Ahoy from
Amoy (historic
Xiamen, China).
It looks like
Gulangyu Islet will finally receive UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2017, barring further complications (
Typhoon Meranti recently made a mess of our beautiful little islet, as it did
Xiamen Island). And a bit part of Gulangyu's heritage was the work done by the
Amoy Mission--especially the pioneering medical work (first mission medical work in China) and educational work carried on by Talmage (Talmadge) and others. The tiny islet of
Gulangyu not only had 20 colleges and schools but was also deemed the "richest square mile on earth" from 1900 to 1920, largely because in
Amoy, like nowhere else, Chinese and foreigners worked together.
Xiamen pioneered education for children, for women, vocational and technical education, education for the blind--and also had a program to help rescue women and girls from slavery (human trafficking).
Below is a small pamphlet, "Living Stones," by Edna Beekman. a
missionary in Amoy from 1914-1951).
Living Stones, by Edna Beekman
THE Spring of 1930 has marked two Anniversaries in the educational work in Amoy, China the sixtieth year of the founding of the Amoy Girls' Primary School (the Developing Character school for Girls), and the tenth year of the establishment of the Amoy Girls' High School. A one reviews the history of those sixty years, and contrasts the present schools with those beginning of education for girls sixty years ago, one cannot but be impressed with the accomplishment of the year.
Sixty years is not long, as time is reckoned in China and so it is not so far from the day" when it seemed, in Chinese eyes, a foolish to educate a girl as to attempt to educate a cow! Those, too, were the days of foot,binding, symbolic of the fettering of women, physically, mentally and spiritually. To see our girls today, with these fetters shattered, having their chance to develop in all three directions, one rejoices with them that the clear vision and high hope of those early missionaries as into the needs of the future and the possibilities of the womenhood of China, and so, in the face of almost unsurmountable obstacles, gave to the girls their chance.
And have they proved themselves worthy? Have they fittingly used these new opportunities that are theirs? Have they passed on to others the torch of service that they themselves received? Let us look at some of the "living stones" of these schools of ours.
Education for girls has become such a popular thing these days that we reach in our schools not only the children from Christian homes, but many, many from homes that do not know the light and peace of the Gospel. Two little sisters entered the first year of our Primary School. They were bright, lovable children, but not very strong. Misfortune seemed to follow them, for first one, then the other, met with accidents in school. After the fourth mishap, both children were absent from school for several days, and on going to their home to find out the reason, the neighbors told us that the grandmother had concluded that some evil spirit of misfortune was following the family, because the children had been allowed to go to a Christian school, and so she had moved away during the dark hours of the night leaving no address, so that the evil spirit might not be able to trace them!
We feared we should not see them again, but a week later, to our joy, they reappeared at school, having given their grandmother no peace until she had permitted them to come. Their grandmother tries to prevent them from attending church and Sunday School, but they love to come, and are willing to risk a possible whipping in order to do so. The Bible stories they learn in school, and the hymns they love to sing, cannot help but have an influence on them in later years. And they give very generously of their spending money for the work of the Chinese Home Missionary Society.
"Gold Piece" came to our school from a non-Christian home on Amoy Island. She was older and more mature then some of the other girls, and quickly assumed a position of leadership, becoming president of her class in the graduating year. When a small group of disgruntled girls, urged on by enemies of the school among the anti-Christian forces outside, went on strike and tried to involve the classes of the Higher Primary and bring about the closing of the school, "Gold Piece" and her friends threw the weight of their influence on the side of order and obedience, and most loyally helped to save the day.
"Gold Piece" is determined that she will marry no one but a Christian.
The year before she graduated,
"Gold Piece" brought her little sister,
"Glorious Learning," to school one of our smallest boarding pupils. Everything was so new and strange to "Glorious Learning" that she went around with her eyes wide open and a thousand questions on her tongue. Sunday School was her chief joy, with the attendance charts, and gold stars and colored Bible picture cards which she treasured and looked over many times, repeating to herself the story illustrated by the picture. When she went home each month she showed the pictures and told the stories to her little brothers and cousins. The little metal pig that the children "fed" at Sunday School for the work among the lepers was her great delight, and when at the end of the term we "killed the pig" to see how much money we had, her excitement knew no bounds.
A slave girl managed to escape from a house of ill fame and was taken into the Slave Refuge at Amoy. She attended our Women's School and became an earnest Christian. The pastor's wife became interested in her and recommended her to a widower who was looking for a second wife. Her influence immediately became felt in that home and she won the love of her step children. The oldest girl, "Pure" Flower" was sent to our school. We were warned that she was deceptive and untruthful and loved to gamble, but with Christian surroundings and training she developed into one of the most studious, polite and lovable girls of her class. At the time of the strike she stood by the school most loyally.
When
"Embroidered Scroll" first came to our school, she was a little bare-foot girl from the mountains. She did well in her studies and so was helped all the way through High School. Then she came back to the Primary School as a teacher, doing faithful work there for five years. The summer of 1928 she was married to a graduate of the Theological Seminary, and the young couple went back into the mountain districts to work. With their capabilities and training they could have had better opportunities, from a worldly standpoint of view, in churches nearer Amoy, but as they themselves said, "The need up"country is great, and we are accustomed to walk the mountain roads, so we feel our place of service is there." And how much it has meant to that isolated district in the mountains, to have these consecrated young people working there.
His sister,
Jade Butterfly, was our first Scholarship Girl with the Talmage Jubilee Fund, and all through High School she stood out as a leader. As president of the Y. W. C. A., she presided over the Armistice Day meeting of International Fellowship and Goodwill, when girls dressed to represent the different nations of the world led in a candle-light service of consecration a service that will live long in the memories of those who shared in it. She also served as superintendent of the Sunday School and conducted weekly children's meetings in Amoy. Her great desire is to train for church leadership, so after she has had some experience as a teacher she will probably be sent to the Nanking Bible Training School, to fit herself for that work.
"Upper Springs" and
"Loving Grace" were sent to the Amoy High School from our
Leng-na [
Longyan] Station so that they might be trained to carry on the work later in their own school. They both showed great initiative and executive ability, and interested themselves in many phases of the school life. Just before graduation the communists galned control of their district. The teacher to whom "Upper Springs" was engaged had to flee, so the two were married in Amoy after school closed, and went to Java, to carry the light of a Christian home and Christian education there. "Loving Grace" had been taken as a child into a family as a "little daughter-in -law," destined to marry the son in later years. He proved to be her inferior in every way, but because of the kindness of these foster parents through all the years, she felt it her duty to follow out their wishes. So upon graduation she returned to
Leng'na [
Longyan] and was married to this man, whom through all the years she had called "Brother." But when all the educated girls in that region were being forced by the Reds to do propaganda work, with the consent of the family she escaped to Amoy, where she is now teaching.
Time would fail to tell of all who have gone through our schools and then gone out again to serve the church and the community as teachers, doctors, nurses, Bible women, elders and deacons, or as mothers in Christian homes. We are seeing the third generation in our chools now. Those girls of sixty years ago are now grandmothers and their grand,daughters are the scholars of today. Who can measure the influence that has gone out from our schools through these "living stones," or what our schools, with their emphasis not only on proficiency in the secular studies, but even more on the developing of character and training in Christian service, will mean to the China of the future?
* * * * *
"Open the Abbey doors and bring him in,
To sleep with king and statesman, chief and sage;
The missionary come of weaver kin,
But great by work that brooks no lower wage.
He needs no epitaph to guard a name
Which men will prize while worthy work is known.
He lived and died for good; be that his fame.
Let marble crumble; this is Living stone."
* * * * *
WOMAN'S BOARD OP FOREIGN MlSSIONS
Reformed Church in America
25 22nd Street
New York, N.Y.
Enjoy
Amoy!
Dr.
Bill
www.amoymagic.com
Bill Brown
Xiamen University
www.amoymagic.com
Ahoy from Amoy! (historic Xiamen, China).
