NOTES AND CLIPPINGS.
BY REV. W. C. POND.
It is unnecessary, and, of course, in the space at command it would be impossible, to give at length my correspondence with teachers and pupils connected with our schools; but I must ask you occasionally to make room for brief “notes and clippings.”
Whatever concerns our Chinese helpers bears with great weight on our work. Their teacher writes: “I think my pupils are very much in earnest, and study the Bible with no mere desire of finding out what there is in it, or of advancing themselves in the knowledge of our language—as some intimate the Chinese do—but with an earnest purpose to learn God’s ways and follow His commands, and to fit themselves to teach others the blessed truths which they themselves have come to believe. It seems to me they must make excellent missionaries; they appear to realize so fully the sad condition of their heathen friends, and are so simple and unquestioning in their faith in the God revealed to them by our Bible. All their teaching and preaching is the love of Christ, and what we should do in return for such love. I am puzzled what to do about the texts [passages of Scripture which I give them week by week to prepare outlines of discourses from. W.C.P.], for no matter what is the subject of them they are sure to run into the one thing that seems to fill their minds.” But that is the one thing needful.
The difficulties of which our teacher at Petaluma writes, are encountered to a greater or less extent everywhere. She says: “No Chinese ever attend the school except from one company. [Two of the now famous ‘Six Companies’ are represented among the Chinese of Petaluma. The rivalries and mutual antipathies of members of these companies are often very intense, leading sometimes to pitched battles. In Petaluma they keep the peace; but no efforts of teachers or helpers have yet succeeded in getting Chinese of both the companies into one school. W.C.P.] The scholars are, also, house-servants or laundrymen, and are constantly changing places, and a great deal of the time have nothing at all to do. If they had work we could keep them. If the times would improve the school would improve. The scholars like the school, and are much more friendly and cordial to me since Hong Sing [the Chinese helper] came, because now I am better understood. But while they are constantly shifting about to get employment, I am afraid the good accomplished cannot be very great.”
This is illustrated by the following from a teacher in the Oakland School: “I was hearing a scholar who had been in the school about a week read in his primer. We came to the sentence, ‘Christ died for us,’ and I asked him ‘Who was Christ?’ To my astonishment, he knew nothing of him. In the plainest way possible to me, I gave an account of Christ’s life and death. He seemed interested, but told me that he had never been at Sunday-school. The next night I noticed him reading with the helper in the Testament, and he became regular in his attendance at Sunday-school. Losing his position, he was obliged to go away to get work. I was very sorry, for I had great hopes that he would soon become a Christian. This teacher adds: ‘It is gratifying when you ask one who has seemed somewhat dull, Who is God? to see the face brighten and the hand point upwards; and if you go still further and ask, Do you love God? a smile plays upon the features and the reply is, ‘Oh, yes.’ A prayer-meeting is held each Wednesday evening, in which manifest interest is taken. After the close of the school the pupils often remain and read together the Scriptures written in Chinese. Each Friday evening I tell them a short story from the Bible, and try to take from it some truth which they may remember. I should be deeply grateful could I write of more being brought into the kingdom of God. The work is encouraging; and while sometimes we reap the fruits of others’ labors, so others shall reap the fruits of ours.”
Of course the Gospel leaven working in this mass of heathenism induces more or less of fermentation. Our Christian Chinese are often engaged in discussions with their heathen friends. I took brief notes of one such, as afterwards reported to me. I am glad to say that the assailant of the truth in this dispute has since been converted, and is now a member of my church. The heathen, who had long been a pupil in Bethany School, and a close reader of the New Testament, said to our brother, “Your Bible itself says we must not put new wine into old bottles. China is an old bottle; new wine will burst it.” The reply surprised me by its apt and correct interpretation of the text referred to: “Not so. You cannot put the new wine of Christ into the old bottles of Chinese teachings and worship, it will burst them; but you can put it into Chinese hearts and it will save them.” “But you say,” continued the objector, “that a little water on the head washes sins away. I wash all over three times a day, and not take my sins away.” “Not so,” replied Hong Sing, “water cannot take sins away; but water means that God’s Spirit poured upon our hearts, Christ’s blood sprinkled on our souls, takes our sins away.” “But people come to the Lord’s Supper and then go away, do wrong, gamble, smoke opium.” Neither admitting nor denying this, Hong Sing told and interpreted with perfect correctness the parable of the net cast into the sea. The last objection was this: “You Christians say that you go to the Lord’s table and drink his blood and eat his flesh. Would you eat your mother’s flesh and drink her blood, if she were dead?” Hong Sing’s reply will be easily surmised by my readers. I wish that I could give word for word the broken English, and could reproduce on paper the animation with which this conversation was related to me; but the limits of my space forbid, even if otherwise it were possible.
The Story of Lee Jin as told by Jee Gam.—“Lee Jin was a young man twenty-three years of age, a nephew of Lee Young. For more than three years previous to his death he had been a member of a Chinese society of freemasonry, and also a member of Lock Shan Tong. This latter is a school or society where the doctrines of Confucius and other Chinese sages are professedly taught; but, in reality, this society has been formed for no other purpose than to prevent any more Chinese from becoming Christians, and to entrap those who have already become Christians. During his connection with the above-mentioned society he was one of its most active members, and one of the strongest opposers of Christianity. He did not content himself with setting forth his opposition at his own place and outside Christian institutions, but often carried it into our Christian association. His argument was nothing but pride and self-glory. As a Jew boasted of his father Abraham, and felt proud because his race was the chosen people of God, so he himself was lifted up. He said: ‘The middle kingdom is the true celestial empire. She is the realm of literature. She is the nation of rites. Great and powerful are her people, and especially her ancient personages, whose great deeds no language is sufficient to describe.’ He endeavored to display his learning by quoting what he had learned from the books of his sages, ‘I have heard of men using the doctrines of our great land to change barbarians, but I have never yet heard of any being changed by barbarians, etc.’ But when his arguments were overcome he would say, ‘Well, I am a Chinaman; I have Confucius; I worship the gods of my own country. If Jesus is the God of the barbarians, let him be worshiped by them, and not by Chinese.’ So his heart was hardened like that of Pharaoh, until, at last, he fell sick. During his illness the Lord, with His wonderful power, revealed the folly of his pride, and the consequences of his self-righteousness and evil deeds, to his then opened eyes. He trembled with fear and said, ‘Oh, what a great sinner I am! What a miserable offender of Jesus! Do send for Lee Hain and Jee Gam. Tell them to come immediately and pray for me.’ His uncle, Lee Young, was struck with astonishment when he heard these words, and saw this great change in his nephew. He said in reply, ‘Do you really want Jee Gam and Lee Hain to pray for you?’ ‘Yes,’ was the reply. ‘Why not pray to the gods you always worship?’ ‘Oh, they are dead idols. They are of no use. They could not save me from the punishment of my sins.’
“We were sent for accordingly. When we reached there he begged us to forgive him for his opposition against us for preaching the Gospel of the Saviour, whom he had begun to love. We prayed for him, and asked him to repeat the words after us, which he did with a tone of true repentance. Oftentimes after this he asked his uncle and his younger brother to pray for him. His heathen friends deserted him to the care of these Christian relatives, but after his death, when we had taken charge of the body to give it Christian burial, they came and wished to perform some of their heathen rites. We would not permit it; and, rather than take back their offerings, which would bring them bad luck, they burned them before the door. We accompanied Lee Jin to the cemetery, where we had procured a suitable lot, and then we sang a hymn and offered a prayer before committing his body to the dust. We believe he is now safe in heaven.”