China
AND
r^.
WITH THE STORY OF
A MISSION
REV. JAS. JOHNSTON
uBRAkY OF PRINCETON
Z005
L
THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
BV 3415 .J65 1897 c.2
Johnstoun, James.
China and Formosa
CHINA AND FORMOSA
A MOUNTAIN PASS SOUTH OF AMOV.
[Frontispiece.
China and Formosa
^be Stor^ of the fllMasion of
^be ipre6bi?tenan Cburcb of lenglant)
WITH
MANY ILLUSTRATIONS
PREPARED FOR THIS WORK
AND
FOUR MAPS
BY THE
REV. JAS. JOHNSTON
B dfonnev /iDissionar^
AUTHOR OF "a CENTURY OF PROTESTANT MISSIONS," "A CENTURY OF CHRISTIAN
PROGRESS," SECRETARY AND EDITOR OF THE REPORT OF THE
CONFERENCE ON MISSIONS OF 1888, ETC.. El
LONDON
LIBRARY OF PRiNCrjON
THEOLOGICAL SEMINAR'
HAZELL, WATSON, & VINEY, Ld
I, CREED LANE, LUDGATE HILL
1897
PRINTED BY
HAZELL, WATSON, & VINEY, LD.
LONDON AND AYLESBURY.
PREFACE.
N writing the history of the Mission
of the Presbyterian Church of
England during the last fifty years,
at the request of several of its
Missionaries, and with the ap-
proval of the Committee, my great
aim has been to bring the remote
near, and to make the strange
familiar. To do this I have endeavoured, by
descriptions of the country and its people, to bring
the field of labour, and the nature of the work,
before the minds of our people at home, and by
allowing the Missionaries to tell their own tale of
difficulties, trials, and sorrows, and of triumphs,
encouragements, and joys, in their own words, to
bring them near to the hearts of all interested in
the progress of the kingdom of God in heathen
lands.
In this my chief difficulty has been the modest
reserve of the Missionaries in all that was personal.
Their sole desire seems to be to tell only what
God had done in the conversion of sinners, and
viii PREFACE.
in building up the Church. Their sorrows they too
often bury in their own breasts, and they prefer
to speak of the joy in the presence of the angels
rather than in the depths of their grateful hearts.
To overcome the disadvantage of this extreme
reticence, I have ransacked the pages of fifty
Reports of the Committee, and as many of the
Synod Records, and fifty yearly volumes of The
Messenger and Gospel in China, with their
six hundred monthly numbers, and have carefully
culled out such portions as will give a realistic
account of the work of the Mission during the
last fifty years, a task much more difficult than
if the story had been all my own composition.
When inserting extracts from letters — for they are
very rarely given at length — it was needful to
introduce them with a few prefatory words, to
make the reader feel as if the writer was his or
her own correspondent ; but they have not been
followed up with moral reflections nor irritating
repetitions.
Knowing how much the eye assists the mind
and affects the heart, I have spared no trouble or
expense to secure the best and largest number
possible of illustrations, and to have them pro-
duced in the best possible style. All have been
prepared for this volume ; even where two or
three have appeared before they are reproduced
from better blocks. I beg to acknowledge, with
many thanks, my obligations to the friends who
PREFACE. ix
have so kindly helped by lending their photo-
graphs, without which the book would have lost
so much of Its Interest. For permission to make
blocks from the maps, I am much Indebted to
William Carruthers, Esq., who had spent much
labour In getting them prepared for the Committee.
Though the book and maps are by different hands,
only a very few words are differently spelled.
The likenesses of Missionaries have been a
source of much anxiety and trouble, and are far
from being what I would desire. It was found
impossible to get all, although they were written
for a year ago. Many are left out whom It would
have been a pleasure to have Inserted ; and I
must ask to be excused by some whose likenesses
are Inserted without permission being received.
The great purpose in printing them is to enable
those at home to know and pray for the labourers
In the field with more intelligence and sympathy.
The difficulties In the way of getting any large
number of likenesses of Chinese pastors or
preachers in a satisfactory form was found insuper-
able. Those introduced are far from satisfactory.
No attempt has been made in the following
pages to defend Missions from the attacks which
are so often made by those who know little or
nothing about them. .The Mission of the Pres-
byterian Church has no need of arguments in Its
defence. The facts In its history are its sufficient
apologia.
PREFACE.
Is it said that conversions are few ? We can
point to the number of members of the Church,
the number of Churches and Stations, the wide
spread of the knowledge of the Truth ; and ask if
greater results are obtained in Missions to the
masses at home. Is it said that the converts are
not genuine ? We can point to the transforming
power of the Gospel in thousands of instances in
which the members of the Church are "living
epistles," known and read of all men, the heathen
themselves being judges. Do men say that the
converts are influenced by sordid motives — that
they are rice Christians, fed and kept by the
Missionaries ? We again point to the facts
recorded in these pages by the most competent
witnesses, who tell us, giving name and locality,
of the privations and persecutions and martyr-
doms endured with patience and meekness by
men who had everything to lose and nothing
to gain in this world by professing themselves
Christians. We might also refer to the Treasurers
and Auditors of the accounts of the Mission, who
would prove that no funds are available for the
bribery or support of converts ; even those em-
ployed as agents of the Society get very small
salaries. Many could largely increase their
income by secular employment. Finally, it is
said that it is wrong to send so much money
abroad for the conversion of the heathen when
there is so much to be done at home. W^e can
PREFACE. xi
point to the Presbyterian Church of England in
its relation to the Mission in China. At the time
it was struggling into a new life, its first impulse
was to send a Mission to the heathen, and the
result has been, as seen by the last census, that
that Church has made more rapid progress during
these fifty years than any other denomination in
England. There is no doubt that her Mission
has been the source of prosperity, as well as a
sign of life.
In writing these pages I have not entered on
form.al arguments for increased efforts and greater
liberality for the extension of the Mission, much
as these are needed. I have left the facts to
speak to the minds and hearts of the readers, and
I now make no appeal to pity for the perishing,
nor compassion for the suffering. I only call
attention to the fact that the Church has a
Mission which has proved its efficiency, and has
been owned of God. Loyalty and love to Christ
are the great argument and motive for Foreign
Missions. The Missionary spirit in the Church
of Christ is just the Christian spirit in relation to
those outside the Church, and to the command of
the Saviour, " Go ye, and make disciples of all
the nations."
The pronunciation of names and the sound ot
letters we need scarcely allude to. All needless
refinements have been avoided. The only ex-
ception to the ordinary sound of the letters of the
PREFACE.
English alphabet is in the sound of the vowel i,
to which has been given the power of the
Continental z, or the English ee, as it is now the
universal custom in Oriental names.
The indication of nasal sounds has not been
attempted, as they could not be produced without
instruction and long practice. The familiar name
of our first Mission station, Peh-chuia, or, as it
should be written, Peh-chiii-ia", should be pro-
nounced with a musical rising inflection on the
last syllable, accompanied by a powerful nasal
twang, which could only be produced by the
uninitiated by pinching their nose with the thumb
and forefinger while emitting the strange sound,
an action which would be at once unpleasant to
the speaker, an insult to the hearers, and dis-
respectful to the village. As for the eight tones,
the marks for them have been ignored for a
similar reason.
In sending forth this volume I am deeply
conscious of its imperfections ; but having done
my best, I leave myself in the hands of friendly
critics, and commend the book to the favour of
God, with the earnest prayer that it may, through
His blessing, be the means of bringing the
Mission and the Missionaries in China very near
to the intelligence and the sympathies of the
Ministers, Office-bearers, and Members of the
Presbyterian Church of England.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
ORIGIN OF THE CHINA MISSION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN ^^^^
CHURCH OF ENGLAND I
CHAPTER H.
THE MISSION FIELD
15
CHAPTER HI.
THE PEOPLE AND THEIR DISPOSITION TOWARDS US . 24
CHAPTER IV.
THE PRACTICAL RELIGION OF THE CHINESE ... 48
CHAPTER V.
THE PLANTING OF THE MISSION 68
CHAPTER VI.
TIMES OF BLESSIN 87
CHAPTER VII.
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION .... 109
CHAPTER VIII.
THE STORY OF THE SWA10W MISSION .... 145
CHAPTER IX.
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION .... 161
CHAPTER X.
A RETROSPECT 181
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XI. ,,^,,p
LOOKING FORWARD ....... 205
CHAPTER XH.
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION {contiliucd) . . 2t8
CHAPTER XIII.
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION {concluded) . -235
CHAPTER XIV.
THE STORY OF THE SWATOW MISSION {continued) . . 259
CHAPTER XV.
THE STORY OF THE SWATOW MISSION (concluded) . ■ ^11
CHAPTER XVI.
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION {continued) . 30I
CHAPTER XVII.
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION (concluded) . 316
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE STORY OF THE SINGAPORE MISSION . . -333
CHAPTER XIX.
FACTS AND REFLECTIONS 344
CHAPTER XX.
OTHER MISSIONS IN CHINA ...... 375
APPENDIX 386
INDEX 394
ILLUSTRATIONS.
HKOLOGICAL
A Mountain Pass South of Amoy .
A Plain in China, near Amoy .
The Rev. W. C. Burns and Manse of Kilsy
The Chang-pu Beadle sounding the Gong
Bridge over the Go-shi River .
A River Scene to the South of Amoy
Amoy City
Waiting for the Good Physician .
Boulders and Temple outside of Amoy
Hui-pi, Svvatow, a Promising Pupil
Girls' Boarding School, Svvatow .
Water Buffalo Dairy Yard .
Home for Rescued Babies .
A Buddhist Temple, Amoy.
Boat with Babies for Sale
Girls' School, Swatow
Gathering in the Harvest
The "Gospel Boat" ....
Two Houses of Missionaries and ':
Ku-lang-su, Amoy ....
Rev. David Sandeman and Bonskeid
Liong Lo and Family ....
The Funeral of a Christian .
Mission Buildings, Swatow
Chapel at Ho-tshan ....
Chapel at Mir-yong ....
A Native Preacher ....
Mission Buildings, Wu-king-fu
The Rev. J.\mes Hamilton, D.D. , the F
Hugh M. Matheson, Esq., Convener an
Three Heathens asking for a Christi
Three Hak-ka Preachers .
Ruins of Moslem Temple, Chin-chew
Five Lady Missionaries
MRS. M'GREGOR. MRS. MACKENZIfc
MISS GRAHAM. MISS JOHNSTON.
miss RICKETTS.
Chang-pu, a New Centre ....
The College, Hak-ka Centre, Wu-king-fu
A Little Work
First Arithmetic Class, Amoy .
Dr. Howie and Assistants, Chang-pu .
XV
Froi?fi
Colleg
irst Convenei
d Treasurer
\N Teacher .
^pic
9
14
15
17
21
24
27
31
38
48
52
62
67
68
87
109
118
T30
133
145
151
159
180
181
182
184
194
197
205
209
215
216
217
218
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Four of Oldkr Missionaries at Amoy
rev. j. johnston. rev. carstairs douglas,
rev. w. m'gregor, m.a. rev. vv. s. swanson.
Douglas Memorial Chapel
Dr. Grant and Hospital Assistants, Chin-chew.
Girls' School, Chin-chew
Dr. Howie's First Amputations at Chang-pu
The First Presbyterian Synod in China . . . .
Girls' School, Chang-pu
Seven Missionaries in Group
Chapel at Tong-kio
Infants' School, Swatow
Five
Five
rev. H. L. MACKENZIE, M.A.
REV. J. C. GIBSON, M.A.
MACKENZIE.
MRS. RIDDEL.
MISS FALCONER
BALMER.
Earlier Missionaries, Swatow
rev. g. smith.
DR. GAULD.
REV. M.
Lady Missionaries
mrs. maciver.
mrs. murdo mackenzie.
MISS N.
Theological Students, Swatow
Leper Hospital, Swatow ....
Hak-ka Women's School and Matron .
Dr. McPhun and Hak-ka Assistants
Fang-khi-fung Pastor Mi-ow and Family
Dr. and Mrs. Lyall, Swatow .
Sim-kian-lan and Family ....
The Theological College, Tai-nan-fu .
Four Earlier Missionaries, Formosa
rev. HUGH RITCHIE.
rev. W. CAMPBELL.
A Pastor and Family
Mission School, Tai-nan-fu ....
Girls' School, Singapore Mission .
Mission House, School, and Church
Group of Preachers and Teachers, Singapore
A Little Play
Chin-chew Mission Chapel ....
Nine Ordained Pastors, Amoy Synod
Four Chapels :
bak-sa, siong-si
thong-khung, double island
J. L.
REV.
MAXWELL, M.A
T. BARCLAY, M
MAPS.
Map of Amoy Mission
Swatow Mission
Formosa Mission
Singapore Mission
PAGE
225
228
232
246
252
254
258
259
261
266
275
277
284
286
289
295
300
301
308
315
316
333
336
342
343
344
361
367
368
108
144
160
332
A PLAIN IN CHINA, NEAR AMOV
CHAPTER I.
ORIGIN OF THE CHINA MISSION OF THE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
THE year 1836 witnessed the resurrection of the
Presbyterian Church of England. Eor many
a long year she had been without any complete
organisation. There were some half-dozen Presbyteries
scattered over the country, with no General Synod or
Assembly to govern the whole, and only a loose con-
nection with the Church of Scotland, which had no
jurisdiction south of the Tweed. England was to her
a foreign country, so that the Presbyterian Churches
there had neither legislative nor executive eccle-
siastical government, nor an organised unity. The
ministers of the Churches were trained in Scotch
colleges, and the General Assembly of the Church of
' I
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Scotland was looked up to with reverence and affec-
tion as the parental head, though destitute of control
over her children. This went on smoothly enough so
long as the Churches slept under the soporific influence
of the inoderatisin, or what in England would be called
deadness, of last century ; but when religion revived
in both countries, English Presbyterians became restless
under this absence of the characteristic feature of the
ecclesiastical system, and began to aspire to a larger
life and a nobler work as a Christian Church.
In that memorable year 1836 the Churches in
England, after friendly consultations with the leaders
of the Church of Scotland, such as Chalmers, Buchanan,
Candlish, Sir Harry Moncreiff, Mr. Dunlop, and others,
resolved to assume the responsibilities of independence
and the privileges of manhood. They parted as sons
from the Church of Scotland, the mother of most of
them ; set up their own ecclesiastical establishment,
allied by sacred bonds to the Presbyterian Church
of the seventeenth century ; claimed the creed of the
Westminster Assembly of Divines as their inheritance,
and brotherhood with the two thousand martyrs who
were driven from the pulpits of the Church of England
in 1662 as their birthright. At first there was a desire
to have an English Synod, as an integral part of the
Church of Scotland ; but this being found impossible,
it was resolved to establish an ENGLISH PRESBYTERIAN
Church, independent of, but on friendly terms with,
sister Churches in Scotland, and to revive the traditions
of the Westminster Assembly of Divines, and the ancient
ORIGIN OF THE CHINA MISSION.
ecclesiastical form of government, of which the English
Constitution is the political development.
It was a bold and noble deed, worthy of their
Presbyterian ancestry. There were only two Presby-
teries with twelve congregations who took part in this
first Synod in 1836. But in 1842, when the work was
consummated, there were six Presbyteries, with the
representatives of sixty-four Churches, who attended
the Synod — a small Church, but it was composed of
men of faith ; and the blessing of God has so crowned
their work, that in little more than half a century the
congregations have multiplied to 304, with accommoda-
tion for 158,000 persons, of whom 70,000 are communi-
cants. This increase is partly due to incorporation
with the United Presbyterian Church, but chiefly to
the rapid increase of members and congregations.
This small body, just risen from the ashes of the
Presbyterianism of the seventeenth century — which had
practically perished, first, under the persecutions of the
Stuarts, and second, from the more deadly influence of
Arian and Socinian error, in years of peace and worldly
prosperity, after the Revolution — formally declared its
independence in 1844, as the English Presbyterian
Church, and at once began to equip itself with the full
organisation of a living Church. The first proof of
its vitality was an interest in Mission work, both at
home and abroad. Its ancestors in 1662 were called
upon to be inartyrs for the truth ; the Church of 1 844
was privileged to be the Jierald of the Gospel. In the
earlier years, contributions for Foreign Missions were
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
sent to the Church of Scotland ; on the declaration of
independence, it was at once resolved to start Missions
of its own to both Jews and Gentiles.
The Choice of China as a Mission Field.
In the year 1839 that unhappy war with China
commonly called the "opium war" began, and resulted
in five ports being opened for commerce and for the
residence of foreigners. From the first the deepest
interest was felt in the war and its issues by all
Christians in this country. For half a century the
Church had been praying that the wall of exclusion
from that vast kingdom of darkness might be thrown
down ; now, much as the war and its occasion were
deprecated, many hoped and prayed that it might be
overruled to throw open some gate by which the
Gospel might enter that country. These prayers were
answered through no intention on the part of our
Government. Not a word was said about the per-
mission for Missionaries to enter the opened ports, or
for the toleration of Christianity. This was brought
about by those who would gladly have had Protestant
Missions for ever shut out. The French Government,
at the instigation of the Jesuit Missionaries, got a clause
inserted in their treaty granting permission for Roman
Catholic priests to enter the country, and toleration
for their converts. They used terms which confined that
toleration to Roman Catholics, but happily the English
treaty contained a clause securing to our Government
ORIGIN OF THE CHINA MISSION.
any conditions which might be granted to any other
nation in any future treaty. This " Favoured Nation
Clause," as it is called, had no direct reference to
religion, but its general terms covered Christianity as
well as commerce. Thus did God, in answer to prayer,
make " the wrath of man to praise Him, and restrained
the remainder thereof."
We thankfully call attention to the fact that, though
the opening of China to the Gospel was the result, it
was in no way the object of the war. It formed no part
of the policy of English statesmen, who thought only
of the extension of commerce, and what they considered
the maintenance of the honour of their country. " It
was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes."
But not only was China opened by prayer ; the
Mission of the Presbyterian CJiurch to China was the
answer to special prayer, in England, and in Scotland
from whence we were to derive so many of our Mis-
sionaries and so much material help. In England some
of the members of the Church were connected with
China by commercial relations, which they desired to
repay by religious benefits, and many more took a
special interest in the great field for missionary effort,
and prayerfully sought to share in its evangelisation.
Sympathy in Scotland.
In Scotland, when the Free Church was formed in
1843, there were many who longed to extend the
Missions of that Church to China, which had so
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
recently been opened. This was found impossible.
The entire Mission staff of the Established Church
had thrown in their lot with the Free Church, which
felt bound in honour to maintain them and their
Missions ; so that further extension was impossible.
This led to prayer for some other way of attaining
their object. Among those so interested were some
old members of the Presbyterian Church of England,
such as Mr. and Mrs. Barbour of Bonskeid, Mr. Donald
Matheson, and others, who made it the subject of
private and united prayer, that the old Church of their
affections might be led to make China the sphere of
their new Mission. That the feeling in favour of a
Mission in China was deeply felt is proved by the
wide and generous sympathy shown when Mr. Barbour
started a Society in Scotland as a branch of the Mission
of the English Presbyterian Church. He not only
secured the entire approval of the leaders of the Free
Church, but a liberal response to his call for funds. A
little incident illustrates the depth of this interest.
A poor man in the island of Arran called on a minister
of the Free Church who had been pleading the cause of
their Missions, and told him how he had been praying
for a Mission to China, and offered him a pound, which
he had saved from his scanty earnings, for that object.
When told that the Free Church had no Mission there,
he sorrowfully retired, and continued his prayers, adding
meanwhile to the little store. Some years after, Mr.
William Burns was evangelising in the same island.
The good man went to him, and told how he had been
ORIGIN OF THE CHINA MISSION.
praying and laying up money for a Mission to China,
and asked him to take his little savings. Mr. Burns
took the money, promising to give it to some China
Mission, saying, " Who knows but that I may be there
myself yet ? " This utterance was prophetic, and from
the part which this remarkable man had in the forma-
tion of the Mission in China, an account of its origin
would be incomplete without a notice of that great
evangelist of the nineteenth century.
The First Missionary.
William C. Burns was the son of one of the most
godly ministers of the Church of Scotland, one who
took a lively interest in Foreign Missions and in the
revival of religion, when Missions and revivals were
looked down on by Christians generally. His mother,
who took an active part in the formation of the
character of the children, was a woman of deep piety
and intense earnestness. All the family grew up
decidedly religious, except William, who showed no
signs of a gracious disposition in his youth ; sport
and money-making were then his aims in life, and it
was characteristic of his tenderness of conscience after
his conversion, that he scarcely ever indulged in even
innocent amusements, lest they should become a
snare, and dreaded the handling of money, of which
he would scarcely keep enough about him for necessary
uses.
At seventeen he chose the profession of law, as the
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
best way of growing rich, for one who had no capital to
start with, and when he left home to be articled to his
uncle in Edinburgh, his family felt that he had chosen
the world as his portion. He had not been long away,
when one night, having walked from Edinburgh, a
distance of thirty-six miles, he stepped into the Manse
of Kilsyth, to the surprise of his mother and sisters, who
were at home, with a more solemn expression on his
face than was usual with him. Standing with his back
to the fire, he looked at his mother and said, " Mother,
what would you say to my becoming a minister after
all, as you have always wished ? " We need not describe
the joy of the mother, and of his father, on his coming
home, at this answer to many prayers. He was at
once sent to finish his college course in Aberdeen, where
he distinguished himself as an earnest and able student.
He then studied theology in Glasgow for five years — a
year longer than the usual time. During his theo-
logical course, he had taken much interest in Missions,
and was a member of the Missionary Association.
Before he left college he had devoted himself to the
life of a Missionary to the heathen.
In 1839 Mr. Burns was licensed to preach the Gospel,
and was accepted as a Missionary of the Church of
Scotland to India. But a higher authority had deter-
mined otherwise. Before arrangements were made for
his departure, he was called of God to do at home a
work which upset the monotony of religious life in
Scotland, with the shock of a spiritual convulsion, like
that on " the Mount of God " when " the Lord passed
THE REV. W. C. BURNS AND MANSE OF KILSYTH.
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
by." And not in Scotland only : it was felt in the
north of England and Ireland, and away in Canada,
and eventually in China just before it burst forth in
America and returned to Scotland with renewed powder
on Mr. Moody's first visit.
The Revival in Scotland in 1839.
It was in the month of July of 1839, when Mr.
Burns was only twenty-four years of age, that this
great work began. He had been induced by the
Rev. Robert Murray McCheyne to take his place in
St. Peter's Church, Dundee, while he was absent on
his Mission to the Jews in Palestine. Mr. Burns had
gone to assist his father at the Communion season in
Kilsyth, when three or four days were devoted to
religious services. On the Sabbath evening he gave
a very solemn address, when he and the people were
much moved. For some time before Mr. Burns had
been enjoying peculiar fellowship with God, and the
more earnest Christians in his father's congregation
had been intensely earnest in prayer for a blessing.
At the close of the sermon on Sabbath evening, Mr.
Burns intimated that he would preach again on
Tuesday morning at 10 o'clock. He tells us : "I
felt such a yearning of heart over the poor people
among whom I had spent so many of my youthful
years in sin, I intimated that the meeting would be
in the market-place, in order to reach the many who
absented themselves from the house of God, and after
whom I longed in the bowels of Jesus Christ."
ORIGIN OF THE CHINA MISSION.
The meeting on Tuesday was the commencement
of the great work of grace. It was held in the church,
as the weather was unfavourable for the open air.
The crowd was great, and the utmost solemnity pre-
vailed while Mr. Burns expounded the text, "Thy
people shall be willing in the day of Thy power."
Many were in tears, weeping silently ; but when he
applied the truth with power to the hearts and con-
sciences of his hearers, the effect was indescribable.
The cool-headed Scottish audience burst into a tempest
of emotion beyond all control.
" They broke forth," as Mr. Burns records in his diary,
" simultaneously into weeping and wailing, tears and groans,
intermingled with shouts of joy and praise from some of the
people of God. The appearance of a great part of the people
from the pulpit gave me an awfully vivid picture of the state
of the ungodly in the day of Christ's coming to judgment.
Some were screaming out in agony ; others, and these strong
men, fell on the ground as if they were dead ; and such was
the general commotion, that after repeating for some time the
most free and urgent invitations of the Lord to sinners (as
Isa. Iv. ; Rev. xxii. 17), I was obliged to give out a Psalm,
which was soon joined in by a considerable number, our
voices being mingled with the groans of many prisoners
sighing for deliverance." He adds : —
" To my astonishment, during the progress of this won-
derful scene, when almost all present were overpowered, it
pleased the Lord to keep my soul perfectly calm. . . .
Indeed I was so composed, that when, with a view of re-
cruiting my strength for labours still in view, I stretched
myself on my bed on going home, I enjoyed an hour of
the most refreshing sleep, and rose as vigorous in mind and
body as before."
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
It is not our work to follow the course of the young
evangelist for the next eight years, before he went
to China ; suffice it to say, that for years the richest
blessing rested on his work. In almost each place
he visited — in Dundee, in Perth, Aberdeen, Edinburgh,
and many places in Scotland ; in Ireland, the north
of England, and Canada — the Divine favour rested
on his ministry. The outward manifestations did not
always appear, nor were they of themselves desired ;
but many " were added to the Lord," and the fruit
of holy living testified to the genuineness of the work
and the thoroughness of the change in some of the
worst characters in the towns he visited. It was
observed for many years after that revival that the
converts of William Burns were to be found in every
quarter of the globe, and wherever they went they
were known for the earnestness of their piety, and
their usefulness as members of society.
Mr. Burns Offers Himself for China.
The guidings of Providence by which Mr. Burns
was led to become the Missionary of the Presbyterian
Church to China are striking and instructive. He
tells us in his diary that "after the Disruption in 1843
I found my heart very much drawn off from the
home field, the days of God's great power by me
seeming to be in a great measure past." At the request
of friends he went to Ireland, and spent two years
in Canada with much success in his work, and might
ORIGIN OF THE CHINA MISSION. 13
have remained there for the rest of his days. In
1846 he returned to Edinburgh, and renewed his offer
to go to India in connection with the Missions of the
Free Church of Scotland, but found that there was
not a vacant post, and the state of the funds would
not allow of extending the Mission,
At this very time, we are told, " while he and others
were actually conversing on the matter," a letter came
from the Rev. James Hamilton (Convener of the
English Presbyterian Missionary Committee), addressed
to Dr. James Buchanan, making earnest inquiry,
whether he could point to any minister or preacher
in Scotland who might be suitable to go as their
first Missionary to China, seeing they had contemplated
this Mission for more than two years, but had as yet
been disappointed in finding a suitable agent. Dr.
Buchanan wrote back, mentioning Mr. Burns's name
among some others. Shortly after a letter came from
Mr. Hamilton, asking Mr. Burns to accept of the
appointment. This he felt at first reluctant to do,
and told Mr. Hamilton that he would consider the
matter, but not to trust to him, but to look out for
another. The next he heard was that the Committee
were so discouraged, that they had drawn up their
report, recommending the Synod to abandon China and
choose some other field. This had the effect of deciding
Mr. Burns to go to China, but instead of writing he
resolved to go to the Synod and offer himself in person.
On his arrival in Sunderland, he found that the Synod
had refused to accept the recommendation of the
H
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
report, and had ordered the Committee to draw up
another. When Mr. Burns, in these circumstances,
presented himself, he was at once accepted as sent of
God. In this we cannot fail to see the answer to
the prayers of the Church, and of the friends in
Scotland. Mrs. Barbour of Bonskeid wrote to remind
him of an address he gave to the students in the
Free Church Hall some years before, when he told
them "that they should be ready to go wherever
they were called, even if it were to China!'
THE CHANG-PU BEADLE SOUNDING THE GONG,
CHAPTER II.
THE MISSION FIELD.
THE name of the pro-
vince of China in
which the Mission of the
Presbyterian Church is
chiefly located, is descriptive
of the good fortune which
has resulted from its judi-
cious choice by the Church.
Fuhkien, or Hokkien as it
is pronounced in Amoy,
means " Happily Estab-
lished," and the Church has
reason to be thankful to
God for the providential
circumstances by which the
sphere of her operations
was fixed. This is true,
not only of the province,
but more especially of the region around Amoy, its
original centre, which gave facilities for expansion to
Formosa, which at that time was governed as part
of the province, and to Swatow, which, though in the
BRIDGE OVER GO-S
1 6 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
neighbouring province of Quantung, is on the border
of Fuhkien, and the river Han, at the mouth of which
it stands, rises in that province.
These extensions of the Mission have not only
enlarged the sphere of operations ; they have given
greater variety to the work, without increasing ma-
terially the difficulties from a change of vernacular,
so perplexing in China. The language of the Chinese
in Formosa is the same as that of Amoy, and that
of Swatow is only a variety of the same dialect ; while
in both these districts we have access to two distinct
varieties of the population — in Formosa to the tribes
of Malayan origin inhabiting the eastern side of the
island, and in Swatow the Mission includes within its
limits the interesting Hakka race, strictly Chinese but
as different in language and character as distinct nation-
alities in Europe.
Description of the Mission Field.
In some respects Fuhkien is one of the most in-
teresting of the eighteen provinces of China. It is
smaller than most, and contains less than half the
population of some, and its soil is not so rich as that
in the alluvial plains of the north ; but its scenery is
grand, and its inhabitants, like those of most hilly
countries, are finely developed, and independent in
their character. The Bohea hills form its western
boundary, and give rise to the river Min, with its
tributaries, which water a fertile plain, and when
i8 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
united form a noble stream, which flows through some
of the grandest and most beautiful scenery in the
world. American writers compare it with the Hudson,
of which they are so justly proud, and Europeans
admit that the Rhine is only mort interesting from
its historical associations and stately ruins. The
Min has no ruins to boast of, but the bold peaks,
with pagodas, temples, and monasteries perched on
their summits, form graceful, though sometimes fan-
tastic, substitutes, suggesting the presence of peace
and piety rather than that of war and blood.
But the Presbyterian Mission does not pretend to
occupy the province ; it is wisely limited to a manage-
able and well-marked division on its rugged coast-
line, extending some distance into the province of
Quantung on the south, with a population, including
P'ormosa, of about eight or ten millions, speaking the
same dialect, with slight variations, extending from
below Sua-bue in the south to Eng-chhun in the north —
a distance of about two hundred and fifty miles as the
crow flies, and stretching from forty to a hundred miles
inland. The greater part consists of bare and rugged
hills, and few scenes are more interesting than a sail
up that eastern coast of China, studded with islands,
standing out from the mainland like sentinels or
watch-towers, while the mountains are piled up one
behind another, in many parts reaching a height of
two or three thousand feet ; the whole coast-line in-
dented by innumerable bays, with many safe harbours.
The sea is covered with countless fishing boats, in
THE MISSION FIELD. 19
fleets, which can be distinguished from one another
by their shape or rigging, suited to the nature of the
coast, or fashioned after some antique local pattern,
so that experienced Enghsh captains can tell the
part of the coast they are on by the form of the
boats or the " cut of their jib."
Amoy and its Surroundings.
The harbours of Amoy and Swatow are the largest
on that part of the coast. In that of Amoy the largest
fleet in Europe could ride in safety in its ample basin.
The river Lung, which flows into the harbour of Amoy,
has a course of some two hundred miles, and is navi-
gable for forty ; but only for Chinese junks or river boats,
for which it forms an excellent highway. The sail up
that river, on which the " Gospel boat" of the Mission is
constantly passing up and down, is full of interest. At first
the hills rise abruptly from the water's edge on either side,
those to the south rising to a height of two thousand feet
rugged and bare, except where the indomitable energy
and industry of the Chinese have planted their little
crop of rice on terraced slopes, or in nooks and crannies
which seemed from our point of view as inaccessible
as the nest of the eagle. On other parts of these barren
hills, graves, neatly kept, in the form of the last letter
of the Greek alphabet, /2, relieve the eye and suggest
food for thought.
At the foot of these hills there are fertile, though
narrow, alluvial plains ; and where the ground rises at
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
their base, villages, half hid amid the rich foliage of
the banyan and of other umbrageous trees, cluster so
closely that it is difficult to distinguish where the one
village ends and the next begins. Over the land, as
level as a bowling green, you see boats sailing in
different directions, as if they moved over the fields
of paddy, or growing rice. They are really on the
narrow canals by which the fields are watered, and the
rice when reaped is carried to the market. As we
sail up the river, the hills recede and the country opens
out ; larger villages of five^ ten, or even twenty thousand
inhabitants are met with ; and twenty miles from its
mouth we find, on the banks of the Lung-kiang, the
city of Chang-chow, with about two or three hundred
thousand inhabitants, the capital of the department
— one of the finest, at the time we saw it, in the
south of China, but sadly injured by the conquest of
the Tai-ping rebels, and still more at its reconquest
by the Imperialists. We shall never forget the view
from a temple which stands on elevated ground at
the end of the city, as we looked down on the broad
streets and wide open spaces, covered by luxuriant
foliage of tropical trees, and the large plain stretching
away to the distant hills, planted over with towns and
villages which we found it impossible to count. The
American Missionary Mr. Lowrie thus gives his
impressions when standing on the same spot a few
years before : —
" Imagine an amphitheatre, thirty miles in length and twenty
in breadth, hemmed in on all sides by bare pointed hills ; a river
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
running through it ; an immense city at our feet, with fields of
rice and sugar-cane ; noble trees and numerous villages stretch-
ing away in every direction. It was grand and beautiful beyond
every conception we had ever formed of Chinese scenery.
Beneath us lay the city, its shape nearly square, curving a little
on the river banks, closely built, and having an amazing number
of fine large trees within and around. The guide said that in
the last dynasty it had numbered 700,000 inhabitants, and
now he thought it contained a million — probably a large allow-
ance.* The villages around also attracted our attention. I
tried to enumerate them ; but, after counting thirty-nine of
large size distinctly visible in less than half the field before us,
1 gave over the attempt. It is certainly within the mark to say,
that within the circuit of this immense plain there are at least
one hundred villages, some of them small, but many numbering
hundreds and even thousands of inhabitants."
The view from Arnoy, the original centre of the
Mission, is very different, but scarcely less interesting.
From the higher ground in the island on which it stands,
you see at your feet a large town of 1 50,000 inhabitants,
but of sordid appearance. The streets are narrow, the
houses closely packed, with few open spaces or large
trees ; but the splendid harbour is a redeeming feature,
its hundreds of junks of strange shape towering out of
the water at prow and stern like the old pictures of the
Great Harry of the Tudor period, but with quaint sails
entirely Chinese, and here and there foreign steamers
and men-of-war ; while swarms of sampans^ or rowing
boats, the rower standing up face forward to sec his way
through the maze of .shipping, give life and interest to
* This is a great exaggeration. Half these numbers would be too large
even then ; now the population is probably the third of these numbers.
THE MISSIO.N FIELD.
the busy scene. The small island of Ku-lang-su lies
opposite the town, now covered with handsome mansions
of the foreign merchants and consular agents, and the
more humble but neat and commodious houses of
Missionaries. The river opens out to a wide estuary
beyond it, and away on either side rise mountain ranges,
one behind another as far as the eye can reach.
The most vivid recollection we retain of the view is
that received during a great thunderstorm at night. It
was so dark that only the faintest outline of the harbour
and mountains could be seen ; but with each flash of the
lightning the whole scene shone out as clear as day—
the shipping, the islands, the mountains, with Lam-tai-bu
of two thousand feet, and its picturesque pagoda on the
summit ; while the thunder peals echoed from hill to
hill, growing fainter in the distance, but not allowed to
die out before another flash, followed instantly by the
loud peal of the thunder, kept up the ceaseless roar
while the storm lasted. It recalled Jonathan Edwards'
description of his delight in hearing the " majestic voice
of my God in the thunderstorm."
J. J. .♦ »
LXJ
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WAITING FOR THE GOOD PHYSICIAN.
CHAPTER III
2'n'£ PEOPLE AND THEIR DISPOSITION
TOWARDS US.
THE inhabitants of Euhkien have characteristics
which render them more interesting and hopeful
for missionary work than any we know of in China.
They are a fine race physically; the hilly nature of the
province has developed their muscles, and, seen as they
are, with no clothing except a pair of short cotton
drawers tied round their waist, and not reaching the
knee, you cannot but admire the small hands and feet,
the rounded limbs and sinewy frame. Their constant
conflict with rugged hills and barren soil has called
forth a spirit of enterprise and endurance which has
developed an energetic, independent, and self-reliant
THE PEOPLE. 25
race. They are smaller than the large-boned agri-
culturists on the plains of the north, who are heavy
in their movements and mentally dull and slothful.
They are more like the inhabitants of Canton, but
happily lack their rudeness and hatred of foreigners.
They are the most enterprising emigrants, and are found
in large numbers in the Straits of Malacca, the United
States, and Australia. They generally come back to
spend their hard-won earnings in their own land, and to
lay their bones with those of their ancestors. Over a
grave in the island of Amoy we found the following
inscription : " It is pleasant, after being tossed on the
voyage of life, to rest our bones on the verdant hills of
our native land." In the eighth century of our era the
harbour of Amoy was known in Persia as one of the
principal trading ports of China.
The Capture oe Amoy by the British.
Strange as it may sound, the capture of the town of
Amoy by the British in 1841 had a most beneficial
effect in preparing the population of the town and
district to give a kindly reception to the Missionaries.
It was almost a bloodless victory, and was so strictly
confined to the discomfiture of the Mandarins and the
army, with the greatest consideration for the civil popu-
lation, that the people could not but contrast it with
the conduct of their own armies when victorious. When
the official residence and the forts had been brought
down by a well-directed bombardment, and the army
26 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
put to flight, the people expected the usual results of
Chinese victories — the plunder of the town and the
slaughter or dishonour of the men and women, who
rushed to the shore, and threw themselves into the boats
in such numbers that they sank, and thousands were
thrown into the water. But to the utter astonishment
of the crowds on the shore, they saw the British sailors
hastening to the rescue of the perishing, and landing
them in safety. This made a deep impression, and
raised the foreign barbarian to a higher place in their
esteem than the civilised Government of China.
The only parties dissatisfied were the Mandarins and
the army : they never could forgive our derangement of
all their costly preparations for giving us a warm recep-
tion ; it was contrary to all the laws of war, according to
Chinese maxims. They had prepared a most formidable
battery of more than a mile long, mounted with two
hundred guns, stretching along the shore, which the
fleet should have passed before it could reach the town.
The best engineers said that it was really a formidable
defence against vessels entering the port by the course
which sailing vessels were obliged to take, unless they
had an unusually favourable wind. But what did
Admiral Parker do? After a sharp brush with the
enemy, in which little injury was done to the fort and
none to the men-of-war, he made the steamers tow the
sailing vessels past the fort, at a safe distance, up to
the town of Amoy, which they reached and took pos-
session of with case and the loss of only one man on
his side and about fifty on the other. This the Chinese
28 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
general declared to be a cowardly trick, contrary to all
precedents in the history of the oldest empire in the
world. The English should have seen what the battery
was built for, and have " come to the scratch " and
destroyed the fort before they took the town. But
worse than that. Sir Hugh Gough landed, without notice,
a small mountain battery before coming near the fort.
This was dragged to the top of a hill behind the two-
hundred-gun battery, and fired down on the defenceless
Chinamen, who never dreamed of danger from such a
quarter. Who ever heard of guns firing down a hill !
Was it not an established institution in China to put in
the shot or shell so loose that if the gun were pointed
down it ran out before the powder could give it a fillip ?
So there was nothing for it but to run away as fast as
their legs would carry them, and send a despatch to the
Emperor to tell how unfairly they had been treated by
these treacherous barbarians, who were ignorant of the
laws of propriety. The civil inhabitants of Amoy, who
found these foreigners so much more merciful than their
own rulers, enjoyed the ruse, and laughed at their dis-
comfited army. The Emperor being a foreign usurper,
and the army his instrument of oppression, loyalty and
fidelity were not to be looked for.
Capture by the Chinese— a Contrast.
Another incident made even a deeper impression.
A few years later, when the Imperial army drove the
Tai-ping rebels out of Amoy, they set to their usual
THE PEOPLE.
work of slaughter, and plunder, and violence of all
kinds upon the weak and helpless. They brought
their victims down to the beach, where an English
man-of-war was lying at anchor, and began to cut
off the heads of their captured enemies, and threw
the headless bodies into the water, until their swords
were so blunted with the horrid work, that they only
inflicted a ghastly wound in the back of the neck,
when they were thrown into the sea to be drowned.
The officers on board the man-of-war felt their hands
bound by the rules of war, and dare not interfere with
the army of what was then a friendly power ; but
the sailors were not so strait-laced. They asked per-
mission to interfere, and threatened to mutiny if they
were not allowed to put an end to this butchery. The
captain, not sorry to have an excuse, let them have
their way ; and in a few minutes boats were manned,
and with their cutlasses they drove off the Imperial
army, rescued the wounded men from the water, and
carried them tenderly to a junk hired by the English
merchants and Missionaries, where they were attended
to, and many recovered. Mr. Burns and Dr. Young
gave valuable help in healing and feeding these rescued
men, some of whom found life for the soul as well as
for the body. The first time we preached in Chioh-
bay, one of them, with a twist in his neck from the
blow he had received with the sword blunted by
slaughter, came and told us he was a believer in Jesus,
and had not worshipped idols since he was saved by
the foreigners.
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Independence, rovERXv, and Infanticide.
The natives of Fuhkien have always been noted
for their independence. They were the last to submit
to the foreign yoke of the Manchus, and when the
edict went forth for the conquered people to shave
the head and wear the pigtail, like their conquerors,
they resisted when the rest of China had given in.
Thousands lost their heads, rather than wear the queue,
and when compelled to yield they wrapped a cloth
round their heads to conceal their degradation, and
to this day the cu.stom is continued, though its origin
is forgotten. This resistance to authority has remained
a characteristic of the province. The dwellers on the
coast are noted for their predatory habits, and often
combine in piratical bands on the sea and up the rivers
and creeks ; but to their credit, though they plun-
dered the boats of traders, both of their own country
and foreigners, they never interfered with the " Gospel
boat." They said, "These Missionaries do not seek
to make money ; they wish to do good : we must not
injure them."
The barren hills, which compel the most active
youths to go abroad to earn a living, are indirectly
the cause of much of the disgraceful sin of child-
murder. There is, it is said, a greater amount of
infanticide in Fuhkien than in any other province in
China. Poverty is the chief cause of this cruel cu.stom,
and the emigration of the men, who are not permitted
to take wives with them, adds to the evil. The horrid
THE PEOPLE.
31
custom has become so much a second nature, and
IS
so general, that it is thoucfht no crime until th(
Missionary point
loving care for their girls
s it out, and the converts, by their
as well as their boys, make
them ashamed of their sin. The crime has been much
diminished of late years, partly by the influence of
Christianity, and partly
because the marriage
market has improved,
and the price of wives
has risen. The cold-
blooded Chinaman
finds that it pays to rear
a few more daughters
than formerly.
The poverty of the
people, combined with
their filthy habits, is
one cause for the dread-
ful disease of leprosy.
They don't regard
water as given for
cleanliness. A medical
friend asked a patient
if he did not wash himself. He answered, " No ! but,"
he added, "I have a brother who washes himself!"
This brother, it turned out, had acquired the rare ac-
complishment in Singapore. Happily the barber is a
purifying agent ; he shaves not only the face and head,
but the upper stories of the body.
iri-PI, A SWATOW PUPIL WHO BECAME
A LEPER.
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Instead of giving our own opinions on the condition
of women, of which the treatment of children forms a
part, we have much satisfaction in giving the mature
experience of two of the Lady Missionaries of the
Church. Their names are a sufficient guarantee for
the accuracy of their statements. Miss Ricketts and
Mrs. Lyall have been so kind as to comply with our
urgent request by forwarding the following important
papers. I trust to their charitable forgiveness for
declining to withhold their names. It would have
been an injustice to the reader and an injury to the
cause.
Miss Ricketts thus writes : —
" The Intellectual and Social Condition of Women
IN China and in the Region of Swatow.
" It has been said that ' every language is a temple in which
the soul of those who speak is enshrined.' In China (this
country of contradictions) men's words describe their know-
ledge of what ought to be ; and it is considered, as a literary
man once expressed himself to me, quite sufficient to know —
to do what is known is scarcely expected of people.
" Let us glance for a moment at a few Chinese words
relating to women.
" Ch/ii. — A wife. The character is composed of woman
with hand and sprout, intimating that she enters as an equal.
The wife is taken with legal ceremonies, and is equal to the
husband.
" Chhiap. — A concubine. From ' woman ' and ' a crime,' ex-
plained as denoting a woman who has committed an offence
and been put to service. The concubine is taken without
betrothal or other legal ceremonies.
^' Nie. — A lady. Is from ' woman ' and 'good,'
THE PEOPLE. 33
" Pt. — An unmarried female slave. Is from ' woman' and
' base.' *
" These words probably describe the very early thoughts of
the people, at a time when they had a knowledge of God as
Preserver and Ruler. Long afterwards we find Confucius
saying, ' A girl is worth only one-tenth as much as a boy.'
" ' Woman can determine nothing for herself, and is under
the three subjections — viz. is expected when young to obey
her father and elder brother, when married her husband, and
when a widow her eldest son.'
" ^ No orders must issue from the women's apartments.'
" ' A woman may take no step on her own motion, and come
to no conclusion on her own deliberation.'
" ' A woman's sole duty is to attend to the furnishing of the
table.'
" A proverb current here shows the estimate of women in
these days — ' Wife and children are clothes.' The meaning is
explained to be : If you wish them, you can procure them ; if
you wish to cast them away, it is open to you to do so.
Worth of a Girl.
"Note from Diary, February 5ih, 1889, Sin-hu Chapel:
' A heathen woman in the village of Phon-lam, wife of a pro-
fessing but not genuine Christian, said as she stood in the
crowd, coolly and laughingly, that she had killed three female
children. The crowd laughed. I felt roused by their heart-
lessness, and rebuked them. They listened unconvinced.
The preacher x^u Sin-se (now dead), who was with me,
* wSee Williams' Dictionary. We may add to the above some examples
from Professor Douglas' " Society in China.'' The character iox woman is a
corruption of the Accadian hieroglyphic of the same meaning. The same
character doubled means " to wrangle." The addition of a third stands for
"intrigue." The three with the sign for together form the compound
meaning " to suspect," "to dislike," ''to loathe." But, in happy contrast,
the symbol for " rest,"' " quiet," is that for ivoinan under the domestic roof.
34 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
pointed out to them that if a sow had more pigs than she could
rear the owner would put out a written notice, alluding to one
we had passed on the way, asking some person to come and
bring up the odd pig. But a girl ? No ; throw her into the
water. The tiger is a savage beast, but even a tiger loves its
young ones.'
Change Wrought by Christianity.
" A-Au and his wife (an old schoolgirl) took to their home
and hearts a little outcast girl-baby exposed on the road to die,
with her mouth stuffed with ashes. A-Au, attracted by her
cries, found her and saved her, and now that he is dead and
gone to God that wee Sarah is as much loved and cared for
as his own little sturdy son. Poor Sarah retains the pinched
proportions of her suffering infancy, but is a good child and
loves her school, crying when she has to be kept at home to
mind the baby.
" When a girl is older she is of marketable value, and is
frequently sold to relieve family difficulties. Only yesterday,
in Swatow, I was visiting a mother and daughter who are
inquirers. The old lady cried a good deal, and by-and-by the
cause of her grief came out. Before she heard the Gospel she
sold a younger daughter, called ' Moon,' to secure money to
provide food.
" She is married into a heathen family, and gentle ' Moon '
is very unkindly treated, and is not allowed to return, even on
the usual visit to her mother, because she is a Christian."
We add the following from Mrs. Lyall, who has for
years been engaged in the same work. It gives a sad
Picture of Poverty.
"As a rule the Chinese women, like the men, are hard-
working and industrious. Their principal occupations are the
feeding of the pigs, pounding the husk from the rice, grinding
THE PEOPLE.
it into flour, and making this rice flour into cakes used in
idolatrous worship ; joining the threads of the fibre used in
making grass-cloth, preparing it for the loom, and weaving
it into cloth, some of which is of a very delicate texture.
They also spin and weave cotton ; the cotton-cloth, though
not so fine and nice, is much cheaper than the grass-cloth, and
much used for clothing by the poorer classes.
" Chinese women cannot be held up as models of neatness.
Yet this is scarcely strange when one considers that perhaps
the only one or two rooms belonging to a family contain, not
only all the household goods, and household gods, of which
there are not a few, but afl the farming utensils, the rice bins,
sweet potatoes and other products of the fields, and beside,
must often be, and usually is, shared by the pigs and the fowls.
The floors are usually formed of tiles, which, when old and
broken, furnish convenient holes for the dust and dirt, and
when, as is often the case, instead of the tiles the floor consists
of earth pounded with a little lime, the keeping of them clean
would try even a Western woman. Beside, the poorer women
have no floor at all — only the earth.
Social Customs.
" Then the foolish practice of binding the feet is another
evident reason why the Chinese women are so lacking in
neatness. A nation of cripples can scarcely be expected to
be examples of cleanliness. Although Chinese women do
often give vent to terrible paroxysms of anger, yet, on the other
hand, the patience and forbearance in their own families
which one may see might well serve as an example to their
Western sisters. I have often been struck with the kindly
feeling that seems to exist between the members of a large
household composed of a goodly number of daughters-in-law,
each with children and sometimes grandchildren of their own.
" Unlike their sisters in India, the women are not shut up
in Zenanas — save among the high official classes, where they
36 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
are more secluded — but enjoy a good degree of freedom.
True they seldom make long journeys, but, save for a few years
before and after marriage, they may go and come freely among
their neighbours, and may visit at will other villages, the
old women going alone, and the younger accompanied by an
older woman or by a small son. Thus there are no serious
hindrances to their attending chapel, though custom requires
that they do not occupy the same room with the men, or if
they do it must be a screened-off portion.
"The women are far more zealous than the men, and more
devout in all idolatrous observances. In the temples and
beside wayside shrines one always sees more women than men
making offerings and soliciting the favour of the gods and
temporal prosperity."
Education.
Education in China is something to be wondered
at and admired, if looked upon in the light of its
antiquity and history. Looked upon as it now is, it
is worthy of contempt. At one time China was the
most enlightened empire in the world, when not
England only, but when Greece and Rome were in
a state of barbarism. Now the vast body of the
people are in a state of ignorance, and those who are
educated are so stuffed with old conceits and stereo-
typed in the mould of old-world notions, as to be
unfit for the ordinary duties of social and political
life.
Whether the great mass of the people ever were
under anything like a national system of education,
we cannot say. At present such a thing is unknown.
The education is national, but it is only adapted for
the few, and Government only professes to train men
THE PEOPLE. . 37
for the political and administrative duties of the
empire. This it does, like the London University, by
being not a teaching but an examining body, and the
inducements to study are only such as are intended
to tempt the best talent of the country, wherever
found, and from whatever class. The lowest may
rise to the highest rewards and honours the country
can bestow.
In respect of the general education of the people,
the state of matters is very unworthy of the great
reputation which China has long had in the estima-
tion of strangers. It is no unusual thing to hear
speakers, on the platform, declare that " China is a
nation of readers," that " every man can read," or
even that " China is an empire of four hundred millions
of readers " ; forgetting that infants in China are not
born with the sixty thousand characters of the Chinese
language in their little heads, nor the nine hundred
and sixty phonetics on the tip of their tongues ; not
even the two hundred and fourteen roots, which come
the nearest to our ABC, committed to memory.
They ignore the fact that, with very rare exceptions,
women are not taught, and are ignorant of what seems
a fact, that not more than lo per cent, of the males
are able to read intelligently.
Number of Readers.
The Rev. J. C. Gibson, of Swatow, has studied this
question carefully, and has come to the conclusion, in
which he is supported by high authority, that not
38
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
more than twelve millions can read ; and we would
not presume to correct his estimate, but for the cir-
cumstance that he puts the population of China down
at the small number of three hundred millions. This
is a question which we have studied carefully, and make
out the population to be nearly four hundred millions ;
GIRLS BOARDING SCHOOL, SWATOW. TEACHER ON LEFT.
in this we are supported by the first authorities.*
Taking Mr. Gibson's estimate of lo per cent, of
readers among the adult males, and i per cent, among
the females, after deducting 25 per cent, for children,
there will remain sixteen millions of readers in China.
* See "A Century of Christian Progress." (James Nesbit & Co.)
THE PEOPLE. 39
In addition to these, there are a considerable number
who get a kind of commercial education, sufficient for
the keeping of accounts in a simple way— a kind of
training common in India and other Eastern lands ;
but such education is of no use for the intelligent
reading of books, especially of a classical character.
But while it is true that the number of readers is
few, there is a great respect for learning, and a great
desire to learn ; and if facilities were given, and a
more practical form of education were placed within
reach, China would soon take a high place as an
educated empire. The neglect to educate women has
been a great drawback to China's moral elevation.
Missions are doing much to arrest attention on this.
Girls in the humblest position are being taught what
the highest ladies are ignorant of
Exceptional Characters.
In speaking of the character of the Chinese, let it
be remembered that all are not alike in China any
more than in England. There are good and bad in
all lands. It is \}i\^ proportion in which the good stands
to the bad that makes the difference in the character
of a people. In China the evil predominates to a
much larger extent than in Christian countries, but
even there, amid the surrounding darkness of heathen-
ism, which makes the practice of virtue so much
more difficult, there are many examples of public and
private virtue which might well put to shame many
a loud professor of our holy religion. There are
40 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Honest Merchants
and tradesmen of high integrity. It was well known
that, during the whole time that trade was carried
on with China by the East India Company, there
never was an instance of their losing money by the
fraud or failure of a Chinese merchant ; large sums
of money were given to the Chinese by the Company
for the purchase of tea in the interior of the country,
where they were not allowed to go — often with nothing
more than a verbal engagement — with perfect con-
fidence on the one side, and with perfect fidelity on
the other. Even if an individual or house of business
failed, the family or friends would make up the loss.
It may be said that this was because the Chinaman
believed that honesty was the best policy ; but it is
found in Christian lands, where that saying is a proverb,
that professing Christians make fortunes by fraudulent
failures. It was when unprincipled traders went into
the China trade, after the abolition of the monopoly
of the East India Company, that failures and frauds
became a perplexity to the Governments of England
and China, and led to recriminations, and insults,
and war.
Expert Thieves.
Along with this acknowledgment, it must also be
said, that there is in China an amount of deceit, and
falsehood, and treachery in trade, that is appalling.
No more expert thieves are to be found in any country.
THE PEOPLE. 41
A friend has just told me two examples that came to
his knowledge before he left the country. A thief, in
the dress of a workman, came into the court where the
Mandarin was sitting in judgment on some of his fellows
in crime, and began to take down the clock behind
the magistrate's chair. He was rebuked for coming
at such an inconvenient time, which only hastened
his operations, and he walked off with the clock, which
was not heard of again. Another Mandarin, when
trying a man charged with stealing some valuable
things which an Englishman had left lying about, sharply
rebuked the loser for his careless habits, which tempted
servants to become dishonest, and added, " I am myself
sitting here in anxiety, because I left my gold watch
under my pillow when I came out" On going home
his wife asked him as he entered why he had sent for
his watch. " I never sent for my watch, and hope
you did not give it to any one." " How could I
refuse ? " said the wife. " A young man came and
said that you had sent him for it, and he told me that
I would lind it under your pillow." The incident
needed no further explanation.
Cases of Domestic Happiness.
When we hear of painful instances of cruelty to
wives, and of the murder of little children by their
parents, we are apt to suppose that home life must
be uniform and universal misery. This is not the
case. The children who survive are healthy and happy.
42 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
as may be seen by their well-rounded limbs, freely
exposed to view, and their merry laugh over their
childish sports. Owing to poverty, their play is
often cut short by their being sent at an early age
to share in the toils of life. Even in the homes of
the heathen, we find instances of much domestic
happiness ; there are warm hearts even amongst Chinese
husbands, and loving and virtuous wives, who make
home life bright and graceful. Unhappily these
instances are rare, not only from the general character
of the people, but from their social habits ; especially
the custom of making the married sons live under
the same roof with their parents, and subjecting their
wives to the autocratic rule of a mother-in-law, or
of an elder sister-in-law when the mother is dead.
This leads to great misery, and not infrequently to
suicide. While over all, at the best, there hang the
terrors of superstition and the heavy cloud of a pessi-
mistic religion.
The Occupations of the People.
The people with whom our Missionaries have to do
are engaged in all the ordinary avocations of our home
population. There are the professional classes, of whom
the Literati are the chief, men whose calling is literature,
of whom few, if any, attempt to make the writing of
books a source of revenue ; but by Chinese custom,
it is through literary distinction that a man is promoted
to office under the Government. This leads to a large
number of literary men hanging about every town,
THE PEOPLE. 43
and few villages are without them, preparing for the
examinations, in hope of getting the higher degrees
which will entitle them to office. This may go on
for a lifetime ; some continue until over ninety, and
are found competing with their grandchildren. They are
as a rule the greatest opponents of the foreign merchant
as well as of the foreign Missionary ; their hopes of
preferment depend on the stability of the old laws
and customs, and they dread the introduction of foreign
ideas, or any departure from the ways of their fathers.
They are much respected as a class, and if they have
attained even the lowest degree, they have great
influence. Lawyers and doctors are numerous, but
neither of these professions stands high in Chinese
estimation, unless those practising them are famed for
some other distinction, such as learning or virtue. As
for the priestly calling, it stands low in public esteem,
and the opposition of priests to Christianity would
have little weight There are no people in the world
less under the power of priestcraft than the Chinese.
The only priest they respect is the Emperor, who is
the one great high priest of the whole nation, of whom
we shall speak presently.
The trades and crafts of China are just such as you
see at home, except that they are much more simple
and primitive. Some of them are much the same as
those of our ancestors two or three hundred years
ago, and exactly the same as their ancestors carried
them on two or three thousand years ago. They are
in many cases, perhaps most, peripatetic, and carried
44 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
on in the open air, like those of the gipsies in their
Hmited crafts. Not only do the menders of tins, and
kettles, and crockery, and chairs, and umbrellas come
and sit at your door and finish their work, but the
blacksmith will come with his forge and bellows, the
tailor brings his goose, the shoemaker his last, and
even the printer brings his blocks of wt>od and with
small chisels he carves the characters or words on
them, as his ancestors did three thousand years ago,
long before the system of moveable types was invented.
Agricultural Population.
But by far the largest number of the population
amongst whom Missionaries have to work are agri-
cultural— the farmers and farm-labourers, with their
families — all, young and old, being less or more engaged
in the work of the field. They are generally poor, but
are, on the whole, a healthy, honest, kindly, and most
industrious and frugal race. Their habits of life are
simple, and they are generally contented and cheerful.
The habit of contending with natural difficulties, and
uncertainties, of soil and climate, has developed a certain
form of intelligence, of a mundane kind, and an inde-
pendence of character which makes them the most
reliable class of the community.
In Chinese society, the farmer stands second in the
social scale, next to the scholar in point of respectability,
and the scholar stands next to the Emperor. He may
be poor, but, as the cultivator of the soil, he is regarded
as pursuing a more honourable calling than the mechanic,
THE PEOPLE. ' 45
the trader, or the merchant. The Chinese idea is, that
the Literati come next to the Emperor, or first of all
his subjects, because the cultivation of the mind is the
first and highest duty of man. The farmer comes next,
because the production of food and of clothing for the
body is next in importance, and the man engaged in it
is more honourably employed than the mechanic or the
merchant, who have only to do with the making up of
the produce of the field, or in its distribution. As for
men who live by catering for the adornment or the
amusements of the people, such as barbers and play-
actors, they stand at the very bottom of the social
scale. They are not allowed to compete for literary
honours, with a view to Government employment, even
to the tenth generation. They have a saying in China,,
" that the man who pays highly for a song will not give
much for virtue."
What makes the Chinese farmer, even the smallest, a
self-respecting and independent man, is, that he holds
his land by what is practically a permanent tenure.
The Emperor is the owner of all the land in that vast
empire, larger than the whole of Europe — the largest
landowner in the world. The farmer of a few acres
who holds his farm by a direct title from the Emperor,
if his title is what is called a red title — that is, not a
transferred one— cannot be legally deprived of his land
so long as he pays the rent. Even if he is obliged to
part with his lease from failure of payment, like the
Jews of old, he, or his heirs, can claim it back any
time within thirty years, if he or they can pay the
46 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
back rents, and ordinary interest thereon. The rents
are not high : for the average quaHty of land the
price is about 6s. the acre per annum ; inferior kinds
can be had for is. or 2s. the acre, and the best for
8j. or los.
Tea is not much cultivated in the immediate vicinity
of Amoy. The great proportion, and the finest
qualities, are produced in the Bohea hills to the west
of the province, and in Formosa it is a great staple
of trade with the mainland and foreign parts. The
bushes, and the blossom in its season, are beautiful
features in the landscape, and it is a pleasant sight
when the women and children go out to gather the
tender leaves for the great article of commerce. The
following verses, from a poem which is supposed to be
sung by the tea-pickers, gives the pleasant side of the
weary drudgery of the poor, and shows that amidst
all their toils they can manage to cultivate mirth in
contented hearts, not void of vanity.
Ballad of the Tea-Picker.
" Where thousand hills the vale enclose, our little hut is there,
And on the sloping sides around the tea grows everywhere ;
And I must rise at early dawn, as busy as can be,
To get the daily labour done, and pluck the leafy tea.
* ^ * * *
" But though my bosom rise and fall, like buckets in a well,
Patient and toiling as I am, 'gainst work I'll ne'er rebel.
My care shall be to have my tea fired to a tender brown,
And let the fiag and awl^ well rolled display the whitish
down.
*, T\iQjiag and awl are two stages of the development of the young leaf.
THE PEOPLE. 47
" Ho for my toil ! ho for my steps ! Aweary though I be,
In our poor house for working folk there's lots of work, I
see ;
When the firing and the drying's done, off at the call I go,
And once again this very morn, I'll climb the high Sunglo.
" Limpid and clear the pool, and there, how rich the lotus
grows ;
And only half its opening leaves, round as the coins, it
shows.
I bend me o'er the jutting brink, and to myself I say,
' I marvel, in the glassy stream, how looks my face to-day ? '
* * * * *
" Oh for a month I weary strive to find a leisure day ;
I go to pick at early dawn, and until dusk I stay.
Till midnight at the firing pan I hold my irksome place :
But will not labour hard as this impair my pretty face ?
" My wicker basket on my arm, and hair entwined with
flowers,
To the slopes I go of high Sunglo, and pick the tea for
hours.
How laugh we, sisters, on the road ; what a merry turn
we've got :
I giggle and say, as I point the way, 'There, look, there
lies our cot.'
" Ye tittering swallows, rise and fall, in your flight around the
hill ;
But when next I go to high Sunglo, I'll change my gown, I
will.
I'll roll up the cuff to show arm enough, for my arm is fair
to see :
Oh, if ever there were a fair round arm, that arm belongs
to me." *
From Williams' "Middle Kingdom."
WATER BUFFALOES.
CHAPTER IV.
THE PRACTICAL RELIGION OF THE CHINESE.
w
ERE we to give an account of the original form
and the fundamental principles of the three re-
cognised religions of China, it might be both interesting
and instructive to the general reader ; but it would be
of little use in the way of giving a true account of the
real forms in which these religions are understood and
practised by the great body of the people with whom
the Missionaries of the Church come into daily contact.
It is our purpose, at another time, to present such a
description of the religious teaching of these three
systems which go by the names of Confucianism,
Buddhism, and Taoism, but it will demand a separate
volume for its proper elucidation. At present we may
say, in a few words, that these three systems, in their
original and historic forms, were free from idolatrous
THE PRACTICAL RELIGION OF THE CHINESE. 49
rites and teaching to an extent unknown in any other
heathen rehgion ; and that the two of them, Con-
fucianism and Taoism, both taught in their purer days
the unity and fatherhood of God, in away which entitled
them to exemption from the name heathen and idola-
trous ; while Buddhism, in its original form, was free
from idolatry, but, unhappily, seemed to deny the
existence of a God or father of the human race. These
things we hope to demonstrate and illustrate on an early
day. In the meantime, let us glance for a little at these
three religions as they pervade and influence the daily
life of the great body of the people among whom the
Mission of the Presbyterian Church is carried on.
CONF-UCIANISM OR ANCESTOR WORSHIP.
If we except a few of the more highly educated
literati, the body of the people know little of Con-
fucianism as a religion, except as a system of ancestor
worship ; they may or they may not know that the
Emperor of China worships heaven under the title of
Shang-ti, or the Supreme Ruler, with certain sacrifices
twice a year, and that he does this as the High Priest
of the Empire ; but so far as his subjects are concerned,
it is all a matter of form, in which they feel no personal
interest as worshippers. They, with the exception of
the chief officers of state, know that they are not called
upon to take any part in such worship, and that they
are not even allowed to sacrifice or pray to this Supreme
God. For a common person to sacrifice or pray to him
4
50 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
would be considered a piece of presumption and im-
pertinence ; it is the privilege of the Emperor alone.
The Emperor cannot even delegate any one to take
his place at these annual sacrifices and prayers, in the
event of his beine too unwell to officiate himself
Worship of Ancestors.
The common people may take part in the spectacle
when the Mandarins, by Imperial authority, offer sacri-
fices to some inferior deities or spirits, and especially to
the tablet on which the name of Confucius is written ;
but for them the spirits of their ancestors are all the
gods they have to worship, according to the teaching of
Confucianism. To the common people this is a real
religion ; the spirits are objects of reverence and fear, we
may say of fear rather than of filial reverence ; these
spirits are supposed to have much greater power and
disposition for the infliction of evil than for the bestow-
ment of good.
To many good people in this country the practice of
worshipping ancestors seems not only innocent, but a
commendable and beautiful custom ; and they wonder
why Christian Missionaries make it compulsory on con-
verts in China to abandon it, and even to require that
they put away the tablets bearing the names of their
ancestors. This charitable view is not unreasonable to
any one looking on the custom from a distance, or in
ignorance of the great evils which spring from it. First
of all, it is undoubtedly an act of idolatry. It is not a
THE PRACTICAL RELIGION OF THE CHINESE. 51
mere social custom, as the Jesuits and others have vainly
attempted to prove. To an enlightened Chinese it may
be possible to distinguish between the nature of the
worship offered to ancestors and that higher degree of
reverence which should be offered to the Supreme God ;
just as a Roman Catholic makes a difference between
the worship which he offers to saints and that which he
offers to God. But it is well known that to the great
mass of worshippers in Roman Catholic countries such
fine-drawn distinctions are unknown. Besides, the com-
mand of God is clear, and the Protestant Missionary is
bound to demand obedience to the first and second
commandments in China as well as in P^ngland.
Its Evil Effects.
But there are other evils which inevitably spring from
the belief that the spirits of ancestors require to be
reverenced and fed. It is a crushing superstition, which
weighs on the spirits of the living and blights the lives
of multitudes. It makes them the prey of necromancers
and geomancers, and does more than anything else to
tempt them to adopt the other idolatrous religions of
China, whose agents take advantage of these supersti-
tions to introduce their ceremonies to supplement the
more simple but unsatisfying forms of Confucianism.
But a more palpable evil is its cruel effect on the
condition of zvonien. So important is it to have a son
to honour and sacrifice to the spirits of the dead
father, that barrenness in a wife is sufficient ground for
52
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
divorce, or to justify the husband in taking a second
wife, which is in some respects worse. It is regarded
as a sacred duty to have a son and heir to feed the
hungry ghosts of parents and grandparents of many
generations, who, if not worshipped and fed, become
the persecutors and tormentors of their families. To
mO^mssmmmmismt^mmmmm
^*1M
^ JCSi "=£
A j=^M m
^^p^'^P ^P- ••'^P^'^m
IM-fp
1 ^"-^.^^t^ifif^S^^^^^m
y
S^->i5ij
m
^ If
HKrr :
HOME FOR BABIES RESCUED FROM DESTRUCTION.
perform this duty to his ancestors, the husband is
tempted to commit a sin and cruel wrong to his wife.
It is true that he may, in some circumstances, com-
promise the matter by adopting a son, but this is not
so satisfactory, and many are glad of so good an
excuse to get rid of their wives ; the practice would
be even more common but for the expense of pur-
chasincr a new one. While Confucianism thus stimulates
THE PRACTICAL RELIGION OF THE CHINESE. 53
the desire for sons, it does nothing to elevate the position
of daughters. It leaves Christianity to save those who
would be cast out to perish.
In conclusion, another fatal objection is that the
worship of ancestors stands between the soul and God,
and is the greatest obstacle to the progress of
Christianity, with all the blessings which follow in its
train. It is the only real religious obstacle in the
way of the spread of the Gospel, and almost the only
excuse for intolerance and persecution on religious
grounds. Its apparent plausibility and propriety make
it the greatest obstacle in the way of change and
progress. It is the bulwark of old customs and abuses,
and the greatest hindrance to China's acceptance of
a purer faith and better institutions.
Popular Confucianism a Political Morality.
Beyond this worship of ancestors, popular Con-
fucianism is a system of political morality rather than
a religion. Even when it teaches the family and social
relations, it is, by way of strengthening the bonds
of loyalty, based on filial obedience. There are five
relations which include the whole duty of a CJiinanian.
These are the relations: 1st, of sovereign and subject;
2nd, father and son; 3rd, husband and wife; 4th, elder
brother and younger brother; 5th, friend to friend.
These five outward relations are to be observed by
putting into practice the five inner virtues — benevolence,
justice, order, prudence, and fidelity — excellent in their
54 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
way, and if there were the motive and power to enable
the people of China to put these virtues in practice,
it would be a happy country. The famous Sacred
Edict, published by Kang-hi, one of the greatest of
the Emperors of China, in the year 1670, is the best
illustration of the political morality of Confucian
teaching ; and as it is regularly read by the chief
officers of government in each province throughout
the empire on the first and fifteenth of each month,
it has a present significance, and should be a living
power. The " Sacred Edict " is not included among
the " Four Books " and " Five Classics " of China, but
these are little known to the masses ; the other is
known to all and reverenced by all.
The Sacred Edict.
The Edict consists of only sixteen sentences, ex-
ceedingly brief, and very pithy ; the best translation
giving, we are told, but a poor idea of their classic
beauty and force. We give the most recent from the
Chinese Recorder of last year. But while we see
force and beauty in some, the meaning of others seems
obscure, or lost in the translation.
" I. Enforce filial piety and brotherly submission, so as to
emphasise social obligations.
" 2. Give due weight to kinship, with a view to the display
of concord.
" 3. Pacify the local communities, in order to pat an end
to litigation.
"4. Attach importance to farming and mulberry culture,
that there may be sufficient food and clothing.
THE PRACTICAL RELIGION OF THE CHINESE. 55
" 5. Value highly economy, as a means to the careful use of
property.
" 6. Attach importance to academies, in order to improve
the habits of scholars.
" 7. Extirpate heresy, and so exalt orthodoxy.
" 8. Explain the law, to warn the foolish and the wayward.
" 9. Elucidate courteousness, with a view to improve manners
and customs.
" 10. Let the people attend to their proper calHngs, that
they may have settled determination.
" 1 1. Instruct the rising generation, with a view to prevent
evil-doing.
"12. Prevent false accusations, so as to shield the law-
abiding.
" 13. Prohibit giving shelter to deserters, in order to prevent
others from sharing their fate.
" 14. Pay taxes to avoid being pressed for payment
(squeezed ?).
"15. Unite the tithings, in order to suppress crime.
" 16. Make up quarrels, and so respect the person and life."
These brief utterances of Kang-hi are amplified
largely by his son and successor, Yung Cheng, and a
paraphrase is added by a distinguished Mandarin of
a later period, so that the sixteen short sentences with
the commentary and paraphrase now fill a volume of
sacred literature, the reading of which comes the nearest
of any custom in China to the Christian practice of
reading the Scriptures in public.
Forms in Reading the Sacred Edict.
The importance attached to the reading of this Sacred
Edict is seen from the way in which it is read twice a
month. It is thus described by the late Mr. Milne : — -
56 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
" The manner of reading the Sacred Edict is as follows.
Early on the morning of the first and fifteenth of each moon the
civil and military officers, dressed in their uniforms, meet in a
clean, spacious hall. The Superintendent calls aloud, ' Stand
in files.' They do so according to their rank. He then
calls, ' Kneel thrice and bow the head nine times.' They
kneel three times and bow to the ground nine times, with
their faces towards a platform on which is placed a board with
the Emperor's name. He next calls, ' Rise and retire.' They
rise, and all go to a large hall where the law is usually read,
and where the military and people are assembled and stand
around in silence. The Superintendent then says, ' Respect-
fully commence.' The Orator then, advancing towards an
incense-altar, kneels, reverently takes up the board on which
the maxim for the day is written, and ascends a stage with it.
An old man receives the board, and puts it on the stage, front-
ing the people. Then, commanding silence with a wooden
rattle, he kneels and reads it. When he has finished, the
Superintendefit calls out, ' Explain such a maxim of the Sacred
Edict.' The Orator then stands up and gives the sense."
We add a few extracts from the commentary of the
Emperor Yung Cheng on the first sentence, correspond-
ing to the fifth commandment of the law of Moses,
which may pass for the
" Reasons Annexed " to this First Command-
ment IN China.
" Chapter I. — What is filial piety ? Obedient devotion to
parents is a self evident principle of nature, and the root of
virtuous conduct in man.
" You who are children, and do not know how to do your
duty to your parents, only think of their passionate affection
for you, and see whether you ought to be filial or not. When
THE PRACTICAL RELIGION OF THE CHINESE. 57
you were a babe in arms, were you hungry ? You could not
feed yourself. Cold ? You could not clothe yourself Your
parents looked upon your face, listened to your voice. Did
you laugh, they were pleased. Did you cry, they were sad.
Did you toddle, step by step they followed you. If you had
ever so slight an ailment, they were distressed to the last
degree, and could not take their food. They grieved, not that
children were difficult to rear, but at their own blunders, and
were more willing to bear the sickness in their own persons.
They waited till you were well before their minds were at ease.
"Again," adds the Imperial commentator, "let us show the
application of this principle. Years ago the philosopher Tseng,
of the Confucian school, said : ' Parents naturally hope their
sons will be gentlemen. If they suffer their bodies to commit
disorderly acts, are unbecoming in deportment, this is to treat
with contumely the bodies transmitted by their parents, and is
undutiful.
" ' Parents hope their sons will become loyal ministers of
State. If they act falsely and fraudulently in serving the
Government, it is the same as defrauding their parents, and is
undutiful.
"'Parents hope their sons will be good rulers. If they
impede the affairs of the State, and oppress the people, pro-
voking them to ridicule, and bring about difficulties, even their
parents will be distressed ; this too is undutiful.
" ' Parents hope their sons will form friendships with worthy
men. If in their intercourse with friends they pay no regard to
truth and constancy, but are wholly lacking in sincerity, so that
everybody despises them, this too is undutiful.
" * Parents hope their sons will be brave fellows. If as
soldiers they go to battle, but are frightened and will not
gallantly press forward, so transgressing military regulations and
bringing shame upon their parents, this also is undutiful.'
" It is evident from this passage of the philosopher Tseng
that the principle of filial piety is wide-embracing.
" Besides your parents, there are your brothers. These
58 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
brothers must not be looked upon as separable the one from
the other. He and I are one flesh and blood, and are there-
fore spoken of ' as hands and feet.' If you treat your brother
badly, you are really slighting your parents.
"Take, by way of illustration, the two hands. The right
hand can write, can calculate on the abacus, is dexterous in all
things. Although the left hand is awkward to a degree, nobody
beats the left hand with the right. Now, an elder brother and
younger brother are as closely related as hand and foot ; how
then can they wrangle ? "
These are fine sentiments, and have, we doubt not,
influenced the political and social life of the nation to
some extent. But, in spite of them, the moral life of
the people is low, and there is a total lack of spiritual
power and the higher morality, from the absence of a
spiritual life and a Divine authority.
Taoism.
The other two religions need not occupy much time
nor space, when viewed in their practical forms, which
is the only view we propose to take of them at present
In their historical and philosophical aspects, they would
require a volume, or at least a chapter.
The system which goes by the name of Taoism, in
its present form, bears no resemblance to the elevated
and pure teaching of the sage and mystic Laotsze,
from whom it is said to have been derived. If the
noble old man rose from the dead he would denounce
the practices with which his name is associated.
There was an intermediate stage of corruption, when
THE PRACTICAL RELIGION OF THE CHINESE. 59
devotees gave themselves up to the search after the
eHxir of immortahty and for the philosopher's stone,
but if any continue this vain quest they are few,
and the masses do not trouble themselves about such
visionary pursuits. From being a monotheistic system,
free from outward forms and idolatrous ceremonies,
its temples are full of idols ; its priests, of whom there
were none originally, now swarm over the length and
breadth of the land ; and its ritual is now as elaborate
as that of the Buddhists.
To the great mass of the Chinese Taoism is a gross
vulgar system of divination, incantation, and demon
worship. By its geomancy and necromancy, it does
more than any other religion in China to foster the
spirit of superstition, and terror of ghosts and goblins ;
it encourages gambling, by constantly consulting the
gods, or good luck, by means of an appeal to chance ;
the prayers of the people are combined with throwing
up two halves of a bamboo root, and judging of the
answer by the way in which they fall, very much like
pitch and toss, or by shaking narrow sticks in a hollow
bamboo vessel, until one falls out, or is taken out at
random, it being supposed to have written on it a
number which guides the priest to the answer to the
prayer. The finding of lucky days for all kinds of
transactions, especially for marriages and funerals, is the
most lucrative of priestly functions, as they are the most
frequent for demanding money. Nothing is too im-
portant or too insignificant for the exercise of these
gifts. They find the doctrine of hong tsuie, or the
6o CHINA AND FORMOSA.
spiritual influences, or spirits influenced by wind and
water, in the choice of a site for a dwelling-house,
a place of business, or a temple, but most of all the
choice of a lucky place for a grave, more costly though
less frequent occasions for the exercise of their profitable
functions.
Resemblance between Taoism and Buddhism.
On entering a temple dedicated to Confucius, you
have no" difficulty in distinguishing it from others. Its
bareness and freedom from all idolatrous symbols show
that the sage's simplicity of worship has been re-
spected by his followers. The only exceptions are
some isolated temples, where an image of the great
teacher has been set up, contrary to the recognised
form. But on entering the temples of the Taoists
and Buddhists, you cannot, unless previously initiated,
tell whether they belong to the one or the other ;
they are so much alike. In each, three great idols
look you in the face. In the temple of Buddha they
are called the three Precious Ones ; in that of the
Taoists they are called the three Pure Ones. In both
they are surrounded by many other idols, sometimes
to the number of five hundred. Similar tawdry rites
and ceremonies are conducted in each, by a host of
priests, with the smoke of incense and the chanting
of prayers. The reputed founders of these religions
would not have recognised their own simple forms,
and would have denounced the elaborate idolatry of
their professed followers.
the practical religion of the chinese. 6i
Buddhism.
In calling attention to the close resemblance between
Buddhism and Taoism, we do not need to look far
for the cause of the likeness. Buddhism came to
China from India a full-blown system, with its cor-
ruptions fixed in creed, in ritual, and in practice.
Taoism at that time — the first century of the Christian
era — was in a state of transition, and, being plastic
and easily moulded, got cast in the form of the stereo-
typed system. They have still their distinctive
peculiarities when you get below the surface. One
of the great aims of Taoism is to attain a kind of
immortality ; the great aim of Buddhism is to reach
a state very much resembling annihilation. The
former aims at the attainment of greater happiness
by a higher and more enduring life ; the latter makes
it the ambition of the devotee to extinguish all
desire, even of that for happiness, that he may attain
Nirvana.
But whatever the differences in the inner circle
of the two systems, in so far as they appeal to
the ignorant and sensuous Chinese, the difference in
externals is, vulgarly speaking, very much like that
between six and half a dozen. A large number of
the Chinese worshippers regard them in this light,
and, in a spirit of latitudinarian indifference, worship
impartially according to the rites of the one or the
other; or, if they can afford the expense, they
seek the benefit of the services of both. Indeed,
A BUDDHIST TEMPLE, AMOY,
THE PRACTICAL RELIGION OF THE CHINESE. 63
at all great functions, it is the common practice to
perform the appropriate ceremonies of all the three
religions of China. The ceremonial of Confucianism
is too scanty and colourless for a sensuous and igno-
rant people ; they crave for some more outward and
sensational forms than are provided by the State
religion, which has neither priests nor prayers for the
people ; so they call in the priests of Buddha, and,
if they can afford it, the Taoist priests as well, and
between them, by means of crackers, and bands of
what they call music, and gay vestments, they give
them sound and show enough for their money. This
practice of calling in one religious service after another,
or all at once, is a painful proof of the unsatisfactoriness
of each and of all for the real wants of the poor
worshipper ; they tell of an unsatisfied craving of the
soul, a thirst and hunger of the empty aching heart,
which the old religions of China and the borrowed
religion from India cannot fill.
Buddhism strengthens its hold on the people by the
number of its many monks and nuns, drawn as they are
so largely from the lowest classes of society. They are
supposed to be devoted to a holy service, and living in
monasteries and nunneries, perched on prominent peaks,
or embosomed amid trees in some lovely valley, they
keep themselves before the eyes of the people, like their
brothers and sisters in the West ; or like certain articles
of merchandise, which are supposed to be excellent in
proportion to the frequency with which they arrest the
eye of the customer.
64 china and formosa.
Influence of Inferior Deities.
Of the gods which influence the Chinese, especially
those of the lower and middle classes, perhaps the two
most constantly and earnestly worshipped are the god of
the hearth or furnace, and Kuan-yin, the goddess of mercy ^
or queen of heaven, as she is sometimes called. The
former takes an oversight of all family affairs, and once
a year he ascends to heaven to give an account of all
that has taken place in his presence, whether good or
bad. The other is a deified virgin, who is often repre-
sented with a child in her arms, like the Virgin Mary — a
resemblance so strong, that when we showed one to a
Roman Catholic country woman in Ireland, she began
to cross herself, and was about to worship the heathen
goddess, when, with woman's instinct, she perceived that
the child was carried on the wrong arm, and this was
all the difference she could detect. Kuan-yin is the
principal object of adoration by sailors, especially those
of the east coast of Fuhkien, of which she is said to
have been an inhabitant. The cause for the resemblance
between her and the Virgin Mary is too difficult a
question for our space here.
Are the Chinese Religious ?
Some careless observers have, from the prevalence of
idolatry, come to the conclusion that the Chinese have
no idea of the existence of a Supreme Being, or even of
the idea of immortality. William Burns, from closer
observation and keener penetration, came to the con-
THE PRACTICAL RELIGION OF THE CHINESE. 65
elusion, now generally accepted, that ev^en the common
people believe in both. " Their idea of God," he said,
"is often associated with the material heavens, or
with some idol in their temples, and their thoughts of
immortality are mixed up with their notions about
ghosts and the transmigration of souls." But as these
transmigrations may take millions, or even viillions of
inillions, of years before its devotees attain Nirvana^
this long period forms a very respectable eternity for
any man, except it be for a very profound metaphysician,
such as are seldom found except in the schools of
Germany or India.
Whatever view may be taken of such questions in
theory, in one form or another the belief in gods,
demons, and spirits is to the heathen intensely real and
dreadful. Temporary visitors to the East come home
and tell us that the Chinese have no religion, that they
are a nation of materialists or atheists. Such men are
ignorant of two things : they know nothing of the inner
life of a Chinaman, for which their ignorance of the
language and customs of the people is their best excuse ;
and they do not know that the grossest materialism is
quite compatible with the grossest superstition. The
number of temples and priests is very great, the sums of
money spent on them and on religious ceremonies must
be enormous, and the Chinese are about the last to
spend money on what is not in their view important.
Money is a good measure of a Chinaman's sincerity and
earnestness. It is computed that the public worship of
ancestors costs the empire not less than ;^6,ooo,ooo
5
66 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
sterling yearly, and the private worship by the families
as much as ;^24,ooo,ooo more ; so that for the worship
of ancestors alone the cost is over ^^30,000,000 a year.
The amount spent on other religious ceremonies cannot
be computed, but must be enormous. To overthrow
this venerable and deep-rooted superstition, supported
at such enormous cost, how insignificant the agency and
how inadequate the means employed by the Churches
of Christendom !
The Great Want in Heathen Religions.
In our very brief and imperfect account of the
practical side of the religions of China, we have tried to
show what they are, and some of the evils which accom-
pany the belief of their tenets and the practice of their
customs. But if possible worse than the positive evils
of heathenism is the lack of those beliefs and conditions
which are essential to its reformation. It has nothing
within itself that can render it a means of restoration for
fallen men. It has not even the knowledge of what the
state of man before God really is. It has no knowledge
of sin as an offence against a holy Being ; it does not even
understand the nature and extent of the disease of sin.
The worshipper has no knowledge of salvation. He
neither understands its nature as a deliverance from the
guilt of sin, nor from the corruption of the human heart.
He has no Saviour, far less a Divine Saviour, who died
for his deliverance. We may compare Christianity as
a creed or a system of morality with the other systems
of religion in the world ; and we may compare Christ
THE PRACTICAL RELIGION OF THE CHINESE.
67
with Buddha, and Confucius, and Laotsze, as moral
teachers, though our soul recoils from the coupling of
the names on the plane of a comparison ; but as a
Saviour, teaching the way to the Father, as one sent of
God, there is nothing but the most direct contrast
between Christ and all other founders of religion. These
are the essential conditions of any religion which can be
of any use to sinful men, the only religion worthy of a
name. This is the religion which China needs, and for
which China unconsciously craves.
BOAT IN WHICH DR. HOWIE SAW BASKETS FULL OE
BABIES FOR SALE BY A HAWKER.
GIKLb SCHOOL, SWATOW.
CHAPTER V.
THE PLANTING OF THE MISSION
Ordination of Mr. Burns.
ON April 22nd, 1847, the Rev. William C. Burns
was ordained the first Missionary to China of the
Presbyterian Church of England. But though ordained,
he made it a stipulation, that he was to be in no way
bound to discharge ministerial functions, but to be
strictly an Evangelist, to which office he felt himself
specially called of God. When asked when he would
be ready to start for China, like a good soldier he at
once replied, " To-morrow." As he had only a carpet-
bag with him, it has often been said that he was willing
to set out with no more baggage than the contents of
the small bag, regardless of both comfort and cleanli-
ness— an idea which does no honour to his large share
of common sense, and feelings as a Christian gentleman.
68
THE PLANTING OF THE MISSION.
He knew that his dear old mother had sent a large and
well-filled box to London before him ! After some time
spent in visiting the congregations of the Church in
England, he sailed on June 9th in the Mary Bannatyne,
after an interesting valedictory meeting in the old
mother church of London Wall. Mr. Burns' first letter
from China was dated November 26th, 1847, addressed
to Mr. Hamilton :—
" Dear Friend, — In the great mercy of God I am at last
permitted to address you from this distant shore, which we
reached ten days ago, after a passage of fully five months. We
had a great deal of stormy weather after reaching the Cape,
and at intervals were detained by calms ; and in the China Sea,
a few days before our arrival here, we were in not a little
jeopardy from a typhoon or hurricane which raged for some
time with great fury, and was driving us very fast upon the
land, which, when the wind changed its direction, as it most
mercifully did about the middle of the storm, was not far
distant. It pleased God, in His abundant mercy, to spare us,
and to bring us in peace to this wished-for haven."
During the voyage Mr. Burns had made some pro-
gress with the written character, and at once began to
learn the Canton colloquial with its tones. He com-
plains that, being monosyllabic, he could not get a
mouthful, as he had in the polysyllabic languages he
had learned hitherto, and in his next letter he speaks
rather despondingly of his success ; but with his usual
perseverance and concentration he soon overcame all
difficulties, and was able to proclaim to the Chinese the
Gospel he loved.
While studying the language, both written and
70 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
spoken, he turned his time to good account by preaching
to his own countrymen in Hong Kong ; first in the
chapel of the London Missionary Society, and subse-
quently to a small congregation of his countrymen who
wished to set up a Presbyterian Church. He refused to
have anything to do with the formation of a C/mrch,
but was willing to preach, so long as it did not interfere
with his freedom in preaching to the heathen wherever
he might find an opening. Mr. Burns was impressed
with the importance of education as a means of helping
on the work of Missions. He opened a school, in which
he taught the Chinese English, while he profited from
their Chinese. Eventually he got a few Chinese
boarders to live in his own house, and at his own
expense ; much as he disliked teaching, and longed for
the direct evangelistic work to which he had been
accustomed.
Mr. Burns Itinerating.
In a letter dated January 29th, Mr. Burns informed
Mr. Hamilton that he had taken a new and decisive
step. He had on the previous Sabbath intimated to
the English congregation that he would not occupy the
pulpit again, that the school would be given up, and
that he had resolved to prosecute evangelistic work on
the mainland, along with two Evangelists given to him
by Mr. Gutzlaff. He was driven to this step by the
pressure of the claims of the heathen, whose language
he could already speak with considerable facility ; and
by the fact that there was no prospect of a Minister
THE PLANTING OF THE MISSION. 71
being sent out to take charge of the English congrega-
tion, nor of a Missionary to take up the school. He
says : —
" I have seen no path open but that on which, at the call of
God, I must now enter, namely, abandoning every connection
of a regular kind with my own countrymen, and probably also
with this colony as a place of residence, that I should go to
and fro on these shores, or, if the Lord open the way, into the
country, with the Word of Life in my hands and on my tongue.
This is indeed an arduous work, and accompanied by no
common perils, both of an outward and of a spiritual kind. But
in regard to the former I must remember who has said, ' He
that loveth his life shall lose it,' etc., and in reference to the
latter, it is enough that He hath said, ' My grace is sufficient
for thee,' etc. You desired that three doors might be opened
for me — the door of entrance into the language, the door of
entrance into the country, and the door of admittance of the
Lord's truth into men's hearts ; the first of these has been
opened in an encouraging degree already, and it now remains
to seek by prayer and by actual trial that the other two doors
may be opened also."
On February 1 3th he writes from " Tseen-wan
village " : —
" I am here among the Chinese, through the great mercy of
God in safety, and with full liberty to make known the Gospel
of the grace of God, as far as my knowledge of their tongue
will permit. The dialect spoken here is not, however, iden-
tical with the one I have been learning, and this limits still
more my limited capacity. However, one of the men with me
speaks this dialect (the Hakka) well, and gives me great reason
for thankfulness for the manner in which he addresses his
countrymen. I send the old man for ten dollars, and on his
return I expect to cross the mountains to a number of villages
that are said to be very friendly to the new or foreign doctrine.
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
At Cowloon, on my first setting out, the Chinese soldiers saw
me, and I had to leave, but since that time I have met with no
obstacle of an external kind."
The chief risk in such work as this lay in its being
contrary to Treaty Rights. No foreigner was at
liberty to stay at any place, except at the five Treaty
Ports ; so that Mr. Burns not only exposed himself
to be sent back and fined for violating the treaty, but
if he were attacked or injured he had no claim for
protection either from the Chinese or the British
Government ; besides, there were pirates on the shores,
and robbers on land, who made life itself insecure.
Mr. Burns had not been consulted by the high officials
who made the treaty, nor had he promised to be
bound by its provisions : he looked only to his com-
mission, '' Go ye therefore and make disciples of all
nations, . . . and lo I am with you alway, even to the
end of the world " ; and he knew of a treaty of which
the Ambassadors of England and China knew not —
" 1 have given thee the heathen for thine inheritance,
and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession."
Before leaving Hong Kong, an incident occurred
which illustrates his kindly ways, and the characteristics
of his country. A boy going to sea from a village in
Fifeshire was charged by his mother, " Now, Jamie, if
your ship gangs to China, be sure and call on Mr.
Burns." It did go to Hong Kong. Jamie got on
shore in his best, on Sunday, found the Presbyterian
place of meeting, and got hold of Mr. Burns' sleeve
as he was leaving the church. When he heard the
THE PLANTING OF THE MISSION.
boy's story of his mother's message, and the place he
came from, he was greatly pleased, took the boy home
to spend the day with him, and took the mother's
place in hearing him repeat the Shorter Catechism.
On the 24th of May, in the same year, Mr. Burns
writes to the Convener, from Hong Kong, that he had
been obliged to return for a little more money, as his
messenger had been robbed and abused when bringing
him a small supply, while he had hitherto been allowed
to wander about in safety. When he returned to his
work, he found the population in the north of Canton
so turbulent and hostile, that he gave up itinerating
during the summer months. At the end of 1849
Mr. Burns resolved to sail for Amoy, the position first
chosen by the Committee as the headquarters of the
Mission ; but after his luggage was on board, he had
an attack of fever which prevented him. Before his
recovery he received a communication from the Com-
mittee, recommending Hong Kong as the head-
quarters, a natural decision on their part when they
found that their agent had acquired a knowledge of
a southern dialect entirely different from that of Amoy ;
by the same letter they sanctioned the appointment of
Dr. James Young as a colleague in the Mission.
Appointment of Dr. J. Younc;.
This truly pious and earnest medical man, who had
for some years assisted his brother in an extensive
medical practice in Hong Kong, was strongly com-
74 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
mended to the Committee by Mr. Burns, and devoted
himself, as we shall find, to the Master's work with
much zeal during a brief career. The disappointment
in getting away and the change of view on the part
of the Committee, led Mr. Burns to regard this as a
leading of Providence for him to remain in the south ;
but further indications of such leading in another
direction were soon to come in the form of violence
and robbery, which made it clear that he could not
continue his work in the midst of a population so
hostile and lawless. He found it necessary to keep
within the limits of the Treaty Ports for a while. We
give the letter describing the attack, and the violence
to which he was subjected. A friend, who met him
returning to civilised society in Hong Kong, in the
scanty costume which the robbers had left him,
probably because it was not worth stealing, told us
that he never saw Mr. Burns looking so happy as he
did that morning. He was rejoicing " to suffer shame
for His name."
Mr. Burns Robbp:d.
" Hong Kong, November 28///, 1849.
" My dear Friend, — After writing you last month I went
across, according to my purpose, to the opposite mainland,
with the view of revisiting the district where we had been
favourably received in the beginning of the year ; and I
thought that I might not, if the Lord should favour us, return
before the lapse of two or three months. I was compelled,
however, after an absence of thirteen days, to come hurriedly
back, in consequence of having been visited by robbers, who
broke into the house where we were lodged for the night, and
THE PLANTING OF THE MISSION. 75
with disguised faces, drawn swords, and flaming torches,
stripped us of almost all we had, leaving barely enough of
clothing to myself and my companions to enable us to return.
During the days we had been away we had many favourable
opportunities of speaking of the truths of the Gospel ; but as
the people in the smaller villages were almost all in the fields
gathering in the harvest, the hearers were fewer than in spring.
I went away on this occasion with some hesitation, as I had
around me here so large and open a field ; and now that I have
been driven back, I do not think, for the present, of going out
again. I am here indeed doing very little, but it is not for
want of opportunity both in and out of doors, had I only
more ability in the language, but, above all, more of the
presence and countenance of the Lord with me. I visit the
jail as I used to do, and sometimes go out in the evenings to
address little companies in the shops and in the streets. Pray
for us, that we may be devoted and supported by the Divine
Spirit, and that the name of the Lord may be honoured."
Visit to Canton.
After this Mr. Burns and Dr. Young visited Canton,
with a view to see if there was an opening to establish
the Mission there, but could find no suitable premises,
the people were so averse to the presence of foreigners ;
so Dr. Young returned to Hong Kong to prosecute
his studies, and Mr. Burns got lodgings in the house
of a Missionary, and employed a teacher to complete
his knowledge of the language. A final attempt was
made to find a lodgment in Canton, but in vain.
Dr. Young then resolved to go to Amoy, the place
originally chosen by the Committee, and at once found
himself at home. A house belonging to the American
76 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Mission which had been formerly occupied by Mr.
Pohlman, who had lately been drowned in going up
the coast, was put at his disposal, at a very low
rent. Two schools, with a native teacher, were handed
over to him, of which he at once took possession, and
expressed himself in every way satisfied with the
position. Mr. Burns continued in Canton, making
use of his knowledge of the language, and finding
abundant opportunities for preaching, and some little
encouragement in the attention of the hearers, but
with no outward success, and no hope of getting
premises for the Mission. With his usual perseverance
he kept at his post, until he saw what he considered
a call of Providence to join his colleague in Amoy,
from which Dr. Young continued to send encouraging
accounts to him and the Committee. His soul yearned
over the benighted heathen of Canton, and he was
loath to leave them, but he felt at last constrained to
go to the open and more promising field to which
he was called. He left Hong Kong on the 26th of
June, 1851.
Mr. Burns and Dr. Young in Amov.
In August of 1 85 1 we find both Mr. Burns and
Dr. Young settled in Amoy, the latter living with
Mr. Talmage, of the American Mission of the Dutch
Reformed Church, with two schools under his care,
and a dispensary, where he found ample opportunities
for attending to the souls, as well as the diseased
bodies of the people. Mr. Burns, after a brief stay
THE PLANTING OF THE MISSION.
77
under the hospitable roof of the Rev. Alexander
Stronach, of the London Missionary Society, took up
his abode in the upper part of the schoolroom, in the
midst of the Chinese. The situation was wisely chosen.
It was on a rising ground where he enjoyed good air,
and by putting on a second roof over the old one,
projecting so as to shade the house from the sun, he
had a healthful, but a very humble dwelling, quite to
his mind. No man combined the spirit of self-
denying devotion with a wise regard to the physical
conditions of health better than Mr. Burns. While
he had a supreme contempt for outward show or
fashion, he regarded the body as belonging to the
Lord who redeemed him, soul and body alike, and
consecrated both to His service.
During the year 1852 the Mission was carried on
with devotion and diligence by the two Missionaries,
aided as they felt by the marriage of Dr. Young to
a lady of a true missionary spirit, sent out by the
Society for Promoting Female Education in the East.
Mr. Burns, besides carrying on his evangelistic tours,
devoted much of his time to literary work, for which
he was now well qualified by his scholarly habits and
knowledge of the language. He assisted the Missionary
Societies in revising and enlarging the hymnbook
common to all, himself translating several Psalms and
favourite English hymns into the Chinese language
and measure. We do not profess to be a judge of
Chinese poetry, but we know our friend did not claim
the poetic gift, and we feel we are safe in saying that
78 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
the translations were more characterised by fidelity
to the original, than the smoothness of their rhythm ;
and that they more resembled the style of the good
old Puritan Sir Francis Rous, than that of Watts or
Wesley. But they had the great merit of being well
adapted to the wants of the infant Church.
Translation of the " Pilgrim's Progress."
The greatest service of a literary kind which Mr.
Burns performed for the Church of Christ in China
was his translation of the " Pilgrim's Progress " into
Chinese, a work by which he will be remembered with
gratitude, and which it is an honour to our Church
to have been the means of rendering through her
accomplished agent. It is such a work as a Chinaman
can appreciate, and of which he will never tire. The
style of language is well chosen, partaking as much
as possible of Bunyan's Saxon simplicity ; it was a con-
genial work, and no pains was spared on its composition.
The greatest difficulty was in finding suitable names of
persons for Bunyan's quaint and expressive ones. Mr.
Burns spent days on the hills around Amoy, which
are covered with graves like a grand natural cemetery.
From the headstones on these he found his well-chosen
names. His peregrinations during his long search were
called by the Missionaries Burns' " meditations among
the tombs."
To the writer on his arrival in Amoy, it was a great
delight to take long walks with him over these hills.
THE PLANTING OF THE MISSION. 79
and to hear our friend tell where he got the names
of the different characters. Going up to a fine
grave, he would say, " It was from that man I got
a suggestion for the name of Evangelist, and over
there I got the name for Mr. Pliable, and away down
there I found Obstinate^ Then walking to another
hill he pointed out the origin of the Chinese Mr.
Valiant-for-Truth, and with a merry laugh, "Come
over here and I will show you Mr. Facing-both-waysy
He identified the Bunyan characters with the graves
from which he had got the names ; he would often
point to one and say, " Old Moi^tality lies up there, and
down yonder lies By-ends, of the town of Fair-speech^
Like all great workers, he lived in his work, and while
engaged on the " Pilgrim's Progress " he did little else,
and found it enough. His motto was, " One thing I
do," and he did it well.
The Committee for five years had been unremitting
in their efforts to secure another ordained Missionary
to strengthen and extend their work in China, but
in vain, until in the year 1853 the report to the
Synod contained the following clause : —
Appointment of Mr. Johnston.
" Ever since the appointment of Mr. Burns it has been the
anxious desire of the Committee to secure the services of
another Ministerial Missionary. Their desire has at last been
granted, and they have much pleasure in announcing that the
Rev. James Johnston, a student of our College and a licentiate
of our own Church, has accepted the Committee's invitation to
join the Mission at Amoy. Mr. Johnston has for many years
8o CHINA AND FORMOSA.
been intimately known to some of our number, and from his
ability, his attainments, and his piety, Ave are assured that the
Synod could not well have found a more suitable man for the
responsible post.
" Since his appointment Mr. Johnston has devoted most of
his time to visiting the congregations. Everywhere he has
been received with the most cordial kindness, and we are sure
that the acquaintance thus formed will redound to the further-
ance of the Mission. Those who have seen their own Mis-
sionary face to face contribute to the work and pray for its
success, with a measure of personal affection ; and the
Missionary will labour with all the more alacrity when he
remembers how many friends and well-wishers he has left at
home praying for his prosperity and waiting for good tidings.''
Mr. Johnston was ordained by the Synod at its
meeting in Manchester on April 22nd, 1853, in the
presence of a large congregation. It is thus referred to
in the Messenger the following month : —
" The Synod then proceeded to the ordination of Mr. James
Johnston as a Missionary to China. We sincerely regret that
space and time prevent us from giving more than a mere
notice of this most interesting part of its proceedings. The
Ex-Moderator, Mr. McKenzie, conducted the devotions ; Dr.
Paterson preached the sermon ; the Moderator put the ques-
tions and offered the ordination prayer; Professor Lorimer
delivered the address to the Missionary, and Mr. Munro, of
Manchester, the address to the congregation. The beautiful
church was filled with an interested audience ; and a more
solemn and impressive service it has been the lot of few to
witness."
The Nature oe the Mission Work Decided.
The Committee were still entertaining the idea of
establishing the Mission on a basis less or more of an
THE PLANTING OF THE MISSION. 8i
educational character, like those established by Dr.
Duff in India, and, that he might be the better fitted
for such work, if found desirable, Mr. Johnston was
directed to go to Glasgow and study the most approved
methods of instruction in the Normal Seminary of the
Free Church. Being, like many, especially at that
time, greatly interested in the educational schemes of
the Scottish Churches, and having received his chief
impulse towards the Mission field from personal inter-
course with Dr. Duff, he threw himself into the plan,
and spent some months in the daily study and practical
working of the seminary, then under the able manage-
ment of Mr. Hislop, and submitted to the examina-
tions like the other students. To get still further
knowledge of the educational methods of Mission work,
Mr. Johnston visited India on his way to China, and
spent nearly two months in Madras, in daily attend-
ance at the schools and colleges of the Free Church,
and other Missionary and Government colleges.
On his arrival in China in the end of 1853, he made
inquiries in Hong Kong and Canton, and after a short
stay at Amoy visited Shanghai, to see whether there
was a suitable opening for an Educational Institution at
any of the open ports. He had most interesting inter-
views with the Missionaries at nearly all the open ports
on this subject, and several at Canton and Shanghai
wished him to stay at these places and make the
attempt. The venerable Dr. Medhurst especially urged
him to make the experiment ; but as he could only
advise it as an interesting variety of operation of which
6
82 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
he would like to see the result, in which, however, no one
was ready to take a share, there was little inducement
to make the trial.
After a careful and independent examination of the
whole field open to Missions, Mr. Johnston came to
the conclusion that China, at that time, was not in a
condition to require or to profit by a system of educa-
tion, similar to that which was both necessary and
advantageous in India ; least of all an education in
which the English language was made prominent. He
thought that the time might come when English would
be valued and useful as an educational agency for the
spread of science and Western thought, and even as a
handmaid to missionary effort. This anticipation has
been realised of late years, and such is the demand for
scientific knowledge and the English language, that the
Chinese are willing to pay the foreign teacher, and to
tolerate, even if they do not desire, the Christian
instruction which accompanies it.
While setting aside the educational method as the
basis of the Mission, Mr. Johnston strongly advocated
education for the children of converts, for both male
and female adults, and for the training of a native
ministry ; but all in the native toiigtic. He found on
his return to Amoy that Mr. Burns and Dr. Young
were quite prepared to give up the teaching of English,
which they had found both arduous and unprofitable.
Some of Mr. Burns' most promising pupils in Hong
Kong told him that he might take back all the
grammatical English he had taught them, for it was
THE PLANTING OF THE MISSION. 83
of no use in Canton. The dreadful jargon called
pigeon EnglisJi was of more use to them than that he
had been at so much pains to teach.
The Committee were fully satisfied with the reasons
given, and abandoned the idea of setting up an Edu-
cational Institution. This was characteristic of what
has been the wise and kindly practice of the Committee
from the first. While they were most careful to keep
themselves informed on every part of the work com-
mitted to them by the Church, they always allowed
the utmost degree of reasonable liberty to their agents
in the field. In so doing they have secured an amount
of unity and harmony of which few Missions can boast ;
and have impressed on the Missionaries a sense of
responsibiHty, which has stimulated effort, while the
burden has been lightened by the consciousness that
they were not toiling under a despotic authority, but
were carrying out the plans which had commended
themselves to their own united judgments and experi-
ence.
The State of the Mission in 1853.
Missions may be looked on from the Divine or the
human, the supernatural or the natural side. Both are
deserving of careful study, but it is of vital importance
that the Divine and supernatural be first and fully
recognised. It is for this reason we call attention
to the state of the Mission in the end of 1853, not for
a moment to reflect on the Missionaries either of our
own or of other Churches, but to bring clearly out the
84 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
important truth that the success of Missions does
not depend on the unaided labours of men, however
devoted and zealous, but on the presence and power
of the Spirit of God, in order that the Church may
realise her responsibility, and be stimulated to faith
and prayer, and that God alone may be glorified in
the conversion of the heathen. The men under whom
thousands were soon to be added to the Church, in
a time of spiritual revival, were the same who had
laboured with equal ardour for years with little, or
in some cases no apparent results.
Mr. Burns, under whom the revival was so soon to
begin, told the writer with tears in his eyes, in December
of 1853, " / -^^^^t: laboured in CJiina for seven years, and
I do not knoiv of a single soul brought to Christ by ine^
How one admired the man who could continue steadfast
in labours so abundant, with no sign of the Master's
favour, though he had been honoured as a young man
to see hundreds awakened by a single sermon ! This
man had gathered thousands into the garner of God in
a few brief years in his own country ; and here labouring
in a foreign land, under a burning sun, he had not been
encouraged by gleaning even one ear of corn from the
vast harvest field. The former success must have made
the apparent failure so much harder to bear. Faith
might well have been staggered. But to the credit of
the man, and to the honour of the grace of God in him,
there was no faltering or despondency, no sign of the
" feeble knees " or " weary hands." Strong in faith, and
obedient to the command of God, he laboured only
THE PLANTING OF THE MISSION. 85
the more earnestly and prayed the more fervently, and
God, in His own time, gave him the reward of his
fidelity.
There were in 1853, as there are still, two Societies
at work in Amoy — the agents of the " London Mission-
ary Society," and those of the " Reformed Dutch Church
of America." Both Societies had been for many years
at work among the Chinese in the Straits of Malacca,
who are chiefly from the eastern part of the province
of Fuhkien, and as they for the most part speak the
Amoy dialect, it gave them great advantages in begin-
ning work in the new sphere of labour ; though, as
we shall see, they had been able only to gather a
handful of converts ; and yet they were the largest
number of all the Missions we had met with at any
of the open ports. The number of adult members was
only forty-six in the two Missions, as the result of ten
years' labour. We wrote in December, 1853 : —
A United Communion.
" I at once introduce you to the whole Church, at one of its
general meetings, which was held shortly after my arrival, and
to which I look back with unmingled feelings of pleasure.
" It was held in a long, narrow, humble room, on the
ground floor of the house of the senior Missionary, and when
I entered, the slanting streaks of light from the sun, which was
approaching the horizon, but dimly lighted up the assembled
company, and the table spread with the precious symbols of the
Saviour's broken body and shed blood. The congregation was
a most interesting one. First of all there were the native
Christians, numbering about thirty-five, males and females —
only a few of the latter. Taking advantage of the ' liberty
wherewith Christ maketh His people free,' they had laid aside
86 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
the jealousy and prudery of Eastern, or rather tropical fashion,
and husband and wife, and brother and sister, sat side by side,
or mingled with the foreigners ; and in their devout bearing
and intelligent interest in the service, which was allowed to
speak for itself, so far as they were concerned, you could see
the obvious effect of the Gospel's transforming power. Scattered
amongst them were the Missionaries and their families, and
altogether they formed one perfect brotherhood, in which the
distinctions of party were forgotten ; and around sat a number
of Chinese, who still adhere to their idols, although some of
them are in a state of interesting inquiry. To this mixed
Christian company I dispensed the symbols of our Lord's
broken body and shed blood in the English tongue. On the
following month it will be in Chinese. The tongues vary on
alternate months. The feast is one and speaks to all.
"The Church here numbers more converts than in any of
the other parts of China ; and, from what I have seen of them,
they will bear comparison with the same class of converts
in any heathen place that I have visited. There are
twenty-five adult members of the American Church, including
several females, and twenty-one members of the Church of the
London Missionary Society, all males ; and there are at present
a considerable number of inquirers of both Churches. Amongst
those of the London Missionary Society there are at present
five females^ who will shordy be admitted to the rite of baptism,
along with some males, amongst whom is my own servant, who
has for some time been an inquirer. It says not a little for the
stability of the Chinese character, as well as for the caution of
the Missionaries in admitting converts, that there has never
been a sufficient ground for the exercise of discipline on any
member of the Church since its formation : eight have passed
from the Church below — we trust to the Church above — but
none have been suspended or expelled. More than once the
enemy has tried to blast the reputation of some, but happily
without success ; and the rage of the accuser of the brethren
has been the means of uniting them more closely."
CHAPTER VI.
TIMES OF BLESSING.
T
HE year 1853 had
closed (on our Mis-
sion) under a cloud. At
the time of the arrival of
the new Missionary, when
as yet he could do little,
having no knowledge of
the language, another was
taken away in the prime
of her life. The wife of
Dr. Young died a few
hours after Mr. Johnston
reached Amoy. But it
was the cold dark hour
before the dawn. The
year 1854 will ever be
memorable in the annals
of our Mission. It was
then that God began a work under Mr. Burns which
has continued to bear fruit to this day. Mr. Burns
thus simply describes the commencement of a work of
the issue of which he then had no conception :—
87
GATHERING IN THE HARVEST.
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
''January i6th, 1854.
" Dear Mr. Matheson, — In a country market town called
Peh-chuia (Whitewater Camp) I write with no better materials
than a Chinese pencil and paper. I left Amoy on the 9th with
two members of the American Church on a missionary tour,
and since then we have been in this place, preaching on market
days to a few among the thousands who then assemble to buy
and sell, and on other days going out among the surrounding
villages, which are many and populous. We are everywhere
very well received, and our message is listened to with atten-
tion, and in some cases we may hope with profit. What we
need is the power of the Spirit of God on the hearts of speakers
and hearers. This place is, I suppose, from twelve to twenty
miles from Amoy [the latter was found to be the distance],
about half-way to the city of Chang-chow, which we visited in
April. One of the native Christians with me was formerly a
teacher in the school where I live ; the other is an interesting
and very zealous man whom I have accompanied before. I
went specially at his instance to Chang-chow in April, and
now again he has come forward to prompt us to the present
tour. This man was formerly a fortune-teller, and now that he
believes and publishes the Gospel, he still retains something of
the fortune-teller's talking power with much Christian simplicity.
Dr. Young has gone to Chang-chow on a kind of medico-mis-
sionary tour, of which I am very glad. I have said nothing
as yet of our fellow-labourer Mr. Johnston, who arrived just
fourteen hours before Mrs. Young died. We have had some
pleasant intercourse since that time ; but in the meantime he
is left alone in Amoy. He has been preaching on board the
\var steamer now in the harbour."
Revival at Peh-chuia.
To shovi' how the Lord was opening the way for the
entrance of His truth, we quote from Mr. Burns' next
letter dated March 3rd : —
TIMES OF BLESSING. 89
" I am still at Peh-chuia. In this place and the neighbour-
hood our way was so remarkably opened that we have been
there as our headquarters ever since (dwelling in our hired
house and preaching hall at one dollar a month), encouraged
not only by the general disposition of the people to hear the
word, but also by the special interest of a few individuals.
Among these, one family, consisting of a father, mother, and
three sons, seem to be at the door of the Kingdom, if they have
not already entered in. I had been absent from Amoy just
forty-nine days, and they were days of much mercy, and more
than usual encouragement in the work of the Lord among this
people.
" I am glad to see the proposal to add to the number of
your Missionaries taken up in Scotland, and trust that much
good may be the result. You must, however, guard in your
intercourse with any who may wish to come out against
sending them with any vague idea of assisting me — that is, of
my being in any way able to direct and assist them. From
the way in which I am now labouring, I am, as hitherto,
without any plan but that of co-operating generally in the work
as I find opportunity. This is the way which I believe is best
for me, but it is one in which I can evidently do little to aid
others in any defined plan of missionary work.
" P.S. — The Missionaries of the London Society are receiving
into the fellowship of the Church next Sabbath seventeen
Chinese, nine women and eight men ; among whom are Dr.
Young's eldest child's nurse, who attended the late Mrs.
Young, and her son, who is Dr. Young's personal attendant."
Progress at Peh-chuia.
" On our arrival at Peh-chuia, we found to our delight that
the work there had made decided progress in our absence.
The two native Christians (members of the American Mission
Church at Amoy) whom we had left in charge seem to have
been much aided in teaching the people. The preaching
90 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
room had been crowded every night to a late hour by from
forty to sixty persons, and those who had from the beginning
shown an attachment to the truth had evidently advanced in
knowledge and earnestness of spirit, and resolved to obey the
Gospel at the risk of much reproach and opposition. In our
absence the station had also had the benefit of a short visit
from Mr. Doty of the American Mission. When I left Peh-chuia
last Monday, it seemed that, including young and old, there
might be about twenty persons who have declared themselves
on the side of the Gospel, but some of these are children, and
two or three are women whom we have not seen — mothers
who have received the truth from their sons or husbands.
Lam-san and his Parents.
" Among the number of those who are attached to the Gospel
are two whole families of six members each. The eldest son
in one of these families, a promising youth of twenty, early
showed much decision, having, on the birthday of ' the god of
the furnace,' taken this god and put it in the fire. The idol
having been but in part consumed, his mother discovered
among the ashes a part of its head, and father and mother
together beat their son severely ; but some of the other
Peh-chuia inquirers having gone to comfort the young man, and
reason with his parents, their views underwent so sudden and
entire a change, that in a day or two afterwards they, with their
four sons, brought out all their idols and ancestral tablets, and
publicly destroyed them in the view of the people. The father
I have two or three times met with, and he seems, along with
his four sons (an interesting set of boys), to be in a promising
state of mind.
The Cloth Merchant.
"The other family is that of a respectable cloth-dealer,
whose shop is in the same street with our lodging. This
family has passed through remarkable trials,, which seem to
have prepared them for receiving the Gospel on its first an-
TIMES OF BLESSING. 91
nouncement, they having twice lost all their property by
robbers; and on the second of these occasions having had
their house burnt, to cover the robbers' retreat, when the whole
family were obliged to leap from an upper story, and yet
escaped unhurt ! They are a very interesting family, and have
in one point shown more decision than I have before seen in
China, having (while yet only inquirers) shut their shop on the
last eight Sabbaths, even although two of these Sabbaths were
market-days. The family adjoining our house is literally
divided — two against three, and three against two. The elder
brother and his wife oppose — they live by making paper images
used in idolatrous processions, for burying the dead, etc. ; the
mother, the second son, with the youngest, who is a mere boy,
are on the side of the Gospel. The second son formerly made
images with his elder brother, but has now given up this trade,
and has begun a general business in one half of the shop which
they have in common. It is curious thus to notice that on the
Lord's day the younger brother's side of the shop is closed,
while the elder brother's side remains open ! This young man,
when we were absent farther inland, went down to Amoy with
the desire of being admitted into the visible Church; and
though he has not yet been baptised, the American Missionaries,
who examined him, were astonished and delighted by the
evidence which he gave them of knowledge, repentance, and
faith, and would have admitted him a month ago, along with
ten others (x-Vmoy people), had it not been that my two native
companions, returning the day before to Amoy, urged the
expediency of delay.
Need for Church Organisation.
" As I do not propose, in regard to these people, to act
differently from what I have always done — viz. confining myself
to the work of teaching and preaching, and leaving the peculiar
duties of the pastoral office to others whom I may, in the provi-
dence of God, be called to co-operate with — several other
persons, eight in all, have gone down to Amoy to be examined
92 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
by our American brethren, with a view to baptism. With most
of these cases these brethren are most interested ; and I have
told them that I think the time is come when, for the good of
the Peh-chuia people, they should take a more special charge
of that place as an out-station. This they are in a position to
do, having native agents whom they can employ."
We need not say now that the loss of this station,
which has been the fruitful parent of many other
stations, and the nucleus of our work in China, would have
been a fatal blow to our Mission, which was happily
averted. On Mr. Johnston's return from Shanghai,
he took the responsibility of making Peh-chuia a station
of our own Mission, and the American brethren most
generously offered their assistance in carrying it on while
he was acquiring the language. This kindness he was
able subsequently to repay, by handing over to them the
station of Chioh-bey, which was opened by the Peh-chuia
converts. This suited them better, as it was half-way to
Chang-chow, where they proposed to open a station.
The inability of Mr. Burns to co-operate with his
colleagues, then or at any future period, was a trial to
young Missionaries, and in some way a weakness to the
Mission, especially as he devoted most of his time
to assisting other Missions ; but no one had a right to
complain. He went to China, with the consent of the
Synod, on condition of perfect freedom, and, while he
seemed to lessen his usefulness and weaken our Mission,
he exerted a wider influence on the missionary spirit in
all societies, by the saintly devotion of his walk and
conversation.
TIMES OF BLESSING. 93
Mr. Burns, after spending some time in Amoy, and in
itinerating in the villages in the south and west, while
at Bay-pay heard that one family in Peh-chuia had
publicly destroyed their idols and ancestral tablets, the
latter the most cherished objects of Chinese idolatry.
On returning to that interesting village he found the
report was true, and writes in the most encouraging
way to Dr. Hamilton.
Prosperity in Adversity.
It was at this interesting time that a fresh trial came
upon the Mission, which, but for the kind providence of
God and the grace of the Spirit in the hearts and conse-
crated lives of the Peh-chuia converts, might have been
a real calamity. Dr. Young became so ill that he had
to be sent home as soon as possible, and from the nature
of his malady it was needful that some one should go
with him to take care of him and his two motherless
babes. This duty naturally fell to Mr. Burns, who had
been eight years in China, and he agreed to go in charge
of his friend and the little ones. Mr. Johnston was thus
left alone with a very imperfect knowledge of the
language, yet by the blessing of God the work continued
to grow both in stability and extent. The difficulty
was greatly increased by his being suddenly struck
down by disease, of which dysentery was only one of
the symptoms, and for some months he had to carry on
the work of the Mission from a sick-bed or sofa.
The genuineness and depth of the work at Peh-chuia
was finely displayed. Instead of going back in the
94 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
absence of their spiritual father and guardian, they
not only added to their number, but began of their
own accord to carry the Gospel to the villages around
them, and won the respect of their neighbours by
their consistency of character. The old cloth merchant
was specially noteworthy as " a living epistle known and
read of all men." E-ju, a peripatetic pastrycook, was
one of the most successful volunteer evangelists. Wher-
ever he went he preached the Gospel. On one occasion
he went to the large village of Chioh-bey, with its
twenty thousand inhabitants, and so interested the
people that they rented a house, turning the lower part
into a preaching hall and the upper part into an apart-
ment for evangelists to live in, and sent to ask Mr.
Johnston to send a preacher. He managed to get from
his American brethren two of the more intelligent of
their members, and sent them up. At the end of a
month they came back so hoarse they could hardly
make themselves heard. When asked what was the
matter, they answered : " Teacher, the people of Chioh-
bey are very clever at listening ; we have preached until
we are hoarse, and we cannot satisfy them ; they come
from morning to night to hear the doctrine, and they sit
up till midnight and will not go away. You must send
up some others and let us get rest."
The Work at Chioh-bey.
Others were sent, and came back in the same con-
dition and with the same story, and so the work went
on until Mr. Talmage went with Mr. Johnston to
TIMES OF BLESSING. 95
examine them with a view to baptism. That night will
never be forgotten by those who took part in the
examination of those who came forward applying for
baptism. It is deeply engraved on our memory, and we
doubt not our dear friend Talmage remembers it in the
beatific visions of the upper sanctuary. We began our
work of " discerning spirits " at eight o'clock, and were
much impressed by the depth and thoroughness of the
work of the Spirit of God, as seen in the answers and
experience of these simple and earnest believers in the
Lord Jesus. These answers often astonished us, when we
considered that all the teaching they had received from
man was through the native Christians of Peh-chuia and
the uneducated converts from Amoy. We felt that
there was higher teaching than that of man, and we
were awed by the evident presence of the Spirit of God
in the work before us.
" Put down My Name, Sir."
After we had resolved, with the approval of the evan-
gelists, to admit twenty to the rite of baptism on the
following Sunday, we found it impossible to continue
longer at the work. It was near midnight, and we
were worn out, and yet many were waiting for examina-
tion, so we proposed to delay further examination for
that night, and asked those desiring baptism to stand up
and give us their names. To our surprise twenty or
thirty at once stood up — men and women of all ages :
strong men came forward and said, " Put down my
name " ; old men leaning on their staff said, " Put down
96 CHINA AND FOJ^MOSA.
my name" ; feeble women, tottering on their little feet,
came modestly forward, saying, " Put down my name " ;
and even children desired to have their names put down
among those seeking after God. When we thought of
the dangers and persecutions before them, we remem-
bered Bunyan's picture of the man of " a stout counte-
nance " at the door of the beautiful palace who said to
the man with the inkhorn, " Set down my name. Sir,"
and drew his sword and hewed his way in, and then the
Pilgrim heard the pleasant song, —
" Come in, come in ;
Eternal glory thou shalt win."
It was a pleasant sound to us, as we took our way to
the boat on the river at midnight, to hear the voice of
psalms and hymns as we passed the houses of converts
and inquirers, in the midst of that great heathen town,
where such sounds had never before been heard ; it was
like the light of our lanterns shining brightly on our
path amid the deep darkness around.
The One Missionary and His Manifold Work.
Mr. Johnston having been left alone in the end of
August, 1854, sent to the Convener a full statement,
regarding the steps he had taken to carry on the work,
from which we make a few extracts : —
" I shall direct your attention to the following fourfold
division of labour : ist. The Preaching Station and the Church
at Peh-chuia ; 2nd. Schools ; 3rd. Bible and Tract Distribution ;
4th. Evangelists and Evangelistic Work.
" rst. The Preaching Station in the suburbs of Amoy, which
TIMES OF BLESSING. 97
was established by Dr. Young in the beginning of the year,
having services in it three times in the week, I kept up during
the hot weather, but on the return of winter I discontinued
the evening services and commenced a daily service at eleven
o'clock. These services I rejoice to say have not been without
good fruit; several are very regular in attendance, and two
have given as good evidence as could well be expected of
having passed from death to life. One, Sun-lo, was baptised
six weeks ago, and the other, Him-lo, was baptised last Sabbath ;
the latter has imperilled his earthly sustenance by refusing to
work on the Sundays, and the former has suffered very much
from the persecutions of his mother and the violent conduct
of his father.
" The station at Peh-chuia continues to flourish. There were
nine communicants when Mr. Burns left ; since then three
have been baptised, and two more will be admitted to the
Church on Sabbath ; so that before this letter leaves the
number will be fourteen members in full communion, with
dependants and children making a Christian community of
more than forty persons, besides a number of inquirers."
Evangelistic Spirit in Peh-chuia.
♦"I cannot speak too highly of the spirit, and order, and
brotherly love manifested by that infant Church, which I
commend to the maternal care and prayerful solicitude of the
Church at home, by which I trust it will be loved and cherished
as a precious gift from God, at once a proof of His favour for
our beloved Zion, and an earnest of yet greater blessing to us
and you. It would be much to the advantage of England did
each of our congregations manifest a spirit like that of Peh-chuia.
There each member see??is to feel that the work of an eva?tgelist is
laid upon him^ and although not one has been appointed to any
office, or offered any pecuniary reward for his service, they
labour out of love to the Saviour, as much, or perhaps more,
than most paid agents would do. With such diligence have
98 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
they acquitted themselves, aided by the evangelists whom we
have been able to send to their help, that the district around
is now pretty familiar with the sound of the Gospel, and in
some of the villages there is a disposition to receive the ' glad
tidings.'
Schools.
" 2nd. The schools went on prosperously in the way of ac-
quiring knowledge. Two boys were baptised, Ti-a and Kow-a,
in addition to the one baptised before Dr. Young left. They
are giving me great comfort by their behaviour, and their
diligence in study was proved lately at a distribution of prizes.
Two of the Christian youths stood at the head, and the third
was placed fourth ; all by the decision of their heathen teacher.
I found on my visit to Peh-chuia that the school was doing
well, but one of the older scholars was about to be removed
to assist his father, the old cloth merchant. He is a Christian
youth of good promise, and is already a fair scholar for his
age — fifteen. I could not think of losing him for the service
of the Church, and, with the full consent of his father, have
him down in Amoy to live with me and prosecute his studies
along with Kow-a, who has been with me ever since his father
drove him from his house. It is not improbable that I may
add to my family in this way, and happy shall I be if God
send twenty instead of two, in the same providential way. If
I take many more, as I hope to do, it may be necessary to
provide funds for their support, about ^lo per annum each.
In the meantime there is no need.
" 3rd. Bible and Tract Distribution has been carried on
during the last four months, since I have been able to go
about, with the help of native agents. ^\'e have distributed
fourteen hundred copies of the New Testament, and a few
copies of the Pentateuch, but only to those who were able
to read and seemed able to make a good use of them. Of
tracts we have in the same time given away twenty-five
thousand.
TIMES OF BLESSING.
• 4th. Evangelists and Evangelistic Work. I find it difficult
to adhere to one designation for the helpers I employ Thev
partake of the twofold character of evangelists and colporteurs
and do not strictly sustain the full character of either Thev
are simply intelligent Christians, gifted, less or more, with the
power of addressing their countrymen in a clear and interesting
manner on the great fundamental truths of Scripture with
which they are fairly well acquainted, especially the New
lestament portion. Within four months I have personally
or by our agents, conveyed the Gospel message, in an imperfect
way, to more than fifty towns and villages in which it had never
been proclaimed before, besides repeated visits to some and
also to other villages where others had been before' me
Doubtless the Gospel was very little understood at first • but
in each village New Testaments were left with tracts all
withm an easy distance of our headquarters, so that 'any
mquirer could learn more if he desired it. To this we attach
much importance ; single visits to distant regions, like flashes
of lightning, do little more than make the darkness appear all
the darker."
The difficulty cf carrying on the work of the Mission
in places so far apart as Amoy and Peh-chuia, a distance
of twenty miles, as well as carrying on evangelistic work
in the regions around, when there was only one man
to attend to all, was keenly felt ; but, as the following
letter addressed to Mr. Matheson will show, was in a
great measure met by a happy device— the " Gospel boat,"
the first that had appeared in Chinese waters.
Thk First "Gospel Boat."
'•' As the distance between Amoy and Peh-chuia could not
be lessened, my only plan was to fall upon some more speedy
mode of locomotion, or of travelling in such a way as would
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
not waste time. To effect both in some manner, I found that
my best plan was to get a boat built, with a small cabin, in
which I could carry on my studies travelling by day, and sleep
comfortably if I travelled by night, which I purposed frequently
to do, as it was a clear gain if I could do my work in one
place and awake the next morning ready for my duties in another.
To do either it was necessary to have a boat of my own, which
I could command by
night or by day. By
day the Chinese pas-
senger boats are very
uncomfortable, and at
night they are afraid to
travel for the number of
thieves that swarm in
the river. But I have
manned mine with
Christian sailors who
have no such fear when
I wish to go anywhere.
They believe it to be
(lod's work, and don't
doubt God's protection.
I was the more disposed
to get a boat of this
kind, as I had pre-
viouslyplanneda system
of visitation by which
I hoped to carry the
Gospel to many a town and village outside the iharbouri of
Amoy. There are many hundreds of large villages and many
large towns within a circuit of twenty miles in which the
Gospel of the grace of God has never been proclaimed, and
prior to my illness I had made a most interesting and encouraging
commencement, of which I hope to tell you some particulars
another time.
THE " GOSPEL BOAT
TIMES OF BLESSING.
" As for my own experience of this mode of acquiring the
language, I am satisfied that, combined as it is with study
under a regular teacher, it is by far the most effective for all
practical purposes. By being thrown entirely amongst the
people, whose tones are constantly striking the ear, and rarely
a foreigner to speak with, I am compelled to speak their
language in self-defence-I may say for self-preservation."
To the credit of the Chinese be it told, that the " Gospel
boat " was never molested. Even pirates respected her ;
they were frequently seen prowling round her at night,'
but as soon as they found out that it was what the name'
on her prow indicated, the Hok-Eum-Chun, or '' Good
News Boat," they went quietly away, either from appre-
ciation of our disinterested work, or because they knew
that there was little plunder to be had. It was known
we did not carry much money, and the boatmen were
not allowed to carry arms, but were instructed to present
them with plenty of tracts and Bibles— not likely to
tempt pirates to break the eighth commandment.
Character of the Converts.
It is always unfair to compare converts from heathen-
ism with Christians who have a long pedigree. Here-
dity tells on the formation of character, and the
education of family life in a Christian country, where
the standard of morality is high, tells even on those
who are only nominal professors of religion. But we do
not shrink from such a comparison in the case of
Chinese converts, specially of the first converts in
Peh-chuia. Having visited India on our way out, we
were greatly struck with the difference between the
102 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
adult converts in that country and China. The Chinese
showed so much more independence, stabiUty, common
sense, consistency, and zeal. They have a backbone
which the native of India so sadly lacks, if he has not
been trained under Christian influence from his youth,
either in the family or school. Hence the necessity for
educational Missions in that country.
The aggressive character of religion, as received by
the Chinese converts, is a fine feature ; they no sooner
accepted Christ for themselves, than they began to
commend Him to others. They could not rest content
with a mere personal salvation ; their first aim was to
bring the members of their own families to the Saviour
they had found so precious to themselves ; and it was a
rare thing to find one Christian only in a family for any
length of time, so much so that a man would be sus-
pected of not living worthily if he failed to bring a
parent or child, or a brother or sister, to follow his
example. Their zeal seemed also to open their lips
to speak in public, so that their heathen neighbours
believed that all Christians were preachers, of which
there was a rather amusing illustration in Peh-chuia.
In the clan feuds so common between the villages, if
a man is caught by the opposite clan, he is liable to be
fined, beaten, or, in case of a blood feud, to be killed.
" Preach or be Punished."
One of the Peh-chuia converts was caught by the
villagers who were at feud with it. He was too poor to
be fined, and was sentenced to be beaten. He pleaded
TIMES OF BLESSING.
that as a Christian he never took part in these feuds.
The plea was admitted as vaHd, but how were they
to know that he was a real Christian ? This was solved
by the test of preaching. The poor man pled inability,
as he was only a common Christian and not a preacher,
but the plea was set aside by the axiom, " All Christians
can preach," and "You must either preach or be beaten,"
Driven to this alternative, the poor man got up and
preached to his very hostile audience. Whether he
saved the souls of his hearers we know not, but we
know that he saved his own back from the bamboo,
which was no small mercy : he was allowed to go free.
It were well that our Christians at home had this
reputation for preaching, though there is happily no
fear of its being put to such a test.
Another trait in the genuine converts is their regard for
truth. We dare not say that they all become perfectly
truthful ; they have been so accustomed to falsehood that
it is difficult to get entirely free from the old habit. They
are liable to be overtaken in the fault under sudden temp-
tation, as Peter was, by what was probably an old habit,
common in strong characters and rude life, that of swear-
ing ; but they earnestly strive to get rid of that habit of
lying, the common fault of a weak or an oppressed or
misgoverned people. Mr. Johnston told the following in-
cident, which brought the laugh against him for a while.
Courtesy and Truth Illustrated.
" On paying my first visit to Mr. Burns at Peh-chuia, the
converts, at evening worship, would insist on the new Mission-
104 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
ary, whom they were so delighted to see, saying a few words in
their tongue. Although I had not studied the colloquial for
more than a month or two, I had learned a few sentences,
which I gave out boldly. They were delighted, and shouted
with one voice ' Put chi ho ' (Very good, or literally No end of
good), ' Chin ho ' (First-rate), and urged me to go on. If 1
had stopped then I would have come off with flying colours,
but, rashly desiring to please the dear people, went on until out
of my depth, though they looked so intelligently pleased. I put
the question point-blank, ' Do you understand what I say ? '
As Christians they were too truthful to say ' Yes,' and as
Chinamen too polite to say ' No,' so, after a pause, the old
cloth merchant answered, * We shall pray to God, that you
may soon speak intelligibly.' This was so fine a specimen
of the Christian gentleman, that I was quite willing to be
laughed at, when Mr. Burns told the story with great glee to
the assembled Missionaries in Amoy. In a little while they all
admitted that the prayer of the simple Christians of Peh-chuia
had been heard."
A Martyr Spirit.
The way in which the converts stood persecution in
every possible form gave unquestionable evidence of the
genuineness of their conversion. We shall not give
examples now — they will occur often enough as we pro-
ceed— but during the first year of our Church's existence
there were cases of cruel beating, of both young and
adults ; many were deprived of employment for keeping
the Sabbath ; many had their fields taken from them by
unjust prosecutions ; the harvest was frequently carried
off the field, and their cattle stolen without redress,
because they would not bribe the Mandarins to get
justice. All these things they bore without complaint
TIMES OF BLESSING. 105
or begging from any one. If they got help it was only
such as their fellow-Christians gave, never from the
Mission. The Missionary might, and often did, assist
out of his own pocket, by contributing to the Church
funds for the poor, in the same way as ministers do at
home. By making all help come through their own
countrymen, there was good security against imposition.
The charge made by ignorant or malicious foreigners,
that converts were bribed, or that they were " Rice
Christians," was an unmitigated calumny. The spirit in
which many of them took " the spoiling of their goods"
astonished their enemies, and sometimes shamed them
into repentance. When the village authorities of
Peh-chuia came to the shop of the old cloth merchant
to take his goods because he would not pay for
idolatrous ceremonies, instead of whining, or begging
exemption, or making a great outcry, as Chinamen
would naturally do in such a case, he took down the
goods from the shelves and threw them on the counter,
saying, " There they are, gentlemen ; take them all ; take
me and my wife and children to prison ; but I will
never %\si^ a cash for the service of idols." The men
were so amazed at such a reception that they neither
knew what to say nor do, but hastened out of the shop,
and never troubled him again.
Mr. Johnston Compelled to Come Home.
Early in 1855 the medical faculty in Amoy came to
the conclusion that it would be absolutely necessary for
io6 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Mr. Johnston to go home, for treatment which they dare
not attempt in a tropical cHmate. After submitting to
the most painful application for some time longer, he
reluctantly consented to go, encouraged by the assurance
that there was every prospect of a speedy recovery and
return to his much-loved work. He waited on as late
as was safe for going up the Red Sea, in hope of seeing
Mr. Burns and a new Missionary, who had been sent
out at the cost of the Association in Scotland. Un-
happily the out-coming Missionaries went round the
Cape, and did not arrive in time, so that the work was
carried on for a few weeks by the Missionaries of the two
other Societies — such was the perfect union of spirit
among the agents of the three Societies working in and
around Amoy. The great object of each was to work
for the One Master, not for themselves or their Societies.
At that time, and for years after that, the Christians did
not know the names of the different Societies ; they only
knew that some of the agents came from England, and
some from America. Denoimnation was a word quite
unknown among the Chinese at Amoy, and rarely even
named among the foreign community.
Great Results in Short Time.
Before leaving Mr. Johnston was able to write to
Dr. Hamilton : —
" I have been permitted to witness great things during my
short period of service here. I have seen what cannot but be
regarded as a manifest work of the Spirit of God. Man has
TIMES OF BLESSING. 107
been nothing ; God has done everything. The number of
adult members of the three Missions, including our own, have
increased fourfold in a year and a half There were only about
forty in 1853, as the result of eight years of earnest labour;
now there are not fewer than a hundred and sixty, and these
far more active and earnest than the former. ' It is the Lord's
doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.' "
On his return, one of the first things which Mr.
Johnston did was to raise a fund for a College in Amoy,
to complete the arrangements for an efficient Mission by
raising up a native ministry, for which he had made a
small beginning by taking two youths into his house,
and by practical training of young men whom he em-
ployed going about with him in evangelistic work. In
a short time the sum of ^2,500 was raised, one generous
friend, R. A. Macfie, giving a donation of ;^i,ooo. At
the end of a year's treatment, the medical advisers of
the Committee gave it as their opinion, that they could
not sanction his return to the hot climate of China.
Mr. Johnston was unwilling to abide by this decision,
and on the Committee refusing to send him, as he
desired, without a medical certificate, he went to the
South of France, to accompany an old pupil, and thus
gave another year's trial, but without any change in the
symptoms which would warrant his being sent out again.
There being no vacant charge in England at the time,
he accepted a call to St. James' Free Church which
came to him when advocating the cause of our Mission
in Glasgow, where for many years he acted as Honorary
Secretary to the Association in Scotland.
M°CORaUODALE& CO. LIMITED. MAP ENGRS. LONOOh,
TWO HOUSES OF MISSIONARIES. THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE ON KU-LANG-SU, AMOY.
CHAPTER VII.
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION.
Arrival of Carstairs Douglas.
ON February 2ist, 1855, Mr. Carstairs Douglas
was ordained as a Missionary of the Presbyterian
Church of England, in St. Matthew's Free Church,
Glasgow. He was the first whose support was provided
by the Scottish branch of the Mission. After a distin-
guished career at college and in the Divinity Hall,
Mr. Douglas offered himself for China, and was gladly
accepted by the Committee. A more suitable man
could not have been found for the work — a man of
sound judgment, thorough scholarship, systematic and
persevering habits, devoted zeal, and earnest piety. He
sailed with Mr. Burns on his return to China, and during
109
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
his voyage round the Cape, under such an able teacher,
laid the foundation of his future reputation as one of
the most accurate and ripe Chinese scholars of his day.
They sailed in the Challenger from the Thames on
March 9th, and both arrived in Hong Kong a few weeks
after Mr. Johnston had been compelled to leave.
Mr. Burns Attempts to Reach the Tai-jtng
Rebels.
Mr. Burns went to Shanghai with the intention of
going on to Nankin, to try and visit the chief at the
headquarters of the great Tai-ping rebelHon, who pro-
fessed to be a Christian, and was circulating the Bible
by thousands, wherever his victorious armies carried
their conquests. These efforts failed. He was turned
back by the Imperialists, and for some months devoted
himself to evangelistic work among the villages near
Shanghai, co-operating as usual with different Societies,
but latterly with Mr. Hudson Taylor, of the Chinese
Evangelisation Society, who spent his time in itinerant
work. In imitation of that friend he adopted the
Chinese costume, to escape from the crowd of curious
gazers, a step which he afterwards regretted, and
although he continued the custom himself, he strongly
advised his brother Missionaries not to adopt it. He
felt keenly the reproach of the Chinese, who called him
on account of the imitation of their dress the " Ke whun
laiig'' or the hypocritical foreigner.
Mr. Douglas went on to x'\moy, threw himself into the
work of the Mission, and with the help of the other
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION.
Missionaries, especially those of the American Society,
kept all the organisation in full efficiency, and at the
end of the year was able to report as follows to the
Committee :—
Mr. Douglas's First Impressions.
" A glorious work of God has been wrought in this place,
and He is working still, and by His dealings we seem warranted
to expect that all this is only the beginning of the abundant
blessing that He is about to bestow. For several years after
this port was opened, the labour seemed almost in vain, and
when about seven years ago the drops began to fall they were
very few ; but about two years ago the conversions became
much more numerous, and now the number of living adult
members is as follows : —
The London Missionary Society, in Amoy . . 136
The Reformed Dutch Church of America, in Amoy . 100
English Presbyterian Mission, Peh-chuia . 25 )
An offshoot from Peh-chuia, Chioh-bey . 22) "^^
Making in all . . . . . . 283
"Of these, the London Society has thirty-nine female
members, and the American about the same number. You
can now judge as to the past and present ; while as to the
future, our hopes rest on various reasons— partly on the zeal and
pj-ay erf Illness stirred up at home, partly on the singularly steady
progress and increase of the converting work, which is
peculiarly free from any excesses of enthusiasm or superstition,
and very much on the fact that the converts, almost all, are
full of zeal to lead their relations and friends to become
partakers of the like precious faith, and to instruct in the
Scriptures and the doctrine those who are younger in Christ.
They seem so to delight to tell ' those that are without ' of the
grace and peace which they have found. ...
112 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
" The persecuting spirit at Chioh-bey and Peh-chuia seems
to have nearly subsided, but the public doors for worship have
not yet been opened. The work, as you see from the numbers
given above, has gone on without intermission, but as yet
no satisfaction has been received for past injuries, nor any
security for the future; that is to say,//-^/;/ 7?ian, though from
a higher source there has been abundant compensation, in the
universal zeal of the infant Churches, several taking joyfully
the spoiling of their goods, and others being quite ready to
do so. . . . It would be wrong to conceal that among three
hundred converts there have been some cases of backsliding
and falling away ; even an evangelist fell under that terrible
vice of opium-smoking, and he has not risen again ; but such
cases are very rare, and some have given abundant proof of
repentance."
Mr. Burns in Swatow.
In March of 1856 Mr. Burns left Shanghai for Swatow,
in company with Mr. Hudson Taylor, who ere long
returned to that place for his surgical instruments and
medicines, but, as they had been destroyed by fire, he
did not return. Mr. Burns, with the help of two native
evangelists, continued to itinerate in the surrounding
villages. On one of these he mentions incidentally :
" Robbers broke into our lodgings, and carried off all we
had, except what we wore. This is another reason why
we should labour and pray for these people." In the
same letter he says : " The people of this district are the
most barbarous I have met ; in summer they go about
their work in the fields in a state of savage nudity, and
I am told that within the last twenty years they have
been in the habit of cutting their enemies in pieces
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. .., 113
in their clan feuds, and, taking out the heart, have boiled
and eaten it to give them courage." On going farther
inland Mr. Burns was arrested at Chao-chow-fu by the
Mandarins, and after examination was sent down to
Canton under a guard, and delivered up to the British
Consul, for his violation of the treaty, by staying and
preaching beyond the limits of the Treaty Ports. He
was well treated, and would not have suffered much
inconvenience, but for an attack of fever, which made
the journey very trying. At Canton he was set at
liberty, and returned to his old headquarters at Hong
Kong. He says in a PS. to his letter giving an account
of the incident : —
" I was taken up to Shanghai last year free of charge, by a
Christian captain, and this year I have come down part of the
way supported by the Chinese Government. I amuse ray
friends by saying that I wish the Chinese Government had
only continued my allowance [300 cash, equal then to 15^. a
day], and given me a permit to save me from being again
apprehended. The time for that liberty has, I fear, not yet
come."
Commissioner Yeh's Correspondence.
This incident led to a correspondence between the
High Imperial Commissioner Yeh and H.M. Consul
at Canton. Yeh complains of a foreigner going beyond
the Treaty Ports, and is especially suspicious on account
of his wearing a Chinese costume. He says : —
" I cannot but look upon it, therefore, as exceedingly im-
proper that William Burns (admitting him to be an English-
man) should change his own dress, shave his head and.
8
114 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
assuming the costume of the Chinese, penetrate 'into- the
interior of the country in so irregular a manner. . . . Can it
be that a person dressed in the garb, and speaking the
language of China, is really an Englishman ? May he not be
falsely assuming that character to further some] mischievous
ends?"
Happily for Mr. Burns, the /rafis/ator at the office
in Canton was Harry Parkes, who so highly distin-
guished himself at a later period as Consul and
eventually Ambassador. He was a good friend of
Missions, and Mr. Burns got off without anything more
than a caution to avoid giving offence in future, a
caution which did not affect his liberty either in itinera-
ting or preaching ; but though he escaped, it was many
months before his native assistants were discharged from
a painful imprisonment.
The close of this first decade was signalised by the
departure for China of another able and devoted
Missionary — Mr. David Sandeman, who was ordained
by the Synod at its meeting in April 1856, and, after
visiting many of the Churches, set out for China in
October following, "having been commended to the
Lord " at a meeting in Regent Square Church the night
before. He arrived in Hong Kong at the close of
November, and proceeded at once to Amoy. His brief
career and bright memory will be noticed again.
We close this first decade with a quotation from
Mr. Douglas's letter on the expansion of the Peh-chuia
Church by its own enterprise. We have recorded the
opening of the Church at Chioh-bey. Two other
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 115
Churches were begun by the zeal of its members in Bay-
pay and Bay-pi.
Mr. Douglas records the admission of five new
members at Peh-chuia, and adds : —
Twelve New Converts at Peh-chuia.
" Twelve men came down from Bay-pay applying for l)aptism,
but it was thought advisable to delay them, as well as some
others from, other villages, till they have been ;norc fully tried and
examined. Three of these men were so desirous of baptism,
that being unable to come on foot so far (a distance of seven
or eight miles), they hired chairs. We were told that there arc
several other inquirers. One interesting case came before us.
You remember that two or three years ago Mr. Burns stayed
some time in that cluster of villages, but saw^ no fruit of his
labour, and we had met only one man who had received any
permanent impression at that time. But the word had also
sunk into the heart of a woman, and from that time to this she
has constantly worshipped the Supreme God. She had learned
very little truth, but it was enough to be the means of leading
her to worship Him in spirit. The only ceremony she used
was to bow herself down twelve times in adoration. Her
relations scolded her for not joining in their idolatries, but she
would worship God alone. When they could make nothing
by earthly threats, they said, ' Well, after you are dead we will
not offer you meat or clothes, so you will be a poor, cold,
hungry spirit.' ' No,' said she ; ' God will take me to heaven,
and I shall have no need for your meat.' When she heard
with joy of the preachers having come again to her village,
she at once applied for baptism."
Mr. Douglas mentions at the same time the baptism
of twenty-one new converts in the other Missions in
Amoy.
CHINA AND FORMOSA
Divinp: Guidance in the Extension of the
Church.
We have seen the foundation of our Mission laid
by a Divine hand. The pillar which led Israel through
the wilderness stage by stage, led the Church step
by step in this mission enterprise. It was not by
human wisdom or power that it was originated and
carried on ; and the blessed results at the end of this
first decade are the seal of God to the Church's work
in carrying out the Master's command. Each new
station that was opened was opened by the same
overruling Providence. The agents of the Church
were led from village to village by the Spirit of God.
They obeyed the call, " Come over and help us," a
call from some inquirer who had heard the word in
an old station ; or sometimes it came from the heathen,
who heard about the foreign religion, and, dissatisfied
with their own, wished to know of one that would
satisfy their longings.
The most marked feature in the spread of the Gospel
from Amoy was the part taken by the native converts.
They were at the head of almost every new advance
made. Mr. Burns was led by them from place to place,
from the day he was urged by native Christians to go
to Peh-chuia. As he often said, " I did not take them
to assist me ; they took me to assist them." This self-
propagating power of the Gospel has been the distinctive
feature of our Mission, and has been the secret of its
wonderful success.
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 117
Death of Mr. Sandeman.
In the midst of much prosperity in the work of the
Mission in Amoy, the hearts of the workers were
wrung with a bitter sorrow : one of the most promising
of their number was suddenly carried off by cholera
just when entering on his labours. The Rev. David
Sandeman, brother of Mrs. George Barbour, who with
her husband were the founders and principal supporters
of the Scottish branch of the Mission, arrived in Amoy
in December 1856, and in July 1858 he died, and
was buried in Ku-lang-su, where much precious dust
now rests " in sure and certain hope of a blessed
resurrection." He seemed, from outward appearance,
the last that was likely to fall a prey to disease. He
was a man of splendid physique, the type of vigorous,
healthy manhood.
Mr. Sandeman was a man of great solidity and
worth of character, and by his perseverance and energy
he took a higher place in both study and work than
many of his more gifted companions. As a child he
was rather dull and gloomy, but it was noticed that
when he became a Christian man, he was bright and
cheerful. As one said, " It was the love of Christ that
brought a smile into his face." His conversion took
place when he was eighteen years of age, and was
characteristic of the promptitude and decision of the
man, and of the faithfulness of God. A friend asked
him if he was going to partake of the Communion
in Perth, in April 1844. Sandeman said, "No." His
ii8
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
friend then said, " David, did you ever give yourself
away to Jesus?" He answered, ''No;' "Then go
and do it," was the prompt advice. He immediately
went to his bedroom, and, falling on his knees,
said, "Lord Jesus, I give myself to Thee." He was
amazed, for he felt at once he had been taken at
K;-.V. DAVID SANDEMAN BONSKEID, THE ANCIENT HOME
OF THE FAMILY AND NOW OF THEIR DESCENDANTS
THROUGH MRS. GEORGE BARBOUR.
his word, and from that hour he never faltered, but
became one of the most decided and devoted of
Christ's servants.
He lost no opportunity of speaking a word for
Christ by the way. When out walking in the suburbs
of Edinburgh with some young friends, they amused
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 119
themselves with leaping over gates. At one five-barred
gate his companions were doing their best to clear
it, while a soldier looked on laughing at their clumsy
attempts. Sandeman laid his hand on the top bar
and lightly vaulted over. The soldier expressed his
admiration. Sandeman put his hand on his shoulder
and asked if he was a soldier of Jesus Christ, urging
him to enlist under the Captain of Salvation. This
was his constant habit. He sacrificed much of earthly
possessions by becoming a Missionary; he gave up the
immediate prospect of being the head of a prosperous
and extensive business, and the inheritance of one of
the most delightful mansions on the banks of the Tay.
He cheerfully gave both himself and his patrimony
to the Mission to China. He had his reward. He
enjoyed much of the presence of God during his life,
and in his dying hour he could scarcely contain the
joy which flooded his soul. Amongst the last words
he uttered were : " The love of Jesus is like the sea
around me. It was only last night, when comparatively
well, that the love of Jesus came rushing into my soul
like the waves of the sea, as if they would rend it,
so that I had to cry out, Stop, Lord ; it is enough ; I
could not hold more. Oh ! the height and depth, the
length and breadth, of the love of Jesus!"
" All too long have we been parted ;
Let my spirit speed to His."
And so he entered into his rest and his exceeding
great reward,
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Adversity and Prosperity.
The work at Amoy went on with varying success.
At one time Mr, Douglas writes in the vein of Jeremiah
about the decay of love in the Church at Peh-chuia, and
of some who had fallen into sin, and others who had
apostatised ; some had died, and others had been obliged
to leave the district on account of the persecutions
which had deprived them of the means of living. He
complains of the spirit of boasting of the Mission at
home, and calls on the Church to mourn over the little
that had been done rather than to talk of success. But
the devoted servant of God tells in the most modest
way of his efforts for the extension of the work. He
had made repeated attempts to get a footing at An-hai,
a town of four thousand inhabitants, and at last had
succeeded. It is a rough and lawless town and district,
but seems to have been formerly a place of importance.
It has two bridges constructed of huge granite slabs ;
the one is a mile and the other a mile and a half in
length.
The passage to it in the Gospel boat was a stormy
one, and the region was infested with pirates, who had
sometimes chased them ; but thanks to God and the
superior sailing of the little boat, they distanced their
pursuers. Mr. Douglas had been led to that place
by the call of converts who had friends there, and by
the desire of some who first heard the word when
they went It has long been a prosperous Mission
Station with its Church and Pastor and office-bearers^
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 121
the Pastor entirely supported by the members of the
Church.
In the end of 1858 Mr. Smith went to Swatow and
took the place of Mr. Burns, who returned for a time to
Amoy to assist in dealing with the Church at Peh-chuia.
It was only by the painful process of suspension and
excommunication of offending members that order and
peace were restored there, as they were of old in the
Corinthian Church, where even worse evils showed
themselves in Apostolic times. One of the means for
restoring new life to the Church at Peh-chuia was a
sharp persecution, in which the native evangelist was
the chief sufferer ; but the faithful Bu-hat stood firm,
and never ceased his bold witness for God and the
truth.
The appointment of Dr. Carnegie as a Medical Mis-
sionary formed an important step in advance, and led,
by its success, to the Missions of the Presbyterian
Church now maintaining a larger proportion of Medical
to Ordained Missionaries than any other of our day.
Church Govf:rnmp:nt.
In i860 an event of much interest occurred in the
development of the Mission. Hitherto the three Mis-
sions at Amoy had never spoken of any differences in
the government of the Church. The converts never
knew that there was any difference between one Mission
and another, except that the Missionaries came from
different countries — some were Americans, some English,
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
and some were Scotch. The name for a denomination
was not known among them. But as the need for a
more complete organisation became necessary, the
difference of Church government became a question of
some importance. Between the Presbyterian and Re-
formed Dutch there was no room for difference ; the
presbytery of the one was called a classic in the other,
but the thing signified by the two words was the same.
The London Missionary Society allowed full liberty to
its agents to adapt their form of government according
to their own convictions and the wants of the country.
As the agents in this case were Independents, they
preferred to adhere less or more to that system, but
with such modifications as made it more like our
Presbyterian Order. The other two from the first acted
as one Presbyterian Church, and about the same time
appointed Elders and Deacons in the Mission Church.
In Peh-chuia two Elders and two Deacons were chosen
by the communicants, and were solemnly ordained to
the office by the Minister.
Presbyterianism and Calvinism.
It is a striking evidence of the natural order of the
Presbyterian system, that it was found to commend
itself to the common sense of the Chinese as much
as to our Saxon fathers and the early converts of the
Christian Church, and the working of the system has
been in every way satisfactory. It was the same with
our Calvinistic system of doctrine. The doctrines of the.
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 123
decrees of God, as expounded by Paul in his Epistles,
were accepted with all readiness as the most likely
explanation of the mysteries which are too deep for
human thought. They drank them in, like their
mother's milk. Like babes they accepted what com-
mended itself to their healthy instincts ; and where the
truth was beyond their full comprehension, they trusted
the wisdom and goodness of God, and were content to
wait for clearer light in a more perfect world. It was
often amusing to hear old difficulties blurted out in
Chinese monosyllables : " Teacher, why did God let
Adam fall ? " " Why was Satan allowed to get into
Paradise ? " " Why does God not save every one ? "
and many such questions, to which only an imperfect
answer could be given. But their childlike faith in the
wisdom and love of the Father who spared not His only
begotten Son never wavered, and humility resigned
them to wait for future light. It should, however, be
understood, that in teaching the essential features of the
Calvinistic system, all its truths were made to centre
in the person and work of Christ, which gave them
warmth and colour very different from a cold and stiff
dogmatism.
First Visit to Chin-chew.
In i860 the infant Church was praying for further
openings, in which Mr. Douglas and his colleagues,
Messrs. Grant and Mackenzie and Dr. Carnegie, boldly
seconded their desire. At An-hai, after baptising five
new converts and examining many more, Mr. Douglas
124 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
pushed on to Chin-chew, a large city of two hundred
thousand inhabitants, the capital of an important district,
to which he had from the first regarded An-hai as a
half-way house. He got excellent opportunities of
preaching. On one occasion he took his stand on a
large stone in a ruined Mohammedan mosque, and
addressed a gathering of Buddhists, Confucians, and
Mohammedans, but met with a prejudice characteristic
of the obstacles thrown in the way of the Missionary.
He says : —
" At that time the people were full of a singular rumour —
namely, that the foreigners at Amoy were buying Chinese
heads, but for what purpose they did not seem to know. This
was a constant question, in addition to the old coolie and
opium grievance. A few weeks ago the same rumour was
current at Amoy, with this addition as to the reason for the
thing — that our army and navy having been so defeated at
Tien-tsin, our officers dare not return empty-handed to meet
the anger of the British Sovereign, and that they \vere buying
several thousands of Chinese heads to take home and present
to the Queen as trophies of pretended victories."
He says that on his way he passed through a Roman
Catholic village, and found the people very unwilling to
take copies of the New Testament or tracts, and some
who took them were obliged to give them. up. How
mournfully applicable the words of our Lord : " Ye have
taken away the key of knowledge : ye entered not in
yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered."
While the door is open among the heathen, it is shut
where Rome has found a seat.
Mr. Swanson writes of a visit which he and
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION.
Mr. Grant paid to Kang-khau, where they found a
number of behevers, the pecuHar feature of the work
there being that the majority of the converts were
women ; and zealous and consistent followers of the
Saviour they were. Some, from the custom of binding
feet, were unable to get to the nearest church ; but for
years they have been shining as lights in their homes
and villages. They held meetings in their own villages,
and frequently had as many as twenty attending. At
one village they had a sumptuous dinner prepared for
their visitors.
Mr. Swanson gives an interesting account of how the
village of Liong-bun-si was brought to renounce idolatry
by the preaching of four of its inhabitants before
any Missionary had visited it. These four men had
come from it to the Church at Khi-boey, and heard the
Gospel, which they preached to their countrymen. It
illustrates the way in which the Gospel spread, and how
the Missionaries worked on from place to place as led
by the hand of God.
A Village Renouncing Idolatry and Keeping the
Sabbath.
" On my return from Khi-boey I went to Bay-pay. I had
for some time been much encouraged by an increase to the
numbers of our inquirers there. Among these inquirers were
four persons from a village five miles distant from Bay-pay in a
south-west direction. It is now nearly six months since these
persons became interested in the Gospel, and they have for
that time maintained a consistent profession. In their native
village, called Liong-bun-si, they were most zealous in preach-
126 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
ing the Gospel to their neighbours. The result was, that,
about six weeks ago, the original four were one Sabbath accom-
panied by fifteen other persons of the village, and on the
following Sabbath by twenty-nine persons, all males. I was
absent from Amoy when these facts took place, but one of the
preachers immediately communicated with me, telling me that
the whole village, with the exception of one or two persons, had
renounced idolatry and were keeping the Sabbath, that many
had broken their idols or burned them, and that some had
destroyed their ancestral tablets. You may imagine what were
the feelings of us all when we heard this news. I set out last
week for Bay-pay, with no immediate purpose of visiting the
village, as I desired much that the native agents (two of whom
I had sent) should be as zealous as possible in instructing them.
But after preaching in the morning at Bay-pay, the brethren
there pressed on me to set out for the village. I did so, and
got there just as they wxre about to commence their afternoon
service.
Thine Ox and Thine Ass shall Rest.
" Before I entered the village I saw something I have never
seen since I left my own dear Scotland. There was a solemn
stillness all around ; and while at every village I passed on my
way all, young and old, were busy reaping, no one was in the
field here, not even an ox or a buffalo. On entering the village,
I found the oxen all tethered in a row eating straw, and thus
kept that all might get to worship. I cannot describe to you
the reception I got. Poor people ! they rushed about me, and
with the most lively demonstrations of joy welcomed me. I
was to them the representative of One whom, I trust, many
among them have learned to prize. I was so struck and over-
come with such a sight that my feelings I cannot express. We
met in the open air, and I preached to them from the first
part of the third chapter of John. It was with the utmost
difficulty they would allow me to leave them. Young and old
planted themselves in the village and opposed my going ; and
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 127
it was only when I told them that there were others of their
countrymen who had claims upon us that they were willing to
let me go. I have told you the plain facts of this unprece-
dented case, that you may know what are our joys and our
sorrows. I cannot tell what the result will be ; that is known
only to God. But one thing is plain, and that is our duty.
We must watch over them and instruct them."
The following letter from Mr. Douglas gives a
glimpse of Chinese lawlessness and of the power of
Divine grace in rescuing the lowest and most hopeless
from misery and ruin : —
" Amoy, December 2^th, 1861.
A Chinese Waif Rescued.
"It is a token for good that on that same Sabbath (De-
cember 8th) two more adults were added to the Church at
An-hai. One is a young man, who was originally from one of
the northern provinces of China. When in his seventh year,
he was taken away from his home (whether bought or stolen
he knows not), and brought in a junk to Chim-mo, where he
was adopted into a family. His new parents soon died, and
he was cast on the world, since which he has been going
about, ' a wanderer and a vagabond,' in Chin-chew and the
country around. Last year he heard the Gospel at An-hai,
and gradually came under its blessed influence. At that
time he was a most wretched- looking object — lean, ragged,
dirty, miserable ; but now he seems quite changed, both in
the outer and inner man. He remembers nothing of his
native place, not even his original name or surname, nothing
even of the dialect (Mandarin) spoken in the region from
which he came, except the words for 'seven years,' the sad
memorial of the age at which he was torn from his home.
A Persecutor Converted.
" The other new member is the wife of T'han, one of the
four firstfruits of An-hai. She was for a long time most
128 CtNNA AND FORMOSA.
violently opposed to the Gospel, and to her husband in
particular. It was she who, on one Sabbath more than a year
ago, came in at the back of the chapel while we were at
worship, and threw a quantity of liquid filth on several of the
worshippers, including her husband and myself. She had
also made parodies of several among the colloquial hymns.
But now she is about as zealous in the cause of Christ as she
once was on the other side."
The First Presbytery in China.
The 2nd of April of 1862 will ever be a memorable
day in the history of Presbyterianism in China. On
that day the first meeting of the first Presbytery that
ever met in that Empire, containing a fourth part of
the human race, was formally constituted. It con-
sisted of, or as we say in the west " Sederunt," the Rev.
Carstairs Douglas, the Rev. W. S. Swanson, and the
Rev. J. V. N. Talmage, and of Elders whose names have
not been transmitted to us, representing the first and
second Churches of the American Mission, the Churches
of Peh-chuia, Chioh-bey, and Bay-pay. Mr. Talmage
was chosen Moderator, and, after the meeting was
constituted by prayer, one of the native Elders was
chosen Clerk. There was much discussion as to the
Chinese name for Presbytery, but at last it was resolved
unanimously to call it Toa-tiotig, or Lo-hoey, ix., the
great meeting of Elders, being the nearest approach
to Presbytery or the Classis of the Reformed Dutch
Church, to which the American brethren belong. The
minutes were kept, and all the proceedings were con-
ducted in the Chinese language, a fact which made
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 129
the formation of the Mission Church a complete and
independent body in itself a necessity. It would have
puzzled the " Committee on Presbytery Records," in the
Synod of the Presbyterian Church of England, to
examine the proceedings of the Presbytery of Amoy
and honestly declare them " correctly kept " ; and in
case of appeal from a Presbytery in China to the
supreme court in this country, the distance in space
could not have been so great a difficulty as the
" diversity of tongues."
Christian Union.
The Presbyterians were in the habit of making merry
over the difficulty of their brethren of the American
Mission, asking them to give their name to a Church in
China, and suggesting that it would be a little awkward
to give it the name of " The Reformed Dutch Church of
America in China." The absurdity of the particular
example confirmed the principle, that the order of
Church government should be left to the judgment
of Missionaries and their converts, guided by the
Scriptures and the circumstances of society. We are
happy to say that the Committee and the Synod of
the Church in England accepted the principle at once,
when the question was fairly brought before them.
The Committee and Synod of the Reformed Dutch
Church in America objected, and only gave in when
all their Missionaries in Amoy sent home their resig-
nation, rather than be parties to the separation of
their converts from those of their Presbyterian brethren.
9
I30
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
This union of the Missions of these old Churches gave
added importance and interest to the estabHshment
of the Presbytery of Amoy.
We cannot withhold an extract from the Report of
the Committee laid before the Sjmod in 1865, evidently
LIONG LO AND FAMILY, A TEACHER OF JIANY
from the pen of Dr. Hamilton. Referring to the
state of China as an empire, he adds :—
Benefits Conferred by the Gospel.
" To such a country Christianity has an ample mission, and
where it succeeds the ' signs following ' are abundantly obvious.
To give to a nation of materialists a heart and soul, by giving
them the wide regards, the animating hopes, and the enabling
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 131
realisations of the Gospel, would of itself be no common
achievement ; and to a country which has fallen into such a
state of collapse we see nothing else- which can be life from
the dead. But even short of the higher result, and long before
any national regeneration can be anticipated, we may hope
that to numberless individuals and families the Gospel may
bring the same blessings which it has diffused in more favoured
lands. It has done so already. On the converts it has
bestowed a Sabbath ; and even although some of them may be
obliged to work a little harder through the week, the delightful
transition from stated drudgery to a day in which there is no
trading and no toil, with all its renovation of feeling and all
its suggestions of the rest which remaineth, is itself a boon
unspeakable.
The Gospel Gives a Heart.
" And it has given them kindly feelings and affections. In
loving Christ they have learned to look with new eyes on one
another ; and after drawing water from the wells of salvation,
a fountain of new tenderness has leaped up in their arid
earthly natures, flowing out towards their teachers, their own
families, their fellow-members, and it has made them unselfish
and generous. When a chapel was needed at Khi-boey, there
was a most eligible site which belonged to two Christians, in
conjunction with a third, who was a heathen. The two bought
up their neighbour's share, and then presented the ground to
the Mission ; and the members of the Church at once set to
work, and carried stones and timber a distance of four or five
miles, whilst others mixed the mortar or reared the fabric ;
and one man, who was not able to build or carry burdens,
prepared food for his companions. In the same neighbour-
hood an old farmer had embraced the Gospel, and for
Christ's sake was hated and annoyed by his fellow-villagers.
Harvest came ; but though his fields were ripe, no one would
help him to secure the crop, and the rice would have gone to
waste ungathered if the Christians at Khi-boey had not heard
132 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
of the old man's troubles. At once a band of them set off;
and arriving at the farm in the evening, they commenced
work early next morning, and they worked with such vigour
that before dusk the fields were clear, and the heathen were
taught the practical power of brotherly kindness."'
As an illustration of the power of Christianity in the
life and death of converts, referred to in the Report, we
may give the following incident. Mr. Douglas thus
describes the deathbed of an old woman in the village of
Chang-chung, where there were only three converts : —
Deathbed of a " Mother in Israel."
" At this time I learned the particulars of what I had heard
before leaving Amoy — namely, the death, about a month ago,
of an aged Christian woman. Her age was seventy-four. She
had been converted through the instrumentality of her son
Song ; and I suppose the distress and anxiety connected with
his imprisonment may have hastened her decease ; but she
was spared till she was able to have the comfort of having him
to attend her in the closing scenes of her life ; and besides
him, she had also around her deathbed another son, a
daughter, and a daughter-in-law, who are walking in the same
path of life, and adorning their profession. All these she
affectionately exhorted to continue steadfast to the end. She
very solemnly warned and rebuked two other sons, who had
formerly come forward as candidates, and had of late drawn
back. During the last few days of her life she spoke of
nothing but God and heaven and her Saviour. She said there
were only two things for which she wished to remain a little
longer in this world : the one being to see and exhort one of
her sons, who lives at Yung-chun, about fifty miles in the
interior, but who did not arrive till after her departure ; the
other being to take farewell of her pastor. As her end drew
nigh she was much in prayer and communion with God. At
:34 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
one such time she said, ' My heavenly home is beautiful and
glorious ; Jesus has made ready a dwelling-place for me. '
Again, she said to her son, ' Song, my son, will not you just
come with me now to heaven ? ' ' Mother,' he replied, ' if it
be God's will, I am ready now to go along with you, but I
expect He will leave me here a few years more to publish the
Gospel, and we shall meet in His good time.' After she had
peacefully passed away, her remains were followed to the
grave by the Christians and candidates, to the number of
about forty ; and though her two eldest sons were still heathen,
all was according to Christian rules. Some of the enemies
had planned to take the opportunity of seizing some of the
more prominent Christians ; but they were deterred by the
number who were present, and by the invisible power of Him
who watches over His people."
In the time of keen persecution at Bay-pay and
Liong-bun-si, the power of the Holy Spirit in adding
to the Church is strikingly manifested, and is the best
proof of the Divine nature of the work and of the
sincerity of the converts.
Baptisms in Time of Persecution.
" Mr. M'Gregor is writing in full about the seven whom he
baptised at Yu-boey-kio ; and, at the same time, we have to
report five baptised by Mr. Cowie at Khi-boey. Two of these
are women, the wife and mother respectively of the two
members at Kio-lai village, who have of late endured so
much persecution, not yet redressed. There is also a son of
an old member at Ka-na-na (olive grove), and the others are
two young men from villages where no members had till now
been received. You need no commentary from me on these
facts. May the Spirit of God lead the Churches at home to
ponder them, and to act as those on whom lies the responsi-
bility of carrying on and extending this work !
THE STORY OF THE AA/OY MISSION.
135
The Village that Turned from Idols.
"Mr. M'Gregor adds in a postscript : 'I find Mr. Douglas
has omitted to mention that Liong-bun-si people were not
present at the last Bay-pay Communion, as we have thought it
better to arrange henceforth to have Communion at Liong-
bun-si itself. We have been led to do so partly because
now, by the blessing of God, on Communion Sabbaths at
Bay-pay, "the place is too strait for us," and partly because
the distance of Liong-bun-si from Bay-pay and the erection
of the new chapel render it a suitable place for organising an
independent congregation. We hope to have the first Com-
munion there about a month hence.' "
Mr. McGregor's account of the death of the scholarly
teacher of the students in the Mission College at
Amoy and of the rapid spread of the truth is full of
interest. The baptism of a Buddhist priest who aban-
doned the instruments of idolatry and left all for Christ
is a witness to the power of the Word of God.
"Amoy, AttgustWi, 1866.
Death of the Students' Native Teacher.
"Mv dear Mr. Matheson,— While in many things God
is giving us cause for rejoicing. He has in His wisdom seen fit
to afflict us by the death of Ko-yan, the students' Chinese
teacher. You may recollect he was previously a schoolmaster,
and was received only four months ago, at the last Bay-pay
Communion. Having returned to Bay-pay on a visit to his
friends, he was violently seized by some affection of the throat,
and died within sixteen hours after becoming seriously ill.
Before his death he was able to testify to the elders and
preachers who visited him, that his trust m the Saviour was
unshaken.
136 CHINA AND FORMOSA
Inquirers at Yu-boey-kio, and Seven Baptisms.
" Meantime we are called to rejoice at the reception into
the visible Church of others whose names, we trust, are written
in heaven.
"Sabbath, July 29th, I spent in Yu-boey-kio. There have
been for some time past about thirty male inquirers there, the
women not being able to come to worship, as we have
hitherto got no separate place provided for them in the house
rented as a chapel. Most of these candidates I had at
different times previously examined, as had also Mr. Douglas ;
and after conference with the elders and native preachers, we
fixed upon ten persons as giving us reason to believe they
might be received. Of those, on further examination, I
baptised seven.
A Buddhist Priest Forsakes All.
" One of these seven, Kee-hoey, was previously a Buddhist
priest, in sole possession of a small temple and the grounds
connected with it. Having heard the Gospel, he, about the
beginning of the year, left the temple, and went to reside in
a neighbouring village. Since then he has been diligent in
attendance upon every opportunity of instruction and spiritual
profit within his reach, and altogether, so far as man can
judge, has shown himself a true disciple of Jesus. On
Sabbath evening, in looking on his former property, beau-
tifully situated, overlooking the stream that flows from
Yu-boey-kio towards Bay-pay, I thought of the words of our
Lord, 'There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or
sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for
My sake, and the (gospel's, but he shall receive an hundredfold
now in this time . . . and in the world to come eternal life.' "
The Emperor of China has the power of setting up
new gods, as the Pope has of canonising saints in
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 137
the Roman Catholic Church ; and for much the same
reasons. In both cases it is generally from some sup-
posed miraculous cures effected after death, by persons
who have been less or more noted for good deeds
during their Hfe in this world. It is not unusual for
petitions to be presented to the Emperor, praying him
to confer divine honours on some man or woman who
hag secured the reverence of devout believers, and thus
to sanction their being worshipped by those rites which
are appropriate to inferior divinities. For they have in
China the distinction made between latria and dulia
in the Church of Rome.
Pilgrims to an Idol's Shrine.
" The good feeling shown was the more remarkable as the
streets were crowded early and late with the pilgrims (I may
call them) to the shrine and grave of an idol surnamed Kw^oh,
and commonly called ' Sacred King Kwoh.' He lived several
centuries ago, and does not seem to have done anything
remarkable during his life ; but after death he was worshipped,
and his worship has become more and more wide, till now in
the Chinese eighth month (in which his birthday falls) there is
a crowded pilgrimage to his birthplace, about twenty-five miles
inland from Chin-chew. The devotees come from all parts of
the province, and even from foreign parts where Chinese
emigrants are found. At the birthplace the great objects of
reverence are his grave and a large temple raised to his
honour, from which all his temples and shrines over the
country must be supplied anew with incense, if his powerful aid
is still to be afforded."
A revival of religion in two large villages is described
by Mr. Douglas with his usual caution and reserve,
138 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
while he rejoices in the evidence of the power of the
Spirit of God.
Examination of Forty-five Candidates at Khi-boey.
" After a mile or two we got into a lonely path, like a sheep-
walk, among high mountains, till, having reached the summit
level, and enjoyed the magnificent panorama, we rapidly
descended to Khi-boey, where I found a number of can-
didates for baptism waiting to be examined. Early on Sabbath
we were again at the same work, till the whole number
examined amounted to forty-five, besides some more for
whom we could not find time ; out of these we selected nine,
and I with much joy baptised them in the forenoon. I have
never seen the chapel so crowded before.
Remarkable Awakening at a Distant Village.
" A remarkable movement has just begun at a village
still farther off, called Chha-tau-po, about six miles beyond
Au-liau. Several of the villagers, having heard the Gospel at
the x\moy Hospital, began to set up the worship of God in
their houses and to forsake idolatry. When brother Chey of
Au-liau heard of it, he went over and encouraged them, one of
them being a relative of his own. Their fellow-villagers then
began to persecute them, and they had to hold their worship
among the trees on the hillside. Opposition became yet
stronger, and some of them went to Chang-chew to ask a visit
from some preacher. There they were told to apply at Khi-
boey, as it is nearer. So two of the Khi-boey brethren went
to see them, gave them some instruction, and spoke to the
head men of the village in such a way that the persecution
ceased. They twice came to Khi-boey chapel, and the
brethren there twice visited them ; but the distance (nearly
thirty-five miles), much of it over steep and lofty passes, was
found too much, and we learned that, though farther from
Chang-chew, they were much more accessible from it, water
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 139
communication reaching within seven miles of their position.
So last week Mr. Kip, of the American Mission, visited them,
found the road quite easy, and, their number being about
a dozen, arrangements are made for their having supply of
ordinances by means of the preachers at Chioh-bey and Chang-
chew. How deeply interesting to find the outposts of the
Mission work at Khi-boey and Chang-chew respectively thus
actually meeting each other in such distant parts ! "
We have spoken of the " Conference " held by the
workers and members of the Churches in each of the
great centres, for the quickening of the spiritual life, and
improving of the efficiency of the work of the Mission.
We give here a brief report of one taken down by the
Rev. Mr. Watson. It was held, as such conferences can
be most profitably held, by the Presbytery when its
members are alive to their duty and cultivate in them-
selves the highest form of the Christian life.
Monthly Conference of Preachers held at
Kang-be, Amov.
In the x-Xmoy district a monthly meeting of the
Missionary, with the preachers in a wide circle, is held at
some centre, and aims at a complex object. It provides
for instruction in the Word, practice in the work of an
evangelist under stimulating conditions, mutual improve-
ment by studying together, praying together, and preach-
ing together ; in short, greater spiritual power through
quickened minds and enlarged hearts.
At the March Conference in 1888, Mr. Watson,
impressed with the gracious spirit prevailing, began on
140 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
the third day to take notes, some of which friends at
home will be glad to read. Wednesday afternoon is
devoted to mutual exhortation and prayer. He writes
as follows : —
" Wednesday, March 2W1. — At 2 p.m., a few minutes after
the gong sounded, we were all quietly seated. The Rev. Sin-to,
pastor of Ma-liong, took the chair, and, after the opening
praise and prayer, asked if any one had requests for prayer to
present.
Brother Chi's Address.
" Brother Chi said : ' I have heard that Christians in Teng-
kang, near Peh-chuia, are lukewarm. Let us pray for them ;
also for Mrs. Ki-po, whose husband beats her when she dares
to come to church ; also for Mrs. Bien, who used to persecute
her husband, but is now of like mind with him — let us pray that
she may become a real believer.' Chi then prayed.
" ' Come now,' said Sin-to, ' let us consider the subject of
Conference \ it is appropriate for this meeting, — Phil, iv.' He
then discussed in an earnest, practical, and interesting way
verses 6 and 7, illustrating by real incidents. Accurately and
concisely he pointed out that this letter was written to a Church
that Paul had found no fault with — a poor Church that yet
contributed more abundantly than other Churches, and also a
persecuted Church. He then spoke of things that naturally
caused anxiety and trouble — e.g. sickness, poverty, bereavement,
persecution ; urging that it was both duty and privilege by
prayer and supplication to make our requests known to God.
"The exhortation ended, he asked if any had a subject to
suggest for prayer, —
Chhiu-hiang.
when Chhiu-hiang, a preacher, wished to give thanks because
at Liok-go they had not suffered the persecution they had
dreaded, and to pray that a new plot, at present being made
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 141
for their persecution, might be frustrated. Asked by the
chairman to explain, he stated that now each family at the year's
end had to contribute a certain sum towards the worship of
the idols, and that when the Christians said they could not
subscribe for idolatrous purposes the heathen resolved to
compel them, or to drive them away from the village if they did
not pay, on the ground that soon no one would worship the
idols, but all would join the Christians to escape payment.
Night and day the preacher and the Christians had prayed to
God to avert this calamity, and they had been heard and saved.
But now some literati had stirred up a plot to destroy their
fields. ' We cannot make these Christians pay, owing to the
decision of the Mandarin, but we can destroy their crops and
lay waste their fields.'
" Chhiu-hiang, continuing, asked that prayer should be
made for 0-sai, his native place, where the Church seemed
extinct. Sons were not following their believing parents.
' Pray also for my wife and family,' said he, but began to shed
tears, and for a time could not proceed. At length, with
choked voice, he managed to tell how his father and wife,
three sons, and the eldest son's wife were not yet Christians.
Only one son and a daughter-in-law were Christians.
Khai-hong.
" Khai-hong, another preacher, stood up and said that 0-sai
was indeed in a wretched condition. But why ? ' Because we
have not done our duty by our teaching and example. Let
us amend our ways and seek forgiveness. It is also true that
many sons of Christian parents do not follow in their fathers'
footsteps. But why ? It is in many cases because the parents
do not know the Gospel and are not in earnest.' He then
prayed somewhat as follows : ' Lord of heaven and earth and
all things, we are in Thy presence, and beseech Thee to
bestow what we need. ... At Liok-go Thou hast upset their
schemes ; and now another trouble threatens. Save them as
142 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Thou hast already saved. . . . Enable Thy people to live
holy, righteous, and godly Hves. . . . We also entreat Thy
favour for 0-sai ; for Thou art the Head of the Church. . . .
P'orgive the sin of Thine own people. Enable them both to
know the way of life and to walk in it. 0-sai is like a lamp
without oil. Give Thy Spirit. Cause every one to cast off
evil and become burning and shining lights. Glorify Thine own
name ! Amen.'
Prayer by Lok.
" Lok, a young preacher, then prayed : ' Thou art King ;
Thou hast power ; Thou lovest Thy people. Revive Thy
work. . . . Some are still scheming against Thy people.
Preserve those who put their trust in Thee, and change the
hearts of those who would hurt Thy children. Lead them
to repentance, for we set our hope on Thee. Hear us also on
behalf of 0-sai. Look on, Christ, and forgive us. Cleanse
Thy Church. Quicken Thy people. Make them to know
their sins. Make us all truthful. Enable us truly to shine
as lights in the world. Amen.'
Requests for Prayer.
" Two of the women then invited the meeting to pray for
them : the one desiring that God might change her son-in-
law's evil temper ; the other wishing ' that my eldest son may
be a steadfast Christian, and that my younger son, who is at
school, may have his heart opened by the Holy Spirit.'
" Khai-hong suggested that we should pray that those
wishing to enter the Church might give evidence of being new
creatures in Jesus Christ ; also we should pray that all over
our Church every one may be made willing and enabled to
read the Scriptures in the vernacular. Teng, a preacher who
is usually in the Chin-chew region, said : ' As you know very
little about the North, I will tell you a few things. At 0-thau
some women attending church are reviled in the most filthy
language as they come and go, and have even had their clothes
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 143
torn. But they have kept steadfast. Let us give thanks on
their behalf and pray for them. . . . Also let us pray for the
preacher and chapel-keeper there. Besides the annoyance
caused by their being continually reviled as they go along the
street, they are every night trembling lest robbers dig through
the chapel wall and steal. They are unwilling to stay at 0-thau.
Let us pray for them, that they may bear up and come through
these trials more qualified for usefulness.'
Prayer Led by the Rev. Sin-to.
" The Rev. Sin-to prayed : ' O Thou who hearest prayer,
we thank Thee. Thou hast often granted our requests. Our
brother Bien was long tormented by his wife. We often prayed
that her heart might be changed, but, alas ! had little hope
that our prayer would be answered. Now Thou hast moved
her to worship Thee. Confirm her. . . . Thou hast given
increase to this Church. Grant that catechumens here and
all over the Church may be soon baptised. We have not
given earnest heed to instructing those who wish to become
Christians. Forgive us. Enable us to set our hearts on this
matter, so that all candidates may soon be admitted. . . .
Make all willing to read the vernacular. . . . We have heard
of persecution in the North. We thank Thee that Thou hast
enabled those who trust Thee to stand firm. Keep them stead-
fast, and cause persecution to cease. . . . Also preserve the
preacher and chapel-keeper from being faint-hearted. Let this
experience do them good. Amen.
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CHAPTER VIII.
THE STORY OF THE SWA TO TV MISSION.
SWATOW, the port for the large city Chao-chow-fu,
and a large and populous region, is a com-
paratively new town of about twenty-five thousand
inhabitants, which has suddenly risen to importance
as one of the open ports. It was chiefly engaged in
the illicit trade in opium when Mr. Burns was led to
commence Missionary work there. He had found in
the Mission of the American Baptists at Hong Kong
some intelligent converts who came from that region,
and was induced by them to go as their leader, or, as
he would have said, as their follower, on a visit to that
place. We have already told how he worked there,
and of the treatment he met with from robbers and
the Mandarins of Chao-chow-fu. Like his old pastor,
well known as Rabbi Duncan, who took a special
146 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
liking for the Jews, from having been cheated by one
of them, the rough treatment only increased his sense
of their need, and strengthened his desire to preach
the Gospel of peace to that savage and rude people,
as he calls them. Mr. Burns' work was too brief and
desultory to produce any visible results, but he in-
terested some of the people in his message, and prepared
the way for another and far more permanent work.
Mr. George Smith was led to take Mr. Burns' place
when he left for his visit to Amoy in the end of 1858,
which may be taken as the commencement of regular
work.
Swatow is an important position for our Mission ;
and though in the province of Quang-tung, is not far
from the southern border of Fuhkien, and is only
one hundred and twenty miles from Amoy. It is the
natural outlet of a densely peopled district, and the
people, though rude, are not specially prejudiced against
foreigners or hostile to Missionaries. It has the advan-
tage of easy access to Double Island, which shelters
the harbour from the open sea, and, from its healthy
exposure to the sea breezes on its higher grounds,
proves a health resort for our agents when needing
rest. A sanatorium has been built there by Mr. J. M.
Douglas, a brother of our late Missionary. It is
situated at the mouth of the river Han, which rises
in the province of Fuhkien, by which, and its tributaries,
access is gained to the interior by the easiest and
safest mode of transit — a good boat. The large city
of Chao-chow, of about tw^o hundred and fifty thousand
THE STORY OF THE SWATOW MISSION. 147
inhabitants, is within a distance of forty miles, and is
the capital of a large district. As the river is too
shallow for foreign ships, or even for large junks,
Swatow is the centre of a large and increasing traffic
with that important city and the surrounding district,
which greatly facilitates the spread of the gospel to the
" regions beyond."
Mr. Smith, of whom we may speak freely, as he
has gone to his reward, was a native of Aberdeen,
and brother of one of our most zealous supporters in
Scotland — an enterprising tradesman in that city. Mr.
Smith was an enthusiastic and able Missionary, and
devoted to his work. He systematised the Mission, took
lip his position in the town of Swatow, and kept it
in spite of opposition. Within a year of his arrival
he had the satisfaction of admitting to the Church a
promising youth of fair education, the son of a military
Mandarin, and inquirers began to gather round the
little meeting-place.
Mr. Burns cheered the heart of his younger brother
by visiting Swatow again in i860. As usual, amongst
other useful work, he resumed the office of sacred
muse, and turned some of the Psalms, and of the best
English hymns, into the Tie-chiu or vernacular of
Swatow. It is interesting to hear of the staunch
singer of the Psalms of David not only translating
the simpler hymns demanded by simple believers, but
setting them to some of our popular Scottish airs.
One was set to " Scots wha ha'e wi' Wallace bled."
He seems to have felt this was rather incongruous.
148 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
for he writes to the Convener for a tune to the same
measure, which he heard of as more suitable for sacred
song. Amongst other hymns added to the Amoy
collection, A\hich he translated into the Tie-chiu, were
such as "The happy land," "Come, Thou Fount of
every blessing," etc., which he translated into several
other dialects of China.
No intelligent reader will think the following letter
from Mr. Mackenzie too long. It records the first
visit to the important city of Jao-ping. The kindly
reception and entertainment by the Mandarin was a
most unusual event, and greatly favoured his object.
It is also an interesting example of Missionary travel
and its incidents.
" S\vATo\v,y«//^ 7///, 1865.
Visit to Jao-ping.
" My dear Dr. Hamilton, — Since writing to you about
half a year ago, I paid a very interesting visit to the district
city Jao-ping. This is one of the inland cities of this depart-
ment, near the borders of Hokkien, three days' journey from
Swatow, and two from Yam-tsau and Chhin-chhung, our farthest
northern stations. Accompanied by two of my assistants, my
' boy,' and one of the Church members (to carry our books^
bedding, etc.), I started from Chhin-chhung early on the morn-
ing of Monday, March 6th. After walking some fifteen or
eighteen miles of a rather hilly road, and seeing one of the
Church members by the way at a village called Chie-koi, we
put up for the night at a roadside inn at Teng-tah, close by
the Jao-ping river.
" At daybreak on Tuesday we were up, and had a refresh-
ing bathe in the Jao-ping river, which almost made up for the
want of sleep during the night ; after breakfast and worship, we
THE STORY OF THE SJVATOW MISSION. 149
set out for the city. Our second day's journey was more
hilly, for the most part by the side of the river, and amid
scenery often pleasing and picturesque, and reminding me of
familiar scenes in the Highlands. It was the first time a
foreigner had been in that quarter, but, by the Lord's kind-
ness, we met with no hostility or rudeness on the part of the
people.
Rfxeption at Jao-ping.
" On arriving at Jao-ping, about 3 p.m., I sent three of those
with me to look out for an inn, or some other resting-place,
while A-kee (our assistant at Yam-tsau) and I began to
preach. Very soon a large crowd gathered, and we were
enjoying a good opportunity, when messengers from the
Kong-kek^ or, as we should say, the nmnicipal authorities^
came and required us to appear before them. We of course
went at once, and, on being shown into the presence of the
gentlemen who sent for us, and asked by them why we had
come, I told them that we had come, in obedience to the
command of the Lord Jesus, to preach His Gospel.
TiMFXY Intervention.
"While things were thus beginning to look somewhat
threatening, and I was beginning to fear lest the object of
our coming would be defeated, most providentially a messenger
came from one of the Mandarins, saying that he wished to
see us. I thought at the time, and have often since, that
surely it was of the Lord's special care and mercy that that
messenger came at the time he did. On appearing before the
Mandarin, I showed him my passport, and he at once seemed
to understand my position, and kindly set about caring for
me. He had formerly met with foreigners in the north of
China, and knew something of their ways : he was thus the
more prepared to receive me wnthout suspicion. He intro-
duced me to the Mandarin who was at the time in charge
ISO CHINA AND FORMOSA.
of the city. The acting Mandarin, having read my passport
and had it copied, kindly invited me to stay in the yamun
during my stay in the city. He and the friendly Mandarin
who first sent for me both urged me to remain in the yamun,
saying that the inns were very dirty, and that, besides, I might
be annoyed by the people. Upon this, and knowing what
they said was quite the case, I gladly, and the brethren, if
possible, more gladly, accepted his kind offer. We thanked
him, and asked him, and some of those with him, to accept
a copy of the Scriptures and one or two other books con-
taining the doctrine of Jesus. They did so, and on this and
one or two other occasions we had the privilege of making
known somewhat of the truth to the people of the yamun.
Fishing with Cormorants.
" During our return w^e saw a somewhat unusual sight —
a Chinaman catching fish by means of birds trained for the
purpose. The fisherman goes out on a long narrow raft to a
deep pool of the river. The birds are perched on the raft on
each side of him, and at a given signal dive for fish. Every
bird has a ring round its neck of such a size as to prevent its
swallowing large fish, but large enough to let it have the
smaller fry, as, I suppose, a reward for its diligence. On one
of the birds rising with a fish in its bill, the man at once
seizes the bird by the throat and makes it let go the fish,
which forthwith drops into the basket ready for its reception.''
Mr. Smith, in a letter to Mr. Barbour, the Treasurer
of the Edinburgh Commission, by which he was sup-
ported, tells of progress at Tat-hau-po, with persecution,
and gives a fine example of the heroism of the women
of Yam-tsau in going to the new station of Chhin-chhung
to encourage them in breaking through the tyranny
of custom to attend the public worship of God.
THE STORY OF THE SWA TOW MISSION.
151
"Tat-hau-po, May 22nd, 1863.
Women Suffering for Christ.
'• A new station, about three miles from Yam-tsau, has been
opened at a village called Chhin-chhung. Two women from
that village have been baptised, others are inquirers, and have
suffered bitter persecution for the worship of God. One
HO-TSHAN CHAPEL, SWATOW.
woman, not yet baptised, has especially been the object of
hatred and bad treatment on the part of her infuriated husband.
She came to Yam-tsau the day of the Communion there, and
on returning avowed her determination at all hazards to follow
Christ. Her husband beat her in a brutal manner, cutting her
head, and driving her from his table. He had previously
threatened to divorce her, and probably sell her to some one
152 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
else. She has not, however, swerved from her resolution, and
by last accounts is still attending public worship on the
Sabbath at Chhin-chhung. She has two children ; the eldest,
a boy of ten, takes part with his mother in worshipping God
and learning Christian books, while the younger sympathises
with the father. Another woman in that village had heard
the Gospel somewhat, and for giving up idolatry and
ancestral worship was cruelly treated by her husband. She
has since lost her reason. Her husband had latterly begun
to treat her better, but her mind is evidently deranged.
" One interesting feature in the Yam-tsau district is, that the
Gospel is spreading to neighbouring villages, chiefly through
native agency — i.e. through the native Christians communicating
the glad tidings to their relatives.
Heroic Women.
"On Sabbath, May loth, before I left, no fewer than seven
of the Yam-tsau Christian women came from Yam-tsau to
make a demonstration before the Chhin-chhung villagers of
their faith in the Gospel, and to give courage to the Chhin-
chhung sisters to attend public worship, whatever people might
say or do. It was quite a piece of Christian heroism for
these women to walk with their little feet a distance of two
or three miles to attend worship in a strange village, and
brave whatever obloquy they might incur from their own
neighbours or strangers. The Apostle speaks of those women
who laboured with him in the Gospel, and we may well do
the same."
In the following modest but thrilling narrative of
his very narrow escape from death, Mr. Smith is
intent on manifesting the favour and power of God
in protecting him, not of making any display of his own
coolness and courage.
THE STORY OF THE SWATOW MISSION. 153
Tumult at Am-po — Providential Deliverance of
Mr. Smith.
" On the same Sabbath that our chapel at Ung-kung was
opened, a new station was opened at Am-po. This is a
town about the same size as Umg-kung, distant from Swatow
by water about eight or nine miles. Am-po has long had
a bitter antipathy to foreigners and Christianity. The town
is rather wealthy, and many of the people are well-to-do; the
inhabitants are also well acquainted with foreigners, and fear
their superiority. Some six years ago I got rather an un-
ceremonious dismissal from the place.
" Night after night there was more preconcerted opposition,
and the stones thrown were better aimed. After I had been
there a week, and thinking that it might be wise to withdraw
for a short time, arrangements had been made for my leaving.
Dr. Gauld paid us a visit with his medicine-chest, and as far
as I remember had a good opportunity for healing. He left
the afternoon of the day that he arrived. On leaving, his
boat was pelted with stones, and much hostility was displayed
as he passed through the town. Of that I was not aware till
afterwards. I stayed behind to see what kind of feeling the
doctor's visit had produced. That night a crowd, far more
numerous and noisy than before, gathered at the time of evening
worship. As the evening advanced the crowd and tumult
increased. After exhausting my resources to still them, I
found them like the deaf adder. At last, having got some
material arguments hurled at my head, it seemed best to try
to dismiss the audience. In order to do this it was my habit
to retire upstairs. On my withdrawing, yelling, shouting, etc.,
commenced. By-and-by crash after crash was heard ; then
all kinds of missiles were thrown against the upper story.
'* The street in front of the house was filled with a dense and
excited crowd. Lamp, table, chairs, forms, stair-ladder, etc.,
were all carried out of the chapel and smashed to pieces.
Stones, boulders of lime, tiles, brickbats, were hurled against
154 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
the windows upstairs. Some cried out, ' Cut off his head ! '
One of the Chinese (A-bun) came over the roof of a shed and
got to me, and proposed going to seek the Mandarin's aid.
This I at once urged him to do. Meanwhile, I knew not what
all this would come to. That passage, ' Who stilleth the noise
of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the
people ' (Psalm Ixv. 7), was often in my mind during the evening.
One of the shutters of the window upstairs was driven open
by the missiles thrown, and I stood at the back of it, holding
it closed. I cannot say I felt alarmed, though solemnised.
Timely Deliverance.
" By-and-by a shout was heard, the crowd began to skedaddle
(to borrow a significant word from our cousins), the discharge
of brickbats stopped, several policemen from the yamun came
upon the crowd from both ends of the street, seized some
rioters, and the rest, not knowing how feeble a force had
attacked them, took to their heels. One of our lads scrambled
into the upper floor to learn how it was with me and tell
what had been done. A ladder was borrowed from our
neighbours. I got downstairs, and found the chapel cleared
of everything, one of the doors broken up, and the floor
covered with all manner of missiles.
"Next day we resumed worship as usual, morning and evening.
I was doubtful about the propriety of evening worship, but
Kau-ti-peh, a worthy old man, one of our members, and now
in our employ, urged that we should go on as usual. The
storm was over; it had spent itself; and since then things
have gone on smoothly. I stayed other ten days, till the
Mandarin had got our case disposed of, and a proclamation
issued to warn all the inhabitants against unruly conduct
towards us. During these days the opportunities for preaching
were often remarkably good, morning and evening. I may
mention that I felt great satisfaction at the Christian bravery
of the two Chinese referred to. They stood out, and did their
part nobly."
THE STORY OF THE SIVATOIV MISSION. 155
Mr. Mackenzie had a narrow escape from an angry
mob on a visit to Pu-ning, in which we are glad to
record the interposition of one of the higher classes and
the protection of the Mandarin, showing, what should
never be forgotten, that there are good as well as bad
among the literati and magistrates. It also shows how
responsible they are since they can so easily put down
a riot when they like to exert themselves.
Rescue from the Mob, and Kindness of the Magistrate.
"Just as things were at the worst — I having lost my sun-hat
and umbrella, and Phang-hue having lost his coat and
umbrella, and the violence of the two or three men who were
assaulting us becoming more and more outrageous — just then,
in our extremity, was the Lord's opportunity. A respectably
dressed man happened then to come up, sitting in a chair, and,
seeing the state of matters, he vigorously interfered, scolded
and reproved our assailants, and soon dispersed them. I did
indeed feel grateful to him ; and what thanks and praise shall I
render to the Lord for such marked, and gracious, and timely
care for us ? That night I spent in the yamun of Pu-ning,
the district magistrate receiving me very kindly, getting a
change of trousers for me (of course a pair of Chinese trousers),
providing us with food, and moreover making some reparation
for the losses we had suffered, and promising to reprove the
villagers who had behaved so badly, and to issue a proclama-
tion warning them against such conduct in the future."
Dr. Gauld gives a modest but important account of
hospital work in Swatow in 1868, when he treated 2,538
cases, while the arrangements were in a comparatively
rudimentary condition, and in the same year treated
1,607 cases in Am-po and 1,318 in Tat-hau-po. He
says truly : —
156 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
SwATOw Hospital Report.
" Its importance to us as Missionaries, apart from the greater
material benefits likely to accrue to the patients themselves,
from a more or less prolonged treatment, is appreciated when
we consider that it is only by living among us, and coming
into daily contact with us, that these people learn our motives,
have their suspicions dissipated, and their feelings turned in
our favour. According as this desirable result is attained are
they likely to profit by the Christian instruction they receive.
That this is no theory merely, the practical experience of years
has fully proved.
" The large number of lepers is striking, otherwise there is
nothing new to report on the subject. We would be glad if
any of our readers could suggest a remedy for this disease;
European and native modes of treatment have alike failed.
Amelioration of the symptoms and partial recovery are not
unusual, but of complete cures little can be said.
" The daily religious services, morning and evening, are
conducted, as heretofore, by Messrs. Smith and Mackenzie.
During the past year several of the patients have renounced
idolatry and become worshippers of the true God and believers
in Jesus Christ, making public profession of their faith by
baptism. In several of the more important centres of
Missionary operation throughout the department, the first
converts got their knowledge of the Gospel when patients in
the hospital in Swatow. In the early part of the year a leper,
formerly a hospital patient, appeared with several aged women
belonging to his village, all desirous of becoming Christians.
This was the beginning of a work of the Holy Spirit among the
people of the district."
Dr. Gauld has hitherto told us of the general poverty
of his patients. The lepers and blind beggars are the
class he most tenderly cared for. But on this and other
THE STORY OF THE SIVA TOW MISSION. 157
occasions we find him ministering to the chief magistrate
of a large district, Hving in the important city of
Chao-chow.
Interesting Medical Visit to the Tau-tai.
" A few weeks ago I had rather a distinguished personage
on my patient Hst. You lately heard of Mr. Smith's successful
visit to the Hoo city. I had the pleasure of spending a night
or two in it, not in the Mission's house, but in the Tau-tai's
yamun. He had long suffered from dysentery, and was at last
given up as lost by his native physicians. He did not know
what to do, and thought he must now die, as he had invited
every physician he could think of, when his Swatow agent, a
deputy, advised him to invite the 'foreign doctor' to see him.
With some hesitancy, owing to fear of the people's dislike to
the step, he consented to do so, and two large Hak-ka boats
were sent from the Hoo city to Swatow for me. The Tau-tai's
chair was soon at hand to convey me to the yamun ; and on
my arrival the said dignitary himself made his appearance, with
his officers around him. He looked very ill indeed, and it
was specially a case where one needed to lift up the heart and
voice to the Lord for His help and blessing on the remedies
that might be applied. During the day our native brethren
from the station in the city made their appearance, and were
evidently delighted to see me under such peculiar^ circum-
stances. We were all very kindly treated, and many good
things in the way of food were provided for us.
" I spent the next night also in the place, and then on
Saturday morning made up my mind to leave. By this time
the progress of the Tau-tai's disease seemed to be checked
and tokens of amendment to be manifesting themselves, so
that I felt freedom in leaving a supply of medicines with him
and returning to Swatow (where the Communion was to be
held the following day). A chair was again provided for
myself, and one for the deputy, to take us to the river-side,
158 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
where the boat was waiting. It was so early in the morning
that our exit created Httle stir. That afternoon we safely
reached Swatow. Through the blessing of God the patient
has gradually been recovering, and, as I have not heard from
him for more than a week, I presume he does not now need
our help. He is chief Mandarin for three of the departments
of the province — Tie-chiu (in which we are working), Kiaeng-
chew (where the German Missionaries have their stations),
and Hui-chew (near which is our station in Kw^ay-tham).
He knows my connection with the Mission and the Mission-
aries, so that, through God's overruling and gracious providence,
good may result to His cause, and the spread of the Gospel be
facilitated. May our Master order it so for His own glory ! "
Death of Dr. A. Thomson.
In 1872 the Swatow Mission suffered another of those
mysterious losses so trying to faith and affection —
Dr. Alexander Thomson was drowned near Amoy. He
had only been sent out along with the Rev. W. Duffus
in 1869, aiid ere he had well entered on his work he
was called to rest. He was suffering from the climate,
and was ordered to take a voyage to Shanghai ; and
on his return, when opposite Amoy, the Rojia^ in which
he sailed, was run down by a French steamer. He was
a young man of much promise and deep piety. He
had raised himself by his unaided efforts from the
humble position of a miner to that of a fully quali-
fied Doctor of Medicine, and had gained the respect and
warm affection of all who came in contact with him.
This was the second Missionary lost by drowning, and
the fifth who had died since the Mission began. The
losses were great, but we must not suppose that the\'
THE STORY OF THE SIVA TO JV MISSION.
159
were wholly a loss. We cannot tell how much the
Mission gained in the deepened sense of responsibility
and more ardent zeal of those who survived, and in
the calling forth the sympathy and the prayers of the
the Church at home, while they had entered on a higher
and happier service in the upper sanctuary.
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HOSPITAL PATIENTS.
CHAPTER IX.
TJI^: STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION.
FORMOSA— the Beautiful— got its European name
from the Spanish navigators who reached China
in the end of the fifteenth century, and so it remains
to this day. The aboriginal name of the island was
Pekan or Pekando ; but when the Chinese took possession
of it, they called it first Ki-lung-shan, and afterwards
changed it to Tai-wan. The beauty of the island strikes
one the more from the rich and fertile plains on the
west, having in the background magnificent ranges of
mountains, stretching north and south, rising to the
elevation of from a few thousands to eight and ten
thousand feet, while Mount Morrison towers above
them all to a height of twelve thousand eight hundred
i6i
[62 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
and fifty feet. As these mountains first arrest the
eye from the sea-level, they appear much higher than
the Alps, which are generally looked at from elevated
ground. The formation of the island, which is about two
hundred and thirty miles in length, by about sixty in
breadth, is, on the west, chiefly alluvial, and of lime
and sandstone, but the eastern part consists of granite
ranges of mountains intersected by fertile valleys. Coal
is found in abundance, and rice and tea are largely grown,
and all kinds of tropical plants and fruit are abundant.
The climate is much more favourable to the growth
of vegetation than to the health of Europeans, who
suffer much in most parts of the island from the fever
to which it gives its name.
Inhabitants of the Island.
Formosa was originally inhabited by a race or races
of Malayan origin, who still occupy the mountain ranges
and the narrow . strip of level land on the east coast
in all the savage instincts and habits of their original
stock. Head-hunting is as popular a pursuit in
Formosa as in Borneo. Since the Chinese claimed
possession of the island in the beginning of the fifteenth
century, the inhabitants of Fuhkien and Hak-kas from
Swatow have gone over from the opposite coast in
large numbers, and by lawful and unlawful means have
gradually got possession of the most fertile portions
of the island, driving the savage aborigines back on
the mountains, which are covered with dense forests —
a fit home for freedom. Here they have maintained
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 16:;
a state of independence and savagery, continually at
feud with their civilised oppressors, finding their greatest
glory in hunting for the heads of Chinamen.
The practice of head-hunting they justify as not
only permissible, but highly praiseworthy — a terrible
instance of the way in which injustice and oppression
pervert the conscience of the oppressed. They evi-
dently regard this form of revenge as a legitimate
way of avenging a wrong, and it is nothing to them
that the parties on whom they avenge themselves are
innocent of the crime ; they are the children of the
same race, and must suffer for the sins of their fathers.
A large number of these savages have, however, been
partly civilised by being brought into friendly relations
with their conquerors, probably those who had become
to some extent civilised and were living by the cultivation
of the soil before the Chinese came among them. They
have adapted themselves to Chinese customs, and have
acquired the language, less or more, and by so doing
have gained the contempt, and often the bitter enmity,
of their savage countrymen. They are called Pi-po-hoan
or Sek-hoan in the southern part of the island in which
our Mission is carried on. We regret to say that the
Chinese are, by superior industry, and, we fear, still more
by their duplicity and cunning, depriving their more
simple neighbours of their possessions and civil rights.
The Dutch Conquest.
In the beginning of the seventeenth century, whem
trade was conducted on piratical principles — methods
i64 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
more violent, but perhaps not more pernicious, than
much of the dupHcity and pretence of righteousness
with which war is now waged in defence of what are
called commercial rights— in those days when mighty
nations acted on
" The good old rule, the simple plan,
That he should take who has the power,
And he should keep who can " —
the Dutch, having successfully asserted their inde-
pendence of the yoke of Roman superstition and
Spanish dominion, displayed their superiority by
carrying their commerce and their conquests to what
was then called the Indies, including the Empire of
China. They at first settled on, and took possession of'
the Pescadore Islands; but when the Chinese protested
in a practical form by a powerful fleet, they consented
to remove, at the invitation of the cunning Chinaman,
to the much more valuable possession of Formosa, the
flaw in the arrangement being that the Chinese had a
very doubtful right to dispose of the island, having
never really subdued or governed it, though they called
it theirs, as they did most of the world then known
to them. At that time the Spaniards had settlements,
or " missions," on the island.
These were small matters to the Dutchmen of those
days, so they took possession of the beautiful island,
and fortified themselves in what they called the Castle
of Zeelandia, in Tai-wan, in 1624, and maintained their
hold until the heathen Koxinga, who made piracy his
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 165
profession, drove out the Christian Dutchmen in 1662,
after a defence which did honour to their courage and
patriotism.
A Noble Patriot.
Of this a noble example was given by a chaplain
of the name of Hambrock, who was taken prisoner by
Koxinga, and sent with a letter offering conditions of
surrender to his countrymen, and trusting to his advo-
cating compliance with its conditions. Instead of that
he urged his countrymen to hold out with the prospect
of success. Two daughters who were in the castle hung
upon him, and with tears entreated him to remain ; but
he refused, saying that he had two children in the camp
of the enemy, who might be killed if he did not return ;
so he tore himself from their embrace, went back to
Koxinga, and was put to a cruel death.
Dutch Missions.
The Christians of Holland took advantage of the
conquest of Formosa to send the Gospel to its
inhabitants, notwithstanding the doubtful character
of the conquest.
The first to do much in the way of converting the
heathen was a minister of the name of Junius, who was
appointed by the Dutch Company, who had sent out
its traders to the East to carry on the double work of
commerce and conversion — a most desirable conjunction
in principle, but unhappily often marred by unwisdom
and selfishness in the execution.
1 66 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Junius came home in 1646, reporting that he had
baptised more than five thousand heathen, and that
on leaving the island loaded with presents which he
turned into money amounting to ;^ 10,000, he had been
entreated to send some one to take his place. He
seems to have urged the Dutch East India Company
and the Government to send out more chaplains, and
encouraged the English to assist by sending Missionaries.
Other chaplains were sent, and they seem to have
laboured earnestly for the conversion of the inhabitants^
so much so that there were at one time, before the
Dutch were driven from the island, as many as five
thousand nine hundred baptised professing Christians.
Why the Church Died Out.
The question naturally arises. What came of this
promising Christian Church in Formosa after the
expulsion of their teachers ? There is no doubt that
they were most cruelly persecuted by Koxinga and
their countrymen, and they may have been exterminated
like the converts of the Reformation in Spain and Italy ;
but that is not likely. Cruel as the Chinese are, they
were neither so experienced nor so persevering in
religious persecution as the Jesuits ; and Chinamen,
when converted, have shown great courage and tenacity
in clinging to their faith and profession. Other causes
are to be sought, and are easily found. They are such
as the following, and are worthy of notice as a lesson
and warning in all Missionary enterprises.
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 167
First of all, the work of conversion was too much
mixed up with Government patronage. The Mission-
aries were paid by and were the servants of the State,
not only for the benefit of its own servants or subjects,
but also for the conversion of the heathen, who had been
subdued and were kept in subjection by force.
Secondly, inducements were held out to natives by
the prospect of Government employment on condition
of their becoming Christians. The partaking of the
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was a condition to office.
Thirdly, they did not give the Bible, nor the New
Testament, to the people, not even to their converts.
They did translate portions, but they were not printed.
They gave them catechisms enough : two were printed,
largely used, and committed to memory. But useful
as such modes of teaching may be, they are no substitute
for the Word of the Lord which converteth the soul.
Catechisms are conservative ; the Word of God is
aggressive. Had the Bible been given, it might have
been in Formosa as it was in Madagascar, when the
persecutions of enemies drove out the teachers, but
multiplied the converts.
Another error was the custom of encouraging the
Dutch pastors to marry Formosan women. It is
always found that when a superior race marries into
an inferior one the descendants deteriorate. The
mother communicates more of her nature and habits
to the child than the father can. Gestation, and early
influences and teaching, give her a tremendous power
for evil. The history of conquering races abundantly
[68 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
proves this. Spaniards and Portuguese in America
illustrate it. But whatever were the causes, the painful
fact remains, that not a vestige of the prosperous Dutch
Church of Formosa remains. One cause of decay may
be sufficient to account for this — the too ready admission
of converts.
Relation to Amoy.
Formosa naturally falls within the sphere of our Amoy
Mission. It was, until the Japanese got possession of
it, a part of the province of Fuhkien and under the
same administration. Chinese inhabitants are all, or
almost all, from that province, and, from that part of
it which speaks the Amoy dialect, it is only about a
hundred miles from Amoy, with which it has constant
communication by trade. The converts in Amoy were
desirous to extend our Mission to a place where some
of them had friends and relatives for whose spiritual
welfare they were praying. Mr. Douglas visited the
island in i860 along with Mr. H. L. Mackenzie, and was
impressed with the importance of the field for Mission
work, and only waited until there was a man ready to
take possession of it in the name of the Lord. Such
a man was sent by God in the person of Dr. Maxwell,
of whom Dr. Hamilton reported to the Synod in the
year 1863 : —
Dr. J. L. Maxwell, M.A.
" Dr. James L. Maxwell, resident physician of the General
Hospital, Birmingham, has accepted the appointment to be
one of our Missionaries in China. Dr. Maxwell is a dis-
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 169
tinguished alumnus of the University of Edinburgh, where,
besides the usual medical curriculum, he attended the classes
of Logic, Moral Philosophy, Mathematics, and Natural
Philosophy, carrying off prizes in all ; and to his acquire-
ments in Edinburgh College he made important additions by
attending the medical schools of Berlin and Paris. During
his short residence in Birmingham he has acted as a ruling
elder in the congregation of the Rev. Dr. Mackenzie, and
has by his many labours of love gained the esteem and
affection of all his brethren there. Consecrating all his
powers to the work of the Lord in China, and renouncing
brilliant prospects of professional advancement at home, we
cannot but hope for the happiest results from Dr. Maxwell's
labours, and we are not without hope that it may be his
distinction to become the first Protestant Missionary in
Formosa. He is likely to accompany Mr. Douglas on his
return early in the summer,"
Formosa Taken Possession Of.
Shortly after Dr. Maxwell reached China, along with
Mr. Douglas on his return to it, they both visited
Formosa in 1864, and took a survey of the field; and
in 1865 they returned, and began work in Tai-wan,
the principal city of the island, containing a popu-
lation of about two hundred thousand. But tumults
were raised of such a determined character, that they
were compelled to leave and make a beginning in Ta-kao
— a town of two thousand inhabitants, but important as
the harbour for the south of the island and for the
villages which lay inland in large numbers.
There they had a better reception ; and on Mr.
Douglas returning to Amoy, Dr. Maxwell continued
170 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
the work alone, preaching to the EngHsh residents on
Sundays and to the natives on every day of the
week, using his medical gifts to cure and attract the
people to his hall. Dr. Maxwell from first to last
combined the functions of healing the body and
saving the soul. He made no secret that his mission
was to seek and save the lost, and nobly did he
succeed in both the material and spiritual parts of
his work.
Dr. Maxwell opened his new premises for medical
work and the preaching of the Gospel, both of which
he had to attend to for some time himself, no ordained
Missionary having as yet joined him. But indeed he
never ceased to be the preacher as well as ithe physician
during his Missionary career.
Premises at Ta-kao.
" My dear Mr. Matheson, — I am happy to be able to write
to you from the now completed Mission premises in Ta-kao.
They are in the heart of Ta-kao ; and Ta-kao, like other
Chinese places, cannot boast of overmuch cleanliness. Still,
I flatter myself that they will not be found unsuitable for the
special work of the Mission, or inconsistent with good health
on the part of the labourers. I believe that my assistants are
much more comfortable, and for myself I am in a palace as
compared with the old fifty-dollars-a-month building. Our
present chapel is very much more commodious than the
previous one, and in the afternoon just now we sometimes
have a congregation of about fifty men, rather restless, as you
may suppose, always some one going out and another coming
in, but on the whole a good amount of attention being paid
to the truth.
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 171
"The medical work is also steadily increasing, and the
medical benefits are being more widely appreciated. I trust
to see more fruit from this source when we are able to extend
our work more vigorously into the inland parts. The fruit
which I should expect to see would be a greater willingness to
receive us and bear with us in our endeavours to propagate
the Gospel."
But it was not only the material buildings that were
to be seen. God had given His servant the privilege
of laying the foundation of His Church in Formosa ;
and Mr. Swanson, who had come on a visit, was called
on to baptise the first converts of the Mission. He
writes as follow : —
The First Fruits— Four Baptisms.
"I found that there were eight persons here who seemed
really interested in the Gospel, some of these giving, so far as
we could judge, indications of a real change of heart. After
very careful examination and consultation, we decided to
receive four male adults into the fellowship of the Church ;
and as these are the firstfruits of the work in Formosa, I must
give you their names. They are Chay, Ho, Tiong, and Bi.
All these persons belong to the island, the first being a
resident of the district city of Pe-tao, already mentioned.
The second is the Doctor's assistant, and of him and his
trials in connection with the Gospel I think you have heard
already. On examination I was very much delighted with
the appearance of all these, and with their intelligent acquaint-
ance with the truth. I am sure the Committee cannot fail to
be encouraged by such an answer to their prayers and efforts
on behalf of Formosa. These four persons I baptised on
Sabbath, the 12th inst. ; and in the afternoon of that same day
I dispensed the Communion. This is probably the first time
that these ordinances have been administered by Protestant
[72 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Missionaries to the Chinese of Formosa since the Dutch were
driven from the island two hundred years ago. They doubt-
less had the ordinances dispensed among them. Once again
has the standard of the Cross been raised. And shall we
not hope and believe that God will carry on the glorious work
till all Formosa acknowledge Him who is King of kings and
Lord of lords ? "
Death of the Rev. D. Masson.
How hard it is for human reason to understand
and trust the ways of Providence when we see the
fields white unto the harvest, and at the same time
see the hand of God removing the reapers whom He
has raised up and qualified for the work just as they
are ready to put in the sickle ! Dr. Young and Mr.
Sandeman died ere they had well begun the work to
which they had devoted themselves ; Mr. Johnston
was sent out of the field, though spared to work at
home ; and now, in 1866, the Rev. David Masson was
drowned, when he had just got within sight of the
coast of China on his way to Formosa. We must
needs look beyond the things which are seen and
temporal, and fix our faith on the unseen and eternal.
Our attempts to measure the ways of God with our
short lines are rebuked by the Divine words, " My
ways are not your ways, neither are your ways My
ways, saith Jehovah." The way in which Mr. Masson
met with his death was mysterious. There had been
a severe gale in coming up the China Sea, but it was
all over, only a cross sea, with occasional waves, coming
on board. He had gone forward with a fellow-
passenger, like himself a Missionary to China. They
were sitting in the bow talking, when a wave, not a
large one, came over the bulwarks, and Masson fell
or was washed overboard, and the companion sitting
at his side was merely wet with the spray : one was
taken and the other left. The captain could do
nothing. He was seen to sink, and never rose
again ; and we can only say, " He was not, for God
took him " from the earthly to the heavenly service.
His last words, when speaking with his friend about
the views of Unitarians, were : " I could not rest in
the joyful hope of future happiness if I did not believe
that Christ is the Son of God." His friend said of
him : " Many hours we have spent in conversation,
together we have sung the songs of Zion, and together
we have wrestled in prayer. I was often struck with
his unwavering confidence in God. On one occasion,
in a severe gale, some of us met for prayer in his cabin.
In the course of a brief but earnest prayer he said,
' Lord, we do not fear whilst Thou art with us ;
even death itself cannot hurt us whilst Thou art our
defence.' He was remarkable for his humility and
self-depreciation." The will of the Lord be done.
Persecution and Martyrdom.
In May of 1868 a fierce persecution against the
Church in Formosa was raised up by the Satanic malice
of the literati and magistrates. As usual they kept
themselves in the background, and stirred up the
ignorant mob to do their work. It began by their
174 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
spreading reports that the Christians were poisoning
their wells and their food, and then by burning the
Roman Catholic chapel at a place called Koe-kau-a,
and driving the priests out of the village. The Protest-
ants were in this, as in many other cases, made to
suffer, from the people not being able to understand
the difference between the two religions. The persecu-
tion spread to Pi-thau, where an inquirer, a poor old
widow, was being abused by the excited mob, when
one of the evangelists, named Tiong, tried to save
her from her persecutors. A cry was raised that he
was a Roman Catholic, and before he could explain
his position he was brutally assaulted and beaten.
He fled to the house of a teacher, but was dragged
out and thrown on the ground, and would have been
murdered on the spot if the teacher had not nobly
thrown himself over him and protected him with his
own body, and at length enabled him to get to his
feet and rush into the yamun where the Mandarin was
sitting. Even then they attempted to drag him out,
and it was only by the Mandarin's personal inter-
position that he was saved from being torn to pieces
by the infuriated crowd. After the semblance of a
trial, though nothing was proved against him, he was
committed to prison, while none of the persecutors
were punished.
Martyrdom of Cheng-hong.
But the persecution did not end there. A more
tragic end awaited the old preacher Cheng-hong. He
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 175
had committed no offence, but had gone to the village
of Cho-ia to persuade his wife, who had gone away from
him and returned to her mother's house, to come back
with him, and was quietly talking to her in her mother*s
presence, when he was set upon and literally torn to
pieces, and his heart taken out and eaten by his mur-
derers, as we learn by a later letter than that from
which we quote the following description of the
scene : —
" From what we can learn he seems to have come upon his
wife and mother-in-law at Cho-ia, five miles distant, and was
endeavouring to persuade his wife to return with him, when
his mother-in-law raised a cry that he was a Roman Catholic
come to carry off her daughter. Instantly there was a crowd.
Cheng-hong was recognised by some of them as having
preached in the village, and the cry was raised for his
destruction.
" From a house in which he took shelter the mob burst in the
door, pulled our poor brother out, dragged him a considerable
distance along the street, and then, near a tree beside which 1
have several times stood to speak, and where Cheng-hong
doubtless has also stood to preach the Gospel, they stoned
him with stones and beat him with clubs till he died. Their
brutality did not end even with his death, one of them with
a knife cutting open the poor crushed body. His remains
were thrown into a ditch close by, and carried in a bag to the
seashore, and there sunk in the sea. The place of Cheng-
hong's death is distant some five miles from Ta-kao, and about
the same number of miles from Pi-thau."
We need not say that such a flagrant violation of
Chinese law as well as treaty rights could not go un-
punished, coupled as it was with many other grievances
176 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
of which the foreign community loudly complained.
The British Consul was also acting, unfortunately, for
the French as well as for his own countrymen. After
innumerable delays and evasions, he landed a small
body of marines, who were attacked by the Chinese,
who lost one or two men, when the Mandarins at once
gave in and agreed to all the demands.
To see how Missionary matters get mixed up with
the affairs of the merchants, and the defence of national
rights, we give the list, from which it will be seen how
small the claims of the Protestant Missionaries were.
The claims of the Consul were as follows : —
1. The abolition of the camphor monopoly and the issue
of proclamations declaring the rights of foreigners to buy
free.
2. The issue of passports to merchants and others.
3. Payment of 6,000 dollars for the loss of camphor by
Elles & Co.
4. Payment of J, 167 dollars indemnity for loss of property
by Protestant Missions.
5. Payment of 2,000 dollars for loss of property by Roman
Catholic Missions.
6. Payment of all claims of Elles & Co.'s comprador, for
losses in the sacking of his house.
7. The punishment of various criminals, connected with
various outrages, to the satisfaction of the British Consul.
8. The issuing of proclamations everywhere acknowledging
the injustice of the slanders circulated against Christianity.
9. The right of Missionaries to reside and work in the
island.
TO. Proclamations recognising the propriety of mixed courts
in mingled cases.
II. The removal of obnoxious Mandarins,
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 177
These claims were within the rights granted to
foreigners of all nations ; and when the Formosan
authorities saw that the Consul was determined to see
them carried out they acquiesced, and from that time
the relations between the foreign and native authorities
became much more cordial and respectful. The
Missionaries had nothing to do with the arrangements
beyond laying their complaints before the Consul,
stating the amount of their losses, and proving the
assault on the Christians ; after that the case was taken
out of their hands.
For some time after this painful incident the Churches
in Formosa, like those in Jerusalem, " had rest, and
were edified ; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and
in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied."
Dr. Maxwell writes from Bak-sa, on April 22nd,
1870:—
Work Among the Aborigines.
" Recent letters from this quarter must have drawn your
thoughts with some interest towards the aborigines of
Formosa. From A-li-kang and Tai-wan-fu you have had
tidings of one and another of those people having been
admitted to the Church. Amid the crowd of Chinese they
also heard the Gospel and believed. These were outsiders,
living away from their own people, two of them being servants
in the Mission house at Tai-wan-fu. Now, by the grace of
God, the Gospel has found its way into the midst of this
people dwelling in their own villages, and, as I intimated in a
former letter, a commodious chapel, and rooms for our own
and helpers' use, have been erected in the village of Bak-sa.
This village lies in a lonely valley about twenty-seven miles
long. Its houses, rarely more than one or two together, built
12
178 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
of bamboo, rushes, and mud, and thatched with straw, are
scattered along the valley, over about a space of a mile and
a half. How the Gospel came to take root in this quarter is
not very difficult to trace, so far as the external lines of con-
nection are concerned. Our servants in Tai-wan-fu came
from this village. We engaged them in the hope that God
would make them a link between this people and ourselves.
They were visited in our commodious premises in Tai-wan-fu
by numbers of these people, who would pass the night there,
and who at morning and evening family worship could not but
learn somewhat of the Gospel. These two servants became
Christians, and began to shew the change by their demeanour,
and by exhortations of their fellow-villagers who visited them.
Their village was visited both by Mr. Ritchie and myself,
and by several of the helpers, until at length there could be
no doubt at all of a very earnest desire amongst a number
of the villagers to have Sabbath ordinances regularly ad-
ministered.
Fifty Families Destroy their Idols.
" I know at least about fifty families who have destroyed
their idols — all of them deliberately. These fifty families
represent a large number of people, there being almost no
instance where, the head of the house having submitted himself,
the whole family has not also willingly joined in the movement.
In each of these families there is an earnest effort to master the
hymn-book, a process of diligent exercise of memory and of
instruction one to another, as they are almost wholly unlettered,
r believe also that in all, or almost all, of these families the
habit of regular prayer has been begun, in many cases, truly,
not amounting to more than a few words, but yet, I hope, with
the sincere desire to draw near to the living God.
Love of Hymns.
" They read with a sort of wild refrain, which is by no means
unmelodious, and, once begun, they will run on with twenty or
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 179
thirty of the hymns successively. As you pass along the valley
you will see here a boy and there a girl driving the cattle to
the hills, or going on some other work, with the hymn-book in
their hands or somewhere about their persons, and sometimes
floating down from the slopes you will hear the shrill young
voices singing out in their own wild way verse after verse of the
precious hymn. Just now my wife is with me here, teaching
the women to read the Romanised colloquial. She gives
them ungrudgingly six hours a day, but they would take a
great deal more if she could give it, and their earnestness is
dehghtful."
Bak-sa continued to prosper. On August 13th, 1870,
Mr. Ritchie baptised forty-three new converts. Dr.
Maxwell writes : —
Forty-three Baptisms at Bak-sa.
" On Sabbath last Mr. Ritchie for the second time adminis-
tered the Sacraments at Bak-sa, and on that occasion received
thirty-three men and ten women into Church fellowship. At
the Lord's Table the sixty-two members who have now been
received at this station were all present. Many of these are
isolated members of families, of whom no others have been
received, but others formed family groups most pleasant to
behold. Thus, a husband rejoined his wife, she having been
admitted at the last Communion and he at this. A wife
rejoined her husband in the same way."
Our Missionaries are sometimes obliged to depart
from what would be thought right and proper in our
state of society. Dr. Maxwell felt compelled to assume
the office of both the civil and ecclesiastical authorities
by marrying two Christian couples in the out-of-the-
way region of Bak-sa.
i8o CHINA AND FORMOSA.
A Wedding at Bak-sa.
" On Monday morning I recrossed the range that divides the
Kam-a-na region from Bak-sa. An hour and a half to two hours'
good walking is sufficient for the journey. At Bak-sa the con-
gregation have, at their own expense, completed the extension
of the chapel for sixty additional hearers, and have also built a
very respectable schoolroom, for the work of which one of
their own number is now ready, and will commence his duties
immediately. In the afternoon I married two couples accord-
ing to the service prepared by the American brethren in Amoy
— an unwilling assumption by me of what is generally looked
upon as pastoral duty, but one compelled by the urgent
necessity that exists of bringing the social relations of this
people into harmony with Christian teaching. Anomalies of
this kind must be borne with in the founding of Churches
among the heathen, and should stimulate the Church at home
to provide pastoral aid for this region, until the native Church
can cope with its own needs."
A NATIVE PREACHER.
MISSION BUILDINGS, WU-KING-FU.
CHAPTER X.
a retrospect.
Death of Dr. Hamilton.
AT the close of the year 1867 the China Mission of
the Presbyterian Church of England sustained
a heavy loss by the death of the Rev. Dr. James
Hamilton, who had from the first been the Convener
of the Committee. It would be presumption on our
part, and a needless task, to dwell on the memory of
one whose life is the property of the Church Universal,
and who still lives in the memories of so many of its
members. It is only needful that we say how lovingly he
discharged his duties to the Mission and to the Mission-
aries, to whom he was ever like a father or brother,
ready with his wise counsel and words of encouragement
and friendly deeds.
l82
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
No Mission was ever more highly favoured in its
office-bearers. In James Hamilton it had a Convener
who was not only known and loved by his own Church,
THE REV. JAMES HAMILTON, D.D., THE FIRST CONVENER.
but was esteemed and loved by all who loved the Lord
and Saviour whom he served. His praise was in all the
Churches ; through him the Mission was known far
A RETROSPECT. 183
beyond the limits of the denomination to which it
belonged. This, coupled with the fact that it had for
its first Missionary a man like William Burns, so widely
knov/n as an evangelist, gave a significance to the
movement far beyond its own magnitude or the position
of the Church in its younger days. We mention these
things to call attention to what has been the strength of
the Mission from the first — the amount of prayer which
it called forth from all parts of the world where these
men were known. It was a sad day for the Mission
in China when the influence and services of such a
Convener were taken from its head. The first Treasurer,
Mr, James Nisbet, was also a man greatly honoured of
God in furthering the cause of Missions when they were
but little esteemed by the Church at large — a man of
catholic spirit, who had acted as treasurer to many
of the great philanthropies of the day.
But there was no one to whom the Mission owed
so much as to our present Convener, Mr. Hugh M.
Matheson. of whom we cannot speak as we would wish,
seeing that, through the kind providence of God, he is
still spared to serve the cause of which he has made
himself so long the willing servant. Mr. Matheson was
appointed Treasurer from the beginning, along with Mr.
Nisbet, for whom he did all the work ; and it says much
for his character and influence that the Church appointed
him to such an office when he was so young a man.
Several years after the resignation of Mr. Nisbet, from
advancing years, the Church appointed as Treasurer,
along with Mr. H. M. Matheson, Mr. J. E. Mathieson,
1 84 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
who has so long been known as one of the warmest
friends of Missions of our day.
All these, and many others, gave their time and
HUGH M. MATHESON, ESQ,, CONVENER AND TREASURER.
labours without stint to the home work of the Mission,
and gave as freely of their substance as of their services
for the cause they loved. Dr. Hamilton was wont
to tell, in his own -bright way, his answer to the late
A RETROSPECT. 185
Dr. Fleming Stevenson, who wrote to hinri asking
how much their Mission paid to its office-bearers, as
there were great complaints of the home expenses
of Mission boards. " I told him," said the Doctor,
with that shrug of his shoulders which his friends will
remember, "that I did the work of Secretary as well
as I could from love to the work, and our Treasurer
has just shown how much he values his post by
giving i^500 to our funds for the honour of filling it."
The Synod, which recorded its tribute of affection and
esteem on the death of Dr. Hamilton, unanimously
appointed Mr. H. M. Matheson in his place as Convener,
and every one in the Presbyterian Church of England
knows how much it owes to his untiring devotion to
this and to every good cause for over fifty years,
during which he has been the leading spirit and the
guiding hand in the Foreign Mission Committee. For
the Missionaries, we may say, as one of the earliest of
them, that no man could have been chosen so well fitted
to be their wise counsellor and warm friend. The
unbroken unity and peace and love which have
reigned in the Mission field, and the happy relations
between them and the Committee at home, have been
largely due to the uniform courtesy and kindness with
which they have been treated by the Convener both in
his personal and his representative character.
Death of Mr. Burns.
In the beginning of 1868 the Mission received another
terrible blow by the death of William Burns at New-
[86 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
chwang. Dr. Hamilton and he had been intimate in
family relations from their youth up ; they studied
together in Glasgow University, and their friendship
lasted through life. They both died in their fifty-third
year, within a few months of each other. James
Hamilton was born four months before William Burns,
and died four months before his friend. " They were
lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in death they
were not divided." Space is abolished by death ; China
and England are equally near to the pearly gates of
" Jerusalem the golden."
Having given a brief sketch of Mr. Burns when he
was appointed to the Mission, we can only speak now
of the circumstances of his death. After spending four
years in Pekin, during which he spent most of his time
in translating the much-loved Psalms of David into the
Mandarin dialect, which is spoken by a large part of
the inhabitants of Northern China, he had a great desire
to visit the large and important town of New-chwang,
not far from the borders of Mongolia. He found it
impossible to get a passage on a foreign vessel going
there at the time, so he went on board a native junk,
which was about to sail. He had not time to purchase
provisions for the voyage, and was obliged to depend
on such food as he could buy from the owners of the
vessel. That was too coarse and unwholesome for his
digestion. The result was an attack of dysentery, which
he could not throw off, as the doctor said he might
easily have done if he had been in his usual health ;
but he was in a weak and reduced condition. Dr.
A RETROSPECT. 187
Watson, who was living at the Consulate, did all that
medical skill could effect, but failed. He wrote to the
Convener : —
Results of Low Diet.
" You should know that Mr. Burns is simply suffering from
weakness, the result of long privation of the necessaries of
life and all its comforts. The immediate cause of his pros-
tration was a slight chill, which resulted in a slight attack of
febricula, from which an ordinarily strong man should and
would have recovered in a week. I am happy to say that
Mr. Burns now feels that, if again restored to health, he must
live in a more generous manner."
It is difficult for those who knew Mr. Burns when
he was in the south of China to understand this.
He was always rationally careful of his health, both
in food and clothing, and even in the choice of healthy
houses, however humble. If he did give way to the
attempt to live as Chinamen live, when he began to dress
as Chinamen dress, we can only say it was an unhappy
departure from his former habits, and think the evil
must have been done by the enforced use of Chinese diet
during his voyage from Shanghai to New-chwang. It
cost the Mission a precious life which money could
not repay.
The Mission Value of Mr. Burns' Life.
If we judge of the usefulness of a Missionary's life
by visible results in the conversion of individuals, there
are few Missionaries of any standing in China who
could not point to greater results than William Burns
could or would have claimed. That so able and
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
earnest a labourer saw so little fruit of his abundant
labours and prayers is a rebuke to those who judge
of men by such a standard. No man can call in
question the faith and fidelity of the man whom God
had chosen in his youth for the great work of revival,
and the conversion of thousands in Scotland, England,
and Canada ; and yet the number directly converted
by his preaching and ceaseless prayer in twenty years
of work in China could be counted on the fingers of
his two hands. But who would dare to judge of the
value of his Mission work by such a test? Not only
was there the literary work, of which many take too
little account — his translation of the " Pilgrim's Pro-
gress," the Psalms of David, and many hymns, works
which will be read and sung for the edifying of the
Church when men who have been the means of con-
verting many will be forgotten — but there was his
personal life of deep devotion and constant communion
with God, which told on the lives of both Missionaries
and converts wherever he went, and his conversation,
which left a " sweet savour " of Christ with all who
met him, and the atmosphere of heaven, which sur-
rounded him wherever he dwelt. This personal
influence was the most precious boon which William
Burns conferred on China and its Missions.
He wrote to Dr. Hamilton shortly before his death
as if he were feeling old, and tells how his beard,
which he had allowed to grow, was very white. He
seems to have wished to live for the sake of his work
in China, but he was quite prepared to go if the Master
A RETROSPECT. 189
called. When hope was given up, he dictated a letter
to his mother to prepare her for evil tidings.
" To MY Mother, — At the end of last year I got a severe
chill, which has not yet left the system, producing chilliness
and fever every night, and for the last few nights has pro-
duced perspiration, which rapidly diminishes the strength.
Unless it should please God to rebuke the disease, it is
evident what the end must be ; and I write these lines
beforehand, to say that I am happy and ready, through the
abounding grace of God, either to live or to die.
" May the God of all consolation comfort you when the
tidings of my decease shall reach you, and through the
redeeming blood of Jesus may we meet with joy before
the throne bove !
"W. C. Burns."
A Review.
The year 1872, which we have now reached, is the semi-
jubilee of the Mission, and it will be well to pause for a
little and take a survey of the work accomplished in
that time, not to make it an occasion of boasting, but
to stimulate gratitude to God and praise to Him for
His wonderful works in the threefold Mission, now in
maturity of experience and vigorous service.
When we speak of 1872 as being the twenty-fifth
year of our Mission in China, we are not strictly
accurate in our calculation. The real commencement
of our Mission was 1854. In that year the foundations
of the work were laid, and its organisation completed
on the lines on which it has been conducted ever since.
W^hile this is true, we shall not ignore the precious
work of our honoured Missionary Mr. Burns. His
1 90 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
catholic spirit in working with men of all Churches,
and for the good of the Church in general, is worthy
of all praise ; even though his own Church might
appear to suffer loss, she gained more than she lost
by the widening of her sympathies and by winning the
gratitude of members of the Church at large.
Twenty-five Years' Work.
What then were the results of these twenty-five
years of labour, on the one hand, by the Church at
home in raising funds and sending out men — a Church
itself just awakened from the sleep of centuries to a
new life of organised activity; and, on the other, the
labours of the Missionaries in the field — a field new
and unwrought by any other society, except it be in a
few cases of the existence of Roman Catholic Missions,
which were rather a hindrance than a help ? They
had made Christianity so like the heathenism around
them, that Christians were not to be distinguished by
either superior culture or morality, while they were
more prejudiced and more bitterly opposed to the pure
Gospel than the heathen.
The Mission of the Presbyterian Church in China
did not enter on "another man's Hne of things made
ready to its hand." It pressed into the regions beyond.
It found at Amoy two Societies at work — the London
Missionary Society and the Reformed Dutch Church
of America — with both of which it at once began to
work in the most perfect harmony. It honoured the
work done by these Societies through their devoted
A RETROSPECT.
191
agents. Each of these Societies had gathered a Httle
congregation of about twenty converts in full com-
munion with the Church of Christ, and perhaps three
or four times as many professed followers among their
families or inquirers after the new religion. These all
belonged to the town, or the island on which the
town of Amoy stands. On this field of labour the
Presbyterian Mission did not intrude. It pressed on
to the mainland, where no one had gone before it.
The other Societies had more than enough to exhaust
all their strength and funds within the island, with its
two hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants. What
then has been accomplished in these twenty-five years?
The Men Sent Out.
In 1847 the Church had only sent out one Missionary.
In 1872 the following were in the field : —
*Rev. C. Douglas, LL.D.,
*Rev. George Smith
Rev. W. S. Swanson
Rev. H. L. Mackenzie
Rev. H. Cowie
*Rev. W. M'Gregor
Rev. H. Ritchie
*Rev. W. Duffus
Rev. W. Campbell
Rev. R. Gordon
^William Gauld, M.D.
James Maxwell, M.D.
*Matthew Dickson, M.D.
arrived in China
1855, at
1857, at
i860, at
i860, at
1863, at
1864, at
1867, at
1869, at
1871, at
1872, at
1863, at
1863, at
1871, at
Amoy.
Swatow.
Amoy.
Swatow.
Amoy.
Amoy.
Formosa.
Swatow.
Formosa.
Amoy.
Swatow.
Formosa.
Formosa.
* Those marked with an asterisk were supported by the Edinburgh
Branch of the Society.
192 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
To show the difficulties the Church has in keeping
up the number of its agents from this country working
in a tropical climate, we may record the painful fact
that during that time as many as seven Missionaries
had been removed from the field : three had died,
Dr. Young, the Rev. David Sandeman, and the Rev.
William Burns ; two were drowned, the Rev. David
Masson and Dr. Thomson ; one was compelled to
retire from the foreign field, the Rev. James Johnston ;
one resigned from a change of views.
Increase of Funds.
In looking back, we are surprised at the courage of
the Committee in going forward with a Mission to a
country like China, when the Church had as yet given
no sufficient sums to carry on such a Mission. Private
individuals had given liberally, but the Church had only
given promises and passed resolutions. The amount
collected in the first year by the schemes of the Synod
for Foreign Missions was only £114. ^s. 4d., and of
this ^50 was from one contributor, and £2^ 14s. gd.
from the one association in Regent Square. Even the
following year the collections and associations only
yielded ^^89 gs. yd., of which Regent Square gave half.
But the Committee had faith, and ;^' 1,000 in hand
from the accumulated gifts of friends during the years
they had been in search of a Missionary to go out
to China.
The increase in 1872 was marked, and honoured the
A RETROSPECT. 193
faith of the Committee in starting with so Httle. The
income for that year from all sources, including ^^576
of balance from the previous year, was ^^9,2 5 8 i^s. 8<:/.,
instead oi £\i^ 4.S. \d. in 1847 and ;^89 in the following
year.
To show how general the increase of interest and
of liberality were, we give the particulars of the funds.
The one association, in 1847, raised £26 ; in 1872 there
were thirty-three associations, yielding i^ 1, 395. In 1847
the collections amounted to ;^7 from three congregations;
in 1872 the amount was ^1,447 from thirty-three con-
gregations. In 1847 Sabbath schools and juvenile
associations contributed in all ^11 ; in 1873 they gave
for the Foreign Missions no less than ;^ 1,042. This
was largely due to the indefatigable zeal of Mr. William
Carruthers. The Association in Scotland had been
by this time organised, with the result, that, instead of
the sum of ;^8 collected by Mrs. George Barbour in
1847, the contributions in 1872 amounted to ^^2,286.
Increase in China.
Interesting and important as are the proofs of
increased liberality in the Church at home, still more
is the growth of the Mission abroad, to which we now
call the attention of the members of the Church.
In the year 1847 the China Mission of our Church
had not even one station ; it was not till 1854 that the
one station of Peh-chuia was established. When we
look at that small village or market town, and see the
13
194
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
humble position and limited education of its members,
we feel how purely the work has been of God and not
of man. It is, if possible, more evidently the work of
the light- and life-giving Spirit than was the spread
of the early Church from Jerusalem or from Antioch. It
THREE HEATHENS ASKING FOR A CHRISTIAN TEACHER FOR THEIR VILLAGE, AND
OFFERING THE BEST HOUSE IN IT.
was neither by human wisdom nor by human power
that grace and truth v/ere thus spread abroad ; the
principal agents for its diffusion were the simple con-
verts, telling their countrymen what a Saviour they
had found. The English Missionary was the means
of first imparting the knowledge of the Saviour, but
A RETROSPECT. 195
it was the converts who spread the glad tidings from
village to village and from town to town. Inquirers
came from one town or village after another, and asked
the foreign teachers to set up a preaching hall, that they
might hear the fuller and more authoritative proclama-
tion from their lips. The Missionaries were led from
place to place as by the pillar cloud, not by their own
choice or fancy. They often took long journeys to new
regions to open the way, but it was only when they found
a prepared people they could open a hall for preaching ;
and even these tours were suggested by the advice or
prayerful desires of the native Christians. Sometimes
the most unlikely people came requesting the Missionaries
to come to their village, or asking them to open a school
or preaching hall, and offering assistance ; sometimes
opium smokers longing to get rid of the ruinous habit.
What then has been the result of this natural yet
spiritual growth of the infant Mission in the field chosen
by the Church under the prayerful guidance of its
founders ?
The Three Centres— Amoy, Swatow,' and
Formosa.
In 1872 we find that the Mission to Amoy has
expanded into three distinct centres, independent of
each other, but under the one home Committee of
management. Amoy may justly claim to be the
mother of them all ; it was from that, as the original
headquarters, that they took their departure. But
situated as they are at a distance of about one hundred
196 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
and fifty miles apart, in a country in which the means
of communication are slow and uncertain, each is left
to pursue its own course, not interfered with by the
others, and wisely left by the Committee at home very
much to the collective wisdom of the Missionaries in
consultation with the converts. These three centres have
each a number of stations and out-stations, in different
degrees of development, as indicated by the terms
Organised and Unorganised Stations or Churches.
An Organised Station is one which has not only a
congregation of Christian worshippers, but also its
pastor or evangelist, and its elders and deacons, like
our Churches at home. The Unorganised are more
like our Mission stations in this country, and vary at
different periods of the history of the Mission, the aim
and tendency being to raise them to a position
as near as possible to the standard of our sanctioned
charges^ with a pastor supported by his own congre-
gation, and with its staff of elders and deacons. In
1872 there were none so far advanced as this, so that
it would only mean a congregation with its elders
and deacons, with a preacher or evangelist, who was
changed from time to time, chiefly because his know-
ledge was too limited to continue more than a few-
months in one place. He required to return to head-
quarters to increase his stock of Scripture knowledge,
or to be sent to another station, to repeat what he
had given out in the other. Now, there are ordained
pastors, who are well taught, and can feed the flock
of God with discretion from year to year, as at home.
A RETROSPECT.
197
Increase of Stations.
The plan on which the Mission was organised in
1854 was what may be called the centrifugal, as opposed
HAK-KA PREACHERS WHO HAVE DONE GOOD WORK.
VUN-CHONG.
TSHAI-YONG. TSOK-LIM.
to the sporadic, principle. Our honoured Missionary
Mr. Burns chose the sporadic method ; he moved from
place to place, scattering the seed of the Word broad-
198 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
cast, in regions remote from one another, but in general
where any who might be impressed by his preaching
could get attached to some stationary Mission. In this
way he moved over many fields, from the extreme south
to the north of China. What we may call the planetary
method is to choose a centre or centres from which the
Word may radiate, but not beyond the reach of the
influence of the central power. The radius may be
long and reach far, provided that there be intermediate
stations to support one another, and all should gravitate
to the centre, as planets to the sun. In this way there
is in the Mission, as in the solar system, both a centri-
fugal and a centripetal force, preserving the unity and
vigour of the organisation. This principle has been
consistently carried out from first to last, and the results
have been so manifestly owned of God, that it may be
said, without exaggeration or boasting, that no Mission
in China has succeeded in so short a time in raising up
so large a number of converts, so fully oi'ganised, so
largely^ self'Supporting, and so self-reliant, as that of the
Presbyterian Church of England. To God alone be all
the praise ; to man there is no glory, for the method
w^as simply a copy of the methods of His Apostolic
Church, as recorded in His Word.
The increase during these twenty-five years was
wonderful, considering the small number of agents
employed. In 1847 there were no stations, and in 1854
only one. And what do we find in 1 872 ? Turning to the
report for that year, as presented to the Synod in April of
^'^I'h^ we find that, besides the many places for occasional
A RETROSPECT. 199
preaching, the number of regular stations was sixty, and
of these a number were organised with ordained elders
and deacons and a constant supply of preachers and
evangelists. They were distributed among the three
centres as follows : In Amoy there were twenty-four
stations, of which six are reported as organised ; in
Swatow there were fourteen, and in Formosa twenty-two.
When we take into account that this increase had taken
place in an entirely new field, where the sound of the
Gospel had never before been heard, we can only adore
the goodness of God, and wonder at the grace bestowed
on the people and on the messengers sent forth by the
Church.
It is the more wonderful when we take into account
the difficulties of the field to be cultivated. A harder
soil than China could not well be found. Savage
tribes have little to lose, and few prejudices to be over-
come, compared with an old and civilised country like
China, proud of its history and of its religions, the most
ancient in the world. The countries evangelised by the
Apostolic Church were largely pervaded by the light
which Judaism had carried to almost every part of the
Roman Empire, and the Apostles rarely went to a
town in which they did not find a synagogue of the
Jews, who were looking for the Messiah, and some
Gentile converts and inquirers, who formed a little
company in some degree prepared for the Gospel.
They might be prejudiced and hostile, but there was
at least a twilight, where in China there was total
darkness.
200 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Besides the gaining of converts in such adverse
conditions, there was the difficulty of getting a place
in which the infant congregations could meet for edifi-
cation and encouragement. Each of the sixty stations
represents a conflict with the highest authorities or
with the excited mob — a conflict leading often to
bitter persecution, and in some cases the suffering of
many in their persons as well as in their property, and
in some instances to a martyr's death. Even where
there was no violent persecution, there was often an
amount of negotiation with heathen proprietors of land
or houses, and an amount of duplicity and delay, which
was little short of martyrdom to our Missionaries.
Each station represents an amount of labour and
anxiety or actual suffering which cannot be conceived
of by any but by those who have gone through the
process. Even where the converts gave the land or
house required, the legal formalities and false claims
of heathen relatives were a grievous burden to the
Missionary already overtaxed with his spiritual work.
Conversions.
Great as were the difficulties in the way of setting up
stations, the marvels of Divine power come chiefly into
view in the conversion of the heathen. Human wisdom
and man's power, backed as they were by the feeble claims
of imperfect treaty rights, might do something in secur-
ing a site for a church, but the conversion of a soul is
the work of God alone. To bring one Chinese out of
darkness into the light of the Gospel, and to impart life
A RETROSPECT. 20 1
to one who was dead in trespasses and sins, was a work
which required the forth-putting of the omnipotent
power of the Spirit of God. The manifestations of this
power in so many cases and over so wide a field call for
the adoring gratitude of the Church.
As we have seen, there were no converts until 1854,
when Mr. Burns was the means of gathering in a few
at the village of Peh-chuia, which has been well called the
Antioch of our China Mission. At that time there were
only seven converts; in 1872 the number of adult
members in full communion was 1,632. Of these, 500
were in the Amoy centre, 348 in Swatow, and no fewer
than 784 in the newest field, the Island of Formosa.
The more rapid increase in the latter place is perhaps
accounted for by the different character of a part of the
population of the island, as well as by the greater
facility of making an impression on a small population,
as compared with a large empire like China— a differ-
ence similar to what is found in making an impression
on a village and on a large city like London.
The population of Formosa, though mostly com-
posed of Chinese who have migrated from the mainland,
contains, as we have seen, a large mixture of a Malayan
race who have come less or more under the influence
of the civilisation of China ; and among these reclaimed
savages, less under the influence of old prejudices, and
on whom the Chinese religions sat lightly, many of our
stations and converts are found. As they more readily
receive impressions, so they are less stable than the
Chinese converts ; larger numbers of them fell away, or
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
were cut off for conduct unworthy of their profession,
than among their more conservative and steadfast neigh-
bours on the mainland. That some did apostatise is no
matter of surprise to any one who either studies human
nature or the records of the Church — even that of the
Apostles. That 1,632 converts had been gathered into
the fold of the Redeemer in so short a time, in such a
country, is striking testimony to the power and grace
of God.
Every Form of Agency has been Blessed.
It is a source of much comfort to the Church and to
the Committee which conducted its Mission, that every
form of agency employed has been owned and blessed of
God. The preaching of the English Missionaries, the
pastoral care of the flock, the training of evangelists
and their simple evangelistic work, the teaching in
schools for both boys and girls, all received the approval
of the Great Head of the Church in the part they took
in the conversion of sinners — in many cases the very
chief of sinners — and in the edification of the Church.
Medical Mission.
Of these agencies we must give an honoured place to
Medical Missions, to which the Committee had from the
first given unusual prominence. The results have fully
justified their method. Dr. James Maxwell in Formosa
and Dr. William Gauld in Swatow did noble work in
their professional capacity, and still more by their evan-
gelistic spirit. Dr. Young was removed too soon to
A RETROSPECT.
have accomplished much, and Dr. M. Dickson had only
entered the field.
The following brief extract from an ode addressed
to Dr. Parker, a Medical Missionary, by a Chinese
patient on whom he had operated for cataract, shows
the impression made and the gratitude felt for those
skilfully exercising the healing art in a Christian
spirit : —
'' With grateful heart, with heaving breast, with feelings flow-
ing o'er,
I cried, ' Oh lead me quick to him who can the sight restore ! '
To kneel I tried, but he forbade ; and forcing me to rise,
' To mortal man bend not the knee 1 ' then pointing to the
skies,
' I'm but,' said he, ' the workman's tool ; another's is the
hand ;
Before His might, and in His sight, men feeble, helpless
stand.
Go, virtue learn to cultivate, and ne'er do thou forget
That for some work of future good thy life is spared thee yet.'
The offered token of my thanks he would in nowise take ;
Silver and gold, they seemed as dust ; 'tis but for virtue's
sake
His works are done. His skill divine I ever must adore,
Nor lose remembrance of his name till life's last days are o'er.
Thus have I told in these brief words this learned doctor's
praise ;
Well does his worth deserve that I should tablets to him
raise."
Other Missions.
At this period, about twenty years after our Mission
was established as a separate organisation, there were
204 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
twenty different Societies labouring in China, and
about twelve thousand communicants on the roll of
membership, as the result of nearly thirty years of
labour by some of them. Of these, about five thou-
sand belonged to American Missions, six thousand to
English, and the remainder to Continental Societies
— as large a number as could well be expected from
the means employed. It is a source of gratitude to
God, that, in the short time in which the English
Presbyterian Mission had been in the field, it had
been privileged to come to the front as one of the most
successful in China. It represented one of the small
Churches at home, and its funds were smaller and its
labourers were fewer than in most Missions— in some
cases only half the number of workers, and little more
than half the amount of money spent ; and yet the
number of communicants was the largest, except in
one Society. The largest Mission in China had only
1,701 communicants. The number in the English
Presbyterian Mission was 1,632 — only 69 fewer. The
number of regular hearers was in the former 2,990 ;
in the latter 3,461, or 471 more. To God be all thanks
and praise !
RUINS OF MOSLEM TEMPLE, CHIN-CHEW,
T
CHAPTER XI.
LOOKING FORWARD.
HE second half of the fifty years will not demand
so lengthened a treatment as the first. It
began with the usual vicissitudes of prosperity and
adversity, of hope and disappointment. The Rev.
Canstairs Douglas had returned from a well-earned
holiday in health and vigour, and with the academic
distinction of EE.D., which he so well deserved, from
his alma-mater, the Glasgow University. It was
characteristic of the man, that when his friends wished
him to qualify himself for the degree of D.D. by
writing an essay, which in his case would have been a
mere form, he stoutly refused to put pen to paper for
anything that was not in the way of his duty to the
Mission. He would do nothing more than give a few
useless leaves of the dictionary which he was passing
2o6 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
through the press at the time. This dictionary is
a splendid specimen of scholarship, and is universally
admitted to be one of the best examples of a local
vocabulary that has been produced in China, and is of
great value to every student of the Fuhkien dialect.
Church Organisation.
One of the most interesting features of this second
period will be the gradual development of Church
organisation into the complete symmetry and strength
of a living body, fitted to discharge all the functions
of a true Church of Christ. We have seen how the
Missionaries had from the first aimed at the formation
of a self-governing, a self-supporting, and a self-propa-
gating Church, and no Mission of modern times has
manifested so much of these characteristics at so early
a stage of its growth.
This is largely due to the nature of the materials of
which the Church was composed. As we said in one of
our first letters to the Convener of the Mission, " China-
men are very much like the Anglo-Saxon race ; they
have much of the same sound common sense ; they have
the same reverence for law and antiquity ; they are
practical, and regulate their affairs by expediency rather
than abstract principles ; they are, in fact, the Saxons
of Asia!' They are accustomed to a large measure of
self-government in their village system, and they bring
all their natural qualities and experience with them
into the spiritual kingdom ; and, with the Word of God
LOOKING FORWARD. 207
for their guide and absolute authority, they make the
Church in China an admirable institution for the
preservation of life and order, and a living power
for the promotion of purity and expansion. We
do not claim these advantages exclusively for the
Presbyterian form, though we believe in its advan-
tages ; other forms of Church government in China
have benefited from these solid qualities and long
experience.
We shall find each of the three centres of the Mission
taking steps for completing their arrangements for
training an educated ministry suited to the wants of
the infant Church ; completing its form of Presbyterian
government with its Presbyteries and Synod ; drawing
up a creed * on the old Calvinistic lines, but much
shorter and simpler than that of Westminster ; estab-
lishing a Mission to the heathen, conducted by the
Church, just drawn out of the heathenism in which it has
commenced its evangelistic work. In fact, each centre
takes upon itself the responsibilities of a living
Christian Church.
In telling the remainder of the story of the Mission
at its three centres, where each has, like the banian,
sent down its own stem and struck its own roots, though
still one tree, we shall be obliged to give a historical
precedence to Amoy, as the oldest and parent of the
* This has only been done by the Amoy Presbytery as yet. The other
Presl)yteries are waiting until the native members of the Church are
capable of taking a larger share in such work than they could well do at
present.
2o8 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Mission ; having got the start of the others, it has
generally taken precedence in the onward movement
of the whole. This unavoidable prominence in the
narrative we regret, as Swatow and Formosa have been
in no way behind in the talent and zeal with which the
work has been conducted, or less successful in their
efforts for the conversion of the heathen and the
building up of the Church. Amoy had also a great
advantage in its development, from its union with the
old and experienced Missionaries of the American
Dutch Church, and friendly co-operation of the oldest
Missionaries in China — the representatives of the London
Missionary Society.
The Women's Missionary Association.
One important step in advance, of equal importance
to all the three centres, was made by the ladies of the
Church establishing an Auxiliary Association, which
they called the Women's Missionary Association. The
want of such help as could only be efficiently given
by ladies who could devote their whole time to work
among women had long been felt.
The wives of the Missionaries had generously devoted
all the time they could spare from their domestic duties
to work among the women, often to the risk of their
health as well as the comforts of home, so needful to
both themselves and their husbands in a tropical
climate. We mJght mention many of the honoured
names of the wives of Missionaries who devoted
much labour to the education of girls and women,
MRS. M'GREGOR.
MISS GRAHAM.
MISS RICKETTS,
MRS. MACKENZIE.
MISS JOHNSTON.
2IO CHINA AND FORMOSA.
but shall only name the two who first opened
schools for girls — the late Mrs. McGregor in Amoy, and
Mrs. Mackenzie in Swatow. The Synod in 1877 had
approved of the employment of unmarried Missionaries,
and in the spring of 1878 Miss Ricketts was so touched
by the great needs of the women of China, as described
by Mr. Duffus at a meeting in Brighton, that .she
devoted herself and her means to seek their good. No
one could have been found more fitted by natural gifts
and practical experience for such work.
Miss Ricketts had done good work among the
women of Brighton, and as a recognition of her services
in education had been elected a member of the School
Board. She left the comforts of home and a field
of honoured usefulness to devote herself to the more
urgent wants of the women of China, and ever since
has laboured at Swatow with all the zeal of a volunteer
and loyalty of a member of the Mission staff.
In the autumn of 1878 steps were taken for the forma-
tion of the Women's Missionary Association, which has
done so much to promote the efficiency of the China
Mission. Mrs. H. M. Matheson was appointed President,
Mrs. J. E. Mathieson Secretary, and Miss Hamilton, the
daughter of Dr. Hamilton, Treasurer. Mrs. Carruthers
was appointed editor of a quarterly magazine, Our Sisters
in Other Lands, in which the feminine gifts of observation,
description, and detail, so often lacking in those of the
other sex, have done much to make the Women's Asso-
ciation one of the most popular in the Church.
The special duties assigned to the lady Missionaries
L O OKING FOR H \4 RD.
were much on the hnes of an oversight o{ all that
pertained to the development of the gifts and graces
of womanhood in the women and girls connected with
the Church in China, and for gathering heathen women
into the Christian fold. For this end they hold meetings
with the female members of the Church at the different
stations — an arduous, a difficult, and sometimes a dan-
gerous task ; they teach them to read, and expound
the Scriptures to them in a simple way adapted to
their uncultured minds ; they give them suggestions on
keeping their homes clean and comfortable.
One important issue of their work is to train Christian
women to become the wives of evangelists and teachers,
whose work is often ruined by marrying a heathen
woman ; they set up schools for girls, teach the children
themselves, or employ native teachers under them ; they
get classes of the most promising converts, and train
them for Bible-women or evangelists to their country-
women ; they visit female patients in the hospitals and
the homes of heathen women who cannot or do not
come to public worship in the chapels. In a word,
they do everything in their power, by word and example,
to train their sisters to a higher life. It would be easy
and pleasant to devote a special chapter to this work
of the Women's Association, but we prefer to notice
it in its place as an integral part of the Mission.
Education for the Ministry.
There are many departments of Mission work common
to each of the three centres which it is not necessary
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
to repeat under each ; amongst the more important of
these was the raising up of a native ministry.
A knowledge of a few elementary truths was sufficient,
and a personal experience of their truth in the preacher
was enough in China, as it has been in all ages and
all lands. The great work of the evangelist is to
tell what God had done for his own salvation, as it
was in the days of David : " I will declare what God
hath done for my soul." But to rest content with such
an elementary teaching as this, or with such an im-
perfect teacher, is not only defective, it is destructive to
both teacher and taught. The child of the kingdom
must grow in knowledge, or he will never " grow in
grace " or in the graces of the Spirit. To obviate this
danger, and secure the development of each believer and
of the whole Church, it was needful to educate these
evangelists, or to train others for the " work of the
ministry " ; and to this all the central stations devoted
themselves.
The Plan Pursued.
The plan pursued is to give the students a knowledge
of their own language first of all, and, through that, a
knowledge of the geography and history of their own
and other lands, in primary and intermediate schools,
along with the wholesome discipline of arithmetic and
geometry, of which they are not ignorant in their
own schools, but which is taught on much better
principles and by better methods in our schools and
colleges. But that which is made from beginning to
LOOKING FORWARD. 213
end the foundation of all instruction, and the atmosphere
which pervades both school and college, is the Word
of God. In knowledge of the contents of the Bible
the Chinese students will compare favourably with those
of the best colleges of England or Scotland. We give
below the plan pursued for those preparing to be
teachers in schools, students in the Theological College,
or preachers, in the Amoy Presbytery. Those of
Swatow and Formosa are substantially the same. The
examination for licence to preach as candidates for
the ministry, after the course of study is finished, will
be given in another place.
Mr. M'Gregor, in a letter dated May 23rd, 1870'
gives the rules both for the choice of students for
the ministry, and the course of study needful for the
office of evangelists,
Thr Choice of Students for the Ministry.
" As several Churches have the prospect of soon being able
to support native pastors, we begin to realise the want of men
corresponding to licensed probationers at home, to whom the
choice of the congregations must be limited. We and our
American brethren had several conferences on the subject,
which resulted in arrangements for two sets of examinations.
One of these was submitted to the Tai-hoe (Presbytery) as a
system of examination for licence, and agreed to. The other
is entirely in the hands of the Missionaries. Our plan is as
follows : —
" 1st. All preachers, students, and Christian teachers of
schools in the employment of the two Missions shall once a
year undergo an examination in the presence of the Missionaries.
" 2nd. Such as appear qualified are to be recommended by
214 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
the Mission with which they are connected to be taken on trial
by the Presbytery, with a view to Hcense.
" The examinations take place four times a year, so that ten
or eleven helpers being examined on each occasion, the whole
body in the employment of the two Missions will be examined
once a year. In the department of Bible knowledge, section i
is taken up at all the examinations held this year, section 2
next year, and so on. By this arrangement the entire Bible,
with the exception of the more difficult books (which are
reserved for the examination for licence before the Presbytery),
will be overtaken in four years, and all our helpers examined
upon it.
"A fortnight ago we had the first of these examinations. The
various subjects were divided among the Missionaries of the
two Missions as examiners. Twelve preachers and students
were, in the presence of all the Missionaries and a considerable
number of Chinese, examined. It was with difficulty we got
the examination concluded on the third day, and this fact will
suffice to show you that it was not hurried over in a slipshod
fashion.
" I believe these examinations will have a great influence in
urging our helpers to a more careful and systematic study of
the Scriptures and of Christian doctrine."
New Centres of Light and Life.
Another step which was taken in common by each
of the three centres was the setting up of subordinate
centres to be more powerful sources of light and life
than the Mission station under a native pastor. This
is the natural and most effective way of extending
the influence of the Mission, and it is the best way
of utilising the new Missionaries who are sent out by
the Church. Instead of being crowded together in one
LOOKING FOR IV A RD.
or even three centres, it Is infinitely better that they
be separated in groups of three or four men and
women, near their work, and in contact with the people.
Amoy has during the last twenty-five years established
three such new centres, Swatow two, and plans are
now laid for establishing a third, and Formosa has
added one ; while the home Committee has established
A NEW CENTRE. CHANG-PU.
a Mission at that great meeting-place of the nations,
Singapore — the neck of the world's commerce, if
London is its heart. It is crowded with Chinese, and
most of them are from the parts of China in which
our Mission is carried on, and speak the same dialect,
so that it naturally comes within our sphere of influence.
To these we will not further refer ; they will come
before us in the natural evolution of our story of the
three centres,
2l6
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Missions r.v thk Native Churches.
But the most interesting development of this second
period is the estabhshment of Missions to the heathen
by those so recently converted from heathenism. From
the time of conversion each individual convert acted
on the principle that it was his duty to seek the
conversion of his friends, especially those of his own
THE COLLEGE, HAK-KA CENTRE, WU-KING-FU.
house ; and the rapid increase of the Churches was
mainly due to the zeal of the members of the different
Churches in carrying out this first instinct of the
new life of the believing soul. But when the Churches
were organised and Presbyteries formed, the members
of the new organisation felt a new responsibility laid
upon them as a collective body ; they felt bound to
carry the Gospel to their countrymen who were stih
LOOKING FORWARD.
ii-j
sitting in darkness by a systematic effort supported
and directed by the organic body of Christians.
Each of the three centres — Amoy, Swatow, and
Formosa — felt and acted ahke in this important matter,
and each now has its definite Mission, entirely directed
and supported by the native Churches. The movement
is at once a healthy sign of life, and will be a source
of greater life by the natural reaction of the outward
activities on the inner source from which they spring.
A. LITTLE WORK,
FIRST ARITHMETIC CLASS, AMOY.
CHAPTER XII.
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION {co?ifn?2(ed).
DR. DOUGLAS paid a visit to the stations on
his return, and sent his usual calm and judicial
report to the Convener. He says that on the whole
he found decided progress in nearly all the places he
visited, not only in the increase of the number of
converts, but in the strength and stability of the
Churches and in the character of the members. Some
stations had not progressed, and he had to mourn
over the decay of faith in some ; and a few had
apostatised and denied the Lord who bought them.
With mingled feelings he heard of the peaceful or
triumphant death of old friends. One at Peh-chuia is
specially referred to : an elder of the name of Kei-cho,
who had only been a member of the Church about
four years, but had in that short time been the means
THE STORY OF THE A MOV MISSION. 219
of bringing between twenty and thirty of his heathen
countrymen out of darkness into the Hght of Christianity;
a man of strong character, who had Hved down all
the opposition of his friends, and had won the respect
of the heathen, many of whom wept at his grave
along with his fellow-Christians.
We now proceed with the story of the Mission as
recorded by the Missionaries themselves, the best
witnesses of what they saw with their own eyes and
heard with their own ears. The brethren at Amoy
had long felt that the time had come for a decided
step in advance. The Missionaries had hitherto made
Amoy their headquarters ; their houses were there, and
they had no buildings in other places in which it was
safe for health, to say nothing of comfort, for them to
spend more than a few days, or a few weeks at most.
They were not at liberty to trifle with their lives, which
were not their own, but the property of the Mission
which had spent so much in sending them, and found
it so difficult to fill their place if their health failed.
Some Missions have squandered both money and
precious lives of men, when they had just acquired the
language and were prepared for work, by not attending
to the Divine laws of health. With the best precautions
the waste of life is one of the greatest of difficulties,
greatly increased by a false economy ; and its preserva-
tion by the expenditure of a little money is the wisest
economy.
One of the regions which the Amoy Missionaries
had looked forward to as a new centre of influence
220
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
and expansion was the fertile plain of which the town
of Chang-pu is the most important. It stands on a
creek or outlet of a small river, and can be reached
from Amoy by water, from which it lies south by
west at a distance of about fortv miles, as the crow
■
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wkk
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r^^m
^^B^^^H
P"*'
w^
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.^P" ^
,^^,1 ^*:
Ufe"
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Hi
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DR. HOWIE AND ASSISTANTS, CHANG-PU.
flies, but much farther by either land or water. It is
thus described by the Rev. Robert Gordon on his
visit to the district in 1874 : —
The Rich Plain of Chang-pu.
'• Starting pretty early in the morning, we crossed by a long,
3tiff mountain pass the lofty range of hills that extends east
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION.
and west behind Khi-boey. Descending on the other side,
we had a splendid view of the Chang-pu Plain, one of the most
richly cultivated and beautiful stretches of country I have
yet met with in China. The numerous villages embosomed
amongst trees ; the terraced garden-looking plots of ground
bearing rich crops of wheat, barley, sugar-cane, etc. ; here and
there little clumps of the majestic banian or the taU graceful
bamboo, as they marked some village or lined the banks of
some mountain stream, now winding its way through the
valley below, formed the main elements of the rich panorama
spread out before the eye. Enclosing this rich plain, as if
guarding it from hostile intruders, there towered aloft some
splendid mountains, forming a worthy background to such a
picture. Gazing on such a scene, and thinking at the same
time of the vast multitudes of poor, ignorant, superstitious
Chinese inhabiting this plain, one could not help recalling
the well-known lines of Heber : — ■
' In vain with lavish kindness
The gifts of God are strown,
The heathen in his blindness
Bows down to wood and stone.'
The City of Chang-pu.
" Got to Chang-pu in the course of the forenoon, and spent
most of the day in that large city, still wholly enveloped in
deep spiritual darkness. As yet no regular \vork has been
begun there. We hope soon to be able to get a footing in
it, and to plant in this stronghold of Satan the standard of the
Cross. We would thus also secure another step nearer to
meeting our Swatow brethren, Chang-pu being on the main
road leading to Swatow and the south. I preached some four
or five times in different parts of the city to large and com-
paratively attentive crowds of people, and distributed also
a good many tracts, etc. It is a strange feeling that sometimes
comes over one standing in the midst of a large city of
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
idolaters, almost the sole worshipper of the true and living
( jod. In such circumstances one can realise something of the
Apostle's feelings as expressed in Acts xvi. 17.
Interesting Incidents.
" As we were leaving the place some of the people followed
us, wishing us to stay and speak to them longer, saying that
we came so seldom. One man came running to point out
to us the copy of the Ten Commandments that had been given
to him, now posted up in a conspicuous place near one of the
gates by the side of the main road leading into the city, so
that it might be seen and read by all who could do so on their
entering or going out of the city. Another man we saw, in
passing along, sitting in the door of his house, busy perusing
the copy of a tract he had got. Oh that these words of life
may be as good seed cast into good soil, bearing much fruit
unto eternal life ! "
We have seen how our Amoy Missionaries had long
and earnestly sought to get a station in the important
city of Chin-chev/, the capital of a district and a seat
of learning. It is about forty miles from Amoy in a
direct line, and the same distance to the north by east
that Chang-pu is to the south by west, and accessible
by both sea and land. The following summary
of a long series of letters from Dr. Douglas, dating
from 1875-7, gives the result of endless negotiations
with officials, who did all in their power to keep him
from getting a footing in the city, backed by all the
influence of a powerful literary class, who stirred up
the low rabble by false reports and bribes, while the
mass of the population was friendly or indifferent.
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 223
The Chin-chew Case— A Happy Solution.
At various intervals for three years past the Church
has been requested to remember in prayer the special
circumstances of the Mission at Chin-chew. A solution
of the long-standing difficulty with the authorities at
Chin-chew having now been reached, it is desirable
that our readers should have the leading features of
the case briefly set before them.
Chin-chew is a city of three hundred thousand souls,
lying about fifty miles north by east of Amoy, known
to Europeans for some hundreds of years as a com-
mercial centre, and having a high repute in China itself
for the number of its literary men. From the first
it has presented a powerful attraction to the labourers
at Amoy, and from the time that a footing was made
good at An-hai, twenty miles south of Chin-chew, it was
felt that the next point of attack was this great city.
In March 1866 a house a little way back from the
main street of the city was, in God's good pro-
vidence, secured for the Mission.
When it became known, there were the usual
attempts, by graduates and others, to hinder possession ;
but nothing serious resulted till the close of the year,
when a graduate named Li-han-jian, at the head of a
party of fifty men, entered and thoroughly stripped the
chapel and otherwise did damage to the amount of
about four hundred dollars. This outrage was, after
some months, in part redressed, and for several years
there was comparative quiet at Chin-chew, whilst the
224 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Mission labours were slowly crowned with success, so
that in 1875 there were about forty adult members
in the Church. At the beginning of 1875 it was felt
that an endeavour must be made to escape from the
cramped rooms and hidden position of the first location,
and at this point the struggle began. It is enough
to say, in the words of Mr. M'Gregor, who concluded
the transaction when Dr. Douglas was away at
Shanghai —
" We have secured a chapel situated in the best street of
Chin-chew, in the very centre of a city of three hundred
thousand souls ; and in the frontage we have secured we shall
be able to have a preaching hall right in the street, where we
can get an audience at any time."
Death of Dr. Douglas.
The twenty-sixth day of July 1877 was a dark day
for the Amoy Mission, and brought a great loss to the
Church. Dr. Douglas, after twenty-two years of hard
service, died of cholera in the prime of life and in the
midst of the greatest usefulness. He had just returned
from the Mission Conference at Shanghai, where he
received the highest honour which the large meeting of
Missionaries of all denominations could confer, making
him one of the two chairmen who presided over all
its meetings. His wisdom and firm gentleness in the
management of the Conference were the admiration of
all, and did much to make the Conference a great
success.
We cannot here give an analysis of the character and
OLDER MISSIONARIES AT AMOY.
REV. J. JOHNSTON.
REV. CARSTAIRS DOUGLAS, LL.D:
REV. W. M'GREGOR, M.A.
REV. \V. S. SWANSON.
15
226 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
work of the beloved brother thus so suddenly taken
from the midst of his labours ; we can only say that in
every department of Missionary work he was a model
in the faithful discharge of duty. As a student of the
language, no man of his years approached him in the
thoroughness and accuracy of his knowledge. His
dictionary is a monument of his scholarship cere
perennius ; and yet it is the testimony of his brethren
that it cannot be said he ever took an hour from his
more direct Missionary duties in its composition ; it was
compiled by time stolen from his legitimate hours for
recreation or sleep. His zeal in preaching, "in season
and out of season," " sowing beside all waters," was the
passion of a calm and rational mind ; his devotion
to the education of the members of the Church, and
especially of those preparing for the office of evangelist
or pastor, was incessant ; his fidelity in watching over
the flock of God, and in preserving the purity of the
Church in faith and morals, was that of a shepherd who
was ready to spend and be spent in the service of the
Master he served, and to whom he was preparing to
give account of the sheep committed to his charge.
Dr. Douglas was not demonstrative in his affections,
and yet he won the hearts of the Chinese in a marvellous
manner. The naturally cold and unimpassioned Chinese
were melted to tears at his death, and a finer tribute
to the character of the great and good Missionary was
rarely if ever paid than that at the first meeting of
the Amoy Presbytery after his death, when Tan-leng,
the first native pastor ordained over a self-supporting
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 227
congregation, that of Peh-chuia, read the minute which
he had prepared for insertion in the Records amidst
the tears and sobs of the whole of the brethren. The
description of that meeting is well worthy of thoughtful
perusal, as showing how the Gospel gives a heart to
the cold-blooded Chinese.
Testimony to Dr. Douglas by the Amoy Presbytery.
The Rev. W. S. Swanson writes to Mr. Matheson : " We
have just had our spring meeting of Presbytery, one of the
most stirring and profitable meetings we have ever had. We
commenced on Tuesday, and continued our sittings during
Wednesday and Thursday. We sat for six hours each day,
and every moment was fully occupied with important business.
There was a full representation of members; and when the
Sederunt was made up there were four native pastors, five
foreign Missionaries, fifteen native elders, and two delegates
from the London Mission Churches in this quarter. These
represented more that fifty separate congregations, and the
sight made those of us who could look back to the past small
beginning thank God with humble, grateful hearts.
" Carefully drawn-up reports on Church finance and on the
progress of the work were given in and discussed, and it would
have done your heart good to see how heartily and intelligently
and systematically the whole business was conducted.
" The Amoy Presbytery has now a membership of twelve
hundred and seventy adults under its jurisdiction, with a large
number of baptised children and adherents. The total sum
contributed by the Church members last year amounts to 2,482
dollars (a sum, reckoning the dollar at 45". 3<3^., equal to
^3^527 I oi".), making the average contribution of each individual
something near Zs. 4^. They are able to do more than
this, and I do hope and believe that further progress will be
made.
228
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
A CHiNf:sE Presbytery in Tears.
"At the previous meeting of Presbytery a committee was
appointed to prepare a minute expressing the grievous loss
sustained by the lamented death of Dr. Douglas. Our Peh-chuia
pastor, the Rev. Tan-leng, drew up the minute, and all I can
say of it now is that it is most ably done. It is of considerable
length, and goes carefully into the history of our beloved
brother's devoted life and work in China. When the minute
was read, there was such a scene as I never expected to see
in China.
DOUGLAS MEMCRIAL CHAl'EI,
" It was read by its author ; and as he drew near the close,
where were recounted the affecting details of Dr. Douglas's
last days on earth, and the estimate of his life and work and
worth, his voice began to tremble, and at length it was only
with sobs and weeping that he made his way through the
document. By this time every member of Presbytery and the
large audience had broken down, and every individual present
was bathed in tears. It is no easy matter to make the Chinese
weep, and those who know them best are best able to estimate
how deeply they were touched. I cannot describe the scene ;
THE SrORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 229
it was inexpressibly sad to see a church filled with strong men
weeping like litde children. I came away from it with a
chastened joy filling my heart ; for I know that no nobler
testimony can ever be given to the worth of one of the noblest
men that have ever lived. He is not dead here, and while the
Church of Christ exists in this region the memory of what he
was and of what he did will never die.
" Another marked feature of this Presbytery was the closing
meeting. We all sat down together at the Lord's Table. Our
Moderator (the Peh-chuia pastor) dispensed the ordinance.
Most solemnly and feelingly he did his duty, and I know we
all enjoyed it. After the Communion most earnest and spirited
addresses were delivered on the state of religion. The defici-
encies and disappointments, the lack of zeal for the salvation
of souls, and other such subjects were pressed on the attention
of all. We sang together a parting hymn, and the company
dispersed after three such days as I shall not soon forget.
" I trust we may soon be able to report the ordination of at
least another native pastor. We have several men preparing
for licence, and I hope our Kio-lai congregation will by the time
these men are licensed be prepared to give a call to one of them."
Meeting of Chin-chew Presbytery.
In the year 1880 the establishment of Chin-chew
as a new centre of influence was completed by the
settlement of a Medical Missionary there. The Com-
mittee were fortunate in finding in Dr. Grant a man
eminently fitted for such a post. By his skill as a
physician and surgeon he soon compelled the respect
and confidence of the community, and by his tenderness
and interest in his patients he won the hearts of many, and
greatly helped the good work in all that region.
One result of the increase of the northern Churches
was the necessity for dividing the Presbytery of Amoy
230 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
into two, of which Chin-chew was chosen as the northern
headquarters. In a letter from the Rev. H. Thompson
we have a most interesting account of the meeting of
the Chin-chew Presbytery on October 29th, 1881, at
which four candidates for " licence to preach the Gospel "
appeared for examination. It is cheering to read the
account of the proceedings in that young Church court,
and to think of the old forms gone through with all
dignity by our Chinese brethren in pigtails and a
monosyllabic language. But there is more than forms —
there is all the evidence of a living and growing Church
of Christ in the midst of surrounding heathenism.
By the letter from the Rev. H. Thompson, dated Amoy,
October 29th, 1881, we receive the interesting account
of the call of pastors by Churches willing to support
them by their own voluntary contributions — a new and
important step in the life of a Church.
Self-supporting Churches.
"Amoy, October i^ih, 1881.
" The Presbytery of Chin-chew and Chang-chew met in the
Douglas Memorial Church on Tuesday, October 25th, at
3 p.m., the Rev. Robert Gordon moderator. The Rev. D.
Smith, of Formosa, being present, was associated. The after-
noon was entirely taken up with hearing the reports of the
various committees and other routine business. The com-
mittees appointed to visit the five Churches to which the
Presbytery had previously granted requests to call pastors
reported that they had found the several Churches financially
in a position to carry out what they proposed, and the members,
with one exception, of one heart in the matter. Some difficulty
had arisen in the Chang-chew (Church ; but as it afterwards
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 231
requested that candidates should be sent to be heard, we hope
the difficulty has been overcome.
Four Candidates for Licence.
"The following morning at half-past nine the Presbytery
reassembled and spent half an hour in prayer. One item of
great interest in the business of the day was the proposing
of four candidates for licence. Since the last meeting of
Presbytery three men belonging to our Mission— Thien-khe,
Kam-tsoa, and Pe, and one Pheng, a preacher of the American
Mission — have been preparing for examination. A committee
of the Missionaries and the native pastors had been appointed to
prescribe subjects and to examine thereon. As the Presbytery
agreed to the above-mentioned proposition, this examination
was proceeded with, and was not over until Thursday morning.
" The candidates having acquitted themselves most creditably
(Khe, the tutor of our college, distinguished himself), the
Presbytery were unanimous in granting their licence. In the
afternoon we had the great pleasure of seeing them duly
licensed, the Moderator putting the usual questions.
" Surely here is something to call forth the praise of all the
Churches ! God hath wrought great things for us. We have
now five licentiates, and five Churches waiting to call them to
the office of pastor. If ever the Church here needed the
prayers of the Church at home, it is now. This is a critical
point in our history. May God Himself guide each man into
the sphere in which He would have Him labour, and may this
step forward redound to the glory of Him alone who is the
glorious Head of the Church ! "
A Visit to Dr. Grant at Chin-chew by the
Rev. James Main.
" Tai-wan-fu, February igth, 1883.
The Hospital.
" Soon after our arrival we went with the doctor to the
hospital for the regular evening^ worship with the patients.
232 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
The hospital, Hke the chapel, consists of a Chinese house and
courtyard. The dwelling-house forms the hospital proper, and
the court, with the outhouses, have been converted into a
dispensary and house for native preachers. In the centre of
the dwelling-house there is a large hall open in front ; this
forms a sort of chapel for the hospital. The wards for the
DR. GRANT AND HOSPITAL ASSISTANTS, CHIN-CHEW,
in-patients are on each side of this. When the gong was
sounded, about twenty persons, for most part in-patients,
gathered together for worship. The native preacher — a very
intelligent-looking man — presided. Here again I found the
excellent customs of reading Scripture in course, and of reading
verse about prevail. The subject for that evening was the
conversion of St. Paul. Question and answer followed each
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 233
other in quick succession, manifesting a great amount of
intelligence and of interest in the Word of God. After worship
we went round the wards with the doctor. The little hospital
is more than full.
A Little Patient.
"There are some interesting cases among them, but none
more interesting than that of a little sufferer of about eleven
years, to whom the doctor introduced us. He has been in
for over six months with hip-joint disease, and his thin, pale
face tells a tale of much suffering. But it tells another tale
as well. It has something in it which makes you feel that the
poor little sufferer has been to the Physician of souls, and has
been touched by His healing hand. He has a great love for
the doctor ; and the beautiful pictures that lighted up the walls
of his little chamber, and the toys that lay on his bed, show
that he has had cause to love him.
" When Mr. Thompson asked him if he loved the doctor,
the poor little fellow put his hand to his heart, and said, with
a smile, that he loved him ' deep, deep.' Mr. Thompson then
went on to ask him if he loved Jesus ; and the boy not only
said he did, but told very clearly the reason w^hy he loved.
He also repeated one of his simple prayers, which ran some-
thing in this way : ' God bless the doctor ; God bless me,
and make me better soon, soon, and teach me Jesus' holy
doctrine ; and God bless all the sick people here, and teach
them to know Jesus' holy doctrine.' The poor little fellow
has evidently a thinking mind that will not be satisfied with
anything but the real and the practical.
" One day he said to the doctor, ' Doctor, is God angry with
people who say what is not true ? ' ' Yes,' said the doctor.
' Is he angry with your men and our men equally ? ' ' Yes,'
repeated the doctor. ' Then,' said the little logician, ' God is
angry with you ; for when I came in here you said you would
not cut my leg, and you did.' The doctor did not tell us how
he got out of this clever dilemma."
234 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
After much opposition and violence a chapel was
at length secured at Chang-pu, where work had been
carried on since 1879. The following letter from the
Rev. J. Watson tells of the final victory : —
The Chapel at Chang-pu.
"Chang-pu, June 2nd, 1884.
" How thankful I am to be able to send word that we have
got a chapel in this town ! The troubles we have come
through deepen our conviction that the door has been opened
by the Lord, and that no man will be able to shut it.
" As I mentioned in my last letter, I went back to Chang-pu
to complete the bargain and get -possession at once. When
I got here, some days were consumed in negotiating with the
landlord, who could not be made to see how important it was
both for himself and for us that he should let us into the
house before any who might wish to oppose heard that we
had got a house.
"On Monday night (May 19th) we paid over the money;
and about midnight the Khi-boey pastor and two Christians
went into the house. On Tuesday, at break of day, I went in.
It was a lovely morning ; everything was calm and peaceful.
Seldom have I been so full of joy. We had worship together,
singing ' O thou my soul, bless God the Lord ' and ' I'm not
ashamed to own my Lord,' and reading that passage where the
Lord spake to Paul, ' Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not
thy peace : for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to
hurt thee : for I have much people in this city.'
"The news that we had been driven out of our chapel
spread fast ; but the good news that we had got into it again
spread faster among the Christians, and last Sabbath there
was thanksgiving and prayer that many may be saved in this
place. We have had several prayer meetings for special blessing
on this city and surrounding district, and we have also been
praying for a hospital."
girls' school, chin-chew.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION {concluded).
Arrival of Lady Missionaries
IN 1883 an interesting addition was made to the
Mission staff in Amoy by the arrival of the first of
the agents of the " Women's Mission " — Miss Maclagan,
who was joined in 1885 by Miss Johnston — most
welcome additions to the number of workers, but still
more by the development of an important part of
the Mission work. They took over and enlarged the
schools previously in existence, and at a later period set
up village schools in the interior They stimulated the
education of the female members of the Church, and
helped in visiting the women in the hospital, and both
236 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
gave much help to the wives of the Missionaries, who
had been striving to do such work, while the young
Missionaries received from their more experienced
sisters much valuable help in return.
Home for Rescued Infants.
One happy result of the arrival of the unmarried
Missionary ladies was the setting up of a babies' home
for deserted little children who were cast out to die,
or that were likely to be destroyed because they
were girls, or boys that were deformed, and not likely
to be of use as bread-winners for the family. This
cruel custom was so common when China was thrown
open to intercourse with the foreigner, that in the
province of Fuhkien it was said there were only
seven women for ten men ; that meant the destruction
of three girls out of every ten children that were born
alive — three hundred out of every thousand, and so on
for the fourteen millions of the province. To counter-
act such a slaughter of the innocents as this, the
setting up of a small hospital might seem a futile
effort, and as far as the number saved went it would
have been trifling ; but as an expression of feeling
of the human heart, and the assertion of a great
principle, it had a power far beyond the numbers
who were saved from actual destruction. The as-
sertion of the principle by the preacher was much,
and the example of the converts, who lavished as
much love on their girls as their boys, and more on
the cripple than on the strong, was much more ; but
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 237
the establishment of an institution for the express
purpose of preserving the lives of these despised little
ones told far and wide as a grand object lesson for
the region around, and was doubtless one of the factors
in bringing about what is now admitted to be a fact,
that the destruction of female children in Fuhkien
is very much less than it was before the entrance of
Missionaries. Even the natural conscience has been
awakened, and where formerly the crime was ac-
knowledged without the slightest sense of shame, both
men and women now admit it to be wrong. In this
benevolent work they are liberally assisted by the
European community, so that there is little need for
help from home, and the committee is not called on to
contribute to its support.
It is difficult to believe that parents in China can
be capable of murdering their little ones in cold
blood. They show the greatest affection for their
children, both male and female. They spoil them by
over-indulgence; and yet there is not a doubt as
to the frequency of infanticide. Poverty is the chief,
but not the only cause. The materialism and utili-
tarianism of the people account for much of it. The
life of a little child has no moral or material value.
It is only a little animal, over which a father has
absolute control. Indeed, a pig or a puppy would
be more sure of life for a season, as they would soon
be reared for the market or the pot ; but a girl takes
long to rear, and there might be no market when
she is of age.
!38 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
The first operation which made the hospital of Dr
Howie famous in this new centre of work was the
amputation of the leg of a poor beggar who had been
laid at the door of his house to die. As the only member
of the body amputated in China is the head, the sight
of the well-known beggar earning his living on his
wooden leg made a great sensation ; and that the religion
of Jesus taught men like Dr. Howie to care for a poor
outcast was to the Chinese a new revelation.
The Beginning of Medical Work in Chang-pu.
" The first major operation performed in Chang-pu was in
many ways a remarkable one. One evening a beggar with
a dreadful leg, and in all but a dying condition, was laid
by some of his friends at the door of Dr. Howie's house, and
left there. His groans attracted the attention of the servants,
and they told the doctor. When examined, it was found that
the poor wretch Jiad a compound fracture of the left leg, and
that the bones were sticking out through a large suppurating
putrid wound. It was afterwards ascertained that the leg had
been diseased for twenty-three years, and had become so
rotten that one night it broke while the sufferer was in bed.
"The doctor had the patient at once carried to an empty
house belonging to one of our Church members, and there on
the morrow, in the presence of a large and wondering crowd,
amputated the limb below the knee. To the surprise of all,
the man stood the operation well, and has since gready
improved in general condition.
"That the foreign doctor should pay so much attention
to, and spend so much time and trouble on, a beggar seems
to have astonished the Chinese. They cannot understand
how any one should give himself so much trouble without
being paid for it. I heard one say, as he was watching the
doctor doing his work, 'Well, the Chinaman would not do
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION.
239
such things.' It came to our ears that a number of the
shopkeepers in the town are not at all pleased that the man's
life has been saved. They hoped he would die, for he has
been a source of great annoyance to them. He used to go
to their shops and expose his sickening sore, and refuse to
go away until they gave him what he demanded — viz. four
hundred cash from the largest shops, down to eighty cash
from the smaller ones. There is every probability of his
DR. HOWIE.S riRST AMI'UTATIONS AT CUANG-PU.
recovery now; and we trust he will not only be a miracle
of heahng, but also a miracle of saving grace."
The heathen's dread of death is illustrated by the
following superstition : —
Twelve Euphemisms for the one Ugly Word " Death."
" Chinese superstition. — We have superstitions lingering
among ourselves, mostly harmless but Chinese superstition is
S40 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
rampant and burdensome. Much of the real religion of this
civilised people is devil-worship, a religion of terror. Arch-
deacon Moiile, who labours in the north of the same province
[Fuhkien] in which our own Missions lie, says : ' The people
of this region are extremely superstitious, and intensely afraid
of death and evil spirits. To mention death in their presence,
especially at this season of the year [New Year's time], is tanta-
mount to a gross insult, and is considered by them as an evil
omen. They avoid, if possible, the mention of death at any
time, and have invented a variety of euphemisms to designate
the king of terrors. The word for the dreaded fact is Si, but
there are twelve periphrases by which they avoid pronounc-
ing it: (i) Kwo = To pass away; (2) Kwo-haio = To pass
behind; (3) Kwo-sie = To pass over this life; (4) Sie-sie = To
leave the world ; (5) Hong-kwo = Passed and gone ; (6)
Law = Flowed away like water; (7) Chaw = Flown away like a
bird; (8) Pah-rno-ko = Lost ; (9) Seng-tieng = Passeth on to
heaven; (to) Kiu-tieng = Returned to heaven; (11) Tiong-
chu = Returned to your original ancestor; (12) Yen-tio = Fell
on sleep.' From all this bondage of fear the only deliverance
possible is acceptance of the Gospel of Jesus."
Miss Johnston, Amoy, in a letter which appeared in
the Messenger for June 1892, gives the fullest account
we have seen of ancestral tablets, the worship of
which is the practical religion of the great mass of the
people of China. The examples given of the influence
of this idolatrous custom, the difficulty of abandoning
it, and the courage and faith of feeble and simple
believers in overcoming their superstitious fears, are as
instructive as they are interesting.
Ancestral Tablets.
" One cannot be long in China without seeing and hearing
a good deal about the worship of ancestors, in which worship
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 241
the ancestral tablets play an important part. The tablets are
in themselves insignificant slips of wood about eight inches
long and three broad, painted a dull brown, and one end runs
into a short footboard for support. They stand, sometimes
singly, sometimes in rows three or four deep, on a high, narrow
table, along one end of the entrance hall, which serves as
guest room in every heathen home. For some time after
coming to China I did not notice the tablets, being more
interested in examining the idols, which occupy the centre of
the table. My attention was first forcibly directed to the
tablets when calling on an old woman and inquiring after her
sick daughter. She pouted her lips in the direction of the
table, saying, ' There she is ! ' On looking up, expecting to
see the girl enter, I noticed a new slip of wood which had
been added to the dusty column of worm-eaten tablets, and
realised that the young woman was supposed to be seated
there — dead, yet still present.
The Difficulties of Christians.
" A week or two ago Miss M. Talmage and I took advan-
tage of a bright day to visit some Christians in a village near
Amoy. While one of us took notes of the names and ages of
the women and girls in the family, trying to find pupils for
the schools, the other spoke to the crowds of heathen who
gathered about the doors. We visited about twenty houses,
and in only two of these did we find the tables vacated by
their row of ghosdy tablets, not because the Christians them-
selves worshipped them, but because, owing to the Chinese
custom of having large families under one roof, there were
always heathen relations in the houses who objected to their
removal. In every house, behind the crowd of smiling, gaily
dressed women who hastened to greet us, stood the silent
host of their departed ancestors — a people who were not a
people, and yet whose influence outweighed that of the
living souls before us. A living woman has little power in
16
242 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
China, but the spirit of the dead is greatly to be feared. For
this reason suicide is often perpetrated by way of revenge.
Even children in a fit of anger will attempt to drown or hang
themselves, the living being threatened with the anger of the
dead.
The Offerings to the Spirits.
'* In house after house the long tables faced us, sometimes
gilded and garnished, with gay cloth hangings, but more often
dusty, a mass of cobwebs and confusion. In the centre stood
the idols, occasionally in a glass case — the Goddess of Mercy
the principal figure, with on one hand the earth god, and on
the other the kitchen god, red and smiling ; then, in long
rows, the tablets, with basins of rice, surmounted by a few
cash and an orange, placed in front. Other offerings, of
vermicelli, vegetables, and meat, were often seen. Each
tablet is supposed to have its separate basin and chopsticks ;
so that, as a man remarked when demolishing his household
gods, ' To-day's work will save a good deal of dish-washing.'
At all feasts and ceremonies, in seasons of mourning and
rejoicing, the spirits of the dead must have their share of the
good things. In the midst of the busy life around they keep
their silent watch — dead, but not gone, ever wakeful, ready to
work vengeance and evil on all offenders.
The Ancestral Tablets put Away.
" Having been accustomed from childhood to believe in the
power and presence of these ancestors, it is no easy matter,
even for Christians, to rid themselves of superstitious fears and
at the same time oppose the public sentiment of filial duty by
giving up ancestral worship. Only a short time ago I met with
an instance of this. One afternoon a Christian woman asked
me to go with a friend and visit a neighbour of hers who had
lately become interested in the Gospel. She had given up the
worship of idols, but feared to part with the tablets. She
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 243
thought if we would pray with her she would have courage to
throw them away. A few minutes' walk from the chapel
brought us to her home, a tiny hovel, where a loom with its
half-finished web of cloth nearly filled the room. Dust and
cobwebs, broken earthenware, stools and buckets, littered the
floor and heaped the corners. It was a cool, breezy morning,
but a flare of warmth flashed out from under the rice-boiler,
where a blazinsj fire crackled over the handful of thorns which
had been thrust under the earthen stove.
A Spiritual Conflict.
" Cold though it was, the woman we came to see was bathed
in perspiration as she drew out some dusty slabs of wood from
one of the buckets and held them up in the sunlight. ' Do
you see these ? ' she said, addressing a crowd of boys and
women in the doorway, who, silent for the moment, were
watching the scene with eager curiosity. ' I am going to have
nothing more to do with them ; they are of no use. I am
going to trust in Jesus the Saviour ; I know He wiU protect
me.' Then turning to us, she said earnestly, ' Pray forme, and
I will not be afraid, even if my ancestors revenge themselves
and take my life. The Saviour will watch over me ; He will
take me to heaven, will he not ? ' After a little talk and prayer
together the tablets were tied up in a napkin. One seemed to
have been broken, and was held together by a string. ' That
was done some months ago,' explained our guide, * when my
friend decided to give up the worship of idols. She gave her
gods to the children to play with, and the tablets she began to
split up for firewood ; but when she had broken one she was
afraid, and tied it together again, lest the spirit should be angry
and bring evil influences to bear on her.' ' Are you quite
willing to give us these ? ' we asked again, before carrying away
the bundle, ' Quite willing. You will pray for me, will you
not ? I will trust in the Saviour ; indeed, I will not be afraid ! '
So with an explanation to the neighbours, and with an invitation
244 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
to come and hear at the chapel, we left her, hoping that some
day she may be able to read in the women's school in Amoy,
and so learn more of the Saviour in whom she has already put
her trust.
" A few days after I was telling the story to an old schoolgirl.
She smiled, and said, ' My grandmother, too, was very much
afraid of the spirits. When she first worshipped God, she laid
the tablets under the table. As no harm came of it, she put
them behind the bed for a night or two. Still no evil came to
the family ; so she grew bolder, and put them in the dust- heap.
As they did not avenge this indignity, it showed plainly that
they had no power, so she fearlessly chopped them up to light
the fire and boil the rice."
A Native Pastor's Sermon on Working for
Christ.
Mr. George Wales, the lay evangelist, supplies some
notes of a sermon he heard at Siong-see, a fishing village
south from Chin-chew, preached by the pastor there. A
band of sixteen evangelists has been enrolled in this
Church, who each week go out into the villages round
about to preach the Gospel. The pastor was on this
occasion stirring up his people to still greater zeal in
service. His text was, "/ zuill make you fishers of men "
(Mark i. 17).
'• After an introduction, pointing out that Christ desired and
demanded that all His followers should be workers, he came to
closer quarters with his text, saying that the sea is the world,
the boat is the Church, the net is the Gospel, and the boatmen
the Church members. The fisherman's life, he said, is by no
means an easy one ; and he constantly meets with much suffer-
ing and privation. Sometimes he catches very little, sometimes
nothing, yet he is not restrained either by hardship or ill-success.
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 245
but perseveres. He always hopes he will catch more. Every
day we ought to work for Jesus persistently, always hoping for
success and greater success. He next spoke of the different
kinds of fish, the different seasons at which they appear, and
the need of different methods, and applied the lesson to
Christian work.
Excuses.
" Then followed an attack upon the excuses men give for their
lack of service that would have done credit to Mr. McNeil.
' I cannot read the characters.' No ! but nobody asked you to
read to people, and you do not require to know the ' characters '
in order to talk. ' I do not understand how to work for Christ.'
Is that the way you argue about fishing ? No ! you set your-
self vigorously to find out ; and the longer you fish the more
you find out. You don't expect the young apprentice to know
as much as the old salt, but the apprentice does his best, and
he learns. ' I am not worthy ; I must prepare, and then, some
day, when I have leisure, will speak.' These and many such
excuses came in for their share of the pommelling.
Conclusion.
" He concluded by impressing on them the fact that if any
man earnestly wishes to fish for Christ the opportunities will
not be lacking, and every time he fished he would become an
abler fisherman. ' If you cannot fish in the sea, fish in the
river ; if you cannot fish in the river, fish on the sands ; but by
all means fish. No opportunity is too insignificant — all souls
are God's, and all are equally precious in His sight. When
Christ met the woman of Samaria by the well, He did not say,
" Here is a poor opportunity." No ! He seized every oppor-
tunity. Nor should we count the cost, ever remembermg the
sufferings of Him who " endured the Cross, despising the
shame." ' This, though fragmentary, will give you some idea of
the sermon. It was racy, but suffered very considerably in the
delivering, which lacked animation, except when he was on the
war-path against the excuses."
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION.
247
The First Synod in China.
Mr. McGregor, writing from Amoy in the end of
May 1893, after his recovery from an attack of influenza,
gives some interesting details regarding the division
of the Amoy Presbytery and the formation of a Synod.
" It is just thirty years since the Presbytery of Amoy was
formed, consisting of the two Missions (our own and that of
the American Reformed Church), two native ministers, and six
representative elders.
Need for a Synod.
" There are now in connection with the two Missions
seventy-seven places of worship in which services are regularly
maintained. These are ecclesiastically connected with eighteen
organised congregations, of which sixteen have native ministers
ordained over them. The Presbytery had thus come to consist
of thirty-four native members, besides the Missionaries of
the two Missions, and its membership was being continually
added to.
" It was not, however, the number of the members that made
division urgent, but the distances they had to travel. Even in
a country of railways like Great Britain, to travel a hundred
miles to a Presbytery meeting is inconvenient ; but here a
journey of a hundred miles consumes as much of an active
minister's time as a journey from London to Gibraltar, and
involves much more fatigue. For the sake of the native
members, therefore, the division of the Presbytery had become
imperative. At the last meeting, accordingly, resolutions were
passed dividing the Presbytery and appointing a day next
spring for the meeting of Synod. In accordance with these
resolutions, the Presbytery of Chin-chew and the Presbytery of
Chang-chew met at the close of the Sederunt, and, being
regularly constituted, proceeded to transact some necessary
business."
248 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Visit to Chin-chew by the Rev. T. E.
Sandeman.
On the way to Chin-chew. — In a private letter,
written in the last days of June, Mr. Sandeman describes
some incidents of a journey to Chin-chew, and then
tells of the sorrow of the Church over the loss of one
of its leading members and workers, the preacher Ba.
Death of Ba.
" I am now in Chin-chew. Ba is dead. It is a great blow.
He was perhaps the best, and therefore perhaps the greatest,
man I ever met. To him to live was indeed Christ, and
to die was gain. Tak, his younger brother, for years and
years played the prodigal. Ba was told by Christian friends
to give up seeking to save such an incorrigible fellow.
They said, ' You have done your duty ; your conscience
is clean. If he will perish, don't mind him.' But he never
would listen. At last the gambling, drinking brother was
changed by a miracle of grace into a useful, earnest Christian.
Ba was full of heavenly joy. He said it was like the raising
of Lazarus from the dead. His daily work from early morning
till late at night consisted in three things only — prayer, reading
the Scriptures, and preaching and exhorting. Even on the
road he always had his Bible under his arm and was meditating
on the ' wonderful words of life.' He taught us all without
knowing it. He was absolutely without guile and absolutely
honest in all he said. His wonderful activity of holy living
was accomplished in a weak and poor-looking body. There
is universal and deep sorrow over this good man's death."
We have much pleasure in quoting the following
touching account of a Christian death-bed, and the
contrast to that of the heathen, by Miss Graham of
Chin-chew : —
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 249
Peaceful Death of Gim-keng.
" ' Do you know that Gim-keng is very ill ? ' asked our native
preacher's wife of me one hot July afternoon ; ' she has been in
high fever since last night, and her husband is very anxious about
her.' 'No, I did not know she was ill,' I answered; 'but I
will go and see her this evening.' Gim-keng was a great friend
of ours, and had been a near neighbour for some years. She
was a gentle, earnest Christian girl, the wife of a former
student in Dr. Grant's Hospital in Chin-chew. Her husband
is now practising as a doctor in the city, and bearing a brave
witness for Christ in the homes of his patients. They have
three little children whom Gim-keng was seeking to train for
God, and their home was one of the bright spots in the
darkness of our great heathen city. A little later in the
evening I found my way to Gim-keng's bedside. She was
evidently very ill and in great suffering. In answer to my
greeting, ' Peace ' (that is the usual Christian greeting in
China; the heathen ask, 'Have you eaten rice?' the Christians
ask, ' Have you peace ? '), she looked up and answered with
a smile, ' My body is in great pain, but my inside heart is in
peace, peace.' And truly, during the days of weary suffering
that followed, she was kept in 'perfect peace.'
" I have watched beside a good many sick-beds at home,
but I have never seen sweeter patience in bearing pain, or
more quiet, happy surrender to the will of God, than in that
little Chinese sick-room. She acquiesced cheerfully in every
remedy that was suggested, yet from the first she seemed
to be conscious that the Master was calling her home, and
she was only concerned lest her husband and mother should
grieve overmuch. More than once she said to them, 'Do
not grieve for me. If it be God's will that I should stay with
you, I am content ; but if it be His will to call me to Himself,
I am still more content.' And then she said, 'Jesus is with
me, and He will never leave me. Jesus is preparing a place
for me, and it is a beautiful place, far better than anything
250 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
here. Soon He will come Himself and lead me to it. I
want so much to go with Him.' Once she sang in our
Chinese version 'There is a happy land,' and as she sang
it her face seemed lit up with the glory of which she was
already getting a glimpse.
" It was my privilege to sit beside her on the morning of
the day on which God took her. It was evident to us all
that her strength was failing fast ; but though she knew the
end was not far off, there was not a vestige of fear. She
spoke to her husband, bidding him follow Christ faithfully
and remember all that Dr. Grant had taught him both by
word and by example ; to her old mother, who was weeping
bitterly, telling her not to grieve, for it was so good to go
and to be with Jesus, and the parting was but for a little
while; to her five-year-old daughter, who stood by, with an
awed look on her little face, telling her to love the Saviour
and to meet her mother in heaven. And then it seemed
as if she lost sight of the watchers by her bedside, and saw
only the One Shining Presence, invisible to us; and she
spoke to the Master Himself, as one speaketh to his friend,
face to face. ' Saviour,' she said, ' You have loved me very
much ; You have come to lead me to the Father's home, and
I am so glad to go with You, I want You to take me quickly.'
And then again, 'You have loved me so.'
The Heathen Dread of Death.
" I have seen death enter a heathen home, and it is a
fearful sight; the terror and the utter hopelessness and the
grief for which there is no comfort are things, once seen,
not easily forgotten. But here, in this little Christian home,
there was peace, there was victory, and there was triumphant
hope. She was conscious of His presence who is the Prince
of Life, and the dread king of terrors was but His messenger,
sent to summon His child home. Peering in at the door
were three or four heathen neighbours, anxious to know
what was going on, but afraid to cross the threshold. ' See,'
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 251
said one of them to the others, 'these Christians are not
like us; they do not fear to die. Surely the doctrine must
be good.' When the little company of relations and friends
gathered for the simple burial service, ere Gim-keng was laid
in her last resting-place, a number of long-robed scholars
stood among them, members, some of them, of the best
known literary famihes in Chin-chew. Their presence at
a Christian funeral could not fail to attract attention from
the crowd. Gim-keng's husband had attended them and
their friends as a doctor, had gained their respect and liking,
and now they had come to show their sympathy with him
in his trouble. Whilst the pastor prayed and read from the
' Holy Book,' they stood respectfully silent ; they listened
with evident interest when he spoke of the difference between
the death of a heathen and the ' falling asleep ' of a disciple
of Jesus, and when he told of the Home to which our sister
had gone. Afterwards, as they followed the funeral pro-
cession, some of the bystanders twitted them with ' eating the
foreign doctrine,' and one of them answered, 'The Sien-si
[i.e. doctor] is our good friend, and if he does belong to
the Jesus Society, what wrong is there in that ? the doctrine
is good.' And, again, I heard from some of the onlookers
the remark by the women who had seen Gim-keng's death-
bed, ' These people are not afraid of death like we are ; truly
their doctrine is good.'
"And yet there are people who think foreign Missions
are a mistake, and that our converts are only 'rice Christians,'
and that the Chinese are never really converted. ' It is
all great waste of money and strength,' said a gentleman
to me the other day ; ' the Chinese are quite happy as they
are, and their own religion is good enough for them.' Some
old words came into my mind about some ' who sit in dark-
ness and the shadow of death,' who, ' through fear of death,
are all their lifetime subject to bondage.' That is the true
picture of the heathen who have not heard of Him who is
the resurrection and the life."
252
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Miss G. J. Maclagan writes of her work among the
women in Chang-pu in October 1 894 : —
"We miss Miss Lecky very much. She left last week,
and by this time will be in Chin-chew with Miss Graham.
We are glad to think it will not be long now before Miss
Johnston returns. We have started a meeting here every
Thursday for prayer and for visiting the heathen. The men
have done this for some time back, but now the women
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meet too, and, after a word of prayer, go out two and two.
There are very few here who can do this work ; five or six
only ; there are so very few Christian women. Some of these
are too young to go out, others have work which cannot be
left. Last Thursday I went with an old woman employed
by Dr. Howie to wash floors and bandages in the hospital.
She is no help in speaking, but she knows a good many
places in the city. She took me to two houses, both belonging
to well-to-do people and very large families. In both houses
there were women opium-smokers who professed themselves
anxious to give up the habit. There is an old lady, 0-m,
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 253
who has been coming for the last month to church, who has
smoked opium for the last nineteen years. She says she
has given it quite up. She was very miserable with the
opium craving for a few days, and said she prayed and read
her hymn-book at such times until she felt better. We gave
her tea and coffee, and she said that helped her, and on one
or two days she came to school and read her hymn-book all
day, and we gave her some soup. She used to be very
earnest in worshipping idols. She said, ' Other people only
worship on the ist and 15th of the month, but I worshipped
every day.' A year and a half ago she heard Mr. Watson
preaching in the street about the heavenly Father; she
opened her shutter to hear better, and asked Mr. Watson
how she ought to worship the heavenly Father ; she had
never heard of Him. Mr. Watson told her to come to
church. She did not know any one who did so, so she did
not dare to come. This year she changed her house and
came to live near an old man who comes to church, and he
brought her for the first time six weeks ago.
"She is a very interesting and intelligent old lady, and I
hope she will continue to come, and learn to trust in the
Saviour. When I was telling her about the Saviour's death
for us, she asked so many questions about it — ' How one
could die for many,' ' Why God did not choose some other
way ' ; showing that she was thinking about what she heard.
She told me she was going to unbind her feet ; and when I
hinted that she might be excused doing so, as she is quite
old, she said, ' In everything I will follow God's commands.'
However, she has not unbound them yet, there being some
difficulty about it ; her feet have been bound so long and so
tightly.
" Our new house is begun ; the men are digging the founda-
tions. The builder says that it will not be ready till after the
new year. It has been very difficult to get any one to undertake
the building; no one here understands it, and the Amoy
men object to come inland."
254
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
The New Centre of Eng-chhun.
After much negotiation, and a good deal of opposition,
a site for a hospital was secured at the important
town of Eng-chhun, which had long been desired as
DR. HOWIE, CHANG-PU. DR. CROSS, ENG-CHHUN.
REV. W. m'gREGOR, M.A.
MR. G. M. WALES, AMOY. REV. C. CAMPBELL BROWN.
DR. PATON. CHIN-CHEW. REV. T. E. SANDEMAN.
a new centre for English agents to settle at. It will
form the northern limit of the direct action of the
Amoy Presbytery, as it brings us near to the southern
limit of other Missions. The district is populous and
THE STORY OF THE AMOY MISSION. 255
accessible, and promises to be a most important sphere
of influence.
A Hospital for Eng-chhun.
" Mr. Watson and Mr. Campbell Brown went north from
Amoy to Eng-chhun in the end of October, to endeavour
to obtain possession of the site for the hospital. Although
some of the literati of the city have been friendly, others of
the local magnates have opposed the entrance of the Mission,
and delay upon delay has ensued. ' The bargain ' (about the
house) ' has been ratified in Court,' Mr. Brown writes to
Mr. Matheson (November 2nd), ' but the tenants refuse to go
out ; and whilst the Mandarins profess to be urging them to
go, we have but too good reason to fear they are in reality
winking at the delay. Under pressure from our Consul, the
Tau-tai at Amoy has insisted upon the Eng-chhun Mandarin
taking steps to put us in possession of our property. The
result of this has been that the local Mandarin has compelled
the tenants to give a written promise to evacuate, and this
ought to mean a speedy end of the business.
A Friendly Mandarin.
" Our friend Lo-su (the No. 5 Mandarin, as he is called),
who has helped us so much all along, called whilst we were
in Eng-chhun. He has been going through a trying time
lately — blamed and persecuted for his large-hearted foresight
in seeking to introduce a foreign doctor and hospital. We
trust that one who has borne so much unconsciously for Christ
may be led to know Him. One mark of his kindness was a
spontaneous offer to have Miss Graham as his guest on her
arrival next week. Lo-su has a number of ladies in his house,
and it is an exceedingly happy circumstance that Miss Graham
should live a day or two among them, and tell them about
Jesus Christ and His love.
256 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
An Eng-chhun Prayer Meeting.
" It was most encouraging to join the handful of Christians
at Eng-chhun in their worship. One occasion I shall not
soon forget. We met in the shop of a native Christian. The
shavings and wood had been carefully cleared away from the
floor ; forms had been arranged in the central open space ;
a guttering oil lamp of the simplest construction gave us
light. About a dozen people came there to worship God —
hard-working, poor people, but with the Divine something in
their hearts that made them one with us in Christ Jesus. An
old beggar-looking man, wrinkled and worn with age and hard
living, was present with his still more worn and aged blind
wife, both most earnest and bright. The old man served as
our hymn-leader. He is always learning hymns by heart and
repeating them at his work, so much so that his neighbours
call him mad. Whenever a hymn was given out he was
asked to repeat it, and not only did so with manifest delight
to himself, but with profit to a greatly interested audience.
The people like to hear one of themselves saying over the
words of truth and blessing. The prayers were very touching,
simple, clear, and full of trust. Some had a marvellous grasp of
the great redemption from sin through the blood of Christ. I
only wish you had been present. It would have touched you,
I am sure, as it did me, and it would have been some slight
reward for all the consecrated devotion and toil you have
given to the Lord's work in China."
Dr. Cross, who has been appointed Medical Mis-
sionary at Eng-chhun, writes hopefully of his prospects,
and shows the true spirit of the medical evangelist.
Writing in December 1895, he says: —
" We are having days very full of work— almost daily out-
patient days, when I am kept in the consulting-room till well
on in the afternoon. Our accommodation for in-patients is
THE STORY OF THE A MOV MISSION.
257
very limited ; we have only one small room with six beds.
If we had room, we could have thirty or forty in-patients
to-morrow ; but until we can get another house to live in and
vacate the present house, giving it all up to hospital uses, our
accommodation for in-patients is very limited indeed. I am
forced to think that, as far as the real object we have at heart
is to be gained— that is, Christianising the crowds of people
in this valley— much of the work at the outdoor dispensary
is lost; but when we can get men or women to come indoors
and be with us for a few weeks, our opportunity is great, and
the results will be cheering."
After referring to his plans for acquiring the further
necessary buildings, the expense of which, it will be
remembered, had already been provided, he continues:—
" Our present chapel attached to the hospital is very small,
but yesterday forenoon we had packed into it nearly eighty
men and quite thirty women. Many are curious, and most
have some knowledge of Christianity, for you must remember
our Mission has had a chapel in Eng-chhun for more than ten
years. In the houses of the people, however, and particularly
among the women, the ignorance is profound. I had an
important and satisfactory case in a large house near last week,
when I was asked by several women if I was God. My heart
is glad at the thought of ladies coming into a field so needy,
and where the door stands open wide. Do send them quick."
To open the eyes of the blind was one of the
prophetic marks by which Christ was to be recognised,
and it is one of the marks of a true Missionary to be
a light to them that sit in darkness. Our Missionaries
have done much, not only to give sight to the blind by
surgical skill, but to shed the light of Divine truth into
the minds and hearts of the hopelessly blind. Miss
258
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Graham has founded a school for the blind in Chin-chew,
which she thus describes, with one of its inmates : —
Li(;ht-ior-th]>Blind Hall.
" Just opposite the ladies' house in Chin-chew is a big green
door, above which are the Chinese characters which mean
' Light-for-the-Blind Hall.' The boy Tam-a was a fortune-teller
in the streets of Chin-chew. He heard the ( rospel first from our
good Bible-woman Keng-so, and began to attend the church
on Sundays. Then he begged admittance to the Blind School^
and now he is a member of the Church. His own description
of his conversion, in answer to the pastor's questions, was:
' Formerly I lived in the land of darkness, and my heart was
all dark. Now, since I have learnt to know Jesus, I live in
the land of light, and my heart is full of light.'
" Many of the literati in our city have been greatly interested
in this work for the blind, and we believe it commends the
Gospel to them. Will the Church pray for the new Missionary
to the blind in China ? Mr. Cook, who is himself partially
blind, has been a teacher of the blind in this country. He
is a minister's son, and has long had the desire to be a
Missionary. May he be made the means of leading many
of the Chinese blind to Him who is the Light of the World ! "
TONG-KIO CHAPKL.
INFANTS SCHOOL, SWATOW.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE STORY OF THE SWATOW MISSION (continued).
THE Mission of Swatow made great progress, as we
shall find, during the second half of its period,
if we may call it so, as the first includes the early
efforts of Mr. Burns, which were too isolated to lead to
ostensible results, but were too earnest and devout to be
ignored. It was only in 1858 that Mr. Smith took
formal possession, though Mr. Burns had laboured there
for some time prior to his going to Amoy ; and there
were some who remembered his visit, and even a few
who seem to have been interested in his message. At
the beginning of this period the Mission suffered a loss
in the absence of Mr. Smith, who was long detained at
home by ill health, and only resumed his labours in
1 88 1, which were ended by his death in 1891 — a faith-
ful and devoted Missionary, who practically founded
26o CHINA AND FORMOSA.
the Svvatow Mission, and willingly gave his life a
sacrifice in his zeal to promote its objects and honour
his Master.
Mr. Smith's place was happily filled during his
absence by his able and devoted friend Mr. Mackenzie,
who was joined by one pre-eminently fitted to take a
foremost place in Missions to China, the Rev. John C.
Gibson, M.A., a worthy son of a worthy father and
Professor of Theology in the Free Church of Scotland.
It was destined to be Mr. Gibson's privilege to raise the
important question of vernacular education by means
of the Roman alphabet to a position of importance it
had not attained before. It had been introduced long
before his day by men like Messrs. Doty and Talmage,
and largely used by Mr. M'Gregor, Dr. Maxwell^ and
Mr. Duffus, who had translated the Gospel of Luke into
the Tie-chiu vernacular ; but it was generally looked on
as an expedient for uneducated men and women, both
foreign and native. But Mr. Gibson took up the whole
question with enthusiasm, and dealt with it on the
highest ground of principle, and no one could suspect
him of doing so from either want of ability or of
learning. This is a service for which he and our
Mission may claim not a little credit. It is a move-
ment destined to produce great results for China, and
specially in the higher culture of Church members who
have grown up without an adequate education in the
Chinese written character. Mr. Gibson is also doing
good work as a translator of the Scriptures, by the
appointment of the late Conference in Shanghai.
SOME EARLIER MISSIONARIES, SWATOVV.
DR. GAULD. REV. H. L. MACKENZIE, M.A.
REV, GEORGE SMITH.
REV. MURDO MACKENZIE. REV. JOHN C. GIBSON. M.A,
262 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
The hands of the Missionaries were greatly
strengthened by the arrival of the Rev. Donald
Maclver, M.A., and Dr. Alexander Lyall in 1879—
the one to take the oversight of a new centre of influ-
ence in the Hak-ka country, and the other to take charge
of Dr. Gauld's Hospital in Swatow, which had been
raised to a high state of efficiency, and which became
the most extensive in all China, and famous for its
cures, sometimes more than seven thousand patients
coming under the Doctor's care in a single year.
Three Types of One People,
We shall have occasion to notice the setting up of
two important new centres : the one in the capital city
of Chao-chow, with its population of three hundred
thousand inhabitants, the other in the principal town
of the Kak-ka district — two distinct types of the one
Chinese race, with peculiarities of character and speech
which would in Europe have made them separate
nationalities. The differences are crreater than those
which separate the Portuguese from the Spaniards.
In Amoy there is a uniformity of type and a similarity
in the spoken language which give a unity to the
Mission there, which has its advantages. In the Mis-
sion in Swatow two dialects are so distinct as to be
practically two languages. Those speaking the one
cannot understand the other ; and yet, by the com-
prehensive unity of the written language, which is the
same over the whole Empire, and the binding force
of Chinese law, they are aHke integral parts of the
one nation. In Formosa there are not only two
languages, entirely different in sense and structure,
but two distinct races of entirely different types ;
and now that the island is taken possession of by the
Japanese, we shall have a third nationality, and an
entirely different character and language.
We may say that there is a threefold division of the
population within an accessible distance of the head-
quarters of the Swatow Mission, and nearly all within
the same province of Quang-tung\ or, as it is called
by Europeans, Canton. That part of the population
which speaks the Canton dialect is not taken within
the sphere of the influence of the Mission, seeing that
other Missions had been at work among them before
the Swatow Mission was established. The Mission
of the Presbyterian Church is limited to the two
divisions of the same race, which go by the names
of Hok-lo and Hak-ka, each composed of two Chinese
characters or words, but which may, in this as in many
other cases, be treated as one word. The Hok-lo, living
in the Tie-chiu district of the province, immediately
around Swatow, speak the Tie-chiu dialect, which is so
like that of the province of Fuhkien, as it is spoken
around Amoy, that they may be regarded as one.
Three-fourths — some say nine-tenths — of the words
are common to both dialects, so that the people have
little difficulty in understanding one another ; in fact,
there is the greatest probability — we might almost
say certainty — that the inhabitants of that north-east
264 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
portion of the province of Canton have been trans-
planted by emigration from the province of Fuhkien, or,
as it is called in the dialect of Amoy, Hokkien. The
very strong evidence of identity from the language,
character, and habits of the t\^'o peoples is confirmed
by the name Hok-lo, given to them by the inhabitants
of Canton. The character Hok has the same sound
as that given by themselves to the province they left ;
and the other character, Lo, means to glide or slip
over, which would be the best term for those who
had moved over the border of the one province into
the other as emigrants.
Origin of Hak-kas and Hok-los.
The Hak-kas have an entirely different origin, though
they may have come to this region from a very similar
cause — namely, the excess of population in their original
home. The name Hak-ka means stranger or guest,
evidently given to them as those who had come from
a distance, and who had been received as, or at least
allowed to settle as, guests. They have been called
hillnien or Jiighlanders, as if they resembled the Gaelic
population of Scotland ; but the reason for their dwelling
chiefly in the hilly regions of the Canton province is
explained by their coming to a country in which the
more fertile plains were already occupied. It shows
also that they came not as conquerors. In that case
they would have taken possession of the plains, and
driven the original inhabitants into the hills, as was
done by the Aryans when they entered India; but
I
THE STORY OF THE SWA TOW MISSION. 265
coming as emigrants, they took possession of the
unoccupied parts of the country, in which they were
received as strangers or guests.
There is no difficulty in fixing approximately on
the region from which they came. Their language is
essentially the same as that which is still spoken on
the fertile plains of the north of China, and generally
called the Mandarin by Europeans, because, being
the language of the Court of China, it became the
language of officials all over the country. From living
in mountainous regions they have less or more partaken
of the character of mountain races ; they are inde-
pendent and manly, they are more pugnacious and
less polished than their neighbours of the plains ; but
coming from a part of China where education was
common, they retain their literary habits as far as
their poverty allows, and to this day they educate
a larger proportion of graduates than the Hok-los.
There are said to be as many as five millions of
Hak-kas in the region they inhabit, which forms a
wedge between the Hok-los on the east, and the
Pim-tis, or Cantonese proper, on the west — the broad
base of the triangle stretching north into the province
of Fuhkien. Only a part of them fall within the
sphere of influence of the Presbyterian Mission, as
the Basel Missionaries have long laboured among them
to the north and west, with whom the Presbyterian
Missionaries work on the most friendly terms of co-
operation. The Cantonese on the west call themselves
and their language Pim-ti, which confirms what has
266
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
been inferred from the meaning of the names Hok-lo
and Hak-ka. Fun-ti means that which is their own
country or language, as Hok-lo means emigrants, and
u)i;l. miss falconer. miss n. balmer.
MRS. MACIVER. MRS. MURDO MACKENZIE.
Hak-ka means stranger or guest. While these three
divisions of the population are distinctly marked, and
kept up from generation to generation, there are
frequent intermarriages between them and intermixture
of the people in their different localities.
THE STORY OF THE SIVA TO IV MISSION. 267
We shall now proceed to show how the Mission
lengthened its cords and strengthened its stakes, a
work in which at this stage they were ably seconded
by the introduction of the unmarried Missionary ladies,
of whom Miss Ricketts was the able pioneer. They
carried on and extended the work which the wives of
the Missionaries had begun.
In the following incident we have a striking illustration
of the truth, that God uses the weak things of the world
to confound the mighty. A poor man with a loath-
some and deadly disease is employed as the means
of health and life to the souls of many. It is also a
striking proof of the value of medical Missions. Mr.
Duffus writes : —
Work Done by a Leper Evangelist.
" At Kit-yang twenty-six persons were examined, and a fair
proportion seemed to me to have really been laid hold of by
the truth in its enlightening and awakening and, I trust, in its
saving power. I had a very happy day with the people, and I
hope that many of them had received the blessing which they
had come so far to seek. In the forenoon I baptised three
men and a boy. Mr. Mackenzie and I had compared notes
before I left for Kit-yang, and we were both persuaded that the
three men should be admitted into the fellowship of the
Church, and I found the brethren whom I consulted unani-
mously of the same opinion. A-bue and xVsoi-kun, aged
respectively sixty-one and fifty-six, are both farmers on a small
scale, and we have been specially struck with the latter as a
man who seems very quiet, yet very truly in earnest.
The Church will benefit, I trust, by the addition of this new
member. The third person admitted belongs to the same
village as the other two, and is a man of some means, as well
268 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
as of some intelligence. His name is A-sin-sia, and he is forty-six
years of age. The little boy (eleven years of age) had not
applied before ; but his answers to the questions I put to him
showed such intelligent apprehension of the Gospel, and the
testimony to his earnestness and consistency was so emphatic,
that I was thankfully shut up to the conclusion that I ought to
receive him along with his father, A-sin-sia, as a professing
believer in the Lord Jesus. When I asked his father about
his conduct at home, he assured, me that he was truly in
earnest in his religion, and never missed an opportunity of
joining with him in prayer and reading of the Scriptures. Let
us pray that this young disciple may grow in grace, and may
yet have a place among the evangelists of Tie-chiu.
*' These men have all been led to hear the Gospel through
the simple testimony of a poor leper who was for many a day
an inmate of the leper hospital in Swatow, but is now earning
his own bread, and was there, from a distance of a good many
miles on Sunday, to rejoice at their admission into the
Church."
The Rev. Mr. Duffus gives an instance of the way a
Christian meets the objections to the Gospel by a heathen
countryman.
Native Christians Reasoning with the Heathen.
" I was both delighted and surprised to hear what good
things w^re said by some of the brethren in reasoning with
persons who came in. They had a very long and earnest
argument on ancestral worship with a young fellow who I
thought might have been a model for a Greek sculptor. He
was vehement in defence of his belief, but far from rude, and
by the end he had become quiet and submissive. One brother
told him affectionately his own experience, another made
sharper work of it, and a third applied the arginnentum ad
homhiem thus : ' In purchasing offerings for the spirits of your
THE STORY OF THE SIVATOJV MISSION. 269
forefathers you always buy what suits your own taste, knowing
very well that, though the things are offered to them, they will
be eaten by you. There is no denying it.' Just as this argu-
ment was drawing to a close a good hit was made by a very
mild and quiet brother. A-him — i.e. the Bear — an elderly
gentleman in a long gown, sat down beside me, and began to
converse. ' Your doctrine teaches people to Hve good and
upright lives, does it not ? ' I assented. I had not noticed
that a poor, unhappy old man was standing listening, till he
struck in, ' Why, there's my son, who beats me and will give
me no support. I must bring him here to hear your doctrine.'
Now the brethren had been contending that reverence and
dutiful conduct towards parents during their lifetime was the
true filial spirit, and that worship after death was useless and
wrong. So A-him thought he had a good argument furnished
him by the old man's complaint, and quietly suggested to him,
by way of consolation, ' Oh, never .mind ; when you are dead
we'll worship you.' I would like to tell you more of this sort
of work, but must desist."
Dr. Gauld gives an interesting account of hospital
work and some of its results : —
Hospital Work.
" The present staff of native helpers consists of three young
men trained in the hospital and a doorkeeper. The former
have occasionally received regular instruction in anatomy,
surgery, and medicine.
" No charges have ever been made for medical assistance,
but the hospital patients are required to provide their own
food and bedding. Pecuniary help is given in rare cases
when it seems advisable.
"The patients who come to the hospital belong chiefly
to the north, south, and west of Swatow, although people
of every rank in society not unfrequently seek our assistance.
Among those treated one year was the Tau-tai, or chief
270 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Mandarin, of the prefectures of Chao-chow and Hwey-chow
and the department of Kia-eng. By God's blessing on the
remedies used his Hfe was saved, after he had in vain tried all
the native practitioners of any note within his reach. He
afterwards sent a donation to the hospital, and in other ways
his friendly interest was of service to the Mission.
" Besides the general hospital, there is a small leper house,
where several tens of lepers are treated yearly, with results
more or less beneficial.
"The following figures will show the comparative increase
year by year of the hospital patients : 1864, 250 : 1874, 901.
Its Wide Influence.
" The extent of country reached by the medical work may be
judged from the fact that in one year the patients came from five
hundred different towns and villages, ranging over a hundred
and twenty miles of sea-coast and some forty or fifty miles
inland. Many places as yet unvisited by the Missionary are
thus brought within reach of a measure of Gospel light.
People come from them to the hospital, learn more or less
of the truth, and carry it back to their homes — in some cases
the seed of fruit unto eternal life, to be reaped, it may be, in
after-years and by other labourers. Yearly, however, we are
ourselves gladdened by seeing some, with their whole heart
renouncing idolatry and professing a true faith in Christ,
received into the Church."
Mr. Gibson and Mr. Mackenzie made an extensive
tour in the Hak-ka country. The following letter from
the former, dated at Ho-tshan, September 1876, gives
an idea of the openings for the Gospel : —
" On Saturday morning Mr. Mackenzie rejoined me at
Ng-yun-thung, where we had a busy Sabbath together. We
examined seventeen applicants for baptism, some of whom
THE STORY OF THE SJVATOW MISSION. 271
were very satisfactory, and two of whom we baptised on
Sabbath evening. The two men baptised were brothers.
Forenoon and afternoon on Sabbath we had over one hundred
persons present at each service, and, as at Ho-tshan, had to
meet outside.
The Mountains and the Gospel.
"The bright freshness of the mountains," he says, "seems to
tell upon the character and habits of the people, whose streets
and villages in these Hak-ka regions contrast most favourably,
in point of cleanliness, with those of the lowlanders. At
Ho-tshan we were most kindly received by Lim-kiau-lau, the
leading man of the little band of worshippers of God whom w^e
had come to visit. These men, about twenty in number, have
heard through our Ho-po station a little of the truth ; and for
some time, without any preacher and without any help from us,
they have been meeting every Sabbath for reading and prayer,
and those who live near meet also for worship on other days
in the week. They have now rented a chapel, and asked us
to appoint a chapel-keeper, and take them under our care.
We had frequent opportunities of speaking to them through
an interpreter, a Hak ka student, w^ho is under training at
Swatovv ; but we have no Hak-ka preacher to send them."
Mr. Mackenzie writes of the same journey : —
Mountain Worshippers.
" Mr. Gibson and I, after three and a half days' constant
travelling by boat and chair, reached Ho-tshan on September
9th, in the midst of rain. We crossed the river four times
between Ho-po and Ho-tshan, once by a narrow bridge and
thrice by wading, and our bedding and provisions were well
damped. On Sabbath fully two hundred men met with us,
professing to worship God. The only room for public
worship, in the house we call the chapel, would not hold a
sixth of them with comfort. Accordingly an open space in
272 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
front was enclosed on two sides by a bamboo fence, the
other two sides being enclosed by the chapel and a ditch.
Long widths of a thin kind of canvas, sewn together, were
stretched over this enclosure on long bamboo poles, as a
shade from the hot sun ; and the seats for the people, and a
table and chairs for the preachers, being arranged under this
tent, made quite a new kind of open-air service in China.
Mr. Gibson conducted the forenoon service, and I the other,
and on both occasions quite a number of people gathered out-
side the fence and along the brink of the ditch, but there
was neither noise nor disturbance from them, nor from the
passers-by in the street. All listened quietly while we had the
unspeakable privilege of preaching to them the Gospel of the
grace of God. Mr. Gibson's text was Luke x. 21-28; mine.
Acts XX. 21."
The Rev. William Duffus gives the following interest-
ing account of the leadings of Providence by w^hich the
Swatow Mission was naturally guided in entering on the
Mission to the Hak-ka country : —
Origin of the Hak-ka Mission.
" The efforts of the English Presbyterian Missionaries among
the Hak-kas are simply a natural extension in an inland
direction of their proper work among the Hok-lo speaking
people. Near the borders which separate the two dialects
there is constant market communication, and many of the
borderers on either side are familiar with both tongues. As
the work of our Mission stretched towards the Hak-ka country,
it was to be expected that some of that people would be
influenced by the Gospel. And such has been the case.
ToA-NOw, A Pioneer.
" The very first contact of our missionaries with the Hak-kas,
however, was of a different nature. In the year 1863 a man
THE STORY OF THE SWATOW MISSION. 273
of the name of Toa-now came from Kway-tham, a market town
sixty miles south-west from Swatow, and lying just on the
Hak-ka border, to pay a visit to some relatives at Tat-hau-po,
a large town six miles from Swatow, and already occupied as
a Mission station. Toa-now was a Roman Catholic, of which
persuasion there are a great number in the Swatow region ;
but coming under the power of the Gospel at Tat-hau-po, he
renounced his Romanism, and was admitted into the fellowship
of the Mission Church. He returned to his native place, was
much abused by his wife for his change of religion, suffered
from sickness, which his friends attributed to his apostasy, and
was not again heard of for about two years. Then he paid two
visits to Swatow, on the second occasion bringing an inquirer
with him, and on their united entreaty the Rev. G. Smith
paid a first visit to Kway-tham. He remained there three
months, succeeded in overcoming the first attempts at oppo-
sition, and before leaving opened a little place as a chapel.
Mr. Smith found that, though the town of Kway-tham was
mostly Hok-lo, the country beyond was all Hak-ka; and
owing to the difference of the language, combined with the
difficulty of finding time for many visits to a place three days'
journey distant, little progress has been made at this station ;
whilst Toa-now himself disappointed the hopes formed of
him, and was ultimately excluded from the Church.
Still Led On.
" But the main Hak-ka work of the Mission is situated in a
region lying west from Swatow, with which it is connected by
a continuous line of stations. First in the line is Kih-yang, a
district city thirty-six miles from the port, with the adjoining
station of Sin-hii, both of which have comparatively large and
increasing congregations. Then comes Mi-ow, eighteen miles
farther wxst, which has also a prosperous Church, and where
the present peace and comfort experienced by the Christians
form a delightful contrast to the hostility and violence with
which the beginnings of the work there were assailed. Mi-ow,
18
274 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
being a large market town, is frequented by the neighbouring
Hak-kas, some of whom soon l)ecame interested in the truth,
and began to wish for the opening of a chapel among them-
selves. This led to the establishing, in 1871, of a station in
Ho-po, another important market town twenty-four miles up
the river, and westward from Mi-ow. By the close of 1875
it was found necessary to advance still farther in the same
direction, and plant two more stations among the Hak-kas :
one at Ngou-hun-tang, ' the dell of the five clouds,' about ten
miles north-west ; and the other at Ho-tshan, the market for
a large district, about twenty miles south-west from Ho-po."
Conferences on the Higher Life.
The stimulating and sustaining of a high standard of
spiritual life in the members of the Church of Christ in
the old country are too much neglected by the courts
of the Church. Hence the need for those Conferences
on the Christian life so largely resorted to in our day ;
conducted, indeed, by members of Christian Churches,
but not by the Churches themselves. In the infant
Churches of the Presbyterian Mission in China, these
Conferences are held by the Presbyteries themselves,
or by one of their committees, often in connection
with their ordinary meetings, with great advantage to
members of the Church ; and the Church itself gets
the full benefit of the quickening impulse, and the fire
from heaven which often descends on such meetings.
We give the programme of the first held under the
direction of the Swatow Presbytery, regretting that we
cannot give the speeches, which were all in Chinese.
We are told that they were most effective and solemn.
All felt it a time of refreshing;.
THE STORY OF THE SWATOIV MISSION.
275
The First General Conference of Christians in Con-
nection WITH the Swatow Mission.
By the Rev. J. C. Gibson.
Programme.
" Meanwhile a programme was drawn up, printed, and circu-
lated at the various stations. The following is a translation
of it :—
UEOLOGICAL STUDENTS, SWATOW.
" 'It has been resolved that this year, in the eleventh moon,
on the 24th day, all shall meet in Swatow in General Confer-
ence. The business is set forth below : —
" ' 24th of the moon, that is Tuesday, evening, at seven
o'clock. Meet for prayer, that all may with united heart seek
grace, that during this gathering we may obtain the teaching
and help of the Holy Spirit, so that the Church may spread in
the Middle Kingdom, and especially in Tie-chiu.
"'25th of the moon, that is Wednesday, forenoon, ten
o'clock to 12.30. To consider the duty of every disciple of
Jesus to rule his own family, so as to forsake all wicked customs
276 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
and cast off all irregular conduct. Also the necessity of
observing the Day of Rest within the family, and of meeting in
the chapels ; and since the day is holy, it should not be in any
way broken.
" ' Also to consider the necessity for each congregation to
establish schools for teaching reading both to boys and girls.
In Swatow there are already a school for students and a school
for girls. And young disciples who are willing may come and
learn the Scriptures, so as to understand the truth, and prepare
for teaching others, so that they may be fitted for the Lord's use.
" ' Wednesday afternoon, 2.30 — 4.30. To consider the duty
of every disciple of the Lord the Saviour to fulfil his part,
according to his ability, to spread abroad the Lord's Word, and
lead men to return to the Lord and obtain salvation.
" ' Wednesday evening, 7 — 8. Meet for prayer and mutual
exhortation and comfort.
" ' 26th of the moon, Thursday forenoon, 9.30 — 12.30. To
consider the duty of the Church to be self-supporting — that is,
to supply the current expenses of chapels, preachers' salaries,
the relief of the poor, the printing of books, building new
chapels, etc.
" ' Also that the Church should be self-governing — that is,
should appoint pastors, elders, and deacons to manage its affairs.
" ' Also concerning meeting with persecution on account of
the Lord Jesus, and concerning other affairs regarding ques-
tions of justice in worldly matters.
" 'Thursday evening, 6.30 — 8.30. To consider intelligence
from the Church everywhere under heaven, to draw out widened
sympathies. Afterwards to join in prayer and praise, and so to
separate.' "
LEPER HOSPITAL, SWATOW,
CHAPTER XV.
THE STORY OF THE SJVA TOW MISSION (concluded).
THE painful incident here related by Mr. Gibson
gives an idea of what converts have to suffer
and of the difficulty of securing either protection or
justice in a country so misgoverned as China is at
present and has long been. Clanship and secret
societies defy the weak and venal local Mandarins.
Persecution even unto Death.
(Letter from Rev. J. C. Gibson.)
" SwATOW, May T,isi, 1878.
" But I write now to tell you of a sadly different scene that
occurred on the same day at another place, and to ask your
sympathy and prayers with regard to it. In the village of
Tsah-kiah a man who has for about a year been a worshipper
was savagely murdered, as far as we can discover, for no other
reason than that he was a worshipper of God.
278 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
" Due west from Kway-tham, and on the banks of the river
which flows down from Ho-tshan by Tang-hai to the sea,
stands the town of Toa-ua, where we have a chapel. Toa-ua
is about thirty miles distant from Kway-tham, and between
them, about twelve miles from Toa-ua, is the market town
of Poih-buan (see map), about one mile from which is the
village of Tsah-kia.
" In this neighbourhood there have been for about a year
a number of people coming to worship, at first coming to
Toa-ua, and latterly meeting in a house which they had secured
for the purpose in the village of Tsah-kia, which was com-
paratively near their homes. The leading man among them
was Lip-tshun, an applicant for baptism, whom I examined
at Toa-ua last November, and concerning whom I find the
following entry in my list of applicants for baptism : —
Cruel Murder of Thou Lip-tshun.
" ' Thou Lip-tshun, forty years of age, of Tsah-kia, a shop-
keeper. Began to worship in the fourth moon— />. in May
of last year. Seems to have a correct general idea of the
truth, but says himself that he is not yet clear. Does not yet
fully keep the Sabbath. Hopeful.'
" This is the man who has been killed ; and though not
reckoned among our Church members, we hope he was a
Christian received by the Lord. Mr. Mackenzie and Dr.
Gauld knew him, having been kindly received by him on their
visit to that region in the early part of this year.
" I first heard this sad news at Ho-tshan, on my return from
Kong-pheng on May 20th. I found a man there who had come
to tell me, and his story was this : —
"On Sabbath, the 19th, thirteen brethren met at Tsah-kia
for worship. At noon, worship being over, five of them
returned home for their midday meal, the other eight remaining
to cook theirs at the chapel. While they were thus engaged
a crowd of men and women gathered about, carrying the
THE STORY OF THE SWATOIV MISSION. 279
knives with which they cut grass, and poles for carrying
burdens, hoes, etc., and making a great disturbance. The
brethren tried to escape by flight, Lip-tshun taking refuge in
the village, in the house of his eldest brother. This brother
was not a Christian, and had opposed Lip-tshun going to
worship, but he did his best now to protect him, by hiding him
in a press. The villagers followed ; and when they could not
find their victim elsewhere; they broke open the press with
their hoes, and dragged him out. His two brothers now tried
hard to rescue him, offering to become security for him and
pay out money on his behalf; but the rioters would not listen,
and declared that nothing but his death would now satisfy
them. They then dragged him down to the river, and, after
beating him with their hoes, cut his throat.
"They then called his brothers to bury the body, the
intention being thus to hide the proof of their crime, threaten-
ing the brothers also with death if they would not consent.
Seven Others Beaten.
" Meanwhile the other seven worshippers were also seized
and beaten, and their queues cut off. A day or two afterwards
they were all allowed to return to their homes.
" P.S. — Since writing thus far we have had further news.
As usual bribery has been freely used, and every effort made
to hush up the matter.
Bribery of Officials.
" The body of the man who was killed has been, as we hear,
carried off and secreted, with the connivance of some of the
Yamun messengers, who were bribed with sixty dollars to
advise and sanction this proceeding. They then reported to
the magistrate that Lip-tshun had hanged himself, and that
there was no case for investigation. At the same time the
relatives of the dead man (who are not Christians) had been
bought off, so as not to give any information, and the villagers
28o CHINA AND FORMOSA.
refused to allow any of the wounded men to go to the Yamun
to show their wounds.
" And, sad to say, another of the wounded has died of his
wounds — viz. long-heng, of Tng-khe-tsui, who in November
last was, along with Lip-tshun, an applicant for baptism at
Toa-ua."
The interesting biographic sketch here given illus-
trates in an interesting way the leadings of Provi-
dence and the domestic customs of the Chinese : —
A Remarkable Biography of a Kidnapped Boy.
By the Rev. John C. Gibson.
" More than thirty years ago there was in Chao-chow-fu a
certain Mandarin's under-secretary who had no sons. In
accordance with a very common custom this official purchased
a boy to be his son and heir. This adopted son grew up in
his house, and in due time would have inherited the family
possessions, as only son of his adopted father.
" But the Chinese proverb says, ' It is man's to plan
things ; to accomplish them rests with Heaven ' ; and this
was forcibly illustrated by an incident which occurred when
this boy was about fifteen or sixteen years old. Processions
were being held in Chao-chow-fu in honour of some of
the idols, and this boy was rambling about to see the display.
While so engaged he was enticed away by a kidnapper, and
for years no trace of him could be found.
" Meantime he had been conveyed to the city of Cheng-
hai, distant several days' journey from his home. This would
have involved no great separation in a land where in a few
minutes the news of the loss would have been spread over the
country by telegraph, and where a couple of hours by rail
would have brought the wanderer home again. But in China
the loss was irremediable. The parents had no effective way
of making their sorrow known ; and the son, doubtless carefully
THE STORY OF THE SIVATOW MISSION. 281
kept in ignorance of the road travelled over, was unable to
find his way back. In Cheng-hai he was once more sold to
a man who wished to adopt a son. Here he assumed the
name of this man, whose heir he became ; a wife was found
(or, strictly speaking, bought) for him, and all connection with
his former home seemed to be at an end.
An Unexpected Discovery.
" Years had passed, when one of the usual examinations for
degrees brought together all the graduates and scholars from
the surrounding districts to Chao-chow-fu. Meantime the
under-secretary had died childless, and his widow, in some-
what reduced circumstances, was living alone in Chao-chow-fu,
lamenting the misfortunes that had gathered around her.
Some of the scholars who had come up to the city stayed
in her house during the time of the examinations. In con-
versation with them she narrated, as probably she had often
done before, the story of her adopted son, lost to her for so
many years. Suddenly the clue was found. One of her
guests was a graduate from Cheng-hai, who, on hearing her
story, saw at once that it tallied with some facts which he had
learned from the young man, whom he now recognised as
at once the adopted son of his friend at Cheng-hai and the
lost son of his hostess in Chao-chow-fu. A letter was forth-
with written and sent by the graduate, begging the young
man to return to his mother. He came, and she urged him
to remain and be the stay of her old age.
His Daughter's History.
" He explained his circumstances, and declared that he
could not now leave those among whom he had for so long
lived as an established member of the family. But he had one
little daughter, and her he would give to his mother to comfort
her, and in course of time to help in caring for her. Ac-
cordingly he went home, and brought the child to Chao-chow-fu
to live with her grandmother.
282 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
A IviTTLE Romance.
" This little girl is the woman who has now been baptised.
She went after some time to Canton with her grandmother,
to reside with a relative of some wealth and influence, who
was occupying an inferior official post there. A change of
family fortunes deprived him of his power to care for them,
and they returned to Chao-chow-fu.
" Some time after the return, one of our preachers (who is
a native of Chao-chow-fu), having lost his first wife, was in
search of another. According to custom, he had committed
the matter to a ' go-between,' or professional match-maker ; for
does not the proverb say, ' If in the heavens there be no
clouds, no rain can come ; if on earth no go-between, it is
impossible to accomplish a marriage ' ?
"By a bold departure from ordinary usage the preacher
himself had a voice in the matter. It was discussed in the
presence of ' three faces and six eyes,' and the result was
that the girl whose fortunes have been traced became the
preacher's wife, and he undertook the care of her grand-
mother— ' to cherish her in life, and bury her at death,' ac-
cording to the expressive formula provided for such cases.
Some years ago the grandmother died, and the preacher's
promise was fulfilled.
" He has several children, and these had all been baptised
at different times ; but his wife still remained, outwardly at
least, a heathen. But for some time he has been hopeful
that she was awaking to some apprehension of the truth, and
latterly has been anxious that she should be baptised. On
Sabbath, March 21st, I visited the city; and after examining
her as to her knowledge of the truth, and consulting with her
husband and another preacher who was present, I thought
it right to baptise her. She was baptised at the forenoon
service, along with her infant son and another infant. In
the afternoon she partook, along with the other members, of
the Lord's Supper."
THE STORY OF THE SWATOW MISSION. 283
Miss Rickett's First Class of Bible-women.
'' November \%th, 1 881.
" On Tuesday, November 8th, I went up with Hui-pi
(Phoebe) to open the Bible-women's house. Six women have
willingly left their respective homes to come and study for a
term of four months, and we have been at work for ten days.
The women assembled in the large upper room. One of
themselves prayed, and Phcebe read to them my set of rules.
I am going to make strenuous endeavours to keep them tidy
and clean, though I know it is considered heart-breaking work
to make them neat and clean in their habits. As yet they
have kept the rules well ; but ' New brooms,' etc., has a Chinese
rendering which, perhaps, I shall do well to bear in mind :
' The new daughter-in-law sweeps the corner-edges of the
furnace.' My new daughters at present do sweep and wash
well. When the old ladies arrived, one of them had fever,
and the dear old Hak-ka had dysentery, and the oldest pupil,
in her zeal mistaking moonlight for daylight in the light
bedroom (to which she was unaccustomed), rose hastily, much
fearing she was behind in the work which the terrible ko-7iie
(female teacher) so strictly prescribed, and knocked her head
against the wall, cutting a gash two inches long, which bled
profusely.
" Mrs. Rat is a nice, gentle little woman, who is so anxious
that (as she said this morning) ' she stays awake out of three
parts one part.' She is really making good progress ; but not
being as quick as the others at reading, she also is discouraged.
" Then I take a hymn (I am going straight through the
book), and make them explain every character. This morning
I asked the Hak-ka to ' such ' (or explain), and she gave some
foolish answer, poor old body. Uang-m laughed. I looked,
as I felt, vexed, but took no notice, until presently Mrs. Rat
stumbled, and again our clever old lady laughed, with a tinge
of, ' I am clever ; why are you so stupid ? ' So I said, ' Old
lady, it is not good to laugh; you know that these three
284
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
persons are very discouraged because they cannot get on
faster; in place of laughing, you should help and comfort
them ; they have not had your opportunities ; that you know
more is of God's kindness ; you should not laugh.' A moment
the old lady looked rather angry, but then she looked up
peaceably and said, ' I am wrong ; I am sorry.' Now here
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is the true Christian spirit, and I was thankful to see it so
plainly. I said I was sure she did not wish to hurt their
feelings, but forgot herself; and there the matter ended.
When the ' such ' (explanation) is over, I relate a Bible story
(I have taken Genesis), and tell it to Phoebe ; she then
tells it, using my words ; then they tell it in succession. We
have now three stories perfect — Adam and Eve, Cain and
Abel, and Enoch. Noah is being learned for Monday, with
THE STORY OF THE SWATOW MISSION. 285
the light of a Noah's ark, which I took over this afternoon,
to impress on them the number of creatures and the pairs.
We go over and over the stories, and then take the new one."
The Hospital.
In a single sentence we have (here) the secret of the
power of the Mission Hospital as an agency for the
spread of the truth and the salvation of the heathen.
No man so ready to spread abroad the savour of
Christian beneficence as the man who left his village
blind or lame or diseased beyond the help of the native
doctors, and returns with restored sight or health. No
man can tell of the love of Christ like the man who
has not only found life and health for his body, but
a free, full salvation for his soul, from the Christian
teaching of the doctor or his brother Missionaries.
How blessed the work of diffusing physical and spiritual
life and healing in regions so cursed with physical and
spiritual disease and death !
Wide Influence of Hospital Work.
" The Mission Hospital at Swatow drew its patients last
year from no fewer than twelve hundred and twenty-one
TOWNS and villages in the region around. Of nearly three
thousand in-patients received during the year, the average
time of residence in hospital was three weeks. During that
period each patient was in daily contact with Christian
TEACHING AND CHRISTIAN PRACTICE. Out of 0/ie hundred
applicants^ eighteen were received by baptism into the
Church. For the support of the hospital no more than ;£'ioo
was required from this country. We commend these few facts
to our readers."
286
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
The Hak-ka Mission.
The long-wished-for and much-prayed-for extension of
the Swatow Mission to the Hak-ka country was reaHsed
in 1880. The Committee at last found a man, the Rev.
Donald Maclver, M.A., in every way fitted to take the
position of pioneer in that new and difficult work. Mr.
Maclvcr was sent to China, 1879. for this new centre.
DR. MCPHUN AND HAK-KA ASSISTANTS.
where the European and native element in Mission work
was to be combined. After a year spent in the study
of the language in Swatow, Mr. Maclver went and took
up his abode in one of the largest villages in the Hak-ka
country, in Mandarin called Wu-king-fu, and in the
Hak-ka by the unpronounceable name Ng-kang-phu,
the centre of a large number of towns and villages in
the mountains and fertile plain around it. While this
Mission is spoken of as a centre, it is not to be regarded
THE STORY OF THE StVATOW MISSION. 287
as severed from Swatow, which continues the head of
the Mission to the whole region and the seat of the
Presbytery.
Mr. Maclver on his arrival found a native conp-re-
gation of converts, not only in the principal town, but in
many of the smaller towns and villages scattered in the
regions around ; so that, as he tells us, his first year was
almost entirely spent in visiting and helping and organis-
ing these little congregations. It says much for the
zeal of the Missionaries in Swatow, that they had been
able to carry on successfully a work so far from their
headquarters, among a people speaking a different
language, and chiefly through interpreters, though Mr.
Gibson had so far acquired the language as to dispense
with such aid. In 1881 Mr. Maclver was joined by
William Riddel, who possessed the double qualification
of an ordained pastor and a medical practitioner, so that
a hospital was soon added, to the greater efficiency of
the Mission. Dr. McPhun arrived in 1882.
Formation of Swatow Presbytery.
On the memorable 8th of June, 1881, the Swatow
Mission completed its organisation by the formation of
a Presbytery on the same lines as that of Amoy, giving
a large preponderance of power in the management to
the native elders, while the foreign Missionaries sat
more in the character of advisers or assessors. By
imposing power, and thereby throwing responsibility
on the representatives chosen by the members of the
different congregations, the self-respect and manhood of
288 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
the believers are called forth and recognised, and their
character developed. Of course there is much need for
education to prepare the infant Church before it can be
trusted with the management of its own spiritual affairs,
but the education and training all tend to this, and no
Church can reach maturity without being taught to
govern itself The formation of a Presbytery is the
declaration of a young Church's majority. It is "no
longer under tutors and governors," but has entered on
the responsibilities of the son and heir. The following
is the account of the licensing of the first convert, Khai-
lin, at its meeting on May 22nd, 1882. Khai-lin has
showed himself worthy of the privilege conferred on him.
Ordination of Tan Khai-lin.
(Letter from the Rev. H. L. Mackenzie.)
" SwATOW, May 22nd, 1882.
"Our Presbytery met on the 3rd and 4th of this month.
We got through a good deal of important work, and we are
more and more thankful that at length there is a Swatow
Presbytery. The native elders and ourselves are gradually
getting acquainted with the work that falls to us as a Presby-
tery, and the native Church will, we doubt not, in due time
reap larger benefit from our action. The two most important
subjects that occupied our attention were (i) the contribu-
tions of the native Church, and (2) the licensing of Khai-lin
with a view to his being shortly ordained.
" The licensing of Tan Khai-lin was an occasion of deep
interest to us all, natives and foreigners. He is the first con-
vert of the Swatow Mission, and the first licentiate of the
Swatow Presbytery. It fell to me, as Moderator, to license
him, and I did so in presence of a large and deeply in-
terested congregation. All the students and Bible-women, and
THE STORY OF THE SWATOW MISSION.
289
the boys and girls from our schools, and others, members or
adherents of the Swatow and other congregations, were
present. It was very pleasant to think that Mr. Smith was
once more among us, and that he saw his first convert
at length in such a responsible and honourable position
Khai-lm seemed to be deeply impressed, and I cannot but
FANG-KHI-FUNG PASTOR MI-OW, AND FAMILY.
hope that he will fulfil the fair promise of these past years,
and of this new engagement to be a faithful preacher of the
Gospel."
The converts in Kong-pheng were, in 1884, plundered
by their persecutors of both personal property and
fields, and driven from their village, yet there was not a
word of wrath or desire of revenge. Nothing could be
19
290 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
finer than the spirit shown, as described in one of Mr.
Mackenzie's letters.
" Taking Joyfully the Spoiling of their Goods."
" But I must not omit telling you that one or two things
have greatly cheered us in the midst of our difficulties and
sorrows. wSo far as we have seen and heard, the converts have
stood firm under this severe trial. This is matter for rejoicing
and thanksgiving beyond expression. Some of them have
told me that they are joyful in the midst of their losses, and
that the Lord is helping them to endure persecution for His
sake. Though out of house and home, and dependent upon
the goodwill of their fellow-Christians and neighbours for their
daily food, they yet have no word of giving up the worship of
God or of concealing their Christianity.
" One of them, on being told by his heathen fellow-villagers
that his house and goods would be restored if he would
again take part with them in worshipping idols, replied that
this could not be, but that he would make them welcome to
all that he had lost if only they w-ould come and join him
in worshipping God. Another, in speaking of what had
happened, said, ' No fear ; we shall yet, by God's help, have
a chapel and a flourishing Church in Kong-pheng.' This
man is one of two brothers, of whom I wrote some two or
three years ago. They and their wives, their parents, their
two sons and their wives, are all Christians, and are all
turned out of their houses and robbed of all their goods.
' But,' said Jim-seng, the brother above quoted, ' we are
all joyful in worshipping God ; and come what may, we
intend to worship Him.' These things need litde comment;
but I am sure that you at home, and we here, may well ' thank
God and take courage.'
" Deep Poverty " — " Riches of Liberality."
" Another thing that has cheered us is the ready liberality of
the native Christians when an appeal was made to them to
THE STORY OF THE SWATOIV MISSION. 291
contribute for the relief of their fellow-Christians at Kong-
pheng. Yam-tsau gave over thirteen dollars, the native con-
gregation in Swatow gave over twenty-five dollars, and other
congregations also did well. We have sent two of the elders
to Kong-pheng to distribute the alms collected, and also to
comfort and encourage the sufferers there. Of course the
congregation there has now no meeting-place, but the
preachers whom we send visit them as they best can, and
read and pray with them. This is not without risk to the
preachers, for many are the threats still issued against the
Christians and all who take their side."
The Hak-ka Country — A Christian s Death-bed.
By the Rev. D. Maclver.
" Now I am going to tell an interesting little story I heard
to-day. In the last village we visited we were invited to
have dinner; indeed, quite a little feast had been prepared
in anticipation of our arrival. The room m which we met
had belonged to the man with whom my story is concerned.
He died a few weeks ago. On his death-bed he earnestly
exhorted his kindred and neighbours to worship the true God.
I should have said that he himself had been a worshipper for
(I think) about a year, but was not a member of the Church.
He was specially anxious that there should be no idolatrous
practices at his funeral. On the night he died he was visited
by the preacher and another Christian, who remained with
him to the end, several members of his own family being
also present.
" It seems to have been a remarkable scene. The old
man (formerly very quiet, retired, also illiterate) gave utterance
to such deep Christian sentiments as quite astonished those
who were with him. They say it was the Spirit of God that
spoke through him, for the words he spoke were quite
beyond himself. One of the last things he told them was
this : That on the preceding night he had a dream. Three
2<)2 CHIN J AND FOR AIDS A.
men in long robes met him as he was out looking after his
grave. They asked him what he was doing, and told him
that it was not necessary for Christians to take much thought
about the burial-place of the body. They then told him to
go and preach the Gospel. He said he could not, for he
himself was ignorant and not able to read. ' But,' said they,
'just tell what you know; tell people these two clauses —
"Those who believe shall be saved; those who do not
believe shall perish for ever." ' The dying man impressed
on those around him the necessity of such preaching as this.
When death was drawing near, the preacher asked if he was
in much distress (bodily). ' Oh no,' he said, ' it is just like
falling asleep.' So he peacefully passed away amid the prayers
of the Christians, to be (as we trust) for ever with the Lord.
This death-bed scene has made a great impression on his
friends, and several of them have been coming to worship.
Effpxt of his Testimony.
"One man from the village, who was examined as an
applicant yesterday, said : ' Pastor, Uncle Lau has entered into
happiness ; I want no more than that my departure may be
like his.' I thought of the saying of that strange man Balaam :
' Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last
end be like his.' Who knows how many such cases there
may be round about us ! Here was a man not personally
known to us, and whose village was never visited by a
missionary ; and were it not for the scene of his death-bed,
we should have been quite ignorant of the fact that in that
obscure village lived and died an heir of glory.
Chao-chow-fu Hospital,
" What changes some of us have seen wrought by God in
this wonderful China ! Chao-chow-fu at one time proudly
defied the entrance of the foreigner. The entrance has been
made, and the hands of our brother, Dr. Cousland, are more
THE STORY OF THE SWATOIV MISSION. 293
than full. The 7iumber of patients is so lar^e that some limit
has to be put on their admission. That limit is fixed at one
hundred a day, and more than the number come. The first
hour is spent by the doctor and native helpers in preaching
the Gospel of the Kingdom, and thus the knowledge of it is
spread through the large city and the immense country beyond.
Then comes the work of healing ; and from morning till
evening the time is spent in this Christ-like way. ' In due
time we shall reap, if we faint not.' "
" Messenger of Spring" an Earnest Seeker after God.
" One day, as the manner of the Chinese is, he was sitting
on a barber's stool in the open air having his head shaved.
The main street of the village runs along the top of an
embankment, at the foot of which were the barber and
his customer. Just then our preacher (Yong) was pro-
claiming the Gospel to a little company on the street.
' Messenger of Spring,' after listening some time to the
preacher, suddenly jumped up from the stool, with his head
shaved only on the one side, climbed the embankment, ran
forward to the little crowd, and knelt down before the preacher,
asking, ' Can God save me ? ' Yong replied, ' Yes, if you
repent and believe, God will certainly save you. But who
are you, and what do you want to be saved from ? ' 'I am
being crushed to death with sin, and I wish to be saved,'
was the reply, a kind of confession rarely heard in China.
After some conversation with Yong, ' Messenger of Spring '
went back to the barber, who finished his work. Yong then
accompanied him to his home, which was quite close at hand,
and there he told the sad story of his life. In the house
there was an unusually large image of the Goddess of Mercy,
a favourite Chinese idol, with all the necessary apparatus for
burning incense, etc. Yong said that any one who wished
to become a Christian must give up all forms of idolatry,
which our friend expressed himself willing to do, The Gospel
294 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
was explained to him, and he committed to memory a simple
form of prayer. Yong, whose home was fully twenty miles
distant, then left him, promising to return in a week.
"They that Seek Me Early Shall Find Me."
" But long before the ^veek was out ' Messenger of Spring '
found his way to the preacher's home to declare that God
had heard prayer, and that now his heart had found peace
and rest. Yong returned with him to his village, and found
the old mother greatly delighted at the change which had
come over her son. Mother and son expressed their willing-
ness to have the Goddess of Mercy taken down from her
shrine, and burnt in the court before the house, which was
accordingly done. ' Messenger of Spring ' was baptised in
the following year, and has, by a consistent Christian life
during a period of nine years, testified to the reality of his
conversion. His old mother, who was subsequently received
into the Church, died a few months ago in the hope of
the Gospel.
The Blind Weaver.
"'Messenger of Spring' has been an active Christian
worker, and has been the means of leading not a few of his
countrymen to Christ. One of his first converts is well known
through the whole Mission. We call him the ' Blind weaver
of straw sandals.' He is now fifty years of age, and has been
blind for thirty years. Yet, when the preacher is away from
the station, this is the man who supplies his place. At these
times he gives out and reads the hymns, and reads and
expounds the Scripture lessons. That is, he seems to read ;
he really repeats from memory, and does not use the books
printed for the blind. A Chinese friend who heard this man
preach a fortnight ago put it in this way : ' I have seen the
blind led by the seeing, and I have heard of the blind
leading the blind, but I never before saw or heard of the
blind leading the seeing.' The secret of course lies in his
THE STORY OF THE SWATOIV MISSION.
295
wonderful memory. I am sorry to say that some time ago
he was so badly beaten for being a Christian by the ' Pharisees/
as he calls the literary men of the place, that he is not now
able to work at making straw sandals, the source from which he
used to support his aged mother and himself. The mother also
is a believer, and is affectionately attached to the blind son.
DR. AND MRS. LYALL, SWATOW.
Hospital Work.
" The story of the Swatow Mission would be very incomplete
without some account of the medical Mission work carried on
there for the last thirty-three years. From the very beginning
the preaching of the Gospel, the ingathering of converts, the
opening of new stations, have all been in very close connection
296 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
with the devoted labours of the medical Missionaries. Dr.
Gauld began the work, and for seventeen years carried it on
and developed it, and since then Dr. Lyall and Dr. Cousland
have taken up and still further developed it, making it a means
of simply incalculable value in the great work of extending the
knowledge of Christ and preparing the way of the Gospel.
Very many converts have been received from among the
crowds who have frequented the hospital. Some of these
were in turn the means of bringing the Gospel to their fellow-
villagers in many places far and near: through seven of them,
first one and then another of our out-stations was begun ; and
one of the 'old patients' is now a very intelligent and useful
ordained minister."
The nev/ centre for the extension of the work of the
Swatow^ Mission is thus described by Mr. Gibson, who
has already secured a site and received the names of
many applicants for baptism, six of whom have been
baptised. The place seems admirably chosen, and
promises to be an important sphere of labour.
SUA-BUE, THE NeW CeNTRE OF SWATOW PrESBYTERY'.
" Sua-bue is on the sea-coast, south-west from Swatow, fully
more than half-way to Hong Kong. Between Sua-bue and
Hong Kong there is a daily service of steam launches. ' It is
a thriving and busy place, doing a large trade of various kinds,
the most important being connected with the fishing industry.
It will be an admirable centre for further work. Between
Sua-bue and Hong Kong are several considerable towns, at
which the steam launches call, and many villages and towns
round about are easily accessible.'
Preparatory Work.
" Sua-bue was visited once some years ago by Mr. Mackenzie,
and I have met with one or two who remember hearing him
THE STORY OF THE SWATOW MISSION. 297
preach from the permanent stage erected in the open air for
the theatrical performances in honour of the idols. Last year
Mr. Maclagan visited the place again, and now Mr. Steele and
I are here together on the third visit to the town.
" Again and again a wish has been expressed by the people
of the place for the establishment of a station of our Mission
among them ; amongst others, by some Roman Catholics. But
there was reason to suppose that what was really desired was
not the Gospel, but help in local quarrels — quarrels so violent
that sometimes the would-be worshippers were collecting arms,
for a regular battle. In that state of feeling it was impossible
to do anything else than wait, meanwhile sending a preacher
now and again to tell the people the real meaning and purpose
of a Christian Mission. Now at length it seems safe and wise
to make a forward movement."
The Formation of the Church.
Writing from Sua-bue on November 19th, 1894,
Mr. Gibson says : —
" On Friday Mr. Steele and I came to the town. On
Friday and Saturday we had several meetings, morning and
evening, with most of the worshippers who live near. On
Saturday evening twenty men gave me their names for baptism.
On Sabbath morning others from some distance came forward,
and my list of applicants ran up to fifty-one names. Of these
six were women, and this I take to be a particularly good sign
at this early stage, as showing that family life is being brought
under Christian influence.
Six OUT OF Fifty-one Applicants Baptised.
" Of course it has been impossible to examine or even
converse with many of these applicants. But I selected a few
of the most hopeful and examined them, and we decided to
receive six men whose answers seemed to show some real hold
298 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
of Christian truth, and whose conduct, 1 am assured, is con-
sistent with their profession. Of these six I baptised five at
afternoon service, and the sixth I admitted to Church fellow-
ship, but did not baptise, as he had received baptism many
years ago from a Missionary of the French Catholic Mission.
" Three of the men thus baptised form an interesting group
— a father, aged fifty-two, and two sons, aged twenty-three and
nineteen. They are ferrymen, having also a share in a shop.
Besides this, two younger sons have a shop of their own, in
which they sell dried grass fuel. They hang up a notice out-
side on the Lord's Day, stating that it is closed for the day.
The father has been leader of the movement for some time,
and has been the means of bringing in many of the worshippers.
The house in which we are living, and in which we worship, is
his, and he lets it to us for twelve Chinese ounces of silver,
having been in the habit of letting it for sixteen ounces to
others.
" The sixth was a Roman Catholic, who had been baptised
by a priest, but he got dissatisfied with their teaching. They
tried hard to get him back again. When he visited a friend in
Canton, the priest visited him and offered to feed him if he
came back, and told him he would starve if he did not. He
replied, ' No, father, I will not come back. You promised to
forgive me my sins, and you yourself are a sinful man, needing
forgiveness. None but the Lord can forgive sins. Besides,
you always showed us the Lord in the arms of Mary ' (referring
to the images of the Virgin), ' but He has ascended to the right
hand of the Father in the heavens."
When friends at home were la^nng their plans for
doing honour to Mr. H. M. Matheson, on completion of
his fifty years of faithful service as an office-bearer in
the Church, and with special reference to his duties as
Treasurer and Convener of the Foreign Missions Com-
mittee, the members of the Swatow Presbytery resolved
THE STORY OF THE SWA TOW MISSION. 299
to show their respect and affection in their own way.
They drew up and forwarded a memorial, beautifully
written in the finest Chinese style of language and
character, from which we make a few quotations, regret-
ting that we cannot give the whole. Age being so highly
honoured in China, they dwell chiefly on his being an
Elder.
"The Swatow Presbytery to Mr. H. M. Matheson.
(Translation.)
" Peace and happiness to His Excellency the Elder
Matheson, Convener of the Foreign Missions Committee of
the Presbyterian Church of England.
" We respectfully state that our Presbytery recently heard
that the Elder has been an office-bearer for fifty years in the
Presbyterian Church of England, which has had a Mission
to China for nearly fifty years, and that the whole Church
regarded it as indeed a happy thing that for so long a period
she has had his faithful and diligent service even to the time of
his old age. The Church unanimously, and with reverential
regard, decided to express her congratulations, to make known
her admiration for the Elder and give him her blessing.
Thereupon the learned brethren in England, in choice words,
clear and bright, mutually prolonging their notes of praise in
honour of the Elder and his great renown, congratulated him.
" We having experienced in such abundance the Elder's
kindness and favour, how can we alone be behind others in his
praise ? Having exercised his office in many affairs of great
importance during these fifty years, and thereby given excellent
help to the Church without stint, we too, having regard to this
prolonged service, from its beginning till now, congratulate the
Elder, and pray God to bless him.
" To compare him with the man who is able merely to
publish a book, or with him who can invent a machine, or bring
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
into subjection a territory, or help in bringing one affair to a
conclusion — why, his labours and thoughtfulness and wisdom
far excel theirs, extending above and beyond them in height
and breadth. Very many men indeed have taken part in pro-
claiming the Gospel in the Middle Kingdom and in Western
lands, but many cannot be found who, like the Elder, have
exercised office without reproach from first to last for fifty years.
" We now call to mind the words of consolation which the
Elder formerly wrote, and our hearts turn to him as the sun-
flower to the sun. And, in conclusion, we earnestly hope that
the Elder may enjoy a venerable old age like that of John.
" Thus does our Presbytery desire and hope on his behalf, and
we respectfully beg him graciously to receive our congratulations.
"This letter of congratulation is sent on behalf of the Tie-
chiu {i.e. Swatow) Presbytery, by
Lan Chek-iong, Moderator.
Kuan Chip-seng, Senior Clerk.
Ng Siu-teng, Junior Clerk.
Kim Hu-zu, Senior Missionary.
H.I.M. Kuang-su, 21st year, 6th month, ist day.
(July 22nd, 1895)."
I^L
— ,.,-i.
SIM-KJAN-LAN AND FAMILY.
lllEULUCjlCAL CULLLCjli, TAl-NAN-lU.
CHAPTER XVI.
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION {continued).
IN the second period, on which we are now entering,
the Mission in Formosa met with a great privation
by the protracted illness of its founder, Dr. Maxwell.
In the Report for 1873 the Convener writes : —
" The severe illness which prostrated Dr. Maxwell for many
months has caused much anxiety and sorrow, and called forth
much sympathy and prayer. We rejoice to know that our
beloved brother is now steadily recovering. The Lord has
had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on us also ; and
the Church at home will, we doubt not, continue, with the
Church in Formosa, in prayer that he may soon be able to
return to the work he loves and longs for, and may see the
promise of its bright beginning more than fulfilled in future
years."
Few pioneers of Missions in these days have so much
cause to be thankful as Dr. Maxwell for the success
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
which crowned his labours during the short time he
was permitted to serve the Master in Formosa ; and it
was a sore trial to him and his colleagues when he
was obliged to retire at the time the work was most
promising. But the Lord knows best what is good
for His servants and for His service. After a long
rest, he was permitted to return to Formosa for a
little while, and then forced to retire from the foreign
field. But those who have watched Dr. Maxwell's
career at home will see that the Master had only changed
the sphere and form of His servant's work, and that
what he has been enabled to do for the cause of
Missions, and the kingdom of God, by his untiring
labours in this country, is a greater and more influential
work than he could have accomplished if he had
remained all his days in the island of Formosa. The
Missionaries in the field were cheered by the arrival,
in 1874, of the Rev. Thomas Barclay, M.A., than whom
no better substitute for the brother they had lost could
have been sent to their aid.
In Formosa, as in Amoy and Swatow, we shall
find a great increase in the numbers and organisation
of the Church. Tai-wan-fu became so important a
centre that the old headquarters at Ta-kao took a
subordinate place, and the capital of the island ap-
propriately became the capital of the Mission. New
stations were opened to the north and east of that
city, a Presbytery was formed, and the infant Church
showed its vitality by carrying on a Mission to its
heathen neighbours in the Pescadore Islands, not far
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 303
from their shores. Stations were also extended among
the savage inhabitants in the mountains, and on the
coast beyond them to the south-east. They would
also have been extended to the far north of the
island but for the rapid spread of the Canadian Presby-
terian Mission in the region of Tam-sui, which had
been assigned to their representative, the Rev. George
L. Mackay, by our Mission, when he consulted them
as to the sphere of his labours on his first coming
to China. Mr. Mackay has succeeded in gathering
a large number of followers, and has set up many
Mission stations all over the northern part of the
island.
The Rev. W. Campbell gives an interesting account
of a visit he paid to the savage aborigines, the Chay-
hoan, or raw foreigners, as the Chinese call them, in
April of 1873, from which we quote an account of some
of their customs.
Among the Barbarians.
" A-tek had been suffering from fever, and was rather weakly-
I gave him a good dose of quinine, and some time after he
drank off a preparation of Liebig's Extract of Meat with
apparent relish. There was little done that evening. It was just
dark when we arrived, and the prospect outside was anything but
inviting. Some thirty gathered into the large apartment. They
were somewhat shy at first, but became more communicative
further on in the evening. I presented A-tek with about half a
yard of red flannel, of which they are very fond, a few wooden
combs, flints, and an old chain I had used for keeping my
keys and the possession of which evidently gave my host an
additional feeling of superiority. Many of the remarks that
5o4 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
were made were translated into Chinese by A-tun, the bartering
man. Of course they had mainly some reference to myself.
I was the white-skinned foreigner who came far from above —
wherever that is — and although my head were cut off, I should
not die ; with equally profound remarks.
Head-Hunters.
" Rising early the next morning, I ventured out to look at
the place, when I saw among the first things a string of skulls
fastened up at the end of the chiefs house. They were mostly
cloven in, and not a few had some of the flesh adhering to
them, as if they had been severed from the body only a
month or two before. The greater number of the other
houses were similarly ornamented. There were thirty-nine in
one collection, thirty-two in another, twenty-one in a third.
They told me of clan fights among themselves, and of many
a fatal meeting with straggling bands on the western side.
Before the encroachments of the swarming Chinese, the poor
Chay-hoan sees his approaching ruin, and in his sullen despair
his hand is against every man. One of our members informed
me that not a year passes without ten to twenty of the Po-sia
people being killed.
" On turning away from these sickening sights and entering
the large cabin again, I felt sad at heart on seeing further
evidence of this awful degradation. A number of very sus-
picious-looking implements were lying about, and there could
be no mistake as to the nature of that thick mass of long hair
which dangled from one of the beams. It consisted of pig-tails
of murdered Sek-hoans and Chinamen, and belonged to those
bleaching skulls I had just^seen. I have myself no doubt that
many of the Chay-hoans are cannibals.
Some Good Points.
" One could not look on this poor people without a feeling of
the deepest pity. They arc in many respects a fine race. All
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 305
say they are truthful, chaste, and honest. Murder is the
most common of their great sins. Human life is regarded as of
Httle value, and they glory in hacking the bodies of those from
whom they have received any real or fancied wrong. Both
men and women paint their faces. The faces of the old women
are so daubed over as to make them quite repulsive. Their
time is taken up in hunting, from which large parties returned
on the second day of our visit. We tried repeatedly to teach
them some of the simplest truths, but their minds seemed
incapable of receiving a single impression. The process of
writing a few notes in their presence excited their suspicion of
something being prepared to harm them. I tried to explain
the matter, but it was no use ; so I put the note-book aside.
Burials of the Savages.
" I had not before heard of rather a singular custom existing
among these Chay-hoans. When any one dies, his friends
do not convey his body to the outside of the village for
burial. The log fire, which always smoulders at one
end of the apartment, is immediately cleared aw^ay, and a
deep hole is dug, in which the body is placed in a sitting
posture. Pipes and tobacco, with other articles used by the
deceased while living, are placed beside the body. Some
simple ceremony of mourning is gone through ; a couple of
the nearest friends fill up the grave, and everything goes on
as usual.
" They commence the erection of their houses by digging a
large square hole or pit about four feet deep. The earth
forming the floor of this pit is firmly beaten down, and the
sides are built around with large stones. This stone wall is
carried up three feet above the level of the ground ; a bamboo
framework is then thrown over from wall to wall, so as to
form eaves two or three feet deep on either side ; over this,
slates, or rather stone slabs, are placed, and the structure is
complete.
20
3o6 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Their Wells.
" The chief, and one or two others, were remarkably friendly
the second morning after my arrival. The medicine I gave
them had cured them of their fevers and made them com-
paratively cool and fresh. They proposed to show^ me their
wells, which A-tun said was a certain evidence of their
confidence. They told me that one of these wells had been
under evil influence a long time, causing numerous deaths.
They had been in the habit of firing into the wells in the
evenings, in the hope that the bullets from their long guns
would discharge the enemy. The well in question was a
beautiful running spring, with an almost unlimited supply of
the coolest, sweetest water I had ever tasted. I told the
people to give up the water they had been drinking and begin
again with this. The low, wretched charnel-houses in which
they dwelt made it a puzzle to me how so many sturdy fellows
were there. The scenery around was the wildest and most
magnificent I had ever seen."
The following letter gives an idea of the dangers our
Missionaries have sometimes to encounter in visiting;
distant stations. China, with all its love of law and
order, suffers much from lawless men, who defy the
local authorities and plunder and murder the innocent.
But for the protecting hand of God, our friend might
have been murdered. The attack took place to the
east of Ka-gi.
Attack on Mr. Campbell.
" Feeling somewhat tired, I retired to rest soon after the
prayer-meeting, and about midnight was suddenly awakened
by hearing people rushing through the fence which surrounds
our chapel ground and by the bright glare of many lights
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 307
moving rapidly round the house. I started up to find that my
bedroom was already on fire ; that the three buildings, and
especially the preacher's house — one of the rooms of which I
now occupied — were surrounded by fifty or sixty ferocious-
looking men, all of them armed with knives and spears, their
faces blackened, and perhaps about thirty of them bearing
torches. I called out for assistance, but, hearing the noise
sooner than myself, our preacher, with all the others, had fled.
Hardly supposing they would attack a foreigner, I attempted
to escape by the door of the midroom, but was driven back
by the spears of these men, which were thrust against the
Chinese blanket I held before me. I shouted out that the
British Consul would punish them if they persisted, but was
answered by five or six, who rushed forward brandishing their
knives and spears, which again struck frequently into my
Chinese blanket. I escaped into the preacher's bedroom, but
was at once pursued by ten or a dozen men into the midroom,
who were evidently afraid to follow me singly through the
narrow entrance of the apartment into which I had retreated.
They kept thrusting their spears in at the door, and, failing for
the moment to effect their purpose, commenced immediately
to break down the thin partition on my left. The place now
began to fill with smoke — the dry grass roofing was on fire all
around, the chapel itself at this time being also enveloped in
flames. Those in the midroom retreated to the outside,
where I tried hard again to follow them from the burning
house, the heat and smoke of which had now become almost
insupportable. The sight which met my eyes was very
alarming. There was nothing but fire and smoke all over the
chapel ; and there seemed to be something almost fiendish in
the determination of that crowd, as they stood back from the
door awaiting my exit with uplifted knives and spears. I once
more rushed inside, in the vain hope of finding some wa)- of
escape from the back, when some of them broke the little
window in pieces and cast a burning torch into the room,
which was fast beginning to set the furniture on fire.
SOME EARLIER MISSIONARIES, FORMOSA.
REV. HUGH RITCHIE.
J, L. MAXWELL, M.A., M.D.
REV. W. CAMPBELL.
REV. T. BARCLAY, M.A.
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 309
Narrow Escape.
" It was at this moment, in the rapidly falling bamboo house,
and surrounded on every side by wicked men, who seemed
thirsting for blood, that I committed myself to God, and for
the last time dashed out, expecting nothing but to be cast upon
those awful spears. I reached the outer door 10 see the whole
party rapidly moving away to the right. The wind had some-
what risen, and they seemed to be rushing away from the
blinding smoke of the burning chapel behind them, and from
the flames which were falling from the projecting roof of the
house before which they had been waiting. Having no other
clothing on save my sleeping-shirt, I sprang through the door,
cUmbed over an earth embankment on the left, and ran across
several narrow fields to the foot of a low-lying hill, w^here there
was an abundance of thick shrubbery, into which I crept, and
lay for some time half-unconscious and trembling on account
of the intense coldness of the night.
" I once lifted my head above the tall grass, and could see
the torches spread over fields on the farther side of the burning
chapel, as if search were being made for those who had just
escaped. Not feeling safe in my present retreat, I soon after
removed to a hillside somewhat farther off, and lay there con-
cealed till w^ithin about an hour of daybreak, when, with the
preacher and his wife, who had joined me a short time before,
and who supplied me with a pair of old Chinese trousers, I
started through the mountain paths, and ran most of the way
to Ka-gi city. We proceeded at once to the yamun of the chief
magistrate, where, after some little discussion with the officials,
chairs w^ere provided, and we were safely brought back to
Tai-wan-fu under an escort of soldiers.
" I have suffered a good deal from severe scratches and the
night exposure. My watch, clothes, and nearly all the baggage
I had with me at the time, have been destroyed, the object of
our poor miserable enemies plainly being, not robbery, but
murder."
3IO CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Influp:nck of Hospital.
The Rev. David Smith writes of the large town of
Ka-gi, to the north-east of Tai-wan, and the district
around it : —
" I believe that our Church has a great prospect before it in
Ka-gi. Dr. Maxwell's name is known over the whole region.
In some of the large towns I have met with men who were
stone blind, operated upon by Dr. Dickson, and now earning a
living as traders or field workers. While, later still, the energetic
work of our two colporteurs has leavened the district and set
before us an open door of opportunity."
Female Education.
Before the Women's Missionary Association came
into existence, Mrs. Maxwell and Mrs. Ritchie had done
good work in educating the women in the Formosa
Mission ; and after Mr. Ritchie's death, Mrs. Ritchie
devoted herself to this work as long as her health
allowed of her residence in the East. In the year 1880
Miss Murray, of the Women's Mission, entered on the
work which Mrs. Ritchie was reluctantly compelled to
relinquish for a season, but was permitted to resume
for some time after a furlough at home. Miss Butler,
Miss Stewart, and Miss Barnett have since then entered
on this important work.
It would be an injustice to abridge this beautiful
portraiture of a Chinese convert by tlie pen of Dr.
Maxwell, in April of 1876.
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION.
Brother Tee. In Life and Death.
" Brother Tee died at the Hospital, Tai-\van-fu, on April 21st,
1876.
" Who was Brother Tee ?
"When I first knew him, in 1869, he was a wood-cutter. A
Tai-wan-fu wood merchant would buy up the trees on a piece
of country ground, and send out a gang of men to cut them
down and bring them in. Tee was one of those tree-fellers,
and gained in this way a very fair livelihood. Tree-fellers in
Formosa are apt to be careless as to the exact limits of their
employers' property, and many quarrels occur. Tee was not
one to run away from a fight. He was a man of will and
energy and courage, though then, I fear, it was often in a bad
cause that he showed them.
Tee's Conversion.
" Under the elder Bun's preaching in 'J'ai-\v^an-fu, Tee's con-
science was aroused. He did not say much for a long time,
but came and went. When at last, however, he did come
forw^ard, there was no mistaking him. The truth had taken
firm hold of him, and he had taken firm hold of the truth. He
was one of the men whom the Missionary rejoices to welcome
into the Church. In this respect his young, good-looking wife
was a striking contrast to himself. They had a great affection
for each other, and under his teaching she relinquished idolatry,
attended Church regularly, came to my wife's class and learned
to read, and, finally, on profession of her faith, received
Christian baptism. But she lacked the bright, hearty decision
of her husband ; and while in her brief life she never gave us
special cause for sorrow, it could not be said that she gave us
much cause for Christian joy.
" At the time of his conversion Tee was quite unlettered.
With much earnestness he set himself — being then probably
about thirty-five years of age — to acquire both reading and
312 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
writing, and with such success that two or three years later he
was able to write me a long letter in the Chinese character.
" When the hill stations at Bak-sa and the neighbourhood
were opened, Tee was of great value. At once he won his way
with the Hoan. In summer, when the Bak-sa chapel has been
so densely packed that in the passages those who were standing
together could only find space enough in the terrific heat for
the most modified use of their fans, I have seen our dear
brother cheerfully stand through the whole service that some-
body else might be more comfortable. At the Poah-be station
he did excellent service, winning many of the doubting Hoan
to cast in their lot with the Christians. Wherever our brother
was placed, you could calculate on honest, faithful work.
Firmness on Trials.
" Tee's Christian course had its fair share of trials. First,
he himself had a long and dangerous illness, which destroyed
the use of one lung, and left him a weaker man for the rest
of his days. His courage and cheerfulness were conspicuous
through it all. Then, to his deep grief, his young wife passed
away after a brief and obscure illness. But here the cha-
racteristic decision of the man came out. Ugly rumours
were running through Tai-wan-fu just at that time, and at-
tempts were being made to unsettle the populace with stories
of dead people's eyes being scooped out, etc. We knew that
this death would be made the occasion of evil report against
Medical Missionary work. But Tee was the man for such
a time. His own heart full of sorrow, he had the body laid
in a cofitin and carried into the central room of the house,
right opposite the open door, that every passer-by might see
that there was nothing to hide. With lighted lamp, he sat up
through the night to make sure that nothing, either from
within or without, should hurt the body. Finally, when the
funeral party of Christian and heathen acquaintances gathered
in the morning, and before the coffin was finally closed, he
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 313
uncovered his dead wife's face, and called every one to
witness that the eyes were there, and that none of the wicked
atrocities alleged against the Missionaries were true.
Tee's Death.
" Out of his comparative poverty Tee was one of the most
liberal and steady of the contributors to the help of the
Mission work. During the last four years he has been
employed up and down in various parts of the Mission field ;
sometimes far north among the Sek-hoans, sometimes among
the Pe-pos of the Bak-sa region, and latterly at the Chinese
city Ka-gi. It was while at this latter station he began to
be affected with severe ulceration of the throat, which necessi-
tated his coming to the Hospital at Tai-wan-fu, where, after
severe and prolonged suffering, he has passed away.
"'On Friday morning,' writes Dr. Dickson, 'I saw him
before six. He was then dying, and unable to speak except in
a faint whisper. I asked him what his hope was, and on
listening I could hear the word "Ja-so" (Jesus). I told
Mr. Campbell, who was just preparing to leave for the hills,
so we went out together, and C led us in prayer. In
a short time after I again went to see him, and said,
" Brother Tee, your sufferings will soon be over now ; Jesus
is calling you home." He lifted his left hand (he was lying
on his right side) and pointed upwards. In twenty minutes
more his spirit had fled.'"
Hospital Work by Dr. Dickson.
" Tai-wan-fu, /z^/j/ lUh, 1876.
" The Hospital is well attended, and several patients seem
deeply impressed. Half a dozen of them have purchased
hymn-books, which they read from morning till night. It
is discouraging to lose sight of these patients when they leave,
as the majority live far away from any chapel where they
might be instructed. By-and-by, when the Missions are
314 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
united, and Mr. Barclay and Mr. Smith begin to take part
in speaking with the patients, we may naturally look for
more fruit.
" Recently I have been attending several patients in the
Tau-tai's yamun. The first was the wife of the secretary, who
had been suffering from a large abscess of the thigh, which
had baffled the native practitioners, and nearly cost the lady
her life. She was suffering great pain ; her pulse was high,
and she was reduced almost to a skeleton. After suitable
measures taken by me, she felt greatly relieved, and has
improved ever since. The Tau-tai himself has also been a
patient. I have become very bold under the circumstances,
and have asked and got promise of a temple as an hospital
in case of need. A Mandarin of the rank of a blue button,
or something, has been sent round to inspect all the temples,
and report. I trust that God will overrule all these things for
the good of this people in a spiritual sense."
The Training College, Tai-wan-fu.
(Letter from Rev. T. Barclay.)
'' April 20th, 1878.
" Our college tutor has arrived back from Amoy after about
two months' absence, bringing with him his whole household.
We had taken advantage of the absence of the students on
their New Year's holiday to have the College building all put in
order. We got a set of rules made out, and on the return of
the students had a meeting with them, at which all the
Missionaries were present. We explained to them that now
we had prepared a proper place for them, with all necessary
educational appliances, we intended to institute a proper system,
with stricter discipline. I am glad to say that they have
entered very readily into the arrangement, so that things have
been going on very smoothly and satisfactorily on the whole,
without requiring from us much in the way of fault-finding. I
certainly, for myself, find much more pleasure in any instruction
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 315
I am able to give, now that the external conditions are so
much more suitable. We have just added one more to our
students, making now eleven regular students in all — the lad
Ke, from Lam-gan, of whom Mr. Campbell wrote last year.
Altogether we are very hopeful of this branch of our work.
We feel that now at last we have made real progress towards
the setting on foot of measures for the education of young
men for the native Ministry — a work the importance of which
has all along been felt by the Missionaries, even when circum-
stances prevented their doing much towards its accomplish-
ment."
A PASTOR AND FAMILY.
MISSION SCHOOL, TAl-NAN-FU.
CHAPTER XVII.
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION {concluded).
THE year 1887 was noted in the annals of the
native Church of Formosa by the resolution to
make the Pescadores the field of their Mission to their
heathen countrymen. The following is an account of
their decision.
A Field for Native Mission.
" The idea was suggested to propose this work, in the
Pescadores as a Mission field for the Formosan Church — that
is, that the native Christians here should undertake, without
any assistance from England, the responsibility of supplying
all the funds needed for the carrying on of the work, and, as
far as may be, of superintending it. The field is a very
suitable one for the purpose — the Pescadores, islands, as may
be seen from a map of China, lying only some forty or fifty miles
distant from Formosa, with which in fine weather they have
continued intercourse by junk. The field is not too extensive,
316
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 317
the entire population amounting, we are told, to about 70,000
or 80,000 people ; the language is the same as that spoken in
Formosa, and we have already in our Church here some
Christians who are Pescadores people. On the other hand, they
form a field quite distinct and self-contained, in which, as yet,
heathenism is unbroken, so that the native Church of Formosa
has here a fair field for testing its energies. But we have been
so led on step by step, and the result has been, so far as has
gone, so gratifying, to an extent beyond what we expected, that
we feel sure we have not made a mistake in acting as we have
done. It forms, for one thing, a good outlet for the surplus funds
of self-supporting congregations ; and it will, I believe, help
rather than hinder the movement for self-support. Theo-
retically, it removes the duty of self-support out of the sphere
of discussion ; that is taken for granted as a basis for this
further liberality. And, practically, I do not think it will
take away from the funds which would otherwise be given for
the preacher's salary. We have warned them against this
error, I hope not in vain.
Liberality Called Forth.
"1'he result, I said, has exceeded our expectations. As the
mission has not yet been begun, we have not made any very
definite appeal, or taken any steps for raising subscriptions.
But we mentioned the matter in two numbers of our Church
paper, giving an account of Mr. Campbell's visit, suggesting to
the people the desirableness of their undertaking it, and asking
them to talk over it, and let us know what they thought. We
have already received some responses. On my mentioning
the matter in the congregation here, in Tai-wan-fu (a self-
supporting one), one of the elders at once offered fifty dollars
as a donation towards starting the Mission and defraying
initial expenses. The little congregation in Lom-bay Island,
where there are only ten members, and which, for the last
year, has been without a preacher, sent a collection amounting
3i8 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
to four dollars made at a communion season. The Church at
Thau-sia, among the aborigines, sent eight dollars ; and the
Church at Ka-lah-paw, which is this year self-supporting, has
sent us twenty-eight dollars fifty cents, along with a letter,
of which I give you a translation.
The Widow's Mite.
" In connection with this collection, among the subscribers
was an old widow woman named Kam, sixty-two years old,
unable to see. When she heard of this collection, she
brought gladly fifty cash [about two pence]. This widow
woman is extremely poor, and generally gets only two meals a
day. Sometimes she has nothing to eat ; sometimes she gets
employment in grinding flour for a bare living."
Visit to the Pescadores.— BreakinCx New
Ground.
The Pescadores are a group of islands, more than
twenty in number, lying to the west of the southern
part of Formosa, the shortest distance between them
and the Formosa coast being only thirty miles. The
Missionaries in Formosa had often thought of visiting
the group, but had been hitherto unable to accomplish
it. But the visit has just been made by Mr. Campbell.
He is much encouraged by all he saw. Accompanied
by a native preacher, he visited nearly every island of
the northern group, and found the people most hearty
and cordial. They listened with eager attention, and
purchased about two thousand books and tracts. A
small place was rented at Ma-kung, one of the principal
towns, and the preacher was left there to carry on the
work.
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 319
We are sorry to say that Mr. Campbell was taken
ill while on the islands. He got over to Amoy, and
with the blessing of God, and the care taken of him
there, he is now quite well again.
School for the Blind in Formosa.
We have before referred to the efforts of the Rev.
W. Campbell in behalf of the blind. They have been
crowned w^ith success, and have gained the approval
of the highest classes among the Mandarins and literati
of Tai-wan-fu, and, what is of much more importance,
the approbation of God. Some of these poor outcasts
have given evidence of a true change of heart, as
manifested in their lives. Many are now taught to
earn an honest livelihood who would otherwise have
been the poorest of beggars, or lying fortune-tellers.
This institution in Formosa and that in Chin-chew
materially assist one another. Mr. Campbell sent
some of his educated youths to assist Miss Graham
in establishing her school for the blind ; and now the
more fully equipped institution will be able to give
a more complete education to the older and more
promising boys in that of Tai-wan-fu.
Mr. Ede, who, like Mr. Paton in Swatow, went out
as professional Christian teacher to take the over-
sight of the educational work in the Formosa and
Swatow Mission, gives the following sketch of the
life and death of one of these poor neglected objects
who are born to a double blindness in a heathen
320 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
land. It illustrates the sad lot of hundreds of thousands
in China, and what the Gospel is doing for their
relief
Life and Death of a Blind Boy.
"Tai-\van-fu, October 1894.
"Chhin-a was the youngest son of a well-to-do Chinese
farmer whose home was twenty miles south of Tai-wan-fu.
The farmer and his wife were much attached to their four
sons and their daughter, and, though not Christians, tried to
bring them up well. Chhin-a, his mother's pet, when five
years old, had measles, which affected his eyes, and under the
unskilful treatment of a native practitioner the poor little
fellow became totally blind.
"^Vhile Chhin-a was still a boy his father suddenly died.
The sorrowing mother had house and farm and children all
cast on her care and toil. Her daughter was a help and
comfort to her, ])ut the three elder boys, boisterous and
quarrelsome, cost her much anxiety and pain. By-and-by the
daughter was married, and the strain on the brave mother so
made considerably heavier. Then she broke down, and after
a short illness was taken away. Before her death she made
the elder brothers promise to be just and kind to the helpless
Chhin-a — a promise they did not keep. They appropriated
his share of the family substance, and sent him out to earn
his own living by fortune-telling.
The Prodigal and the Gospel.
"A Christian brother brought Chhin-a to the chapel. The
preacher there knew that Mr. Campbell was establishing a
school for blind lads, and he suggested Chhin-c4 as a possible
pupil. Mr. Campbell agreed; but the sister opposed the
proposed arrangement, in the belief that her brother would be
fattened up by the foreigners and then drained of his blood to
have it mixed with opium ! However, the preacher having
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 12 1
guaranteed the lad's safety, he was brought to Tai-wan-fu.
He soon began to make progress in reading and writing. The
Gospel was nearly quite new to him, but in time it took a
hold of his heart. He became one of the nicest lads in the
school. Last year he came every afternoon to our house to
be taught by Mrs. Ede, who, as well as Mr. Campbell, always
found him an earnest pupil. It is my practice to hear the
Golden Texts every Sabbath afternoon before the beginning of
the ordinary service. I never knew Chhin-a fail to repeat his.
He has written out fully several books of the Old and New
Testaments.
His Last Illness.
" A year ago he began spitting blood, and consumption
soon declared itself and made rapid progress. When the end
seemed to be drawing near, we offered to send for his relatives.
He said it would be no use, for they had cast him off. On
Sunday, November 3rd, about midday, accompanied by Mrs.
Ferguson, who had done for him all that medical skill and
kindness could do, I went into the Blind School to see him.
The poor lad could only speak in gasps. I asked him about
his spiritual state. In clear but disjointed words he said he
was trusting in God, and that his heart was at peace. In the
evening, about eight o'clock, the teacher in charge of the
Blind School came to me to say Chhin-a had just passed
away."
Japanese Formosa.
The unhappy war of 1894, by which China was
compelled ignominioiisly to sue for peace to a small
empire like that of Japan, and even to submit to the
loss of one of its fairest islands, was one of the great
object-lessons of national history. An empire of four
hundred millions of peaceable people, who had neglected
the arts of war, conquered by one of forty millions,
21
322 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
which had picked up in one generation so much of
the arts of modern warfare as to make them more
than a match against ten to one of a people equal
in intelligence and of greater physical strength man
for man ! But with the war and its lessons we
have nothing to do, except in its effect on the trans-
ference of Formosa from Chinese to Japanese rule ; and
that only as it affects the Mission of the Presbyterian
Church of England.
Many have looked on this transference with lively
expectations of the greatest benefit to Formosa and
to our Mission. We fear the fruits will be of a mixed
character, though we will not indulge in pessimistic
views or in general denunciations of the Japanese.
There will undoubtedly be a great advance in material
prosperity. The savage tribes of the east part of the
island will be subdued and brought under law, or, as
in the conquests of Western nations, wiped off by
the advance of so-called civilisation ; mines will be
opened and worked ; roads will be made as the
highway of commerce, and trades and manufactures
will be developed ; and we may hope that justice
will be more fairly administered than under the rule
of the Chinese. But, on the other hand, we may
anticipate a great change in the population. The
influx of Chinese will be checked, and there will be
an immigration of Japanese. It will be very difficult
for the Chinese, who are now the backbone of the
population, to hold their own under the new regime ;
both they and the weak Pe-po-hoan, whom they have
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 323
hitherto cheated out of their birthright, will have to
go to the wall before the progressive Japanese of the
nineteenth century. It is difficult to conceive of so
young and vain a race at once falling into the modern
practice of the most advanced nations of the Old
World in the treatment of conquered peoples.
There will undoubtedly be a great change in the
public tone of morality. The Japanese not only
practise the grossest licentiousness, but legalise and
make a parade of it. The Chinese may not be much
better in their practice, but they have the grace to
be ashamed of it. Already are the inhabitants of
Formosa groaning under the abominations practised
by their conquerors in this matter.
But whatever the issue of this change of rule, our
path is plain as a Mission. It is not our work " to
call the righteous, but sinners to repentance " ; and
whether the majority of the population in future be
Chinese or Japanese, they equally stand in need of
the Gospel. The Japanese have in their own land
shown a greater readiness to accept the truth than
the Chinese. We call attention to the changes likely
to take place in the old field of labour, to prepare
for and to stimulate to greater watchfulness and prayer
for the Missionaries, and for the members of the
native Church, in altered, and it may be trying,
circumstances. It was a great pleasure to read of the
way in which the Christians among the Japanese
officers and soldiers acted towards the Missionaries and
;24
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
the converts during the war. They treated the one
with respect and the others as their fellows and
equals, and they all sat down together at the Table of
the Lord as brethren, even before peace was proclaimed
between the two countries. The following letter, written
in English, from a Christian officer in the Japanese
army to Mr. Barclay, shows the fine spirit in which
the Christian officers and soldiers did what they thought
their duty in fighting the battles of their country, and
yet loved, and fraternised with, the Christian Chinese : —
Letter of Japanese Officer.
"Ma-kung, May I2ih, 1895.
" ' Rev. Pa Tohma ' [Mr. Barclay's Chinese name].
" ' Dear Sir, — As I heard of you from Khaw Teng-hong, I
write you this letter. I am a young officer in the Japanese
Army (Reserves). I was educated in a Methodist School at
Aoyama, Tokyo, and became a Christian some years ago. I
am your brother in the Lord.
" ' I am sorry that this war broke out. But it was a necessity
that we should fight. I believe that there is a Divine guidance
in this war, which leads Oriental nations to leave their old
civilisations and seek the new and spiritual one. I believe
firmly in the Divine Mission of Japan, and I fought this war to
fulfil my duty. Now the batdes are over. We are here in
Pescadores. We do not know what will be our future. But
at present we are doing our best to help the Chinese Christians
in this place. They are keeping their Sunday services with us
in the Lee-pai-tong [the Chinese word for chapel].
" ' We Christians in this detachment are not many ; yet we
made ourselves into one body in His name, and we earnestly
pray that the great Truths of the Lord might be revealed in
this part of the world, and strike into the dark bosoms of
China and her Continental neighbours, and thus quicken the
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 325
day of His Kingdom. When we captured this island we did
not know that here was a church. At first our men did not
know of it, and used it ; but now the church is restored to the
native Christians. There is a photographer among us who is
a Christian too. Some days ago he took a picture of Chinese
Christians and us assembled before the church ; after that, we
Christians of both nationalities had a happy social meeting.
" ' I will not tell you much of ourselves, for Khaw Teng-hong
says that he already wrote you. We shall be very glad if you
would come here to visit the native Christians and us. We
are sure that you will be safe. We are reading Chinese " Sin-
lok " and singing " long-sim Sin-si " [New Testament and
hymn-book]. If you can send us those books, and let us
send them to our Christians friends at home, we will be very
glad. A new era has come for us in the Orient. Great duty
lies on us who believe in God.
" ' Sincerely yours in the Lord,
" ' Lieut. .' "
The Missionaries as Mediators.
The part played by the Missionaries of the Presby-
terian Church — Messrs. Barclay and Ferguson — when
the capital of the island, Tai-wan-fu (henceforth to be
called by authority Tai-nan-i\\), was about to be
besieged by the Japanese, shows in a very striking
light the position they occupy in the esteem and
confidence of the population in time of danger. By
their bold and judicious arrangements they were able
to save ■ the city and the inhabitants from a bloody
assault, when many lives would have been lost and
the city plundered and destroyed, as was the case in
many places in other parts of the island. The Japanese
treated the conquered with much severity, destroying
326 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
life and property on a large scale, and laying towns
and villages in ruin. The Christians were between
two fires. The Black Flags, as the patriotic party
were called, slew many of them because they said
they were friends of the invaders, and the Japanese
made no difference between Christians and heathens.
More than twenty peaceable converts were murdered,
and large numbers were plundered and their houses
burned. But the incident will be best told by one who
took an active part in it. Mr. Ferguson writes thus :—
Blessed are the Peace-Makers.
" Tai-wan-fu, October 24///, 1895.
" For about ten days or so many of the Tai-wan-fu people
have been coming imploring us to try and mediate between
them and the Japanese, who were gradually approaching. We
felt almost powerless in the matter. We also thought a
matter of that kind ought to be done by the Consul. We
knew our Consul had already tried to mediate between Liu
Yung and the Japanese. The Japanese had shown a willing-
ness to treat with Liu. They appointed Saturday, October 1 2th,
at 12 noon, as the day and hour when they would be
willing to consider the matter with Liu on board their flagship
off An-ping. The day and hour came, and at i p.m. the
Admiral's ship anchored off An-ping. Liu himself would
not go out, but sent a subordinate, who had no power. With
this subordinate the Japanese refused to treat. They sent
Liu a message that they would remain off An-ping till 10 a.m.
on Sunday, October 13th. If Liu came out, good and well; if
not, they would regard him as hostile. Liu did not go out.
He was afraid if he went on board a Japanese man-of-war that
he would not come off with his head on ; he also dreaded
showing himself to the Japanese, because afterwards it would
be much more difficult for him to escape.
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 327
" On Sunday, 20th inst., forenoon and afternoon, Mr.
Barclay and I were besieged by merchants and other leading
men, imploring us to do something. Mr. Ede went to
An-ping to see what could be done on the arrival of the fleet,
then expected there. On the Sunday afternoon a large
number of merchants and chief men of the city came to
us again. They said that Liu and all their magistrates had
fled, and that soon the city would be in the hands of the
rabble. Mr. Barclay and I agreed to act as their messengers
to the Japanese, now marching north from Ta-kao. Sixty
men were sent to protect our compound during our absence.
We had with us an escort of seventeen Chinese ; two Christians
also accompanied us. We had just started from the compound
when a man came along leading three Japanese horses as
presents, which no Chinaman dare accept. One of the horses
had a saddle, so we took him with us and rode in turns.
Near the little South Gate a ' black flag ' was fluttering before
an official's house. Some of our company ordered its
immediate removal. Outside the gate there was a man
carrying a gun and a belt full of cartridges. He was promptly
disarmed, and sent into the city.
" About a mile from the gate we came across a dead
Japanese horse. The Japanese and Black Flags had been
fighting there that morning. We came soon to a house,
where preparations were going on for the evening meal.
When the people saw our lights they ran off, evidently
thinking we were the rabble. We went on a little bit farther,
when some of the Chinese complained they had not had
any supper, and proposed to stop for the night ! We told
them they must go on till we came to the Japanese lines.
A little farther on a Japanese horse began following us. We
had w^alked about five miles, and were approaching a village
called Ji-chhian-hang, when suddenly we heard a peculiar
summons. Barclay and I at once knew it was the Japanese
sentry calling on us to halt. We ran forward with a light,
held up our British flag, and called out we were English,:
328 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
" A lot of soldiers came running forward, fixed bayonets, and
stood pointing at us. Soon an officer, who could speak a
little English, came forward. We managed to make him
understand our mission. Then the Chinese were bound
together by their turbans tied round their waists. One
Chinaman said to us he was tied very tight, and if he
got any supper that night he would be very uncom-
fortable ! We were then conducted to an officer. By means
of an interpreter he got all our information about Liu
having run off, and the people of Tai-wan-fu inviting them
to enter in peace. Then we were handed on from one officer
to another till 3 a.m. on Monday. We were then told by
General No-gi that the army would start at 5 a.m. for
Tai-wan-fu. We had about an hour's sleep before the start.
Mr. Barclay and fifteen Chinese were put in front to lead
the army and tell the people to open the gates. I and four
Chinese were placed in the centre of the army. It was a
lovely morning — clear and cool. The sight of the thousand
Japanese infantry and cavalry, marching in single file, following.
Barclay and his barefooted Chinese, was one to be re-
membered.
" I was accommodated with a Japanese charger, for which
I was grateful. The road into Tai-wan-fu usually is very
busy, but that morning over the whole five miles I only saw
one man, and he was a good distance from the road. It was
with a thankful heart that, as we approached the city, I saw
the Japanese flag hanging over the South Gate, and knew
that the occupation was to be accomplished without loss
of life.
" When I got to the South Gate I considered my part of
the work was finished, so I dismounted ; but the General
called on me to remount and come on to Liu's yamun.
There was nothing for it but to obey. A Scotch Missionary
riding through Tai-wan-fu streets among Japanese cavalry was
to my mind a little too ludicrous. Every few steps some
long-robed gentleman, who on the previous day would almost
gladly have signed my death-warrant, came forward and with
a deep bow thrust his card into my hand. And so Tai-wan-fu
and Formosa are now in the hands of the Japanese. I am
thankful to think that in God's hand we Missionaries have
been the means of saving many lives.
Escape of Liu.
" Liu, who had resisted the Japanese in Formosa when the
Chinese Government gave in, kept the enemy at bay for months
with a handful of followers and showed what could have been
done if the Chinese had been properly led by patriotic men.
These are hard to find under a foreign despotism. We are
glad he escaped.
" It is said that Liu went on board a steamer or a junk,
at 5 a.m. on Sabbath morning, disguised as a woman nursing
a baby, and thus escaped the vigilance of the Japanese. It
is only fair to add that during his six months' rule in South
Formosa, he has treated us foreigners most kindly, and in the
city he has kept perfect order."
Formation of a Presbytery.
Formosa was much later than Amoy and Swatow
in completing its Church organisation, not merely
because it was later in being begun as a Mission, but
also on account of the difference of the material on
which the Missionaries had to work. The steady,
shrewd, common-sense Chinaman was in a minority
in many of their churches, and the half-bred Pe-po-hoan
were not so enlightened and reliable as the Chinese
on or from the mainland. But the way was being
prepared by educating the converts, and the end was
never lost sight of. Festina lente was the wise spirit
of the Missionaries in these circumstances. In February
330 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
of 1895 a Conference was held, to consider the great
question in Tai-nan-fu, and after prayerful deliberations,
it was resolved to form a Presbytery ; but it was not
until the following year that it was fully formed,
and its first meeting held. Mr. Campbell gives a
good idea of the spirit of the first of these meetings,
and Mr. Duncan Ferguson of the second.
Conference on the Formation of a Presbytery.
" In the second half of February a Conference of the
Missionaries and the preachers and elders of the Formosan
Churches in connection with our Mission was held at Tai-wan-
fu. It had been anticipated with much interest, and with
great unanimity and joy it took the momentous step of resolv-
ing on the immediate formation of a Presbytery of Formosa.
Those who have followed the progress of our Amoy and
Swatow Presbyteries will join our Tai-wan-fu brethren in thank-
fulness that the Chinese Church in Formosa is now at length
prepared to organise itself as a living, self-governing branch of
the Church of Christ. The Missionaries will, no doubt, as in
the Presbytery of Swatow and in the two Presbyteries in the
Amoy region (as well as in the Amoy Synod), sit as assessors,
with rights of speech and vote. But, as on the mainland, the
Chinese Elders and Pastors in Formosa will be encouraged
from the first to take an active part in the deliberations of the
new Presbytery ; and the Chinese mind seems to adapt itself
very readily to our Presbyterian methods. Chinese clerks and
moderators are quickly bred."
Formation of the Presbytery.
Mr. Ferguson, writing on February 29th, 1 896, says :
" On February 24th inst. the Elders of the native Church of
South Formosa met in Tai-nan-fu, and formed themselves into
the Presbytery of Tai-nan. They invited the foreign Mis-
THE STORY OF THE FORMOSA MISSION. 331
sionaries present to join with them in the conduct of business.
They elected the Rev. T. Barclay, M.A., as Moderator, and
two of themselves as Clerks of Presbytery. It was resolved to
place on record the Church's sense of gratitude to the Presby-
terian Church of England in sending teachers, doctors, and
pastors to Formosa. As some of the forty-four Churches in
Formosa have not yet appointed office-bearers, it was agreed
to arrange these Churches into groups, so that each Church
might be represented by an Elder at the next meeting of
Presbytery.
" With regard to the calling of native pastors, it was felt that
no one Church had as yet sufficient strength financially to
support a native pastor. It was therefore agreed that a group
of, say, three or four Churches might combine and call a
pastor; that the pastor's salary ought to be about ;£i6 per
annum, but that this salary must be raised altogether inde-
pendent of the contributions annually subscribed by these said
Churches to the salary of their present Evangelists.
"The Presbytery decided that all Elders ordained hereafter
should be appointed for a term of four years, when a new
election must take place.
" It was agreed to request the Rev. William Campbell,
F.R.G.S., to represent the Presbytery of Tai-nan at the Pan-
Presbyterian Council which meets this year in Glasgow. With
regard to the support of the native Church's Foreign Mission
in the Pescadore Islands, it was resolved for the current year
to apply the communion collections to this object, allowing
each kirk session to retain the collection for their own poor if
they thought fit. An arrangement was made to assist the many
who lost their bread-winners during the late war. The above,
with a few more 'items of minor importance, formed the
business of the first meeting of the Presbytery of Tai-nan."
GIRLS SCHOOL.
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE STORY OF THE SINGAPORE MISSION.
IN the beginning of this century the Island of Singa-
pore was a terra incognita — it was not even known
to be an island. A few wandering tribes, of Javanese
origin, wandered over it rather than possessed it. The
Sultan of Johor, on the mainland, appropriated it in i8i i,
and in 1818, that wise and good representative of British
rule in the East, Sir Stamford Raffles, discovered that
it was a small island of about twenty-seven miles long
by fourteen broad, to which the Sultan attached no
importance, and began the arrangements by which his
successor was enabled to obtain possession by purchase
of Singapore and every island within ten miles, thus
securing ample elbow-room, and security for power
and good government so essential to commerce. Sir
Stamford saw, with the eyes of a statesman, its future
333
334 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
importance as a great centre of trade between the East
and the West. He at once laid the foundations of a
town, on a spot which had a fine harbour ; and
within five years the imports and exports were each
about i^4,ooo,ooo a year. It is by men Hke this that
the Empire of Britain has been built ; in this case with
injury to no individual or nation, but with advantage
to all. The natives were benefited, and every nation
was put on the footing of equality. Trade was free
to all alike, and the results have been marvellous
prosperity.
Singapore has been to the East what Alexandria
was in old time to the West, without the literary
and antiquarian interest of the latter ; but as a centre
of trade it has far excelled that famous city. The
imports now exceed ^^34,000,000 a year, and the exports
more than ;^30,ooo,ooo. Of this, two-thirds are with
Great Britain and her colonies, the other third with
the rest of the world. The preponderance of trade
is with Britain, but the difference in the proportion
is in no way owing to any preference, for all nationalities
are on the same footing — there is not even a custom-
house in Singapore.
The island is salubrious, but to Europeans enervating,
from its uniformity of temperature — above that of our
country, but so equable that the trees do not know
when to cast their leaves ; they continue changing
them at their convenience all the year round, and are
never bare. It is flat, but dotted over with little hills,
on which the wealthy merchants build themselves
beautiful bungalows, surrounded with bushes of all
kinds, which are ever green. The finest of these build-
ings belong to Englishmen and Chinese, the latter
being but little behind the former in the appearance
of wealth and luxury.
The population of the island is over half a million,
and of these one hundred thousand are within easy
distance of the town of Singapore. Nearly all the
Chinese come from Amoy and Swatow, the sphere of
our Mission, and consequently all speak substantially
the same dialect of the one written language. In the
beginning of the century, the Missionaries, who were
sent out from England with a view to labour in China
before it was opened to the Gospel, took up their
quarters in Singapore and wrought among the Chinese,
who were numerous there by the beginning of the
second quarter of the century ; but as soon as the
walls of the long-closed Empire were broken down,
they rushed to the breach to take possession of the
country, and Singapore was deprived of all her Mis-
sionaries except one, who refused to leave his post
at the bidding of the home committee of the London
Missionary Society, to which he belonged. They,
however, acted with generosity, and as he had gone
out a manager of their printing press, they gave over
the press and its buildings for his use ; and by getting
work from the Government and merchants he was
able to support himself and carry on his much-loved
Mission work among the Chinese and Malays, With
ability and zeal the Rev. B. Keasberry carried on the
336
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
work for many years, and now the Presbyterian Church
of England has taken his place, and continues his
work of faith and labour of love.
Our Missionaries, in passing through Singapore, have
always been impressed with the feeling that these
MISSION HOUSE, SCHOOL, AND CHURCH.
thousands of Chinese, gathered almost entirely from
their own field of labour, were being neglected by the
Church, and that no Mission was in so favourable a
position, or under so great a responsibility, to look after
them as their own ; and when Mr. Aitken, the Presby-
terian Minister, and his congregation, took up the work
of a Mission to the Chinese, and offered material help
THE STORY OF THE SINGAPORE MISSION. 337
to our Society in carrying it on, the Committee accepted
the responsibility of the enterprise.
In 1 88 1 the Rev. J. A. B. Cook, a Hcentiate of the
Theological College of the Presbyterian Church of
England, arrived to take in hand the work of a Mission
to the heterogeneous population of the island. This he
could do at once, as he had spent a year at Swatow and
Amoy acquiring the language and studying the work of
the Mission as carried on by experienced Missionaries.
Mr. Cook was joined by the Rev. Archibald Lamont,
M.A., who has specially devoted himself to the edu-
cation of the young, and has rented the old Malay
College, now unoccupied by Government, for the purpose.
We doubt not that the rich merchants of Singapore,
both European and Asiatic, will contribute liberally
to such an object. The late enlightened and liberal
Mohammedan Sultan of Johor gave i^ioo to the
Mission when it was started. It is to be hoped that
his son and successor will follow his example.
Leadings of Providence.
It was only on receiving the clearest proofs of Divine
guidance from the spot, and at the urgent request of the
Missionaries in Amoy and Swatow, that this step was
taken. It was not only that the Chinese in Singapore
were drawn from the sphere of the Presbyterian Mission,
and that many of the members of the native Church in
China had relatives who resided there, but the invitations
came, powerfully backed, from Singapore itself The
Rev. Mr. Aitken, Presbyterian minister, got his congre-
22
338 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
gation to adopt the Chinese Mission. They entered on
the work with zeal and success, and offered to bear a
large part of the cost of the Mission, if the Presbyterian
Church of England would send out suitable agents.
This the Committee agreed to do, and are still doing.
The following: extract from a letter addressed to Mr.
H. L. Mackenzie gives some of the first steps formally
taken in the matter : —
Presbyterian Mission to the Chinese at Singapore.
" The following is the extract from Mr. Aitken's letter :
' You will be glad to hear that the congregation has very
heartily adopted the Bukit Timah Mission. Both Session and
congregation have been most hearty about it. Singularly
enough, the day appointed for visiting the congregation, and
formally intimating to them that we had taken them in charge,
was the Sabbath Mr. Maclver and Dr. Lyall were with us. Mr.
Pickering, Mr. Young, and myself went as deputies frorn the
Session, and Mr. Maclver accompanied us. We had a congre-
gation of fifty-five Chinese adults, and some eight or ten
children. Some four or five of them were Straits-born, Malay-
speaking Chinese, belonging to Mr. Young's chapel, but the
remainder were from Bukit Timah itself Chin-kwang speaks
of forty-six communicants. It is possible that after full inquiry
this number may have to be a little reduced.
" 'Not only have the Session and congregation entered heartily
into this movement, but we all feel that this is only a beginning,
and that Mission work, to be satisfactorily carried on, requires
a European Missionary. And we are very desirous that a
Missionary from England should be sent without delay. The
matter has not been brought formally before the congregation,
but the Session and Finance Committee have authorised me to
say that the congregation will raise at least a thousand dollars a
year towards the support of a Missionary.'"
THE STORY OF THE SINGAPORE MISSION. 339
From the varied character of the population the
Mission has five distinct branches : —
1. The Quan-tung Mission for the Chinese who come
from Swatow.
2. The Fuhkien Mission for the immigrants from the
Amoy region.
3. The Ba-ba Mission for those who have been born
in the Straits, generally the children of Chinamen and
Malay wives, who speak a mixture of English and Malay.
4. Educational work carried on in English and
Chinese.
5. Women's work for women and children, in English
and Malay.
The Mission, having had the foundation of an old
Mission to start with, has already a body of 247 adult
members of the Church, besides a considerable number
of inquirers and adherents, and promises to be an
important branch of the China Mission of the Pres-
byterian Church. In speaking of the commencement
of the Mission under the Rev. J. A. B. Cook, we must
not overlook the earlier efforts among the Chinese of
Singapore. After the Mission left for China in 1844,
the Presbyterian congregations, which were organised
in 1856, began Evangelistic work among them, and
secured the services of one of the early converts of
the Mission at Peh-chuia, and another who laboured
in connection with the Episcopal Church. Several
converts were baptised through the preaching of both
these native Evangelists. An attempt was made at
first to have a united Church, and the converts were
340 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
baptised alternately by the ministers of the Episcopal
and Presbyterian Churches ; but the plan did not
succeed, and two Chinese congregations were formed.
When the Rev. William Dale, now of New Barnet,
was Minister at Singapore in 1872, arrangements were
made for putting the congregation under the ecclesi-
astical authority of the Presbyterian Church of England
and an effort was made at the same time to put the
Mission to the Chinese under the Mission of that
Church ; but the Committee did not see its way to
undertake the responsibility. Under the ministry of
his successor the attempt was renewed, and success-
fully carried out, with every prospect of usefulness.
Mr. Lamont, the younger minister, is making a strong
appeal for help to establish an Educational Mission,
on strictly Evangelistic lines, for which there seems an
important and encouraging opening ; and the following
extract from the last Report by Mr. Cook shows all
the signs of a living and hopeful Mission.
" I. — Membershi
p in the Chinese Church —
1883-88. 1889-94. 1895.
Baptised
63 153 45 =
261
Received ...
96 162 41 =
299
Men. Women. Children.
Total.
Members, 1894 ...
166 ... 65 ... 75 ...
306
Baptised, 1895 ...
42 ... 3 ... 16 ...
61
^Received, 1895 ...
31 ••• 10 ... 12 ...
53 =
420
Less, i895.~Gone elsewhere 58, deaths 12
70
Men. Women. Children.
Membership, 1895
175 ••• 72 ... 103
=:
350
THE STORY OF THE SINGAPORE MISSION. 341
" II. — -Congregations and Contributions —
Self-support, 1891, $366; 1892, $527; 1893, $652; 1894,
$736; 1895, $1007.
Men. Women. 1893. 1 894. 1 895.
1. Ba-ba Church 19 26 = 45 $133.32 $167.85 $159.09
2. Tek Kha ... 16 13 = 29 43.12 76.29 168.84
3. Serangoon ... 21 4 = 25 116.57 83.90 in. 99
4. Bukit Timah 40 16 -= 56 119.76 131-67 209.22
5. Johore Bahru 45 6 - 51 156.77 165.07 183.24
6. Muar ... 13 i = 14 31.19 57-69 96.65
7. Teluk Ayer I
(Hokkien)i
Hospitals . . .
Total
19 6 - 25 28.61 53.93 78.53
175 72 = 247 $652.84 $736.40 $1,007.57
Of the total $1,007.57 for 1895, ^^^ Preachers' Fund alone
$223.15, and $159.85 for the Chinese Church's own Missionary
Society = $383 on behalf of the support of a native Ministry ;
the balance for general expenses.
" The past year has been one of steady work and quiet
progress, for which we give thanks to Cod, our Father in
heaven, to whom alone be all the praise. The statistics give
cause for much encouragement. We do not attach undue
importance to the mere growth of numbers or even the
increase of liberality in the grace of giving ; but these have
their relative value. We believe God is working in the hearts
of many, who are still outside the Church of Jesus Christ,
and that much more is being done than can be stated with
any degree of accuracy in any tabulated statement. Spiritual
work and results cannot be measured and weighed like mar-
ketable commodities. But such facts and figures as we are
privileged to record show that our efforts, by God's grace,
have not been altogether in vain.
"During the year there have been 61 baptisms — 42 men,
3 women, and 16 children. Of these 5 adults and 4 children
342
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
were baptised by Mr. Lament at the Hokkien Chapel; the
rest were baptised in connection with the work for which I am
responsible. After- making the usual deductions for deaths
and removals, the membership stands at 175 men, 72 women,
and 103 children — in all 350.
" The financial position is hopeful : the very creditable sum
GROUP OF PREACHERS AND TEACHERS, SINGAPORE,
of $1,007,57 has been given during the year for Church pur-
poses by the ' seven Churches which are in Asia ' belonging
to the local branch of our Mission. Our hope is to see
before long native Churches quite able and willing to call
and support their own native pastors, and thus allow the
means at our disposal to be used to open up new stations
in more needy districts.
" In August two deacons and two elders were ordained to
THE STORY OF THE SINGAPORE MISSION.
343
office in the Prinsep Street Ba-ba congregation, which is now
a duly constituted Church with its session and deacons' court.
The Chinese congregations held a most successful conference
in December, which was characterised by excellency of
spiritual tone, practical sagacity and breadth of outlook,
which promises well for the Chinese Church in Malaysia as
well as in China. It is a truism with the Chinese, as with
us, that the native Churches must become self-supporting, as
soon as possible, as well as self-governing and self-propagating.
The Churches are trained to manage their own congregational
affairs from the beginning, and all matters of common interest
are discussed in open conference. With the ordination of
native Pastors will come the native Presbytery."
A LITTLE PLAY.
MISSION CHAPEL, CIIIX-CHEW.
CHAPTER XIX.
FACTS AND REFLECTIONS,
IT is natural and profitable, after a long account of
work done, and extending over fifty years of
prayerful interest by the Church, to gather up the
fruit of the labours of the many able and earnest
men who have been sent out to sow the good seed
of the Kingdom. We expect a harvest after the toils
of ploughing and sowing, and the Great Husbandman
assures us that if we sow in spring w^e shall reap
in autumn. Seedtime and harvest are included in
the promise in the fields of nature as given to Noah,
and in the spiritual fields we may lawfully take
the assurance given to the despondent labourer —
" He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious
seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing
FACTS AND REFLECTIONS. 345
his sheaves with him." Our difficulty is that the great
harvest time has not yet come. We cannot count our
sheaves until that day when the Lord of the harvest
shall come, and " shall send forth His angels " to
separate the wheat from the tares. Angels alone can
be trusted to "separate the righteous from among the
wicked." Men are apt to err if they attempt to pass
a final judgment on their fellow men. In their excess
of zeal they are apt in " gathering up the tares to root
up the wheat with them." Especially is there a danger
of harsh judgments on the heathen, who, " having not
the law, are a law unto themselves," and will not be
judged by the law given to the Jew and to the
Christian. We must not shut out from the Kingdom
of Heaven even all those we have found it needful for
a season, or for some reason of expediency, to shut
out from the visible Church. God hath His hidden
ones now, as He had when Elijah complained, " I, even
I only, am left."
But while we place only a limited confidence in
bare statistics, they must not be neglected. Our Lord
and His apostles gave numbers, both of those fed by
the miraculous hand of the Master, and of those who
were " added to the Church " from time to time ; and
if they took note of the numbers of their converts, surely
we may do likewise for the encouragement of the Church
by telling " what things God hath wrought among the
Gentiles." For the numbers of the converts, we take
them on the strength of t/icir oivn profession ; and from
346 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
the care with which they are admitted to the com-
munion of the Church, there is more HkeHhood of the
numbers given being too low than too high. There
are many cases in which, from difficulties and dangers
in the way, men and women are afraid to apply, or
are refused admission to the Church on earth, who
would be admitted to the Church in heaven ; and
those who delay or decline their admission take comfort
in the Protestant view of " binding and loosing," and
the opening and shutting by the keys of discipline.
They know that the final exclusion from the Kingdom
does not depend on the fallible decision of a Pope,
but on the judgment of the Church, being in Jiaruiony
with the word of God, as truly expressing the mind
of Christ, who alone is worthy to bear the " key of
David," " who openeth and no man shutteth, and
shutteth and no man openeth." But our readers need
not be afraid of cold, hard statistics : we shall deal only
with living men and vital questions.
The Missionaries.
We make no apology for giving a place of prominence
to the names of the men and women who have been
sent out by the Church to do her work in China.
They are worthy of all honour, and it is desirable that
their names should be household words, and that they
should be constantly remembered in prayer in the
family and in the closet. They are not "upheld," as
the ministers of the Churches at home are by their
FACTS AND REFLECTIONS. 347
congregations, while, from the nature of their work and
their position in a heathen land, they stand more in
need of prayerful sympathy than others. It is true
that ministers at home have trials and temptations
of their own which the Missionary escapes, and if a
balance were struck the one might find no cause for
envying the lot of the other ; and the more they are
regarded as one the better for all. It is one work in
different fields of labour, alike honourable to both if
they do the Master's work with undivided hearts. The
following are the names of the Missionaries now in the
field, or at home on furlough : —
Ministerial Missionaries.
Arrived in China. Station.
Rev. H. L. Mackenzie, M.A.
Rev. W. MGregor, M.A
Rev. William Campbell
Rev. John C. Gibson, M.A.
Rev. Thomas Barclay, M.A.
Rev. Henry Thompson
Rev. Donald Maclver, M.A.
Rev. J. A. B. Cook
Rev. William Riddel, M.A., M.D..
Rev. Patrick J. Maclagan, M.A. .
Rev. Murdo Mackenzie
Rev. Duncan Ferguson, M.A.
Rev. Archibald Lament, M.A
Rev. T. E. Sandeman, M.A.
Rev. J. Steele, B.A.
Rev. C. Campbell Brown ...
Rev. Campbell N. Moody, M.A. .
Rev. Andrew Bonar Nielson, M.A. 1895 Formosa
i860
Swatow
1864
Amoy
1871-
Formosa
1874
Swatow
1874
Formosa
1877
Amoy
1879
Hak-ka, Swatow
i88i
Singapore
1881
Hak-ka, Swatow
1888
Swatow
1889
Hak-ka, Swatow
1889
Formosa
1890
Singapore
1892
Chang-pu, Amoy
1892
Swatow
1893
Chin-chew, Amoy
1895
Formosa
148
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Medical Missionaries.
Peter Anderson, L.R.C.S. and P., Ed.
Alexander l.yall, M.B., CM.
John F. McPhun, M.B., CM. ...
Philip B. Cousland, M.B., CM. ...
James M. Howie, L.R.C.S. and P.
B. L. Paton, M.B., CM
John Cross, M.B., CM
Muir Sandernan, M.A., M.B., CM.
David Landsborough, M.B., CM.
John M. Ualziel, M.B., CM.
1878 Formosa
1879 Swatow
1882 Hak-ka, Swatow
1883
1893
1894
1895
1895
f Chao-chow-fu
( Swatow
Chang-pu, Amoy
Chin-chew, Amoy
Eng-chhun, Amoy
Chin-chew, Amoy
Formosa.
Swatow
Missionary Teachers.
Mr. WilHam Paton
Mr. George Ede
Mr. David Cook
1 88 1 Swatow
1883 Swatow
1896 Chin-chew
Missionary Evangelist.
Mr. George M. Wales 1890 Amoy
Women's Association Missionaries.
Miss C M. Ricketts
Miss Georgina Maclagan
*Miss Mann
Miss E. Black
Miss Jessie Johnston
Miss Annie Butler . . .
Miss Joan Stuart . . .
Miss Harkness
Miss Falconer
Miss Graham
1878 Swatow
1882 Chang-pu, Amoy
1883 Swatow
1885 Swatow
1885 Amoy
1885 Formosa
1885 Formosa
1887 Swatow
1887 Hak-ka, Swatow
1888 Chin-chew, x\moy
In the service of the Mission at home.
FACTS AND REFLECTIONS. 349
Miss Barnett 1888 Formosa
Miss Lecky ... . 1889 Chang-pu, Amoy
Miss Janet Balmer
Miss Ramsay . .
Miss Duncan
Miss M. B. M'Gregor
Miss Mary Balmer...
Miss Alexander
Miss Turnbull
1890 Hak-ka, Swatow
1890 Chin-chew, Amoy
1893 Chin-chew, Amoy
1893 Amoy.
1893 Hak-ka, Swatow
1896 Eng-chhun, Amoy
1896 Eng-chhun, Amoy
Miss Caroline E. Johnston ... 1897 Amoy
Educated Missionaries for China.
For Missionarie.s in China, next to the grace of God,
a thorough education is the great requisite of success.
In no other country is education held in such esteem
and reverence, and in no other country are the people
so ready to discover the difference between an educated
and an uneducated man or woman, and to treat them
according to their view of their respective merits. The
Presbyterian Church of England has, from first to last,
insisted on all its ordained and medical Missionaries
having the same authentic stamp of scholarship which
is required of ministers and doctors of medicine at
home. The above list shows, to those who are ac-
quainted with the curriculum of licentiates of Presbyterian
Churches in England and Scotland, that each of the
Ministerial Missionaries must have studied at college
and Divinity Hall from six to eight years, and each
of the Medical Missionaries for nearly as long a period.
Two who went out as teachers were, from' the positions
they occupied at home, educated men, and the one
350 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Evangelist sent out was, though not professionally an
educated man, and part of his work in China was to
relieve the Ministerial and Medical Missionaries as much
as possible from secular work : he had the commercial
training which is of itself a valuable education.
What we have said of the men is substantially true
of the female Missionaries. They have received the
education of ladies in this country, and the nature and
extent of it is so far ahead of that of even educated
ladies in China that they are looked up to with admira-
tion, especially if to the spoken language they add a fair
knowledge of the written character. This the ladies
of the Presbyterian Mission do less or more. While
all are educated, some of them have received the best
culture which Continental, as well as English, schools
could impart, including two or three foreign languages.
Importance of Education for Missionaries.
The advantages of sending out thoroughly educated
Missionaries are not confined to securing the respect
and confidence of the Chinese as scholars and teachers,
important as these are. The education received at
home is of great importance in preparing them for the
acquisition of the difficult language of China. The
learning of one language is a step to the acquisition
of another, and those who have not learned a foreign
language in their youth, find it hard, if not impos.sible,
to acquire one accurately in their maturity. If they
do get up the spoken language, their knowledge is
almost sure to be very limited and inaccurate. This
FACTS AND REFLECTIONS. 351
might be sufficient for commercial purposes, or for
the social intercourse of daily life, where errors only-
cost a little money or are a source of amusement.
But when we take into account the difficult task before
the Missionary, the case is entirely different. To
convey new truths to dark and prejudiced minds ; to
present religious ideas for which the common language
of the people has no equivalent words ; to impress a
careless crowd with the reality and importance of the
Gospel message, in crude and halting language, which
only excites the laughter or contempt of the people ;
— not only fails of its object, but excites a feeling in
the minds of the hearers which is both an injustice
to the Divine message, and an injury to the soul of
the hearer. The most learned Chinese scholars feel
the imperfection of their knowledge of the language
to express spiritual truths, and strive for a more
perfect utterance. The ignorant do not realise their
defects, nor detect their blunders, and are pleased that
they can speak the language at all. There is little
or no doubt that the small results from the labours of
those Societies which send out uneducated agents is
largely, if not wholly, due to this cause ; combined
with the difficulty which uneducated persons have in
understanding or sympathising with the difficulties in
the mind of a stranger to their modes of thought.
To this, as to all other general rules, there are
striking exceptions ; but such exceptions are rare, and
are only found in men and women of real genius,
who are scarce in all times and in all lands.
152 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Cheap Missionaries!
The great argument for the employment of untaught
Missionaries is, that they can be had cheaper and in
larger numbers. But judged by what they them-
selves regarded as their great aim— the conversion of
individuals — it has proved the most costly form of
Mission work ; and as for the merit they now claim,
of being pioneers, the idea is shown to be absurd,
both in principle and practice. The highly educated
Missionary, by the much greater influence he exerts,
is found able to raise up a large number of trained
native preachers, who are the best of all Evangelists ;
they can live healthily and comfortably in the same
way as they had lived before their conversion, at a
cost on which the foreign Missionary would starve
on unwholesome diet, or die in an unhealthy house.
This principle, and practice, of sending only educated
men and women to the Mission field, we do not by
any means claim as peculiar to the Presbyterian
Church of England : all the Missions in China con-
ducted by Churches, or, which is much the same
thing, by Societies connected with Churches, act on
the same principle ; and, as the practical result proves,
almost all the effective work done is done by these
Church Societies. Out of fifty-five thousand com-
municants reported in 1893, considerably less than five
thousand belonged to the Societies outside, while more
than fifty thousand belonged to Societies connected with
Churches in England, America, or the Continent.
FACTS AND REFLECTIONS. 353
Maintenance of Missionaries.
The maintenance of a sufficient staff of such highly
qualified men and women is, as might be expected in
a tropical climate, expensive ; but such trained agents,
who have spent so many years and at such great cost
to themselves in preparing for their Church's work,
are deserving of adequate support — at least, such as
is necessary to preserve them in health, and, what is
their greatest anxiety, to enable them to bring up their
families as they had been brought up themselves. It
would be the greatest folly in the Church to risk the
lives or health of such men and women for the sake
of saving a little money. Even if we look only to the
expense of sending them out to China and supporting
them for two years while studying the language, which
is the shortest time in which an adequate knowledge
of the spoken language can be acquired by the great
majority of Missionaries, they are worth caring for
on commercial grounds ; and it takes years more to
complete the studies of the ablest of them. To supply
the place of men thus fully qualified by several years
of study and work would cost thousands, and to lose
them by neglect would turn out penny wise and pound
foolish. There is little, if any, doubt that the life of
Mr. Burns was sacrificed, through no fault of the
committee, to an attempt to live as the Chinese do.
He was a man of a fine constitution, and came of a
long-lived race ; and yet he died at the early age of
fifty-three, in the prime of his usefulness, of a trifling
23
354 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
disease which his medical attendant declared a man
in ordinary health would have thrown off in a week.
We reluctantly call attention to this as a great object-
lesson for Missions to China. Whether Mr. Burns
only suffered from eating the coarse diet of the sailors
in passing from Shanghai to New-chwang, which was
entirely involuntary, or whether he had previously
suffered from attempting to live like the common
Chinese, we cannot be sure ; but in any case, it was
the diet that cut short his noble career.
It is a fallacy to suppose that living like the Chinese
is so much cheaper than living as a foreigner. The
Chinese, above the lower class, live on nourishing and
expensive food. Their oysters, and fish of all kinds ;
their birds'-nest soup, beches-de-mer or sea slugs ; their
goat and pig's flesh, with their dainty meat " kitten
cutlets " and " puppy pies "; — are nourishing, and some of
them very costly. As for their clothing, if one dresses
like the common people, it will be found as cheap as
it is scanty ; but that would require our Missionaries
and their wives to go about in what would correspond
to our ministers and their families in this country
being dressed in nothing but fustian and cotton prints.
To dress like a Chinese gentleman, as Mr. Burns
considered it his wisdom and duty to do, is much more
costly than broadcloth and fine linen.
Missionaries' Houses.
Exception is often taken to the houses of our
Missionaries being too large and costly, forgetting that
FACTS AND REFLECTIONS. 355
large rooms and wide verandahs which make them
appear much larger and grander than they really are,
are an essential condition of life or health to fit a man
for his work in a climate like that of China ; and
after all, the fact is that these houses are a great
o
economy. We find that the average cost of building a
Missionary's house in China is only about ^500. The
interest and repairs, taken at 6 per cent, are only ^30
a year, and it could, if needful, be sold in most cases
at a much higher price than it cost. Even if we allow
8 per cent, for interest, and repairs on account of
climate, it would still be much less than the rent of
a healthful house, if such could be found.
We apologise for introducing these subjects, but
Missionaries decline to do so, the Committee cannot
be always defending themselves against whispered ob-
jections, and it seemed right that a permanent record,
such as we are now attempting, should remove every
objection that can be brought against Mission methods,
as carried on by the Church. There are so many
plausible appeals in behalf of Missions which are much
heard of in this country, but which make little im-
pression on China. It is difficult for the Christian
public to form a correct opinion of the claims which
present themselves from Societies working in a field
so remote, and in conditions so different from those to
which they are accustomed. We may add that none
are more desirous of lessening the expenses of Mission
work than the Committees of our Societies ; they are
continually called on by Missionaries for funds, not
356 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
for themselves, but for the sake of extending the work
in which they are engaged. They plead the claims of
the heathen, not their own.
The Native Church.
The native Church of our Mission in China is a
fact to be recognised and to be thankful for. There
is, first of all, the most encouraging fact that from
out of the mass of dark superstition and gross
idolatry THERE HAVE BEEN GATHERED INTO THE
Church of Christ, ky the baptism of old and
YOUNG during THESE LAST FIFTY YEARS, AS MANY
AS 16,000 OR 20,000 SOULS;* perhaps many more.
During that time a large number of these have died
and are safe within the fold, and many have gone
abroad as emigrants to all parts of the world. We
hear of them occasionally, from Australia and California,
and constantly from the Straits of Malacca. Within
the last few years they have not been lost to the Mission
by going to Singapore, as we now have a Mission there.
As might be expected, during such a length of time,
and with such a number of professing Christians, some
have fallen into sin, and have been cut off from the
communion of the Church ; and some have fallen back
into the heathenism from which, for a time, they had
been delivered.
* Since the above was in type, we have seen that in a Mission with the
same number of communicants as that of the Presbyterian Church of
England, it is estimated that the number who have died during the thirty
years of its existence, or are now living, in the faith cf Christ, is the larger
of these estimates.
FACTS AND REFLECTIONS. 357
The numbers of living members of the Church at
the end of 1 896 were as follows :
Baptised Members of all ages . . . . 8, 1 7 7
Adults in Full Communion 4,946.
But these figures give no idea of the numbers who
are brought under the direct influence of the Gospel.
There are the unbaptised members of communicants'
families, their dependents, and others under their in-
fluence, and the numbers who are attending the different
Churches, but have not made up their minds to make
an open profession, which means the sacrifice of so
much which a profession of Christianity at home does
not involve. The 4,946 communicants means at least
three times that number of nominal Christians of all
ages ; that is, fourteen thousand souls at least.
A Growing and Aggressive Church.
This Church is not like so many of our Churches
at home, a merely conservative body, nor is it content
to grow by the mere natural increase of the popula-
tion ; it is aggressive. Almost every member strives
to bring in those "that are without." The large pro-
portion of members in the Church have been brought
in by the personal influence of the former converts.
Both by their " conversation,"— so far above the low
lives of their fellow countrymen, " adorning the doc-
trine,"— and by their lips they persuade men to share
with them the blessings of the " great salvation." They
tell in their own simple way what God has done for
358 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
their souls, and the peace and joy of the Gospel are
so manifest in their transformed lives that the heathen
are drawn to the religion which has made such a
change. Their very countenances are changed ; you
cannot look on a company of Christians and a
company of heathen without seeing the contrast. You
cannot help saying of the former, with the Apostle,
" Once ye were darkness, but now are ye light in the
Lord." What makes the heathen notice this trans-
forming power of the Gospel all the more is that
the joy and peace it brings are not quenched by the
many trials which the converts have to endure from
changing their religion. They see that even the
prospect of death, which they so much dread, only
increases the peace and joy of these Christian.s, and
they contrast this religion of Christ with the joyless
religions of Confucius, and Laotsze, and Buddha.
Native Christian Agents.
The converts in the native Church in China show
their aggressive spirit, not only by spreading the truth
by their daily life and personal testimony, but by
furnishing an admirable body of workers of different
kinds for employment by the Missionaries in their
more regular aggressive work. First of all there are
colporteurs, whose simple work is to go about selling
Bibles and tracts to their countrymen. For this little
more is required than ordinary intelligence, honesty,
fidelity, and a consistent life. Many of them have
FACTS AND REFLECTIONS.
159
more than these, and do much good by speaking frankly
'to individuals, and even to little crowds, telling what
they know of the contents of the blessed Book they
love. Few countries, if any, have yielded such valuable
agents to the Bible ^nd Tract Societies as China,
and in none has the result of their work been more
satisfactory.
Then next to these there are the Evangelists, who
must possess all the good qualities of the former, with
a larger measure of Scripture knowledge, and the power
of explaining and impressing its truth on their country-
men, both in public and in private. They must also
have a burning zeal for their work, "not with eye
service" as if they were hirelings, but ready to face
persecution and death itself in the discharge of their
high calling ; and, thank God, the native Church in
China offers many men with these gifts and graces,
men who have often jeoparded their lives by their
bold and faithful preaching of the Word ; and some
have won the martyr's crown by their fidelity to
Christ. Men of this type are by no means rare in
the Church in China, and none yield more than the
congregations in the regions of Amoy, Swatow, and
Formosa. It has often been our privilege to stand
by these men and watch how they could rivet the
attention of large crowds and move their feelings to
fear, or laughter, or penitence, or tears. These men
have been the right hand of the English Missionary,
and the highest work of the foreigner is to raise up
and train such men. It is for this that we require the
36o CHINA AND FORMOSA.
highest type of men for the Mission field. It is here
that quality rather than quantity tells in Mission work.
The native agents, trained under a few men of the
highest spiritual and intellectual influences, are at once
the cheapest and the best agents that can be employed.
It is by Chinamen, not by Englishmen and Americans,
that China must be converted. This has been both
the theory and practice of the Mission of the Presbyterian
Church of England.
Pastors.
The pastoral office is conservative rather than aggres-
sive ; but it is a false view of its essential nature to
make it exclusively so. To be truly conservative, it
must also act on the aggressive both in old and new
Church organisations, but especially in Churches newly
gathered and existing in the midst of a heathen
population. There are two considerations which compel
the Pastor to be also an Evangelist. First, that, even
within the Church, in any land, the children born within
it need converting grace as truly as those without ;
besides, there are constantly cases of backsliding, where
there is need for preaching the first principles of the
Gospel of Christ, and in the most Christian of Churches
there are always a number of the professing members
who deceive themselves as well as the office-bearers,
and who need the application of the doctrines of grace
as much as the heathen. But in addition to these
considerations within the Church, it needs no demon-
stration that the Church in the most Christian land
FACTS AND REFLECTIONS.
-.61
in Christendom is surrounded by men and women
living " without God and without hope," and the Pastor
who could live in the midst of these, without making
an effort in some way to reach them, would imperil
his own soul as well as the souls of his fellow-men.
A GROUP OF ORDAINED PASTORS, AMOY SYNOD.
GO-PEH. HUI-UN-JIN. SIM-KHIOH. KHO-SIN-IAM. TAN-KHE.
LO-HONG-PO. TAN-SOAN-LENG. LI-SIN-TO. GO-KHUN.
The native Pastors are under no danger of neglecting
such a duty, and they are not so burdened by their
pastoral work, as their brethren at home are, as to
make Evangelistic work, in the ordinary sense of the
term, a difficulty. The aim of the Missionaries is to
make these native Pastors as enlightened as the cir-
-62 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
cumstance of the case require and admit of. They
are so trained as to be Hke Saul among the people —
taller than the body of their hearers by the head and
shoulders in secular knowledge, and much more in
respect of knowledge of the Scriptures. At the same
time, they are careful not to raise them so far above
their hearers as to tempt them to be puffed up, nor
so to better their temporal circumstances as that they
should lose touch with their poorer brethren, or to
render it impossible for poor congregations to support
their own Pastor. One of the most interesting depart-
ments of the work of the Missionary is the training
of young men for this pastoral work. For this, each
main centre has its Theological College, corresponding
to our Divinity Hall at home, with a preparatory school
or college, in which the most promising scholars from
the lower or intermediate schools are prepared for
the Theological College, a feeble, or infantine, imita-
tion of the Arts Colleges of this country. These
resemblances may deceive our readers if they do not
keep in mind the vast differences between England
and China — differences which make the comparison
something of a contrast. We only compare them to
show what the native Church in China is aiming at,
and to what, with the blessing of God, she may
eventually attain.
Of the young men now attending the Theological
Colleges — the hope of the future Church— there were
in all forty-eight in 1895— a goodly number for a
Church which does not yet number five thousand
FACTS AND REFLECTIONS. 363
members. They are distributed among four colleges,
as follows : —
Theological Students, Amoy . . .16
,, ,, Swatow . . 12
„ ,, Wu-king-fu . 12
,, ,, Formosa . . 8
The necessity for two in the Swatow centre is the
difference of the language in the Hak-ka country, which
prevents them from studying with those of Swatow.
In Amoy and Formosa there is only one language.
The number of the different classes of agents referred
to above is 131, the Evangelists being much the largest.
They are distributed in the following order : —
Native agents in Amoy . . 59
„ Swatow . . 39
,,,,,, Formosa . . 30
„ Singapore . 3
131
The Church Ideal.
The ideal which has been kept before the minds of the
Missionaries in China, and the Committee at home, has all
along been to raise up a Church in China which should be
1. A self-governing Church ;
2. A self-supporting Church ;
3. A self-propagating Church.
Self-Government.
We place self-goVerning first because it is the first
in nature, though it may not be first in order of time.
364 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
But, in fact, it may be said to come first in order of
time, for the principle on which the Mission was started
was that the converts were not to be treated like little
children in leading strings, or like servants, taking a
lower place, in respect of privilege, than the Missionaries.
They were treated from the beginning as brethren,
and taught their responsibilities and duties to God,
to one another, and to their countrymen. To teach
these lessons it was needful to give them their privilege
as members of a congregation, and, at the earliest
possible period, the converts were called upon to elect
elders and deacons, to whom were committed the duties
of admitting new members to the Church, all cases of
discipline, the charge of superintending the ordinary
functions of the Church, and the charge of all monies
raised by themselves for the support of ordinances, the
education of children, and gifts for the poor.
By encouraging this sense of responsibility with the
bestowment of power, the spirit of independence was
cultivated, and the feeling of self-respect, which made
them the more honourable in the discharge of their
obligations. It was all the- easier to organise the
eldership and diaconate in the Christian Church from
the Chinese being familiar with the principle and
practice in their village communities, which are governed
by a body of the most respected elders of each village,
chosen by the free election of the community.
When the number of the Churches increased, they
quite naturally formed themselves into Presbyteries for
the government of the organic body, and when the
FACTS AND REFLECTIONS. 365
number of congregations, or their distance from a centre,
made attendance at frequent meetings of the Presbytery
difficult, they divided it into two in Amoy, and left the
more important matters to be transacted at the less
frequent meetings of the Synod. Of course the Mis-
sionaries took the lead in pointing out the Scriptural
authority for these arrangements in the Church of
Christ, but the steps taken were the independent action
of the members of the Church, from their own con-
victions. Many Missionary enterprises have been
ruined by neglecting this fundamental principle. Con-
verts have been kept in a state of subjection and
dependence until they have become incapable of
independent action, and have acquired a spirit of
servile helplessness, and the loss of manhood and
self-respect ; or it has led to the spirit of revolt against
autocratic rule, and a state of confusion and decay.
From such evils the Churches in China connected
with the English Presbyterian Mission have been
entirely free.
Self-Support.
One of the first-fruits of the privilege of self-
government was the desire of the congregations to
become self-supporting. When in their infancy, and
unable to support a Pastor of their own, even if Pastors
could have been had, they began by paying for the
whole or part of the preaching-hall and for the support
of their poor, or they would combine among them-
selves to build some humble place in which to meet
i66 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
for mutual edification and encouragement, and for
preaching to their heathen neighbours. By-and-by they
would pay a part of the expenses of the Evangelist
or Pastor, trusting to bear the whole burden when
stronger— a difficult matter where the members are
poor, and the daily wage of a mechanic is only about
fivepence of our money, and the labourer thinks himself
well paid at threepence a day.
We cannot compare the contributions in China and
in this country by the amount in money. The re-
muneration for labour is the proper test of liberality.
The average contribution per member would represent
the wages of twenty days' labour by a mechanic, and the
remuneration for thirty-three days' toil by a common
labourer. Deducting the Sabbath, this would be seven
per cent, of his annual income, equivalent to about
£"/ per annum from an English mechanic. There are
a few who are better off, and in general they give
liberally of their substance. We hear of some who
give a piece of land as a site for a church, others who
give a house to be turned into a little chapel ; frequently
those who cannot give money give their labour, and one
who could not labour provided food for the workers from
his little cooking-shop.
There are already fourteen Churches which defray
the entire salary of an ordained Pastor and all the
expenses of a fully organised Church; and there are
large numbers which pay the half or the fourth part
of the salary of the Pastor or Evangelist, and all the
other expenses, including the care of their poor. This,
FACTS AND REFLECTIONS.
367
considering the small-
ness of the congrega-
tions and the poverty
of the people, is most
creditable, and hope-
ful for a self-support-
ing Church in the
future of China. Even
now, if the foreign
Missionaries were driven out of the country, such is
the self-governing power and spirit of the converts, we
have no doubt but that the work would go on in spite
of such a calamity. It would prevent or retard the
higher development of the members, but it would not
destroy the life of the Church,
BAK-SA CHAPEL, FORMOSA.
Churches or Chapels.
To make self-support more practicable, the Mission-
aries have given no
encouragement to the
erection of costly
buildings, or the imi-
tation of foreign
churches with their
lofty spires, which
would needlessly
offend the prejudices
of the heathen. This
has in some parts of
sioNG-si CHAPEL, AMOY. China bcctt the case,
368
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
(i Jf
■imk£
^-
^1^.'.
. ^i
#•4
mm
M
J
i
'?-M<^
ip™
m
^
isi
THONG-HUNG CHAPEL, HAK-KA.
leading to bitter per-
secution and rankling
hatred. The churches
of the Presbyterian
Mission are all built
in Chinese style of
architecture, and are
simple in form. They seldom cost more than £"150 for a
church to hold two hundred people ; that is, only fifteen
shillings a sitting. A church in this country for five
hundred people which costs ;^5,ooo is as much as ;^ 10 a
sitting. We give a few samples of the Churches in
which God is carrying on a work of grace, which many
of our Ministers at home would be thankful to see.
A Self-Propagating Church.
We have repeatedly referred to the fact which has
forced itself upon our
notice at every step
of the progress of the
Mission, that the
spread of the Gospel
in China has been so
largely, that we might
almost say entirely,
due to the zeal and
faithfulness of the fe\^
believers who have
from time to time
been converted by the chapel and sanatoriu m, swatow.
FACTS AND REFLECTIONS. 369
Missionaries sent out from this country. Every
Missionary has emphasised this fact, and glories in
it, as the brightest hope for the spread of the Church
over China. One interesting form which this evan-
geHstic spirit takes is the establishment of formal
Missions to their heathen countrymen, like those sent
out by the Churches of this country. Each of the three
centres has set up a Mission of this kind. Societies
have been formed, funds raised, and Evangelists sent
forth in a spirit of faith and prayer. The Native
Church of Amoy has fixed on a district away to the
south-west of that city ; the Swatow Church has fixed
on some islands at the mouth of the bay leading up
to the town ; and the Church of Formosa has sent
forth its Evangelists to the Pescadores, which lie
not far from their coast. The movement has not
been long enough in operation to enable us to judge
of its effects ; but interesting though it be, we do
not attach the importance to it that we do to the
personal effort of each convert for the conversion of
the members of his own family and neighbours. It
has been by this personal effort that the truth has
spread hitherto, followed up by the personal appeals
of the Evangelists and Pastors.
Spread of the Knowledge of the Gospel.
The spread of the Gospel in the sphere chosen for
the operations of the Mission in 1854 is truly marvellous.
The district chosen was limited. For any one Protestant
24
370 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Mission to lay its plans for the conversion of the whole
of China would be folly and presumption. The sphere
chosen was large enough to satisfy the highest ambition
of the Church which chose it. Its length is about two
hundred and fifty miles, and its breadth varies from one
hundred to forty or fifty miles — as large as Palestine in
the time of Saul. If we add the southern half of Formosa,
it will make the area of the Mission Field nearly as
large as Scotland. Over this area there are now planted
one hundred and fifty-six stations, in each of which there
is a band of believers, with a more or less complete
Church organisation, and they are so placed that they
mutually support one another, and give ready access
to any one in search of the Saviour. In Palestine
there were only six cities of refuge on both sides
of the Jordan ; here there are found one hundred
and fifty-six cities to which the sinner may flee and
find salvation.
But even this gives no idea of the spread of the
Gospel during these fifty, or we may say forty-three,
years. There are probably three times as many
towns and villages in which there are Christian con-
verts living ; and such is the publicity caused by
their breaking off from idolatry and their profession of
Christianity, that they are known to all. One or two
converts in a village, or five or six in a town, and the
fact of their conversion is known to every one. The
Missionaries, on visiting them at their homes, though
it be a village they never entered before, have no
difficulty in finding them out. They have only to ask
FACTS AND REFLECTIONS. 371
for the Christians, and at once they are led to their
houses. The result of this is, that not only is the
existence of Christianity known, but the leading facts
of the Gospel are also known. The very efforts which
the enemy has taken to crush the truth have proclaimed
its blessed verities far and wide.
A Contrast.
It is impossible to describe, and almost impossible
to conceive, the difference in the state of that region
now, as compared with what it was in 1854, when the
Mission was established. The Missionaries of the other
two Societies, who had been in Amoy for about ten
years, had been confined to the town and island of
that name, which was large enough for all their strength
and resources ; while the Treaty which admitted them
bound them not to go beyond the limits of the Treaty
port.
The towns and villages a few miles from Amoy were
in complete ignorance of the Gospel. The very name
of the Saviour was unknown. The writer can well
remember the visits which he paid in 1854 to many
a village on the mainland within sight of Amoy, and
can never forget the pang with which he heard the
questions pass from one to the other in each village
he visited. " Who is Jesus ? " " What man is that
the foreigner is talking about ? " They knew Buddha,
whom they called " The world's honoured one " ; but
Jesus the world's Saviour they knew not. Now v/hat
do we find ? One hundred and fifty-six stations, with
172
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
preachers proclaiming the Gospel of God, and where
the name of Jesus is as " ointment poured forth."
You will find two or three times as many villages
where some followers of Jesus are residing as " living
epistles of Christ, known and read of all men." You
have only to look at the maps which contain no names
but those of places in which there are either stations
of the Mission, or in which some members of the
Church are living, to see how widely gospel truth has
spread ? " Well may the Church thank God and
take courage to go forward to complete the work so
well begun ! It demands much greater efforts and
nobler sacrifices. Though the Gospel message has been
widely spread, it has as yet been received by few.
What are the few thousands of believers among the
millions of unbelievers ? The knowledge only makes
them the more responsible, and increases their guilt
before God ; and at the same time increases the
responsibility of the Church to pray and labour more
earnestly, that the seed sown may spring up and bear
fruit a hundredfold.
Progress from 1872- 1896.
A glance at the progress made during the last half
of the duration of the Mission is well fitted to stimulate
and encourage the Church to renewed effort. We give
the results in 1872, for comparison with those at the
end of 1 896. We would prefer to give it in tabulated
forms ; but as these are not liked by many, we make
a running comparison.
FACTS AND REFLECTIONS. 37:
In 1872 there were ten Ordained and three Medical
Missionaries. In 1896 there were eighteen Ordained
and ten Medical Missionaries, besides three Teachers
and one Evangelist from this country. In the former
period there were no Lady Missionaries ; now there are
twenty-two, without counting the wives of Missionaries,
who did much good work then, and continue to do so
now. Then the total income of the home Committee
was ;^9,2 58. The total income in 1896 has risen to
£19,712.
But the progress in China is the more important and
satisfactory. In 1872 the number of Communicants
was 1,632. In 1896 there were 4,946. The number
of Native Evangelists in 1872 was only 41 ; now there
are 117. In the former period there were no Ordained
Native Pastors ; now there are 14. Then there were
only 10 organised Churches ; now there are 46. In 1872
the number of Stations was 60. In 1896 they were
1 56, and most of these in a better state of organisation
than formerly. The increase of the Hospitals from 2 to
10 is a striking feature of the work. They have an
average of 3,000 patients each. The effect of the loving
and skilful treatment of 30,000 persons every year
cannot fail to win a kindly ear for the Gospel message,
which is daily pressed upon their willing attention by
the Ordained and Medical Missionaries. The influence
is widespread ; these 30,000 patients come from thousands
of towns and villages, many of them twenty or thirty
and some cases a hundred miles off, to which the fame
of the foreign healer had reached, and to which they
374
CHINA AND FORMOSA.
carry back the report of the kindness they had ex-
perienced.
One interesting feature of the work has originated
during this latter half of the fifty years— the establish-
ment of a monthly periodical at each of the three
centres, Amoy, Swatow, and Formosa, for the spread
of intelligence, both sacred and secular, and for the
edifying of the converts. In Swatow and Formosa
printing-presses have been set up, from which not only
the monthly paper but portions of Scripture and tracts
are issued. In Amoy they have facilities for employing
the secular press for their purpose, and avoid the
necessity for a press of their own.
This great increase is all the more satisfactory when
we know that it has been gained not by hasty
admission of inquirers, or laxity in discipline, or neglect
of teaching and training of the converts, but is the
result of the steady and faithful discharge of all the
functions of a living Church. There never has been
at any time or in any Mission more attention to the
strictest discipline and diligence in edifying the Church
in intelligence and stability, both in the character of
its members and the exercise of its functions as a
Church. The steady growth in almost all parts of the
wide area of the Mission, the evangelistic zeal of the
members, the devout attention to the interests and
business of the Church, and the prayerful conferences
for the development of the higher life of believers, are
the best proofs that the increase is healthy, and that
the work is of God.
WATER BUFFALOES.
CHAPTER XX.
OTHER MISSIONS IN CHINA,
The Reformed Church of America.
IT would be unworthy of the cathohc spirit of the
Presbyterian Church of England, and of its
Mission, if we did not make reference, in a work
like this, to the labours of other Missions in China,
some of them working in the same region, and one
actually incorporated with our own Mission. Though
incorporated for purposes of Church government and
fellowship, each Mission keeps a separate account of
its members and workers. We learn the following
facts from the last Report of this Mission of the
*' Reformed Church in America," as it is now called.
Formerly it was the Reformed Dutch Church of
America.
376 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
This Mission has from its earliest days enjoyed
the services of able men. To two of them, Messrs.
Doty and Talmage, our Mission owes much for their
friendly co-operation in its infancy, and it was through
their wise and determined action that the scandal of
two Presbyterian Missions, forming two separate Pres-
byterian Churches in the same locality in China, was
prevented, instead of, as now, working as one united
body, in presence of the common enemy.
In that Mission there are now 4 ordained and 2
Medical Missionaries, and no fewer than 7 lady
Missionaries. It seems as if our friends, in getting
rid of the Dutch part of their name, had at the same
time got rid of their old conservatism, which did not
exalt woman's place in the Church. There are, with
the wives of the Missionaries, 13 women to 6 men
in the Amoy Mission. But a little of the old con-
servatism comes out in their designation — they are
all called assistant Missionaries. We rejoice to see
them all, and they are doing good work, as the results
will show.
The Native Church consists of 2,315 members in full
communion. There are 37 regular preaching-places, or
stations, as we would call them. They have 11
ordained pastors, 23 native helpers (of whom i is
ordained), and 20 teachers in schools. There are 11
students, who study along with those of the Pres-
byterian Theological College, one of the American
Missionaries taking part in the instruction, along with
Mr. M'Gregor.
OTHER MISSIONS IN CHINA. 377
Since the union of the two Missions in one Church,
there has been the most perfect unity of feeling and
action, both among the Missionaries and the converts,
and the blessing promised to them that " dwell
together in unity " has been amply bestowed. But
for the great distance between England and America,
we doubt not the Committees of the two Missions
would find it both pleasant and profitable to meet
in conference, and manifest the substantial oneness of
the two Churches — the one the child of the Westminster
Confession, the other of the Synod of Dort.
The London Missionary Society.
The Mission of the venerable London Missionary
Society at Amoy carries on its operations in much
the same field as that of the Presbyterian Church,
and with the most entire cordiality. It was the first to
set up a Mission in the city of Amoy, but did not go
beyond it for some time after the Presbyterian Mission
had estabHshed itself on the mainland. Now it has
divided itself, for working purposes, into two centres,
the one occupying Amoy as its headquarters, the
other the city of Chang-chew, about twenty-five miles
up the river. As the latter is only recently started,
we shall treat them as one, in the same way as the
other Missions in the same field.
The foreign agents are : i medical and 3 ordained
Missionaries, and 4 ladies, of whom i is a doctor of
medicine.
The Native Church consists of 2,033 niembers, with
378 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
7 ordained pastors, 58 evangelists, 17 Christian teachers,
and '^'^ Biblewomen. We do not know the number
of stations occupied, but we know that the Mission
has now extended its operations far and wide. Besides
the Mission to Amoy, this Society has established
Mission centres in many places in China : in Shanghai,
where Drs. Medhurst, Muirhead, Edkins, and others
have done good work (the first of these did the
most important part in the translation of the " Dele-
gates' Version " of the Scriptures, and the other two
have spent more than an average lifetime in evangelistic
and literary work) ; in Han-kow, where Dr. Griffith
John, one of the most distinguished and successful
Missionaries in China, has, with his coadjutors, done
much to spread the Gospel among the millions of
Hu-peh. Smaller centres of operation have been opened
at Wu-chang, Hiau-kan, Chung-king, Yen-san, and
Chi-chou ; while large and influential Missions have
been established in Tien-tsin and Peking. Mongolia,
one of the most arduous and difficult Mission fields
in the world, has been made, by the enterprise of its
agents, a hopeful sphere of labour.
The Canadian Mission in Formosa.
In 1 87 1 Dr. Mackay, an ordained Medical Missionary
of the Presbyterian Church of Canada, arrived in
Formosa on his search for the best station for a Mission
of the Church which he represented. He had previously
visited other places, but found them too much occupied
by other Societies. Our Missionaries received him
OTHER MISSIONS IN CHINA. 379
gladly, and recommended him to commence his work
in the north part of the island of Formosa, agreeing
to divide the island between the two Missions. Mr.
Ritchie went with him to survey the ground ; and as
a result of their investigations, Dr. Mackay settled down
at Tam-sui, the principal town in the north, and began
his work with all his natural enthusiasm and courage.
Dr. Mackay 's modes of operation are in many
respects peculiar, but we do not object to them because
they differ from old methods ; there is ample room
for experiments, if made with knowledge and dis-
cretion. The chief danger is in trusting to the iJiere
profession of faith among the half-civilised natives of
Formosa, without requiring the evidence of works.
The results have thus far been remarkable, considering
the short time the Mission has been in existence.
There were in 1893, ^^^ latest report to which we have
access, 1,751 members of the Church, 2 ordained pastors,
who were made superintendents, 56 evangelists or
preachers, and 22 students in the Theological College.
There are three peculiar features of Dr. Mackay's
work to which he gives special prominence in his
recently published work, " From Far Formosa." First
his practice of pulling teeth : he tells of having pulled
more than forty thousand teeth since he went to
Formosa. Whether this tends to conversion and
edification we cannot tell, but it will certainly produce
a sensation, which is not to be despised among an
apathetic people like the Chinese. Then, although he
has built a splendid Institution, which he calls Oxford
38o CHINA AND FORMOSA.
College, with a museum attached, his method of instruc-
tion is to a large extent peripatetic ; he takes the
students about with him on his preaching tours, teaching
them by the way. And third, Dr. Mackay attaches
importance to building handsome churches in the
American style, with lofty spires, to uproot the super-
stition of hong tsuie. Almost all other Missions have
avoided this, not wishing to give offence where it could
be avoided without the sacrifice of principle. When he
got ten thousand dollars in compensation for damage
done to his property during the recent war, he tells
us that he spent the whole of it in building six chapels,
when he says he could have built twenty-four slim or
twelve solid ones.
We shall wait with interest the development of
this interesting experiment, and in the meantime wish
Dr. Mackay much success in his important sphere of
work, and a hearty God-speed to himself in his
enthusiastic and devoted labours.
China Missions as a Whole.
In giving a very brief outline of the present state
of Mission work in the whole of China, we shall chiefly
avail ourselves of two books, " The China Mission
Handbook," published in 1896, and the "Records of
the Missionary Conference," held in Shanghai in 1890.
From the former, which is the latest official source of
information, we learn that there are now forty-four
Societies at work in China, sent out from England,
America, and the Continent of Europe ; and, we may
OTHER MISSIONS IN CHINA. 38]
add, auxiliaries from the Australian Colonies. The
great majority of these Societies belong to five de-
nominations of Christians, with their divisions, in
England, the United States of America, Canada, and
the Continent of Europe.
These five denominations, as given in the tables of
the Shanghai Conference Report, stand in the following
order : Presbyterian, Methodist, Congregational, Baptist,
and Episcopalian. The Societies not connected with
any of these Churches are very numerous, but occupy a
very subordinate place in the work in China. Of the
37,287 communicants connected with all Societies in
1890, 31,644 belonged to the Societies connected with
these five denominations, and only 5,643 to all the
Societies which are put down in the Report as
unclassified. Some of these also belong to small
denominations, chiefly in America.
To the London Missionary Society belongs the
honour of being the first to attempt the evangelisation
of China, and to that Society all others are indebted
for the important pioneer work done by that devoted
man, Dr. Morrison, and his able coadjutor, Dr. Milne.
Dr. Lockhart, sent out in 1839, was the first Medical
Missionary to China, and Dr. Hobson was the first to
succeed in establishing a hospital in Canton. But it
would be vain to go over the names of the forty-four
Societies, and impossible to characterise the work of
each ; we can only find space for a few facts, showing
what has been done in this great work for the Master
in China.
382 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
Agents and Agencies Employed.
In regard to the number of Missionaries and others
employed in China, we have no general records later
than those of the Handbook of last year, which does
not bring them down lower than the end of 1893.
There were at that time only 389 ordained foreign
Missionaries, and 294 unordained preachers, making
683 male foreign agents. There were 560 female
evangelists, and 81 teachers, or 641 foreign female
agents, making 1,324 foreign Missionaries of all kinds.
From another table it appears as if in addition to these
there were 96 medical men and 47 medical women,
but it is not clear whether these are additional, or only
a new classification of the unordained Missionaries of
another table. But in any case their work is most
important. They have 47 qualified male assistants
and II female, with 151 male and 28 female students
of medicine under instruction. There were 71 hospitals,
in which 18,898 patients were treated in the course
of the year 1893, and 8,168 were attended to in their
own homes. There were 1 1 1 dispensaries, at which
223,162 patients were attended to, the number of visits
of patients in the course of 1893 being considerably
over half a million. This of itself is a great and blessed
work, the influence of which cannot be weighed or
reckoned up.
There is a good work carried on in the education
of the Chinese on Christian lines, and under the direct
superintendence of the Missior.arics ; imparting all
OTHER MISSIONS IN CHINA ■ ...^ 383
kinds of Western knowledge, many of ihe foreign
Missionaries, both male ^nd female, being personally
engaged in the instruction of male and female pupils
of all ages. Of 14,555 males and 6,798 females, 21,353
in all, under this form of instruction, 391 were learning
English. There are 32 colleges or training classes for
males, and 14 for females ; in these there are 1,080
boarders among the males, with 144 day students
and 414 female boarders with 2 day students. By
getting the young into boarding institutions at the
most impressionable period of life, the personal piety
and character of the teacher tells with tenfold force
on the formation of character in the students, and
seldom fails to make of them useful men and women.
We need not say that the greatest of all the agencies
employed is the preaching of the Gospel ; but each
has its place.
Results.
Let us now see the results of the work of all these
agents and agencies, in so far as they can be expressed
in figures and by legitimate inference.
By the latest returns of the Handbook of 1896,
which only brings the statistics to the end of the year
1893, there were 55,093 communicants in connection
with all the Missions in China. If we add to these
the increase for the three years from 1893 to 1896,
the number will now be much greater. We find that
the average increase from year to year continues to
grow larger and larger with the duration of the Mission
384 CHINA AND FORMOSA.
work. For the four years from 1889 to 1893 the
average increase was 4,450 yearly ; and as there were
more than 12,000 inquirers at the end of the latter
period, we feel fully justified in adding 13,350 — the
aggregate of these three years — to the 55,093 given
for 1893, making the number of communicants in
connection with the Protestant Missions in China
68,443 in 1896. If we add to these the many children
and dependants, with others less or more under the
direct influence of the truth, we may safely multiply
this number by 3J, as is generally done in estimating
the number of adherents. This would make the number
of nominal professing Protestant Christians in China
239,5 50, or in round numbers, about a quarter of a million.
Besides these there are large numbers of the natives
of China who have been influenced less or more by
the personality and teaching of the Missionaries and
their agents.
But in addition to these converts, and those who
are brought under the personal influence of the
Missionaries, there are millions of the heathen who
hear them preach from time to time, and who get
some knowledge of the true nature of God, and of
His wondrous love in giving His beloved Son to the
death for sinful men, and of the grace of the Holy
Spirit in enabling weak man to overcome his tendencies
to evil and to lead a pure life. These great facts
tell on the minds of multitudes who have not the
faith or courage to make a profession of Christianity.
We can well remember the scene on one of our first
OTHER MISSIONS IN 'CHINA. 3«5
trips in the " Gospel boat." After spending the hours
of daylight in visiting the villages, we anchored in a
clear, pebbly stream, which reminded us of our own
" silver Tweed." A number of men waded out and
sat down on the deck, while we talked to them of
the wondrous story of a Saviour's love and of man's
great needs. Pointing to the moon " walking in
brightness " amid brilliant clusters of stars, which
seemed to stand out of the firmament overhead, we
said, " Do you know that the great Being who made
that moon and these stars loves you, and that He
loved you so much that He sent His Son to die, that
He might save you from your sins?" With a
solemn look, and in earnest tones, they replied, " We
never heard of such a thing before " — a sad confession
for them, and a serious charge against the Church
of Christ, which has kept back the message of
mercy for these eighteen centuries, and has neglected
the Saviour's last command, with its omnipotent
sanction and gracious promise : " All authority has
been given unto Me in heaven and on earth. Go
ye therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptising them into the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Ghost : teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever I commanded you : and
"lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the
world."
25
APPENDIX
FOR the following list of Missionaries sent to China from
the commencement of the Mission I am indebted to
Mr. Carruthers, and for the list of unmarried ladies sent out by
the Women's Missionary Association to Mrs. Carruthers. To
both I owe thanks for frequent help most cheerfully given.
In looking over the list of male Missionaries, one is struck
with the number who have died or been invalided, especially
when we consider that they all went out in the prime of life, and
after medical examination as to health and adaptation for the
cHmate. Out of 63 sent to China in the course of these fifty
years, no fewer than 13 have died, and 21 have been invalided.
A few, but not many of the latter, have retired, owing to their
wives being invalided. It gives one an idea of the risks run
by Europeans in such a country and in such work. The
greatest mortality was among those who first went out. Of
17 sent out in the first twenty years, 4 died within that time.
We trust the risks will be fewer as we learn the conditions of
health, and keep up a sufficient staff at each station to avoid
overwork, and the worry of not being able to overtake it — a
frequent cause of mortality.
The female Missionaries have a very different record. They
are like Melchizedek : they seem to have no " end of life."
There is no need for a column for deaths. It is true they
have not been so long in the field, only eighteen years. But
386
APPENDIX.
3S7
in that time, of 14 male Missionaries sent out, 3 had
died; while, of the females, not one has died of the 27 who
have been sent to China since 1878, and I can only discover
4 who have been invalided. In this list we had the pleasure
of making a column for marriages instead of deaths. Of these
there were four ; but as all were married to men in our own
Mission, this was a clear gain to the common cause.
Tables III. and IV. are taken from the Report of last year,
which gives the returns for 1895 ; but the statistics of
membership in Table V. have been most kindly prepared from
returns for 1896, and forwarded, when the last pages of the
book were going through the press, by the Convener, whose
helpful kindness I gratefully acknowledge.
TABLE I.
List of Missionaries Sent Out to China since the Origin
OF THE Mission.
Appointed.
Died.
Retired.
Now at Work.
Rev. Wm. Chalmers Burns, M.A.
1847
1868
Dr. James H. Young .
1850
1855
—
Rev. James Johnston .
1853
1857
Rev. Carstairs Douglas, LL.D. .
1855
1877
—
Rev. David Sandeman
1856
1858
—
Rev. George Smith, M.A. .
1857
1891
—
Mr. Jones
1859
—
i860
Rev. Wm. S. Swanson, D.D. .
i860
1893
—
Rev. Hur L. Mackenzie, M.A. .
i860
—
Swatow.
Dr. John Carnegie
'fP
1862
—
Rev. Hugh Cowie
'l^J>
—
'll^
Dr. Wm. Gauld
1863
' —
1881
Rev. Wm. M'Gregor, M.A.
1864
—
—
Amoy.
Dr. James L. Maxwell
1864
—
1885
Rev. David Masson .
1866
1866
—
Rev. Hugh Ritchie .
1867
1879
—
Rev. Jamesi Masson .
1868
—
1869
Rev. William Duffus .
1869
1894
1892
Dr. Alex. Thomson .
1869
1872
—
Dr. Matthew Dickson
1871
—
1876
Rev. Wm. Campbell .
1871
"
Formosa.
i88
APPENDIX.
Appointed.
Died.
Retired.
Now at Work.
Rev. Robert Gordon .
1872
_
1882
Rev. John C. Gibson, M.A.
1874
—
—
Swatow.
Rev. Thomas Barclay, M.A.
1874
—
—
Formosa.
Rev. David Smith
1875
—
1883
Rev. Henry Thompson
1877
—
—
Eng-chhun, Amoy.
Rev. John Rutherford
1877
—
1878
Rev. Donald Maclver, M.A.
1879
—
—
Hak-ka, Swatow.
Dr. Peter Anderson .
1878
—
—
Formosa.
Dr. Alex. Lyall ....
1879
—
—
Swatow.
Rev. John Watson, M.A. .
1880
• —
1894
Rev. William Thow, M.A.
1880
1894
•
Dr. David Grant
1880
1894
Rev. Arch. L. Macleish, M.D. .
1881
1893
Rev. Wm. Riddel, M.A. .
1881
Hak-ka, Swatow.
Mr. Wm. Paton ....
1881
—
—
Swatow.
Rev. J. A. B. Cook .
1881
—
—
Singapore.
Rev. James Main, M.A.
1882
—
1884
Rev. W. R. Thompson, B.A. .
1882
—
1887
Dr. John F. McPhun
1882
—
Hak-ka, Swatow.
Dr. Philip B. Cousland
1883
—
—
Chao-chow-fu, Amoy.
Mr. George Ede
1883 -
.
—
Hak-ka, Swatow.
Dr. John Lang ....
1885
—
1893
Rev. Alex. Gregory, M.A.
1888
1892
Rev. Patrick J. Maclagan, M.A. .
1888
Swatow. _. - .
Rev. Murdo Mackenzie, M.A. .
1888
—
—
Hak-ka, Swatow.
Dr. Jas. M. Howie .
1888
—
—
Chang-pu, Amoy.
Dr. Gavin Russell
1888
1892
Rev. Duncan Ferguson, M.A. .
1889
—
Formosa.
Rev. Arch. Lamont, M.A.
1889
—
—
Singapore.
Dr. Benjamin Lewis Paton
1889
Chin-chew, Amoy.
Mr. George M. Wales
1890
Rev. J. L. Milne, B.D.
1891
1895
"
Rev. T. E. Sandeman, M.A. .
1892
Amoy.
Rev. John Steele, B.A.
1892
Swatow.
Dr. W. Murray Cairns
1892
1895
Rev. C. Campbell Brown .
1892
—
Chin-chew, Amoy.
Dr. John Cross ....
1893
—
— .
Eng-chhun, Amoy.
Dr. Muir Sandeman .
1894
__
Amoy.
Swatow.
Dr. John M. Dalziel .
1895
Rev. Campbell N. Moody, M.A.
1895
Formosa.
Rev. Andrew B. Nielson, M.A. .
1895
___
Dr. David Landsborough .
1895
—
—
5>
India.
Dr. Donald Morison .
Rev. Alfred A. Cooper, M.A. .
1878
1893
—
—
Rampore Bauleah.
»> >»
APPENDIX.
389
TABLE II.
WOMEN'S MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION.
List of Missionaries Sent Out from its Origin.
Name.
Appointed.
Retired or
Married.*
Now in the Field.
Miss Ricketts . .
1878
_
Swatow.
Miss Murray
1880
Married 1884
Mrs. Ritchie
1880
Retired 1884
Miss M. Mellis
1881
Married
Miss Maclagan
Miss Mann .
1882
1883
i886t
Chang-pu, Amoy.
Miss B. Scott
1883
Retired 1885
Miss E. Black
1885
—
Swatow.
Miss ButJer .
1885
—
Formosa.
Miss Stuart .
1885
Miss Johnston
1885
_
Amoy.
Miss Harkness
1886
Swatow.
Miss Falconer
1887
—
Hak-ka Country, Swatow.
Miss McMahon
1887
Retired 1S91
Miss Graham
1888
—
Chin-chew, Amoy.
Miss Barnett.
1888
Formosa.
Miss Lecky .
1888
—
Amoy.
Miss Balmer.
1830
—
Hak-ka Country, Swato\A
Miss Crowther
1890
Retired 1892
Miss Ramsay
1890
—
Chin-chew, Amoy.
Miss Duncan
1892
Miss M. M'Gregor
1892
Amoy.
Miss A. Scott . .
1^93
Married 1894
Miss M. Balmer .
1893
—
Hak-ka Country. Swatow
Miss E. Maclagan .
1894
Married 1896
Miss Alexander
Miss Turnbull . .
1896
1896
—
Eng-chhun, Amoy.
Miss C. Johnston .
1896
—
Amoy.
* Retired in almost every case means invalided.
t Appointed to work at home. 1887.
Connected with
India or Jewish Missions.
Names.
Date of
Appoint-
ment.
Retired.
Mar: ied.
Now at Work.
Miss Bayly .
Miss Symington
Miss Thomson .
Miss Annie Graham
Miss Robertson .
Miss Brunton . .
1883
1884
1886
1890
1890
1893
1 1 1 If 1
1886
Rampore Bauleah, India
Rabat, Morocco.
Rampore Bauleah.
390
APPENDIX.
TABLE III.
LIST OF CHURCHES AND STATIONS,
Amoy Presbyteries
1895.
Chin-chew
P2-mung-kang
Kio-lai
An-hai
I. FuHy Orgafiised drngregations.
Peh-chuia Ki-boey
Bay-pay Liong-bun-si
Siong-si Gaw-chay
Not Fully Orga7iised.
Eng-leng Pia-chiu
Lam-mng-goa
Chiohsai Chhim-ho Chioh-khun
Ham-kang Kwan-kio Khoey-bey
Eng-lai Phoa-noa Mng-khau-tai
Tang-chhan-kio Chioh-chi Ho-chhi
Ko-long-su 0-tau An-koe
Kang-boey Tin-hai Pi-po
Yu-boey-kio Peh-chioh Kang-khau
Aw-sai. Chhia-tsui Kwan-jim
Tung-kio Au-po Pan-to
Hoe-pi Chang-pu Ban-an
Liong-nia Liok-go Kak-chioh
Ko-tin Liong-khay Cheng-poa
Eng-chhun Go-tau Pi-o
Phi-lai Soa-thau-sia
10 fully organised ; 44 partially.
SwATow Presbytery.
I. Fully Orgafiised Congregations.
Swatow Yam-tsau Phu-soa
Chia-na Kia-kng Sin-hu
Pang-khau Tsau-phou Mi-ow.
2. Not Fully Organised.
Chao-chow-fu Teng-tng ' Peh-tsui-ou
Ung-kng Kieh-yang Teng-kng
Teng-pou Tek-kie Chao-yang
Tat-hau-po Sua-mng-sia Au-kang
Sin-un Kway-tham Hwei-lai
Kah-chi Noi-hue-ti Kie-kia-thau
'I'oa-ua Kong-pheng Na-thau
Sua-bue Leng-kia
9 fully organised ; 23 partially.
APPENDIX.
391
Hak-ka Country.
I. Fully Organised Congregations.
Wu-king-fu Ho-pbo Ng-yun-thung Thong-hang.
2. Not Fully Organised.
Thai-yong
Nam-san
Lyong-thien
Shong-sa
Ho-thyen
Sin-thyen
Sam-hai
Shong-fu
Lo-hai
Nyit-chung
Pu-ts-tshai
Thai-pu
Lyung-tsai
Kau-thyen
Moi-yong
4 fully organised ;
15 partially.
PRESBYTERY OF TAI-NAN-FU, FORMOSA.
The names of the organised are not indicated.
Churches and Stations.
Those among the Pe-po-hoan and Sek-hoan, or semi-civilised
aborigines, are in italics
Tai-wan-fu
Kong-a-na
Ta-kao
Taw-kun-eng
Ka-la-paw
Lom-bay (island)
Tau-lak
Moa-tau
Thau-si a
Toa-sia
Gu-khun-soa
Ka-tau-ga
Chim-kong-o
20
Bak-sa
Poah-bay
Tang-kang
A-kau
Lam-a-khe
Lam-gan
Ka-tang
Giam-cheng
Hoan-a-chhan
Awgu-lan
Paw-sia
Sia-thau-lmi
Tak-kai
organised; 18 partially
Kam-a-na
Pi-thau
Tek-a-kha
A-li-kang
Lau-chhu-tsng
Ka-gi
Gu-ta-oan
Ka-poa-soa
Chiang-hoa
Toa-lam
Chap-sa-kah
Chioh-pai
Singapore.
Names of orgajtised congregations ?tot named.
Bukit Timah
Johor Bahru
Hokkien
Tek-kha
Muar
Ba-ba
3 fully organised.
Serang-gong
Gay-lang
592
APPENDIX.
The Report for Singapore kindly forwarded contains the
following names of the agents employed, which we regret not
to have of the other missions.
Preachers.
Khoii lak Sek Si Tit Su Lian Thian lak.
Gou A-chiu Song Pug
Teachers.
So7ne of the Preachers are also Teachers.
Ngun Tshong Ku Teh Pek Lian.
Evangelists.
Ip A Kwan Wong Hok Thau Ng Lin Kong.
Biblewomen.
Miss Hoot Kiam Mrs. Kok M.
Missionary Supported by Native Church.
Tan Kuang Hui.
tablp: IV.
SUMMARIES FOR 1895.
Congregations fully organised .
Congregations not yet fully organised
Total .
Native pastors entirely supported by
their own congregations, Amoy
Native pastors entirely supported by
their own congregations, Sv/atow
46
1 10
156
Total
Native preachers, Amoy
„ Swatow
Hak-ka
Formosa
., Singapore
13
42
28
1 1
30
5
Total
116
APPENDIX.
393
Theological students, Amoy
„ „ Swatow .
„ „ Hak-ka .
,, „ Formosa
i6
12
12
8
Total . 48
Hospitals (7).
Amoy, 3 — Chin-chew, Chang-pu, and Eng-chhun.
Swatow, 3 — Swatow, Chao-chow-fu, and Wu-king-fu.
Formosa, i — Tai-wan-fu.
TABLE V.
STATISTICS OF MEMBERSHIP IN THE CHINA MISSION, 1896.
1
Commu- Ad-
nicants, mitted
Jan. I, during
1896. the year.
Net
increase
during
the year.
--^^^. under
o'F' suspen-
Total
baptised
children.
-
Total
mem-
bership,
adults
and
children.
1. Amoy .
2. Swatow
3. Hak-ka .
4. Formosa .
5. Singapore .
1
1420 127
1304 191
427 69
1252 121
247 68
83
116
39
39
19
1503 49
1420 129
466 39
1291 175
266 16
882
689
227
2434
2238
732
2820
397
Totals .
4650 j 576
296
4946 408 3267
i 1
8621
INDEX
•
PAGE
Aborigines in Formosa, burials of .... . 305
„ „ head-hunters
• 304
visited by Dr. Maxwell
. 177
Rev. W. Campbell
• 303
Agriculture ........
44
Agriculturists honoured
44
Amoy, capture of, by British
25
„ „ by Mandarins
28
„ Communion at . . .
.
85
,, described ....
19
Presbytery of . . .
128
,, Synod of ... .
247
Ancestor worship ....
49
„ „ evil effects of
51
Ancestral tablets, letter from Miss Johnston on
240
,, „ ,, on difficulties of Christians with
241
Ba, Pastor, death of
248
Babies' Home
52, 236
Bak-sa, baptisms at .
. 179
„ wedding at
. 180
Ballad, the tea-picker's ....
. 46
Barclay, Rev. T., and Japanese army
. 328
„ ,, letters of . . .
314, 324
Bible-women, Miss Rickett's class of
. 283
Blind boy
• 320
„ school for, at Chin-chew .
. 258
„ ,, Formosa
• 319
,, weaver .....
294
Boat, the Gospel
i9» 3o» 99
Brother Tee, life and death of .
. 311
Buddhism
. 61
Burns arrested in China ....
113
,, conversion of .
g
„ death of .
'. 185
,, estimate of, as Missionary
. 187
„ first Missionary ....
7
„ goes to Amoy
76
394
INDEX.
395
Burns in Hong Kong
„ itinerating
,, letters from
offers himself for China
,, ordination of .
revisits Swatow
revival under, in China
„ M in Scotland
,, robbed ....
„ translates " Pilgrim's Progress '
,, psalms and hymns
Campbell, Rev. W. . . .
,, „ letters from
,^ ,, narrow escape of
Canadian Mission, Formosa
Centres, the three chief .
Chang-pu, a nevi^ centre .
,, chapel at .
„ medical work at
Cheng-hong, martyrdom of
China, a field of missions .
„ difficult field .
„ religions of . .
Chin-chew first visited
hospital, a little patient
,. at . .
„ made a centre .
,, Presbytery of .
Chinese, are they religious ? .
„ character of
,, their views of God
Chioh-bey, why given to the Americans
„ work at .
Church, agents of
,, government of
„ self-governing
„ self-propagating
,, self-supporting
,, the Native .
Churches and stations, list of all
Cloth merchant, the .
Communion at Amoy
Compensation for injury in Formosa
Conferences ....
Confucianism ....
„ political morality of
69,71
,74,
89, II
70
70
3. i«9
12
68
112
87
10
74
78
147
306
303, 306, 316
309
378
195
5219
234
238
174
4
199
48
123
233
231
222
229
64
|9
65
92
94
363
121
363
368
365
356, 3^3
35
390
90
85
176
139, 274
49
53
396
INDEX.
Converts, character of . . .
„ forsaking all .
,, reasoning with the heathen
Cook, the Rev. J. A. B , Singapore, letter
Cross, Dr., letter from
,, settled at Eng-chhun
Dale, the Rev. William .
Death, dread of
,, euphemisms for
Deathbed of Christians
Deification by the Emperor
Dickson, Dr., letter of
Divine guidance of Mission
Douglas, Rev. C, Amoy .
,, death of
„ letters from
„ testimony of Presbytery
,, visit to An-hai
,, Chin-chew
Duffus, Rev. W., letters of
Dutch in Formosa ....
,, ,, Missions in .
M M M decay of
Ede, Mr., letter from .
Edict, the sacred
Education
E-ju, a volunteer evangelist
Eng-chhun, a new centre .
a prayer-meeting at
hospital for .
Facts and reflections
Ferguson, Rev. D., letters from
Fifth Commandment first in China
Formosa
,, aborigines in
,, ,, work among
,, Dutch possession of .
,, first-fruits of
,, inhabitants of
., Japanese in
,, ,, officer, letter of
,, Mission in .
„ ,, story of, continued
,, ,, ,, concluded
persecution and martyrdom in
of
132.
to
PAGE
94, 101, 248
• 136
. 268
• 337
. 256
. . 256
• 340
. 250
• 239
249, 291
• 136
. 313
4, 12, 1 16
. 109
. 224
27, 132, 138
227
120
123
267, 268, 272
163
165
166
• 54
• 36
• 94
• 254
. 256
256
• 344
326, 330
• 56
. 161
163, 263
• 177
. 163
• 171
. 162
• 321
• 324
. 169
• 301
. 316
. 173
INDEX.
397
vernacular
Formosa, Presbytery of .
Gauld, Dr., hospital for lepers .
M ., of •
letters from .
„ work of hospital
Gibson, Rev. J. C, and Romanised
„ letters of .
Girl, the price of . • •
Gordon, Rev. Robert, letter from
Gospel, the benefits conferred by
„ boat, the . • •
Graham, Miss, letters from .
school for blind
Hak-kas Mission centre .
„ mountain race .
,, origin of
,^ ,, Mission to
Hamilton, Dr. James, made Convener
,, his death
Head-hunters, Formosa .
Heart eaten to give courage
Heathenism, its great want
Higher life, conferences on
Hok-los, origin of
Home for rescued babies .
Hospitals, wide influence of
Houses of Missionaries .
,, cost of
Idolatry renounced by a village
Infanticide . . • •
Japanese in Formosa
Johnston, Miss, letter on ancestral tablets
Rev. J., appointment of
'I ,, compelled to return
", ,, had seen great results
', ,, in charge alone
,, „ letters from .
Kidnapped boy, story of .
Kilsyth, revival at . . •
Lady Missionaries
5'
Lamont, Rev. A.
arrival in Amoy
education work
PAGE
• 329
. 156
. 156
56, 157, 269
. 269
. 260
270, 275, 280, 296, 297
• 33
. 220
270, 2:
. 130
19. 30. 99
249, 258
. 258
. 286
265, 270
. 264
. 272
• 13
. 181
. 304
112, 175
. 66
139, 274
. 265
. 236
85, 295. 310
. 354
• 355
• 125
34, 53. 236
30. 33.
. 321
. 240
. 79
. 105
, 106
. 96
85, 96, 99, 103, 106
. 280
.10
. 210
. 235
. 337, 340
398
INDEX.
Lam-san burns the god ot the hearth
Land, tenure and price of
Leper, evangehstic work of
Liberality of converts
Licensing for the ministry
London Missionary Society
Lyall, Dr., Svvatovv Hospital
,, Mrs., letter from
,, „ on women of China
M'Gregor, Rev. W., letters from
Maclver, Rev. D., Hak-ka Mission
„ ,, letter from .
Mackay, Rev. Dr. .
Mackenzie, Rev. H. L., at Swaiovv
„ letters of . 148, 155,
,, ,, timely deliverance of
Maclagan, Miss, letter of .
Main, Rev. J., letter from .
Mandarin, a friendly .
,, cured by Dr. Gauld
Martyrdoms
Masson, Rev. D., death of
Matheson, Hugh M., Esq., address hum Swatow
„ ,, succeeds Dr. Hamilton
„ ,, Treasurer
Maxwell, Dr., Amoy aborigines
,, Formosa
„ illness of
„ letters of . . . . 168, i
Medical Missions, value of {see Hospitals)
Membership, Statistics of .
Ministry, Native
,, students for
Mission, condition of, in 1853
,, growth in twenty-five years
., origin of
,, in prayer .
progress of, from 1854 to 1872
,, „ 1872 to 1896
providential
,, results of fifty years .
,, the character of, fixed
,, the field described
Missionaries, at end of Jubilee
,, education of, for China
,, houses of .
,, list of all, sent out
. 90
. 44
. 267
. 290
• 231
• 378, 381
. 262
• 34
. • .34
134. i35» 213, 247
. 262
. 291
• 378
. 260
271, 288, 290, 389
. 155
. 252
. 231
• 255
. 157
175, 278, 280
. 172
Presbytery . 299
as Convener 185
183-185
• 177
. 168
• 301
70, 177, 179, 311
. 202
• 393
211, 231
. 214
. 85
• 193
4
• 5.6
201
• 372
• 13
• 383
. 80
• 15
• 346
• 349
354
• 383
INDEX.
399
PAGE
Missionaries, lives of ^gg
,, mediators with Japanese .
• . 326
Missions, objections met ....
Preface ix
„ of all Churches in China .
• 207, 380
Names, pronunciation of .
. Preface xi
Native Church
• . 356
• 357
„ aggressive ....
number of members during fiftj
^yea
rs
• 356
,, ministry
. 211
,, pastor, sermon by .
. 244
Occupations of the people
42 seq.
• 375
Other Missions in China ....
Pastors, Native
. . 87
93
Peh-chuia, revival at
,. work by .
People, the
24, 30
„ ' character of .
30, 39
,, occupations of . . .
42
„ persecutions . .90,
91, I
04, I.
Ji, 277, 289
Pescadores, Native Mission to .
Planting of the Mission ....
. 68
" Preach or be punished "
. 102
Presbyterian Church, declares independence
2
,, ,, in China .
121
revival of
I
., ,, starts a Mission Church .
3
Presbytery, the, in Amoy
128
„ in tears for Douglas
228
., of Formosa ....
287
of Swatow ....
" Put down my name, sir "
95
Readers in China, number of .
37
Religions of China
48
„ the three combined .
63
,, ,, their great want .
66
Review of twenty-five years' work .
189
Revival in Kilsyth ......
10
„ Peh-chuia . ....
87
Ricketts, Miss, goes to China ....
210
„ her class of Bible-women .
283
„ letters from ....
3
2,283
,, on the condition of women
32
Sacred edict, the
54
Sandeman, Rev. D., death of .
117
400
INDEX.
Sandeman, Rev. T. E., letter from .
Scotland, sympathy and support from
Seeking in earnest ....
Self-supporting Churches .
Sermon by Native Pastor .
Smith, Rev. George ....
,, ,, founder of Sw^atow Mission
„ ,, letters from
„ ,, providential deliverance of
Singapore
,, Mission to . . ,
,, „ Report of, for 1895
Spread of light in Mission Field
Statistics not to be neglected .
Sua-bue, a new centre
',, formation of the Church
Swan son, Rev. W., letters from
Swatow a centre
,, character of population
„ presbytery founded
Synod, the first, in China .
Tablets, ancestral
Tai-nan-fu, Japanese name for Tai-wan-fu
Tai-wan-fu, driven from
,, saved from a Japanese assault by Missionaries
,, training College in
Ta-kao, first headquarters of Mission
Tan-khai-lin, Pastor .
Taoism ...
,, and Buddhism
Tea- picker and ballad
Thomson, Dr. A., death of
,, Rev. Henry
Times of blessing
Union of the Missions
Village abandons idolatry
Wales, Mr., letter from .
Watson, Rev. John, letter from
Women, character and condition of
,, education of
„ heroic ....
„ persecuted .
Women's Missionary Association
Young, Dr., appointment of, sent home
15
5. 171
259
I. 153
153
333
336
340
369
345
296
297
227
145, 262
. 262
;o, 240
325
169
325
314
170
288
58
60
46
158
230
87
85, 129
93
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