a nation, and more and more men are looking to the statesmanship, the education and the religion of the West for the nation's regeneration. The present is the opportunity of the missionary in China. The sixteen hundred Protestant workers must be increased. The evangelistic work must be extended into the remote districts and upper river valleys. Schools with their various departments must train native teachers and preachers and brighten native homes. The helpful aids of physical healing and literary products must be brought to bear a hand in the contest against Mohammedanism, Catholicism and Confucianism. Self-support is doing much and it will do more to extend the truth, but the Chinaman cannot effect his own deliverance. It is the truth of the gospel that must save him, energizing his physical being, widening his mental horizon, quickening his dormant spirit, and this gospel must come from the lands that know it best. England and America have sent the mission aries of the cross into China, and they have preached such a gospel. I have faith to believe that England and America, one appreciating the grand development of her eldest son, the other recognizing her broader destiny, will together evangelize the world. A quickened public conscience will purify politics, and perceive a duty to give the highest civilization and the noblest type of Christianity to the nations under their influence. Among these I believe we may count China. Is it too much to believe that we who have come to see more intelligently China's need may have some small part in helping our own fatherland to do her duty to this realm of the Far East? In the twentieth century may this be true: that, as Japan has for her motto, "Asia for the Asiatics"; as Russia has for hers, "Asia for Russia"; as commercial England and America have for theirs, "Asia for the world's free trade," so may the Christian Church set for itself the noblest motto of all, "Asia for Christ." ....The Worth of Missions.... WHEN I think of the energy and patience and faith, the self-forgetfulness and selfdevotion, which the Church has shown in her missionary work, precious as is the offering, I cannot but feel that the Church is inexpressibly richer for the grace which has permitted her to render it. How her faith has been strengthened in the process! How her love for Christ, and for souls whom Christ has loved, has thereby deepened, and grown more absorbing! How Christian hearts have thus been knit together, revealing as in no other way the oneness of the members of Christ's body with each other and with their ever-living Head! What new views of the glory of Christ, and the all-sufficiency of His atonement, and the power of His renewing grace, have thus been beheld by the Church, and disclosed to the world! What an irrefutable answer to all infidelity, what a triumphant affirmation of her divine origin and claims does the Church possess in these annals of the patience and the faith of her saints! "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." The Church is richer, incalculably richer, by all her sacrifices. The true economy of Christian labor is its widest possible diffusion. The missionary spirit is the normal development of the Christian life. As it grows the Church grows in purity and power and all Christian efficiency. That the work of missions does not diminish the work of the Christian laborer at home, but that this is rendered easier and far more efficient through the mighty reflex influence which comes from the Christian laborers abroad, our own churches have too clear evidence to doubt. The work which we do in God's kingdom He requires of us, not so much for His sake as for ours. It is not He who needs it, but ourselves. We do not grow, we cannot live, save in obedience to Him. -JULIUS H. SEELYE, D. D. REV. EDWARD O. STEVENS, D. D., WATERVILLE, MAINE. III. MISSION TO THE KARENS IN SIAM. FROM the very beginning of mis sionary endeavor on behalf of Karens, the fact has been known of the existence of two tribes of that race in Siam; but it has been impossible to form any exact estimate of their numbers, because their villages are situated in such inaccessible places. According to the journal of Rev. F. Mason, published in the BAPTIST MISSIONARY MAGAZINE, in less than three years after Rev. G. D. Boardman baptized Ko Tha byu, the first Karen convert, five Karens of their own accord set out in February, 1831, on a preaching tour to their countrymen in Siam. The villagers received them kindly, but the chiefs would not suffer them to proceed. Hence after these Christians had visited a few localities just beyond the border, they were obliged to turn back within fifteen days of their time of starting. About half a century ago Rev. D. L. Brayton and Rev. Norman Harris. crossed the eastern frontier of the Mergui District in search of Siamese Karens. In his ninety-second year Mr. Brayton still lives to tell of his experiences on that memorable missionary journey.* After an interval of twenty years, Rev. C. H. and Mrs. Carpenter penetrated the jungles of Lower Siam on a tour of exploration. Rev. and Mrs. Churchill resided at Bangkok a whole year, hoping to find an opening for labor on behalf of Karens. Besides these two just mentioned other missionaries from the Maritime Provinces of Canada, namely, Rev. Messrs. Armstrong and Sanford and Miss Norris (afterwards Mrs. Armstrong), with native assistants, sought to convey the gospel message to the Pwos and Sgaws across the border in the latitude of Moulmein and Tavoy. But their efforts were apparently all to no purpose. It was not until after their missionaries had been directed to cross the Bay of Bengal to Coconada that the prayers of the Canadian Baptists began to be answered on behalf of the Karens inhabiting the wilds of Siam. Success was finally achieved through the instrumentality of Christian Karen traders, who had gone in search of teak timber. The first fruits were gathered in Upper Siam in the Lakon District of the Laos country -a region quite difficult of access, far away to the east of the Menam River. The Burma Baptist Missionary Convention gladly adopted this field as one of their "spheres of influence," and sent the ordained preachers, by whom the converts were baptized. The disciples proved to be steadfast, even when they were left for a season without pastoral care; and so their numbers increased. Rev. David Webster In the first article it should have been stated that Rev. S. B. Partridge and wife spent four years in Siam before removing to Swatow, China. and family from Moulmein resided for a short period at Zimmè (Chièngmai) in order to be comparatively near the Karen Baptists of northern Siam. They were visited from time to time by Rev. Messrs. Bushell and Bulkley, as well as by native evangelists. About nine years ago a party consisting of a Pwo Karen ordained missionary from the Bassein District, his bride and three travelling companions, were cruelly murdered by the orders of an official of the Siamese government, out of hatred to Christianity. After much correspondence, and tedious delays, this man was arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced by the king to imprisonment for life. many The last American Baptist missionaries to visit the Karen Christians in Siam were Rev. A. E. Seagrave from Rangoon and Rev. W. C. Calder from Moulmein.* With the assistance of the late Th'ra Pawmlaw, January 3, 1897, they ordained to the gospel ministry Th'ra Ler-se, a Siamese Karen, who had received his education at the Karen Theological Seminary. It was a most interesting occasion. The pastor elect cheerfully gave up the good, steady pay, which he had been receiving from the B. B. M. Convention, and agreed to accept whatever the members of the church at Mehkwa felt able to give for his support. According to the thirty-third annual report of that convention, the number of churches of Siamese Karens is three; and the total of communicants is two hundred and forty-three. They are organized into an association, which meets annually for the purpose of evangelizing the region beyond. them. The outlook is full of cheer and encouragement. race of people, calling themselves Mons, but by the Burmans designated as Talaings. They are descendants of captives and refugees from Pegu, and from other parts of Lower Burma. It is said that many years ago (probably in the early part of this century), at a preconcerted signal, forty thousand Peguans left their homes, and on a single day started eastward to emigrate to Siam, in order to escape from Burmese oppression. Their descendants multiplied, as did the Hebrews in Egypt; so that their present number has been estimated to be as high as one million, including those dwelling in Upper Siam, and in what is now French territory. The first American missionary, who took a special interest in the Talaings, appears to have been Rev. J. T. Jones, who was brought into contact with them during his residence of a year and a half at Moulmein, previous to September 24, 1832, the date of his sailing for Siam. In the Straits Settlements he was detained a long time before he succeeded in securing passage for himself and family to Bangkok. While waiting at Singapore he improved the time by putting together a vocabulary of four thousand Talaing words; but this valuable work seems to have been lost beyond hope of re covery. To the fact of the existence of so many Peguans in Siam my attention was first drawn, soon after I arrived at Moulmein, in December, 1889. On my preaching tours I repeatedly met. with Buddhist pilgrims from Siam speaking the same tongue as my Talaing assistants. Some of these strangers we supplied with tracts, which were printed at the Rangoon Mission Press in 1874, under the direction of Rev. J. M. Haswell, D. D. In 1893 a telegraph operator, in search of employment, took for me a package of those tracts, and delivered it faithfully into the hands of Rev. L. A. Eaton of Bangkok. Not more than five miles south of Bengkolem Point is Paklat, the chief town of a region densely populated by Peguans, and having a Peguan governor. Mr. Eaton promptly visited this place, taking with him as interpreter Dr. Adamsen, who is able to speak and read Peguan almost as fluently as Siamese. An exhibition of magic lantern views brought together an immense concourse, and at the close of the lecture it was found that the supply of tracts was far from being sufficient to distribute among the eager listeners. In 1894 or 1895 I despatched two brandy boxes, packed almost as full as they culd hold with Peguar tracts and Scripture portions. One of these was directed to Rev. S. J. Smith at Bengkolem Point, and the other to Dr. McGilvary at Chièngmai (Zimmè). So far the work was preparatory. Ere long I was permitted to learn of a few baptisms from among the Mons of Lower Siam. In response to an urgent request from Dr. Adamsen for help, in the spring of 1896 I sent Nai Leh and Mi 'Peh, an elderly couple, not well versed in the Scriptures, it is true, but full of zeal to communicate to others the glad tidings, which had brought to them so much peace and joy. Mi 'Peh was the granddaughter of a chief, who, in the northern part of the Tenasserim Province of Burma, had been killed by a band of Siamese marauders. Carrying on a predatory warfare, they took her grandmother and many others as prisoners, and dragged them off into captivity. About fifty years ago with her parents Mi 'Peh succeeded in escaping from their Siamese taskmasters into British Burma. Accompanied by her husband, she went back to the home of her childhood and told her kinsfolk the simple story of how through her husband's instrumentality she had been persuaded to accept the truth as it is in Jesus. She also described how he had taken pains to teach her to read, not only the Peguan language, but also the Burmese. Their labors were greatly blessed; and so in the providence of God success came, not so much at a central and convenient out-station like Paklat, or Samkôk, as at the obscure village of Sam'pawlerm, fifty miles away to the north from the Baptist mission station at Bangkok. The cry, "Come over and help us," becoming still more urgent, I myself started March 2, 1897, on a missionary tour to Siam via Rangoon and Singapore. In company with me went Maung Di, Ko 'Tarr-thûn and Ko Shwe-gya. The first named gave up a good position in the Baptist Mission Burmese Boys' Boarding School at Moulmein, and volunteered to go with his family as a mission school teacher in order to labor under the direction of Dr. Adamsen. The other two are preachers, who agreed to accompany me just for the trip; and it is a pleasure to be able to testify that they rendered most efficient services. one From March 18 to April 21, 1897, we were very hospitably entertained by Dr. and Mrs. Adamsen. During those five weeks we visited Sam'pawlerm twice. Lord's Day morning, March 21, at Dr. Adamsen's request, I baptized five candidates, Siamese man, and four women, of whom one was Siamese, and three were Mons. In his steam launch, the "Nina," Dr. Adamsen took us through the rivers and numerous creeks and canals, carrying the glad tidings from one Mon town and hamlet to another. The villagers flocked to see us, delighted to hear preaching in their own tongue. We sold five hundred Peguan tracts and Scripture portions. Friday night, April 16, we started off for our second visit to Sam'pawlerm. The next day the headmen showed a disposition to make trouble. Dr. Adamsen reported the matter to the governor of Ayuthia, and he immediately sent his deputy to our relief; so there was no further opposition to our putting a chapel upon a piece of ground, which was given by a Christian widow of that village. Easter Sunday, April 18, was "a high day." In the morning I had the privilege of baptizing in the Menam River the mother of Dr. Adamsen. After breakfast he married a young couple, and held an out-of-door preaching service. That same day I assisted him in administering the communion, and in organizing a church of twenty-five or thirty members, and at the close we took up a good collection for building the chapel, of which we had erected all the posts on the day previous. After a tedious detention of nearly a fortnight at Singapore, while waiting for a steamer, on the 19th of May, we reached Rangoon upon our return. In addition to providing for the support of Nai Leh, the Burma Baptist Missionary Convention paid the fares of Ko 'Taw-thûn and Ko Shwe-gya; so we were able to make this visit to the Mons of Siam without being at any expense to the American Baptist Missionary Union. Before the end of 1897, Dr. Adamsen was called to Paklat, to baptize a man who had been led to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ by the reading of a Peguan tract. His wife was so much opposed to his forsaking the religion of their ancestors, that she wished to be separated from him. According to the latest advices, however, there was reason to hope that ere long she would cease from her bitterness and be willing to live with him again. He seemed to be possessed of so much ability and decision of character that he was soon appointed as a preacher to his townsmen. The Mon converts in Siam with few exceptions have been steadfast and earnest in their adherence to the newly found doctrines of the forgiveness of sins and salvation through the merits of a crucified and risen Redeemer. |