Sketches from Formosa.

IN JEOPARDY
XXXIII
AT CHIANG-HOA
THE county city of Chiang-hoa is one to which our
longing eyes have been often turned. Its inhabitants
are known to be a very turbulent part of the population,
and more than once have our attempts to preach to
them ended in confusion and general uproar. Through
the Hospital at Taiwan-fu and otherwise, some of them
knew about the church, so we frequently thought that
stated preaching work there would be a step in the right
direction, had it only been possible to obtain some kind
of place in which to meet.
The initial step of trying to secure mission premises
in any of the large cities of China is nearly always
attended with no small amount of difficulty, and
sometimes even of danger. It has been truly said that
officials and literati dislike the missionary, and they
easily succeed in getting the people to oppose his work.
The recent action of our Toa-sia brethren in raising
funds to attempt the establishment in Chiang-hoa
put the matter in a new light, and made us feel that
now, if ever, was the time for facing the question hope-
fully and determinedly.
I happened then to be spending the summer in that
region, and was only too thankful to have the opportunity
of lending a helping hand. Several of the native brethren
accompanied me on two or three preliminary visits to
the city, and as the result of our enquiries, it was found
that a certain house-owner was in monetary difficulties
183