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CHINESE RECORDER
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MISSIONARY JOURNAL
VOLUME XVI.
505834
SHANGHAI :
AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN MISSION PRESS
1885.
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INDEX TO VOL. XVI.
A Representative Committee air translating. Apologetic Literature, Recent Asia Reconstructed from Chinese Source* . Asia Reconstructed from Chinese Sources , Bamboo, the Square ... ... ...
Bible Rendered into easy Wenli . - ,.,.. ,
Bible, One ..^.. ,
Butler Rev. John — In Memoriam ,.,.. Carp Culture in China ... ...
Church Organization ... ...
Chinese History, A Sketch of ... Chinamen in Christian Lands ...
China and the Roman Orient Chinese, Early form of
Correspondence
Corea E. H. Parker Esq. 300
Corea: Geographical Divisions, and Civil Officers ... E. H. Parker Esq. 449
Dialect, The Shansi Rev. C. D. Tenny 253
Diary of Events in the Far East 318, 359, 399, 440, 488
Ecclesiastical Relations ... ... ... ... Rev. J. V. Talmage, D.D. 19
Echoes from other Lands ... 52, 112, 151, 195, 222, 264, 310, 351, 392, 432, 479
Editorial Notes & Missionary News 78, 116, 155, 198, 234, 277, 315, 355, 399, 437, 481
... ... Rev. H. H. Lowry 389
Rev. J. Edkins, D.D. 281
E. H. Parker Esq. 32
T. W. KingsmiU 137
D. J. Macgowan, M.D. 141
Rev. H«nry Blodget, D.D. 387
..Rev. Hampden C. DuBose 459
... Rev. W. J. McKee 4G7
D. J. Macgown, M.D. 201
A. Presbyter 24
E. H. Parker Esq. 81
Rev. H. V. Noyes. 130, 174
Rev. J. Edkins, D.D. 361
Rev. J. Edkins, D.D. 251
69, 219, 260, 306, 348, 390, 429, 470
E. H. Parker Esq.
... E. H. Parker Esq. Rev. C. D. Tenny 318, 359, 399, 440 Rev. J. V. Talmase. D.D.
Employment of Natives in Missionary Work English Presbyterian Mission, Swatow Evolution in the Organic World ... ...
Floods in Kwangtung ... ... ... ... ...
Formosa, Return to ... ... ... ...
Foreign Missionaries* Relation to the Chinese
Fa Lin People Who were they ?
I am debtor — I am ready
I am the door
Joel A. Smith, Mrs. — In Memoriam
Language of China the Ancient Land Purchase of, at Nanking
Missionary Journal 80, 120, 160, 200,
Missionary Conference International
Native Christians, the Political Status of
Nankin Mission Work in
New Version of the Scriptures
North Formosa
Opium and Missionaries, the Twin Plagues of China Our Book Table 73, 115, 154,
Rev. J. R. Goddard 341
Rev. H W. Mackenzie 143
Rev. John T. Gulick 241, 295
... Rev. H. V. Noyes 374
Rev. Thomas Barclay 214
Rev. E. Z. Simmons 333
Rev. J. Edkins, D.D. 304
Rev. Jonathan Lees 305
» 340
Mrs. Hattie Linn Beebe 60
... H. E. Parker Esq. 161
... Rev. G. W. Woodall 370
240, 280, 320, 360, 400, 440, 488
Rev. Arthur H. Smith 407
Rev. Timothy Richard 96
Rev. C. Leaman 427
Rev. G. F. Fitch 298, 457
Rev. G. L. Mackay, D.D. 544
Rev. R. Lechler 454
197, 227, 273, 313, 354, 395, 435
INDEX TO VOL. XVI.
Poetry
Presbyterian Ilakka Mission Swatow Proverbs and Common Sayings of the Chinese
Boligion, Revivals of »
Biots, Anti.Christain
Route to Ta Ts'in
Station Work Methods of ,.
Statistics of Missions 108,
Swatow, the American Baptist Mission
T'ao T'ao, Life and Times of '^
Ta Ts'in the Question ... ...
Tho name of Jesus in Public. Prea^h''ig , ••• Tibetan Language, the Geographical Terms
Translating, llules for ,„ „,
Version's, Mr. John's or Another ? . ,„ ,„ War in Formosa and Amoy ,., ,. ,„ . ..,. .
WaratFoochow , ,.,
War at Ningpo ... ,., ,., . ,.^..
Woman's Work for Woman ... ,., . ,.,..
From an American paper 111
... Rev. D. Maclver 146
Kev. Arthur H. Smith. 1, 255, 321
... Rev. M. L. Gordon, M.D. 121
185
H. A. Giles Esq. 368
Rev. J. L. Nevius, D.D. 421, 461
157, 272, 279, 357, 358, 432, 433, 434
Rev. S. B. Partridge 215
... ' Rev. D. Z. Sheffield. 401, 441
F. Hirth, Ph. D. 413
Ven. Archdeacon A. E. Moule 424 Rev. J. Edkins, D.D. 453
Rev. Griffith John 381
...Rfc. Rev. G. E. Moule, D.D. 378 ... Rev. Tomas Barclay 52
Rev. C. Hartwell 88
Rev. J. Butler. 146, 208 ... Mrs. J. M. W. Farnham 218
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MISSIONARY JOURNAL.
Vol. XVI. JANUARY-FEBRUARY, 1885. No. 1,
THE PROVERBS AND COMMON SAYINGS OF THE CHINESE.
By Eev. Arthur H. Smith.
{Contimied front page 419.) ABUSIVE LANGUAGE.
A TTENTION has been repeatedly called to the constant Chinese habit of using language intended to be indirectly abusive of another. Examples of this have already been given incidentally, in treating of other aspects of proverbs. A few additional specimens will illustrate the facility with which such modes of speech are invented. The command of a vocabulary of abuse is apparently universal in China, as well among women and children as among men. Children are often taught it, assiduously as soon as they can talk, that their elders may be amused by the strange contrast between the infantile innocence of the speaker, and the vileness and virulence of its language. The result is that every one can hold his own in a reviling match, which is the form which many Chinese quarrels assume. *In reviling,* says the proverb, *it is not necessary to prepare a preliminary draft.' (^ A /(^ f^ tf ^^)- Among a people who are universal revilers, it might be expected that abusive language would pass comparatively unnoticed, being too common to attract attention. But if used otherwise than as a playful banter, the person toward whom it is directed is obliged to take notice of it, otherwise he * loses face.* An attack of this sort, is like * check ' in chess, the player must either take a new position, capture his adver- sary, or interpose something between his adversary and himself. The latter is the most common mode of adjustment, that through * peace- talkers,* which ends in a grand feast of native reconciliation or failing that, in an irreparable breach. This simple theory of reviling, and its orthodox treatment contains an explanation of the inception of thousands of lawsuits and millions of fights.
2 THB PROVERBS AND COMMON SAYINGS OF THE CHINESE. [Januaiy-
A characteristic aspect of Chinese human nature, is presented in the saying : 'Strike a man's head, but do not strike hira in the face ; when you revile a man, do not attack his character,' (jfj A M JT llk> M A JlJ ^ M)' ^^® explanation of this somewhat singular direction, is that a man's skull can be hammered for a long time, and with con- siderable violence, yet without much apparent damage, and without causing great loss of blood ; whereas if his face were battered, and if he should go to the magistrate with a complaint, he would have a strong case against the assailant. In like manner, one may go great lengths in reviling, but should he ' twit on facts' to too great an extent, his enemy will be so exasperated, as to make serious trouble! It is said in contempt of one who has been reviled, but who has made no defense, that he feels no pain— he has grown used to it, (f^ ^ ^ ,S /p S ^)- By the time a man is old, it is supposed that he is entitled to com- parative immunity from the reviling to which, at frequent intervals, he has been subjected, and even the magistrates, who are in the habit of black-guarding those who are brought before them, respect great age, and do not beat men seventy years old, nor revile those who are eighty, as witnesseth the proverb : (^t + 7 ft* A + /P M)* Owing to the fixity of Chinese residence, those who have become bitter enemies, reviling each other at sight, are still neighbors as before, just as a daughter, though often beaten, is still an own daughter, (ft 7 i 65 a A S. .1 ;?^ la 6^ 5£ ffi SI). This saying is em- ployed to urge to kind treatment of children, and to forbearance toward neighbors.
The use of abusive language is nowhere carried to a higher pitch than among the boating population, who are often crowded together in narrow water ways, where, under the most favorable circumstances, it would be difficult to keep the peace. When a boat is once in motion, no one will give way to any one else, in case of collision, or obstruction, each boatman roars and reviles at the top of his voice. But when the boats are again at anchor, the respective crews fall to chatting and laughing, as if nothing had happened, (fj ^ JJ ^, Q, M Wt IS)- This saying is used to show that there should be no chronic quarrels.
One method of oblique vilification consists in intimating that the person reviled does not deserve to be called a man. The phrase tcanpu shihjen, (U /J^ ^ A), is the object of allusion in the saying; * He is merely the wan character ' (^ ^ ^J |g), i.e. the character ican represents the whole phrase, and the meaning is that the person indicated is in no sense and in no degree a man. So also, as in ex- amples already given, a person is likened to a mud image. *An image of a hare with a beard attached — vain pretence of being an old maD,' (1 MUfi ^ H ^, ^ 36 ^ A).
February.] the proverbs and common sayings of the Chinese. 3
The thi, tao tin is a toy popular at the harvest festival on the fifteenth of the eighth moon, having the head of a hare, and provided with a string which beats a little drum to represent the sound of grain beaten in a pestle (ff ). This expression is used in ridicule of a young bully, who likes to use lofty language suitable only for a person belonging to an older generation. So also : * He can't-upset wearing a beard — vain pretense of being a relative of the family ^ ("JU /p §!| ^ ^
*He can't-upset sitting on an abacus — a little fellow that muddles the accounts/ (!|S ;? ffi| ^ ;ab » « ±, :g; f@ ig Bl ij^ iF). The phrase hun chang (j;g Jg) as an epithet of abuse, has been already explained.
* Sticking a black beau on a straw, and calling it a man,' (]g JfJ -F ^ M S' •& S^ i^ A). That is, he is not fit to be called a man.
From the implication that one is not a man, it is but a step to the suggestion that he is an animal, as in the saying : * This herd of Frogs, Eats,* Hedgehogs and Oxen,' (Jl ^ J& i% ^ fi, {% S|^ 65), implying that they are all beasts and reptiles — not men. Although the Chinese do not ordinarily call an opponent a Donkey, f as has for ages been the custom in Occidental lands, they employ the name of this animal in an unfavorable sense : * Taking my good heart for a donkey's liver and lungs,' (# » |g 6^ jff )&, ^^ T .IP ff M)-
In the following saying, the donkey stands for an ugly man, married to a beautiful woman : ' a bunch of fresh flowers, stuck on a donkey's head,' (- ^ Sf ?g U « .IP ffl ±).
In a country where * the chief end of man ' is to leave posterity, to point out that one has no children is considered not only in bad taste, but actually abusive. *A fallen tree that casts no shade — a battle array which destroys all the enemy,' {j^ jji| ^ |^, .^ ^ W).
The chueh hu ch^en (|g ^ p^I) is a triumph of ancient military tactics by which the adversary is beguiled into a certain position, and then exterminated. A man who has no sons, is called a chdeh ha; a road which leads nowhere (or which, like the trail mentioned in
* Hyperion,' ' ends in a squirrel track up a tree ') is known as a chileh JniJia (Ig ^ IS).
* In the following saying the double name of the Rat, lao shu, (^ M)or ^'"^ ^«w»
(^ "J ) 'waster,' gives occasion for an abusive pun : 'You are a rat brought on a cloud-a heaven-made ivaster (ft; 75 S S 6^ ^ M; 5C & 05 ^ U 5i)> where the words hao erh, (^ ^) are intended to apply toayouugspend-tiarifc — 'You are fated by heaven to be a prodigal.' t The Buddhist Priests, as already mentioned, are called 'Bald Donkeys,' by a Pua on their sacred appellation (^ ^). As the doctrine of the transmigratioH of souls is a Buddhist one, it is but natural that the popular view should be thnt at death, Buddhist Priests hecome donkeys, which is the implication in the following proverb : 'Once a Priest, then going back to the world — he does not care whether ornofc he turns into a donkey,' (^7 ft j^^ X ^i^^ J^^MWT^MW'
4 THE PR0VERB8 AND COMMON SAYINGS OP THE CHINESE. [January-
Another stylo of abuse, intimates that one is a bad character. *A countenance combining a hare's liead and a snake's eyes/ (^ gj
*e iR 65 f« m-
* He has the head and front of a grave plunderer and a coffin
rotbcr,' (fi 7 -t, t «l fi 1 fi5 BS S)-
Grave robbery is punished with summary decapitation. This signifies that the man is what we should call a * jail-bird.' 'A poor god, a ruined temple, and a stinking thief for a priest,' {|| jf ^ J^, AM^ jg). This is a collective vilification of a number of persons, signifying that they are at once poor and vicious.
The phrase yc chueh (^ }j^), 'instant extermination,' is employed as a synonym for the punishment of decapitation. It denotes that one ought to be beheaded. ' He has a head fit for execution ' (:R T ^ ffe ^ W *B* M)' ^^® wlio has money at his command, and on this account boasts ov-er others, is reviled by the inquiry; 'Since you have money, why do you not go and pay to have your head cut off?'
The character tan g signifying an egg, is also defined as the name of a tribe of aborigines. It is a term of universal application in abusive language, as in English a person is sometimes colloquially spoken of as * a bad egg.^ Yet it may also be employed in a good sense, as when the solitary child of his father's old age, is spoken of as a ' phoenix egg' (Jl ^ ^ E H S)-
* In a kettle containing thick porridge, to add rice-flour balls — glutinous eggs,' (|fi 3f 3 f § ^ T 7C W ffl ^ S)- The first moon of the new year, gives its name to these balls (jQ ^) which are at that time in great demand. They are made of glutinous rice {fXi tR) and are also known as tang yuan (-^- ^).
* The old villager who has never seen yiian hsiao — truly this is a turbid egg' (Ij^ ^ SJ * I. 7C #' A :g ?* ®. These expres- sions are employed to revile persons who are hopelessly stupid.
* Hail at the Five Terraced Mountains — dark eggs/ (Jl 4 lJ-1 T S ?> I^ S)- The Wu t'ai mountains, in northern Shansi, are under the influence of the inferior, or yin ([^) principle. The saying may be used to indicate that one is both morose and vicious. * Wrapped up in a bog— a good for nothing egg' (g g Q ^ ^ g).
The phrase wo nang (!g S or gl^ g) has been already explained. The expression ico nang pao is used of one much abused, but not daring to make a disturbance, or not knowing how to carry it through, and who therefore is compelled to smother his wrath (^ ^ ^). The words * useless egg,' imply that one is universally incapable.
* The ovum of a duck suspended between the heavens, and the earth— a hanging egg' ^^ ^ «^ ^ tfl Jill S ^g.) This is a pun, in
February.] the proverbs and common sayings op the Chinese. 5
which the character hsiian (^) to suspend, is employed to suggest hsiian (^) false, meaning, ' he is a lying egg.* The same idea is expressed by the phrase : *A chicken's egg hanging in a spider's
* The water in a tea-shop— boiling.' (:^ f| -f -^fc, iS 13)- The character Jnin (jg) is applied both to the bubbling of water as it boils, and to rotary motions in general. The meaning — as in the next two examples, is * Eoll out of here ! ' * Be off with you ! '
* The son of a tumble-bug, a rolling egg' (R i||?[ IR ^ ^ tg S-) *Pull up the door-sill and roll out ! ' (^ gfl P! ^ -?, ?S ffi *)•
* To spend money and become a turbid egg/ (^ M iU jl$. ^). * To put iron balls into flour soup — an opaque egg that drops to the bottom' (i»5 ^ fg g T a S, ?? S m & T)- 'J'his denotes that the person to whom it is applied, is hopelessly stupid all the way through from top to bottom, (|fj '^ JiJ J^). ' An old-age-peach dropped into flour soup — an opaque egg coming to a point,' {p^ :^ fil S T » t^B, f? g lis T ^)- ^s the flour dumpling shaped like a peach, difl'ers from an egg in having a sharp point at one end, (iij T ^)> so ^^^s classic specimen of the species blockhead, surpasses all others, (g fi^ ffi ^).
The phrase chia chi (Jn S)j is used in proclamations, &c., after a list of titles, to indicate the number of promotions through which an official has passed, as chia pa chi (Jp A fS)* promoted eight steps. This expression is made to do duty in reviling another, in the saying : *An opaque egg promoted eight steps ' (|$ g iU A IS)-
The irresistible tendency of the Chinese toward the use of reviling language, is well expressed in a saying touching one who has been drinking too much wine, and who is resolved to find some one to abuse. He is not so far gone, however, as not to be half conscious that promiscuous reviling will not be safe ; he therefore confines himself to black-guarding The man that rears a pale-green dog ! (fS Wii ^ ^ ^ 6 ftl 6^)' ^^® proverb is used of one who wishes to appear very angry, finding fault with everybody and everything — but who dares not take the responsibility of his words. The incessant stream of reviling language, which is sure to be set a-flow by a Chinese quarrel, is described in the saying : 'A sound like the parching of beans— reviling without cessation,' ({(J g 5. 5J — )IS 65. ,1 7 ft P).
PARENTS AND CHILDREN.
The proverbial philosophy of the Chinese in regard to children deserves a little attention, not only because it is considered essential for every one to leave behind him posterity to keep up the family, and to worship at the graves, but also because of peculiar modes of
6 THE PEOVERBS AND COMMON SAYINGS OP THE CHINESE. [January-
expression from which it might be inferred that children are by no means considered an unmingled blessing. *It is of no consequence/ says the proverb, * that children are born late in one's life — what is to be feared is that fate should decree them a short life/ (/p tS S A K'i> tSStiS)- * If one's destiny is to have sons, what signifies early or late, provided they do but live ? ' (p^ 4* ^ Si' i^f ffi •?• ?SE>
M §5 fg M)'
Yet another proverb says ; ' Sons should be born early — not late,* (IB & ^ ^>^ ^ 'M 5i)- ^^^^^ maxim like many other Chinese sayings, is the expression of pure selfishness. If sons are born early? they may be expected to grow to maturity and wait upon their parents for many years, while they are still alive. If otherwise, there is danger that the parents may die before their sons are of sufficient age to render much service, and thus the trouble expended upon the children will be wasted !
That a nation so firmly persuaded that everything in life is fated, should be strongly impressed with the influence of Fate on one's children, is a matter of course. ' Wealth and children have each a fixed fate,' (Ht :S 5£ A A 5c ^)- 'Wealth and children are alike subject to Fate,' (M © Si A ^ ^ 5S).
* Eiches, sons and daughters are fixed by Destiny,' (gf © 5£ ^ W & ^)t and this is indirectly assumed in such expressions, as the following ; * His virtue has been cultivated to the extent of five sons and two daughters' (^ &j Sl ^^ 11 ic 65)- ^^ the other hand, a vicious child, is a punishment, inflicted in the present life, (jj >J> -J
The absolute necessity of having children in the family — one's own, or adopted — is a postulate of Chinese social ethics, for otherwise there will be no one to keep up the sacrifices to ancestors. * There are three things,' said Mencius, * which are unfilial, and to have no posterity is the greatest of them,' (T^ ^^ E> ^, ^ 1^ :k)'
But in connection with this tenet, it is essential to take cogniz- ance of the most prominent social fact in China, to wit, the ' struggle for existence.' The tremendous pressure of this mighty force is every- where felt. *A child but a foot long, requires three feet of cloth,'
But a child, no matter what its linear measurement, requires, even in China, very much more than a yard of cloth. As a rule, the countless millions of this teeming Empire appear always to have spent the main part of the first three years of their lives in somebody's arms, for Confucius assigns this as the singular reason for observing a period of three year's mourning for parents. In China the phrase
February.] the proverbs and common sayings of the Chinese. 7
' infant in arms/ (H |S 6^ ^ ■?) has an appalling significance, to which Occidental lauds can probably furnish few parallels. During all the time that children are * in arms/ the treadmill of absolutely necessary work is interrupted, and with this interruption, the small, but indispensable family income, diminishes or disappears. Thus it is easy to understand how *A poor family rearing a child, is oppressed by poverty for three years,' (>J> ^ A ^ ^ i^ d^ •?, S H ^ ^). It is due to this grinding experience, as well as to the terrible uncertainty how one's children will * turn out ' — by which is intended as much their external success in life, as their moral character, that they are so often described by the strange expression: 'Yuan chia {% ^), * foes,' or ' oppressors of the family.' * Many sons and many daughters, many family foes ; no sons and no daughters, a
living i»« &' (^ a ^ A ^ ^ ^- s a S * Jg s p- (I^i
place of the last three characters, Mr. Scarborough's book gives, No. 2170, ' a family of fairies).' If one is fated to have many children, he comforts himself with the aphoristic reflection ; * If there are many, we can manage to rake up a little more profit,' (^ T rT W ^ ^ j^)> a proverb which encourages to try his luck again in gambling, trading, or any other doubtful venture. *A son successfully reared is a real son, otherwise he is a trouble to the family,' (^ ^ ^ 5i» ^ 7 ^ :§; ^ ^)- Expressions of this sort, are to be interpreted by the same kind of triangular exegesis of which a specimen has already been given, explaining the force of three characters all pronounced tu (j^) as applied to women. Here, in like manner, we have three yumi characters ; when the father is unkind and the son unfilial, this is the yuan (^) meaning wrong, and injustice ; when the father and son are inharmonious, this is yuan (^), meaning resentment. But when the father is truly paternal, and the son really filial, this is yuan (g), fate. Ordinary language, however, takes very little notice of these subtleties. These painful uncertainties attendant on the wholesale rearing of children, give rise to the proverbial warnings against having too many of them. * One son and one daughter, one flower- stalk ; many sons and many daughters, many family-wrongs,' (— §J — :& — fe ?2' ^ S ^ :fe ^ ^ ^)- 'If you rear sons do not rear two — if you rear two you will be like Sing Kuan horses ; if you rear sons do not rear three — if you rear three, you will have no home
at all,' (« a sij « ffi. » 1 « t .i. « Ba SIJ_« H, « H ^
^ ^). This proverb is based upon the understanding that the final cause of children is to benefit the parents. "When, for example, the mother has grown old, and is obliged to live with her children, if there are two she will be made to go from one to another, and have no rest. Ling Kuan (® 'g) is said to be the title of a deified Chou
8 THE PROVERBS AND COMMON SAYINGS OF THE CHINESE. [January-
Dynasty officer named Wang, who was always on a detail to subjugate some kingdom in the extreme west, or to * tranquilize ' some region in the remote east. Thus his horses' hoofs never had any rest, {^ iPp f$ J5f). A motlier who lives with two sons, may expect a similar experience, but if she have three, * It will be still worse, for then she will never be at home anywhere. In a word 'He who has many sons, will have many fears,' (^ ^ glj ^ {i). So that, after all, on every ground, *If one's sons are only dutiful, there is no need of wishing for many — one is better than ten/ {jtf -p /i^ ffi ^> — ffl M + (0)- T^® parental love for children, even at their worst, is indicated in the expression; * Pleasure-going troubles,' (S # 69 jSg ^). So also, ' children are visible joys,' {^ ic 7^ ^ W^ t! W)-
' Even a skillful housewife can not manage four children,' (JJ ^ ^' ^ 7 i± 0 'l^ ^ ■?)• "This saying is one of those touches of nature which show that the whole world is kin. What with cooking, mending, and the general management of domestic affairs, the most expert administrator, must soon reach the limit of her powers.
The relative advantages of sons and daughters are emphatically indicated in the saying ; * Eighteen Lohan-daughters, are not equal to a boy with a crooked foot,' (+A^iS^*, ®^±^ SS M fi^ S.)- ^y ^^^ expression * Eighteen Lohan-daughters, is intended girls who in beauty &c., are as much models in their way as the eighteen * Companions of Buddha' were in theirs. It is to be gathered from this that the best girls are not equal to the worst boys. Yet if boys are not to be had, still, girls are better than nothing ! * If one can not get any mercury, red earth becomes valuable,' (^ ;^ ^
In the essentially selfish nature of the relations between Chinese parents and their children, is to be found an explanation of the other- wise inexplicable dislike of daughters. * Men rear sons,' says one of their proverbs, * to provide for old age ; they plant trees, because they want the shade,' (* ^ 155 M ^, S ffi ffl IS S)- ^^t this holds true of sons only — not of daughters. By the time a girl would begin to repay the trouble expended in rearing her, she is betrothed, and becomes an additional burden. Her wedding is a drain on the family resources, for which there is no compensation. After her marriage she is the exclusive property of the husband's family, and as beyond control or her parents, as water which has burst its banks. (^ {IJ W ifi Afi> ftfr ffi i 65 ?JC)- When she comes for more or less frequent visits to her own home, she is generally at work for herself or for her husband of for their children (none of whom are any part of her parents family) and when she returns to her mother-in-law, it must
February.] the proverbs and common sayings of the Chinese. 9
be with a present from her own family. If her mother is old, help- less, and widowed, the daughter can not care for her. * Wild grain does not go for grain taxes, a daughter does not support her mother/ (fi -p /j^ $f^ ^^' H A ^ S JS)- ^P^^ ^^^se terms, it is not, per- haps, surprising that when daughters are most enthusiastically welcomed at their birth, it is with the philosophic reflection ; * Girls too are necessary ! '
Such being the Chinese social philosophy in reference to children, it is not surprising to hear that the duties of parents are exhausted when they have seen their offspring married. The obligation to achieve this, is recognized as being most imperative, and second to none other : ' To marry boys and wed girls, this is the great rite of chief importance ; how can parents repudiate this debt ?' (|g ^ ^HE>
;^ fi ft ra ^ # 1 «g Sf » «).
'Daughters must not be kept at home unmarried; if they are forcibly kept in this condition, it is sure to breed enmity/
*When sons are paired, and daughters mated, the principal business of life is accomplished,' (SE J^ II * J^ f-f. — ^ :^ IP E^)- This done, parents can then proceed to * die without remorse ! '
One of the very few current aphorisms which suggests any duties at all on the part of parents, towards children, bases the demand for kind treatment, on the fact that extreme severity will prevent the children from being filial — in which case, the parents may have all their trouble for nothing.
* If the father and mother are not lenient, it will be difficult to bring about a filial course on the part of children,' (3C "S ^ ^ ^> M M ^"A 6^^^M ^)- The same reasoning is applied to the behavior of the Prince toward his people, and with a similar motive. * If the Prince is not upright, the ministers are sure not to be loyal ; if the father is not compassionate, the son is certain not to be filial/
Selfishness is therefore at the bottom of this virtue. Such being the inherent difficulties, only those can boast, who have achieved success : * He who has no father and mother, can boast of his filial behavior ; those who have no children boast of their neatness,
* One may rear a sou who is thievish, but not a son who is destitute of sense,' (fg ^ K •?, ^ ^ SK 5J)- This signifies, not that it is better that a son should be a thief than to be stupid, but that a youth whose natural disposition would be likely to lead him into theft, J^^y t)y good training become an excellent and prosperous man; whereas the youth who has no sense, will never under any circum- stances, come to anything.
10 THE PEO VERBS AND COMMON SAYINGS OF THE CHINESE. [January-
It is of course easy, to affirm, in the language of the opening sentence of the Trimetrical Classic, that ' all mankind at their origin have a nature which is originally good/ ( A ;i I5> tt ^ #)> and that 'The heart of a child is like the heart of Buddha/ ()J> §J g^ ^jj.^ iH ^ *&)• -^^^ when the facts recorded hy observation and ex- perience cannot readily he harmonized with this generalization, it is equally easy to argue — as is often done when dissuading from punish- ing a child; 'When the tree has grown large, it will straighten itself,' (® ^ *T> S ^ !»)> (or more briefly^ :k i It). Ii^ practice, however, the method of treating a child born obstreper- ous— in defiance of the Trimetrical Classic — is to let him alone, and hope for the best. To this effect is the following saying; 'A violent boy will turn out well ; a turbulent girl is sure to be skillful,'
(fj ^ >h %& ^ M 6^, m9 m :k M ^ ^ m-
The course of things when any one really undertakes any dis- cipline of children, is well expressed in the proverb; 'Domestic chickens only fly round and round — wild chickens fly into the skies,* (^ H ^ 65 H H ll» B^ il ft* fi^ Ji 5C^) «.e.— ones own children can not get away — those of others run home.
The common view that every one else's children come to some- thing with an implication that one's own do not, is conveyed in the saying ; * Everybody who rears children likes to have them succeed,' (AS^^Si^A, ^fiJ: S)- ^'^' other people's do so — mine do not, often said in mere politeness. The excessive and blind love (SE ^) for children which can refuse them nothing, is. satirized by impartial observers in the following saying ; * If he calls for a man's brains, then hold the man down, and knock out the brains !' ® f§ A 6^ V^ ^ ^> ^ M M ffi)- Parents who are irrationally anxious about their children, and always guarding them with superabundant care, are ridiculed in the following saying ; 'Hold him in your mouth, for fear he should melt,' ( P 5 ^ ». tfi ffe flS T)-
It is a common jest on a rainy day, when one's ordinary occupa- tion is interrupted ; *A cloudy day — leisure to beat the children,*
The Chinese view of the parental relation is in some aspects a highly practical one, as the sayings already cited show. It is in this view that we are told that: *A whole house-full of sons and daughters, is not after all equal even to a second wife,' {^ ^ g^ SA» ^in^S&fi^:^^). The children, that is to say, escape, and have other concernments elsewhere, while one's wife is always at hand.
The love of parents to children is alluded to in many sayings : 'The tiger, though fierce, does not devour its cubs/ (^ ^ /fi fe •?)•
February.] the proverbs and common sayings op the Chinese. 11
'Cats love their kittens, and dogs their pups — if they are not one's own, one does not care for them/ (ffi ^ 6^ ft ^, JuJ ^ 65 |n|
^, ;? « 65 ^ m-
*What fasten to the hearts strings, and pull on the liver, are one's sons and daughters,' (g| >£> fit JJH 65; :^ S« A)- * Seven bowels, and eight bowels full of posterity,' (^^ JS: •? J» ■? A 85 ■? S).
* Seven' and * eight' are numbers not very distant from ^ew which signifies completeness. The meaning is that the greater part of one's existence is for posterity, that is for one's children, and there is a covert implication that posterity is a nuisance, and only a visitation for the parents sins. The character yeh (^) is intended to suggest another character yeh (0) (or nieh) meaning the retribution q.d, children are a visitation of Heaven to punish the parents' sin (p$).
The Chinese are far too good observers of human nature, not to have discovered that the love of parents for children — especially the mother-love which knows no oblivion, and is irrespective of time — is of a totally different quality from the love of children for parents, which under no circumstances can be expected to stretch its mourning beyond the three years fixed by immemorial custom. Hence the saying:
* There are only affectionate fathers and mothers, but no affectionate sons and daughters,' ({i W M >& 65 ^ #> ^ ^ ii >& 65 Si A)-
In the following saying, the object is to emphasize the excellence of the parental, as compared with other human relationships. * There are in the world no parents who are not perfect, and the most difficult thing in life is to secure, brothers ; (3^ T ^ ^ :§ 64 ^ #» IS ±
il# 65^^51).
*A father and mother can do without their children, but children can not do without their father and mother,' (fb P4 ^ # ^ Si 55c>
;?; wf a * ^ S 46)-
* One may give up a father though he be a magistrate, but not a mother— though she be a beggar,' (fg ^ ^ g 65 g> ^ ^ P* ffi
In regard to this giving up one's parents, the Chinese have many jests. The business of raising fruit is said to be a very lucrative one. An orchard is colloquially termed 'a row' {'^ -f) and the phrase *row of things hanging from the branches' (ffi ;fe ^) indicates both an orchard, and also denotes the business of dealing in fresh fruit. Hence the saying : ' One can give up his old father and mother [as he does not make anything out of them] but not a fruit
orchard,' (11 j§ ^ ? j|g,T> ^ ffi fe #)■
* It is proverbial that the daintiest fish in rivers are the carp (g), and m the sea the so (ft^), (JrT + fii, JS + Ig, ft SE 7 iS)- Hence the saying ; * One can surrender his own mother, but he could
12 THE PROVERBS AND COMMON SAYINGS OF THE CHINESE. [January-
not give up sauce made from the so fish/ (|^ iP ^ SI i6 H ^ it S ^). The doctrine of Filial Piety upon which the Chinese lay so much stress, is, as has been often pointed out, so entirely defective in enforcing the duties of parents to children, that we here find one of the weakest spots in the Chinese social system.
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS.
The current superstitions of a people like the Chinese, are sure to be reflected in their proverbial sayings. The popular ideas in regard to those who are physically deformed in any way, have been already adverted to. Many other notions far more unaccountable, are universally and firmly believed. Such, for example is the tenet that large ears are a token of great good fortune, and should they be long enough to depend upon the shoulders, the pitch of felicity attained by their happy owner would be extreme. This opinion is an article of solemn faith with nearly all Chinese; it gives occasion, however, for bantering sayings aimed at those who have some specially prominent characteristic — Thus ;
* "When the head is big one's luck is great, for happiness hangs from the skin of the pate,* (BI :^ S 4 :/c> ^ M&M & ± W-
* Your mouth is big — that's luck for you, for happiness hangs from its corners two,' (ng ic|S 4 :^» ^ IS i4 ^ ft S ± ^)-
* Big feet —great luck; we all suppose felicity hangs from the tips of the toes,' (M :k M JiL ^> ^ M ^ M *Ji ^ ± S);
But while elephantine ears — like those of Ski Pet, which depended to his shoulders, giving him such an amount of good fortune that he was enabled to found a dynasty,* are of great importance — they should not stand out from the head, as if flapping in the wind, like the wings of a bird, for he who has such appendages, is sure to be the evil genius of his family ; (M 5 Ji M, fit ^ 6^ Sc ^).
Another superstition of the Chinese, is connected with the raphis or groove in the middle of the upper lip — if it is long the owner is certain to be long-lived, and not only so, but his age will be in the direct ratio of the length of this little channel, (called A 4*)-
In illustration of this tenet it is related that the Emperor Han Wu Ti (^ ^ ^), in conversation with Tung Fang So (^ ij fj), observed : *' I have read in the books on physiognomy (^ ^) that if the Jen chung is an inch long, the man will live an hundred years ; now mine is an inch and two tenths, so that I shall certainly live to be more than a century old." Upon this Tung Fang burst into so immoderate and uncontrollable fit of laughter, as to surprise and
• To Siu Pei the current saying is especially applicable ; * Both ears hanging to the liboulders— a most illoatrious man,' (^ 5 ® W ;^ ft A)«
February.] the proverbs and common sayings op the Chinese. 13
offend His Majesty, who demanded what he meant. **I was not laughing at Your Majesty," was the reply, " but at the idea of old P'eng (^ '$}) of the Shang Dynasty, who lived 880 years, for tho groove in his lip must have reached from the top of his head to his chin ! " Thereafter Wu. Ti no longer believed in physiognomy. The Chinese books on physiognomy give rules for the determination of every doubtful point, with extreme minuteness, and the dicta of these works have attained a currency to which Lavater never aspired. The following rules by which to measure beauty, are widely current, and implicitly accepted. For Men; 'Clear eyebrows, comely eyes ; a square face, and large ears ; a straight nose and broad mouth ; a face which looks as if it had been powdered, and lips which seem to have been rubbed with Vermillion' (j| }§ @ ^, :fr B :;^ 5, ft it 0 ffl, IS in ® S^> S S ^ ft)- For Women; * Eyebrows like the leaf of the willow ; eyes like the kernel of the apricot ; a mouth like a cherry ; a face shaped like a melon seed ; a waist like the poplar
and the willow,' mmjm,'^mm,mmn,is.^m>mm m)-
A woman's face ought to be oval, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, like a water-melon seed. If these proportions are reversed, the result is most unpleasing. She should sway gently in her walk like the poplar and the willow in the wind, (S P^ ^^ ^ $0 M ffi.
*A twitching of the left eye denotes wealth ; that of the right eye signifies calamity,' {& BK B flt. * BS ft ii)-
*He whose ears flap like a fan, is a monster who will ruin his family,' (M M U A Wc M 6^ M «)■
^ When the tops of the ears of an old person hang down, and are dry, he must be destined soon to enter his coffin,' (^ A 5 ® "? IS>
«^' £ ^ A m-
*■ If the space behind the ear is not large enough for a finger, though he be eighty years old, yet he will not die/ (5 ^ /F ^ Jb>
A + ;?; «g ?£)•
*A man with round shoulders and a stooping back, will suffer bitterness all his life,' (^ ff J^ i^, - ffi =^ M).
* He whose steps resound like the beating of a drum, will be always poor,' (fiP Jf ^, -- ift g).
' Small hands and large feet, a life of wretchedness,' ()J> ^ :^ H
' If the forefinger twitches, one is sure to have plenty to eat,'
(^ \^ l, i^^ f nj ffl 5^).
* If a boy is born with fingers like a girls, he will have a living without effort,' (^ ^ ^ ^, ;p K S ^)- This is a dictum of the books on physiognomy (;fg ^) and is regarded as indubitable. The fingers in question are both tapering and supple.
14 THE PROVERBS AND COMMON SAYINGS OF THE CHINESE. [January-
* If a girl is born with a masculine countenance, her dignity will be beyond all account/ (|? ^ A ^> * ^ PJ IS)-
In English we often hear the reply, when one observes that his €ars burn, * some one is talking about you/ A similar notion prevails among the Chinese ; * Eyes that twitch— eyebrows grown long— Some- body's telling what you've done wrong/ (gg gfe^ ^ & ^' ^ W A H).*
That the hair turns white while its owner is still young, argues to the Chinese apprehension superior capacities. Hence the proverb ;
* He who has a white head in youth, will be much sought after,' (tp S SH. ^ A ^)> with a view, that is, to gain his help in adjust- ing their afiairs. Despite their admiration for a certain amount of physical development, especially in a Magistrate, a person who is too large,— as has been already observed in speaking of the Old Age Star (S fi ^) — is ^y ^° means regarded with a favorable eye. For a person to be of great size, and still not a simpleton — this is a real treasure,' (:^M^^^*M9 M,)- *^ person of great size is sure to be a fool— if not a fool, he must be vicious,' ( A ^ :§: :^ rS' ft, >JJ fc ^ /F §S >JJ Sf )• Many Chinese superstitions are based upon some- thing which the Chinese have observed, or suppose they have observed and upon which they put a peculiar interpretation of their own.
*0f three tigers at one birth, one will be a leopard — of nine dogs in a single litter one will prove to be a Ao,' (H ;^ ffi — 1^, :JL Jq| ffi — ^)-
The Ao or Ngao, usually translated mastiff (see Mayer's Manual No. 62) is a creature whose amazing intelligence casts into a penumbra all that we know of the shaggy quadrupeds of St. Bernard and New- foundland, or of the trained elephants of India. He is able to discriminate, for example, a loyal man from a traitor, and even to read human thoughts. Upon meeting a Kgao ordinary dogs are rooted to the spot, and unable to stir. In the Chou Dynasty, when the northern barbarians brought tribute, there was among them a Ngao, and the duke of Chou exhorted Ch^eng Wang not to let the animal get away !
• An expression involving a play upon the chiang (pg) character, may be instanced
*M an example of the facility with which puns are lost sight of. The boundaries of farming land, it should be premised, in a country where fences are unknown, and in regions where stone posts are unattainable, are marked by little bushes of various kinds of plants, generally selected for their vitality. The phrase sang k'o (^ T^)> li^s come to be a generic name for 'boundary bush,' and to say that one has • cultivated beyond the boundary bush' (|^ ^ iyli 3^ 9V) means that he encroaches upon the rights of others. A speaker who wished to make it clear that none of his hearers understood the causes of rain-fall, observed : ' You could not explain it, or if you did, you would explain it beyond the sang bush,' i.e. they would get ofP upon a territory that did not belong to them :
(f* as ^ T. g Ji ai T. {jj 1 # *f ;u {lb, ?.</. is * s a J^).
* cultivate beyond your own bouudary.' The manner in which such phrases are spoken and heard, often shows that all sense of the pun originally intended, is ao obacared as to be practically lost.
February.] the proverbs and common sayings op the Chinese. 15
*A cow bringing forth a ch^i Im, a pig producing a pen (^ ^ ||t US' ?S ^ ^)- ^^ ^ ^^^ ^^^ three calves at a birth, one of them will turn out to be the famous * unicorn/ which appears when sages are born. When there are eighteen pigs at a litter, one of them is a pen, a quadruped with one horn, a sort of cross between a horse and a pig. These animals die with great promptness, making it impossible to secure specimens for a menagerie !
' Children born within ten months after their parents* marriage, will always be poor,' (jg f^ ^ %M H J& S£)- This proposition is regarded as an indubitable family axiom.
* If a widow who has remarried, has a son soon after her mar- riage she will make her second husband rich, (^ M M f^ ^ ^h "? i2^ S S ^ ^ ^ •?)• The attitude of the Chinese in general toward sayings of this sort, is well set forth in the comment of a teacher, who remarked in reference to it; * This saying although incredible and extravagant, is however quite accurate. I have always noticed that a daughter born under these circumstances never became wealthy'; but a son is sure to grow rich. I can not explain why,' (Jjfc W it 51 ^ ^ g $. # a ^ A «, 7 S M. !^ ^ #. 42i
Of the same character is the following; 'An orphan boy will have many sons and grandsons,' (JK S> "? ^> $)- This is also regarded as a * fixed principle,' C^ g|).
* Children that lose their mothers in infancy, will grow up to be interminable talkers,' (^ ih ^ U ^ Wt f5 &)-
This is another singular idea, which is now regarded as an indisputable proposition. When it is desired to convey an intimation that one is talking in a tiresome manner, it can be obliquely done by remarking ; * He probably lost his mother when he was small,'
It is difficult to exaggerate the importance which |he Chinese attach to a person's fate as determined by the horoscope. Men and places alike have their foreordained destiny ( A ^ A JS^ ife ^ Jfi M\ Those who were born under an evil star can never escape its baleful influence, and carry their ill luck wherever they go. Hence the saying ; *A fate which induces ruin in every direction,' (JJ /\ ^
^ 65 51).
This refers, for example, to women whose horoscope is unfavor- able, and who, if any one is rash enough to marry them, bring calamity everywhere (/\, jjf). If the natal hour was unpropitious, such persons on crossing the threshold cause the death of the un- happy father-in-law, and mother-in-law, and very likely of their kusbands. The family often comes to complete ruin within a year.
IG THE I'ROVERBS AND COMMON SAYINGS OF THE CHINESE. [January-
Tlius, some children, as soon as they are able to eat, unwittingly exterminate their parents, and so on through all the dismal catalogue of evil auspices and effects. The same superstition is referred to in the saying; ' The youth fated to have a short life, marrying a woman who is fated to ruin her husband,' (^ ^ (]^j 51 SB, M £ % ^ 65 A)-
A similar theory prevails as to the occult influence upon a bride of the weather at the time when she alights from the chair to enter her future husband's door. ' If it blows hard — she will not prove a good wife — if it rains she will not live long,' (!|| JS ^ H' T M /?> ©•* ^^'' ^^ ^^ another version ; * If the bride is not a virtuous woman, it will either blow hard [while she is in her sedan chair], or else it will rain,' (:? 1 K 65 2^:, ^ K ®. SS T M)-
Notions of this sort, are capable of an indefinite amplification, and the Chinese are quite equal to the task.f Not only do men and even localities possess certain fated properties, but inanimate objects as well. Of this the * jewel-dish' is a conspicuous example. Certain kinds of pottery — generally the coarser, such as large water jars — ^ during the process of kiln-baking, contrive in some way to absorb exactly the proper proportion of the essential principle of the universe, (5c 14 ^ S -i X) — ^^^ ^^ China everything whatever can be ex- plained by means of some chH (^) — and thereupon their qualities are such as to excite surprise, nearly resembling those of the cruse which held the oil provided by the prophet Elijah, for everything which they contain is at once multiplied. There is a story of a certain fisherman in the Ming Dynasty, who cast his net with no other success than entangling in it a broken jar which was worthless for any purpose but that of feeding the pigs, for which he accordingly employed it. The next day he was surprised to find that his pigs had not eaten all their food, and on the third day when it had overflowed and formed pools in the court-yard, the truth first dawned upon him that this was a true chic pao p^en (H ^ S) ^ precious dish of aug- mentation. How these vessels come to be always broken before they
• This sentence ia an example of the frequent impossibilty — already referred to — of arriving with certainty at the meaning of a Chinese expression as heard. The very same words here cited, with the slight change of one character for another of the same sound, are in use as a weather proverb (]^ S 7[\ }§,, f U /p •«)• * I^ ^^^6 wind blows and it is not cool, the rain will not last long.'
+ In a country so devoted to fortune-telling as China, it is not strange that there is a formula for almost everything. Here, for instance, are rules to decide the month in which a bride ought to be married, according to the animal, under the influence of which (in the cycle of twelve), she mav have been born. (Jg ^
iffl S m. - A ;t ft «._= A. te ft t. 0 + H ft Jfij, -sfe
hP 5. T* ""•> M ^ /\ T — )• 'The first and seventh moons, match the chicken and the hare ; the second and the eighth, go with the tiger and the monkey; the third and the ninth with the serpent and the pig; the fourth and the tenth with the dragon and the dog; the ox and the sheep belong to the fifth and the eleventh ; the rat and the horse, to the sixth and the twelvth.*
February.] the proverbs and common sayings of the Chinese. 17
are capable of multiplying their contents, is as unaccountable as the circumstance that while in the possession of a person who has no luck (58 M)* they absolutely refuse to work, whereas, as soon as the inherently lucky man turns up, as their owner, they begin to redupli- cate their contents with cheerful regularity, whether that contents be the food of pigs, or ingots of silver and gold, jade or pearls. In an Occidental land this state of things would soon result in the engage- ment of some individual known to enjoy good luck, at each pottery kiln, to test every jar and dish as to its powers of reduplication, before it leaves its maker's hands. The faith of the Chinese, implicit as it is often found to be, does not however extend to this point.
There is a legend that in former times the south gate of the city of Tientsin could never be solidly built, for whatever the pains taken it always fell down. At last a wise and able man made the announce- ment that it was positively necessary to bury under the wall a chu pao p'en belonging to a certain Shen "Wan Shan,* (gjt M ill) which would repress the evil influences. To this the Shen family would naturally object that they wished to use their jewel pot themselves, but however this may be, means were found to overcome their scruples, and the dish was buried, which insured to the gate most indisputable 'pot-luck/ for it has never since fallen down. In proof of this legend, the circumstance is pointed out that unlike the other city gates, the exit of the enceinte of the south gate is at right angles to the city wall and not in a line with the inner gate ! This statement of the theory and practice of the jewel-pot will render intelligible the saying; 'As I have no jewel-dish, I cannot meet your reckless expenditures/
A similar doctrine is enounced in the expression ; * Do not take him for a money-shaking tree,' (glj ^i^'^i^^MW- This
* Shen Wan Shan is a name held in great esteem in China, as that of a reputed Croesus, who lived in the early part of the Ming Dynasty. His home is said to have been at Nanking, the first capital of the Mings, hence the saying : * Shen Wan Shan of Nanking, and the great willow of Peking ; the fame of the man, and the shadow of the tree.' (^ M 65 8fc ^ |li' 4t S( 65 I^ ©J I^, A Py ^' 'TO By ^)* The 'willow' is one which formerly existed, and is said to have cast a shadow 100 li in breadth ! When Yen Wang (who became the Emperor Yung Lo), 'swept the North' (^ ^ ^ ^t) with the besom of destruction, destroying, as is said, every human being within vast areas, he is reported to have exhausted his own resources, and to have called in the aid of Shen Wan Shan, whose inexhaustible treasures are popularly attributed to his ownership of the multiplying-pot just described. From this tradition he is called * the living god-of -wealth,' and one who is extremely prosperous, is likened to him: (if ftl JS ^ S^' ffi ^ lU — IS)- 'It is impossible to be richer than Shen Wan Shan ^ CM ^ ^& ^ M \i\)' The use of this famous name in connection with the Tientsin legend, may be due to the circumstance that in each case, public results of some importance, were alleged to have been accomplished by the assistance of a single private individual, a phenomenon ia. China of very infrequent occurrence..
ii3 THE PROVERBS AND COMMON SAYINGS OP THE CHINESE. [January-
* money tree' is well known, but no one ever distinctly sa\t^ a specimen, and it is therefore not botanically classified. Its brandies are hung full of cash, which the slightest disturbance is sufficient to precipitatia in showers to the ground !
The belief, common in Oriental lands, in the power of One person to injure another in occult ways, is firmly held in China. It is alleged that a custom of secret poisoning is prevalent in all the southern provinces, from Fukien to Szech^uan. The poisoning is accom- plished by means of spells which are conveyed to the food, which is eventually fatal to him who eats it. In the districts where this art is practiced, malaria is said to prevail, so that the inhabitants dare not rise early in the morning. The methods of * planting the poison' differ. In some instances a sword is metamorphosed into a mustard seed, which is mixed with the food or tea ; others effect the same change with a stone, or a serpent. The poison, in whatever form is capable of remaining in the alimentary tract for a term of years, in a perfectly inert condition, awaiting the pleasure of the holder of the potent spell. Whenever he or she chooses to exercise the mysterious power in their hands, whatever the distance of space between the person pronouncing the spell and the victim, the poison operates with terrible rapidity. It is a singular and somewhat convenient peculiarity of this deadly influence, that it is innocuous as against natives of another province ; by three years residence, however, they may be so far naturalized as to become eligible to its benefits. Hence the saying ; ' Giving poison, and also selling the food in which it is mixed,' (XH S, X M IS 65)- The proverb is used metaphorically of one who under guise of friend- ship, inflicts a fatal injury.
The most trivial incidents when read in the light of superstition, become pregnant with meaning. Thus the advent of a strange cat, or the departure of a dog, is held by some to be an omen; *When new cats come and old dogs go, the owners grow rich whether or no,'
'After shaving the head or taking a bath, never gamble, {^] nK 8b ^ ^ ^ ^). Otherwise you will be sure to lose, but this is no more than happens to confirmed gamblers, no matter how unshaven and dirty they may be ; * If they gamble continuously even gods and fairies will lose,' {% ^ yfi^ JiU %),
[N.B, — Any Reader of these Articles , observing errors of fact j or mistranslations, who will take the trouble to cotHmunicate the same to him, will receive the thanks of the Author.']
(ftl a <2 K ^ 16 ^ ,S- Millenari/ Classic.) (To he continued.)
February.] ecclesiastical relations or Presbyterian missionaries. 19
ECCLESIASTICAL RELATIONS OF PEESBYTERIAN MISSIONARIES, SPECIALLY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONARIES AT AMOY, CHINA.
By Rev. J. V. Talmage, D.D. TTTE have recently received letters making inquiries concerning the *' relations of the Missionaries of the English Presbyterian Church, and of the American Reformed Church to the Tai-hoey [Presbytery, or Classis,] of Amoy ; stating views on certain points connected with the general subject of the organization of ecclesiastical Judicatories on Mission ground ; and asking our views on the same. We have thought it best to state our answer so as to cover the whole subject of these several suggestions and inquiries, as (though they are from different sources) they form but one subject.
Our views are not hasty. They are the result of much thought, experience and observation. But we are now compelled to throw them together in much more haste than we could wish, for which, we trust, allowance will be made.
As preliminary we remark that we have actual and practical relations both to the home churches, and to the churches gathered here, and our Ecclesiastical relations should correspond thereto.
1. Our Relation to the Home Churches. We are their agents, sent by them to do a certain work, and supported by them in the doing of that work. Therefore so long as this relation continues, in all matters affecting our qualifications for that work, — of course includ- ing "matters affecting ministerial character," — we should remain subject to their jurisdiction. In accordance with this we retain our connection with our respective home Presbyteries or Classes.
2. Our Relation to the Church here. We are the actual pastors of the churches growing up under our care, until they are far enough advanced to have native pastors set over them. The first native pastors here were ordained by the missionaries to the oflS.ce of " Minister of the Word,'* the same office that we ourselves hold. In all subsequent ordinations, and other ecclesiastical matters, the native pastors have been associated with the missionaries. The Tai-hoey at Amoy, in this manner, gradually grew up with perfect parity between the native and foreign members.
With these preliminary statements we proceed to notice the suggestions made and questions propounded. " To extend to the native churches on mission ground the lines of separation which exist among Presbyterian bodies" in home lands is acknowledged to be a great evil. To avoid this evil, and to "bring all the native Presbyte- rians," in the same locality, *' into one organization," two plans are suggested to us.
20 BCCLESIASTICAL RELATIONS OF PRESBYTBRIAN MISSIONARIES. [January-
The first plan suggested, (perhaps we should say mentioned, for it is not advocated), we take to be that the missionaries become not only members of the ecclesiastical judicatories formed on mission ground, but also amenable to those judicatories in the same way, and in every respect, as their native members, their ecclesiastical rela- tion to their home churches being entirely severed. This plan ignores the actual relation of missionaries to their home churches, as spoken of above. Surely the home churches cannot afford this.
Perhaps we should notice another plan sometimes acted on, but not mentioned in the letters we have now received. It is that the missionaries become members of the Mission Church Judicatories as above ; but that these Judicatories be organized as parts of the home churches, so that the missionaries will still be under the jurisdiction of the home churches through the subjection of the Mission Judica- tories to the higher at home. This plan can only work during the infancy of the mission churches, while the Mission Church Judi- catories are still essentially foreign in their constituents. Soon the jurisdiction will be very imperfect. This imperfection will increase as fast as the mission churches increase. Moreover this plan will extend to the native churches the evil deprecated above.
The second plan suggested we take to be that the missionaries, while they remain the agents of the home churches, should retain their relation respectively to their home churches, and have only an advisory relation to the Presbytery on mission ground. This is greatly to be preferred to the first plan suggested. It corresponds to the relation of missionaries to their respective home churches. It takes into consideration also, but does not fully corresjwnd to the rela- tion of the missionaries to the churches on mission ground, at least does not fully correspond to the relation of the missionaries to the native churches at Amoy. Our actual relation to these churches seems to us to demand that as yet we take part with the native pastors in their government.
The peculiar relationship of the missionaries to Tai- ho ey, y'iz., having full membership, without being subject to discipline by that body,— IS temporary, arising from the circumstances of this infant church and rests on the will of Tai-hoey. This relationship has never been discussed, or even suggested for discussion in [that body 80 that our view of what is, or would be, the opinion of Tai-hoey on the subject we gather from the whole character of the working of that body from Its first formation, and from the whole spirit manifested by the native members. Never till last year has there been a case of discipline even of a native member of Tai-hoey. We do not know that the thought that occasion may also arise for the discipline of
February.] ecclesiastical relations of presbytbrian missionaries. 21 missionaries, has ever suggested itself to any of the native members. If it has, we have no doubt they have taken for granted that the discipline of missionaries belongs to the churches which have sent them here. But we also have no doubt that Tai-hoey would exercise the right of refusing membership to any missionary if necessary.
It is suggested as an objection to the plan that has been adopted by the missionaries at Amoy, that " where two Presbyteries have " jurisdiction over one man, it may not be always easy to define the "line where the jurisdiction of the one ends, and the other begins; " and for the foreign Presbyter to have a control over the native " Presbyter which the native cannot reciprocate, would be anomalous, " and contrary to that view of the parity of Presbyters which the " Scriptures present."
From our last paragraph above, it will be seen that the " line" of demarcation alluded to in the first half of the above objection has certainly never yet been defined by Tai-hoey ^ but it will be seen like- wise that we have no apprehension of any practical difiiculty in the matter. The last half of the objection looks more serious, for if our plan really involves a violation of the doctrine of the parity of the ministry, this is a very serious objection, fatal indeed, unless perhaps the temporary character of the arrangement might give some suffer- ance to it in a developing church. It does not however, in our opinion, involve any such doctrine. It does not touch that doctrine at all.
The reason why Tai-hoey does not claim the right of discipline over the missionaries is not because these are of a higher order than the other members, but because the missionaries have a most import- ant relation to the home churches which the other members have not. The Tai-hoey respects the rights of those churches which have sent and are still sending the Gospel here, and has fullest confidence that they will exercise proper discipline over their missionaries. Whether they do this or not, the power of the Tai-hoey to cut off from its membership, or refuse to admit thereto, any missionary who might prove himself unworthy, gives ample security to that body and secures likewise the benefits of discipline. If time allowed us to give a full description of our Church work here, it would be seen that the doctrine of the parity of all who hold the ministerial office so thoroughly permeates the whole, that it would seem impossible for mistake to arise on that point.
In connection with this subject it is also remarked '' that where " two races are combined in a Presbytery, there is a tendency to " divide on questions according to the line of race." With grati- tude to God we are able to bear testimony that at Amoy we have not as yet seen the first sign of such tendency. We have heard of
22 ECCLESIASTICAL RELATIONS OP PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONARIES. [Januaiy-
such tendency in some other mission fields. Possibly it may yejj be manifested here. This however does not now seem probable. The native members of Tai-hoey almost from the first have out- numbered the foreign. This disproportion now is as three or four to one, and must continue to increase. It would seem therefore that there will now be no occasion for jealousy of the missionaries' influence to grow up on the part of the native members.
But, it may be asked, if the native members so far out-number the foreign, of what avail is it that missionaries be more than advisory members ? We answer ; If we are in . Tai-hoey as a foreign party, in opposition to the native members, even advisory member- ship will be of no avail. But if we are there in our true character, as we always have been, mz.^ as Presbyters and acting Pastors of churches, part and parcel of the church Judicatories, on perfect equality and in full sympathy with the native Presbyters, our membership may be of much benefit to Tai-hoey. It must be of benefit if our theory of Church Government be correct.
Of the benefit of such membership we give one illustration, ■equally applicable also to other forms of government. It will be remembered that assemblies conducted on parliamentary principles were unknown in China. By our full and equal membership of Tai-hoey^ being associated with the native members in the various offices, and in all kinds of committees, the native members have been more efficiently instructed in the manner of conducting business in such assemblies, than they could have been if we had only given them advice. At the first, almost the whole business was neces- sarily managed by the missionaries. Not so now. The missionaries still take an active part even in the routine of business, not so much to guard against error or mistake, as for the purpose of saving time and inculcating the importance of regularity and promptitude. Even the earnestness with which the missionaries differ from each o,ther, so contrary to the duplicity supposed necessary by the rules of Chinese politeness, has not been without great benefit to the native members. Instead of there being any jealousy of the position occupied by the missionaries on the part of the native members, the missionaries withdraw themselves from prominent positions, and throw the responsibility on the native members, as fast as duty to Tai'hoey seems to allow, faster than the native members wish.
We now proceed to give answers to the definite (questions propounded to us, though answers to some of them have been implied in the preceding remarks. We combine the questions from different sources, and slightly change the wording of them to s^iit the form of this paper, and for convenience we number them.
February.] ecclesiastical relations op Presbyterian missionaries. 23
1. "Are the Missionaries members of Tai-hoey in fully and on a perfect equality witli the native members ? "
Ansiver. Yes; with the exception (if it be an exception) implied in the answer to the next question.
2. '^Are Missionaries subject to discipline by the Tai-hoey?'^ Answer, No; except that their relation to Tai-Jwey may be
severed by that body.
3. "Is it not likely that the sooner the native Churches become self-governing, the sooner they will bo self-supporting and self- propagating ? "
Ansiver. Yes. It would be a great misfortune for the native churches to be governed by the missionaries, or by the home churches. We think also it would be a great misfortune for the missionary to refuse all connection with the government of the mission churches while they are in whole or in part dependent on him for instruction, administration of the ordinances and pastoral oversight. Self-support, self-government and self-propagation are intimately related, acting and reacting on each other, and the native Church should be trained in them from the beginning of its existence.
4. *^ Is it the opinion of Missionaries at Amoy that the native Presbyters are competent to manage the affairs of Presbytery, and could they safely be left to do so ? "
Answer, Yes ; the native Presbyters seem to us to be fully com- petent to manage the affairs of Presbytery, and we suppose it would be safe to leave them to do this entirely by themselves, if the providence of God should so direct. We think it much better however, unless the providence of God direct otherwise, that the missionaries continue their present relation to the Tai-hoey until the native Church is farther developed.
5. " Is it likely that there can be but one Presbyterian Church in China? or are differences of dialect &c., such as to make different organizations necessary and inevitable ? ^^
Anstcer. All Presbyterians in China, as far as circumstances will allow, should unite in one Church organization. By all means avoid a plurality of Presbyterian Denominations in the same locality. But differences of dialect, and distance of separation seem at present to forbid the formation of one Presbyterian organization for the whole of China. Even though in process of time these difficulties be greatly overcome, it would geein that the vast number of the people will continue to render such formation impracticable, except on some such principle as that on which is formed the Pan- Presbyterian Council. One Presbyterian Church for China would be very much (not entirely) like one Presbyterian Church for Europe.
24 CHURCH oRaANizATioN IN CHINA. [January-
OHURCH ORGANIZATION IN CHINA.
By a Presbyter.
rpHE progress of missionary effort in North China would seem to indicate that at no distant day the general question of Church organization will assume practical shape and importance, and will force itself more directly than hitherto upon the attention of those who are charged with the supervision of this work.
There are at present ahout 50 missionaries at lahor in the province of Chihli representing some six different Societies, and estab- lished at five different centers. The number of denominations thus represented is four, or five if the American Methodist Episcopal and the English Methodist are to be classed separately. The writer has no hesitation, and he presumes his readers will have none, in classing the London Mission and American Board as of one denomination. The writer has not within reach the necessary data to enable him to speak accurately as to the number of nominal church members enrolled in the twelve or more so-called churches which have been partially organized. These are at best only partially organized since among the entire number there is not one, so far as I have been able to learn, which has a complete list of subordinate officers with its own pastor chosen and entirely supported by the membership of the Church. In other and more general terms, there is not one so symmetrically and vigorously developed as to be competent to take care of itself and to carry on an aggressive warfare against heathenism.
But the success which has followed missionary effort in the more recent past, warrants the belief that the time is near at hand when there will be not one but many independent, vigorous, self-supporting, and self-controlling Churches in this province. And it is this belief, thus warranted, which gives pertinence and interest to the topic which it is proposed to discuss at this time.
This topic naturally divides itself into two general heads which for the sake of convenience, are here thrown into the form of questions.
1st. — What particular form of organization may best be given to each Church P
2nd. — Into what general form of ecclesiastical organization shall these churches be combined ?
It may be proper, and indeed necessary, for the writer of this paper to disclaim all intention of seeking to develop any controversy as to the merits of the various forms of church government known in "Western lands. Nor does he wish to be understood, in any thing that may follow, as making invidious comparisons or unfriendly criticisms between any or towards all of these well known forms. In his opinion, to be a Christian is a matter of vital importance to every man.
February.] church organization in china. 25
Being that, it is not of the faintest possible consequence whether he be of this, that, or the other denomination. And assuredly the perfect harmony and good fellowship which have characterized all the labors, both joint and separate, of the members of this body for the past 15 years, are the best guarantee that the subject raised in this paper may be discussed without embarrassment or friction of any sort.
At first thought the answer made by any person to the first question raised in this paper would be decided by the fact of each person's own church membership. That is to say there will be as m-any answers to the question, what particular form of organization may best be given to each church, as there are denominations represented and each person will answer by giving the name of his own denomination.
But after all, on second and more serious thought, is this the wisest and best course to take ? Is it either necessary or desirable to endeavor to perpetuate in this new field the denominational divisions which have prevailed at home ? Is it certain, or even probable, that such an effort, if made with the utmost earnestness, will be perma- nently successful ? Is it not quite within the bounds of possibility that the Chinese race, so different in its modes and habits of thought from any Western nation, will finally demand, and adopt, some form of church organization or structure different in essential points from any now known in Christendom ? Have we any more right to assume that they will follow our guidance more in this matter than in the adop- tion of our fashions of speech, clothing, or architecture ? We see many traces and remnants of the old patriarchal system of government in their political structure, and especially in their village and clan organi- zations. Is it improbable or unlikely that they may interject this same form into their ecclesiastical system, and, without an educated or paid ministry, make the old men in each church the governing body, the priesthood, so to speak, of the organization ? Would it be possible or wise to interfere with such a system ? To go a step further, might not sucli a system be even better and more efiicient in China, than any transferred from Western lands ? These ideas are put forward as questions, because they are questions^ and are not to be understood as covering either a theory or the opinion of the writer.
It must be remembered that race peculiarities and habits of thought and mental organization have much to do with deciding questions of this sort. It is idle to ignore such peculiarities, as they ivill not he ignored, and any attempt to work in the face of them results in a foreordained and necessary failure. Is it wise to invite this failure by assuming that what suits us will suit the Chinese? .An illustration in point is found in the efforts made during the past 18 years by the Romish Church among the freedmen in the southern portion of the United States. These efforts, made
25 CHUECH ORGANIZATION IN CHINA. [January-
on the largest scale, with the utmost faithfulness and persistency, and backed by a seemingly inexhaustible treasury have resulted in total failure. It goes without argument that this lack of success is not due to any intelligent objection on the part of the negroes to the peculiar tenets and doctrines of the Eomish Church. It is due the rather to inherent incompatibility between the rollicking, fun loving, clannish temperament of the black, and the austere and cut and dried forms of Romanism. An intelligent gentlemen born and educated in the Southern States, when speaking to the writer upon this topic, gaid; — "The negroes always take either to fire or water. Hence they are, by an immense majority either Methodists or Baptists."
To come now to a somewhat critical examination of the various forms of church organization known in Western lands, what serious reason is there to lead us to strive for the introduction here of any one form rather than any other? With rare or no exception among protestant Christians, there is no indissoluble or important connection between the form of government of a denomination and its articles of faith. Episcopalians, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, and Congre- gationalists might all change places and still not be required to make the least alteration in the essential articles of their religious belief. No candid and intelligent student of the Bible in the present age pretends to find in any of its pages a positive '' thus saith the Lord'' in favor of any particular form of church organization. It cannot be successfully claimed for any one denomination that its history shows it to be, on the whole, better adapted to the Western mind, taken en masse ^ than any other. Neither does the record of missionary work in this Empire as conducted by the different churches, show any such greater success for one over and above the others, as would for an instant warrant the belief that any one is especially and preeminently adapted to the conformation of the Chinese mind. None of them can claim divine origin or command for itself. They are at best but shrewd guesses as to what comes most nearly to the system adopted by the early church. And none of them can point to any such overwhelming successes as will serve for its own supreme vindication at the expense of the others. They are all serviceable, all good, perhaps equally good. But they are all only human. They are but scaffolding, having no necessary connection with the real structure. They are but the clothing, having no absolute relation to the mind and soul of the man whom they sometimes cover and sometimes embarrass. And so one Christian criticises the over tight fit of what he pleasantly denominates the ** straight jacket" of his Presbyterian friend, who in turn objects to the over loose and ill fitting— ulster, shall we call it? — of Congregationalism, and both join in good natured raillery at the antique and old fashioned doublet and tights of Episcopacy.
February.] church organization in china. 27
To come still nearer home, who among us entered the particular church of which he is a member, after a careful preliminary exam- ination of all forms of church government and resultant profound conviction that it was of all the best. Probably not one. We entered this or that church because our fathers and mothers were there, or because our more intimate friends were among its members, or because we attended its Sunday School, or were first approached upon the subject of Christianity by its pastor or some person connected with it. It was accident and not choice which led us into this or that denomination.
And this rule holds good too, in a large degree, in cases where some particular rite or article of belief is inseparably connected with the church organization. It is true that some persons are born Baptists, as certain young men have an inherent predilection for the navy. Others are blessed with such large lung power that they must shout when they are happy, and they are Methodists. But, as a whole, leaving out of sight the vital doctrines of evangelical faith,. on which all substantially agree, is it not true that, in an immense majority of instances, each person enters this or that church because of personal and friendly association of one kind or another with its adherents, and not because of any special examination of the peculiar forms and tenets of the church itself. Is there among the total membership of all Christian churches, an average of say one individual in each ten thousand who has determined his church connection by any such prior examination ?
Then again some of the denominational divisions in the church had their origin in theological issues which were dead and buried generations since. Others were political and in the march of humanity have long since been left in the rear. Aside from the old war horses of dogmatic theology, who knows or cares anything, in the energy and vigorous life of practical Christianity of to-day, about the subtle wordy distinctions between predestination and free will or foreordination and election ? What missionary in China can even put these technical phrases into elegant Chinese, or cares to waste his time in endeavoring to educate the Christian natives under his charge in such subtleties. Even at home the rank and file of the Christian Church know little and care less about them. They have come to be distinctions without a difference, and a battle over them is a useless and untimely war of words. A gentleman in New York some two or three years ago after attending a Presbyterian and a Methodist Church upon the same Sabbath remarked that in the former he heard the rankest Armenianism preached, while the Methodist pastor delivered one of the strongest Calvinistic sermons to which he tad ever listened. And so it is. Our Presbyterian friends hold, in
28 cHUECfl ORGANIZATION IN CHINA. [January-
opposition to their Methodist brethren, that a true Christian cannot fall from grace. Yet as a matter of fact and practice there is quite as much perseverance of the saints among the latter as the former, and Presbyterians constantly fall from grace with the same eminent success as marks similar performances among the disciples of Wesley.
If the foregoing statements are correct, and it is believed that they are made with all due moderation, it naturally and indeed almost necessarily follows that these minor and unimportant denominational differences should find no place in the graver and more essential work of preaching Christian faith among the Chinese. No good but mucli harm will be the probable result of any attempt to fill their minds with the petty differences of organization and administration by which the church in "Western lands is divided. Doubt, distrust and suspicion will probably be the issue of such an effort, and certainly that most objectionable and pernicious form of Pharisaism, a spirit of denominational proselytism will be engendered, if, indeed, they come f)ermanently to accept any of our forms of church organization. There is not the least occasion or necessity for the interjection of these petty questions into their simple faith. They will be better Christians without than with such additions to their knowledge, at least until they have acquired such increased grasp and capacity as will enable them to relegate such questions to their proper relative positions.
What then should be done with converts to Christianity from among the Chinese ?
There are two courses open. The first, and, in the mind of the writer, by far the better would be to organize them into Union churches or congregations^ with as simple a form of organization as possible. There might perhaps be gathered to-day in this city two such congregations, of sufficient numbers and intelligence to be nearly or quite self-controlling and self-supporting. The gain by such an arrangement over the present system would be very great and in a variety of directions. In the opinion of the writer it would accelerate the progress of the work very materially. We all know how timid each Chinese is by himself, and how among them, courage and con- fidence increase in a large ratio to any increase of numbers. Instead of a half dozen frightened Chinese in the corners of each of some six or seven different chapels there would be one or two congregations respectable in number, and aggressive if for no other reason than their numerical respectability. Much money now spent in the construction of " domestic chapels " which are seldom or never half filled would be saved ; a large portion of the time of three-fourths of the missionary body in Peking would be relieved of present demands ; and last, but by no means least, that suspicion and dislike which
February.] church organization in china. 29
exists in the minds of outside Chinese towards Christian converts, and which bids fair to exist so long as such converts seek close shelter under the wing of the foreign missionary would be to a large extent disarmed.
It is admitted that very serious difficulties lie in the way of the adoption of any such system. Those difficulties lie, however, not in the nature of the field nor in the Chinese mind, nor yet in the Gospel which the missionary comes here to preach, but in the human nature of the missionary himself, and of the directors of the various boards of missions at home. Yet these difficulties are more imaginary than real. And it should not be forgotten that for many years some of the Missionary Boards represented here were supported by several different denominations, and the work of those boards during those periods was, to say the least, not less prosperous than at present. A foreign mission field is a poor place for denominational or sectarian effort, and let us hope that the time will come when Christian human nature may differ more widely from unchristian human nature. Then some such plan as that sketched above may be practicable, and greater success to missionary effort will be the result.
The second course would be to keep the so-called church organi- zations separate as they are at present, but to give to each no specific denominational bias or tendency, to connect these churches into some sort of church Union, or ecclesiastical organization ; and then leave them free to permanently affiliate into a permanent combination or to form separate general organizations as their own opinions when developed and matured should determine. An action of this sort would be simple and easily taken, since, to the credit of our missionary body be it said, so little attention seems to have been hitherto given to purely denominational effort, that it may well be doubted whether there is to be found in this province one Chinese convert who is able to pass the simplest possible examination upon questions of sectarian differences. The follower of the London Mission would probably content himself with the declaration of his adherence to the ^'Ying Kuo Chiao,'^ while a convert under the American Methodist Mission would, in a similar manner, begin and end his answers with the assertion that he was of the "ilfei Kao Chino.^^
The second course suggested with regard to the so-called Chinese churches leads naturally to the second question propounded at the outset ; " Into what general form of ecclesiastical organization shall these churches be combined ? "
Much that has been said in regard to the first topic applies with equal pertinency to the second and need not be here repeated. The writer is convinced that some simple form of general organization among the Chinese churches is not only eminently desirable — it is
30 CHURCH ORGANIZATION IN CHINA. January-
entirely practicable. If it served no other end than to bring the few and timid members of the several Churches together more frequently, so that they might gain thereby courage and confidence, the result would be a great benefit. Similar organizations of an ecclesiastical character have existed in Christian lands and have served a good purpose.
The writer does not propose at this moment to suggest any plan for such an organization. There are, however, one or two points in connection with the general question of all ecclesiastical systems in China upon which a word may be said. It is to be taken for granted that the sole object of all missionary effort in this Empire is the building up of a vigorous aggressive church. It is to be a Chinese church, either of one or of several denominations. When the work is so far advanced that the Chinese church is self-reliant and able to cope with the remnants of heathenism about it, then missionary efforts on our part are to cease and foreigners are to withdraw from further control of or interference with its affairs. In the nature of things all the efforts of Christian missionaries should therefore be aimed to secure a termination of their labors at the earliest possible moment, and to leave the church, when the time comes for them to withdraw from it, compactly built up, free from tendency to schism, and with no unnecessary complications of church machinery, and with no vicious systems which originated not in China but elsewhere, which may hamper the freedom and usefulness of the church. It may be necessary to leave her — because of the weakness of our human nature — divided into several denominational organizations. But it is assuredly unnecessary and inexcusable for us to perpetuate here divisions within denominations, divisions originated in political or other causes of which the Chinese know nothing and with which they have no possible concern. To speak to the point, there are to-day two American Presbyterian organizations at work in China, one English Presbyterian, and one Irish. The Scotch Presbyterians work, it is understood, with the Congregationalists. There are thus four Presbyterian organizations doing work in this Empire. It assuredly would be unpardonable, if these four should fail to combine here their efforts into one Chinese Presbyterian Church. Again there are a Northern and a Southern Baptist Society, and a Northern and a Southern Methodist Society at labor in China. It is well known to us all that the rupture in these two denominations in the United States was caused by slavery and that this cause has long since ceased to exist. There is assuredly no reason why these two Societies of the same denomination, identical in belief and in church form, should fail to work heartily to build up one undivided Methodist Church, or Baptist Church in China. Nor is there any good cause why English Baptists and Methodists should not work with them, and so
February.] church organization in china. 31
contribute each his own converts to form on§ ecclesiastical organization in each denomination. And so again, there can certainly be no valid cause assigned why the churches formed by the missionaries of the London Mission and the American Board, should not constitute one organization of the Congregationalist Church in China, if indeed Congregationalism can be said to have an organization.
To summarize — the various missionary organizations within the limits of the same general denomination, whatever be their nationality or whatever schisms may exist among them at home, should, without exception, combine their efforts and seek to build up one and but one church of that order in China.
Again ; such a church should be, /rom its inccjjtion, entirely inde- pendent of all connection with or control by the ecclesiastical courts of the same denomination in any other land. It should be composed of Chinese members only, and any relationship which it may have with other churches of the same order should be limited to this Empire. We are not seeking to extend English or American churches into China but to build up a Chinese Church of Christ. In some denominations a vicious system has been adopted in the past, and is still adhered to, under which churches organized in Peking are attached to the Baltimore Conference, or the Presbytery of New York. Just why Baltimore or New York is chosen does not appear. The careful study of the subject makes it apparent that such a connection is abnormal and ineffective for any good purpose. It is quite out of the question for the General Assembly or for the General Conference in the United States to exercise any valuable surveillance over churches of those orders in Peking. And they ought not to do so if they could. The missionaries in charge of those churches must be trusted to guide, direct and control them until they are able to look after themselves. If it cannot be done by missionaries on the spot, then certainly ecclesiastical bodies on the other side of the world, whose members are almost as ignorant of the Chinese as the Chinese are of them, can render no assistance.
In conclusion a Church of the living God is being builded in this Empire. It is to be of Chinese, for Chinese, and, sooner or later, to be controlled and governed exclusively by Chinese. Faithful missionaries of Christ desire nothing so much as to see their part of the work done, and the young Church, symmetrical and vigorous, turned over to those who, under God, are to be its natural guardians. By so much as the Gospel is preached in all its purity and sweetness, free from any admixture of human divisions and differences, by so much will the period of tutelage and weakness be shortened and the end of our labors be hastened forward. May God speed the day !
32 ASIA EBCONSTRUCTED FROM CHINESE SOURCES. [January-
ASIA RECONSTRUCTED FROM ^CHINESE SOURCES.
By E. H. Parker.
T HAVE had the privilege of perusing the first hundred proof sheets of Dr. Hirth's valuable and suggestive work China and the Roman Orient, which, I understand, will be ready for publication in about a month j that is, as soon as the original Chinese extracts, which Dr. Hirth wisely furnishes with his translations, shall have been correctly put into type. Should the book not be ready by the time the following notes appear, the cart may, to a certain extent, seem to have been introduced to the public before the horse; and I hasten to state, therefore, that the subject is essentially Dr. Hirth' s subject, and not mine. His plan of bringing extracts from different books to bear upon the same focus suggested to me another plan, — that of culling short sentences from the great Chinese Concordance, with the same object in view. The hundred or so of such which follow are the result of a few hours' prying into the Concordance, after which it became speedily evident that the extracts would most probably have to be counted by thousands ; so that readers of the Recorder may resign themselves to the prospect of repeated dishes of the same olla podrida character as the present. Mr. Kingsmill's transla- tion of the Shih-ki chapter on Ta-yiian, in the local Asiatic Society's Journal for 1879, though it contains three or four unusually serious mistranslations, and several over-sanguine philological identifications, is not so very bad a production after all, consider- ing that Mr. Kingsmill is rather a closet student than a practical one : he has lent me the original copy from which he translated, and he certainly deserves a share of credit, if only for persistently provoking such exact students as Dr. Hirth to a more accurate expose of the situation.
The rough sketch map which accompanies the following notes is only a first instalment, intended to rivet the reader's attention, and to make the perusal of the notes less wearisome and barren of sugges- tive light. At present, I do not express any definite convictions as to the identity of the Scythians, Huns, Turks, and Hiung-nu, nor as to the meanings intended at this or that period by any Chinese name for this or that country. I merely present fragments of evidence for the consideration of the jury of the public, each of whom can give his own verdict when Dr. Hirth shall have summed up the case now before him, and given us all the benefit of his direc- tion to assist us withal. As^to forms of spelling, whilst approving a
I
February.] Asia eeconstructed from Chinese sources. 33
rigid adlierence to Wade's system for routine and official purposes, or for studying the accurate pronunciation of Pekingese, I think it better, in treating of a quasi-philological question, to use that mixed, or half- Morris onian style, which will better enable students all over China to follow the philological points as they suggest them- selves. To one who studies Chinese scientifically, and not as seen in one dialect, each character, as Von der Gabelenz suggests, should be an algebraical quantity, which assumes definite shape in the mind when a given dialect is spoken. Thus, imaico-nog- gives the different forms vescovo, ohispado, bispado, dveqtie, biftscJiop, episkop, bishop ; and, when any given European language or dialect is spoken, instinct or practice directs the speaker to the local form. The difficulties with Chinese are (1) that (with due submission to Dr. Edkins) we cannot yet. trace back the best oral root forms; and, (2) visually, the root form is, unlike the above instances, unchangeable : nevertheless, for all ordinary purposes, something in the style of Morrison and Williams is sufficiently near for the average algebraical quantity. Thus Mai is a very rare form in living Chinese, but conveys the idea of chiehy kai, ka, &c., to students of all dialects, whereas chieh would leave all but, — indeed all including, — Pekingese students in doubt as to whether tsU, kii, tsie, or Mai was intended, and thus make any attempt at identifying a Tartar, Grreek, or Turkish word dangerous, if not impossible. For want of knowing that ^ (cM in Peking) was tst and not M, Dr. Bretschneider was in doubt as to sid, the final syllable of Yessid. Now tset, tsat, tsit, zi, zih, (and possibly or probably zit) are all existing forms of the algebraical si, whereas no ingenuity could extract sid from M.
Anyone can verify the extracts I give by hunting them up. I shrink from the labour and delay of serving up and pointing the originals, as Dr. Hirth so faithfully does. Each labourer can work best, or at all events most willingly, in his own line ; and I for one am fain to leave the graces of style, consistency in spelling, marshalling of arguments, precise references to authority, and so on, to people who have a taste that way, and to content myself with grubbing up the raw facts.
EXTRACTS FROM THE P^EI WEN YUN FD.
1. One general officer opened up Kashgar, and the other, the commander-in-chief, subdued Bactria, [jf^^ ^ JJc M^W'&M'i,]'
2. Bactria, [^^H], has similar customs with Parthia, [$,ft]. When the Hun Khan Mete, or Matuk, [g |||, See China Review, Vol. 12, Page 373], routed the Bactrians, these split up. Those who passed far away to the west of ^ ^, and settled in ^ 5, were the Great Bactrians, [^ J^ ^], whilst the remaining smaller hordes.
34 ASIA RECONSTBUCTED PROM CHINESE SOURCES. [January-
whicli could not leave, joined in keeping possession of the Mooz Tagh, [^f;S"l§ ill], and were called by the Ugro-Tarfcars, [^ tft], the Lesser Bactrians, [>J> ^ ^]. Hence the names Greater and Lesser Bactria.
3. The world is numerous in three respects. China is numerous in men. Ta Ts^in, [Syria, or the Roman Empire of which Syria was then or afterwards a part], is numerous in precious things. Bactria, [Jf JS]. is numerous in horses.
4. In the 3rd year of J^ }||, [B.C. 98], Bactria sent an envoy with an offering of four ounces of jji^ §.
5. In Bactria there is a Buddha's water bowl, [^ j^ ^], which will hold over two quarts ; it is of serpentine, mottled with white, and the quantity of water it will retain is variable, as much or as little as you please. [Compare Griles' Biiddhkt Klngdoym, Page 19, and EiteFs Handbook, i^ P^ JH, a city of ancient Bactriana, once a nursery of Buddhism, still famous for its sacred relics and monuments. The present Balkh].
6. Bactria is west oi ^ ^ from 2,000 to 3,000 //, on the River S8, [or Oxus]. South of Bactria is ;^ J ; west of Bactria is Parthia, [^ ,g,] ; north of Bactria is ;^ ^, [? Caratae].
7. The Han Emperor Wu Ti, having heard of thorough-breds, [3C Wilt and grapes, opened communications with ^ Jg and Parthia.
8. Thyme, [j^], is obtained from Parthia.
9. Chang K^ien represented the Emperor in Ta Hia; Kan Ying went as far as Parthia.
10. Storax, or the tree producing the Parthian perfume, comes from Persia, [J!£ ^ @]. The tree in over 30 feet high, and has flowers, but no fruit. Its bark being incised, the gum looks like treacle, [|g].
11. Wu-sun is north east of ^ '^ about 2,000 li. It is a nomadic country, with customs similar to those of the Huns, [^ jJU]. It is warlike, possessing several myriads of archers. Its great K'un-mi [or King] has his capital at the City of the Red Valley, [? Comedae], 8,900 li from Ch^ang-an.
. 12. The Red Valley city is ruled by the great K'un-mi of the Wu-sun country; the ground is jungly; it is rainy and cold; most of the hills are covered with pines and firs. They do not till here, but plant trees, and follow their herds wherever there is grass and water.
13. It is 610 li from Wen-suh Land [}g ^ the modern name of Aksu city] north to Wu-sun.
February.] asia reconstkucted prom Chinese sources. 35
14. The Wu-sun are amongst the Turkestan races, [W ^Ii5^]j and their aspect is most strange. Those men [visiting China] of the present day, [A.D. 620], who have blue eyes, [^ gg], red beards, and monkey-like faces are of the same extraction.
15. [The Western 1'urks] led the ^ ^ [high officers] and Khans, and [See China Revieio, Vol. xiii. No. 3], annexed the T^ie- lek in the north, [See ihidJ], repulsed the Persians on the west, and joined the Jy ^ on the south, lording it over the west, ["gj jg,], and possessing themselves of the old Wu-sun country.
16. The white stork, [? ^ ?S o^' Ciconia alba, which has red thighs and bill], is also called the Wu-sun Princess, [from the freely translated poem] : —
Alas ! my friends liave married me,
Remote I sing;
They've sent me from my family,
Wu-sun's King !
Would a stork but change with me,
Happy thing !
[This is evidently the bird recently mentioned by the Shanghai Mercury in the "Ewo bag"].
17. He, [^ ^, B.C. 40 circ.'], conducted an expedition against Wen-suh Land, [Aksu], and, following the northern road, entered the Ked Valley, crossed the Wu-sun, and touched [ ? ^] the K^ang-kii frontier, reaching as far as west of ^ jjfe, [ ? the sea of Aral].
18. He [as above] led his army in six columns, three of which took the southern road over the Belur Tagh, [^ '^], across Ta- yiian or Ta-iien, and three columns marched under himself [as in No. 17].
19. Ki-pin is flat and mild; here are lucerne, [g ij§], and divers grasses, and rare trees, such as sandal, |S [ ? Sojjhora^j >|3^ [ ? Euphorbia'], bamboo, varnish. [Chalmers' lOang-hi says ||| is the g H § of the Buddhist books].
20. The King of Su-1^ Land rules the city of Su-1^, [the name given to modern Kashgar], distant from Ch^ang-an 9,350 li.
21.1, [Pan Ch'ao], remarked that the soil of [ ? Sogd] a? ^S and Su-1^ was rich and extensive, and the flora luxuriant, both in a less degree than in the neighbourhood of ^ ig and ^J §, [i.e. near Koko-nor].
22. I, [Keng Kuug, circ. A.D. 70], seeing that there was a torrent by the side of Su-1^ city which could be fortified, placed some troops jbhere to resist [the enemy]. [But see the description of Ni-shih No. 100.].
S6 ASIA RBCONSTEUCTED FEOM CHINESE SOUECES. [January-
23. The north river from Su-le [Kashgar] runs straight along north of the south river. [This appears to be the case, from west to east].
27. Su-le city is destitute of water springs within. [Mr. Kingsmill says, that Hayward's account of Yarkand corresponds].
28. T'iao-chih, [j^ ;g], is several thousand /* west of An-sih [Parthia]. It is close by the Western Sea, and has great birds, with eggs [large] as jars. Old men tell us by tradition that in T*iao-chih there is the weak water, and the Western King's Mother, [Mayers' Manual No. 572]; but she has never been seen.
29. The weak water, [mentioned in the Shu King as being in the extreme west]. The King [of y^ ^ Land] lives there; his name is ^ 5§, and in the centre of the stream there is the weak water running south; they cross it in boats made of ox hides. [Possibly hot springs; but Xenophon mentions crossing even the Euphrates on rafts made of inflated skins]. '
30. The a M M is in the middle of the Western Sea, and is surrounded by the weak water, [0 M^il H^^ i,]'- not even a quill will float, and you cannot cross it.
31. T^iao-chih produces lions, rhinoceros, ostriches, [? ;^ ^],
32. Ta Hia is over 2,000 H south-west of Ta tJan, with a population of over 1,000,000 : its capital is called ^ ift JlJ. [? Drangianae].
33. The Hiung-nu Khan Chih-chih, [JfJ % See Chinese Recorder of 1884, Chinese relations with Tartar tribes'], repeatedly borrowed troops to attack the Wu-sun, and penetrated as far as the Red Valley City.
34. During the reign of the Emperor g, [B.C. 73-48], five Khans were striving for mastery. The Khan Huhanya with the Khan Chih-chih both sent their sons as pages. Afterwards Chih- chih routed the Pj ^g, the g g^, and the "^ '^ in the west; amal- gamated the three states, and established his capital, killing the Chinese envoys ^ "g and others. He then fled west to the K'ang- kii, several times raiding and massacring far into their country. [CK^n] T*ang pretended to have received the Imperial commands, sent troops after him, and cut his head off.
35. A branch or kinsman of the Ta Ts'in State, and set over a small state as king of Yii-lo [-f §1]. [Dr. Hirth thinks this is Hira, near Babylon]. >
86. K^ang-kii is distant 12,000 li from Ch*ang-an.
37. The [Tajik or] Arabian [^ ^ g] horses understand what men say to them. Ta-shih [the Caliph Empire] is the land which was oncie Persia.
February.] asia reconstructed prom Chinese sources. 37
38. The g g g is the later |f ^ ft{. This couatry is west of ^ g, and north of ^ ^, alongside of the fy jlj, [a snow-capped peak in the T'ien Shan Range. Porter Smith]. [See No. 78],
39. The T4ao-chih, [^1^ jfc @]. The Persians are another tribe of Bactrians, [;^ ^ ^], ruling at j^ ^Ij city: the ancient T4ao-chih.
40. Persia State. Before, there was a fugitive king, [? Perseus], and his descendants took their royal father's name as a family name, [? Persicus], which then became the name of the country, [Persia]. In this country there is the Upadum [^ ijs: fl:] flower, of lovely bloom and luxuriance. It produces dragon-foal [full-bred] horses. Its salt lake produces coral trees one or two feet in length. There are also amber, cornelian, pearls, garnets, &c., which are thought quite common there. [BiteFs Buddhism. Udumbara ^ § Hcgj|. A sacred tree, often confounded by Chinese with the Jack tree or Panasa, JBt SB ic- ^^^ fruit is called flower less. Cf. Page 120, C/ima Review, Vol. xiii : — " The honom tree comes from Persia, and also from Fu-lin, where it is evergreen, has no flowers, and produces fruit."]
41 . Going west by the south road are )J^ ^ State, ^ j^ State, and ;g ^ State, all of which are [since] annexed to ^U ^ State. The 5^ ^ State, the Jf ^ State, the % ®j State, and the ft *^ State are all annexed to Khoten. The Kipin State, the Ta Hia State and the ^ f^ State are all [since, i.e. temp. Wei Dynasty] annexed to India, [_Ji^ g].
42. The King of Kuldja, [^ JS g], rules over the ^g city, which is 7,480 li distant from Cli ang-an.
43. The Lou-Ian are the easternmost, almost bordering on China. Shen-shen is the former Lou-Ian country, the eastern part of which is 5,000 li from Ch'ang-an.
44. Shen-shen State; formerly called Lou-Ian. The King rules in Jf % city, over 1600 li distant from |g g|.
45. The Yen-k*i, [jg §], State, [Harashar], is distant from Loh-yang 8,200 li. Its area reaches south to j^ %, and borders north on Wu-sun : it is 400 li square, and is surrounded on all four sides by high mountains : the roads are defiles, and 100 men can prevent the passage of 1,000.
46. Kiian-tuh State, [^ (pronounced Jg) $J, is south-east of Ta Hia, about several thousand //. Its habits are settled [t.e. not nomadic] like those of Ta Hia.
47. Like CK^n T'ang's feigning orders and again attacking M State. TheK^ang State is fond of dancing: there they spin round like the wind; it is vulgarly called Tartar spinning game,
38 ASIA RECONSTEUCTED FROM CHINESE SOURCES. [Januarj-
48. Tajik [^ ^] is [in part] the land once Persia : [they are] marked by bravery in fighting.
49. The horses of Tajik State understand the "inhuman voice [Cf. Bretschneider. Knoivledge of the Arabian colonies, Page 6.].
50. West of Ta-shih there are "g ^, also an independent State, distant north from the land occupied by tribes of the Turks and Chozars [pj" ^] several thousand //. [Dr. Bretschneider has proved Ta-shih to be the Empire of the Caliphs of Bagdad.]
51. The first communication with Jg g, [Yiin Nan], was when [Chang K^ien] tried to get to Ta Hia.
52. Chang K4en said to the Emperor, on his return from his mission to Bactria, [^ Jg] : — " Ta-iien is distant from Han, [? the capital Ch^ang-an], about 10,000 li: their habits there are settled: they till the ground, and cultivate rice and wheat : they have grape-wine, and many excellent horses.
53. All about Ta-iian they use the grape for wine, and the rich store sometimes over 10,000 hundred- weight of wine. The nobility of Uan set up J|^ with the dignity of king. He sent his son (s) as page (s) in hostage to Han. Han upon this sent an envoy with bribes [or presents] to subdue him. When King Ch'an of Uan had become a vassal king of Han, he agreed every year to offer two thorough-breds, [ 5c Mii- T^^® Han envoy selected thorough-breds and lucerne seed, and returned. The Emperor, seeing that there were many thorough-breds, and that the envoys from foreign states were also numerous, planted more grapes and lucerne.
54. The commandant [at Canton, by name Chao] T^o, offered Kau Tsu [the first Han Emperor] sharks and lichees, in return for which»the Emperor [sent him] grapes, &c. [It is to be noted that in many extracts the word ^^ grapes" is used synonymously with "wine."]
55. The Tartars [ JQ A] are so extravagant that they have as many as 1,000 ^ of grape-wine in their houses, and it does not go bad when kept for ten years.
56. The Emperor had been struck [or puzzled] with the saying from the ancient books : " The fairy horses should come from the north-west;" and, when he found his Wu-sun horses good, he named them 5c ^ f and again when he found his blood-sweating horses from Ta Yiian still stronger, he changed the names of his Wu-sun horses to If g, and called his Ta Yiian horses T4en-ma. After- wards attacking Ta Yiian, he obtained a ^ M ,^. [Numerous extracts shew that this expression was but metaphorical].
57. What the Han called Hiung-nu the Wei called T*uh-kueh, [Turks] ; for generations they have occupied the Altai Mountains,
February.] asia reconstructed prom Chinese sources. 39
[^ ll]]) and are apt iron- workers. The ^ [Ij is shaped like a helmet, and a helmet [was] vulgarly called T^uh-kiieh, which thus became the name of the State.
58. In the second year of ^ IE, [A.D. 1342], the W JS St fil) @ sent an envoy to offer horses.
69. West of An Sih, [Partliia], is T4ao-chih, and north [? of Parthia] are An-ts'ai and Li-hien, [^ ?5? ^ ff]- [.^^^ latter does not seem to be necessarily one with ^ |^].
60. An-ts*ai is north-west of KUng-kii about 2,000 li. The [?State of Sogd, Sukdeh] H # g is West of the Onion Range, and is the ancient An-ts'ai, [? which may have conquered it].
61. Fu-lin, [}^|^], State, in the 17tli year of Cheng Kwan, [A.D, 643], sent an envoy to offer red glass and green ^ ^.
62. The Lord of Chu-lien [jj ^] State in the 8th year of ^ ^ Jj^ ^ [A.D. 1015] sent an envoy with tribute consisting of a trayful of pearls and green glass.
63. Chii-lien from ancient times never had intercourse with China. By water to Canton it is about 410,400 // (l). In the year A.D. 1,015 its king JB ^H ^ [? Raj-rajah], sent an envoy with a letter and tribute.
64. Eight states come to trade at Canton; Chii-lien is the rarest.
65. The Ta-shih had one Mahomet, [^ |(i)* ^], whom the people set up as Lord : lie extended his land 3,000 //, and conquered the city of J jj^ : he transmitted [his power to] fourteen genera- tions. [Dr. Bretschneider quotes this sentence, and identifies Hia-lah with Hira].
66. All the priests venerate Hia-lah. [This must either be Om-al-kara, the Arab name for Mecca, or Halah, the Nestorian archbishopric] .
67. On the east boundary of An-sili is /fc ^ city, called Little An-sih, and distant from Loh-yang 20,000 //. [Possibly either Maru or Amol of Khorassan, of which province the Abu-muslim, men- tioned by Bretschneider, was Grovernor. This latter, however is west : there is an other Amol near Bokhara].
68. The |pj ^ were formerly Hiung-nu : their surname was M B Ml and tliey lived north of the || }| p£, on the River ^ 1^, [Dr. Bretschneider writes ||^]: they are distant from tlie [T^ang] capital 7,000 li, and they number 100,000 : in the 1st year of Kien- chung they asked to have their name changed to m f,§, the idea being that they were capable of swooping down on their prey like this bird. [Dr. Bretschneider has 787 A.D. for 780 A.D.]
69. They [the Uigurs] are in the habit of using chariots with lofty wheels, heuce the name Jg !$ [also given to them].
40 ASIA RECONSTRUCTED PROM CHINESE SOURCES. [January-
70. Of all foreign countries beyond the sea only J§ /V §J and {^ ^ are equal to taking tlie lead ; from ^ ji\ [Fu Kien] to this country it is about 100,000 //. [Here follows an account of tribute embassies to Kublai, evidently Maabar in Malabar and Quilon are meant].
71. The word "g ^ [from ;^ g< or Tonquin] is the name of a tree : its flowers when complete are like goose-down, and the thread is drawn out and woven into cloth. [Dr. Bretschneider says this is cotton, brought by the Arabs].
72. The J^ ^ State possesses a grit-stone [or grind-stone], which, when opened, furnishes '^ ^, called '* iron-eating stone." [Dr. Bretschneider thinks this is steel, brought by the Arabs].
73. The [ancient] Manchus [Jg] adopted pin-t^ieh as their appellation on account of its hardness; [but] this, though hard, wears out in time ; only gold is immutable, and therefore they called their country -j^ ^. [The Golden Horde has frequently been identified with the modern Manchus].
74. Their land, \_i.e. {J j^], possesses very sweet fruits, rattan, [M W\^ <iates, [/f g ^], cocoa-nuts, [|}|5 ^], Kan-lo, [-g* jg, said to be the same as "U* x^ J^,], K'un-lun plums, [Of. Porter Smith and Bretschneider on K'un-lun in Cambodia or Annam], pineapples,
m m ®i &c.
75. The ^ J^ from ^ ^. Under the word cotton-tree the Fen IVao states that the Annals of Annam says the rude people of ^ fS do not rear silk- worms, but only gather the white floss from the fruit of the Solo.
76. South of ^ 3S is ,^ g, which reaches north to the Onion Range, and South to ^ ^ and J^ JH P^-
n. In the 22nd year of Cheng kwan, [A.D. 648], the Caliph [^ (pronounced k^i) TflJ |f ] of the ^ % came to Court. The Kieh- kwuh men had all long red hair and blue \_%'\ eyes. From ancient times they had never had communication with China, but now their Caliph ^ ^ ^ fpj ^^ came to Court. Dr. Bretschneider says these were the ancestors of the i§ § ^, [JSTo. 38].
78. In the 6th year of the [Western Liao Tartar Emperor] {Z ^, men from the ^ 5 ftf State came to Court, [A.D. 1147].
79. San-fo-ts'i, [H i% W\' Another race of Southern bar- barians, neighbours of ^ ^. The king is called ^ J^, and most of the people are surnamed f|f. It is nearly always hot. They use Sanskrit [or Pali ?] ^ books.
80. The ancient ^ ^i District city of Jg *]\\ is still called 3$ Jt M> ^^^®^ Bobo of that name who built it, [See China Review, Vol. XIII, Page 43].
February.] asia riccon8Tructed from Chinese souecbs. 41
81. [Hiien] Chwang came to the eastern boundary of Knstana State, wbicli is what the Han Histories called g^ U State. [Eitel's Buddhism agrees with this, and says " it was the principal metropolis of Tatar Buddhism, up to the invasion of the Mahommedans"]. To the east 200 odd U is the city of Jg ^, where there is a sandal- wood statue over 10 feet high. [Eitel says Bhima is the name of a' city icest of Khoten, noted for a Buddha-statue, and (apparently correctly) writes J J or 0J(;. Compare, however, g ^ king of the Wu-sun].
EXTRACTS PROM THE SHIH-CHI AND ITS N0TI8.
82. Ta Yiian State is distant from Ch'ang-an 12,550 li. [Com- mentator's Note. 5S is pronounced iien (upper series) ].
83. When the Hiung-nu routed the Yiieh-chih king, they used his skull as a beaker. [See Herodotus for a similar Hun custom].
Commentator's Note. — Yiieh-chih is 7,000 li north of 5c S- The people are fair and ruddy, [gj; ^ ^], and handy with their bows and horses. Its products, and its precious things, the richness of clothing, &c., are beyond T'ien-chuh. Text. They occupy the north of the [Oxus ?] SS 7K- -^^ ^^ ^ nomadic state, with customs akin to those of the Hiung-nu. They have between 100,000 and 200,000 archers. The ^ J: g ^3 [Mehteh's successor ?] killed the king of the Yiieh-chih, and turned his skull into a beaker. The Yiieh-chih first occupied the tract between "^ @ and fg ^, but when defeated by the Huns, they passed tJen, attacked Ta Hia, and subdued it, establishing their capital on the north bank of the Oxus. Western [modern] Kan Suh was the old Yiieh-chih country, and JE is read j^, [i.e. tshi or possibly tri. See China Review, Vol. 12, Page 503].
84. The [Hun] Khan said : The Yiieh-chih are north of me ; how can China expect your mission to reach them ? Would China let me send a mission to Annam, for instance ?
85. K^ang-kii State is 10,600 li west of Ch'ang-an.
86. Ta-iien is south-west of the Scythians, [Hiung-nu], and due west of China [ ? frontier] about 10,000 li. There are cities and buildings, and dependent cities to the number of 70, great and small. The population is several hundred thousand ; her troops fight on horseback with spears and bows. North of it is K*ang-kii ; west of it is ^^ &• South-west is ;^ X- North-east is Wu- sun ; east are Yii-mi [j^J 3|] and Khoten. West of Khoten all the rivers run west into the Caspian, ["g ^], and east of it all rivers run east into the Salt Marsh. Commentator's Note. Another name for the Salt Marsh is Ji ^ j^, south west of fj^ Jfl. [See Porter Smith as to these names. Lob Nor must be meant].
42 ASIA EBCONSTRUCTBD FROM CHINISK SOURCES. [January-
T^xt. The Salt} Marsh runs undergroii'tid, and south is the source 0? the [Hwang] Ho. The Lou-lans and ^ gjj have cities on the Salt Marsh. K'ang-kii is about 2,000 /* north-west of Ta-iien : it is nomadic, with customs like the Yiieh-chih; it possesses 80,000 or 90,000 archers, and borders on Ta-iienl It is a sthall state, and does homage to the Yiieh-chih on the sOuth and the Hiung-nu to the east. [Elsewhere the Bactrians are said not to be nomadic, and again elsewhere to have been once nomadic].
87. T*iao-chih is several thousand It west of Parthia. It is oh the Caspian, and is hot and damp. Commentator^s Note. The Han- shuhas S -^ [? T]. The Later Han Shu has a name Ta Ts^in. All three countries are on the Caspian, [^ |5 }§]• It is very populous, and there are petty princelets, [)]^ g g], subject to Parthia, which makes use of it [or them] as a dependency [or dependents], and treats it as a foreign state. [The people of] this state are capital conjurors. Old Parthians relate a tradition that in T'iao-chih are the Weak Water and West King's Mother, but [that they] never saw them.
88. [Ta Hia is] south of the Jg '^, There is no supreme ruler, each city is perpetually setting up a petty chief. South-east is ^ ^. Commentator's Note; ^ is also written ||; and f^. Note 2. ^ is pronounced f^, and ^ as j||, {_i.e. never duk, but tulc]. Note 3. This is the same as 5c ^> '^^ what are called Buddha Tartars [J^ 18 ]S9]- Note 4. ^ ^ is south-east of Yiieh-chih several thousand li, with habits similar ; it is low and hot, and lies by a great river ; they mount elephants in battle. The people are weak, [but] Yiieh-chih, accepting the Buddhist faith, does not attack them, so that [their effeminacy] is habitual. The land produces elephants, rhinoceros,, tortoises, silver, gold, iron, tin and lead, and to the west there is intercourse with Ta Ts4n.
89. The J^ ^ are perhaps several thousand U south-east of Ta Hia, and their habits are settled, and very like those of Ta Hia. Political agents were sent from Shuh ^ [modern Szch^uan] through the |j|, the !fy, the {||, [pronounced ^], and the J|J ^, each of whom advanced from 1,000 to 2,000 li; but they were stopped by the JS -^ o^i the north, and the ^ and ^ ?B on the south. None of them succeeded in reaching Ta Hia, but they heard that, 1,000 H or so further west, there was a state called \% j|§, where elephants were ridden, and whither ^ traders probably went on clandestine trade. [About the year B.C. 122] the Huns were entirely driven from the [Lob Nor Region of] ^ ^ fff "S IS HL fS lU M if ^- [Here follows a history of the Wu-sun state under king ^ ^, son of jg ^ ^, slain by the Huns, who set up K'un-moh in JS ^f where he subsequently declared his inde-
February.] asia rbconstructed'from Chinese sodeces. 43
pendence. The Chinese tried to induce this king to remove east, and occupy the territory vacated by the Huns ; but, on account of intestine troubles with his son and grandson, he was unable to place the whole of his horsemen (about 40,000 in all) at the Chinese disposal; still, he assisted Chang K^ien's branch expedi- tions to Parthia, Bactria, and the other neighbouring states. In consequence of these friendly relations, the Chinese established the fB M ?I?^ wit^ *^® object of keeping open communications with the north-west, and further missions were sent to ^ ^ ^ flp j^ ;fe ^ ^ &c.; but the coveted route to Ta Hia through modern Yiin Nan was never made practicable].
90. At this time there were military depdts all the way from Tsiu-ts iian to 3E Pg, [about Long. 100 W.]
91. The eastern frontier of Parthia, [^ ,§»], was several thousand H from the royal capital, and a score or more of cities were passed on the way [to the capital], which was populous all along. The Parthian envoys offered ostrich eggs and clever [Syrian ?] ^ ff [? same as ^ |^] conjurors.
92. The small states to the west of [Jen, such as |5 ^, [identified by Mr. Kingsmill with Khorasmia], and ^ g, [possibly Dahae], as also the states to the east, f^ gjj, and |f 3|, and ^ ^, all followed [the Parthians] in the [return Chinese] envoy's train, with offerings for the Emperor.
93. From Ta-iien westward to Parthia, [^ ^g,], though there is considerable diversity of speech, still, habits are much alike, and people understand each other : all these people have sunken eyes and very hirsute faces.
94. Westward of tten, all [the States], feeling themselves distant [from China], were still somewhat saucy and indifferent, and were not to be subdued ; all that could be done was to attach them by the [slighter] bonds of [amity or] politeness. Westward of Wu-sun, [in a more northerly line], as far as Parthia, [they excused themselves] on the ground of propinquity with the Huns. When the Huns laid dire hands on Bactria, [^^], &c., &c., [Here follows an account of the fear inspired by the Huns as compared with the Chinese. Mr. Kingsmill has misapprehended the meaning of the parts above translated].
95. tien had splendid horses at the [capital] city JJ gig.
96. [Commentator's Note]. East of if gj^, and 1,300 li south- east of JJiL Jfl it is all desert : grass and water are scarce, and the skeletons of men and beasts alone indicate the route.
97. They [of tten] told [the governor of] |I5 JSR on their east border to assassinate and rob the returning Chinese envoy.
4A ASIA EEC0N8TRUCTED PROM CHINESE 60UECES. [January -
98. North of Tsiu-ts'iien and 5| |{J, the Chinese established the [two districts of J {;fc J^ and @ JE to protect Tsiu-ts'iien.
99. If IJan, a small State, is not subdued, such as Ta Hia will despise China Wu-sun and Lun T'ou [^ gg] will then pro- bably molest the Chinese envoys.
100. Lun-tW would not surrender, and was taken by storm: thence it was plain sailing westward to ^ JjJ, [in which it explained there were no wells, and which depended on a river for water : this river the Chinese temporarily diverted. Compare No. 22].
101. [The Chinese] set up a Uen noble named ^ ^ as the new king of Uen. [In order to propitiate the Chinese, the king •^ ^ had been killed by his dastard subjects, who, on the second retirement of the Chinese, killed Mei-ts'ai [Misrah.?] and set up Mukwa's younger brother Jg. Compare No. 53].
102. The nobles offered to let the Chinese have their pick of the splendid horses. [Mr. Kingsmill, who strangely identifies Erh- shih with Urdu, is probably on the right track when he speaks of the Nesaean horses of Strabo (N'qaaiovg- Imrovg-). The characters JJ gj are still pronounced Neisii and Ngisz in that part of China which I identify most with old China, and, moreover, is pronounced in modern Greek, not like the vowel in sai/, but as that in see ; and there is no call gratuitously to suppose that ancient Greek was less like modern Greek than like other modern languages].
EXTRACTS PROM K*ANG-HI.
103. His subjects called him ^ ^ Jt ^ S fl;. The Huns call '' heaven " t^engli or ch^engli [Tengri], and " son " kudu. [From this 2,000 year old remark it is evident that the four first characters are equivalent to Jc 'fi ^^<1 ^^^^ ^^® usual translation by the Chinese of |^ ^j ^^ T4en-tsz is analogous to the taking of "Arsak " and ^^ Caesar" as equivalents for ''King" and "Emperor." ^ is still P'ang in Foochow].
104. Fu-lin [fij^], Ta-shih, and all the other Tartars, [g gg ] to the number of 72 states, gave in submission.
105. The chief surname [of $f: g,] is |g jg P^. [It is probably this which causes Bretschneider to remark that ^ g^ and ^ ^ were both beyond the Ganges. On the contrary, both places, were in Annam, (see China BevietVy Vol. xiii, Page 44), as is frequently mentioned in the Chinese History of Annam, where ^ ^ is placed ill H M' Eitel says K ffi jli or ^ jg P^, Brahmana, is used (1) as a term of purely social distinction (^ surname) ; (2) in a religious sense, meaning " a man whose moral conduct is pure."]
February.] asu reconstructed from Chinese sources. 45
CRITICAL notes.
One of the most important extracts in Dr. HirtVs coming book runs ^05 S *ft S it Ui$ * fJ ffi f# M &c. Now the question whether taken as a whole, the sentence refers to a sea-route or a land-route, or what construction this or that pair of characters usually bears, and whether they can bear more than one, — all this it is for secondary evidence to settle. Dr. Hirth translates : — " Coming from the land-road of An Sih, you make a round at sea, and, taking a northern turnj come out from the western part of the sea,'' &c. The two words we have underlined have been interpolated by Dr. Hirth upon the original, in order, apparently, to bring out more forcibly his view that what was here meant was the sea-route down the Persian Gulf, round Arabia, and up the Red Sea. Apart from all secondary evidence, the words seem to us to have the following plain meaning. *^ Following the An Sih land-route, skirt - '' ing the sea, and going northwards, you emerge from Hai-si," &c. We think that this is meant, viz ; X S " I^ i^ otheriinse said '' that, if you prefer the land-road, you must coast the Caspian Sea north of the Elburz Mountains, (which, as Rawlinson shews, confine the high-road into a narrow space), and go northwards in tbe direction of Antioch in North Syria, through South Armenia, leaving as you go the Mesopotamian Region altogether. In other-words, just as Ta Ts'in (undoubtedly proved by Dr. Hirth to be Syria) was also vaguely used at times to signify the Roman Empire, of which it was or had been a part, so Hai-si, another name for Ta Ts'in, was vaguely used in the sense of the whole Syrian Empire, though strictly meaning Mesopotamia. " This country is on the west of 'Hhe sea, whence it is commonly called Hai-si,'' says another of Dr. Hirth's quotations, referring to Ta Ts'in. Mesopotamia is equally west of both the Caspian and the Persian Gulf, and we have the parallel case of "^ Asia " and " all Asia " being applied by Greek and Latin authors to whatever portion of Western Asia this or that conqueror may have held.
As to there having been a good land-road from Parthia to Constantinople long before Chang Keen's time, we read in Gary's Herodotus that, after the battle of Salamis, Xerxes sent an express to Susa. " They say that, as many days as are occupied in the " whole journey, so many horses and men are posted at regular "intervals, a horse and a man being stationed at each day's " journey." Moreover, Aristagoras informed Cleomenes that it was three months' journey from the Ionian Sea to the [Persian] king's residence. "• There are royal stations all along, and excellent inns, " and the whole road ia through an inhabited and safe country."
46 ASIA RECONSTRUCTED FROM CHINESE SOURCES. [Januarj-
The exact road from Sardis, through Lydia, Phrygia, Cappadocia, Cilicia, Armenia, Matiene, to the Persian capital of Susa is carefully described (though on hearsay, or borrowed official evidence) by Herodotus, who counts up 111 stations, and 13,500 stades, thirty stades being equal to one parasang, " the parasanga being four "hundred and fifty, and, by those who travel 150 stades every day " just 90 days are spent on the journey." Now, that Dr. Hirth's authors were referring to part of this land-route from Parthia (then including Susa) is evident from the language of Dr. Hirth's own translation : *' The country is densely populated ; every ten li are "marked by a tHng -, thirty li by a chih. One is not alarmed by " robbers." In several other places, Dr. Hirth translates passages manifestly relating to the sea-route round Arabia, but this route is sufficiently well authenticated by Dr. Hirth without the necessity of his seeking to strengthen it by forcing on to a strong chain weak links fairly belonging to quite another chain. The terms JQ and (J, and the expression "from the western frontier of Parthia" invariably occur when the sea route is unmistakably fmeant. Further, that " the land-route round by the sea" is intended in the other cases, and not " following the land-route and going round by *^ sea," is abundantly evident from the circumstance that danger from lions, safety from robbers, and a few words about chih or /iow, {i.e. parasangs, as justly concluded by Dr. Hirth, of which 30 li or stades made up each one), invariably accompany the words " land- route." Finally, it is monstrous to suppose that the Chinese writers would ignore a land route if it existed ; and we have shewn that it did exist, and was described by Herodotus exactly as by the Chinese : and, as the Chinese mention a great flying bridge further on, leading to the countries north of the sea, we may con- clude that these were traditions of Xerxes' bridge of boats across the Hellespont. It is probable, too, that Herodotus' history, indirectly at least, supplied the Chinese traveller Chang K'ien with some of his facts, gathered doubtless in bazaars and temples. According to Herodotus, "in a long day a ship usually makes " 70,000 orgyae, and in a night 60,000": that is, about 140,000 and 120,000 yards, or 75 and ^Q miles. The stade consisted of 100 orgyae, or 200 yards, whereas a Chinese li is nearly three times the length ; so that the taking of stades as li is somewhat a historian's licence, and may need reconsideration.
With reference to Dr. Hirth's identification of Ta Ts'in with Syria, this was suggested by Dr. Bretschneider as the meaning in the 10th century, when Syria was under the dominion of the Caliphs, and an Arab captain told the Chinese Emperor that Ta-
February.] asia reconsteuctbd feom chinesb sourcbts. 47
sliih was conterminous with Ta Ts'in. On Page 38 of Renaudot's Mahomedan Travellers in China it is stated that: "The Chinese " are more handsome than the Indians ; and come nearer to the "Arabs, not only in countenance, but in their dress/' whereas the Chinese say, \J3hina Review, Vol. xiii, Page 120], " Its inhabitants " [:^ ^] are fine-made, proper-minded people like the Chinese ; " hence the name Ta Ts'in." The use of the term Ts^in may have suggested itself to the Chinese on hearing the word Syria. Just as ^ forms the syllable Ar in Arsak, so does Sir stand for Sin, and Ts^n is still pronounced Zing and Zang in those parts of modern China whose dialects seem most likely to represent old Chinese. Moreover the same natural law, under which to tchange in English becomes changer in French, is in active working in China, where ts and s, tsh and sh are often interchangeable. In Japanese, where the same law works, the character is still read shin, and it is to be presumed that Shir was, amongst the Jews, as common as Sir. There is evidence that Chinese called themselves men of Ts^in long after the Han conquest, and, anyhow, the early Chinese travellers all started from Ts4n, i.e. Shen Si. During the attack by Han Wu Ti's generals upon ;^ JS^ i^ ^^^ found that there were a number of Chinese [^ A] prisoners in the Turkestan capital. The fact that the ts and s law (or confusion) had its influence on the two Arabs is evident from the circumstance that they talk of sah [ts^a or ts¥a, — tea] as a favourite Chinese beverage. Finally, the two Arab travellers in the ninth century use the word Sin for China; their translator adding that the Persians more correctly pronounce it Tchin, and that the Arabs got the word from Ptolemy, who wrote l^ivai. Father Martini in the 13th century uses Cyna, Hana, and Cyna for the TsHn, Han, and Tsin Dynasties, and Chinese History often calls men of the Sz-ma Tsin Dynasty ^ A- The Tartars and posterity probably assumed that the prae-Han Ts'in and the post- Han Tsin were the same.
According to Forster's "Lost Ten Tribes," these are the Afghans, whom he identifies with Ptolem/s Baborana and Doroa- cana, (Kabulistan), and Elphinstone's Douraunees and Babours: they appear to have been a strong power in the second century A.D. Nebuchadnezzar removed a number of what are now " Black Jews" to Malabar and Spain, and Titus, 600 years later, removed a number of " White Jews " to Cochin. The descendents of these recount the names of other Jewish colonies in northern India, Tartary, and China. The remainder of the Ten tribes, according to the Cochin History Roll, migrated through Media and Persia in the direction of Chinese Tartary, and the tribes of Simeon, Ephraim
48 ASIA RECOirSTRUCTED FROM CHINESE SOURCES. [ Jaiiuary-
and Manasseli are represented to have settled in the country of the Chozar Tartars, when they became ferocious Tartar nomades, celebrated for their horses, and dreaded for their warfare. Moreover, '* the Royal Family in this great Tartar tribe were Jews, and the " Chagan or king of the Chozars was always chosen from this Jewish stock." Forster quotes Ebn HaukaPs Oriental Geography to the effect that " the king of Asmed city, in Khozar, is a Jew, '^ and on good terms with the Padshah of Serir." He also says : — " From the sixth to the tenth century the Chozars were the lords of '' central Asia." Ricci's cross-examination of the Ho Nan Jews led him to believe that they were part of the Lost Ten Tribes, so that Forster is not without support. The Jews in Cochin are also men- tioned by Renaudot. Asahel Grant proves to his own satisfaction that the Nestorians, converted about A.D. 1-25, and the Yeziddees and Jews in their vicinity, are the Lost Ten Tribes, and shows that Simeon or Shimon has been, and is still, the official name of their Patriarchs. This sheds light upon Dr. Hirfch's '^Nestourin Sz-meng."
Dr. Hirth is not to be blamed for occasional mistranslations, for, in addition to treating with mercy the tremendous errors of Pauthier, he disarms criticism by a frank acknowledgement of his difficulties. Nothing but an extensive reading of Chinese History will enable one to readily seize the point involved in many a Chinese sentence, and it was such extensive reading, and the probable fact that he made careful collection of explanatory scholia^ that placed Julien so far ahead of others. As the following case is not only a mistranslation, but involves the position of the Parthian capital, notice must be taken of it. In Mr. Kingsmill's excellent copy of the Shih-ki, the sentence runs fx ^ ^ and A K ft S -S $• This is a perfectly simple sentence, and means, as Julien correctly has it, (without, however, laying down a rule, — for there is, indeed, none), ^' going then arriving," and " the population is very thick all the way as you go." Dr. Hirth either misreads J^j and for 4t, or has a defective edition.* He translates " Proceeding to the north one came, &c.," and '^ with very many inhabitants allied to that country." There is little use consulting any but the very best Chinese teachers on points of this sort : the only safe guides are examples gathered from general reading. Dr. Hirth himself elsewhere correctly translates A /S§ 5S fl "the country is densely populated." The last character is chuhy upper series, and not shuh,
• I have since found that some of Dr. Hirth's books have J|^ and some ^b- The former word makes the better Chinese, and is probably correct. It is very common for such words as ^ to be printed ^ in error.
I
February.] asia beconsteucted from Chinese soubcbs. 49
lower series, and means 55 ^^ IS- -^ have come across the following examples in my own reading JJ P? ;^ ^ [ i^, " people crowded the road to give in their submission to him." Again @ /^ ft I , ''stiff corpes succeeded each other (at every step)." Once more i3l C ^ ft I • No doubt dozens of similar expressions are to be found in the Concordance. The character chuh has numerous exceedingly common meanings in history which are rare in modern composition. As for J:^, this, like many other ^ i$p., requires careful watching, for it has several nice meanings not given in Anglo Chinese dictionaries. Here it simply means J^, i.e. " going tchen (or u?itil} you arrive." A parallel example is it ^ pM t^ ^ '^ when" or " lors, the matter is talked of." In these senses it is (at least theoreti- cally) read pi,^ ^ g in the lower series ; that is, hV In modern official usage J:t g ft. fx means "following which," or "then I did" " instruct," &c., &c.. Indeed, there is a combination J|^ ^i, which means, not what Dr. Hirfch's same pair of characters mean, but much the same as fj| ^, that is "then when;" with this difference, that the latter rather speaks of, or relates, things past, and the former occurs in connection with things going on at present, thus : — iE 3e fl& S fl ^ "after that when there was," or "now that "there is more money in the chest," (I proposed, or propose, &c.). In another place Dr. Hirth mistakes |^ for |5f. This character, hien (not yao), referring as it does to " the Ts^in word for Heaven," and " a Tartar (or foreign) god," may turn out to have philological importance, and the misapprehension cannot be passed unnoticed. Doubtless, when Dr. Hirth publishes his texts, there will be plenty of carrion for the critical vultures to swoop down upon; but, unless, as in the present instance, an important point is involved, it is altogether too early for the present race of Chinese students to pretend to sit in severe judgment upon each other's translations. We are none of us more than beginners in Chinese literature; nor was Julien himself much more.
Note 1. Dr. Hirth informs me that, in addition to a French
Orientalist some 40 years ago, Mr. Kingsmill has already worked
out the Sir and Sin question ; but, if my recollection does not fail
me, he identifies Ts^in with Seres rather than Sinae. Anyhow, his
name must not be lost sight of in this connection.
Note 2. I have explained elsewhere how ^ 3J (Wak-tsi or Vak-tri) is identified with (iaKTpa or Yaktria. Further extracts from the Concordance prove conclusively that Yueh-chih, or Yiiah- tsi was Bactria, and these extracts will be soon forthcoming.
50 IN MBMORIAM. — MRS. JOEL A. SMITH. [January-
IN MEMORIAM.-MBS. JOEL A. SMITH.
By Me8. Hattie Linn Beebb. npHE members of the Central China Methodist Episcopal Mission "^ are all saddened by the sudden death of one of their number. The annual Meeting at Shanghai was only just over and we had scarcely reached our various fields of labor and settled into the usual daily routine, when we were startled to hear from Kiukiang that Mrs. Joel A. Smith was very ill with a violent form of small pox. Anxiously we waited for the result, hoping for her recovery, but the skill of an experienced physician and the care of a devoted husband were both outdone by the terrible disease and on the twelfth of December 1884 she passed away. Mr. and Mrs. Smith and their two little ones arrived in China October 12 th 1884 and it was my privilege to be with them during their voyage from America. We met for the first time the morning after we left Omaha and were almost constant companions for three months, on railway and ocean, and during our stay in Japan, Shanghai and Chinkiang, saying good bye only when the steamer left us here, at Wuhu, in sight of our own pleasant home, and bore them on to Kiukiang, where Mrs. Smith was eager to settle her home, and begin the work she was so anxious to do in this heathen land. I remember thinking when I first saw her that there must be a strong motive to self sacrifice in her life to prompt her to leave home and native land, with two little children and undertake such a work.
On a further acquaintance with her I found that she had given herself entirely to her Lord, and counted it not a sacrifice but a blessed privilege to do His will in all things, and as she had cheer- fully moved from one appointment to another in their conferences in the home work, so she had gladly answered God's call to go into a far country where the harvest is great and the laborers are few. In all places and under all circumstances the spirit of perfect submission and obediance to the will of her Heavenly Father as it should be manifested to her was evidently the ruling spirit of her life, and it could not be without its influence upon her. On the ocean the Missionary ladies held daily prayer meetings in one of our state rooms, and her prayer often was that while we were in ignorance of what was for us in the future, God would prepare us for what He was preparing for us. Her faith was perfect and her trust unwaver- ing. She expected sacrifice and trial and was not disheartened by the great amount of work to be done among this degraded people or by the evident difficulties in reaching them. Those who knew her and loved her as their Conference Secretary in Nebraska will
February.] in mbmoeiam. — mrs. jobl a. smith. 51
be glad to know that her missionary zeal did not abate in the least when she reached her field, but that it increased if possible with every day of her stay here. She said in a farewell address to the society of which she was President words which ought to reach the ear of every woman in our Church.
"A happy year of work in Christ's Kingdom is almost at an end and changes will come as you begin another year. New Officers will perhaps take our places, and she which is now your President will be on her way across the sea to engage and move actively in the salvation of souls. But whatever changes may come, let us accept them as coming from a wise and just God. I would urge you to live near the foot of the Cross. May your hearts burn constantly with Christ's love and if such be the case your zeal and ardor will only increase in the Poreign Mission work. The language of my heart to night is this. "Lord obediently Pll go, gladly leaving all below, only Thou my leader be, and I still will follow Thee." I would entreat you to be earnest in the work, do not become discouraged or weary in well doing. I know it costs time money, and labor. But did not Christ give Himself for your souls and mine ? Yea even for those heathen souls. And should we complain of the small part of our time, or small amount of labor we can bestow when perhaps somebody's soul is to be saved through this very instrumentality ? God forbid. May you persevere even to the end and have many stars in your crowns of rejoicing."
Mrs. Smith passed her 26th birthday while we were in Japan. She was filled with enthusiasm for the work to which she had consecrated her life, and as she had advanced the Redeemer's cause in the home land we know she would have done so here. To our human eyes it seems as if she could be illy spared, by her husband, her little daughters, and by the great work of establishing Christ's Kingdom in this Empire. While we sincerely mourn with her bereaved friends, it also seems sad that one so well fitted to do good work here should be taken even just as she had reached the field. But we put aside all questioning for we believe with Cowper :^-
" Blind unbelief is sure to err And scan His work in vain, God is His own interpreter, And He will make it plain."
It may be true God never takes away His believing children unless He can do more good by their death than their life. May the loving and sacrificing spirit of our sister possess all the hearts of those who knew her, and all who are working for the salvation of women in this and other darkened lands ; then will hasten the glad day when all shall know Him from the least even unto the greatest.
52 INFLUENCE OP THE WAR ON MISSION WORK. [January-
INFLUEKCE OF THE WAB ON MISSION WORK IN 70BM0SA AND AMOT.
By Rev. Thomas Barclay.
T\TJBINGr the summer of last year our Mission Staff, consisting of its families and two unmarried gentlemen (besides Dr. and Mrs. Maxwell wlio were on the mainland for some months) continued to reside unmolested in Taiwanfoo. It was considered by the Chinese an unhealthy summer, and Cholera was raging badly in the city and at various places throughout the country, so that we had cause of anxiety apart from the French scare. There were of course rumours of threatened disturbances, at one time a good deal of anxiety was caused by the discovery that an order had been given to workmen in the city for the manufacture of several thousand large knives, — and so on. From our stations we heard of threats of persecution of the Christians because of their connection with the foreigners, though these were a good deal quieted by a proclamation of the Tau-tai's pointing out the difference between the English and French nations. Indeed throughout all we were glad to believe that the Authorities were willing to do all in their power for our protection, the only fear was whether they would be able to protect us in case of a popular rising. An additional cause of anxiety was that our Mission compound is situated in the East or land- ward quarter of the city, so that to reach the post of Anpeng where most of the foreigners live and where we might hope to find a Grunboat we would have been obliged to pass through about two miles of Chinese street and about as much on the open plain, which in case of disturbance might have been difficult. I am glad to be able to state, however, that from beginning to end we have in South Formosa met with no trouble whatever. Neither at our residence in the city nor at any of our 30 country stations has there been an outbreak or disturbance of any kind. This is a matter for which we are all profoundly thankful. At the same time our work has been very much hindered. During the month of August, after the bombardment of Kelung, travelling in the country, we saw little trace of any special excitement. During September, however, the authorities declined to grant passports for country travelling. About this time reports from the mainland grew more alarming, and it was generally felt to be not improbable that French men-of- war might soon arrive off the port. Accordingly it was thought well that the ladies and children accompanied by some of the gentlemen, would cross over to Amoy where also our Mission has a centre. This was accordingly done so that in the beginning of October, Dr. Maxwell, Dr. Anderson and Rev. Mr. Shaw were left
February.] influence op the wae on mission work. 63
alone in Taiwanfoo. Afc the same time tlie students in the College were dismissed to their homes, and it was arranged not to hold a conference which was to have met in the end of November. All these movements caused some little excitement among the Chinese, but it soon passed over. The result of it all is, however, that with the exception of the hospital, there has been very little mission work done during the last quarter of the year, which is a matter of great regret in the present position of our Mission. We have not heard whether the excitement throughout the country has affected attendance at worship at our stations : it is something to know there has been no outbreak. In the North of the Island where the war operations have been carried on, things have not been quite so quiet. (In the South there has been no fighting yet, the French men of war have been simply lying off the harbours out of range of the forts.) On October 2nd, the bombardment of Tamsui began, and on the 3rd, the French occupied Kelung. In the excitement that followed on the 4th and 5th, Saturday and Sunday, gangs of roughs assembled in several places and attacked the chapels and Christians. Six chapels were entirely destroyed and two others were plundered : in one place two worshipers were put to death, and in other places some were badly used. This, however, was soon put a stop to, and I have not heard of any disturbances since then. In October Mr. and Mrs. Jamieson and Mrs. Mackay and family, of the Canadian Mission, at Tamsui, left for Hongkong at the time when all the foreign ladies were instructed to leave. Shortly afterwards Dr. Mackay of Tamsui and Dr. Maxwell, of Formosa left for the Mainland meaning to return immediately. Just then the blockade was proclaimed, and neither of them was able to return. So that for the last two months the only missionaries in Formosa have been Dr. Anderson and Mr. Shaw. We have had no letters from them for about a month : we are glad to learn through the consul that they are keeping well, though no doubt they feel the circumstances somewhat trying.
In the Mission at Amoy there has also been no disturbance and things seem going on very much as usual. For some time after the bombardment at Foochow, when the movements of the French fleet were uncertain there was a good deal of excitement, which affected the work somewhat by preventing the missionaries, and colporteurs, from going journeys into the country as freely as usual, delaying the opening of some of the schools and lessening the attendance at others &c. But since the French have concentrated their efforts upon Formosa, things seem to have returned very much to their usual condition. Some time ago I spent a fortnight in
54 TE0UBLE8 IS NORTH POEMOSA. Januarv-
Chin-cliew where Dr. Grant resides and carries on hospital work. During that time I heard and saw nothing amongst the people different from what might be seen in time of peace, except occasional enquires as to whether there was any news. The preaching-hall on the street has been closed during the temporary excitement, but might quite well be opened again now.
I have confined myself to giving a simple statement of events up to the present time : any speculation as to the future would be quite useless.
TROUBLES IN NORTH FORlttOSA. By Bev. G. L. Mackay, D.D.
The following paragraphs were addressed to the Editor simply as a note, but we have thought best to insert them in this part of the Becorder in near relation to the other article on the same subject.
A T present I can only give a few facts regarding the troubles in North Formosa. Perhaps it may not be without some interest to note the following.
First. The work was never in such a prosperous condition as in 1884, before the French bombardment of Kelung. There were thirty-five chapels with as many trained native preachers — twenty- six students in the college and thirty-seven girls in the school at Tamsui. Upwards of one thousand had been baptized — on the whole the people were never more friendly and well disposed.
Second. The arrival of the French changed the whole aspect of affairs. At once converts became objects of suspicion and hatred. Head-men who had concealed hatred came to the front and stirred up the masses, villians living on the border land near the savages combined to plunder, and almost with the first outbreak levelled seven chapels to the ground — looted the houses of converts and beat many of them. All this took place in one district, being the one in which Tamsui and Kelung lay. According to latest accounts the other two districts were still quiet.
At Kelung where there was a large congregation, there is desolation all around. Converts are scattered and hounded from place to place.
Two of the chapels destroyed were large buildings of cut stone, and finished last June. The converts at one of the stations named, gave four hundred and fifty dollars towards erecting their own church which included rooms for preacher and family, teacher and pupils. Now all is in ruins. By latest accounts converts were standing faithful and true. It is impossible now to give a more detailed account.
February.] echoes from othee lands. 55
ldj0$5 km ftjer faitb.
In default of receiving all the news we would desire directly from our friends, we purpose gleaning from the periodicals of the home lands, such items as we think may be of interest to those of our readers in China who may not have access to the numerous publications of the different societies. We will also, so far as we can, give short notices of the various articles to be found in the home journals relating to China and the Chinese.
ECCLESIASTICAL RELATIONS OF MISSIONARY CHURCHES.
The article by Dr. Talmage in the present number of the Becorder, will be the better understood from the following extract from the Proceedings of the last Pan-Presbyterian Council. The subject of the ecclesiastical relations of missionary churches to those in the home lands will demand increasing attention.
After hearing the report of the Committee on Foreign Missions appointed by the last Council, the following resolutions were adopted. "The Council receive the report, and rejoice in the strong desire of the Presbyterian Churches, generally, to secure as much as possible of unity and co-operation in Foreign Missionary work. The Council most thankfully acknowledge the loving kindness of The Lord, in having so largely and in so many lands blessed the missionary labors of the churches. At the same time, in the view of the many new and remarkable openings throughout the Heathen world for the proclamation of the Grospel of Salvation, they express their earnest hope that there may speedily be a large increase of missionary zeal and effort among the churches connected with the Alliance.
" The Council re-appoint the Committees, with instructions to communicate to the churches the expression of their hope that the desire for union may assume a more practical form. The Council refer to the Business Committee to prepare a Report founded on this Resolution, in which the names of the Committees will be suggested."
The Business Committee afterward presented the following report which was adopted. "That inasmuch as union and co- operation in Foreign Missionary work are, in manifold respects, of exceedingly great value, the Council rejoices to learn that the Church connected with this Alliance have generally expressed an earnest desire for as large a measure of such union and co-operation as it may be found possible to obtain.
66 ECHOES PEOM OTHER LANDS. [January-
" Further, tlie Council, having respect to the fact that various topics of great practical importance in the prosecution of the Foreign Missionary work still require earnest attention, appoint two Committees for the purpose of considering and reporting on such questions [Here follow the names of those appointed.]
''In particular, inasmuch as there are two questions that appear to be of special importance in connection with union and co-operation in missionary effort, viz., the constitution of Mission Presbyteries, and the relations of the Mission churches to Home Churches, — the Council, feeling the importance of encouraging self-development, and self-government in native churches, — thank- fully recognizing the amount of union already realized, or in process, in China, Japan, South Africa, Trinidad, and New Hebrides, instructs the Committees to approach the various churches con- nected with this Alliance with the expression of the Christian and brother by regards of the Council, soliciting at the same time, an early expression of their views, and suggestions on these important topics. Further, in view of reported restrictions and hindrances to missionary work, in various fields, the Council agrees that in the event of an executive committee of the Council being appointed at a subsequent meeting, it be part of the duty of such executive to adopt means for the removal of hindrances, and for the deliverance of preachers and converts from persecution.
''Finally, whilst rejoicing greatly because of the accounts brought to them by their beloved missionaries, and acknowledging with heartfelt gratitude the goodness of the Lord in so graciously blessing the efforts already made for the proclamation of the Gospel in all the world : — The Council would remind their brethren in the fellowship of the Lord, that an adequate response to his call will never be given until every Christian who has received the gospel, owns that in respect of this gospel, he is a debtor to a Christless world, and in a spirit of self sacrificing love, prays, works, and gives, for the universal extension of the kingdom of Grod ; and the Council therefore express the earnest hope that, with a new conse- cration of heart, ministers, office-bearers, and members of Churches will endeavor, to the utmost of their ability, to fulfil the command- ment of Him to whom all power is given in Heaven and Earth.^'
THE NUMBER OP BUDDHISTS IN CHINA.
In a note'to a lecture on the "Insufficiencies of Buddhism as a Religion," by the Rev. M. L. Gordon, M.D., of Kiyoto, Japan, he gays : — The Rev. Dr. Happer, in the Chinese Recorder for December, 1883, has an interesting discussion of the question as to the number of Buddhists in the world. He shows very clearly that the large
I
February.] echoes peom other lands. 57
numbers given to tbe followers of Shaka has been readied by an entirely different method from that pursued in taking the census of Christians. Following the latter method, he estimates the number of Buddhists in China as 20,000,000 ; in the world (in round numbers) 72,000,000. I cannot but believe these numbers are too small to represent the influence of Shaka in the world. However, two things cannot be too well borne in mind; (1) that Buddhism is nowhere the exclusive religion of a people ; and (2) that the monks alone, not the lay adherents, are members of the church. On (1) compare Rhys David^s Buddhism, page 7. On (2) Cf. Oldenburg, Buddha pp. 162 and 381. As in the Buddhism of ancient India, so in that of modern Japan, no lack of belief, no laxity of morals nothing except disrespect to the priesthood could lead to the disci- pline of a lay-brother. A formal excommunication of unbelieving, unworthy, or scandalously-living lay-brothers, there was not, and as a result of circumstances, there could not be.
MOHAMMEDANS IN SHANSE.
The A. B. C. F. M. calls for three men, including one physician, for North China. The North China Mission of the same Board, calls for twelve new missionaries to occupy important centres in the midst of millions of people unreached by other agencies. The Eev. C. D. Tenney, A. B. C. F. M., of Taiku, Shense, reports that there are some 15,000 Mohammedans in that city. He writes to the Mission- ary Herald: —
''Several of the Mohammedans dropped in to our Sunday morning service a few weeks ago, and hearing that I had the Scrip- tures in Arabic, a delegation called on Monday morning. They seemed quite startled to find other Scriptures than the Koran written in their sacred language, and the fact of my having the Arabic Scriptures went far toward gaining their respect. We had a long and earnest conversation on the subject of the Christian faith. It seemed strange, after talking with those who have such difficulty in comprehending the most elementary truths of religion, to have these men lead directly to such questions as the nature of Christ, the necessity of an atonement, and the second coming of our Lord."
" The first question with which they plied me related to the divinity of Christ. ' If we said that he was the Son of God, did Grod have a wife V And, ' If we said that Christ was Grod, did we not limit and degrade God, and lose the idea of his infinity V They seemed to be satisfied with my explanation that Christ is called Son of God because his body was created without an earthly father, and because God*s Spirit dwelt in him. I assured them that our doctrine does not diminish God, but that, while in Christ, he is still the omnipotent and omnipresent God. Then we took up the doctrine
58 ECHOES PROM OTHER LANDS. [January-
of the atonement. I told them that the weakness of their system was that they had no provision for the redemption of sin, and I told them how Christ suffered that we might go free. They seemed to be much interested in this truth, though in reply to my saying that they had no doctrine of redemption from sin an old man gravely remarked that they had the doctrine of forgiveness, and daily prayed God to forgive.
'' The next day several others called, and before leaving asked me to explain to them our doctrine of the atonement. In response to their urgent request, Mr. Stimson and myself attended their worship. As it was conducted in Arabic, it was unintelligible to us. The service consisted of chanting, oral and silent prayers, with many kneelings and prostrations. The leader told us with pride that their worship was precisely like the worship at Mecca. We were pleased to see an Arabic Testament, which we had presented to them, lying on the table with their own sacred books.
" The leader, a priest of the Taiku community, is reading the Old Testament now, and comparing it with the teaching of the Koran. He came to me the other day with the passage : ' In the day that God created man, in the image of God made he him,^ and asked if it were possible that we taught that God had a body like Adam's. A little explanation satisfied him with the truth of the passage rightly interpreted. These Mohammedans seem surprised to know that there are Christians who neither worship images as the Roman- ists, who have been in China so long, nor in any way divide the honor due to God alone. The minor resemblances in our forms of worship also surprise them. When we were at their service I overheard one man telling the others that our worship was so nearly like theirs that we even said 'Amen' at the end of our prayers as they did."
INNER MONGOLIA.
Mr. Geo. Parker, (China Inland Mission), calls for missionaries for twelve stations, two in Inner Mongolia, two in Outer Mongolia, two in Kansuh proper, two in Outer Kansuh, three in Turkistan, and two in Sungarea, most of which stations he says would be five hundred miles, or a month's journey, apart. In The Regions Beyond, Mr. Parker reports having traveled over three thousand miles in North Kansuh, and having sold ten thousand portions of Scripture in Chinese. The Roman Catholics have entered Kansuh since 1876, and have now at least seven stations. He reports regarding this interesting and little known region, as follows : —
" The resident who superintends the Mongol tribes south of the desert resides at Ninghia. Two chieftains rule this extensive territory, one having his capital three days' journey west of Ninghia^
February.] bchois fbom other lands. 5^
across the mountains. A Chinese, or rather Manchu, princess is always given to this king of the Eluths. I have visited the place, and had an interview with the chiefs brother. The second is king of the Artos, and rules the nomads within the great northern bend of the Yellow River. There is said to be also a resident at Shen-mu, in the north of Shensi, with the oversight of six chiefs. Ninghia is 400 miles from the capital.
"Ku-ku Lake province is under a resident at Sining. The most important bordertown in Western Kansuh is, however, Hochau, which gives easy access to Lapelong, perhaps the most important trad- ing town within the Tibetan territory of Western Kansuh. Hochau is so wonderfully surrounded by various tribes, that if the door were shut that gives access to Outer Mongolia, Sungaria, and Turkistan, the races that inhabit those regions could all be evangelized in the remnants that are accessible from Hochau. One day east of Hochau is a large tribe of Mongols, who, 200 years ago, accepted the Moslem faith and retained their own lands, rather than flee westward or perish by the sword. They speak Chinese equally well with their mother-tongue. They are called Tu-ren (aborigines). Three days northwest, on the banks of the Yellow River, is a Turkish immigration called Sa-la (the Turks in Turkestan are called Chau-teo). The Sa-la are divided into eight tribes, but four Tibetan tribes joined them, making in all twelve, so that there are Tibetan Mohammedans as well as Mongols. Some of the Sa-la speak Tibetan and Chinese as well as their mother Turki. Three or four days southwest is Lapelong, the Tibetan frontier-town, so that three brethren, sent by the churches to three nations, could live in Hochau and acquire the tongues, and get converts for spreading the knowledge of salvation in Lassa, Yarkand, and Uliasutai."
ITEMS PROM china's MILLIONS.
Chinah Millions for December, quotes from The Christian, as follows : — " Our Readers will remember that not very long ago, Mr. Hudson Taylor and other friends were led to lay a definite petition before God that He would speedily send forth seventy additional labourers to China's vast and needy field. This prayer has now been more than answered. Reckoning the various parties whose departures are fixed for within the next few weeks, more than seventy men and women will have gone forth since the petition was first presented, to proclaim in different j parts of China the Gospel of God's grace."
In the same number of China^s Millions is a letter from Dr. Wm. Wilson of Hanchung Fu, telling of the opening of their hospital. Mr. and Mrs. Eason writes from Yunan Fu of their access to the people, and of a journey Mr. Eaaon made in July to ten cities
UO ECHOES FROM OTHER LANDS. [January-
about five days distant. He says " I hope to visit these parts again before very long. I feel that it is so important to commence work Boon in these surrounding towns, as the Komanists have not yet attempted anything except at one place ; but if we let the oppor- tunity go by, they may gain a footing before us. Can you not send us more helpers ?" Mr. Broumton of Kweiyang Fu, Kweichow, tells of two "Miao-ts'i" Christians, who had felt compelled to leave their home in consequence of persecutions.
The November number of China's Millions, has an extended report of The Flood in South Shensi. Mr. Henry W.Hunt, of Ts'in- chau, Kansuh, gives a long and interesting report of an adventur- ous journeying in that distant region, during which he travelled 500 miles, called at 30 cities and towns, and sold over 2.300 books.
ITEMS FROM THE CHRONICLE.
The Chronicle of the London Missionary Soc. for December, has a bright, picturesque article on " China and its Superstitions" — the second of a series — by Mrs. Bryson, formerly of Wuchang ; and a letter from Rev. T. W. Pearce of Canton, with a date as late as October 6th, telling of the persecutions of native Christians in that region. Rev. Jas. Gilmour, writes, Sept. 16, of the state of public feeling in Peking, " Generally people are badly scared, and this excitement must retard our work greatly as long as it lasts, our boys school has suffered from it, and our Sunday congregations are also somewhat smaller. The wildest rumours are afloat, and people's hearts fail them for fear. My own opinion is that we shall be in no personal danger of a serious kind as long as the Govern- ment lasts. Brickbats &c., we may expect j but as long as there is a Government which wishes to keep the peace we are safer in Peking than any where else.**** I feel that there come to the chapel now men who would come under no other circumstances."
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.
We clip the '[following items from The London and China Express : — The spirit of enterprise '^is not altogether dead yet. I notice with pleasure that we are about to have another foreign and another Chinese organ here shortly. The foreign paper is to be a semi-weekly, to be issued Wednesdays and Saturdays, whilst the Chinese paper is to be a magazine, probably issued monthly. To this latter will be added a daily as soon as the affair is in proper swing. Science and religion are to be treated of in the magazine, and ordinary topics in the daily.
The photographing of the Treaty of Tientsin a few months ago by the Chinese Government in order to prove their good faith in respect to that document has been stated in some quarters to be a
February.] echoes from other lands. 61
novel application of photography to diplomacy. This is a mistake. In 1842 the Treaty of Nanking, between England and China, after the opium war, was copied by the process of Mr. Fox Talbot, and is at this moment in the archives of the Foreign-office.
A correspondent writes : — Printing establishments are gradually increasing in Shanghai. I have seen Mr. Matsuno, a Japanese gentlemen, who very courteously showed me around the Japanese printing office lately established in Canton-road. There I was shown a variety of printing presses made in Japan, of creditable manufacture. They are mostly on modern principles, that is, of the self-inking kinds. One of them worked with a treadle.
AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN MISSION, SOUTH.
From The Missionary of November, the organ of the American Presbyterian Church (South), we learn that Messrs. Wood and Woodbridge had secured a site of a residence in Chinkiang. Mr. Stuart reports from Hangchow that *' the officials in the city have sent a deputy to one of the mission houses to inquire the nationality of the missionaries;" the object being, as the deputy said, " to make arrangements for the protection of subjects of neutral powers." No inconvenience had been experienced from the political disturbances.
WORK FOR COREA.
The Rev. Evan Bryant, of The British and Foreign Bible Society, reports at length in The Christian World regarding a tour into Manchuria, as far as Mukden. The work of the United Presby- terians of Scotland interested him much. He especially mentions Mr. Ross' Corean press : — From that little press thousands of copies of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and of the Acts, have been issued, and many of them have already found their way into the hands of Corean readers by means of our colporteurs and other Christians, and some of the readers have thereby been led to believe in our Lord and Saviour. That press is a very small machine, worked easily by two men ; but ^ho can tell the mighty issues of the Christian Scriptures and tracts which are printed there, and thence sent forth through the barriers into Corea ? These books are mightier than the mightiest earthly dynamite, and will ere long, I believe, together with the other potent forces which are now silently beating on Corea, overturn all the barriers which have hitherto withstood and hindered the coming of Christ into the realm.
Mr. Bryant gives the case of a Corean convert as follows ; — The new born Corean brother has a history of no mean character. Told in brief,, it is to the following effect : His surname is Liu, and h© is a Tsin 8z, or a scholar of the third degree, which
62 ECHOES FROM OTHER LANDS. [January-
is a very high grade in the estimation of his countrymen, as is the corresponding degree in China. He is highly connected, also, in a district to the south of the Corean capital ; but he is now a fugitive from the land of his birth and the home of his fathers. About two years ago he and a number of other scholars presented a petition to their king, asking His Majesty to take measures toward getting His Majesty's Royal father released from the degradation of a Chinese prison and restored to his country. In that petition the brave scholars ventured to offer words of reproof to His Majesty for his hitherto apparent supineness in the matter, and for his therefore seeming want of filial piety. This daring deed cost their lives to some of the scholars, and heavy fines and imprisonment and banishment to others. Our newly baptized brother, Liu, was first imprisoned, and then banished to join the army in a district adjoin- ing Chinese teritory. Seven months before his baptism he had an opportunity to cross the boundary into Chinese soil. The oppor- tunity was not neglected. He soon met a colporteur, and obtained from him copies of the gospels of John and Luke and a copy of the Acts. The mysteries of the first chapter of John's gospel puzzled him : the colporteur, unable to fully explain matters to him, led him to Mukden, where he received the needful instruction, confessed his faith in the Lord Jesus, and was baptized on the 27th of April.
PERSECUTIONS AT SWATOW.
The following case of persecution is reported by Rev. H. L. Mackenzie, of the English Presbyterian Mission, Swatow. It throws light on the facts given by Dr. Graves in the last number of The Recorder.
" A very severe persecution has broken out at Kong-pheng. The gospel has been preached in that town for nearly ten years, and now a little flock of fifty converts has been gathered in. Ten or eleven of these are Kong-pheng people ; the others are from villages in the neighborhood. Owing to its distance, we have paid fewer visits to Kong-pheng than to our other stations ; it is between five and six days' journey from Swatow. It has been graciously ordered hitherto that no persecution worth speaking of has distressed the Christians there, though once and again their heathen neighbors have threatened to assault and plunder them. I have sometimes wondered that such a long time of peace was granted to the congregation there, and that they and we enjoyed such freedom from the worry and care of '^ cases." But at length, and this too is in the good providence of God, the storm has burst, and the little flock is feeling, and we with them, the rage and violence of the enemy.
February.] echoes, from other lands. 63
'^ On the 30fcli ult., [September] at an early hour, the mob, encouraged by the leading people of the town, attacked the chapel, beat the preacher in charge, and plundered him and his wife and children of all their goods, save the clothes they wore. They then broke down the chapel, carrying away the furniture and wood- work— everything, in fact, that was worth taking. Had their rage ceased then, it would not have been so bad. But evidently the mob was incited not only to attack the chapel and preacher, the center of the good work in Kong-pheng : they were determined to vent their rage on those of their own people who had joined the hated " foreign religion." They pillaged and destroyed in succession no fewer than eight houses of the converts. Some of these houses were, we are informed, not only emptied of all that could be carried off, but also completely broken down. The very walls were " razed,'' and the doors and window frames taken. It will give you some idea of the determination of the mob when I tell you that four of the houses attacked are in villages in the neighborhood of Kong- pheng, one of these being about a third of a mile distant, one over a mile, and one about two miles.
" The rioters intended to attack another village in which there are a considerable number of Christians ; but on hearing that the heathens and Christians had combined and were prepared to show fight, they desisted. It seems that in former years Chhenow, the village in question, and Kong-pheng have had feuds; hence the unusual combination of the villagers. Christian and non- Christian. The immediate pretext for this out-break of mob violence was the repair and extension of our chapel premises. For years we have felt the need of more suitable accommodation ; indeed, the place we put up in on our visits to the station was positively unhealthy, and both we and the native preachers have in some measure suffered from living in it. We resolved to improve the house, and make some needful additions to it this year ; the commencement of this work was the signal for those who had long been waiting to find occasion against us. The " gentry" of the town applied to the district magistrate, asking him to stop the building. They complained that the height to which it was to be raised would injure the prosperity of the town, etc. Now the fact is that the walls of the new part were to be only fourteen feet high, a height exceeded in several houses in Kong-pheng.
"The magistrate/efused to interfere, declined to listen to their complaint. The " gentry" then took the law into their own hands, and taking advantage of the excitement produced by an idolatrous procession, intended to prevent cholera, they easily incited the
64 ECHOES PROM OTHER LANDS. [January-
townspeople to begin and carry out the work of pillage and destruc- tion of whicli I now write.
'' It was resolved tliat two of our number should go to Hai- Fung district city to see the magistrate, and then, if the way was at all open, to Kong-pheng or neighborhood to meet the Christians. But, on communicating with the English consul, he declined to hold himself responsible for our safety in the present state of angry excitement between France and China, and advised that none of us should go. Accordingly we have put off going for the present, and are doing what we can in this painful case by means of our native brethren, seconded by letters from the consul to the Tautai and to the Hai-Fung magistrate. We have just heard that the magistrate went to Kong-pheng to inquire into, the matter, and also that, thus far he has expressed himself with an unmistakable animus against the chapel and those who frequented it."
PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS A VIOLATION OP TREATY RIGHTS.
On the 15th, of October, the Kev. Dr. Yates wrote to his home Board; — I think you might, with propriety call the attention of the State Department to the wanton violation of the 29th Article of the United States treaty with China, in regard to the persecution of Chinese Christians. At a little distance from the seat of active war much valuable property has been destroyed by mobs, and much suffering inflicted upon unoffending native Christians, in the des- truction of their dwellings, in destroying their crops, and in stripes without number, and in imprisonment. And all this is connived at, if not instigated by the officials and their subordinates ; for when appealed to for aid and protection, they give an evasive answer, or thrust the applicant into the street again. The end of war is not yet. No one can tell when to expect peace, but " all things shall work together for good," etc.
METHODS OP TEACHING THE PEOPLE.
The Rev. Jas. Webster, of the Scotch United Presbyterian Mission, writes of a journey made from Newchwang into East Manchuria, accompanied by Mr. Harmon of the British, and Foreign. Bible Society. We quote two of his remarks as to methods of reaching the people.
" Every few miles we had an opportunity, if we liked, of con- versing with the people, for every village, has its temple or temples, and we seldom passed one of these, large or small without going aside and paying it a visit. One of our seed baskets consisted of a bundle of illustrated sheets, with four Chinese characters in large type, "Yea Su Sheng Chiao," — the holy religion of Jesus, and
February.] echoes from othee lands. 65
setting forth in a very happy manner such subjects as the creation
of the world, the fall of man, and the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ. We must add, that we were also armed with a brush and a huge pot of paste, and wherever a suitable sur- face presented itself adorned it with one of our sheets. The temples were admirably adapted to our purpose, and whenever we stepped aside and commenced the operation of posting our bill, the villagers rushed out from the shops and homes to see what the Foreign Demon was doing to the 'Miao.' The operation over, we usually gave them a little time to allow their curiosity to intensify, and then began to explain the pictures, with the heading for our text, the gospel pictures outside and the heathen idols within the temple for our illustrations, shortly, simply, and to the best of our ability, preaching Jesus unto them."
"Nothing we said received such an appreciative hearing as did a quotation from the writings of their own wise men, and nothing served our purpose better for edging in the gospel than a simple sentence from the classics. But I was much struck with the drawing power of something not to be found in the Chinese classics. When endeavoring to show them how Jesus differed from their own wise men, how He not only preached holy doctrine, but that in the room of sinful men every where He sorrowed, suffered, and died upon the tree, not only giving us truth, but giving Himself for us that we might have everlasting life and blessedness, the effect was very striking. I think that we were nearer the hearts of the motley throng then than at other times, and that they were drawn nearer Christ. The classics are good, and very helpful doubtless to the preacher; but it is not the classic, but the Cross, that will lead China back to God, — I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me."
A MARTYR.
Eev. R. Lechler of the Basle Mission, Hongkong, relates the following case of recent martyrdom.
'^A man of some ability, one of their Christian people, had been preaching for some months in a village, until one day he was seized by the people, dragged away to a neighboring temple, and commanded to burn incense. When he positively refused, they were enraged, and replied that he must burn incense or die. With- out hesitation he answered, ' I will never offer incense to another idol as long as I live. Kill me if you will, but I can never deny the Lord Jesus who died for me.' They took him then straight- way to a steep, precipice, where they cut off his head, and threw his body into the stream below."
THE METHODIST MISSION SOUTH.
Miss R. Rankin of the Methodist Mission South at Nanziang, writes "Pleasant College has thirty-five scholars, the day school for girls six, and the boys' school is full. All of the Nanziang
66 ECHOES FROM OTHER LANDS. [January-
girls came in on Saturday ; and yesterday and to day women came and begged and pleaded to have their children admitted. I can- not possibly accommodate more than I have already, even if it seemed best to receive new pupils under existing circumstances. The school work promises to go on smoothly this session. The matron is able to take charge of her department, and I am at liberty to devote more time to my own class-work as well as general superintendence of the whole. Gradually but surely Pleasant Col- lege is assuming a real school-like appearance.'^
Mrs. A. P. Parker of the same Mission, Soochow, reports that her girFs school has neither diminished nor increased during the last half year, the number being still twenty eight.
The Rev. W. W. Royall, writes to the '^ Woman's Missionary Advocate," that much of the Chinese fugitive literature is the very quintescence of Police Gazette-ism. ^' When I get back to America, if I am spared to do so, I am going to hunt for the man who thinks the heathen not so bad after all ^ they live up to the light they have,' etc. I think, when I shall have done with him, he will let that subject drop."
Dr. Allen reports in " the Advocate of Missio7is/' for September, that the number of pupils in the Anglo-Chinese College was 200, 10 per cent of whom have professed faith in Christianity. He thinks persecution is a good thing, and that in China we have not had half enough of it. With reference to the agitation in Japan of the adoption of the Foreign Religion, he says ; ^' Such a policy is historical, and has been adopted by the natives from the time of Constantino, in Europe and the Islands of the sea. And if I am not mistaken, it will be followed at no distant date in the case of Japan, and later on by China herself. There are far more influences being exerted on the history of China and Japan, favorable to their ultimate conversion to Christianity, than most missionaries are aware of, I regret to say, and hence I sometimes fear our plans and measures are not broad enough nor adequate in their concep- tion to the great demands which in a few years will claim the attention of the Church."
CHINESE SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION, NEW YORK.
Mr. Sidney L. Grulick, (a theological student in New York) reports in The Evangelist^ the organization of the Chinese Sunday School Union, and, its opening reception, on the 25th of November, in its new rooms.
"The enthusiastic meeting of May last in the Broadway Tabernacle, at which twenty-two schools were represented and took part, was the first tentative effort of the Union, and so marked was the success, and so widespread were the expressions of interest and approval, not only from those personally engaged in the work, but
February.J echoes fkom other lands. 67
from many others, that the Union has found itself from the very beginning supported by the sympathies of the Cliristian public with a heartiness that is most gratifying.
^^And not only from Christians does this support come ; the Chinese themselves are deeply interested in its success. Those who most fully comprehend its object and field of work, are its most ardent supporters. The Chinese Minister at Washington, and the Consul in this city have already given $140 each toward the finan- cial support of the Union. The Consul has attended many of its meetings, despite his unfamiliarity with our language, and the necessarily business nature of the meetings. He is so far interested in Sunday school work as to allow a younger brother and his own son of eleven years to attend the Sunday school of the Church of the Strangers, and they are among the brightest of the scholars."
ENGLISH PRESBYTBEIAN MISSION.
At the Annual meeting of the English Presbyterian Mission, held in Edinburgh, " The statement of accounts showed that sub- scriptions and donations amounted during the year to £1,968 ; the total of the items on the income side of the balance-sheet was £3,033. The thirteenth report of the progress of the Mission stated that — notwithstanding the disturbing effects of the French action in the Bast, and the jealously of Christianity aroused by France and by the Romish missionaries who are under the protection of France, the Mission work had throughout the year continued steadily to go forward. There are now in connection with the Mission ninety-five places of worship, where congregations regularly assemble on the Lord's Day. There are also in connection with the Mission five native ministers supported by their own congregations, and a large staff of native preachers of the gospel, supported chiefly by the native Church. The communicants connected with the Mission, number close on 3,000, and if to these we add baptized children, members under suspension, adherents and inquires, the total of those claiming more or less connection with the Church will not fall far short of 10,000."
EDUCATION OP CHINESE IN THE UNITED STATE.
The Superintendent of Public Schools in California has decided that Chinese children cannot become pupils in these schools ; that the language of the State Constitution shows that these schools are only intended for citizens ; and that the laws are against the Chinese in this respect, their intent being to discourage Chinese settlement, whereas education would encourage this.
The Chinese Benevolent Protective Brotherhood met on the 29th ult. in this city. Quong Song He, a merchant, observed that the law was easily circumvented. It applied to labourers and not
©o ECHOES FROM OTHER LANDS. [_January-
merchants ; to citizens of the Chinese Empire, and not to British or Spanish subjects. Any Chinaman, after providing himself with naturalisation papers from another country, could enter the United States without molestation. At Hongkong papers could be obtained for £2 10s.; French papers cost f. 40; Peruvian, £5; Spanish, $8; Chilian, $10. June Fso Tsin said that at Hongkong and Canton there were American brokers who sold bogus certificates for $25 each. Yut Sin Kee argued against the prejudices entertained to- wards Chinese, and moved ^^ that Congress be petitioned to apply the anti-immigration law to labourers of other nations." The motion was carried amidst much excitement. London and China Express.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THB PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL MISSION.
The Rev. Wm. J. Boone, now Bishop, in his Annual Report of the year ending June 30, 1884, concludes with a paragraph on the pressing needs and vast opportunities for work. — " In Shan- tung Dr. Nevius and others have worked in outlying districts without money, save for their own expenses, and after six years, at first with patient perseverence with no visible results, have (in these later years) the reward of many stations and hundreds of baptisms and a large number of unpaid helpers. I myself saw forty men of varying degrees of social and mental qualification, gathered from as many points, in the summer resting time, for daily instruction in the Grospels, which they were to repeat on their return to their homes, through the remainder of the year. The Rev. H. Corbett in another section of the province reports one hundred and fifty five received into Church fellowship during his last trip. Is any like work possible in Kiang Su ? We cannot tell until we have gone forth in like faith and tried what Grod will do. * ♦ Again Miss Fielde at Swatow, has drawn about her a number of women like unto their neighbors, save that the love of Christ has given fjhem new life, and by housing them for a time, and giving them a most admirable drill in learning and teaching, has sent them back to their homes to be centres of light. Only a few of the most efficient are employed as paid Bible women. *** The women are in far denser blindness than the men, although more hopeful to work jttmong, since humility helps them to the foot of the Cross. With puch thoughts by no means new, often pondered and talked over in our midst and with means and workers so inadequate to accomplish our yearning desires, it is but little wonder if cares weigh heavily, and even prayer seems dulled, by the feeling that we are too far oS for the Chi^rch at home to have a realizing sense of the needs, the weakness and the sorrows, of those who are more or less respon- pible for this worl^ that Grod has given our mother Church to do for Christ and Chinat"
February.] correspondence. 69
Congratulations to Dr. Happer.
The completion of forty years of missionary service for China is an event worth noting, as a number of friends of Dr. Happer, the late editor of the Chinese Recorder and Missionary Journal^ have rightly thought. We give below two of the more numerously signed of the many letters addressed to him on the event, together with Dr. Happer's response to one of them, copies of which we solicited for The Recorder^ as the proper place for their publication.
Dear Brother.
On the 22nd, of October 1884, as we are informed, forty years will have elapsed since your arrival in China.
We the undersigned, your brethren in the faith, and colleagues in the service of our Lord, residing in Peking, avail ourselves of this occasion to express our high regard for you personally, and at the same time our gratitude to Grod for sparing you so long to labor in this needy field.
Your missionary life marks an epoch. It began with the opening of the five ports : It has continued until you see Protestant missions in active operation in nearly all the provinces of this great Empire. It began when the native converts were but a handful of corn on the top of the mountain ; you have lived to see their fruit shake like Lebanon ; and we pray the Lord of the harvest to spare you to see still greater things than these.
Rejoicing in the abundance and success of your labors, we beg to offer you our united congratulations in commemoration of the Fortieth Anniversary of your life in China — a life so well fitted to encourage the churches and to stimulate the efforts of those who follow in your footsteps.
(Signed) W. A. P. Martin— John Wherry— J. L. Whiting— J. W. Lowrie— D. C. McCoy.
Peking, October 2,2th, 1884.
Dear Brother,
You have been permitted to labor for the Master in one place for the space of forty years, which is a privilege seldom enjoyed by one of our number, and we feel we cannot let such an epoch in the history of our work pass unoticed. We therefore beg you to accept our hearty congratulations, that the Lord has conferred upon you such an honor, and permitted you to occupy so many positions of great influence and usefulness, and to accomplish so much good.
May the Lord's richest blessings rest upon you in all the coming years he may grant you to labor for his glory, and if it be his holy will, grant that you may return to be still among us the Nestor of Presbyterianism,
70 coREESPONDENCB. [January-
(Signed) — J. M. W. Farnham, G. F. Fitch — Chas. Leaman, L. H. Judson— H. 0. Dubose— J. N. B. Smith, J. N. Hayes— R. E. Abbey— W. R. Lambuth— A. P. Parker— J. L. Stuart— F. V. Mills— Jno. Butler— W. W. Royall— Geo. R. Loehr— Matthew Yates — Elliot H. Thomson — Geo. W. Painter — Joseph Stonehouse — W. J. McKee,— J. W. Lambuth— Young J. Allen— W. A. Wills- Luther H. Gulick.
Shanghai, January ^ 1885.
To the Rev. Messrs. Farnham, D.D., and others ; —
Dear Brethren in the Lord, and Colleagues in the Missionary service ;
Your letter, of December 23rd, 1884, congratulating me on the occurrence of the fortieth anniversary of my arrival in China caused me great gratification, because it manifests the Christian esteem and regard of those whom I esteem highly. It is very gratifying that so many brethren in so many places and of so many different societies, with some of whom my acquaintance and christian intercourse extends over twenty years, and with all of whom my intercourse has been so pleasant, should remember the anniversary referred to and join with me in giving thanks to the God of all grace, for his great goodness to me in giving the great privilege to me of serving him so long in the Gospel of his dear Son in this heathen land. He has permitted me to see the great things which he has done, from the opening of the five ports, for his people in this land, whereof we are glad, and give thanks and praise to his name. He has permitted me to see the preparatory work for yet greater things in the future, in the accomplishment of which I trust you all may be permitted to have an important part. I hope and pray that many of you may live to see results in the way of the extension of the Christian church, and the enlighten- ment of this numerous people, vastly beyond anything which has been seen in the past.
The good wishes which you have so kindly expressed are most warmly reciprocated for each and every one of you. May long life and health be granted to you all. May the abundant blessing of God rest upon all your labors ; and may you be permitted to see the work of your hands greatly prospered. And when life's toils and labors are completed, may an abundant entrance be given unto each one of you, through the riches of his grace, into the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
I remain, dear Brethren,
Yours in Christian love.
Andrew P. Happer. Canton, China, Feb. Wi, 1885.
February.] coRREsroNDENCE. 71
New Version of an Ancient Ode.
To Editor of the Chinese Recorder, Sir:
A few weeks ago, there appeared in the N. C. Daily News an article signed "K" accompanied by a new translation of one of the odes of the Shi King. The perusal of that article and of the beautiful translation by which it was accompanied started in my mind a train of thought like this : — Whether there might not be hidden away among the neglected rubbish of our own English literature, and especially that portion of it most despised by men of culture, some gems that would pay for the labour of unearthing them. Despised by the cultured, and relegated to the Mary Anns of the nursery, it has seldom been brought under the microscope of scientific and literary men. That nothing had hitherto been done, gave me the more hope of finding something; and so with this end in view, I began on an ancient and familiar classic, which was the delight of my childhood. I trust no critic will drop this article with a sneer of scorn at the mention of the name of "Mother Goose." Let him recollect that in past days there have doubtless been Legges to obscure the beauties as well of English, G-erman, Sanskrit and Latin odes, as of Chinese. And the cold and colourless pictures conjured up by what he has read are not the same, doubtless, as those once painted by the glowing fancy of the bard.
It occurred to me at the outset, to throw aside all prejudices as to the origin of this ode; and to seek in the writers of contemporary ages for the real meaning of the piece, which, as in all really fine poetry is highly figurative and allusive. It seemed to lie on the very surface, that Goose was merely a translation of the German GanSj Persian Kaz and Latin Anser. The derivation of Mother from the German Mutter j Greek ^rirrip and Latin Mater was quite as easy. The next thing of course was to seek for such a name Anser Mater in history. The clue being so nearly perfect already and I having, as I may say, an intuitional turn of mind, my thoughts at once leaped the chasm of centuries; and I found myself infancy perusing an old nursery hexameter, long lost, beginning :
^'Anseres surgunt nocte et vocibiis maximis clamant."
My fancy depicted the weary sentinel overcome by sleep, the wily foe creeping forward on hands and feet, the silent and defenceless ramparts, the sudden clamour of the geese, the attack, the repulse. But why need I dwell upon this scene ? Will not every lover of antiquity hold. himself my debtor for having rescued this beautiful ode, so full of thrilling allusions and heroic meaning, from the
72 CORRESPONDENCE. [January-
dust and cobwebs of time ? Can any one doubt tbat the title " Ode to a Young Prince/' is correct ? The slightest attention to the form of the word " Banbury " shows that Banoburium must have been the original spelling. That bur^ or horoughj is merely the English way of spelling the German burg or berg, Greek, rrvpyo^-, all meaning a fort or walled city, Latin murum'? But argument seems superfluous, useless. I submit ray version to a candid public, and am. Sir,
Yours,
Anserum Unus.
ODE TO A TOUNa PRINCE.
Hist. Mat. Anser. I. IV. 21.
'r)^<Ui} I.
Haste, haste, thou merry laughing sprite,
Thy mother's pride and joy. Quick, mount thy steed ere darksome night
Shall cloud thy way, fair boy : Spur on thy gallant grey, And speed thy joyous way, Till Banborough's hoary turrets rise To greet thy longing eyes.
II.
There shalt thou see the lady fine,
Whose steed is snowy white, And softly tinkling bells shalt hear,
And mark the jewels bright, That make her lily fingers shine,
As do the stars of night.
III.
Where'er she speeds her happy way Shall dulcet tones and trappings gay
Bewitch thine ears and sight, And thou shalt learn of gallant deeds When Roman men and Roman steeds
Pursued the foe by night.
The following is the miserable travesty of the moderns
Ride the gray horse
To Banbury Cross To see a fine lady, upon a white horse,
With rings on her fingers And bells on her toes, She's sure to have music wherever she goes.
^»»-
February.]
OUB BOOK TABLE.
73
fur f U0fe Mlt
As many of our notices of Books must necessarily be but brief para- graphs, we throw them together below in a less formal way than usual, trusting they will be none the less valuable or readable.
We are glad to welcome a volume from Archdeacon Moule on the lHvi- dences of Christianity.* In keep- ing with the tendency of theological thought in our day, he bases his argument for Christianity on the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Having proved the fact of the Resurrection, in 'the most mas- terful sermon of the series, he next discusses what may be known of God outside of Revelation. The author's wide acquaintance with the litera- ture of the day appears in happy quotations and allusions on every page ; friends and foes are made to contribute their facts to the solu- tion of the question ; and we are agreeably surprised to find a passage from a striking essay by our former pastor the Rev. J. P. Thompson of New York, now numbered among those who know as they are known. The Bible is then taken up ; its difficulties, scientific and moral, are discussed, in a spirit that one would think must be very helpful to any honest doubter ; and then the posi- tive testimony to the authenticity of the Bible as a Revelation from God is given, the weight of the argument being made to rest on Christ's endorsement of it. Two sermons follow on the probable, and positive, evidence of a Future Life. The series closes with a ser- mon on Heaven, in which the pious and poetic tendencies of the author find their happiest expression. We well know the difficulty of covering the whole field of thought in one
• Reasons for the Hope that is in us. Kme Sermons preached in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Shanghai, by the Ven. Archdeacon Moule, B.D., Shanghai. Kelly & Walsh, 1884; pp. 122. [Price 75 cents to $1.00].
t Old Highways in China, by Isabelle Williamson, of Chcfoo, North-China. The Seligioufl Tract Society, 1884. [Sold by Kelly & Walsh. Price $2.00].
short series of short sermons, and we cannot but recognize the fact that the Archdeacon has successfully touched upon a number of the more important difficulties troubling the minds of many thinking men of our day ; yet we cannot sup- press the wish that the question of Inspiration had received a fuller treatment. The battle between the sceptical and believing schools of thought will, if we mistake not, more and more concentrate itself on this point as the one involving the solution of the deep questions as to existence of the Super-natural, and what are the possible modes of its revelation to man.
Old Highways in Chinaf is a very readable addition to the mis- sionary literature of these lands. It is a record of three journeys in Shantung, and one through Shan- tung and Chihli. It is not, we are told, in the preface, a missionary journal, but a record of everyday life during journeys. The authoress emphasizes the natural endowments of the women, who are the compeers, she says, of the men in activity and intelligence. She urges the neces- sity of reaching the women of China if this country is to be converted to Christianity, "I look," says she, " upon work among the women of the East as now the great question of the church;" and she concludes her preface with the new version of Psalm Ixviii, 11 — " The Lord giveth the word, and the women that bring glad tidings are a great host." Having recently travelled over some of the same regions, we can testify to the general accuracy of her descriptions, though the impression her reports leave on our minds is that she happily saw the rosy
n
OUR BOOK TABLE.
side of Chinese life. Her chapters very pleasantly supplement many of those of her husband in his "Travels in North China." As is natural,