Τ

AHE old Manchu dynasty is in a state of irrevocable collapse, and by the time you get this the Republic of China will be proclaimed. This is one of the most astounding revolutions in the history of the empire, and fraught with far-reaching consequences both to our great missionary cause, and to relations with all nations. Today scarcely a man in this most populous city in the empire wears a queue. I saw crowds of men going about with scissors seizing men and boys on the street and cutting off their queues, and no serious objection was made.

The change here has been with most widespread rejoicing. The country was ready for the change. For some days the people were greatly disturbed, and tens of thousands left the city for Hong Kong and the country. The Viceroy wavered. He granted some concessions that satisfied the people, but when he heard that the imperialists had re-taken Hankow (false report) he reversed positions and forbade the flying of the white flag. But the people were insistent, and he was informed that further vacillation would be with bitter consequences to himself and he finally accepted conditions, and fled the city and was taken to the British consul's residence in a state of physical collapse, and was nearly dead before he could be transported to Hong Kong. A new ruler was chosen, a provisional government has been established, and people are again flocking back, and comparative quiet prevails. At this time of writing, 15 of the provinces have gone over to the Republic, and the Manchus are preparing to flee.

What is the outlook? China is undoubtedly at a very critical stage looking prospectively towards a Republic. The soundest judgment,

and very best ability that the nation can command will be needed to supply administrative, judicial and executive duties. I believe the Chinese are abundantly able to meet these needs if the other countries will give moral and sympathetic support, and keep hands off their territory. Mistakes will be made in this transition period, but the hearts of the people are with the reformers, and with patience and tact, a new government will eliminate most

of the old obstacles that stifled trade and intercourse both with other countries and in the different provinces. Mutual concessions will have to be made, but the Chinese are pastmasters in matters of compromise, and orders have already been issued by the six boards at Shanghai, requesting each province to send delegates to the National Assembly to meet in that city. Today no country is held in so high esteem as our own, and the Chinese will be greatly pleased if our country is the first to acknowledge the new Republic, as I earnestly hope we may do.

What is the bearing on our work? The change from the old despotism, with its worship of Confucius and worship of idols required of officials, to republican liberty, will thrust upon us mighty responsibilities. should not be surprised if there should arise a sudden determination on the part of the people to destroy idols. Idolatry is absolutely doomed, and the millions of tracts that have been scattered, and millions more that will be given out, mean the death of idolatry. Today in this city some of the high official positions have been given to our Christians. The son of one of our old preachers is a graduate of Toronto University, and of Columbia Law School, and here is in high authority. Another man, teacher in Fati School, has been

forth to clothe the land with verdure. Temporary inspirations may have their permanent and good results and yet the external manifestation will pass away.

In

The political problem of old days is solved as far as the eye can see, and settled. times past the uncertainty served to turn many to inquire regarding religion. When the state is rocking on its foundations and threatening to turn turtle, who would not have a mind to seek God and make fast to something that would hold? This has gone by and we are in a different world indeed, anchored deep and immovable.

A season of revival and great outpouring of mysterious power such as was seen in 1907 is very likely to be followed by a dull period of coldness and stupefaction. Never again can quite the same phenomenon be witnessed. Attempts have been made to recreate it, but they have fallen flat. No amount of agony could restore the experience, no amount of prayer call down the fire. It just would not come, and saints looked at each other to say, "Has God forsaken us?" But the universal answer has been, "No, never." Perhaps it was the experience rather than God himself that was sought for. At any rate He did not see fit to give it, and yet the Church moves

on.

Attempts have been made to start independent organizations. For a time this spirit was aflame in parts of the peninsula. One of the ordained Presbyterian pastors went off and preached his propaganda from end to end of the land. "Come ye out and be free from Westerners. Cut out your own creed and run your own Church, ordain, baptize, do as you please and see how happy you'll be." When we heard last of this would-be apostle he was in jail and his followers were dropping away. The propaganda, indirectly, has had a good influence on the Church. Hereafter cries of independence will be looked askance upon.

Smaller organizations that think they have a superior doctrine to plain Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians, Baptists and Congregationalists have come. Our Seventh Day Adventist cousins who feel in conscience bound to their interpretation of the Jewish Sabbath are here and have gone in and out and told the Christians "Except ye keep Sat

99

urday as Sabbath, ye are all wrong, the Sabbath still holds. Where does your Sunday. come from anyhow? Prove it from Scripture," etc. This has run through the Church and some have gone off and some have come back. For a time the Christians were disturbed no little, but this, too, has proved a blessing in that it has set many to searching the Scriptures more earnestly to see whether these things be so. The Church moves on having learned one more lesson.

The "Holiness" mission too is here, not to plow up the fallow ground but to push in on the groups of Christians and say their say, "Planting Holiness in Korea" is the way their organ puts it. Good, indeed, is such a mission, but human nature is so weak that whenever it makes special claim to humility or gentleness or holiness, it very soon grows to be an arbitrary judge of all the earth, holding up this one and that for spiritual inspection, weighing him and gauging her, pronouncing, "not holy," "knows nothing of holiness," "a legalist," "absolutely in the dark," etc, etc. The disciples of such teaching, too, are likely to run about with weighing scales rating missionaries and converts as "chaff” and "less than chaff," while all the time, of course, they are the kernel. If you raise a question as to their claims or teaching, or squareness of deal in enticing converts from other missions, you are an unconverted Saul of Tarsus, an enemy of the truth, a persecutor of the saints.

However, to compensate for these unhappy experiences, comes a benificent organization like the Salvation Army, not claiming for themselves anything, but with hearts all afire to save the lost, the imprisoned, the guilty, the sinful. Even western fallen women who drift east (think of the horror of it), soiled unspeakably, lowest of the low, find the Army ready to accept them, to kiss away their bedraggled tears, and to say, tenderly, “Come to Jesus."

All these things the Korean Church has seen, and these experiences it has passed through and yet the great tide of gospel influence moves straight on. All those that have ploughed it from end to end have but served to break up the fallow ground and prepare for a wider sowing. God is ever present.