HE following letter from Mr. Horace Randle to a young friend desirous of engaging in
missionary work has been forwarded to us for publication, in the hope that it may be of
service to others considering the same question. It was dated from our Sanitarium at
Che-foo on August ioth. We believe that at the present time the SPIRIT of God
is working in many hearts, and that not only will the Lord give to the China Inland Mission
the seventy for. whom we are praying, but that He will send to China, in connection with one or
other of the Protestant missions, all the 1,500 missionaries for whom Mr. G. King's letter pleads.
FROM THE REV. HORACE A. RANDLE.
My dear Brother,—I was exceedingly pleased to get your letter a few days ago, and to learn from it that you were desirous of giving yourself to the missionary
field. It is a worthy purpose, and I pray God to guide
you. There is much, to some minds, that is naturally
attractive in foreign mission work ; yet positive self- sacrifice is required, which only the grace of God can fit us to exercise. The three great heathen mission fields in the world are
Africa, India, and China. The next in importance would,
of course, be Japan. The climate of Africa is very dangerous
for English people, and an expectant missionary should
know, so far as is possible, that it is God's will he should
go there, and be ready to lay down his life at any time,
before determining to sail for the Dark Continent. India
is very hot, and though there is much in Indian life well calculated to alleviate the trials of constant heat, yet it cannot be denied that China has a more wholesome
climate. China has some 400 missionaries, male and female ; while India has, I believe, about double that number.
The Protestant converts of India, including Ceylon and
Burmah, number nearly a million, while the Protestant converts of China are somewhat over 20,000. It will be
seen from this that China is much the more needy field. The population of this great heathen empire is frequently
said to be 400,000,000 (which it might, indeed, once have
been) ; but this is certainly much too high an estimate now. The best statistics seem to show something like 250,000,000 as the present population of China, which is about the same as India. Japan is said to have a climate more resembling Great
Britain than any other Eastern country. Mission work in that country is but in its infancy, and missionaries have
not nearly the same liberty to preach the Gospel in Japan
as in China.
Corea is just opening its gates to foreigners, and I suppose missionaries will soon be trying to settle there for permanent work. There is not yet a single mission
established. But now more especially about China. It extends from
about twenty to forty degrees north latitude, so that but
little is included in the tropics, and it is 1,400 miles from
east to west ; so there is a considerable difference of
climate and range of temperature throughout the country.
I live at Kiu-chau, Western Cheh-kiang; the latitude is 29^°, and the altitude is nearly 1000 feet above the sea, while the distance from the sea is about 160 or 180 miles
direct. During the coldest month in the year, January, we have a temperature of about 30 Fahrenheit, and the
hottest month, July, varies between 90 and ioo° in the
shade. We can protect ourselves from the cold more
than from the heat, hence the summer is trying to most
missionaries ; but by no means dangerous if care be taken
in two respects—(
1 ), not to expose one's head to the sun, and (2), not to expose one's self to sudden changes from
heat to cold, as when a north wind springs up in the night
succeeding a hot day.
I fell rather ill last April with a bad knee, brought on
through exposure to rain, or the bite of a dog, I scarcely
know which—perhaps really from both causes ; I was
laid up for a month, and have been partially lame since, so I have come up here to recuperate. Che-foo is on the
Shan-tung promontory, in latitude 38J , and is situated
CHINAS MILLIONS.
upon the shore of a fine small bay, which offers such
advantages for the anchorage of big ships, that the English, German, and Chinese fleets make this port one
of their chief stopping-places.
The temperature here now is from 78 to 82 in the day
time, and a few degrees less at night ; the air is very
bracing ; then the sea-bathing and rowing occasionally upon
the bay are well calculated to restore one's health or wasted
energies. Hence this place is the chief resort upon the
coast of foreigners resident in China. Our Mission has
two schools for foreign children—one for boys and the
other for girls —a dispensary, and a chapel for Gospel work
amongst the natives ; also a sanitarium-house for sick or weak missionaries. Ten members of our Mission are stationed here. If you will take a map of China, you
will see from it and the figures below how the members
of our Mission are scattered at this date :
15 missionaries are stationed in Cheh-kiang province, 6
10
o
1
1
126
104
59
10
1
KlANG-SU
Gan-hwuy
KlANG-SI
HU-PEH
HU-NAN
HO-NAN
KWEI-CHAU
YUN-NAN
Si-ch'uen
Kan-suh
Shen-si
Shan-si
Shan-tung
BURMAH
the rest are in EnglanJ.
Most colleges, I believe, require their incoming students
to have first had some experience in preaching and other
direct Christian work, and most missionary societies prefer or require college men. Still it is not absolutely
necessary to pass through a college course ; a large proportion of our missionaries have not passed through any
theological training, though most, if not nearly all, have
been actively engaged in Christian work of one kind or another. Far too much has been made of the necessity
for college training in missionaries and ministers ; the Spirit of God alone can fit a man for His service. The
greatest living pastor and preacher—Spurgeon, and the
greatest living evangelist—Moody—are both non-college men. Much patient study of the Word, faith in God, and
being filled with the Spirit, will secure blessing in service. The China Inland Mission is now seeking missionaries, indeed many of us are praying for seventy additional
members, and young men or young women who have had
a fair education, and have been Christian workers for some
few years, who have faith in God and the grace of selfdenial, would be gladly received by the Director and
Council. A monthly periodical called China's Millions
is the organ of our Mission ; from it, and some other
publications that you would find advertised in its pages,
you could learn something of the work being done.
The principles of our Mission are exceptional ; the
heads of the Mission guarantee no salary, but give those
working in connection with them a share in the division of the funds subscribed. Whether a large or small
remittance comes to an individual worker, he receives it thankfully as from God, and makes all his needs known
to God, and not to man. The members of our Mission
probably receive less than most other missionaries in the heathen field. Since I have been married I have
received from £ to £ a year, and it is possible to
live comfortably in China on such amounts, especially as we have no rents or taxes to pay. And let us remember we are disciples of a Master who willingly became poor ; and if we are associated with Him in His poverty, we shall also share His riches, which will make the gold of earth seem vile in comparison. When I was married I had only a dollar in hand.
Earth passes rapidly—we quickly go hence ; let us seek
those things at God's right hand.
I need hardly say how glad I should be if you were
associated with me in mission work. I have a comfortable
house and home about ten days' from Shanghai. Temporal
mercies abound, and though in all things I come short,
yet in all things God's goodness and mercy are vouchsafed. Should you be drawn toward our Mission, you would, I think, find a brotherly geniality about it rather uncommon,
and I think would enjoy the liberty you would have.
We are not considered agents or servants of the Mission,
and are not treated as such, but as workers for GOD in China in mutual fellowship, aided by the Director and
Council at home according to the ability they may possess.
The headquarters of the Mission are in London, the Rev. J. Hudson Taylor (who is now in England) is the
Director ; his address is, 6, Pyrland Road, Mildmay, London, N.,
to whom you might address any application or inquiries. If your way was made clear to come to this most needy
field (in whatever society), I would strongly advise you, for your own two sakes, to remain single after reaching
China for at least a year, that some knowledge of the
country, people, and language might be gained before you
were married. You would not need to commence Chinese
in England—indeed, it would be a disadvantage, for the
dialects differ much in pronunciation, though but little in idiomatic construction. You will manage to speak
Chinese all right, but never to master it. Then come over and help us. Come quickly.