September 1928
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
527
There are houses of wickedness, and gambling hells on all sides, in full swing; but no Gospel Chapel. I walked the streets o f Samarinda by day and by night until its ter rible darkness seemed almost to penetrate my soul. Our home cities may be dark enough, but there is at least some light of the Gospel there. These people “ sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,” “ Without a ray o f hope or light, With future dark as endless night.” I met some Chinese Christians here who had been bap tized as infants in China, but who seemed to have forgot ten all about it since then. In one store where I was tell ing the people about the Lord Jesus, some of the Chinese opposed and ridiculed. One said in a loud voice, “ God is no good, He only blows the wind on us to make us catch a cold.” While I was trying to tell them of His love and o f the sacrifice for our sins on the cross, and feeling the opposition very strong, an elderly Chinese lady came to my help from the fear o f the store. Hearing the loud talking, she came out and said, “ I once heard o f Jesus when I was in China. I don’t know much about it, but I know this—Jesus is good, Jesus is good.” . She repeated this several times. God bless-her and save her! I left Gospel tracts at that and many other stores in Samarinda, and will send more by mail from Wuchow. May they bring some light to these souls in awful darkness! T he N eed of D utch B orneo Before we crossed,,to the Celebes, about which we will write in a later article, may we make a, f ew general re marks about Borneo. The population of Dutch Borneo is about 1,800,000. Perhaps one-half or more of this population is located in the ports of the east, west, and south coasts; the remainder of the population is in the interior—wild tribes, mostly Dyacks. As we have S^id, the entire east coast is without missionary work, neither is. there any missionary work on the west coast since the Methodist Episcopal mission have evacuated. The entire south coast is also unoccupied, with the exception o f Ban- jermasin and the work which is done by the Basil Mission, and the Dutch State Church up the Barito River. A little later on in my trip, on reaching Batavia, I had the privilege o f interviewing leaders of the Dutch Mis sions, the Methodist Episcopal Mission, and particularly Dr. Slotemaker de Bruine, the Missionary Consul. He was very courteous and helpful, and heartily approved of our opening work among the Chinese and encouraged us to occupy some of the unoccupied areas o f the Dutch East Indies. He recommended the following fields, where no work is being done ||i|§S| 1. The entire east coast o f Borneo, with Samarinda and other places as centers. 2. The west coast of Borneo, with Pontianak and other places as centers. The object would be to reach “ the wild man o f Borneo,” the Dyack race, of the interior. 3. The Boegis people on the coast of the Celebes, and the wild races o f the interior of the Celebes, with Makas sar as ,a center. 4. The whole southwestern coast o f Sumatra. 5. -A large number o f smaller islands in the East Indies where no Gospel witness has yet been given. Dr. Zwemer, in his survey of the Malay Archipelago, calls attention to whole islands and parts o f islands which are without any missionary work, and includes Banka, Ma
dura, The Flores, Bali, Lombok, the great island of New Guinea, and others. He estimates the unevangelized popu lation of these islands at between six and seven million. If the Gospel o f Christ does not soon enter these fields, the influence of Modammedanism, which is spreading rap idly, will soon be such as to form a most effective barrier to the progress o f the Gospel. Mohammedanism is rapidly displacing paganism. This fact surely makes the evan gelization o f these fields the more urgent. Starving, Abandoned Children in China. A PLEA is being made to Christian America on behalf . of the famine-stricken sufferers in China, and par ticularly its starving children, by the Association for the Welfare o f the Children o f China. This is an inter denominational association, whose treasurer is that widely known Presbyterian layman and philanthropist, William A . Harbison, 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, to whom all gifts should be sent. The chairman of the executive com mittee is Mr. Hugh R. Munro, o f New York, a Presbyte rian elder long associated with Christian activities. This famine is one o f the most terrible China has ever known. Nine million people are starving, we are told— a number equal to the entire population of Argentina. Hun dreds of thousands are wandering aimlessly over the country, eating bark, roots or dried grass. Thousands more are emigrating northward to Manchuria, in hopes of finding food. In this great trek, which is said to be the vastest known since Israel left Egypt, thousands die or are deserted by the wayside. Many o f these are children, who are not always cruelly left, but whose parents have them selves died. Others seek to save their children by selling them. Five dollafs will care for one starving, hopeless child —hopeless unless Christian hearts are touched-—for one month. America’s own youth are in danger o f being mor ally ruined by the plenitude o f : good things heaped upon them. Cannot some o f this ’overflow be turned toward these who are to die without bur help? I f China is to know what practical Christian brotherliness will do, as against that specious bolshevism that-is seeking to mislead her, now is the time to show it. A cup of cold water even, our Lord declared, would have His approval. Will we who have so much more than mere water to give, close our hearts and our hands to this appeal? China is in desperate need. America has plenty. And our Lord is looking on! ate ate Where Wast Thou, Lord? One o f the medieval saints, having pasged through a time o f fierce conflict, and having at length overcome, said to the L o rd : “ Where wast Thou, Lord, when I was being tempted?” The Lord (it is reported) made reply: “ My child, I was in thy heart.” He was in the midst of the battle as “ the Lord God Omnipotent,” but the believer had not the intimate and tender assurance o f His presence. An incident in English history may illustrate this experience. Edward the Third, when his son wafe hotly engaged at Cressy “ in a hard passage of arms,” refused to send him succor, saying, “ Let the boy win his spurs,” In such ways our Lord frequently honors His servants while He strengthens their faith. Said an English.Puritan, “ God often reserves Himself for a dead lift.”
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