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THE FULFILMENT OF A DREAM OF PASTOR HSI'S
[Illustration: MRS. HSI.
_Frontispiece._]
THE FULFILMENT OF A DREAM OF PASTOR HSI'S
THE STORY OF THE WORK IN HWOCHOW
BY A. MILDRED CABLE
_Of the China Inland Mission_
"Is it a dream?
Nay, but the lack of it, a dream.
And failing it, life's love and wealth a dream,
And all the world a dream."
WALT WHITMAN
LONDON:
MORGAN & SCOTT LTD.
12, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C.
CHINA INLAND MISSION
NEWINGTON GREEN, N. MCMXVII
TO
DR. G. CAMPBELL MORGAN
THE "APOLLOS" WHO
BY PRAYER AND SYMPATHY HAS "WATERED"
THIS WORK
THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED
INTRODUCTION
TWENTY-ONE years ago, on 19th February 1896, Pastor Hsi, to quote the
words of his biographer, "was translated to higher service." Those who
read the fascinating and wonderful story of his life by Mrs. Howard
Taylor will at once be interested in _The Fulfilment of a Dream_, which
is the story of the work in Hwochow, and gives the account of the
carrying on of the spiritual labour of that remarkable man, and of the
fulfilment of his dream. I think it is equally true that those who have
not read Pastor Hsi's life will desire to do so after reading this book.
It is a commonplace observation, but none the less true, that the story
commenced in the Acts of the Apostles could not be finished by Luke,
because the great activity, the commencement of which he recorded, is
still going forward. Every tale of missionary endeavour moving forward
"toward the uttermost part of the earth" is an added chapter. It has
been given to Mildred Cable and her fellow workers, to labour in the
apostolic succession; and then to Mildred Cable, to write this wonderful
chapter.
From my own standpoint the book is full of charm. While by no means its
supreme value, the first impression made upon the mind is that of the
naturalness of the story. The reader is made the friend of the writer,
and listens to an artless and charming account of places and of peoples.
My first reading of the book at one sitting (as all such books should be
read), left me with a sense of the atmosphere of the missionary's life
and surroundings. I was admitted into the actuality of everyday things,
and was made familiar with the pathos and tragedy and humour of life in
a land and among a people largely unknown to me.
As I have said, this is by no means the supreme value of the book. That
rather consists in something that grows upon you as you read. The writer
does not state it in so many words, or very seldom, and certainly is not
trying to persuade you to believe it, but there it is. I refer to the
tender and yet strong revelation of the power of the Divine Grace, both
in its sustenance of those who are called to missionary work, and its
transforming power in the case of those who, often at cost, yield
themselves to its call.
In Chapters I., V., VI., VII., and VIII., the reader will trace the
story of the development of the work, and a wonderful story it is.
Chapters XI. and XII., containing first the story of Ai Do, and then a
record of demoniacal manifestations, show the reader how these quiet and
earnest workers are brought up against the big, naked, awful things of
life; and also how being so confronted, they are unafraid and
unconquered in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. The fact that I draw
special attention to these chapters is not intended to suggest for a
moment that the others are either uninteresting or unimportant. They are
neither the one nor the other. For all that it is intended to be, the
book is a whole, and is supremely precious, because it is manifestly a
part of the larger whole of Christ's great emprise.
With confidence and joy I commend the story to all those in whose heart
burns the passion for the coming of the hour when our adorable Redeemer
shall "see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied."
G. CAMPBELL MORGAN.
AUTHOR'S PREFACE
I WISH to acknowledge that apart from my co-workers, Evangeline and
Francesca French, this book would have been impossible. To Mr. Albert
Lutley, Superintendent of the China Inland Mission Work in the Province
of Shansi, I am indebted for help and kindnesses which I can
acknowledge, but never repay. I am also indebted to my Chinese
secretary, Miss Wang, for her able reporting of the many interviews
which the compiling of this book has necessitated.
* * * * *
The Chinese themselves say: "One mile alters the speech, and ten miles
change the customs."
In view of the fact that the Province of Shansi alone is larger than
England and Wales, I wish it to be clearly understood that the usages
and customs to which I refer throughout this book are local.
EDITOR'S NOTE
ALL personal names are spelt according to the system employed by the
authoress, except where it has been necessary to modify this to retain
the identity of someone mentioned in Mrs. Howard Taylor's _Pastor Hsi_.
All place names are spelt according to the orthography of the Chinese
Postal Guide, which system is now used in the standard maps of China and
has been adopted by the larger missionary societies. Thus, Hoh-chau of
_Pastor Hsi_ becomes Hwochow, T'ai-yuean becomes Taiyueanfu, P'ing-yang
becomes Pingyangfu, etc.
CONTENTS
PAGE
PROLOGUE xix
CHAPTER I
MRS. HSI'S GIFT, BEING AN ACCOUNT OF THE
OPENING OF THE STATION OF HWOCHOW 3
CHAPTER II
THE BIG ROAD, INDICATING THE SITUATION OF
HWOCHOW IN THE PROVINCE OF SHANSI 11
CHAPTER III
A NEW VENTURE, IN WHICH IS RECORDED THE
APPOINTMENT OF THE FIRST MISSIONARIES
TO HWOCHOW 19
CHAPTER IV
THE CONTINUATION OF THE STORY, BEING A RECORD
OF SOME WHO WERE COUNTED WORTHY TO SUFFER
FOR CHRIST'S SAKE, AND OF MRS. HSI'S
EXPERIENCE IN THE BOXER OUTBREAK 27
CHAPTER V
LIFE IN THE VILLAGES, AN INTRODUCTION TO
CHINESE HOME LIFE 37
CHAPTER VI
OUR RECEPTION AT HWOCHOW, SHOWING THINGS AS
THEY SOMETIMES ARE 47
CHAPTER VII
A PORTRAIT GALLERY, WHEREIN THE READER IS
INTRODUCED TO SOME OF OUR FELLOW WORKERS 57
CHAPTER VIII
WORK DEVELOPMENT, RELATING HOW WE SOUGHT TO
ENCOMPASS THE WORK, AND THE WORK
ENCOMPASSED US 69
CHAPTER IX
MRS. HSI'S SECOND GIFT, BEING AN ACCOUNT OF
HER LIFE FROM WIDOWHOOD 77
CHAPTER X
THE STORY OF AN OPIUM SMOKER 85
CHAPTER XI
THE GREAT FURNACE FOR A GREAT SOUL, BEING THE
STORY OF AI DO 95
CHAPTER XII
THE POWERS OF DARKNESS, BEING A RECORD OF SOME
OBSERVATIONS IN DEMONOLOGY 109
CHAPTER XIII
THE LIFE STORY OF PASTOR WANG 127
CHAPTER XIV
A VISIT TO THE BASE, FROM WHENCE WE ARE AGAIN
SENT FORTH WITH FRESH SUPPLIES 141
CHAPTER XV
THE BUILDERS, RELATING HOW THE SUPPLIES WERE
USED 151
CHAPTER XVI
WOMEN'S BIBLE TRAINING SCHOOL, WHICH TELLS HOW
A LINK WAS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN WESTMINSTER
AND HWOCHOW BIBLE SCHOOLS 159
CHAPTER XVII
THE DRAW NET LET DOWN INTO THE SEA, AN ACCOUNT
OF FRESH EFFORTS TO REACH THE MULTITUDE, AND
BRING THEM TO DECISION 169
CHAPTER XVIII
LIFE AMONGST THE UPPER TEN THOUSAND, RECORDING
HOSPITALITY SHOWN TO US BY THE OFFICIAL
CLASSES 177
CHAPTER XIX
THE REVOLUTION OF 1911, AND HOW WE WERE
AFFECTED BY IT 189
CHAPTER XX
CHANGED CONDITIONS, WHEREIN SOME, THOUGH
FOLLOWING A PATH OF ACTION, FAILED TO
UNDERSTAND IT 199
CHAPTER XXI
ANOTHER PORTRAIT GALLERY, WHEREIN THE READER
IS INTRODUCED TO SOME WHO HAVE FAILED 211
CHAPTER XXII
PREACHING THE GOSPEL, HEALING THE SICK,
TELLING OF THE DAILY ROUTINE 223
CHAPTER XXIII
A CASKET OF JEWELS, BEING AN ACCOUNT OF THE
GIRLS' SCHOOL 233
CHAPTER XXIV
THE TREASURE HOUSE, WHERE THE READER IS SHOWN
THE LAPIDARY AT WORK 247
CHAPTER XXV
CONCLUSION, BEING A REVIEW OF THE PRESENT
SITUATION 257
APPENDIX 263
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
MRS. HSI _Frontispiece_
FACING PAGE
A WOMAN OPIUM SMOKER 82
PASTOR WANG 136
WOMEN'S BIBLE SCHOOL 160
"PUPPY" AND HER MOTHER 218
THE TEACHING STAFF 228
SOME KINDERGARTEN SCHOLARS 236
LING AI, HER CHILDREN, AND HER MOTHER, MRS. LIANG 252
PROLOGUE
THE spirit of the Confucian scholar Hsi met with its Master Christ, and
overwhelmed by the vision yielded all to His control. Constrained by His
love the souls of men were sought and won; led by His Spirit, churches
were established in the faith; sharing His sufferings, their failures
became his burden.
In the darkest days the Hwochow Church has known, when many forsook
their faith, he was strengthened by a dream, in which he saw a tree cut
down to the ground, only to sprout again, and throw out branches
stronger than before.
In his dream, Pastor Hsi knew this tree to be the Hwochow Church. He
knew that though it were brought low, it would revive, and by faith
obtained the promise, the fulfilment of which is recorded in these
pages.
When Thou wouldst pour the Living Stream
Then I would be the earthen cup,
Filled to the brim and sparkling clear.
The Fountain Thou and Living Spring
Flow Thou through me, the vessel weak,
That thirsty souls may taste Thy grace.
When Thou wouldst warn the people, Lord,
Then I would be the golden bell
Swung high athwart the lofty tower
Morning and evening sounding loud;
That young and old may wake from sleep,
Yea, e'en the deaf hear that strong sound.
When Thou wouldst light the darkness, Lord,
Then I would be the silver lamp
Whose oil supply can never fail.
Placed high, to shed the beams afar,
That darkness may be turned to light,
And men and women see Thy face.
When Thou wouldst slay the wolves, O Lord!
Then I would be the keen-edged sword;
Clean, free from rust, sharpened and sure,
The handle grasped, my God, by Thee.
To kill the cruel, ravening foe,
And save the sheep for whom Christ died.
Translated from Pastor Hsi
by F. L. F.
MRS. HSI'S GIFT
"First love is the abandonment of all for the love
which has abandoned all."--Dr. G. CAMPBELL MORGAN.
". . . such men
Carry the fire, all things grow warm to them.
Their drugget's worth my purple, they beat me."
R. BROWNING.
CHAPTER I
MRS. HSI'S GIFT
BEING AN ACCOUNT OF THE OPENING OF THE STATION OF HWOCHOW
MRS. HSI was in great mental distress. The blow she feared had fallen,
and her husband was a prey to the bewitching power of the "foreign
devils." How cleverly the trap had been laid. Firstly, the offer of a
monetary prize for a classical essay--which he had won; secondly, the
insistence of the foreigner on a personal interview with the writer, on
the occasion of which, certain as her husband had been that he had
tasted neither food nor drink under his roof, some means had certainly
been found to introduce into his system some of that subtle foreign drug
which, as every one knew, must eventually compel the victim to embrace
Christianity and follow the "foreign devil" to the world's end. Thirdly,
he had been invited to become the teacher of this dreaded man (Rev.
David Hill), and she had foolishly yielded her consent. She had taken
every precaution and had, on three occasions, sent for him on plea of
her own illness during the time he was an inmate in the foreigner's
household. His clothing had been carefully searched for traces of the
magical compound, but in vain; nothing had come to light, and now here
was her husband, one of the leading Confucianists of the district,
declaring that, of his own free will and action, he had determined to
follow--not the foreign devils--but this Jesus, around Whom all their
preaching centred. He attributed this change of mind, evidently quite
irrationally, to the reading of a book printed under the strange title
of _Happy Sound_,--but perhaps even the sacred Chinese character might
become a snare in their hands! Nothing but the influence of some
powerful magic could have worked so complete a transformation. Even his
intense craving for opium was gone, the Confucian writings which had
been his constant companion were now neglected, and in spite of her
entreaties and fears, the family gods were destroyed.
During his stay at home he spoke constantly, both to her and in her
hearing to many visitors, of the teachings of this Jesus Who, he
explained to all comers, was the Son of the only True God.
* * * * *
Time passed, and gradually her fears were somewhat allayed, so that she
even consented to repeat certain sentences which, he told her, were to
be used night and morning, kneeling, and with closed eyes. Her
inclination to favourably regard what he told her grew, especially
during his absences from home; for, strange to relate, she soon began to
find herself under the influence of an unaccountable external power,
which compelled her on each occasion of a visit from her husband to fly
into an uncontrollable rage at the sight of him, and this despite her
most determined resolution to the contrary. To her husband it was most
distressing to see so gentle a woman thus transformed. As his own
spiritual experience increased, he recognised in this an onslaught of
the devil, and betook himself to prayer and fasting in order to discover
how they had laid themselves open to the attack. It was then that there
was brought to his remembrance the fact that, in a room at the top of
the house, there stood a small idol responsible for the health of the
family, whose existence Mrs. Hsi had been careful not to bring to his
remembrance, and which had been overlooked in the general destruction.
The shrine was instantly destroyed, and Mrs. Hsi was free of the
tormenting spirit, and shortly afterwards openly confessed Christ.
From that time their home in the Western Chang village was a centre of
Christian activity. Through intense suffering Mr. Hsi had freed himself
from the craving for opium, and he felt that, for the evangelisation of
his native province, some means might be devised whereby the treatment
of opium patients might be combined with widespread preaching of the
Gospel.
The more he thought of this the stronger the conviction grew that it was
of God, and when, through the agency of a dream, a system of treatment
was revealed to him, he accepted it as a revelation and at once prepared
the medicine which proved successful beyond his highest expectations.
After a time, men who had been delivered from the opium vice and led to
Christ through the Refuges, were gathered into his home (which he
called the Middle Eden) and trained for the work.
This community life for so large a number was only made possible by Mrs.
Hsi's enthusiastic devotion. The extension of the opium refuge work was
rapid and widespread, and necessitated frequent absences from home on
the part of Mr. Hsi, during which time a heavy burden fell upon his
wife.
Houses were rented in many towns and villages, and patients entering the
"heavenly called refuges"[1] were numerous.
The burden of one city, however, lay heavily upon the heart of Mr. Hsi,
and he and his household constantly prayed together that Hwochow might
be opened to the sound of the Gospel; but funds which seemed essential
for the initial expenses of the venture were not forthcoming. His
itinerant journeys frequently took him through this important centre,
which was situated sixty miles north of his home.
Day after day prayer was made, and Mrs. Hsi often heard her husband in
the night watches, as he knelt alone in the court, plead with God that
nothing might hinder what he strongly believed to be the Divine Purpose.
One Sunday night she was wakened by the familiar sound. She knew that
her husband, like herself, had gone to bed tired out by a long day of
preaching, during which large numbers had joined their household from
more or less distant villages. According to their custom, they had spent
the day fasting; it was Pastor Hsi's habit to refer to the Scriptures
direct for guidance on matters of daily conduct, and in the early days
of his faith he feared to sin against the law of God by allowing fires
to be lighted and meals to be prepared on Sunday. In accordance with his
habit, he had arisen soon after midnight to give himself to prayer, and
her ear caught the murmured sentences, "I beseech Thee, O Lord, open a
way for Hwochow to hear the Gospel." As she listened, the sound of his
voice brought conviction to her own mind that she was to be the human
agency by which the Divine Will should now fulfil itself. In a flash,
the path of duty was clear.
At the back of her cave were large painted cupboards which contained the
whole of her worldly possessions: bundles of handsome silk, satin, and
embroidered garments, and a box holding the heavy jade and silver
ornaments, which had been her husband's marriage gift. Leaving her
_kang_[2] Mrs. Hsi unlocked the cupboards and spent the rest of that
night in sorting their contents. All except a few cotton gowns were put
to one side, and as the voice in the courtyard still pleaded for
Hwochow, even the earrings were taken from her ears, the rings from her
fingers, and the ornaments from her hair.
He Who is worthy to receive accepted the offering, and her heart sang a
song of thanksgiving as she murmured to herself, "Hwochow shall have the
Gospel."
Morning prayers at Middle Eden was an hour of joyful worship, and on
this day Mrs. Hsi's heart was so full of happiness that she could
scarcely wait until the full congregation had assembled before she,
laden with her bundles, entered the room and placed them on the table,
saying, "I think God has answered our prayers; I can do without these,
let Hwochow have the Gospel."
Every heart present must have been moved, for all could judge accurately
what the sacrifice must be. She had offered her only worldly treasures,
articles which her husband could not ask her to sacrifice, ready as he
was to use in God's service all that pertained to their home.
Surely the angels joined their song to that of the little Christian
community that morning, as the words of their own pastor's hymn ascended
with the sacrifice of praise:
"I hung for thee on Calvary, what dost thou still withhold from Me?
Thy strength, thy time, thy goods?
Oh say, what dost thou yet deny, My heart of love to satisfy?"
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Heavenly Invitation Office ("Pastor Hsi's" translation).
[2] The raised brick or mud platform, heated by a fire, used as a bed in
North China.
THE BIG ROAD
"Allons! whoever you are, come travel with me!
Travelling with me you find what never tires.
Whoever you are, come forth! a man or a woman, come forth!
You must not stay sleeping or dallying there in the house,
though you built it, or though it has been built for you."
WALT WHITMAN.
"The Master said: With coarse rice to eat, with
water to drink, and my bended arm for a pillow;--I
have still joy in the midst of these
things."--_Confucian Analects._