Morning Calm v.13 no.91(1902 Feb.)
THE MORNING CALM. No. 91, Vol. XIII.] FEBRUARY 1902. [PRICE 3d.
목차
The Bishop's Letters.Ⅰ.
CHEMULPÓ: September 1901.
DEAR FRIENDS,
The list of “casualties" grows bigger. Brother Firkins, who since he has been in the country has never been strong, and who as recently as last July was on the sick list, has had a return of illness of so severe a kind that the doctors have advised him to leave Corea for a prolonged change of climate. It is a great blow to us all, and especially to him. He has always been a patient and cheerful worker, and was just going up for his second examination in Chinese and Corean. But, instead, he goes home, taking with him the good wishes of us all, and leaving me the poorer by the loss of a hard-working deacon. He goes to England in the medical charge of Mr. Peake, which, though a good thing for him, means more bad news for you and another grievous loss to the Mission. On the first Sunday after my return to Chemulpó from England, I discovered in conversation with Mr. Peake that he was overburdened with the strain of his double work as priest and doctor. By relieving him - at his own suggestion - of some of these burdens I hoped to set his mind at ease, and enable him to do a work of even greater usefulness in the future than he has done (under great difficulties) during the year he has been with us. But, just as I thought all was well, I received a letter from him telling me that he found it impossible to perform the double duty of doctor and priest in Chemulpó with satisfaction to himself, and so he is going, to the regret and sorrow of us all.
St. Luke's Hospital will now be closed, for with Mr. Peake lose not only his services but the money for maintaining the hospital. Until I can find another doctor from England, and sufficient money to pay his stipend and provide for the working expenses of the hospital, the good work begun by Dr. Landis eleven years ago must, so far, come to an end. Dr. Carden, who was on the point of leaving for England, accepted an offer from me to keep open the dispensary in consideration of his being allowed to live in his old quarters, and to receive the small grant hitherto supplied by the S.P.C.K., but he does not re-enter the Mission as a member of the staff.
Instead, therefore, of making prolonged visits to each of our stations to see how they do, and superintend the work, I remain in Chemulpó in charge of the English, Corean, and, until Mr. Steenbuch's return, the Japanese work. During this month I have had two very helpful visits to our two Mission-stations in the island. Mr. Badcock in the city has settled into his new work, and, I think, has quite got hold of the manifold strings handed to him by Mr. Trollope. Brother Pearson is a tower of strength to him, and to us all. At On Syou Tong Mr. Hillary and Mr. Laws are living happily together, and preparing for the autumn and winter work. Early in the month we had a visit from the new Commanderin-Chief, who, with his staff, took a keen interest in all our different attempts, and made a close inspection of the hospital at Nak Tong, leaving behind him a very substantial expression of his appreciation of all that the H.N.F. is doing. Admiral Bridge, his Secretary, and Captain Erskine were all old friends of mine, so that the visit was doubly pleasurable. Your affectionate C. J. CORFE.
II.
CHEMULPÓ: October 1901. DEAR FRIENDS,
The breakdown of Brother Firkins and the return of Mr. Peake leaves me face to face with a serious problem - the future organisation of our Diocese in Corea. I suppose we have, after twelve years' work, reached a somewhat critical period in the history of the Mission. The first Mission to Corea is—and for a long time must continue to be an experiment. When I think of the experiments which were started in England to help the new Mission before I left for Corea in 1890-the Association of Prayer and Work, the Hospital Naval Fund, the Education Fund ; then, later, the St. Peter's Foreign Missionary Association, the Corean Missionary Brotherhood (which soon became the Society of the Sacred Mission ) - I am not surprised to find that after twelve years' experience we have many failures to record and many steps to retrace. What is surprising to me is that we have not all been swept away or died in infancy. But the vigor of which I was conscious amongst our friends at home last spring-amongst the sailors, the schools, the children, the friends of St. Peter's Community, and, above all, the Association of Prayer and Work-showed me how strong and healthily our sinews have grown in these twelve years. Out here we have our failures and make our mistakes. We have neither the monopoly of wisdom nor the inerrancy of saints. We have yet to learn how to work at God's pace as well as with God's tools. I fear we are all still very inexperienced workmen. This is the principal reason why I am so anxious to organise the Diocese. Now that the clergy have settled work in their parishes they can no longer be treated as separated units in charge of Mission-stations under the Bishop. They ought to confer frequently together, for their own good as much as for the good of their parishes. You will remember how constantly I spoke and wrote to you about this when I was in England. But for the calamities which have overtaken us since my return we should have had such a Conference last Eastertide. We are now but four clergy all told, but I hope that before next Easter season we shall have been able to meet for mutual counsel and help -of which I stand more in need than anyone.
I have had good news from Mr. Steenbuch. He and Mrs. Steenbuch have arrived in Fusan, after spending a year in Japan. They will remain there a fortnight or three weeks, beginning their work amongst the Japanese Christians. Then they will come on here. Bishop Foss has written to give me a very favorable report of the examination in Japanese and Chinese to which he was subjected. We shall indeed be glad to have them back amongst us again. The health of the Mission staff is good, but I grieve to say that a few of our orphan girls have succumbed to the long illness which attacked them in the summer. Farewell. I am, yours affectionately, C. J. CORFE.
III.
CHEMULPÓ: November 1901. DEAR FRIENDS,
Although the month is still with us, I must try to get off a few lines in the hope that a November letter may find a place in the February number of Morning Calm. Early in the month the Rev. D. Steenbuch and Mrs. Steenbuch returned to us from Japan. I had previously received from Bishop Foss of Osaka a letter giving me an admirable report of the examination in Japanese which Mr. Steenbuch had passed before leaving the country. Thus, I am glad to know that he has made good use of his year's residence in Okayama-of which, please God, the Japanese in this country will now reap the benefit. On their way to Chemulpó they stopped at Fusan, stayed nearly a month in the Mission House, and greatly cheered the twelve or more Christians in that place, who had seen no European missionary since Mr. Smart spent a few days with his old friends in August. And now the Steenbuchs are quietly settled down in the parsonage here, enjoying (I think) their quarters and their work, and beginning to be of great service to me. I am still responsible for the fortnightly Japanese celebrations in St. Michael's, but it is a great relief to me to have a deacon who is so well qualified to speak to these people in their own tongue. And on the alternate Sundays he goes to Seoul to work up the very few Japanese Christians there, and to give what assistance he can to Mr. Bridle. Later in the month I was glad to receive Father Drake back from Niu Chwang. He had been relieved by the Rev. J. Griffith, of the North China Mission, and came back to Corea as soon as he could. My connection with Manchuria has thus ceased. I know not whether to be glad or sorry. It is a great grief to me to think that a place which I so much love has passed from me. But the other thought that my jurisdiction is no longer divided makes me hope that I may, please God, he more useful. Anticipating the return of Father Drake before the end of the month, I have taken my first opportunity, and summoned my clergy to a clerical meeting for the end of November. I enclose the letter, which, if there is room for it in the Magazine, will show you what I hope to effect by our Conference. Next month you shall have more. Father Drake is to settle, temporarily, in the Mission House at Mapó, and relieve Mr. Bridle of his English work at the Advent in Seoul. This will at once set Mr. Bridle free for more work amongst the Coreans, and give Father Drake at Mapó that quiet and opportunities for resuming his study of Corean which, after so long a sojourn in Niu Chwang, he must so greatly need. We are all well. Affairs at both our stations in Kanghoa prospering. The work in Seoul and Chemulpó going on quietly but, I hope, steadily. I have no bad news to give you this month-for which let us give thanks to God. I am, always your affectionate, C. J. CORFE.
CHEMULPÓ: October 25, 1901. DEAR -
I very much want to have a meeting of all the clergy, for the purpose of giving them an opportunity of exchanging opinions upon and discussing, with each other and with me, such matters relating to our ministry in Corea as they may think need to be discussed ; also of taking counsel together in matters which concern us all very nearly; and, lastly, of affording me that help which the clergy of a Diocese ought to give to their Bishop-a help which I am glad to know I have always sought (and received) from my clergy individually. The meeting would be informal—without resolution-So that nothing would be enacted in virtue of the meeting. Nevertheless, I cannot but think such a Conference, if the subjects were approved by me and if the discussions were carried on with entire freedom of speech, would be useful to us all. Though I cannot promise beforehand to act upon the opinions of all or any of my clergy, I am sure that the expression of them in such an advisory Conference as that which I am proposing will be of great assistance to me in my government of the Diocese. You will remember that, nearly a year ago, in a Pastoral Letter, I told you how necessary I thought it was for the welfare of the Diocese that we should have some opportunity of conferring together, now that our work in the three parishes needs organisation. The arrangements which I made with the late Vicar-General for holding a Diocesan Conference of Clergy and Laity and a subsequent informal meeting of the clergy alone, last Easter, fell through. He informed me that he had found it impossible to hold the first ; and the second, apparently, was not held either : it is a Conference of the second kind to which I would now invite you. Nor do I think I need say anything more on the advantage which such a Conference ought to be to us-a Conference in which the clergy may freely exchange their opinions, on the various problems of their ministry here, in the presence of their Bishop. Hoping that Father Drake will have returned from Niu Chwang before the end of November, and fearing to fix a date so late in the season as December, I propose that we shall meet here or in Seoul-I will inform you later which-on the evening of Tuesday, November 26, and conclude the Conference in time to enable you to get back to Seoul before St. Andrew's Day.
Between now and November 26 will you think of any matters on which you would like to give or receive information touching your ministerial work-formulating them in short sentences or questions, and sending them to me a week before the Conference? I will then draw up a paper of Agenda, and, since the same subjects are likely to be proposed by more than one of the clergy, I will tabulate them and, whilst avoiding over lapping, will take care that everything is included in the Agenda paper. Only, if a subject is proposed, I shall expect it to be introduced to the Conference by the proposer. One other matter of a different nature. Since our celebrations are now mostly in Corean, the intercessions for the Archbishop and others—together with the memorial of the parish - which used to be read out after the Nicene Creed, have had to be generally omitted May I ask you to introduce these intercessions at your daily midday prayers? You have the card, I believe, or if you have not, I will send you one. It is of the greatest importance that we should remember before the Throne of Grace those who are praying for us in England and elsewhere. Yours faithfully in Christ, C. J. CORFE.
Association of Prayer and work for Corea.
ANOTHER year has opened upon us, and we repeat the good old wish that it may be to one and all a very happy New Year. It brings to us a goodly number of new members, to whom we give a hearty welcome; and we hope that their fresh prayers may stimulate us to renewed efforts. Mr. J. F. Falwasser has offered to be our County Secretary for Yorkshire. We feel sure that he will be a great help, and wish him all success. We much regret the removal of the Rev. J. Thwaites Mumford from Buxton, and the Rev. A. Campion from Sneyd, Burslem. They have both kindly asked their successors to carry on the work, and we warmly thank the Rev. R. O. Ringrose (Buxton) and the Rev. T. H. Rabone (Sneyd) for consenting to do so. Mr. Mumford's Missionary Guild at Buxton has given most valuable help during the time he has guided them, and Mr. Campion's long list of members who have kept perfect touch with him in their daily intercession for the Foreign Mission work of the Church are pillars of strength to our Association, and branches of our work for which we thank God. Miss Mitchell no longer lives at Ladock, and has therefore given up her post as Secretary, which we much regret. If any one of her old members would offer themselves as Secretary in her place we should be grateful. Mrs. Spencer also resigns her post at Halifax. Our Association is no longer represented in Cheshire or in Monmouthshire. The Rev. F. W. Folliott, our late Secretary for Hackney, has been called to his rest after one month's work in the Mission Field of Nyasa. R.I.P. CLAPHAM.
The Holy Eucharist was celebrated with special intention for Corea at Holy Trinity (the Parish Church) on Thursday, December 5 ; at St. Saviour's on Friday, November 15, and on St. Nicholas' Day; and at St. Peter's on Saturday, December 7. Sermons were preached on behalf of the Mission at St. Saviour's, on Sunday, November 17, by Rey. A. B. Turner and Rev. W. M. Dingwall. The collection in the evening was given to the funds of the Mission. On Tuesday, November 19, a meeting was held on behalf of the Mission at St. Anne's Hall. The hall was full, and the Rector of Clapham took the chair. The Rev. A. B. Turner gave an address with limelight illustrations, and the Rev. Mark Napier Trollope also spoke. A collection was made for the funds of the Mission, which, after paying expenses, amounted to something over £4. We have already gained several new members as a result of the meeting. We await anxiously the Bishop's printed letters in Morning Calm to hear news of his well-being; for in the present stress of work in Corea it has been impossible for him to favor us with personal letters. Our loving sympathy has been more than ever with him during a time of anxiety and disappointment; and very earnest are our prayers that God will put it into the hearts of some of those living amongst us to offer themselves for work in this part of the Mission Field. Many of us have been privileged to listen to the words of the Rev. M. N. Trollope and the Rev. A. B. Turner, and to learn from them some of the conditions of the work now being carried on in Corea. It may help us if these conditions are turned into thoughts for Intercessory Prayer: 1. That God will enlighten and give a knowledge of that most difficult Corean language to all who are called on to teach and preach in the same. 2. That a special blessing may rest on the work amongst the Corean women, that as they are converted their lives may influence their homes and shine with the Light of God's Love. 3. That we may remember the great difficulties of living a converted life in the midst of heathen surroundings, and pray earnestly for our Corean brothers and sisters. 4. For ourselves—that our lives may show the fruits of true conversion, and so strengthen our brethren. A. WIGRAM. The Quarterly Reports received in January finish the accounts for the year. Among special gifts we must notice the annual gift of £5, through our Southport Secretary, from the Guild of the Good Shepherd, for the support of “Maria” in the Sisters' Orphanage at Seoul. We also must chronicle the receipt of a surprising £5 from Charlton, the proceeds of the sale of one very rare Corean stamp! St. Anne's, Buxton, and the Coatham Work Party send their usual gifts, the results of Sales of Work; and we should like to acknowledge here a gift of toys for the Corean children from the children's service at St. Etheldreda's, Fulham. We are indebted to our Secretaries for arranging for many offertories on St. Nicholas' Day, more than twenty contributing thus, as will be seen in the yearly accounts. The Rev. A. B. Turner has held very successful meetings at Watlington, Clapham, and North Creek, and his visit to New castle was followed by a meeting arranged by the Rev. H. Barff. Our newly arranged lantern slides were used occasionally by Mr. Turner, and also at Newcastle and a meeting at Exeter. We are indeed grateful to the Rev. H. Goffe for the two extremely interesting sets of slides he has arranged, making many additions from recent photos, and hope Secretaries will see their way to use them more frequently. In addition to arranging the slides, our Thoresway Secretary has used them at several meetings in Lincolnshire. The box of curios has also been worked hard this quarter, and has suffered in consequence. We should be very glad if Secretaries and others who use the box would be more careful in packing the things; the doll and a very handsome enamelled box, which were only loans, have been withdrawn. as they were nearly destroyed by the rough treatment they had received. We propose to add dressed dolls in addition to the suits of clothing, as we hear the latter are difficult to use or exhibit. Many Secretaries and members sent parcels for the Corean Stall at Kensington, and also, we believe, came themselves. There are a good many things left, and if any Working Parties are now starting work with a view to helping the next Corean Stall, it would be helpful to find out what will be most wanted. We close accounts for the year ; it is impossible yet to forecast what the financial position of the Association will be. Secretaries have kindly acceded to our request and sent in complete lists of members, which show that there is a large widespread interest now in the Mission. The Association has for many years past made itself responsible for any deficit which might occur in connection with Morning Calm. At present there are only about 1,700 subscribers; but if the quarterly issue could be increased to 2,000 copies or more, we should be able to transform this deficit into a balance which would help towards reducing the heavy expense involved in printing the Annual Report, for which no charge has hitherto been made. CONSTANCE A. N. TROLLOPE.
At the January Meeting of the Executive Committee, the Rev. W. Stuart Harris, Chaplain of the Fleet, who is ex officio President of the fund, resigned the post of Hon. Sec. for General Purposes, which he has held since he returned to England from Malta ; and Captain J. H. Corse, R.N., having kindly consented to act, was unanimously elected Hon. Sec. to the General Committee, all communication with Local Secretaries being still left in the hands of the President.
St. Peter's Community Foreign Mission Association.
The Day of Intercession and Thanksgiving at St. Peter's House, Kilburn, on December 3, was marked by a large attendance of friends of the Mission and members of the S.P.F.M.A. The Rev. A. B. Turner celebrated at 8 A.M., and from that time till 9 P.M. perpetual Intercession was maintained in the chapel. At the Intercessory service at noon, the Rev. M. N. Trollope gave a most helpful address on the need and work of Intercession. Mr. Charlesworth, also from Corea, was able to be present at this service and at the afternoon meeting, which was very well attended. In the unavoidable absence of the Rev. C. E. Brooke, the Rev. A. G. Deedes presided, and the interest of all present was aroused and quickened by the accounts of the growth and various openings for work in the Mission given by the Rev. M. N. Trollope and Rev. A. B. Turner. In a speech by Dr. Trower, Bishop Elect of Likoma, who, though very busy, very kindly came to the gathering it was clearly pointed out that the difficulties with which the Universities' Mission to Central Africa had had to contend, and had overcome, were very much the same as those which now present themselves in Corea. The Rev. W. H. Cleaver, Warden of the Community, preached the sermon at Evensong on the inspiring prophecy contained in Psalm lxxxvii. 4, 5, an encouragement alike to those who work abroad or at home. The notes of this sermon, and of the address and speeches throughout the day, have been written out by an Associate, and a printed copy will be sent to all members through their respective Branch Secretaries. The offerings at Kilburn amounted to £9; at St. Peter's Grange, St. Leonards-on-Sea, to £2; and at St. Michael's House, Cheddar, to £1. 8s. 6d. Two gifts for the Church of SS. Peter and Paul, Kang hoa, are gratefully acknowledged—a fair-linen from Miss Dorothy Mathias, and a red book-marker from Miss E. Brünner.
The Corean Stall at the Bazaar was again most ably managed by the Misses Trollope, who realised by their untiring efforts the large sum of £102 for St. Peter's Hospital. This was of course principally from the curios, but many parcels and contributions to the Stall were received from members and friends, a list of whom will be published in the Report for 1901. SISTER HELEN CONSTANCE, Secretary S.P.F.M.A.
The Spirit of Missions.
“ST. PAUL, great follower of the Lover of Souls, is a glorious leader in the way of intercessory prayer. From the sacred past comes the call of an apostle, and from the sacred present comes the plea of our living brethren. They bear witness to us of the value and power of those prayers which might well to us seem weak. Among these witnesses none can better judge, and none bear a more constant testimony, than the missionaries among the heathen-they can tell the power of prayer : they who have no time or strength for prolonged supplication find themselves borne along in their conflict, or their more trying labor, by a strength which is not their own ; find themselves guided by a Light they have not consciously sought; encouraged by a valour they had not paused to ask for. Let the prayers go up with great constancy, with great joy. By their simplicity they unlock the powers of infinite wisdom ; by their multitude they build broad the foundations of a temple of thanksgiving."-Cowley Evangelist.
The late Bishop Bickersteth of Exeter, in a volume of his Sermons recently published, says:-" It has been the foremost glory of the Gospel Propagation Society that for nearly two hundred years it has sought to make spiritual provision for the emigrant sons and daughters of England, and now is seeking through them to reach the heathen...." The appeal for men he proceeds to ask in words which God grant may find an echo in some hearts :-“Will not clergymen still young, or in life's prime, respond to the appeal, and leave their parishes and curacies to be occupied by some who cannot themselves go forth? Especially will not some covet the honor of bearing the standard of the Cross into climates, it may be, involving physical danger, but the unhealthiness of which is no bar to the merchant or traveller or Government servant ?”
The Bishop of Calcutta has sent an urgent message to the Student Volunteer Conference asking for men to help him. It is said that we fail to realise the urgency of the need. There is at present going on a race between Christianity and Brahminism which shall get hold of the aboriginal tribes, and Brahminism is winning; if it does win, our work among these people will be put back incalculably. The Famine has brought something like 20,000 orphans into the hands of missionaries, and their proper training is an immediate and urgent necessity.
The Diocese of Lucknow was founded in January 1893. “ Sir Henry Lawrence, who was appointed Commissioner of Oudh just before the Mutiny, had invited the C.M.S. to plant a Mission at Lucknow. After the reconquest in 1858, the new Chief Commissioner, Sir Robert Montgomery, who had already been an active promoter of the Punjaub Mission, wrote to the C.M.S. Committee: 'As Sir Henry Lawrence's successor, I have the privilege of repeating his call.' An Association was formed on the spot, with Sir Robert himself as President, on September 24 in that year, the eve of the anniversary of the relief of the city by Havelock, and while the sound of distant artillery could still be heard from troops pursuing parties of rebels." The Cathedral Church, a noble but still incomplete building, is at Allahabad, the capital of the North-West Provinces. The Diocese has a non-Christian population of forty-six millions, and a Christian population of fifty thousand. A glance at the map of India will show the significance of this comparatively new centre of organised Church work; it is a real advance into the very heart, geographical, political, and religious, of India. Of the non-Christian population over six millions are Mahometans, as yet almost entirely untouched by missionary effort. And the devoted Bishop of Lucknow (Dr. A. Clifford) is specially seeking to reach them. The Diocese includes such interesting and important towns as Allahabad, Lucknow, Agra, Benares, and also Naim Tal and other stations in the Himalayas. Besides the chaplains who minister to the spiritual needs of the scattered English communities, the C.M.S. and S.P.G. have many missionaries at work, and there is a staff of lady workers in connection with the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society and the Zenana Bible and Medical Missions. Still, the harvest is great and the laborers are few, and we earnestly commend this most important and inviting Diocese to the prayerful and practical support of the Church at home.
At the Annual Meeting of the Zululand Mission, the Bishop of Stepney pointed out that Bishop Carter and his missionaries had been doing the work which the English nation must do, unless it is going to show itself unworthy of its high position. We had conquered Zululand, and a solemn duty was ours with regard to that country. Bishop Carter had “two chief things to say.” Firstly, one striking thing has been the loyalty of the native races. We English ought ever to bear this in mind. It would have made things far more uncomfortable for us- and they have been quite uncomfortable enough-if the natives had been disloyal. Their loyalty is due to this fact : that wherever the British flag flies, we English do try to give the natives justice. This sums up the difference between English rule and Boer rule in South Africa; and this is largely due to the influence of two men-namely, Sir Godfrey Lagden, who ruled the Basutos, and Mr. Saunders and his workers, whose influence in Zululand is very great. Bishop Carter also said emphatically that he wished to bear public testimony to the splendid behavior of the British soldiers—the Boers, and especially the Boer women, were astonished to find them perfectly courteous and gentle. He thought that before the War the bitterness between the two races was as great as could be ; now they could no longer despise each other, and he thought there was every hope for the future. He thought that the character of the Boer was very much due to his narrow religion ; there was a tremendous opportunity before the Church of England for work not only amongst the Boers, who have been fighting so bravely against us, but amongst the really noble and loyal-hearted native races.
Dr. Millar gives the following description of the great Socoto country in the Central Soudan, in which he is trying to establish a Medical Mission. He is struck with the beauty and rich vocabulary of the Hausa language. The people are more like Asiatics than Africans in their intelligence. They are kinder and more respectful than most Mahometans. The great difficulty is to arouse in them any sense of sin or wish for goodness. They are as unlike the people of Uganda (of whom General Lugard says "they are maniacs for religion ") as it is possible to be- "a thoroughly lively, jolly, happy-go-lucky people, they will have just as little religion as possible. They are untruthful, immoral, and unreliable, and with the sweetest manners possible. If they do you an injury it will be done with all politeness and decorum." Dr. Millar asks us to pray for a difficult enterprise into the comparatively unknown, that grace, wisdom, and mercy may be given. and that, far beyond any expectation at home, there may be a breaking down of opposition and prejudice. We are told that a great call for prayer for the Church in Uganda is needed on account of the very rapid spread of the Native Church, and that the opening out of the country by means of the new Railway and the in-flow of foreigners of many nations cannot fail to be a testing time for the Baganda Christians. The missionaries fully expect in another five years to have at least 150,000 baptized Christians in connection with the Anglican Church in the Uganda Mission. The native catechists are doing splendidly ; but, as in the Indian Army, the missionaries find that the African works better if supervised by Europeans. We are asked to pray that the needed European missionaries may be forthcoming to train, organise, and supervise, and that each missionary, convert, and native worker may realise the indwelling of the Holy Spirit for cleansing, keeping, and power.
A great and grand work has been going on in the Diocese of Caledonia (Canada), the now completely Christian village of Metlakatla standing out as a monument of the power of Christ. But alas ! in this, the very centre of the various agencies, the residence of the devoted Bishop, Dr. Ridley, a terrible disaster by fire, which swept away the whole church and all the Mission buildings and schools, has during the past summer greatly maimed the work. It has been a "trial of faith " indeed, which has already proved "much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire." Much touching devotion has been manifested by the native Christians and resident workers. The Bishop is now in England collecting funds for the rebuilding, and already the work of restoration is in active swing. In this great Diocese there is now a vast work opening among the whites of various nationalities who crowd to the Klondike, so that more prayer, more effort, more helpers, more devoted gifts, are called for than ever before.
The following extracts from an address of Bishop Ridley's is quoted in the Watchword : - "When he first went to those distant Indians of British Columbia he found trade very bad, the buffalo being nearly extinct, but on the sea-coast flourishing settlements were beginning to arise, and, in addition to a trade in furs, a great trade is now carried on in the Salmon Fisheries. Though at first the Indians would have very little to do with the Bishop, and the children filed from him, the preaching of the Gospel soon led to civilisation. It was wonderful what the Gospel did for these people when it once took a hold upon them. They used to be very dirty and seemed to think it quite unnecessary to wash. Dirt and squalor reigned everywhere, and perhaps it is hardly to be wondered at, when we remember that for months all is frozen, and the only way to get any water at all is by boring through five feet of ice, and so when they did get any they took great care of it. Gradually the people learnt cleanliness both in their homes and in themselves. One fearful custom prevailed among these Indians, that of witchcraft; and when a person was suspected of possessing this power, and causing the death of others thereby, he was brought to the river, a hole bored in the ice, and he was put through, not without being first flayed alive. When once they became Christians, all was changed.
"A beautiful little story shows the love and devotion which these Indians have for those who work amongst. them. A lady missionary, greatly beloved by them all, was seriously ill, and the doctors attending her gave no hope of her recovery. Her friends expressed the wish that a doctor living in an island fifteen miles off could be sent for, and in bitterly cold weather and a stormy sea a boat was soon manned and a doctor fetched. The lady recovered, and the doctor had to be taken back. Again the journey was willingly undertaken, and when the boat returned the Bishop said, ‘Now, Captain, what am I to pay you?' 'Pay!' said the captain ; ‘please, Bishop, do not say that word to any of the crew; it would break their hearts. In such weather and such a sea we would never have gone that journey for money ; we did it for love’. When the Bishop tried at first to raise the minds of these people, and to encourage them to go out and teach their brethren, they thought him cracked ; but afterwards they said he was a prophet, when bands of men went off for three months at a time in their canoes, without payment, to preach the Gospel.
"It is almost incredible that people should have spoken of these Indians as hopeless, and said 'Let them alone; what they have is good enough for them.’ Bishop Ridley said, 'Have we not let them alone too long? The longer we leave them alone the heavier the task becomes.’ The Bishop himself was away from home during that terrible fire of last summer, having gone a few days previously to work for a week or two amongst the miners. Of his personal property nothing was saved but his robes and the few things in his bag which he had taken with him-precious books, translations of the Bible, and manuscripts which he had long been collecting, all gone. He could only say that at first he felt overwhelmed ; his heart was in those ashes. Well might he weep over the ruins of that church where so many had learnt their first faith in Christ, and where on one memorable day men of five different nationalities, once hostile, had knelt side by side at the Lord's Table. None who heard the Bishop's pathetic appeal could withhold interest and prayers that this mountain of difficulty may disappear. "The Bishop says of his Indians, ‘They are splendid Christians, and would fain restore the buildings out of their own earnings.’ “The Diocese of Algoma is beyond doubt the poorest Diocese in Canada, and one of the poorest in the world. Numbers of our countrymen have been lost to the Church of their Fathers simply because that Church did not follow them, and still makes no adequate provision for them. Wanting the means, the Bishops were powerless to prevent the leakage. ‘Our clergy,' said Bishop Sullivan, ‘are indefatigable, but one man cannot do the work of four.' One missionary described his parish as ‘250 miles long, a ten hours' journey being necessary in order to get from one church to another.' Bishop Sullivan was thus described by his successor : ‘The great worker was borne down in the struggle.
The strain of watching and waiting for help, ... the pain of not knowing whence the next quarter's stipends were to come for the missionaries, ... his grief at what seemed to him his Church's coldness, which could let a work like his suffer and languish while money for all selfish ends was so abundant, ... the contrast between his keen perception of the needs of the people and the comparative indifference of the Church at large, as he turned to ask its aid-all this was the secret of his breaking down. Was it not the glory of the man that thus in faith, at the cost of his life, he went on to do his duty and save men's souls ?’" "Upon the Atlantic coast, in Spanish Honduras, there are settlements of Europeans and Americans, many of whom have married and make their permanent home in the Republic. There are also negroes from the West Indies and American negroes. These last are considered to be the worst type in the States. They have left their country under compulsion. Reared in the slums of large cities, their instinct seems to be criminal, and they seldom settle down to steady employment. Both West Indians and Americans have been almost neglected by the Christian world, and have consequently drifted into a godless existence, and many have fallen victims to the vices of intemperance and gambling. The Church of England Mission in Spanish Honduras is making a great effort to reach these people, but at present the Mission is only worked by one man, who urgently needs help."-Guardian.
"The Federation of Australia has been one of the greatest events of this new century. It has come about (as Dean Riley pointed out in a sermon preached at Melbourne last May) without the shedding of a drop of blood, but by the 'overwhelmingly expressed will of the vast majority of a free people,' and with the concurrence and hearty goodwill of the King, the Government and people at home. He goes on to remind us that to make a great race we need high ideals and a race strong in mind, body, and soul-men full of resource, honor, chivalry, and loyalty, and women endowed with all the grace, beauty, and strength which pure womanhood gives. For this religion is needed, that 'reverence for the Divine without which there was little reverence for man or for goodness -that know- ledge of the greatness of our destiny which ennobles life.’ It is the tendency of new nations to forget this in the struggle and stress of life, and we English at home are bound to do our best to give them help in this highest need of all. People say, ‘Why cannot the Australians provide for their own clergy?' but the Bishop of Perth asks in return, ‘How can you expect the miners, many of whom have been neglected, and in whose hearts must first of all be stirred up the religious sense, to provide all these things at once? They must be taught first- afterwards they will give.' The needs of the Diocese of Perth are greater than in any other part of Australia-partly because of the enormous and sudden influx of population. At one time people arrived at the rate of 1,000 a week, and new towns on the goldfields sprang up like magic. Besides the goldfields, there are vast pastoral and agricultural districts in the Diocese, some of the parishes being of the size of large English counties. It is impossible for a few settlers scattered over a large area, most of them with small means, to pay much for the support of their clergy. The Australian Bishops, knowing the state of the case, generously set aside their own needs to bring before the public the absolute necessity in the Diocese of Perth for help at the present time.”- From the “ Church's Work in Western Australia"
Dean Pownall has given an interesting description of pioneer missionary work in the Diocese of Goulburn, Australia : - “ It was on Sunday, June 30, 1861, that it was determined to drive the Chinese miners off the goldfield. The correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald wrote: No man could exaggerate .... the sickening and disgusting brutality of that Sunday, or the fiendlike fury of the mob. which was largely composed of European foreigners, the dregs of the world. The only crime of the Chinese in the eyes of their persecutors was simply that of doing too well.' Finding it impossible to bring the mob to order, the Government proclaimed martial law, and sent a company of bluejackets from H.M.S. Fawn, and a detachment of the 12th Regiment under the command of Captain Wilkie, whose presence speedily had the desired effect. He was soon after joined by his wife, but on his sudden death she returned to England to learn nursing under Florence Nightingale. Whilst thus engaged, her thoughts centred upon this place and the thousands that were living on the spiritually neglected goldfield, and she determined by God's help to do something to relieve the wretchedness and spiritual darkness that existed. She succeeded in inducing the present Dean of Goulburn to go out as the first pioneer missionary.”—Greater Britain Messenger.
Children's Corner.
My DEAR CHILDREN, You will see on this page a picture of the little orphans who are being taken care of by the Sisters in Corea. Look at the picture first, and then I will tell you something about it. You will see that, besides Sister Barbara and two girls who have children in their arms, there are sixteen little orphans; three of these, I am sorry to say, have died since the photograph was taken, but I hope that the others are all strong and well. I am sure you will think, as I do, that they are dear little children. Their dresses are not at all like yours, but they are very bright and picturesque, for their jackets and skirts are bright reds, and pinks, and blues. If you look closely you will see that their hair is divided into little squares on the top of their heads : the short hair is plaited with wool or very narrow red or blue ribbon, and sometimes a round of red flannel or cotton is sewn at the corners of the squares; all this takes a long time to do, but the Corean children are very good about sitting still, and will sometimes sit patiently for an hour. The elder girls have a long plait behind, with a colored ribbon plaited into it and hanging down below their waist; the babies are quite proud when their hair is long enough to wear one of these colored ribbons, or “Tanguis," as they are called. In this photograph the children are in a wide verandah, where they spend most of their days in summer, because it is cool and sheltered from the sun, this winter they were perhaps going to have a stove put there, and doors made, so that they could use the verandah as a schoolroom in the morning and a playroom in the afternoon.
You can see that the children have toys to play with ; at first they were dreadfully afraid of them, and cried and ran away, but now they have quite got over their fear, and are so fond of them.
All their small treasures they keep in little colored bags, which are hung by a cord to their waistbands, as they have no pockets to their frocks; both boys and girls wear them, and they were very pleased because last Easter they were able to have new ones made of bright pieces of silk, which some friends had sent out to Corea. Little Corean children sew very nicely, but there is no such thing as hemming or running or making buttonholes in Corea. At about the time that you are reading this letter the Corean people will be keeping their New Year, for it is always five or six week after our own. It is the great holiday of the year for everybody, and they all dress in their best and cleanest clothes. They say that if anyone goes to sleep on New Year's Eve his hair will turn grey. On New Year's morning the children fall down before their parents, their teachers, and others, and wish them a happy New Year, and they are generally rewarded by having small coins given them or something to eat. The New Year holiday lasts for fifteen days, when a great deal of visiting, feasting, and merriment goes on; kite-flying is the great amusement, and in some parts there are stone fights. On the last day, at sunset, children meet on the hills with torches, and fall down before the moon, saying, “We salute thee, O Moon !" When you read this the New Year in England will be a good many weeks old, but still I wish you all a very happy New Year. Let us do all we can this year to make other people happy, not only our friends at home, but also our little friends far away in Corea, who want our help in all sorts of ways, but especially in our prayers.
I am, Always your affectionate friend, MAUD T. FALWASSER. Newlands, East Liss: January 1902.
