Morning Calm v.5 no.45(1894 Mar.)

THE MORNING CALM. ________________________________________ No. 45, VOL. V.] MARCH 1894. [PRICE 1d. ________________________________________ The Bishop's Letters. SEOUL, COREA : November 1893. DEAR FRIENDS, I regret to say that this month my letter must be very short. Many events have been crowded into it which have taken away all opportunities of writing as I would wish. In the first place, I must tell you, what you will already have heard by tele-gram, of the departure of Mr. and Mrs. Doxat for Niu Chwang, to take Mr. Pownall's place. They left Chemulpó in very bad weather, but in excellent spirits, having packed up, bid good-bye to their friends here, and got down to Chemulpo in ten days. I have just heard of their safe arrival in Niu Chwang, where they were hospitably welcomed by the Consul and Mrs. Bullock. Most opportunely, too, just before they left I received permission from the S.P.G. to buy a small house and compound in Niu Chwang. When I was last there the house was occupied. But when Mr. Doxat arrived he found the tenants were on the point of leaving the port. There was nothing, therefore, to prevent them from going into the vacant house and settling down at once. You will not fail to remember them both in your prayers, and ask God to bless this new departure of the Mission. At the beginning of the month we had a visit from H.M.S. Alacrity (with Admiral Fremantle and Lady Fremantle on board), Porpoise, and Severn--the latter only for an hour. I accompanied the Admiral and Lady Fremantle to Seoul, but returned the next day to see as much as I could of old friends and shipmates on board the Alacrity and Porpoise. They loaded me with kindness and presents, and were much interested in all that we were able to show them. On Mr. Doxat's depar-ture from Seoul, I left Chemulpó, and have taken charge of the Church of the Advent, which will give me entirely new work, since I have not only the church but the services in St. Peter's Chapel. It is all very strange at present, but I find it a great help to have, daily, such large congregations. We are six in chapel most mornings. All are well. We have just received Mr. Hodge safely back from Peking. The Sisters entertained   34 THE MORNING CALM. ________________________________________ us at tea on St. Andrew's Day, the anniversary of the dedication of their house, and we are now settled down to Advent work. With all affection, I am, Yours sincerely,

• C. J. CORFE.

________________________________________ CHEMULPÓ: December 1893. DEAR FRIENDS, Although this letter is written in Chemulpó, the record of the past month would more fitly be written in Seoul, where I have been until the 22nd, when I came here to be responsible for the services at St. Michael's during the Christmas festival. Mr. Trollope and Mr. Davies have lived mostly at the river house in Mapó, engaged in the work of preparation for the ordination of the latter. Mr. Trollope, too, has been much occupied in a translation of St. Matthew's Gospel into Corean. During the Sundays in this month Mr. Warner has come from his river house in Kang Hoa to provide for the services in St. Michael's. After the fourth Sunday in Advent he came to spend the inside of a week with me in Seoul. I had not seen him since the summer. There was, therefore, much for us to talk over. Amongst the most interesting facts of the present and the possibilities of the future, is the recent establishment by the Corean Government of a large school in Kang Hoa—within a stone's throw of Mr. Warner's house. It is styled, rather grandly, Royal Naval Academy. There are some fifty Corean youths of the better class, between the ages of 18 and 26, who are now living together under the charge of an Englishman, who, as head-master, is teaching them English. Most of these Corean schemes, as you know, seem doomed to failure. It is too soon yet to say what will be the outcome of this. But it has made a good start—the youths making excellent progress with their English. Mr. Warner, too, sees something of them. They often look in of an evening and play chess with him. The lease of the house in which he is living on the river bank expires next month. The result of our six months' experiment, however, looks so hopeful that we are about to renew the lease for a longer period. He has living with him a Mr. I--, a man of some age and good education, who assists him in his transla-tion work, and in return is having his earnest inquiries upon Christianity satisfied. Naturally, we hope that this close intercourse may result in his becoming a convert. It is, at all events, the beginning of our mission work. I beg you will remember him and Mr. Warner in your prayers. The Sisters in   THE MORNING CALM. 35________________________________________ St. Peter's Mission House are well, and as happy as ever. The privileges of worshipping with them in their little chapel are greatly valued by me. At Chemulpó we are so few that it is difficult to "make" a congregation except on Sundays. St. Matthew's Hospital at Nak Tong continues to flourish. Sister Rosalie and Nurse Webster have plenty to do, and are very happy in the doing of it. The ward is always warm and bright and cheerful. The cases are, from the doctor's and nurse's point of view, "interesting," and the patients look happy and contented. Two Tittle boys, especially, have announced their intention of never going home any more. We were glad to get Mr. Hodge back again. Bishop Scott, writing to me, says of him.: “He has done his work well and heartily, and has been a very good companion." I rejoice to know that Corea has not spoilt him, and it was matter for additional thankfulness to see him go back eagerly to his work the moment he returned to Nak Tong. We have taken advan-tage of his absence in Peking to set his printing house in order by reflooring it, and putting in several additional windows. For myself, I have oscillated between Nak Tong and the Advent during the month, sleeping in either house according as there was service in the Church of the Advent or the Resurrection : on the following morning. Miss Cooke is well, and her work goes on steadily. We have not yet got, however, that develop-ment of our women's work which we desire. The middle and upper class of women still hold themselves aloof, whilst the lower class, who do come to Miss Cooke's hospital, would as soon be treated by Dr. Baldock if he had a women's ward. But it was well known by me three years ago that this question of the medical treatment of the ladies of Corea would require years of patience and many disappointments before it could be satisfactorily answered. For what are you to do when, in addition to all other obstacles, folk do not want to be cured? To enable Mr. Warner to have a complete change, and to see as much of his brother clergy as he could, I resolved to spend my Christmas here, and at the same time get a fortnight's quiet and freedom for writing all those long letters which a Bishop has to write at the end of the year. Dr. Landis, Mr. Smart, and John Wyers made a happy, if not a large, congregation on Christmas morning, and we have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. There is plenty of snow on the ground, whilst the sun is shining brightly.: And now that the festival is over, Mr. Smart is busy with his examinations. He has some twenty-eight pupils daily, of whom all but four are Japanese. They are fond of him, too, if one may   36 THE MORNING CALM. ________________________________________ judge from the photographs which deck his room, and the boxes of oranges, biscuits, and sweetmeats which arrive so frequently. Now, I do not remember asking my schoolmasters ever to share the contents of my hampers! Dr. Landis and I are very busy over a scheme for providing a raised alphabet for the blind, with a view to providing books by-and-bye for the blind folk who abound in Corea. It is very interesting—if somewhat difficult--and we are much helped by one or two good people who have made the subject a study for years in China. In a few days I believe we shall be in a position to ask for an apparatus to enable us to print our own books. I thank God for all that He has put it into your hearts and minds to do for us during this past year, and pray that in the year to come an abundant blessing may rest from Him on every one of you. I am, your affectionate, *C. J. CORFE. ________________________________________ NOTE. Miss Day, of Lorne House, Rochester, has a number of copies of the reprint of the Bishop's letters left, and she will be glad to send the set of eleven to anyone wishing to have them, on receipt of six stamps. Miss Day has also copies of Morning Calm for 1893 for every month except January, which she will be glad to send for 1d. each, including postage. ________________________________________ Association of Prayer and Work for Corea. By the kind invitation of the Rev. Canon Wigram, the Rev. E. C. Corfe preached twice in St. Andrew's, Hertford, on Sunday, January 14th, on behalf of the Mission to Corea. The collections were given to the Mission, and it is hoped that a permanent interest in our work will be the result of Mr. Corfe's visit to Hertford. On the evening of January 15th, Mr. Corfe addressed "a delightful gathering of friends of the Mission" (to use his own words) at All Saints', Whetstone, where the Vicar, the Rev. H. S. Miles, has long been interested in Corea. The Corean Album attended the meeting. On January 23rd Mr. Corfe was most kindly invited by the Rev. Canon Murray to address his quarterly missionary meeting at Chislehurst. On the same day (January 23rd) a lantern lecture was given at Runcorn by the Rev. L. J. T. Darwall, at which the Association set of slides was used for the first time. We are glad to learn that Mr. Darwall and his audience were satisfied with them. Mr. Darwall, hitherto Local Secretary for Warrington, is now entered   THE MORNING CALM. 37________________________________________ in our list of Secretaries under Cheshire instead of under Lan-cashire, and has undertaken to give lectures on Corea in the Deanery of Frodsham. Will County and Local Secretaries please note that he gives us leave to enter his name on our list of Corean preachers and speakers for Cheshire, Derbyshire, and Shropshire (Sundays not available) ? In answer to the request in the last two numbers of Morn-ing Calm, the General Secretary has received corrections of the lists already circulated in the quarterly flyleaves from two Secretaries only. She hopes, therefore, that all the others have found the entries referring to their localities free from errors. She has much pleasure in announcing that the new Annual Report will show an increase in the funds of the Association, as compared with 1892, of about £77. It is right, at the same time, to point out that, on comparing the subscription lists of each locality for 1893 with those of 1892, a number of sums, mostly small sums, which were sent in as subscriptions, not donations, in 1892, mak-ing a total of £42. 4s. 9d., are found to have been omitted in 1893. It is not wished for a moment to introduce into our Association any suspicion of undue pressing for money, but, on the other hand, it would be a matter for regret if small sums, which our friends have purposed to dedicate yearly to Corea, and which together make a large annual amount which would be of impor-tant service to the Mission, were to be lost to it--without being intentionally withdrawn-merely through oversight. It would therefore be a kindness if Secretaries would look through their lists to see whether or not subscriptions have all been paid in 1893. Notice of subscriptions having disappeared without notify-cation of withdrawal will be sent to the Secretaries concerned. Before this Morning Calm is published, the General Secre-tary hopes that all the County and Local Secretaries will have received their Report Forms for 1894, in good time for use dur-ing the first week in April. She will gratefully receive from the Secretaries information as to the number of copies of the Annual Report they will require. When she does not hear from them on the subject, she will send, as before, as many copies as there are members belonging to the locality, and a few extra for subscribers and donors who are not members, and for new friends to be enlisted during the year. It may be of use to some mem-bers or friends to know that the General Secretary has several Spare copies of each number of Morning Calm for 1893, which she would gladly send to anyone whose set is incomplete. M. M. CHAMBER HODGETTS, General Secretary. Rowancroft, Exeter : February 12th.   38 THE MORNING CALM. ________________________________________ GOSPORT WORKING GUILD. Thanks to the energy of our members, and to the kind co-operation of the Hon. Mrs. Brodrick, we have for the third time been able to contribute £25 to the H. N. F. We would most warmly thank our friends both far and near for the kind help they have given to the Working Guild at Gosport. A. BARNES. A. YORK. ________________________________________ The Spirit of Missions. “As promoters in the long run of Christianity, I reckon all who are diffusing knowledge of the true tenets and history of Buddhism ; all who are letting in light, by whatever channel, into the dark places--and some very dark places exist--and cruel habitations : all who are insisting on what is excellent in Buddhism, when they do so not merely to praise Buddhisim, but to get virtue practised.?--Bishop Copleston. The January number of Central Africa contains a very interesting letter from Mr. Herbert Lister, giving an account of his work among the native boys at Mkunazini. From this letter, which furnishes a very complete answer to the criticism sometimes made of the training of native boys in our Missions, we take the following:-- "I know you have been promised some account of these lads here under my care at Mkunazini. But really, you know, there is not much to tell, we live such a quiet everyday life, which is hardly interesting for a letter. They are little or no trouble, but rather a pleasure to have in the same house with one. We began a new plan some months back. I had felt for some time it would be all the better for them to try and govern themselves, instead of always having the European over them. So we had a real general meeting, elected our captain and 'vice;' whom we all agreed to hear in all things respecting the laws of this house. It has worked well, and you will see how much it relieves me, allowing me to attend to other work. If these captains want a new rule, or an old one changing, they write out what they want and bring it to me for signature. They have a reading fit on just now, and most evenings for half an hour or so they read in turn aloud such books as Church History,' 'Pilgrim's Progress,' ‘Spiritual Combat,’ &c., &c. To these readings outsiders are invited, and it is common to see two or three young Arabs ‘taking it in,’ and, strange to say, they stay on to compline and ask for some Swahili tale to be read, which they seem to enjoy. I should like to see these readings develop into public readings outside on fine days, just as we see   THE MORNING CALM. 39________________________________________ the Mohammedans reading the Koran, with often a listener or two. There is nothing like showing forth what we are, and I rather think it would strengthen my lads to have to stretch themselves in defence of their faith, or rather The Faith. Nothing may come of it, good or bad, except that we shall, perhaps, have polished up a knob or two of our own. “Their daily work is, I trust, little by little, getting on to a better footing. I fear the habit has been rather for the masters to keep the boys as much as possible as mere labourers instead of teaching them their trades properly, with the result

COREAN TEACHER AND HIS SCHOOL.

that they are not accustomed to regular outside work, nor able to follow their own trade, or to become masters for themselves. I had not been here long before I found Mission boys were in demand ; so now, instead of their being put out free for three years and twenty rupees given with them, we agree they shall go first year free ; second, get one-third workman's wage, and last, two-thirds. This will, I think, compel the master to make better workmen of them in order to get his own out of them. Also, the money will pay for a boy's marriage outfit, and so save that to the Mission. And if there is a little over I   40 THE MORNING CALM. ________________________________________ shall be glad, since, together with addings, it will help him to start in business for himself. I should like to say something about their religious side, only you would, I fear, put it into Central Africa, and it would find its way back here, and we have plenty able to read English here and about, so I think it will be enough to say it is very encouraging. I daresay some will ask--'How do they spend their spare hours?' It can't be all work, going to church, eating and sleeping. Well, any-one who knows much about looking after young men knows that it is a hard matter to keep them in hand, and it is not less difficult in Africa. Of course they have this house to keep clean; besides, there are any number of errands to run, as Mkunazini is a sort of depot station for the Mission. Some take a pleasure in doing things for the hospital. Besides, fifteen of them are engaged in and about the Cathedral choir. We have built them a shed out in the yard, where they feed and sleep if they choose, and have turned the old dining-room into a sort of workshop, where they spend many hours doing as they like. The shed we built with some money a lady gave me when I was in England. The Bishop told me the other day he may want our largest room for an European, as funds are too low to allow him to provide another. I shall be sorry, as it will spoil the quiet of our house, which we have at present nearly all to ourselves. . . . No; I don't hand over these lads but to somebody that will understand something of their natures, I have spent some hours over them these twelve months, and am getting the benefit now. They are better than I should be with their temptations. I have got them to think, and that is worth something." ________________________________________ The opinions of certain great missionaries upon Industrial Missions supply an interesting commentary upon this. They, too, are taken from Central Africa :-- “Bishop Steere says:- The main defect of travellers' talk about Missions is that they can only tell what they saw. Now there are two very distinct systems of Mission working. One is to take the natives into tutelage, and make them live and move by order, and work when and as they are bidden. This system, well worked, produces fine plantations, good cultivation, well-kept houses, and a most respectful demeanour. The other system aims at giving the native independence and force of character. It leaves him free to cultivate and build, and live as he pleases, subject only to instruction and a moderate amount   THE MORNING CALM. 41________________________________________ Of Church discipline. The strong point of this system lies in its development of a really native home-grown Christianity, with a principle of self-improvement which works slowly and from within. It is morally certain that nine travellers out of ten will report better of Missions on the former plan, and there-fore say that they are more successful than any others. I doubt the fact.' "And Archdeacon Alan Gibson, who is Bishop Coadjutor-elect of Capetown, in a most interesting article on ‘The Gospel of Labour,’ in the Kaffrarian Diocesan Quarterly for January 1894, sums up as follows :-- "‘ It seems to me that in the matter of manual labour the missionary must not take European countries for his guidance, but must shape his course by the Bible and by Christian com-mon-sense. A certain amount of manual labour is, of course, necessary, and is practised. The Christians build their churches and schools, cultivate crops sufficient for their own support, and the payment of Church dues, school fees, and Government hut tax; and, with the constant enlargement and improvement of kraals, have plenty to occupy them. Where they do so little as to neglect any of these Scriptural injunctions, there the mis-sionary plainly has a duty ; lest the younger generation should grow up despising manual labour, it would most likely be well to have some alteration in the day schools, which, however, probably only Government could carry out; and more attention should be paid to the proper housing of the family. In all these points the Church has a distinct mission; but when the missionary is told absolutely that his primary duty is to teach the native to work, he may well call to mind the old saying, "Est modus in rebus, sunt certi denique fines,” ’ ” ________________________________________ Not many people can speak about the need for Foreign Missions, and the good done by them, with anything like the authority with which Mrs. Bishop, the well-known traveller, can. None who have heard her speak on behalf of the C.M.S., of the Archbishop's Assyrian Mission, or of Missions in Japan, can fail to remember the thrilling force of her words. And her address at the Gleaners' Union Anniversary last November was marked by the same power. She told how there was a time when she was altogether indifferent to Missions, and would have avoided a Mission station, rather than have visited it. But what she had herself seen made her conscious of the needs of the heathen world. "Wherever I have been," she says, “I have seen sin   42 THE MORNING CALM. ________________________________________ and sorrow, and shame. . . . Just one or two remarks as to what these false faiths do. They degrade women with an infinite degradation. I have lived in zenanas and harems, and have seen the daily life of the secluded women, and I can speak from bitter experience of what their lives are—the intellect dwarfed, so that the woman of twenty or thirty years of age is more like a child of eight intellectually ; while all the worst passions of human nature are stimulated and developed in a fearful degree; jealousy, envy, murderous hate, intrigue, running to such an extent that in some countries I have hardly ever been in a women's house or near a women's tent without being asked for drugs with which to disfigure the favourite wife, to take away her life, or to take away the life of the favourite wife's infant son. This request has been made of me nearly two hundred times. This is only an indication of the daily life of whose miseries we think so little, and which is a natural product of the systems that we ought to have subverted long ago."--From the Mission Field. ________________________________________ The seventh Quarterly Paper of the MASHONALAND Mission contains, among much else that is interesting, an instalment of the Bishop's Journal, covering part of the period of the recent fighting. He tells how, on October 2nd, he travelled to Umtali (where there is the Mission Hospital) to see that all was going well, and then set out on his return to Fort Charter: “The end of the first day my horse got badly tired, stumbled on a stump, and fell on his head. We both got up, but soon after, when it was quite dark, I had to leave him in a sheltered place and walk on. There was no moon, and I had heard of lions about, and it was not nice being alone. But after about eight miles I reached a wayside place, and the next morning Frank, our cate-chist, came to meet me. We went on across the mountains, and did about thirty miles, our longest day's walk. One night Frank was lying close to me, so that we might share a waterproof, when he shouted, ‘Get up! a snake.’ We seized a bundle of lighted grass, and between us we killed the creature ; it was about a yard long, and Frank had first felt it curling around his leg. After walking about a hundred miles, we reached Fort Charter on October 10th," finding it nearly empty, as everybody was on the march. The Bishop had decided to go with the camp, having already explained to the officials that he was not going as Chaplain of the Force, but as Bishop of the country in which both the contending parties live, and wish-ing to do all that he could for either of them, for the wounded,   THE MORNING CALM. 43________________________________________ or for peace. The position must have been a difficult one, for "the men know my neutral position, and, though some think it all wrong, they have grumbled and acquiesced.” The camp life was rough indeed: “There are nearly four hundred of all sorts in both columns. Some of the language is very painful; the rough troopers it is hard to say much to, for they do try hard to be careful when they think it is necessary, but the most unjustifiable language comes from some of the men whom God intended to be gentlemen, and the poor natives and Mashona pick it up--ever ready to pick up what is bad. . . . Sunday, October 22nd, like most Sundays in war-time, seemed to be chosen for hard work. I could not get even one service in, but did--as I try to do every day--man-to-man visiting along the line of march. There is a painful incongruity in finishing morning prayers and then coming up to a group of men who tell me that seven Matabele have just been killed. The morning fogs and mist have begun in earnest. Just as I write the scouts come in with the report of one of the best of them having been shot. A stretcher has been taken to meet him, and my wagon is being got ready for him. . . . He died before the stretcher reached him or I met him." When the fighting had once begun the Bishop was busily occupied in caring for the wounded and helping the doctors; and graphic indeed is his account of all that took place. The following extract, it will be noticed, contains the Bishop's own account of an incident which has been already recorded here; it is instructive to compare his simple narrative with that of the newspaper correspondent: "Just as the Matabele began to fire from the bush near the east side of the laager, we saw a wounded native trying to reach it, the poor fellow had to sit down every few yards, and at last seemed unable to move. I thought he in, and ran out to him, and we came in to laager together; he had two bad wounds. As soon as possible I went down to the kraal, where the Matabele had first surprised the Mashona 'cattle guard.' Here among the dead I found three wounded women, terribly gashed with assegais, one with a cut through her lungs, and at first I thought she could not be moved. Not far away was one little boy assegaied. The troopers were very good in helping them and getting water for them ; indeed, it was one of these men who came for me. We got stretchers for two of the women, and one I carried in with blankets and three Mashona to help. The doctors were most kind to the natives--men and women—and worked for more than ten hours. One little baby was found, and the Fort   44 THE MORNING CALM. ________________________________________ Victoria column doctors tell me of a little girl of six with her jaw broken in two places by the Matabele, but who seems to take things cheerfully. . . . An abandoned baby has just been brought in. It is about eight months old, and its mother has been killed ; it was then abandoned with a wound in its leg. There is a wounded Mashona woman in camp who has apparently lost her own baby, so she is to take charge of this one." Of course the Matabele had the Bishop's compassion : "I am very sorry for the Matabele," he writes, “though it is true that they deserve it, and that it is only a part of what they have done to others. But, even if it is a kind of justice that is being meted out to them, I do trust that I shall never have to minister again in the midst of it." And again : "I went up to the burning town soon after our arrival. It is all very sad. One's pity for the people in trouble almost makes one forget the iniquity that had its origin here, though for the last twenty years there can scarcely have been a place on earth that has seen more murders. Even to the last the tradition has been kept up by a young woman being left hung in one of the huts. I believe she was a royal wife." The Bishop wished to go to Lobengula in order to bring about peace, when the fight was over, but this was impossible. “The king is somewhere in the north ; but it appears that scarcely even his own people can approach him with any message from the Company's officers. I have offered to go and see him, telling Dr. Jameson that I think he would trust me, and also that he would understand from my having been with Sir Sydney Shippard, when the first negotiations took place years ago, that I should only suggest what English responsible authority would countenance. But Dr. Jameson will not agree to my going, thinking that, though Lobengula would not hurt me, I should be killed before I got to him. I would do anything possible to see this business at an end, and have told Dr. Jameson so. Just before going, the king asked where I was-- he calls me the 'Induna of the Teachers.’ ‘Is he with the white fighting men?' They did not think I was; and when they told him I was at Fort Salisbury he seems to have said something to the effect that he knew I was not with his enemies. Of course he could not understand my position of neutrality; but this is one reason why I wish to go to him." The concluding scene must be quoted in full: “Sunday, November 12th, we had full Church parade in the morning, and 1 preached to the men on the extraordinary mercies that   THE MORNING CALM. 45________________________________________ had been given them; their health, and freedom from accidents and escapes have been most extraordinary. I took great care not to imply that we were having a Thanksgiving Service for victories. There are very many high-minded men in the columns, who are very fair to the Matabele, and would gladly see peace, and on very just terms. Immediately after the parade, about eighteen of us met together in a room for the Holy Communion. I think it was one of the most beautiful services I have ever known--the perfect peace after the life of fighting and noise and dust and heat; the looking back into the plunge into the unknown that had been made by the men ; the strange end to the long series of unexpected acts that only culminated here--all affected us very strongly. I have never seen a more utterly reverential body of men gathered before their God." ________________________________________ In the Church Missionary Intelligencer for February there is an account by Dr. Henry Martyn Clark of one of the most interesting discussions which has ever been held between Christians and Mohammedans. It seems that in the ancient city of Jandiala, 11 miles east of Amritsar, the Mohammedans had long been in the habit of jibing and sneering against the Christians. "A great point was periodically to ask 200 rupees or so from the Christians, on the ground that they were com-manded to give to those that asked of them. For a while their puerilities were unheeded ; but to such lengths did they go, that at last it was felt we must really take some notice of them." So after due consultation, it was resolved to hold a public disputation on the points at issue between Christians and Mohammedans. Accordingly, a challenge was sent. "The challenge set forth the facts of the case,--that of late the Mohammedans of Jandiala had shown a great desire to dispute with Christians; that while they had much to ask us, there were many things in Islam concerning which we, too, wished to inquire. . . . ; and the challenge went on to say—'Inasmuch as thou (the Panda, or teacher, who led the attack) art deemed a valiant man among the Mohammedans of Jandiala, come thou into the field, or choose thee a champion from wherever thou wilt from the number of the learned of thy faith, and commit him unto thy cause.’ We pointed out that the spirit of the discussion should be, at all costs, to ascertain the truth of God. . . . ; and the challenge concluded thus, in true Oriental style, 'And if neither thou nor thy co-religionists can venture to meet us to the face, then do ye cease, whenever ye shall meet   46 THE MORNING CALM. ________________________________________ with Christians proclaiming the Gospel, from vain babblings and foolish objections, and be careful no more to "trot the horse of conversation in the fields of talk.”’” For a long time the Mohammedans were unable to find a champion ; but at length they found one in the person of Ghulam Ahmed. He is of Moghul descent, and for years was in Government service. "He has now set up as a religious leader, nay, prophet ; and as far as worldly gear goes, he has made it a profitable calling. He is deeply imbued with rationalistic principles :" believes that "the world lies in dark-ness, and to him alone is now divine inspiration and illumina-tion granted, that he may know what the hidden meaning of the Quran is." But, though a heretic, the Mohammedans readily took him for their champion, saying-“We have no one his equal for language and eloquence. However much he may differ from us on points of our own faith, he will nobly represent us against Christianity." And the result was looked upon as a foregone conclusion in his favour. The Christian champion was Mr. Abdullah Athim, one of the earliest of living converts from Mohammedanism, who had been in high office under Govern-ment, and now, in his retirement, is doing honorary work in connection with the C.M.S. "The next thing was to arrange the preliminaries, which was done by Dr. Clark and fourteen disciples of the Mirza Ghulam Ahmed. The controversy was to last two weeks. During the first week the Mohammed-ans were to have their say, and they chose as their points of attack the Divinity of our Lord and the superiority of the Ouran to the Bible. In the following week Christians were to have their innings. We stated our position in the following points :--(1) Unless there be an Atonement for Sin, how can God be just and the Justifier of Sinners? (2) Fatalism ; (3) Warring for the Faith ; (4) What proof is there that Mohammed is a prophet of God ? and (5) that the Quran is the work of God?" For the details of the controversy, which are interesting enough, we must refer our readers to the C.M. Intelligencer, merely saying (1) that such a controversy was not to be expected to produce any sudden or open conviction upon the Moham-medan disputants, and (2) that nevertheless it is clear that a most remarkable effect was produced upon them, and that on all hands the Christian hearers were strengthened and their opponents much moved. Let us, however, give Dr. Clark's very remarkable summing up of the effects produced : - "Some months have now passed, and we are able, in a

THE MORNING CALM. 47________________________________________ measure, to make a fair estimate of what has been done. There is reason for the greatest thankfulness and praise. We have gained much and lost nothing. . . . By means of this contro-versy, the Word has gone far and wide. An enterprising Mohammedan publisher in Amritsar issued the verbatim reports daily, and it was a sight to see how the papers were bought up. The street in which the press is situated was a mass of heads, waiting for the daily issue. The first edition went like wild-fire ; a second has now also been exhausted. The Mohammedans are yet further astonished and depressed. Let one example suffice for many. Syud, a noted opponent of Christianity in his part of the country, was jubilant when he heard of the controversy. ‘God has delivered them into our hands; the Jackals (Christians) are venturing out of their holes; now shall we destroy them.' He had all the reports, sent him as soon as they came out. As day after day went by, he became more and more silent and depressed ; and when he read the last paper he flung it down and said of the Mirza, ‘Fool ! fool !’ He has had none of his old opposition left in him since. "Another notable gain is that a great impetus has been given to inquiry. Discussions have sprung up on every side like mushrooms. For sometime, never a week passed without challenges being sent me. Men are questioning, thinking, inquiring ; almost daily proofs kept coming to hand of the effect the discussion had had in this way. . . . "Then again the fruits of the Spirit of Christ in His followers have been abundantly manifested, and the Mohammedans present have realised and admitted the difference between us and them. They fought for victory ; we, as we told them, had no thought of either victory or defeat ; our one desire was that the glory of God should be made evident. Mr. Athim's words have been good, but better far have been his unfailing Christian humility, patience, gentleness, and forbearance. His practical Christianity produced a grand impression. On one occasion, aster an irritating and insulting piece of bluster on the Mirza's part, Mr. Athim's kindly Christian dignity and meekness won all hearts. ‘Allah, oh Allah. Wonderful people are you Chris-tians! Had this been a discussion among Mohamınedans, long ere now we should have been tearing each other's throats. You invite us to your house, arrange for our comfort, and with unfail-ing courtesy listen to all we have to say against your faith! Wonderful!’ was what was said to me in effect over and over again. Said another Mohammedan, ‘I never enjoyed a contro-versy so much. After all, God alone knows His own truth best.   48 THE MORNING CALM. ________________________________________ But you Christians are men.' The Mirza himself, in a speech delivered to some of his adrnirers after the controversy was over, gave us high praise : 'They honoured me, and were never wroth, even when my words were irritating. It is the only discussion I have had in which I have not been insulted.' . . . "Last, but not least, we who have been engaged in the con-troversy have obtained experience and definite blessing. The early prayer-meeting every day was a time of refreshing to us, The hearts of our younger Christians have been established and greatly comforted. They have learned that Christians have no cause to fear despite anything the enemies of Christ can do, for the foundation of God standeth sure. They have looked their opponents fairly in the face, have heard all they had to say ; they are the stronger this day for it all, and have their feet in a larger room. A bright young Mohammedan lad, a candidate for baptism, was one of the audience. He had been waiting for baptism for some time when the controversy was arranged. He sat through it all, and at the close was more desirous of baptism than before. It is good. I heard beforehand all they could say. I believe more intelligently than before that Christ is my Lord.' He has been baptized, and so far we have had nothing but joy in him. “The Mirza will not be in a hurry to be again the champion of Islam against Christians. As for the Mohammedans of Jandiala who set the ball a-rolling, they are completely dis-organised, and have quite effaced themselves as regards further controversy. The horse of talk gallops no more in the fields of conversation, but instead, in one quarter, as I learn, there are signs of hopeful inquiry."

MAGAZINE ACCOUNT. July 1892 to December 1893. 6 sa - £ s. d. Balance from 1892 67 7 5 Printing 18 numbers of Morning Calm 324 24 S.P.G. Special Fund, 1892 Ditto Annual Report ... 63 5 9. Ditto ditto 1893 Anon. Donations Hospital Naval Fund Adverisement Association of Prayer and Work Ac. vertiseaient ... ... ... 13 100 Ditto for Intercession Papers .. 25 13 0 Balance due to Rev. C. E. Brooke ... 39 9 11 L367 4387 B 1 onimoun Oo oo aven In publishing the annexed Magazine Account. I venture to ask for special subscriptions towards the Magazine Fund. During the past eighteen months the charge on the Special Fund has been Very heavy, and though the sale is gradually improving, and we have received this year from Messrs. Spottiswoode & Co. a sum of ￡152. 13s. 2d., which they, as the Publishers, have received on our behalf during that period, still Morning Calm must for some time to come, at any time, be great expense. The money I know is well spent-our home work would be sadly crippled if for any reason we could not afford to have our Monthly Magazine. To avoid any such catastrophe I ask for special help. C. E. BROOKE, General Commissary.