Directory_and_Chronicle_1850 — Page 377

1859.

What I have Seen in Shanghái.

339

one of the most solemn and impressive scenes I have ever witnessed. The oldest of the six is a teacher, about forty years of age; another is perhaps thirty, a servant woman of Mrs. Syle's; the others are pu- pils in the school. At my request, the following memoranda have been furnished me :-

"The eldest, Chung Cháng, who was baptized by the name of Wái Kiung, was among the first of our pupils. He was at the time the school was first organized, more than sixteen, and too old to enter it; but his entreaties prevailed on us to take him, and his father signed the required bond for ten years. His attention seems to have been first arrested by an observation of Bishop Boone, “that if one of their temples was on fire, the cats, rats, &c., could make their escape, but the wooden gods they worshiped must be burned, unless some one removed them, for they could not save them- selves." He thought this was very true, and it shook his faith in such help- lesa deities. The first change for the better, observed by us was after he had been in the school nearly two years—he and two other boys who slept in the same room with him had singing and prayer before retiring for the night. It could not be ascertained that he felt himself a sinner at this time, but he thought the foreign custoin of praying to the true God a very good one. With the other two associated with him, we trust it was something more- they have both been disciples of our Lord more than a year. May we not also believe that God was even then leading Chung Cháng by a way he knew not. He was betrothed in childhood, and when the time of his marriage arrived he showed a tenderness of conscience about the ceremony being performed after idolatrous customs, and persuaded his parents to allow him to be married by Bishop Boone in the school chapel. About that time, there was evidently a conflict going on in his mind, but he had many temp- tations, and yielded to them—even the school became irksome to him, and he was anxious to leave and go into business; however, after remaining at home nearly two weeks he returned to his studies. Shortly after this there was much feeling shown by several of the scholars on the subject of religion, and he was among the first to acknowledge himself a sinner. He said he could not sleep at night when he thought how long he had read about Jesus dying on the cross to save sinners, and had not repented; he feared he might die and go to the place of everlasting trouble, and at last he determined no longer to harden his heart but be willing to bear reproach for Christ's sake.

"Yu Zung, or Ya Kwing, the next oldest, now seventeen, was also one of the first scholars and a very bad boy; indeed, alinost up to the time of his conversion he showed very little amendment in his moral conduct, tho' there had been a gradual improvement in his studies. He gives no reason for the great change in him, but that he felt himself a sinner; his own words are “my heart felt so very dirty, and I pray to God to send his Holy Spirit to clean it, and I want to become a disciple of Jesus, because he was so good to die for sinners." Now he says he is very happy, and as far as man can judge he gives evidence of the new birth; there is certainly a decided change in him. "Fuh Sü, or Aloe, is naturally of an indolent disposition, and nothing striking with regard to his religious feelings is apparent-he has not been a bad boy, and his conviction of sin does not seem to have been at any time strong, but there is no reason to believe that he is not entirely sincere. His age is sixteen.

“Hià Ding or Niáh Fung is the youngest of the four in years, but in intellect in advance of all. He is a decided character, and as far as can be discerned, likely to be stronger in the faith than any of the others. He dates his first religions impressions to witnessing the baptism of one of his mates last November, which he says made him feel that he too was a miserable sin