M. Junkin

    [from “Reports of the Southern Presbyterian Mission in Korea, 1903”]

From the time of our last annual meeting till the last of March I taught the little girls’ Sunday School class with a roll of seventeen and average attendance of twelve, and a few extra ones occasionally especially at Christmas time.  Till the early part of March, I had them for an hour every Monday morning also; but the attendance at this class was not quite so good.  It was a great pleasure and relief to me when Miss Straeffer started her school for these little girls, for of course knowing them as I did I had become very much interested in them, and they had so often said to me, “Why can’t you teach us to read as the boys are being taught?” From the time the boys’ school was opened until the first of January I taught one hour a day in it, but finding this with teaching my own boys was more than my strength could stand the Misses Bull kindly relieved me of it.

There have been comparatively few sight-seers this year as compared with other years, but most of those seen have received a little tract of leaflet, and I have tried to preach to them as best I could.  I have done some visiting and entertaining of country members of our church and have kept up some language study by way of preparing my Sunday School lessons.  

We greatly appreciate the sympathy and help of members of the Chun Ju and our own station and of Mrs. and the Misses Bull in time of trial and sickness which have been frequent during the past year.

As Mr. Junkin has been sick a great deal, I have had to look after the gardening, pay off coolies, and play trained nurse, and sometimes doctor to the Koreans, though I, of course, used only a few simple things that we are accustomed to use in our home.

For next year I should like to take up the Sunday and Monday school work for the little girls.     

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[from “Reports of the Southern Presbyterian Mission in Korea, 1904”]

My report naturally falls under the two heads of Sunday and Day schools.  Beginning with the former, I might almost read any one of my last three years’ reports and there would be little change to make.  They are almost the same set of girls I am teaching with the addition of growth in stature and some advance in knowledge, and I trust in grace.  There is this difference in the year’s teaching, that all the larger girls read well enough to study the lesson for themselves and with two exceptions they had been right faithful in doing so.  While the girl’s school was kept up one day in the week was given to the preparation of the next Sunday’s lesson and on other days they repeated a Bible verse or several questions in the Catechism.  All of the larger girls have learned Dr. Ingold’s Catechism.  One great difficulty in both the Sunday and day schools have been the great variety of ages among the scholars, every size from fifteen down being represented.  The attendance of the larger girls has been unusually good, two not having missed a single Sunday since our last Annual Meeting.  Several others have missed only once or twice, and then their absence was unavoidable.  The day school barring sickness has been run from November until August, the girls getting from one and a half to two hours instruction daily.  The attendance has been from ten to sixteen, and necessarily the children were unclassifiable on account of their failure to agree in either age or sense.  Kokmun, reading and writing, Bible, catechism, and since Spring, arithmetic, has been the curriculum.  At first, I attempted to teach them all the time myself but later found it more profitable to use the old teacher of the boy’s school during hours he was not engaged in teaching them.  When not able to be in the room with him, the “ama” was sent in, and so far no criticism has been heard of the method.  One little girl deserves special praise for progress made through sheer perseverance.  Not especially bright, by faithfulness she has gone from “ka, Kya” to smooth Bible reading. 

During Mr. Junkin’s absence at the Mokpo training class, I gave some attention to the boys’ school and introduced one new feature into the school which has become permanent and for which my husband has doubtless taken all the credit.  

My principal attention has of course had to be given to our own boys, and as they will require much more time each advancing year I do not see how girls’ schoolwork can be kept up at the station unless someone is sent out from home to undertake it.  The question is for the Mission to decide as to whether these girls who have shown themselves capable and anxious to learn shall be left to grow up in ignorance, and be no better than their heathen mothers were.

Our school close with a “taichup” of ice cream and cake and each child was given a pretty card.  After the blessing was asked I noticed that the children seemed restless and not as happy as the occasion demanded.  Presently one little girl sidled up and remarked, “Mary says she is thinking so much about her mother that she can’t enjoy her’s unless she can divide it with the.”  I took the hint and soon all of them were seen scurrying in every direction with paper-covered saucers and happy faces.  As no previous notice was given those who did not come to school that day missed the feast, but their cards were saved for them.  When they came for them, on little innocently announced that if she could just have known there was to be anything to eat, nothing could have kept her away.

Outside of school work I have seen or had the “ama” see the sightseers, who have been fewer than usual, and have visited the sick and at times entertained the well women of the congregation. 

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[from “Reports of the Southern Presbyterian Mission in Korea, 1905”]

As soon as possible after getting settled in Chunju last fall, I took u school and Sunday School work among the little girls, the work assigned me at our last annual meeting.

Though most of the larger girls so carefully instructed in Dr. Ingold’s Sunday class were grown up or gone there were enough left to give zest and interest and I trust the year has not been altogether unprofitable.  A Gospel lesson, recitation of Scripture verses, and the Child’s Catechism and 셩경문답 were taught.  Four of them recited the former and three the latter perfectly.

For the day school the services of the two young Korean women who had formerly helped in the school were secured, each to teach two hours per day.  After trying this plan for several months there were so few scholars that for this and other reasons it seemed best to employ one teacher all the morning.  The children were all small and their progress slow, with perhaps three rather encouraging exceptions. IN the spring the school was moved back to the building in the village below us, formerly used for that purpose.  There the attendance was somewhat better, two larger girls coming, one of whom was from the country.  All through the session, there were applications for us to take in larger girls and let them board in the school as it was impossible for them to come through the city every day.  This it was not thought wise to undertake until there is a lady who can give the school more thorough oversight than was possible with our small force and until better quarters can be provided. It served however to emphasize our need for a lady especially for this work and the probable success of a girl’s boarding school here.

As far as my own teaching in the school was concerned, after teaching my own boys all morning I was too tired to do efficient work.  I would be glad to turn the charge of the girls’ school over to someone who can do it better and if I am able it will be a pleasure to teach a class in it or do what I can to help

Besides the regular work assigned to me by the Mission, I gave out the rice and saw to having the clothes made for the small orphanage carried on here.  The Christian women took much interest in these children and ended us valuable assistance in cutting and making their clothes.