THE TERRIBLE RED DWARF: A Children’s Story from 200 Years Ago
It was July, 1868—the warmest month of that year for Hankou, China.
The streets were busy, the worn ground underfoot baking in the afternoon sun. Amongst the crowds could be seen a familiar face. The face belonged to Griffith John. He was well known in this area, having spent most of his missionary efforts in China calling Hankou his home.
When he was not preaching and teaching in the far flung villages, helping his wife at the girls school, resolving some conflict at the boys school, or praying in solitude at home, he could be found here; pacing the streets of his beloved city, distributing tracts to any who would stop.
On this particular July afternoon, he approached a man who seemed in less of a hurry than the others in the crowd. Griffith pulled out a tract and tried to persuade the man to take one with him on his way.
His reply came as a surprise. The man looked at the tract in his outstretched hand and said, with a smile: “I know all about it. It is a very good book.”
“What does it talk about?” Griffith quizzed.
“Oh,” said he, “it talks about this,” pointing to his tongue. And he was right, for the little book was no other than a translation of Mark Guy Pearse’s The Terrible Red Dwarf.
That very same book is now available to you today.
The Terrible Red Dwarf a little tale for children like the folklore of the Brothers Grimm, written in the 1800s, of a naughty dwarf who plagued the local villages, burning houses and robbing the inhabitants until timely intervention by the King put pay to his dastardly ways.
Written in Cornwall, buried in the south of England, this little book made its way to the other side of the world; its message reaching thousands in China. It tells a tale of caution, warning against the downfall that can be swiftly brought about by the words that so easily escape our mouths. Reintroduce your children to a story heard by children 200 years ago and its message of truth.
Click below for the ebook, or search the book on Amazon to purchase the print version:
