This will be illustrated for our readers by the following extract from an address delivered by one of our brethren at the last anniversary of our mission at Santa Cruz. His English will require a little straightening, but for the most part, I will give it just as spoken:
Dear Friends: I am glad to see you all here this evening; and that you have an interest in the Chinese work. I will tell you a few words about myself, what experience I had in my native land. I left California to go to China, July 15, 1887, and after thirty-one days, reached my home. I found a piece of red paper on the wall above my cooking place, with the name of the stove-god written on it. We call it "Doy Shin;" "Doy" means "Stove," "Shin" means "god." Every family worships the stove-god at the cooking place. The first of every month they burn some punk, and twice every month make a fresh cup of tea, which is left standing on the stove. I found that several thousands of punk had been burned during my absence, and the ends of the sticks were left in the bowls. I felt very sorry for it; so I tore up the paper and break the punk-sticks in pieces and burn them up. My wife felt very indignant, and was afraid the stove-god might be angry and make me sick, and punish me. I say: "Nothing to be afraid of. But I am only afraid that the true God in heaven will punish me if I do not tear up the paper and burn up the punk-sticks." I say: "I must entirely abandon this superstition and must give this testimony for Christ. For he is the only God that can preserve my life, and the only one that can take it away."
In the mean time, a Chinese preacher who was supported by the Methodist Mission was very sick. His children were very small and his wife cannot walk. There was nobody to go after a doctor for him. So he sent for me to call doctor and get medicine. He and myself were the only Christians inside the walls of the city. Outside in the villages were a few Christians, but fifteen or twenty miles away. My wife advised me not to go to his house lest I get sick also, for my health was not very good. I say to her, that only he and I are Christians in this place. I have to go to his house. I rather die than not go. In about twenty days he die. We sent for the Christian friends, from different parts—some thirty to fifty miles away—some nearer. So we bury him the Christian way. The men carry the coffin. They charge four dollars to bury him, because he is Christian. The others they charge only two dollars. We also hire music for the funeral—different from the heathen funeral. Several hundred people were standing on the way, watching us pass by. Some say: "How funny the burying of the Yason dog,"—i.e., the Jesus boy.
After the funeral I was very sick, and my whole body trembling with cold. Many blankets put upon me, but cannot make me warm. My wife begin to cry. My cousins and all said it was because I went to the dead man's house and catch the sickness. Some of them said it was because I tore up the paper and burned the punk-sticks of the stove-god. But my wife, sitting on the bed-side crying, suggested the medicine which I brought from California; the name—sulphate of quinine. So she ask me to take that; but I say: I never have been this way before, and never use that medicine for this kind of sickness. But she ask me to try; so I take a very little with a little water. Not more than three minutes my whole body stop shaking, and I felt a great relief. I thank God for his help, and soon I got all well.
Another Chinese preacher came from Canton to my district to take the dead preacher's place; also, to live in his house. Next day, he and his wife and boy all taken very sick. They grow worse and worse, every day appointed to death. I felt very much dismayed because many people say, "The Death Spirit make them very sick because they will not worship him." But I pray to God to make him well. I say:—"Oh Lord, if you let this family die also, all the people in this place will not like to hear thy Gospel, and I also may be tempted by the superstition. I ask thee, oh God, let thy mercy be upon them and not let this family going to die; so let all this people of darkness see thy power, and thy glorious light appear to their sight." I believe that God answered this prayer, for they grew better and better every day, though they were so sick they expected to die.
I will tell you of another trial which I encountered. I live inside the wall, and all the people inside are divided into six societies. I belong to No. 4. Once in three years we have what we call festival. So a man who had charge asked me to sign my name to give twenty-five cents to buy some pork and other things for offerings to the idols. The temples have some property, but they use the temple money for other expenses. I refuse to subscribe. So he advised me and said: "While you are in the foreign country, imitate foreign customs, but now you are in China, you have to obey Chinese customs." They try to compel me to give. I stand up and say: "If these six societies could not have this festival to the idols because I refuse, do the people depend on me? If so, then all the people are without hope, and may despair of the blessing of the idols. Is that what you believe? Because you worship the idols you give offerings to them, and expect blessing from them. I do not worship the idol, and he would not give me the blessing. I do not wish for the idol's blessing. It is not because I am stingy that I will not give to the offering of the idol, but because it is against the true God in heaven, whom I trust, and whose blessing I do greatly desire." So they could not compel me to give, and they let me alone, but they felt very much indignation and were hostile to me. A Christian in China has sometimes a very hard time. "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." Yet more and more are believing the Gospel of Christ every year in China.
A year has passed since, this brother returned to America; but is there any hazard in affirming that those towns-people of his in China have thought more or less, even to this day, of the stand he took and the God in Christ to whom he testified?