oi 
 
 the Whtologicat ® 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 Purchased by the Hammill Missionary Fund. 
 
 Division 
 
 Section 
 
 1)5507 
 
 .\W755. 
 
 Number. 
 

 ii 
 
 f 
 

Letters from tl]e Orient. 
 
. Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2016 
 
 https://archive.org/details/lettersfromorien00wils_0 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LETTER 
 
 FROM THE 
 
 TL 
 
 
 TO 
 
 K]er at hjomb. 
 
 BY 
 
 MRS. R. W. WILSON. 
 
 ^ov\A (L ip^Cci-nb) Vi 
 
 . 
 
 CAf^EFULiLiY ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 SUNDA Y-SCIIOO l DEPA R TMEN T. 
 
 Publishing House op tiie Methohist Episcopal Church, South. 
 J. D. Barbee, Agent, Nashville, Tenn. 
 
 1890. 
 
Entered, according to Act of Cougiess, in the year 18D0, 
 
 By the Book Agents of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 
 in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
 
©ontent^ 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Introduction 7 
 
 Letter I. 
 
 Across the Continent — Kansas City, Denver, Salt Lake City, 
 
 San Francisco 9 
 
 Letter II. 
 
 On the Pacific — A Pleasant Voyage 16 
 
 Letter III. 
 
 In Japan — Yokohama, Tokio, and Nikko 19 
 
 Letter IV. 
 
 The Mission Work and Workers in Japan 35 
 
 Letter V. 
 
 First Trip on the Inland Sea — The Missouri Layman’s 
 
 School 49 
 
 Letter VI. 
 
 Missionary and Native Life in Hiroshima 56 
 
 Letter VII. 
 
 Other Pleasant Excursions in Japan 70 
 
 Letter VIII. 
 
 Studying the Peculiarities of the Japs 79 
 
 Letter IX. 
 
 Leaving Japan — From Kobe to Shanghai 90 
 
 Letter X. 
 
 The China Mission Conference — Glancing Over the Field. . . 93 
 
 Letter XI. 
 
 A Tour of the Canals — The Interior Mission Stations — In- 
 teresting Observations Among the People 103 
 
 ( 5 ) 
 
6 Contents. 
 
 Letter XII. page 
 
 Again Over Lake and Canal — The Interior Journeyings 
 
 Ended 124 
 
 Letter XlII. 
 
 The Mission Schools in Shanghai — Their Good Management 
 
 — In the Homes of the Natives 129 
 
 Letter XIV. 
 
 Superstitions, Crimes, and Beggary of the Chinese — Some of 
 
 Their Fashions and Punishments 147 
 
 Letter XV. 
 
 The Voyage to India — Sights on Sea and Land 170 
 
 Letter XVI. 
 
 Hindoo Women — Their Zenana Life — Prisoners from the 
 
 Cradle to the Grave — Notable Sights 1S8 
 
 Letter XVII. 
 
 In the Land of the Pharaohs — Cairo and Its Thousand At- 
 tractions ' 208 
 
 Letter XVIII. 
 
 A Short Stay in Rome — The Ancient Ruins and Modern 
 
 Grandeur of the Eternal City 221 
 
 Letter XIX. 
 
 From Rome to Paris — Splendors and Miseries of the French 
 
 Capital 230 
 
 Letter XX. 
 
 Across the Channel — Taking in the Wonders of London, the 
 World’s Greatest City 239 
 
 Letter XXL 
 
 End of the Journey — From Liverpool to New York 
 
 252 
 
Introduction. 
 
 T HIS little book was not in the thought of the 
 author when she left her home for the far 
 East. The impaired health of her husband made 
 the presence and service of his wife necessary to 
 his comfort; and therefore, with sadness and some 
 misgivings, she commended her daughters to God, 
 bade them farewell, devoted herself to wifely 
 offices, and drew consolation from the thought of 
 oft writing to the loved ones left in the care of the 
 heavenly Father. 
 
 Mrs. Wilson looked upon Japan, China, India, 
 and other lands with a woman’s eye and with a 
 woman’s sympathetic heart. Being in full accord 
 with her husband in his labor of love, she stood by 
 his side as he surveyed the fields, made her own 
 observations, noted some facts which might not 
 have arrested the Bishop’s attention, and, while 
 the inspiration was fresh upon her, recorded what 
 she saw, felt, and longed for, in these familiar let- 
 ters addressed to her children. 
 
 Mrs. Wilson brought to her pleasant task a 
 
 ( 7 ) 
 
8 
 
 Introduction. 
 
 practiced pen. The weekly press has already 
 made the Church familiar with her easy, unlabored 
 style and with her graphic pictures of life and 
 manners. It will therefore surprise no one to 
 learn that judicious friends have requested the 
 publication of the letters in a more permanent 
 form. 
 
 These letters will give to a majority of readers a 
 more satisfactory view of Oriental life, of the needs 
 of the heathen world, and of the character of mis- 
 sionary service than could be gained from more 
 pretentious volumes ; and it is safe to expect, as 
 results of them, more of the missionary conscience 
 in the Church, more prayer for the perishing, and 
 a more correct judgment of those who, in separa- 
 tion from kindred and from home, spend their 
 strength in the attempt to raise those who have 
 been cast down by idolatry and have lain for cent- 
 uries beneath its mass of evil. 
 
 These opinions are given after a careful reading 
 of the letters, and it is believed that they will be 
 confirmed by those who shall read them in their 
 present form. Samuel Rodgers. 
 
 Baltimore, Md. 
 

betters ffom tfye ©rienf. 
 
 LETTER, i. 
 
 ACROSS THE CONTINENT— KANSAS CITY, DENVER, SALT LAKE 
 CITY, SAN FRANCISCO. 
 
 San Francisco, July 29, 18S8. 
 
 I T was no light thing to leave you for such a jour- 
 ney as we have undertaken, and for so long a 
 time. The uncertainties of the separation crowd 
 into my thoughts — not to the exclusion of faith 
 and hope, but overtopping the pleasant anticipa- 
 tions which you exhorted me to cherish. Being 
 sure that it is right for me to go, I do not expect 
 to look through dimmed eyes all the way; indeed, 
 already the skies are brightening, because our 
 “Mizpah” stands above the clouds. How happy 
 we should be that this beacon is ours in common, 
 the Lord surely watching between us while we are 
 absent one from the other ! no more with us than 
 with you — you at home as privileged as we who 
 are about his business in distant climes, and we 
 no nearer to him because our journeying may 
 take us into his very presence ; for he is alike near 
 
 ( 9 ) 
 
10 Letters f rom the Orient. 
 
 his children whether they labor on earth or rest 
 in heaven. 
 
 We had not gone a day’s journey when a 
 “washout” on the Marietta and Cincinnati Rail- 
 road delayed our train for several hours. “No 
 breakfast” caused very lugubrious faces in our 
 car: however, about io a.m. there was a visible 
 brightening of the hungry crowd on finding that a 
 little farm-house on the top of a hill near by could 
 furnish a meager supply. What mattered it to the 
 famishing that the amount of water for dish-wash- 
 ing was scant? Eighteen hours of fasting, with 
 the prospect of several more ahead, was sufficient 
 to remove from us all fastidiousness. We took 
 our turn, and I must add that these rations were 
 commensurate with the price, neither the one nor 
 the other being beyond our capacity. 
 
 A delightful stay of thirty-six hours in Kansas 
 City with Mr. and Mrs. Witten McDonald was a 
 pleasant break in railroad travel. The delay on 
 the route deprived us of the pleasure of looking 
 over the city by daylight. We were partially 
 compensated by a drive in the moonlight, bright 
 enough to let us see how wonderfully this young 
 city has growm into long lines of streets adorned 
 on either side with attractive residences set in the 
 midst of parks and gardens, restful to the eye and 
 
Across the Continent. 11 
 
 suggestive, as all earthly good should be, of better 
 things. The next day — the Lord’s-day — we wor- 
 shiped morning and night atWalnut Street Church. 
 Your father preached, and, I dare to say it, gave 
 us an honest gospel. Monday morning we re- 
 sumed our journey, leaving behind blessing and 
 prayer for our hosts, and bearing with us, I doubt 
 not, their best wishes. 
 
 Six hours’ delay in Denver gave us opportunity 
 to look through the city. Mr. Brinker and Mr. 
 Rhodes, friends of your father — long time ago 
 from Winchester, Virginia ; for these many years 
 settled in Denver, and devoted advocates of its 
 interests — showed us kindness. It is a great city, 
 beginning where many of our Eastern cities have 
 ended, and in its public and private buildings and 
 municipal arrangements showing how grandly 
 Western energy expends itself. 
 
 As you know, I was never before so far west: 
 so far, it seemed to me, that I was disposed to sing, 
 “Beyond the sunset’s radiant glow.” But the 
 glow still keeps ahead, and I suppose we shall not 
 overtake it until we pass to where there shall be 
 no sun. 
 
 At Denver we were five thousand two hundred 
 feet above sea-level. Our continued travel was 
 down-hill, till at Salt Lake City our elevation was 
 
12 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 less by twelve hundred feet. Here also we drove 
 out, visiting the Temple and Tabernacle, climbed 
 the lofty hill that gives the best view of the city 
 and surrounding plain, as far as to the great Salt 
 Lake; besides, we saw the houses where dwelt 
 the many wives and children of Brigham Young, 
 the chief apostle of Mormonism, as well as other 
 handsome residences along the broad, well-shaded 
 and well-watered streets. The Temple, if ever 
 finished, will be magnificent: it is said the sound 
 of a hammer has not been heard in the building. 
 The Tabernacle, where ten thousand Mormons as- 
 semble every Sunday, is not surpassed in the world 
 in seating capacity nor in acoustic properties. I 
 pray God that some day the everlasting gospel may 
 be preached in this great building of the Mormons. 
 
 Do you know the beginning of this city? Orig- 
 inally the Mormons lived in Illinois, and were 
 driven from that State by a mob of outraged peo- 
 ple. They were allowed to convert their property 
 into cash, and, taking their wives and children, 
 started west to find a new home. On and on they 
 traveled to a land they knew not. July 24, 1847, 
 they came through a defile of the mountain on the 
 east side of what is now Salt Lake City. I won- 
 der not, when they passed over and saw this beau- 
 tiful valley, they went no farther. Here they 
 
Across the Continent. 
 
 13 
 
 settled, and by the strong hand and organizing skill 
 of Brigham Young established the corrupt system 
 which has extended widely and become a festering 
 sore upon the fair face of our prosperous West. 
 
 From thence we journeyed on without event till 
 our arrival at San Francisco, the goal of westward 
 travel and point of departure for “the East by way 
 of the West.” It is worthy of more notice than 
 the urgency of our movements allows me to give. 
 It had its rise, you know, in the greed of gold that 
 burst into a volcanic passion forty years ago, and 
 drove thousands of men of all classes across the 
 plains, through weariness and want, danger and 
 death, to seek their fortunes in the newly discov- 
 ered mines of California. Then hardly more than 
 a miner’s camp, or at best a depot of supplies for 
 the adventurers, it has now grown to be a mighty 
 city, with world-wide commercial connections, with 
 broad streets lined by great warehouses or adorned 
 by princely homes and thronged by eager, busy 
 multitudes, with every token of vast wealth and 
 tireless enterprise — and a reputation for great 
 wickedness second to that of no other city on this 
 continent. I do not know if this witness be true. 
 Unhappily, wherever great masses of our race con- 
 gregate the inward corruption breaks out in hid- 
 eous sores. San Francisco is, I suspect, neither 
 
14 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 better nor worse than other cities. There is sure- 
 ly a righteous seed in it — men and women who 
 fear God and work righteousness. There are 
 churches and Sunday-schools, and earnest, honest 
 preachers of the word, and benevolent institutions, 
 and all the products of a living Christianity. If 
 there seems to be an undue proportion of reckless- 
 ness and godlessness in this desperate strife for 
 wealth, we still dare hope — nay, we dare not doubt 
 — that Christ will one day be supreme Lord here 
 also, and assert himself by driving the money- 
 changers out of every temple claimed as his 
 Father’s. 
 
 We went over the city, climbing its steep hills 
 in the cable-cars, standing on the bluffs overlook- 
 ing the beautiful bay, strolling through the public 
 gardens, gazing from the “Cliff” out upon the 
 broad ocean over whose uncertain waters we will 
 soon venture, and passing in the midst of throngs 
 that pressed their way along the lines of trade. 
 Everywhere is something to interest — of God’s 
 work or man’s, or both — and everywhere some- 
 thing to give note of the difference between the 
 life so suddenly developed in this new land and the 
 more staid and decorous life that has come up by 
 orderly growth on our side of the continent. 
 
 We went to church on Sunday where Dr. Han- 
 
Across the Continent. 
 
 15 
 
 non is pastor. Those who have once known him 
 never forget him. Pure, loving, patient, unique, 
 energetic, he does his work hopefully amidst dis- 
 couragements, but sustained by the earnest prayers 
 of our faithful band, as well as by the word of 
 God. He was glad to have a visitor from across 
 the continent to stand in his place on Sunday. 
 
 The hour draws near when we will sail from our 
 native shores. The blessing of the Lord be yours ! 
 Once again I remind you that his blessing is bet- 
 ter than life. Better that you have him, with all 
 that his presence gives, than to have all the world 
 without his loving-kindness. 
 
LETTER II. 
 
 ON THE PACIFIC— A PLEASANT VOYAGE. 
 
 Steamer “Belgic,” Pacific Ocean, August io, 1S8S. 
 
 E sailed from busy, bustling San Francisco 
 
 July 31st. One from the East, whom you 
 know, was among our friends at the wharf to bid 
 us “ Bon voyage She came with a handful of 
 roses and tender words, which perhaps we appre- 
 ciated the more because of all the years that stand 
 between us, she being as near the threshold of life 
 as we are leaning toward its close. She did not 
 know that after the good-by we stood at our “ port ” 
 watching her as she looked on the busy crowd. 
 “The Lord make his face to shine” upon her! 
 
 Hundreds of Chinese were there, scattering their 
 prayers to the gods of the winds and waters in be- 
 half of friends about to return to China. These 
 were recorded upon squares of yellow paper, and 
 according to expectations were to be conveyed to 
 their destination by the spirits that wait upon the 
 ■powers. 
 
 I have been writing to M. from day to day 
 since we sailed through the Golden Gate, so that 
 
 August 14. 
 
 ( 1 G) 
 

 ( 17 ) 
 
17 
 
 On the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 you will hear from her the particulars of hour 
 after hour. To most persons life on the sea is 
 monotonous; to me it is delightful beyond my 
 power of expression. The unquiet waters, the 
 blue skies, the pure atmosphere, the roll and pitch 
 of the steamer, the movements of the sailors, the 
 sea-gulls which follow us, our books, the social 
 environment and domestic pleasures, have given 
 me abundant thought and employment, so that I do 
 not suffer from ennui; and as in addition I have 
 had no seasickness, I must say the Pacific has 
 been an unending pleasure. We have had two 
 sweet little visitors. We wonder how they came. 
 Two tiny brown birds have been flying fore and 
 aft for a few days. We suppose they must have 
 been about the rigging all the time, or perhaps in 
 the steerage. They do not seem frightened. Per- 
 haps they will be so pleased with the “ Belgic ” as 
 to make her a permanent residence; or maybe 
 they are traveled birds that have but the Japanese 
 songs to learn in order to know all the languages 
 under the sun. 
 
 I am almost disappointed over our quiet voyage. 
 I had desired to see the ocean in a storm. Perhaps 
 five minutes of a dangerous sea would suffice me, 
 for I am not more courageous than others ; but the 
 feeling of safety under the shadow of the Almighty 
 
18 
 
 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 is so rooted in me that though I might tremble be- 
 fore the angry waves I think I would feel secure. 
 We had been spared the trial of an alarm, and 
 though our steps have often been unsteady on ac- 
 count of the swell, we have not been required to 
 omit our promenade or leave our chairs on the 
 deck unoccupied. 
 
 August 16. 
 
 To-morrow we will see land, God willing. I am 
 not in haste to leave the waters, which have dealt 
 so kindly with us. Perhaps the exhilaration of 
 these delicious days will quiet down, and we shall 
 have renewed strength whose outcome, by the 
 grace of our Lord Jesus, shall be a new inspiration 
 for work. 
 
 Bishop and Mrs. Fowler, of the M. E. Church, 
 have been fellow-passengers on the“Belgic,” and 
 very agreeable friends we have found them. The 
 Bishop bears the same message to the East that 
 your father does. However much we differ as to 
 plans at home, we are agreed that the millions of 
 unsaved heathen must have the gospel at the hands 
 of Christian people, or sink to perdition. 
 
( 19 ) 
 
 CITY AND BAY OF YOKOHAMA. 
 
LETTER III. 
 
 IN JAPAN— YOKOHAMA, TOKIO, AND NIKKO. 
 
 Yokohama, Japan, August 29, 18SS. 
 
 A FTER a shining seventeen days across the 
 Pacific, the “Belgic” anchored a mile from 
 Yokohama, in its beautiful bay. We arrived with 
 flying colors — the colors of the Occidental and 
 Oriental Company — the British flag and our own 
 “Stars and Stripes.” In a few minutes a hun 
 dred “sampans” had been paddled out to us, and 
 for more than an hour I looked on the most curi- 
 ous of panoramas. Perhaps two hundred or more 
 men, without clothing, clamoring in an unknown 
 tongue for passengers, fighting for place, and even 
 in some cases the quicker throwing his antagonist 
 overboard, kept my eyes busy lest I should lose 
 some exciting event. We thought one fellow, 
 whose vigorous adversary threw him into the sea, 
 would not be able to make his way up through the 
 boats. However, he succeeded, and was so indus- 
 trious that his opponent was soon sputtering in the 
 water. 
 
 In due time we and our luggage were stowed in 
 a sampan and soon stood on terra jirma. Then 
 
 ( 19 ) 
 
20 
 
 Letters f rom the Orient. 
 
 followed a ride in a jinrikisha drawn by a coolie 
 who trots as well as a horse. Our way was along 
 the Bund, where are foreign residences, ware- 
 houses, and hotels. On one side was the broad 
 ocean whence .we had come, the bay dotted with 
 stately steamers, hundreds of fishing sails, and 
 sampans innumerable; while on the other side was 
 the city. As our coolie trotted on we came in sight 
 of the high bluff, whose beautiful groves are owned 
 by foreigners. Missionaries of the various Boards 
 occupy some of these sites, which I heard spoken 
 of as a reproach — the idea being that they should 
 be satisfied with cheaper locations. I afterward 
 inquired 'into this assertion of extravagance, and 
 found that these lots for missionary homes were 
 bought long ago for less money than undesirable 
 places now bring. 
 
 The day after our arrival in Yokohama we 
 undertook an expedition to Daibutsee, the great 
 bronze image of Buddha at Kamakura. Bishop 
 and Mrs. Fowler and several members of the Ja- 
 pan Conference, M. E. Church, including a native 
 preacher, took the train with us at an early hour 
 for Fujisawa. There we found an ample supply 
 of jinrikishas, in which we were borne at a good 
 pace to Kamakura. Two years ago, when your 
 father first visited this region, he and Mrs. Denny 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
21 
 
 Japanese Cities and Towns . 
 
 made this entire trip from Yokohama, about eight- 
 een miles, in jinrikishas. Since then the railroad 
 has been built to a point within easy reach of the 
 old town. It is now but a small place of six thou- 
 sand population. It was formerly, and for centu- 
 ries, the home of the rulers of Japan, and in that 
 day of its power numbered over two hundred thou- 
 sand people. It lies near the coast, and from the 
 hills above, with the groves surrounding large old 
 temples and picturesque native houses, presents a 
 very attractive appearance. Here is the immense 
 copper-bronze figure, Daibutsee, seated, as he is 
 most frequently represented, in a lotus-flower. 
 The image is fifty-four feet in height, and weighs 
 four hundred and fifty tons. His head is strangely 
 ornamented with snails of bronze, in memory of 
 the day when hundreds of them crawled the entire 
 length of Buddha in order to shield his head from 
 the midday sun. In the interior of the image is a 
 temple with shrines, incense-burners sending out 
 clouds of smoke, and various idols in the locality 
 where his brains should be. Around about him in 
 the beautiful grounds are scores of exquisite lotus- 
 flowers, whose loveliness springs from out the mud. 
 I could not but compare the marsh where they 
 grew to the heart of Japan, full of evil thoughts 
 more hideous than the weeds of any neglected soil. 
 
22 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 A new element — the seed — enters the mire, and, 
 touched by Nature’s God, the most beautiful blos- 
 som puts forth. So the heart of man, putrid with 
 sin, receives the word of truth, accepts the blood 
 of Jesus, and puts on new life. 
 
 On our return trip we stopped for dinner at a 
 Japanese inn. We were shown into a large, cool 
 room in the second story, the sight of which rested 
 us. Some of us drank unnumbered cups of tea, 
 and partook of various dishes to a very satisfying 
 extent. The omelet was interspersed with onions 
 and scraps of fish ; an uneatable pickle graced the 
 table, together with sliced green pears and un- 
 cooked beans. The whole was supplemented by 
 the attentions of a pretty, sweet-voiced maiden, 
 who labored in vain to perfect us in the use of 
 chopsticks. 
 
 We had an exciting scene at Fujisawa with our 
 jinrikisha coolies. They took it into their heads 
 that the native preacher who accompanied us was 
 our paid guide, and tried to compel him to divide 
 profits with them. The contention became very 
 sharp, and led to violence — in short, a fight ensued. 
 Our native friend was only rescued when “the 
 brethren” entered the field. I may say I was on 
 the outer edge of a fight; a little longer, and 
 I might have done as Mrs. S. did — viz., have 
 
(23) 
 
 TIIE JINRIKISIIA. 
 
Japanese Cities and Towns. 23 
 
 pinched the arm of one of the combatants on the 
 other side. 
 
 I suppose you are familiar with the word “ jin- 
 rikisha,” the little carriage drawn by a man — or, 
 as it has been facetiously called, the “Pull-man- 
 car.” I shrunk at first, never having seen a man 
 used as a beast of burden. Of course all over 
 America the industrious poor toil from early morn 
 till late in the day. The large plantations, im- 
 mense factories, and great railroad interests could 
 not otherwise be worked. The coolies are trained 
 to this labor, and want nothing better: they are 
 cheerful, ready and anxious for a job, and look 
 upon a horse as an innovation. It is their means 
 of livelihood, and to take it from them would be a 
 grievance. 
 
 August 20 we went to Tokio, the imperial resi- 
 dence, whose population is almost a million. Here 
 is the Biblical School of the M. E. Mission. Our 
 
 i 
 
 Board accepted the offer of a chair in this institu- 
 tion, and sent out Rev. J. C. C. Newton, of the 
 Baltimore Conference, to fill it. Professor New- 
 ton arrived three months ago, and at once began 
 the work which already fills his heart and brain. 
 We found Mrs. Newton in the first agonies of the 
 Japanese language, not being able to make known 
 her wants to her cook except by pantomime. I 
 
•24 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 do not see how one directs the kitchen, which is 
 the hub of the household, by signs only. Mrs. 
 Newton does it with the hope, however, that soon 
 she will be mistress of the situation. Think of 
 the feeling of helplessness if you stand in the pres- 
 ence of an unknown tongue, not knowing how to 
 bargain for a chair, a plate, or the marketing — hav- 
 ing no idea how to begin to train a Japanese serv- 
 ant in American ways, nor knowing the value of a 
 single piece of money. Our friends in Tokio will 
 not succumb to these difficulties. We had been with 
 them a few days when we left for a visit to Nikko, 
 the most beautiful town in Japan. The Japanese 
 say, “Do not talk of beauty until you have seen 
 Nikko.” It is the surrounding country, rather 
 than the town, that is so picturesque. 
 
 Leaving the cars at Utsunomya, \\;e took jin- 
 rikishas for the remaining twenty-two miles, and 
 started off with good speed upon the delightful 
 drive. We had gone about six miles when our 
 men set us down and entered upon a conversation 
 with us, not a word of which we understood. A 
 passing missionary informed us that they refused 
 to finish the journey, suggesting that they meant to 
 demand more pay than the bargain required. Of 
 course our helplessness compelled us to raise their 
 wages, and we made another start. Very soon 
 

( 25 ) 
 
 JAPANESE DWELLINGS. 
 
yapanesc Cities and Towns. 25 
 
 rain set in, and when darkness came I was afraid; 
 for what resources had we among a people whose 
 tongue was unknown to us, if they pleased to be 
 treacherous? I fell back on a scripture which was 
 my refuge thirty years ago when I was a young 
 wife. We were living high up in the mountains of 
 Virginia, out of sight of any house. The work of 
 my young preacher every second week took him 
 across the mountains for two or three days. Of 
 course I could not wish him to neglect his obliga- 
 tions for any small thing. I did very well during 
 his absence till Sunday night came, when my faith- 
 ful man, John, who was a devoted Methodist, went 
 off “at early candle-light” to meet the people of 
 the Lord. My baby and a little negro of ten years 
 were then my only companions, and I was afraid; 
 but I found a text which met the emergency: 
 “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.” 
 With that heavenly help, no wonder I was secure 
 those long years ago — no wonder I was safe last 
 week in the heart of a heathen land. We arrived at 
 our destination soon after n p.m., having been near- 
 ly eight hours on a journey of twenty-two miles. 
 
 Nikko, or “ Sun’s Splendor,” is beautiful for sit- 
 uation. She sits among the hills, a river rushing 
 through the town over the rocks, while smaller 
 streams come from the mountains in several direc- 
 
26 Leilas from the Orient. 
 
 tions. There are no foreign houses; consequently 
 all summer visitors occupy Japanese houses, which 
 are very pretty. The sides of these cottages are 
 open during the day, the sliding panels being re- 
 moved, thus disclosing verandas which encircle 
 the house. A second set of panels then appears, 
 made up of small squares of rice-paper set in lat- 
 tice-work. At the season of our visit all the pan- 
 els were open, leaving but little except the roof 
 and floors. The Japanese consider it very untidy 
 to enter their homes wearing the shoes that have 
 trodden the streets. They leave their sandals at 
 the door and go about the house with bare feet. 
 Foreigners provide slippers in exchange for the 
 street shoe, which must not be worn inside. Of 
 course this custom is troublesome, but, like the laws 
 of the Medes and Persians, it changes not. The 
 first thing that greeted us when we went to prayer- 
 meeting in the house of a Presbyterian missionary 
 in Nikko was twenty-five or thirty pairs of shoes 
 on the outside of the door, where ours soon fell 
 into line. 
 
 Something of sanctity" attaches to this city, for 
 here are scores of temples for which millions of 
 money have been spent. The devotion of this 
 nation in the past to its worship might well cause 
 us to hide our faces. I noticed that no devotee 
 
Japanese Cities and Towns. 27 
 
 entered upon his prayers till he first cast into the 
 treasury his offering, and also that mothers had their 
 children of two and three years, and older, by their 
 sides. As the mother prayed the little one was 
 taught the attitude of prayer. They say Japan is 
 growing indifferent to her old beliefs. If so, what 
 must have been her devotion in the years gone by ! 
 No shoe touches the sacred floors of the temples. 
 Perhaps the idea of purity in coming to their wor- 
 ship is in their thoughts when they lay aside this 
 sign of soil — the shoe that has rested upon the 
 earth. What Christian will not pray that from 
 this outward token of cleanliness the Japanese may 
 grasp the truth that only “the pure in heart shall 
 see God? ” 
 
 The temples are very handsome, both in the out- 
 side and inside decorations. I will leave to other 
 pens the task of describing the rich carvings of the 
 imperial chrysanthemum, the sacred lotus, bronze 
 candelabra , golden lilies, gold-lacquered columns, 
 the rich hangings, the incense-burners, tables, 
 silken fringes, and the rich boxes containing the 
 prayers of the saints. All these attract the eye, 
 and cost the people in the centuries gone great 
 self-denial. But what wonderful work does not? 
 And if Japan lavished her best on Buddha, what 
 shall we render to our God, who “so loved the 
 
28 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 world that he gave his only-begotten Son” that we 
 may have everlasting life ? 
 
 The choice spots of Nikko are the locations of 
 the temples. Nature was left undisturbed to do 
 her best, though the artisan has been at work 
 on mountain-side and ravine. From the stately 
 cryptogamia to the tender blade of grass or tiny 
 fern, nature was allowed to please the eye. The 
 architect went on with his building, but left the 
 hills and trees and moss and streams to grow and 
 run. We went to the highest point of the temple- 
 grounds to visit the tomb of one of the Shoguns, 
 up three hundred steps of granite stair-way with 
 its moss-covered balustrade of the same rock. 
 The resting-place of the dead ruler was a great 
 mausoleum ornamented with finely wrought bronze 
 figures of the crane and tortoise, both emblematic 
 of long life or immortality, and of the lotus, sacred 
 to purity and perfection. Thus the nation ex- 
 pressed the belief that the great man had passed 
 into a perfect immortality. 
 
 The return trip from Nikko was under difficul- 
 ties. Our jinrikisha-men failed us, and we were 
 compelled to look about for some other convey- 
 ance. Our China friends, Mrs. Campbell, Miss 
 Atkinson, and Miss Hamilton (who were gathering 
 strength in Nikko), set themselves to help us in our 
 
Japanese Cities and Towns. 29 
 
 emergency, and sent us mules, for which we ren- 
 dered them grateful thoughts, even though they 
 came five minutes after we mounted the “basha,” 
 an uncomfortable wagon. Our horses were worn 
 out, and one soon fell from exhaustion. No. sooner 
 was a new team at work than the traces broke. 
 Afterward our driver went to sleep, of which the 
 horses took advantage and “dragged their slow 
 length along.’’ These detentions caused us to lose 
 our train : we barely arrived in time for the second, 
 without a moment to spare. When we got to Ut- 
 sonomya the driver and passengers began to share 
 our spirit of haste, and seemed to have some pride 
 about getting us to the station in time. Even our 
 steeds caught the infection — the bony, jaded ani- 
 mals actually galloped, being excited by the yells 
 and stamping and cracking of the whip. The con- 
 ductor of the train lent a helping hand. Seeing 
 our struggle of vehement hurry, he stopped his car 
 which had already moved an inch or two. 
 
 Our ride, in spite of the rickety, crowded wagon, 
 had been exhilarating — indeed, inspiring. We had 
 come through the beautiful avenue of cryptogamia ; , 
 of which travelers write with enthusiasm. On both 
 sides of the road for eighteen miles were double 
 rows of magnificent trees, in many places arching 
 overhead and affording shade from the hot August 
 
30 Letters from the Orient . 
 
 sun. The image of the shining rays through that 
 rich foliage lingers in my memory. It is a right 
 royal road — I know of none more lovely. 
 
 We were soon in Tokio with Professor and 
 Mrs. Newton. Dr. Walter Lambuth and Rev. 
 Mr. Waters awaited our arrival. We spent a few 
 days in attending the Conference of the M. E. 
 Church, then in session in the city. We also vis- 
 ited their buildings, and could not but hope that very 
 soon our Board will be able to provide comfortable 
 mission homes and school premises. I was moved 
 with a not irreligious envy when I saw how com- 
 fortable are their surroundings for the great work 
 they do ; and believing we are called to the same, 
 I look to a full equipment of our own Mission, that 
 we too may have a share in turning this heathen 
 multitude to serve the living God. We own no 
 property in this land. We have a faithful band of 
 men and women, courageous and cheerful, know- 
 ing the hinderances, but pressing on. There is no 
 reason why we should not be abreast with the fore- 
 most in the enterprises which will bring Japan to 
 Christ. We have but to see and use our oppor- 
 tunity in order to bear many sheaves into the pres- 
 ence of the Lord of the harvest. 
 
 Tokio is a spacious city. It extends between 
 five and six miles from east to west, and about 
 
Japanese Cities and Towns. 31 
 
 seven from north to south, at the upper end of the 
 Bay of Yeddo. The city is not so closely built 
 but that room is found within its bounds for sev- 
 eral tea and mulberry plantations. In the center 
 was the old castle of the Shoguns, which was de- 
 stroyed by fire soon after the restoration of the 
 Mikado, leaving only the moats and parts of the 
 massive walls which encircled it. In the streets 
 around the castle are the Government Buildings, 
 the German and English Legations, the Engineer- 
 ing College, and other modern buildings. Here 
 are also two Shinto temples. Shintoism is the 
 old national religion of Japan — a sort of nature- 
 worship, with no God and no future life. There 
 are many points of interest to the sight-seer — 
 temples, palaces, gardens, and public buildings. 
 Our time, and the special purpose of our coming, 
 permitted but an imperfect glimpse of them, ^wo 
 great and notable temples deserve a few words. 
 The temple of Kwanon is approached by a broad 
 way, lined on each side with toy-shops, tea-stands, 
 wares of various kinds, and every thing to entice a 
 purchaser. It was a bustling scene. Within, the 
 temple was thronged with worshipers casting their 
 coin into the treasury, paying their devotions at 
 the main altar, or seeking the aid of the god of 
 wealth, god of healing, or any other special idol 
 
32 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 whose interposition they needed. The god of 
 healing grants his favors to his own detriment. 
 The patient rubs his hand over that part of the im- 
 age which in his own body is the seat of disease ; 
 the hand being charged with healing power, he 
 no sooner rubs the suffering member than health 
 is imparted. All the healing gods that I saw in 
 Japan and China had been rubbed by the believing 
 sick till they were almost faceless, headless, arm- 
 less, footless. What depraved instinct induced 
 the makers of these gods to set them before their 
 worshipers as the very incarnation of ugliness? 
 This temple has a praying machine or wheel. I 
 did not see it at work. As it revolves the prayer 
 is put in, and the proper answer returned. 
 
 Another temple of great interest is that at Shiba 
 — rather, it is a cluster of temples, set in the midst 
 of a juperb park, heavily shaded and adorned with 
 innumerable granite and bronze lanterns peculiar 
 to Japanese temples. These are among the most 
 celebrated of the thousands of temples of this 
 country, and must have cost immense sums of 
 money, with their lacquered floors, columns, ta- 
 bles, gorgeous gilt and silk hangings and bronze- 
 work adorning altar and shrine. Nikko alone can 
 compare with Shiba in the elaborate and costly 
 carving and furniture of its temples. 
 
Japanese Cities and Tozvns. 33 
 
 We took a little time to look through the shops, 
 where there are so many pretty things, the Jap- 
 anese being the most artistic of people. Yester- 
 day we returned to this city, whence in a few hours 
 we will sail for Kobe. We had a jinrikisha ride 
 of two or three hours over the native city of Yoko- 
 hama. The women are very sweet-looking, and 
 their dress pretty: the skirts of the latter are too 
 narrow for graceful walking, but as they stand the 
 effect of coiffure and garments is attractive. A 
 visit to one of the public gardens was interesting. 
 I saw few flowers, but the trees and green plants 
 were very flourishing, and trained into most gro- 
 tesque shapes. 
 
 We have looked through several magnificent 
 establishments where are superb curios. The cloi- 
 sonne ware is quite tempting. I admired a plaque 
 whose decoration was a gorgeous rooster: price, 
 fifty dollars. The same, except more elaborate, 
 in embroidery was likewise very beautiful. Lac- 
 quer cabinets inlaid with mother-of-pearl and ivory 
 figures, worth from five hundred to five thousand 
 dollars, are superb. All manner of bric-a-brac of 
 various sizes and shapes charm the eye. I greatly 
 admired a small ivory box representing a bag of 
 wheat, into which a dozen carved mice had found 
 their way: the little fellows had eaten through, and 
 3 
 
34 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 were scrambling over and around each other in 
 great confusion. Price, fifty dollars. 
 
 We have spent several hours in writing for the 
 mail of to-day. Au revoir. 
 
LETTER IV. 
 
 THE MISSION WORK AND WORKERS IN JAPAN. 
 
 Kobe, September 3, 1888. 
 
 E left Yokohama August 29, arriving here 
 
 thirty hours after, and were all the way on 
 
 the edge of a typhoon. The sea was very rough. 
 The steamer rolled and pitched — now up, now 
 down, fore and aft, to the right and left — until I 
 wondered if we should live to tell the story. I suf- 
 fered from a touch of seasickness, which for a 
 time made me very miserable ; but I recall with sat- 
 isfaction the effort our steamer made to surmount 
 the angry waves. Arriving in this harbor, the 
 storm increased so that the captain would notvent- 
 ture into shore. A sampan made its way out to 
 us, and notwithstanding the heavy sea we scram- 
 bled into the little boat. At every toss of the 
 waves it looked as though we would be swallowed 
 in the waters, and afterward I was told we were in 
 actual danger. In due time we were with our 
 friends, Dr. and Mrs. J. W. Lambuth. 
 
 On Friday, August 31, the Annual Meeting con- 
 vened. All the missionaries except Dr. and Mrs. 
 Wainright were present; Drs. J. W. and W. R. 
 
 ( 35 ) 
 
36 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 Lambuth, Dr. O. A. Dukes (Texas Confer- 
 ence), C. B. Moseley (Arkansas Conference), J. 
 C. C. Newton and B. W. Waters (Baltimore Con- 
 ference), N. W. Utley (Memphis Conference), 
 and Miss Gaines, the only lady in any field under 
 appointment of the Parent Board. Dr. J. W. 
 Lambuth has given, since his residence here, the 
 largest room of his house (it has but four) for the 
 use of the Mission. Here are held the Bible 
 classes, day-schools, night-schools, the Sunday 
 services, and all business meetings; and here the 
 brethren were assembled in Annual Meeting, to- 
 gether with Mrs. J.-W. and Mrs. W. R. Lambuth, 
 who are invited to give an account of their work 
 which has been so valuable to the Mission. They 
 are truly fellow-helpers in the gospel of Christ. 
 
 After a half-hour of devotional exercises the ex- 
 amination of the year’s work and of the coming 
 needs was begun. The report of Dr. J. W. 
 Lambuth, oldest of the Mission and first in the 
 field, was received with the interest and attention 
 it deserved. Ilis work has been chiefly in Kobe 
 and the adjacent country, although occasionally 
 he goes off on a hundred or a hundred and fifty 
 miles’ itinerating trip. His labor has been fruit- 
 ful of good — singularly so, considering that other 
 missions were here, and that he has had to work 
 
37 
 
 Annual Meeting in Kobe. 
 
 through interpreters. A good membership given 
 to faithful labor, a general religious interest, col- 
 lections for mission-work, church-building, and 
 the poor, attest Brother Lambuth’s fidelity and 
 God’s blessing. A token for good was recently 
 given him. A number have renounced their idols, 
 and on last Sunday he baptized thirteen of these 
 men and women. 
 
 Mrs. Lambuth’s report was of like interest. 
 She has taught daily, first a school for ladies, com- 
 prising Biblical, literary, and industrial training. 
 Many, both married and unmarried, would have 
 been pleased to come to her from a distance, but 
 she had not room to receive them into her house. 
 Her afternoons are given to a class of ladies and 
 gentlemen — one of the latter being director of 
 the commercial school — who study English; in 
 this labor she often has opportunity to speak of 
 her Bible. At night Dr. and Mrs. Lambuth have 
 a school of gentlemen, who are eager to study the 
 Scriptures. And fourth, a weekly Bible class in- 
 terests her. I joined in the lesson of the present 
 week, which was the account of the marriage at 
 
 7 O 
 
 Cana of Galilee. The class was interested and 
 interesting. 
 
 Dr. Dukes made a characteristic report. Ilis 
 work has been systematic, planned and regulated 
 
38 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 by day and hour. Osaka is his center and head- 
 quarters, though his residence is temporarily in 
 Kobe; and the stations on the railroad between 
 these two cities are the appointments of his cir- 
 cuit. Starting in the early morning, he stops at 
 the first station, and for an hour teaches his Bible 
 class; then to the second, where another hour is 
 spent in like manner; and so on through the round 
 — and this three or four times a week. Preaching 
 through an interpreter, the same sermon goes the 
 round of these classes. He smiled as he remarked 
 during the further account that he was learning to 
 do his best work on retreat, for it had been his 
 poor fortune to receive, when he thought himself 
 well posted, an order to leave — a Buddhist priest 
 somewhere behind it. We own no property in 
 Japan, and there was nothing to do but vacate. 
 
 Mr. Utley and Dr. Wainright have so lately ar- 
 rived that their reports are of course meager. 
 The former was elected Secretary of the Annual 
 Meeting, and the latter’s written statement showed 
 that he had impressed at least one man. He was 
 teaching parliamentary tactics, when a student rose 
 and nominated himself president of the class. 
 
 Prof. J. C. C. Newton, of the Biblical School at 
 Tokio, reported his prospect good. He will have 
 several theological students in his care next year. 
 
A nnual Meeting in Kobe. 39 
 
 Miss Gaines, sent out by the Board of Missions 
 one year ago, has been with Mrs. Walter Lam- 
 buth at Hiroshima, and is a practical woman with 
 “ willing heart” and busy hands. She and Mrs. 
 Lambuth have a Sunday-school of two hundred in 
 that city. The Superintendent being on the wing 
 all the time, any work in Hiroshima has been the 
 result of the labor of these two ladies. They ac- 
 knowledge their indebtedness to their native helper, 
 who has a heaven-born gift in the management of 
 children. When he speaks every eye is turned 
 on him, and the two hundred boys and girls sit 
 upon their heels after the Japanese fashion until 
 he releases them. Miss Gaines is engaged in 
 day-schools, while Mrs. Lambuth has an industrial 
 class. They both visit among the people, and at 
 all times endeavor to show how Christian women 
 should live, and that nothing is worth doing or 
 having without God’s blessing. They meet with 
 difficulties, but are not cast down. Perhaps they 
 return to the conflict with greater zeal after a strug- 
 gle. The wife of the governor, a very strong 
 woman and a determined Buddhist, opposes them 
 on all sides. Finding their schools and literary 
 societies very effective, she organized like work, 
 in some cases requiring the members of our ladies’ 
 classes to join her. 
 
40 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 Mrs. Wainright has begun teaching, though so 
 lately arrived. Dr. Wainright is a Missouri lay- 
 man whom God called to Japan: so sure was he 
 that the “Come over and help us” was spoken to 
 him that he and Mrs. Wainright are here at their 
 own charges. The Board accepted him, but had 
 not the money to send him and his wife. They 
 came, and are supporting themselves by teaching 
 in Government schools: the} r give every hour 
 
 outside of this engagement to the service which 
 brought them to Japan. 
 
 Mr. Moseley has been in poor health during the 
 entire year, hence his report was not extended. 
 He had not succumbed to suffering, but was un- 
 able to do all he had hoped. The battle is not al- 
 ways to the strong. Mr. Waters has stood his 
 year like a veteran : he has had no trial of sick- 
 ness, but has worked steadily. He was in Oita 
 until Dr. Wainright’s arrival, and made a consid- 
 erable impression. Several told him they would 
 study “the new doctrine.” O that these men 
 may be not only “almost” but altogether persuad- 
 ed to accept the one hepe of the world! One of 
 them said to him: “I want to learn your religion, 
 but not bad enough to give up some things.” He 
 does not know that he must be either for or against 
 the Lord of life — that he cannot serve our God 
 
Annual Meeting in Kobe. 41 
 
 with divided heart. The governor of the ken had 
 been so attentive and helpful in many ways that 
 Mr. Waters thought he must offer him the hospi- 
 tality of his domicile, even though it were a bach- 
 elor household. His simple arrangements for the 
 high official pleased me greatly. Notwithstanding 
 his incomplete outfit and inexperienced servants, 
 he gave his orders and entered upon his duties as 
 host with as much pleasure as though a most ac- 
 complished wife were smoothing all difficulties 
 from his way. I doubt not that host and guest 
 passed a happy hour. 
 
 All the reports and discussions at the Annual 
 Meeting were very interesting. Much of the work 
 of the past two years has been made known to the 
 Church by the stirring letters of our brethren from 
 time to time, but neither they nor we can make vivid 
 to you, as to us, the unrest of the people — perhaps 
 I may say the yearning after the “Unknown God.” 
 They have sent time and again to our missionaries, 
 asking for teachers and instruction, and turning 
 away with disappointment when the answer comes, 
 “No one to go.” Hardly has a fairer field ever 
 invited to missionary effort. Not only is the coun- 
 try beautiful, but the disposition of the people is 
 gentle and altogether favorable to intercourse with 
 foreigners. All classes enter freely into friendly 
 
42 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 association with our representatives. No obstruc- 
 tion is placed in the way of Bible-teaching. True, 
 the Bible is not in Government schools; but it is 
 well known that every Christian who has place 
 there founds his religion on that Word, and that 
 in his private intercourse with his students he tells 
 but one story — the story of the Scriptures. Tak- 
 ing all we heard during the Conference into con- 
 sideration, together with the character of the na- 
 tives, the facility of intercourse, and the history 
 of our Mission during its short two years, we can- 
 not but conclude that “the field is white to har- 
 vest.” To me it is remarkable that none of these 
 men assembled in Kobe appear to be discouraged, 
 although they see that they are unequal to the de- 
 mand. “The laborers are few,” but each man 
 seems determined to do his utmost. Like the 
 woman of old, they will hear a welcome voice, 
 after awhile, saying, “They have done what they 
 could.” 
 
 I attended the Missionary x\nniversary, which 
 was as enthusiastic as any I have known at home. 
 The native Church took great delight in the occa- 
 sion. The organization is for the furtherance of 
 evangelistic work, and the arranging of plans for 
 the expenses of the native itinerant, as well as for 
 the students who are to be educated. Every for- 
 
Annual Meeting in Kobe. 43 
 
 eign missionary needs his interpreter and helper, 
 which he may now hope to find in the outcome of 
 this society. The past year two Biblical students 
 have been sent off to school, and six more will 
 go at the beginning of the session. The entire 
 expenses of these eight — tuition, board, and trav- 
 eling — will be met by this self-sacrificing band 
 during the four years of study necessary in prep- 
 aration for their ministry. Is not this a wonderful 
 outcome? Not only that the native Church is thus 
 devoted, but also that there are those who so look 
 for the coming of the kingdom of our Lord that 
 they are willing to give themselves to its further- 
 ance. Not very long ago they “ bowed down to 
 wood and stone.” Now some of them “count 
 not their lives dear unto them” for the name of the 
 Lord Jesus. Several have been driven from home 
 and are outcasts. One came with lacerated back. 
 
 A day or two has intervened since I wrote the 
 above. The pressure for a man to go to one of 
 the towns a hundred miles away, where there is a 
 protracted call, induced the Superintendent to ask 
 for a volunteer to hold the place till the Board is 
 able to send out another missionary. He put it to 
 the conscience of the Church, and called them to 
 private prayer and faith, that Go’d would move 
 
44 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 upon the heart of one able to do the required work. 
 Two or perhaps three days passed, when one 
 of the proposed students expressed his willing- 
 ness to forego the Biblical School for the pres- 
 ent, that he might begin at once to tell the story of 
 the cross. 
 
 Also, the Church Extension Society has done a 
 noble work. During the last few months a suf- 
 ficient sum has been raised to build the first M. E. 
 Church, South, in Japan, which will be ready for 
 dedication in a month’s time, the cost being one 
 thousand dollars. If the amount for furnishing is 
 not in hand at completion, the congregation will 
 go in Japanese fashion, sitting upon the floor. 
 How God will speak by those seven young stu- 
 dents in years to come ! And how often will he 
 be in the midst of these four walls, to bless his 
 people, to convince the unbeliever, and confound 
 Buddhism and infidelity ! The glory of the Lord 
 will fill his house ! It shall be called by the name 
 of the one Eternal God. 
 
 I have been stirred as I sat with these peo- 
 ple day after day. On one side are sweet-faced 
 women, toil-worn women, young and old, who so 
 lately had not heard the name of Jesus, with their 
 hearts settled in the love of God. On the other 
 side are young men who had expected position and 
 
Annual Meeting in Kobe. 45 
 
 money and entire satisfaction in the faith of their 
 fathers, or poor men who never hoped for any 
 thing but hard work, now seated at the feet of Je- 
 sus “ clothed and in their right minds.” One of 
 these in daily attendance was making seventy- 
 five dollars a month, but renounced it for pastoral 
 work and twenty-five dollars — a successful man, 
 exchanging the gains of secular life for the gains 
 of godliness ! Another came to Dr. Lambuth, say- 
 ing he had seen the worldly side of foreign life, 
 but hearing there was another and better, he de- 
 sired to be taught it. Another was summoned to 
 the bedside of his father, extremely ill. He went, 
 expecting to be excommunicated as soon as he 
 should tell of the change in his faith and hope. He 
 found father and mother making two daily sacri- 
 fices at the domestic shrine, and when he told “ the 
 old, old story,” they begged to be let alone, say- 
 ing they “were too old to change.” However, 
 he continued to pray and persuade, and to-day 
 the old people are Christians. One of the young 
 women has lately been in an agony of prayer for 
 her husband, and last Sunday he was among the 
 baptized. 
 
 Two families have joined us. Not very long 
 ago Dr. Walter Lambuth’s cook prayed for that 
 poor Methodist Church that had only one member, 
 
46 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 and not one woman. Now, we may thank Heaven 
 for scores of members, and also that families are 
 coming to us. Another, a lady who kept boarders, 
 had in her house two brothers with their sister 
 whom they treated unkindly. After a time a change 
 took place in the behavior of the two men: they 
 became gentle and affectionate to their sister. 
 The lady wondered, and on inquiry found that 
 they had been attending Dr. Lambuth’s sendees, 
 and had sought and obtained the grace of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ. She decided that what had 
 transformed them was worth having, and she too 
 sat with us these last days. 
 
 So the work grows. No wonder our brethren 
 come together with hope and joy, notwithstanding 
 the “ many adversaries ” that oppose their entrance 
 into this “great and effectual door.” It is not 
 easy for you to imagine the untoward conditions 
 of work here. The bitter prejudice of race and 
 religion ; the wide-spread and deep-rooted immo- 
 rality, personal and social, the result of long cycles 
 of idolatry; the revival of Buddhism, its incorpo- 
 ration of new methods of aggressive movement 
 to enable it to check and suppress the growth of 
 Christian thought and life ; the alliance with hea- 
 thenism of the material philosophy of Europe and 
 the recently imported unitarianism of America — 
 
Annual Meeting in Kobe. 47 
 
 all these forces of evil require on the part of Chris- 
 tian missionaries great watchfulness, patience, la- 
 bor, and prayer. 
 
 If our Board could organize a training-school 
 for Bible-women at once, with a four years’ course 
 of the Bible, Evidences of Christianity, Life of 
 Christ, biographical sketches of good men and 
 women, sacred music, and some branches of in- 
 dustrial work, there would from time to time be 
 sent out devout native women to work among the 
 mothers of Japan; and given the mothers, the 
 children will soon be the Lord’s. If we are to 
 have a permanent footing, boarding-schools for 
 both sexes must be established. Furthermore, no 
 substitute for education will answer. The Gov- 
 ernment schools furnish a good curriculum. We 
 must offer the same advantages, with the addition 
 of an open Bible. Christian education they must 
 have, or the present generation will be confirmed 
 in infidelity before they arrive at mature years. 
 “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, 
 now is the day of salvation;” and in this last 
 struggle with ignorance, vice, ahd infidelity, we 
 need to exert all our powers. Much has been 
 done, but much remains to be done. A great 
 revolution is at hand; in the meantime, the dark- 
 ness of hell begun on earth holds Japan. Con- 
 
48 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 quered for our King, this lovely land will put on 
 new beauty, these green hills will sing for jo} r . 
 
 The Church has always had the extension of 
 the kingdom of Christ at heart. She expects ev- 
 ery man to let his light shine. Our Lord said, 
 “Ye are the light of the world; ” and Paul wrote, 
 “Among whom ye shine as lights.” It was meant 
 that wherever the gospel was received, from thence 
 the glad tidings should be sent on and on till the 
 ends of the earth shall sing of redeeming love. 
 And in order to have a part in this work our 
 Church must not be satisfied with what she has al- 
 ready accomplished. The generosity of yesterday 
 will not suffice for to-day. The giving grace of 
 last }-ear must be continued and increased. God 
 means us to be constantly giving, the proof being 
 that new opportunities are constantly afforded. A 
 fresh call requires a fresh gift 
 
( 49 ) 
 
 VIEW ON THE INLAND ,SEA. 
 
LETTER Y. 
 
 FIRST TRIP ON THE INLAND SEA— THE MISSOURI LAYMAN’S 
 SCHOOL. 
 
 E left Kobe on the 13th for this city, which is 
 
 on Kiushiu, next to the largest island in the 
 empire. Our mode of traveling was on the “ ko- 
 joki,” a small steamer used along the coast, and 
 absolutely without comforts. Travelers provide 
 bedding and lunch for themselves, finding water 
 for morning ablutions as best they can. I expect- 
 ed that the primitive style of pouring water from a 
 dipper on my hands would be my only resort, and 
 but for the kind provision of Dr. Lambuth so it 
 would have been. There was no gangway. Our 
 entrance was made by climbing through the * ‘ port ’ ’ 
 into a low passage-way where a person could not 
 stand erect. The “first-class” cabin had been 
 engaged for us, and, having heard of the discom- 
 forts of the little steamers, I was greatly elated at 
 the prospect of such pleasant provision. Imag- 
 ine our surprise when we found this elegant ac- 
 commodation to be a closet ten feet by five, so that 
 when your father and I, the two Drs. Lambuth, 
 
 Oita, September 20, 1S8S. 
 
 4 
 
 ( 49 ) 
 
50 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 and our Japanese friend, Mr. Kinoshita, were set- 
 tled for the night, our sachels had to be moved 
 out, so that we would not be crowded! When 
 I looked into the “ second-class ” cabin, through 
 which we passed to reach our room, I was satis- 
 fied. It was closely packed with thirty or forty 
 men and women, as many as could find room on 
 the floor — for in Japan there are neither chairs nor 
 bedsteads. The “second-class” cabin is general- 
 ly the best room on the boat. Our missionaries 
 go back and forth on the Inland Sea, glad if there 
 is space enough for them to lie down in those 
 crowded quarters. When we went aboard it was 
 time to retire, and having spread our blankets we 
 laid ourselves down and slept reasonably well. 
 The next day was perfect. The water was with- 
 out ripple, the sunshine delightful, and the air soft 
 as in May. There was no space for promenade, 
 so your father read, the Drs. Lambuth studied 
 Japanese with Mr. Kinoshita, and I found some 
 sewing very entertaining. Whatever w r e did, a 
 crowd gathered about us. My light hair and eyes 
 were very surprising to those who had never been 
 in the port cities. They examined my dress, took 
 my sewing out of my hands, passing it round for 
 inspection, and seemed greatly amused at the num- 
 ber of buttons I used. 
 
51 
 
 First Trip on the Inland Sea. 
 
 Another night, and at daylight we landed at 
 Oita. After a jinrikisha ride of two miles, we 
 were with Dr. and Mrs. Wainright, a young lay- 
 man and his wife from Missouri. They begin the 
 day at six o’clock by a public prayer-meeting. 
 We were scarcely at home with them when the 
 Doctor invited us to this early service, where we 
 found an assembly of about forty. An hour was 
 occupied in singing, conversation, and prayer. 
 Then came breakfast and family prayer, where a 
 half-dozen Japanese, with Bible in hand, joined 
 Dr. Wainright in the Scripture lesson. 
 
 Immediately after this service their school-work 
 begins; and it continues until three p.m., save an 
 hour’s intermission at noon. At four p.m., and 
 again at seven o’clock, large classes assembled to 
 study the Bible. Last night I counted fifty pres- 
 ent. It must be that of this number there shall in 
 the future be some who will bear the “good ti- 
 dings” to their countrymen, and at the end have 
 an “ abundant entrance ” into “ the city which hath 
 foundations.” 
 
 Mrs. Wainright’s cook has begun to study the 
 Scriptures. He tried the Book of Revelation 
 first, and having no knowledge of what went be- 
 fore, you will not be surprised that he went to the 
 Doctor with fifteen questions: the wonder is that 
 
52 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 he had not a hundred explanations to seek, and 
 indeed I suspect this would have been the outcome 
 had not our friend changed the order. The same 
 man practiced praying because he liked the look 
 of it and wanted to join us, having no idea that 
 prayer is the outpouring of the soul before God. 
 
 One of the young men in daily attendance upon 
 the Bible study will devote himself to the ministry, 
 and will be sent by the membership in Oita to the 
 school in Tokio. His call to preach came out of 
 severe trial and persecution. He came here to the 
 Government School, and providentially came un- 
 der the influence of our friend, and very soon 
 under the influence of the Holy Ghost. He re- 
 cently returned to his father’s house. A relative 
 had just died, and the family, about to make the 
 ancestral offerings, demanded that he join in the 
 worship. This he refused to do. The father had 
 him taken to the grave by force, otherwise treated 
 him brutally, and excommunicated him from the 
 household. He is forbidden to call himself a son. 
 Then, in that hour of sorrow, he resolved to spend 
 his life in telling the story of the one living God. 
 
 When we go on the street we are always fol- 
 lowed by a crowd. Mrs. Wainright and I are the 
 only foreign ladies that hundreds of the people 
 here and in neighboring villages ever saw. Men, 
 
53 
 
 First Trip on the Inland Sea. 
 
 women, and children run after our jinrikishas to 
 catch a glimpse of our faces. Monsters that we 
 are, now and then the babies are frightened and 
 scamper away screaming for protection. 
 
 After being in Oita several days, I find myself 
 greatly interested in the gentlemen who visit Dr. 
 Wainright. They are men who have been well 
 educated, and are quite equal to many of the 
 A.B.’s and A.M.’s of the United States of Amer- 
 ica. Evidently they enjoy the society of our Mis- 
 souri layman, who does not think that at this time 
 they have any desire for “spiritual gifts.” I ex- 
 pect this almost daily intercourse will prepare their 
 minds so that the Holy Ghost can take hold of their 
 hearts and make them fit temples for his indwell- 
 ing. There are others, especially those who are 
 regularly at the Bible classes, who impress me; 
 notably a young girl of perhaps fourteen years of 
 age — whose mother sold her for a period of two 
 years, and whose bondage is now ended — who 
 comes to the Scripture study regularly. O that 
 she, like that other woman eighteen hundred years 
 ago, may hear the Master’s voice of forgiveness, 
 with the “ Go, and sin no more ! ” 
 
 Mrs. Wainright and I to-day called on a beautiful 
 little lady, the wife of one of the Doctor’s visit- 
 ors. He speaks English, and was our interpreter. 
 
54 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 She is not more than eighteen years of age, 
 and is as pretty as a picture. Her shining, soft 
 eyes, clear complexion, line hair, and gentle ex- 
 pression were very attractive. She wore the blue 
 robe of her race, confined at the waist, and was 
 barefooted, as is the fashion with Japanese ladies 
 when in their homes. She had her great year-old 
 boy brought in for our admiration, and handsome 
 as he was I admired her so much that I fear I 
 looked less at him than she expected. Of course 
 tea was served, and with it smoke-dried persim- 
 mons, which were very nice. I suppose she 
 thought women are “the same all the world 
 over: ” accordingly she brought in embroidered 
 silk robes worn by her grandmother at court fifty 
 years ago. We admired them to her satisfaction, 
 for they were very elegant. I doubt if I get 
 through Japan and China without breaking the 
 tenth commandment. 
 
 We expect to leave to-night at twelve o’clock, 
 for Hiroshima. Our parting will be with regret. 
 Dr. and Mrs. Wainright are both young, and are 
 the only foreigners within many scores of miles. 
 I am beginning to see what it is to be alone in the 
 midst of a heathen population. More anon. 
 
 P. S. — November, 1S8S. 
 
 I must add a sequel paragraph. Letters from Oita 
 
55 
 
 First Trij) on the Inland Sea. 
 
 from Dr. Wainright give me several interesting 
 items. First, the father of the young man who 
 was excluded from the family because he refused 
 to join in the ancestral worship sent a younger 
 son, who had been a bad boy, to Oita to school. 
 He afterward wrote to the Doctor “that for fifteen 
 years he had worked night and day over the boy 
 without influencing him,” and asked the new 
 teacher “how he had made a good boy out of him 
 in three months.” He said he could not under- 
 stand it; nor will he till^he himself is transformed 
 by the power of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 Also, a mother is attending the Bible classes be- 
 cause she wants to learn about the God who has 
 changed her son. Is it not so that the change in 
 one will be the beginning of a work in the family 
 which will not soon end? Also, the cook who 
 promised to “become Christianity,” and who 
 practiced praying, is now an earnest Christian 
 worker. And one of the gentlemen of whom I 
 spoke is a believer in our God, though he has 
 not yet had the courage to make a public confes- 
 sion. When the Doctor spoke of the boldness of 
 Dionysius, the Areopagite, he listened with intense 
 interest, and said, “I wish I were like him!” 
 Will not God give him the grace of firmness? 
 Amen, and amen ! 
 
LETTER VI. 
 
 MISSIONARY AND NATIVE LIFE IN HIROSHIMA. 
 
 Hiroshima, September 30, 1S8S. 
 
 EAVING Oita, we were two days and nights 
 
 in the kojoki on the way to Hiroshima, where 
 the family of the Superintendent lives — his own 
 head-quarters being “in the saddle.” Our kojoki 
 had not improved since the former trip, being still 
 a small space crowded to the utmost. There were 
 seventeen young ladies on board, on their way to 
 school. I wonder how it will be with them. Will 
 they hear of Him who gave himself for them? 
 University men, who mostly take on the German 
 methods of thought, will have charge of them. 
 Perhaps they will be told that what we call sin is 
 “bad form,” which educated and refined people 
 avoid; or, may be, they will be directly indoctri- 
 nated with the vile immorality of the day. Every 
 missionary in this field longs to have a part in the 
 training of these young people. Seeing their de- 
 termination to be educated, and knowing the dan- 
 gers that threaten them, these devoted men, to- 
 gether with Miss Gaines, desire the equipment 
 needful to the prosecution of this work. The way 
 
 ( 56 ) 
 
Life in Hiroshima. 57 
 
 that seems open is the way through the schools. 
 Christian education is the handmaid of the pulpit. 
 Mothers and wives being the Lord’s, the world 
 will soon be his. Woman has the energy to in- 
 fluence and the tenderness to hold the position in 
 the family and society which gives her the oppor- 
 tunity to see and embrace the best influences. At 
 the Annual Meeting in Kobe it was shown that in 
 three places our work during the past year was 
 held by converted Japanese women for several 
 months. They need at this time a little help from 
 their sisters on the American side of the waters, in 
 order to begin a work whose end shall not come 
 till “the heavens shall be rolled together as a 
 scroll.” 
 
 Our missionaries in Japan have given themselves 
 to this people, and spend a large percentage of 
 their salaries in adding to the appropriations of 
 the Board. Miss Gaines, last year, paid the rent 
 of her school-room. She will do it again. [No- 
 vember i, 1889. — Since writing the foregoing I 
 have heard that Miss Gaines, Dr. Lambuth, and 
 Mr. Waters put together what funds they could 
 command in order to secure a building-lot. Miss 
 Gaines stands pledged for the remainder.] All 
 of our representatives in this empire are in earnest, 
 as well as those in Hiroshima. Who will help to 
 
58 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 hold up these hands, which may grow “heavy” 
 unless they be “stayed?” As Moses’s hands 
 were “steady until the going down of the sun” 
 while Aaron and Ilur held them, so that Amalek 
 was discomfited, our friends will prevail against 
 Satan if the Church “stand on the top of the 
 hill” calling on the name of the Lord. But I 
 doubt if the Church stands on the top of the hill 
 that refuses an abundant offering to such calls of 
 the Lord God. 
 
 Notwithstanding our poor accommodations on 
 the kojoki, the journey was full of interest; for 
 our way was through the Inland Sea, bounded on 
 both sides by green hill-tops, and along whose 
 coast I could well believe the Garden of Eden was 
 located, if beauty alone decided that chosen spot. 
 The channel winds in and out, around island after 
 island, each one prettier than the last, or sharply 
 turns at the mountain-side where terrace on terrace 
 of rice-fields rise to the summit. In every little 
 cove nestles a village, while in every bay float a 
 dozen junks. I am sure if I could paint these 
 emerald islands that rival “ Green Erin,” and these 
 blue waters, our people would covet this entire re- 
 gion, with its hungering thousands, for Christ. 
 To girdle this sea would be an achievement worthy 
 of our best effort. When we took root in this soil 
 
Life in Hiroshima. 59 
 
 there was but one missionary and two or three na- 
 tive helpers on all the inland coast. We are here 
 with the prospect of great success. True the out- 
 posts are scarcely manned, but all are so devoted 
 and enthusiastic that with that help which is prom- 
 ised to them who go upon this warfare there can 
 be no failure. Girded, with staff in hand, each 
 man is preparing to move forward as opportunity 
 opens before him. Alert and determined, failure 
 seems impossible to these men of God. 
 
 Our stay in Hiroshima has been very delightful. 
 The Church-members met us at Dr. Lambuth’s a 
 few afternoons ago. We sat upon the floor, Jap- 
 anese fashion; and although we could not join in 
 the conversation, we enjoyed the hour. Mrs. 
 Lambuth retained a chair for your father, whose 
 habits of sitting were too confirmed to be inter- 
 rupted. Tea and sugar-cakes were served. The 
 guests brought a fold of paper in their belts, to be 
 used as a wrapper for the cakes which were taken 
 home. Etiquette requires a guest to drink the tea, 
 but more solid refreshment may be placed in the 
 pocket: indeed, whatever is left the hostess must 
 send after her friends. It was touching that these 
 people, who lately had not heard of the Lord God, 
 now find their joy in him whose love was taught me 
 in my childhood ten thousand miles away. 
 
GO Letters from the Orient. 
 
 The next afternoon we attended a “high tea.” 
 This was a very ceremonious occasion. Ladies 
 only (except your father and Dr. Lambuth) were 
 present, and were attired in fine silks and crepes. 
 All shoes being left at the door, you will know 
 how curious these pretty dresses appeared when 
 finished off by bare feet. However, our friends 
 were so entirely unconscious of any incongruity 
 that I very soon forgot it. Each guest on arriving 
 threw herself on her knees and touched the floor 
 with her forehead, first to salute her hostess, and 
 then the other ladies present. By the time fifty 
 had assembled, I had come to think these oft- 
 repeated salaams quite pretty. It was an undertak- 
 ing to seat the company, for each one remained at 
 the door, upon the floor, through many persuasions 
 to enter. No lady will acknowledge herself worthy 
 of so great a compliment as a place in the presence 
 of her hostess: she accepts it only on finding that 
 her refusal creates considerable embarrassment; 
 and as she proceeds a few inches at a time to 
 the spot designated, it requires both energy and 
 patience to seat a large number of guests. At 
 last, the company being located, the arrangement 
 of the flowers was the next observance. After 
 request upon request, and as many modest refus- 
 als, a lady finally consented to dress the vase; 
 
Life in Hiroshima. Cl 
 
 and in solemn silence, and with many profound 
 salutations after the aforesaid sort, the angular bou- 
 quet was set before us. The event of the afternoon 
 was the making and drinking the tea, the intrica- 
 cies of which I cannot describe. The process was 
 inexplicable. The elaborate brewing being com- 
 pleted, there was no one who would assume or be 
 persuaded to take the first cup — till the wife of the 
 chief-justice, who had the precedence, desired 
 three young ladies to drink for the company. 
 This is the only time I ever witnessed a tea-drink- 
 ing by proxy. The three went to the center of 
 the room, where the aforementioned genuflections 
 were repeated and the tea and little cakes accept- 
 ed. The latter were laid aside for home con- 
 sumption, while the tea was turned about, raised 
 to the forehead, again shaken and twirled, and at 
 length swallowed. It was a difficult operation, for 
 the reason that on these punctilious occasions the 
 tea is a mush rather than an infusion ; and the 
 rules of decorum require that not a leaf be left in 
 the cup. You perceive, then, that the whirling of 
 the cup before and during the process is a neces- 
 sity. 
 
 Music followed ( if such monotonous minor sounds 
 can be called music), both vocal and upon stringed 
 instruments, while the remainder of the company 
 
62 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 had tea. I failed to give mine the proper graceful 
 movement, at which I detected the ghost of a smile 
 on several faces; while your father caught the 
 precise motion, and was greatly admired. In ad- 
 dition, shocking to relate, I left a few tea-leaves 
 in my cup, while he was quick enough to dispose 
 of his. There are persons who do what they 
 undertake. 
 
 Jinrikishas were announced at dark. I noticed 
 that the guests paid for their jinrikishas in coming 
 to the entertainment, but the hostess was at the ex- 
 pense of returning her friends to their homes. At 
 least fifty pairs of shoes were put upon the feet 
 where they belonged, no one by mistake don- 
 ning her neighbor’s; and so a pleasant afternoon 
 ended. 
 
 Yet another invitation was sent us in Hiroshima 
 — an invitation to a feast where we were seated on 
 the floor for three hours, while course after course 
 was set before us, a list of which may interest 
 you: ( i ) tea and confections ; (2) fish-head soup, 
 pounded fish in a mold, yams, omelet, preserved 
 orange-skin shredded; (3) raw fish, horse-radish, 
 shredded turnips, red sea-weed, grated cucumber- 
 rind; ( 4 ) the “honorable fish,” two preparations 
 of beans molded in exact imitation of pine-burrs, 
 one green, one brown; ( 5 ) lobster and mush- 
 
G3 
 
 Life in Hiroshima. 
 
 rooms; (6) a soup of eggs, fish, mushrooms, 
 chickens, and chestnuts: this was the only warm 
 dish — other soups were cold; (7) fish and sea- 
 weed; (8) pickled rice in fish-skin. 
 
 It was fortunate that etiquette did not require me 
 to do more than barely look at these dishes. It 
 was agreeable to have the feast sent to Dr. Lam- 
 
 O 
 
 buth’s house, where we could dispense to those 
 who enjoyed this style of culinary art. I must ac- 
 knowledge that these viands would not have been 
 recognized by me, if Mrs. Lambuth had not aided 
 me in the investigation. The china and lacquer 
 bowls and trays were very handsome. The music 
 was indescribable — excruciating. 
 
 Dr. Walter Lambuth and Mr. Waters live in 
 Japanese houses; indeed, there are no other 
 houses in Hiroshima, except those lately built by 
 the Board of the Presbvterian Church. Japanese 
 houses are very pretty, and in summer comfort- 
 able, but must be cold in winter. The sides be- 
 ing removed as well as the inner panels, of course 
 the breeze is enjoyed; and if the sun becomes un- 
 pleasant, the slides are readily returned to their 
 places. Mr. Waters is quite at home in his little 
 cottage. He bought a “tea-set” yesterday, like 
 mine, and is much interested in housekeeping. I 
 wrote you how he entertained the governor at din- 
 
64 Letters f rom the Orient. 
 
 ner, with an inexperienced cook in the kitchen, 
 and only such things in the larder as an inland 
 town afforded, with all the hospitable intent that 
 could be expected if he were the happy possessor 
 of a capable wife to smooth the difficulties. 
 
 Yesterday we went shopping, and were ourselves 
 such curios that not less than a hundred followed 
 us, even entering the shops and filling the fronts, 
 so that we had neither light nor air. I purchased 
 a piece of shalli-green, wfith remarkable cranes 
 stalking up and down. A Japanese gown will be 
 the outcome. Some cotton goods which I bought 
 was damaged. Mrs. Lambuth’s “helper” made a 
 rice-paste, and, matching all the figures, has glued 
 the patches into place, so that it looks as w'ell as 
 though it had not needed repairs. The silks and 
 embroideries are very beautiful, but do not please 
 me more than my dress surprises the Japs. This 
 morning I wondered why a crowd was so curious 
 about my face : I did not think it an unusual sight. 
 I discovered afterward that they did not under- 
 stand the “invisible veil” which I wore, and 
 thought it possible that “the net grew there.” 
 
 In our walks we see curiously dwarfed trees 
 that must have required experienced florists in 
 their management. They are often grotesque in 
 shape, and even after years of training I suppose 
 
Life in Hiroshima. G5 
 
 still need considerable skill to prevent them from 
 taking the natural shape. We also see intricate 
 labyrinths of stone — rocks strangely thrown to- 
 gether, the way winding through them, now up, 
 now r down, stair-ways across, in and out, till my 
 head whirls with the complications. 
 
 The passport system is very troublesome in Ja- 
 pan. Any one can reside or visit at the treaty 
 ports; but in order to go to the cities on the In- 
 land Sea, or in the interior of the empire, a pass- 
 port from the department at Tokio must be ob- 
 tained. All of our missionaries (except those at 
 Kobe), their wives and children, must have a “ per- 
 mit” to live here or to remove from one place to 
 another. When the time expires at the end of the 
 year, every foreigner w'ith his household must 
 pack up and go to a “treaty port,” and there re- 
 main till the “ red tape” is straightened. The 
 time cannot be anticipated, no application for a 
 new r one being considered till the old passport has 
 expired. In this way our brethren are sometimes 
 kept from their work for a month ; but I hear the 
 time is never wasted — they find something to do. 
 
 Of course you know there is no Sabbath here. 
 Last Sunday the hammer and saw f in a shop near 
 by were kept going; market-houses were open, and 
 men, w'omen, and children pursued the same avo- 
 5 
 
66 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 cations as on any other day. I went to Japanese 
 preaching, also to Sunday-school. Mr. Waters 
 made his first missionary collection in the school, 
 and received one dollar and forty-three cents. This 
 is to be done monthly, and the proceeds to be used 
 for the expenses of the students sent to the school 
 at Tokio. A generous gift from our converted hea- 
 then children ! A year ago they knew no god but 
 Buddha; now they are learning of Him who said, 
 “Suffer the little children to come unto me.” 
 These pagan boys and girls were as surely meant 
 as those in the Southern Methodist Church of my 
 home-land. It was not an American child that 
 Jesus took in his arms that day in Galilee when he 
 talked of the kingdom of heaven. It was a He' 
 brew, and as he pressed the little one to his heart 
 he thought of all those who were to live in the 
 ages to come. He loved all alike, and asks the 
 children who serve him to remember those who 
 have the same right to his blessing, and yet who 
 never heard of his love. If Paul and Peter had 
 gone east from Jerusalem, teaching and preach- 
 ing toward China and Japan, these people might 
 have heard the word gladly, while to-day our beau- 
 tiful continent might have been bound by “error’s 
 chain.” 
 
 The Japanese are very anxious to learn the En- 
 
Life in Hiroshima. 67 
 
 glish language. I doubt not that this is one of 
 God’s plans to open the way for the gospel. How 
 easy it would be for any of us to tell the story of 
 Jesus if we could be understood ! At present two, 
 three, four, five years are spent in studying these 
 hieroglyphics, with their meaning and sound, be- 
 fore a man can with ease preach in the tongue of 
 his hearers. Besides, the time now given to the 
 language could then be given to the one work 
 which the missionary loves. Do you remember 
 that your first reading-lesson was the story of Eli- 
 jah, from the Bible itself? It was as easy to 
 learn those words from the Holy Book as a lesson 
 in the primer would have been. So our mis- 
 sionaries, in teaching English to these heathen, 
 constantly use the Bible ; and while many of them 
 are intent upon the new language, they are, with- 
 out knowing it, learning the foundation on which 
 the way to heaven is built — just as my little girls 
 learned a lesson of fidelity from Elijah’s history 
 while they solved the mystery of words. 
 
 Our teachers in the Government schools require 
 exercises in “composition” as a part of the En- 
 glish training. I give you a sample or two of their 
 work. Of course boys and girls of fifteen or six- 
 teen could do better in their own language: while 
 their manner of expressing themselves in ours is 
 
68 
 
 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 amusing sometimes, yet I look on these examples 
 as tolerably good — better than mine would be if 
 I attempted Japanese. Here is one on Spring - 
 “ The Spring has come. The birds and other ani- 
 mals are singing, and the colts in the meadow 
 kicking spiritually.” Another on Summer: “On 
 the most longest day in the year, the sun rises on 
 the five o’clock, and sets down on the seven in the 
 evening.” Another on The Country: “In the 
 country all the pupils are inhabited by little houses 
 and the sunshines are lighter than the moon- 
 shines.” 
 
 Dr. Wainright’s cook employed an extra boy on 
 one occasion and told Mrs. Wainright, “The boy 
 would not work, so I gave him great anger, and he 
 obeyed suddenly” — poor English, but conveying 
 his meaning. 
 
 We will take the kojoki again in a few hours — 
 its discomforts in great contrast with the luxurious 
 entertainment recently at a Japanese inn where we 
 were taken up a shining stair-way, no shoe being 
 allowed to mar its beauty. Our rooms were per- 
 fect after their way. Pretty paper slides bounded 
 the sides. The universal tea-set of beautiful china 
 was set in the corner. When the hour for sleep 
 arrived light blue silk-wadded mats were spread 
 upon the floor, with coverings of the same. Our 
 
G9 
 
 Life in Hiroshima. 
 
 own pillows are part of our traveling parapherna- 
 lia. Our rest was regal. We slept as became 
 comfortably padded mortals. 
 
 We are amused at our dislike of the kojoki. 
 It is so admirably arranged for the discomfort of 
 its passengers that by this time it should be a joke 
 to us who are well. 
 
LETTER VII. 
 
 OTHER PLEASANT EXCURSIONS IN JAPAN. 
 
 Kobe, October 2, 1SS8. 
 
 W E had a pleasant trip back to Kobe. The 
 sunshine and the breeze were delightful. 
 The two children, David and Mary, were with us. 
 They assisted materially in all we did. The inex- 
 plicable dishes, of Japanese cooking, are quite eat- 
 able to these little ones: I noticed that when the 
 “boy of all work” brought us his incomprehensi- 
 ble vegetable compounds they enjoyed tasting, and 
 would probably have eaten heartily if their father 
 had not enjoined caution. David did me a good 
 turn in the night. When we retired for sleep we 
 found the seat that was placed around the cabin 
 walls vacant. David and I gathered our shawls 
 and pillows, and made ourselves comfortable on 
 this bench. A man on the floor also liked the 
 place, and arranged for his night’s sleep, crowding 
 us considerably; but the little boy dreamed, and 
 kicked so vigorously that in a short time the space 
 the man occupied was vacated. 
 
 Do you realize how lately Japan and China 
 were closed to all the world? Commodore Perry, 
 ( 70 ) 
 
Other Pleasant Excursions. 71 
 
 of the United States Navy, demanded that Japan 
 open her ports for intercourse with his country, 
 and, after some months of diplomatic negotiation, 
 a treaty was signed in March, 1854, which opened 
 two ports to Americans. It was not till some years 
 after that the great powers obtained the genuine 
 good-will of the Government. A hatred of for- 
 eigners threatened to destroy all relations. 
 
 Nearly three hundred years ago the Jesuits were 
 here in great numbers, but were ejected, and the 
 edicts against Christians were not revoked till 1876. 
 We sat at home, thinking but little of this pagan 
 world, while Perry and the diplomats started the 
 wedge which was to open the empire to the Bible 
 and the preaching of the cross. God did not for- 
 get l Slowly the doors swung open. The Church 
 prayed, “Thy kingdom come! ” God is answer- 
 ing. His kingdom is established in Japan, and 
 seems about to possess the land. Do we not ask 
 him to stay his hand by our feeble answer to his 
 call for men, women, and money? Rather, shall 
 we not shout back, “ Thy servants hear and see — 
 let thy kingdom come?” And when the still 
 small voice speaks here and there, “Get thee out 
 of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from 
 thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show 
 thee,” may there be from far and near the re- 
 
72 
 
 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 sponse, “Here am I, send me.” And when to 
 some others the word comes, “Every beast of 
 the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand 
 hills,” “return me that which is mine own,” 
 “freely ye have received, freely give,” God help 
 our rich men to sing with all their hearts : 
 
 “Were the whole realm of nature mine, 
 
 That were a present far too small: 
 
 Love so amazing, so divine, 
 
 Demands my love, my life, my all.” 
 
 Among our poor may there be many who shall 
 give generously, happy if they may expect to hear 
 their Master say, “They did what they could.” 
 The voice of Japan, as she calls, “Come over, 
 and help us,” is the voice of God. We are able 
 “to possess the land,” but we must “go up.” 
 We can overcome the “strong cities” and “the 
 giants,” because he that is for us is greater than 
 all who be against us. The pillar of cloud and 
 of fire will lead the way, if we march “onward 
 as to war.” This land of “milk and honey” shall 
 be ours unless Christian people fail to meet their 
 obligations. A richer harvest awaits us than Ca- 
 naan’s “grapes and pomegranates and figs.” God 
 does not prosper our fair South that she may lavish 
 her gold upon herself. He gives, and expects a 
 faithful stewardship. 
 
Other Pleasant Excursions. 73 
 
 We went to Arima upon the mountain-top a few 
 days ago. We tried a new method of locomotion, 
 the “cong-o” (I give the pronunciation — not the 
 spelling), which is a litter “ shorter than a man can 
 stretch himself in” carried on the shoulders of 
 coolies. Your father and Dr. Lambuth made stir- 
 rups at the sides in order to rest their feet — I made 
 them in front for my comfort. As we went up the 
 mountain-road our men were occasionally near 
 enough to the edge of a precipice to make one a 
 trifle tremulous. I was reminded of the traveler 
 who was proud of his horse because, when he 
 stumbled on the brink of an abyss, he was able to 
 recover foot-hold. His friend replied: “ Mine did 
 far better, for he was so sure-footed that he carried 
 me over the dangerous places without tripping.” 
 
 The way was very beautiful. Myriads of gay 
 flowers were to be seen in the paths, under the 
 trees and among the grass. Bright geraniums 
 and oleanders growing wild in profusion — mag- 
 nificent hydrangeas, that at home we cultivate with 
 such care — sweet-brier, morning-glories, daisies, 
 and many other familiar blossoms lined the hedges. 
 Above us the heavens were blue, and away in 
 the distance we saw the bay with its many sails. 
 Our “bearers” were very cheerful, though it must 
 have been toilsome work. They talked and 
 
74 
 
 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 laughed while trotting along as though they were 
 off on a holiday. Sometimes they intoned a 
 rhythmical chorus, in which, though there was no 
 music, the time was perfect with the pit-a-pat of 
 their footsteps. 
 
 The rain poured in torrents during the entire 
 visit to Arima. We could not enjoy the town, but 
 we saw the basket-work, which is the prettiest in 
 the world. The sulphur baths of the place are 
 noted, and would have been enjoyed but that the 
 responsible person would not run off the contents 
 of the tank to give me fresh water. Their baths 
 are renewed once a day, and, though a hundred 
 persons bathe, the same water is used until the 
 next day. In vain I insisted that our custom in 
 America was a new supply of water for each per- 
 son. I suppose his idea was that in Japan one 
 must do as the Japanese. In Kobe I had been 
 more fortunate. After considerable expostulation 
 and determination, Mrs. Walter Lambuth succeed- 
 ed several times in obtaining a fresh bath for me. 
 
 Our visit to Kioto was interesting. Here are 
 great potteries, where we watched the process of 
 making the beautiful china-ware, from the time the 
 workman holds the clay till a handsomely decorat- 
 ed piece of bric-a-brac work was ready for sale. 
 We were so fortunate as to stumble upon the artist 
 
Other Pleasant Excursions. 75 
 
 who was preparing the embroidered hangings for 
 the new palace at Tokio. A gorgeous peacock 
 strutted across a long canopy as though he were a 
 living bird; the bark of the trees was so like bark 
 that I could scarcely believe it to be embroidery : 
 the lotus-flowers seemed to be growing. All ap- 
 peared real. 
 
 We went through the old palace of the Mikado, 
 where he spends about a month in the year. The 
 severe simplicity is in great contrast with our fine 
 residences. The hundreds of sliding panels sep- 
 arating the scores of rooms are rich paintings 
 three and four hundred years old — of course all 
 after Japanese patterns, which are very different 
 from our ideal painting. It is remarkable how 
 these gilded and tinted papers have stood the wear 
 and tear of centuries. The carvings and brass- 
 work of one of the gate-ways are very handsome. 
 
 Kioto is the seat of a Buddhist college, com- 
 plete in all respects except that it lacks the teach- 
 ing without which all learning is vain. Several 
 hundred students are here at work. The Bible is 
 in the library, because they want every thing that 
 helps to make Western civilization. Cannot, will 
 not God use his word to convince men who to-day 
 scarcely expect to find the way of eternal life in 
 that Book of books? 
 
76 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 I mention another point of interest — the Bud- 
 dhist temple now building. The old temple was 
 burned to the ground many years ago, and at once 
 a fund was started for rebuilding. An old priest 
 caught the fire from the altar from the perpetually 
 burning lamp, so that when the new temple is fin- 
 ished the incense and altar will be lighted from that 
 continuous fire which was not extinguished. The 
 new carvings of storks, the lotus, chrysanthemums, 
 and other favorite figures are very beautiful. What 
 interested us most were the great cables of hair, 
 the gift of the women of Japan. These were used 
 for lifting the heavy timbers into position in the roof 
 and other places. We calculated from the figures 
 attached to the hair that there were nearly six tons. 
 I have forgotten the number of feet of cable as 
 thick as that of the largest steamers : the amount 
 seemed almost past belief. The women have giv- 
 en what was of most value to them, their hair be- 
 ing their chief treasure. Of course my mind re- 
 verted to the building of the Tabernacle, almost 
 four thousand years ago. Then the women were 
 “willing-hearted,” bringing “bracelets, and ear- 
 rings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold.” 
 They did “spin with their hands” the “blue, and 
 purple, and scarlet, and fine linen” which they of- 
 fered before the Lord. They were “wise heart- 
 
Other Pleasant Excursions. 77 
 
 ed;” while these women of Japan in their igno- 
 rance sacrifice to the temple of Buddha their chief 
 beauty. The women in all ages have been devot- 
 ed. Surely we of the South will not hesitate to 
 rescue these perishing devotees. Let us tell them 
 they are not their own, but were bought with a 
 price, and have the right of fellowship with God 
 in Christ Jesus. How shall we appear with confi- 
 dence before our Lord at his coming if we refuse 
 to obey his last command? He opens our way be- 
 fore us, smoothing out the difficulties which fifty 
 years ago looked insurmountable. 
 
 The leaven spreads. A janitor of the imperial 
 palace in Kioto told Dr. Lambuth when we were 
 there a few days ago that he is reading the Bible. 
 Another said: “There must be something in your 
 religion, for I see your people are different: they 
 are not the same men they used to be.” Another, 
 who had been reading the fifth of Matthew, said 
 in my hearing: “I can understand how one who 
 is pure in heart could see God, but how can I with 
 an impure heart see him? I want to see him, but 
 I cannot make my heart pure.” A prominent 
 merchant in Kobe fell into conversation with Dr. 
 J. W. Lambuth, which the latter followed up un- 
 til the merchant has become a constant reader of 
 the Bible. He often comes for instruction, and 
 
78 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 there is good hope that he will soon find “the 
 way, the truth, the life.” 
 
 Returning from a short jaunt yesterday, we met 
 Dr. Dukes on his way to one of his outposts. He 
 had found a “ silver lining” to his last cloud. He 
 had not seen where a new teaching-place could be 
 found when a recent ejectment occurred. Provi- 
 dentially, a man of social position, who is study- 
 ing English with Dr. Dukes, said to him, when he 
 heard of the situation: “I will give you a house 
 for as long a time as you desire, and charge no 
 rent for the first year.” 
 
LETTER YIII. 
 
 STUDYING THE PECULIARITES OF THE JAPS. 
 
 Kobe, October, 1888. 
 
 T HE annals of Japan reach back almost twenty- 
 five hundred years. The present Mikado is 
 in a direct line from the founder of the dynasty 
 whose history began nearly one thousand years be- 
 fore Christ. His titles, “King of Heaven” and 
 “Son of Heaven,” came down to him all through 
 these centuries, so that if he has grown to regard 
 himself as such it need not be matter of surprise. 
 Rein, a German historian, records the sagacity of 
 more than one of the early rulers. Even the wom- 
 en were noted. One empress conducted a suc- 
 cessful expedition against Corea, and managed 
 national affairs creditably during her regency, 
 while her son was a minor. And concerning the 
 devotion of another, it is said that she threw her- 
 self into the sea, a sacrifice to Neptune, in order 
 to secure for her husband a successful voyage. 
 
 While some of the Mikados sought their own 
 aggrandizement, there were others who, self-for- 
 getful, looked only to the well-being of their peo- 
 ple. At present a strange unrest pervades all 
 
 ( 79 ) 
 
80 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 classes. The Emperor, court officials, the schools, 
 the people, are unsatisfied. They are asking for 
 Western civilization. God is stirring the heart of 
 Japan. Civilization will not meet their want. The 
 gospel only is for the healing of the nations. 
 
 Things pleasing and curious meet us at every 
 turn. In America our building is ended where the 
 Japanese begin — that is, they construct the roof 
 first. An intricate scaffolding is erected, upon 
 which they begin at the top and work down. They 
 reverse almost all our mechanical processes — they 
 pull the plane and saw toward them, while the 
 drawing-knife they push away. Even the cats are 
 different, being without tails. 
 
 Babies are antiquated-looking. If dressed, they 
 wear exactly the same cut of garment that their 
 grandmothers wore a hundred years ago. They 
 are taken out strapped to the mother’s or little sis- 
 ter’s back, where they laugh and coo, grow weary, 
 squirm, and cry, till, worn out, the tired head falls 
 back, and sleep comes with the poor little face up- 
 turned to the blazing sun. Sometimes the young 
 nurse joins in a game of top-spinning, or “ Puss 
 wants a corner,” or “Where’s the ring?” while 
 the baby’s head is left “bobbing” up and down 
 as though it were on a hinge working toward 
 all points of the compass. A fine fellow, whose 
 
Peculiarities of the faps. 81 
 
 back was as broad as that of the sister upon whom 
 he was strapped, allowed me to amuse him for ten 
 minutes the other day. Foreign baby-talk and a 
 person so peculiar-looking as myself diverted him 
 until he forgot his grievance. A barber was equal- 
 ly amazed to-day. I wondered if the customer 
 knew the peril he escaped while the tonsorial art- 
 ist gazed at the strange lady. 
 
 At night, in the native parts of the cities, the 
 shops display their wares on the ground in the 
 middle of the street, lighting with torches and lan- 
 terns. Whether the sales are sufficient for the out- 
 lay of strength, convenience, and expense I have 
 not heard. Jinrikishas drive through, and no one 
 moves out of anybody’s way, which reminds me 
 of a dance we witnessed a few evenings ago. It 
 was raining and very dark, about io p.m., as we 
 passed through a village some miles distant. A 
 most unmusical drum beat out of time, and as we 
 drew near we found an assembly of perhaps fifty 
 dancing in the road, with one torch-light. Our 
 “rikishas” passed through, and none were dis- 
 concerted. 
 
 Funeral processions are striking. I watched 
 one yesterday. Six immense bunches of gay-col- 
 ored flowers, as tall as the men who carried them, 
 came first. Then followed the coffin, borne on the 
 G 
 
82 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 shoulders of four. This was an ornamented box, 
 very short, and about as wide and high as it was 
 long, the remains being placed in a sitting posture. 
 The friends followed. 
 
 The coiffure of a Japanese lady is a wonderful 
 superstructure. The hair is very black, and kept 
 smooth by the abundant use of oil. I am told the 
 hair-dresser is universally employed, very few per- 
 sons being able to construct the puffs, rolls, and 
 twists of a well-regulated head. For economy’s 
 sake only the rich undergo the process oftener than 
 once a week. The pomatum keeps the hair in 
 reasonable order, especially as they sleep on a 
 wooden rest, which is hollowed out in shape and 
 size to fit. Tortoise-shell, silver, and other pins 
 are used for decoration. The heads of the chil- 
 dren are shaved in circles and rectangles; some- 
 times the scalp is shaved, leaving only a lock on 
 each temple which may grow as long as it will. 
 
 Married women blacken their teeth and look 
 hideous. It is said to have been required by the 
 husbands of long ago in order to prevent any ad- 
 miration of their wives. The Empress discour- 
 ages this fashion. It has been growing into dis- 
 use, and will soon be forgotten. 
 
 Hot baths are in daily use. The family tub is 
 filled with water, up in the nineties. First the fa- 
 

( 83 ) 
 
 JAPANESE SLEEPING APARTMENT. 
 
Peculiarities of the fafs. 83 
 
 ther bathes, then the sons; next the mother, then 
 the daughters, and last the servants — all in the 
 same water. 
 
 As soon as a guest arrives, whether in private 
 or public house, tea is handed, and the “hibachi” 
 placed convenient for lighting the pipe. The 
 hibachi is a wooden, porcelain, or bronze bowl, 
 lined with clay and filled with ashes on which char- 
 coal is kept burning. In cold weather it is the 
 heating apparatus, and at all seasons is ready for 
 use. During our wanderings in Japan we have 
 boiled our kettle for coffee and tea on the hibachi 
 — a necessary adjunct to our itinerant restaurant, 
 and found on every kojoki and in every inn and 
 hut in the country. 
 
 In all the homes one room is used as a domestic 
 altar: before the sacred shrine are performed the 
 devotions of the household. The Buddhist works 
 out his salvation by following the prescribed code 
 of morals; the Shintoist by his sacrifices to Kami — 
 all go through some religious form, and are satisfied. 
 
 In no particular do I see such difference between 
 Christian and heathen life as in the position which 
 my own sex holds. Christianity only has placed 
 woman in an exalted place. She owes her all to 
 the coming of the Lord Jesus. In heathen lands 
 she is the slave of her husband. In Japan she re- 
 
84 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 ceives more consideration than in other pagan 
 countries; but even here she stands till her lord is 
 served, and does not eat nor indulge herself in any- 
 way till he is ready to dispense with her services. 
 She must always be cheerful lest he grow weary, 
 and be very fruitful of expedients for amusing him. 
 Even a bride at her wedding-feast must stand be- 
 hind her spouse till his meal is concluded. He may 
 divorce her if she talks much, if she is often on the 
 street, or if she is disobedient to him or his mother. 
 His satisfaction is in himself, his wife being his 
 servant. How different in a Christian land ! The 
 Christian husband knows, by the love of the Sav- 
 iour of the world, how to love his wife till self- 
 sacrifice becomes a joy. She is his earthly ideal. 
 What other “rights” does woman desire? As 
 Jesus drew all men to him, she was raised to her 
 lofty height, and without fear looks into her hus- 
 band’s face, knowing that, next to her God, he is 
 her strength. 
 
 I saw a Satsuma bowl of exquisite coloring a 
 day or two ago. I wish I might transport it to 
 you. Its measure was but a pint, and its price 
 fifty dollars. It was very beautiful. As you know, 
 the admiration of Satsuma is world-wide. I am 
 so little of a connoisseur as to prefer the new to 
 the old, as also I think the new lacquer-work more 
 
Peculiarities of the Jafs. 85 
 
 lovely than the old, though the latter far outlasts 
 the other. 
 
 Time and space fail me before I have told you 
 the half. Multum in parvo. I was “the party of 
 the second part” in a fight, was thrown from my 
 jinrikisha with violence, have had a scare, was lost 
 for an hour, have been entertained in Japanese 
 fashion both comfortably and uncomfortably, have 
 practiced pantomime with an expert when I failed 
 to make myself otherwise understood, have been 
 on short rations, have seen things more beautiful 
 than I can describe, and, better than all, have had 
 the privilege of joining the people of God in the 
 worship of the Most High. 
 
 * 
 
 We will sail for China in a few hours. 
 
 P. S. — November, 1S89. 
 
 Such advance has been made in our work in 
 Japan during the past year that I must remind 
 the Church that new help — men, women, and 
 money — must be given, or we will be obliged 
 to retreat. Our first native preacher has been 
 licensed — Mr. Yoshioka, a devoted young Chris- 
 tian. He is the man who gave three hundred 
 dollars to the Kobe Church. He received a pen- 
 sion of nine hundred dollars from the Govern- 
 ment, six hundred of which he gave to his mother, 
 and the remaining three hundred was used to clear 
 
86 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 all indebtedness from the new house in Kobe, fin- 
 ished and dedicated one year ago. 
 
 The Japanese are so willing to help themselves 
 that surely the home Church will not fail to supply 
 their need, The call is to men and women both, 
 that they shall go and send. Those who cannot 
 go must see that the money is forth-coming, on 
 which the work so much depends. A large pro- 
 portion of the work must be done by women. 
 They can go where men cannot, can do what men 
 cannot, can say what men cannot. Their sphere 
 in the homes of Japan, and in all the East, is im- 
 mensely broad and practically unrestricted. Wom- 
 en have comparatively no opposition from any 
 quarter, save the prejudice which must be combat- 
 ed in every heathen mind. 
 
 Even the children may join the men and women 
 in helping to save this people. The dew upon the 
 grass is distilled drop by drop, and though it soon 
 vanishes, it does its work. The separate contri- 
 butions of the boys and girls may not seem as 
 great as the refreshment a drop of dew gives a 
 blade of grass, but in the day of reckoning the 
 accumulated treasures of small sacrifices will be 
 counted to have performed grander things than 
 keeping the “ robe of green upon” the earth ! And 
 how happy the very young of to-day will be when 
 
Peculiarities of the Japs. 87 
 
 youth has vanished, to remember they did the 
 work committed to them in childhood ! 
 
 Not long ago Canon Taylor declared foreign 
 missions to be a failure. He forgot that in Japan 
 it was once death to profess Christ, and that the 
 proclamation to that effect, which was shown to 
 your father two years ago, has been a dead letter 
 for some years, and that missionaries are pressing 
 into the empire as fast as their Churches will send 
 them. He had not studied the difference between 
 “then and now,” but was looking rather at what 
 the Church at home fails to do. “Darkness has 
 covered the earth, and gross darkness the people ” 
 — but the Sun of righteousness has risen upon 
 Japan. God is fulfilling his promises. Hundreds 
 have called upon the name of the Lord, and thou- 
 sands are being prepared for the word of his 
 grace. 
 
 See the call made by three Japanese ladies who 
 three years ago had not so much as heard that 
 our God, the Lord Jehovah, is the only God, and 
 from everlasting to everlasting. Of their own mo- 
 tion and without assistance from our missionaries, 
 and having heard that the work in Japan is largely 
 dependent upon the Boards at home, they wrote 
 the following — their original paper being sent to 
 Dr. John, both the Japanese and their English 
 
88 
 
 Letters from the Orient . 
 
 copy. Dr. W. R. Lambuth sent me the appeal, 
 knowing that I would remember the faces and 
 sweet voices and devotion of the writers. They 
 have studied English with Mrs. J. W. Lambuth: 
 
 Kobe, Japan, September 3, 1889. 
 
 To the Members of the Board of Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 
 South, in the United States of America. 
 
 Dear Friends and Brethren: Feeling inexpressibly thankful 
 to our most merciful God for his great mercy and help in bring- 
 ing us from the miseries of heathenism, and in carrying this great 
 and glorious ■work of our Lord into this dark Gentile land ; and 
 bearing a deep sense of gratitude to the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, South, and especially to your honorable body, for all we 
 have received for our good, we humbly beg leave to present to 
 you our petition. 
 
 The field is wide open before us for woman’s Christian work, 
 and it has pressing needs of laborers to carry it on. We cannot 
 but cry out for help from beyond the great ocean to meet the de- 
 mand. Precious souls are being swept on in the broad channel 
 of destruction. We cannot and must not lose time to win them 
 to Christ, who died for them. Now is the time for us to do the 
 grand work in this island empire. And it is now our most ear- 
 nest request that your societies will sympathize with us and 
 take a speeding step to send out such lady workers as they see 
 fit into the community of our sex, in this part of our Lord’s do- 
 minions. 
 
 We remain, dear friends and brethren, in earnest and prayer- 
 ful expectation of a favorable response to our petition. 
 
 Your humble sisters in Christ, 
 
 Mrs. Y. Yoshioka, 
 Mrs. G. Hashimoto, 
 Mrs. S. Kixoshita. 
 
Peculiarities of the Japs. 89 
 
 And there are some who say “foreign missions 
 are a failure,” and some who will not open their 
 hearts and purses in order to send the gospel to 
 the heathen ! 
 
LETTER IX. 
 
 LEAVING JAPAN— FROM KOBE TO SHANGHAI. 
 
 October 6, 18S8. 
 
 W E sailed in the “ Sakio Maru” for Shanghai 
 on the 4th, and are now three days from 
 Kobe. Our route was through the Inland Sea; 
 we saw for the last time the countless islands, 
 picturesque villages, and green mountain-heights 
 on which our eyes have rested during the trips on 
 this coast. From the middle of the sea the hill- 
 tops and rice-fields had the appearance of velvet, 
 rivaling green Erin in her beauty. 
 
 Our steamer is new, having left England on her 
 maiden trip but three months ago. She is com- 
 plete, having the modern improvements. There 
 is machinery to change the air of the vessel every 
 three minutes in case it is necessary to close the 
 hatchways and ports, at which you will smile, re- 
 membering that “fresh air” is my conspicuous 
 idiosyncrasy. The weather has been delicious 
 and the sea as smooth as glass, inclining everybody 
 to remain on deck. To-day there is a swell which 
 banishes some to their state-rooms. 
 
 There are more than a dozen missionaries on 
 
 ( 90 ) 
 
Sailing to Shanghai. 91 
 
 board, among them Mr. and Mrs. Hill, and Mr. 
 and Mrs. Hendry, of our Church, and Dr. Woods, 
 from Virginia, of the Southern Presbyterian Board. 
 You know some members of the Woods family. 
 The Doctor and I spent an hour together this 
 afternoon looking up Scripture texts for illustrat- 
 ing some striking pictures: among them is one of 
 Buddha, whose devotees are calling upon him. 
 He gives no heed, and they strike their gongs to 
 compel his attention. But, as when the prophets 
 of Baal leaped upon the altar and cried unto him 
 “from morning even until noon,” so “there was 
 no voice, nor any that answered” from the throne 
 of Buddha. Like those worshipers twenty-eight 
 hundred years ago, they cry still the louder, lest 
 the god “is talking, or pursuing, or on a journey, 
 or asleep.” No word or sounding brass reaches 
 that dull ear from “morning even until noon,” 
 and on to the “evening sacrifice” the heavy ear 
 hears not. Disappointed and hopeless, they turn 
 away without knowing of Him who is nigh unto 
 all that call upon him. 
 
 October 7. 
 
 We have left the deep blue ocean, and are in the 
 muddy waters of the Yellow Sea. The great 
 Yang-tse, one of the largest rivers in the world, 
 traversing China, brings the accumulations of three 
 
92 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 thousand miles to the sea. I have heard this ex- 
 planation of the color of the Yellow Sea, but do 
 not know how so large a body of water can be 
 affected by even three thousand miles of filthy 
 China. 
 
 October 8. 
 
 We are in Shanghai with hospitable Mrs. Allen. 
 The foreign concessions are quite handsome. As 
 we entered the harbor the picture was beautiful. 
 The consulates, residences of wealthy men, the 
 hundreds of masts, with flags of various nations, 
 made my first glimpse of the city a sight to be 
 remembered. Our steamer was detained several 
 hours at the mouth of the Woo Sung waiting for 
 the tide, and again in the harbor because a man- 
 of-war stood in the way. 
 
ON THE WOOSUNG, NEAR SHANGHAI. 
 
LETTER X. 
 
 THE CHINA MISSION CONFERENCE— GLANCING OVER THE 
 FIELD. 
 
 Shanghai, China, October 17, iSSS. 
 
 W E enjoyed Dr. and Mrs. Allen’s hospitality 
 for more than a week. The Conference 
 held its sessions in the new church in another part 
 of the city. To you who have seen only the large 
 Conferences at home it would have seemed a di- 
 minutive body. Ten foreign missionaries (two of 
 whom, Mr. Hill and Mr. Hendry, have but just 
 arrived) and nine native preachers composed the 
 body. At home we number old men as well as 
 young, while here Dr. Allen only has counted 
 fifty years. Our Chinese brethren wore their long 
 cues and native dress, and sat very patiently dur- 
 ing the deliberations, not understanding English. 
 Mr. Soon alone was able to follow all that was said 
 or done. Mr. Dzau also understands our language, 
 but he remained in Suchow in charge of the hos- 
 pital during Dr. Park’s attendance at Conference. 
 The routine work and questions of interest were 
 disposed of in good order. Mr. Burke was or- 
 dained deacon and elder; Mr. Hendry, elder. 
 After a full discussion of all matters pertaining to 
 
 ( 93 ) 
 
94 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 the work, the appointments were read and a new 
 year begun. Not a man has grown weary of the 
 hard life ; not one would turn back, though hopes 
 are disappointed and some failures perhaps await 
 another year’s labor. Their devotion and self- 
 sacrifice are almost commensurate with their gi- 
 gantic undertaking. There has been success all 
 along the line, but the work grows slowly and 
 makes heavy exactions upon their faith and patient 
 labor. They are in earnest; and the door is ef- 
 fectual, although adversaries abound. On one 
 side human sympathy is thousands of miles dis- 
 tant, while near by is a language without begin- 
 ning or end, an atmosphere of noxious vapors, 
 foul surroundings, and a people hating God and 
 working iniquity. On the other hand, the Church 
 across the sea prays for them and the Lord God 
 reigns. They know they are part of the eternal 
 purpose, and they expect to rejoice in the “har- 
 vest home.” 
 
 During the year Mr. Reid finished and dedicat- 
 ed his new church at a cost of five thousand two 
 hundred dollars. Already he has a good congre- 
 gation and fair membership. He is faithful to his 
 people, industrious in his study, and always re- 
 members that there is joy in heaven over one sin- 
 ner that repents. 
 
The China Mission. 
 
 95 
 
 Dr. Allen and Professor Bonnell have a large 
 field. There are at this time eighty boys and 
 young men enrolled in the Anglo-Chinese College, 
 who compare favorably in appearance with the 
 same number at home. Their features and dress 
 are peculiar to American eyes. Loose trousers 
 and blouse complete the costume; the half of the 
 head is closely shaven, leaving the hair on the 
 crown to grow as long as it will. The cue is 
 braided and hangs down the back, the pride of 
 every Chinaman — a strange thing, for it is really a 
 badge of servitude. When the Tartar rulers con- 
 quered China they ordered the men to shave their 
 heads except on the crown, and the women to 
 button their gowns on the left side. The men 
 obeyed, but the women fasten their garments on 
 the right side to this day ! This item of informa- 
 tion reached me in the usual way, and appears to 
 establish the statement that “ when she will, she 
 will; and when she won’t, she won’t ! ” I believe 
 it is no longer a law, but, having taken hold, the 
 cue is the delight of the race. We went through 
 the college buildings. There is a fair collection 
 of apparatus and minerals, bought with tuition 
 fees, which last meet some of the current ex- 
 penses of the school. Students from a distance 
 pay about the same room-rent that is charged at 
 
96 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 Vanderbilt University, the restaurant being served 
 by a reliable man. Dr. Allen hopes to arrange for 
 the sons of Christians who are unable to pay the 
 fees. Perhaps some philanthropic friend will take 
 the matter in hand. 
 
 After all “the assessments” are paid, how hap- 
 py a rich man must feel who can say, “I want to 
 give something over and above!” We attend to 
 business, provide for our families, say our prayers, 
 go to church, and help pay “the assessments” as 
 part of the routine. But every earnest man does 
 more. He loves to give his child many a beautiful 
 surprise; he wants to pray, often longing for a 
 “word with Jesus” in the midst of business; and 
 after he has given all he was asked, he is glad to 
 offer “good measure ” till it is “pressed down, 
 shaken together, and running over.” So has 
 God given to him, and so would he return to his 
 Lord. 
 
 The two new men fill a gap, but do not help to 
 extend the work. The Suchow Circuit has been 
 left “to be supplied” for two or three years. Mr. 
 Hendry is to go to that work. It cannot be con- 
 sidered an extension. Mr. Loehr’s health having 
 failed, it is necessary for him to have a rest at 
 home in Georgia. Mr. Hill will succeed him at 
 Nansiang, which is an established work. If we 
 
The China Mission. 
 
 97 
 
 push into the interior, there must be a larger force. 
 The province which we have entered has a popu- 
 lation of more than eighteen millions, to whom we 
 have sent but ten men from America and nine na- 
 tive preachers. If we would do our share in sav- 
 ing this one province, the Church must rise to the 
 summit of self-sacrifice. 
 
 Your father presided at the Ladies’ Annual 
 Meeting. I cannot tell you of all their discussions. 
 Those on foot-binding and the “course of study” 
 were spirited. There is a difference of opinion 
 among the various missions on the subject of foot- 
 binding. They agree as to its evil, but not as to 
 the possibility of remedy. 
 
 Nearly all the missions recommend a course of 
 study, with annual examinations. A year ago our 
 ladies determined to follow this plan, and the first 
 business after they met was the examination con- 
 ducted by Dr. Allen and Dr. Parker. All passed 
 creditably. After free discussion and consulta- 
 tion with the gentlemen, a course was decid- 
 ed upon, and so far as I hear, while the work 
 laid out will employ fully the hours of study, it is 
 not probable that even the newly arrived will be 
 overtasked. 
 
 We have fifteen ladies at work in China. You 
 may think these are all we will need for a long 
 7 
 
98 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 time. I have to say that fifteen capable workers 
 like these soon open avenues for fifteen others. 
 How can it be otherwise ? The work of one grows 
 till she cannot compass it. It must be so. When 
 these fifteen become thirty, the thirty ought soon 
 to be sixty. Will not the Church see this and re- 
 double her energy ? The future usefulness of ev- 
 ery new missionary is endangered if she cannot 
 give the half of her time to acquiring the language. 
 The channel of communication is opened and held 
 at the desk. None can ignore this. A minor con- 
 sideration is the respect given to one who uses the 
 Chinese readily. Our missionaries cannot afford 
 to be indifferent to the estimation in which they 
 shall be held by those whom they hope to lead 
 into the way of everlasting life. They look on 
 foreigners as barbarians, and on women as infe- 
 rior, soulless creatures. One barrier is removed 
 when they find that our representatives can read 
 and speak their language. 
 
 On the second day we were invited to Trinity 
 Home to “tiffin” to meet all the ladies. Miss 
 Haygood, Miss Hughes, Miss Atkinson, Miss Mc- 
 Clelland, Miss Muse, Miss Lipscomb, Miss Rob- 
 erts, Miss Reagan, Mrs. Campbell, Dr. Mildred 
 Philips, Miss Philips, Miss Kerr, Miss Gordon, 
 with your father and I, sat down to the table. Miss 
 
199 ) 
 
 A CHINESE ARTIST. 
 
The China Mission. 
 
 99 
 
 Rankin and Miss Hamilton were unavoidably ab- 
 sent. It was a delightful hour. Fair as every 
 thing looked, I found that Miss Muse, who is 
 housekeeper, has had her difficulties. The cook 
 was called off during this week of company to 
 perform the ancestral worship at the grave of his 
 mother. She died five weeks ago, and the time 
 for special rites for the dead had come. No per- 
 suasions nor any sense of obligation to his kitchen 
 could hold him : away he went to his religious ob- 
 servance. 
 
 The ladies have had a photograph taken — Dr. 
 Allen, your father, and myself added to the num- 
 ber make a group of eighteen. On the whole, it 
 is a satisfactory picture. 
 
 I stood to-day with Miss Haygood beside Dora 
 Rankin’s grave — our first grave. It is a beautiful 
 spot. Heaven bless those who have taken up her 
 work, and all those who give themselves to this 
 people among whom our dear saint sleeps ! And 
 by and by may we who love her work, and who 
 love our Lord’s appearing, stand with her to wel- 
 come the redeemed hosts of China to “the supper 
 of the Lamb! ” We covered the earthly resting- 
 place with flowers, and I brought away a little leaf 
 that had grown over her head. 
 
 I wish I could give you an idea of the restful 
 
100 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 look of Trinity Home. It is on the street — I 
 mean immediately on the thoroughfare, crowded 
 with noisy men, women, and children. There are 
 beggars, rough children, hard-working people, jin- 
 rikishas, wheelbarrows, hucksters with their port- 
 able ovens, and commissariats — all sorts of sounds 
 and filth. Entered behind the wall and the gate 
 shut, every thing unsightly is left without. The 
 grass is as smooth as velvet ; a lovely vine covers 
 one end of Trinity Church; a few chrysanthe- 
 mums grow in the borders and in pots on the ve- 
 randa; and on the other side Clopton School, as 
 clean as though no soil existed on the globe ; while 
 here and there is seen a Chinese girl walking and 
 talking with smiling face and shining eyes. I can- 
 not tell the difference between inside and outside. 
 The same sun shines upon the just and the unjust; 
 but the just are like the sun, “ a shining in the dark- 
 ness ! ” Outside are the heathen, not knowing nor 
 wanting to know of the perfect day; inside, those 
 whose life is “hid with Christ in God.” Out- 
 side, the demons of hell let loose; inside, heaven 
 begun below. Outside, the hosts rushing to de- 
 struction; inside, every face turned toward Him 
 once crucified, but now risen and ascended into 
 the heavens. Our little band does not want to 
 remain inside, enjoying the rest — they prefer 
 
The China Mission. 
 
 101 
 
 to be up and doing. They are about their Fa- 
 ther’s business, and of course are felt on the 
 outside. 
 
 I was in Clopton School several times. I have 
 listened to the recitations, not knowing a word that 
 was spoken, but enjoying the visit. I did under- 
 stand the neat sewing, the pretty embroideries, and 
 the orderly dormitories and work-room. The girls 
 are now making up winter clothes, which are 
 amazing constructions. The blouse and trousers 
 are thickly wadded, so that I am sure the wear- 
 ers will be as broad as long. They have taken 
 great pleasure in embroidering a handkerchief 
 for me and a spectacle-case for your father. 
 Heaven bless those dear fingers, and in the 
 years to come may they move at the impulse of 
 God’s love ! 
 
 “Pigeon English” is very amusing. Miss Hay- 
 good is an expert. She took me shopping, and 
 these are some of the phrases that I remember: 
 “Talkie one piecee man, bring come my house 
 catchee money,” meaning “Tell a man to come 
 to my house for the money.” Another: “ My go 
 top side, lookee see have got,” meaning “Go 
 upstairs and see if I have it.” Again: “ Missie 
 wantchie make look see, by’m by come again,” 
 meaning “The lady wants to look to-day, and will 
 
102 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 come again.” Forgood-by: “After while meet.” 
 Your father is “A number one top side heaven 
 business man” — the first four words meaning 
 bishop, and the last three that he is the bearer of 
 a heavenly message. It would seem easier to 
 learn good English, but I believe they speak ac- 
 cording to the Chinese idiom. 
 
LETTER XI. 
 
 A TOUR OF THE CANALS— THE INTERIOR MISSION STATIONS— 
 INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS AMONG THE PEOPLE. 
 
 Suchow, October 25, 18SS. 
 
 UR kind friend Mr. Reid arranged for our 
 
 visit to the interior stations. The commis- 
 
 sary department of his “ house-boat ” (we made the 
 journey by canal) was well regulated, himself being 
 housekeeper and general commanding, the sec- 
 ond officer being Mrs. Reid’s cook. Besides, we 
 had a captain and three sailors. We spread our 
 sails on the 19th, in company with Dr. Allen, who 
 had some adjustments to make for the Nansiang 
 ladies ; Mr. Loehr, who went in order to pack and 
 store his furniture; and Mr. and Mrs. Hill, who 
 were starting out on their untried and unknown 
 work. We left Shanghai in the sunshine. It was 
 a lovely morning. The canal presented a gay 
 picture. A hundred or more boats, anxious as 
 were we To take advantage of wind and tide, 
 stretched out in line ahead and behind us. A 
 mixture of Chinese jargon, the splashing of pad- 
 dles, the rippling of the waters, were kept up for 
 several hours, when we turned off to go to Nansi- 
 ang, where we arrived in the afternoon. 
 
 ( 103 ) 
 
104 
 
 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 We were most cordially received at “Louise 
 Home ” by Miss Roberts and Miss Reagan. Lou- 
 ise Home was the gift of a Baltimore lady whose 
 generosity has not ceased. An invalid, her chief 
 pleasure is in good works. She gave the name of 
 a sainted sister to this missionary home. 
 
 The following morning the ladies walked with 
 us through the narrow, dirty streets of the town. 
 The shops were filled with all sorts of goods — 
 clothes, uneatables, incense, peeled oranges by the 
 score, the delicious persimmon, fine-looking vege- 
 tables, and fish of all sizes and grades. In one es- 
 tablishment we saw the process of compounding 
 edibles by the use of strange machinery. A very 
 soiled-looking man stood in a tub, working with 
 his feet a great mass of vegetables into what he 
 and his constituency consider a savory mess. I 
 was told, but did not see it, that the packing of 
 tea-leaves for market is done in the same way. 
 Every day I see laundrymen at their wash in the 
 canal, while within a few feet others are cleansing 
 the filthiest vessels and making ready the vegeta- 
 bles for the next meal. The indifference of the 
 Chinese to various nice points is perceptible to the 
 traveler at every turn. Many of their habits are 
 extremely disgusting. 
 
 We also visited a representation of the Buddhist 
 
A Tour of the Canals. 105 
 
 Inferno, situated in a dilapidated temple, a fitting 
 spot for purgatorial exhibitions. On his throne, in 
 full canonicals, was seated the great dispenser of 
 destinies. Before him appeared the wretched vie- 
 tims. Thence they passed to their doom. One 
 was pinned down by pitchforks while vultures 
 preyed upon him inch by inch, another was de- 
 voured by wild beasts, another bound in a sea of 
 blood, another held by his heels in a caldron of 
 boiling oil, another flayed, another fastened with- 
 in reach of demons fertile in torturing, one sawn 
 asunder, one ground between millstones, one torn 
 by red-hot pinchers, and others the victims of fiery 
 serpents. It was a poor representation, but showed 
 some conception of the horrors of the lost. This 
 anguish must be endured for ages, when perhaps 
 the condemned may be returned to earth in the 
 form of a hideous reptile or in the body of an 
 extreme sufferer. After many changes, more or 
 less connected with some humiliating pain, he may 
 be exalted and even pass into Buddha. Women 
 have been known who accumulated sufficient merit 
 to be allowed to return to earth in the body of a 
 man — an exaltation most devoutly to be worked 
 for! 
 
 Dr. Walter Lambuth told me that when a boy 
 wandering in one of these temples he was about 
 
106 
 
 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 to step on a caterpillar, when a priest begged 
 him to be careful, the worm being the new body 
 of a relative just returned to earth. I have heard 
 that the indifference to deformity and pain grows 
 out of the belief that these are punishments for 
 crime in some former state of existence. China 
 is in the shadow of death, though her history be- 
 gan three thousand years ago. It is an overwhelm- 
 ing thought that three hundred million of her pres- 
 ent population never heard the name of Jesus — 
 
 That Name on which we build, 
 
 Our shield and hiding-place; 
 
 Our never-failing treasury, filled 
 With boundless stores of grace. 
 
 Shall the “fullness of rapture” in the “heaven 
 of heavens” be ours alone? or, shall not “the 
 smile of the Lord” be also the feast of Japan and 
 China? We sing and realize: 
 
 “How happy every child of grace, 
 
 Who knows his sins forgiven!” 
 
 We exult in the thought of “ the land of rest, 
 the saints’ delight.” Shall not we teach China 
 that there is a “heaven prepared” for all them 
 who will love the Lord Jesus Christ? 
 
 Miss Roberts took me through her dormitories. 
 The beds were curtained according to Chinese 
 fashion. The coverings were folded and piled 
 
A Tour of the Canals. 107 
 
 lengthwise on the side of the mattress next to the 
 wall, in most precise order, and, though so differ- 
 ent from our bed-making, I liked it. The schools 
 and church at Nansiang are greatly in need of 
 good music. When Miss Rankin lived there she 
 and her sister paid some attention to this branch of 
 work, but the ladies now in charge do not sing. 
 They are also without an instrument. Miss Ran- 
 kin’s friends in the Memphis Conference pre- 
 sented her with an organ some years ago, which 
 is performing good service in Kiating. [Long 
 time after, writing to Mrs. McGavock in behalf of 
 this church requirement, I was happy to hear that 
 the young ladies of the Nashville College for 
 Young Ladies, some of whom were classmates of 
 Miss Reagan, presented her with an organ. I am 
 sure that love for the work in China will not ob- 
 scure her love for her alma mater f In the tab- 
 ernacle service of David’s time they sung with 
 harps and cymbals, and afterward in the great 
 temple the trained singers had their trumpets. 
 How much more in China, where there seems so 
 little idea of melody, and where they need cultiva- 
 tion through the eye and tongue and ear beyond 
 what you conceive, ought they to have every help 
 toward the service of the Lord ! 
 
 Monday, October 22 , we spent in Kiating with 
 
108 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 Miss Rankin and Miss Kerr, who are the only for- 
 eigners in the city. Miss Rankin is a courageous 
 woman, loves her work, and has made an impres- 
 sion upon these strangers. These ladies live in a 
 Chinese house, which was very uncomfortable 
 when they rented it. Miss Rankin secured a 
 proper flooring and induced her landlord to build a 
 chimney. The native Chinese houses have no 
 chimneys, nor do the people use stoves. They 
 increase their clothing as the weather grows 
 cold, and sometimes burn charcoal in a brazier 
 to warm the room. Miss Rankin’s home is very 
 pretty. A stove in the sitting-room will keep the 
 ladies comfortable during the winter. They have 
 no fear, though they are surrounded by heathen. 
 It appeared a very formidable undertaking when 
 Miss Rankin went alone to this city; but with Miss 
 Kerr as a reminder that she still belongs to us, 
 and neighbors whose friendliness I witnessed, I 
 begin to see that her usefulness overbalances the 
 dangers her friends feared. She says the time 
 is too short for all she wants to do; accordingly 
 she desires no holidays, but rests herself in the 
 happiness of working among these people of her 
 choice. 
 
 The front of her house is one large window, and 
 is very pretty. It is composed of small bits of 
 
A Tour of the Canals. 109 
 
 oyster-shells set in lattice-work, and though giving 
 scarcely sufficient light, yet is translucent. 
 
 Miss Rankin’s Anglo-Chinese school for boys 
 is well managed. The rented building was in 
 beautiful order the day of our visit. She also has 
 a few girls in her charge who look bright, and 
 she says they are very sweet and attractive. In 
 her court, or yard, she has flowers, and every thing 
 around her tends to show her girls and her neigh- 
 bors that a Christian household deserves imitation. 
 I believe her house is open to the women of Kia- 
 ting at all hours, no matter how busy or how tired 
 she is. 
 
 We left Miss Rankin and Miss Kerr just before 
 the gates of the city were closed for the night, 
 and slept again upon the canal. This canal trav- 
 eling must be dangerous to the health, the waters 
 being the receptacle for all manner of filth — a word 
 one must use often in speaking of China. The 
 villages along the banks have no other outlet for 
 sewage; and as they have no drainage, tons of 
 refuse make their way to the canals : the nostrils 
 are offended, and I suppose there is often consid- 
 erable sickness. We have been well, but I under- 
 stand why foreigners are subject to the various 
 forms of malarial disease. 
 
 We have had favorable winds during our tour of 
 
110 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 the canals. When there was a lull our crew 
 “tracked” — that is, they harnessed themselves to 
 the boat and took to the track by the water-side. 
 It must be weary work. But everywhere in China 
 the coolie must labor to the uttermost, never hav- 
 ing a holiday save at New-year. The bridges we 
 have passed are well-built stone structures. John 
 Chinaman is a born engineer — that is, his bridges 
 are perfect, without an understanding of the archi- 
 tectural construction of the arch. 
 
 We are now in Suchow with the Rev. Dr. and 
 Mrs. A. P. Parker. We have a band of mission- 
 aries in this city — our host and his wife, Mr. and 
 Mrs. Anderson and three sturdy boys, Dr. and 
 Mrs. Park, Mr. and Mrs. Hendry, Miss Philips, 
 Dr. Mildred Philips, Mrs. Campbell, and Miss 
 Gordon. [Miss Gordon has since changed her 
 relation, being now the worthy helpmate of Rev. 
 W. B. Burke, stationed in Sungkiang.] We 
 have two hospitals here : one belonging to the Par- 
 ent Board, and in charge of Dr. Park; the other 
 was erected by the Woman’s Board, and is in care 
 of Dr. Philips. 
 
 Dr. Park’s work is very valuable. He is assist- 
 ed by our Chinese friend Mr. Dzau, better known 
 as C. K. Marshall. The medical department is a 
 successful arm of the service. If we win China, 
 
Ill 
 
 A Tour of the Canals. 
 
 she must be touched at all points. Not the men- 
 tal, nor the physical, nor the spiritual can be neg- 
 lected. If the body is the temple of the Holy 
 Ghost, we must care for it, lest we do despite to 
 the heavenly Keeper. Hence our two hospitals. 
 Last year Dr. Park and Mr. Marshall treated ten 
 thousand patients, some of whom were great suf- 
 ferers, and all requiring intelligent attention. 
 
 The hospital is in urgent need of repairs. In 
 this climate houses and furniture, as well as the 
 health, become dilapidated. All of the paint and 
 some of the wood-work need renewal; but, above 
 every thing, new beds and bedding are necessary. 
 That now in use should be burned: it is unclean 
 to the greatest degree, and should not be allowed 
 inside the hospital. For the same reason there 
 ought always to be two clean suits of clothing to 
 each bed. Generally the patients are poor, and 
 their bedding and clothing are covered with ver- 
 min and filth. Also musquito canopies are requi- 
 site. Think of a sick man too feeble to brush the 
 many musquitos from his face and hands, and 
 you will perceive this need cannot be too much 
 emphasized. I pray that our people may keep 
 Dr. Park’s work in their thoughts, remembering 
 that here, as in other benevolent undertakings, 
 there must be annual donations. 
 
112 
 
 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 Three students having gone through five years 
 of study, and having passed satisfactory examina- 
 tion in anatomy, physiology, chemistry, materia 
 medica and therapeutics, practice of medicine, 
 obstetrics, surgery, dermatology, and ophthalmol- 
 ogy, were awarded diplomas. When the day of 
 presentation came, one “was not, for God took 
 him.” Of the two remaining, one will be employed 
 by Dr. Park, the other by Dr. Philips. Your fa- 
 ther presented the diplomas. It was current in 
 Suchow that the Emperor of America had sent 
 Bishop Wilson to China to perform this ceremony, 
 and consequently great confidence is expressed in 
 the ability of the new doctors to cure. Mr. Mar- 
 shall is a faithful man, untiring and sensible. He 
 itinerates - through the villages scattered about this 
 city, preaching the everlasting gospel as he dis- 
 penses medicines. The two go hand in hand with 
 him — surgical instruments, medicine-chest, and the 
 Bible are inseparable in his practice. He enter- 
 tained us at his home with what he called an 
 Anglo-Chinese supper. He spent some years in 
 Tennessee, and knows how to combine the culi- 
 nary art so that one hardly knows where China 
 ends and America begins. We found his wife 
 and daughter hospitable and agreeable, though 
 they do not understand English. 
 
A Tour of the Canals. 113 
 
 Mr. Anderson, the presiding elder, finds him- 
 self loving his work more and more as the years 
 go on. He travels about this region constantly, 
 and seems to be growing into the belief that he 
 should make a new home in the regions beyond — 
 that is, farther into the interior, where none but 
 the native heathen are to be found. This would 
 indeed be a sacrifice, for Mr. and Mrs. Anderson 
 would thus be cut off from all “ communion of 
 saints.” We know several who have thus left 
 friends for interior work. It is not a small thing 
 to live alone with the heathen. To be sure, man 
 and wife choose to be all the world to each other, 
 and we expect them to enjoy home life above all 
 earthly good. Notwithstanding, God’s grace alone 
 can enable a missionary or a missionary family to 
 give up “the assembly of the saints” and friendly 
 ties, to have no other association but the pagan 
 crowd that come and go without kindly thought 
 and having no higher aspiration than success in 
 the things of sense. We honor some who have 
 done it, but cannot see others enter upon such 
 self-abnegation without invoking upon them the 
 special care of the all-seeing God. 
 
 Dr. Philips has just opened her hospital. She 
 was delayed by an accident more than a year ago. 
 This delay is more than compensated by the asso- 
 8 
 
114 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 ciation of Mrs. Campbell with Dr. Philips. If 
 God will, in its future is wonderful power. The 
 opening was very felicitous. Mr. Reid announced 
 the hymn and led in prayer. Mr. Anderson read 
 from the word of God. Dr. Parker made the 
 Chinese address, all the native Christians of the 
 city from the several missions being present. 
 Your father followed with remarks to missionaries 
 of our own Boards, as well as the representatives 
 of the two Presbyterian Boards, there being also 
 with us a few Chinese who understand our tongue. 
 The entire building was throw'n open for inspec- 
 tion. The wards, drug-room, operating-room, re- 
 ception-room, room for clinic, pantry, kitchen, 
 and the chapel are complete. We went so far as 
 to examine the kitchen range, and found it all that 
 could be desired. A boy stands at the grate to 
 feed it every minute, if — as when we looked — the 
 fuel be straw, which makes a hot fire, but requires 
 constant renewal. 
 
 A simple collation of tea, biscuits, ham, and 
 fruit finished the afternoon. We were invited into 
 the room where the Chinese guests were in full 
 enjoyment of their feast: a separate table was 
 necessary, because their menu is different from 
 ours. An innovation was made on this occasion. 
 The native friends, male and female, were placed 
 
A Tour of the Canals. 115 
 
 in the same room for this evening tea — for here, as 
 in Japan, the wife eats after her spouse has been 
 served; and also Chinese women rarely appear in 
 company of the other sex. A husband and wife 
 are not seen together on the street: one of our 
 pastors said, “ If I went with my wife to walk, all 
 the boys in town would be after us.” I witnessed 
 most extravagant mirth last week, when I took 
 your father’s arm in passing along a very rough 
 place in the twilight. The freedom of association 
 allowed our young people would not be tolerated 
 here for an hour. 
 
 October 29. 
 
 We are now the guests of Miss Philips. She 
 goes in and out — always cheerful, always busy, al- 
 ways devoted to her work. Her girls are never out 
 of her thoughts. Some of them have already begun 
 “to grow into Christ.” Three of them are almost 
 prepared to teach. The school is studying He- 
 brews, which they read with the references. Miss 
 Philips asked this morning, “When was Jesus a 
 little lower than the angels?” The answer came, 
 “When he suffered death on the cross” — a cor- 
 rect reply, but not what the teacher wished. She 
 called on them to turn to Philippians ii. 6-8, that 
 they might see his entire life was a humiliation. I 
 have noticed at morning prayers (Chinese reading 
 
11G Letters from the Orient. 
 
 and prayer with the servants) for several days a 
 very forlorn-looking man, who is not a member of 
 Miss Philips’s household. I asked to-day who he 
 was, and received the reply: “ He is my cow man, 
 and I insist if I deal with him he must come to 
 prayers. You will understand it better when I 
 tell you the cow — in China a very ungainly water 
 buffalo — is led from house to house and milked at 
 the kitchen door. This was very amusing to me 
 when I first heard of it in Dr. J. W. Lambuth’s 
 home in Japan, where the same plan is pursued. 
 In this way housekeepers may water the milk at 
 their own sweet will — not the dealers. 
 
 I have also been to Miss Gordon’s school, where 
 I listened to the recitation of Mark ii. together 
 with the Catechism. The native teachers of this 
 school had heard I was to make them a visit, and 
 prepared for me a dish of sweetmeats and a pot 
 of tea which was presented steaming hot, with a 
 full-blown rose floating in the cup. 
 
 All the women of Central and Southern China 
 have bound feet — a deforming practice, distressing 
 in the extreme. It is said that the smallest shoes 
 are worn in Suchow. Every mother, notwith- 
 standing she remembers her own suffering, binds 
 the feet of her little daughter: the child would 
 rather bear the pain than the disgrace of large feet 
 
A Tour of the Canals. 117 
 
 — besides, she would lose all chance of marriage, 
 for a husband could not be found for one who dis- 
 regards this fashion. I have seen here and in 
 Shanghai a custom quite as ultra — viz., finger- 
 nails, three, four, and nearly five inches long, a 
 shield of bamboo, tortoise-shell, or silver being 
 worn for protection. Of course the working-man, 
 or coolie, cannot indulge in such fashion. 
 
 Buffington Institute, in charge of Dr. Parker, is 
 located in Suchow. There are now seventy-five 
 boys under instruction. Of these, twelve are mem- 
 bers of the Church, and as many more are proba- 
 tioners. Two of the graduates are in our ministry; 
 two others are licensed to exhort, and are prepar- 
 ing to preach ; two are teaching the higher mathe- 
 matics for Dr. Parker, and one of these is super- 
 intendent of our Sunday-school; five others are 
 teaching in our schools ; two are teaching in Gov- 
 ernment schools; and one is Dr. Park’s druggist, 
 a faithful teacher in the Sunday-school, and prom- 
 ises to be a useful man : to him we were greatly 
 indebted for attention in our rounds about Suchow. 
 You will see that the school has made a good rec- 
 ord. The workshop is a feature of the institution: 
 here they learn to make and use tools of various 
 kinds. A steam-engine and lathe and meteoro- 
 logical instruments have been set up and are in 
 
118 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 constant use. Also a dynamo feeds an electric light 
 for the instruction and entertainment of the boys. 
 As soon as he can Dr. Parker wishes to establish 
 a library. I discovered that all these “ extras ’’ are 
 his donations. Are there not some who will be 
 glad to furnish the amount necessary to fill the 
 shelves with such books as he may select? He is 
 a workman that needeth not to be ashamed. He 
 knows what to do with boys, is himself a student, 
 and besides finds time occasionally to go with 
 Mr. Anderson on an itinerating tour. Mrs. Parker 
 renders him constant assistance also, having charge 
 of four day-schools and laboring among the women 
 of Suchow. She prepared an arithmetic in Chi- 
 nese the past year, and the ladies at their Annual 
 Meeting voted to publish it for immediate use. 
 
 A word concerning daj^-schools. When it is re- 
 ported that four, five, six day-schools are in charge 
 of one missionary lady, it is not meant that she 
 does all the teaching of these schools, but that 
 she superintends the whole. The Chinese teach- 
 ers are of her selection, and are under her man- 
 agement. She constantly inspects both teachers 
 and taught, all understanding themselves to be re- 
 sponsible to her. Her plans must be executed; 
 and as far as I saw, the schools were happy at her 
 presence. 
 
A Tour of the Canals. 119 
 
 The streets of Suchow — indeed of all the cities 
 I have seen — are narrow, not more than from six 
 to nine feet wide, and are filthy beyond words. 
 Crowds throng them all day long. The markets 
 are almost impassable — buying, selling, eating, gos- 
 siping being in progress from early morning till 
 late at night. I have wondered whether our coo- 
 lies would be able to bear our sedan-chairs safely 
 through the crowds: they pressed on, the throngs 
 were good-natured, and I do not remember that we 
 have been jostled. 
 
 The poor of China do much of their eating in 
 the market-house, having no fire in the home. Of 
 course there is no regular family life in these cases. 
 All winter many households are without heating 
 apparatus. The abject poverty of the masses is 
 distressing. Many families are supported on a 
 daily outlay of a few cents, which means half- 
 starved men, women, and children. I have seen 
 hundreds, perhaps thousands, of pats of argol, 
 laid in the sun to dry, which were to be used for 
 fuel in the family cooking. Also I see women and 
 children gathering the leaves as they fall from the 
 trees, which are to serve in like manner to make 
 a short-lived blaze, that will perhaps boil the 
 water for the daily tea. I was informed by a lady 
 living for twenty years far in the interior that it is 
 
120 
 
 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 a common thing for the poor to eat snails, dogs, 
 spiders, rats, and even snakes, fried in any sort of 
 grease. Though such squalor may disgust, the 
 heart goes out to a people so oppressed by penury. 
 As one looks into these faces that have never 
 known comfort, the longing comes to tell them of 
 Him who, while “he had not where to lay his 
 head,” was Lord of eternal glory, and in whom is 
 compensation for every ill to which flesh is heir. 
 
 Their huts betoken the same poverty. As we 
 have sailed and paddled and “tracked” along the 
 canals, we have passed many a mud or bamboo 
 hovel built against the city walls, thus saving the 
 cost of one side. The few “cash” thus spared 
 are perhaps the only hope in the “rainy day” 
 that comes to every Chinaman. 
 
 A copper coin — from ten to thirteen making one 
 cent — is the only money in circulation except the 
 Mexican dollar, which is found in the sea-ports ( not 
 in use in the interior). It is easy to see that a 
 family of six who live on one hundred and fifty or 
 two hundred cash per day cannot approach com- 
 fort. 
 
 Great strings of cash — two, three, four yards 
 long — are slung across the shoulders for transpor- 
 tation from one shop to another: they carry their 
 money by the yard. Our little pocket-books are 
 

A Tour of the Canals. 121 
 
 of no use. Travelers going into the interior trans- 
 mit the coin by the pound, requiring an extra mule, 
 jinrikisha, or coolie for the heavy load. 
 
 A few days ago we visited one of the Suchow 
 bazaars, where one’s strength was required to 
 stand firmly in the midst of a crowd of several 
 thousand, pressing on all sides. Chinese wares of 
 many sorts were on exhibition, while men of va- 
 rious sizes, conditions, attractions (or lack), and 
 ages clamored for the patronage of the visitors. I 
 am sure I should not have held my own if our 
 young Chinese friend had not been by my side. 
 A dozen tongues and twice as many hands assailed 
 us at every turn. No sooner was one set disposed 
 of than another was equally clamorous. It was 
 bedlam. I think we spent twenty-five cents, a sum 
 sufficient to support a family for two days. 
 
 Suchow is a walled city. This wall was built two 
 thousand and three hundred years ago, but has 
 passed through many vicissitudes and been bat- 
 tered down time and again. It is thirty feet high 
 and fifteen (or more) thick. So you see this city 
 dates back long before the time of Christ. When 
 he walked up and down the hills and valleys of 
 Judea and Galilee, these streets over which I trod 
 were traversed by those who would have joined in 
 the cry “ Crucify him ! crucify him ! ” had he been 
 
122 
 
 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 in their midst. He was but five thousand miles away, 
 and they knew him not. Almost nineteen hundred 
 years have gone, and still they know him not. 
 To-day Buddhist priests by the score are preach- 
 ing up and down the miles I have but just traveled, 
 until the Chinese say the very stones rise to listen ; 
 while our Church has here but nine men to preach 
 the everlasting gospel to the eighteen millions of 
 this one province ! O when shall we reach them 
 with the story of the Son of man, so that these 
 deaf ears shall be unstopped and these ignorant 
 souls rise from out the superstitions of centuries? 
 
 China is one universal cemetery. Four hundred 
 millions are here, while we walk over the grave- 
 mounds of as many more who lie beneath the sod. 
 There are no public cemeteries, except those near 
 the ports, which are laid out by foreigners. The 
 Chinaman buries wherever the soothsayer finds 
 a lucky place. The dead are kept in the house, 
 often for days, weeks, and years, until the geo- 
 mancer discovers the auspicious hour and location 
 for interment. I have seen many coffined dead 
 left in the field or on the highway to await the 
 fortunate announcement. 
 
 O the smells of Suchow! They are beyond de- 
 scription. One almost sees and hears and tastes 
 them. Our Brother Dzau calls them “ celestial 
 
A Tour of the Canals. 123 
 
 odors.” Only this Celestial Empire produces 
 them. The most wonderful thing here is the 
 smells, unless it be the Suchow belief that under 
 this city lies the great dragon of China. He must 
 not be offended, for the excitement of anger would 
 cause him to move, which would shake Suchow 
 from its foundations. His tail is immediately un- 
 der the Black Pagoda, and its trembling has more 
 than once produced earthquakes. I believe if he 
 were to turn over, the country would be wiped out 
 of existence. His pleasure must be consulted with 
 the same assiduity as that given to the Fung-Shui. 
 
LETTER XII. 
 
 AGAIN OVER LAKE AND CANAL— THE INTERIOR JOURNEYINGS 
 ENDED. 
 
 ROM Suchow we went to Hang-chow, a long 
 
 journey on the canal. Our way took us 
 across the Great Lake, the most beautiful sheet of 
 water in China. Our little “house-boat” skipped 
 before the wind. These journeys are often weari- 
 some, but to us they are new and interesting. The 
 weather has been good, we have eaten and slept 
 well, and so many new things have kept our eyes 
 and thoughts busy that the days have flown rap- 
 
 Many of the canal-boats have eyes painted on 
 the bows — and indeed some pn the seas follow this 
 fashion. The sailors say: “No have eye, no see; 
 no see, no sabe; no sabe, no walkee water; no 
 walkee water, how go?” It is conclusive. Of 
 course the boats must have eyes. 
 
 When we came to the “Bridge of Silence ” over 
 one of the canals our captain made special request 
 that not a word be spoken till we had passed; 
 otherwise great damage to the boat and all on 
 board would have ensued ! When I happened on 
 
 idly. 
 
 ( 124 ) 
 
End of the Interior Journeys. 125 
 
 deck at sunrise, I saw our crew worship the sun ; 
 and several times when there was no wind they 
 called upon the god for the great propeller. Not- 
 withstanding we have been occupied with so many 
 strange sights, since leaving Shanghai we have 
 read a large work on Japan, a “Treatise on the 
 Will,” an “Early History of China,” a long “Ac- 
 count of the Black Plague of the Twelfth and 
 Thirteenth Centuries,” a story of George Mac- 
 Donald’s, and have written six letters, besides 
 talking much — I will not say how the reading and 
 talking were divided. The tour has been delight- 
 ful, Mr. Reid being a good housekeeper and host. 
 
 In Hang-chow we were hospitably entertained 
 at the mission of our Southern Presbyterian 
 friends. The veteran Miss Kirkland and Rev. 
 Mr. Lancaster were our kind hosts. Miss Kirk- 
 land has been constantly at work for fifteen years, 
 Heaven having spared her health. She is pos- 
 sessed of such energy and love that no missionary 
 in this empire will have a brighter record. In the 
 “day of the Lord” thousands will rise to call her 
 blessed. I should have been charmed to go with 
 her to the country on one of her itinerating tours 
 of several weeks, when her association is exclu- 
 sively with the Chinese, but we are straitened for 
 time. Their work in Hang-chow is prosperous. 
 
126 
 
 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 The girls’ boarding-school on the premises is in 
 fine condition. We were present during recitation 
 hours, and enjoyed the hymns: these were the 
 same we have loved at home save the words, which 
 were too intricate for our understanding. 
 
 The country about Hang-chow is beautiful. We 
 climbed the high hills, sailed over the lake, looked 
 into the shops, walked the streets, and left with 
 regret. 
 
 Once again on the canal, we turned our faces 
 toward Sungkiang, where Mr. Burke is working 
 with all his might. He was not at home, having 
 been called away by urgent business. We looked 
 through his school, his house, his flowers, his 
 chapel, saw his teachers and preachers, walked to 
 the lot which we hope to buy so that we shall be 
 established in this city, but missed the pleasant 
 face of Mr. Burke. We called at the house of 
 one of the native pastors. We were received in 
 a neat room, furnished in Chinese style — very 
 straight-backed chairs (which reminded me of our 
 grandmothers, who sat upright from the cradle to 
 the grave), three or four small square tables which 
 with the chairs are set against the wall ; their ideas 
 of neatness permit no diagonal placing, nor is the 
 middle of the room ever disordered by any piece 
 of furniture. The walls were decorated by paper 
 
End of the Interior fourneys. 127 
 
 banners representing the seasons. There was no 
 mat or rug upon the floor. The wife and children 
 were tidy, with the smoothest hair and with cheer- 
 ful faces. Of course tea was served. Tea and 
 water-melon seed are always handed. I noticed 
 they sent out for the boiling water, which meant 
 there was no fire in the kitchen. Some corner 
 brazier, I dare say, furnishes the families of the 
 neighborhood with a pint of boiling water three or 
 four times a day, for a small consideration. 
 
 Sungkiang was our last stopping-place. Shang- 
 hai was but a few hours away, when we stepped 
 aboard the house-boat for the last time. As we 
 neared the end of the journey, the captain was 
 taken quite sick. His final remedy was so amaz- 
 ing that I record it. I afterward found that it was 
 well known to Chinese materia medica. The pa- 
 tient was punctured with a needle over the offend- 
 ing surface. It may be that I am antiquated, for 
 why should not this treatment be as efficacious 
 as cupping, leeching, blistering, and mustard- 
 plasters ? 
 
 I do not remember the many things that inter- 
 ested us during this journeying on the canals. The 
 postal-boats are rowed by the feet: a very curious 
 arrangement, I thought. 
 
 We saw large droves of ducks, trained to obey 
 
128 
 
 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 the movements of a long bamboo-rod in the hands 
 of the keeper, who brings them to the water every 
 morning and drives them back to the pen at night. 
 Ducks being a staple in the markets, great care is 
 taken of them. It was surprising to see them so 
 well acquainted with the motion of a long pole, 
 for one is accustomed to think them intent upon 
 aquatic pursuits, knowing only their one musical 
 sound, and how to grow fat. There were never 
 any stragglers, all moving with the rod to the right 
 or left. 
 
 In many of the inlets on the canal a water 
 chestnut that is quite edible is grown. Boiled, 
 grated, and beaten with eggs, milk, and butter, it 
 makes a toothsome pudding. 
 
 Cormorant fishing is also one of the industries. 
 I missed the sight, but your father had the pleasure 
 of watching the process. A ring is placed around 
 the throat of the cormorant to prevent him from 
 swallowing the fish. The birds swim, dive, catch 
 their prey, and convey it to the fishing-smack. 
 
LETTER XIII. 
 
 THE MISSION-SCHOOLS IN SHANGHAI— THEIR GOOD MANAGE- 
 MENT— IN THE HOMES OF THE NATIVES. 
 
 Shanghai, November 17, 1S88. 
 
 E have been with Mr. and Mrs. Reid for 
 
 the past week, in the new mission parson- 
 
 age. It is a comfortable home, but not a “fine 
 house.” I heard on the steamers and in America 
 that missionaries live extravagantly. This is not 
 true of any household I have entered in Japan or 
 China. There is no expensive living among our 
 friends. The rooms and halls are large ; but in the 
 long, hot summers, with atmosphere almost as try- 
 ing as that of Africa, large rooms, high ceilings, and 
 many windows are necessary. For proof of damp- 
 ness, I mention that dresses which are laid aside 
 for a few weeks become so moldy that frequently 
 they are ruined. Packing-trunks must be exam- 
 ined often, if blankets, rugs, furs, and clothing are 
 saved. What the damp, hot summer does to house- 
 hold goods it also does to the constitution. The 
 wood-work of the dwelling wears out: so does the 
 health of our workers, unless they are carefully 
 provided for. My needles and scissors are rusted 
 so that I cannot use them, although we have had 
 
 9 
 
 ( 129 ) 
 
130 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 no rain, but constant sunshine. Very few persons 
 escape injury to their health, and the least we can 
 do is to give our missionaries comfortable houses. 
 
 This morning we came to Trinity Home, to 
 spend a few days with Miss Haygood, Miss Mc- 
 Clelland, Miss Muse, Miss Atkinson, Miss Hughes, 
 and Miss Hamilton. This is a busy family. All 
 are constantly at work, in the school, among the 
 women, or in the study of Chinese. This fore- 
 noon I spent with Miss Atkinson at two of her 
 schools. We took jinrikishas, having a long dis- 
 tance before us, and went through many dirty 
 streets to the dingy rooms where the day-schools 
 are located. It would seem that the choice was 
 made in favor of dark places. Here the sunshine 
 is hardly seen, and the hearts black with sin have 
 never heard of the “Light of the world.” The 
 schools of America are not found in such un- 
 wholesome corners. Many of us were taught in 
 unpretentious houses, but these were open to sun- 
 light, and perhaps were surrounded by trees, 
 grass, and flowers. The Chinese houses where 
 our day-schools are found have nothing in them 
 to be desired, save souls. The windows are few 
 and small, because the evil spirits are on the look- 
 out for an entering place; and once in, the family 
 has great difficulty in getting rid of them. As on 
 
Schools and Homes in Shanghai. 181 
 
 the western extremity of this continent nineteen 
 hundred years ago the poor had the gospel 
 preached to them, so to-day in China the lost 
 are sought, without respect to outside attractions. 
 Again the poor have the gospel. 
 
 Miss Atkinson began with the Catechism, and 
 after great painstaking several in both schools 
 showed a good understanding of the lesson. The 
 Bible lesson followed. Chinese children have an 
 astonishing gift in memorizing, having been trained 
 in this particular from the beginning. I have been 
 told that the main test of education throughout 
 the empire is in committing to memory the books 
 of Confucius ; and though there are almost un- 
 numbered volumes, many of the Chinese are able 
 to recite perfectly the entire writings of the great 
 teacher. One of Miss Atkinson’s little scholars, 
 not quite five years old, knows one thousand of 
 these perplexing Chinese characters; besides, she 
 repeats many chapters in the New Testament, both 
 Catechisms, and page after page of the literature 
 of her own language, such as a Confucian book 
 on etiquette, and another on morals. She stops 
 only when Miss Atkinson says so ; and she is one 
 of many. 
 
 The Chinese teachers set one of the schools to 
 studying, the peculiarity of which was amazing. 
 
132 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 All joined in chorus. They were not at work at 
 the same lesson, but they haivled together, keep- 
 ing good time — a howling chant, or intoning in 
 concert. A school can be heard at a long dis- 
 tance. When the pupil is ready to try his memory, 
 he “backs” his book — that is, rises and stands 
 with his back to the book, and undertakes to repeat 
 what he has studied. When the time for recita- 
 tion comes, he “backs” the teacher. It is said 
 that children commit the “ characters,” or Chinese 
 words, to memory, not understanding a sign: it is 
 simply a matter of sight and memory. When 
 about ten or twelve years old, explanations are 
 made, and the meaning begins to dawn upon their 
 minds. There are eighty thousand (more or less) 
 “ characters ” in the language. It is wonderful 
 that the little eyes which have been at work or 
 play but five or six years can be trained to recog- 
 nize such complicated signs. 
 
 November iS. 
 
 This is the Sabbath. No notice is taken of the 
 day, except among Christians. The markets, 
 shops, counting-rooms, the trades all going; ped- 
 dlers, shoe-makers, serving-women, house-builders, 
 “hewers of wood and drawers of water,” are at 
 work with the same speed of other days. With 
 our missionaries it is likewise a busy day. This 
 
Schools and Homes in Shanghai . 133 
 
 afternoon I went with Miss Atkinson and Miss 
 Lipscomb to their three o’clock Sunday-school in 
 a village outside of Shanghai. Their “ Bible- 
 woman” always accompanies them. About fifty 
 poor women and children met us, in a hut, with- 
 out floors, without windows, and into which the 
 sunlight rarely shines. My heart went out to these 
 poor creatures, who had never in their lives had a 
 good thing. They are so poor and wretched that 
 they do not know the meaning of joy. All the 
 world needs the blood of Jesus, but I felt that these 
 hopeless ones must be told the story of abounding 
 grace. How can we claim its blessing unless we 
 help to send the tidings to such as these? We 
 prayed and sung and talked, rejoicing that we 
 were chosen to give them their first glimpse of the 
 cross. The time was too short to tell the won- 
 drous love of Jesus. They begged us to stay all 
 night, saying that they had a bed and would buy 
 us beef, thus offering us their hospitality accord- 
 ing to the fullness of their hearts. It was possible 
 that they were without meat, because they were 
 vegetarians, as many Buddhists are. Such will on 
 no account eat flesh or take the life of any animal. 
 This is reckoned highly meritorious. I met an old 
 woman in Hang-chow who likes the “Jesus doc- 
 trine,” but will not accept it because this merit of 
 
134 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 hers — abstinence from meat for fifty years — must be 
 discarded. If she could have one and hold to the 
 other, she would gladly acknowledge Christ. When 
 we left the hut the women and children escorted 
 us for some distance — perhaps a quarter of a mile 
 — beseeching us to “ go slowly ’ ’ and to come again. 
 [I afterward found that the Chinese commonly 
 escort a guest a short distance on the way home. 
 Several times Miss Atkinson’s schools — every 
 child, headed by the teachers — conducted us to 
 the outer gate or door on leaving them.] 
 
 November 19. 
 
 I went with Miss Haygood to-day to one of her 
 schools for boys. How she labored to impress 
 the word of God upon their hearts ! It is on the 
 lips of the boys. They too know chapters by the 
 score. She was not satisfied until she found they 
 understood. Perhaps the most difficult lesson a 
 Chinaman learns is that he is a sinner. Sin is an 
 unknown thing to his heart. He has the right to 
 do as he pleases, so that he is not discovered. 
 Miss Haygood endeavored to show these boys that 
 they are sinners, and that for them, as well as for 
 the world, there is but one hope. Their fathers 
 do not believe it, but God grant that the children 
 early learn the sinfulness of sin ! The Holy Ghost 
 can and will “convince the world of sin if we 
 
Schools and Homes in Shanghai. 135 
 
 are “instant in season, out of season.” What 
 hopes hang on our faithfulness? China believes 
 herself “ whole,” needing no Physician: she will 
 perhaps never “feel her need of him,” unless ivc 
 rise to the summit of self-sacrifice and devote our- 
 selves to confronting the power of sin in that land. 
 
 We wound up the morning with an arithmetic les- 
 son. The younger boys had their second black- 
 board exercise. How eager each boy for his turn ! 
 how laborious to catch every curve and angle of 
 Miss Haygood’s figures! Such a rubbing out and 
 putting back, till each little fellow thought he had 
 made an exact imitation ! How they smiled at com- 
 mendation ! Afterward the large boys added up 
 long columns of numbers as fast as Miss Haygood 
 wrote. I doubt not that many of them, although 
 they came from the poorest homes, will become 
 useful in their generation as Christians, as citizens, 
 as business men. If the gospel had not found 
 them, they would continue in the darkness where 
 they were born. The truth as it is. in Jesus will 
 transform them ; civilization has never done it. 
 The cross of Christ is the only power that changes 
 men’s lives: in this alone is our hope for the boys 
 and girls who occupied our thoughts during this 
 brief visit at Trinity Home. There is, of course, 
 a larger outcome from the boarding-schools than 
 
136 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 from the others. The boy must soon begin to 
 earn money, and the girl must not be on the street 
 much after she is twelve years old. Thus we lose 
 ■ — to our short sight it looks so — our day-scholars. 
 But in the boarding-school the influence extends 
 through years, and we often obtain such a hold on 
 our girls that they are ours for life, even though 
 they become wives and mothers. It was provi- 
 dential that schools became a part of missionary 
 work. 
 
 November 20. 
 
 I spent to-day with Miss Muse in Clopton School. 
 The first thought was that with which I closed 
 yesterday’s diary. The difference between the 
 girls on the street and those in Clopton School 
 (or in Miss Rankin’s, or Miss Philips’s, or Miss 
 Roberts’s care) is such that no opposer of educa- 
 tion as a means to Christian training could stand 
 against this “object-lesson.” Our girls look to 
 be a high class of Chinese, whereas they come 
 from the same homes and training as the thousands 
 that pass us every day on the streets. These have 
 stepped upon a higher plane. Whereas before 
 they knew nothing better than “envy, murder, de- 
 ceit, malignity,” being “backbiters, haters of God, 
 proud, inventors of evil things, without under- 
 standing, covenant-breakers, without natural af- 
 
Schools and Homes in Shanghai. 137 
 
 fection, implacable, unmerciful,” they begin to 
 desire to be well-pleasing to the Lord God. 
 
 The first visit I made was to the sewing-room, 
 where Miss Muse examined the work of the previ- 
 ous evening, which had been in charge of the Chi- 
 nese teacher. Here our girls make every thing 
 they wear, even their shoes, which are altogether 
 unlike ours. The older girls sew well, very well. 
 They are at this time making me a suit of Chinese 
 clothing — the shoes, socks, trousers, skirt, and 
 blouse. The little stitches are as beautiful as any 
 American hand-sewing of to-day. God bless the 
 dear fingers, and find them heavenly employment ! 
 After awhile may they “fetch and carry” for 
 their country-women, leading them to Jesus Christ 
 the Lord! From the work-room I went into one 
 of the recitation-rooms, where we had the Bible 
 lesson from Hebrews x. The chapter was read; 
 then, according to custom, each read the verse she 
 had selected and made her own comment. Miss 
 Muse and I took our turn, she choosing the twenty- 
 second verse and I the first clause of the thirty- 
 eighth. 
 
 The physiology study followed. The lesson 
 was on bones, and for an hour the class was well 
 drilled. Miss Muse has also put the Church Dis- 
 cipline in the school. A new thing under the sun ! 
 
138 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 Dr. Parker has completed the translation of the 
 Discipline of 1886. The school-girls are to com- 
 mit to memory the baptismal vows, and the ritual 
 for reception of members into the Church. Is 
 there a school in America that studies the Disci- 
 pline ? 
 
 November 21. 
 
 I went with Miss Atkinson to two other schools, 
 which consist of the poorest-looking children that 
 I have seen, even in China. “Tattered and 
 torn’’ though they be, they are learning the same 
 great truths so dear to our hearts. 
 
 November 23. 
 
 Miss Haygood’s remaining schools occupied us 
 this morning. One of them was well filled with 
 fine-looking boys. They do not know it, but they 
 are reaching the crisis of life : their future is be- 
 ing settled, their characters forming, and soon it 
 will be known what manner of men they will be. 
 
 This afternoon our native Christian women, and 
 a few outside friends, came to afternoon tea with 
 me, according to previous invitation. Well-nigh 
 fifty Chinese were present. We chatted, drank 
 tea, and ate sponge-cake ; a little later on we had 
 a sendee of prayer and song. A very few had 
 been invited who are still devoted to their idols. 
 They seemed to enjoy our simple entertainment, 
 
139 
 
 Schools and Homes in Shanghai. 
 
 and were even affectionate in manner toward us. 
 I could not rid myself of the painful sight of their 
 bound feet. They hobble about in ungraceful 
 gait. Those who were with us to-day have passed 
 the time of suffering; though, except the working- 
 women, whose feet are not bound so tightly, none 
 of them could walk, as we do, for miles. The en- 
 durance of little girls is touching: woman is taught 
 the lesson of fortitude from babyhood. What will 
 she be after awhile, when it becomes Christian en- 
 durance? She is learning patience by the things 
 which she suffers, and when her entire being is 
 sanctified by the incoming of a “better hope,” 
 what a power Chinese women will become ! 
 
 November 24. 
 
 I spent the morning with Miss Hughes in her 
 school-work. She was very earnest in her Bible 
 lesson, and won the attention of her children. She 
 asked, among other questions, “How is it that 
 God sees you all the time?” and had for reply, 
 “His eye is never tired,” and, “Because he is 
 high in heaven.” They are learning, they are 
 learning. After awhile many of these will be 
 teachers as well as doers of the word. In the 
 afternoon I went with Miss Atkinson to visit at the 
 homes of some of her pupils. We found no floors 
 — every woman whom we saw lived on the ground. 
 
140 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 I saw no clean tables, chairs, nor beds; no clean 
 clothes nor sunlight. The rooms were filthy and 
 dark, because there had been no “cleaning up” 
 for years, and no windows for fear evil spirits 
 would gain entrance. Little do they know that 
 their hearts are already the dwelling-place of le- 
 gions of devils, and that One is waiting to flood 
 their homesand their souls with sunshine. Poor and 
 soiled-looking as our several hostesses were, every 
 one presented us with the conventional cup of tea, 
 and several with an addition of candy. I found 
 it difficult to partake of these hospitalities, but suc- 
 ceeded in satisfying the demands to a moderate 
 degree. Miss Atkinson could talk Chinese, and 
 so prove herself satisfactory; but I had no such 
 accomplishment to rely upon, and accordingly was 
 compelled to take tea from doubtful china. 
 
 November 26. 
 
 This afternoon Professor Bonnell took us to the 
 cemetery, a beautiful spot, where only foreigners 
 are buried. We wished to stand once again by 
 Miss Rankin’s grave. We expect to stand with 
 her on Mount Zion ; and with us, in that multitude 
 whom no man can number, will be many of these 
 thousands whom I pass from day to day. 
 
 November 27. 
 
 I received a few days ago cards in Chinese style 
 
Schools and Homes in Shanghai. 141 
 
 — all red — inviting me to an afternoon feast in a 
 native home. Miss Hamilton, Miss Hughes, and 
 Miss Muse accepted for themselves and me ; and 
 to-day, when the hour arrived, we started in jin- 
 rikishas, escorted by the little son of Mrs. Psoh, 
 who met us at the entrance of the court that leads 
 to her house. She was profuse in her welcome, 
 as etiquette demanded, and as rapidly as her 
 “salaams” would permit she escorted us to the 
 reception-room, which was highly adorned with 
 scarlet hangings. The “most straitest” chairs 
 awaited us, where we sat upright, without leaning 
 to either right or left, for three hours, the period 
 we were at the table. There were fourteen 
 courses, besides fruits, conserves, nuts, tea, cocoa, 
 and a hot drink made of grated almonds. We 
 began with sharks’ fins, which were eatable; one 
 course was doves’ eggs; another duck, cured as 
 we do ham. Champagne was handed at one stage 
 of the feast, which we were allowed to decline. 
 Our hostess was cheerful and dignified. Several 
 times she proposed, according to Chinese custom, 
 to have towels wrung from boiling water handed 
 us in place of napkins, but yielded to the advice 
 of a servant who had had foreign training. How- 
 ever, at the close, a shining brass basin filled with 
 hot water, and towels, were brought in for our use. 
 
 7 7 O 
 
142 
 
 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 November 29. 
 
 To-daj I made a call, where I saw what I think 
 must be the most beautiful embroideries in Shang- 
 hai. These people have the perseverance, energy, 
 taste, and delicate touch to become the most skilled 
 of workmen in the things that perish. What will 
 they be when they take hold of eternal life ! 
 
 It is raining as I write. As I look from my win- 
 dow I see great rain-coats of straw, exactly like 
 the pictures in my little geography forty years 
 ago. Indeed, the hats, sedan-chairs, the immense 
 hampers suspended from bamboo-rods resting 
 on the coolies’ shoulders, the pagodas, the fans 
 and parasols, are the patterns used in the school- 
 books of my childhood. Fashions in China do 
 not change. 
 
 The chrysanthemums ! The half had not been 
 told. We have nothing of their size in America. 
 Great balls of gorgeous colors, they are almost or 
 quite as large as our sunflower. They attain to 
 such beauty and size because one stalk and one 
 chrysanthemum only are allowed to grow from a 
 root; every other is pinched off. 
 
 I went to-day inside the walled city of Shanghai. 
 This Chinese city has not improved by the great 
 “ object-lesson ” in the English and American con- 
 cessions. Clean streets and good order have not 
 
Schools and Homes in Shanghai. 143 
 
 impressed them. Two friends living there came 
 for Miss Haygood, Miss McClelland, and myself, 
 and actually led us by the hand through the streets 
 of the old city, as though they would protect us 
 from the soiled and rough men, the odors, the 
 sights, the tilth, and the sounds. My conductor 
 scarcely let go of me after we entered behind the 
 walls. Probably she thought that, pressed by the 
 crowds, I might be lost or alarmed. They took 
 us to the shops and helped us to make a few pur- 
 chases. We bought beautifully carved peach- 
 stones, cherry-stones, olive-stones — one set of the 
 eighteen Buddhas is very handsome ; a bamboo 
 vase, carvings within carvings, is exquisite. Our 
 shopping over, we went to the temples; to see a 
 juggler; to visit a bride just arrived in her hus- 
 band’s house — her long, thick, red silk veil still 
 concealing her face; to see silk-weaving; to a 
 paper manufactory; and finally ended our sight- 
 seeing at their home with a cup of tea. One of 
 these friends presented me with two or three hun- 
 dred “cash” strung together on a red cord, form- 
 ing a sword-shaped weapon, gayly trimmed with 
 different colored silks. She is a Christian woman, 
 and therefore I cannot accuse her of giving it 
 to me for “good luck.” The Chinese consider 
 this device as bringing good luck to any house- 
 
144 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 hold. Our friends escorted us home, making them- 
 selves altogether agreeable. We had brushed 
 against beggars in rags, men in silks, children by 
 the score, idlers, busy people, coolies with their 
 heavy burdens, the clean and the unclean. All 
 sorts of smells — burning incense, which is agree- 
 able, and Chinese odors which are execrable — met 
 our olfactories. We saw smiles and tears, the 
 blue heavens and the filthiest of streets. The 
 mixture, strange as it may seem, made a pleasant 
 afternoon. A Chinese city is a wonder. 
 
 Our stay draws to a close. We have spent two 
 delightful months. The weather has been golden ; 
 our friends hospitable, devoted. We expect to sail 
 on December i, in the “Thames,” for Hong- 
 kong, Singapore, the Straits Settlements, Ceylon, 
 and Calcutta. The missionary outlook is encour- 
 aging. The harvest has not been large, but the 
 seed are springing up, and very soon we may ex- 
 pect thirty-fold, and after awhile sixty and a hun- 
 dred-fold. In Japan God is giving us opportunity 
 to-day which, if not accepted, will be lost to us and 
 perhaps lost to them forever. But here we can 
 better afford to be slower, because every thing 
 in China moves slowly. It would seem that fifty 
 thousand converts in little less than a century is 
 a very small return for the outlay of the Christian 
 
Schools and Homes in Shanghai. 145 
 
 world. We progress, but our advance is slow; 
 perhaps because we have not done our best. The 
 five loaves and two fishes fed the thousands, and 
 there was enough and to spare ; but our Lord added 
 his blessing after all was given up. We must give 
 all if we expect the heathen world to be gathered 
 among God’s elect. 
 
 I have been looking over a book on etiquette 
 that Miss Atkinson translated for me. The girls 
 and women are told that they must talk but little; 
 they must retire to their private apartments as soon 
 as a visitor to the men of the family arrives ; young 
 wives must be very attentive and obedient to their 
 mothers-in-law, early and late answering their calls, 
 even helping them to dress in the morning, and 
 otherwise waiting upon them with cheerfulness; 
 and never wanting their own way, nor for a mo- 
 ment doubting the wisdom of those who are at the 
 head of the house. Young women must not re- 
 ceive presents from a brother-in-law, nor look 
 behind when they walk, nor shake the foot 
 when sitting; and they must always rise early 
 enough to hear the chickens crow. The devotion 
 of the women of olden time is recounted: One 
 gave her life for her mother-in-law, and several 
 died for and made many sacrifices for their hus- 
 bands; one poor mother, having no books nor pa- 
 10 
 
146 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 per, taught her son to read and write by making 
 the characters with her fingers in the mud. The 
 women are also taught that beautiful things — silks, 
 satins, embroideries, gold, and silver — must be seen 
 without being desired, unless there is money to 
 pay for them ; and that through life plain clothes 
 should be preferred. No young wife should ask 
 to return to her mother’s house till she has been 
 married at least six months, and not then if her 
 mother-in-law is not willing. Much more is writ- 
 ten in this book, much that is quite good, while 
 much would not be of value to us. I trust that 
 you will give devoted attention to the maxims of 
 an old Book which you have studied ever since 
 you learned to read. An rcvoir. 
 
LETTER XIV. 
 
 SUPERSTITIONS, CRIMES, AND BEGGARY OF THE CHINESE- 
 SOME OF THEIR FASHIONS AND PUNISHMENTS. 
 
 Shanghai, November, 1888. 
 
 HE Chinese, like all nations without the gos- 
 
 pel, are a prey to very foolish superstitions. 
 
 They have days lucky and unlucky. The break- 
 ing of a dish, a trifling slip of the foot, an unfort- 
 unate visit, are the harbingers of family difficulties. 
 One is fortunate or jinfortunate according to the 
 star under which he was born, or the hour of his 
 birth ; and neither burial nor marriage can take 
 place unless the geomancer declares it propi- 
 tious. I have been told that children are often 
 destroyed by parents because of coming under 
 unlucky circumstances, and I have seen hundreds 
 of dead left unburied because the soothsayer dis- 
 covered untoward combinations of the heavens and 
 the earth. 
 
 When Dr. A. P. Parker built his clock-tower, a 
 family in the neighborhood was bereaved. On 
 consultation with the necromancer, it was found 
 that the Fung-Shui (an indefinable something that 
 influences the fortunes of families, communities, 
 and the empire) was offended by the tower. 
 
 ( 147 ) 
 
148 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 Whether in the water or in the air, he moves in 
 straight lines, and to be compelled to turn aside by 
 an object standing in his way is exceedingly irri- 
 tating to his worshipful dignity” so exasperating, 
 indeed, that he must needs wreak his vengeance 
 on the neighborhood, instead of blowing away the 
 offending cause with a puff of the breath. In this 
 instance application for redress was made to the 
 governor, who wisely said that he who discovered 
 the evil must find the remedy. The soothsayer 
 was so reasonable as to counteract the disturbance 
 without pulling down the clock. He erected sev- 
 eral high poles in a line with the suffering house- 
 hold and Dr. Parker’s building, which to this day re- 
 main, and continue to drive off the evil spirits which 
 were provoked to serious mischief by the tower. 
 
 When in Suchow I tried to purchase some fans, 
 and in one of the shops found a clerk who was 
 singularly unwilling to show me his goods. The 
 Chinese are usually indifferent, and it is difficult to 
 have a sight of the contents of the shelves. One 
 is always asked, “What color do you want? what 
 design? what quality?” and any other questions 
 that can be devised. Then, only the color, or pat- 
 tern, or texture asked for is shown. It is not as 
 with the American dealer, who suggests and adds 
 to what is called for. After the customer has 
 
Chinese Superstitions. 149 
 
 looked at the article designated, if he wants to see 
 other shades or qualities of the same he must be 
 explicit in his description, having not the least 
 proposition from the dealer. This Suchow pro- 
 prietor exceeded in reserve any other that I had 
 met. Our young Chinese “go-between” could 
 not get a fan from him. At length he said we 
 must leave the shop because the man was in terror 
 of me. I had disturbed the Fung-Shui, and the 
 proprietor feared the establishment would be de- 
 stroyed if I remained. 
 
 Another clock-tower at the Arsenal, near Shang- 
 hai, caused great commotion. On its erection, 
 the board of Chinese directors were notified by the 
 priest that this foreign innovation would cause the 
 death of all the younger brothers of the members 
 of the board. Two actually died. Consternation 
 seized the families. The building would have 
 been razed to the ground had it not been found 
 after consultation with the soothsayers that a 
 shrine for worship and sacrifice, built in the tow- 
 er, would propitiate the avenger. 
 
 Another case in a town not far distant: A 
 church with a steeple and gilt rooster on the sum- 
 mit of the spire was erected. The wise men fore- 
 told ruin to the city. Soon after, the street called 
 “Centipede” was burned from end to end. The 
 
150 Letters f rom the Orient. 
 
 remedy of the priest was announced as follows: 
 “ Roosters eat centipedes, but tigers eat roosters.” 
 He caused a large painting of a tiger to be placed 
 opposite the church. In a few months one of the 
 walls of the building fell. Of course the tiger 
 did it. 
 
 Our Southern Presbyterian friends at Hang- 
 chow some years ago owned property most ad- 
 mirably located. But the Fung-Shui became of- 
 fended, and nothing less than total destruction 
 would appease his wrath. Not one stone was left 
 upon another, and the fair buildings and grove be- 
 came a ruin. The citizens behaved with great lib- 
 erality on the occasion. They presented another 
 lot and paid for new buildings, though in a flat sit- 
 uation by no means as desirable as the first. 
 
 Mrs. Williamson, in her “ Old Highways in Chi- 
 na,” tells how the entire side of a temple was taken 
 down to let the gods at the altar see the dryness of 
 the soil, and feel the heat of the noonday sun, 
 during a long drought when famine was appre- 
 hended. I do not know whether this touch of the 
 summer sun melted the hearts of the gods suffi- 
 ciently to give the refreshing shower. 
 
 While we were in Suchow a woman entered 
 Dr. Park’s hospital in search of the spirit of her 
 child. She had taken him there some months be- 
 
Chinese Superstitions. 151 
 
 fore, and since then he had been sick. She knew 
 some demon had been offended, and that the spirit 
 of the boy was detained in those four walls. She 
 examined every corner, closet, shelf, and room, 
 calling on the soul to return. Another took her 
 baby to Dr. Philips, and as a precautionary meas- 
 ure called aloud on the soul to remain where he 
 belonged. 
 
 Beggars and thieves are regularly organized. 
 They have a king, treasurer, and other officers. A 
 fixed sum is paid into the guild by each applicant 
 for membership, sometimes as much as thirty dol- 
 lars, every member having his share of the profits. 
 A peculiar fraternity! I watched a beggar a few 
 days ago. He seated himself on the ground in 
 front of Dr. Park’s gate. He wore several bands 
 of white — badges of mourning — and looked to be 
 about twenty-five years of age. He cried at the 
 top of his voice, the tears streaming down his face: 
 “My father is dead, my mother is dead, I am a 
 poor orphan ; help me, help me ! ” Thus he wailed 
 one entire afternoon, telling over and over, again 
 and again, the same story with a look of the great- 
 est anguish. I wondered if he was a member of 
 the guild ! 
 
 The Chinaman has a curious plan of vengeance. 
 He kills himself to spite his enemy — a reversal of 
 
152 
 
 Letters f rom the Orient. 
 
 the American order. No injury to a Celestial is so 
 great as when the man he hates takes his own life: 
 for in the ghostly relation he may distress him in 
 his family, or in his business, or in -propria persona 
 1 11 the end of life. Nothing can be worse than to 
 have the hatred of the dead. Also great ill luck 
 comes to the house where a visitor dies. Hence 
 if the dearest friend is taken ill from home, the 
 host immediately arranges for his return to his own 
 family, and the inns are unwilling to receive him 
 on the way, The beggar who is spurned becomes 
 a power to be dreaded to any household on whose 
 premises he may happen to die. 
 
 A coffin is a most acceptable present to the liv- 
 ing. John Chinaman becomes so accustomed to 
 the sealed casket containing the remains of some 
 member of his family, which cannot be laid away 
 till the geomancer speaks, that he wants to have 
 the care of his own coffin. It is a gift to be cher- 
 ished with pride and tenderness. He is content to 
 know that this provision is beyond a peradventure. 
 
 Ancestral worship stands between China and the 
 gospel as nothing else does. This worship of the 
 dead of generations back is Satan’s strongest hold. 
 At regular periods the offerings are made at the 
 graves and ancestral tablets, by rich and poor, by 
 the male representative of every family in China. 
 
Chinese Superstitions. 153 
 
 The Emperor on his throne is not exempt. He 
 must make sacrifices of the most costly silks, of 
 wines and edibles, before the tablets of all his pred- 
 ecessors. Otherwise those dead rulers would com- 
 bine to send disasters and plagues upon the nation. 
 All court officials and every oldest son in every 
 family, down to the poorest coolie in the land, 
 must worship the dead fathers and mothers of the 
 generations that preceded. Whatever he may 
 deny himself, he may not deny his ancestors any 
 thing requisite for a comfortable living in the spirit- 
 land. Rice, clothing, lights, servants, money, and 
 houses are as needful there as here : notwithstand- 
 ing poverty, all these things and much more must 
 be furnished. Fire is the mode of conveyance. 
 Burned here, the required goods arrive in the 
 world beyond ready for use. The son may have 
 been wayward, worthless, disobedient — a vaga- 
 bond. What the living parents could not accom- 
 plish the dead exact and effect without contro- 
 versy. He would not dare refuse honor to the spirit 
 that has become so powerful an agent for evil or 
 good. Men of the largest wealth, influence, and 
 business obligations, down to the menial in the 
 kitchen, must be excused from all contracts until 
 these rites are performed, at stated periods, for all 
 the years of his life. The desire of husbands 
 
154 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 and wives for sons grows out of this superstition. 
 Failing in this, an adopted son may assume the 
 duty. A daughter cannot perform this sacred act. 
 Perhaps the uselessness of the girls in ancestral 
 worship led to female infanticide. They were un- 
 welcome because they could not lighten the bur- 
 dens of the dead. To be rid of them was right- 
 eous, while the wife with tears and groans and cries 
 besought the goddess of mercy for her boy, which 
 could be her hope both here and hereafter. Be- 
 sides, the little daughters are so soon claimed by 
 their mothers-in-law that they are really of “ no 
 use ” to their parents. 
 
 In addition to ancestral offerings, those spirits 
 must be propitiated who left no son or male repre- 
 sentative, or those who died unknown, or in for- 
 eign lands, or beggars, or the drowned, or any oth- 
 ers whose bodies were not recovered. For these 
 the generous contribute, so that none on the other 
 shore shall be unprovided for, and thus be tempt- 
 ed to cause tribulation in the world they left be- 
 hind. It is not so much the charitable intent as 
 the horrible fear of vengeance that induces the 
 opening of the stranger’s purse. I saw paper 
 horses, boats, houses, jinrikishas, servants, and 
 other things, carried along the streets on the way 
 to be burned at the ancestral tablets. Is it not 
 
(155) 
 
 PLACE OF ANCESTRAL WORSHIP. 
 
Chinese Superstitions. 155 
 
 strange that not one soul from the other side has 
 even been of so gentle a disposition as to excuse 
 his son from this heavy tax? They exact the 
 “pound of flesh” to the utmost, or else they are 
 unduly slow in finding a way of communication. 
 Even in Tartarus they might find out how to spare 
 those who come after these centuries of long- 
 drawn-out anxiety and agony. If vengeance can 
 be had, why not tenderness? Heathenism does 
 not love — heathenism hates ! Jesus crucified is 
 the only power that can exalt. All praise for the 
 promise: “I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men 
 unto me.” Does it not mean China? The reve- 
 lation of our Lord to this world of sin did not find 
 China in more open rebellion than other peoples. 
 There have been nations saved by repentance and 
 faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. Why not this 
 land of black darkness? Forty or fifty thousand 
 of these four hundred millions bear the name 
 of Jesus. Shall we “despise the day of small 
 things?” Not Jerusalem only was it that “killed 
 the prophets and stoned them that were sent,” and 
 not Jerusalem only would Jesus gather to himself 
 “as a hen gathers her brood under her wings.” 
 There is a very large boat population. Hun- 
 dreds of thousands, from birth to the grave, know 
 no other home. I have watched many of these 
 
156 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 families. The little ones at play on deck are tied 
 to some stationary object, and thus secured from 
 danger of falling off. Even the family cat and chick- 
 ens are comfortably circumscribed in the same way. 
 These fleets of house-boats are little worlds hav- 
 ing their regulations and employments, their po- 
 lice and municipal laws; and though crowded as 
 London houses, each family keeps to its own quar- 
 ters, and one community does not interfere with 
 another. These many towns in the canals and 
 small rivers do not rival beautiful Venice, but in 
 their way are quite as interesting. 
 
 We are in the height of the persimmon season: 
 a delicious fruit, in size like the orange, and color 
 like a ripe tomato. Also the pommelo is a favor- 
 ite fruit. I think only a Japanese or John China- 
 man knows how to prepare them for the table: 
 they are enveloped in a bitter fiber which ruins the 
 taste unless carefully removed. The uninitiated 
 seem unable to separate the bad from the good. 
 The Chinese make a delightful jelly of the haw, 
 and indeed many of their culinary productions are 
 very nice. It is improbable, however, that Ameri- 
 cans would learn to like eggs that have been pre- 
 served ten, twenty, fifty years. To-day’s egg is 
 to our taste, while one that has gone through many 
 a decade is the delicacy that a Celestial seeks. 
 
157 
 
 Chinese Superstitions. 
 
 Passing a house a few days ago I witnessed a 
 quarrel in progress between a man and woman. 
 Their loud voices, many words, and vigorous 
 pounding drew a crowd. At last she grabbed his 
 cue and soon got the better of him, such an indig- 
 nity bringing him to terms. I doubt if the women 
 in China often engage in a street brawl. They 
 are taught submission from early childhood, and 
 have very little controversy with their husbands: I 
 have heard that a mild type of domestic satisfaction 
 exists. Betrothals take place at so early an age that 
 the little husband and wife do not remember when 
 they did not belong to each other, nor do they have 
 opportunity to know whether compatibility is a 
 thing possible. A betrothal is as binding as a 
 marriage. During the time that the matter is un- 
 der consideration, while the horoscopes are not yet 
 cast, a trifling accident in the kitchen or china- 
 closet of either family will break off negotiations. 
 But after a favorable decision is made nothing can 
 prevent the consummation. The loss of property, 
 or an incurable malady, or a disgusting deformity 
 would not be permitted to break off the marriage. 
 Unless the little girl be taken by her prospective 
 mother-in-law to be brought up under her own 
 eye, the bridegroom and his promised wife never 
 see each other till the wedding-day, when he sends 
 
158 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 the gorgeous red bridal chair with a retinue of 
 servants to bring her to her new home. She is 
 closely veiled in scarlet silk or woolen cloth, which 
 is not removed till the first meal under her hus- 
 band’s roof. Of course there are grievous dis- 
 appointments. The young wife may have no 
 beauty of face, or be she ever so pretty her spouse 
 may not fancy her. It is of greater importance, 
 perhaps, that the mother-in-law be pleased, for the 
 future probably depends more on her than on him. 
 If she becomes the mother of sons, she will be a 
 person of consequence; otherwise she will be at 
 the mercy of her new relatives, who may or may 
 not have agreeable dispositions. As in Japan, she 
 may be divorced if she is disobedient to her hus- 
 band’s mother, or is seen often on the street, or talks 
 much. Strange it is that the young master may 
 put her away at pleasure after marriage, but must 
 under all circumstances hold himself bound during 
 the time of betrothal ! Perhaps she was bought ; 
 possibly the two mothers exchanged daughters, 
 each having sons ; or may be money actually passed ; 
 at any rate, value having been exchanged , his moth- 
 er thinks they must have the equivalent — viz., the 
 faithful attention demanded of a daughter-in-law. 
 Should the expected bridegroom die before the 
 marriage, the little girl is considered a widow, 
 
(159 
 
 BRIDAL PROCESSION. 
 
Fashions and Punishments. 159 
 
 and becomes a member of his family, who must 
 henceforth care for her as though she had been 
 married. Sometimes this ceremony is performed 
 with the spirit of the departed; and should she 
 vow life-time fidelity to him, refusing another mar- 
 riage, she is held in high esteem. I saw many 
 substantial stone arches on the highway, erected 
 in token of great distinction to widows thus devot- 
 ing themselves to the memory of the betrothed 
 whom perhaps they never saw. She may even 
 commit suicide, and thus be counted worthy of all 
 honor as the most virtuous of women. 
 
 The deformed feet keep Chinese ladies more or 
 less confined at home. Those of the poorer class 
 cannot afford to be secluded, for they must earn 
 their pittance toward the support of the family. 
 Those who need not labor are rarely seen upon 
 the streets. Freedom of social life is unknown. I 
 suppose that unrestricted friendliness among wom- 
 en is impossible: if not impossible, an intimacy is 
 an impropriety, and an outing of rare occurrence. 
 The dress of the wealthy on special occasions is 
 of superb silks, embroideries, and velvets; their 
 tiny shoes are of choice needle- work, and I am told 
 that they indulge in an excess of jewelry, especial- 
 ly to ornament their glossy black hair. I see in 
 the shops very expensive beads and pins of jade, 
 
160 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 of gold, and silver; and on the streets elaborate 
 imitations of the same. They wear nothing like 
 our bonnets and hats. The top of the head is un- 
 covered. They sometimes have across the fore- 
 head a stiff black silk band which takes the place 
 of a bonnet. They consider our head-gear an im- 
 itation of masculine fashion. 
 
 Young men do not let their beard grow. When 
 a man is forty years old, if he have sons he need 
 not shave his mustache. One of our native pastors 
 told me that he was very proud when that auspi- 
 cious day dawned, and lost no time in thus show- 
 ing that he had arrived at so respectable a period 
 of life. The aged are esteemed for their years’ 
 sake. Hence it is very polite to ask a person in 
 middle life his or her age. As youth speaks for 
 itself, it is probable that the young are not ques- 
 tioned on this subject. My age has been inquired 
 into very often. I was greatly surprised when 
 these particulars were asked of me the first time, 
 but I soon became accustomed to the courteous 
 query, and learned to return the obliging atten- 
 tion of the natives by asking with equal complai- 
 sance concerning their “most honorable age.” 
 
 The Chinaman greets his friends by shaking his 
 own hand. They meet with the most cordial saluta- 
 tion of hand-shaking, but each man shakes his own 
 
Fashions and Punishments. 161 
 
 and not his neighbor’s hand. Their code of eti- 
 quette, as with the Japanese, is very elaborate. 
 While this may be tiresome to an earnest worker, 
 I doubt not it is true that one cannot gain entrance 
 into the most refined homes unless some attention 
 is paid to their forms. The poor are reached by 
 sympathy. True, the word of God can take hold 
 of the heart with or without human aid. But also 
 our Lord makes use of us, of our peculiarities, our 
 talents, our failures, the words we speak, our omis- 
 sions and, commissions, our prayers, our faith, our 
 money, in convincing our neighbors and those afar 
 off of the truth of the religion of the Lord Jesus 
 Christ. It may be that our missionaries will have 
 the opportunity to carry the good tidings of God’s 
 love to idolatrous households by attention to some 
 little detail of etiquette that will first attract good- 
 will and afterward gain genuine affection. If 
 “tall oaks from little acorns grow,” and “bits in 
 the horse’s mouth” enable us to guide the animal, 
 and a “very small helm ” turns about a ship “ driv- 
 en of fierce winds,” and a “great matter” is kin- 
 dled by a “little fire,” may not families in China 
 be rescued by heeding some innocent prejudice? 
 
 The Chinese are cruel in their punishments. 
 Many illegal tortures are permitted. Those which 
 are legal are often revolting. The thumb-screw 
 11 
 
1G2 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 of the Inquisition, though in another form and by 
 another name, is in use; also a similar compress 
 for the ankle. Among those in use, but unauthor- 
 ized, are striking the lips until lacerated, burning 
 the lingers, chaining the hands under the knees 
 and thus bending the body double, nailing the 
 hands to boards, kneeling on broken glass, and 
 many more devices that it required considerable 
 ingenuity to invent. A common punishment which 
 is seen upon the streets often is the “cangue,” a 
 wooden frame worn around the neck, too broad 
 for the hands to reach the mouth, so that the crimi- 
 nal is dependent for his meals upon the kind offices 
 of others. John eats, holding the bowl of rice 
 close to his mouth and shoveling in the food with 
 chopsticks. I suppose some good-natured person 
 in passing helps the poor fellow bearing the yoke 
 of the cangue to shove his rice into his mouth. 
 
 There are two modes of beheading — decapita- 
 tion by a single blow, and decapitation by piece- 
 meal. Criminals are sometimes left to die by 
 starvation. I heard of a cruel torture “long drawn 
 out,” which I suppose was illegal. The offender 
 is placed in a wire gauze frame fitting tightly to 
 the person — so tight that the flesh protrudes 
 through the wire until the blood oozes from hun- 
 dreds of pores. I heard of a little girl whose mis- 
 


 ( 163 ) 
 
 IN T1IE CANGUE. 
 
Fashions and Punishments. 163 
 
 tress pinched her flesh from time to time with red- 
 hot pinchers. You have read of the cruel use of 
 the bamboo in the punishment of criminals. It is 
 said that prisoners under sentence of death some- 
 times meet their doom by being securely bound 
 down over the bamboo-shoot, which grows so rap- 
 idly that it passes through his body in a day ! 
 
 How can one who believes in the love of Jesus 
 and desires to live in constant realization of the 
 same, and who seeks to grow up into him as the 
 'most blessed condition attainable on earth — how 
 can such refuse to help give the gospel to China 
 and Japan? He who made the universe com- 
 mands us to “go into all the world;” and yet 
 some , knowing well that they cannot make a blade 
 of grass, nor “provide for the raven his food,” nor 
 send rain ‘ ‘ upop the just or the unjust, ’ ’ nor ‘ ‘ bind 
 the sweet influences of the Pleiades,” undertake 
 to say how far God’s grace shall extend toward 
 the workmanship of his own hands. 
 
 Time moves apace. These interesting days are 
 fast passing. To say that I have been impressed 
 by our mission work and its needs is a very mild 
 expression of my sensations. Our opportunities 
 and the failure of the Church to meet her obliga- 
 tions are almost overwhelming. May God stir us 
 until we do with our might what he has placed in 
 
164 
 
 betters from the Orient. 
 
 x our charge ! The responsibility is ours, for to us 
 have come calls upon calls to undertake new work. 
 Besides, our missionaries need our sympathy and 
 prayers. They give themselves and their all to 
 these people, leaning upon God. No arm of flesh 
 is near from which they may hope for aid. Their 
 people have not learned to love. A few who have 
 come to know eternal life are learning to love; 
 and after awhile, when many are brought to the 
 knowledge of the grace of the Lord Jesus, our 
 missionaries will have near them Christian friends* 
 on whom to rely. Now , they have but their homes 
 and their work. Outside, there are none to re- 
 joice when they rejoice, or weep when they weep. 
 The poorest circuit in America has within its 
 bounds those who sympathize with the minister in 
 joy and sorrow: if death invades his family, there 
 are hands to help and words of affection to soothe. 
 But in a heathen land, in the hour of anguish, un- 
 less a missionary brother be near, no aid nor love 
 from beyond his own four walls is offered. At 
 happy seasons of the year — Christmas and birth- 
 days — no outside token of remembrance comes ; 
 on the contrary, our brethren give all and receive 
 naught. Their members are poor, and must be 
 helped. If there is a wedding or a funeral, they 
 must aid in providing the outfit for the bridal and for 
 
Fashions and Punishments. 1G5 
 
 the burial of the dead. As the preacher tells of 
 the cross of Christ he must rescue man}^ a poor 
 family from famine and disease. Let the Church- 
 members in America forbear criticism and give 
 their sympathy to their representatives across the 
 Pacific. 
 
 When thoughtful men tell us that the best oppor- 
 tunities for saving China are to be found in the inte- 
 rior, it is not meant that the work in the treaty-ports 
 should be relinquished. Perhaps as Christians grow 
 from within outward — first the heart, then the life is 
 changed — so it may be that this heathen land must 
 be begotten from its great centers, ere we shall see 
 the fringes of the empire becoming the “Bride of 
 the Lamb.” But by no means can our workers 
 be withdrawn from the coast cities. In these lat- 
 ter are found the heathen who, in addition to the 
 idolatrous practices of centuries, are besotted with 
 the sins of Western life. The workers from the 
 various Missionary Boards of the world must stand 
 a solid phalanx in Shanghai, Hong-kong, and 
 other sea-ports, striving against all sin, whether 
 native or foreign. If they do not hold the borders , 
 there will soon be no centers of Christian work. I 
 hold that while the one field must be cultivated the 
 other cannot be left to run to weeds. Let every 
 hill-top and hamlet of Japan, and all these mill- 
 
166 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 ions and millions of China, feel the power of the 
 death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. 
 
 The markets are full of fish, bamboo-roots, lotus- 
 bulbs, sharks’ fins, ducks’ tongues, sea-slugs, per- 
 simmons, and very fine vegetables. Those who can 
 afford to buy do so; but I rather enjoy walking 
 through to see what there is and watch the buyers. 
 The migratory kitchen is found in the market- 
 house as well as on the streets. Foreigners can- 
 not market successfully, because “the tricks which 
 are vain” are “peculiar” to this trade. The cook 
 does the marketing ; and while our friends and all 
 foreigners know that they pay his commission, yet 
 the cost is not equal to what it would be if they 
 undertook the business. 
 
 I add a list of boys’ names — not such as are 
 familiar to you : True Blessing, Everlasting Life, 
 Piece of Happiness, Two Precious, Sixth Pre- 
 cious, Next Precious, Gold Penny, Little Brother, 
 Heaven’s Gift, Seventh Sister, Happy Nine. The 
 last was born on the ninth day of the ninth month ; 
 Sixth Precious was the sixth son; and Seventh 
 Sister was so named because, being a feeble infant, 
 it was thought the evil spirit would pass him by, if 
 he could be made to think the baby a girl. The 
 ruse succeeded — the demon was stupid enough to 
 believe in the name. 
 
Fashions and Punishments. 167 
 
 The girls comb their hair according to the fash- 
 ion of centuries gone. Besides shaving in circles 
 and quadrangles, they brush the entire suit of hair 
 to one side, coiling it immediately over the ear; 
 or dividing it in two, they have a coil over each 
 ear. When these twists are ornamented with the 
 fine large chrysanthemums, the face is broader 
 than long. 
 
 In Suchow I wondered why the little children on 
 the street so often shut their eyes, holding on to 
 their friends. I specially remember a handsome 
 boy who, carried astride his father’s shoulder, 
 looked at us, then closed his eyes quickly, hiding 
 his face on his father’s head; after awhile he 
 peeped and shut his eyes, which was repeated 
 several times. We walked behind him for a mile, 
 the little fellow first examining the foreign lady 
 with light hair and eyes, and then, as if fright- 
 ened, hiding his face. Upon inquiry, I learned 
 that children are taught that the “Jesus people” 
 take all the eyes they can steal to make a medicine 
 which affects the native mind so that the new re- 
 ligion is forced upon a man without his consent. 
 They cannot believe that one would voluntarily 
 renounce Confucius and Buddha for the “new 
 doctrine” — there must be some witchcraft in the 
 proceedings. 
 
168 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 The Prime-minister of China is a man of intel- 
 lect and broadening views. It is to be expected 
 that he will elevate the State. Let us pray that the 
 Holy Ghost may take hold of him, and enlighten 
 his understanding so that he may with wisdom 
 direct the great questions which must soon be 
 settled. In all China there are but two hundred 
 miles of railroads. The superstitions of the people 
 have hindered, their fear of the Fung-Shui having 
 prevailed against all attempts to improve the mode 
 of travel. But a better day is coming. Not many 
 years hence railroads will traverse the whole em- 
 pire, and that will mean a missionary in every 
 community. There are not a dozen newspapers 
 in China. After awhile the press will become a 
 power; and while infidels and politicians will have 
 access to the columns of all publications, so also 
 will the heralds of the cross be able to speak with 
 confidence and boldness of the reason for the hope 
 that is in them. 
 
 Will you not keep this great empire in your 
 thoughts, and in the years to come let your influ- 
 ence be directed toward the salvation of the na- 
 tions now in darkness? God’s gift is eternal life. 
 Is it not of value? Can you compute its worth to 
 you? Would it not be of equal value to China’s 
 millions? Will not you and your friends and your 
 
Fashions and Punishments. 169 
 
 friends’ friends, as you think of your blessedness 
 in His kingdom on earth and the glory which will 
 be revealed, also help to tell the story to those 
 who are so far off that only the Holy Ghost can 
 reach them — remembering that the Holy Spirit 
 chooses “earthen vessels” to carry the priceless 
 treasure? Are not you your brother’s keeper? 
 
LETTER XV, 
 
 THE VOYAGE TO INDIA— SIGHTS ON SEA AND LAND. 
 
 E left Shanghai late in the afternoon of No- 
 
 vember 30, our friends going to the steam- 
 launch to bid us bon -voyage . They are dear to us. 
 God bless them and cause his face to shine upon 
 them ! If the shining of his face be upon their 
 work, it will not be long before the}' are a thousand 
 times as many as they now number. China counts 
 her hundreds of millions, and surely America will 
 desire Christianity to count tens of thousands of 
 Chinese converts in the near future. Do you say 
 amen ? The Lord grant that you may pray with- 
 out ceasing, “ Thy kingdom come,” so long as you 
 live! If you should live “threescore years and 
 ten,” how many “golden vials full of incense, 
 which are the prayers of saints,” will be scored in 
 the Eternal Mind as part of your guerdon ! 
 
 Notwithstanding the cold was very severe the 
 afternoon we left Shanghai, Professor Bonnell, 
 Mr. Burke, and Mr. Arthur Allen went with us to 
 the “Thames,” which was anchored eighteen or 
 twenty miles from the city. At 10 p.m. they left 
 
 Straits of Malacca, December 12, iSSS. 
 
 ( 170 ) 
 
Voyage to India. 171 
 
 us, and by daylight next morning we were at sea, 
 with our faces turned toward the south. The bit- 
 ing cold continued for thirty hours, but by the 
 time we reached Hong-kong, almost at the south- 
 ern extremity of the Chinese coast, we realized 
 that December could be as pleasant as May. The 
 soft air, green grass, luxuriant trees, and the gay- 
 colored flowers quite banished the wintery blast 
 from our thoughts. 
 
 Hong-kong is a beautiful island, belonging to 
 the English, and but a short distance from the main- 
 land. The buildings, public and private, are mass- 
 ive and fine-looking. There are first-class roads 
 and gardens handsomely laid off and cultivated. 
 An immense amount of money has been invested. 
 The city lies along the base and sides of steep, 
 high hills, up which walks and carriage-drives lead 
 to the summit. We climbed the hills, went into 
 the shops, and walked in the shade of the avenues 
 of trees. We took jinrikishas to the “ Happy Val- 
 ley,” the English cemetery — a beautiful cove in the 
 mountain-side, full of exquisite tropical trees and 
 plants. It does indeed look like a resting-place. 
 Next to it is a Mohammedan cemetery, of which 
 I can only say it is a flace. 
 
 Chairs borne on the shoulders of coolies are 
 more in use in Hong-kong than jinrikishas, owing 
 
172 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 to the very steep hills. The carriers trot along at 
 an even pace, except when the road approaches a 
 perpendicular. Some of the private chairs are 
 very handsome, the bearers in livery. We were 
 there but two days while our steamer was loading 
 for England, whither she was bound. 
 
 We did not go to Canton, which is near. I 
 should like to have seen the embroidered crapes on 
 the spot where they are wrought, and for memory 
 of Morrison, who in the early part of this century 
 was hidden away for twenty years in Canton — hid- 
 den because, had he, a Christian believer and 
 teacher, been found his life would have been for- 
 feited. Here in the darkness he worked all those 
 years, giving to those who have succeeded him the 
 Chinese Dictionary. All missionaries who have 
 come after him have built on his foundation, nor 
 could they have built without it. 
 
 The heat increased as we steamed southward, 
 but the sea was smooth and the skies blue. While 
 seated at dinner the day before arriving at Singa- 
 pore we were startled by the cry, “Man over- 
 board!” In a moment the saloon was emptied, 
 and all crowded to the taffrail. A life-boat was 
 sent out and the steamer put back. The poor fel- 
 low, a Malay sailor, was not to be seen, though his 
 screams were heard. He went to the bottom. 
 
173 
 
 Voyage to India. 
 
 Singapore is but a little over a degree from the 
 equator, so that the heat is intense the year round. 
 The singing of birds never ceases, frost is not 
 known, and perennial green crowns every hill-top 
 and valley. 
 
 We went ashore and drove in a “gharry” to 
 the Botanical Gardens. The road lay for three 
 miles through groves of palms and the seats of the 
 foreign gentry residing on the island. The Gar- 
 dens are very beautiful. Rolling land, a heavy 
 greensward shorn till it looked as smooth and as 
 soft as velvet, lakes, parterres of flowers of the 
 richest hues, palms of all sorts, the cocoa-nut, date, 
 pine-apple, betel-nut, banana, fan, sago, cabbage, 
 umbrella, bread-fruit, and other species with bo- 
 tanical names that I do not recall — drives and 
 walks all in perfect order — made a picture to be 
 remembered. Added to the lovely sight, we 
 had a pleasant breeze which tempered the heat 
 of a tropical sun. We strolled about for some 
 two hours, and then returned to the town, where 
 we bought from a peripatetic commissariat some 
 sliced pine-apples which were more delicious than 
 any I had ever eaten . They are totally different from 
 those we eat in America, a thousand miles or more 
 from where they grow. I shall never want them 
 unless I get them directly from their native groves. 
 
174 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 The palm-tree, in its hundred or more varieties, 
 affords the natives in the Straits settlements, and 
 in Ceylon, India, and other tropical lands, almost 
 all they need. They eat the fruit, weave a cloth 
 from its fiber, from the bark and wood make all 
 manner of household utensils, manufacture an oil 
 which can be used for lighting and culinary pur- 
 poses, build their huts and bungalows under its 
 shade, and of one of the varieties paper is made. 
 Manifold are the uses to which palm-trees are put. 
 They are seventy, eighty, one hundred feet high: 
 the trunk is bare almost to the crown, where grow 
 the long leaves eighteen or twenty feet in length, 
 falling over in rich profusion — a tuft of plumes. 
 The natives walk up the long trunks with ease. I 
 watched them with interest as they set their feet 
 upon the trunk, clasping it with their hands above, 
 and thus ascended without touching the tree at 
 other points of their bodies. 
 
 Both on land and on our steamer in this latitude 
 everybody wears the lightest clothing — the gentle- 
 men white duck or flannel; ladies are dressed in 
 muslins. My one linen dress is in constant use; I 
 scarcely spare it while it is in the laundryman’s 
 hands. I suppose it will be in constant demand 
 until we arrive at Calcutta. The Malay mostly 
 wears but a waist-cloth besides his turban, or a 
 
n~ 5) 
 
 CLIMBING THE PALM-TREE. 
 
175 
 
 Voyage to India. 
 
 long shirt, his body bare to the waist — the heat the 
 year through being so intense that I suppose since 
 the world began he has worn very little clothing. 
 The favorite color seems to be bright red, which 
 contrasts well with the rich brown skin. The Ma- 
 lay women substitute jewelry for our profusion 
 of dress: bracelets on the arm and ankle, rings 
 in the ear and nose, and on the fingers and toes, 
 seem very satisfying to them ; a single garment be- 
 sides, and they are dressed. 
 
 The shells for sale in Singapore are very beau- 
 tiful. Boat-loads of them, all of exquisite tints, 
 and of many sizes and shapes, lay along-side the 
 wharves. Your father loves to handle them — they 
 are a pleasure to him as roses are to you. 
 
 We will sail to-day; and I am glad, for the tem- 
 perature at sea is reduced. 
 
 December 14. 
 
 We are in the Straits, and in a swell. There is 
 a storm off to the south which disturbs our waters. 
 The heat is great. Every one who has a white 
 suit wears it. The “punkas” are going at 
 breakfast, tiffin, four o’clock tea, and dinner. I 
 doubt if we could eat without them, unless the 
 meals were served on deck; but that would hardly 
 be possible. On all the steamers, and in South- 
 ern China, in the Malay Peninsula, in Ceylon and 
 
176 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 India, the punka is a necessity as well as a luxury. 
 Labor is so cheap that foreigners of very moderate 
 means often employ a boy whose work is simply 
 to keep in motion these punkas, or fans, which are 
 suspended from the ceiling. Men of wealth and 
 invalids have them in use almost every night in the 
 year, and in many of the English churches they 
 are to be found. I should think them very re- 
 freshing to those who preach with their might, 
 when the thermometer is up in the nineties. 
 
 To-morrow we expect to see Ceylon, the land 
 of “spicy breezes.” We were on deck early this 
 morning, and witnessed a beautiful sunrise. I like 
 to be out early before the steamer is awake — of 
 course I refer to the passengers; the sailors are 
 always at work. 
 
 We are a little farther north, Ceylon being about 
 five degrees from the equator: the difference in 
 the temperature corresponds, and the heat is so 
 slightly less that one might think the “Thames” 
 back at Singapore. In a few hours the beautiful 
 island will be in sight. 
 
 December 17. 
 
 We landed to-day at Columbo, and found quite a 
 familiar look about the city. The hotels and many 
 other buildings are similar to our own, while on the 
 streets there are scores of people of our complex- 
 
Voyage to India. 177 
 
 ion and dress. The Imperial Hotel where we are 
 lodged is crowded with Americans and English. 
 I have just returned from the shops, having visited 
 them with some ladies to look at the jewels that are 
 found there. Sapphires, rubies, and pearls are to 
 be seen in large numbers. One of the dealers 
 claimed to have the largest and most superb cat’s- 
 eye in the world — he asks thousands for it. I en- 
 joyed the sparkling gems, but gave myself no anx- 
 iety about their genuineness. It is said that the 
 unskilled should not purchase. 
 
 December 18. 
 
 We drove out to the Cinnamon Garden, where 
 hundreds of cinnamon-trees grow. The Museum 
 was interesting for its collection of animals and of 
 Ceylonese work. There were sharks of tremen- 
 dous size, which I would not have approached had 
 they been alive ; and constrictors so long and large 
 that I fear to give the figures, lest the huge propor- 
 tions should be mistakes of my memory; and oth- 
 er snakes, very poisonous, but a foot in length and 
 not thicker than my finger. There were birds of 
 all sizes and colors, and the most exquisite collec- 
 tion of butterflies to be found. We also saw a fish 
 with the head of a horse, exactly the thing we used 
 to see in our childhood’s picture-books. It was 
 about ten or twelve inches long. We had not be- 
 12 
 
1 < 8 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 lieved in the existence of this animal until we saw 
 this specimen. 
 
 Off to one side of the Garden is the residence 
 of Arabi Pasha, the Egyptian exile, whom the En- 
 glish hold in “durance vile” in this lovely spot. 
 He has every thing his eye may desire, and yet — a 
 prisoner of state — what he most wants is denied 
 him. During this drive we saw many ant-hills four 
 and five feet high, which were quite a curiosity to 
 us. And of no less interest was the Highland 
 regiment which we passed, in its unique and pret- 
 ty uniform. The bagpipes were in full blast, 
 and I can understand how “The Campbells are 
 Coming” might under certain circumstances be 
 very inspiriting. 
 
 December 21. 
 
 We have been up in the mountains. It was a 
 pleasant change, but not so great as you might 
 think. It was warm enough for hundreds of callas 
 to bloom in the open air. The prettiest ferns of 
 the globe are there ; the maiden-hair is a dream of 
 beauty, for a poet’s pen to describe. The tree- 
 fern, which grows to be quite large, is to be seen 
 in all these regions from Singapore to Southern 
 India. During the few days’ trip we saw but one 
 coffee-plantation. The crop having failed in the 
 last few years, tea has been substituted with con- 
 
A KOAD IN CEYLON. 
 
 (179) 
 
Voyage to India. 179 
 
 siderable success. The planters claim that the 
 Ceylon tea has a more delicious flavor than any 
 other. 
 
 We spent a day in the wonderful Royal Gar- 
 dens at Peradinieja, where are all the tropical 
 plants of the world. I saw growing cloves, all- 
 spice, nutmegs, the various palms, bread-fruits, 
 banyan, sandal-wood, rubber, camphor, the deadly 
 upas, mahogany, cinchona, all of which are large 
 trees; besides pepper, sensitive plants, orchids, tea, 
 coffee, and many more trees, vines, and bushes 
 than I can remember. Bamboos grow here in great 
 beauty and to considerable height, as in China and 
 Japan. In truth, almost every thing that pertains 
 to tropical life may be seen on this island. It 
 offers the finest scenery I have found since we 
 left green-clad Japan (which, however, is hardly 
 tropical), and I have heard that it is considered 
 the most beautiful in the world. The other day 
 the railroad took us up through the mountains, 
 where a very wild region opened before us. The 
 palm-trees grow everywhere, even on the high 
 hills, while the valleys are richly carpeted in grass 
 or cultivated in rice. 
 
 At Kandy our window looked out upon a long, 
 smooth lawn finely set in grass and bordered all 
 around with beautiful trees. At the other end 
 
180 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 from our quarters was an immensely rich Bud- 
 dhist temple, which was endowed with large tracts 
 of valuable land by the Dutch when they took pos- 
 session of Ceylon; and when they ceded it to 
 the English it was stipulated that all these native 
 rights and possessions should be respected. The 
 temple contains a vast number of rubies and 
 sapphires, and much beautiful ivory and silver 
 work. To the right is an artificial lake, and be- 
 yond a mountain-range makes a background for 
 the whole. 
 
 Adam’s Peak, a sacred mountain, is in the dis- 
 tance. The Mohammedans claim that the foot- 
 prints of Adam are to be seen on the summit. 
 Heretical Americans are more interested in the 
 gems found at the base and on the sides of the 
 mountain. 
 
 As elsewhere, the coffee-plantations here are 
 failing. An evil disease has fallen on Java, Cey- 
 lon, and “they say” on Brazil and other coffee- 
 growing countries. If it goes round the world 
 the coffee-drinkers will be forced into self-denial, 
 of which let advantage be taken for missionary 
 operations ! 
 
 Here, as at Singapore and Penang, the natives 
 are very easy in the matter of dress. The children 
 wander around arrayed in a silver cord about the 
 
Voyage to India. 181 
 
 loins, with perhaps the addition of a bracelet and 
 anklet. The men wear their hair long and held 
 back by beautiful tortoise-shell combs; except the 
 Mohammedans, who are distinguished by their 
 hats — tall truncated cones, woven of many-colored 
 straw. The Mohammedans are making great ad- 
 vance in all these regions. They send mission- 
 aries — Arabs — to all the settlements in the Straits 
 and to the islands, and make thousands of con- 
 verts. Their allowance of polygamy is a force. 
 An Arab teacher — perhaps a fine, stately-looking 
 fellow — will settle in a community, open a school, 
 and soon propose to a half-dozen families to marry 
 a girl from each. They readily accede, and all 
 become Mohammedans. Perhaps in a few years 
 the contest will be between them and Christianity; 
 and a tough contest it will be, for they are vigor- 
 ous and plucky. 
 
 We sit by open windows enjoying the music of 
 the birds and the beautiful landscape. We re- 
 member that sin changed Eden into a wilderness, 
 so that no man knows the place. This fair land 
 is in darkness, its beauty lost to those who do not 
 know the God of nature. Here, where the palm 
 grows and where the skies are so bright, we meet 
 with sin at every turn. Perhaps because “man 
 is vile” my thoughts turn to the “pure river of 
 
182 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of 
 the throne of God and of the Lamb,” on whose 
 banks grows “the tree of life,” whose leaves are 
 for “ the healing of the nations.” Some day we 
 shall stand there, and I want Ceylon and all the 
 Orient to join in “the new song.” Sometimes I 
 wonder how you and I could enjoy “the new 
 heavens and the new earth” if these Eastern peo- 
 ple are left out. But we know “ there shall be 
 no more curse.” Here, where “ every prospect 
 pleases,” we see the effect of the curse; but there 
 no such sight will meet our eyes. We “ shall see 
 His face,” and “His name shall be in our fore- 
 heads,” and “His servants shall serve Him,” and 
 “they shall reign forever and ever.” All this 
 cannot be for America and Europe only. John 
 wrote from the East — he saw the heavens opened, 
 and heard them sing from “out of every kindred 
 and tongue and people and nation.” If he thought 
 of one race more than another, it must have been 
 those who were nearest to him — so I feel that I 
 have the right to expect to sing the “new song” 
 with Japan, China, the Malay Peninsula, Ceylon, 
 India, Africa, and the islands of the sea. They 
 will be there ! We must bear a part in their com- 
 ing. They cannot hear unless they be told; me 
 must send a messenger if we cannot bear the 
 
• Voyage to India. 183 
 
 message. God forbid that your ears be heavy and 
 your hearts slow ! Hear his voice and give him 
 your best work. 
 
 Buddhism is the antagonist of Christianity in 
 Ceylon. As in Japan and China, our gospel con- 
 fronts a persistent and subtle enemy, who must be 
 vanquished by the God of nations. No less here 
 than there are needed men and women chosen of 
 the Lord, and of whom the heathen “shall take 
 knowledge that they have been with Jesus; ” such 
 men and women as shall be recognized as follow- 
 ers of One who must be “King of kings and Lord 
 of lords.” 
 
 December 25. 
 
 The beauty of the day tempted the two Mrs. 
 B.’s and myself to a drive. We had Christmas in 
 our hearts, though in the midst of paganism ; peace 
 and good-will was our portion, though the many 
 had not heard why the day is our festival of festi- 
 vals. We had not driven far when we found our- 
 selves in a strange procession : hundreds of Cey- 
 lonese carrying upon their heads immense loads of 
 bananas, pine-apples, oranges, mangoes, flowers, 
 cake; men on stilts, dancing-girls in wagons, arti- 
 sans of many kinds followed in the train. We did 
 not understand, but we enjoyed. On we went till 
 arriving at a gate-way trimmed with flowers we 
 
184 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 were invited to enter, and presenting our cards 
 were ushered into the presence of a gentleman, a 
 Ceylonese, who appeared to be prepared for some 
 great occasion. We apologized for our unexpect- 
 ed appearance, but his hospitality was more than 
 equal to the demand. He would not allow us to 
 leave without a glimpse of the annual custom of a 
 feast in his honor. He was a Christian, hence 
 chose Christmas as a time for a great jollification, 
 in which his fellow-townsmen delighted to do him 
 honor; and from appearances I judged him to 
 be a philanthropist, and these hundreds of men 
 to have received at his hands continued favors. 
 He introduced us to his wife and her friends, 
 all of whom spoke English and were exceedingly 
 agreeable. We stood upon the veranda while the 
 procession filed through the spacious grounds, ev- 
 ery man stopping to exchange greetings with our 
 host. Rose-water was sprinkled over us as they 
 passed, and rose-leaves thrown in upon the portico 
 in profusion, garlands of flowers by the dozen were 
 passed into our hands, and many servants were 
 required to receive the offerings of fruit. After 
 awhile began the entertainment by the musicians, 
 swordsmen, jugglers, dancers, tambourine-boys, 
 and others, each desiring above all else to give 
 pleasure to their host and his friends. We made 
 
Voyage to India. 185 
 
 several attempts to leave before he would consent. 
 Finally our adieus were made. 
 
 When we returned to the hotel I was greatly en- 
 tertained by a juggler and snake-charmer. For 
 the second time I witnessed the trick of the man- 
 go-tree. The juggler was scantily clad. He wore 
 but one garment, and that with sleeves to the el- 
 bows, and without pockets. There was no place 
 for accessories — no table, nor closet, nor trap-door 
 — nor any person near who could have assisted him 
 to mature his designs. A small boy, attired in the 
 same light way, was his only attendant. The two 
 were in the open space on the veranda, the specta- 
 tors at a respectable distance from his snakes. He 
 carried three small baskets, two of which held the 
 reptiles and the third his few pieces of machinery, 
 all of which he laid out upon the floor. The earth 
 for growing his mango was tied up in a handker- 
 chief in the third basket. He placed it before us, 
 put the bulb in position, watered it, and covered it 
 with a soiled, ragged cloth; then began his in- 
 cantations and mummery. After a minute or two 
 he removed the cloth, and the mango had grown 
 an inch or more. Again he covered it and went 
 through the same cabalistic passes, and again the 
 cloth was raised, and the plant was a foot tall. 
 The mystic gyrations were repeated, when lo ! the 
 
186 
 
 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 young mango had grown a yard in height. Of the 
 fifty or more persons looking on, none detected his 
 manipulations. His snakes were hooded cobras, 
 the most venomous of the serpent kind. All the 
 jugglers handle them without fear, although their 
 fangs dart to the right and left in very threatening 
 style. It was surprising how he packed so many 
 and so large snakes in the two baskets. He did 
 not seem to consider their need of space, but 
 crowded them in pell-mell, till I doubt if any 
 one of them knew his own tail from that of his 
 neighbor. j 
 
 We went to the Wesleyan Church on Sunday, 
 and saw the tablet to the memory of Dr. Coke, 
 who died so many years ago on his way to Ceylon. 
 The tablet was erected by the missionaries with 
 him, who survived to labor a short time, though 
 we noticed by the inscriptions that some soon fol- 
 lowed him. Most of the foreign workers here die 
 early — very few live to old age. We arrived at 
 the church rather early, and strolled on for a half- 
 hour. On our return we found that a crowd had 
 gathered under a tree to hear a native Christian 
 preach. He spoke with earnestness, and we found 
 by the singing that several who stood with him 
 were of like mind with himself. There is response 
 in Ceylon to the word of the Lord. 
 
Voyage to India. 
 
 187 
 
 December 26. 
 
 The temperature is somewhat lower to-day. The 
 nights have been delightful during the week, but 
 at midday the sun has been too hot for a walk to 
 be agreeable or safe. The streets are full of peo- 
 ple from three o’clock till midnight enjoying the 
 sea-breeze and the sight-seeing. The stars shine 
 out with wonderful clearness, many coming into 
 view that we do not see in our latitude. Ceylon is 
 too far above the equator for the Southern Cross 
 to be seen ; at Singapore it was visible about 
 3 a.m. You will be surprised to hear that I did 
 not rise for the sight, and indeed I already regret 
 it. Early to-day we walked along the beach for a 
 half mile to the south of Columbo, and watched 
 the ocean stretching out before us inimitably — 
 nothing between us and the South Pole — the 
 breakers beat and broke upon the sands, keeping 
 up the measured roar that never, never ceases. 
 Long as I have been on the waters, I have not yet 
 wearied of the sight and sound. The spot was 
 tempting. Your father would have liked a plunge, 
 but was restrained by the preemption rights of the 
 sharks, who admit no intruder into their domain, 
 save with the understanding of an end to the pres- 
 ent conditions. 
 
LETTER XVI. 
 
 HINDOO WOMEN— THEIR ZENANA LIFE— PRISONERS FROM 
 THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE— NOTABLE SIGHTS. 
 
 Benares, India, January 4, 1S89. 
 
 E sailed December 26 from Columbo in the 
 
 steamer “Nepaul.” Fair winds brought us 
 to Calcutta by the last day of the year. On the 
 way we had a vision which recalled that of the 
 Apocalypse. The Bay of Bengal shone under the 
 rays of a burning sun, and as far as the eye could 
 reach was without a ripple. From horizon to ho- 
 rizon the broad expanse of quiet sea reflected the 
 blazing light as one flaming surface — great belts of 
 fire flashed into the crystal waters. We saw John’s 
 vision — “the sea of glass mingled with fire.” 
 Such an outlook from Patmos must have inspired 
 his description of the heavenly glory. 
 
 Calcutta was so crowded that it was impossible 
 to find comfortable quarters. Two gentlemen of 
 our party were reduced to a dining-table for their 
 sleeping, and four of our ladies divided one bed 
 between them. I spent a morning in visiting ze- 
 nanas, by the courtesy of the wife of Rev. Bishop 
 Thoburn, of the M. E. Church. But for Mrs. 
 Thoburn’s kindness, I would not have had this 
 
 ( 188 ) 
 
HSi)) 
 
 ESP I. A NADE, CA LCUTTA 
 
Hindoo Women. 
 
 189 
 
 glimpse into the life of Hindoo women, for the rea- 
 son that we have no work in India. No man, ex- 
 cept the husband, has access to a woman’s apart- 
 ments, so that your father was not with me. 
 
 The life of Hindoo women is well known. From 
 the cradle to the grave they are prisoners, first in 
 the house of the mother, and later in the house of 
 the husband or mother-in-law. They are abso- 
 lutely without outlook and have nothing in reserve, 
 until the Sun of righteousness shines into their 
 souls; and while the blessed light may not open 
 the outside world to their earthly vision, they will 
 have the liberty (^f God’s dear children. They 
 marry at eleven, twelve, and thirteen years of age, 
 and henceforth know no law but the word of the 
 mother-in-law, the husbands troubling themselves 
 very little about the home management. Sons take 
 their wives home to their mothers, so that in a fam- 
 ily of many sons the household grows apace — a 
 half-dozen, a dozen families under one roof. Often 
 several generations dwell together in one zenana. 
 
 These wives, young and old, could hardly lead 
 harmonious lives, for no change of air or scene 
 relieves their nerves. They cannot read, so that 
 their minds are without that sort of employment. 
 They are kept in the strictest seclusion, never, 
 never being allowed to walk upon the street. They 
 
190 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 know nothing of the busy world outside, and never 
 
 see the hills or the blue skies except as they look 
 
 up from their narrow inside courts. They have no 
 
 ideas of any thing but their circumscribed limits, 
 
 save as their husbands may tell them a bit of news. 
 
 An occasional visit to the mother’s house may be 
 
 permitted if the mother-in-law happens to be good- 
 
 tempered — not otherwise ; and this must be done 
 
 in a tightly closed “palankeen” (a long, narrow 
 
 sort of ambulance without windows, carried by 
 
 servants), from which the poor little woman can 
 
 neither see nor be seen. The palankeen is taken 
 
 to the inner court, so there is no chance for a peep 
 
 * 
 
 at the city. If there is a reason for a railroad jour- 
 ney, a thick veil is worn as they step from the ve- 
 hicle to the coach — those for high-caste women hav- 
 ing windows of very dark glass, or the shutters so 
 arranged that there can be neither looking out nor 
 looking in. I tried very hard on one of the trains 
 to see inside of the compartment where there were 
 some high-caste ladies, but failed entirely. 
 
 The Hindoo woman has no sewing, for her only 
 garment is a scarf five or six yards long by one 
 wide, which she winds about her quite gracefully. 
 Day after day those of one household gossip to- 
 gether over their poor little affairs which never 
 change. They have very little joy, even in mother- 
 
;i9i) 
 
 THE CLOSED PALANKEEN. 
 
Hindoo Women. 
 
 191 
 
 hood, which with us is so sweet a tie to life. True, 
 to be a mother is the only thing to which a Hin- 
 doo wife looks forward; but she has no dainty 
 garments to stitch, bulging pleasure to her very 
 fingers — no training of infant mind and heart, the 
 growth of which interests our mothers. The mere 
 possession of sons is her one ambition. A noble 
 manhood does not enter into her calculations. 
 
 A few young wives — comparatively few — send 
 for the missionary ladies to teach them to read, 
 write, and embroider. It was a glad day when 
 an English woman of rank made the first attempt 
 to enter a zenana, and succeeded. Henceforth a 
 brighter future was within reach of these igno- 
 rant, aimless Hindoos. The desire to be taught is 
 growing, and before another century closes, by 
 the help of the Lord of hosts, there will be a rev- 
 olution in the homes of India. 
 
 I enjoyed my visit to some of these women very 
 much. One young wife had finished a pair of slip- 
 pers for her husband, and because he had been so 
 gracious as to admire them she was as happy as a 
 child with a new toy; the penmanship of another 
 was commended by the teacher, which brought a 
 happy smile to the young face; another was great- 
 ly pleased to have her baby noticed, and another 
 quite interested in a new crochet stitch. 
 
192 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 They showed me some very elegant jewelry: 
 ear-rings of all sizes and designs, among them a 
 handsome gold envelope for the ear, studded with 
 precious stones; necklaces, bracelets, and anklets; 
 rings for fingers and toes and nose; all manner of 
 silver and gold devices that a woman could desire. 
 I suppose that to have a new piece of jewelry is 
 the highest aspiration of thousands of these poor 
 creatures. 
 
 The terrible condition of the widows of India is 
 so well known that you are familiar with the story 
 of their misery. We saw what is said to be the 
 place where the last suttee was performed. En- 
 gland has held India through a sea of blood. It 
 was perhaps God’s way to bring her to the truth. 
 The English Government abolished this rite; but 
 the pitiful situation of thousands of child-widows 
 has led many of them to prefer death upon the 
 funeral-pyre of their husbands. Married in child- 
 hood without consent of their own, they are often 
 widows before arriving at mature years ; and 
 henceforth life is one long bitterness. There are 
 said to be over five million widowed children in 
 India, their condition being abject slavery in the 
 families where they are left. No comforts are 
 allowed them, no tenderness is exhibited toward 
 them, nor is association with other inmates of 
 
Notable Sights in India. 103 
 
 the house permitted. They become menials, or 
 rather outcasts, within four walls. Their wretch- 
 edness is equaled only in the regions where hope 
 is an eternal stranger. England has done much 
 to ameliorate some of these evils, but the gospel 
 only is the power which is to overcome the super- 
 stitions, ignorance, and cruelties of India. 
 
 Calcutta covers an immense area of ground, 
 and has a great number of fine residences and 
 Government buildings. It is more expensively 
 built than any of the Eastern cities that I have seen, 
 unless it be Hong-kong, and perhaps that is not 
 an exception. The Botanical Gardens, a little 
 way out of the city, are said to be the finest in the 
 world. Perhaps so; but to the botanist, not to 
 the unlearned like myself. The great banyan-tree 
 is wonderful. It covers a space of more than 
 eight hundred and fifty feet in circumference, has 
 three hundred and thirty-two aerial roots, and the 
 main trunk is forty-two feet around. It is said to be 
 next to the largest in the world — the largest being 
 that at Bombay, under which seven thousand of Sir 
 Arthur Wellington’s troops were once camped. 
 
 We visited the Zoological Gardens, where is 
 the finest collection of animals I have seen : not- 
 ably, the two largest tigers — splendid brutes, one 
 of them a “man-eater” — a black leopard, lions, 
 13 
 
194 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 large ostriches with long plumes, besides numbers 
 of monkeys and gorillas, and birds of beautiful 
 plumage. 
 
 We also went to one of the burning-ghats, or the 
 place where the dead are burned. China is one 
 universal cemetery. The living millions tread upon 
 the grave-mounds of the dead millions every day. 
 It is not so in India. Except those of the Moham- 
 medans and English, there are no graves: the dead 
 are burned. There were two burning bodies at the 
 time of our visit. It was not a pleasant sight; 
 and to me, the Parsee mode is equally painful. 
 They build great towers, open at the top; the 
 remains of the dead are placed within, and in a 
 few minutes the vultures dispose of all that was 
 mortal. 
 
 After all, what matters it, if at the resurrection 
 we rise to meet our Lord in the air? These 
 things are naught compared with the iniquitous 
 exhibitions to be seen in Calcutta and other parts 
 of India. How long, O Lord, how long? 
 
 We left Calcutta at night, taking the train for 
 Benares. We would have liked to stop over at Se- 
 rampore, where Carey did his work, to see the very 
 streets he traversed almost a hundred years ago. 
 He was a cobbler, a devout Baptist, and an En- 
 glishman. His heart was stirred while studying a 
 

 
 
 
(195) 
 
 BATHING GHAT IN INDIA. 
 
Notable Sights in India. 195 
 
 map of the world, the outcome of which was an 
 appeal to a body of clergyman of his own denomi- 
 nation on the duty of spreading the gospel among 
 the heathen. Afterward he was sent to India. 
 About the same time, a poor boy stopped for rest 
 in Westminster Abbey, feeling very forlorn over 
 his poverty. He had read a little, and besides had 
 a desire to study. The monuments to the great 
 men of England, in the Abbey, inspired him with 
 courage, and never after did he forget what he 
 read that day of the good and great. Marshman 
 kept his goal before him, and when a man he 
 joined Carey in India, where together they worked 
 and saw the fruit of their labors. He translated 
 the Bible into many languages, while Carey toiled 
 in other ways, having but one aim — viz., to set 
 Christ before India. We had not time for Seram- 
 pore. 
 
 We reached Benares in about twenty hours. It 
 is the sacred city, the Mecca of the Hindoo, the 
 holy place. By sunrise the next morning we were 
 on the Ganges River, to see the thousands who 
 daily bathe at sunrise as an act of worship of the 
 dirty waters. They believe that washing in this 
 river cleanses them of sin — this act is an atone- 
 ment, and each bath is a promise of years in para- 
 dise. To die at Benares insures entrance into 
 
196 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 eternal bliss, for it is the holiest spot in the uni- 
 verse, next to heaven. I have been told that at 
 Allahabad (which is near this city), at a certain 
 season, thousands of the pilgrims have their heads 
 shaved in the Ganges, because for every hair that 
 floats away in the sacred river a million years in 
 paradise are given. We drifted up and down past 
 the bathers for an hour and a half. It was a piti- 
 ful sight. Sometimes it is quite cold, but notwith- 
 standing they shiver, out into the stream they go, 
 and kneel with clasped hands and bowed heads, 
 muttering their prayers ; and so beginning the day 
 cleansed from the stains of yesterday, and sure of 
 an entrance into everlasting joy should death come 
 before the next sunrise-bath. 
 
 This visit to the river gave us a view of the fin- 
 est buildings in the city, which in their better days 
 must have made a very brilliant and imposing ap- 
 pearance. At present they do not answer to the 
 glowing descriptions of the past, being largely gone 
 into decay. The Mosque of Auringzebe retains 
 its unbroken proportions and architectural splen- 
 dor. 
 
 After breakfast we went to see the temples, 
 which are too many for minute detail. The carv- 
 ings of some of them are loathsome — more foul 
 than I had any idea of; and, what is worse, these 
 

CITY OF ALL All A li AD, INDIA. 
 
197 
 
 Notable Sights in India. 
 
 are exponents of the life of the people and their 
 worship. The defilements of idolatry cannot be 
 condoned by the rose-water sentimental attempts 
 of some polite writers. The Christian world must 
 hasten its re-enforcements to the heathen, if these 
 degrading systems are to be banished from the 
 face of the earth. 
 
 The Monkey Temple is a fine building, whose 
 main purpose seems to be to furnish with its walls, 
 turrets, towers, and domes a home for countless 
 monkeys. They are sacred, and throng the place, 
 keeping up an incessant chattering. They take 
 the worship offered them, and whatever they can 
 lay hold upon with composure and disregard of the 
 ten commandments. The Cow Temple was a dis- 
 gusting stable. A thorough renovation would I 
 suppose discompose the animals, consequently no 
 attempt is made at general house-cleaning. The 
 pollutions and degradations of idolatry are un- 
 speakable — no less unendurable is the soil that 
 soap and water could ameliorate. 
 
 Benares is noted for its exquisite brass-work — 
 in no other place is the repousse work so elegant. 
 Your father purchased a small vase, that you may 
 have an idea of the beauty of this ware. The 
 two days spent in this place have given us some 
 understanding of its sanctity, its superstitions, 
 
198 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 and its architecture. We will leave to-night for 
 Lucknow. 
 
 Bombay, January 17. 
 
 We have crossed India. The railway travel is 
 fatiguing. Travelers carry their own bedding, 
 the coaches furnishing only the place for spread- 
 ing rugs and pillows ; and if the train be crowded, 
 there is no space for lying down, especially as the 
 luggage is mostly in the compartment with the 
 traveler. Even at the hotels we were expected to 
 use our own bedding, the mattress and sheets only 
 being furnished. 
 
 A servant is indispensable in a journey through 
 India. He must speak English, of course. We 
 employed a man at Calcutta to go with us until we 
 shall sail, at a rupee (thirty-five cents) a day, be- 
 sides furnishing him a blanket and a third-class 
 railroad ticket. He boards himself. He per- 
 forms the duties of a porter on the train, hires 
 our cabs, waits on us at the table (we would not 
 be half-fed without him), sees to the minute details 
 of our rooms (a bath would be impossible without 
 Abdul; I doubt if we could get a pitcher of water, 
 for there are no bells). He sleeps on the floor 
 outside our door, and to the best of his ability 
 looks out for our interests. To be sure he is slow, 
 and we are often in haste, our time being short — 
 

 
 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 
( 199 ) 
 
Notable Sights in India. 199 
 
 but I do not know how we could have managed at 
 the hotels without him : perhaps in the railroad 
 travels we might have dispensed with a servant. 
 He has seen to our wants in the kitchen and linen- 
 room, watched lest we should be despoiled, fought 
 our small battles with the low-caste (he is high- 
 caste) “hewers of wood” on the trains — always 
 calls me “mistress” and your father “master,” 
 but never gives advice of any sort. He has served 
 us well. 
 
 The chief interest of Lucknow and Cawnpore 
 is in connection with the mutiny of 1857-8. It is 
 a frightful story. I am sickened as I recall the 
 sufferings of women and children — pent up in the 
 under-ground chambers, almost without air, and 
 with scanty supply of food, during the terrible 
 days of a summer in India — and of the heroism of 
 the men who defended them against all odds, till 
 Havelock came to their rescue. The walls of the 
 Residency at Lucknow, and other buildings, still 
 stand, marked by the shot and shell, in the midst 
 of grounds kept with the care and beauty of an 
 English garden. The memorials are there in the 
 shape of monuments and tombs to the brave men 
 who fought and died, or were massacred. At 
 Cawnpore every thing is a reminder in some form 
 of the horrible siege of those days and the months 
 
200 Letters frail the Orient. 
 
 of darkness and terror. A memorial church, filled 
 with tablets to the dead; the angel in marble, over 
 the well into which Nana threw the bodies — many 
 of them still living — of the treacherously massacred 
 women and children; the monument to General 
 Wheeler, the ill-starred commandant who, trust- 
 ing in Nana’s word, surrendered his men only to 
 see them murdered; the stone plates marking the 
 line of intrenchments ; the wells from which the 
 besieged procured water at the risk of their lives; 
 the old barracks and the ground where a terrible 
 vengeance was executed upon the Sepoys — are all 
 pointed out to the visitor. 
 
 Our next journey was to Agra, one of the capi- 
 tals of the old Mogul Empire in the days of its 
 power and pride. Within the fort the remains of 
 two palaces are standing — one of them almost en- 
 tire with its courts and colonnades, its audience- 
 chambers, its zenanas with delicately carved and 
 inlaid marble halls, balconies, baths, and sleeping- 
 apartments. It is not difficult to imagine the luxu- 
 rious furnishing of rug and tapestry and curtains 
 of silk, cashmere, and fine linen, and reproduce 
 the life led by those masters of empire. The 
 Pearl Mosque is also within the fort. It is an ex- 
 quisitely beautiful building. Its pavements, pillars, 
 vaulted ceilings, and domes are of white marble. 
 

TIIE TAJ MAHAL, AT AGRA. 
 
201 
 
 Notable Sights in India. 
 
 But the crowning beauty of Agra, the purest piece 
 of architecture in the world, is the Taj Mahal, a 
 mausoleum erected by the Shah Jehan to his beau- 
 tiful queen. The platform on which it is built is 
 marble mosaic, while the Taj is ornamented by 
 mosaics in jewels, the doors and screens being 
 wonderful marble lace-work. It cost fifteen mill- 
 ions, and required twenty thousand men nearly 
 twenty years to build it. It is the noblest, tender- 
 est monument ever erected to a woman’s virtues. 
 
 The palace of Akbar, in his day, three hundred 
 years ago, was inlaid with costly gems ; and Jehan’s 
 throne, two hundred and fifty years ago, had a 
 background of sapphires and emeralds, to repre- 
 sent a peacock, which cost thirty millions. These 
 were stolen or otherwise disposed of more than a 
 century since. 
 
 I will not attempt further description. Tombs 
 here mean massive buildings. It is wonderful 
 what effect white marble can produce. The shafts 
 and sculptured figures of our cemeteries seem cold 
 to this pure stone, which rises into domes, mina- 
 rets, and palaces to the dead. But do not under- 
 stand me as recommending this tremendous out- 
 lay of money. I prefer that monuments shall be 
 institutions for the living. 
 
 I have explored Delhi to a small extent — the 
 
202 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 fort, containing some handsome remains of a pal- 
 ace of Akbar, the greatest of the Mogul emperors; 
 another Pearl Mosque as beautiful as that at Agra ; 
 a large number of English buildings; some fine 
 old temples; and the bazaars, where are found the 
 industries of Northern India at their best. The 
 shawls, gold and silver embroideries, gauzes, silks, 
 rugs, and tapestries are exquisite. Every woman 
 enjoys looking at these goods. We find the mer- 
 chants much more willing to display their wares 
 than the Chinese — perhaps because Abdul knows 
 howto manipulate them. We are not making pur- 
 chases, though Mrs. B. buys considerably. 
 
 Delhi was also the scene of bloodshed in the 
 Sepoy rebellion. Monuments and sign-boards lo- 
 cate the heroic deeds and the losses of the hand- 
 ful of the besieged. 
 
 At Jeypore there was much to see. It is one of 
 the cities still under native rule, though tributary 
 to the British Government. We did not see the 
 rajah’s palace on account of the exactions of “red 
 tape ; ” but we visited his stables and saw his three 
 hundred fine horses and his fighting-elephants, 
 which are immense in size. 
 
 We made application to visit the Amber Palace, 
 which is beautifully located on one of the hills five 
 miles from the city. The last two miles of the 
 
( 203 ) 
 
 A ROYAL PROCESSION IN INDIA 
 
203 
 
 Notable Sights in India. 
 
 way were made on the elephant which the rajah 
 always sends with the card of admission. It was 
 a tremendous beast, larger than any I ever saw, 
 and had a heavy, rolling, jerky gait. He knelt 
 to receive us, and again when we dismounted. 
 As he rose or knelt I almost thought an earth- 
 quake was shaking Jeypore — it was an astonishing 
 upheaval and down-sitting. 
 
 The effect of tiny mirrors in one of the halls 
 of the palace was peculiar and very pretty. We 
 also went into the hall of sacrifice, where once a 
 year the rajah offers a goat to Karli. In Calcut- 
 ta we were in a temple at the hour of sacrifice, 
 when the narrow entrance was thronged by the 
 worshipers coming and going, leading their goats 
 and bullocks to the priest. We watched the service 
 for some time. So I have been twice face to face 
 with this ineradicable notion of sacrifice — a notion 
 finding its beginning in the faith of the world’s first 
 martyr, Abel, in his effort to draw nigh to God, 
 and never since lost where men have sought him. 
 I want to tell the world that not “by the blood of 
 goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered 
 into the holy place, having obtained eternal re- 
 demption for us.” 
 
 Bombay is the city of India for architecture and 
 gardening. The Great Indian Peninsula Railway 
 
204 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 has here the finest railway station in the world. It 
 is the most notable building in the city, and the 
 first seen as you enter the bay. It cost thirty-seven 
 lacs of rupees — that is, one million four hundred 
 and forty-two thousand five hundred dollars. 
 
 We drove to the Towers of Silence, the place 
 where the Parsees dispose of their dead. They 
 are on an eminence from which Bombay looks 
 very beautiful, as though built in a grove of palms. 
 The Parsees are Persians and of Persian descent, 
 and are worshipers of the sun. In their temples 
 burns perpetually the sacred fire of Zoroaster. 
 There are fifty thousand of them in Bombay, 
 though they are scattered in other parts of India. 
 They are men of wealth, and we know them by 
 their peculiar scoop-like hats. Their women are 
 pretty, and dress in silks of the most delicate 
 shades, with silk hose and shoes to match. 
 
 I wish I could tell you all that we have seen, but 
 it is impossible to keep it in mind. I have been 
 amused at the long strings of camels — twenty-five 
 and thirty in a line — each one tied by the tail to a 
 rope caught in the nose of the one behind, regard- 
 less of comfort. Query: Suppose the first should 
 start in a run, when the others would not — what 
 would happen? 
 
 The jugglers are everywhere. I have seen the 
 
( 205 ; 
 
 
 A HINDOO CART. 
 
Notable Sights in India. 205 
 
 mango trick several times. A curious trick was 
 performed by a man wearing only a skirt, so that 
 it was impossible to understand how he deceived 
 us. He appeared to pass an egg into his eye. 
 What he did with it I cannot conceive, for there 
 was no place for it visible. After some incanta- 
 tions he ran to a gentleman next to your father, 
 and seemed to take the egg from the leg of his 
 trousers. I saw a fight between a cobra and a 
 mongoose, a small animal the size of a rat. The 
 man set the mongoose upon the snake, who soon 
 demolished the little creature. I was sure the cobra 
 was dead, for he lay there without any appearance 
 of life. The charmer opened his mouth, forcing 
 in scraps of some root, which proved a panacea. 
 In a half-hour the reptile showed signs of resto- 
 ration. The mongoose bites through the back, 
 bringing the blood, and I heard that recovery is 
 rare. The same man had a snake-bite on his arm 
 while he was exhibiting to us — I saw* the mark of 
 the teeth and the blood. He took bits of the root 
 before mentioned, several times, and did not seem 
 to fear any danger. 
 
 The poverty of India is equal to the poverty of 
 China, with the exception that the climate being 
 tropical, save in the north, there is no need of 
 warm clothing, and for food there is fruit to be had 
 
206 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 for running up the long trunks of the palms. Five 
 or six cents a day is the average support of the 
 poor people. The men are tall and handsome, 
 but must be hungry half their days. How little 
 happiness there is among the hundreds of millions 
 of the people here and in China ! Shall we not 
 hasten to tell them of the priceless treasure which 
 will more than compensate for the privations and 
 sufferings of earth? 
 
 The Salvation Army is in India in large num- 
 bers, and seems to have gotten a strong hold on 
 many. I have seen them on the streets, and I 
 hear they are pressing into the interior. God give 
 grace and wisdom to all Christian workers ! 
 
 The caste prejudice enters into every condition 
 of life in India. Foreigners are compelled to keep 
 many sen-ants, because none will do the work of 
 the lower caste. I asked Abdul one day to move 
 a certain piece of furniture to another part of the 
 room. He had been so polite that I was surprised 
 at his noncompliance, till after awhile he said that 
 he would lose his caste if he touched it; but he 
 could have it done. The cook will buy the mar- 
 keting, but will not carry it home; the man who 
 washes the dishes will not black the boots ; and 
 so it is all down the line of house-work: none of 
 them will touch food prepared by a low-caste cook. 
 
207 
 
 Notable Sights in India. 
 
 In traveling, a rajah will do without food dur- 
 ing his entire journey unless a man of his caste 
 can be found to prepare his meals; and I have 
 been told that even in the jails the cooks are Brah- 
 mans — otherwise the prisoners would starve. On 
 the streets the passers-by are very particular lest 
 their clothes should brush against us. I have seen 
 many hold their gowns very close lest they touch 
 us of the unclean nations. 
 
LETTER XVII. 
 
 IN THE LAND OF THE PHARAOHS— CAIRO AND ITS THOUSAND 
 ATTRACTIONS. 
 
 January iS, 18S9. 
 
 E sailed in the steamer “Siam” from Bom- 
 
 bay, for the Red Sea, where at Suez we 
 
 will take the cars for Cairo. For a day or two 
 the sea was very rough, almost every one being 
 compelled to retire. We were unable to maintain 
 a perpendicular, the chairs pitched from side to 
 side, and the ship shook convulsively. I did not 
 lose my place on deck, nor was I absent from the 
 table, where I sat next to the captain, an agreeable 
 bachelor of fifty. At Aden we changed steamers 
 and sailed on through the Red Sea to Suez, at 
 the southern extremity of the Suez Canal. 
 
 On our arrival at Suez we were informed that 
 passengers from Bombay would not be permitted 
 to land, on account of a cholera scare, there be- 
 ing more or less of that plague in India all the 
 year round. Accordingly ten of us were ordered 
 into a skiff, just large enough for us, our baggage, 
 the officer in charge of us, and the two men to 
 manage the boat. We were paddled back for 
 nearly three hours, and landed at the Quarantine 
 
 ( 208 ) 
 
(209) 
 
 AN EGYPTIAN SPHINX. 
 
Land of the Pharaohs. 209 
 
 Station on the Arabian coast, which is a desert 
 shore. For many miles beyond vision, and far be- 
 yond the horizon, there was nothing to be seen but 
 the vast desert, save one small oasis two miles dis- 
 tant. Our bungalow where we spent the next 
 twenty-four hours was on the beach, so that but a 
 few minutes elapsed after landing ere we were set 
 to housekeeping in this dreary region, where sel- 
 dom any but Bedouins are seen. 
 
 The steward of our good steamer “Nepaul,” 
 knowing the barren conditions of quarantine, had 
 furnished us with luncheon for three meals; other- 
 wise we would have fasted, for there was not a mor- 
 sel of food to be had, nor fuel of any sort. There 
 w'ere cots (new), which we made comfortable for 
 the night with our own blankets, rugs, and pillows. 
 I am sure a more cheerful party never visited that 
 shore, notwithstanding we were where we did not 
 want to be, and in circumstances most unpropitious 
 — having two sick gentlemen to look after. 
 
 Meal-time came, and our wits were taxed to know 
 how to serve the viands without cutlery or china. 
 We improvised plates of paper, and used a dirk 
 for a carver, scissors and pocket-knives for per- 
 sonal use. There w r as not a fork among us. Cups 
 were not needed; there was no fire, consequently 
 no coffee nor tea. Our first meal was very nice, 
 14 
 
210 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 the second fair, but by the time of the third we 
 had only stale scraps which were not appetizing. 
 
 In the afternoon some of us walked through the 
 sand to the oasis, two miles distant. The name is 
 “ Moses’s Wells,” and it is said to be the place 
 where Moses sung, “ I will sing unto the Lord, for 
 he hath triumphed gloriously; ” and where Miriam 
 answered with a hymn of praise, “Sing ye to the 
 Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse 
 and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.” 
 
 We counted five large wells. The water is brack- 
 ish, but the date-palms, grass, and a few plants 
 were very green. Camels, with their long strides, 
 and the Bedouins passed to and fro, and around 
 two or three huts we saw children at pla}u A very 
 old man brought us hot coffee and a few dates, for 
 which we were glad to give him a trifling douceur. 
 
 How could we forget the stirring events which 
 took place four thousand years ago on these sands 
 and in the waters of this sea? Moses, with six 
 hundred thousand men, besides women and chil- 
 dren, stood in this wilderness, and the Lord him- 
 self “went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, 
 to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of 
 fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.” 
 Marvelous leading! Amazing providence! Of 
 course we cannot say that the hosts of Israel drank 
 

■- 
 
 '211J 
 
 THE CITY OF CAIKO. 
 
Land of the Pharaohs. 211 
 
 from these wells — it is probable — but it is almost 
 certain that the outskirts of the camp reached to 
 this region : the two millions passed near by, as 
 they went on to their forty years of discipline, ere 
 they entered the promised land. 
 
 Our slow canoe took us to Suez the next day in 
 time to see our train steam away beyond our reach. 
 Another twenty-four hours, and we were on our 
 way to Cairo. The road runs for a large part of 
 the way through the desert, crossing the line of the 
 exodus, and then comes into the land of Goshen, 
 which is to-day noticeable, as in Jacob’s time, for 
 its fertility and fitness for cattle. We saw them in 
 numbers grazing, and remarked the striking con- 
 trast between this and the desert land we had just 
 crossed. We passed Tel-el Kebir, the scene of the 
 battle between the English and Arabi Pasha, which 
 resulted in the dethronement of Arabi and his exile 
 to Ceylon, where he now lives luxuriously at the 
 expense of Great Britain. Ilis wife refused to go 
 with him, and lives here in opulence, while he 
 keeps his harem at Columbo. 
 
 About fifteen miles from Cairo your father 
 pointed out the Pyramids. Though they were ten 
 miles off, the two large ones stood out very dis- 
 tinct in the clear afternoon light. Soon the mina- 
 rets of the mosque of Mehemet Ali came in sight, 
 
212 
 
 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 and then the domes of countless other mosques, 
 and in a few minutes we were in Cairo and at 
 Shepherd’s Hotel. 
 
 The next day we went to the Boulak Museum, a 
 wonderful collection of Egyptian antiquities. I 
 was surprised at the vigor and life-likeness of 
 much of the ancient sculpture. The stiffness of 
 the pictures does not fairly represent it. But the 
 most impressive things to me were the wonderfully 
 preserved mummies of Sethi I., the Pharaoh whose 
 daughter rescued and adopted Moses, and Rame- 
 ses II., the king from whom Moses fled when he had 
 killed the Egyptian. Their faces are almost life- 
 like, the hair in good condition, and teeth as white 
 as those of living men. They lie side by side, and 
 it is really possible to tell what manner of men 
 they were. A princess of their day, with her week- 
 old infant by her side, is also well preserved. Some 
 of the cloths in which she was wrapped have kept 
 their tints, and her jewelry is so beautiful that one 
 might desire a specimen or two. The history of 
 their times as given in the Bible is verified by the 
 monuments and scrolls whose hieroglyphics mod- 
 ern students are able to read. The mummy of the 
 Pharaoh of the exodus has not been found — per- 
 haps because he was overthrown with his hosts in 
 the midst of the Red Sea. 
 
(2131 
 
 RUINS ON THE NILE. 
 
Land of the Pharaohs. 213 
 
 What a wonderful history was wrought out in 
 Egypt ! It was a great country when Abraham so- 
 journed there and was admitted to converse with 
 the king; and when Joseph, a boy, was sold to 
 Potiphar, and was prospered by the Lord, who re- 
 mained his friend through many vicissitudes, until 
 he was Pharaoh's prime-minister, and son-in-law 
 to the priest of On. It was in Egypt, when fam- 
 ine was sore in Canaan, that Pharaoh gave Joseph, 
 for his father and brethren, “the best of the land” 
 for their habitation ; and here the old man, with his 
 sons, and son’s sons, and their wives, and all their 
 cattle and goods, settled and grew and multiplied. 
 Here they became a great people; and after awhile 
 “ there arose a new king,” who set over them task- 
 masters to “afflict them with burdens,” and “made 
 their lives bitter with hard bondage.” “Good 
 when he gives, supremely good,” was Joseph’s 
 refrain, I suppose, when the Lord was with him; 
 and to-day, as we look back four thousand years 
 and see God’s meaning in the training of his peo- 
 ple, shall we not sing, “ Nor less when he denies?” 
 
 You know the story of Moses — how he stood 
 before the king demanding the release of the peo- 
 ple of God, and how Pharaoh promised and broke 
 his word, promised and broke his word, many 
 times, till at last the angel of the Lord slew the 
 
214 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 first-born in every Egyptian household. Not till 
 then was Israel allowed to go. How wonderful 
 when that vast host crossed the Red Sea on dry 
 ground, the waters being “a wall unto them on 
 their right-hand and on their left! ” The children 
 of Abraham escaped from oppression and the deep 
 waters, while those who defied God were never 
 again allowed to mock at his command or chal- 
 lenge his wrath. 
 
 Nearly five hundred years after the exodus, 
 King Solomon married an Egyptian wife ; and into 
 Egypt Jeroboam fled from the wrath of Solomon. 
 Many other times there was communication be- 
 tween Egypt and the people of God till, centuries 
 after, the infant Jesus — the Son of God and of 
 man — was brought here by Joseph and Mary, to 
 escape the cruelty of Herod, and remained until 
 the death of the king. 
 
 We went to the Coptic Church in Cairo, which 
 was built nine hundred years ago upon the spot 
 where it is said Mary and the Babe found rest. I 
 am not a worshiper of times and places, but I 
 confess to pleasure at thought of the possibility 
 that I stood where the blessed Child slept after the 
 wear}'- flight. 
 
 Of course the Pyramids are the chief interest to 
 all travelers in Egypt. They date far back to the 
 
( 215 ) 
 
 THE PYRAMIDS AT GHEEZEH. 
 
Land of the Pharaohs. 215 
 
 days of the Pharaohs who built them and were 
 buried within their vaults. They stood there on 
 the edge of the Libyan Desert in the days of 
 Moses, and perhaps of Abraham. They are con- 
 sidered the oldest works of the hand of man yet 
 discovered, though it is possible that some of the 
 cuneiform inscriptions are older. I have heard that 
 Adam's contemporary is in the British Museum. 
 Certainly no great work of industry preceded the 
 Pyramids. They are tremendous — beyond any 
 thing I ever saw except the oceans and the mount- 
 ains, and God made them. The ascent of the 
 Great Cheops looked easy enough. I did not at- 
 tempt either that or the visit to the interior cham- 
 bers where the bodies of the dead Pharaohs were 
 placed, though the latter are easy of access: twenty 
 years ago I would not have hesitated. 
 
 Cairo has a thousand attractions, not the least 
 of which is the variety of real life to be seen on 
 its streets. It is a cosmopolitan city. There are 
 more nationalities represented than in any city I 
 have yet seen. I saw signs over stores and cafes 
 that your father says are Hebrew, Greek, German, 
 Italian, Spanish, English, Syriac, Arabic, Coptic, 
 and Turkish. The various races live in separate 
 quarters bearing their names, but mingle freely in 
 the business parts of the town. In the old city 
 
216 
 
 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 you may be reminded of the “Arabian Nights” — 
 the open shops — the cross-legged owners waiting 
 with Eastern imperturbability for customers, or chaf- 
 fering over a trade and calling upon the voluble 
 crowd, always gathered, to help in the transaction : 
 the noise, the confusion, the donkeys, camels — all 
 are there. It would not be difficult to imagine, 
 after standing for awhile in one of the thorough- 
 fares about the bazaars, that the Sultan Haroun 
 and his vizier, Giaour, were passing by. 
 
 The European part of the city is well built. The 
 garden, Esbikiyeh, of twenty -two acres, with lakes, 
 grottoes, walks, trees, shrubs, flowers — all pecul- 
 iar to the climate — and a music-stand from which 
 a large band of natives discourse European music 
 every afternoon, are interesting. 
 
 As you know, we have not time for the trip your 
 father took two years ago, up the Nile; so I must 
 be satisfied to know by hearsay about the ruins 
 and the tombs and other historical sights. 
 
 I took my last drive in Cairo to-day. It was a 
 delightful afternoon, and hundreds of persons were 
 upon the streets. We passed the Khedive, a fine- 
 looking man ; he raised his hat to us, as to every 
 one he met, whether native or foreign. Our driver 
 had informed us of his coming, while we were yet 
 some distance off. We were also told that the 
 
( 217 ) 
 
217 
 
 Land of the Pharaohs. 
 
 carriage which followed his was occupied by his 
 children and attended by the regularly appointed 
 servants of the royal household. During the drive 
 we passed a dozen carriages, full of the wives from 
 the various harems of the city. Their veils are a 
 poetical pleasantry — that is, instead of hiding their 
 faces, the bright, pretty women whom we saw to- 
 day wore veils of tulle which enhanced, rather 
 than concealed, their beauty. 
 
 I suppose the freedom of a drive has been al- 
 lowed only in late years. Time was when the 
 women of the harems of all the Turkish dominions 
 were kept in the same seclusion that is still prac- 
 ticed in the zenanas of India. 
 
 One of the strangest sights in Cairo is the relig- 
 ious service of the dervishes, a Moslem sect. Fri- 
 day is their chief day of worship, corresponding 
 to our Sunday. The ceremony of the dancing 
 dervishes begins with the beating of the drums 
 and tambourines and blowing of the trumpet, to- 
 gether with a chant which is an invocation to Al- 
 lah. This medley of music continues through the 
 entire service, even while the sheik prays, and 
 during the whirling of the assembled twenty or 
 thirty dervishes. Each dervish rises upon one 
 foot and spins round and round till the specta- 
 tors grow dizzy, his hands, long hair, and skirt 
 
218 Lett ci's from the Orient. 
 
 extended to the utmost. Finally the revolutions 
 seemed to exhaust them, and a few minutes’ inter- 
 mission appeared necessary, which they employ in 
 calling upon Allah: a repetition of the whirling 
 a second and third time concludes the service. 
 Visitors are expected to give a few “backsheesh” 
 on retiring. 
 
 The howling dervishes present a still more 
 painful sight. They commence with a prayer led 
 by the sheik, followed by the musical instruments 
 and the howling of the fraternity, who gradually 
 rise to their feet, and throw themselves back and 
 forth, to the right and left, with great force and 
 rapidity, their long hair touching the floor behind 
 and before. Finally their contortions and screams 
 exhaust them, and for a minute they cease in order 
 to breathe and rest; but again they roar and throw 
 themselves about with such violent frenzy that I 
 could have thought them maniacs had I not known 
 that the howls were, “O Allah! O Allah! O Al- 
 lah ! ” Two of the men fainted from exhaustion. 
 
 The poverty of the East! Here, as in China 
 and India, the poverty of the millions is pitiful. I 
 forget the amount of taxes Egypt pays Turkey — at 
 least three or four millions; no wonder that she is 
 impoverished. Where the population is so densely 
 crowded as in all the East, I suppose that only 
 

( 219 ) 
 
 MOUTH OF THE SUEZ CAN AT. 
 
Land of the Pharaohs. 219 
 
 the few can be comfortably circumstanced. How 
 terrible the thought that millions upon millions of 
 these poor creatures have neither the life that is 
 nor that which is to come ! Lost to all enjoyment of 
 this world by reason of grinding poverty, and lost in 
 the eternity beyond because we take our ease, rath- 
 er than bestir ourselves to send them the -word of 
 eternal life! I have sat on the hotel veranda in the 
 sunshine, watching the people. This is a fine part 
 of the city, and I suppose the Mussulmans that 
 pass this way are “well to do.” Many of them 
 speak English, and I catch their words of saluta- 
 tion: they invariably say “Allah is good ” in pass- 
 ing, instead of our “Good-morning.” If they 
 have learned that the Divine Being is good, why 
 do they not know by the teaching that “the Lord 
 he is the God?” I wonder at the patience of God. 
 He waits for us; we are so slow, and yet he waits. 
 If his patience were like his anger — “but for a 
 moment” — how could we stand before him? Will 
 he keep his patience forever? Let us not trifle 
 with his goodness. 
 
 February 6. 
 
 We are in Ismailia, and about to take the steam- 
 er through the Suez Canal to Port Said. When 
 M. de Lesseps began to talk about this canal, all 
 the world laughed. When he set to work, only 
 
220 Letters f rom the Orient . 
 
 France believed that it could be done. He fin- 
 ished it twenty years ago, at a cost of about a 
 hundred million dollars. I suppose from what I 
 have read that England saves her hundreds of thou- 
 sands by this canal-route to India and Hong-kong. 
 
 February 8. 
 
 We are on the beautiful Mediterranean. The 
 waters beneath us and the skies above are blue, so 
 that I can scarcely tell where one ends and the 
 other begins at the far-off horizon. 
 
 We steamed very slowly through the Suez Ca- 
 nal — it is not possible to go fast — and were de- 
 layed twelve hours or more at Port Said, which 
 gave Mrs. B. and myself time for the shops. We 
 saw some pretty wares, but of course not as many 
 as in the bazaars at Cairo, where the silks, cash- 
 meres, silver, and gold are so tempting. But none 
 of them are as beautiful as the blue Mediterranean. 
 
LETTER XVIII. 
 
 A SHORT STAY IN ROME— THE ANCIENT RUINS AND MODERN 
 GRANDEUR OF THE ETERNAL CITY. 
 
 February io, 1889. 
 
 W E are in Rome, “the cradle and grave of 
 empires,” “from the very stones of which 
 one may grow wise.” 
 
 Rome is a study not to be completed in a few 
 days. Her treasures cannot be counted in one 
 winter, nor her history learned from one writer. 
 Yet in one week her attractions so impressed me 
 that I am sure another visit would be more profit- 
 able and more delightful. I will always remember 
 my short stay in Rome as one of the greatest events 
 of my life ; the more so that it was a dream I 
 hardly expected to realize till the goal was almost 
 reached. 
 
 Rome was founded 750 B.C. The Republic 
 was established 500 B.C. The Empire arose from, 
 the ruins of the Republic about 50 B.C. Long 
 before, she was mistress of the world ; and for cent- 
 uries afterward she retained her greatness. 
 
 The accumulations of decay and dust buried the 
 old city ages ago. Excavations were begun more 
 than two hundred years ago, and are yet in prog- 
 
 ( 221 ) 
 
222 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 ress ; perhaps centuries hence there will still be 
 portions of old Rome to be unearthed. As we 
 stood in the ruins of the Palace of the Caesars, 
 they were still exploring under-ground for the treas- 
 ures of the olden time. The mosaic floors, the 
 frescoed walls, the rooms and halls of the palaces 
 are in sufficient preservation for one to understand 
 what manner of buildings the Caesars occupied. I 
 believe it is claimed that one of the unearthed ba-. 
 silicas is the hall where Paul stood before Nero. 
 
 I cannot describe Saint Peter’s. It is the most 
 magnificent cathedral of the world, representing 
 many millions of money, much of which cost the 
 blood of the faithful. It is colossal, being six 
 hundred and thirteen and one-half feet long, the 
 dome measuring four hundred and forty-eight feet 
 in height. Its statues, ornaments, and paintings are 
 of huge proportions and great elegance. It is an 
 assemblage of sanctuaries, cenotaphs, tombs, paint- 
 ings, shrines, and sculpture — all to be seen with 
 one sweep of the eye. We rambled from sepul- 
 cher to monument, from mosaics to chapels, from 
 frescoes to inscriptions to popes and cardinals, till 
 we grew weary. Then resting awhile with a con- 
 gregation of worshipers, I tried to understand the 
 mass that was celebrated before my eyes but not 
 within reach of my hearing. 
 
(223) 
 
 EXTERIOR OF ST. PETER S* ROME. 
 
Rome and Her Art Wealth. 223 
 
 The great mosaics of the dome can be clearly 
 seen from the pavement below. The four evan- 
 gelists are in reality giants, but from the floor do 
 not appear so immense as they are. The text, in 
 Latin on gold ground, “Thou art Peter, and upon 
 this rock I will build my Church, and to thee will 
 I give the keys of the kingdom of heaven,” is 
 easily read, each letter being six feet long. 
 
 Some of the best work of Michael Angelo, Do- 
 menichino, and Canova, besides copies in mosaic 
 of many of the renowned paintings of the old mas- 
 ters, adorn Saint Peter’s. 
 
 In the center of the area in front of the building 
 is the celebrated obelisk in red granite, brought to 
 Rome from Heliopolis, the Egyptian “City of the 
 Sun,” almost eighteen hundred years ago. When 
 taken to Saint Peter’s three hundred years ago, 
 it was dedicated to the cross, the ceremony of 
 exorcising all pagan associations being first per- 
 formed. The age of the obelisk is not certain — it 
 may date back to the Pyramids. 
 
 The Vatican, the residence of the Pope, adjoins 
 Saint Peter’s. We had not the pleasure of an au- 
 dience with his Holiness, but we saw the Sistine 
 Chapel and Raphael’s master-work. I cannot 
 write of all in these wonderful collections, for we 
 had not time for study. It was impossible in one 
 
224 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 short day to comprehend the wonderful frescoes 
 and paintings of the Vatican. What I understood 
 and remember I will mention. 
 
 Michael Angelo’s work on the ceiling of the Sis- 
 tine Chapel is considered his best. Here are rep- 
 resented some of the events of the Book of Gene- 
 sis : the creation of the heavens and the earth — 
 viz., the creation of light, of the sun and moon; 
 the creation of trees, herbs, and grass; the crea- 
 tion of Adam and Eve. Next are represented the 
 fall and the expulsion from Eden. The tree of 
 knowledge, the serpent, Adam and Eve plucking 
 the fruit, the angel with the sword — all are there. 
 Coming after are pictures in the life of Noah. 
 
 On the curved edges of the ceiling are the 
 prophets and sibyls announcing the coming Sav- 
 iour of the world, together with here and there a 
 little picture of the genealogy of the Virgin. 
 
 On the wall at the end of the Chapel is Michael 
 Angelo’s “ Last Judgment.” In one of the cen- 
 ters is seated the judge, surrounded by apostles, 
 patriarchs, martyrs, the saints on earth and the 
 saints in light. The other half shows the angels 
 with the book of life, angels with the awakening 
 trumpets, the resurrection, the ascension to the 
 realms of the blessed, and hell. 
 
 I will not attempt to mention the frescoes and 
 
Rome and Her Art Wealth . 225 
 
 paintings of the various corridors. Those by the 
 masters are worthy of hours of study. We could 
 but glance and pass on. But I must refer to 
 Raphael’s masterpiece, “The Transfiguration.” 
 It was his last work, and is the greatest picture of 
 the world. To my amateur eye the power of this 
 painting is in the face of our Lord — though the 
 coloring, especially of the flesh, is very beautiful. 
 His face did “shine as the sun.” Raphael caught 
 a radiant expression — perhaps the highest concep- 
 tion of the glorified face ever put on canvas. Mo- 
 ses and Elijah are on either side, all in mid-air as 
 though about to rise into the heavens while they 
 hold converse of what is soon to be accomplished 
 at Jerusalem. Peter, James, and John are fallen 
 on the ground, sore afraid. 
 
 Beneath them is the child possessed of a devil, 
 whom his parents brought to be healed. As in 
 the Holy Scriptures the devil was cast out as soon 
 as the Saviour came from the Mount of Transfigu- 
 ration, so in this great painting our Lord returned 
 from heavenly converse to bear its sorrows and lift 
 the suffering into the faith of the Son of God. 
 
 I have looked into your question, as to the rea- 
 son for placing these two events on the same can- 
 vas, and find in Eaton’s “ Rome” that it was done 
 in compliance with the orders of his patrons. It 
 15 
 
226 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 was the custom of the age to connect in one pict- 
 ure celestial and terrestrial subjects — oftentimes 
 such as had no association. 
 
 “The Last Communion of Saint Jerome,” by 
 Domenichino, is considered almost equal to “The 
 Transfiguration.” The dying saint, carried by his 
 disciples, is placed on the porch of the monas- 
 tery chapel: his head rests within the arms of a 
 young priest, while another administers the sacra- 
 ment. His followers are about the aged Jerome, 
 while above are the angels sent to convey him to 
 heaven. Both of these works are copied in mo- 
 saic in Saint Peter’s. 
 
 The Church of Saint Pietro in Vincoli holds, 
 to use the language of Hare, “the glory of the 
 Church” — the famous “Moses” of Michael An- 
 gelo. It is the “ masterpiece of sculpture since the 
 time of the Greeks.” I am without language, and 
 accordingly will give you the description of Gre- 
 gorius: “The figure is seated, with long-flowing 
 beard descending to the waist, with horned head, 
 and deep-sunk eyes, which blaze as it were with 
 the light of the burning bush, with a majesty of 
 anger which makes one tremble, as of a passion- 
 ate being, drunken with fire. . . . There is some- 
 thing infinite which lies in the ‘Moses’ of Michael 
 Angelo. Nor is his countenance softened by 
 

ARCH OF TITUS. 
 
 ( 227 ) 
 
 
Rome and Her Art Wealth. 227 
 
 the twilight of sadness which is stealing from his 
 forehead over his eyes. It is less touching than 
 terrible. The Greeks could not have endured a 
 glance from such as ‘Moses,’ and the artist would 
 have been blamed because he had thrown no soft- 
 ening touch over his gigantic marble. That which 
 we have is the archetype of a terrible and quite 
 unapproachable sublimity.” 
 
 The Capitol — with its history, halls, and corri- 
 dors — might occupy days. The wonderful bronze 
 equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius is spoken of 
 by the critics as without fault. The Hall of the 
 Emperors, of illustrious men, the figures of the 
 gods, the busts and bas-reliefs, and columns and 
 statues, the history in marble and fresco, the 
 bronzes and picture-gallery, well deserve a full 
 description — but I must hasten. 
 
 There are no ruins more full of interest than the 
 Roman Forum. It was buried under the rubbish 
 of centuries, but the excavations of the last three 
 hundred years give inexhaustible occupation to 
 the student. Here the destiny of empires was de- 
 cided, the Senate sat in solemn assembly, and the 
 business of ancient Rome was transacted — here 
 was the market-place, and here were held all the 
 public meetings. “The level of the ancient soil 
 was twenty-four feet below that of to-day.” The 
 
228 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 accumulation of each era in Roman history buried 
 the buildings of the preceding period, so that the 
 excavations of the future will doubtless uncover 
 “heaped-up ruins,” bringing to the light temples, 
 monuments, columns, fountains, corridors, and stat- 
 ues. To-day are shown the places where sacrifices 
 to the gods were made ; the house of the Vestals 
 and the Temple of Vesta, on whose altar was kept 
 burning the sacred fire ; the chambers where 
 many a struggle in the Senate started the Roman 
 army to conquest and death; and arches and col- 
 umns erected in honor of heroes returning from 
 victory. The Arch of Titus erected by the Senate 
 in commemoration of his capture of Jerusalem, a 
 few years after the life of Christ on earth, must 
 have been a magnificent monument. The bas- 
 relief of the seven-branched candlestick from the 
 temple at Jerusalem is still very distinct. 
 
 The Colosseum is the most imposing of the 
 Roman ruins. It was the great amphitheater in 
 whose arena the gladiatorial combats took place, 
 and also where prisoners of war, the slaves of 
 Roman conquest, and Christian martyrs were giv- 
 en to the wild beasts. The Colosseum was begun 
 A.D. 72 , and finished by Titus after his success- 
 ful siege of Jerusalem. He compelled twelve thou- 
 sand captive Jews to complete the building. It 
 
TIIE COLOSSEUM AS IT NOW STANDS. 
 
Rome and Her Art Wealth. 229 
 
 was capable of holding one hundred thousand 
 people. 
 
 We will leave Rome to-night. I have had but a 
 glance, and consequently could only write this short 
 letter. Every thing has been in our favor, and 
 we have not lost an hour. I will not forget the 
 “Eternal City.” But I am traveling to another 
 — the city of my God, the city that hath founda- 
 tions, the New Jerusalem, the Eternal City! Here 
 I am “a stranger, a sojourner; ” there I shall be 
 at home. 
 
LETTER XIX. 
 
 FROM ROME TO PARIS— SPLENDORS AND MISERIES OF THE 
 FRENCH CAPITAL. 
 
 Paris, February 18, 1SS9. 
 
 NTIL we came to Brindisi, the weather was 
 
 all that we could have desired. The sharp, 
 chill air in which we left Shanghai soon softened 
 into clear, mellow sunshine, and by the time we 
 came to Hong-kong the threat of winter had passed 
 and left anticipations of tropical weather. Warmer 
 and brighter grew the days as we sailed on through 
 the southern seas, until at Singapore we began to 
 realize that the equator was not far distant. Then 
 beneath cloudless skies and glaring sun we sailed 
 slowly on to Ceylon. From there to Calcutta the 
 heat was in some measure moderated ; and in North- 
 ern India the nights were cool, and at times a fire 
 was comforting. Temperature in the Red Sea, 
 pleasant; and across the Mediterranean, delightful. 
 
 At Brindisi we begin a new phase of experience 
 more like home. Rain and chill to Naples, with a 
 short break in the gray monotony of the clouds as 
 we passed along the edge of the bay, just before 
 coming to the city, and enough sunlight to give us 
 one of the most perfect rainbows I ever saw. It 
 
 ( 230 ) 
 
A Fair View of Paris. 231 
 
 was a complete semicircle, one end dipping into 
 the waters of the bay, the other touching the sides 
 of the hills to the north of us. The colors were 
 pronounced and distinct, a gorgeous display. Cold 
 and cloudy with occasional rains in Rome. The 
 night we left the “Eternal City” came with a chill, 
 damp atmosphere which turned into snow as we ran 
 up to the mountains. How bitterly cold it was ! 
 The poor excuse for heating apparatus — cylinders 
 of hot water on the floor exchanged once in three, 
 four, five hours — with which the cars were fur- 
 nished soon failed us. Fortunately, I had pur- 
 chased in Rome a pair of fur-lined overshoes that 
 kept my feet comfortable ; but my rugs and cloth- 
 ing were altogether insufficient in that icy air of 
 the mountains. I was chilled through. After 
 shivering through half the night, your father called 
 me to him, and uniting our wraps we sat closely 
 side by side, and thus managed to lessen the dis- 
 comfort. Reaching Paris in the early morning, 
 the first thing we called for was fire, and I sup- 
 pose travelers in a southern clime rarely enjoyed 
 the sight of the flames more than we did. 
 
 It has been variable weather since we have been 
 in Paris, but we have not been hindered by it in 
 any great measure. 
 
 We have had a fair view of the city. We have 
 
232 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 strolled along its boulevards and through its parks, 
 have visited its churches and museums, and have 
 looked into its stores. After seeing so much I do 
 not wonder that it is attractive to visitors from every 
 part of the world. It appeals to every taste and 
 makes ample provision for every side of our nat- 
 ure except the spiritual. 
 
 The reign of Louis Napoleon was chiefly re- 
 markable for its enormous expenditures in build- 
 ings and adornments. Boulevards were opened; 
 architectural splendors, statuary, and street decora- 
 tions sated the eye, while they made factitious pro- 
 vision for the working classes. An era of unex- 
 ampled wealth and culture was promised. Bis- 
 marck and Von Moltke and Sedan broke the 
 promise, and left a disappointed, hungry, angry 
 crowd to wreak a fruitless vengeance upon the 
 memorials of an ostentatious empire, which had 
 mocked and cheated them. The reign of com- 
 munism was happily brief — too brief for the con- 
 summation of the plans of its blind rage. 
 
 I suppose that those who knew Paris in the time 
 of the last Napoleon will still recognize the plans 
 and work of that period of gilded prosperity. The 
 beauty of the city has not been destroyed. The 
 Tuileries is a ruin, but the boulevards remain; 
 the Place de la Concorde still offers its obelisk, 
 
A Fair View of Paris. 233 
 
 fountains, statues, and fine views along shady ave- 
 nues; the Champs Elysees is still a delightful 
 promenade, the favorite walk of the Parisian 
 world. It is difficult to connect the tragic events 
 of the Revolution with so bright and charming a 
 scene, but here in the Place de la Concorde the 
 scaffold of the Reign of Terror was set, and nearly 
 three thousand people fell under the hand of the 
 executioner. Louis XVI. was among the first of 
 them. 
 
 To one side of the Champs Elysees is the Palais 
 d’lndustrie — an extensive building, with but little 
 beauty — erected for the Great Exhibition of 1855, 
 and since used for the annual display of painting 
 and sculpture. On the other side of the river, 
 reached by a bridge from the Champs Elysees, are 
 the Exposition Grounds with unfinished buildings. 
 We walked through them and saw the extensive 
 preparation for the coming gathering in May. We 
 looked at the Eiffel Tower, one thousand feet 
 high, and I wished that I could have the view from 
 the summit. Turning back to the city, we came to 
 the Church of the Madeleine. N. has seen it, 
 and knows its classic structure. It is surprising 
 to our plain American mind that one church should 
 show such lavish expenditure of art and wealth in 
 its adornment. We were there again on Sunday 
 
234 Letters f rom the Orient. 
 
 in the middle of the day, and found a multitude of 
 people attending the service. We missed the mu- 
 sic, but the ritual and preaching were calculated 
 to impress the popular mind. 
 
 The finest church in Paris — the old historic 
 church — is Notre Dame. The present building, 
 upon the site of what was probably a pagan temple, 
 dates back to 1163. It has passed through many 
 changes — was restored after 1845, and again nar- 
 rowly escaped destruction under the Commune in 
 1870. It is a magnificent specimen of Gothic 
 architecture, dimly lighted within through superb 
 stained glass, decorated with frescoes, statuary, 
 carving, and tapestries, and possessing still many 
 “treasures” in the shape of relics which escaped 
 the fury of the mob. Napoleon I. and Josephine 
 Were crowned here with a splendor of ceremony 
 that cost about seventeen million dollars; and here 
 in 1853 Napoleon III. was married to Comtesse 
 Eugenie de Teba. 
 
 It is more than we can undertake to look up the 
 churches of Paris, though many are of sufficient 
 interest to justify a visit. Our time is too short. 
 We cannot go into details. The Louvre occupied 
 us some hours. It was first a fortress, then a 
 prison, afterward a palace, now a museum. The 
 fortress was built in 1200 A.D. ; the palace had its 
 
235 
 
 A Fair View of Paris. 
 
 beginning in 1541, and its completion, in connec- 
 tion with the Tuileries, under the third Napoleon 
 in 1857. The collection of pictures began in the 
 time of Francis I. The great Napoleon rifled the 
 galleries and palaces of Italy, and brought in such 
 an enormous mass of works of art that even the 
 immense galleries of the Louvre could not con- 
 tain them. The most of these were restored to 
 their rightful owners in 1815. The bulk of the 
 present collection has been acquired by legitimate 
 methods. It is a wonderful array. Ancient and 
 modern drawings, engravings, paintings, sculpt- 
 ure of every nation and every school ; antiquities — 
 Assyrian, Egyptian, Etruscan, and Greek; scien- 
 tific museums, specimens from every quarter of 
 the globe, in salons and corridors of ground floor 
 and upper stories of the main building and wings, 
 bewilder by their number and extent of space. 
 Among the Egyptian remains I saw a sphinx, the 
 hieroglyphics on which tell of Menephtah, the 
 Pharaoh of the exodus. 
 
 Not far from the Louvre is the Magasins de 
 Louvre, which is one of the two great resorts of 
 shoppers in Paris — the Bon Marche being the oth- 
 er. They are immense store-houses of goods of 
 all sorts, sold at retail prices. They are marvels 
 of order and cheapness. I found a more attractive 
 
236 
 
 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 place in Rue Madeleine, where a glib, English- 
 speaking salesman beguiled me into a larger out- 
 lay than I had purposed, and was trustful enough 
 to take your father’s check on a Baltimore bank 
 for the payment of the bill. 
 
 Time would fail me to tell of the superb build- 
 ings — such as the Grand Hotel, the Hotel Louvre, 
 the Grand Opera-house — the stores with their tak- 
 ing display of goods of every sort, the cafes, and 
 of the boulevards, the monuments — the innumer- 
 able appeals to the senses in which Paris abounds. 
 A rich city, beautiful, gay, frivolous, godless, rest- 
 less, welcoming alike a festival or a revolution, 
 holding large resources for any possibilities of 
 good and evil. It has more than once been be- 
 sieged and captured, and it may yet again fall into 
 the hands of a foreign foe. The powers of attack 
 and defense are singularly balanced in these days 
 of dynamite. “Except the Lord keep the city, 
 the watchman waketh but in vain.” There is not 
 much confidence in the “Rock of our strength” 
 in the careless, prayerless, pleasure-loving capital. 
 Yet there are to be found true and good men and 
 women who are striving faithfully to inculcate the 
 knowledge of God and gather to him a peculiar 
 people. Protestantism has established itself here, 
 and is “holding forth the word of life,” the anti- 
 
A Fair View of Paris. 237 
 
 dote to Romanism and infidelity. The Wesleyan 
 Church and the McAll Mission have established 
 posts in various parts of the city. They are not 
 laboring in vain. We, who know the power of 
 the gospel, have good hope that in years to come 
 Paris even may become a stronghold of the Son 
 of God. 
 
 I had some amusing experiences resulting from 
 my ignorance of the language. I had a slight 
 knowledge of French as taught in the schools of 
 my day; but when it became necessary to make 
 use of my attainments I was not long in discover- 
 ing, what I had before suspected, that it was not 
 current here. The artiste whom I consulted about 
 a new costume is a true Parisian from the tip of 
 her toes to the tip of her tongue. She knew noth- 
 ing else. Not a word of English could she speak. 
 We met each other with graceful salaams and the 
 conventional “ Bon jour.” Then the serious busi- 
 ness began. I talked and she listened. Then "she 
 talked and I listened. Then we both smiled aloud. 
 We tried it again with no better success. Her 
 French was not my French, nor was my French 
 her French; nor could either be translated into 
 the other. We tried pantomime. That went a lit- 
 tle way, but not far enough. Finally she sent for 
 a neighbor, an American dentist, resident in Paris 
 
238 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 for twenty years, who good-naturedly served us as 
 interpreter. Through him we discussed, for an 
 hour, quantity, quality, styles, prices, and all the 
 other details, and were mutually gratified that we 
 had conducted our business to such favorable 
 results. “ Tres jolif said madam; “ Tres joli,” 
 replied I. “Parfaitement,” she concluded ; “ Par - 
 faitement ,” answered I. And our agreement was 
 completed. 
 
 Bon soir, my dears. 
 
CRYSTAL PALACE, LONDON. 
 
LETTER XX. 
 
 ACROSS THE CHANNEL— TAKING IN THE WONDERS OF 
 LONDON, THE WORLD'S GREATEST CITY. 
 
 London, February 22, 1889. 
 
 ROM Calais to Dover I expected to be sea- 
 
 sick, because so few persons escape in that 
 
 chopping sea: however, I was free, and could have 
 enjoyed it very much but for the extreme cold. 
 
 We arrived in London at the Charing Cross Sta- 
 tion late in the day. Hare says the name Charing 
 comes from a Saxon word meaning to hern, both 
 the road and the Thames making a bend at this 
 point. There is frequently a history connected 
 with London names which interests me greatly. 
 Six hundred years ago this spot was one of the 
 nine resting-places of the funeral cortege of Queen 
 Eleanor, the beloved wife of Edward I. A de- 
 voted love existed between husband and wife. 
 After her burial in Westminster Abbey, he erected 
 at each of these stations a cross, that at Charing 
 being the most imposing — hence the name Char- 
 ing Cross. But three of the crosses remain. That 
 at this place was destroyed by the Puritans, a poem 
 of that day showing the hatred of the sect toward 
 all images. As the destruction occurred during 
 
 ( 239 ) 
 
240 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 the Commonwealth, I suppose their hatred of the 
 crown and throne entered into the act. A substi- 
 tute has been erected which every traveler sees on 
 arriving at the station. 
 
 From here, parallel with the Thames, is the 
 Strand, the great thoroughfare, a highway crowd- 
 ed with people and business. I have seen it stated 
 that a million of people daily throng this street. 
 Farther up (or down?) in the city was Temple 
 Bar, which from 1300 to 1878 marked the city 
 bounds. Here were kept on exhibition the heads 
 of those who were executed for alleged treason. 
 A pillar now marks the Bar. Near by are the 
 Inns of Court, which have been for hundreds of 
 years the “sanctum” of the law and lawyers. 
 
 As the Strand is the high-road of London, so 
 Pall-mall is the fashionable street, where one may 
 see the people of leisure, perhaps of rank; and 
 Hyde Park is the recreation-ground for the city. 
 Yesterday, when we drove there, it was green and 
 beautiful as though in the midst of April showers 
 and sunshine. The Memorial to the Prince Con- 
 sort represents the British Dominions, on which 
 the sun never sets — a contrast to this costly monu- 
 ment upon which the sun seldom shines, London 
 fogs mostly intervening. Thousands of pounds . 
 were spent upon it. Prince Albert is seated under 
 

( 241 ) 
 
 ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL, 
 
241 
 
 The Wonders of London. 
 
 a richly decorated, gaudy canopy, which rests on 
 a marble base, the whole upon a platform of gran- 
 ite. The sides are adorned with sculptured figures 
 of the leading sages and literati of the ages. At 
 the corners of the platform stand the men, ani- 
 mals, and plants, in marble, of the four continents. 
 It is a costly memorial, though its good taste is 
 questioned — certainly the Prince has a better re- 
 membrancer in the hearts of the English people. 
 
 The Cathedral of Saint Paul’s is in the heart of 
 London. Centuries ago kings, queens, canons, 
 bishops, the learned and great, worshiped within 
 its walls. Five times Saint Paul has been burned, 
 three times by lightning. Sir Christopher Wren 
 was the architect of the present building. Over 
 one of the porticos is the figure of a phenix, in 
 order to perpetuate the memory of a curious fact. 
 When Sir Christopher had drawn his plans and 
 was ready to commence work on the new build- 
 ing, he sent a workman for a stone from the rub- 
 bish of the old structure to mark the center of the 
 dome. On the stone brought him was inscribed 
 the single word Resurgam — “I shall rise again.” 
 So from the ashes of the dead past have come up 
 the grand proportions of the present stately build- 
 ing, hardly second to Westminster Abbey in the 
 affection and pride of the English people. 
 
 16 
 
242 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 The great cathedral is no fit subject for my pen. 
 Its dimensions are less than those of Saint Peter’s 
 at Rome, nor can it rival the church of the Eternal 
 City in the wealth of its monuments and splendors. 
 But standing in the heart of grimy London, black- 
 ened by the smoke and fog of the world’s greatest 
 city, enriched with the dust and the memorials of 
 the illustrious dead of the imperial race, which has 
 planted itself the world over, it is a perpetual re- 
 minder of God and his providence, and awes into 
 solemnity the busy, bustling throngs that pass un- 
 der its shadow. 
 
 The earliest monuments in the present cathedral 
 are those of Howard, the philanthropist; Johnson, 
 the literary autocrat of his time; Sir Joshua Rey- 
 nolds, the painter; and Sir William Jones, the 
 Oriental scholar and statesman. Later, come the 
 splendid monuments to Lord Nelson, who was 
 buried here in spite of his memorable cry, “Vic- 
 tory or Westminster Abbey;” and to Arthur, 
 Duke of Wellington ; and later still that of the 
 Christian hero and soldier who died at Khartoum, 
 but will be known in the years to come, as in the 
 past, by the name of “Chinese Gordon.” The 
 building stands on an elevated level almost facing 
 Ludgate Hill, with the narrow streets of Saint 
 Paul’s church-yard running around it, and in front 
 
( 243 ) 
 
 WESTMINSTER ABBEY, 
 
The Wonders of London. 243 
 
 a statue of Queen Anne, who made nere her 
 thanksgivings for Marlborough’s victory. 
 
 But Westminster Abbey is the receptacle of the 
 memorials of England’s greatness. It would take a 
 volume to register the names of the dead who on 
 native or foreign soil have wrought themselves into 
 the history of their country. They were laid to rest 
 eight, six, five, one hundred years ago, and have 
 slept through the centuries, while the world has 
 been busy with those who came after, who in turn 
 have taken their places among the shadows. The 
 very inscriptions upon the tombs tell the history of 
 England, and one familiar with its pages could 
 well fill days with the study of Westminster. 
 
 The first building on this site was dedicated 
 early in the seventh century. An historian whom 
 Hare quotes tells that on a Sunday night, the eve 
 of the day that this church was to be consecrated, 
 a fisherman was watching his nets near by. On 
 the opposite shore he saw a light, and going over 
 found an old man who asked to be ferried across. 
 Upon their arrival the stranger went at once to the 
 church, causing two springs to rise up on the way 
 by a blow of his staff. A host of angels appeared, 
 some having candles in their hands which lighted 
 him while he performed the service of dedication, 
 others ascending and descending as in Jacob’s 
 
244 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 vision. While the fisherman ferried the old man 
 back, he was charged to tell the bishop of this 
 consecration, and was promised a continual boun- 
 tiful supply of fish if he would always give a tithe 
 to the new Westminster. The bishop did not 
 doubt the story, for were not the chrism, the marks 
 of the cross on the door, and the droppings from 
 the candle all there? 
 
 That building was afterward torn down — and 
 from time to time changes were made, till but lit- 
 tle is left of the Abbey which was finished in 1272. 
 A portion remains — viz., the side aisles and their 
 chapels, and the choir and transepts. Of course 
 I could not know Westminster in two visits, but I 
 would not lose the picture from my thoughts. 
 The beauty of the architecture, the choir, the 
 chapels where lie the dead, the monuments which 
 crowd the transepts and nave, and the cloisters, 
 live in my memory, while the inscriptions and 
 names I have forgotten. If I should have the 
 pleasure of another visit, I will study details, and 
 with my own hand write you what at present you 
 must read in the books. This much I say: The 
 marble and the words dedicated to kings, poets, 
 historians — the men wh» have ruled, lived, and 
 died for England; the men who have built up its 
 fortunes, and shaped its religious beliefs, and or- 
 

 
 
 
 
( 245 ) 
 
 somerset house. 
 
The Wonders of London . 245 
 
 dered its destinies — have inspired in me the most 
 solemn reflections, and I pray that my name may 
 be kept in the “Lamb’s Book of Life.” 
 
 It was something of a surprise to find in this 
 highest expression of loyalty to regal rule the 
 tomb of some members of Cromwell’s family. Of 
 two other things I will make special mention. 
 One is the Coronation Chair, on which every 
 ruler of Great Britain since Edward I. has been 
 crowmed — a period of six hundred years. The 
 legend of the stone seat is quite thrilling. It is a 
 chronicle coming down from patriarchal days. 
 To make a long story short, it was the pillow upon 
 which Jacob slept when he had the vision of the 
 angels on the ladder that reached to heaven. He 
 took it to Egypt when he went down to Joseph, 
 and for many years it was preserved among the 
 Hebrews. Unfortunately the story is disjointed, 
 and I do not find why the precious relic was al- 
 lowed to pass from Israel’s possession. After 
 many vicissitudes it was miraculously conveyed 
 aboard a boat bound for Ireland, where, some of 
 the antiquaries maintain, it remains. Others of 
 the wise trace its transit to Scotland, where the 
 first Edward was crowned upon it. It was brought 
 to England in 1296, and can be seen in Westmin- 
 ster any day. 
 
246 
 
 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 The monument to John and Charles Wesley at- 
 tracts the attention of all Methodist tourists. It 
 was unveiled in 1876 by the Very Rev. Dr. Stan- 
 ley, Dean of Westminster. The upper part of the 
 tablet records the dates of birth and death of the 
 two brothers. Under that are their medallion pro- 
 files, life size, under which are the words, “The 
 best of all is, God is with us.” Below that, John 
 Wesley stands upon his father’s grave preaching 
 — his own and the fifty figures representing his 
 hearers are boldly defined. Wesley clad in a 
 gown and bands, one hand clasping his Bible, the 
 other uplifted, is a beautiful design. Under this pul- 
 pit in Epworth grave-yard is inscribed the words, 
 “I look on all the world as my parish; ” and un- 
 der that, “God buries his workmen, but carries 
 on his work.” It is an exquisite piece of marble. 
 
 The Tower, the great English fortress, dates far 
 back. For some hundreds of years the kings re- 
 sided there during a part of the year, and within 
 its walls rulers were born, lived, and died. Mon- 
 archs have languished in its prisons; princes have 
 there been murdered ; cardinals, archbishops, 
 lords, ladies, and commoners were there confined 
 and executed. 
 
 The Beauchamp Tower, where so many illus- 
 trious prisoners were incarcerated, was interesting 
 
(247) 
 
 i 
 
 
The Wonders of London. 247 
 
 to us because the walls bear to this day many in- 
 scriptions from their own hands; some indicating 
 suffering, others trust in God. Near this tower, 
 in the court inclosed by the fortress, is a large 
 stone, which marks the spot of the many execu- 
 tions; where the beautiful Anne Boleyn and the 
 youthful Queen Catharine Howard — both wives 
 of that brute, Henry VIII. — lost their lives; and 
 where also the lovely Lady Jane Grey, “the queen 
 of nine days,” came to her death. 
 
 Of course the Jewel Tower was not omitted. 
 The crown jewels, the state crowns, the royal 
 plate, the silver font used at the baptisms of the 
 royal children, the badges of authority, the gold- 
 en eagle which holds the consecrated oil of the 
 coronations, and other valuable articles, make a 
 magnificent show. Three million pounds sterling 
 are there represented. Another tower is occupied 
 by the fine collection of historic armor, which is 
 more enjoyed in the seeing than in the reading. 
 
 The entire world is represented in the British 
 Museum. Such a collection I never saw, though 
 in our journeying we have seen a great deal there 
 exhibited. Antiquarians find a paradise within 
 those four walls, and amateur as I am I should 
 have found great enjoyment in a week’s tour of 
 the halls. The oldest cuneiform inscriptions have 
 
2-18 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 been stored in the British Museum— some from 
 Assyria, from Babylon, from Chaldea; some 
 reaching back to Adam’s time. It is said that 
 there is one proved to be anterior to Adam’s day, 
 which we searched for, but failed to find. The 
 Roman Gallery, the Mausoleum Room, the Hel- 
 lenic Room, are all of great value. Of more inter- 
 est to me were the specimens of the earliest print- 
 ing and illustrations of the illuminated texts of the 
 monks of long ago; and in the Manuscript Saloon, 
 the prayer-book used by Lady Jane Grey on the 
 scaffold, the draft of the will of Mary, Queen of 
 Scots, and the agreement signed by Milton for the 
 sale of “Paradise Lost” — an Eden of antiquities! 
 
 Being Methodists, of course we went to City 
 Road Chapel, which is of historic interest in our 
 annals. John Wesley, our revered founder, lies 
 buried in this church-yard, beneath a monument 
 in stone; besides, within the communion-rails of 
 the chapel is a marble tablet to his memory. On 
 the opposite side of the road is the cemetery of 
 Bunhill Fields, where are buried John Bunyan, 
 Susanna Wesley, Dr. Isaac Watts, three sons of 
 Oliver Cromwell (one of whom was successor to 
 his father for a few days), and Daniel De Foe, 
 author of “Robinson Crusoe: ” these monuments 
 only, of the man)’ in the cemetery, will interest you. 
 

 

 OLD KING S CASTLE. 
 
249 
 
 The Wonders of London. 
 
 I plucked a few blades of grass as memorials of 
 these names. We could but pronounce ludicrous 
 the following inscription on the stone of Dame 
 Mary Page, who “in 67 months was tapped 66 
 times, and had taken away 240 gallons of water, 
 without ever repining at her case, or ever fearing 
 the operation.” I copied it on the spot, and send 
 it to you word for word. 
 
 We found the Dore Gallery worth the time we 
 gave it. The “Christ Leaving the Pretorium ” is 
 considered a marvelous picture. The beauty of 
 the face is celestial. He walks down the steep 
 stair-way with gentle and majestic mien, knowing 
 that the cross is before him. Pontius Pilate and 
 Herod, in robes of state, are in the background; 
 near by are the high-priests Annas and Caiaphas. 
 In front is the mob with lifted hands and open 
 mouths, as though crying aloud, “Crucify him! 
 Crucify him!” Mary, the mother of Jesus, with 
 tearful eye, and the Magdalene are not far off. 
 Dore studied the evangelists, and besides must 
 have learned the meaning of every word that Isaiah 
 wrote of redemption’s story. “He is despised 
 and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and 
 acquainted with grief. He was wounded for our 
 transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: 
 the chastisement of our peace was upon him ; and 
 
250 Letters from the Orient. 
 
 with his stripes we are healed.” “Who for the 
 joy that was set before him endured the cross, de- 
 spising the shame.” 
 
 The “Vale of Tears,” Dore’s last work, was 
 in another room. In my mind the two pictures 
 are connected. The horror was borne to save a 
 world. The cross and the shame were not to be 
 compared with the “joy that was set before him.” 
 Jesus trod “ the wine-press alone;” “in all their 
 afflictions he was afflicted: in his love and in his 
 pity he redeemed them.” Now, in the Vale of 
 Tears, he bears in his heart all them who turn to 
 him. To every soul he speaks: “Come unto me, 
 all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will 
 give you rest.” These words Dore illustrates on 
 canvas. At the entrance to the Vale of Tears 
 stands the Saviour, bearing a cross — the cross on 
 which he was lifted that he might draw all men 
 unto himself — the cross that was to raise earth to 
 heaven. Above him, stretching from horizon to 
 horizon, is the bow, the “token of the covenant.” 
 With upraised hand he beckons “the weary and 
 heavy-laden.” And there they are, some lifting 
 their heavy eyes to him, and some turning still to 
 earth, whence came their sorrow. There they 
 stand — king, priest, warrior, the old and young, 
 rich and poor, prince and beggar — all alike need- 
 
251 
 
 The Wonders of London. 
 
 ing him. The dying mother lifts her helpless babe 
 toward those loving arms, the deaf hear his voice, 
 the blind eyes behold him, and the outcast leper 
 finds One who will not shrink from his touch. 
 These pictures produce the same effect as Charles 
 Wesley’s hymns. 
 
LETTER XXL 
 
 END OF THE JOURNEY— FROM LIVERPOOL TO NEW YORK. 
 
 E are now, my dear daughters, at the last 
 
 stage of our long journey. One more step 
 — you will think it is a long one — and we shall land 
 in New York. Dark-looking Liverpool is even 
 more somber in this pouring rain. I can see but 
 little of it. But have I not seen enough? The 
 eye is filled with seeing. I wonder, as I look back 
 over the way by which we have come. From the 
 farthest point eastward, where sunrise and sunset 
 are confounded in the common thought, to this ex- 
 treme western edge of the Old World, we have come 
 in safety and comfort. The facilities of travel are 
 enough to excite admiration ; but better even than 
 the well-appointed steamers and railways are the 
 courtesies and kindly attentions which have never 
 failed us on the way. The white races have fur- 
 nished our almost constant companions by sea and 
 land; but even when dependent upon the yellow 
 and brown peoples of the East, we have wanted 
 nothing. It is true the multitude of them have had 
 their thoughts on the backsheesh to be won from 
 the strangers; but even so, their manners have 
 
 Liverpool, February 27, 1S89. 
 
 ( 252 ) 
 
End of the "Journey. 253 
 
 been such as to make it easy to part with a few 
 cash, pice, or piasters in return for their active 
 service. All the world over there are many whose 
 courtesies can only be had when it pays. 
 
 But above all else comes the feeling of grati- 
 tude at the remembrance that through all these 
 lands and all these peoples I have seen the foot- 
 steps of the Redeemer. The Son of God has made 
 homes for himself wherever we have gone. What 
 wealth of promise there is in this for the years to 
 come! I am nearing the end of my pilgrimage, 
 and may not see the ingathering of the nations; 
 but you and the generation to which you belong 
 may yet be gladdened with the vision of a regen- 
 erated world. It will not be long till the fires 
 kindled in the East shall blaze in every neighbor- 
 hood and every home, and the light that now ir- 
 radiates our own shores shall flash into the jungles 
 and deserts of the South and East, and bless all 
 them that sit in the region and shadow of death. 
 To this I give my daily prayers. For this I make 
 appeal to the faith, prayer, and generosity of our 
 home Church. By our zeal and self-sacrifice let 
 us give meaning and constrain answer to our im- 
 portunate prayer, “Thy kingdom come.” 
 
 Good-by. The next salutation shall be from 
 my lips, not from my pen. Your Mother. 
 

 


 
 
 
DATE DUE 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 CAYLORO 
 
 
 
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