Chinese Diamonds for the King of Kings — Sketch VIII--Mr. Doong

*Mr. Doong* My husband and I with our children had settled down for a few weeks' stay at one of our out stations, when I noticed one morning at breakfast a strange man sweeping the yard.

He looked such a queer bundle of incongruous clothes I could not make out if he were a teacher, a poor farmer, or a coolie.

The man's face was so wrinkled and his shoulders so stooped he looked a much older man than his years, which could not have been more than fifty.

"Who is that queer old man?"

I asked my husband.

"His name is Doong Lin Huo," he replied, "he has come to study the Gospel and is so grateful for what he is getting he has begged me let him do something to shew his gratitude."

Some days later one of the Evangelists came to me for some medicine for Mr. Doong, saying he was very ill with that foe of native and foreigner alike--dysentery.

I had only one small bottle of expensive medicine which I kept for ourselves in case of emergency.

It was unopened and when once opened I knew it would lose its strength.

So I said: "I have only medicine for ourselves."

"I fear if something is not done for Mr. Doong he will die," the Evangelist said as he turned away disappointed.

This decided me and I hastily gave him out several doses.

Later he came for more and a few days passed when Mr. Doong himself appeared dressed up in fine _borrowed_ garments, and his face shining with the extra rubbing he had given it.

Before we could prevent him he had prostrated himself before me knocking his head several times on the floor, saying, "Oh, lady, you have saved my life!"

The story of this man's conversion is of interest in that it is typical of thousands in China.

His people were farming mountain villagers.

Some years ago when visiting his village I was impressed with the picturesqueness of the situation, built as it is on the side of a steep mountain cliff above a rapidly running stream.

As we went through this village street we walked up steps as if going up stairs.

Mr. Doong's family was large even for this land, it consisted of several of the old passing generation, also his five sons and their wives and children and some of their sons' wives and their children.

All lived within one enclosure.

The family owned some land but as the mouths increased it was not sufficient for their needs and some sought employment, especially during the winter months.

Mr. Doong himself was among these, he joined a low travelling theatrical company, as cook and lived as low a life while with them as any human being could well live.

When the missionary first came across him he was using his animals during the slack winter months to escort travellers over the mountains west of his home.

One day the missionary arrived in the village with his party of preachers on their way to a famous goddess' temple situated two hundred Chinese miles further west among the mountains.

Mr. Doong and his animals were hired for the journey.

Day by day as the party stopped at noon and for the night preaching was carried on in the open.

During those days Mr. Doong caught little else of the preaching than that they were speaking against the gods.

He became alarmed and so sure was he that the great goddess would cause some terrible calamity to overtake them on their arrival at their destination he determined to leave the party as speedily as possible, and it was with a sense of real relief that he saw, as he thought, the last of them.

Some weeks later he had occasion to go to the distant city of Lin-Hsien far off among the mountains.

Here he found the same missionary with his preachers still preaching as before--and no calamity had befallen them!

He began to have doubts as to whether they might not be right after all.

Every opportunity was taken advantage of to hear what they had to say with the result that when the time came for him to leave, he turned his face towards home a changed man.

His first step was to destroy the household gods, much to the horror and anger of his family and neighbors, who all believed him to have become bewitched by the foreigner and waited to see some dread judgment fall upon him.

Surely facing such odds as bravely as this man did and with quiet steady calmness raises him to the place of a real hero.

His next step was to give up his opium.

This he did without the aid of other drugs.

He simply sought God's help and got it.

His is one of the rare cases we have known of, where the terrible opium habit has been broken without human aid.

Then came his visit to our out-station to learn to read and understand the Bible.

It was no easy task for either pupil or teacher at his age, but so earnest was he and diligent that in a few weeks he could read the Chinese New Testament sufficiently well to get the meaning and in a few months had practically mastered its "characters."

Three years passed during which time Mr. Doong had won the highest opinions from missionaries and his fellow Christians.

His name was suggested as a probationary evangelist, and although his lack of education was against him, his beautiful spirit, so gentle, and so full of love to all with whom he came in contact, seemed to more than make up for this lack and he was unanimously called to the preaching of the Gospel.

As time passed, results from Mr. Doong's ministry amply justified this step, for wherever Mr. Doong was placed the work flourished and converts were added.

On one occasion the writer visited one of these places with her husband.

It was a busy pottery centre, known far and wide for its unspeakable immorality.

Yet even in this most difficult field Mr. Doong had gathered out a little company of believers.

I shall not soon forget the welcome we received on our arrival after a long trying dusty journey, at the door of the humble place where he lived and where we were to stay.

He was so hearty and kind and yet had a certain dignity and courtesy which made me say inwardly, "Can this be the same man who was cook in a low theatrical company?"

Yes he was the same, yet not the same, for his whole life, his looks, his wonderful power of holding heathen audiences for over an hour at a time all testified to the power of Christ to save and transform men.

At the close of our visit I told my cook to settle as was the custom with Mr. Doong for the coal we had used during the ten days we had been there.

The cook returned to say Mr. Doong refused to take anything for it.

I called the dear old man and protested that this would not do.

He looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, "Mother, Shepherd, will you not allow me the privilege and pleasure of doing even this much for you, when you and your husband have done so much for me?

What would I have been had you not come with this blessed Gospel?"

With full heart and dim eyes I could only put my hands together and bow low my thanks.

When home on furlough I sent to a missionary for a photo of Mr. Doong for a lantern slide.

In due course the photo arrived with a note from Mr. Doong himself, which ran as follows: "Dear Shepherd Mother, I thank you for the compliment you have paid me in asking for my photo.

I would reciprocate and ask for yours but there is no need _for your countenance is engraved on my heart!

_" After an absence from our old field for some five years it was a great joy to both my husband and myself to have Mr. Doong once more our co-worker, but it was only for a brief period.

Our hard pressed doctor needed the best man we could give him as Hospital Evangelist and Mr. Doong was chosen for this position.

There he remained till advancing years with its increasing physical weakness forced his retirement and he returned home, but not to the home of the early years for now almost all had been won to Christianity, as well as many of his neighbors.

"For behold ....

how that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame them that are wise."

*SKETCH IX*

*Heathenism As I Have Known It*