an inspiring Easter message, one of the first he has ever issued, General Chiang Kai-shole stressed his religious faith and told of his Sian experiences on Mar.
26, The occasion was the Eastern Asia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Nenking and the message, which was read by Colonel J. L. Huang, was entitled "My Spiritual Conception of Good Friday."
General Chiang's message follows:
Without religious faith there can b no real understanding of life. scenes: passed vividly before me again Faith in the case of revolution is and again, like $0 many pictures. My not unlike religious faith. Without [strength redoubled to "resist recal~ faith human affairs, both great and entrants with the spirit of Christ small, are dificult of achievement, fon the Cross 1 was preparing (o make 'Often when face to face with opthe final sacrifice at the trial of the position and possible danger, we mor-so-called "People's Front'. -Heving {als are prone to retreat and to Jdetermined upon this course of action abandon our" work halfway. Such T'was. comforted and at rest, Yack of confidence "in ourselves 8 two Cardinal Princlptes often due to the absence of strong religious faith, Following the' settlement of the T have now been a Christian for Sian affairs, the rebels knowing their nearly ten years, and during the junwige and' treasonable actions natur time T have been' a constant reader ally were afraid, Remembering tha of the Bible. Never before has this [Christ enjoined us to forgive those Sacred Book been so interesting to me og during my two weeks vaptivseven -and.upon their repentance who sri against ws uni seventy nes ity in Sian. This unfortunate a(falr felt that they should be allowed to took place all of a sudden, and I found start life anew. At the same time 1 myself placed under detention with-wag greatly humbled that my own out having a single earthly belong-faith had not been of such quality as ing. to influence my followers and 'Asked For A Bible restrain them. iver' since training cadets and From my captors I asked for but] Iaunching expeditions T have repeated cone thing, a copy of the Bible, and my followers these two principles In my solitude I had ample opportun-yon detecting the slightest selfishity for reading and meditation, The ness on ty part or discovering plans greatness and love of Christ burst leon trary to the interest of my coun: pon me with a new inspiration, intty and people, any one may aecust creasing my strength to struggle. me of guilt and put me to death: (2) against evil, to overcome temptation, [should my words and actions betray and to uphold righteousness. the Inck of truth and good faith or Tam indeed grateful to. all my Indleato the departure from the fellow' Christians who continually. volutionary. cause and principle, any offered prayers on my behalf, and T tone of my subordinates may tale mo fam deeply conscious of the' strong for enemy and put me to death. I spiritual support for which T extend, honestly believe that these two say-my hearty thanks to all Christians Ings prompted were prompted by and to which before you all to-day sincerity gnd grew out of my religious T testify that the name of God may faith, They "are_in ling with the spirit of love of Christ, and the for-'Many virtues of Christ 1 cannot Dearanes and magnanimity of Dr. Sun possibly enumerate, To-day belng-Good Friday, 1 merely wish to of Christ reveals the long plain some of the lessons 1 have record of aiMliction and constant per= derived from. the trials of Christ, secution. His split of forbearance, His His utterances from the Cross are love and His benevolent shine through our, spiritual Inheritance. Entreating It'all. No more valuable lesson has forgiveness for his enemies, He orlo" yet come to me out of my Christian 'Puther forgive them for they know experiences, not what they do'. Truly great is De. Sun Yatesen was g Christian the love of Christ. Th all my medi-_ land the greatest thing he received tation I found these thoughts recur-from Christ was love—love for the ring and proving me with rich spirl-Jemaneipation of the weaker races and tual sustenance. for the welfare of oppressed peoples, Experiences At Sian his spirit remains" with us and reaches to the skies. Tam an ardent To illustrate Tam going to recount follower of the revolution and al-some of my experiences et Sian. Be-though my faith in Dr, Sun at the {ore T went fo Shensi on. my second outset did not appear to have any {rip I si ready was conscious of the religious significance, It was similar perverted thoughts and unusual a religious faith, 'For this reason Hvis inthe. army' there. T hod Thave become a follower of the re-previously received reports of volution bases on the San Min Chu The intrigues and revolutionary Men, of Fatth {To undermine the unity of the sta Towday, 1 find T have taken w ture My immediate associates tried to per-that step'and have become g follower suede me to abandon the Journey, Dut yerns Christ hiss males "me I replied: "Now that our county, unified andthe foundauon of the Scale here fly nat success of elution depends upon, men of State established, the Commander-in-that "men. of character, be-Ghiet of the armies has. the re=pon-ruse of thplr faith, cannot sade sibilities for the direction "and en-{hele prinelpieg for! personal safely Tightenment from which he dare not Under eircumslavces of aimeaty: and withdraw. Furthermore, T have de-erie "in other words, a. man's ite Gieated my soul and body to the ser-Shay' be sacrificed, his person held In vice of the state, and there can never Tonge, but his faith and spit be any consideration of my personal Hover be restained, "This (s due 10 the confidence brought about by fat 'According to the record to the New 'On tle Good Friday ese ete 'Testament, when' Christ entered lion are ours, For auch fa the Ime Jerusalem for the last time He plainly Portanee of faith in revolution and knew. the danger ahead but trium Faith In religions, hantly, on an ass, He rode into the What. I have Just said represents felty without anguish, without fears. splctual "conception of Good What greatness. What courage. aay, interspersed with a fow foots comparison, how unimportant my rife fut of'my own experiences, offer rust be, So why should T hesitate? hom as testimony" and not in any Faith in Christ Senge to exalt my ova worthiness end My fondness for my troops, always {erectend my. resting tote Cental extend my greetings to the Cen nas "been as great a love between Conference of astern Asia of tHe [Brothers and this love drew me into StetnositEplecopat "Charon, and the heart of the rebellion, "Such xpress my thanks to Cheistons disregard of danger in face of duty voryohere for their earnest gnd con: caused the deep concern to the gov-{ned prayers on ry bebait fernment, worried the people and for Delegates to the Central Conference this numerous prayers. have. been 'Eastern 'Asia' of the. Bfethodlot offered by Christian friends. In the Episcopal Church, now in session tu uldst of i¢ all my understanding me ening, were received by Dr. Wang fereased and my love multiplic Ghung-tulyafinister. of Foreign Following my detention my captors Aas, at the. Walchlagpu on. the presented "me. with terms and. de-moming of March 21. mands, with tempting words of kind-"At noon. they. were guests ata pes, "with threats iolnts and Juncheon party given by Bishop and lorttre, and with public trial by the tra. W. E Hammaker of Naning People's Front... On every band T the Nanicing Bankers Club, and spent ras beet, by danger, but t had no {he atterngon in visiting places of My faith in Christ increased. In this ought of yielding to the pressure, Inert symposium op religious educa-strange predicament, I distinelly retion sas held at aeonterence seasion called the forty days and nights Christ Indic evening When "Dr, passed in the wilderness, withstand-was speaker Central News, ing temptation, prayers in the garden Gettisemané, and. the indignities regard to the petition to the heaped upon Him at hig trial, The recent Third Plenary Session of the prayers He offered for His enemies Central Executive Committee of the tupan. the cross were ever "in my Kuomintang for the restoration of pilotage rights to the Chinese, the T naturally remembered the pray-Chinese papers state that the session ers offered by Dr. Sun Yat-sen during has referred the matter to the Execu-his imprisonment in London. These tive for discussion and final decision,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.