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desired colonists.

There seemed to be no lack of people who desired to go to a country better able to support people than their own overcrowded fatherland. Many, however, being in the hands of usurers and other money-lenders, could not obtain their permission to leave the country, being compelled by their poverty to continue in poverty. The voyage of these colonists to Malaysia in a steamer specially chartered for this purpose, was a very unfortunate one owing to storms and an epidemic of cholera which broke out on board on the fifth day of the journey. Five deaths from the dreadful disease occurred on the journey, while twentyfive more succumbed during the quarantine at Singapore, but at last the sad experience came to a close and we landed at Sitiawan, then a little Malay village, situated close to the boundary of the British territory of the Dindings on the Malay Peninsula, within easy communication with the deep sound and harbor of Lumut, the capital of the Dindings. I shall never forget the day of this memorable arrival. Mr. William Cowan, Protector of Chinese and Secretary for Chinese affairs of the Perak government, and other officials and friends met us at the port and when the colonists had landed and had undergone a thorough cleansing they assembled at the beach under some splendid Para rubber trees which grow luxuriantly in that country. Some of the people knelt and others stood, while we were led in a fervent prayer by one of the elders. In spite of the apparent difference between this people and the ancestors of this great nation I could not but be reminded of the Pilgrim Fathers who, in 1620, reached the shores of America near Plymouth Rock and entering

into a country equally unknown to them but equally full of promise, they devoutly thanked God for His protection on the sea and His blessing and abiding presence promised in their new-found home.

The land selected for the colony was a distance of four miles from the beach where we had landed, and placing a majority of the women and children into ox-carts requisitioned for the purpose, the long procession started for their destination. The government had provided, during my absence, but at my request, ten large sheds built like the houses of the natives, of raw jungle-wood, covered with palm thatch. Tho primitive in their appointments they were nevertheless admirably suited for life in that tropical land. The colonists were, according to their home districts and their families, placed in nine of the buildings, under elders elected by themselves. At the request of the people the tenth house was reserved as a school and church for the immediate use of the immigrants. I appointed the pastor, licensed the class leaders, and selected a school teacher for the children, about thirty or forty of whom were of school age.

The spiritual and educational needs of the people were thus provided for, and I proceeded to divide the arable land of the colony among them. We immediately commenced to break the soil of a ten-acre plot reserved for a church, and here we planted 20,000 seeds of the Para rubber tree, the young plants of which were afterward distributed among the landholders. In the course of a few months the people had entered upon their land, built very simple but suitable houses, planted a part of the land in rice, sweet pota

toes, rubber and cocoanuts, and after seven months of labor were independent of further government help. The authorities liberally assisted the colony in the purchase of agricultural tools, seeds, pigs, fowls and cattle, and before I left the place, which was by that time wonderfully changed from primeval forest into beautiful and rich-soiled farms, the colony had become a beloved home.

While a number of people, "ne'erdo-weels," have left the colony, we have learned to congratulate ourselves upon their departure, and the aspect of this colonization work is very hopeful. The settlers, who have been joined by some of their relations from China, had all been exceedingly poor, and would probably have never been able to emerge from the semi-serfdom of the small farmer in the poorer districts of China. Some might have gradually sunk into yet more miserable conditions, but now even a casual observer may note the manly bearing and the free look, which are the outcome of a new hope. In February, 1905, when the provisional church and school building began to give signs of decay, the people themselves subscribed the almost incredible sum of $838 (inclusive of a little encouragement on the part of two missionaries) for a new church, which has since been erected and which is a credit to the people and the present missionary in charge, the Rev. B. F. Van Dyke. A reed organ presented by an Epworth League in the United States, has been forwarded to beautify the service of the worshipers.

Every year since the commencement of the work the number of conversions

and baptisms has been encouraging, and while less than seventy-five per cent. of the original members were Christians, we have now, even counting the new accessions to the colony, a practically purely Christian community. There is an Epworth League and Mission Band, who have acquired the Hokkien language and are laboring among the people of that idiom in the neighboring villages and towns as far as Lumut and Pangkor. Three young men have been recommended for admission to the Jean Hamilton Theological School at Singapore.

Missionaries, government officials and others who have visited the interesting colony, view it as one of great importance and hopefulness for the future. It may be a solution of the great problem of counteracting the congestion of population and the consequent dire poverty in some parts of China and India. There are hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land in the Malay Peninsula, which would support hundreds of thousands of the population of countries now periodically visited by famines. But does not the action of the Perak government throw a bright light upon the attitude of some countries who have closed their doors (and the doors of their colonies) to the energetic Chinese race?

We feel the success of this scheme so assured that I hope shortly to return to the colony and build, on land provided for this purpose by the government, an orphanage for our entire Malaysia Conference. May I ask for the prayers and the interest of my kind readers in behalf of this great and necessary work?

BY REV. M. B. KIRKPATRICK, M.D., NAMKHAM, BURMA
Missionary of the American Baptist Missionary Union, 1888-

Leaving the mission bungalow at Namkham with a small party of native helpers and a run-away-slave woman for a guide, we took a road leading up the sides of the mountains to the northeast. The path soon became very steep and slippery so that it was with the greatest difficulty that we were able to keep our pack-ponies from falling.

After a time we reached a point above the clouds and saw a grand sight; the clouds in the valley below rolling like great waves, frequently illuminated by the lightning while the reverberating thunder added to the grandeur. We were in the bright sunlight while the storm raged in the valley below. Later, as the sun and wind chased the clouds away and brought out the beautiful "bow of promise," the scene was lovely beyond description.

We were astonished by the great number of towns in sight, and counted over two hundred in the valley and on the foothills. Some of them were small while others were great walled cities with several thousand houses within the walls. What a parish! Only one missionary and his wife and a few native helpers for this great valley; and this is only one of the fourteen valleys peopled by Shans in this field. Half of them have never been visited by a missionary or even a native preacher.

We continued our journey up the winding path to the crest of the first range of mountains, where we found "Man Wie," a Paloung village of about sixty houses. Soon all were busy unpacking the pony loads, get

ting wood and water, making up the beds, cooking rice and curry, making ready for the camp, etc. My medicines and instruments and the books and tracts were unpacked, while some went through the main streets calling at the houses, announcing the arrival of the "white preacher" and asked everybody to come to the evening meeting at the zayatt (rest house for travelers). They were invited to hear about "the Lord who can save," and all the sick were told to come for medicine.

In a few minutes a crowd of children had gathered. At first they were afraid of the "white foreigner," but the Bible woman left her cooking and began playing some gospel tunes on the accordion, which greatly pleased the children. She sang a hymn and explained the meaning to them, and then she sent them home to tell their parents what they had seen and heard. By the time we had eaten supper the people began to gather and soon the zayatt was crowded and many standing outside. We sang Gospel hymns and explained the object of our visit. All who were sick were invited to come to the improvised dispensary behind a curtain in one corner of the zayatt, where I would minister to them as best I could, while the preachers and Bible women were going on with the Gospel meeting.

It was after eleven o'clock before the last patient was attended, and then as it was getting late I told the people that as we must travel the next day, we wanted to go to bed, but that first it was always our custom to read from “God's book" and pray to Him. Af

ter singing a hymn I read a few verses from the Bible and then the preacher, the Bible woman and a school boy made brief, earnest prayers and we sang heartily, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow." Then I said, "Please go home and we will go to sleep." Some of the old men said, "Go to sleep if you wish, teacher; we want to stay and hear more about the Lord who can save. We never heard such good words before."

Some of our party went to sleep while others sat up to preach and to answer questions. The people brought fruit, tea, parched rice and jaggery (cane sugar in flat cakes) from their homes and were prepared to make a night of it. After midnight, as the preacher was very tired, I told him to go to bed while I talked to the people. They were eagerly asking how another could bear sins for us, and similar questions.

Seventy-three adults had remained up all night to hear the Gospel. We We packed up for another day's journey and were ready to start as the sun rose. The Bible woman, Mah May, asked me to go see an old woman at the head man's house. This old woman listened attentively and apparently believed. She had never seen a white man, altho, according to her birth certificate she was one hundred and twenty-three years old. As she sat huddled together by the fire she said, "Teacher, is it true that the Lord that can save, can and will save me, a woman? Do not deceive me; I am very old and must soon fall into hell unless this new religion is true. I have made many offerings and made many long pilgrimages to the most sacred shrines and still find no relief from the burden of sin. Please teach

me to pray to this Jesus that can save."

I explained the plan of salvation and God's love for her and taught her a simple prayer of a few words. She seemed very grateful. As I was about to leave her she said:

"Teacher, you come from the great American country do you not?" "Yes," I answered.

"Is your country greater than the Shan country?"

I assured her that it was. "Are the people there all Christians?"

I had to confess that they were not, but that there were many Christians. "Were your parents Christians?" "Yes, and my grandparents and ancestors for several generations."

"My parents," she said, "died when I was young. My brothers and sisters are all dead. I have been married three times and my husbands are all dead. I had nine children and they are all dead. I had many grandchildren and they are all dead except this one with whom I am living. I have seen three generations fall into hell. Now I believe in Jesus and hope to go to the heavenly country when I die. If there are so many Christians in your country and you have known about this Lord that can save for so long, why did you not come and tell us before so that many of my people could have been saved?" With the tears running down her cheeks she said: "I am so glad to hear this good news before it is too late, but all of my loved ones have fallen into hell. Why did you not come before?"

That question still haunts me. I wish every Christian in America could hear it as I did.

A few weeks later I saw some of

the men from this village in the bazaar at Namkham and asked them about the "old grandmother of the village." They told me that she had died the day before and that they had come to buy things for the funeral. After much questioning they said that they were ashamed to tell me that she was crazy. As she grew weaker she told everybody that she was going to die in a few days and she was very happy about it. She was going to the heavenly country, and other such foolish things. When she was too weak to speak aloud she kept whispering, "Yasu hock sung. Yasu hock sung" (Jesus loves me. Jesus loves me.)

with her last breath. The first and only time this woman ever heard the Gospel she accepted it and was saved. It is an exceptional case, but there are others like it.

From this village we had a very rough, steep road among the mountains to reach a large Kachin village, from which the run-a-way slave woman came and where the Sawbwa (head man of the district) was still illegally keeping several slaves. I had sent him word that I was coming, and he replied that he was sharpening his swords and to come on if we dared. It was late in the day when we drew near the entrance of the village and some of my followers were afraid of the savage Kachins. The Sawbwa sent out a present of fruit and water, with an urgent request to stay in his village. He gave us an empty house, furnished wood, water, vegetables and some fowls, and was most hospitable. At first he was afraid I was an English official come to punish him for keeping slaves, stealing cattle and other lawless deeds, but I explained that we came as friends and only

wanted to help him. I treated many who were sick and performed several surgical operations, and in the evening his house was crowded with listeners at the Gospel service. It was long after midnight when we closed the meeting and went to rest. The next morning he willingly allowed the run-a-way slave woman to have her little boy and she and another slave woman followed us back to Namkham. This Kachin Sawbwa and some of his people came to the hospital for medicine, and later the two boys from that village came to the mission school as boarding pupils.

The next day we moved on to another Kachin village, the home of Mosè, one of our preachers. Altho Sawbwa of the district, he had been three years in the mission school and had learned to read and speak Shan and Burmese as well as his own Kachin language. His people were anxious to have him come back and rule over them. They offered to do everything possible for his comfort and happiness. His mother had already selected a wife for him and had paid a large sum of money for her, but Mosè had never seen the girl. The people were ready to build for him a palace of thatch and bamboo, but after hearing their generous offers he said to them:

"My people, I love you and will do all I can to help you. I appreciate your kind offers but cannot accept them. I used to be a worshiper of the Nats (evil Spirits) as you are aware, but I have learned of the true God, the creator of the world, and His Son, Jesus Christ, who alone can save from sin. I do not offer to the Nats for I am not afraid of them. I love and worship the true God and

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