Page:Village life in Korea (1911).djvu/254

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Village Life in Korea.

to try his hand as a traveling merchant. When the tub was empty, he returned, filled it, and started out again. He succeeded, and soon found that this was better than acting as a public dray. When he started on these trips he would hang around his neck a little bag, into which he would slip a few copies of the Gospels, some tracts, and his hymn book. Wherever he went, he told the story of Jesus, and to all who would buy he sold a Gospel or a tract. His business carried him to many villages and sometimes a long distance from home, so that he was known all over the countryside as "Ye Duck-su, the Jesus doctrine-doing man." During this time he had been appointed class leader in the Church to which he belonged. This gave Brother Ye a new title. Ye Soak-chang, this being the name for class leader in Korean. The class leader in our village Church is a man of influence and standing in the Church. The pastor does not get around to every Church many times during the year, and in his absence the congregation must look to the class leader to conduct the services and lead in all the Church work.

Brother Ye continued to prosper till he was able to buy one of the best houses in the village, and some farm land also. This was indeed a great contrast when compared with the shack in which he lived when he first heard the gospel of Jesus. Now he farmed some, and ran his other business as a sort of side issue. This gave much more time at home, and therefore more time for Church work, which was a great joy to him. He was never too busy to drop everything and walk, sometimes as much as thirty miles, to attend a Quarterly