WESTERN CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE

May 3, 1876

BY REV. A. STRITMATTER

December 8th -- Mr. Hall was very unwell last night, but still concluded to go on shore with me this morning and preach and sell books. We had not been on the street fifteen minutes, however, until I observed a marked rudeness on the part of the people. They would crowd around me and snatch away my books, and walk deliberately off without paying for them. These were unpleasant indications, and, under such circumstances, all that is needed for a row is a little display of temper on the part of a foreigner, or a large enough crowd on the part of the Chinese. We made our way through an unfrequented part of the city to the premises of the Inland Mission, passing close by a large Roman Catholic Church on the way. The crowd behind us were very unruly, and almost blocked up the street by the time we reached Mr. Baller's (the English missionary) gate. They tried hard to force their way in with us when we were admitted, and we had to shut the doors on them by main strength. We afterward learned that it was just the time for civil and military examinations, when the city is always full of strangers, who are generally disposed to be rude to foreigners. The native authorities had courteously requested the missionaries to suspend street-preaching for a few days, until the close of the examinations, when the place would be more quiet. Not wishing to court any disturbance, we did not attempt to do any more missionary work in the city during the day, but had a good opportunity for preaching and selling books among the boat-people of the river banks. The finest pagoda along the river stands at the lower end of this city, not far from where we are anchored. In company with Mr. Baller, I visited it during the day. It is a beautiful, as well as immense structure, seven stories, or near two hundred feet, in height. We went up to the upper story by a winding staircase of stone inside, consisting of one hundred and seventy steps. From the middle stories we had a fine view, there being a walk running round each one, guarded by a balustrade only knee high; but from the upper story we had only a little square window to look out at, barely large enough to admit one's head. We could see all over the city, four miles in circuit, with all the space within the walls covered by buildings, and large suburbs outside also. The population amounts to several hundred thousand.

December 9th -- Owing to the bad state of his health, Mr. Hall returned by steamer to Kiukiang last night, and Mr. Baller, of the China Inland Mission, has kindly consented to accompany me on the rest of the trip. We left Nyan Ching at nine A. M., and, after coming down the river twenty-five miles, turned off the main stream to visit a small place called Tsung Yang. The simple-minded villagers crowded around us, and showed the utmost curiosity in regard to our books, dress, etc. As soon as they learned the object of our visit, they brought out a seat for Mr. Baller, and stood around him as he expounded to them the truths of the Gospel. I tried to talk to a part of the crowd which

followed me a little distance from him, but did not hold their attention more than ten minutes. They were too eager to find out what kind of clothes I had on, where I came from, etc. We disposed of quite a number of New Testaments and other books. It was sundown when we returned to the boat, the people seeming to vie with each other in performing kindly offices for us to the very last. Yet even here in this retired little place, never before, perhaps, visited by foreigners, we found men who were slaves to opium, and wanted help from us to fee themselves for the terrible power of the foreign drug.

December 10th -- Dropped down the river to-day as far as a place called Ta Tung. It consists of two very active trading emporiums, one on the right bank of the Yang-tse, and the other on an island in the river. We were on the island a great part of the afternoon, and I never saw a more kindly disposition on the part of the people. There was no abusive language, no words of ridicule, or attempts to carry off books without paying for them, but the utmost good feeling was manifested. Certainly it would be hard to find a more good-natured people than the Chinese naturally are. There are two chapels on the island, one of the China Inland Mission, and one of the Roman Catholics. The latter surpass all other religious denominations in China in the activity, boldness, and perseverance with which they propagate their doctrines, notwithstanding they have acquired great unpopularity among the people by their overweening and arrogant disposition. They have a native membership here of twenty and upward. By their tact and resolution they have succeeded in establishing themselves in places to which Protestant missionaries have not yet even penetrated; and the first ideas which the people receive of Christianity are those they get through the Church of Rome. Lamentable as the fact may be, the restless ambition and fanatical zeal of French and Italian priests are taking the precedence to-day over all the fervor and devotion manifested by Protestant missions in this empire.

December 11th -- Remained at Ta Tung until noon to-day, preaching and selling books. Then we came down the river five miles, in the face of a stiff breeze, to a little place called Tung Ling Chia. It is the mart of a district city of the same name, lying three miles inland. A small crowd collected on the bank, and Mr. Baller and I talked and sold books to them until dark. The staple commodity of the place is fire-wood, which is brought from the hills in the vicinity.

December 12th -- Every thing was covered with frost this morning, and the air, even in the boat, was chilly. After breakfast we took a two hours' walk on shore to get warm. There was a strong breeze up the river, and the native boats which had left Ta Tung early in the morning were compelled to put in at our little cove for shelter. By ten o'clock the place was literally jammed full, and what was a little, quiet, out-of-the-way village last night was swarming every where with Chinamen. We tried to preach to the crowd at different times during the day, and found them very polite and attentive auditors.

December 13th -- After breakfast this morning we took a basketful of books and set off for the town of Tung Ling. A little more than and hour's walk brought us to the wall, and passing inside we followed a street leading through the heart of the town. We found the place in quite a dilapidated condition, the ruins of buildings both inside and outside the walls showing the devastation of the rebels some twelve or fifteen years

since. As we passed along the street, being the first foreigners, probably, that had ever entered the place, we could hear the familiar epithet, "yang knei tsu," in half the shops we passed. A crowd of men and boys collected after us, curious to see what the foreigners had come after. Having gone beyond the business part of the street, we came to a little rising ground, covered with broken bricks, where we halted. We took our stand close to a wall, where the crowd could not surge in behind us, and they gathered up close in front. Not knowing whether they were disposed to be rude or not, we tried to get on the good side of them at the first, by talking pleasantly to them. "We have come to this place," I said, "with no intention of hurting you, so don't be afraid." At this they laughed, evidently thinking it quite a joke for a couple of defenseless foreigners, in a strange city like this, to exhort the people not to have any fears. They proved to be perfectly good-natured and friendly, and listened attentively to us as we tried to tell them of God and Christ and heaven. For an hour and a half we talked with them, and distributed among them portions of the Word of life, which may the Lord bless to their eternal good. We came away without having experienced the slightest annoyance, and with hearts warming toward them for the friendly reception which they had given us. Returning to our boat, we left our little anchorage early in the afternoon, and continued our course down the river. In a couple of hours the boatmen called to us wanting to know if we should anchor at a small place ahead. I said yes, and almost immediately regretted the order, fearing there would be no opening for doing good in a place where there were but few people, and that we would only be losing time by stopping. But as they had already hauled up to the bank, we concluded to go on shore and see what we could do. I went first, and found a little crowd already gathered, who, on learning what my business was, directed me to go up on "the street." As the place looked like a mere hamlet, I hardly expected to find any thing like a street; but I went up to where the little row of mud huts and thatched hovels began, and found a little winding path running through their midst. I had gone but a few steps when the people began to swarm around me (where they came from I was at a loss to imagine), and to ask for the books which I had under my arm. There was soon a perfect rush for these, and the crowd became so great that I retired from the street to an open place, where they could gather round me. The feeling was most kind and friendly, especially on the part of a literary gentleman named Yu, who came up and conversed with me in the most pleasant and amicable manner possible. He showed some knowledge of Christianity, and recommended my books very highly to the crowd. I was sorry to find that the dialect of the people differed so much from that of Kiukiang that I could with difficulty understand them. Still they seemed to understand me very well, and I sold books so rapidly that I was soon compelled to return to the boat for a fresh supply. I found that Mr. Baller had got no farther then half-way up the bank, where he was preaching away as hard as he could to an earnest and attentive crowd. We remained on shore until dark, the sales of the books amounting to eleven hundred cash. When Mr. Baller, who is a stout man physically, came on board, he was completely exhausted, having talked almost incessantly for an hour and a half. He said there was an inquiring spirit manifested among his hearers, which was encouraging in the highest degree. The results of our visit have been quite beyond expectation, and at no other place yet have we had, seemingly, such an opportunity for doing good. The name of the village is Ten Chiao.