415 
 
 3 
 
 B95 
 
 ty ^.
 
 ^^ 
 
 9C^
 
 
 7Lh^1^-«^^
 
 THE 
 
 mU^ %u^ h\ Cl|ip, 
 
 A JUBILEE RETROSPECT OF THE AMERICAN 
 PRESBYTERIAN MISSION PRESS, 
 
 WITH SKETCHES OF 
 
 OTHER MISSION PRESSES IN CHINA, 
 
 AS WELL AS 
 
 ^CCOUNTS OF THE |BlBLE AND TrACT 
 
 Societies at work in China. 
 
 PBINTED AT THK AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN MISSION PRESS. 
 1895.
 
 h3 
 
 
 12^5 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 
 
 — <SSv!vvJ!rf^— 
 
 
 
 Page. I 
 
 Preface 
 
 
 i 
 
 Introduction 
 
 
 1 
 
 Chapter I. 
 
 American Presbyterian Mission Press 
 
 
 
 1844—1846 
 
 6 
 
 Chapter II. 
 
 1847—1857 
 
 13 
 
 Chapter III. 
 
 1858—1894 
 
 19 
 
 Chapter IV. 
 
 As IT IS TO-DAY 
 
 26 
 
 Chapter V, 
 
 Other Mission Presses in China 
 
 35 
 
 
 A. B. C. F. M. Press, Peking 
 
 36 
 
 
 London Mission Press, Hongkong 
 
 37 
 
 
 „ „ „ Shanghai 
 
 38 
 
 
 M. E. M, Press, Foochow 
 
 40 
 
 
 C. M. S. Press, Ningpo 
 
 46 
 
 ■ 
 
 E. P. M. Press, Swatow 
 
 47 
 
 
 N. B. S. S. Press, Hankow 
 
 51 
 
 
 Central China Press, Kiukiang... 
 
 54 
 
 
 C. I. M. Press, Taichow 
 
 56 
 
 
 E. E. M. and M. E. M. Presses, Peking 
 
 56 
 
 
 S.D.K. Press 
 
 57 
 
 
 U. P. Mission Press, Manchuria 
 
 58 
 
 
 American Presbyterian Press, Hainan .. 
 
 58 
 
 Chapter VI. 
 
 Bible and Tract Societies 
 
 59 
 
 
 British and Foreign Bible Society 
 
 60 
 
 
 American Bible Society ... 
 
 64 
 
 
 National Bible Society of Scotland 
 
 77 
 
 
 Eastern Branch of the R. T. Society 
 
 80 
 
 
 Central China Religious Tract Society ... 
 
 83 
 
 
 Chinese Religious Tract Society 
 
 85 
 
 
 North-China Tract Society 
 
 87 
 
 
 North Fuhkien Religious Tract Society 
 
 88 
 
 
 Early Tract Distribution at Foochow .... 
 
 92 
 
 
 Tract Society, Kiukiang... 
 
 97 
 
 ■ Chapter VII 
 
 . Conclusion 
 
 100
 
 <s^e^: 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 American Presbyterian Mission Press Frontispiece. 
 
 Chinese Type Case Facing page 20 
 
 Printing Machine Room „ 29 
 
 Samples op Old and New Blocks ... „ 31 
 
 Elder Loo Kiung-Dong „ 32
 
 
 ^i 
 
 3ntrobuctiou. 
 
 ^ 
 
 IFTY 3-ears ago the American Presbyterian 
 Mission Press was established at Macao. 
 The little seed sown so unpretentioasly, 
 yet hopefully and prayerfully, has grown 
 into a great tree, with branches spreading 
 all through this empire and extending a 
 beneficent inflnence wherever Chiuese are to be found. 
 As the fifty years of steady growth have many lessons 
 and much encouragement we feel that a jubilee retro- 
 spect ought to be helpful in various ways. 
 
 First : as we think of the modest beginnings and 
 present status, aad all that has been accomplished in the 
 interim, we are led to " sing unto the Lord, for He hath 
 done wonderful things," and feel compelled to "utter 
 abundantly the memory of His great goodness." 
 
 Then, too, a glance at the many labors and self- 
 sacrificing zeal and true-hearted devotion of tlie earlier 
 missionaries who were led by God's providence to take 
 the initiative in the work will stimulate us to further 
 effort and prevent us from being weary in well-doing. 
 We can have the benefit of their first impressions, profit 
 by their mi;;takes — few compared with our blundering 
 efibrts — and seek to have a like trust and perseverance
 
 2 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 amid difficulties and disappointments, knowing that " in 
 due season we shall reap if we faint not." 
 
 Another reason for going back to the first sowing of 
 the seed and the early growth is to appreciatively note the 
 loving fostering care of the Church at home. At the 
 present time, with the vast expansion of the work, the 
 Board Secretaryships are no sinecures, but even in these 
 early days, wnth many new problems to face and plans 
 to be laid broad and deep, there were many burdens for 
 the few officials to bear. In spite of all that there was 
 room and time for expression of tenderest solicitude only 
 equalled by the remarkable foresight and acquaintance 
 with conditions on the new fields that characterised the 
 first Secretaries. 
 
 It has been a singular pleasure to go over some of the 
 letters, many of them faded and discolored, that were writ- 
 ten to the first missionaries on the field — then located 
 at Singapore. They are full of words of cheer and sincere 
 and cordial remembrances, with kindly directions, as well 
 as faithful pointing out of palpable mistakes. Fragrant 
 yet is the tender thoughtful ness of a sentence in a letter 
 dated 16th July, 1840: "Ever since you left us we 
 have been thinking of you, talking of you, and, I hope, 
 praying for yon." In a letter dated New York, 7th Sept., 
 1840, we have an illustration of the foresight and conscien- 
 tious acquaintance with details already referred to, and 
 which seems to have specially characterised the late Hon. 
 Walter ('. Lowrie. He writes : " I was very much obliged 
 to Mr. Orr for sending the list of Chinese cliaracters which 
 Mr. Dyer had prepared. I went carefully over this list to 
 notice any characters which we had not received from 
 Paris. I find tlicre are about 600 on that list which we
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 have not got. These I have made out, and will send to 
 Paris to have first made, and then we will have matrices 
 sufficient to make all the characters made by Mr. Dyer, 
 besides six or eight thousand others." 
 
 Again in 1842 Mr. Lowrie writes : " As soon as the 
 present commotion [war with China] is over, books to 
 some extent will be wanted, and if China be thrown open 
 books to II great extent will be wanted, and now is the 
 time to prepare for that state of things." Later in the 
 same year, in another letter, we read : " I look with great 
 interest to the Press, and this is an establishment that 
 cannot be brought into existence in a day, many months 
 and it may be years [will be necessary] to get ready." 
 Much helpful counsel was also given in these early 
 days by Rev. John C. Lowrie, D.D., now Secretary 
 Emeritus of the Board of Foreign Missions. The follow- 
 ing letter speaks for itself : — 
 
 New York, April 5, ISJfS. 
 Dear Brethren, 
 
 The ship is delayed for a day, and I embrace a few leisure mi- 
 nutes to put down some ideas about the " Chinese Press." You may 
 liave seen them, or thought of them already, but they will do no 
 harm if they do no good. And they are altogether unoffical, written 
 on " my own hook." 
 
 1. Our plans must be laid for permanent operations— for proceed- 
 ings whicli shall stretch forward through ages to come. 
 
 2. The time shall come when the Chinese people will as generally 
 read the S. vS.* as the English or Americans. Millions of copies, 
 thousands of editions— quarto, duodecimo, octavo, pulpit, family 
 and pocket, with references and without, shall yet be printed and uni- 
 versally circulated. 
 
 3. It seems to me nearly out of the question to expect that all 
 these shall be printed on wooden blocks, cut by the hand and painted 
 with a brush ! We live in the age of metal and steam. Our plans 
 sliould include thoroughly etlicient machinery and machinery capable 
 of enlargement to any required extent. 
 
 * The Sacred Scriptures wc suppose are meant.
 
 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 4. Hence I am strongly in favor of giving a full and fair trial to 
 our Chinese metal type. 1 make little of the doubts and niisgivinga 
 which have been so freely expressed about them. Every new invention 
 has had to contend with these. I heard of a farmer the other day, 
 who lives not one hundred miles from New York, who has so little 
 faith in railroads that lie loar/on.^ all his produce thirty miles to a 
 town on the river at much expense of time and labor when he might 
 get quite as good a price and save four-fifths of both labor and time 
 by delivering it at a railroad depot six miles distant fi-om his house ! 
 This conservative feeling in favour of the old way of doing things is 
 in its place a very valuable thing, but it must keep its proper place. 
 To return to the experiment of our Chinese types let it be considered 
 only an experiment, and it is still woi-thy of the fairest trial. This 
 point I need not argue, but assuming it— then we must calculate on 
 being at some expense to make it — and on needing some time to perfect 
 its details. And these will probably be the same, wJietiier operations 
 are commenced now or ten years hence. Therefore let the experiment 
 be made now, or as soon as possible. It can but fail, and many good 
 designs (designs of good) have failed. It may succeed, as I believe it 
 will, and if so the sooner the better. 
 
 5. As to there being no copy — nothing to print; this will not 
 always be the case, and probably by the time the printer has learnt 
 the language, so as to suj)erintend native workmen (for if our India 
 experience is worth anything a missionary printer in (/hina laust know 
 a good deal about Chinese, enough to talk with the natives, settle 
 accounts, correct errors, etc., etc), there will be plenty of copy to keep 
 the Press agoing. In the meantime the printer can be at work him- 
 self — at least doing enough to enable him to observe satisfactorily the 
 progress of the experiment and to give it " a fair chance." 
 
 These thoughts are hastily written, but not hastily formed. Vou 
 will give them what weight you think they deserve, and I am, with 
 ever aflfectionate regards for all your little company, 
 Yours in best bonds, 
 
 JOHX C. LOVVRIE. 
 
 The Rev. T. L. WcBryde, 
 Rev. \V. M. LowRiK,* 
 and Dr. J. C. Hepburn. 
 
 * Rev. W. M. Lowrie, one of the early helpers of the Mission Press, 
 was a son of the Hon. Walter C. Lowrie. He was born in 1819, 
 graduated in September, 18.37, and entered the Princeton Theological 
 vSeminary in the follow ing year. In December, 1840, he was received 
 as a missionary by the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian 
 Church, licensed to preach in April, 1841, and ordained in November 
 of the same year. In January, 1842, he sailed from New York and
 
 INTEODUCTION. 
 
 Ill writino- the history of onr own Press I will quote 
 from the Minutes aud Annual Reports of the Niug-po 
 Mission. Much valuable help has been received from 
 an article on " The Mission Press in China," contributed 
 by Kev. W. S. Holt to Vol. X, 1879, of the Chinese 
 llccovder. A few notes have kindly been sent by Dr. 
 U. B. McCartee, who arrived in China on the 19tli of 
 February, 1844, and who recently celebrated in Japan the 
 fiftieth anniversary of his arrival on the mission field. 
 
 Hearty thanks are also accorded the brethren who 
 (cordially responding) have supplied notes of other Mission 
 Press work in China. They rejoice with us in our 
 jubilee, and we wish them God speed in their labors, 
 rejoicing that the company of those that publish the glad 
 tidings is an ever-increasing one. 
 
 G. M, 
 
 18 Pekino Roap, 
 Shamjhai, I'Jl.h May, 1S94. 
 
 readied Macao May 27th. The following five years of Mr. Lowries 
 life were filled with vicissitudes incident to missionary life in tliese 
 early days in China. Whilst returning from Shanghai to Ningpo on 
 August ]9th, 1847, in crossing the Chapoo bay his boat was attacked by 
 pirates. He was bound and cast into the sea, the pirates with boat 
 hooks preventing iiini from regaining the boat. Mr. Lovvrie swam 
 about a little while, then sank, to be seen no more.
 
 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^^^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^^^ 
 
 i 
 
 '^M 
 
 
 ^tr%^^ 
 
 &^fcfc«J«»™5fc 
 
 
 ■**™**j™*" i innfumn 
 
 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 1844—1846. 
 
 HE following particulars with regard to the 
 first establishment of the Amekican Pres- 
 byterian Mission Press appear in Vol. 
 X. of the Chinese Recorder: "The Press 
 arrived at Macao on the 23rd February, 
 A. D. 1844, iu charge of Richard Cole. 
 A Yuk, a Chinese lad whona the Rev. Mr. Orr had taken 
 to the U. S. A. with him when he returned home, re- 
 turned to China with the Press, in the employ of the 
 Board, as a printer, something of which art he had 
 learned while in America. On the first of April there 
 were 323 matrices received from the U. S. A. by the 
 ship Paul Jones. The time which intervened between 
 the 23rd of February and the 17th of June, when the 
 Press was put into operation, was occupied in arranging 
 the office. Much of the time was lost in waiting for the 
 necessary fixtures which had to be made." 
 
 At first there were only two pressmen and one com- 
 positor, and the most important works executed during 
 the year were an edition of the Epistle to the Ephesians, 
 14,500 copies of the Gospel by Luke, 15,000 copies of 
 the Acts of the Apostles, and 10,000 copies of the Two 
 Friends. Casting of Chinese type seems to have been 
 carried on from the commencement.
 
 CHINESE TYPE-CUTTIKG AND CASTING. 
 
 Previous to this the first modern font of Chinese 
 type had been made by P. P. Thorns for the East India 
 Company's office at Macao, for the purpose of printing 
 Morrison's Dictionary. The method adopted was the 
 slow one of cutting on blocks of type-metal or tin. 
 Another font was made about the year ] 836 . by M. 
 C. Grand, a type founder in Paris ; the special charac- 
 teristic of this font being the casting of the radical and 
 primitive on separate bodies {e. g., ^ ^ ^^ or |i fj; f1^), 
 thus requiring few matrices. In 1838 the Royal Print- 
 ing Office at Paris obtained a font of Chinese type by 
 procuring a set of blocks engraved in China, making 
 thick castings therefrom and obtaining the separate 
 types by sawing the plates. 
 
 A great inprovement on any of these fonts was 
 secured by the newly-started Presbyterian Mission Press 
 using matrices (in addition to those received from U. 
 S. A ) made by Rev. Samuel Dyer, of the Loudon Mis- 
 sionary Society at Singapore. This indefatigable worker 
 had completed l,84o punches before his death in 1845. 
 The work of making the punches was carried on by Mr. 
 Cole, and this method of casting type seems to have 
 been in use until 1859. 
 
 Early in 1845 there seems to have been a desire — 
 emanating chiefly from Mr. Cole — to have the Press 
 transferred to Ningpo. The principal reasons given 
 were : " the additional facility for carrying on the opera- 
 tions of the Press where so large a body of our mission- 
 aries are assembled, and the diminished expense at 
 Ningpo as compared with Macao." From the Minutes 
 of the Ningpo Mission Meeting in June, 1845, we find 
 many reasons given showing the inexpediency of the
 
 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 advocated removal. The first objection mentioned is in 
 connection with the uncertainty whether, in case Chu- 
 sau be retained by the Euglivsh, that woidd not be a 
 better place for tlie Press tlian Niugpo. The second 
 reason dealt with the difficulty of obtaining suitable 
 building's. 
 
 The third objection by our pioneer missionaries was : 
 " Because we are apprehensive that the collection of so 
 many Americans, none whom have any ostensible mode 
 of getting their living, may lead to suspicions on the 
 part of the Chinese authorities, especially as we know 
 that they already regard us with much surprize." Other 
 reasons against tlie removal were on the ground of. the 
 climate, few facilities of despersing tracts to other parts 
 of the empire, and the important orders in hand wdiich 
 could be most conveniently executed in Macao. 
 
 These and other objections seem to have been 
 promptly waived, as in later Minutes we fiud the following 
 entry : " On the 19th of July Mr. and Mrs. Cole arrived 
 fi'om Macao, bringing the printing press .... It re- 
 quired some time to get the i)rinting press into active 
 operation, but it was fully prepared and in operation 
 by the first of September ; about three months have been 
 occupied in packing, removing, unpacking and setting it 
 up again. The first work })rinted in Ningpo was the 
 village sermons of the late Dr. Milne, an edition of 
 7,000 copies." 
 
 The Annual Report for 1845 of the Ningpo Mission 
 contains thankful references to the success wliich attended 
 the work of the Press. As a first experiment the work 
 had to be prosecuted amidst many disadvantages arising 
 from inexi)erience and the want of proper fncilities and
 
 PUBLISHING COMMITTEE. 9 
 
 in the face of strong aud discouraging prepossessions 
 against its success. 
 
 One i>aragraph of the Report, as true now as forty- 
 nine years ago, we take the lil)erty of repeating : — 
 
 "It may be asked : Can we print as cheaply as the Chinese do? 
 To this it may be replied that there are several styles of Chinese 
 printing, and of course various prices. If you take the lowest kinds, 
 or perhaps the majority of what they print, the answer must be : 
 We oinnot print so cheaply as they. But one wlio examines the 
 Cliinese works referred to, the miserable wasp-web paper employed, 
 the characters badly cut and worn almost illegible by frequent use, 
 and the difficulty with which works thus printed are read, will 
 not wonder that we cannot compete with them in price. But we 
 conceive that this is not a fair standard by which to judge the 
 productions of our Press. Take the good and best productions of their 
 printing and compare then\ with ours, and while we do Mot fear com- 
 parison in any respect (save in some characters badly prepared at first 
 and susceptible of improvement) we are sui'e that in the long run print- 
 ing by metallic type will be fouml the cheapest and most expeditious." 
 
 Following the example of these worthy pioneers we 
 endeavour to execute work as near to perfection as pos- 
 sible, keeping a high ideal before us, having reliable 
 workmen and using the best of materials. In speaking of 
 the chara-cteristics of cheap Chinese printing mention 
 might also have been made of the contrasts in inks. The 
 ink in ordinary use for block-printing by the Chinese 
 is manufactured from lamp black, mixed with vegetable 
 oil, and ground by the printers themselves. A pile of 
 newly printed Chinese books, on account of the ink used, 
 can often make the atmosphere of a room uncomfortably 
 tainted. 
 
 The work of the Press in these early days was 
 supervised by a Publishing Committee, the members 
 of which were to attend to the selection of books for 
 publication, to determine the number of copies, style 
 and expense of the edition, to attend to the correction
 
 10 THE MISSION PKESS IN CHINA. 
 
 of the books as published, to regulate the giving out of 
 books to others than raenobers of the missiou, and to 
 advise generally in all that related to the Press. Messrs. 
 Cole, Lowrie and Culbertson were appointed the first 
 Publishing CominittcG. 
 
 All the members of the mission, however, evidently- 
 rendered practical help to the young Press, as in the 
 minutes of the annual meeting held on September 11th, 
 1845, we find that "the question of correcting and 
 improving the font of type now on hand being considered 
 it was resolved that each member of the mission take a 
 part of the ' Book of Characters ' and examine it care- 
 fully with a view to mark the defective characters and 
 such as need alteration." 
 
 The name by which the ])rinting office was then 
 known was ^ ^ |g i^ ^' B" (" "^^^^ Chinese and 
 American Holy Classic Book Establishment.") Accord- 
 ing to a resohition passed at the annual meeting in 
 September, 1845, the number of workmen in the print- 
 ing office was limited to two pressmen and three com- 
 positors. According to another resolution the sum of 
 1 1000 was appropriated to the printing department 
 during the year Oct. 1, 1845 to Oct. 1, 1846. 
 
 In February, 1S46, we find Mr. (Jole authorized 
 to pay Asuh, the head pressman, the sum of |9 a month 
 permanent wages, it being understood that he was will- 
 ing to remain permanently in the employ of the missiou 
 for that sum ! In April, 184(3, a new casting furnace 
 and other material arrived from the U. S. A. Even 
 with this help the foundry could not supply all the type 
 required, as in July 1197 lbs. of ^Ir. Dyer's ty])e were 
 received from Hongkong ; very soon orders fur type
 
 PRINTING OUTSIDE WORK. 11 
 
 came from other parts, the first outside order filled beiug 
 for Bangkok. 
 
 So far as can be ascertained tlie first request for do- 
 ing outside work came before the mission in 1846. As 
 showing how the matter was discussed we will give an 
 extract from the minutes : " One of the civil officers of 
 Ningpo having requested that an abridgment of Chinese 
 history might be printed for him, which woukl require 
 some eight months to finish it, the matter was referred 
 by the Publishing Committee to the Mission. In favor 
 of printing it, it was urged : (1) Printing the book will 
 be an important lielp in perfecting our font of type 
 by testing it in printing a historical work which we 
 have not yet attempted and which will require characters 
 not otherwise much used. (2) It will help to make our 
 type and press favorably known among the Chinese. 
 (3) It will go far to break down the prejudice against 
 this font of type which many have predicted would not 
 be pleasing to the Chinese, by showing that the most 
 respectable Chinaman themselves admire it. (4) It will 
 not materially interfere with our direct missionary work, 
 inasmuch as we have a large stock of tracts on hand, 
 and have not now any specially important works to print." 
 
 In opposition it was urged (1) This [work in ques- 
 tion] is not strictly missionary work. (2) The book in 
 question contains many ('hinese fables, and it is to be 
 feared that it will be regarded as receiving our sanction 
 if it emanates from our press. (3) It may possibly inter- 
 fere with our executing directly missionary work should 
 any of importance offer in the course of a few months. 
 
 Although there was a majority in favor of printing 
 the work it ultimately was withdrawn. We may state
 
 12 
 
 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 here that the Mission Press confines its efibrts to mission- 
 ary and pliilanthropic work, excepting in cases where its 
 more ample resources enable it to do legitimate work not 
 capable of being- done by other printing offices, but any 
 such work is not allowed to interfere with printing of 
 missionary publications. 
 
 The only other items that call for notice during the 
 year 1846 were the removal of the Press to a much more 
 commodious building ; the making of experiments in 
 electrotyping ; and the fact that the practicability of 
 printing Chinese with metallic divisible type was no 
 longer an experiment, but bad been fully demonstrated. 
 During the year twelve works were printed, with second 
 editions of two of them, giving a total number of pages 
 of 635,400.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 
 ^! 
 
 1 0^ 
 
 
 1847—1858. 
 
 X order to ajipreciate the steady growth of 
 the Mission Press we must remember that 
 whilst it was yet the day of small things, 
 so far as regards the preparation of 
 Christian literature for the Chinese, 
 Protestant Missions, in all their other 
 departments in China, were yet in their infancy. 
 
 The missionaries on the field included such men 
 as S. Wells Williams, Dyer Ball, E. Doty and the 
 Bridgmaus, of the A. B. C. F. Mission ; Medhurst, 
 Milne and Legge, of the London Mission ; and A. P. 
 Happer, J. C. Hepburn, M. S. Culbertson and several 
 other well-remembered names of the American Presby- 
 terian Board of Foreign Missions ; but the great majority 
 of the workers had been only a short time in the field, 
 and were yet studying the language and getting ac- 
 (j[uainted with the people. The Press therefore had not 
 the aid of the many learned missionaries who, through 
 Bible, Tract and other Societies, are making the Press 
 such an important and effective agency. 
 
 Considering the initial difficulties, however, the 
 work was admirably done, and the growth rapid. From 
 the Annual Report for 1847 we find that 52,734 copies of 
 different works were struck off during the year, with a
 
 14 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 sum total of 1,819,092 pages. Some of the works were : 
 " The Two Friends," " The Adveut and Death of Christ," 
 " Tlie Religion of Jesus," a Commeutary on Luke, various 
 Bible j)ortious, au elementary work on Geography and 
 tracts on the Sabbath, Opium, Gambling, Ten Command- 
 ments, the True God, etc. 
 
 This rapidly increasing output must have been a 
 great joy to the workers, and we find them recording 
 the opinion that " until the country is more open to the 
 free introduction of the Gospel, when the voice of the 
 living preacher shall be heard in every province and city 
 and hamlet, these silent messengers must be the only 
 guide of the people in the way of life, the only beacon 
 to warn them of their danger." 
 
 As was to be expected mistakes were made, and 
 worries were frequent ; one of the greatest trials 
 evidently being in connection with the resignation or 
 dismissal of Mr. Cole in August, 1847. Mr. Loomis 
 was appointed Chairman of the Publishing Committee, 
 with the request that he take the supervision of tlie 
 printing establishment. It was also resolved that Dr. 
 McCartee be requested to devote as much of his time 
 as he could, consistently with his other duties, to acquire 
 some knowledge of the art of printing and assist in the 
 management of the office. In those days also there 
 was a Mr. Speer, and to him the Mission looked for 
 help, as it was understood he had devoted a consideral)le 
 })ortion of his time for two years in acquiring a know- 
 ledge of printing. He evidently, however, was not able to 
 come to Ningpo. 
 
 Through God's superintending providence the work 
 was not impeded, as we find from the Report for 1848
 
 TRACT DISTKIBUTION. 15 
 
 that " without a practical printer, deprived one after 
 another of the two workmen in whom we placed the most 
 dependence, and without whom we were told the Press 
 could do nothing, yet it has moved on day after day, 
 and is working still as it was a year ago."' After 
 mention being made of other deprivations we find 
 recorded the somewhat remarkable statement : " More- 
 over these changes have greatly lessened the expenses 
 of the Press, while the number of pages printed is 
 greater than the number printed last year." During 
 1848 the press threw off on an average 13,3141 pages 
 per day, reckoning 300 working days in the year ; the 
 total number of volumes printed being 164,893. The 
 excess of expenditure over receipts was |591.11. 
 
 With regard to the manner in which the tracts were 
 distributed it appears that small parcels of selected tracts 
 and portions of Scripture were put on board each vessel 
 of a fleet about the time of their setting sail, with a 
 request that those on board would give the literature thus 
 supplied only to readers when they arrived in the port 
 to which they were bound. Many of these parcels were 
 given in charge of sailors wdio had previously received 
 medicines and medical treatment at the dispensary, and 
 were glad to render some service in return. In this 
 manner Christian literature was scattered al)road in 
 regions where missionaries never had been, or could have 
 access to. From an early record it appears that in some 
 cases, when it was known that the captain of the native 
 trading vessel hud such books, the people came off to the 
 ship in such numbers as to speedily exhaust the su])ply. 
 
 During 1849 the printing operations seem to have 
 gone on without interruption. A new font of type was
 
 16 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 ordered from Berlin, new type was added to the Dyer 
 font, and a complete set of stereotyping* apparatus was 
 procured. On Mr. Loomis, who had charge of the Press, 
 leaving Ningpo, Mr. Coulter undertook the supervision 
 of the work. During the year there were printed 75,850 
 copies of 18 different works, giving- a total of 1,724,700 
 pages. The expenses during the year were |491.82 and 
 receipts |288.19, leaving a deficit balance of .|203.63. 
 
 During 1850 the Press gradually improved under 
 Mr. Coulter's supervision. Although only two pressmen 
 and three compositors were employed 06,400 coj^ies of 
 16 different works, giving a total of about three millions 
 of pages, were printed. Finances, however, were not so 
 satisfactory, for whilst the expenditure for the year was 
 |725.53 the receipts amounted only to |332.25. Ar- 
 rangements were made in the course of the year for the 
 purchase of a lithugrapliic press. 
 
 Only meagre details can be found of the work done 
 during the next few years. The Taiping Eebellion had 
 commenced, and consequently in those days tliere uuist 
 have been many distractions. At a called meeting of the 
 Ningpo Mission, May 28th, 1853, we find Rev. W. ]\Iartin 
 retpiestiug j)ermission to visit the insurgents who, having 
 taken several largx3 cities near at hand, '* it seemed im- 
 portant that missionaries should go among tliem to teach 
 them the way of God more perfectly." Another reference 
 to the rebellion is found in the minutes of a meeting 
 held on January 20th, 1850, when under the heading, 
 " preparations for flight," we read: "the Superintendent 
 of the Press was authorised to provide boxes and other 
 necessary means for removing the presses, type and other 
 valuables belonging to the Press and the Library."
 
 PROGRESSION — 1853 — 1857. 17 
 
 The Press seems, however, to have continued quietly 
 (h)ing- its work. Mr. Coulter continued in charg-e until 
 1853, wlien ill-health compelled him to resign. He died 
 December 12tli of the same year. Uov. K. Q. Way was 
 placed in control of the Press. Being " unused to, and 
 unskilled in, such matters " the natural result was a 
 less degree of efficiency. We find, notwithstanding, that 
 82,0U0 volumes were issued from the Press, amounting 
 to fully 2,800,000 pages. A commencement was also 
 made in printing Romanized colloquial, a version of the 
 Gospel of Luke heing issued from the Press in 1853. 
 
 During 1854 the average number of workmen seems 
 to have been eight ; and 84,700 copies of various works, 
 giving a total of 4,012,800 pages, were printed. Of these 
 a comparative small portion were tracts, the Executive 
 Committee having expressed a desire that the Press be 
 principally devoted to the printing of the Pentateuch. 
 In 1855 nine workmen were employed. During the year 
 112,018 books were printed, giving a total of 4,002,018 
 pages. 
 
 In 1857 we find mention made of how by means of 
 the Press a little company of natives was gathered, some 
 of whom were bajjtized and attended regularly to the 
 instruction given by the superintendent and the pastor. 
 Employment also was found for those who had been 
 taught in the schools, whilst one young man, who had 
 been thrown out of work because of his living a Christ- 
 ian life, found employment in the Press. Daring the 
 year 110,800 books were printed, giving a total of 
 4,505,600 pages. 
 
 As the years went on tliere was nn incrensed faith in 
 the power and possibilities of tlie Press, of its peculiar
 
 IS THE MISSION PllESS IN CHINA. 
 
 importance as an agency for diifiising the thoughts of 
 the few among the many, especially when that few was a 
 handful of missionaries, and the many the millions of 
 (Jliina. In 1858 by the result of new treaties the 
 empire was thrown more open to the itineratiug labors 
 of the missionaries — native and foreign. Everywhere 
 the productions of the Press could be left as permanent 
 depositories of those truths of which tlie living evangelist 
 could make little more than a brief announcement. 
 Considering the greatly extended field lor distribution 
 it is a matter for tlianksgiving that during 1858 
 0,175,460 pages were printed. A new and more useful 
 phase of the Press work was, however, soon to be entered 
 upon, but this we will leave to the next chapter.
 
 CHAPTEK 111. 
 
 1858—1894. 
 
 N October, 1858, Mr. William Gamble, who 
 had been sent out for the purpose, took 
 charge of the Press. Although compara- 
 tively little known or heard of in mis- 
 sionary circles he did a work for the 
 Presbyterian Mission Press in j^ai'ticular, 
 and all Mission Presses in general, that has hardly been 
 equalled in the annals of missions or the history of the 
 development of the art of printing. "With his two main 
 inventions — the making of matrices for Chinese type by 
 the electrotype process, and the Chinese type case as now 
 generally in use — added to his keen business faculty, 
 indomitable perseverance, unfailing patience and true 
 missionary spirit, he succeeded in so developing the 
 Mission Press that it speedily grew from infantile pro- 
 portions into a mighty agency for achieving great results 
 for Christ in China. ( Considering to what a great extent 
 we are indebted to this unobtrusive worker we will give 
 some facts in his life and work. 
 
 Mr. Gamble came from an old Irish i'aiiiil}- which 
 had the honour of giving many able ministers to the 
 Presbyterian Churches of Ireland and America. In early 
 life he emigrated to the United States and fctund 
 congenial labour and valuable training in a large i)ublisli-
 
 20 THE MISSION PKESS IN CHINA. 
 
 ing firm iu Philadelphia. From there he went to work 
 in the Bible House, New York, and finally, after pursuing 
 some studies iu face of many difficulties, left for Niugpo 
 to superintend the work of the Press. He arrived with 
 new type, matrices and a type-casting machine, and as 
 the Press was provided with new rooms the outlook was 
 a bright one. The realization of fond hopes was seen 
 in the issue of 7,398,560 pages from the Press in 1859. 
 
 In the following year Mr. Gamble adopted his new 
 plan for making matrices from which to cast type. The 
 character was first cut on such suitable material as box- 
 wood. An electro was next taken from the character 
 itself, or through the medium of a wax mould. This 
 mould was next put into the depositing trough containing 
 the copper solution. After several days, when the copper 
 deposit was thick enough, it was trimmed and fixed in a 
 brass holder. On account of the length of time allowed 
 for depositing, the thickness of the copper rendered un- 
 necessary the ordinary backing of the " shell." By this 
 process the characters were more finished and possessed 
 more of the caligraphic excellence prized by the Chinese 
 than could be obtained by steel punches. 
 
 To Mr. Gamble we are also intlebted for the Chinese 
 type case, arranged according to radicals, now in com- 
 mon use in Chinese printing offices. To aid iu a better 
 understanding of the strncture we have photographed 
 and reproduced one of our type cases most accessible for 
 photographic purposes. In case any of our home readers 
 should be puzzled at the large number of apertures for 
 type we had better explain that the number of difi'erent 
 Chinese characters, according to Kanghi's Dictionary, 
 is 40,919. About six thousand characters are sufficient
 
 o 
 
 I 
 
 ■z. 
 m 
 
 C/) 
 
 m 
 
 H 
 -< 
 
 13 
 
 m 
 
 o 
 > 
 
 m
 
 CHINESE FONTS. 21 
 
 for an ordinary missionary printing office, there being 
 such a wide range of synonyms in the Chinese language. 
 For magazine work, however, where various subjects 
 are treated, from eight to ten thousand different charac- 
 ters are necessary. The different size, for different 
 requirements, of some type cases, recalls the old saying : 
 '" Circumstances alter cases.'" 
 
 An interesting account of the elaborate investiga- 
 tions of Mr. Gamble with a view to perfect the Chinese 
 fonts and type cases was given by Mr. J. L. Mateer in 
 his preface to the " Lists of Chinese Characters in the 
 Fonts of the Presbyterian Mission Press." He says : 
 " For the purpose of ascertaining how many characters 
 are in common use, especially in Christian books, and 
 also of improving the arrangement of the fonts of type, 
 an examination was made by Mr. Gamble of the Bible 
 and 27 other books printed at this Press, containing a 
 total of 4,166 octavo pages. These books were found 
 to contain an aggregate of over 1,100,<JU0 characters, but 
 only 5,150 different characters. To this list 850 charac- 
 ters found in the font of the London Missionary Society 
 at Hongkong were added, making 6,000. (The font has 
 since been increased to 6,664). It may be interesting to 
 add here that in the Scriptures, containing a total of 
 676,827 characters, only 4,141 different characters are 
 found. In the Old Testament are found 503,663 cha- 
 racters of 3,046 different kinds ; in the New Testament 
 173,164 characters of 2,713 different kinds. These 6,000 
 characters Islv. Gamble divided into fifteen groups 
 according to the fre<piency of their use ; 13 characters 
 were found to occur over 10,000 times each in the 28 
 vols., 224 over 1,000 times, and so on; 3,715 were found
 
 THE MISSION PKESS IN CHINA. 
 
 to occur less thau 25 times each." Rejecting this 3,715 
 the remaiuiug 2,285 were arranged in the fourth list 
 published by Mr. Mateer, according to the radicals, with 
 a number placed at the side indicating how many times 
 each character was found to occur in the 28 volumes 
 examined by Mr. Gamble. The comparative frequency 
 of use being thus made clear was a great boon to all 
 later workers. 
 
 Mr. Gamble had not been long at work before he 
 perceived the important position of Shanghai as a great 
 commercial and evangelistic centre, "' and his instinctive 
 desire to plant the Gospel in the heart of China with 
 the minimum of effort and the maximum of results 
 moved him to select Shanghai as his basis of operation 
 at a time when few besides himself were able to forecast 
 its future importance." In addition to the advantages 
 of Shanghai there were the difficulties experienced at 
 Ningpo in purchasing the needed material for press work 
 and in forwarding books and tracts to the various ports. 
 
 The sanction of the Executive Committee having 
 been obtained a small building adjoining one of the 
 Mission houses in Shanghai was purchased, and in 
 Decend)er, 1860, the transfer was made. The number of 
 presses in use was five, and from them fully eleven 
 millions of pages were issued annually. The removal 
 of the Press to Shani»'liai was the occasion of an im- 
 mediate increase in Englisli printing, and to meet this 
 demand type was brought out from home. Matrices were 
 prepared for two new fonts of (■hiuese type and a small 
 font of Japanese type. 
 
 The premises proving too small for the exigencies 
 of the work two friends were found who furnished the
 
 MK. gamble's wokk. 23 
 
 meaus for providiug larger quarters, to wliicli the Press 
 removed in 1862. A cyliuder press was added to the 
 establishmeut, and with the combined advantages of 
 more room, better machinery and au increased supply 
 of type, about a year later nearly fourteen millions of 
 pages were printed. 
 
 The development of the work must have called 
 forth all Mr. Gamble's preternatural energy. With 
 careful personal attention to the minutest details, direct- 
 ing and paying the workmen, purchasing fresh material 
 and sending out printed matter, the making up of finan- 
 cial statements and correspondence with all parts of 
 the world, he must have adopted perfect methods and 
 been gifted with rare patience. The following tribute 
 was well-earned : " Printing estal)lishmeuts of various 
 kinds, belonging to different societies and companies, 
 have si)rung up latterly in China, but of one and all of 
 them it remains true — that they are and ever will be 
 indebted to this great pioneer of progress in Chinese 
 printing, and it is easy to endorse the statement made 
 in the sermon preached at his funeral : ' For a century to 
 come not a Bible, Christian or scientific book in that 
 Empire or Japan but will bear the impress of Mr. 
 Gamble's hand.' It only enhances the true greatness 
 of the man when we find that he never sought any credit 
 or claimed any honor for the work so bravely done." 
 
 The particulars we have been able to procure 
 regarding Mr. Gamble's life and work may fittingly 
 close with some notes supplied by Dr. McCartee. '' Mr. 
 Gamble introduced electrotype founding of matrices for 
 type, and the smaller fonts which he afterwards intro- 
 duced into Japan in 1869. He was ingenious, and made
 
 24 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 the Press a success. When he weut back to the U. S. A. 
 he studied at the Sheffield Scientific School, and Yale 
 College gave him an A.M. honoris ergo. He studied 
 medicine, s})eut some time in Paris, married in Phila- 
 delphia, and ilually died on his farm in Pennsylvania 
 somewhere about 1886. I hope you may be able to do 
 him justice." 
 
 From the foregoing it will be seen that Mr. Gamble 
 left China for Japan in 1860. He was succeeded by 
 Rev, J. Wherry (now of Peking), who had assisted Mr, 
 Gamble for several years in proof reading and tract 
 revision. On Mr. Wherry removing to Chefoo in 1870, 
 on account of ill health in his family, the late Rev. J. 
 Butler was placed temporarily in charge. He again was 
 succeeded by Rev. C. W. Mateer, until the summer of 
 ]871, when Mr. J. L. Mateer arrived from the U. S. A. to 
 assume the management. These two practical and whole- 
 souled members of a worthy family were fortunately in 
 close connection with the Press at a critical period in its 
 history. The premises had again become too small for 
 the recpiirements of the work, but as the brothers were 
 able to adopt, and adapt themselves to, large plans, the 
 old premises were sold, and the premises presently occupied 
 by the Press were purchased and taken possession in 
 1875. The picture which forms the frontispiece gives a 
 faint idea of the size of the premises. In the rear build- 
 ing are the foundry, bindery, paper and book stores, etc. 
 These, however, will be referred to in next chapter. 
 
 In May, 1876, Mr. J. L. Mateer returned to the 
 U. S. A. on account of ill health, and Rev, W, S. Holt took 
 charge of the Press. Unfortunately a break down of 
 health caused his return home on furlough in August,
 
 FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS. 2o 
 
 1881. Rev. G. F. Fitch took charge of the Press in his 
 absence, being assisted by Mr. A. Gordon, who had been 
 recommended to the Home Board by the members of the 
 mission for admission to their body, with the special view 
 of taking over the management of the English depart- 
 ment and foundry. 
 
 As shewing the gradual progress made by the Press 
 we may mention that in the report presented at the 
 Annual Meeting held in Shanghai, February 4th-7th, 
 
 1882, the figures given for the preceding year showed 
 14,929,000 pages printed for the British and Foreign 
 Bible Society ; 7,234,550 for the American Bible Society ; 
 and 2,573,000 pages of tracts, etc., printed by the Press 
 from its own funds. At the fall meeting of the mission 
 in the same year the second Presbyterian Church of 
 Shanghai, organized at the Press, and consisting of 
 seventeen members and three elders, was received by 
 Presbytery. 
 
 In November of the same year Mr. Holt returned 
 with his family, but failing health led to his return to 
 U. S. A. in October, 1884. Rev. J. M. W. Farnham, U.D., 
 succeeded him in the charge of the Press, assistance being 
 rendered at various times by Rev. J. E. Card well and 
 Mr. James Dalziel. In 1888 Rev. G. F. Fitch took 
 charge, and two years later the compiler of this record — 
 having been invited to join the mission — in May, 1891, 
 came to the assistance of Mr. Fitch; five years' 
 previous experience in Mission Press work in China 
 enabling the writer to have a hearty appreciation 
 of, and true admiration for, all that had been done by 
 those who had labored in and for the Presbyterian 
 Mission Press.
 
 26 
 
 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The Presbyterian Mission Press as it is To-day. 
 
 the preceding chapter reference was 
 made to the various work-rooms on the 
 Mission Press premises. It may be of 
 interest for the reader to accompany ns in 
 a walk througli the establishment. Enter- 
 ing the office on the second storey, at the 
 right of the building, we find ourselves in telejiliouic 
 communication with the outside world, and in bell, 
 tube and message-boy connection with the various 
 departments in the Press. In this office is Mr.'Fitch's 
 desk, on which are poured letters from all parts of China ; 
 in fiict from well-nigh all parts of the world. At 
 another desk all printing details are attended to by the 
 writer ; whilst the third desk in the office is occupied by 
 a Chinese assistant, who is engaged in attending to the 
 accounts in connection with the various Chinese and 
 foreign magazines issued from the Press and in assisting 
 in the book-keei)ing. 
 
 The main i)art of the book-keeping is attended to in 
 the room across the passage by Mr. James Williamson, 
 a relation of the late Dr. Williamson, who for thirty
 
 THE CHINESE TYPE ROOM. 
 
 years was a missionary of the Scotch Presbyterian 
 Mission in China. Over a thousand names are on our 
 ledgers, so that ahnost every individual missionary and 
 missionary society engaged in work among the Chinese 
 has financial dealings in one way or other with the 
 Press, In the same room Mr. R. F. Martins corrects 
 the English and Chinese-Romanized proofs, a task re- 
 quiring a great deal of patience, as all the type is set up 
 by Chinese compositors. 
 
 Adjoining this room is the Chinese type-room. This 
 spacious hall, the largest in the building, is filled with 
 type cases (the illustration of one of which is referred to 
 in the preceding chapter). Several type cases are set 
 apart for new type, with which stereoplates are made, 
 thus ensuring good plates. The following are the Chi- 
 nese fonts at present in use : — 
 
 Double Pica. 
 
 m .t 
 
 Double Small Pica. 
 
 mm 
 
 Two-line Brevier. 
 
 it m m n ^ ^i 
 
 Three-line Diamond, 
 Small Pica. 
 
 ^ « fi # w 4* pp ft: i^ » II 1 
 
 Brevier. 
 
 *
 
 28 
 
 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 There is also a small ruby font of 1,400 different 
 characters : — 
 
 In addition to tins Japanese type have been made, 
 and are occasionally in use : — 
 
 7 11 ^ u Y '>^ ;^ r X ^ 
 
 Also Manchu type : — 
 
 ^ ^ ^ A 
 
 1 1 i ^ 1 1. 
 
 t i i t f 
 
 A font of a larger size of Manclin type was made 
 for use in Peking, the matrices all being sent there. 
 The following is printed from specimen castings : — 
 
 
 ■A 
 
 8. 
 
 Hi 
 
 The following characters, in various sizes, are also 
 in use in the type-room : — 
 
 These are meant for chapter numbers, and are 
 now cast in single pieces like the specimen at the side, 
 as often the wearing of the tyjjc would inconveni- 
 ently increase the number of white marks !
 
 o 
 o 
 
 DC 
 UJ 
 
 z 
 
 I 
 o 
 < 

 
 THE MACHINE ROOM. 29 
 
 Another type is the ^^P, i^sed at the margin 
 of Chinese pages as a guide to the binder iu folding. 
 
 From the Chinese type-room we cross over into the 
 English type-room, which is a well lighted hall in the 
 upper storey of the rear building. This department is 
 well occupied iu setting up the English type for diction- 
 aries, vocabularies, primers and other helps in studying 
 Chinese ; Romanised works ; mission and conference re- 
 ports ; also the following magazines : Chinese Recorder 
 and Missionary Journal^ The Messenger, Woman's Work 
 in the Far East, The China Medical Missionary Journal 
 and St. John's Echo. Among the Romanized works we 
 have had such dialects as Shantung, Peking, Canton, 
 Ningpo, Shanghai, Soochow and Weuchow. 
 
 Going downstairs past store-rooms for paper, ink, 
 etc., we cross over into the machine room, which is in the 
 lower part of the main building, and connected by a hoist 
 with the Chinese type-room above. In the machine 
 room we have four cylinder machines, one platen ma- 
 chine and four large self-inking hand presses. The five 
 machines are driven by a new and powerful gas engine. 
 During the last few years the amount of press work has 
 caused considerable overtime, but whilst the machines 
 are run at the utmost rate of speed, consistent with good 
 working, great care is taken to ensure good results. 
 Many of the magazines and educational works are illus- 
 trated, and care is taken in the dressing on of the formes. 
 
 During the time the Press has been iu existence a 
 great advance has been made in tlie way of illustrations, 
 and it may not be out of place to insert here two pictures 
 which, iu a small degree, indicate the advance made :—
 
 30 
 
 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 — ..O^O'- — 
 
 o 
 
 N 
 
 E 
 
 O 
 
 F 
 
 O 
 
 u 
 
 R 
 
 — ••O^O"' — 
 
 o 
 
 L 
 D 
 E 
 R 
 
 P 
 I 
 C 
 
 T 
 U 
 R 
 E 
 S 
 
 A RECENT ILLUSTRATION.
 
 BINDING AND SI'EREOTYPING. 
 
 31 
 
 From the machine room we naturally proceed to the 
 binding room. In recent years the Bible Societies have 
 printed a number of editions of the Bible and portions on 
 thin foreign paper, sufficiently opaque to allow of print- 
 ing on both sides. This naturally throws more work on 
 the workmen in this department, as here the pressing, 
 folding and collating is done. All foreign magazines, 
 pamphlets, etc., are bound here ; in fact so great is the 
 pressure in this department that within a month a hy- 
 draulic press will be erected. Hitherto screw presses 
 have done all the work. 
 
 Adjoining the binding room is a workshop occupied 
 by two joiners, whose time is mostly filled up with pre- 
 paring blocks and mounting stereoplates. New patent 
 adjustable blocks are being made which, when completed 
 and put into use, will relieve the joiners and reduce the 
 time spent in dressing on at the machines. 
 
 The stereoplates are made in a long, well ven- 
 tilated room at the east end of the premises. Here also 
 the Chinese type is made. The process of making the 
 matrices has already been referred to in the preceding 
 chapter. The type is made both by the old hand and 
 newer type casting machines. The latter, however, are 
 getting worn, and new machines are very necessary. 
 During the past few years we have cast type for Mission 
 Presses in Peking, Foochow and Ningpo. Type and 
 other necessaries are also prepared for a Mission Press in 
 Korea, whilst we have in hand a font of three-line dia- 
 mond Chinese type for the German Imperial Printing 
 Press in Berlin. 
 
 Crossing over into the main building we enter the 
 book sales room, in which during 1893 159,970 books
 
 32 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 and 237,912 sheet tracts were sold and despatched to 
 their various destinations. 
 
 In this room also is the compradore's — or cashier's — 
 department. Our former compradore, Elder Loo Kiung- 
 doDg, died in April of this year. He had served in the 
 same capacity for about twenty years, and whilst hun- 
 dreds of thousands of dollars had passed through his 
 hands it is not known that a single dollar was ever 
 misappropriated. He was taken suddenly home to his 
 Father, and it is pleasing to be able to record that whilst 
 the suddenness of the call gave him no opportunity for 
 arranging accounts, everything was found in order, and a 
 new compradore, an Elder elect, was installed without 
 the loss of a dollar, and with no confusion or anxiety. 
 
 Our present force of Chinese workmen is distributed 
 as follows : — 
 
 English Composing Room 
 
 Chinese do. do. 
 
 Machine (Press) do. 
 
 Foundry ... 
 
 Binding and Pressing Room . 
 
 Proof-readers 
 
 Salesmen and Book-keeper 
 
 Despatching Clerks 
 
 Compradore 
 
 Shroff 
 
 Office Assistant 
 
 Carpenters 
 
 Coolies 
 
 Gate-keeper 
 
 ... 13 
 
 men 
 
 ... 18 
 
 5i 
 
 ... 22 
 
 1> 
 
 ... 14 
 
 ?i 
 
 ... 10 
 
 i> 
 
 ... 4 
 
 ?? 
 
 ... 3 
 
 ?? 
 
 2 
 
 5> 
 
 ... 1 
 
 man 
 
 ... 1 
 
 i? 
 
 ... 1 
 
 ?5 
 
 ... fw 
 
 men 
 
 ... 4 
 
 i? 
 
 ... 1 
 
 man 
 
 Total 90 
 
 men.
 
 ;LDER loo KlUNG-DONG.
 
 AMOUNT OF PRINTED MATTER. 33 
 
 This does not inclnde some 30 binders of Chinese 
 works, for whom there is no room on the premises. 
 
 The following is the output during the past five 
 years : — 
 
 Scriptures pages 123,098,900 
 
 Religions books and tracts „ 43,897,295 
 
 Magazines ... „ 18,472,160 
 
 Calendars and sheet tracts 1,615,740 
 
 Miscellaneous — Medical and edu- ] 
 
 cational works, dictionaries, ( , ^ .q« nR, 
 vocabularies and other helps f » '' • 
 
 in study, reports, etc. ) 
 
 Total 201,581,749 
 
 In addition to the foregoing facts, indicating the ma- 
 terial prosperity of the Press, mention ought to be made 
 of the growth among the men spiritually and the conse- 
 quent development of organized Christian work. Well- 
 nigh half of the workmen are Christians. Several of 
 them are members of the South Gate and Hongkew 
 Presbyterian Churches, others belong to the South- 
 ern Baptist Mission, Methodist Episcopal Mission and 
 Church Missionary Society churches, but the majority 
 are members or adherents of the Presbyterian Church 
 connected with the Press, the formation of which is 
 noticed on page 25. 
 
 The Sunday services and Thursday evening meeting 
 of the Christian Endeavor Society are well attended. 
 Under the fostering care and through the unwearied ex- 
 ertions of Mrs. Fitch an interesting and most encourag- 
 ing work is going on among the women of the church 
 and their neighbors. Two years ago a branch preaching
 
 34 
 
 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 place was opened in a densely populated district near the 
 jail. Regular services are held in this chapel, about 
 thirty or forty persons attending. 
 
 A day-school has been conducted for some years at the 
 Press, under the care of a committee of church members. 
 The sound of lessons being recited, or hymns sung, 
 often rises very pleasantly above the various noises of 
 the Press. This school will have a special room assign- 
 ed to it in the new chapel, which is nearing completion. 
 We might also mention that every morning, at 7.30, 
 before work commences, morning prayers, attended by 
 most of the workmen, are conducted, the service taking 
 the form of hymn-singing, reading and exposition of 
 Scripture, and prayer.
 
 OTHER MISSION PRESSES. 
 
 35 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Other Mission Presses in China. 
 
 UR note of thankfulness, as we see how in 
 the preceding chapters the Lord has 
 blessed the work of the Press whose jubi- 
 lee we are celebrating, swells into a more 
 jubilant paean as we learn what has also 
 been accomplished by contemporaneous 
 establishments, and how the number and facilities of 
 such Mission Presses are being augmented. 
 
 The remarkable increase in the number of mission- 
 aries during the past fifty years, the many doors open, and 
 still yet opening, to the inlet of Christian literature, the 
 necessities of a well-developed educational system, as 
 well as the requirements of other branches of missionary 
 labor, lead us to expect a corresponding development in 
 the particular agency which has proved a necessity at 
 important stages of their expansion. Before noting, 
 however, the more recent establishments which have been 
 called into existence by the exigencies of a strong de- 
 mand we will give some details regarding some of the 
 earlier ]\Iission Presses. The first to note is the :
 
 36 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 B. 3B. C. jf. /ID. ipress. 
 
 A printing press, sent out by the American Board 
 Mission in 1831, was put into operation early in 1832, 
 at Canton, nnder the supervision of Dr. Bridgman, who at 
 the same time commenced the publication of the Chinese 
 Repository. The following year it passed into the hands 
 of Dr. S. Wells Williams, who came out from home to 
 manage it. 
 
 From the very commencement the absolute neces- 
 sity of movable metal type for rapid, economical and 
 presentable work was apparent ; but in default of such a 
 requisite wooden blocks evidently were used. In 1833 
 the blocks of Dr. Bridgman's " Sermon on the Mount " 
 were sent to Boston and stereotyped, an edition being 
 printed off in the United States from the stereo-plates. 
 Whilst at a later date the Press availed itself of the 
 patient efforts of Mr. Dyer in the way of punch cutting 
 to procure a font of movable type, block cutting seems 
 to have been frequently resorted to as late as 1854. 
 
 After the destruction of the Press at Canton by fire 
 in 1858 work was started in Peking in 1868 by money 
 received as indemnity. Mr. P. R. Hunt had charge of the 
 Press until his death in 1877, after which Mr. W. C. 
 Noble succeeded to this duty. Since the departure of 
 Mr. Noble for the United States, six or seven years ago, 
 the oversight of the Press devolved on Dr. Blodget, 
 who gracefully, in a recent A. B. 0. F. M. Annual 
 Report, acknowledges the excellence of Mr. Hunt's plans, 
 arrangements and training of workmen, which, com- 
 bined with the system of piece work introduced by Mr. 
 Noble, enabled him with no special acquaintance with
 
 AMERICAN BOARD PRESS. 37 
 
 the art of printing to carry forward the work with a 
 good measure of success. Last year the total number of 
 pages printed was 1,702,160. 
 
 We join in Dr. Blodget's hope that the coming 
 of Mr. Mateer this year — 1894 — will give a new impetus 
 to the work. This is the Mr. J. L. Mateer referred to 
 on page 24, and as we rejoice in the claims of the 
 Mission Press of China persuading him to come out 
 again, we feel confident that the Peking Press, which 
 has won such a good name in the past, will have an 
 enlarged and still more useful sphere of operations. 
 
 Xon&on /Iftission press. 
 
 This Press, which was ultimately transferred to 
 Hongkong, was originally established by Drs. Morrison 
 and Milne at Malacca, about the year 1818. Wooden 
 blocks and characters cut on a metal body were both 
 used, but later on Mr. Dyer's punches enabled them to 
 procure cheaper and more useful type. Mr. Cole after 
 leaving the American Presbyterian Mission Press — see 
 page 14 — superintended the type founding and printing 
 until 1852, when Dr. Chalmers took charge. Later on 
 Mr. Wong Shino, a Morrison school-boy, who had been 
 to America, became so well acquainted with the work 
 that he took charge under Dr. Chalmers, Dr. Legge, 
 Mr. Turner and Dr. Eitel, until the whole establish- 
 ment was sold to a Chinese company in 1879. 
 
 Printing operations were carried on by the same 
 Mission in Shanghai, and Rev. William Mnirhead, D.D., 
 has kindly supplied us with the following : —
 
 38 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 IRemtniscences ot tbe XonC>on /IDisston printina 
 ©ffice, Sbanabai. 
 
 Early in the history of the Mission, arrangements 
 were made for the formation of a printing office as an 
 indispensable element in our work. The late Dr. 
 Medhnrst, who was a practised printer, initiated some 
 work of the kind, but it was not till the year 1847, 
 when Mr. Alexander Wylie was sent out for the purpose, 
 that matters were actively proceeded with, and a variety 
 of work was done corresponding to the requirements of 
 the Mission. 
 
 In the course of a few years the revision of the 
 New Testament, commonly called Delegates' Version, 
 was completed, and about that time we began to hear of 
 the T'ai-p'ing rebels as advancing in the interior, and as 
 professing a Christian object on the attainment of 
 supreme authority. The prospect excited much interest 
 at home, and by the special eiforts of the late Rev, John 
 Angell James a million copies were subscribed for, in 
 order to meet the supposed necessity of the times. With 
 a view to carry out this object several ponderous ma- 
 chines were sent to Shanghai at the instance of the 
 British and Foreign Bible Society, which were to be 
 driven by bullocks, and it was thought that in this way 
 the work would be more speedily completed and a wide- 
 spread circulation of the sacred Scriptures would take 
 place. On the erection of these machines the work of 
 printing was carried on, early and late, and several 
 hundred thousand copies were issued from the press. 
 Ere long, however, the machines were found to be very
 
 LONDON MISSION PRESS. 39 
 
 disadvantageous. They worked badly and produced 
 most blurred impressions which were really illegible- 
 Whatever was the cause of this it was resolved to return 
 the machines to England and to carry on the work by 
 means of hand presses, which were also in use at the 
 same time. 
 
 On the discovery of the state of things introduced by 
 the rebels, and the apparent failure of their cause, there 
 was seen to be no such urgency for the publication of the 
 million Testaments and their speedy distribution as was 
 originally contemplated. Hence the work proceeded 
 slowly, as the occasion seemed to require, and for several 
 years comparatively little was done. 
 
 When the American Mission Press was established 
 in Shanghai, and it was found that the work of the Bible 
 Society and the Mission generally could be done there, it 
 seemed desirable that our mission press should be broken 
 up and our printing material disposed of. Long before 
 this time Mr. Wylie had ceased his connection with the 
 press, and joined the Bible Society as its representative 
 in China to carry on the work of distribution, and super- 
 intend a number of native colporteurs at different places. 
 He continued this work for a series of years, and used to 
 speak of having visited fourteen provinces in this capaci- 
 ty. Meanwhile the London Mission Press was closed, 
 and we are thankful that the American Mission Press 
 has amply met our necessities and supplied the wants of 
 the Mission, as well as of the British and Foreign Bible 
 Societies, the Religious Tract Society and others, in the 
 most satisfactory manner. 
 
 The Rev. W. H. Lacy has kindly supplied the fol-
 
 40 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 lowing particulars of 
 
 Zbc /IDetboDist Bpfscopal /IDisslon iprcss, 
 dfoocbow. 
 
 The origin of the above named press is given in the 
 Jnly-Augiist number of the Chinese Recorder, 1879, by 
 Eev. W. S. Holt, as follows : "In the year 1859 a letter 
 was received from Rev. M. C. White, M.D., a former 
 member of the Mission, now professor in Yale College, 
 suggesting the propriety of this Mission making applica- 
 tion to the American Bible Society for a press and print- 
 ing material to publish the Scriptures in Chinese at 
 Foochow. This suggestion was very opportune, and met 
 with the hearty approval of the Mission. As block 
 printing had proven unsatisfactory and cumbersome, 
 great need was felt for a printing office with all the 
 facilities for neat and rapid printing. Previous to this 
 time, however, a Publishing Committee had been ap- 
 pointed to print various books on blocks, such as the 
 Pentateuch, Matthew, Epistles of Peter and John, and 
 also to publish a periodical in Chinese called the 
 Foochow Monthly. The Mission then appointed Messrs. 
 Baldwin and Wentworth a committee to make applica- 
 tion for a press and the necessary funds to carry out this 
 plan, to wliich a ready response was made, both from 
 the Bible Society by advancing funds for Bible work 
 and the Mission Board by granting funds to erect a 
 press building and to aid in purchasing type and 
 presses." 
 
 In June, 1861, Rev. Erastus Wentworth, D.D., left 
 Foochow for Hongkong to purchase a font of Chinese
 
 THE M. E. M. PRMSS, FOOCHOW. 41 
 
 type and to take practical lessons in type setting. He 
 was absent about three months, and returned with a 
 font of Double Pica Chinese type, purchased from the 
 London Mission Press, Hongkong, and a Washington 
 Hoe press with several fonts of English type sent out 
 from America. In November of that year work was 
 commenced on a building for the accommodation of the 
 press. This was a frame structure 30 x 60 feet erected 
 within the compound at a cost of ^400. In January, 
 1862, a Cantonese foreman arrived, the building was com- 
 pleted, and work soon after begun under the direction of 
 Dr. Wentworth. 
 
 On December 1st, 1862, Rev. S. L, Baldwin, a 
 practical printer, took charge as superintendent. Dur- 
 ing the year another Hoe hand press was ordered, and 
 the following year a font of Three-line Diamond type was 
 secured from Hongkong for printing the New Testament. 
 November 30, 1864, the first number of the MetJwdist 
 Monthly Record in Chinese was issued. 
 
 July 1st, 1866, Rev. L. N. Wheeler, who had been 
 sent out for this special work, took charge of the press. 
 During this year Dr. Gibson's Reference New Testament 
 was finished, and the Colloquial New Testament in large 
 type commenced. The presses were worked sixteen 
 hours a day, completing nearly ten million pages during 
 the year. This volume of w^rk was greatly in excess of 
 any preceding year, and was not again equaled for 
 eighteen years, the record varying from one to eight 
 million pages annually. In January, 1867, the first num- 
 ber of the Missionary Recorder was issued. The Mission 
 history says this " was published as an experiment under 
 the direction of the Mission." Dr. R. S. Maclay, Rev.
 
 42 THE MISSION TRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 S. L. Baldwin and Rev. L. N. Wheeler were Publishing 
 Committee, the last named being editor. May 16, 1808, 
 appeared the first number of the Chinese Recorder and 
 Missionary Journal, as a successor to the Missionary 
 Recorder^ Rev. S. L. Baldwin, editor. Daring this year 
 were printed the first few hundred pages of the Alpha- 
 betic Dictionary of the Chinese Language in the Foo- 
 chow dialect, by Rev. R. S. Maclay, D.D. and Rev. C. 
 C. Baldwin, a work of over 1,100 pages, completed two 
 years later. 
 
 January 30th, 1869, Rev. L. N. Wheeler left for 
 Peking to open a new mission there. Special adaptation 
 for this undertaking, coupled with the fact that his 
 health had failed in Foochow, made this change neces- 
 sary, and Dr. Maclay again took charge of the Press. 
 During this year an edition of 5,000 copies of the Re- 
 ference New Testament, prepared by Rev. A. W. Cribb, 
 was issued, and among books in the colloquial " Daily 
 Food " by Rev. S. F. Woodin, and an Astronomy by Rev. 
 N. Sites. In 1870 the Manual of the Foochow Dialect, 
 250 pages, by Rev. C. C. Baldwin, D.D., was begun, and 
 finished the following year. 
 
 In 1871 Rev. N. J. Plumb was appointed super- 
 intendent, and remained in charge for eight years. Nov. 
 11, 1874, the first number of Zion's Herald in Chinese 
 was issued. The name was afterwards changed to The 
 Fuhkien Church Gazette, but a few years ago the name 
 was again changed to The Fuhkien Christian Advocate. 
 The same year was commenced the publication of a 
 child's paper, which is still issued as an illustrated 
 monthly in the Colloquial character. June 1st, 1875, 
 was dedicated a new building erected at the expense of
 
 THE M. E. M. PRESS, FOOCHOW. 43 
 
 the M. E. Missionary Society at a cost of over $3,500. 
 Of this buildiug the fourth and part of the third story 
 were used by the Theological Seminary and Boarding 
 School, while the remainder was devoted to the needs 
 of the Press. That year a font of Small Pica and a font 
 of music type were purchased from the Presbyterian Mis- 
 sion Press in Shanghai. In 1876 a large geography, 
 the cuts for which were engraved on wood by the Chinese, 
 was published for Mrs. H. F. Baldwin. In 1878 a 
 third edition of Reference New Testament and a Hymn 
 and Tune Book, prejiared by Rev. and Mrs. F. Ohlinger, 
 were printed. A third Hoe j)ress, with self-inking ap- 
 paratus, was purchased. 
 
 In 1879 Revs. D. W. Chandler and N. Sites were 
 appointed as joint superintendents. That year the value 
 of the stock was reported as $6,500, besides the building. 
 The year following Rev. D. W. Chandler was appointed 
 superintendent. Dr. Osgood's Anatomy was published, 
 and an edition of the Wen-li Bible begun. 
 
 In April, 1882, Mr. Chandler left for America in 
 failing health, and Rev. N. J. Plumb was again appointed 
 sui^erintendent, and remained in charge until his fur- 
 lough, nearly nine years later. During these years the 
 work of the Press averaged about twelve million pages 
 annually, and the facilities were constantly improved. 
 In 1884 a new font of Two-line Small Pica was pur- 
 chased. In 1886 one of the old presses was sold, and a 
 larger self-inking Hoe press was purchased, and a small 
 stereotyping outfit secured. In 1888 a font of matrices 
 for casting Three-line Diamond type was ordered at a 
 cost of about $1,500, and type casting begun. In 1889 a 
 new font of Music type was purchased and a Union
 
 44 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 Hymn and Tune Book in Colloquial was issued for the 
 use of the American Board and Methodist Missions. 
 In 1890 another hand press was purchased, and foreign 
 binding begun on a small scale. 
 
 In March, 1891, Rev. Wm. H. Lacy was appointed 
 superintendent, and he still remains in charge. That year 
 was marked by the completion of the first complete Bible 
 in the Foochow Colloquial character, a quarto volume 
 in Hsing type. The edition consisted of 3,000 Bibles, 
 1,200 New Testament and Psalms and 3,000 New Testa- 
 ments. This was a joint edition by the American and B, 
 and F. Bible Societies ; about one-half of the edition 
 was on foreign paper. An Euglish-Foochow Dictionary, 
 prepared by T. B. Adam, M D., was completed early in 
 the year. As the demand for English work had increased, 
 as the missionary body grew, some twenty fonts of 
 type and a small press were purchased. The Foochow 
 Missionary Union having adopted a new system of 
 Romanization a font of Pica Romanized was secured, and 
 work begun in 1892. In the latter part of that year one 
 of the presses, with a font of Romanized type, was trans- 
 ferred to Hinghua, about seventy-five miles south, and a 
 branch office opened there for greater convenience in 
 publishing literature in the Hinghua dialect, as no one 
 trained to read that proof could be found in Foochow. 
 
 In January, 1893, we commenced using a new 
 Liberty job press, purchased in the United States at a 
 cost of over |500. This made possible the production of 
 first class job work, and to meet the demand over one 
 hundred fonts of job type of the latest styles were 
 secured from England and America. In addition to this 
 several hundreds of dollars have been expended in new
 
 THE M. E. M. PRESS, POOCHOW. 45 
 
 and improved machinery, including a wire stitching ma- 
 chine, punching machine, eye-letting machine, mitering 
 machine, rule and lead cutter, and an Imperial paper 
 cutting machine for the foreign bindery. In connection 
 with the bindery a blank-book and stationery depart- 
 ment has been opened, and we now have a stock of 
 $1,000. 
 
 During the present year over |2,000 has been invest- 
 ed in facilities for better work, including a double royal 
 cylinder printing machine, now on its way out from 
 England. This press has long been a necessity for our 
 work, and especially so the present year, as the volume 
 of work done has rapidly increased. The record of work 
 done during the first nine months of the present fiscal 
 year is 19,397,509 pages, besides the work done in the 
 Hinghua office. This record of over 80,000 pages a day 
 has been possible only by running the presses day and 
 night ; part of the time twenty hours a day. 
 
 The work of the Foochow Press has not been 
 confined to the needs of the Foochow missions. In the 
 earlier years considerable work was done for the missions 
 in Amoy, Swatow, Formosa, Hongkong and Bangkok, 
 and for the Methodist Missions in Peking and Kiukiang. 
 In later years large orders were executed for the British 
 and Foreign Bible Society agents at Shanghai and 
 Tientsin, but since the Tientsin agency was discontinued 
 the work of the B. and F. B. S. has been largely central- 
 ized at Shanghai. At present the largest out-port 
 orders come from the North China Tract Society, with 
 head-quarters at Peking, and the American Bible Society 
 agency at Shanghai, which from the beginning has been 
 a strong supporter of the Press here.
 
 46 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 At present the capital of the Press is nearly |20,000, 
 besides the ground and buildings, worth about $5,000. 
 The plant includes a double royal cylinder printing 
 machine, a Liberty job press, four large Washington 
 Hoe presses, one Columbian press, two small presses, six 
 fonts of Chinese type, four fonts of Romanized type, 
 two fonts of music type, seven English book fonts and 
 about one hundred and fifty job fonts ; also type-casting, 
 stereotyping and book-binding outfits. Before the close 
 of the year we are expecting another font of Chinese 
 type, and one in italic Romanized for the republication 
 of the Maclay-Baldwin Alphabetic Dictionary, which 
 Dr. C. C. Baldwin is now revising. 
 
 When first established the Foochow Press was 
 assisted by mission funds, but it was soon put on a self- 
 supporting basis, and nine-tenths of its present capital, 
 outside of the real estate, has accumulated from the small 
 profits on the immense amount of work done during the 
 past thirty years. 
 
 The next Press, according to time of starting, that 
 calls for notice is the 
 
 Cburcb /IDissionarg Soctet^ press, IRlnopo. 
 
 Rev. J. C. Hoare, in answering the letter asking for 
 details of work done by the Press, modestly considered it 
 as hardly worthy of notice in an account of printing in 
 China, but we feel sure our readers will be interested in 
 the following particulars he kindly gives : — 
 
 " The first press we had in our Mission was brought 
 out by the Rev. F. F. Gough in 1869. From that date 
 until 1881 the press, a small "Albion," was kei)t in Mr.
 
 C. M. S. PRESS, NINGPO. 47 
 
 Gough's house, mainly supported by a small grant from 
 the Chm'ch Missionary Society, and chiefly employed in 
 printing small books and sheets for the Mission use, in 
 Roman character only. At that time there was no Chi- 
 nese character type. 
 
 In 1881 Mr, Gongh retnroed to England, and the 
 Press was handed over to our Divinity College here. 
 Since that time the work has been gradually increased, 
 though it is still carried on on a very small scale. A 
 second font of Roman character type has been added, 
 and also a font of Chinese character ; and an " Eagle " 
 press was bought from Dr. Williamson's establishment 
 when it was broken up. 
 
 The work done has been primarily for college use. 
 Examination papers, schedules of work and various 
 sheets connected with our educational work, text books 
 on mathematics and history in Roman character, theo- 
 logical text books on the creed, the prayer-book and 
 systematic theology in Chinese character ; together 
 with a few commentaries in Chinese character and pray- 
 er-books with a few small Christian books in Roman 
 character ; these are the works on which our presses 
 have been employed." 
 
 Bnolisb jpresbinerian /IDission press, Swatow. 
 
 Rev. J. C. Gibson writes to us as follows : — 
 " I congratulate the Press on the attainment of its 
 Jubilee. Fifty years is a long time in the history of 
 Christian work in China, and one's mind runs back to 
 poor Morrison struggling with his block-cutters, and 
 feels that though progress often seems slow, yet we have 
 advanced a louo- wav since then.
 
 48 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 It is very kind of you to think of your younger and 
 much smaller neighbours in the year of your greatness, 
 and I will very gladly supply a little information about 
 our Press, though our work is very amateur and on a 
 very small scale. It was begun in the year 1880 with a 
 " Crown Albion " hand-press and a font of type sent 
 out as a gift by James E. Mathieson, Esq., then Super- 
 intendent of the Mildmay Mission work in London, and a 
 few of his friends. It was set up in our boys' boarding- 
 school, and I taught one of the boys how to use it. 
 
 The first font of type was Pica (Roman), and nearly 
 all our work has been in the printing of Scripture and 
 other books iu the Swatow dialect Romanized. The 
 type was added to from time to time by the gifts of 
 friends, and in 1885 a font of Double Pica was added. 
 This has been of the greatest use in encouraging old 
 people and beginners who always feel a small type dif- 
 ficult to read. Many have learned in the large type who 
 would have been deterred by anything smaller ; but 
 after they have learned some of these are quite able to 
 use smaller sizes. 
 
 For reference editions of books of Scripture and a 
 few other purposes a "Brevier-Bourgeois" type was 
 added to our stock, and finally in 1893 a new font of 
 Bourgeois was acquired. 
 
 We have no Chinese type, and the only printing 
 done in Chinese character is done from stereos supplied 
 to us by the Methodist Episcopal Mission Press, Foo- 
 chow, for our local Hymn-book in Character Colloquial. 
 I should add that all the fonts named above have all tlie 
 special accents required for indicating the eight tones of 
 the Swatow Vernacular. All our type has been supplied
 
 E. P. M, PRESS, SWATOW. 49 
 
 by Messrs. Miller and Richard, of Edinburgh, and we 
 owe much to the care and skill with which they have cut 
 for us all such accents as go beyond those usually sup- 
 plied with English fonts. 
 
 The plant of the Press has gradually grown with our 
 growing requirements. It now includes a stereotyping 
 apparatus of a small size, and a book-binding outfit, con- 
 sisting of "nipping press," paper-cutting machine, etc. 
 Last year we added a second press, a "Royal Colum- 
 bian." 
 
 Our printing house now consists of three smal 
 rooms, and we have five printers in constant work. 
 
 The work done consists of translations of Scripture 
 and other Christian book literature, with some educa- 
 tional books for use in our ]\Iission schools, all in the 
 Swatow Vernacular. The turn-out for the year 1893 
 was 434,000 pages. These books are available for use 
 among the Christians throughout the field of the Swatow 
 missions, of which there are two — the American Baptist 
 and the English Presbyterian — occupying nearly the 
 whole of Chao-chow and part of Hwei-chow in the north- 
 east part of the Canton province. The books are used 
 also in the Straits among the Swatow-speaking Christians 
 connected with our Mission there. One of our regular 
 publications is a " Monthly Church News," which serves 
 as a means of intercommunication among the congrega- 
 tions connected with us. It is illustrated from electros 
 kindly given to us by the Religious Tract Society of 
 London. 
 
 As to the funds for the support of the Press I can 
 only say that its income is uncertain, but has always been 
 suflacient for our needs. There is a revenue from the
 
 50 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 sale of onr publications, both to native and foreign 
 buyers. Among these the Press possesses the right to a 
 " Swatow Vocabulary," by Rev. W. Duffus, and a 
 " Swatow Index to Williams' Dictionary," for both of 
 which there is a steady though small demand among 
 foreign students of the language. The latter is also 
 purchased occasionally by Chinese students of their own 
 written language, as giving correctly the local sounds 
 of the characters. All our Scrijiture printing is done at 
 the expense of the British and Foreign Bible Society, 
 and the Scriptures printed become their property, and are 
 sold by us on their account. We have also had occasion- 
 al grants generously given by the Tract Society of 
 London to enable us to print our hymn-book, both in 
 character and in Roman letter, and to print in Roman 
 translations of Earth's "Bible Stories" and the Pilgrim's 
 Progress. The result is that we have been able now for 
 a good many years to carry on the Press without its 
 becoming a charge on the ordinary Mission funds." 
 
 Mr. Gibson sends us also a list of publications sent 
 out from the Swatow Press. These include a number of 
 Romanized Old and New Testament portions in the Swa- 
 tow Vernacular, with Romanized tracts, hymn-books and 
 educational primers. 
 
 We earnestly echo Mr. Gibson's wish that our Press 
 may " by its centenary be straining all its powers to meet 
 the demand for the daily reading of a Christian China I " 
 
 Mr. John Archibald kindly supplies us with the 
 following particulars of : —
 
 N. B. S. S. PRESS, HANKOW. 51 
 
 Ubc B. 355. 5. S. /Ilbtssion iprinting press, 
 Ibant^ow. 
 
 The National Bible Society of Scotland's Press was 
 established in July, 1885 — under the name of the Han- 
 kow Mission Press — in order to undertake the printing 
 necessitated by the rapidly extending operations of the 
 Society whose name it bears and of the Central China 
 Religions Tract Society. Previous to that time, owing 
 to there being no such press at the port, the books 
 required by these Societies had, per force, to be printed 
 by the native wooden block process. This method, al- 
 though found satisfactory for small editions and when 
 time is no great object, proves to be entirely impracticable 
 when a large demand must be met and with the least 
 possible delay. 
 
 At the outset it was proposed to start this press as a 
 private venture, and with funds from private sources, 
 but in order to secure its success the Bible Society directors 
 resolved to adopt it as a branch of their work in China ; 
 so practically it passed into their hands before it was 
 fairly under weigh. It thus became a purely missionary 
 concern, carred on, not for the sake of business profits, 
 but entirely in the interests of missionary literature, and 
 in no way competing with the general printing trade. 
 
 It was first lodged in the old London Mission 
 Hospital, an interesting building from the fact that it 
 was the first one erected in Central China for mission 
 purposes. This was situated in the native town adjoining 
 the foreign concession, but had been abandoned for 
 many years in favour of a new one in a more healthy
 
 52 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 sitaatioD. Hence the old hospital had gradually gone 
 down in the world till, at that date, it was used by the 
 natives as a pig market. Here the Press flourished, aud 
 was rapidly extended, particularly so in 1891 when, 
 on the death of Dr. Williamson, there was added to it 
 by purchase nearly the whole of the printing plant 
 of the Society for the Diffusion of Christian and General 
 Knowledge, Shanghai. 
 
 But on January 12th, 1892, it met with a sudden 
 disaster. Early that morning a fire suddenly broke 
 out in the vicinity, which destroyed upwards of 200 
 native houses, including that in the occupation of the 
 Press. Fortunately, by strenuous exertions, the main 
 part of the establishment in the old hospital, through 
 its being a foreign building, was saved, although the 
 fire raged all round it, and the doors and several windows 
 were burned out. From the nature of the risk it had 
 been found impossible to get it covered by insurance, 
 so by this misadventure the Society was involved in a loss 
 ofTls. 1,500. 
 
 In consequence of this, by order of the directors, 
 the Press was moved from the native town to the foreign 
 concession, and July of the same year saw it set up 
 in handsome and commodious premises, specially erect- 
 ed for it, in the corner lot between Fourth Street 
 and the back road. Thus this untoward calamity 
 ultimately proved to be a blessing in disguise, for such 
 was the sympathy shown by the Society's friends that 
 the cost of the site and buildings, Tls. 10,000, was met 
 without difficulty. The directors were indebted to the 
 fire for an asset of great and rapidly increasing value — 
 which was promptly covered by insurance against a
 
 N. B. S. 8. PEBSS, HANKOW. 53 
 
 repetition of the like — while their agents were provided 
 with an establishment where all operations could be 
 carried on with comfort and convenience. The Central 
 China Tract Society which, although occupying still 
 another building, had also all its property burned in 
 the same fire, in a similar manner found the calamity 
 to be a blessing in disguise. 
 
 The N. B. S. S. Press is practically exclusively era- 
 ployed in printing the Scriptures and tracts required by 
 its own Society and by the C. C. R. T. S. For this 
 purpose it employs three printing machines and four 
 hand presses. It possesses eight fonts of Chinese type 
 and a fair outfit of English ditto. It has a stereo and 
 electrotypiug foundry, a type-casting foundry with five 
 fonts of matrices, two of them new patterns, in all up- 
 wards of 30,000 matrices ; also a blocking press and 
 foreign binding plant, besides a very large stock of 
 stereo and electro plates. It gives employment, on an 
 average, to 70 people — 40 in the press and foundries 
 and 30 in the binding departments. During the nine 
 years of its existence there has issued from this Press 
 2,110,000 Testaments or Scripture portions and 6,000,000 
 other Christian books and tracts. 
 
 Amongst the works it has specially issued may be 
 mentioned the Scripture translations of the Rev. Griffith 
 John, D.D., in both Weu-li and Kwan-hwa, the first 
 annotated Scripture portions for general use, the fullest 
 Reference Testament yet published, and such tracts as 
 "The Gate of Wisdom and Virtue," "Leading the 
 Family in the Right Way," &c., now being largely 
 printed at other ports as well. As curiosities there 
 may be noted the reproductions and translations of
 
 54 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 Hunan and other anti-foreign literature bearing on the 
 missionary question and the first set of local stamps 
 produced for an outport in China — the original and pro- 
 lific parent of the numerous outport local post offices 
 which have recently sprung into being. 
 
 This Press has all along been under the manage- 
 ment of the Society's Hankow agent, Mr, John Archibald, 
 save during an eighteen months' furlough, when the 
 Rev. J. Wallace Wilson took charge. Every year since 
 it started has, with God's blessing, seen a distinct 
 advance in each department. May this long remain 
 its record ! 
 
 To Rev. E. S. Little, Methodist Episcopal Mission, 
 Kiukiang, we are indebted for the following account of 
 
 Ube Central China prcsSt IRiuliiano. 
 
 It had been felt by many for some time that there 
 should be a printing press within the bounds of the 
 Central China Mission of the Methodist Episco])al Church, 
 but up to 1890 attempts in this direction had failed. 
 At the time of the General Missionary Conference in 
 Shanghai the writer felt called to make a start in the 
 direction of obtaining some kiud of plant. The other 
 brethren at Kiukiang encouraged him to proceed, and 
 with the assistance of Messrs. Mcintosh and Archibald 
 the first steps were taken. No funds were in hand, 
 but the writer was assured if the work were of God 
 and for the advancement of His Kingdom it would 
 succeed. A small second-hand press was purchased for 
 |60 from the Mercury office, and arrangements kindly
 
 CENTRAL CHINA PEESS, KIUKIANG. 55 
 
 entered into by Mr. Drnmmond Hay, of the North-China 
 Daily News, whereby another and larger press was secured. 
 The small press was taken to Kiukiang and erected in 
 the writer's private study, where the first printiug was 
 done. A visit was then paid to Hankow, and type and 
 sundry furniture were secured from Mr. Archibald ; a 
 trained printer was also engaged, who came to Kiukiang 
 immediately and printed the second issue of the Hwei-pao, 
 which was set up in type in Hankow and brought down 
 to Kiukiang to be printed. 
 
 The next thiog to be done was to erect a small 
 printing office in one corner of the compound quite close 
 to the house. In about six weeks we moved over here 
 and erected our press and single type stand. Type 
 continued to arrive from Hankow as we required it. 
 
 We soon felt that we should require new and more 
 extensive plant ; an order was therefore sent to England 
 for English type, small roller printing machine, stereo 
 and type casting outfits, paper cutting machine, perforat- 
 ing machine and sundry smaller plant and furniture ; the 
 value of this was at the time about |2,000. An order 
 for stationery and foreign paper to the value of nearly 
 $200 and ink was also sent forward. This all arrived 
 in due time. But in the meantime no grants or gifts 
 of money had come in, and the responsibility was a very 
 heavy one. In 1891 Rev. J. Jackson and Rev. J, J. Banbury 
 each advanced a loan of $200 without interest. This $400 
 gave some relief. During all this time work kept 
 coming in, and although our staff increased we were 
 able to meet all current expenses. 
 
 In 1892 the Missionary Committee in New York 
 generously voted about $1,200 Mex., and with this all the
 
 56 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 debts were wiped away. lu April tlie writer resigned 
 from the managership, and was able to hand over to his 
 successor, Rev. J. J. Banbury, the complete outfit free 
 of debt, with cash and bills receivable to the value of 
 over |300. A staff of eleven men were then employed. 
 
 With the increased plant and work a new building 
 was required ; the present manager erected this in 1893 
 with funds advanced by the missionaries in Kinkiaog, 
 The committee in New York again came to our rescue, 
 and generously voted $1,0U0 tJ. S. gold, which paid 
 all the expenses. We have now a large, convenient 
 and airy two-storied building in which all the work 
 is carried on. Since 1892 the type (Chinese) and 
 matrices have been gradually increased, and the Home 
 Board has this year sent us nearly $500 Mex. towards 
 the expenses of this department. Millions of pages 
 of Scriptures, tracts and other works have been issued 
 and scattered all over China. 
 
 In addition to the foregoing there is also a Press in 
 Taichow, in -connection with the China Inland Mission, 
 under the charge of Rev. ^Y. D. Rudland. It employs 
 three workmen, and with this small force has issued the 
 New Testament and Psalms in the Taichow dialect, 
 (Romanized), in addition to a number of smaller books 
 and tracts in Chinese character. 
 
 Two new Presses have recently been started in 
 Peking ; one is in connection with the English Episcopal 
 Mission, whilst the other is an adjunct of the educational 
 work of the American Methodist Episcopal Mission. 
 With the object of furnishing some of the students in
 
 S. D. C. G. K. PRESS. 57 
 
 Peking University with an opportunity to learn a useful 
 trade a press and type were procured from Shanghai. 
 With an experienced printer (also from Shanghai) placed 
 in charge, and three students as apprentices, we under- 
 stand that a number of books and tracts have been 
 printed for the North-China Tract Society and individual 
 missionaries. 
 
 On page 47 mention is made by Rev. J. C. Hoare of 
 purchasing a press " from Dr. Williamson's establishment 
 when it was broken up." This refers to the printing 
 office of the Book and Tract Society of China, which was 
 founded by the late Rev. Dr. Williamson, with whom 
 the writer came out in 1885. On Dr. Williamson's 
 death, and partly also on account of unwillingness on the 
 part of the parent Society to have any financial re- 
 sponsibility in the technical work of the Chinese Society 
 (now called the Society for tbe DiiFusion of Christian 
 and General Knowledge among the Chinese) printing 
 operations were suspended in 1890. The larger portion 
 of the plant was purchased by Mr. Archibald for the 
 National Bible Society of Scotland Press in Hankow. (See 
 page 52.) The important work which had been started 
 under the late Dr. Williamson — particularly the Review 
 of the Times (|^ ^ ^ f^) and the Missionary Review 
 (4* W 15; '^ fS), as well as works specially designed for 
 the otticial classes, and also for the women and children 
 is being carried on by the Society in China, under 
 the able Secretaryship of Rev. T. Richard — the printing 
 being done at the American Presbyterian Mission Press. 
 
 Rev. John Ross, D.D., of the United Presbyterian 
 Church of Scotland Mission in Manchuria kindly supplies 
 the following particulars : —
 
 58 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 " lu 1881 a small " Columbia " Press was set agoing 
 in Newcliwang, where an edition of several thousand 
 copies of Luke's Gospel in Korean was printed. There- 
 after it was moved to Moukden, where it has been 
 working for years in casting oif Korean Gospels. Half a 
 dozen editions of some Gospels have been printed — 5,000 
 copies at a time. In all several score thousand copies 
 have been printed and issued. An edition of the whole 
 N. T. in Korean was also printed, the edition consisting 
 of 3,000 copies. Besides these numerous editions it has 
 printed several hundred thousand tracts, which were 
 disseminated along with the Gospels. The distribution 
 of these books was chiefly confined to Western and 
 Northern Korea, though not a few found their way into 
 Central Korea and the Capital." 
 
 We must not forget, however, to refer to the Mission 
 Press carried on by the American Presbyterian Mission 
 at Nodoa, in the island of Hainan. It was presented to 
 the Mission a few years ago by friends in the United 
 States for the purpose of printing books in the Hainanese 
 Romanized colloquial. "With the assistance of the 
 American Tract Society and the British and Foreign 
 Bible Society (the latter for specific Bible work) a 
 number of Gospels, hymn books and other works have 
 been printed. Last year about twenty-seven thousand 
 pages were printed. We understand that as the Press 
 is worked by school boys and a native employed by a 
 member of the Mission, with the aid of gifts of pa[)er, 
 etc., the work has thus far been done without direct 
 expense to the Mission.
 
 BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETIES 
 
 59 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Bible and Tract Societies. 
 
 ROM the precediug pages it will be evident 
 how much work has been done by the 
 Mission Presses of China for the Bible 
 and Tract Societies ; and it is only right 
 and proper that in an account of the 
 Mission Press in China a grateful tribute 
 should be paid to the members of different missions and 
 denominations and nationalities who have so readily and 
 efficiently co-ojierated in Bible and tract work for the 
 advancement of Christ's kingdom. Without such effect- 
 ive organizations as the Bible and Tract Societies we 
 should not have been able to thankfully record on page 
 33 an output for the past five years from the American 
 Presbyterian Mission Press of over 123,000,000 pages of 
 Scriptures, not to speak of various religious books and 
 tracts printed during the same term, or of the work 
 of the various Mission Presses since their commence- 
 ment. But with such societies we have the setting apart 
 of the best qualified uieu for the work of literary pre- 
 paration, the providing of funds for the printing, and
 
 60 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 last, but not of least importance, effective and judicious 
 arrangements for distribution of the printed page. 
 
 With regard to the noble work the Bible and Tract 
 Societies are doing, and how, free from antagonism, they 
 can go hand in hand, together doing the work of God, 
 it has been remarked : " The one shows Christianity 
 as God has revealed it in His word, the other by tracts 
 and magazines reveals Christianity as it lives and works 
 among men. The one tells what God has done and is 
 willing to do, the other what God is daily accomplishing, 
 and thus proving His word to be true." 
 
 Very appropriately the account of the work in China 
 of the oldest Society has been kindly written by Mr. 
 Samuel Dyer, a son of the Mr. Dyer referred to on 
 pages 7 and 37, who so helped in the earlier stages of 
 type manufacture. 
 
 TLbc JBritisb anC) jforeiGu Bible Societi\ 
 
 The year which gave birth to the British and Foreign 
 Bible Society, namely 1804, was also the one in which 
 there was brought to light at the British Museum a 
 manuscript of a large portion of the New Testament in 
 Chinese which had been deposited there. Quite early in 
 the Society's career that work was urged on its notice 
 and the question was taken up as to whether it should be 
 printed. It being found, however, that to print 1,000 
 copies would probably cost about two guineas each, and 
 the issue being thought uncertain, the Society declined 
 the work for a time. 
 
 The first Chinese Scripture in the i)rei)aration of 
 which the Society assisted was a New Testament prepared
 
 B. AND F. BIBLE SOCIETY. 61 
 
 by the Baptist missionaries at Serampore. The version 
 was prepared during the years 1805 to 1810. 
 
 From 1812 to 1814 aid was given to Rev. R. 
 (afterwards Dr.) Morrison iu China itself for the 
 preparation of the New Testament, and by January of 
 the latter year 2.000 copies were printed. 
 
 The first considerable and direct effort for bringing 
 these Scriptures into the hands of the people was made 
 by Dr. Milne. The circulation was made among 
 the Chinese settlers in Batavia, Java, Malacca and 
 Penang. 
 
 During the course of years the Society continued 
 to assist in the work of preparation and circulation of 
 Chinese Scriptures. One of the most notable efforts 
 being that known as the Million Testament Scheme, for 
 which the Society received suflScient funds for far over 
 that number if we reckon at the prices at which they 
 could then be printed. 
 
 By the year 1850 the missionaries were able to print 
 the whole New Testament at the cost of about 3^d. or 4d., 
 a great contrast to the two guineas[estimated for printing 
 the book found at the British Museum. 
 
 In the same year the revised translation called the 
 " Delegates' Version" of the New Testament in Classical 
 Chinese was substantially brought to a close. And by 
 the year 1852 the Old Testament was finished. 
 
 By 1855 the first instalment of the " Million " 
 Testament Scheme, about 10,000 coi:)ies, had already been 
 distributed. 
 
 About this time the printing of the complete Classical 
 Bible of the New Version was finished at the small cost 
 of Is. 6d. per copy.
 
 62 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 From 1836 to 1839 the Society had emploj-ed an 
 agent for work in China, a Mr. Lay, but the agency 
 was not continued beyond that period, owing to difficulty 
 which then existed in the way of the work. About the 
 year 1858 the London (-ommittee sanctioned the employ- 
 ment of Mr. Wylie, who had been engaged in the printing 
 of Scriptures, as an agent for their diffusion, but he does 
 not appear to have actually taken u^i that office until 
 1863 or 1864. He continued in the work until 1877. 
 Not long after the commencement of his agency he 
 introduced the practice of selling Scriptures to the 
 Chinese at a very low price. For many years they had 
 been freely given away, and some missionaries still 
 preferred this plan. At the present time the Society's 
 usual system in China is to sell, but in exceptional 
 cases books are gratuitously given. As a result of the 
 plan of selling, by far the majority of Scriptures 
 circulated are portions — principally the Gospels and the 
 Acts of the Apostles. These last appear to be more 
 suitable as the first books to be placed in the hands of 
 the heathen than complete New Testaments. 
 
 The following are the Versions now in circulation 
 by this Society in China, either in whole or in portions : — 
 
 Wen-li Bible. 
 
 Easy Wen-li Testament (published by the National 
 Bible Society of Scotland.) 
 
 Northern Mandarin Bible. 
 
 Southern Mandarin Testament (to be discontinued 
 when editions are distributed.) 
 
 Shanghai Collo{j[uial Psalms. 
 
 Foochow Colloquial Bible. 
 
 Foochow Colloquial Mark and John, Romanized.
 
 B. AND F. BIBLE SOCIETY. 63 
 
 Canton Colloquial Testament. 
 
 Hakka Colloquial Testament. 
 
 flakka Colloquial Testament, Romanized. 
 
 Niugpo Colloquial Testament, Romanized. (Old Tes- 
 tament portions about to be jDublished ) 
 
 Wencliow Colloquial Gospels and Acts, Romanized. 
 
 T'aichow Colloquial Testament, and Psalms, Ro- 
 manized. 
 
 Amoy Colloquial Bible, Romanized. 
 
 Swatow Colloquial Portions of Old and New Testa- 
 ments, Romanized. 
 
 Haiuauese Colloquial Matthew and John, Roman- 
 ized. 
 
 Also Arabic, Tibetan and Mongolian Scriptures, 
 and Scriptures in English and various other languages. 
 
 The number of Scriptures received into the Shanghai 
 Dei)6t from the Press during the ten years ending Dec, 
 1893, was 1,963,959, or nearly two millions, a very large 
 proportion of which were jiriuted at the Mission Press, 
 Shanghai. Besides these, 144,366 books in Easy Weu-li 
 were purchased and received here from the National Bible 
 Society of Scotland, making in all 2,108,325 .Scriptures, 
 or an average per annum of over two hundred and ten 
 thousand. This was besides a large quantity of Mandarin 
 and some colloquial Scriptures printed for the Society 
 at Foochow, and colloquial books printed at Swatow, 
 Canton and Kiungchow in Hainan, which did not come 
 into the Shanghai Depot. 
 
 The ISSUES from this Depot for the same period of 
 ten years was 1,943.125, or nearly two millions, being an 
 average of over one hundred and ninety-four thousand 
 per annum ; besides considerable issues from Tientsin,
 
 64 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 as well as some from Foocliow, Swatow, Canton and 
 
 Kiuogcliow ; and also from Amoy of Romanized Collo- 
 
 qnial Scriptures printed in England. 
 
 The CIRCULATION for the six years from 1888 to the 
 
 end of 1893 was 1,327,991 Scriptures, being an annual 
 
 average for that period of over two hundred and twenty 
 
 tliousand books. 
 
 Samuel Dyer, 
 
 Agent. 
 
 Eev. J. R. Hykes kindly supplies the following 
 particulars of 
 
 XTbe Bmerican Btble Society. 
 
 The attention of the American Bible Society was 
 very early directed to China. Five, years after its or- 
 ganization we find this Society, which has been such a 
 powerful factor in the enlightenment and salvation of 
 the world, looking expectantly for the time when this 
 populous heathen empire would be opened to the en- 
 trance of the life-giving Word of God. One of the first 
 references to China in the published Reports of the 
 Society is an appropriate recognition of the services of 
 men of God in translating and diffusing the Holy Scrip- 
 tures in these eastern countries. The Board presented 
 in 1820 to Rev. William Ward and Doctors Carey and 
 Marshain copies of the best edition of the Bible published 
 by the American Bible Society as a recognition of the 
 " long and successful exertions of these servants of God 
 in translating the Holy Scriptures," and " the managers 
 directed similar expressions of their esteem and approba-
 
 AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY. 65 
 
 tioii to be forwarded to Dr. Morrison, of Caotoii, and Dr. 
 Milue, of Malacca, who have so nobly employed their time 
 and their talents in preparing the Bible for China." The 
 Report goes on to say : " The translation of the Scrip- 
 tures into the Chinese language has been completed. The 
 time is not distant when the whole Bible in that languajife 
 will be published, and thus the means are in readiness 
 for enlightening the many millions who use that lan- 
 guage with the knowledge of the true God aud His re- 
 vealed will," These Bibles arrived at their destination 
 in October, 1821, and in acknowledging the gift Dr. 
 Morrison writes from Canton under date of March 24, 
 1822, as follows : "The free dissemination of the Bible 
 in China proper is yet impracticable, which is also the 
 case with all books that exhibit the claims of Jesus and 
 treat of His salvation. May the day soon come when 
 the reverse will be the fact." 
 
 As an indication of the status of Bible distribution 
 seventy years ago it was reported as a great achieve- 
 ment and a matter for profound gratitude to God that 
 during the year 1822 "the greater part of 500 copies of 
 the New Testament and some books of the Old Testa- 
 ment in Chinese had been put into circulation, but it 
 was impracticable to distribute the sacred volume within 
 the domains of the Emperor of China." What a wonder- 
 ful transformation in two generations ! The total circula- 
 tion for 1893 was little short of half a million copies, 
 distributed freely in every province of the empire, and 
 within the past week an elegantly bound copy of the 
 New Testament has been sent to Peking for presentation 
 to the Empress-Dowager on the occasion of her 60tli 
 birthday.
 
 66 THE MISSION PRKSS IN CHINA. 
 
 The first complete Chinese Bible ever printed was 
 issued from the Serampore Press in 1819 or 1820. It 
 was what is known as Marshmau's translation. It was 
 followed three years later hy the version of Drs. Morrison 
 and Milne ; the translation having been completed the 
 previous year, 1822. Immediately it was issued from 
 the Press Dr. Morrison presented the American Bible 
 Society with a copy of the whole Bible, which is referred 
 to as "a work of astonishing diligence, toil and per- 
 severance," "a work, the benefit of which will doubt- 
 less be felt by many millions at some future period." 
 
 The progress of circulation is indicated by the fact 
 that iu 1823, 1.000 copies of the New Testament had 
 been put into circulation, and it was " confidently expected 
 that it would be practicable to send Scriptures direct to 
 China." This too sanguine hope was not realized, and Dr. 
 Morrison says that " to circulate the Sacred Scriptures 
 in China extensively is not practicable." 
 
 At this time the two versions of the Bible referred 
 to above were in circulation, but the demand must have 
 been extremely limited, and the circulation coufined to 
 places outside of China proper. Bible distribution was 
 a slow and discouraging work. The barriers which for 
 so many centuries had surrounded the Middle Kingdom 
 showed little or no signs of giving way, and there seem- 
 ed, humanly speaking, no probability of God's word 
 finding free entrance to the land of Sinim. The work of 
 these early heroes, the pioneers of the Gospel in China, 
 is an enduring monument to their stupendous, unwaver- 
 ing faith. From 1825 to 1831 the American Bible 
 Society paid unusual attention to domestic operations, 
 and this, and the want of funds, prevented it from doing
 
 AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY. 67 
 
 much iu the way of foreign distribution. During this 
 period China is not mentioned in the Reports of the 
 Society. But silent influences were at work, undermin- 
 ing the walls of exclusion, and a new era was about to 
 
 dawn for China. 
 
 In 1832 the Rev. Mr. Bridarman made a strongr 
 appeal to the American Bible Society " for means to 
 prepare and circulate the Christian Scriptures." He 
 justly observed that China had long been neglected by 
 the Christian world. " It is a most lamentable fact," 
 says he, " one which ought to put all Christendom 
 into deep humiliation, that so many centuries should 
 jmss before the word of the living God was translated 
 into the language of so large a portion of the human 
 family. It was not, so far as we can ascertain, until 
 1819 that an entire version of the Bible in Chinese was 
 completed." "Since that period," he adds, "changes 
 that have caused joy in heaven have already taken 
 place. Notwithstanding the obstacles which have 
 impeded the cause, and they have been neither few 
 nor small, two complete editions of the whole Bible, 
 three editions of the New Testament and four of the 
 Psalms, in all about 12,000 or 15,000 copies, have been 
 printed and widely circulated." That is, the circulation 
 at this period was from 1,00 J to 1,5U0 volumes annually. 
 It is now about that number daily. Moreover, up to 
 this time there was no access to the Chinese within the 
 walls of the empire ; all work was directed to those 
 without. But in the following year, 1833, the mission- 
 aries in Canton report Leang A-fa, the noble evangelist, 
 as distributing the Scriptures among the young students 
 and literati of that city, and the American Bible Society
 
 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 made its first appropriation of |3,000 to be used in 1834 
 to aid iu tlie circulation of the Chinese Scriptures. The 
 colossal doors of the Celestial Empire were beginning to 
 swing slowly back upon their hinges, and to men like 
 Gutzlaff China was no longer closed to the entrance of 
 the Divine Word. In his visits to Chusau and places in 
 Chekiang and Fuhkien he says he could have scattered 
 50,000 copies of the Scriptures amongst eager readers. 
 A distribution was also made in Fuhkien by Dr. 
 Medhurst. 
 
 We may therefore say that the work of Bible dis- 
 tribution in China proper began in 1833, and that the 
 Bible Societies might appropriately celebrate the sixtieth 
 anniversary of their direct work in China while the 
 Empress-Dowager is celebrating the completion of one 
 cycle of three score years. Is it a mere coincidence 
 that the Christian women should celebrate this double 
 anniversary by presenting the Empress-Dowager with an 
 elegantly bound copy of the New Testament, specially 
 printed for the purpose ? 
 
 Sixty years ago it was believed that the finger of 
 Providence pointed to great changes about to take place 
 in China, and there was a deeper interest manifested in 
 China by the Christians in America, and a more deter- 
 mined effort was being made to bring the Bible to her ; 
 yet iu 1838 the prospects as to Bible distribution were 
 said to be utterly disheartening. The first war with 
 England began in 1839, and peace was not declared 
 until August 29, 1812. During this period all missionary 
 operations suffered serious interruptions, none more than 
 Bible work. But while there were stupendous difficulties 
 iu the way of circulating the Scriptures the work of
 
 AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY. 69 
 
 translation and revision went on. It is perhaps not a 
 matter for serious resrret that there were almost in- 
 snrmonntahle obstacles in the way of the free and wide 
 distribution of the old versions. It was doubtless in the 
 line of God's plan that scholarly men should have time 
 to put His Word into a proper dress, so far as style and 
 idiom and faithfulness are concerned, for presenting to 
 the greatest heathen nation in the world. Drs. Mcdhurst, 
 Gutzlaff and Bridgman produced a version of the New 
 Testament in 1835, and several years later a rendering 
 of the Old Testament. This was the stepping stone to 
 the more perfect, beautiful and scholarly production 
 known as the Delegates' Version, which appeared between 
 1847 and 1853. The Bridgman and Culbertsou Version 
 followed nine years later in 1862. A revision of the 
 New Testament by Dr. Goddard was also published in 
 1853, and one year later the New Testament was put 
 into Southern mandarin by Drs. Medhurst and Stronach. 
 
 The Bible Societies provided the means for doing this 
 immense and important work, and the American Bible 
 Society responded most liberally in providing its share 
 of the funds. In the twenty years beginning with 1833 
 it expended §101,351.65 in preparing, printing and circu- 
 lating the Scriptures in China. By far the greater part 
 of this was used in translation and revision work. Up 
 to 1862 this Society published approximately 129,464 
 volumes and circulated 116,500 portions of the Scrijitures. 
 This closes the first period of Bible work in China, the 
 period of preparation and patient waiting for an open door. 
 
 With 1863 the work entered upon a new stage, and 
 God prepared the Society for the important part she was 
 to take in it. The lieport for 1863 says : " Providence
 
 70 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 has evidently indicated to this Society au enh^rgement 
 of its operations in foreign countries." The subsequent 
 history of the Society abundantly proves that the godly 
 men who composed the Board of Managers did not mis- 
 take the indication of Providence. Notwithstanding the 
 interruptions caused by the civil war in the United 
 States, and the Taiping Rebellion in this country, and 
 the war with the allied forces of France and England, 
 the work of the Society entered upon a period of most 
 gratifying prosperity. 
 
 Prior to 1866 the work of distribution was all done 
 by missionaries, and without expense to the Society. All 
 of the money appropriated to China had been used in. 
 translation and publishing. It had been the policy of 
 the Society to give away the Scriptures freely, at the 
 discretion of the missionaries who undertook their dis- 
 tribution. But during this year two most important 
 changes took place. Five native colporteurs were em- 
 ployed by the Presbyterian Mission at Shanghai, and the 
 most injudicious and hurtful policy of indiscriminate, free 
 distribution, was discontinued ; and the wiser plan of 
 selling the Scriptures at a nominal price was adopted. 
 The immediate result was a diminution in the circulation 
 of nearly 60,000 volumes for 1807, but this was more 
 than offset by the abuses which the change corrected. 
 In 1868 the question of establishing an agency in China, 
 which had occupied the careful attention of the Board 
 for several years, again came up. The Board reached 
 the conclusion that it would not be a judicious measure 
 to employ an agent, largely on account of the expense ; 
 and besides the old plan seemed to have worked well 
 and yielded satisfactory results. The Board thought
 
 AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIKTT. 71 
 
 that there was no better method of distrlbntiug than by 
 the missionaries themselves, although a limited number 
 of colporteurs would be allowed when requested by the 
 missionaries. 
 
 In 1870 the work was seriously interrupted by the 
 Tientsin massacre. Perhaps no branch of missionary 
 work is more quick to feel the effect of any internal un- 
 easiness or disturbance than that of the Bible Societies. 
 Their agents are the pioneers, and are scattered in 
 remote and unfrequented parts of the empire. Their 
 work is the first to suffer. Perhaps we could not have a 
 more accurate gauge of the popular feeling in regard to 
 Christian work in this lanrl than the record of Bible 
 distribution. The year of the Tientsin massacre the 
 circulation fell off 170,242 volumes. It was : 
 
 Bibles. 
 
 Testaments. 
 
 Portions. 
 
 Total. 
 
 In 1869 107 
 
 16,268 
 
 200,110 
 
 216,485 
 
 In 1870, 81 
 
 3,720 
 
 33,442 
 
 37,243 
 
 It was not until 1884 that the circulation reached 
 the magnificent totals of 1869, which it is interesting to 
 note exceeded the highest circulation of any previous 
 year by more than sixty thousand volumes. There were 
 several causes to account for the marked decrease in the 
 circulation. Up to 1866 books were freely given away ; 
 and although this year marked the inauguration of the 
 better plan of selling, it is altogether likely that several 
 years elapsed before the new rule was generally adopted 
 by those engaged in Bible distribution. As the mission- 
 aries gave their services freely and gratuitously to the 
 Society, and there was no agent to enforce the new 
 policy, they were free to adopt it or not according to
 
 72 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 their own pleasure. It is altogether likely that free 
 distribution continued for several years. Another cause 
 was to be found in the changed feeling in regard to the 
 indiscriminate sale of whole Bibles to the heathen. This 
 had never been very extensively practised, but the pub- 
 lication of the Mandarin Bible under the auspices of the 
 American Bible Society in 1874 afforded a very appro- 
 priate time for an expression of opiuion upon this point. 
 Prior to this time (with the exception perhaps of some 
 vernacular versions) the entire Bible had only been tran- 
 slated into the Classical, or language of the learned. 
 Now, for the first time, it appeared in the spoken lan- 
 guage of fourteen of the provinces of the empire, and it 
 might be a temptation to the young and indiscreet to 
 scatter Bibles broadcast. Therefore the sale of complete 
 Bibles among the people, that is, the heathen, was re- 
 garded as useless, but the sale of single Gospels was 
 very heartily commended. Another cause for the de- 
 creased circulation was the increasing demands upon the 
 missionaries' time and their consequent inability to devote 
 so much attention to the work of distribution. In the 
 early days their work was of an itinerant character, and 
 large quantities of Scriptures were taken with them on 
 their journeys ; but as Churches became organized their 
 work assumed a more settled character, and the Bible 
 work suffered in consequence. 
 
 In the year 1875 the circulation had reached the 
 lowest point ever touched since the Society began its 
 operations in China. Only 13,289 volumes are reported 
 as having been distributed. 
 
 This year marks the close of another period in the 
 labors of the Society. For more than forty years its
 
 AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY. 
 
 Scriptures had been gratnitonsly distribnted by the 
 missionaries. With the exception of a small amount 
 paid to native colporteurs after 1866 the distribution 
 had cost the Society absolutely nothing. Grants of 
 money were made to the different American Missionary 
 Societies working in China, and they were allowed to 
 draw Scriptures from any of the Mission Presses to the 
 full value of the grant. The various missions reported 
 direct to the Board in New York, and we find frequent 
 complaints that no returns were sent in. Under this 
 policy, that is, prior to, and inclusive of, the year 1875 
 the Society manufactured 
 
 Bibles. Testaments. Portions. Total. 
 
 18,380 105,408 1,489,994 1,<313,782 
 
 and the circulation was 
 
 9,610 79,123 1,135,412 1,224,145 
 
 The expenditure was $218,500.15. 
 
 The circulation from 1863 to 1875, inclusive, was 
 
 Bibles. Testaments. Portions. Total. 
 
 9,731 79,935 1,203,114 1,292,780 
 
 or an average of 99,445 volumes annually. 
 
 The expenditure for the same period was $117,148.50, 
 or an average of $9,011.42 annually. 
 
 In 1875 the Rev. L. H. Gulick, M.D., was appointed 
 Agent for China and Japan. He arrived at Yokohama 
 on the 29th of September that year. Very soon after 
 taking charge of the Agency Dr. Gulick inaugurated 
 plans for the enlargement and increased efficiency of the 
 Society's work. One of these was enlarged colporteur 
 operations under missionary supervision. Another was 
 the employment of a staff of foreign colporteurs. The 
 first person engaged in this capacity was Mr. John
 
 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 Thome in 1878. He did valuable work for the Society 
 in several provinces of the empire, and retired in 1887. 
 The next year Mr. B. Bagnall was employed, the 
 following year Messrs. Anton Anderson and A. Gordon, 
 and in 1884 eight foreigners were in the employ of 
 the Society as Superintending Colporteurs. Under the 
 direction of these was a staff of forty-eight native 
 colporteurs. 
 
 The new Agent gave a fresh impetus to the work, 
 and the circulation gradually increased until in 1887 it 
 reached the magnificent total of 252,875 volumes, the 
 largest the Society has ever had in one year. The largest 
 number of Scriptures manufactured in one year was in 
 1882, when 7,700 Testaments and 334,100 Portions, a 
 total of 341,800 volumes, were issued from the Press. 
 
 In 1890 Dr. Gulick retired from the service of the 
 Society on account of failing health, and soon after 
 passed to his eternal reward. He was succeeded by the 
 Rev. L. N. Wheeler, D.D. Under his able management 
 the circulation of the Society reached the second highest 
 number in 1892, when 245,087 volumes were put into 
 circulation. The vacancy caused by the death of Dr. 
 Wheeler in April, 1893, was filled by the appointment of 
 Rev. John R. Hykes, who took charge of the Agency 
 November 1st of the same year. 
 
 In the eighteen years since the China Agency 
 was established 
 
 Bibles. Testamenta. Portions. Total. 
 
 11,243 120,416 2,944,313 3,075,972 
 have been circulated, or an average of 170,887 volumes 
 annually. 
 
 To the end of 1893 the Society manufactured
 
 AMKRICAN 
 
 BIBLE SOCIETY. 
 
 
 75 
 
 Bibles. Testaments. 
 
 25,148 237,173 
 
 Portions. 
 
 4,565,921 
 
 Total. 
 
 4,828,242 
 
 
 It circulated 
 
 
 
 
 Bibles. Testftments, 
 
 20,974 200,351 
 
 Portions. 
 
 4,147,427 
 
 Total. 
 
 4,368,752 
 
 
 It expended for all purposes about $530,219.47. 
 
 It has assisted in the production of some seventeen 
 diflferent versions, besides a number of revisions of the 
 Chinese Scriptures. Several versions, notably the 
 Bridgman and Calbertson Classical Bible, the Mandarin 
 Old Testament, the Cantonese Vernacular Bible and the 
 Shanghai, Soochow and Hinghua Colloquial were paid 
 for entirely by the American Bible Society, and are its 
 exclusive property. With the exception of Dr. John's 
 versions, which were produced at the expense of the 
 National Bible Society of Scotland, and the very earliest 
 classical and several vernacular versions belonging to 
 the British and Foreign Bible Society, it is safe to say 
 that the American Bible Society assisted in the production 
 of every version of the Chinese Scriptures made by 
 Protestant missionaries. 
 
 The China Agency's Catalogue for June, 1892, has a 
 list of 308 different volumes of Chinese Scriptures in 
 eight different dialects. The new Catalogue, which is 
 just issued, has 396 of our own publications, in ten dif- 
 ferent dialects. 
 
 The Society permits the circulation of tracts and 
 other undenominational Christian literature by its col- 
 porteurs, and the Board of Managers has approved of 
 publishing Annotated Scriptures so soon as they can be 
 prepared by the committee appointed by the late general 
 Missionary Conference.
 
 76 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 During the past year, 1893, 11,200 New Testaments, 
 230,700 Portions, total 241,900 volumes, were published 
 at the expense of the Society. Four foreign colporteurs 
 and sixty-four natives were employed in distributing the 
 Scriptures. Twelve missionaries superintended colporteurs 
 for the Society. These workers represented nearly every 
 province in the empire. The entire circulation for the 
 year was 
 
 Bibles, Testaments. Portions. Total. 
 
 978 8,845 182,392 192,215 
 
 a falling off of about 50,000 volumes from the previous 
 year, which can be accounted for by the death of the 
 responsible head of the Agency. 
 
 It is worthy of note that in 31 years the Society 
 circulated only 20,974 Bibles, or an average of 676 copies 
 a year ; and if the entire number were put into circulation 
 to-day they would not supply one-half of the native 
 Christians with a copy each. Of the 200,351 Testaments 
 circulated only 13,400 were Old Testaments, or an 
 average of 432 a year. It is also a significant fact that 
 the increase in the circulation of Bibles and Old Testa- 
 ments has been in direct proportion to the growth of the 
 native Church. This shows pretty conclusively where 
 they have gone. 
 
 A Bible Society is essentially missionary. Its 
 operations cannot long be confined to the limits of its 
 own country, no matter how extensive it may be ; and 
 in the great day, when every man's work shall be tried 
 as by fire, it will be found that the American Bible 
 Society has been one of the great fiictors in the evange- 
 lization of China. At a very early stage in the work
 
 NATIONAL BIBLE SOCIETY. 77 
 
 conversions were reported as occnrriug through the 
 reading of the Bible, and now not a year passes without 
 our hearing of many who have been made wise unto 
 salvation through searching the Scriptures. " The en- 
 trance of Thy word giveth light." 
 
 John R. Hykes, 
 
 Age7iL 
 
 Mr. J. Archibald kindly reports with regard to 
 
 ZTbe IRational Bible Society. 
 
 The National Bible Society of Scotland was founded 
 in 1860 by the union of a number of independent Bible 
 Societies belonging to various cities in Scotland ; and 
 dating back, some of them, to the beginning of the 
 century. It commenced work in China shortly after 
 the union, by sending out the Rev. Alexander William- 
 son, wlio afterwards became so well known as Dr. 
 Williamson, author of " Journeys in North China " and 
 founder of the " Society for the Diffusion of Christian 
 and General Knowledge." He established himself at 
 Chefoo in 1863, from which place he travelled extensively 
 throughout the provinces of Shantung, Chili, Shansi, 
 Shen-si and Honan, with Mongolia and Manchuria ; 
 while the equally eminent Alexander Wylie, representing 
 the British and Foreign Bible Society, was similarly 
 engaged in the southern provinces. In 1871 the Rev. 
 W. H. Murray, whose name of late has been largely 
 associated with work amongst the blind, was located at 
 Peking, where he still remains; while in 1877 Mr. John 
 Archibald was sent to occupy Hankow, which place now 
 forms the head-centre of the Society's operations in China.
 
 78 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 In addition to Messrs. Murray and Archibald the staff 
 at present — Oct., 1894 — consists of Messrs. A. S. Annand 
 and M. J. Walker, who work in the northern provinces 
 with head-quarters at Tientsin ; Mr. S. F. Whitehonse 
 in the Eastern Provinces, stationed at Chinkiang ; Mr. 
 F. R. Johnson at Amoy, for the Southern provinces ; Mr. 
 James Murray at Chungking, for the West ; and Messrs. 
 W. Milward and A. L. Greig at Hankow. These nine 
 Europeans, with about 100 native colporteurs, constitute 
 the total number of workers in the service of the Society 
 at present. 
 
 The total issues of the Society in China during the 
 three decades of its existence amount to 86,351 Bibles 
 and Testaments and 2,582,650 Portions. The lesser 
 number of Bibles and Testaments issued, in proportion to 
 the Portions, is due to the fact that the Society's circula- 
 tion has always been largely of an evangelistic character, 
 and in work amongst the absolute heathen its agents aim 
 more at inducing them to begin with a portion of the 
 word rather than at getting them to purchase a whole 
 Bible. The average circulation during the last five 
 years has been upwards of quarter of a million of Bibles, 
 Testaments and Portions, besides an equal quantity of 
 other Christian books and tracts. 
 
 The N. B. S. S., coming into existence at a much 
 later date than the other great Bible Societies, had the 
 good fortune to be provided with a more elastic constitu- 
 tion than theirs, and thus it has been able to allow 
 greater liberty in the methods of working than these 
 others have felt themselves at liberty to do. It has 
 permitted to its agents the circulation of tracts along 
 with the Scriptures from the outset ; and Dr. Williamson
 
 NATIONAL BIBLE SOCIETY. 
 
 did not a little towards providing suitable literature for 
 this purpose. It has also sanctioned the use of annotated 
 editions of the Gospels, and at present has under con- 
 sideration the authorization of an introduction suitable for 
 heathen readers, to be bound up with their books. This 
 greater freedom of action has won for it the hearty sym- 
 pathy of the missionary body, which manifests itself by the 
 ready way in which missionaries in all the provinces under- 
 take the superintendence of its native colporteurs, and in 
 various other ways render it deeply appreciated aid. 
 
 In August, 1883, the first sample portions of Dr. 
 Griffith John's easy Wen-li translation of the Testament 
 were issued, and met with a welcome so hearty and wide- 
 spread that, he on the one hand, and the Society on the 
 other, were encouraged to carry it forward to completion. 
 The first complete Testaments were issued in Oct., 1885» 
 followed shortly afterwards by the Psalms and Proverbs 
 in the same style and by an edition of the Testament in 
 Mandarin colloquial. These have all been carefully 
 revised and re-revised, and in their permanent form are 
 taking root in all parts of the field. Ninety-five per cent 
 of the Society's whole circulation in China now consists 
 of these versions. The total issues of them from the 
 outset to the present date — Oct. 31st, 1894 — amount to 
 44,521 Testaments and 2,101,000 Portions — figures 
 which speak pretty eloquently of the appreciation in 
 which the versions are held ; and further show how great 
 is the obligation the N. B. S. S. and the China field alike 
 are under to the translator, Dr. Griffith John. 
 
 The N. B. S. S. does all its own printing by means 
 of a large and thoroughly equipped printing establish- 
 ment located at Hankow. Besides endeavourinf): to
 
 80 TBE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 provide the most suitable versions possible, the Society 
 has thus also faced the further duty of doing whatever it 
 possibly can towards imjjroving the appearance and 
 cheapening the production of its books. In both direc- 
 tions, by means of its own press, considerable progress 
 has been made, much to the satisfaction of the Society 
 and the benefit of its work. Hence with versions pre- 
 pared under its own auspices, printed at its own press, 
 and circulated by agents of its own, with the willing aid 
 of hundreds of helpers, the N. B. S. S. can claim to be, 
 not only one of the most free and liberal, but also one of 
 the most self-contained and enterprising of the various 
 Societies at work in the East. 
 
 In order to bring before our readers in the most 
 interesting and authoritative manner the methods adopted 
 by the various Tract Societies for the preparation, publish- 
 ing and distribution of tracts, etc., we have asked for, 
 and are able to give, particulars by those who have helped 
 in founding, and are carrying on, Tract Society work. 
 
 ilev. Dr. Muirhead, of the Loudon Missionary So- 
 ciety, Shanghai, whose experience goes back to 1847, 
 when he first arrived in China, writes regarding : — 
 
 Ube ^eastern Brancb ot tbe IReUoious 
 XTract Society?. 
 
 This branch had its rise in the Committee of the 
 Tract Society formed in Shanghai in the early dawn of 
 mission work here. It consisted of the members of the 
 Church and London Missions. At first only a small 
 amount of work was done, as those competent to make
 
 EASTERN BRANCH OP THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY. 81 
 
 suitable books and tracts were few, and they were 
 otherwise busily engaged. Considerable scope, however, 
 was found iu the numbers who were in the habit of 
 attending- religious service in the city and the hospital, 
 as also in connection with the itinerant work carried on 
 in the surrounding towns and villages. In course of time 
 the work largely increased from the accession made to 
 our numbers and as the field opened for extended 
 distribution. The immense gatherings that periodically 
 take place for idolatrous purposes furnished grand 
 opportunities for the prosecution of the work, as 
 multitudes were thus reached who could not be visited 
 in any other way, and were so far brought within the 
 means of life and salvation. But we would specially 
 refer to the journies which the younger members were 
 able to undertake into the country in all directions. 
 Hitherto confined to the immediate neighbourhood by 
 consular authority the missionaries began to extend 
 their travels through the length and breadth of this 
 province and beyond it. The account we were able to 
 give of this to the late Lord Elgin, while residing here 
 as ambassador to China, had, we are persuaded, a most 
 happy eftect upon him, and carried weight with him in 
 the formation of the second treaty, by which far greater 
 freedom was secured iu connection with our mission work. 
 Matters were thus carried on for a number of years. 
 Changes were, of course, continually occurring in the 
 removal of missionary brethren and in the opening of 
 new missions, where Bible and tract work has been 
 prosecuted to great advantage in spheres perhaps better 
 adapted for it, and in a more combined and efi'ectual 
 manner than in such a place as Shanghai.
 
 82 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 During these many years the Religious Tract Society 
 of London most nobly supported our work. We were in 
 continual correspondence with it, and our reports from 
 time to time were printed in its monthly or annual 
 periodicals. A large amount of work was put through 
 the press, original and translated, and had its effect in the 
 general result of making many of this people acquainted 
 with the word of life. We can only assure ourselves that 
 good and useful work has been done in this way, fully 
 allowing for human imperfection in the presentation of 
 the truth in this form as in every other. We know, how- 
 ever, that many of our publications have been highly 
 appreciated, and that, as in the missionary enterprise at 
 large, had no such " silent messengers " been circulated, 
 no such seed been sown, things would have been very 
 different from what they are. 
 
 In the year 189 i Dr. Murdoch, of India, came to 
 Shanghai. He had done splendid service there for many 
 years in connection with the Christian Vernacular Society, 
 which he was the chief means of founding. He had 
 a remarkable aptitude for organization, and as partly 
 representing the London Religious Tract Society he 
 proposed there should be various branches of it formed 
 in North, Central and Eastern China. This was agreed 
 to, and arrangements were made for the purpose, though 
 owing to various causes they have not been so complete 
 and satisfactory in the latter as they have been in the 
 other two places. Still it is hoped that the matter will 
 be carried out here in the same successful wjiy and to an 
 extent corresponding to the importance of the work and 
 the special interest of this portion of the field. This and 
 the neighbouring provinces are noted for their literary
 
 CENTRAL CHINA RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY. 8^ 
 
 and edncational standing, and it would be well if all the 
 missionary brethren here were united in the endeavour to 
 utilize this department of mission work in their various 
 spheres of labour, and in a corporate capacity rather than 
 by separate effort, more or less adapted for the end in 
 view. We want harmony, order, combination in this 
 matter as in other departments of our common work, 
 and we should expect by this means, in answer to earnest 
 prayer, a larger measure of Divine blessing and a greater 
 amount of appropriate and useful service. 
 
 The following particulars of the work of the Central 
 China Eeligious Tract Society have been supplied by 
 Rev. Thomas Bramfitt, the Secretary and Treasurer : — 
 
 XTbe Central Cbina IRelioious Uract Society 
 
 was formed in 1876. Its head-quarters are in Hankow 
 and Wuchang, with a Branch Depot at Chungking. 
 
 The names of Protestant missionaries labouring in 
 the province of Hupeh are added to the list of members 
 on application to the Secretary. 
 
 The officers and Executive Committee are elected 
 every January in the annual meeting of the whole body 
 of missionaries, and in this meeting the Secretary reads 
 the annual report. 
 
 On the formation of the Society the Rev. Dr. John 
 offered his numerous and widely-known tracts to the 
 committee. Of course they were accepted, and since then 
 many useful tracts by other writers have been adopted, 
 and Dr. John has added others ; so that now the number
 
 84 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 aud variety of books aud tracts adapted to the needs of 
 heathen readers is perhaps unrivalled. Nor have the 
 wants of the native Church been overlooked ; for h^st 
 year a Harmony of the Gospels (translated by a member 
 of the Episcopalian Mission) was accepted, and a simple 
 yet complete Wen-li Commentary on St. Matthew's 
 Gospel, by Dr. John, was issued ; aud at the time of writ- 
 ing this the committee is just about to publish a Hymn 
 Book containing 330 hymns, and also, as a companion 
 volume, a Tune Book, which will contain a large num- 
 ber of suitable tunes easily learned by the Chinese, even 
 with their present imperfect musical attainments. These 
 works, we believe, will prove to be amongst the most 
 valuable aud most useful of the Society's publications, 
 and will remain a memorial of the true union of hearts 
 which characterizes the missionaries of this centre; for 
 it is the production of a sub-committee, elected out of 
 the general committee, by the whole body of missionaries 
 in their annual assembly in January last. 
 
 From the very commencement the circulation in- 
 creased rapidly each year, with one single exception, 
 till it had risen from 7,000 in 1876 to 1,093,200 in 1890. 
 In 1801, the year of the riots, it fell to 846,100, but in 
 1892 it was again more than a million. Last year, 
 partly owing to the almost universal anti-foreign feeling, 
 and partly to temporary causes easily recognized, and 
 we trnst easily removed, it fell again, and was 858,399. 
 The grand total for the years— 1876-1893— (including 
 228,087 tracts sold by the Chungking depot in 1891- 
 1893) is no less than 7,098,316 copies, and the total 
 cash handled Hankow Taels 42,283.85=gold |50,000= 
 £10,000.
 
 CHINESE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY. 85 
 
 The publicatious of the Society are sold, not ouly in 
 the eighteen provinces and in all the Chinese dependen- 
 cies, but throug'hont all the countries of the Mongolian 
 race, such as Corea, Siam, Tonquin, etc., as well as in 
 Australasia, the Straits Settlements, California, British 
 Columbia and in all places where the almost ubiquitous 
 Chinaman is to be found in his quest for employment 
 and for wealth. 
 
 Year by year most encouraging accounts reach us of 
 the good which is done by our Society, and the members 
 of the Society will continue to work on in " sure and 
 certain hope" that its "labour is not in vain in the 
 Lord," but that it is becoming, month by month, more 
 and more potent as one of the factors in the grand sum- 
 total of forces which it is pleasing to almighty God to 
 use in the regeneration of this multitudinous people. 
 
 From the Rev. Dr. Farnham we have received the 
 following particulars of 
 
 Ube Cbiuese IRelioious Xlract Society. 
 
 In the spring of 1878, taking advantage of a large 
 number of missionaries being in Shanghai, representing 
 different parts of the country, a meeting was held at the 
 house of Rev. Dr. Nelson, to consider the subject of 
 forming a Tract Society for China. There was a large 
 attendance, about fifty persons being present. After a 
 free and full discussion of the subject a Provisional 
 Committee was ap[)ointed and authorized to correspond 
 with the missionaries not present, and if the way seemed 
 clear proceed to organize a Society. After consulting
 
 86 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 all the missionaries in China eighteen accepted the office 
 of Trustee, among whom were such men as Rev. Dr. 
 Wm. Muirhead, Bishops Russell, Schereschewsky and 
 Bnrdon, Dean Butcher, Drs. J. W. and W. R. Lambuth, 
 Hudson Taylor, Rev. Drs. Allen, Baldwin, Davis, Edkins, 
 Happer, Lord, Williamson and others. In October, 1878, 
 the Trustees met in Shanghai at the Deanery and 
 organized. The first draft of the Constitution was made 
 by Dr. Muirhead, who also suggested the Society's 
 foreign name, and Bishop Schereschewsky gave it the 
 Chinese name. Bishop Russell was elected President, 
 Bishop Schereschewsky first Vice-President and J. M. W. 
 Farnham Corresponding Secretary, Dr. Edkins was 
 elected Chairman of the Examining Committee, a post 
 he continues to hold. 
 
 At the death of Bishop Russell, in 1879, Dr. Happer 
 was elected President and retained the office till he left 
 the country in 1890, when Dr. Joseph Edkins was 
 elected his successor. According to the (.constitution the 
 Trustees are to be half Chinese and half foreigners, and 
 the object of the Society is to circulate Christian literature 
 throughout the empire of China ; but very soon the 
 Society's literature was circulating, not only in every 
 part of the empire where missionaries live or travel but 
 in the United States, Sandwich Isles, the Straits, 
 Australia and New Zealand. 
 
 The Society publishes The Child'' s Papei\ now in its 
 twentieth year, and The Chinese Illustrated News, in its 
 fifteenth year, both under the direct patronage of the 
 Religions Tract Society of London. The American Tract 
 Society, as well as the Religious Tract Society, has given 
 valuable aid in many ways. It was hoped that the tract
 
 NORTH-CHINA TRACT SOCIETY. 87 
 
 work would everywhere be efficiently organized and 
 carried on by auxiliaries. Those interested preferred 
 independent societies, and two — one in North and one in 
 Central China — are doing good work. South of Shanghai 
 the tract work is still in the hands of Local Committees. 
 
 Our letter of enquiry to the North having evidently 
 gone astray we are unfortunately not able to give direct 
 and full particulars of the 
 
 1Flortb*Cbina XTract Societi\ 
 
 So far as we can ascertain it was organized at a 
 meeting in Peking in September, 1882. Several mission- 
 aries from Tientsin were present, and after an enthusiastic 
 and harmonious discussion a committee consisting of the 
 senior member of each mission represented was appointed 
 to draw up a constitution and by-laws. In Vol. XV of 
 the Chinese Recorder there is a reference to the fact that 
 the Society had completed its first year of work, and was 
 *' now fairly on its legs, walking off rejoicing as a strong 
 man to run a race." 
 
 The affiiirs of the Society are directed by a Board 
 of twenty-four managers chosen by the members of the 
 Society by ballot at the annual meeting. This Board 
 (on which each Missionary Society is represented by at 
 least one member) elects Executive and Publication 
 Committees. 
 
 From the Annual Report for the year ending 
 December 31st, 1890, we note that then the great 
 distance from printing presses at Shanghai and Foochow 
 often involved delay in procuring new supplies of tracts-
 
 88 
 
 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 The recent develoiDment of Mission Press work in Peking 
 should obviate such difficulties in the future. In 1890, 
 however, the depository seemed well stocked ; 1,356,034 
 tracts having been received and 258,987 issued. From 
 subscriptions on the field and generous grants from the 
 Loudon aud American Religious Tract Societies the 
 funds of the Society are in a flourishing condition. 
 
 Prom the same report we are glad to note that the 
 distribution of tracts has been a very useful auxiliary to 
 the preaching of the Gospel. For instance, it is reported 
 with regard to a certain training class for inquirers that 
 nearly all the members of the class traced the first 
 impulse inclining them to embrace Christianity to the 
 reading of a tract. In the preparation of Sunday School 
 Lessons, in publishing a religious j)eriodical aud distri- 
 buting tracts to the students at examinations this Society 
 is also doino: a jrood work. 
 
 To the Rev. W. H. Lacy we are indebted for the 
 following particulars of the 
 
 IRortb 3fubl?ien IReliaious Xlract Society. 
 
 Early in 1871 the Foochow Missionary Union 
 appointed a committee, consisting of Revs. LI. Lloyd, 
 Geo. H. Hubbard and Wm. H. Lacy, to consider the 
 advisability of forming a Union Tract Society. The 
 project seemed desirable, and each member of the com- 
 mittee pledged fifty dollars on behalf of his own mission 
 as a nucleus fund for union work. Nov. 2nd, 1891, this 
 committee presented its report to the Foochow Mission- 
 ary Union, and recommended the following Constitution, 
 which was adopted : —
 
 NORTH FOHKIEN EELIGIODS TBACT SOCIETY. 89 
 
 CONSTITUTION 
 
 OP 
 
 Ube IFlortb jfubl^ien IReliaious Uract Society. 
 
 I. Name. — This Society sliall be denominated the North Fuhkien 
 Religious Tract Society, and its head-quarters shall be at Foochow. 
 
 II. Object. — The object of the Society shall be the circulation of 
 books and tracts, prepared on the same principles as those of the 
 Religious Tract Societies of England and America. 
 
 III. Membership. — All Protestant missionaries and Bible Society 
 agents labouring in North Fuhkien, and all other persons willing 
 to co-operate in furthering the objects of the Society, may on 
 application through the Secretary become members thereof. 
 
 IV. Officers. — The officers of the Society shall consist of a 
 President, a Secretary and Treasurer, and a Depot Secretary ; all of 
 whom shall be elected annually. 
 
 V. Executive. — The business of the Society shall be conducted 
 by an Executive Committee of six, including the officers. Tiie 
 committee shall be elected annually at the Annual Meeting, from 
 members resident at head-quarters, and empowered to fill up vacancies. 
 It shall meet when necessary (three to form a quorum) for the exami- 
 nation of tracts and transaction of general business. 
 
 VI. Annual Meeting. — The Annual Meeting of the Society 
 shall be held at Foochow during the second week in January, to adopt 
 the report of the past year and elect officers and committee for the 
 current year. General meetings may be held at other times when 
 important business requires. 
 
 VII. Society's Publications. — All books or tracts published 
 by the Society must first be sul)mitted to the committee for examina- 
 tion, and no tract or book shall be adopted which is not approved by 
 a majority of the committee. 
 
 VIII. Prices. — The prices at which tracts, &c., should be sold 
 shall be fixed by the committee. 
 
 IX. Grants. — Applications for the Society's publications must 
 be made to the Depot Secretary, by whom grants of books or tracts
 
 90 THE MISSION PKESS IN CHINA. 
 
 to be sold may be made to members, who shall be responsible for 
 value of same. Requests for donations for gratuitous distribution must 
 be referred to the Executive Committee. 
 
 X. Subscriptions. — The Treasurer shall be authorized to solicit 
 subscriptions on behalf of tlie funds of the Society. 
 
 XI. Report and Catalogue. — An Annual Report and Catalogue 
 shall be printed and circulated. 
 
 Officers of the Society as then elected were : 
 President, Rev. Chas. Hartwell ; Secretary and Treasurer, 
 Rev. LI. Lloyd ; Dej^ot Secretary, Rev. Wm. H. Lacy, 
 with Ven. Archdeacon Wolfe, Rev. Dr. Sites and Rev. 
 S. F. Woodin, the other members of the Executive 
 Committee. The Methodist Episcopal Mission Press 
 was made the depository of the Society. The Treasurer 
 was authorized to solicit subscriptions fi om the mission- 
 aries and assistance from the Religious Tract Society of 
 London, the American Tract Society and the Tract 
 Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 The receipts for the first year were |50 from each of 
 the three missions at Foochow, viz., the 
 
 A. B. C. F. M., the C. M. S. and the 1 ^. ^r. ^^ 
 
 Methodist Episcopal Mission ) Jt>i^^-"^ 
 
 Missionaries' Subscriptions ... 151.00 
 
 Religious Tract Society of London 537.06 
 
 American Tract Society 434.85 
 
 Interest H. and S. Bank 11.02 
 
 1,283.93 
 Disbursements 899.53 
 
 Balance on hand, Jan. 1st, 1893... 384.40 
 Durini,^ the first year there were printed 40,500 
 
 volumes, of which 13,605 were circulated. 
 
 The First Annual Meeting of the Society was held in 
 
 January, 1893, and besides the re^wrts of the officers a
 
 NORTH PDHKIEN RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY. 91 
 
 very interesting history of tract work in North Fuhkien 
 was given by President Rev. C. Hartwell. 
 
 The Executive Committee for the second year was 
 elected as follows : Revs. C. Hartwell, LI. Lloyd, W. H. 
 Lacy, S. F. Woodin, J. H. Worley and T. McClelland, 
 the first three being officers as before. 
 
 The Report of the Treasurer showed receipts as 
 
 follows : — 
 
 Balance from 1892 $384.40 
 
 Religions Tract Society of London 581.82 
 
 American Tract Society ... ... 451.44 
 
 Missionaries' Subscriptions ... 78.00 
 
 Receipts from Sales ... ... 164.98 
 
 Interest H. and S. Bank 6.10 
 
 1,666.74 
 Disbursements 642.61 
 
 Balance in hand, Jan. 1st, 1894... 1,024.13 
 The Report of the Depot Secretary showed the 
 following : — 
 
 Books printed, vols 29,500 
 
 Folded Sheet Tracts 54,0U0 
 
 Sabbath Calendars .30,000 
 
 113,500 
 including 1,868,000 pages. Of these there were cir- 
 culated : — 
 
 Books 21,289 copies. 
 
 Sheet Tracts 22.680 „ 
 
 Calendars 30,000 „ 
 
 73,969 
 The officers for 1894 were elected as before, with the 
 substitution of Rev. AV. Banister for Rev. LI. Lloyd, who 
 had gone home on furlough.
 
 92 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 The pablications of the Society are sold to membera 
 at prices fixed by the committee, varying from one-third 
 to two-thirds of the cost, and to non-members or mission- 
 aries resident in other ports at cost price. 
 
 Orders for tracts should be sent to the superintendent 
 of the Foochow Mission Press, by whom catalogues will 
 be snp]3lied on application. 
 
 We feel sure that our readers will enjoy a perusal of 
 the presidential address referred to on the preceding page, 
 so we reprint the following : — 
 
 IRemimscences ot ]£arly XTract Distribution 
 at ifoocbow. 
 
 By Rev. Chas. Hartwell. 
 
 " At the First Annual Meeting of our North Fuhkien 
 Religious Tract Society it may be of interest to give some 
 remiuiscences of distribution of tracts and books by the 
 various missionaries who have labored at Foochow. Per- 
 haps it would be of greater interest to give a comprehensive 
 view of all that has been done here from the beginning, 
 iu the printing and distribution of religious literature; but 
 it will not be attempted, as probably sufficient data do not 
 exist for such an undertaking, I shall therefore only 
 give such facts, as I am able to recall from the labors of 
 others of whose work I have been cognizant, and from my 
 own experience during my residence at this place. 
 
 "Before my arrival iu June, 1853, missionaries had 
 resided here at Foochow nearly six and a half years. 
 During that time they had distributed many tracts, books 
 and Scriptures in the book language. Some of these
 
 EARLY TRACT DISTRIBUTION AT FOOCHOW. 93 
 
 had been brought from other ports, but most had been 
 engraved and printed here. The missionaries had also 
 begun publishino the Gospels in the Foochow Colloquial, 
 and soon various tracts were also prepared and printed in 
 the same language. At first the English mission did a 
 good deal in the distribution of the Scriptures in the 
 classical language. The American missions, for various 
 reasons, pressed on with a good deal of zeal in the publish- 
 ing of the Colloquial Scriptures. It is now my opinion 
 that had less been done in the circulation of the Collo- 
 quial Scriptures at the time it would have been wiser in 
 the beginning of our work. Although a considerable 
 amount of colloquial literature then existed and was sold 
 on the street there was a decided prejudice against books 
 in the Colloquial, and the pressing of our colloquial books 
 so early to the front in our work created quite a prejudice 
 against our Christian books. Still good was done and 
 the way opened for subsequent success. 
 
 " Some of the colloquial tracts of those days have 
 long been out of print. Among them were Dr. Baldwin's 
 tract " On God" and his brief " Introduction to the 
 Teachings of Jesus." Also Mr. Doolittle's tracts " On the 
 Goddess of the Sea," "On Opium," "The Swiss 
 Watchmaker," etc. But Dr. Baldwin's Colloquial " Catech- 
 ism of Christian Doctrine" has continued to be of much 
 use till the present time, and the abridgment of it by Mr. 
 Stewart is to be printed by this Tract Society. Mr. 
 Doolittle's Colloquial " Catechism on Astronomy," as revis- 
 ed, is also still used among us ; and a translation of it into 
 simple book language has been published in several 
 editions. Dr. Maclay also did some work in preparing 
 tracts in the Foochow Colloquial. 
 
 "From the beginning many of our tracts and books 
 in the book language have been reprints of publications
 
 94 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 prepared by missionaries at other places. Some of them 
 were revised more or less to improve their style and 
 teachings, and some had simply the terms for " God " and 
 " Spirit " changed to conform to our Foochow usage. 
 Dr. Milne's tract, " The Two Friends," was one of the 
 standard tracts when I first arrived here, and it is now one 
 of our useful publications. His book "On the Soul," 
 which was revised by Mr. Doolittle and published here, 
 has given place to the tract, which is mainly an abridgment 
 of Dr. Milne's book by Dr McCartee, formerly of Niugpo. 
 This latter is now on our list of publications. Dr. Doolittle 
 for several years published editions of an Almanac, con- 
 taining a brief Introduction to the Scriptures by Dr. 
 Legge's assistant, Mr. Ho, besides much other Christian 
 instruction and information about foreign countries and 
 various matters of interest, which publication was quite 
 popular and was easily sold to the Chinese, and doubtless 
 did much good. Mr. Doolittle also revised and published 
 a sharp controversial tract, "Against Erroneous Doctrine," 
 by the Romanists, which exposed the follies of Chinese 
 idolatry and superstitions, and also a small tract, prepared 
 mainly by his (Christian Chinese teacher, to refute some of 
 the common slanders current at that time against Christ- 
 ianity. These tracts answered a good purpose in their day, 
 though they may not be needed at the present time, 
 
 " It would be a pretty long list if I could recall all the 
 books and tracts that have been published here by the 
 funds of the several Tract Societies and Missions, but as I 
 am unable to do so I will not attempt it. Much good has 
 been done by the various publications in both the classical 
 and colloquial languages. The former style of course is 
 better adapted for tract distribution among the literary 
 class and in the country where the people are not familiar 
 with books in the Foochow Colloquial ; but the colloquial
 
 EAllLY TRACT DISTRIBUTION AT FOOCHOW. 95 
 
 literature is quite useful among our Church members in 
 Christian schools, and among many of the people in the 
 region immediately around us. We have some good books 
 in this style upon our list. 
 
 "The popularity of colloquial books among our Christ- 
 ians in general may bo said to have begun in the use of 
 colloquial Hymn Books among us. Previous to the arrival 
 here of Rev. W, C. Burns, in the autumn of 1859, all our 
 hymns had been in the book language. Some were very 
 good and some were in rather poor literary style. Mr 
 Burns published for us a small hymn book of colloquial 
 hymns at his own expense, and the regard felt for him by 
 our most intelligent Christians did much to help in the 
 general adoption of colloquial hymns for common use in 
 our public worship. It is very pleasant now to see how 
 much has been done by all the missions here to provide for 
 us an improved colloquial hymuology. 
 
 " Then the preparation of colloquial tracts in rhyme, 
 following the Chinese taste in their colloquial literature, has 
 aided in making such books a comparative success. 
 
 ** The " Five Character Colloquial Book '' was the first 
 of this class. The idea of it was suggested by a former 
 Chinese teacher of mine, who subsequently was employed 
 in the Methodist Mission and died a member of their 
 Church. He first wrote the chapter on " Filial Piety," and 
 brought it to me saying. If you will publish colloquial books 
 in this style they will be popular in your schools and be 
 read by others. It was published in a sheet form and used 
 in connection with our mission work. One preacher in the 
 country gave a copy to a boy, who could repeat it after 
 simply reading it once or twice, and did so with evident 
 delight. The boy's father who was present, not liking what 
 was said against the worshipping of ancestors, scolded the 
 preacher for giving his boy the sheet tract. Seeing the
 
 96 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 success of this first chapter subjects for the other chapters 
 were given the Chinese teacher, and he wrote the book, 
 which after some emendations was published. Many 
 copies of this h'ttle book have been printed in the past, and 
 we have this as well as several other little books in 
 rhyme on our list of publications. 
 
 " When missionaries first came to Foochow they gave 
 away many of the books which they distributed, and some 
 of the missionaries disliked to engage in selling the 
 Scriptures and other Christian books. This giving away 
 led to some abuses, and although much good doubtless was 
 done by the gratuitous distribution I fear not so much 
 good was accomplished as might have been, perhaps, had 
 a different course been pursued. But not all the books 
 and tracts were given away. In some of the later fifties 
 Mr. Doolittle was noted for his success in selling books, 
 I have known of bis going out for two or three hours with 
 one or two Chinese to help him, and returning with from 
 a few hundred to a thousand, and even fifteen hundred or 
 more cash, received for the books and tracts sold. For 
 one I am very glad that the Chinese have now come so 
 extensively to understand that our books are sold generally 
 and not given away, as this indicates a decided advance in 
 our work of furnishing them with a Christian literature. 
 
 " Of the striking beneficial results of the distribution 
 of our Christian publications that have come to my 
 knowledoe I will give but a single illustration. Over 
 thirty years ago some of us began distributing books to 
 the candidates for literary honors as they came out from 
 their examinations. In the sixties, after the Methodist 
 Mission had begun publishing Rev. F. Geuaehr's book 
 entitled " Balance of the True Doctrine," a copy of it was 
 given to a literary graduate in the city as he came out 
 from the Literary Chancellor's Examination Ilall. lie
 
 EARLY TRACT DISTRIBUTION AT FOOCHOW. 97 
 
 read it carefully, and afterwards purchased a New Testa- 
 ment and read that. After this he wrote out a compen- 
 dium of Christian teaching in rhyme and brought it to me. 
 It consisted of one thousand characters in very fine style. 
 After a few slight changes it was published in sheet form 
 and afterwards in book form, with comment on the text by 
 a Christian teacher. This book is now the "Five Character 
 Classic with Commentary" upon our list. Subsequently 
 this graduate, Mr. Tiong, while with me as Chinese writer, 
 wrote many chapters on the errors of Confucianism, which 
 were published in the Chinese "Globe Magazine" at 
 Shanghai, and did other valuable work ; though I am sorry 
 to say that he died without professing to become a Christian. 
 "We have abundant reasons for encouragement in the 
 work of publishing and distributing a Christian literature 
 among this people. And it should be no meagre source of 
 joy that at this time, when the minds of the people are so 
 much more open than formerly to receive Christian in- 
 struction, we have so many excellent works ready to our 
 hand for immediate publication and distribution. The 
 work of Christianizing a heathen language, and of causing 
 a heathen community to be permeated with Christian truth 
 and Christian thought, is a great one, and this can well be 
 promoted by the use of the printed page as well as by the 
 oral preaching of the Gospel. The sphere of our Tract 
 Society is one of much promise, and I doubt not but its 
 prosperity will enlist our earnest efforts." 
 
 With regard to the most recently started Tract 
 Society Rev. E. S. Little, writing from Kiiikiaug, 30th 
 May, says : — 
 
 '* About two years ago the Kiukiang missionaries 
 met and established a Tract Society, whose work has been
 
 98 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 done at the Press. The Rev. J. Jackson was elected 
 President, and the writer has discharged the duties of 
 Secretary and Treasurer. To this Society regular grants 
 are received from the American Tract Society, the Sunday 
 School Union and the Tract Society, all of New York, 
 and the Religious Tract Society of London. In 1890 was 
 issued the Hwei Pao, a monthly Church paper ; this was 
 taken over by the Society, and has been carried on by it 
 ever since. The writer was editor during the first three 
 and a half years of its existence. It is now published in 
 a much enlarged form, with Rev. J. C. Ferguson as editor. 
 The Society also issues a quarterly Sunday School Lesson 
 Magazine under the editorship of Rev. J. Jackson. A 
 number of Commentaries, Science Catechism, Guide to 
 Mandarin and other works, including Sheet Tracts and 
 Calendars, have been and are being continually issued. 
 The present Tract Committee consists of Revs. J. Jackson, 
 E. S. Little, J. J. Banbury, R. 0. Irish, D. W. Nichols, 
 G. A. Stuart and C. F. Kupfer. [The Central China Press 
 is also under the general supervision and control of an 
 annually elected committee, which is called the Publish- 
 ing Committee.] 
 
 " There is plenty of room for our Press and Tract 
 Society, and under wise management and control should 
 do an increasingly good work for the Church of Christ 
 in China." 
 
 The full details in the foregoing papers render it 
 unnecessary to say more with regard to the organizing 
 and executive ability shown in Bible and Tract Society 
 work, the manner in which the publications are appreciat- 
 ed, or the relation of the Societies to the Mission Presses. 
 We will simply add an encouraging sentence taken from
 
 ENCOURAGING NEWS. 
 
 99 
 
 the letter from Rev. J. C. Gibson, Swatow, which accom- 
 pauied the account of the E. P. M. Press on page 47 : — 
 
 " Last November I had the pleasure of baptizing 
 a man whose conversion was directly traceable to the 
 purchase and reading of a tract eight years before. The 
 tract was the old standard favourite, 'Conversations with 
 a Temple-keeper,' written, I believe, by the late Mr. 
 Genaehr, father of Mr. Geuaehr, who is now one of the 
 ' Easv W^n-li ' translators."
 
 100 
 
 THE MISSION TRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 ,^^A 
 
 ^amEar^ 
 
 m^ro^^ 
 
 "?^^?v 
 
 ff^ 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Conclusion. 
 
 HE foregoing sketches being mostly com- 
 plete iu themselves there are few loose 
 threads to tie ; since, however, it is impos- 
 sible to glance backward as we have 
 done without many thoughts crowding 
 into the mind, we will in a few sentences note those con- 
 siderations which, in the light thrown by recent events 
 on the history of China, indicate, among other things, the 
 important part Christian literature has to bear in China's 
 uplifting. At the same time we will take the opjwrtuuity 
 of referring to the helpful attitude of, and important work 
 being done, and to be done by, several societies which 
 hardly come under the title of Bible and Tract Societies. 
 The two thoughts which come most forcibly into 
 the mind are : How rapidly the mission cause has 
 advanced in the past fifty years ; and, How China has 
 stood still, if not actually gone back. 
 
 Fifty years ago the few missionaries in China were 
 trying hard to effect a location at the ports then open — 
 the difficulties and hindrances to work in these parts
 
 THEN AND NOW. [Ql 
 
 indicating the apparent impossibility of being able to 
 go further afield. Now onr missionary map shows an 
 open China studded with mission stations — and we 
 can thankfully record little overlapjDing, considering the 
 number of missionary societies at work and the number 
 of denominations represented. Then, there was only 
 a small company of Church members; now there are 
 •fully 50,000 communicants — many of them converts of 
 converts — with many thousands of adherents, pupils in 
 schools and enquirers. Then, various methods were being 
 prayerfully, cautiously, and, in some cases, sceptically 
 attempted; now, most of these methods are in successful 
 operation. For example, with regard, first, to education- 
 al work, we have day-schools, boarding-schools, indus- 
 trial schools and high grade colleges, and universities. 
 We have already seen the "then" and the "now" of the 
 Mission Presses, Bible and Tract Societies, and how those 
 who early labored and have long gone to their reward are 
 yet preaching to larger audiences in ever widening areas 
 by means of the printed page. And among the successful 
 agencies of the past fifty years we must not omit the 
 medical work, the efficiency and importance of which is 
 seen as we recognise the fact that the noble workers on 
 the field have kept up to date with the marvellous ad- 
 vance in medical science, by means of which thousands of 
 lives are being saved by preventive medicine, whilst there 
 is greater accuracy in diagnosis, sounder knowledge of the 
 natural history of disease and better means of relieving 
 pain and sufi'eriug. 
 
 Then, truly so far as missionary work is concerned, 
 was the day of small things ; now is the time of great 
 results. But what of China — poor China — poor, despite
 
 102 THE MISSION PRESS IN CHINA. 
 
 her wonderful past, her great resources, and vast pos- 
 sibilities. She certainly has not made the progress many 
 fondly hoped she would in the past fifty years. The 
 humiliation she is experiencing from Japan has drawn 
 considerable attention to her internal administration, and 
 the true character of the great bulk of the ofiicial and 
 governing classes has been made apparent. Very little 
 patriotism or honesty has been found ; while rapacity and 
 duplicity are evident on all sides. It has been clearly 
 manifested that whilst not able to successfully oppose the 
 military aggressiveness of Japan from without, she has 
 not been able to respond to the cry for food or justice 
 from within. 
 
 Now the questions will be asked : How have the 
 expansion of the fleet, the foreign drill of the army, the 
 developed commercial activity of a shrewd people, backed 
 up by the possession of enormous reserve force, all failed 
 to enable the giant China to cope with the diminutive 
 Japan ? The nearing thunder roll of an enemy's guns will 
 awaken echoes to these questions in uulooked for quart- 
 ers ; and in the answering of these questions, in the quest 
 for more modern knowledge and more light, God in His 
 providence is opening up fresh avenues of usefulness for 
 the Mission Press of China and for all the Societies who 
 use the Press to help them in their work of enlightening. 
 
 We have already devoted a liberal proportion of 
 space to the Bible and Tract Societies, but before closing we 
 will refer, as we mentioned before, to some other Societies 
 who are helping nobly in this work of awakening. 
 
 The importance of influencing the leaders of the 
 nation has led the " Society for the Difi"usion of Christ- 
 ian and General Knowledge among the Chinese" (see
 
 OTHER HELPFUL SOCIETIES. 103 
 
 also page 57) to aim at reaching the higher aud educa- 
 ted classes of China. By getting them to abandon those 
 selfish principles which tend to destroy the nation as 
 well as the individual, it is hoped that a renaissance 
 will be brought about by the basing of all enlighten- 
 ment on Christian principles of love and goodwill to all. 
 A special impetus has been given to the work of this 
 Society by the palpable fact that the ancient subjects of 
 study in China furnish her with no practical help in 
 this hour of dire need, and as by modern knowledge 
 only the empire can learn to be strong and secure peace 
 within her borders, while protecting herself from foreign 
 foes, this Society is making a strenuous effort, as far as 
 limited funds will allow, to provide such information. 
 
 Another Society which is doing a noble work in en- 
 lightening the country is the Educational Association of 
 China. Its object is the introduction of Christian educa- 
 tion into this land. And China is in great need, not only of 
 Western learning, but also of improved methods of teach- 
 ing aud training ; for, as was pointed out in the recent 
 triennial meeting of this Association, the present system, 
 while developing the memory in a wonderful manner, 
 and leaving nothing to be desired in the mere power of re- 
 taining words, yet "dwarfs the other powers of the mind, 
 ruins the reasoning faculty, destroys the imagination, 
 prevents independence of thought, checks original investi- 
 gation, and is altogether vicious and totally inadequate 
 to develop the God-given powers of the human mind." 
 
 The Educational Association was formed at the 
 General Missionary Conference in 1890, and took over the 
 books, blocks, maps, etc., of the School and Text-Book 
 Series Committee which had been appointed by the first
 
 104 TEE MISSION PRRSS IN CHINA. 
 
 General Conference of 1877. They have published im- 
 portant text-books on mathematics, the natural sciences, 
 history, geography, religion, philosophy, &c., and such 
 important and difficult subjects as the question of nomen- 
 clature have been taken up. 
 
 The work of stirring up and instructing has been also 
 shared in by Christian Vernacular Societies. There has 
 been some degree of prejudice against the use of the 
 vernacular, but when we remember that in many parts of 
 China, especially South China, there is no alternative but 
 to use the vernacular ; that the vernacular is, in many 
 cases, the language of millions of j)eople ; it will be 
 understood how the Mission Press feels it a privilege to be 
 the servant also of those individuals and Societies who 
 are seeking to provide the many missionaries who are 
 working for the salvation of the middle and lower classes, 
 with necessary literature. The object of the Christian 
 Vernacular Society of Shanghai is to promote the forma- 
 tion and spread of a Christian literature in the Shanghai 
 dialect, both in the Chinese and Roman character, by 
 the translation or original production of such works as 
 may be most appropriate for the instruction of native 
 converts, day and boarding-schools, and the people of 
 Shanghai generally. We cannot speak definitely of 
 similar work elsewhere, but know that effective good is 
 being done by missionary communities and individuals. 
 
 Our readers will easily understand that in referring 
 to the foregoing Societies, as well as to those mentioned 
 in the preceding chapter, we do not seek to make any 
 invidious comparisons. We believe that China will be 
 won to Christ through God's blessing on the interplay 
 of diverse agencies, and whilst referring specially to
 
 THE NEED FOR CHRISTIAN LITERATURE. 105 
 
 those societies more intimately associated with the Mis- 
 sion Press we recognise the premier importance of the 
 other agencies at work in God's name for the enlighten- 
 ing, uplifting and deliverance of China. 
 
 And now we might ask : What is China's response 
 to this fifty years of philanthropic labor on the part of 
 foreign Christian missionaries ? In spite of the working 
 of the good leaven of 50,000 professing Christians and 
 many more adherents, and in spite of many palpable 
 beneficent acts rendered by the foreign missionaries, 
 there has been, on the part of official China, in most 
 cases a deliberate indifference and inertia, whilst in 
 some instances there has been an active opposition ex- 
 pressed in the covert issue of the most filthy calumnies 
 that the desperately evil heart of unregenerate man can 
 conceive. To counteract the pernicious effects of the vile 
 anti-foreign literature poured forth so constantly from 
 the native press, and winked at or encouraged by the 
 officials and literati, the duty seems plain of supplying a 
 better ; and as to the common people with their accom- 
 modating gullibility, the best, in fact the only, cure is to 
 let them know the truth. 
 
 God speed, therefore, all the evangelistic agencies at 
 work for the renovation of China; and whilst we give 
 " preaching " the first place, with the educational, medical 
 and other departments ranging in importance according 
 to circumstances, we rejoice in the providential opening 
 for a literature permeated by the spirit of Christianity — 
 a literature that will not only provide working tools for 
 the missionary, but which will provide something to re- 
 call what has been said when the missionary has gone — 
 something which, if not able always to answer questions,
 
 106 
 
 THE MISSION PEESS IN CHINA. 
 
 will tell its story over and over agaia in all manner of 
 places, among all kinds of people, in iniblic and in pri- 
 vate, unheeding scoffs or jeers*
 
 u
 
 University of California 
 
 SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 305 De Neve Drive - Parking Lot 17 • Box 951388 
 
 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90095-1388 
 
 Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. 
 
 
 \m 
 
 MAR 5 20112 
 
 2 WKS FHOM DATf fiECHVEQ 
 ACCESS S 
 
 NOV 1 3 2Q0?, 
 
 APR 1 4 2008 
 
 ^ f4 f^ g g*' 
 
 BL19
 
 A^ 
 
 y 
 
 3 1158" 01 125 5972 
 
 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 AA 000 629 189 2