China.
MR. PARROTT writes as follows: ― “The money you kindly sent shall be used in the purchase of drugs. There is much sickness all around us, and I know no better means of winning the confidence of the people than by being able to relieve their pain in sickness, and very often with God’s blessing curing them of diseases which, if not promptly dealt with, would soon destroy life. The people are most grateful for such help, and are usually ready enough to listen to the gospel when they have such evidence of our disinterested labors of love and practical sympathy with them. This is how your collectors at home are able to give cups of cold water to poor heathen sufferers here, and by so doing often pave the way for the entrance of God’s Word to their hearts. The field is large, and much―very much―remains to be done before it can be said that the gospel has been fully proclaimed in China.
“Matters here are in a very interesting state. Large numbers of men and women are coming from Europe and America, and are scattering themselves over the eighteen provinces. Just before we reached Shanghai in March, a party of twenty new missionaries had just arrived; another party of twenty arrived a month later; and so they come. Never before was such a thing known in China. The people generally seem to be beginning to understand the main object of the missionaries, and treat us with greater respect than was the case when I first came to China fourteen years ago. Then it was no easy or safe matter to travel five hundred or a thousand miles into the interior. Today single ladies take such journeys under the escort of a native servant, and he often a heathen man. Two such sisters called upon us today. They have traveled one thousand miles in carts and boats with only a native servant. They were more than two months on the way, and suffered no harm whatever, “We put off our English clothing and adopted Chinese costume, and on the 4th of April made a start. (Mrs. Parrott and their two boys and also a lady worker are the “we.”) The weather was fine, spring had commenced, and the trees and shrubs were budding and breaking into leaf. On both banks of the river are found towns and villages, and occasionally a walled city. Whenever our boat stopped, or we walked along the bank, a crowd of wondering men, and women, and children followed us. It was soon noised abroad that I was a doctor, with the result that on all suitable opportunities sick ones were brought to be healed.
“We had a good supply of Scriptures and tracts in Chinese, which we gave to those who could read. In one village the sick people and their friends filled our boat. In return for the medicine I gave them they brought us presents of eggs―about the only thing these poor people had to give. The two boys were a great attraction; the people seemed never tired of staring at them.”
Mr. Parrott was on his way to the great city of Sin’gan, when he was called hack to assist temporarily in the hospital established in Hankow. While there he says: ―
“I see about sixty patients a day, except Saturday and Sunday, beside the patients in the two hospitals, one for men and one for women and children. These patients all hear the gospel, many of them no doubt for the first time, and those who come into the hospital are afterward visited in their homes, so that any who may have accepted Christ whilst they were under our influence in the hospital, or become at all interested in the gospel, are encouraged and helped to go on to follow the Lord in their own town or village, where, perhaps everybody else is an idolater. We have had several Buddhist priests. They are ready enough to come to us to get bodily healing, but are not so ready to put away their sins and their abominations, and come to Christ for healing. One of them seemed really interested in what he had seen and heard. He listened attentively to the preaching, and said he would in future worship the true God. If time permitted I could write of others, but I think I have said enough to show you that in a medical mission we have abundant opportunities of showing the love of Christ, and gaining the ear and the hearts of the people.
“Soon after this letter reaches you, we shall be getting ready to proceed on our journey up to Shensi—or as near to it as a place called Lookokee. Pray that the way may be made very clear before us, and that in due time both the wisdom and the means may be given to enable us to preach the gospel and heal the sick in the city of Sin’gan, the capital of the Shensi province.”