the natives have built a number of “fackies” in which they live. I
noticed one afternoon, as I entered one of them, a man before the front
entrance; and upon going to see what he was doing, my attention was
attracted to a large piece of country cloth spread outside, and in
front, of the door.
I asked the man what it was there for. He could speak English, but did
not want to tell me; however, when he saw that I could not be put off,
he said that it was there to keep away sickness and death from their
facki; that they put their trust in it as their God. I said, “Would
you like me to put you on the ground, walk on you myself, and let
other people do the same, too? Would you think that I liked you very
much?” He said “No.” I said, “Now you say that you put your trust in
this cloth to keep away sickness and death: if a person has anything,
as silver or gold, which he values, he will keep it in a secure place,
because he values it. Now you show how you value what you put trust
in; you are walking on it yourself, and others are, too; the rains
will soon come, which will cause it to rot, and then it will be thrown
away.” The head woman of the facki was there, (they were without a head
man, as he died only a few weeks before this,) as I spoke to this
man, and another one who would explain what I said to her. I asked if
this cloth was here when their head man was alive. They said it was. I
added, “Then, you see, he got sick and died; this cloth was not able
to save him.” They admitted it. I said, “There is nothing man can make
that can be worshiped as God, neither silver nor gold, nor anything;
God made all, and has made man. If you worship a tree, and say that man
has not made that, God made it. He lives in Heaven, and has made man,
and there is nothing that man can take in place of Him, and if you will
believe that, and put your trust in Him, He will save you through His
Son. If at any time you believe what I have told you, but are afraid to
take away the cloth yourselves, send for me, and I will come and take
it up.” They explained it to the head woman, and while I was there,
they took the cloth up and threw it away. I thought it was best to have
it at the Mission, as a memorial. I asked one of the men to bring it to
the yard some time when he was coming that way.
The head woman of this facki now comes to our church every Sabbath,
and on the first Sabbath, when she was dressed for church, she brought
the cloth in her hand. The act of doing that showed that she gave up
all. I was speaking that day on the long-suffering of God, and inviting
sinners to accept Christ who was waiting to receive them. I said that
although the heathen cannot read His word, they have a conscience, and
naturally know that there is a God. In speaking about that, I referred
to this case, and had one of the brethren bring the cloth into the
church and show them. I exhorted them concerning the life that we
should endeavor to live among these people. Many could not refrain from
tears. I was much encouraged myself. I had almost given up, thinking
I could not do anything, and that the Lord had not called me here. I
have trouble in getting the people to church, but, when visiting them
in their fackies, I have a chance to bring the truth home to them, and
have made it my special duty to visit the fackies twice a week. While I
cannot speak the language myself, I endeavor to avail myself of every
opportunity of doing all the good I can. In many of the fackies I find
some that can speak broken English, so I speak to these and ask them to
tell the others what I say. Sometimes I have a chance to speak to the
parents about bringing up their children, especially if I see any that
are disposed to accept civilized dress, but allow their children to go
anyhow, and do not even send them to school. An ordained missionary is
greatly needed for the advancement of the work here.
* * * * *
THE INDIANS.
* * * * *
LA POINTE AGENCY.
DR. I. L. MAHAN, U. S. INDIAN AGENT.
I have just returned from Lac Courte d’Oreille, where I have been to
deliver the annual goods and supplies, and to superintend the farming
operations carried on upon that reservation. Garden and field seed had
been sent forward early in the season, and the farmer and assistant had
progressed finely with the work. I found a larger number of Indians
gathered upon the reservation than at any time since the first year I
came to the agency. This is accounted for by reason of the late visit
of three of their chiefs to their great father at Washington. The
report had gone abroad among the roving bands that the bills had passed
Congress, and they expected to meet the Indian Commissioners to counsel
upon the sale of their timber, from which they believed they were to
receive large sums of money.
All the roving Indians within a hundred miles had gathered, and were
awaiting my arrival. I soon put their minds at rest, however, on
that score, and informed them that those who helped themselves the
Government would help, but no others. In looking over their patches,
for their farms are in miniature as yet, they were seen to be well
tended and well fenced; and as I looked upon the nearly twelve hundred
Indians as they received their goods, for which the males between the
ages of 18 and 45 had worked under the direction of the farmer, I could
not but compare them with the same number gathered in the fall of 1873.
Then they wore long hair, blankets, feathers, paint, &c.; they were
dirty, filthy and almost eaten up with vermin. Now they are clean, with
short hair, blankets rare, little paint, no feathers, and most of them
well clothed. The dresses of the females were in the latest fashion;
and many of them had on hats. The men wore clean white or colored
shirts, and hats or caps. They prized the agricultural implements,
hoes, rakes, scythes, plows, grub hoes, &c., all being in great demand.
Some years ago they wanted blankets, beads and trinkets. They seemed
delighted with the idea of a boarding-school such as we agreed upon
while I was East. There was an entire absence of that domineering
spirit which characterized them in ‘73. They received the goods with
thankfulness. Mildness and gentleness were pictured upon every face.
They respected their agent and loved the Government that dealt with
them so bountifully. This is the reservation on which Mr. and Mrs. Holt
commenced the work of civilization. Truly the seed was well planted,
and although for years we have only been able to hold our own, now, as
the times look favorable, we hope for grand results.
These are the Indians who must go to the personal care of another. I
leave them with sadness, yet cherishing a grand hope of their future. I
have done what I could, and hope they may fall into good hands, for the
field is ripe for the harvest. Give them a good agent who understands
them and will toil for them, and I have no fear. The Lac de Flambeau
are much in the same condition, but the other Indians of this agency
are able to care for themselves.
* * * * *
THE CHINESE.
* * * * *
“CALIFORNIA CHINESE MISSION.”
Auxiliary to the American Missionary Association.
PRESIDENT: Rev. J. K. McLean, D. D.
VICE-PRESIDENTS: Rev. A. L. Stone, D. D., Thomas C.
Wedderspoon, Esq., Rev. T. K. Noble, Hon. F. F. Low, Rev. I. E.
Dwinell, D. D., Hon. Samuel Cross, Rev. S. H. Willey, D. D., Edward
P. Flint, Esq., Rev. J. W. Hough, D. D., Jacob S. Taber, Esq.
DIRECTORS: Rev. George Mooar, D. D., Hon. E. D. Sawyer,
Rev. E. P. Baker, James M. Haven, Esq., Rev. Joseph Rowell, Rev.
John Kimball, E. P. Sanford, Esq.
SECRETARY: Rev. W. C. Pond. TREASURER: E. Palace,
Esq.
* * * * *
SERMONS BY OUR CHINESE HELPERS.
It seemed to me that no better use could be made, this month, of the
columns set apart for our Chinese Mission, than to introduce to our
friends some of our Chinese helpers, by giving a sample or two of their
work. Let it be remembered that they have been taken from the kitchen,
and set, at once, in the missionary service; and that whatever of
special training they receive, comes along with the work itself. They
are assisted in the study of the Bible by the teachers with whom they
serve respectively, but learn to preach, mainly, _by preaching_.
Lee Sam, in our missionary work but four months as yet, sends the
following:
Matt. xxvi., 41.—Jesus says to his disciples, “Watch and pray that ye
enter not into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh
is weak.” When we first become Christians then our own hearts are evil.
It often seems much easier to do wrong than to do right; without Jesus
we can do nothing. We must pray without ceasing. Jesus says, “If a man
love Me he will keep My words, and My Father will love him and make Our
abode with him.” Hear what He says: “If any man will come after Me, let
him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me, for whosoever
will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for
My sake shall find it.” If we know of Jesus and His love we shall be
willing to give our life that we may bring others to love Him and to
accept Him as their Saviour. We must pray to Jesus to help us love the
Lord our God with all our hearts, and with all our soul, and with all
our mind, and love one another and keep His commandments; and we must
pray that we enter not into temptation, and we may ask Him for whatever
we need. We may ask Him to heal us if we are sick, to help us if we are
weak; for food to eat and clothes to wear. We must ask His care when we
go to bed, and His wisdom and strength when we rise in the morning to
the labors and duties of another day. We must rely upon Jesus Christ as
long as we live. Most of all must we beg of Him to blot out our sins
and give us a new heart. If we live a life of prayer, God will love us
in this life and when we die we shall have joy, and after death our
souls shall be full of joy for ever and ever. We cannot live near Jesus
without much prayer; but we must watch as well as pray. We have many
enemies that we must watch. Our own hearts lead us away from Jesus.
Jesus says: “If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off and cast it from
thee, or if thy right eye offend thee pluck it out.” This means that
we should part with anything, no matter how dear, if it makes us sin.
We must watch our thoughts; if we know they do not please Jesus, we
must put them from us. We must love only good things, and delight only
in what we can have with our heart full of love to Jesus. If we know
that anything will tempt us to sin, we must watch against it and keep
away from it. We must not go to any place where we know Jesus would not
wish us to go. We must watch our tongues that they do not speak any
wrong words, and we must watch that in all that we think, in all that
we say, and in all that we do, we please Jesus. “The spirit indeed is
willing but the flesh is weak.” If we are true Christians, we desire
more than anything else to follow Jesus. We mean to love Him always, to
work for Him always, and to turn from everything that is wrong. But how
many times we do not do things we mean to do, and how many times we do
things that make us sorry: and we go to Jesus and we ask Him to forgive
us. Our spirit is willing. In our heart, our very soul, we love Jesus,
but the flesh is weak. The flesh is our sinful self, the old wicked
heart, anything in this life that makes us do wrong. Sometimes we want
to speak good words for Jesus. We would like to tell our brethren of
His love, but we are not wise; we do not know the right words to say.
“The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” That is, in
our own selves, without Jesus we are very weak, we cannot do anything
right. But He will give the Holy Spirit to help us, so we may be strong
in Him, though we are in our own selves, without His spirit, very weak.
He will help us be strong to do right, and wise to say the right word.
Lena Chung, our Sacramento helper, who has been in service about one
year, sends the following:
John xiii., 34. “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one
another.”
What does this mean? Our Lord was on earth; His disciples had followed
Him three years. Jesus knew His hour was come that He should depart
out of this world unto the Father. The disciples had been with Him so
long; they might know how to love God and follow Christ, but when their
Light should go away then they would be troubled and offended because
of the world. Jesus knew they would receive persecution; be cast out of
the synagogues and despised and hated of men; so He gave them this new
commandment that they should love one another in this world.
I. We ought to love one another. It is our duty to obey this command.
Some may say: he may be a Christian, but he is not my countryman, not
near to me. I am a white man, he is black, or he is a yellow man, he
does not belong to my family or friends. I will not love him. It can be
no sin to hate him. Not so, my friends. It hath been said, “Thou shalt
love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy.” But Christ tells us: “Love
your enemies and bless them which curse you.” If so, we must love all
who love God, and are trying to serve and please Him, whatever their
place in life.
The body has many organs. The head is upward, feet downward, hands at
the sides; they must work in harmony with each other—they must love
one another. So with us. There are many kinds of people in the world;
but God is the Father of all, though same are in Europe, some in Asia,
some in Africa and some in America. The color may be different, the
figure also different; but all must work for the same object, and all
must love one another as members of one body—which is Christ.
Oh, my friends, I hope you will turn to love and not hate. If any love
Christ they must love all people in the world, not only those they
know, but spread it wider and love all who come to Christ,
II. Love one another truly with our hearts. Paul said: “Though I
speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not charity, I
am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. Though I bestow all
my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned and
have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” So, then, we must love
truly, honestly, and freely. “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his
brother, he is a liar.” When Christ saw the people love outwardly, not
with the heart, He said: “Beware of false prophets which come to you in
sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” We may learn
from this, unless we love one another truly and honestly, we cannot get
the blessing of God.
III. Love one another continually. This is like God, whose love is
unchangeable. He loves us all the time, gives us our daily bread,
our clothes, and all we have. He gave His only begotten Son to the
world to die for us. If we hate Him, He does not hate us, but loves
us still. There was once a father in China who loved his son like the
precious diamond. His son did all things to dishonor his father, but
his father loved him still, and would not change his love. After a time
the son left his father and came to California, where he grew worse
and worse; never wrote any letters to his father. At last, a friend
came to California whom the father knew, and sent word by him to his
son. He said: “When you meet my son please tell him for me, I love
him continually. I never forget my love.” A few months after, this
friend met the son. He said to him, “You are doing all things vain. The
precious time is almost gone. Soon you will feel gloomy and sad. When
I left home your father sent a short message to you. He said he loves
you continually.” When the son heard this his face changed, his heart
became like a piece of ice on the hot fire. He started at once to see
his father. When he reached home, his father was so happy to see him he
forgot all the wrong his son had done. The father represents the true
living God; the son, the people of the world; and the friend represents
Jesus Christ. The bad son leaving his father and doing wrong, is like
the people of the world disobeying God and going far away from Him. God
sent us word by our Saviour that He loves us continually. This word
should melt our hearts and make us return to God. He will receive us
joyfully and forgive us our sins.
Brethren: If God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
[The third sketch, which is by Jee Gam, to whom, during his recent
visit to the East, many of our readers listened with great interest,
must be deferred to another issue.—ED. MISSIONARY.]
* * * * *
CHILDREN’S PAGE.
* * * * *
A TRIP UP THE YANG-TSE-KIANG.
REV. G. W. PAINTER.
By the last mail, I wrote that I was in Shanghai for my health. Since
then, I have been up the Yang-tse-Kiang to Hankow, a distance up and
back of 1,200 miles, first-class passage $8. This included board for
a whole week, and it may startle you to hear that we had genuine
strawberries (the first I have seen during seven years’ residence in
China), which cost the steward five cash each (half a cent), and shad
at a cost of $2 per pair. We always had five or six kinds of meat, and
several kinds of fruit. How this could be afforded was a mystery, but
to me a charming one.
The fare provoked even a sick man’s appetite, and the pure sweet river
air conduced to sleep; the weather was fine, and the scenery, for one
half of the route, superb. Part of the way the banks of the river were
flat, and the view was cut off by tall reeds with which they were
lined, but during the latter half of the upward journey the mountains
rose, often abruptly from the river, not unfrequently to great heights,
and it was true of some of these, what I supposed before coming to
this country was true of all mountains, that they were terraced and
cultivated to their summits. Much of the scenery was equal to that on
the Hudson, minus the residences.
The country houses along the river are much poorer than in our Province
of Hanchow, and the cities seem older and more dilapidated. The river
annually overflows the low grounds from April to August, and as it
often rises 50 feet above its winter level, the people build only rude
huts. The missionaries at Hankow inform me that for months they are
compelled to use canoes for travel on their streets. It was the busiest
season (May) when I reached Hankow, which until recently was the most
interior treaty port of the Empire. It is separated from Han Yang and
Wa-Chang by the Yang-tse-Kiang and Han rivers, and each of them is an
immense city. There are some two hundred foreigners here. The Bund
(River) St. has houses only on one side, and is the finest in China.
It stands 50 feet above the river, which for half a mile is faced with
splendid stone masonry. It offers the busiest and most _Chinesy_ sight
yet seen in this country. Fourteen steamers were lying at the wharves.
There is a great rush to get the first new tea into the English market.
The fleetest steamers are chartered at fabulous prices: $32 per ton
is paid for transportation, and $1,600 for river pilots, on the round
trip from Shanghai to Hankow and return—a trip of one week. This year
the season opened on the Sabbath, some taking advantage of the fact
that others were at church to begin lading. Neither heat, night, nor
anything else checks the work. The Russians do the biggest business.
They deal chiefly in the coarsest and poorest qualities of tea. Stem,
leaf, and often extraneous matter, are ground to powder, steamed and
pressed into bricks of convenient size for transportation, and these
are used for money in Mongolia and Siberia.
Hankow is a filthy city. Wa-Chang is much better in this respect, has
fine hills, and a lofty pagoda from which a magnificent view of the
surrounding country is obtained.
I was hospitably received, not alone by the missionaries, but by many
outside the mission circles, who as a rule do not show much kindness
to us. I saw much of the mission work, and found that it was not
given exclusively to the natives, but extended to the sailors in the
various ports. Ancestral worship, which is the religion of China,
is one of the chief obstacles to the reception of Christianity. A
pigeon-English-speaking Chinaman to whom a zealous sister had given a
book said, in answer to her question, “How did you like it?” “That book
talkee fool pigeon. I no can leave father; no can leave mother.” He
meant he could not cease from worshiping them.
I saw here an ancient and queer monument called the “Lamp of a thousand
years.” The inscriptions on it are in Sanscrit, and have not been
deciphered. Also a picture representing a miracle of like import to
that of Jesus at Cana. A landlord had treated one of the _genii_ with
great kindness. He rewarded him by turning his well into a wine pool.
The host’s avarice was awakened, and he complained that now he had no
swill for his pigs, whereupon the well gave forth water again. Hence,
in characterizing an avaricious man, the Chinese say “If his well
bubbled wine he would complain of a lack of swill.”
Smuggling is carried on to a great extent all along the river, opium
and salt being the principal articles thus introduced. The natives
employ foreigners to protect their goods, and the hands on the steamers
are engaged in the work, and are skillful in all manner of tricks
by which to evade duties. The whole trip was delightful and most
invigorating to a sick missionary.
* * * * *
RECEIPTS
FOR JULY, 1880.
* * * * *
MAINE, $309.96.
Camden. E. D. Mansfield, $3; J. H., $1; A. H., $1 $5.00
Foxcroft and Dover. Cong. Ch. 6.60
Limington. “A Friend” 2.00
Machias. “Machias,” $10; Centre St. Cong. Ch., $6.45 16.45
North Waterford. Cong. Sab. Sch. 6.50
Portland. State St. Ch., $150; St. Lawrence St. Ch. and
Soc., $8.50 158.50
Scarborough. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 15.66
Skowhegan. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 31.75
Thomaston. Cong. Ch. 5.00
Vassalborough. ESTATE of Mrs. Mary B. Buxton, by
Samuel Titcomb, Ex. 50.00
York. First Cong. Ch. and Soc. 12.50
NEW HAMPSHIRE, $354.33.
Amherst. Cong. Ch. 20.25
Bethlehem. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 3.00
Campton. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 17.00
Concord. South Cong. Ch. and Soc. 54.92
Dover. S. H. F. 1.00
Exeter. “A Thank Offering” 25.00
Fitzwilliam. L. Hill 5.00
Fitzwilliam. Mrs. C. E. Gowan, _in memory of her
Mother_ 3.00
Hampstead. Cong. Ch. and Soc., $8.50; Ann M. Howard,
$5 13.50
Hanover. Religious Soc. 20.00
Lebanon. O. S. M. 1.00
Manchester. C. B. Southworth 25.00
Milford. Cong. Ch., $19.43; R. M., $1 20.43
Nashua. First Cong. Ch. and Soc. 50.00
New Ipswich. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 10.23
New Market. T. H. Wiswall 10.00
North Hampton. Cong. Ch. and Soc., to const. MRS.
ADALINE DRAKE, L. M. 30.00
Peterborough. Union Evan. Ch. and Soc., to const. JONES
N. DODGE, L. M. 30.00
Swanzey. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 5.00
Temple. Cong. Sab. Sch. 10.00
VERMONT, $284.76.
Cabot. Mrs. S. S. H. 1.00
Cambridge. M. and C. Stafford, $89.98; J. G. Morse, $5;
Rev. E. Wheelock, $5; S. M. Safford, $5;
O. W. Reynolds, $3; H. Wires, $3; B. R. Holmes, $2;
J. W. T., $1; E. B. $1; M. J. M., $1 115.88
Clarendon. Mrs. N. J. Smith, to const. W. D.
SMITH, L. M. 30.00
Cornwall. Cong. Sab. Sch. 10.75
Fair Haven. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 18.38
Manchester. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 47.12
Morrisville. Cong. Ch. and Soc., $17.84;
“An Aged Friend,” $15 32.84
North Cambridge. John Kinsley 5.00
Pawlet. Mrs. Dan Blakeley 5.00
West Brattleborough. Cong. Ch. 12.44
Wilmington. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 6.35
MASSACHUSETTS, $4,517.04.