STORY OF 
 
 Ida Kahn and Mary Stone 
 
 Publication Office 
 Woman's Foreign Missionary Society, Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 
 Boston, Mass. 
 
! S ™* Y ] Ida Kahn and Mary Stone j 
 
 » , L . . * 
 
 LITTLE did I dream, when sending my money to China, that 
 a Chinese girl would come over here and' lead my own daugh- 
 ter to Christ" said a Christian woman in Ohio, as she grate- 
 fully acknowledged that Dr. Hu King Eng had been the means 
 under God of winning her child to Christ. 
 
 In 1896, five years after Dr. Hu's return, two other Chinese girls, 
 Ida Kahn and Mary Stonq, graduated with honor from the medical 
 department of the Michigan University. 
 
 In many of their studies they took highest rank. That they were 
 loved and popular may be known from the fact that one was presi- 
 dent of her class for some time, and of the other it was said by one 
 who knew her intimately, "She has the most beautiful and perfect 
 Christian character of any one I ever knew." 
 
 At their farewell reception gifts too numerous to mention, both 
 useful and ornamental, were showered upon them, as testimonials 
 of the appreciation in which they were held. 
 
 As they received their diplomas from the hands of President 
 Angell — clad in their native costume — students and faculty joined 
 in such an outburst of applause as was given to no other graduates. 
 
 iMary Stone was born on the "first day of the third moon" in 
 1873, in a Christian home. Her parents were among the first 
 Christian converts in China. With true devotion the little black- 
 eyed baby was baptized and consecrated to "Heaven's Lord." 
 Dr. Ida Kahn, in writing of her friend's early life, says : 
 
 "With a faith which was strong and clear they brought up little 
 Mary with natural feet, thus giving her the distinction of being the 
 first native girl, not a slave, in Central and West China to have 
 bar feat left as God had made them. 
 
"She began her Chinese studies early and proved an apt stuiant. 
 When she was seven years old two missionary doctors opened a 
 hospital in Kiu Kiang. Seeing the good accomplished by these 
 ladies, Mary's father thought he would like to have his daughter help 
 her country women in the same way. So he took her to one of the 
 physicians, asking her to teach Mary to be a doctor. This she 
 kindly consented to. do, as Miss Howe agreed first to teach her 
 English. 
 
 "Her life was a very quiet and happy one. Meanwhile the two 
 physicians had gone away from Kiu Kiang, one to her Heavenly 
 Father and the other to America. As there are no means of obtain- 
 ing a thorough training in medicine in China, Miss Howe resolved 
 to bring Mary to America for a medical education. 
 
 "At nineteen years of age she obtained her matriculation at the 
 University of Michigan. She graduated in 1896 and returned to 
 work among her own people/ j 
 
 The second of these native Christian Chinese doctors, Ida Kahn, 
 was also born in 1873, but began her life in a heathen home. We 
 will let Dr. Stone tell the story : 
 
 "According to the Chinese custom, a fortune-teller was called to 
 tell her fate and to advise the mother concerning this new daughter. 
 The blind man came, leaning for support on a small boy, hired by the 
 fortune-teller to lead the way. Then, though his blind eyes could not 
 see the bright young face before him, he pronounced that she should 
 be killed or sent away to another family. 'For,' said he, 'if she is al- 
 lowed to live in this house you could not have the son you so desired, 
 and who will be your heir when you die ? ' The mother was not so 
 hard-hearted as to kill her child, nor was she compelled to do it by her 
 good-naturd husband, who in this matter •excelled some of his hot- 
 tempered countrymen who drive their wives to shameful lengths by 
 harsh words or blows. So accordingly a family was to be sought that 
 would satisfy her ambitious motherly heart. Another fortune-teller 
 was consulted, and this time it was found that Ida was born under the 
 dog's star, while her intended was born under the cat's star, which was 
 just the reverse of what it should be, for in China girls should always 
 be inferior to boys. But the child's life was not to be so easily slighted, 
 when the Heavenly Father had sent it down with a mission to fulfil. 
 After learning the story of the child from her native teacher, Miss 
 *Howe and another missionary lady went in sedan chairs ^to Ida's 
 home and carried her back with them that very afternoon, and^Miss 
 
Howe adopted her as her own. Ida's early years were spent in. 
 studying English, as well as Chinese, but of course, being a native, 
 she spent more of her time on Chinese studies. She was baptized 
 at twelve years of age and at thirteen she was received into full 
 connection with the church. 
 
 "As she grew older she saw the misery that always follows idol 
 worship and the untold sufferings the women and children in China 
 are subjected to ; then the Lord put unto her heart the desire to 
 seek a medical education and consecrate it to the Lord's service, 
 and thus win souls by showing them Christ's spirit. Ida says : 
 'When I think of what my life might have been, and what,- through 
 God's grace, it is, I think there is nothing that God has given me 
 that I would not gladly use in his service.' 
 
 "Miss Howe brought her over to America to study medicine, as 
 it was necessary in order to obtain a thorough training, for many 
 practical, courses, such as dissection, etc., are not allowed in China. 
 
 "At the age of eighteen she passed the entrance examinations to 
 the medical department, of Michigan University at Ann Arbor. 
 She finished her course of studies the next year and began her work 
 among her sisters in China, pointing them to the Great Physician, 
 who is able to make them every whit whole." 
 
 A lawyer said to Dr. Kahn : "I am glad you are going back as 
 a doctor. Doctors are more needed than missionaries." 
 
 "No, sir," said the doctor. "I do not think so, eternity is longer 
 than time." Though zealous in the profession, both doctors feel 
 that the soul is even more important than the body, and the great 
 purpose in their faithful ministration to the sick and weary bodies 
 of their sisters is to lead the sin-sick soul to the Great Physician. 
 
 The success of these two devoted young doctors was so remark- 
 able that it attracted the attention of the government and a very 
 flattering offer of positions in the new university in Shanghai was 
 pressed upon them by a high official. This they did not deem it 
 wise to accept, but remained in the service of the Woman's Foreign 
 Missionary Society, where they are free to do their Christian work. 
 
 It pays to work and pray for China ! 
 
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