Mrs. Mary P. Ament, who has been closely associated with Miss Russell
during the past year, sends the following account of the last loving
services rendered to our beloved missionary:
Many friends had roamed the hills and meadows, bringing a variety of
flowers—wild pinks, fine everlastings peculiar to Pei Tai Ho, also a
feathery foliage, and had massed them on piano and organ before the
pulpit with beautiful effect.
Intimate friends went slowly down from the service to Ivy Lodge, the
Stanleys’ pleasant home, where Miss Russell had been spending the
vacation days and where she died. As we entered the room and saw our
friend of many years, she seemed asleep, yet in repose one felt the
power of her personality, her high purpose, her dignity. The casket was
covered with heavy pongee and lined with cream-white crêpe. She wore a
white embroidered dress, and about her lay sprays of cypress vine. Her
beautiful silvery hair made her look so queenly!
The long journey to Peking accomplished, a large number of friends,
foreign and Chinese, awaited us, and next morning followed the
flower-laden bier to the cemetery.
There, as one listened to the discriminating words of Pastor Li in his
address, and Pastor Wang in his prayer, it brought keen satisfaction to
think that the fragrance, the real essence of such a life, was
perceived by those for whose welfare she had laboured. Rev. Mr. Stelle,
speaking in Chinese, emphasized our opportunity to show our respect for
her by seeking the things which she valued. In English, he told us of
the comfort sought by the dear friend in the Twenty-third Psalm, which
she asked to have read to her the day before she left us. He read the
Psalm and offered a prayer in English.
At early dawn the messenger came and, taking her by the hand, ascended
the heavenly heights. “And there shall be no night there, and they need
no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them
light, and they shall reign for ever and ever.”
These words are full of comfort, but as yet we feel the need of her
ministry so keenly that only the knowledge that the same God who
strengthened her is with us still enables us to move forward and
conserve what we may of her lifework.
With severe limitations of health she yet wrought with delicate touch
and a beautiful fabric was merging from beneath her hands.
I must allude briefly to the beauty of the day, with its clear shining
after rain, the deep sorrow of the devoted friends who followed the
bier on foot over miles of roadless distance from Ch’ienmen to the
cemetery, that quiet, ivy-walled inclosure in which stands the chapel
where the service was held—a tender, impressive service.
We had thought that few American or English friends could be present at
this time of year, when the foreign residents are away from the city,
but we were mistaken. Two secretaries of Legation, physicians of the
Union Medical College, fellow-workers, and old-time friends were there;
native pastors, Bible women, and church friends, servants and guards of
honour sent by the military governor of the city and by the chief of
the civil administration. The chapel had as many people standing as
there were sitting. The casket with its covering of beautiful vines and
white flowers, roses, day lilies, tuberoses, spirea, stood in front of
the altar and was carried by the friends to the grave, where loving
hands had arranged the beautiful wild date branches and vines as a
lining. There, a short service with Pastor Jen and Teacher Ch’uan
taking part, and a prayer and a hymn.
The mound as we left it was beautiful with the sides covered with the
green vines and date branches, and on top the lovely floral pieces and
coloured flowers, two great wreaths of the long palm leaves and roses,
and at the head a floral cross. There in the quiet and peace among the
trees we left it. Some of the Chinese are already saying, “When a stone
is erected, let it have one Chinese word upon it, just her name, then
we can find her grave and every spring at the ‘Ch’ing Ming’—feast of
all souls—we will go out and honour her memory.”
There is a hush upon us all. God has come very near and taken our Great
Missionary from us. We shall not look upon her like again.