Page 65 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 65
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
On the following day, the White Wolves left the neighbourhood and they were able to return to their
home. Mr. Meng wrote to Arthur of how thankful he was to God for His care over them.. "Had it not
been for God's care, I should probably not have seen their faces again. Some valuable things in my
house were lost, a box of books and some bookshelves were burnt, but thank God my wife and family
are safe. A great many people in the city and district were killed, others hung themselves and others
drowned themselves. In all, about a thousand people died. On the day my wife and children fled, she
saw some people cast away their two little children because they could not care for them. One was
four and the other two, and they were crying as my wife passed. When she came back, she saw that
they had frozen to death. Many shops in the district have still not opened, and everything is very
expensive so that many people have nothing to eat.
PLANS FOR GANZHOU
By the end of 1914 Mr. Hoste was again writing to Arthur about the possibility of him and Esther taking
up work at Ganzhou. Ganzhou was the largest and most important city northwest of Liangzhou, and
Arthur and Esther were delighted at the thought of starting work there. However, they felt there were
several things to take into consideration before they made a move, one being that they had already
been in China for eight years, and their furlough was overdue. Even if they delayed furlough for
another year it seemed foolish to travel to Ganzhou and settle in, only to pack up and leave again
almost immediately.
The other problem in Arthur's mind was the dearth of workers in Lanzhou at that time. George
Andrew, Esther's brother, had been unwell for some time, and the doctor wanted him to get right away
for some months. That would leave the Boys' School without supervision, and Arthur felt he should
not even take a preliminary trip to Ganzhou until George returned.
Arthur also still had two language exams to take. Though his long journeys among the people had
made him an expert Chinese speaker, he still had to satisfy the requirements of the Mission language
committee. By the middle of 1915 it had become obvious that Ganzhou must wait for the time being.
Not only was Esther's brother unwell, but her father's health had been causing them alarm also. Mr.
Hoste wrote to George Andrew suggesting that he and Jessie proceed to the coast for medical help,
and that Arthur and Esther postpone their furlough for another year until the end of 1916 to take
charge of the work in Lanzhou.
By November 1915 Arthur felt he could take time to visit Ganzhou again. He spent three weeks there
with a Chinese evangelist and together they saturated the city and suburbs with the message of the
Gospel. Arthur felt the people were bound by superstition and idolatry. There were many temples in
the city as well as special shrines that attracted many visitors from distant places.
In the Hall of the Sleeping Buddha, was a huge figure of the buddha about one hundred and twenty
feet long and forty feet high. The people of Ganzhou believed it to be the largest in the world. In the
city there was also a "chorton" or tomb of a famous `living buddha' who had died in the district.
Arthur returned to Lanzhou with a great burden that the "Lord of the harvest" would thrust out
labourers into the harvest field.
Arthur was still only at Liangzhou on the way home, when letters reached him concerning a severe
accident Percy had had. This may have been the one when Percy fell off his donkey and broke his
arm. If so, it may have been more serious than Percy's own memories seemed to recall. Later in the
year, when Jessie Andrew was writing to Esther about their youngest son Alf having been killed in
65
Amy Moore
On the following day, the White Wolves left the neighbourhood and they were able to return to their
home. Mr. Meng wrote to Arthur of how thankful he was to God for His care over them.. "Had it not
been for God's care, I should probably not have seen their faces again. Some valuable things in my
house were lost, a box of books and some bookshelves were burnt, but thank God my wife and family
are safe. A great many people in the city and district were killed, others hung themselves and others
drowned themselves. In all, about a thousand people died. On the day my wife and children fled, she
saw some people cast away their two little children because they could not care for them. One was
four and the other two, and they were crying as my wife passed. When she came back, she saw that
they had frozen to death. Many shops in the district have still not opened, and everything is very
expensive so that many people have nothing to eat.
PLANS FOR GANZHOU
By the end of 1914 Mr. Hoste was again writing to Arthur about the possibility of him and Esther taking
up work at Ganzhou. Ganzhou was the largest and most important city northwest of Liangzhou, and
Arthur and Esther were delighted at the thought of starting work there. However, they felt there were
several things to take into consideration before they made a move, one being that they had already
been in China for eight years, and their furlough was overdue. Even if they delayed furlough for
another year it seemed foolish to travel to Ganzhou and settle in, only to pack up and leave again
almost immediately.
The other problem in Arthur's mind was the dearth of workers in Lanzhou at that time. George
Andrew, Esther's brother, had been unwell for some time, and the doctor wanted him to get right away
for some months. That would leave the Boys' School without supervision, and Arthur felt he should
not even take a preliminary trip to Ganzhou until George returned.
Arthur also still had two language exams to take. Though his long journeys among the people had
made him an expert Chinese speaker, he still had to satisfy the requirements of the Mission language
committee. By the middle of 1915 it had become obvious that Ganzhou must wait for the time being.
Not only was Esther's brother unwell, but her father's health had been causing them alarm also. Mr.
Hoste wrote to George Andrew suggesting that he and Jessie proceed to the coast for medical help,
and that Arthur and Esther postpone their furlough for another year until the end of 1916 to take
charge of the work in Lanzhou.
By November 1915 Arthur felt he could take time to visit Ganzhou again. He spent three weeks there
with a Chinese evangelist and together they saturated the city and suburbs with the message of the
Gospel. Arthur felt the people were bound by superstition and idolatry. There were many temples in
the city as well as special shrines that attracted many visitors from distant places.
In the Hall of the Sleeping Buddha, was a huge figure of the buddha about one hundred and twenty
feet long and forty feet high. The people of Ganzhou believed it to be the largest in the world. In the
city there was also a "chorton" or tomb of a famous `living buddha' who had died in the district.
Arthur returned to Lanzhou with a great burden that the "Lord of the harvest" would thrust out
labourers into the harvest field.
Arthur was still only at Liangzhou on the way home, when letters reached him concerning a severe
accident Percy had had. This may have been the one when Percy fell off his donkey and broke his
arm. If so, it may have been more serious than Percy's own memories seemed to recall. Later in the
year, when Jessie Andrew was writing to Esther about their youngest son Alf having been killed in
65
