H
HN INN
Story of Mission
I
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CANDLIN
STUDIA IN
THE LIBRARY
VICTORIA UNIVERSITY
Toronto
John Innocent.
JOHN INNOCENT
A STORY OF MISSION WORK
IN NORTH CHINA.
BY
G. T. CANDLIN.
THE UNITED METHODIST PUBLISHING HOUSE,
12 FARRINGDON AVENUE, E.G.
1909.
EMMANUEL
THE MAGNET PRESS.
PECKHAM,
S.E.
726 1 f
CONTENTS.
FOREWORD.
Value of life lies in achievement ; With very eminent may be
otherwise, xi. For ordinary Biography this the test ; John
Innocent full right to remembrance, xii. His story the story of
the Mission ; Chief among its makers, xiii. One of the first two
to arrive on field ; Work he did permanent in its effects, xiv.
PART I.
From Birth to the Commencement of Missionary Work in
Tientsin, 1829 to 1861.
CHAPTER I.
BIRTH AND EARLY LIFE.
Birth ; Hall born ; New Connexion family ; Grandfather a
cutler; Grandmother pious, 1. Uncle William N.C. minister;
Parents attended Allen Street Sunday School ; 1845, Member at
Scotland Street ; Education meagre, 2. Thirst for knowledge ;
Conversion ; P. T. Gilton ; Night class study of Latin, 3.
Dream, 5. Teacher and tract distributor ; Began to preach at
nineteen, 6. Grandparents home ; Remarkable grandmother, 7.
Met John Addyman, 8. General effect of youthful influences, 9.
CHAPTER II.
APPRENTICESHIP IN THE ENGLISH MINISTRY.
Apprenticeship in West considered desirable for business men
in the East; M.N.C. has acted on this principle, 10. First Mis
sionary taken from home ranks ; Innocent at twenty-one minister
at Stockport ; Supply for Hall ; 1851, Supply Burslem Circuit ;
1852, Accepted as probationer ; North Shields ; Newcastle Dis
trict, 11. Met Miss Tate, 12. Sent to Stockport ; Mr. Ephraim
Hallam ; Bilston Circuit seriously ill ; 1855, Went to Jersey,- 13.
1856, Married at North Shields ; Went to Jersey ; Sent to Truro,
14. Experience of English ministry useful in Missionary life, 15.
CHAPTER III.
THE CALL.
1859, Manchester Conference ; Large Connexional increase ;
Prosperous condition of Connexion ; New Mission to China pro
posed, 16. Treaty of peace with China signed by Lord Elgin
year before ; John Angell James s Appeal ; Interest of Conference
iii.
Contents
in Missions, 17. Mission to China not universally approved ;
Resolution carried in the Conference ; Missionary Committee en
thusiastic ; Previous discussions in the Church ; Foreign Mission
decided on, 18. "God s Voice from China"; Opening of ports;
Other Missionary Societies active ; China appears on list of
Stations, 1859 "John Innocent and Another," 20. Hall s
appointment ; His enthusiasm ; Medical certificate, 21. Ways and
means ; ^"1,000 promised at Conference ; Other funds forth
coming, 22. Call to go to China ; " Favourable consideration,"
23. Accepted, 24. Greatness of the call to the Missionary
life, 25.
CHAPTER IV.
THE CHOICE OF THE FIELD,
Chinese Empire ; Geographical area larger than that of
Europe, 28. Fine climate ; Rich in products, 29. Dense popu
lation, 30. Characteristics of people, 31. China the country of
great non-Christian religions, 32. Conquest of great religions by
conciliation, not mere antagonism, 34.
CHAPTER V.
THE PASSAGE OUT.
The passage out ; Preparation ; Leave-taking, 36. Valedictory,
Woodhouse Lane ; Getting on board, 37. Length of passage ;
Feelings at departure, 38. Accommodation, 39. Taking bath ;
Stormy weather ; Jonahs aboard ; Landed at Portsmouth ; Return
of Mrs. Hall and child, 40. And Mr. Innocent s son ; List of
Passengers ; Sea-sickness, 41. Flight of albatross ; Pelew
Islanders ; The baby, 42. Fishing smacks ; Sight mainland of
China; Land at Shanghai; Welcome, 43. Rest, 44.
CHAPTER VI.
THE YEAR AT SHANGHAI. A SERIOUS CHANGE OF PURPOSE.
Disturbed state on arrival ; Allies in Pekin ; New Treaty, 45.
Repulse at Taku Forts ; American Envoy refused audience, 46.
Friendships formed in Shanghai ; Wylie and Bible Society work,
47. Visit to Suchow ; Threatened by rebels, 49. Two subse
quent visits ; Cause of Tai-ping insurrection, 51. Dangerously
ill, 52. Sent to Chefoo, 53. Return ; Mrs. Innocent s joy, 55.
Determination to go North, 56. Mr. Hall reluctant, 57.
Innocent firm ; His reasons, 59. Arrival at Tientsin ; Suchow
occupied by Methodist Episcopal Mission, 60. Table showing
the date of foundation of the principal Protestant Missions in
China, with place where begun, 61.
Contents
PART II.
From the Commencement of Missionary Work in Tientsin to
the Death of Mr. Hall, 1861 to 1878.
CHAPTER VII.
THE CITY OF TIENTSIN.
The "Heavenly fords"; Situated at junction of many streams;
Size of city, 62. Suburbs ; Rampart ; Electric trams, 63. Settle
ments ; Trade of port j population ; Important official centre ; Li
Hung Chang ; Yuan Shih Kai, 64. Tientsin a modern city ;
Ta Chih Ku and Hsiao Chih Ku ; Destined to be great railway
centre, 65. Trunk line to Europe of future ; Progressive city, 66.
Education ; Newspapers ; Leads Empire politically, 67. Choice
as Mission centre a wise choice, 68.
CHAPTER VIII.
AT TIENTSIN. A PEEP INTO THE DOMESTICITIES OF A
MISSIONARY.
Dr. Blodget in Tientsin ; His removal to Pekin, 69. April 6th ;
Letter to Mrs. Innocent, 70. Words of comfort ; Desires Mrs.
Innocent to join him ; Choosing a house, 71. Preaching to
English soldiers ; Cost of servants and provisions ; Washing bill,
73. Dust storms ; Summer heat ; Fur garments, 75. Mr. Inno
cent s affectionate nature; Skilful comforter, 77. Early riser;
List of residents, 78. Mrs. Innocent s arrival ; Extract from
Mrs. Edkin s "Chinese Scenes and People," 79.
CHAPTER IX.
FIRST BEGINNINGS. THE EARLY YEARS FROM 1861 TO 1866.
Singing hymns in Mr. Blodget s church ; Walks and talks, 81.
Founds a Boys School, 83. Mr. Hall arrives, 85. Annie Inno
cent born ; Mrs. Hall arrives ; Mrs. Hall s death, 88. Hu Ngen
Ti joins Mission, 89. Hu as a preacher, 90. Effect of preach
ing on Tientsin people, 91. Girls School opened, 94. Drum
Tower North Chapel, 95. First ten converts, 96. Arrival of Mr.
Stanley, 97. Lord s Supper first administered in Tientsin, 98.
Personal interest in members, 99. Excellence of first converts,
100. Tientsin Church firmly established, 102.
CHAPTER X.
THE STVDY OF THE LANGUAGE.
Study of Chinese a life-long task, 103. Literary language, 104.
Ideographic and monosyllabic, 105. Abounds in homophones,
106. Unique principle of agglutination, 108. Great difference
Contents
between Classic language and dialects, 109. Application, 111.
His simplicity and clearnness of speech, 114. Teacher Ting, 115.
CHAPTER XI.
THE FOUNDING OF AN ENGLISH CHURCH.
Union Church, Tientsin, 117. Its erection, 118. Opened, 119.
Tablets to Hall and Williamson, 120. Rapid growth from 1890
to 1900, 122. Innocent one of its most acceptable preachers ;
appointed pastor, 123.
CHAPTER XII.
EXPLORING AND EVANGELISTIC TOURS.
Northern China little known, 124. Great names of China
belong North ; Travelling, 126. Evangelizing en route, 127.
Tact in addressing crowd, 128. List of tours, 129. Great Wall,
130. Lama Miao, 131.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE CALL TO LAO LING.
Story of the Dreamer, 134. Steps taken by Hall ; First visits
of Hu, Hall and Innocent to Lao Ling, 135. Remarkable awaken
ing, 136. Aspect of country ; Chu Chia village ; Chinese method
of naming, 138. Mr. Innocent s second visit, 141. True value
of movement, 142.
CHAPTER XIV.
OCCUPYING THE NEW FIELD. PERSECUTION,
BEREAVEMENT AND PERIL.
Hodge and Thompson arrive, 145. Attempt at country resi
dence ; Growing success, 146. Assault on colporteur, 147. Loss
of infant son, 148. Many stations opened ; The Nien Fei rebels,
150. Exciting adventures ; In rebel hands, 151. Arrival of
Turnock, 154. Hodge takes charge of Lao Ling, 155.
CHAPTER XV.
ON FURLOUGH.
In England, 1869 to 1871 ; Furlough a busy rest, 156, Pleasure
at meeting old friends, 157. Deputation work, 158. Innocent as
advocate for Missions, 159. Letter to Dr. Stacey on return to
China, 160.
CHAPTER XVI.
TIENTSIN CHURCH IN TRIBULATION. BEFORE AND AFTER THE
MASSACRE.
Tientsin Church prosperous ; Kung Pei Chapel opened, 162.
Wang Yi Hua, 165. Hodge and Williamson attacked, 168.
Contents
Williamson killed, 169. Tientsin Massacre, 170. Description of
scene, 171. General alarm, 174. Innocent s return to China ;
Floods in Tientsin, 175. Hall goes on furlough, 177. A dan-
gerous placard, 178.
CHAPTER XVII.
FOUNDING THE TRAINING INSTITUTION.
Ideal of Foreign Missionary work, 181. Beginning of Training
Institution ; Hall placed in charge, 183. Number of students in
various years, 184. Funds begged by Hall, 185. Innocent s
interest in work, 187. Chang Chih San tutor for forty-two
years, 188. Proposal from Methodist Episcopal Mission, 190.
CHAPTER XVIII.
FAMINE SCENES AND DEATH OF MR. HALL.
Attempt to enter Ching Hai ; Yang Hsin work opens, 191. Sun
Tzii Ch un, 192. The Great Famine, 193. Hodge s health
broken, 194. Hall s death, 195. Interment ; Text of Cenotaph
in Union Church, 196. Hodge s return and death, 197. Table
showing the Statistical Returns of the Mission at intervals of
five years, 198.
PART III.
From the Commencement of Residence in the Interior to
the Death of Mr. Innocent, 1878 to 1904.
CHAPTER XIX.
RESIDENCE IN INTERIOR AND FOUNDING OF MEDICAL
MISSIONS.
Situation after the death of Mr. Hall ; Arrival of Messrs.
Robinson, Stenhouse, Candlin, Hinds, 199. Medical work opened
at Chu Chia, 202. Dispensary burnt down ; Formation of
Hospital Committee, 204. Ordination of Mr. Hu, 206. His
death ; Chan Hua handed over to us, 207. Taku ; Hsing Chi,
209. Death of Shen Chih Fu, 210.
CHAPTER XX.
ESTABLISHMENT OF GIRLS SCHOOL AND WOMEN S WORK.
MR. INNOCENT BEREAVED OF HIS ELDEST DAUGHTER.
The women of China, 211. Annie Innocent s offer, 214. Her
sudden death, 217. Mrs. Innocent raises funds for Girls
School ; School built ; Miss Waller appointed, 219. Noted women
Mrs. Hu, 220.
vii.
Contents
CHAPTER XXI.
OPENING OF NORTHERN CIRCUITS, TANGSHAN AND
YUNG P ING.
Different principles that govern the method of opening stations,
222. Tangshan a deliberately-selected field ; Invitation to go to
Peking, 224. Innocent and Hinds visit Tangshan, 225. Hinds
first to reside, 227. Yung P ing, 229. Tangshan and Yung P ing
membership, 231.
CHAPTER XXII.
MR. INNOCENT S SON APPOINTED AS A MISSIONARY. THE
FATHER S RESIDENCE IN SHANTUNG, AND GEORGE
INNOCENT S UNTIMELY DEATH.
George Innocent comes to Tientsin, 232. His history and
characteristics, 233. The "myriad-name robe"; Floods and
famine, 235. George goes on furlough ; Father to Lao Ling ;
Dr. Shrubshall, 237. Revision of register, 238. George in
England, 239. Death aboard ship and burial at Hong-Kong, 240.
CHAPTER XXIII.
LATER YEARS OF SERVICE AND FINAL RETURN TO ENGLAND.
Appointed to Training Institution ; Dr. F. W. Marshall and
Rev. J. K. Robson arrive, 242. Jones and Hedley arrive, 243.
Chang Hsao Hsiien, 244. Robinson ill, 245. Re-organization.
First appointment of Financial Secretary, 248. Theological Com
mittee formed, 249. Mission Provident Society ; Code of Rules,
250. Mr. Innocent s attitude, 252. Bible Society work, 253.
Temperance work ; War with Japan, 254. Holds enlarged
District Meeting and departs for home, 257.
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE GREAT BOXER UPRISING.
Magnitude of the disturbance, 258. Causes, 259. The Boxer
Society, 260. Begins serious operations, 262. Norman and
Robinson killed, 264. Peking Legations and Tientsin besieged,
265. Hair-breadth escapes in the interior, 267. List of per
sons massacred on the Mission, 268. Missionary martyrs, 272.
List, 273. Destruction of property; What Li Fu passed through,
277. Monument in Shanghai ; Outcome, 280.
CHAPTER XXV.
RETIREMENT.
Elected President, 284. Lives at Nottingham, 285. The
labourer s seven years rest; Hallowed old age, 287. Last sick
ness and death, 288. Personal characteristics, 291. Testimonies,
295. Conclusion, 304.
viii.
ILLUSTRATIONS.
John Innocent Frontispiece
Facing Page
Mrs. Innocent 14
Tientsin : Junk Sailing 30
Tientsin : Palace North Street 42
River Pei-ho, Tientsin 56
A Tea Booth in Tientsin 66
Tientsin : Chinese Junks 74
Tientsin : Old Clothes Street 82
Tientsin : Park on British Concession, with Town Hall in
the Background 92
G. T. Candlin 106
The Old Union Church, Tientsin 118
The New Union Church, Tientsin 122
Gateway of Chu Chia Village, Shantung 134
Chapel, Schools, and Hospital, Chu Chia . . . .142
Chu Chia Chapel 156
Taku Road, Tientsin 168
The First Training Institute, Tientsin 184
William Nelthorpe Hall 196
Miss Annie Edkins Innocent 214
Tientsin: Side View of City Corner Chapel . . .224
George M. H. Innocent 234
New Chapel: Tientsin 244,
North China Missionaries (M.N.C.) and their Families,
Tientsin, 1894 256
City Corner Chapel, Tientsin : Opening Service . . . 282
Dr. W. W. Shrubshall , 290
X.
PREFACE.
THIS volume should have appeared at least two years
earlier. But the exigencies of mission work have persistently
blocked the way, and while the author is alone responsible for
the delay, he cannot say that he feels much to blame. He
has often reproached himself for his slow progress, but there
was no help for it. The exceptionally heavy duties laid upon
him during the past four years must be his justification.
Considering the circumstances under which it has been written,
the wonder to himself is that it has been produced at all.
Mission work must be first done before it can be described,
and on a mission which, so far as English agents are con
cerned, is under-staffed, an added duty like that involved in
the preparation of this memoir becomes very onerous.
This must also be an excuse for many imperfections. No
one is more conscious of them than the author. In some
places, notwithstanding the effort to prevent it, repetitions have
crept in, and in regard to many things his information has
not been adequate.
The earlier part of the story of the mission has been
told at considerably greater length than the latter. This may
to some minds suggest a sense of disproportion. The object
aimed at was to give, if possible, all the information avail
able of the earlier years, as the knowledge of them is fast
fading away, and any disproportion that may arise may be
trusted to later writers to redress.
It is known to many persons that the Leeds Conference
of 1891 requested Mr. Innocent himself to prepare a history
of the mission. The book never appeared, although he had
done a considerable amount of work in its preparation. His
manuscript, as well as the papers which he used as sources,
have been available for compiling the present Life, and have
been freely drawn upon. It has been an endeavour, while
telling Mr. Innocent s life story, to supply the place, as far
as possible, of the missing volume.
If this work helps to increase the knowledge of the North
China Mission among the members of the United Methodist
Church the writer s toil will be well repaid.
Tientsin, December 8th, igoS.
TABLE OF DATES.
Dr. Morrison arrived in China Sept. 4, 1807
Opium Dispute commenced ... ... ... ... ... 1S34
Protestant Missions started in Shanghai 1843
Tai-ping Rebellion broke out in Kuanghsi ... ... ... 1850
Nanking (Southern Capital), the seat of the Mings, taken
by the rebels 1833
Lord Elgin s expedition arrives and concludes the Treaty
of Tientsin 1858
Hall and Innocent sailed for China Oct. 21, 1859
They arrived in Shanghai Mar. 23, 1860
Treaty of Tientsin ratified at Peking Oct. 24, 1860
Suchow taken by the rebels June 4, I860
Mr. Innocent arrived in Tientsin April 4, 1861
General Gordon recaptured Suchow ... Nov. 27 and 28, 1863
Nanking recaptuied by Gordon, Tien Wang commits suicide,
Kun Wang and Chang Wang cut into a thousand pieces,
July 18, 1864
Nien Fei rebels in the north, threatened Peking 1865
ii
FOREWORD.
THE value of a life lies in its achievement. This may
not always be true, but it is true of the great majority
of human lives. They are to be judged by the "deeds
done in the body." Of the very distinguished few
whose names belong to history, remarkable qualities of
mind, singular and eventful incidents, or the strange
workings of passion, whether for good or evil, irrespec
tive of any contribution to human welfare, may be
deemed worthy of record. Their story may even de
rive its chief value from what they seemed eminently
fitted, but utterly failed, to achieve. They may be
fruitless flowers on the tree of life, admonitory alike
by their beauty and their barrenness. But such is the
claim of the very rarest natures only.
If Biography were confined to these, it would be
poor indeed, and the story of many thousands of
simpler lives, with the manifold useful lessons to be
drawn from them would be untold. On the contrary
it is the chief function of Biography to mediate for
us between the few celebrated and famous among the
sons of men, the merest accidents of whose career are
interesting to us, and the countless millions whose just
end is to be unremembered, by retaining in our recol
lection the memory of all those by whose lives any
considerable result has been accomplished, any real,
though it may be very modest, part in the sum total
of the world s work secured. Every epitaph asserts
the naturalness of the instinct to perpetuate the memory
of even the simplest and least significant of lives, and
xii,
Foreword
few have passed the usual span without leaving behind
loving and faithful hearts whose desire to preserve and
publish their story could not be satisfied with less than
a moderate-sized volume. Go we all must, indeed, when
the dread summoner summons ; but usually there is
"the love that will not let us go," without painfully
scanning for what may justify our survival in "weak,
human memory " for a generation beyond our own.
Who shall decide how far fond affection shall be in
dulged ? By what intelligible principle are we to de
termine what are the lives justly entitled to a partial
immortality, and what are the lives whose wisest and
kindest treatment is forget fulness?
The value of a life lies in its achievement. "Some
thing accomplished, something done," constitutes an
indefeasible title to a place in the big, biographical
book of life. Where no notable result appears, the
funeral oration, with its gracious law of "nil nisi
bonum," should be allowed to prevail. But he who
leaves behind the enduring impress of his life in a
monument of work accomplished has full right to be
enshrined in the pages of biography.
Judged by this test John Innocent has " a perfect
certificate." His right to a place in the voluminous
annals of the Christian Church is full and undeniable.
The world at large may not know, and may not care
to know, his story, but the " Acts of the Apostles " is
not complete without it. Especially has he a peculiarly
sacred claim to a lasting place in the love and rever
ence of the Church to which all his life, a long life of
unselfish, persevering labour, was given. His claim
to fame (fame amongst us at least) rests on this ground
solely, but rests here in perfect security. It is that of
the worker living in his work. He was one of our
ziii.
Foreword
makers. Now that his bodily presence is withdrawn,
what he has made remains, and he, in a very real sense,
remains with it, and in it. Its story cannot be told
without him. The worker and his work are one in
God. We have no more right to forget him than to
abandon the work he commenced and founded. Both
have to be continued.
This, also, must be the justification for the form
which this work assumes. It is deliberately intended
as a sketch of the life of a missionary, indeed, but also
of the story of the mission, his mission. The best
tribute of affection will be grateful remembrance of
the work done. If, at times, we seem to be paying
more attention to the work than to the man, let our
readers remember that he himself would have it so,
that this is the best way to tell his story. A clear con
ception of his life s work will be his most faithful
portrait. He would desire no other. Let us not desire
any other.
John Innocent, more than any other man, has been
the builder up of our North China Mission. He was
identified with it for a much longer period than any
one else. John Innocent was first to volunteer for
service in China, He had long wished to be a mission
ary, and had made an offer to go to Australia, which
was not accepted. As early as 1858, while in Halifax,
his thoughts turned to China. He was first appointed
with one to be sent. Mr. Hall then volunteered. Mr.
Hall and he were associated with the mission equally
from the beginning. They left the shores of England
together, arrived in China together, and when, in 1878,
his colleague was taken away, all the work which they
had done together was left on his hands. At that
stage, such workers as had joined them had been taken
xiv.
Foreword
away. One only remained, and he had but just arrived.
His work continued for twenty years longer. To the
day of his death, though far from the field, the mission
was his chief interest.
John Innocent was the first to arrive on the field we
have permanently occupied. He was chiefly responsible
for the choice of that field. He had the largest hand
in shaping the policy of the mission. It bears the
stamp of his mind. Of those no longer with us, his
name is oftenest referred to by our preachers and mem
bers. " It was Pastor Innocent who made the Shantung
mission stations," was the emphatic and reiterated as
sertion of one of our members who was in rebellion
against authority at one time, and though, at the
moment, little notice was taken of the remark, its es
sential truth has been felt many a time since. It is
therefore just to associate the work and growth of the
North China Mission, in a specially intimate manner,
with the Life of John Innocent.
The value of his life lies in its achievement. The
" passing " of the worker does not mean tEe passing of
his work. The ancient, pious prayer, " Establish Thou
the work of our hands upon us, yea the work of our
hands establish Thou it," follows immediately on the
heels of the most searching, the most solemn review of
the fugitiveness, the transitoriness of human life which
genius, in its most sublime moment, ever penned. Over
the far tracts of time the only survivors are the workers
living in their work, " surviving, they alone survive,
peopling, they alone, the unmeasured solitudes of time."
In the words of steadfast comfort, which ring out
from the Book of Revelation, " A Voice from Heaven,"
which has been the stay of the generations (and what
the Spirit "saith" is prefaced by the significant word
Foreword
" Write ! ") we are told, " Blessed are the dead which
die in the Lord, for they rest from their labours ; AND
THEIR WORKS DO FOLLOW THEM." Not, as we SO
often erroneously construe, follow them to where they
have gone. That is indeed, a true meaning, but not
the deepest, not the most encouraging. The blessed
ness is not so much in the fact that their works follow
thither, as that they follow here, stretching their life
of action, their tribute of service, into far-reaching
benefits and bounties, which remain endless in conse
quence, through ages to come, within the sphere of
this earthly life; "carrying fragrance" as the Chinese
proverb has it " for a myriad years." Here, multiplying
their brief life-force to spiritual issues, which operate
while they rest, their works yet potently working the
while they sweetly rest, "their works do follow them."
"Write!"
xvi.
JOHN INNOCENT:
THE MAN AND HIS WORK.
PART I.
From Birth to the Commencement of Missionary
Work in Tientsin, 1829 to 1861.
CHAPTER I.
BIRTH AND EARLY LIFE.
JOHN INNOCENT was born in the town of Sheffield on
October loth, in the year 1829. The brother Mission
ary with whom he was destined to be so intimately
associated was just six months old at the time, having
been born on the iQth of April of the same year, also
at Sheffield.
John Innocent s family had belonged to the Method
ist New Connexion Church from its beginning. His
grandfather was also named John, and he speaks of
both his grandparents with peculiar affection and rever
ence. John, the grandfather, was a cutler and shop
keeper, and was evidently an earnest Methodist. He
was one of the original trustees for South Street
Chapel ; was a class leader at South Street for many
years, and held various other offices in the Church.
The grandmother was distinguished by equal piety.
She took particular pride in the fact that she received
John Innocent
her first class-ticket from the hand of Alexander Kil-
ham, the founder of the Denomination. While the grand
son was still a little boy they had already retired from
business. Their eldest son, William, was at this time
in the ministry, having entered it in 1827, two years
before the subject of the present memoir was born.
William Innocent died in 1865.
John Innocent s parents seem to have been less closely
connected with the Church than his grandparents.
Neither of them appears to have been in regular mem
bership, but their son records that they "kept up a
family connection with the Denomination." They sent
their son to South Street Sunday School. The father was
a member of the choir, and John tells us that it was
his " childish delight " to go with him and sit in the
orchestra behind the pulpit. In some sense, even at
that early age, the fair-haired boy had his eye on the
pulpit. His parents afterwards removed to another
part of the town, and these orchestral delights came
to an end His parents at this time, as he tells us, did
not even "attend service regularly," though he is careful
to add that " whenever they did so it was in the chapels
of the Methodist New Connexion." But the boy s
relation to us was never broken. He now attended
Allen Street Sunday School, and afterwards attached
himself to Scotland Street Chapel, where he became
a member in 1845, being sixteen years of age.
Concerning his early education there is next to no
information available. It must have been very slender.
It was long before the days of Board Schools, and
there were not many facilities for the education of
children among the working classes. He was evidently
a working lad at sixteen, when his conversion took
place. He probably had but a limited amount of
Early Education
school teaching. But it is quite wonderful what a
thirst for knowledge the boy had, and this received
a strong stimulus in connection with his conversion.
His history at this period is one illustration among
many thousands of the immense practical benefit which
springs from that event in a man s religious history
on which Methodists rightly lay so much stress, viz.,
conversion. Certain it is that in the year 1845 he was
working as a grinder, was attending a night school,
and came under deep religious influence which resulted
in his conversion. Conversion made him a thoroughly
earnest student. He ascribes his first religious impres
sions to the preaching of the Rev. T. P. Gilton, who,
in 1845, was Superintendent Minister of Sheffield
North. We have the story of these events told in a
very simple and lucid way in his own handwriting, and
it is well worth transcribing:
" In 1845 I commenced to attend a night class for
the study of Latin, (English) Grammar, Elocution and
Composition. I was particularly pleased with the Latin,
and used to write out my declensions and conjugations
and other exercises on the Lord s Day when kept from
school.
" I became a very earnest student according to the
time I had, which from the fact that I must work at
a laborious employment from seven in the morning
until eight at night, was not much. So soon as I got
home at night I was off to the school until half-past
nine. The morning was the time when I did most,
before going to work. I used frequently to write out on
a slip of paper the Latin lesson of the morning, or a
list of words, and would snatch intervals during work
for a glance at this slip of paper, get a word or a con
jugation, and repeat it over mentally until it was im-
John Innocent
printed on my mind; then another glance, and so on
till the whole was mastered. This had all to be done by
stealth, as my father was a severe man and very strict
in requiring attention to work and what he ordered.
" In this way, and by various other means, I con
trived to be always ready with my exercise in the
Latin class at the night school, and left some of my
mates far behind. Though I never thoroughly prose
cuted the study of Latin, I have always felt the ad
vantage of the study I then gave to it, both as a course
of mental discipline, and a means of increasing my
knowledge of the English language and grammar.
"When I was about sixteen I yielded to the strong
and powerful religious convictions which had long in
fluenced me, and joined the church in Scotland Street,
Sheffield. The Rev. Mr. Caughey was on his first visit
to England from America, and was in Sheffield at that
time. He created great excitement, and I went one
night to hear him, but was in a maze. I did not realize
any distinct feeling of sorrow for sin, but seemed to
be more hardened in it. Yet in the excitement and
maze I yielded to the solicitations of a friend and went
to the penitent form with many more. I prayed as
I was directed, but realized no good. Still, when I
went home I was more softened, and solemnly gave my
heart to God that very night. I felt more under the
preaching of our esteemed minister, the Rev. B. Tur-
nock, who was at that time in Sheffield. To this day,
I have vivid remembrances of impressions made on
my mind during the delivery of some of his sermons.
I had also paid much attention to the addresses de
livered in Sunday School, and had derived good from
them.
"I joined a class of young men, all new converts,
Conversion
but could not say with them that I knew my sins for
given. This caused me great anxiety which lasted for
some time. I prayed and meditated on God s Word,
attended the means of grace, but I have no recollec
tion of any distinct period when the Lord, for Christ s
sake, pardoned my sins. The only thing approxima
ting to such an event was a dream that I had during my
intense anxiety in which I thought I saw Jesus, and
He said : Bless thee, my son ! I woke with most
delightful feelings, and from that time was a changed
and a happier character.
" Then commenced a series of difficulties and
struggles of a new kind. I had determined to avoid
everything that had the appearance of evil. The
young men with whom I worked and associated must
know my new state. Then I became the subject of
their jocose humour, of scornful laugh, and wicked
taunt. I was even taunted by those near to me [the
allusion must be to his own family, but how delicately
put !] but I sought grace, and endeavoured to bear all
with meek patience. I found they soon grew weary
of their taunts and respected my sentiments so much
that some of them would even defend me against the
attacks of new enemies.
"I formed companions of religious young men, and
joined a Young Men s Mutual Improvement meeting in
the school. I continued my studies with greater zest. I
went to prayer-meetings on Sunday evenings. My
reading was now directed into a different course. Re
ligious works were what I sought. They were very
dry at first, and I got very little knowledge from them
until I met with Dr. Dick s Christian Philosopher,
which deeply interested me and gave me information
on many subjects of which I had before been ignorant.
John Innocent
It kindled the taste for works of a higher kind than I
had previously read. I then read Simpson s Plea and
Key to the Prophecies/ Paley s Natural Theology,
Wesley s Life/ and other books which were lent to me.
" I was made a teacher in the Sunday School, and
became a tract distributor, in which capacity I con
tinued to exercise myself for a long time. At length
I was requested to give an exhortation to a small con
gregation in a village about five miles from Sheffield.
With much fear and trembling, after careful prepara
tion and committing to memory every word I had to
say, I attempted." [He evidently broke down more
than once, for he continues, as though his incoherence
on that first occasion must repeat itself in the after
narrative which is also disjointed.] " My second effort
was a complete failure, as my memory failed through
excitement."
" I was afterwards brought on the plan as a preacher
on trial. I was then nearly nineteen years of age.
From that time I have endeavoured to preach the
Gospel."
We do not know when this narrative was penned.
It is a fugitive scrap on six pages of very small note
paper evidently penned during Mr. Innocent s early
life, for it is almost yellow with age. It is curious to
think of these three little sheets having been carried
about by their author by sea and land for so long to
be, at last, almost our only glimpse into his youthful
life. Had Mr. Innocent been able to write the story
of his life to the end in this simple, unaffected style
it would have been an almost perfect autobiography.
The sketch, brief as it is, is charming from its plain
and sincere transparency, and no facility in writing
could possibly move us more than the direct and lucid
Grandparents
sentences so free from all adornment or art. It is im
possible to think of trick, pretence, disguise, or con
cealment in connection with a story so " unvarnished "
and ingenuous. All who have known the man will
recognize it as a faithful image of his mind, as vivid
as it is modest.
There can be little doubt that it was in the home of
his grandparents the youth found the influences and
the atmosphere that were most congenial to him and did
most to mould his thoughts and ambitions, and give
bent and purpose to his life. His grandparents were his
spiritual parents. He seems to have spent a good deal
of time, much more profitably than he was immediately
aware of, in their home. It was the one place in
Sheffield which had most social attraction for him. Do
we need any stronger testimony than the following
that John Innocent s grandmother was no ordinary
woman ?
" She was always an active member of the Church
and intimately acquainted with its ministers, a most
diligent and thoughtful reader of the Scriptures. Be
fore they (grandfather and grandmother) had retired
from business they had acquired a copy of Dr. Adam
Clarke s Commentary, which they carefully read to
gether. Three times had she read through these
volumes before I left for China."
Did ever any other grandmother do the like either
before or since? One has no hesitation in classing the
devout lady at once as the most faithful and devoted
reader the worthy old doctor ever had. Could he him
self have known her, how proud of his disciple he
would have been ! We have our own appreciation of
Dr. Adam Clarke, and of the Commentary, with its
massive accumulations of knowledge illustrative of the
John Innocent
pages of Scripture. It was truly by no means the
dullest of the old-time Commentaries. But for an
elderly lady with no sermons to preach, and no ex
aminations in theology to pass, to read it through from
end to end of the six big volumes, three times over,
from sheer fascination for its pages! One can only
take his cue from Dominie Sampson and exclaim :
" Prodigious ! " The society of such a grandmamma could
not fail to be helpful to the budding preacher. One
wonders now why he ever broke down. Grandma
would never have broken down !
One other glimpse of this interesting household is
afforded us:
" Often, however, would I go with my grandparents
to South Street Chapel on Sunday evenings. In that
way I met with the ministers in their house who after
service called for conversation and a little refreshment.
Here I first met with the good John Addyman, on his
return from Canada.
"He greatly excited my youthful interest with his
stories of Missionary toils and hardships in that new
country ; and won my profound reverence as a good
man. Yea, I then thought him a great man. To this
day I have a distinct recollection of the solemn feeling
which thrilled me when, after grandfather had told him
who I was, he smiled so benignantly upon me, put his
hands on my head, and feelingly said : God bless you,
my boy! I felt it to be a true priestly benediction,
and attended with holy unction."
There was no Ranmoor then. But we shall not be
wrong in regarding this pious home as John Innocent s
Training College. The twin forces of heredity and
environment are conspicuous here. With such a nest to
nurture him there is nothing surprising in the fact that
First appointment at Stockport
he shaped rapidly into a preacher. Two entries out of
another diary come quite naturally after this: "1847,
began to exhort." This was at eighteen. " 1850, went
to Stockport to take Mr. Hall s appointment for three
months." Now twenty-one.
Yes! it was by no means a bad training college.
Much is said now about the right training of a Mis
sionary, the course to be read through, the special
studies necessary. Out on the mission field we have
much to say, as the fruit of experience, on this topic.
No doubt much wise advice can be given, and golden
maxims are framed, highly calculated for the equip
ment in the best of everything that shall make the
successful Missionary to the heathen.
Yet the beautifully simple home where John Inno
cent s first ambitions were fired, where the love of
kindred was a link of gold holding him to religious
associations and filling him with religious impulses ;
with the company of ministers seen at their best and in
their most human aspect in hours of relaxation and
freedom, the learning of Dr. Adam Clarke, and Mis
sionaries coming and going with the atmosphere of
foreign lands about them after all, it was a fairly
good, if quite unconventional, manufactory for Mis
sionaries.
So now we have John Innocent between the ages of
sixteen and twenty-one set about with just those be
nign and inspiriting influences which at eighteen made
him an Exhorter, at twenty-one sent him out as a
Minister, with the nascent bent toward the romance
and the daring of a Missionary career like a dream as
yet undreamt within his heart.
CHAPTER II.
APPRENTICESHIP IN THE ENGLISH MINISTRY.
MANY of the English business firms established in
the ports of the Far East, and those of China especially,
regard it as an absolute sine qua non that their staff
should have an English training. So much is this the
case, that at considerable cost they import clerks, gener
ally on short terms of service, young men necessarily
ignorant of the Chinese language, who have had no
experience of Eastern customs or Eastern money or
the character of the Chinese people (all of which con
ditions are quite different from those of England), and
at great risk of the climate proving unsuitable, rather
than employ young men of European parentage born
in the East, who speak the language, are conversant
with Chinese character and manners, and are well
inured to the climate. The advantage of an English
business training is considered to more than counter
balance all these considerations. Does any such prin
ciple obtain in regard to the choice of a Missionary?
Is training in the English ministry previous to coming
out an important requisite? Probably without much
thought on the matter at all the Missionary Committee
of the Methodist New Connexion has uniformly acted
as though there does, for with only one notable ex
ception, viz., that of Mr. Innocent s own son, its Mis
sionaries have been chosen from the home ranks. This,
of course, does not, as it could not, apply to the choice
of Medical Missionaries.
19
Appointed to Shields
Our first Missionary was taken from the regular
ministry. He is fairly entitled to the distinction of
our first foreign Missionary as his name appears in
the "Minutes" of 1859 in the following form: "China
John Innocent and another." Mr. Hall s name only
appears in the "Minutes" of 1860, though he was
accepted by the Committee but a few months after the
Conference of 1859.
John Innocent s first appearance in the character of
a Minister of the Methodist New Connexion was at
Stockport at the age of twenty-one. This was in 1850.
It was, however, in the humble capacity of a tem
porary supply. It is an interesting coincidence that
the brother whose place he supplied was William Nel-
thorpe Hall. Mr. Hall had been taken ill during that
year, and the young candidate for the ministry, John
Innocent, was sent to supply his place for three months.
He does not appear, however, to have been recom
mended to the ministry at that time, for in 1851 he
was supply for some months in the Burslem Circuit.
At the Conference of 1852, which was held at Hud-
dersfield, he was accepted as a probationer, and ap
pointed to North Shields. Newcastle District is a part
of the Connexion with a distinct character of its own.
There is a simplicity and a sturdiness which suits well
the strong northern accents, and the churches of the
district generally are distinguished by great religious
fervour. The Methodist traditions are strong amongst
them. The young man s first Circuit was one in which
the new preacher from Yorkshire was not in the least
likely to be spoiled by flattery, but we may be sure
he would win his way among them by the quiet
modesty of his character and the never-failing suavity
of his manners. If he got a perfect certificate it would
John Innocent
be a credit to him ; for they were difficult to get in
those days, and his congregations were very particular
on the subject of visiting. They had their own canons
of criticism, unadulterated with any wisdom from
Broadus, but in their own way were great sermon-
tasters. They could not match Elspeth of the Bonnie
Brier Bush for analytical acumen and exactness of
memory over the third branch of the minister s seven-
teenthly, but in appraising the fire and earnestness of
the preacher s peroration, without too much regard to
either grammar or precision of meaning, they were the
better judges. They would not spare him their opinions
in the leaders meeting. It is of a church in the North
that one of our ministers tells the story that he was
prayed for in the words : " God bless Thy minister, our
servant," and when he tried to correct it to " Thy ser
vant, our minister," was met by a vigorous repudiation
of his amendment.
It is a pity no reminiscences are forthcoming of these
early days of service, especially as it was here that the
youth, no doubt very impressionable, fresh from home
as he was, met with the young lady whose lifelong
fate was bound up with his own, and who was destined
to become as noted a Missionary as himself. Miss
Tate was then a young lady of about twenty years of
age, tall, dark and handsome, with a dignity of manner
which would impress her lover with a due sense of
awe. But young Innocent succeeded in winning her
affections. An engagement ensued which was full of
promise from the start, and that promise was amply
fulfilled in a long life of devoted service in each other s
society, throughout which she proved an ideal helpmeet.
This year, full of happy love and bright ambition, may
be counted as one of the best years of his life.
Friendship with Mr. E. Hallam
The next year Mr. Innocent was appointed to Stock-
port, a fact which sufficiently indicates that the short
period spent there as supply had recommended him
to the affection of the people in that Circuit. He was
again fortunate, for it was at Stockport that he formed
one of the strongest friendships of his life. He be
came acquainted with Mr. Ephraim Hallam, who was
then a young man just starting in life, and who after
wards became a prominent layman in the Circuit. Mr.
Hallam prospered greatly in business, became a rich
man, and a most liberal supporter of our work in the
town. He never wavered in the strong attachment he
had formed for John Innocent, and to the day of his
death remained his fast friend. Mr. Hallam s affec
tion was of a personal character, his sympathies never
ran strong for the China Mission, but his regard for
John Innocent remained profound through life.
The Conference of 1854 sent Mr. Innocent to Bilston
in the Dudley District. In the Bilston Circuit the year
was clouded by a very serious illness, and for more
than three months he was laid aside from work alto
gether. At the Conference of 1855 ne f e ll mto the
hands of the Missionary Committee, who sent him to
Jersey, \vhere at that time we had a home mission
station. Probably the appointment in that beautiful
island was given him partly with a view to his com
plete restoration to health, and the result would seem
to have fully answered expectation. If it was this
connection with the Missionary Committee which led
to the Committee s appeal to him four years later to
volunteer for China, it was an instance of the way in
which Providence, ceaselessly weaving the web of our
life to a pattern we are not allowed to scan, employs
the darker colours to deepen the design, makes our
John Innocent
afflictions blessings, and brings the best things out of
our most trying experiences.
On the 23rd of April, 1856, John Innocent was
married to Miss Jane Tate at North Shields. His
uncle, William, performed the marriage ceremony. One
fancies he sees the fair young bridegroom leading his
beautiful young bride to the altar, the young pair full
of pride and joy and happy hope. The union was one
of which Heaven approved, and ratified it with blessing
in their after life. After the wedding our bridegroom,
with his bride, returned to Jersey to complete his year
of service. The next year the young pair were sent
to Truro, where uncle William had travelled in 1852
and 1853. It. may be this had something to do with
the appointment. It was a pleasant Circuit with
beautiful natural scenery in which they commenced
their married life. The charming lanes and hedgerows,
rich in spring time with the celandine and the hart s-
tongue fern would have special attractions for one
whose life had been almost entirely spent in the North,
and, save for the wild charm of the sea, they would
scarcely yield to the fascination of Jersey itself. It
was a place in every way fit to call out that love of
nature which is a valuable part of the young preacher s
equipment. Mr. Innocent is still remembered in Truro,
and it is certain, on the other hand that he carried
away permanent recollections of the place, for he often
referred to it during the later stages of his life. Mr.
Innocent s last English Circuit, before leaving for
China, was an important one. Halifax North was one of
our Connexional strongholds. For a young man to be
invited to the Circuit was itself a compliment. The
demands made upon his pulpit services would be severe,
and he appears to have met them with full satisfaction.
14
Mrs. Innocent.
To face p. 14.
The Call to China
It was here that he attracted the notice of the Mission
ary Committee as a suitable man to send to China,
and in all probability here that the first impulse to be
come a Missionary arose in his mind.
Slight as this sketch of Mr. Innocent s English
ministry has been, it sufficiently indicates the chief
features in his apprenticeship. General acceptability,
steady progress, widely varied experience are its main
characteristics. Shields was nearly as far north as
he could go, Jersey quite as far south. The neighbour
hood of the " Black Country " was still another variation
of service. He had tried ministerial life in country
and town. He had made fast friends. He had become
acquainted with the Connexion and its usages in dif
ferent districts. It was a worthy apprenticeship, ex
tending over a period of seven years. He had been
tried, approved, and in some degree equipped for his
life s work. That work was to be done in quite another
sphere, under quite other conditions, in a far-off and
(at that time how much more so than now) in a very
strange land. " So you are going to China, to be a
Missionary amongst those blacks! Aren t you afraid? "
That was the startling question put to the writer just
twenty years later in the town of Hull. How much
more wild and daring and unaccountably foolish it
must have appeared in those earlier days !
In protepect the new life appeared very strange,
romantic and hazardous, but a Voice that might not
be gainsaid was sounding steady and insistent : " Whom
shall we send, and who will go for us ? " Misgivings,
questionings, self-distrust there were sure to be ; stilled
only by the message : " Certainly I will be with thee " ;
but the call had come, and with quiet, unassuming
courage he rose to meet and to answer it.
15
CHAPTER III.
THE CALL.
THE Manchester Conference of 1859 was one of the
most important that have been held in the history of
the Methodist New Connexion. William Cooke was
President. It was his second presidency, he having
held the chair at Hull sixteen years before in 1843.
James Stacey was Mission Secretary, succeeding
Samuel Hulme, at that Conference. Mark Firth was
Mission Treasurer. These are still among the names
that come to our lips when the call is sounded " Let us
now praise famous men." The Church was in a vigor
ous and hopeful condition. Ambition for enlargement
rang out as the prevailing note during its sessions. The
year showed an increase of very nearly 3,000 members,
a very substantial increase if we remember that the
total membership of the year before was only about
25,000. Finances were in a flourishing condition. The
Mission in Canada was our pride, and was rising like
a strong young giant into life. There was a magnif
icent enthusiasm for home extension. There were
many subjects to stir the interest of the delegates,
among which was the war in Italy, then rising in re
sponse to Garibaldi s martial fire, and Mazzini s patriot
spell. The Conference took itself seriously, and passed
a resolution urging the Government to observe strict
neutrality in the struggle.
But the most exciting theme at that Conference by
far was the new Mission to China. Everything con-
1G
Manchester Conference, 1859
spired to lend it exceptional interest. Our expedition
to Peking had taken the Pei-ho forts, and the Treaty
of Peace had been signed by Lord Elgin the year
before at Tientsin. The news had got home but a
few months before the Conference. A vast accession
of interest in the uniquely-curious Empire, so far
away, so strange, so densely populous, so ancient, so
weirdly learned, had taken hold of the public mind.
Farther off than India, more populous, its language
immeasurably more strange than Sanskrit, almost
neglected by the evangelistic zeal of Protestant
Christendom, no wonder its fascination as a mission
field was extreme. The voice of John Angell James
was calling from Birmingham for men of daring to
carry the standard into the heart of that vast, dark
Empire, the eastern half of Asia. The Missionary
Societies were awaking to the need for the underta
king. It was rife with interest, with romance, abundant
in peril and hardship. Terror rendered it trebly temp
ting to the heart of the bold. And it was already a
foregone conclusion that the Connexion was going to
be wild and mad enough to venture in. It was as good
as a fait accompli that the Mission would be started.
As the delegates, clerical and lay, came up from the
Circuits we can imagine the excitement which pre
vailed. For the Connexion had already passed the
preliminary stages, was throbbing and heaving with
the passion of the new cause, and it was clearly fore
seen that at length it was bound to come to the birth.
One likes to picture the eager, earnest look on the
faces of many worthy fathers in Israel, who are now
at rest, holy enthusiasm crystallizing into solemn fixity
of purpose, as they were summoned to Committee
rooms, or watched eagerly for the discussion in Con-
John Innocent
ference. Thomas Allin, P. J. Wright, Charles Donald,
Dr. Crofts, William Cooke, James Stacey, Law Stoney,
William Baggaly, Samuel Hulme, and lay brethren
ready to try a fall with the best of them in debate,
John Ridgway, Joseph Love, Mark Firth, G. L.
Robinson, John W hitworth, Joshua Heaps, Charles
Thorpe what eloquence they would expend on the
subject, both in and out of Conference, formal and
stately from the pews, racier and keener by the fire
side. Tradition says that not by any means were all
in favour of it. Some of our best men were years
before they could be brought to look with favour on
the China Mission. There was enough of opposition
to kindle the fire of zeal in the advocates of the move
ment to consuming fervour. Yet there was probably
no difficulty in passing the following resolution, which
appears in the "Minutes" for 1859:
" That considering the extent of China, the condi
tion of its numerous inhabitants, the facilities secured
by recent treaties for the dissemination of Christianity
amongst them, and the small number of Missionaries
labouring there, this Conference regards China as the
most eligible field for the institution of our Foreign
Missionary operations ; and resolves that two Mission
aries, both married men, be sent to that country as
soon as the necessary arrangements can be completed."
Whatever differences of opinion might exist amongst
our members generally, the Missionary Committee was
evidently enthusiastically in favour of the step thus
taken. At the previous Conference (1858) a mission to
the heathen world had been decided upon, though the
field had not been chosen, but during the year the
desire for such a mission had developed rapidly, and
had taken tangible shape. The determination of the
38
Committee Preparations
Committee is seen in the fact that at the same Con
ference which decided to send two men to China, a
mission to India was contemplated, and within two
years the mission to Australia was commenced. The
Committee was alive and aggressive, and its fire of
purpose, as is usual at such times, carried the Con
ference, and carried the Connexion. Words used by
Mr. Innocent himself, in writing of these events, may
be quoted as they serve to bring the whole situation
clearly before us :
" Can we not do something in the way of a mission
to the heathen ? was a question frequently discussed in
official meetings and in family circles of the Methodist
New Connexion long before any decisive step was
taken. It was recognized as a duty which we as a
Church of Christ should undertake, and the subject
became a soul burden to some of our more ardent
members. By prayer, conversation and pen, they kept
it before the Lord and His people, until the conscience
of the Connexion became fully aroused, and the Con
ference of 1858 voiced that conscience by its decision
to engage in the enterprise of a FOREIGN MISSION.
" Then, To what part of the heathen world shall we
go ? was the next question to be decided. The Con
ference entrusted this matter to a carefully-appointed
Committee, who were to be prepared with definite re
commendations for the following Conference. Divine
direction was sought, other Missionary Boards were
consulted as to the most needy and eligible fields, and
information as to methods of working. Suitable men
to engage in the work had also to be sought, and esti
mates of cost, and many details connected with the
scheme, all engaged the attention of the Committee
during the year.
19
John Innocent
" The whole Christian Church in England and
America was throbbing with holy enthusiasm under the
powerful appeals of John Angell James in his pamphlet
entitled GOD S VOICE FROM CHINA. In this
pamphlet the urgent need for the evangelization of
that great country was strongly set forth. At the same
time war between Great Britain and China had just
been concluded and treaties had been made which
opened up fresh ports to trade and to Christian mis
sions. Special efforts were being made by all the
Missionary Societies to increase their agents in thai
land, and to occupy the areas which were newly opened
to the Gospel. Thus China was chosen by our Com
mittee, and so confident were they of the Conference
adopting their recommendation that they had made ap
plication to certain ministers in full standing as to
their willingness to go not to some part of the heathen
world as Missionaries but definitely to go to China.
From one of these, who was then stationed in Halifax,
an affirmative reply had been sent in the month of
March, 1859. For the first time in the published
Minutes of Conference CHINA appears in the list of
stations of ministers in the year 1859."
The entry is at the end of the list of appointments
which corresponds to the Conference Readings :
"FOREIGN MISSIONS. CHINA. John Innocent and
another."
The other one was not far to seek, nor yet long in
seeking. Mr. Innocent has also transcribed for us a
resolution of the Committee, held in Manchester, July
1 5th, about a month after the Conference:
" That this meeting finding that Brother W. N. Hall,
of Sheffield, is impressed with the conviction that he
ought to consecrate himself to the work of missions in
20
William Nelthorpe Hall
China, that he has an ardent desire to do this, that
very satisfactory testimonials have been given by com
petent medical authorities as to his fitness on the score
of health for the trials and labours which such a work
will involve, and having the most entire confidence in
his personal suitability in other respects, resolves that
his offer of himself to the Committee be accepted, and
that as soon as the necessary preparations can be made
he may accompany Mr. Innocent to China. In the
meantime the Committee avail themselves of the offer
of Dr. H. Jackson to furnish such additional particu
lars respecting Mr. Hall s health as he may be able to
give."
" Thereby hangs a tale." Formerly a most acceptable
minister among us, of about the same standing as Mr.
Innocent, of nearly the same age, coming from the
same town, an old companion and friend, of a pecu
liarly fine, generous and enthusiastic spirit, W. N. Hall
was indicated by every " note " imaginable, save one,
to be the travelling companion and work-fellow of John
Innocent. But the last sentence in the above resolution
indicates what at the time was felt by Mr. Hall s many
friends to be a ground for very grave misgiving. His
health was insecure, and, in fact, he had been out of
the ministry for two or three years on that account. The
subject is dealt with in " Consecrated Enthusiasm."
There is a tradition, strictly oral, which we give with
some considerable reserve. Perhaps, like many stories
of the kind, it is not a little exaggerated, but it is told
to illustrate Mr. Hall s determination to stick at nothing
in his passion for the China Mission field. If true at all
it evinces not only consecrated enthusiasm, but also a
certain endowment of serpent-dove craft. It is said
that the Committee, dubious, or even adverse, on the
John Innocent
score of health, demanded a medical certificate, and
that with but little expectation of getting one. The
first medical man applied to refused him, the second
refused, and the third. We dare not go on to say how
many doctors he applied to (there is more than one
version of the legend), but he was a firm believer in
the admonition, "If at first you don t succeed," and
he tried, tried, and tried again, until he got one suffi
ciently sanguine to lay before the Committee. By
this simple method, we are assured, he got round a
very difficult corner.
These plans and negotiations, however, involved
much work of a different character. The question of
ways and means was an anxious question, and to the
financial part of their scheme the Committee had to
give earnest study. At the Conference itself about
1,000 was promised. District Missionary meetings
were arranged for in each District. The Connexion
rose nobly to the occasion, and ample funds were
forthcoming for the operations of the Society.
In all these doings John Innocent was deeply con
cerned, and we must turn now to consider them as
they presented themselves to him personally. If to
others it was a stirring and momentous Conference,
how much more so to him as it decided some of the
most important issues of his life! When the idea of
becoming a Missionary first entered his mind we have
now no means of determining. Certainly it was at a
period considerably earlier. But the following passage
from his private diary indicates the time when he was
called to face the subject in a very practical way :
"March 28th, 1859.
" Mr. Gilton called upon me this morning and in
formed me of the decision of the Missionary Sub-
22
Consideration of the Call
Committee to invite me to become a Missionary to
China."
"April ist, Friday.
"A letter on the above subject came from the Acting
Mission Secretary, Rev. S. Hulme, urging my con
sideration and acceptance of the position."
The proposal coming to him in this way made a
profound impression on him, and he weighed it over, as
was his nature, in a very calm, deliberate spirit He
seems to have been but little excited by it. There is
no indication that he was unduly carried away by
romantic or quixotic feelings. Yet it was one of the
great choices of his lifetime, in many respects alto
gether his greatest choice. In our judgment nothing
could be more admirable than the following grave,
subdued, altogether practical and modest language in
which he sets down the particulars of the process by
which he made up his mind. It is luminous throughout
with deep, spiritual, religious character. There is
nothing very uncommon in the words, but no common
mind could have penned them, yet be content to add
no more. They have been transcribed from the Diary
for us by Mrs. Innocent s hand. Mr. Hulme s letter
probably asked him to give the proposal his " favour
able consideration." Accordingly she entitles the
following " The favourable consideration."
" Going as a Missionary to China will be carrying out
the Saviour s commission, under whose authority and
for whose glory I now minister the Gospel. God does
not limit me to a locality, but the world is the field, and
in any part of it I may fulfil that commission which I
feel is given to me.
" I have a desire to go abroad to preach the Gospel
John Innocent
to the heathen, and have had for some time, which
desire I believe is sanctioned, if not induced, by the
Holy Ghost. I think I could adapt myself to the people
to win them to Christ. The Chinese are perishing
through not having the Gospel ; some one must go
and take it to them, and it is as much my business to
go as anyone s.
" I can be spared from the ministry in England with
out any perceptible diminution of ministerial agency ;
whereas every single addition to the agency in China
will increase the probability of her evangelization.
" I have given myself to the Church, under Christ, to
serve her in the ministry, and as the Church calls
upon me to engage in this particular work it is right I
should obey.
" The climate and voyage may be favourable to the
health of myself and family, and I shall be under the
protection of my Heavenly Father there just as much
as here. The object of my life is to save souls, and
glorify God. This is, I hope, my motive in regard to
China. I feel the work is great, solemn, sublime and
responsible. Yet if the Church calls, and the way
opens, I must engage in dependence upon Divine aid
I will, therefore, hold myself in readiness to go.
" My wife feels the deep importance of the project,
pain at the idea of leaving home, but a willingness to
go with me, and do her best for the salvation of the
heathen.
"Oh! Thou God of wisdom, mercy and truth, guide
Thy servant and handmaid, I beseech Thee, in this
important affair. Amen."
The die was cast. The Committee could not fail to
be satisfied with the decision come to in such a spirit,
24
Decision for China
for though John Innocent is here speaking in the
privacy of his diary, his letter to them would be couched
in language breathing the same spirit. Their reply
was not long delayed, for we find a resolution of their
meeting held in Manchester, May I2th, 1859 , as
follows :
" That Mr. John Innocent be nominated for the China
Mission, and the Committee is grateful to find that he
has expressed his willingness to undertake this im
portant work should the Conference appoint him to it."
Such, then, was the call which came to John Inno
cent, and came to the Church of which he was a
member and a servant. Honoured brethren who work
at home with equal zeal, equal loyalty, and will have,
doubtless, equal reward, will not begrudge the remark
that he was called to higher service. The front, if
only because it is the post of danger, is, therefore, the
post of honour. We have purposely delineated the call
under this double aspect. It was a clear, loud, empha
tic call to us as a Church, to him and his comrade as
individuals, which, because it appealed to all that was
noblest, and made demand for the utmost consecration
and sacrifice, carried with it the inward certainty of
its Divine origin. It was the most unselfish call which,
as a Church, we ever received, which he as an indivi
dual ever responded to. The pious soul will always
see in such uplifting of the spirit of man, something
which, if not inspiration itself, is closely akin to it.
It is not permitted to us here to dwell at any length
upon this subject of Divine calling, with examples of
which the pages of Holy Writ are crowded, of which
every department of Christian history is, and must
ever be, a continuous unfolding. But we may pause
long enough to say, Blessed is the Church and blessed
25
John Innocent
is the man to whom it is given to feel this present in
rush of creative force. No other credential need any
Church seek ; no higher destiny or purer joy can mortal
man be the subject of. Nay, in matters other than
religious, what worth, or purpose, or greatness is there
in life without some such fire of motive, to bring from
within, from beyond, from above the material and
mercenary common-place of our life, a meaning which
allies it with the life Divine? It is often felt where it
is least confessed. In modern days it works to potent
ends under strange guises. But without it the heart
has no sunshine, the wine of life is flat, and settled
cold is lasting barrenness. Not to speak of prophetic
vision or saintly experience or martyr-suffering, where
would the poet, the artist, the teacher, the truth-
seeker, the reformer, the philanthropist be without the
sustaining power which the sense of his vocation gives?
How must the life of a man or a nation or a Church
drift until it feels its MISSION, and has some sense,
however dim, of what John Wesley meant when he
said : " Best of all is, God is with us " ! If considerations
of prudence, of self-interest, had ruled in our counsels,
if we had worked for what seemed of immediate and
obvious advantage, we should never have gone to China
If John Innocent had acted in the same spirit he would
never have entertained for a moment the idea of be
coming our Missionary there. What a lot of money
we should have saved! How much use we could have
made of it at home! Some one says: But should we?
To whom should we have saved it? How should we
have used it? Nothing worthy or lasting was ever
accomplished under cold, calculating selfishness. Was
it not in chief part the cause which called forth the
gifts? Was it not the same call which inspired the
26
The Missionary Impulse
sender and the sent, and which, by its sacred impulse,
compelled alike the many lesser and the one greater
sacrifice ? Without it they would not have been forth
coming at all or would have been spent to infinitely
less benefit.
John Innocent s life was irradiated and ennobled, and
the Methodist New Connexion was immeasurably en
riched by that magnificent impulse which led to the
founding of the Mission in China.
CHAPTER IV.
THE CHOICE OF THE FIELD.
IT has been said of the founders of Methodism that
"they builded better than they knew." In some similar
manner, was there a higher wisdom at work leading
to the selection of China as a field for our chief foreign
missionary activity. One can hardly help saying so
when one reviews the many and supremely important
claims which the Empire has upon the evangelistic
enterprise of the Christian Church. While the choice
was made intelligently, and with prayerful considera
tion, it does not appear, from the records of the time,
that these were very distinctly apprehended by those
who took the step. At any rate it may serve a useful
purpose to set forth in this chapter some of the reasons
for holding that it may be said without exaggeration
that China is the most important mission field which
the world offers to the zeal of Christ s followers.
The vastness of the Empire, in a mere geographical
sense, is, perhaps, the first and most obvious considera
tion. Leaving out the immense stretches of Mongolia
and Manchuria, which together with Tibet and Koko-
nor constitute "Outer China," "China Proper" is a
territory which may well arrest attention. It has an
area of 1,539,190 square miles. The entire Empire
is considerably larger than the whole continent of
Europe. Every one of its eighteen provinces, with
the exception of three, which are not very much less, is
larger than the whole forty counties of England.
Wide Realm of the Dragon Sceptre
Most of them are about twice as large. Ssii Ch uan
Province alone is four times as large. Yunnan is nearly
three times as large. Canton about twice as large.
Perhaps the best way to realize vividly China s tre
mendous area is to consider its territorial divisions. To
very unthinking people the truth is, perhaps, hidden
by the fact that we are accustomed to speak of the
forty counties of England. Forty is a much bigger
figure than eighteen. But that is a terribly blundering
way of looking at it. We need to remember that each
province is divided into departments, and each depart
ment into districts. The district is the county. Roughly
speaking each province contains about ten departments,
and each department about ten counties. Though this
simple way of reckoning is not accurate, it approxi
mates sufficiently near to give us a just idea of China s
magnitude. One thousand eight hundred counties is a
sufficiently wide realm for the Dragon sceptre to hold
sway over.
Nor must we forget this great territory contains no
great wastes like the steppes of Russia, the wilds of
Siberia, or even the prairies of America. A very large
proportion of it is cultivable and cultivated land, much
of it as rich and fertile as is anywhere to be found in
the world. Self-sufficient, rich, and various, with one
of the finest climates known to man, keeping well
astride the temperate zone, nowhere reaching to torrid
heat, or frigid cold, it is capable of producing, and
produces, in abundance almost every kind of agricul
tural wealth cotton, silk, grain, fruit, timber, cereals
of every description. Skies of matchless blue and
magnificent light stretch over its fertile fields, and be
neath its furrowed soil are mineral treasures of every
kind in wellnigh exhaustless abundance. Tea and rice
29
John Innocent
and silk are amongst the singularly valuable products
it has given to the world. But this is not the chief
reason why China is so important as a mission field.
It is more pertinent to observe that it is, taken as a
whole, about the most densely-populated portion of the
earth s surface. This great country grows men, and
by the very number of its people, compels attention.
" China s Millions " has become to the world an accepted
phrase. The population of China has been variously
estimated by different authorities, for no census returns
with any pretence to accuracy are available. But it is
safe to say it is prodigious. It has been placed as
high as 480,000,000, and indeed when Buddhism num
bers her votaries as 800,000,000 she calmly counts
among them 500,000,000 Chinamen. It has never
been estimated at less than 350,000,000 which is
100,000,000 more than the population of thickly-
peopled India. Thirty years of life in China leads
one to the conclusion that the Western world is rather
in danger of underestimating than of overestimating
the teeming multitudes of her people. We think it
cannot be less, and is probably more, than 400,000,000.
This is something between one-third and one-fourth
of the total population of the globe. You cannot,
therefore, talk about the world and leave China out
That would be scarcely more than one degree less
foolish than China s habit of speaking of herself as
the world, and leaving the rest out. Here is no ques
tion of "a negligible quantity."
Every feature in the social and political life of this
most numerous of all the peoples of the earth but
heightens the interest and the significance which at
taches to them as an object of evangelism. The
Empire is unusually homogeneous. With the exception
30
J
Tientsin : Junk Sailing.
To face p. 30.
Chinese Literature and Education
of aboriginal tribes, which are not very numerous, there
is no question of subject races. Its unique Government
is independent, having a proud line of rulers and of
dynasties, stretching back to the very dawn days of
history. In fourteen out of the eighteen provinces the
people speak one language. Our Missionaries from
Yunnan are perfectly intelligible when speaking in
Yunnanese to the people of the North. Even the other
dialects, which are unintelligible to the ears of Man
darin-speaking people, are closely allied to them both
in words and in grammatical structure. For all literary
purposes, even to the writing of an ordinary letter,
the Chinese language is one and indivisible. The nation
is welded together in a marvellous underlying unity,
by customs, etiquette, ceremonies, traditions, ideals,
and religious faith and practice which are alike common
to all, and of which their magnificent literature is the
unique expression. That literature, ancient as are its
springs, is yet modern in its scarcely abated force.
Their long lines of monarchs and heroes and sages and
philosophers are held to-day in equal honour, in equal
veneration and equal worshipfulness, from one end of
the Empire to the other, and have profoundly influenced
the civilization of Japan and of Korea. Education,
though it has been hitherto restricted to the few, is
universally diffused, and in spite of all that may be said,
and truly said, of their superstition and of their vices,
the mental and moral capacity of the whole people is
of a very high order, and as persistent in vigour and in
vitality as the physical qualities of the race which the
Western world contemplates with positive alarm.
Awakened China is as capable of understanding and
of appreciating the nicest refinements of philosophy and
the loftiest conceptions of religion as the most advanced
31
John Innocent
of Western races. There is a "Yellow Peril," if peril
it be, not in the fields of commerce and of warfare
alone, but also in those of science, of philosophy and
of religion. The commercial genius of the people is
unrivalled. But even these qualities and endowments
do not constitute their chief claim on the attention of
the Missionary.
That which does make their supreme claim on evan
gelistic enterprise is their unique genius for religion.
It may well be that many who derive their ideas of the
Chinaman and his country from newspaper and maga
zine literature will think this statement ludicrous. For
it is the fashion to speak of the Chinese as anything
but a religious people. Yet on no other hypothesis
than that of an intense genius for religion can their
history be explained. By religion it should be unneces
sary to say that we emphatically do not mean the
Christian religion. Among English people the habit
is so inveterate of speaking of religion and Christianity
as though they were interchangeable terms that it is
advisable to safeguard this point On the whole they
have shown themselves slow to receive Christianity.
It may sound paradoxical to say that this fact itself
is a proof of their strong religious instincts, but that
is just what experience among them disposes one to
say. Their reluctance is due not to distaste for religion
as such, but rather to their fidelity to their old faiths.
For the most part those who have rejected Christ in
the most determined manner, have done so because, as
they have conceived, their acceptance of Him would be
disloyalty to Confucius. In other words, however mis
takenly, they have been actuated by religious motives.
Even their persistent persecution of Christianity has
been a proof of religious zeal. Persecution is religious
32
The Chinese a Religious People
zeal wrongly directed. Saul, the Pharisee, was an ex
tremely religious personage, and it took such a man
converted to make a Paul, the apostle, whose consuming
zeal carried Christianity beyond the bounds of Judaism
to the wide Gentile world. It was a sound insight into
character which made Griffith John see in the infamous
Chou Han a man moved by intense religious zeal, in
whom a new Saul of Tarsus might appear.
Whoever thinks the Chinese are not essentially a
very religious-minded people, let him consider the
supremely important fact that China is the greatest
home of religions that the world contains to-day. The
great non-Christian religions, which have lasted for
centuries, and swayed millions, number but five. Of
these China has been the birthplace of two, is the
stronghold of three, and of a fourth she numbers no
less than 30,000,000. In this paramount characteristic
no other country in the world can compare with China
except India. Yet compare India with China. India
has given birth to two religions, but has lost one. Of
Hinduism she is the stronghold. She has about
50,000,000 Mohammedans. China has produced Con
fucianism and Taoism, both of which still flourish
vigorously, and of these together with Buddhism she
is the stronghold. She numbers 30,000,000 Moham
medans. To keep close to military language, the mis
sion of Christianity is to conquer the world. The giant
rivals she must fight are these five Hinduism, Moham
medanism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism. Hindu
ism must be conquered in India, Mohammedanism
must be fought on three continents, China being a part
of this battlefield also. But the other three out of five
must be met and vanquished on Chinese soil, for that
is where their strength lies. Is it not, then, true that,
John Innocent
religiously considered, China is the most important mis
sion field of the world? To conquer China is to con
quer the better half of intellectual heathendom. The
intellect of heathendom being won the crisis of this
great warfare is past.
For convenience in stating the problem we have
spoken in military language, we have set forth the
meeting of these great world-forces working on the
hearts of men, under symbols of battle. Yet we will
not disguise our conviction that to the true Missionary
the spirit of mere antagonism is not the right spirit in
which to do his work. Toward all that is good and
noble in these great rival systems, and there is much,
his true message is one of reconciliation. We do not
envy the man who sees in these great systems, which
on the lowest estimate are the aching search-pains of
the human heart seeking for God, nothing but de
lusions of the devil contrived with diabolical skill to
keep Christ from His rightful throne. Surely it is time
that such medieval crudities should be dropped We
prefer to see in the non-Christian faiths Gods pre
paration for Christ without the ranks of the chosen
people, as Judaism was His preparation within, and in
large measure Christ s words apply to them as to it : "I
came not to destroy, but to fulfil."
"Peace hath her victories,
No less renowned than war."
In this warfare it is the " Prince of Peace," who leads
the host, the struggle is one of love, the conquest a
conquest of peace ; and all the battles ever waged in
rage and blood were but lustful strife, greedy for
ignoble plunder, compared with the holy crusade which
rightly fought will usher in the victory of the Lamb.
China is the destined field where much of this " Holy
34
Followers of Xavier and Morrison
War " must be waged, where we will venture to say its
chiefest trophies must be won. Shall we not gratefully
recognize that in the choice of this field we were in
deed divinely guided, and that when John Innocent,
with his noble comrade, Hall, following in the wake of
Xavier and Morrison, came to these shores they came
to the rightest of right places, where to live and to die
in the great Captain s service were alike honourable and
glorious ?
CHAPTER V.
THE PASSAGE OUT.
IN our third chapter we have described the circum
stances under which John Innocent and his companion
received and accepted the call to go forth to far distant
China. There was much bustle and stir of preparation
we may be sure, much on their part, more doubtless
on the part of their friends and families, more still, it is
likely, on the part of Connexional authorities who were
responsible for the venture, and to whom it meant
grave financial accountability. For the chief actors it
must have been a time of anxious waiting, and of
harrowing leave-taking. These circumstances are some
what graphically described by Mr. Innocent in language
we cannot do better than quote :
" The preparations for departure were rather more
tedious than in the present day, but everything was in
readiness by the time appointed. The thrill of excite
ment throughout the Connexion was exceedingly
strong. Large and enthusiastic meetings were held in
Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds to take farewell of
the Missionaries. Such excitement and enthusiasm
were only natural on such an occasion. It was a new
enterprise for the Connexion, her maiden effort to take
her place by the side of sister Churches in preaching
the Gospel to the heathen. It was the realization of a
long-cherished project, and the object of the prayers
of the most earnest members of the Church. It was
an active pledge of love to the Redeemer, and a re-
36
Valedictory at Leeds
sponse to His command : Go ye into all the world and
preach the Gospel. It was a projection of Connexional
faith on the Divine promise, Lo ! I am with you alway,
even unto the end of the world. The decisive venture
was made, and God honoured the faith thus shown by
a spiritual benediction of sanctified joy which spread
like a holy fire among the Churches in flames of sym
pathy, zeal and liberality. It was called a new era, and
certainly, at the time, our Churches experienced an
enlargement of spiritual life which inaugurated a
brighter and better day for the Connexion.
"On Tuesday evening, October iSth, 1859, the two
brethren were formally designated to their work in
China in Woodhouse Lane Chapel, Leeds. There was
a large gathering of ministers on the platform, while
the chapel was crowded with people from the adjacent
Circuits. The Charge, of wonderful compass and
power was delivered by Rev. S. Hulme. It was a
service most impressive in its character, and stimulating
in its influence. The Missionaries were then escorted
to the railway station by large numbers of Christian
friends, and were accompanied to London by the
President and by the Secretary of the Mission."
Such was their valediction. The momentous day
had at length arrived. That 2ist of October should be
memorable to all of us. Of all days in the week it
was a Friday, a fact which, perhaps, in part accounts
for what followed, and it was afternoon when they
went aboard. The ship was " The Heroes of Alma,"
and soon our heroes found themselves aboard. They
evidently considered her a gallant bark, and Mr. Inno
cent tells us in his journal, with no little pride, that
she was of 650 tons burden. She was lying in the
Thames at Gravesend ; weeping friends must say good-
37
John Innocent
bye in haste for the boat was waiting at the port gang
way to put them ashore, and she weighed anchor that
evening for Portsmouth ; not, however, before the
occasion had been duly improved. With the consent
of the captain, the little group of passengers and their
friends were mustered in the saloon for a prayer-meet
ing. The Revs. W. Cooke and J. C. Watts offered
prayer, then leave-taking must be done in earnest.
It was something to go to China in those days. The
dangers and discomforts of life at sea were then a
reality, now they are barely sufficient to give zest to
the journey which is taken rather as a holiday sport.
Prayers for journeying mercies were earnest then, the
perils of the deep no mere conventional phrase. Parting
then seemed so nearly like parting for ever that to
undergo it became a grim and appalling experience.
Then the passage took nearly half a year ; now, by sea,
it is little more than a month. Talk about " shrinkage
of the planet " ! The Siberian Railway has robbed the
journey alike of its terror and its romance, and reduced
it to little more than a fortnight. What a contrast with
the days of sailing ships and of the Cape passage!
Nowadays a Missionary does not think much of being
sent to China several times in a lifetime,
Mr. Innocent has left us a diary written on the way,
and at its commencement he tells us how the travellers
felt at parting :
"I had often felt the pain of bidding farewell to
loved ones, but the sorrow was always somewhat
lessened by the consideration of the limited distance
and the facilities for rapid travelling in my own coun
try. But now there was no such relief. For years, if
not for ever in this world, I must bid adieu to my
friends. Of many in the country this farewell had been
38
The Pain of Separation
taken during the past few months, especially had the
few days preceding my departure been full of exciting
events arid scenes. The large and exciting farewell
meetings in my own native town, at which a thousand
people were present, the designation service at Leeds,
with its solemn interest and crowded aspect, and soul-
stirring Charge, then the hurrying away from the chapel
to the train through the streets lined with people eager
to look at and bid farewell to us, so thickly, indeed,
that the cab could scarcely move along. The railway
station, again, was alive with many who came to take
a last look and have a last hand-shake. The hand
shaking has been a most formidable business. In
spite of the strong efforts which I made to control
myself and smother my feelings, I found myself mas
tered once or twice."
" What sobs mingled with those words of praise and
prayer! All hearts were moved, and no wonder! Then
the boats took away the few dear and beloved ones
who were with us to the last. We looked after them
as long as we had any sight of them, but they faded
from our view, and we were left to the bitter pangs of
conscious separation, perhaps for ever, from all the
dear associations of home, friends and country."
The little world on the waters to which the voyagers
were confined was a very contracted one compared
with the gaieties of a passage on a modern mail. The
vessel is described as " a fine, strong, clipper-built vessel,
with good accommodation for passengers." Captain,
Thomas Silk. The good accommodation appears to
refer to the unfurnished cabins, and must be under
stood with strict reservation, for they had to furnish
their own cabins even to chairs and mattresses. They
John Innocent
appear to have lived on spartan fare served with hard
ship s biscuit, and the mode of taking a bath was to
sit on the deck in the early morning and have the ship s
hose turned on you. Mr. Innocent speaks of these
conditions as "healthy if not comfortable." The jour
ney began adversely. No sooner had they been towed
down the river than contrary winds began to blow
which lasted for days, during which they were help
lessly driven about ; one night they passed through a
fearful storm, and next morning learnt that two vessels
quite near them had sunk, and all hands had been lost.
This storm gave Mr. Innocent the opportunity to culti
vate nautical language, for he tells us that " her jib,
top-gallant, and top-sails were torn to shreds." Then
eight of the sailors mutinied. There were eight adult
male passengers, and seven of them were Missionaries.
The sailors said there were too many Jonahs aboard.
And they had started on a Friday. The captain had
to put his refractory sailors in irons. When they at
last got to Deal, he went ashore and exchanged them
for eight others, "good-looking fellows." After thus
going through a mutiny, and nearly a shipwreck, at
the end of a fortnight (we shall soon be able to reach
Tientsin in less time) they landed at Portsmouth.
At Portsmouth they got a good rest. The ship stayed
there a few days and reprovisioned. The passengers
all went ashore, and met with warm friends in the
Baptist and Congregational ministers. They were en
tertained. Something like a new valedictory service
was held in " a large square church," and on their de
parture they carried with them many good wishes and
promises of prayer for their welfare. From Ports
mouth, Mrs. Hall and her child, together with Mr.
Innocent s little boy of two years old, returned home.
40
The "Heroes of Alma"
Mrs. Hall had been very ill all the way with a severe
attack of erysipelas ; the Innocents by this time had
judged that it would be best for their boy to remain
in England, and though these separations were most
painful they were bravely borne.
" The Heroes of Alma " recommenced her voyage on
the Qth of November. This time they had better for
tune, and made such good progress that they might
reach the Celestial Empire in the course of time. The
company aboard was a well-assorted one. It consisted
of the captain, his mate and crew, and the following
families :
Rev. Z. Klockers and wife, of the Baptist Missionary
Society ; the Rev. Mr. Dawson, B.A., and wife, the
Rev. J. Wilson, B.A., and wife, the Rev. J. MacGowan,
B.A., and wife, and James Henderson, M.D., all of the
London Missionary Society ; the Rev. W. N. Hall ; the
Rev. J. Innocent, wife and child.
Besides these there was a young man whose name
is not given, and who was going out as a merchant.
The Missionaries commenced their Missionary work
immediately the vessel started. An arrangement was
made for a sort of " family prayer " in the saloon
every evening, and quite an ambitious programme was
drawn up for the Sunday services. Such was their state
of general prostration, however, by the first Sunday,
October 23rd, that the utmost they were capable of
was a prayer-meeting. We learn from the Journal that
these Sunday services were well sustained through the
rest of the passage. Laudable efforts were also made
to hold services among the crew, which were not with
out result. In good Methodist style they " had con
versions," amongst their converts being the ship s car
penter, and the black cook.
John Innocent
They were not without adventures. " Fiddles " were
on the table a good deal of the time, the dancing being
kept up merrily by the plates and dishes, and they had
their full benefit of mal de mer. Though an " Innocent
abroad," our journalist seems quite unconscious of any
plagiarism of Mark Twain s style when he writes:
" I soon began to feel also the new mode of life on
which I had entered. Maybe most persons of an im
aginative turn and who have read or thought of the
dangers of the sea experience when commencing their
first voyage a vivid sense of insecurity as well as isola
tion from the world. The cabin, crew, noises of the
ship, and outward scenes are all strange and foster
timidity. Any slight pitching or tossing of the vessel
produces sensations connected with the idea of sinking
tcT the bottom, or rolling quite over. These feelings
precede the unpleasant attack of sea-sickness. When
this takes fully hold of a person it makes him wonder
fully indifferent as to whether he sinks or swims."
In the Downs they saw the " Great Eastern." At
Portsmouth they learnt of the loss of the "Royal
Charter." Later on they saw a large whale, still later
the sailors caught a shark four feet long ; they spent
Christmas in the tropics, and on the day when they
sailed their greatest distance, 280 miles, Mr. Innocent s
straw hat flew overboard amongst a number of alba
trosses, and the captain, after the manner of old salts,
declared that "one of them tried it on, but it would
not fit." At the Pelew Islands some natives came on
board naked and bartered two goats for some old
clothes. They also offered a Prayer Book given to
John Bell by his sister Isabella, for sale. Their prin
cipal stock-in-trade was tortoise shells, and, having
taken a fancy to Mrs. Innocent s baby (George), they
Tientsin : Palace North Street.
Near site of the old Kun^ 1 ei Chapel,
To face p. 4J.
Arrival at Shanghai
offered the whole boat-load in exchange for him. The
baby s mother, however, did not wish to trade on such
a speculative basis. Off the Loo Choo Islands they
passed the " Lady Elizabeth," which had left London
ten days before them. They felt proud to be on a
vessel that could make such rapid time.
This was on the 1 5th of March. On the i8th they
encountered a number of fishing smacks, and soon they
passed close to a number of small islands of the
Chusan Archipelago, sighted the Saddle Islands, and
soon were in the Yangtze Kiang. The water is
described as being of a dirty yellow. The captain,
evidently a lover of " poetry in words," called it " pea
soup." Sea captains always call it pea soup. On the
iQth the Chinese pilot came on board, and although
after his arrival they had a very narrow escape from
running on a rock, his presence inspired them with
confidence that they would reach their destination. By
the 22nd they were " far up the Yang Tzii," and at
four o clock, a.m., they first saw the coast of the main
land of China. "It looked like a low line on the
water fringed with trees."
On the morning of the 23rd of March, 1860, they cast
anchor at Wusung, and this long and trying sea-passage
of fully five months was over at last. "A ship," said
Dr. Johnson, "is a prison with a chance of being
drowned," and the prisoners, doubtless overjoyed at
the prospect of terra -firma, donned their best duds and
"Eager longed for their release."
We cannot do better than conclude this chapter in
the affecting words which form a fitting conclusion of
the Journal :
"In the afternoon we received kind notes from Mrs.
Muirhead, of the L.M.S., welcoming us all to Shanghai,
John Innocent
and inviting us to their homes on the Mission premises,
assuring us that all arrangements had been made for
our comfort. A nice comfortable yacht, belonging to
Lindsay and Co., was sent to take us up to Shanghai.
We were delighted to go, and at once went aboard the
yacht. We were three and a half hours in going up
the river (the Huang Po). Being very late when we
arrived, we found none of our friends waiting for us
on the quay, and it was one and a half hours before we
could land. Then Messrs. Muirhead, Wylie, Edkins,
John L. Cowie, also Mr. Soul, of Lindsay s, came to
fetch us, and greeted us most kindly. Brother Hall,
myself and wife were taken to the hospitable home of
the Rev. J. Edkins and his excellent lady, who treated
us in the most kind and considerate manner. The fol
lowing clay several Missionaries, and their wives, came
to see us, and kindly wished to have some of us to
entertain. These visits impressed me with the advan
tage of freedom from sectarian prejudice, as all De
nominations greeted us with warm-hearted kindness.
May bigotry never influence my mind nor interfere
\vith unity ! " (Through John Innocent s long life this
prayer was abundantly answered.)
The trials of the way, the length and weariness of
the voyage seem all forgotten in the pleasure of the
pious and intelligent society we have here. " The voyage
seems like a dream, though it was anything but that"
CHAPTER VI.
THE YEAR AT SHANGHAI.
A SERIOUS CHANGE OF PURPOSE.
ON their arrival in Shanghai our two devoted Mission
aries found a totally different state of things from what
they had expected to find. At the time they left Eng
land the prospect of mission work in China seemed full
of smiling promise. No doubt the political situation
did much to encourage the sending of them forth. On
the 5th of January, 1858, the English and French en
tered Canton, where they captured Commissioner Yeh
who had given them much trouble. He was sent as a
prisoner to Calcutta, where he died the next year. The
allies proceeded to Peking, and took the Pei-ho forts
(near Taku) May 2Oth, arriving in Tientsin the same
day. There negotiations commenced on the 5th of
June. China seemed amenable to reason. A new
Treaty was made during the three days, June 26th,
28th and 2Qth. It was signed by Lord Elgin on the
part of England, by Baron Gros on the part of France,
and by the newly-appointed Commissioner Chi Ying on
the part of China. This Treaty was full of promise to
the cause alike of the missionary and of the trader.
Ambassadors were to represent the Dragon Emperor
at both Courts. There was to be freedom of trade.
Christianity was to be tolerated. China was to pay the
expenses of the war. There was to be a revised tariff.
The Government was to learn civility, for the term
" I," pronounced " ye," not " I," which means " bar-
45
John Innocent
barian," was prohibited by the Treaty. It is a question
whether the famous " toleration clauses " have not done
missions much more harm than good. Now all this
good news would arrive in England some time between
the Conference which appointed them, and the time
when our friends left for China. But during the five
months that they were at sea a storm had burst over
the international horizon as rude as that which had
buffeted them about in the English Channel. In ac
cordance with the terms of the Treaty the British En
voy, Mr. Bruce, proceeded to the capital, but was
stopped in the Pei-ho river on his way to Peking. Ad
miral Hope attempted to force a passage, but was re
pulsed with a loss of eighty-one killed and 390 wounded.
This was on the 25th of June, 1859. An American
Envoy, Mr. Ward, was refused an audience with the
Emperor because he would not "kotow," on the 29th of
July. England and France were preparing a new ex
pedition just as our friends were leaving England, and
Lord Elgin and Baron Gros were back at Shanghai in
June, just when our friends had barely settled down
in Shanghai. Beside all this the marvellous rebels, the
"Tai-pings," were astir. They had held a large tract
in the south for years with Nanking, the ancient capital
of the Ming dynasty, in their hands, and had now
broken out, and were threatening Suchow and Shanghai.
It was into the midst of these turbulent events that
Innocent and Hall were precipitated. The Settlement
of Shanghai was flooded with missionaries, many of
whom, like our friends had come to possess the " goodly
land," while others had been driven in by the disturbed
condition of the country.
One of the first tasks our friends had before them
was to secure a house to live in, which they did with
46
Friends in Shanghai
some difficulty. It was a poor house at a high rent,
and rather far removed from the Settlement. Mr. Inno
cent, who was always a careful economist, was shocked
at having to pay 75 per annum for four rooms and
servants quarters. Immediately on getting into the
house, he tells us he began the study of the local dialect.
Shanghai dialect does not extend far beyond Shanghai.
Referring to the events just narrated Mr. Innocent
writes :
" The offensive repudiation of the Treaty and gross
insult to the Governments of France and England, not
only destroyed all the golden hopes which had prevailed
about an open country for commerce and Christianity,
but had caused another serious rupture between China
and the West. Great Britain and France had deter
mined to resent the insult, and send a combined force
to Peking to insist upon the Treaties being ratified,
which had been made in 1858. Thus war had been
declared, and the allied forces were all ready to gather
in the north. Shanghai was under martial law, and
held by the British and French, and was so held until
the declaration of peace in November, 1860."
The situation in Shanghai had one advantage. It
gave the new-comers unrivalled opportunities for form
ing friendships which were valuable to them in after
years. Hence we read :
" It was no small advantage to meet with such dis
tinguished and veteran Missionaries as Bishop Boone,
A.E.M. ; Dr. Culbertson, A.P.M. ; Dr. Bridgman,
A.B.C.F.M.; A. Wylie, W. Muirhead, J. Edkins,
Griffith John, L.M.S. ; C. J. Burdon, W. Collins,
C.M.S., and others; with many of whom we had inti
mate association and formed life-long friendships."
In the work of one of these excellent men Mr. Inno-
47
John Innocent
cent evidently took a peculiar interest for we find the
following special note in his Journal :
" One most interesting department of Christian work
we saw in operation in Shanghai, viz., the printing for
the B. and F. Bible Society of the Holy Scriptures in
Chinese. This work was under the superintendence of
that remarkable scholar and devoted Christian, Alexan
der Wylie. It was most fascinating to see the large
cylindrical printing press, turned by a buffalo, rolling
off its sheets of Chinese characters, which sheets were
then folded and arranged and stitched into paper-
covered books for circulation over China. The work
men employed were all Chinese. The Bible Society
Jubilee, concurring with the rise of the Tai-ping rebels,
who were favourable to the spread of the Scriptures,
was made the occasion for creating a fund for provid
ing a million Testaments for China. Mr. Wylie was
engaged in executing this large order at the time, but
owing to the disturbed state of the country, the stock
began to accumulate. The Shanghai Committee urged
the suspension of printing operations for a year, and
that Mr. Wylie should be employed as an agent of the
Bible Society. Before he retired from active labours
(1877), owing to the loss of eyesight, he had the plea
sure of getting over a million New Testaments into
circulation, besides a great many portions."
Two objects of supreme importance lay before Mr.
Innocent and Mr. Hall at this time, and it says much
for the stuff of which the men were made that they
turned their attention toward them in the most whole
hearted manner. These two objects were intimately
related ; for their decision as to either one must affect
the other. They had to decide what dialect among the
several dialects spoken in the country they should
Where to Commence Work ?
study. They had also to determine in what part of
all vast China they should choose the field of their life-
work, and with it that of others coming after them.
The latter decision had been partly prejudged. Before
they left England there was a sort of general under
standing, though no doubt much was left to their own
discretion, that if circumstances, and observation on
the spot favoured, they should establish themselves at
Suchow. Loyal to this purpose they took the earliest
opportunity of going to see, with their own eyes, this
great and far-famed city. An opportunity offered itself
in the projected visit of the Rev. J. W. Lambuth, of
the American Methodist Episcopal Church, South, who
was going out on a ten days preaching tour, and would
take the city on his round. Both Innocent and Hall
were eager to accompany him, and early on the morn
ing of the 1 7th of May, 1860, after breakfasting with
a friend, the start was made. It was an eventful
journey, as they found the whole region greatly dis
turbed, and on arriving at Suchow they were not
allowed to enter.
Some account is given of this their first missionary
journey in " Consecrated Enthusiasm," but a portion of
Mr. Innocent s own sketch will be interesting to our
readers :
" After calling at several cities and towns en route,
where our esteemed friend preached the Gospel, and
we assisted him in distributing Christian books, we
reached the famous city on May 23rd, but were hardly
permitted to enter. The people were in a state of
panic owing to the reports which had reached them
that the Tai-ping rebels were on their way from Nan
king to take the city. By some adroit manoeuvre they
had broken through and scattered the besieging army
49
John Innocent
of imperial troops at Nanking. On the road we had
met many of these soldiers in flight who confirmed the
reports that the insurgents had taken other cities en
route to Suchow. As we approached the city we were
astonished at its marvellous amplitude. Its noble walls
were seen stretching away for miles both westward and
southward. After sailing alongside the city walls for
two hours without compassing more than two-thirds of
its circumference, we drew up to shore and prepared,
with some anxiety, to attempt an entrance into the city.
We passed through the east gate without difficulty, the
crowds appearing too much cast down in spirit to think
of molestation. We delivered many tracts. Our ex
pectations were raised, and we took courage. But the
end was at hand. A short walk of less than a quarter
of a mile finished our labours. We were stopped by a
group of soldiers, and ordered into an office occupied
by an important Mandarin. Two officials were just
then retiring from the place, and as they passed us on
the way to their sedans, they turned upon us a haughty
glance, which gave us the opportunity of marking their
anxious and care-worn features. Everything in the
looks of all classes proclaimed a fearful crisis. The
Mandarins having departed we were interrogated as to
our designs. With excessive politeness the superior offi
cer informed us that we must not persist in our inten
tions, as he could not guarantee our safety for cne
hour. He said the city was filled with soldiers, our
motives might be misunderstood, and we might be torn
to pieces. The people were fleeing in every direction,
and they expected to have to close the gate during the
day. We then begged his acceptance of a copy of the
Scriptures, gave books to each of his attendants, and
took our departure. That day the city gates were closed
50
Visits to Suchow
and all business suspended. The canal and roads were
crowded with fugitives escaping for their lives from
the doomed city. Next day we returned to Shanghai.
Rain was falling in torrents adding to the wretched
ness of the flying populace. The miserable scenes of
that exodus will never be erased from our minds.
Nine days later, on the 2nd of June, the rebels took
the city without assault. The ruin and carnage were
fearful."
Two subsequent visits were made to Suchow,
one on the soth of June, 1860, when Mr. Hall
accompanied Messrs. Edkins and Griffith John on
a visit, and another, on the 30th of July, when
Mr. Innocent accompanied the same gentleman with
one or two others. Mr. Innocent s language on
the occasion of his first visit, as we have seen,
was sufficiently enthusiastic, but his language is far
surpassed by that of Mr. Hall, who was carried away
by its splendour, its luxuriance, and its licentiousness.
But on the second visit there was an awful change. " A
mass of charred and desolate heaps." " The canal for
miles so thickly covered with the noisome floating car
casses of the dead that in many places it was with diffi
culty that our boat could be pushed through." Such
havoc had been wrought in two short months.
Both the visits just referred to were made at the
instance of the rebel chiefs themselves, the latter one
by express invitation of the " Kun Wang," who was
Prime Minister, and the leading strategist of the move
ment. His name was Hung Jen, and he was cousin to
the rebel Emperor Hung Hsiu Ch iian. Both these men
were earnest Christians. Their army was a Christian
army, and knelt for prayers morning and evening.
They were anxious to have Christian teaching in their
John Innocent
camps. History has ranked the unsuccessful Hung Hsiu
Ch iian as an infamous rebel, the author of unspeak
able bloodshed and misery. Had he been successful he
would have been glorified as the Mohammed of China.
Mr. Innocent saw clearly enough, as many saw at the
time, that their great movement, in its first beginnings,
was a struggle against corrupt, evil, and reckless ad
ministrators for freedom to worship God. This is no
time for digression, else one would be tempted to specu
late on what is indeed but a vain topic, the " might
have been." Had the Powers but remained aloof from
this great strife a civil war in which the Imperialists
were more ruthless than the Revolutionaries? Had
England especially not been so anxious, as she again
was in Boxer days, to uphold the power of the Man-
chus? Had Gordon, the "Christian Soldier," but have
chosen the Christian side? But the political situation
was full of perplexity, anomaly and distraction. While
Lord Elgin was marching on Peking and burning the
Summer Palace, the foreign troops, though at war with
the Government, were holding Shanghai against the
rebels, and Gordon, with his " ever-victorious " force,
was breaking their military strength.
After his return from this saddening visit, Mr.
Innocent was taken dangerously ill. This was in the
beginning of August, the hottest and most trying time
of the year. The doctor pronounced it Asiatic
Cholera. Dr. Edkins, another member of the party,
was stricken at the same time, but not with the same
complaint. It was ascribed to the sickening and un
wholesome scenes they had been through. Mr. Hall,
in his letters to the Secretary, spoke in the most feel
ing and sympathetic terms of his companion s illness,
and wellnigh despaired of his life. Not many men
52
Serious Illness
come through an attack of Asiatic cholera. " For
twenty-four hours," says Mr. Innocent, "I was at
death s door. Good Dr. Henderson during this crisis
stood by me, with my beloved wife, applying remedies
and offering prayers, and through God s mercy and
their devoted attention my life was spared." It turned
to acute dysentery, which lasted for six weeks. Even
tually he was hurried off to Chefoo, where his recovery
was almost magical.
This episode is vividly depicted in quite charming
language in an account by Mrs. Innocent :
" Shanghai was in a very unsettled state in August,
1860. The rebels had taken Suchow ; the refugees
from that place were living on Shanghai city walls.
Food was given to them daily, but not sufficient to
keep life in young growing lads, consequently many
of them, of 16 and 17 years old died. There were
daily births and deaths on the wall. Men were con
stantly taken up as spies, executed and their heads
hung on the city walls. One day I counted 40 men
led away to execution. Coming from Suchow, the
missionaries, who had been to visit the Kun Wang/
had their boats pushed through the floating corpses of
men and women all the way home. Dr. Edkins and
my husband, owing to these unhealthy surroundings,
came home ill with diarrhoea.
" Our house was outside the British settlement,
some distance from the London Mission. Mrs. Daw-
son said she would take charge of our dear George
at her home while the unrest passed, as in the event
of our having to escape from our house, the child s
cries might prove disastrous. A night or two after
this my husband and Mr. Hall persuaded me to go
for the night to Mrs. Edkins. My husband walked
John Innocent
down with me, I went very reluctantly. Mr. Hall gave
my husband castor oil when they got home, hoping
to cure him of his diarrhoea. At six o clock next
morning he came for Dr. Henderson and myself, say
ing that my husband was very ill. On arriving at
home I was greatly shocked to see my beloved hus
band pale, pulseless, and unable to speak to me. He
had Asiatic cholera. Dr. Henderson looked very
grave, and put large mustard plasters on his legs and
feet, and gave him a teaspoonful of brandy at short
intervals. I watched by him and prayed for him all
that long day. Mercifully our tender, heavenly Father
listened to our prayers, that went not out of feigned
lips, and stayed the disease. But for three months
afterwards my poor husband was very ill. In the
meantime rebels were scouring the country and near-
ing Shanghai. We had a mountain chair in readiness,
if necessary to carry away our invalid. August i/th
I had just taken off a large fly-blister from my patient
and was sitting down to read and watch for the night,
when Mr. Hall came in quite excitedly, saying, I
hear noises ; we must have Mr. Innocent away at
once. I said, He cannot be moved. It would be
cruel to raise him up after that blister. Mr. Hall : It
cannot be helped ; he must go ! Miss Vogler was
in bed asleep. Her door was opposite mine, and I
went and called her up. I was not undressed, neither
was Mr. Hall. We put bolsters and pillows into the
mountain chair, then carried the poor patient down
stairs and placed him as comfortably as we could in
a lying position. No coolies were at hand to carry
the chair. Miss Vogler s cook and mine refused to
carry the chair. I said to Mr. Hall, You and I will
try to carry it. I put my shoulders to the back part.
s*
A Month in Chefoo
Mr. Hall took up the front. I could not lift my end.
Mr. Hall managed to lift his, but we were helpless to
move the chair. The men seeing this came to the
rescue, and took it with the greatest ease, and we
started. At our gate a Sikh soldier shook his lance
in our faces and cried, Friend or foe ? We gave the
password and went on our way. All was quiet on the
way and at the London Mission all fast asleep in bed.
I got my beloved to bed, and though faint, he did not
succumb under the exertion. Next day the rebels did
come to a place a mile or two from Shanghai. After
a week or two we went back to our house. My hus
band kept in a very feeble state, leaning on his staff
like an old man. In October the doctor said he must
go to Chefoo. Dr. and Mrs. Edkins were also in a
feeble state, so it was arranged that all three should
go to Chefoo. Why did I not go as well ? I was
told afterwards that no one expected to see my
husband come back alive. I myself had no such fear,
though he had to be carried on to the steamer. My
dear husband found at sea a most voracious appetite
and had every encouragement to eat. After a month s
stay in Chefoo he returned and reached home on
November the pth. It was night. Mr. Hall had gone
to his room. Lizzie had the candle going on before
me, while I carried baby George to bed. Lizzie ran
back saying, There is a man ! The upper part of
our front door was of glass. I went to see, and there
was my husband. Such a change in him in so short
a time I never expected to see. His trousers were
tucked up, as the road was muddy, and showed such
strong legs ; his face was stout and rosy. I could not
speak for laughing. We laughed so merrily that Mr.
Hall came down to see what it was all about. And
55
John Innocent
then he began laughing, and so we kept up the chorus
till we were all tired. We did thank God Who was
better than all our fears."
Mr. Innocent had come home in a sailing ship from
Chefoo. The visit had very much impressed him.
Though it continued the interruption which sickness
had brought to his studies, he considered the time well
spent as he learnt much about the country, and
especially it had opened his eyes to the great import
ance of the North. To the Western mind of that day,
and especially to the commercial world, the term China
almost exclusively connoted the southern and central
provinces. The Occidental was almost as oblivious of
the great northern provinces of the empire as the
Chinaman was of the world outside China. The visit
had opened his eyes to the wonderful opportunities
for evangelism which lay untouched, uncoveted, almost
we might say, undreamed of in the far north. With
the eye of a strategist he took in all the advantages
it presented ; nearness to the capital, the healthy, stal
wart physique of the people, their less sophisticated
mental qualities, the great superiority of the climate,
the unlimited field for expansion into Shantung,
Shansi, Honan, Shensi, not to mention the vast
stretches of Manchuria and Mongolia. He wanted to
go to Chefoo and commence a mission at once,
but he was anticipated by others. It is pertinent to
observe in relation to the difference of opinion between
our two pioneer missionaries on the question of the
ehoice of field that each was impressed by what he
saw. Had Mr. Hall gone to the north at this time,
it is likely he would have felt the same. They were
right missionaries ; what they saw they loved, and
what they loved they wanted to convert.
56
River Pei-ho, Tientsin.
To face p. 5<>.
Suchow
During this period the momentous question, " Where
shall our Mission be founded ? " was very prominent
in the minds of both our Missionaries, the more so
as they took opposite views on the subject. Mr. Hall
was extremely reluctant to abandon the original plan
of settling in Suchow. It was plain they could not
take up their abode there at once, but must wait for
more settled times. It was only some 70 or 80 miles
from Shanghai. They could watch for opportunities to
visit it, and in the meantime be studying the language.
In fact Suchow had captured his imagination, as in
deed it might. It was a rich, magnificent city, the
centre of a populous region. If the Italians say, "See
Naples and die," the Chinese also have a proverb :
" Shang Yu T ien Tang
Hsia Yu Su Hang."
" Above the sky is heaven itself,
" Below the sky are Su (chow) and Hang (chow)"
Mr. Innocent himself has appended to his diary
Dr. Williams description of the city taken from " The
Middle Kingdom":
" The city of Suchow now exceeds Nanking in size
and riches. It is situated on islands lying in the great
lake. The walls of the city are about 10 miles in
circumference. Outside of them are four suburbs, one
of which is said to extend 10 miles each way. Besides
which there is an immense floating population. The
whole population cannot be far from two millions. It
lies north-west of Shanghai, the way lying through a
continual range of villages and cities. The environs
are highly cultivated, producing cotton, silk, rice, wheat,
fruit and vegetables.
57
John Innocent
The Chinese regard it as one of their most beautiful
and richest cities. It has a high reputation for the
splendour of its buildings, the elegance of its tombs,
the picturesque scenery of its waters and gardens, the
politeness and intelligence of its inhabitants, and the
beauty of its women. Its manufactures of silk, linen
and cotton fabrics and works in ivory, wood, horn,
glass, lacquerware, paper and other articles are the
chief sources of its wealth and prosperity. The silk
goods produced here surpass in variety and richness
those woven in other places."
In a letter published in "Consecrated Enthusiasm,"
Mr. Hall gives the population at 200,000. This is a slight
mistake. There is a nought missing. But probably
both estimates are false. A later authority gives
500,000.
Mr. Innocent was all for the north. Chefoo was
bespoken, but there was Tientsin with its boundless
possibilities untouched, and the Treaty making it an
open port was being signed by Lord Elgin ratified
in Peking, 24th of October, 1860. There is no doubt
this constituted a serious difference of opinion between
the two men. On the other hand, there is no indica
tion that it led to any unpleasantness or estrange
ment between them. Each pressed his views on the
Committee, as was natural, and indeed right. Mr.
Hall even suggested that, like Paul and Barnabas,
they should divide, that the Committee should send
out two new men, and that he with one of them should
remain to take up Suchow, or else go up with Griffith
John to Hankow, which would not have been a bad
solution of the question. Careful consideration leads
to the conclusion that when all is said Mr. Innocent
took the more statesmanlike view. He has himself
58
Decision for Tientsin
given us the reasons for his own choice. They are
disinterested and they are cogent :
" Peace was established in the north : the Yang
tze Valley was still disturbed. The climate of the
north was dry and bracing : that of Central China was
humid and prostrating. Waiting in uncertainty was
likely to disappoint friends at home, and to prevent
our own concentration of mind on suitable study and
preparation for our work. Immediate settlement would
open to us a door of usefulness, and afford a basis
of operations for the future. Even in learning the
language, living with the people you intend to preach
to is a great advantage. The chief consideration with
me was for a new mission in an entirely new field
where no other worker had been, not to enter into
or intrude upon, or meet with restrictions from, other
men s labours."
The momentous question on which our two brethren
were so strongly though not unamicably at issue,
appears to have been decided for them by the Mis
sionary Committee. It was in favour of John Innocent
and Tientsin.
Respecting this, at the time very knotty question,
the following observations may be made :
1. It was not a question of right and wrong, but
of better and best. Both locations were extremely
eligible.
2. There were no vain regrets. Mr. Hall went to
Tientsin " with a good heart."
3. The blessing realized in after years does not
prove that a different decision would have been a
mistake, but it abundantly justifies the choice made.
4. We are now represented in the region that was
discarded : for our " Free Church " brethren took up
59
John Innocent
work in Ningpo in 1864, so that the United Methodist
Church is well represented in Central China.
On Friday, March I5th, 1861, Mr. Innocent, escorted
by Mr. Hall, went on board the " Maryland " and sailed
from Shanghai for Tientsin, arriving there after a
twenty days passage, on the 4th of April. He had
left the ship ten miles up the river and reached the
port on a Chinese cart over a dusty road, about ten
o clock at night. He was alone, because when he left
Shanghai he had " not enough money to pay the rent
and take wife and child."
Suchow was retaken by General Gordon, November
27th and 28th, 1864. Suchow was eventually occupied
by the Rev. Mr. Lambuth, of the American Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, and afterwards by both the
American Presbyterian Missions. At the present day
our American Methodist brethren have a university
there, and property estimated at 60,000 gold dollars
(12,000).
60
TABLE.*
Showing the date of foundation of the principal Protestant
Missions in China, with place where begun.
A.D.
505 Nestorian Mission came to China. Tablet at Hsi Ngan
unearthed in 1865 is dated 781.
1292 Roman Catholic. John Corvino came to China. 1784
Roman Catholics severely persecuted.
1807 London Missionary Society. Dr. Morrison came to China.
1830 A.B.C.F. Mission (American). Canton, 1849 Shanghai.
1835 American Church Mission (Episcopal). Canton.
1837 American Baptist Mission. Macao. Canton 1845.
1844 Church Missionary Society. Shanghai.
1844 Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. North. Canton 1847.
1845 Baptist Missionary Society of England. Ningpo. Chefool859.
1846 Basel (German) Mission. Hong-Kong and Canton.
1847 Methodist Episcopal Mission, U.S.A. North. Fuchow.
1847 Rhenish Missionary Society. Hong-Kong.
1847 Presbyterian, U.S.A. North. Canton.
1847 Seventh-day Baptists, U.S.A. Shanghai.
1849 Methodist Episcopal, U.S.A. South. Shanghai.
1850 Berlin Missionary Society. Hakkas, Canton.
1853 China Inland Mission. Hudson Taylor.
1860 METHODIST NEW CONNEXION-. TIENTSIN.
18G2 \Yesleyan Methodist Missionary Society. Hankow.
1863 Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.
1864 ENGLISH METHODIST FREE CHURCH. NINGPO AND
WENCHOW.
1867 Presbyterian, U.S.A. South. Hangchow.
1869 Irish Presbyterian Mission. Manchuria.
1871 Canadian Presbyterian Mission. Formosa.
1875 United Free Church of Scotland. Manchuria.
1878 Church of Scotland Mission. Ichang.
1883 Church of England Mission, Zenana Society. Kucheng.
1884 English Friends Mission. Hankow. Chungking 1890.
1885 BIBLE CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY. YUNNAN;
KWEICHOW.
1887 Swedish Mission in China. Shansi, Shensi, Honan.
1891 Scandinavian Mission Alliance. China. Shensi, Kansu.
1895 Mongolia.
1891 Canadian Methodist Mission. Chengtu.
1892 Swedish Baptist Mission. Kiaochow.
BIBLE SOCIETIES.
1812 British and Foreign Bible Society.
1832 American Bible Society.
1863 Scottish Bible Society.
. * This list gives only important Mission!. There are abeut 9J societies in all.
61
PART II.
From the Commencement of Missionary Work in
Tientsin to the Death of Mr. Hall, 1861 to 1878.
CHAPTER VII.
THE CITY OF TIENTSIN.
THE City of Tientsin ("the heavenly fords") is
situated on the right bank of the Pei-ho, close to the
point of its junction with the Grand Canal. In fact, it
is the meeting-place of several streams which converge
upon it as a centre and, having joined the Pei-ho, form
the lower portion of that stream, and by what is known
to the Chinese as the Hai-ho (the sea river), run from
Tientsin to the sea. Take an ordinary cart wheel,
knock off its felloes, take out half of its spokes, and
dislocate the rest into irregular positions, some much
nearer to, and some much farther from, each other than
the rest. These spokes may then represent the Hai-
ho, the Pei-ho, the Grand Canal, the Hun-ho, the
Shang-hsi-ho, the Shia-hsi-ho and one or two other
streams. The hub of the wheel is Tientsin. It is dis
tant about eighty miles from Peking, the capital of the
Empire, and about thirty-five miles by road, but much
farther by water, from the sea at Taku. Previous to
the time of the Boxer outbreak, it was a large walled
city, of rectangular shape, measuring about one and a
62
Roman Catholic Cathedral, Tientsin
quarter miles from east to west, and about three-quar
ters of a mile from north to south. Its principal gates
were regularly placed, the streets connecting them
forming a cross with a large drum-tower in the middle
of the city. The walls were in bad repair. The
suburbs of the city are at least as large as the city
itself, and contain the most important of its streets.
They sprawl about in an irregular manner over the
windings of the river which for two or three miles
shows a perfect forest of masts belonging to sea-going
junks and boats of various descriptions.
Around the city and its suburbs, and including also
much vacant ground, had just been thrown up a mili
tary rampart of earth often spoken of by foreigners
as " San Ko Lin-Sin s folly," the Tartar general of
that name having constructed it to resist the approach
of Lord Elgin s mission. It is known to the Chinese
as the " Wei Tzii," " the defence," and has become
another name for Tientsin. It was about sixteen miles
in circuit, but is fast disappearing.
The Roman Catholic Cathedral, the scene of the
massacre of 1870, occupies a uniquely commanding
position at the junction of the Pei-ho with the Grand
Canal. The site was taken from the Chinese without
payment in 1860, an act of confiscation which rankled
in the popular mind, and played its part in causing the
massacre. Many important temples, mosques and
yamens adorn the city, though, on the whole, the struc
ture of the buildings, until recently, was somewhat
mean. In 1900, after the outbreak, the walls were
razed to the ground, and, together with the narrow
streets within and without the city, were converted into
broad, straight macadamized roads, which are now
traversed by an extensive electric tram system, and
t
John Inaocent>
lighted with electricity. In 1861 such things were all
undreamt of, as were the extensive foreign settlements,
British, French, German, American, Japanese,
Austrian, Russian, which lie to the south-east of the
city, and are far more imposing than the city itself.
Tientsin is the port for the Metropolis. It has now a
large import and export trade, is a great emporium for
the salt condensed from the sea at Taku and carried in
junks along the Grand Canal to the far interior, and is
a great market for skins, camels hair, pigs bristles, and
other products which come down from Manchuria and
Mongolia. But in 1861 most of these trades were in
their infancy.
The population of Tientsin is generally given as about
one million. The same authority " Phillips s Atlas of
the World," recently published which gives Suchow
500,000, gives Tientsin as 961,000. From personal
knowledge and observation, and we have known
Tientsin for thirty years, we should say it was rather
under than over-estimated. Chinese from all over the
empire are to be found in the city, and very largely
supplement the original population, An-Hui, Canton,
and Ningpo having important guilds located there,
and Honan, Shansi, and Shantung contributing
each its quota to the population. It is virtually the
capital of the province of Chihli, Peking standing apart
as the seat of empire, while Paotingfu, an important
city to the west, holds that position only in a nominal
sense. Tientsin is the seat of a Viceroyalty that
governs the northern provinces. The Viceroyalty known
as the Peiyang Ta Ch en is the most important official
appointment out of Peking. This was the proud position
which gave to Li Hung Chang for many years, and to
Yuen Shih K ai recently, so great an influence in the
Tientsin a Modern City
counsels of the Empire, and in both cases their removal
to Peking, though placing them higher in the giddy
upper ranks of mandarindom, was felt to be Irish
promotion, received with outward professions of grati
tude, but inward sentiments of deep chagrin.
Tientsin is a modern city. Its growth has been phe
nomenally rapid, both before and since its opening as a
free port, and it is probable that before the rise of the
Manchu dynasty, and the transfer of the seat of
government from Nanking to the north it was com
paratively unimportant. The last of the places on the
Plan of the Tientsin Circuit, is Ta Chih Ku, a small
village lying to the east of Tientsin railway station.
There is a legend that once upon a time there were two
Chih Kus, a Chih Ku Magna and a Chih Ku Parva ; or,
in other words, Ta Chih Ku and Hsiao Chih Ku. They
were sister villages lying five or six miles apart ; the
larger one has remained much what it always was an
insignificant village. What is now Tientsin was then
Hsiao Chih Ku. It spread and spread, swallowing up
neighbouring villages, until the city wall was built,
and it will soon include its larger sister in its circum
ference. In this it presents a complete contrast to
Suchow, which is one of the most ancient cities in the
Empire, someone Biblically-minded having referred its
origin to the times of Ezra. The one represents the
old China of the Mings, the other the modern China of
the Tartars. Tientsin is the Birmingham, the Chicago
of China. At the time when our missionaries entered
it, it was little heard of in western countries ; even now
Cook s tourist tickets do not include it in their round.
In all probability Tientsin has before it a more
brilliant future than most of the cities of the Empire.
It is destined to be one of the greatest railway junctions
65
John Innocent
in the world. The railway line running from Tsingtao
to Chinanfu will shortly connect with the Tsin-pu line
to Tientsin. A line already runs westward to Pao-
tingf u, and one northward to Peking and Kalgan. The
great trunk line known as the Ching-Han line has its
junction at Fengtai indeed, but connects with Tientsin,
and links it, through Paoting, to Hankow. It will soon
be extended into Canton. The new line known as the
Pu Kow or Tsin Pu line, will have its terminus in
Tientsin, will run to Nanking and thence to Shanghai.
Most important of all, the great Siberian railway unites
Tientsin in an easterly direction with Europe itself, and
already passengers for Shanghai, Hong-Kong, Ningpo,
and the whole south of China, are beginning to travel
via Tientsin instead of Tientsinners travelling by these
ports. The continuation of the Kalgan railway to join
the Siberian route at Chiachta will shorten the journey
to Europe by some days. Even this is not all ; but a
yet shorter route still is possible through Kansuh and
Turkestan to Merv or Samarkand. It is already talked
of, will some day be made, and what sounds incredible
will then be realized, a run from Paris or St. Peters
burg to Tientsin in a week.
Tientsin is a -progressive city. Its proximity to the
capital keeps it in touch with political and social move
ments, and as a port it is open to contact with the
outside world. As a thriving and prosperous com
mercial centre, even in the early days, it was naturally
open to progressive movements. At the same time it
is far enough removed from Peking to keep free of the
trammels of those traditions of mandarindom which
have proved so stubbornly reactionary, and which to
this day keep Peking conservative. The impact of
modern civilization, which shocked China and stung the
66
A Tea Booth in Tientsin.
To face p. 66.
A Progressive City
national pride, came first upon the south. The bitter
hostility engendered by the opium trade was but little
felt in the north, and, though anti- foreign, it was anti-
foreign in a different way. Hostility in the south was
due to knowledge, in the north to ignorance, and was
therefore liable to soften under the influence of kindly
relations. As the seat of empire, Peking responded to
the grudges engendered by painful experience in the
south, but they were not much felt outside its walls.
The Tientsin massacre in 1870 was certainly a dreadful
ebullition of public animosity, but, notwithstanding
that lamentable outburst, we may say that Tientsin has
never betrayed the deep hatred of the foreigner, and
all his ways, which has characterized most of the great
cities of the south. Since Boxer days it has been more
progressive than ever. Its new streets, broad and well
macadamized, houses built in Western style, shops
literally teeming with foreign goods of every descrip
tion, its electric tram-lines, and electrically-lit streets,
its waterworks and flour mills, all show how conscious
it is of the value of trade with other countries and the
adoption of Western methods of life. It tolerated rail
ways before they were tolerated elsewhere. It has an
organized educational system second to none in China,
far in advance of other cities, and men, women and
children are displaying a remarkable taste for a know
ledge of the English language and for modern science.
In Tientsin we have three English daily newspapers,
two French ones, one German, a Japanese, and quite a
number of Chinese papers. It has a detective system,
prison, reformatories, a mint, and civic lecture halls,
and is asking for a municipality on the western model.
It is strong in its advocacy of a new constitution, with a
popular franchise. Nowhere is the rising spirit of
67
John Innocent
young China more in evidence, nowhere is there to be
found a more fertile soil for the reception of new
ideas. Perhaps more than any other great centre it
leads the van of China s awakening life.
The choice of Tientsin as a centre for our Mission in
China was a happy choice ; we believe that we were
providentially led to its selection, but, so far as human
will and conscious purpose went to determine that selec
tion, they must be credited to the sagacity and perse
verance of John Innocent.
CHAPTER VIII.
AT TIENTSIN.
A PEEP INTO THE DOMESTICITIES OF A MISSIONARY.
MR. INNOCENT did not quite realize his ideal of a
completely new field entirely to ourselves. On his arrival
in Tientsin that dark April night he was met and wel
comed by the Rev. Henry Blodget, an American Congre
gational missionary, who had come up with the troops
to Tientsin, and had spent the winter mostly in work
among the soldiers. Health considerations had driven
Mr. Blodget to Tientsin, where he arrived on a supply
ship on September 28th, 1860. He had been a mis
sionary in Shanghai for seven years, was on his way
home with his wife, but on arriving at Yokohama a sea-
captain offered him a passage to Tientsin. He took
the offer, and, while Mrs. Blodget went on home, he
proceeded to Tientsin. Afterwards Dr. Blodget became
one of the stalwarts of the China Mission field, and re
moved to Peking in 1864, where he did valuable literary
work, especially in the translation of the New Testa
ment into Mandarin, and the rendering of hymns into
Chinese. He died in 1903.
Mr. Innocent was overjoyed to see the face of so
good a friend, and shared his quarters until he found
rooms for himself, in which task he experienced con
siderable difficulty. His experiences and the state of
his mind at this time seem to us to be beautifully, if
somewhat naively, depicted in a private letter written to
Mrs. Innocent, which our readers will be delighted to
John Innocent
have in full, as it affords a vivid peep at once into the
bliss of his wedded life and the little domestic cares
which beset the missionary.
From Mr. Innocent to Mrs. Innocent.
" Tientsin, April 6th, 1861.
" MY VERY DEAR WIFE, What can I say, or what can
I do for your comfort? I am in great distress of mind
about you, for your letter indicates your great suffering,
both of body and mind. How I wish I could fly to your
side to aid in bearing your sorrow, or endeavour to
mitigate in any way your great sufferings ! I sincerely
trust that you have found entire relief ere this, and that
you are in a more cheerful state than when you wrote.
If not, I shall be disposed to come to you, instead of
welcoming you in this city. My heart is deeply affected
and shocked with the news of dear George s death. I
can hardly realize the fact, or suppose it possible that
we shall not see him again. Still, my darling, we must
remember that this visitation is tinged with the mercy
of our God. It was manifest that God was preparing
him for this change long before it took place ; and his
sufferings must have been great, and it is better to be
relieved than to linger long in pain and helplessness.
Lingering, with certainty that his affliction would end in
death, would have been more a source of continued
anxiety and dejection to your dear sister than his some
what sudden removal. Moreover, our kind heavenly
Father has not brought this trial upon her without pro
viding her with grace commensurate to her need The
greater the burden (and) the greater the measure of
strength which the Lord gives to his children to enable
them to bear it. Then, you know, she is surrounded
by her dear and sympathizing relatives, so that she will
70
" Blessed be the name of the Lord"
have every comfort hearts or hands can administer.
We can only pray for her and sympathize in this her
loss, and ours. It would be wrong to allow our sorrow
to interfere with our work, or the exalted duties we
owe to God and the world Let us endeavour, there
fore, calmly to submit to this dispensation, and trust
in God to preserve to us still those who are left of our
dear earthly friends. Be not dispirited, my darling, but
be cheerful and happy in God. Though He has taken
away? He has only taken His own, for He gave, and,
everything considered, we have reason to say for even
this, blessed be the name of the Lord. Then, con
sider how much is yet left to you, and to your bereaved
sister. And even if our dear son cannot come out to
us, I am sure, if he is any comfort to your sister, you
will be willing for him to remain with her now. Let
us only go on working for God, and in His way, and
all shall be well.
" I sincerely hope you will be able to join me soon
here. Try to get the goods away at once, either
through Mr. Soul or some other person. I learn that
goods (furniture) cost more than any other freight, but
the little furniture you have reserved, such as the round
table and the chairs, had better come, as the furniture
here is very inferior, though strong. I could manage
with it, but you could not. Don t get any more, how
ever. Then try to come up to me in the next mail if
you can. Get some one to apply for you to the proper
authorities. As you are ill, I would rather have you by
my side than away. There are some good, kind medical
men here, if we need their assistance, and the troops
are not likely to leave for some time to come.
" There are several houses open to me, but I have
not yet fixed on one, but will do so in a day or two.
John Innocent
Capt. Henderson is very kind to me, and so is Mr.
Blodget, with whom I am living. He wants to be near
to us and have Mr. Hall to live with him, as he is
similarly circumstanced with regard to family. You
must be prepared to meet with very dirty-looking towns
up here, and dry, arid but fruitful country, and houses,
for a good rent, that you can get along with very com
fortably. If no money has come, I think you might as
well try to come, and let Mr. Hall forward the money
when it does arrive. We will endeavour to get on. I
don t feel comfortable in your absence from me at all,
especially as you are not well. The voyage, I am sure,
will benefit you, and, as the climate here is much drier
than Shanghai, it will be to your advantage. I am glad
the dear child is well and so affectionate to you. I want
to embrace him again : kiss him very warmly for me. I
am also greatly obliged to Mrs. Wright and Mr. Hall
for their kindness to you, and am rejoiced that Mr.
Hall has encouraging news from his wife.
" The wall about this city is near four miles in extent,
built square, and the top of it is wide enough for two
carriages to drive abreast round it, except in some parts
where it is broken, and, as it is paved all round, it is a
very good promenade. The river and the Grand Canal
join just outside the walls, and the suburbs of the city
are more populous than the city itself. The river is
just outside the city on the northern and eastern sides,
and, as the suburbs are on both sides of the river, there
are seven bridges of long boats across, which can be
easily moved to allow ships to pass.
" All the foreigners are living in the north-eastern
suburbs, right amongst the Chinese. There are some
allotments of land ceded to foreigners, which are to be
sold in May, but this concession is two miles out of the
72
Preaching to English Soldiers
city, on the river, and, though it may be bought up, it
will be some time before foreigners build there, as they
speak of the city as being preferable for business. It
is certainly desirable for missionaries to live amongst
the people. I am sorry we have not money enough to
buy property, as there is a very large and suitable
place for missionary or merchant premises, well built
(to sell) for $3,000 (about 600). The Chinese are
now beginning to require very high rents for houses,
and I fear we shall have to give nearly as much as we
gave in Shanghai. I am resisting this, however, at
present, and hope to get one without much trouble for
much less.
"Monday, April 8th, 1861.
" I preached last night to the English soldiers and
several foreigners, in a little room opened in the city
for that purpose by two officers. These officers, Capts.
Brooke and Gray, are very fine, devoted fellows, and
a number of the soldiers have regular religious and
temperance meetings under their and Dr. Blodget s
countenance. I am quite at home with them, and hope
to form a class for their religious instruction.
" I have got a clean, healthy-looking servant, twice the
size of Loking, for 4,000 cash (about seven shillings) a
month. He is a good reader and a clear speaker, and
seems very honest. Mr. Blodget has a number of poor
people who attend his Chinese service, to whom several
officers give a catty (11-3 Ib.) of rice each a week. The
women are all widows, and he says one of them would
be glad to serve you as a nurse, if you like. I don t
think there will be any difficulty, therefore, in getting
a woman. When you come, don t bring any washer
man, for there are some here already. I have got two
shirts washed and ironed for 100 cash (four pence),
John Innocent
which is at the rate of $5 per 100 articles. But there
is a person washes without ironing for $2 per 100.
This will meet the case for the present, and we can
teach a servant to wash soon. It will be well for you
to bring up a little butter (33. I Ib. tin) with you when
you come, but nothing else. Some of the foreigners
here have cows, but they yield very little milk. Per
haps it is because of the dryness of the season. How
ever, I think we may understand it, and get the milk
(8d. ij pints) we want. We can obtain a large wild
goose here for 200 cash (about eightpence), and at any
time can send to the (public) cook-house, and get a
fowl, nicely cooked for the table, for 150 cash (7jd.).
Meat, fish, fowl, and vegetables can be had in any
quantity. Even bread, baked in foreign manner, of
foreign flour, is brought to the door by the Chinese,
who have learnt to make from the soldiers. There are
good tailors who make coats and trousers and caps, and
I don t know what else.
"April loth, 1 86 1.
" I now learn that square tables and cane-seated
chairs are made here, so you had better not bring your
black chairs. Suit yourself about the tables, but I
think the square tables they have here would better suit
the small rooms in Chinese houses, and, though they
don t look so well as the large round table, would be
quite as serviceable. There is abundance of coal and
wood in the market here ; Chinese anthracite coal, and,
though dear, it is cheaper than at Shanghai. I dined
yesterday off a wild goose, which cost in the market 1 80
cash (not quite tenpence) : I enjoyed it very much. It
will serve Mr. B. and myself for dinner to-day also.
The weather is so warm here that I have been un
comfortably hot in walking about. To-day I have got
74
Tientsin : Chinese Junks.
To face p. 74.
House-seeking
my things, and am going to wear my white linen coat
for the middle of the day. Day before yesterday we
had a shower of sand or dust, which was so thick that
it darkened the atmosphere and filled every place, and
covered everybody and everything with dust. Some
times, I understand, it is so bad that it is necessary to
light the lamps in the houses to see what to do, and all
the shops are quite closed up. It only occurs during a
north-west wind, and on Monday was of short duration.
" I am weary of house-seeking. Every day has been
spent in this business since I came, and nothing is yet
settled. I have been to three or four this morning, and
have offered for two of them. I hope to get one, and
then proceed to put it in order. At any rate there is a
room for you whenever you come, which I sincerely
hope will be very soon. I would like you to get here
before the Edkinses, if they are not coming at once.
" It appears that during the summer the heat is great
here, and the people construct covers over the squares
or yards on each side of which the rooms of a house are
built. I think a good lot of old sacking would make
a cheaper and a better shade than the Chinese make of
poles and matting. I think of having a central pole,
like the mast of a ship, and having a pulley so as to
draw up the shade and draw it out when necessary.
This would be lighter and better looking than the things
in use. Perhaps I may be able to buy an old ship s sail,
which would be better still. I bought a beautiful grey
squirrel coat for you the other day, for which I gave
ten dollars. The man said it was new, but it turned
out that it had been worn, though it seemed no worse,
but as it was not new I sent it back, and had the dollars
returned. They are to be had in abundance, however,
and now the season is over they are cheap. As you
75
John Innocent
don t need it this season, I will wait until you come, and
you shall choose for yourself. Shall I buy one to send
to Lizzie for next winter? There are some beautiful
shops with beautiful things here for use and ornament.
"April 1 2th, 1861.
" The mail came yesterday, bringing your second
precious letter. I am sorry I have not been able to send
to you before, but to-morrow the mail leaves here. I
am full of grief for you and the objects of your sorrow.
Oh, how thankful I am that our dear Willie has been
spared to us and has passed safely through this afflic
tion! Let us thank God, and be encouraged by His
mercy. Now, my dear, do make every effort to come
by the next mail. Perhaps Mr. Hall, or, say, Mr.
Soul, will urge the matter upon the parties who have
authority to give you a passage. Do try. If not by
that, you may come in the first vessel that leaves for
this place, in which let all the things come but the
furniture. If you can send them off at once, do so.
You may send the chairs, as good ones are very dear,
but not the table. Do not bring any rice. The servant
(mine) has washed and ironed some things for Mr.
Blodget very nicely. All here who know me are
anxious for you to come, but none so much so as I am.
The weather is delightful here, and I think you will be
much better than in Shanghai. I long to press you again
to my heart, and hear your dear voice of love, and help
to make you happy. God bless thee, my own sweet
wife, and keep thee in safety and in peace.
" Now don r t wait for money. We shall do for some
time, and the Lord will provide.
" Believe me, dearest, in warmest love,
" Thy most affectionate husband,
"JOHN INNOCENT.
76
" Quite the Lover"
"P.S. Remind my darling Morrison (his son
George) that his papa loves him and wants to see and
kiss him."
This letter is fairly long, but we confidently expect
the thanks of our readers for transcribing it. It is, to
us, a very gem of a letter ; the more natural from its
remarkable mixture of topics, from the most private
and sacred feelings of the heart to the most trivial
details of housekeeping. It is just a bit of Mr.
Innocent s life, a small section cut clean and without
reserve. It shows us clearly the man as he was, shows
him as a missionary, a loving husband, a tender father,
a constant friend, a business man, a thoughtful
domestic manager. Mr. Hall, as " Consecrated En
thusiasm " shows, was a great letter-writer, but even he
never surpassed the simple charm of this epistle.
A whole volume could not excel in effect the delight
ful peep which it gives us into the tender relations and
complete mutual confidence subsisting between the
writer and the partner of his life. Talk of woman
being a help-meet for man, this shows the husband as
a most amiable and practical help-meet to his wife.
And he is quite the lover. We see how anxious he is
for her to join him, with what quiet art at every turn
he reiterates his patient longing, yet without dwelling
too importunately upon it. But, strong as his affection
is, it is not for a moment to draw him from his duty, or
interfere with his devotion to his work.
What a thoughtful comforter he is ! With what skill
he lays himself out to say the right word at a time of
bereavement and sorrow ! How tenderly he touches
the wounds, and how fruitful he is in topics of conso
lation, and what pious resignation his words convey
and enjoin! Just a touch elaborate, perhaps, but he
John Innocent
is a master of healing words. The " George " men
tioned here is Mr. Foreman, husband of Mrs. Innocent s
sister, who took charge of their eldest child, Willie,
when he was sent back from Portsmouth. " 111 tidings
travel fast." The sad news had been sent on by Mrs.
Innocent, and reached her husband within two days of
his arrival in Tientsin.
Considering that this letter was commenced two days
after Mr. Innocent s arrival, and the greater portion
written by the. fourth day, it is very surprising the
amount of information on the most diverse subjects he
has managed to get together. He has evidently lost
no time. He has found a suitable property for Mission
premises (if he only had 600 to buy it with), nearly
taken a house, solved the male and female servant
question, together with the problems of washing and
baking, hunted up a quantity of furniture, and ascer
tained the price and quality of wild goose and ready-
cooked fowl, besides knowing all about the city wall,
the river, the suburbs, and the beautiful climate, quali
fied as it is by malignant dust-storms. He has been
stirring early. Mr. Innocent was always an early riser.
Many entries in his diary speak of rising at five a.m.,
which was his usual practice through life. No doubt
at early dawn his figure would be seen on street and
wall and river-side.
The mention of the very few foreigners in Tientsin
apart from the soldiers, reminds us of the list he has
drawn up of residents in Tientsin in 1 86 1 and 1862.
We give it in full : British Consul, J. Morgan ;
Lindsay and Co., J. Henderson, at Kung Pei ; Meadows
and Co., J. L. T. Meadows; Philips and Moore, E.
Waller, at Kung Pei ; Maclean, at Kung Pei ; T. Platt,
at Kung Pei ; Stamford, Richard, C. Grant, C. Mellor,
78
The First M.N.C. Mission Premises
Stamman. These were all the foreign residents
there were in 1 86 1.
Mrs. Innocent did not come by any means so quickly
as he wanted her to. She had to wait for the Edkinses
after all, and it was on the iQth of May when they
arrived. Mrs. Edkins was a literary lady, and in 1863
published a small volume of letters entitled " Chinese
Scenes and People," which contains a number of
interesting references to these days. We cannot do
better than conclude this chapter with one of these
references, which is very characteristic.
" Yesterday, Mrs. Innocent and I went in chairs
through a part of the city. . . . We rode on to the
house Mr. Innocent has rented, and there we halted.
Mr. Blodget, an American missionary, shares it with
him. (The lodger now lodging his host.) The first
room we entered, and which we much admired, was the
long neatly-papered preaching-room. The brick floor
is tastefully matted, and little red-painted seats dot the
place. It was opened last Sabbath. We next passed
into another courtyard, where Mrs. Innocent s parlour
is, all ready-roofed (paper ceiling) and papered for her
very neat and pretty it looked. Then into another
court, in which stands a fine green tree, old and
gnarled, and yet fresh, and beneath the shade of this
we entered the bedroom division. Then we passed into
a third and a fourth court, until we got to the back
door, which opened on another street. All the rooms
here are on the ground-floor, and run back in courts
after this fashion."
Thus daintily does Mrs. Edkins describe for us the
first Mission premises occupied by the Methodist New
Connexion in North China, chapel and bungalow manse
all contrived out of one native house.
79
CHAPTER IX.
FIRST BEGINNINGS.
THE EARLY YEARS FROM 1 86 1 TO 1 866.
" ALL beginnings are hard " is a maxim of wellnigh
universal application, and it held with special force of
the work upon which Mr. Innocent had now entered.
The rank and file of Missionaries are happy in having
a Mission to go to, but the pioneer Missionary must
himself initiate and shape the work on which his life
is to be spent. The difference is radical, and the latter
calls for far higher qualifications than the former. It
is the difference between working successfully in a
groove, and having to cut for yourself the very groove
in which you must work. We can imagine no task
more calculated to invoke the involuntary exclamation,
" Who is sufficient for these things ? " than the one
which lay before Mr. Innocent. A great heathen city
of a million souls, a city teeming with busy life, with
customs, manners, occupations, interests, purposes all
so different from his own, and so hostile ; every single
man in it an utter stranger to him not only strange in
garb, in countenance and in speech, but, even suppose
these outward differences removed, with still more for
midable barriers left in the totally different springs of
thought, of motive, of aim, and of aspiration, by which
their minds were guided ; all the traditions and ideals
by which they were governed totally different from his
own, beings of another inward world than that in which
he moved. To undertake the work of conversion
Leading the Singing
among them of producing a profound and spiritual
change in what they held most dear, most sacred such
an errand might well be regarded by many as chimerical
in the last degree. How to begin such a work, that is
the momentous question to which this chapter must
address itself.
But even for the beginner there is usually a begin
ning already made, or at least indicated. It was some-
tiling to find Mr. Blodget, a missionary of experience,
in Tientsin. His presence meant companionship, help,
and a measure of guidance. The soldiers and their
religious needs offered immediate occupation, which,
if it was not his express errand to China to engage in,
was at least so much in harmony with that errand that
he could not set it aside. Then there was the language
to be learnt, in itself a work sufficient to tax his mind
for the next two years. Here were at least three start
ing points for his future work.
Within a few days he had made up his mind, to quote
his own words, that Tientsin " would be a most suitable
home for our infant church."
We have seen the efforts made to get a house, and
that they at length succeeded. "On the whole," says
he, speaking of his rooms, "they were quite as good
as most of the buildings then occupied by either Consul,
military officer, or merchant." While the house was
being put into shape, he had a room, in which he tells
us he sat with his teacher studying the language.
" My attainments did not admit of my taking any part
in Mr. Blodget s Chapel beyond that of leading the
singing of hymns which I learnt for the occasion. Mr.
Blodget was no singer ; the Chinese congregation could
read the hymns but did not know our tunes. It was
but a poor, still a useful, part of worship that I
81
John Innocent
rendered, yet I did it as unto the Lord. One Sunday,
after some weeks had passed, Mr. Blodget was absent,
and I then ventured to make my first attempt at giving
a short address in Chinese." This notable effort was
made on the I2th of May, 1861. " I prayed before going
that the Lord would look favourably upon my first
effort, and enable me to speak to-day and at all times
to His glory. In singing Alas, and did my Saviour
bleed one old man was visibly affected." He preached
the same evening to the English, including, we pre
sume, the soldiers, en " Enoch walked with God."
Another and very admirable way in which he
attempted to break ground in this virgin soil was by
going out for a walk, carrying Scriptures and Tracts to
give away, and engaging in conversation with any one
who gave him an opportunity. The freedom and readi
ness with which the Chinese talk to strangers, so
different from the Englishman s taciturn habits, made
this easy, and when it is a foreigner speaking Chinese,
the chief danger is that his audience may get too big for
comfort. Under date June 2Oth, 1861, in Mr. Innocent s
diary there is this interesting entry : " Took a number
of books in the afternoon, and spoke to a few men on
the West Gate. In conversation on true and false gods,
one man asked me if we had no Kuei Shen, or family
gods. Said he did not worship in the temple. Promised
to come to chapel. I did not feel so diffident to-day.
The books much appreciated." The diffidence would
be owing to his imperfect command of the language.
There are many indications that both Mr. Innocent and
Mr. Hall did a great deal of this kind of work, and that
it soon began to bear fruit. Here is a second entry we
may notice : " Sunday, May pth. I went out to try to
speak this morning, and distribute a number of books.
82
Tientsin : Old Clothes Street.
To face p
Beginning to speak Chinese
I made a beginning at speaking, but was nonplussed
by a man, who seemed very attentive, suddenly asking
me what kind of cloth my vest was made of. This
agitated and confused me so that I gave up. I did
wrong in not proceeding. If ever I am to do anything
here I must rise above this extreme sensitiveness. I
have too much of it. I trust the Lord will enable me
to overcome it and to speak His word with all boldness."
These little feelings have to be got over when the
thermometer stands at 1 06 in the shade, as he tells us
it did that day.
During these days Mr. Innocent began to give atten
tion to the young. One obvious way of working, and
one which has held a very important place in missionary
work from the beginning, is the foundation of schools.
The true missionary is at least as much a teacher as
a preacher, and it has been the continued recognition
of this fact which has led to the foundation of the many
different schools on the Mission. We shall, therefore,
regard with peculiar interest the first school established
by Mr. Innocent He had already secured a number
of boys, some ten or twelve, who were willing to attend,
and secured a teacher. He was engaged on the under
standing that the New Testament was to be studied
part of each day, and native books during the other
part. He tells us his motives in commencing this school.
" To help me in the acquisition of the language, and
enable me to do some work for the Lord." In his diary
we find this entry for Monday, July 22nd, 1861, " To-day
commenced my school with the nice-looking Chinese
boys. I hope God will help me to impress truth upon
their hearts and teach them the way to heaven." He
acted as his own superintendent, and he tells us it gave
him the opportunity of being present every morning
83
John Innocent
for Scripture reading and teaching the boys to sing
Christian hymns, and recorded the fact with evident
pride that more than a year afterwards "this heathen
teacher was one of our first baptized converts. He took
great interest in this school, and was often to be found
there, catechizing the nice-looking Chinese boys. "
Apparently the nice-looking room for preaching was
used as a school-room, and when the nucleus of a tiny
Church was formed they probably also held services in
it on Sabbath days.
About three weeks previous to this he had made
another important change in the premises at his dis
posal. Although the room above referred to was
spoken of as a preaching room, it was evidently for
some reason unsuitable, and he had been for some time
anxious to secure a better. There was no money with
which to hire fresh premises, but his ingenuity soon
solved the problem. On June 2Ot.h he has the follow
ing entry in his diary : " This is an important and inter
esting day to me. I have realized in part the object of
my coming to this land, the opening of a suitable place
for expounding the Word of God to the Chinese. The
street behind my house is a large public road, in which
stands also the Yamen of the City Magistrate. On this
account there is a constant flow of respectable people to
and fro. The premises I rent contain a large room
which stands out a little in this street, enabling me to
open a door out of it right upon the road By this
door the purpose of the room publishes itself, as all
who pass can see what is going on inside. To-day I
have had this room consecrated to the Lord and
formally opened for the preaching of the Gospel. I
invited my kind friends Mr. Blodget to preach in the
morning and Mr. Edkins in the afternoon. On both
81
An Eligible Site
occasions, and especially the latter, the company was
larger than could have been expected, especially as it
had not been published in any way. Getting the room
nearly full from those who were passing by speaks well
for the eligibility of the situation. The greatest atten
tion was paid to the two brethren, and I trust good
would be done." This preaching room was, we believe,
quite near to the premises now held by the A. B. C.
F. M. Mission,* a considerable distance from the place
we afterwards secured in an unrivalled situation on a
busy street near the " Niang Niang Kung," " Our
Lady s Palace," being the temple of a goddess the
Chinese Aphrodite, presiding genius of the sea. Our
chapel there was known as Kung Pei Chapel. It was
taken on what is known as a "pawn lease "t in 1866.
So far Mr. Innocent had been working single-handed,
but a fresh pleasure awaited him in the arrival of his
colleague, Mr. Hall. He himself made much of the
event. " Great was my joy on September 2nd, 1861, to
be joined by my colleague in Tientsin. It was a great
comfort to be together again after five months of sepa
ration. We had much to talk about, and many plans
to consider. He entered heartily into the work I had
commenced, the day school, and the preaching room and
book distribution. We consecrated ourselves by prayer,
and sought for the Divine blessing on our united
labours. Ten days before Mr. Hall s arrival, our dear
friend Rev. J. Edkins had lost his amiable wife, a lady
whose intelligence, kindness of heart, and devoted piety
had won for her the esteem and love of all who knew
her. Mr. Hall at once arranged to live with Mr. Edkins,
*The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (the great Mission
ary Society chiefly supported by the Independent Churches of the U.S.A., like the
London Missionary Society in England).
tA "pawn lease" is much the same as our mortgage.
85
John Innocent
for their mutual comfort, until his own wife should
arrive from England. He soon made himself at home
with the officers and soldiers of the city, and, with his
usual cheerful earnestness, identified himself with
every movement for their spiritual welfare, and greatly
was his labour appreciated and blessed." " As iron
sharpeneth iron, so doth the countenance of a man his
friend." The two brethren worked in perfect unison
in the promising sphere now opened up to them. They
both took part heartily in various kinds of work for the
welfare of the soldiers, and in reading over the account
of these activities we come upon a record which has
historic interest.
"Another congenial department of work claimed
attention in these early days, that of visiting the sick
soldiers in the military hospital. The summer was a
very unhealthy one. Many of our soldiers were stricken
with fever, and some with sunstroke. In visiting the
wards to minister to these sufferers I often found a
young captain sitting by some of the beds reading
aloud, or more quietly attending to a particular invalid.
This young man was Captain Gordon. We thus be
came acquainted, and he often solicited my special
attention to some who were beyond all hope of re
covery. He sometimes came with his lantern at mid
night to my house (half a mile from the hospital) to
take me to speak and pray with a dying man. Tommy
Atkins had no more genuine and sympathetic friend
than this young officer, who afterwards distinguished
himself as GENERAL GORDON."
And now we come to an event of special interest, the
circumstances attending which are narrated by Mr.
Innocent with becoming pride.
"On the 22nd of this month (September, 1861) the
86
The First British Subject born in Tientsin
only missionary lady then in Tientsin gave birth to a
daughter. Annie Edkins Innocent was the first British
subject born in Tientsin, and the first birth registered
in the records of the British Consulate of that port."
We may, perhaps, here anticipate a little, and record
the fact that Mrs. Hall arrived in Tientsin from
England during the month of March, 1862. Apparently
Mr. Innocent was away on a long tour in Pao Ting Fu
and Tai-Yuen-Fu. Mr. Hall must have had a long and
anxious time, and have often felt lonely during the long
period whilst he was separated from his family ; and his
discomfort would be no little heightened by the almost
constant ill-health from which Mrs. Hall suffered. About
eighteen months previously she had made an attempt
to come out, but was taken so ill on the passage that
she was compelled to return to England a second time.
They had been separated for close upon two years and
a half, since the memorable time when, on account of
the severities suffered in the Channel, she had been
compelled to abandon the voyage at Portsmouth. Great
was her husband s joy when she joined him, accom
panied by their little boy. It was indeed a glad re
union, not only for husband and wife, but also for our
little Mission band in China. To Mrs. Innocent the
arrival of her former friend and companion was full
of comfort and delight, for foreign ladies were scarce
indeed in Tientsin in those days.
Pleasant as this re-union was, it was not to last for
long. In another two years and a half it was broken
never to be restored on earth. On September 2Oth,
1864, Mrs. Hall died in a tragically sudden manner. A
distinguishing feature of Mr. Innocent s character was
its habitual calmness, and this characteristic is very
marked in his recital of most of the experiences, even
87
John Innocent
those of a distressing character, which he was called
upon to pass through. But that calmness is utterly
broken as he recounts the harrowing story of her alarm
ingly and unaccountably sudden death. True to him
self, however, he remembers the details of the sorrow
ful event.
" Mrs. Hall, who has not been well for several days,
felt worse to-day, supposed to be fever and ague.
Went to bed in the afternoon at my request. Mr.
Hall was unable to leave his bed, so 1 remained at home
to attend to them. The doctor called in the evening
and said that Mrs. Hall had ague, but might be better
if got into a perspiration. He requested me to mix a
powder of 3 grains of calomel and 5 of Dover s
powder, which I did. I afterwards gave her a cup of
tea, and she rose to undress for the night. I went into
the adjoining room, and immediately Mrs. Lees and
Mrs. Henderson came in. In a few minutes I sent
them forward to Mrs. Hall s room, who had just got
into bed. While they were in the act of raising the
mosquito curtain to speak to her in the usual way, Mrs.
Hall exclaimed, Dear me ! How strange it is I cannot
see you ! Then with a sudden jerk she rolled over in
bed, lifted up herself as a fluttering sigh escaped her;
then she dropped upon the pillow. I had been called
by the ladies immediately on entering the room, and,
as my dear friend was sinking down, I raised her head
upon my shoulder and supported her in an upright
position, hoping it was only a fainting fit ; but alas !
life was gone! We sent immediately for the doctor,
and used all means to restore her, but in vain. Her
poor husband was on another bed in the same room,
and, though we tried to hide the truth from him, he
soon began to suspect the worst. He rose from his
The Coming of Mr. Hu
bed and came to her side, making the most passionate
appeals, and urging various expedients. But in vain ;
his voice she heard not, restoratives availed not, she
was beyond the reach of human voice or aid, and her
sainted spirit had already ascended to join the spirits
of the just made perfect. What a night of distress
that was to us none but God knows. . . . He sobbed
and wept most piteously . . . and we wept with him."
Mrs. Hall was buried in the new cemetery just opened,
the ceremony being conducted by Mr. Innocent. She
was the first person interred there."
We must return from this sad picture to an earlier
period, and take up the interrupted thread of events
which led to the development of the Mission. Among
the most important of these must be reckoned the
coming of Mr. Hu. Mr. Hu was a native of Koku, a
town lying on the river between Tientsin and Taku.
He had been in Shanghai for some years, where he
had been converted to Christianity. In the spring of
1 86 1 he returned to his home, where he was taken ill
for some time, after which he had been busy with
family affairs until the autumn. In November he came
up to Tientsin, bearing a letter of introduction from
Rev. W. H. Lambuth, commending him to the care of
our missionaries. Mr. Innocent looked upon it as a
gracious favour of Providence that in the initial stage
of the Mission such a man should be sent to us. He
writes of Mr. Hu, "We soon found that he was a man
of sterling faith and fair abilities, well-informed in
Christian truth, and we gladly admitted him to our
fellowship. Thus our first member of the Native
Church was by transfer from a sister Church in
Shanghai. We found him so well acquainted with
Gospel truth, and so willing to make it known to his
John Innocent
countrymen, that we resolved to make him a Catechist
On the 20th November, 1861, Hu Ngen Ti was
registered on our Church record as appointed native
assistant in our Mission." Our first Christian member
became our first Christian worker.
This was not done without a great deal of delibera
tion on the part of the two brethren. They were ex
tremely anxious to guard against employing men or
even baptizing them, if they showed any sign of
"interested motives," and, with what seems an excess
of caution, they surrounded the engagement with
stringent conditions. He was to satisfy them as to his
Christian character and refute certain reports they had
heard He was to be kept under their constant notice.
He was to attend daily at the chapel. Fortunately,
although he had been a teacher of Mandarin to Mr.
Cunningham in Shanghai, and his son had been Mr.
Innocent s own teacher there, he did not ask for em
ployment of any kind. It was well he did not. Had
he done so, it might have been fatal to his success. So
excessively careful were they, one would naturally
suppose they were going to pay him a large stipend.
They fixed his salary at the munificent sum of ten
pounds per annum.
The new Evangelist gave every satisfaction, proved
a willing as well as an able worker. He took on much
of the city preaching work, accompanied them for the
purpose of daily street talks and the distribution of
books. Mr. Hu was a capital preacher, as all who have
heard him will testify ; not showy, but solid and
forcible, and well versed in the Scriptures. He had
great administrative powers, showed much tact in busi
ness matters, was a very tower of strength to them, in
fact, and when, in 1866, the call to enter Shantung came,
90
The First Native Evangelist
he proved the strong man they needed to grapple with
the situation, and had more to do with the founding of
the work there than any other Chinaman. Mr. Innocent
gives the following testimony to his acceptability in
Tientsin.
" Mr. Hu was the first native of Tientsin to preach
the Gospel to his own people. Mr. Blodget had no
native helper. Mr. Edkins had brought up a Christian
preacher with him from Shanghai, whose speech was
rather unintelligible to the northern people. But here
was a man whose speech at once arrested attention as
that of a native of their own Hsien or county, and
who seemed so familiar with the new doctrines brought
to them by the foreigners that he was able to expound
them with ease and convincing power. How had he
acquired this knowledge, seeing the foreigners had
only just come to the place? This was the question
often started in the minds of his hearers, and some
times put to him vocally. It was with no small delight
that Mr. Hu often related the interesting story of his
own conversion in Shanghai, and the remarkable Provi
dence which had led him through peril, suffering, and
loss that he might find the great treasure of salvation
through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."
This account of the good effect of Mr. Hu s preach
ing naturally leads on to the mention of the general im
pression produced by the first preaching of the Gospel
on the populace of Tientsin as observed by Mr.
Innocent. The language of the Greeks of the
Areopagus, when Paul first appeared at Athens, exactly
represents the spirit of trivial curiosity with which the
message was first received " What will this babbler
say?" "He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange
gods!" Mr. Innocent has left us an account 01 their
John Innocent
common mental attitude as he conceived it, which is
well worth reproducing :
:< The people had become somewhat familiar, by the
residence of British troops, with one peculiarity of the
foreign religion, viz. : Sunday, which they called
worship day. Every seventh day they saw the
soldiers from their different quarters march, preceded
by a band of music, to some large building or open
space, where solemn worship was conducted. They
noticed that it was a day in which all secular labour was
suspended, much to the surprise and pleasure of native
labourers and servants employed by the troops, who
got seven days pay for six days work. But they, of
course, thought such a religious observance had nothing
to do with them. It was suitable for foreigners, a
national custom associated with peculiar doctrines of
the western sage, which did not concern them at all.
The curious among them enquired what the soldiers
worshipped there was no idol to which they bowed
and concluded that they worshipped heaven pai
T ien : very proper, the Chinese did the same. The
only difference was in the forms and mode ; the
principle was the same."
It somewhat staggered these people when the mis
sionaries commenced preaching to them the doctrines
and observances of the religion of foreigners, and
appealed to their reason and conscience about the
claims of Christ on their faith and loyalty. It was a
new thing to them to have the teachings of the Western
Sage they called Jesus Christ paraded as superior to
the tenets of Confucius. They showed a cool and some
times disdainful attitude towards the preachers on the
streets, and sometimes scornfully rejected the Christian
books offered to them. Under the circumstances, such
Tientsin : Park on British Concession, with
Town Hall in the background.
To face p. 9- .
* Your Doctrines are very good"
an attitude was not to be wondered at. " Here were
the soldiers of the nations who had just conquered the
country by superior arms, and now they want us to
change our religion." To the intelligent among them
it looked like another invasion of the foreign foe, come
to make war with their oldest and most sacred institu
tions and traditions ; with this happy difference, that
whereas they had not been able to resist foreign armies,
they might be able to resist foreign doctrines. They
could refuse to hear the preachers or to read the
books. They could maintain a sullen reserve, and by
their apathy and persistent but quiet resistance of the
propagandists, wear out their patience and perhaps
force them to retire.
Such seemed to be the temper and spirit of the
Tientsin people. Unlike the Hindus, they showed no
enthusiasm for their own faiths. None of their priests
came forward to challenge the teachings of the mis
sionaries, or to dispute with them in the market-place
or at the street corners. No one came out to fight the
new antagonist to their cherished superstitions or
dogmas, neither was the hand of violence lifted.
Amongst the common people who listened to the mis
sionaries out of curiosity were many who sat and
nodded acquiescence to the doctrines taught, and
smilingly avowed to their faces the high excellence of
their teachings. But, while thus with outward com
plaisance indicating approval, they doggedly held to
their own religious views. If questioned on the matter,
they flatteringly said, " Your doctrines are very good,
all the same as ours." On pointing out some vital
differences, the ready explanation was, " These are not
important, and only arise from the different customs of
different countries." And so they held their own.
93
John Innocent
Still some ferment was caused by this innovation.
TEe people would talk about this new faith in their
homes, in their shops, in their tea-houses. Curiosity-
hunters would come to the preaching-rooms to look on
and listen. The lazy and ignorant strollers on the street
would come and sit awhile and ask for books, then go
away and talk to others, who in their turn would also
come. Some who had read the books came to inquire
the meaning of some passage that was not clear to
them, and take away other books to read. And so day
after day the chapels became well filled, the shyness
passed away, and gradually those who became inter
ested got into the habit of coming until the truth took
hold of them, and they were led to identify themselves
with the alien faith. Those who did not receive the
faith gradually looked apathetically on the teachers
and allowed that they did no harm. Then the preach
ing-halls were so open to everybody, it was an ad
ditional diversion to the people to go and sit there to
hear the foreigners talk "Tao-li" (i.e., doctrine). So
that the congregations were daily kept up by all classes
of people.
So early as April 24th, 1862, Mrs. Innocent com
menced a school for Chinese girls. In an oriental
country like China, where the seclusion of women is
very rigid, where infanticide has been the fate of
thousands of females, and where foot-binding is the
"outward and visible sign" of many less obvious re
strictions, it may readily be imagined that work for the
female sex, whether young or old, meets with far more
opposition than that for men. But Mrs. Innocent was
as zealous a missionary to the full as her husband, and
was determined to overcome it. She seems to have
commenced with only two scholars, one of whom came
94
School for Girls
to her under very romantic circumstances. She came
from Shanghai, a pretty little child, about six years of
age. Readers will recall our interest in the city of
Suchow. Well, this child had been picked up at Su
ch ow about two years before by a Mr. Grant, who
visited that place with another gentleman soon after it
was taken by the rebels. She was first seen with a
little boy, and the next day was found by his side on
the street, though he was dead. She was taken, sad
Tittle waif, by Mr. Grant to the military officer of the
place, who allowed him to bring her away. The officer
said she was the child of a Mandarin of Suchow who,
with his wife, had been killed in the taking of the city.
Mr. Grant gave her to Mrs. Innocent, and promised to
pay for her maintenance. The other little girl was the
daughter of a widow woman who acted as Mrs. Inno
cent s nurse. From that time onward Mrs. Innocent
laboured assiduously for the women and girls of China,
not only in the work of teaching, but also, assisted
loyally by many ladies in England, forerunners of the
Ladies Auxiliary Society, in raising the funds necessary
to carry on the work.
A number of interesting events belonging to the
early period, from 1861 to 1866, must be given in brief
summary. Some of them are well deserving of more
extended chronicle did space permit.
The house first taken by Mr. Innocent as a city chapel
was situated at Pei Ts ang " Northern Granary." The
chapel there was only a room in Mr. Innocent s house,
though it served its purpose admirably for the time.
It was very desirable to have a more commodious place
of worship, and one entirely detached from a dwelling
house. On April /th, 1862, the Chapel at Ku Lou Pei
" Drum Tower North " was rented, and on May Qth
95
John Innocent
it was formally opened. It was on the main street
running from the south to the north gate, quite close to
the Drum Tower with an idol manufactory on the other
side. The Drum Tower is one of the "antiquities" of
Tientsin, a huge, ugly brick structure in the very centre
of the city, bestraddling with gloomy arches the two
main streets where they cross each other ; like " Temple-
Bar " was, it is a great obstruction to the thorough
fare. From its great clangorous bell was sounded the
signal for the massacre of 1870. Even the ravages of
Boxerdom have left it standing. We remained under
its shadow until 1876, when the premises were given
up. Our first baptismal service was held June 1st,
when, with all solemnity, Bro. Wang Ssii T ai, an elderly
man, and Bro. Yii Ch ing Po, were received into the
Church. Shortly after, on August the 3ist, two notable
additions were made in the baptism of Wang Yi Hua,
and Ting Hsin Pei. The fifth baptism was Bro. Chang
Shao Hstian, January, 1863. On March 2Qth, 1863,
Mr. Innocent baptized a notable group of four: Tso
Tsui Ch uan, Chao Chi Lung, Chang Ch ih San, and
Hu Tzii Ngen. A little later Li \Van K u was baptized
These ten names, all received during the first two years
of the Mission, may be placed on record as its first-
fruits, early worthies who, in St. Paul s phrase, were
"with us from the beginning." Let us have their
names, as they have been written to-day by the most
illustrious of their number, in their own language, that
we may give them due impressiveness, and that we may
see how they look at the head of the old church register
in the college library Read perpendicularly! They
stand upright:
90
The First Converts Baptized
Of these Wang Yi Hua, Ting Hsin Pei, Chang Shao
Hsiian, Chang Ch ih San, and Hu Tzii Ngen became
distinguished preachers among us. Hu Tzii Ngen was
the son of Mr. Hu, our first preacher. Tso Tsui Ch uan
was grandfather to Rev. Tso K o Ch eng, who became
one of our ordained preachers. Chang Ch ih San was
also ordained, and was from its commencement Chinese
Principal of our Training Institute until a year ago. Of
these ten only two, Chang and Hu,* remain unto this
present." Both have retired from active service.
Rev. C. A. Stanley came on March I3th, 1863, to take
the place of Mr. Blodget, that gentleman having gone
to Peking the year before. Mrs. Stanley has just died
(September, 1908). Her husband, now Dr. Stanley, re
mains in Tientsin, the last of the early missionaries.
April 1 2th, Mr Innocent paid a visit to Peking. In
1863 a child was born to Mr. and Mrs. Hall, but died
the next day, to their great grief.
Land was purchased, about an acre and a third, close
to the British Settlement, in 1862, and two houses were
erected, partly of brick, partly of mud, for our mission
aries residence. A small chapel was erected in the same
compound in 1864. The London Mission, as we have
seen, opened work in Tientsin under Rev. J. Edkins,
afterwards the celebrated scholar and writer, Dr.
* Both brethren have passed away since these lines were written.
97
John Innocent
Edkins, who removed to Peking with Dr. Blodget, May
1 2th, 1 862 . His place was taken by Rev. Jonathan Lees,
who was for many years a close friend of our mission
aries. It will thus be seen that the three Missions, the
A. B. C. F. M. (Congregational), our own Mission, and
the London Mission, were all established within a year
of each other. The Episcopal Methodist Mission of
America was opened considerably later. Mr. Lees
returned to England fairly heart-broken after the Boxer
outburst, and died June, 1902.
The first time the Sacrament of the Lord s Supper
was administered in Chinese on the Mission, was Febru
ary 1st, 1863, an impressive service, with Messrs, Hall
and Innocent both present. On November Qth, 1864,
a new chapel was rented on the east side of the river,
near the Hsiao Shen Miao, and another near the Bridge
of Boats, January 6th, 1864. We also held a Chapel
on the Nan Hsia Chieh in 1865. Kung Pei Chapel was
opened in 1866, on March 6th. A famous baptism,
that of Mrs. Hu, wife of the elder Hu, who became a
female evangelist for many years, and spent herself in
zealous works, took place on August 2Oth, 1865. Two
girls were baptized with her. Mr. Innocent s third son
was born on 3rd of February and baptized by Mr. Hall
on the 2 1st of March, 1866. His second son, George,
left China for England for education May iQth, 1866.
Mr. Innocent s father, George Innocent, died at
Sheffield on January 30th, 1866, being 57 years of age.
These first five years of work in Tientsin show Mr.
Innocent as a devoted, conscientious and zealous mis
sionary. All his life long he was an early riser. He
was usually in his study, even in the summer months,
soon after day-dawn. He was never a rapid worker,
but he was indefatigable to the last degree. Neces-
98
The First Five Years
sarily, much of his time in the early years was taken up
with the study of the language, and a number of im
portant Mission tours were taken. What with home
letters, and his numerous relations with missionaries in
other parts of China, his correspondence was very con
siderable. Preaching to the foreign soldiers in English,
preaching in the Chinese chapels to his members and
to outsiders, preaching and conversing on the streets
and distributing books, catechizing school boys, inter
viewing all who sought him for guidance, often in
personal matters not directly concerned with his calling,
managing business affairs, accounts, exchange of
money, house building and chapel building, it was a
busy life.
His personal interest in the men who came in contact
with him, especially those who joined the Mission, was
remarkable. Their cares were his cares, their troubles
and sorrows his. He was the constant recipient,
generally unsolicited, for he never intruded upon their
private affairs, of their confidences, and no father con
fessor ever was more ready with instruction, counsel,
warning, admonition, advice. He was never too busy
to face the duty of the moment, his time was at their
disposal. The younger missionary arriving later in
China could not help wondering at his intimate know
ledge of every man on the Mission in Tientsin, and a
large number of those in the country. He invariably
spoke of them by their full name, including their
personal appellation, their Christian name, as we should
speak, as well as their surname. It was not teacher Hu
the elder or teacher Hu the younger, or pastor Chang ;
but Hu Ngen Li, or Hu Tzii Ngen, or Chang Ch ih
San. One marvelled how he carried all their names in
his head, for it included scholars and members as well.
99
John Innocent
It was not by conscious effort that he did this ; it was
the spontaneous result of his intimate relation with
them. He could generally tell you all their family
history. He had taken them in one by one, and taken
them into his heart. He was far less impulsive than
Mr. Hall, but a true and staunch friend to every member
of his Church, and often enough his purse had to suffer
for the strength of his sympathy. His interest was a
prayerful interest. Whether it is counsel, instruction,
reproof, or discipline which forms the subject of the
numerous references in his diary, it is almost always
accompanied by a petition for their welfare. Wellnigh
every entry is a prayer. Never did pastor rejoice more
than he did at the spiritual growth of his flock.
Looking at the progress made in those few years, one
cannot but be struck with the remarkably high quality
of a large proportion of those first few converts. We
have certainly never been able to secure such an average
since. Of the ten first converts whose names we have
given, five became preachers. The weakest among
them was Hu junior, and even he was above the average
of our preaching staff. Two of their number, Wang
and Chang, easily surpassed in expository and hortatory
power the best men we have had to the present day.
All our theological training, and all our systematic ex
aminations have not enabled us to produce superior, or
even equal men, in their priceless value to the Mission.
A sixth, Li Wan K u, though in a much humbler walk
of life, never more than a chapel-keeper, yet such a
chapel-keeper, was a servant never surpassed in zeal
and loyalty to the Mission. An ignorant man, who
taught himself to read the New Testament (much more
difficult in Chinese than in English), a chapel-keeper
that you could not keep out of the pulpit one of the
100
No Ordinary Characters
greatest exhorters we ever had. Only two out of the
ten had nothing remarkable about them. We are not
in the least disposed to exaggerate. It is much more
our habit of mind to explain what appears marvellous
on natural principles than to see the marvellous in the
commonplace, and find miracles and prodigies in ordi
nary characters. But, beyond all controversy, these
were no ordinary characters. If eight out of every ten
of our converts nowadays were equal to these first
samples, we cannot think what would be the
result. But it would certainly be a blessed result. Look
ing at it in the coldest and most dispassionate way, it
is irresistibly impressed upon us as a conviction from
which there is no escape, that in the beginning God
gave to us most remarkable men, every one of whom
counted, and whose character and gifts and services
were the seed of a vigorous and flourishing Mission.
The Church in Tientsin was now firmly established.
We had gained a footing so secure that it was beyond
the reach of accident. In the phrase our people love to
use when speaking of a cause well and securely estab
lished, we had been able to " tsa ken," were firmly
"rooted." In 1866, with 4 chapels, 2 day schools, a
boy s boarding-school, a girls boarding-school, and a
small blind school, we reported 24 full members and
7 probationers. Within the time which makes the ordi
nary period of service in an English Circuit, we had
established a well-organized and vigorous Church in
one of the greatest cities of China, gathered into its
fellowship the men who were to be the missionaries of
a future and far wider evangel, and were already on the
eve of a far more prosperous day. Toward this result
the two men who left England in the autumn of 1859
as our pioneer missionaries had worked with equal zeal,
101
John Innocent
but certainly, so far as it was due to human effort at
all, our first meed of praise is owing to the sagacity,
the organizing talent, and the unremitting and patient
devotedness of John Innocent.
102
CHAPTER X.
THE STUDY OF THE LANGUAGE.
HITHERTO we have made little mention of Mr. Inno
cent s work as a student of Chinese. But it seems
desirable to make more extended reference to the sub
ject on several grounds. The language is peculiarly
interesting in itself, the mastery of it is a task beset
with so much difficulty that it imposes on the very
threshold of his career a severe test of the missionary s
powers, his success must necessarily depend largely
upon the degree in which he manages to acquire it ; it
is so much a language sui generis, that any notion that
the Chinese missionary s task is analogous to that of
the missionary to any other non-English-speaking
country is entirely delusive. We, therefore, propose
to give our readers some idea of the nature of the
task, and the degree in which Mr. Innocent succeeded
in it.
It is probably the idea of most people that the
missionary on first arriving in China has before him,
in the acquisition of the language, a sufficiently for
midable stint of work, but that this only applies to the
first two or three years, after which, having got hold
of the language (such is the ordinary phrase), all is
plain sailing. After that he can preach and do his
work with the same facility as though it were his native
tongue. Those of us who have the task to face, how
ever, know to our cost, how different the reality is,
and that no matter how long we remain in the country,
103
John Innocent
if we have set before ourselves any high ideal of at
tainment, we must be for ever learning, and the task
is never done. It has been said of Dr. Edkins, of
whom we have often made mention as a friend of
Mr. Innocent and who was one of the finest sinologues
China ever saw, that having been in the south for a
few years before he came north in the wake of Blod-
get and Innocent, though he lived in Peking for at least
thirty years, he always spoke with a southern accent,
and after fifty years in China was accustomed still to
set himself a number of new characters to learn every
day. It is related of Wells Williams, that though he
could write every character in his large dictionary,
which contains between twelve and thirteen thousand,
he was often unintelligible to his hearers. Mr. Hedley,
in his " Our Mission in North China," has very racily
described the difficulties which Chinese, as a spoken
language for easy conversational purposes, presents,
and has given good practical advice as to how they
may be overcome. No one of average ability need
despair, but yet it remains true that for the ends a
missionary has in view, to preach and lecture in it
with lucfdity and dignity, to command the wide range
of Chinese literature, and to expound to students and
scholars with exactitude and accuracy, and yet further
to write in it with any degree of efficiency or elegance
is a stupendous task. For the man of average powers
to speak Chinese well and fluently is difficult, to read
its masterpieces of religion, philosophy, and history is
more than difficult, it is most arduous ; while to write
its characters freely, and compose in them with any
pretence to style, is wellnigh impossible, an accom
plishment attained only by the gifted few.
For all literary purposes the language is one and
104
Difficulties of the Language
the same throughout the whole length and breadth of
the Empire. Its words, monosyllabic and ideographic
(commonly called characters) are made up of what
were once hieroglyphs, but by many succeeding
generations of scholars have been modified into sym
bols, wonderful and fascinating in their suggestiveness,
but retaining only occasional traces and vestiges of
their original picture character. They are very numer
ous, some 40,000 in all, though 4,000 or 5,000 is a
sufficient scholarly equipment. There is no alphabet,
the syllable is the unit, what are called radicals (214)
and phonetics (over 4,000) functioning in quite a dif
ferent way, and consequently there is almost no mne
monic key to their pronunciation. The meaning, or
meanings, of each one must be learnt and remem
bered separately, the sound of each one must be learnt
and remembered separately. If there were a different
sound for each character this would be comparatively
easy, but the total number of different sounds is only
about 420 (Max Miiller says 450, but not all of these
are ever used in any one locality), and, consequently,
the language is burdened with an enormous number
of homophones. A large proportion of the 420 sounds
in use are relatively free from homophones, but this
only increases the number which the remaining sounds
have to carry, and such sounds as z, chi, shih, fit, li,
yueh and yil have an enormous number, some of them
over 100. Chi has at least 150. This is to some ex
tent relieved by the use of tones, intonations or in
flexions which leave the sound unchanged (so that if
we spelt it in English letters the spelling would remain
the same), but which vary the manner in which it is
uttered by the voice. Of these tones in the north,
only four are made use of. In some southern dialects
105
John Innocent
there are as many as eight. The tone must also be
remembered by a dead-lift of memory, just as the
sound is. Let us try and convey some notion of the
complexity and perplexity of this exercise by taking
a simple English homophone, and imagining how its
indefinite multiplication would embarrass an English
speaker. Pear, -pair, -pare, are three words with the
same sound, they are homophones. As there are only
three we find no particular difficulty. One is always
a verb, and in any case when used in speech or read
aloud the context helps to show which is meant. But
suppose that instead of two p r s (spell how you like)
we had thirty or sixty, or even 100, some degree of
confusion would be apt to occur. And suppose that
instead of this being the case with some few sounds,
quite half of the sounds had a large number of homo
phones, the confusion would be still greater, and we
should begin to have an idea of what it was like at
Babel. Suppose, again, that with a commendable desire
to lessen the confusion we should come to a mutual un
derstanding to pronounce some of these very numerous
fears or pairs or pares with an even voice, others with
a falling inflexion, others again with a rising inflexion,
and others yet again with a short, jerky utterance in
whatever connection we might use them. We should
see at once that we had scarcely mended the matter,
that, in fact, we were engaged upon two towers in
close proximity to each other, and that one set of
Babel-onians had got mixed up with another set of
Babel-onians. At any rate, that is the effect on the
foreign student. The Chinaman is as expert in differ
entiating the tones as in differentiating the sounds, and,
of course, to anyone they are helpful when mastered,
but the bitterness comes in the mastering of them. The
106
G. T. Candlin.
To fare p. 106.
Monosyllables
Chinaman does not spell his words, and he intuitively
hears two different tones as different ; he never thinks
of their sameness of sound at all. We cannot help
doing so. Let us be as clear as we can, and not make
the matter appear worse than it is. It is not very bad
for the eye. The chis are different words with a
different meaning, and all written differently.
and so on to the I50th. But they are all chi in sound,
the burden is for the ear and the memory. Even this
is not all, but a large number of these homophones are
separated only by an aspirate which we write, when
expressing it in English, thus from another large
group of homophones. Thus chi, pronounced not quite
like the letter g, has a group of ninety odd Babelonian
relations, which we render for English readers ch i,
pronounced as a Scotchman would pronounce the first
half of the word c/iezt more than ninety new words
with new meanings, the tones, of course, all mixed in
again, separated by only a slight difference of sound
from the 150 chis.
If now we raise the question, How did the Chinese
language come to possess so excessive a number of
homophones by what process did they grow up ? it will
perhaps help us to understand a little more of the
structure of the language. And the simplest answer
to this question is, perhaps, that it was due to the
love of monosyllables. Every language can be traced
back to a comparatively small number of roots, and
perhaps, for simplicity s sake, we may assume that the
420 or 450 sound syllables already referred to were
107
John Innocent
the roots, the only words which in that early and bar
baric age they made use of. Of course, they existed
for ages as sounds only, long before there was any
method of writing them. In fact, the affinities be
tween sound and sound, such as eking, ck ing, ling,
ming, sking, ting, ying ; or, chang, ctiang, ckeng,
ctieng, chung t ck ung, lung, nung, sung, tung, yung
go to show that during the stage when they were sounds
only, even this limited number had grown, by the law
of variation, out of an exceedingly small number in
deed. Be this as it may, the advance of civilization
soon demanded the creation of new words to express
new thoughts and new shades of thought. As soon
as writing was invented this process was greatly ac
celerated. The natural way to do this was by agglu
tination, the putting two of them together to make a
third. This at once opened up an infinite series of
combinations, because not only could each one be com
bined with every other in turn, but when that was done
the new combinations could be treated in the same way,
coupling not only with each other, but also as new
powers with each of the original sounds. The China
man formed his characters in this way so far as writing
was concerned, much as we add two syllables together
to make one word, only he did it in a more artistic
manner ; for, whereas we simply write them in a string,
one after the other, when he had to add one to another
he wrote it on the right or on the left, above or below,
or right in the middle, his motive apparently being to
make the new character as picturesque-looking as pos
sible. Accordingly he has, beyond all dispute, the most
beautiful looking characters in the world. His words
are no longer hieroglyphs, but they are still pictures.
Accordingly he takes delight in hanging them on the
108
Importance of Tones
walls of his room for ornament, and he is the most
wonderful of caligraphists.
But now here is where the Chinaman took an en
tirely different path from the rest of us. When it
came to the pronunciation of the new compounds he
remained a slave to the monosyllabic idea. Instead of
pronouncing both sounds, as well as writing both signs,
he took only one of them as the sound of the character,
and, however many combinations he made, pursued this
plan unswervingly. His characters might be described
as polysyllables to the eye, but monosyllables to the ear.
It was as though in English we should write pare, pair,
prepare, repair, compare, impair, despair, yet pro
nounce them all alike pair.
In the written language this is confusing enough,
because we have to have a sound in our mind even
when reading silently, but when we come to the spoken
language the confusion is far greater. To make him
self intelligible the Chinaman has to rely very much
on the tones, to which his ear is very acute, while that
of the foreigner is usually dull. But this is not suffi
cient, and, therefore, he has to also resort to the device
of coupling synonyms together in his speech to make
it clear which of several homophones is to be under
stood. The use of these coupled synonyms is the most
noticeable feature of the Mandarin dialect. Whilst
coupled in this way they are not joined as syllables,
but remain monosyllabic words, retaining their full
meaning, and capable of being used singly wherever
they are intelligible to the ear. But in part they func
tion very much as polysyllables, or rather as duo-sylla
bles. Hence the statement is sometimes made that
while the literary language is monosyllabic, the spoken
language is polysyllabic. In a modified sense this is
109
John Innocent
true. That which the Chinaman refused to do in
forming his words for literary use, he was compelled
to do in a measure in his daily speech.
But this in itself introduced another very important
factor. Writing style and speaking style drifted farther
and farther apart, until their structure and idiom dif
fered so greatly as to assume almost the aspect of two
different languages, which have to be separately learnt.
The words used are the same, except that very many
forms are current in literature which are not used in
speech, and some used in speech cannot be used in
writing. The meanings of the principal words are
substantially the same, but different sets of particles
are used, and the idiom and syntax differ so much that
the student, who has learnt colloquial speech only,
when confronted with a page of literature, finds him
self in the singular position that while he is familiar
enough with the words, and their separate meanings,
he is yet quite unable to construe the sentences before
him. In this way have come about the wide differences
between Wenli (i.e., literary style), and Mandarin (i.e.,
official speech). In the north Mandarin is the speech of
the people, and, indeed, it is spoken in fourteen out of
the eighteen provinces. In other places a local dialect
takes the place of Mandarin. As we have said, the
literary style is universally the same, so that if a
Cantonese gentleman wished to write a letter to a
friend in any other part of China than Canton it
would be in every respect the same as a letter from a
Mandarin-speaking province. Yet if these two friends
met to converse they would be as much unable to un
derstand each other s speech as a Frenchman and an
Englishman. We have even heard of a case in which
they fell back upon " pidgin-English." So that learning
no
Perseverance in Study
Chinese is practically learning two languages instead
of one.
To this difficult language Mr. Innocent, from the
beginning, applied himself with a will. While still in
Shanghai he had secured a Mandarin teacher, and it
divided his attention with the study of the Shanghai
dialect. The latter he never really learnt. But as
soon as he got to Tientsin he discarded it altogether,
and gave himself entirely to Mandarin. He had no
special aptitude for linguistic study, but he was en
dowed with a tough quality of perseverance, and what
he lacked in gift he made up for by assiduity. Re
peated entries in his journal show the determination
and patience with which he applied himself. " Spent
most of the day in the study of Chinese with new
teacher." " Studied Chinese with teacher six hours."
" Studying hard." Such entries are very common.
Neither of the two brethren found Chinese a holiday
pastime. In " Consecrated Enthusiasm," Dr. Stacey
speaks of Mr. Hall as having, " no special aptitude or
faculty, . . . notwithstanding great fluency in the
use of his own tongue was one of his most marked
characteristics. He was not likely, however, to fail
in the measure of proficiency required for the right
and full discharge of his accepted duties. His strong
and almost passionate desire to speak to the people
in their own language all the words of this Life, was
sufficient motive for the diligence that never stops
short of ultimate success. And thus diligent he was,
and thus, therefore, successful." This was certainly
reasoning a priori, which, to be sure, was all that was
open to the doctor. But a priori reasoning is risky in
such a case, and those who have been more behind the
scenes will relish better Mr. Hall s own modest esti-
111
John Innocent
mate of his achievement. " I shall never be anything
but a stammerer in the language of the people, but
if grace be given me, I will stammer as well as I can
to the end of my days for their eternal good." Per
haps no one ever contrived to make so little go so
far as Mr. Hall. Through all defects he contrived to
make his magnetic personality tell, but those who were
most sensible to its influence testify that there was
"much that he meant but could not express."
Mr. Innocent, it may be, had scarcely more natural
aptitude for language study than Mr. Hall, but was
much more of the systematic student. Up to the time
of the Boxer outbreak the lesson books were extant on
the Mission, the margins of which witnessed to his
steady and plodding application. " Keep pegging
away" was the advice of a great sinologue to Dr.
Mackenzie, which made most impression on him. Mr.
Innocent kept pegging away, and with good result.
He varied the ordinary grind by attempting the
translation, with the help of his teacher, of various
little handbooks, catechisms, calendars, lists of Scrip
ture lessons, which would be useful to him in
his work. He memorized his hymns that he might
be able to sing them, and to teach the Chinese to sing
them. There was no "course of study" in those days,
he had to set his own course. But men may get
through a fairly elaborate course of study, and be
poor Chinese speakers at the end, and there can scarcely
be a more satisfactory proof of solid progress than the
fact that about twelve months after his arrival in
Tientsin he was prepared to conduct a service and
preach in Chinese by himself. A few, specially apt,
have done it in less time ; few do it, to much effect,
in more than double the time.
112
Study and Practice combined
In our opinion, though all will not endorse this, Mr.
Innocent lost nothing in the prosecution of his studies,
by the fact that he was compelled to do some work
from the beginning, or by the various journeys he
made, which must have interfered with his regu
lar book studies. " To learn and constantly to -practise,
is it not pleasant?" is the first verse in the Confucian
Analects, a maxim true of all learning, but peculiarly
true of learning a language you mean to speak in. To
learn to speak you must speak, and the sooner you
begin the better. The longer you put it off, like taking
a cold plunge, the more nervous you get about it. You
cannot learn to swim without going into the water.
It is a positive hindrance to carry about a heap of
words and phrases which you know, yet don t know to
any purpose, because you do not dare to use them.
Hurl them out, or they will close your mouth as close
as lock-jaw. The man who has been memorizing
hard for two years without making much attempt to
speak may dream of a happy day when the flood-gates
will burst open, but will find that he is in a less favour
able mood for speaking than he was twelve months
ago. There are two proverbs specially true of learning
to speak a language, "necessity is the mother of in
vention," and "necessity knows no law." The best
of all ways to make a man learn to speak Chinese is
to put him in a tight place, where he cannot get out
of speaking where he cannot get his breakfast or his
bath, or have his bed made, or his shoes blacked, or
find his way on a lost road without asking in Chinese.
It is astonishing how soon you do it when, like Yellow
Dog Dingo, you "have to."
Those little conversations on the city wall with the
first stranger who came up, the exigencies of travelling
113
John Innocent
experience, the catechizing of his school boys were
worth a great many hours stammering over books with
a teacher who has learnt to detect your meaning in
spite of most atrocious mistakes, and though your
Chinese would be Greek to the peasant in the field,
or the city stroller on the street. When you are forcibly
impressed with the fact that everybody round you
speaks his own language abominably except your per
sonal teacher, while nobody seems to understand what
you say, though it is according to Wade or Mateer,
and you are sure the tones are correct, it is time to
leave " Mandarin Lessons," or " Tzii Erh Chi," on the
table, forget all about the tones, and try a bit of raw
and rude common speech, not arranged for your bene
fit, but fresh and living in the home or on the street.
To this cause, more than to any other, that he was
forced to speak and to listen under natural conditions,
we ascribe Mr. Innocent s simplicity and clearness in the
use of Chinese. He spoke naturally and easily (his
speech was always deliberate even in English) ; he
could say with moderate correctness all he wanted to,
and was always easily understood. This was equally
true whether he was engaged in conversation, or ad
dressing an assembly. Some missionaries are under
stood by the regular members of their congregation,
who get acquainted with their foreign idioms, and are
more or less familiar with the phraseology of Christian
teaching, but are not easy to follow by outsiders. Mr.
Innocent was understood by both. Foreigners found
him easier to follow than a Chinaman, though this, per
haps, is not praise.
Apart from the beaten track of speech, Mr. Inno
cent s knowledge of Chinese was not profound. He
did not rank amongst Chinese sinologues, and though
114
His Tientsin Teacher
in the earlier years he had read with great diligence,
his acquaintance with the written character was some
what slender, and he had not the verbal memory which
alone could give him command of the wide range of
Chinese literature. Against this must be set, however,
his thorough knowledge of the country, its manners
and customs, and the character of the people he worked
among. In this direction he excelled. It was inevitable
that one whose hands were so full from the beginning
with actual, practical work, should be less of a book
scholar than is, no doubt, desirable.
He was fortunate in his teacher. In Shanghai he
had been taught by Mr. Hu s son. But on coming to
Tientsin he engaged the services of Ting Hsin P ei,
a resident of Tientsin, and a typical specimen of the
gentlemanly Tientsinner. At the time of his engage
ment Ting was not a Christian, but he speedily became
interested in Christian truth, and was one of our earliest
converts. He was baptized along with Wang Yi Huain
1862. There was a good deal of hesitancy in receiving
him, unnecessary hesitancy, as it seems to us. It so
happened that about this time his father had died. The
family were none of them Christians except Ting.
They naturally wished the funeral to take place with
the usual Confucian rites. Such rites can scarcely be
described as idolatrous, though they were not desirable
from the Christian point of view. Mr. Innocent thought
Ting should have forbidden them. Ting does not seem
to have behaved badly. He did his best to persuade
the family to forgo them, but they were obdurate.
The funeral took place in the old way, and for this
Ting was severely admonished, and his baptism post
poned. Poor fellow! Our sympathies are with Ting.
Considering what Chinese family traditions are, the
115
John Innocent
situation was a most difficult and delicate one. Perhaps
the high, heroic way would have been " not peace, but
a sword," yet we doubt if any good would have been
done by forcing a Christian funeral on an unchristian
family. However, he was baptized later, and the step
was amply justified by his subsequent career. After
being Mr. Innocent s teacher for some years he became
a preacher. Though shallow in thought he was an
eloquent preacher, and did excellent work as our
preacher in charge of Rung Pei for many years. He
resigned work in 1886, and went as personal teacher to
a gentleman in the Customs at Taku, where he ren
dered us excellent service as a voluntary preacher. He
died at Tientsin in 1896 at the age of seventy-three.
But what a teacher Ting Hsin P ei was to have about
you ! In those early days he was in the prime of life,
well made, somewhat handsome, with a long silky
moustache of which he was not a little proud. He
was always something of a dandy, very particular
about his dress, and elegant in his deportment.
He really spoke the Tientsin dialect, though he
affected a Peking accent. But to hear him converse
of Chinese forms of politeness, and explain conversa
tional elegances, or go through his scales with the
Chinese tones! These things were an education in
Chinese, apart from the lessons you studied with him.
His pronunciation was simply exquisite, no man could
imagine Chinese a difficult language to speak when he
heard Ting speaking it, so smooth, so flowing, so pre
cise. Can our readers imagine the difference between
hsin and shin? We trow not : skin we know, but what
is ksin? But when Ting uttered them he made you
thoroughly ashamed of ever having for an instant con
founded them. He was the beau-ideal of Chinese
pundits.
116
CHAPTER XL
THE FOUNDING OF AN ENGLISH CHURCH.
UNION CHURCH, Tientsin, as its name implies, was
designed to meet the needs of English, American or
European worshippers resident in the settlements at
Tientsin. Beyond being a Protestant Church it has
no denominational character. For years it was the only
Protestant place of worship for white men. It included
many members of the Church of England in its con
gregation, the book of Common Prayer was used at
the morning service, and many Church of England
clergymen and Bishops have preached from its pulpit.
But in 1890 an Anglican Church was opened which drew
away the greater portion of its Church of England
members. Four years ago, that is in 1904, for the first
time in its history, it called a regular pastor to its
pulpit. Up to that time the pulpit was supplied, and its
pastoral duties discharged, by English and American
missionaries resident in Tientsin, acting in concert. As
they required no remuneration the church was worked
on a very economical basis. No church ever worked
more harmoniously, and it has been, therefore, a beauti
ful object-lesson in Christian unity, both in its fellow
ship and its service. Every Christian man in Tientsin,
and most of those who do not profess Christianity,
would gratefully acknowledge its inestimable value to
the community.
The church has had an interesting history, and as its
history has been closely associated in its origin with
John Innocent
our mission is North China, it falls to be noticed in a
short chapter.
The history of Union Church dates back to the time
when, as has been already related, services were com
menced at the city in the Niang Niang Kztng, " The
Palace of our Lady " (the Chinese Aphrodite) chiefly
for the benefit of the British soldiers, who at one time
numbered 3,000, and who, together with the French,
were in occupation of Tientsin in 1860-2. The few
foreign residents of the newly-opened port, including
the missionaries, who conducted worship, attended these
services. When the soldiers were withdrawn the con
gregation was much reduced. About this time, also,
the British Concession was opened, and residents began
to move from the city to the Concession, a distance of
two miles. The congregation became a divided one,
some continuing to worship in the morning in the city,
others in the evening in the missionary houses newly
built near to the Concession.
Gradually the city congregation diminished, and a
place was found in a temple at Tzii Chu Lin (the Con
cession) known as the Te che hang, and nicknamed by
foreigners the " Charing Cross Temple," but this had
to be given up, and the services were held chiefly in
the house of the Rev. J. Lees, of the London Mission.
The need of a suitable building was very strongly felt,
and a movement was commenced for the building of
a church. Into this movement our missionaries threw
themselves with characteristic enterprise. The first
thing to do was to select a site, and as the land newly
acquired (1862) by the mission, close to the settlement,
was not all required for their houses they volunteered
to allow the church to be built on it. The Committee
appointed to carry out the scheme accepted the offer.
113
The Old Union Church, Tientsin.
To face p. IKS.
The First Union Church
The next thing to do was to start a subscription list,
in order to raise funds for the building. Of this list
Mr. Innocent and Mr. Hall took charge. Money was
subscribed from various quarters, and the response was
soon seen to be such as to justify them in commencing
building operations. Sir Robert Hart, the British Con
sul, the various merchants in the town, the merchant
ships accustomed to visit the port, all subscribed, and
about $1,300, at that time equivalent to about 420,
was collected after a very strenuous canvass.
Plans were made, really quite ambitious for that " day
of small things." They were determined on having a
large church, it was to be 38 feet long by 22 feet wide,
Chinese feet (half an inch longer than the English
foot), and inside measurement. It was to have a porch and
a bell-tower, including a bell. The tower stands about
45 feet high. The style of architecture was Gothic.
There was no one in Tientsin capable of erecting so
important an edifice, and the services of a Shanghai
architect were secured. " Old Union Chapel," as it
is now called, is still a fairly conspicuous, and not un
attractive building, though many very much larger and
more impressive buildings stand near it, but at that time
it must have greatly rejoiced the hearts of those who
were eager to worship in it. One still catches distinctly
the mild glow with which Mr. Innocent describes it on
the occasion of its opening. That auspicious event took
place August I4th, 1864.
" We had the joy of seeing our beautiful, new Eng
lish church completed and opened for public worship.
Towards its cost, the foreign residents and captains
and crews of trading vessels to the port liberally sub
scribed. It meets a great want and is the first and only
church, for our countrymen, built in North China.
119
John Innocent
With its tower, it is a prominent figure in the landscape,
and the first foreign building that meets the gaze of
those who come up the river on board the ships and
steamers from the sea. To our countrymen, whether
officials, merchants or seamen, as to our missionary
families, it is a comfortable resort in which the worship
of God is conducted in our own language. And greatly
is it appreciated by all. As from the opening of the
port the missionaries have voluntarily conducted ser
vice, they continue to do so in this new structure."
Tientsin has changed. It is quite invisible from the
river nowadays.
When all was finished there was a debt of 150.
The total cost was about 500. In a letter dated the
30th of May, Mr. Innocent sent to the Rev. S. Hulme
a copy of the subscription list, accompanied by an ap
peal to the Committee for a grant of the amount de
ficient, which was sanctioned. As a result of this grant
from the mission funds, and in view of the fact that
the building stood on mission land, and that the funds
had been collected by the missionaries, it was decided,
by a Committee of Management, which met at the
British Consulate shortly afterwards, that when in
future a new church should be erected for the com
munity on the Concession the present building should
become the property of the mission. This arrangement
was effected thirty-two years later, after the building
of New Union Church, and on July 5th, 1896, "Old
Union Church" was opened for Chinese service. It
is still in a fair state of preservation, and has become
the chapel of the Training Institute. A beautiful tablet
in memory of Mr. Hall, and a second in memory of
Mr. Williamson, a member of the L.M.S.., who was
killed while travelling on the Grand Canal with Mr.
120
The Union Church Congregation
Hodge, stand on the left and right of the entrance. In
" Consecrated Enthusiasm " this venerated building is
curiously confused with "Ku Lou Pei." This is an
error. Ku Lou Pei was always a Chinese Christian
preaching hall, never a foreign church, and never the
property of the Mission. An Anglican Church was
opened in Tientsin in 1890. Union Church was thus
the only Protestant Church in North China for English
worshippers during a period of twenty-six years. All
this time the missionaries and their families constituted
fully one-half of the congregation, and much more
than half of the church-membership. Apart from the
advantages of worship, it was of special value to them
as a rallying point uniting them together in a common
work, and strengthening greatly the bonds of union
between the several missions. In connection with it a
Missionary Association was formed which turned out to
be an admirable Committee of concerted action in their
mission work. The work of supplying the pulpit was
their sole opportunity of keeping in practice as English
preachers. The congregation was necessarily a very
mixed one, Consuls, Customs Officers, medical agents,
merchants, sailors, travellers, missionaries ; and a very
changeable one, for in a port like Tientsin changes are
very frequent, missionaries being almost the only per
manent residents. It has always been a congregation
of a high level of intelligence, very appreciative of any
thing possessing intellectual force, not to be won by
mere fervour or enthusiasm, but by no means cold or
unsympathetic a congregation not to be faced with
impunity without adequate preparation. To take reg
ular turn in the service of its pulpit was a discipline
which any preacher might covet. The pulpit was as
variable as the pew, for not only was it supplied by the
121
John Innocent
missionaries of different Denominations, and of very
varying types of mind, but it was from the beginning
the practice to invite to its duties any who might be
visitors, or birds of passage, and in this way Bishops of
the Church of England, Bishops of American Churches,
deputations from various Mission Boards, and other
distinguished strangers have conducted its services.
The decade from 1890 to 1900 was a period of re
markable expansion in the growth of the port, and
notwithstanding the opening of an Anglican Church,
it was manifest that the old church was much too small
for the congregation. What is known as the British
Extra Concession was opened, and new residences
sprang up very rapidly on what had all through the
eighties been little more than a desolate mud-flat. In
short, it became Tientsin s " West End." A new site
was purchased in this neighbourhood, and in 1896 a
much larger church was erected, capable of seating
more than double the previous building. The new
building is a handsome Gothic structure, with a tall
spire, and is known as " New Union Church." For
awhile it continued to depend upon the missionary body
for the conduct of its services, when it began to be
felt that the time had arrived for calling a regular
pastor. In 1904, the Rev. Miller Graham was called to
be its first pastor, and in 1907 he was succeeded by the
Rev. J. S. Griffith. It has a good congregation of well-
to-do people, it is entirely self-supporting, and bids
fair to be a prospering and flourishing Church in a
rapidly-growing community.
Of course, Union Church is not, and from the be
ginning was never intended to be, in any sense a
Methodist Church. In its government and discipline it
much more resembles the Congregational type, though
122
The New Union Church, Tientsin.
To face p. \22.
Characteristics of the Union Church
that is not due to conscious design, but simply to the
fact that that form of organization more readily adapts
itself to the circumstances in which it has grown up.
Its first pastor was a Presbyterian, Mr. Griffith is Con
gregational, its next will probably be chosen with abso
lute indifference to his ecclesiastical complexion. Free
to call whom it will, it will consider only the needs of
its congregation. But here again Congregationalism
tells, for when a Congregationalist is called there is
no one to consult but the man himself. Still the church
remains catholic and unsectarian, yet sound in doctrine
and evangelical in spirit ; a church to which any Free
Churchman might be proud to belong, and in many
respects a sample (Tientsin missionaries are vain
enough to think) of the Union Church which is wanted
elsewhere.
From that first Sunday in Tientsin, three days after
his arrival on the 7th of April, 1861, when he entered
in his diary, " preached to the English in the evening,"
until his final return to England in 1897, Mr. Innocent
was one of its most acceptable ministers. He enjoyed
the unique distinction of acting for some years as its
pastor, the pulpit duties, however, remaining un
changed. No further appointment was made until the
call of Mr. Graham. But this memoir would not be
complete, nor the story of our mission rightly told with
out the record of the part which he, together with Mr.
Hall, and all his subsequent colleagues in their degree,
took in its formation and establishment.
123
CHAPTER XII.
EXPLORING AND EVANGELISTIC TOURS.
It is significant of the breadth and scope of Mr. Inno
cent s mind that from the earliest beginning of his
missionary work, he never once entertained a concep
tion of it as a scheme for founding a city mission.
Tientsin had been occupied, as we have seen, with
conspicuous success. It was an admirable centre, but
only a centre. His objective from the first was North
China. Tientsin was but the fulcrum from which he
must work his lever, and his mind was always reaching
out towards the country around him, and even to "re
gions beyond." Hence the numerous, and arduous, in
some respects perilous, journeys taken during the earlier
years of his residence, which must have been no small
tax on his time and his strength. He soon discovered
that the vast field to be occupied was far beyond the
resources of our own Missionary Society, but this was
the less to be deplored as agents from other societies,
both English and American, were soon forthcoming to
thrust in the sickle where " fields white unto harvest "
were far beyond his reach. We cannot enter into the
details of any of these journeys, but some brief notice
of them is a necessity.
Though explorers like Marco Polo, Abbe Hue, and
other Roman Catholic fathers had been over the ground
long before, yet in the sixties, to the merchant and the
missionary North China was almost an unknown land.
No better illustration of this circumstance can be found
124
Climate of North China
than the fact that to this day the best-known English
newspaper in China is still called the " North China
Daily News," though, from the first, published in
Shanghai. At best, Shanghai pertains to Central China,
but the name assumed indicates that Shanghai was as
far north as the general thought respecting China had
got. Quite in harmony with this is the fact that the
current popular conception of the country and its peo
ple their features, customs and industries, and the pic
tures and descriptions one oftenest encounters in Eng
land are almost exclusively southern. The round faces
and somewhat delicate features, the rather feeble-look
ing bodies, these are characteristically Cantonese. Our
northerners are, on the whole, strong and burly,
rough-faced and dark-skinned. The tropical climate
and sultry skies are southern. Our summer is indeed
burning hot, but the winter is fierce and far more in
tensely cold than in any part of Great Britain. Above
all the agricultural products most characteristic in the
popular imagination all pertain to the south the bam
boo, the orange groves, the banana, the rice fields, the
tea plantations. Though we have lived in China thirty
years, the only time we ever saw tea growing was in
the distance from the deck of a steamer lying in Fu-
chow Harbour. The trees might have been elder
bushes for all that we could make out. It is as much
a foreign product, and as dear, in North China as in
England. Ordinary rice, such as is made into puddings
in England, is not grown in the North, and only rarely
eaten except by the well-to-do. The bamboo and the
orange are diminutive, hot-house shrubs. To the North
belong the tall kaoliang, sago-like millet, Indian corn,
the yam and the monkey-nut, walnuts, peaches, apricots
and grapes, admirable products, indeed, but probably
125
John Innocent
not at all suggestive of China to the Western mind.
The only thing grown here that is ideally Chinese is
the opium poppy. Our China is quite different from
the China of the popular imagination.
Yet our China is at least a part of the real China,
the China of history, and of tradition. Shantung is
included in the great plain where the Ctiiris, from
whom the very name China is supposed to have been
derived, first made their advent. With it are associated
the greatest names of China s greatest past. The famous
dynasties of Chow and Han held sway here, when
north of the Great Wall and west of the Yangtze
were foreign lands populated with people of foreign
speech. Yao and Shun, the semi-mythic monarchs of
China s golden age, were both Shantung men. The
sages, who were greater than kings, who have stamped
their minds on the Empire with indelible impress, and
are its purest glory, Confucius, Mencius, Tseng Tzii,
Yen Hui, were all Shantung men. From Wuting or
Lao Ling to the tomb of Confucius China s age-en
during but uncrowned king is an easy journey.
The ordinary way of travelling is by mule cart. A
mule cart is never seen in the south. Such tours as
Mr. Innocent made would generally mean a month at
a stretch, forty miles a day the maximum rate of
progress, and to make that you must be twelve hours
on the road. And what roads! They are probably
the roughest in the world. Macadam never ventured
into China until recent years. The inns are marvels of
discomfort. You can get nothing there that you want,
not always even a welcome.
The traveller finds himself in an empty mud room,
with a thatched roof, brown mud walls, a mud floor,
paper windows, a table so rickety it has to lean against
126
Chinese Inns
the wall to stand up, and so dirt-begrimed that no de
cent housewife would risk a table cloth on it. You are
lucky if you find a single chair, yet not lucky, for it is
the most comfortless seat ever invented. For bed (in
the same room) you are offered a solid mud structure
(very hard) with a coarse straw-plaited mat, generally
badly worn into holes. That is all the accommodation
you get. You pay about twopence, and barely get
your money s worth. You must carry everything, food,
bedding, (bed if you are wise), cook and cooking ap
paratus. The foreign traveller inevitably excites a tre
mendous amount of curiosity, and is generally beset in
the streets by a regular crowd of gazers, who troop
after him into the inns, and flood his room (if he will
let them), watching his every movement with the utmost
avidity, and when they can do it with impunity are
apt to assail him with unlovely epithets " foreign
devil," and " long-haired rebel," being the most com
mon. It is obvious that tinder such circumstances
travelling is rough work.
Good evangelizing work can be done in this way.
You usually carry a supply of Scriptures and tracts
which the people are generally willing to take from
you, and you have but to stand still anywhere, and
your congregation, a very promiscuous one, will as
semble around you with the speed of magic. The mere
fact that a foreigner can speak Chinese ingratiates
them at once, and they will generally listen with a
degree of attention and respect. The measure of com
prehension you can secure is a more doubtful quantity,
but this depends greatly on the man. Their mind is,
of course, an absolute blank as concerns the message
you have to deliver. You cannot assume that they
know they are sinners, or that they know there is a
127
John Innocent
God whom they should worship. Better assume the
exact opposite, and take it that these are the things
you have to convince them of. The golden key to the
gateway of their comprehension is a working familiarity
with their own religious beliefs and practices. Quote
Confucius and you will be on common ground with
them at once.
The evangelistic duties of these exploring tours Mr.
Innocent took most seriously. In his journal, giving
the record of his journey to Paoting and T ai-yuan in
1862, he inserts the following query:
" In mission tours is it not desirable to be satisfied
with a slow mode of travelling, employ the cheapest
means for conveying books, take a native helper along
with you, and walk from village to village on the way,
and thoroughly publish the Gospel in one place before
going on to another ? "
This seems to have been almost the only kind of
mission work, except the translation of hymns, Scrip
tures and tracts in which the sainted missionary Burns
ever engaged, and the chief work of Mr. Gilmour
" among the Mongols," a persistent and faithful sowing
of the seed, leaving the result to take care of itself.
And Mr. Innocent displayed great tact and ability in
the prosecution of such work. He knew how to be
patient with a crowd. He was not naturally a witty
man, but he always had a quiet, gentle vein of humour
for use on such occasions. He knew how to begin
where he was sure of taking hold, and was ready at
all moments to throw down the bridge which in the
easiest manner possible led from common conversa
tion to earnest exhortation. One of the occasions when
we saw him to the greatest advantage, and unf eignedly
admired him was, when travelling together, we had
128
An Interrupter
entered a village, and a company, had collected around
us, some of the younger members of which did not
seem to be too civil. A forward young whipper-snapper
of about seventeen, who had pushed himself to the
front of the crowd, assailed the good veteran (as he
then was) in a somewhat impertinent manner with the
usual question : " When did you come over to our coun
try ? " Mr. Innocent measured him from head to foot
with his eye, and with a scarcely perceptible twinkle,
and an indulgent smile, replied : " I came before you
did." The bystanders thoroughly enjoyed it ; the
young man blushed and took a back position in the
circle. Mr. Innocent then scratched the character
" great " on the ground with his walking-stick. It raised
him 50 per cent in their estimation to see he could write.
As a matter of fact he could not write Chinese, but
that was of no consequence. Calling their attention to
it, he next scored across the top of it the character
"one," thus making "Heaven," the one great. As in
English, and even more clearly, " Heaven " bears the
sense of God, and with this as his text he plunged
straight into an exposition of the greatness, the unity,
the spirituality of God which was listened to with re
verent attention.
He took somewhat extensive notes of these mission
tours, of which the following are the chief :
I. A visit to Paoting Fu accompanied by Dr. Edkins
during the month of October, 1861. Paoting is an
important town, about 400 li west of Tientsin. Up to
the present it has been, in fact, the provincial capital
of Chihli, but this capital is just now (1908) being
moved to Tientsin. It was an interesting tour.
II. A visit to the Great Wall of China at Ku Pei
K ou in December, 1861. The principal object of this
129
John Innocent
visit was Bible distribution. The Great Wall of China
ranks among the wonders of the world, and the follow
ing description of it, culled by Mr. Innocent, from an
early work by Sir John Davis on China, brings its chief
features into an account brief enough for quotation
here :
" The Great Wall is a monument of an iron will and
a cruel despotism. It was built by the Emperor Ch in
Ssu Huang. He destroyed the feudal system of the
days of Confucius and established the first despotic
and universal monarchy of China. He sought to ob
literate all history of his predecessors by ordering that
all books should be burnt. He did a better and more
lasting thing by establishing the Fu (departmental)
and Hsien (district) cities, with their magistrates ap
pointed direct from the metropolis, a system which is
still a vital part of the Chinese government.
"This remarkable wall is 1,500 miles long extending
from the shore of the Gulf of Chihli to Hsi-ning, fifteen
degrees west of the capital. It is carried over some
of the highest mountain peaks. One of the most ele
vated ridges over which the Great Wall passes measures
5,225 feet high.
" The height of the Wall is 25 feet, its thickness
25 feet at the base, and 15 at the top. There are towers
at regular intervals, 40 feet square at the base, diminish
ing to 30 feet at the top, and measuring, some 37 feet,
some 48 feet high. No wood is found in these towers.
All solid arches of strong masonry for doors and win
dows. The bricks are 15 inches long, half that in width
and four inches thick. Beyond, or west, of the Yellow
River it is only a mound of earth, or gravel, 15 feet
high.
" It is said that every third man in the Empire was
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Missionary Tours
drafted to assist in its building; that being scantily
supplied with food 400,000 died of hunger, ill-usage
and excessive fatigue. The Chinese say it was the an
nihilation of one generation and the salvation of a
thousand Du Halde says it was built in five years.
Herodotus says 100,000 men were employed twenty
years to build the largest of the Egyptian Pyramids."
The Great Wall may be regarded as the boundary
of our mission on the north, and is not many miles
distant from Yung P ing City.
III. A tour through T ai Yuan Fu (the capital of
Shansi) and Kalgan (beyond the Wall) in February and
March, 1862. On this journey he was accompanied by
the Rev. H. Blodget. It was a long and interesting
journey, and a full journal of it was drawn up by Mr.
Innocent with more than usual care. Both these places
are now connected with Tientsin by railway. The new
and shorter route of the Trans-Siberian Railway will
shortly open, and connect with Kalgan.
IV. An interesting trip to Peking accompanied by
Mrs. Innocent and Mrs. Wright, in April, 1862.
V. A visit to Jenchiu, a district city about sixty miles
south-west of Tientsin. This visit made so favourable
an impression upon Mr. Innocent that an attempt was
made to start work there. Mr. Hu and others were sent
to reside there, preach and sell Scriptures, with a view
to opening a station, but results did not seem to justify
the continuance of the work. This first visit was in
March, 1863.
VI. A very interesting trip into Mongolia, accom
panied by Mr. Henderson, a Tientsin merchant. Their
objective was the famous Lama Miao, a College and
Monastery of the Tantra school of Buddhism, which
prevails among the Mongols. This journey was com-
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John Innocent
menced shortly after the return from Jenchiu, on the
1 3th of May, 1863. Mr. Innocent went well provided
with Scriptures in the Mongol language. The Monas
tery is situated in Inner Mongolia, about 250 miles
from Peking, and 330 miles from Tientsin.
VI I. An account of a visit to the large Buddhist
monastery of the Mahayana school of Buddhism, on
which Mr. Innocent was accompanied by Mr. Hall. The
story gives an excellent picture of the interior life of
the monastery, and illustrates the nature of Buddhist
worship in China, with the superstitions attaching to it.
The visit was paid in February, 1 864.
VIII. A journey out to Chinan fu, the capital of
Shantung, accompanied by the Rev. J. Lees, L.M.S.,
undertaken in May, 1868. Mr. Hodge was at tKe time
visiting our Shantung stations, and as accounts had
come in of the rise of a singular rebellion, which was
sweeping the whole district, the origin and objects of
which were very obscure, they were concerned for
his safety, and their journey was of the nature of a
relief expedition. They themselves fell into the
hands of these banditti, for they appear to have
been little else, and Mr. Lees had his horse stolen. The
rebels were known as the " Nien Fei," their numbers
were reported as consisting of 6o,ooQ or 70,000, and
the wildest stories were current of their lawless doings.
In addition to the valuable evangelistic work done
on these tours, the knowledge of the country and the
general experience gained were a great advantage to
Mr. Innocent. Except in the last instance there is no
doubt he was keenly on the look-out for the possibility
of openings for regular missionary effort, and the ex
tension of his work to wider fields. In 1866 the long-
sought opening came in a quite unexpected way, and
was the beginning of a new epoch of activity.
132
CHAPTER XIII.
THE CALL TO LAO LING.
THE events to be described in this chapter, seen from
the missionary standpoint, are by far the most memor
able in the history of the mission. They were narrated
at the time as the " Wonderful work of God in Laoling."
Mr. Innocent speaks of them as a "remarkable religious
awakening." The story, as told at the time, by those
fresh from the glowing experience of it, was so full
of marvel as to border on the miraculous. Not only
were our two missionaries greatly elated (it threw Mr.
Hall into transports of rapture), and not only was the
" Missionary Report " for 1 867 full to overflowing with
its wonders, but its publication in the " Shanghai Mis
sionary Recorder," profoundly moved the whole mission
ary body in China, and turned the thoughts of mis
sionaries, as they had never been turned before, to the
marvellous possibilities of evangelism in the interior of
China. With these events began a new epoch of en
thusiastic labour. An extended account of them is given
in " Consecrated Enthusiasm," and they are also ad
mirably summarized by Mr. Hedley in "Our Mission
in China." The immediate result was an enlargement
of our mission work with which the most strenuous
exertions could scarcely keep pace, and an increase in
membership, within one year, amounting to more than
treble our previous numbers. Nor did it stop here, but
this rapid growth was followed year by year with very
substantial increase. In 1866 our total membership
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John Innocent
was 24, with 7 probationers. In 1867 it was 85, with
23 probationers. In 1870, the year of Mr. Innocent s
return to England, it was 204, with 80 probationers, a
tenfold increase within four years. By the end of 1877,
a few months before Mr. Hall s death (Report, 1878),
there were in Shantung alone 18 stations, 8 schools, 14
Chinese preachers, 636 church-members, and 425 pro
bationers. All these came out of the story of a dream
with its unfolding sequences in real life.
The story, in brief, is as follows. While Mr. Hall
was preaching one afternoon in Kung Pei Chapel,
early in the year 1866, "a stranger, stooping beneath
the weight of years and infirmity," took his seat among
the hearers. His manner attracted attention, and upon
being questioned it was found that he came from a
village in Shantung about 130 miles away. He stated
that he was in search of saving truth, moved by a dream.
He had been ill, and on two occasions he dreamt that
he had come to the close of life. He fancied himself
conducted "to an immense and beautiful place, where
he saw a magnificent mansion guarded by beings of
surpassing loveliness and purity." The " mansion," he
could see through the doors, was filled with similar
beings, and one in the midst was seated upon a throne
before which all did homage, " whose glory resembled
the brightness of the sun." He was not allowed to
enter as he had not the " requisite attire." He was told
to go back to earth where he would be taught what he
must do to gain admission. The Roman Catholics were
in his village, and he applied to them for guidance.
What they told him decided him to embrace the Chris
tian religion, but he was dissatisfied with their conduct,
and determined to come to Tientsin to seek the heads
of that Church. He was directed by mistake to our
134
To face p. 134.
The Old Dreamer
chapel. In the preaching he listened to he thought he
had found the solution of his twice-repeated dream.
He stayed some time, and returned home with books
promising to come again. A month later he returned
reporting that many of his friends, together with him
self, were anxious that a teacher should be sent to help
them in studying the Bible,
This man s name was Chu Tien Chiian, afterwards
known on the mission as "the Old Dreamer." The
village was Chu Chia Tsai.
Mr. Innocent was away at the time, and it fell to Mr.
Hall to decide what was to be done. He acted with
commendable caution. Mr. Innocent s teacher, Mr. Yii,
was sent to spend a week or two among them. He is
spoken of as "a trustworthy man, free from any ten
dency to exaggeration," and he had instructions to see
for himself how the case stood. The Dreamer took him
to his home, would not hear of his going anywhere
else. He held daily meetings with them, and came
back full of enthusiasm. Two colporteurs were then
sent to work for a month among the Dreamer s friends.
On their return their report was still more encouraging.
By this time Mr. Innocent had returned, and after con
sultation, it was decided to send Mr. and Mrs. Hu to
work among them. As a number of women were in
terested in the truth, they felt assured that the presence
of such a devoted woman would lead to the best results.
A man of Mr. Hu s great sagacity and experience might
be relied on to give such a report as would guide them
with regard to future action. After a few week s re
sidence at Chu Chia, Mr. Hu made such glowing com
munications, says Mr. Innocent, " that we were satisfied
it was a genuine work of God, and a manifest call to us
to enter the door which He had opened to us. After
135
John Innocent
due deliberation and prayer about the matter, we ar
ranged that I should remain to carry on the work in
Tientsin, and Mr. Hall proceed to Chu Chia. If he
deemed it necessary he was to call on his colleague to
join him." Mr. Hall went the first week in September.
On the nth, writing from Chu Chia, Mr. Hall sent to
the Mission Secretary a most graphic account of the
"awakening," which was published as a separate pam
phlet. He did find it necessary for his colleague to
join him, and within a week or two Mr. Innocent was
there too.
Mr. Hall s account is given at great length in " Con
secrated Enthusiasm." We do not reproduce it here,
but our readers should certainly peruse that account. It
shows the movement at white heat, shows how wide
spread it was, and shows Mr. Hall at his best, as one
who had got into his natural element. The " Enthu
siast " was simply delirious with joy. It was a veritable
conflagration of spontaneous acceptance of the Gospel
which warmed and spread until every one who went
near it was set on fire. Mr. Hall revelled in it like a
salamander. To his zeal-inflamed mind it was Tabor
and Pisgah in one. Transfigured, spell-bound, he
saw a " land of promise " fair and wide. Those two or
three weeks were night-and-day work a love feast to
which the eager guests kept pouring in, all aglow with
prayer and praise. Exhortation, and baptism and the
order of these holy exercises was of no account.
"Angels are hovering over this hallowed spot, and
I almost catch their seraphic strains of triumph and of
praise. I would not exchange my lot for that of any
other person in the whole world. Jehovah, the Lord
of hosts, is here. Jesus, the Prince of Glory, is here.
The Divine and Eternal Spirit is here. All the glorious
136
Excitement at Chu Chia
promises are here; and here is the throne, the ever
lasting and ever-accessible throne of grace ; and what
can I want more ? O glory be to God ! Blessing and
honour, and might, and dominion be unto Him for ever
and ever."
That was Mr. Hall s state of mind.
That which wrought in him this passion of enthusiasm
was the manifest religious upheaval taking place round
him ; which he saw with his eyes, which he heard with
his ears. The entire village, men, women, and children
almost, seemed to be coming en masse into the Church.
They were meeting daily for prayer, keeping the Sab
bath, meeting daily for Scripture study ; though the
great majority of them were unable to read, they were
full of earnest desire for the Gospel. Scriptures and
tracts, brought by the colporteurs, seemed to be in all
their houses. They brought their idols, broke those
that would break, burnt those that would burn, or
handed them to the missionary as old curios. But not
only so. The whole surrounding country seemed com
ing in. People walked long distances to come to the
services, and at all hours (there was hardly then a clock
or a watch in the whole region) groups would be coming
in eager to see the missionary, pressing him to go to
their own villages, offering their homes for places of
worship. Already at Han Chia, a village celebrity, Liu,
a well-to-do scholarly old farmer, had placed at our
disposal his large homestead, and made us royally wel
come. This was ten miles north of Chu Chia on the
way from Tientsin. Others, on the south, were ready
to do the same. The demeanour of all these people was
respectful, reverent, almost worshipful. It was a new
thing to those accustomed to be shunned on all sides
and reviled as "foreign devils." It was the "romance
137
John Innocent
of missions " in full display, the more charming and
idyllic as it was taking place at harvest time among
peasant farmers, whose homes were mud-houses (yet
often spaciously built), and whose manners were rustic
and unsophisticated
Chu Chia village was comparatively small; about
250 families, making a population of, perhaps, 2,000
people, but it is set in the centre of a large cluster of
villages, easy of reach, with seven cities, Mr. Hall tells
us, not far distant in various directions. It is just over
the border of Chihli in the north-west corner of Shan
tung province. Mr. Hall was greatly delighted with the
whole country, and fairly empties his colour-box in
painting its attractions. Chu Chia itself, he says,
"stands in the midst of a garden of delights." Well!
there are no coal stacks and no factory chimneys, and
it was harvest time when it does look delightful. But
lest there should be too great a run on this particular
station, and the attractions of Yung P ing and the Lan
river should be neglected it may not be amiss to say
that the country is very flat, and in winter,
" When the trees are leafless, when the fields are bare,"
it looks stagnant and dreary enough.
The following monograph from the pen of Mr. Inno
cent, explicative of the social make-up of the village,
and of Chinese villages generally, is specially interest
ing :
" The Chinese have a peculiar method of giving
names to their male descendants, perhaps in imitation
of Imperial usage. The Emperor Kanghsi instituted
a mode of naming the different branches of his family
that everyone might see at a glance the generation to
which each person belongs. He made a list of names,
eight of which have been used for as many generations
138
Chu Chia Tsai
in the Imperial dynasty. The given name of every
member of the same generation contains the same word.
The given name of the Emperor is Mien, and his
brothers names are Mien Kai and Mien Yii. He has
two sons, and his distinctive term for their generation
is Yih, and they are called Yih Chu and Yih Tseng.
So among Chinese families they distinguish their mem
bers from others in the clan by a constant character
for the first one in a Fu ming (ming being the given
name, like our Christian name). Thus a family of
brothers will be Lin tung pei ; Lin tung feng; Lin tung
po. Thus the word tung distinguishes this branch of
the clan tin from all others.
" The humble instrument of introducing our mission to
Chu Chia Tsai in Shantung was a poor illiterate man
who was the elder of the Chu clan, Chu Tien Oman.
Other generations of the clan distinguished by their
different middle names as Tseng, Wen, Chin, Kuang,
showing the clan to be large and numerous ; five genera
tions, with their families, all living in the same village.
This village was rather a cluster of hamlets of different
clans, the Chu clan being the largest, but the settle
ments and land divisions of these several clans were
easily traceable. On the north was the Ma chia or Ma
family; on the west was Li chia ; and on the east the
Chou and the Chang chia. The five were so contiguous
as to make but one large village known as Chu Chia
Tsai the Chu family enclosure.
" What was pleasingly noticeable in this religious
movement was that the leading members of the clans
were brought under the influence of the Gospel at the
beginning of the work, and this prevented the rising of
any hostile faction. Another favourable feature was
that among the first converts was the teacher of a large
139
John Innocent
and high school, named Chu Tsung Yao, who was a
local celebrity, and a man of great influence. Many
of the youths of the different clans in his school were
converted, and were brought into closer fellowship and
grew up familiarized with the doctrines of the new
faith. Some of these afterwards became students in
our Training Institute, and successful preachers of the
Gospel to their own countrymen."
To return to the narrative of these soul-stirring
scenes.
The account of Sabbath worship at Chu Chia and
of the labours of the following week ; the meeting of
our two brethren, under such happy circumstances, and
the triumphant conclusion of their visit must be related
here :
"Divine service" the narrative is Mr. Hall s "was
conducted in the small meeting-room in which a hun
dred voices joined in the song of praise. The court
yard was also filled, and all listened with reverent atten
tion to the message of the Gospel. The whole service
was full of interest, and it will live in my memory
with ineffaceable impression for ever and ever. At its
close, on being left alone for the night, I made it my
first duty to write to my dear colleague, giving him a
full account of all that I had witnessed, and urging
him to join me without delay that we might take im
mediate action for suitably meeting the requirements
of this great work.
" My letter was sent off at daylight yesterday morn
ing, and sure I am that it will prove to Brother Innocent
the occasion of overflowing gladness and joy. Every
day of the following week was occupied in visiting sur
rounding villages from which came some of the en
quirers, examining the candidates, dispensing medicine
140
Impressive Services
to the sick, and conducting services in the preaching-
room. On the following Sabbath morning I conducted
service. I spent the whole afternoon in carefully ex
amining candidates from outlying places whom I had
not met during the week. It is difficult to say what
proportion of the candidates may prove to be eligible
for admission into the Church, but judging from the
numerous cases which have already been enquired into,
I think Brother Innocent will agree with me that we
shall be warranted in receiving into our fellowship at
least some fifty or sixty persons. This will leave a
large number for further instruction.
" While taking tea this evening I was overjoyed by
the arrival of my dear brother and colleague, Mr.
Innocent. He received my letter on Wednesday night,
and lost not a moment in hastening to my help. We
have taken much sweet counsel together, and some
times, while discussing the features of this great work,
our emotions have quite overpowered us. Brother Inno
cent attended the evening service. Most of the outside
people had returned to their homes, but as the women
were present, the room was again full. Mr. Innocent
delivered an earnest and most appropriate address, and
after passing through the ordeal of receiving the warm
and affectionate greetings of the people, returned with
me to our hut, blessing and praising God for what he
had seen and heard and felt. He has retired for the
night, remarking that, much as he needed repose, it is
almost impossible to think of rest after such delightful
experiences. May we be divinely guided in all our
actions for the welfare of the Christ-seeking souls
around us !"
The two brethren, while together, carefully examined
a large number of those who had given in their names
141
John Innocent
as believers in Christ, and were desirous of admission to
the Church. Various meetings were held for this pur
pose on successive days of the week. They felt a solemn
responsibility resting upon them as to the selection of
suitable persons for baptism in such a time of excite
ment, and were anxious that only those, in whom they
were satisfied that a genuine work of grace had taken
place, should be received as the first members of the
Christian Church in this heathen village. As the result
of diligent and scrutinizing investigation forty-five per
sons were selected for baptism, and the ordinance
administered to them in the presence of a large gather
ing of devout and attentive witnesses. A still larger
number of names was left on a reserved list for further
instruction. They were exhorted to continue in the
faith, and give all diligence to make their calling and
election sure.
Mr. Hall s health not being good, the two brethren
returned to Tientsin together on September 29th, re
joicing in what: the Lord had permitted them to see of
His saving power and grace, and deliberating on the
best plans to be adopted for nurturing this newly-
planted infant Church.
On October 22nd, Mr. Innocent again visited the
place, and spent over a fortnight encouraging the new
disciples, and arranging for premises at Chu Chia to be
used for mission purposes. The daily work was ex
ceedingly pleasant though wearying. More were bap
tized, and on every hand the people gave heed to the
things of God
Even at this late date, after the lapse of more than
forty years, and reviewing these scenes in the calmest
and most critical spirit, it is impossible to escape the
conviction of their remarkable character. If we are
142
God s Spirit in Human Affairs
to see the Spirit of God working in human affairs at all,
we can surely see Him here. There can be no harm
in discriminating between what was truly important
and significant, and what was merely romantic. Which
of us does not love romance ? But the Divine hand is
seen most clearly, not in the appearance of the Dreamer,
nor yet in his dream, but in the far more truly wonder
ful fact that a whole region, hitherto closed to the
Gospel, suddenly and unexpectedly, as if hundreds of
hearts were moved by an invisible impulse, was thrown
open, and whole districts were eagerly seeking the
grace which, without this impulse, no effort and no
importunity would have induced them to accept. Here
is where the true emphasis lies. For ourselves we do
not take the dream very seriously. We know too well
what the exuberance of the Oriental imagination is,
and how common dreams are in China We will not
base our faith in the supernatural upon any such datum.
Perhaps, at the time, in England, in accounts of the
movement, too much was made of the dream. We do not
know. It had no particular influence on the Chinese.
We share to the full Mr. Hedley s reserves. We also
" are not concerned to explain, much less to justify."
" One cannot," Mr. Hedley continues, " say that the old
man s tale, as told to our pioneers, was quite un
varnished and unadorned. One cannot declare that
unquestionably he had not some other and more worldly
reasons for seeking out the foreign teachers, and in
viting them to his village, etc." Discerning readers of
"Our Mission in China" will suspect that there is
something behind all this which has not been brought
out into the light. Well, there is! It is not much,
however, and there is no reason why this paltry little
skeleton should not be dragged from his closet. Let
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John Innocent
us give Mephistopheles his sop, and have done with
him. It transpired on Mr. Ku s investigation of the
facts that Chu Tien Chuan s relations with the Roman
Catholics were not quite so simple as he had led our
brethren to suppose. In fact, he had had trouble with
them, was afraid of a lawsuit with them. We are far
from thinking that his dream was an inventioa As
likely as not he was in the right in his differences with
the Roman Catholics. It is almost certain he honestly
thought he was. He was in great trouble ; the trouble
made him ill, and the dream came to his troubled mind.
He wanted protection, and the strange workings of his
mind begot at once the dream, and the impulse to throw
himself on us. Mr. Hu was too shrewd to have any
thing to do with his lawsuit. Neither he nor anyone
else resented our non-interference. He lived and died
among us not a prominent member, but a faithful one.
His death took place about 1891. The dream incident
was quite a subordinate incident ; romantic, but not
greatly significant. But the turning of these conservative
peasant villagers to the Gospel, their suddenly divesting
themselves of all their dread of and prejudice against
the foreign evangelist, the rapid and continuous spread
of the truth over a wide area, which made possible,
some years after, the residence of missionaries among
them, and laid strong the foundations of our Shantung
work, the spontaneous movement of so many hundreds
towards the light : these were the true wonders, not
dreams, but blessed and enduring realities, which justify
us in magnifying "the wonderful work of God in
Lao Ling."
144
CHAPTER XIV.
OCCUPYING THE NEW FIELD.
PERSECUTION, BEREAVEMENT AND PERIL.
IT was a remarkable coincidence that simultaneously
with the opening of this work in Lao Ling two young
brethren were on the way to China who had been ap
pointed by the Conference (1866) to join our staff.
The Revs. W. B. Hodge and W. D. Thompson, after
an eventful passage, arrived in Tientsin, November
30th, and were heartily welcomed. To enable us to
give due attention to the new field it was deemed ad
visable to relinquish work elsewhere in unproductive
soil. A preaching-place in the city, which had been
lent by Chang Ch ih San was abandoned. The small
station at Peitsang, nine miles soith of Tientsin, was
also relinquished. Jenchui, a) o, which so far had re
sulted in one baptism. The ork there had not been
quite in vain, and this one man followed Mr. Hu " as
Timothy followed Paul," says Mr. Innocent and for
many years served as a Catechist.
Lao Ling called loudly for their attention, and thus
early they realized that missionary residence on the
spot was requisite. A Chinese house in the village of
Chu Chia was rented, and partly fitted up to suit the
needs of foreigners. It was a queer, old farmhouse
having a large court behind with some sheds for carts
and horses, and a couple of rooms used by farm ser
vants. Mr. Innocent and Mr. Thompson assumed
145
John Innocent
charge of the new station, Mr. Hall and Mr. Hodge
remaining in charge of Tientsin. On March i8th, 1867,
Mr. Innocent moved with his family to the Chu Chia
house with its mud walls and brick floors. Two rooms
in the same building were assigned to his colleague.
One of the rooms in the back premises was used as a
day school, the other as a Dispensary and Book-room.
With little outlay the shed was converted into a chapel,
which was larger and more convenient than the one
hitherto used. This, Mr. Innocent speaks of, as a
complete missionary establishment in one compound.
They even attempted medical work. Two hours were
given every forenoon to relieving the numbers of sick
people who applied for treatment under the impression
that all foreign teachers were skilled medical men.
Most of them had to be refused, as they were either
serious complaints or incurables. By the use of
simple remedies they were able to cure or relieve a
certain number, and cleanliness or nutritious food
played a prominent part in their prescriptions. This
charitable work had its influence in producing a favour
able impression on the minds of the people, and dispos
ing even the prejudiced to give attention to the doc
trines taught.
Another form of usefulness was a class of young
men anxious to study the Scriptures and Christian doc
trine with a view to future usefulness. They volun
teered to provide their own food and furniture if we
would give them a room to lodge in, and provide daily
instruction. They were from different villages, and
either had their millet and change of clothing sent by
their families every five or ten days, or fetched by
themselves. So that really the arrangement involved
no charge on the mission, and was a source of strength
146
Opposition Excited
and hope to the Church. The class then formed has
been carried on ever since though under somewhat
modified conditions. From it some of our most valu
able Chinese preachers and helpers have proceeded.
For a time the work went on peacefully, and with
growing success. The missionaries being on the spot
were able to conduct the services at this central station
and secure regular visitations of out-stations as they
were opened, and generally superintend the affairs of
the mission. But too soon this peaceful condition was
broken. It was not to be expected that so remarkable
a movement could take place without exciting some
opposition. The introduction of a foreign religion by
foreigners, and the widespread influence of the doctrine
in so short a period alarmed the upholders of native
superstitions, and stimulated the wealthy and the literati
to adopt measures for resisting such innovations. In
one locality an organized attempt was made to crush
the movement, and force the foreign teacher to with
draw. In the market town of Yang P an on a market
day, a colporteur was disposing of copies of the Scrip
tures, surrounded by a small band of Christians. A
group of angry men, led by a wealthy farmer, made an
attack on them, upset the bookstall, and beat the col
porteurs, together with Mr. Liu, of Hanchia, The
books were torn up, thrown into the mud and trampled
on. Then a false charge against Mr. Liu was trumped
up and lodged in the Yamen. Constables were sent
to arrest him, but he was not at home, having gone to
Tientsin. Another Christian man had been taken to
prison. We appealed to the British Consul to insist on
the case being investigated, and require the local official
to enforce the provisions of the Treaty regarding the
protection of Chinese Christians. For many days, dur-
H7
John Innocent
ing which the enemy continued to slander and persecute,
and many of the more timid enquirers held back from
attending service at our chapels, the case was in sus
pense. But at length, through the influence of the
Tientsin Consul, the Governor of Tientsin, Ch eng
Hou, sent a deputy to Lao Ling to inquire into the case.
His visit resulted in the immediate liberation of the
man who had been unjustly sent to prison, the con
demnation of the man who had led the assault at Yang
P an, and the issue of a proclamation by the magistrate
declaring the right of missionaries to propagate, and of
the Chinese to follow, the Christian religion without
molestation or hindrance, This settlement of the
trouble had a most salutary effect on the whole district.
About this time (July, 1867) some painful circum
stances dissolved the relations of Mr. W. D. Thompson
with the mission, after but a few months connection,
and he left the country.
A sad affliction came to the family of Mr. Innocent
in the month of May. Their infant son, Alfred, after
several days illness with fever, died. The distance of
Lao Ling from Tientsin, at which place alone medical
help was obtainable, was an occasion of great distress
to the parents, and deeply impressed them with the
need of a medical associate in mission work. At this
time of their sorrow, most unexpectedly, two brethren
called in who were travelling. One was the Rev. C. R.
Mills, of Teng chow, on his way to Peking; the other
the Rev. C. A. Stanley, from Tientsin. Mr. Mills was
with them the day before the child died, and by his
prayers and Christian counsel greatly strengthened and
soothed the parents. Mr. Stanley, who had been for
several years a neighbour in Tientsin, arrived on the
day of the child s death. He, with his wonted kindness
148
Death of Infant Son
and practical skill, took upon himself all the arrange
ments for the funeral. The ceremony was an object-
lesson in Christian teaching to the native converts.
Amongst the Chinese, infants, when they die, are never
buried in the family cemetery. They are wrapped in
matting and sent away in charge of a menial hired for
the purpose, to be put by the river bank, or covered
with a few inches of sod, laid by the roadside. They
are supposed to have been possessed by the spirit of
some deceased enemy of the family, and all traces of
its presence are removed as far as possible. But here
they saw, from the neat coffin, and newly-purchased
grave, and the solemn service at. that graveside, how
precious such a young life was, not to its parents only,
but to Christ who had said : " Suffer the little children,
and forbid them not to come unto Me, for of such is
the Kingdom of Heaven."
To this day that infant grave, lying west of the
village of Chu Chia is guarded with sacred care by the
villagers, and is a monument to remind all who see it
of the " sure and certain hope of a resurrection to
eternal life," which the Christian cherishes.
This sad event appears to have made a profound effect
upon the Innocents. Apparently their object in moving
to Shantung was permanent residence. But their little
one was lost to them. Mr. Thompson was leaving the
mission, remaining at Chu Chia would be a lonely lot,
and in July, 1867, they returned to Tientsin. There
their fourth son, Arthur Grayson Innocent, was born
September 27th of that year; he died in July, 1868.
From that time up to the year 1878 permanent resi
dence was not again attempted. Mr. Innocent remained
in charge of the Circuit, his colleague in 1868 being
Mr. Turnock, in 1869 Mr. Hodge; but in 1870 a
149
John Innocent
change was made and the brethren were all appointed
to Tientsin and Lao Ling. The work in Shantung was
carried on by visits in which each in turn took part.
The country mission developed apace. Converts
from distant villages, finding it inconvenient to attend
worship at Chu Chia every week, began to open their
own houses, or provide suitable rooms in their own
hamlets for service, the missionaries visiting them on
their tours in Shantung. The bulk of our numerous
chapels are still provided in this way. Preachers and
Catechists are appointed to these places. For those
who lived only three or four miles from the centre it
was easy to worship, but when members lived ten or
twelve miles away the new arrangement was necessary.
Thus, in the course of a year, quite a Circuit of small
churches was formed. Some on the north Hanchia
(1867), Ts ang Shang (1868), Chao Chia Miao, Yang
P an, Chiu Hsien. Some twenty miles to the south
west San Liu Chia, Li Chia Lou, Wu Kuan T un.
Some to the east Wang Kuan Liu Chia, Nieh Chia.
Each place thus opened was a centre of light and
influence, and gathered hearers from adjacent villages.
So "mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed."
In every place the visit of the missionary was hailed
with delight, whether on weekday or Sunday. The
members would sit until late in the night singing, pray
ing, listening.
In the year 1868 this district was much disturbed
by the invasion of a large force of armed, mounted
robbers called "Nien Fei." They were really a de
tached portion of the Tai-ping rebels, who, since the
capture of Nanking by General Gordon, had been
ravaging the northern provinces. Their presence
caused great dismay to the people, who protected them-
150
Rebel Disturbances
selves by throwing up mud ramparts round their vil
lages. This incursion of rebels has already been men
tioned in Chapter XII. Mr. Innocent gives an account
of his experiences with them which is exciting:
" Mr. Lees and myself, he on a pony, and I in a cart,
pushed on with all speed along the country roads. Late
in the evening, as we neared Han Chia, we were sur
prised to find all the roads filled with people in the
greatest terror. What is the matter? Oh, the re
bels, the rebels are upon us! So it was. Villages,
quite close to us, had been seized for their camp dur
ing the night. We had been misinformed about their
locality, and in consequence had run into their arms.
Being weary, and our animals needing rest, we took
refuge in the house of our friend Liu at Han Chia.
Hundreds of poor frightened women and children also
took refuge in his large farmyard, to whom he cheer
fully offered protection and food. We found a trusty
messenger to go over in the darkness with a message
to Mr. Hodge, who was ten miles away. Unfortu
nately, owing to the gates of the village rampart being
closed at sunset, he could not deliver the message until
daylight. At sunrise next morning we started to meet
Mr. Hodge. Every road was crowded with fugitives.
The corn was high on either side, so that our progress
was slow. We were soon overtaken by a band of
robbers, threading the line of fugitives on the road we
travelled One of these, armed to the teeth, came to
us, and, with threatening attitude, demanded Mr. Lees s
horse. There was a slight hesitancy, and an attempted
parley ; but the horse had to be given up. The rascal
dragged it away to join his fellows. Resistance would
have been worse than useless. Along the whole line of
fugitives we could see these villains plundering the
151
John Innocent
carts, rifling the bundles, unharnessing the animals, and
bearing off the young women from their protectors.
If the least resistance, or defence, were offered they
knocked down, or shot, the victim in cold blood. Thus
they plundered the people of everything that was valu
able. Our loss, though serious to us at the time, was
a trifle compared with that of numbers of those about
us. We proceeded slowly on our way, not knowing
but that a second and worse attack might be made
upon us. We wandered about the whole day, partly
to evade the villages where bands of these ruffians
might be met with, and at sunset reached Chu Chia.
This place we found almost abandoned. The people
had gone to an adjoining village (Po Chi Liu Chia)
that was protected by a rampart. Mr. Hodge had been
there all night, but did not get our message until the
morning. He had gone north to meet us. Anxiously
we awaited his return. He came back about midnight,
completely exhausted. His report confirmed our own
impression, that our way back to Tientsin by the north
was blocked, so that we resolved to make our way south.
Before dawn we started, and, after two days hard
journeying, reached the Yellow River, opposite the City
of Chinanfu. We saw much of the distress and the
ravages caused by the marauders, and the Imperial
troops which followed after them. The troops did not
aim at close contact, but hung about two days in their
rear, and often caused more distress to the poor coun
try people than the mounted robbers. We spent a day
in Chinanfu, and were generously entertained by the
Bishop and fathers at the Roman Catholic cathedral.
From information we gathered it was deemed best to
avoid the high roads, and return to Tientsin by sea.
Numbers of students, on their way to Peking for ex-
152
Escape from Marauders
animations, had to take the same course. So we took
passage in a fishing boat, and were detained at the
mouth of the Yellow River several days waiting for
a fair wind. The boat was crowded with passengers,
and the three of us had to stow ourselves into a cramped
hole about six feet by three, over which was a movable
hatch, which at night had to be closed down. For these
boats are all divided into so many separate holds, with
only a narrow footway on each side for the sailors. An
awning was stretched over during the day, when the
boat was not moving, or if the weather was fine. But
it was most uncomfortable and stifling accommoda
tion. To make matters worse our food ran short, and
we could only procure salt fish, and a coarse kind of
rice, on board. Our clothes, too, had become tattered,
so that we were thankful to reach Taku, and proceed
by cart to Tientsin, after an absence of nine days. For
a week our families had been in the greatest concern
about us, not knowing where we had got to. Our
arrival afforded grateful relief to them as to ourselves.
" A singular fact came to our knowledge, afterwards,
respecting these robbers. They entered but one of
the villages where we had a preaching-place, and in
that one committed no depredations. We had a small
station at San Liu Chia with a Catechist in charge. The
night before we met them they had entered this village,
and a number of them took possession of the chapel
for their quarters. The building being of respectable
appearance one of their officers was attracted to the
place. He began to read the papers pasted on the
walls, such as the Lord s Prayer, the Ten Command
ments, etc. He asked the Catechist what the place
was used for. When informed, he ordered the men to
clear out, and said he himself would occupy the rooms
153
John Innocent
for the night. He invited the Catechist and his boy
to supper, sat up nearly all night listening to explana
tions of the Gospel, expressed great admiration, wished
he had known Christianity earlier, regretted that he
could not follow it. Next morning he took the Cate
chist and his boy in charge, and conveyed them safely
to their own home. He took a list of the names of all
our places in the district, and promised that if the Chris
tians would remain at their chapels not one of them
should be interfered with. This pledge was faithfully
kept.
"But the Imperial soldiers showed no such regard.
They had lodged in our house, made free with the
furniture, partly for fuel, and partly for mischief, so
that when we could go back there was little we could
use"
Soon after his return from this trip, Mr. Innocent
was taken seriously ill, and was laid aside for some
weeks.
A very welcome addition to our staff arrived in Tient
sin in November, 1868: the Rev. B. B. Turnock, M.A.,
accompanied by his wife, was sent out with a view to
his taking charge of the work of training Chinese
preachers. With them came Miss Landels, the -fiancee
of Mr. Hodge. Mr. Hodge met them in Shanghai,
where he was happily married to Miss Landels. Mr.
Turnock s appointment did not fulfil the hopes with
which it had been regarded.
By December 3rd, 1868, our missionaries were again
able to visit the stations in Lao Ling. The rebels had
left the district some time before this. During the
period of disturbance the schoolmaster at Chu Chia,
Chu Tsung Yao, had conducted service every Lord s
day, and, assisted by the chapelkeeper, had visited all
154
At Chu Chia again
the villages as opportunity offered. They had done
much to keep our members together. True, some had
fallen away, but the great majority had remained stead
fast, and they greeted the missionaries with a joyous
welcome in every congregation. Many of them had
suffered serious losses owing to the interruption of the
usual labour on their farms, the stealing of their cattle,
and the exactions of the troops. They recovered with
surprising elasticity, and soon resumed their ordinary
avocations with a sort of apathetic composure. They
take such troubles, as they take drought and famine,
as a visitation of Heaven against which it is vain to
murmur. Speaking of the condition of things as they
found them on this visit, Mr. Innocent says :
" The whole district was in a state of tranquillity,
and the life of the people again flowing in its wonted
channels of peaceful industry. We found the churches
in a more satisfactory state than we had expected. At
Chu Chia the congregations were as large as in former
times. There was a little falling off among the women,
owing to the great poverty and distress into which
they had been plunged by the rebel incursions. Some
of the young men who had been attending as students,
supported by their families, had also been obliged,
owing to losses sustained, to work on the farms, or
seek employment in distant places. But we soon got
things into working order, and the hand of the Lord
was with us."
In January of 1869, the charge of Lao Ling was
handed over to Mr. Hodge, who went out for a visit, ac
companied by his young wife. Mr. Innocent s furlough
was due, and in May, 1869, he left Tientsin, with his
little family, and journeyed, via Japan, San Francisco,
the Isthmus, and New York to his native shores.
155
CHAPTER XV.
ON FURLOUGH.
MR. INNOCENT was absent from China, on his first
furlough, for fully two years, from May, 1869, to July,
1871. He was back in Tientsin, accompanied by Mrs.
Innocent, on the 25th of that month.
It is a pleasant fiction that a missionary goes on
furlough "to enjoy a well-earned rest." If rest be a
cessation from activity, it certainly is pure fiction so
far as the "rest" is concerned. But the fiction is
pleasanter than reality would be, for about the enjoy
ment there is no manner of fiction at all. The sweets
of furlough are certainly not the sweets of idleness.,
but they are so delightful, that they must be tasted
to be known. Nothing can exceed the beautiful spirit
shown by our Home Churches in their welcome to the
"live missionary," who comes to tell his tale among
them. Their thoughtfulness, their hospitality, their
indulgence, their earnest attention, their warm and
positively affectionate personal interest, their apprecia
tion of his work, come to him like a revelation of
human nature, and are among the best things this earth
can afford. If he does not get spoiled it is a wonder.
And it is his ministerial brethren who indulge him most.
Let him only be willing to attend an indefinite number
of meetings, and be ready to speak when called on, and
there is nothing they will not do for him. Deputation
work is the most enjoyable thing we have ever tried.
There is a lot to do, but it is delightful in the doing.
156
His Welcome in England
We have heard of a missionary who, on returning from
a strenuous furlough, remarked that he was glad to
get back to work in order to have a little rest. But a
missionary ought not to be cynical. The essential idea
of a missionary is that of one who travels about a good
deal, and who preaches a good deal. On furlough he
is by no means out of his vocation. He is a " travelling
preacher extraordinary," doing about as much of both
when off the field as when on the field. It is a sinful
wish we know, but how nice it would be to be a mis
sionary on furlough always !
In Mr. Innocent s case all these good things were
heightened by the fact, that he was one of our two
pioneer missionaries, the first to return, and now on
furlough for the first time. His welcome was warm and
enthusiastic. By a happy coincidence the Conference of
1870 was held in his native town. He preached the
Missionary Sermon. His speech at the Annual Meeting
is given in the " Missionary Chronicle " for August. It
is a simple and straight forward presentation of the
work done by himself and colleague, a review of the ten
years of the history of the Mission, and an appreciation
of native fellow-workers, Hu, Wang and Chang. It is
singularly free from every kind of ornament. It men
tions the fact that every one of the five men, so far
sent to the field, were sent from Sheffield. The Rev.
J. Maughan, who had been eight years in Australia,
was also on furlough, and in a resolution of welcome to
them both, the Conference declared that their success
had " stimulated the songs of Zion, and added new
fervour to our prayers," that "their services in the
pulpit, and on the platform, as well as in private in
tercourse, have been a spiritual festival to our Church, *
and that the Conference rejoiced to send them forth
157
John Innocent
again to be the " Messengers of the Churches and the
glory of Christ." Another fact to be noticed is that
Mr. Innocent s old friend, Mr. Ephraim Hallam, was
in the chair at the missionary meeting.
On this furlough Mr. Innocent did full work as a
deputation. He mentions visits to Newcastle, Sunder-
land, Hartlepool, Manchester, Stockport, Liverpool,
Southport, Bradford, Dewsbury, Leeds, Halifax, Old-
ham, Huddersfield, Hurst, Lees, Stalybridge, Bolton,
Rochdale, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Old-
bury, Hanley, Longton, Nottingham, Bristol, London,
Truro, St. Ives and Guernsey. At Shrewsbury he
visited " the quiet resting-place of Uncle William."
There were many enthusiastic gatherings at Sheffield,
where he took a house and resided during the early
part of his furlough. There are entries in his note
book of a very large number of meetings he attended
in the neighbourhood of Manchester. He was accus
tomed to make long speeches. At Salem, Manchester,
he spoke for an hour and twenty minutes, Mr. Cross-
ley in the chair. The attention, he tells us, was un
flagging, and the chairman expressed much pleasure in
what he had heard. Mr. Maughan was absent on this
occasion, but at Sheffield, where it was also an hour
and twenty minutes, he notes : " Mr. Maughan not
pleased with my taking so much time."
His friendship with Mr. Hallam was renewed under
circumstances very different from those of youthful
days. He made several visits to Romiley, and much
enjoyed the pleasant rest in Mr. Hallam s beautiful
residence at Oakwood Hall. Under date September
23rd, we find the following : " Received great kindness
from old and new friends. Went to Romiley to the
house of my friend Mr. E. Hallam. Found him in very
158
Missionary Advocacy
altered circumstances. Personally not much altered.
Very nice lady for a second wife. Met Messrs. Taylor,
Donald and Henshaw with their wives there." The
visit was repeated several times.
While at Lees he records a most interesting circum
stance. " Requested to speak about the work in Lao
Ling. Mr. Ogden stated that the pamphlet on Lao Ling
had led to the -formation of the Irish Presbyterian
Mission" This is now a very important and well-staffed
mission in Manchuria.
While in England Mr. Innocent heard Newman Hall
lecture on " Adam and Eve," and George Gilfillan on
" Milton " " very rhetorical and flowery." This was at
Manchester. In London he " heard Dr. Parker preach
a remarkable sermon at his week-day service in the
Poultry, delivered with great power and earnestness."
Also: "Sunday, February 6th (1870), went to the
Tabernacle and heard Spurgeon preach a most effec
tive sermon on Col. i. 29. * Whereunto I also labour,
striving according to His working which worketh in
me mightily/ in which he showed the duty of indivi
dual effort for personal salvation and the salvation of
others."
As an advocate for missions, Mr. Innocent s deliver
ances were always dignified, weighty and practical ;
free from any exaggeration or extravagance, but dis
playing sound judgment and giving solid information
supported by personal experience of the work. He
was not sufficiently anecdotal for some of our people
who betray an inordinate fondness for signs and won
ders, and are never tired of listening to personal stories
of individual conversions. But men are not all made
alike. It is not every one who is a good story-teller,
and if a man has not that gift it is vain for him to
159
John Innocent
essay to exercise it. He had much to tell his hearers
which was of more real consequence than any number
of "thrilling anecdotes." The true lover of the mis
sion cause, who alone has right to set the style for the
rest, wants to learn, not in what picturesque colours a
lively imagination can depict mission life, but what
its real character is, and what methods of dealing with
its many problems are justified by experience. Judged
by that test he was a successful deputation.
The terrible massacre of Tientsin was announced in
England during the latter half of 1870, and there ap
pears to have been a disposition, in consequence, to
delay his return to China. We reproduce the follow
ing portion of a letter written early in 1871, as it
shows admirably Mr. Innocent s firmness of will and
soundness of judgment at that anxious and critical
period. Unfortunately the conclusion of the letter has
been lost. It is, therefore, but a fragment :
" Newton Heath, Manchester,
"March I4th, 1871.
" DEAR DR. STAGEY, I should be glad to have your
decided opinion upon the matter of my return to China
before Conference. I have intimated to Mr. Hulme
that as the Committee have taken no action in the
matter I shall be prepared to leave towards the end
of April or beginning of May. Mr. Hulme seems to
fear the passage money, etc., will unduly swell the
expenses of the Mission Fund for the present year.
This can only be a temporary objection, as if I leave
after Conference it will cost no less than it would cost
now. Moreover, if the claims made on the Chinese
Government be met, the passage of Mr. and Mrs.
Hodge to England will be balanced in the mission ac
counts being paid by the Chinese.
160
Eager for Return to China
" With regard to the restrictions imposed on mission
ary labour, they can only be temporary, and will very
likely have practically ceased by the time I reach China.
If not, there will be scope enough for our labours in
the city, and opportunities, by prudent stealth, may be
used for the advantage of our mission until such re
strictions are removed. I am not satisfied that a mis
sionary should be governed in his work by the favour
of Governments and Diplomatists, or the temper of a
nation ; but while showing due respect to these he
should have a higher regard for the Master he serves,
and the claims of that spiritual undertaking in which
he is engaged. And if, as Mr. Hall says : Our British
Plenipotentiary or Ambassador will not assure protec
tion to missionaries in the interior, let them go without
that protection, and trust their God and the Chinese
Government (as they generally have done), and they
will get on quite as well as they have done in the past.
The only protection has been a passport, and what
would a mob like that at Tientsin care for a passport ?
As to his safety, more depends on the personal bearing,
conduct, and reputation of the individual foreigner in
the interior than on any supposed power of national
protection which may invisibly surround him. The
people are not savages, but have as great a horror of
bloodshed as the most civilized. This is the rule"
Splendid ! These words are as wise as they are
brave, and show the calm, steady mind, and clear esti
mate which no temporary excitement could ruffle or
disturb.
He was eager to go, and go he did, and when the
Conference assembled he was upon the sea looking
eagerly toward China.
161
CHAPTER XVI.
TIENTSIN CHURCH IN TRIBULATION.
BEFORE AND AFTER THE MASSACRE.
ON his return from furlough Mr. Innocent was given
charge of the Church in Tientsin. The " Awakening "
which opened so wide a door for us in Shantung
seems to have also affected our church in the city. We
have seen that in 1 866, when the call came to Lao Ling,
our membership in Tientsin was 24, with 7 probation
ers. For some unexplained reason the numbers for
1 867 are not given separately either in the " Minutes "
or the Missionary Report. But it may be inferred that
the increase to 85 members and 23 probationers is
almost, if not entirely, accounted for by baptisms in
Lao Ling. In 1868 there is a substantial increase. For
1868 the return for Tientsin is nearly doubled, being
46 members and 9 probationers. The wave of blessing
which had given us a new and extensive field in Shan
tung had also carried the Tientsin Church forward
to gratifying prosperity. This is, perhaps, to be
ascribed in part to an event of great significance which
also took place in 1866.
This was the opening of Kung Pei Chapel. It was
after much trouble and patient waiting that this place
was secured. The situation was superb. It must be
remembered that up to the time of the Boxer outbreak
Tientsin was a walled city. The designation "in the
city" meant inside that wall: "outside the city," put-
162
Opening of Rung Pei Chapel
side that wall. But the best, the busiest, the wealthiest
part of the city was and still is outside the city, techni
cally speaking, i.e., outside the wall. The best shops
are situated, and the most business is done, along the
line of streets running from the Settlement in a trans
verse line toward the North gate, a line formed by Old
Clothes Street, Palace North Street, Palace South
Street, Stone-door-sills Street, and Foreign Goods
Street. Kung Pei means Palace North. The Palace
Kung is a Temple, one of the most frequented in
Tientsin, and dedicated to the Queen of Heaven the
Chinese Aphrodite, goddess of the Sea. It has
already been mentioned as the place where worship
was held for foreign soldiers from 1860 to 1862. From
two to three hundred yards north of this temple stood
our Kung Pei Chapel. The street runs midway be
tween the river and the east wall of the city, and from
Kung Pei to the East Gate was but a short distance.
The building was taken on a pawn-lease, a common
method of leasing in China. You pay down a given
sum and a lease deed is made out for a given number
of years. After the term expires the original owner
has the option of redeeming, by paying back the
original sum. The interest on the money advanced
stands for the rent, and you get the principal back
before giving up the building. This arrangement
occasioned trouble in 1889, when a representative of
the original lessor appeared and offered to redeem the
property. By payment of a further sum, however, the
property became ours on a purchase deed. Previous
to our acquiring it in 1866 it had been a Chinese tea
shop, the only kind of public-house known in China.
The main room was about 20 feet by 40 feet, with
small rooms at the back and a room, also very small,
163
John Innocent
on the left-hand side. The property was in a very
dilapidated condition when we took it. Our brethren
were not a little proud of acquiring so excellent a site,
and on February 2nd Mr. Hall wrote the Mission
Secretary as follows :
" During the past month we have succeeded in obtain
ing a large shop in the most commanding position that
this city affords, and we are now converting it into a
chapel on a scale unsurpassed by any mission in this
place. We are truly grateful to God for the favour
vouchsafed to us in the attainment of this object. Our
attention has been fixed on this locality for four years
or more, and we have strongly exerted ourselves at
various intervals to effect its occupation, but until
now all our efforts have been unavailing. Other mis
sionary friends have also laboured for the same end
with equally fruitless results. In this last, but happily
successful attempt, we have met with no small annoy
ance and trouble, but every obstacle has been swept
away. . . . We have now secured a position which
we hope to occupy for many years, and where from the
crowds who are perpetually thronging the street we
have every reason to think that thousands will be
brought under the sound of the Gospel."
We may say here that for many years Rung Pei
served splendidly for street preaching. It was " a good
stand," and perhaps we made a mistake to sell it. But
for our principal place of worship, notwithstanding
what is said above, it was ridiculously small. The
chapel had a superficial area of 800 square feet, was
simply a large room looking like a shop, built entirely
in Chinese style, with no light on either side ; windows
at each end, helped out by a paper skylight. By the
time an entrance porch had been taken out, and room
164
Appointment of Mr. Wang Yi Hua
left for the pulpit, you had but to put fifty people in
it, and it was packed. It was destroyed at the time of
the massacre, but rebuilt ; and again razed to the
ground by the Boxers, after which it was never re
stored. The site was sold in 1905 for the handsome
sum of 400. It was opened on Sunday, March 6th,
the Rev. J. Lees and the Rev. C. A. Stanley conducting
the opening services. " The crowds which pressed and
hung about the door," says Mr. Innocent, " were truly
surprising." Mrs. Hu fairly "astonished the natives"
by appearing at the service with her daughters and
another woman. It was a bold thing to do in those
days. Their most sanguine expectations were met in
the daily throngs which gathered to listen to the preach
ing, and they soon found it was "too small for the
people drawn to the place." Here they got a larger
proportion of respectable and cultivated Chinese than
they had been accustomed to, and after two months of
labour they began to reap the fruit of their toil. Of
even greater importance than the finding of the place
was the finding of a man to occupy the place, and
their instrument was already prepared in the elderly
and scholarly convert, Wang Yi Hua. He was at
once appointed to Kung Pei. Mr. Innocent testifies that
"no man was better qualified, from his knowledge of
Scripture, and the Chinese classics, his intimate ac
quaintance with the subtleties of native character, and
superstitions, his strong faith in Christ, and confidence
in the power of the Spirit of God, for the position.
By his faithful exposure of the evils of sin, and de
lightful portrayals of the truths of the Gospel salvation,
which he delivered with a freeness and eloquence un
equalled, he often kept his hearers spellbound. The
learned, and illiterate alike, were enchanted by the
1C5
John Innocent
force of his intelligent and faithful utterances. The
Holy Spirit, whose aid he constantly sought, used his
ministry to the conversion of many souls." Many offi
cial and literary friends were attracted to us at this
time, among whom was a mandarin of some rank,
named Hsiu.
Wang Yi Hua was, perhaps, the most distinguished
Chinaman who ever belonged to us. He was born at
Chao-pu, a town near Shanghai city. He ranked as
a mandarin, though he had quitted office, and his son
was also an expectant official. His conversion was re
markably deep and sincere. An old man, he began
at once to study the Scriptures with passionate earnest
ness, and he, who at first thought it impossible that
any literature could equal the wisdom of the Sages,
soon came to see even his beloved classics to be far
inferior to the Word of God. Mr. Innocent had a small
class of boy boarders, and Chang Ch ih San, just bap
tized, a young man, was set apart as a theological stu
dent The old man took his place as a scholar among
the boys, made far more rapid progress than any of
them, and was accustomed to explain his eagerness by
saying : " You see I am an old man, I have less time
before me than you, I must make haste, you need not
work so hard, but I must ; my days will soon be over."
His work on the " Clear Lamp of Heavenly Truth "
was a most scholarly production. We have seen it
years ago. It was a masterpiece which ought not to
have been allowed to go out of print. He was a " grand
old man," with the mind of an intellectual giant, the
heart of a child, and the holy fire of a saint. We have
never had another quite like him. He had an inde
pendence of mind, which led him into little harmless
heresies, which the missionaries did not quite like, but
166
Death of Mr. Wang
which showed his great sincerity. He had always re
fused to go out to Lao Ling, saying : " I do not hear
the Lord s voice. My work is in Tientsin," but when
the dark days of the Nien Fei came, and we were hard
put to it, with Mr. Hodge s illness, for some one to
go out, he voluntarily sought Mr. Hall, and said: "You
have several times asked me to go out there, and I
never felt at liberty, but since Mr. Williamson s death
I have heard the Lord s voice ringing in my ears.
Necessity is laid upon me, and go I must" It was
he who, when Mr. Hall was leaving for England, sent
the message to Mr. Hulme and Dr. Stacey, and those
in England who first sent the missionaries: "We old
men can never go to England, never see your faces
there, and thank you for what you have done, but
when we get to Heaven be sure we shall go round
amongst the angels, and seek you up and thank you
there as we ought." He was a man of great courage
as he showed in escorting Mr. Hodge, with his wife,
over the long journey from Lao Ling, via Chefoo, in
the dangerous time immediately following the massa
cre. His death took place in Tientsin on September
2nd, 1873, after but a short illness. "On Sunday
morning," writes Mr. Innocent, " I asked him how he
felt. Peace ! Peace ! was his reply. Do you feel the
Lord to be with you now ? Yes, he never leaves
me ! On Monday he was very low. ... I asked
him if all was well, and he lifted his hand in the affirma
tive. On Tuesday, about half -past one in the after-
Hoon, after a very restless night, he ceased to surfer,
and gently breathed his soul away peacefully as a
child that falls asleep on his mother s breast." He
departed much mourned, as much beloved by all, and
remembered still as " Dear Old Wang." The " Mission-
167
John Innocent
ary Chronicle " for January, 1875, nas a memoir of him.
Beginning with the opening of Rung Pei there was
a steady increase of membership in the Tientsin Cir
cuit. In 1871, that is, immediately after the massacre,
the numbers sank from 55 to 41. One of our members
was killed, and the Church was badly scattered: that
there should be a decrease of II only is itself signifi
cant In 1872 the return went back to 45. In 1873
it rose to 57; in 1874 to 61 ; in 1877 to 78; and in
1878, the year of Mr. Hall s death, there were in Tient
sin Circuit 86 members with 9 probationers.
On the 24th of August, 1869, a distressing tragedy
took place. Mr. Hodge, accompanied by the Rev. J.
Williamson, of the L.M.S., had started on a journey by
boat to visit the stations in Shantung. On the second
night from Tientsin they were anchored in the canal,
a little below the town of Cheng-Kuan-t un. Shortly
after they had retired for the night they were attacked
by a band of robbers. It was a hot night, and Mr.
Williamson had elected to sleep on the little deck at
the front of the boat. Mr. Hodge was inside. He
was alarmed by a violent noise, and the sound of a
scuffle, and as he emerged from the cabin, a number
of armed robbers in masks stood on the deck, who
struck at him with their swords. He was hit about
the head and shoulders. He jumped into the water
and managed to scramble ashore. He saw nothing of
his companion who had already fallen into the water,
but dazed and bruised fled in his night-clothes to a
farmhouse, the owner of which took compassion on
him, and lent him some warm clothing. After a time
he rallied, and, with a number of local police, returned
to the boat to find it abandoned and stripped of every
thing valuable. No trace of Mr. Williamson could be
To fact: p. 168.
Murder of Rev. J. Williamson
found. He made his way to Tientsin alone, and, some
days after, the body of Mr. Williamson was found in
the canal. He had probably been struck by the robbers
and fallen stunned into the stream. Some of the
thieves were captured, and at their trial confessed that
they had followed the boat from Tientsin, having seen
silver ingots (the usual form of carrying money in in
terior China) taken on board. Robbery was their ob
ject, and no doubt they had not intended to murder
Mr. Williamson. This event is commemorated in a
tablet erected in Old Union Church.
The shock to Mr. Hodge was very serious, and he
never quite recovered from it. He went to Chefoo
with the object of recovering his shattered nerves, but
did not altogether succeed. May 3 1st, 1870, however,
he again went to Lao Ling. Mr. Hall had gone south,
also on account of ill-health. Mr. Innocent, and his
family, were, as we have seen, in England, or, rather,
by this time on their way out. Up to the very eve
of the massacre, Mr. Turnock was alone in Tientsin.
On June 2Oth Mr. Hall returned, and the very next
morning the diabolical storm burst over the city which
can never be forgotten, which startled the civilized
world, and which brought the searching fires of tribula
tion over the whole mission.
The massacre of Tientsin was a deed of such wild
and bloodthirsty violence that it can only be described
as a foretaste of Boxerdom, happily restricted to a
single city. Of the many outrages suffered by
foreigners in China before 1900 it was the very worst.
Like the Boxer outbreak it took place at the Summer
Solstice. The longest day in the year, the 2 1st of
June, 1870, was the fateful day. For weeks before
hand the most terrible rumours, of very diversified
109
John Innocent
character, were sown broadcast over the city. A man
belonging to the official class in the south, who came
to the north for the purpose, and whose name was
Cheng Kuo Hsuai, is said to have been the chief insti
gator of this work. It was noted that a week or two
before the great event the servants of many foreigners
did not dare to sleep on their premises. An unspeak
ably infamous pamphlet, "A Deathblow to Corrupt
Doctrine," was printed and sold with quasi secrecy on
the streets. This pamphlet was a masterpiece of men
dacity and vileness, only surpassed by the still more
infamous Chou Han sheets which appeared many years
later in the south. Among many other charges of the
foulest character, the most graphic and detailed ones
were that foreigners, and more especially missionaries,
were engaged in kidnapping young children, and after
doing them to death gouging out their eyes and hearts
to make magic medicine. They were supposed to make
use of such drugs to secure new converts. These sup
posed drugs were given a name "heart-bewitching
philtres," " eye-bewitching philtres." You must have
lived in a country like China to comprehend the confi
dence with which rumours of this kind are circulated,
and the implicit faith with which they are believed
in a time of -popular excitement. The only newsagency
was the tongue ; and rumour, hundred-tongued, fairly
flamed, coruscated and smoked itself black with the
recital of such horrors. From the first these slanderous
attacks were skilfully directed and focused upon the
Roman Catholic Missions. Their cathedral, a proud
pile of Gothic architecture, was built upon a cherished
national site, superbly overlooking the river, and at
the junction of the Grand Canal with the river. Here
had stood a Palace building sacred to the uses of the
170
The Tientsin Massacre
Emperor when visiting Tientsin. It had been wrested
from China by the French troops without payment, and
on one-half of it was built this cathedral, and on the
other half the French Consulate. The popular mind
had always been very sore at this act of confiscation.
In another part of the city, and on the other side of
the river, was a Church and Hospital" occupied by
the Sisters of Mercy. There were eleven Sisters,
mostly French, one or two Italians, and one bore an
Irish name.
It so happened that at this time an epidemic prevailed
which got into the Hospital and the schools of the
Sisters. It was said they were carrying out their dead
for burial nearly every day. The charges of mutilation
were repeated with the utmost circumstantiality. The
statement was made that bodies of children were ex
humed in the cemetery and eyes and hearts were found
to be missing. By such stories as these the popular
mind was lashed into a perfect fury. Though repeated
representations of the necessity of taking steps to pre
vent disorder were made by the Consuls, nothing was
done. The prefect and sub-prefect are said to have
connived with the ringleaders who were egging on the
populace ripe for mischief. Ch eng-hoti, the Governor,
a mandarin of the highest rank, is said to have refused
to take part, but stood aside and remained inactive.
Before the event took place everything was arranged,
everything was announced The day was fixed, the
hour, the signal, the points of attack, the leaders who
were to place themselves in the van.
The dreadful morning dawned. The great bell on the
Drum-tower (close by our chapel) tolled out the awful
signal, the fire brigades of the city rushed forth as
if for duty, the infuriated populace crowded in their
John Innocent
wake, the most desperate characters in the city, armed
with spears, swords, pikes, weapons of the most varied
kinds, pressed to the front, and this immense mob,
wild with fierce excitement, formed itself into two
parties and moved simultaneously upon the cathedral,
and the Church of the Sisters of Mercy.
While these events were yet in preparation the
French Consul, M. Foucanier, learning something
of what was in contemplation, had gone in all haste
to Ch eng-hou s yamen to urge the necessity of im
mediate action. There was an angry interview, the
great mandarin professed helplessness, some say the
Consul drew his revolver, but that was denied. Certain
it is that he got no satisfaction. He left the yamen
and hastened back to the Consulate beside the cathe
dral, only to fall into the hands of the mob, which had
already surrounded it. He was at once attacked, mur
dered, and his body thrown into the river. Warming
to their work, the infuriated mob attacked the cathe
dral, set it on fire, dragged forth two Roman Catholic
priests, together with Monsieur and Madame
Thomassin, who had only arrived the day before, and
were on their way to Peking, and cruelly murdered
all of them, as well as many Chinese inmates. On the
other side of the river, not more than twenty minutes
walk from the cathedral, a still more savage mob at
tacked the Hospital and Church where the Sisters re
sided. An account written shortly after says : " These
Sisters were not permitted the mercy of simultaneous
death, but were butchered one by one, after the most
horrible bodily and mental torment that the fiendish
imagination of their persecutors could conceive."
The buildings were then burned and some forty chil
dren who had hid themselves in the cellar beneath the
172
Pillage of Native Christians
Church were suffocated. The mutilated remains of the
sisters were thrown into the burning buildings. Eleven
sisters were done to death in this barbarous fashion.
At the present day a round pillar, with her Christian
name carved on it, marks the spot where each sister
is supposed to have been martyred. Five other foreign
ers were killed in the streets, a French tradesman and
his wife, two Russian gentlemen, and a lady married
only four days before. In all, twenty-one foreigners
were killed. Some authorities give twenty-two.
While it was evident that the chief animus of the
populace was against the Roman Catholics, its fury
was not confined to them. Protestant missionaries
were sought for in their chapels. Eight chapels in the
city were looted and destroyed. The Chinese Chris
tians were driven from their homes and robbed. Chang
Ch ih San had to pay Tls. 300 about 90 as ransom
for himself and family. Everything of value was taken
from his house. One of our Chinese preachers, Mr.
Liu Tu Ya, who was in the chapel, was so beaten and
wounded that he died of his wounds a few weeks after
wards. The day after the massacre a man with some
combustible material was found in the tower of Union
Church. He evidently had intended to set fire to the
building.
Reparation for this terrible deed was tardy and
halting. It was not until the 1 5th of September that
sixteen desperadoes of the city were executed, and
twenty-three others exiled. At best they were but the
tools employed by men blacker-hearted than them
selves, but much doubt has been expressed by foreign
ers as to whether they were the real perpetrators of
the murders at all. Those who were executed went
to the block with much bravado, clad in silken robes
173
John Innocent
provided by subscription, and accompanied by an
admiring populace. On the 26th of October indemnity
was ordered for the sufferers, but was grudgingly paid.
" A paltry sum, only about one-fourth of the estimated
loss," says Mr. Innocent, * was paid to the two English
Protestant missions in Tientsin by the Chinese
authorities, on the i6th of June, 1871, close on a year
after the massacre." The chapels were re-built, but
in very shoddy fashion.
Our readers will readily imagine the widespread
alarm, and the interruption to mission work which took
place. For months the missionaries could not visit
their churches. The members were subject to the most
grievous persecution. Many were plundered and
driven from home. Some of the feeble shrank from
the fiery trial and were lost to us, the great majority
remained faithful. No meetings could be held in the
city chapels. The converts gathered for Sabbath
worship in the missionaries homes. Kung Pei was not
re-opened until November 2Oth, 1871.
While the massacre was taking place Mr. and Mrs.
Hodge were both in Shantung. They had been accom
panied by a friend, Mr. Moulls, who returned to Tient
sin on the i gth, and sent carts for Mr. and Mrs. Hodge,
which actually left on the morning of the massacre.
But, happily, their return was delayed, and the delay
gave time for a letter of warning, written by Mr. Hall
on the 22nd, to reach them. The letter warned them,
and in the Consul s name, not to come to Tientsin.
What was to be done ? After anxious deliberation and
prayer they decided to make south for Chefoo, a long
journey of twelve days, escorted by Messrs. Hu and
Wang, whose courage on the occasion was splendid.
Mr. Hodge s own account of this journey appeared in
174
Escape of the Rev. W. B. Hodge
the "Missionary Chronicle" for January, 1871. It was
a long, perilous, anxious, toilsome journey, and at its
end Mr. Hodge was completely broken down. After
a few days in Chefoo he came on to Tientsin to confer
with Mr. Hall. Mr. Hall saw at once how serious his
state was. Dr. Frazer was called in, and insisted on
his return to England without delay. Mr. Hodge
records the mournful recollection that he left Tientsin
on the 3rd of August (1870), the day when the remains
of the murdered Sisters of Charity and other French
subjects were removed from the English Cemetery to
their final resting-place in the Consular grounds : the
day too when the first martyr in connection with our
Chinese Mission (poor Liu Tu Ya, who had been
beaten by the mob) entered into rest. He arrived
in England on October 23rd.
It was a wet China to which Mr. Innocent returned
in July of 1871. The rains that year were excessive.
The various streams which converge at Tientsin were
all greatly swollen, and the Pei-ho had burst its banks
so that the plain by which the city is surrounded had
become one immense lake. The high-road between
Tientsin and Taku on which our mission property
stands was covered with three feet of water. Many
villages had been swept away, and the walls of the city
were covered with homeless refugees living under mat
sheds. Every temple and every temple-court in the
city was converted into a temporary refuge for the
destitute. Even the foreign houses were all more or
less damaged and leaking. Our mud-built cottages
leaked in every room, and some of the walls melted
away. For many successive nights Mr. Innocent had
to arrange for his wife and daughter to sleep under
a large dining table, while he slept himself on the
175
John Innocent
top of it, with an umbrella fixed over his head. The
mission houses, built on raised ground, were all like
little islands and they passed from one to the other
or to the settlement in boats. The Union Church roof
was off for repairs and services were held in the British
Consulate. The house, which had been occupied by
Mr. Turnock up to the massacre, being on lower
ground, was completely destroyed owing to a break
in the river bank through which the water rushed in
a fearful torrent. Mr. and Mrs. Turnock had to take
refuge in a room kindly offered them by Mr. Lees.
It was at this time that Mr. Turnock decided to with
draw from the Mission and return to England. He
was suffering from a serious affection of the throat,
which in the doctor s opinion was aggravated by the
prevailing dampness, and was never likely to get better
in such a climate. He therefore hurriedly prepared for
departure and left Tientsin August 3Oth, 1871, about
one month after Mr. Innocent s arrival. He had been
in China less than three years. A diligent student,
he had acquired a good knowledge of the Chinese
language, had already commenced preaching to the
Chinese, and with his classical attainments was just
fitted for the work he had come to do. To lose him
at such a time, when the need for workers was so
urgent, was, in the language of Mr. Innocent "a
great and sorrowful bereavement." He returned to the
English ministry and died in 1880.
Two years later, In the autumn of 1873, a still more
desolating inundation visited Tientsin. The banks of
the Grand Canal, on the west side of the city, gave
way and flooded the plain south of the city. The
level of the river was 1 2 feet above that of the plain ;
the gap in the embankment was 150 yards wide. In
176
Furlough of Rev. W. N. Hall
a few days the plain became an extensive lake, and
miles of growing crops were destroyed. By this time
one new house of a substantial character had been
erected, and though it was necessary to hire gangs
of men to throw up embankments to keep the water
out of the Mission Compound, Mr. Innocent records
his gratitude in having " a safer and more comfortable
shelter than in the previous flood."
In the spring of this same year Mr. Hall took his
first and only furlough. He had been on the field an
abnormally long time nearly fourteen years and the
change was much needed. He left Tientsin at the end
of April, 18/3, carrying with him a special letter of
most affectionate farewell from our united Chinese
Churches, a translation of which was done into English
and sent to the Secretary by Mr. Innocent, and the
design registered deep in his heart to raise funds while
in England which would be sufficient to build a Train
ing Institution for Chinese preachers. He travelled
home by way of Canada and the United States. For
the time Mr. Innocent was alone, but the return of
Mr. Hodge, who came back from furlough in October,
relieved the strain. Within a few days of his arrival
Mr. Innocent left Tientsin work in his hands, and went
to pay a sadly-needed visit to the Shantung Circuit.
He records that such was the state of the floods at
that time that he had to take boat at the Compound
gate and travel twenty miles across the flooded plain
over fields of wheat ripe for gathering, the ears of
which we saw waving under the water> before he could
reach the cart which was to take him to the country.
It is of this period that Mr. Innocent, feeling the
strain of his manifold duties, writes : " We had more
claims than we could well meet. There were in Tient-
177
John Innocent
sin the students of the Theological Class, the three
chapels with daily preaching, as well as worship on
Sundays, and a special service for women. Then
preaching in the English Church came pretty fre
quently. There were usually one or two gunboats in
the port, the men of which were ashore every day, and
we naturally felt an interest in their welfare. On
week-days we held Temperance and other meetings
in rooms where they could gather for social enjoyment
and improvement, instead of dissipating in grog shops.
At Taku a gentleman and his wife provided a chapel
for Chinese preaching and paid the salary of a
preacher. This was the beginning of our cause in
iTaku, and visits were made from this time forth with
a view to preaching in English as well as Chinese.
In prospect of Mr. Hall s return a new house had to
be built, and as I was my own architect, the drawing
of plans and specifications and arranging with contrac
tors consumed a good deal of time." This second house
;was built in 1875, and with the one already mentioned
constitutes our present residential property in Tientsin.
At the very time when Mr. Hall went on furlough,
Mr. Lees collected statistics of the various missions
which by this time had been established in North
China, from which it appeared that there were in all
some 2,000 converts, of whom 1,200 were baptized
Of this number 242 pertained to our own Mission.
In March of 1875 this was increased to 276.
The following is an account of a terrible picture
which Mr. Innocent discovered being exhibited as a
peep-show in 1875 :
" During my visit to Lao Ling, Mr. Hu, our native
preacher, showed me a vile picture which he and
another man had taken from a showman at a country
178
Revolting Pictures
fair, and which was being exhibited in a peep-show.
The scene is taken from the Tientsin massacre, but is
not a delineation of that event. Its worst feature is
the portrayal of a foreigner scooping out the eyes of
a woman, and another cutting out the heart of a
woman. These are in the windows of the cathedral,
another part of which is in flames. There are a great
number of Chinese officials of the highest grades, with
their banners and men. The officers are directing the
men in a bloody attack on a number of foreigners in
military dress, evidently French. The whole scene is
revolting, but such as to excite the deep prejudices of
the Chinese and rouse their vilest passions against
Europeans. The eye-scooping, and cutting-out-of-the-
heart operations, are so represented as to realize to the
Chinese what is so often current in the wild rumours
afloat respecting foreigners, and the fact that such
pictures are shown about the country at public fairs,
may account for these rumours being kept afloat.
" Mr. Hu showed great courage on the occasion, for
he went with the other gentleman on hearing of this
show, and saw it for himself, they then seized the
show and the man, and threatened to send him before
the magistrate. Fortunately some of the respectable
people at the place sympathized with Mr. Hu and pre
vented any disturbance. The man begged them not
to prosecute him, and others pleaded for him, so they
ultimately let him go, minus this picture. They could
not get his true name nor the name of the shop where
he bought it, but were informed by him that he
obtained it in Tientsin and that it was painted to his
order.
"Mr. Hu showed me this picture which measures
3 feet 6 inches by 2 feet 6 inches, and I brought it
179
John Innocent
with me to Tientsin. I sent it to H.B.M. Consul here,
with an account of the circumstances under which it
was obtained, a nd suggested that inquiries should be
made as to whether such pictures were being exhibited
in the city and other places. Mr. Mongan said that
it was one of the worst things he had seen, and deter
mined to take action upon it at once. He convened a
meeting of the Consuls and they have sent a joint
letter to the Viceroy on the subject, which is all that
has been done so far."
EXTRACT FROM THE "CELESTIAL EMPIRE."
In reply to the joint letter of the Consuls to the
Viceroy, setting forth the facts of the finding of the
picture representing the Massacre of foreigners by
Chinese, a reply has been received which is everything
that could be desired. Attention is called to the fact
that on the occasion of former complaints, the pictures
were seized and the blocks destroyed, and a proclama
tion issued by the Tao-t ai. The present case is taken
to be that of ignorant persons in remote and rural dis
tricts beyond the natural observation of officials. The
Tientsin and Customs Tao-t ai are ordered to send
deputies to the place in question, (or where the picture
was found) to join the local Magistrates in a thorough
search for these pictures and the blocks, punishing
offenders according to law. They are also to issue
interdictory proclamations enjoining local officials to
make inquiries, and to check idle rumours among rustic
people, and this in the interest of the welfare both of
Chinese and foreigners.
180
CHAPTER XVII.
FOUNDING THE TRAINING INSTITUTION.
IF the question were raised, What is the primary ob
ject of a Christian Mission to a country like China ; is
it to found a Chinese Christian Church, or is it rather
to get the Chinese to found one themselves ? the present
writer would certainly support the latter opinion. It
may very well be, indeed, experience goes far to prove,
that to accomplish the latter end you must in part un
dertake the former, nevertheless that is the end, the
other being only the means, and here especially the end
must never be lost sight of. A Church in embryo,
founded by foreign missionaries, which itself becomes
the nucleus of a greater Church founded by home
evangelists arid pastors native to the land, and, there
fore, alone capable of giving it an indigenous life and
character, that is the ideal. And the key to the founda
tion of any Church is the calling forth of its ministry.
If these considerations apply to the efforts of great
and wealthy Western Churches, to solve the problem
of christianizing China, to a Church like our own, in
command of only very limited resources, they apply
with far greater force. Accordingly, what began to be
evident from the very beginning, from the day when
we engaged our first Chinese evangelist, Mr. Hu, has
shone out with added clearness with each year added to
our history. That Chinamen must convert China, as
Mr. Hedley has rightly said, " is axiomatic." A native
ministry, then, in the best sense of the phrase, not as
181
John Innocent
a subordinate auxiliary to our own efforts, but as a
superior instrument that alone, as far as human
agency is concerned, can effect the grand result, and is
the indispensable condition of success. A native ministry
is only to be had by training. It is true that all the
work of the mission is itself a training agency, still the
best teachers must be prepared in a normal school.
The Training Institution, then, should be regarded as
no mere adjunct, or appendage, of the mission, but as
the very heart of our scheme.
The necessity for this important agency, which is
thus enforced on the highest grounds, is equally strin
gent if we consider only economical reasons. Before
we had been ten years in China it was abundantly
evident that with the many open doors, we were called
upon to enter, it was out of question impossible, as a
mere matter of expenditure, to staff our mission as
it then stood with foreign agents, to say nothing of its
subsequent growth. " Can you not strongly urge the
necessity of a cheaper form of missionary service?"
This was a question pressed upon the present writer
when on furlough in 1891. "A cheaper agency," in
this case, meant English missionaries with lower
salaries. But if cheapness is the object, why think of
such an expedient ? The most highly-paid Chinese ser
vant of the mission to-day, the Chinese tutor of the
Training Institution himself, draws a salary of less
than 20 per annum. A mean estimate of the salary
of our Chinese staff would bring the figure down to
little more than half that sum. So cheap are the con
ditions of living among the Chinese that a table show
ing the salaries of our Chinese preachers would present
itself as a huge joke to the English mind. If cheap
ness is the object, why save twenty per cent when you
182
Beginning of the Training Institute
may far more easily save two thousand per cent, and
get twenty men for the cost of one ?
The story of the founding of the Training Institu
tion goes back to the year 1865, when what was called
a Boarding School for Boys was established. The
class was held in a cellar under Union Church. There
were six boys, and their only dormitories were some
kitchen-rooms belonging to Mr. Hall s house. They
had to make their refectory where they could. It was
a school of the order now known as an Intermediate
School, of which we have one at Chu Chia, one at
Wuting, and one at Tangshan. What connects it with
our Training School work is the fact that three of the
boys, Hu Tzii Ngen, Tso K o Ch eng and Chin Chao
Kuei, were intended for preachers, and, in fact, after
wards became students in the formally organized Train
ing Institute. Chang Ch ih San, the teacher, was also
regarded as a theological student, and in that early day
was a young man of brilliant promise. Here it was
that " Old Wang " was accustomed to take his place
among the boys. In 1871 the Training Institution, in
its present form, was organized. No other buildings
were available, and classes were held in the little chapel
at Tzii Chu Lin, which still had to serve for worship
on the Sabbath day. Chang Ch ih San was appointed
Chinese tutor ; it was placed in Mr. Hall s charge, and
rules were drawn up, and a curriculum, embracing
theological and Scriptural subjects, with Church history
and Chinese classics, was formulated. The great diffi
culty at that time was to procure text-books. There
were but very few, and those of a most fragmentary
character, to be obtained, and dependence had to be
placed chiefly on oral teaching. While Mr. Hall was
placed in charge, Mr. Innocent also took full share
183
John Innocent
in the teaching work. They began with ten students
which the next year were increased to thirteen, and
divided into junior, middle and senior classes. Up to
1874 sixteen students had entered the College. From
that time onward a number of students have been re
ceived each year with the exceptions that in 1878, 1881,
1884, 1886, 1887, 1901, no students were received The
course is intended to include five years of tuition,
though this is subject to many exceptions arising from
the exigencies of the mission, the withdrawal or dis
continuance of students, and deaths. The yearly entries,
of course about average the number drafted into the
Chinese ministry, or withdrawn for other reasons. The
greatest number received in any one year is twelve:
twelve students were received in 1880. The greatest
number in rooms at any one time was at the beginning
of the present year (1908), when twenty-one students
were in the College. The total number of students
who have entered the Institution since 1871 is one hun
dred and forty-seven. By far the greater part of our
present preaching staff have passed through the Institu
tion. Annual examinations are held. Of those who
entered in 1871, but two remain in active work, Pastor
(ordained) Li Lien Ch en and Chu Hua San. Tso
K o Ch eng (ordained), has withdrawn from service.
It is significant of the growing needs of the mis
sion, with which the Institution hardly keeps pace,
that while it was intended originally to train not
only preachers, but also catechists and colporteurs,
scarcely any students have been available for these
two branches of service. In 1878, w r hen the new
college buildings were erected, it was made a dis
tinct appointment, and Mr. Hall became its first Prin
cipal. It has remained a distinct appointment ever
184
To face p. 14.
Contributions for the Institute
since, though on three or four occasions, including 1905
to 1908, owing to the slenderness of our foreign staff,
it had to be held in conjunction with the superin
tendence of Tientsin Circuit. The Revs. W. N. Hall,
J. Innocent, J. Robinson, G. T. Candlin, J. Hinds and
F. B. Turner have at various times been appointed as
Principal. Mr. Innocent, of course, served by far the
greatest number of years.
In appraising the merit due to the founders of this
very important work, the first place must be given
to Mr. Hall. He, rather than the subject of this
memoir, was the acknowledged and enthusiastic leader
in the movement. His warm and ardent nature took
up the project, and pressed its claims with unwearying
assiduity, not only upon the Missionary Committee, but
also upon influential lovers of the Mission throughout
the Connexion. The work had already been com
menced before his return to England on furlough, and
as we have seen, he left with the fixed determina
tion to secure adequate funds for the erection of a
college building. Indeed, the project constituted a
considerable part of the motive for his return to Eng
land. To a very busy furlough he added the onerous
task of collecting the necessary subscriptions. " So
effective were his appeals," says Our Mission in China,
"that a total sum of 3,208 was collected." Part of
this amount appears to have been raised in Canada and
America as Mr. Hall was on his way home. The bulk
was raised in England, and the great success of his
effort must have made the indefatigable collector a
happy man. He was a happy man in another sense
too, for he married Miss Moore, of Hanley, an excellent
lady, who was prepared to come out with him to China,
and before he left we find him exulting, in a letter
185
John Innocent
written to Mr. Innocent, with a glee sufficient to warm
anybody s heart, over " our baby, the most wonderful
baby that ever was." Happy man! To come back
laden, as he did in the early autumn of 1876, with a
three-fold treasure, a wife, a new-born son, and 3,208
with w r hich to build the College he had put his heart
inside of before ever it was built. The ground had
already been purchased by his colleague, a wall had
been built enclosing it. It was on the British Con
cession, not two minutes walk from the old Compound
Now for plans and specifications, and let us get about
the erection of the long-dreamed-of structure with all
speed. We have seen it long enough in vision, let us
at length have a look at it in solid bricks and mortar.
It was planned with the royal bounty which his soul
loved. There was an attractive front opening to Taku
Road, a large class-room divided by folding doors from
a more spacious chapel, there were dormitories for at
least twenty students, there was a beautiful house for
the Principal s residence ; on the south front, an excel
lent Chinese Tutor s house ; on the west, an extra
study for the Principal s use, a room for a College
Library, and even a set of rooms for country mission
aries to use when visiting Tientsin. It was completed
in the early spring of 1878, and good judges pronounced
it the best thing of its kind in all China.
It will fall to us to notice later the erection of a
Girls School on this same plot of ground. But we may
note here that the whole of this property was sold in
1896. By this time Old Union Church had come into
our hands, and in 1897 class-rooms and dormitories
were erected adjoining it for the students, and the
Institution removed to the old Compound, with Union
Church as the Institution chapel.
186
Mr. Chang appointed Tutor
It is needless to say that in the carrying out of this
scheme Mr. Innocent took a deep interest. If not the
principal and leader, he made a splendid second. That,
indeed, was the distinguishing feature of our two senior
missionaries in all their relations. They did not always
agree in opinion, but so cordial was their mutual
esteem, that what the one did the other was sure to
second, and to second so heartily that he made the
work his own. We have seen that Mr. Innocent was
equally associated with Mr. Hall in the work of training
preachers in the inadequate premises where it was
begun. A letter written to the Secretary in November,
1872, describing the School, shows his deep interest
in it. While Mr. Hall was collecting the money he
bought the land and enclosed it in readiness for the
buildings. It was with equal joy that he witnessed
this consummation of their efforts. We shall have to
relate how soon Mr. Hall was removed from this work
he loved so well. It fell to Mr. Innocent to take it up,
and for the next seven years, until the time of his
second furlough in 1885, to carry on the work of teach
ing and training for which provision had been made.
Two subsequent appointments, 1889 and 1890, and
again from 1893 to 1897, raise his years of service at
the Institution to a total of thirteen years.
But if we would see the hand of divine and provi
dential guidance specially manifest, we must look for
it in the appointment of the Chinese Tutor. Selected
for the post on its first inception in 1865, the service
he rendered was remarkably able, prolonged and nobly
devoted. So far as the Principal s appointment is con
cerned, the work changed hands too much and too
capriciously. It was the Tutor s continued service
through all changes which saved the situation, and made
187
John Innocent
him the strong pillar of the edifice. From 1865 to 1907,
a term of forty-two years which had but one signifi
cant break, when he was dangerously ill, and, because it
seemed impossible for him to recover in Tientsin, was
sent to Tangshan, where he lay for months very near
to the gates of death he continued as Tutor. At that
time there was an intermission of a year and a half,
but he resumed his post after the Boxer storm was
over. Mr. Chang is with us still, and " Not on our own
mission alone, but among all the missions in Tientsin,
he stands confessedly as the" last and best perhaps
therefore kept until the last of the old, original band,
who greatly dared/ when to be singular for Christ s
sake was to be infamous. Solitary and pre-eminent,
he is the sole remaining representative of those who
from the beginning were eye-witnesses and ministers
of the Word. "
Mr. Chang was superannuated in 1907. The follow
ing testimony appeared in the Report on his retirement :
" Chang Ch ih San has now been for years the
universally acknowledged father of, not our own Church
only, but all the Christian Churches in Tientsin. He
was one of the earliest of our Tientsin converts, has
been with us from the beginning, and is now the sole
remaining figure that typifies for us the stalwart days
of the past. He has been at the College from its
infancy when he was a young man, and with insigni
ficant breaks, on account of health, has always been in
charge as Chinese Tutor. He has had more to do
with the formation and moulding of our Ministry than
all others put together. Nearly every single man in the
ranks has been his pupil, and loves him, and is beloved
by him. The question on all sides will be, How shall
we do without him?
188
Death of Mr. Chang
" Mr. Chang has a most unique, a most winning per
sonality. As a man his most marked characteristic is
his wonderful modesty. As a Christian, his prevailing
quality is devotion and sincerity. A thorough scholar,
an accomplished author, a sound theologian, with solid
and varied attainments, he is evangelistic to the core.
His life has been blameless and beautiful, spent in
never-slackening service. In him is the strong, bright
spark of genius which transforms this reticent man,
painfully silent and slow in private conversation, into
an eloquent and electrifying preacher. He has been
one of the most gifted preachers the New Connexion
ministry has ever had.
" Mr. Chang on his retirement carries with him our
love and reverence, our warmest good wishes, and
prayers that the evening of his life may be set about
with comfort and with holy grace ; and his name will
always be one of the great traditions of the work which
is his monument in our midst."
The question of his successor was anxiously debated,
and the Rev. N. S. Li, ordained that year, was ap
pointed to take his place. Pastor Li bids fair to be
in all respects a worthy successor.
Since the above lines were written, somewhat sud
denly and unexpectedly Chang Chi h San has been
called away from us. While visiting in Tientsin in the
late autumn of 1908, he was taken ill. At first it was
thought to be malaria, but after a three weeks illness,
during which he grew worse and worse, it was dis
covered to be an abscess of the liver. He was operated
upon, and the doctor thought he might recover, but two
days afterwards, on Tuesday, November i/th, 1908,
he passed away. In his last hours, though aware his
end was near, he was very calm and content. " I know
189
John Innocent
all, I am at peace " were among his last words. His
death removes a great veteran preacher and teacher,
one of the chiefest ornaments of the Mission.
At the Yung P ing District Meeting in 1906, a most
important proposal of the Methodist Episcopal Church
of America was laid before the meeting. It was that we
should unite with that Mission in the work of theologi
cal training, and remove the College to Peking, to be
carried on under our joint management in conjunction
with their work in the Peking University. The offers
our American brethren made were generous in the
extreme, and the union was admitted by all to be
eminently desirable, but serious difficulties, chiefly the
lack of funds to effect our part of the scheme, stood
in the way, and a negative reply was given by the
Conference of 1907. There is still the possibility that
negotiations may be renewed, and by the desired
union a greater future may be opened for the
Institution.
190
CHAPTER XVIII.
FAMINE SCENES AND DEATH OF MR. HALL.
THIS must be a sad chapter. We will, therefore, try
to make it short. It shall also contain something of
a cheering character.
In 1873 an attempt was made to enter Ching Hai
Hsien, a large town on the Grand Canal, and about
25 miles on our way to Lao Ling. That it lay on our
road to Shantung was the chief motive for entering it.
But the place was very hostile, and after nearly a year
of useless effort it was given up ; and it is now occupied
by the A.B.C.F. Mission. This was not cheering.
But in 1875 came very cheerful news of an opening
of great promise in the city of Yang Hsin. Yang Hsin
is a district city lying thirty-three miles east of Chu
Chia, and therefore that much farther away from
Tientsin. This new opening was brought to Mr. Inno
cent s notice during the month of July, while in Tient
sin, and the scene of our narrative once more shifts to
the Lao Ling field. In October, 1875, Mr. Innocent
visited Lao Ling, and writing from Chu Chia he gives
an account of the opening at Yang Hsin. It appears that
one of our Ts ang Shang members, named Su, had for
two years been in the habit of paying frequent visits to
some friends of his who lived in a village near the city.
He had spoken with them about the religion of Jesus
Christ ; they had been greatly impressed by what he
had to say, and he began to hold nightly meetings in
one of their houses for Scripture reading and conversa-
191
John Innocent
tion. One of their number being in Tientsin about
July, 1875, took back a quantity of Christian books,
which they commenced reading. Soon from twenty to
thirty persons were joined together in these exercises.
Mr. Innocent went over with Mr. Hu to visit them,
when he found " as many as a hundred people who sat
around the court yard (room too small) until late to
hear the story of the Cross." The same year Mr.
Hodge visited Yang Hsin and baptized fifteen converts.
One or two zealous and enterprising members, who had
business relations in the city, voluntarily rented pre
mises in the central street. There was some opposition,
cities being much more hostile than villages, but it was
overcome. Within a year or two Yang Hsin became a
stronger church than Chu Chia, and round the central
city a large group of small stations sprung up. A cause
at Shang Chia Tien, ten miles away, was particularly
prosperous, and another at Cheng Chia, thirteen miles
in another direction, scarcely less so. In all essential
respects the movement was as genuine and widespread
as the " awakening " at Chu Chia nine years before,
though not attended by the same romantic interest.
Mr. Innocent took a keen interest in this extension of
our Shantung field and induced young Tso K o Ch eng,
who had finished his education in the College, to go
out with his grandfather and take charge of this new
section. Sun Tzli Ch un, a converted opium sot, did
magnificent work for some years at Shang Chia Tien.
He was a Tientsin man, who had been brought under
Mr. Innocent s notice, starving and near to death from
indulgence in opium. Sun was a man of great natural
sagacity, and served the mission with distinction for
twenty years. He died at Tientsin in 1901. The work
thus began at Yang Hsin has grown to larger dimen-
192
Widespread Famine
sions than any other part of the mission field ; the Chan
Hua district, still further east, and running up at Pin
Chou, close to the Yellow River, was taken over and
added to it in 1880, and together they constitute our
Wuting Circuit, a circuit embracing seven or eight dis
trict cities with a membership (1908) of 1,051 members
and 613 probationers. Wuting is the departmental city,
and is situated thirteen miles south-west of Yang Hsin.
In 18/7 a calamity hitherto unknown on the mission
overtook our Shantung churches. A great and terrible
famine broke out. It began indeed during the latter
part of the year 1876. Famine is an evil of periodic
occurrence in China, sometimes caused by drought,
sometimes by flood. The cause in this instance was
drought. The rainy season, a well-defined one, is in
July and August. Rain is often torrential for days
together. But for three years instead of rain came
wild, fierce winds which prevented the clouds from
breaking, and scattered them as fast as they gathered.
The burning hot sun, shining direct from the central
heaven, baked and dried the soil, until, when the wind
blew, it rose in clouds of dust ; the crops parched and
withered, stood in the fields stunted and shrivelled, a
ghostly mockery of harvest, like Pharaoh s "empty
ears and blasted with the east wind." The famine was
widespread, embracing several provinces in its sweep,
and its ravages were indescribable. In 1875 there had
been no harvest, in 1876 it was the same, and the black
horrors of what has since been known as "The great
Famine " began. When no rain came in 1877, the state
of things was awful. To quote Mr. Innocent s words :
" The drought was first noticed in Shantung in the
fall of 1875. During 1876 it assumed a more pro
nounced form in the four provinces of Shantung,
193
John Innocent
Chihli, Honan, and Shansi. In 1877 it was a widespread,
disastrous famine, embracing some millions of people
within its iron grip. An earnest appeal for funds for
the relief of the sufferers in North Shantung was made
to foreign residents in Tientsin, Peking and other parts,
by Mr. Hall, and a most liberal response followed. A
thousand dollars were subscribed. Further sums from
Shanghai came in 1877, and were distributed by our
missionaries in Lao Ling, Yang Hsin, and Chan Hua
districts, also in Ningching. This work necessarily
interfered with their ordinary work, and prevented our
sending a representative to the Shanghai Conference
of 1877.
" It was found in January, 1878, that Shansi had been
the greatest sufferer. Thousands of people were
perishing daily from actual starvation. This led to
further appeals. Committees were organized in Lon
don, Shanghai, Chefoo and Tientsin for the manage
ment of relief funds. Large sums were received from
various quarters, chiefly from London, amounting to
48,303.
"This money had to be distributed chiefly by mis
sionaries. The work was arduous, and dangerous in
the extreme, and was one long harrowing experience.
An epidemic broke out, and between famine, and
famine fever, the desolation was appalling. The task
of relief lasted for several months. From ten to thir
teen millions of people were computed to have perished
in this famine. In one prefecture alone it is said that
out of a population of 1,000,000 only 160,000 were left."
The famine may be said to have cost us the lives of
two out of the three workers we had in China in the
beginning of 1877. Mr. Innocent fortunately escaped,
but Mr. Hodge returned from the famine field with his
194
Death of Rev. W. N. Hall
health completely shattered. He lingered an invalid
for several months. By the summer of 1878 it was
evident that he must return home.
The loss of Mr. Hodge was a great blow to the mis
sion. " His memory," says Mr. Innocent, " is fondly
cherished among many of the Chinese Christians to this
day." He had been a devoted worker, in spite of mis
fortune and ill-health. He is reported to have been by
much the more capable Chinese speaker of our three
elder missionaries. He began to preach after being
nine months in China. He understood and appreciated
the Chinese character in a marked degree, and had his
life been spared would have done excellent work for
the church.
But the blow which struck consternation in all hearts
was the sudden death of Mr. Hall. Typhus was raging
on the famine field, and it dogged the steps of those
who returned from the work. There were nine such
cases, and six out of the nine were fatal. Both Mr.
and Mrs. Hall were laid prostrate with it. Mrs. Hall
was seized first, but fortunately she did not succumb.
It must have been in the month of April that she was
taken ill. Within a few days, while occupied in the
tender and mournful task of nursing her, Mr. Hall
himself was stricken. The experiences of the famine
field had greatly reduced his strength. He had no
reserve of physical vigour with which to fight the fell
disease, and on the fourteenth of May, while Mrs. Hall
still lay prostrate in the same house, all unconscious
of his condition, he passed away in the fiftieth year of
his age. Mr. Innocent was still out in Lao Ling when
his colleague was taken ill. He hastened home, but
was too late to witness his end.
"As I entered the gate, a servant met me with the
195
John Innocent
sad tidings, You are too late. 1 Alas, it was too true,
my beloved brother had sunk hours before. I am
overwhelmed.
No wonder! They had been friends from their
youth up. They had worked as brothers for nineteen
years in the same holy calling. China could never
again be quite the same to him, now that his large-
hearted, tender-spirited comrade was gone. Grief and
sympathy have rarely been so vividly expressed as in
the letter he wrote to Dr. Stacey relating the story of
the funeral. Referring to Mrs. Hall, lying ill and un
aware of what was transpiring, he says :
" To take the coffin I say, past her door and out of
the house, and she not know not to tell her that we
were taking him away from her that she would never
see his face again. How hard it wast As I assisted
to bear the head of that coffin through the passage of
that house I felt as though my heart-strings would
break. It seemed so cruel to her, so strange to all of
us. The Chinese teachers and students carried him,
first to the Lecture Hall of the New Institution build
ing, where Messrs. Hodge and Lees conducted a short
and impressive service then to the cemetery, where
he was placed in the same grave with his first wife, and
it was my solemn task in his case as in hers, to commit
the body to the dust."
A flat stone slab marks the spot where he lies in the
cemetery ground at Tientsin with John Robinson lying
close beside, and on the wall of Old Union Church is
a marble tablet, with the following inscription :
" Sacred to the Memory of
"The Rev. William Nelthorpe Hall.
"Born in Sheffield, April igth, 1829. Died in Tientsin,
May i4th, 1878.
196
William Nelthorpe Hall.
To face p. 196.
Rev. W. N. Haifa Epitaph
" After a ministry of eight years in England, he came
to China in 1859, and settled in Tientsin in 1861, as
one of the first missionaries of the Methodist New
Connexion.
" Endowed with rare qualifications for a pastor, he
was earnest, faithful and successful; and the strong
attachment of his people followed him to this remote
field, undiminished by distance and the lapse of time.
"As a missionary, enthusiastic and persevering, his
broad charity, ready sympathy, and warm affection
won the hearts of all who knew him, and made a deep
and abiding impression upon the people for whom he
gave his life.
" The memory of the lovely graces which adorned his
character, and of the sweet fragrance of his Christian
life, remains as a precious legacy to his friends, by
whom this Tablet is erected."
Mr. Hodge all this time was laid aside from work,
and as soon as Mrs. Hall was sufficiently recovered pre
parations were made for their return home. On the
2nd of October, 1878, he and his wife, accompanied
by the widowed Mrs. Hall, and her children, took
steamer in Tientsin for England. A new phase of Mr.
Hodge s sickness showed itself on the passage, and
he died shortly after his arrival in England.
197
TABLE.
Showing the Statistical Returns of the Mission at
intervals of five years.
Dates. Circuits.
1866 Tientsin
1871 Tientsin
Laoling
1376 Tientsin
Laoling
Yangshin
1831 Tientsin ,
Laoling
Chanhua
1886 Tientsin
Laoling ,
Chanhua
Yanghsin
1891 Tientsin
Laoling .
Tangshan
1396 Tientsin
Laoling .
Tangshan
1901 Tientsin
Laoling .
Tangshan
1906 Tientsin
Laoling .
Wuting
Tangshan
Yungping
1903 Tientsin
Laoling .
Wuting .
Tangshan
Yungping
a
^3
g
JSS5
"3
<<
o a
u
s
-2
1
C/l
3
24
7
4
41
5
5
123
25
5
72
10
1
6
9
220
23
3
29
1
13
15
5
81
23
1
13
43
910
195
9
114
10
100
10
1
13
5
87
3
1
43
43
969
125
10
75
4
92
27
2
20
4
23
10
1
8
6
102
9
3
66
49
1232
483
13
136
6
56
33
5
124
22
4
61
4S
1320
326
24
273
10
174
136
6
63
13
215
52
160
1873
799
44
510
425
11
192
43
66
759
412
12
163
83
969
774
24
261
35
599
221
7
87
18
217
144
1
12
10
210
56
G8
874
375
16
132
82
1051
613
26
325
33
647
133
4
37
20
333
133
2
35
Dates
Chapels
Members
Probationers
Schools
Scholars
1366 1871
3 9
24 164
7 30
TOTALS.
1876 1381 1885 1891 1896 1901 1906 1903
13 58 59 61 89 217 213 213
305 1091 1176 1390 1618 2598 2736 3120
53 228 165 530 484 1276 1594 1310
4 11 14 21 34 44 48
35 140 146 252 402 526 579
PART III.
From the Commencement of Residence in the
Interior to the Death of Mr. Innocent,
1878 to 1904.
CHAPTER XIX.
RESIDENCE IN THE INTERIOR WITH FOUNDING OF
MEDICAL MISSIONS.
THE position in which the mission was placed im
mediately after the death of Mr. Hall was a singularly
difficult one, and afforded a crucial test of Mr. Inno
cent s capacity to grapple with an emergency. He was,
it is true, already reinforced, and as happened in 1866,
the reinforcements arrived in the very nick of time.
The Conference of 1876 had determined to send out
two new missionaries, one of whom was to be a medical
man. The Rev. J. Robinson, of Stourbridge, had
served with unusual acceptability for nine years in the
English ministry, and had volunteered for China He
was sent out with his family in the autumn of 1877,
and arrived in Shanghai, October 1 2th, whence he
proceeded at once to Tientsin. It was intended that he
should be accompanied by Mr. D. Stenhouse, a young
man who was just completing his medical course in the
Edinburgh Medical Mission School. But Dr. Sten-
house s departure was delayed until the next year.
During this year he married Miss Worrell, of Arnold,
199
John Innocent
in the Nottingham Circuit, the daughter of one of our
old and esteemed members there. The Missionary Com
mittee, in the meantime, had issued a circular appeal
ing for more volunteers. The Rev. G. T. Candlin,
then in the Hull Circuit, and the Rev. J. Hinds, who
was in London, had responded. On receiving tele
graphic news of Mr. Hall s death, the Committee de
cided on sending Mr. Candlin at once, and, in the
autumn of 1878, he joined Dr. Stenhouse and his
newly-married wife in London, whence they sailed by
the s.s. " Gleneagles M for China, and arrived in Tientsin,
September 2ist, 1878. Mr. Hinds followed in 1879.
Notwithstanding these reinforcements, for the prac
tical working of the mission, Mr. Innocent was alone.
It is true that at the beginning of October, 1878,
there were four other missionaries in Tientsin. But
two of these had but just landed. Mr. Hodge, broken
in health, was just leaving, and Mr. Robinson had been
in China barely a year. Mr. Innocent s three new col
leagues were young and raw ; and on the old veteran s
shoulders, for the next two or three years, the burden
of the whole work must rest. He met the emergency
with courageous devotion. By the middle of the month
he was on the canal escorting the three brethren to
take up their residence at Chu Chia.
Now at length was realized the long-deferred project
of permanent residence in the interior, which had been
in contemplation since 1866. It was, in fact, commenced
then ; for Mr. Innocent s own removal to Shantung
in 1867 was no doubt at the time intended to be
permanent, but he was overruled by circumstances.
That for a space of more than ten years it had not
been resumed is accounted for, partly by the inade
quacy of the mission staff, the interposition of fur-
200
Residence in the Interior
loughs, the disturbances of the Nien Fei, the Tientsin
massacre and the famine, and the want of suitable
houses. A new house, however, had been built at Chu
Chia, and a second was in contemplation. While the
Institution was being built at Tientsin, the missionary
residence in Chu Chia divided with the severe work of
famine relief the care of Mr. Innocent and his col
league. On arrival, Mr. Robinson occupied the newly-
built house, taking in Mr. Candlin, who was then single,
as a lodger. The Chinese building, which had served
Mr. Innocent as a residence in former times, and had
been used all along by the missionaries on their fre
quent visits, was still in our possession, and was occu
pied by Dr. Stenhouse. A new house was built for him
the next year. Mr. Innocent stayed with the young
missionaries long enough to induct them into such work
as they could undertake. He visited a number of the
outlying stations, and then returned to take charge of
the work in Tientsin, leaving them to learn the lan
guage, and the duty of superintending an already
widely-extending Circuit, and a considerable staff of
Chinese preachers. There was always the veteran Hu,
who had for years had general oversight of the country
work, to fall back en for counsel, so far as their limited
knowledge of the language enabled them to understand
it. Mr. Innocent was out again in the spring for Dis
trict meeting, and visit to Yang Hsin.
The thought of founding a medicaJ mission had been
in Mr. Innocent s mind almost from the time of his
arrival in Tientsin. The idea was broached in the
"Missionary Chronicle," January, 1863. At the time
when General (then Captain) Gordon was wont
to solicit his attention to soldiers in hospital, there
were also a dispensary and wards for Chinese
201
John Innocent
patients supported by army officers and merchants, con
ducted by Dr. Lamprey, and, on the withdrawal of the
troops, Mr. Innocent was anxious that this work should
be continued. But he met with no encouragement from
the Missionary Committee, and it was allowed to cease,
which, says he "was a matter of great regret." Again,
in 1864, the S.P.G., which had opened a medical mis
sion in Peking, suddenly decided to close it, and the
medical missionary, Dr. Stuart, offered his services to
our mission.
" He offered to serve our mission as a (much-needed)
medical missionary, but much to our regret we had not
the authority, as our Board at the time had not the
means for engaging his services. So a second time a
grand opportunity for establishing this most important
branch of mission work in Tientsin was missed."
One hardly dares to let his imagination run free in
fancying what " might have been " if we had then led
the way in medical mission work at Tientsin. No less
than fourteen years had to pass before Mr. Innocent
could realize his ideal. Much has been said on the
necessity of medical men getting a thorough knowledge
of Chinese before beginning to practice at all. Two
years at least before you see your first patient is about
the notion. Dr. Stenhouse saw his first patient the
morning after he arrived at his post. Mr. Innocent
acted as interpreter. He was a patient nearly at the
point of death, but the doctor pulled him through. That
was the beginning, and he went on from that time. It
is true the doctor never became a great Chinese scholar,
and his knowledge of the written character was slender,
but he could read his New Testament, and certainly his
acquaintance with spoken Chinese was not injured by
his injudicious conduct in starting work so soon.
202
Medical Work in Shantung
The medical work was carried on in very poor build
ings, mud-built hovels, in fact, for some years, but
very good work was done, much suffering relieved ;
the Hospital soon acquired a reputation, and people
came to it from far and wide. It drew numbers to
our fellowship, and was the occasion of openings for
Christian work being offered us in not a few places.
The following from Dr. Stenhouse s own pen, which
appeared in the Report for 1879, rnust have been
written but little more than four months after his
arrival :
"During the last two months of the year (1878) I
did not keep an account of the number of visits paid
to our temporary dispensary, but since the beginning
of the year I have done so, and have to report that
during January and February 145 persons presented
themselves for treatment, which, during the two
months, made 347 visits, an average of nine visits
daily. Most of these were surgical, and required
careful dressing ever} visit. At least 95 per cent have
been cures."
The Hospital soon became so busy that the doctor
had his hands full. In a few years time he was re
porting 4,000 and 5,000 visits. Three years after the
commencement of his work, Dr. Stenhouse got his
much-needed Dispensary. A new plot of ground was
purchased by the mission, and it was erected in the
autumn of 1881. It was a very modest building, and
cost about 150. Part of the cost was subscribed by
friends in Tientsin. The money was begged by Mr.
Innocent.
Dr. Stenhouse s own opinion of it is given in the
following words :
" The building, of course, is not very imposing. Still
203
John Innocent
it consists of six rooms, four of which are large, two
small. Two of the larger rooms are used as waiting-
rooms ; the other two are employed, one as a drug-
room, the other as consulting-room. The two small
rooms are for the reception of patients who need pro
longed and watchful attention. It is purely native in
style, substantially built, and, with ordinary care, will
last a lifetime."
But the "ordinary care" was wanting, and in the
month of August, 1882, this building, with drugs, furni
ture and surgical instruments, was completely des
troyed by fire. This was only one year after its erection.
The doctor himself had a narrow escape from serious
injury. The communities of Tientsin, Taku and Tang-
shan showed much sympathy, and liberally contributed
to the restoration of the building. Friends in England,
and in Edinburgh, also sent contributions. It was re-
erected in a much improved and more substantial way
in 1883. A valuable addition to the Medical Institution
was made in 1889 when two large hospital wards, pro
viding beds for thirty or forty people, and an operation-
room were added. A Women s Ward was erected later.
These buildings stood until 1900, when, of course, they
were razed to the ground. Greatly improved buildings
were erected out of indemnity funds, which were not
completed until 1905.
In 1884, a valuable suggestion was made by Mr.
Innocent for relieving the mission funds from a large
part of the cost of this work. A committee was formed
of resident officials and merchants in Tientsin, and
members of the mission staff, for the separate manage
ment of the work, and it was decided that the entire
working expenses, instruments, medicines, furniture,
repairs and salaries of Chinese should be provided by
204
Ordination of First Native Pastor
a special fund raised locally. Mr. Innocent s great in
fluence with residents in Tientsin enabled us to inaugu
rate this scheme with success. Over Tls 1,000 (150) is
now subscribed annually, which, considering that most
of the subscribers never saw the Hospital, is a remark
able testimony to the liberality of the port. Dr. Sten-
house returned to England in 1885. Circumstances of
a domestic nature prevented his resuming work in
China, and there was a period of nearly three years
during which Mr. Candlin and his family were alone in
Shantung. During this period the Dispensary work
was carried on under Mr. Candlin s superintendence by
Mr. Lu Tien Chih, a Chinese assistant to Dr. Sten-
house. In 1887, Dr. W. W. Shrubshall was appointed
as Dr. Stenhouse s successor.
An event of special interest, which occured in 1880,
was the ordination of our first native pastor. When the
policy of making large use of a Chinese ministry was
adopted the question naturally arose whether the evan
gelists should be ordained. But it was universally felt
that ordination was an act of a peculiarly sacred charac
ter, and that in the existing conditions of mission work it
should not be lightly entered on. We have in fact been
very chary of ordaining men, and have only done it
when remarkable devotion, as well as outstanding
ability, appeared to justify the step. Let it be dis
tinctly understood, then, that as a rnU our Chinese
staff of preachers are trained in the College as in Eng
land, pass a four years probation as in England, un
dergoing a written course of examination, and provid
ing a written sermon each year. But they are not or
dained at the end of that term. They go into " full
Connexion " without the laying-on of hands. Only in
special cases are men ordained. In fact from the be-
205
John Innocent
ginning, up to the present, we have ordained five men
only Hu Ngen Ti, Chang Ch ih San, Tso K o Ch eng,
Li Lien Ch en and Li Ngan Su. The Congregational
Churches in China have an excellent practice of ordain
ing Chinese pastors as soon as a Church can be formed
to call them to its ministry and provide the whole of
their salary. It were to be wished that we could adopt
some such principle, but our itinerating system some
what interferes with such a course.
It was a happy circumstance that the first evangelist
employed by the mission was the first (though after
nearly twenty years of labour) to be ordained. Hu
Ngen Ti was abundantly worthy of the honour. The
ceremony took place at Chu Chia in the month of
May, 1880. Service was held in the new chapel which
had just been built. It was the first chapel erected by
the mission in Shantung, a large, strongly-built edifice.
Mr. Innocent puts it mildly when he says it was " desti
tute of all architectural pretensions." There was a door
at the east end for men, and another at the west end
for women. A wooden partition divided the building
into two equal halves. This partition was only about
seven feet high, so that by placing the platform on
the side of the building, with the partition running from
the front of the platform, while the two halves of the
congregation were completely screened from each other,
they presented themselves as one assembly to the
preacher. After the Boxer outbreak a much more at
tractive chapel was built.
Mr. Innocent made a special journey from Tientsin
to take part in Mr. Hu s ordination. He was accom
panied by the Rev. J. Lees and Pastor Chang, of the
London Mission, who were to take part in the cere
mony. Service was held in the morning. The Rev. J.
Death of Mr. Hu Ngen Ti
Robinson, who was in charge of the Circuit, put the
usual questions. Mr. Lees offered the Invocatory
Prayer during the laying-on of hands, and Mr. Inno
cent delivered the Charge. In the afternoon another
service was held when Pastor Chang, L.M.S., preached
a sermon on the duty of the Church to its minister.
Much interest was shown, and we are told that: "Mr.
Hu was greatly moved on the occasion, and seemed
to realize the solemn responsibilities of the sacred office
he was undertaking."
But, alas, shortly after his ordination this noble and
aged worker was laid aside by sickness. Only eight
months later he was called to a higher ministry. Hu
Ngen Ti died on Sunday evening, January 2nd, 1 88 1,
at an advanced age. His last words, placing his hand
on his heart, were : " All is peace here."
Hu was emphatically one of our makers, a worthy
builder in the Church at Tientsin in the early days. A
worthy builder in the wide field of Shantung, where,
under his patriarchal care (for he stood as a patriarch
among the country people), so many churches sprang
up. He was a shrewd man. The first time he saw the
present writer, in 1878, he undertook to examine him
in Chinese, though he had only been three weeks in
the country. Say shih to n ; say jih to u ; say she to u.
That was all, but it was a keen test. They are about
the worst three words in the language for a foreigner
to pronounce. His loss was greatly mourned.
It was about this time (1880) that Chan Hua District
was handed over to us by the London Mission. They
had been working there from Peking for a number
of years, and had baptized about 600 people. But the
work was unsatisfactory for various reasons, and as it
immediately adjoined cur Shantung Mission they com-
207
John Innocent
mitted it to our care. We have seen that Yang Hsin lies
thirty-three miles to the east of Chu Chia : Chan Hua,
with its chief station at Ta Ma Li Chia, lies nearly as
much farther in a direct line through Yang Hsin from
Chu Chia. The region is a very impoverished one,
almost a wilderness, with wide stretches of poor land,
infertile and liable to floods from the Yellow River,
which runs through it. The water of its wells is brack
ish and almost undrinkable. Immediately it was handed
over in 1880, Mr. Innocent, accompanied by Mr. Robin
son, visited the stations, and inspected them. The
result, on the whole, was discouraging. Out of the
600 converts baptized not one-third could be found.
The Church at Ta Ma Li Chia was, however, a live
Church. There was a large but unfinished chapel which
had been built under somewhat romantic circumstances.
So complete had been the turning to Christianity in
the village that every family had given up idolatry. In
China most of the temples belong to the villagers, and
the population of Ta Ma Li Chia, by a sort of com
munistic act, had pulled down their temple, provided a.
decent burying-place for the mud idols, and transferred
the materials of the temple to a new site, using them
to build a Christian sanctuary. In all there were from
fifteen to twenty mission stations, but Ta Ma Li Chia
was the chief place.
On the return of Messrs. Innocent and Robinson,
Pastor Hu undertook a visit to Chan Hua District,
spending six weeks there, and on his return presented
a careful report of his impressions. This visit was the
most serious work done by Mr. Hu after his ordination.
He returned to Chu Chia ill, and never quite recovered.
Messrs. Candlin and Hinds made a visit somewhat later,
and reported only 100 members in the whole district.
208
Openings at Taku and Hsing Chi
There was at first an idea of missionary residence at
Chan Hua, but the topographical conditions completely
negatived the step. The Chan Hua stations are more
encouraging at the present time, and form an important
part of Wuting Circuit carrying its work to the banks
of the Yellow River.
It was during the period covered by the events nar
rated in this chapter that two stations were opened in
the Tientsin Circuit to which Mr. Innocent devoted
much attention.
Taku is interesting as a very large fishing village at
the mouth of the Pei-ho. Its importance is now very
greatly increased by the railway from Tientsin to Tang
Ku, which is less than three miles from Taku. From
the very early days, Mr. Innocent, and others, had been
accustomed to visit and preach there, at one time to
soldiers, and afterwards to the pilots who have a settle
ment there. But in 1876 a generous lay friend under
took the cost of renting a building to be used as a
Chinese chapel, and also paid the preacher s salary.
This was the commencement of our small church in
Taku. In i8"8o, the church was persecuted by a mili
tary mandarin who took it upon himself to forbid
several soldiers, who were members, to attend Christian
worship. Rather than comply, one or two of them left
the camp.
Hsing Chi, which lies on the Grand Canal, about half
way on our journey to Shantung, was opened in 1878.
It is a very large, straggling town with a very consider
able population, and at that time there were ten or a
dozen camps (with 500 men in each camp) resident
there. For a long time, though daily preaching was
conducted in a small chapel in the street, we met with
but little success. But some time in the early eighties,
209
John Innocent
one of the worthiest, though one of the least educated,
of our preachers, was stationed there, Mr. Li Hsiang
Ting, whose home was at Taku. Mr. Li commenced
visiting the camps and preaching to the soldiers, who
soon began to come to church. Quite a large number of
them were baptized, and at one time we had at Hsing
Chi quite a strong society made up almost entirely
of soldiers of the new army, which was being organized
and drilled according to Western methods, in the north.
But in 1885 the camps were moved to Liaotung, and
we were unable to follow them up. Hsing Chi has had
varying fortunes, and is now a Church of about twenty
members.
In 1882, on Sunday, February iQth, one of our oldest
native preachers passed away who should have a place
in our gallery of Chinese worthies. Mr. Shen Chih Fu
was baptized in 1868. He had been formerly a teacher
with the Rev. J. Doolittle, of the American Board
Mission. Soon after joining us, he was appointed as a
school teacher. From that time onward he had been
employed in various capacities in connection with the
mission. On the arrival of the Rev. J. Hinds, he was
appointed as his teacher. He was a Tientsin man, who
could not be induced to leave Tientsin, and, on Mr.
Hinds removal to Shantung, Mr. Shen was made
teacher of Mrs. Innocent s classes. For two years he
united this work with assistance at the daily preaching
at the city chapels. He was not a very old man at the
time of his death, but he had been ailing for twelve
months, and at length succumbed to a severe attack of
dysentery. He died a truly Christian death.
210
CHAPTER XX.
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF GIRLS SCHOOL AND
WOMEN S WORK.
MR. INNOCENT BEREAVED OF HIS ELDEST DAUGHTER.
WE had intended to offer remarks of a somewhat
extended character on the peculiar position of woman
in China before entering upon the subject of this
chapter. The topic is an interesting one to those
who would understand the sociological conditions
of the country, sufficiently interesting for a chapter,
or for a complete treatise, for that matter, all to itself.
But space limits absolutely forbid it, and our readers
must, perforce, seek such information elsewhere. It
must suffice here to point out that in an Empire, the
civilization of which is pronouncedly Eastern in cast,
where the female sex are expected to live a life of
great seclusion, are formally treated as inferiors, and
invariably spoken of in terms of disparity, and where
the evils of society bear especially hard upon them, the
sex question not only presents a totally different aspect
from what it does in countries where woman s suffrage
is the subject of agitation, but also has most important
bearings on the work of evangelization among them,
rendering a special kind of agency, having the charac*
ter of a Zenana Mission, an absolute necessity. In
China concubinage is practised, especially among the
upper classes. Until recently no attempt has beer?
211
John Innocent
made to educate women, the prevailing sentiment being
strongly against it; girl slavery is very frequent, the
sale of women is tolerated, the cruel practice of infanti
cide is almost exclusively confined to females, and the
foolish vanity of women themselves clings fondly to the
ridiculous, crippling, and injurious habit of foot-binding.
Women, and especially young women, are not supposed
to be seen on the street, or in the market, or to mix
with men in public gatherings. These conditions of
life are not only profoundly interesting in themselves,
but they have a radical effect in determining the
methods by which work among the women in China
must be pursued if it is to be successful. An under
standing of them is necessary.
There is one other fact of even greater importance
than all these limitations and disabilities under which
the women of China lie, and which must never be left
out of sight. Women are more religious-minded than
mea It is often remarked that in England itself women
attend the services, and work for the church, with far
more zeal than men. This has its counterpart in China.
Not all the disadvantages under which women labour,
have power to hinder the fact that in religious exercises
they are by far the more earnest. They are, in fact,
the mainstay of the religions of China, and especially
of all idolatrous practices. If it may be said that in
the congregations of most Christian Churches there are
two women present to one man, it may be said that in
the exercises of heathen temples, incense-burning,
paper-burning, kotowing, ten women may be seen en
gaged to one man. The idols would have crumbled in
their shrines, the temples have fallen into ruins long
ago, but for the women. To convert the women of
China is, therefore, to convert, not the half, but by
212
Special Work for Women
much the " better half "of China. Whether we ascribe
the leading place which women take in religious move
ments to a superior religious endowment, or to a
stronger tendency to superstition, the lesson is much
the same. If the former, it is of first necessity to enlist
the higher religious nature in the cause of Christ ; if
the latter, their religious education becomes the more
clamant necessity.
The need for special work among women was very
early recognized on the mission. We have seen that
in the early sixties (1862) Mrs. Innocent made a com
mencement in Girls School work with the little waif
from Suchow and others. Mrs. Innocent s interest in
her Chinese sisters continued unabated throughout her
life in China. She was a devoted student of the lan
guage, and her husband has been known to say she
knew her Chinese characters better than himself. Mrs.
Hu was baptized in 1863, and became an ardent worker
with Mrs. Innocent in the cause of women. In 1865
Mr. Hall pointed out, in the " Missionary Chronicle "
the great necessity for a specially organized agency. In
the Report for 1878 references are made to the subject
both by Mr. Innocent and by Mr. Hall, the more notable
in the latter case as that was the year of his death. Mr.
Hall records the fact that "two day schools for girls
have been instituted, both of which are succeeding
admirably." He adds: "A girls boarding school is a
desideratum." An article on the need of a girls school,
from the pen of Mr. Innocent, appeared in the
"Chronicle" for November, 1879. Long before this
period a number of ladies in England had been accus
tomed to raise money and provide articles for sale in
China to enable Mrs. Innocent to carry on her work.
Among these may be named Mrs. T. and Mrs. J. G.
213
John Innocent
Heaps, Mrs. Hutton, Mrs. Crofts and Miss Holt. Miss
Holt s box was looked for eagerly, and its annual arri
val was an event on the mission.
But the attempt to open work on a large scale was
not made until the year 1880. In that year Mr. Inno
cent s eldest daughter, Annie Edkins Innocent, the
little girl we have seen born in Tientsin long ago, volun
teered for service as a lady teacher on the mission.
She was a young lady of nineteen years of age, of very
attractive appearance, well educated, and of pronounced
piety. Miss Innocent had been sent to England for
education some five years previous. She was at a school
in England at the time when her offer was made to
Dr. Stacey, but, shortly after making it, she went to
Germany to finish her education. The following is
part of a letter written to Dr. Stacey, at this stage, in
reply to a communication from him on the subject.
Mr. Innocent, whose health was much impaired, had
gone to Chefoo to recruit. It was from Chefoo that
he wrote :
"Chefoo, July 2nd, 1880.
" MY DEAR SIR, Your very tender and generous
references to my daughter, in your communication of
February 28th, have affected me more than I can des
cribe, and from the delicate way in which you ask me
to give you my whole mind on the subject of her com
ing to China to serve the mission, and your expressed
willingness to be of use to both the mission and myself
in this matter, I feel that it would be most ungrateful
on my part to hold back anything from you. Still, I
have considerable hesitation, and now feel some diffi
dence in dealing with the subject. If I saw you face
to face I think I could tell you much more than I can
with pen and ink, and do it much more satisfactorily
21*
Miss Annie Edkins Innocent.
To face p. 214.
Miss Innocent s Offer for Service
too. I have a keen sensibility and shrink from the
liability to the charge of place seeking, or seeking to
get any undue advantage for my children from my
relations to the mission. Such a desire is not in my
heart, and the proposal made respecting my beloved
daughter did not originate in my mind, was not thought
of by me until my daughter herself had several times
in her letters expressed her strong desire to help to
instruct the women of China on her return to what she
always calls her home. My chief desire was to give
her an education which would enable her to secure for
herself in China, or in England, a comfortable income
in case the Lord should call me away. I knew that I
could make no provision for her, or for any of my
children, and that it was my duty, even at the cost of
personal privation, to fit them for standing in the world
alone. She, dear girl, has no idea that such was my
design, or that on her return to China we should expect
her to do anything, but help to teach her younger sister
and resume her old place in the home circle. China is
her birthplace, Chinese her native tongue, among its
people she was reared, her earliest and longest associa
tions are with Tientsin, she had formed friendships
with some of the Chinese women who came to our
chapel, and to her mother, for Christian instruction.
She was familiar with the missionary life in China.
When she left she felt that though going to England,
her fatherland, she was going to a foreign country
amongst strangers away from home such a long way.
Ever since she left us she has occasionally corresponded
with Mrs. Hu, and other Chinese whom she knew and
loved. Thus her heart had clung to China. She tells
me that she often finds herself holding fancied con
versations with the Chinese, and though she has lost
215
John Innocent
much of what she knew of their speech she could soon
recover her old ease of expression.
" Soon after she joined the school in England she
wrote me about her concern for salvation, and that she
had found in Christ all that her soul longed for of
peace and joy. She gave herself fully to the Saviour,
and it is since then that her desire for usefulness on
her return to China has sought intelligent and definite
shape. She did not put it in any more definite way
than that of a hope that we would let her help us in
our mission work by teaching the women and girls/
This request, repeatedly pressed, led me to think
of her becoming a missionary, and writing to ask her
opinion and feelings on such a position, she at once
replied that Nothing would be more in harmony with
my feelings, or give me such delight. It was soon
after this that the proposal to establish a Girls School
on the mission was made, and I made the reference in
my letter on which your kind remarks are based.
" And now, what is my feeling in this matter ? Need
I say more than that, if it is God s will, I thankfully
give my daughter to His service, and ask the Com
mittee to give her an appointment ? "
We need not give more of the letter. It discusses
the terms of Miss Innocent s appointment, which were
to be the ordinary ones on which ladies come as mis
sionaries on other missions, the only special stipulation
being that she should be appointed in the same place
as her parents in order that she might live at home.
Miss Innocent s offer was accepted, her appointment
was warmly welcomed by our mission circles in China.
Schemes were formulated, and rules drawn up for the
establishment of this important branch of mission work.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Innocent were filled with delight at
216
Miss Innocent** Death
the near prospect of being re-united to their much-
loved daughter under such delightful circumstances.
Mrs. Innocent s pride in her children, and her fond love
for them, was peculiarly intense. Her second daughter
Kate was still a very young girl to whom the prospect
of so soon having her big sister to live with her was a
most joyful hope, and added greatly to the joy of both
mother and father. Already Mrs. Innocent was full
of plans, by subscription lists among her Tientsin
friends, by bazaars and sales of work, to raise the
whole of the money to build an Institution adequate
for the work. It was difficult during those months to
enter the Innocent home without being treated to a de
scription of Mrs. Innocent s plans and anticipations, and
being required to give money or articles toward the all-
important object. Five girls, who were in a school in
Shantung, kept by Mrs. Hu, were held in readiness to
be sent to Tientsin, All the women in the class gathered
at Tientsin were kept busy sewing for the bazaar, and
everybody was looking forward to the beginning of
Miss Innocent s work as Lady Principal of the Girls
Training Institution with such happy auspices and un
der her mother s guidance.
Then came a tragic blow which smote cruelly the
loving, proud and expectant parents. Letters arrived
announcing the sudden illness of the daughter round
whom all these bright dreams had woven themselves.
She had been seized with threatening symptoms at the
school in Germany ; the symptoms becoming alarmingly
dangerous she was hurriedly transported to England
under the care of her brother George, to be nursed by
friends of the family. The disease was pronounced to
be galloping consumption. Agonizing anxiety held
them in suspense for a month or two, then, with be-
217
John Innocent
wildering swiftness, came the dreadful news that she
had succumbed to this dread foe. Their grief was
heightened by every circumstance of keen disappoint
ment, of far-away separation, of paralysing helpless
ness. Few men could have written with such complete
resignation as Mr. Innocent did : " At the very time
when she was expected to leave England to take up
the work for which she had special qualifications and a
yearning love, a sudden affliction stayed her steps, and
carried her to the grave. For five years she had been
absent from her parents, who were longing for her
return. But God took her ; and they saw her face no
more."
It was a blow to the mission as well as to the bereaved
parents. Miss Innocent was admirably qualified to
carry forward the enterprise for which her own mother
had so long and so patiently paved the way, and her
last hours showed the devotion with which she was
looking forward to her task.
The Rev. W. J. Townsend, D.D., who visited Miss
Innocent, when on her sick bed a few days before she
passed away, wrote :
" Her soul glowed with enthusiasm for this work to
the very last. I shall never forget her anxious ardour,
as with flushed cheek and burning eye she raised her
head from her pillow, and said : The Committee will
still let me go to China, won t it ? Yes/ I replied,
you will still go if the Lord should restore you. The
Lord willed otherwise, and she was taken to the nobler
ministrations and activities of the glorified."
Her removal, however, eventually forwarded the
work which it temporarily hindered. Her death and her
beautiful character influenced her mother to further
that work, and provide means for its establishment on
218
Opening of Girls School
a solid basis. By painstaking industry and earnest ap
peals she raised a fund of over 500 for the erection
of a school with dormitories and ladies house attached.
It was built on the same piece of land as the Training-
Institution. Mrs. Innocent was very proud of it, and
wrote: "It is just beautiful, and it is called the Annie
Edkins Innocent Memorial School."
It was opened nearly ten years later in 1889. In the
meantime Miss Waller, a daughter of one of our
former ministers, Ralph Waller, was appointed as Miss
Innocent s successor, and was placed in charge. This
appointment was not a very happy one. Miss Waller
would have been an excellent evangelist ; she had a re
markable gift of speech, but she was in middle life,
and she found the Chinese language too difficult for
her to master. Various untoward circumstances led to
the school being closed in 1892, Miss Waller being
invalided home. It was, however, reopened as a day-
school in 1893, Mrs. Robinson and Mrs. Candlin taking
joint charge. The urgent needs of the mission led to
the sale of the whole property, both of the Training
Institute, and the Girls School, in 1895. Out of the
proceeds the amount originally raised for the Girls
School was reserved, and after the Boxer Outbreak
had passed, a new school, equal in every respect to the
former one, was built in Shantung in 1903. It is now
in charge of Miss Annie Turner, sister of the Rev.
F. B. Turner, a lady of great scholastic acquirements,
and at length we may count with confidence upon its
fulfilling the hopes, so long cherished, so often frus
trated, to be some day realized. Miss K. Cook is
associated with Miss Turner in evangelistic work.
This chapter should not close without special notice
of Mrs. Hu. She has been mentioned more than once,
219
John Innocent
but demands some more distinct tribute from us as the
heroine and pioneer, together with Mrs. Innocent, in
work for the women of our mission. We have had
other women among the Chinese who have done ex
cellent work. Mrs. Tso, the mother of Tso K o Ch eng,
did good work at Yang Hsin in connection with her
son s ministry there. Mrs. Chang Hsiu Ling and Mrs.
Chang Hua Tang, at a later period, when Mrs. Hu
was too aged to continue her exertions at Chu Chia,
did noble service. Mrs. Ch en, though her qualifications
are not great, is doir>g yeoman s service at Tientsin just
now. Mrs. Chang Ch ih San has been a worthy volun
tary worker. But none like Mrs. Hu, our first female
convert in China. It was owing to her devotion that
we were able to keep Pastor Hu so long and so cheer
fully in charge of Shantung. Mr. Innocent used to
relate, with measureless admiration, how, in the terrible
days following the massacre, when no man would face
the task, she boldly ventured, again and again, into
the city, to seek and comfort our frightened and dis
tressed members, coming back on one occasion, ex
hausted, with clothes all torn, almost naked, from the
dangerous work. In the famine days of 1877, Mr.
Hall bears the following testimony to this truly won
derful woman :
" First and foremost in all work for women is Mrs.
Hu, who although now sixty years of age travels many
weary miles (maugre her little feet) to speak a word
for Jesus, and whose philanthropic spirit is of so prac
tical an order, that several months past she has sub
sisted on the coarsest possible food, in order that she
may be able to give bread to the perishing. Could
better proof be given than this practical self-denial of
her large, generous, Christlike heart? Surely she will
220
Mrs. Hu i Half-century of Work
be honoured by receiving the benediction, not only of
those who are ready to perish, but of the Master who
said: Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of
these, ye did it unto Me.
"This was in 1877. Only fancy! And this saintly
spirit was still with us in the flesh until 1905. She
was ninety-eight years old when she died. Her story
is that of a full half -century of noble work, yet com
menced when she was already far from young. Dear,
brave, self-forgetful, busy, smiling, happy soul, full
of charities, and ripe in grace, which of us dare hope
for a place as near the central throne, a crown or a
harp so golden rich as thine in the eternal rest ! "
She has special right to a place in this biography
because of her special relation to Mr. Innocent, and
his family, from the beginning of their work in China
until the end.
221
CHAPTER XXI.
THE OPENING OF THE NORTHERN CIRCUITS,
TANGSHAN AND YUNG P lNG
IN the selection of openings for missionary operations
there are two opposite principles, or policies which
compete with each other in the minds of societies, and
of individual workers. One may be called the policy
of waiting for providential openings, the other the
policy of deciding beforehand which are the more de
sirable places to occupy, and by sheer persistence con
tinuing your effort until an entrance is obtained. Each
of these rival policies has its ardent advocates, has its
special advantages, and its special inconveniences. The
one seems to place implicit trust in Divine guidance,
the other seems to put its trust in human wisdom. It
is, of course, not necessary to be so far wedded to
theory as to rely exclusively on either method, and
probably a wise mingling of the two is the true ideal
to be pursued. It is possible to spend time and means
in a vain endeavour to enter places which seem inex
orably closed against you, and with much disappoint
ment be compelled to abandon them after all, while
other places solicit your attention unsought, and yield
an immediate return to your labours. In the one case
you seem to be pulling hard against the stream, in the
other you seem to be taking at the flood the tide which
leads on to fortune. But, on the other hand, it is re
markable how capricious and uncertain these providen-
222
Providential Developments
tial openings are apt to be. You may be deluged with
double as many invitations of a pressing character to
places so small and so awkwardly situated as to render
their occupation inconvenient and comparatively unim
portant. You may be travelling scores of miles, by
fatiguing stages, to preach the Gospel in an obscure
village, and passing through large and important cen
tres, where, though the call is utterly lacking, the need
is immeasurably greater. Different missions working
in contiguous centres may be crossing and interlacing
their work in a most confusing manner, and causing
mutual friction which a little forethought, and a divi
sion of the field at the beginning, would obviate. The
subject would lead us into a discussion how far we are
to trust to human wisdom, and how far to be guided
by blind faith, but we will not pursue it further than
to say that as mission work cannot be successfully done
by the man who follows no light but that of his own
understanding, neither does God intend us to cast away
our natural powers when we enlist in his service. As
one has well said, if God has no need of man s wisdom,
still less need has He of man s folly.
Up to the period at which we have now arrived in
the growth of the mission, we had been following in
the main the first of these two policies, and with good
results. For the most part we had followed where Pro
vidence seemed to lead the way, and to open the door.
This story does not propose to concern itself much with
the critics of missions, but if there be any such amongst
our readers let them take careful note of this fact, that
in our mission generally, and especially in respect to
the very numerous openings in Shantung, so far from
forcing the Gospel upon people, who were reluctant to
receive it, we went only where we were first invited,
22Z
John Innocent
and often earnestly pressed, to go. Many have been
the invitations refused, some because we suspected in
terested motives, others because we had neither men
nor money to take them up.
But the opening in the North was, at least, in its
beginning, a recognition of the second policy. Tang-
shan and Yung P ing were a deliberately-chosen field,
the chief motives for the choice being that a large coal
mine had been recently opened, and a line of railway
was likely to traverse this district. If this was trusting
entirely in human wisdom we have never had reason
to regret the step.
In the year 1880, a most important proposal was
made to the mission by the Methodist Episcopal Mis
sion of America, the headquarters of which are in
Peking. That mission was about to embark upon the
brilliant educational policy which has been so powerful
an auxiliary to their work. It included the founding
of the Peking University which at the present time
has about 600 students, and the founding of schools
in which the English language was a part of the curric
ulum. Very cordially they invited us to go to Peking,
and to join them in this undertaking. Dr. Stacey, who
was Mission Secretary at the time, was very strongly
inclined to accept their offer, which included facilities
they would place in our way for opening mission work
of our own in the capital. The question was brought
before the Chinese District Meeting in 1881, when it
was decided that we could not accept the offer. The
fear was that it would involve expenditure that was
beyond our means. This it was which suggested the
project which was broached at the same meeting. " This
step," says Mr. Innocent, "was recommended as being
more feasible and needful than the commencement of
224
\
To face p. 224.
New Spheres
a mission in Peking, it being almost destitute of evan
gelistic agencies while several of the largest missionary
societies were established in the capital."
A large Chinese company had opened coal mines at
Tangshan, under the superintendence of British en
gineers, and worked with foreign machinery. Amongst
the skilled men engaged as workmen and overlookers
were two Cornishmen, who made themselves known to
us on their arrival as having been connected with our
church at St. Agnes, in the Truro Circuit. The presence
of a large foreign staff at the mines was itself an in
ducement to visit the place occasionally to conduct re
ligious worship for their benefit. The large native
population, springing up with mushroom growth at
Tangshan, and the prosperous and populous condition
of the surrounding country, presented both claim and
scope for missionary labour. Colporteurs of the British
and Foreign Bible Society had canvassed the district
for more than two years with marked success in the
sale of Scriptures. Chang Chieh T ang, one of the
finest colporteurs among the many we have furnished
to that society, and who died at Mr. Innocent s house
in 1882, penetrated far into Manchuria before any
missions were opened there, and had wonderful stories
to tell of the welcome he received. Yung P ing is the
prefectural capital of this district, and Mr. Hedley has
pointed out that on Mr. Innocent s first journey to
Tientsin he noted on the captain s chart that Yung P ing
was "a likely place for an inland centre."
To Mr. Innocent, in company with the Rev. J. Hinds,
belongs the honour of the first visit to this promising
region. They made a visit in 1880, preaching to the
workmen at the colliery, and holding English services in
the house of one of our Cornish friends. The manag-
225
John Innocent
ing director, Mr. T ang King Sing, one of the earliest
pioneers of New China, who was educated in a mission
school, kindly offered every facility for establishing
mission work. Thus our way seemed perfectly open,
and it was decided a preacher should be sent as soon as
possible. Tangshan is eighty miles distant from Tient
sin, a two days journey by cart, and was easy of access
by land or water. It is now reached by rail in three
hours. In 1881 the place was visited for the second
time by the Rev. G. T. Candlin, who was much im
pressed by the changes taking place, and described
them in the " Missionary Chronicle."
"The works at Tangshan, viewed from the stand
point of commercial advancement, are by far the most
remarkable, and the most important thing in the whole
Celestial Empire. Improvements far ahead of the
times are common there, though tolerated nowhere else.
It is like a little patch of one of our great commercial
countries in the West cut out and dropped down in
the most anomalous manner in the midst of an im
perfect civilization, which has been stagnant for a
thousand years. The traveller comes upon it with a
feeling of mingled surprise and enthusiasm. There
are the mines, and the coal coming up the shaft, the
busy workers, the mingled sounds of the hammer, the
chisel, the saw ; the peculiar roll of the foreign
machinery, that expressive voice of mechanical
strength : sounds which are so unwelcome at home, but
which echo like gruff music here ; the railway, and the
locomotive, with its freight of goods and passengers,
the telegraph, the canal, the steam launch. Even Col
leges for the training of native students in the sciences
connected with mining are going up, and professors
are being engaged to teach in them. Brickmaking has
226
Tangshan
commenced, good, well-baked bricks, such as you never
see elsewhere in China, and excellent fire-bricks as
well. It is a commercial revolution in miniature work
ing itself out in this remote eastern corner of the Em
pire, almost beside the sea.
" It is a very inviting district in which to found a
mission station."
Tangshan was again visited by Mr. Innocent in Sep
tember, 1882. A Chinese preacher was sent to seek
a suitable location for opening regular work. He
settled for some time in Taoti, six miles south of the
mines, but the town proved hostile. Kai-ping, five miles
to the east, was more inviting. The District Meeting of
1882 resolved upon making Tangshan a Circuit, and
strongly recommended it to the Committee as prefer
able to opening in Peking. But it still remained at
tached to the Tientsin Circuit. After several visits Mr.
Innocent wrote a paper on Kai-ping (it was first called
Kai-ping Circuit) which he read to his colleagues, and
which was printed in the " Missionary Chronicle " for
March, 1883. During that year three stations were
opened in the new Circuit : one at Shii Ko Chuang, a
village at the head of the canal connected with the
mines by a short railway six miles in length ; one at
Kai-ping (five miles east), and one at Kuyeh, fifteen
miles from the mines. Taoti was for the time aban
doned, though resumed in recent years with great suc
cess. The railway mentioned above was the baby be
ginning of the present extensive Chinese railway sys
tem. Several visits were made later by Mr. Candlin
with increasing encouragement.
The first missionary to take up residence at Tang
shan was the Rev. J. Hinds. He was appointed in 1 884,
and lived for a time in a very poor Chinese mud-house
227
John Innocent
in the village of Chiao Chia Tun. Tangshan is origi
nally the name of a hill which forms the extreme spur
of the eastern mountain range of North China. The
town now called Tangshan was then a bankside, first
beginning to be populated. Mr. Hinds subsequently
succeeded in obtaining the rental of a small house from
the Mining Company in which he continued to reside
until the mission purchased a large disused hospital
from the company, which was converted into mission
premises. During the year 1883, an offer was made
by Mr. T ang King Sing with a view to a medical mis
sionary being stationed at Tangshan, and being ap
pointed as surgeon-in-chief of the Mining Company s
staff. Negotiations were commenced, and an agreement
drawn up which was eventually concluded in London
by Mr. T ang King Sing with Dr. Stacey, the Mission
Secretary. Dr. W. R. Aitken was appointed by the
Conference of 1884, and arrived in China early in that
year. His house and the larger part of his salary
were provided by the Mining Company. The arrange
ment was a very promising one, and in other hands
might have had results of the utmost benefit to the
mission. Mr. Tang acted throughout in the most gener
ous and considerate manner, but, owing to the course
pursued by Dr. Aitken himself, the joint appointment
became an intolerable one to the mission, and the agree
ment was terminated in 1887, the medical agent being
handed over to the Mining Company.
Tangshan remained for six years without any medi
cal work carried on by the mission. But in 1893 the
generosity of a friend of missions in England enabled
us to reopen, and Dr. W. W. Shrubshall was appointed.
After one year, however, Dr. Shrubshall s furlough fell
due, and the medical work was again interrupted In
228
Medical Work at Tangshan
1894 the services of an unattached missionary, Dr.
Wilde, were secured, but after eight weeks, he
abandoned the work. In 1896 the services of Dr.
W. A. Young were secured, who did excellent work for
a year and a half, when he exchanged appointments
with Dr. F. W. Marshall, to whom a change from Lao
Ling had become necessary. In 1897, Dr. Young joined
the mission of his own Church in Manchuria, and Dr.
Marshall returned on furlough. It had been expected
that Dr. Shrubshall, whose services were of special
value to the mission, would be able to return, and, as a
matter of fact, his name stands against the appointment
in the Reports for 1895 and 1896, though he remained
in England. On account of special family reasons he
was unable to take up the work, and the services of an
able and devoted worker were thus lost to the mission.
In 1889 it was already in contemplation to remove the
Hospital to Yung P ing, but the step was not taken until
after the Boxer Outbreak.
In the meantime the new Circuit continued to prosper.
Mr. Hinds remained in charge until 1890, when he was
succeeded by the Rev. F. B. Turner, who was again
succeeded by the Rev. G. T. Candlin in 1896. The
church at Yung P ing was opened in 1885. Other sta
tions followed at Lutai, at Huang Ko Chuang, at Ying
Ko Chuang, at Hsiao Chi, at Sung Chia Ying, at Pai
Kuan T un and at Pei T ang. While slow progress was
made in the beginning (in 1891 there were but fifty-six
full members in the Circuit), the work in the north
steadily prospered, and in 1900, the Circuit (still called
the Kai-ping Circuit) returned 541 members and 443
probationers.
The work at Yung P ing City was of special interest
as that was the prefectural town. It is not a large city,
229
John Innocent
perhaps not more than a population of 10,000, but an
important official centre with military camps, and the
seat of examinations for learned degrees. It is inter
esting as being one of the most ancient cities in all
China, going back to the great Hsia dynasty, when it
was the capital of the tiny kingdom of Wu Chu. The
story of the "exalted" virtue of Po Yi and Shu Ch i the
two princes of Wu Chu, who renounced the kingdom,
the one because he would not disobey his father s com
mand, the other because he would not take precedence
over his elder brother, and fled the kingdom together at
their father s death, and who again at a later time,
rather than submit to the usurper Wu, went into the
wilderness, lived on the grass of a mountainside, and
died in exile, was a darling legend of the people ages
before Confucius was born, and has given them a place
in the Chinese classics. The Temple erected to their
worship with the images of the two brothers as idols,
quite unlike ordinary temple idols, is about five miles
to the west of the city, and a beautiful monument in the
town itself, commemorative of their heroism, stands on
the other side of the street right opposite our Methodist
Church.
The city is a clean, attractive Chinese city situated
amidst some of the finest scenery in the world. It is
built close to the bank of the Ch ing Lung, " the Green
Dragon " river ; it is surrounded by mountains on every
side, and from its battlements, in the summer season,
the wide waters of the Ch ing Lung and the Lan in
terspersed with the mountain scenery form a picture
which is perfectly entrancing. If Mr. Hall went into
ecstacies over the flat and monotonous scenery of Lao
Ling, what would he have done at Yung P ing, where
every aspect is the despair of the landscape painter!
230
Yung P .ng Fu
Not only did Mr. Innocent mark the city on a map
in 1861, but he sent one of our preachers to visit it in
1863, though at that time without result. He was,
therefore, the more gratified to receive a visit in
Tientsin from some soldiers belonging to the camp
there inviting us to open work in the town, and he
lost no time in responding. But in 1898 a new
station was opened midway between the city and
Lanchow, where we join the railway, at Pai Chia Tien,
a village of considerable size. It is noted as the place
where, in 1900, the most dreadful of all the Boxer
murders took place. Soon openings presented them
selves on the north, on the east and on the west of the
city, and Yung P ing became the centre of a group of
ten or eleven mission stations, which stood detached
fifty miles distant from Tangshan in the north-eastern
corner of the Circuit. These formed a natural and
promising nucleus for a new Circuit, and when in 1 899
it became evident that Tangshan was untenable as a
medical centre, on account of the large Hospital of the
Mining Company, practically open to all comers, the
project was formed of selling our property at Tangshan,
building one new house there, and opening an entirely
new centre with a Hospital at Yung P ing. In 1902, the
Rev. J. Hedley built two new houses at Yung P ing, and
removed with his family to the new Circuit, his place
at Tangshan being taken by the Rev. J. Hinds. He was
joined the same year by Dr. A. K. Baxter. During the
past six years the Circuit, the newest work on the
mission, has made a brilliant record.
Tangshan Circuit now contains 38 chapels, 647 mem
bers, 133 probationers, 5 schools, and 51 scholars.
Yung P ing Circuit: 20 chapels, 338 members, 133
probationers, 2 schools, and 35 scholars.
231
CHAPTER XXII.
MR. INNOCENT S SON APPOINTED AS A MISSIONARY,
THE FATHER S RESIDENCE IN SHANTUNG, AND GEORGE
INNOCENT S UNTIMELY DEATH.
IN 1870, at Salford, Mr. Innocent was made a Free
mason and subsequently was one of the founders of
" Union " Lodge, Tientsin.
On the 24th of the same month he wrote to inform
the Mission Secretary of two interesting events. The
first of these was the ordination of the Rev. J. Hinds.
Five members of the mission staff have been ordained
in China. The Rev. G. T. Candlin came out in the
fourth year of his probation, and was ordained in Tient
sin in the spring of 1880. The Rev. J. Hinds was or
dained in the autumn of 1882, having been one year
on probation in England, and three in China. The Rev.
G. M. H. Ii ,iocent was ordained in 1887, the Rev. F. B.
Turner in 1889, and the Rev. J. Hedley in 1898. All
our other Chinese clerical missionaries were taken from
the English ranks some years after they had completed
their probation.
The second event Mr. Innocent wrote about was the
arrival at Tientsin of his second son, George Morrison
Hallam Innocent, who had that year been appointed
as a missionary to China. This was the boy that in
1 866 had been sent home for education. He was seven
years of age at that time. Mr. Innocent accompained
232
Appointment of Rev. G. M. H. Innocent
him to Shanghai, left him in charge of a friend, the
captain of a sailing vessel, who had undertaken to con
vey him safe to England, and parted with him with
almost poignant regret. To be separated from his chil
dren during the period of their education, with grave
doubts of being brought together again after it, is the
normal experience to which the missionary must gener
ally look forward as a matter of course. The separation
from parents anot friends at the beginning of his career
is not in the majority of cases so great a trial as this.
George was placed at a school at Blackheath, London,
specially founded for the education of missionaries
sons. His education completed, he commenced active
life as assistant teacher in a large private school at
North Shields. After some time he removed to New-
castle-on-Tyne. There he was also occupied as assis
tant teacher in a school for gentlemen s sons at Jes-
mond. In 1880 he went to Oldham, where he became
classical tutor in another private school. While at Old-
ham he became closely identified with the Church, and
was made a local preacher. He was recommended for
the ministry, and, at his own urgent request, was sent
to China by the Conference of 1882. His first year
in China was passed as a student preparing for proba
tion, after which he commenced the regular four years
course. To the ordinary work of the course was added
the study of the Chinese language. He passed his
examinations creditably, was received into full Con
nexion by the Conference of 1887, and was ordained
in Tientsin on December 4th. As a probationer he
had been appointed in Tientsin, in Tangshan and in
Shantung. At that time Mr. Innocent, senior, had but
recently returned from his second furlough, having gone
to England after a very long period of service from
233
John Innocent
1871 to 1885. He was accompanied, on his return by
the Rev. F. B. Turner. George s appointment after
ordination was to Tangshan. On the removal of the
Rev. G. T. Candlin to Tientsin, in 1889, young Inno
cent was entrusted with the important work of super
intending the Shantung Circuit. It was a large Circuit,
onerous and toilsome work. But he was a young man
of excellent qualities, was a very devoted worker, and
won the affections of the people to a remarkable degree.
His placid and amiable disposition, accompanied, as it
was, by great modesty of spirit, and remarkable piety,
was just the kind of disposition which the Chinese
could appreciate, and accordingly their respect for him
was profound. Though he had the language to learn,
just as anyone else had, yet the fact that he was born
in the country, and that he remained in China up to
seven years of age, and, therefore, had prattled Chinese
with the exquisite perfection of accent which is cha
racteristic of children, so affected the vocal organs
that the advantage was never lost, and he spoke Chinese
with greater ease and naturalness than most.
The Shantung work prospered in his hands. Twenty-
three new places were opened, many converts baptized
and a great quickening of the churches manifested.
He was thoroughly at home among the Chinese, and
was freely invited to their houses. It is with the pride
of a fond parent (and Mr. Innocent was very fond and
very proud of his missionary son) that the father bears
testimony to his manner of working.
"With a truly sympathetic spirit he had the manner
of kindly ease and of homely familiarity, which, to
gether with his ready use of their colloquial, induced
the confidence and respect of men, women and children.
He was freely invited to their houses, and made himself
234
George M. H. Innccent.
To face p. JV.
Mr. George Innocent in Shantung
as much at home with them as though he were by his
own fireside." There is a pretty custom among the
Chinese, when they wish to show at once honour and
affection for anyone, of presenting him with a long
silk gown, on which the names of the donors are em
broidered. As many subscribers as possible are secured,
and the name of each one appears on the garment.
Such a piece of clothing is known as a wan ming yi
"myriad-name robe." It is, in fact, a cloak of testi
monial with which they completely investure him. Such
a robe was given to George Innocent by the members
in Shantung on his leaving the Circuit for furlough in
1891.
His term of service in Shantung had not been without
its hardships. In 1889 a famine broke out which
brought extreme destitution to all the eastern portion
of the Circuit. This time the distress was due, not to
drought, but to flood. The Yellow River, which is
known as " China s sorrow," had repeatedly broken its
banks, pouring destruction and misery over wide areas
of the country. Whole villages were swept away, tens
of thousands of lives were lost, the crops were des
troyed, and the ravages of famine were felt in every
home. While by no means so wide in extent, the desti
tution was nearly as severe in the years 1889 and 1890
as in the "Great Famine" of 1877. A Relief Com
mittee was formed in Shanghai, and through the agency
of missionaries a total of Tls. 10,000, nearly 2,500,
was distributed. At one time or another every member
of our mission took a hand in this work, but George
Innocent may be fairly said to have done the lion s
share. In 1889 Mr. Innocent, senior, together with the
Rev. G. T. Candlin, went out to the famine field to
assist him, and spent a considerable time in this very
235
John Innocent
arduous work. A small town five miles south of Wu-
ting City, called Ti San Pu, was the centre of their
operations, and in this work they witnessed terrible
scenes. The picture of misery drawn is most harrow
ing:
" To spend week by week in the heart of such horrors,
to toil over difficult roads from village to village in a
jolting mule cart, or, as was often the case, to reach
the sufferers over miles of flooded fields in a clumsy
little cobble-boat, to look upon their ruined homesteads,
the mud walls washed away by the cruel waters, the
roofs torn off to buy wherewithal to stay the pangs of
hunger, to pass in review, by the hundred, their haggard
faces, to see them eating their wretched repast, com
posed solely of weeds and willow leaves, to dole out to
them by family groups the allotted pittance, and feel
with a pang how little was the help you could give after
all the effort made, it is not easy to imagine anything
that could demand greater physical exertion, or put a
severer strain on the human heart."
The people were selling their houses, selling their
land, their wives, their daughters, scattering as fugi
tives, often such of their possessions as they could carry
away with them heaped upon a wheel-barrow, to beg
enough to keep body and soul together. The whole
surrounding country was full of them, and they were
wellnigh as unwelcome as they were pitiable.
Through all these scenes George behaved like a hero,
never wearying in the merciful work of relieving dis
tress, and his furlough was delayed two years on ac
count of it. Not until the cloud lifted in 1891, the
floods disappeared and the harvest fields began to wave
again with rich grain, did he quit his post for the rest
to which he was more than entitled, and by that time
236
At Chu Chid again
urgently needed. He went to England, his welcome
more than assured, for his own as well as for his
father s sake. But, alas, he went never to return. He
was not a man of brilliant gifts, but of a rich and
noble nature, and seldom has a more promising career
of usefulness been cut off in the very hour of its open
ing bloom.
When George Innocent went on furlough, Mr. Inno
cent, senior, took up the work in Shantung, and re
moved with his family to Lao Ling. He had visited the
country many, many times, staying there during a longer
or shorter period as the many exigencies of the work
seemed to demand. But since the unhappy time in
1867, when the attempt at permanent residence broke
down, his residence had been in Tientsin. It was in
June, 1891, twenty-four years after the first attempt,
that he went to reside once more at Chu Chia. He was
now sixty-two years of age, and while still strong
enough for much useful work, he had lost the elasticity
and vigour needed for the prosecution of such work as
Shantung demanded. He was by no means well at the
time, and it was only after consulting his medical man
that he ventured on the experiment. Dr. Shrubshall
was his medical colleague, and, as it was understood
that Mr. Innocent could not be expected to do much of
the travelling work of the Circuit, which involved much
rough and uncomfortable experience, the doctor gener
ously undertook to do as much as possible of the visit
ing work. Dr. Shrubshall was distinguished as a medi
cal missionary for his keen interest in the evangelical
work of the mission, and the part he took in it notwith
standing the heavy duties of his Hospital and Dispen
sary work. He rendered invaluable assistance at this
time, by visiting the more distant parts of the Circuit.
237
John Innocent
He was a man we could ill afford to lose, and it was a
matter for deep regret that after his furlough he was
unable to return to China. It was at this time that Dr.
Shrubshall made the acquaintance of Miss Kate Inno
cent, and formed the attachment which resulted in their
marriage in 1898. The union took place in England
Miss Innocent had all the amiable characteristics of her
brother, and had Dr. Shrubshall returned she would
have made an ideal missionary s wife. During the
period of residence in Shantung she did excellent work
in assisting Mrs. Innocent to work amongst the women,
and to carry on the work which Mrs. Candlin had es
tablished while resident in the country. At the time
when Mrs. Candlin moved with her husband to Tientsin
in the spring of 1889, there were four large women s
meetings held weekly in the village, and this work was
continued and increased by Mrs. and Miss Innocent.
Mr. Innocent applied himself zealously to the work
of reorganizing the Circuit, and extensive notes taken
at the time show how punctiliously he applied himself
to the many details of his superintendency. No task
was too simple, or too humble, for him to undertake,
and his presence was a great stimulus to our Chinese
staff of preachers, most of whom had been his pupils
in the Training Institution.
One good piece of work which Mr. Innocent under
took at this time was a thorough revision of the mem
bers register for the Shantung Circuit. At that time
there were over 1,600 members and probationers scat
tered throughout about fifty churches. In the course
of years, with the inadequacy of superintendence which
had been possible, the registration of these members
had become somewhat uncertain, and it was extremely
desirable to have a complete, well-kept roll of member-
ass
Mr. George Innocent in England
ship, which should contain the name, time of baptism,
age and sex of every individual member. This work
Mr. Innocent took up, and applied himself with charac
teristic energy to its preparation. It involved much
trouble, but a large part of the work was successfully
carried through, and the task was afterwards completed
by Mr. Hinds.
After one year s residence, at the District Meeting
of 1892, Mr. Innocent informed the meeting that his
health would not admit of his remaining at Chu Chia
another full year. He was appointed for the first half-
year, at the end of which he would be allowed to rest
for half a year, and go to Swatow, where his eldest
son, William Innocent, resided, to recruit. Accordingly
he came to Tientsin in November, 1892, but finding his
health much restored in Tientsin he abandoned the
Swatow visit as unnecessary, and remained at Tientsin
to recruit his health until the winter was over, and
awaited a new appointment at District Meeting.
We must now return to follow the fortunes of young
George Innocent whom we last saw going on furlough.
He arrived in England in time for the Conference of
1891, which was held in Leeds. He had been nine years
away from England, and had come to tell the story of
his missionary life. The Rev. G. T. Candlin, with his
family, had also gone on his first furlough at the same
time, arriving, however, ifl the autumn of 1890.
As a missionary on furlough he was especially well
received and admired. His father s many friends natur
ally rallied around him, but he also made many new
ones on his own account. He was a popular deputation
in all the Circuits which he visited. He had no special
gift as a speaker, had never been accustomed to address
large audiences, but he was greatly admired for the
239
John Innocent
unaffected simplicity of his utterances, the evident sin
cerity of his missionary zeal, and the unsophisticated
recital of his experiences. Who could have thought,
as we looked at him, youthful and robust, that so soon
he would be lost to us?
On the 1 8th of February, 1892, he married Miss
Florence Pottinger, of Sunderland, and now, happy
with his bride, was all on fire to get back to China.
His preparations were quickly made, and on the i/th
of April, accompanied by the Rev. G. T. Candlin and
family, the youthful pair sailed by the ss. " Glengyle "
from London. The passage was a very happy one at
first, but, midway on the journey, he was seized with
hasmorrhagic purpura. At Singapore he went ashore
hoping that a day on land would do him good. But
he was restless, and soon returned. From that time
he got rapidly worse, and it appeared certain that he
must break the journey at Hong-Kong.
But, alas ! before Hong-Kong was reached the end
came. Shortly after one o clock, on Monday, May 30th,
he passed quietly away. The ship was in latitude 20
17 north, longitude 113 50 east, about 138 miles from
the port. His age was but thirty-two years, he having
been born between the period when his father volun
teered for China, and the time when he set sail in
1859. All through that sad and woeful night the ship
laboured through lashing seas, with slow and hearse-
like movements, into port. At the earliest dawn, with
her flag at half-mast, she entered the beautiful harbour
of Hong-Kong, and that day George Innocent was
buried in Happy Valley Cemetery. The number of the
grave is 5,438.
It is a beautiful spot where he is laid, at the extreme
end of the cemetery, high up on the hillside, trees and
240
Sudden Bereavement
shrubs, and flowers of every form and hue bloom there
in perpetual summer, birds of tropical plumage hover
in the branches and carol to the evening sun. It looks
upon the rock-girdled harbour, and the coming and
going of ships ; it is always rich with fragrant odours,
and cool with flashing and sparkling fountains ; it is
set far from the touch of winter s frosty finger, and
autumn leaves never lie brown and sere on the bright
paths which meander through its recesses of everlasting
green.
To lose their beloved son was a terrible blow to both
Mr. and Mrs. Innocent. The "loss of son and daughter,
both dedicated and assigned to missionary work, both
dying so young and in so sudden and tragical a manner,
these were the two great griefs of their life. Hardly
less was the anguish of the bereaved sister, so like
George, so fondly beloved by him. What hopes they
had built upon this, their missionary son, what dreams
they had indulged of his future! The beauty and the
strength of both their characters was seen in the resig
nation and patience with which they bore the stroke.
The young bride came on to Tientsin, and joined the
Innocents in Shantung. It was an affecting meeting
between the bride and the lost bridegroom s parents, a
tearful welcome of the son s bride without their son.
On January I5th, 1893, at Tientsin, a little grandson
came to comfort the hearts so sorely bereaved, and
leave a George Innocent to perpetuate his father s
memory.
2*1
CHAPTER XXIII.
LATER YEARS OF SERVICE AND FINAL RETURN TO
ENGLAND.
THE District Meeting of 1893 recommended Mr. Inno
cent s appointment to the Training Institution, and this
was confirmed by the Missionary Committee and the
Conference. There yet remained before him four years
of service in China, and they were spent in the work
of teaching. Many other interests, however, divided
his time, to some of which we must refer later, but
our first task in this chapter shall be to chronicle, as
briefly as may be, a few events of interest which belong
to the period from 1890 to 1900.
In 1891 Dr. F. W. Marshall and the Rev. J. K. Rob-
son were sent to China. The former gentleman was
the son of one of our best-known ministers, the Rev.
H. T. Marshall, D.D. Hitherto our medical mission
aries had entered our service from other Churches. Dr.
F. W. Marshall represented an attempt to get one of
our own sons trained for medical service. He was
chosen beforehand as a promising young man for the
work, and his medical education was in part at the
cost of the Connexion. He passed his examinations
successfully, and obtained the diploma of the Royal
College of Physicians and Surgeons, Edinburgh. On
his arrival he was sent to the Lao Ling Hospital, where
he was colleague with Dr. Shrubshall until the latter s
removal to Tangshan in 1893.
242
Fresh Recruits
The Rev. J. K. Robson was also first appointed to
Lao Ling. Mr. Robson had entered the ministry as early
as 1883, and travelled in Gateshead, Halifax North and
Dewsbury. Having private means he volunteered to go
out to China at his own expense for a period of five
years. In the carrying out of this engagement he was
most punctilious, not only forgoing salary, but also
providing his own travelling expenses to China, and
while on the field. No sooner had he begun to study
the language than he conceived the idea of acquiring
a medical training. He was removed to Tientsin in 1 892
in order to acquire medical knowledge, under Dr.
Roberts, at the London Mission Hospital. But, owing
to the sudden death of Dr. Roberts, this arrangement
came to an end, and in September, 1894, he sailed for
America, where he secured a diploma as an M.D. He
afterwards returned to England in 1898, and in 1901
was again sent to China as a self-supporting missionary.
In 1907 he was given a place on the paid staff of the
mission.
Dr. A. F. Jones, the son of one of our best-known
laymen in the town of Chester, joined the mission in
1898.
In 1897, the Rev. J. Hedley arrived in China. He was
appointed to Shantung as the colleague of the Rev. J.
Hinds, where he remained until the time of the Great
Outbreak in 1900. Mr. Robinson had been appointed
superintendent of the Circuit in 1899. Mr. Hedley and
Mr. Robinson and Dr. Jones, with their families, un
derwent very trying experiences in escaping from the
Boxers. The way to Tientsin was intercepted, and, in
conjunction with a large missionary party, they had to
be conducted under escort to Yang Chia Kou where
they were taken by steamer to Chefoo, and from thence
243
John Innocent
to Wei-hai-wei. Mr. Hedley, again in company with
Mr. Robinson, made the first journey to Shantung after
the country was settled, where they toiled arduously
in arranging the Indemnity Claims of the mission, and
of our Chinese members. Mr. Hedley also did much
difficult work in arranging similar claims in the Tang-
shan and Yung P ing Circuits. While residing at Tang-
shan he was entrusted with the opening of the long-
projected new Circuit of Yung P ing. He built the first
new house in 1901, removed to the Circuit next year,
and built a second house for the medical missionary.
Mr. Hedley has published a book of travel, " On Tramp
Among the Mongols," and also in 1907, a useful and
interesting description of the mission entitled, " Our
Mission in North China."
In 1893, the Rev. G. T. Candlin went, by special in
vitation, as a representative to the Parliament of Re
ligions in Chicago, a quite unique gathering of repre
sentatives of all the great religions of the world. Chris
tian (Greek, Roman Catholic and Protestant), Moham
medan, Buddhist, Hindu, Confucianist, Shinto, Jain
and other faiths. It was held in connection with the
Columbian Exhibition.
In 1893 died Chang Hsao Hsuen, B.A. He was a
Tientsin man, one of the old stalwarts, one of the first
of Mr. Innocent s converts ; his name stands fifth in
the register of baptisms. He had rendered faithful ser
vice for nearly thirty years. Chang was the greatest
bookworm the mission ever had, with an encyclopaedic
knowledge of Chinese literature, and a store of his
torical knowledge which out-distanced all rivals. As a
preacher, he was gifted with remarkable originality,
and a trick of unconscious humour, which was simply
delicious. To see the congregation all smiling as he
244
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To face p. 244.
Death of Mr. Chang Hsno Hsucn, B.A.
naively slipped out the thought they all shared, but
which any other preacher would have suppressed, and
the look of bewilderment on the old man s face, quite
puzzled to know what it was all about, was a rare treat.
The punishment of Ananias and Sapphira, as a China
man, he must say it was a terrible punishment for a
very little fault, and the Lord was more merciful now,
or where would they all be ! Then the wonderful bursts
of eloquence that would suddenly break out just as he
seemed to have been getting prosy !
With really great acquirements, and a gift of speech
seldom equalled, he united one of the simplest, most
guileless characters we have ever known. He was in
capable of deceit, but any child might cheat him by
the most transparent device. Lowly, loyal-hearted,
without a thought of self, patient and tender and great,
let his name be written among the patriarchs. He died
in Shantung where he had been working for many
years.
In 1896 a very serious illness befell the Rev. J.
Robinson. He had rendered twelve years of valuable
service before entering upon furlough in 1889 and 1890.
He was next in seniority to the Rev. J. Innocent, and
during Mr. Innocent s second furlough, in 1885 and
1886, had charge of both Circuit and Institution in
Tientsin, remaining in charge of the latter on Mr.
Innocent s return until 1887. On Mr. Robinson s re
turn from furlough in 1891 he was appointed to Shan
tung. As there were three missionaries in the Circuit
and but two houses, the superintendent resided for some
years in Tientsin. But the absolute necessity for a third
house became apparent, and this was one of the chief
reasons for the sale of the Institution property. Much
discussion took place by correspondence with the Secre-
245
John Innocent
tary, the Rev. J. K. Jackson, as to whether the new
house should be built at Yang Hsin or at Chu Chia.
Chu Chia was finally decided upon, and in 1890 the
building was actually commenced. It was while travel
ling to District Meeting in the spring that he was seized
with violent pains on the way. He had had similar
symptoms before, but little importance was attached
to them by his doctor. Fortunately he was accom
panied by three other brethren. He managed to reach
Chu Chia, but had to take to his bed the first day of
the District Meeting. His illness became more and
more serious, and by the time the sessions were over
Dr. Marshall had diagnosed it as appendicitis. Another
doctor, Dr. Peck, was sent for from a mission station
two days distance away, and Mrs, Robinson was escorted
from Tientsin to nurse him. A few days after a very
serious operation was performed by Dr. Marshall, and
after some months he was removed to Tientsin. It
was hoped that a cure had been effected, but the next
year, also at the beginning of the District Meeting,
he was again seized, and a second operation was neces
sary. Fortunately this year the meeting was in Tient
sin. The District Meeting of 1897 was remarkable
for having had three chairmen. Mr. Innocent held but
one session, and in the afternoon of the same day de
parted for England. Mr. Robinson held but one ses
sion, and was taken suddenly ill. It fell to Mr. Candlin
to preside over the remaining sessions. After this
second operation it was at once decided to send Mr.
Robinson home. In 1897, a radical operation for the
removal of the appendix was performed by Dr. Mayo
Robson, of Leeds. In 1898, Mr. Robinson was ap
pointed to the Batley Circuit as second preacher, and,
notwithstanding the trying experiences which he had
246
Death of Rev. J. Robinson
come through, he won such golden opinions in the Cir
cuit that the next year they pressed him to remain as
superintendent. But his heart was in China, and in
1899 he returned to the mission field.
The next year came the Boxer trouble, and the har
assing experience which we have already narrated. Mr.
Robinson died at Tientsin on the 3rd of April, 1905,
after a long and painful illness. His health had been
visibly failing ever since his trying experiences in 1900.
Brother Robinson was a man of unusual force of
character, and mental vigour, a fresh and virile intel
lect, an eloquent preacher, not lacking in humour, and
possessed of a sound judgment in all business con
cerns. In addition to nine years of service in the Eng
lish ministry he had served the mission for twenty-
eight years. He is buried beside Mr. Hall in Tientsin
Cemetery.
After the death of George Innocent a " George Inno
cent Memorial Fund " was formed. The Rev. G. S.
Hornby had special charge of it, and a considerable sum
was collected. By means of this fund a very suitable
white marble memorial was erected over the grave in
the " Happy Valley," Hong-Kong, and the rest of
the amount was transferred to China, and utilized
as a Loan Fund for some years to give assistance
in the building of chapels in outlying places. It
did good work in the performance of these functions,
and at the same time was largely increased by them.
By 1907 a sufficient sum was accumulated, and the
George Innocent Memorial School was erected at the
City of Wuting.
To come back to Mr. Innocent s activities during the
last four years of his ministry. He was now getting
an old man. In 1893 he was sixty- four years of age,
847
John Innocent
and while his devotion to duty remained as great as
ever, he had no longer the force and energy of his
younger days. He had borne the loss of his son with
remarkable resignation, and those who were most in
timate with him greatly admired his saintly acceptance
of the Divine Will. But he was never quite the same
man again. We are reminded of Browning s words :
"All my days I ll go the softlier, gentlier."
Of his work at the Institution during this period there
is really little to be said. The duties of the position
were faithfully discharged, and in the work of teaching
he " kept the even tenor of his way." It has been said,
"Blessed are the people who have no history." The
College had no history. But he united with his duties
a considerable amount of work as a colleague in the
Tientsin Circuit. Especially he took his full share in
the fortnightly visits to Taku, where we were wont to
preach to the foreign community as well as to the
Chinese Church. He was a delightful colleague dur
ing these days, and the present writer cherishes the
memory of that time with peculiar satisfaction as the
time when he knew Mr. Innocent best. Even after a
long acquaintance there was still something to discover
in him. His comradeship, his sympathy, his ready
counsel, and the quiet but rare hospitality of his home
were beyond all praise.
This period in the history of the mission was a
most fruitful one in the work of organization, which
up to now had by no means kept pace with the growth
of the mission. In the important changes that were
made, it is desirable to indicate clearly the part taken
by Mr. Innocent From a much earlier period (1890)
it had been customary to appoint a Financial Secretary
248
More Effective Organization
who was closely associated with Mr. Innocent, who
when in China was always chairman of the District, in
keeping the accounts of the mission. The appointment
of this officer was due in the first instance to Mr. Inno
cent. But it was not until 1892 that the appointment
was distinctly recognized in the " Minutes " and the
Report, and not until 1897 that he was given his rightful
standing. The currency in China, in which accounts
are reckoned, is Taels, and payments to Chinese agents
were all made in Chinese money, copper coins of an
extremely low denomination, called cash. One cash re
presented about one-sixtieth, or one-fiftieth part of a
penny. Accounts are still kept on the mission in Taels
and in cash (though the dollar is now coming into use),
but are sent home in sterling. What with placing the
accounts in these equivalents, and the negotiating of
Bills of Exchange, the bookkeeping is much more
complicated than in England. The Financial Secretary
is in reality the Treasurer of the mission, and ought
to be called so. Bills are negotiated and the general
accounts supervised by the chairman, and this has the
advantage of bringing two of the senior brethren in
close touch with all questions of outlay.
A second step in the development of our organization
was the founding of the Theological Committee, on
the model of the one in England. This took place in
1891. It must not be supposed that previous to that
date no work at all of that nature had been done, but
up to that time there was no Standing Committee, and
the work of examining students and probationers was
done in a somewhat haphazard way. From this time
forth there has been a permanent committee, the im
portance and value of which has greatly increased with
the growth of the mission, and involves heavy labour
2*9
John Innocent
on the Theological Secretary. The chief credit for
this Institution must be given to the Rev. F. B. Turner,
who not only led the way in founding it, but has
borne by far the heaviest burden in acting as its Secre
tary for most of the time since. At first it consisted
of English missionaries only, the Revs. J. Robinson
and F. B. Turner being the first Committee, but it
was soon increased to a joint Committee of English
and Chinese senior preachers. Its function is to ex
amine candidates for the Institution, prepare the annual
examination papers for the Institution students, pro
vide a course of study for young preachers on their
four years probation, prepare questions for their annual
examination and issue texts for their written sermons.
It reports annually to the District Meeting. In the year
1891 there were fourteen probationers, in 1908 twenty.
In 1895 the Mission Provident Society was formed.
Its rules were printed in 1896. This is the Beneficent
Society for Chinese preachers on the North China
Mission. Of the three classes of workers, preachers,
catechists and school teachers, preachers only are
admitted as members, and with them membership is
compulsory. The formation of the society has had
two excellent effects. It has freed the mission from
constant appeals for help from disabled workers ; and
it has made it easier to remove from the staff men of
advanced age whose days of usefulness are passed.
Nothing could be more injurious to the mission than
to feel bound, from motives of charity, to keep on men
who have become a burden and a hindrance rather than
a stay to the cause. The society is self-governing, and
enjoys an annual grant of five pounds from the Mis
sion Funds. The financial details of the society will
provoke a smile from those who are accustomed to
250
Provident Society for Native Pastors
manage such societies in England. With the excep
tion of the $, above mentioned, its income is derived
exclusively from members subscriptions. Preachers
pay to the society, according to their age at entrance,
a subscription ranging from 135. to 7s. -per annum.
The grants to retired preachers are about 55. -per month ;
to widows about 2s. per month. It also makes funeral
grants of about 4 on the death of wife, or of either
parent. It thus appears to be a Beneficent Society on
an extremely humble scale. The figures in Chinese
denominations look quite different, however ; in fact,
quite munificent. The grant to retired preachers,
for instance (5s), is 5,000 cash per month, or
60,000 cash per annum, which looks ruinously extrava
gant. But the society can afford to do it. The grant
from home ($) alone brings in 100,000 cash. Fancy
getting 85,000 on the death of wife or parent. In
reality the subscriptions and the grants are quite as
high, judged by the social standard of those concerned,
as those made in England.
The present capital of the society is Tls. 2,687, or
about 335. Let us have this in cash, too, that we
may see how rich we are. 335 equals not less than
five million three hundred and seventy-four thousand
cash. From this it will be seen that the society is
thoroughly solvent and flourishing. There are at pre
sent five annuitants of the society, and in 1907 nine
grants were made for funeral expenses.
But the great legislative act of the period was the
formulation of a Code of Rules for the mission. This
was determined on at the District Meeting of 1894, and
the Rules were published in Chinese in 1896. The
Committee appointed for the purpose consisted of the
Revs. J. Innocent, J. Robinson and G. T. Candlin. The
251
John Innocent
Rules received the sanction of the District Meeting and
of the Conference, and came into operation in 1897.
They provided for an annual Chinese District Meeting,
which has since been divided into two Sub-District
Meetings for the three northern and two southern Cir
cuits respectively, and for Circuit quarterly meetings
and society meetings. They also included regulations
for the preachers ordained and unordained, for cate-
chists, school teachers and members. It was a notable
piece of work, and though it made little noise at the
time, it met a crying need, and has been of great bene
fit to the mission. Our Churches are now beginning to
realize their value, but the Rules need revising in some
respects. This Code of Rules was the granting of a
liberal constitution to our Churches in China. Hitherto
affairs had been managed very much by rule of thumb.
Up to 1875 the names of our Chinese preachers were
not printed in the "Minutes." Until 1896, such or
ganization as the mission had, was as bureaucratic as
that of early Methodism. All power was in the hands
of the four or five English missionaries. No Chinaman
had any recognized status or rights. There were no
fixed stipends for the preachers. It was not govern
ment by a " Legal Hundred," but by a " legal five," or
" four " as the case might be. For the first time, in
1896, our Churches became New Connexion in spirit
and in polity. The mission was at length organized.
These various changes involved, of necessity, a con
siderable amount of work for Mr. Innocent as chair
man, as well as for others. But it would not be true
to represent them as due to his origination or leadership.
He rather shrank from these steps in advance, with the
feeling that the Chinese Churches were not ripe for
them. But there is much truth in Mr. Gladstone s
252
Britisk and Foreign Bible Society
maxim : " The way to make the people fit to enjoy
liberty is to give them liberty." Mr. Innocent took up
a mildly conservative attitude. If there were times when
projected reforms scarcely enlisted his sympathy, he
never degenerated into a mere obstructionist, but
showed the nobility of his mind, after waiting a due
time for reflection, by a willing acceptance of them.
Perhaps this is the best place to make brief reference
to certain activities which extended over the greater
part of Mr. Innocent s life, and for which no place has
hitherto been found. He did much to forward the
work of the Bible Societies, and especially of the Brit
ish and Foreign. We have seen how deeply he was
interested in the great work of the Rev. Alexander
Wylie in Shanghai. When that gentleman visited
Tientsin and Peking, in December of 1863, he noted it
in his diary as a very important event. Mr. Wylie was
probably his guest. From that time onward he took
the warmest interest in the sale of Scriptures, and gave
much valuable assistance, by serving on committees,
and by finding suitable men to employ as colporteurs to
render the work of the Society successful. We have
seen how in his first tentative efforts at evangelism
at Tientsin, and on his many preaching and exploring
tours, he relied upon the distribution of the Scriptures
as a most important aid. It was he who commenced
the system, which has ever since been employed
on the mission, of employing colporteurs in every
Circuit, for the cost of which the societies willingly pay
as an auxiliary to mission work. More than a dozen
colporteurs are thus employed in affiliation with the
mission at the present time. He loved his Bible for
himself, and took much pains to give it to others.
During the earlier portion of his life, Mr. Innocent
253
John Innocent
was a very active temperance worker. He was one of
the early founders of the Tientsin Temperance Society
and Institution, founded chiefly for the purpose of
keeping from bad haunts the sailors of the various
gunboats of different nationalities English, American,
French, Russian who might be in Tientsin during the
winter. He was one of its first Presidents, and his
portrait, presented recently, hangs on the walls of the
Temperance Club side by side with those of the Rev.
Jonathan Lees and the Rev. C. A. Stanley, D.D., in
recollection of his past services. The society is now an
influential one, and does much for the wellbeing of
Tientsin society. It holds valuable property, is in the
enjoyment of a considerable annual income, and has
built the Waverley Hall, where the Waverley Club holds
its meetings, a mixed club designed to provide innocent
enjoyments for the young of both sexes. Many of the
best citizens of Tientsin are active workers in the Tem
perance Society.
The termination of Mr. Innocent s work in China was
fairly synchronous with the complete break-up of China s
ancient policy of self-seclusion and isolation from the
comity of nations. In 1894 the war with Japan broke
out. Disturbances occurring in Korea, for which it
was said Yuan Shih K ai was chiefly responsible, led to
the King of Korea calling on the Emperor, as his suze
rain, for protection against the Japanese. The Em
peror declared war on the 4th of August. Then came
the naval battle of the Yalu, and the destruction of
China s fleet. It was followed by the brilliant series of
actions in which Japan first displayed her strength as a
modern military power. The " Kowshing " was sunk
in the gulf with China s forces, for the relief of Korea,
aboard. Then came the great victory at Ping-Yang,
254
The Chino- Japan eie War
and the long succession of conquests which followed
as the Japanese crossed the Yalu, entered Manchuria,
took Chiu Liang Chen, Kai Chou, K ai-ping, Hai
Ch eng, and followed on to Chinchow, Ta lien wan and
the invincible fortress at Port Arthur; Niuchuang and
Yingkou fell in turn, and when operating in China
itself, the Japanese forces had taken the fortresses at
Wei-hai-wei, and Liu Kung Tao, their way lay open
for forcing the entrance of the Pei-ho, and a straight
march from the sea to Tientsin and Peking. With not
a single reverse, they had skilfully planned every at
tack, and carried it out with an energy and courage
never surpassed. The campaign, on the Chinese side, was
only a hopeless muddle of confusion, unpreparedness,
obsolete military methods, and obsolete weapons, in
capacity on the part of the generals, corruption on the
part of the officials. Torpedoes would not explode,
sand was in the shells instead of powder, gingals and
bows and arrows were seen going to the front, the
most effective machine guns were thrown aside because
they did not know how to use them ; Chinese soldiers
were everywhere except on the field of battle ; there
they were always outnumbered by the Japanese. Ab
solutely at the mercy of her enemy, China succumbed,
and, after one or two ineffectual efforts at peace-mak
ing, Li Hung Chang was sent to Japan, and on the
1 7th of April, 1895, the Treaty was signed at Shimon -
oseki. The result was such a humiliation, and such an
awakening, as China could never forget, and from that
time her whole foreign policy underwent a profound
change.
In the year 1 896 an important memorial was presented
to the Emperor, by the Rev. T. Richard, representing
the Protestant missions in China, asking for the frank
255
John Innocent
toleration of Christianity. It appears to have been
little attended to, but a policy of national reform in
volving drastic national changes was commenced. The
famous Kang Yu Wei, known under the soubriquet of
"the modern Confucius," obtained the ear of the Em
peror himself. He was associated with a small gang of
young reformers, who secured from the Emperor Edict
after Eclict of an almost revolutionary character. China s
antique system of examination for degrees and for
offices was to be changed, sinecures abolished, idol-
temples turned into schools, and as reactionary and con
servative mandarins, alarmed for their prerogatives and
emoluments, were loud in their protests, and enlisted
the Empress-Dowager on their side, the Emperor
ordered her to be placed in the " Winter Palace," where
she would be deprived of all power to do mischief.
Yuan Shih K ai, to whom the order was entrusted, be
trayed his sovereign by divulging his secret orders
to Yung Lu who at once warned the Empress.
Then, in 1898, on September 22nd, came the coup
d etat. Kang Yu Wei was compelled to flee ; the
Emperor was for some days imprisoned in a pavilion
within the Forbidden City, and six young men, the
flower of the reformers, were beheaded in Peking. The
Empress resumed the regency, and, at the head of a
cabal of violent reactionaries, set herself to reverse
all that had been done by the young Emperor, issuing
Edicts in his name, which must have been absolutely
abhorrent to him, but which she had the means of com
pelling him to sign. Never was a monarch more child
ishly impotent. The friends of reform were in despair.
The intervention of the Powers was confidently pre
dicted, and the partition of China.
It was in the year before the events chronicled in
256
To face p. J56.
Leaving for Home
the last paragraph that Mr. Innocent began, in the
early spring, to make preparations for his third fur
lough. He intended to leave before the District Meet
ing, but was dissuaded. The enlarged District Meeting,
at which Chinese delegates were present, was to be
held for the first time, and Mr. Innocent presided over
its sessions which occupied the first day. He set before
the delegates the purpose cherished in calling them to
our counsels, appealed to their loyalty and love of the
mission to co-operate in the use of the privileges ac
corded to them, and exhorted them to continue stead
fast in the great work now being committed to their
hands. There was something peculiarly fitting in the
fact that the old veteran, after so long a period of
service, and now on the eve of departure for home,
should be the one to inaugurate the new order of
things.
Mr. and Mrs. Innocent, with their daughter, Kate,
went on board their steamer in Tientsin that evening,
March 22nd, 1897, escorted by many friends anxious
to say good-bye. As we shook hands, and wished them
a pleasant passage, and a hearty welcome on the other
side of the ocean, we little thought that they were
departing never to return.
257
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE GREAT BOXER UPRISING.
IN this chapter we anticipate, by about three years, the
narrative of Mr. Innocent s personal history, in order
to give a brief account of the remarkable outbreak of
1900, an event which had a profound effect upon the
mission, as, in fact, upon all the Christian missions in
China. The story of Mr. Innocent s life will be re
sumed and completed in our final chapter.
In dealing with the Boxer uprising we are dealing
with a disturbance of portentous magnitude. It sur
passed in significance all previous disputes of China
with foreigners. It brought into Chinese waters the
fleets of many nations, it landed on Chinese soil an
expedition which included the soldiers of Europe,
America and Japan. The many scenes of violence and
bloodshed connected with it were comparable, in their
wild and measureless disorder, with the fierce struggles
of the Tai-ping Rebellion. Its ravages spread over an
area which extended through Manchuria to the banks
of the Amur, and embraced the six provinces of Chihli.
Shantung, Honan, Shansi, Shensi and Kansuh. Its
spread into the southern provinces, which were pro
foundly disturbed by it, was only averted by the wise
and vigorous action of the southern Viceroys. It gave
to the Christian Church a " noble army of martyrs,"
not surpassed in the numbers of the sufferers, nor in
the tortures they endured, nor yet in the fortitude and
heroism they displayed by the persecutions of the early
258
The Boxer Outbreak
days of Christian martyrdom under Nero and Caligula.
Our own mission was situated in the very heart of the
storm, and though suffering far less than many others,
numbered about a hundred martyrs, a very large pro
portion of its members underwent hardships and priva
tions of the severest character, and a loss was entailed
to our membership of not less than twelve hundred
persons.
Perhaps the greatest difficulty one has to deal with
in writing of the Boxer outbreak is that of explaining
its cause. Much has been written on this subject, yet
nothing that is quite satisfactory. The fact is it is
vain to ask for the cause. It is as though we asked
for the cause of the French Revolution. It was too
great and too complex and confused a movement to be
ascribed to any one cause. There were many causes,
great and small, near and remote, combined at the
psychological moment to produce an effect which was
miraculous in its wonder and horror. The general
antipathy and conservatism of the Chinese people, their
hostility to foreigners, their hatred of Christianity,
China s unfortunate political relations, her humiliating
defeat by Japan, the alienation of her territory, the
ceaseless demand for concessions from her of the most
various kinds, the talk freely indulged in of the coming
partition of China, the reforms attempted by the Em
peror Kuang Hsu in the days of his real power, and
which, though failing, had awakened deep resentment
in the minds of the reactionary, the uncertainty of
China s future, all these were causes, and it was their
cumulative force which made them the efficient spring
of so stupendous a result. If this accumulation of
causes renders it difficult for us to explain the Boxer
Outbreak, let us be thankful that the impossibility of
259
John Innocent
their all combining into one for a second time, is our
surest guarantee that the Boxer Outbreak can never
occur again.
The true genesis of this strange movement is to be
traced to the events of 1898, which we have already
narrated, and the coup d etat which reduced the Em
peror to impotence, drove Kang Yu Wei into exile, and
brought to the block the young martyrs of reform. We
have a very definite and decided opinion that from
that time dates the deliberate scheme of the reaction
aries, chiefly Manchus, for driving foreigners from
China and restoring to the Empire its ancient exclusive-
ness. The ruling spirits of the disorder in 1908 were the
Cabal, who made the resolution of 1898, Prince Tuan,
Yung Lu, Kang Yi, Prince Ch ing, their infamous
tool Yii Hsien (all Manchus), and the brigand Chinese
General Tung Fu Hsiang. At that time the scheme was
hatched, and from that time they began their work.
The Empress-Dowager was at their head. The act of
1898 was really an act of usurpation, the government
of the Empress-Dowager was a usurping government,
and this nefarious Government thus early conceived the
idea of making the ignorant people the cat s-paw of its
traitorous policy. An instrument was wanted for exci
ting into activity the slumbering animosity of the popu
lace. Yii Hsien was appointed Governor of Shantung
and entrusted with the task of creating this instrument.
It involved the calling into existence of not less than
three weird and mysterious secret societies, viz., the
Big Sword Society, the Boxer Society, and the Light
of the Red Lamp Society. The latter was an association
of young females who appear to have added little to
the movement but an air of romance and mysticism.
The Big Swords were a violent and daring band who
260
The Boxers approved by the Empress
were responsille for the murder of the Rev. Sydney
Brooks, a Church of England missionary, which took
place near to Tai Ngan, in southern Shantung, at the
close of 1899. Governor Yii Hsien was its reputed
head. They were soon merged in the famous Yi Ho
Ch iian, literally, " Volunteer Associated Fists," which
came to be called the Boxer Society. Though many seem
to think that this renowned and redoubtable secret
society was a popular movement originating spontane
ously among the people, which was afterwards, when
grown to formidable dimensions, adopted and patro
nized by the Empress and her clique, we are convinced
that this theory by no means accounts for all the facts,
which can only be accounted for on the supposition
that it was called into being, and nursed and fostered
into strength by Yii Hsien himself, whose secret in
structions enabled him to prove, whenever needful, that
he had the highest authority for his action in calling
it into birth. It is freely admitted, on all sides, that
ft was openly patronized and employed at a later stage
by both Prince Tuan and the Empress. It is only on
the supposition of its being, in its very inception, a
secret official creation, that we can explain its phenom
enal growth, the absence of all opposition to it on
the part of the well-disposed gentry and people, the
perfect impunity with which it did its lawless and evil
work from the very beginning, and the manner in which
the soldiery co-operated with it throughout.
We have the authority of Yuan Shih K ai, when
Governor of Shantung, for saying that the " Big
Swords" had commenced organizing as early as 1896,
and that their origin was in the prefectures of Yi Chou
fu and Yen Chou fu. There are strong reasons for
supposing that a number of Buddhist and Taoist priests
261
John Innocent
were associated with the Boxer Society in its beginnings.
Once formed it appears to have commenced operations
on a small scale at various centres in Anhui, Kiang-
su and Shantung. But its movement was steadily north
ward, until, in 1899, its lawless deeds began to arrest
special attention in the districts of Chichou (Chihli) and
Ping Yuan and En Hsien (Shantung). The mission
stations at P ang Chuang and at Hsiao Chang were the
first to be harried by its lawless acts, but they do not
appear to have attempted more at that time than pillage
and extortion on a large scale. They had already given
out that in consequence of the mysterious and supposed
magical qualities acquired as the result of certain exer
cises, known as " Boxer Drill," they were absolutely
invulnerable either to sword cut or rifle shot. A con
flict took place, however, between them and the Govern
ment troops, near Ping Yuan, in the latter half of 1899,
in which ninety-eight of them were killed. In conse
quence of this Yii Hsien, the Governor, had the Pre
fect and the District Magistrate removed, and the head
constable, who had arrested some of them, taken in
irons to Chinan, and punished in the severest manner.
From that time the opinion began to grow that the
Boxers had " secret orders from above." By December
of 1899 the Society had grown so large, and its opera
tions were so widespread that a good part of Shantung
was in serious disorder. At this juncture, owing to the
pressure of the foreign ministers on the Tsung Li
Yamen, Yii Hsien was removed from Shantung, and
Yuan Shlh K ai sent to succeed him. Yii Hsien was
marked for special favour by the Empress, and ap
pointed Governor of Shansi. During the month of
May, 1900, the whole district along the railway line
from Paoting to Peking was swarming with Boxer
262
Attack on Railway Stations
camps, zealously practising their incantations, posting
their threatening placards, and making furious attacks.
Dr. Smith tells us that, " A Roman Catholic congrega
tion was burned alive in its place of worship. Chris
tians were attacked in their homes, or wherever they
could be found, cut down at sight, and their bodies
thrown into wells and streams. There were supposed
to be thirty thousand Boxers gathered about the single
city of Chi Chou, practising their magic rites by day
and by night."
It first became evident that operations on a grand
scale were intended, when, on May 28th, they attacked
the railway station at Feng-tai, a few miles south-west
of Peking. This was followed by attacks on other
stations along the line. By the end of May warships
had already assembled at Taku, and the various Lega
tions in Peking telegraphed for guards to be sent up.
The Chinese authorities objected to this, and offered
to protect the Legations with their own soldiers. The
ministers, fortunately insisted, and on the 3 1st of May,
about eighteen officers and 389 men arrived in Peking
to strengthen the Legation guards. The portentous
dimensions to which the outbreak had already grown
is shown by the following telegram sent by Mr. Conger
to President McKinley :
" Boxers destroy chapels, massacre hundreds Chris
tians, threaten exterminate all foreigners. T ung Chou
abandoned ; Paotingf u, Tsun Hua extreme danger.
Chinese troops useless. Attack Peking, Tientsin daily
threatened. Railways destroyed, telegraphs cut.
Chinese Government paralysed. Imperial Edicts
double-faced: favour Boxers. Universal peril. Un
less situation promptly relieved, thirty Americans con
vened regard outlook practically hopeless."
263
John Innocent
General Nieh was sent to guard the railway, but his
orders were to disperse the Boxers without firing upon
them. Tung Fu Hsiang opened the gates of Peking,
and the Boxers marched into the city, and practised
on the official drill grounds, opposite the British Lega
tion, and in the Palaces of Duke Lan and Prince Tuan.
On June loth, Prince Tuan was made President of the
Tsung Li Yamen, China s Foreign Office. During this
period numberless Christians and friends of Christians
were massacred in and about the city. Pillage and
burning proceeded day and night, and fires raged in
all directions. The railway line to Tientsin was des
troyed. Peking was in a state of semi-siege. All
foreigners in the city withdrew into the Legations for
protection, together with a large body of Chinese Chris
tians. One sturdy party of French priests and soldiers
held the Cathedral in Peking from first to last. What
was taking place at Peking was but a type of events
transpiring throughout the North, so that the months of
June, July and August were witnesses of one wild whirl
wind in which the nation was utterly frenzied, and fire
and bloodshed were intermingled with such fiendish acts
of cruelty as the world has seldom known. Space limits
compel us to crowd into a few sentences what it has
taken volumes to describe in any detail.
On the 2nd of June, Mr. Norman and Mr. Robinson
were massacred at Yung Ching. Foreign reinforce
ments landed at Tientsin on June 5th. None too soon ;
for the situation there was as menacing as at Peking,
and the settlements were threatened. On the g\h of
June the terrible Edict was issued which was the Em
press-Dowager s crowning crime : " Yang jen pi ska,
fui hui chi ska " ; " Kill all foreigners : as they retire
kill them at once ! " Mr. Sugiyama, the Japanese Chan-
264
Massacres
cellor, was killed in Peking on June 1 4th. Baron Von
Ketteler, German Minister, was killed in the streets of
Peking by soldiers on June 2Oth. On that day com
menced the siege of the Legations which lasted until
the 20th of August, when, after suffering terrible hard
ships, they were relieved by the expeditionary forces
under the Count Von Waldersee, the British forces,
commanded by General Gaselee, being first to enter
through the Watergate. A fierce attack was made on
Tientsin foreign settlements by Boxers from the city
joined by Chinese soldiery on June I7th. That same
day Taku forts were taken by gunboats from the fleets.
The garrison was again hard pressed on June 3ist, and
was relieved by allies after hard fighting on the 23rd.
In the meantime Admiral Seymour had started on June
1 4th for Peking. He had several encounters with
Boxers and soldiers, who had now joined forces, but
his small force was so encumbered with wounded that
he returned to Tientsin June 29th, capturing the
arsenal at Hsiku on his way. At T ai Yuan fu, the
capital of Shansi, fifty-four missionaries, men, women
and children, were massacred in the Governor s Yamen
on the 28th of June and the gth of July. They were
murdered by order of the Governor, Yii Hsien, who is
said to have killed some of them with his own hand.
There was fierce fighting at Tientsin on the 3rd, 4th,
6th and Qth of July. On the nth there was a deter
mined attack on the railway station, which was repulsed,
though with heavy loss, by Russian troops. But by
this time heavy reinforcements began to arrive : the
tables at last were turned, and those who had been
barely holding their own against overwhelming odds
not only of men, but of weapons, for while the allies
were fighting with almost antiquated guns, the Chinese
265
John Innocent
had command of some of the finest artillery that modern
science has produced, were now able to assume the
offensive. On the I3th and 1 4th of July the city of
Tientsin was taken by the allies, forty-eight guns being
captured by the Japanese. With the taking of Tientsin
the back of the Boxer insurrection (if so it may be
called) was broken. On the 5th of August the great
march to Peking began ; the Boxers were scattered in
all directions, and on the 2Oth the Legations were re
lieved. The Chinese Court had fled to Singan, and
the Forbidden City itself fell into the hands of the
foreign troops. The madness of the Court had spent
itself. The Dowager-Empress began to see that her
unexampled crime was an unexampled blunder, and
called in saner councils. Li Hung Chang was restored
to power, and the work commenced of reorganizing
the Government and restoring the country to its normal
state. It was a work of extreme difficulty, and the
task of securing guarantees against any repetition of
disorder, and indemnities for the countless losses sus
tained, was the complicated and anxious work of the
next two years.
It must not be forgotten that while, at the ports and
in Peking? foreigners were in a position to protect
themselves and offer resistance to the violent attacks
made upon them, several thousands of missionaries,
scattered in little groups, comprising companies of from
two to ten families, throughout the interior of China,
were absolutely at the mercy of their relentless foes,
and had to make their escape, sometimes over hundreds
of miles, through a hostile country. This is the sole
reason why so large a proportion of missionaries met
their death. Considering the circumstances in which
they were placed, it was truly astonishing that the num-
266
Marvellous Deliverance*
her killed was not ten times as great. The story of
their sufferings, the horrors perpetrated on those who
fell, and the hairbreadth escapes by which the greater
portion of them came out of the fire, is full of thrilling
excitement and wonder, and affords ample ground for
magnifying the wonderful grace of their deliverance.
No attempt at an account of any of them can be made
here. Let it suffice to say that the true wonder, the
crowning miracle of these scenes of horror was not the
defence of Tientsin, or the relief of Peking, but the
unspeakable, marvellous deliverances of thousands who
were absolutely defenceless. It must also be remem
bered that the Chinese Christians, Roman Catholic and
Protestant, bore the unmitigated brunt of the assassins
rage, and by thousands, under circumstances, often of
the most refined and fiendish cruelty, were remorselessly
butchered. Many attempts have been made to estimate
the numbers of these martyrs. It was undoubtedly, as
in all such cases, much exaggerated at the time ; state
ments were freely made that the Chinese martyrs could
not be less than 30,000. Better information is now
forthcoming. In connection with the Shanghai Mis
sionary Conference, of 1907, Mr. McGillivray made an
attempt to tabulate the names of Protestarrt* martyrs,
and succeeded in obtaining about 2,000. As the Roman
Catholic Christians are much more numerous their list
would probably exceed this number, but we should
think it safe to say the total could hardly exceed 5,000.
We give here the complete list of the martyrs on our
North China Mission, as it was published in 1901 :
267
John Innocent
TIENTSIN CIRCUIT.
Name of Village and Person.
HSING CHI :
Chu Yu Heng
Chu Meng Yu
Two Children
Cheng Hai San
Chu Ta Chih
Remarks.
One family. No age given.
CHU CHIA :
Li Tse Ngen
Li Mo Kwei
Li Mo Ho...
HSIEN :
P ang Li Te
SHANTUNG CIRCUIT.
_
One famil y > murdered m
Aged 65 \
Aged 34 I
A d 18 i
Aged 35. Cut to pieces, and his body
afterwards burnt. This man be.
longed to a family of Christians
and was the most earnest and
zealous of the family. He was in
tensely wishful to be a preacher,
and made application a year ago
with this view.
MIAO CHUANG :
Miao Teng Shih
T SANG SHANG :
Su Feng
Han Wen Ming...
Two sons of same
Hsieh Yu
Su Jui Wen
Su Jui Hsiao
Su Yu Tou
Su Jui Nien
Su Kuang Hsing
Yang Ming Nien
Su Ch ing
Su Huang Shih ..
Su Chin .
Aged 27.
Aged 71. The father of one of our
preachers.
Aged 30.
Aged 70 The father of our Hospital
evangelist.
Aged 49. The faithful servant of
Mr. Robinson for 20 years. "His
works follow him."
Son of above died of fright.
Aged 83 ) Two good old disciples of
Aged 60 j Jesus.
Aged 22.
Aged 50.
Aged 60, husband. \ ^
Aged 50 wife of above. I n , e
Aged 19, son. J h ld
2C8
Names of Martyrs
Su Liang Shih Aged 50 >.
Su Erh Yueh Aged 20
Su Lu Aged 17
Su Mei Aged 15
Su Yu Shih Aged 40
Su Chuang Aged 15
Su Tu Aged 12
Su Kuo Aged 7 J
Su Jui Hsiang Aged 60.
Su Wu Aged 27.
Su Ngo Aged 19.
Yu Ho LANG CHI A :
Wang Yu Aged 59.
seller.
One family, all mercilessly
slaughtered and bodies
flung into the street.
A pious mother and sons.
A grand good man, a Bible
T ANG SHAN CIRCUIT.
PAI KUAN TUN SECTION
Shih K6 Chuang :
Wang Pai
Hei Ma Tien :
Wife and Daughter of
Chang Shu
Kou Hua Tsai :
Sun Ch ien
Chang Kuan T un :
Chang Shou Chen and
Wife
Hsiao Ku Chuang :
Chang Yu Wen ..
Kuo Chia T un :
Ch en Yin
Ku YEH SECTION :
Ku Yeh :
Liu Li
Sung Chia Chuang :
Sung Ch ao
Lu TAI SECTION :
Hsiao Tien Chuang
T ien Yu Lin ...
Ch ti Chia Chuang :
Shen Tai Yuan ...
Aged 56.
Aged 35 and 2 years respectively.
Burned alive in house.
Aged 35.
Aged 56 and 60 respectively. Our
preacher at Sung Chia Ying. Seven
of his family murdered at same
time.
Aged 17. Only child of his parents.
Body cut in pieces and nailed to
wall, and offered for public sale
at Taels 500.
Aged 74.
Aged 40. Preacher. Leaves widow
and four children.
Aged 39. Widow and one child.
Aged 56. Widow and four children.
Aged 52.
269
John Innocent
YUNG P ING CIRCUIT.
City:
Li Shu Chih
Captured by city Boxers headed by a
wealthy Manchu, bound and carried
to our Chapel, after a mock trial
beaten with 500 stripes so severely
as to die in city prison.
Preacher. Murdered near South
Wall. Head battered in with axe.
Member. Beaten with fists until face
blackened with the bruises, then
died.
Probationer. Hands and feet cut off,
not dead, so burned alive.
Wang Sheng Mo
Chang Ke Chuang :
Wang Shun T ien
Pao Kuan Ying :
Wife of Li K uei
Ho Chuang. (This place
5 li from a village
named Ni Kou, where
Boxers were very
fierce. As a result 23
people were murdered
in this little section.)
Ho Wen Shih Member. Wounded with swords and
knives, then drowned in the river
Lan.
Ho Meng Ku ... ... Probationer. Son of above. Treated
similarly to his father.
Ho Tien Cheng ... Probationer. Daughter of Ho Ju
Ching, our Colporteur and Cate-
chist at Ho Chuang, who refuses to
accuse the murderers of his child,
preferring to leave them to God in
the hope that they may be brought
to repentance.
Ho Hsing Jui and Ho Brothers, and both Members. Mur-
Hsing Yiin dered by Ni Kou Boxers, headed
by one Chang Hung, nephew of
the two murdered men.
Ho Ming Chang ... Elder of the Church. Escaped to
the mountains, but captured by
Boxers. Had opportunity to re
cant, but would not deny his Lord
and was then burned alive.
270
Names of Martyrs
Ho Hsing Ssu
Ho Hsiao Erh
Ho P ing
T ien Tsou
Wife of Yao Chien ...
Chang Shou Chen
Wife of Li Chien
Li K uei Tzu
Yang Lin and Wife ...
Yang Yi Ch ing, W T ife
and Daughter
Yang Shan
Yang Chung
Hsu Yang Ssii and
Daughter Hsii Hsien
Hsin
Pai Chia Tien Tzu :
Ch en Hsi Kung
Ch en Jen Yi
Ch en Shih Yuan and
Ch en Shih Yu
Ch ing San and Lan
San
Wife of above. Thrown from preci
pice by her own brother, who des
cended and kicked her to death.
Son of above. Also murdered by his
uncle.
Cut to pieces with
Body thrown into
Probationer,
swords.
Stoned to death.
river.
Probationer. Dragged outside her
village and stabbed to death.
Probationer. Aged 19. Beaten to
death.
No particulars of manner of death.
Met by Boxers, known as a Christian,
and cut to death with swords.
One family of seven. Taken to
Temple by Boxers, but murdered at
midnight. Their bodies were cut
in pieces and flung apart.
Sister and niece of above Yang Yi
Ch ing. Probationers. Wounded
and then drowned in river. Boxers
instigated in this case by an uncle
of Mrs. Hsii, she having refused to
marry again at his wish. This
man has since taken possession of
her property and land.
Member. Had opportunity to recant,
but boldly confessed his Lord. His
heart was cut out and placed on a
stone in the village.
Aged 10. Baptized son of Ch en Lao
Chieh. The little fellow would not
renounce Jesus, and was cut down
by the Boxers.
Brothers of above Ch en Jen Yi, who
although not baptized, were also
murdered by Boxers.
Both infants, nephews of Chen Jen
Yi, torn from their nurses and cut
to death.
271
John Innocent
The details are terribly realistic, but they convey a
more vivid impression to the imagination of the reader
than whole pages of elaborate description. It is need
less to say they differ in no respect from the atrocities
which were proceeding over all the missions during
those awful months. Indeed there were horrors per
petrated worse than any described in this list.
The number of martyrs among the missionaries them
selves was easier to trace. We give a list taken from
the Report of the Shanghai Missionary Conference of
1907, and a table of Roman Catholic martyrs from
Dr. A. H. Smith s work " China in Convulsions." The
list of Protestant missionaries is as correct as possible,
but accuracy cannot be guaranteed for the Roman
Catholic table. The indignities perpetrated on white
men and women and children were at least as great as
those suffered by the Chinese. It is to the credit of
some of the officials that they altered the dreadful Edict
to " slay " all foreigners, by the change of a single word,
into " protect " all foreigners. It is said that Hsu
Chang Ch ing and Yuan Chang were beheaded for this.
No foreigners were massacred either in Shensi, Honan
or Kansuh. Tuan Fang, the temporary Governor of
Shensi, behaved with heroic magnanimity, and took
immense pains to save the lives of missionaries. Some
of those in his province took 100 days to reach the
coast. All the missionaries of our North China Mission
escaped, not only with their lives, but without harrowing
experience.
272
Martyrs* Memorial Hall
MARTYRS : 1807-1906.
The Martyrs Memorial Hall in the Y.M.C.A. Building,
Shanghai, commemorates the Martyrs, native and foreign
who fell during the century 1807-1907.
BEFORE THE BOXERS.
1847 Walter M. Lowrie of the Presbyterian Mission.
1850 Karl Joseph Fast of Sweden.
1861 J. L. Holmes of the Southern Baptist Mission, and H. M.
Parker of the American Protestant Episcopal Mission, were
killed by robbers.
1867 S. Johnson, of British and Foreign Bible Society, killed
in Anhui.
1869 J. \Yilliamson, of London Missionary Society.
1891 June 5, Rev. W. Argent, a Wesleyan, of the "Joyful News"
Mission, killed in Wushueh.
1893 July 1, Messrs. Wickholm and Johannssen of the Swedish
Mission were killed at Sung Pu.
1894 In August, Rev. J. Wylie, of the United Free Church
Mission, killed in Liaoyang by Chinese soldiers.
1895 August 1, ten foreigners were killed at Whasang. Rev.
R. W. and Mrs. Stewart and two children (Herbert and
Hilda) and two Misses Saunders from Australia, all of
the C.M.S. Miss Elsie Marshall, Miss Hessie Newcombe,
Miss Flora Stewart and Miss Annie Gordon, from Aus
tralia, all of the C.E. Zenana Missionary Society. Known
as the Kucheng Massacre.
1898 November 4th, Mr. W. S. Fleming of the C.I.M., in
Kweichow.
1899 December, Rev. S. M. Brooks, S.P.G., by Boxers in
Shantung.
VICTIMS OF THE BOXERS, 1900.
MARTYRED MISSIONARIES OF THE CHINA INLAND MISSION.
Associates.
Date of decease. Data of decease.
1900 1900
N. Carleson June 28 O. A. L. Larsson ... June 28
Miss J. Engvall ... ,, ,, Miss J. Lundell ... ,,
Miss M. Hedlund ... ,, ,, S. A. Persson ,,
Miss A. Johansson ... ,, ,, Mrs. Persson ,, ,,
G. E. Karlberg ... E. Pettersson
273
John Innocent
Members.
1900
1900
Emily E. B. Whit-
Josephine Desmond ...
July 21
church
June 30
Emma Ann Thurgood
3, 22
Edith S. Searell ...
i> 55
G. Fred W T ard
55 jj
William Cooper
July 1
Etta Ward
5J 55
Benjamin Bagnall ...
55 55
Edith Sherwood
55 24
Emily Bagnall
55 55
Etta Manchester
55 55
W. M. Wilson, M.B.,
David Barratt
?
C.M
9
Alfred W T oodroffe
?
Christine Wilson
55 35
Mar. Cooper (Mrs.
Jane Stevens
55 55
E. JO
Aug. 6
Mildred Clarke
55 55
Mary E. Huston
35 11
Stewart Mackee
5, 12
F. Edith Nathan ...
55 13
Kate Mackee
55 55
May Rose Nathan ...
33 53
Charles S. I Anson...
55 55
Eliza M. Heaysman ...
55 55
Florence I Anson
35 33
Anton P. Lundgren...
15
Mafia Aspden
53 35
Elisa Lundgren
55 55
Margaret E. Smith ...
35 35
Annie Eldred
5 33
Hattie Rice
13
William G. Peat ...
, 30
George McConnell ...
,5 16
Helen Peat
3 33
Isabella McConnell ...
35 53
Edith Dobson
i 33
Annie King
55 55
Emma G. Hum
5 33
Elizabeth Burton
33 33
Duncan Kay
Sept. 15
John Young
33 35
Caroline Kay
35 53
Alice Young
55 33
P. A. Ogren
Oct. 15
David Baird Thomp
Flora Constance
son ...
3, 21
Glover
,5 25
Agnes Thompson
33 33
Children.
1900
1900
Gladys Bagnall
July 1
Isabel Saunders
July 27
Alexander Wilson
9
Jessie Saunders
Aug. 3
Baby Mackee
,5 12
Mary Lutley ...
55 33
Dora I Anson
53 33
Brainerd Cooper
3, 17
Arthur I Anson
35 55
Edith Lutley
3, 20
Eva I Aison
55 35
Faith Glover
3, 28
Alice Mackee
35 53
Margretta Peat
,5 30
Kenneth McConnell...
,3 16
Mary Peat
30
Edwin Thompson ...
5, 21
Jenny Kay
Sept. 15
Sidney Thompson
55 33
Vera Green
Oct. 19
Herbert Ward
5, 22
Associates.
Members.
Children. Total.
10
48
21 79
274
Names of Martyrs
MARTYRED MISSIONARIES OF OTHER PROTESTANT
SOCIETIES.
CHURCH OF ENGLAND MISSION IN NORTH CHINA (S.P.G.)
Rev. H. V. Norman, Rev. C. Robinson.
ENGLISH BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY.
Rev. S. W. Ennals, Miss B. C. Renaut, Rev. and Mrs.
Herbert Dixon, Rev. and Mrs. W. A. M Curach, Rev. and Mrs.
F. S. Whitehouse, Rev. and Mrs. J. T. Underwood, Rev. and Mrs.
G. B. Farthing and three children, Miss Stewart.
THE SIIAOYANG MISSION.
Mr. and Mrs. T. W. Piggott and son Wellesley, Dr. and Mrs.
A. E. Lovitt and one child, Mr. and Mrs. Stokes, Mr. and Mrs.
Simpson, Mr. J. Robinson, Miss Duval, Miss Combs.
UNCONNECTED.
Miss K. Horn, Mr. A. Hoddle.
BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.
Rev. and Mrs. \V. T. Beynon and three children.
SWEDISH MONGOLIAN MISSION.
Mr. and Mrs. Helleberg and one child, Mr. Wahlstedt.
CHRISTIAN AND MISSIONARY ALLIANCE.
Mr. and Mrs. Emil Olsten and three children, Mr. and Mrs.
C. L. Lundberg and two children, Mr. and Mrs. W. Noren and
two children, Mr. and Mrs. E. Anderson and three children, Mr.
and Mrs. O. Bingmark and two children, Mr. and Mrs. M.
Nystrom and one child, Mr. and Mrs. C. Blomberg and one child,
Miss A. Gustafson, Miss C. Hall, Miss E. Erickson and one child,
Mr. A. E. Palm, Mr. and Mrs. O. Forsberg and one child.
SCANDINAVIAN ALLIANCE MONGOLIAN MISSION.
Mr. D. Sternberg, Mr. C. Suber, Miss H. Lund, Miss Clara
Anderson, Miss H. Anderson.
AMERICAN BOARD MISSION.
Rev. and Mrs. E. R. Atwater and four children, Rev. and Mrs.
D. H. Clapp, Rev. F. W. Davis, Rev. and Mrs. C. W. Price and
one child, Rev. H. T. Pitkin, Rev. G. L. Williams, Miss Bird,
Miss A. A. Gould, Miss Partridge, Miss M. S. Morrill.
275
John Innocent
AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN MISSION.
Rev. and Mrs. F. E. Simcox, Dr. and Mrs. C. V. R. Hodge,
Dr. G. Y. Taylor (these were killed at Paotingfu).
1900 Rev. F. H. James, Peking.
1901 Rev. J. Stonehouse, L.M.S., Peking.
1905 October 28th, Rev. J. R. and Mrs. Peale at Lienchow.
Canton Province : Dr. Eleanor Chesnut, Mrs. Machle,
Amy Machle, of the American Presbyterian Mission.
1906 February 22nd, Mr. H. C. Kingham (Brethren Mission),
Mrs. Kingham and 1 child, Nanchang.
1906 July 13th, Rev. R. J. J. Macdonald, M.D., Wesleyan Mis-
sion, by pirates on West River, Canton.
Total) 22i> including Children.
LIST OF ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS, PRIESTS AND
NUNS KILLED IN 1900.
Manchuria, 12 ; Mongolia, 7 ; Shansi, 12 ; Chihli, 4 ; Hunan,
2; Peking, 7; total, 44. N.B. This list is probably not
complete.
The first news of the safety of our missionaries was
conveyed to the Secretary in a telegram from Mrs.
Candlin. Mr. and Mrs. Hinds were in Tientsin, and
passed through the severe hardships of the siege. Mr.
Robinson and family, Mr. Hedley and family, and
Dr. and Mrs. Jones were in Chu Chia, which was the
position of the greatest peril. They had to leave in
the middle of the night, Sunday, June i/M:h, guarded
by Yuen Hsih K ai s soldiers, and found their way to
the coast in the way we have already described. Mr.
Candlin sent his family to Taku for safety about the
1 2th of June, remaining at Tangshan to share the for
tunes of the mining and railway employees. The
foreigners at Tangshan also left in a body on the i^th
of June, on an armoured train which conveyed them
to Pei tai ho. They were sent round by sea to Chefoo.
At Taku Mrs. Candlin and family were put on board
an American gunboat with others, and were under fire
during the bombardment of the Forts. From thence
276
Extensive Destruction
they made their way to Shanghai where Mr. Candlin
joined them a week later.
Nearly all our chapels were destroyed, and the houses
at Chu Chia were torn to the ground. The great ma
jority of our members suffered severely in person and
property. The hardships which some of them passed
through equalled, if they did not surpass, in intensity
those of the martyrs themselves. A number of inci
dents are given in " Our Mission in China," and these
are only types of what took place in hundreds of cases.
The story of Li Fu, one of our preachers, who was
terribly maltreated, told by himself, thrills with horror,
and makes us wonder in what land of savages these
cruelties were inflicted. We have room for only a few
extracts from the account of one who, of all who lived
to tell the tale, was the most maltreated.
He refused to leave the village of Pai Ko Chuang
until he first ascertained that the members were willing
for him to go. Then he had difficulty in getting carts,
but at length secured some, and going to the end of
the village, leading his little daughter by the hand, to
look for them, he suddenly heard the sound of gongs
and firing of cannon coming from the village:
" A great body of people were assembled all wearing
red turbans and carrying swords, and calling out that
they must take up the enchantments. They sur
rounded my little daughter and myself, and asked if I
was Teacher Li. I said, Yes. Then they seized me
by the queue. I begged them whatever they did to
me, not to harm my little girl, and I let go her hand
that she might run away. They approached me with
their swords and fired a shot through my right shoulder.
I was at the same time struck with a sword, and pierced
in my left side with a spear. I heard voices calling,
277
John Innocent
Bring his wife ! Pull down the chapel ! They sur
rounded the chapel, and broke down the doors and
windows. My wife was dragged out by the hair, carry
ing her child of two months old. She had been struck
in the eye with a pistol barrel, and the blood was
trickling down her face. My little boy, Joseph, fol
lowed her out. His right arm and his back had been
hurt with a spear. I saw my little girl, nine years old,
being pulled along, her face all dyed with blood, and
her hand thrust through with a knife. Johnny I could
not find. They dragged us all to a temple at the east
end of the village, where the Boxers drilled, and bound
us all to trees. They then commenced beating me
fiercely over the head with the handle of a sickle. I
called out to the Lord several times, when they ex
claimed : He still calls on the Lord ! Beat him ! Beat
him ! Beat him ! They only stopped beating when I
had fainted away. I recovered consciousness to still
find myself bound hand and foot. I said to my wife:
We shall die together to-day. She said, Yes, and
I fainted again. When I recovered I was aware of
my little babe lying beside the road crying. They had
flung the child there when they bound my wife. Little
Johnny, unharmed, stood beside his sister. The other
son sat at his mother s feet weeping.
"We were all very thirsty, and I begged for some
water. They flung water over us, and said : There,
you are not thirsty now ! One of them asked me
where I had placed my number 108 enchantment. To
this I replied, I have no enchantments. Our leader
says you have put down an enchantment somewhere.
Tf your leader knows that I have laid enchantments
he should know where I have put them, was my reply.
"A number of renowned Boxers arrived from Tz ii
273
The Story of Li Fu
Yii To armed. They asked me where the enchant
ments were. I could only sigh and ask the Lord to let
me die soon My left thumb nail was taken off with a
sword, I was beaten about the shoulders with a spade.
Still I could only sigh, and beseech the Lord to take
me soon. Then they commenced burning my right eye,
and also both shoulders with a torch. Gouge his eyes
out ! Chop off his arms ! Then came again the clang
of gongs, and a cry that the leader was coming. The
leader cried for the woman to be brought to him. My
wife was dragged away, and knocked down with a
stick. I did not mind for myself, but was sorely
grieved for my wife and children.
" The Boxers lifted their swords, and cried : Bring
his box, and let our leader see his spells, the paper men,
paper horses, and poisonous drugs. The box was
brought to the temple and broken open with a sword,
whereupon a number of them fell prostrate, pretending
to be stifled by the odour of drugs. Water was
sprinkled on them, and they got up exclaiming : How
strong the drug is ! How strong the drug is ! They
professed that they were afraid I would escape, and
said I must be hamstrung. Two men dragged me out
side the village, held me down, pressing my waist with
a stick, threw more water over me, and cut the tendons
above my heels with a sword They were about to do
the same to my wife but were prevented."
Strangely enough a cart from another village came
along the road with eight Christian men and women
on it, escorted by six strong Boxers. Li and his family
were made to accompany them. The wildest proposals
were made by this Boxer mob. Some were for bury
ing them alive. Others proposed to slay them at a
temple near the city. They were only saved from this
279
John Innocent
fate by one of the village constables, who insisted that
they must be judged and put to death by an official.
The carts, with their pitiful load of prisoners, arrived
at the city in the early dawn. Their persecutors had
had these people in their hands hovering between life
and death all that fearful night. At the gates where
they halted the onlookers repeated the same menacing
words : " The chief leader will be here soon, and then they
will be put to death." As they had come along, those
about the cart professed to be offended by a strong
odour of drugs emanating from the prisoners and in
the daylight, Mr. Li tells us :
" For the first time I realized that my whole body was
covered with a yellow powder, from which issued a
sulphurous smell."
How it got on them he did not know. Presumably it
was some concoction thrown on them in a spirit of
fiendish horseplay by their persecutors themselves. The
narrative continues :
" The day was very hot, my children were crying to
their mother for water. My wife begged the by
standers in pity to bring them a cup of water, but no
one responded. At this time, thanks be to God, a
strange peace filled my heart. I had not the least fear.
I forgot my bonds and my wounds, and felt that we
should soon be in a new world I smiled on my wife,
and asked her if she was at peace. She restrained her
tears, but made no reply. Someone, who was in the
yamen, brought us food and water at length."
Li Fu was imprisoned in the yamen for sixty days.
The American Methodist preacher in the city contrived
to get food to him. He was only released eventually
on a strong representation made to the official by Mr.
Hinds from Tientsin. What an experience! Truly
280
Effects of the Boxer Outbreak
Li Fu was the martyr who only did not die. This one
instance must serve to represent to us the sufferings
which, in a greater or less degree, hundreds of our
members shared. Most of them had to hide in the
grain fields for weeks, hovering as wretched outlaws
about the neighbourhood of their homes and farm lands.
A great monument has been erected in Shanghai
commemorative of the martyrs, Chinese and English,
and on the North China Mission, at Tangkuantun, at
Chu Chia and Ts ang Shang, and in Tangshan and
Yung P ing Circuits suitable memorial tablets preserve
the memory of the witnesses who were " faithful unto
death."
The consequences which followed this great outbreak
were so immense that it is impossible to treat them
with any adequacy in the space at our disposal. Origin
ally intended to effect the absolute annihilation of all
missionary work, and the complete severance of all
foreign influence and foreign intercourse with China,
its results have been a revolution in public sentiment
the exact opposite of what it aimed at. If ever there
was an instance in which we might say that God caused
"the wrath of men to praise Him," this was pre
eminently one. It has done for us at a stroke what we
could never have done for ourselves. It has done more
to promote Chinese intercourse with foreigners than all
the history of the previous half-century. It has flooded
China with foreign trade. It has advanced national re
form to such a height that the reforms against which
it was so passionate a protest are now antiquated in the
presence of more far-reaching measures already
adopted. It has made the most conservative of nations
the most eager for change. It has made the whole
nation, women as much as men, intensely eager for the
281
John Innocent
knowledge of European languages, science and litera
ture. It has even knocked the opium traffic on the
head. It has been the death-blow to the idolatrous wor
ship of which it was so weird and sanguinary an exhibi
tion, caused innumerable temples to be turned into
schools, and deprived the rest of two-thirds of their
revenue. It for ever disabused the mind of the Chris
tian world of the idea that the Churches were accom
plishing but little, and that such converts as there were,
were mercenary and insincere. It showed, in the most
vivid manner, that while foreigners were far too much
disposed to underrate the influence of missions, the
Chinese themselves were still more disposed to over
rate it. Prince Tuan and Yii Hsien could find the
genuine Christians which foreign critics had not known
how to look for. It steadied, chastened, solemnized
our Churches, and gave them a deep sense of the
earnest meaning and responsibility attaching to their
profession of faith. It has been a powerful factor in
drawing the Churches into unity. It has called for en
tirely new methods of mission work, involving a new
attitude towards China s people, her customs and in
stitutions, and her religious beliefs. It was a flash of
lightning, awaking terror and striking blindly, out of
which a new China has grown.
That the subject of this story was out of all this
wild storm, was settled quietly in retirement in Eng
land long before it began, may be accounted a fitting and
gracious dispensation of Providence. Even at the
distance at which he was placed the interest and
excitement were intense enough. Had he been on
the field at that advanced period of life the shock to
him would have been undoubtedly severe. His friend
of many years, the Rev. Jonathan Lees, passed through
282
To face p. 282.
Rev. Jonathan Lees
the siege of Tientsin, and was so profoundly affected
by what he saw that he never recovered from the shock.
A kindly hand had guided Mr. Innocent home in time,
and the pain of seeing many to whom he had been
long attached suffer so terribly was spared him. God
had made merciful provision for him.
283
CHAPTER XXV.
RETIREMENT.
WE now take up again the thread of Mr. Innocent s
story, and trace the incidents which marked the period
of his retirement in England. He returned from China
in the spring of 1897. The Conference that year was
held at Sheffield. When the Conference assembled it
unanimously elected him as its President. The honour
was greatly enhanced by two circumstances. Sheffield
was his native town, where he had worked as a boy,
and from which he had been sent forth as a missionary.
The year was also the centenary year of the Connexion.
To occupy the chair for that year was a coveted privi
lege. Mr. Innocent discharged the duties of his office
with capacity, dignity and courtesy. He had for many
years held the position of chairman of the mission in
China The Conference honoured itself in his appoint
ment. He would be an impressive figure in the chair.
Sixty-eight years of age, he was yet well-preserved
outwardly (North China spares the features in a re
markable way), his figure, though not tall, was erect, he
had light eyes, a kindly expression of countenance, a
deep voice, a very measured utterance. He had a large
head, fair hair, hardly a grey one to be seen, and a long,
silky, straw-coloured beard, which in England might
be envied, but amongst the Chinese was a perfect
wonder. His bearing was always peculiarly reverent.
Though his figure was not built on the large model of
the conventional hero, his appearance was that of one
who was every inch a veteran.
284
Eleeted President
Mr. Innocent s election not only gave great pleasure
to the many who loved him in England, but was a
source of unusual joy and satisfaction to those in
China. Though our members there are not kept as
well informed in regard to Connexional doings as mem
bers in the English Circuits, very many of them, and
especially our Chinese ministry, know enough to be
very proud that one who belonged to them, who was
their honoured father, had been made head of the
Church. To Mr. Innocent s missionary colleagues, his
appointment was a great gratification. It was taken
as signifying that the China Mission was an in
tegral part of the Connexion, not an extra to the
whole, or a set-off of which it might be proud, but a
part of the whole, and, therefore, entitled to share all
its privileges and honours.
Mr. Innocent chose Nottingham as a place of resi
dence. There he found a pleasant circle of friends ;
the Mission Secretary, the Rev. G. Packer, also lived
there, and it was fairly central, and, therefore, con
venient for deputation work. At first it was by no
means Mr. Innocent s intention to remain in England.
In fact, he was actually appointed as Principal of the
Training Institution in 1899, and was looking forward
to an early departure for China. It so happened that
he was under the doctor s hands for some disorder just
then, and he casually mentioned to that gentleman that
he was expecting soon to leave for China. "What!
You going to China? That will never do." "Why
not?" queried Mr. Innocent. "Well," replied the doc
tor, " I had not intended telling you, but if there is any
question of going abroad it is my duty to inform you
that you are threatened with an attack of diabetes, and
the climate of China would be fatal to you. You must
John Innocent
not think of going." Mr. Innocent did not take this as
final. Dr. Marshall was on furlough at the time, and
as he had often treated Mr. Innocent in China, and had
considerable knowledge of his constitution, it was ar
ranged for the two medical men to consult on the case.
They did so, and the result was adverse. Very re
luctantly Mr. Innocent abandoned the purpose of re
turning to the field. Personally we never quite ac
quiesced in this decision. It is a very daring thing to
say we know. It is serious enough having an opinion
when " doctors differ." When they are agreed, to dis
sent may seem like treason. But, so far as we know
Mr. Innocent never had diabetes. It was only incipient.
The climate of North China is splendid, and there is
nothing to show that the liability to develop such a
disease would be greater there than in England. Cer
tainly what the Mission Secretary, the Rev. G. Packer,
said at the funeral at Forest Hill, was too true :
" It was to his deep regret that the precarious condi
tion of his health precluded his putting on the armour
again, and though not rebellious, it is to be feared that
this disappointment tinged his last years with sadness.
Though compelled to remain in England, his heart was
really in the land of Sinim, and many there whom he
had led to Christ, and who had hoped to see his vener
able form again, were not less disappointed and dis
tressed."
The disappointment was quite as great on the part of
Mrs. Innocent. But the die was cast. At the Confer
ence of 1900, Mr. Innocent became a supernumerary,
was made a Guardian Representative, and a permanent
member of the Missionary Committee. In recognition
of his long services his allowance from the Beneficent
Society was supplemented with an annual grant of 50
286
The Labourer s Rest
from the funds of the mission. The seven years spent
by Mr. Innocent in England, after his return, may be
called the labourer s rest. They marked his life, as a
full life, well-rounded and complete. Counting only
to the period when he reached England, he had spent
forty-five years in ministerial service, thirty-eight of
which were passed as a Chinese missionary, and, after
this long toil, seven years of earthly rest. Even then,
rest did not mean inactivity. His attendance at Mis
sionary Committee meetings was seldom or never
missed. His experience and knowledge of the work
were of special value to the Committee. He also did a
considerable amount of work as a deputation to the
Circuits at missionary anniversaries. The work was
always congenial to him, his presence was always wel
come, and to the full measure of his strength he con
tinued to advocate the cause in the service of which
he had given all he had to give, the whole of his work
ing life. Could any better testimony be given that the
work itself is worth the doing?
" It shall come to pass that at evening time there shall
be light." That ancient promise made through Zecha-
riah was never more signally fulfilled. Very gently the
same hand, which had guided him to England, that he
might be taken away from the evil to come, was also
very gentle in removing him from this earthly sphere.
He never showed his beautiful character to more ad
vantage than during those declining years, sloping very
gently, very calmly to the time when his sun must set.
And when at last it set, it set in gold. To some of us
altogether the most blessed feature in our revered
father s instructive life was the sweet and tender
radiance, as of calm, peaceful and holy sunset, which
rested on those latter years. To mark at the last, that
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John Innocent
mellowing, ripening growth, like full autumn in all its
fruitful bounty ; to find him so gentle, so wise, so ready
to counsel, so fulfilled in calm restfulness; his mani
fest, all-absorbing love for the work he could no longer
take part in ; his unfailing thought for those he had
left in the thick of battle these were among the most
elevating things we have ever witnessed ; these were
the unfolding of the flower of sainthood in all its rare
fragrance and beauty. It was as though, in the arduous
and struggling life of the missionary, while the strong
base of a holy character was being firmly established,
the softer and more delicate shades of Christlike man
hood were liable to be missed, and as though God had
reserved these final, quiet years in which to add the
finished excellence of perfect love. When his trium
phant soul ebbed away on that November morning in
the home at Forest Hill, with the word " Glory " on
his lips, that word was at once the sealing word of a
life of Christlike ministerial devotion now rounded and
complete, and the prophetic word of the ransomed spirit
on the very threshold of his reward, and about to re
ceive the " crown of life " that " fadeth not away."
The following interesting and beautiful account of
Mr. Innocent s last days, and of the circumstances at
tending his death, is from the pens of Mrs. Innocent
and Mrs. Shrubshall :
" In February, 1904, Mr. Innocent was engaged in
deputation work in the Midlands, and caught a severe
cold. On February 28th he was taken very ill with
pneumonia at his home in Nottingham, and afterwards
with acute inflammation and severe pain in his left ear,
which gave him scarcely any rest day or night, for about
four months. On April nth, Dr. Mutch (of Notting
ham) wished to have a consultation with Dr. Stenhouse.
288
Removal to London
The doctors agreed in their diagnosis of the case, and
Dr. Stenhouse suggested a change, and invited Mr.
and Mrs. Innocent to Arnold, and they went there on
April 22nd, and stayed until May loth. The invalid
was much benefited by the change. Returning to
Nottingham on May loth, Dr. Mutch advised going on
to Bedford to stay with Mrs. J. W. Innocent, and they
went on there on the I3th. On the 24th, Mr. Innocent
was seized with sudden pain. A doctor was called in,
and said he was suffering from pleurisy. On June roth
he had another attack of pleurisy, and on June 28th a
third attack all of which left the patient very weak.
On August i ith Mr. and Mrs. Innocent went to Woburn
Sands to stay with their daughter-in-law, Mrs. J. W.
Innocent, and from there on August loth, they went
to Brighton. The long journey was too much for the
invalid, and that night he had another attack of pleurisy
(severe pain and fever), which, however, yielded to
treatment, and in two or three days the patient was
able to be about again. On September 2Oth, Mrs.
Innocent went to Nottingham to pack up ready for
removing to Forest Hill, and on the 2Qth, she went
there to get the house in order. Mr. Innocent left
Brighton for Forest Hill on October 1st. He was
much better than he had been all the year, though the
least extra exertion was too much for him.
"On November I3th mission services were held at
Forest Hill, and Mr. Innocent spoke at the evening
meeting about Li wan k u. The weather was very
foggy, and he had a bad night. On the I4th Mr. and
Mrs. Innocent went to tea at Mr. Bullen s. On the
1 5th they went to pay some bills. Mr. Innocent was
breathing very badly. On the i^th he was worse, so
Dr. White was sent for, who said he was suffering 1
John Innocent
from congestion of the lungs. On the 2ist the patient
was a little better, and the doctor said he might get
up. He sat up two hours. Had a bad night. On the
23rd pneumonia developed, and a night nurse was sent
for.
" On Sunday, November 27th, my well-beloved hus
band was very ill all day. The doctor in attendance
telegraphed for Dr. Shrubshall. He and Kate came
about five o clock. Father was so pleased, and looked
so relieved to see them. During the evening Mr.
Bullen came upstairs to see the dear invalid, and prayed
with him. As Mr. Bullen was going away, he said God
bless you, old friend, and the sufferer answered: He
does bless me. Our loved one had a dreadful night of
pain, sad to see ; he prayed audibly for his loved ones,
mentioning each by name, and blessed them all. Du
ring the night he several times said : Nothing in my
hand I bring, Simply to Thy Cross I cling, and Other
Refuge have I none, Hangs my helpless soul on Thee,
and once he asked the time, and, when told, he said:
The Lord delayeth His coming. He was very peace
ful, and towards morning more restful. At eight o clock
I saw a change on his dear face, and, breathing quietly
and smoothly, he rested, as a tired child on its mother s
breast, at 8.40 a.m. on November 28th.
" He was laid to rest in Lewisham Cemetery on De
cember 1st. Many beautiful floral tributes of affection
and respect were sent, and friends from far and near
gathered to follow him to his last resting-place.
"Part of the funeral service was conducted in Trinity
Church, Forest Hill.
" On the following Sunday a memorial service was
held in Trinity Church, and the sermon was preached
by the Rev. T. Selby, late of China.
290
Dr. W. W. ShrubshaU.
To fact p. J JO.
Memorial Service : Mrs. Innocent s Reflections
"We had lived in the Regions Beyond. Now I
follow him in thought to the Innumerable Company
in the Homeland. He went quietly to sleep on earth,
and waked to the joys of Heaven! When I saw him
laid in mother earth, my spirit went to his spirit in
communion. I scarcely heard the service, thinking all
the time, He is not here.
" As one by one my friends leave this world, I think
of them among the many gathered above, and joy in
their reunion with loved ones there. Such a gathering !
First Mrs. Hall, then my Alfie in Chu Chia, then my
Arthur lying at the foot of Mrs. Hall s grave in Tient
sin, then Mr. Hall, Dr. Mackenzie, Dr. Roberts ; my
George in the Happy Valley, Hong-Kong ; my Annie
in North Shields, Mr. Hodge in Gateshead, Mr. Tur-
nock in England, my darling partner in Lewisham. So
separated in death but one family above. Mr. Lees
at Worthing ; all the dear Chinese friends, so many !
1 Shining as the stars !
" How true the promises :
Lo, I am with you alway, even to the end.
;< I will come again ; and receive you unto Myself.
" Where I am, there shall My servants be. "
* * * * * * *
A few words descriptive of Mr. Innocent s personal
characteristics must bring this work to a close. Perhaps
his most admirable quality of mind was great tenacity
of purpose. Having once set an object before him,
he held to it with a quiet, undemonstrative perseverance
which nothing could overcome. He was by no means
an ambitious man. It was not in his nature to put
himself to the front. The honours which came to him
came naturally, neither coveted nor sought. Modest and
unobtrusive, the position he took among missionaries
John Innocent
was the result of his own native worth, assisted by no
art or device. It was the fidelity and steadfastness with
which he kept the noble aims of his life ever before
him that distinguished him amongst his fellows. He
was not to be turned aside by evil report or good report.
He did not win his way by strife or controversy, to
which he was particularly averse. He did not break
down opposition ; he wore it down, and wore it out.
This dominant quality made his life s experience con
tinuous and consistent ; it kept his life s work whole
and unbroken. This it was that made him so steadfast
and loyal in his affections, so that, once your friend,
he was your lifelong friend. It fitted him admirably
for life among the Chinese. Tenacious perseverance,
soft and yielding to contact, but unswerving in aim and
endeavour, is a prime quality for the Chinese people.
They could, therefore, appreciate such a character;
they held it in high esteem, and well understood the
silent strength of a man who did not keep his strength
in evidence, but won upon them by gentleness and
kindness.
He was distinguished as a man by great courtesy
and suavity of manner, and this was the quality which
struck most men on first acquaintance. While he had
in him a swift flash of momentary anger, which, how
ever, was kept in strict subjection, and only on the
very rarest occasions displayed itself, he was in tem
perament calm and equable to a degree. "Not easily
provoked " might be his epitaph. One who knew him
well remarks how, long ago, his first five minutes spent
in Mr. Innocent s presence was quite a revelation of
gentlemanliness. And this quality in him was by no
means superficial, but reached down to the very roots
of his nature. Instinctively, and in his inmost essence,
292
Characteristics
he was a gentleman. Hence, notwithstanding his
peculiar tenacity of purpose, he had no rancours, no
animosities. He never imagined that those who crossed
him were personal enemies, nor ascribed their opposition
to evil motives, as less kindly natures are so apt to do.
Perhaps no missionary has ever held quite the same
position in the esteem of the Tientsin community as
Mr. Innocent. He owed this, in the main, to his gentle-
manliness, not only of manner and bearing, but of
nature. The relations subsisting between missionaries
and other Western classes in an Eastern port are not
always of the most cordial description. Mr. Innocent
was welcomed to circles from which other missionaries
were tabooed. If a question was asked, "Mr. Innocent
is always a gentleman " was the reply. Not a few were
greatly influenced for good by one who was thoroughly
at home in their society, yet could be trusted to uphold
the high standard of Christian character among men of
very different lives from his own.
Mr. Innocent was distinguished for hospitality. Per
haps the chief credit for this should be given rather to
his partner than to himself, but he was also at all times
a ready and liberal host. Not only was the home in
Tientsin open to a wide fellowship of coming and go
ing missionaries, some of whose visits were very ex
tended, lasting not infrequently for months, but a large
number of residents, especially bachelors without homes,
were fond of dropping in to tea, or spending an hour
in the evening, in the home especially distinguished
for hospitality. The Innocents, in fact, had been in
Tientsin from the very early days. Foreign Tientsin
had barely begun to be when they arrived, so that to
write a full history of Mr. Innocent s life would be to
sketch the growth of a community which includes, at
293
John Innocent
the present time, British, American, German, French,
Russian and Japanese concessions, with a population
of several thousand people. Even this gives no ade
quate idea of the importance of the port to the ordinary
English mind. A population of 10,000 people here
counts for more than 100,000 would at home. When
the Innocents first came to Tientsin there were only
some two or three families here, and they but lately
arrived. For many years, in the early days when every
one visited everyone, and in the isolation of Eastern
residence, all Western people were drawn together with
peculiar closeness, and social life afforded the only
means of relaxation, the home in the mission com
pound was, perhaps, though modest enough in appoint
ments, the most important home, all things considered,
in Tientsin. Mr. Innocent rejoiced in a very large
circle of friends and acquaintances. He knew Laurence
Oliphant, was moderately intimate with General Gor
don, with Sir Thomas Wade, Sir Robert Hart, with
Dr. Edkins, Chalmers, Legge, Douglas, Eitel, Shere-
schewsky and many other great Chinese scholars and
sinologues.
As a preacher, Mr. Innocent was a fair type of what
was best in the old school of thinkers and teachers. He
was not specially versatile or much given to speculation,
but had wide mental sympathies, was kind and liberal
in his attitude toward men of all shades of thought,
was as far removed from dogmatism as it is possible
to be, and from him the earnest thinker of daring views
had nothing to fear. In the pulpit he was always
reverent and earnest, and whether in English or Chinese
was an "acceptable" preacher; his conduct of the ser
vice, as well as his exposition of the Sacred Word,
being always impressive. While his style in composi-
294
Testimonies
tion was somewhat of an early date, as was evident
from the solid gravity of his sentences, the complete
absence of anything that merged on humour, or might
savour of impropriety, the invariable use of the pre
positions " into " and " unto," it was always excellent
and charged with meaning. At his best he broke into
an eloquence of a high and impressive character, and
all hearts beat responsive to his own manifest emotion.
He was diligent and faithful in the discharge of all his
pulpit duties.
The following testimonies from people well ac
quainted with Mr. Innocent will be read with interest :
The Rev. J. ROBINSON writes:
" Our Connexion has been greatly honoured in Mr.
Innocent s life and work. As his colleague for nearly
a quarter of a century, it was my privilege to watch the
thoroughness and progress of his work as a missionary.
There was nothing spasmodic, fitful or haphazard in
that work. His aims were always high, and his plans
methodic, while his success was satisfactory and wide
spread.
" In addition to troubles arising directly from his
work, Mr. Innocent has had his full share of domestic
affliction, and it was during these painful experiences
that he displayed the most beautiful spirit of resigna
tion and submission to the Divine Will that I ever wit
nessed in any Christian. Sea captains, with whom he
travelled for a season, were invariably charmed with
his lofty conversation and gentlemanly bearing. Civil
and military officers, with whom he frequently came in
contact, saw in him something superior to the estimate
they had been led to form of men of his calling.
Tradesmen and merchants were always ready to accord
to him a high position of moral excellence, sound in-
295
John Innocent
tegrity, and sublime devotion to duty. A Taku pilot
confessed to me on one occasion that, of all the Chris
tians he knew, Mr. Innocent was the ideal man, the
man to whom, more than to any other, he could un
burden his sorrows and tell his deepest secrets, and
whom, more than any other, he should desire about him
in the last hours of his life. The outside heathen were
attracted to him by his pleasing manner and his genial
smile, while his converts, looking on his benign coun
tenance, knew that they looked upon the disciple whom
Jesus loved.
" Not many men can be classed with John Innocent.
Among missionaries he shines very much alone, and
in a sphere of his own. There was a remarkable com
bination of qualities radiant in his character that made
him a favourite everywhere and in all societies. His
goodness attracted and fascinated people, and held
them with a spell."
C. W. KINDER, Esq., C.M.G., of Tangshan, writes:
" He invariably struck me as a man devoid of all
tendency to attract attention to himself or his doctrines
by methods considered legitimate by many preachers.
He relied on no high-sounding phrases or mannerism,
but was ever eloquent in his simple faith in the good
ness of Christ first and mankind next."
Rev. C. S. CHANG writes : -
" Diligent and painstaking as a preacher, considerate
and generous in his conduct toward men."
Rev. J. HINDS writes :
" In the passing of Mr. Innocent we must all feel
that the mission has sustained a loss which cannot be
made good. We were so intimately associated with him,
and owed so much to his fatherly counsel and wise
judgment, that I, for one, feel as if something had
296
Testimonies
gone out of my life. My first appointment in China
was in Tientsin with Mr. Innocent, and the earliest
journeys I took to Shantung and Tong Shan were taken
in company with him. The friendship thus begun
lasted through the years, and became more intimate
towards the close. After he retired from the active
work of the mission, the coming of his letters was
always looked forward to by me with great interest,
and in his death I have lost a true friend."
Rev. F. B. TURNER writes :
"I should like to add my tribute of respect for Mr.
Innocent s memory.
"When he returned to China in 1887 for the last
time I had just been appointed to the mission, and
accompanied him on that voyage, and ever since I have
had frequent intercourse with him, both in the way
of mission business, and in the privacy of his home
life. To me and to my wife he was always like a
father, and we can never forget the kindness he always
showed us, especially in times of trouble. He was a
man whom little children loved, and in whose company
all shyness passed away. I well remember my little
Millie having a vigorous argument with his little grand
son George, who disputed Millie s statement that he
was her grandpa, too. No wonder that his kindly, graci
ous manner won all hearts. And how whole-hearted
was his devotion to the interests of the mission! I
have often thought of his last years in Tientsin, when
difficult matters of business were frequently coming
up. I often went late at night to see and consult with
him, and I always found him, at whatever hour, glad to
receive me, and ready to put off much-needed rest that
we might discuss and settle the matter in hand.
" All over these Shantung Circuits his name is frag-
297
John Innocent
rant in the memory of the Chinese, and his faithful
ministry is still bearing, as it has already borne, much
fruit. There will have been many from far Cathay to
meet and welcome him as he entered the upper world,
and to rejoice in their reunion with one who :
Allur d to brighter worlds, and led the way. "
Dr. STANLEY, of A.B.C.F. Mission, writes:
"As I look back over nearly forty years of close
association with Mr. Innocent in missionary work at
Tientsin, I think of him more as a brother beloved
than in any other way. Our two families were much
thrown together in mutual experiences of both sadness
and sorrow, and of joy and gladness, and so our in
timacy and fraternal relations became very close and
tender. Such associations are sacred, and the memory
of them can never fade. They are like oases in the
great world-desert of human woe and weariness and
sin. How they help to lighten the path when some
obstruction has apparently blocked the way, and hope
seems likely to be crushed in disappointment!
" The quiet manner in which he entered into the feel
ings of others, and sympathized with them in their
varied disappointments, endeared him to all who came
into intimate relations with him. Doubtless the work
of grace in his own heart had much to do with this
characteristic of his Christian life. He felt that love
and sympathy went a long way in softening the hard
places in life s journey, and so was not slow in giving
it. He recognized existing conditions, and was ever
alert to meet them with whatever methods the circum
stances seemed to indicate, be they new or old. He
was fully assured that the old story old yet ever
new understood, believed and lived, was the only
Testimonies
force able to regenerate and reclaim this sin-ruined
world. So he believed, so he laboured ; and, though
fallen asleep, he lives and speaks to those who had
found an entrance into his heart."
Rev. A. KING, of the London Mission, Tientsin,
writes :
" Mr. Innocent was one of the first friends I made
when I came to Tientsin twenty-five years ago, and it
was good to have a friend like him, so sincere, so loyal,
so sympathetic. Behind his quiet, unassuming manner
I discovered a strong personality. He was a valuable
friend to young missionaries, and he proved a helper
to many.
" By reason of the weight of his experience, the
sanity of his judgment, and the catholicity of his mind,
he was a leader in the mission circle at Tientsin. And
his influence extended into the whole community. It
is only stating the bare truth to say that no man in our
cosmopolitan society was more highly esteemed than
Mr. Innocent ; and he was a greatly-needed link of
connection between the business men and the American
and British missionaries. While unyielding in matters
of principle, he was always conciliatory.
" For a number of years he acted as honorary pastor
of our Union Church, and in that capacity also he ren
dered invaluable service to the whole community."
EDMUND COUSINS, Esq., of Sale (late of Tientsin),
writes :
" There was a man sent from God whose name was
John. No more fitting epitaph could be found for the
subject of Mr. Candlin s Memoir. As a fellow-resident
in Tientsin, I had the privilege of an intimate personal
acquaintance with Mr. Innocent dating back for close
upon a quarter of a century, and, in acceding to the
299
John Innocent
request of his old colleague in the North China mission
field, to add, as a layman, a few words to what he has
written, I feel sure that I am rightly interpreting the
wishes of those many other friends of various nationali
ties and pursuits who, in greater or less degree, shared
that undoubted privilege,
if That a fine old Christian gentleman has passed away
in the person of John Innocent everyone who knew him
will entirely agree. His was verily a winning, gentle
soul, without guile, of the rare quality that ever com
pels the love of young and old, and it is scarcely con
ceivable that he never made an enemy. His peculiar
gentleness of disposition was of the kind that appealed
most irresistibly to the Chinese amongst whom he
worked as a missionary ; and, in brief, it is not too
much to say that he possessed the deep and true respect
of everyone with whom he came in contact."
The Rev. J. H. PYKE, of the American Methodist
Mission, writes :
" The news of Mr. Innocent s death has filled me
with sorrow, and stirred the memories of the early years
of my missionary life in China. We arrived in Tientsin
in December, 1873, an d to our surprise found a large
and delightful missionary community, representing four
of the large societies in England and the United States.
" The senior missionaries at that time were Mr. and
Mrs. Innocent, Mr. and Mrs. Lees, Mr. and Mrs. Stan
ley, and Mr. and Mrs. Hodge. Mr. Hall, of your
society, was then in England, but one could not be
long in Tientsin without hearing much of him. His
name was on every one s lips.
" Next to Mr. Hall, Mr. Innocent was perhaps the
most influential and impressive personality in the mis
sionary circle, if not in the settlement. His large, in-
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Testimonies
tellectual head, benevolent features, expressive face,
and long flowing beard attracted attention at once,
while a warm, affectionate nature, courteous, winsome
speech, highly cultured, at the same time, courteous,
almost courtly bearing, made a most agreeable impres
sion, which soon deepened to sincere regard and high
esteem and affection. With many others we often went
into Mr. and Mrs. Innocent s house after the Sunday
evening service in the Union Church, or after the Wed
nesday evening prayer-meeting. For every comer there
was always a warm welcome, a cup or two of the best
tea, with a sandwich and a piece of delicious cake.
Then there was delightful conversation, social, intel
lectual, spiritual flavoured with quiet humour and flashes
of wit. Being an inexperienced missionary, I often
went to Mr. Innocent, as to a father, for information
and advice. I was always received with cordial sym
pathy and wise counsel, faithfully administered. I re
call one or two occasions with special gratitude. Both
Mr. and Mrs. Innocent treated us younger missionaries,
and many outside of the missionary circle, with the
greatest parental kindness and care. Never will myself
or wife forget how they both came to us in time of
sorest trial and affliction, at great inconvenience and
personal risk, and remained with us until the mother
was out of danger, and well on the way to recovery,
and our first-born was laid to rest in the lonely little
cemetery at Taku. Neither of them hesitated because
the disease was the loathsome and contagious one of
small-pox. It was all the more deeply appreciated be
cause they left the comforts of home and care of their
own family, coming a distance of fifty miles, in the
heat of a North China summer, unsolicited, unexpected.
They had heard we were alone and in trouble, and they
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John Innocent
hastened with relief and comfort Their lives were filled
with service both to foreigners and Chinese. They
lived (in China) for others, and so found the highest
happiness in the greatest usefulness. A beautiful mis
sionary spirit and life ! So perfectly were their lives
joined in spirit and labour that it is difficult to think
or speak of the one without the other.
" I have not spoken of Brother (Father) Innocent as
a preacher or missionary. He was always earnest,
thorough, reverential, solid, often very effective and
impressive. He was always heard with attention, re
spect, and profit. He was equally good in Chinese
or English. William N. Hall, Jonathan Lees,
John Innocent, Henry Blodget, four among the
earliest missionaries to Tientsin and North China,
earnest, consecrated, noble men, gone to rest and re
ward ! It seems to me none quite so good or great
since. How the thought turns to the bereft and lonely
sorrowing widow (and widows), worthy companion of
a heroic saint, and prayer ascends for consolation and
sustaining grace until the time of reunion."
The Rev. A. H. SMITH, D.D., writes:
"In the year 1872, when the writer of these lines
arrived in Tientsin, there were three senior mission
aries : Mr. Innocent, Mr. Hall and Mr. Lees, of the
London Mission, each of them a striking figure. The
China of that day was a widely different country from
the rapidly-changing Empire of to-day. Tientsin proved
to be one of the most difficult spots in which to make
a beginning, and upon which to make any permanent
impression. The beginnings of all missions are diffi
cult, and those in North China, in the years preceding
and following the Tientsin massacre of 1870, not less
so than elsewhere. Mr. Innocent was the centre of
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Testimonies
gravity of the mission to which he belonged, steady,
deliberate, cautious, trustworthy. A member of another
mission said of him : I always like to meet Mr. Inno
cent, one always finds him just the same.
" In the early days of the temperance movement, on
behalf of the sailors on the gunboats which guarded
the ports, it was at first something of an effort for
Uncle John to throw himself unreservedly into it for
the sake of those who were subjected to great tempta
tions, but he did so whole-heartedly and with conspicu
ous success. As a preacher he was sound and Scrip
tural, and at a time when lax standards of action were
all too prevalent he was not afraid to preach the gospel
of law, as well as that of love. In those early days all
missionary work, in and about Tientsin, to any but the
strongest faith was discouraging. It was surely a prov
idential encouragement, against such great odds, that
each of the missions at this port early found unexpected
and promising openings at a considerable distance. It was
by following up the slender clue thus afforded that the
wide-spreading Lao Ling field was entered. A visitor
from another mission, cognizant of the labours of Mr.
Innocent and Mr. Hall, once said to the writer: See
what those two men have done !
" Mr. Innocent was long the de facto pastor of the
pastorless Union Church, and to him every one, who
was in any trouble, was almost certain to find his way.
Mrs. Innocent, whom those who knew her well and
loved her much, always called Aunt Jane, was an ex-
officio Mother in Israel to everybody. What she did
not know about housekeeping, nursing and things in
general might well be relegated to the unknowable.
She was always at the call of all those in trouble, and
her invaluable services were most lovingly rendered.
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John Innocent
(In this respect Mrs. Innocent, Mrs. Lees, together with
Mrs. Stanley, of the American Board Mission, made
a trio the like of which we shall probably never see
again.)
: It is a blessed thing to lay foundations. High on
the roll of honour of those who have earned this privi
lege will always be found the names of John and Jane
Innocent."
The following was sent to Mrs. J. Innocent by the
Tientsin Missionary Association, February 6th, 1905 :
"DEAR MRS. INNOCENT, The members of the
Tientsin Missionary Association have heard with deep
sorrow of the death of their beloved friend and fellow-
worker, the Rev. John Innocent. Although some of
us have sent you personal letters of sympathy, we yet
desire unitedly to express our profound sympathy with
you in your unspeakable loss, and also to tell you how
greatly Mr. Innocent was esteemed by all his fellow-
labourers in North China. His genial, kindly spirit, his
unfailing courtesy, and his large-heartedness and trans
parency of character endeared him to all, whether
natives or foreigners. As one of the missionary
pioneers in North China, his long and successful labours
for the conversion of the Chinese people, and his deep
enthusiasm in his Master s service, made his presence
a source of encouragement and stimulus to all of us.
We valued, too, very highly his wise counsels and his
mature judgment. We pray that the God of all con
solation may comfort you in your sore bereavement."
"Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord from
henceforth. Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from
their labours ; and their works do follow them." In the
opening words of this life story we found another
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" His works do follow him "
meaning in these words than that usually attached to
them. Yet the sense in which they are commonly taken
is also valid, is also full of comfort. John Innocent s
works will follow him through that gate where no false
glitter, no idle show, no vain clamour, no empty pre
tence will avail ; at which tried " as by fire " only what
is true, faithful and genuine, the heart s offering of
love, can gain admission follow him into the very
presence of the King. The smile will be sweet which
greets the worker and his works. " Their works do
follow them." Not all of their works follow them.
Some of them go before. John Innocent s works, many
of them, carried by the purified spirits of ransomed
men gone up out of a land of idolatry and darkness
Old Wang, Father Hu, Ting and Shen and Chang, and
many others that pilgrimed with him and wrought be
side him here, who owe to him so much awakening,
instruction, counsel, stimulus, comfort, stay, have gone
before, awaited him there the martyrs who died hav
ing sealed their testimony in blood. The greeting
" Peace " would be warm on those sin-purged lips as
they pressed to witness the meeting with his and
their Redeemer, their tribute of gratitude full, and
their rejoicing and congratulation loud as the tender
hand of Jesus placed on his brow the crown
of reward. Going before and following after there
are those also which remain behind remain behind
in a precious legacy left with us, now that death
has done his utmost. Purified by that stern ex
perience, in the still, calm light of memory ; all the
shadows of time chased away, all misjudgments of
sense removed ; remembered words, consecrated
example, precious, inexplicable, life-enduring influence,
all these lie enshrined in our hearts as a benediction
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John Innocent
and an inspiration while time endures. For so long as
our mission in China stands, widening in future growth,
richer in future good, carrying into the days to come
great freightage of blessing, and ennoblement of life
so long as that cherished cause shall be dear to the
hearts of our people so long shall the memory of
John Innocent rest over it as a star shedding on it, and
on us all,
"The light that never was on sea or land,"
so long shall the name of John Innocent sound as a
clarion calling us to like "works" and "labour" and
" patience " till our rest be won.
THE END.
THE MAONET PRESS, PECKHAM, 8.E.
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