A Fundraising Furlough (1926-1927)

Anna Bøg conducted her American fundraising tour from October, 1926, to May, 1927. During this effort, Anna Bøg addressed audiences at churches, schools, and civic organizations in various locations including Cedar Falls, Iowa; and Los Angeles, California. She used visual aids to bring home to her listeners the reality of life in the mission field. Aside from raising funds to build the women’s mission station, Anna Bøg endeavored to inspire young people to become missionaries. She impressed many who met her as a woman of remarkable strength, dedication and self-discipline.

Three articles from the Cedar Falls newspaper describe so well the flavor of Anna Bøg’s 1926-1927 presentations, that we quote them here at length.

One, about Anna Bøg’s presentation at a local public school, is entitled “Missionary From China Gives Talk At Miner School”:

"Miss Anna Madsen, a teacher in a mission school of northern [sic] Manchuria, who is visiting here at the home of her brother, C.B. Madsen, 319 Grant street, while in the United States on a furlough, gave an interesting and instructive talk on the life of the Chinese before the pupils of the Miner school yesterday afternoon. Miss Madsen illustrated her talk in various ways. She had dolls cleverly dressed to illustrate the costumes of the different types of Chinese people. Victoria Madsen, a pupil at Lincoln school and a niece of Miss Madsen, gave a demonstration of eating with chopsticks. Miss Madsen and her niece also sang several Chinese songs. Beautiful pieces of Chinese embroidery were shown, and Chinese writing was illustrated on the blackboard, by Miss Madsen." (1)

A second newspaper article, which describes Anna Bøg’s presentation to the Cedar Falls Rotary Club, was entitled, “Word Picture of China Given to Rotarians”.

"The best way to understand the Chinese people is to study their early leaders in philosophy, according to Miss Anna Madsen, missionary to China who has just returned to spend a year with relatives in Cedar Falls. Miss Madsen spoke this noon before the members of the Rotary club. She has spent the past seven years in China and reads and speaks the language of China.

"China is a nation that is suffering from arrested development, according to Miss Madsen, although 3,000 years ago it had reached a high degree of civilization. Since the Russian-Japanese war, it has had an awakening, the missionary said, but out of every ten of population nine are illiterate. This accounts for the country’s present backwardness, the speaker said. This illiteracy was termed the curse of China by Miss Madsen, who said that nine out of ten can neither read nor write their own names.

"The missionary described her first trip into the interior of China, where she was obliged to travel 60 miles in a cart over treacherously rough roads. She found the people curious and so inquisitive that they crowded around her table at inns asking all sort of personal questions, all of which she answered with patience and politeness. Miss Madsen described the Chinese people as having wonderful power of control over their feelings, never becoming impatient.

"Most Chinese homes are built of clay with beamed ceilings. Paper is used in doors and windows instead of glass. All the heat for the home comes from the kitchen, where the family meal is cooked in one large kettle. The kettle sends heat under the brick beds along the sides of the main room of the house. The older people in the home eat their meals first, while the younger people stand by with patience awaiting their turns and serving their elders. The respect of the young people for their elders is beautiful to see, according to Miss Madsen.

"Although a law was passed in China prohibiting women and girls from binding their feet, there are more who do it than who don’t, said the missionary. She showed a little red fancy shoe about five inches long that had been worn by a Chinese woman 30 years of age. The former owner of the shoe had become Christianized and gave the shoe to the missionary for a souvenir. Miss Madsen also exhibited other specimens of Chinese handiwork and read passages from the writings of Confucius to show the type of thinking of the Chinese philosopher. She also produced a miniature idol and said that trinkets of many kinds can be had at cut prices in Chinese shops, but that dealers will never give a cut price on an idol.” (2)

A third article describes her talk to the local high school Y.W.C.A.:

“[Anna Bøg] told the girls how different the Chinese are from Americans, doing everything contrary to our customs. She said that there are only about six missionaries to every 300,000 Chinese people. Miss Madsen described the way in which the poorer people live -- in houses of one room with brick walls, brick floors and paper windows. They sleep on brick beds. She said that the girls do not go to school but sit at home and sew. She showed many curious things, displaying what the Chinese girls wear on different occasion[s], and exhibiting many pieces of embroidery. The majority of the people still retain the custom which forbids a girl to see her husband before they are married. She concluded her talk by saying she hoped some of the Y.W.C.A. girls here would someday become missionaries, as it is one of the greatest services that one could perform in order to show love for Jesus Christ." (3)

On May 27, 1927, Anna Bøg arrived in Copenhagen after concluding her American tour and wrote a letter of thanks to the American friends of the D.M.S. that was published in the missionary newspaper in early June, 1927:

"With the receipt in this amount for money for the new women’s station in Siuyen, I would also like to send everyone a loving greeting from D.M.S., where I arrived a week ago, and a warm thanks for all the money and for the abundant affection I received. Thinking back on my journey over there brings many wonderful memories. I felt at home in the congregations and miss them. I hope that we can maintain the relationship between China and America, since you will now be part of the new station that is to be a small part of D.M.S.’s great work in China. I am sure that they too will take pleasure in what you gave. We still have much to do to construct the buildings; but ‘From above, God has helped.’

"Upon my arrival in Denmark, I attended the large Sanctification Meeting* at Nyborn Beach; we were about 800 participants. It was a blessing to be allowed to sit still and take in. I am waiting till November to travel back to China." (4)

Although Anna Bøg remained in Denmark from the end of May until early November, 1927, she did not “'sit still and take in'” for very long. Instead she continued her efforts. In mid-November 1927, D.M.S. wrote the following on Anna Bøg’s return to China:

"On Wednesday, 9 November, a group left for China comprised of Miss Bøg Madsen; [Dr.] Marie Nielsen; Miss Chiang from China, and a nurse, Miss Busch, who is traveling on her own behalf to spend a year with her sister at the hospital in Siuyen. . . . Miss Bøg Madsen spent part of her home stay in America, where many of her relatives live, and held a number of meetings there. Also here in this country she has been fervent in going about and advocating China’s cause. She is returning to her old work in Siuyen and longs fervently to construct the much-needed new building dedicated to the work with women and a residence for the women missionaries. In America, she collected 5,017.93 kroner for that purpose. Given the current oppressive economic situation,** it is not settled whether we can give her additional support for the work." (5)

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* A “sanctification meeting” is a phenomenon of the Holiness-Pentecostal movement, not the Lutheran Church. It is said that at the time in question these meetings were quite sedate.
** Denmark and Norway suffered a severe economic contraction during the years 1925–27 that some attribute to matters related to the gold standard. The period is sometimes referred to as the “gold-parity depression”.

Referenced sources:
(1) “Missionary From China Gives Talk At Miner School”, Cedar Falls Record; unknown date in 1926 or 1927. Courtesy of Casey Welch.
(2) “Word Picture of China Given to Rotarians”; Cedar Falls Record; unknown date in 1926 or 1927. Courtesy of Casey Welch.
(3) “High School Y.W.C.A. Elects Officers for the Next School Year”, Cedar Falls Record; unknown date in 1926 or 1927. Courtesy of Casey Welch.
(4) Bøg Madsen, Anna; “Den nye Kvindestation i Siuyen”; Dansk Missionsblad, Vol??, Nr. 23, June 8, 1927, pp. 362-353.
(5) “Ti China”, Dansk Missionsblad, Vol.??, Nr. 47, November 23, 1927, p. 732.
All D.M.S. material used with permission.

Image:
Anna Bøg aboard ship, probably during her 1926-1927 fundraising furlough. Courtesy of Casey Welch.