Report of the Preparatory School and the Theological Seminary in Hong Kong of the London Missionary Society for the Year of 1849-1850

 

Report of the Preparatory School and the Theological Seminary in Hong Kong of the London Missionary Society for the Year of 1849 (Victoria: Printed at Noronha's Office, 1850).

To the Directors of the London Missionary Society.

Gentlemen,

In presenting to you, for the first time, a formal Report of the School and the Seminary, which you have put under my care, - distinct from the report of our general Missionary operations at this Station, - I beg to preface it with some remarks upon the object of the two Institutions, and the plans by which it is endeavoured to secure its accomplishment.

The great purpose for which we labour in them both is to train up a native Ministry for China. All admit that the Evangelists of China - the men who shall go to and fro throughout the Provinces of the Empire, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and turning upside down the world of superstition and idolatry - must come among the Chinese themselves. Foreign Missionaries may lay here and there a stone in the foundation of "the building of God," but they who shall connect their labours, and carry them on, and continue them, so as to embrace the wide extent of the ground, and thereafter raise up the superstructure, till the top-stone shall be brought forth with shoutings of Grace unto it, will be natives whom Christ shall call to bear His name among their countrymen. [p. 3]

Impressed with the truth and importance of this view, we consider it a part of our duty to carry on these Educational labours, to prepare the materials for an efficient native agency. We know that the preacher of the Gospel ought to be "a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost." In order to his equipment for his work htere is necessary a preparation of the heart, which can come from God only; but with the spiritual fitness there should be associated a general and mental capability, which we can do much to obtain. Doubtless God will raise up, to share in the conversion of China, instruments who will go forth to perform their part without any counsel with foreigners, and others who will come before Missionary Societies completely furnished at once, and evidently called by God, to be His messengers. To such men we shall cordially bid Godspeed, and do what we can to help them in discharging their calling. But while we rejoice in this confidence, we recognize it as a duty incumbent on us, and by no means militating against the faith that lies at the foundation of that other hope, to commit the things which we have learned to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

The design of the Theological Seminary, therefore, is to educate Chinese Christian young men, to fit them to be preachers of the Gospel. It is our desire to send forth such men as no Religious College in England or America would be ashamed of, - men in whose moral character and intellectual competency Christians of all nations may repose the fullest confidence, and whom we may expect, as they wield the spiritual weapons of our holy warfare, to be made mighty to pull down the strong holds of Satan. [p. 4]

But now, allow me to call your attention to a peculiarity in our proceedings. When it was resolved in 1843 to erect in this Island a building for such a Seminary, there were no young men, converts to the Christian faith, who could be received into it. Yet it was desirable that a provision should be made, at the very commencement of our Missionary operations in China, to train up for the Ministry such converts as might be given to us, and who should possess, in addition to their piety, talents fitting them for public usefulness. The building was therefore commenced in 1845, as soon as an eligible site had been secured, and the necessary preliminary arrangements taken. The foundation of it was thus laid in faith.

Before the erection of the Seminary was commenced, the labours of the preparatory School had begun. Its name was given to it, to indicate its design, as an Institution introductory to the Seminary. As it was believed that in every one department of our labours, we should be honoured to make converts to Christianity who would become Theological Students, we could not doubt that Schools would furnish a large proportion of such individuals. Plans were laid accordingly for having a preparatory School at every Station, which we should occupy, and that in Hongkong came into operation in the end of 1843. The nucleus of pupils at that time consisted of only three boys, whom I had brought on with me from Malacca, and to their number additions were gradually made, as our means of accommodation were enlarged.

At the beginning of last year the number of boys amounted to Twenty-four, who were divided into four classes. In the month of March, seven boys were admitted [p.5] who had been for different periods pupils in the Morrison Education Society's School, whose action was then suspended, and not long after another pupil of the same Inssitution was received. In the month of July, a boy was admitted from Malacca, a nephew of the Student Le Kin-lin. During the last two months we have taken in seven adiditional boys, to carry out the plans proposed to you in March, to increase, namely, the number of Students and Pupils to fifty. Our number therefor the pupils at the close of the year was Forty-three, and we propose immediately after the Chinese New Year, which occurs next month to take in six or eight more.

These boys are taken into the Institution, on an agreement with their parents, that they shall remain here for eight years, only it is provided for, that the Superintendent of the School - acting of course in committee with the other Missionaries at the Station, - may dismiss at the end of the fifth year any pupil, concerning whom it cannot be hoped that he will make such proficiency in the knowledge of English, as to be really of service to him in after life. The boys must have attended a Chinese School for at least three years before we receive them, and their parents must supply them sufficiently with clothes. These two regulations, however, we were not able to enforce, at the commencement of our labours, and consequently there are now several boys to whom the Institution furnishes not only board and teaching, but also clothes.

Instruction is given both in Chinese and English. For the Chinese branch of Education two competent Teachers are engaged, who are under the superintendence [p. 6]

Report of the Preparatory School and the Theological Seminary in Hongkong, of the London Missionary Society for the Year 1850 (Hong Kong: Printed at the "Hong Kong Register" Office, 1851).

Who was 朱瑞生 Chu A-luk?

Part of the draft below was compiled from email communications with an Australian scholar in 2015:

http://www.cv.vic.gov.au/stories/language-a-key-to-survival/13440/zhu-english-through-the-vernaculars-of-the-canton-and-shiuhing-prefectures-c1857-c1862/

http://www.cv.vic.gov.au/stories/language-a-key-to-survival/13443/zhu-english-through-the-vernaculars-of-the-canton-and-shiuhing-prefectures-c1862/

廣肇英語 (English through the Vernaculars of the Canton and Shuihing Prefectures, Guang-zhao yingyu), unknown publisher, 228 pages, c1862.

朱瑞生's (Zhu Rui-sheng) phrasebook very interesting. It instantly reminded me of 華英通語 Chinese-English Phrasebook (1855) and Fukuzawa Kukichi's revision (1860) (http://project.lib.keio.ac.jp/dg_kul/fukuzawa_search.php).

Zhu was a student of James Legge and a graduate of Anglo-Chinese College (second class at the end of 1850, registered as 朱亞祿 Chü A-luk) and in 1855 was sent to Australia to spread the gospel among the Chinese (the preface mentioned God).

I think you can find more information about him in the archives and reports of London Missionary Society in Hong Kong.

The Chinese font types look very familiar with LMS's ones. Meanwhile not too long before the Australian voyage, James Legge sent five students to California to carry out the same mission in 1853. 華英通語 Chinese-English Phrasebook (1855) may be connected with them.

his name was also mentioned in Wang Tao's diary that he taught someone the English language in Hong Kong.

Zhou Zhenhe of Fudan links Zhu's phrasebook with various phrasebooks and dictionaries published in Canton, California, New York, Hong Kong, and Shanghai from 1840 to 1870s. It makes very good sense to me about Chinese diaspora and English learning. Zhu's phrasebook fills in the gap perfectly.

I did a bit more research on Zhu. Interestingly both sides, dictionary/cultural exchange study and missionary study, are not good friends yet. He is frequently mentioned in missionary scholarship but it seems no mention about his phrasebook at all, not even Ian Welch, whom I guess you know.

Zhu left Victoria mission in March 1858 and continued to serve LMS in Hong Kong and later Hankou in 1860s. It makes much sense that he published the phrasebook in 1862, the same year his senior graduate in Anglo-Chinese College Tong King-sing (two years senior than Zhu only. I guess they must have known each other in school, not close definitely) published his 英語集全 (unlike Zhou, no God in his preface).

As far as I know or guess, Zhu Ruisheng may be a son of Zhu Qing 朱清 (or Choo Tsing, 1790-?, baptized by Robert Morrison in 1832) or Zhu Tak-leung 朱德郎 (or Choo Tih-lang, baptized Medhurst in England in 1838). In his Chinese Christians: elites, middlemen, and the Church in Hong Kong, Carl T. Smith mentioned both of them.

I recall you know Zhu Qing already. The most detailed description about his life and baptism is in Su Ching's Open up, China!: studies on Robert Morrison and his circle (in Chinese), pp. 261-8. 

Zhu Tak-leung was well known in his time and mentioned in Alexander Wylie's Memorials of Protestant Missionaries to the Chinese (p. 40). A painting of Medhurst and him was used as the frontspiece of Medhurst's China, Its State and Prospects, included in Brian Harrison's Waiting for China: the Anglo-Chinese College at Malacca, 1818-1843, and early nineteenth-century missions, and as the cover of Ulrike Hillemann’s Asian Empire and British Knowledge. 

However, I am not so sure either of them was Zhu Ruisheng's father given "his father is the senior member of the Church in Hong-Kong" I think the materials you found in the LMS collection might have something related to this as you said.

John Corbin, Ever Working, Never Resting; a Memoir of J Legg Poore (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1874), pp. 
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Ever_working_never_resting_a_memoir_of_J_Legg_Poor?id=vp0HAAAAQAAJ&hl=am
1855

"A few weeks ago I received from Hong-Kong, through the wise liberality of my former Flock in Salford, chiefly from the young, 2000 copies of the New Testament in Chinese. I was very glad to get them; but here arose a difficulty. The Chinese landed at Melbourne, and passed into the interior after two or three days spent in equipping themselves for their journey and toil. At such a time they are not likely to give heed to moral teaching. If the New Testament were given to them, ignorant of its value, they would not burden themselves with it on the long and trying journey before them; besides which, if they were disposed to receive it, I could not act the colporteur. The books, therefore, remained on hand. Mrs. Poore, eager for the good of these poor wanderers, urged me to do something, and thought I was unrighteously withholding the precious gift. I had at a venture sent off one box, containing two hundred Testaments, to Castlemaine, and was anxiously pondering - what next? when lo! in the shipping intelligence was a paragraph that two Chinese evangelists had arrived from Hong-Kong, bringing introductory letter to me. This was startling. In due time I found them, and to my great delight the letters were from Dr. Legge, informing me that they had been under his care for more than ten years, and were of undoubted piety and considerable literary attainments. One of them, Ho-a-Low, is twenty years of age, and (p. 206) has especially a scholarly knowledge of his own language, able to translate Chinese into English, and vice versa, with ease, as also to speak readily in English: both have, indeed, this latter gift. The uncle of Ho-a-Low is chief Chinese preacher in Hong-Kong. Chu-a-Luk is twenty-three: his father is the senior member of the Church in Hong-Kong, he nad his companion being members also. Dr. Legge had encouraged them to come to Victoria, because, owing to the insurrection, free evangelical labour is greatly restricted, and in the hope that they would find employment here as interpreters, or even be engaged as evangelists to their countrymen. This was the great desire of his heart." (p. 207)

From William Young to the Rev. J. L. Poore, Secretary to the Committee for Promoting the Evangelisation of the Chinese, Melbourne
"...the first attempt at opening public Christian worship in Chinese. Having ascertained the willingness of the people to attend, the first thing to consider was the getting a suitable place in which to assemble. Of the few places that could be used for such a purpose, none appeared so eligible as the Mechanics' Institute. Upon application by Rev. Mr. Wells, the committee of that Institute, in a prompt and generous manner, allowed the free use of the building for the convening of the Chinese for the above-mentioned object. On the fifteenth of last month, our first Sabbath in Castlemaine, at nine o'clock a.m., Ho-a-Low, who was to conduct the religious (p. 213) exercises of the forenoon, was stationed at the Mechanics' Institute, to invite the Chinese, who might be passing at the time, to attend; while Chu-a-Luk and myself assisted by Wat-a-Che, went to the tents of the Chinese diggers, to persuade them to come to Divine service. Between forty and forty-five attended; ten others came late. The exercises commenced by singing a hymn; a chapter from the New Testament was read, and a prayer was offered; next followed a colloquial explanation of part of the chapter read; then a second hymn was sung, and we closed with a short prayer. The people listened with attention, and manifested the greatest decorum the whole time. At the close they were told there would be a similar service at three p.m., and their attendance was solicited. They went away pleased, and promised to come again in the afternoon. At the appointed time we went, as in the morning, to their tents, and piloted a goodly number to the place of worship. Chu-a-Luk conducted service; the order was the same as in the morning, and the number of hearers nearly the same. (p. 214) 

...

No opposition has as yet been shown them by their countrymen. Chu-a-Luk, in particular, has such a number of relatives and acquaintances at these diggings, as to make his work peculiarly smooth and pleasant. They seem to hail his coming among them with delight, and it requires little persuasion on his part to induce them to attend our Sabbath engagements. (p. 215)

1856
"At the end of June, Mr. Poore was busy preparing for the anniversary of the Chinese Mission. The experiment had now been tried for a year. The results were satisfactory, and the friends of the mission were hopeful. The bishop, Dr. Perry, was away from the colony when the mission was established; but he had (p. 228) now returned, and gave to it his countenance and advocacy. Mr. Poore, having an engagement at Castlemaine, had taken occasion to go to the scene of the evangelists' labours, that he might see, hear, and judge for himself. It was on a Sunday afternoon that he went to the Chinese service. He found Chu-a-Luk conducting the service, and 130 Chinese present. He could only describe it as "a wonderfully blessed spectacle." (p. 229) 

智環啓蒙 1856年第3號　砵非力金山地志 Hongkong to Port Philip - notes on the voyage and observatins at the gold diggings (communicated from Melbourne by a Chinese)