April 17, 1909.]
Mansion House will be the scene of it and the Lord Mayor will be in the Chair. Mrs. Archibald Little and others are hard at work in the papers stirring up interest and there is to be a most influential platform. Mr. R. 8. Gundry meanwhile is busy too, urging the men of light and leading behind this movement to switch their enthusiasm in the direction of the Hongkong University scheme.
The Chinese Minister is down among those supporting the Mansion House meeting, but that may, of course, merely be for diplomatic reasons. I have my doubts about the real desire of Chinese officialdom in Europe for educational institutions run by Western bodies, such as the one behind this plan. '
Sir
Among those who will speak or signify their support to the meeting will be Robert Hart (the chairman of the Committee) the Bishop of London, Mr. Whitelaw Reid (Americau Ambassador) Lord Strathcona (of Canadian fame) the Bishop of Ripon, Alderman Sir Joseph Dimsdale, Rev. J. Campbell Morgan (President of the Shanghai Conference, 1907), Rev. J. Scott: Lidgett (President of the Weslayan Methodist Conference), Lord Alver- stone (Lord Chief Justice), Lord Armitstead, Lord Kinnaird, Lord Reay, the Lord Mayor of Bristol, Sir John Kennaway, Sir Thomas Jackson, Sir Robert Perks, Sir John Pound, Sir Albert Spicer, Vice-Chancellor Warren of Oxford University, Vice-Chancellor Mason of Cam bridge University, Sir William Turner, Principal of Edinburgh University Vice-Chancellor Sir Donald Macalister of Glasgow University, Dr. Alexander Maclaren of Manchester, Mr. R. A. Yerburgh, Mr. C. S. Addis (Hongkong and Shanghai Bank), Sir Percy Bunting, Sir Robert Douglas, Rev. Dr. Hanson, Rev. George Owen, Rev. Dr. Horton, Canon Mas- terman, Rev. F. B. Meyer, Canon Robinson, Sir Alexander Simpson, Rev. F. S. Webster, Marshall Broomhall, A. Howell Buxton, George Sir Mackworth Young, Messrs Byron Brenan, Cadbury, John Cory (Cardiff) W. McAdam Eccles, M.S., F.R.C.S., R. W. Essex, M.P., T. R. Ferens, M.P., J. S. Fry, George Jamie- son, William Keswick, M.P., Robert Laidlaw, M.P., Samuel Hope Morley, E. R. P. Moon, H. Pike Pease, M.P.. A. Rolland Rainy, M.P. and Colonel Robert Williams, M.P.
MINING IN KOREA.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
THE MEDICAL MISSIONARY MOVEMENT IN CHINA.
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
London, March 17th. The Lord Mayor (Sir G. Wyatt Truscott) held to demonstrate sympathy with the medical presided yesterday at a very influential meeting missionary movement in China and the efforts which a committee in England are making to collect £100,000, with which to assist the move- ment. mittee aim at helping existing institutions and It has been pointed out that the Com.
not to disturb or interfere with them. It is proposed to establish in four important centres students may be trained for medicine and union medical training colleges in which Chinese
institutions for Chinese teachers and pastors surgery; to provide training and theological
on the same basis of denominational unity as the medical colleges, and to translate and publish the best Western literature for these insti tutions, and help the existing Christian literature and tract societies now at work in China. The gathering included all that is influential in British Society without respect to denominational or political divisions. The Lord Mayor was supported by a distinguished "platform," chief among whom may be mention ad- Sir Robert Hart (Chairman of the Com mittee) Lord Kinnaird, Lord Armitstead, the Chinese minister, the American Ambassador (Mr. Whitelaw Reid), Sir Percy ing, Rev. Dr.
Bunt Horton, Rev. Dr. J. Campbell Gibson, of Swatow, (Chairman of the Shanghai Conference at Shanghai, 1907, Rev. J. Scott Lidgett, (President of the Wesleyan Methodist Conference) Mr. Robert Barclay (the well-known London banker), Sir Thomas Jackson and Mr. C. S. Addis (of the and many others. Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation)
The Archbishop of Canter bury wrote a letter of apology for non-attend- ance, expressing his entire sympathy with the objects of the meeting. Lord Strathcona (of Canadian fame) and the Bishop of London are among London's victims to the cold weather,
and a future with such possiblities as to give promise of most important developments. Opo of the great desires of the Chinese was to be instructed in Western medical and surgical knowledge, coupled with a thirst for the best Western literature. In this the committee, whose aims that meeting was gathered to sup- port, could afford invaluable assistance if the British nation came to their help and gave of their best. Let it be understood that they de- sired to respect the great aspiration of the Chinese,"China for the Chinese." As an indica- tion of the sympathy of the Chinese Government they welcomed the presence of the Chinese Minister.
and under medical orders could not be present.
The Lord Mayor warmly welcomed the gathering to the Mansion House. He pointed out that the Committee did not seek to es- tablish any new and disturbing institution; they sought to extend the good work that was already being carried on, under which The Korea Daily News says that in the the course of awakening China was being mining world things seem to be looking up. influenced by the Western spirit. They had The principal mine on the American concession heard a good deal about the awakening of is reported to be looking better than ever and China, and they knew there was just now a great hopes are entertained of a bumper year. spirit of restless inquiry among the Chinese The last report from the Suan Mine is ex-nation, who had a splendid past to contemplate, tremely encouraging and shareholders anticipate good returns as soon as the stamps are in operation, which will probably be about the end of this year. Arrangements are also being made to exploit the alluvial deposits on the Chiksan concession, which is no under the control of British capitalists. On the two copper con- cession (Italian and American) work will pro- bably be commenced early in May. as the respective engineers in charge. with their staffs, are due here next month. A number of graphite mines are being operated in various parts of the country, principally in the north-east; but although quantity is there, the average quality is not quite up to the best standard. This however will probably mend The resolution reading as follows was sub- itself as the mining operations are carried deeper.mitted by Sir Robert Hart, who had avery In short, the outlook is distinctly favourable; cordial reception :- and if the expectations are realised, will be of incalculable advantage to Korea. When one realises the amount of money that is expended by mining syndicates or companies in the country they happen to be operating, this is obvious. If the expectations of the mining engineers in charge of the American and European mining concessions are realised, some thousands of Korean labourers will be employed. The men are willing to work and will work, and they are reported by those who have experience of other races to be among the best miners in the world.
Signor Brambilla, the newly-appointed First Secretary to the Italian Legation in Peking is spassenger by the next German mail steamer.
That this meeting, in view of the extra ordinary opportunities which now present them. selves in China, and realising the importance and urgency of the obligations which are imposed upon the Christian nations of the West, is of opinion that a national response should be made to this demand on the part of China for a larger share of Western enlightenment and a faller knowledge of the resources of our Christian civilisation."
He started by contrasting the cause they were met to support with those of relief schemes for famine, pestilence and plague, for which London, with the Mansion House for its centre, was famous in philanthropic effort. They now aimed at assisting four hundred millions of people to take the right pathway, now that they were on the move. This
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was a cause worthy of the sympathy of an in- telligent public, a civilised Power and a Christian people For thousands of years the Chinese had lived contentedly and peacefully, following one' doctrine consistently, but times had changed. They were facing the future and looking else. where for wisdom, without deserting their teachings of the past. For centuries the country been their guiding mainstay; a guide which had had been tranquil and Confucian teaching had given them a civilisation which in its life of peace, had left them helpless in case of questions which international light settled, but a civilisa kind for domestic use, of which they had tion of a useful, practical and even superior
a right to be, and were proud. But under the change of conditions China had had to cast about for some alternative method of passing through the duties of a country, both as a people and as a Government, and the decision that had been come to was to learn all that the West had to' teach and to acquire the ability to do all that the West could do. The Chinese Emergency Com- mittee wanted to combine moral teaching with scientific teaching and to offer to them those influences which Christain civilisation could give to help them through the years, and to shape their future. Opportunity, like time, had to be seized by the forelock as it rushed past or it was lost. To-day was the opportunity, the day when the West could help the East. Let the West hold out her hands in a friendly way to assist with that guidance and support, the West alone could give. Other Powers than England were awake to the opportunity to do something. Germany was considering the establishment of a first-class University in the province of Shantung. France, he heard, was thinking of introducing a similar kind of institution in Tientsin, and several of the American colleges had established brauches or sent out specially equipped men to various parts of China. In the British colony of Hongkong it had recently been proposed to establish a University, the details of which were not yet finally settled, but which they all wished would have a prosperous future. There was no need for any of these works to conflict with each other, and indeed, the better others did
their work, the more the views of the promoters of the meeting would be carried out, while on the contrary hand, the better the British scheme was carried out, the greater would be the aid received by the other agencies already there.
The resolution was carried with acclamation, after it had been seconded by Dr. J. Campbell Gibson, who spoke as a missionary of over. thirty years standing. In China they had fifty different bodies for the propagation of the gospel but they were united and all preached the same gospel, so that the people were not perplexed. As a result they had a Christian community of about a million, of which some 200,00 were communicants. The Chinese Minister would bear him out when he said that Christian Chinese were well respected and made good citizens, than whom none were more loyal to the Imperial throne. The time had come for the work to be carried on a wider scale. He denied that they had been inefficient in the past, but new opportunities demanded greater efforts. Also he denied that medical missions were simply
con-
used as a means to entice the Chinese to be preached to, on the pretence of healing them. The medical missions were instituted for heal- ing, which was the best method of expressing the teachings of Christianity. He emphasised the words in the resolution "extraordinary opportunities". Till a short time ago the people of China had been living in the style of two thousand years past. Then in about two years they had rushed through two turies. There were great elements in the Chinese character that admitted of such a change and made the future prospect for the Chinese of exceeding interest and importance. For instance, the Chinese government to stamp out opium was one of the most extraordinary instances of courage any government had shown, and was worthy of all respect and continuous encouragement. Moreover they had instituted schools and their great difficulty was the supply of teachers. To meet their needs they were sending students all over the world, and the world should recognise the importance of the enterprise and receive the students not as aliens, but as friends worthy of all assistance. It was important, however, to try and give them eda- cation in their own country, thus avoiding the
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