AN EARNEST CHRISTIAN CHINESE student was greatly concerned for us. When I first met him he was in his first year in the Faculty of Medicine; but later he changed to Theology. His father was a dear old pastor in the Church of England near Ningpo. T. was a Christian, and was often troubled by the attacks on the Bible in the University. All through his course he used to bring his difficulties down to the Book Room, and through God's mercy, we found books on hand that easily and completely answered every quibble. In his delight, T. took some of the books to the University to show the professors, for he felt sure they did not know these things; but he could not find one man who had the courage to face them; and, as T. remarked, the men who wrote these books had far higher degrees than the professors who denied the Scriptures.
I have mentioned we had about two bales of special thin paper, and T. arranged to sell one of these for us, and we received some $8,000 (Japanese money); that was a tremendous help, and tided us over for a long time.
Another kindness T. did for us at this time was in connection with the Steel House on our compound, which was empty. Although housing in the city was in such a terrible condition, and rents were so appalling, yet we could not find any respectable foreigner who would come down to our part of the city to live. The house itself was quite well built, and roomy and comfortable. It was high up above the floods and damp, and had a good brick foundation, and the rent asked was reasonable; but as soon as the prospective tenants saw the surroundings, it was enough. However, T. had a number of nice friends at the University. Some of them arranged to rent the house together, forming a sort of "Hostel" for themselves. It was a most satisfactory solution of our difficulty. The rent was always paid promptly, and they kept the house spotlessly clean. They were excellent neighbors, and we used to enjoy having them come on a Sunday evening for some English hymns. On account of increasing difficulties in their own circumstances, they later had to give up the house, but we look back with only pleasure on their stay. I still have a little seal which one of them engraved for me, with all their names on the side. It is one of my treasures.
Another from whom we received much kindness was the Canadian Trade Commissioner. He was the grandson of a dear old saint, a French Protestant pastor, who had suffered much for Christ's sake. I had boarded with this old gentleman during my first year at the University, over thirty-five years before. For his grandfather's sake, the Commissioner showed us untold kindness; amongst other ways, he took messages home for us, when he returned to Canada on the first repatriation ship. Before he left, being much concerned for fear we would have a hard time after he was gone, of his own accord he arranged that we should at any time be able to draw funds from the British Residents' Association, who had by that time arranged for funds to take care of those who were stranded. But the Lord cared for us all through, so that it was never necessary to ask anyone for help, except Himself.
Another who helped us greatly at this time, and not us only, but many of the Lord's people, was Mlle. J. She was Swiss, and so not subject to the many irritating rules of the Japanese. She lived in Nanking, but from there, and through special journeys to Shanghai, we may well say, "She was a succourer of many, and of ourselves also.”
Another friend who I suspect helped us much more than we can ever know was an officer in the Japanese Navy; a dear, humble Christian man. He used to come into the Book Room and buy expensive books. He spoke such beautiful English that one day I said to him, "You were educated in England, I think." He replied, "Yes, at Cambridge." I asked if he knew Mr. B. "Oh, very well, I have been many times at his house to tea." And from that time he often came to tea with us on a Sunday evening, and would enjoy some English hymns afterward. One night, as I walked with him to the street car, he remarked: "How to be loyal to Christ, and loyal to my Emperor, I do not know." I felt more sorry for my poor Japanese friend than for any of us who had no such question to decide. This kind friend lent us the latest edition of Nestle's Greek New Testament, with some revisions of text that we had been very anxious to see.
Some months after the war had been going on, one morning we found in our postbox a letter, uncensored, from a brother in California, with a draft enclosed for fifty American dollars. How such a thing happened, how such a letter could have come through, I have not the slightest idea, but those funds, coming just when they did, were worth ten times the amount at an ordinary time. How true and faithful the Lord is! "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!”
There were other friends, whose names I may not even hint at, who were friends indeed to us. The war had been on for just about a year, and not a word had come through from the children. We were hungry for news, as you can guess. There were so many, many questions we wanted to ask, and we did not even know if they were alive or not. It was fairly late one Saturday afternoon in December that a messenger arrived and handed me a letter: it had a Canadian Airmail stamp, and was addressed in handwriting I well knew. Somehow or other, a letter from Christopher himself had got through. Just how much that meant to us can never be told. Later some Red Cross forms did get through, and some messages were passed on through friends, but I do not think we had another real letter from one of the children. It was this long, long wait for news that was hardest of all to bear. But to each dear friend who formed a link in the chain that brought news to us, each known to the Lord above, we do indeed give our most heartfelt thanks.
I must not pass by the work that dear Tien Chei did in this connection. After we went into camp, a number of letters from the children, or others, were received by her. It was quite impossible to send these letters into camp, but in the most ingenious way, Tien Chei gave us the gist of the news in the short Red Cross letters that were allowed. And though only one letter a month from each person might be sent, yet Tien Chei did this work so well, that after we came out of camp, and Tien Chei gave us the original letters, we realized that she had so cleverly condensed their contents, that we had missed practically nothing. What a debt we owe to that dear girl, and how truly she spent and was spent for our sakes. I do not know of anyone else who could have done for us what she accomplished.
And there are others, whose names are in the Book of Life, who time and again, often at a risk to themselves, were not ashamed of our reproach, and out of their own deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. On more than one occasion a sum of money was left for us at the Avenue Road shop. We never knew who left it, and once with the money was left a tin of butter. We took that butter into camp and opened it on the birthday of one of our dear friends there. Indeed there were several who shared that butter as a most unusual treat. I think that was the only butter we tasted during those five dark, difficult years. But though we know not the giver, there is One who knows, and we rejoice that He will not forget.
For years we had published more than one English Scripture Calendar, but this year, on account of the difficulties we decided not to try even one. However, the demands were so insistent that we decided it was an opportunity that could not be neglected. Our good printer friend promised to rush the printers, and I worked all night getting designs prepared and in an amazingly short time we had a nice little calendar. It sold well, and I hope was a comfort to many who were in trouble. Our Chinese Gospel Calendar went out as usual, but was reduced to a smaller size. Mr. Ruck sent out his "Daily Food Calendar" himself from Peking. And so ended the first year of war.
A YEAR OF WAR
Battle and bursting Bomb!
Fire and Flood and Fight!
Have scarred the year that's gone
With War's accursed blight.
Goodness and Grace of God!
Mercy and Love and Light!
Have crowned the year that's gone,
Marked by His measureless might.
Darkness and Dread, Dismay,
'Twas thus the year began,
But all along the way
God's loving care is strewn.
And though each day is still
Appalling to our view;
Compassions never fail,
Each morning they are new.
So, Courage, Brother, then,
To enter this New Year,
He'll ne'er forsake His Own,
With Him we need not fear.
So let the New Year come,
With Storms and Wind and Wave,
They'll drive us nearer Home,
And He is strong to save.
His blessing may He give,
Within reign Rest and Peace,
Grace, e'er for Him to live,
Look up, and ever praise.