NG-HIN-KI a young man of more than usual ability and energy joined the Third Presbyterian Church in Canton in September, 1881. His foster mother was bitterly enraged at him for so doing, and all his brothers were greatly displeased. They made strenuous efforts to prevent him from attending church and from performing his religious duties, but without success.
Their persecution, especially that of his foster mother, became so bitter that in the spring of 1882, he was given the place of door-keeper in one of our chapels, one hundred and thirty miles from Canton, receiving for his services two dollars and fifty cents per month. In the autumn of the same year he received a letter from an elder in the Third Church, advising him not to return to Canton, as his foster-mother and brothers had brought a charge against him of being unfilial, which in China is a very serious crime. Their object was to get him discharged from his position as bannerman. Instead, however, of remaining away from Canton, he at once returned, saying he would go at once and meet the charge. He found on arriving that all his property, one shop and three dwelling-houses, had been sold for fourteen hundred dollars. He was brought before a military officer and ordered to light three sticks of incense and place them before an idol. He was told that if he obeyed, the draft for fourteen hundred dollars lying upon the table would be restored to him, but if he refused he would lose not only that and his monthly allowance, but his betrothal, which had cost him three hundred dollars, would be made null and void, altogether that which he would forfeit would be what is for a Chinaman a comfortable and permanent livelihood. Sign and save, refuse and lose. He refused and was cast out penniless. He entered the training school, and after three years of faithful study was appointed to preach. He is now doing a useful and encouraging work three hundred miles from Canton, at Sam Kong, near Lien Chow. Until near the close of last year this man’s relatives refused to have anything to do with him, when, much to his delight, a great change took place. They became not only willing to welcome him home, but to hear him make known the Gospel. It came about in this way: one of his brothers at a tea-shop had seen a member of the Third Church, also a bannerman, telling the people about Jesus.
One of the company in anger struck him a blow in the face, telling him he need not come there to preach to them. He smiled and went on with his discourse. Ng-hin-ki’s brother was much surprised. He knew the speaker was naturally high-tempered, was physically strong, and was no coward. In fact he knew perfectly well that what prevented the bannerman from striking back was not fear, but principle. This won his admiration for the man and respect at least for his message and was the occasion of bringing about in his family the changed feeling mentioned above.
A PRODIGAL SON.
I HAVE opened one more school, a mile from the road. I had to walk that distance. Those burning days it was pretty severe, as the road lay over sand hills and plowed fields. The school was so nice, the children so happy, one could not remember the discomfort.
An old Mohammedan priest tried to break it up, and did compel some to withdraw their children, but the school is secure.
Several women came in to see Miss Sohiba and watch the school. The Bible lesson began from a picture of the Prodigal Son, hung on the wall. An old lady listened; her face sobered, tears filled her eyes; finally, amid broken sobs, she declared—
“O, Miss Sohiba, that is my boy! That is my boy!”
Most touchingly she told how he had gone, how she had watched and waited for him, but he never came back.—Extract from Miss Pratt’s letter from India.