Pioneering in - Far Eastern Bible College

them published in the newspapers’ supplements. In theorganisation of drama he boldly entered into its compositions. (Healso revived the publication of the defunct Students PreachingBand magazine.) It was at this time that he got many of hisarticles published in the Church magazines. During his term ofservice in Borneo, he became correspondent to seven or eightChurches in China.His progress in literary art grew entirely out of much readingand much writing. Though he improved in rhetoric through muchreading, his ideals became profoundly affected thereby. From hisyouth he was acquainted with the classics and with thoseselections used by his teachers which were mostly of a pessimisticand negative vein. These selections included for instance: HanYu’s Sacrifice to the Twelfth Son, The Old Fisherman’s Words,Preface to Li Yuen’s Return to Pang Ku, Li Ling’s Apology to SuWu, Elegy to an Ancient Battlefield, Homeward Bound I Go, etc.He never received instruction from anyone on what to read, butjust read whatever he laid hold of. During his employment at thehospital he was on good terms with a lady doctor, who took himas a younger brother. A young lady, she became infatuated withreading gloomy novels. She borrowed from outside many booksof this nature like “My Wife” and “The Soul of a Jade Pear.”Seeing that he was a voracious reader, she supplied him as muchas she could. In literature these books perhaps had some value, butthese have so influenced this young man to pessimism andnegativism that throughout his life he has been helplesslyensnared by depression and melancholy. Of an extraordinary,sensitive and emotional make-up, he would often be moved to aprofusion of tears whenever he read them. In these books wererecounted many human tragedies. So, he became more and moreembittered against the world by reading them. He had also readWater Margin, The Story of the Stone and a number of hero andghost stories. From such literature he became obsessed with thefutility of life and was totally sick and hateful of this world.31