Kitabı oku: «The American Missionary. Volume 44, No. 04, April, 1890», sayfa 5

Elizabeth Winyan

Many of our readers will remember being interested at our meeting in Chicago by the appearance and speech of an Indian woman from our Oahe Station, Elizabeth Winyan. We have now to communicate the sad tidings of her death, after a brief, but severe illness. Her life was an eventful and a useful one. Elizabeth was the name given her by the missionaries. Winyan was her Indian name. She was born near Mankato, Minnesota, in 1831. At the age of twenty-five she became one of the early converts under Drs. Williamson and Riggs. She came to live at the mission, and learned to sew and do all household work. Dr. Williamson set her to teaching some women, and so began her missionary labor. She was a woman of great physical strength. When she was living at the Sisseton Agency, she cut with her own hands and hauled to the Agency, driving the ox-team herself, wood enough to pay for putting her little house in good repair and to buy some farming implements. She was a faithful friend. This fidelity she proved during the Indian uprising in 1862. When the mission families were fleeing from their burning houses at midnight, they forgot to take any food along. While they were hiding on an island in the Minnesota River, she, at the risk of her own life, carried to them bread and meat. In 1875, she and Miss Collins went to assist Rev. T.L. Riggs in starting the Oahe Mission, near Fort Sully, on the Missouri. At the time of her death she was in charge of an out-station on the Cheyenne River, forty miles from the central mission. Her duties were to hold meetings on the Sabbath, one general prayer meeting on Thursday night, and a women's meeting on Friday night, to teach every day, visit the sick, attend funerals, and teach the women to sew, cook, wash and iron.

Miss Collins says of her: "There is no one to fill her place. She was one of the grandest women I ever knew. May God help our poor bereaved Dakotas."

An Exemplary Mother

The recent death of Elizabeth Winyan calls to mind a little story connected with the training of her son, which may not be without point even now.

Elizabeth Winyan taught Edwin, her son, to believe in God and in prayer. She tells a story of how Edwin, as a child, wanted to wear "civilized clothes." She made him a shirt and trousers, and then he needed a hat and shoes. She said, "I told him to pray for them; in the meantime I worked as well as prayed, and on Saturday, when my work was done, the missionary's wife gave me a hat and a pair of shoes for Edwin. He was delighted and so was I. Since that time he has never doubted that God would answer prayer." She said: "I taught Edwin to give to the Lord from a baby. When he was not old enough to know his duty, I put the penny in his hand and held his hand over the basket, and dropped in the penny. Sometimes I would only be able to get one penny, and that I would give to Edwin to put in the collection, for I wanted him to form a habit of giving; I knew I ought to give, and God knows I would when I had a penny, but my son must be taught." This son has grown up a good Christian, speaks English, is a teacher, and is now a missionary at Standing Rock. He owes much to his faithful Christian mother.

The Chinese

Two Chinese Anniversaries

By District Secretary J.E. Roy, D.D.

One was that of the New Year, which is the first of February. It was at Los Angeles. The celebration lasts three or four days. The Christian Chinese observe the festival with Christian ceremonies. In the forenoon, I was with the Congregational brethren at their rooms in Chinatown. Their schoolroom was decorated with all the colors and characters of the native land. A table was spread with fruits and nuts and candies and cakes and flowers. The Chinese lily was the appropriate New Year's adornment. The services were prayer, much singing of Moody and Sankey songs, recitations of Scripture and addresses by their own men and by visitors. The room was filled with sympathetic touring friends. After the public service, the goodies of the table were passed around. In the afternoon, I went to the Presbyterian, and my wife to the United Presbyterian, service, which was much after the same sort. In the former, the Rev. Mr. Condit and his wife, who had long ago returned from China to engage in this work, were the leaders. After the Superintendent of the Methodist Chinese Sunday-school had spoken, a brother in the mission, following, called him a good Presbyterian. Although these foreigners fall into the church order of the people who have led them into the Jesus way, they recognize these divisions as simply so many families akin, and so there is a constant visiting and affiliation among them as Christians. The whole occasion was one to inspire faith in the Gospel as suited to the needs of our common humanity, and faith in the beneficent results upon those who have not known of the true God and Saviour. On the afternoon of the following Sunday, in Dr. Hutchins' church, I visited the Congregational Chinese Sunday-school, superintended by a lawyer and taught by members of that parish. Mr. Dorland, the Superintendent, is giving himself to this work with great enthusiasm, and his associates share in the same. The thing which delighted me in Dr. Hutchins' church, and in all this round of our Chinese Missions, was the fact that the local church is taking these Chinese of the A.M.A. schools into their fellowship, not only that of the Sunday-school but of church membership. Whatever views may be held as to the political economy of exclusion, these Christians seem to realize that God has brought these pagans to their doors to be cared for in Christ's name. Mrs. Sheldon and her daughter, the missionaries of the American Missionary Association, teaching the night-school, serving in the Sunday-school, and by every feasible ministry, are confirming the judgment of one of our pastors that these lady missionaries are their "Evidences of Christianity."

The other anniversary was that of our mission at San Diego—Miss M.M. Elliot, the missionary teacher, and Chin Toy, the helper. Rev. W.C. Pond, D.D., of San Francisco, the Superintendent of our Chinese work, which he takes in addition to the pastoral care of the Bethany Church, had come down for his annual visitation of the missions in Southern California. In the Mission Chapel, at the time of the night-school, Dr. Pond conducts the rehearsal and, on Sunday night, in the Tabernacle of the First Congregational Church, presides at the public service. The great assembly room is packed with interested listeners who soon become delighted. After opening devotions, conducted by the pastor, Rev. Mr. Voorhees, and his choir, the young brethren proceed with a prayer in the Chinese, then with the Lord's Prayer in concert, both in English and in Chinese. Then come songs in solo and in concert, from the Moody and Sankey book, and recitations of Scripture passages. "Dare to be a Daniel," was rendered in solo with fine effect as to the music, and especially as to the idea of daring to become Christians in the face of the derision of their pagan friends. The Ten Commandments, as recited by one, and each responded to in music by the school in the words of the prayer-book, were deeply impressive. And so was the "Missionary Exercise," with nine questions by Quon Newy, answered by as many men one after another, Quon Tape, Sam Tai, Quon Dick, Korn Ock, Korn Chow, Korn Zee, Chong Chung, Lee Wing, and Linn Yee.

The characteristic feature of the evening was the address, in good English, of Chin Toy. Dr. Pond introduced him as having been a shoemaker at San Francisco, who, upon conversion, about to be baptized in his church, was locked into his apartment of the shoeshop by some of his pagan friends, who thought that after the passing of the baptismal occasion of Sunday morning he would get over his desire to be a Jesus man. So, Sunday afternoon, he was released. But at night he appeared at the Bethany and was baptized into Christ. He is now with Loo Quong, an A.M.A. evangelist, and at present is serving as "helper" at the San Diego mission. His address was a logical and eloquent setting forth of the difficulties in the way of the Chinese becoming Christians; and, at the end, it was an appeal to American Christians to improve their opportunity to become missionaries to the heathen whom God had brought to their door.

Short addresses were then made by Rev. F.B. Perkins, of the Second Church, and by District Secretary Roy—the former declaring that that meeting alone was enough to repay all effort in that line; enough to remove all prejudice. Indeed, only this week, a former pastor of that church, Rev. J.B. Silcox, now of the East Oakland Church, told me that a similar anniversary held in that same Tabernacle a year ago, had melted down all prejudice. Indeed, it is now, as in the days of the primitive Christians: wheresoever it is seen that people of the despised classes have received the Holy Ghost, that is the end of caste distinction. "Forasmuch, then, as God gave them the like gift as He did unto us who had believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, what was I that I should withstand God?"