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diff --git a/old/31525.txt b/old/31525.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a6b91ca --- /dev/null +++ b/old/31525.txt @@ -0,0 +1,9641 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of James Gilmour of Mongolia, by James Gilmour + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net + + +Title: James Gilmour of Mongolia + His diaries, letters, and reports + +Author: James Gilmour + +Editor: Richard Lovett + +Release Date: March 6, 2010 [EBook #31525] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JAMES GILMOUR OF MONGOLIA *** + + + + +Produced by Peter Vickers, the Bookworm <bookworm.librivox +AT gmail.com> and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team +at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned +images of public domain material from the Google Print +project.) + + + + + +Transcriber's Note: + +Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without +note. Some illustrations have been slightly relocated for better flow. +In some of the Chinese or Mongolian names, the character 'u' with a +breve appears frequently. This appears in the text as [)u]. + + +[Illustration] + + + + +JAMES GILMOUR OF MONGOLIA + +HIS DIARIES LETTERS AND REPORTS + + +EDITED AND ARRANGED BY +RICHARD LOVETT, M.A. +AUTHOR OF 'NORWEGIAN PICTURES' ETC + +WITH A PORTRAIT, TWO MAPS AND +FIVE ILLUSTRATIONS + +THIRD AND CHEAPER EDITION + +LONDON +THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY +56 Paternoster Row, 65 St Paul's Churchyard +1895 + + + O Christ, in Thee my soul hath found, + And found in Thee alone, + The peace, the joy I sought so long, + The bliss till now unknown. + + I sighed for rest and happiness, + I yearned for them, not Thee; + But while I passed my Saviour by, + His love laid hold on me. + + Now none but Christ can satisfy, + None other name for me; + There's love, and life, and lasting joy, + Lord Jesus, found in Thee. + + + + +PREFACE + + +This book in its more expensive forms has been before the public for +nearly two years. It has been very widely read, and it has received +extraordinary attention from many sections of the press. The author has +received from all parts of the world most striking testimonies as to the +way in which this record of James Gilmour's heroic self-sacrifice for +the Lord Jesus and on behalf of his beloved Mongols for the Master's +sake has touched the hearts of Christian workers. It has deepened their +faith, strengthened their zeal, nerved them for whole-hearted +consecration to the same Master, and cheered many a solitary and lonely +heart. + +Many requests have been received for an edition at a price which will +place the book within the reach of Sunday School teachers, of those +Christian workers who have but little to spend upon books, and of the +elder scholars in our schools. The Committee of the Religious Tract +Society have gladly met this request at the earliest possible moment. + +In this new form their hope and prayer is that James Gilmour, being +dead, may yet speak to many hearts, arousing them to diligent, and +faithful, and self-denying service for Jesus Christ. + +The book, in this its newest form, is identical in all respects with the +first and second editions, except that only one portrait is given and +the appendices are left out. + + + + +CONTENTS + + CHAPTER PAGE + + I. EARLY YEARS AND EDUCATION 15 + + II. BEGINNING WORK 46 + + III. MONGOLIAN APPRENTICESHIP 55 + + IV. THE FIRST CAMPAIGN IN MONGOLIA 88 + + V. MARRIAGE 98 + + VI. 'IN JOURNEYINGS OFTEN, IN PERILS OF RIVERS' 105 + + VII. THE VISIT TO ENGLAND IN 1882 134 + + VIII. SUNSHINE AND SHADOW 154 + + IX. A CHANGE OF FIELD 176 + + X. PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS AS ILLUSTRATED BY + LETTERS TO RELATIVES AND FRIENDS 228 + + XI. CLOSING LABOURS 256 + + XII. THE LAST DAYS 298 + + + LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS + + PORTRAIT OF JAMES GILMOUR FROM A PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN + AT TIENTSIN ON APRIL 1891 _Frontispiece_ + + A MONGOL ENCAMPMENT 109 + + A MONGOL CAMEL CART 139 + + A CHINESE MULE LITTER 156 + + JAMES GILMOUR EQUIPPED FOR HIS WALKING EXPEDITION + IN MONGOLIA IN FEBRUARY 1884 159 + + JAMES GILMOUR'S TENT 245 + + + MAPS + + 1. MAP ILLUSTRATING JAMES GILMOUR'S JOURNEYS ON THE + GREAT PLAIN OF MONGOLIA 54 + + 2. MAP ILLUSTRATING JAMES GILMOUR'S LABOURS IN EASTERN + MONGOLIA 179 + + For readers of _James Gilmour of Mongolia_ not familiar with _Among + the Mongols_, a new Edition of that Work has been prepared and + published, price Two Shillings and Sixpence. + + + + +JAMES GILMOUR OF MONGOLIA + + + + +CHAPTER I + +EARLY YEARS AND EDUCATION + + +James Gilmour, of Mongolia, the son of James Gilmour and Elizabeth +Pettigrew his wife, was born at Cathkin on Monday, June 12, 1843. He was +the third in a family of six sons, all but one of whom grew up to +manhood. His father was in very comfortable circumstances, and +consequently James Gilmour never had the struggle with poverty through +which so many of his great countrymen have had to pass. Cathkin, an +estate of half a dozen farms in the parish of Carmunnock, is only five +miles from Glasgow, and was owned by Humphrey Ewing Maclae, a retired +India merchant, who resided in the substantial mansion-house on the +estate. There were also the houses of a few residents, and a smithy and +wright's workshops, for the convenience of the surrounding district. +James Gilmour's father was the occupant of the wright's shop, as his +father had been before him. + +His brother John, one of three who have survived him, has furnished the +following interesting sketch of the family life in which James Gilmour +was trained, and to which he owed so much of the charm and power which +he manifested in later years:-- + +'Our grandfather, Matthew Gilmour, combined the trades of mason and +wright, working himself at both as occasion required; and our father, +James Gilmour, continued the combination in his time in a modified +degree, gradually discarding the mason trade and developing the +wright's. Grandmother (father's mother) was a woman of authority, skill, +and practical usefulness among the little community in which she +resided. In cases requiring medical treatment, she was always in +request; and in order to obtain the lymph pure for the vaccination of +children she would take it herself direct from the cow. She was also a +neat and skilful needlewoman. + +'Matthew Gilmour and his wife were people of strict integrity and +Christian living. They walked regularly every Sunday the five miles to +the Congregational Church in Glasgow, though there were several places +of worship within two miles of their residence. I have often heard the +old residents of the steep and rough country road they used to take for +a short cut when nearing home tell how impressed they have been by the +sight of the worthy couple and their family wending their way along in +the dark winter Sabbath evenings by the light of a hand-lantern. Our +parents continued the connection with the same body of worshippers in +Glasgow as long as they resided in Cathkin, being members of Dr. Ralph +Wardlaw's church. It was under his earnest eloquence, and by his wise +pastoral care, we were trained. + +'The distance of our home from the place of worship did not admit of our +attending as children any other than the regular Sabbath services; but +we were not neglected in this respect at home, so far as it lay in our +parents' ability to help us. We regularly gathered around our mother's +knee, reading the impressive little stories found in such illustrated +booklets as the _Teacher's Offering_, the _Child's Companion_, the +_Children's Missionary Record_ (Church of Scotland), the _Tract +Magazine_, and Watts' _Divine Songs for Children_. These readings were +always accompanied with touching serious comments on them by mother, +which tended very considerably to impress the lessons contained in them +on our young hearts. I remember how she used to add: "Wouldn't it be +fine if some of you, when you grow up, should be able to write such nice +little stories as these for children, and do some good in the world in +that way!" I have always had an idea that James' love of contributing +short articles from China and Mongolia to the children's missionary +magazines at home was due to these early impressions instilled into his +mind by his mother. Father, too, on Sabbath evenings, generally placed +the "big" Bible (Scott and Henry's) on the table, and read aloud the +comments therein upon some portion of Scripture for our edification and +entertainment. During the winter week-nights some part of the evening +was often spent in reading aloud popular books then current, such as +_Uncle Tom's Cabin_. + +'Family worship, morning and evening, was also a most regular and sacred +observance in our house, and consisted of first, asking a blessing; +second, singing twelve lines of a psalm or paraphrase, or a hymn from +Wardlaw's Hymn-book; third, reading a chapter from the Old Testament in +the mornings, and from the New in the evenings; and fourth, prayer. The +chapters read were taken day by day in succession, and at the evening +worship we read two verses each all round. This proved rather a trying +ordeal for some of the apprentices, one or more of whom we usually had +boarding with us, or to a new servant-girl, as their education in many +cases had not been of too liberal a description. But they soon got more +proficient, and if it led them to nothing higher, it was a good +educational help. These devotional exercises were not common in the +district in the mornings, and were apt to be broken in upon by callers +at the wright's shop; but that was never entertained as an excuse for +curtailing them. I suppose people in the district got to know of the +custom, and avoided making their calls at a time when they would have to +wait some little while for attention. Our parents, however, never +allowed this practice or their religious inclinations to obtrude on +their neighbours; all was done most unassumingly and humbly, as a matter +of everyday course. + +'Our maternal grandfather, John Pettigrew by name, was a farmer and +meal-miller on the estate of Cathkin, and was considered a man of +sterling worth and integrity. Having had occasion to send his minister, +the parson of Carmunnock parish, some bags of oatmeal from his mill, the +minister suspected from some cause or other that he had got short weight +or measure. The worthy miller was rather nettled at being thus impeached +by his spiritual overseer, and that same night proceeded to the manse +with the necessary articles required for determining the accuracy of the +minister's suspicions. When this was done, it was found there remained +something to the good, instead of a deficiency; this the miller swung +over his shoulder in a bag and took back with him to the mill, as a +lesson to the crestfallen divine to be more careful in future about +challenging the integrity of his humble parishioner's transactions. + +'While James was quite a child the family removed to Glasgow, where our +father entered into partnership with his brother Alexander as timber +merchants. During this stay in Glasgow mother's health proved very +unsatisfactory, and latterly both she and father having been prostrated +and brought to death's door by a malignant fever, it was decided to +relinquish the partnership and return to their former place in the +country. James was five years old at that time. When he was between +seven and eight he was sent with his older brothers to the new +Subscription School in Bushyhill, Cambuslang, a distance of two miles. +Here he remained till he was about twelve, when he and I were sent to +Gorbals Youths' School in Greenside Street, Glasgow. We had thus five +miles to go morning and evening, but we had season-tickets for the +railway part of the distance, viz. between Rutherglen and Glasgow. +Thomas Neil was master of this school. We were in the private room, +rather a privileged place, compared with the rest of the school, seeing +we received the personal attentions of Mr. Neil, and were almost free +from corporal punishment, which was not by any means the case in the +public rooms of the school--Mr. Neil being, I was going to say, a +_terror to evildoers_, but he was in fact a terror to all kinds of +doers, from the excitability of his temper and general sternness. + +'Here James usually kept the first or second place in the class, which +was a large one; and if he happened to be turned to the bottom (an event +which occurred pretty often to all the members of the class with Mr. +Neil), he would determinedly endeavour to stifle a tearful little "cry," +thus demonstrating the state of his feelings at being so abased. But he +never remained long at the bottom; like a cork sunk in water, he would +rise at the first opportunity to his natural level at the top of the +class. It was because of his diligence and success in his classes while +at this school, I suppose, more than from any definite idea of what +career he might follow in the future, that after leaving he was allowed +to prosecute his studies at the Glasgow High School, where he gained +many prizes, and fully justified his parents' decision of allowing him +to go on with his studies instead of taking him away to a trade. At home +he prosecuted his studies very untiringly both during session and +vacation. + +'After entering the classes of the Glasgow University he studied in an +attic room, the window of which overlooked an extensive and beautiful +stretch of the Vale of Clyde. I remember feeling compassion for him +sometimes as he sat at this window, knowing what an act of self-denial +it must have been to one so boisterous and full of fun as he was to see +us, after our work was over of an evening, having a jolly game at +rounders, or something of that sort, while he had to sit poring over his +books. + +'James was not a serious, melancholy student; he was indeed the very +opposite of that when his little intervals of recreation occurred. +During the day he would be out about the workshop and saw-mill, giving +each in turn a poking and joking at times very tormenting to the +recipients. If we had any little infirmity or weakness, he was sure to +enlarge upon it and make us try to amend it, assuming the _role_ and +aspect of a drill-sergeant for the time being. He used to have the +mid-finger of the right hand extended in such a way that he could nip +and slap you with it very painfully. He used this finger constantly to +pound and drill his comrades, all being done of course in the height of +glee, frolic, and good-humour. This finger, no doubt by the unlawful use +to which he put it, at one time developed a painful tumour, to the +delight of those who were in the habit of receiving punishment from it. +James pulled a long face, and acknowledged that it was a punishment sent +him for using the finger in so mischievous a manner. + +'There was a pond or dam in connection with the sawmill. In this James +was wont to practise the art of swimming. I remember he devised a plan +of increasing his power of stroke in the water. He made four oval pieces +of wood rather larger than his hands and feet, tacking straps on one +side, so that his hands and feet would slip tightly into them. But my +recollection is that they were soon discarded as an unsuitable addition +to his natural resources. He was fond of hunting after geological +specimens, getting the local blacksmith to make him a pocket hammer to +take with him on his rambles for that purpose. He seldom cared for +company in these wanderings among the mountains, glens, and woods of his +native place and country. He would start early in the morning, and +accomplish feats of walking and climbing during the course of a day. +Indeed, none of his brothers ever thought of asking James to go with +them in their little holiday trips, knowing that anything not the +conception of his own fancy was but very rarely acceptable to him; and +he was never one who would pander to your gratification merely to please +you. + +'James was fond of boating. Once he hired a small skiff near the +suspension-bridge at Glasgow Green, and proceeded with it up the river. +Having gone a good way up, the idea appears to have taken him to +endeavour to get the whole way to Hamilton, where, father having retired +from business in 1866, our parents were now residing. This proved to be +a very arduous task, as in a great many places on that part of the Clyde +there is not depth of water to carry a boat. He managed, however, to +accomplish the task by divesting himself of jacket, stockings, and +shoes, and pulling the boat over all such shallow and rocky places +(including the weir at Blantyre Mills, where the renowned African +missionary and explorer, Dr. Livingstone, worked in his boyhood), until +he reached the bridge on the river between Hamilton and Motherwell, a +distance of eleven miles or more from Glasgow in a straight line, and +much more following the numerous bends of the river. Here he made the +boat secure and proceeded home, a distance of a mile, very tired and +ravenously hungry. The great drawback to his satisfaction in this feat +was his fear of the displeasure the boat-owner might feel at his not +having returned the same night, and the rough usage to which he had +subjected the boat in hauling it over the rocky places. He was much +delighted, when he arrived with the boat down the river during the day, +to find that the man was rather pleased than otherwise at his plucky +exploit, telling him that he only remembered it being attempted once +before. + +'During part of the time James attended college at Glasgow University, +the classes were at so early an hour that he could not take advantage of +the railway, and so had to walk in the whole way. This was an anxious +time for his mother, who was ever most particular in seeing to the +household duties herself, and always careful that her children should +have a substantial breakfast when they went from home. I remember some +of those winter mornings. Amidst the bustle of making and partaking of +an early breakfast so as to be on the road in time, mother would press +him to partake more liberally of something she had thoughtfully prepared +for him; he would ejaculate: "Can't take it--no time!" and if she still +insisted he would add in a solemn manner: "_Mother_, what if the door +should be shut when I get there?" which, being understood by her as a +scriptural quotation, was sufficient to quench her solicitations. + +'To avoid the worry of getting up so early, it was decided after a time +that he should take advantage of an unlet three or four apartment house +in a tenement which belonged to father in Cumberland Street, Glasgow. So +a couple of chairs, table, bed, and some cooking-utensils were got +together, and James entered into possession, cooking his own breakfast, +and getting his other meals there or outside as his fancy or inclination +prompted. Here I think he enjoyed himself very much. He had plenty of +quiet time for study, and he could roam about the city and suburbs for +experience, recreation, and instruction, visiting mills and other large +manufacturing industries as he was inclined. + +'After our parents had removed to Hamilton, James took lodgings in +George Street, a regular students' resort when the old college was in +the High Street. It is now removed to the magnificent pile of buildings +at Gilmorehill, in the western district of the city. The site of the old +one in the High Street which James attended is now occupied by the +North British and Glasgow and South-Western Railway Companies.' + +James Gilmour left England to begin his Mongolian life-work in February +1870, and then commenced keeping a diary, from which we shall often +quote, and which he carefully continued amid, oftentimes, circumstances +of the greatest difficulty until his death. He gives the following +reasons for this practice at the time when he was living in a Mongol +tent learning the language, hundreds of miles away from his nearest +fellow-worker:-- + + 'I think it a special duty to my friends, specially my mother, to + keep this diary, and to be particular in adding my state of mind in + addition to my mere outward circumstances. In my present isolated + position, which may be more isolated soon, any accident might + happen at any moment, after which I could not send home a letter, + and I think that by keeping my diary punctually and fully my + friends might have the melancholy satisfaction of following me to + the grave, as it were, through my writing.' + +In the record of his first outward voyage he included a sketch of his +early life, which we briefly reproduce here, as the correlative and +complement of the picture outlined by his brother:-- + + 'The earliest that I can remember of my life is the portion that + was spent in Glasgow, before I came with my parents out to the + country. Of this time I have only a vague recollection. Then + followed a number of years not very eventful beyond the general lot + of the years of childhood. One circumstance of these years often + comes up to my mind. One Sabbath all were at church except the + servant, Aggie Leitch, and myself. She took down an old copy of + Bunyan's _Pilgrim's Progress_, with rude plates, and by the help + of the pictures was explaining the whole book to me. I had not + heard any of it before, and was deeply interested. We had just got + as far as the terrible doings of Giant Despair and the horrors of + Doubting Castle, when all at once, without warning, there came a + terrible knock at our front door. I really thought the giant was + upon us. It was some wayfaring man asking the way or something, but + the terror I felt has made an indelible impression on me. + + 'When of the approved age I went to school, wondering whether I + should ever be able to learn and do as others did. I was very + nervous and much afraid, and wrought so hard and was so ably + superintended by my mother that I made rapid progress, and was put + from one class to another with delightful rapidity. I was + dreadfully jealous of any one who was a good scholar like myself, + and to have any one above me in class annoyed me to such a degree + that I could not play cheerfully with him. + + 'The date of my going to college was, I think, the November of the + year 1862, so that my first session at Glasgow University was + 1862-63. The classes I took were junior Latin and junior Greek. In + Latin I got about the twelfth prize, and in Greek I think the + third. The summer I spent partly in study, partly in helping my + father in his trade of a wright and joiner. + + 'During 1863 and 1864 I lived in Glasgow, and worked very hard, + taking the first prize in middle Greek and a prize in senior Latin, + as well as a prize for private work in Greek, and another for the + same kind of work in Latin. This last I was specially proud of, as + in it I beat the two best fellows in the Latin class. Next session + (1864-65) I took a prize in senior Greek. I got nothing in the + logic, but in moral philosophy in 1865 I was one of those who took + an active part in the rebellion against Dr. Fleming, who, though he + was entitled to the full retiring pension, preferred to remain on + as professor, taking the fees and appointing a student to do the + work. We made a stand against this, and were able to bring him out + to his work; but it was too much for him, and he died in harness, + as he had wished. + + 'In English literature I made no appearance in the pieces noted by + the students, but came out second in the competitive examination, + which of course astonished a good deal some of the noisy men who + had answered so much in the class and yet knew so little. I was + really proud of this prize, as I was sure it was honestly won, and + as I also felt that from my position in class I failed to get + credit for anything like what I knew. This session I went in for + the classical and philosophy parts of the degree, and got them. I + enjoyed a happy week after it was known that I had passed; and the + next thing I had to look forward to was going to the Theological + Hall of the Congregational Church of Scotland, which met in + Edinburgh in the beginning of May. The session at Edinburgh I + enjoyed very much. I had not too much work, and used at odd times + to take long walks and go long excursions. I was often on the + heights, and about Leith and Portobello.' + +The Rev. John Paterson of Airdrie, N.B., Gilmour's most intimate college +friend at Glasgow, thus records his recollections of what he was in +those days:-- + + 'I first made James Gilmour's acquaintance in the winter session of + 1864-5 at Glasgow University. He came to college with the + reputation of being a good linguist. This reputation was soon + confirmed by distinction in his classes, especially in Latin and + Greek. Though his advantages had been superior to most of us, and + his mental calibre was of a high order, he was always humble, + utterly devoid of pride or vanity. No doubt he was firm as a rock + on any question of conviction, but he was tender in the extreme, + and full of sympathy with the struggling. He was such a strong man + all round that he could afford to give every one justice, and such + a gentleman that he could not but be considerate. One day a country + student through sheer nervousness missed a class question in the + Junior Humanity, though the answer was on his tongue: the answering + of such a question would have brought any man to the front, and + with a sad heart he told his experience to Gilmour, whose look of + sympathy is remembered to this day. He always seemed anxious to be + useful, and he succeeded. During our second session, a brother of + mine married a cousin of his, and this union led to a closer + intimacy between us, and in future sessions we lodged together. + + 'Throughout his college career Gilmour was a very hard-working + student; his patience, perseverance, and powers of application were + marvellous; and yet, as a rule, he was bright and cheerful, able in + a twinkling to throw off the cares of work, and enter with zest + into the topics of the day. He had a keen appreciation of the + humorous side of things, and his merry laugh did one good. + Altogether he was a delightful companion, and was held in universal + esteem. One of Gilmour's leading thoughts was unquestionably the + unspeakable value of time, and this intensified with years. There + was not a shred of indolence in his nature; it may be truthfully + said that he never wilfully lost an hour. Even when the college + work was uncongenial, he never scamped it, but mastered the + subject. He could not brook the idea of skimming a subject merely + to pass an examination, and there were few men of his time with + such wide and accurate knowledge. + + 'Unlike many of his fellows, he did not relax his energies in + summer. During the recess he might have been seen wending his way + from the old home at Cathkin to the college library, and returning + laden with books. His superior scholarship secured for him + excellent certificates and many prizes, both for summer and winter + work, and it was noticeable that he shone most in written + examinations. On one occasion, in the Moral Philosophy class, which + then suffered from the failing health of the professor, the teacher + _pro tem._ appended, as a criticism of an essay of Gilmour's on + Utilitarianism, the words, "Wants thoroughness." This was a problem + to the diligent student, who tackled his critic at the end of the + hour, and apparently had the best of the argument; for he told me + afterwards that he had puzzled the judge to explain his own + verdict. There was a strong vein of combativeness in him; he liked + to try his strength, both mentally and physically, with others; and + it was no child's play to wrestle with him in either sense, though + he never harboured ill-feeling. He had the advantage of being in + easy circumstances, but was severely economical, wasting nothing. + He had quite a horror of intoxicating drinks. On one occasion, + perhaps for reasons of hospitality, some beer had found its way + into our room: he quietly lifted the window and poured the + dangerous liquid on the street, saying, "Better on God's earth than + in His image." + + 'As the close of his career in Glasgow drew near, some of us could + see that all through he had been preparing for some great work on + which the whole ambition of his life was set. He always shrank + from speaking about himself, and in those days was not in the habit + of obtruding sacred things on his fellow-students. His views on + personal dealing then were changing, and became very decided in + after years. Earnest, honest, faithful to his convictions, as a + student he endeavoured to influence others for good more by the + silent eloquence of a holy life than by definite exhortations, and + I feel sure his power over some of us was all the greater on that + account. When it became known that Gilmour intended to be a foreign + missionary, there was not a little surprise expressed, especially + among rival fellow-students--men who had competed with him to their + cost. The moral effect of such a distinguished scholar giving his + life for Christ among the heathen was very great indeed. To me his + resolve to go abroad, though it induced a painful separation, + proved an unspeakable blessing. The reserve which had so long + prevailed between us on sacred things began to give way, and much + of our correspondence during his residence at Cheshunt College was + of a religious turn, though still more theological than practical. + + 'The last evening we spent together before he left for China can + never be forgotten. We parted on Bothwell Bridge. We had walked + from the village without speaking a word, burdened with the sorrow + of separation. As we shook hands, he said with intense earnestness, + "Paterson, let us keep close to Christ." He knew Him and loved Him + much better than I did then; but about nine years ago, after + hearing good news from me, he wrote to say that for twelve years he + had prayed for me every day, and now praised God for the answer.' + +In the diary from which we have already quoted Gilmour thus concludes +the sketch of his education:-- + + 'Near the close of the session of 1867 I opened negotiations with + the London Missionary Society, the consequence of which was that I + was removed to Cheshunt College in September of that same year. + Here (1867-1868) a new experience awaited me--resident college + life. At Glasgow we dined out, presented ourselves at classes only, + and did with ourselves whatever we liked in the interval. At + Cheshunt it was different. All the students live in the buildings + of the college, which can accommodate forty. Of course I felt a + little strange at first, and even long after had serious doubts as + to the settlement of the question, Which is better, life in or out + of college? The lectures, as a rule, were all in the forenoon. + + 'The summer vacation I spent in studying for the Soper scholarship, + value twenty pounds, which was to be bestowed after examination. + + 'I commenced the 1868 and 1869 session at Cheshunt, very busily, + and in addition to the class work and the Soper work, read some + books which gave almost a new turn to my mind and my ideas of + pastoral or missionary life. These books were James's _Earnest + Ministry_, Baxter's _Reformed Pastor_, and some of Bunyan's works, + which, through God's blessing, affected me very much for good. + + 'The Soper examination should have come off before Christmas, but + it did not, so that I remained over Christmas at Cheshunt, grinding + away as hard as I could. I was longing eagerly for the time when + the examination would be over, that I might the more earnestly + devote myself to the work of preaching and evangelising. Well, the + examination came and passed off satisfactorily, and I got the + twenty pounds. + + 'Now was the decisive point. Now had I come to another period, + when there was an opportunity of going on a new tack; but I found + myself tempted to seek after another honour, the first prize in + Cheshunt College. In my first session I had got the second only, + and now I had an opportunity of trying for the first. It was a + temptation indeed, but God triumphed. I looked back on my life, and + saw how often I had been tempted on from one thing to another, + after I had resolved that I would leave my time more free and at my + disposal for God, but always was I tempted on. So now I made a + stand, threw ambition to the winds, and set to reading my Bible in + good earnest. I made it my chief study during the last three months + of my residence at Cheshunt, and I look back upon that period of my + stay there as the most profitable I had. + + 'In September, 1869, I entered the missionary seminary at Highgate, + and also studied Chinese in London with Professor Summers. I went + home again at Christmas, and on returning to London learned that I + could go to China as soon as I liked. I said I would go as soon as + the necessary arrangements could be made, and February 22, 1870, + was fixed upon as the date of my departure.' + +In this brief and rapid manner James Gilmour sketched, with not a few +most characteristic touches, the first twenty-six years of his life. He +enables us to see the quick, merry, receptive lad, developing, after a +brilliant collegiate course and a careful training in theology and in +practical Christian life, into the strong, resolute missionary. No one +who knew him during this time failed to perceive the force of his +character and the charm of his personality. The writer first came under +his influence during his second session at Cheshunt. He was then in the +prime of his early manhood, in the full possession of physical and +intellectual vigour, and his soul was aflame with love to the Saviour +and to the perishing heathen. + +He retained, moreover, the love of fun, the high spirits, the keen +enjoyment of a good joke, and the constant readiness for an argument +upon any subject under the sun, which had endeared him to his comrades +in Glasgow. Every Cheshunt man of that day readily recalls, and rejoices +as he does so, the memory of his good-natured practical joking, of his +racy and pointed speeches upon all momentous 'house questions,' of his +power as a reciter, and of his glowing personal piety. To know him even +slightly was to respect him; and to enter at all into sympathy with him +was to love him as long as life lasted. + +There are many reminiscences of those Cheshunt days, from which we can +cull only a sufficient number to enable the reader to understand what +manner of man he then was. These are drawn from the letters of his +fellow-students, and from their recollections of his sayings and doings. +'How well,' writes one, 'I remember his coming to Cheshunt! I was +acting-senior at the opening of that session, and, according to custom +with the new men, went to his room to shake hands with him. He said, +"Who are you?" I told him. "What do you want?" I told him I had come +according to custom to welcome him, and held out my hand, whereupon he +put his hands behind him and said, "Time eno' to shake hands when we've +quarrelled. But where do you live?" "Immediately over your head." "Then +look here," said he, "don't make a row;" and so we parted. Dear old +fellow! his memory makes life richer.' + +Another writes: 'He was a good elocutionist. He was also a keen debater, +and so fond of argument that he would not hesitate to take opposite +ground to his own cherished convictions and beliefs, simply for the sake +of provoking discussion. So earnestly and logically (for he was a good +dialectician) would he carry on the discussion that it was difficult to +believe that he did not really hold the opinions for which he so +pertinaciously contended. Sometimes this habit of mind reacted very +amusingly upon himself, as the following will show. The subject fixed +one Friday evening for debate in the discussion class was, "Have animals +souls?" Though fully accepting the common belief that they have not, +Gilmour, purely for the sake of argument, took the affirmative, and with +such enthusiasm pleaded his cause that he brought himself to believe, as +he told me afterwards, that animals have souls.' + +'At no time during his residence at Cheshunt could there have been any +doubt as to Gilmour's piety or consecration to the great work of his +future life; but during the second year it must have been manifest to +all who knew him intimately that there was a deepening and broadening of +his spiritual life. As I look back over the interval of years I can see +that it was then he began to reach the high-water mark in Christian life +and devotion which was so steadily maintained throughout his career in +China and Mongolia. An apostolic passion for the salvation of his +fellow-men took hold upon him. He would go out in the evening, mostly +alone, and conduct short open-air services at Flamstead End, among the +cottagers near Cheshunt railway station; seize opportunities of speaking +to labourers working by the roadside or in the field through which he +might be passing. He became very solicitous for the conversion of +friends in Scotland, and would come to my study and ask me to kneel +and pray with him that God's grace might be manifested to them, and that +His blessing might rest upon letters which he had written and was +sending to them. The ordinary style of preaching towards which students +usually aspire lost its attractions for him, and his sermons assumed +more and more the character of earnest exhortations, and addresses to +the unconverted. When he knew what was to be his field of labour after +his college course was over, how solicitous he was to go out fully +prepared and fitted in spiritual equipment! The needs of the perishing +heathen were very real and weighed heavily upon his heart, and he was +very anxious to win volunteers among his college friends for this +all-important work. How he longed and prayed for China's perishing +millions only his most intimate friends know.' + +The Rev. H. R. Reynolds, D.D., for the past thirty years the honoured +President of Cheshunt College, has recalled some of his early +recollections of James Gilmour. + +'Though brusque and outspoken in manner, he was in many respects +reserved and shy, and very slow to show or accept confidence. We all +felt, however, that underneath a canny demeanour there was burning a +very intense enthusiasm, and that a character of marked features was +already formed, and would only develop along certain lines, settled, but +not as yet fully disclosed to others. + +There was not a particle of make-believe in his composition. He shrank +from praise, and was obviously anxious not to appear more reverential or +wise or devoted than he knew himself to be. He even used, because it was +natural to him, a rugged style of expression when speaking of things or +persons or institutions which for the most part uplift our diction and +generally induce us to adorn or make careful selection of our +vocabulary. He rapped out expressions which might have suggested +carelessness or irreverence or suppressed doubt, but I soon found that +there was an intense fire of evangelistic zeal and an almost stormy +enthusiasm for the conversion of souls to Christ. + +'Some special services were held at Cheshunt Street Chapel, in which +Gilmour took part, and the part was at least as demonstrative, perhaps +more so, except the music, as that of the modern Salvation Army ensign +or commissioner. He started from the chapel entrance, on the Sunday +evening, when considerable numbers were as usual parading the country +street, and bare-headed approached every passer-by with some piquant, +vigorous inquiry, or message or warning. In the main, his bold summons +was, "Do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?" The entire population in +the thoroughfare was stirred, and uncomplimentary jeers mingled with +some awe-struck impressions that were then produced. + +'During the year 1869 he had those interviews with the late Mrs. Swan, +of Edinburgh, which led to his choice by the London Missionary Society, +at her instance, to reopen the long-suspended mission in Mongolia. For a +while he remained in Peking preparing himself by familiarity with the +people, their ideas, their language, and religion, for those almost +historic bursts into the great desert and across the caravan routes to +the huge fairs, and the renowned temples, to the living lamas and famous +shrines of the nomadic Mongols, incessantly acting the part of +travelling Hakim, itinerant book vendor, and fiery preacher of the +Gospel of Christ.' + +In the year 1869 the policy of the London Missionary Society in the +education of its students was very different from that which now +obtains. After a course at a theological college of two, three, or four +years, according to the literary attainments of the man at the time of +his acceptance by the Directors, he was sent to the institution at +Highgate designed to give training suitable for the special requirements +of the embryo missionaries. In theory this institution was admirable; in +practice Gilmour and others, much as they esteemed the principal, the +Rev. J. Wardlaw, found it--or thought they found it--very largely a +waste of time. The year 1869 saw the beginning of an investigation which +ended in closing the missionary college at Highgate, and in the steps +that led to the enquiry Gilmour took a leading part. One of his +contemporaries at Highgate has thus described his influence upon both +his fellow-students and the institution to which they belonged. + +'I first met Gilmour at Farquhar House, Highgate, the London Missionary +Society's Institution, where in those days missionary students spent +their last six months before going to the field. Some spent the time in +studying the elements of the language of the land to which they were +going; others attended University College Hospital, for the purpose of +getting a little medical knowledge; while all tried to make themselves +acquainted with the history of the people among whom they were to +labour. Courses of special missionary lectures, which were highly valued +by the men, were delivered by the Rev. J., afterwards Dr., Wardlaw. + +'Some of us were at Highgate a day or two before Gilmour came up from +Scotland; and as his fame, or rather reports about him, had reached us +from Cheshunt College, we were all very anxious to meet with him. When +he did arrive we were, I think, all more or less disappointed, and yet I +doubt if any of us could have told why, except that he was not the man +we had pictured from the reports we had heard. When he walked quietly +into the library I, for one, could hardly believe that the almost +boyish-looking, open-faced, bright-eyed young man was really Gilmour. +His dress made him appear even more youthful than he was, while there +was an aspect of good humour about his face and a glance of his eye +revealing any amount of fun and frolic. A great writer has said: "Nature +has written a letter of credit on some men's faces, which is honoured +almost wherever presented." James Gilmour's was a face on which Nature +had written no ordinary letter of credit; for there was a sense in which +one might very truly have said that his "face was his fortune." Honesty, +good nature, and true manliness were so stamped upon every feature and +line of it, that you had only to see him to feel that he was one of +God's noblest works, and to be drawn to the man as by a magnetic +influence. + +'Gilmour was a puzzle to most of our fellow-students, and they could not +quite make him out. By some he was: regarded as very eccentric, which is +another way of saying that he preserved a very marked individuality, and +always had the courage of his convictions. They did not seem to +understand how so much playfulness and piety, fervour and frolicsomeness +could dwell in the same person. Long before we parted, however, in +January, 1870, I feel certain that all had come to have not only a +profound respect, but also a real heart-love for "dear old Gillie"! + +'The night before Gilmour left Highgate for the Christmas vacation we +were all in his study, when someone, remarking on the risk he was +running in going home to Scotland by sea, instead of by train, said in a +jocular way: "Suppose the steamer is wrecked and you get drowned, to +whom do you leave your books, Gilmour?" "Yes," he said at once, "that is +well thought of. Come along, you fellows, and pick out the books you +would like to keep in memory of me, if I never return." Of course we +only laughed and said it was all a joke; but he said, "It is no joke +with me, I mean what I say;" and so he did. He was in dead earnest, and +nothing would satisfy him but that each should pick out the book or +books he would like to have if he never returned. He then turned to me +and said: "Now, I leave the rest to your care, and if I never return I +want all on this shelf sent to my father and mother, and you can do +anything you like with the rest." Had anyone else acted in that way, we +should have certainly suspected that he had gone "_queer_"; but it was +Gilmour, and we all understood the straight, matter-of-fact way in which +he went about everything he did. + +'Through a misunderstanding, as we afterwards discovered, the students +at Highgate came into collision with the Directors of the Society over +the studies to be prosecuted. Additional classes were arranged, and +these some of us declined to attend. This act of rebellion, as it was +regarded at the Mission House, had to be put down with a firm hand, and +a special meeting of the Board of Directors was called to deal with us. + +'The night before we were to meet the Board we met in Gilmour's study, +to settle what we were to say to the Directors when we met them. One +only of our number, when he saw that there was likely to be a rather +serious interchange of ideas between us and the Directors, caved in +completely, and would have nothing further to do with our resistance. + +'When we met the Board Gilmour made his defence in his frank, +straightforward way, and, I am afraid, upset some of the Directors very +much by his plain speaking. They did not know the man, and regarded him +as one of the ringleaders in rebellion, and, of course, were not in the +humour to do him justice. But when we met the subcommittee appointed to +deal with us the misunderstanding came to an end, and they admitted that +we had been in the right in objecting to the extra classes thus +imposed.' + +During these last months in England James Gilmour paid much earnest heed +to the culture of his soul. Just before he sailed for China, he set +forth his inner experience and his keen sense of the difficulties of the +course upon which he was embarking in the following letter to a Cheshunt +friend:-- + + 'Companions I can scarcely hope to meet, and the feeling of being + _alone_ comes over me till I think of Christ and His blessed + promise, "Lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the world." + No one who does not go away, leaving all and going alone, can feel + the force of this promise; and when I begin to feel my heart + threatening to go down, I betake myself to this companionship, and, + thank God, I have felt the blessedness of this promise rushing over + me repeatedly when I knelt down and spoke to Jesus as a present + companion, from whom I am sure to find sympathy. I have felt a + tingle of delight thrilling over me as I felt His presence, and + thought that wherever I may go He is still with me. I have once or + twice lately felt a melting sweetness in the name of Jesus as I + spoke to Him and told Him my trouble. Yes, and the trouble went + away, and I arose all right. Is it not blessed of Christ to care so + much for us poor feeble men, so sinful and so careless about + honouring Him? the moment we come to Him He is ready with His + consolations for us! + + 'I have been thinking lately over some of the inducements we have + to live for Christ, and to confess Him and preach Him before men, + not conferring with flesh and blood. Why should we be trammelled by + the opinions and customs of men? Why should we care what men say of + us? Salvation and damnation are _realities_, Christ is a reality, + _Eternity_ is a reality, and we shall soon be there in reality, and + time shall soon be finished; and from our stand in eternity we + shall look back on what we did in time, and what shall we think of + it? Shall we be able to understand why we were afraid to speak to + this man or that woman about salvation? Shall we be able to + understand how we were ashamed to do what we knew was a Christian + duty before one whom we knew to be a mocker at religion? Our + cowardice shall seem small to us then. Let us now measure our + actions by the standard of that scene, let us now look upon the + things of time in the light of eternity, and we shall see them + better as they are, and live more as we shall wish then we had + done. It is not too late. We can secure yet what remains of our + life. The present still is ours. Let us use it. It may be that we + can't be great, let us be good; if we can't shine as great lights, + let us make our light shine as God has made it to shine. Let us + live lives as in the presence of Christ, anxious for His approval, + and glad to take the condemnation of the world, and of Christ's + professed servants even, if we get the commendation of angels and + our Master. The "well done!" is to the faithful servant--to the + _faithful_, not the great. Let us watch and pray that we may be + faithful. It is a little hard to be this, and to care little for + man. + + 'Yesterday afternoon I preached here at home, and took the most + earnest sermon I had, "_Behold, I stand at the door and knock_." + Well, in doing so, I thought I was acting quite independently of + man; and even after I had preached it, thought I would not care for + man. But one man praised it, and I felt pleased, and, as might then + be expected, felt a little hurt when a friend called this morning + and told me that what I gave them yesterday was _no sermon at all_. + Now, if I had been regarding Christ alone, I would not have been + moved by either the one or the other of these criticisms; and I + wish that I could get above this sort of thing, and get beyond the + attempt at pleasing men at all. Why should we confer with men?' + +James Gilmour was ordained as a missionary to Mongolia in Augustine +Chapel, Edinburgh, on February 10, 1870, and, in accordance with +Nonconformist custom, he made a statement about the development of his +religious life from which we take the following extract:-- + + 'My conversion took place after I had begun to attend the Arts + course in the University of Glasgow. I had gone to college with no + definite aim as to preparing for a profession; an opportunity was + offered me of attending classes, and I embraced it gladly, + confident that whatever training or knowledge I might there acquire + would prove serviceable to me afterwards in some way or other. + + 'After I became satisfied that I had found the "way of life," I + decided to tell others of that way, and felt that I lay under + responsibility to do what I could to extend Christ's kingdom. Among + other plans of usefulness that suggested themselves to me was that + of entering the ministry. But, in my opinion, there were two things + that everyone who sought the office of the ministry should have, + viz., an experimental knowledge of the truth which it is the work + of the minister to preach, and a good education to help him to do + it; the former I believed I had, the latter I hoped to obtain. So I + quietly pursued the college course till I entered on the last + session, when, after prayerful consideration and mature + deliberation, I thought it my duty to offer myself as a candidate + for the ministry. + + 'Having decided as to the capacity in which I should labour in + Christ's kingdom, the next thing which occupied my serious + attention was the _locality_ where I should labour. Occasionally + before I had thought of the relative claims of the home and foreign + fields, but during the summer, session in Edinburgh I thought the + matter out, and decided for the mission field; even on the low + ground of common sense I seemed to be called to be a missionary. Is + the kingdom a harvest field? Then I thought it reasonable that I + should seek to work where the work was most abundant and the + workers fewest. Labourers say they are overtaxed at home; what then + must be the case abroad, where there are wide stretching plains + already white to harvest, with scarcely here and there a solitary + reaper? To me the soul of an Indian seemed as precious as the soul + of an Englishman, and the Gospel as much for the Chinese as for the + European; and as the band of missionaries was few compared with the + company of home ministers, it seemed to me clearly to be my duty to + go abroad. + + 'But I go out as a missionary not that I may follow the dictates of + common sense, but that I may obey that command of Christ, "_Go into + all the world and preach_." He who said "_preach_," said also, "Go + ye into and _preach_," and what Christ hath joined together let not + man put asunder. + + 'This command seems to me to be strictly a missionary injunction, + and, as far as I can see, those to whom it was first delivered + regarded it in that light, so that, apart altogether from choice + and other lower reasons, my going forth is a matter of obedience to + a plain command; and in place of seeking to assign a reason for + going abroad, I would prefer to say that I have failed to discover + any reason why I should stay at home.' + +On February 22, 1870, James Gilmour embarked at Liverpool upon the +steamship Diomed, and thus fairly started on the work of his life. Among +his extant correspondence is a long letter which describes the voyage to +China, and the way in which he utilised the opportunities it afforded +for trying to do his Master's will. + + 'We sailed from Liverpool, and my father saw me off. The passengers + were few--nine or ten. We had a cabin each. There was a Wesleyan + medical missionary named Hardey going out to Hankow. We soon drew + together. The doctor of the ship was a young fellow from Greenock, + and had been at Glasgow College when I was there last. Among the + 1,200 we had not stumbled upon each other. The married man was + something or other in the Consular service. A young lady passenger + was the daughter of a judge in China. A young man was going out to + try his fortune in China: his qualifications were some knowledge of + tea and a love of drink. Another decent young fellow was going out + to China as a tea-taster. Another young fellow was going out to + Australia _via_ Singapore. Thus, you see, I was the only parson on + board; and as the ship's company was High Church, and I a + Dissenter, it may be seen that we did not fit each other exactly. + Some of the passengers were so High Church that one of them told me + he thought we Dissenters were sunk more deeply in error than the + Papists. + + 'The captain was a sensible kind of rough seaman, and I at once + volunteered my services as chaplain, and was accepted, though with + some caution. He evidently thought me too young to be trusted with + a sermon; the Church of England prayers I might read, and he put + into my hands a book with a sermon for any Sunday and holy-day in + the year. I took the book and said I would look through it. The Bay + of Biscay was calm when we crossed it, but on Sunday morning we + were tumbling about off the Rock of Lisbon. As I could hardly keep + my legs, I did not think we should have had service; but we crowded + into the smoking-saloon (we were afraid to venture below, for + sickness), and I read prayers. Next Sunday I read a sermon from the + book. All the Sundays after that I gave them my own, and, as I was + under the impression that they had not heard much plain preaching, + did my best to let them hear the gospel pure and simple. I half + suspected they did not quite like it. It was hinted to me that they + complained of my preaching. The next Sunday came, and, under the + impression it might be the last time I would have the opportunity, + I made the most earnest and direct appeal to them I possibly could. + I was not a little thankful and astonished when, soon after, in + place of being asked to shut up, I was thanked for it, and assured + it was the best I had given them, and told that it was a waste of, + &c., &c., for me to go out as a missionary--I should have stopped + at home. After that I had no trouble with the passengers, and we + got on well together. + + 'As for the men, from captain to cabin-boy there were about sixty. + Among these was one earnest Christian man, a German and a Baptist. + He was a quarter-master. He was a little peculiar in appearance, + and spoke English not quite smoothly. On one occasion, when some of + the passengers were laughing at something he had done and said, the + captain happened to pass, and, seeing what was up, remarked that + the man was a first-rate fellow--he never caught him idle. If you + except this man, the captain, and the boy, the whole ship's + company swore like troopers. So universal was the vice that the + men, I almost think, were hardly aware that they did swear. I was + puzzled. Sometimes when I went out in the morning I would hear a + volley of oaths coming from the mouth of a man who had been talking + quite seriously with me over-night. + + Few of the men came to the service, and as they would not come to + us we went to them. Hardey and I, usually in the evenings, + conducted short little services in the forecastle as often as we + thought desirable. We were always well received and listened to + respectfully. I think I may say safely that all on board had + repeated opportunities of hearing the gospel as plainly as I could + put it, and a good many had something more than mere opportunities. + After it was dark I used to go out and get the men one by one, as + they sat in corners during their watch in the night. All they had + to do was to be within call when wanted, and many a good long talk + I have had with a good many of them. Of course, my object in + accosting them was religious conversation, and this I usually + succeeded in having; but on many occasions, that we might be quite + on a footing of equality, I had in return to listen to their yarns. + The man on the look-out was a frequent victim. I was always sure to + find a man there, generally alone, and never asleep. The man, also, + was changed at regular intervals, so that I knew exactly when I + would find a fresh man. When I talked to the look-out man, I used + to keep a sharp lookout myself, lest by distracting his attention I + should get him into trouble. Many a good hour have I stood at the + prow as we passed through the warm Indian Ocean, till my clothes + were wet with the dew of night; and then I would find my way down + to my cabin about midnight, with my head so full of the + ghost-stories I had just heard that I was really afraid I might + meet a real ghost coming out of my cabin.' + + + + +CHAPTER II + +BEGINNING WORK + + +In 1817 two missionaries, the Rev. E. Stallybrass and the Rev. W. Swan, +left England to begin Christian work among the Buriats, a Mongolian +tribe living under Russian authority. At Selenginsk and at Onagen Dome +they laboured for many years; but in 1841 the Russian Emperor ordered +them to leave the country. From the command of the autocrat there was no +appeal, and the mission came to an end. But in the good providence of +God the two missionaries had translated the whole Bible into Buriat; the +Old Testament being printed in Siberia in 1840, the New Testament in +London in 1846. Notwithstanding the suppression of the mission, the Word +of God in the Mongol tongue continued to circulate among the people. + +It was to the reopening and development of this missionary work among +the Mongol tribes that James Gilmour consecrated his life. He was +appointed, in the first instance, to the London Mission at Peking, and +that centre formed his first base of operations. He continued also a +member of that mission until the close of his life. He reached the +Chinese capital on May 18, 1870. At once he settled down to hard and +continuous work at the Chinese language, endeavouring also from the +first to discover the best means of restarting the Mongol Mission. The +very full diary which he kept lies before us as we write, and enables us +to understand the varying progress and hindrance, encouragement and +despondency of this time. + + '_June 11, 1870._--Mr. Gulick advises me to pay little attention to + the Chinese and go in hot and strong for the Mongolian. I am not + quite sure that he is not right, after all. However, I mean to + stick into the Chinese yet for a time to come with my teacher and + to mix among the people as much as I can. I went out to-night and + with the gate-keeper and two of his companions had a lot of talk, + in which I learned a good lot. I hope to benefit largely by this + pleasant mode of study. Perhaps by this means I may be able to do + them good. Lord grant it!' + + '_June 12, 1870._--I am to-day twenty-seven years of age, and what + have I done? Let the time that is past suffice to have wrought the + will of the flesh. The prospect I have before me now is the most + inspiriting one any man can have. Health, strength, as much + conscious ability as makes one hope to be able to get the language + of the people to whom I am sent, a new field of work among men who + are decidedly religious and simple-minded, left pretty much to my + own ideas as to what is best to be done in the attempted + evangelization of Mongolia, friends left in Britain behind me + praying for me, comfort and peace here in the prosecution of my + present studies, the idea that what I do is for eternity, and that + this life is but the short prelude to an eternal state, the thought + that after death there shall break on my view a thousand truths + that now I long in vain to know--these thoughts and many others + make my present life happy, and in a manner careless as to what + should come. In time may I be able to do my part as I ought, and + may God have great mercy upon me!' + +On June 22, 1870, the news of the Tientsin massacre reached Peking. A +Roman Catholic convent had been destroyed and thirteen French people +killed. Very great uncertainty prevailed as to whether this indicated a +further purpose of attacking all missions and all foreigners, and for a +while things looked very dark. It was a time in which the nerve and +courage and faith of men were severely tried, and splendidly did Gilmour +endure the test. While unable to escape wholly from the fears common to +all, his reply to the counsels of worldly prudence and selfish dread was +advance in his work. When others were wondering whether they might not +have to retreat, he, alone, in almost total ignorance of the language, +entirely unfamiliar with the country, went up to the great Mongolian +plain, and entered upon the service so close to his heart--personal +intercourse with and effort for the Mongols. + +How trying a season this was his diary reveals. Under date of June 23, +1870, the day after the first tidings of the outbreak had been received, +he writes:-- + + 'The Roman Catholic missionaries have suffered severely, and the + Protestant missionaries are not in a very safe condition. We are + living on the slope of a volcano that may put forth its slumbering + rage at any moment. For example, people ask why there is no rain, + and blame the foreigners for it; and should a famine ensue, we may + fare hard for it. Now is the time for trying what stuff a man's + religion is made of. We may be all dead men directly; are we afraid + to die? Our death might further the cause of Christ more than our + life could do. We must die some time or other; now that we have a + near view of its possibility, how can we look forward to it? God! + do Thou make my faith firm and bright, so that death may seem + small and not to be feared. Help me to trust Thee and Christ + implicitly, so that with calm mind I may work while Thou dost let + me live, and when Thou dost call me home, let me come gladly.' + +The further entries in his Diary at this time depict his inner +experience from day to day:-- + + '_July 10._--Rose 6.20. Dull morning, rained a little. Felt + uncomfortable at the idea of being killed; felt troubled at the + idea of leaving Peking. How am I to pack and carry my goods? Felt + troubled at remaining in the midst of a troubled city, with a + government weak and stupid. How is my mission to get on beginning + thus? O God, let me cast all my care upon Thee, and commit my soul + also to Thy safe keeping. Keep me, O God, in perfect peace! Rain + made a thin meeting this morning, but all was quiet. In afternoon + went with Mr. Edkins to the west; things uncommonly quiet and + peaceful. + + '_July 12._--While others are writing to papers and trying to stir + up the feelings of the people, so that they may take action in the + matter, perhaps I may be able to do some good moving Heaven. My + creed leads me to think that prayer is efficacious, and surely a + day's asking God to overrule all these events for good is not lost. + Still, there is a great feeling that when a man is praying he is + doing nothing, and this feeling, I am sure, makes us give undue + importance to work, sometimes even to the hurrying over or even to + the neglect of prayer. + + '_July 22._--A good deal troubled about the present state of + matters. I don't exactly know how to estimate rumours and reports, + and this may cause me more uneasiness than there is any need for. + Still, I don't know. At times I feel a great revulsion from being + killed, at other times I feel as if I could be killed quietly, and + not dislike the thing much. Sometimes the tone of those about us is + hopeful, and that causes hope also. Sometimes the prospect of a + speedy removal, a half flight, comes upon me with great force, and + to see all its annoyance, not to speak of the danger, is not + pleasant at all. Oh for the simple, childlike faith that can trust + all things to God and leave all care upon Him! Ought we not to have + it? Is God not the same God now that He was when He delivered His + people from Egypt, and His saints from the hands of their enemies, + from the mouth of the lions, and the fiery furnace? Cannot God keep + us yet--will He not do it? But then comes the thought, perhaps God + does not wish us to live, but to die. Often has He allowed His + saints to be slain. What then? Well, as the men in the furnace said + of God, "Will He care to defend us? if not, be it known unto you we + will not yield." I might have died in childhood, in youth, before + conversion, and if then, alas! alas! I can remember the time when + the pains of hell got such a terrible hold upon me that I would + have gladly changed places in the world with anyone who had the + hope of salvation. Death, life, prospects, honour, shame, seemed + nothing compared with this hope of salvation, which I was then + without. "Could I ever be saved?" was the question; "would I ever + have the hope that I knew others had?" Had I died in darkness--God + be thanked, the light has shined forth, and I have the hope of + eternal life. May God make me more Christlike, and give me stronger + hope! Well, then, this hope I have; from this fearful pit I have + been delivered; in the light I now walk. God I call my Father, + Christ my Saviour, heaven my home, earth and the life here the + entrance to real life. If there is anything in our faith or in our + belief, then heaven is as much better than earth as it is higher + than earth, and our souls life is insured from all harm. If a man + is insured against all possible harm, why should he be afraid? Not + one hair of our head shall perish! O Lord, help me to live this + faith and to be in this frame of mind. In this city are many + foreigners, who came here to learn the language, &c., and many of + them have no great hope of heaven. They seem calm enough, and are + no doubt calm enough; shall the courage of the world, shall the + courage of scepticism, shall the courage of carelessness be greater + and produce better fruit than the courage of the Christian? O Lord, + preserve me from the sin of dishonouring Thy name through fear and + cowardice! Let us be bold in the Lord!' + +By the end of July 1870, Gilmour had reached a fixed resolution to go to +Mongolia as soon as the necessary arrangements could be made. A severe +test had been applied to him, and the way in which he met it gives the +key to the whole of his after life. He used the trial as a help onwards +in the path of duty, and the chain of events which would have led many +men to postpone indefinitely the beginning of a new and hard work only +drove him the more eagerly into new fields. The reasons that influenced +him are set forth in his official report written many months later. + + 'After the massacre at Tientsin, very grave fears prevailed at + Peking; no one could tell how far the ramifications of the plot + might extend, and it was impossible to sift the matter. The people + openly talked of an extermination, and claimed to have the tacit + favour of the Government in this; nay more, the Government itself + issued ambiguous, if not insinuating, proclamations, which fomented + the excitement of the populace to such an extent that the days were + fixed for the "Clearing of Peking." The mob was thoroughly quieted + on the first of the days fixed by a twenty hours' pour of + tremendous rain, which converted Peking into a muddy, boatless + Venice, and kept the people safely at home in their helpless felt + shoes, as securely as if their feet had been put into the stocks. + This was Friday. Tuesday was the reserve day; Saturday and Sabbath + one felt the tide of excitement rising, and on Monday morning the + Peking Gazette came out with an Imperial edict that at once allayed + the excitement, and assured us that there was no danger for the + present. + + 'We had then to draw breath and look about us calmly, and the + general conclusion that the "Old Pekingers" came to was that the + French would be compelled to resort to force of arms to gain + redress. The attitude of the Chinese people and Government made + them think so, and so they determined to wait on quietly in Peking + till things should get thick, and then it would be time to go + south. I think I may safely say that everyone drew out an inventory + of his things, and not a few had their most necessary things packed + "on the sly," and were ready to start on short notice. + + 'Up to this point I stood quietly aside; but now was my time to + reason, and on the data they supplied I reasoned thus: "If I go + south, no Mongol can be prevailed on to go with me, and so I am + shut out from my work, and that for an indefinite time. If I can + get away north, then I can go on with the language, and perhaps + come down after the smoke clears away, knowing Mongolian, and + having lost no time." I felt a great aversion to travelling so far + alone, and with such imperfect knowledge of the language, but as I + thought it over from day to day I was more and more convinced that + to run the risk of having to go south would be to prove unfaithful + to duty, and so I conferred no longer with likings or dislikings, + resolved to go should an opportunity offer, and in the meantime + worked away at Chinese. + + 'By-and-by a Russian merchant turned up; he was going to Kiachta, + so I started with him. I could not go sooner, as it was not safe to + travel in the country before the Imperial edict was issued; to wait + longer was to run the risk of not going at all.' + + +[Illustration: MAP ILLUSTRATING JAMES GILMOUR'S JOURNEYS ON THE GREAT +PLAIN OF MONGOLIA] + + + + +CHAPTER III + +MONGOLIAN APPRENTICESHIP + + +The name Mongolia denotes a vast and almost unknown territory situated +between China Proper and Siberia, constituting the largest dependency of +the Chinese Empire. It stretches from the Sea of Japan on the east to +Turkestan on the west, a distance of nearly 3,000 miles; and from the +southern boundary of Asiatic Russia to the Great Wall of China, a +distance of about 900 miles. It consists of high tablelands, lifted up +considerably above the level of Northern China, and is approached only +through rugged mountain passes. The central portion of this enormous +area is called the Desert of Gobi. + +A kind of highway for the considerable commercial traffic between China +and Russia runs through the eastern central part of Mongolia, leaving +China at the frontier town of Kalgan, and touching Russia at the +frontier town of Kiachta. Along this route during all but the winter +months, caravans of camel-carts and ox-carts attended by companies of +Mongols and Chinese are constantly passing. The staple export from China +is tea; the chief imports are salt, soda, hides, and timber. + +The west and the centre of Mongolia is occupied by nomad Mongols. They +have clusters of huts and tents in fixed locations which form their +winter dwellings. But in summer they journey over the great plains in +search of the best pasturage for their flocks and herds. They are +consequently exceedingly difficult to reach by any other method than +that of sharing their roving tent life. In the southeastern district of +Mongolia there are large numbers of agricultural Mongols who speak both +Chinese and Mongolian. The towns in this part are almost wholly +inhabited by Chinese. + +The winter in Mongolia is both long and severe; in the summer the heat +is often very oppressive, and the great Plain is subject to severe +storms of dust, rain and wind. + +Buddhism is all-powerful, and the larger half of the male population are +lamas or Buddhist priests. 'Meet a Mongol on the road, and the +probability is that he is saying his prayers and counting his beads as +he rides along. Ask him where he is going, and on what errand, as the +custom is, and likely he will tell you he is going to some shrine to +worship. Follow him to the temple, and there you will find him one of a +company with dust-marked forehead, moving lips, and the never absent +beads, going the rounds of the sacred place, prostrating himself at +every shrine, bowing before every idol, and striking pious attitudes at +every new object of reverence that meets his eye. Go to Mongolia itself, +and probably one of the first great sights that meet your eye will be a +temple of imposing grandeur, resplendent from afar in colours and gold.' + +'The Mongol's religion marks out for him certain seemingly indifferent +actions as good or bad, meritorious or sinful. There is scarcely one +single step in life, however insignificant, which he can take without +first consulting his religion through his priest. Not only does his +religion insist on moulding his soul, and colouring his whole spiritual +existence, but it determines for him the colour and cut of his coat. It +would be difficult to find another instance in which any religion has +grasped a country so universally and completely as Buddhism has +Mongolia.'[1] + +[1] _Among the Mongols_, p. 211. + +It was to the herculean task of attempting single-handed to evangelise a +region and a people like this that James Gilmour addressed himself. His +early journeys are fully set forth in _Among the Mongols_, and we do not +propose to repeat them here. Our object rather is to depict, so far as +possible, the inner life of James Gilmour, and the real nature of the +work he accomplished. He left Peking on August 5, and reached Kalgan +four days later. On August 27 he started for his first trip across the +great plain of Mongolia to Kiachta. A Russian postmaster was to be his +companion, but, to avoid travelling on Sunday, Gilmour started a day +ahead, and then waited for the Russian to come up. Here is his first +view of scenes he was so often in later life to visit. + + '_Sabbath, August 28._--Awoke about 5 A.M. just as it was drawing + towards light, and saw that we were right out into the Plain. + + 'I am writing up my diary, with a lot of people looking into my + cart. I have just given them a Mongol Catechism, and I hope it may + do them good. God, do Thou bless it to them! Would I could speak to + them, but I cannot. I am glad to be saved the trouble of travelling + to-day. My mind feels at rest for the present. I am looking about + me, and having my first look at the life I am likely to lead. + There are several more Mongol dwellings within sight, plenty of + camels, horses, and oxen. The Mongols have a tent of their own, and + the "commandant's" tent has also been put up. A Mongol has just + come up and changed his dress, his cloak serving him as a tent + meantime. I am hesitating whether to try to read in my cart or go + off a little way with my plaid and umbrella. + + 'Had not a very intellectual or spiritual day after all. Went in + the afternoon away to the east. Had a good view and a time of + devotion at a cairn from which an eagle rose as I approached. + Returned to the camp and bought milk and some cheese. Intended to + make porridge, but the fire was not good on account of the blowing, + so I drank off my milk, ate some bread, and went to sleep.' + +The journey across the desert, including a visit to Urga, occupied a +month. It was full of intense interest for the traveller, and many of +the most abiding impressions of his life and work were then received. +His diary reveals the deep yearnings of his heart for the salvation of +the Mongols. Under the date September 11, 1870, he writes:-- + + 'Astir by daybreak. Camels watering; made porridge and tea. This is + the Lord's day; help me, O Lord, to be in the spirit, and to be + glad and rejoice in the day which Thou hast made! Several huts in + sight. When shall I be able to speak to the people? O Lord, suggest + by the Spirit how I should come among them, and guide me in gaining + the language, and in preparing myself to teach the life and love of + Christ Jesus! Oh, let me live for Christ, and feel day by day the + blessedness of a will given up to God, and the happiness of a life + which has its every circumstance working for my good!' + + His constant rule was to rest from all journeying, so far as + possible, on the Sabbath. After another week's experience, on + September 18 he thus records his impressions:-- + + 'Encamped just over the plain we saw at sunset last night. We are + some distance from the real exit, but not far. This is the Lord's + day; God help me to be in the spirit notwithstanding all + distractions. Oh that God would give me more of His Spirit, more of + His felt Presence, more of the spirit and power of prayer, that I + may bring down blessings on this poor people of Mongolia! As I look + at them and their huts I ask again and again how am I to go among + them; in comfort and in a waggon, with all my things about me; or + in poverty, reducing myself to their level? If I go among them + rich, they will be continually begging, and perhaps regard me more + as a source of gifts than anything else. If I go with nothing but + the Gospel, there will be nothing to distract their attention from + the unspeakable gift. + + '8.15 A.M.-3.15 P.M. Good long walk. Met camels and came upon a + cart encampment, estimated at one hundred and seventy. Know where I + am on the map. There is a camel encampment where we are. Two huts + from which comes fuel. Read to-day in II Chronicles xvi. God never + failed those who trusted in Him and appealed to Him. God was + displeased with the King of Judah because, after the deliverance + from the Lubims, Ethiopians, &c., he trusted to the arm of flesh to + deliver him from the Syrians. Do we not in our day rest too much on + the arm of flesh? Cannot the same wonders be done now as of old? Do + not the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, + still to show Himself strong on behalf of those who put their trust + in Him? Oh that God would give me more practical faith in Him! + Where is now the Lord God of Elijah? He is waiting for Elijah to + call on Him. God give me some of Elijah's spirit, and let my power + be of God, and my hope from Him for the conversion of this people. + + 'It is nothing to the Lord to save by many or by them that have no + power. Help me, O God, for I rest on Thee, and in Thy name I go + against this multitude!' + +Kiachta, on the southern frontier of Siberia, was reached September 28, +1870, and there Gilmour was at once plunged into a series of troubles. +The Russian and Chinese authorities would not recognise his passport, +and he had to wait months before another could be obtained from Peking. +He found absolutely no sympathy in his work. He knew next to nothing of +the Mongol language. Yet with robust faith, with whole-hearted courage, +with a resolution that nothing could daunt, he set to work. A Scotch +trader, named Grant, was kind to him, and found accommodation for him at +his house. At first he tried the orthodox plan of getting a Mongol +teacher to visit and instruct him. Before he secured one he used to +visit such Mongols as he found in the neighbourhood, trying to acquire a +vocabulary from them, asking the names of the articles they were using, +their actions, and all such other matters as he could make them +understand. But his loneliness, his ignorance of the language, the +inaction to which he was condemned, partly by his difficulty in getting +a suitable teacher, and partly by the uncertainty as to whether the +authorities would allow him to remain, told upon his eager spirit as +week after week passed by, and he became subject to fits of severe +depression. Here is a picture of one of these early days. He had been +trying to talk with a Buriat carpenter, in a place called Kudara, not +far from Kiachta:-- + + 'After getting my quota of words I walked through the town. The + main object in it is the church, a large whitewashed structure + built by Mr. Grant's father-in-law when he was a rich man. He was + made poor, comparatively speaking, in one night by a great fire + which burnt up all before it. In addition to the church are some + streets of Cossack houses, desolate enough looking, the streets + desolate enough at best, but rendered much more so this morning by + the snow melting in the sun, which is still high, and manages to + thaw away all the snow that falls in places where it shines, though + it was frost all day in the shade. Passing the town I made for the + river, which rolled on quiet and cold. Passed through large + orchards of apple(?) trees; doubled about, went to the extreme + west, got on a hill, and came round home again in time for dinner + at 4 P.M. I felt very lonely, and not having a teacher I am thrown + idle, as it were, a great part of the day after I get my words. It + is true I am taking notice of all I see, but it always occurs to me + that this is not furthering the Mongolian Mission in any direct + way. I often think of what Dr. Alexander said in his charge at my + ordination: "_You do not go to discover new countries._" Would I + had a teacher, that the language might go on full swing! To-day I + felt a good deal like Elijah in the wilderness, when the reaction + came on after his slaughter of the priests of Baal. He prayed that + he might die. I wonder if I am telling the truth when I say that I + felt drawn towards suicide. I take this opportunity of declaring + strongly that on all occasions two missionaries should go together. + I was not of this opinion a few weeks ago, but I had no idea how + weak an individual I am. My eyes have filled with tears frequently + these last few days in spite of myself, and I do not wonder in the + least that Grant's brother shot himself. _Oh! the intense + loneliness of Christ's life_, not a single one understood Him! He + bore it. O Jesus, let me follow in Thy steps, and have in me the + same Spirit that Thou hadst! + + 'Read papers in the evening (Oct 5). So Jones of Singrauli is dead! + I heard him in Exeter Hall, May, a year or two ago, and heard a + good deal of him through Dr. Evans, of Chestnut College. I am + persuaded he was a missionary among a thousand. When he returned to + his station he found that during his absence matters had got out of + order a good deal, and he set about putting them right. Now he is + dead! How prodigal God seems of His workers--Hartley, Jones, both A + 1, both gone. God's ways are not ours. We would have preserved + these two at all risk and expense, but God _takes_ them away, and + it seems to us as if He were hurting His own cause. God knows best, + but to _us_ it is a great mystery.' + +Two days later he received a letter telling him of the death of a +brilliant young Glasgow student, and he enters in his diary comments +which received only too complete an illustration in his own subsequent +career:-- + + 'Another splendid student going from college to the grave. This is + a thing of common occurrence with reference to Glasgow College, + and, if I am not mistaken, I have seen it somewhere publicly + commented on. Men, poor it may be, strive through college with a + mind and determination beyond their circumstances and bodily + strength, fight a great battle with poverty and more clever + students, resolute to take the first place if possible, and just as + the college is finished with them, and sending them forth to the + field of life decorated with all the honours it can bestow, the + fond Alma Mater has to keep on mourning and drop her tear over an + early grave. + + 'Are the young men to blame? Who can be restrained by the + cold-blooded calculation of preserving health? "There is my + opponent, I'll thrash him if I can; better to toil out my + life-blood drop by drop than let it mount to my cheek as a mantle + of shame when I find myself defeated when I might have been + victorious." Then they conscientiously work themselves to death. If + they did not work as hard as they do, and refrain from recreation + as they do, they would have in their breasts the uneasy feeling + that they have not done as much as they might have done; and what + noble nature can be content to live under that accusation written + against them by the supreme court in their own breasts? + + 'Several times I have resolved to refrain for health's sake, but in + a short time found such an uneasy feeling about not doing as much + as I might, that I had to give it up and go at it. I _never_ feel + that I have done as much as I might, and when I am doing most I + feel best.' + +Very dissatisfied with his progress, and stung one day by a remark of +Grant's to the effect that he did not seem to speak Mongolian readily, +Gilmour changed his plans. He resolved to go out upon the Plain, and +persuade some Mongol to allow him to share his tent. On December 13, +1870, he left Kiachta and journeyed out into Mongolia to the first +cluster of tents, named Olau Bourgass. There he found a friendly Mongol. +'Grant's contractor. Found him at his prayers. He motioned me to sit +down, and when his devotions were finished he gave me a warm welcome. He +lives alone in his tent, having nothing to care for but the horses for +the courier service, and a couple of lamas[2] to attend to his wants, +one of whom goes with the letters when they come. We talked, and I +learned a great deal, when at last I broke my mind to him, and was glad +to find that he received it favourably. I settled to remain there during +the night. Nothing very remarkable happened except that we were invaded +by a great blustering lama, intoxicated. He came ramping into the tent +as if he would have knocked everything down. After a time he went away +and lodged in the next hut. I went to bed about ten and slept well, +though my feet were cold towards morning.' + +[2] A lama is a priest of the lama section of Buddists. More than half +the population of Mongolia are lamas. + +The next three months were passed mainly in this tent. Gilmour used, +whenever possible, to return to Kiachta to spend the Sunday at Grant's +house; but by enduring the hardships and suffering all the +inconveniences of ordinary Mongol life he rapidly acquired the +colloquial, and he also made an indelible impression upon the minds and +hearts of the natives, who ever afterwards spoke of him as 'Our +Gilmour.' He saw Mongol life as it was, free from all the illusion and +romance sometimes thrown around it. He became intimately acquainted with +the various Mongol types, and he began to enter into the native habits +of thought. His diary contains many a scene like the following:-- + + 'I gave the lama a book on Saturday, and when I came back on + Tuesday I found he had read it through twice. He set upon me with + questions, getting me to admit premises, and then reasoned from + them. Christ being at the right hand of God was a great point with + him. If God has no form, how can anyone be at His right hand? Then, + again, if God is everywhere, Christ is everywhere right and left of + God, and how can that be? + + 'The omnipresence was a staggerer. Was God in that pot, in the + tent, in his boot? Did he tread upon God? Then was God inside the + kettle? Did the hot tea not scald Him? Again, if God was inside the + kettle, the kettle was living! And so he held it up to the laughing + circle as a new species of animal. I asked him if a fly were inside + the kettle, would the kettle be alive? "No," he said; "but a fly + does not fill the space as God must do." "Well, then," said I, "is + my coat alive because I fill it?" This settled the question.' + +In March 1871 he visited Selenginsk and Onagen Dome, the scene of the +labours of Stallybrass and Swan from 1817 to 1841, and then he took a +run into Siberia, crossing Lake Baikal and visiting Irkutsk. At the +latter place he reviews the past few months:-- + + 'Another week has passed over my head with many hopes and fears. + This day, a week ago, I was nearing Ana in doubt as to many things; + now I am in Irkutsk, having my path marked with mercies. In many + points of my journey I expected difficulties which might have + stopped me short in my path, but all these have disappeared, and I + am here, having succeeded beyond expectations. One thing is not + right: my readiness to forget the ways in which God has helped me. + Sometimes for weeks and months I look forward to some crisis which + is coming; it comes off well, and in two days I am as if I had + forgotten that to which I had looked forward with so much + apprehension. In this manner I am not only guilty of ingratitude, + but lose much joy and strength of faith and hope. What should make + me more happy than the thought of the helps and deliverances that + God has vouchsafed me; and in troubles present and to come, what + can give me more faith and courage than to remember that out of + such troubles I was delivered before? + + 'One thing I sometimes think of. I left Britain with no intention + of travelling; I expected to settle down quietly and confine myself + to a circle I could impress. This plan has been completely changed + and overruled. Two months have I been in Peking; two weeks have I + been in Kalgan; a month have I been in the desert; a month have I + been in Kudara, a small Russian frontier military post; a month and + a half have I been in Kiachta; two months have I been in Mongolia; + and now two weeks have I been travelling in Russia. A year and a + month have elapsed since I left home, and during that time I have + been walking to and fro on the face of the earth, and going up and + down in it. In this way I have not found my life at all dull, but + very stirring. Indeed, many people would have left home to travel + as I have done. I sought it not; it came, and I took it. So as yet + I have no hardships to complain of. To see the places and things I + have seen--Liverpool, Wales, Rock of Lisbon, Gibraltar, Malta, + Egypt, Port Said, Canal, Suez, Red Sea, Cape Gardafui, Indian + Ocean, Penang, Straits of Malacca, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, + Tientsin, Peking, Kalgan, Desert, Urga, Kiachta, Russia, Baikal, + Irkutsk--only even to see these, men will make long journeys. I + have seen them all without seeking them, with the exception of + Baikal and Irkutsk. These are all by the way, and I dwell upon them + as proofs that God, in sending His servants from home and kindred, + often gives them pleasure and worldly enjoyment on the way, which + He does not promise, and which they have no right to expect.' + +After another but briefer sojourn at Olau Bourgass he set out on his +return journey, visited Urga, then crossed the great plain on horseback +in the course of fourteen days, and reached Kalgan on June 11. After a +rest there he made two excursions into Mongolia, visiting Lama Miao, +one of the great Mongol religious centres, in the first; and occupying +some weeks with a further spell of Mongol tent life during the second. + +His diary, under date of September 22, 1871, while he was resting at +Kalgan, thus sums up his experiences:-- + + 'I desire to-day to look back on the way by which the Lord has led + me for the last year. In September 1870 I was looking out eagerly, + anxiously for someone who was going to Russia, that I might go with + him. I could find no one. I made it a subject of prayer, and at + last, when I was on my knees, in came McCoy to tell me of a Russian + who was going up without delay. I saw the Russian, and arranged to + go, and started. "While they are speaking I will answer them." + + 'On the journey between Peking and Kalgan I was alone, I may say, + and could speak little Chinese, yet I got on very well; and though + my money was in a box on the back of a donkey, yet it came in all + safe, none lost. In Kalgan I had difficulty at first about finding + camels, but at length the Russian postmaster turned out to be going + home. The time when was uncertain, quite; his departure depended on + the coming of his successor. I prayed about this, and one day was + informed that the successor had arrived much sooner than was + expected, and that we were to start in a day or two. We did start, + and after a prosperous journey arrived safely at Kiachta. + + 'There I found Grant and Hegemann, two Englishmen. I went to live + in Grant's country house at Kudara. A difficulty arose about a + teacher. I prayed about this, and strolling along came upon a tent + in which was a man who was out of employment, and he being + educated, I engaged him to be my teacher. In Kiachta, after some + delay, I got a teacher, but not to my satisfaction. After I had + been with him a time Grant remarked one day that I did not seem to + be making much progress in the language. This stung me to the + quick, and made me go down into Mongolia. Here I was directed to + the tent of Grant's contractor, and with him I made arrangements to + live. I thank God for not permitting me to get a good teacher in + Kiachta. Had I got a good teacher there, I would simply have + remained there, and I am sure would not have learned half as much + of the language as I did in the tent at Mongolia, would have got + none of the insight I gained into the style of Mongolian life, and + would not have got the introduction I had there to numerous + Mongols. At the time I was immensely chagrined that I could not get + a proper teacher, but now, after the lapse of only a few months, I + can see good reason for thanking God for leading me by that way. + This should teach me to trust God more than I do when things seem + to thwart my purpose. + + 'Again, I was under a great disappointment about the delay that + occurred in the sending of my passport from Peking. In consequence + of its not coming I was unable to go to Urga with Lobsung and + Sherrub in February. I felt it much at the time, but some months + after (in June) I learned that these men with whom I wanted to go + suffered excessively on the road; so much so that, had I gone with + them, I might have got my feet frozen and died with the cold. Here + again I have to praise God for not giving me my own way. + + "Thy way, not mine, O Lord; + However dark it be." + + 'Then, again, I had long desired to visit the scene of the former + Siberian Mission, and through the mercy of Providence I was + permitted to do this. My journey back through the desert also was + marked by mercies. Truly I may stand and say, + + "When all Thy mercies, O my God, + My rising soul surveys, + Transported with the view, I'm lost + In wonder, love, and praise."' + + + +After his wanderings even Kalgan was a haven of rest, and he had secured +there a base of operations. 'Now,' he writes, 'that I have got my study +window pasted up, and a nice little stove set going, it seems so +comfortable that it would be snug to stay where I am. But comfort is not +the missionary's rule. My object in going into Mongolia at this time is +to have an opportunity of reviewing and extending my knowledge of the +colloquial, which has become a little rusty consequent upon its disuse +to a great extent while here, trying to get up the written.' + +All who are even superficially acquainted with Chinese matters know how +difficult it is to acquire the colloquial, and still more the written +language. Mongolian is not nearly so difficult, but it presents a task +needing vigour of intellect and strength of will. Both of these Gilmour +possessed in a measure far above the average. + +'In the written,' he states on October 7, 1871, 'I am still far from at +home. Most of the Bible I can read slowly and at sight. Many words I can +write. I think I could write a bad letter myself alone. The other day I +did so. My teacher said it was well written, and said also he rejoiced +in the progress of his scholar; but I put this down to mere politeness.' + +During this visit he stayed in the tent of a Mongol named Mahabul, who +lived there with his wife and an only son, a lama. They were all much +addicted to the use of whisky. + + '_October 14, '71._--To-day rose before the sun, read words, wrote + at the account of my journey from Urga, went to the mountain for + devotion, revisited the silver worker, who is making the bride's + ornaments, dined, visited the Norying's lama son, who fell from a + horse and broke his leg, had tea, and went to visit tents a mile or + two to the south. There found, as master of the tent, a blackman (a + layman) I had seen before, and as visitor a lama I had left in + Mahabul's tent when I went out. From one thing to another we got to + speak of God and His book. At last they asked me to read them a + portion. I read in English a few verses, and then gave them the + parable of the Prodigal Son in Mongol colloquial. I also gave them + a specimen of a sermon, and explained shortly the nature of God, + when they all seemed pleased. The lama finished up the thing by + saying, "Your outward appearance differs from us, but inwardly you + agree with us." Coming home I felt amply repaid for all the + uncomfort and solitude, and leading a Mongol life, by the + comparative ease with which I can converse with them, and the + manner in which they wonder at my proficiency in the colloquial.' + +In his official report he rapidly summarises the achievements of the +last nine months:-- + + 'By the middle of February I had a limited knowledge of the + colloquial, picked up from listening to and joining in the + conversation going on among the inmates of the tent at Olau + Bourgass, and those with the numerous visitors who took occasion to + call on my lama, who was rather a famous man. At the end of + February the lama returned south to Urga, and I went back into + Russia, and got a Buriat teacher. This individual, however, turned + out so incredibly lazy, and I felt so dull alone in my large + comfortable rooms, after the friendly bustle and crowd of the + little tent, with its cheery fire, that I could not stand it. So I + got my teacher and myself into a tarantass, and went off to visit + the scenes of the former mission in Siberia. My teacher proved very + useful. He spoke Russian very well, I spoke Mongolian to him, and + thus we travelled, the doubtful wonder of all Russians, who could + not understand how a man not born a Buriat could get acquainted + with that language, and yet know no Russian. After visiting the + converts, partly for the sake of diverting the curious eyes of the + Russians from the great aim of my journey and partly in the + traveller's spirit, I turned westward and crossed the Baikal on the + ice, and remained a few days in the capital of Siberia, Irkutsk. On + returning to Kiachta I found another teacher, and went out for + another month into Mongolia and tent life. All the while that I was + in Mongolia I used to return to Kiachta once a week, usually on + Saturday, and abide in the land of habitations till Monday. + + 'Early in May I started for the south. I had intended to remain + over the summer in Urga, but unexpected difficulties turned up, and + led me to decide on going down to Kalgan at once. From Urga to + Kalgan (600 miles) was done on horseback, accompanied by a single + Mongol; and as we carried no luggage, we had to depend on the + hospitality of the Mongols for lodging and cooking, or, as they + call the latter, "pot and ladle." + + 'In this way I saw a very great deal of tent life during the twelve + or thirteen days the ride lasted. I got into Kalgan just two days + before the rainy season came on (June 15), and having, after + difficulty, secured a teacher, passed the summer in Kalgan studying + the book language and practising writing. In October I went up + again to the grassland and spent some weeks revising my knowledge + of the colloquial and observing the difference between the northern + and southern manner of speaking. I finally left Mongolia in a + furious storm on the morning of November 1, and re-entered Peking + November 9.' + +Gilmour on his return was naturally an object of great interest to all +the missionary and to some of the official community. He soon settled +down to the study of Chinese, and to such mission work as he could +usefully engage in during the winter at Peking. A letter to the writer, +under date of January 21, 1872, enables us to realise somewhat the life +of this period:-- + + 'My dear Lovett,--Though I acknowledged receipt of your last + welcome epistle, I am aware I owe you a return, and here it is ... + I have thought that perhaps an account of how a Sabbath goes in + Peking might not be uninteresting, and I'll just confine myself to + to-day. Well, this morning, on getting up, I found my stove was + out. This is a very unusual thing, but it just happens once, say, + in three weeks. The thermometer was about 5 deg. The first thing after + getting dressed was not to call my servant, as you might suppose, + but to go in quest of letters. A mail had come in the night before, + but I had returned home too late last night to see it. So I went + over to Dr. Dudgeon's house before he was up, prowled about till I + found the mail, but there was nothing for me. I returned to my cold + room, and was there till the breakfast-bell rang. I board with + Edkins, and to go there is a pleasant break in the monotony. + + 'On coming back to my quarters I found the room full of smoke, + doors and windows open, my boy on his knees fussing about the + stove, and saying, _Moo too poo shing_--"the wood won't do." I saw + at once that that would not do for me, so I buttoned up my coat and + went out on to the great street for a walk. The street on which we + live, the Ha Ta Mun (great street), runs north and south, and a + cold wind was blowing down the road, carrying clouds of dust with + it. Through the dust, however, were visible the paraphernalia of + two funerals, one going north, the other going south. They met just + opposite our place. That going south was much the grander of the + two, and had a long procession of people carrying emblematical + devices, honorific umbrellas, drums, gongs, and musical + instruments. Ever and anon a man took quantities of paper discs + with square holes cut in the centre and scattered them to the north + wind. The papers are supposed to represent cash, and were scrambled + for eagerly by the urchins, though they could be valuable only as + waste paper. In the procession also was carried the chair in which + the deceased used to ride, his mule cart also figured conspicuous, + and then came the mourners. + + 'As you know, mourning garb in China is _white_, and I noticed that + some of the mourners had adopted a neat device. All Chinamen who + can afford to be warm in winter wear robes lined inside with fur. A + rich robe is lined with fine material, but the common thing is + white lambskin. Well, these fellows simply become turn-coats for + the time, and put on their fur robes inside out, and thus were in + the fashion. The coffin itself was laid in a magnificent bier + towering high, surmounted by a gilt top piece, hung with silks, and + borne by forty-eight bearers. + + 'Of course everything has to make way for the funeral. The Peking + streets are very wide, and at the same time very narrow. In the + centre and high up is a cart road with an up and a down line, along + the sides of this are ditches and holes, beyond these ditches and + holes is another way more or less passable, and beyond that again + the shops. The funeral procession took the crown of the road, crept + along at its snail's pace, while the traffic took to the side + roads. + + 'After a good long walk among stalls and wheelbarrows I got back to + my abode, found a good fire, and that it was high time to go to the + Chinese service. I don't understand all I hear, but I understand + some, and make a point of hearing one and sometimes two Chinese + sermons on the Sabbath. An old Chinaman was preaching, and I could + see from the manner of the congregation that he was securing the + fixed attention of his hearers. Before the sermon was ended there + was a bustle at the door, and in came three Mongols with my Chinese + card. They were asked to wait till the service was concluded, then + I took them to my quarters and had some conversation with them. One + of them had come for the doctor, and wished to get cured of so + prosaic a disease as the itch. + + 'Before I was finished with them, my servant came to say that + another Mongol had called for me and was waiting for me in + Edkins's. When I went over I found an old Mongol, a blackman, + fifty-eight years of age. This layman was named Amaesa, and has been + in the habit of paying Mr. Edkins visits every winter when he comes + down to Peking. Last year he did not come, and we were concluding + that he had died. Of course we were glad to see him. I got him into + my room and we had quite an afternoon of it. The old man knew a + good deal about Christianity, and I gave him what additional + instruction I could. Of all the Mongols I have seen he is, perhaps, + the most ready to receive instruction. + + 'It was quite late in the afternoon before he left, and I had just + time to take a walk at sunset and be back in time for dinner. + Immediately after that the people began to assemble for evening + service. This is held every Sabbath evening in Mr. Edkins's + parlour. Upwards of twenty usually compose the congregation. The + missionaries take the service in turn. After service the mass of + the congregation separated, but one man came with me to my room, + and there we sat talking till midnight, when my visitor rose to + depart. + + 'There, you see, I have given you the history of one Sabbath in + Peking. It is a pretty fair sample of what goes on here very + frequently. However, when I find myself free on the afternoon I + accompany Mr. Edkins to some one of the two chapels, which are in + distant parts of the city. I do not go so much to hear him preach + as to have his conversation on the way there and back, and, as you + may suppose, we sometimes stumble upon an argument, and this makes + it quite lively.' + +The self-denying and arduous labours of his first sojourn in Mongolia +had given to James Gilmour a knowledge of the language and an +acquaintance with the nomadic Mongols of the Plain far in excess of that +possessed by any other European. But even then, as also at a later date, +the question was raised whether more fruitful work might not be done +among the agricultural Mongols inhabiting the country to the north-east +of Peking. Hence, on April 16, 1872, he started on his first journey +through the district in which in later years the closing labours of his +life were to be accomplished. He spent thirty-seven days in this +preliminary tour, and travelled about 1,000 miles. + +Gilmour's first estimate of this region as a field of missionary +enterprise, expressed on April 25, 1872, remained true to the end, even +though in later years the exceptional difficulties of work among the +nomads induced him at last, as we shall see, to settle among the +agricultural Mongols:-- + + 'Though I saw a good many Mongol houses, yet I must say, I do not + feel much drawn to them in preference to the nomad Mongols. The + only possible recommendation I can think of is that, coming among + them, I might go and put up for some days at a time in a Chinese + inn. This would save me from great trouble in getting + introductions, and it might be less expensive. The great objection + I have to them is that, though a mission were established among + them, it would be more a mission in China than anywhere else. The + Mongols in these agricultural villages speak Chinese to a man, and + I cannot help feeling that, since there are so many missionaries in + Peking speaking the Chinese language, these Mongols fall to them, + and not to me.' + +Soon after his return from this trip into Eastern Mongolia, Mr. Gilmour +sent home an elaborate report upon the conditions and prospects of the +Mongol Mission. He deals with the whole question of the work, showing +why, in his opinion, the _agricultural_ Mongols should be evangelised by +Chinese missionaries. Mr. Edkins and others thought that Gilmour should +undertake that labour, but after having seen more than any missionary of +both regions and classes of Mongols, on the ground that he was the man +'who had to go and begin,' he decided for the Plain. + +Even at this early date Mr. Gilmour urged repeatedly and strenuously +upon the Directors the pressing need he felt for a colleague. And thus +early began the long series of seeming fatalities that prevented him +from ever receiving this joy and strength. Partly from the needs of the +Peking Mission, and partly from respect to a notion which the American +Board of Foreign Missions had that their occupancy of Kalgan, on the +extreme southern limit, constituted _all_ Mongolia into one of their +fields of work, the Rev. S. E. Meech, Mr. Gilmour's old college friend, +who had been designated as his first colleague, was stationed at Peking. +With reference to this, in closing the report above referred to, Gilmour +wrote:-- + + 'Mr. Meech's perversion from Mongolia to China is much to be + deplored. I think it would be wrong in me not to inform you of the + true state of matters, and to remind you that it is little short of + nonsense to speak of reopening the Mongolian Mission so long as + there is only one man in the field. I am fully aware of the + difficulty of finding suitable men, and most fully sympathise with + you, but don't let us delude ourselves with the idea of Mongol + Mission work progressing till another man or two come and put their + shoulder to the wheel. All that I can do I am quite willing to do, + but my own progress is most seriously hampered because I am alone.' + +His whole subsequent life is evidence of the splendid way in which +Gilmour justified these words, yet perhaps no legitimate blame can be +laid at the door of the Directors of the London Missionary Society. Both +the friends and the critics of missions are sometimes more ready to +tabulate converts than to ponder and estimate aright the difficulties +and drawbacks of the work. But in any estimate of the comparative +success and failure of the Mongol Mission it should be borne in mind +that Gilmour never really had a colleague. He never even had a companion +for his work on the Plain, except his heroic and devoted wife. And in +later years circumstances over which the Directors could exercise little +or no control successively deprived him of the fellowship, after a very +brief experience, of Dr. Roberts and Dr. Smith. + +In the summer of this year, in the company of Mr. Edkins, he visited the +sacred city of Woo T'ai Shan, a famous place of Mongol pilgrimage. + +An amusing illustration of his well-known love of argument occurred on +this trip. In Mr. Edkins he found a foeman in all respects worthy of +his dialectic steel. Chinese mules will only travel in single file, even +where the roads are wide enough to allow of their travelling abreast, +and as Gilmour's went in front of that ridden by Mr. Edkins, he used to +ride with his face to the tail of his beast, and thus the more readily +and continuously conduct the argument then engaging their attention. + +In November he tried the experiment of living at the Yellow Temple in +Peking during the winter, in order that he might meet and converse with +the numerous Mongols who visit the capital every year. Here he not only +made new friends, but he also frequently renewed acquaintance with those +he had met on the Plain. These visited him in his compound, and were +occasionally a weariness and vexation to him, inasmuch as they very +frequently severely tried his patience, without affording him the +comfort of knowing that the good tidings of the 'Jesus book' were +finding an entrance into their dark minds and hard hearts. + +In a letter to an intimate college friend, the Rev. T. T. Matthews of +Madagascar, which he wrote, November 21, 1872, he vividly describes this +part of his work, giving some of his typical experiences:-- + + 'I am writing in the Yellow Temple, about a mile and a half from + Peking, and three or four miles from our mission premises. I have + rented a room, brought my Chinaman servant, and live as a Chinaman, + all but the clothes and the paganism. The reason of all this is + that near here, and in this temple, numerous Mongols put up when + they come from Mongolia to Peking. Our premises being three or four + miles away, and in a busy part of the town, the Mongols can't + easily find our place; so if they can't come to me I just go to + them. I came here yesterday, and can't tell yet how I may get on. + Mongols are shy in Peking, and even out here a little difficult of + access; but I must do what I can, and have patience. + + 'Just now a company of eight or ten have arrived and put up, three + or four of them in the same court with me, the others in a place + close by. These are likely enough to come to see me; of course I'll + go and see them. You in Madagascar, I suppose, can't realise what + it is to be a missionary to a people whom you can't approach + without difficulty. Here the difficulty does not end; those I can + catch don't care one straw for Christianity. They have a system + which quite satisfies them, and what more do they want? Such is + their feeling, so you see I have got quite plenty to do; a hard + enough task, even the human part of it. But don't mistake, I am not + bewailing my lot, for that I have neither time nor inclination; I + am only telling you about my state. + + 'I don't believe much in people talking about what they mean to do + in the future, but perhaps you will permit me to say that I would + like to start for Mongolia again in February or March. I have got a + sheepskin coat, so need not fear the cold. I perhaps may take with + me a stock of made-up medicines for specific diseases which are + common, and this may make an introduction in some cases at least. + Dr. Dudgeon has on our premises in Peking a hospital well attended + by Chinamen, and I go there sometimes and see how he doses them. + + 'Now let me tell you a little about the inner life of Mongols. + People travelling through Mongolia wake up in the morning as their + camel-cart passes some rural encampment; they rub their eyes and + say, "How pleasant it would be to live in Mongolia like these + Mongols, free from care and the anxiety of busy life. They have + only their sheep, &c., to look after." This reflection is + accompanied with a sigh when they reflect on their own hard lot. + Now the fact of the matter is, these travellers know nothing about + it. They may print as much as they like about the pastoral felicity + of the simplicity of Mongol life; it is all humbug. Last night, two + Mongols whom I know well, a petty chief named "Myriad Joy" and his + scribe named "Mahabul" (I can't translate this last), came into my + room, and we had a tea-spree there and then. The two have been for + fifteen days in Peking on Government duty, and last night their + business was finished, and they were to mount their camels and head + north this morning. The chief gets from Peking about 30_l._ a year, + the scribe about 4_l._; and when they come thus on duty their + allowances, though small, enable them to make a little over and + above their salaries. The chief can stand no small amount of + Chinese whisky. I suspect he is deep in debt, and am sure that he + could pay his debt two or three times over if he only had the money + it took to paint his nose. The scribe was one of my teachers in + Mongolia. I lived in his house some time, and know only too well + about his affairs. He is hopelessly in debt. He had a large family + once, but now they are all dead except one married daughter and one + lama son about seventeen years of age, and good for nothing. His + "old woman," as the Mongol idiom has it, is still alive, and fond + of whisky, like her husband. If they had only been teetotalers they + might have now been comfortable; such, at least, is my impression. + I shall say nothing about what I saw in his tent, and confine + myself to last night and this morning. + + 'Drinking my tea last night, Mahabul (the scribe) says to me: "My + chief here won't lend me nine shillings to buy a sheepskin coat for + my old woman, therefore she must be frozen to death in the winter; + my chief won't lend _me_ anything, other people he lends." The + chief said nothing for a while; but the scribe went on harping on + this string, till at last the chief launched out right and left on + his scribe, shouting loud enough for all the compound to hear. The + scribe took it coolly, and stopped him, saying: "Enough, enough; it + is past, it is past; my old woman can die, all die; no matter." + This did not soothe the irate chief at all, and a minute or two + later a furious quarrel broke out between them about something + else. The storm raged a long time, and in my room too, while they + were my guests! After some time the scribe left the room to attend + to the camels, when the chief confided to me his opinion of his + scribe. Later the chief left the room, and the scribe confided to + me his opinion of his chief; and I must say that the two seemed + well matched, with very little to choose between. The freedom with + which they spoke of each other was partly to be accounted for by + the fact that both were more or less drunk. + + 'The chief squared up his accounts with the people about here, and + showed me in the scribe's absence a small parcel of silver which he + had reserved for use on the road. He showed it me under strict + injunctions not to tell the scribe. The scribe had more difficulty + in squaring up _his_ account. The last item that stuck in his + throat was a little bill his son had left. This son had started a + day or two before, and of course the father was responsible for the + debt. How he was to pay it he did not know, as he had not a single + cash about him. The Chinaman of the place threatened to detain him, + and the scribe laughed a bitter laugh at the idea. After a great + row they went off to sleep. + + 'This morning early the scribe was at me before I was dressed. It + was the small debt again. The Chinaman knew better than to seize + the man; that would not have paid; he seized his coat, and actually + was detaining that as ransom for a sum equal to fourpence English! + He made a direct appeal to me to pay it, and of course I did it; + though I was a little disgusted with the man's meanness, as I had + given him a present of money amounting to about 1_l._ a few days + before. This son of his is a great eyesore to me. He is a young + lama, about as wicked a boy as I know. His brothers died of + consumption, and this fact enables him to do anything he likes with + his parents. If they refuse anything, he has only to feign + sickness, and they are in a huge state over him. He is a thoroughly + bad lad. Will not work, will not study, will do nothing but make + trouble and expense for his parents. Just fancy! His father and + mother are poor as church mice; and when his father was coming to + Peking the boy must beg to come too, and the father like a fool + must take him, and be at great expense for travelling, &c. One + thing made me furious. Out of the money I gave him he spent about + 4_s._ or more buying his good-for-nothing son an elegant + snuff-bottle. In short, the man's folly makes it utterly useless to + help him. I once before relieved him from threatened detention for + debt for the amount of twopence-halfpenny, just after I had made + him a present, and I expect perhaps to have to do so again. What + astonishes me is that the Mongols _can_ get into debt so far. I + don't believe my Mongol can pass a single man he knows without + being in danger of being dunned for some hopeless debt or other. + And yet his debt does not seem to distress him. He is most + distressed because people will not lend him more money. + + 'The last of the chiefs was rather rich. He is (he says) to have a + profitable piece of Government work in hand in spring, and on the + strength of that wanted me to lend him now a shoe of silver, about + 15_l._, to be repaid to me in spring. Of course I did not. He then, + though my guest, kept on saying, "Heart small, heart small," which + pretty much amounts to saying, "Coward, coward." He finally took + revenge by offering to lend _me_ a shoe of silver in spring, but + of course I declined. A pretty pair they are! If what they say be + true, in spring they may make a good thing of it; but this has + happened to the scribe before, and in two months after he was as + poor as ever. In short, they are foolish and thriftless. + + 'While I have been writing this letter I have overheard my Chinese + servant saying, in reply to a question from a Chinaman, "There is + such a thing as a preaching letter: you can preach by a letter." So + I am going now to preach. Don't get weary; stick to it. Don't be + lazy, but don't be in a hurry. Slow but sure; stick to it. We have + no great effort to make, but rather to stick to it patiently. "_No + good work is lost_," Sir William Thomson used to say in his + philosophy class, and it is eminently true in our case. (I wish + these Chinamen would hold their tongue.) All our good work will be + found, there is no doubt about that. All I am afraid of is that our + good work will amount to little when it is found. (These Chinamen + are a bore.) I sometimes think that if all we say be true, as it + is, that men at last shall stand before God--and we shall see them + after they know that all we say is true--and they will pitch into + us for not pitching into them more savagely; for not, in fact, + taking them by the "cuff" of the neck and dragging them into the + kingdom of God. I speak now of our countrymen and foreigners. As + regards heathen, they too shall stand revealed; and their mud gods + also, and rotten superstitions, shall stand revealed: how then + shall we feel when they shall look at us and blame us for not + waking them up more vigorously? An infidel has said that if he + could believe that men's future state depended at all upon what was + done in this life, he would let nothing hinder him from being up + and at men. He would be content to be counted a madman--anything, + if only he could do anything to make men's state better in the + world to come. (I wish these Chinamen would shut up; I came here to + meet Mongols, and I am like to be flooded out by Chinamen whose + language I only half understand.) + + 'Now, _we believe_: how much do we do? Are there not some men whom + we might stir up who now escape? Could we do more? Are not souls + valuable enough for us to face anything if only we can save some? + Let us look to the end, or rather let us look at the present. In + the room in which I now write (the Chinamen have gone) is Jesus, + where you read this is Jesus: He stands and looks to us. He has + given up the clean heaven, and walked here and lived among dirt and + poverty, in solitude, misunderstood, without one intelligent + friend; He has borne the scorn of men, He has been put to the + horrible and shameful death of the cross, _all to save us_ and + others. We trust Him, He saves us; and all He asks is that we + should tell men about what He has done; and is there one man we + meet to whom we shall not speak? shall Christ look to us in vain to + declare simply what He has done? Perish the thought! Whatever may + be between us and speaking to men, let us go through it. If it be a + foreign language, remember Christ lived thirty years in + preparation. If it be hardship, cold, poor food, scorn, slight, + deaf ears--never mind, go ahead. Christ looks to us to go ahead, or + _come_ ahead, for He has gone through it all. Trouble, hardship, + trial, suffering,--all will soon pass and be done. And is there a + trouble or hardship we have yet surmounted for Christ's sake that + does not seem sweet to look back on? Then, come what likes, let us + face it; or, if we be overwhelmed, let us be overwhelmed with + undaunted faces looking in the right direction. By the mercy of God + may we be saved; and if saved how splendid it will be--no trouble, + no trial, no indigestible beef and brick-tea: everything _better + than_ we could wish it, and complete joy. + + 'All this is not imagination or rhetoric, but _really before_ us; + so, by the strength which Christ gives, let us go on to it. Pray + for me. I pray for you; and if we don't meet on earth, you know + the trysting-place, "_the right-hand side_."' + +It can readily be seen that, under conditions of the kind sketched in +this letter, time was not likely to hang heavily on his hands. +Interviews like the following were held from time to time, and were not +only encouraging and hopeful but reacted strongly upon his own heart and +brain:-- + + 'This afternoon (Sabbath, November 24), I met Toobshing Baier in + the dispensary of the London Mission Hospital. At first I could not + remember the man. The face I knew. After a time his name came out + without, I flatter myself, his perceiving that I was fishing for + it. He was most anxious to see the doctor's medical instruments and + appliances. After he had seen quite a number of these, he came to + my room, and we sat down for a talk which lasted nearly from 5 to 7 + o'clock. He began by reading a part of the rough draft of the new + translation of St. Matthew in Mongolian, which happened to be lying + on my table. He suggested that in place of "prophet," a word which + has been transferred bodily, we should use _juoug beelikty_. He + also remarked that our translation of "the foal of an ass" was not + the thing, and gave the word he thought was right. He was + accompanied by a young lama, who agreed with him in this + suggestion. The lama seemed well up, read Mongolian as easily as + Toobshing himself, and when Toobshing gave the Thibetan word for + _juoug beelikty_, the lama looked over his shoulder, spied a book + on a shelf, took it, found the place at once, and showed me the + Thibetan and Mongolian side by side. + + 'Shortly after this Toobshing set himself up and proposed questions + and cases such as: + + '"Is hell eternal? + + '"Are all the heathen who have not heard the Gospel damned? + + '"If a man lives without sin, is he damned? + + '"If a man disregards Christ, but worships a supreme God in an + indefinite way, is he saved or not? + + '"How can Christ save a man? + + '"If a man prays to Christ to save him morn and even, but goes on + sinning meantime, how about him? + + '"If a man prays for a thing, does he get it? + + '"Do your unbelieving countrymen in England all go to hell? + + '"Are there prophets now? + + '"Is a new-born child a sinner? + + '"Is one man then punished for another's fault? + + '"Has anybody died, gone to heaven or hell, and come back to + report? [A Mongol has!] + + '"Did Buddha live?" and so forth. + + '[Answer, He lived, but did not do what is now said of him.] + + '"If so, how do you know that the account of Christ is not made up + in the same way? Could not the disciples conspire to make the + Gospels? + + 'To these and all other questions I endeavoured to give proper + answers; and this, our most delightful and profitable talk, lasted + till there was just time for me to snatch a hasty meal before the + usual service at 7.30 P.M.' + +Discussions of this nature were calculated to deepen thought and to +promote heart-searching on the part of the Christian worker. They also +illustrate some of the special difficulties which missionaries in China +and India have to meet. With an elaborate religious ritual and +literature, both Buddhist and Hindu can often, and do often, object +against Christianity many of those, sometimes obvious, sometimes +subtle, difficulties which the Gospel of Jesus Christ alone can remove, +and which it removes by sanctifying and dominating the heart. + +In February 1873 Gilmour visited Tientsin for the first time since he +passed through it on his arrival in China. Here he took part in several +readings, temperance meetings, and religious services. At one of the +readings:-- + + 'One joke happened. I was asked to give a recitation at a penny + reading for sailors. The piece was "The Execution of Montrose." I + got up in tragic style, said, + + "Come hither, Evan Cameron," + + with the appropriate beckoning action, when a sailor in the middle + of the audience responded to the call, pressed his way out of the + passage, and was making for the platform. I could not stand this, + so I uttered a yell, and rushed off to hide myself, and it was some + time before the audience and speaker could compose themselves for a + fresh start Next day we were told that the unfortunate sailor was + beckoned to come hither from all parts of the ship.' + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +THE FIRST CAMPAIGN IN MONGOLIA + + +In 1873 Gilmour resumed his visits to the Plain and on March 15 he was +at Kalgan, writing, 'No appearance of getting away to the north. I +promenade daily the streets and accost Mongols, but with no success as +to getting camels, or even a horse to hire as far as Mahabul's. A day or +two later Mahabul arrived in Kalgan on his way to Peking, and by his aid +Gilmour secured two camels, and on March 24 he started north, reaching +Mahabul's tent on the 28th. He at once endeavoured to secure the +services of a Mongol named Lojing, and the usual series of delays and +vexations occurred. + + 'To-day (March 29) I got impatient and went for a walk. Came back, + and Lojing came and said he would go. Felt relieved; he wants me to + come back this way, and I consent, though I would rather not. He + came back in the afternoon, saying that he could not get off his + engagement to read prayers with some other lama for Gichik's + soul,[3] so that we cannot start before Thursday at noon. Mahabul's + wife gave him some whisky, and he went to the officers and got + drunk. He waited for a camel which was offered for sale. The camel + came when I was out. He was drunk, did not watch it, so it drifted + away before the storm. A boy on horseback was sent after it. When + it came it was a perfect object, yet they asked twenty taels for + it. He is to go after a camel to-morrow. He was so drunk that, + remembering Gichik's fate, I am uneasy to think of his riding my + tall camel. O Lord, give me patience!' + +[3] The son of the chief referred to on page 80, who had recently been +killed by a fall from his horse. + +This and the three subsequent journeys over the Plain, made in the +course of 1873, were full of incident illustrative of the difficulties +of the work, the peculiarities of the people, and the restless energy +and indomitable perseverance of the missionary. But the limitations of +space forbid us to linger; we extract a few notes from the diary. It was +on the second of these journeys, while at Lama Miao, that he witnessed +the 'Mirth of Hell,' as he calls it, described in _Among the Mongols_, +Chapter XI. + + '_April 19, 1873._--To-day had more provocation from my Mongol, and + my earnest prayer is that I may be able to stand it all, and not + get soured in temper and feeling against the Mongols. I must have + patience. Some knowledge of camel's flesh also would help me not a + little. As it stands, I feel an incompetent "duffer."' + + '_May 6._--Travelled parallel to the road in a stupid manner over + hill and dale, because Lojing chose to consider it a nearer way. + The way was no nearer at all and much more steep. At last got to a + lot of tents down in a hollow, called the "Great Water" (_Ihha + Osso_). Had quite a lot of people. One lama the most provoking + child (25 years old) I think I ever met. He was a perfect nuisance; + even the tone of his voice I could not abide. This individual came + to my tent even after I was down in bed. I was glad he was done for + once. Next morning he was in my tent before I was up, remarking, + "What a great sleeper you are!' Last night he had remarked, "How + early you go to bed!" I am afraid he is the most empty, poor fellow + I have known.' + + '_May 13._--To-day also occurred another of my lama's conspicuous + stupidities; after asking the road to a set of tents where dwelt + friends of his own, he suddenly left the road and began the ascent + of a steep hill. I asked where he was going. He said to the tents. + I followed some distance, and then from the convergence of paths + judged that there was no pass where he was going, and accordingly + shouted to him to stop. Stop he did, and also looked thunder. I + asked him, "Have you travelled this way before?" "No," said he. + "Come this way, and follow the road." "You go that road," said he, + "I go this road." "Nothing of the kind," said I. "You come here, + and we'll get to tents." He came; but then and there began one of + his intolerable tirades against me, saying how disobedient I was, + and that _this was his own native place_, he knew. What a bad man I + was! He had hardly finished his fury when lo, behold, close before + us, right in our path, the very tents we were looking for! He is, + to use a Mongol idiom, "Stupider than stupid."' + + '_Sept. 12._--We are now in a diphtheria district. I go into it, + and hope to remain some time, trusting myself to the hands of God. + I am safe enough in His hands. If He can forward mission work more + by my death than by my life, His will be done.' + + '_Sept. 18._--To-day let pass me, as all were starting from the + temple, about six men and three women without telling them of + Jesus.' + +At the close of the year Mr. Gilmour sent home another elaborate report, +a large portion of which appeared in the _Chronicle of the London +Missionary Society_ for December 1874. We extract here a few paragraphs +not then printed for obvious reasons. There was still a difficulty with +the American Board, and there was still in London some inability to +grasp the exact bearing and the full needs of the situation. The first +extract is given here simply because it illustrates the noble +unselfishness of Gilmour's character, and the way in which he +persistently refused to be stopped by hindrances that would have barred +the road against most men. He supplied a statement of account showing +that even with the most rigid economy he had exceeded his allowance by +110 taels, equivalent to from 25_l._ to 30_l._ + + 'This leaves me with a deficit of 110 taels 63 cents, and explains + how it is that I ask next year's (1874) grant to be raised to 150 + taels at least. I had only two courses open to me, either to use up + the grants for 1872 and 1873, and stop without accomplishing all I + could, or to make full proof of my ministry and exceed the grants. + Considering the cause more important than silver, I chose the + latter course, and, despite the most rigid economy, exceeded to the + above amount. Present circumstances enable me to make up the + deficit from my own private purse, and I don't ask to be refunded, + but I don't know that I shall be flush of money next year, and _do_ + ask that the grant may be not less than 150 taels, which is the + lowest estimate I can make. + + 'As proof of the reasonableness of my request, and of my anxiety to + avoid drawing on the funds of the Society beyond what is absolutely + necessary, I may be allowed to state that this year, in addition to + making up the lacking 110-63 taels, I walked afoot behind my + caravan in the desert for _weeks_, to avoid the expense of + purchasing another camel.' + +On the question of Christian literature he placed on record some wise +words, as needful now almost as when he penned them, in order to correct +the notion that it is enough simply to place into the hands of a heathen +a copy of the Word of God in his native tongue. The reply of Candace's +eunuch, 'How can I understand unless someone shall guide me?' meets the +missionary of to-day, as it met Philip in the days of old. The +practically unanimous opinion of the Shanghai Conference held in 1890 +shows that the same need is still strongly felt by the missionaries of +all the societies. + + 'In addition to the Scriptures and the Catechism, I think small + simple books containing little portions of Scripture history or + little portions of Scripture teaching would be very useful. The + Bible is all very well for those who have advanced a little, but + there is very little of the narrative portions even--the simplest + parts of the whole book--which you can read without encountering + terrible names of persons or places, or quotations from the prophet + Isaiah or Jeremiah. When a Mongol comes upon these he feels + inclined to give up in despair. Even in China my experience has + been that people are slow to buy a complete gospel, even at less + than the paper on which it is printed costs, while they will buy + with avidity very small books at almost their full value. + + 'Chinamen themselves notice this, and when surrounded by a crowd I + have heard them remark laughingly, "Small books go quick." + Remembering my instructions, which among other things say, "Pause + before you translate," I have hitherto refrained, but now have a + very small illustrated narrative in the press, another also + illustrated in manuscript, and other two not illustrated in + contemplation. If I find funds--the Peking branch of the Tract + Society is bankrupt just now--and get them out, you shall have + specimens. Probably they won't look well, being first attempts, but + you need not be ashamed of the Mongol of them, as they have been + written under my direction by a "crack" native scholar, and + carefully revised by Schereschewsky, who is a general linguist of + good ability, and has paid so much attention to Mongolian that he + revised the Gospel by Matthew in conjunction with Mr. Edkins, and + is at present at work on a Mongol dictionary.' + +Medical missions were only in their infancy in 1874, and Gilmour in the +same report describes what many another has felt. He illustrates also +one of his fixed principles, viz., always do _something_; and never let +the work stop simply because you cannot do what is ideally the best. + + 'I know very little about diseases and cures, but the little I _do_ + know is extremely useful. Almost every Mongol, man and woman and + child, has something that wants putting right. To have studied + medicine at home would have been a great help, but though I cannot + hope now ever to gain a scientific knowledge of the subject, I am + glad that in our hospital here I have a good opportunity of + learning much from Dr. Dudgeon, and all I can do now is to make the + best of this good opportunity. I am told that professional men at + home are suspicious of giving a little medical knowledge to young + men going out as missionaries. I sided with them till I came here, + but here the case is different. At home it is all very well to + stand before the fire in your room, within sight of the brass plate + on the doctor's door on the opposite side of the street, and talk + about the danger of little knowledge; but when you are two weeks' + journey from any assistance, and see your fellow-traveller sitting + silent and swollen with violent toothache for days together, you + fervently wish you had a pair of forceps and the _dangerous_ + amount of knowledge. And when in remote places you have the choice + of burying your servant or stopping his diarrh[oe]a, would you + prefer to talk nonsense about professional skill rather than give + him a dose of chlorodyne, even though it should be at the risk of + administering one drop more or less than a man who writes M.D. to + his name would have done? + + 'I speak earnestly and from experience. No one has more detestation + than I have for the quack that patters in the presence of trained + skill; but from what I have seen and known of mission life, both in + myself and others, since coming to North China, I think it is a + little less than culpable homicide to deny a little hospital + training to men who may have to pass weeks and months of their + lives in places where they themselves, or those about them, may + sicken and die from curable diseases before the doctor could be + summoned, even supposing he could leave his post and come.' + +During the summer of 1874 James Gilmour continued his itinerating work +among the nomads of the Plain. He met with much to discourage him, but +he steadily enlarged his knowledge of the people and his acquaintance +with the best methods of work among them. How difficult it was to adapt +ordinary methods of teaching to their habits may be judged from the +following sketch:-- + + 'My tent is not only my dwelling-house and dispensary, but also my + chapel. I always endeavour to instruct the visitors and patients as + far as I can. Preaching to Mongols is a little different from + preaching at home--a little different from preaching in China even. + You can get a congregation of heathen Chinese to listen for, say, + twenty minutes, or half an hour, or even longer; but begin to + preach to a lot of Mongols, and they begin to talk to each other, + or perhaps to ask you questions about your dress and your country. + + 'The nature of their own service is partly to blame for this. When + a Mongol sends for a lama or two to read prayers in his tent, the + inmates, though present, don't think it necessary to attend much to + what is going on. Though they did attend, they would not be able to + understand, so talking goes on among them pretty much as usual. If + I were to stick myself up and begin, and start off sermonising to + them, I would be treated much as they treat their own lamas; so I + confine my preaching to conversations and arguments--a style of + teaching which I find secures their attention'. + +Many, too, are the sketches in his letters and diaries of the men he +met. They are all drawn with that remarkable and largely unconscious +power, which he possessed so fully, of being able to see very vividly +the striking points and details of passing events, and of enabling those +to whom he wrote, by his aptly chosen words, also to see exactly what +passed before his eyes. One or two out of many examples must suffice:-- + + 'This season (1874) I met a deaf and dumb man. He was uneducated, + but of great quickness and intelligence. He could converse easily + and readily with his fellow-Mongols by signs, and I could ask many + simple questions and understand his answers without trouble. His + perception was remarkable. While sitting in the dusk outside my + tent, a messenger came from his father's tent to tell him that some + of the sheep were missing. A single turn of the hand followed by a + glance around, as if searching for something, was all that was + required. He had been sitting quietly in the circle, looking at us + talking; but the moment the communication was made he uttered an + inarticulate sound betraying great excitement, knocked the ashes + out of his pipe, stuck it into his boot, threw himself into the + saddle, and rode off into the gathering darkness to search for the + lost sheep. All agreed that he had an extra share of intelligence, + and he was evidently regarded as a capable and useful member of the + community. + + 'One of the sad sights seen was that of a sick Chinaman near his + end. He was one of a company of four, who went about dressing skins + of which the Mongols make garments. He had been an opium taker, and + an incurable diarrh[oe]a had seized him. At the time he was lodging + with the Mongol for whom the party had come to dress skins; but the + Mongol, seeing he would die, and fearing trouble and expense over + his death, ordered him off the premises. Borrowing an ox cart, his + companions had him conveyed away some five or ten miles, jolted in + the rude vehicle and suffering from the blazing sun, to a place + where some Chinese acquaintances were digging a well. They had a + tent of their own, most likely a poor ragged white cloth affair, + open to the winds and pervious to the rain; and in this the poor + man hoped he might be permitted to die. It was the dark side of the + picture. The glorious summer, the green and flowery plains, the + fattening flocks, the herds exulting in the deep pastures, the gay + Mongols riding about, the white tents bathed in the sunlight and + gleaming from afar. In the midst of all this, a feeble man, far + from home and kin, sick unto death, cast forth from his poor + lodging, and seeking for a place to lie down and die in. The + Mongols are a hospitable race, but pray ye that ye may not get sick + on their hands. + + 'On the whole I have been very well received everywhere, and have + been treated with great confidence. I have sometimes wondered at + the readiness with which they take medicine from the hand of an + utter stranger. One reason why they are ready to trust me, + doubtless, is that going among them, they can go round my tent and + see that there is nothing secret and terrible behind it; they enter + it and see all that is in it. They know and see that I am utterly + in their power, and, perhaps, reason that I am there with no intent + to harm, because if I made trouble I could not move another step + without their consent. + + 'In the shape of converts I have seen no result. I have not, as far + as I am aware, seen any one who even _wanted_ to be a Christian; + but by healing their diseases I have had opportunity to tell many + of Jesus, the Great Physician.' + + + + +CHAPTER V + +MARRIAGE + + +During the year 1873 James Gilmour devoted much thought to the natural +and all-important question of marriage. Uncommon as he was, in so many +ways, it was, perhaps, to be expected that in this great undertaking he +would depart from ordinary methods. The Rev. S. E. Meech had married, in +1872, Miss Prankard, of London. After the return of Mr. Edkins to +England, in May 1873, Mr. Gilmour went to board with Mr. and Mrs. Meech. +There he saw the portrait of Mrs. Meech's sister, and often heard her +referred to in conversation. Towards the close of 1873 he took Mrs. +Meech into his confidence, and asked permission to enter into +correspondence with her sister. The following most characteristic +letters show the course of subsequent events:-- + + + 'Peking, January 14, 1874. + + 'My dear Parents,--I have written and proposed to a girl in + England. It is true I have never seen her and I know very little + about her; but what I do know is good. She is the sister of Mrs. + Meech, and is with her mother in London. Her mother supports + herself and daughter by keeping a school. One of the hindrances + will be perhaps that the mother will not be willing to part with + her daughter, as she is, no doubt, the life of the school. I don't + know, so I have written and made the offer, and leave them to + decide. If she cannot come, then there is no harm done. If she can + arrange to come, then my hope is fulfilled. If the young lady says + "Yes," she or her friends will no doubt write you, as I have asked + them to do.... You may think I am rash in writing to a girl I have + never seen. If you say so, I may just say that I have something of + the same feeling; but what am I to do? In addition I am very + easy-minded over it all, because I have exercised the best of my + thoughts on the subject, and put the whole matter into the hands of + God, asking Him, if it be best to bring her, if it be not best to + keep her away, and He can manage the whole thing well.' + +By some mischance this letter was delayed, and Mr. Gilmour's relatives +were startled, one March day in 1874, by receiving from an entirely +unknown lady in London a letter, containing the unlooked-for statement: +'Your son, Mr. Gilmour, of Peking, has asked my daughter to write to +you, telling you of her decision to join him as his wife. She has wished +me to write to you for her, and will be pleased to hear from you when +you feel inclined to write.' + +The friendly intercourse that followed soon convinced Mr. Gilmour's +family, as any knowledge of Emily Prankard herself soon convinced all +who made her acquaintance, that, however unusual it might appear, this +was indeed one of the marriages made in heaven. By both parties God's +blessing and guidance were invoked, upon both His benediction rested, +and, after a brief separation in this world, they are now both enriched +with the fuller knowledge and the perfect joy of the life beyond. + +No time was lost in the arrangements for Miss Prankard's departures to +China. In a letter to his mother, dated October 2, 1874, Mr. Gilmour +writes:-- + + 'You have seen Miss Prankard, but you have not told me what you + think of her. She was delighted with her visit to Scotland and with + you all. You will be glad to hear that I have had some delightful + letters from her. I wrote her, and she has written me in the most + unrestrained way concerning her spiritual hopes and condition, and + though we have never seen each other, yet we know more of each + other's inmost life and soul than, I am quite certain, most lovers + know of each other even after long personal courtship. It is quite + delightful to think that even now we can talk by letter with + perfect unreserve, and I tell _you_ this because I know you will be + glad to hear it. I knew she was a pious girl, else I would not have + asked her to come out to be a missionary's wife, but she turns out + better even than I thought, and I am not much afraid as to how we + shall get on together.' + +In the course of the autumn of 1874 Miss Prankard sailed, and in a +letter to the writer, December 13, 1874, Gilmour thus refers to the +close of his unusual but satisfactory courtship:-- + + 'I was married last week, Tuesday, December 8! + + 'Mrs. Meech's sister is Mrs. Gilmour. We never saw each other till + a week before we were married, and my friends here drew long faces + and howled at me for being rash and inconsiderate. What if you + don't like each other? How then? It is for life! As if I did not + know all this long ago. Well, the time came, the vessel was due at + Shanghai, but would not come. Mr. Meech and I went down to Tientsin + and waited there a fortnight, but no tidings. At last on the + evening of Sabbath, November 29, a steamer's whistle was heard + miles away down the river. It was Mr. Meech's turn to preach. After + sermon he and I walked away down the river side to see what we + could see. After a while a light hove round the last bend, then a + green light, then the red light, then came the three lights of the + steamer! We listened. It was the high-pressure engine of the steam + launch which is used to lighten the deep-sea steamers before coming + up the narrow river. Fifteen minutes more and she was at the + landing stage. A friend went on board. Miss Prankard was on board + the Taku, which was still outside the bar, waiting for water to + bring her over and up to the settlement. The lighter was going to + unload and start down the river at five A.M., and Meech and I went + in her. About eight A.M. we met the steamer coming up, and when she + came abreast we saw Miss Prankard on board, but could not get from + our vessel to hers. The tide was favourable for running up, and + they were afraid to lose a minute, so would not stop the steamer; + we did not get on board till we reached the bund at Tientsin about + eleven A.M. We started for Peking next day, got there on Thursday, + and were married following Tuesday. + + 'Our honeymoon is now almost over. I am to have only a week of it. + I hope to start with Meech on a mission trip to the country on + Tuesday next.' + +Miss Prankard's first view of her future husband was hardly what she +might have expected. Mr. Meech has also sketched that scene on the +river. + +'The morning was cold, and Gilmour was clad in an old overcoat which had +seen much service in Siberia, and had a woollen comforter round his +neck, having more regard to warmth than to appearance. We had to follow +back to Tientsin, Gilmour being thought by those on board the steamer to +be the engineer!' + +Two letters may be quoted in this connection. The first was to one of +his most intimate Scotch friends. + + + 'London Mission, Peking, + 'January 31, 1875. + + 'My dear----, Your kind, long, and much-looked-for letter dated May + 12, 1873, and August 21, 1874, reached me on January 9, 1875. Many + thanks for it, but I think it would be quite as well in future to + send me half the quantity in half the time, if you really find you + cannot write me oftener. As I was married on December 8, 1874, to + Mrs. Meech's sister, that lady, Mrs. Gilmour, had the great + pleasure of reading your earnest, long, and reiterated warning to + me not to have her. Your warning came too late. Had you posted your + letter on May 12, 1873, it might have been in time, as the first + letter that opened our acquaintance was written in January 1874. If + nothing else will have effect with you, perhaps the thought that + you might have saved me from the fate of having an English wife may + have some effect in moving you to post your letters early, even + though they should not be so long and full. + + 'About my wife: as I want you to know her, I introduce you to her. + She is a jolly girl, as much, perhaps more, of a Christian and a + Christian missionary than I am. I don't know whether I told you how + it came about. I proposed first to a Scotch girl, but found I was + too late; I then put myself and the direction of this affair--I + mean the finding of a wife--into God's hands, asking Him to look me + out one, a good one too, and very soon I found myself in a position + to propose to Miss Prankard with all reasonable evidence that she + was the right sort of girl, and with some hope that she would not + disdain the offer. We had never seen each other, and had never + corresponded, but she had heard much about me from people in + England who knew me, and I had heard a good deal of her and seen + her letters written to her sister and to her sister's husband. The + first letter I wrote her was to propose, and the first letter she + wrote me was to accept--romantic enough! + + 'I proposed in January, went up to Mongolia in spring, rode about + on my camels till July, and came down to Kalgan to find that I was + an accepted man! I went to Tientsin to meet her; we arrived here on + Thursday, and were married on Tuesday morning. We had a quiet week, + then I went to the country on a nine days' tour, and came back two + days before Christmas. We have been at home ever since. Such is the + romance of a matter-of-fact man. + + 'You will see that the whole thing was gone about simply on the + faith principle, and from its success I am inclined to think more + and more highly of the plan. Without any gammon, I am much more + happy than ever even in my day-dreams I ventured to imagine I might + be. It is not only me that my wife pleases, but she has gained + golden opinions from most of the people who have met her among my + friends and acquaintances in Scotland and China. My parents were + scared one day last year by receiving a letter from a lady in + England, a lady whose name even they had not known before, stating + that her daughter had decided to become _my wife_. Didn't it stir + up the old people! They had never heard a word about it! My letter + to them, posted at the same time with the proposal, had been + delayed in London. The young lady went to Scotland, and was with + them two weeks, and came away having made such an impression on + them that they wrote me from home to say that "though I had + searched the country for a couple of years I could not have made a + better choice." + + 'Perhaps I am tiring you, but I want to let you know all about it, + and to assure you that you need not be the least shy of me or of my + English wife. She is a good lassie, any quantity better than me, + and just as handy as a Scotch lass would have been. It was great + fun for her to read your tirade about English wives and your + warning about her. She is a jolly kind of body, and does not take + offence, but I guess if she comes across you she will wake you up a + bit.' + +The other letter was to Miss Bremner, and referred to the part Gilmour +was to take in her marriage in 1883 to his brother Alexander:-- + + 'Now as to your affair, a much more serious matter. Alex has said + something about my part. I want to take part, but only such a small + part as will make it true to say, "assisted by the brother of the + bridegroom." It is for you and Dr. Macfadyen to say what that + _small_ part shall be; all I have to say about it, the smaller the + better. + + 'My experiences of the ceremonies of social Christianity have been + mixed a little. In England I baptised a child by a wrong name, and + had actually to do it again. In China on a similar occasion I began + by saying, "Friends, God has given you this child," when the + seeming father stopped me, and explained that God had not given + them this child, but he himself had picked it up in a field where + it had been exposed. + + 'I think I married only one Chinese couple, and to this day I doubt + if either the one or the other uttered a syllable where they should + have said, "I do." In my own case I think I must have said "I will" + in a feeble voice, for my wife when her turn came sung out "I will" + in a voice that startled herself and me, and made it ominous how + much _will_ she was going to have in the matter. Wishing you all + blessings, + + 'Believe me yours truly, + 'JAMES GILMOUR.' + + + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +'IN JOURNEYINGS OFTEN, IN PERILS OF RIVERS' + + +The year following the marriage, owing to the absence of Dr. Dudgeon on +furlough, was spent almost entirely in Peking. In his absence Mr. +Gilmour took charge of what may be called the unprofessional work of the +hospital, the purely medical superintendence being in the hands of Dr. +Bushell of the British Legation. He varied this work and the routine of +ordinary mission duties by an occasional trip to other centres where +fairs were being held, in the company of Mr. Murray, of the National +Bible Society of Scotland, for the purpose of selling Christian books. +There was often a very keen friendly rivalry as to which could sell the +most, and not unfrequently very large quantities of tracts and booklets +were thus put into circulation. + +Early in 1875, with the object of enabling his colleagues and his +friends among the other missions which have centres in Peking the better +to realise what life in Mongolia was like, he set up his Mongol tent in +the compound, and invited them in companies of five or seven to partake +of a Mongol dinner, cooked in Mongol fashion, and served as on the +Plain. His diary records that five such entertainments were necessary, +the utmost limit of the tent accommodation being reached on each +occasion. + +'The guests came,' we are told, 'at the appointed time, and the fire of +wood was lighted in the middle of the tent. While the guests sat around +on felt spread upon the ground, Gilmour proceeded to cook the millet and +the mutton which furnished the feast. When all was ready a blessing was +asked and the meal was eaten. On one occasion a reverend gentleman was +called on to ask the blessing, but declined, feeling apparently that +what he was expected to eat was not of such a quality that he could ask +a blessing on it. Gilmour used often to refer to this with much +amusement, though at the time he felt some chagrin.' + +In 1876 the Mongolian trips were resumed. No colleague had yet been +secured for him, and, with a bravery and consecration beyond all praise, +Mrs. Gilmour accompanied him. This she did not once simply. For the +first journey the novelty of the experience and the conviction that she +could at any rate help to preserve her husband from the feeling of utter +loneliness, which had been so hard to bear in past years, were powerful +reasons. But she went a second and a third time. She went after the +novelty had worn off, after she had learned by very stern experience how +hard and rough the life was, after previous exposure had told but too +severely upon her physical strength. And thus she deserves the eulogy +passed upon her by her husband: 'She is a better missionary than I.' +Comparisons of this kind are obviously out of the question. But it would +be hard to find a more beautiful illustration of true wifely affection +than the love for her husband that made her willing to share his Mongol +tent as readily as the Peking compound. And if James Gilmour +manifested a Christlike love for the ignorant and stolid Mongols, so +also did the delicately nurtured and refined lady who, in order to do +her part in winning them to the Saviour, endured privations, faced +perils, and bore a daily and hourly series of trials so irksome and so +repugnant that no motive short of all-absorbing love to Jesus Christ is +strong enough to account for her endurance. + +Here are some pictures of what this life meant to Mrs. Gilmour. The +first journey which they took together lasted from April 4 until +September 23, 1876, one hundred and thirty-six days being passed in +Mongolia itself. + + 'On the evening of April 25 we came upon our servants' tent, + already pitched beside some Mongol tents near a stream. Our things + were unloaded from the Chinese cart, which soon drove off and left + us fairly launched out on the Plain. We had two tents--one for + ourselves and one for our servants. They were both alike, made of + common blue Chinese cloth outside, and of commoner white Chinese + cloth inside. It was originally intended that our tent should be + private for our retirement and for Mrs. Gilmour's use; but we soon + found that this idea could not be carried out. The Mongols are so + much in the habit of going freely into everybody's tent in Mongolia + that we found we could not retain our tent to ourselves without + running risk of offending them by our seeming haughtiness. That + they should think us uncongenial and distant would have been an + obstacle to our success among them. So we made a virtue of + necessity, and kept open house in the literal sense of the word. At + our meals, our devotions, our ablutions, there they were--much + amused and interested, of course. It was sometimes annoying to have + them so much and so constantly about, but there was no help for it, + and soon we began to care little for them, and took their + presence not only as a matter of course, but without being + disturbed by it. + + 'One advantage of this sort of public life was that Mrs. Gilmour, + being almost constantly in the presence of the spoken language, + picked it up very accurately and very rapidly. It is hardly + possible to conceive a better plan of becoming easily and well + acquainted with any language than that of thus living where it is + impossible not to hear it in almost constant use. + + 'Another advantage of this sort of public life was that one gained + the friendship of the people. This perfect freedom of intercourse + pleased them much, and even conciliated those not very friendly + inclined. It was quite common to hear visitors remark that, while + other foreigners in Mongolia are distant and harsh, these people + were gentle and accessible, and that such friendly people did a + great deal to remove the unfavourable impressions made by other + less considerate travellers. + + 'Our sojourn extended to the end of August, giving us a little over + four months at a stretch of tent life. In that time we had + experience of many kinds of weather. At first it was cold. Even in + May ice was to be seen in the mornings. Then came heat, premature + and burning, and all the more trying for ourselves and cattle on + account of the lack of rain. Then we had a furious tempest, which + raged for about thirty-six hours, overturning our covered cart and + threatening to sweep ourselves and our tents away. We had to load + down our tent ropes with bags of earth, stones, sod, the bodies of + our carts, wheels, boxes, and anything we could find, and even then + we had but a precarious existence. Every now and then, by day and + by night, there would arise a shout from the one tent or the other, + and amid the roar of the wind we heard cries for the hammer and the + spare tent pins. We managed to fix ourselves without being blown + away, and when the storm was over we patched our riven tents, + and were thankful we had weathered it so well. Then came the summer + rains--late in season, it is true, but great in strength--pouring + and lashing and roaring, the great drops bursting through our rent + cloth, broken up into spray and looking like pepper shaken from a + box. We had waterproof sheets, but it was next to impossible to + keep anything dry. While the rain lasted we sat huddled in our rain + cloaks, or, spade in hand, cut new channels for suddenly + extemporised streams and pools that grew larger and continued to + come closer to our bedding and boxes. As soon as the sun returned, + there was a general drying of garments, mattresses, and sheepskin + robes. The heat was perhaps the most trying of our meteorological + experiences; but even that passed away at last, and before we had + left the plains night frost had reappeared, covering the pools + about well mouths with thin sheets of ice. + +[Illustration: A MONGOL ENCAMPMENT] + + 'Later in the season, one afternoon, the loungers in the tent + looked out and remarked, "The Mandarin has come," and gave place to + a richly dressed, corpulent Mongol, who entered the tent, followed + by one of his servants. Salutations over, he soon showed his + colours and unmasked his batteries. He had come to fight, and we + both went at it tooth and nail. He had read a good deal, and had + come evidently prepared and primed, not in any spirit of + unfriendliness, but under the evident conviction that a better case + could be made out for Buddhism than for Christianity. The tent was + crammed with eager listeners, and we reasoned together from the + Creation to the finish, including all manner of side issues and + important questions. It was a long time before he could be + convinced that our Jesus was not spoken of and made known in the + Buddhist classics. When he was at length satisfied (on that point), + he wanted to know about the Trinity; how men could get good; how it + was right that men should escape punishment due to their misdeeds + by praying to Jesus; why God allowed animals, such as starving + dogs, to lead a life of suffering; why God did not keep sin from + entering the world; how could Jesus come, when it is said He is + always with us; and how about the souls who died before Jesus came. + + 'At last the sun got low, and the Mandarin, with many words of + friendship, rode away, promising to come another day. But he never + came.' + +In a later journey they had a very narrow escape from one of the +frequent perils of this tent life:-- + + 'In Mongolia we had one rather serious adventure. The south edge of + the Plain is famed for storms, and the night we camped there, just + after dark, began one of the fiercest thunderstorms I can remember + having seen. The wind roared, the rain dashed, the tent quivered; + the thunder rattled with a metallic ring, like shafts of iron + dashing against each other, as it darted along a sheet-iron sky; + the water rose in the tent till part of our bed was afloat. It was + hardly possible to hear each other speak; but amid and above all + the din of the tempest rose one sound not to be mistaken, the roar + of rushing water. There was a river to right of us, but the sound + came more from the left. Venturing out, I found there was a great + swift-flowing river on both sides of us; that we could not move + from the little piece of elevated land plain on which we had our + tent; and that a few inches more water, or an obstacle getting into + the path of the upper river, would send the full force of the + current down on our tents. Flocks, herds, men are said to be swept + away now and again in Mongolia, and for an hour our case seemed + doubtful; but about 11 P.M. the storm ceased and the danger was + over, and, though we had hardly anything left, we went to sleep, + thanking God for His preserving mercy.' + +Courageous, undoubtedly, Mrs. Gilmour was; her example of self-sacrifice +in the Master's cause was lofty in itself, and is stimulating to every +Christian mind. Yet it is to be greatly feared that the first of these +journeys aggravated, if it did not actually develope, the disease from +which she ultimately died. She found the ceaseless round of millet and +mutton so unpalatable as at the last to be able hardly to eat at all; +and experience of tent life was needful before she could realise how +absolutely devoid it was of almost everything that a European lady looks +upon as essential to daily existence, and thus make adequate preparation +for the life. Yet, in 1878, she not only accompanied her husband again, +better equipped by reason of previous experience, but she also took with +her their infant boy. + +The winter of 1876 in Peking was devoted to work more or less directly +bearing upon the Christian conquest of the nomad tribes. + + 'Since returning from Mongolia I have had here a teacher whom I had + come from the plains. I read some Buddhist classics with him, then + had him write to my dictation some of the more striking incidents + narrated in the Book of Daniel; then finally had him write for me + an explanation of the way of salvation through Jesus. The extracts + from Daniel were written mostly with the idea of accustoming him to + my dictation; but the explanation of Christianity was a tract that + I had long wanted to write, in which I sought to make it as plain + as possible, not only that Jesus does save, but also that there is + no salvation through any other name. The Religious Tract Society + has consented to print for me both the extract from Daniel and the + explanation of Christianity.' + +During 1877 the ever-recurring question, inevitable, perhaps, and yet +very paralysing to any steady progress, as to whether it was really +worth while to continue labour in such a sterile field, came up once +more for discussion. In an elaborate report, designed rather to elicit +the views of the home authorities than to express his own, dated August +18, 1877, Mr. Gilmour depicts rapidly and clearly his relations, on the +one hand, to the workers in the station of the American Board at Kalgan, +and, on the other, to his colleagues of the North China Committee of the +London Society. The American Board had sent out another missionary, and +Mr. Gilmour was at first inclined to the view that, although working +independently, they might yet act practically as colleagues. + + 'In addition, the new man, Rev. W. P. Sprague, and I one day + undertook to climb a mountain together, and, by the time we got + half-way up, we discovered that our ideas about working together + quite agreed, and that there was a fair and good prospect of our + making good harmonious colleagues in one work, though we belonged + to different societies and hailed from different nations. Here, + then, the thing seemed to be accomplished; here was a colleague + ready to my hand, or I to his.' + +But Mrs. Gulick, a most energetic and enthusiastic missionary to the +Mongols, died, her husband was invalided to Japan, and Mr. Sprague found +himself with the whole mission on his shoulders. + + 'If things are to remain as they are, it amounts pretty much to + this, that in the warmer months of the year I can travel through + parts of Mongolia teaching the Gospel and dispensing medicines; the + rest of the year I can turn my attention to Chinese work in + Peking. This is a pleasant enough arrangement for me, but it is not + a very vigorous prosecution of the work of the Mongol mission. On + the other hand, such is the fewness of people to be reached in + Mongolia that it is only by alternating these periods of + deprivation with seasons of activity among the Chinese that a man + can keep his spirit alive. + + 'As regards the opinion of other members of the Committee here, I + have never called for any formal expression of it, nor have they + (the members of Committee) ever been invited to discuss the + question of the Mongol mission in committee, but I know their + individual opinions in an informal way. Messrs. Meech and Barradale + don't say much; Mr. Owen thinks we will never do much in Mongolia + working upon so distant a base as Peking; Mr. Lees thinks it a pity + to take up such a seemingly unproductive field while so many more + promising fields call for attention; he moreover thinks that the + only way to do much for Mongolia is through China; Dr. Edkins + thinks I spend too much time and labour over the Mongols, his idea + being seemingly a combination of Mongol and Chinese work, with a + preponderating tendency towards Chinese; Dr. Dudgeon has always + regarded the Mongol mission as hardly practicable. + + 'On the principle, however, of _Sow beside all waters_, and _Thou + knowest not which shall prosper, this or that_, perhaps it is well + that the Gospel should be exhibited to the Mongols also, and if + anyone is to go to Mongolia, perhaps many people would have more + disqualifications than myself.' + +In 1877 there was what seemed to be a very hopeful development of +Christian work in Shantung, and Mr. Gilmour and Mr. Owen visited that +district and baptized a large number of converts. Still later, Dr. +Edkins and Mr. Owen, on another visit, baptized some two hundred +people. With reference to this latter ingathering Mr. Gilmour wrote, 'I +much regret that we have not some definite system of putting men on a +period of probation.... About these two hundred I have nothing to say, +but of the hundred odd Mr. Owen and I baptized in November I have to +admit that, making all allowances, some of them cause me more anxiety +than satisfaction.' There was, unfortunately, only too much ground for +this fear. Ultimately the movement dwindled almost as rapidly as it had +developed, and with little permanent benefit to the missionary cause. +Shantung had been devastated by famine, locusts, and cholera. +Missionaries brought relief to the stricken people, giving both money +and food. Large numbers were drawn towards the new religion by this +example of its deeds, and most of the converts had professed +Christianity in the hope of getting something by its means. But this +incident brought to a head a divergence of view as to the whole conduct +of affairs in the Peking mission between the two older missionaries, Dr. +Edkins and Dr. Dudgeon, and their three younger colleagues, Mr. Gilmour, +Mr. Owen, and Mr. Meech. Into this strenuous and protracted controversy +we do not propose to enter. Both parties were actuated by high and +honourable motives; both were able to express their views pointedly, and +with all appropriate force. In the end the view advocated by Mr. Gilmour +triumphed. This was that, so far as possible, no pecuniary inducement +whatever, either by way of payment for services, or even employment in +connection with the mission, should be allowed to influence a Chinaman's +judgment in the acceptance of Christianity. Gilmour could take an active +part in the discussions only during his winter residence in Peking. But +the reader who has followed its history so far will be quite prepared to +learn that he made up for the infrequency of his participation in the +controversy by the energy which he displayed when he did so. And in +depicting Gilmour as he was, it is essential that he should be seen when +opposing no less than, as he much preferred to be in all matters +affecting the welfare of the mission, in the heartiest concord with his +colleagues. And yet his keenest opponents would cordially assent to the +following statement by one who took an active part in all the +discussions. It is mainly for the purpose of emphasising this testimony +that the matter is referred to here. + +'When in Peking Gilmour took his full share in the debates which were +constantly arising. Although he could and did argue to the extremest +point, and very hot and sharp words might be spoken during the +discussion, he harboured no bitterness of feeling against his opponents. +After excited argument he would get up and say, "Nevertheless I love +you." Nor were these empty words. He was kind, and willing to help all, +and was doing acts of service continually for those who opposed him +most.' + +Towards the close of 1878 the Rev. J. S. Barradale, of the Tientsin +Mission, died, leaving the Rev. J. Lees alone without a Chinese-speaking +helper. Mr. Gilmour sympathised deeply with him in his loss, and wrote +to say that, so long as Mr. Lees was thus left alone, he would be glad +to make two trips annually to his country stations, either _with_ him or +_for_ him. Mr. Gilmour's journal of this work is not only a record of +the willingness with which he added gladly to his own heavy labours in +order to assist a colleague; but it also gives some most realistic +pictures of what ordinary life in China is like, and under what +conditions evangelistic itineration there is carried on. Some of the +districts visited had just been devastated by a severe famine. + + 'From Tientsin to Hsiao Chang is five days' journey. Three hours + out from Tientsin we came upon some dogs feasting on a corpse lying + at a cross-road. The dogs belonged to cottagers near, but no + attempt was made by the owners to keep them away; no one took the + trouble to bury the body or cover it up even. Later on we passed + through one famine-devastated district. Half the houses in the + villages were unroofed; large tracts of land were untilled; the + landscape was almost entirely destitute of animal life; travellers + were nowhere to be seen; round the villages the little stacks of + straw and fuel were not to be seen; the lanes were silent; no dogs, + no cocks and hens, no pigs; no groups of children playing or + running after the foreigner as he passed by; and the words of + Scripture came to my mind, "the land desolate without inhabitant." + We continued to pass these desolations for about sixty English + miles. We stopped a night in one of these ruined villages, and Mr. + Lees took me round the place to see the nature and extent of the + destruction. Closer inspection revealed even more ruin than a mere + traveller's passing look would detect; for, evidently, some care + had been taken to leave house walls and boundary walls on the + street standing, so as to hide some part of the destruction, and + thus make things look better than they really were. + + 'Natives of the place gave us numbers, which showed the population + was then estimated at not much, if any, more than half the former + population. It was expressly stated, however, that the missing half + were not regarded as all dead; very many were dead, had died in the + place, but many had gone elsewhere--in most cases no one knew + where. Of these some few would doubtless return; but it is to be + feared that the mortality in a hard year among famine refugees is + very large, and of those who left their homes and native places, + the few that may eventually return will be very few, I fear. + + 'Doesn't the Bible say that it is a harder fate to die of famine + than to die by the sword--to die stricken through for want of the + fruits of the earth? But of all those who died in the famine in + North China there is one class whose case is perhaps more + distressing than ordinary. A large number of people seem to have + died just as the harvest--a plentiful one--ripened. Through all + these hard dreary months, when, day after day, month after month, + they looked for and longed for rain, those I now speak of struggled + through, kept up hope, fared hard, hoped eagerly, and at last saw + the rain come, saw the crops flourishing, saw them beginning to + ripen, congratulated themselves and others on the prospect of + abundant food and better days. But they were to see it with their + eyes, but not to eat thereof. As far as could be gathered from the + natives themselves, the case would seem to be thus. + + 'The great mass of the population was much reduced in bodily + strength by the long period of half-starvation they went through; + summer and early autumn came with the rains and the attendant ague, + which last--the ague--still more reduced the strength of their + already emaciated frames. You can imagine them, with lean faces and + hungry eyes, tottering about the fields, and counting the days that + must yet elapse before the grain would ripen. The rage of hunger + was no longer to be borne; they anticipated by a few days the + ripening; took the grain, still a little green--perhaps sometimes + very green--and put it into the pot. But here again was another + difficulty. The fuel used is grain stalks, and the famine deprived + them at once of food and fuel. Green grain they might cook, but + green-grain stalks would not burn. Fuel was thus deficient; and + was it wonderful if, as they stood round the pot, and the fuel was + deficient, their patience should fail them and they should fall + upon the food half cooked? That was bad enough; but that is not + all. The Chinese have nearly as little self-control as children; + and is it to be wondered at if, when at last, after long months of + the slow torture of unappeased hunger, they found a full meal + before them, they should have eaten to the full? When a man + emaciated from having gone through a famine, and further enfeebled + after repeated prostrations by ague, at length rises up and gorges + himself with farinaceous food, half ripe and half cooked, the + consequences are not difficult to divine. Diarrh[oe]a and dysentery + set in, and became fearfully prevalent--not only prevalent, but + peculiarly fatal. To make matters worse, medicines in that part of + the country are dear; the people were too poor to get medical help, + and great numbers who had lived to see the famine end and + prosperity return lived only to see the prosperity, and to die when + it touched them. The famine fever in summer seems to have been + fearfully prevalent. It is said that in a single courtyard two or + three people would be lying about the gate, two or three under the + shadow of some house, two or three more inside the house--all + stricken down with fever. The air of some villages is said to have + been loaded with the effluvia to such an extent that one riding + along the street perceptibly discerned the taint in the atmosphere. + The fever was deadly too, but evidently not so deadly in proportion + as the autumn dysentery. Frequently, when talking to a boy, we + would hear he was an orphan, and, on inquiry, he told that his + father had died in autumn; frequently, in talking to a woman, we + would hear that she was a widow, and, on asking when her husband + died, the reply was, "Autumn." + + 'We reached Hsiao Chang in a snowstorm on Saturday afternoon. A few + of the people, doubtless, heard of our arrival; but those of the + other villages probably did not know we had come; so that our being + there, perhaps, did not materially increase the number of the + congregation that assembled next day (Sunday). Sunday was a dull, + uncomfortable day; the ground covered with snow; the sky still + covered with clouds; no sunshine; yet there was a congregation of + about one hundred and thirty, of whom eighty (about) would be + women, and fifty (about) be men. The next Sabbath, January 26, was + still dull; the congregation numbered about two hundred and + eighty--men, say, one hundred and thirty; women, say, one hundred + and fifty. Mr. Lees took the women into the chapel. I took the men + outside in another court, and preached to them from a terrace which + gave me a commanding view of my congregation. Mr. Lees had too + little ventilation, I had too much of it; but both of our + congregations listened well, though there was no sun, though the + cold was intense, and though stray flakes of snow wandered slowly + down among us as we worshipped. The next Sabbath, February 2, was + fine. All except adherents were excluded, and the congregation + numbered about eighty men, and one hundred and twenty women. Twelve + men and seven women were baptized. + + 'The most novel feature of the work I noticed was the eagerness + displayed to learn and sing hymns. Sometimes poor old women, from + whom we could not extract much Catechism information about the + unity in trinity and other theological mysteries, brightened up + their old wrinkled faces when asked if they could sing, and when + asked to give us a specimen of their singing, would raise their + cracked and quavering voices and go through "There is a happy + land," or "The Great Physician," or "Safe in the arms of Jesus," a + good deal out of tune here and there, it is true, but on the whole + creditably as regards music, and with an apparent earnestness and + feeling that was hard to witness with dry eyes. And if the old + women sang thus, what of the young people? They seemed to revel in + hymns. The old, big, orthodox hymn-book used in our chapels got a + good deal of patronage and attention; but their great favourites + were those in a small collection of the Sankey revival hymns + translated (with a few exceptions) and published by Mr. Lees. These + hymns contain good gospel, seem to be easily learned, and are set + to tunes which the Chinese seem never to sing themselves tired of. + The preachers have mastered a goodly number of them, and teach them + to all comers; but, Mr. Lees being a singer, of course, when he + arrived, there were high singing festivals, and the practice at + evening prayers was sometimes so vigorous and prolonged that the + tympanum of one of my ears began to show symptoms of defeat. These + hymns I regard as a most powerful auxiliary to the other Gospel + agencies at work, and I hope a great deal of good from them. + + 'Every Chinaman wants looking after. Even the best and most + trustworthy men are all the better for being well and carefully + superintended. In fact, the better a man is, the better he pays for + being well looked after. The present state of country mission work + in North China calls for careful supervision in an especial degree. + Unforeseen circumstances arise that need prompt action where a + wrong course of action may be disastrous; something or other + happens that dismays the whole of the little Christian community; + something or other happens that lifts them up into pride; the + Christians are like little islands of Christianity isolated in a + vast ocean of heathenism, and the waves seem to threaten to swallow + them up. The missionary, simply by going and putting in an + appearance, or by giving a little simple advice, or by speaking a + few words of encouragement, or by devising a few simple methods, or + making a few simple arrangements, can often keep the Church out of + moral danger, infuse new hope and courage to the members and + preachers, and, under God, put fresh life and vigour into the whole + concern. As iron sharpeneth iron, so doth a man the face of his + friend; and this is true in an especial degree of a missionary and + his preachers and converts.' + +In the course of a subsequent tour in the same district, in 1880, he +gives in his diary a sketch of a sermon preached by Liu, his Chinese +helper, one which may be taken as a specimen of the best class of +address given by a converted Chinaman to his fellow-countrymen. + + 'Liu's subject was from Revelation, "Whosoever will, let him take + of the water of life freely." He went into an elaborate detail + about the use of water, washing, laying the dust in a room being + swept out, (a la Bunyan) making a sinking sand hard and good for a + cart and man to travel on. Finally, he got to a couple of good + stories about a man who got drunk and had his face blackened, so + that when he came home his own father did not know him and would + not let him in, and when he saw himself accidentally in a mirror he + did not know himself. His drunkenness had completely changed his + appearance and voice even. + + 'So God made us in His own image, but sin has terribly changed us. + Purified by the Holy Ghost we may again be like ourselves and God. + + 'The service lasted about two hours and ten minutes. The story + parts of the sermon were very effective.' + +A later entry in the diary runs: 'Had service. Preached "Jesus saves," +the sermon for the heathen of that name.' One who often heard him preach +in China gives the following estimate of his power and method in +delivering his message:-- + + 'As a preacher Gilmour was most unconventional. His sermons were + direct talks, without any attempt at rhetoric. They were + plentifully illustrated, largely from events in his own experience. + Laughable allusions or quaint ways of putting things were + frequently used. While there was not much attractive in the manner + of the preacher, the directness of his remark and his evident + earnestness always made his sermons appreciated and enjoyed. The + Chinese were always glad to hear him, and words he used to speak + are often referred to.' + +Writing on one occasion to a friend in England being educated for the +Christian ministry, who had just taken one of the higher degrees at the +London University, he said:-- + + 'I don't think our work is so much unlike, after all. You witness + for Christ, so do I; and though you are in a Christian country and + I in a heathen land, human nature is human nature, and not so + different as might be supposed. You may, pray you may, see more + fruit of your work than I do, but your trials, and difficulties, + and temptations will be, no doubt are, pretty much the same as + mine. May the Lord help you and bless you now and for ever! I hope + He will help you to have ever a heart ready to preach simply the + simple Gospel to your hearers, half of whom, perhaps, know almost + nothing of salvation, though they have been listening to sermons + about it all their lives, and would not know in the least to which + hand to turn if they were aroused and became anxious to be saved. + I'll give you a text, which I think peculiarly suitable for you, + now a graduate. Isaiah 1. 4--"The Lord God hath given me the tongue + of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to + him that is weary." I like to dwell on this text. Learning should + not make deep sermons, hard to be understood; on the contrary, it + should be all employed to make the road simple and clear. Forgive + me for exhorting you so, but I can't refrain from it when I think + of the many learned men I know at home and here who employ their + learning in giving learned sermons, _not_ in making the way simple + and plain.' + +The sermon referred to in the extract quoted above from the diary is +based on Matt. i. 21. It was never written out; but the notes of it lie +before us, and we quote them as an illustration of his way of addressing +both Chinese and English audiences. It may interest the reader to +endeavour to make out from it the line of thought, and any who may have +heard him preach or speak will find it easy to recall _how_ he preached +it. + + 'Matt. i. 21. 'He shall save people from their sins.' + + 'Talk to a man, he admits he is sinner; by-and-by he will break off + and become good. + + 'He does not really know what sin is. Egypt! + + 'It is a _disease_; if you get it can you leave it off? Your blood + is tainted. + + 'It is a _fire_; once light it, you can't quench it, it smoulders + and breaks out afresh. + + 'It is an _evil root_, evil weed, can easy sow, not extirpate. + + 'Sin is like the current above Niagara. + + 'It becomes a _habit_. Indulgence makes habit grow. + + 'It is like a _spider_; one thread after another binds up a fly. + + 'Such is sin--murder, robbery, theft, adultery, uncleanness, lying, + covetousness, hatred, anger, malice, want of love to God or man. + + 'Many of these sins you not accused of, but you have sin: sin is + fatal, can you free yourself? _Jesus is to do it._ + + 'Disease, fire, root, current, habit, fly. _The man cannot free + himself: Jesus must set him free._ + + 'Not only from _Hell_, but from sin. + + 'Suppose you were freed only from Hell, and transported to Heaven, + could you be happy? Who would be your companions? + + 'Ignorant (wicked) man in company of learned (holy). + + '_A Tientsin vagrant_ became chair-bearer; had clothes, etc., but + only for a day; he was soon naked again. + + 'Christ does not transport to Heaven only. + + '_Disease._--Not die from it; He cures it. + + '_Fire._--Not consumed by it; He quenches it. + + '_Root_ of evil; He clears from the ground. + + '_Niagara._--He lifts you out of the current on to an island. + + '_Habit._--He sets you free from it. + + '_Spider's fly._--He not only takes from the spider; but He sets it + free from the toils. + + '_Jesus gives_ second nature; you are born again. + + 'But upon one _condition_, your consent. The _disease_ is severe: + you must obey doctor; if you do not submit to operation; not take + bitter drugs; then he does not heal. + + '_Lead_ a man to Peking: not come, not follow: leave him: lead to + heaven, paths of holiness not follow, not reach. + + 'Has Christ saved you? If yes, visible to self and others. He is + not only an object of respect, admiration: He is the doctor into + whose hands you put your soul for treatment. + + '_Two brothers_, Kite, Loe, Pet Dog. + + '_John of Hankow's Liu_, see Chronicle; dead _v._ alive; sick (of + fever) _v._ whole. Is it last time? Mongols feel queer. + + '_Missionaries._ Mongol doctor who had not courage to treat + himself. + + '_S. S. Teacher_: Paul: be a castaway, + + 'Christ Matt. i. 21-23. + + 'Any religion good enough. No: no religion breaks bondage of sin: + go down to death in sin's slavery. Only Jesus can save from sin. + _Ask, and He'll do it._' + +During the winters in Peking he still used every effort to get at the +Mongols frequenting the capital. + + 'The Mongols who visit Peking connect themselves with two great + centres. "The Outside Lodging," which is about a mile or more north + of the north wall of Peking, and is also called the "Halha + Lodging," because it is the great resort of the Northern Mongols, + and the "Inside Lodging," which is near the inside of the south + wall of the Manchu City of Peking, is situated close behind the + English Legation, and is also called the "Cold Lodging;" this name + being probably due to the fact that in the open space in this + "Inside Lodging" a good many Mongols camp out in their tents, in + place of hiring courts and rooms from the Chinese. These are the + two great _centres_ for Mongols in Peking. Many of them lodge in + the immediate neighbourhood, and even those who lodge in other + parts of the city frequent these two centres; so that, if any one + wants to know whether or not any individual Mongol has come to + Peking, he seeks him at one or other of these marts. + + 'In the winter of 1879-80 I set up a book-stall, with a Chinaman to + care for it, at the Outside Lodging, going myself, as a rule, every + second day. This winter I followed the example of the pedlars, and, + hanging two bags of books from my shoulders, hunted the Mongols + out, going not only to the trading places, but in and out among the + lanes where they lodged, visiting the Outside Lodging first and the + Inside Lodging later in the day. The number of Mongols outside the + city became latterly so small that it was not visited very often; + but during the Chinese eleventh and the first part of the twelfth + month, the number of Mongols to be met with at the Inside Lodging + was fair, and the number of books disposed of altogether, both + outside and inside the city, amounted to seven hundred and + fourteen. + + 'In many cases the Mongols, before buying, and not unfrequently + after buying, would insist on having the book read, supposing that + they got more for their money when they not only had the book, but + had me let them hear its contents. Of course I was only too glad to + have the opportunity of reading, which readily changed to + opportunity for talking; and in this way, from time to time, little + groups of Mongols would gather round and listen to short addresses + on the main doctrines of Christianity. Several men whom I accosted + seemed familiar with the name of Jesus, and had some knowledge of + Christianity. Some bought the books eagerly; some not only did not + buy themselves, but exhorted others not to buy; some openly spoke + against Christianity; but a great many of those who listened to an + address or took part in a conversation evinced interest in the + subjects spoken of, and remarked that salvation by another bearing + our sin was a reasonable doctrine. As the purchasers of these books + hailed from all parts of Mongolia, the tracts thus put into their + hands will reach to even remote localities in the west, north, and + east, and my prayer is that the reading of them may be the + beginning of what shall lead to a saving knowledge of the truth in + some minds. Hoping for some good result, I had my address stamped + on many of the books, to enable such as might wish to learn more to + know where to come. + + 'In some cases, Mongols wishing to buy books had no money, but were + willing to give goods instead; and thus it happened that I + sometimes made my way home at night with a miscellaneous collection + of cheese, sour-curd, butter and millet cake and sheep's fat, + representing the produce of part of the day's sales.' + +A short time before he returned to England on his first furlough he drew +up a report, in which he places on record some of the results of his ten +years' experience of Mongol life and habits. + + 'On one occasion I was living some weeks in a Mongol's tent. It was + late in the year. Lights were put out soon after dark. The nights + were long in reality, and, in such unsatisfactory surroundings as + the discomforts of a poor tent and doubtful companions, the nights + seemed longer than they were. At sunrise I was only too glad to + escape from smoke and everything else to the retirement of the + crest of a low ridge of hills near the tent. This, perhaps the most + natural thing in the world for a foreigner, was utterly + inexplicable to the Mongols. The idea that any man should get out + of his bed at sunrise and climb a hill for nothing! He must be up + to mischief! He must be secretly taking away the luck of the land! + This went on for some time, the Mongols all alive with suspicion, + and the unsuspecting foreigner retiring regularly morning after + morning, till at length a drunken man blurted out the whole thing, + and openly stated the conviction that the inhabitants had arrived + at, namely, that this extraordinary morning walk of the foreigner + on the hill crest boded no good to the country. To remain among the + people I had to give up my morning retirement. + + 'The Mongols are very suspicious of seeing a foreigner writing. + What _can_ he be up to? they say among themselves. Is he taking + notes of the capabilities of the country? Is he marking out a road + map, so that he can return guiding an army? Is he, as a wizard, + carrying off the good luck of the country in his note-book? These, + and a great many others, are the questions that they ask among + themselves and put to the foreigner when they see him writing; and + if he desires to conciliate the good-will of the people, and to win + their confidence, the missionary must abstain from walking and + writing while he is among them. + + 'On another point, too, a missionary must be careful. He must not + go about shooting. Killing beasts or birds the Mongols regard as + peculiarly sinful, and anyone who wished to teach them religious + truth would make the attempt under great disadvantage if he carried + and used a gun. This, however, is a prejudice that it is not so + difficult to refrain from offending. + + 'The diseases presented for treatment are legion, but the most + common cases are skin diseases and diseases of the eye and teeth. + Perhaps rheumatism is _the_ disease of Mongolia; but the manner of + life and customs of the Mongols are such that it is useless to + attempt to cure it. Cure it to-day, it is contracted again + to-morrow. Skin diseases present a fair field for a medical + missionary. They are so common, and the Mongolian treatment of them + is so far removed from common-sense, that anyone with a few + medicines and a little intelligence has ample opportunity of + benefiting many sufferers. The same may be said of the eye. The + glare of the sun on the Plain at all seasons, except when the grass + is fresh and green in summer, the blinding sheen from the snowy + expanse in winter, and the continual smoke that hangs like a cloud + two or three feet above the floor of the tent, all combine to + attack the eye. Eye diseases are therefore very common. The lama + medicines seem to be able to do nothing for such cases, and a few + remedies in a foreigner's hands work cures that seem wonderful to + the Mongols. + + 'In many cases, when a Mongol applies to his doctor, he simply + extends his hand, and expects that the doctor, by simply feeling + his pulse, will be able to tell, not only the disease, but what + will cure it. As soon as the doctor has felt the pulse of one + hand, the patient at once extends the other hand that the pulse may + be felt there also, and great surprise is manifested when a + foreigner begins his diagnosis of a case by declining the proffered + wrist and asking questions. + + 'The question of "How did you get this disease?" often elicits some + curiously superstitious replies. One man lays the blame on the + stars and constellations. Another confesses that when he was a lad + he was mischievous, and dug holes in the ground or cut shrubs on + the hill, and it is not difficult to see how he regards disease as + a punishment for digging, since by digging worms are killed; but + what cutting wood on a hill can have to do with sin it is harder to + see, except it be regarded as stealing the possessions of the + spiritual lord of the locality. In consulting a doctor, too, a + Mongol seems to lay a deal of stress on the belief that it is his + _fate_ to be cured by the medical man in question, and, if he finds + relief, often says that his meeting this particular doctor and + being cured is the result of prayers made at some previous time. + + 'One difficulty in curing Mongols is that they frequently, when + supplied with medicines, depart entirely from the doctor's + instructions when they apply them; and a not unfrequent case is + that of the patient who, after applying to the foreigner for + medicine and getting it, is frightened by his success, or scared by + some lying report of his neighbours, or staggered at the fact that + the foreigner would not feel his pulse, or feel it at one wrist + only, lays aside the medicine carefully and does not use it at all. + + 'In Mongolia, too, a foreigner is often asked to perform absurd, + laughable, or impossible cures. One man wants to be made clever, + another to be made fat, another to be cured of insanity, another of + tobacco, another of whisky, another of hunger, another of tea; + another wants to be made strong, so as to conquer in gymnastic + exercises; most men want medicine to make their beards grow; while + almost every man, woman, and child wants to have his or her skin + made as white as that of the foreigner. + + 'When a Mongol is convinced that his case is hopeless he takes it + very calmly, and bows to his fate, whether it be death or chronic + disease; and Mongol doctors, and Mongol patients too, after a + succession of failures, regard the affliction as a thing fated, to + be unable to overcome which implies no lack of medical ability on + the doctor's part. + + 'Of all the healing appliances in the hands of a foreigner none + strikes the fancy of a Mongol so much as the galvanic battery, and + it is rather curious that almost every Mongol who sees it and tries + its effect exclaims what a capital thing it would be for examining + accused persons. It would far surpass whipping, beating, or + suspending. Under its torture a guilty man could not but "confess." + Some one in England has advocated the use of the galvanic battery + in place of the cat in punishing criminals, and it is rather + curious to note the coincidence of the English and Mongol mind. + + 'The Mongol doctors are not, it would seem, quite unacquainted with + the properties of galvanism. It is said that they are in the habit + of prescribing the loadstone ore, reduced to powder, as efficacious + when applied to sores, and one man hard of hearing had been + recommended by a lama to put a piece of loadstone into each ear and + chew a piece of iron in his mouth! + + 'Divination is another point on which Mongols are troublesome. It + never for a moment enters their head that a man so intelligent and + well fitted out with appliances as a foreigner seems to them to be + cannot divine. Accordingly they come to him to divine for them + where they should camp to be lucky and get rich, when a man who has + gone on a journey will return, why no news has been received from a + son or husband who is serving in the army, where they should dig a + well so as to get plenty of good water near the surface, whether it + would be fortunate for them to venture on some trading speculation, + whether they should go on some projected journey, in what direction + they should search for lost cattle, or, more frequently than any of + the above, they come, men and women, old and young, to have the + general luck of their lives examined into. Great is their amazement + when the foreigner confesses his ignorance of such art, and greater + still is their incredulity. + + 'The great obstacles to success in doctoring the Mongols are + two:--First: most of the afflicted Mongols suffer from chronic + diseases for which almost nothing can be done. Second: in many + cases, where alleviation or cures are effected, they are only of + short duration, as no amount of explanation or exhortation seems + sufficient to make them aware of the importance of guarding against + causes of disease. But, notwithstanding all this, many cures can be + effected on favourable subjects, and the fact that the missionary + carries medicines with him and attempts to heal, and that without + money and without price, aids the missionary cause by bringing him + into friendly communication with many who would doubtless hold + themselves aloof from any one who approached them in no other + character but that of a teacher of Christianity.' + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +THE VISIT TO ENGLAND IN 1882 + + +From 1880 onwards Mrs. Gilmour suffered severely from illness, and +medical advisers recommended at length the rest and change of a visit to +England. Mr. Gilmour's furlough was also nearly due. Consequently, in +the spring of 1882, he and his family returned to England. This visit +was helpful and memorable in many ways. The rest so thoroughly well +earned was greatly enjoyed. The return to civilisation, the society of +loved relatives and friends, the comforts of ordinary English life, and +the change of thought and occupation which these involved--all reacted +happily and refreshingly upon both Mr. Gilmour and his wife. + +But a sojourn at home is not by any means a season of entire rest for +the jaded worker. The Churches constantly need the stimulus and +awakening that are best supplied by the men who have been filling the +hard places in the field. Gilmour also was so full of enthusiasm for his +work, and so eager in his desire to benefit the Mongols, that he would +doubtless have found for himself many opportunities of pleading their +cause, had not the authorities of the London Missionary Society, +following their usual custom, furnished him with a long list of +deputation engagements, Into these he threw himself with an energy that +very greatly enlarged the circle of his friendship, secured very many +new supporters for the missionary cause, and obtained for himself, on +the part of many, a devout, prayerful sympathy for the remainder of his +earthly service. + +He had brought with him a large quantity of manuscript material dealing +with his twelve years of Mongol life and experience. From this he +prepared the volume which was published by the Religious Tract Society +in April 1883, under the title of _Among the Mongols_. + +The book was very cordially welcomed by the press, and we single out for +quotation a portion of one review which stands out pre-eminent not only +for its literary quality, but also as placing on record the impression +James Gilmour was able to make upon men entirely ignorant of him and his +work by the simple narrative of his experiences. It appeared in the +_Spectator_ for April 28, 1883. + + 'We have a difficulty in passing judgment on this book. It is + possible, even probable, that the impression it has made on us is + individual to this reviewer, and due to an accident which, with + other readers, will not repeat itself. Having time, and an interest + in nomads, he read a page or two, and read on, and read on, for + five hours, till he had finished the book,--which is much too + short,--fascinated, lost, carried out of himself and England. He + was in Mongolia, sitting under a blue-cloth tent, with savage dogs + howling around, and gazing outside, through the doorless doorway, + on a vast panorama of poor tufted grass, stretching away to huge + black hills in the distance, and Tartars on camels, Tartars on + horses, Tartars on springless, unbreakable ox-carts, hastening up + to the encampment; while inside he listened to a quiet Scotchman, + resignedly yet clearly explaining everything in a voice---- there + was the puzzle. Where in the world had the reviewer heard that + voice before, with its patient monotone, as well known as his + oldest friend's, its constant digressions and "reflections," its + sentences so familiar, yet so new, sentences which, as each topic + came up, he could write before they were uttered. "James Gilmour, + M.A." Never knew him, or heard of him; yet here was he, talking + exactly as some one else had years ago talked a hundred times. So + oppressive at last became the will-o'-the-wisp reminiscence, that + the reviewer stopped, after an account of the Desert of Gobi, and + deliberately read it through again, in search of a clue which might + reawaken his memory. It was all in vain, and it was not till + another hundred pages had been passed, always under the impression + of that bewildering reminiscence, that he exclaimed to himself, + "That's it! Robinson Crusoe has turned missionary, lived years in + Mongolia, and written a book about it." That is this book. To any + one who, perhaps from early neglect, does not perceive this truth, + our judgment will seem erroneous; but to any one who does, we may + quite fearlessly appeal. The student of _Robinson Crusoe_ never + expected that particular pleasure in this life, and he will never + have it again; but for this once he has it to the full. Mr. James + Gilmour, though a man of whom any country may be proud, is not a + deep thinker, and not a bright writer, and not a man with the gift + of topographical, or, indeed, any other kind of description. He + thinks nothing extraordinary, and has nothing to say quotable. + There is a faint, far-off humour in him, humour sternly repressed; + but that, so far as we know, is the only quality in his writing + which makes him _litterateur_ at all. But Heaven, which has denied + him many gifts, has given him one in full measure,--the gift of + Defoe, the power of so stating things that the reader not only + believes them, but sees them in bodily presence, that he is there + wherever the author chooses to place him, under the blue tent, + careering over the black ice of Lake Baikal, or hobnobbing in tea + with priests as unlike Englishmen as it is possible for human + beings to be, yet, such is his art, in nowise unintelligible or + strange. It may be, as we have said, that it is an individual + impression, but we never read, save once, the kind of book in our + lives, did not deem it possible ever again to meet with this + special variety of unconscious literary skill. We are aware of a + dozen shortcomings, of a hundred points upon which Mr. Gilmour + ought to have given light, and has not; but there has been, if our + experience serves us at all, no book quite like this book since + _Robinson Crusoe_; and _Robinson Crusoe_ is not better, does not + tell a story more directly, or produce more instantaneous and final + conviction. Heaven help us all, if Mr. Gilmour tells us that he has + met any unknown race in Mongolia, say, people with the power of + making themselves invisible, for Tyndall will believe him, and + Huxley account for them, and the _Illustrated London News_ publish + their portraits--in the stage of invisibility. We do not say the + book is admirable, or perfect, or anything else superlative; but we + do say, and this with sure confidence, that no one who begins it + will leave it till the narrative ends, or doubt for an instant, + whether he knows Defoe or not, that he has been enchained by + something separate and distinct in literature, something almost + uncanny in the way it has gripped him, and made him see for ever a + scene he never expected to see. + + 'We do not know that we have any more to say about the book. Its + merit is that, and no other; and we do not suppose anybody ever + proved _Robinson Crusoe's_ value by extracts. But we must say a + word or two about the author and his subject. Mr. Gilmour, though a + Scotchman, is apparently attached to the London Mission, and seems + to have quitted Peking for Mongolia on an impulse to teach Christ + to Tartars. He could not ride, he did not know Mongolian, he had an + objection to carry arms, and he had no special fitness except his + own character, which he knew nothing about, for the work. + Nevertheless, he went, and stayed years, living on half-frozen + prairies and deserts under open tents, on fat mutton, sheep's tails + particularly, tea, and boiled millet, eating only once a day + because Mongols do, and in all things, except lying, stealing, and + prurient talk, making himself a lama. As he could not ride, he rode + for a month over six hundred miles of dangerous desert, where the + rats undermine the grass, and at the end found that that difficulty + has disappeared for ever. As he could not talk, he "boarded out" + with a lama, listened and questioned, and questioned and listened, + till he knew Mongolian as Mongols know it, till his ears became so + open that he was painfully aware that Mongol conversation, like + that of most Asiatics, is choked with _doubles entendres_. As for + danger, he had made up his mind not to carry arms, not to be angry + with a heathen, happen what might, and--though he does not mention + this--not to be afraid of anything whatever, neither dogs nor + thieves, nor hunger nor the climate; and he kept those three + resolutions. If ever on earth there lived a man who kept the law of + Christ, and could give proofs of it, and be absolutely unconscious + that he was giving them, it is this man, whom the Mongols he lived + among called "our Gilmour." He wanted, naturally enough, sometimes + to meditate away from his hosts, and sometimes to take long walks, + and sometimes to geologise, but he found all these things roused + suspicion--for why should a stranger want to be alone; might it not + be "to steal away the luck of the land"?--and as a suspected + missionary is a useless missionary, Mr. Gilmour gave them all up, + and sat endlessly in tents, among lamas. And he says incidentally + that his fault is impatience, a dislike to be kept waiting!' + +[Illustration: A MONGOL CAMEL CART +(_From a Native Sketch_)] + +The book met with a ready and wide acceptance. It soon 'found its +public.' It was only to be expected that many of the friends and +supporters of the London Missionary Society would welcome it. And there +are others, like the reviewer, who 'have time and an interest in +nomads,' who were certain to consult it. But in addition to these +special classes the book did good service in some cases, by deepening +the impression already made by other first-rate delineations of +missionary enterprise and endurance, and in others by creating respect +for missions and missionaries in minds hitherto strange to that feeling. +In various editions very many thousands of the book have been sold +during the nine years which have passed since the publication of the +first edition. + +The success of his book led to the suggestion that he might easily find +much useful employment for his pen. He did contribute some papers to the +_Sunday at Home_, _Pall Mall Gazette_, and other publications. But in +this, as in all other enterprises, loyalty to the great work of his life +ruled him. He soon came to the conviction that he ought not to take time +from the work of winning souls, and spend it in writing papers and +books--and from the moment of that decision he put mere literary work +resolutely aside. + + 'I feel keenly,' he wrote in 1884, on his return to Peking, 'that + there is here more than I can do, and writing must go to the wall.' + And as late in his life as 1890 he added, 'I could have made, and + could now make, I believe, money by writing, but I do not write. I + settle down to teach illiterate Chinamen and Mongols, heal their + sores, and present Christ to them.' + +Towards the end of 1882 James Gilmour entered upon a long series of +meetings on behalf of the London Missionary Society, consisting of +sermons and addresses to Sunday School children on the Sunday, and +speeches at public meetings during the week. A long series of his +letters written to his wife between November 1882 and March 1883 is +still extant, and they form an impressive record of the work considered +suitable for a wearied missionary at home in search of rest and change. +He visited Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow, Liverpool, Kilsyth, Hamilton, +Paisley, Dundee, St Andrews, Arbroath, Lytham, Aberdeen, Montrose, +Manchester, Hingham, Cambridge, Norfolk, and Southampton. And this list +exhausts only a portion of his excursions on the effort to stimulate and +develope the faith and the zeal of the churches at home. His wanderings +brought him into contact sometimes with relatives, sometimes with old +college friends, now grave pastors fast hastening towards middle life. +The meetings he attended always added to the circle of his friends, for +none could hear his ringing voice, and feel the clasp of his hand, and +pass under the influence of his ardent enthusiasm on behalf of the great +enterprise of the modern Christian Church without receiving an +impression never likely to be effaced. + +He in turn experienced a strong and abiding spiritual refreshment from +this renewal, after twelve years' absence, of touch and fellowship with +the Christian life of Great Britain. His earnestness deepened, he +studied with intensest interest movements like the Salvation Army, then +coming into great prominence, and other agencies for improving the +religious life of the nation, and he rejoiced in all fellowship with +other disciples of the Lord Jesus which had for its aim the +strengthening of the life of faith. + +He rejoiced greatly when at infrequent intervals a Sunday came upon +which he was entirely free from engagements. Such rare occasions he +utilised very fully for spiritual edification. He was somewhat hampered +in his possibilities on these days by the fact that his temporary home +was at Bexley Heath, and his strong Sabbatarian views never permitted +him to travel by rail or omnibus on the Lord's Day. The following letter +shows how he passed one of these days. + + 'Yesterday being a fine day I left home at 7.15 A.M., walked to + London (twelve miles), got to Spurgeon's at 10.30. Had a permit + from a seat-holder, was close to the platform, heard a good earnest + sermon, was introduced to Spurgeon in the vestry after service, + went home to one of his deacons for dinner, there met an American + who had under Mr. Moody been converted from drunkenness to God, and + whose craving for drink was as instantaneously and as thoroughly + expelled as the devils by Christ of old. After dinner visited + Spurgeon's Stockwell Orphanages, then walked to Camberwell and + dropped in, in passing, at the Catholic Apostolic Church and heard + a sermon from a man who would have described himself as an Apostle, + I suppose, and who ridiculed in a gentle and mild way the idea that + all men were to be partakers of the Gospel blessings which he + seemed to think were the special property of what he called "The + Church"; walked on to Lewisham, heard Morlais Jones: and then + walked home in the moonlight, arriving here footsore and weary + about 10.20 P.M. I enjoyed the day very much, all but the last four + or five miles home at night. I am thankful to find myself so + strong. I had a warm bath and slept like a top.' + +Those who were privileged to entertain James Gilmour, if congenial, and +the old friends who were fortunate enough to secure him for even a brief +period, often experienced his power of vivid and entrancing narration. +His twelve years of service had been very full of varied and uncommon +experience, and when in the vein he could make the hours pass almost as +minutes. 'During this furlough,' writes Dr. Reynolds, 'I had several +opportunities of intercourse with him, and listened to several of his +addresses on the progress and need of missionary enterprise in the north +of China and Mongolia, and was profoundly impressed by his earnestness, +but I was more deeply moved when in quiet _tete-a-tete_ he unveiled some +of his special experiences. I should like to mention one. He once had +great hope of the conversion to God of a Mongol, who had given him his +entire confidence, and who was suffering from cataract in both eyes. +Gilmour felt that this was a case in which surgical help might restore +the sufferer to at least partial sight, and he made arrangements that in +the escort of a Mongol the patient should find his way to the medical +institution at Peking. He started on the pilgrimage when Gilmour, with +his brave young wife, were encamped in a great temporary settlement of +Mongols, who were in a state of considerable fanatical excitement +against the new faith and its foreign teacher. Gilmour said, "We prayed +night and day for the success of this experiment, and we arranged to +cover all expenses connected with the arrangement." Alas! wind laden +with dust, and blinding heat and other apparent accidents conspired +against the poor sufferer, and when the necessary time had elapsed after +the operation and the bandages were removed, the patient was found to +be _stone blind_. The Mongol companion stirred up the poor fellow's +suspicion by telling him that he knew why the Missionary had sent him to +Peking. "I saw," said he, "the jewel of your eye in a bottle on the +shelf. These Christians can get hundreds of taels for these jewels which +they take out of our eyes." + +'When the blind man was brought back to Gilmour, his companion spread +his suspicions and exasperating story in the entire district, and the +fanatical hatred was augmented into seething and murderous passion, and +our dear friends were in imminent peril for several weeks. If they had +ventured to escape, it would have been a confession of a vile conspiracy +with the Peking doctors, and a signal for their massacre. They remained +to live down the ominous and odious charge, and in continuous effort to +justify the simplicity of their motives and the purity and beneficence +of their mission. + +'Deeply moved, as I was, by the story of this hairbreadth escape, I +asked Mrs. Gilmour more about those fearful weeks of suspense, and she +assured me that they had been perfectly calm, and that they were +entirely resigned to God's will, whatever it might be.' + +'Many other trials of faith and patience were described by Gilmour, +without one touch of self-approval or self-admiration, and the only +trouble that haunted him was that the results of his long journeys and +of his various missionary enterprises had been apparently so few.' + +It was certain that James Gilmour's power as a speaker would be utilised +for the great event of the London Missionary Society's year, the annual +meeting at Exeter Hall. This fell, in 1883, on May 10, and he was the +last speaker. This involved waiting about two hours and a half for his +speech, and corresponding exhaustion on the part of the audience. But +none who were present will forget the rapid way in which he secured the +attention of his hearers, and the ease with which he held it to the +close. He chose to speak of work in China, rather than in Mongolia; the +recent publication of his book helping among other reasons to determine +this choice. Part of the speech deserves reproduction here, because it +outlines very sharply the work that engaged much of his time while +resident in Peking, and because nowhere else can such a realistic, +sparkling, and lifelike picture of the preaching work of the Peking +mission, and consequently more or less of all preaching in great Chinese +cities, be found. + + 'In Peking we have three chapels. A chapel there is merely a + Chinese shop, put into decent repair, and a signboard stuck over + the top. The Chinese are very fond of giving themselves very high + names. You will come to a man sitting in a little box scarcely big + enough for himself to turn round in, and if you read his sign, it + is some flowing name about a hall; it may be the "Hall of Continual + Virtue," or something of that kind, or the "Hall of the Five + Happinesses." So our title above our chapel just runs in the native + idiomatic style, and it is the "Gospel Hall.' Inside there is not + very much to see. The counter has been cleared away and the + shelves, and, in place of the mud, a brick floor has been put down; + and then there are forms arranged for the sitters, and there is a + low platform for the speaker. I do not know how it happens, but it + does happen, that up in the left-hand corner of the chapel--and it + is always the left-hand corner--there is a table and two chairs, + and on that table there is a teapot and set of cups, because in + China everything is done with tea. You must always begin in that + way. These chapels are open six days in the week in the afternoon. + + 'Now, supposing you come in at the door, the natural thing for the + missionary seems to be just to walk up to this table and sit down, + and then the next thing is to get a congregation. Sometimes there + is no difficulty about getting it, if it happens to be a fair day + or there is a crowd in the streets. They simply pour in: but the + tide goes different ways sometimes, and does not pour in always + like that. I want to give you just a fair, square, honest idea of + what the thing is. Sometimes the congregation will not come in, and + sometimes, after a little while, one man looks in at the door and + sees a foreigner, and he is off. He has seen quite enough and does + not want to see any more; and if you were to ask him what he had + seen, he would not say he had seen a foreigner; no, he would say he + had seen "a foreign devil." And, friends, you would not be very + much astonished that some of those ignorant men coming from the + country are alarmed when they see a foreigner, if you could only + imagine the terrible lies that they circulate about us there; about + how we take out people's hearts for the purposes of magic, and + steal people's eyes to make photographic chemicals, and administer + medicines to bewitch them generally. I say that, if the first man + who comes to a chapel on an afternoon is a man who has heard these + things, you cannot be astonished that all you see of that man is + his back and his pigtail as he goes away. + + 'Another man sometimes comes--a bolder man, and he comes in, and + the most natural thing for him seems to be to walk up to the table + and sit down on the other side, and there you and he are a pair. + The proper thing is to pour him out a cup of tea: that is + etiquette, and the etiquette seems to be that he should not drink + it. Sometimes, after the service begins, I see the native preacher + come slyly up, as if he did not mean anything at all; and he walks + up to the teapot, and lifts the lid quite quietly, and slips that + tea back into the pot again, and puts on the lid and warms it up, + and it is ready for the next man who comes. + + 'If you get into conversation with one man, the congregation is, + for the most part, practically secured, because, though a Chinaman + is very much afraid of being spoken to directly by a foreigner, + most Chinamen are very curious to overhear any conversation that + may be carried on; so if you are speaking to him, in comes another + man to listen, and if you can get other men to come in and listen + over each other's backs, very soon more come in than the original + speaker cares to overhear his private conversation; and when that + step is reached, it is time to go to the platform and ask the + hearers to sit down and begin the regular service. Sometimes nobody + comes in, and then you have to try something else, and that is to + go and sit down a little nearer the door, and sometimes, in that + way, gradually a few people come in. But then in Peking sometimes + there is a great north-west wind blowing; and I think that is about + the hardest thing on a man's congregation before he gets it, + because, when the weather is unfavourable, there are not many + people about, and so we have to adopt another plan. We do not go on + to the streets, but inside the chapel the native preacher and I do + our best to sing a hymn. I say do our best, because sometimes these + native preachers do not succeed in singing very well; however, we + succeed in making a noise, and that is the thing that draws. The + people look in, and see what they suppose to be a foreigner and a + native chanting Buddhist prayers. In they come; they have not seen + that before, and they sit down, and, as soon as the hymn is + through, we have the opportunity of telling them the contents of + the hymn; and there you have your sermon ready to your hand. + + 'But suppose you have got your congregation, it is not all + smooth-sailing water. Sometimes there are interruptions. Sometimes, + just when you have the ear of your audience, all at once a + tremendous row happens just outside the door, and the congregation + jump to their feet and rush out to see what is going on. I could + have told them if they had only asked me. No doubt, some unwise + Chinaman, in place of coming straight in and sitting down, stood on + the outskirt of the crowd on tiptoe. A city thief coming along + says, "Ah, there is my man," and he walks quietly up to him with a + pair of sharp scissors, cuts off his tobacco pouch, and goes off + with it. Of course, as soon as the man misses the pouch, his first + impulse is to grab his next neighbour; that neighbour remonstrates, + and then a fight commences. + + 'Sometimes a funeral passes, and that is almost as serious an + interruption as a fight; because, although a Chinaman does not + think much about his soul after he dies, he thinks a vast deal + about his dead body, and, in order to be perfectly sure that he + will not be cheated by the undertaker, he buys his coffin before he + is sick, and sees that he has a good bargain. And so, having a good + coffin, he wants a good funeral; and it is said some men spend + nearly half of their fortune in having a grand procession when they + are carried to their grave. When one of these enormous funerals, + with a procession sometimes a quarter of a mile long, comes by, it + is a very bad job for your congregation. Out they go to have a look + at it. + + 'Then the interruption is sometimes another thing, and this last + one is a more difficult case to settle. When one of the upper ten + thousand in China has a marriage, they want to have a great + exhibition; and after they have bought the furniture, they get and + hire a great many men, and have them dressed to carry that + furniture in procession along the streets and show it to their + neighbours. First comes a great wardrobe, and then a little + cupboard, a washstand, a square table, and all sorts of furniture. + Now when that comes, what are you to do? They have been at the + expense of paying for an exhibition for their neighbours to see, + and they feel that it would be unneighbourly if they did not step + to the door and look out and see the things carried past, and there + goes your congregation. Sometimes unusual interruptions happen. I + remember once a woman put her head in at the door. Women do not + come to these chapels often--I am very glad they do not. That woman + put her head in at the door, and I saw danger. She glared round the + place, and then she spied one man, and she shouted out something at + him: "Come out of that!" and, friends, he came out of that, in a + big hurry, too. He disturbed us very considerably. It was not the + woman so much as the man--we all pitied him as he went out. + + 'Those audiences are very mixed, and they are very curious to your + eyes. Sometimes I see those audiences, most of whom we do not know + anything about, listening to what I have to tell them, quite as + still as you are now--their pipes out, the smoke cleared away. They + lean forward and listen just as still as audiences in this country + sometimes listen when the preacher, in an interesting discourse, is + coming up to a division of his subject. And, friends, let me tell + you what it is that makes them listen best of all--it is the + central doctrine of the truth of Christianity. When we come to tell + them of how Christ left the surroundings of heaven, and came to + spend so many years in such very poor, unsympathetic company on + earth (and that is a subject that a missionary sometimes can talk + feelingly upon when he has been in a foreign country for some + time), when we can tell them that, and then come to the last and + greatest part of all: how Christ allowed Himself, for love of man, + to be nailed to the cross, and not only that, but kept in Him that + gentle spirit that made Him pray for those who were putting Him to + death--oh, friends, when we come to that and tell them of it--I + know that a Chinaman is degraded, corrupt, sensual, material, but + he has a human heart; and when you can get at the heart, it + responds to the story of the Cross. We want to do something in + drawing the net, and so, on this table in the corner, there is a + pile of books, and as it gets towards the time to close, I say to + the friends, "Now, you will soon be going away to your evening + meal; and as I am a foreigner, probably you have not understood all + that I have said;" and then I say, "Now, before you go, there are a + number of books upon this table, where you will find the whole of + this subject put down in black and white; will you just come up and + have a look at the books before you go?" We want, if possible, to + establish a point of contact with them, and so to get a little + private conversation, as it were. If you ask them to come up and + look at a book, and they ask the price of it, you have an + opportunity of talking to them, and some of these men not only buy + the books, but they read them and come back for others. + + 'Now, how does the matter stand? These heathen have been in our + chapel, and we have taken the opportunity of putting some of the + truth into their hearts; but I know a good part, much, it may be, + of what the man has heard when he goes out--well, it is stolen + away, or it is trampled under foot; but some part of it remains. + + 'And now I can come to the practical part. I have not been trying + to entertain you, but I have been trying to interest you, and what + I want to impress upon you is this: after those men have left the + chapel you can do as much for their conversion as we can do in + China. I want you to pray for the conversion of these men to whom + we in Peking, and others in other parts of the world, are the means + of communicating these truths of Christ. I believe it is not only + the earnestness of the missionary that is going to produce results, + but it is your earnestness here. We are your agents, and I + believe, fervently, we shall have results there in direct + proportion to the measure of your earnestness here. I believe I am + speaking to the right people when I ask you to pray. Unprayed for, + I feel very much as if a diver were sent down to the bottom of a + river with no air to breathe, or as if a fireman were sent up to a + blazing building and held an empty hose; I feel very much as a + soldier who is firing blank cartridge at an enemy, and so I ask you + earnestly to pray that the Gospel may take saving and working + effect on the minds of those men to whose notice it has been + introduced by us. Not long ago, at the close of a local + anniversary, when we had been having a meeting, as we were going + home, three of us got off a tram-car--two ministers of the locality + and myself--and, as we were walking along, one said: "Ah, Gilmour, + it is all the same over again; it is just the old thing; you + missionaries come, and you have an anniversary, and the people's + earnestness seems to be stirred up, and you ask their prayers, and + it looks as if you would get them, but," he said, "you go away, and + the thing passes by and is just left where it was before." I do not + think that was quite correct. I think my brother was labouring + under a temporary fit of the blues, and I was very glad to find his + companion said it was not quite correct. What I want is this, to go + back to my work feeling that there are those behind us who are + praying earnestly that God's Spirit would work effectually in the + hearts of those to whom we have the privilege of preaching. If you + pray earnestly you can but work earnestly, and then you will also + give earnestly; and I do not think we can be too earnest in the + matter for which Christ was so much in earnest that He laid down + His own life.' + +The month of June and part of July was spent at Millport, a +watering-place on the west coast of Scotland, near the lovely scenery +of Arran. On July 4 he ascended Goatfell, and in so doing had an +adventure which might have had very serious consequences. He started +late, lost his way, but finally reached the summit at 8.45 P.M., and +then, as he notes in his diary: 'Fog came on nearly at once with rain +and thunder. Sat in the lee of a dripping rock on a wet stone and looked +at a couple of acres of fog and granite boulders. Very dark and cold +about midnight, the time wore on very slowly, more rain dripping, and +fog. At 2 o'clock A.M. I began the descent, and in a short while it was +light enough to see. Came on all right, and saw where I had missed the +way.... I have not caught cold. I was wet all night, but kept wrapt up +in my plaid and as warm as I could manage. Next day the minister +congratulated me on being seen alive after my Goatfell adventure.' + +On September 1 the return voyage to China began, and Peking was reached +on November 14. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +SUNSHINE AND SHADOW + + +In Peking the old familiar round of mission duties recommenced. Gilmour +after his absence of eighteen months was the same man, and yet not the +same. He yearned for fruit in the conversion of souls, and he began to +devote himself with more eager self-denial than ever to the winning of +Chinamen's hearts for the Saviour. The winter of 1883-1884 was spent in +Peking, and his diary is full of incidents illustrative of the time and +effort he gave to dealing with individuals. + +In February, 1884, he made one of the most remarkable of his Mongolian +journeys. He visited the Plain, travelling on foot, and thus subjecting +himself to risks and hardships of a very serious order. But he had good +reasons for his method, and he sets them forth with his usual clearness. +Possibly no other journey of his life more strikingly testifies to his +strict sense of duty, the unsparing way in which he spent himself in its +discharge, and his eager desire to win souls. + + 'On this occasion, partly owing to the shortness of the time at my + disposal, which made it hardly worth while to set up an + establishment, and partly owing to the peculiar season of the year, + which would have made it difficult to find pasture for travelling + cattle, I determined to go on foot, without medicines, in a + strictly spiritual capacity, and not seeking so much to make fresh + acquaintances or open up new ground as to revisit familiar + localities and see how far former evangelistic attempts had produced + any effect. In addition there were some individual Mongols who have + been taught a good deal about Christianity, and on whom I wished + once more, while there was still opportunity, to press the claims + of Christ. + +[Illustration: A CHINESE MULE LITTER] + + 'Five cold days in a mule litter brought me to Kalgan, and another + day in a cart took me up over the pass and landed me in a Chinese + inn on the Mongolian plain. This inn has no separate rooms; the + guests all share the ample platform of the kitchen, and sleep on + straw mats laid over the brickwork, which is heated by flues + leading from fires on which their meals are cooked. The Chinese + innkeeper was an old friend of mine, and he permitted me to share + his room with him. From this, as a centre, I was able to make + expeditions to four Mongolian settlements. + + 'My first visit was made to a lama whom I have known for years, and + who has been instructed in Christianity by others, both before and + since I made his acquaintance. He is a man of influence, wealth, + and leisure, and, though a priest, has a wife and child. I spent + almost a whole day with him, and hardly know what to think about + him. He seems to admit that there must be a God of the universe, + and admits that Christ may be a revelation of Him, but in the same + sense in which Buddha was. From one part of his conversation I was + almost led to believe that he had been praying to Jesus, but I + could get him to make no such admission. I fear that the inquiring + spirit of former years has given place to a spirit of indifference. + He has everything he wants, he has little or no care, seemingly; he + is content to let things drift, and keeps his mind easy. If he were + only waked up he might do much for his countrymen. + + 'My second visit was to a temple and cluster of tents, where I + found some old acquaintances; was politely received, but nothing + more. + + 'My third visit was to another cluster of tents, where I was at + once hailed as the doctor, and, _nolens volens_, compelled to + examine and prescribe for a number of diseases. Some cures + accomplished years before explained the enthusiasm of the friends + there, but for spiritual results I looked in vain. + + 'My next expedition was to a place some miles--say eight--away. + Some years ago, in stormy weather, Mrs. Gilmour and I, soaked out + of our tent, had found shelter in the mud-house of a Mongol, who + refused to take anything for the use of his building, remarking + that we would be going and coming that way afterwards, and that + then we might give him a present of some foreign article or other. + I had sent him a few things, but had never since personally visited + him, and when I reached the settlement I was grieved to find that + the old man was dead. His son, a lad of twenty-three, had succeeded + to his estate, and his small official dignity and emoluments, and + received me in a most remarkably friendly way. He was just starting + from home, but on seeing me gave up all idea of his going away, + and, insisting on my staying in his tent for the night, spent the + remainder of the day with me. + + 'Next day, slinging on one side a postman's brown bag containing my + kit and provisions; on the other an angler's waterproof bag, with + books, &c.; and carrying from a stick over my shoulder a Chinaman's + sheepskin coat, I left my landlord drinking the two ounces of hot + Chinese whisky which formed the invariable introduction to his + breakfast turned my face northwards, and started for a twenty-three + miles' walk to the settlement which, for some summers in + succession, has furnished me with men and oxen for my annual + journeys. Now the Mongols are familiar with the + + Russians, who, as tea-agents, reside in Kalgan; they have seen many + passing foreign travellers on horses, camels, and in carts; they + have seen missionary journeys performed on donkeys and ox-carts; + but I think that that morning for the first time had they seen a + foreigner, with all his belongings hung about him, tramping the + country after the manner of their own begging lamas. There were few + people to meet on the road, but those I did meet asked the + customary questions in tones of great surprise, received my answers + with evident incredulity, and, for the most part rode away + muttering to themselves, _You eldib eem_, which may be translated + to mean, "Strange affair." My feet, through want of practice, I + suppose, soon showed symptoms of thinking this style of travelling + as strange as the Mongols did, and were badly blistered long before + the journey was over. + +[Illustration: JAMES GILMOUR EQUIPPED FOR HIS WALKING EXPEDITION IN +MONGOLIA IN FEBRUARY 1884] + + 'An occasional rest and a bite of snow varied the painful monotony + of the few last long miles; the river was reached at last, and, + crossing it, I was soon in front of the cluster of huts I had come + to visit, and on looking up I was agreeably astonished to find that + the first man to come out to meet me was the mandarin of the + district. He was soon joined by others, and, rescued from the dogs, + I was escorted to his tent, seated before the fire, and supplied + with a cup and full tea-pot. I had intended to drink tea in his + tent only for form's sake; but his tea was good, the snow seemed + only to have increased my thirst, the man himself was sincerely + friendly; under the circumstances my stoicism broke down, and the + mandarin's tea-pot was soon all but empty. Meanwhile, his tent had + been filling with friends and neighbours, to whom the news of my + arrival had spread, and in a little while I had round me a + representative from nearly every family in the village. Among the + others came my two servants--the priest and the layman who had + driven my ox-carts for me. Escorted by these I went to another + tent, rested there awhile, and then moved into a mud-built house. + The priest I had come to visit was busy lighting a fire which would + do nothing but smoke, and the room was soon full. Finding him + alone, I told him that I had come to speak to him and my other + friends about the salvation of their souls, and was pressing him to + accept Christ, when a layman I also knew entered. Without waiting + for me to say anything, the priest related the drift of our + conversation to the layman, who, tongs in hand, was trying to make + the fire blaze. Blaze it would not, but sent forth an increasing + volume of smoke, and the layman, invisible to me in the dense + cloud, though only about two yards away, spoke up and said that for + months he had been a scholar of Jesus, and that if the priest would + join him they would become Christians together. Whether the priest + would join him or not, his mind was made up, he would trust the + Saviour. By this time the cloud had settled down lower still. I was + lying flat on the platform, and the two men were crouching on the + floor--I could just see dimly the bottom of their skin coats--but + the place was beautiful to me as the gate of heaven, and the words + of the confession of Christ from out the cloud of smoke were + inspiriting to me as if they had been spoken by an angel from out + of a cloud of glory. + + 'But neighbours came in, duty called the blackman (layman) away, + the evening meal had to be prepared and eaten, and it was not till + late at night that I had opportunity for a private talk with him + who had confessed Christ; and even then it was not private, because + we were within earshot of a family of people in their beds. + + 'Of all the countries I have visited Mongolia is the most sparsely + peopled, and yet it is, of all the places I have seen, the most + difficult to get private conversation with any one. Everybody, even + half-grown children, seems to think he has a perfect right to + intrude on any and all conversation. Bar the door and deny + admittance, and you would be suspected of hatching a plot. Take a + man away for a stroll that you may talk to him in quiet, and you + would be suspected of some dangerous enchantment. Remembering that + one must always have some definite message or business to perform + when he travels, and hoping to be able to do something with this + same blackman, I had purposely left, in the Chinese inn, some + presents which I could not well carry with me, and after a day's + rest the blackman and I started to bring them. That gave us + twenty-three miles' private conversation, and a good answer to give + to all who demanded, "Where are you going?" "What to do?" He gave + me the history of the origin and growth of his belief in Christ. I + taught him much he did not know, and at a lonely place we sat down + and lifted our voices to heaven in prayer. It was the pleasantest + walk I ever had in Mongolia, and at the same time the most painful. + My feet broke down altogether. It was evident I could not walk back + again the next day, so, acting on my follower's advice, by a great + effort I walked into the inn as if my feet were all right; we + bargained for a cart and, the Chinaman not suspecting the state of + my feet, we got it at a reasonable rate. Mongols and Chinese joined + in explaining to me how much time and labour I would have saved if + I had hired a cart at first, taken everything with me, and not + returned to the inn at all. From their point of view they were + right; but the blackman and I looked at the thing from a different + standpoint. We had accomplished our purpose, and felt that we could + afford to let our neighbours plume themselves on their supposed + superior wisdom. + + 'Another day's rest at this place gave me what I much wanted--an + opportunity for a long quiet talk with the mandarin of this small + tribe. I was especially anxious to explain to him the true nature + of Christianity, because the Mongol who professes Christianity + lives under his jurisdiction, and I felt sure that a right + understanding of the case might be of service in protecting the + professor from troubles that are likely to come to him through men + misunderstanding his case. The mandarin came. On my last visit I + had been the means of curing him of a troublesome complaint over + which he had spent much time and money; in addition, I had brought + him a present from England. He was perfectly friendly and + exceedingly attentive, and at the close of the conversation asked + some questions which I thought evinced that he had somewhat entered + into the spirit of the conversation. He is a man of few words, but + from what he said I hope that he feels something of the truth of + Christianity. + + 'My next expedition was to a mandarin of wealth and rank, whose + encampment occupies a commanding site on a mountain-side + overlooking a large lake. I found him at home, and, as he knows + well the main doctrines of Christianity, my main mission to him at + this time was to try and rouse him to earnestness of thought and + action in regard to his personal relation to Christ. We spent great + part of the afternoon in earnest talking, and I was much pleased + with the manner in which he, from time to time, explained to + another mandarin, who was there as guest, doctrines and facts which + were alluded to in our conversation. Next morning he started on a + journey connected with the business of his office, and I returned + to my friendly quarters where I had left my belongings. + + 'I felt it laid upon me to visit two lamas at a temple some seventy + miles from where I was, and started next day. I reached the temple + in three days, and found that both the lamas I had come to see were + dead. So, as far as they were concerned, I was too late. Both on + the road, however, and at the temple itself, I had good + opportunities for preaching and teaching. I met some interesting + men, and not only in tents where I was entertained as guest, but + sometimes out in the open desert, stray travellers would meet me, + dismount from their horses, and give me occasion for Christian + conversation. Five days completed this round, and after another + day's rest I started back for Kalgan, escorted for ten miles by him + who had professed Christ. We walked slowly, as we had much to say. + Arrived at the parting place, we sat down and prayed together. I + then left, and the last I saw of the poor fellow, there he was, + sitting in the same place still. I reached Kalgan without + adventure, and returned to Peking on March 21, having been away + just over a month.' + +Possibly the most touching comment upon this extraordinary journey is to +give some of the brief entries which refer to it in the diary. + + '_February 19, 1884._--Started in a litter for Mongolia. Good talk + in inn with innman.' + + '_February 23._--Went to Mr. Williams. My letter had not reached + them. No one knew I was coming.' + + '_February 25._--Over the Pass to Barosaij.' + + '_February 26._--Spent the day with Tu Gishuae. Urged on him the + internal proof of Christianity--the change of heart.' + + '_February 28._--Shabberti. Boyinto Jaugge has desire to become + scholar of Jesus.' + + '_March 1._--Walked here. Feet terribly bad. Snow on the road. + Great thirst. Badma Darag met me. Tea in his tent. Boyinto's + confession in the smoke of the _baishin_.'[4] + +[4] Fire in the centre of the tent. + + '_March 2._--Sabbath. Quiet day. Much talk with all. The Lord + opened my lips.' + + '_March 3._--Walked to Barosaij with Boyinto to bring my presents. + Talk about Christianity. Prayer in the desert. Feet terribly bad, + oh, such pain in walking.' + + '_March 4._--Carted back.' + + '_March 7._--Hara Oss. Walked back here. Called on Tu Lobsung. + Talk. He knew the way to heaven, but said, "Tell it to some of the + younger ones." "You go first," I replied. "You most need to know."' + + '_March 8._--Terrible feet. Got to Chagan Hauran.' + + '_March 14._--Boyinto accompanied me to Chagan Balgas with his + pony. Saw him sitting as long as I was in sight. Feet bad.' + + '_March 21._--Left Pei Kuan at 4 A.M. Dark and snow. Terrible march + over slippery stones. Nan Kou at 7 A.M. No donkey on such a snowy + day. Hired the next twenty-seven li. Stiff march. Shatto at 11.35. + Terrible march to Ching Ho at 3 P.M. Terrible march to Te Sheng + Men. Home at 6.10. Prayer Meeting. Thanks be unto God for all His + mercies.' + +Early in 1885 Mr. Gilmour's heart was rejoiced by the tidings of the +baptism of Boyinto, the Mongol to whom reference has been repeatedly +made above. Although Gilmour's was not the hand to administer the rite, +undoubtedly the conversion was the result of his work. On January 26, +1885, he received a letter from the Rev. W. P. Sprague, of the American +Mission at Kalgan, part of which we quote. + + + 'Kalgan: Jan. 14, 1885. + + 'Dear Brother Gilmour,--I hasten to tell you the very good news. + Boyinto of Shabberti was baptized by my hand this day into the + Church of Christ, here at Kalgan, in the presence of our assembled + church and congregation. I'm sure you will rejoice and thank God + more than any of us. And I never saw our Christians so happy to + receive any one into the Church. The only thing I regret is that + it should not be your hand instead of mine to administer the sacred + rite. + + 'I wrote you of his visit to us a month ago, and his application to + join the Church here, and our satisfaction with his appearance. He + turned up again yesterday morning, and spent all day with us. In + the afternoon we had, by previous appointment, a union meeting of + upper and lower city congregations, as a continuation of week of + prayer meeting, because the interest was so great. Mr. Roberts + preached, and in the after part of meeting, when two or three + others had risen for prayers, I asked Boyinto if he wanted to ask + Christians to pray for him, and he arose and expressed his desires, + including wanting to be baptized very plainly. We called church + meeting at close of the service, and proceeded to examine him for + admission to Church. He answered so well as to please every one, + making some happy hits, as when asked what sort of a place heaven + was, replied, "I haven't been there--how can I tell?" Then said, + "Would any one pray to go there if it were not a good place?" But + his straightforward, open simplicity was refreshing. There seemed + no reason for thinking he was other than an honest + believer--seeking to follow Jesus in all things. The native church + members first responded with enthusiasm that he was a most fit + candidate for receiving to the Church, and expressed great delight + at finding a Mongol who loved and trusted our Saviour. So we felt + with Peter, "Can any man forbid water that these should not be + baptized?" The others then asked me to baptize him on the morrow, + when we were to have another union meeting at our place. And could + you have seen his rising and answering my questions, give assent to + creed and covenant, and then see him remove his cap and bow his + head reverently and receive the water of baptism, your heart would + overflow with gratitude and praise to God for this first fruit + from Mongolia. After prayer we sang "From Greenland's icy + mountains," changed to "From Mongolia, &c," and we felt it as never + before. + + 'Though God has thus given us great pleasure in gathering this + first fruit, still I feel, and we all feel, that the honour of the + work belongs to God, and the reward to you and others.' + +During 1884 and 1885 the regular work of the Peking mission occupied +almost the whole of his time, the Rev. S. E. Meech being in England on +furlough, and most of his duties therefore falling upon Mr. Gilmour. +During his stay in England he had attended many of the Salvation Army +meetings, and had caught much of their spirit. He had also come to the +conviction that men needed to be dealt with individually rather than in +the mass. Hence he gave much time to conversation, to teaching single +persons the Christian catechism and the New Testament, and endeavouring, +by talking and praying with them, to lead them to a knowledge of the +truth. From six in the morning until ten at night he was at the service +of all comers. In the afternoon he attended one or both of the Peking +chapels, preaching if there were the opportunity, but always eagerly on +the alert for any individuals showing signs of interest in the Gospel. +It had been the custom of the missionaries to reserve the Sunday evening +for an English service, devoted to their own spiritual refreshment. +This, which was held in the mission compound, he ceased to attend, even +although his absence sometimes made it impossible to hold the service, +in order that he might find time to read and talk and pray with his +Chinese servants. Frequently the meal-time would find him thus engaged, +but the meal had to wait until his visitor had left, or until the +interview came to its natural close. He ceased to read all newspapers +except those distinctively Christian. He found no time for books, as he +felt that direct work for the Chinese should fill the hours he might +otherwise devote to reading. He became more wholly than ever the man of +one book--the Bible--and so absorbed did he grow in this close dealing +with souls that in the earlier stages of his wife's illness he felt +constrained to place it before even her wish that he would remain by her +at periods of severe suffering and weakness. + + '_December 9, 1883._--At chapel met Wang from a place 300 li away + down in the country. He had heard a sermon there two or three years + before which he remembered, and could quote. I began the service, + and brought him up here to my study. We were talking when another + man, Jui, came in from 130 li north of Peking. He had to run away + from home on account of misconduct. These two kept me till dark.' + +In a letter to the Rev. S. E. Meech, dated November 9, 1885, Mr. Gilmour +refers to a number of these individual cases in which he has been +interesting himself, and the way in which he has dealt with them. It +illustrates his method of close and careful dealing with each native. + + 'Ch'ang attends Sunday and Friday services. My opinion about Ch'ang + is that he wants mission employ. He has no expectation of that from + me, and little from Rees. I think, too, that he does not mean to + break with Christianity or with us, and I faintly hope that his + experiences with us will do us good, though they have been most + painful to us. I think you'll find him much more tractable than he + would have been had he not been through these troubles with us. + + 'Hsing has had the devil putting philosophic doubts into him. I + have pressed him to pelt the devil with Scripture, as our Master + did. + + 'Li, shoemaker, I _do_ like. He cannot stay to Sunday service. I + take him before service therefore. + + 'Fu does well. Last Friday he remained after prayer-meeting, and + talked till 9.40 about all manner of things secular and sacred. He + has most pleasant remembrances of Emily--Emily, too, liked him. + + 'Jui Wu, the powder magazine man, is in a more hopeful case. He may + come all right yet.[5] + +[5] Fu is now (1892) an evangelist, and Jui Wu a dispenser, in the +Chi Chou Mission. + + 'Old Tai nearly went, but will now, I think, remain till you come. + He wants to tiffin with me on Sundays, and enjoys much four, five, + or six small cups of good strong tea with milk and sugar. He is + growing in grace. + + 'Young Tai I am detaining after his father goes and reading with + him and teaching him. He gives up his trade for the day, and I want + to give him a good day. + + 'Chao Erh attends well and is improved in circumstances. + + 'Lu Ss[)u] is in his old trade, and doing well. He comes on Sundays + when he comes. He was the man I hoped least of, and as yet he + pleases me almost most. + + 'Lama comes to-morrow to finish reconstructing Mongol catechism. I + may go on a two months' journey to Mongolia, starting in December. + I'll have to see the children to Tientsin in February, and want to + meet you. + + 'Hsues as they were.[6] + +[6] Father and son; the only native preachers in the West City of +Peking at that time. + + 'I am very much encouraged and thankful about the little Church. I + can honestly say that I have tried to do my best for it during + your absence, and God has encouraged me a good deal in it. I have + reaped some that you have sown, and have endeavoured to sow + something for you to reap when you return. + + 'I sometimes have deep fits of the blues when I think of the + children, but their mother was able to trust Jesus with them, and + why should not I? + + 'The Mongol work, too, has entered on a new phase, and that opens + up a new future for me. It is a formidable affair. I don't think + I'll go to Kalgan or that region. I fear no doctor would stay with + me there. I may go away North-east. I can hardly tell yet. + Meantime, with God's help, I hope to do another month's work in + Peking, and then hand the thing over to Rees once for all. Most of + my books I'll sell. What use are they to me? I never have time to + read them, and am not likely ever to have.' + +The letter just quoted was written after the sad event to which we must +now refer. Towards the close of the summer of 1885 Mr. Gilmour awoke to +the fact that one of the heaviest sorrows of his life was coming upon +him. For some years past Mrs. Gilmour had been subject to severe attacks +of pain. The visit to England and the rest and change of the old home +life had in a measure restored her. But hardly were they comfortably +established in their old Peking quarters ere some of her most trying +symptoms reappeared. With that brave heart and resolute spirit +characteristic of her whole missionary career, for a time she gave +herself to the duties of the mission and bore her full share of its +anxieties and toils. But gradually she was constrained to recognise that +her active work was over. From the first she had thrown herself +whole-heartedly into missionary Service. She could converse fluently +with the Mongols, having acquired their language in the same way as her +husband, by enduring repeatedly all the privations of life in a Mongol +tent. She had impressed them by her fondness for animals, by her +gentleness of spirit, and by her evident interest in all that bore upon +their own welfare. In Peking she had laboured hard among the women and +girls, both in the matter of education and also of direct religious +instruction. A very bitter element in her cup of sorrow was the +conviction gradually forced upon her that her power to do this work was +fast slipping away. In a letter to her sister, Mrs. Meech, then in +England, dated May 2, 1885, she gives the first clear expression to this +feeling: 'I would have written before, but I have been ill for about six +weeks; not actually ill, except one week, but not able to do anything +except the children's lessons and the harmonium on Sundays sometimes. +All the rest has had to go. I am sorry, but it can't be helped. How long +it will last I don't know. I can't get stronger, so I must be content to +be tired. I am nothing more than weak, and a great many people are that. +There has been a grand revival here. It seemed to pass like a mountain +torrent, while I had only to look on and see. My only wonder was that +people had lived so long without the happiness that they might have had +for the taking. I didn't want to go to the meeting, I felt so weak and +unable to bear the tension of spiritual excitement. But as it was it +didn't tire me at all, but made me love a lot of the people. May the +Chinese feel the flood tide of new life that has come into Peking! And +they must, there can be nothing to hinder it.' + +The reference in the last part of this letter is to a great deepening +of spiritual life that took place among the missionaries, and also among +some of the European residents in Peking. + +The first explicit reference by Mr. Gilmour to his coming sorrow occurs +in the Diary; but in his report, sent home a month later, and dated +August 4, 1885, he wrote: 'Mrs. Gilmour is very ill, and now very weak. +I fear all hope of her recovery is taken away. Her trouble is a +run-down, but the serious complication is her lungs. We are at the hills +in a temple with another family, the Childs. Mrs. Child came out in the +same ship with Mrs. Gilmour, when, as Miss Prankard, she came first to +China. Mrs. Child renders invaluable service to the sick one.' + +In the Diary the following entries show the course of sorrowful +events:-- + + '_July 4, 1885._--It really dawns upon me to-day in such a way that + I can feel it that my wife is likely to die, and I too feel + something of how desolate it would be for me with my motherless + children sent away from me. Eh, man!' + + '_August 22._--Emily spoke of being sometimes _so_ happy. She is + quite aware now she cannot recover.' + + '_September 13_, Sunday, Peking.--Emily saw all the women. She felt + very weak to-day. Remarked at 7 P.M.: "Well, Jamie, I am going, I + suppose. I'll soon see you there. It won't be long." I said she + would not want me much there. She said fondly she would. "I think + I'll sit at the gate and look for you coming." Said she has been + out for the last time. Asked me not to go to chapel, but went.' + + '_September 17._--To-day, in the morning, I promised Emily that I + would remain home from the chapel and give her a holiday. She was + _so_ pleased. We had a most enjoyable afternoon. She was so happy. + She sat up for an hour or so, and we conversed about all things, + the use of the beautiful in creation, &c.' + +All the next day Mrs. Gilmour slowly sank, and soon after the midnight +of September 18 passed peacefully within 'the gate.' The story of the +closing scene was thus told by her husband:-- + + + 'Peking: Saturday, September 19, 1885. + + 'My dear Meech,--Emily crossed the river last night, or this + morning rather at 12.15. + + 'I was called in from the Friday evening prayer meeting just as it + was concluding, and found her with laboured breath and fixed eyes. + For a time we thought it was all to end at once. After a time she + got over it. + + '10 P.M. was a repetition of 8 P.M.'s experience. + + 'At 12 midnight she was labouring much in her breath, coughed a + very little cough, and all at once the rapidity of her breath + nearly doubled, suddenly her hand fell over powerless, her eyes + became fixed, there was some difficult breathing, and with Mrs. + Henderson on the one side of the bed, which had been moved when we + came from the hills into the sitting-room, she departed. + + 'During these four hours she spoke little; once or twice she called + for milk, but for the most part contented herself with assenting or + dissenting to and from my remarks and suggestions by moving the + head. + + 'At 10.30, seeing me sleepy and desiring to sleep herself, she + asked me to go and lie down, but I said I would not do so while she + was so ill. + + 'I asked her if she felt all safe in the hands of Jesus. She nodded + her assent. + + 'Some month or six weeks ago we two had talked about everything to + be done in case of her death, the children, etc., and not only + then, but more than once we had talked over spiritual things, + because we feared that when the end came she might not be able to + speak. I am glad we did so. During these four hours she was either + in such great distress, or, when free from distress, was so tired + and eager to sleep, that talking was hardly possible. + + 'The "Rest" she so longed for she has now got. + + 'I treasure what she said one day when she had been, I think, + reading her wall text, "T_o me to live is Christ, to die is gain_," + when I asked her if _she_ felt it so. She said she did, and often + would remark that to go would be far better for her, but she was so + eager to get well for my sake and that of the children. For + herself, too, she was more and more enchanted with the beauty God + had put in the world. On Friday I went in, she waved her hand and + said, "What beauty!" It was some flowers on the table. A bunch of + grapes, a beauty, filled her mouth with praise to God for all His + goodness to her. The post waits. Funeral Monday. + + 'Yours in sorrow, + 'J. GILMOUR.' + + +Mrs. Gilmour was buried on September 21. Her faith was clear and strong. +Uncommon as their courtship had been, the subsequent married life was +very happy. She was the equal of her husband in missionary zeal and +enthusiasm, and he himself bears testimony to the unerring skill which +she possessed in gauging the moral qualities of the Chinese. She gave +much time and labour to Christian work among the women and girls in +Peking; and her husband was greatly helped in his work during the nearly +eleven years of married life by her sound judgment, her strong +affection, her loving Christian character, and her entire consecration +to the Lord Jesus Christ. + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +A CHANGE OF FIELD + + +During 1885 James Gilmour gradually reached the conclusion that a change +of field was desirable. He was aware that friends and colleagues more or +less qualified to form an opinion had urged upon him the advisability of +labouring in Eastern Mongolia among the agricultural Mongols. No one +knew so well as himself the advantages and the disadvantages of this +plan. The reasons that finally led him to a decision were noble and +characteristic. It was a hard field, and no one else could or would go. +The Mongols of the Plain were to some extent benefited by the American +Mission at Kalgan; those dwelling in Eastern Mongolia were without a +helper. Considerations like these, as he tells us, decided his new +course of action. + + 'In these circumstances my mind has turned away north-east from + Peking, where people are not so scarce, and where the Mongols live + as farmers. I have been to that region twice. I knew some people + who came from that region. As soon as Mr. Rees returns from Chi + Chou I hope to go again. A doctor might be induced to settle + somewhere there, and though it would be hard a bit, a family might + live there too, which I don't think would be possible on the plain + beyond Kalgan. + + 'I am fully aware of the difficulties. They are:-- + + '1. I have no proper Chinaman to take with me. More than half the + population is Chinese, and I could not do well without a Chinaman. + + '2. It is a new district and will take time to work up. + + '3. It is not easily reached from Peking or anywhere else, and will + be a very isolated part. + + '4. It is rather a rough and unsafe district. + + 'I know all these, but feel, in reliance on God, like facing the + thing as the best and proper thing to do. There are inns all about, + and though for some time a private location may not be secured, we + can still go about among the people. My main hope, though, is in + settling down somewhere as a head centre, in close contact with the + people, so that I earnestly desire that the doctor should come. If + he is unmarried I would be glad to see him to-morrow. Could you not + get a doctor who would be willing to remain single till a location + could be secured? After a location has been secured let him marry + if he likes. + + 'I think that the region I have in my mind would make a good centre + for a doctor, and that he would have plenty of practice among + Mongols and Chinese, especially if he could start a hospital for + in-patients. + + 'I am very glad that the Mongolian region around Kalgan has shown + signs of bearing fruit. It has strengthened my faith much. I am + also glad that God has acknowledged in some degree my work here in + Peking, and I feel more hopeful than ever I did. God, too, has cut + me adrift from all my fixings, so that I feel quite ready to go + anywhere if only He goes with me.' + +Mr. Gilmour entered upon this new departure on the understanding that a +medical colleague should be sent to him at the earliest possible moment. +This responsibility the London Board assumed and endeavoured to +discharge. The result was a severe trial to the faith, not only of the +solitary worker but to all interested--and they were many--in the fate +of the new mission. As we shall see later on, when a congenial and +competent medical colleague reached him, and was entering with vigour +and hope upon the work, Dr. Mackenzie of Tientsin suddenly died, and +before the immediate and urgent claims of Tientsin the claims of +Mongolia had to give way. But in estimating the success of both +missions, that on the Plain, and that in Eastern Mongolia, it must never +be forgotten that what Gilmour considered _essential_, the presence and +help of a medical colleague, was never in the Providence of God granted +to him for any length of time. In the account he gives of his first +visit to the region as its missionary--he had been twice before on +visits of inspection--he dwells upon this necessity. + + 'I left Peking December 14, 1885, and re-entered Peking February + 16, 1886, so that my absence from here was just two months. The + part of Mongolia I went to is situated 800 li, or say 270 English + miles, north-east by east of Peking, and, at the usual rate of 90 + li (or 30 miles) a day, is nine days distant. This is not the part + of Mongolia near Kalgan. Kalgan is north-north-west of Peking, five + days' journey. + +[Illustration: MAP ILLUSTRATING JAMES GILMOUR'S LABOURS IN EASTERN +MONGOLIA] + + 'Whilst I was considering my plans a Mongol appeared in Peking who + was willing to take me to his home, and I went with him, hoping + thus to get introduced to a district of country, an introduction + being both necessary and helpful. Ta Cheng Tz[)u] is the name of + the place where, through his introduction, I was located from + December 23, 1885 to February 9, 1886. I had a room in an inn. I + spent some days at the home of my Mongol friend and made two + journeys to other places, but Ta Cheng Tz[)u] was my headquarters. + It is a small market town, with a daily fair. The surrounding + neighbourhood is peopled with Mongols and Chinese in about equal + proportions. The Mongols are mostly lords of the soil, and style + the Chinese slaves, that is in the country. The real trade of the + whole locality is in the hands of the Chinese. The Mongols all + speak Chinese, and the town resident Mongols have, many of them, + forgotten Mongolian, and laugh at themselves as not being able to + speak their own language. + + 'The country is like Wales in this respect, that, though Mongolian + is the native language, the coming language and the language that + is affected and sought after, is Chinese. Well-to-do Mongols have + Chinese teachers for their children, and read Chinese well. During + my stay there I sold more Chinese than Mongolian books, and talked + more Chinese than Mongolian, though my intercourse was largely with + Mongols. + + 'Opium is largely grown there, so is tobacco, and large quantities + of whisky are manufactured and consumed. It was partly a famine + year. At a little distance from Ta Cheng Tz[)u] the harvest had + failed, and I think the line of preaching that seemed to impress + the hearers most was one that reasoned with them about the growth, + manufacture, and use of these three, being so contrary to Heaven's + design in giving land and rain to grow food, that it was not to be + wondered at if, seeing how the land and rain were perverted, God + should send short rations. Evil speaking, vile language, made a + fourth subject which naturally came in for notice, and on all these + four subjects I scarcely ever spoke without gaining the nearly + universal concurrence of my little audiences. + + 'The great theme, however, was Christ, and I think that most men in + that little market town, and a great many of those who used to + come to the fair, both heard and understood the great gospel truth + of salvation in Jesus. + + 'Eager to see some more of the country, and in the hope that I + might be able to talk to him on the way, I hired a Mongol to carry + my bedding and books, and made a descent on a village thirty miles + away. The general cold of the winter was aggravated by a snowstorm + which overtook us at the little market town, and I have no words to + tell you how the cold felt that day as I paraded that one street. I + sold a fair number of books, though my hands were too much benumbed + almost to be able to hand the books out. I made some attempts at + preaching, but the muscles were also benumbed--that day _was_ a + _cold_ day. + + 'I was turned out of two respectable inns at Bull Town because I + was a foot traveller, had no cart or animal, that is, and had to + put up in a tramps' tavern because I came as a tramp! + + 'Next journey I made I hired a man and a _donkey_. The donkey was + my passport to respectability, and I was more comfortable too, + being able to take more bedding with me. I was warned against going + to Ch'ao Yang, sixty miles, the roads being represented as unsafe; + but I went and found no trouble, though there was a severe famine + in the district. I spent a day each at two market towns on the way, + and two days in Ch'ao Yang itself. + + 'The journey home I made on foot, a donkey driven by a Mongol + carrying my bedding and books. I adopted this plan mainly to bring + myself into close contact with the Mongol. He proved himself a + capital fellow to travel with, but as yet has shown no signs of + belief in Christ. As we did long marches my feet suffered badly.' + +In a private letter written at this time he enters a little more fully +into what he had to endure. + + 'I had a good time in Mongolia, but oh! so cold. Some of the days I + spent in the markets were so very cold that my muscles seemed + benumbed, and speech even was difficult. I met with some spiritual + response, though, and with that I can stand cold. Eh! man, I have + got thin. I am feeding up at present. I left my medicines, books, + &c., there, and walked home here, a donkey carrying my baggage, a + distance of about three hundred miles, in seven and a half days, or + about forty miles a day, and my feet were really very bad. + + 'At night I used to draw a woollen thread through the blisters. In + the morning I "hirpled" a little, but it was soon all right. I + walked, not because I had not money to ride, but to get at the + Mongol who was with me.' + +These graphic pictures enable us to realise how Mr. Gilmour began the +last great missionary enterprise of his life. He returned to Peking, and +then had to pass through that severe trial which comes to almost all +missionaries in the foreign field, which is often one of their heaviest +crosses. His two eldest boys were sent home for education. They sailed +from Tientsin March 23, 1886, the diary for that day containing the +brief but significant reference: 'At 6.45 A.M. came all the friends once +more, at 7.30 cast off, and the vessel slowly fell out into the middle +of the river. Oh! the parting!' But at 8.30 on the same morning the +sorrowful father had started on his solitary return journey to Peking. +Bereft now of both wife, and boys he was to pass the rest of his career +in China, except for the brief intervals of residence in Peking, in the +cheerless, noisy, uncongenial quarters of an ordinary Chinese inn. The +return of the Rev. S. E. Meech in April 1886 set him entirely free from +mission work in the capital. He had already acquired the needful +experience of his new field of labour, and on April 22, 1886, he started +anew for Eastern Mongolia. It is neither necessary nor desirable to +enter into any very detailed description of the next three years. In +many respects day after day was occupied with the round of ever +recurring and similar duties, but it is desirable to enter, if we can, +with some minuteness into his inner life, and to lay bare the spiritual +sources and springs of his outward actions. It is in these, in our +judgment, that the true beauty, the abiding lesson, and the great +success of his life consist. And this he has enabled us to do. In a +private, not an official, letter to the Rev. R. Wardlaw Thompson, the +Foreign Secretary of the London Missionary Society, he indicates his +actions and the motives that were impelling him so to act, during the +summer of 1886. Differences of opinion arose with his fellow +missionaries as to the wisdom of his methods and the soundness of his +judgment. Those who differed most strongly from him knew little or +nothing by personal observation and experience of the conditions of work +either on the Plain or at Ch'ao Yang. But no question ever did or ever +could arise as to the absolute consecration of his heart and life to the +work of winning souls. The truth of the words in one of his official +reports was manifest to all: 'Man, the fire of God is upon me to go and +preach.' + + 'The past four and a half months has been a time of no small trial + and spiritual tension. Since April 22 I have had no tidings of the + outer world. An agent of the Bible Society, who was selling books + in the district, was with me for a month, but he had gone out + before me, so that when we met he had no news for me, but wanted + news from me. + + 'Some men, who gave promise of believing in Jesus, have fallen + away, and I have a haunting suspicion that it was one such man who, + on the morning of Sunday, June 6, stole my beautiful copy of the + revised Bible, leaving me till now with only a New Testament in + English. I had much difficulty in procuring that Bible, and wasn't + it heartless of a Chinaman to steal it for the leather binding, for + which even he could have hardly any use? I said not a single word + to anyone in the town about it, as I feared that making trouble + over it would hinder me in future, by making innkeepers afraid to + receive me, lest they should be held responsible for such losses. I + can hardly say though, that, at first at least, I took joyfully the + spoiling of my goods. Secret tears testified to my sense of the + loss, but falling back on the faith that all things work together + for my good, I was comforted, and gave the more earnest heed to the + New Testament. + + 'Then the Chinese would ask, "How many people have believed and + entered the religion since you left Peking?" and such questions + kept before my mind painfully how slowly things move, and drew out + my soul in more painful longing for God's blessing in the + conversion of men. + + 'In the beginning of July I must have got a touch of the sun. + Nearly all that month I was ill, but just then was the great annual + fair at Ch'ao Yang, so, ill and all, I had the tent put up daily + and dispensed medicines. My assistant, however, had to do most of + the preaching; I had not much strength for that. The first three + weeks in August I had diarrh[oe]a and dysentery. I was at Ta Cheng + Tz[)u]. There was no fair, and but poor market gatherings, but, + weather permitting, we put up our tent daily and did good work. + Paul says (Gal. iv. 19), "My little children, of whom I am again in + travail until Christ be formed in you," and he is right. It is a + carrying of men in prayer until the image of Christ is formed in + them; and how many of them prove abortions. + + 'One of the converts at Ta Cheng Tz[)u] caused me no little + anxiety. I knew that he professed to be impressed last winter. He + said he wanted to call on me in my inn and tell me his + difficulties. I was eager to get home, but as he said he would have + no leisure before a certain date, I waited till then, nearly a + week, for almost no other purpose than to see him. He never came, + and I trudged back to Peking downcast about him. + + 'This year when we came to Ta Cheng Tz[)u] on our way to Ch'ao + Yang, on going to his place for breakfast (he is one of two + brothers who own and manage a restaurant, and both of them, and a + third brother, are members of a sect which forbids opium, whisky, + and tobacco), we were shown into the more private part, and he and + his brother and the cook set upon us to inquire more fully about + Christianity, how to enter it, etc, etc. This took me by surprise, + and made me so glad that my breakfast for the most part remained + uneaten, though we had travelled eight hours that morning. In the + evening I did not go for a meal, and my assistant on going was met + at the door by the inquirers, and so engaged in conversation about + Christianity that darkness set in, the cooking range was closed, + and the establishment shut for the day before they were finished. + My man had no dinner. Next day we went on towards Ch'ao Yang + thankful and happy. These restaurant people had a few days before + been visited by the Bible Society's agent, and had derived much + Christian benefit from his Chinese assistant. + + 'Our interview with the restaurant men was on Monday. In Ch'ao Yang + next Sunday, just six days after being, so to speak, on the mount + of transfiguration with these Chinamen, on dismissing the few + hangers-on that remained at the close of the afternoon preaching, + and stepping down from the little vantage-ground from which I had + been speaking, one of the audience said he would go home with me to + my inn, as he had come with a letter to me from Ta Cheng Tz[)u] + from the Bible agent. I went to the inn, read the letter, and found + that he and his Chinese helper had differed, and he had come to Ta + Cheng Tz[)u] seeking me. He needed and asked my help, so next day I + started for Ta Cheng Tz[)u], and on arriving there found that the + little place was full of the news of the quarrel between the + Christian foreigner and the Christian native. That was bad, but, + worse still, on going to the restaurant I found the earnestness of + the inquirers gone, and one of them said openly, "If this is the + sort of fruit that Christianity bears, what better is it than any + other religion?" + + 'In a later visit paid in May they seemed colder still, and the + place where I had hoped to gather fruit seemed barren and hopeless. + + 'In August we again visited Ta Cheng Tz[)u]. I was blue. The fever + of July, the defection of the Mongol donkey man, who failed to come + for us, the diarrh[oe]a, which on the journey changed to dysentery, + being baffled in attempting to find suitable quarters in Ta Cheng + Tz[)u], and the chilled hearts of the restaurant men, made our + entrance not cheerful. On the way my assistant and I had talked + over matters, and resolved by prayer and endeavour to see what + could be done for the restaurant men. Just ten days after our + arrival the eldest brother called on me in my inn and said, + "To-night I dismiss my gods, henceforth I am a Christian. I am + ready to be baptized any day you may be pleased to name." + + 'I cannot say what a relief these words brought me. There still + remained anxieties in his case, but in a day or two things came out + all right, and day by day in public in the restaurant he might be + seen studying his catechism when unemployed, and speaking for + Christianity to all who asked what book that was. + + 'He is a leading spirit, though a poor scholar, and was the deacon + or head of the branch of the sect in Ta Cheng Tz[)u], called Tsai + li ti. There are some twelve or sixteen members. Most of them + joined the sect through his endeavours, and he is eager to rear up + Christianity in the same way. You will partly understand now how + anxious I am about him. If he goes on all right, we may soon have a + little company of believers there. If he falls away--well, all + things work together for my good. + + 'One thing that moved these restaurant men towards Christianity was + an incident which happened in their establishment last winter. A + half-drunk Chinaman reviled me badly one evening at dinner. He laid + to my charge many bad and grievous things. Though they were utterly + false as regards me, they might be quite true of some other + foreigner whom he may have met. It was useless to reason with a + drunken man over a case of mistaken identity, so I said nothing, + ate my dinner, paid my bill, and went to my inn. The restaurant men + were very wroth with the man, they told me afterwards, and felt + like "going for" him themselves, and never forgot what they were + pleased to call my patience. In God's providence this little + incident seems to have been an important factor in impressing them + with favourable ideas of Christianity. + + 'Another thing which seems to have impressed them was their seeing + me this August, day by day at my post in my tent, carrying on the + work, when they knew I was ill, and, according to their ideas, + should have been in bed. I was not really so ill as all that, but + that was their idea. I would be very glad to have another reviling + and another attack of dysentery if the same results would follow. + + 'The profession of the other adherent at Ta Cheng Tz[)u], and the + moving of the hearts, seemingly at least, of other two men who + live at a distance, and had to leave for home suddenly before + receiving full instruction, but of whom I try to have hope, have + all moved my heart and seem answers to a great longing I had been + crying to God about, namely, that He would give me power to move + these heathen. Oh that He would do it! + + 'I have felt it my duty to become a vegetarian on trial. I don't + know whether I can carry it out. The Chinese look up so much to + this supposed asceticism that I am eager to acquire the influence a + successful vegetarianism would give me, and I am trying it in true + Chinese style, which forbids eggs, leeks and carrots, &c. As far as + I have gone all is well. I am a little afraid that the great + appetite it gives may drive me to eat till I become fat. We'll see. + + 'The mothers bringing their babies moves me much. It reminds me of + scenes in Peking when another and more skilful hand ministered to + their diseases; then the picture of the family surroundings fills + itself up, and I have to seek a place where to weep. + + 'Altogether it is a sowing in tears. The district is not an easy + one, the life which the work entails is a hard one. There is no + hardship or self-denial I am not ready to "go in for," but I want + you to understand me and let me have your sympathy.' + +This long extract, not too long we venture to think, as enabling us to +see into the heart of the man, raises several points of great moment. +Nothing could illustrate better his eagerness to get into close touch +and perfect sympathy with the people. He had long before adopted the +native dress of an ordinary shopkeeper or respectable workman. He now +adapted himself, as far as possible, to the native food. He lived on +such as the poor eat. Often he would take his bowl of porridge, native +fashion, in the street, sitting down upon a low stool by the boiler of +the itinerant restaurant keeper. The vegetarianism referred to was, as +he indicates, very thoroughgoing and in accord with Chinese ideas. + +The great poverty of the people also pressed upon his attention the +enormous waste induced by whisky drinking, and by the smoking of tobacco +and opium. The sect Tsai li ti referred to was a small organisation +among the Chinese for endeavouring to secure entire abstinence from all +three. It did not seem tolerable to him that the level of Christian +morality and practice with regard to these things should be lower than +that of the heathen. Famine often visited those parts, and he came to +hold the view that men could hardly pray, 'Give us this day our daily +bread,' with any hope of a favourable answer, or even reasonably expect +God's blessing upon their tillage of the soil, while they continued to +use a large part of the grain produced in the manufacture of strong +drink, and while they continued to set apart large districts for the +cultivation of tobacco and opium. Hence, at first, he made entire +abstinence from all three an indispensable requisite for admission into +the Christian Church. + +It was hardly to be expected, perhaps, that his colleagues in the North +China Mission would be able to see eye to eye with him on these points. +With regard to opium the opinion as to abstinence is unanimous. With +regard to the other two, the prevailing opinion was that, however +desirable entire abstinence may be, it is not authoritatively commanded, +and ought not to be made an indispensable qualification for baptism. + +It seemed to some of them that there was danger of the heathen +confusing Christianity with their own Tsai li ti. In reply to such a +suggestion Gilmour wrote: 'My hearers not know the difference between +Tsai li ti and Christianity! Thanks be to God, this whole town and +neighbourhood has rung with the truths of Christianity. Children, men, +shop-boys, and, of all people in the world, a lad gathering grain stumps +in the fields a long way off--it has been my lot to hear them repeat +sayings of mine, when they saw me, and did not think I could hear them.' + +Into this controversy as a mere discussion we have no desire to enter. +But to enable the reader to know Mr. Gilmour exactly as he was it +deserves more than a passing reference. The following may be taken as an +example of many letters that passed on this subject. + + 'I start perhaps on Tuesday. Pardon me for expressing myself on one + matter--the Chinese teetotal business. You and some of my + colleagues seem to me as if I could not move you on this question. + It is a great grief to me. I think you are not right in your ideas + about this. I suppose you can beat me in argument. I am still more + than ever convinced that teetotalism is _right_ and _needful_ for + the success of native Christian life in China. We have some painful + instances here of that among the natives--specially two--one of the + two hailing from Tientsin. + + 'I don't know your Tientsin Church history, but if it is anything + like ours here you would find men standing nowhere almost as to + Christian character, who but for drink and its concomitants might, + humanly speaking, have shone. And yet these are men to get whom out + of sin Christ died--brethren, for whom Christ died. + + 'Pardon me again when I take a short cut to what I want to say: "_I + believe were Christ here now as a missionary amongst us He would + be an enthusiastic teetotaller and a non-smoker._" + + 'Tobacco is comparatively a harmless matter, but it is not so + unimportant as it seems to us foreigners. Whisky should go, and I + feel that the Chinese would be quite ready, if led, to turn both + whisky and tobacco out together. They are born brothers in China, + _useless_, and _acknowledged_ to be such; harmful as far as they + are anything, and comparatively expensive. + + 'I would like to see you start in your church an anti-tobacco and + whisky society; voluntary, of course, in a church established as + yours on the old lines. Though I stand alone, I believe the flowing + tide is with me. + + 'Wishing you many souls in 1887, and eager that no minor difference + of opinion should hinder our prayers. + + 'Yours I-hardly-know-how-to-say-what, + 'JAMES GILMOUR.' + + +In the _Chinese Recorder_, for which he had been in the habit of writing +for many years, he published a paper in which he set forth with great +clearness and fulness his views on this important matter. It deserves a +place in the story of his life because in it he has sketched, as no one +else could, himself, and some of his later methods of evangelistic +address. + + 'In December, 1885, in a district of North China new to me, I found + myself preaching to a small crowd of Chinese and Mongols in a small + market town. I was in a lane leading on to the main street. At my + back was a mud wall, in front and at both sides was the audience, + within hearing was the main street, above, a bright sun made the + place warm and cheerful. After listening a while the audience + wanted to know how good seasons could be secured. To the truths I + had been preaching they had listened with respect and fair + attention, but at the first opportunity for speaking they wanted to + know how to get a good harvest. + + 'At first I paid little attention to this question, but after a + little while it was asked again, and that by several men in + succession, and I soon found that the people of the place had + little room for anything else in their thoughts. There was good + reason for it too. Their last harvest had been a poor one. + Three-tenths was about the yield. They too with their three-tenths + were comparatively well off. Some distance from them the yield had + not been more than two-tenths, and a little beyond that again, + there were fields which had been sown, but never reaped. There had + been nothing to reap. Nothing had grown. I passed some of these + fields afterwards and saw them. Was it wonderful then that the main + thought in their minds should be the harvest failure, and that they + should be mainly anxious to know how to secure a good season next + year? Looking at my audience I saw that nine-tenths of them were + poorly clad. Nearly one-half of them were quite insufficiently + clothed, and many were in garments suited to summer weather only. I + was in a sheepskin coat and felt shoes, and even thus was not too + warm, and could not help thinking how cold they must be, in their + torn clothes and ordinary shoes. In addition to this they seemed + hungry. I dare say perhaps one-half of them were in actual + suffering from deficiency of food. + + 'Taking these things into consideration, I did not regard their + great and often-repeated question, "How about the harvest?" as + impertinent, and set myself to answer it. When the question was + again asked I replied by asking another, namely, "_Do you think you + deserve good harvests?_" This question usually made them stare and + ask, "Why should not we deserve good harvests?" and I would reply, + "In the first place, because of that _tobacco pipe in your mouth_." + A laugh of incredulity would usually pass round the audience, but + when done laughing, and asked to consider the folly of spending + money buying a pipe and tobacco when the smoker was shivering in + his rags, and hungry, and especially when asked what was the good + of smoking, they laughed no more. When pressed to say where the + tobacco came from, they would admit that the cultivation of tobacco + took up no small proportion of their better-class land, and when + pressed to say how much land was given up to tobacco cultivation, + they would admit, what did not seem to have occurred to them + before, that the amount of land given up to tobacco cultivation was + very large. How large it was I had no conception till the following + summer, when, walking round the suburbs, I would look over the low + mud walls of their gardens, and be amazed at the expanse of land + covered with the great, broad green leaf of the flourishing tobacco + plant. + + 'Putting these things before my audience, they would admit that the + cultivation of tobacco was a misuse of a large portion of their + better land, that in cultivating and using tobacco they were doing + what was wrong, and hindering heaven from feeding them. Heaven had + given them good land and good rains for the purpose of growing + food. The growth of tobacco was defeating heaven's purpose, and as + long as they did so, what face had they to ask for good seasons? To + take good land and plant it with tobacco, with what face could they + ask heaven to send rain, seeing that if rain came, what grew would + not be grain but tobacco, a thing which they themselves to a man + admitted was no use at all? And so my audience would admit that as + preliminary to getting or even expecting a good harvest was the + discontinuance of the use and growth of tobacco. + + 'In the course of a year and a half of outdoor preaching in streets + and at fairs, and private conversation with individuals, I never + met an audience that defended tobacco as useful, and do not think I + met more than three individuals who had anything to say in its + defence. Almost everyone, smokers included, admitted its + uselessness. Many do not seem to have thought the cultivation and + use of it any harm, or having any bearing on the question of food + supply and good harvests; they usually regarded it as simply a + piece of extravagance on their own part, which had no bearing on + anything or anybody beyond themselves. But when pointed out to them + they readily admit that tobacco cultivation lessens the production + of grain, and as readily admit that the wrongdoing in this misuse + of land is likely to further harm the harvest by offending heaven + into being unwilling to send rain. I myself never used to look on + smoking as any great evil, till led into this district, and thus + forced to study the subject. In England I had never seen tobacco + grown. A smoker there spends a few coppers, and smokes; what harm + does he do? Does not he increase trade and help the revenue? His + smoking seems to harm no one but himself. Such were my thoughts. + But in this district I see the cultivation of tobacco limiting the + supply of grain, thus raising the price of food, and consequently + making men go hungry. In addition I see men, women, and sometimes + children, in rags and hungry even, with pipes and tobacco, and when + they complain of heaven not supplying them with enough food to eat, + it would be less than honest not to point out to them that the + fault lies not with heaven, but with themselves, and that part at + least of the scarcity of grain they experience is due to the + cultivation and use of tobacco, which throughout that whole region + is very excessive. + + 'I have dwelt thus at length on the tobacco question, not because + it is the most important of the three things here spoken of, but + because many good brethren have not been able to see with me on + this point. They feel, as I used to do before I went to that + region, that tobacco smoking is a small affair, not worth raising + into prominence or the region of conscience or Christian duty at + all. These brethren have not _seen_ how things work. I feel sure + that almost any missionary placed as I was would have done exactly + what I have done, taken a stand against this excessive growth and + more excessive use of tobacco, for, not content with what they + grow, they actually import quantities of it. Tobacco is not the + greatest cause of poverty and hunger in the district, but it is a + much greater factor in poverty than would at first be supposed. But + for its use in that district a large number of men, women, and + children, who are deficiently clothed and fed, would be warm and + sleek. Christ taught men to pray, "Give us this day our daily + bread." It must be wrong to make hundreds of men, women, and + children go half clad and half fed, simply that eighty or ninety + per cent. of the adults of that district may indulge in tobacco, a + thing, according to their own admission, utterly without use, and + for the continuance of which they can give no reason, further than + that they have acquired the habit and find it difficult to give it + up. + + 'A more serious question, however, is the whisky. In going into + that region I was amazed at the quantity of whisky used. I used to + lodge in an inn and take my meals in an eating-house. There, twice + a day, I had an opportunity of studying the drinking habits of the + country. Almost every man who entered the eating-house first called + for a whisky warmer. Supplied with that, he would go out and buy + his whisky, coming back he would set it in the charcoal fire to + warm, and then slowly drink it from the tiny wine cups common in + China, inviting me to join him, and wondering at a man who could + evidently afford it, not treating himself to two ounces of whisky, + and wondering still more when he learned that I did not use + tobacco. It would be an exaggeration, but not a great + exaggeration, to say that every man who entered the eating-house + began his meal by drinking whisky. In replying to the question put + by my street audiences as to how they were to get good harvests, I + would ask them, after finishing the tobacco question, "How about + your whisky drinking?" Frequently they would anticipate me in this, + and say, "If tobacco is wrong, how about whisky?" To convince them + of the wrong of whisky was never difficult. To ask good harvests + from heaven, then take grain given by heaven for food, and turn it + into whisky, they did not need me to tell them this was wrong. And + there in that district it is a very crying wrong. The quantity used + is immense. Not only does it seem so to me, but natives from other + parts of China are struck by the excessive use of it. + + 'The first time I travelled in the district, I was struck by the + manner in which they described the size and amount of trade of + towns about which I made inquiries. Such and such a place had or + had not a distillery and pawnshop. Such and such a town had so many + distilleries, and so many pawnshops. One travelling about the + country soon notes that nearly every imposing trading establishment + with grand premises seen from afar is either a distillery or a + pawnshop, or both combined. The bank notes current among the people + are issued, at but a small percentage, by distilleries and + pawnshops. The first crop to ripen in the district is barley, and + that, the natives will tell you, all goes to the distillery. On the + road you will meet large carts drawn by six or seven mules. The + load is grain, and of these carts a large number are owned by + distilleries, and go round the country collecting grain, from which + to brew whisky. One of the first things to be heard in the morning + after daylight, in a quiet market town, is a peculiar beating of a + wooden drum. Ask what it means, and you will be told it is such + and such a distillery calling its hands to breakfast. Ask how many + hands they have, and you may find that one establishment has some + sixty or seventy men who eat their food! The whisky trade is simply + enormous. It is out of all proportion to every other trade. The + women as a rule do not drink, the men do all the drinking--the + males I should say, for not a few boys acquire the habit of taking + whisky to their meals long before they can be called men. A very + few men do not use whisky at all. The poorer agricultural labourers + drink it only when they can get it, and just as much or as little + as they can get. Many men take regularly two ounces--Chinese + ounces--to each meal. Many take more. Many well-to-do people drink + half a catty per day. Others drink a whole catty.[7] Some drink a + catty and a half a day. A small proportion of the male population + find drinking a greater necessity than eating. These are usually + elderly men, but as I write I can think of two men, both young, and + both Mongols, one a priest, the other a layman, who have arrived at + this advanced stage of whisky drinking. + +[7] A Chinese weight equal to one pound and a third. + + 'This excessive use of whisky has impoverished many families, and + has demoralised many men. It has caused many quarrels, and given + rise to many lawsuits. The evil caused by whisky is apparent to + all, but custom requires that friends should be honoured by being + offered whisky, business should be transacted over whisky, and the + general saying is that without whisky nothing can be done. A + farmer, for example, adding a few rooms to his buildings must + supply his masons and joiners with whisky. Thus in universal use, + the quantity consumed is immense. The quantity of grain used in the + distilleries is almost beyond computation, and I don't remember + ever meeting a Chinaman who did not admit that to distil whisky was + to do evil. They ask me how to get good harvests. I tell them; + "Give up abusing the grain you have got, before you ask for more. + If heaven sees you taking a large part of your superior land for + raising the useless tobacco, and taking a very large proportion of + the grain sent you as food, and using it not to eat, nor to feed + animals, but distilling it into the hurtful whisky, do you think + heaven, seeing all this waste going on, is likely to hear your + petitions and increase the supply of what you now waste so large a + proportion? If you bought food for your child, and he ate only half + and threw the other half to the pig, would you be likely to buy him + more just then, even though he might say he was hungry?" This + reasoning seems quite satisfactory and convincing to them, and + never fails to secure their expressed assent. + + 'As to opium I never find it necessary to say much. All admit it to + be only and wholly bad. Yet the quantity grown in the district is + immense. In the early spring the very first movement of cultivation + is the irrigation and working of the opium land, and at the season + nearly all the best land blazes with bloom of the poppy. It is a + sight to see the country people going to the markets with the + "_milk_" in bowls and basins, and the buyers and sellers of it + riding along, each with a weighing-balance stuck in his belt. + Government restriction there is none, the duty imposed is not very + heavy, and public opinion raises no voice against it. It was + originally grown, say the natives, so as to keep money from going + out of the district in buying imported opium, but the more it was + grown the more it was used, and now the quantity raised and smoked + is immense. There is a small proportion of farmers who have good + land, suitable for growing opium, but who do not grow it. But these + men are few, and as a general rule the very best pieces of land are + set apart for the cultivation of opium. The common conscience of + the people tells them this is a wrong thing. When therefore they + ask how to get a good harvest, they themselves acknowledge that + the reply is just, which says, "First leave off the waste of + heaven's grace involved in the growth and manufacture of opium, + whisky, and tobacco, and then, and not till then, will it be + reasonable for you to ask heaven for more bountiful harvests." + + 'In connection with all this, there is another fact that must not + be forgotten. Drinkers of whisky, and smokers, especially of opium, + the better the year is, the more they indulge. In a poor year they + use less whisky and opium; the better the year, and the cheaper + tobacco, whisky, and opium are, the more they use, so that in place + of making a proper return to heaven for a good year, they only take + the opportunity afforded them of running deeper into waste and + wrong-doing. Is this the way to get better harvests? Considering + the excessive growth and consumption of tobacco and opium, and the + excessive manufacture and use of whisky, what could any honest, + straightforward man say to the people, when they earnestly asked + how they were to get good harvests, but "_Repent, and cease this + great waste_"? And thus from no deliberate plan of mine, but from + the plain leading of circumstances, it came to pass that I felt + compelled to call upon the inhabitants of the district to lay aside + the use of not only opium but also of whisky and tobacco, as one of + the first steps toward worshipping the true God. Many friends have + demurred to my making teetotalism an essential of Christianity, and + many more have still more strongly demurred to my taking such a + pronounced stand against the use of tobacco. The position of my + friends is exactly the position I held myself before going into + that region, but after going to that region and seeing just how + things were, no other course seemed open to me, but to demand in + all who wanted to do right the abandonment of the whole three; and + I am convinced that almost any other missionary placed in the same + circumstances would have taken the same stand. + + 'This position too commends itself to the native mind, and the + native mind, quite apart from me, and before my going into the + district, had already risen up in protest against these abuses, + and, in some parts of the country there, the Tsai li ti sect boasts + not a few members. The main practical doctrine of this sect is, + _Yen chiu pu tung_--abstinence from tobacco, whisky, and opium. The + very existence of this sect, and its flourishing condition there, + is a plain indication of what serious-minded natives felt about the + excessive use of these three things. Friends say that I am putting + this self-righteousness in place of faith in Christ and the + practice of higher duties. I do nothing of the sort. Beginning with + the Chinaman where I find him, and answering the questions which he + insists on asking first, I appeal to him to give up what he admits + to be wrongdoing, sin (_tsao nieh_), as the first step in ceasing + to do evil learning to do well, and coming into right relationship + with God through Christ. Some friends are much alarmed lest this + should lead to self-righteousness. There is no danger of that. The + danger lies all the other way. To leave Christians drinking whisky + and smoking tobacco in that region, would be to preach forgiveness + of sin through Christ to men who were still going on in the + practice of what their conscience told them was sin, and all must + admit that this would never do. The condition of things in that + region is such that I have no hesitation in saying that a man, to + be honest in obeying God by refraining from what is wrong, must + throw up his connexion with these three things, tobacco, whisky, + opium. + + 'In _that region_. It will be noticed that I have carefully + confined my remarks to the state of things in _that region_. _That + region_ is peculiar in producing within its own bounds almost all + that is necessary for life and luxury even. It is peculiar too in + having just exactly as many inhabitants as it can support, no more, + no less. When the population increases too much it overflows into + Manchuria. When the population is less than the full complement, it + is instantly replenished by fresh arrivals from the South. The + production of tobacco, whisky, and opium, not only reduces a large + proportion of the inhabitants from comfort to misery, but also + reduces sensibly the number of inhabitants. But for these three + things many more men could find a living within the bounds of the + district Is not that little district an epitome of the world? Is + what is true of that district not true of the whole world? Opium is + a bad thing anywhere and everywhere. About that there need be no + debate. Whisky and tobacco reduce the comforts and the number of + the population there--is their effect not the same on the world in + general? Is it not true that but for tobacco and whisky there would + be food and clothes for a much larger population? And if so, do not + tobacco and whisky take the bread out of men's mouths and the + clothes off their backs? And if so, has not every smoker and + drinker a part in this sin? Christians pray, "_Give us this day our + daily bread._" Does not consistency require them to desist from + defeating this prayer by smoking and drinking, and thus reducing + the amount of the total production of the necessaries of life? + + 'Tobacco seems harmless. It is less harmful than opium and whisky + by a long way. But its production sensibly reduces the supply of + grain and cotton, and thus hinders the feeding of the hungry and + the clothing the naked. Good earnest Christian men smoke and drink. + Evangelists and pastors owned of God in the salvation of souls + smoke and see no harm in it. The reason is they have never seen how + the thing works, and don't know the harm it does. I feel sure that + if they could see with their own eyes men, women, and children, + hungry and in rags, when but for tobacco and whisky they might be + well fed and well clothed, these same good brethren, whose example + is quoted against my position, would be the first and most earnest + to say, "I will neither smoke tobacco nor drink whisky while the + world stands."' + +At a later date, not from any change in his views, but in deference to +the views of others, with whom he was always anxious to work in harmony, +he modified his plans so far as not to make the use of whisky and +tobacco absolute bars to admission into the Christian Church. + +His brethren also were opposed to the ascetic mode of life he adopted, +and the extreme of hardship which he so often and so willingly +encountered in his work. But he himself often said, and there are many +references in his diary to the same effect, that the kind of life he was +living in the interior was quite as healthy, and quite as conducive to +longevity, as the ordinary and certainly much more comfortable life of a +missionary at Peking. While it may be true that the exposure and +sufferings of twenty years had so weakened him as to leave him powerless +when seized by the last illness, yet the labours of twenty such years +spent in the service of God and the service of man are surely the seeds +from which there shall yet spring a rich harvest to the glory of God and +to the blessing of the dark and degraded Mongols and Chinese. + +By the close of 1886 three main centres of work had been selected in the +new district--Ta Cheng Tz[)u], Ta Ss[)u] Kou, and Ch'ao Yang--all three +being towns of some importance. Mr. Gilmour used to spend a month or so +in each town, visiting also the neighbourhood, especially those places +where fairs were held, and where consequently the people came together +in large numbers. He had a tent which he used to put up in a main +thoroughfare, and there he stood from early morn until night healing the +sick, selling Christian books, talking with inquirers, preaching at +every opportunity the full and free Gospel of salvation. His constant +and consistent life of Christlike self-denial in the effort to bless +them told even more upon the beholders than all these other things +combined. His correspondence is full of sharp and clear pictures of his +daily toil, and of his spiritual experiences. + + '_Ch'ao Yang, May 14, 1886._--The people are very poor here. Last + year the crops were not good. When the leaves come out on the + trees, the poor people break off branches and eat the seeds of the + elm-trees. I saw one woman up a high tree, taking down the seeds. + She took off half the door, laid it up against the tree, went on + the cross-bars like a ladder, and so got up. She threw down the + little branches and twigs, and her three children below gathered + them up. The elm seeds are just ripe now. They are the size of + large fish-scales; when the wind blows they come down like snow. + + 'I met three lamas going to a far-off place to worship. Every two + or three steps they lay down flat on the ground, then got up other + two or three steps, then prostrated themselves again. They did not + know about Jesus saving people, and thought they would save + themselves in that way. Poor people! yet they don't like to hear + about Jesus saving people. They want the credit of thus saving + themselves. + + '_September 3._--At Ta Cheng Tz[)u] we had seven days and seven + nights' rain. It was a great flood. The river rose and washed away + about a hundred acres of land and forty or fifty houses. For two + days the river floated down house-roof timbers, beams, &c. One poor + man pulled down his house to save his timbers, and the house fell + on him and killed him. It was pitiful to see the river washing away + good land, two square yards falling into the roaring flood at a + time. The Chinamen did nothing: only stood and looked at it. Lots + of walls and many houses fell down. One house in the court next our + own fell down one morning after the rain was all over. The people + had just time to jump out at the window. No one was hurt. Our room + did not leak much, but the outside of the wall towards the street + fell down. The inside of the wall still stood, so our room was + whole. Chinese walls are all built in two skins. The one may fall + and the other stand. + + '_October 25._--God has given the hunger and thirst for souls: will + He leave me unsatisfied? No, verily. I am reading at night, before + going to bed, the Psalms in a small-print copy of the Revised + Bible, holding it at arm's length almost, close up to a Chinese + candle, to suit my eyes; for I cannot see small print well now, and + I find much strength and courage in the old warrior's words. + Verily, the Psalms are inspired. No doubt about that. None that + wait on Him will be put to shame. He is here with me. + + '_November 17._--We start about the fifth watch (6 A.M.), get to + the fair early, spend the day on the street; it is late before we + get quiet, and I fear it is now well on towards the third watch. I + am in first-class health, though my feet and socks are in a + decidedly bad way. The country is not at all safe, but we have as + yet been preserved. Some days ago, two men who slept on the same + kang with us, and started a little earlier than we did, were + robbed. We overtook the travellers arranging themselves after the + interview. I was annoyed at not getting away as soon as they left. + God so arranged it, you see. + + 'I have got a step nearer to God lately. It is this: I do not now + strive to get near Him; I simply ask Christ to _take me nearer + Him_. Why shouldn't I? Does not Christ save men from distance from + God and bring us near? _Peace, Blessing, and Power_, by Haslam, + sent me by an old college mate in Scotland, was the means used. + This chum tried my soul much when I was at home last. I think I was + of use to him, and now he has been of much use to me. Let us sow + beside all waters. + + 'My attitude now here is that of Psalm cxxiii. 2-4. I feel that God + can _perform_ for, by, or rather use me as His instrument in + performing, if He has a mind to; so I am looking for His hand, + gazing about among the people that come to my stand to see the ones + God has sent. I feel as helpless as a Chinese farmer in a drought; + but when God opens the heavens, down it will come. Amen.' + +Mr. Gilmour returned to Peking on December 13, having been away nearly +eight months. The tabulated results of this missionary campaign were: + + Patients seen (about) 5,717 + Hearers preached to 23,755 + Books sold 3,067 + Tracts distributed 4,500 + Miles travelled 1,860 + Money spent 120.92 taels = (about) 30_l._ to 40_l._ + +He adds, 'And out of all this there are only two men who have openly +confessed Christ. In one sense it is a small result; in another sense +there is much to be grateful for. I have to part with my assistant, and +am uncertain about whom to take in his place. My travelling arrangements +have broken down, and I am perplexed in more ways than I have patience +to write about; but + + Where He may lead I'll follow, + In Him my trust repose, + And every hour in perfect peace + I'll sing, "He knows, He knows." + +After a visit to Tientsin and a brief rest in Peking, largely occupied +with preparations for his next sojourn in Mongolia, he started on +January 25, 1887. At Ta Cheng Tz[)u] he secured a kind of home, so as +not to be exposed to all the discomforts and drawbacks of inn life, +hoping also that a fixed centre might forward the preaching of the +Gospel. Two rooms were taken for a year. They were situated at the inner +end of a little trading court, around which were a tin-shop, a +rope-spinner's room, and a stable. In one corner there was a pigsty. +'When first I saw it I almost refused to occupy it; but really there is +no help for it, and finally we took it for a year.' It is always +difficult to secure premises in a Chinese town, and exceptionally so +under the limitation of money and of suspicion and dislike to which +Christian missionaries are always exposed. 'It is only a lodging for +me,' Mr. Gilmour continues, 'convenient for seeing converts or +inquirers. The court is much too small, and the place not sanitary. But +don't be in the least uneasy. My health is quite as safe there as in the +best premises in Peking. I intend to occupy them for a month at the +beginning of the Chinese year, and ten or fifteen days in the fourth, +seventh, and tenth months. I hope also to come to some arrangement for a +lodging in Ch'ao Yang. In Ta Ss[)u] Kou I am simply in an inn, and pay +at the usual rate for the nights I am there.' + +A letter to his boys, dated March 24, 1887, depicts the kind of scene he +so often witnessed, and the routine of work which would have proved so +irksome but for the love and peace with which the Saviour filled his +soul. + + 'Mai Li Ying Tz[)u] is a very wicked place. There were no less than + fourteen large tents set up for gambling, and, in addition, some + thirty or forty mat-tents for gambling. I was there three days. The + first day people were shy. The second day they were not much + afraid. The third day I had quite a lot of patients. We sold a good + few books, preached a good deal, and doctored a number of patients. + From there we went to Bo-or-Chih, starting in the dark and + travelling seventeen English miles before breakfast. After we had + travelled ten miles we came to a little town just as people were + opening their doors. A seller of _chieh jao_, that sticky stuff, + had just set out his wheelbarrow with his pudding. We each bought a + great piece, wrapped it in a _chien ping_ (a thin scone), and + travelled on, eating it. That was our breakfast. Arrived at + Bo-or-Chih, we set up our table at once, and, after preaching for a + short time, patients came round us in crowds, and kept us busy till + late in the afternoon. + + 'The inn in which I am staying now is owned by two men, brothers, + both of whom are opium smokers. The inn has a good trade, but it is + all no use: it all goes to opium, and no good comes of it. There + are two barbers connected with the place, and they both drink and + gamble, so that they are in rags and poverty, though they have a + fairly good business. It is so painful to see men degraded thus + when, but for drink and gambling, they might be well off. + + '_April 28, 1887._--For the last week I have been very busy at a + great temple gathering, which lasted six days. Such crowds of + people came, though it was only a country district. It was the + great religious event of the year for the neighbourhood, and how do + you think they do? They hire a theatrical company to come and act + six days in a great mat stage, put up for the occasion in front of + the temple. Theatrical exhibitions are the religion of China. These + shows are supposed to be in honour of the idols in the temple. The + people think the gods will thus be pleased, and give them good + seasons, health, etc. + + 'What a crowd of women came to worship at the temple on the great + day of the festival! Till noon that day women only were allowed to + enter: no men. How the women were dressed--in all the colours of + the rainbow, red trousers being especially prominent! How they + moved along on their little feet! Walk you along on your heels--as + I have seen you do--and that is just how they move. + + 'No end of gamblers came too. There were twenty-six, or so, large + tents put up to gamble in, and about as many straw-mat booths, and + they all had plenty of trade. Eh, man, it is sad to see the utter + worldliness of these Chinese. They soon found me out. I had my tent + put up in a quiet place away from the bustle.[8] In front is the + great flying sign, "The Jesus Religion Gospel Hall." At the one + end, "God the Heavenly Father;" at the other, "Jesus the Saviour." + They found me out, not because they wanted to hear me preach, but + to get medicine. Oh, the numbers of suffering people I saw and + attended to! I used to go out early in the morning, and be there + all day, most of the time so busy that there was no time to eat. To + get food I had to steal away because everyone would want me just to + attend to him or her before I went. When I had attended to that one + there was another, and so on. I was able to cure a number of them, + and got preaching a good deal too. I sold a number of books. It was + the first time that a missionary had ever been there, and it was + difficult to make them understand.' + +[8] See the illustration on p. 245. + +It is, as a rule, by direct dealing with individuals that the best +results of Christian work in China are obtained, and to this Mr. Gilmour +was always ready to make everything give way. In season and out of +season, at any hour of the day or night, he was at the service of +inquirers. The sight of a seeking face could banish his most exhausting +feeling of fatigue, and nothing so swiftly dispelled the depression, +from which he so often and so severely suffered, as the sight of a +heathen coming to be more perfectly instructed about 'the doctrine.' +Here are one or two such scenes:-- + + 'In the eighth month we had great pleasure in finding Mr. Sun much + advanced in knowledge, and confessing his Christianity with great + boldness. Before we left he was baptized, and one or two others + were coming forward as inquirers--notably one man, who is a member + of a sect, was making earnest inquiries. These men seem to be + following after righteousness in their own half-instructed fashion. + These sects are strong in numbers in some parts of the district, + and, if God should give us some of these men as converts, we might + hope for rapid progress among their companions. The last that I + heard of this man, he was coming to Mr. Sun, asking many questions. + He lodged with us one night, and I invited him to breakfast with me + in the morning. He was declining on the plea that he was a + vegetarian. It was with much satisfaction that I was able to say in + reply, "So am I." + + 'The Tsai li ti are strong in Ch'ao Yang. I have been praying and + working to gain them for a year and more. One evening a deputation + of two men called upon me in my inn, and said they had come + representing many who wanted to know about Christianity. They, the + Tsai li ti, had been watching me ever since I had come to Ch'ao + Yang. They had listened much and often to our preaching, and now + they had come to make formal inquiries. I gave them such + information as I thought they needed, and we got on well enough + till they asked me to refute a slander. The slander was to the + effect that in a chapel in Peking, the preacher would, when he + finished preaching, get down off the platform and have a smoke! I + had to admit that this was no slander, but a true statement. I had + a good deal to say in explanation of it; but, alas! the men came no + more.' + +To form any just estimate of Mr. Gilmour's work in Eastern Mongolia, it +is needful constantly to bear in mind that it was practically a new +departure. So far as we know, he is the only missionary in China +connected with the London Missionary Society who adopted _in toto_ not +only the native dress, but practically the native food, and, so far as a +Christian man could, native habits of life. His average expense for food +during his residence in his district was _threepence a day_. This rate +of expenditure was, of course, possible only because he adopted +vegetarianism. His practice acted and reacted upon his thought, and he +came at this time to hold the view, for and against which a great deal +may be said, that it was a mistake for Chinese missionaries to live as +foreigners--that is, to wear foreign dress, arrange their houses and +furniture as nearly as possible in European style, and eat European +food. Both on its economical side and also as impressing the mind and +heart of the Chinese, he believed that his was the more excellent way. + +Most of his co-workers at Peking and Tientsin did not agree with him. As +agreement would have involved, perhaps, following his example, under +conditions that differed widely from those of Ta Cheng Tz[)u] and Ch'ao +Yang, this difference of opinion was only what was to be expected. It is +referred to here only as a well-known fact, and no story of Mr. +Gilmour's life could be trustworthy which did not represent the decided +way in which, when he felt that loyalty to his work and loyalty to his +Master constrained him, he could and did act in direct opposition to the +wishes and views of brethren whom he fervently loved. + +It became needful from time to time for him to justify his actions to +the home authorities. Not that this was in any way needful from any +doubt or lack of support on their part. But with regard to methods upon +which there was marked divergence of view in the missionary committees +abroad it was needful that a man like Gilmour should put his motives and +reasons clearly before the governing powers. It is doing him bare +justice to say that from this task he never shrank. The following +extracts are from letters to the home officials of the London Missionary +Society and they enable us to appreciate accurately the standpoint of +the man whose thought they express. Writing in the light of the +suggestion that perhaps he was putting a more severe strain upon his +health than the efficient discharge of his difficult duty demanded, he +says:-- + + 'I feel called to go through all this sort of thing, and feel + perfectly secure in God's hands. It is no choosing of mine, but + His; and, following His lead, I have as much right to expect + special provision to be made for me as the Israelites of old had in + the matters of the Red Sea, the manna and water in the desert, the + crossing Jordan, and the fall of Jericho. + + 'One thing I am sure of. The thousands here need salvation; God is + most anxious to give it to them: where, then, is the hindrance? In + them? I hardly think so. In God? No. In me, then! The thing I am + praying away at now is that He would remove that hindrance by + whatever process necessary. I shall not be astonished if He puts me + through some fires or severe operations, nor shall I be sorry if + they only end by leaving me a channel through which His saving + grace can flow unhindered to these needy people. I dare not tell + you how much I pray for. + + 'It is the foreign element in our lives that runs away with the + money. The foreign houses, foreign clothes, foreign food, are + ruinous. In selecting missionaries, physique able to stand native + houses, clothes, and food, should be as much a _sine qua non_ as + health to bear the native climate. Native clothes are, I believe, + more safe for health than foreign clothes; they are more suited to + the climate, more comfortable than foreign clothes, and so dressed, + a Chinese house is quite comfortable. In past days I have suffered + extreme discomfort by attempting to live in foreign dress in native + houses.' + +And yet James Gilmour had nothing of the fanatic or bigot about him. At +the period of his life with which we are now dealing, his severest trial +was the loneliness due to his having no colleague. Whenever his brethren +ventured to address remonstrances to him, they were due largely to the +conviction that entire isolation, such as he had to endure throughout +his Mongolian career, must tell adversely upon his temperament. But in +judging the character of the man it only heightens our love and respect +for him that he did not allow the utter and successive failures of all +efforts to secure him a colleague to hinder the work. No man more +readily and more constantly acted upon the principle of doing the next +best thing. His idea of satisfactory conditions for the work was never +reached; but this never led him for one day to relax his own efforts or +to loosen the strong hand of his self-discipline. + +To any reader who has carefully followed the previous pages it must have +become abundantly evident that Mr Gilmour believed in God's present and +immediate influence in the passing events of daily life, and that the +right attitude of life is one of absolute dependence upon, and +submission to, the will of God. His diaries abound with proofs of this. +He is delayed one morning in starting from his inn, and is annoyed. An +hour or so later he overtakes the travellers who started earlier, and +finds them just recovering from the assault of a band of robbers. The +delay was God's providential care protecting him from robbery. And yet +no man was ever less under the spell of religious fatalism. All that +active effort and promptitude of mind and body could effect in the +service of life he freely and constantly expended in his work. And +indeed there lies before us a long letter written at Ta Ss[)u] Kou on +March 15, 1888, asking for an official proclamation from the Chinese +authorities at Peking affirming 'that Christian worship is an allowed +thing, and that native Christians are not required to contribute, or are +exempted from contributing, to idol and heathen ceremonies, such as +theatricals, or the building and repair of temples.' The proper official +document was applied for at Peking, and in due time obtained. + +On March 24, 1888, James Gilmour was rejoiced by the seeming fulfilment +of his heart's most eager desire--the arrival at Ta Ss[)u] Kou of a +fully qualified medical colleague, Dr. Roberts. We have seen how +repeated had been his entreaties, how earnest his yearnings after this +essential factor in the success of his mission. For a month he enjoyed +to the full the uplifting of congenial fellowship and of skilled help. +Then came a blow, harder almost to endure than the previous solitude. + + 'Two days ago,' he writes under date of April 21, 1888, 'a man + pushed himself in among the crowd round my table as I was + dispensing medicines in the market-place here, and announced + himself as a courier from Tientsin. When asked what his news was, + he was silent, so I led him away towards my inn. Oh the way I again + asked what his news was. He groaned. I began to get alarmed, and + noticed that he carried with him a sword, covered merely with a + cloth scabbard. This looked warlike, and I wondered if there could + have been another massacre at Tientsin. Coming to a quiet place in + the street I _demanded_ his news, when he replied, "_Dr. Mackenzie + is dead, after a week's illness._" At the inn we got out our + letters from the bundle, and found the news true. In a little Dr. + Roberts looked up from a letter he was reading and said he was + appointed to the vacancy. _Then_ the full extent of my loss flashed + upon me. Mackenzie dead--Roberts to go to Tientsin! One of my + closest friends dead--my colleague removed! + + 'Forty-eight hours have elapsed, and I am just coming right again. + I have been like a ship suddenly struck in mid-ocean by a mountain + sea breaking over it. You know in that case a ship staggers a bit, + and takes some time to shake clear and right herself. + + 'As to Mackenzie. His friendship I very keenly appreciated. The + week of prayer in January 1887 we spent together in Peking. The + week of prayer in January 1888 we spent together in Tientsin. These + were seasons of great enjoyment. On parting we spoke of having a + week together again in April 1889. That is not to be. The full + extent of the loss will take some time to realise. + + 'The prospect of Dr. Roberts settling permanently here in the + autumn gave light and brightness to the outlook. My faith is not + gone, but it would be untrue to say that I am not walking in the + dark. I shall do my best to hold on here single-handed; but I + earnestly hope that I am not to be alone much longer. Something + must be done. There is a limit to all human endurance. + + 'Amid many storms we are holding on our way, and making progress + among the Chinese. Of the Mongols I have nothing cheering to + report. They come around and daily hear the Gospel; but, as yet at + least, there it ends. I look into their faces to see whom the Lord + is going to call, but have not seen him yet apparently. Meantime, I + am getting deeper and deeper into Chinese work and connections, and + sometimes the thought crosses my mind that my knowledge of + Mongolian is not employed to its best advantage here. On the other + hand, I see more Mongols here than I could see anywhere on the + Plain.' + +God's ways of dealing with His work and the workers are often very dim +and obscure to finite understanding. Humanly speaking, no man in China +could less easily be spared than Dr. Mackenzie; no man in all that vast +empire more needed the joy of fellowship than he to whom it had just +been granted. But the indomitable spirit shines clearly through the +words of Gilmour: 'It would be untrue to say that I am not walking in +the dark. I shall do my best to hold on here single-handed.' Seeing +God's hand, as he did, in these sorrowful events, and believing that Dr. +Roberts also was following the path of God's will, he turned again to +his lonely tasks. But it was at a heavy cost. His health was giving way +faster than he realised. The views of his brethren at Peking, that he +would break down under the strain of the isolation, were to some extent +justified. The home authorities did what they could, but nearly a year +elapsed before Dr. Smith, who was appointed to succeed Dr. Roberts, +reached Mongolia, and when he did so his first duty he felt was to order +Mr. Gilmour to visit England for rest and change. But meanwhile he went +bravely on. Like his Master, 'he endured the contradiction of sinners +against himself,' and when 'he was reviled, he reviled not again.' + + 'We left Ch'ao Yang,' he writes under date of September 3, 1888, + 'August 10, attended markets, got much rained in, and reached Ta + Cheng Tz[)u] August 20. There I found that one of the Christians + had possessed himself of my bank book and drawn about fifteen taels + of my money which I had banked at the grocer's. The delinquent + turned up next day, walked in, and hung up his whip as if nothing + had happened. At the moment I was dining, and he sat down beside + me. I asked him quietly why he had treated me so. He said I might + be easy in mind; he had money and cattle he would pay me. "Go, + then, and bring me the money; till you do so, don't come to me + again." Off he went. Days passed and nothing was done to repair the + mischief. Meantime, the scandal was the talk of the small town, and + the scornful things said were so keen that Liu, my assistant, got + quite wild. He was indignant that I did not go to law with the man, + who all the while was swelling about on a donkey bought with the + money he stole from me, and using the most defiant and abusive + language towards me (not to my face, happily). The roughs of the + place began to be insolent, and a drunken man came and made a scene + in our quarters. Liu redoubled his attack on me, and even + threatened to go home to Shantung if I would do nothing but pray--a + course of action on my part which irritated him much. Li San, the + head Christian there, joined him in saying I ought to make a show + of power. I asked the two to read at their leisure Matt. v. 6, 7. + Liu warned me that I was in personal danger. The man was + panic-struck and highly nervous. I arranged an expedition to a + place some 90 li away, but got rained in and could not go. Finally, + the offender sent an embassy desiring peace, and, the day before we + left, a respectable deputation of mutual friends, Christian and + heathen, found its way one by one to my room, coming thus not to + attract attention, and last of all came the thief. According to + pre-arrangement I asked him, as he entered, what he had come for. + He walked up to the wall, knelt down, and confessed his sin in + prayer to God. The end of the matter is, he gives me one donkey and + the promise of another, is suspended as to membership for twelve + months, and is forbidden the chapel for three months. + + 'I am not bright about Ta Cheng Tz[)u], as you may suppose. Worse + than the stealing case is that of the head man, Li San, who says + that he was promised employment before he became a Christian! The + ten days we passed there we were the song of the drunkard and the + jest of the abjects; but the peace of God _passes all + understanding_, and that kept my heart and mind. We put a calm + front on; put out our stand daily, and carried ourselves as if + nothing had happened. + + 'The great thought in my mind these days, and the great object of + my life, is to be like Christ. As He was in the world, so are we to + be. He was in the world to manifest God; we are in the world to + manifest Christ. Is that not so? Iniquities, I must confess, + prevail against me; but as contamination of sin flows to us from + Adam, does not regenerating power flow into us from Christ? Is it + not so?' + +Meanwhile work was going steadily forward and some impression was being +made. He made a flying visit to Tientsin and Peking in the autumn, but +was soon back at his post. In his report of work for the year he is able +to point to progress. + + '1888 has been a tumultuous year. In December, at Ch'ao Yang, there + was a sudden irruption of men and boys to learn the doctrine. + Evening after evening we had from twenty to fifty people in our + rooms to evening worship. We hardly knew how to account for it, but + did all we could to teach as many as we could. The cold weather + finally did much to stop the overcrowding, but there was good + interest kept up among many till the end of the year. + + 'The baptisms for the year were, at Ta Cheng Tz[)u], two; Ta Ss[)u] + Kou, two; Ch'ao Yang, eight; total, twelve adults, all Chinese. + + 'One man has been put out, so that the numbers stand as follows: Ta + Cheng Tz[)u], four; Ta Ss[)u] Kou, three; Ch'ao Yang, nine; total, + sixteen, all Chinese. + + 'Three adults, Chinese, were baptized ten days ago, and I hope to + baptize two children next Sunday; but we have almost no promising + adherents here at present. There are three entire families + Christian, with Christian emblems on their door-posts; another + family is Christian, but cannot fly the colours on the door-posts + because the grandfather who has half the building is a heathen. + + 'In still another family, where only the husband is Christian, they + have the Christian colours, but the family is heathen. + + 'My heart is set on reinforcements. Can they not be had? I had + hoped Dr. Smith would have spent the winter with me, but he did + not. All the grace needed has been given me abundantly, but I don't + think there should be any more solitary work. I don't think it + pays in any sense. + + 'In addition, it is almost time I had a change. My eyes are bad. + Doctors hesitate over my heart, say it is weak, and that its + condition would affect seriously an application for life assurance. + This winter I have gone in for a cough, which is not a good thing + at all, and it would be well for the continuity of the work that + there should be a young man on the field. + + 'Don't be alarmed, though, and don't alarm my friends. The above is + for your own private information and guidance. I still regard + myself as in first-rate health. + + 'I am not satisfied that we seem drifting away from the Mongols. At + present, though lots of Mongols are around, our work is all but + entirely Chinese. I am still of opinion that our best way to reach + them is from a Chinese basis. This may involve a matter of years + ahead, and therefore it is that I am eager to see the future of the + work provided for by being joined by a younger man or men. + + 'Meantime I am trying to follow very fully and very faithfully the + leadings and indications of God. I have had times of sore spiritual + conflict and times of much spiritual rest, and my prayer is that + you and the Board may in all your arrangements and plans for + Mongolia be fully guided by Him. Oh that His full blessing would + descend richly on this district!' + +Dr. Smith reached Mongolia in March 1889, and for the first time met his +colleague. He has placed on record for use in this biography his account +of that first meeting. On reaching Ch'ao Yang, Dr. Smith found that Mr. +Gilmour was not there. 'I followed the innkeeper,' he writes, 'to see +the spot where my devoted colleague had spent so many lonely hours. We +came to a little outhouse, with a kind of little court in front of it, +not many yards wide. The outer door was locked by means of a padlock; +but the innkeeper soon found an entrance by simply lifting the door off +its wooden hinges, and then we were in the anteroom or rather kitchen. +In it was a built-in cooking-pan, an earthenware bowl, and a wooden +stick resembling a Scotch porridge-stick; and some brushwood which had +been brought in to be in readiness when he next arrived at that inn. One +of the two rooms, which lay on each side of this ante-room, was locked, +and we could not open it, but through the chinks of the door I could see +abundant traces of Gilmour. It was specially refreshing to see some +genuine English on one of the boxes; it was "Ferris, Bourne, & Co., +Bristol," the people from whom he used to order his drugs. My servant +and I decided to take up our quarters in the next room, which was +evidently the servant's room. We soon managed to make ourselves very +comfortable, and there was an unspeakable relief in at last being in a +place which belonged to the London Mission, rented of course. We had to +spend the Sunday there. Mr. Sun, the box-maker, soon came round, and +seemed genuinely glad to see me, and offered to make all arrangements +for the further stage of our journey. We then discharged our carts, and +I sent with them my letters for home. + +'After spending the Sunday in company with the Christians there, we set +out on the Monday morning with a local carter for Ta Cheng Tz[)u], a +distance of about twenty-three miles. We crossed a hilly and sparsely +populated district, reminding me of some of the bleaker scenery in +Scotland. On reaching the town we at once drove to the new private +mission premises. It was a little house surrounded by a straw fence. +Quite a crowd of rough-looking people followed us in. One of the doors +had been stolen, and altogether it looked so unprotected that I decided +to take up my quarters in a little Mongol inn, where Mr. Gilmour +formerly lived. Next day I expected to meet Gilmour, and the two +Christians there were fully expecting him. In the evening we had quite a +levee; Li San and the other Christian, whom Gilmour used to call "Long +Legs," sat drinking tea in my room for some time, and were very +friendly; they were evidently trying to ingratiate themselves with me; I +did not then know how disgracefully they had behaved to Gilmour, nor did +I know the anxious business which was bringing Gilmour there at that +time. + +'Next day or the following, I forget exactly which, I was sitting in my +room, when a young man arrived, my servant being out at the time. I +could not make him out at first, not being able to understand what he +said; but he had such an evident air about him that he had some kind of +business with me that it at last dawned upon me that he must be Mr. +Gilmour's servant, and this was at once confirmed on the arrival of Lin +Seng, my servant. He had been sent on ahead to announce Gilmour's +arrival. It had been blowing a dust-storm all day, and on that account I +hardly expected Gilmour, but now there was no doubt. + +'About four o'clock that afternoon Gilmour arrived, and I shall never +forget that first meeting. I had pictured quite a different-looking man +to myself. I saw a thin man of medium height, with a clean shaven face, +got up in Chinese dress, much the same as the respectable shop-keepers +in that part of the country wear. On his head was a cap lined with cat's +fur. I was struck by the kindly but determined look on his face. He +greeted me most cordially, and I remember he said, "I am glad to see +you." He looked worn out and ill. I at once gave him his letters. + +'After arranging his things and seeing his men comfortably settled and +getting over his first interview with the Christians there, he came up +to my room in order to spend the night with me. We sat to all hours of +the morning, chatting about things at home, and about his boys, whom I +had seen before leaving Scotland. + +'For the next day he arranged the dreaded interview with Li San down at +the mission premises. Gilmour warned me that it would be a long-winded +affair, and wished me not to expect his return for a good number of +hours. After waiting a long time I went down to see how the interview +was progressing. Li San and Gilmour were sitting on the kang, in tailor +fashion on each side of a low table, and Li San was singing hymns; but +there was a strange look upon his face, as if he did not altogether feel +like singing. Gilmour said to me in English that they had not come to +business yet, and Gilmour was determined that Li San was to say the +first word, so Gilmour invited him to sing hymn after hymn, and then I +left. The whole idea seemed to be to get money out of Gilmour, and when +he found that impossible he threatened to come down to Tientsin to +accuse Gilmour to his missionary colleagues, of having broken his +promise to give him employment. Gilmour had no recollection of having +done so; he said to me that possibly one of his previous assistants may +have on his own responsibility led Li San to form that idea. + +'Long Legs was also dogging Gilmour for money, and altogether they +worried him; but he settled up everything. The premises were resold, and +as Gilmour put it, "it was the funeral of that little church." They were +threatening to prevent our leaving the town, as there seemed some doubt +in Gilmour's mind as to whether we would be able to get a cart; these +fears were disappointed; Li San got a cart for us.' + +Before Dr. Smith had passed many days in the society of Mr. Gilmour it +became clear to the practised eye of the medical man that his colleague +had been overstraining his health and strength. Notwithstanding his +buoyancy and occasional high spirits all through his long years of work, +James Gilmour had been subject to spells of severe depression. There are +a very large number of brief entries in his diary to that effect. 'Felt +blue to-day' is a frequent phrase, followed soon in the great majority +of instances by words indicating a speedy recovery. Special events, that +from time to time had a direct adverse influence upon his work, +developed this state of mind rapidly and profoundly. The inevitable +recall of Dr. Roberts, already described, is a case in point, and the +diary at that season contains entries like these: + + '_April 26, 1888._--These last days have been full of blessing and + peace in my own soul. I have been able to leave things at Ta Cheng + Tz[)u];, and my colleagues all in God's hands.' + + '_May 7._--Downcast day. No one to prayer.' + + '_May 9._--In terrible darkness and tears for two days. Light broke + over me at my stand to-day in the thought that Jesus was tempted + forty days of the devil after His baptism, and that He felt + forsaken on the cross.' + + '_May 27, Sunday._--Service, Romans xii. Present, four Christians. + Great depression.' + +The most constant force acting in the direction of mental depression was +what appeared to him like the want of immediate success. He longed with +an eager and almost painful intensity for signs that Gospel light had +broken in upon the mental darkness of the men with whom he was in daily +contact. He yearned for evidence that the love of Christ was winning the +love of Chinese and Mongol hearts, as a mother yearns over her children. +Hope deferred as to his medical colleague, ever recurring difficulties +defeating all his efforts to secure suitable premises for his work, +failure on the part of natives whom he had begun to trust, and all these +things over and above the ceaseless strain of his daily toil, are more +than sufficient to account for the state in which Dr. Smith found him. + +To those who knew him best, and who could appraise at their true value +the toils and trials and disappointments of his daily lot, the wonder +was not that he broke down; it was rather that physical collapse had not +overtaken him sooner. There are many kinds of heroism, but it may be +doubted whether any touches a higher level than that exhibited by this +patient sower of the seed of life on the sterile field of Mongolia, +bravely continuing to do so until imperatively urged to cease for a +season, not by his consciousness of failing power, but by the alarm and +influence of his medical co-worker. + +When the decision was once taken, it was acted upon promptly. March 26, +1889, was the day, and Peking the place. On April 4 he left Peking, and +on the 20th he sailed from Shanghai. He arrived in London on May 25. + +This visit to England in 1889 was a great refreshment bodily, mental, +and spiritual, to the overwrought labourer. The voyage itself, enforcing +rest from all ordinary avocations, by removing Mr. Gilmour from the +depressing surroundings amid which he had spent so much of the last +three years, began the restorative process. He was beginning to feel in +himself great benefit from the change even by the time he reached +London. But the six years which had passed since he last walked the +London streets had left their mark upon him. He had drawn to the utmost +upon his physical and spiritual strength in the service of those for +whose conversion he lived and toiled. He had been through the deep +waters of personal affliction when his wife passed into the sinless +life. The many toils and hardships of the passing years had drawn deep +furrows upon the cheery face, and the eyes showed evidence of the mental +and spiritual strain. + +So sudden was the resolution to return, and so prompt his action upon +it, that few knew even of the probability until he was actually here. On +May 27, 1889, the writer was sitting in his room, overlooking the +pleasant garden that brightens up the north-eastern corner of St Paul's +Churchyard, in conversation with a gentleman, when a knock came at the +door and a head appeared. Not seeing it very clearly, and at the same +time asking for a minute's delay while the business in hand was +completed, the head disappeared. As soon as the first visitor departed a +man entered and stood near the door. I looked at him with the +conviction that I knew him, and yet could not recall the true mental +association, when the old smile broke over his face, and he burst into a +laugh, saying, 'Why, man, you don't know me' 'Yes, I do,' I replied, +'you're Gilmour; but I thought that at this moment you were in +Mongolia.' But when I was able to scrutinise him closely I was shocked +to see how very evident were the signs of stress and strain. It was not +wholly inexcusable, even in an old friend, to fail to instantly +recognise in the worn and apparently broken man, thought to be hard at +work many thousands of miles away, the strong and cheery Gilmour of +1883. + +Carrying him off home, we talked far into the night, not because his +host thought it a good thing for the invalid, but because he was so full +of his work and its difficulties and its pressing needs, and what he +hoped to do on behalf of Mongolia by his visit home, that there seemed +no possible alternative but to let him talk himself weary. And how +splendidly he talked! He pictured his life at a Mongol inn. He ranged +over the whole opium and whisky and tobacco controversy. He gave, with +all the dramatic effect of which he was so great a master, the story of +how he forced home upon the Chinese and Mongols, until even _they_ +admitted the force of the reasoning, how natural it was that famine +should visit them when they gave up their land to opium, and their grain +to the manufacture of whisky. He gave in rapid dialogue his own +questions, the native rejoinders, and he so vividly pictured the scene +that his hearer could fancy himself standing under the tent, surrounded +by Chinese and Mongols, and assenting, as they did, to the earnest and +far-reaching conclusions of the speaker. + + + + +CHAPTER X + +PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS AS ILLUSTRATED BY LETTERS TO RELATIVES AND +FRIENDS + + +This break in active work affords a convenient occasion for exhibiting +in a still stronger light, by means of selections from his +correspondence, some important sides of James Gilmour's character. He +was a good correspondent and wrote freely to his relatives and friends. +We have quoted largely hitherto from his official reports and from +letters that refer to the condition and progress of his life-work. But +it is in the letters addressed to the circle of relatives and most +intimate friends that he reveals more fully the deeper side of his life, +and the strong and tender affection of his nature. + +He corresponded regularly with his parents until the earthly tie was +broken by the death of his mother in 1884 and of his father in 1888. His +letters to the latter were very beautiful, especially those designed to +strengthen his faith in the closing years when he had passed the +eightieth milestone. The tone of the correspondence may be judged from +the following examples:-- + + + 'Peking: Friday, January 23, 1885. + + 'My dear Father,--So this must in future be the heading of my + letters--no longer my dear parents. Mother has gone. Yours of + November 21 reached me this afternoon, or evening rather. As I + came home from the chapel I found a beggar waiting at the gate. I + thought he was going to beg, but he did not. Inside I found the + gate-keeper waiting at our house door for a reply note, to say that + the letter had been delivered. I went to my study, and was praying + for a blessing on the chapel preaching when Emily came. I let her + in. She had your letter in her hand. It had come by Russia, and the + Russian post sometimes sends over our mail by a Peking beggar, + paying him of course. + + 'I have not had time to think yet. On my heels came in men for the + prayer-meeting we hold in our house on Friday evening, and till now + I have been almost continuously engaged. It is now 10.20 P.M. It so + happens that this week I am much behind in my sermon preparation + for Sunday, and it also happens that I am going to preach on _whole + families_ believing on Christ. What brought this subject to my mind + is one of our old Christians who is dying, the only Christian in + his whole family. His great grief is that they (his family) remain + heathens. In addition, too, a Christian father admitted to a + missionary the other day that he had not taught Christ to his + daughter who had just died. Preaching on this subject I will have + something to say about my own dear, good, anxious mother, and of + how she used to say when I was a boy, "_What a terrible thing it + will be if I see you shut out of heaven!_" She did not say + terrible; "unco" was her word. + + 'I have not yet had time to realise my loss, and cannot think of + the Hamilton house as being without her. Eh, man! you know how good + a mother she was to us, and I have some idea of what a companion + and help she was to you. You two had nearly fifty years together. + You must feel lonely without her. Fathers and mothers are thought + much of by the Chinese, and you, at my suggestion, were most + heartily and feelingly prayed for by the Chinese at our + prayer-meeting to-night. You would have felt quite touched could + you have heard and understood them.' + +There is a special interest attaching to the sentence used frequently by +his mother. On page 41 he refers to his conversion, but no record +appears to have been preserved, giving any detail or fixing with any +exactness the date. But his brothers have a conviction that his constant +recollection of the oft-repeated and well-remembered words, 'What an +unco thing it will be if I see you shut out of heaven!' was one of the +most potent influences in bringing about his conversion. The letters +immediately following were written during the last two years of his +father's life. + + 'Let us not be disturbed at all about our not having more + communication. I pray often for you and remember you more + frequently still, and feel more and more that earth is a shifting + scene, that here we have no permanent place, that heaven is our + home, that your wife--my dear mother--has gone there, that my wife + has gone there and is now in the Golden City, and that, sooner or + later, you and I will be there, and that, when there, we'll have + plenty of time to sit about and talk all together in a company. + Lately I have come to see that we have but to put ourselves into + the hands of Jesus and let Him do with us as He likes, and He'll + save us _sure and certain_. He can make us willing even to let Him + change us and train us. + + 'You are eighty years old. I am proud of you. I like to think of + your life. Mother told me, when I was a lad, of some of your early + struggles. God has been with you and guided you on through all to a + good old age of honour and respect and love. Trust Him and He'll + not leave you. Depend upon it, God has something better for us in + the world to come than He has ever given us here. And it is not + difficult to get it. God wants to give it to us all; offers it to + us, and is distressed if we don't take it. We have only to go to + Christ and ask Jesus to make it all right for us, and He'll do it. + I know you are in earnest. Jesus will turn away no earnest man.' + +Mr. Gilmour senior acted as steward of the little store which his son by +rigid economy was amassing for the benefit of his children. Scotch +thrift was well exemplified in them both. But in the course of 1887 +James Gilmour became troubled about this accumulation of even that small +sum which he could call his own. In his lonely introspective Mongolian +life the possession of money came to wear in his view the aspect of +distrusting God. At this juncture the London Missionary Society was in a +somewhat serious state as regards funds. A special appeal had been sent +out indicating that if additional funds were not forthcoming, some +fields of work might have to be given up. James Gilmour's response was +an order to pay over anonymously the sum of 100_l._ to the general funds +of the Society, and 50_l._ to that set apart for widows and orphans. + + + 'March 16, 1887. + + 'My dear Father,--Some explanation is due to you of the order to + pay the London Missionary Society 100_l._ of my money as a + contribution to their funds. + + 'The money that I have in the bank is the result of long and, much + of it, of self-denying savings on my part and the part of my late + wife--more on hers than mine, perhaps. When she died, and I was + going off to this remote and isolated field, it was a comfort to me + to think that in the event of my death there was a little sum laid + past which would help my sons to get an education. I have added to + that sum all I could from my house-furniture sale, &c., and it has + reached a good figure--the exact sum I cannot yet tell--I have not + yet had your account for 1886. + + 'Some time ago God seemed to say, "_Entrust that money to My + keeping!_" and, as days went on, the command seemed to get more + loud and be ever present, so much so that finally I could not read + my Bible for it or pray. I had no resource left but to obey; I did + not like to give it up; but finally it has appeared to me that God + is only keeping the funds for the lads and that He will arrange for + them to have them all right when they are needed. How He can do + this I need not ask. He may, for instance, keep me alive for the + sake of the lads. In one sense it seems an unwise thing not to be + laying up something for the children's education; but that is only + one side of it. God seems to ask me to trust Him with my children, + and I trust Him with them. They are far from my care and control, + and I know such painful cases of the children of missionaries + growing up unbelievers that I dare not do anything that seems to me + not to be putting them fully into God's care and up-bringing. + + 'In addition, I am exhorting people here to become Christians, by + doing which they throw themselves and their children outside of the + community. I tell them to do it, and trust God's protecting them in + troubles and helping them in difficulties; and I can hardly do that + if I have not faith in God myself for me and mine. + + 'Again, I need God's help and blessing much in my work here, and I + do not seem to myself to be able to expect it if I do not trust + Him. So please regard the money removed as not lost, only put into + a safer bank.' + +The following letter, also dealing with money matters from the Christian +point of view, is so striking in many ways that it has been deemed +advisable to quote it _in extenso_:-- + + + 'Ch'ao Yang, Mongolia: May 6, 1888. + + 'My dear Father,--Enclosed please find some directions about the + disposal of my money. These arrangements are so contrary to my + previous arrangements that some explanation is due to you and to my + brothers. Here they are. + + 'In my mission work out here I am much thrown upon God. The field + is a very hard one. The superstitions are like towns walled up to + heaven. The power of man avails nothing against them. As far as man + is concerned I am almost alone. I turn to God. I hear the words, + "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit," saith the Lord. I + trust Him. I call upon Him. I commune with Him. He comes near me. I + ask Him to convert men. There are conversions, a few true, as far + as I can judge. But there seems some barrier between God and me to + a certain extent. Thinking round to see what it can be, I hear a + voice saying, "Can't you trust Me with the money you have laid up + for your children?" I think over it I pray over it. I say, "I may + die and the boys need the money." God replies, "If you trust Me + with it, don't you think I'd give them it as they needed?" I say, + "But my father and brothers might not see it so, and might not like + the idea of destitute orphan children on their hands." God replies, + "With _Me_ for their banker children are not destitute, and if you + prefer father and brothers before Me, you are not worthy of Me." + Then I say, "What will you have me do?" God says, "Give Me the + money; I'll see they have all that is necessary." I dare not + disobey. I don't want to disobey. I am so much exercised over the + spiritual well-being of the boys, that I gladly do anything that + will make them in any sense more specially proteges of God. I am + alarmed at the fate of some missionaries' children who have not + turned out godly men. Preserve the boys from this! + + 'This is no sudden resolution. I have thought and prayed much over + it. I can delay this step no longer without feeling I would be + refusing to follow God's guidance. I feel, too, that God has so + many ways in which He can bless the lads and me, that in making + this arrangement I am running no risk. The only thing I am not + quite clear about is the detailed disposition of the money. + Meantime, it seems to me that I can best use it for God in this + mission here. I mean to bank it in Peking, in the first instance, + and use it for renting or buying premises. + + 'As to the general principle of having money for ourselves or + children, I do not think God asks us all to put all we may have or + get thus in His keeping, or asks me even to put _all_ into His + keeping in this especial manner. You know the money was originally + saved from the salary given by the mission, and in this sense is + peculiar. Money that I had earned by trade, or otherwise come by, I + do not think God would ask me to dispose of it so. But His voice + seems very plain in this present case. + + 'My salary I shall still have paid to me, and the children's + remittances shall come as usual. If I live I guess this will be + enough for the education of the lads. If I die, the lads are not + destitute. Even in a worldly sense, and quite apart from this sum + which I am banking with God, and which I am sure He'll repay with + compound interest when needed, if left orphans they would be in + some sense provided for by the London Missionary Society, which, + though it gives no pensions to any one, yet yearly raises funds and + gives money to broken-down old missionaries, widows, and orphans. I + don't suppose it is much or enough, but it is something. I say this + that you may not be troubled should your faith be weak or waver. + + 'I hope that these arrangements may not seem unwise to you, and + will commend themselves to you far enough to have your consent if + not your warm approval. For myself I am thankful that God has given + me faith enough to trust Him so. It has taken time to come to this. + Myself is a small matter--it takes more faith to trust for one's + children. Just fancy old Abraham offering his Isaac. Just fancy, + God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. Let us respond to + God's love. + + 'Your loving son, + 'JAMES GILMOUR.' + + +In compliance with his wish a sum amounting to several hundred pounds +was sent out to Peking and there banked by him. Had not the many +difficulties which Chinese habits placed in the way prevented the +completion of negotiations, there is hardly any doubt that James Gilmour +would have himself spent this money on his own mission-field. He died +before any of the negotiations for premises which he had commenced +reached a successful issue. As he had not specified in his will that +this sum was to be devoted to mission work, the trustees of his boys +have had no alternative, and have felt it their duty to consider it a +part of his estate, the income of which should be devoted to the +education of his sons. But the intention of James Gilmour was clear and +well known, and it is to be hoped that the interest felt by many friends +in his life and work will prove strong enough to secure a permanent home +for the mission as a memorial of its founder, and on the site of his +glad and self-sacrificing toil. + +A year or two later, in a letter to his boys, he seeks to enforce the +duty of careful, systematic giving to God. + + + 'Ch'ao Yang: August 19, 1890. + + 'I wonder if you are giving a tenth of all the money you get to + God. I think it is a right thing to do and a good thing. Mamma did + it: I do it: and God never let us want for money. I would be glad + if you would like to do it. But don't do it merely to please me. + Don't do it except you can do it gladly. God likes people to do + things gladly. I am quite sure you would get blessing by it. Money + given to God is never lost. And it is easier to begin the habit now + than later. + + 'When you give it to God you can put it into the London Missionary + Society box; it would only be fair to give some little part of it + at the collection at the church to which you go. You could give + some of it for destitute children. It does not matter much where + you give it. I think the London Missionary Society has the best + claim. Think over it, boys. Jesus died to save us: surely we can + show our gratitude by giving Him some of our money?' + +Later letters to his father outline for us his religious experience, and +enable us to realise something of the spiritual experience of these +years. + + + 'Ch'ao Yang: March 29, 1887. + + 'I am wondering how you all are. God has been drawing me nearer to + Him these last weeks, and I am living in the hope that He will + bless me and my work largely some day. There is much ignorance to + be removed, much suspicion, much misunderstanding of me as a + foreigner, and I am hammering away as hard as I can. There are + mountains of difficulty to be removed, but I am trusting in God to + remove them, and these last days I have had much peace and joy in + my heart thinking of God's love to me and the salvation of Jesus. I + have no doubt at all about my being His, and sometimes the great + hope is almost too much to realise. But I am often at the same time + downcast that I cannot see more people here converted, and I think + that, if God has a favour to me and delights in me, He can well + move the hearts of these people to believe in His Son, and choose + out people to come and help me in my work. I am sometimes lonely + here, and wish I had a friend to talk to and tell all my troubles, + and then I think that Jesus is such a friend, and so I tell Him all + my griefs; but I would like to have a colleague. + + 'I hope, my dear father, that your heart is contented and happy in + Jesus. Only let Him arrange all things for you as regards your + soul, and He'll do it all right. He can be trusted. Heaven is not + far away; we'll soon be there; comfort your heart. Won't it be too + blessed to be again with our wives, freed from all that is earthly, + and suffering, and surrounded by nothing but what is nice! This is + no dream: it is real; it is true; it is kept for us; it will be + ours. We'll see it soon; you and I will be there together. It may + be some time before we are there together; but years soon pass. + Cheer up, my father! + + 'We miss much by not living near to Jesus--taking Him at His word + and expecting that He'll do all we need done for us both in saving + us and in making our hearts good. Jesus is real and heaven is real, + and our share in heaven, if we trust and follow Jesus, is real. You + say you are busy: so am I. You have cares: so have I. Go ahead and + look after your work and business; but you'll do it all the better + that your heart is at peace with God and at rest in Jesus. I find + that the closer I am to Jesus the better I can meet and bear all + troubles, trials, and difficulties, and you will find the same true + if you try. + + 'I feel quite lifted up to-night. I have a room to myself. This is + the first time I have had a room to myself since leaving Peking + January 25. It is pleasant to be private a little. This room is + private to me alone only after (say) 8 P.M., when I am left in + peace. I hope to have this room for three weeks. + + 'I am afraid, if you saw the room, you would not think it much of a + place. To-night, too, I have a pillow. For over three weeks I have + rested my head on some folded-up bag or article of dress: to-night + I have a pillow. Christ had not where to lay His head. In all + things I am still better off than He was. If I could only see souls + saved I would not care for the roughing it.' + +In a letter later in the same year to a missionary colleague in a +distant field Mr. Gilmour unveils still further his religious history:-- + + + 'Mongolia: October 7, 1887. + + 'Yours of May 31 to hand three or four days ago. The China Inland + Mission has a lot of good men in it. It does a good work. It is + warm-hearted devotion that wins souls and gets God's approval. My + experience has been different from yours, happily. All along I have + gone on the "headlong for Christ" way of things here, even when + preaching to the most intellectual English and American audiences, + and they have received me royally. Man, God has waked me up these + last years to such an extent that I feel a different man. I + sometimes wonder now if I was converted before. I suppose I was, + but the life was a cold, dull one. Just the other day Jesus, so to + speak, put out His hand and touched me as I was reading a hymn, + something about desiring spiritual things and passing by Jesus + Himself. I wanted His blessing more than I wanted Him. That is not + right. Lately, too, I have become calm. Before I worked, oh so hard + and so much, and asked God to bless my work. Now I try to pray more + and get more blessing, and then work enough to let the blessing + find its way through me to men. And this is the better way. It is + the right way. And I work a lot even now. Perhaps as much as + before; but I don't worry at the things I cannot overtake. I feel, + too, more than I did, that God is guiding me. Oh! sometimes the + peace of God flows over me like a river. Then it is so blessed, + heaven is real. So is God: so is Jesus. Our lot is a great one. + + 'Try not to fly around so much: take more time with God. Be more in + private prayer with Him, and see if He will not give you a greater + spiritual blessing for your people. After all, the great want, as I + gather from your letters, is the spiritual blessing on the people. + Ask it, man, and you'll get it. God's promises are sure. I am + trying to combine the China Inland Mission, the Salvation Army, and + the L.M.S. I have a great district, and a hard one, all to myself. + There is said to be a young doctor on his way out to me. I am + writing by this mail for three young laymen. Non-smoking and + teetotalism are conditions of Church membership. I have seen no + foreigner since January 25, and am not likely to see one till + December 5. My mails take an enormous time to reach me, and two + sent in June and July from Peking (eight days off) have never come + to hand at all. I am baffled, battered and bruised in soul in many + ways, but, thank God, holding on and believing that He is going to + bless me. + + 'Eh, man, never talk of not going back. Go back, though you can + only do half work; go back, and work less and pray more. That is + what you need. I have been a vegetarian for over a year. I find + fasting helpful to prayer. Two books by Andrew Murray, Wellington, + Cape Town--_Abide in Christ, With Christ in the School of + Prayer_--have done me much good. May blessings be on your dear wife + and children! Yours, hoping to have a good long holiday with you in + heaven, + + 'JAMES GILMOUR.' + + +Some years earlier in his career he had written a letter of brotherly +remonstrance to one who, in a moment of depression and without any +adequate cause, felt himself slighted. The same spirit breathes through +both, but is richer and fuller in the later letter. God had been +teaching James Gilmour in a hard, but a fruitful school. + + 'I know of your zeal in working at home as well as abroad, and I am + greatly grieved to find you think you are badly treated. I think it + is very unfortunate that any agent should have that feeling about + his Society, L.M.S. or other. I am alarmed, too, my dear fellow, to + find you express yourself so strongly. It is hardly the thing. + Would Christ have said that? I do hope you will pardon my speaking + so, but you know sometimes a rash word does more harm than a deed + even. And I am anxious that you should have a peaceful mind. _I_ + know your value, and wish to see you nearly perfect. Let me remind + you of a thing we both believe, and a thought I have often been + comforted by. Jesus has suffered even more for us than we can ever + suffer for Him, and what you do in raising funds and endeavouring + is done, not for L.M.S., but for Him, _for Him_, and He sees and + knows and won't forget, but sympathises and appreciates, and at the + end will speak up straight and open for His true men. I often lug + portmanteaus, walk afoot, and, as the Chinese say, "eat + bitterness," in China and in England. I am not thanked for it, but + He knows. No danger of being overlooked. Now, don't be "huffed" at + my lecturing you, and don't think I must think a lot of myself to + suppose that I am running up a bill of merit, like a Buddhist, and + think I am Jesus's creditor. My dear fellow, you know better than + that. I point out to you and remind you of the only way I know to + be persistently useful, and at the same time happy.' + +But of all the relationships of life--son, brother, friend, ambassador +for Christ--that which most naturally, most profoundly, and most +beautifully reveals his very heart is when he writes as the loving +father to his distant motherless boys. A large number of his letters to +them have been entrusted to the hands of his biographer. Many of them +touch upon subjects too sacred for publication. They deal with those +closest of earthly ties in which not even intimate friends can +legitimately claim a share. But it was felt that they reveal a side of +his nature and character that ought not to be entirely hidden in any +picture of his life. For this reason a somewhat extensive selection has +been made from this tender and helpful correspondence. When it first +began the lads were too young to read the letters themselves, but he +wrote long accounts of his work to be read to them, and it is pleasant +to see how keen his eye became in noting such things as were likely to +amuse them and to arrest their attention. Some of the letters are +written in big letters resembling printed capitals. The brief, childlike +letters that were sent to him by them were bound up into a paper volume, +which he carried about with him during his Mongolian wanderings, and in +looking them over he found an unfailing solace and refreshment. He often +illustrated his own letters to them by rough but effective sketches of +persons and things which he saw. The death of their mother had brought +the lads and their father very near to one another, and although lost to +sight, they always thought and spoke of the dear one who had gone as +still of the family, as in perfect happiness, and waiting only God's +time to reunite them in the happy life of heaven. + +When it was decided to entrust them to the care of an uncle in Scotland, +Mr. Gilmour set out the desires he cherished with regard to their +training. It is only to be regretted that similar plans are not formed +and acted upon in the training of all children. + + 'The laddies are here with me now, and I am both father and mother + to them. To-night I darned three stockings for them when they went + to bed. You see I have been away two months, and in a week or two I + may have to part from them for ten years, so I am having a little + leisure time with them. I sometimes do feel real bad at the idea of + the two orphan lads going away so far; but then the promise of + Christ that no one leaves parents or children for His sake, without + being repaid manifold, comforts me by making me believe that God + will raise up friends to comfort them wherever they may be. + + 'Cheer up! The two worlds are one, and not far separate. Mrs. + Prankard, I hear, won't have Emily's name mentioned. We here go on + the other tack, and the children are all day long talking about + what mamma did and said, and adventures we had together. And why + not? The tears come sometimes: let them, they do no harm, are a + relief more than anything, and the time is coming when God will + wipe away all tears from our eyes. + + 'I wish them to be Christ's from their youth up. I wish them to get + a good thorough education, not too expensive, to be able to read, + write, and spell well. Should either of them turn out likely, I + might be able to let both, or that one have a college education, + but I don't want either of them to go there if they don't show + adaptation for it. + + 'What I want of you is something money cannot buy, motherly and + fatherly care in Christ for the desolate lads, whose whole life in + time and eternity too may largely depend on how they are trained + and treated during the next few years. I am not rich, but I can + support my boys. This Christian care and love, however, is what is + not to be had for money, so I beg it. + + 'I had five hours' conversation with one Chinaman at a stretch the + other day. I think he was not far from the kingdom of God at first, + and I believe he is nearer now. All these things take time, and I + am most anxious to be with the children much these last days. Oh, + it is hard to think of them going off over the world in that + motherless fashion! We were at mamma's grave yesterday for the + first time since September 21. We sang "There is a land that is + fairer than day," in Chinese, and also a Chinese hymn we have here + with a chorus, which says, "We'll soon go and see them in our + heavenly home," and in English, "There is a happy land." The + children and I have no reluctance in speaking of mamma, and we + don't think of her as here or buried, but as in a fine place, happy + and well.' + +Here are a few short extracts from the earlier letters:-- + + 'Cheer up, my dear sonnies! We shall see each other some day yet. + Tell all your troubles to Jesus, and let Him be your friend. I, out + here, think often of mamma and her nice face, and how good she was + to you and to me. You will not forget her. She sees you every day, + and is so pleased when you are good lads. We'll all go some day and + be with her, won't that be good? Meantime, Jesus is taking care of + her, and will take care of us. + + 'Sometimes, when I am writing a letter to you, and come to the foot + of a page, and want to turn over the leaf, I don't take blotting + paper and blot it, but kneel down and pray while it is drying. + + 'I am going away, too, in a few days; then I'll have no one but + Chinese to speak to. Never mind, I'll just tell Jesus all my + affairs; I cannot go away from Him. He is never too busy to talk to + me. Just you, too, tell Jesus all your troubles. He sees both you + and me.' + +From the longer letters we select three or four, and give them exactly +as they were written. From them the character of many others, from which +only brief extracts can be taken, may be judged. + + + 'Ch'ao Yang: April 10, 1887. + + 'My dear Sons,--I am well and thankful for it. I am getting on well + too, thank God. I have had terrible weather lately though. Daily I + have my tent--it is only a cloth roof on six bamboo poles--put up + in the market-place. We have had three days' wind. Eh, man, the + first day the dust was terrible. But I had lots of patients and + remained out all day. At last we had to take down our tent. It + could not stand. The tent was carried to the inn, but we remained + with our table till evening. You would hardly have known us for + dust. But patients came all the time. Next day the tent was blown + down twice. Once a man's head got such a smack with the bamboo tent + pole, but he said nothing and took it quite pleasantly. A peep-show + man near us got his show blown down and scattered about. He + gathered it up and went home to his inn. + +[Illustration: JAMES GILMOUR'S TENT] + + 'I am so glad that the people like us and trust us and come about + us for medicines. Women came too. Boys came too. Just now the + school boys have holiday for the fair, and they stand for a long + time together looking at me doctoring the people. What the boys + like to see is a glass bottle of eye medicine which I bring out and + set up. Then I dip a glass tube in and press an india-rubber + bulb. The air comes out in the water in bubbles and rises up to + the surface, and the boys are so delighted to see it bubbling. They + will wait a long time and like to see it ever so often. They are + sometimes troublesome, then I send them away. When they are good I + shove the glass tube deep down into the bottle, and they are so + delighted to see the air bubbling up from the bottom. + + 'When a man comes to have a tooth pulled even the men are + delighted, and advise him to have it out. They want to see the fun. + Mothers send their little boys for medicine, and I am so pleased + with some of the little lads. They are so modest and so polite, + making a deep bow as they go away. Always be modest and polite, my + sons, and people will love you and treat you well. + + 'The boys buy a lot of books too, and I preach to them earnestly, + because in ten years to come they will be men, and if they know + about Jesus now they may more easily become Christians some day + soon. You, Jimmie, know Jesus; does Willie? Teach him. Mamma is not + here to teach him, and I am far away. You are his big brother. + Teach you him like a good laddie as you are. + + 'The other day when I was preaching a man was standing behind me + with a little black pig under his arm. He wanted to hear me preach, + but the pig would not be quiet. He held its mouth shut, but the + little pig would still manage to give a squeak now and again. At + last it would not be quiet at all, and he had to go away with it. I + could not help smiling at him. There is an old man here in my inn. + He is owner of the inn. His son manages the inn. The old man is not + very old. He is about sixty-five. But he used to be a great opium + smoker. A year or more ago he had a very serious illness and gave + up his opium, but he had wrecked his health by his smoking. He + cannot now live many months. He can hardly speak plainly now. He + comes to see me in my room, and I try to tell him about Jesus, + hoping that he may be saved. He listens, but he is not very bright + in his mind. I hope he may pray to Jesus. + + 'The other day I had to pull my own tooth. It was the back tooth + and had been painful for days. There was no one who could do it for + me, so I sat down with a little Chinese looking-glass before a + candle, got a good hold of it with the forceps, and after a good + deal of wrenching out it came. He _was_ a deep-pronged fellow, and + he did bleed. I was so thankful that God helped me to get it out. I + can sleep now all right. + + 'Our Mongol donkeyman wants to be a Christian. I hope he is + sincere, but he is very slow and dull at learning. There are three + other men here who are learning about Jesus too, but it is too + early yet to say much about them. A good many people learn some, + then stop. But it is late and I must go to bed, else I won't be + able to preach and doctor all day in the market-place at the fair + to-morrow. + + 'Praying that God may bless you, my sons, and sending you much + love, + + 'I am your affectionate Father, + 'JAMES GILMOUR.' + + + 'Ta Cheng Tz[)u]: Sept. 3, 1887. + + 'My dear Sons,--I am well, and thankful for it. The three + Christians here come daily to evening worship. There are here + others who want to be Christians, but who have not courage enough. + One man's wife won't let him be a Christian; she says she will kill + herself if he does. Another man is in the same case. He is a + Chinaman, his wife is a Mongol. Still another man has a Mongol + wife, and she kept him back. The other day he came and confessed + Christianity. His wife does not consent, only says: "We'll see." + Another man's father hinders his son from Christianity. The lad is + a very nice lad. + + 'Yesterday was the day when people make offerings of food and + fruit at the graves. One of the Christians was sent to do so. He + brought the melon here, and we ate half of it with him. + + 'Still another man is forbidden by his father to be a Christian. + That is, in all, five men are Christians at heart, and read our + books and are learning Christianity, but do not confess Christ in + this one place. Do you know what Jesus says about such people + (Matt. x. 32-39)? Jesus says that, if they obey others rather than + Him, they are not worthy to be His disciples. I am praying for all + these people. I ask you, too, to pray for these and all like them, + that they may be able to confess Christ. It is difficult for men in + China to be Christians. How different with you! We all want you to + be Christians. Your father and friends all help you to be + Christians, and if you are not Christians we are all distressed. + + 'Boys, do be true to Jesus. In your words and deeds honour Him. + Make _His_ heart glad. Jesus wants your love. He loves you and died + for you. You cannot but love Him if you think how He loves you. + Good-bye. Meantime I am just going to breakfast, and then for a day + on the street, trying to tell the people about Jesus. God bless + you, my dear lads! + + 'It is now afternoon. I write a few lines. A lad in a shop here has + a tame dove. He has painted it all over different colours. It looks + absurd. I don't like to see it sitting about the shop. Doves look + so happy flying about. Mamma, too, liked to see birds on the trees + and houses wild, not kept in cages. + + 'I guess you are just about getting your breakfast. Here it is + about 4 P.M. With you it should be 8 A.M. Saturday; I wish I could + see you. My love to you, my dear sons. May you always, both now and + when grown, be boys and men that know and love Jesus! I pray for + you. Your loving father, + + 'JAMES GILMOUR.' + + +In August 1884 a third son was given to Mr. and Mrs. Gilmour, whom they +named Alexander. In 1887 spinal trouble developed, and in December of +that year he died. 'Though often ill,' wrote his father when announcing +the death to the uncle after whom he had been named, 'his life was a +happy one. It is now happier than ever. Thanks be to God that there is, +and that we know that there is, a bright and happy life beyond. Let us +make that the great meeting-place for ourselves and our children and +friends. May it stand before us as a joy! As ever and anon one and +another goes there, may we feel that we have more and more interest +there! Let us live looking to the joy set before us!' This baby-brother +is the Alick referred to in the following letter:-- + + + 'Ta Cheng Tz[)u], Mongolia: February 11, 1888. + + 'My dear Sons,--I am well, and thankful for it. I got here two days + ago. I had such a cold time of it on the road! I never felt the + cold so much before. + + 'People here are very busy. This is the last day of the Chinese + year. + + 'To-morrow is the first day of the Chinese year. Everybody is + buying all sorts of food, because the shops do not open for some + days after the new year. They are very busy, too, scraping off the + old papers at the sides of their doors and pasting up new papers. + They (the papers) are red, and look fine at first with the great + black Chinese characters written on them. But the sun after a while + takes the colour out of them. + + 'They are busy, too, pasting up the new gods in their houses. They + (the gods) are sheets of paper with pictures of gods on them. Every + house has a god of the kitchen. They send him to heaven, as they + think, by burning him. They burnt the old one last Saturday. They + are putting up the new one now. They think that when he is burnt he + goes to heaven and reports to a god what he has seen in the house + during the year. I ask them if I burnt them would they think they + were going to heaven? They buy sticky sugar-cakes to give him so + that he may be pleased, and not tell on them for doing evil things. + They think, too, that the sugar sticks his lips together, so that + when he wants to tell on them he can't get his mouth open! Isn't it + all very silly and very sad? The shopkeepers, too, paste up a "god + of riches," thinking that thus they will become rich! + + 'To-morrow (Sunday) I hope to baptize a man. He is a Chinaman. That + will make four Christians here. They all have faults and + weaknesses, and I am not very easy in my mind about them. Pray that + God may make them better and make them grow in grace. Pray, too, + that God may convert more of the people. Pray, too, that God may + give us a house of our own to live in. People here are afraid to + let us have a house. Now that Dr. Roberts is coming, we will need a + house. He is coming in six or seven weeks. Then he stays two + months, and goes back to Tientsin for a while again. We saw the + Christian at Ta Ss[)u] Kou as we passed. The Ch'ao Yang man we have + not seen yet. + + 'I have made all your letters to me into a book, and have them with + me. Your letters are nice to read, and show great improvement in + the writing. I am going to keep all your letters this year too and + bind them. You may like to see them when you grow big. The last + letter from you is dated October 27. + + 'My dear sons, I think of you often and pray for you much. + + 'You have a photo of mamma's grave. Little Alick's little mound is + close to mamma's, on the side nearer little Edie's. Mamma's and + Alick's coffins touch down below. They lie together. But mamma and + Alick are not there. They are in heaven, with its golden streets + and its beautiful river, and its trees of life, and its beautiful + gates, and its good, loving, kind people, and Jesus and God. They + are having such a nice time of it there! + + 'My boys, don't be afraid of dying. Pray to Jesus, do the things He + likes, and if you die you will go to Him, to His fine place, where + you'll have everything that is nice and good. I don't know whether + you or I will go there first, but I hope that by-and-by we'll all + be there, mamma and Alick and all. I like to think of this. + Meantime let us be doing for Jesus all we can, telling people about + Him and trying to persuade them to be His people. Are your + schoolfellows Jesus' boys? Do you ever tell them of Him? Tell them, + my dear sons. + + 'I hope to get letters from you in about a month. + + 'Good-bye, my dear boys. + + 'May you be good and diligent, and then you'll be happy. Jesus can + make you glad. + + 'Your loving Father, + 'JAMES GILMOUR.' + + +Mrs. Meech had shown much motherly kindness to her little nephew +Alexander, and only a few months after he had died she herself lost a +little son. Mr. Gilmour, on hearing the sad tidings, wrote to her as +follows:-- + + + 'Mongolia: March 25, 1888. + + 'My dear Mrs. Meech,--Many congratulations and condolences with + you. Your little son has gone to Emily. She'll look after the + little man as you looked after her little man. Just fancy! we have + family connections in heaven not a few, and ever increasing. I hope + you are now getting better and going on all right. + + 'I am much cheered by the good news of soul movements in the West + Mission. May they continue and increase! + + 'With many prayers for you all, and kept in constant remembrance of + you all by the date block, + + 'Yours in loving sympathy, + 'JAMES GILMOUR.' + + + 'May 30, 1888. + + 'I am doctoring a little homeless lad's head here. I put on + ointment all over it to-day. He cried. I said I had medicine that + would stop the pain, and brought out six cash--one farthing--and + told him to go and have a bowl of buckwheat meal strings. All + laughed, he stopped crying, and did not seem to feel the pain after + that. Most of the people in the town are much impressed with the + improvement in the boy's head. Before he came to me I saw a Chinese + medicine-man poking at the lad's head with a straw. When he came I + rubbed on ointment with my finger. The bystanders were much pleased + to see I was not averse to touching the poor dirty lad's sore head. + Jesus touched a leper, and I like to do things like what Jesus + would do. That is the right way, boys. Always think what Jesus + would have done, and do like Him.' + + + 'Mongolia: Sept. 9, 1888. + + 'My dear Sons,--I am out on a journey. I knew letters were being + sent me, and hoped to meet them. A long way off I saw a red + umbrella, the sun shining through the oilcloth. The thought passed + through my mind, "Can that be the messenger?" But I forgot all + about it, reading a book as I walked along. All at once I heard, + "He's come," and looking up, saw the red umbrella close at hand. It + _was_ him. The messenger returns to-morrow. I had had no letters + for eighty days. + + 'I wrote you last on August 2. Since then several men have + professed Christ, and one man has been baptized. + + 'One of the Christians at Ta Cheng Tz[)u] stole my bankbook and + drew money of mine, amounting to about 3_l._ He says he is + penitent, and we have put him on a year's probation to see how he + does. He is a lazy man. Long ago I said, "If you are lazy, some day + the devil will make you a sinner," and so he did. Had he been a + diligent man he would not have been poor and would not have stolen. + Diligence is a good thing, laziness is a bad thing. A good + Christian cannot be lazy, because he knows Jesus does not like lazy + people. I may write you again in a few days. Hoping next mail to + get a letter from you (there was none this mail), and asking God to + bless you in everything, and guide you in all your life, + + 'I am your loving Father, + 'JAMES GILMOUR' + + + 'Ch'ao Yang, Mongolia: Saturday, November 17, 1888. + + 'My dear Sons,--On the street to-day I saw a crowd standing. I went + up to see what they were looking at, and found two Chinese + gentlemen showing off a trained bird. One of the men stood down on + the street. The other put three little flags so that they stuck on + the wall. The bird then flew away, caught up a flag, and came + flying back to its master in the street, carrying the flag in its + bill. It looked very clever. Every time the bird brought a flag it + was rewarded by being fed with some nice food which it liked. It + was very pretty to see it. But after all it was a very trifling + employment for two grown gentlemen to be engaged in. Even the crowd + of ordinary Chinese seemed to think so. + + 'I don't like to see birds in captivity. It is pretty to see them + wild flying about, and to hear them singing, but I pity them in + cages, and tied by string as the Chinese are fond of doing with + them. When I see birds tied I often think of mamma who used so much + to like to see them wild. + + 'I remember one day in Mongolia mamma stopped me from plucking a + flower; she said it looked so pretty growing. Another time a beetle + flew and alighted somewhere; mamma said, "It is so glad that it is + alive, don't hurt it." + + 'I am a good deal distressed to see the boys in the market-place. + They steal just as much as ever they can from the sellers of straw + and fuel, pluck out handfuls from the bundles and run away not at + all ashamed. If the owner does not chase them they get off with it. + If he throws down his load and runs after them they drop the + plunder, the owner picks it up, and no more is said about it. + + 'In summer little naked boys follow people carrying fruit in open + baskets and steal it as they can: it all seems so dishonest, and no + one seems to care. On the street lots of people will see a thief + stealing a man's pipe and never say a word, because it is not their + business.' + + 'I often think of you and pray for you. You do not forget mamma, I + am sure. She is with Jesus. Be you His lads, and do your lessons + well, and He'll guide you all through life. Be diligent and careful + lads, and you'll grow up useful and honoured men. Constantly tell + Jesus all your affairs. + + 'Goodbye meantime, my boys. + 'Much love from your affectionate Father, + 'JAMES GILMOUR.' + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +CLOSING LABOURS + + +James Gilmour remained in Great Britain less than eight months. The +society of his boys was a great delight to him. He rejoiced in renewed +intercourse with relatives and old friends. His religious convictions +and his own spiritual life deepened still more. He went to a +considerable number of meetings to speak on missionary work and needs, +and he everywhere produced a great impression. + +Referring to this visit, and especially to his intercourse with the +boys, a near relative writes:-- + +'It was a time full of interest and pleasure. What a variety of moods, +from the frolicsome to the pathetic, he displayed! But evidently his +wife's death had laid hold upon his very soul, and there seemed so much +more of sadness and tenderness than on his former visit, when he had +enjoyed her bright companionship. On one occasion, referring to a +medical missionary who had brought his wife home from China hopelessly +ill, and who was expecting the end, he said: "Eh, man, he little knows +the _terrible_ dark valley he has to come through, and if Christ is not +with him he will be undone!" He spoke the words as though he were again +going through his own agony, and then added: "But if Christ is with him +he will come out of it with victory, and Christ will be dearer. But he +has _no_ idea what he has to face, though he thinks he has." + +'He had looked forward to spending part of his time with his sons at +Millport, where he had spent June and July 1883 with his wife and boys +on his former visit. So we went there for a month, and they had a good +time boating, and walking, and reviving old memories of the happy home +circle. The thought of reunion was always made prominent. The boys must +ever remember his earnest efforts to lead their thoughts heavenward, and +they do think of heaven as a very real place. + +'While at Millport he spent several nights in pasting up texts on every +place likely to catch the eye; on stones and gateways and fences all +round the island. He felt he must work while time was granted to him. I +had noticed him making paste, but thought nothing of it. I had heard the +sound of a softly closing door at midnight, but thought it must be +fancy. It had gone to my heart to feel his icy cold hand when he gave me +his morning greeting. I noticed the little texts pasted up, but never +thought of them as his work till the next day, when he began to make +more paste, and then the whole thing came to me like a flash. I begged +him with tears not to go out in the cold night air, and said that I knew +God would rather have him stay in his warm comfortable bed and get well +and strong. He answered so kindly: "Sister, it pains me to grieve you." +But he finished his work nevertheless. + +'He was always wonderfully considerate, and grateful for any attention. +Sometimes, when he saw me unusually tired, he would go and get an extra +pillow and make me rest on the sofa, or when we came to the table he +would place me in a comfortable chair and pour out the tea himself, or +he would say: "Sister, take a cup yourself first, then you will be able +to help us." + +'On the day before he left us to return to China he really said his +farewell. We had finished dinner, and when he went out he stood and +looked in through the window at the happy faces still around the table. +He threw a kiss, and then his feelings overcame him, his lip quivered, +the tears came to his eyes, and he hastened away. Later in the day, when +I was speaking hopefully of seeing him again, he answered: "I shall see +your face no more." + +'I know he felt very much giving up the comforts of civilised life, but +he set his face to it. It touched me much the last evening he was with +us, when, after I had to remind him two or three times of some business +it was needful for him to attend to before he would go, he said: "I can +hardly drag myself away from this bright cosy scene." + +'His was a rarely sensitive soul. It pained him to hear any one speaking +evil of another. I have seen him turn deadly pale when he has heard any +one impute a wrong motive. He longed for more of the spirit of Christ +among men. How he longed, too, for more workers in the Mission field! +Many a time he would say, after a walk through Hamilton on a Saturday +evening: "Just think! In a little town like this there are men preaching +at every other street corner, and I am alone in all of those hundreds of +square miles in Mongolia! What you people are thinking of I cannot +imagine!"' + +In a correspondence which he conducted with the daughter of one of his +former professors there is very much that reveals how deep and strong +his religious life had become, and how he had noted the current of +renewed spirituality which is evident now in all sections of the +Evangelical Church. + +From this correspondence we have been permitted to cull some beautiful +and helpful passages. + + + 'Glasgow: November 18, 1889. + + 'May He Himself lead you into closer and closer communion with Him, + and give you in very full measure His joy and His peace! For myself + and for you, I pray that we may be more captivated with Him and His + friendship. You know, I suppose, No. 565, "In the Secret of His + Presence," in the 750 edition of Sankey. No. 328, "O Christ, in + Thee my soul hath found," is one I like too, as being the + expression of partly experience and partly aspiration. He is truly + the true source of true satisfaction. May we be led to trust Him + more largely in all the things of our lives! I am sure, too it will + be the things where we have trusted Him most and been most + consecrated in His service that we shall value most when we look + back on life from the end. May you be largely satisfied with His + blessing and Himself!' + + + 'November 20, 1889. + + 'I wonder if your experience is anything like mine--that I have + often got less benefit than I had hoped from special withdrawals + from common surroundings to get more into the presence of the Lord. + One or two prominent instances of this have happened to me. I am + glad He can be found anywhere, and that He is easy of access always + with favourable or unfavourable surroundings. + + 'About feeling--never mind that at all. Things are so whether we + feel them or not. Let us take God at His word, and not consider + our feelings. God refuses no one who comes to Him in sincerity. Let + us be sure of this. I once heard Spurgeon say a good thing: "When + doubts or the devil comes and says, 'You are not saved; you are not + right with God,' I go to Him and say, 'If I never came before, I + come now; if I never trusted before, I trust now.'" That cuts off + all doubts about the present as standing on the past, and gives a + fresh start. + + 'All over the kingdom there is a hunger and thirst among many for a + life of greater nearness to God; a feeling not only of the need of + God being more of a daily, hourly reality and factor in our life, + but that without Him more real and present life is not a + satisfactory thing. When this feeling takes possession of one, we + do not need to give up things as denying ourselves for Christ, so + much as that we are changed in attitude towards many things. We + drift away from them. Things that were gain to us we count loss for + Christ. Our aims are different. May our lives be more fully taken + captive thus! To a life lived thus, death is not a breaking off of + anything; it is an enlargement of sphere.' + + + 'Hamilton: December 5, 1889. + + 'All I know about the process is just going to God and telling what + I want, and asking to be allowed to have it. "Seek, and ye shall + find; ask, and ye shall receive." I know no secret but this.... God + understands His scholars, and knows how to teach each one. + Different scholars may require different ways. We may trust + ourselves in His hands, only let us be earnest students. I have at + different times been quite surprised how a book, or a friend, or a + remark conveying just the teaching needed at the time has been + brought into my way. Yes, none teach like Him.' + + '_December 25, 1889._--Oh that we may be more completely given over + and up to Him to be used at His pleasure and as He pleases! Oh for + more faith in Him! My lads are, I think, enjoying themselves; I + commit them to Him; but eh!' + + '_January 1, 1890._--Just returned with my two lads after a day + spent in London seeing my ship, the "Peshawur". The ship is full. + My berth is not in a good place--but it is not bad, after all, and + it is not for long.... You'll have lots of need of wisdom, and + Jesus is made unto us wisdom as well as other things.... He'll + teach you all right. Don't let us refrain for fear we make + mistakes. The greatest mistake we could make would be to do + nothing.... + + 'Everyone is amazed to see me look so well. It is remarked on all + round. I feel remarkably well too.... + + 'May God be pleased to use me in His service!' + + +His heart was in Mongolia. At the very earliest moment which the medical +authorities and the Directors of the London Missionary Society would +sanction he returned. He sailed for China on January 9, 1890. As the +steamer was running down the English Channel he wrote a letter to an old +college friend just returning to England whom he had not seen for twenty +years, and whom he was very sorry to miss:-- + + 'In answer to yours of November 19 I directed an envelope to you + long ago. It has lain in my writing-case ever since, often seen but + always taken precedence of by the thing that stepped in before. + Now's your turn. I'm sorry you'll not see me in England. I sailed + yesterday My health has been restored, and I am off again. + + 'You say you want reviving--Go direct to Jesus and ask it straight + out, and you'll get it straight away. This revived state is not a + thing you need to work yourself up into, or need others to help + you to rise into, or need to come to England to have operated upon + you--Jesus can effect it anywhere, and does effect it everywhere + whenever a man or woman, or men and women ask it. Ask and ye shall + receive. + + 'My dear brother, I have learned that the source of much blessing + is just to go to Jesus and tell Him what you need. I am delighted + to hear you say you need blessing, because I know there is plenty + and to spare with Jesus. Oh for an outpouring on all parts of the + L.M.S. missions! + + 'There is so much that I would like to say that it is hardly worth + while beginning to say anything; so I'll simply commend you to + Jesus in all His fulness.' + +On January 21, 1890, when nearing Port Said, he wrote:-- + + 'We have excellent company on board. Never had such a very pleasant + voyage. Some of the First Salooners come to our Bible readings. + Those who are unfriendly to Christianity are careful to give no + cause of offence and are polite. So far our voyage has been an + exquisite picnic. Knowing well what is before us, we still rejoice + in the present Elim and calmly trust for the future. I went on + board with a "tremendous cold." So did two or three others. Mine, + as I expected, went with the exposure.... No one teaches like Him + who also was the first of preachers. In daily, hourly, humble + communication with Him you will want for no wisdom and for no + guidance and for no shepherding. Rejoice in that you have Him to + manage everything for you.' + +He reached Peking on March 14, 1890, and on March 24 started again for +Mongolia. He entered upon his last spell of work with a good heart and +with high hopes. Dr. Smith was to be his medical colleague. While in +England Mr. Gilmour had visited Cheshunt College, and had there fired +the heart of Mr. Parker with the desire and purpose of being his +colleague. He was looking forward to his speedy arrival. During his +absence in England Dr. Smith had paid one brief visit to Mongolia by +himself, and another, still briefer, in the company of the Rev. T. +Bryson of Tientsin. Meanwhile the work had been going on slowly and +steadily under the care of the native helper, Mr. Liu, and of some of +the converts. We now follow the story of this last year's work as it is +told in Mr. Gilmour's letters and reports. On May 9, 1890, he wrote to +the Rev. R. Wardlaw Thompson:-- + + 'I have been all over the district, spending a month at Ch'ao Yang. + There we were privileged to baptize four adults, one a woman, and + one child, all Chinese. Two of these were young men who have been + under instruction for eight or nine months, and are very pleasing + cases indeed. The other two were a man and his wife, who is the + first woman who has had courage to be baptized in this district. + These last are an outcome of the medical work. They live in a small + hamlet where the first beginning of an interest in Christianity + took its rise from a man who came to me in the market-place with a + bad sore in his leg, which had been caused by a wound from his own + harvest sickle. The sore was cured, and friendly relations sprung + up with the whole hamlet, and I am thankful to hear that, though + only one family has put away its idols, all the neighbours are + friendly. + + 'In Ch'ao Yang there are several inquirers. Some of the Christians + give great satisfaction, others are not so satisfactory. One man, a + Christian, tells me that his wife was possessed by an evil spirit, + and to please her and cure her he had to allow the re-establishment + of the worship of that spirit for her benefit. No sooner was this + done than the woman was cured! Such things are firmly believed in + by the Chinese. + + 'A most pleasing incident in our experience at Ch'ao Yang was a + visit from a well-to-do farmer who lives some twenty li from the + town. He has been friendly and an inquirer from the first. He has + made no profession of Christianity, but says he reads his New + Testament regularly, and prays. He has also taught two men in his + neighbourhood. The one is a carpenter. The other is a farmer. They + know the Catechism, observe the Sunday, and meet with Mr. Feng for + worship. Both of these men we saw, and their story seems true. Feng + came and spent a day with us. I asked him why he did not make an + open profession of Christianity. His reply was that he lives with + his parents, as all Chinese do, and that he cannot arrange his + house disregarding them, who with his wife and children are still + heathen. He has been able only partially to do away with idols in + his own house. Outside too of his own house heathen pressure is so + great that, he says, were he to join Christianity it would be no + use for him to live! He says he lacks the courage single-handed to + meet all the persecution that would descend on him were he + baptized. Meantime he is instructing those about him in the hope, + apparently, that were there several together they could better + stand the trouble. It is an interesting case, but not at all + satisfactory. My hope about him is that, if he keeps conversant + with the Word of God, the Spirit may give him no rest till he has + courage to take his stand and make his confession. + + 'We had a splendid month in the market-place. Chinese and Mongols + in plenty, both to preach to and to heal. One Mongol betrayed a + most intimate and full knowledge of Christianity. The drought gave + good opportunity of speaking of many things, and in most cases we + had respectful attention. It was a _hard_ month's work. Seven till + noon or a little after was our market time; the afternoon private + patients, the evening inquirers, makes a very long day, which + begins at daylight and does not end till after the second watch of + the night has been set. The Chinese usually secure a rest just + after noon, but frequently just then some patient would turn up, + and put an end to quiet. In most cases the strain is relieved by + holidays through rain and storm; but even this was wanting this + time, so we had almost uninterrupted work. + + 'I am more than ever eager to have the medical work given over to a + medical man. One day in Ch'ao Yang a man came swaggering across the + open space in the marketplace. People pointed towards him and + laughed. He was laughable, the ridiculous part of him being a straw + hat which was an imitation, caricature rather, of a foreigner's + hat. I could not help laughing. It was no laughing matter, though. + He was a messenger from the cavalry camp just outside the town. He + had come to take me to treat two soldiers who had received + bullet-wounds in an encounter with Mongolian brigands. I had never + seen a bullet-wound in my life, but I knew I could do more for the + wounded men than any Chinese doctor; so I went. The wounds were + then forty-eight hours old, and I dressed them as best I could, + paying a daily visit for about a fortnight. Two wounds, though + deep, were merely flesh; with these I had no difficulty. The third + was a bone complication. I knew nothing of anatomy, had no books, + absolutely nothing to consult; what could I do but pray? And the + answer was startling. The third morning, when in the market-place + attending to the ordinary patients, but a good deal preoccupied + over the bone case, which I had determined should be finally dealt + with that day if possible at all, there tottered up to me through + the crowd a _live skeleton_, the outline of nearly every bone quite + distinct, covered only with yellow skin, which hung about in loose + folds. I think I see him yet--the chin as distinctively that of a + skeleton as if it had bleached months on the plain. The man was + about seventy, wore a pair of trousers, and had a loose garment + thrown over his shoulders. He came for cough medicine, I think; if + so, he got it; but I was soon engaged fingering and studying the + bone I had to see to that afternoon. I was deeply thankful, but + amidst all my gratitude the thing seemed so comical that I could + not help smiling, and a keen young Chinaman in the crowd remarked, + in an under tone, "That smile means something." So it did. It + meant, among other things, that I knew what to do with the wounded + soldier's damaged bone; and in a short time his wound was in a fair + way of healing. I was and am very thankful; but, after all, I am + more impressed than ever with the fact that things are badly out of + joint when there are lots of Christian doctors at home, and abroad + too, and I, knowledgeless, am left to do the doctoring in a large + district like this quite beyond the reach of medical help, not only + for the natives but even for myself should I need it. + + 'A grim commentary on these wounds was the fact that in leaving + Ch'ao Yang I was to pass through a brigand-infested district--so + badly infested that travellers have abandoned the road. As saith + the Scripture, "The highways were unoccupied, and the travellers + walked through byways." I had avoided this road twice, and was + ashamed to avoid it again, so we went straight through it. We saw + no one to harm us, but a week ago it was just as likely that I + should to-day have been lying on a Chinese kang, trying to dress my + own wounds, as that I should have been sitting here writing to you. + + 'I am at present waiting for Dr. Smith, whose last word to me, + dated Tientsin, April 9, was that I should either see him or hear + from him here between June 6 and 12. + + 'Yesterday, Sunday, June 8, had a pleasant day. The three + Christians here have grown. Two of them have been through a good + deal of trouble and stood it well. The farmer, who has been very + ill, guessing we would be here, came in and spent the day with us. + They seem very earnest.' + +The beneficial result of the home visit of 1889 was very evident at this +time. It had arrested the 'running down,' from which he had severely +suffered. It had enabled him to renew old friendships, and to form new +ones. His wholehearted devotion to the difficult work of his life and +the wonderful intensity and depth of his faith had touched the hearts of +many faithful men and women at home, who gladly responded to his +oft-repeated request, 'Pray for me and for the conversion of the Chinese +and the Mongols.' He renewed his interest in the broad current of the +world's life. We have seen how some years previously he gave up all +reading but the Bible. Now, while he studied the Bible with all his old +eagerness, he had various newspapers sent to him, he rejoiced in the +receipt of books sent by friends--especially those bearing upon the +culture of the soul--and he kept his eye upon the religious and social +movements of the day. + +The selections from his correspondence which follow illustrate these +changes in him. He modified his mode of life in Mongolia. Having given +up vegetarianism on his homeward voyage he did not resume it upon his +re-entrance on Mongol life. He remained a total abstainer, and his +hatred of opium, whisky, and tobacco continued as strong as ever, +although he did not now make abstinence from the two latter a test of +Church membership. He reserved more of the Sunday as a day of rest, +taking only the religious services with the Christians and inquirers, +and not, as formerly, setting up his tent on the street. The old +careworn look disappeared, his form regained much of its former life and +spring, and his face filled out, his smile resumed the brightness of +old, and the voice came back to a good deal of its early clearness. All +these evidences of a change for the better served to augur many years of +happy work. In a letter to a friend he playfully alludes to the twenty +or thirty years of labour yet remaining, and he often--half in jest and +half in earnest--asserted that life in the interior was so healthy that +he should probably outlive his fellow-workers at Tientsin and Peking. + +By the mail that conveyed the letter quoted on page 263 he also wrote to +an Edinburgh friend:-- + + 'Do you know Adolphe Monod's _Farewell_? It was sent to me lately + by Rev. C. New, of Hastings, an old Cheshunt fellow-student. I have + enjoyed it all, but most, I think, chapter xii., "Of Things not + seen." A volume of sermons, entitled _The Baptism of the Spirit, + and other Sermons_, by Mr. New, I have enjoyed intensely. To the + meek child-like spirit desiring the sincere nourishing of the Word + nothing, I think, could be more helpful.... If ever you send a book + to the boys, let it be one that will do their souls good. + + 'I may be filling my life too full, but between medical work and + spiritual work I have barely time to sleep, and I find that, for + any hope of continuance of work, I must have time to sleep. For the + last month I have been getting up at 4.30 A.M., and our evening + worship and after conversation was not over till, say, 9 or 9.15 + or 9.30, or even, once or twice, till 10 P.M. Then it would take us + some time to square up the day's affairs, and spread out my + bedding. In the daytime I used to bolt my door, determined on an + hour's quiet; but often this was in vain. I would hear some poor + cultivator come for medicine; he had a long way to go home, and I + could not but let him in and attend to him. + + 'Yesterday, as no one knew we were here, I escaped at 5.30 and made + for the hot springs, twelve miles away. I walked there and back, + and in consequence to-day am lame on my feet--badly blistered. I + had a grand day--so quiet. Going, I sat down behind a mud wall and + read the four first chapters of Hebrews. Arrived, I had my bath, + then got an empty room in an inn, had sleep, dinner, tea, and read + the rest of Hebrews. I never saw so much in Hebrews before.... On + the road I had a four-mile conversation with a farmer, who finally + said he believed Christianity was true. We have baptized six in all + since I returned, five adults and one child--_all Chinese_. "Be not + weary in well-doing. In due time we shall reap, if we faint not." + We are on God's side. God has need of us. Oh let us be such as God + can take pleasure in! Faithfulness and love to Him are what He + wants. Surely we can let Him have these two. Oh that it might be + that everyone in every contact with us might feel the spiritual + touch! Would not this be ideal Christian life? May He work it in + us! + + 'Have you been to any Salvation Army efforts? I always felt better + for going, but latterly did not go much--I could not stand the + "row." I am eager that you should identify yourself with some + soul-saving agency. If it really is a soul-saving concern, I don't + think it matters very much what it is.' + +On July 21, 1890, he wrote to the same friend:-- + + 'Since July 3 we have had most extraordinary weather for this + part--rain and dull; there have been only four or five days when I + could go on to the street with my tent. I am therefore not so busy. + In addition, Dr. Smith has joined me, and as he does all the indoor + medical work, I am still less busy, and so I can write you more at + leisure than usual. + + 'The rain reached a climax on Saturday night, July 19. Till then, + roofs and walls held out well. There were leaks in places, but + nothing serious. We thought it had cleared off. Not a bit of it. + The wind changed, it is true, but then rain came down in torrents, + the ceilings--all reeds and paper--began to give way. Ever and anon + splash came a bag of water, as the paper burst in different places, + and Dr. Smith and I had a lively time of it shifting our boxes and + bedding to dry spots. By dusk it was serious. I was just about my + wits' end when a Chinaman put his head into my room, and said with + a grin, half in jest, half in earnest, "There is a tent standing + idle out in that room, why not put it up in your room?" The idea of + putting up a tent in your bedroom seemed so absurd that we had a + good laugh over it; but after thinking over it awhile, and thinking + out how the thing could be done, we actually did it. It covered + two-thirds of my kang, and a little space on the floor where I put + my boxes. The inner corner of the tent I put up to cover my stock + of books and medicines, lit my lamp, brewed a pot of tea, and, + squatting on my feet, called in Dr. Smith. He said I looked "just + like an opium-smoker." Dr. Smith had a portable iron bedstead. On + the top he put floor mats and a waterproof, and, without + undressing, we went to bed. After a little a great crash was heard. + Some part of the buildings had come down. In the rain and dark it + was not easy to see what it was, but we at last found there had + been more noise than real damage. We were thankful when day + dawned. + + 'The Chinese suffered much more than we did. Such a rain happens so + seldom--once in three or four or five years--that houses are not + roofed to resist it; the Chinese deeming it cheaper to take the + wetting than to spend the extra money it would take to make the + house stand such an extra rain. + + 'In the wet weather I have been going into the Chinese Psalms, and + have been much struck with the happy state of those who "fear the + Lord," "trust in the Lord," and who, under a variety of + expressions, are described as being on the Lord's side, and under + His protection. + + 'And all these promises we can take for ourselves. Did you see in + _The Christian_ some time ago a story from Annan, of an old woman + who was on the point of being sold out for not paying her rent? She + had no money. Her son was in America. A neighbour, thinking it + strange that her son had not sent her money, asked to see her + letters. There was one with a Post-office Order for 7_l._ 10_s._ in + it. She had had it for some time, but thought it was only a + picture. When cashed she was in funds. Wasn't she a stupid old + woman? To be bankrupt, with an uncashed P.O. Order in her + possession! How often we are much more stupid than she! To be + fearful, anxious, troubled, cast down, when we have all the + promises of God in our possession, ready for our use. + + 'Let us cash our cheques. Nay, we have not only God's promises, but + God Himself for our portion. Why should we be spiritually bankrupt? + + 'Another thing I notice is the difference subjective states make in + reading the Psalms. Sometimes I go over a Psalm and see little in + it. At another time I go over the same Psalm and find it full of + richness. How important it is to have the light of the Holy Spirit + in our Scripture reading!' + + '_July 30._--The little _Wordless Book_ you sent soon fell into the + hands of a Chinese convert, who asked to be allowed to carry it + off. He wants to speak from it. He likes it because it gives him + _carte blanche_, and lets him say just what he likes.... + + 'How full the Psalms are! These days I am going through them in + Chinese, as I said; I take one each morning and commit some verses + of it carefully. Then, during the day, as time permits, I read a + few more. How one the soul of man is! When dull and cold and dead, + and feeling as if I could not pray, I turn to the Psalms. When most + in the spirit, the Psalms meet almost all the needs of expression. + And yet deluded men talk of the Bible as the outcome of the Jewish + mind! The greatest proof of the Divine source of the book is that + it fits the soul as well as a Chubb's key fits the lock it was made + for.... Now I am off to the street with my tent.' + + + 'Mongolia: July 28, 1890. + + 'My dear Meech,--Dr. Smith came here July 2. The rains set in + immediately on his arrival, and we _have_ had it since. The + spiritual rain has not come yet, nor are there any signs of it. + When it does come may it come like the physical rain! Glad to see + you have been having some. May you have much more! Make the valley + full of ditches, brother, and then look out for the flood. Do you + think we'll be able to go up to Him at last and say, "We did our + part, but you did not do yours, Lord"? Eh, man! Elijah called down + fire with a short prayer, but his servant made six vain journeys to + the summit only to return with the discouraging news--nothing. May + the good Lord, who knows our frame and remembers we are dust, give + us a little now and again, at any rate, if only to keep us going + meantime! Eh, man! there will be no lack on His part. He'll shine + up all right, not only to perform, but to succour His servants who + trust in Him.' + + + 'July 28, 1890. + + 'My dear Owen,--I know worry should be an unknown element in a + believer's experience. I am eager to have done with it. I thank Him + for much of its absence. But dissatisfaction with the present state + of things is not worry, but legitimate soul-longing, and the death + of that would be a bad thing. + + 'I can hardly tell how I am; Since Dr. Smith came I have taken + little note of inward things or outward either. It is very pleasant + to have him here, and as the best sign of digestion is not to know + one has a stomach or a digestion, is the best sign of spiritual + health not to know one has a soul at all? I wonder is this so? His + presence has made a difference. Duty has kept me living quietly in + good lodgings, with only such work as I can easily do without any + over-rush, and the prospect of another month like it! I fear I am + not such company to him as he is to me. + + 'We have had terrible rains; the rivers were not crossed for five + or six days, and, even after that, two men were swept away on two + separate days--four men, in all, from this one town alone. + + 'I know you pray for us here. Eh, man! if the thing would move, if + the rain would come! "_As the eyes of servants_," etc. (Psalms + cxxiii., cxxvi.). I often read these Psalms together. And then I + think what would please me best as a master would be to see my + servant going ahead, energetically, and faithfully, and loyally + with his work, not moping about downcast. Then is not this what God + wants in us? So here goes cheerily and trustfully.' + + + 'August 10, 1890. + + 'I cannot say God gives me all the victories I want, but He keeps + me in peace and faith, and that is not a little thing. My + devotional reading lately has taken the form of the Chinese Psalms, + and Schereschewsky's high Chinese notwithstanding (for which may he + be forgiven), they are very refreshing and strong. How like are the + heart-longings and soul-breathings of the old Judean hunted + outlaw--brigand, if you like to call him so--to the heart and soul + feelings of the educated Occidental of the nineteenth century! Poor + old Moses, another outlaw, what a battered old life he led, but + what a grand soul, and how wonderfully he outlived it all, and was + quite hale when called to die! How his people troubled him!--so + like the Chinese. Fancy Moses going up the mountain to die alone. + It is so nice to have a later glimpse of him in the New Testament + alongside of Elijah, who too was once under a cloud. God does not + keep up things. "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath + He removed our transgressions from us." Love to all. + + 'JAMES GILMOUR.' + + + 'Ch'ao Yang, August 19, 1890. + + 'My dear Sons,--I have just got here after a very hard journey of + four days. It is summer and the rains are on; the roads are very + bad. + + 'Our first adventure was in a deep narrow gully going up a + mountain. We met a cart coming down. There was no room to pass and + no room to turn back. What were we to do? One of the carts had to + be pulled up the bank. Neither would go up. Both carters sat and + looked at each other. Our cart was heavy, the other cart was light. + After looking at each other awhile the other cart was pulled up and + our carter helped him down again after we had passed. + + 'Our next adventure was in a river. The leading mule sank in a + quicksand. The carter, shoes and all, jumped into the water; in a + few seconds I had stripped all but a cinglet and pants, and was in + the river too. We got out after a little while. + + 'Next day we stuck in a quagmire. We hitched the mules to the tail + of the cart, pulled it out, then dug a new road in the side of the + ravine and got past. + + 'The third day we upset our cart in a very muddy place early in the + morning, and got caught in a thunder-shower in the afternoon. The + fourth day we stuck in a mud-hole half a mile from the end of our + journey, and when we got to our inn found our rooms in possession + of a crowd of people doing a wedding. + + 'One thing made the journey very pleasant: it was this. Just as we + were starting, one of the Christians, a Chinese farmer, but a man + who is poor and dresses and eats very poorly, came and gave me two + tiao, about 3_s._ 2_d._, to give to God. I was so glad to see him + do it, and no doubt God was glad too. Then at the end of the + journey, when we were stuck in the mud-hole and could not get out, + up came one of the Christians, took off his stockings and shoes, + went into the mud and helped us out. The country was very beautiful + all the way--just at its best.' + +In a letter to another correspondent he depicts what is involved in +Chinese travelling during the wet season:-- + + 'The last thing we had to do was to make a journey of eighty miles. + You would soon do that in England. Here, in August, it is no easy + matter. It is just the time when, on account of the rains, no one + should travel, and no one does travel who can help it. Carts would + not go. I had to find my way home from a cart inn the night before + we started along a newly rained-on muddy Chinese street in the + dark. Next day I had much brightness shed on the journey by one of + the Chinese Christians--a poor man with, oh, so poor a + coat--giving a donation to print Christian books. It amounted to + about $1.00 (one dollar) in all, but it meant a lot of self-denial + to him; and as I passed, a little later, the drought-parched + district where he lived, and looked at the poor fields, I wondered + where he got the money. I suppose God gave him the heart to give + it. Starting a journey with such a bit of light made it cheery. + + 'We travelled at those eighty miles four days, and rested one + Sabbath, five days in all. Within three-quarters of a mile of the + end of our journey our cart stuck in a mud-hole. We had passed, + shortly before, the cottage of a Christian, and, after we had been + some half-hour or more in that hole, this Christian suddenly + appeared on the scene. He is a great fellow for being neat and + clean. In a few moments he was in the mud, ordering about the + carter, shouting at the mules, and lifting at the stern of the + cart. Even the mules felt there was some new factor added to the + problem. They made a new effort and out the cart came. Would you + credit it? A cart had been upset there some days before; it was + said they had lost some thirty shillings in silver. The natives, + hoping to find the money, literally dug up the highway and left a + pit there. We did not know this, thought it was an ordinary pool, + and drove straight into it. The Christian touch at the beginning of + the journey, and the little Christian adventure at the end, made + the journey and its remembrance quite pleasant. + + 'I am now reading Moule's _Veni Creator_, which came a few days + ago. What helps me most just at present is the Psalms. I take a few + verses every morning (almost), and learn off the Chinese + translations of them. I never knew there was so much in the Psalms + before. I believe that even at the end of a long life, this + (discovery of more and more in God's Word) will hold true of all + the Bible, and then for the beyond there is the Inexhaustible + Himself--satisfaction for the present and plenty for the future. + + 'The endless sorrows and sufferings of this people here come home + much to me. I see much of their bodily suffering, and in some + feeble measure bear their sorrows and carry their griefs without + being able to relieve them much. How dead and dark they are to + things spiritual!' + +Dr. Smith, who spent some weeks with Mr. Gilmour during this summer, has +sent the following most interesting sketch of his daily life at this +period. They were together for the most part at Ta Ss[)u] Kou. + + 'He always got up at daylight, folded up bedding, and then began + reading. About six a man arrived, selling hot millet and bean + porridge. He bought two bowls of this for early breakfast. He + continued reading Chinese, generally aloud; and when he came to a + difficult word he repeated it again and again, in order to impress + it upon his memory. About eight he had breakfast, consisting of + Chinese rolls and a cup of cocoa. + + 'At nine he went to the street with his tent, Mr. Liu, the native + preacher, accompanying him. One of the inn-servants assisted the + latter in carrying tent and medicine boxes and in erecting same. + The tent was erected in a broad street at the back of our inn, + where a daily market was held. The medicine boxes were placed on a + little table, in front of which stood a wooden form and another at + the side. The patients were seated on these. Any difficult cases + were sent to the inn to be treated by me. On the table were also a + number of copies of various tracts and portions of Scripture. Mr. + Gilmour dispensed medicines, talked and preached as the opportunity + offered. + + 'About one he returned to the inn, and had dinner, consisting of + meat, etc., which was bought at a Chinese cook-shop. About three + we generally took a walk to the country. We used to go out to look + at the various crops, and Mr. Gilmour would chat away to one and + another whom we met on the road. He was generally recognised, and + in the most friendly way. I have a very pleasant recollection of + these times; often our conversation would turn to home, to our boys + and friends. Sometimes he would tell me about his student friends, + while at other times he used to tell me of his deputation work at + home, and about the various people he had met there. + + 'Often a gentleman would come up and ask, "Where are you going?" to + which Mr. Gilmour would reply, "We are cooling ourselves; we are + going nowhere." It was always a mystery to people what we could + possibly mean by taking walks to the country. One day two lads + followed us for some miles across some low hills, anxious to know + our business, and getting well laughed at by their friends, poor + fellows, on their return to the town. + + 'One thing about Mr. Gilmour always impressed me deeply--his + wonderful knowledge of the little touches of Chinese politeness, + and his wonderful power of observation. He loved the + Chinese--looked upon them and treated them as brothers, and was a + man who lived much in prayer; and in this lay his great power as a + missionary. + + 'When he met a Mongol he would exchange a few words of Mongol with + him, and it was wonderful to see the man's face light up as he + heard his own tongue. All the Mongols knew that he could speak + their language, and as one of the few who did. + + 'As we returned to the town and were walking along the street, many + of the passers-by would bow; and here and there a shopkeeper would + give him a friendly bow. Sometimes he would buy a few peaches or + apples, and not unfrequently he would give a sweetmeat vendor two + cash for two sweets, handing one to me. + + 'About half-past four we returned to the inn, and then, as a rule, + some people would be there waiting to see him. Mr. Sun, the + box-maker, used often to come to read the Scriptures with Mr. + Gilmour, and then they would discuss various points; Mr. Sun giving + his opinion, and then Mr. Gilmour putting him right. Sometimes an + outsider would drop in, and then, not unfrequently, Mr. Sun would + talk to him about the Gospel. + + 'About six Mr. Gilmour had some cocoa and bread. At the time of the + lighting of the candles Mr. Gilmour had made it a rule for the + Christians to assemble for evening prayers, and, accordingly, they + all turned up then. A Chinese table was placed in the centre of Mr. + Gilmour's room, and three wooden forms were placed round the table + for the accommodation of the preacher and the Christians. Mr. + Gilmour and I used to sit on chairs at the vacant side of the + table. On the table stood two Chinese candlesticks, each surmounted + by a Chinese candle. A Chinese candle is made from the castor bean, + and is fixed to the candlestick by running the iron pin on the + latter into a hollow straw in the end of the candle. Then we also + had a Chinese oil lamp. The upper vessel is simply a little + earthenware saucer, containing a little oil, and in it lie some + threads of cotton (a cotton wick). This is made to project over the + edge of the saucer and is then lighted. The lower part of the lamp + is simply an earthenware receptacle, in which the oil for + replenishing the lamp is kept, and, while in use, the little lamp + is supported in it. This often used to remind me of the parable of + the virgins, and in reading that parable by the light of such a + lamp one is able to make it very realistic to Chinamen. + + 'Our evening worship consisted in first singing a hymn, Mr. Gilmour + leading. Then Mr. Gilmour offered up a short prayer; after which we + read a chapter either in the Old or New Testament, reading verse + about. Each man had a copy of the Scriptures. Then Mr. Gilmour + gave a little address on the chapter; after which we had another + prayer--one of the Christians being asked this time. Then another + hymn and the benediction. + + 'Usually one or more of the Christians would remain chatting with + Mr. Gilmour. As soon as they had gone we had a cup of cocoa + together. Then Mr. Gilmour and I used to have evening prayers + together. He used to read a chapter from a little book by Mr. + Moule, and then we both prayed. + + 'After this we used to sit chatting together until bedtime, and so + ended a day.' + +In August 1890 Dr. Smith lost his wife, who as Miss Philip had become +known and beloved by a large number of friends of the London Missionary +Society, both in Great Britain and Australia. He had also become so ill +that the ensuing weakness, together with the great shock of his wife's +sudden loss, compelled him, early in 1891, to return to England on a +visit. Before doing so he was able to take Mr. Parker, the young and +active colleague appointed to assist Mr. Gilmour, out to Mongolia, +reaching Ta Ss[)u] Kou on December 5. Greatly encouraged by the arrival +of his young helper, Mr. Gilmour was grievously disappointed by the +enforced return of Dr. Smith, and the indefinite postponement of the +hospital scheme that was so near to his heart, and upon which he always +asserted, in his judgment, the ultimate success of the mission depended. +But discipline of this kind only drove him back more entirely upon God. +In a letter to Mr. Owen, dated December 29, 1890, he writes:-- + + About myself I have lots to be thankful for. I am mostly in the + light, sometimes very sweetly. Sometimes, though, it is cold and + dark; but I just hold on, and it is all right. Romans viii. I find + good reading in dull spiritual weather, and the Psalms too are + useful. When I feel I cannot make headway in devotion, I open at + the Psalms and push out in my canoe, and let myself be carried + along in the stream of devotion which flows through the whole book. + The current always sets towards God, and in most places is strong + and deep. These old men--eh, man! they beat us hollow, with all our + New Testament and all our devotional aids and manuals. And yet I + don't know. In the old time there were giants--one here and there. + Now there are many nameless but efficient men of only ordinary + stature. + + 'Brother, let us be faithful. That is what God wants. What He + needs. What He can use. I was greatly struck by one saying of Mrs. + Booth's. It will not be so very different there (in heaven) to what + it is here. I guess she is right. I guess there will be differences + of occupation there as here, and I guess that our life here is a + training for life and work there. Oh the mystery! How thin a wall + divides it from us! How well the secret has been kept from of old + till now! May the richest blessings be on you and yours and your + work! + + 'Yours affectionately, + 'JAMES GILMOUR.' + + +The year 1891 found Mr. Gilmour hard at work as usual, in good health +and spirits, and with the hope and apparently the prospect of many years +of service before him. And yet, just as the summer was beginning, he was +called to the presence of the King, and to the perfect work and +fellowship of 'the Church of the firstborn.' Had he been able to choose +his fate he would hardly have wished it other than it was. His work in +Mongolia was steadily growing; slowly, it is true, but yet gaining a +strength and impetus that will abide, and has well begun the conquest of +Mongolia for Christ. Though practically without a medical colleague, and +actually without the hospital for which he had so toiled and prayed, he +was cheered and strengthened by the constant presence and fellowship of +Mr. Parker. His letters are all in a cheery and buoyant strain, and, +although referring not unfrequently to the future life, without a hint +or a suspicion that he was in any degree conscious of the rapid way in +which the days of his earthly life were running out. In a letter to Mr. +Thompson, dated January 7, he says, 'You will be glad to hear I am in +good health and spirits.' + + +To Mr. Owen he wrote on March 2:-- + + 'Does God not mean to have a medical man here? I wonder! Wondering, + I tell Him as I tell you, and try to leave it with Him, and in very + great part _do_ leave it to Him too. It is good to have His calm + mercy and help. How's your soul, brother? I'll tell you how mine + is--eager to experience more of the Almighty power inworking + inside. Eager to be more transformed. Less conformed to the world. + Eager to touch God more, and have Him touch me more, so that I can + feel His touch. + + 'I am distressed at so few conversions here. But again sometimes + very fully satisfied in believing I am trying to do His will. That + makes me calm. I am scared at our property venture, but again trust + in God, and the fears subside. The world to come, too, sometimes + looms up clear as not far distant, and the light that shines from + that makes things seem different a good deal.' + +From other letters that remain we catch glimpses of the course of his +action and thought during these last weeks. During the year 1869 he met +in Edinburgh Mrs. Swan, the widow of one of the pioneers of the Mongol +Mission of 1817 to 1841, and that interview gave the chief direction to +the work of his life. In March 1891 he heard of Mrs. Swan's death, and +he wrote to Miss Cullen, her niece, the following letter:-- + + 'I sent you a post-card acknowledging receipt of your kind letter + of December 10, saying that Mrs. Swan had passed away on November + 22. I had not heard, and just then I had not time to write. I am + now at the east end of my district, three days' journey from where + the mail reached me. + + 'I am much moved to think that letter to me was her last. And there + is a fitness that it should be so. "Baptized for the dead," as the + phrase is. In some sense I am successor to her work, and it was not + out of keeping that her last letter should have been to the field + which all along had such a large place and keen interest in her + heart, where so many more good works found a place. I often think + of all the kindness and friendship I have experienced at her hands, + both on my visits to Edinburgh and through letters. Missionaries + miss such lives much when they are removed. I need not speak to + you, who knew her so well, of what a charming hostess she made, and + of how, even in her old age, all her great and abiding earnestness + had running through it all so much happy Scotch humour. + + 'I had no idea Mrs. Swan was so old. Eighty-one, she did not look + old except about the last time I saw her, and then I had no idea + her age was so great. She has gone; but for many years to come, if + I am spared, I shall from time to time revisit her in her house in + Edinburgh, and see her at the table with the quiet Jane moving + noiselessly around, or see her seated at her desk in the corner, + writing letters. Remember me very kindly to your father--fit + brother for such a sister. Their separation cannot be very long at + the longest. For that matter of it, those of us who are here + longest must soon be gone, and when the going comes, or looms + before us, let us look not at the going, but at the being _there_.' + +Having paid considerable attention to the work and methods of the +Salvation Army, the publication of _In Darkest England_ interested him +greatly, and on March 9 he sent in a letter the following trenchant +criticism, all the more noteworthy because of his strong sympathy with +much in the Army that others find it hard to accept. + + 'Got here Saturday. Had a good Sunday with the Christians. To-day + it snowed, and thus we have had time to put our house in order. I + have read Booth's scheme in the _Review of Reviews_. I am greatly + puzzled. It is _so_ far a departure from Booth's principle of doing + spiritual work only. It reads well, but Booth must know just as + well as I do that much of the theory will never work in practice. + What I dislike most in it is, it is in spiritual things doing + exactly what it attempts to do in secular things--namely, it + threatens to swallow up in a great holy syndicate no end of smaller + charities which have been and are working efficiently. Again, the + finally impenitent are to be cast off. Yes, that is just the rub. + It will leave the good-for-nothings, many of them cast out as + before. Nor will Booth's despotism do in the long run. But I am for + the scheme and for old Booth too; but, nevertheless, there is both + a limit and an end to all despotism and despotisms. But I am more + favourable to the scheme than these words would seem to indicate.' + +Mr. Parker, who bids fair to be a successor after Gilmour's own heart, +in his first report of his experiences in Mongolia gave a bright and +hopeful view of his colleague. + + 'On arriving at Ta Ss[)u] Kou we found Gilmour very well indeed; + looking better than he did when I saw him in England. He was + jubilant over our coming, and it has been a great source of + happiness to me to know that God's sending me here has up till now + given happiness and comfort to one of His faithful servants. I have + had a slight taste of being left alone, and I must confess Gilmour + has had something to endure during the last few years. + + 'We are living in hired rooms of an inn. Gilmour is not in this + courtyard. I have been alone here with my Chinese boy for the last + five weeks (Dr. Smith being in Ch'ao Yang until a few days ago). I + have been unable to get a proper teacher at present. Gilmour's + student has been teaching me. He speaks distinctly. With him I have + made very fair progress. I hope in a few days to secure a proper + teacher. + + 'Another thing which has taught me a good amount of the Chinese I + know is having to give orders to my Chinese boy in house-keeping + generally. I am thankful to God for past experiences in my life, + though they were rather rough; for here I find they come in very + usefully. I had to teach my boy how to cook and do things + generally. It was rather an amusing piece of work, seeing that I + knew nothing of the language. Each order I gave him was a comedy in + two or three acts, all played out in dumb show. In telling him what + I wished purchased I was obliged to imitate sounds which are + peculiar to certain beasts and birds, which when he understood, he + announced that fact by opening wide his eyes and emitting a loud + "Ah!" which was generally followed by the name of the thing + indicated bellowed forth at the top of his voice as if I were + deaf. Also he in turn, when he had anything to tell me, always + stood in the centre of the room and went through a whole + performance. On one occasion, when he wished to tell me that a + certain dog had stolen the day's meat, the performance was so + amusing that, when he had got through, I asked him what he was + trying to say, in order that I might once more see the fun. + + 'Forgive me for taking up your time with such frivolous things. But + I have picked up much of the language in that way, although at the + cost of being grimed with soot and burning my fingers. All that is + now past, and the boy is very useful, and, although now a heathen, + I am hoping that by my influence he may be led to know the love of + Jesus Christ. I am very glad that I came straight out here. I am + sure I shall learn the language (of the _people_, perhaps _not_ of + the _books_) better than in the frontier cities. I am constantly + forced to try and speak. Every day I have some visitors here whom I + must try and entertain. I feel stupid at times with them, and + perhaps they think I am; but, nevertheless, each day's experience + is adding to my vocabulary. And when so learnt, I know that people + will understand me when I speak. + + 'Gilmour is doing a valuable work. Every day he goes to the street + and sets out his table with his boxes of medicines and books. He + has three narrow benches, on one of which he sits, the other two + being for his patients. Of the latter he has any amount, coming + with all the ills to which humanity is heir. It is a busy street, + not of the best repute, for it is where all the traders in + second-hand clothes and dealers in marine stores spread out their + wares. + + 'For some weeks I went out at a certain hour to take care of + Gilmour's stand while he went and got a "refresher" in the shape of + some indigestible pudding made of millet-flour with beans for + plums. He generally left me with a patient or two requiring some + lotion in the eye or some wound to dress. Then I, being a + new-comer and a typical "foreign devil" (being red of hair and in + complexion), always brought a large following down the street with + me, and attracted a great crowd round the stand. At first it was + not pleasant to sit there and be stared at without being able to + speak to them; but after a while I got very interested in the + different faces that came round. On one occasion I noticed the + crowd eagerly discussing something among themselves, giving me a + scrutinising look now and then. Now and again one would turn to his + fellow and rub his finger across his upper lip as if he was feeling + for his moustache. I had only been here a week or so then, and knew + very little of the language; but I listened attentively, and at + last I heard them speaking the Chinese numerals, and then it all + dawned upon me that they were inquiring about and discussing my + age; so I up with my fingers indicating the years of my pilgrimage. + I never saw a crowd so amused. "Ah, ah!" they said, and opened + their eyes, highly delighted that I was able to tell them what they + wanted to know. Then I had my turn, and, pointing to a man here and + there in the crowd, I used what little of Chinese I had in guessing + their ages. + + 'But the sights of misery, suffering, and wretchedness which gather + round Gilmour's stand are simply appalling. His work seems to me to + come nearest to Christ's own way of blessing men. Healing them of + their wounds, giving comfort in sickness, and at the same time + telling them the gospel of Eternal Salvation through Jesus Christ. + One day that I went I found Gilmour tying a bandage on a poor + beggar's knee. The beggar was a boy about sixteen years of age, + entirely naked, with the exception of a piece of sacking for a loin + cloth. He had been creeping about, almost frozen with cold, and a + dog (who, no doubt, thought he was simply an animated bone) had + attacked him. + + 'The people here are desperately poor, and the misery and + suffering one sees crawling through the streets every day is + heart-rending. I have not a doubt that I am in a real mission + field, and thank God that He has given me the opportunity to do + something towards alleviating some of this misery. But what about + the work as regards the saving of souls and establishing of a + Church? I can only speak of the work in Ta Ss[)u] Kou. It is in its + initiatory stage. All the Christians and adherents can sit round + the four sides of my table. But I am highly pleased with them.' + +The letters of this period have a very tender and sacred association for +all who received them, since they reached England after the telegraphic +tidings of James Gilmour's death had brought sorrow to his many friends. +They came, in a sense, like a message from one 'within the veil.' Some +of these refer to the books he was reading, and from which he had +derived benefit; some depict phases of his experience; some bear +directly upon his work and its needs; all possess the solemn value and +are read in the clearer light imparted to them by Death. + +The first was written to one of his brothers. + + 'Do you know _In the Volume of the Book_, by Dr. Pentecost? It is A + 1. I have just read it. It is not a dear book. Read it, man, by all + means. It gives zest to the old Bible. I am reading through the New + Testament at about the rate of a gospel a day, or two epistles. + Rapid reading has advantages. Close study of minute portions has + other advantages. All sorts of reading are valuable. Go for your + Bible, brother. There is no end more in it than ever you or I have + yet seen. I am going for it both in Chinese and English, and it + pays as nothing else does. In Jesus is all _fulness_. Supply + yourself from Him. May the richest blessings be on you from Him! + Heaven's ahead, brother. Hurrah!' + +The next was to the Edinburgh correspondent from whose letters we have +previously taken extracts. + + 'This mail was sent off February 2. It came back the same day. The + man was scared by robbers. He leaves to-morrow. We are well. We are + _idle_. Would you believe it? It is Chinese New Year time, and I + cannot go on the street with my stand. No people: soon will be. We + are thankful for the rest. It won't last long.... Oh, it is good to + have Jesus to tell all to. May He be more of an intimate friend to + you and to me! The troubles of this earthly life are not few. How + many were Paul's! I am reading Farrar's _Life and Work of Paul_. It + puts much new light on the epistles. What a time the man Paul had + of it! Yet he called them "light afflictions." How much lighter are + ours! And the same heaven he looked to is for us--the same + crown--not to him only, but to all who love the appearing of + Christ. You love Him. Rejoice and be glad. I _am_ so glad that the + crown is not only for such as Paul, whom we cannot hope to imitate, + but for those (ii. Timothy iv. 8) who have loved His appearing. We + _do_ that, don't we? May the joy set before us enable us to endure, + when endurance is needed! May your heart rest in Him! May your soul + cling to Him! May His light always shine on your path! May I + always, even in dark days and dark times, have His light in my + heart and soul! Don't regard me as one always on the sunny heights, + but as one often cast down, often in much feebleness, in much + unworthiness, and falling so far short of my own ideal. But it is + good to think that, in Christ, we are perfect, that He makes up + all. + + 'Parker and I read _Holy of Holies_, when together. It is a good + book. Meantime, he and I are three days' journey separate, and may + be so for a month to come yet. I hope he likes it. It is a little + hard on him, but I had to come here on mission business, and, if + needed, will return to him at any time. Looking again at Heb. vi. + 4-6.' + +His correspondent had asked him about this passage. + + 'It is said--it is impossible to "renew them again to repentance." + Does it not seem clear that what is described cannot be the case of + one who has the repentant heart? I think so decidedly, and that + passage has no bearing on the sinner who repents.... No one will + come to harm who commits himself to His keeping. And no one will + lack leading who has God for his guide. If I could only hear of or + from the friends I pray for, that they had given themselves over to + God's keeping, I would be at rest and thankful. You are trusting in + Him. You will not be ashamed. He will take care to supply every + needed blessing at the right time and in the right way. + + 'Some day, I believe we shall stand in Eternity and look back on + Time. How ashamed we then shall be of any want of trust and of any + unfaithfulness! May He help us to look at things now in _that_ + light, and how to do as we then shall wish we had done!... + + 'I would be glad if you would send me half a dozen copies of the + _Wordless Book_. Two copies fell into the hands of robbers and were + thus lost.... + + 'I shall be glad to have the _Life of Faith_. You might mark any + passages that strike you.' + +In a letter to the Rev. J. Paterson, dated April 1, he writes:-- + + 'It helps me much out here to get the best consecrated literature, + and to get it early. Men in the most difficult and dangerous fields + should be the best armed and equipped. Some of these books open up + new treasures to me in God's Word. I do not use them in place of + God's Word, but as openers to the treasures.' + +In almost the last letter from him received by his brother Alexander and +dated April 24, 1891, the following passage occurs:-- + + '_The Practice of the Presence of God_, being conversations and + letters of Brother Lawrence. Please send a copy to yourself, John, + Matthew, Paterson, Miss Gowan, and ten copies to me, charging all + costs to me, of course. It is by a Roman Catholic: don't imitate + his Roman Catholicism, but his practice of the presence of God.' + +In April Mr. Gilmour journeyed to Tientsin, and was unanimously elected +to preside over the annual meeting of the North China District Committee +of the London Missionary Society as chairman. His last communication to +the home Society, with the exception of one brief note upon a matter of +committee business, was a post-card, dated April 20, 1891, received in +London some weeks after the tidings of his death. It runs:-- + + 'Arrived here yesterday. The world keeps shrinking. Left Ta Ss[)u] + Kou Monday 8 A.M. Tuesday noon dined in a border Mongol village, in + a Mongol's inn, served by a Mongol waiter, in presence of a number + of Mongols. Got to London Missionary Society's Compound, Tientsin, + Saturday, 5 P.M. Our headquarters are just five days from the + extended railway. Am in A 1 health, everybody says so here, and + that truly. Meantime am in clover, physically and spiritually. With + prayers for the home end of the London Missionary Society's work. + + 'Yours truly, + 'J. GILMOUR.' + + +Just thirty-one days later he was lying dead in the same compound. How +the interval passed is told by those who enjoyed those closing days of +lofty spiritual fellowship. Had it been foreseen that the end was so +near, the fervour and impressiveness and help of his presence could +hardly have been increased. Before, however, passing to the details of +this last month, the following letters are given _in extenso_ as they +form the last lengthy sketches of his work drawn by his own hand. + + + 'Tientsin, L.M.S.: April 20, 1891. + + My dear Mrs. Lovett,--I guess you are at the bottom of 10_l._ from + Clapham Congregational Church Working Society (Ladies). Ar'n't you? + If so, thanks. If not--I was going to say you ought to be--but my + courage fails me. Anyhow, you can read and please forward the + enclosed with my best thanks to the friends. I got here two days + ago, and am here for a short time. The railway has gone out + eastwards, is still going, and has now a station near me in + Mongolia--near me being five long days' journey; but that is near, + as near and far go here. + + 'I have many grateful and many prayerful remembrances of England + and English friends, and a vivid remembrance of your kindness when + I was with you. My regards to your parents. I hope you and your + husband and children are all well. I heard of Mr. Lovett being in + America--_American Pictures_ on the stocks? + + 'I had intended to write you a nice letter, but it won't come, and + the letter must go as it is. Please read into the remaining blank + sheet all the feelings and good wishes I should express and do + feel, and next time I write you, may it not be in the ebb tide, at + the end of a mail. + + 'Your husband's a Director. I _do_ hope they are sending me a + doctor. If he can do anything in the matter, I wish he would. + + 'Yours, dried up and feeling dumb, + 'JAMES GILMOUR.' + + +Enclosed in the above was the following letter, dated March 10, and +addressed to 'The Clapham Congregational Church Ladies' Working +Society.' + + 'Dear Friends,--Many thanks for your handsome donation (10_l._), + notice of which has reached me last night. I am told you want to + hear from me. All right. I am just back from a month's raid into + Ch'ao Yang. Had a fine time. Good weather and plenty of work in the + marketplace. Baptized four adults, three being women--all Chinese. + It is the day of small things truly, but I am not a little + encouraged, over the women especially. That now makes four + Christian families in Ch'ao Yang or its immediate neighbourhood. + The two wives baptized this time have Christian husbands. It has + all along been our prayer that the unsaved relatives of the saved + might be saved. + + 'Mrs. Chu's husband was baptized a couple of years ago. She + consented to his taking their two children to me to be baptized, + but she herself would have nothing to do with Christianity or + Christ. This time she got over her difficulties. I was much + pleased, especially as she had annoyed her husband a good deal last + year about his having been beaten about his Christianity. She also + had her little child baptized. Pray that God may keep and help them + in all the many complications that will arise on account of their + Christianity, living as they do in a composite family, the ruling + powers of which are heathen. + + 'Mrs. Ning is a model wife. They are poor. Her husband cannot dress + in good clothes, but is always as neat as a virtuous wife, skilful + with her needle, can make him. She mends so neatly. I once + discarded a vest (Chinese) and gave it to her husband. He took it + home, and later on I saw him swelling about in it quite like a neat + old gentleman, though I was almost ashamed to give it him. + + 'They have had family worship in their home for a year or two--they + say. We went to baptize her. It was such a small, poor house, but + so very nice inside. Mother and grown daughters and little girl, + with father and grown son, all sleep on a little brick platform, + hardly big enough for me--one man. She and the grown daughter + support the family by needlework--making horsehair women's head + fittings, which the father sells, when he has nothing more to do. + + 'The son is epileptic and can earn nothing, and is, in addition, a + great eater. He is a good man and a Christian. As we entered, the + son and daughter went out. The mother and little daughter were + baptized. The father did not wish his big daughter baptized. When + she is married she will get a heathen mother-in-law, who will go + for her and make her worship idols. So said the father. In a few + days the father came back, saying that out of fear of the coming + mother-in-law he had not had his daughter baptized, but that his + daughter had pressed him so hard that she was as formidable as the + mother-in-law. The daughter says she'll stick to her God and let + them stick to theirs, and so she was baptized. She has a hot time + before her. Chinese mothers-in-law are no joke. Pray for the lassie + that:--(_a_) she may be steadfast; (_b_) she may be wise; (_c_) she + may be gentle in her resistance; (_d_) enabled by God to endure; + and that the mother-in-law may be restrained. God can do all + things. + + 'Here, in Ta Ss[)u] Kou, two of the Christians have wives very + much opposed to Christianity, and give their husbands hot times. + Remember the husbands, please, and all such in their shoes, in + prayer, and may the darkened women themselves be enlightened. You + have no notion how deeply sunk in superstition the women are. Still + another Christian has a wife whom he has to allow to worship a + weasel, because the woman shows symptoms of being possessed by the + beast if she does not worship it! + + 'The other day a woman came to my stand in the market-place, saying + that "Mr. Yellow" troubled her. "Mr. Yellow" turned out to be the + weasel, and she firmly believed her sickness was due to the beast. + + 'We are badly in want of a lady medical man in this district. Don't + you know of one who would do? Are there none of you who could study + medicine and go out as doctors to some of the many needy places? + Much was hoped for this district from the late Mrs. Smith, but God + took her. Any one who comes here should have good health, and not + fear seclusion from foreign company. I would suggest that a couple + should come, a medical and a non-medical. There is a house which + could be got for such a couple, only I don't see how they could get + on without knowing some Chinese. Perhaps some one of the Peking or + Tientsin ladies already speaking Chinese would volunteer to be a + medical lady's companion. Would that God would stir some of you up! + Meantime, thanks for the money. Thanks also for the prayers which I + take for granted you let us have. You might also pray for a woman + who has a very good, quiet, Christian husband, but herself has such + a temper that she cannot in decency take on a Christian profession. + Eh, man! eh, man! it is curious that I, a widower, should be left + to look after women's souls out here, when lots of women are + competing for men's situations and businesses at home. I guess + things will come right some day, though I may or may not see it. + + 'Very gratefully, + 'Yours sincerely, + 'JAMES GILMOUR.' + + +On May 8 he sent the following note to Mrs. Williams, the wife of the +Rev. Mark Williams of the American Board. Their Society happened to be +holding its annual meeting at the same time in Tientsin as the London +Society. Mr. Gilmour was just entering his fatal illness as he penned +these lines, the last, we believe, that he wrote. They are a beautiful +testimony to the strength of his affection for the Mongols to whom he +and his wife had ministered so well long before, and on whose behalf +they had suffered so much and so deeply. Standing as he was on the +borderland of the heavenly country, he recalls the hard toil of his +early days, and he leaves to those who must carry on to a successful +issue, not only his work, but also the great enterprise of winning all +China for Jesus Christ, this as a last legacy--the fruit of his prayer, +his faith, his toil and his utter self-sacrifice--namely, the conviction +that the need of China is 'good, honest, quiet, earnest, persistent work +in old lines and ways.' + + + 'Tientsin: May 8, Friday. + + 'My dear Mrs. Williams,--Thanks for returning the photos. Not + having delivered them to you personally, I feared that in the + present whirl of people and business they might have been mislaid, + or even not reached you. + + 'It is a great pleasure to see you here at this time. Many memories + of past times and days come up. Though never again likely to see + Kalgan, I often in thought go along its narrow, hard streets, and + its up and down sideways, call in at your house, see all your + faces, even that of the youthful Stephen, and the studious Etta; + and often go up over the Pass into the grass land. + + 'It is like a rest for a little while beside the palms and wells of + Elim to meet you all here. + + 'Your peaceful, happy family fills me with gratitude to God. May He + bless them all (your children), and lead them not only into paths + of peace and pleasantness, but of useful service for Him! You and + your husband seem well. May many useful years of ripely experienced + labour be yours! + + 'Lately, I am being more and more impressed with the idea that what + is wanted in China is not new "lightning" methods so much as good, + honest, quiet, earnest, persistent work in old lines and ways. + + 'With many grateful memories of all old-time Kalgan kindness, and + hoping to see a note from you, or Mr. Williams, say once a year or + so, and with prayers for you and all Kalgan-wards Mongols, + + 'Yours, cheered by the vision of you all, + 'JAMES GILMOUR.' + + + + +CHAPTER XII + +THE LAST DAYS + + +At Tientsin James Gilmour was the guest of Dr. Roberts--for too brief a +time his colleague in Mongolia--and the doctor's sister, who kept house +for him. The story of the closing days cannot be better told than in +their words. To Miss Roberts fell the sorrowful task of sending the news +of their irreparable bereavement to the two motherless lads in England. + + + 'Tientsin: June 6, 1891. + + 'My dear Willie and Jimmie,--You will wonder who I am that call you + by your names and yet have never known you. + + 'But I think, when you hear that your dear father spent the last + five weeks of his life with my brother, Dr. Roberts, and myself, + perhaps you will not be sorry to get a few lines from an unknown + friend. It is now many weeks since we received a letter from Mr. + Gilmour saying he hoped to be able to attend the annual meetings in + Tientsin, and who would take him in? My brother replied at once, + saying what a real pleasure it would be if he would stay with us. + And so he came, and about a fortnight before the time, of which we + were all the more glad. He looked the very picture of health on his + arrival, and was in excellent spirits; many remarked how very well + and strong he looked. + + 'I remember well the day he arrived, it was a Saturday afternoon. + I suggested that he should have some dinner at once, but, + thoughtful-like, as your father always was, he said, "No, thank + you, I have already had all I want; I shall not require anything + more till your next ordinary meal." + + 'By-and-by we showed him his room, "whose windows opened to the + sun-rising." We had made it as pretty and comfortable as we could, + and brightened it with freshly cut flowers. The next day I noticed + he had taken the tablecloth off his writing-table, and in the + evening he handed it to me, saying, if I remember rightly, "Here, + mademoiselle, is your tablecloth. I am afraid of inking it. You had + better put it away." I was grieved, and begged he would use, and + ink it, too, for the matter of that; but it was no use, not on any + account would he spoil my cloth, and therefore would not use it. + + 'He seemed very happy with us, and I think thoroughly appreciated + the homelikeness of his surroundings after his lonely life in + Mongolia, and the dismal rooms of a Chinese inn, and it was such a + pleasure to minister to his comforts in every possible way we could + think of. + + 'He used to spend his days, as a rule, in the following way:-- + + 'After breakfast he would write letters. At 10.45, after a cup of + cocoa, he would go over to the hospital, returning at 1 o'clock to + dinner. This over, he would go back with my brother to see the + in-patients. At 4.30 we would all have tea together, after which he + would make calls, or go for a walk, or talk over committee matters + with Mr. Lees or Mr. Bryson. Many evenings he would be invited out, + or would be at a meeting, or would spend it quietly at home; and so + the time went by till meetings began. Then the whole day till 4 + P.M. was spent in committee, and at six Mr. Gilmour had a + Bible-class for an hour with the Chinese preachers who had come to + attend some of the meetings. + + 'These were nearly over when your father began to complain of + feeling done up and of having fever. The following Sunday he was in + bed. This was only eleven days before he died. On Monday, however, + he was better. and up, and was able to be with us all day, and took + the Communion with us all in the evening. Then we chatted together + for some time and sang hymns, amongst others, "God be with you till + we meet again!" No. 494 in Sankey's _Songs and Solos_. + + 'In this connection let me tell you some of Mr. Gilmour's favourite + hymns in the book just mentioned. Amongst these were Nos. 494, 535, + 150, 328. I dare say you would like to learn them and sing them for + his sake. + + 'Your dear father was only in bed ten days before the end came, and + all this time he spoke but little. He was too feverish and ill to + want to talk or to listen: he just lay quietly, bearing his + sickness with remarkable patience. One day, observing he was a + little restless, I went to his bedside and asked him if he wanted + anything. "No, nothing," was his reply, "only that the Lord would + deliver me out of this distress." + + 'The last few days his mind was not clear, but all his wanderings + were about his work. It was the last day but one of his life; he + was more restless than usual, trying all the time to rouse himself, + as if for a journey, when he looked up and said, "Where are we + going?" + + '"To heaven," I answered, "to see the Lord." + + '"No," he replied, "that is not the address." + + '"Yes it is, Mr. Gilmour," I said again. "We are going to heaven; + would you not like to go and see the Lord Jesus?" + + 'Then he seemed to take in the meaning of my words, and reverently + bowed his head in assent, his lips quivered, and his eyes filled + with tears; and he was quieted, like a weary child who has lost his + way and finds on inquiry that only a few more steps and he will be + at rest and at home. + + 'The next day, his last, was still more restless. At one time he + seemed to be addressing an audience and earnestly gesticulating + with his hands; and, with as much force as he could command, he + said: "We are not spending the time as we should; we ought to be + waiting on God in prayer for blessing on the work He has given us + to do. I would like to make a rattling speech--but I cannot--I am + very ill--and can only say these few words." And then he nodded his + head and waved his hand, as if in farewell to his listeners. + + 'It was seven o'clock in the evening when my brother saw the end + was not far off, and at once we sent for all the other members of + the Mission that all might watch with him in this last solemn hour. + He was unconscious the whole time, and his breathing laboured. + + 'The two doctors battled for an hour and a half to keep off Death's + fatal grasp, but to no purpose: the Lord wanted His faithful + worker, and we could not keep him, though we wanted him much, and + knew that Willie and Jimmie in England needed him more. + + 'Gradually the breathing became quieter and quieter, till at last, + about 9.30, he just closed his eyes and "fell asleep," with the + peace of Heaven resting on his face.' + +In a letter sent by Dr. Roberts to Dr. Smith, who was then in England, a +few further particulars are given. + + 'He preached one Sunday evening a very solemn sermon on "Examine + yourself," and no one can soon forget the way he preached. During + the annual meetings he was extra busy. Everyone remarked what a + good chairman he made, and in the devotional meetings from 9 to + 9.30 A.M. he was always ready to lead in prayer or speak a few + words. Freshness, to the point, and to the heart--characterised all + he did or said. In the evenings he conducted services for the + native preachers present at the annual gathering, and to these + meetings he took one foreigner each night to assist in the + speaking. + + 'It was at the close of this busy week, when tired out, that he got + the fever which eventually carried him home. The fever was very + irregular in type, but after some days I felt it was an exceptional + type of typhus fever. Great weakness of the heart was a + characteristic feature all through his case, and but for this sad + complication I believe he would have been alive to-day. Weak action + of the heart was an old enemy of his. For the first week of his + illness he did not feel very poorly, and we had many chats + together, and some prayer and reading of God's Word every night + nearly. But in the second week his temperature went up to 106 deg., + and, though it came down under anti-pyretics, he seemed never to + regain his former ground. His mind became more and more clouded. + Parker took the night nursing, my sister the day, and I sat with + him when time allowed. On Thursday, May 21, the day on which he + died, he was very delirious all day, though he knew us all. I did + not give up hope till 7 P.M., when his heart failed him in spite of + active stimulation. It was then that we all gathered round his bed. + I did my utmost with the help of Frazer to avert the sad end; but + ere long, seeing our efforts were vain, we ceased, and sat in his + room and saw him gradually and very peacefully pass away, his + breath getting feebler and feebler till he closed his eyes and fell + asleep in Jesus.' + +The funeral took place towards evening on May 23, 1891. It was a lovely +afternoon, and the sun shining brightly lent additional force to the +words of John Bunyan which were printed upon the simple sheet containing +the hymn to be sung at the grave: 'The pilgrim they laid in an upper +chamber whose window opened towards the Sun-rising.' The coffin was +borne to the grave by two relays of bearers; the first consisted of +three European and three native preachers; the second, on the one side, +of the Rev. S. E. Meech, his brother-in-law; the Rev. J. Parker, his +colleague, and Dr. Roberts; and on the other Liu, his faithful Chinese +preacher and helper, Chang, the tutor of the theological class at +Tientsin, and Hsi, his courier, a native of Ta Ss[)u] Kou. His last +resting-place immediately adjoins that of his dearly loved friend, Dr. +Mackenzie, and the service at the grave was conducted by the Rev. +Jonathan Lees and the Rev. J. Parker. Chang offered prayer, and a +farewell hymn was sung. + + Sleep on, beloved, sleep, and take thy rest; + Lay down thy head upon thy Saviour's breast; + We love thee well; but Jesus loves thee best-- + Good night! Good night! Good night! + + Until the shadows from this earth are cast; + Until He gathers in His sheaves at last; + Until the twilight gloom be overpast-- + Good night! Good night! Good night! + + Until we meet again before His throne, + Clothed in the spotless robe He gives His own, + Until we know even as we are known-- + Good night! Good night! Good night! + +Little Chinese boys who had known and loved Mr. Gilmour came forward and +threw handfuls of flowers into his grave, loving hands laid upon the +coffin a wreath of white blossoms on behalf of the now orphaned boys +far away, and the simple but beautiful service was closed by a +spontaneous act on the part of the Chinese converts present. Pressing +near the grave of him whose heart loved China and the Chinese with a +fervour and an enthusiasm that may have been equalled, but certainly +have never been surpassed, they sang in their own tongue the hymn +beginning, 'In the Christian's home in glory.' + +The labourer had entered into the rest he had so often seen by the eye +of faith. 'There remains,' he wrote, less than a year before his death, +'a rest. Somewhere ahead. Not very far at the longest. Perfect, quiet, +full, without solitude, isolation, or inability to accomplish; when the +days of our youth will be more than restored to us; where, should +mysteries remain, there will be no torment in them. And the reunions +there! Continuous too, with no feeling that the rest of to-day is +to-morrow to be ended by a plunge again into a world seething with +iniquity, and groaning with suffering.' + +Many pages might be filled with loving eulogies of James Gilmour. But +the best of all is the simple story of his life. Yet two or three +references to his work and influence must here find a place. + +From the pen of Dr. Reynolds comes this weighty testimony:-- + + 'The end of his career came all too suddenly, and in gathering + together my impressions of it as a whole, I am convinced that I + have seldom seen a man so entirely possessed by a grand idea, so + utterly persuaded that we had a debt to pay to the heathen world, + so invincibly sure that Christian faith and life was the one + supreme need of these regions beyond our circle of light. Few men + have cast the bread upon greater waters, have sown the seed over a + wider area, or had to mourn more sadly over those heart-breaking + months which intervene between the seedtime and the harvest. + Impartial critics have recognised the intense honesty, the shrewd + wit, the faculty of vision, the power to tell the story of his rare + experiences with such verisimilitude as to force upon the reader a + ready acquiescence in every detail of his narrative. But his + Christian brethren saw a deeper vein than this in Gilmour's + achievements. He was ablaze from first to last with a passionate + desire to set forth Christ in His majesty and mercy, in all His + power to heal and to command. I had unexpected opportunities of + finding how tender and affectionate his nature was; how grateful + and enthusiastic his love to his Hamilton home, to his father, + mother, and wife, and how faithful and loyal he was to the society + and the brotherhood of his Alma Mater.' + +The Rev. G. Owen, at a memorial service held in Peking very shortly +after Mr. Gilmour's death, gave a sketch of his character and work, and +thus summed up his life:-- + + 'He spared himself in nothing, but gave himself wholly to God. He + kept nothing back. All was laid upon the altar. I doubt if even St. + Paul endured more for Christ than did James Gilmour. I doubt, too, + if Christ ever received from human hands or human heart more + loving, devoted service. + + 'If anyone asks, "Would it not have been better if Mr. Gilmour had + taken more care of himself and lived longer?" I would answer: "I + don't know. His life was beautiful, and I would not alter it if I + could. A few years of such service as he gave Christ are worth a + hundred years of humdrum toil. We need the inspiration of such a + life as his. Heaven, too, is the richer for such a man and such a + life. The pearly gates opened wide, I have no doubt, to receive + him. Angels and men gave him glad welcome, and what a smile would + light up the Saviour's face as He received His faithful servant + home!" + + 'And he being dead yet speaketh. He says, "Be faithful, work hard, + for the night cometh when no man can work. Be earnest, for life is + brief; be ready, for life is uncertain." But why did God call him + away in the midst of life and work? I don't know. Possibly work + here is not of such importance as we think. Or there is more + important service elsewhere waiting for such men as Mr. Gilmour. He + has been faithful over a few things; he has been made ruler over + many things, and has entered into the joy of his Lord.' + +Mr. Parker wrote to the sons of his late colleague on June 6, 1891:-- + + 'It is sad that my first letter to you should be to tell you about + your father's death, of which no doubt you have heard long ago.... + The last photographs of yourselves which you sent out he always had + where he could see them. Whenever he travelled he took them with + him. At Tientsin during his last illness he had them on a low side + table, just on a level with his bed, so that as he lay there he + could see them.... He was very happy, and died like a faithful + soldier who had finished his work. It is sad, dear boys, to lose a + father such as he was, but it is a great blessing to have had such + a father, one so brave, so courageous, one who for the sake of + Christ suffered bodily discomfort and pain, suffered terrible + loneliness that he might win some of God's sinning children back + to their Father's arms. He lived and suffered for the Mongols, and + though God denied him the honour of baptizing even one of them, yet + so faithful was he to his work that he toiled on to the very last. + "Faithful unto death" are words fully exemplified in your father's + life.' + +In his first letter from Mongolia after his prompt return to carry on in +a like spirit of faith and devotion the work from which Mr. Gilmour had +been summoned away Mr. Parker depicts the grief of the native Christians +on learning their loss. 'The sorrow of the converts here (Ch'ao Yang) at +the news of Gilmour's death was very touching Grown-up men burst into +tears and sobbed like children when they were told he was dead. All +along the route where Gilmour was such a familiar visitor, in the +market-place, and at their fairs, the first question they asked as soon +as they saw me was, "Has Mr. Gilmour come?" And at my reply there was +always great astonishment, accompanied by expressions of sorrow. Every +day at evening prayers I can hear Gilmour's name mingled with their +petitions. The Christians here have sent a letter of sympathy to his two +boys. + + 'Here in Ch'ao Yang there are any amount of Mongols, not nomadic, + tent-loving, but settled here, and hence they do not have to be + sought. Right in the centre of the town is an immense Mongol temple + with two or three hundred priests. Every day I have several of the + priests in here, and yet I have heard again and again that this + mission is misplaced. Some such words often pained the heart that + is now still in death. But this is, and shall be, essentially a + Mongol mission in this, that as the best efforts of dear Gilmour + were for making Christ known to the Mongols, my best endeavours + shall be to this end. But if some hungry Chinaman, standing by as I + hold out the bread of life to his Mongol brother, seeks to eat of + it, he shall have it, and be as welcome as the other.' + +The letter to the children referred to in Mr. Parker's report is a +fitting description of James Gilmour's life, and he himself would have +desired no other panegyric. It came from the hearts of men on whose +behalf he had given his very best, and it shows how strong a hold he had +obtained upon their affection. + + 'We respectfully enquire for the peace and happiness of your + excellencies, our brothers Gilmour, also for the peace of your + whole school. In the first place Pastor Gilmour in his preaching + and doctoring at Ch'ao Yang, north of the Pass, truly loved others + as himself, was considerate and humble, and had the likeness of + (our) Saviour Jesus. Not only the Christians thank him without end, + but even those outside the Church (the heathen) bless him without + limit. We, who through Pastor Gilmour have obtained the doctrine of + the second birth, and received the grace of Jesus, had hoped with + Mr. Gilmour to have assembled on the earth until our heads were + white and in the future life to have gone with him to heaven. + Little did we think we should have been so unhappy. He has already + gone to the Lord. We certainly know he is in the presence of the + Lord, not only praying for us, but also for you our brothers. + + 'We pray you, when you see this letter, not to grieve beyond + measure. We hope that you will study with increased ardour, so as + to obtain the heavenly wisdom, like Solomon, and that afterwards + you may come to China, to this Ch'ao Yang, to preach the Gospel + widely. As the father did, may the sons follow, is our earnest + desire. + + 'Signed by the Ch'ao Yang Christians, + + 'LIU MAO LIN (preacher). + P'ANG TIEN K'UEI. + WANG SHENG. + NING FU TUNG. + CHANG WAN CH'UAN. + CHANG KUEI. + CHIANG SHENG. + WANG HUI HSIEN. + LIU I (your father's servant). + SUNG KANG. + CH'U WEN YUAN. + CHANG CHEN. + CHANG MAO CHI. + NING KUANG CHEN. + LIU CHO. + T'IEN TE CH'UN. + HU TE.' + + +Here, then, we leave him. If the story of his life fail to touch the +heart, to deepen faith, to exalt our estimate of renewed human nature, +and to revive enthusiasm in work for Christ at home and abroad, the +fault must be in him who has tried to tell it, and to set in order the +facts. + +God's ways are ofttimes dark. James Gilmour had often felt this, and, to +those who knew him, it seemed as though he were taken just when God's +work needed him most, when the first-fruits of the coming harvest were +being gathered, when his knowledge of the Chinese and the Mongols, and +their knowledge of him and affection for him, were beginning to tell. +But God knows best, and nothing can deprive the Church of Christ of the +splendid self-sacrifice, of the noble perseverance in the path of duty +of the bright example of courage, devotion, enthusiasm for souls, and +patient continuance in well doing shining so clearly through all the +long, years of toil. Love, self-crucifixion, Jesus Christ closely +followed in adversity, in loneliness, in manifold perils, under almost +every conceivable form of trial and hindrance and resistance both +active and passive--these are the seeds James Gilmour has sown so richly +on the hard Mongolian Plain, and over its Eastern mountains and valleys. +'In due time we shall reap if we faint not.' His work goes on. He is now +doing the Master's bidding in the higher service. There, we must fain +believe, he is finding full scope for those altogether exceptional +spiritual affinities, and powers and capacities which stand out so +conspicuously all through the story of his inner life. Upon us who yet +remain rests the responsibility of carrying forward the work he began, +of reinforcing the workers, of bearing Mongolia upon our prayers until +Buddhism shall fade away before the pure truth and the perfect love of +Jesus Christ, and even the hard and unresponsive Mongols come to +recognise the truths James Gilmour so long and so faithfully tried to +teach them--that they need the Great Physician even more than they need +the earthly doctor, and that He is more able and willing to heal the +hurt of their souls than the earthly physician is to remove the disease +of their bodies. + +Is not the real lesson of James Gilmour's life twofold? If it be looked +at from the point of view of results, it should give clear and vivid +ideas of the unwisdom of being cast down by the absence of results in +face of the difficulties of missionary work in China. It is to be feared +that there are still large numbers of good Christian people who believe +that for the conversion of Chinamen and Mongols all that is requisite is +to put into the hands of the heathen a copy of God's Word in their +native tongue, and then preach to them the good tidings of salvation. No +man in this, or in past generation, has done this more faithfully than +James Gilmour. No man ever believed more firmly in the truth that it is +'not by might nor by power,' but by the direct influence of the Holy +Spirit, that the intellect and conscience and heart of the heathen are +to be subdued to the Saviour. No man ever wrestled more eagerly and +fervently in prayer on behalf of the ignorant and sinful, and yet his +avowed converts can be numbered on the fingers. Does this prove that God +is unfaithful? Does this tend to show that the enterprise is hopeless? +Or has God been teaching us, by the life of one of His ablest and truest +servants, the lesson of patient continuance in the path of His commands, +whether He blesses or whether He withholds? Is He not proclaiming to His +Church the need of a self-sacrifice _in all its members_ commensurate +with that displayed by James Gilmour and others who like him have not +counted their lives dear unto themselves in the struggle with +heathenism? Some must go in the 'forlorn hope.' Some must lay down their +lives in preparing the highway of our God. 'Herein is the saying true, +One soweth and another reapeth.' But succeeding toilers in the Mongolian +field, as the direct result of James Gilmour's sowing, will be able in +days to come to apply to themselves our Lord's words, 'I sent you to +reap that whereon ye have not laboured:--others have laboured, and ye +are entered into their labour.' + +If the life of James Gilmour be looked at altogether apart from the +results that can be entered in tables of statistics, how splendidly +inspiring it is! Faithful to his Master, faithful to his work, although +the Master _seemed_ to delay the blessing, although the work wore down +the worker. 'I,' said St. Paul to the thankless Corinthian Church, +'will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more +abundantly, am I loved the less? But be it so.' And in the Epistle to +the Romans he applied to the Jews who were resisting the Gospel the +ancient words of Isaiah: 'But as to Israel He saith, All the day long +did I spread out my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. I +say then, Did God cast off His people? God forbid.' Nor will God cast +off the Israel of China, or the Mongols who gave to the faithful teacher +respect, attention, and in a way the love of their hearts, but who as +yet have not surrendered those hearts to their true Lord. James Gilmour, +in season and out of season, in almost constant solitude, in +superabounding physical labours that often overburdened him, and once +nearly broke him down, in the long disappointment of the most cherished +hopes, and under the constant strain of what would have crushed any but +a giant in faith, lived a life which, if it taught no other lesson, was +yet well worth living to teach this--that Jesus Christ can and does give +His servants the victory over apparent non-success, after the most +vehement and long-sustained effort to secure success, and that this is +the greatest victory possible to renewed and sanctified human nature. + + + PRINTED BY + SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW STREET SQUARE + LONDON + + + CHEAP EDITION. + + Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d. cloth boards. + + + JAMES GILMOUR + OF MONGOLIA: + + _HIS DIARIES, LETTERS, AND REPORTS._ + + +[Illustration: Sincerely yours James Gilmour] + + + EDITED AND ARRANGED BY + RICHARD LOVETT, M.A. + + _Author of 'Norwegian Pictures,' 'The Printed English Bible,' + 'London Pictures,' &c._ + + + PUBLISHED BY THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY, + 56 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON. + + [P.T.O. + + * * * * * + + Press Notices + + OF + + THE LIFE OF GILMOUR. + +'The story of James Gilmour will, if we mistake not, take a place of its +own in modern missionary literature. To a world devoted so much to +mercenary interests, and a Church too given to take things easily, the +life is at once a rebuke and an appeal not easily to be +forgotten.'--CHRISTIAN WORLD. + +'We are sure that this work will be read with the deepest interest by +Churchmen as well as Nonconformists.'--RECORD. + +'A notable addition to the number of impressive and fascinating +missionary books--a volume fit to stand on the same shelf with the +biographies of Paton and Mackay.'--BRITISH WEEKLY. + +'James Gilmour may appear to some as a hero, to others as a deluded +enthusiast, but no one who takes up this account of his life and work +can fail to be fascinated by it.'--MANCHESTER GUARDIAN. + +'Out of sight the most interesting and valuable missionary biography of +recent years.'--LITERARY WORLD. + +'Not only deeply interesting as a record of missionary labour, but teems +with characteristic sketches of Chinese manners, customs, and +scenery.'--TIMES (WEEKLY). + +'Unlike many missionary records, his letters and journals can be read. +Indeed, it is difficult to stop reading, once you have begun.' NATIONAL +OBSERVER. + +'For an age which, as the editor remarks, likes "large and quick +returns" for its investments, the history of a man who had for many +years to possess his soul in patience has a real and permanent value.' +DAILY TELEGRAPH. + +'From every point of view the book deserves the highest praise.' GLASGOW +HERALD. + +'Not the least interesting portion of the book will be its strange +pictures of life amid Mongol surroundings.'--LIVERPOOL COURIER. + + * * * * * + + By JAMES GILMOUR. + + AMONG THE MONGOLS. + + BY THE LATE + REV. JAMES GILMOUR, M.A. + + With Engravings. 2s. 6d. cloth, gilt. + +'There has been, if our experience serves us at all, no book quite like +this since "Robinson Crusoe"; and "Robinson Crusoe" is not better, does +not tell a story more directly, or produce more instantaneous and final +conviction. No one who begins this book will leave it till the narrative +ends, or doubt for an instant, whether he knows Defoe or not, that he +has been enchained by something separate and distinct in literature, +something almost uncanny in the way it has gripped him, and made him see +for ever a scene he never expected to see.'--THE SPECTATOR. + +'Mr. Gilmour tells a story well, and though he tells it quite simply and +straightforwardly, he never misses the point of it. He writes, moreover, +after having had exceptional chances of gaining a thorough acquaintance +with the Mongolian character.'--THE GUARDIAN. + +'There is a charm in the quiet way in which the modest missionary tells +of his life in Tartar tents, of the long rides across the grassy plain, +and of the daily life of the nomads among whom he passed so many years.' +FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW. + +'Mr. Gilmour's volume is one of the most charming books about a strange +people that we have read for many a day.'--NATURE. + +'Mr. Gilmour has lived _tete-a-tete_ with a Buddhist Lama under his own +movable roof; he has shared the hospitality of the desert caravan; he +has taken his turn in the night-watch against thieves; and he has dwelt +as a lodger in their more permanent abodes of trellis-work and felt. As +a picture of the raw material from which Chinese civilisation has been +finally evolved--the primitive stage of Tartar nomad communities--these +sketches possess a great sociological value; while from the point of +view of the reader for amusement alone they are full of liveliness and +local colouring.' PALL MALL GAZETTE. + +'Although it appears in unpretentious form, this is a really remarkable +chronicle of travel and adventure.'--THE GLOBE. + + + By JAMES GILMOUR. + + * * * * * + + + Crown 8vo. 5s. cloth. + + MORE ABOUT THE MONGOLS. + + Selected and Arranged from Mr. GILMOUR'S Diaries and Papers + By RICHARD LOVETT, M.A., + _Author of 'James Gilmour of Mongolia' &c._ + +'The style of the writer and the novelty of the theme, and the heart +which so longs for "Mongols" showing itself on many a page, combine to +make the work intensely interesting, instructive, and impressive.'--THE +PRESBYTERIAN. + +'The experiences of a devoted missionary, whose gift of circumstantial +narrative has not inaptly been likened to Defoe's.'--THE TIMES. + +'It is indeed a delightful volume, which will be welcomed by all who +desire the extension of Christ's kingdom on earth.'--ENGLISH CHURCHMAN. + +'Extracts from the diaries of one of the most adventurous and +self-denying of missionaries.'--SATURDAY REVIEW. + +'Will be welcomed wherever the name of James Gilmour is known.' THE +RECORD. + +'A fascinating volume of travels, and a series of observations on men +and manners which show the stuff of which our British missionaries are +made.' METHODIST TIMES. + +'Will delight readers of all ages.'--CHRISTIAN WORLD. + + + * * * * * + + Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d. cloth, gilt edges. + + JAMES GILMOUR AND HIS BOYS. + + By RICHARD LOVETT, M.A. + + With Facsimile Letters and many Illustrations. + +'Ought to be in every Sunday School library.'--THE CHRISTIAN. + +'It is full of curious passages of adventure; and has a strong religious +interest which will not fail to give young readers an intelligent +appreciation of the nature of foreign mission work.'--SCOTSMAN. + +'It has been skilfully put together and will make an admirable +gift-book.' BRITISH WEEKLY. + +'It should find a place in all Christian homes.' WESTERN MORNING NEWS. + +'It is one that all boys, and girls too, will delight to read.' SCOTTISH +LEADER. + +'A fascinating volume from beginning to end.'--BAPTIST. + + * * * * * + + PUBLISHED BY THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY, + 56 Paternoster Row, London; and Sold by all Booksellers. + + _Spottiswoode & Co. 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