Page 23 - Three Score Years & Ten
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“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
The feelings of both young men is probably summed up in one of Arthur Eason's letters home; "I could
not but think how foolish this undertaking of ours is in the sight of the world - coming to a large city,
two raw recruits, scarcely able to speak the language, and how foolish and helpless in every way."
They read together I Corinthians chapters 1 and 2, and rejoiced that "God chooses the foolish and the
weak, those who are base and despised" so that "no flesh should glory in His presence."
They settled into life with Yunnanfu as their centre but with the aim of visiting as many other towns and
villages in the province as possible. By the time they had been there a month Arthur Eason had
made a tour of seventeen days visiting a number of villages to the north-west which, as far as he
knew, had never been visited by Christian missionaries before. He and George then spent a few
days together in the city preaching and selling books wherever possible, but after a week George set
off on a journey which was to take three or four weeks.
In this way the two men between them visited nearly every unvisited city between Yunnan-fu and
Dalifu during the rest of 1882. Many of these places had never seen a European before and
thousands bought copies of Bibles and Gospels. Their home in Yunnanfu was the first Protestant
mission station in that centre. The only other one in the whole province was the one at Dalifu where
the Clarkes had been at work for over a year.
ARTHUR EASON MARRIES
At the end of 1882, Arthur Eason visited the Clarkes, the first foreigner they had seen for eighteen
months, and they thoroughly enjoyed having him there. Ten days later George Andrew arrived
prepared to take over the work there while the Clarkes went off to Yunnanfu and Guiyang and Arthur
Eason proceeded to Hankou to meet and marry his fiancée there. At that time Mrs.Clarke had not
seen another foreign woman for over two years, so was really looking forward to being with other
women again.
George was alone in Dali for nine months, and it was here he had his first contact with Tibetans. They
came in great numbers to attend the annual fair held there, and though George could not talk to them,
he had cards with texts on them in Tibetan which he distributed in large numbers.
By the time the Clarkes returned to Yunnan it was his turn to go to the coast to meet and marry his
fiancée, Miss Jessie Findlay who was already in China at the Women's Language Centre. On his
way back from Dali through Yunnanfu he baptised the first Protestant convert in the province. The
year was 1883.
THE SEVENTY
In late 1881 members and friends of the CIM had pledged themselves to pray for God to send our to
China in the next three years at least 70 new workers. It was the first time the CIM had felt led to
pray for a definite number in a specified time. The `prayer for seventy in three years' was abundantly
answered. In the years 1882, 1883 and 1884 more than 70 actually reached China, and others had
been accepted but, because of troubles in France, their sailing had been delayed.
Jessie Findlay was one of the first to go to China in 1882. She left London on 15 February and
proceeding via Paris, arrived in Shanghai on 3 April. From there she went to Language School to do
the required months of study before she would be allowed to marry her fiancé.
23
Amy Moore
The feelings of both young men is probably summed up in one of Arthur Eason's letters home; "I could
not but think how foolish this undertaking of ours is in the sight of the world - coming to a large city,
two raw recruits, scarcely able to speak the language, and how foolish and helpless in every way."
They read together I Corinthians chapters 1 and 2, and rejoiced that "God chooses the foolish and the
weak, those who are base and despised" so that "no flesh should glory in His presence."
They settled into life with Yunnanfu as their centre but with the aim of visiting as many other towns and
villages in the province as possible. By the time they had been there a month Arthur Eason had
made a tour of seventeen days visiting a number of villages to the north-west which, as far as he
knew, had never been visited by Christian missionaries before. He and George then spent a few
days together in the city preaching and selling books wherever possible, but after a week George set
off on a journey which was to take three or four weeks.
In this way the two men between them visited nearly every unvisited city between Yunnan-fu and
Dalifu during the rest of 1882. Many of these places had never seen a European before and
thousands bought copies of Bibles and Gospels. Their home in Yunnanfu was the first Protestant
mission station in that centre. The only other one in the whole province was the one at Dalifu where
the Clarkes had been at work for over a year.
ARTHUR EASON MARRIES
At the end of 1882, Arthur Eason visited the Clarkes, the first foreigner they had seen for eighteen
months, and they thoroughly enjoyed having him there. Ten days later George Andrew arrived
prepared to take over the work there while the Clarkes went off to Yunnanfu and Guiyang and Arthur
Eason proceeded to Hankou to meet and marry his fiancée there. At that time Mrs.Clarke had not
seen another foreign woman for over two years, so was really looking forward to being with other
women again.
George was alone in Dali for nine months, and it was here he had his first contact with Tibetans. They
came in great numbers to attend the annual fair held there, and though George could not talk to them,
he had cards with texts on them in Tibetan which he distributed in large numbers.
By the time the Clarkes returned to Yunnan it was his turn to go to the coast to meet and marry his
fiancée, Miss Jessie Findlay who was already in China at the Women's Language Centre. On his
way back from Dali through Yunnanfu he baptised the first Protestant convert in the province. The
year was 1883.
THE SEVENTY
In late 1881 members and friends of the CIM had pledged themselves to pray for God to send our to
China in the next three years at least 70 new workers. It was the first time the CIM had felt led to
pray for a definite number in a specified time. The `prayer for seventy in three years' was abundantly
answered. In the years 1882, 1883 and 1884 more than 70 actually reached China, and others had
been accepted but, because of troubles in France, their sailing had been delayed.
Jessie Findlay was one of the first to go to China in 1882. She left London on 15 February and
proceeding via Paris, arrived in Shanghai on 3 April. From there she went to Language School to do
the required months of study before she would be allowed to marry her fiancé.
23
