Our Work in Central China
By J. N. Anderson
Prior to Jan. 1, 1903, our work for China and the Chinese was confined to Hongkong, and the small beginnings made at Canton by Brother Wilbur, and at Sun Ning by our native brother, Joe Fat, together with the efforts which are being put forth by our people in Honolulu, and in different parts of the United States and Australia for those Chinese who have gone abroad. These are, almost to a man, from the Cantonese province. In itself this beginning, opening to us as it did a field of twenty or twenty-five millions, was of great importance and promise, although the actual results were meager. Canton, situated in the bosom of the very fertile delta of the West River, is the metropolis of all China, and represents the most intelligent, the most aggressive and progressive part of the Chinese race. Several considerations led us to make our first permanent beginning in south China among the Cantonese. It was there at Hongkong that Brother La Rue for about twelve years had been holding forth the light of truth; and although his work was among Europeans, yet in his sowing, some seed fell into Chinese soil and bore fruit. Again, our people in the States found here and there a Chinese heart which welcomed the advent message, and every such heart served to draw unconsciously but surely in the direction of China, and yet not China as a whole, but to the very province whence these believing Chinese came, to Quantung, the home of the Cantonese. This beginning, though small and long delayed, was nevertheless the initial step for a great work, and so a cause for no little rejoicing. At the same time it was felt by the Mission Board and the workers who had entered this field that our message is for all China, and that an entrance must be made among the other dialects, or, more properly, languages, especially the Mandarin, which, though the most modern in China, is the most widely spoken, being the language, with some variations, of fifteen out of the eighteen provinces of China proper. It was with grateful hearts that we beheld the Lord of the harvest going out before us both in opening a door and in providing a tried man to lead the way in what we hope and believe to be a great work for central and north China. The chosen instrument for this enterprise is Brother Eric Pilquist, whose consecration to the message and long experience in China give him a special fitness for this work. He entered China in January, 1891, as a representative of the Swedish Alliance, in company with thirty-four other missionaries sent out to China by the same organization in response to Hudson Taylor’s call for one thousand workers for this land. After seven years of missionary labor with that body, he connected with the British and Foreign Bible Society, under whose auspices he acted as a colporteur until Dec. 31, 1902, when he resigned to connect with our work. During these twelve eventful years he has labored in no less than six provinces,—Kansu, Shensi, Chili, Honan, Shansi, and Shantung,—and in his travels has passed through several others. Hence his knowledge of China is both varied and extensive. Sister Pilquist, his wife, who came to China as a missionary of the Christian Alliance, has a good knowledge of the Mandarin language, and with her ten years’ experience she is both able and glad to second her husband’s efforts to give the message to this people. Since last June they have been located in the province of Honan, about one hundred and thirty miles north of Hankow, at Sin Iang Cheo, on the new railway line in process of construction from Hankow to Peking, the capital of the empire. Their work until the beginning of the new year was to sell Bibles, Testaments, Gospels, and portions of the Word of God; yet along with this work they have been able to sow much seed by teaching and preaching. So that now (February) there are four or five believers in the message ready for baptism, which I expect to administer in a few days. [Later letters report six baptized.] These, together with Brother and Sister Pilquist, furnish the material for the first Seventh-day Adventist church in China, the first fruits of a large spiritual harvest from the land of Sinim. Among these Chinese believers is a man, the son of a governor of a province, of good education and excellent native ability, who has given himself to the work of a native evangelist. Since accepting the truth, he has refused large salaries in official circles, choosing rather to give his time and talents to the cause of God, even though his money remuneration is a mere pittance, not exceeding three or four dollars United States money a month, the usual amount paid to native gospel helpers in these parts. Brother Pilquist says God sent him, and we all share in the belief that he will act an important part in heralding the advent message to this race. I must not omit to add in this connection that the Lord has not only called this man as evangelist, but he has also sent his Spirit to the hearts of the people in this vicinity. Several persons living at a distance of twenty, thirty, and forty miles, hearing of this new doctrine, have come to inquire and to be taught. These are open doors which must be entered at once, and manifestly the evangelist is God’s answer to their call. In many respects this beginning in Honan, in the very heart of China, is of great significance to our work for the Chinese. It will serve as a nucleus for further efforts for north and central China, around which new workers can rally at once. Here they can come and begin the study of the language, and at the same time be in touch with Brother Pilquist and native teachers and evangelists who have learned the truth and feel a burden for its promotion. The place is central and accessible, being very nearly in the geographical center of China, one hundred miles from the great Yang-tse River, which divides the empire into north and south, and on the main railway line which is being projected from Canton to Peking, dividing China into east and west. But this great and effectual door which the Lord has opened before us, not only presents great opportunities, but also imposes great responsibilities, and the need for more workers and for more means is urgent. In time the native converts will probably be able to support their native workers, but until the work is under way, this burden must be borne by the mission. To second the oral teaching and preaching, a small hand-printing press is needed at once, on which to print bills, brief outlines of sermons, Bible readings, etc., and later small tracts and periodicals. Most of all, living messengers are needed, who can enter and prepare for aggressive work in connection with this opening. Who will give? Who will come?