Their task is by no means easy and, as Mr. Hanna once remarked, “Yuen-nan Province has broken the heart of more than one missionary.”  The Chinese do not understand their point of view, and it is difficult to make them see it.  A Chinaman is a rank materialist and pure altruism does not enter into his scheme of life.  As a rule he has but two thoughts, his stomach and his cash bag.  It is well-nigh impossible to make him realize that the missionary has not come with an ulterior motive—­if not to engage in trade, perhaps as a spy for his government.  Others believe that it is because China is so vastly superior to the rest of the world that the missionaries wish to live there.  Eventually the suspicions of the natives become quieted and they accept the missionary at some part of his true worth.

At the time of the rebellion in Yen-ping we saw Harry Caldwell, Mr. Bankhardt and Dr. Trimble save the lives of hundreds of people and the city from partial destruction because the Chinese officers of the opposing forces would trust the missionaries when they would not trust each other.

An excellent piece of practical missionary work was done in Fukien Province, not long after our visit there.  As we have related in Chapter III, several large bands of brigands were established in the hills about Yuchi.  Brigandage began there in the following way.  During a famine when the people were on the verge of starvation, a wealthy farmer, Su Ek by name, decided to do his share in relieving conditions by offering for sale a quantity of rice which he had accumulated.  He approached another man of similar wealth who agreed with him to sell his grain at a reasonable price.  Su Ek accordingly disposed of his rice to the suffering people and, when he had remaining only enough to sustain his own family until the following harvest, he sent the peasants to the second man who had also agreed to dispose of his grain.

This farmer refused to sell at the stipulated price, and the people, angered at his treachery, looted his sheds.  He immediately went to Foochow and reported to the governor that there was a band of brigands abroad in Yuchi County under the leadership of Su Ek, and that they had robbed and plundered his property.

Without warning a company of soldiers swooped down upon the community and arrested a number of men whose names the informer had given.  Su Ek made his escape to the hills but he was pursued as a brigand chief, and was later joined by other farmers who had been similarly persecuted.  Unable to return to their homes on pain of death they were forced to rob in order to live.

Su Ek and others were finally decoyed to Foochow upon the promise that their lives would be spared if they would induce their band to surrender.  They met the conditions but the government officials broke faith and the men were executed.  Similar attempts were made to enter into negotiations with the brigands and in 1915 two hundred were trapped and beheaded after pardons had been promised them.  Naturally the robbers refused to trust the government officials again.