The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1918, Page 53

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The Lutheran Pioneer. : 53

of these. And when the lack of German dye-stuffs
began to be felt in Europe, Australia, Africa, and
North and South America, the pinch also came to
the unknown villages of China.

There was such demand, ever increasing, for
these goods, no longer obtainable on account of
the war, that the profits therefrom became great all
over the Kast. Elder Yuan’s firm came in for its
share of handsome returns. And he was planning
great things for the church out of the many casks
of German goods in his storchouse.

THE ''RAGEDY.

Then one night something dreadful happened,
something so dreadful that it horrified even the
heathen, ‘filled the church with distress, and made
of it a company of brothers weeping for the taking
away of their friend.

On the main street of the market town opposite
Elder Yuan's store is a gambling joint, run by
certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and resorted
to by rough and brutal men. ‘Therein was brewed
for months a plan to murder Elder Yuan and all
his store force, if necessary, and seize their cash
profits. A night arrived which seemed auspicious
for the execution of this plot. One partner and
two helpers were away at a market, while only a new
and boyish apprentice was with Elder Yuan.

On that night a considerable number of des-
peradoes as developments revealed, stealthily entered
the store simultaneously, killed the two sleeping
men, and carried off the cash in the store.

JusTICE WAITS. ;

, As a sad, but startling illustration of China’s
need for Christ it must be said that for more than
twelve months the magistrate concerned has done
practically nothing in the case. According to a
proverb current among the common people, “All
Chinese officials are rascals and ought to be killed;
but it is useless to kill them, because rascals equally
bad will buy their places.”

The theory of Chinese officialdom is that the
official is the father of his people—the Oriental
patriarchal idea. He serves the state for nothing,
out of love for his country. As a matter of fact,
he buys his position from somebody higher up.
What the people “below” think, matters not. As the
condition of holding down his job, he must be able
to report to his superior that all is at peace and
secure within the borders ruled by him, so that,
officially, he is often quite impervious to any knowl-
edge of murders committed in his district. He will

move heaven and earth to keep such news “under
the lid.’ Among other things it means to him
disgrace and loss of position, if he allows dis-
turbances. In this particular instance, as is so com-
mon, it is known that the henchmen of the yamen
of the magistrate concerned had taken some of the
money as hush-money; and it is not improbable
that the magistrate has some of it as his share of
the blackmail.

Thus has the strongest, steadiest light of an
infant church, shining out into the blackness of
heathendom, been snuffed out. And this foul mur-
der in an unknown Chinese village is one of the
innumerable, terrible by-products of the World
War. — Men and Missions.

What the American Board has Learned
from the War.

The American Board has been engaged in mis-
sionary work in foreign lands since 1812. During
this period there has been no year without’ some
kind of war, revolution, massacre, or social up-
heaval affecting its work. xcept for the magnitude
and complexity of the present struggle, it is no new
situation which it faces to-day. The War of 1812.
during which its India work was inaugurated; the
China wars of 1840, 1857, and 1894; the Crimean
War of 1853; the Civil War in America; the
Boxer Uprising in 1900; and the Turkish massacres

of 1876, 1895, and 1909, produced problems not -

unlike those which confront it at this time.

Two great lessons emerge.

First. Uniformly there has been marked prog-
ress in the work following the periods of war or
social disturbance. Not infrequently there has been
advance in the very midst of war, as now, in certain
centers of the Turkish Empire, the Moslems are
coming to the mission-schools and inquiring as to
Christian truth in an unprecedented way.

Secondly. In war times the Christian people
of America have stood by this work with steady
loyalty and sacrificial devotion.
by special gifts, they have made it possible to order
an advance. During the Civil War, notwithstanding

More than once,

the uncertainty of business, the high taxation, and ~
the multiplicity of appeals, the Board’s treasury was

so increased that three new stations were opened in
China: Peking, Kalgan, and Tientsin. American:

Christianity rang true in those days. We believe it :

will be so to-day.