The-Hong-Kong-Weekly-Press-1907-09-07 — Page 8

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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND

MORRISON CENTENARY MEETING. ;

We are informed by Archdeacon Bannister that it is proposed to hold a Morrison Centenary Meeting to be held at the City Hall on the 10th inst., and that His Exellency the Governor has promised to preside. Robert Morrison's influence on Western intercourse with the Far East will be emphasized. There will be addresses · in both English sud Chines.

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[September 7, 1907.

Among Sinologues and Protestant mission. ↑ dismantled junks and forts they will probably aries Robert Morrison has always stood out iu | by replaced by battle-ship; and sub-marines. bold relief as their pioneer in "Chins, and his | While the pendulum of circumstanca swings | beginnings set the course for all future time between the fank of the weakling and the and made the navigation of the China ses, of hectoring of the strong, might has its miss ou, langusgs and society casier for all who c⚫me protecting the strong man's house and teaching after, whether student or evangelist. From that application of truth that even the worship of first assault on the closed gates of an unknown | right in the abstract will fail to procure hearing land bay come forth what we see in the Middle for, and China is now launched on this now Kingdom to-day --international relations recog· voyage will she find the Fortunate Isles, or nised, inoumerable helps to the study of the maz she not be starting on an adventure mɔro Sir Robert Hart has written as "historied language and literature, students increasing on likely to end in the division that weakens than nolo sutitled “Robert. Morrison, 1782-1807 all sides, every provinca a mission field and in in the unbroken unity which has been the con- 1834-1997,“ ( am which we make the following, most of them the blood of martyrs has vivified comitant of all these years of the Empire's extracts:

the seed of the church, missionaries that pursuit of that ideal which places right abɔve Morrison reached China in 1807, almost four are no longer bumbared by evan hundreds, might and the peaceful scholar over the strong- decades in advances of the day that saw it openel native Christians that will soon be spoken of in limbed warrior? History will inscriba many a by treaty, and yet, long before a third decade tens of thousands, and a fierce craving among name upon the roll of fame, neglecting most of had gone by, not only had he produced his th Chinese themselves for whatever the West, the stones that go to make up the mountain bat. famous Dictionary and published a Chinese енд teach and for whatever improvement. recording the massive boulders that ornament version of the Scriptures but be himself had Western advancement and Western exploits ¦ its flanks, and ona sach will always be in these rested from his labours, we men of the present | suggest, This old and seemingly unchangeable Eastern lims the name of Rɔbart Merrison. age know what a task is the study of Chines- Government

opaning its eyes more Singularly enough the Rapository on my even with all the helps we enjoy-books prepared courageously and learning new lessons more tab'e bears the signature of one of Morrison's by passed masters, skilled teachers as many as | fearlessly in the novel light of altered circums sous-" M. Crofton Morrison 1844" I knew we like to employ, and unshacked liberty to po fancos, and is putting forth feelers destined Crofton Morrison, a quiet, shy man, in the early everywhere, ses avery place, and do everything: | t› bring it and its people into line with the sixties as British Consul at Chefon, and I served but what must it have been in his time! Not: States that are the most. Christian and the most. under a younger brother of his, George Morri. nly were there no books to assist the student į civilised. Rsform is in the thought of -very is n who was an assistant in the Superintendency but the country was shut to strangers and it ! Chinaman, and not least audible among th's; of Prado at Hongkong, when Sir Joha Bowring was punishable with death to associate with the į elirion blasts of the day is one which foretelle was Governor there in the year 1854: so that, foreigner and with even worse than death to the disappearance, and a unds the death knell, having been in touch with the Morrison family initiate him into anything Chinese-manners, of China's most seductive tempter and most half a century ago in a more intim ste sense than customs or language, much more learn of him | iusidious fe; the Opium habit. Nor in this perhaps any survivors from ollen times still in and assist him to spread his ideas. Thousands connection should it be forgotten that it was China can claim, it is both a pleasing duty and of years of unique seclusion and an unchang the lavish generosity of the old Esat India an appreciated honour to testify at this distanse ing diet of home-made and nadulterated Company-the company which supplie the to the starling worth of the great missionary, moral introspection ha l warped a very Chinese effec'ive demand for opium-that. Dictionary Morrison, and to wish evacy suosew creditable condition of independence of others supported Morrison and printed his Die to the joint effort now started to pass on his into a self sufficiency that blinded itself by fionary for students and his translation of the name t› future ages in connection with a richly shutting out snolight and a conceit that Scriptures for Chiness, Opiam has had its equipped institution for promoting friendlines mistook the acorn for the ork and the i work to

in the w rul's his ry, and of intercourse with Chins, and for holding high first gleam of discovery for the moon's so has Slavery, and, among much that is my the unextinguishable lamp of Christian truth blue splendour of applied knowledge We sterious, the action of such ageu ́s seme to give and Christian civilization in the great. inte. little think to-day-we far from realise, among uw mening to the words of the -weet suger resting, and influential city of Canton, tha our present advantages, what disc uragement of Israel, when he sang. “Surely the wrath of bewitching Queen of the Pearl River. faced the newcomer a hundred years ago, and mau shali praise thee: the remainder of wrath what to succeed then meat in terms of courage. sha t thou restrain! Commer ial relations ingenuity, persistence, and hoping against hope! have spread from Canton west along the consts And it was in the midst of all that tended to and waterways of China, and the inter-poples' kill effort and bring in despair that Morrison dealings which were hardly even tolerated, bigan, endured, and triumphed. His Diction-ry crouped, contined, and sunt up as they were in may not have been the best of dictionaries, but the old Factory site,-are now encouraged and it was the first of its kiud, and for many a day welcome, aud" not only feed from former the best too, and it has itself lightened the restraints but placed under this proctection of s labour of every student since it appeared and special Metropoli an Board created to fister «nd will never be forgotten as the for-runner of ad further such important and such civilising inter- that followed. His translation of the Scriptures ests. Progress is in the air and its twin-sister. will also doubtless be found fanit with by many Promis, grows stronger dily and supplies a oritie, but it not only supplied a want and observer a of inquirer with huppy auguries for ministered unto multitudes in darkness, it is a future of fullest accomplishment and fruition also a wonder ul performance for a student of

Soon after Morrison's death, which Chinese of little more than ten years' standing, occurred in 1814, the Chinese Repository-that and it put into the bands of all who came after richest of literary storehouse--published in something to whittle into better shape, polish 1836, exactly three score yours and teu ago, an into greater elegance, and make fitter to be the article of the Looking Forward" type, con-

counterpart in anothor tongue of the gospel. trasting the possible China of 19

with Among English speaking Christiane, how the Chins of the year,

It says:- many have read the Bible through? Among Are the Chinese to retain forever their ordained ministers, how many can compare exclusive policy?

Will they never our beautiful English version with the text in the original? And, yet, here was the poor boot-tree maker's sou who calmly sat down to master the terrible Chinese language, who studied every word or every verse of the Scriptures, in order to put before the eyes of an alien race the message and the teaching "that mand the sorrows and the sins of meu! All

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give admission to improvements

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a change does take place, into what state will it bring tiem?

Will Chins become a

Christian nation Ÿ

"The future is uukuwa, bat, when H speaks' who seeth the and from the bɔginning," our darkness CORSOR

In the year 199 their places of worship will presaut & differeut apprance

The idols will be removed Their war junks and fots will be The Sabbath will be observed They will CHARA to be

ignorant Those who now possess the Gospel

who came after-merchants. missionaries, ministers—owe bim a debt of gratitude, and i would be a thon-aud pities to let the conteuary ¦ dismantled. pass without seizing the opportunity it presents to do honour to his unforgotten

name and

in a new form and with new zeal--and in Lis name-carry forward the work he lived for } aud coumunicates and died in.

The occasion, too, synchronises with the new ars we of this later day now see throbbing into If Morrison was life in this still-united China.

one of the first Prince Charmings to call on the Sleeping Beauty to awake, shall not we of the present time, who witness the ushering in of the transformation scene, recall his aubade, and credit his earlier summons with the reply these movements make, which tell the world the sleeper is slive and at last awake, and which are yet but a prelude to the firmer footing on which the future will see her stand?

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will have free intercourses with China

them the useful knowledge of the Wes'ern world Rail-roads and steamers, and machinery will be common in China

If we, then, are lab nring for the introduction of the truth

among the Chinese we do not labour in vain No, it is for an object which will be accomplished, for God has spoken it: an obj-et which is worthy of our highest efforts and most untiring zoal Behold these shall come from afar, and, lo, these from the north sad from the west, and these from the land of Sinim!

The forecast is coming true and there are still better things to follow. But as for the

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KULANGSU (AMOY) MUNICIPAL COUNCIL.

Minutes of a meeting of the Council hold the Board Room, on the 13 h August 1907. Present: - Mosgra, W. H. Wallace (Chair- mau), C. A. V. Bowra, A. F Gardiner, Hasng Ta'an-c ew,

W. Kruse, the Health Officer

and the Secretary.

1. The miuntes of the last meeting are reat aud confirmed.

2. Ou the mo iou of Mr. Kenge it is decided to call on the owner of the vacant plot of land below the Union Church and opposite the New Amoy lintel, to have a wall built on the

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hill" side of the property, to sasure the safety of the public using the road from Lin Tow to the Union Church.

3. A. latter is read from the China Light and Power Co. Ltd., asking the Council to grant them power to supply the Island with electris light aid power. The Secretary is directed to inform them the Conncil will be prepared to favourably consider an application from the Compay and request them to forward at an early date more detailed conditions of their proposals.

4. It is decided to take action against Oe- a-kho unless the obstruction he has built at both ends of Hill side Lane, La-keo-tal, is st once removed.

5. The Superintendent of Police reports the following cases have been dealt with in the Mixed Court since the last meeting-Summooses. — Døbt 5, Assault 2, Sollia z mat not slangh- tered in the Muu.cipal Slaughter House 1, Obstructing the public rond 1. Contempt of Court 1, Carrying onta burial withont a permit 1. Allowing pigs to stray 1, Breach of Municipal Regulations

Arrasta.~Cön- Summary spiring to prevent servants taking service Breach of prison regulation 1. Theft 2, Assisting prisoners to escape I, Assault 1, Attempt to murder 1, Gambling 1.

(Signed) W. H. WALLACE, Chairman.

By Order,

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C. BERKELEY MITCHELL, Secretary,

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