The-Hong-Kong-Weekly-Press-1899-06-17 — Page 7

Hongkong Weekly Press AND China Overland Trade Report All

June 17, 1899 ] pondered over this case until he was absolutely certain that the man lied in the witness box and he had not the slightest doubt that he had lied not only to the Court but to his solicitor and so caused him to be entiely misled. His lies had been at the bottom of the whole case. The hearing lasted nine days, but if the man had spoken the tratu the matter could have been settled in five minutes The only other course open for him (his lordship) would be for him to direct a prosecution for perjury. That prosecu- tion would be initiated by the Attorney-Genera!, who was on the other side in the case, and it would have to come before him (his lordship) or before Mr. Justice Wise, and it would involve going through the whole evidence again, and probably Yip Tat Cho would invent another lot of lies. It was absolutely clear to his mind that the man had been lying, and Mr. Francis must be of the

same opinion himself.

Mr. Francis I certainly think his statement in reference to the cheque for $491 was un- doubtedly false. He did not think anyone who heard the evidence could come to any other

conclusion.

His Lordship added in reply to Mr. Francis that a formal decree might he drawn up in accordance with this judgment.

12th June.

IN SUMMARy JurisdictiON.

BEFORE MR. Justice WISE (PUISNE JUDGE).

YE FUK V. GOULBourn.

CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.

but in others, where ancient and rival religions or superstitions have entwined themselves round the whole family and social institutions of the people, where their language and modes of thought are only intelligible to Europeans after many years of laborious study, the work of the missionary must be extremely arduous as well as full of danger. Such workers well deserve both sympathy and support. In the dim future, when the historian reviews the great events of the nineteenth century, as we can now calmly review those of the preced- ing centuries long since past and gone, when he seeks for the origins and causes of the vast changes this century has seen effected in the world, he will find that the steam engine, the steamship, and the electric wire will not account for them all. He will have to reckon with the moral as well as the material forces at work, and surely the greatest of these moral-forces is the silent but steady progress of Christianity. If you will permit me I will read to you a few lines from the History of the Nineteenth Century, by Robert Mackensie, whom I think you will consider an impartial and broad minded his torian if you peruse his writings. I quoted the passage three or four years ago when I had the honour of taking the chair at the Centenary meeting of the London Missionary Society in this Colony, because it seemed to me that it might be well to cite the testimony of the his torian rather than that of more interested parties. He says:

"In the foremost rank of powers destined to change the face of the world stand Christian Missions These may almost be regarded as products of this Century, and the imposing magnitude which they have gained is altogether recent. Their beginnings were so small as generally to avert hostility by securing the contemptuous indifference of those who might have been unfriendly. There are few things in human history that wear an aspect of higher moral grandeur than the open- ing of what are now our great missions. One or two men sent by this Church and by that are seen going forth in obedience to a command spoken eighteen hundred years ago to begin the enormous work of undermining heathenism and reclaiming the world to God. Among the glories of the Century is none greater than this. All other enterprises of beneficence must yield to this magnificent attempt to expel de basing superstitions and convey into every heart the ennobling influence of the Christian religion. The success already attained gives sure promise of results the greatness of which we as yet but dimly perceive. The early sug gestion of missions was received with disfavour When some good men invited the Church of Scotland to give encouragement to such enter- prises, the representatives of that body declined the invitation. They could not well argue against imparting to heathens that gospel which it was the business of their own lives to teach. Nevertheless, the proposal was unacceptable. One clergyman deemed it visionary, another wished the result to be obtained by prayer and waiting, a third saw revolutionary tendencies in every form of united action and trembled for the constitution. On grounds such as these the Church of Scotland, by an overwhelming majority refused to sanction missionary effort Such was the state of things in 1795, and at On Wednesday a public meeting was held in that time the attitude of the Church of the City Hall. The Hon. W. M. Goodman pre-England was for the most part much the same. -sided, and he was supported by the Bishop of Victoria the Rev. LI. Lloyd, the Rev. C. Ben- nett, the Rev. F. Flynn, the Rev. T. W. Pearce, the Rev. R. F. Cobbold, and the Rev. F. T.

Ye Fuk, contractor, 30, McGregor Street, sued William Goulbourn, of 10, St. Francis Street, for $60, balance of an account for work alleged to have been done.

Plaintiff produced a contract in which it was stipulated that he should do certain repairs to a house belonging to defendant for $110, He completed the work on April 6th, and defend- ant had paid him $50 bat refused to give him

the balance.

Defendant said that plaintiff acreed to have the work done by April 3rd, but it had not been completed yet.

The case was adjourned sine die, it being agreed that in the meantime Mr. Orange should accompany the parties to the house and report

as to what had been done.

CENTENARY OF THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

PUBLIC MEETING YESTERDAY,

In connection with the centenary of the Church Missionary Society special services were held on Sunday at St. John's Catheral. St. Peter's Church, Kowloon (Seaman's Institute and the Naval Depôt), and the Peak Church. At the Cathedral the Rev. LI. Lloyd preached at the eleven o'clock service and the Right Rev, the Bishop of Victoria at the evening service. On Tuesday evening there was a meeting at the Seamen's Institute, Kowloon, The Bishop of Victoria presided and Rev. Ll. Lloyd spoke on

Work in Fuhkien.”

Johnson.

The CHAIRMAN said-When I was asked, a

few days ago, to take the chair at this interest ing meeting held in commemoration of the Centenary of the Church Missionary Society, I could not but feel that a great, if undeserved, honour was conferred upon me. I consented, not only because, at the present time, it becomes. us all, clergy and laity, to obey our Bishops, but because I am in entire sympathy with the objects and sims of this, as well as of other Christian Missions. Those objects and aims I take to be, to spread the knowledge and benefits of Christianity among the many millions of people to whom they are alike

How great has been the change since then. But, if it is sometimes alleged that the results are still insignificant, it must be rememberes. how recent has been the effort and how ill proportioned to the gigantic nature of the task to which that effect is directed. I will to

longer detain you, but will ask you to listen to those whose lives have been given to this great and noble work.

The Rev. C. BENNETT said that at the be-

ginning of the present century China was closed to the gospel, but what did they see now in Kwangtung? They found native churches in many cities, and they found in them over 9,000 Christians-not including the Basel Mission or the mission to the Hakkas, but simply Cantonese Christians-and he found also that these men subscribed over $12,000

in the Kwangtung province | known, if Christianity is a true religion, sure-

their churches. ly it is a plain duty to make known where pratio He wanted them to notice that, because able its solemn truths to non-Christian nations. | some people said that if foreigners were to with In some cases this is not a very difficult task, -draw from Chinese work the congregations

everyds the support of

towards

491

would relapse and that in a few years Christi- anity would disappear from China. Nothing of the kind. In former times the Chinese were supposed to worship the almighty dollar and to place the accumulation of wealth in the first place, but these very men were the men who came forward and showed this self-denial and helped to maintain the Christian cause in the province of Kwangtung. The gospel was reaching the people of Kwangtung in various ways. There was the preaching in the open air, the preaching in chapels, and so on, but he thought the most interesting feature perhaps of all were the efforts of the natives themselves to make known to the heathen around them the truth which they had received themselves.

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of

The Rev. LL. LLOYD gave an encouraging report of work of the Church Missionary Society in the Fankien province. He said that in that province there were nearly 50,000 Christians, about 20,000 of whom were connected with the Church Missionary Society. In the county Hokchiang they had 70 churches. About one half of these were simply Chinese houses rented very cheaply, and there service was held and all sorts of work was carried on. The other half were specially built churches. They could build a churche in the Fulkien province for about £100 quite good enough Chinese at the present time. There were two for the native clergymen in that particular county, working very earnestly and very zealously. Nothing inspired him so much as to g, about with these two earnest Chinese clergymen. Then they had in that county over 6,000 con- verts and so marked was their work and so felt by the Chinese officials themselves that on two separate occasions the Archdeacon had been publicly thanked by the Chief Magistrate of Hokchiang for the

influence good exercised by the missions. They frequently heard it said that the foreign communities sionary work, but this was not true, if the people near the mission fields cared nothing for mis. of England only came forward to help mission- ary work in the same way that the people of Foo- chow did the coffers of their society would soon be overflowing. A great deal was done here in Hongkong towards mission work—not ostentatiously. There were plenty of sneers and jeers going about the world as regarded missionaries, and it always struck him as strange that the dictum of any wanderer who lived six weeks in a place should be taken before that of a missionary who had lived among the people for years and years.

b

show what the Church Missionary Society The BISHOP of VICTORIA gave figures to

was doing in South China, pointing ont that they had 23 missionaries in the two Provinces and eleven native clergy, addition to which they had eight qualified European medical men, two of whom were also ordained, one fully qualified lady doctor, three lay workes, and 38 lady helpers, in addition to the wives of the missionaries, giving a total of 82 Europeans workers and 11 native clergy. With regard to the progress of the work, to his mind the progress which was being made now by modern misions all over the world waS amazing As to the quality of the con verts, his experience was that their Chin- ese converts weite right down, good, earnest solid Christians. He did not mean to say they were perfect. They had good, they had bad, sidered that their Chinese converts would in a they had indifférent, but on the whole be con-

very large measure read a right down good les- son to most of their Christians in England. for presiding concluded the proceedings,

A vote of thanks to the Acting Chief Justice

Another European-the second this year has been attacked by the bubonic plague, namely Inspector Reidie, of the Sanitary Department. He is a first class inspector and had charge of two districts, and he has been busily engaged in attending to the fumigation and cleansing of plague houses. On the 9th June he complained of high temperature and headache and went off duty. In the evening he was sent to the Government Civil Hospital and kept under observatio time, when it was discovered that h plague. We are glad to learn grossing favourably.

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