Page 36 - Three Score Years & Ten
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“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
Percy, Doug, Jessie and Marj. Their little sister was very precious to them all and it was a hard time
for them which none of them ever forgot.
JESSIE DIES
Jessie was not well and her strength decreased rapidly until she died on the 20th February 1927, a
little over two years later.
On 3 March 1927 George was writing to Esther after her mother's death. "Arthur (Esther's brother)
arrived from Tianjin before the coffin was closed. Mother's face had lost those marks and lines of
pain, and she looked so content. I took the opportunity of speaking to Arthur at the side of the coffin,
but he made no response. May the Lord bless and save him." He spoke of hoping to see them at
their station (Linmingguan in Chili) ". . but not this spring. I hope you had a good journey back and
found all well on arrival. I have not said how much I appreciate your kind invitation to Linmingguan.
We will be able to talk it over when you come to Chefoo." He added, "I have sent cards to Mr. and
Mrs. Liddell and Mr. and Mrs. Luxon as you desired". This was a reference to the parents of Eric
Liddell who were missionaries in the Presbyterian Mission in Manchuria.
AT CHEFOO AND IN TOUCH WITH THE FAMILY
George found work to do amongst the schoolchildren and was often
called upon to give a message at the Assembly. I have met a number of
girls and boys who were there at that time and who still remember "Saint
Andrew" as they affectionately called him, and his short pithy messages
on some word from the Scriptures. He took one verse from the Proverbs
each week for a long time, and spoke with such clarity and in such an
interesting way that fifty years later some of his messages were still
remembered.
When I was in Edinburgh in 1981, I met Bernard Walker who had been at
school when George Andrew was living at Chefoo. "He was a wonderful
old gentleman", he said, "whom we children all loved, and who with his
upright figure and grey hair and beard, walked around Chefoo like some
ancient patriarch. He always had sweets in his pockets which he
handed out one at a time to any child he might meet on his walks. On
one occasion my brother Bobby at the age of eleven broke his leg and
was put into hospital where "St. Andrew" visited him every day and taught him to play chess, with the
result that Bobby became the best amateur chess player I have ever known. He could play and win
even when blindfolded if his opponent told him how he had moved, and as far as I was concerned, he
could beat me in six moves straight!"
Bernard's sister, Dorothy Toop said, "Old Mr. Andrew took school prayers every Wednesday morning,
and usually spoke on a verse in Proverbs. He was such a saintly man of God with beautiful white hair
and so gentle. Everybody loved him at Chefoo. We lived right next door to the Andrew family at
Chefoo and saw him often. He always had sweets in his pocket! He made a tremendous
impression on me as a school girl."
Doris Briscoe and Olive Rouse who were both schoolgirls at that time, vividly remember "St. Andrew"
in his years of retirement at Chefoo. They also remember that for about six years he spoke to them
36
Amy Moore
Percy, Doug, Jessie and Marj. Their little sister was very precious to them all and it was a hard time
for them which none of them ever forgot.
JESSIE DIES
Jessie was not well and her strength decreased rapidly until she died on the 20th February 1927, a
little over two years later.
On 3 March 1927 George was writing to Esther after her mother's death. "Arthur (Esther's brother)
arrived from Tianjin before the coffin was closed. Mother's face had lost those marks and lines of
pain, and she looked so content. I took the opportunity of speaking to Arthur at the side of the coffin,
but he made no response. May the Lord bless and save him." He spoke of hoping to see them at
their station (Linmingguan in Chili) ". . but not this spring. I hope you had a good journey back and
found all well on arrival. I have not said how much I appreciate your kind invitation to Linmingguan.
We will be able to talk it over when you come to Chefoo." He added, "I have sent cards to Mr. and
Mrs. Liddell and Mr. and Mrs. Luxon as you desired". This was a reference to the parents of Eric
Liddell who were missionaries in the Presbyterian Mission in Manchuria.
AT CHEFOO AND IN TOUCH WITH THE FAMILY
George found work to do amongst the schoolchildren and was often
called upon to give a message at the Assembly. I have met a number of
girls and boys who were there at that time and who still remember "Saint
Andrew" as they affectionately called him, and his short pithy messages
on some word from the Scriptures. He took one verse from the Proverbs
each week for a long time, and spoke with such clarity and in such an
interesting way that fifty years later some of his messages were still
remembered.
When I was in Edinburgh in 1981, I met Bernard Walker who had been at
school when George Andrew was living at Chefoo. "He was a wonderful
old gentleman", he said, "whom we children all loved, and who with his
upright figure and grey hair and beard, walked around Chefoo like some
ancient patriarch. He always had sweets in his pockets which he
handed out one at a time to any child he might meet on his walks. On
one occasion my brother Bobby at the age of eleven broke his leg and
was put into hospital where "St. Andrew" visited him every day and taught him to play chess, with the
result that Bobby became the best amateur chess player I have ever known. He could play and win
even when blindfolded if his opponent told him how he had moved, and as far as I was concerned, he
could beat me in six moves straight!"
Bernard's sister, Dorothy Toop said, "Old Mr. Andrew took school prayers every Wednesday morning,
and usually spoke on a verse in Proverbs. He was such a saintly man of God with beautiful white hair
and so gentle. Everybody loved him at Chefoo. We lived right next door to the Andrew family at
Chefoo and saw him often. He always had sweets in his pocket! He made a tremendous
impression on me as a school girl."
Doris Briscoe and Olive Rouse who were both schoolgirls at that time, vividly remember "St. Andrew"
in his years of retirement at Chefoo. They also remember that for about six years he spoke to them
36
