Page:China's spiritual need and claims.djvu/50

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36
The Eleven Provinces.

them to the great Sin-Bearer! If we aggregate all the workers in these 11 provinces, and allow to each 100,000 people as his or her sphere of labour, there will remain over 100 millions without missionary supply. Add to them the 83 millions beyond the reach of the gospel in the seven provinces first mentioned, and we have an aggregate exceeding 183 millions absolutely without those tidings which the Saviour so long ago commanded to be carried to every creature. My Christian reader, are you quite sure that it is not your duty to carry the gospel to these perishing ones?

To tabulate these parts then, we find in March, 1884, there were:—

Province. Area. Population. Missionaries.
1. Kiang-si 61,580 square miles 15 millions Only 5 men and 0 women
2. Gan-hwuy 54,002 square miles 9 millions Only 4 men and 4 women
3. Ho-nan 66,928 square miles 15 millions Only 1[1] men and 0 women
4. Shan-si 65,950 square miles 9 millions Only 14 men and 4 women
5. Shen-si 81,215 square miles 7 millions Only 4 men and 6 women
6. Kan-suh 166,000 square miles 3 millions Only 2 men and 1 women
7. Si-c'hüen 185,052 square miles 20 millions Only 8 men and 5 women
8. Yün-nan
(including Bham̀ô)
122,461 square miles 5 millions Only 6 men and 0 women
9. Kwei-chau 66,758 square miles 4 millions Only 3 men and 0 women
10. Kwang-si 77,856 square miles 5 millions None and 0 women
11. Hu-nan 83,214 square miles 16 millions Only 1 men and 0 women
Totals 1,031,016 square miles 108 millions Only 48 men and 20 women


RESCUE THE PERISHING.

Many years ago the following incident occurred as the writer of these pages was journeying to Sung-kiang Fu, a large city in the province of Kiang-su, and is quoted from a journal written about the time.

"In the afternoon of the second day its walls loomed in sight, and I spoke of going ashore to preach the gospel. In the same boat was a Chinaman as passenger, who had been in England; and who, when

there, went by the name of Peter. He had heard the gospel, but had not experienced its saving power. I had been speaking to him on the preceding evening about his soul's salvation, and he had been moved to
  1. In the Conspectus, page 41, these two workers are classed under their head-quarters, Fan-ch'eng and Sha-sh'i, in Hu-peh.