor must it be forgotten that the room has 
 become a place of worship by the voluntary act 
 of the owner, and that the expenses connected 
 with the maintenance of the services are defrayed 
 by native contributions. It will be seen, therefore, 
 that the regular worship of God has come into 
 existence and is maintained as the result of the 
 sincerity and liberality of the worshippers. It 
 is the natural outcome of new convictions, and 
 is characterised by a spontaneity and sincerity 
 suggestive of life and strength ; this life and 
 strength are full of promise both for the present 
 and the future. 
 
 In conclusion, by means of these humble places 
 centres for the preaching of Divine truth are 
 provided. Christian motives and principles are 
 put into action, voluntary effort and Christian 
 brotherhood are fostered, and the Christian religion 
 is being rooted in China. 
 
 Is it saying too much that at such points 
 health and life-giving influences are being liberated 
 which shall give the Sick Man of the East the 
 moral health and strength which he needs ? 
 Destroy them not — a blessing is in them 1 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 FRKSH NEEDS AND NEW METHODS. 
 
 THE character of the missionary's efforts will 
 be determined by the work that is required 
 to be done. When there have been conversions 
 to Christianity, and regular worship has com- 
 menced, a set of circumstances peculiar to the 
 persons concerned and novel to the missionary 
 will be found to exist. Out of these circumstances 
 grow peculiar needs, and those needs, again, will 
 call for special adaptation of means to ends on 
 the part of the missionary. The man who can 
 most easily and effectively fit in with his new 
 environment is the one who is especially adapted 
 for his work. The process may not be a pleasant 
 one, but the result is valuable. The need there 
 is, on the mission field, for this special adaptation 
 will be copiously illustrated in this chapter. 
 
 In the matter of vocal music the Chinese have 
 much to learn. They sing in a falsetto tone of 
 voice, they do not produce the half-tones, harmony 
 is unknown to them. So that congregational 
 singing is an impossibility. A few Chinese airs 
 
 8i 6 
 
82 FRESH NEEDS AND NEW METHODS 
 
 have been adapted to Christian hymns, but native 
 Christians have, in some instances, preferred not 
 to use them, because, in their minds, the airs are 
 associated with filthy suggestion. As a result, the 
 missionary is compelled to teach his congregation to 
 sing. Consequently, it has been my practice, before 
 beginning a service, to devote a short time to this 
 work. The first difficulty is to get the voices to 
 the right pitch, and then to keep tune. After 
 many attempts, and when success seemed to have 
 been achieved, it is no uncommon occurrence to 
 find that at the end of a verse some brother is a full 
 line behind, or that another is half-way through 
 the next verse. The tangle is unravelled by 
 one or the other springing backwards or forwards 
 in a hop-skip-and-jump kind of fashion, more 
 amusing than conducive to gravity. Nor are 
 their efforts at getting into line always free from 
 confusion — a predicament not appreciated by 
 their neighbours. One, more demonstrative than 
 the rest, may exclaim, ' Ah, you can't sing ! ' 
 But they continue to peg away, and in spite of 
 natural slowness and frequent blunders, in course 
 of time the Chinese become passable singers. 
 Indeed, after two or three years' practice, scarcely 
 anywhere could more hearty singing be heard 
 than in a Chinese congregation. 
 
 Singing takes deep hold of a Chinaman. When 
 alone, or in company with other Christians, he will 
 frequently exercise his singing powers. At times 
 
FRESH NEEDS AND NEW METHODS 83 
 
 lie will try to squeeze a long-metre hymn into a 
 short-metre tune — of course with poor success ; 
 still, he trys to do his best. I have known native 
 Christians who came to regard the singing of 
 hymns as a religious duty, and therefore sang 
 morning, noon, and night. Several, during their 
 stay with me, have risen up at midnight to sing. 
 These Christians, on a subsequent occasion, paid 
 me a visit, while, in the meantime, a little 
 stranger had come to enliven our home ; and when 
 it was suggested that they should try to refrain 
 from singing at midnight, they manifested some 
 surprise, and said, ' Are we to cease praising God 
 for the sake of a child only a few inches long ? ' 
 
 It is also very gratifying to find that Christian 
 parents will encourage their children to learn to 
 sing. On several occasions parents, with evident 
 pleasure, have brought their little ones to me 
 that I might hear them sing 'Jesus loves me, 
 this I know,' or other simple hymns. In the 
 neighbourhood of mission stations it is no un- 
 common thing to hear boys and girls singing 
 Christian hymns in their houses. I have heard 
 this going on even in heathen homes. It is 
 worthy of remark that the hymns and tunes which 
 have attained greatest popularity in England are 
 those which the Chinese take to most readily. 
 
 When studying an entirely new subject, memory 
 will often play men false. New ideas are easily 
 let slip. This is especially noticeable in the case 
 
84 FRESH NEEDS AND NEW METHODS 
 
 of a heathen man when he first attempts to 
 inform his mind concerning the Christian religion. 
 The characteristic is more marked if he has 
 already attained middle life. It is necessary, 
 therefore, that the missionary should exert him- 
 self to make not only impressions on the mind, 
 but indelible impressions. But when trying to 
 decide upon the best means of effecting this, the 
 missionary will frequently be at his wits' end. 
 This difficulty is lessened when, as in China, 
 the converts are acquainted with a practice which 
 helps to cultivate the memory. The boys at 
 school will first memorise their lessons, and then 
 repeat them to their teachers. In adult life the 
 proper way to read a book is also to be able to 
 repeat its contents. The practice is a most 
 valuable one, and the missionary may avail himself 
 of its assistance in carrying on his work. He can 
 ask the converts, without it appearing strange to 
 them, to memorise and to repeat Christian books. 
 Many will do so without being requested. 
 
 I not only encourage the Christians to commit 
 religious books to memory, but strive to increase 
 the importance of the exercise in their eyes. 
 This is done by the lesson being repeated in 
 my presence, and then the fact registered in a 
 book. The book memorised is chosen by the 
 natives. As a rule, they prefer to begin with 
 hymns : the rhythm assists the memory. At 
 times you are surprised at the quantity committed 
 
FRESH NEEDS ^ AND NEW METHODS 85 
 
 to memory. One brother, upon being asked hof? 
 much he could repeat, replied, ' The first five 
 chapters in Mark's Gospel.' He did it^ too. In 
 those places where women attend the services 
 they also take part in this good work, and 
 frequently surpass the men. I do not intend to 
 suggest that every attendant falls in with my 
 wish. The number is increasing. At present 
 about one-fifth of the whole repeats more or less. 
 
 The Chinaman is pre-eminently social in his 
 habits, and he is a great talker. In the latter 
 particular he far outstrips the most loquacious 
 of English husbands. It is natural, therefore, 
 to the Chinese to sit down and chat. They must, 
 however, be provided with those emblems of 
 happiness — the teacup and tobacco-pipe. Thus 
 equipped, it would be difficult to enhance their 
 pleasure or exhaust their patience. 
 
 On the other hand, the Chinese have nothing 
 answering to our public meetings. Consecutive 
 speech in the form of addresses, lectures, or 
 sermons is unknown. In the schools, instruction 
 is imparted in a chatty, conversational style. 
 The Chinese, therefore, have not formed the habit 
 of listening to continuous discourse. 
 
 The habits indicated above are very noticeable 
 when a Chinaman first attends Christian worship. 
 His first impulse is to talk to his neighbour, pull 
 out his pipe, and look around for some tea. 
 When he finds these are disallowed, he feels 
 
86 FRESH NEEDS AND NEW METHODS 
 
 himself out of his proper element. When the 
 sermon comes on, and continuous attention is 
 necessary, he is completely out of harmony with 
 his temporary surroundings. He shows the state 
 of his mind either by withdrawing to take a whiflF 
 at the weed or by going to sleep. Very rarely 
 will the fresh man sit still and keep himself 
 awake until the service is over. The foregoing 
 statements plainly show that the preacher must 
 exert himself to make his hearers forget themselves 
 and to keep them awake. 
 
 Again, the peculiar mental and moral surround- 
 ings of the Chinese, together with their incomplete 
 knowledge of Christian facts and doctrines, dispose 
 them to look at things from a peculiar standpoint, 
 to entertain strange notions, and to put a novel 
 construction upon words, etc. This fact suggests 
 the necessity there is on the part of the missionary 
 to ascertain the ' views ' of his hearers, and then 
 to impart such instruction as these views may 
 call for. How to arouse, to keep awake, to 
 get at the thought of his hearers, and to impart 
 information specially suited to their mental con- 
 dition, are some of the most important problems 
 the missionary has to solve. Without pretending 
 to have solved this problem, it may be interesting 
 to state how I have tried to do so. 
 
 The first hymn is announced. Each verse 
 is read aloud, and then explained by different 
 members of the congregation. The old hands 
 
FRESH NEEDS AND NEW METHODS 87 
 
 will discharge themselves creditably. The fresh 
 men will stumble and fall. Sometimes a man 
 'hums and ah's,' and then expresses surprise that 
 while he knows the words yet he finds himself 
 unable to explain the hymns. Not infrequently 
 the explanation offered happens to be rather far- 
 fetched, and will excite a little giggling. When 
 mistakes occur, questions are put to the men 
 of such a character as are calculated to draw 
 forth answers likely to expose the errors. This 
 is not always easy. The most effective method 
 of clearing up mistakes will be found in this 
 practice, although it does not always succeed ; 
 for some men will entertain two views that 
 are mutually destructive. When this process 
 of drawing out is finished, then the needful 
 information is given. After an experience of 
 this kind, the wakefulness and interest of the 
 congregation for some time at least is guaranteed. 
 Hymns as a means of Christian instruction in 
 its early stages have proved invaluable. They 
 express and familiarise the mind in an interesting 
 manner with many phases of religious truth. 
 And further, in some instances acquaintance with 
 Biblical History or other branches of knowledge 
 may be necessary before the hymn can be under- 
 stood. For instance, the hymn beginning with 
 the lines 
 
 ' Jerusalem, my happy home, 
 Name ever dear to me,' 
 
88 FRESH NEEDS AND NEW METHODS 
 
 is probably understood by the majority of English 
 children. The ordinary Chinaman knows nothing 
 about either the Jews or Jerusalem. How, then, 
 can he understand the historical reference, or its 
 spiritual application? In order that he may do 
 so he requires a short lecture on Jewish history. 
 To elucidate other hymns a knowledge of another 
 set of facts is necessary. When the worshippers 
 have been questioned upon hymns of this kind, 
 and their ignorance made perfectly obvious to 
 themselves, their minds are alert and longing for 
 the needful information. Opportunities are thus 
 afforded of imparting knowledge in circumstances 
 which heighten the interest attaching both to the 
 information and to the hymn. 
 
 Before the sermon is begun several are called 
 upon to read the text and to explain it as they 
 are best able. The explanation offered may 
 indicate either that they have misapprehended 
 or that they have no apprehension of its meaning. 
 Questioning is then resorted to, and the necessary 
 explanation given. 
 
 This method admirably answers its purpose ; 
 by its means the preacher arouses the attention 
 of his hearers, he comes to know their thoughts, 
 is able to gauge their knowledge, and so can 
 give information specially suited to their mental 
 condition. It, however, is by no means an easy 
 method.- It calls for great patience, and to the 
 missionary it is mentally exhausting. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE SICK AND THE AFFIvICTED. 
 
 AFTER the service one finds waiting outside 
 the house a crowd of people, numbering 
 from one to three hundred persons. Who are 
 these ? What has brought them together ? Well, 
 these people have no interest in Christianity. 
 They are sick folk, or the relatives of such, and 
 they have come to ask for medicines. It has 
 been known for eight days at least that on this 
 day the missionary would be here, and after the 
 service would distribute medicines. 
 
 Some among these people appear to be fairly 
 well off, others are decidedly poor. Some will 
 have travelled in carts and others in wheelbarrows, 
 while the majority will have walked. Should 
 we inquire how far they have travelled we shall 
 find that some have come no less a distance 
 than twenty English miles. Why is such a sight 
 as this possible in China ? Not because the 
 people are too poor to purchase remedies, nor 
 because of the medical skill possessed by the 
 missionary ; for in treating cases of sickness he 
 
 89 
 
90 THE SICK AND THE AFFLICTED 
 
 is only an amateur doctor. The real reason is 
 to be found in the state of medical knowledge 
 and practice in the Flowery I^and. Chinese doctors 
 are crassly ignorant ; they practise mere quackery. 
 Neither physiology nor anatomy is studied ; no 
 special training is required for the medical 
 practitioner ; any one who desires may practise 
 the healing art. In such circumstances as these 
 it is not strange that the missionary, though a 
 non-qualified man, finds that large numbers of 
 patients avail themselves of his help wherever 
 he goes. 
 
 The patients will be found to be suffering from 
 almost every conceivable complaint. It will soon 
 be seen what a heavy price, in the form of injured 
 humanity, China pays for her backwardness in 
 medical knowledge. Because of the absence of 
 skilled assistance, joints remain dislocated and 
 tumours attain so large a size that their removal 
 would jeopardise, if not destroy, life. In one 
 instance, a little girl had her cheek torn out 
 by a wolf The wound in the face had already 
 healed, but her eyeball was still hanging out of 
 its socket, and there was no one within seven 
 days' journey able to render the needed assistance. 
 Some of the patients will attribute their diseases 
 to fits of anger, and one woman may tell you 
 that her sight is failing because she lost her 
 husband or only son, and could not cease crying 
 for six months. 
 
THE SICK AND THE AFFLICTED 91 
 
 The patients naturally divide themselves into 
 two classes : those who can, and those who cannot 
 be treated on the spot. The serious diseases 
 require skilled assistance. This I could not 
 render. These cases, therefore, were sent to the 
 nearest medical missionary. Sometimes it was 
 necessary for me to provide travelling expenses 
 to his station. To find out persons suffering 
 from serious complaints, and then to put them 
 in the way of obtaining skilled assistance, was 
 a very important part of my medical work. The 
 slighter cases will be treated on the spot. While 
 attending to them, there will be many instructive 
 disclosures of native opinion upon things medical. 
 
 Our sick friends will be sure to expect you 
 carefully to examine their pulse — not only that 
 on their right wrist, but also the one on the left. 
 To give complete satisfaction each pulse must 
 be felt at several places, because each place is 
 supposed to indicate the condition of some one 
 organ of the body. But a fresh patient will be 
 surprised when he is asked to put out his tongue. 
 
 Again, good health is supposed to depend upon 
 the harmonious play of what may be termed the 
 positive and negative principles of life. A patient 
 with a philosophic turn of mind will occasionally 
 be met with. Such an one gives a most lucid 
 account of the origin of his disease. It may be 
 that on a certain day he drank a little cold tea, 
 which, reducing to too low an ebb the principle 
 
92 THE SICK AND THE AFFLICTED 
 
 of fire, interfered with tlie orderly working of the 
 positive and negative principles, and since that 
 time his sight has gradually failed him. 
 
 The ordinary Chinaman experiences a difficulty 
 in believing that several symptoms originate in 
 one cause. For each symptom, to him, indicates 
 the existence of a distinct disease. To the 
 question, ' What are you suffering from ? ' some 
 will reply, ' Five diseases, ' and lifting up their 
 fingers will count off the number of their com- 
 plaints. First, stomach pains ; second, flatulence ; 
 third, specks in the eyes ; fourth, headache ; five, 
 pains between the shoulders. One man was 
 suffering from thirteen diseases, and expected a 
 separate remedy for each ! By such persons 
 surprise is manifested when only one medicine 
 is prescribed, and with wondering eyes they ask, 
 ' For which disease is this ? ' 
 
 The Chinaman is a staunch believer in the 
 virtues of pitch plaster, and he employs many 
 little artifices to secure an extra piece. The pains 
 in his body proceed from a suspiciously large 
 number of places. If' an embrocation is applied, 
 he fears it will not prove effectual, but he is quite 
 sure a piece of plaster will answer. Besides, he 
 has a mother at home suffering similar pains, 
 only more acute. Can't he take a piece or two 
 for her ? 
 
 In some points the Chinese patient compares 
 very favourably with his Western rival. He is 
 
THE SICK AND THE AFFLICTED 93 
 
 not likely to pour his medicine down the sink 
 because of its bitterness. He prefers to take his 
 medicines with a taste and in bolus doses. The 
 native practitioners have cultivated this preference. 
 Mixtures are prescribed in doses of one pound and 
 a half twice a day. Pills boasting of a large 
 diameter may be given in doses of thirty, to be 
 taken three times a day. No wonder our table- 
 spoonful, or two iive-grain pills, especially if the 
 patient is suffering from five to thirteen diseases, 
 should appear as meagre allowances. In some 
 instances, doubt as to the efficacy of small doses 
 has induced the patient to swallow all the medicine 
 at once. Such a person argues thus : If, say, two 
 pills twice a day for eight days will cure me, then 
 the whole taken in one dose will effect a much 
 speedier cure ! After an adventure of this kind 
 men have come to me pressing their hands against 
 their stomach, saying, 'They felt so ill,' and in 
 some cases life even has been jeopardised. 
 
 Combining medical work with ordinary mis- 
 sionary labour is advantageous in many ways. 
 By it the blessings of an important branch of 
 Western knowledge are greatly extended among 
 men. The preacher evinces his sympathy with 
 human suffering. He brings himself in close 
 contact with people who otherwise would remain 
 strangers to him, and so increases the number of 
 favourably disposed persons among whom he may 
 hope to find converts. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 TRAINING NATIVE LEADERS. 
 
 TO the convert himself the consequences of 
 changing his religion are very serious. 
 Upon those who bring about his conversion rests 
 a grave responsibility. To destroy a man's faith 
 in his old religion, and not to establish his faith 
 in the new, amounts to a crime. It is therefore 
 necessary to continue his religious education. 
 Much may be done in this direction, and is done 
 by the ordinary work carried on at the preaching 
 stations. The ordinary work, however, requires 
 to be supplemented by more definite and continuous 
 instruction. 
 
 Fortunately, in China social conditions are 
 favourable to the further education of converts 
 to Christianity. The Chinese live leisurely, walk 
 slowly, and work at low pressure. The land 
 system enables, as a rule, each family to possess 
 more or less land. To a certain extent the 
 condition contemplated by the policy known as 
 three acres and a cow exists, and plays an important 
 part in Chinese life. The major part of domestic 
 
 94 
 
TRAINING NATIVE LEADERS 95 
 
 needs being supplied by the produce of the land, 
 the Chinese workman labours for less than a 
 living wage, and the married man can work for 
 bachelor's pay. He can even play or work as 
 it may please him. The carpenter or builder 
 may leave his unfinished work for several days, 
 and feel that his conduct has been satisfactorily 
 explained when he has said that ' There was 
 something needed to be done on the farm.' By 
 such conditions as these the necessity for rush 
 is obviated, and a large amount of family in- 
 dependence is secured. 
 
 The majority of native Christians are so situated 
 that they have time to talk, to think, and to 
 learn about Christianity ; and whether they 
 employ their time in learning to read or in 
 attending to worship, they are under no obligation 
 to consult on their part the wishes of an employer. 
 It is doubtful whether missionaries as a whole 
 have, as helps to their work, appraised this state 
 of social life highly enough. It is certain that 
 the leisure and independence in existence have 
 not been made as conducive to the maintenance, 
 or to the extension of Christian work, as they 
 might have been. But the conditions under which 
 the Chinese Ijve simplify the problem of how to 
 build up the faith and enlarge the knowledge of 
 the Christian converts, as men of all ages are able 
 thus to avail themselves of opportunities for study. 
 
 For some time I was in charge of five counties. 
 
96 TRAINING NATIVE LEADERS 
 
 in whicli there were upwards of sixty preaching 
 stations. I thought it desirable that the more 
 intelligent Christians should have their thoughts 
 engaged upon some definite subjects ; consequently, 
 monthly classes, conducted at different centres, 
 were arranged. The students promised to attend 
 regularly, and to remain over two nights, thus 
 securing one clear day for study. The subjects 
 treated were three in number — Scripture Teaching, 
 Bible History, and Geography. Some of the 
 students, to attend these classes, had to walk 
 ten English miles ; yet on no occasion were there 
 more than a few absent. Owing to the other 
 demands of the work, and the extent of the field, 
 my presence at the classes was rendered uncertain, 
 and thus I was reluctantly compelled to abandon 
 the project. But, judging from the attendance 
 and the spirit of the students, I should say that, 
 providing the missionary is able to keep his 
 engagements with them, the plan would be a 
 workable one, and prove of great advantage. 
 
 In some missions, including the Baptist, classes 
 are held in the spring and autumn of each year. 
 These are called leaders' classes, because those 
 attending them are generally the leading Christians 
 at their respective stations. These classes are 
 continued from fifteen to twenty days, and some 
 who attend them are compelled to travel fifty 
 English miles in order to do so. That men can be 
 found enjoying the leisure needed to attend these 
 
TRAINING NATIVE LEADERS 97 
 
 classes is a great advantage to Christian work. 
 But that they should be willing to undergo 
 great inconvenience for the sake of enlarging 
 their knowledge speaks well for their sincerity. 
 
 The object of these classes is three-fold. First, 
 To enable the students to use their Bibles more 
 intelligently, and so fit them the better to conduct 
 religious services. Secondly, To impart general 
 information, and so put them in a position to 
 relieve somewhat the darkness of China's ignor- 
 ance. Thirdly, To help a band of volunteers who 
 enjoy leisure and liberty. To fulfil such functions 
 as these is certainly no mean work. 
 
 How great is the need for such a band of 
 workers is only too obvious. All the purely 
 religious work cannot be done by either the 
 foreign missionary or the paid native agents. 
 The native leaders, however, can do a large amount 
 of voluntary local work, and so increase the power 
 making for China's conversion. The need of 
 their co-operation is as great in the intellectual 
 as in the religious sphere. China's ignorance 
 in things medical I have already indicated. 
 Ignorance as great exists upon almost every 
 subject. At the approach of and during an 
 eclipse, the report of guns and crackers and the 
 clang of gongs are deemed a necessity. This 
 noise is supposed to frighten away certain animals 
 in the sky, and so prevent their nibbling away 
 the sun or the moon. In a native map of the 
 
 7 
 
98 TRAINING NATIVE LEADERS 
 
 world, China is represented by a large square 
 nearly filling the universe, while other countries 
 are indicated by small white patches. It states 
 that the inhabitants of one country grow to the 
 height of nine inches only, those of another 
 attain the stature of thirty or forty feet, while 
 in a third they are all females. There is a 
 popular book which asserts that in some part 
 of the world there exists a race of men having 
 a hole through their chests, and that when they 
 wish to travel, a pole, which is carried by two 
 men, is passed through the hole ; the men each 
 shoulder one end and walk away with their living 
 load ! These are the views of the world enter- 
 tained by many of China's millions, not excepting 
 so-called scholars. During the recent war I met 
 an official, a literary man, who did not know 
 where Port Arthur was situated. 
 
 In view of this condition of things, it will 
 readily be seen how valuable even a small amount 
 of general information becomes ; consequently 
 we help the leaders to give, as far as possible, 
 a rational account of an eclipse, to explain the 
 shape and size of the earth, etc. The men 
 attending these classes soon become the best- 
 informed men in their respective districts, and the 
 knowledge they acquire is immediately available for 
 the use of their neighbours and friends. By their 
 efforts, China's load of ignorance is being lightened, 
 and Christian work rendered more effective. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE DAUGHTERS OF THE FLOWERY LAND. 
 
 THE women of China, compared with their 
 English sisters, occupy a very inferior 
 position. The social customs are based upon the 
 assumption of woman's inferiority. The woman 
 is taught to expect that by well-doing in this life 
 she may merit the position of man in the next. 
 When a boy is born, the friends of the family 
 congratulate the parents upon the event. But 
 when a daughter is born, it is impolite to refer 
 to the matter. I know one instance in which the 
 father was led to suppose that the new arrival 
 was a boy. Several days passed before he was 
 undeceived. When his friends were asked what 
 the father said upon the discovery of the hoax, 
 they replied with a smile, ' His countenance 
 changed colour.' The majority of the girls are 
 taught to do domestic and farm work ; but in 
 addition to these kinds of labour, some take part 
 in plaiting straw braid, weaving calico, or feeding 
 silkworms. They are not educated, however. 
 Apart from the schools for girls established by 
 
102 THE DAUGHTERS OF THE FLOWERY LAND 
 
 missionaries,. I have not met with any other in 
 China. There are women who have learnt to 
 read, but these are exceptional cases. The 
 Chinese regard their daughters as bad bargains, 
 and any outlay upon their improvement would 
 only increase their loss. 
 
 The dignity of woman is so far ignored that 
 her right of consent in the matter of marriage is 
 not recognised. In the home, she is rather the 
 servant than the companion of her husband. He 
 assumes the existence in her of a natural stupidity 
 which for its control requires the superior wisdom 
 of man. She is taught to look up to him as her 
 lord, yea, as her ' Heaven,' and to submit to him 
 in all things. The husband may divorce his 
 wife for any of the seven following reasons : dis- 
 obedience, barrenness, lewdness, jealousy, leprosy, 
 talkativeness, and stealing. The wife cannot, 
 however, for any cause, claim a divorce from the 
 husband. In certain circumstances the husband 
 may desire to possess a second wife, and should 
 he so wish, the first wife is expected gracefully 
 to consent. In seasons of poverty wives and 
 daughters may be sold. But when prosperity 
 returns som6 husbands will trump up a charge of 
 wife-stealing against the purchasers, and so get 
 their wives back again. I have heard of men 
 whose business or official appointments took 
 them for long distances and for long periods of 
 time away from home providing temporary 
 
2HE DAUGHTERS OF THE FLOWERY LAND 103 
 
 husbands for their wives. To what a low level 
 public sentiment has fallen with regard to woman 
 may be known from this : In every city there is 
 a matron who takes temporary charge of female 
 prisoners. This woman lives in a private house, 
 and is a person of ill-fame. While the prisoners 
 are in her charge she is at liberty to loan them for 
 immoral purposes to enhance the profits of her 
 nefarious trade. These facts sadden the heart. 
 They cast a lurid light upon Chinese social life. 
 But there is a brighter side. The women of 
 China, at present, are not conscious of their degra- 
 dation. Their position appears to them to be 
 at least a becoming one. They may not be 
 satisfied, but they are not furiously discontented. 
 On the other hand, the Chinaman is taught that 
 ' concord ' between husband and wife is a virtue. 
 To maintain it, at least reflects credit upon the 
 man's aptitude for managing the weaker sex. 
 If moralists did not teach him these things, the 
 inconveniences attending discord might possibly 
 do so. True, the law is wholly on the side of the 
 husband, but the wife's tongue is free and her 
 temper unbridled. She can drink opium or 
 swallow matches — or she might desert his home. 
 In such a way the consequences of being ' too 
 aggravating ' toward his wife are made quite 
 obvious to a Chinaman's mind. In fact, while 
 the man talks with lofty disdain of the stupidity 
 of woman he lives in continual dread of its eflFects. 
 
I04 THE DAUGHTERS OF THE FLOWERY LAND 
 
 And no wonder, for surely there is a Nemesis 
 following the wholesale degradation of womanhood. 
 The consequences being what they are, the man 
 naturally desires to keep the peace, and this desire 
 for peace on the part of the husband exerts a 
 beneficial effect upon the position of the wife. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 SISTERS OE MERCY. 
 
 THE position of woman in China appeals 
 strongly to the Christian heart. It shows 
 the need for a work of amelioration, and opens a 
 wide field for Christian activity. Thus it is that 
 the ladies connected with the various missions 
 exert themselves in some way or other for the 
 good of their yellow sisters. 
 
 But apart from the direct efforts of missionary 
 ladies^ their mere presence and unconscious influence 
 among the Chinese are very beneficial. As a 
 stimulus to advancement in civilisation, the value 
 of their presence cannot easily be overrated. The 
 Chinaman regards education in a woman as not 
 only needless but harmful. Possessing it, he 
 fears she would neither work nor obey. Chinese 
 mothers justify ' their neglect in withholding 
 education from their daughters, and the training 
 needed even to make their own garments, on the 
 ground that when their daughters begin to get 
 useful they will marry and leave them. The 
 mothers do not see any advantage to be gained 
 
 los 
 
io6 SISTERS OF MERCY 
 
 by exerting themselves to furnish a well-equipped 
 partner for another woman's son. Now, the pre- 
 sence of the married missionary lady upsets the 
 prejudice of the man and condemns the selfish 
 view of the mother. The educated lady works, 
 and even obeys. She works more intelligently, 
 and obeys more reasonably than even his own 
 wife. So he is taught that education does not 
 necessarily cause the ' missus ' to strike. Then, 
 on the other hand, the mother beholds the mis- 
 sionary's wife caring for her girls as much as she 
 does for her boys, exerting herself to keep them 
 equally clean and well-dressed, superintending 
 their lessons and teaching them all alike to read 
 and to wield the pen without distinction of sex. 
 In more than one instance an object-lesson of this 
 kind has led to a desire on the part of husbands 
 to have their wives taught to read, and also on 
 the part of parents to have their daughters sent 
 to school. 
 
 The direct efforts put forth for the advantage 
 of Chinese women by missionary ladies are of 
 various kinds. Some will superintend mission 
 schools established for the education of girls ; 
 others will engage in medical work ; while again 
 others will strive to teach and Christianise 'adults. 
 Some Chinese females belonging to all classes are 
 sufficiently accessible to admit of these several 
 kinds of Christian work being carried on. At 
 a new station there is at first some reluctance 
 
SISTERS OF MERCY 107 
 
 on the part of the men to allow their female 
 relatives to visit a foreign lady. On one occasion 
 a Christian woman brought her married daughter 
 to see Mrs. Drake. Previous to the mother 
 becoming a Christian, the daughter had been 
 married to a heathen man. This man refused 
 to credit foreigners with . any good thing. When 
 he knew that his wife had visited our house 
 both he and his mother became exceedingly 
 angry, and they heaped vile epithets upon the 
 foreigners and upon the wife. They refused 
 even to allow her to remain in their house, and 
 she was compelled to take refuge in her father's 
 home. Finally, she was allowed to return, but 
 not until negotiations lasting for several weeks 
 had been carried on. 
 
 Such prejudices, however, can be lived down. 
 In every place there are women so situated that 
 they can and do visit a foreign lady, none daring 
 to make them afraid. These take home a good 
 report, and others are encouraged to follow their 
 example. In course of time it becomes generally 
 known that it is possible for Chinese women to 
 visit foreign ladies without suffering any moral, 
 mental, or bodily harm. This possibility to many 
 persons is quite a revelation. 
 
 The earlier visits paid by Chinese women to 
 missionaries' houses are as a rule prompted by 
 feelings of curiosity. Consequently, they wish to 
 roam round the house and examine the furniture, 
 
io8 S/STERS OF MERCY 
 
 pictures, clothes, etc. ; and generally this wish is 
 indulged. These surveys of the house are not 
 always convenient to the occupier, while sometimes 
 they are attended with amusing incidents. On 
 one occasion an old lady passed a mirror, and for 
 the iirst time in her life saw her full figure. 
 ' Why, ' said she, ' you have got another old 
 woman in there, and she is just like me ! ' 
 
 The ignorance of the women, and the novelty 
 of the idea of one woman devoting herself for 
 the good of her sex, make it necessary for the 
 first venture to be made warily, and to be 
 Carried on in the simplest possible manner. Mrs. 
 Drake has been engaged throughout her missionary 
 life almost entirely among adult females. I shall 
 confine my remarks therefore to this branch of 
 woman's work. The Chow-ping station was a 
 new one, and there the work among the women 
 had to be begun at the beginning. An effort 
 was made to induce several women to attend a class 
 for singing and Bible-reading. Of course they 
 had to be taught both to sing and to read. At 
 first they did not see the importance of learning 
 to do either ; still, three or four were induced to 
 attend. The class was held immediately after 
 the Sunday morning service. After five years' 
 work, thirty women attended the class, of whom 
 there were several who had to walk two or three 
 English miles, and one of them was a widow 
 eighty years of age. 
 
SISTERS OF MERCY 109 
 
 Prom the Chow-ping station a district con- 
 sisting of fifteen counties is being evangelised. 
 Speaking generally, these counties would be about 
 equal in extent to moderately sized counties in 
 England. Scattered through this district are the 
 native Christians and their female relatives. Some 
 reside sixty English miles from the city of Chow- 
 ping. The question arose as to what could 
 be done for the Christian instruction of these 
 women. They could not all be frequently visited 
 by foreign ladies. The women were unable to 
 read, so occasional visits could not accomplish 
 much. It was decided, therefore, to establish 
 classes for women similar to the leaders' classes 
 already mentioned. Consequently, several women 
 were invited to stay at our house for a few days 
 for the purpose of learning to read. True, in so 
 short a period only little could be accomplished, 
 but, considering the circumstances, to make a 
 start even would be no unworthy achievement. 
 Naturally, it was more difficult to secure the 
 attendance of the women than that of the men. 
 Other considerations apart, the idea that women 
 should be absent from home for educational 
 purposes, and living on a foreigner's premises, 
 was much more novel than that the men should 
 do so. Two or three women only came. They 
 committed a hymn or two to memory, gathered 
 a little information, and learnt to read a few 
 words. They returned home, taking a good 
 
no SISTERS OF MERCY 
 
 report with them. At different times several 
 other small companies of women did the same. 
 Before work among the women on an extensive 
 scale could be attempted, it was necessary to raise 
 a public opinion in favour of the classes. The 
 women must feel that they could and ought to 
 learn to read ; the men, that it was their 
 privilege to make a sacrifice for the good of their 
 wives. The humble efforts indicated above 
 brought about these valuable results. 
 
 It was now possible to proceed more methodi- 
 cally. Twenty or twenty-five women belonging 
 to some one county were formed into one class. 
 They first of all proceeded from their respective 
 places of residence to a central place, say the 
 county town. From there the male Christians 
 provided an escort for them to our station. The 
 escort was necessary, because women travelling 
 alone are sometimes decoyed or kidnapped. 
 There are women-hunters in China, and if a 
 woman on bad terms with her husband or her 
 mother-in-law should meet one, she may allow 
 herself to be taken off. If a husband offend his 
 wife's relatives, they may retaliate by carrying 
 her away. The escort therefore protected the 
 women and the reputation of Christian work. 
 
 The Christians at the more distant stations 
 would sometimes procure a cart. One man would 
 lend a mule, another a donkey, and a third a cow, 
 and yoking them together would bring a cartload 
 
SISTERS OF MERCY m 
 
 of women. A large cart provides sitting-room for 
 a dozen women. The party, being divided into 
 two, would ride and walk alternately. If a cart 
 could not be provided, then the male Christians 
 would bring their female relatives in wheelbarrows. 
 Occasionally, however, women of themselves go 
 long distances. I have known them to walk fifty 
 English miles in order to attend these classes. 
 Occasionally, each set of women came twice each 
 year, but as a rule only once, and they remained 
 in class for ten or twelve complete days. 
 Experience proved that the majority of them 
 became mentally wearied by the end of this 
 period ; the new-comers even earlier. During 
 their stay, the women committed hymns, etc., to 
 memory, and learned to sing and to read. Mrs. 
 Jones and Mrs. Smyth assisted in this work. In 
 the course of five years two hundred women had 
 passed through the classes. All were able to read 
 more or less. Some among them have read 
 through a hymn-book containing twenty hymns. 
 Others have in addition read a translation of Line 
 upon Line^ while about thirty could read the 
 four gospels. 
 
 The results obtained by means of these classes 
 are very gratifying. That women in middle life, 
 and who have never spent a day at school, should 
 in such unfavourable circumstances make the 
 attempt to learn to read, speaks well for their 
 courage and sincerity. That they make the 
 
112 SISTERS OF MERCY 
 
 satisfactory progress they do, speaks well for tlieir 
 natural intelligence. The part played by the 
 male Christians is also worthy of commendation. 
 Not only did they make sacrifices in order that 
 their female relatives might attend the classes, 
 but they escorted them to and from the city of 
 Chow-ping. In many cases the double journey 
 involved a walk of two hundred English miles. 
 This display of patience and kindly feeling did 
 them credit. The very valuable traits of native 
 character brought into prominence in connection 
 with these classes greatly encourage the Christian 
 worker ; for in them are found the promise of 
 future success. They show that although the 
 present position of women in China is a degraded 
 one, yet the work of fitting her to fill a higher 
 position is by po means a hopeless task. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE CAUSES OF SUICIDE. 
 
 SUICIDE is very common in China. It is not 
 regarded as a crime, but on the contrary, in 
 some cases it is regarded as a virtue. Should 
 suicide be committed by a maiden because of 
 the death of her betrothed, or by a widow on 
 account of the loss of her husband, the act will 
 be accorded public praise. A memorial archway 
 upon a prominent site, may be erected to com- 
 memorate the event, by order of the emperor. 
 That self-destruction should meet in certain 
 circumstances with imperial recognition does 
 not, however, account for its frequency in 
 China. 
 
 That a people characterised by practical 
 common sense, should as readily lay violent 
 hands upon themselves as do the Chinese, is a 
 phenomenon deserving careful study. Without 
 pretending to have exhausted the subject, or to 
 have explained its rationale with scientific accuracy,' 
 
 113 S 
 
114 THE CAUSES OF SUICIDE 
 
 it may not be out of place, before giving particular 
 instances, to mention a few things wbicb may be 
 regarded as predisposing causes. 
 
 By some it has been alleged that the frequency 
 of suicide is the effect of superstition. The 
 Chinese entertain the notion that the spirit of 
 the suicide will for ever haunt and molest the 
 person or persons supposed to have occasioned 
 the fatal act. This idea may exert some influence, 
 but it is open to question whether it operates as 
 powerfully as has been supposed. In connection 
 with the many cases of suicide brought under 
 my notice, the natives never referred to it as a 
 determining cause. 
 
 The Chinaman possesses well-marked mental 
 and moral characteristics, which, in certain cir- 
 cumstances, predispose him to self-destruction. 
 First, his mind is of a reflective, and not an 
 intuitive cast. It is slow also in its operations ; 
 give time enough, and the mind of a Chinaman 
 will work its way through any diflBculty. Hurry 
 it, then it is thrown into confusion, and an act of 
 folly is the result. A startling and even pathetic 
 instance of extreme folly, resulting from hurry, 
 came under my notice during the recent war. 
 The Governor of Shan-tung had proceeded to the 
 neighbourhood of Wei-hai to fight the Japs. 
 Finding himself inadequately supplied with guns, 
 he telegraphed to the oflicials in the provincial 
 capital, asking for more. But these ojfficials 
 
THE CAUSES OF SUICIDE 115 
 
 had no guns to send him. Their orders were 
 imperative, and they felt compelled to do 
 something, and that quickly. Consequently, they 
 collected a number of blacksmiths, and ordered 
 them to make several earth moulds, in which 
 to cast cannon. While the Japs were fighting at 
 Wei-hai these small cast-iron cannon suspended 
 on poles were being carried past my house, fifteen 
 days' journey from the seat of war ! Now, if in 
 the case of a man thus mentally constituted some 
 great difficulty, a difficulty immediately affecting 
 the man, and leaving little or no time for reflection, 
 should arise, it is easy to see what is likely to 
 be the result. His mind will become blind and 
 confused, and the man, failing to see a way out 
 of his trouble, will lose hope and take his life. 
 Secondly, the impression produced upon the 
 Western mind with regard to the Chinese is 
 that they are almost imperturbable. Close 
 acquaintance with them, however, corrects this 
 impression. On the contrary, it is found that not 
 only can they be perturbed, but even thrown into 
 a state of uncontrollable agitation. And further, 
 the distance separating a placid demeanour from 
 uncontrolled anger is by no means great. I have 
 met with many cases of permanent injury, such 
 as failure of sight, loss of voice, bleeding from 
 the stomach, rupture, and even sudden death, as 
 resulting from a fit of anger. This lack of self- 
 control tends to suicide. Thirdly, an insulted 
 
n6 THE CAUSES OF SUICIDE 
 
 or injured Chinaman experiences a burning desire 
 for revenge. For years lie will await an oppor- 
 tunity to take it. One indication of this is found 
 in the , fact that a Chinaman dreads nothing 
 so much as having made an enemy. A man 
 cannot have an enemy and live in peace ; for he 
 knows that sooner or later a day of reckoning will 
 come. 
 
 Of course there are many ways of taking 
 revenge. There is one more effective than any 
 other, and that unfortunately is by taking one's 
 own life. This may be a convenient place to 
 remark that in the majority of cases of suicide 
 brought under my notice the motive assigned by 
 the natives for the act has been the desire to 
 bring disgrace or financial loss, or both, upon 
 another. If a misunderstanding arise between 
 two men, and one of them as a result should take 
 his own life, the other will be held responsible for 
 the act. He will be considered to have pursued 
 the man to destruction. 
 
 It has become a practice to take by private 
 arrangement money indemnity for life. The 
 principle is extended to cases of suicide ; conse- 
 quently the man who is held responsible for 
 another's death is compelled to compensate the 
 dead man's relatives. The amount of indemnity 
 is determined by the degree of poverty of the 
 dead, as measured by the wealth of the living. 
 Consequently, the poorer the dead happened to 
 
THE CAUSES OF SUICIDE 117 
 
 be, and the riclier the living, the greater the 
 amount of compensation to be paid. This arises 
 from the fact that the social conditions of the 
 Chinese are such that it is extremely difficult for 
 a rich man to shake himself loose from an attempt 
 to blackmail on the part of a poor claimant. If 
 the courts of justice were less corrupt, if fewer 
 squeezes were effected by official underlings and 
 secretaries, then extortion by means of suicide 
 might be checked. But as things are in China, 
 it is even cheaper to meet an illegal exaction, and 
 to settle the matter out of court, than to resort to 
 judicial processes. 
 
 The fact, then, is that an act of suicide must 
 be paid for in cash, either by private treaty or 
 official action. The Chinaman, smarting under 
 a sense of injury and with a desire for revenge, 
 takes his own life in order that he may involve 
 his enemy in financial loss. 
 
 This is said to be by the natives the deter- 
 mining motive in many cases of suicide. And it 
 would seem from the large demands made by the 
 friends of the dead men, and the way in which 
 those demands have been met in cases coming 
 under my own notice, that this opinion is well- 
 founded. 
 
 I shall now proceed to relate the circumstances 
 connected with several acts of attempted or actual 
 suicide coming under my own cognisance — not, 
 however, for the sake of brooding over things 
 
ii8 THE CAUSES OF SUICIDE 
 
 horrible in themselves, but for the purpose of 
 enabling the reader the better to understand the 
 social conditions under which the Chinese 
 live. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 AN INJURED HUSBAND. 
 
 ONE morning two or three old ladies came 
 to my house asking to see Mrs. Drake. 
 They called in consequence of a domestic episode 
 of an unpleasant character which had taken place 
 that morning. Both strong language and hard 
 blows had been used by the husband to his wife 
 with a view to her improvement. The gentleman 
 was a military official and the lady his number 
 one or chief wife. The wife, despite her husband's 
 benevolent intentions, so resented the punishment 
 that she secretly supplied herself with opium and 
 drank it. This fact was discovered before death 
 took place. The old ladies who called upon 
 Mrs. Drake did so to entreat her to go to the 
 house of the would-be suicide, to administer 
 remedies and to . do her best to prevent collapse. 
 This was the first case of the kind that Mrs. 
 Drake had been called upon to attend ; hence 
 I thought it expedient to accompany her, and 
 together we managed to save the woman's 
 life. 
 
 "9 
 
120 AN INJURED HUSBAND 
 
 This case proved to be a very interesting one, 
 and the circumstances connected with it brought 
 into view several important aspects of Chinese 
 domestic life. 
 
 The husband had two wives, although neither 
 he nor his first consort had reached the age at 
 which, according to Chinese notions, the possession 
 of a second wife is justifiable. This fact leaked 
 out during conversation with the husband. The 
 following circumstances, he informed me, led to 
 his second marriage. He said that a few years 
 previously he resided in the city of Tai-yuan, 
 the provincial city of Shan-si, and that during 
 that period he was in an indifferent state of 
 health. Whilst he was in this condition his 
 wife did not wait upon him with the willingness 
 that might have been expected of her ; neither 
 did she, he said, prepare his food as tastefully 
 as she might have done. In fact, she was 
 generally indifferent to his comfort. He also 
 went on to say that on several occasions, in 
 strict accordance with sound reason, he had 
 remonstrated with his wife ; yea, he had seriously 
 advised and entreated her to change her behaviour 
 toward him, and had even strengthened his 
 exhortations by pointing out how serious the 
 consequences would be to herself in case of 
 continued contumacy. But, alas ! remonstrance, 
 advice, and entreaty all had failed to produce 
 any effect, and the wife continued to remain as 
 
AN INJURED HUSBAND 121 
 
 negligent as ever. At length, when insult and 
 injury had wrought their work in his soul, he 
 completely lost control of his temper, and seizing 
 a stick he beat her soundly, and threatened to take 
 to himself a second wife. He then assured me 
 both by word and gesture that not only had 
 his wife persisted in her disobedience, but had 
 actually become enraged with him. His patience 
 having become exhausted, he finally took to 
 himself a second consort. ' And now, ' said he, 
 ' that I have done this, my first wife is more 
 rebellious than ever.' 
 
 Previous to this conversation, however, and 
 whilst attending to the would-be suicide, I asked 
 of those present, ' Why has the lady attempted to 
 take her life ? ' The old ladies before mentioned 
 gave answer by pointing their thumbs at the wife 
 and their little fingers at the next room ; then, 
 reversing their action, they pointed with their 
 little fingers at the wife and with their thumbs 
 at the next room. It was not easy to understand 
 what these gestures signified without some verbal 
 explanation. This much, however, was certain, 
 there was trouble between a first and a second ; 
 for when the natives speak of a chief and a 
 subordinate, they frequently represent the former 
 by the thumb and the latter by the little finger. 
 For instance, in the home the husband is the 
 thumb, the wife the little finger. Thus, to say 
 the thumb and the little finger have exchanged 
 
122 AN INJURED HUSBAND 
 
 places, is to say in a poetical way that the lady 
 rules the roost. 
 
 What the double set of signs signified, however, 
 I was not able to make out. Upon inquiry, I 
 learned that the sick woman was the chief wife, 
 and represented by the thumb. The little finger, 
 which was pointed at the room, indicated that in 
 there lived a second wife. The thumb turned 
 toward the room, and the little finger turned 
 toward the wife, meant that the second wife had 
 practically become the first, and the first second ; 
 that is to say, she had been degraded. 
 
 The degradation of the first wife in any circum- 
 stances would be regarded as a very severe 
 punishment. For, according to strict etiquette, 
 the second wife should occupy a subordinate 
 position in the home. She must act the part of 
 a servant to the first wife. She may not sit down 
 in her presence. Her own children are not 
 regarded as belonging to her, and they may not 
 call her mother. It is this difference in the 
 position occupied by the ladies that reconciles 
 many first wives to the presence of a second. It 
 at least relatively elevates them, and supplies them 
 with a drudge. Such being the case, it will be 
 seen how great an indignity was heaped upon the 
 first wife when the second was put into her 
 position. In China only those persons who 
 effected this humiliation would feel surprised at 
 the attempted suicide. 
 
AN INJURED HUSBAND 123 
 
 When the wife showed signs of recovery, I 
 retired to the guest-room and conversed with her 
 husband. It so happened that he possessed a copy 
 of the New Testament and had. read the Sermon 
 on the Mount. He remarked to me that it was 
 difficult to love your enemies and to do good to 
 those who wrongly use you. For instance, citing 
 the case of his wife, he asked, ' How could he 
 forgive her ? ' She had resisted his efforts to reform 
 her, and when last night he had beaten her again, 
 she had only become angry, and to aggravate 
 matters had this morning taken a quantity of 
 opium. It was plain to him that this woman did 
 not understand right reason. 
 
 Having delivered himself thus, he called all 
 his servants together, and in a most doleful way 
 told them that his wife had attempted to take 
 her life ; but he added, ' You must not mention 
 the matter to any one, or people will laugh at me. ' 
 I wondered whether he could impose silence upon 
 the old ladies. 
 
CHAPTER XVn. 
 
 AN UNLADYUKE PERSON. 
 
 THE second case of attempted suicide occurred 
 in connection with a widow lady residing in 
 the city of Ping-yang. This lady was about 
 forty-five years of age. She owned a small 
 property, and had one son, a young man about 
 twenty years of age. Her person was short and 
 rotund. A stubby nose adorned her face, while 
 a bullet-shaped head suggested the possible pos- 
 session of a pugnacious disposition. The son, 
 for some cause or other, became angry with his 
 mother, and applied to her certain uncomplimentary 
 epithets ; but what were the words actually used 
 did not transpire. Probably they referred to some 
 mean quality supposed to be characteristic of her, 
 or of members of her family. Adjectives and 
 epithets of such a kind are extremely irritating 
 to the Chinese ; scarcely anything will so surely 
 raise their ire, or call forth their resentment, as 
 the use of them ; but when they are applied by 
 a child to its parents, the offence is not only an 
 insult, but a crime, for which, according to law, 
 
 124 
 
AN UNLADYLIKE PERSON 127 
 
 death by strangling may be inflicted. It is not 
 surprising, therefore, that the mother was ruffled 
 in temper on account of her son's conduct. 
 Unfortunately, anger gave place to uncontrollable 
 rage ; and the mother declared she would not live, 
 and proceeded to take her own life. By so doing, 
 ■ she thought to disgrace her son in the public 
 eye. She would make it appear that his conduct 
 rendered it impossible for his mother to live ; so, 
 consequently, she took a dose of opium. The 
 son, alarmed at what she had done, ran off for 
 the foreign missionary. 
 
 On responding to his summons, I found the 
 woman, sitting in a small, dingy room, one 
 half of which was taken up with a brick bed. 
 There was a lighted wick lying in a small open 
 vessel containing oil, which supplied the room 
 with a glimmering light. Upon approaching 
 her, she greeted me with a volley of abuse, and 
 bade me begone. She said, ' My son has insulted 
 me, and I won't live ! ' I tried, by coaxing, to 
 induce her to take remedies, but she had too 
 completely lost self-control to yield to reasonable 
 persuasives. She rejected my proffered remedies, 
 and in scorn emptied her vile vocabulary upon 
 me. Her son, who stood by, despairing of a 
 favourable result, at length said, ' Ah ! I have 
 done what I could to get medicines for you, but 
 you won't take them ; and now that I have 
 brought a venerable-looking teacher, who has 
 
128 AN UNLADYLIKE PERSON 
 
 come several ten thousands of miles ' — then, 
 stretching out his arms, and keeping his hands 
 two feet apart, added, ' and wearing a beard 
 this length ' (a mark of great age), ' and then you 
 only abuse him.' 
 
 As she would not allow herself to be persuaded 
 to take an emetic, it was necessary to decide 
 whether this lady should be permitted to sacrifice 
 herself upon the altar of her rage or be compelled 
 to live. The latter alternative was decided upon, 
 and a neighbour ofiered to render me assistance. 
 When several basinfuls of mustard and hot water 
 had been prepared, we proceeded to lay her on 
 the brick bed ; whereupon she immediately 
 screamed and fought, kicked and reviled. Two 
 men held her limbs, while I took charge of her 
 head, and, to keep her moiith open, I took hold 
 of her nose. This was not an easy thing to do, 
 as the latter member was constructed upon so 
 awkward a principle that it was an exceedingly 
 diflScult matter to keep it in hand. Repeatedly 
 a basin filled with hot water and mustard ap- 
 proached her lips, and its contents were on the 
 point of entering her mouth, when her head 
 moved, her nose slipped, her mouth closed, and 
 we had to begin again. At last we succeeded in 
 getting one basinful down her throat, when she 
 wrenched herself loose — and oh, how she raved ! 
 She thrust her hand down her throat to bring the 
 emetic up again. But, seeing that resistance was 
 
AN UNLADYLIKE PERSON 129 
 
 now vain, she suddenly collapsed, and with 
 marked docility of manner said, ' Oh, teacher, if 
 more medicine is needful, I will take it willingly ! ' 
 A chorus of praise in honour of her wisdom 
 proceeded from the three of us, and we assured 
 her she was a very good woman. The mustard 
 and water having done their duty, I retired. 
 
 Another domestic episode is one in which a 
 mother-in-law figures rather prominently. As the 
 daughters of the Flowery Land attain a marriage- 
 able age, the parents, by means of middle-men, seek 
 suitable homes for them. The process of seeking 
 this home is not described by the phrase ' finding 
 a husband, ' but by ' seeking a mother-in-law ' for 
 the girl. 
 
 The process may be thus described, because 
 the position of the mother-in-law overtops in 
 importance that of the husband. Social customs 
 have helped to put her into this position of 
 advantage. The newly married couple reside 
 with the husband's parents, and the bride is 
 expected to act as servant to the old lady. The 
 mother-in-law, in her treatment of the daughter- 
 in-law, proceeds upon the assumption that a 
 disciplinary course is needful before she can be 
 regarded as a properly trained partner for her son. 
 The administrator of discipline is the mother-in- 
 law. The filling of this office is one of the duties 
 as well as one of the pleasures of her life. When 
 young, she had to pass through such a course 
 
 9 
 
130 AN UNLADYLIKE PERSON 
 
 herself, and no one can tell better than she, with 
 how much personal credit. Besides, during the 
 progress of life she has acquired a few ideas as 
 to the proper method of training newly married 
 girls, and now that she has one entirely under 
 her control she desires to reduce her theories to 
 practice. 
 
 The necessary training is generally effected in 
 two ways : first, through moral suasion ; secondly, 
 by physical force. The former frequently takes 
 the form of using scolding and insulting epithets ; 
 the latter, in hair-pulling and biting. If in 
 respect of the latter the mother-in-law should find 
 herself unable to fulfil the whole law, she may 
 at any time command her son to supply her lack 
 of service. The son must obey, and the daughter- 
 in-law must submit : it is criminal to resist. 
 This relation of the two ladies to each other 
 is frequently the cause of great cruelty being 
 practised upon the younger, and as one result 
 there are many domestic episodes of a saddening 
 and tragical character. 
 
 The mother-in-law connected with the incident 
 about to be related lived in the city of Kao- 
 yuan, and was about sixty years of age. She 
 was a widow, and belonged to a respectable 
 family. Her son and his wife appeared to be 
 about thirty-two years of age. The old lady 
 probably was neither better nor worse than the 
 ordinary mother-in-law. She frequently became 
 
AN UNLADYLIKE PERSON 131 
 
 angry with her son's wife, and occasionally 
 supplemented moral suasion by the application 
 of physical force. One day, after an occurrence 
 of this kind, the young woman grew rather 
 restive — such efforts for her special benefit she 
 failed to appreciate, and, further, she thought 
 an age had been attained when she might 
 reasonably be spared the rod. Consequently, she 
 resented the old lady's conduct, and even became 
 saucy. 
 
 When her son reached home, his mother 
 commanded him to beat his saucy wife. The 
 son had returned home to take his dinner, 
 besides which, he was in a dilemma. According 
 to custom, he ought to obey his mother ; on the 
 other hand, he loved his wife. In his view, 
 moreover, his mother was in fault. He felt the 
 difiBculty of his position, but could not see a way 
 out of it. In the meantime, however, he allowed 
 himself to get into a towering rage. He rated 
 both mother and wife, and completely lost control 
 of himself. Then suddenly he determined that 
 all parties should suffer : his mother should be 
 rendered childless ; he and his wife should die 
 together. He inflicted a severe wound upon the 
 head of his wife, and then he drank a quantity 
 of opium. 
 
 Fortunately, Mrs. Drake and I were living close 
 by. My wife attended to the wounded woman 
 and I administered emetics to the man. They 
 
132 AN UNLADYLIKE PERSON 
 
 both recovered, and the mother had been taught 
 that she played a dangerous game when she 
 commanded her son to beat his wife. 
 
 The foregoing instances refer to misunder- 
 standings in which members of the same family 
 were involved. The following case, however, 
 refers to a dispute between different families, and 
 shows how suicide may be made to serve the 
 purposes of extortion. 
 
 If I remember rightly, the dispute arose in respect 
 of a piece of land. One family was fairl}' well 
 off, the other poor. In China, if a dispute arises, 
 the terms of settlement are generally arranged in 
 accordance with the financial position of the richer 
 party, and not according to the merits of the case. 
 In this instance, in the opinion of the poorer 
 family, their claims were not being properly 
 recognised, that is to say, a large enough money 
 indemnity was not forthcoming. For some time 
 the matter remained unsettled, and the richer 
 family made no advance. At last, the principal 
 man belonging to the poorer party committed 
 suicide. His friends, glad at the chance, now 
 charged the opposite party with driving the man 
 to take his life, and proceeded to prepare a 
 statement of the case for the official. The richer 
 men well knew that under the circumstances a 
 larger sum of money than that formerly offered 
 would have to be paid ; they knew, also, that if 
 the case were dealt with officially they would 
 
AN UNLADYLIKE PERSON 133 
 
 have to bribe the officers of justice ; consequently, 
 it would be cheaper to settle the matter out of 
 court. Under these circumstances, they increased 
 the sum offered as compensation. Their offer, 
 however, was indignantly refused. Then a further 
 offer was made, with a similar result. At length, 
 the sum demanded was, in the opinion of the 
 rich men, about equal to the amount which they 
 would lose if the case were officially dealt with ; 
 therefore they refused to pay any larger sum. 
 
 The poorer family, in effecting a settlement, did 
 not wish to invoke the aid of the law, for the 
 damages officially awarded would certainly be 
 subjected to a series of squeezes, and they, in 
 consequence, be left worse off than if the matter 
 were settled by private treaty. On this account, 
 a second time the affair came to a standstill. 
 
 The managers of the case for the poorer party 
 had not yet played their trump card. One day, 
 in the presence of the widow, they talked among 
 themselves as though the case had failed altogether 
 and her husband's death could not be avenged. 
 They knew quite well what thoughts were being 
 suggested to her mind. For if a widow take her 
 own life on account of sorrow for the loss of her 
 deceased partner, it is regarded as a meritorious 
 act. This woman therefore determined that her 
 husband's death should not go unrevenged, and 
 so she drank opium and died. 
 
 To help the case, nothing better than this poor 
 
134 AN UNLADYLIKE PERSON 
 
 woman's death could have happened ; in fact, 
 it was just what her advisers intended should 
 take place. Two lives to be compensated instead 
 of one, this would bring the rich men to book. 
 So it did ; for they, not knowing how many other 
 claims might be put in should they longer delay, 
 determined to close the case. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 NEW WINE AND OLD BOTTLES. 
 
 AREI/IGION entering a country where it 
 comes as a stranger is almost sure to arouse 
 opposition. The fact that it is new is of itself 
 sufficient to excite alarm on the part of the people 
 of the land. The new religion may not be 
 unsuited to their needs, nor may there be much 
 blame attaching either to those who promulgate 
 it or to those who oppose it ; for the antagonism 
 results simply because they are strangers to each 
 other, and time must be allowed to elapse before 
 the intruder can be peacefully tolerated. Much 
 of the opposition in China to Christianity and its 
 professors may in this way be accounted for. But 
 it must be confessed that the strangeness of the 
 new religion alone is not sufficient to explain all 
 the instances of persecution of which Christians 
 have been the subjects. 
 
 Why Christianity should be persecuted in China 
 is an exceedingly complex question : a volume 
 would be required fully to elucidate it. Here 
 it will be possible only to suggest some of the 
 
 '3S 
 
136 NEW WINE AND OLD BOTTLES 
 
 principal causes of opposition, and to illustrate, 
 by giving typical cases of persecution, instances 
 with whicli I have been compelled to deal. 
 
 First : The Chinese dislike change, and are 
 intolerant both of men and things that cannot 
 be labelled ' Chinese. ' Feeling has become so 
 strong that animosity is shown against natives 
 who are suspected of harbouring pro-foreign 
 sympathies. Two notable instances of this may 
 be noted. Tseng Kwo Fan, tlie then Viceroy of 
 Chih-li, was ordered by the Imperial Government 
 to investigate the causes of the Tien-tsin massacre 
 of 1870. He found a number of persons guilty of 
 murder, and afterwards beheaded them. Foreigners 
 thought that he had not erred on the side of 
 severity ; butj on the contrary, they believed that 
 the ringleaders, being influential men, were let 
 oflF. The Chinese, however, took another view ; 
 they saw in his action an instance of truckling 
 to foreigners, and to show their contempt, among 
 other things erased his name from the roll of 
 membership of the Hu-nan Club in Pe-kin, and 
 disgraced his tablet. The second case was that 
 of a former Chinese ambassador in I/3ndon, the 
 late Marquis Tseng. Upon his return from 
 England, he dare not visit his ancestral home. 
 The people burnt down his house, and that for 
 no other reason than because it was supposed he 
 had made himself too friendly with foreigners. 
 Is it strange that a people possessed of these 
 
NEW WINE AND OLD BOTTLES 137 
 
 feelings should oppose a religion that is not 
 indigenous to their country — a religion preached 
 by men belonging to another race, and which, if 
 they accepted it, must effect great changes in their 
 national life? 
 
 Secondly : In China the Confucianist is the 
 orthodox party, and as such enjoys imperial protec- 
 tion and the support of the classes. The officials 
 are Confucianists, and the literature known as 
 Confucianist is alone considered as a fit instrument 
 of education. Confucianists as a party, therefore, 
 are highly placed and well protected. Now this 
 party make three assumptions — viz., first, that 
 Confucius is perfect ; secondly, that among the 
 teachers of mankind he stands supreme ; thirdly, 
 that his disciples rank as superior men among 
 their fellows. On the other hand, the New Testa- 
 ment contains statements concerning the dignity 
 of Christ, the Divine origin of His teaching, and 
 the standing of His true followers in the sight 
 of God, which cannot be harmonised with Con- 
 fucianist assumptions ; and, as a consequence, 
 the party feel aggrieved at these superior claims 
 being advanced on behalf of Christ, and they are 
 disposed to ridicule and to oppress those who 
 accept them. In saying that the Confucianists 
 are opposed to Christianity, we are also making 
 the admission that influence and wealth are thus 
 arrayed against Christ and His people. Such being 
 the case, the molestation of missionaries and of 
 
138 N£IV WINE AND OLD BOTTLES 
 
 the native Christians is not surprising, and is 
 in keeping with the feelings of those who wield 
 authority in the State. 
 
 Thirdly : I have never heard of Chinese Buddhists 
 or Tao-ists persecuting native Christians on account 
 of the differences between them in religious dogma. 
 But the Buddhists and Tao-ists have gods many, 
 and possess temples and priests ; these require 
 to be maintained, and that this may be done, there 
 must be worshippers. But if Christianity should 
 be accepted, then the worshippers will be reduced 
 in number. The Buddhist and Tao-ist priests, 
 therefore, cannot view with pleasure this rival in 
 their midst. Again, the custom is, should a 
 temple need repair, to come to an understanding 
 with the inhabitants of the place in which the 
 temple stands, and levy a rate upon them to meet 
 the cost. Or should it be desired to honour the 
 gods or benefit the temple, then the headmen of 
 the place may invite a theatrical company to visit 
 the town or village and give a series of public 
 entertainments ; while attendance at the per- 
 formances is free, the headmen may collect a 
 rate to pay the theatrical company. Now, not 
 only does Christianity give no encouragement for 
 these idolatrous practices, but its professors refuse 
 to make the contributions needful for their 
 maintenance. In refusing these contributions 
 the Christians are acting according to their 
 convictions and to their rights, exemption from 
 
NEW WINE AND OLD BOTTLES 139, 
 
 this rate on the part of the Christians being 
 provided for by a treaty solemnly entered into 
 by the Chinese Government. The rate is always 
 demanded, however ; and because the Christians 
 refuse to pay it, they are disliked, insulted, and, 
 whenever possible, involved in trouble. 
 
 Fourthly : The existence of secret societies is 
 also a cause of trouble as between Christians and 
 non-Christians. The members of these secret 
 societies will at times become fearful lest the Chris- 
 tian religion should become inimical to the interests 
 of their own cult. They consequently watch with 
 jealous eye the native of their own town who 
 first attaches himself to the foreign missionary. 
 Where it is possible, a case is trumped up against 
 him to his injury. Then, if a member of a secret 
 society should become a Christian, violent hands 
 may be laid upon him, or burning sulphur may 
 be thrown among his ricks, etc. 
 
 Fifthly: The clannish spirit is also a fruitful 
 cause of trouble. Chinese life, altogether apart from 
 the question of religion, is frequently enlivened 
 by feuds between the clans. Let us suppose, 
 as is sometimes the case, that there are two 
 clans living in the same village, and that they 
 are already at enmity. If members of one clan 
 should become Christians, the members of the 
 other would feel that they had additional reason 
 for hating them, and, if possible, to get them 
 into trouble. Nor will the mischief even end 
 
HO NEW WINE AND OLD BOTTLES 
 
 here ; for the clan without Christians will regard 
 the foreign missionary also as their enemy, and 
 will malign both him and his teaching, because 
 of his friendliness with members of a clan not 
 in agreement with their own. 
 
 The causes of trouble between Christian and 
 non-Christian are not by any means exhausted 
 by the foregoing statements. Those mentioned, 
 however, are, I hope, sufficient to show what 
 are the principal causes of persecution ; and they 
 will enable the reader to understand how dif&cult 
 it is for a Chinaman to become a Christian and 
 avoid unpleasantness with his neighbours and 
 conflict with the powers that be. I shall now 
 relate several cases of persecution and the manner 
 in which they were dealt with by the local 
 ofiicials. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 LOYAI, TO CONVICTION. 
 
 IN a village near to Ping-yang city lived 
 two brothers named I^i. They were the first 
 Christians in their village, but at the time of their 
 persecution there were several inquirers besides. 
 Twenty or more years before the I^i brothers had 
 become Christians, their father was engaged in 
 a lawsuit against another family residing in the 
 same village. After the death of their father, 
 the elder brother became the head of his family, 
 and a son of the opposite party became one of the 
 village headmen. This son, having obtained a 
 position of influence, desired to reopen the long- 
 standing family quarrel. In his opinion, the fact 
 that the Lis had become Christians increased 
 his chance of success ; for now, in the oificial 
 statement of the case, he could add that the two 
 brothers had become Christians. A knowledge 
 of this fact would, he felt confident, so prejudice 
 the oflScial mind against the I/is that there was 
 no likelihood of their gaining the verdict. In 
 due course the matter came before the ofi&cial, 
 
 141 
 
142 LOYAL TO CONVICTION 
 
 and he refused to reopen the case ; but he 
 seized the opportunity to scold the brothers 
 for having become Christians. The headman, 
 together with his supporters, returned home, as 
 the natives said, five parts chagrined and five 
 parts pleased. The snub administered to the I/is 
 on account of their profession of Christianity gave 
 pleasure and at the same time encouraged the 
 hope that the two brothers might still be involved 
 in trouble — for was it not now proved that 
 Christianity was under official ban? On the 
 other hand, that the official should refuse to 
 reopen the case vexed the plaintifi", and this 
 feeling of vexation spurred him on to devise some 
 other means of getting the Christians into trouble. 
 He did not have long to wait. 
 
 A temple in the village needed to be repaired, 
 and in order to meet the expense a rate was 
 levied alike upon Christians and non-Christians. 
 The Christians refused to pay. Shortly after this 
 the body of headmen, the plaintiff among them, 
 engaged a theatrical company to give a series 
 of entertainments on behalf of the said temple. 
 Then, to meet the expense incurred by these 
 performances, a second rate was levied, which the 
 Christians again refused to pay. After a time 
 the headmen informed the Christians that unless 
 the money covering both rates was paid, the 
 Christians would be taken to the temple and 
 there tied up by their thumbs. It was at this 
 
LOYAL TO CONVICTION 143 
 
 juncture that the Christians came to me asking 
 for advice. I told them that under the circum- 
 stances they needed to be very guarded in their 
 conduct, that they were to keep themselves quiet, 
 and by no means to offer violent resistance, should 
 the headmen attempt to carry out their threat. 
 In the meantime, I said, the official should be in- 
 formed of what was likely to take place. I wrote 
 to the official, and he returned my letter, with 
 an offensive message. Fortunately his superior 
 officer resided in the city of Ping-yang ; conse- 
 quently, I informed him of the difficulty. I assured 
 him it was my desire to prevent a breach of the 
 peace, and asked him as a favour to grant me an 
 interview. This he kindly did, and as a result he 
 promised to instruct his subordinate to summon 
 the headmen before him and command them to 
 cease molesting the Christians. The subordinate 
 was the same officer who snubbed the two brothers 
 for becoming Christians, and who had returned my 
 letter ; therefore, it was only natural that such a 
 man as he should fail to carry out his superior's 
 instructions. After waiting several days, nothing 
 having been done in the matter, I informed the 
 superior officer to that effect. He again instructed 
 his subordinate, who, however, paid no further 
 heed. Finally, I told the Christians to wait until 
 the day previous to the one on which the threats 
 were to be put into execution, and if by that 
 time no official orders were issued, then to inform 
 
144 LOYAL TO CONVICTION 
 
 me. The day passed, and as no information 
 reached me I hoped all had gone off quietly.. 
 Early on the following day, however, a messenger 
 arrived, saying that no official action had been 
 taken and that the Christians were to be tied 
 up on the afternoon of that day. Immediately 
 I informed the superior official that nothing had 
 been done, that while I would do my best to 
 prevent a conflict, yet if one should take place 
 the officials must hold themselves responsible for 
 it. The village was ten miles distant, and I at 
 once rode off there. My object was, if possible, 
 to induce the Christians to absent themselves for 
 the day, or, failing that, to urge them not to 
 offer any resistance if attacked. I found the 
 Christians sitting in a room with grim determina- 
 tion written on their faces. I asked them to 
 accompany me back to the city. They replied 
 that if they absented themselves now, they would 
 not be allowed to remain in peace hereaiter ; and, 
 further, if it were necessary to suffer for Christ, 
 they would do so, and, consequently, they had 
 determined to remain. 
 
 After I had been in the village some time, 
 and the hour for tying up the Christians came 
 perilously near, two sets of policemen, bearing 
 orders for the arrest of five headmen, arrived. 
 The superior official, upon receipt of my letter, 
 despatched one set ; the subordinate, hearing 
 what had been done, immediately sent off another. 
 
LOYAL TO CONVICTION 145 
 
 When these representatives of the law reached 
 the village, they learned that I also was there. 
 They then sent for one of the Christians, and 
 asked him privately whether he thought I would 
 compensate them if they arrested the five men. 
 I intimated, through the Christian, that they must 
 do their duty independently of any remuneration 
 from me. Whereupon the policemen found the 
 five men ; but in consideration of certain payments 
 being made, they were satisfied with the arrest of 
 only three. These three men were escorted to 
 the superior official's residence, and there it was 
 stated that the two remaining men could not 
 be found. The official reprimanded the headmen 
 for their conduct, and told them that they must 
 live in peace with the Christians. He then sent 
 them to the subordinate's office, to be dealt with as 
 that official might see fit. This official instructed 
 them not to molest the Christians, and then set 
 them at liberty. 
 
 10 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 INTOLERANT OF LIGHT. 
 
 IN the county of Chiao-cheng there were only a 
 few inquirers. The headmen of the villages 
 to which the Christians belonged determined, 
 once for all, to terrify those persons who might 
 dare to enter the Church. It so happened that 
 the inquirers belonged to a group of seven villages, 
 and the land belonging to these villages was 
 irrigated by means of the same stream. Their 
 inhabitants were therefore interested in maintaining 
 its banks and the courses by which the water 
 reached their lands in good repair. The funds 
 necessary for this purpose were raised by means 
 of a rate levied upon each landowner. It so 
 happened that the stream flowed through land 
 belonging to a temple. In course of time the 
 question of maintaining this temple in repair 
 became involved in the question of preserving 
 the banks of the stream ; consequently, a rate 
 was levied sufficient in amount to cover both 
 charges. While there were no dissentients, things 
 worked well ; but when there were Christians, 
 
 146 
 
INTOLERANT OF LIGHT 147 
 
 they naturally protested against the payment of 
 that portion of the rate which would be applied 
 to idolatrous practices. In point of fact, a case 
 of this kind is not only provided for by the 
 treaty, but the proportion to be deducted as 
 temple charges is fixed, so that the Christians 
 were well within their rights when they asked for 
 a reduction in the rate to be made in their favour. 
 The headmen of those seven villages, however, 
 refused their consent to the Christians' request. 
 They went even further, and entered into a 
 compact to find funds, should it be necessary, for 
 the purpose of fighting the case in a court of 
 law. They waited until the condition of the 
 ground was such that it required irrigating, then 
 they demanded the payment of the rate in full. 
 This was refused ; whereupon they cut off the 
 water supply, and left the crops of the Christians 
 to parch. At this juncture my advice was asked. 
 The Christians were advised to bear their trouble 
 patiently, and I promised to send a letter to the 
 headmen, suggesting that my representative should 
 meet them and try to arrange the matter. The 
 letter was returned, with a message breathing 
 defiance. They then renewed their demands, 
 and threatened the Christians with bodily harm 
 unless the money was paid within a specified time. 
 The rate remaining unpaid, one night the headmen, 
 accompanied by certain official underlings carrying 
 bogus summonses, arrested some of the Christians, 
 
148 INTOLERANT OF LIGHT 
 
 and carried them off to a neighbouring temple, 
 and there locked them up among the gods. 
 Barly the next morning the headmen demanded 
 compliance under three conditions : first, the 
 Christians should pay the rate ; secondly, that 
 they must salute their gods ; thirdly, that they 
 should purchase a large ornamented lantern, and 
 present it to the temple. 
 
 The Christians refused to comply. The headmen 
 therefore did two things : first, they drew up a 
 letter to be sent to the official ; and secondly, they 
 proceeded to belabour the Christians. The letter 
 sent to the official stated that a bad man, a 
 foreigner named lyin (my Chinese name), and 
 living in Ping-yang city, had introduced into the 
 district heretical doctrines, and had succeeded in 
 confusing. the minds of certain stupid individuals. 
 That these men, having already become foreigners 
 in heart, naturally no longer desired to uphold 
 the ancient customs of the Middle Kingdom ; 
 consequently, they refused to pay the water-rate ; 
 therefore it was, without doubt, quite necessary 
 at once to make an end of the ' Jesus Religion. ' 
 
 When this letter had been despatched, the 
 headmen turned their attention to the Christians. 
 These, however, stood firm to their purpose. At 
 last the headmen seized the leader, threw a cord 
 over a beam, and tied him up by his thumbs, 
 threatening to leave him in that position until he 
 promised to comply with their demands. At last 
 
INTOLERANT OF LIGHT 149 
 
 a relative of the Christian, but a non-Christian 
 himself, promised to provide the lantern if the 
 headmen would liberate the man for the time 
 being. The headmen, thinking that partial suc- 
 cess was better than complete failure, promised 
 to do so if the Christian would salute the gods. 
 The Christian refused even this. Finally, the 
 man was lowered, and before he had firmly gained 
 his feet, the headmen pitched him on his face, 
 saying, if he would not willingly do what they 
 wished him, he should be forced to do so. He 
 was then liberated until the official replied to their 
 petition. 
 
 The official was the chief magistrate of the 
 county. He had but recently obtained his 
 appointment, and,' if I recollect rightly, it was 
 the first he had held. This gentleman in due 
 course replied to the petition, and intimated his 
 willingness to try the case. By this time a 
 statement on behalf of the Christians was lodged 
 in his office. This statement was ignored and a 
 summons issued, ordering the foreign missionary 
 to appear before him as plaintiff, with the native 
 Christians as defendants. The headmen were left 
 out altogether. This was done partly through 
 ignorance, but chiefly for the purpose of making 
 the Christian cause look as ridiculous as possible. 
 I replied to the summons by sending a complete 
 statement of the case to the superior of the county 
 magistrate. This gentleman did not answer my 
 
150 INTOLERANT OF LIGHT 
 
 letter ; but by means of private inquiry I ascertained 
 tbat he requested, and secured, a visit from the 
 subordinate ofl&cer, to whom he pointed out the 
 mistake he had made, and advised him to issue 
 new summonses and to squash the case. The 
 subordinate promised to comply. Upon his return 
 home, he issued summonses, and after much delay 
 reheard the case. He complimented the conduct 
 of the headmen, and informed the Christians that 
 they could not be tolerated, and must pay the 
 rate in full. 
 
 At this stage of the proceedings I again wrote 
 to the superior, complaining both of the language 
 and the conduct of the subordinate, and asked 
 him to issue a proclamation in the seven disturbed 
 villages, to counteract the effect of the conduct of 
 the inferior magistrate. He replied, saying that 
 the matter should be attended to. The case, how- 
 ever, was left where it was, and no proclamation 
 was issued. After waiting for a month, I made a 
 two days' journey, for the purpose of seeking an 
 interview with the superior of&cer. An interview 
 was granted, and the affair from beginning to 
 end was discussed. I complained that a summons 
 had been issued ordering me to appear before the 
 official, and also that no piroclamation had been 
 put out. That the summons complained of had 
 been issued he could not deny ; but with regard 
 to the proclamation, he said it had not only been 
 ordered to be issued, but that the subordinate 
 
INTOLERANT OF LIGHT 151 
 
 had informed him that such had been done, I 
 remarked that the inferior had not only acted 
 contrary to imperial edicts, but had even left 
 unheeded the commands of his superior officer. 
 Hearing this, the old gentleman -winced, jumped 
 from his seat, and exclaimed that this man didn't 
 know how to manage public ' affairs. ' He then 
 asked me how I would like the matter to be 
 settled. I replied that it would not be becoming 
 on my part to dictate to him how the affair should 
 be settled, and that it might safely be left with 
 him. At length he said he would prefer that 
 the case should be dealt with by the inferior officer, 
 and promised to instruct him to that effect at 
 once, saying, further, that if the matter was not 
 disposed of satisfactorily in fifteen days, he himself 
 would then deal with it. 
 
 As the superior official evidently believed that 
 a proclamation had been issued, to satisfy myself 
 that I had not been wrongly informed I sent two 
 trusty men to travel through the district, and to 
 examine all the retired places in the seven villages, 
 and see whether any copies of a proclamation had 
 been posted there. The men returned, saying 
 that while none were found in the villages, they 
 had succeeded in finding one elsewhere. This 
 one copy was found posted behind a door of the 
 inferior official's residence. 
 
 The official's conduct had greatly elated the 
 headmen, and they were lifting their [heads very 
 
152 INTOLERANT OF LIGHT 
 
 high ; they thought the Christians would soon be 
 at their mercy. In view of a complete victory, 
 they compelled the man who promised the 
 lantern at once to bring the money for it. They 
 purchased a very fine-looking one, and had, in 
 their opinion, a very suitable inscription prepared. 
 The inscription was to this effect, that ' the lantern 
 was presented to the temple by Mr. Lin (my 
 Chinese name), a venerable foreign teacher be- 
 longing to the Church of Jesus. ' 
 
 Fifteen days passed, but nothing further had 
 been done in the matter ; therefore I asked the 
 superior official to deal with it. He fulfilled his 
 promise to the letter. The affair from beginning 
 to end was investigated. He peremptorily insisted 
 upon the attendance in person of Christian and 
 non- Christian alike, and declined to excuse the 
 absence of any one. The lantern and the under- 
 lings who carried bogus summonses were produced 
 in court, and three days bestowed upon the hearing 
 of the case. 
 
 It is due to the Christians to state, that during 
 the investigation nothing to their detriment came 
 to light ; consequently, they obtained the verdict. 
 The headmen were severely reprimanded, and 
 threatened with condign punishment if they 
 offended again ; and before they were allowed to 
 leave the official's residence they had to satisfy 
 his underlings' longing for cash. Thus, after a 
 delay of four months, was the case disposed of. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 SHARP PRACTICE, 
 
 IN a village situated in the county of Kao-yuan 
 there were several inquirers who opened a 
 place of worship. In the same village there lived 
 also a man noted for his rascality. This man was 
 one of the village headmen, and he wore a button 
 on his hat, which indicated that he possessed a 
 literary degree. Judging from his appearance, he 
 would have been taken as a meek-and-mild kind 
 of individual, while in reality he was capable of 
 committing almost any offence. At least one 
 dastardly trick had been proved against him. A 
 little child of his own died. Not only did he wish 
 to avoid expense connected with the burial, but 
 he hit upon the expedient of making the child's 
 death the means of taking revenge upon a neigh- 
 bour. This neighbour had offended him, and he 
 tried to make the event of his child's death serve 
 the purpose of extortion. To effect this purpose, 
 he disfigured the corpse, and tried to deposit it 
 upon the premises of his enemy. This was done 
 
 153 
 
154 SHARP PRACTICE 
 
 because, in China, as a rule, the occupier of the 
 premises upon which a corpse is found has to 
 defray the expense of interment. Then, further, 
 he might also be charged with being the cause of 
 death, and thus be compelled to give compensation 
 to the bereaved relatives. I have heard of a 
 corpse being laid at the entrance to a house on 
 purpose to involve an enemy in the expense of 
 burial. I once met with the following instance. 
 A thief, while climbing a wall to obtain unlawful 
 entrance into a house of a rich man, fell and 
 killed himself. The next morning he was found 
 dead upon the premises. The body of the dead 
 man was recognised, and his friends at once 
 identified their relative. Here was an opportunity 
 not to be missed. They saw their chance, and 
 threw out the hint that possibly the man might 
 have met with foul play, and that the case was 
 probably one of manslaughter. The rich man, 
 desiring to get clear of the implication, agreed 
 to hand over a considerable sum of money, in 
 consideration of which a cofiin was to be purchased 
 and the body was to be decently interred the 
 next day. The friends of the dead man, however, 
 thought that more profit could be made of the 
 accident, so one of their number during the night 
 secretly obtained access to the corpse and plunged 
 a knife into it. The next day, when the body 
 was about to be removed, the relatives suggested 
 that they should, just for form's sake, examine 
 
SHARP PRACTICE 155 
 
 the body, and apparently to their surprise dis- 
 covered the wound. They then said, ' We thought 
 we had been dealing with an accident, but evidently 
 the case is one of murder.' A heavier indemnity 
 was paid, of course. This instance will throw 
 much light upon the conduct of the man referred 
 to above, and explain why he disfigured the body 
 of his child. He intended to charge his neighbour 
 with murder, and to obtain a large indemnity. 
 By some means or other he was detected, and 
 balked in his object. 
 
 Such- was the character of the man who now 
 raised his protest against the opening of a place 
 of worship in his village. He first threatened 
 the Christians ; but, finding his threats failed to 
 effect his purpose, he tried to get the Christians 
 to quarrel with him by daily and publicly hurling 
 the vilest terms that he could use at the Christian 
 religion. The Christians, however, did not 
 quarrel with him. As a last expedient, on a 
 Sunday while worship was going on, he, together 
 with several friends, forced their way into the 
 place of worship, and began striking some of the 
 worshippers, and pulling the queues of others ; 
 they also made a most determined eflFort to secure 
 the man who conducted worship. It was found 
 that for him they had prepared a bucketful of 
 filth, and had intended to throw it over him. 
 The man only escaped this indignity by leaping 
 over a wall. The Christians had been told by me 
 
156 SHARP PRACTICE 
 
 not to retaliate under any circumstances, and I am 
 glad to relate that they acted as advised. 
 
 I tried to deal with this attack upon the 
 Christians as if it were the action of well-meaning 
 but misguided men ; consequently I sent my 
 Chinese teacher, a non-Christian, to see their 
 leader, and to assure him that we desired only 
 to be allowed to practise our religion in peace. 
 The leader listened to what was said, but did 
 not promise to cease molesting the Christians. 
 A few days after the first ; disturbance, two 
 Christians came to me, saying that another attack 
 was in contemplation. These two men were 
 advised not to return home that night, and being 
 willing to remain, they slept at my house. Early 
 the next morning another attack was made. At 
 this juncture I thought it best to inform the 
 official of what had taken place, and also to 
 ask him, as a favour, to do what he could to 
 prevent further disturbance. The official hereupon 
 summoned both parties to appear before him. 
 But before the case came on for hearing the 
 following scheme had been concocted : — First, 
 the non-Christian party had a wounded man to 
 put forth as a victim of the Christians' rage. 
 Secondly, oiie of the men who slept at my house 
 was charged with having inflicted the wound. 
 Thirdly; while the official was to call witnesses 
 for the non-Christians, he would fail to do so 
 for the Christians. I at once sent a statement 
 
SHARP PRACTICE 157 
 
 to the official to the effect that the accused was 
 at my house, a long distance from the scene of 
 conflict, at the time it was alleged the attack 
 took place ; I also submitted the names of 
 witnesses to him. The official, however, refused 
 to call my witnesses. He adjudged one of the 
 Christians who slept at my house guilty of 
 wounding the man, and ordered him to receive 
 a hundred blows. 
 
 This action of the official, I knew, would 
 prevent peace being established in the village ; 
 consequently, I applied to the superior official, 
 who, after a time, sent a deputy to investigate 
 the case upon the spot. 
 
 The non-Christian party now felt that they 
 must strengthen their case by making other 
 charges ; consequently, they accused the Christians 
 of having cut through the river bank, that the 
 water, when in flood, might escape into the river. 
 Now tampering with river banks, either to allow 
 water to enter or leave a river, is a very bad 
 oSence in China : decapitation may be inflicted 
 upon those guilty of this crime. 
 
 When the deputy arrived, he had to deal 
 with two serious charges against the Christians : 
 Wounding a man and cutting the river banks. 
 The investigation of these charges occupied several 
 days, and resulted in a verdict of not guilty for 
 the Christians. In fact, it was proved that the 
 leader of the non-Christian party was himself 
 
158 SHARP PRACTICE 
 
 guilty of both, crimes ; for lie had first intoxicated 
 the wounded man, and then cut and bruised him, 
 and it was under his direction that the river bank 
 was cut by his friends. 
 
 Chinamen who possess literary degrees enjoy 
 certain privileges : one of these is that, while in 
 possession of them, they are exempt from being 
 officially bastinadoed ; but they may be deprived 
 of their button, and then subjected to corporal 
 punishment. The man in question thought 
 himself protected from the birch by means of 
 his button. The official, however, temporarily 
 deprived him of it, and ordered him to receive 
 twenty blows on his hand. 
 
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 FOR HIS SAKE. A Record of a Life consecrated to God, and, 
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 FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT IN POLYNESIA. 
 
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GLIMPSES OF MAOBf LAND. By A. R. Butler. Illus- 
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 GLANCES AT CHINA. By the Rev. Gilbert Reid, M.A., 
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 MORE ABOUT THE MONGOLS. By James Gilmour, 
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 MISSIONARY POINTS AND PICTURES. By Rev. 
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 PRIMER OF MODERN MISSIONS. Edited by Rev. 
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 PROTESTANT MISSIONS IN INDIA FROM THEIR 
 
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