L/ University of Chicago libraries ROBERT MORRISON A MASTER-BUILDER >i Ctttn Pai fins' by >;ery , 182$ ROBERT MORRISON AND TWO OK HIS CHINESE ASSISTANTS ROBERT : MORRISON MARSHALL BROOMHALLu EDITORIAL SECRETARY, CHINA INLAND MISSION AUTHOR OF Islam in China, Pioneer Work in Hunan, In Quest of God, faith and Fucts, etc. wg o-o<j>bs i Cor. iii. ib LONDON :j f STUDENT CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT 32 RUSSELL SQUARE, W.C.I jj \ 1927 I First Published, March 1924 Second Impression, May 1927 ./l/i& awrf Printed in Great Britain by Tmnlull &= Sfears, Edinburgh 798406 EDITORIAL NOTE THIS volume is the fourth of a uniform series of new missionary biographies, in the preparation of which a group of unusually able writers are collaborating. The enterprise is being undertaken by the United Council for Missionary Education. While these volumes contain a large amount of valuable new material, this is not their main ob- jective. The aim rather is to give to the world of to-day a fresh interpretation and a richer under- standing of the life and work of great missionaries. K. M. A. E. C. U.C.M.E. 2 EATON GATE S.W.I TO THE REV. CHENG CHING-YI, D.D. CHAIRMAN OF CHINA'S FIRST NATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONFERENCE THIS LIFE OF THE FIRST PROTESTANT MISSIONARY TO THAT GREAT COUNTRY IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATE!) " We express our appreciation for the work of the missionaries who through untold difficulties have blazed the way and laid down the foundation of a great structure for national evangelization, and for the Christian Churches in the West through whose faithful support the missionary work has been developed and attained its present growth." " We Chinese Christians declare that we have the commission from the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, to proclaim the Gospel to every creature." " We confidently hope that the time will soon come when the Church of China will repay in part for that which she has bountifully received from her mother Churches in the West, the loving tributes of the daughter contributions in thought, life and achievement for the enrichment of the Church catholic." From The Message of the Church, The Report of Commission III of the National Christian Conference, which Commission was composed of Chinese Christians only, with Dr Cheng Ching-yi as Chairman. viil AUTHOR'S PREFACE c " THE pioneer is forgotten wrote Robert Morrison in a fit of depression. To him in his lonely post it seemed so, but the statement is not true for all time. The pioneer, like the prophet, may be despised or even slain by his contemporaries, but posterity will build his tomb. In Morrison's case he lived to be honoured beyond most missionaries, and time has only added lustre to his name. It is fitting that his life and work should be again recalled, for a new and promising chapter in the evangelization of China has commenced. The Chris- tian Church which Morrison set forth to found in the land of Sinim has lately claimed the right to administer her own affairs where able to do so. The great gulf between a land with no followers of Christ | we speak of the Protestant Church alone and a I land with a Church strong enough to desire self- | government, has, thank God, been bridged. On | the one side of that great span stands Morrison, the | dauntless master-builder, and on the other side the I first National Christian Conference which met at I Shanghai less than two years ago. I It was the writer's privilege to be present on that memorable occasion in I May 1922, when twelve | hundred delegates, half of whom were Chinese repre- | sentatives of widely scattered Churches, unan- imously elected a distinguished Chinese Christian to fill the Chair. The day had dawned when tlje ix Robert Morrison missionary body were called upon to recognize that they must be willing to decrease that the indigenous Church might increase. To gaze at that gathering, to hear it sing Luther's triumphant battle song " A safe stronghold our God is still," was to be impressively reminded of the fact that the pioneers and martyrs of the past had not suffered and died in vain. And among that cloud of witnesses Robert Morrison naturally stands alone primus inter pares. The chief sources for the personal element in Robert Morrison's life are the invaluable journals and letters preserved in the Memoirs compiled by his widow ; A Parting Memorial published by Morrison himself in 1826 ; and William Milne's A Retrospect of the 'First Ten Years. To these must be added a brief and instructive study of Morrison which appeared in The Presbyterian of August 28th, 1913, by Mr R. S. Robson of the Presbyterian His- torical Society of England, resident in Newcastle, to whom the writer is indebted for this and other aid gladly given. For the setting and background the writer has enjoyed a residence of more than ten years in China, a brief stay in Canton and neighbourhood, and a fairly close acquaintance with the needful literature. No attempt has been made to indicate by foot- notes the writer's many obligations, though some authorities have been named where this seemed called for. The story has of necessity been told from a western standpoint, for it is the life of a westerner whose trials and difficulties largely arose from the antagonism of China to any world but her own. It is freely acknowledged that there is a mutual Author's Preface xi for the clash of two conflicting civiliza- \ responsibility " to a Chinese You cannot tions, for quote proverb, } ' clap with one hand." If more emphasisnas""Been latd^jpo^TtEe'o'bsturantism of China than upon the selfish aggressions of the West, it is from no desire to gloss over the sins of the western world, but because the strict limits of this biography have not permitted a discussion of the larger question. The quotations at the head of most chapters are taken from Morrison's own writings, because in no other way could his views on many subjects be included in so small a volume. The task to which Morrison consecrated his powers is as yet only partially accomplished. The evangelization of one quarter of the human race is a greater undertaking than is generally recognized. There is still ample scope for the pioneer in vasfo unoccupied regions, there are tribal languages un- \ mastered and unreduced to writing, which are still I without the music of the Gospel story ; there are \ millions of Chinese Moslems for whom practically I is ) nothing has been done ; and there yet unlimited scope for fellowship and camaraderie with the \ Chinese leaders in the older and more developed stations. May this story of the labours of an un- daunted master-builder stir the Christian Church anew to fresh effort to complete the enterprise and " to bring forth the headstone with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it." MARSHALL BROOMHALL CHINA INLAND MISSION, LONDON January IQth, 1924 55 ,' CONTENTS PAOH AUTHOR'S PREFACE ix TABLE OF DATES xv CHIP. I. THE GREAT CLOSED LAND ... 1 II. A GREAT TRADITION AND A LITTLE CHILD ...... 6 III. THE HIDDEN MAN OF THE HEART . 14 IV. HIGH EMPLOY 22 V. THE CALL OF CHINA .... 27 VI. THE VOYAGE 35 VII. OLD CANTON 41 VIII. FACING LIFE'S TASK .... 51 IX. SOME MOMENTOUS DECISIONS . 60 X. OVERLAPPING EXTRAORDINARY . 69 XI. A COLLEAGUE AT LAST , 74 XII. THE ULTRA-GANGES MISSION . 81 XIII. DISMISSED BUT INDISPENSABLE . 86 XIV. LONELY AND IN CONSTANT APPRE- HENSION 98 XV. AN IONA IN THE EAST , . 110 xiii xiv Robert Morrison CHAP. PAGE XVI. TRANSLATING THE SCRIPTURES . 116 XVII. SORROW UPON SORROW . 126 XVIII. AN INTERNATIONAL IMPASSE , . 135 XIX. THE GREAT FIRE . , . .145 XX. AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS . , . 152 XXI. Two YEARS IN ENGLAND , . .160 XXII. IN STRESS AND STORM . 170 XXIII. ALL MANNER OF SERVICE . .183 XXIV. MISSIONARY REINFORCEMENTS . 191 XXV. A PAINFUL PARTING . .199 XXVI. FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH . 210 XXVII. UNFADING GLORY . .222 EPILOGUE ....... 226 APPENDIXES ....... 229 INDEX ........ 235 TABLE OF DATES 1782 Birth of Robert Morrison 1783 American Independence recognized by Great Britain 1785 Removal of Morrison's family to Newcastle Birth of William Milne 1789 French Revolution. Fall of Bastille 1798. Robert Morrison joined Church in Newcastle Dr Moseley urged translation of the Scriptures into Chinese 1802 Morrison applied to Hoxton Academy as a candidate for the Ministry 1803 Reached London for residence at Hoxton Academy 1804 Applied to London Missionary Society. Entered the Missionary Academy at Gospor 1805 Settled in Londonfor the study of medicine, astronomy and Chinese Battle of Trafalgar 1807 Sailed j'or China. Reached Canton September 1th 1808 Rented the French Factory in Canton 1809 Married to Miss Mary Morton at Macao. Appointed Chinese Translator to East India Company's Factory 1810 Printed one thousand copies of the Acts of the Apostles in Chinese 1811 Translated St Luke's Gospel. Completed Chinese Grammar 1812 Chinese Edict forbidding the printing of books in Chinese on the Christian religion 1813 Mr and Mrs William Milne reached^Macao Morrison completed~transTdtion of the New Testament 1814 Tour of the Malay Archipelago by Milne '-' "'*'' Morrison's first convert, Tsae A-ko, baptized *"f 1815 Mrs Morrison and children sailed for England Mr and Mrs Milne sailed for Malacca to commence the Ultra- Ganges Mission Battle of Waterloo xv xvi Robert Morrison s 1815 Orders received from Court of Directors of the East India Company in London for Morrison's dismissal 1816 British Embassy under Lord Amherst, to Peking, with Morrison oa Interpreter Milne baptized his first convert, Leang A-fa, at Malacca 1817 Degree of Doctor of Divinity conferred upon Morrison by the University of Glasgow 1819 Death of Mrs Milne Completion of the translation of the Old and New Testaments 1820 Mrs Morrison and children returned to Macao 1821 Death of Mrs Morrison 1822 Death of William Milne Fire of Canton ; East India Company's Factory destroyed 1824 Morrison arrived in England for first and only furlough.