p. 19 | General Notes

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 21, 1902

General Notes

THE decree of the empress dowager of China would seem to indicate that she really has the design of putting an end to the custom of foot binding. A recent edict reads: “The gentry and notables of Chinese descent are commanded earnestly to exhort their families and all who come under their influence to abstain henceforth from the evil practice of foot binding, and by this means gradually abolish the custom forever.”

AFRICA will soon have a chain of mission stations across the center of the continent from east to west. The present gap in the chain is a length of five hundred miles, between the easternmost station of the English Baptist Society at Yakussu and the westernmost station of the Church Missionary Society on Albert Nyanza. This space the Baptists of England will occupy immediately, with three stations, the sites of which were chosen in a recent exploration of this territory.

FOR many years Norwegian missionaries have labored in Madagascar. The following from one of their laborers’ reports shows what the gospel has done in this field: “Never since we began our work in Madagascar have our labors had such glad results as now. The people flock to hear the message of God as they never did before. It is not only on Sundays that they gather in the churches, but many times in the week. There are even places where they meet every day for worship in the churches, generally in the morning from six to seven, before they begin their day’s work. It is very encouraging to find the churches so early in the morning often almost filled with attentive worshipers. A pastor said to me one day: ‘A little while ago we were so glad when we had three or four candidates for baptism in each church. Now it looks as though all would become Christians if we only had enough teachers to instruct them.’”

THE whole world is destined to adopt the Roman alphabet, even, we believe, the Arabic-writing languages. Japan feels the necessity, and the government has appropriated five thousand dollars for the expense of a commission whose task is to draw up a scheme for Romanization. In China the missionary societies are active in the same line.—New York Independent.

THE invitation given to prominent East Indians to attend the coronation ceremonies has caused great commotion in India, since the journey across the ocean necessitates the breaking of caste. Nevertheless some Hindus of high caste have made the journey. Many years ago the judge of the high court of Bombay, an influential man and a leader in the party of reform in western India, made this journey. He was excommunicated by the Saraswats, the division of Brahmans to which he belonged. He was ordered to make atonement if he would be restored to caste, the atonement consisting chiefly in swallowing a mixture of various unmentionable ingredients. He refused, and the commotion in his caste was great. However, he stood firm, and the excitement slowly died down. This high official was one who went to England to attend the coronation, and the spiritual chief of his religious order has spoken in thunder tones against any who would dare to follow his example. There have been men who in former days have made the required atonement.

CHINA has vast unreached masses of population in every one of her eighteen provinces. She still has fourteen hundred cities with an estimated population of over one hundred million without missionaries. It is estimated that she has over one million unevangelized villages. China has not only the greatest, but the most vigorous unreached masses of people in the world. Surely God has had a purpose in preserving the integrity of this nation for four thousand years. Notwithstanding all that has been said of the evils of China, we have seen no people which has impressed us as possessing such strength. The qualities which have made the Chinese such efficient agents of evil, will, under the transforming, directing, and energizing power of the Holy Spirit, make them one of the mightiest forces for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God. Their influence is destined to be increasingly felt far beyond the limits of the Middle Kingdom; for they are the greatest colonizers of the Orient. You will find them hard at work from Japan to the shores of Africa. The more we reflect on the strong traits of this people, the more we are impressed by what Napoleon said: “When China is moved, it will change the face of the globe.”—China’s Millions.