CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 189, 15 July 1925, Page 10

CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA.

SALVATION ARMY AT WORK,

ADDRESS BY ADJUTANT GRAIIAM

At the Broad Street Citadel last evening, Adjutant Graham, who is at present on furlough from China, delivered an interesting address on the progress of Christianity in China, and the development of activities on the part, of the Salvation Army Corps. It had ever been the great desire of the late Genas-al Booth, stated the speaker in her early remarks, that, the activities of the Army be extended to China, and oil his death-bed lie exhorted his son, lira in well, who succeeded his father to the command, to further that end. Eight years ago the opportunity had been revealed by God, and ail international party, 50 strong, which had included officers from England, America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. Sweden, Germany, Norway and Finland, had gone out as missioners. The early operations of the band had been attended with many and almost insurmountable obstacles, money being scarce, transport difficult, while the language had to be learnt. Touching on the difficulties to be contended with in the obtaining of a working knowledge of the language, the speaker stated that, although many mistakes were made, similar to the foreigner in his early acquaintance with English, they were generously passed over by the Chinese, who were tactful and never made the speaker conscious of the mistake. A spirit of Christianity had pervaded the party for, although of many different nationalities, the outbreak of war had not affected their relations, all working whole-heartedly in a common cause.

At the termination of her training, Adjutant, Graham had been sent out as a pioneer into a village where there were few foreigners, and being without interpreters had had to fight under an immense handicap,' The work, however, had progressed steadily and with each succeeding year, Christianity was gaining a (inner footing; tho women of the nation were being trained on western lines and were gradually taking a bigger sphere and sharing in the public activities of the Army work. The speaker took the opportunity to add that all the literature of the country was in many respects superior to Western literature, being free from moral taint. Many sincere conversions had resulted, continued the speaker, anil the missioners had found that, despite the centuries old customs, (lie heart of the Chinese was the same as the white. WESTERN INFLUENCE. All Western influences had not been good, said the Adjutant, for, although China was of a higher civilised standard than Western countries in the centuries long since gone, it was merely by God’S will that Paul, instead of carrying his teachings into the East as he desired, journeyed west. As a result of the influence of Christianity tho Western nations had developed far beyond the Chinese, but, unfortunately. all of tiie later influences of the Westerns-had not been beneficial, and many of the vices which ran rife in China to-day had been directly due to merchants'seeking a market for their wares. Tho opium traffic was, some 150 years ago, unknown in China, but the habit had been encouraged by merchants, as was to-day tiie tobacco habit,”'and now it was a common saying that of every ten Chinese all were opium takers. Britishers had, unfortunately, added to that end and as 11 direct result ihe Britisher was viewed witli suspicion and disfavour. Such a condition of affairs found an inroad into the Army work, for aid was coining much more freely to the American than to the Britisher, the workers being frequently, met with tho saying: ‘‘You brought us opium in the one hand and Christianity in the othei|v and we want neither.” The speaker vieSrbd the present disturbances in Omria. witli jconcern, adding that in Marshal Feng-Yu-Ifsina..Christianity had a humble worker, who while a patriot did not seek political honours. ,