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It is not necessary to go far into the annals of the past to find missionary heroes. Those who have heard Dr. John G. Paton tell the story of missions in the New Hebrides will agree with this statement, and if there were a little more of interest in and thirst for a full knowledge of the subject, scores and hundreds of men and women of our own time would be found whose lives are deeply and devoutly apostolic.

In the autumn of 1874, while on a visit to

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James Gilmour

our mission in Peking, I was invited to a Mongol breakfast given in a tent, and consisting of Mongol fare. It was given by Rev. James Gilmour in one of the compounds of the London Missionary Society. Our host was a manly looking fellow thirtyone years of age. He had already had some experience in the lonely and difficult pioneer work among the tribes of Mongolia. Six weeks later, while on board a steamer in the harbor of Hong Kong, a young lady arrived

[December,

out from Great Britain on her way to Peking to become the wife of Mr. Gilmour. If I remember rightly there had been a shipwreck in her experience, but she was now safely on her way to marry a man whom she had never seen, but her sister, wife of Rev. Mr. Meech, of Peking, had made the two acquainted by means of letters, photographs, etc. The fact of her consent to marry a man who had chosen such a field indicates a degree of faith which promised well for her part in the heroic career before her.

The life of Mr. Gilmour, who died in the summer of 1891, is a valuable contribution to the literature of modern missions. One of the elements which next to earnest piety are in demand in the missionary of our time is a robust manliness, and for this qualification Mr. Gilmour stood as a living illustration. Mere goodness without this is of little avail in any missionary's sphere, and especially in one demanding an aggressive pioneer work. Besides, the manliness is no drawback upon the goodness, if one has both. No man in modern times has seemed more deeply consecrated than this bold and resolute spirit with whom obstacles and difficulties were as straws

in his career. It is frequently the case that a man of this spirit, full of fire and physical courage, at the same time baptized with an earnest Christian spirit, goes to the extreme of fanaticism. Mr. Gilmour had not much of this, but just a little. Satisfied in his own mind that multitudes of missionaries failed to identify themselves with the people by attempting to live altogether as foreigners and on the high grade of a foreign civilization, he went to the opposite extreme for a time. He reasoned with himself thus: "The thousands here need salvation; God is most anxious to give it to them: Where, then, is the hinderance? In them? I hardly think so. In God? No. In me, then! The thing I am praying away at now is that He will remove that hinderance by whatever process necessary. I shall not be astonished if He put me through some fires or severe operations. . . It is the foreign element in our

1892.]

lives that runs away with the money. The foreign houses, foreign clothes, foreign food are ruinous." But he carried this adaptation to Chinese and Mongolian ways to an extreme. He adopted in toto not only the native dress, but practically the native food, and so far as a Christian man could, native habits of life. His average expense for food during his residence in his district was threepence a day. Of course, he was a vegetarian. He also became somewhat extreme in his views of study. He read only the Bible. This gave him, of course, a deep Scriptural knowledge and experience, and all must admit that this is a good fault but it prevented him from that breadth of knowledge of the environments in which his missionary life was set. After a visit home, rendered necessary, perhaps, by his low diet, and during which he saw the advantages of being in touch with the on-going current of the world about him, he not only gave up his strict, vegetarian diet, but he also welcomed well chosen books, magazines and papers, as giving him a healthier spiritual life. The great secret of Mr. Gilmour's power lay in his implicit faith in Christ and his determination, like Carey, not only to ask great things of God, but to expect great things from God. In 1890, as he was setting sail from England for his field, he wrote a letter on board the steamer, still in the Channel, to a friend in which some characteristic expressions occur: "You say you want reviving. Go directly to Jesus and ask Him straight out, and you will get it straight away. This revived state is not a thing you need to work yourself into, or need others to help you rise into, or need to come to England to have operated upon you-Jesus can effect it anywhere. He does effect it everywhere whenever a man or woman will ask it. Ask and ye shall receive., There is so much that I would like to say that it is hardly worth while to commence to say anything. So I will simply commend you to Jesus in all His fullness." His breadth of view and his large Christian sympathy are shown in a brief reference to the Salvation Army. He says, "Have you been to any Salvation Army efforts? I always felt better for going, but

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latterly did not go much—I could not stand the 'row.' I am eager that you should identify yourself with some soul-saving energy. If it really is a soul saving concern, 1 don't think it matters very much what it is." Some of his illustrations of Christian truth were very pat. In writing to a friend he referred to a poor old woman in Annan whose son was in America. Being in great distress, as she was about to be sold out for unpaid rent, she made known her trouble to a friend, who wondered that her son had not sent her money, and asked to see his letters. In one of them she found a post-office order for nearly $40. The old woman had had it for sometime, but thought it was only a picture. "Wasn't she a stupid old woman," says Gilmour, "to be bankrupt with an uncashed post-office order in her possession? But how often we are much more stupid than she, when we have all untouched in our possession the sure promises of God." Mr. Gilmour was an indefatigable worker, rising at daylight, folding up what he called his bed, and beginning to read in the Chinese, taking a little hot millet and bean porridge at six; Chinese rolls and a cup of cocoa at eight; working on and on till after the middle of the day, but then generally taking a walk. He often amused the natives by going out into the country, just for the sake of being in the fields and seeing the crops. All this seemed very strange to them. Such stupid sentimentality that was searching not for money, or for food, or any other material thing, was beyond their comprehension; communion with nature was worse than nonsense. The trials of this earnest man on his lonely tours among the Mongols would have been appalling to a less resolute spirit. Living on native food not only, but in cold, damp weather finding his bivouac in a Mongolian tent, where smoke and dirt and discomfort were unspeakable. Still he kept up courage, and even a breezy cheerfulness in the midst of it all. While apparently in vigorous health, and during a series of missionary meetings which Mr. Gilmour was attending at Tientsin, he was taken with fever, and after ten days' illness passed to his rest at the age of forty-eight years, another of those

Organized more than two years ago by the Presbytery of the City of Mexico, for home mission work, this Board led a feeble existence until the last meeting of Presbytery, when new energy was infused into the movement, and an appeal was printed requesting all the churches to give a fixed annual quota. Many have responded heartily, even liberally. As some money had already been collected, it was decided to make a beginning, and Rev. Felix Gomez, one of our most enthusiastic and energetic pioneer workers, was asked to accept appointment from this Mexican Board, with a salary of thirty-five dollars a month, and an allowance of five dollars for horse and travelling.

He readily consented and was sent to the new and yet unevangelized post of Guerrero. That was May 1st, and since then we have had several interesting letters from him. In one he makes special mention of persecution and the dangers that beset him owing to the hostility of fanatical Romanists. In later communications he dwells upon the advances made in spite of such bitter and strenuous opposition.

Tenanguillo, a small town in the mountains, twelve leagues from post office and telegraph, over a rough trail, is the centre of his operations; and thither his wife and family have bravely followed him. It was a hard trial for the first two weeks as no one was willing to rent them a house, and even now petty persecution occasions them manifold annoyance. Yet in spite of it all he is holding regular weekly service with an attendance at times as high as sixty or seventy; and some are already asking to be received into the church. These new converts are enthusiastic in their search after gospel truth, and daily gather about Mr. Gomez and ask for instruction. Still others come in from the surrounding villages and ranches, listen to his teaching, and then, carrying away with them

tracts and Bibles, return home and sow the good seed in the hearts of their neighbors.

The little congregation has gone so far as to propose building a church, school house and parsonage, of course of a very humble kind. They have asked the mission to send them a teacher, promising that if we will pay six dollars a month, they will contribute the rest of his salary. They wish to buy an organ also, for off there in the mountains the simple natives have great love for our sacred music, and the sweet strains of our gospel hymns always awaken a responsive echo in their hearts. For hours they will linger about the instrument, storing the memory with the precious words of life.

Mr Gomez has sent us an earnest appeal for more Bibles and tracts, and speaks in glowing terms of the grand work being done by the Bible agent, Mr. Simon Diaz.

One convert brought his "miracle-working" image of the Virgin of Guadalupe and he and Mr. Gomez burned it.

The poor astonished priest of neighboring San Miguel is doing his best to stem the tide of gospel progress. He has chosen a char

acteristic method.

The faithful have been warned that a great waterspout is to sweep down from the mountain back of Tenanguillo, and drown Don Felix and all his converts. It is a striking commentary on the enlightenment of the people that so idle a threat could be made and be believed in by many who daily strain eager eyes to catch the first glimpse of the coming of God's avenging flood..

Meanwhile the work goes forward, and the best of it is that it is work carried on by the Mexicans themselves. It is the entering wedge of self-help, and who can say but that in God's good providence our Mexican Home Board shall some day raise its thousands and thus very materially aid our own Foreign Board. I am doing what I can to secure so desirable a consummation,

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good hall in which to meet. The tiny parlor so generously given by a Christian here will never hold more than thirty-five people, counting children. Sometimes a dozen more stand outside so the audience is not very large. It is my desire, therefore, as soon as possible to hire a larger house, and then when we are in good running order here, to open one or two new places of worship in the other suburbs. There is no question of the need of work here.

FANATICISM.

The growing influence and violent demands of the Moslem mullahs and dervishes are vividly illustrated by a single paragraph in a letter from Rev. S. G. Wilson, of Tabriz, Persia, recently received at the Mission House. He says, “On June 16 a placard to the following effect was posted on the streets of Tabriz: Aga Shirazi thus commands: The Protestants in this city must go forth from the city in twenty days. If they do not we must make the jaheed (holy war) against them." This Aga Shirazi is the chief mujteheed of Kerbela, the head of the Shiah Mohammedans. These men, the mullahs and mujteheeds, have immense influence in Persia and are allowed to actually administer a large part of the cases arising under the law. This particular proclamation was torn down by the governor of Tabriz, and in the midst of the excitement which it caused, the chief mullah of the city hastened to mount his pulpit and declare it a forgery. But the public mind is full of feverish, fanatical thoughts. The bigoted and cruel ecclesiastics can easily influence the masses to the point of riot and bloodshed. The civil power is more tolerant, more under the influence of the diplomatic representatives of the great Christian powers, but the Mohammedan mobs, incited by the mujteheeds have more than once forced court and governor and the Shah himself to obey their will.

[December,

MISSIONARY CALENDAR.

DEPARTURE.

From San Francisco for Korea mission Aug. 16, Rev. and Mrs. S. F. Moore, Rev. Graham Lee and Miss Victoria C. Arbuckle, Sept. 27, Rev. and Mrs. W. L. Swallen and Miss Ellen Strong, Oct. 6, Rev. and Mrs. F. S. Miller; for Siam mission, Aug. 16, Miss Edna S. Cole (returning); for Laos mission, Miss Emma Hitchcock and Miss Annabel King; for Central China mission, Aug. 28, Mrs. L. S. Abbey (returning); Sept. 27, Rev. and Mrs. George F. Fitch (returning); for Canton mission, Sept. 18, D. A. Beattie, M. D., and wife, Sept. 27, Miss Ruth C. Bliss, M. D., Rev. and Mrs. E. W. Thwing, and Miss Gertrude Thwing, Miss E. M. Butler (returning), Oct. 6, Rev. and Mrs. Paul McClintock; for Shantung mission, Sept. 18, Rev. and Mrs. J. L. Nevius (returning, Rev. and Mrs. George Cornwell, Rev. and Mrs. L. J. Davies, and Rev. F. W. Jackson, Jr.; for West Japan mission, Oct. 6, Miss Bessie Brown and Miss Mary M. Palmer.

From New York for Brazil mission, Sept. 21, Miss Minnie S. Baxter; for Lodiana mission, Oct. 1, Rev. and Mrs. C. W. Forman, D.D., (returning), C. W. Forman, Jr., M. D., and wife, Mrs. Effie H. Braddock, Oct. 15, Rev. J. N. Hyde, Miss Emma Morris and Miss S. M. Wherry (returning), Oct. 22, Miss Emily Forman; for Farukhabad mission, Oct. 1, Miss Mary Forman (returning), Oct. 5, Rev. and Mrs. S. H. Kellogg, D.D., Oct. 15, Rev. and Mrs. J. N. Forman (returning), and Miss Emma L. Templin, M. D., Oct. 22, Rev. and Mrs. C. A. R. Janvier (returning); for East Persia mission, Oct. 20, George W. Holmes, M. D., and wife, Miss Cora Bartlett (returning), Miss A. G. Dale (returning), Miss Mary A. Clarke; for Syria mission, Oct. 15, Rev. and Mrs. W. K. Eddy (returning), Oct. 26, Rev. and Mrs. Samuel Jessup, D. D., (returning) and Miss E. M. Law; for Mexico mission, Oct. 1. Rev. and Mrs. J. G. Wood, Oct. 20, Rev. C. S. Williams and Miss Edna Johnson; for Dakota mission, Oct. 1, Miss B. A. R. Stocker; for Colombia mission, Oct. 28, Miss M. B. Hunter.

ARRIVALS.

From Canton, China, Sept. 9, Rev. and Mrs. W. H. Lingle.

From Feroze pore, India, Sept. 26, Rev. Howard Fisher,