's, even though
he may not see the reason for those standards, has shown an attitude
that will take him a long way on the mission field. The "how I do my
hair and what kind of clothes I wear is my own business!" attitude so
frequently met with, both at home and on the field, is not a promising
one. If we have fully given ourselves to Christ, nothing is our own
business--it is all His.

CHAPTER 5

_The Right to Privacy_

_"There were many coming and going, and they had no leisure
so much as to eat."_--Mark 6:31

_"But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with
compassion for them."_--Matthew 9:36

I had just come back from a strenuous month in the country. Mr. and
Mrs. Sprightly, the young married couple who were in charge of the
mission station, and I were relaxing around the tea table. I told
about the work I had been doing, and answered interested questions.
Finally the talk drifted into lighter channels, and Mrs. Sprightly
told a funny incident she had witnessed the previous day in a
courtyard down the street when she had been out for a walk with her
little boy.

"I always like to have Sonny with me when I go out," she concluded,
philosophically. "When he's along I can stick my nose in anywhere I
like. All I have to do is to say, 'My little boy wants to see what
that is,' and I can wander into their courtyards, or even into their
houses, and nobody thinks anything about it!"

Curiosity is a common trait, and especially so among those who are
uneducated and unsophisticated. Missionaries often find those to whom
they go frankly curious. But, strangely enough, there is something in
many of us that rebels against having one's private life a matter of
common knowledge! The one who has grown up without becoming acquainted
with the meaning of the word _privacy_, on the other hand, may find it
impossible to understand why the missionary desires to be alone once
in awhile!

* * * * *

The young missionary hears the sound of Chinese music from somewhere
up the street. To her ears it is weird and unintelligible, but the
children at their play instantly recognize the tune, and raise their
voices in a shout.

"The new daughter-in-law[2] is coming! The new daughter-in-law is
coming!"

A friendly youngster pokes his head in at the missionary's door.
"Wouldn't you like to come and see the new daughter-in-law?" he asks
politely. "The sedan chair is just ar