Page 67 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 67
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
It was during this period of uncertainty that they met "Captain Barrett" for the first time. In later years I
often heard his name mentioned as the good friend whose gifts so often met needs unknown to him,
but known to God, Who prompted him to give. The whole story is a very interesting one.
Mr. Hardman was still leading services for the English speaking people in Shanghai on Sunday nights.
Into the service one night wandered an Irish seaman much the worse for drink. Mr. Hardman's Dublin
accent attracted him and he was there again on the following Sunday night. He was out of work,
deeply in debt and looked like the derelict he was rapidly becoming. But that Sunday night Mr.
Hardman led him to the Lord as he had led Arthur Moore years before.
Captain Barrett's life was completely transformed. He was able to get a job as Second Officer with
one of the shipping companies, and had soon paid off his debts and was saving money. He began to
rise in rank, and whenever he was in Shanghai, he never failed to call on Mr. Hardman to give
substantial gifts from his savings to the work of the CIM. He remarked one day that "It's amazing that
the more I give away, the more I seem to have left!"
One day, when he was handing over quite a large gift to Mr. Broomhall the Mission treasurer, the latter
suggested that he ought to think about making one family his particular interest, as what he was giving
was more than enough to support a family. The idea pleased him, and Mr. Broomhall suggested he
take on the Moore family, which he did. When the war ended in 1918 and Arthur and Esther were
preparing to go home, Captain Barrett heard that there was some talk of their remaining at home. He
asked Arthur the reason for this, and when he told him he felt he must support his old father, the
Captain immediately said he would add to what he was already giving, sufficient to support his father
too, so that they could return to their work in Gansu. This he continued to do, and often added extra
gifts which, as Esther once told me, often met their need when the Chefoo bills for the children were
as high as their Mission remittance for the quarter.
Two more wonderful holidays were spent in Chefoo in 1918 and again in 1919 before they were able
at last to leave for furlough in England. Marjorie was school age and they left her at Chefoo with the
other two and took only Doug with them. It meant much to Arthur and Esther that they had been in
Shanghai so near to Chefoo for those first years of their children's schooling. Had they been in
Gansu, the long distances to travel would have meant long breaks between the times when they could
see the children. During the long summer holidays, they took a small cottage not far from the beach
which came to be known as "Moore's Fort". By early 1920, George and Fanny Andrew had been
invited on to the school staff at Chefoo, so the Moore children had their uncle and auntie close by, as
well as their cousins in the school.
FIRST FURLOUGH
Thirteen years without a furlough must be quite a record, broken only by Mr. Hunter up in Xinjiang.
Many changes had taken place, and on the way home Arthur and Esther broke their journey in France
to visit the grave of Esther's brother Alf, who had been killed in the war.
Furlough was spent in between bouts of deputation work, catching up on relatives and friends, visiting
Arthur's family in the Wirral, and Esther's in Manchester and in Derbyshire. Arthur wrote that they
"spent a very memorable holiday in 1919 with Doug on one of the farms in Derbyshire with some of
Esther's Eyre relations. Mrs. Bradbury, Esther's second or third cousin lived at Harrop Farm, Hope
near Castleton, and Esther's grandfather Abraham Andrew was born on a farm in the district.
67
Amy Moore
It was during this period of uncertainty that they met "Captain Barrett" for the first time. In later years I
often heard his name mentioned as the good friend whose gifts so often met needs unknown to him,
but known to God, Who prompted him to give. The whole story is a very interesting one.
Mr. Hardman was still leading services for the English speaking people in Shanghai on Sunday nights.
Into the service one night wandered an Irish seaman much the worse for drink. Mr. Hardman's Dublin
accent attracted him and he was there again on the following Sunday night. He was out of work,
deeply in debt and looked like the derelict he was rapidly becoming. But that Sunday night Mr.
Hardman led him to the Lord as he had led Arthur Moore years before.
Captain Barrett's life was completely transformed. He was able to get a job as Second Officer with
one of the shipping companies, and had soon paid off his debts and was saving money. He began to
rise in rank, and whenever he was in Shanghai, he never failed to call on Mr. Hardman to give
substantial gifts from his savings to the work of the CIM. He remarked one day that "It's amazing that
the more I give away, the more I seem to have left!"
One day, when he was handing over quite a large gift to Mr. Broomhall the Mission treasurer, the latter
suggested that he ought to think about making one family his particular interest, as what he was giving
was more than enough to support a family. The idea pleased him, and Mr. Broomhall suggested he
take on the Moore family, which he did. When the war ended in 1918 and Arthur and Esther were
preparing to go home, Captain Barrett heard that there was some talk of their remaining at home. He
asked Arthur the reason for this, and when he told him he felt he must support his old father, the
Captain immediately said he would add to what he was already giving, sufficient to support his father
too, so that they could return to their work in Gansu. This he continued to do, and often added extra
gifts which, as Esther once told me, often met their need when the Chefoo bills for the children were
as high as their Mission remittance for the quarter.
Two more wonderful holidays were spent in Chefoo in 1918 and again in 1919 before they were able
at last to leave for furlough in England. Marjorie was school age and they left her at Chefoo with the
other two and took only Doug with them. It meant much to Arthur and Esther that they had been in
Shanghai so near to Chefoo for those first years of their children's schooling. Had they been in
Gansu, the long distances to travel would have meant long breaks between the times when they could
see the children. During the long summer holidays, they took a small cottage not far from the beach
which came to be known as "Moore's Fort". By early 1920, George and Fanny Andrew had been
invited on to the school staff at Chefoo, so the Moore children had their uncle and auntie close by, as
well as their cousins in the school.
FIRST FURLOUGH
Thirteen years without a furlough must be quite a record, broken only by Mr. Hunter up in Xinjiang.
Many changes had taken place, and on the way home Arthur and Esther broke their journey in France
to visit the grave of Esther's brother Alf, who had been killed in the war.
Furlough was spent in between bouts of deputation work, catching up on relatives and friends, visiting
Arthur's family in the Wirral, and Esther's in Manchester and in Derbyshire. Arthur wrote that they
"spent a very memorable holiday in 1919 with Doug on one of the farms in Derbyshire with some of
Esther's Eyre relations. Mrs. Bradbury, Esther's second or third cousin lived at Harrop Farm, Hope
near Castleton, and Esther's grandfather Abraham Andrew was born on a farm in the district.
67
