LIFE IN CHINA

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 243, 11 September 1935, Page 13

LIFE IN CHINA

AVOAIAN AIISSIONARY. 01 YEARS’ RESIDENCE. Aliss Alildred Edwards, of the Anglican section of the Chinese Inland Alission, has had an adventurous career in mission work in China, where she spent 31 years. She arrived recently in Sydney on furlough. Last year she had to leave her mission station twice, owing to the menace of the Red army, or bandits, though on each occasion a timely warning enabled, her to escape without personal injury. In this respect she was more fortunate than other missionaries, who were killed. She was the only foreigner there. Aliss Edwards spent the last 19 years at Ta-chu. in the province of Szechuan, in Western China. The whole of the north-eastern part of this province was in the hands of the bandits, who had also extended their power to the western portion. When she left, General Cbiang-Kai-Skek was at Ta-Chu. AYhile he was on the spot the Government troops would fight the Reds, but immediately he left, the local war lords started to fight each other, and any control of the banditry vanished.

| The procedure of the bandits when entering a town. Aliss Edwards said, was to proceed first to the A amen, or Alagistrate’s house, where all the officials were killed. Then they made their way to the mission compounds, which were searched for foreigners. Any of these found were immediately put to death. The next place visited was the post office, where the officials mere killed. Having done alb that, the marauders then gave their attention to the homes of the rich residents, who suffered the same fate as the officials, and their goods were despoiled. . Aliss Edwards was working under the direction of Archbishop Atowll when he was Bishop of AYestern China. His successor. Bishop Holden was, she said, a very fine type of man. always hurrying to the side of Ins missionaries when danger threatened. There were two assistant Chinese bishops, Bishop Ku and Song, the latter a B.A. of Oxford.