T

WO years ago last January Liu Ching-an, a teacher of Chinese classics in the Wuchang Divinity-school, was arrested on the charge of being one Liu Chia-yuin, leader of the revolutionary party in the Province of Hupeh. Though none who knew him believed the charge, his past history was most carefully investigated by some of our best men, and we became thereby doubly assured that he really was the quiet, scholarly, patriotic gentleman that he had seemed. The Chinese authorities also investigated, failed to prove even to their satisfaction the original charge, but, obtaining false testimony from a teacher, an acquaintance of Liu's, who was himself under suspicion, finally condemned him to death. His life was saved at the last moment by an order to Pekin to delay until the case could be more thoroughly investigated, and his sentence was finally commuted to imprisonment for life. He is still in prison, and now, after more than two years, we who then had nothing in our hearts but pity for the poor prisoner and indignation against the hardened officials and the treacherous acquaintance, can now write with pity, indeed, but with more of admiration for his steadfastness and of wonder at the manner in which God has watched over and blessed this, His faithful servant.

In brief outline this is his story. A few months before his arrest, while he was still only a catechumen, he called to see Bishop Roots and asked to be accepted as a candidate for the ministry. It seems that about nine years before he had for the first time read some Christian books, given to him, as to hundreds of others, at his exit from the Wuchang examination halls. His pupils of late years, studying with him the less wellknown but very interesting books by Chinese authors of secondary rank, say that he was always most zealous for the truth wherever found, frequently reproving them for a light criticism upon some

valuable maxim found in one of these "heretical" Chinese classics. So now, the young scholar-he had the degree usually said to correspond to our “B. A.” -on his return to his country home pondered the new teaching he had read, and later took the opportunity to hear more of it from a Chinese Roman Catholic priest whom he met. Finally, in 1904, while in Wuchang on business, he dropped in at one of the missions. The Chinese in charge, seeing what kind of a man he was, brought him to our clergyman at St. Saviour's, where we had at that time a work for just such educated young men as he. Here, apparently, his heart found peace, and from that moment his one thought was to tell his fellow-countrymen of what had so blessed him. So when the bishop now pointed out how slow and painful his preparation must be for the work he craved, the burden of his reply was always: "I must preach the Gospel! Woe is me if I do it not; I pray you to find me a way."

The way has been found, though not as he and the bishop planned, for from the time of his imprisonment, over two years ago, his words, spoken and written, his patient courage and his never-failing faith in God's goodness have been a power for good to countless Chinese, as well as to us foreigners, who have watched with humility the bearing of this Christian of a few months.

Mr. Ridgely arranged that he should teach in the divinity-school while he himself was studying theology, and here he endeared himself to the young men, who considered him an unusually illuminating teacher. "He is the one Chinese scholar," said a member of that class, "who can meet one on any intellectual ground one may choose, sharing one's enthusiasms while still guiding them." Another characteristic mentioned by this young man as "meaning a great deal to us Chinese," was his serious strength of purpose as illustrated even in his man

ner of walking-straight ahead, eyes not wandering nor head turning to the right or left, and demeanor serious and at the same time modest. He was also physically strong and very abstemious in his food. At Christmas time, 1906, he had the joy of being baptized.

It is not necessary to tell the distressing story of his arrest, or of the "trial" which, with its accompanying torture, occupied most of one terrible night; nor of the dramatic reprieve which came just as he was about to be led out to execution. After, under the torture, he had fainted more than once, he said to his tormentors: "What do you want me to say?" and thereupon "confessed" to anything they demanded. But even then he never wavered in his outspoken belief in God and the Christ to whom his accusers mockingly appealed in his behalf. His behavior then and through the dark days of suspense that followed, when he might well have believed himself deserted of God and man-for it was long before his friends were allowed to communicate with him or send him the least comfort-moved his keepers to open admiration. Two successive gaolers who had personal charge of him have been converted to Christianity and are now enrolled as preparing for baptism. His father (who has recently died without seeing his son set free), his mother and his brother have all embraced Christianity, led to it by him, and his former pupils in the divinity-school look up to him almost as to a St. Paul, for they now see in him not only their ideal teacher but a Christian confessor. Over a year ago one of these young men, now a deacon in the Church, managed to see him in prison, and as they talked of the young man's prospects of study and of coming ordination, Liu Ching-an said, "The Lord has indeed shown His love for you, but His love for me has been greater, and I know that my being here is part of His good plan for me." "And," said the young man, "he seemed to bear no grudge against any of those who had wronged him. The worst he would say of the police judge (who was responsible

for it all) was that he had not followed his conscience." Occasionally he has written and smuggled out to his friends poems, or essays, or "epistles" (as the young men love to call them), and the whole tone of these has been the samejoy and peace and gratitude.

We have not ceased praying for his release and working for it as best we may. Mencius has a saying: "Whom Heaven destines for some great responsibility, him He first tries with great sorrows and hardships, that he may become stronger." We long for this good man's help in the active life of the Church. We have more hope just now than for some time past that this release may be brought about; but after all, and whatever may come, we can now write and think and pray with glad hearts of this "prisoner of the Lord" in Central China,

MISSIONS IN A WISCONSIN

ΟΝ

COURT HOUSE

N June 22d and 23d the Convocation of La Crosse in the Diocese of Milwaukee held its Trinity-tide meeting at Shell Lake. In connection with it there was held a missionary mass meeting which brought together people from eight different missions from sixteen to thirty miles away. It was the first time in many years that such a gathering had been held in that missionary part of the Diocese of Milwaukee. Another unusual feature of the occasion was the fact that the meeting was held in the court house. The speakers were Bishop Webb, the Rev. Dr. Hopkins, Secretary of Department V., and the Hon. David Douglass, former Mayor of Eau Claire. The offering of $23.82 has been sent to the Board of Missions for the extension work of the Church. The meeting was organized by Archdeacon Chase, grandson of Bishop Philander Chase, one of the pioneer missionaries to the West in the early days of the last century. With a few other devoted clergy Archdeacon Chase is doing notable work in northwestern Wisconsin.

T

HERE were ninety and nine that went not astray. These the Good Shepherd left to go in search of the hundredth one that had wandered from the flock and the fold. I fear the Church to-day has reversed this method. The ninety and nine require so much attention and care, and their value seems so incomparable when we talk of the odd sheep that the poor thing is left in the wilds to find himself or be lost. We do so much stallfeeding in the Church these days that there ought surely to be some fat and well-kept sheep somewhere. We don't read what the Shepherd did with the ninety and nine while he went in search of the stray one. Perhaps he trusted them to the fold. Perhaps we might do the same thing too with no great risk or loss. Anyway, the point of the story is the stray sheep.

The force of all this has been brought to my mind several times lately in my travels. A few weeks ago I was visiting a station that has been practically closed for two years. A good number of people were at the morning servicehungry for food and nourishment. There was one man present whom I had not seen before and whom none seemed to know. He came to make his communion. A month passed by and I was there again. This time I met him. During our conversation he told me that that communion was the first for him in thirty years. Since then he has been to church frequently and made his communion three times. Another interesting item about this same man came out a fortnight ago when, after an evening sermon in which I had referred to Bishop Selwyn, he came to me to say that he was confirmed by Selwyn in Auckland when that bishop first went out to that missionary field, and that he had known Patteson, to whom I had also referred.

It was the week before Christmas that

I was stopped in the street of one of our northern towns by a man of middle age. He introduced himself. His voice and manner of speech bespoke the South and refinement. He was an old Sewanee boy. He asked after Bishop Quintard, of whose death he had not yet heard. He told me of neglected duty as a Churchman, of his desire to return again to the flock and of his early love and training in and for the Church. These were bringing him to his senses again. He has a family of children now and wants me to baptize them.

A few days ago I was in another place. Half an hour before service a strange man appeared in the church. Having a few minutes to spare I went and talked with him. For years he had not been to the Church of his birth. He had awakened to his need now, and was here. He told me with pride and pleasure of his confirmation by Bishop Tuttle in the early days in Montana. In the evening he was at church again, eager to join his voice in the familiar and blessed psalms, hymns and prayers.

Well, these are some of the sheep we are finding. Are they worth while? We say yes. And so would you were you

I'

T is a very fortunate thing for us at St. Saviour's, Wuchang, that we have not adopted new ideas too rapidly, for if we had, our little church would not accommodate the crowds that come on great occasions. We cling to the old, at least to the extent of retaining a series of old-fashioned Chinese swinging doors on each side of the church, and when more come than can be seated inside we just lift the light doors out of the sockets in which they swing, and seat the overflow congregation on benches in the courtyard.

St. Saviour's is really only a small chapel, but strange as it may seem it is our central parish church for this enormous city of Wuchang! Although there is here only a small and congested piece of city property, we have on it, besides the chapel, the clergy house for the associate mission, a residence for the Chinese deacon, and four schools for boys and girls, with about 150 pupils in. all. The boys and girls nearly fill the chapel, leaving little room on Sundays even for the regular congregation, to say nothing of visitors and enquirers. We obviate difficulties by having one ser

vice, the Eucharist, for Christians only. This is the chief act of worship of the Lord's Day, and it is also first in point of time. It is looked upon as the peculiar privilege of Christians, and old and young alike attend it. Heathen' are not excluded from the other services-in fact, are heartily welcome. Benches are brought in from the schoolrooms and put in the aisles for them, or, as a last resort, the side of the house is taken down.

St. Saviour's is less than a quarter of a mile from Boone College, and yet from this comparatively small section of the city we are able to have all the local pupils we can accommodate. The same is true of St. Andrew's, which, although outside the walls, is only about fifteen minutes' walk from St. Saviour's. There, one teacher has over forty boys, and others are trying to get in. The girls' school, too, is flourishing. chapel on Sundays is overcrowded. The old cramped quarters will not do much longer. longer. We must have a church and school rooms, so that we can employ at least one more teacher.

The

St. Mark's, our other Wuchang station,

But

is a long way off at the very opposite side of the city. A long hill, called the "Serpent Hill," divides Wuchang. There is an enormous section on the farther side of the hill which we have not touched. Why should we not spread out and give the people there like privileges to those here? School work for one thing would undoubtedly be successful, so great is the present-day demand for western education. more than that, the district needs evangelizing. So far as I know we have not a single Christian beyond the hill, except those who live far enough away to go to St. Mark's. Our parish church ought to be in the centre of the city, where it can minister to people of all sections. The location of St. Saviour's is admirable for a chapel and industrial school and day-schools, such as we have, but it is too remote for a great parochial centre. Besides, it is too small for further growth, and we have already taxed it to the utmost.

For years we have been hoping to secure a plot of ground for a large church and other parochial institutions, accessible to people on both sides of the hill. There is a tunnel which runs through the hill near the middle of the city, making it easy for people to get from one side to the other without making the hard climb. Land near by is particularly valuable. An opportunity to secure property suitable to our present needs presented itself a few days ago. A piece was offered us which is exactly what we need-located beyond the hill yet near the tunnel, extending from one street to another, facing on an important thoroughfare which leads to one of the city gates on the river front, easy of access for students in the Government schools, and, best of all, located almost equidistant from St. Saviour's and St. Mark's, in a section of the city where there is absolutely no missionary work being done of any description. The property is seventy feet wide in front, ninety-three in the rear, and three hundred and fifty feet deep, right in the

very heart of the city, and they want only $4,300 for it!

This is indeed an opportunity! Land is exceedingly hard to get. The government schools have snapped up nearly everything that is desirable. Wuchang must have a strong parochial work. We cannot build this up without equipment, and we cannot put up buildings without foundations. The Chinese are clever, but they cannot begin at the roof as the Laputians did and work down. A site is the first thing, and we must have it.

THE QUALITY OF CHINESE CHRISTIANS

Shortly before his death, the late Edwin H. Conger, who was United States Minister to China from 1898 to 1905, and who had firsthand knowledge of the events connected with the Boxer outbreak, said:

YOU will search all history in vain,

you will fruitlessly examine the records of all ages for more glorious examples of magnificent martyrdom, for more heroic exhibitions of devotion to principle, and of incomparable loyalty to faith, than were manifested by the Chinese Christians during the Boxer uprising in 1900. Every possible effort was made to lure or drive them from the religious stand they had taken, to make them recant their avowed belief in Christ's teachings. They were coaxed, and they were threatened; tempting bribes were offered them; they were most bitterly persecuted, inhumanly tortured, and many of them most cruelly, brutally, and barbarously butchered. And yet they never flinched nor faltered, never wavered nor recanted, but suffered and died by the thousands rather than deny their Lord, or give up one iota of their faith in His truth, power, and love. Missionary effort that can furnish such examples as these cannot be measured simply by the number of adherents, because from them must go out among the people an influence, perhaps unrecognized at the moment, but silent, immeasurable, and rich in its promise of future good.