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JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE, 
 
 UJririml ^miomxji to djpa. 
 
 Mdry B Isabella 
 MRS. BRYSON, 
 
 London Mission, Tien-tsin; 
 
 AUTHOR OF "CHILD LIFE IN CHINESE HOMES," ETC. 
 
 WITH PORTRAIT. 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 NEW YORK and CHICAGO. 
 
 fflemina !>♦ IRevell Company 
 
 Publishers of Evangelical Literature. 
 
 lf<H? 
 
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 6&\ 
 
 
 tftt Carton (pte&& 
 
 171, 173 Macdougal Street, New York 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 |"T was on the early morning of Easter Day 1888 
 ■*• that, after thirteen years of active service in China, 
 Dr. Mackenzie was suddenly called to rest from his 
 labours. 
 
 During this time he had been used by God in a 
 wonderful way to overcome the great prejudice ex- 
 isting in China against Western medical science, and 
 was the means of founding and conducting the first 
 Government medical school in the Empire. 
 
 His labours, indeed, had no small share in giving 
 that impetus towards foreign methods in medicine 
 and surgery which has of late been so noticeable. 
 But while thus singularly successful as a physician, 
 it was in the consecration of all his powers to the 
 attainment of a yet higher end than even the healing 
 of bodily disease that Dr. Mackenzie was specially 
 remarkable. 
 
 Few men have kept more constantly before them 
 the spiritual good of those with whom they came in 
 contact. It was ever the evangelistic side of medical 
 work, and the opportunities thus given him to bring 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 to men the healing message of the gospel of Christ, 
 which called forth his enthusiasm, and sustained him 
 amid difficulties and discouragements which otherwise 
 would have been insuperable. When the announce- 
 ment of Dr. Mackenzie's death was received there 
 was a widespread feeling not only among his own 
 personal friends, but among the friends of Missions 
 generally, that the story of his life and labours would 
 prove helpful to the cause of Medical Missions. 
 
 Having had the privilege of the Doctor's friendship 
 from the year 1875 till his death, and been a witness 
 of the wonderful results of his unwearying labours, 
 first in Central China and afterwards on the banks 
 of the Pei-ho, I felt unable to refuse to tell the story 
 of a life devoted, like that of our Divine Master, to 
 the healing of the sick and the preaching of the 
 gospel. 
 
 With many other duties to occupy my time and 
 attention, but on the spot where Dr. Mackenzie carried 
 on his benevolent labours, and where his name will 
 for many a year be remembered by Chinamen of 
 every rank with gratitude and esteem, these memorials 
 of him have been written. 
 
 As far as possible my aim has been to allow " our 
 beloved physician," by means of his own letters and 
 diaries, to tell of the wonderful way by which the 
 Lord led him. 
 
 My special acknowledgments are due to the Doctor's 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 brother, Alexander Mackenzie, Esq., of Bristol, and 
 to the Directors of the London Missionary Society, 
 for allowing the use of valuable collections of letters. 
 Also to Lieut-Colonel Duncan and many other 
 friends, both in England and China, for their kind- 
 ness in contributing letters and reminiscences. 
 
 I have throughout received valuable assistance from 
 my husband, who was Dr. Mackenzie's colleague for 
 many years, both in Hankow and Tien-tsin ; and also 
 from Dr. F. C. Roberts, who succeeded the Doctor in 
 the Tien-tsin medical work, and to whom I am in- 
 debted for the chapter contained in the Appendix, 
 giving an estimate of Dr. Mackenzie's labours from a 
 professional point of view. 
 
 My best thanks are also due to Dr. Maxwell, Secre- 
 tary of the London Medical Missionary Association, 
 and a valued friend of Dr. Mackenzie's, for his kind- 
 ness in seeing the book through the press. It is my 
 earnest prayer that this record of a consecrated life 
 may prove a source of encouragement to some who 
 have long toiled for the coming of Christ's kingdom, 
 and that many others may be induced to devote their 
 lives to the bodily and spiritual healing of the millions 
 in heathen lands who have never heard of Christ, 
 the Great Physician. 
 
 Mary F. Bryson. 
 
 London Mission, Tien-tsin. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 EARLY DAYS. 
 
 Page 
 
 The Fen Country — Yarmouth Rows and Chinese Streets — 
 
 Bristol and School Life — Early Christian Influences — 
 
 Mr. Moody's Visit — Confessing Christ — The Young 
 
 Worker — A Primitive Training College — Theatre 
 
 Services "with Publicans and Sinners" — First 
 
 Thoughts of Foreign Mission Work — What is a 
 
 Medical Mission ? — " The Double Cure " — Obstacles 
 
 removed by Prayer ...••••! 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 STUDENT LIFE AND VOYAGE TO CHINA. 
 
 Medical Studies — Appeal from Hankow — Offers his 
 Services to L.M.S. — Youthful Impatience — "I wish 
 to have no Will of My Own " — Married versus Single 
 Missionaries — Meeting Moody — Good-bye to England 
 — The First Sunday at Sea — Occupations on Board 
 Ship — A Grateful Retrospect — All for Christ — The 
 Sights of Malta — Port Said — The Suez Canal — The 
 Tropics — First Sight of Chinamen — Death of an 
 Opium-smoker — The Banks of the Yang-tse-kiang — 
 The New Home 21 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 LIFE IN HANKOW. 
 
 Page 
 The Heart of the Empire — Pioneering Work in Hankow — 
 History of Medical Mission — Studying Chinese — 
 Chinese Street Sights — "We have Doctors and 
 Remedies of Our Own" — Prejudice Conquered — 
 Yang-tse Floods — Among the Sailors — Union among 
 the Missionaries — Fever — Visit to Kiukiang — The 
 Temple of the Dragon King — Resuming Work — The 
 Preaching in Glad Tidings Halls — Wuchang — The 
 Temple of Hades— The Blind See — Aim in Hospital 
 Work — Showers of Blessing yj 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 COUNTRY WORK AND PERSECUTION. 
 
 Work among the Villages — "All the Sick People in the 
 Place " — A Kind Reception — Leprosy — Learning 
 More of Christ — New Year's Day in China — Selling 
 Books — The Cloth-dealer of Hiau-kan — Thirteen 
 brought to Christ — A Night in a Chinese Boat — A 
 Good Escort — Gathering Crowds — An Attack — " Go 
 back to Hankow and Preach your Jesus there!" — 
 Bravery of the Christians — " I was a Stranger and ye 
 took Me in" — A Former Patient to the Rescue — A 
 Chinese Feast — "You can never hurt my Soul" — 
 A Bad Road 63 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 LIGHT AFTER DARKNESS. 
 
 A Dilemma — Appealing unto Caesar — A Chinese 
 Mandarin — Hiau-kan Revisited — In a Chinese 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 Yamen — A Religious Discussion — A Curious Crowd 
 — "No Leisure so much as to Eat" — Stages Erected 
 for the Preachers — Midnight Disturbers — A Dinner 
 in Foreign Style — Village Converts — The Good Seed 
 Sown Broadcast — Sowing in Tears to Reap in Joy — A 
 Christian Village 85 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 PREJUDICE OVERCOME. 
 
 The Fame of the Western Physician — Chinese Medical 
 Theories — Charms against Disease — Chinese Faith in 
 Surgery — A Hare-lip Case — Prepared for an Audi- 
 ence with the Emperor — The Spirit's Revenge — 
 How the Boatman Regained his Child — A Restless 
 Patient — Opium Smokers — Seven Hundred in a Year 
 — Telling their Neighbours — The Opium Smoker 
 Cured — Sacrifices for Christ's Sake — The Restored 
 Barber — Jesus the Only Saviour — "Where are the 
 Nine ? " — The Value of Medical Work — Choosing a 
 Chinese Name — Phases of Foreign Community Life — 
 A Christian Worker — A Chinese Fire — More Noise 
 than Work — Sailors' Meetings — Difficulty of the 
 Chinese Language —A Country Trip — The Mission- 
 aries Stoned — The Margary Affair Settled — Country 
 Sights and Industries — First Sermon in Chinese — 
 Hatred of Foreigners — Hospital Notes . . -99 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF MEDICAL 
 MISSION WORK. 
 
 Marriage — Work on the Tea- ships — Popularity of the 
 Hospital — Rather Die than Lose a Limb — A Filial 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 Son — Difficulty of Treating Chinese Women — " She 
 Prefers to Die ! " — Persecution of Native Christians — 
 The Paralytic Beggar— Chinese Generosity — Explo- 
 sion of Gunpowder Magazine — Hydrophobia — Happy 
 Deaths of Native Christians — The Tea Planter's Son 
 — Discussion on Christianity — Attempted Suicide — 
 From the Gates of Death — Making Two Mouths — 
 Bishop Patteson's Life — Chinese Country Life — A 
 Han-lin's Grave — Reception on Village Green — A 
 Leader of Dragon Festivals — An Object of Interest — 
 Idols Given Up — Swindling the Foreigner — How 
 Some of the Chinese Gentry Live • • • .121 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 CHANGES— A NORTHERN HOME. 
 
 Changes — Offers for Chung-king — Curious Case — Summer 
 Floods — Appointed to Tien-tsin — An Ice-bound Port 
 — Good-bye to Hankow— Parting Gifts and Good 
 Wishes — A Chinese Sinologue — A Mandarin's 
 Family — The Harbour of Chefoo — Taku Bar — A 
 Reminiscence of the Attack on the Forts — A Desert 
 Land — First Impressions of Tien-tsin — Improved 
 Chinese Singing — Cart Travelling in China — On the 
 Way to the Capital — The Walls of Peking — The 
 Imperial City — The Manchu City — The Temple of 
 Heaven — The Lama Temple — Image of Buddha — A 
 Praying Machine — " As Old as the Moabite Stone " 
 — The Hill of Longevity — Ruins of the Summer 
 Palace — Chinese Sunday-schools — The International 
 Lesson Series 153 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE POWER OF PRAYER. 
 
 Page 
 
 An Unpromising Outlook — A Petition to the Viceroy — 
 Suspense — A Time of Waiting on God — Importance 
 of Studying the Language — The Chinese " Pilgrim's 
 Progress " — A Wonderful Answer to Prayer — " Why 
 not call in Foreign Doctors ? " — Prescribing under 
 Difficulties — A Good Recovery — A Lady Doctor — 
 Foreign Medicine becomes Popular — The City 
 Moved — A Trial Operation — A Temple Dispensary — 
 Physician to the Viceroy — " Unable to Compass the 
 Work"— "Two Hundred Patients a Day ! "—A New 
 Hospital Needed — A Chinese Subscription List — A 
 Generous Patient — The Work Increases — Overworked 
 — Difficulties in Chinese Surgical Cases — A Vaccine 
 Establishment — Rumours of War — Colonel Gordon's 
 Visit — Conversations with Gordon — The Viceroy's 
 Opinion of Christianity — The Chinese in California — 
 Dr. Schofield — The New Hospital Opened • • • 171 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 EVANGELISTIC LABOURS. 
 
 Qualifications for Medical Mission Work — A Yamen 
 Runner brought to Christ — Enduring Persecution — 
 Dispensary Scenes— In the Wards— Gift of Customs 
 Taotai — The Reserve Fund — Failure of Mrs. 
 Mackenzie's Health— Her Return to England- 
 Chinese Appreciation of Surgery — Breaking down 
 Prejudice— A Chinese Lady Patient — A Travelling 
 Evangelist— Learning to Pray— An Applicant for 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 Baptism — Confucius — China of To-day — Viceroy's 
 Desire for Progress — No Middle Path in China . 207 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 CHINESE MEDICAL SCHOOL. 
 
 Establishment of Medical School — Chinese Students from 
 America — Examinations — A Chinese Debating Society 
 — " Seven Years in China" — Visit of Corean Prince — 
 Family Trials — Return to England — Deputation 
 Work — Impressions made by Personal Character — 
 Tour on the Continent — Returns Alone to China — 
 "Nevertheless Afterward" — A Great Earthquake — 
 Riots in Canton — Additions to Medical School — Dr. 
 Schofield's Death — History of Trust Deed . . 227 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 SIGNS OF PROGRESS. 
 
 Success of Students— Doubts about Medical School- 
 Views Regarding Country Work — Spiritual Results 
 in Medical School — An Imperial Decoration — 
 Striking Instance of Conversion— Prayer Answered— 
 A Self-Supporting Chinese Evangelist— Evangelistic 
 W T ork in Hospital Wards— Visit of the Cambridge 
 Party— "A Time of Great Joy "— " Healed by 
 Prayer"— Discipline in Medical School— Students' 
 Prayer Meeting— A Chinese Naval Officer — Requests 
 for United Prayer— Sickness— Visit to Taku— A 
 Chinese Letter— Dr. Mackenzie's Bible Class- 
 Hunger after Spiritual Things— Washing the Nets— 
 "More Christianity than Medicine !" — Peace 
 Restored . . . 247 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 STRANGE PHASES OF CHINESE LIFE. 
 
 Page 
 
 Appeal for a Colleague — Visit to Yen-Shan — Simple Faith 
 of Country Converts— Steadfastness under Persecution 
 — Inspection of Native Foundling Hospital — The 
 Babies that Never Cried — An Athletic Patient — A 
 Coffined Patient — A Busy Life — The Lonely Rag- 
 picker — A Secret Disciple — " They thought him 
 Mad" — Curiosities of Chinese Medical Treatment — 
 Scorpion Broth — Laying out before Death — An 
 Unnatural Wife — A Health Trip under Difficulties — 
 A Tauist Priest — The Medical Missionary Journal 275 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 GLIMPSES OF INNER LIFE. 
 
 Visit to Peking — Most Blessed Meetings — His Favourite 
 Books — Rather Die than Deny Christ — Letters to a 
 Young Missionary — "In Nothing be Anxious" — 
 Spiritual Growth in Chinese Converts — Comparisons 
 between Life in Nazareth and in China — Railways 
 Contemplated — Kidnapping — Disturbance in the City 
 — " Not Hard Work but Worry that Kills "—Need of 
 Spiritual Power — A Helpful Meeting. • • . 293 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 GROWING IN GRACE. 
 
 Growth in Spiritual Life — Relations with Foreign Com- 
 munity — Bible Study — Interest in "Blue-jackets" — 
 Real Cross-Bearing — Continental Sundays — Wei- 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 comes to New Missionaries — Congenial Companion- 
 ship — Opinion of New Theology — Visit to Country 
 Districts — Rough Travelling — Chinese Inns — A Self- 
 willed Carter— Fair Day — Found at Last ! — A Roman 
 Catholic Church — Hospitable Friends — Teacher No. 2 
 — A Little Flock — The Crippled Schoolmaster — Too 
 Late — Priest-Doctors — The Salt Merchant . • .317 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 LAST THINGS. 
 
 Chinese New Year — Paying off Epistolary Debts — 
 Thoughts about Prayer — The Last Report — Last 
 Home Letter — Busy Days — Desirability of Closing 
 Medical School — The Vivisection Question — The 
 Last Sunday — Illness — Good Friday — " I think the 
 Lord is Calling Me " — A Solemn Farewell — " Quite 
 Ready to go " — The Dawn of Easter Day — A Uni- 
 versal Sorrow — Funeral Honours — " The Christians' 
 Good-night " — At the Grave — A Chinaman' s Testimony 
 — His Last Prayer — Loss of Official Patronage — " I 
 will never Leave Thee " — Appointments of Medical 
 Graduates — Last Memorials — A Biography in Stone . 345 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 I. North China.— New Hospital at Tien-tsin . 379 
 
 CI. A Medical Review of Dr. Mackenzie's 
 
 Work 385 
 
 By F. C Roberts, M.B., CM. 
 
COXTEXTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 III. " Tke Evangelistic Side of a Medical 
 
 Mission " 396 
 
 By Dr. Mackenzie. Contributed to the China " Medical 
 Missionary Journal? vol i., Xo. I. 
 
 IV. "The Double Cure" 400 
 
 By Dr. Mackenzie. Contributed to the China Medical 
 Missionary Journal,'' vol. ii., Xo. 1, 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 EARLY DA YS % 
 
The Fen Country — Yarmouth Rows and Chinese Streets — 
 Bristol and School Life — Early Christian Influences — 
 Mr. Moody's Visit — Confessing - Christ — The Young 
 Worker — A Primitive Training College — Theatre Services 
 "with Publicans and Sinners "—First Thoughts of 
 Foreign Mission Work — What is a Medical Mission ? 
 "The Double Cure " — Obstacles removed by Prayer. 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 EARLY DA VS. 
 
 THERE is not much of beauty or poetry to be 
 found in the English fens of to-day. The great 
 swamps have been drained, and where dark-green 
 alders and golden reed beds once stretched for many 
 a mile around the shining meres we see now a black, 
 unsightly, steaming flat, dotted with scattered wind- 
 mills for pumping out water, and covered with marshy 
 herbage upon which cattle thrive. The spaces are 
 multiplying where— 
 
 " The land in flowery squares, 
 
 Beneath a broad and equal blowing wind, 
 Smells of the coming summer; " 
 
 but the process of evolution is not yet complete. 
 The mystery and majesty of the fen -land, of which 
 Kingsley wrote with glowing pen " dipped in colours 
 of the heart," and of which in his early days Tennyson 
 loved to sing, has passed away for ever. 
 
 Especially is this the case with that part of the 
 fens through which the Yare meanders with turbid 
 current to the sea, forming by its windings the pro- 
 montory three miles long upon which the town of 
 Yarmouth is built. 
 
JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 It was in this town that on August 25th, 1850, 
 a child was born who was destined, in the provi- 
 dence of God, to do so much towards carrying relief 
 and healing to the homes of one of the most ancient 
 of nations. Medical Missions, it is true, were no new 
 thing in China when Dr. Mackenzie commenced work 
 in that land, but it was those providential circum- 
 stances in his career which gave him access to the 
 homes of some of the highest Chinese officials, which 
 made his life of such interest to those who watch with 
 thankful hearts the progress of the gospel in China. 
 For it can hardly be questioned that the considerable 
 attention lately given by those filling high positions 
 in the Empire to Western medicine and surgery had 
 its origin in the great Viceroy's confidence in Dr. 
 Mackenzie's medical skill, and is associated with his 
 work. Before he had reached the meridian of life, 
 he had accomplished a work the influence of which 
 on the cause of missions in that land it would be 
 difficult to estimate. 
 
 Could the watchers by the cradle of that little child 
 have been permitted for a moment to gaze onward 
 into future years, they would have seen that although 
 his grave would be made in a foreign land, and he 
 would "return no more, nor see his native country," 
 yet that the environment of his earliest and latest 
 days would be, in many respects, strikingly similar. 
 The Chihli plain, on which he would lie down to 
 sleep his last sleep, and the Norfolk fens of the old 
 country, have much in common. There is in both 
 
EARLY DAYS. 
 
 cases the same absence of mound or rising ground, 
 with only a few willows here and there to break the 
 monotony of the scene. The same harvest of reeds 
 in autumn is gathered from the marshy plain, while 
 not unfrequently the high road runs along a bank, to 
 be out of the reach of inundations to which the land 
 is subject. The featureless Chihli plain touches a 
 horizon famous for the grandeur of its sunsets, like 
 the fens of the home land ; and the curious narrow 
 rows for which the town of Yarmouth is distinguished 
 seem to have taken for their prototypes the Chinese 
 streets, along which the name of " Ma Tai-fu " and 
 his wonderful medical skill was destined to become 
 beloved and familiar as a household word. 
 
 John Kenneth Mackenzie was the younger son 
 of Alexander and Margaret Mackenzie, his father 
 being a Scotchman from Ross-shire, and his mother 
 a Welsh lady from Breconshire. On both sides his 
 grandparents were pious people, and his paternal 
 great-grandfather was looked up to as an eminently 
 God-fearing man in the district in which he lived. An 
 enormous ivory snuff-box, mounted with silver, with 
 his name and arms and the date of presentation, 1786, 
 engraved on it, is preserved in the family. It was 
 presented to him by the Church members, and is a 
 curious sign of old Scotch habits. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Mackenzie removed from Yarmouth 
 to Bristol when their younger son was an infant, 
 and it was in that city his boyhood and early youth 
 were spent. Kenneth's father and mother were both 
 
JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 members of the Presbyterian Church in Bristol, his 
 father being for many years an elder there, till laid 
 aside by ill health and advancing years. The first 
 pastor of this Church, the Rev. Matthew Dickie, who 
 died in 1 87 1, was a powerful preacher and an eminent 
 Christian. Mr. Mackenzie was deeply attached to him. 
 
 In his boyhood the lad Kenneth is spoken of as 
 being of a reserved, retiring disposition, but quick- 
 tempered and easily provoked. He was remarkable 
 in after life for great strength of will and undaunted 
 courage in the face of difficulties that would have 
 made many men despair and completely lose heart. 
 
 To his Highland blood doubtless he owed a 
 certain reticence of manner, combined with an inten- 
 sity of feeling, which in a marked degree characterised 
 his likes and dislikes. Although not without faults of 
 temper, he had a very tender and sympathising heart, 
 and much gentleness and delicacy of manner. He 
 could be stern at times, but it was conviction and 
 strength of principle, not harshness of disposition, 
 that prompted his actions on these occasions. 
 
 In his early days he was usually ready to defend 
 any position he took up with great warmth and 
 vigour ; for at that time self-confidence and indepen- 
 dence were not insignificant factors in his character, 
 and his mind was not of that type which finds 
 yielding easy. 
 
 But as time went on, under the constraining 
 influence of the love of Christ the graces of the Spirit 
 blossomed out in his life with such rare beauty as to 
 
EARLY DAYS. 
 
 form a character of singular attractiveness. Few men, 
 perhaps, have lived a life of such practical holiness, 
 or have been more distinguished for fidelity to their 
 vocation, unworldliness of spirit, and a will chastened 
 by sorrow into glad submission. The ideal of the 
 poet, expressed in the lines : — 
 
 " O God, that I could waste my life for others, 
 With no ends of my own ! 
 That I could pour myself into my brothers, 
 And live for them alone ! " 
 
 more nearly found its embodiment in Kenneth 
 Mackenzie than in many even of earth's noblest 
 sons. 
 
 From his earliest days young Mackenzie was sur- 
 rounded by holy and happy influences, his home being 
 apparently one of those in which Christian truth is 
 so constantly instilled into the young hearts that in 
 some cases they are unconscious of the moment when 
 the new life in Christ Jesus is born into their spirits, 
 and can hardly remember the time when spiritual 
 things were not a very living reality to them. This 
 was not the case, however, with young Mackenzie. 
 He was accustomed to speak with much distinctness, 
 as we shall afterwards see, of the time of his passing 
 from death unto life, and his definite realization of 
 union with Christ. 
 
 His education was carried on, at a private school in 
 Bristol, by Dr. John Stone of King Square ; but he 
 showed little liking for study. There was little to 
 distinguish his early days from those of other boys 
 
JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 full of spirits, fonder of healthy exercise than o! 
 school work. He left school at the age of fifteen, and 
 entered business as a clerk in a merchant's office. 
 
 During this time he seems to have occupied his 
 spare hours with general reading of an instructive and 
 helpful character, with a view to mental development. 
 He joined some of his young acquaintances in attend- 
 ing various meetings which were held regularly at the 
 rooms of the Young Men's Christian Association in 
 Bristol. 
 
 There was a prayer-meeting on Friday evenings, 
 and a Bible-class on Sunday afternoons, conducted by 
 Mr. Thomas Ostler, who writes in affectionate terms 
 his remembrances of the days when as a lad Dr. 
 Mackenzie came under his influence. Ministers and 
 evangelists visiting Bristol seem to have been fre- 
 quently invited to speak to the members of these 
 young men's classes, and though without doubt the 
 work of preparation and the sowing of the good seed 
 had been going on for many years before, it was on 
 two of these occasions that Kenneth's young heart 
 seems to have been brought face to face with the 
 absolute necessity of making a definite stand on 
 the Lord's side and confessing Christ before his 
 companions. 
 
 He was a quiet, thoughtful lad at this time, of 
 serious disposition ; but he had evidently begun to 
 feel that sense of insufficiency and helplessness at the 
 thought of facing alone the mysteries and problems 
 of human life which comes so often to young spirits 
 
EARLY DAYS. 
 
 on the threshold of life. This painful sense of need 
 proves, not unfrequently, a Divine clue, by the following 
 of which the youthful heart is led into the very presence 
 of its rightful Lord and Saviour, and finds in Him 
 full satisfaction for all its high aspirations. 
 
 The first of the occasions mentioned above, which 
 seems to have formed an important link in the chain 
 of events which were blessed by the Spirit to the 
 awakening of young Mackenzie and bringing him to 
 the step of entire consecration to the Master's service, 
 was a certain May Sunday in the year 1867. The 
 subject for conversation at the Bible-class, we are told, 
 was " A Good Conscience," and many of the young 
 men in attendance were much impressed. Before they 
 separated, an address was given by Mr. D. L. Moody, 
 who was then on his first visit to England, previous to 
 the time when he made his great evangelistic tour. 
 
 The young men who desired prayer to be offered on 
 their behalf were requested to rise from their seats, 
 and Mackenzie with many others did so. Fifteen 
 members of the class decided for Christ ; but although 
 he of whom we write always dated his earnest desire 
 for a spiritual life from that occasion, — and he was 
 undoubtedly deeply impressed by the afternoon's ser- 
 vices, — yet, as he himself remarks in a letter of a year 
 later, "It was only momentary, and I soon fell away." 
 
 It does not seem to have been a very happy year 
 that immediately followed this Sunday when the 
 young man's heart was first awakened to its own 
 helplessness and deep need of a Saviour. 
 
JOHN KENNETH MACKENIZE. 
 
 For a considerable time he attended the Association 
 meetings with great regularity, but for some reason 
 found a difficulty in taking the final step of casting 
 himself in simple trust upon the promises of a living 
 Saviour. The leader of the Bible-class seems to have 
 taken a great interest in the spiritual welfare of his 
 young friends, and listened with much sympathy to 
 the doubts and fears they freely expressed to him at 
 the special meetings which were held on their behalf. 
 But, as one of his companions at that time tells us, 
 they often left these meetings with heavy hearts, 
 talking longingly of those spiritual blessings which as 
 yet they were unable to accept as their own. Yet 
 even at this time, though Mackenzie had not found 
 peace and rest of soul, he knew where alone it was to 
 be found, and would often counsel his young com- 
 panions to "look up," believing that some day full 
 light would dawn. 
 
 Sometimes he grew weary with the struggle, in his 
 longing desire to attain not only to nobleness of life 
 and character, but to the secret of life in Jesus. 
 
 He tried for a time to repress these yearnings, 
 which it seemed impossible to satisfy, and for a while 
 gave up all attendance at the meetings which had 
 hitherto attracted him so much. But the Holy Spirit 
 had begun in his heart the blessed work of creating 
 that dissatisfaction with self which can only cease 
 with rest in Christ. 
 
 The anniversary of the day on which he had been 
 impressed by Mr. Moody's address drew near, and 
 
EARLY DAYS. n 
 
 once again Mackenzie was found in his old place in 
 the Association rooms. 
 
 On this occasion Mr. W. Hind Smith, of Exetei 
 Hall, London, then a Y.M.C.A. Secretary in the 
 north of England, was present, and had been asked to 
 address the meeting. The rooms were full to over- 
 flowing, and at the close of his remarks Mr. Smith 
 called upon the young men present openly to accept 
 or refuse Christ as their Master. It was a solemn 
 moment for more than one of his audience when, after 
 a considerable pause, Kenneth Mackenzie and several 
 of his companions rose up and avowed themselves 
 followers of the Lord Jesus. One of the young men 
 who on this occasion confessed his faith in Christ, after 
 the lapse of some years, followed his friend of earlier 
 days to China, and is now engaged in work there 
 in connection with the China Inland Mission. He 
 speaks of the joy with which all their hearts were 
 filled as they left the Association rooms on that 
 memorable afternoon, and of how, as three of them 
 accompanied Mackenzie part of the way home, upon 
 reaching a quiet spot on the hill-top they re-dedicated 
 themselves to be henceforth, in the strength of Jesus, 
 true-hearted followers of their blessed Master. 
 
 Thus suddenly and solemnly came the answer to all 
 his weary doubts and questionings. For the answer 
 came, and in the only way in which it ever can come 
 to any yearning human soul, — in the Person of Jesus 
 Christ Himself. Mackenzie always looked back upon 
 this day as marking a very real change in his inner 
 
JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 life : he was conscious of a voice speaking peace to his 
 heart, the same voice that centuries before had stilled 
 the storm on the Galilean lake. 
 
 How frequently have the philosophers of these later 
 days scoffed at what is termed the methodistical doc- 
 trine of sudden conversion ; and yet, if Christianity is 
 a life and not a philosophy, in what other way is it 
 possible for it to come into being than suddenly, as 
 all life ever comes ? Growth is no sudden thing, of 
 course, and in the Christian life it only begins beneath 
 these lower skies. It is the boundless shores of 
 eternity that see the harvest time of what is here 
 sometimes only a sickly drooping blade. Sometimes ; 
 but this is not as it should be, when the great Sower 
 of the seed has provided all the essentials for the 
 development even here into the ear and the full corn 
 in the ear. Active service for the Master, in whatever 
 sphere the believer's lot may be cast, is the blessed 
 secret of growth in the Christian life ; and imme- 
 diately Kenneth Mackenzie commenced seeking for 
 opportunities of inducing others to share the joy which 
 filled his own heart. 
 
 Together with some of the friends who had con- 
 fessed Christ with him, he stationed himself on Sunday 
 nights in a crowded thoroughfare, in order that he 
 might distribute tracts to the passers-by. This work 
 was somewhat of a trial to a youth naturally so 
 reserved and undemonstrative, but it seems to have 
 been the service that first suggested itself, and it was 
 characteristic of him to the last that he never shrank 
 
EARLY DAYS. 13 
 
 from what he considered duty because it was not 
 exactly agreeable to his feelings. " Afterwards," says 
 one of the little party, " we thanked God together for 
 grace given us to overcome the pride which then 
 needed to be crucified." 
 
 In September of this year Mackenzie united himself 
 with the Presbyterian Church in Bristol, of which it 
 has been previously mentioned his father was an 
 elder. The story of the change which had passed 
 over him is thus told in his own words : — 
 
 " You ask me whether I hope that I really trust in 
 and love the Lord Jesus Christ. In His great loving- 
 kindness unto me, I can now say that I do. My reason 
 for so thinking is that the Holy Spirit has borne witness 
 to my spirit, telling me that I am an heir of God, a 
 joint-heir with Christ, and an inheritor of the kingdom 
 of heaven, and convincing me that the blood of Jesus 
 Christ cleanseth from all sin. On May 10th, 1867, 
 when Mr. Moody addressed the Bible-class, I first 
 thought of religion, but it was momentary, and I 
 soon fell away. On the anniversary of that day in 
 the present year, I first, while at the Bible-class, 
 thought earnestly and seriously of my soul's welfare, 
 and determined with God's help to throw off sin and 
 cling to my Saviour. Since then I have continued, I 
 thank Him, to grow in grace." 
 
 Opportunities of service seem to have increased 
 rapidly ; as is usually the case when heart and hands 
 are alike ready to do the Master's will. 
 
 It was not possible for a man with the strong 
 
14 JOHN KENNETH. MACKENZIE. 
 
 nature of the subject of this memoir to do anything 
 by halves. Having come out on the Lord's side, he 
 could not help but take up active work in the harvest 
 field which is the world. Open-air services, lodging- 
 house visitation, and ragged-school work, all engaged 
 his energies. Mackenzie is spoken of at this time as 
 a leader among the little band of Christian young 
 men with whom he was acquainted. They were all 
 deeply in earnest in their desire to influence the 
 numbers around them who were in ignorance of the 
 love of Jesus, and they were occasionally asked to 
 speak at religious meetings and to preach in the 
 surrounding villages. Eager to gain greater pro- 
 ficiency in public speaking, with the hope of making 
 themselves meet for the Master's use, they decided 
 to commence a meeting for mutual improvement in 
 this respect. The place chosen for the gathering of 
 the little company was a broken-down cow-shed, 
 about two miles away from the town; and the hour 
 five o'clock in the morning : the conditions being, 
 without doubt, sufficiently hard to test their interest 
 and sincerity. They used to take turns in reading 
 specially-prepared sermons, and young Mackenzie's 
 are spoken of by his companions as being remark- 
 ably well written, and a great means of grace to them 
 all. The disused cow-house, with its floor of bare 
 earth upon which they knelt in prayer at the begin- 
 ning of these meetings, thus became to them a train- 
 ing college for service in far wider fields than they 
 had as yet been called upon to occupy. As the result 
 
EARLY DAYS. 15 
 
 of this preparation, Mackenzie very soon took part 
 in the special services which for several winters were 
 held in the theatre at Bristol. 
 
 The labour and study necessary to enable him to 
 take part in these public meetings occupied much 
 of his time and thoughts. The small note-books 
 which he had in use are filled with anecdotes for 
 the illustration of Bible truths, culled from various 
 sources, in some cases being obtained from books, and 
 in others being incidents of personal experience. 
 
 It was in connection with these special theatre 
 services that he met with Colonel Duncan, who 
 afterwards became his close friend, and whose influ- 
 ence was used by God to induce him to consecrate 
 his life to service in the foreign field as a medical 
 missionary. 
 
 Even thus early in his Christian life Mackenzie 
 seems to have drunk deeply of the Master's spirit, 
 and to have worked and prayed for the conversion of 
 the most hopeless and degraded of his fellow-men and 
 women. In a little diary belonging to this period of 
 his life, interspersed among notes of gospel addresses 
 and illustrations culled from all quarters, we find some 
 graphic accounts of the people with whom he came 
 in contact, and whom he tried to win as trophies for 
 his beloved Master. One of these persons was a 
 notorious burglar of respectable connections, known 
 as " the king of the thieves." This man's story is 
 related as follows in the young worker's diary : — 
 
 " I came to know him one Sunday afternoon while 
 
16 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 in Tower Lane with Lenington ; we entered a house 
 and he followed us, and I asked him if he would not 
 come to the meeting. As he refused to do so, we both 
 spoke to him about his soul ; he seemed impressed, 
 and plainly told us what he was, and that he would 
 give it up. We left him, and after a time he came 
 into the meeting. A Sunday or so after, he came 
 to the Mission Service of his own accord, and I 
 invited him to the prayer-meeting, but he did not 
 come. But one Friday evening, as I was returning 
 from business, I saw him in Bridewell Street, and he 
 passed me at some distance. I felt unable to go on 
 my way, and, the Spirit leading me, I pursued him, 
 and again invited him to the prayer-meeting. He 
 promised to come, and, God be praised, he did come. 
 After it was over I went for a long walk with him, 
 and he told me a good deal of his past history. He 
 
 was nephew of Mrs. , and had been a member of 
 
 a Theological Class at Mr. Haycroft's, Broadmead 
 Chapel. At eighteen he began his work of thieving, 
 and was considered very clever at it. He told me he 
 had been before the magistrate, on suspicion and 
 otherwise, two hundred times, but had so eluded 
 them that 'he had never received more than two 
 months' imprisonment at a time. He had gained 
 hundreds of pounds, but it had never brought him 
 any good, he said. 
 
 " He was one of a gang of seventeen thieves who 
 went to Germany, and all but himself had been cap- 
 tured : he had managed to make his escape to France, 
 
EARLY DAYS. 17 
 
 He had not been at his old work for two or three 
 weeks, and had been trying to find employment at 
 his trade of joiner, having, during the past six years, 
 always kept some of his tools by him. He said he 
 had quite determined never to take to his old life 
 again." 
 
 Another form of Christian service which at this 
 time occupied much of Mackenzie's thoughts, was 
 what was known as Midnight Mission work. This 
 was evidently undertaken in concert with Christian 
 friends much oldei and more experienced than him- 
 self, and, doubtless, for a man so young it cannot be 
 considered a very suitable sphere of labour ; but the 
 very fact that Mackenzie, with his sensitive, reserved 
 disposition, should have engaged in it is a proof of 
 that zeal for the Master's service which possessed his 
 soul even from the earliest days of his Christian life. 
 That he exhibited much tact and wisdom in this 
 difficult work may be seen from another quotation 
 taken from his diary. 
 
 " The other Sunday evening," he writes, " Gittens 
 and Lenington brought a whole gang of men and 
 girls from a public-house to a meeting in Tailor's 
 
 Court. One, by name , was the worst of all ; she 
 
 refused to come inside to the meeting, and waited 
 for her companions outside the door. I followed her, 
 and commenced talking to her about her soul. At 
 first she seemed hardened, and would not answer me, 
 so I asked her about her home, and if she had ever 
 attended a Sunday-school, and then she replied to my 
 
 2 
 
18 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 questions. Her parents lived at Newport, she said, 
 but she was not willing to give me their address. She 
 told me she lived at Walter's public-house, Broad 
 Street, and said, if she came to the decision to give 
 up her present life and enter the Home she would 
 see me at the same place next Sunday. Not seeing 
 her again for a fortnight, I went with Gittens to the 
 public-house at which she had told me she lived. 
 We saw her, and, before leaving, gave her a tract. 
 , Though unwilling to come to the meetings, she seemed 
 much softened. She was only eighteen years of age." 
 It was after one of the theatre services which have 
 been before referred to, that, in the course of a walk 
 home late one night with his friend Colonel Duncan, 
 Mackenzie first communicated his hope of some day 
 engaging in the Lord's work in the foreign field. 
 They had been detained, for a long time after the 
 service was over that night, conversing with many 
 anxious and enquiring souls. From the earliest days 
 of his realization of life in Christ, Mackenzie's one 
 idea had been to follow his Master closely. He had 
 not a little of the heroic in his disposition, as is seen 
 by his deliberate choice of work which must have 
 been a trial to a nature which was a singular combi- 
 nation of the enthusiastic and the reserved. In the 
 course of his reading he had come across the memoirs 
 of the Rev. William Burns and Dr. James Henderson, 
 and these books seem to have created in his heart 
 a desire, if it proved to be the Lord's will, to serve 
 Christ in the foreign field. 
 
EARLY DAYS. 19 
 
 He spoke to Colonel Duncan of this desire, and 
 received the reply : " You are still very young ; would 
 it not be well to go in for the study of medicine, 
 and in course of time go out to China as a Medical 
 Missionary?" 
 
 His thoughts had naturally been drawn towards 
 that great empire because the workers in whose 
 lives he had become interested had laboured there. 
 Mackenzie replied by enquiring what were the cha- 
 racteristics of a Medical Mission, and was told that if 
 he would call upon his friend next day, he would show 
 him a small volume, entitled, " The Double Cure ; 
 or, What is a Medical Mission ? " This little book 
 seems to have made a lasting impression on the 
 young man's mind, since, only a few months before 
 his death, in the midst of his unwearying labours for 
 the souls as well as the bodies of his patients, he 
 wrote a striking article for the China Medical Mis- 
 sionary Journal wit the same title. And certainly 
 in few lives was this happy combination more fully 
 exemplified than in his own. 
 
 After reading the book lent to him by Colonel 
 Duncan, Mackenzie resolved, if he could obtain his 
 parents' consent, to give up his business situation and 
 begin the study of medicine, with the view, at the end 
 of his course, of going out to China as a Medical 
 Missionary. When he consulted his parents upon 
 the matter they failed to see things in the same 
 light, and were not willing to give their consent to 
 the proposal. 
 
20 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 Another Christian friend at this time was Mr. 
 Gordon, of Pitburg and Parkhill, whose wife was the 
 author of the little book which aroused his interests 
 in Medical Mission work. 
 
 Their acquaintance had commenced at the Sunday 
 evening theatre services, in which both were taking 
 a prominent part Hearing of the obstacle in the 
 way of his young friend taking the path in which it 
 seemed to him God had called him to walk, Mr. 
 Gordon proposed that Colonel Duncan, Mr. Steele, 
 a well-known surgeon in Bristol, and himself should 
 lay the matter before the Lord in prayer, asking 
 that, if it were His will, their young friend's desire 
 should be accomplished and all difficulties removed 
 from his path. Towards the end of his life Dr. 
 Mackenzie wrote : " I do indeed believe in prayer. I 
 am forced to believe in it, and say, from practical 
 experience, I am sure that God does hear and answer 
 our prayers." 
 
 On this occasion the answer to prayer was not long 
 delayed. It was almost as in the days of Daniel, " At 
 the beginning of thy supplication the commandment 
 came forth ; " for, on Kenneth's return to his home that 
 night, he found his parents' objections had all melted 
 away, and they were quite willing for him to enter 
 upon the studies which were to prepare him for the 
 service to which he felt himself called. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 STUDENT LIFE AND VOYAGE TO CHINA. 
 
Medical Studies — Appeal from Hankow — Offers his Services 
 to L.M.S. — Youthful Impatience — " I wish to have no 
 Will of My Own " — Married versus Single Missionaries — 
 Meeting Moody — Good-bye to England — The First Sunday 
 at Sea — Occupations on Board Ship — A Grateful Retro- 
 spect — All for Christ — The Sights of Malta — Port Said — 
 The Suez Canal — The Tropics — First Sight of Chinamen — 
 Death of an Opium-smoker — The Banks of the Yang-tse- 
 kiang — The New Home. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 STUDENT LIFE AND VOYAGE TO CHINA. 
 
 UNFORTUNATELY, there are not many details 
 to hand relating to the medical education of the 
 subject of our memoir. The main facts, however, are 
 as follows. In October 1870 he entered the Bristol 
 Medical School, where he prosecuted his studies with 
 success, and at the expiration of four years obtained 
 his diplomas of M.R.C.S. London and L.R.C.P. 
 Edinburgh. 
 
 Subsequently, before leaving for China, he still 
 further equipped himself for his future work by 
 attendance at the Royal Ophthalmic Hospital in 
 London. 
 
 It was while in Edinburgh obtaining his physician's 
 diploma that Mackenzie formed the acquaintance 
 of Dr. Lowe, of the Edinburgh Medical Missionary 
 Society. He had already felt himself drawn towards 
 China as a field of labour, having been much interested 
 in the memoirs of Burns and Henderson and their 
 work in that land. Afterwards, an address delivered 
 by the Rev. Griffith John, at Colston Hall, Bristol, 
 had stirred his heart and strengthened his desire to 
 devote his life to service for the Master in the far-off 
 
H JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 " Middle Kingdom." By this time Mr. John had 
 returned to his work in China, but another member 
 of the Hankow Mission was at home on furlough, and 
 in frequent conversations with Dr. Lowe had laid 
 before him the great need there was for a medical 
 missionary to take charge of the hospital there. Just 
 at that time, stations in various parts of the mission 
 field were in need of medical men, while all the 
 students in connection with the Edinburgh Medical 
 Mission who expected to graduate within the next 
 eighteen months had already received appointments. 
 It was decided, therefore, to appeal to advanced 
 medical students and young medical men, in the hope 
 that some one might be led to offer himself for this 
 service. A letter to this effect was inserted in the 
 Edinburgh Medical Missionary Journal, and arrested 
 Mackenzie's attention. He sought an introduction to 
 the writer, and made himself fully acquainted with all 
 circumstances connected with the Hankow work. Just 
 before leaving the beautiful northern capital he spent 
 a long afternoon with his new friend, afterwards a 
 colleague of his own both in Hankow and in Tien-tsin. 
 Facing up and down Prince's Street they talked over 
 the needs of the station far away in Central China ; 
 and the young doctor seemed to hear the voice of 
 the Master calling him to offer himself, his talents, 
 and his energies for his Lord's use in that great 
 Chinese city. He returned to Bristol with his mind 
 full of the idea, but determined to wait upon God in 
 prayer for clearer guidance in the matter. 
 
STUDENT LIFE AND VOYAGE TO CHINA. 25 
 
 A few days after, in the following letter, he com- 
 municated his decision to Dr. Lowe : — 
 
 " I write to let you know that, after long consider- 
 ation and prayer, I have come to the determination, I 
 trust under the Lord's guidance, to offer my services 
 to the London Missionary Society for medical mission 
 work in Hankow. 
 
 " I have been able to come to this early decision 
 as the result of several occurrences. My friends at 
 home have not raised the slightest objection to my 
 volunteering. I have had two appointments brought 
 before me this very day by professional friends, and 
 therefore it becomes necessary that I should decide at 
 once upon the course I intend to take. The whole 
 matter seems to be so entirely arranged of the Lord 
 that I dare not hold back. I shall be glad to hear 
 from you in reply to this. Will you lay my offer 
 before the London Mission, or should I apply to the 
 Secretary ? 
 
 "Once having come to a decision, I shall be ready 
 to enter upon preparatory arrangements as soon as 
 possible." 
 
 Dr. Lowe immediately communicated with the 
 Home Secretary of the London Missionary Society : — 
 
 " I rejoice to tell you that we have found a most 
 excellent and devoted young medical missionary for 
 Hankow. While a student he has been a most 
 successful evangelist, the Lord having given him 
 many souls as seals to his ministry. He has just 
 passed his examinations as physician in Edinburgh 
 
26 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 with great credit. Professionally, he is very highly 
 accomplished. He has studied all along with a view 
 to Medical Missionary work, but did not trouble his 
 mind looking out for a sphere of labour till he had 
 passed his examinations. 
 
 " On the very day he passed he read the notice 
 about the vacancy in Hankow, which I inserted in 
 our last Quarterly Paper, and at once came and had 
 an interview with me. I am very greatly pleased 
 with him, and I am sure you will be. 
 
 " Mr. Bryson and Mr. Cullen likewise are delighted 
 with the interviews they have had with him. 
 
 " He is a Presbyterian, but a most liberal-minded 
 man, and one who is ready to co-operate with all who 
 love the Saviour." 
 
 A few days afterwards Dr. Mackenzie wrote to the 
 Secretary of the London Missionary Society offering 
 himself for the vacant post in Hankow. 
 
 " I had better explain to you," he says, " how I come 
 to be in this position. In the early part of 1870 I 
 was led, I trust under the guidance of God, to study 
 medicine with the object of, at the close of my curri- 
 culum, devoting my life to Medical Missions. I was 
 in Edinburgh the first week of this month, attend- 
 ing my final examinations at the Royal College of 
 Physicians. Having been successful and obtained my 
 physician's diploma, I called on Mr. Coldstream, W.S., 
 who is one of the Directors of the Medical Missionary 
 Society, to make enquiries about Medical Missions. 
 He informed me of the need of such a missionary in 
 
STUDENT LIFE AND VOYAGE TO CHINA. 2? 
 
 Hankow, and introduced me to Dr. Lowe. I also 
 saw Mr. Bryson and Mr. Cullen. 
 
 " Having become acquainted with all the circum- 
 stances of the case, I returned home to consider and 
 pray over the matter. I have been enabled to come 
 to a decision, and hence my letter." 
 
 Having made up his own mind upon the subject, 
 with characteristic impetuosity Dr. Mackenzie was 
 exceedingly anxious to have the matter settled at 
 once with the Society, and seems to have left out of 
 consideration the fact that a Board of Directors cannot 
 move quite as rapidly as single individuals. He was 
 intending to be up in Town in the course of two days, 
 and requested an interview with the Board or the 
 Secretary of the London Mission at an hour which 
 he named. Apparently he was himself conscious that 
 he was expecting matters to be arranged with unusual 
 haste, for he adds a postscript to the effect that he 
 would have given longer notice had that been possible, 
 but Dr. Lowe had taken a week to answer his letter ; 
 an unconscionable time, evidently, to the young man 
 eager to have his future career definitely settled. 
 
 To those who knew the beloved subject of this 
 memoir in after years, when, under the chastening 
 hand of a wise and loving Father, the fruits of the 
 Spirit had ripened into maturity, and were clearly 
 visible in his walk and conversation, it seems strange 
 to look back at passages in his life which exhibit him 
 in a not altogether attractive light. And yet a faith- 
 ful and accurate record of the life of even one of the 
 
28 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 best of men must not exclude the mention of those 
 failings and shortcomings which show they have not 
 yet attained to the stature of perfect men in Christ 
 Jesus. 
 
 That lowliness of spirit was not at this time a 
 prominent feature in Mackenzie's character is appa- 
 rent from the fact that he was far from pleased at 
 the reception he received from the gentleman then 
 acting as Home Secretary for the London Missionary 
 Society. He had evidently expected to be welcomed 
 with open arms, and accepted almost immediately ; 
 and it was exceedingly trying to his high-spirited 
 nature to be informed that it would be necessary for 
 him to appear before a Board of Directors, when his 
 application would be duly considered. With con- 
 siderable feeling he wrote to a friend : " Mr. R 
 
 was to a certain extent kind, but I was treated alto- 
 gether, I thought, as if I had come up to ask for a 
 special favour, or a situation, at their hands. Self 
 very much prompted me to have nothing further to 
 do with the Society ; but I trust, with the Lord's help, 
 I shall always be able to keep down self, and therefore 
 hope to go and wait upon the Board on December 
 14th, if the Lord will." 
 
 The day after the date thus appointed Mackenzie 
 writes : " I saw the Examining Committee of the 
 London Missionary Society yesterday, and they 
 accepted my offer of service for Hankow. I had a 
 most kind reception from every one." 
 
 He goes on to ask the friend to whom he was 
 
STUDENT LIFE AND VOYAGE TO CHINA. 29 
 
 writing if he considered, from personal experience oi 
 Hankow, it would be unwise for a European to begin 
 life in China in the summer. " Now that the matter 
 is settled," he continues, " I should like to be in 
 Hankow as soon as possible, to begin the process of 
 breaking the back of the language." 
 
 A fortnight later he writes to the same corre- 
 spondent, that it has been decided by the Board that 
 it will be in every way desirable that he should 
 proceed to Hankow in April. 
 
 At this time he was taking charge of the practice 
 of a medical friend at Shirehampton, near Bristol, and 
 he writes : " I intend to go up to London as soon as 
 I can conveniently resign this post, and shall remain 
 there until April ; then, if no obstacle prevents my 
 leaving, and I see clearly it is the Lord's will, I shall 
 start for China. I am glad Dr. Mullens has specified 
 a time, as it shows me pretty clearly that April is the 
 Lord's time, and I wish, even in the matter of leaving, 
 to have no will of my own, but that the Lord guide 
 me." 
 
 With reference to the question of the wisdom of 
 young missionaries going out to their stations, and 
 remaining unmarried for several years, Mackenzie 
 seems to have had a very decided opinion. 
 
 " I am afraid I gave you, while in Edinburgh," he 
 writes, " a wrong impression. I told you I was 
 engaged to be married, and this is so ; but I am not 
 anxious to enter into that condition speedily, unless 
 it would be beneficial to the work. Now, most of the 
 
30 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 friends of the Society specially advised me to wait a 
 couple of years, until I had done something at .the 
 language, before getting married. Mr. John, in his 
 letter which was read to me, strongly urged this, as I 
 could then devote more time to study, etc. I myself 
 should also like to try the climate before taking the 
 responsibility of marrying. So that, all things con- 
 sidered, I am very wishful to go out a bachelor. My 
 future wife, I hope, will be, the Lord willing, sent out 
 under guardianship in some two years time. Though, 
 as a beginner, I should like to wait awhile, I can 
 easily understand that when once engaged in the 
 daily routine of work, the language to some extent 
 mastered, the missionary's life must be rather a lonely 
 one; in that case a wife would be a solace and a help." 
 
 According to the arrangement previously spoken 
 of, Dr. Mackenzie left Bristol in January, and shortly 
 after his arrival in London had the pleasure of what 
 he speaks of as " a never-to-be-forgotten meeting " 
 with Mr. Moody, who at that time was commencing 
 his great evangelistic campaign in England. It seems 
 to have greatly cheered the heart of the young 
 soldier, who was just putting on his armour for service 
 in the foreign field, to receive words of counsel and 
 blessing from one who, some years before, had been 
 the instrument in God's hands of leading him to more 
 earnest thought concerning the verities of the unseen 
 and eternal. 
 
 Mackenzie assisted in various ways, in his few 
 leisure hours, at the meetings held in the great 
 
STUDENT LIFE AND VOYAGE TO CHINA. 31 
 
 Agricultural Hall in the month of March 1875, when 
 Sankey's singing and Moody's earnest words were 
 blessed to many souls. 
 
 At this time he paid a flying visit to a friend at 
 Trinity College, Cambridge, and was much impressed 
 and cheered by the little band of earnest Christian 
 spirits he met with among the undergraduates. On 
 Sunday evening he gave an address at a Mission 
 Room, after having attended service in the morning 
 at Trinity College, where he heard Canon Lightfoot 
 preach. 
 
 The vessel in which it was arranged that the young 
 missionary should sail for his distant sphere of labour 
 was the SS. Gkylyon 
 
 He had been down to Bristol to bid farewell to his 
 parents. " I left home at 6.30 on Thursday morning, 
 April 8th, after a trying parting with father and 
 mother," he records in his diary. His elder and 
 only brother accompanied him on his journey back 
 to the great city. The two days before the vessel 
 sailed seem to have been very busy ones ; but he 
 again found time to pay visits to the Agricultural 
 Hall, where Messrs. Moody and Sankey were draw- 
 ing immense crowds, the great building being packed 
 an hour before the time at which services were 
 advertised to commence. " While we waited the 
 choir sung sweet hymns," he writes. " Mr. Moody's 
 sermon was very powerful, full of reality and life. 
 Mr. Sankey sang ' The Ninety and Nine * with great 
 richness and pathos." 
 
32 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 These revival meetings seem to have been among 
 Mackenzie's last memories of the home-land on this 
 occasion, since on the morning of April ioth he 
 bade farewell to his brother, the good ship Glen- 
 lyon leaving the docks at about ten o'clock. That 
 night saw the vessel anchored off the Nore, and she 
 passed the white cliffs of Dover shortly after eight 
 on Sunday morning. " This is probably the last of 
 England I shall see for some time," he writes ; " the 
 Lord only knows if I may see it again." 
 
 It being the Lord's Day, Mackenzie obtained per- 
 mission from the captain to hold a service on board. 
 On this first occasion, however, none of the ship's 
 company attended, but the young missionary and 
 one other passenger spent the time in reading and 
 talking together over portions of St. Matthew's 
 Gospel and in prayer. " May the Lord bless this be- 
 ginning, and keep me consistent in the Christian life. 
 O Lord, make me a burning and a shining light 
 to all on board," is an entry in his journal of that 
 day. Among the books which seem to have engaged 
 his attention was Carlyle's " French Revolution." 
 " I have finished Carlyle," he writes. " What a book ! 
 so striking and eloquent. Carlyle is fascinating ! " 
 Other books which seem to have interested him at 
 this time were a volume of Dr. Reynolds' " Sermons " 
 and Macintosh's " Leviticus," which he speaks of 
 as " most instructive." From his diary we find that 
 Dr. Mackenzie threw himself with much interest 
 into the whole life of that miniature world, the ship's 
 
STUDENT LIFE AND VOYAGE TO CHINA. 33 
 
 company. He made friends with the sailors, and got 
 himself initiated into all the mysteries of signalling. 
 He played quoits with the captain and passengers, 
 and found it " very good exercise." The second 
 Sunday on board his small audience of one had 
 increased to ten, and he writes of being much helped 
 as he spoke to them upon our Lord's conversation 
 with Nicodemus. 
 
 He was always a lover of nature, and writes with 
 delight of the lovely moonlight nights and the glorious 
 sunsets on the sea. 
 
 On May 7th the following entry occurs in his 
 diary : "It is five years since I left business to study 
 medicine for Medical Mission work. China was 
 frequently in my thoughts ; now I am on my way 
 thither as a Medical Missionary. Surely the Lord 
 has guided me. May I be wholly devoted to His 
 service." On the next Sunday he writes : " I have 
 had sweet communion with God this evening, and 
 have enjoyed much comfort from the study of the 
 Word to-day. I see there are no two courses ; it must 
 be all for Christ, or else the soul gets dead and cold. 
 Doing everything to His glory, and making His 
 glory our object in every matter, then only is there 
 joy and peace. O Lord, may it be thus with me ! " 
 Then, with reference to the service he had been 
 holding on board, he continues : " How fearfully in- 
 different men seem to be to the wonderful truths of 
 the Gospel, and how powerless are those who are not 
 co-workers with God to influence them in any way J " 
 
 3 
 
34 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 The run on shore at Malta was a refreshing change 
 to the passengers wearied with the monotony of life 
 on board ship. 
 
 Mackenzie writes enthusiastically of his first view 
 of that island : — " It was a lovely moonlight night, I 
 never saw such a splendid moon ; such a purely 
 brilliant white, you could read easily by it. The 
 pilot came singing out to us from his boat the usual 
 salutation, 'All well on board?' We steamed into 
 the harbour at once ; and a very pretty sight it was 
 to see the town lit up with gas, and the houses and 
 fortifications showing out plainly in the moonlight. 
 With two other passengers I went ashore at 6.30 a.m. 
 in a small boat, with a beak -like prow. We took one 
 of the boatmen with us to show us the way. We 
 passed through Floriana, a small town with one pretty 
 street, to Valetta, the chief town of the island. 
 
 " St. John's Cathedral was also visited, full of memo- 
 rials of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem ; outside 
 very dingy, but within most magnificent, everything 
 to catch the eye and the imagination." 
 
 The Glenlyon reached Hong Kong on May 25th, 
 and Mr. Edge of the London Mission came on 
 board in search of the young Medical Missionary. 
 
 Sholto Douglas was at that time visiting the colony 
 as the guest of the Bishop of Victoria, and was 
 holding evangelistic services there. 
 
 By June 3rd the Glenlyon had reached Shanghai, 
 and on the 4th the young doctor took passage on the 
 Tchang, which started early next morning on her 
 
STUDENT LIFE AND VOYAGE TO CHINA. 35 
 
 trip of more than six hundred miles up the great 
 Yang-tse-kiang. It could not but be a voyage of 
 considerable interest to one whose heart for years had 
 been drawn towards China. So broad is the great 
 river that for nearly one hundred miles one seems 
 to be crossing some great inland sea, out of sight 
 of land. Near to Chin Kiang the beautiful Silver 
 Island is passed, with ancient shrines nestling among 
 the foliage which clothes its rocky sides. The bold 
 peaks of Lu-Shan, the famous range of which Li 
 T'ai Po, a well-known Chinese poet, wrote in glowing 
 numbers, also attracts the admiring gaze of the 
 travellers, and the rock islands known as the Great 
 and Little Orphan diversify the scene. The Tcha?tg 
 reached Hankow on the evening of June 8th, and 
 Dr. Mackenzie received a warm welcome from his 
 future colleagues, Mr. and Mrs. Griffith John and 
 Mr. Foster. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 LIFE IN HANKOW. 
 
The Heart of the Empire — Pioneering Work in Hankow — 
 History of Medical Mission — Studying Chinese — Chinese 
 Street Sights — "We have Doctors and Remedies of Our 
 Own " — Prejudice Conquered — Yang-tse Floods — Among 
 the Sailors — Union Among the Missionaries — Fever — Visit 
 to Kiukiang — The Temple of the Dragon King — Resuming 
 Work — The Preaching in Glad Tidings Halls — 
 Wuchang — The Temple of Hades — The Blind See — Aim 
 in Hospital Work — Showers of Blessing. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 LIFE IN HANKOW. 
 
 HANKOW, the city to which Dr. Mackenzie had 
 been appointed, is a field of labour large and 
 grand enough for the ambition of any man whose 
 heart is fired with an intense desire to proclaim the 
 glad news of salvation to large numbers of his fellow- 
 men. This great mart, with the adjoining cities of 
 Wuchang and Hanyang, is known in the language 
 of the Flowery Land as the " Heart of the Empire." 
 It is situated in the middle of the central province 
 of Hupeh, at the point where the two great rivers, 
 the Yang-tse and the Han, unite. Hankow is the 
 great commercial city of Central China, and the 
 export tea trade is above the enormous figure of 
 three million pounds sterling a year. 
 
 The channel of the two rivers is at this point 
 usually covered by a perfect forest of masts, the 
 number of vessels of all sizes being estimated at from 
 eight to ten thousand. The Yang-tse is here more 
 than a mile in breadth, and deep enough at the 
 summer season to allow of the passage of the largest 
 vessels of war and steamers of all trading companies. 
 
 The commencement of mission work in Hankow 
 
40 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 dates from the year 1861, when the port was opened for 
 foreign trade, and the Rev. Griffith John, with his col- 
 league, the Rev. R. Wilson, settled with their families 
 in two Chinese houses, and commenced the daily 
 work of tract distribution and preaching, both on the 
 streets and within the walls of their homes. Towards 
 the end of 1866 it was decided to commence medical 
 work in connection with the Mission. An hospital 
 and dispensary were erected, and the lame, the blind, 
 and those who were stricken with various diseases 
 which the medical skill of Chinese doctors could not 
 heal, came in crowds to the foreign physician. 
 
 This hospital was successively under the care of 
 Drs. Reid and Shearer. As time went on, however, 
 the accommodation provided was found to be insuffi- 
 cient, and the situation was by no means healthful. 
 
 Anxious that the medical work should be removed 
 to a more suitable neighbourhood, Dr. Reid, the 
 physician in attendance upon the Hankow foreign 
 community, who had given his services gratuitously 
 to the Society from the beginning, purchased and 
 presented to the Mission a new site. A subscription 
 list was circulated among the native and foreign 
 merchants, which realized about 3,000 taels in three 
 weeks, and this being supplemented by a gift from 
 the Directors, the missionaries were able to erect a 
 large and commodious building in a good locality, 
 thus placing the medical work in the midst of far 
 more favourable surroundings than it had hitherto 
 enjoyed. 
 
LIFE IN HANKOW. 41 
 
 The foreign community had from the first generously 
 supported the institution, and were quite willing to 
 defray the yearly working expenses. At this time 
 two young native students were assisting Dr. Reid, 
 and there was a good prospect of many more offering 
 themselves for such service upon the arrival of a 
 medical missionary. 
 
 Such was the field of labour to which Dr. Mackenzie 
 had been appointed ; and a grand opening it seemed 
 for one desirous of consecrating his medical skill to 
 the Lord's service. 
 
 The young doctor reached Hankow in the middle 
 of June, a very trying time to commence the process 
 of acclimatization. With his usual energy, however, 
 he set to work to get his future residence ready for 
 occupation, being in the meantime the guest of his 
 friend Mr. John. It was arranged that he should 
 share a house with his colleague Mr. Foster, the 
 latter taking the lower story and Dr. Mackenzie the 
 upper ; and a few days found him in possession of his 
 rooms, which he soon furnished in a way that was 
 sufficient for his immediate needs. 
 
 His first Sunday morning in Hankow was spent at 
 the Chinese service held at the city chapel, three 
 miles from the settlement, while in the afternoon he 
 boarded two of the steamers which at that season 
 of the year always come up to Hankow for tea. 
 " Went on board the Cawdor Castle and Craigforth" 
 he writes, " and spoke to the men, inviting them to 
 come to meetings on shore. I gave the address in 
 
42 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 the evening at the meeting held at Mr. John's house, 
 and was much helped." 
 
 It should be said in explanation, that although 
 there is an English church in Hankow, service is only 
 conducted there once a day ; but for many years pre- 
 vious to this date an evening service had been held 
 in Mr. Griffith John's house, which was attended by 
 other missionaries, a few people from the community, 
 and a large number of sailors when the tea-steamers 
 were in port. 
 
 Monday morning, the beginning of his first whole 
 week in Hankow, found Dr. Mackenzie already in 
 harness, commencing not only the study of Chinese, 
 but regular attendance at the hospital in conjunction 
 with his friend Dr. Reid. While the morning was 
 occupied in medical work, the doctor's teacher made 
 his appearance at 2 p.m., and the study of Chinese 
 commenced. 
 
 " I had my first lesson in Chinese this afternoon," 
 he writes. " My teacher, Yang by name, is a very 
 happy, light-hearted fellow, a Christian. I like him 
 exceedingly. He assists Dr. Reid in the hospital, so 
 that we are brother medicals. He teaches me thus : 
 we sit down together with the same book, he calls 
 over a word, and I try to imitate him ; my mouth is 
 forced into all sorts of odd shapes, and I struggle on. 
 The idea is first to get the proper sound, the meaning 
 afterwards, and then (probably the most difficult) to 
 learn the characters. We go on for about three hours, 
 until I am tired of repeating sounds after him. 
 
life in bankow. 43 
 
 "The hospital is a fine, substantially-built, roomy- 
 building, very well ventilated and arranged. On the 
 ground floor at the back is the chapel, seating about 
 two hundred and fifty people ; here there is preaching 
 every morning to patients and to any others who 
 may drop in from the streets. In front of the chapel 
 is the dispensary and consulting-room, where the 
 patients are seen, a vestry for the missionaries, and 
 a room in which the resident assistant lives. On the 
 upper story are two large wards, two small ones, and 
 a good-sized ward for foreigners ; the naval surgeon 
 sends his worst cases here. Outside the general 
 building is a women's ward, and two other small 
 buildings, used as schoolrooms, with the porter's 
 lodge. 
 
 " Trees are planted all round the building, so that 
 it has quite a pleasant appearance. The reason we 
 have a foreign ward in connection with the hospital 
 is that the community who subscribed a portion of 
 the money to build it stipulated that this should be 
 the case." 
 
 Besides his colleagues of the London Mission, Dr, 
 Mackenzie soon sought the friendship of the members 
 of other missions carrying on work in Hankow and 
 the adjoining cities. At this time three other missions 
 were represented there, the English Wesleyans and 
 American Episcopalians having workers both in 
 Hankow and Wuchang, while the China Inland 
 Mission had just secured premises in Wuchang. 
 Dr. Mackenzie describes, with the observant eye 
 
44 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 of a new arrival in a strange land, his walk of 
 three miles through the native city on his way to 
 visit Mr. and Mrs. Scarborough of the Wesleyan 
 Mission. 
 
 " It is indeed surprising to see a Chinese city," he 
 writes ; " the streets are so narrow that no such thing 
 as a carriage or cart could possibly get through. In 
 some of the medium-sized streets I could almost 
 touch both sides by stretching out my arms, and in 
 the widest of the Hankow streets not more than four 
 or five people could stand abreast. Yet these narrow 
 streets are alive with people all day long ; all heavy 
 goods are carried through on wheelbarrows, or on 
 coolies' shoulders. By the aid of a bamboo pole one 
 coolie will carry a tremendous weight, balancing it on 
 his shoulder with the weights suspended at each end 
 of the pole. They carry buckets of water from the 
 river in this fashion. The richer people are carried in 
 sedan chairs, and every one has to make way for 
 them. You will therefore believe me when I say that 
 locomotion through a Chinese street is a somewhat 
 difficult matter. The shops have no windows, but 
 expose their wares directly to the public gaze. For 
 protection from thieves every shop-owner keeps a dog. 
 The Chinese dogs are mostly the size of a large 
 retriever ; they are extremely ugly and savage, but 
 very cowardly. One cannot go about without a stick, 
 for they always recognise a foreigner, and set up a 
 savage howl ; if you have a stick in your hands, how- 
 ever, they take care to keep at a respectable distance , 
 
LIFE IN HANKOW. 45 
 
 without this they will attack you. To-day I saw a 
 man professing to extract worms from another man's 
 teeth to cure toothache." 
 
 We have seen that for many years past, even before 
 he commenced his medical studies, Dr. Mackenzie's 
 heart had been filled with an earnest longing to 
 preach the gospel to those who had never heard it, 
 and until the end of his life the same zeal for the 
 spiritual welfare of his patients and all with whom 
 he came in contact ever distinguished him. 
 
 It was natural, therefore, that he should take a 
 deep interest in the evangelistic work of the Mission, 
 and in the infant Church gathered in the midst of a 
 great heathen city. 
 
 " The first Sunday of this month," he writes, " I 
 saw the Communion Service for the first time in 
 a Chinese church. There were present from one 
 hundred and fifty to one hundred and eighty men 
 and women, many of whom had come from miles 
 around. It was a very interesting service, so very 
 simple and yet so solemn. There are between three 
 hundred and four hundred members in the London 
 Mission Church here, though it is impossible to get 
 them all together at any one-time." 
 
 With regard to his own special work of healing the 
 sick, although large numbers of patients attended at 
 the dispensary, many of them being long-standing 
 chronic cases, and others beyond the reach of medical 
 aid, Dr. Mackenzie found a considerable amount of 
 prejudice and distrust of medicine in quarters where 
 
46 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 one would have imagined he would have been least 
 likely to meet with it. 
 
 Writing to his brother he says : " You have pro- 
 bably heard something of the tremendous prejudice 
 which the Chinese have to everything which is foreign. 
 A marked instance of this occurred soon after I 
 arrived. One of the deacons of the native Church, 
 a very good devoted Christian, was taken ill ; he got 
 worse, and then Mr. John told him that a new doctor 
 had come out from England, who would probably 
 come and see him if sent for. At the same time he 
 asked me if I would go. Of course I was very will- 
 ing, but the man would not send for me, and told 
 Mr. John that they had doctors and remedies of their 
 own. He is a very intelligent man, an earnest Chris- 
 tian, and one very often meeting with foreigners. For 
 twenty days he was very ill, getting worse and worse, 
 during which time he had five Chinese doctors. One 
 afternoon I had a note from Mr. John, written at this 
 man's house, asking me to* come down, as the people 
 had consented to my seeing him. Mr. John was very 
 anxious about him, for the man was a very useful 
 Christian, and could very badly be spared. I went 
 down at once, and found the man dying ; they had 
 only sent for me when they thought all hope was 
 gone. He was in a burning fever, with a temperature 
 of 1 03 , with a very rapid pulse, and dreadfully 
 emaciated ; for he had only taken rice-water for 
 twenty days, and consequently his weakness was 
 extreme. I saw that he could not live long unless 
 
LIFE IN HANKOW. 47 
 
 the fever was stopped, as he had no strength ; and 
 believing that malaria was at the bottom of it, I 
 determined to give him a large dose, twenty grains, of 
 quinine straight off. The only objection was that if it 
 failed they would say that I had hastened his death, 
 so Mr. John told me. However, I did what was right, 
 and gave him the dose, but I was not allowed to give 
 him food. In the evening they sent to say he was 
 much worse. I went down, and found the small 
 room crammed with friends, waiting to see him die, 
 while his own family were pulling him about, thinking 
 to prevent his going ofT. The man was delirious 
 from the quinine. I turned all the people out except 
 his wife and son, and managed, after very great per- 
 suasion from Mr. John, to get them to leave him alone. 
 Before we left he had fallen off into a sound sleep. In 
 the morning, on our way to the house, we met his son 
 coming to tell us that he had slept all night. We 
 found him dreadfully weak, but without a trace of 
 fever ; still his weakness was very dangerous yet ; 
 his friends were willing now to give him anything I 
 ordered, and so we poured in milk and eggs, beef tea 
 and quinine. Now he is able to walk about his room 
 and enjoy his rice again. This case has done me 
 good, for it has given the natives confidence. Since 
 the man's recovery his wife has been taken ill, and 
 they at once sent for me ; she is now all right again. 
 I have also attended the child of a relative who was 
 very ill. But the Chinese will only come to us when 
 other help is of no avail." 
 
48 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie had arrived in Hankow at the com- 
 mencement of the rainy season, when day by day the 
 heat was increasing. It was the time of the annual 
 rising of the river, when the current of the noble 
 stream, always strong, increased exceedingly. This 
 year the river banks were completely obliterated, and 
 boats were plying along the streets for hire, that 
 being the only means of locomotion. The frail mud 
 houses of the poorer classes of the Chinese were 
 carried away by the raging current, and the whole 
 of the foreign settlement was from two to six feet 
 under water. 
 
 This rising of the waters commences usually about 
 the month of June, and reaches its maximum height 
 in August, after which it again subsides. Though the 
 rising of the water is an annual occurrence, the river 
 does not invariably overflow its banks, but the year 
 1875 was distinguished as a flood year. 
 
 The churchyard and the approaches to the church 
 in the foreign settlement were completely covered ; 
 men were able to swim over the cricket-ground and 
 to go to the bar of the club in a boat. The curious 
 sight of the tops of trees and the roofs of native huts 
 just visible above the water was to be seen on all 
 sides. At this season malarial fever is always pre- 
 valent, and it was not wonderful that Dr. Mackenzie 
 thus early in his Chinese career should be attacked 
 by it. 
 
 Languor and headache he frequently experienced, 
 but he kept hard at work with his Chinese studies, 
 
LIFE IN HANKOW. 49 
 
 and his interest in the sailors of the tea-steamers 
 never abated. From frequent short entries in his diary 
 we find that this work among his fellow-countrymen 
 was blessed of God, and his heart was gladdened by 
 seeing many of the men coming out on the Lord's 
 side. The wife of his senior colleague, Mrs. Griffith 
 John, had for many years been earnestly engaged in 
 work among sailors, and she found in Dr. Mackenzie 
 a fellow-worker after her own heart. 
 
 Upon arriving in China it is often a great trial to 
 the young missionary to feel how complete is the 
 barrier formed by his ignorance of the language, 
 between himself and the people to whom he longs 
 to proclaim the glad news of salvation through a 
 living Saviour. It is then that opportunities of work 
 among his own countrymen become indeed a means 
 of grace to the messenger as well as' to many to whom 
 the message is carried. 
 
 This was evidently the case with him of whom we 
 write. When he saw the power of Christ manifested 
 in transforming the lives of some of the men who 
 were the objects of his earnest prayers, he was con- 
 scious of a more intense longing than ever before for 
 likeness to His Divine Master, for victory over sin, 
 and a more abiding sense of Christ's presence with 
 and in him. 
 
 " We had a delightful meeting on board the steamer 
 last night," he writes. " The captain invited us to 
 tea, which we had on deck. It was a very solemn 
 meeting, full of God's Spirit. The captain spoke at 
 
 4 
 
5o JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 the close, and said that for many years he had been 
 a Christian, but had never before felt so much that 
 he was a sinner. The second and third officers both 
 appear happy in Christ." In another steamer he 
 speaks of about fourteen men having found rest in 
 Jesus. " This is the last tea-ship of the season ; may 
 it be the most blessed ! " 
 
 " I have been thinking and praying about a more 
 complete trust in Jesus," he continues. " I am weary 
 with struggling against temptation, and feel very many 
 failures are caused by my trying to do these things 
 with God." u I am rejoicing in full trust in Jesus," he 
 writes some days later. " I have placed myself and 
 all my concerns in His hands, looking to Him for 
 deliverance from temptations. I have been so happy 
 to-day in simply looking up. May my faith fail not ! 
 I feel so helpless and weak, and yet so safe. The life 
 of simple trust in Jesus is so delightful, such perfect 
 safety ! " 
 
 At about this time the Doctor commenced seeing 
 patients in the afternoon, since in this way he was 
 able to devote the whole of the mornings to Chinese 
 study, and he had already begun to feel that the task 
 of mastering so difficult a language was no child's 
 play, but required the whole of one's energies to be 
 thrown into it. 
 
 Missionary critics are often found spending their 
 time and strength in knocking down " men of straw," 
 and one oft-repeated objection to missionary work is 
 the divided front that workers sent out from various 
 
LIFE IN HANKOW. 51 
 
 denominations must present to the bewildered eyes 
 of the Chinaman inclined to become a convert from 
 heathenism. A more correct knowledge of mission- 
 ary life would soon prove this objection to be only 
 imaginary. Nearly all missionary stations have their 
 monthly prayer-meeting, at which workers of every 
 Society represented in the place meet together to 
 plead for blessing upon their work. And as a matter 
 of fact denominational barriers are almost unknown 
 in China, the missionaries being careful to teach 
 their converts that we are all one in Christ Jesus. 
 Dr. Mackenzie notes with evident pleasure his early 
 experiences of one of these united prayer-meetings. 
 " Had a most delightful meeting of missionaries in 
 Mr. Scarborough's house. The subject of a fuller 
 trust in Christ for missionaries and converts was 
 brought up. The Lord's presence was very manifest. 
 I am sure we all felt it was good to be there. The 
 spirit of union is very sweet. The Wesleyans, the 
 American Episcopals (most of them), Inland Mission, 
 and London Mission all join in perfect love." 
 
 " I am thankful to God for deliverance from many 
 of my old besetting sins, which when I fought against 
 them had such power over me," he writes soon after. 
 " I never had so much deliverance from sin as I 
 am experiencing now, because I am taking God at 
 His word more. Yet I want complete deliverance, 
 which I believe Christ can give, for even now do 
 pride and irritability rise up, yet not as they once 
 did." 
 
52 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 August is usually the most trying month of the 
 summer season in Hankow, the weather being always 
 close, and the heat oppressive. Patients began to 
 attend at the hospital in larger numbers than ever 
 before. The Chinese spoke of it as being one of the 
 worst summers they had ever known, and natives 
 were dying in large numbers. As is always the case 
 in years of flood, malarial fever was very prevalent. 
 
 We have already seen that Dr. Mackenzie had 
 suffered slightly from the effects of malaria at in- 
 tervals since his arrival in Hankow. Towards the 
 middle of August he had a more severe attack, and 
 though he struggled on with his work for a day or 
 two, still seeing patients at the hospital, he had at 
 last to give up entirely. There was no break in the 
 fever for a fortnight, though he was taking heavy 
 doses of quinine twice a day. It was evident that a 
 change from the malarious atmosphere of Hankow 
 had become an absolute necessity. It was accord- 
 ingly arranged that Mackenzie should take a trip 
 to Kiukiang, a port about one hundred and fifty 
 miles below Hankow, a few miles distant from the 
 slopes of the fine range of the Lu-Shan. The foreign 
 community of Kiukiang had erected a small bunga- 
 low far up among the mountain gorges, as a refuge 
 from the heat of the plains. It consisted of two 
 rooms only, the servants of visitors finding accom- 
 modation in the priests' quarters of the adjoining 
 temple of the Dragon King. 
 
 It was a delightful change for the invalid from 
 
LIFE IN HANKOW. S3 
 
 the flooded Hankow plain, to be carried by coolies, 
 in a mountain chair, through a lovely wooded country, 
 past well-cultivated fields and smiling villages, till he 
 reached the steep path leading up to the gorge in 
 which the bungalow was situated. " At one part of 
 the journey," he writes, " I found myself partially 
 suspended over a precipice as we were turning a 
 point where the path narrowed very much and was 
 very rugged. However, I sat very still, trusting in 
 the surefootedness of the bearers ; but the sensation 
 of relief was considerable when the path became 
 broader." The bungalow is situated in the depths 
 of a deep gorge running between lofty peaks. A 
 fine stream of water, clear as crystal, with great lichen- 
 covered boulders cast at intervals into its depths, 
 breaks up the stream into little cascades and water- 
 falls, forming a scene as refreshing to the eye as the 
 air is invigorating and healthful to the body. 
 
 After a few days spent in this bracing atmosphere 
 Dr. Mackenzie felt much stronger, though the fever 
 still hung about him. He decided to return home, 
 and left Kiukiang, starting with the dawn to avoid 
 the great heat of the midday sun. 
 
 September had now arrived, and autumn, that most 
 welcome of all seasons in the Yang-tse valley, was at 
 hand. The cool refreshing breezes are as welcome 
 as the breath of spring in more temperate latitudes. 
 The flowers in the garden borders begin to revive 
 after the fierce heat of the long summer days, and 
 life and health come gradually back to many a frame 
 
54 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 weakened with the close heat of the almost tropical 
 summer. 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie was able to resume his fortnightly 
 letters home ; he had not written for some weeks, for 
 with his usual thoughtfulness he says : — 
 
 " I could not write steadily while the fever was 
 upon me, and did not like to frighten them at home. 
 I am decidedly better, and quite free from fever, 
 though my strength has not quite come back. I 
 took charge of the hospital again to-day, and found 
 very few patients. My absence has diminished the 
 number greatly, and practically almost stopped the 
 work. Dr. Reid has been in charge, but his time is 
 so much occupied that he has been unable to give 
 much attention to it." 
 
 On the great day of the autumn festival, when all 
 business is suspended, and even the sick put off 
 attendance at the hospital to a more convenient 
 season, Dr. Mackenzie accompanied his colleague 
 Mr. John up to the city chapel, and was much in- 
 terested in the congregation which quickly assembled 
 when the doors were opened. Daily preaching is 
 carried on in most of the Mission chapels in China. 
 Very frequently a shop in the middle of a crowded 
 street is rented, and fitted up with benches as a " Glad 
 Tidings Hall," where the foreign missionary and his 
 native assistant for many hours every day proclaim 
 the way of salvation through Jesus to those who 
 come into the building. No regular service is held, 
 but as the coolies resting from their burdens, the 
 
LIFE IN HANKOW. 55 
 
 countryman with his basket by his side, or the pedlar 
 with his case of cord and tapes, come in for a while, 
 the preacher, in colloquial fashion, addresses questions 
 to individuals, and tries by patient repetition to im- 
 plant in his hearers' minds some ideas about the love 
 of God as manifested in His Son Jesus Christ. This 
 new "doctrine," as 'they call it, is very novel, and 
 strangely unlike anything the hearers have ever 
 listened to before. It is with great difficulty that 
 they grasp any thoughts relating to the unseen and 
 eternal. The same persons will frequently come day 
 after day to the chapel, and in some cases the 
 missionary's heart is cheered by seeing a genuine 
 interest in the gospel aroused in hearts before dark 
 and without knowledge of God. 
 
 " Mr. John spoke in the chapel for about two hours," 
 writes the Doctor. "It was half-an-hour before he 
 could get one idea thoroughly home to the people, 
 showing, it seems to me, how useless are ordinary 
 sermons to teach these people. Wandering through 
 the country and simply preaching is pure waste of 
 time, I think. Men must settle down to patient per- 
 severing work, and if accompanied by the Spirit of 
 God, one may expect to see great results from it. 
 
 " Mr. John has anxious enquirers at the end of these 
 patient, hard-working services, which greatly cheer his 
 heart. To-day there were four. One old man, who 
 was present for the first time, as most of the hearers 
 were, was very anxious, and although rather sceptical 
 upon entering the chapel, was at the close of the 
 
56 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 preaching eagerly desirous of obtaining more know- 
 ledge of this Jesus who could deliver from sin. His 
 chief difficulty was that he wanted to do something ; 
 he could not for a long time realize that salvation is 
 a gift. Afterwards Mr. John prayed with him in the 
 vestry." 
 
 A few days later Dr. Mackenzie took a day's holi- 
 day in order to pay a visit to Wuchang, the provincial 
 capital of Hupeh, and the seat of the Viceroy of 
 the two provinces known as Hu-kwang. This city 
 is prettily situated, and possesses some attractive 
 features ; it is surrounded by a wall of about nine 
 miles in circumference, built in parts upon the slopes 
 of a hill. 
 
 It had only been after a prolonged struggle and 
 great opposition that the consent of the officials had 
 been obtained to the commencement of mission-work 
 in this city. Examinations are regularly held in 
 Wuchang, which is a great literary centre, and the 
 officials had argued that it would never do for 
 students coming up from all parts of the provinces to 
 find the despised Western teachers of the religion of 
 Jesus spreading their pernicious doctrines in the capital 
 itself. Not many years before, a determined attempt 
 had been made to drive the Roman Catholic priests 
 from the spot, and by order of the Viceroy two of 
 their number had been strangled. Their graves, 
 among the rank grass, on a lonely hill side without 
 the city wall, are to be seen still. It was not wonder- 
 ful that Chinese diplomacy had made a determined 
 
LIFE IN HANKOW. 57 
 
 attempt to wear out the patience of the persistent 
 foreigner, but Mr. John's zeal and importunity had 
 at last conquered ; the London Mission obtained a 
 footing there in 1865, and since that time three other 
 Societies have sent agents to labour there. 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie describes a visit which he made to 
 one of the sights of the place, known as the Temple 
 of Horrors or of Hades. 
 
 It is situated without the wall of the city. In 
 the chambers surrounding the central hall a large 
 number of groups are exhibited, representing people 
 being judged after death, and rewarded for their 
 virtues or punished for their misdeeds. The figures 
 are mostly of plaster, but the scenes are depicted 
 with considerable skill, and are hideous in the 
 extreme. Here a man is seen thrown on a hill of 
 knives, there he is sawn asunder, tied to a pillar 
 heated red hot, or pounded in a mortar. After 
 passing through these or similar frightful experiences, 
 before a man is born into the world again he is 
 represented as drinking of the tea of forgetfulness, 
 which is sold by two old women, whose stall is 
 erected close by the gates of Hades. 
 
 As the days went on, Dr. Mackenzie's hospital 
 work occupied more and more of his time, the 
 patients who attended at the dispensary rapidly in- 
 creasing in numbers. " I have been very busy, 
 hardly able to touch Chinese study for the last few 
 days, with so many hospital patients," he writes in 
 November. " I have sought ever since coming here 
 
58 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 to keep the work quiet, simply to keep it going by- 
 seeing those who present themselves, but making it 
 as little known as possible, that I may get the chief 
 part of the day for the language. But I find the 
 hospital is growing popular rather too soon. The 
 family of a farmer, coming from a town called Mien- 
 yang, one hundred miles distant, has just arrived 
 here. The two daughters, fine handsome girls of 
 fourteen and sixteen, were brought here just before 
 my arrival ; they had cataract in both eyes from 
 birth, and had never seen. We operated upon them ; 
 both cases were successful, and the girls can now see 
 well. They are very intelligent, and became deeply 
 interested in the truth. Before they returned home 
 Mr. John baptized them both. On this second visit 
 they came bringing with them their mother, a woman 
 of about forty years of age, who had also been blind 
 for twenty-six years ; there was another middle-aged 
 relative with them who had been unable to see for 
 fifteen years ; and a large party of neighbours accom- 
 panied them suffering from various ailments. The 
 daughters said, though they thought their mother's 
 eyes were affected in the same way as their own had 
 been, they feared since she had been blind for so 
 many years she was past all hope of cure. They had, 
 however, been teaching her all they had learned of 
 the religion of Jesus, and she had come with them 
 to be further instructed in the truth, as she wished 
 to become a Christian also. I operated to-day upon 
 the four cataract cases, and removed a disorganised 
 
LIFE IN HANKOW. 59 
 
 eye, which was leading to the destruction of the other, 
 in the. case of a lad who accompanied this party ; 
 all the cases look well so far." A fortnight after he 
 writes : " To-day I removed the bandages from the 
 eyes of the woman operated upon for cataract. She 
 could tell me I have whiskers, — a strange thing to the 
 Chinese, — and that I wore glasses. Her companion 
 is getting on well, but will require further operative 
 treatment. Of late I have been besieged with cases 
 of eye disease. This woman, her husband, a man 
 of considerable character, and their youngest child, 
 were baptized upon a profession of their faith on the 
 last Sunday of 1875." Writing to a friend of this 
 case, Dr. Mackenzie mentions the woman's gratitude 
 for the relief experienced, and remarks : " The other 
 day she prayed that the blessing of God, the one 
 true God of whom she had learned, might rest upon 
 me for what I had done for her." 
 
 At about this time Dr. Mackenzie mentions the 
 case of a literary man who brought a little girl of 
 about twelve years of age to the hospital in charge 
 of two women. " They had come a journey of twenty 
 miles. The girl had a hare lip, which greatly deformed 
 her otherwise nice-looking face. I operated, and, three 
 days ago, healing being nearly completed, she went 
 away with quite a new lip. The father when thanking 
 me went down on his hands and knees, and knocked 
 his forehead against the floor at my feet, which is 
 their way of expressing very deep homage ; of course 
 I had him instantly lifted up, and bade my teacher 
 
6q JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 tell him that Christianity taught us to kneel only 
 to God. This man belonged to the literary class, of 
 whose pride one hears so much. He takes away with 
 him a very complete knowledge of the truth, and 
 there we must leave him with God. 
 
 " At first there was a great prejudice against foreign 
 medicine on the part of the Christians living in 
 Hankow, but seeing I have successfully attended the 
 chief deacon of the Hankow Church they all come 
 to me now. This I am very thankful for, as my great 
 aim is to make the hospital a means of proclaiming 
 the gospel, and reaching the hearts of the people 
 through kindness and whatever benefit medically one 
 can give them." 
 
 It was at about this time that a wonderful wave 
 of blessing reached the Hankow Church. It touched 
 first the missionaries of the various Societies labouring 
 there, and a revival of spiritual life was seen in their 
 midst. 
 
 A meeting for the promotion of holiness among 
 the missionaries here was held at Mr. John's. " Great 
 blessing received by all present," is an entry in Dr. 
 Mackenzie's diary. There was quite a revival also 
 among the native Christians. " We had a very 
 delightful meeting at the Chinese morning service 
 to-day. Wei's son and nephew were both received 
 into the Church, also two others. A pedlar of the name 
 of Le spoke, exhorting to more courage in Christ's 
 cause, since we know that we have the Holy Spirit 
 with us. We ought to imitate the best Christians in 
 
LIFE IN HANKOW. 61 
 
 our midst, and not the poor ones. Koh spoke very 
 earnestly. He is an assistant in a hong, but manages 
 to give up an hour or more nearly every day to 
 preaching. Yang, my hospital assistant, spoke after- 
 wards. He referred to the return of the girls who were 
 formerly blind, spoke of the coming again from their 
 home at Mien-yang, bringing with them many others 
 who were suffering in the same way. He used this as 
 an illustration of how we, having received the Light 
 of life, should bring others within its reach. 
 
 " He mentioned also the case of the boy who had 
 come with the same party, with one eye disorganized 
 and the other failing. I advised and removed the 
 diseased eye, and Yang showed from this that if we 
 have a right eye or right hand which is injuring us, 
 we should, as Christ commanded, cut it off and cast 
 it from us. The Lord's presence was indeed with 
 us in the meeting. Oh to be privileged to join in 
 such a work \ " 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 COUNTRY WORK AND PERSECUTION. 
 
Work among the Villages — "All the Sick People in the 
 Place " — A Kind Reception — Leprosy — Learning More of 
 Christ — New Year's Day in China — Selling Books — The 
 Cloth-dealer of Hiau-kan — Thirteen brought to Christ — 
 A Night in a Chinese Boat — A Good Escort — Gathering 
 Crowds — An Attack — "Go back to Hankow and Preach 
 your Jesus there ! " — Bravery of the Christians — " I was a 
 Stranger and ye took Me in " — A Former Patient to the 
 Rescue — A Chinese Feast — "You can never hurt my 
 Soul"— A Bad Road. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 COUNTRY WORK AND PERSECUTION. 
 
 IT is not unfrequently found in China that work 
 among the villages and in the country districts is 
 far more fruitful in results than is usually the case in 
 cities. The country people are more simple-minded, 
 and though generally ignorant are perhaps for that 
 very reason more accessible and teachable than those 
 whose lives are passed in the thickly-populated towns. 
 
 Mr. John, who had long felt a strong desire to reach 
 the people living in the villages surrounding Hankow, 
 was anxious to secure the co-operation of his young 
 medical colleague, and frequent visits began to be 
 paid at this time to hamlets within walking distance 
 of the port. 
 
 We find some record of these visits in the Doctor's 
 diary. " On Thursday last Mr. John and I took 
 breakfast at 7 a.m., and, together with our native 
 assistant, Siau, carrying a small bag containing a few 
 medicines and our luncheon, started for some of the 
 villages in the neighbourhood of Hankow. It was 
 a beautiful day, and we had a nice walk, visiting all 
 together four villages. When we enter a place we go 
 
 5 
 
66 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 to the tea-shop, and sit down. Mr. John then begins 
 to talk to the people ; all the inhabitants soon assemble 
 to see the foreigners, filling the tea-shop and crowding 
 around the doors. When he has finished speaking, he 
 tells them that I am a doctor ; whereupon they rush 
 off, and soon bring out all the sick people in the place. 
 Eye disease is terribly prevalent, almost every sixth 
 person having some variety of ophthalmia. At one 
 village we held our gathering and treated our patients 
 in the open air. We went into some of the houses, 
 at the request of the people, to see very bad cases. 
 We walked about fifteen miles, and then came back 
 by boat down the Han river." 
 
 A few days after this the Doctor, in company with 
 Mr. John, went to eight small villages on the plain 
 outside one of the gates. Though within five miles 
 of the city, they found no foreigners had as yet 
 visited them. 
 
 On another occasion, news of their coming having 
 preceded them, the missionaries found a barn had 
 been prepared for their reception, chairs and tables 
 having been placed there, and tea and eggs got ready 
 for their refreshment. In this place they preached, 
 and saw many patients. They also paid a visit to 
 three more villages on the banks of the Yang-tse, 
 where they found all the inhabitants were vegetarians. 
 These Chinese vegetarians belong to the strictest sect 
 of the Buddhists, and the idea which prompts their 
 asceticism of diet is the hope of winning the favour of 
 their deities. 
 
COUNTRY WORK AND PERSECUTION. 67 
 
 Writing to friends at home of these visits Dr. 
 Mackenzie says : — 
 
 " We were everywhere well received, and our 
 medicines eagerly sought after. The greatest diffi- 
 culty is the terrible indifference of the people to the 
 Gospel ; they trouble their heads very little about 
 any form of worship, most of them simply doing 
 homage to heaven and earth. They seemed to me 
 wanting in sympathy for their sick friends. Yet of 
 course God, by His Spirit, can teach the most indiffer- 
 ent, and we have had much joy in seeing already 
 some signs of interest. 
 
 " We always, after our visits, find patients coming to 
 the hospital whom we have met in their homes, and in 
 this way we can follow up the teaching. On Sunday 
 two men were present at the chapel from the village 
 we visited a fortnight ago ; both are anxious to become 
 Christians. 
 
 " I am now treating two Chinese ladies, one of 
 whom is the wife of an assistant of the Taoutaidel, or 
 chief magistrate of Hankow. I have plenty of oppor- 
 tunities of studying disease in my hospital. Leprosy 
 one gets interested in out here from never, or rarely, 
 seeing it at home, though I am afraid I shall not 
 benefit posterity by discovering a cure. I get some 
 practice in the use of the knife too. To-day I took 
 away a tumour the size of a large orange, growing 
 from the inner surface of the lower lip of a boy of 
 eight years of age. I have just done a satisfactory 
 operation on the eye, giving a man who had been 
 
68 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 suffering years of pain and bad sight, freedom from 
 suffering and quite new vision. To-day I find he has 
 got an attack of inflammation of the lungs. I do 
 hope he will get well of this, as he is very greatly 
 interested in the Gospel, and a nice fellow." 
 
 Writing to his father, after receiving news of his 
 illness, the Doctor says : — 
 
 " Probably very few of us realize even some 
 approach to the true value, of Christ's salvation until 
 sickness comes upon us, or some other form of 
 trial. But then, when we are trusting in Jesus, we 
 realize in some measure what a privilege it is when 
 we find how great a stay and support He is to us, and 
 how pain and sorrow can be borne with the arms of 
 our Saviour around us. And yet how ill we requite 
 His love, by turning away from Him oftentimes, and 
 getting cold, and unfaithful, and weak, and miserable 
 Christians, when, if we but put our entire trust in Him, 
 we should be bright and strong. 
 
 " I find how these things are true of myself; for my 
 Christian character at home was very unlovely and 
 miserable, and undeserving the name of Christian, 
 seeing that a Christian is a follower of Christ, and 
 should be in some measure like Him. But out here, 
 where I am thrown much alone, I get to know, I am 
 thankful to say, more of Christ as a personal Saviour ; 
 and at this present moment, though far away from 
 you all whom I love so much, I never knew what it 
 was to have more joy and real peace than I have at 
 present. What a joy it is to know that you have 
 
COUNTRY WORK AND PERSECUTION. 69 
 
 such a stay as Christ always proves to be when we 
 lean on Him, and that all of us, in our anxieties, have 
 the sympathizing Jesus to go to ! " 
 
 In another letter he gives his first experiences of 
 the great festive time of China — the New Year's 
 holiday, and especially New Year's Day. 
 
 " The Chinese New Year has just commenced, so 
 all trade is in consequence suspended. Everything 
 is so quiet in the streets that it resembles a Sunday 
 at home. The beginning of the year is the only 
 holiday, you may say, the Chinaman ever gets, so 
 that he looks forward to it with much eagerness. It 
 is the time for family re-unions, and every one tries 
 to get home if it is possible. Wednesday was New 
 Year's Day, but on Monday most of the shops began 
 to close, and people were making their way home. 
 On Tuesday night nearly every Chinaman sat up to 
 receive the New Year. They let off crackers in great 
 quantities all night long, and feast and enjoy themselves. 
 
 " Most of the New Year's calls are made on the 
 second day of the year, though many visit on the first 
 of the month. 
 
 " On Wednesday we all went to call on Mr. Shun, 
 our chief native preacher, a scholar who came to 
 Hankow with Mr. John at the beginning of the 
 Mission. We all esteem him very highly, he is such 
 a fine Christian character. 
 
 " In going along the streets covered with snow we 
 met a few of the early callers, wearing long robes of 
 silk, with their red visiting cards in their hands. 
 
70 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 " Mr. Shun was in bed when we arrived at his house, 
 having been up very late holding a watch-night meet- 
 ing for some of the Christians in his own home. 
 However, we waited until he came down, and sat 
 round the table, and nibbled our cakes and drank 
 our tea. Most of the Christians whom I know per- 
 sonally called on me on the second or third day. I 
 find I am beginning to be able to talk to them a little. 
 Messrs. John and Bryant have been preaching on the 
 streets during this holiday season, for many of the 
 people that are shut up in shops at other times are 
 about now. I only found out they were thus occupied 
 on Thursday, when, after working all the morning at 
 Chinese, I began to miss, after tiffin, the change of 
 employment which my hospital practice gives me, 
 for it was shut up for the New Year. I called on 
 Mr. Bryant, with the object of getting his company 
 for a walk, and found him just ready to go to the 
 streets to preach with Mr. John. So I went with 
 them, and sold many books ; but as the people would 
 ask me questions, I found I had to talk also. On 
 Friday I went out again, but got separated from the 
 others ; but I managed to get on fairly well, and sold 
 fifty books containing the Gospels explained. On 
 Saturday I began to preach more publicly, having 
 arranged a little address, which had been written for 
 me previously by my teacher, though I did not think 
 I should have commenced using it so soon." 
 
 It will thus be seen that from Dr. Mackenzie's 
 first arrival in China his one aim was not merely to 
 
COUNTRY WORK AND PERSECUTION. 71 
 
 exercise his healing art upon the bodies of his patients, 
 but to bring them to the knowledge of that Saviour 
 who was such a living reality to himself. 
 
 It was for this reason he felt it of such great 
 importance that he should use every effort to obtain a 
 thorough working knowledge of the language of the 
 people. To its study he devoted himself most faith- 
 fully, and in a very short time made considerable 
 progress in its acquisition. " Being actively engaged 
 in hospital work, of which I am very fond, has kept 
 me from wearying in studying Chinese," he writes to 
 his mother. " In consequence, after six months in the 
 country, I am reading in turn with the Chinese at 
 prayers in the chapel ; this I can only do when they 
 are reading in the Gospels, as I have not commenced 
 the Epistles yet. From the first I was determined to 
 learn Chinese. There is no work so useful as that of 
 the medical missionary, but he must combine the two 
 elements, otherwise medical missions are little more 
 than benevolent institutions, like hospitals at home." 
 
 During the Chinese New Year's holidays it had 
 been arranged that Mr. John, with Dr. Mackenzie, 
 should pay a visit to Hiau-kan, a country district 
 about forty miles from Hankow, the residence of 
 about twenty Christians, who had recently been 
 received into the Church. 
 
 The principal agent used by God in the conversion 
 of a great number of these people was an earnest 
 Christian man of the name of Wei. He and most of 
 his friends spent a part of their time in cultivating 
 
72 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 their fields, and occupied the spare hours with cloth- 
 weaving, bringing the product of their looms at stated 
 periods into Hankow for sale. 
 
 Writing of this man, Mr. John says :— 
 " Wei, though not a graduate or even an under- 
 graduate in the Confucian School, is by no means 
 ignorant of the Confucian classics, and will often 
 quote them in a way that indicates, on his part, a 
 more thorough appreciation of their meaning than 
 is evinced by many of the so-called scholars. He is 
 a plain, honest, straightforward-looking man, natur- 
 ally endowed with a considerable amount of sound 
 common sense and force of character. No sooner 
 did he become a Christian than he felt that he 
 must be a living, working Christian. He began at 
 once to teach and exhort others, but the fruits of his 
 efforts did not at once appear. We were constantly 
 reminded, however, of his presence among us as a great 
 power for good, and were cheered by unquestionable 
 proofs of his devotion to Christ. It appeared to be 
 his aim to get hold of all his Hiau-kan acquaintances 
 whenever they visited Hankow, and bring them to 
 me. Often has he filled my study with his friends, 
 and often has my heart been cheered by the Christian 
 intelligence, warmth of feeling, and earnestness of 
 manner which he displays whenever he speaks. He 
 is a thorough believer in the Holy Ghost, and never 
 fails to dwell specially on the importance of prayer 
 for the Divine influence, in order to illumine the mind 
 and change the heart. Pointing to one, he will say, 
 
COUNTRY WORK AND PERSECUTION. 73 
 
 1 This friend has heard the truth repeatedly, and knows 
 it intellectually; but he does not understand it — it 
 has no meaning for him. He has not received the 
 Holy Ghost' Pointing to another, he will remark, 
 1 This brother, thank God, has received the Holy Ghost 
 at last. I have been at him for a long time, but he 
 could not see it. I could do nothing for him but 
 pray. It is all clear to him now. The Holy Ghost 
 has revealed it to him.' Thirteen of our converts 
 have been brought to Christ by means of his prayer- 
 ful efforts." 
 
 Wei had been very earnest in his entreaties that 
 Mr. John should pay a visit to his district during the 
 holiday season, when all his friends were at home. 
 No foreigner had previously visited the place, and 
 Wei believed that the presence of the missionaries 
 might be the means of arousing general interest in 
 the Gospel among his heathen neighbours, as well as 
 be blessed by God, to the strengthening and building 
 up of believers in their holy faith. 
 
 ,c We had arranged to start for Hiau-kan on 
 Monday," writes the Doctor to his mother, " but at 
 the Sunday morning services were surprised to see 
 Wei and his brother among the worshippers. They 
 had just arrived, and told us that, having held meet- 
 ings in each other's houses for the worship of God, 
 they had been attacked by some of the other villagers, 
 part of the house in which their service was being 
 held at the time was pulled down and the furniture 
 broken, while Wei himself had been struck. How- 
 
74 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 ever, he still wished us to pay our visit, and we saw 
 no reason to alter our plans. 
 
 " So at two o'clock on the afternoon of Monday we 
 made a start, Mr. John, myself, Siau, our hospital 
 preacher, Wei and his brother, with another Christian 
 named Chia. We walked ten miles across the plain 
 to the north of the city, till at about 6 p.m. we came 
 to a creek, and hired a boat in which to travel 
 through the night. This was my first experience of 
 boat travelling in China, and I got it rather hot for 
 the first time. It was a small boat, the worst he had 
 ever slept in, Mr. John said ; but we had no choice, 
 and it was the best we could get. In the centre of it 
 was the cabin, if you could honour with that title the 
 small space, covered over with curved bamboos, into 
 which we crept, and found just room enough to sit 
 up in. We covered the floor with our native bedding, 
 and I had just room to lie down. We were not the 
 only passengers, for we had to take in ten Chinamen, 
 who all huddled themselves up into this small space. 
 We had a short service before going to rest, singing 
 " I am coming to the cross," which Mr. John has 
 translated. I did not get very much sleep through 
 the night, for the Chinese were smoking constantly, 
 and the atmosphere was very impure. 
 
 "About nine o'clock on Tuesday morning we reached 
 the village, which was at the end of our water journey. 
 I had crept out of our little cot to get some fresh air, 
 and, while standing up on the small deck approach- 
 ing our landing-place, the people caught sight of the 
 
COUNTRY WORK AND PERSECUTION. 75 
 
 foreigner. They began assembling along the water's 
 edge, forming, by the time our boat came to a stand- 
 still, a crowd of several hundred men and boys. 
 They were highly amused and interested to see us 
 attending to our toilet. Although the people were 
 greatly excited, it seemed to be purely from curiosity, 
 for they did not attempt to insult us. Mr. John 
 preached from the boat to the crowd lining the shore, 
 and again on landing. We did not know how to 
 arrange about breakfast ; we had brought bread and 
 cold meat with us, but we needed some place to eat 
 it in, and some tea to drink. The crowd increased so 
 fast that it was impossible for us to accompany 
 our native friends into the tea-shops ; so leaving 
 our companions to get a good meal and follow us, 
 we proceeded, with almost the whole village at our heels. 
 For a long time we had a good escort, but we were 
 hoping to come across a quiet country tea-shop, where 
 we could breakfast in peace. But those hopes soon 
 vanished, for we found we were in the midst of 
 villages wherever we went ; the country was hilly and 
 undulating, and everywhere under cultivation. There 
 are no hedges between the fields, but raised banks, 
 and these banks form the paths, but as they are very 
 narrow you can only walk in single file. It was 
 evident that no Englishman had ever visited that 
 neighbourhood, for as we moved along we found 
 people making towards us from all directions, showing 
 themselves above the hills, and quickly hastening to 
 get a closer view. Some of them appeared amazed, 
 
j6 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 and not to know what to make of us ; yet they were 
 quite quiet, only very curious. At last, in as quiet 
 a place as we could get away from any village, we 
 sat down, and ate our meal without water or tea. 
 Yet before we were half through it we had a good 
 audience. After preaching at a large village through 
 which we passed, we reached, about two o'clock, a fine 
 large lake, where we hired a boat to take us across to 
 the village at which Wei's uncle lives. Here we were 
 received very kindly by nearly all the villagers, and 
 Mr. John preached for a long time. We evidently 
 owed our kind treatment, however, to the influence of 
 our friend, the convert Wei. His uncle, seventy-five 
 years of age, and his aunt were brought out and 
 introduced to us. We were surprised to see how well 
 our friend was connected, his uncle and brother being 
 quite important people in the village, living in good 
 large houses. Mr. John preached for some time to 
 the people, who listened very attentively, and Wei's 
 friends were anxious that we should stay the night 
 with them. 
 
 " But the crowd which had assembled to see and 
 hear us was so large that, fearing our host would be 
 much inconvenienced on our account, we thought it 
 better to push on. 
 
 " We walked on from this village, with our coolie 
 carrying our bedding, a distance of six li. It was 
 about five o'clock. We were within two or three miles 
 of Wei's home, and very tired, when we found the 
 behaviour of the people begin to change. From being 
 
COUNTRY WORK AND PERSECUTION. 77 
 
 simply curious they began to be rude, rushing along- 
 side of us in the ploughed fields, and shouting in great 
 excitement. The farther we advanced the worse it 
 grew ; from shouting it came to treading on one's heels, 
 and pushing. We turned and faced the people several 
 times, and Mr. John expostulated with the seniors in 
 a way that usually has the desired effect ; but on this 
 occasion they rather encouraged the boys, and were 
 all evidently bent on mischief. Presently, pelting 
 began ; there were fortunately no stones at hand, but 
 the earth being dry, the ploughed fields were covered 
 with hard clods, and these soon began to fly about 
 our heads. At this stage I took off my spectacles, 
 and pulled my soft felt hat well over my ears, which 
 protected me a good deal. Mr. John was struck on 
 the mouth with a hard lump of clay, which made the 
 blood flow freely, and almost caused him to faint ; and 
 soon after another piece cut his scalp at the back of 
 the head. I guarded my face with my arms, my hat 
 well protected my head, and I received most of the 
 blows about my head and body. We still went on, 
 following Wei, who walked like a prince, calm and 
 fearless, with his head up, just his natural self, and 
 apparently not a bit troubled. 
 
 " A little way in front of us, in a hollow, was a creek, 
 which we had to cross by means of a small plank 
 bridge ; as we approached it we saw the opposite 
 bank was lined with people. We stopped for a 
 moment to consider whether we should go on, but 
 the leaders of the attack were evidently determined 
 
78 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 that we should proceed, wishing to get rid of us over 
 the creek, which formed the boundary of their district. 
 Seeing our hesitation, they began to drag us down to 
 the water's edge ; and at this time we might have 
 been killed at any moment, for we were the centre of 
 a howling, infuriated mob of about one thousand men 
 and boys bent on mischief, and dragging us about in 
 every direction. We were several times separated. 
 I was pushed down once, but Mr. John and the native 
 Christians kept the crowd off me. The people's con- 
 duct was explained by their shouts of ' Go back to 
 Hankow, and preach your Jesus there ; you shall not 
 come here.' The standard of Christ had been raised 
 by Wei and his friends, and the devil had consequently 
 been hard at work, and hence this hatred. This was 
 a very trying time, but I felt perfectly calm ; no feeling 
 of anger entered my mind. Christ was a very precious 
 companion then. We felt no desire to use force in 
 opposing them, and we had good sticks with us ; but 
 had we used them it would have been the signal for 
 our instant destruction, for the mob was just ready to 
 take advantage of any such action on our part. 
 
 " When they had succeeded in dragging us down to 
 the water's edge, Mr. John set his feet on the bridge, 
 but as he did so the crowd on the opposite bank sent 
 a great shower of missiles upon us, showing that they 
 were determined that we should not cross. So, our 
 native friends uniting, we made a rush backwards, and 
 reaching the top of the bank, made our way across 
 country, and the people did not follow us very far. 
 
COUNTRY WORK AND PERSECUTION. 79 
 
 "The Christians behaved nobly all through, one 
 man standing in front of Mr. John, trying to ward off 
 the blows. Two or three from Wei's village had 
 bravely joined us, when it would really have been 
 better for them to keep out of the way. We were very 
 thankful to see that none of the Christians attempted 
 to use force on our behalf. We walked as quickly 
 as we could across country, having by this time, of 
 course, forgotten our weariness ; but darkness was 
 rapidly coming on, and we stopped to consult together 
 as to where we should spend the night. Our bedding 
 had disappeared, but it was decided to send a man back 
 to seek for it, since it had probably got safe to the 
 village, our coolie having gone on ahead. It was quite 
 dark, and we were beginning to think we might have 
 to walk all night, when Siau suddenly remembered 
 that a man lived in this neighbourhood who had been 
 in Hankow, and was at that time deeply interested 
 in Christianity. He had been examined by Mr. John, 
 but had not received baptism, as his case was thought 
 to be not quite satisfactory. Siau determined to go 
 on and seek out the man, while we sat down in the 
 dark, for there was no moon, and prayed to our 
 Father in heaven. 
 
 " After a while we heard some footsteps approaching, 
 and calling out, found that it was Siau returning with 
 his friend. Would he take us in for the night ? Oh 
 yes, certainly ; he was not in the least afraid. We 
 followed him into the village near at hand, which was 
 a large one ; but our friend was not the master of the 
 
So JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 house in which he lived ; that personage, however, came 
 out, and gave us a hearty welcome. He also declared 
 he was not afraid to take us in. So we entered, and sat 
 down. The room was a large one, but it was soon 
 crowded with people who had heard of our arrival. 
 This was again an anxious time, for we feared our 
 hosts might repent of their kindness ; but God was 
 still with us, and we left the matter entirely with Him. 
 After a long trial of our patience the crowd dispersed. 
 Our host, meanwhile, had set about preparing supper 
 for us, having already made us some tea. 
 
 " We now had time to inquire our new friend's 
 name, and found it was Hu. The village contained 
 five hundred families, and, like Wei's village, was a 
 clan, all having the same surname of Hu. Siau was 
 about to tell him our names in return, when our host 
 interrupted, saying he knew us, that he had been to 
 Hankow, and was a patient in the hospital with a sore 
 throat — I was the doctor there. They then brought 
 in supper ; not content with an ordinary meal, they 
 had prepared quite a feast, with a number of dishes — 
 fowl, pork, bacon, pig's liver, fish, and rice cakes, and 
 a large dish each of something like vermicelli broth. 
 I thoroughly enjoyed my first Chinese meal, for we 
 had not had anything to eat since morning. After 
 supper, while sitting talking, we were delighted and 
 surprised to find our bedding arrive ; our friends hsd 
 found it, and had brought it on themselves ; they were 
 accompanied by some other Christians, who had come 
 along thus late in the dark to sympathise with us. 
 
COUNTRY WORK AND PERSECUTION. 81 
 
 We spread our bedding in an outhouse where straw 
 was stowed, and then unitedly knelt down and thanked 
 God for His wonderful love towards us, and prayed 
 that this trial might be the means of the Truth 
 spreading rapidly through these villages. 
 
 " We enjoyed a sound night's rest, but got up at 
 dawn, and soon the village was awake, and had turned 
 out to see us. Many of the people wanted medicines. 
 They brought one man to me on his bed, with sup- 
 puration of the foot, extremely emaciated. I freely 
 lanced it, and subsequently treated about fifty patients 
 that morning. We had our breakfast hastily, and 
 were anxious of course to recompense our host for 
 the considerable trouble and expense we had put him 
 to, but were surprised to find he would not take 
 money ; eventually we left a dollar in the hand of a 
 little child. One of the men of the house also insisted 
 on carrying our baggage for us. I would not have 
 believed there was so much kindness and love in the 
 Chinaman's heart, at any rate where strangers are 
 concerned, had I not seen it. Two or three Christians 
 from neighbouring villages had arrived thus early to 
 show their sympathy with us. 
 
 " After we had bidden farewell to our kind host, 
 on the way back Mr. John told me some interesting 
 facts in connection with the conduct of the native 
 Christians on the previous day. Siau, the hospital 
 preacher, during the most critical period, when trying 
 to keep the people off, had said, ' You can kill me if 
 you wish, but don't kill my pastor ! ' Chia, a strongly 
 
 6 
 
82 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 built man, who was formerly a constant fighter, was 
 struck by one of the most prominent of our opponents. 
 Upon receiving the blow he said, ' Why do you strike 
 me ? You see I don't strike you back ; you curse 
 me, but I don't curse you. I'll tell you what it is, 
 you can hurt my body if you like, but I know this, 
 you can never hurt my soul ! ' Wei was very quiet 
 after the attack made upon us ; he was thinking of his 
 home and family, and fearing that in their excitement 
 these men would go to his village and carry on further 
 evil work there ; for, as he said, c It is me they hate ! ' 
 Before we had heard that his family was safe, he 
 made a good remark, as he frequently does. ' Do 
 you think,' he exclaimed, ' that ten thousand such 
 actions as these are ever going to knock the cause of 
 Jesus into nothing ? ' 
 
 " On our homeward march we reached Peh-ching- 
 tswei about one o'clock, but found it very awkward to 
 hire a boat there. The people, knowing that we 
 must get some means of transport down the river, 
 asked exorbitant sums. 
 
 " Finally, through the help of a respectable man who 
 had heard Mr. John preach in Hankow, we secured a 
 small boat and started. It rained heavily on the 
 way, and when at about five o'clock we landed, it was 
 still coming down in torrents, and we had thirty li 
 to walk over a muddy plain. However, we each took 
 a basin of hot rice, and started. I can truly say I 
 never had such a walk before in my life. There is a 
 narrow path of stones laid down for the barrows to 
 
COUNTRY WORK AND PERSECUTION. 83 
 
 run upon in some parts of the road, and without this 
 we could not have walked ; but these stones were 
 covered with thick layers of mud. The fields in some 
 parts were flooded, though quite dry when we passed 
 two days before. Where there were not stones we 
 were staggering along like drunken men, as our boots 
 could get no hold on the road, covered with mud and 
 slime. 
 
 " All Chinese travellers were safely housed for the 
 night in the tea-shops which we passed, but we were 
 anxious to reach home as soon as possible. Tho- 
 roughly soaked, we arrived at the nearest city gate 
 at about eight o'clock, and found it locked. We had 
 to wait a considerable time, and then succeeded in 
 persuading the official in charge of the north gate to 
 send soldiers to open it and admit us." 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 LIGHT AFTER DARKNESS. 
 
A Dilemma — Appealing unto Caesar — A Chinese Mandarin — 
 Hiau-kan Revisited— In a Chinese Yamen — A Religious 
 Discussion — A Curious Crowd — "No Leisure so much as 
 to Eat" — Stages Erected for the Preachers — Midnight 
 Disturbers — A dinner in Foreign Style — Village 
 Converts — The Good Seed Sown Broadcast — Sowing in 
 Tears to Reap in Joy — A Christian Village. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 LIGHT AFTER DARKNESS. 
 
 ON their return from this memorable journey to the 
 Hiau-kan district, Mr. John and Dr. Mackenzie 
 found themselves faced by the question of the advis- 
 ability or otherwise of reporting their experiences at 
 the English consulate in Hankow. They had no 
 desire to have any person punished on their account ; 
 the difficulty was that this persecution, having been 
 commenced against the native Christians, would inevit- 
 ably increase in violence if some decided steps were 
 not taken to check it. 
 
 Experience had proved that it would be useless to 
 expect to obtain protection for the persecuted Chris- 
 tians from the Chinese officials ; but now that the 
 missionaries had suffered with them, there was a hope 
 that the mandarins might be induced to issue such 
 orders as would enable the Hiau-kan converts lo 
 worship God in peace. 
 
 This question of the wisdom of appealing to those 
 in high places to exercise their authority in times of 
 persecution, and to shield with the strong hand of the 
 law those who are enduring hardness on account of 
 their faith, has been much debated in many quarters. 
 
SS JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 Of course, Chinese Christians cannot be exempt 
 from the old law laid down by the Apostle, that " all 
 who will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer perse- 
 cution ; " and undoubtedly many trials fall to their lot 
 springing naturally out of their surroundings. Petty 
 daily annoyances try their patience ; evil reports and 
 accusations are constantly spread abroad, which can 
 only be successfully met by blameless and Christ-like 
 lives. 
 
 Occasionally, however, obvious cases of persecution 
 arise, totally different in character from these trivial 
 vexations incident to the life of a believer in Jesus in 
 a heathen land. It is then that the majority of 
 missionaries maintain it is a duty to support their 
 persecuted converts in an appeal for protection ; for 
 these hostile attacks are usually instigated by a desire 
 for the suppression of Christianity, and are not unfre- 
 quently sanctioned, if not originated, by the gentry of 
 the land. 
 
 The result of such an enforcement of the treaty 
 rights of native Christians is usually the quick sup- 
 pression of an outbreak which might otherwise grow 
 into something much more serious. 
 
 'These were the motives which influenced Mr. John 
 and his young colleague in reporting their experiences 
 to the English Consul. 
 
 Mr. Alabaster, at that time H.B.M.'s representative 
 in Hankow, at once entered into the matter, but con- 
 fessed to little hope that a satisfactory settlement 
 would be arrived at if an appeal was made to the 
 
LIGHT AFTER DARKNESS. S9 
 
 native authorities, since in several recent cases of 
 insult and injury done to foreigners which had been 
 brought before him, the Tau-tai had refused to take 
 any notice of his appeal. 
 
 Two days after this interview with the Consul, 
 Dr. Mackenzie writes as follows : — 
 
 "This morning I received a message from Mr. John, 
 asking me to come over to his house at once. I went, 
 and found the Hiau-kan hien, or head magistrate of 
 the Hiau-kan district, in his library. It appears that 
 the chief magistrates of surrounding districts have to 
 pay their respects to the Viceroy at the beginning of 
 the New Year, so that this mandarin was in Hankow 
 at the very time that the Consul's letter reached the 
 Tau-tai. Contrary to Mr. Alabaster's expectations, 
 but in accordance with our prayers, the Tau-tai seems 
 to have taken up the matter energetically, sending 
 for the hien and bidding him go and settle the matter 
 himself. This gentleman seems to have felt consider- 
 able anxiety lest he should get into trouble over the 
 affair, for he not only went to call upon the Consul, 
 but, at his suggestion, came with his retinue to Mr. 
 John's house, which was an act of great condescension. 
 
 " This mandarin is a fine specimen of a ruler ; he is 
 about six feet four inches in height, and stout, so that 
 in his long silk robes he looked a giant by the side 
 of Mr. John and myself. He had a great amount of 
 energy, and his voice could be heard all over the 
 house. He was willing to do everything Mr. John 
 suggested. He said he was returning to Hiau-kan in 
 
90 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 three days, and would send to the scene of the attack 
 and punish the ringleaders, we having given him the 
 names of the actual villages concerned and of three 
 of the ringleaders. He said he would also issue a 
 proclamation all through that part of the district. 
 We were to go up in a week's time, by water, to the 
 city, when he would send an escort to meet us, which 
 would accompany us all the way. He said we might 
 depend upon it we should see no other disturbances 
 in any part of his district, but should be able to go 
 everywhere in perfect safety. Everything seems to 
 be coming out just as we could have desired it. We 
 did not wish any one to be punished, but for the sake 
 of the peace of the district the magistrate said it 
 must be done." 
 
 About three weeks after their interview with the 
 chief magistrate of the Hiau-kan district, all the official 
 correspondence between the English Consul and the 
 Tau-tai being concluded, the missionaries were allowed 
 to undertake a second visit to the villages where they 
 had been so unfavourably received. 
 
 " We took a boat from Hankow," writes Dr. Mac- 
 kenzie ; " very comfortable in comparison with the one 
 on which we travelled before. Leaving about mid-day, 
 we ran slowly down the Yang-tse, and entered the river 
 leading to Hiau-kan in time to anchor for the night. 
 This river is remarkable for its constant windings and 
 sharp bends ; at one point it converts a large portion 
 of land almost into an island, being only a narrow 
 neck of communication We took numerous walks 
 
LIGHT AFTER DARKNESS. 91 
 
 along the banks, which were very enjoyable, as the 
 weather was brisk and cold. Wherever the popula- 
 tion was large we attracted great attention. We 
 were again surprised at the great number of villages ; 
 as we advanced on our journey the banks were lined 
 with village after village, and whenever we looked 
 inland there was the same sight to be seen. Tra- 
 velling in the country, even more than in the large 
 towns, I think, gives one an idea of the immensity 
 of the population, when you see what an extent of 
 country is included in one district, or hien, and human 
 life abounding everywhere. We were surprised, at 
 one part of our journey, to see a large stretch of 
 pasture-land, — a rare sight in China, — with a number 
 of buffaloes grazing. Towards evening, within a few 
 miles of Hiau-kan city, our boat came to a standstill, 
 owing to the shallowness of the water ; so we had to 
 postpone visiting the city till next morning. 
 
 " After an early breakfast, on the following day, we 
 started in a sanpan for the city, where we arrived 
 about ten o'clock. We at once sent our friend Wan 
 on to the yamen, with a letter and our cards, while 
 we awaited his return in the boat. We got a good 
 amount of staring at, as was to be expected, seeing 
 we had no place in the small sanpan in which to hide 
 from view, and the people all seemed to know about 
 our former attack. After our patience had been 
 somewhat tried, an officer, accompanied by yamen 
 runners, arrived, and escorted us to the yamen. The 
 crowds following us were very great, and could only 
 
§2 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 just be kept back by the officials. Arrived at the 
 yamen, we had an opportunity of witnessing the 
 amount of license given to the populace. The yamen 
 men tried in vain to keep back the crowd which 
 poured after us into the courts of justice, even to 
 the very door of the inner court to which we were 
 conducted, and then a large number stood and stared 
 at the open door, in the very presence of the mandarin, 
 and listened to all that was said. Mr. John says he 
 had never before been so well received by a Chinese 
 magistrate. We were taken into the inner court, next 
 to the private apartments, and the mandarin came 
 out in his official robes and blue button. We had 
 tea brought us — the best I have ever tasted — in the 
 native fashion, without milk or sugar, and the 
 magistrate remained talking with us for two hours. 
 
 " On entering the hall, men who wished to speak to 
 the mandarin went down on one knee. Graduates 
 only are free from this ; yet even they are not allowed 
 to sit down properly in his presence, and all others, 
 however rich they may be, have to kneel. We, of 
 course, bowed and sat down. During the interview 
 this official made inquiries about the Gospel, and said 
 he had imagined that the Protestants and Roman 
 Catholics were all one. He remarked further, that 
 he knew something of the Catholics ; they often 
 defended their converts against the law when they 
 were very bad men." 
 
 With reference to this part of the conversation 
 Mr. John himself writes as follows : — 
 
LIGHT AFTER DARKNESS. 93 
 
 " When we called on the magistrate we were asked 
 what we thought of the proclamation which he had 
 issued in regard to this affair. I replied that my only 
 objection to it was that it contained a reference to 
 the Roman Catholic religion. ' But/ said he, c are 
 you not one and the same ? ' This question led to 
 a long conversation on the subject, in which I pointed 
 out the difference, especially in our bearing towards 
 the converts, and the kind of protection we claimed 
 for them. 
 
 "'Should one of our converts offend against the 
 laws of his country, or in any way prove himself to be 
 a bad man,' said I, 'he would be cut off from our 
 Church, and you would deal with him as with any 
 other subject. All we ask for him is that he be not 
 molested in the exercise of his religion.' ' If that be 
 so/ said he, * you must be different from the Roman 
 Catholics ! What would you like me to do, and 
 what alterations would you have me make in the 
 proclamation ? ' He then sent for his secretary, and 
 ordered him to write out new copies and hand them 
 to me. When we arrived at the village where most 
 of our converts live I found that some of them were 
 threatened with dire calamities by their relations if 
 they did not abandon the new faith at once. Seeing 
 that most of this opposition sprang from ignorance, 
 I wrote a letter to the magistrate stating the facts 
 of the case, and requesting him to issue another 
 proclamation embodying such and such sentiments. 
 Early next morning I received four copies of a pro- 
 
94 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 clamation, which, to my surprise, I found to be little 
 else than my own letter issued in an official form." 
 Dr. Mackenzie continues the narrative as follows: — 
 " The magistrate made inquiries about my work, and 
 showed us every kindness. When we were leaving he 
 charged two yamen runners to accompany us to the 
 Wei village, and himself escorted us to the outer gate 
 of the yamen, wishing us good-bye in the sight of 
 the assembled people. It was a beautiful day, and 
 we were glad to leave the city behind us and enter 
 the open country. With our escort we formed quite 
 a little party. After going some distance we met 
 two other yamen runners, who had been sent to Peh- 
 ching-tswei to protect us if we had come that way ; 
 and we were told the mandarin had also sent mes- 
 sengers in the direction of Tsai-tien, thinking we 
 might come that way. We found the country here, 
 as elsewhere, cultivated on every side, and thickly 
 populated. As we neared the Wei village we noticed 
 the people became much more excited, rushing 
 hither and thither, and crying out ; they seemed to 
 be full of life and energy. 
 
 " Several members of the Wei family came out to 
 meet us, and led us into the village. We entered one 
 of the houses, for we were rather tired with the walk 
 in the hot sun ; but we soon found it was impossible 
 to remain indoors, so great was the excitement and 
 curiosity on the part of the people. We therefore 
 quickly went out again, and walked about, giving the 
 people an opportunity of staring at us to their hearts' 
 
LIGHT AFTER DARKNESS. 95 
 
 content. Preaching was quite out of the question, of 
 course, although the people kept calling out to us to 
 1 preach the book ; ' but every time Mr. John attempted 
 to do it, he had to close very quickly, since it was 
 evident the people had not yet satisfied their curiosity, 
 and in consequence could not keep quiet. We were 
 quite a marvel to the villagers, for, with the exception 
 of our own friends, who were in the habit of coming 
 to Hankow, none of them had seen a foreigner before. 
 Whenever we entered the house of a convert a crowd 
 would at once follow, and swarm all over the place. 
 After dark it was just the same, for up to nine o'clock 
 large parties kept coming from distant villages, and 
 persisted in entering the house where we were, to 
 stare at us. We found that the owner of a house in 
 these parts has little control over it. It was very 
 wearying, as we were both tired and hungry, having 
 had nothing to eat since our light breakfast at 7 a.m. 
 until 9 p.m. 
 
 " The people were not always content to use merely 
 their eyes ; they wanted to feel our clothes. I found 
 one old woman lifting up the lower edge of my 
 trousers to see what I had underneath. Our boots 
 attracted a great deal of attention, and my spectacles. 
 Not that spectacles were strange to them ; the small 
 size only amazed them, as compared with their 
 goggles. Many of them remarked that Mr. John 
 was a Chinaman, his hair and eyes being quite black, 
 and from his having no whiskers, but black moustache 
 and pointed beard. Moreover, they noticed the ease 
 
96 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 and accuracy with which he speaks Chinese. But 
 there was no doubt in their minds about me ; I was 
 certainly a foreigner— my light hair, whiskers, and 
 eyes were evidently quite opposed to the Chinese 
 idea of things. 
 
 " Next day platforms used by travelling actors for 
 stage plays were brought out, and fixed up for our 
 use, and then, with immense crowds in every direction, 
 Mr. John was enabled to preach till he was hoarse. 
 Sleeping at night in the mud huts of the people was 
 anything but agreeable. We got them to place 
 boards on tressels for us, but were kept awake at 
 night by the rats running over our heads. At one 
 meal our host, thinking to give us something done in 
 foreign style which we should like, cooked a lot of 
 eggs, stripped off their shells, cut them up, and put 
 them into a strong syrup made of sugar and hot 
 water. This, you may imagine, was hardly after our 
 taste, but when you are hungry you do not look at 
 what you eat. 
 
 " The villagers here are the finest lot of men I have 
 yet seen in China, and Mr. John has never seen finer ; 
 they are athletic, manly, fearless, and simple. Those 
 who have become Christians are very fine fellows, 
 letting everybody know about it when it is almost 
 ruin to them." 
 
 With reference to this visit Mr. John also writes : — 
 
 " The Christians were delighted to see us among 
 them, and did all they could to make our visit a 
 happy one to ourselves and a blessing to their heathen 
 
LIGHT AFTER DARKNESS. 97 
 
 neighbours. Accompanied by some of them we 
 visited all the surrounding villages, and preached the 
 Gospel to thousands of men and women who had 
 never seen a foreigner before. In several of the 
 villages platforms were raised for us, and immense 
 congregations gathered to see and listen to our 
 message. In one village there must have been two 
 thousand people at least, and the sight reminded 
 me of those grand open-air meetings held amid the 
 mountains of my native Wales, which I have often 
 attended, and which used to have such charms for me 
 in days gone by. The curiosity of the people had 
 been fairly excited, and everywhere crowds of men, 
 women, and children were waiting our arrival. We 
 had splendid opportunities of making the truth widely 
 known, and we availed ourselves of them to the 
 utmost extent of our power. I must have preached 
 a dozen times at least on the second day of our arrival, 
 for we commenced with the rising sun and continued 
 long after the lamp of light had sunk and the cloudy 
 veil of night been drawn. We made it a special 
 point to call at the villages where we had been 
 molested, and preach the gospel of peace and good- 
 will to the inhabitants. At first the villagers appeared 
 shy and guilty, but after full explanation of principles 
 and intentions on our part, and many expressions ot 
 regret on theirs, much of this timidity passed away ; 
 and we took our leave of them feeling assured that 
 they knew us better and cherished more kindly 
 feelings towards us." 
 
 7 
 
98 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 It is interesting to know that the work, which was 
 begun amid great opposition in this place, where the 
 missionaries' lives had been in imminent danger, has 
 been greatly blessed of God. As so often before in 
 the history of the Church of Christ, so now, the very 
 action taken by its opponents to suppress the religion 
 of Jesus seemed in the end rather to give it a larger 
 entrance. As Dr. Mackenzie himself wrote : " I can 
 only give the result of that visit in a verse of Faber's : — 
 
 ' All that Thou blessest turns to good, 
 And unblest good to ill ; 
 And all is right that seems most wrong, 
 If it be Thy sweet will.' " 
 
 About two years after this visit Mr. John was able 
 to write : " I have just returned from the district of 
 Hiau-kan, where my heart was greatly cheered. The 
 village is likely to become a Christian village." Some 
 time after, two chapels were built in this district, with 
 funds raised by the country people themselves and 
 the help of other native Christians in Hankow ; the 
 villagers gave also much of their time and labour to 
 the work of raising these little sanctuaries for the 
 worship of the true God. As lately as 1889 we find 
 that the converts to Christianity in this neighbourhood 
 continue to grow in numbers, and every year, through 
 the blessing of the Lord of the harvest, sees the 
 progress to be more marked, new centres of work 
 being added to the old, and houses for the worship of 
 God being erected there. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 PREJUDICE OVERCOME, 
 
The Fame of the Western Physician — Chinese Medical 
 Theories — Charms against Disease — Chinese Faith in 
 Surgery — A Hare-lip Case — Prepared for an Audi- 
 ence with the Emperor — The Spirit's Revenge — How 
 the Boatman Regained his Child — A Restless Patient — 
 Opium Smokers — Seven Hundred in a Year — Telling their 
 Neighbours — The Opium Smoker Cured — Sacrifices for 
 Christ's Sake — The Restored Barber — Jesus the Only 
 Saviour — "Where are the Nine?" — The Value of 
 Medical Work — Choosing a Chinese Name — Phases of 
 Foreign Community Life — A Christian Worker — A 
 Chinese Fire — More Noise than Work — Sailors' Meet- 
 ings — Difficulty of the Chinese Language — A Country 
 Trip — The Missionaries Stoned — The Margary Affair 
 Settled — Country Sights and Industries — First Sermon in 
 Chinese — Hatred of Foreigners — Hospital Notes. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 PREJUDICE OVERCOME. 
 
 AS time went on, the fame of the skilful Western 
 surgeon spread far and wide throughout the 
 province of Hupeh, and patients came in to Hankow 
 from great distances, seeking relief at the hospital. 
 Many diseases which had hitherto been considered 
 incurable were healed, and the patients returned 
 home rejoicing. Not a few in the last stages of fatal 
 sickness were brought to the dispensary, and when 
 they were informed that nothing could be done for 
 them, their friends still showed great unwillingness 
 to carry them away, pleading with much earnestness 
 that they might not be sent away unhealed. 
 
 Rumour does not minimize the wonders performed 
 by foreign medical skill, and cases are not unknown 
 where the physician has been summoned even after 
 death had actually taken place, with the idea, appa- 
 rently, that one could never tell what was within 
 the power of these strange foreign doctors. 
 
 In China medical theories are so closely associated 
 with a knowledge of letters that most literary men 
 are supposed to have some acquaintance with the 
 
102 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 healing art ; and when official employment fails, many 
 of them turn to medicine as a means of support. 
 Medical knowledge is handed down from father to 
 son in the shape of carefully-gathered prescriptions 
 for the cure of certain well-known diseases. Wr iting 
 on this subject Dr. Mackenzie says : — 
 
 " Chinese doctors profess to be able to diagnose 
 disease by the state of the pulse only. Their know- 
 ledge of anatomy and physiology is almost nil ; yet 
 in place of exact knowledge they substitute the most 
 absurd theories. The nature of disease being un- 
 known, they attribute to the influence of the * five 
 elements ' the onset of disease. To a large extent 
 the physiological action of drugs is unknown, and 
 most wonderful healing properties are attributed to 
 such substances as dragons' teeth, fossils, tiger bones, 
 pearls, etc. 
 
 " A Chinese doctor examines the pulse of each wrist 
 of his patient with much solemnity, the sick person's 
 hand resting meantime upon a cushion, while the 
 friends stand round watching the operation with 
 much awe. The tongue is then examined, and a 
 prescription written out ; the doctor then departs, after 
 giving his diagnosis and going into long explanations 
 of what is taking place in his patient's interior. Many 
 of the Chinese wonder much that foreign physicians 
 should make so many enquiries of their patients ; they 
 think that they should be able to find out all about 
 such matters from the condition of the pulse. 
 
 " Moreover, superstitious notions and practices con- 
 
PREJUDICE OVERCOME. 103 
 
 trol and pervert medicine. In almost every case of 
 sickness, idols, astrologers, and fortune-tellers are 
 consulted. Disease is generally attributed to the 
 anger of the gods, or to a visitation of evil spirits ; the 
 priests indeed teach this for their own ends. Charms 
 are in general use to expel evil spirits and pacify the 
 offended gods, and many idolatrous rites are employed. 
 The noise of gongs and fire-crackers used in these 
 observances is constantly heard, and of necessity 
 proves very injurious to a patient whose nervous 
 system is weakened by disease. The charms are 
 written out and pasted about the sick-room ; some- 
 times these marvellous pieces of paper are burned, and 
 the ashes used to make a decoction, which the patient 
 is ordered to drink. It is not wonderful, therefore, 
 that, medical science being in so unsatisfactory a state 
 in China, the cures wrought by the foreign doctors 
 seem to the people little short of miraculous ; and in 
 many cases the difficulty is not to get the people to 
 believe in the foreign medical man, but rather for 
 them to understand there is a limit to his healing 
 power." 
 
 " What faith some of these people have in the 
 knife ! " writes Dr. Mackenzie. " A patient in the hos- 
 pital with great tumours on his face daily pleads to 
 be operated upon, and the friend who accompanies 
 him seconds his entreaties. Another man has brought 
 in a son who is weak-minded, and begs that he may 
 be healed. They came from a long distance in the 
 country, and the man's disappointment was keen 
 
104 /OHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 when he found nothing could be done for his boy. 
 The father remained in Hankow for some time, how- 
 ever, to learn the doctrine, and became a sincere 
 believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and an earnest 
 worker among his fellow-countrymen." 
 
 Another interesting case was that of a Master of 
 Arts living in the province of Kwei-chow, more than 
 one thousand miles from Hankow. It was necessary 
 for this gentleman to visit Peking and appear before 
 the Emperor, and he was much distressed by the fact 
 that he had a hare-lip. Hearing of the wonders 
 wrought by foreign surgical skill, he journeyed to 
 Hankow, and was greatly delighted by the cure that 
 was effected upon him. 
 
 A curious idea prevalent among the Chinese is that 
 a spirit can wield much greater power when separated 
 from the body ; and this is one of the reasons why 
 ancestral worship is so closely bound up with the 
 people's life. On this account persons desiring to 
 take vengeance upon their enemies will frequently 
 commit suicide in order to obtain their end. This is 
 a sure means of bringing down punishment upon the 
 head of the enemy, since the magistrate will hold 
 him responsible for the death, on the principle that if 
 it had not been for the quarrel the man would not 
 have died. 
 
 A military mandarin, who had betrayed a trust 
 confided to him by a friend during his absence from 
 home, was accused at the yamen of his crime ; the 
 petitioner immediately left the court of justice and 
 
PREJUDICE OVERCOME. 105 
 
 drowned himself in the Yang-tse, the sequel being 
 that the accused was at once beheaded. 
 
 Characteristically Chinese, therefore, was the case 
 of a boatman, who, at this time, appeared at the 
 Hankow hospital with a circular wound, the size of 
 a shilling, opening into his windpipe. 
 
 The story he told was as follows. Being in desti- 
 tute circumstances, his wife sold their little boy, 
 only six years of age, to a stranger, without the know- 
 ledge of the father. Upon discovering what his wife 
 had done the man was very angry. He sought out 
 the purchaser, and demanded from him the restoration 
 of his child. The man took no notice of the father's 
 importunities, and expressed his intention of retaining 
 the little boy. As a last resource, the parent deter- 
 mined to try what effect an attempt to cut his own 
 throat would have as a means towards frightening the 
 purchaser of his child into compliance with his request. 
 The stratagem proved to be completely successful, 
 since, fearing that the matter might end in his being 
 required to forfeit his own life by the magistrates, he 
 hastily gave up the boy to his father. 
 
 " The Chinese," says Dr. Mackenzie, " expect instant 
 cures. When old-standing cases of disease arrive, and 
 we advise their remaining in the wards, the almost 
 invariable query is, ' How many days will it be before 
 I get quite well ? ' " 
 
 As an illustration of some of the difficulties attending 
 medical treatment, he relates the case of a man who 
 was received into the hospital with fracture of the 
 
106 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 thigh bone. It had been repeatedly explained to him 
 that he must on no account remove the splint and 
 appliances, and that time would be required to effect 
 a complete cure ; but at the end of a week, seeing 
 no manifest improvement, his friends removed the 
 bandages and splint, and carried him off. 
 
 Writing to a friend with reference to the year 1876 
 the Doctor says : — 
 
 " I have been led gradually into doing a good 
 deal for opium smokers, without aiming at very 
 great things, yet seeking to aid those who are 
 enslaved by the terrible drug. Our patients in this 
 department have so increased that we now hardly 
 know where to sleep them. As they, for the most 
 part, come from long distances, and support themselves 
 while in the hospital, we feel it to be wrong to refuse 
 them admittance, since they carry to their homes a 
 knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus. 
 
 " I have been much attracted to Moody's work in 
 America in connection with drunkards. There he is 
 finding the gospel of salvation capable of meeting their 
 condition, and in like manner, in connection with these 
 opium smokers, we are looking for some results by 
 presenting to them the Jesus of the Bible as the great 
 remedy for their case. Oh ! do pray for us out here, 
 that we may be kept very near to the great Saviour, 
 to know His methods better, to be filled with His 
 spirit, and to be ever listening to His teachings. I 
 believe it is a living Saviour that these Chinese need ; 
 but I am afraid that the work is hindered by the lack 
 
PREJUDICE OVERCOME. 107 
 
 of faith and the want of devotion to His work of 
 some of us workers. 
 
 " You will see how the work among opium smokers 
 has been increased when I give you the following 
 figures. I made a rule to treat these cases only in 
 the wards, as giving medicine indiscriminately proved 
 very unsatisfactory. For the first ten months eight 
 persons only agreed to enter the hospital. During 
 the past year the numbers increased to two hundred 
 and thirty-five ; and during the last month and a half 
 three hundred and twenty have entered the wards for 
 treatment." 
 
 Writing at a later date, the Doctor states that 
 these cases have continued to increase in numbers, 
 and that in one year seven hundred persons were 
 treated for opium smoking in the wards of the 
 Hankow hospital. 
 
 " That a great need," he writes, " has existed for 
 some kindly help to be extended in this direction is 
 very certain. The habit of opium smoking, prolonged 
 for any length of time, plays havoc with a man's 
 natural energy, rendering him indolent and enervated. 
 Few in this condition can, unaided, combat the craving 
 for opium and effectually reform. The attempt is 
 often made, but as often ends in disappointment ; for 
 a time they persevere, but when the intolerable crav- 
 ing, accompanied by extreme bodily depression, with 
 violent aching of the joints and muscular pains, sets 
 in, they fly to their old enemy, and drown themselves 
 in the opium stupor. If the need is being felt in 
 
io8 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 England for the further extension of homes for 
 habitual drunkards, much more is the restraint needed 
 for opium smokers in Eastern lands. 
 
 " A large proportion of the slaves of the pipe who 
 present themselves for treatment come from towns 
 and villages at varying distances, though many are 
 residents of Hankow. They come acquainted with our 
 conditions, and are ready to submit to them. There 
 is no medicinal specific guaranteed to cure ; the object 
 aimed at is to relieve the symptoms as they arise, 
 and so to help the patient back to health and freedom. 
 
 " I always tell them the medicine given to them is to 
 relieve the pain and craving, but they are to pray to 
 God and believe in Jesus to get the desire taken from 
 their hearts, and new hearts given to them. They 
 thus carry back a knowledge of the Gospel north, 
 south, east, and west. 
 
 " It will be asked, But is there evidence that after 
 they leave the hospital they do not quickly return to 
 their old habit ? Doubtless some do, but we are sure 
 that many do not. It would be impossible to give an 
 accurate proportion of permanently successful cases, 
 but this is known, that new arrivals seeking admission, 
 in reply to the question, * What has brought you to 
 the hospital for treatment ? ' almost invariably answer, 
 * I have friends and neighbours who have already 
 been cured here.' " 
 
 The Doctor mentions, among others, the following 
 case of an opium smoker who was cured, and became 
 a Christiaa 
 
PREJUDICE OVERCOME. 109 
 
 " The man's name was Tai ; he was a fortune-teller, 
 of about twenty-five years of age, and appeared at the 
 hospital emaciated and feeble, accompanied by his 
 mother, an old lady over sixty years of age. The 
 watchful care manifested by the mother attracted 
 our attention, and upon enquiry the following facts 
 were elicited. 
 
 " The son carried on a thriving business as a fortune- 
 teller, but he had taken to opium smoking, which 
 had led to disastrous results. His earnings were 
 squandered, his health was broken down, and his poor 
 old mother made wretched. In consequence chiefly 
 of the entreaties of the old lady, the man applied for 
 treatment, and his mother asked permission to stay 
 and wait upon him. 
 
 " Such a case was at the outset very unpromising. 
 Here was a man yielding to moral compulsion in a 
 matter which required the utmost resolution. Yet 
 this step was the turning-point in the man's career ; 
 not only was his cure most complete, but he became 
 interested in the Gospel, drank in the only sure 
 antidote for his disease, and success in treatment 
 followed as a necessary consequence. Who shall say 
 that the earnest desire, the prayer of the heathen 
 mother groping in her darkness, was not heard and 
 answered by Him who reads all hearts ? 
 
 " With the adoption of Christianity our patient felt 
 that he must abandon his former calling. But his 
 aged mother was dependent upon his exertions for 
 her support ; what was to be done ? To meet this 
 
JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 difficulty our dispenser, Siau, who is very active in 
 Christian work among the patients, suggested that Tai 
 should set up in business as a dealer in nuts. This 
 having been his own trade before he was employed 
 in the hospital, he was able to give the ex-fortune- 
 teller all the information needed, and he decided to 
 try and earn his living in this way. This man has 
 since carried on his new occupation, which, though less 
 remunerative than his former means of support, has 
 brought to him and his widowed mother happiness 
 and contentment. 
 
 " At the church meeting at which this man was 
 formally accepted as a member a friend of his spoke 
 of having visited his home, and of the consistency of 
 his life with his present profession of Christianity. 
 He told us the old mother had said, ' I am delighted 
 that my son has become a Christian, for although he 
 earns less, he brings me home more money than 
 formerly, and our home is now a happy one.' " 
 
 Two other patients who had been cured of opium 
 smoking in the hospital were accidentally encountered 
 by Mr. John while on a boat journey some time after- 
 wards. The wind being unfavourable, he failed to 
 reach the town at which he had intended to stay for 
 the night, and consequently was obliged to anchor at 
 a small village, — a collection of houses merely, all of 
 them shops, which had grown up to supply the needs 
 of the boatmen who might find it necessary to anchor 
 there for the night. It was raining fast, and as the 
 place was so small and the hour late, Mr. John did 
 
PREJUDICE OVERCOME. 
 
 not go ashore, but sent the colporteur with a few- 
 books for sale. After a time the man returned, 
 greatly pleased, with the news that he had been most 
 kindly received by two men of the respective names 
 of Ting and Tsung, who had been cured of opium 
 smoking in the hospital. 
 
 Mr. John, upon hearing this, landed and sought out 
 the men. On his way to their house the neighbours, 
 seeing a foreigner, remarked, " We know where you 
 are going, — to the house of Tsung, whom you cured 
 of opium smoking." Mr. John found this man had 
 removed from his house all idols and other relics of 
 idolatry, and both of the ex-patients professed to 
 believe in Christ, and to worship God. Mr. John 
 invited them on board the boat for further instruction 
 that evening. They seemed grateful for the relief given 
 to them at the hospital, and next morning Ting sent 
 a present of eggs on board. 
 
 A man from Mien Yang, one hundred miles from 
 Hankow, returned, two months after he had left the 
 hospital, cured of opium smoking. He travelled the 
 long distance a second time in order that he might 
 be baptized. 
 
 A barber, who earned one hundred and fifty cash 
 a day, spent one hundred and twenty on opium ; as 
 a consequence, want of nourishing food aided the ill 
 effects of years of opium smoking, and brought him 
 into a state of great misery. He heard the Gospel 
 at the city chapel, and, at the request of Mr. John, 
 entered the hospital. He suffered severely for some 
 
H2 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 days, but in the strength of God gained the victory 
 over his besetting sin, and went out healed. He has 
 since been a changed man, invigorated in constitution, 
 and bright and happy in demeanour. Through his 
 earnest activity, but more than all on account of his 
 changed life, others have been won into the Church. 
 One man had kept an opium den and been an opium 
 smoker for fifteen years. He was enabled to give it 
 up and become a Christian. These men are examples 
 of the power of Divine grace. A Tauist and two 
 Buddhist priests were treated for opium smoking at 
 the same time. The hospital assistant referred to this 
 fact at a recent church meeting, concluding his remarks 
 by saying, " How true it is that Jesus is the only 
 Saviour." 
 
 "It is very cheering," continues the Doctor, " to see 
 the active interest the native Christians take in the 
 hospital. Many of the Hankow converts are earnest 
 workers for Christ, and when engaged in seeking the 
 conversion of their relatives and friends they often 
 bring them when sick to the dispensary, hoping that 
 the benefits they will get to their bodies, and the 
 kind treatment they will personally receive, may win 
 from them a better attention to and deeper interest 
 in the gospel. One earnest Christian named Koh 
 recently said, when a friend of his was baptized, ' I 
 have brought ten friends, but after being cured, like 
 the lepers in the Gospel, only one has returned to 
 give thanks.' One man was under treatment for a 
 contusion, the result of a beating he had received 
 
PREJUDICE OVERCOME. 113 
 
 from his friends because he had become a Christian. 
 Another man of the name of Yang was in the 
 hospital for pneumonia of one lung, from which he 
 made a good recovery. Coming constantly under 
 the influence of Siau, the hospital preacher, he was 
 converted to Christianity, and has since himself been a 
 zealous missionary, having brought his aged father and 
 other friends and fellow-workmen into the Church." 
 
 In a home letter, written at about this time, Dr. 
 Mackenzie says : — 
 
 " I am beginning to be known at considerable dis- 
 tances from Hankow, for our patients come from 
 far-off places. Mr. Hayt, of the American Episcopal 
 Mission, has been on a journey down the Yang-tse, 
 and upon his return he called upon me. He tells me 
 that many people are enquiring after -' M ah E-Seng' 
 (my Chinese name) ; some of them have been 
 patients in the hospital, others are thinking of travel- 
 ling up to Hankow for treatment. It is pleasant to 
 hear this, because these people would be well inclined 
 to any foreigner they might meet now, and would 
 treat missionaries well after being well cared for in 
 our wards. I have been fortunate in getting a good 
 Chinese name, for the Chinese look very much at the 
 meaning of names. My surname is 'Mah/ the sound 
 that the Chinese would give in trying to say Mac. My 
 second name is ' Kun-ge,' which means that my kun 
 or root is ge, which means to succour or relieve suffer- 
 ing. As the root is the most important part of a 
 tree, the Chinese say the object of a man's life is his 
 
 8 
 
114 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 root. So ' Ma-kun-ge,' which is almost exactly as the 
 natives would pronounce the name Mackenzie, means 
 that the ' Kun ' of ' Mah ' is ' ge,' to relieve people. 
 
 " Shun, Mr. John's old teacher, thought of ' Kun ; ' 
 Mr. John himself of ' ge.' ' E-Seng ' is the title given 
 to doctors here." 
 
 On April 3rd, 1876, there is a note in the Doctor's 
 diary to the effect that at this time he commenced a 
 prayer-meeting for the in-patients in the evening. 
 
 In the middle of the summer Mr. John, with his 
 young colleague, taking advantage of a slight break 
 in the great heat, paid a visit to a place called 
 Hwang-chin-kow, on the river Han. 
 
 "We had been there several times during the 
 winter," writes Dr. Mackenzie, " when there was only 
 one Christian living there, and now there are twelve ; 
 quite a little Church. These Christians usually come 
 down to Hankow for worship every Sunday, but 
 it is a long way for them ; so when the weather is 
 good Mr. John tries to get a service there, by 
 sending one of the native Christians from the older 
 Church to preach to the little band of believers. 
 In the very hot weather, such as we have been 
 having, it would not be safe for a foreigner to go. 
 
 " We left about three o'clock on Saturday afternoon, 
 after I had got through my out-patients, in a closed 
 boat, kindly lent by one of the hongs. When we 
 anchored for the night we were some miles up the 
 Han, having had a favourable wind ; indeed we were 
 close to our destination. We found it a great comfort 
 
PREJUDICE OVERCOME. 115 
 
 to be able to sleep without our mosquito nets, which 
 we had brought with us, for there was a good strong 
 breeze blowing on the river, which kept the trouble- 
 some insects away. We had a service with the 
 converts about seven o'clock on Sunday morning in 
 one of their houses, and I very much enjoyed it. I 
 am getting to understand the preacher now, and find 
 it a great treat to be able to follow the sermons 
 somewhat. A man was brought to us at this place 
 suffering from tetanus. After the service, having a 
 good wind, we went on to Tsai-tien, a town of twenty 
 thousand inhabitants ; and Mr. John preached for 
 about three hours in different parts." [At this place 
 we find from his diary, what is not mentioned in his 
 home letter, that the missionaries were very badly 
 received ; they were stoned several times, and found 
 the people exceedingly insolent] " The wind was 
 dead against us coming back, and we had to crawl 
 along by constant tacking. As there was no hope of 
 getting our big boat home that night, we called a 
 sanpan, or small boat, just wide enough for us to sit 
 alongside of one another in, and in which, as Mr. 
 John said, it would not do for us to quarrel. We 
 reached Hankow about ten o'clock. 
 
 " A patient was brought to the hospital to-day with 
 choleraic diarrhoea, carried on a sort of bed like a small 
 four-poster ; he came from a place more than six miles 
 away, and was very, very ill." 
 
 In the autumn of 1876 the Doctor writes to his 
 brother : — 
 
Ii6 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 " You have probably heard, even as I am writing, 
 that peace has been happily settled with China. 
 
 " Sir Thomas Wade, whatever has been surmised in 
 the past, has evidently done his work well. Without 
 the cost of any money, or the loss of a single man in 
 battle, he has obtained everything he demanded. 
 
 " New ports are to be thrown open on the coast and 
 on the Yang-tse. There is to be a traffic route from 
 Yunnan (in the heart of China) into Burmah, and a 
 heavy indemnity is to be paid to the friends of Mr. 
 Margary. But what is more important, as likely to 
 create a moral effect on the Chinese nation, is that an 
 ambassador is to be sent to England to apologise to 
 the Queen, and the whole affair is to be published in 
 the Peking Gazette. 
 
 " It remains now for Sir Thomas Wade to see that 
 these important items are carried out effectively. If 
 this is done it will be a great blow to the Chinese. 
 Such is the ignorance, prejudice, and falsehood to be 
 found in Chinese life, especially official life, that it 
 was the general opinion in the empire that the time 
 had come to drive all foreigners out of the country, 
 and that the sooner war took place the better, as the 
 Chinese must be victorious. When Li Hung Chang 
 went down to Chefoo to arrange matters with our 
 government, it was currently reported that he had gone 
 to order our minister out of the country and declare war. 
 
 " On Tuesday last I returned from another trip 
 up the Han with Mr. John. The Han is a small 
 river in China, but would be considered a very 
 
PREJUDICE OVERCOME. 117 
 
 important one in England. We went one hundred 
 and twenty miles up it. The banks are very thickly 
 peopled ; you are unable to find many hundred 
 yards of land free from villages, and large towns arc 
 quite numerous. We went the whole length of our 
 journey before we commenced any missionary work, 
 intending to visit the towns on our homeward journey. 
 We took long walks ashore, and I saw for the first 
 time the cotton plant, which was planted over many 
 acres. Here the plant is not higher than a goose- 
 berry bush, and the little bunches of white cotton 
 hanging among the green leaves on the bushes look 
 very pretty. 
 
 " There were also many acres of millet everywhere 
 to be seen, giving a very tropical appearance to the 
 country. The ear of millet grows at the top of a stalk 
 ten and twelve feet high ; the very poorest people eat 
 it in place of rice. They cultivate the hemp plant 
 largely also, from the grain of which they express oil, 
 used for burning in native lamps and for mixing 
 with their food. 
 
 " The breeding of silkworms is extensively carried 
 on, and there were a large number of mulberry trees. 
 And what was of much interest, I saw the tallow tree, 
 though it was not in fruit. The Chinese use this 
 vegetable tallow largely in making their candles. 
 The berries on the tree, when fully ripe, cast off their 
 outer shell, leaving exposed a white surface, the layer 
 of tallow surrounding the small kernel. We went 
 over one of the numerous manufactories for expressing 
 
ii8 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 oil, and saw the whole process. The machinery, as 
 you may imagine, is very rough. 
 
 " We commenced work at a large market town at the 
 end of our journey, to which but few foreigners have 
 ever been. The people here have the name of being- 
 noisy, and they did not improve their character, as 
 they did their very best to insult us. They are very 
 cowardly, and when they throw at you it is always 
 from behind. However, this was the worst reception 
 we had on the journey, as we found the people less 
 rough in other places. I commenced preaching in 
 Chinese on this trip, which I look upon as a great 
 advance. Mr. John does not know what it means to 
 be afraid, I think. When we entered the crowded 
 streets of a city or town, after choosing a suitable 
 place to preach from, he would tell me to go on into 
 the town and do my best at preaching and selling 
 books in some other part. Of course I went, looking 
 to God to take care of me ; and though at first, when 
 surrounded by great crowds, I was inclined to feel 
 shaky, it soon passed away, and I was much helped 
 in doing my best at preaching, and generally got the 
 people to listen attentively. I was thus able to teach 
 some elementary truths of the gospel. 
 
 " The people will tell you, when you ask what they 
 worship, that * heaven and earth are the greatest, and 
 parents the most honourable.' They will not, as a 
 rule, tell you that they worship idols ; they have no 
 idea of a supreme Being. The people's contempt for 
 foreigners is very great. In walking along the streets 
 
PREJUDICE OVERCOME. 119 
 
 selling books and Gospels (we have to charge a small 
 sum for them, or they would be torn up and thrown 
 away) a respectable shop-keeper will call you into his 
 shop, saying he wishes to buy a book. You enter, and 
 he will immediately laugh in your face, saying he wants 
 no books, and make some insulting remark about you. 
 
 " This and such-like conduct is occurring constantly 
 while we are in towns, and considering how excessively 
 polite the Chinese are to each other, and how care- 
 fully their books exhort to ceremonious and respectful 
 behaviour towards strangers, we can clearly see what 
 is their real feeling towards us. 
 
 " This is, therefore, a work which naturally one is 
 very little inclined for ; only when we remember we 
 are working for their benefit, and that our Lord for 
 our good never thought of Himself, we are able to 
 bear such conduct cheerfully. 
 
 " Evangelizing in unfrequented populous towns in 
 China gives one a very vivid idea of the life of our 
 Lord while on earth, and the kind of work He must 
 have done ; and especially of the wonderful patience, 
 forbearance, and love He showed when in contact 
 with ignorance, prejudice, and vice. To be serving 
 such a Master in such a cause ennobles every work. 
 
 "We lived on native food, and I can assure you en- 
 joyed, on returning to the boat after our excursions on 
 shore, our bowl of rice, with pork, fish, or vegetables, and 
 soon got to use our chopsticks with as much ease and 
 pleasure as if they had been the best Sheffield cutlery. 
 
 " This health trip did both Mr. John and myself a 
 
120 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 great deal of good, and it was well spent, for we were 
 able to return to our regular work in Hankow with 
 all the more zest. 
 
 " During my absence I was able to leave the hospital 
 in the hands of my chief native assistant, Mr. Yang, 
 who is now very competent. I get now and again 
 good practice in surgery. A few weeks ago I operated 
 upon a woman, taking away a tumour the size of a 
 young baby's head, weighing two pounds. She is 
 now quite well. Yesterday I removed a woman's 
 breast for hard cancer, and she is doing well. We 
 have difficulties here which are not experienced at 
 home. I have often to give chloroform myself, and 
 then operate, having no assistants who could be 
 responsible for that, though they are so very useful. 
 
 " To-day I took away the right upright portion of 
 the lower jaw of a man suffering from advanced 
 disease of the jaw-bone. I got it away through the 
 mouth after having removed the teeth. He is likely 
 to get quite well, all the diseased bone having been 
 removed. 
 
 " My assistant did two operations on the eye to-day 
 for the removal of pterygium. These are growths 
 on the eye very common in China, which almost 
 destroy the sight ; in fact, this man was to all intents 
 and purposes blind. By getting rid of these growths 
 sight is restored. 
 
 " I make every serious operation a subject for prayer, 
 and I am thankful to God that no death has occurred 
 after even the most severe operations." 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF MEDICAL 
 MISSION WORK. 
 
Marriage — Work on the Tea-ships — Popularity of the 
 Hospital — Rather Die than Lose a Limb — A Filial Son- 
 Difficulty of Treating Chinese Women — " She Prefers to 
 Die!" — Persecution of Native Christians — The Paralytic 
 Beggar — Chinese Generosity — Explosion of Gunpowder 
 Magazine — Hydrophobia — Happy Deaths of Native 
 Christians — The Tea Planter's Son — Discussion on 
 Christianity — Attempted Suicide — From the Gates of 
 Death — Making Two Mouths— Bishop Patteson's Life — 
 Chinese Country Life — A Han-lin's Grave — Reception on 
 Village Green — A Leader of Dragon Festivals — An Object 
 of Interest — Idols Given Up — Swindling the Foreigner — 
 How Some of the Chinese Gentry Live. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF MEDICAL 
 MISSION WORK. 
 
 TOWARDS the end of December 1876 Dr. 
 Mackenzie went down to Shanghai to meet the 
 lady to whom he was betrothed, and whose acquaint- 
 ance he had first made while they were both engaged 
 in Christian work in Bristol. 
 
 Miss Travers arrived early in January, and on the 
 9th of that month they were married by Dean 
 Butcher in the Cathedral, Shanghai, and left imme- 
 diately for their station in Hankow. 
 
 The hospital continued to grow in popularity, and 
 the Doctor made such progress with the language 
 that he was able, towards the end of the year, to write 
 to a friend, " I preach regularly in the hospital before 
 commencing the out-patients, so that I am getting 
 into working order." 
 
 His young wife also began with much enthusiasm 
 the study of Chinese, and when the tea season arrived, 
 and the tea-ships flocked up the broad Yang-tse and 
 anchored over against Hankow, both husband and 
 wife engaged in work among the English sailors in 
 
 123 
 
124 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 company with Mrs. Griffith John, whose name will be 
 long remembered in the far east as the sailors' friend. 
 
 "We are now established in our pretty home," 
 writes the Doctor to his brother, " which looks both 
 thoroughly home-like and comfortable, thanks to 
 Millie's deft fingers." 
 
 The daily routine of life was occasionally varied 
 by visits across the Yang-tse to the Wuchang side, 
 or up the Han to the Wesleyan Mission House at 
 the Wu Shen Miau. 
 
 It is not possible to give any detailed account of 
 the good work which, with God's blessing, Dr. 
 Mackenzie was able to perform in alleviating suffer- 
 ing in the wards of the Hankow hospital. We 
 select, however, a few cases as specimens of the 
 service which day by day he was enabled to render 
 to the Master, remembering that his one aim all 
 through his career in China was, as he wrote him- 
 self, to make medicine the handmaid of the Gospel, 
 seeking, through the administration of medical relief, 
 to advance the cause of our Lord and Master Jesus 
 Christ, thus combining- the healing of the body with 
 the curing of the soul, in accordance with the words 
 of Scripture, " And He sent them to preach the 
 kingdom of God, and to heal the sick." 
 
 During this year a total of one thousand one 
 hundred and thirty-seven patients were treated in 
 the wards, thirty-three being women ; and the large 
 number of eleven thousand eight hundred and fifty- 
 nine out-patients attended at the dispensary. 
 
MEDICAL MISSION WORK. 125 
 
 "The hospital is flourishing more than ever," hewrites 
 to his mother ; "one hundred and fifteen out-patients 
 one day, and ninety-four the next, all to be seen and 
 attended to pretty well by myself. The in-patients, 
 too, are very numerous ; we have forty-two beds, but 
 they are all full, and many lying on the floor ; I am 
 having new beds made. Many of the people come 
 from long distances ; twenty arrived in one day from 
 the same town." 
 
 The Doctor also reports a great increase in surgical 
 work, and rejoices in this, since, speaking generally, 
 and with reference to the purely native medical pro- 
 fession, he gives us to understand that the birthday 
 of surgery has hardly dawned in China, for with the 
 exception of acu-puncture and the lancing of super- 
 ficial abscesses, operative interference is, as a rule, 
 unknown. 
 
 " I am passionately fond of surgery," he writes to 
 his brother, " and never happier than when I am 
 about to undertake some big operation. Can you 
 understand the taste? 
 
 " Happily for the Chinaman, fractures are not 
 common among them, and when they do occur they 
 are left pretty much to take care of themselves. A 
 case of compound fracture of the arm, of many months' 
 standing, came to the hospital ; the broken shaft of 
 the bone was protruding two inches through the skin. 
 No attempt had been made to replace it, and the 
 patient had remained exactly as the accident left 
 him. Being a young and healthy man, new bone 
 
126 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 had formed without much shortening of the arm, and 
 the protruding portion, having separated during the 
 healing process, was loosely lying in the cavity, only 
 needing to be lifted out with the fingers. Yet it 
 would have been allowed to lie undisturbed, in spite 
 of the constant unpleasant discharge, until it had 
 actually fallen out That it is rare for a native 
 patient to sacrifice a limb, even though it be to save 
 his life, is a well-attested fact. This is specially so 
 where amputation is called for in cases of disease, but 
 when after an accident the operation becomes clearly 
 necessary, the determined opposition to it is remark- 
 able. A case in point has recently been in the wards. 
 A passenger on board the S.5. Shanghai was struck 
 down by a bale of cotton, and received a compound 
 fracture of both bones of the right leg. He was 
 admitted into the hospital, and an attempt made to 
 save the limb ; this proving to be impossible, ampu- 
 tation was proposed as the only alternative. The 
 man, however, would not consent, preferring, as he 
 said, to die rather than lose one of his limbs. 
 
 " Of the tumours removed, many are very large in 
 size, but one in particular, from its unusual dimen- 
 sions, merits description. The case was that of a young 
 man, twenty-four years of age, a native of Kiangse, 
 who presented himself with an immense solid tumour 
 suspended from the loins, not unlike a large ham in 
 appearance. It measured forty-three inches round ; 
 his parents had first noticed a small growth in his 
 eleventh year, and it had been continually enlarging, 
 
MEDICAL MISSION WORK. 127 
 
 until now, at the end of thirteen years, it had reached 
 its present enormous bulk. Much shock was ex- 
 perienced immediately after the operation, and for a 
 few days the temperature of the body rose ; but in a 
 month the wound had healed, and the patient, relieved 
 of his encumbrance, looked a sprightly, active young 
 man." 
 
 Upon his recovery, in token of gratitude for the 
 relief afforded him, this patient sent the following 
 letter for insertion in a daily paper. 
 
 The editor introduced it with the remark that for 
 a foreigner to write to a newspaper expressing his 
 indebtedness to his medical attendant might be 
 considered out of place. The Chinese custom, how- 
 ever, is different, and Dr. Mackenzie will, he is assured, 
 feel grateful at this tribute to the excellence of 
 Western surgery. 
 
 " To the Editor of the ' North China Daily News.' 
 
 " Sir, — There is connected with the London Missionary 
 Society of Hankow a celebrated English Dr. Mackenzie, 
 who has been there many years, is skilled in curing all 
 sorts of maladies, and never receives money from any 
 patients whom he cures. For ten years I, a native of 
 T'-Ming-Chow, in Kiangse, suffered from a tumour in my 
 back. At first I did not mind it, but at length it became 
 as large as a peck, so that I could walk with difficulty, and 
 I was much afraid that it would kill me. 
 
 " I had engaged many doctors, but no one could do me 
 good. I was compelled, therefore, to go to Hankow in 
 search of a more skilled doctor. Fortunately a friend of 
 mine, named Kwo Shan-kai, recommended Dr. Mackenzie to 
 
128 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE, 
 
 me. Accordingly I went with him to the Doctor's. He, on 
 inspection, said that the tumour could not be cured without 
 cutting it off with a knife, and added that I had nothing to 
 fear from the cutting. On October 4th last he gave me 
 some narcotic to take, and immediately, with a knife, cut 
 off the tumour, which was twenty -five pounds in weight. 
 In about twenty days I completely recovered. As a return 
 to the Doctor, I shall thank you to put this in your paper in 
 jrder to celebrate his name. I am, Sir, 
 
 " Yours most respectfully, 
 
 " Hu-Tsze-Koh." 
 
 " Faith is a wonderful faculty," writes the Doctor, 
 " and common enough in the world. Would that it 
 were always wisely directed ! Instances of misdirected 
 faith are plentiful in China, and are constantly coming 
 under the notice of the medical missionary. Here is 
 a specimen. One day there came into our dispensary 
 a young man of twenty, with a large excavated wound 
 of the left arm, evidently caused by some cutting 
 instrument. In reply to our queries he gave the 
 following history. He had a sick father, ill for many 
 months with dropsy, ' who had suffered many things 
 of many physicians, and was nothing better, but 
 rather grew worse.' Finally, the relatives, assembled 
 in solemn conclave, decided that the faculty having 
 failed, the only hope for the father lay in the filial 
 instincts of the son. He, the son, must sacrifice his 
 own flesh to save his father's life. It is delightfully 
 easy to prompt others to acts of self-sacrifice. In this 
 case the youth, whether he liked it or not, was 
 immolated upon the altar of filial piety 3 an4 had 
 
MEDICAL MISSION WORK. 129 
 
 patiently to endure while a piece of flesh was cut out 
 of his left arm ; this was afterwards cooked into a 
 savoury meal, with accompaniments, and administered 
 to the patient as the infallible remedy. Either in 
 spite of the treatment, or in consequence thereof, the 
 unfortunate patient succumbed. Yet even now the 
 faith of the relatives was not disturbed ; the principle 
 was sound, therefore the instrument must be faulty ; 
 the lad was surely lacking in purity of motive — his 
 filial piety must be deficient. And so the poor boy 
 had not only his father's death and a bad arm to 
 grieve over, but was looked askance at by uncles and 
 cousins as a sad instance of filial disobedience ! 
 Truly he merited our sympathy." 
 
 At the time of which we write there was not in 
 Hankow or its neighbourhood any foreign medical 
 lady to treat diseases of women, and render to them, 
 in times of special need, that help without which 
 lives are so often sacrificed in China. 
 
 But the fame of Dr. Mackenzie had spread through 
 the city, and in cases of extreme need he was not 
 unfrequently summoned to attend women in their 
 own homes. 
 
 On not a few occasions he was the means of saving 
 life, if the invalid and her friends were willing that 
 she should submit to treatment ; but more commonly, 
 the Doctor writes, when the trouble has been taken to 
 hasten to such cases of emergency, the patient refuses 
 to accept the proffered help. In the majority of 
 instances the people expect a cure to be effected by 
 
 9 
 
130 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 examination of the tongue and pulse, and by the 
 swallowing of medicine, which they will take ad 
 libitum. 
 
 In one case in which relief could have been speedily 
 effected, after having sent for the Doctor in great haste, 
 the patient suddenly took fright and refused all assist- 
 ance ; she was seconded by her female attendants, and 
 the husband, though he was told that if nothing was 
 done for her it would cost his wife her life, helplessly 
 replied, " She won't have it, she is unwilling — I can't 
 persuade her ; " and one of the women remarked, " She 
 prefers to die." 
 
 This is only one among many instances of Chinese 
 regard for foreign medical skill, combined with marked 
 prejudice against active surgical interference on the 
 part of a medical man in attendance on native women. 
 
 It was during this year that the first general 
 Conference of missionaries was held in Shanghai. 
 Though himself unable to leave his work in Hankow 
 to attend these gatherings, Dr. Mackenzie was deeply 
 interested in them. 
 
 " My wife and I," he writes, "have been delighted 
 with the accounts from Mr. and Mrs. John of the 
 Conference doings, and were very glad to get Mr. 
 John's printed address." 
 
 This reference is to the very striking and helpful 
 discourse on " The Holy Spirit in Connection with our 
 Work," delivered at the opening of the Conference. 
 
 In his diary, at this time, the Doctor records several 
 cases of Christians who had stood firm under severe 
 
MEDICAL MISSION WORK. 131 
 
 persecution, and of others who had been enabled tc 
 resist temptation when it came to them in the form 
 of promises of an easier life if conscientious scruples 
 were silenced. 
 
 A boatman who was in the hospital last year, 
 suffering from a bad attack of sciatica, became a 
 believer in Jesus, and was baptized before his return 
 home. 
 
 " At that time a relative of his offered to take him 
 into his business— he was a seller of incense. This 
 would have saved him from an arduous life, but after 
 consulting with Mr. John he refused the offer on 
 religious grounds solely. He was beaten by his 
 former companions at his village home, but seems 
 to be a very earnest Christian. 
 
 " Two men came down recently from a place about 
 five miles from Hwang-ching-kow across the lake. 
 Both of # them had been badly beaten on account of 
 Christianity. The son was one mass of bruises — his 
 face literally black and blue, a wound on the scalp, 
 and one deep one on his leg. These were inflicted 
 with a pointed spear. Some desperate fellows had 
 attacked the family on account of their faith, and told 
 them they must be off with their foreign religion to 
 a foreign land. They had beaten the Christian's wife 
 and child, and his old father, over seventy years of age, 
 who was not yet baptized. The old man had been 
 getting gradually to believe in the Gospel, and now he 
 has had a beating on account of it, is anxiously asking 
 to be received into the Church. So much forpcrsccu- 
 
132 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 tion ; it will doubtless sift the Church, but will always 
 lead to its true prosperity." 
 
 Another case from Hwang-ching-kow was that of 
 a man who, at the time of the Doctor's visit to that 
 place, had seemed very proud, full of conceit, and 
 averse to foreigners. His wife became seriously ill, 
 and he then bethought himself of the foreign doctor, 
 and brought her into Hankow for medical treatment. 
 They had to remain in the hospital for several weeks ; 
 during which time they became much interested in 
 the gospel. Later on, the man brought down his old 
 mother, who was suffering from sciatica, for treatment, 
 an'd during this second visit was baptized upon a 
 profession of faith in Christ. 
 
 As an instance of Chinese generosity, Dr. Mackenzie 
 mentions the case of a paralytic beggar ; to explain 
 which it should be stated that in the management of 
 Mission Hospitals in China it has been found abso- 
 lutely necessary to limit the number of cases supported 
 out of the general funds. He was told that he could 
 not be taken in, as he had no money with which to 
 support himself while under treatment. The other 
 patients, however, hearing of the man's need, clubbed 
 together, and agreed to pay for his food while he 
 remained in the hospital. 
 
 Towards the end of the summer a serious explosion 
 occurred at a gunpowder magazine in the neighbour- 
 ing city of Wuchang, and Dr. Mackei de's assistance 
 was sought. The roof of the building had been partly 
 carried away by the force of the explosion. 
 
MEDICAL MISSION WORK. 133 
 
 " I was much struck by the inhumanity inherent in 
 the Chinese nature," he writes ; " the people stood 
 around, looking with utter indifference upon the 
 sufferers. They showed no willingness to help, and 
 expressed no sympathy ; would perform no disagree- 
 able office, or put themselves to any trouble." 
 
 Some of the sufferers, with terrible burns over face, 
 neck, and extremities, were removed to the Hankow 
 hospital, where their agonizing pain had to be relieved 
 by constant sedatives. 
 
 " I have been giving you incidents in connection 
 with the hospital, because I have no news. My life 
 is the same every day — regular work, which is very 
 enjoyable, but not abounding in incident or change. 
 I scarcely hear a single item of English news except 
 medical, so that you must not expect letters of deep 
 interest." 
 
 About the same time the Doctor was called in to 
 see a lad in Wuchang who had been bitten by a dog 
 supposed to be mad. The animal had injured five or 
 six persons beside. The child was bitten in the right 
 cheek and hand ; he died of hydrophobia some days 
 after. 
 
 Early in the year Dr. Mackenzie had written, in a 
 spirit of deep thankfulness, that all his native assistants 
 in the hospital were earnest workers for Christ. The 
 native preacher, he says, who has the special duty of 
 attending to the spiritual teaching of the patients, is 
 growing daily in suitability for the work. The others 
 also give valuable aid in the religious department, 
 
134 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 and even the coolie manifests great delight when 
 he sees patients show any interest in the gospel 
 message. 
 
 Later on he writes : " I constantly find Lieu, our 
 hospital cook, supporting the patients who are unable 
 to help themselves, out of his own pocket while they 
 are being treated in the hospital. He was formerly 
 a carpenter, and, before he became a Christian, a very 
 lawless evil liver and an opium smoker. Yet at his 
 conversion these sins, with every other, were just swept 
 away. He is continually bringing his old companions 
 as patients to the hospital, and will constantly pay 
 for their support if they are unable to do so, though 
 he is only a poor man himself." 
 
 Towards the end of this year two native Christians 
 died in the wards of the hospital, both, up to the last 
 moments of consciousness, witnessing a good confession, 
 and peacefully falling asleep in Jesus. 
 
 The first of these was a man of the name of Wang, 
 a cloth dealer in Hankow ; he had been a member of 
 the Church for about a year, and was a very consistent 
 Christian. " Once in a church meeting," writes the 
 Doctor, " he stated what a difference had come over his 
 home since he became a believer in Jesus. ' Before 
 this,' he said, • whenever I came home there was 
 quarrelling and unhappiness — no rest at all ; now 
 all is changed. My wife is happy and bright, and all 
 is comfort and peace.' " 
 
 He had been suffering from dysentery for two 
 months, and was in an extremely weak condition when 
 
MEDICAL MISSION WORK. 135 
 
 he applied for admission into the hospital. He im- 
 proved a little at first, but had a relapse afterwards, 
 and died suddenly. 
 
 When he was .dying, and unable to speak, our 
 hospital assistant, Lieu, spoke to him very tenderly 
 of his hope in Christ, and asked him if he still had 
 faith that Christ had saved him, and whether he had 
 peace in this knowledge. Wang was unable to answer, 
 but nodded his head in affirmation. Lieu also asked 
 him if he had any fear at all, when he shook his head 
 in the negative ; and so this Chinese Christian died 
 firm in faith and rest in his Saviour. 
 
 Another man of the name of Shun, who was also 
 in the hospital with dysentery, died shortly afterwards. 
 Whenever he was asked as to his state of mind he 
 always replied that his heart was at peace, trusting 
 in Jesus. He was told that life and death were in 
 God's hands when his recovery seemed unlikely. 
 " Yes," he replied, " and I only desire that God's 
 will shall be accomplished." The converts cared for 
 him most tenderly, and grieved much over his loss, 
 especially his own intimate friends, many of whom 
 he had been the means of bringing to Jesus, while 
 they looked up to him as a guide, and felt that his 
 consistent life was a helpful example for them. 
 
 In a home letter of this period Dr. Mackenzie 
 mentions an interesting and successful operation he 
 had performed on a young man belonging to a 
 wealthy family of tea-growers, living at a consider- 
 able distance from Hankow. While in the hospital 
 
136 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 the lad was visited by his old father and two other 
 relatives, who became much interested in the gospel, 
 and carried away to their far-off home a copy of the 
 Scriptures and several other Christian books. " These 
 wealthier men," the Doctor adds, " are very difficult to 
 reach, as they would not condescend to enter our 
 preaching chapels. May the Spirit of God move 
 those who have in any way come under instruction ! " 
 
 He mentions also the case of a man named Lieu- 
 ku-fang of Hwang-ching-kow, who had been in the 
 hospital, and was returning home cured. He had 
 been a Christian for some time, and used constantly 
 to speak of Jesus and His love to his fellow-patients. 
 One among them, an intelligent man, with some 
 knowledge of character, replied to Lieu's words by 
 remarking that the preaching about God was very 
 good, but he did not see how people could be 
 expected to believe in Jesus Christ. To this the 
 Christian Lieu replied that the doctrines of Confucius 
 taught of one true spirit, and spoke of the need of 
 righteousness in men's lives ; but no one knew any- 
 thing about this true spirit, or saw the righteousness 
 exemplified in real life. But Christianity taught that 
 Jesus manifested to us God our Father and Creator, 
 so that we might know Him ; that Jesus lived in this 
 world as our Example, and has sent the Holy Spirit 
 to move and work in our hearts, teaching us to do 
 God's will. 
 
 At about this time Dr. Mackenzie was called in to 
 a case of attempted suicide under specially distressing 
 
MEDICAL MISSION WORK. 137 
 
 circumstances. The patient was a lad of seventeen, 
 highly endowed with many natural gifts, and full of 
 life and energy. He belonged to a Christian family, 
 and had of late been the cause of much anxiety to his 
 friends by his association with men of bad character. 
 He became deeply involved in difficulties, and not 
 being of a strong constitution, a severe cold which he 
 took led to inflammation of the windpipe. Rendered 
 miserable by his past folly, and feeling wretched on 
 account of present suffering, he attempted to commit 
 suicide by swallowing opium. When the Doctor 
 arrived at his uncle's house, where he lived, in re- 
 sponse to an urgent summons, he found him perfectly 
 unconscious, breathing with extreme difficulty, and 
 the pulse very weak and feeble. To ease the difficult 
 breathing, which seems to have been the most serious 
 symptom, Dr. Mackenzie opened the windpipe, and 
 inserted a silver tube, giving immediate relief. The 
 lad remained in a state of unconsciousness for two 
 days, but eventually made a good recovery.. At any 
 rate for a time young Shun profited by his serious 
 illness, and a decided improvement in his mode of 
 life followed upon his restoration to health. He after- 
 wards, in token of gratitude, presented the Doctor 
 with a pair of scrolls, upon which was inscribed in 
 picturesque hieroglyphics the donor's indebtedness 
 " to the skilful hand which had brought him back 
 from the gates of death." 
 
 This case attracted much attention among the 
 Chinese, who had never seen or heard of this opera- 
 
138 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 tion before, and it gave them a higher idea than ever 
 of the wonders that could be wrought by foreign 
 surgical skill. Not long after, Dr. Mackenzie was 
 sent for in hot haste to attend a case of opium 
 poisoning, and he was urgently requested to be sure 
 and bring with him the tube for making two mouths ! 
 
 Writing to his mother in August 1877 the Doctor 
 says : — 
 
 " I have just finished reading the Life of Bishop 
 Patteson, the first Missionary Bishop to the Melane- 
 sians. What a noble life ! You should get the book 
 if you have not already read it ; Foster got it from 
 England, and sent it up to us. It is written by his 
 cousin Charlotte Yonge, a religious writer of some 
 note, and is free from the strong colouring which 
 makes so many religious lives one-sided and untrue. 
 The character of the man and of his work is put 
 before you in his letters, which always breathe such 
 a true Christian humility, and upon the testimony of 
 co-workers. The early life at Eton and Oxford is 
 devoid of interest for me, and made me think I should 
 not enjoy the book ; but once the missionary prospect 
 opens before him, all the many noble features of his 
 character come out into full play, and you see rising 
 up to your view one of the most unselfish heroes of 
 modern Christian days. Beautiful life, lived to the 
 glory of God ! 
 
 " I have just been attending a class which Mr. John 
 holds for the native assistants and others, to teach a 
 more complete knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. 
 
MEDICAL MISSION WORK. 139 
 
 To-day the subject was f Our Lord's teaching in 
 regard to prayer ; ' last week it was ' Our Lord's 
 example in regard to prayer.' These meetings are 
 very enjoyable ; we turn from passage to passage — in 
 fact, it is a Bible reading in Chinese. John puts 
 questions upon the points that come up, and the 
 members make remarks as they like, while keeping to 
 the point under discussion. I attended the class with 
 the object of enlarging my vocabulary, which is a very 
 small one, but I now enjoy the meeting for itself as 
 much as any one. I am as fond of hearing a sermon 
 in Chinese as in English, or even more so, though 
 now I have but few opportunities of listening to 
 English preaching. But to go back to the class, 
 John took advantage of the subject being on prayer, 
 to say a few practical things about the length of 
 prayers. 
 
 " You know that in all Christian churches all over 
 the world public prayer is made too much of a task. 
 A man prays for nearly a quarter of an hour, and in 
 that time goes nearly all over the world. Moody did 
 a great deal to alter this state of things amongst 
 many earnest men in England and America, but no 
 doubt it prevails still very largely, and, as a conse- 
 quence, it becomes a deadener to all real enjoyment 
 of prayer-meetings, and is probably a prominent 
 reason why so few prayer-meetings are a success. 
 We want in our meetings to have short, pointed 
 prayers, asking for what we are prepared to receive, 
 and so give opportunity to many to join in supplica- 
 
140 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 tion ; thus bringing about an interest on the part 
 of many, and utilizing this very valuable means of 
 grace." 
 
 In a letter written two months later the Doctor 
 says : — 
 
 " Since you heard last from us I have been on 
 a journey of a week to Hiau-kan, the scene of our 
 old troubles. On Friday last, at eight o'clock in the 
 morning, Mr. John and myself left the precincts of 
 Western civilization in a small boat, with two coolies 
 to carry our bedding, and two portmanteaus contain- 
 ing a few articles of clothing, books for sale, and food 
 to support life. We had found on previous visits to 
 Hiau-kan that once you leave the banks of a stream, 
 with towns within easy reach, and strike across country, 
 the food to be obtained is almost uneatable to us 
 foreigners, even though we are bent on roughing it. 
 We had therefore provided our own food. Millie had 
 cooked some corned beef very nicely, and what with 
 bread, butter, puddings, and cakes, we had a splendid 
 supply for a week's journey. What a joy it is to 
 have a dear wife to look after you ! Millie is a 
 splendid housekeeper, and makes the house and 
 surroundings look as pretty as any in the place. 
 
 "Well, with a fair wind we made rapid progress, 
 and reached our extreme point by water at 5 p.m. 
 the same day ; a journey, by the way, that sometimes 
 takes two days. As we were going to sleep in our 
 small boat, we avoided the landing-place, and anchored 
 opposite some open land, but were soon found out by 
 
MEDICAL MISSION WORK. 141 
 
 a large crowd, and Mr. John preached to them for a 
 short time until it was getting dusk. We then had 
 a meal, and settled ourselves for the night, spreading 
 our bedding at the bottom of the boat under a 
 bamboo cover, open to the air at one end. There 
 was just room to lie side by side, though it was a 
 close fit ! In the morning we landed at six o'clock 
 at the village called Peh-ching-tswei, not marked, 
 I am afraid, even on Keith Johnston's maps. We 
 paid our boatmen, our coolies shouldered our pack- 
 ages, and away we tramped across the open country, 
 enjoying the brisk morning air. 
 
 " The paths are all on the top of mud banks, which 
 serve to divide the fields, and at the same time afford 
 passage to travellers. There are no hedges, and the 
 fields in the distance look like one large common. 
 The paths being narrow, you are compelled to walk 
 single file, and so the Chinese can carry out their 
 favourite rule of elders always walking in front of 
 juniors. 
 
 " Getting on for nine o'clock we came to a pretty 
 spot on the top of a hill, the grave of a Han-lin, or 
 member of the Imperial Academy, the highest degree 
 to which a scholar attains by examination. There 
 are very few of them, and the honour is considered 
 very great. There is no extensive growth of wood in 
 these parts, though every hamlet has a few trees about 
 the houses to act as a shade in summer. 
 
 " This grave we chose as our camping-place for 
 breakfast. It was an oval place, marked out by trees ; 
 
142 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 a mound of earth was raised over the grave in the 
 centre of the open space, and in front a large stone 
 tablet recording the rank and doings of the great 
 man, whose birthplace was in one of the adjoining 
 villages. He had been Governor of Chihli Province, 
 a predecessor of the present Chinese statesman, Li 
 Hung Chang. 
 
 " Under the shade of the trees, for the sun was now 
 getting strong, we took our meal. The hot water 
 which we purchased from a neighbouring cottage 
 was our only drawback, for besides being thick with 
 mud, it was topped with a coating of grease. 
 
 " But when one has had a sharp walk before 
 breakfast he is not inclined to look too closely at his 
 refreshments, so we partook of it all with enjoyment. 
 Having again started, we commenced work, preaching 
 and selling books in the larger villages and small 
 market towns through which we passed. Towards 
 afternoon we reached our destination, the Wei-chia- 
 wan, or village of the Wei family. We found all the 
 converts well and happy. Of course we had no rest 
 till a late hour, from the people coming from other 
 villages to stare at us. So we sat on benches on the 
 village green, and talked to them till we were tired ; 
 but they took longer to weary of staring than we did 
 of speaking. Tell Alec if he wants to be the centre of 
 attraction— to see crowds of his fellow-creatures travel- 
 ling for miles to have the privilege of looking at and 
 being near him — he had better come out to China at 
 once as the simplest way to gain popularity. But I 
 
MEDICAL MISSION WORK. 143 
 
 am sadly afraid such popularity won't last long, for 
 after a few days' residence our star began to fade, and 
 we became ordinary mortals after all. 
 
 " But one has got first to learn not to mind being 
 stared at. I have got somewhat used to it now, and 
 can eat my meals in perfect comfort under the gaze 
 of many eyes. My only objection is when they come 
 so near as to trouble my olfactory organs. 
 
 " The day after our arrival at Wei's village was 
 Sunday, so in the morning we had service. It was 
 not so quiet as we could have wished, since it was 
 quite impossible to keep the curious crowd out of the 
 small room. Mr. John baptized six women and four 
 children, all relatives of the converts." 
 
 Many other villages were visited on the next day, 
 and in the evening, the Doctor mentions, a very help- 
 ful service was held for the Christians, when Mr. John 
 gave an address on the True Vine. Next day they 
 crossed the country to Wei-chia-wan, preaching all 
 along the way. " Here," writes the Doctor, " we found 
 a family of converts very bright and happy, the old 
 grandfather of seventy-three telling us that Jesus was 
 in his thoughts every moment, and that he was looking 
 forward to going to be with Him. Another family 
 was not so promising ; the head of the house had got 
 into a dispute about some land, and was cherishing a 
 very bitter spirit against all mankind. Another man 
 had long desired to be baptized, but he had been a 
 leader in the getting up of dragon and other proces- 
 sions, and felt it difficult to take the decisive step. 
 
144 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 Our arrival induced him to think more earnestly 
 about the hindrances to his public profession of faith 
 in Jesus. He was much moved, and confessed his 
 entire belief in Christ, bringing us, before we left, an 
 image of the Goddess of Mercy, which had been in his 
 family for many generations ; also the kitchen god, and 
 finally the ancestral tablets ; and he and his little son 
 were baptized before the villagers. Next morning we 
 had prayers at 5 a.m. with the Christians before 
 leaving. We had to walk all the way to Peh-ching- 
 tswei, as we could not get a boat nearer. 
 
 " We sent our servant on ahead to hire a boat, and 
 he got one for five hundred cash ; but when we 
 arrived the man in charge of the jetty, seeing that 
 we were foreigners, took away the boatman's oar, and 
 tried to hinder him from taking us for less than one 
 thousand cash, in order that he, the official, might get 
 five hundred of it for himself. However, we took 
 possession of the boat, and had our packages put on 
 board, and then asked the man in charge if he still 
 intended to stop the boat, as in that case we should 
 put the. responsibility of delaying us upon him. 
 Thereupon he let us go after paying one hundred 
 cash for jetty dues ; that is, twenty cash in the hun- 
 dred, which is what the natives themselves pay. 
 
 "These men in charge of wharves, and such-like 
 so-called respectable people, get their living by 
 'squeezing,' The so-called gentry in the country 
 live upon their wits, delighting in quarrels, that they 
 may gain thereby. When they have money they go 
 
MEDICAL MISSION WORK. 145 
 
 in for opium-smoking and gambling, and soon lose it 
 all. We saw an example of this in Wei's uncle, who 
 was once a rich man. He became an opium-smoker, 
 and is now keeping up an appearance of respectability, 
 though without a cash. He lives by borrowing cash, 
 rice, etc., which he never intends to repay. 
 
 " I find that the Chinese spend a large amount of 
 money in worshipping their ancestors ; more indeed 
 upon the dead than the living. When a child is ill, 
 or any calamity befalls the family, they enquire the 
 cause of the priests. They are generally told that 
 one of their ancestors is suffering some dreadful 
 punishment, and that it will require a large expendi- 
 ture to set him free. The state of feeling among the 
 people compels a man to give the money, however 
 much is demanded. Then sometimes in the middle 
 of the ceremony the priests will declare that still 
 something more must be done, or the suffering 
 deceased will go back again into torment. And so 
 they go on, till the priests have extracted all the 
 money they possibly can. 
 
 " We did not reach Hankow until after 1 1 o'clock 
 at night, for on our way we came to an obstruction, 
 which quite prevented our boat from going on. It 
 was a dam of mud and matting, placed right across 
 the stream by the fishermen, so that they might fix 
 their mats to it. We had to have a small portion of it 
 removed by our own men, sufficient to allow our boat 
 to pass through." 
 
 Shortly after his return from this journey, on 
 
 10 
 
146 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 October 30th, Dr. Mackenzie's heart was gladdened 
 by the birth of a little daughter. The child was 
 baptized by Mr. John at the usual Chinese Sunday 
 service, and was named Margaret Ethel. 
 
 The succeeding winter was an unusually severe one 
 in Hankow. Not only was the Han covered with 
 thick ice, but the great Yang-tse itself was frozen over 
 in parts, and one of the large river steamers had to 
 cut a channel for herself in order to reach Hankow. 
 
 Famine prevailed in the northern provinces of 
 China, and in Hankow there was also much 
 distress. 
 
 " One benevolent society alone," writes the Doctor, 
 " has given out as many as one hundred and forty 
 coffins to bury people found dead in our streets in 
 one day ; and there are many such institutions. 
 
 " In consequence of the unusually severe weather 
 some bad cases of frost bite came to the hospital. 
 One young girl of nineteen had lost her toes and the 
 adjacent skin, leaving the bones protruding ; so I 
 amputated her feet, leaving the heels behind, which 
 will give her as good walking power as most Chinese 
 women possess. 
 
 " I must tell you now of a fresh experience I have 
 had in Chinese life and customs. On the first day of 
 the Chinese New Year I went with Mr. Bryson to 
 see the ceremony of worshipping the Emperor in 
 Wuchang. This ceremony is gone through by the 
 Viceroy and other high officials, both civil and military, 
 who are holding office, Wuchang is the capital of the 
 
MEDICAL MISSION WORK. 147 
 
 Hupeh province ; so here you get a good opportunity 
 of witnessing this ceremony being carried out. 
 
 " We got up at four o'clock in the morning, and 
 started off for the Emperor's temple. During the 
 walk through the streets I was struck more than I 
 had ever been before by the wonderful hold idolatry 
 has upon the mass of the people. The night that 
 ushers in the New Year is spent by the Chinese in 
 worship. Every house is lit up, and crackers are 
 being let of! incessantly, making the night hideous as 
 you walk along the dark narrow streets. Through the 
 open doors we could see incense and candles burning 
 before the family god and ancestral tablet. The 
 worship of heaven and earth we had many oppor- 
 tunities of seeing. A man would come into the street 
 with a small wooden or clay stand, with five holes in 
 it ; in the three centre he places sticks of incense, and 
 in the outer ones candles. These being ignited, he 
 places the stand in the middle of the street before his 
 door. He then proceeds to set fire to some paper 
 money, which he throws burning into the air. A straw 
 mat is then brought out, and he kneels down upon it, 
 facing the incense and candles, and knocks his head 
 against the ground ; this he repeats about five times, 
 and then gets up. His sons, according to age, then 
 follow his example, and after letting off crackers they 
 go into the house. Within doors there is ancestral 
 worship and the worship of the family gods to be gone 
 through, and finally the children worship their parents 
 by prostrating themselves several times. On the 
 
148 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 previous day I had visited the Emperor's temple that 
 I might examine it by daylight, and so understand 
 the ceremony better. 
 
 " The temple is a good specimen of Chinese archi- 
 tecture, its exterior making a pretty picture. It is 
 approached through two large stone-paved courtyards, 
 guarded by huge prison-like doors. The inner court, 
 as you near the temple, has three stone platforms 
 rising one above the other. Once in the temple you 
 find a spacious, lofty building, occupied only by a dais 
 and large incense altar ; these are placed opposite the 
 great doors of entrance. The platform has three tiers, 
 ascended by steps, very rickety from age. On the 
 platform is a large arm-chair, or throne I suppose it 
 should be called, with a screen at the back. The 
 remainder of this large hall is perfectly empty. The 
 chair, screen, and dais are all in a terrible state of 
 dilapidation. The Chinese officials take care to spend 
 very little money upon repairs. 
 
 " On New Year's morning, before the dawn of day, 
 guided by our lantern, we made our way through the 
 chairs and retainers of the great men, assembled 
 around the temple, to one of the doors, where, hidden 
 by the darkness, we managed to enter. We had feared 
 we might possibly be stopped. Hastening through 
 the outer courtyard, we entered the inner one, and con- 
 gratulated ourselves upon safely getting through. We 
 were not long, however, before a small mandarin and 
 a soldier in attendance were sent to take charge of us, 
 and see that we did nothing outrageous. They fancy 
 
MEDICAL MISSION WORK. 149 
 
 we foreigners are a species of wild man, unguided 
 by the laws of propriety, and may at any moment do 
 something violent. The hall was increased in size by 
 having a mat roof stretching out in front, under which 
 depended a great number and variety of gaudy lanterns. 
 Soon there was a buzz through the crowd, cushions 
 were spread on the ground, and several officials took 
 their places. They were dressed in handsome satin 
 robes, having broad shoulder pieces worked in gold 
 lace, and wore red tasselled hats, surmounted by glass 
 buttons. The civil mandarins occupied one side, and 
 the military officials the other. In the front line, on 
 the east side or place of honour, stood the Viceroy* 
 Soon the act of obeisance began. A master of cere- 
 monies drawled out the word ' K'wei ' (' Kneel ') ; the 
 band struck up some music, and all fell upon their 
 knees. 'K'ou t'ou!' he cried, and every head was bent 
 low to the ground. The ' K'ou t'ou ' was repeated thrice, 
 and then at the word ' Chi ! ' (* Arise ! ') they slowly 
 resumed their erect attitude, and stood amid breathless 
 silence till the word ' K'wei ' was heard again ; and 
 the same profoundly submissive performance is gone 
 through a second and third time, making in all the 
 well-known three kneelings and nine bendings of the 
 head required of every one presented to the Emperor 
 of the Middle Kingdom. 
 
 " The clouds were just beginning to break in the 
 east when we left the temple and wended our way 
 home, with the morning star still shining out clear 
 above us." 
 
ISO JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 Later on he writes : " The cholera has broken out 
 in Hankow amongst the natives, and I am therefore 
 getting some experience of the symptoms of this 
 disease, so rarely seen in England, happily for us. 
 The first day my attention was drawn to it three men 
 were brought to me at the hospital, two of whom 
 died in the waiting-room." 
 
 As an instance of the strange cases sometimes met 
 with in the midst of dispensary work, Dr. Mackenzie 
 relates the following to his brother : — 
 
 " A man came to the hospital the other day from 
 the country in a very miserable-looking state. He 
 was bent down and breathing badly ; he had suffered 
 from asthma for some time, and was making great 
 complaint. We sent him away with his medicine, 
 and some stramonium leaves for smoking. Two days 
 after, he attended among the patients ; when his turn 
 came he grew much excited, and looked a different 
 man altogether. He began by exclaiming, ' Bless 
 God ! there is no doubt He is the true God, for those 
 leaves that I smoked have taken away my asthma. 
 I am not going to worship idols any more ; they are 
 no good, I shall henceforth worship your God.' He 
 continued in this strain for some time. Stramonium 
 acts like a charm in some forms of asthma, and it 
 had no doubt done so in this case. He was at the 
 hospital again to-day, repeating the same thing. 
 When he first came he seemed to have no mental 
 faculties at all, but upon questioning him to-day I 
 found he knew a good deal of the gospel. I am 
 
MEDICAL MISSION WORK. 151 
 
 inclined to think, however, that his smoking the 
 leaves has much to do with this sudden interest in 
 the gospel. 
 
 "We have been on a visit to the lakes for a few 
 days. I have been rather pulled down in health, and 
 felt I must get a change. The Wu Shen Miau doctor 
 and his wife accompanied us. We hired a boat with 
 two cabins, and as we were able to stand upright in 
 them, did very well. Our crew consisted of three 
 men and a woman. After sailing for a day and a 
 half, we came to scenery that was far beyond our 
 expectations. We had entered a broad expanse of 
 water, surrounded by hills covered with trees. At the 
 foot of several of these hills were beaches of sand, 
 stones, and shells, with large rocks interspersed about. 
 We could almost fancy ourselves at an English 
 watering-place, with the sea beating upon the beach. 
 
 " We spent the days in wandering about the hills 
 and beaches. Little Maggie enjoyed it finely. One 
 especial luxury, too, was to find the population here 
 very sparse — only a few cottages dotted about. So 
 we were able to wander for miles without crowds 
 following at our heels, even though there were ladies 
 with us. The trip did us all good, and we returned to 
 Hankow invigorated." 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 CHANGES— A NORTHERN HOME. 
 
Changes— Offers for Chung-king— Curious Case— Summer 
 Floods — Appointed to Tien-tsin — An Ice-bound Port — 
 Good-bye to Hankow — Parting Gifts and Good Wishes— 
 A Chinese Sinologue — A Mandarin's Family — The 
 Harbour of Chefoo — Taku Bar — A Reminiscence of the 
 Attack on the Forts — A Desert Land — First Impressions 
 of Tien-tsin — Improved Chinese Singing — Cart Travelling 
 in China — On the Way to the Capital — The Walls of 
 Peking — The Imperial City — The Manchu City — The 
 Temple of Heaven — The Lama Temple — Image of 
 Buddha — A Praying Machine — " As Old as the Moabite 
 Stone " — The Hill of Longevity — Ruins of the Summer 
 Palace — Chinese Sunday-schools — The International 
 Lesson Series. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 CHANGES— A NORTHERN HOME. 
 
 WE have seen how flourishing and full of promise 
 was the work to which the Lord had called 
 Dr. Mackenzie in Hankow, and how blessed were 
 its results, both physically and spiritually ; so that 
 to most eyes it seemed as if a future of happy and 
 successful labour lay before him in the field which 
 he had chosen. 
 
 But God's ways are not as our ways, and not 
 unfrequently we see a man's whole life entirely 
 altered by an apparently inexplicable train of 
 events. 
 
 Sometimes, even to the Lord's own children, when 
 such changes come it seems as if there had been 
 some mistake somewhere, as if the Master's will 
 must have been thwarted and His purposes over- 
 thrown. And this we are apt to feel more especially 
 when we can put our hands upon some special event, 
 some first link in a chain of circumstances, and say, 
 If that had not taken place this discipline would 
 never have come. 
 
 But surely we have allowed our eyes to grow dim 
 i55 
 
156 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 with the mists of earth when we fail to believe that 
 the loving hand of our Father is leading on through 
 all the sorrows and mysteries of life, overruling its 
 heaviest trials for His own far-reaching purposes, and 
 making all work up smoothly and well into the web 
 of His providence. Very frequently when changes 
 come we have to trust, believing simply that what we 
 know not now we shall know hereafter. Sometimes, 
 however, God's Fatherly heart allows His perplexed 
 children to see, even in this world, how He can " turn 
 life's sore riddle to our good." Not only does He 
 show us how character is strengthened and purified, 
 and the heart drawn into closer and brighter com- 
 munion with its Saviour through fiery trials, but 
 occasionally even lets us see how His plan of a 
 man's life is far nobler and higher than ours can 
 ever be ; how He casts down that He may build up 
 after a more enduring fashion, and makes even our 
 disappointments the stepping - stones to higher 
 service. 
 
 And so it was with Dr. Mackenzie, for about this 
 time circumstances arose, into which it is unadvisable 
 to enter, which made the Doctor slowly and unwill- 
 ingly, through painful experiences, come to the con- 
 clusion that it would be well for him to seek another 
 sphere of labour. These circumstances were of a 
 family rather than a personal nature ; and although 
 the serious failure of his beloved wife's health, which 
 shadowed all the later years of his otherwise bright 
 and successful career, had not as yet manifested 
 
CHANGES— A NORTHERN HOME. 157 
 
 itself, he could not but feel that on her account a 
 change of station was imperative. 
 
 Accordingly, he wrote as follows to the Directors 
 of the London Missionary Society : — 
 
 "I would respectfully ask you to relieve me of my 
 duties in Hankow, . . . and appoint me to a new 
 field of labour. I believe that while Medical Mis- 
 sions are eminently useful in every stage of the work 
 in China, they would be more than ever successful in 
 pioneering work ; first in gaining the confidence of a 
 strange people, and again in acquiring early personal 
 acquaintance. As the Directors have taken in hand 
 the opening of a mission station in Chung-king-fu, 
 and are seeking men for this field, I beg to offer 
 myself, after three years' study of the language, to 
 go at once and commence work there. I know well 
 what difficulties and privations would have to be 
 endured, while here we have a comfortable home and 
 many friends ; but both Mrs. Mackenzie and I are 
 prepared to face these difficulties." 
 
 Some months had necessarily to elapse before the 
 Doctor could receive from the Directors an answer 
 to his request to be transferred to another station. 
 Meanwhile, work in the hospital went on as usual, 
 and 1878 being a year of flood there was much sick- 
 ness in Hankow, and large crowds attended regularly 
 for relief at the dispensary. 
 
 On account of the great lack of surgical knowledge 
 in China, patients will often appear at the dispensary 
 who have been suffering great pain for years, who, 
 
158 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 had they come earlier, could easily have been re- 
 lieved. One case illustrating this fact occurs in Dr. 
 Mackenzie's diary at this time : — 
 
 " A man appeared among the out-patients to-day 
 with an abscess, which had opened in the palm of his 
 hand near the wrist. 
 
 " Upon examination a foreign body was found lying 
 close to the bones of the hand. This was cut down 
 upon and removed, and proved to be a piece of iron 
 curved and thin. The man explained its presence 
 there in the following way. Two years ago he was 
 cleaning out a small cannon, and some powder, having 
 been left in it, suddenly ignited, discharging this piece 
 of iron, which was most likely a piece of the gun itself 
 which had scaled off. It entered the inner side of the 
 hand, and passing under the tendons lodged there. 
 
 " The wound by which it had entered had healed, 
 and left a prominently marked cicatrix. An abscess 
 had gradually formed ; but although the man was in 
 great pain, nearly two years had elapsed before he 
 came to the hospital and had it removed." 
 
 During this summer the floods rose to an unusual 
 height ; the roads appeared like canals between the 
 houses, and all communication was carried on by 
 means of boats ; and the difference between the rise 
 and fall of the Yang-tse river, seven hundred miles 
 from its mouth, amounted this season to over fifty feet ! 
 
 Towards the end of the year Dr. Mackenzie 
 received a letter from the Directors of the London 
 Missionary Society appointing him to Tien-tsin. 
 
CHANGES— A NORTHERN HOME. 159 
 
 They felt unable to comply with his request to 
 allow him to proceed to Chung-king and open up 
 work in the province of Sze-chuen, because at that 
 time they did not consider the place safe as a resid- 
 ence for a married man. Soon after this the Doctor 
 received a very cordial invitation from the members 
 of the Peking Committee of the L. M. S. to come 
 and join them, and in addition a private letter from 
 the Rev. Jonathan Lees, the senior member of the 
 Tien-tsin Mission, warmly welcoming the prospect of 
 the additional strength which Dr. Mackenzie would 
 bring to the force of the Mission. 
 
 On December 23rd the Doctor wrote to the 
 Directors in London : — 
 
 " I thank you, gentlemen, for your resolution 
 giving me permission to transfer my services from 
 Hankow to Tien-tsin. 
 
 "The Secretary of the District Committee has 
 already communicated with the North China Com- 
 mittee, and a reply has just been received, in which 
 Mr. Lees, on behalf of the Peking Committee, most 
 kindly welcomes us to Tien-tsin. I gladly accept 
 this invitation, and will leave for the north at the 
 first opportunity. With the resolution passed by the 
 Board I am perfectly satisfied, and will do my best 
 in my new sphere to throw myself as actively into 
 work as I have done here." 
 
 But Tien-tsin, the port of the capital, is entirely 
 closed to trade during the winter season, being blocked 
 up with a solid wall of ice for three months of the 
 
160 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 year. It was necessary, therefore, for Dr. Mackenzie 
 to delay his departure from Hankow till the beginning 
 of March, by which time steamers would soon be 
 having Shanghai for the northern port. 
 
 During this winter, in the midst of his . active 
 labours, Dr. Mackenzie interested himself in the study 
 of Chinese history, especially with reference to the 
 rise and progress of Roman Catholicism in this great 
 land. The story of the earnest labours of the early 
 missionaries of the Romish Church seems to have had 
 a great attraction for him. 
 
 The last days of their sojourn in Central China 
 were spent by the Doctor, his wife, and little daughter 
 on the Wuchang side of the river. Dr. Mackenzie 
 had endeared himself so much, not only to the Chinese, 
 but to a large band of missionary friends, that the 
 parting could not help but be a sorrowful one ; yet 
 all believed that an unseen Hand was leading him 
 onward, although he was leaving a work which, under 
 his care, had been so greatly prospered, for a compara- 
 tively new and untried field of labour, as far as 
 foreign medical work was concerned. 
 
 It was in the midst of a heavy downpour of rain 
 that Dr. and Mrs. Mackenzie, with little Maggie, 
 crossed the broad Yang-tse for the last time to go 
 on board the Shanghai steamer, which lay anchored 
 at the Hankow bund. A large company of native 
 Christians, as well as many of their foreign friends, 
 had assembled, notwithstanding the incessant rain, to 
 see them on board and bid them Godspeed on their 
 
CHANGES— A NORTHERN HOME. 161 
 
 journey. The assistants from the hospital were there, 
 with farewell presents of scrolls, recording the Doctor's 
 virtues and their grief at losing him. " Our parting 
 was quite a trying one," he writes ; " one is much 
 drawn out towards these dear native brethren." 
 
 The steamer left Hankow at daybreak next morn- 
 ing, and in his diary Dr. Mackenzie gives some account 
 of their journey down the river. 
 
 " Bishop Schereschewsky is a fellow-traveller with 
 us. He has been visiting the American Episcopal 
 Mission in Wuchang after his return from Europe. 
 He has done a great work in China in translating 
 the Old Testament into Chinese. He is a great 
 Hebrew scholar. At breakfast he was telling us of 
 his visit up the Yang-tse eighteen years ago with 
 Blakiston's party. He considers the population of 
 China to have been very greatly exaggerated ; instead 
 of four hundred millions, he would say one hundred 
 and fifty millions. He would call all the different 
 dialects of China one language, excepting, perhaps, 
 that of Amoy. He speaks highly of Tien-tsin. 
 
 " We have, as another fellow-passenger, a mandarin, 
 who is a Salt Commissioner, with a retinue of twenty 
 servants. He has a wife with him, with two female 
 attendants. The wife is only No. 3, however ; she is a 
 pretty woman, decked out with jewellery. Like our- 
 selves, he is on his way to Tien-tsin. 
 
 " We arrived at Shanghai at mid-day on Friday, 6th 
 March. All the steamers for the north have already 
 started, and not a solitary one remains. However, the 
 
 1 1 
 
1 62 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 faster ones will be returning shortly, so that our 
 detention will not be long. We found Mr. Muirhead 
 and Mr. Taylor living together, both the ladies having 
 had to return to England on account of ill health. 
 Dr. Johnston received us with much kindness, and 
 invited a large party of friends to meet us. The 
 next evening was spent with Mr. Palmer of the Union 
 Church, and we took tiffin with Mr. Laisun. 
 
 " The Pau-tali steamer came in at noon, and was 
 advertised to leave the same night, and we took 
 passage on her, and I have been very busy getting all 
 our numerous packages on board. 
 
 " We had a most delightful voyage. The Pau-tah 
 has small passenger accommodation, but Captain 
 Patteson, by his great kindness, made the voyage 
 altogether enjoyable. We had sent back our amah 
 from Shanghai, so we had baby on our hands entirely ; 
 but the captain has children of his own, and loves 
 little ones, and he nursed and played with Maggie 
 finely, so that the little darling got quite to love him, 
 and sat by his side at table at each meal as sedately 
 as possible. It was fortunate we missed the first rush 
 of steamers, or else we should have had a terrible 
 time. The wind, it seems, was so high that the waves 
 were beating over the decks, and it was so cold that 
 the water froze immediately, and left the decks covered 
 with ice. They met large masses of ice in the Gulf, 
 and four of the steamers, coming in contact with them, 
 received such damage that they had to go into dock. 
 They were, moreover, detained eight days at Taku 
 
CHANGES-A NORTHERN HOME. 163 
 
 Bar, and finally had to cut their way through the 
 ice. Yet on this second trip not a piece of ice was to 
 be seen ; all was spring-like. 
 
 " The Pau-tah stayed at Chefoo for an hour, so I 
 went on shore, and saw Dr. Brereton's hospital, and 
 had a hurried view of the place itself. What a 
 magnificent harbour ! But the land side is locked in 
 by a chain of hills from much communication with 
 the interior. 
 
 " We reached Taku Bar on the morning of the I2th, 
 but had to wait for the evening tide before crossing. 
 We were anchored close to the scene of an accident 
 which had taken place a few days previously. An 
 old P. and O. ship, the Aden, used as a cargo hulk, had 
 been anchored there. While unloading into cargo 
 lighters the Chinese had carelessly taken goods from 
 the lower decks, while the upper decks were still 
 full ; the consequence was the Aden toppled over, and 
 fifty-one Chinese coolies were drowned. 
 
 " Taku, famous for its forts, and the scene of two 
 severe engagements with the Chinese, is situated at 
 the entrance of the Pei-ho, the river leading up to 
 Tien-tsin, and on to within a few miles of the capital. 
 Outside Taku is a bar of sand, and we had to shift 
 a good deal of our cargo into lighters before we could 
 cross over at high water. We passed the spot where 
 two English gunboats, having got too near the forts, 
 were riddled by the fire from them, and disabled 
 before they could retire. Our captain told us that 
 when one of the English gunboats aws lying thus at 
 
1 64 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 the mercy of the heavy fire from the Chinese forts, 
 and losing men in great numbers, an American 
 captain lying outside, unable to stand the sight any 
 longer, exclaiming, * Blood is thicker than water ! ' 
 steamed up to the disabled craft, and receiving the 
 fire of the fort upon herself, towed our boat out of 
 range. The walls of the two large forts guarding the 
 mouth of the river are only made of mud bricks, but 
 they are said to possess a good many Krupp guns. 
 The Pei~ho is a streamlet by the side of our old friend 
 the Yang-tse, only just permitting two steamers to 
 pass one another ; and its seven awkward bends before 
 reaching Tien-tsin make the distance by water very 
 long. 
 
 " How ugly the mud hovels on the banks look ! 
 Not that they are worse than those in Hankow, but so 
 much more prominent. Tien-tsin has much of the 
 desert about it in appearance — grey and sandy. Not 
 a blade of grass to be seen anywhere at this season ! 
 
 " The weather in Tien-tsin at the present time is very 
 delightful, bracing and vigour-giving. They evidently 
 get the heat much later here than on the Yang-tse, 
 and I hope and trust milder, for in Hankow it was 
 hot when we left in March. I had got to actually 
 dread the Hankow summers ; I think four in succession 
 were quite enough. The missionaries here all live 
 together outside the foreign concession ; the London 
 Mission compound is the nearest to the city. The 
 compound is extensive, with two Mission houses 
 facing the south, separated one from the other by a 
 
CHANGES— A NORTHERN HOME, 165 
 
 small building used as a college for the training of 
 native students. The houses are pretty much alike. 
 With ours we are perfectly satisfied, the accommo- 
 dation being both sufficient and comfortable. There 
 is a graveyard at the back of the Mission compound, 
 which is a decided drawback, and the smells coming 
 from the direction of the native city are very dis- 
 agreeable. 
 
 " We had a very warm reception from Mr. and Mrs. 
 Lees, with whom we are staying till settled ; they have 
 one little girl with them, the other children are at 
 home. Our little darling, whose photograph, I hope 
 was finally received, is now running about the house 
 bravely, and keeping in capital health." 
 
 In his diary the Doctor writes : — 
 
 " I walked into the city to the native service con- 
 ducted in the hospital chapel ; Mr. Lees preached, 
 the attendance was small. The singing in this 
 church is remarkably good ; I have heard nothing 
 in China to equal it. The tunes of Sankey and 
 Bliss are sung here as heartily and almost as well as 
 amongst foreigners, which is due chiefly to Mr. Lees 
 having a first-rate voice for leading singing. After- 
 noon service was held in the students' chapel. We 
 have Chinese prayers every morning at nine o'clock." 
 
 Shortly after Dr. Mackenzie's arrival in Tien-tsin 
 the annual meetings of the District Committee of 
 the London Missionary Society were held in Peking. 
 The Doctor gives the following account of his visit to 
 the capital : — 
 
1 66 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 " We started on our journey at 9 a.m., and it took 
 us two and a half days' cart travelling to reach Peking, 
 a distance of eighty miles. These carts are heavy, ugly, 
 wooden contrivances, so small that only one person 
 can conveniently sit or lie inside, for there is no seat 
 except the floor of the cart. If, therefore, two persons 
 travel together one has to sit on one shaft in front, 
 while the driver occupies the other. The cart wheels 
 are of great thickness, iron-bound, and very strongly 
 made ; an essential condition for travelling on these 
 bad roads. The axle-tree extends fully a foot on 
 each side beyond the cart, so that in meeting these 
 carts you have to be careful not to come in contact 
 with this protruding axle-tree. The interior of a cart 
 is about five and a half feet long by three and a half 
 feet broad, and the covered part is three and a half 
 feet high. Having no springs, and the road being 
 frightfully cut up with ruts, the jolting is simply 
 awful. We line the interior with our bedding and 
 pillows, thus making a soft cushion to lie upon ; but 
 to prevent your coming in contact with the sides of 
 the cart you have to seize hold of the structure of the 
 vehicle itselt to prevent incessant concussions. The 
 soil is impregnated with soda in such quantities that 
 it is a dusty, grey, soft substance, in dry weather easily 
 cut into ruts, and carried about by the wind. There- 
 fore, when a slight wind is blowing you are soon 
 completely covered with dust, which penetrates your 
 clothes and gets into your nostrils and throat. In 
 wet weather the roads are pretty nearly impassable ; 
 
CHANGES— A NORTHERN HOME. 167 
 
 you are ploughing through mud, and getting stuck 
 every few minutes. 
 
 " We slept on the way at native inns on brick beds 
 called kangs ; these kangs have flues running under 
 them. In the winter fires are lit, and the heated 
 smoke and air travel through these flues, and thus 
 heat it, giving you at least a warm bed to lie upon. 
 
 " In approaching the walls of Peking one sees an 
 immense and very strongly-built square tower at one 
 angle of the wall, pierced with numberless openings, 
 in which apparently cannon are placed, ready to open 
 upon any venturesome foe. The cannon, upon further 
 approach, prove to be merely painted boards. It is 
 said that when the allied troops neared Peking they 
 were in a great funk lest they should be cut to pieces 
 by these imaginary guns. 
 
 " The streets of Peking are exactly the reverse of 
 those in the south ; they are as wide as Old Market 
 Street in Bristol. The people pay a great deal of 
 attention to the frontage of the shops, the carving 
 and gilding being especially fine. Peking is divided 
 into three cities, each surrounded by its own walls 
 and gates. The Imperial city contains the palaces 
 of the Emperor, his wives, and household. None but 
 those in attendance, or belonging to the household, are 
 allowed to remain within the walls, and no strangers 
 are upon any pretext admitted within the gates. 
 
 "Then there is the Tartar, or Manchu city, in 
 which the Manchus reside. No Chinese are supposed 
 to reside in it, though of late years many have sue- 
 
1 68 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 ceeded in obtaining dwellings there. You know the 
 reigning dynasty is Manchu ; consequently all of this 
 race are privileged, and receive small pensions. They 
 have degenerated, as would naturally be expected, and 
 are now a lazy set of men. Had the Chinese much 
 political ambition they could easily, by combination, 
 throw off the Manchu yoke. 
 
 " Then there is lastly the Chinese city, in which 
 most of the trade is carried on. 
 
 " The whole week was pretty well taken up with 
 meetings twice a day. Saturday was free, however, so 
 we devoted it to seeing some of the sights of Peking. 
 
 " The Temple of Heaven, probably the sight of 
 China, occupied the morning, and was a great treat. 
 We got into the first enclosure over the wall ; this is 
 an immense park-like place, covered with grass and 
 wild flowers, and interspersed are groves of fine trees. 
 Within the third enclosure is the covered altar, with 
 its great dome, which is finely carved and painted. 
 
 " We were fortunate in gaining admission to the 
 1 hau-tien/ a building behind the covered altar con- 
 taining the tablet. This tablet is contained in a 
 richly-carved cabinet, the door of which being removed, 
 and curtains of silk drawn, revealed the inscription, 
 four characters in gold on a plain black ground, 
 ' Hwang Tien Shang-Ti ' (' The Supreme Being of 
 the Imperial Heavens '). No idol is to be seen in 
 any of the buildings in this temple. We saw the 
 slaughter-house, with its floor covered with hair, and 
 the porcelain kiln for burning the sacrifices. 
 
CHANGES-A NORTHERN HOME. 169 
 
 . " The same afternoon we visited the Lama Temple, 
 which is said to have 1,500 priests in residence. The 
 great Buddha here is ninety feet in height, a huge 
 gilded monster, thirty-six feet broad. A lotus plant 
 is growing out of its arm, and there are 10,000 small 
 images of Buddha in little niches round the gallery. 
 
 " We also saw the praying machine, in which the 
 classics revolve and prayers are gone through. At 
 the Confucian Temple we saw two drums, nearly 
 three thousand years old, covered with poetry in the 
 eld seal character. They belong to the Chan dynasty, 
 and are as old as the Moabite stone. 
 
 " We went also to the Wan Shen Shan, or Hill of 
 Longevity, covered with temples, pagodas, etc., in 
 ruins ; they were destroyed at the same time as the 
 Summer Palace by the British troops. The Summer 
 Palace, which we visited, is in a lamentable state of 
 ruin. Destruction has gone on with rapid strides 
 far beyond the mischief done by the foreign troops. 
 The Chinese, despite the protection of a high wall, 
 enter and pull down fine masses of marble and stone 
 for the sake of getting the pieces of iron which bind 
 these masses together." 
 
 Writing to a friend of different aspects of Mission 
 work in Peking the Doctor says : — 
 
 " At Peking there are several Sunday-schools, but 
 from what I could see they do not succeed in getting 
 the children of converts. Those who have boarding- 
 schools of course find it easy to take the children 
 in classes on the Sunday. One very capital idea, I 
 
170 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 think, is that in all the Missions the International 
 Sunday-school lessons are used after translation by 
 a committee ; they go through the regular series. 
 
 " We started in carts for Tung-chow on our return 
 journey on May 1st, at which place we took boats, 
 and left immediately for Tien-tsin. We reached home 
 at eleven o'clock at night on Saturday the 3rd, having 
 taken to carts again and made a forced march, in 
 order to be in by Sunday." 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 THE POWER OF PRAYER. 
 
An Unpromising Outlook — A Petition to the Viceroy — 
 Suspense — A Time of Waiting on God — Importance of 
 Studying the Language — The Chinese "Pilgrim's 
 Progress " — A Wonderful Answer to Prayer — "Why not 
 call in Foreign Doctors ? " — Prescribing under Difficulties 
 — A Good Recovery — A Lady Doctor — Foreign Medicine 
 becomes Popular — The City Moved — A Trial Operation — 
 A Temple Dispensary — Physician to the Viceroy — 
 "Unable to Compass the Work" — "Two Hundred 
 Patients a Day ! " — A New Hospital Needed — A Chinese 
 Subscription List — A Generous Patient — The Work 
 Increases — Overworked — Difficulties in Chinese Surgical 
 Cases — A Vaccine Establishment — Rumours of War — 
 Colonel Gordon's Visit — Conversations with Gordon— The 
 Viceroy's Opinion of Christianity — The Chinese in 
 California — Dr. Schofield — The New Hospital Opened. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 THE POWER OF PRAYER. 
 
 WHEN Dr. Mackenzie reached Tien-tsin the 
 prospect, from a Medical Mission point of 
 view, looked by no means bright. 
 
 In the year i860 the surgeons attached to the 
 British forces quartered in that city had conducted 
 an hospital for native practice, which was the means 
 of extensive usefulness. On the departure of the 
 troops, however, the institution which they had 
 originated was closed, and though several attempts 
 were made to supply its place, nothing was in reality 
 effected till the year 1869. 
 
 At that time Mr. Lees was enabled, by the kind 
 contributions of the Tien-tsin foreign community, to 
 rent a house in one of the principal thoroughfares 
 of the city, and engage a native dispenser from the 
 Peking hospital to take charge of it. 
 
 Much good work was done during the ten years 
 that elapsed before Dr. Mackenzie's arrival in Tien-tsin 
 Mr. Pai, the Chinese dispenser, was a Christian, and a 
 man who had gained considerable practical acquaint- 
 ance with disease and its treatment under Dr. Dudgeon 
 
 i73 
 
174 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 of Peking, prior to his taking charge of the Tien-tsin 
 hospital, and from time to time Dr. Frazer willingly 
 rendered valuable help. 
 
 But when Dr. Mackenzie reached this station he 
 found the institution destitute of funds for carrying 
 on its benevolent work. In a letter to a friend he 
 describes the state of things. 
 
 " Mr. Pai had no money to buy foreign drugs, and 
 was treating his patients pretty much after the native 
 fashion. In the January previous to our arrival Mr. 
 Lees had made a collection, the usual annual one 
 among the foreign residents in aid of the dispensary. 
 But the amount of contributions received failed to 
 pay off the outstanding debt up to the end of 1878, 
 leaving the expenses for 1879 and this balance from 
 1878 still unmet. Such was the state of things when 
 I arrived in March — no money and no foreign drugs. 
 At our Committee meeting held in Peking at the 
 end of April, a resolution was passed asking the 
 Directors to grant me money for drugs ; but this 
 supply could not reach me for at least five months. 
 What was I to do in the interval ? The first thing- 
 was to set to work at the language, and pass my third 
 examination ; this I did in May last. But though I 
 could help in the directly evangelistic work of the 
 Mission, I felt as if my vocation was neglected unless 
 I was engaged in some medical practice. We prayed 
 much about it — not ourselves alone, but Mr. Lees 
 and other brethren. It was a time of great spiritual 
 blessing to me personally ; I was brought to feel 
 
THE POWER OF PRAYER. 175 
 
 that there was no help in man, but that God would 
 open a way. 
 
 a In thinking over many plans, it was suggested, I 
 believe by my dear friend Mr. Lees, that we should 
 draw up a petition to the Viceroy, setting forth the 
 advantages of establishing an hospital for the benefit 
 of the Chinese, telling him what had been done else- 
 where in medical missionary enterprise, and soliciting 
 his aid. 
 
 " We hoped that by clearly showing him the terribly 
 neglected state of the city, with its numerous accidents 
 and prevalent sicknesses, we might move him, or 
 rather God might move him, and incline his heart 
 to help us with funds." 
 
 A memorial was drawn up in Chinese, and through 
 the courtesy of a consular friend, W. N. Pethick, Esq., 
 was presented directly to the Viceroy, with many 
 kindly words of support. 
 
 The Viceroy here referred to is His Excellency Li 
 Hung-Chang, the well-known ruler of the metropolitan 
 province, and one of the guardians of the young 
 Emperor while under age. 
 
 "It is he who negotiates treaties with foreign 
 powers," writes the Doctor ; " he orders ironclads 
 from England and Krupp's heavy guns from Germany. 
 He has almost despotic power in the enormous 
 region which he governs, and is looked upon as one 
 of the most astute and enlightened of Chinese states- 
 men, as he is the most powerful, and at the present 
 time is the hope of the party of progress." " 
 
176 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 The memorial was sent in to this statesman about 
 the middle of May, but was set aside with the brief 
 comment that the object was a very good one and 
 he would consider it. 
 
 On July 31st Dr. Mackenzie makes the following 
 entry in his diary : " The last two months have been 
 a time of great anxiety, expecting and hoping, but 
 getting no answer from the yamen. It has been a 
 great time of waiting upon God." 
 
 In a letter to a friend he says : " June passed away 
 and July came to a close, and yet not a word of reply 
 came from the Viceroy, until we began to think that 
 truly the matter had been shelved and we were to 
 hear nothing more about it. We were more than 
 ever thrown back upon God. I had meanwhile com- 
 menced to attend at the dispensary and dispense a 
 few foreign drugs, obtained at our own cost from 
 Shanghai ; but very few patients came. I never 
 had more than twenty in a day. Why I hardly 
 know, except the general belief of foreigners that 
 the Tien-tsin people are so anti-foreign." 
 
 This time of suspense was fruitful in another 
 direction. In July the Doctor writes : — 
 
 " During the last few months I have spent much 
 time in the study of the language ; although both 
 at Hankow and Tien-tsin mandarin is spoken, yet 
 the local differences of dialect are very considerable, 
 and the tones especially are upside down. These 
 difficulties, during the few months I have been 
 here, by constant reading with teachers I have, in 
 
THE POWER OF PRAYER. 177 
 
 a measure, overcome ; and, what is of even more 
 value, I have obtained a command of the language 
 which I never had before, small even as at present 
 it is. As a medical missionary in China can do 
 comparatively little without a knowledge of the 
 language, the extra time thus placed at my 
 disposal is invaluable. Since coming here I have 
 read through the ' Great Learning ' and the first 
 volume of the ( Analects of Confucius.' I am now 
 reading through, to correct the differences in the 
 tones, the ' Pilgrim's Progress,' as translated by 
 William Burns. It is a splendidly correct and very 
 simple translation into mandarin. How fresh and 
 bright this remarkable book is in its Chinese dress ! " 
 
 At last the weary time of waiting came to an end. 
 By another reference to what Tennyson calls " those ■ 
 fallen leaves that keep their green, the noble letters of 
 the dead," we find the Doctor thus gratefully relating 
 the story of how God, in His lovingkindness, answered, 
 in a wonderful and totally unexpected fashion, his 
 servants' continued prayers. 
 
 "It was August 1st, and the day of our weekly 
 prayer-meeting, when the missionaries and native 
 helpers meet for prayer and consultation. Our sub- 
 ject that morning was the words of our Lord, ' Ask, 
 and it SHALL be given you.' And again we pleaded 
 for an answer to the memorial, and that God would 
 remember our Medical Mission needs. While we were 
 praying the Lord was already answering. That same 
 morning a member of the English Legation, closeted 
 
 12. 
 
178 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 with the Viceroy, observed that he was very sad. On 
 asking the reason, the reply was, ' My wife is seriously 
 ill — dying ; the doctors have told me this morning she 
 cannot live.' ' Well,' said the Englishman, ' why don't 
 you get the help of the foreign doctors in Tien-tsin ? 
 they might be able to do something even yet.' At 
 first the Viceroy objected that it would be quite 
 impossible for a Chinese lady of rank to be attended 
 by a foreigner ; but by-and-bye his own good sense, 
 led by God's Spirit, triumphed, and he sent down 
 a courier to the foreign settlement for Dr. Irwin 
 and for me. It was just as our prayer-meeting was 
 breaking up that the courier arrived with his message. 
 Here was the answer to our prayers ! " 
 
 The doctors, accompanied by Mr. Pethick, rode up 
 at once to the yamen of the Viceroy. After an inter- 
 view with His Excellency, v/ho is deeply attached to 
 his wife, and in her serious illness had practically 
 suspended all public business, they were conducted 
 into the inner apartments, and there saw the sick 
 lady. This, to Western ideas, would be considered a 
 very natural and ordinary occurrence ; but according 
 to Chinese notions it was a very extraordinary 
 proceeding. 
 
 " Three years ago," writes Dr. Mackenzie, " while in 
 Hankow I was called in to attend a sick lady, the 
 wife of a merchant, but was not allowed to see her 
 face. A hole was made in a curtain, through which 
 her arm was protruded, that I might examine her 
 pulse and so diagnose the disease, In this case we 
 
THE POWER OF PRAYER. 179 
 
 two foreign doctors had free permission to examine 
 and question our patient, who was the wife of the 
 leading Viceroy of the Empire." 
 
 They found the lady very ill — in a most critical 
 condition, and at first do not seem to have been 
 hopeful of a successful issue. 
 
 It was necessary for Dr. Mackenzie to come down 
 to the settlement for medicines, and upon his return 
 home he found a number of Christian natives in his 
 colleague's study, earnestly talking over the wonderful 
 event of the day. " What chance was there of Lady 
 Li's recovery ? " was the eager enquiry from all ; but 
 the Doctor could give no very hopeful reply. " She is 
 very ill ; I fear there is not much hope/' he said, " but 
 you must just keep on praying." 
 
 He returned to his illustrious patient, and remained 
 in the yamen all night, to enable the Viceroy, whose 
 anxiety was now somewhat allayed, to get some 
 needed sleep. 
 
 "We were in close attendance, seeing our patient 
 twice a day for six days," writes the Doctor, " when, 
 by the mercy of God, the lady was, humanly speaking, 
 out of danger." 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie's colleague well remembers how, on 
 his return from the yamen, in reply to his interested 
 enquiries about the case, he replied, " Yes, she is re- 
 covering, she will do well now ; but it is the result of no 
 skill of mine, it is just God answering our prayers ! " 
 
 " It became necessary for the patient's complete 
 restoration to health," continues the Doctor, " to adopt 
 
180 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 a certain line of treatment, which, according to Chinese 
 etiquette, could only be carried out by a lady. We 
 therefore informed the Viceroy that at Peking (two 
 days' journey off) there was an American lady doctor 
 working in connection with the Methodist Episcopal 
 Mission, Miss Howard, M.D., and enquired if there 
 would be any objection to a foreign lady carrying out 
 our suggested treatment. 'None whatever!' was his 
 reply." 
 
 That day a special messenger was despatched to 
 invite Miss Dr. Howard to come to Tien-tsin, the 
 Viceroy, at the same time, sending his own steam 
 launch to convey her from Tung-chow. 
 
 Apartments within the Chinese palace were pre- 
 pared for her, and here, upon the lady's arrival, she 
 took up her abode, remaining in the yamen for a 
 month, and was able to render invaluable assistance 
 in the case. 
 
 "If you will try and realize the conditions of an 
 Eastern city," writes the Doctor, " you will quickly 
 understand that when a great potentate takes you by 
 the hand the land is all before you. 
 
 " So we found that in our daily visits to our noble 
 patient our steps were thronged with eager sup- 
 pliants, who, hearing that the Viceroy's wife was 
 undergoing medical treatment, sought for relief from 
 the same source. You know how a story often grows 
 as it spreads, and so this case of cure was being 
 magnified into a miracle of healing. 
 
 A Chinese official residence is composed of numer- 
 
THE POWER OF PRAYER. 181 
 
 ous quadrangles, one behind the other, with buildings 
 and gateways surrounding each. To reach the family 
 apartments we had to pass through these numerous 
 courts, and here we were beset with patients from the 
 crowds assembled outside the gates, and the friends of 
 the soldiers, door-keepers, secretaries and attendants 
 who had succeeded in gaining an entrance. The 
 poor also besieged us as we entered and left the 
 yamen. It was truly a strange gathering we found 
 daily collected round the outer gates — the halt, the 
 blind, and the deaf were all there waiting to be 
 healed ; indeed, the whole city seemed to be moved. 
 High officials sought introductions to us through 
 the Viceroy himself. 
 
 " We had many opportunities of conversation with 
 the Viceroy and other officials, whom we were daily 
 meeting at the yamen ; and I trust our conduct was 
 such as to give them a right impression with regard 
 to missionaries and their work ; for certainly, with 
 the exception of His Excellency, who is remarkable 
 among Chinese for his breadth of view and friendly 
 feeling towards foreigners, few seem to understand 
 the purpose and object of the missionary's life. 
 
 "One day Dr. Irwin and I proposed that the Viceroy 
 should himself see a surgical operation performed. 
 Upon his consenting, we turned the courtyard in 
 front of his audience chamber into an operating 
 theatre. It is a large open space, surrounded on three 
 sides by buildings, the central one being the grand 
 reception room, where ministers from foreign countries 
 
ifc JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 have their interviews with the Viceroy. On the 
 fourth side the wall is covered with creeping plants, 
 while ornamental shrubs in pots are placed about the 
 yard. Li Hung Chang stood looking on, and sur- 
 rounding him was a crowd of officials and attendants, 
 attracted by curiosity. His appearance is that of a 
 man born to rule ; he is six feet two inches in height, 
 with a truly commanding figure, and a calm, powerful 
 face. In the centre of the court was a table, upon 
 which lay our patient, with a large tumour, the size of 
 a child's head, growing from the back of his neck. 
 We administered chloroform and removed the tumour, 
 of course without the man feeling any pain during 
 the process. 
 
 " Two other cases were also operated upon, one 
 patient having a hare-lip, the other a malignant 
 tumour. All these cases did well ; wherein again we 
 see the hand of God helping us. The effect upon 
 the Viceroy and officials was marked. It was evi- 
 dent to them that crowds of people were waiting to 
 be healed, and that in Western medicine there were 
 possibilities quite beyond the reach of the Chinese 
 faculty. This led to the Viceroy placing a room 
 outside the gates of the yamen at my disposal for 
 dispensary work. Here I saw cases daily, but the 
 crowds became so great as to impede the business of 
 the yamen, and therefore His Excellency set apart an 
 entire quadrangle of the temple to Tseng Kwoh-fan, 
 one of the finest buildings in Tien-tsin, for dispensary 
 work, and, if necessary, for the reception of in-patients. 
 
THE POWER OF PRAYER. 183 
 
 " Shortly after the work had been started in the 
 temple, the Viceroy put up a tablet over the entrance, 
 with his three titles inscribed upon it, and beneath 
 them the words ' Free Hospital.' The Viceroy at the 
 same time handed me tls. 200 to purchase drugs for 
 immediate use, and gave me a commission, appointing 
 me, with Dr. Irwin, medical attendant upon his family 
 and yamen, and a separate authorization to establish 
 and superintend the free hospital at the temple. 
 
 " In thus giving me the use of his name and taking 
 upon himself the support of the work, His Excellency 
 knows I am a Christian missionary and will make 
 use of every opportunity for the furtherance of the 
 gospel. An evangelist of Mr. Lees' preaches regularly 
 to the assembled patients." 
 
 In another letter Dr. Mackenzie explains the 
 Viceroy's action in supplying him with money to 
 purchase drugs and instruments for the hospital ; and 
 with reference to his appointment as physician to the 
 household of His Excellency, and the question of 
 remuneration for his services, writes : " I requested 
 that if the Viceroy wished to make any return to me 
 he should do it by helping on my Medical Mission 
 work. I therefore receive no salary, but all the cost 
 of the medical work at the temple is borne by His 
 Excellency. 
 
 " From the commencement I have been unable to 
 compass the work, so many have applied for treat- 
 ment. Every help has been given me ; a handsome 
 pony and English saddlery, with ma-fu, have been 
 
1 84 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 provided, and a military official comes daily to conduct 
 me to and from the temple, or to the various yamens 
 of the city. 
 
 " Mr. Pethick has given great help in getting the 
 mass of work into some order. Every case is now 
 entered upon a separate sheet in a large day book. 
 The number of this page is given to each patient on 
 a ticket, and when he comes again he has to produce 
 it. One very striking feature about this dispensary 
 work is, that the old patients attend so regularly, and 
 from the number of applicants all slight cases are 
 excluded. Thus in a day I may only take on twelve 
 or fourteen new cases, but see over a hundred old 
 cases. As the days have shortened, I now attend at 
 the temple from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Saturday 
 last saw over two hundred cases ; yet many had to 
 go away unseen. 
 
 " All the helpers are untrained men. Mr. Pai was 
 too much of a native doctor with a private practice 
 to care to assume a subordinate position for a moderate 
 salary and no private practice, so he has left us, and 
 we have closed the old dispensary. It is much 
 better as it is, for I can train the present staff my 
 own way. 
 
 " The opening here for Medical Missions is so re- 
 markable, all classes and both sexes eagerly seeking 
 aid, that after Miss Dr. Howard's return to Peking 
 I wrote to the Committee, with her consent, urging 
 her transfer to Tien-tsin, to take up the splendid 
 opening for work amongst the women here. She has 
 
THE POWER OP PRAYER. 185 
 
 therefore come down to Tien-tsin with her Chinese 
 women, and commenced work, taking the female 
 department at the temple, the entire support of 
 which is borne by Lady Li. 
 
 " Though the temple has ample accommodation to 
 satisfy the most ambitious for in-patients, the dis- 
 tance, three miles from the Mission compound, made 
 it very awkward to leave severe cases, especially after 
 surgical operations, so far off. Had I been alone I 
 should have taken up my abode in the temple ; but 
 this was impossible, and would have been very un- 
 wise from a health standpoint, besides which it was 
 very desirable that the in-patients should be more 
 under the influence of Christian surroundings. 
 
 " But our Heavenly Father, who has thus wonder- 
 fully answered prayer in giving funds and an open 
 door to the people of Tien-tsin, can also give us a 
 permanent hospital." 
 
 We see, therefore, that up to this period the Medical 
 Mission work accomplished in Tien-tsin had been 
 largely confined to the outdoor department, and as 
 many as two hundred and fifty sick persons were 
 often congregated at one time in the large court of 
 the dispensary. 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie was feeling more and more that the 
 grand work to which he had been called was un- 
 satisfactory, from a medical point of view, for one 
 foreign physician, single-handed, with untrained native 
 assistants, to compass. Moreover, although a dis- 
 pensary gives large opportunities for relieving the 
 
1 86 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 sick, the prospects for doing lasting spiritual work 
 are not very hopeful. 
 
 '•' A gospel address is always delivered to the waiting 
 patients, but they are usually so fully occupied with 
 their own ailments and the novelty of being treated 
 by a foreign doctor, that they can spare little thought 
 for the glad news we so much desire to tell them." 
 
 It was not wonderful, therefore, that Dr. Mackenzie 
 earnestly desired to see a hospital erected, since it 
 would prove so powerful an aid to the evangelistic 
 work of the Mission, which always lay so near his 
 heart, and, moreover, was urgently required whenever 
 serious operations were performed. 
 
 It was decided to erect the hospital on a vacant 
 space of the London Mission compound. Plans were 
 drawn up by Mr. Lees and Dr. Mackenzie, and having 
 been submitted to some of his wealthier patients, he 
 found them very willing to give out of their abundance 
 for the relief of other sufferers. 
 
 " The patients have shown a readiness to help," he 
 writes ; " besides presenting tablets, etc., they have 
 now and again sent subscriptions. A general came 
 and lived at the hotel in the concession, in order that 
 I might attend him for dysentery. When he was well, 
 and called to thank me, I told him of our desire to 
 establish an hospital in our grounds for the reception 
 of severe cases that could not be left so far away at 
 the temple. He wanted to see the plans ; they were 
 examined, and when he next called he subscribed 
 tls. 500. 
 
THE POWER OF PRAYER. 187 
 
 " This general had been very bold in his defence of 
 Buddhism against Christianity during my visits to 
 him, and had uttered some bitter things against our 
 Saviour. I was surprised to find his acquaintance 
 with the Bible very considerable ; yet he was intensely 
 antagonistic. He had been in the Taiping rebellion, 
 and had become acquainted with a mongrel form, if 
 one dare to call it so, of Christianity ; and yet God 
 moved his heart to give thus liberally to aid our 
 plans. 
 
 " The Prefect of the city, also a patient, who had 
 established a native dispensary in Tien-tsin some 
 months ago, upon leaving, when promoted to the 
 provincial capital, closed the dispensary and handed 
 over the balance of its funds, tls. 300, to our new 
 hospital account. 
 
 " Another official, the Customs Taotai, when I called 
 and laid the matter before him, gave us a subscription 
 of tls. 1,000. 
 
 " The subject was mentioned to the Viceroy, who 
 approved of it, and handed me a letter authorizing 
 Mr. Pethick, U.S. Consul in Tien-tsin, and myself to 
 make a public subscription in aid of my work. • He 
 also offered himself to subscribe tls. 1,000 ; but as 
 the entire support of the dispensary work was borne 
 by His Excellency, we judged it best not to tax his 
 generosity too suddenly, but to wait the result of a 
 public appeal." 
 
 Before the above-named subscription list was issued, 
 however, through the sums contributed by grateful 
 
188 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 patients alone Dr. Mackenzie was able to prepare the 
 ground and complete one ward of the hospital. 
 
 " This hospital work," he writes, " gives remarkable 
 opportunities for circulating the gospel message 
 through the length and breadth of the land, for 
 already many of the cases have come from long 
 distances, and in every instance have returned with a 
 more or less clear knowledge of gospel truth. As 
 yet we are making the in-patients provide their own 
 food, but are compelled so many times to refuse 
 admission to needy cases, suitable subjects for opera- 
 tion or treatment, that I am hoping God will send us 
 sufficient funds to support a few free beds. To keep 
 a bed occupied all the year round here in China 
 would only cost a five-pound note, and yet be the 
 means of incalculable good to some eight or ten 
 crippled or diseased people, and open up to them 
 such an opportunity of religious teaching as* can be 
 obtained in no other way. 
 
 " I get numerous opportunities of introducing the 
 subject of Christianity to the highly-educated Chinese, 
 and find that when wisely approached they will listen 
 respectfully and with attention, though ever ready to 
 find parallel truth in the teachings of Confucius. 
 
 " The work now is only limited by one's strength 
 and capacity. May God give us strength in our 
 great weakness." 
 
 With hands and head constantly occupied with 
 congenial work, and seeing success crowning his 
 efforts on every side, it is scarcely to be wondered at 
 
THE POWER OF PRAYER. 189 
 
 that Dr. Mackenzie taxed his strength to the utmost, 
 till at last the strain became too great, and nature 
 took its revenge. 
 
 " I am so tired," is a remark that occurs more than 
 once in the letters written to his mother during the 
 latter months of this year, and the weariness cul- 
 minated at last in a serious attack of illness. 
 
 " Your warm-hearted New Year's letters came safely 
 to hand not many days after the period they were 
 intended for," he writes in a home letter. " They came 
 to brighten us just as I was recovering from a sudden 
 and sharp illness, and was lying prostrate from weak- 
 ness. It was just another but more severe attack of 
 my old enemy malaria, but complicated by slight 
 congestion of the brain. But God in His mercy would 
 not let it go too far, and I am, though still weak, I 
 trust a wiser and a better man. In such times of 
 affliction there is no comfort or consolation in any 
 other but in our Saviour Jesus. Though my life has 
 been so full of disobedience to that dear Saviour's 
 commands, yet as a sinner solely relying upon His 
 grace He never left me, and I felt His loving strong 
 arms protecting me, even when so seriously ill. I was 
 so happy, and had, oh, such perfect rest. Don't think 
 that I am trying to preach a sermon ; I cannot help 
 writing what I have. Who can comprehend the love 
 of God for sinful men ? It passeth a mother's love. 
 Everybody has been so good and kind to me it makes 
 me marvel, and I bless God for it. 
 
 " Mr. Pethick sat up three nights running. Dr. 
 
190 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 Irwin, besides being with me three times a day, took 
 what he could of the temple work, with Pethick 
 interpreting. To-day I have had a call from the 
 Governor of Tien-tsin, the Taotai. I treated him 
 formerly for an attack of bronchitis, and so he now 
 came to ask after me. Eastern dignitaries go about 
 in state, and the official retinue in this case extended 
 about a hundred yards up our compound." 
 On May nth, 1880, the Doctor writes : — 
 " The work continues to prosper through the bless- 
 ing of God. I have my hands full now in the hospital, 
 so I only go up four days in the week to the temple. 
 It is pleasant to see the buildings rising up about 
 us here, within sight of the window as I write. This 
 gives some good guarantee, were one needed, of the 
 permanence of the work. Not that the interest of the 
 Viceroy abates in the matter at all, but some people 
 ask, what would happen were the Viceroy to die or 
 leave Tien-tsin? Such contingencies do not trouble 
 me, as I believe it is God's work, not ours. We are 
 not trusting in the princes of this world, but in the 
 help of the King of kings, who has already started 
 this work, and He will not forsake it, I am sure. We 
 only want to use more our privilege of prayer, through 
 faith in Jesus. It is most marvellous to think that 
 God promises to hear and answer prayer when in the 
 name of Jesus. Especially is this manifest when we 
 are in felt need. Only within the last week the truth 
 of this came strongly home to me. A patient was 
 brought to the hospital in great progress ; he could 
 
THE POWER OF PRAYER. 191 
 
 hardly breathe, and was in an agony of pain. His 
 illness was of such a nature as to necessitate operation 
 as the only chance of recovery. On the evening after 
 operation the patient became almost pulseless. He 
 was besides in great pain, and his friends comforted 
 him by saying he was sure to die. After doing all 
 I could for him, I imitated the men who brought the 
 case of palsy to our Lord to be healed, and laid this 
 man's case before Jesus. He heard my prayers and 
 the prayers of dear Millie, and the next morning 
 there was a very great improvement in the man, 
 since which time he has been daily getting better. 
 
 " It would probably be difficult for a medical man in 
 England to comprehend my anxiety over such cases, 
 for you have to be in these circumstances to under- 
 stand them. At home in such serious cases consultants 
 are called in, and whatever operation is undertaken, 
 be the result what it may, it is accepted that the best 
 thing has been done for the patient. Here I am 
 alone ; Dr. Irwin would come if I sent for him, but 
 I do not like to be troubling him too frequently. 
 Then the Chinese, though they see a man is very ill, 
 don't realize that unless operated upon he must die. 
 If he should die after the operation, they would be 
 sure to spread abroad the news that our operation 
 had killed him, and so the work would be seriously 
 damaged from false reports. 
 
 " Since commencing this letter I have had an inter- 
 view with the Viceroy. He wants me to start a 
 vaccine establishment in connection with the temple 
 
192 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 work ; so I have agreed, and sent for a supply of 
 vaccine to Shanghai. I must teach some Chinese how 
 to operate, as I have no time to do it myself. I 
 vaccinated the Viceroy's little son, two years old, in 
 the yamen. I saw a young Chinaman to-day just 
 back from Germany, where he has been studying 
 military science ; a most promising young fellow, but 
 come back only to die, as he is in a most rapid con- 
 sumption, and cannot, humanly speaking, live more 
 than a few weeks." 
 
 Shortly after this Dr. Mackenzie writes : — 
 " It seems to me, with my experience of missions, 
 to be a very foolish thing that the Churches at home 
 who are interested in missionary work do not take 
 up more earnestly the subject of Medical Missions. 
 I believe they find a difficulty in getting men ; but if 
 they were to make a special point of it, they could 
 surely get more, and even, if necessary, they might 
 train men. In a land like China there should be a 
 medical missionary in every station, particularly for 
 pioneer work in the interior. I believe I could go 
 and settle anywhere, acting cautiously and wisely, and 
 be undisturbed by the people ; and so could any 
 medical missionary after some experience. And yet 
 they have a bare handful of qualified men in China in 
 the various Missions. 
 
 " My medical work comes so congenially to me with 
 my present hospital for in-patients. I have a splendid 
 field for surgical practice, and it is becoming more 
 and more a passion with me. I love my medical 
 
THE POWER OF PRAYER. 193 
 
 work for its own sake, and more so still when I know 
 it is paving the way for blessings yet in store for this 
 land." 
 
 In the summer of 1880 there seemed every prospect 
 that China would become involved in war with Russia. 
 Sir Thomas Wade was staying in Tien-tsin for several 
 weeks, and was holding frequent interviews with the 
 Viceroy. During the course of this visit Li Hung 
 Chang gave a banquet in foreign style, inviting six 
 foreign gentlemen and eight of the principal Chinese 
 officials to meet the British minister. Drs. Irwin 
 and Mackenzie, the Viceroy's medical advisers, were 
 included among the guests. 
 
 His Excellency seems to have spoken to Sir 
 Thomas in the most appreciative terms of the good 
 work Dr. Mackenzie was carrying on, under his 
 patronage, for the relief of the sick people of Tien- 
 tsin, and to have singled him out for special marks 
 of favour during the banquet. 
 
 " I felt thankful to the Viceroy, because I know he 
 was speaking according to his own judgment," he 
 writes to his brother. " No foreigners have biassed 
 him in my favour ; the fact that I am a Missionary 
 effectually precludes that." 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie was perhaps over-sensitive on this 
 point ; he seems to have taken it a little too much for 
 granted that the motives which led him to devote his 
 life to caring for the spiritual as well as the bodily 
 needs of the Chinese around him could not be appre- 
 ciated or understood by the majority of his fellow- 
 
 13 
 
194 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 countrymen in China. He thought, because he had 
 deliberately set aside all thought of accumulating 
 wealth for himself, there must necessarily be an 
 insinuation of inferiority tinging all their thoughts 
 of him. But whatever the opinion of foreign com- 
 munities in the East may be of missionaries generally, 
 it is certain that Dr. Mackenzie's professional skill 
 and noble character were held in the highest esti- 
 mation by all who knew him ; while with regard 
 to religion they viewed him in the light of an 
 enthusiast. 
 
 About this time there is a record in the Doctor's 
 diary of an interview he had with General, then 
 Colonel, Gordon, who was staying in Tien-tsin, having 
 come to North China at the request of his old 
 comrade-in-arms, Li Hung Chang, to discuss and 
 advise upon the difficulties in which China was then 
 involved. 
 
 " During his stay in Tien-tsin Colonel Gordon was 
 residing in ' our temple,' in the quarters set apart for 
 the guests of the Viceroy. It is very extensive, and 
 has splendid accommodation after Chinese style. 
 Gordon is truly a godly man, of the rare old Puritan 
 type. I was greatly delighted and instructed by 
 his genial conversation. He is a Christian soldier, 
 reminding one of Havelock, and a man of men. 
 He is looking strong and hearty, and has a very 
 pleasing face. Evidently, from his conversation, he 
 is a very earnest student of the Bible, which was 
 lying on the table at his side. He spoke of his own 
 
THE POWER OF PRAYER. 195 
 
 spiritual experience, of his faith that God would 
 not allow him to want, and therefore he felt that 
 he had no right to store up money or give any 
 anxious thought to the future. To strengthen my 
 faith, he informed me that when he left England 
 he gave to his brothers all his money, reserving only 
 £%0 for his journey. When he arrived in India he 
 had with him only £g sterling. When he resigned 
 his post as secretary to the Marquis of Ripon he had 
 only £1. He might have remained at his post for a 
 while, until he received a portion of his salary, which 
 would have tided him over ; but feeling it to be his 
 duty to resign he did so, and borrowed a few pounds 
 to meet incidental expenses. The day after came a 
 telegram from Peking, inviting him to come to China ; 
 and so the financial difficulty was removed. When 
 he reached Chefoo, in consequence of a letter he 
 received from Sir Robert Hart he thought of turning 
 back, and going again to Egypt. However, he finally 
 decided to come on and see the Viceroy, at any rate. 
 He preferred to sleep on board the steamer the first 
 night, after which he removed to the T'seng-kung-su, 
 so as not to implicate any one. 
 
 " He also received instructions from home telling 
 him that his ' leave ' was stopped, and that he must 
 return at once. He, however, determined to have an 
 interview with the Viceroy, at which he asked him 
 plainly, * Do you want me ? If you do, I will stay 
 with you. But are you, with your military officers, 
 prepared to effect changes ? If not, it is no use my 
 
196 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 staying. For any good to come of it you must do 
 the work yourselves, and I will help you.' Gordon 
 said he liked the Viceroy very much, and the Chinese 
 people generally, and he thought them very good- 
 hearted. He said, how little foreign merchants in 
 China seemed to know of the Chinese. With refer- 
 ence to the troubles which were the cause of his visit 
 to this country, he remarked that he had told the 
 Viceroy if he was really required he would stay, and 
 help them, if possible, to settle matters quietly. If, 
 however, war was forced upon them, he would fight 
 with them to the last ; all he required was a coffin 
 and a hole in the ground. As he was their servant, 
 he should expect to have his expenses met, but he 
 desired no other recompense. He had at once tele- 
 graphed home, resigning his commission. 
 
 " He said he had learned to say, with Paul, ' I am 
 the chief of sinners,' as an actual experience ; that in 
 himself he felt there was no particle of merit, not the 
 slightest thing that he could hold up as worthy of 
 praise. He did not attend church, except in England, 
 for example's sake, for he so rarely heard the gospel, 
 that is, ' Glad Tidings,' preached. He believed in 
 preaching by the life. Clergymen, he said, so often 
 preached, ' Do good, and you will go to heaven ; do 
 evil, and you will go to hell.' For himself, he preferred 
 living with the publicans rather than with the Phari- 
 sees. He was weary of this world, and longed for 
 death, which appeared to him to be a much-desired 
 event, leading to the Haven of Rest. He thinks the 
 
THE POWER OF PRAYER. 197 
 
 nobler life will begin in the next world, and is waiting 
 for it. 
 
 " While in Africa, in the Soudan, he was a perfect 
 sovereign. He had a box in front of his palace, with 
 a slit in it, and whoever had a grievance could drop 
 a petition into this box, which would be attended to 
 by himself. He spent all his income upon the people, 
 and brought nothing away with him. Since he has 
 been here the Viceroy has sent him presents and 
 money ; but he returned everything, except two boxes 
 of tea. He never had any doubts upon religious 
 subjects ; ' They were all cleared away now,' he re- 
 marked. He is such a bright, happy fellow, he makes 
 everybody love him who comes near him. I was 
 struck with one thing about him, and that was, that 
 religion had become a part of his life. Not that he 
 uses religious phrases ; I fancy he has an abomina- 
 tion of cant, or anything approaching to it ; but it is 
 natural to him to refer to spiritual things. You can't 
 help recognising the sort of man he is." 
 
 It is interesting to read of this interview between 
 these two men, both of them on terms of familiar 
 intercourse with the great Chinese Viceroy. The 
 inspiration of their lives was the same — a simple faith, 
 not only in the unseen and Eternal, but in a living 
 Saviour ; and it enabled them, as the graphic transla- 
 tion of the Lutheran Bible has it, to hold on to Him 
 they saw not, as though they saw Him. 
 
 It would be strange if the Viceroy, with such types 
 of Christian character as these before him, should not 
 
198 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 at times have exercised his mind over the faith which 
 influenced them. Dr. Mackenzie was often questioned 
 as to whether he saw any leaning towards Christianity 
 on the part of those in high places with whom he was 
 constantly associated ; and he was always careful to 
 explain that, even as in the Judea of old, it would be 
 indeed hard for the rich and powerful of this land to 
 receive the religion of Jesus. 
 
 With regard to the Viceroy's own feeling on the 
 subject of Christianity, it is well known that on one 
 occasion he expressed, in no measured terms, his 
 surprise that a people so cultured and intelligent as 
 those of the West should, as the very foundation of 
 their faith, give credence to a story so improbable as 
 that of the incarnation of our Lord. Similar legends 
 were prevalent in the East, he admitted, in connec- 
 tion with other religions ; but none but the common 
 people believed in them. To the end of Mackenzie's 
 life the Viceroy ever regarded him as a man of noble 
 character and high aims, but at the same time he 
 looked upon him as almost a fanatic with regard to 
 religion. 
 
 The Doctor always expressed in the highest terms 
 his admiration for His Excellency's kindness of heart, 
 remarkable administrative ability, and far-reaching 
 views in reference to the immediate and future neces- 
 sities of his country. 
 
 Writing to a friend in England, who had asked his 
 opinion with regard to the treatment of the Chinese 
 in the state of California, Mackenzie says : — 
 
THE POWER OF PRAYER. 199 
 
 " The Americans have sent a new minister and two 
 special commissioners to China to make a new treaty 
 with reference to emigration and the Californian 
 trouble. Well, they have finished their work, and 
 a few days ago, when the Viceroy was handing the 
 treaty already signed back to the commissioners (for 
 His Excellency is also Grand Secretary of State), he 
 said, ' This treaty has been drawn up in the spirit 
 of Christianity, and it reflects honour on both 
 nations.' " 
 
 " Tien-tsin has been upset of late with war rumours/' 
 he writes a few weeks later, " and our subscription 
 list for the hospital has been necessarily set aside ; 
 however, the building still goes on, and the roof will 
 shortly be finished. We are wanting about another 
 thousand taels to complete it. If we had matters 
 settled quietly this sum and more could be obtained 
 without much difficulty. In case war comes, I will 
 ask the balance from the Viceroy to complete the 
 building for the reception of wounded soldiers. I 
 have already promised him that in case of war I 
 would accompany him and the troops into action, 
 and do what I could for the wounded." 
 
 " W T e have had such nice guests staying with us, 
 on their way to the interior," he writes in a letter 
 dated November 13th. " Dr. and Mrs. Schofield are 
 great additions to the missionary body in China, and 
 make one realize that the spirit of self-sacrifice is as 
 strong now as ever it was. They have independent 
 means, and have come to China, at their own cost, in 
 
200 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 connection with the China Inland Mission. He is 
 a man who could hope for the highest position in 
 medicine in London—is an M.D. and M.A. of Oxford, 
 and has been on the staff of St Bartholomew's 
 Hospital. He has travelled very extensively in 
 America, Palestine, Greece, Turkey, and all the great 
 countries of Europe. He preaches in French, Ger- 
 man, and English, and although he has been in 
 China only three months, he already speaks better 
 than most men after a year. He has studied medi- 
 cine in London, Paris, Berlin, and Vienna, and served 
 as an ambulance surgeon in the Turkish war. Now, 
 with life opening before him, at the age of twenty- 
 nine, he has determined to devote himself to medical 
 missionary work in China. Most people would say 
 he was throwing himself away, and that all his fine 
 education was being wasted. But not so ; he could 
 not have a nobler sphere than to be engaged in the 
 fight to open China to the gospel. He is going into 
 Shan-se to Tai-yuen-fu, and as a medical missionary 
 will be an immense gain to them there. We greatly 
 enjoyed their visit of four days, for he is a splendid 
 fellow, so manly, and yet so humble a Christian." 
 
 It was on December 2nd, 1880, that the new 
 hospital, the funds for the building of which had been 
 entirely supplied from Chinese sources, was publicly 
 opened by His Excellency the Viceroy. The occasion 
 was one of such special interest that it elicited the 
 hearty co-operation of both Chinese and foreigners. 
 
 In the course of a detailed account of the opening 
 
THE POWER OF PRAYER. 201 
 
 festivities given by the North China Daily News, it 
 remarks : — 
 
 " The occasion deserves more than a passing notice. 
 It exhibits a new and important phase in the history 
 of Medical Missions in China. Hitherto the work of 
 these Missions in this country has been carried on 
 almost entirely by foreign aid, the occasional sub- 
 scriptions received from native sources having been 
 very small. Unique interest, therefore, attaches to 
 the work carried on by Dr. Mackenzie during the 
 past fifteen months, seeing that all the funds for its 
 support have been derived from native sources." 
 
 The hospital is built on the Taku Road, the 
 principal thoroughfare between the foreign settlement 
 with the shipping and the native city. 
 
 The Doctor gives the following description of the 
 building, which, as he always said, " God gave 
 to us " : — 
 
 " It is erected in the best style of Chinese architec- 
 ture, and has an extremely picturesque and attractive 
 appearance. The front building, standing in its own 
 courtyard, is ascended by broad stone steps, which 
 lead from the covered gateway to a verandah, with 
 massive wooden pillars running along its whole 
 length. A hall divides it into two portions. On the 
 right side and in front is a spacious dispensary, 
 which, thanks to the 'liberality of the Viceroy, is 
 wanting in nothing, rivalling any English dispensary 
 in the abundance and variety of the drugs, appliances, 
 etc. ; behind this is a roomy drug-store. On the left 
 
202 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 of the hall is a large waiting-room, with benches for 
 the convenience of the patients, and used on Sundays 
 and other days as a preaching hall. Behind, and 
 to one side, is the Chinese reception-room always 
 to be found in a native building. The rooms are very 
 lofty, without ceilings, leaving exposed the huge 
 painted beams, many times larger than foreigners 
 deem necessary, but the pride of the Chinese builder. 
 
 " Running off in two parallel wings at the back are 
 the surgery and wards, the latter able to accommo- 
 date thirty-six in-patients. The wards in the right 
 wing, four in number, are small, intended each to 
 receive only three patients ; here we can isolate 
 dangerous cases, and also receive persons, such as 
 officials and others, who require greater privacy. 
 The wards are all furnished with kangs instead of 
 beds, as is the custom in North China. These kangs 
 are built of bricks, with flues running underneath, so 
 that in winter they can be heated ; the bedding is 
 spread upon a mat over the warm bricks." 
 
 The opening ceremony is thus described : — 
 
 " The various rooms were gaily decorated ; the 
 place of honour was reserved for the Chinese Dragon, 
 but a large number of other national flags were also 
 used in draping the walls and ceilings. 
 
 " The waiting-room, where the ceremony was to take 
 place, was arranged as a Chinese grand reception- 
 room, the furniture being borrowed from the yamens 
 for the occasion, and the floors covered with camels' 
 hair carpets 
 
THE POWER OF PRAYER. 203 
 
 " Amongst the Chinese guests were the three 
 Taotais, the Prefect of the city, and numerous civil and 
 military mandarins. The English, German, Russian, 
 and American Consuls were also present. 
 
 " Upon the arrival of the Viceroy an illuminated 
 address in Chinese was presented to him. His 
 Excellency, in a few words, expressed his thanks, 
 adding that he was unworthy of so much praise. 
 
 " Speeches in Chinese were then delivered by the 
 British and Russian Consuls, and then Mr. Taotai 
 Man, the Chief Secretary, replied for the Viceroy in 
 French. After the speech-making was concluded, the 
 native assistants were introduced to the Viceroy, who, 
 after formally opening the building, commenced a 
 careful inspection. He examined many varieties of 
 drugs, inquiring into their properties, and wished to 
 know if we had any remedies in common with the 
 Chinese. He asked also if most of our medicinal 
 agents came from the organic or inorganic kingdoms ; 
 about the cost of foreign drugs, and other queries too 
 numerous to mention. But in the surgery the greatest 
 amount of interest was excited. The walls were hung 
 with anatomical and physiological charts ; on the 
 operating-table and shelves were spread the valuable 
 collection of surgical instruments belonging to the 
 hospital, with models of the human body and heart, 
 lent by the Tien-tsin civil doctors. Everything in this 
 department was new, even to such officials as the 
 Viceroy and Superintendent of Arsenals, to whom 
 the latest inventions in electricitv and mechanics are 
 
204 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 immediately sent. Although there is no railway in 
 China, the Viceroy has intelligently studied the steam- 
 engine from models, and is probably better acquainted 
 with its working than many well-informed foreigners. 
 
 " Questions without number as to the uses, action, 
 etc., of various instruments were put, and required all 
 one's readiness of mind to give answers that would be 
 easily comprehended. The size of the human brain 
 in relation to the body, as shown in the wax model, 
 drew special attention. After the wards had been 
 examined, the guests sat down to partake of refresh- 
 ments ; and it was evident, as each took his departure, 
 that the Chinese officials went away highly delighted 
 with their visit. 
 
 tC On the Sunday following the opening of the 
 hospital a thanksgiving meeting was held in the 
 hospital, attended by members of all the churches 
 in Tien-tsin. 
 
 " A number of missionary friends spoke in words of 
 praise and thanksgiving for what God had manifestly 
 wrought. He, of a truth, had heard and answered 
 prayer, and when the door seemed well-nigh closed, 
 had opened wide its portals. Much prayer was 
 offered up, that as God had already given so many 
 temporal blessings, and drawn the people so near us, 
 He would, in the days that are to come, pour down 
 richly of those spiritual blessings for which our hearts 
 are longing." 
 
 It was indeed evident to all that the prayers of 
 those early months had been answered in a most 
 
THE POWER OF PRAYER. 205 
 
 remarkable manner, for even in the minor needs of 
 the work there were so many of what the world calls 
 coincidences, but Christians the hand of God. Well 
 indeed might the Doctor say, in speaking of these 
 experiences : " I do indeed believe in prayer. I am 
 forced to believe in it, and to say, from practical ex- 
 perience, I am sure that God does hear and answer 
 prayer." 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 EVANGELISTIC LABOURS. 
 
Qualifications for Medical Mission Work — A Yamen Runner 
 brought to Christ — Enduring- Persecution — Dispensary 
 Scenes — In the Wards — Gift of Customs Taotai — The 
 Reserve Fund — Failure of Mrs. Mackenzie's Health — Her 
 Return to England — Chinese Appreciation of Surgery — 
 Breaking down Prejudice — A Chinese Lady Patient — A 
 Travelling Evangelist — Learning to Pray — An Applicant 
 for Baptism — Confucius — China of To-day — Viceroy's 
 Desire for Progress — No Middle Path in China. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 EVANGELISTIC LABOURS. 
 
 WE have seen that in less than two years after 
 Dr. Mackenzie's arrival in Tien-tsin he found 
 himself in possession of exceptional advantages for 
 the development of Medical Mission work. It seemed 
 as if the Lord had not only answered His servant's 
 long-continued and earnest prayers, but had given 
 him even more than he had dreamed of. Not only 
 had he a large and well-appointed hospital within the 
 Mission compound, the current expenses of which 
 were all defrayed by the Viceroy ; he had also, in the 
 heart of Tien-tsin city, close to the Viceroy's yamen, a 
 dispensary for out-patients. 
 
 But Dr. Mackenzie could never have been contented 
 with these great advantages if he had not had full 
 scope for his work as an evangelist. 
 
 " Let us not be satisfied," he wrote in after years, 
 "with mere crowds flocking to us for medical treat- 
 ment. We have a higher vocation to fulfil. Let us 
 wait expectingly for the touch of faith, and with the 
 Master may this alone satisfy our hearts. 
 
 " Our waiting-rooms may be full of patients, and all 
 2 °9 I 4 
 
210 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 our beds be occupied, and yet these men and women 
 will pass from under our care pretty much as they 
 came to us, so far as higher things are concerned, 
 unless we directly bestir ourselves for their spiritual 
 good. They seek us, it is true, but for their bodies 
 only ; if we would win their souls, we must seek them. 
 The command to us, as to all the disciples, is * Go ye,' 
 
 * Compel them to come in.' Deliver us from think- 
 ing that we are obeying this command when we 
 employ an evangelist, and say to him, ' You go and 
 preach to the patients, while I attend to their bodies.' 
 This is not being a Medical Missionary." 
 
 " After all," he writes to a medical friend in China, 
 " our great work lies in bringing home the love of 
 God to our patients. What a glorious thing it is to 
 be engaged in such a service ! Spiritual results can 
 never die, but must go on to eternity." 
 
 And in these the early days of the great prosperity 
 which had come to him in so wonderful a way, 
 Mackenzie's one thought seemed to be how he might 
 use every advantage for the glory of his Lord and 
 Master. 
 
 " While I am so frequently having conversations 
 with the Viceroy and Lady Li, I need to let them 
 see," he writes, " what true Christianity is like. May 
 God help me, by my conduct and actions, to exemplify 
 the teachings of Jesus. ' Whether believers in Jesus 
 Christ or not,' remarked the Viceroy on one occasion, 
 
 * we are all of one mind in wishing to aid in the heal- 
 ing of the sick,' " 
 
EVANGELISTIC LABOURS. 211 
 
 This was true ; but the bringing of sin-sick souls for 
 healing to the Great Physician was to Dr. Mackenzie 
 the great end of all his work. A letter which he 
 received about this time from his aged father, and 
 preserved with much care, shows how the home in- 
 fluences which had surrounded his earliest days 
 were of a nature to develop such a spirit of loving 
 consecration. 
 
 " May these bodily cures, which you are instru- 
 mental and privileged in accomplishing, shadow forth 
 the still greater cure of the diseases of sin which the 
 Great Physician alone can effect. You have indeed 
 great cause for thankfulness in the way in which the 
 Lord hath led you. What an argument for trusting 
 in Him more fully ! 
 
 " It is very gratifying to hear that you never enjoyed 
 better health ; still you must not overwork yourself, 
 but husband your strength. Your dear mother is 
 sending out to Millie a very precious book called 
 'John Whom Jesus Loved.' Spurgeon writes very 
 highly of it, as one of those books which a dozen 
 readings will only make more interesting. ■ The 
 Lord reigneth.' The whole succession of events is 
 part of the chain of Divine purposes. What if the 
 occurrences that are taking place now in Tien-tsin be 
 a link in that mighty chain of events that will in due 
 time bring about the salvation of China ! " 
 
 And God did not disappoint His servant's faith ; He 
 allowed him to see even here great spiritual blessing 
 as the result of his labours. 
 
JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 " One of the first patients in the new hospital," the 
 Doctor writes, " was baptized last week. He was a 
 sinner indeed, with whom no Pharisee would associate ; 
 but ' they that are whole need not a physician.' This 
 man realized his spiritual sickness, and with joy 
 received salvation. He was a subordinate in the 
 Prefect's yamen, named Chow, and got his living by 
 demanding blackmail from the keepers of houses of 
 ill fame. These houses exist against the law, but 
 as they bribe the underlings of the yamens their 
 existence is winked at. 
 
 " This man was a general bully and rascal. He came 
 to the hospital to undergo an operation for the cure 
 of caries of the ribs. Having no help at hand, I 
 operated without chloroform, and was struck with the 
 unusual fortitude of the man in bearing pain. He 
 saw the necessity for the operation, and submitted 
 without the slightest flinching. He had a good deal 
 of character, and during his stay of over two months 
 in the hospital he became acquainted with the doc- 
 trines of salvation. Side by side with his physical 
 improvement there was undoubtedly a moral change 
 going on within him, visible in the calm, straightfor- 
 ward look of his face. When he went out he had 
 come to the conclusion that he could not return to 
 his old post, although it was still kept open for him, 
 and was a money-making office. Then he tried hard 
 to get other employment, but having learnt no trade 
 this was not an easy matter. Moreover, he had money 
 out at usury, and he found, because he no longer 
 
EVANGELISTIC LABOURS. «3 
 
 bullied and browbeat, the people refused to pay him 
 either principal or interest. But he still held out, 
 attending the service regularly, and never asking our 
 help. Finally he has got employment which will 
 take him away from Tien-tsin, and so, at his earnest 
 request, he was baptized. I believe he is genuinely 
 sincere, for he has lost much and gained nothing, from 
 a worldly point of view." 
 
 Writing for friends at home, the Doctor gives them 
 the following graphic account of his daily work : — 
 
 " Let me take you in thought to our Chinese 
 hospital. Ascending a broad flight of stone steps to 
 the verandah, we pass into a lofty hall and enter the 
 waiting-room. Forms are ranged down the whole 
 length of it and at both sides. Texts of Scripture in 
 Chinese decorate the walls, while at one end of the 
 room stands a chair and table. 
 
 " The hour is nine o'clock, and the gong is sounding 
 for morning prayers. Already groups of men are 
 collected from the city and villages around, some 
 having their bedding by their side done up in bundles. 
 There is a man nearly blind ; his little son has led him 
 here this morning ; here sits a lame man, with his 
 crutches in his hand. That pale, hollow-cheeked, 
 feeble man has probably dysentery or phthisis. The 
 sallow, emaciated opium smoker is also there, and one 
 who is suffering from a horrible tumour has come 
 up for operation. As the gong beats the in-patients 
 who are sufficiently convalescent come trooping in ; 
 a strange spectacle indeed, with their bandages and 
 
214 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 dressings on. Here come the assistants, and now we 
 all take our seats. 
 
 "A hymn is given out — perhaps it is one from 
 Sankey's collection, then a portion of Scripture is 
 read, verse about. The subject is probably a Gospel 
 one, very likely a case of healing. It is explained, and 
 lessons are drawn from it ; the patients, who continue 
 to drop in, are generally very quiet and attentive. 
 The meeting closes at the end of half an hour with 
 prayer. Then the medical missionary crosses to the 
 dispensary, while the native evangelist continues to 
 talk to the patients as they wait for their turn. And 
 now the work of healing begins ; one by one the 
 patients come into the dispensary. This is a large 
 room, with two sides occupied with shelves and drawers 
 containing our stock-in-trade. In front is a counter, 
 at which the dispensers are at work putting up 
 medicines. At the table sits the writer, taking down 
 the particulars of each case, and making out the 
 tickets. On one side of the room is a row of chairs 
 and small square tables, a table, or tea-poy, being 
 placed between two chairs. 
 
 " Here comes a typical case, led by a friend — a man 
 suffering from eye disease. From the ineffectual 
 attempt he makes to see you his sight is evidently 
 very bad. You examine his inflamed eyes, and find 
 that to protect them from the glare and dust he is 
 constantly contracting his eyelids. The inflammation, 
 therefore, spreads to the lids, which become perma- 
 nently contracted. The rubbing of the turned-in lids 
 
EVANGELISTIC LABOURS. 215 
 
 and lashes upon the tender eyeball leads from bad 
 to worse, until, from neglect and ignorance, fatal 
 blindness often results. 
 
 " Happily, the case this morning is not of long 
 standing ; the patient is told that he must become an 
 in-patient, undergo a slight operation, and there is 
 every prospect of his sight being greatly improved, 
 and the probability of a complete cure. 
 
 " If the patient is a stranger, at the word operation 
 he will probably start back in dismay, exclaiming, 
 1 Cut ! No, never ! ' You quietly call to one of the 
 assistants to lead the patient, with his friend, to one 
 of the wards to rest awhile. There is sure to be a 
 similar case under treatment, and the testimony of 
 one of the man's own countrymen is of more weight 
 with him than any amount of arguing on our part. 
 By the time we are ready to operate he has pro- 
 bably made his appearance again, and is smilingly 
 consenting. 
 
 " But we must hurry on, or our morning's work 
 will not be finished. One by one the patients 
 follow each other ; the serious cases are urged to 
 remain, or are told frankly that we can do nothing 
 for them. The rest have wounds dressed, bandages 
 or splints applied, and medicines given to them. 
 
 " Here comes a man who rushes forward in eager . 
 salutation, dragging behind him a companion ; he 
 introduces himself as a former patient, and the friend 
 who accompanies him is willing to submit to any treat- 
 ment we may propose without demur, his fears having 
 
2*6 jOtiN KENkEtH MACKENZIE. 
 
 been entirely removed by his comrade's persuasions. 
 Here, carried in truly Oriental fashion upon his bed, 
 or in a basket, is a case of severe palsy, for which we 
 can do nothing but speak some kind word. Or it 
 may be a casualty — an accident case from one of 
 the arsenals or factories. But we have not finished. 
 Here comes an official's servant with a large red piece 
 of paper in his hand ; it is his master's visiting card, 
 and he informs us that the gentleman will soon be 
 here. Shortly he appears, probably accompanied 
 by a friend ; he is received at the door, and invited 
 into the reception room. If he is not very ill, I pro- 
 bably invite him into the dispensary to inspect our 
 work. In they come, and are seated with some 
 difficulty, for no one likes to take the upper seat, and 
 then the inevitable cup of tea is brought. Then their 
 servants must bring our official friends their pipes 
 to smoke as they watch us at work. As the patients 
 pass under review these gentlemen quickly discover 
 that they have friends suffering from the same com- 
 plaints. One is certain that a relative has a cough 
 exactly like that man's, and they will advise these 
 sick friends immediately to come down for treatment. 
 When our dispensary work is over, we proceed to 
 visit the wards. Look at that man sitting on his 
 brick bed, with his bedding still in a bundle, instead 
 of being comfortably spread out. He is a new comer, 
 and has not as yet quite got over his fears. By 
 to-morrow he will be as jolly as his bodily ailment 
 allows. By one bedside, as we enter, sits the native 
 
EVANGELISTIC LABOURS. 317 
 
 evangelist, with an open Bible upon his knee ; he has 
 been expounding the Scriptures. Portions of Gospels 
 and tracts are scattered about the wards, and as we 
 pass from- patient to patient, dressing wounds and 
 attending to the wants of all, we question them upon 
 the books by their side and exhort them to think 
 of the truths of Christianity, and thus have innumer- 
 able opportunities for individual dealing. 
 
 " I have written of the brick beds, or kangs, and 
 must explain that in the north of China (whatever 
 they do elsewhere) we have in our hospital no spring 
 mattresses, but brick platforms, pierced with a system 
 of flues for heating the beds in the winter. 
 
 " I make a rule never to take in hand a case of 
 surgical operation unless there is a very good pro- 
 bability of recovery. But the Chinese stand opera- 
 tions remarkably well, for I have removed a cancerous 
 tumour as large as my hand from a woman of fifty 
 years of age, and the next morning have found her, 
 against all orders, walking about the wards. 
 
 " And in these days, though God has not given to 
 His servants miraculous powers of healing, yet so 
 greatly has He enlightened us, that the man fully 
 instructed and doing his work in humble dependence 
 upon Divine help, will achieve such success that in 
 the eyes of the Chinese it appears to be well nigh 
 miraculous." 
 
 On Christmas Day, 1880, the Doctor writes to his 
 brother : — 
 
 " The Customs Taotai, for whom I had, during 
 
21 8 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 the year, done some work, such as examine patients 
 for whom he wanted a certificate and so on, sent 
 me $100 for my own expenses. This fee will go to 
 increase my reserve fund." 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie's ideas about this " reserve fund " are 
 thus described in a paper he drew up to interest the 
 Chinese in the new hospital. 
 
 " As the object of this free hospital is to aid the 
 poor, the rich are invited to subscribe, and to some 
 medicines are sold, the money being placed on 
 deposit as a reserve fund. It is our wish that this 
 fund increase so that the hospital may be carried on 
 as a permanent establishment ; and if this is so, there 
 are emergencies apt to arise, such as buildings requir- 
 ing repairs, accidents by fire, etc., which would need 
 to be provided against." 
 
 To this account all savings from the allowance of 
 the Viceroy were placed ; also all sums received as 
 gifts by the Doctor from grateful patients, fees that 
 came to him from consultations with other physicians 
 and the like, and it was nursed by careful investments 
 and economies. 
 
 The advisability, or otherwise, of making a charge 
 for attending patients coming to the Medical Mission 
 hospitals is a question that has frequently been dis- 
 cussed by missionary physicians. Dr. Mackenzie 
 gives his own views upon the subject in a letter to 
 Dr. Dugald Christie of Moukden. 
 
 " My own opinion," he says, " is certainly against 
 making charges for attendance or rooms in hospitals. I 
 
EVANGELISTIC LABOURS. lig 
 
 think it tends to hinder freedom in Christian work, and 
 to give people the idea of the Medical Mission being a 
 ' mai mai ' affair, out of which the foreigner is making 
 money, and this even though the charge be a small 
 one. Whereas, on the other hand, I rarely find any 
 difficulty in showing a well-to-do patient his duty in 
 subscribing to the hospital. They thoroughly under- 
 stand a subscription list made in Chinese fashion, 
 setting forth in the preface the desired object ; and 
 this I either place in the hands of a patient, or send 
 it to him at his home. There are blank spaces for 
 the names of subscribers. I think I once, a long time 
 ago, put up a notice in each ward, but it did not 
 work. An individual appeal has to be made, and 
 sometimes his duty in the matter very clearly pointed 
 out to a patient." 
 
 During the year 1880 there are several references 
 in Dr. Mackenzie's home letters to the failure of his 
 wife's health. " This climate seems to agree very 
 badly with her," he says. " She has never been so 
 robust as she was in England since coming north." 
 During the winter no improvement was apparent in 
 Mrs. Mackenzie's condition, and in February 1881 
 he wrote to the Foreign Secretary of the London 
 Missionary Society as follows : — 
 
 " It is my very painful duty to inform the Directors 
 that my wife's health, after long being in a precarious 
 condition, has at last so broken down that her medical 
 attendants have ordered her to leave the country at 
 once, and to return to her native land." 
 
22a John Kenneth Mackenzie'. 
 
 The Doctor accompanied his wife and child to 
 Shanghai, and saw them on board the Agamemnon, in 
 company with their old Hankow friends Mr. and Mrs. 
 Taylor, and then returned to his work in Tien-tsin. 
 This parting was naturally an extremely trying one, 
 but the feeling of loneliness was, however, kept in 
 check by constant occupation. About this time he 
 writes : — 
 
 " We have accommodation for thirty-five in-patients, 
 and we are nearly full. This means a great deal 
 more than the mere numbers imply. The hospital 
 cannot be made an asylum for the chronic sick ; we 
 could fill it over and over again in this way. But 
 I only admit cases that can be, in all probability, 
 cured or considerably relieved, and these chiefly sur- 
 gical cases requiring operations. For such there is 
 no help in China, excepting in Western surgery, and 
 I am aiming at making this a resort for all requiring 
 surgical operations. 
 
 " In Tien-tsin there are unusual facilities for help 
 during the winter. Sometimes gunboats of four 
 nationalities are in the river, each with its surgeon 
 on board, and they make our hospital a resort for 
 clinical and surgical work. Hardly a day passes but 
 some surgical operations are performed. It is in the 
 rapid recoveries and successful treatment of hopeless 
 surgical maladies that the Chinese see the triumph 
 of Western healing art. It is a glorious thing to see 
 our wards full of grave cases so generally doing 
 well. For considering the large number of major 
 
EVANGELISTIC LABOURS. 221 
 
 operations, the deaths have been ludicrously small 
 as compared with the tables of mortality from the 
 London hospitals. 
 
 " One reason is that the home-surgeon operates if 
 there is only the ghost of a chance ; whereas I reject 
 all hopeless cases, for we have an impression to make, 
 and can't afford to be reckless. But probably a more 
 important reason is, that the nourishing yet simple 
 diet of the Chinese enables them more effectually than 
 an European to resist the shock of an operation. 
 
 " Millie talks of my coming home ; but I feel more 
 and more convinced that I am in my right place, and 
 would not change my position very readily. By- 
 and-bye, however, if the work still grows, the London 
 Missionary Society will have to send out another man 
 to help me. There is something being done to break 
 down the prejudices of the influential classes. I will 
 give you an instance that has just happened. Last 
 year I was attending the city Taotai for a bad attack 
 of asthma ; the Viceroy had told him to send for me. 
 While at his house one day he asked me to give his 
 wife some medicine, as she was not well. She then 
 made her appearance for the first time, but she was so 
 timid and nervous that after just feeling her pulse she 
 vanished like a scared rabbit, evidently thinking that I 
 was a dreadfully strange creature, to whom it would be 
 safe to give a wide berth. I suppose she had heard a 
 lot of stories about foreign devils, as we are often called 
 among themselves. At any rate, I could only make 
 out that she had not much the matter with her ; but I 
 
222 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 sent her some sugar-coated tonic pills. The next 
 
 time I was in the yamen I asked after Mrs. S . 
 
 1 Oh, she was no better ! ' 'Had she taken the pills ? ' 
 ' Yes, but not all, as they tasted so nastily.' 
 
 " Well, I couldn't stand that, as I knew they were 
 tasteless pills, so I asked to see the box, and, behold, 
 not one had been taken. She had been afraid to 
 take them, but the people about couldn't in politeness 
 say so. Hence I make a rule never to go out to any 
 but very serious cases. Well, this month the official 
 had a return of his asthma, and getting no relief sent 
 for me, and I found him in a terrible condition ; 
 fortunately I could relieve him. Some days later his 
 wife had a bad attack of quinsey, and finding no 
 native remedy help her, I was again consulted. This 
 time she was too ill to run away, and thankfully 
 attended to my instruction. I saw her frequently, and 
 she daily improved. She now found that I was not 
 such an ogre after all. When I saw her the last time, 
 two days ago, she was quite well, and although her 
 husband was out she invited me in, showing how 
 entirely her dread was gone. She asked me a lot 
 of questions about railways and telegraphs, — how 
 quickly people could travel by railroad? when the 
 telegraph was finished, how long would it take to 
 send a message to her friends in Shanghai and 
 get an answer back ? At last she asked me very 
 innocently, ' Is it true that you foreign doctors take 
 people's eyes out and put them back again ? ' And 
 then answering herself, said, ' It is not true, is it ? ' 
 
EVANGELISTIC LABOURS, 223 
 
 This lady, between twenty and thirty years of age, is 
 the handsomest woman I have ever seen in China, and 
 when her fear had gone was a perfect lady, and very 
 intelligent. 
 
 " Now this lady will in future put all her friends 
 right about that strange creature, the foreign devil. 
 Probably none but medical missionaries, and those 
 only who have gained the confidence of this class, 
 can influence for good in such quarters. 
 
 " Now as old patients are leaving, they send up 
 others from the country, or from other towns. One 
 man named Li, who nine months ago entered the 
 hospital nearly blind, and left it with sight, restored, 
 arrived yesterday from his home, about forty li away, 
 bringing with him a man who had crushed his hand 
 between two junks. One half of the hand had to be 
 amputated. 
 
 " But to return to our friend Li. I have been 
 thinking, during the past week, of engaging an evan- 
 gelist to seek out the homes of old patients in the 
 country, and strive to follow up the teachings they 
 have received while in the hospital. The right man, 
 a trusty, reliable Tien-tsin Christian, having been 
 found, I have engaged him, and selected the village of 
 the man Li for his first visit. A letter of introduction 
 was written, and he was about to start, when who 
 should arrive but Li himself, with the accident case. 
 I found him delighted at the idea of the evangelist 
 visiting his home. Said he, ' I have been preaching 
 myself to my neighbours, and calling upon them to 
 
224 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 give up idolatry and worship the true God, and believe 
 in Jesus ; but my knowledge is limited, and I cannot 
 answer the questions they put to me.' I asked him 
 if he prayed to God. ' No,' he replied, ' I have not 
 the knowledge ; I can't make a prayer.' ' Is your 
 father alive ? ' I asked. * No,' was his reply. ' Well, 
 supposing he was, would you be able to converse with 
 him, to tell him your difficulties and to seek his help ? ' 
 ' Of course I should ! ' ' Well, then, remember that 
 God is your heavenly Father ; He does not want you 
 to " make a prayer." He wants you to seek His help ; 
 to reverentially converse with Him.' ' What ! ' said 
 he, ' can I go down on my knees and tell God that 
 I am a sinner, and ask Him to help me ; and can I 
 ask Him to supply my needs ? ' ' Yes,' said I, ' plead- 
 ing the name and merit of Christ, you can pray to 
 God for what you want' ' Oh, then I understand,' 
 he replied. ' I can pray now ! ' 
 
 "To-day, in company with the evangelist, Li left 
 Tien-tsin for home, taking tracts and Scriptures with 
 them ; I trust that the Lord will greatly bless this 
 effort. 
 
 " A man named Ku, at present in hospital, has 
 applied for baptism, and he appears very sincere, and 
 a humble believer. Twenty years ago he heard the 
 gospel in a chapel, and was greatly disturbed there- 
 with ; but when the massacre took place he ran away 
 to Pao-ting-fu, for fear he should get into trouble 
 from being interested in the gospel. A month ago 
 he consulted me at the temple dispensary for a 
 
E VANGELISTIC LAB URS. 225 
 
 surgical affection. I sent him into the hospital for 
 operation, and he has there learned, I trust, the truth 
 as it is in Jesus, and believed. Many others amongst 
 the in-patients are now seeking admission to the 
 Church, so that we have much to be thankful for. 
 
 " I believe the Viceroy to be thoroughly in earnest 
 for the improvement of his country, but what can one 
 man do against a host, even though the one man has 
 extreme power? He cannot, at his bidding, change 
 the institutions of his country ; and the whole system 
 of government, from top to bottom, is rotten to the 
 core. Nothing can save China but Christianity — a 
 heart religion in place of a hollow morality ; therefore 
 anything that tends to advance the cause of Christ in 
 this land is of supreme importance. Once let China 
 awake from her lethargy, moved by the Spirit of God, 
 purified and in her right mind, and she will become a 
 mighty power in the world. Her immense population, 
 now kept within bounds by repeated famines, floods, 
 and pestilences, under a new regime will grow and 
 spread upon the face of the earth. Her enormous 
 wealth will then be opened up, and the Chinese, 
 naturally patient, hardworking, and astute, must 
 become a mighty power. 
 
 " Meanwhile, each has his own work to do, and, I 
 trust, nay, I am quite sure, that here in Tien-tsin we 
 are doing something towards the opening up and 
 broadening out of the nation. I am daily meeting 
 with Chinese who have never known foreigners before, 
 and who will form their impressions, in a large 
 
 15 
 
226 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 measure, from such meetings. What queer notions 
 the best educated, according to Chinese ideas, have of 
 us foreigners ! By-and-bye they will get to under- 
 stand us. 
 
 " What a mystery is the Christian Church in the 
 world ! England owes everything that is pure, and 
 virtuous, and truthful, to Christianity ; and yet, outside 
 the missionary body in China, the number of foreign 
 residents who pay much respect to religion is so small 
 as hardly to compose a party. 
 
 " Indeed, it is plain, and nowhere plainer than in 
 China, that a man cannot keep himself. He must be 
 obedient to some spiritual rule ; either, in his helpless- 
 ness, he must flee into the arms of his Saviour for 
 daily protection and guidance, or he will be led captive 
 of the devil. There may be a middle state in England, 
 but there is none such possible here. What a merciful 
 Providence led me to China as a missionary ! " 
 
CHAPTER XT. 
 CHINESE MEDICAL SCHOOL. 
 
Establishment of Medical School — Chinese Students from 
 America — Examinations — A Chinese Debating Society — 
 "Seven Years in China" — Visit of Corean Prince — 
 Family Trials — Return to England — Deputation Work — 
 Impressions made by Personal Character — Tour on 
 Continent — Returns Alone to China — "Nevertheless 
 Afterward" — A Great Earthquake — Riots in Canton — 
 Additions to Medical School — Dr. Schoiield's Death — 
 History of Trust Deed. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 CHINESE MEDICAL SCHOOL. 
 
 DR. MACKENZIE'S hands seemed to be already 
 so filled with all-engrossing labour in his unre- 
 mitting care for the spiritual as well as the bodily needs 
 of his patients, that to most minds it would have seemed 
 almost an impossibility for him to attempt to carry 
 on any additional form of work. And yet when the 
 call of duty came to him, and he saw an open door 
 leading to a sphere, as yet almost untouched by 
 medical missionary effort, the Doctor gladly pressed 
 forward to undertake the work, even though he knew 
 how much of arduous labour it involved. 
 
 In a letter to the Foreign Secretary of the London 
 Missionary Society, Mackenzie thus describes the 
 new branch of service which he had undertaken. 
 
 " One interesting feature worthy of special remark 
 has been the establishment of a small medical school 
 during the past year. You will no doubt be aware 
 that the Chinese government, about ten years ago, 
 at the instigation of a few of their enlightened men, 
 opened an educational mission in America. They 
 selected from respectable families, chiefly in Canton 
 and Shanghai, lads from ten to twelve years of age, 
 
 229 
 
230 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 and, under the supervision of Mr. Yung Wing, placed 
 them in the best schools of America. The senior 
 students had all passed through the elementary schools, 
 and had spent two years in college, when last year 
 the mandate went forth from Peking recalling the 
 whole mission. 
 
 "This sudden action was due to certain reports 
 having reached the Peking Foreign Office, to the 
 effect that the students were throwing aside the 
 manners and customs of their forefathers, and, in some 
 cases, it was even feared were adopting not only foreign 
 ideas, but also foreign religions. When I heard of 
 their contemplated return I drew up a memorial, 
 requesting the Viceroy to place eight of these students 
 under my charge for the study of medicine and 
 surgery, with a view to their being utilized eventually 
 as medical officers by the Government. 
 
 This proposition was agreed to, and upon the arrival 
 of the students in Tien-tsin eight of them were accord- 
 ingly handed over to my charge. 
 
 " Being wholly under Christian influence, it is our 
 earnest prayer that they may leave our hands en- 
 lightened spiritually as well as medically. 
 
 " Of course the establishment of this school, although 
 so small at present, necessarily greatly increases my 
 work ; but I felt that the opportunity was one that 
 should not be missed We want to reach the educated 
 classes of this land, and it is one way of doing so." 
 
 Speaking of the desirability of commencing this 
 medical school, the Doctor says : — 
 
CHINESE MEDICAL SCHOOL. 231 
 
 " Of course it is beyond question that until the 
 Chinese Government is prepared to establish a fully 
 equipped medical college, with a complete staff of 
 teachers, it would be better policy for them to send 
 a batch of students to some European or American 
 medical school for training. But it was evident that 
 even our enlightened Viceroy was not prepared for 
 such a step as this, and we therefore proposed a 
 scheme likely to be sanctioned, rather than one that 
 would inevitably have been shelved." 
 
 A few days after, the Doctor writes : — 
 
 " The scheme has been accepted. So the first 
 Government medical school in China will now be 
 started, in a small way at first ; yet it is a beginning. 
 I shall have my hands full, however ; it is thought 
 enough at home to lecture upon one subject, such as 
 physiology ; but I shall have to teach subjects all 
 round. Yet there was no withdrawing from the re- 
 sponsibility, unless I was prepared to see things going 
 on as they are, when I had it in my power to start a 
 change in the right direction. In fact, I rather enjoy 
 the idea of being compelled to tackle the subject, for 
 I know that in teaching others I shall be best taught 
 myself ; probably by next year the way will be open 
 to enlarge the scheme, and get help from home ; but 
 time will tell." 
 
 Writing some years after, Dr. Mackenzie thus 
 describes this medical school, and the progress it 
 had made : — 
 
 "The school was inaugurated on December 15th, 
 
232 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 1 88 1, under the Chinese title of the ' I-hsuch-kwan.' 
 The students, having been brought up in cultured 
 American homes and schools, had all received a good 
 English education, and were trained to study. 
 
 " The teaching is conducted much as general school 
 work is done at home. Each pupil, having his own 
 class books, prepares a given amount, and is examined 
 in it daily, while his instructor explains and illustrates 
 the text. For the first set of students the teaching 
 was mainly in my hands, though for a period of eight 
 months Dr. Atterbury of Peking had the entire charge 
 and instruction of them, he having in the most generous 
 way given his services in a time of great need. And 
 well nigh without an exception, most of the medical 
 officers belonging to the American and English navies 
 resident in the port of Tien-tsin during the winter 
 months, have rendered valuable help in the training 
 of the pupils. Examinations have been held three 
 times a year, in the presence of H. E. the Customs 
 Taotai, and an English-speaking official appointed by 
 the Viceroy, and conducted by independent medical 
 men, both orally and by written papers. At the 
 examinations, especially the important ones consti- 
 tuting the ' Primary ' and ' Pass,' the former held at 
 the completion of eighteen months of almost con- 
 tinuous study, and the latter at the end of the curri- 
 culum, the school has been indebted to Drs. Frazer 
 and Irwin, whose ready sympathy and kindly help on 
 so many occasions I cannot too gratefully acknow- 
 ledge. These gentlemen, together with the naval 
 
CHINESE MEDICAL SCHOOL. 233 
 
 officers above mentioned, and any medical missionaries 
 staying for the time being in Tien-tsin, have constituted 
 the Board of Examiners. The certificates given at the 
 primary examination of the first class were signed by, 
 Andrew Irwin, Customs Medical Officer, Tien-tsin ; 
 Arthur G. Cabell, P.A., Surgeon U. S. Navy ; Thomas 
 Edward H. Williams, Surgeon Royal Navy, as ex- 
 aminers ; and by John Kenneth Mackenzie, Medical 
 Officer, Viceroy's Hospital, as tutor." 
 
 " I do not value this branch of work so much from 
 the medical side," the Doctor writes to a friend in 
 England. " If it merely meant training surgeons for 
 the Chinese Government I would give it up. I value it 
 as a rare means of influencing these educated young 
 men from a Christian standpoint. My hands are left 
 perfectly free by the Viceroy, and the young men are 
 entirely under my charge." 
 
 Later on he writes : — 
 
 " The work is very interesting and instructive to 
 myself. We have a Debating Society every Saturday 
 evening, when we take up a variety of topics for 
 discussion. ' Which was the greater man, Caesar or 
 Napoleon ? ' was the subject of one debate. The 
 meeting decided in favour of Caesar. On another 
 occasion, whether Paul was greater than Moses was 
 discussed, and the larger number of votes was given 
 to Moses. On Sunday a very successful class of 
 students meets in my house to discuss, or rather to 
 search, the Scriptures. They have certainly a clear 
 knowledge of the gospel, and in the case of two zX 
 
234 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 least we feel assured a spiritual change has come 
 about. 
 
 " While I enjoy the work among the students, and 
 feel that it is a field we can so seldom enter upon 
 in China, namely, getting into close contact with the 
 highly educated, and thus influencing them, as I trust 
 God is enabling us to do, in some measure, in every 
 case, yet it sorely taxes my time. Anatomy, physio- 
 logy, medicine, surgery, besides the allied branches, to 
 be all taught by one individual means incessant study 
 for oneself. Of course I am getting repaid again and 
 again in clearer knowledge, and in the rich pleasure 
 which is derived from work of almost any kind if 
 useful." 
 
 It will be seen that the life Dr. Mackenzie was 
 living was indeed a busy one. Not only had he the 
 sole care of the hospital, constantly filled with patients, 
 resting upon him, and the after-strain of watching 
 over numberless cases where serious operations had 
 been performed ; he was also, as some one has said, 
 " a whole medical faculty in himself," having the 
 entire care of training the medical students ; and it 
 was also his joy and delight to occupy his spare 
 moments with the evangelistic work which ever lay 
 so near his heart. He was at the same time in robust 
 health, and his heart was gladdened with the news 
 that his wife was restored to health again, and that 
 she, with their little daughter, was hoping to join him 
 in the autumn. 
 
 "I was never better than I am at present," he 
 
CHINESE MEDICAL SCHOOL. 235 
 
 writes; " I attribute it largely to early rising and taking 
 active exercise on horseback. This is my only re- 
 creation, and I come back feeling fit for any amount 
 of work. One of our prominent medical writers, 
 Lauder Brunton, said lately in the Practitioner that 
 1 the best thing for the inside of a man was the outside 
 of a horse,' and there is a lot of sound philosophy in 
 the remark ; I can testify from personal experience." 
 
 The Doctor suffered a severe bereavement in the 
 removal by death of his beloved mother towards the 
 end of 1 88 1, and writing to his aged father, who was 
 greatly desiring to see his son once more, in a letter 
 dated August 25th, 1882, he says : — 
 
 " This is my birthday, so I must write you a line. 
 I am thirty-two years old to-day, having spent over 
 seven years in China. This is a good slice out of my 
 life, and I heartily wish I could have found it possible, 
 after so long an absence, to visit home and see all 
 your dear faces again. I cannot help thinking of dear 
 mother, for to-morrow was her birthday, and the two 
 days coming so closely together always led me 
 to think especially of her dear face at such a time 
 as this. 
 
 " The hospital work goes on as actively as ever, and 
 the little medical school keeps me busy. Truth is 
 being made known to numbers who seek, in the first 
 place, only medical help. Mission work in China is 
 all uphill work ; this one must expect after getting 
 some knowledge of the national character. Yet, 
 nevertheless, genuine and necessary work is being 
 
236 John Kenneth Mackenzie. 
 
 done, and will tell in the long run. The more 1 
 know of the Chinese, especially of their educated 
 men, the more I feel that there is a mine of wealth 
 here. The leaven will take long to spread, but it 
 is already at work. The inhabitants of the Pacific 
 Islands are rapidly influenced in comparison with the 
 Chinese, but though the process here will be. slower, 
 it will be far mightier in results." 
 
 In a later letter to his brother the Doctor says : — 
 " I have had a visit this morning from a Corean 
 prince and suite. He is now in Tien-tsin arranging 
 the Japan-Corean difficulty, and was sent by the 
 Viceroy to consult me, and also to see the hospital 
 as one of the sights of Tien-tsin. He is a fine gentle- 
 manly man, very sedate and composed. I showed 
 him the house, and Laura Lees and Gertie Stanley 
 played a duet on the piano for him. He looked, 
 too, at some photographs under the microscope, and 
 was greatly surprised to see a little spot develop into 
 fifty persons in full uniform, for one of the photographs 
 was the Duke of Wellington and staff. He also saw 
 models and a human skeleton for the first time." 
 
 It was in November of this year that Dr. Mackenzie 
 went down to Shanghai to meet his wife, who had 
 been, with their little daughter, residing in England 
 for more than eighteen months, in the hope that the 
 climate of her native land would restore her to health 
 again. The medical reports had been very favourable, 
 and it was with much satisfaction that Dr. Mackenzie 
 looked forward to having his lonely China home once 
 
CHINESE MEDICAL SCHOOL. 237 
 
 more gladdened by the presence of wife and child. 
 These bright hopes were, however, doomed to dis- 
 appointment, and when the Doctor met his beloved 
 wife again, after the long period of separation, he 
 found that during the voyage more serious symptoms 
 had developed themselves, and it seemed very doubtful 
 whether it would be possible for her to remain in 
 China. Some of the medical men in Shanghai thought 
 it likely that after the long voyage the quiet and rest 
 of her own home might prove beneficial to the invalid. 
 
 So, as he said himself, "hoping almost against 
 hope," Dr. Mackenzie journeyed northwards with his 
 sick wife and little child. In a very short time, how- 
 ever, it became clear that it was absolutely necessary 
 for Mrs. Mackenzie to return to England, and her 
 state of health was so serious that her husband and 
 all their friends in the mission felt it was his duty to 
 accompany her. 
 
 It was with a sad heart that the Doctor made 
 arrangements for leaving, for as short a period as 
 possible, the work he so dearly loved, and the little 
 daughter, who had been taken into the motherly care 
 of Mrs. Lees. The Doctor and his wife sailed for 
 England in the Glenavon, which left Shanghai on 
 December 7th, and after a very long voyage arrived 
 in London on February 18th, 1883. 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie only remained five months in 
 England, and during a considerable portion of that 
 time was busily engaged in deputation work in 
 various parts of the country. He visited Gloucester, 
 
238 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 Cheltenham, Reading, Haverfordwest, Dorking, Hull, 
 Nottingham, and various parts of London. 
 
 He occupied the pulpits of the principal Congrega- 
 tional Churches of these places on the Sundays, and 
 greatly interested the people by the story of how God 
 had so wonderfully answered prayer and provided for 
 all the needs of the Tien-tsin Medical Mission. This 
 visit home, though shadowed by the heavy sorrow of 
 his wife's continued illness, was a source of great 
 interest and pleasure to large numbers of Christian 
 people, whose memory of his work and noble character 
 is still vivid and affectionately cherished. 
 
 " I wish that my recollection of the details of Dr. 
 Mackenzie's visit were as full and accurate as my 
 impression of his character is clear and strong," 
 writes a friend, whose guest he was during a visit 
 to his city. " His earnestness, sincerity, humility, 
 and loving faith were unmistakable. He did not 
 enjoy the Sunday preaching, which was part of his 
 deputation work here, but he had large and inter- 
 ested congregations. Every one to whom I have 
 spoken seems to remember all the services with 
 interest, and to have been deeply impressed by Dr. 
 Mackenzie's personality. I shall never forget one 
 striking instance of his humility. He was the last 
 speaker at a crowded missionary meeting, which had 
 gone on rather quietly, when he began, and raised the 
 large audience to a perfect glow of enthusiasm. Im- 
 mediately afterwards he said to me how much he 
 wished that people knew and cared more about the 
 
CHINESE MEDICAL SCHOOL. 239 
 
 missionary work. I, speaking out of the fulness of 
 my heart, replied, ' They soon would if we had more 
 speeches like that.' He instantly answered, in quite 
 a pained voice, ' Oh, don't say that ; you would not if 
 you knew.' I could not but feel grieved to have 
 wounded him, but it was true. If he was only the 
 instrument, there was such a large measure of the 
 power that cometh from above that none were un- 
 moved. I think the charm of Dr. Mackenzie's life 
 lay partly in its unity. Apparently there were no 
 contending forces. Absolute self-abnegation left room 
 for humility, love, and trust. Medical work was done 
 as carefully as though the issues depended upon that 
 alone ; but the prayer of faith was as earnest as that 
 of any of the so-called ' faith healers.'" 
 
 Another lady, a member of Streatham Hill Con- 
 gregational Church, after writing in similar terms of 
 her impression of Dr. Mackenzie's character, continues : 
 " I remember quite well that the elder boys in my 
 class were so interested, that two of them told me how 
 they should like to go back with him to China to 
 learn surgery and do mission work as well. He had 
 told them of a Chinese young men's class he had in 
 training, to help him in the hospital when they were 
 fit for it." 
 
 Before returning to his work in China Dr. 
 Mackenzie, in company with his brother, took a trip 
 on the Continent. They visited Antwerp, Brussels, 
 and Cologne ; gazed upon the beauties of Lakes 
 Lucerne and Zurich, and wandered among the Swiss 
 
240 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 valleys and glorious mountain peaks. This tour 
 seems to have been a source of great delight and 
 enjoyment to the Doctor. He returned to England 
 by the middle of July, and on the 31st of that month 
 set sail alone for China in the S^S. Glencoe. Mrs. 
 Mackenzie's state of health seemed to indicate that it 
 would not be possible for her, for a considerable time, 
 if ever, to return to the East. This separation from 
 his wife, and the consequent breaking up of his home, 
 was the sorrow which saddened all Mackenzie's after 
 life. No trial, perhaps, could have been harder to bear 
 to one whose nature was so deeply affectionate, and 
 who felt that God had so clearly called him to carry 
 on the medical work in Tien-tsin, and had blessed that 
 work with such special marks of Divine favour ; yet, 
 as is so often the case, when the heart has learned 
 the blessed secret of casting all earthly sorrows on an 
 unseen yet ever-living Redeemer, the chastisement 
 yielded afterwards the peaceable fruits of righteous- 
 ness, and did much towards the development and 
 making of his spiritual life, while his personal griefs 
 only made him better able to enter into the sorrows 
 of others. 
 
 The voyage seems to have been, on the whole, a 
 favourable one, although intense heat was experienced 
 in the Red Sea, and somewhat rough weather in the 
 Indian Ocean. 
 
 " We are a very happy party," he writes to his 
 brother. " I should hardly have thought a sea voyage 
 would have gone so pleasantly. The doctor is a 
 
CHINESE MEDICAL SCHOOL. 241 
 
 good fellow, and I like him much. I finished the 
 eighth volume of Froude this morning ; I have 
 greatly enjoyed it, and have obtained quite a new- 
 idea of Henry VIII. and Elizabeth. It is plea- 
 santly written too, and not too dry for reading on 
 ship board." 
 
 " You will have heard by telegraph," he writes in 
 the China Sea, " that there has been a frightful earth- 
 quake in Java, and over a radius of fifty miles. The 
 shock was felt at Singapore, a distance of six hundred 
 miles. One island, thirteen miles round, with a 
 mountain three thousand feet high, has disappeared. 
 The whole aspect of the coast has been quite altered, 
 and lighthouses have been destroyed, so that captains 
 are notified that navigation will not be safe until the 
 whole district has been again surveyed and fresh 
 charts drawn out. 
 
 " An Australian steamer lying next to us in 
 Singapore reported passing through floating corpses 
 in every direction. The shock was accompanied by 
 two enormous tidal waves, the waters rising a height 
 of seventy feet, and carrying everything away before 
 them. One English lady was saved by being lodged 
 in the top of a high cocoanut tree. The number of 
 deaths is estimated at thirty thousand." 
 
 On September 12th he continues : — 
 
 " Here we are at Hong-Kong, after a very stormy 
 day and night. We were in the wake of a typhoon 
 all day yesterday. They tell us here that a typhoon 
 has lasted three days, but is now over. All the 
 
 16 
 
242 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 shipping in harbour is made firm with many 
 anchors. 
 
 " As we have to stay three days here I thought of 
 spending the time by going up to Canton, but I find 
 by the papers that a riot took place there two days 
 ago, a plot to murder the Europeans having been got 
 up ; so I won't go yet." 
 
 He decided afterwards to go to Canton, however, in 
 company with Dr. Chalmers, and thus describes the 
 state of matters there : — 
 
 " The English settlement was in ruins ; that is, out 
 of thirty handsome buildings fifteen were totally 
 destroyed by fire and others had been looted. The 
 mob had risen and done this damage to property. 
 The cause of the rising was said to be the brutality 
 of some rough Englishman. There is generally some 
 such cause to account for these riots. One Chinaman 
 had been shot by an Englishman, and within a few 
 days another man was pushed or kicked from an 
 English steamer lying at Canton, and falling into the 
 water, was drowned. When this second death occurred 
 the mob saturated the wharf with kerosene oil, and 
 then set fire to it, in the hope of igniting the steamer, 
 but she got away into the stream. 
 
 "In a mad rage the crowd broke up a kerosene 
 depot, and carried off tins of the inflammable oil to 
 the English settlement, and very shortly fifteen houses, 
 with all their contents, had been utterly destroyed. 
 By the time troops had arrived from the camp the 
 mob had entirely disappeared. It is a marvel that no 
 
CHINESE MEDICAL SCHOOL. 243 
 
 European lives were lost. The residents, men and 
 women, had to escape as best they could to the 
 steamers. We dined with the Consul, whose house 
 was untouched. The mob came into his grounds, 
 when he immediately lowered his flag, and they, 
 seeing the flag, left his house, evidently fearing to 
 involve the Government too far. The London Mis- 
 sion houses in the settlement were looted, but not fired, 
 and the other missionary houses in the native city 
 were untouched. Dr. Kerr has had a Mission hospital 
 for many years in one part of the city, and there are 
 three Mission houses there. When the news of the 
 rising came the Chinese neighbours collected, and 
 barricaded the streets to keep away the mob if they 
 attempted to attack the property, but they made no 
 attempt to interfere with any of the Mission houses in 
 the city. 
 
 " A letter was awaiting me at Hong-Kong from Lees, 
 giving me all news, and saying that Maggie was in the 
 best of health and spirits. He enclosed a letter from 
 the Tien-tsin Taotai, asking me to try and find four 
 English-speaking students to join our medical school, 
 and sending me an introduction to the head of the 
 Hong-Kong Central School, a large Government insti- 
 tution in connection with the colony. The offer was 
 made, and I selected four from eleven applicants. 
 They are to follow me as soon as the permission of 
 the governor has been obtained. Upon my arrival in 
 Hong-Kong I heard a most sad piece of news. Dr. 
 Schofield died of typhus fever very suddenly in Tai- 
 
244 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 yuen-fu. It is one of the most painful pieces of news 
 I could have heard. He was such a splendid man, 
 and so useful in his position there." 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie arrived in Tien-tsin on September 
 25th, and found a letter awaiting him from the 
 widow of the lamented Dr. Schoneld. In it she says : 
 " He sent to you, as to all his friends, his loving fare- 
 well, and this one verse of a hymn, — 
 
 * A little while for winning souls to Jesus, 
 Ere we behold His beauty face to face ; 
 A little while for healing soul diseases, 
 By telling others of a Saviour's grace.' " 
 
 The little daughter whom Dr. Mackenzie rejoined 
 in China remained under the kind care of Mrs. Lees, 
 and was the solace of his rare intervals of leisure, for 
 the Doctor soon found himself, as formerly, over- 
 whelmed with work on all sides. 
 
 In December 1883, some three months after his 
 return to Tien-tsin, the Doctor writes to his brother : — 
 
 " I am busily occupied with work ; in fact, I have no 
 spare time to speak of, yet I enjoy it, and though low- 
 spirited at times, I am very happy. The Christian 
 work goes on very, very slowly here in the north, but 
 our duty is to continue and to persevere in faith." 
 
 With relation to the troubles in Tonquin between 
 the French and Chinese the Doctor writes : — 
 
 " The war news continues very threatening, but I 
 am still doubtful whether anything will come out of it. 
 We are closed in for the winter from the outer world, 
 
CHINESE MEDICAL SCHOOL. 245 
 
 and probably this will be the last letter sent from 
 Taku this year. 
 
 " Last week I made a trust deed, with the aid of our 
 Consul, placing seven thousand taels (^2,000) on trust 
 as a reserve fund for our hospital, to be used (the 
 interest only) in the work of Christian Medical Mis- 
 sions. It is bound down by careful stipulation, so 
 that it cannot be used for other objects. Mr. Lees 
 and myself are the first trustees. 
 
 " This money, as you know, I had received from the 
 Chinese, and thought it better to arrange it legally, in 
 case of any changes coming about. The deed I have 
 sent to the London Missionary Society for them to 
 keep in charge. No doubt the value of property in 
 Tien-tsin will increase vastly when foreign improve- 
 ments are fully introduced in this, the port of the 
 capital. So that in making these arrangements I am 
 looking forward to the interest some day being very 
 large, say in fifty years time, for China, I am con- 
 vinced, has a great future before her." 
 
CHAPTER XIL 
 SIGNS OF PROGRESS. 
 
Success of Students — Doubts about Medical School — Views 
 Regarding Country Work — Spiritual Results in Medical 
 School — An Imperial Decoration — Striking Instance of 
 Conversion — Prayer Answered — A Self-Supporting 
 Chinese Evangelist — Evangelistic Work in Hospital 
 Wards — Visit of the Cambridge Party — "A Time of 
 Great Joy " — " Healed by Prayer ' ' — Discipline in 
 Medical School — Students' Prayer Meeting — A Chinese 
 Naval Officer — Requests for United Prayer — Sickness — ■ 
 Visit to Taku — A Chinese Letter — Dr. Mackenzie's Bible 
 Class — Hunger after Spiritual Things — Washing the 
 Nets — "More Christianity than Medicine!" — Peace 
 Restored. 
 
CHAPTER XIL 
 SIGNS OF PROGRESS. 
 
 IN October of the year 1884 six of the first batch 
 of students in the Tien-tsin medical school passed 
 their final examination, after three years' study, and 
 received diplomas. 
 
 The Viceroy obtained for these men the favour of 
 civil instead of military rank, and gave the head 
 student a crystal button, while on the remaining five 
 was conferred slightly lower rank with white buttons. 
 In a land like China this was a matter of considerable 
 importance, since it affected so materially the social 
 position of the recipient. 
 
 Writing some time after to a Chinese medical 
 journal, Dr. Mackenzie gives an interesting account 
 of the after-career of these young surgeons, exemplify- 
 ing the many difficulties which obstruct the path of 
 progress in this land. 
 
 " We want no experiments," he writes, " to show us 
 that Chinese youths are capable of acquiring a scien- 
 tific education ; what we do want is some evidence 
 that the powers that be will appreciate it when 
 obtained. 
 
 249 
 
2$0 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 " The head of the class was permanently appointed 
 to the school and hospital, and renders valuable assist- 
 ance both in the instruction of students and the 
 treatment of patients. A second was for some time 
 attached to the medical school, but he now holds the 
 position of medical officer to the new military college 
 in Tien-tsin, where he has the oversight of some two 
 hundred students. This is a good appointment, but 
 is unfortunately underpaid. A third was placed at 
 the service of General Chow, who has the command of 
 a body of troops said to number fifteen thousand, en- 
 camped some twenty miles from Tien-tsin. Soon after 
 he had joined the general's staff, an interesting though 
 curious and possibly unique experience awaited him. 
 At the central camp, where the general's headquarters 
 were located, there resided a native doctor, who pro- 
 fessed to treat upon foreign principles, but his practice 
 fell sadly short of his profession, indeed it was of the 
 most elementary kind, consisting in the administration 
 of a few simple drugs, backed up by much skill in 
 rhetoric. He had the faculty of adapting his medi- 
 cines to the theoretic notions of his patients, which 
 is in China a great gift. 
 
 " The question arose, should the newly-arrived man 
 be retained at headquarters and the old occupant 
 of the post be removed to another camp, or should 
 the new-comer be placed elsewhere ? A brilliant idea 
 originated in the mind of the great man. He him- 
 self, aided by the other red-buttoned generals under 
 his command, would sit as a sort of court of inquiry 
 
SIGNS OF PROGRESS. 25 i 
 
 and investigate into the respective abilities of each. 
 The order went forth, and on a fixed day, under a 
 canvas pavilion erected for the occasion, the generals 
 and colonels, attended by their respective staffs — and 
 even a colonel requires a staff in China — assembled 
 in full paraphernalia, and seated themselves in order 
 of precedence. The two unfortunate medicos were 
 then called in, and before this august assembly, and 
 in the presence of each other, underwent an examina- 
 tion, the court putting the questions and deciding 
 the verdict. Each candidate for the favour of the 
 court was expected to show all he knew ; but con- 
 sidering that one of the parties was an astute man 
 of the world, of fifty odd summers, equally conversant 
 with Chinese etiquette and with Chinese ideas of 
 anatomy and disease, while the other had not long 
 entered upon man's estate, whose knowledge of 
 human nature was drawn from the standpoint of the 
 American youth of the nineteenth century, while his 
 anatomical and medical learning, though agreeing 
 with that of the Western schools, differed in toto 
 from the innate knowledge held by his examiners, 
 the result may readily be imagined. The elder was 
 adjudged the victor, and was retained at his post, 
 while the younger was placed at a small cavalry 
 camp some distance away. The examiners, scarce 
 one of whom could read or write, as became men who 
 have to wield the sword rather than the pen, returned 
 to their quarters, satisfied, no doubt, that they had 
 upheld the dignity of their country. This surgeon 
 
2$2 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 is, however, comfortably situated, having better allow- 
 ances than any of his fellow-students, and complaining 
 chiefly that he has too little to do. 
 
 " A fourth entered the navy, and is now surgeon on 
 board one of the cruisers ; but he is greatly dis- 
 satisfied with his position. He sees the executive 
 officers and engineers, many of them his old com- 
 rades in America, promoted in rank and pay, while 
 he remains stationary, with no prospect of his position 
 improving unless a war breaks out. 
 
 " When they leave the hospital each successful 
 student is provided with a good set of surgical 
 instruments and a supply of drugs sufficient to start 
 him with. 
 
 " The fifth was appointed to a camp in the northern 
 part of the coast. While his drugs lasted he was 
 very popular. He opened a dispensary, and had 
 numerous patients daily, but when in course of time 
 his stock began to diminish, and he applied to the 
 general under whose charge he was placed for a 
 fresh supply, his difficulties commenced. He was 
 urged to write and get more drugs from his old 
 hospital, and every imaginable excuse was invented, 
 but no money was forthcoming for supplies. Then 
 it was alleged that Chinese doctoring was cheaper 
 than foreign, and it was discovered that a relative 
 of the general's was a native doctor in the camp. 
 By-and-bye his original stock gave out, and his 
 dispensary had to be closed. For several months he 
 was idle. He appealed to me for help, and I did 
 
SIGNS OF PROGRESS. 253 
 
 what I could for him. Finally his relations with his 
 commanding officer became so strained, that he 
 begged to be removed to another position, and his 
 request being granted, he was transferred to the navy. 
 Here again he found that things did not run 
 smoothly, so some months ago he sought and obtained 
 leave of absence, from which he has not returned. 
 I heard later that he had received, through the help 
 of friends, the position of interpreter to one of China's 
 consulates abroad. 
 
 " The sixth was likewise attached to the navy, but 
 after serving for some eighteen months, he too 
 retired upon plea of leave of absence, and obtained 
 a more congenial situation ashore 
 
 "Thus two out of the six who completed their 
 course have, for the time being, abandoned their pro- 
 fession ; yet I believe that in both cases they would 
 prefer, under more favourable circumstances, to con- 
 tinue the practice of medicine. But they have to 
 contend against many real difficulties. In the first 
 place, the pay is too meagre ; it averages about tls. 30 
 a month ; and such men find they can command 
 larger salaries in comfortable business positions on 
 land. Then, again, trouble commences whenever 
 they have to draw allowances for drugs, etc., from 
 their commanding officer. A Chinese doctor's services 
 can be obtained for about tls. 7 a month, while the 
 patient pays for his own medicines, thus relieving 
 the mandarin of the obligation of disbursing these 
 payments. 
 
254 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 " In the navy especially the raison d'etre of the 
 surgeon's presence is hardly yet recognized. The 
 crew of a ship of war is presumably composed of 
 able-bodied men, so that in times of peace the post 
 of surgeon on board, even in Western navies, is not 
 a very arduous one ; but he is there in readiness for 
 the exigencies of war. Now the average Chinese 
 captain fails to grasp this idea. He sees the surgeon 
 drawing his pay and having perhaps an easy time of 
 it, and he cannot possibly see the necessity of his 
 presence. It is too far for him to look ahead and 
 contemplate the value of the help to be given by 
 trained men in times of warfare. Viewing the 
 medical man, therefore, somewhat in the light of a use- 
 less loafer, is it to be wondered at that the latter's 
 position on board becomes far from enviable, and 
 ceasing to esteem it an honour to serve king and 
 country, he takes the first favourable opportunity of 
 retiring from the Service? 
 
 "Things will not work smoothly and satisfaction 
 prevail until the Government establishes a distinct 
 department for its medical officers, allowing them to 
 draw supplies from central depots, and arranging 
 a fair scale of salaries and promotion, which will give 
 stability to the service and a career to the men." 
 
 It was at the end of 1884 that, under the stress of 
 difficulties with France and the possibility of war 
 being pushed forward into North China, the Viceroy 
 determined upon the addition of a larger number 
 of students to the school ; twelve young men were 
 
SIGNS OF PROGRESS. 255 
 
 obtained from the Hong-Kong Central School, and 
 commenced their studies in Tien-tsin. 
 
 His Excellency was extremely anxious that the 
 young men's residence should be in close proximity 
 to the Doctor, so that he might be able to have con- 
 stant oversight of them. He accordingly made a 
 grant for transforming the hospital wards into separate 
 sleeping and class-rooms for students, and at the same 
 time built, on the opposite side of the road, a fine new 
 hospital, to accommodate fifty-five in-patients, and 
 handed it over to Dr. Mackenzie. 
 
 " The new building is a great improvement upon 
 the old one," he writes, " for during the last four 
 years I have gained experience of the sort of thing 
 we want in Tien-tsin, and so was able to work in 
 improvements." 
 
 From a letter written to the Board at home at this 
 period we find that the Doctor's mind had been much 
 exercised as to the advisability or otherwise of this 
 step. 
 
 " I have been a good deal concerned of late," he 
 writes, " as to my duty in regard to medical teaching. 
 The Directors are probably aware that these students 
 are intended for Government service. Now I would 
 not wish to spend my time in merely raising up a 
 band of surgeons for the Chinese Government, and 
 since this autumn the first batch of students have 
 completed their three years' term, I thought it would 
 be a good opportunity for gradually drawing out of 
 the work, and so I should be enabled to devote, more 
 
256 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 time to direct evangelistic labour. On the other 
 hand, most of my friends have strongly urged me to 
 continue the school, considering it to be one of the 
 best forms of missionary effort. I have been led, 
 finally, to see that this is my line of duty, at any rate 
 for the present. Some of the reasons that have 
 influenced me are as follows : — 
 
 "(i) The slow progress and very limited success, 
 at present, of direct evangelistic work in North 
 China. 
 
 "(2) The extreme difficulty of reaching, through 
 preaching, the educated youth of China. 
 
 " (3) That in the Providence of God these educated 
 young men have been placed under my charge with- 
 out any restrictions or limitations, and so can be 
 instructed in and influenced by Christian truth. Of 
 the present class four are Christians, while others 
 are well inclined, and attend our Bible class with 
 regularity. The Christians hold a daily morning 
 prayer-meeting together. 
 
 " Our senior student, Mr. Lin, has already received 
 his appointment as one of the assistant-masters. 
 
 " One other reason for the continuance of this class. 
 I look upon the country stations as the most hopeful 
 part of the North China Mission. The simple-minded 
 peasants of the interior are drawn to accept the 
 gospel far more readily than their acuter yet worldly- 
 minded fellow-countrymen in the large towns. Now 
 I am hoping, that with two well-qualified, English- 
 taught Chinese doctors attached to the hospital, I 
 
SIGNS OF PROGRESS. 257 
 
 shall be able to get away once or twice each year 
 for a month's visit to our country stations, and so 
 help along my brethren in this most hopeful field. 
 Without the help of my old pupils I should be, as 
 before, tied to the hospital. Every expense in con- 
 nection with the teaching department is borne by the 
 Chinese officials in the most liberal manner, and their 
 interest in our hospital continues to be kept up. I 
 feel especially thankful for the increased measure 
 of success which has followed the evangelistic work 
 in connection with our in-patients during the past 
 year. As the object of our united effort is the winning 
 of the Chinese for Christ, it is not desirable, I think, 
 to attempt too closely to count up how many converts 
 come from one branch and how many from another 
 branch of our Mission. You will be glad to know, 
 however, that Mr. Lees has already, during the five 
 months of the present year, baptized more converts 
 than during the whole of last year. 
 
 " Referring again to the Hospital Reserve Fund, 
 I would first mention that since the deed was drawn 
 up I have been able to add tls. 1,000. This makes the 
 Fund now amount in all to tls. 8,000. I don't think 
 it would be a desirable thing to accumulate too largt. 
 an endowment for the hospital ; indeed, I have long 
 hoped that the interest might soon be applied to the 
 payment of my salary as medical missionary in charge 
 of the hospital, and so relieve the Directors to this 
 extent." 
 
 He goes on, however, to explain that another 
 
 17 
 
258 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 proposal has been under consideration by his col- 
 leagues, i.e., that in the coming spring the Directors 
 should appoint a medical missionary for the country 
 stations, to work in connection with the Tien-tsin 
 committee. This work of training successive classes 
 of young men in medicine and surgery, which, it has 
 been seen, was not undertaken without much heart- 
 searching and prayer for guidance, was not without 
 signs of blessing from the Master's hand. 
 
 " We have several bright Christians in the school," 
 writes the Doctor towards the end of 1885. "Two of 
 those who came here as heathen have been baptized 
 by Mr. Lees in the native church. Three others are 
 the sons of Christian parents, and were baptized as in- 
 fants, two of them in connection with the Hong-Kong 
 Church." Of another he writes : " His spiritual life 
 has grown very much since coming here, and he is 
 now an aggressive Christian." Somewhat later he 
 writes : " Another of our students has been added to 
 the praying band. It is truly a precious privilege 
 to watch souls expand and grow. Our Christian 
 medical students are in the hot glow of their first love ; 
 the study of the Word of God is their joy. Sunday 
 evening after service we are together going through 
 Hebrews, comparing scripture with scripture ; it is 
 very enjoyable. There is much cause for rejoicing as 
 one looks back upon the year that is past." 
 
 In recognition of the abundant services so freely 
 rendered to the students of the medical school, His 
 Excellency the Viceroy having mentioned the matter 
 
SIGNS OF PROGRESS. 259 
 
 in a memorial to the throne, the Emperor was pleased 
 to confer upon Dr. Mackenzie an Imperial decoration, 
 " The Star of the Order of the Double Dragon," with 
 a Chinese commission. Writing at this time to his 
 brother, the Doctor says : — 
 
 " It is a special order, which was instituted some 
 years ago for bestowal on foreigners. It is called a 
 star, though it is more square than round. It is made 
 of gold, with a precious stone set in the centre ; this 
 stone is blue, and corresponds with the blue button 
 worn by mandarins, and surrounding the stone are two 
 dragons. 
 
 " There are six characters on the front of it, two 
 meaning ' Double Dragon/ two meaning ' Precious 
 Star,' and two more ' Presented by the Emperor.' It 
 was accompanied by an embroidered ribbon, to be 
 worn with it, and the whole was encased in an ebony 
 cabinet, with a despatch to explain the reason of the 
 gift. It is kindly meant and a gracious gift, and as 
 such I value it. In Chinese official society, too, it 
 gives me a certain rank, which is not to be despised 
 by one living and working here." 
 
 The hospital's power as a gospel agency was grow- 
 ing year by year. Dr. Mackenzie's bright example 
 acted as an inspiration to the hospital workers, 
 binding them together as fellow-labourers in the 
 Lord, their one desire being to lead to Christ those 
 who came within its walls. 
 
 " One of our helpers is, I think, a striking instance 
 of a man born again — born from above," writes the 
 
260 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 Doctor. " His name is Yang Ming, and he comes 
 from the province of Shan-tung. He came to us some 
 two years ago suffering from an enormous tumour of 
 the scalp — elephantiasis arabum. It had existed 
 since childhood. He could do no work, could get 
 very little sleep, and latterly suffered much pain from 
 pressure of the tumour on the upper part of the spine. 
 He had received no sort of education, and, with his 
 peculiar deformity, had a very repulsive and animal- 
 like appearance. Speaking his local patois, it was 
 difficult to understand him, and he seemed scarcely 
 capable of taking in an idea. Well, the tumour was 
 removed in three operations, at intervals of a month 
 or so, it being unwise, from the large base of the 
 tumour and the great loss of blood, to remove it at 
 one sitting. He necessarily remained in the wards 
 for a long time, and when he was quite well we offered 
 to engage him as a helper in the wards. He had 
 undergone not only a physical but an intellectual and 
 spiritual change of a very marked kind. His soul, of 
 the possession of which he was not aware when he 
 came, is clearly alive in him, and his mind, so long 
 torpid, has awoke to consciousness. It is now a 
 pleasure to hear him speak about spiritual things, and 
 [ to see how he has been taught of the Spirit of God. 
 Of course he makes many mistakes, and often gets 
 out of his depth, but what young believer does not ? 
 
 " Another striking answer to prayer was when, in 
 1884, God sent me Chang-Yung-mao as a dispenser. 
 I had been praying for a dispenser, but especially 
 
SIGNS OF PROGRESS. 261 
 
 one sent of God, who should do work for Him. This 
 young Christian was in Mr. Lees' theological training 
 school, and was led to volunteer for dispensary work. 
 Since joining us he has thrown new life into the 
 evangelistic work among the in-patients, stimulating 
 the paid evangelist, who gives his whole time to this 
 department, by his zeal and faith. Though his work 
 is that of a dispenser, he devotes his spare time to 
 Christian work. It is telling grandly, and God is 
 blessing him richly in his own soul. I thank God 
 there is an aroma of prayer about the place. 
 
 " We now make definite prayer that the Lord will 
 send to the hospital, for the patients come from several 
 hundred miles around, those whom He is calling from 
 among this people. A Christian brother is engaged 
 in visiting the homes of those who have shown an 
 interest in Christian truth while in the hospital." 
 
 This man, by name Chang-Yung-tsing, is thus 
 referred to in the report of another member of the 
 Mission, written at the same time : — 
 
 " A large number of those baptized in recent 
 years have been men who came from a distance to 
 the hospital as in-patients, and who, on returning 
 home, were lost sight of. To remedy this state of 
 things, Dr. Mackenzie personally employed a Chris- 
 tian for a few months in visiting these scattered 
 disciples. Then the Church took the matter up, and 
 by an additional number of monthly contributions, 
 and being relieved of the payment of the chapel- 
 keeper, they undertook to support a travelling preacher. 
 
262 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 Their choice fell unanimously upon a man who, many 
 years ago, was an agent of the Society, but who soon 
 gave it up, choosing, like Paul, to be above all sus- 
 picion as to his motives for preaching the gospel. 
 Since then he has been a voluntary labourer, going 
 up and down the country proclaiming everywhere the 
 forgiveness of sins in the name of Jesus, and has been 
 the means of planting the gospel in several villages. 
 A man with the use only of one eye, and a most 
 unprepossessing appearance, uncouth in dress and 
 speech, and naturally of a most stubborn temper, he 
 is possessed of a warm heart, full of love to Christ and 
 the souls of men, and though belonging to the illiterate 
 class, has by diligence acquired an extensive acquaint- 
 ance with the Word of God, which is more to him 
 than his daily food. The only fear which was enter- 
 tained in selecting Chang-Yung-tsing was, that in 
 his love of freedom he might refuse even to become 
 the servant of the native Church. However, a friendly 
 invitation being addressed to him, he came to Tien-tsin 
 and accepted the call." 
 
 From the earliest days of his life in China Dr. 
 Mackenzie's aim had ever been to give prominence to 
 the evangelistic side of hospital work, and not to be 
 satisfied with the mere healing of the bodily diseases 
 of his patients. And as the years passed on it was 
 evident to all that this thought was becoming more 
 and more the ruling principle of all his work, and this 
 was especially noticeable during the last two or three 
 years of his life. 
 
SIGNS OF PROGRESS. 263 
 
 At about this time he gives the following account 
 of the evangelistic work carried on in the wards : — 
 
 " Let me tell you something of the direct missionary- 
 work of the hospital. We have a Scripture reader, 
 paid out of the hospital funds, who devotes his whole 
 time to Christian teaching among the patients. His 
 great work is that of teaching the catechism, for our 
 patients, when they enter, with very rare exceptions, 
 have not even heard the name of God. Many of 
 them cannot read, and he, therefore, instructs those 
 who are willing to learn, so that when they leave quite 
 a large number who did not know a character of the 
 written language can read in the catechism the 
 fundamental truths of the gospel. I conduct every 
 morning, excepting on Sundays, a Bible class among 
 the in-patients and employees of the hospital and 
 dispensary. It lasts for from three-quarters of an hour 
 to an hour, commencing in winter at 8.15, and finishing 
 at 9 or 9.15." 
 
 Writing of this meeting some time afterwards, the 
 Doctor says : — 
 
 "We make it as conversational as possible, by 
 asking and soliciting questions, and inducing as many 
 as are willing to take part. On Tuesday evenings we 
 hold a class, in which we try to gather up the work of 
 the week, ' drawing up the gospel net,' as it has been 
 well termed, and on Friday evenings there is a special 
 meeting for the helpers and other Christians for 
 prayer and the study of the Scriptures, the medical 
 missionary being the leader at these various classes." 
 
264 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 In April 1885 Dr. Mackenzie made the acquaint- 
 ance of Messrs. Stanley Smith, Hoste, and Cassels, 
 who stayed at Tien-tsin for several days, en route to 
 Peking. 
 
 " We have had delightful meetings for the past 
 five days," he writes in his diary. " God has been 
 present, and a great blessing has come down upon 
 the missionary brethren. It has been a time of 
 great joy to me, and souls have been saved. Several 
 of my students in the medical school have been 
 impressed, and some have confessed Christ." 
 
 In relation to this visit, in a letter to a friend in 
 England the Doctor says : — 
 
 " Let me tell you an incident of Stanley Smith's 
 visit. One day they were going through the hospital, 
 when I pointed out a case I could do nothing for. 
 Devil possession, I believe, is the best term for it. 
 The man had recently arrived, with some friends, 
 from his home a long way off. Stanley Smith sug- 
 gested prayer ; so we all prayed for him, and in 
 God's love I believe he was restored to his right mind. 
 Next morning he came in to our Bible-reading, and 
 sat calmly through the meeting. His friends con- 
 sidered he had been cured in answer to prayer, and 
 they earnestly studied the Word for some days before 
 returning home." 
 
 At another time Dr. Mackenzie wrote : — 
 
 " We hear much of faith healing in these days, and 
 in my opinion the Medical Missionary should be a 
 faith healer. He should give all the attention possible 
 
SIGNS OF PROGRESS. 
 
 to his cases, use every means he can think of, every 
 agency or drug that he knows of; but he should also 
 do so in humble dependence upon God for His 
 blessing. Just as the ordained preacher should never 
 s^and up to deliver his message without looking to 
 the Master for the spiritual influence, so the medical 
 missionary should never perform an operation without 
 seeking the help of Him who is mighty to save. 
 Then, as the one missionary is a faith worker, the 
 other is a faith healer. You have a broken limb 
 brought into your hospital. What is your duty? 
 Why, to use all your skill, your utmost knowledge, 
 to set it, to bring the parts into as good contact as 
 you possibly can ; then look to the Great Healer for 
 a good recovery. Should you sit down with one 
 bone in one direction and another at a different angle, 
 and ask God to cure ? As well go about without 
 shoes and stockings, and ask God" to protect you that 
 your feet may not be injured. But you meet with 
 cases where medical skill is unavailing— then pray." 
 
 The condition of the medical school, while a source 
 of encouragement to the Doctor, called forth occasion- 
 ally the exercise of rare tact and wisdom. 
 
 " The Viceroy left the young men entirely under 
 my charge," he writes, " and at first I had a good 
 deal of trouble ; on one occasion the fellows mutinied. 
 The difficulty was this, they mistook kindness for 
 weakness, and thought that as I spoke to them about 
 their spiritual state they could act as they pleased ! 
 I have had to learn how difficult it is to seek the 
 
266 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 salvation of those for whose discipline you are re- 
 sponsible. Finally, however, in God's mercy and in 
 answer to prayer, the matter is now definitely settled. 
 The students have a prayer-meeting every morning 
 amongst themselves, and although it is quite optional, 
 about twelve out of eighteen attend it now. It is 
 conducted in turn by four of the men themselves. 
 On Sunday afternoon we have a Bible class, which 
 all are required to attend. 
 
 " A little while ago one of the Christians brought 
 in the captain of a torpedo launch to see me, who had 
 received his education in America. The student had 
 been speaking and praying with him, and begged me 
 to speak to the young officer about his soul. I found 
 him trusting in Christ as his Saviour. He had 
 recently passed through a lot of trouble, having met 
 with a collision at sea, and was in Tien-tsin during 
 the trial of the case. He had come under the influence 
 of some of his friends in the medical school, and 
 appeared to be soundly converted. 
 
 " Only last Friday we had a special meeting 
 amongst the students, because there seemed to be 
 a good deal of the spirit of prayer present, and 
 although it was perfectly optional, every student was 
 present, besides two friends. We had a delightful 
 time reading and talking about the eighth chapter 
 of Romans, together with prayer and the singing of 
 Sankey's hymns. The men know now that if they 
 do wrong the necessary punishment will follow ; but, 
 thank God, I have very, very seldom to interfere. 
 
SIGNS OF PROGRESS. 267 
 
 " Might I ask your earnest prayers for the hospital 
 and medical school? What rich blessings would 
 come down if our friends at home made particular 
 matters in the Mission field subjects of prayer, and 
 so fulfilled the Word of our blessed Lord, Matt xviii. 
 19. I am sure our Father would fulfil His portion. 
 I have been thinking a good deal lately whether 
 something might not be done in this matter. I have 
 seen such blessed results follow in answer to direct 
 and pointed believing prayer, that I should like to 
 send home to friends the names of individual Chinese, 
 if they would insert them in their praying lists. 
 Suppose two friends took one or two names, making 
 use of the promise above quoted. I would agree to 
 keep track of the individual prayed for. If some 
 dear brethren and sisters in England were thus 
 engaged, they would be working distinctly for the 
 Chinese,— the names given being those who have 
 had, or are getting, Christian instruction. What do 
 you think of this ? Anyhow, I will send you six 
 names, and especially I ask prayer for myself. If 
 this plan could only be arranged (and any number 
 of names could be given if friends were only forth- 
 coming), we might have Christians who could not 
 leave England, yet in active work for the conversion 
 of the Chinese. For we want more direct, intelligent 
 prayer, not vague requests." 
 
 During the summer of this year, 1885, Dr. 
 Mackenzie was laid low with what it was at first 
 feared would prove a most serious illness. He had 
 
268 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 for many years suffered from attacks of malarial 
 fever, and at this time he was attacked by heat apo 
 plexy, and lost, for some hours, the use of his right 
 hand and the power of speech. Upon his recovery 
 it was seen to be absolutely necessary that he should 
 seek change of air, and his friends Mr. and Mrs. 
 Hobson, of the Customs Service, who were at that 
 time contemplating a visit to Taku, at the mouth 
 of the Peiho, thoughtfully arranged to have an addi- 
 tional native house-boat lashed to the side of their 
 own for the Doctor's use, and in their genial com- 
 panionship he spent several weeks, benefiting greatly 
 by the rest and change. 
 
 " A community of pilots reside here," writes the 
 Doctor to his father, " who take steamers in and out 
 over the bar. The place is very flat and muddy, and 
 its only attraction is its neighbourhood to the sea 
 and the fact of the air being consequently pure. I 
 am much stronger for my stay of a week. I have 
 been twice over the bar in a tug, and as this is a 
 distance of seven miles, one gets a really good blow. 
 Dear little Maggie will be a great comfort to you. 
 Child-life is so helpful to us ; we little know how much 
 joy we derive from companionship with children, not 
 perhaps until we lose it. During my residence in 
 Taku I have been living among children, and their 
 sweet voices around one are full of the best music." 
 
 At about this time one of the Doctor's students 
 became seriously ill, and it was considered necessary 
 that he should have a change of air. Accompanied 
 
SIGNS OF PROGRESS. 269 
 
 by a companion, he went down to Taku with the 
 Doctor in another house-boat. A letter written at 
 this time by the young medical student who acted as 
 nurse to his sick friend is an interesting proof of Dr. 
 Mackenzie's influence over these educated young 
 Chinamen. 
 
 " One of my fellow-students had been suffering 
 from malarial fever," he writes, " before Dr. Mackenzie's 
 illness, and his temperature increased to 105 Fahr. 
 He was then advised to take a trip down to Taku, 
 and I went with and took care of him. 
 
 " The Doctor had one house-boat, Mr. Hobson one, 
 and we one. It took us a day and a half to go down 
 to our destination. The Doctor and Mr. Hobson 
 landed at Taku and lived at one of the captains', but 
 we stayed on the boat, for my patient wished to get 
 the sea-breezes. I might have had a jolly time then 
 if I had not been so lonesome and yoked with care. 
 It needs a great deal of patience to attend to a patient. 
 But more than this, one evening after the sun had 
 set, all of a sudden dark clouds spread over the sky, 
 the north-easterly wind blew violently, and it rained 
 copiously. We were all terribly frightened. Then I 
 prayed to the Lord our Saviour, who alone hath 
 power over the wind, and we sang the holy hymn, 
 ' Peace, be still.' Afterwards I had peace within 
 from above, though there was trouble without. How 
 God wrought in me I could not exactly tell, but it 
 was so. We got through the tempest safe and sound, 
 under the shelter of the protecting wings of our 
 
270 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 loving Father in heaven. About a fortnight ago we 
 returned to the hospital, and my friend is now con- 
 valescent ; but I have been attacked by the same type 
 of fever. While I was lying ill the books you were 
 so kind as to send down were read to me by some 
 of my friends here, and I delighted very much to hear 
 them. 
 
 " I know that our faith is indeed small, but God 
 increaseth it by our earnest and fervent prayers, and 
 I have experienced that no matter where we may be, 
 or whatever troubles or dangers may come to us, our 
 kind Heavenly Father is willing and able to take care 
 of us, if we only trust in Him." 
 
 Another of the medical students, writing to the 
 same friend a short time after, speaks of the illness 
 of his fellow-students and the Doctor, and tells how 
 when the invalids left Tien-tsin, they formed an even- 
 ing prayer-meeting to pray for them and for their 
 friends in China and other lands. 
 
 " We know that our prayers are answered, and will 
 be by no means in vain," writes the young student. 
 " We hope that our faith in Christ will grow stronger 
 day by day. We know that when our term of three 
 years is expired we shall be put either into camp or 
 men-of-war, where we are liable to be surrounded by 
 temptation and evil ones. How can we expect our- 
 selves to be able to stand this? we are so young 
 It is a rather hard thing. However, we will cast 
 ourselves in the hand of the Almighty, and pray to 
 Him for help and strength. We must imitate St. 
 
SIGNS OF PROGRESS. 271 
 
 Paul, who says, ' I can do all things through Christ, 
 which strengtheneth me.'" 
 
 After speaking of a journey Dr. Mackenzie under- 
 took at this time, he continues : — 
 
 "The Doctor is hoping that he may go into the 
 interior oftener ; but, in fact, it is very hard for him 
 to leave us. He does not feel comfortable without 
 teaching us something every day. I can see the way 
 in which he treats us. He is exceedingly kind to 
 us, and I hope God will spare our lives to finish our 
 course of study, and do something for the Chinese 
 Government, and, finally, we may find some way or 
 other to repay the Doctor's great kindness. I am 
 very grateful for his teaching. I cannot express all 
 my thoughts and thanks to him, for my knowledge 
 is so limited." 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie's Bible classes were always found to 
 be most helpful by those who had the privilege ol 
 attending them, the secret of his success doubtless 
 lying in the fact that it was always his aim to make 
 these meetings as conversational as possible, and to 
 induce as many of the members to take part as he 
 possibly could. 
 
 " People enjoy a meeting much more when they 
 have some part in it, however small," he once wrote. 
 " Above all things, the leader should avoid preaching, 
 if the meeting is to be interesting and profitable." 
 
 Extracts from Dr. Mackenzie's note-book with 
 regard to these classes show how fully his practice 
 agreed with this theory, and how thorough an interest 
 
272 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 the Chinese members of his classes showed in the 
 subjects of their lessons. 
 
 " We were talking to-day upon the text, ' Blessed 
 are ye that hunger now,"' he writes, "and I asked, 
 ' How is it that there are so few that hunger after 
 spiritual things ? ' ' Why,' replied one of the Chinese 
 Christians, ' it is for this reason, I think : when a man 
 is sick he won't feel hungry at sight of the best dinner 
 you can put before him : his disease must be cured 
 before he can feel hungry. And so it is with spiritual 
 things : this disease of sin must be grappled with 
 before we can begin to feel hungry for heavenly 
 things.' On another occasion we were reading of how 
 Jesus, while preaching by the Lake of Gennesaret, 
 being troubled by the crowds which pressed upon 
 Him, sought refuge in a fishing-boat belonging to 
 Simon Peter, and it is stated that at the time the 
 fishermen were engaged in washing their nets. ' Ah ! ' 
 remarked young Mao, one of our Christian dispensers, 
 ' we want to imitate Peter in this. He and his fellow- 
 disciples had toiled all night and caught nothing, and 
 here they were found in the morning washing their 
 nets. We, who are fishers of men, need to attend 
 to this ; we should be washing our nets oftcner. 
 Are we not succeeding in our work as we should 
 like ? Perhaps our communion with the Saviour 
 is broken. Perhaps we are not constantly feeding 
 upon God's Word. Then are our nets foul, and we 
 had better give up fishing until we have washed 
 
SIGXS OF PROGRESS. 273 
 
 The Doctor also gives many interesting incidents 
 in connection with his medical students' Bible class, 
 showing that many of the young men took a deep 
 interest in spiritual things. It was not wonderful 
 that an earnest desire after higher attainments in the 
 Divine life should be tested, and an attempt made to 
 hinder spiritual growth by the great enemy of souls. 
 An account of some of the trials through which they 
 had to pass is given by Dr. Mackenzie in a letter of 
 this period. 
 
 " One student, who had given a good deal of trouble, 
 had to be punished for flagrant disobedience ; so he 
 worked up some of the younger men, and got them 
 to go to the yamen of the Taotai, the next official in 
 rank here to the Viceroy, complaining of one of the 
 assistant-teachers ; and, to back up their case, one of 
 them took a Bible with him, and pulled it out before 
 the official, declaring that I taught them more Chris- 
 tianity than medicine. 
 
 " Of course this was a falsehood, as no Christian 
 teaching is allowed to interfere with their medical 
 classes, excepting on Sundays, when medical class 
 work is suspended, and I hold a Bible class instead. 
 Well, the effect of this appeal was that the Taotai 
 gave them a good rating, and though he was not 
 a Christian, publicly told them that he knew what 
 Christian work I was doing amongst them was for 
 their good, and sent them back under an escort. 
 The end of it has been that the ringleader was 
 dismissed from the school, and the others would have 
 
 18 
 
274 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 been punished, but I begged them off, as they were 
 all repentant. 
 
 " Our Bible class and Sabbath keeping, which was 
 before carried out upon my sole responsibility, has 
 now had official sanction, with the request only that 
 those who did not wish to attend should not be 
 compelled, but should instead carry on their medical 
 studies as usual on the Sundays. One after another, 
 however, begged to be allowed to attend again, and 
 now all but one are coming voluntarily. One young 
 fellow pleaded the case of the prodigal. ' When 
 the younger son came back the father forgave him, 
 even though he had been bad, did he not ? ' he en- 
 quired. Another told me he ' was not very religious, 
 but he did believe in Christianity.' Of course one 
 was only too glad to receive the poor fellows back 
 again." 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 STRANGE PHASES OF CHINESE LIFE, 
 
Appe»f for a Colleague — Visit to Yen-Shan — Simple Faith of 
 Country Converts — Steadfastness under Persecution — 
 Inspection of Native Foundling Hospital — The Babies 
 that never Cried — An Athletic Patient — A Coffined 
 Patient — A Busy Life — The Lonely Rag-picker — A Secret 
 Disciple — " They thought him Mad " — Curiosities of 
 Chinese Medical Treatment — Scorpion Broth — Laying 
 out before Death — An Unnatural Wife — A Health Trip 
 under Difficulties — A Tauist Priest — The Medical 
 Missionary Journal. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 STRANGE PHASES OF CHINESE LIFE. 
 
 FROM his earliest days in China Dr. Mackenzie 
 had always felt a deep interest in work among 
 the people of the villages and country towns. He 
 had a strong belief that the gospel would take a 
 firmer hold on these simple folks, and that its greatest 
 triumphs would be won there rather than in the 
 thickly-populated centres of trade and commerce. 
 It has already been noticed that he had frequently 
 desired to pay visits to the country stations, but had 
 found himself tied to his all-absorbing work in the 
 hospital and medical school. He had hoped that the 
 Viceroy would be willing to appoint another foreign 
 medical man to assist him in his laborious work of 
 training students for the Chinese Government ; but 
 His Excellency did not care to entertain the idea, 
 although he allowed two of the Doctor's former pupils 
 to be retained as assistants by him. But now that 
 the Hospital Reserve Fund was steadily growing and 
 bringing in an increasing yearly income, Dr. Mackenzie 
 began to cherish a hope that from that source it 
 would be practicable to support an additional medical 
 
 277 
 
278 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 missionary to the Tien-tsin station, who should not 
 only be able to share with him the duties connected 
 with the hospital and medical school, but whose 
 presence would also enable them alternately to pay 
 frequent visits to the country stations, and so increase 
 and strengthen the work there. 
 
 In the autumn of 1885 he wrote to the Directors, 
 urging them to seek for and send out an additional 
 medical missionary. 
 
 " Is there no way of making our needs known 
 to the Christian medical men of London, Edinburgh, 
 and Cambridge ? " he enquires. " There was a revival 
 among the students of Edinburgh and Cambridge 
 resulting from the ' Stanley Smith movement' Many 
 medical professors and senior students engaged in 
 evangelistic tours as the result, and the missionary 
 spirit spread extensively. Is there no way of reaching 
 them ? Would not a paragraph in such a paper as 
 The Christian be likely to catch the attention of such 
 men ? I think so. 
 
 " Last month I had to take a health change, so I 
 went with Mr. Lees and Mr. Bryson on a visit to 
 our stations at Yen-Shan and Ching-yiin. 
 
 " I have always been a firm believer in country work, 
 from what I have -seen of the country people who 
 come into the hospital. I was delighted with our 
 visit. We have no paid agent at present in this district, 
 yet there are quite a large number of converts, who 
 are holding on in their profession with such simple 
 trust, that it is a pleasure t® meet with them and to 
 
STRANGE PHASES OF CHINESE LIFE, 2 7 g 
 
 hear them pray. Yet the ignorance is vast ; take one 
 village, for instance, in which there are perhaps 
 twenty converts, and yet not one of them can read of 
 write. They meet together to sing, knowing a few 
 of Sankey's hymns by heart, and they p'ray and 
 exhort each other. How great is their need of a 
 teacher ! The possibilities of extension in this region 
 I believe to be vast. The people outside the con- 
 verts are kindly disposed, and appear willing to 
 learn. I took a few medicines with me, but the 
 demand was far beyond what I could supply, as 
 crowds came flocking in from all regions. Now this 
 hopeful district is visited twice a year by the foreign 
 missionary, who spends two or three days there each 
 time. Had we but another medical missionary in 
 Tien-tsin I could get away twice a year, and thus 
 four visits instead of two could be paid. It would 
 be quite possible, too, to establish in time one or two 
 branch dispensaries in this region, in charge of trained 
 natives, who could be evangelist and doctor in one ; 
 but it would be useless to attempt it unless properly 
 supervised by the foreign missionary." 
 
 In connection with this visit Dr. Mackenzie relates 
 a story illustrating the perseverance, under persecu- 
 tion, of a woman who became interested in the gospel, 
 and who lived in this district. " Her mother-in-law 
 strongly objected to her learning the doctrine, and 
 tried to prevent her attendance at Mrs. Fan's instruc- 
 tion class. Finally, the old woman told her if she 
 went to the Bible-woman's house again she would 
 
2§o JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 lock her out. She was accustomed to go in the 
 evening, after the day's work was done. Mrs. Fan, 
 the Bible-woman, lived near by in another court, which 
 communicated by a lane with the court in which 
 the young woman lived. One evening, as usual, she 
 attended the meeting, but on returning found the gate 
 leading from the lane into her court locked. She 
 could not get past, so she went back and borrowed a 
 ladder, and by its aid climbed on to the roof of the 
 neighbouring house, which was of course single- 
 storied. She pulled up the ladder, dragged it over 
 the roof of the house, and let it down on the other 
 side, and so descended. She continued this manner 
 of returning home night after night for a consider- 
 able time, and finally her mother-in-law also became 
 a believer in Jesus." 
 
 In January 1886, in consequence of the large 
 number of deaths constantly occurring in the Tien-tsin 
 foundling hospital, the Taotai requested Dr. Mac- 
 kenzie kindly to inspect the institution, and try and 
 discover the cause of the great mortality among the 
 infants. 
 
 " The institution is supported by the salt guilds 
 of the city," writes Dr. Mackenzie, " and they allow 
 tls. 600 per month for its support. I found three 
 hundred and ten children, all girls, in the building. 
 One wet nurse is allowed to two children. They live 
 in rooms opening on to a court, and sleep on the 
 brick beds, where the women's food is cooked. In all 
 the rooms there were only windows on one side, and 
 
STRANGE PHASES OF CHINESE LIFE. 2§l 
 
 these were closely papered. In one apartment, about 
 twenty-two feet by ten, with kangs on three sides, were 
 eight women and sixteen children. The rooms were 
 very dirty and very close, and cooking utensils and dirty 
 rags were lying about freely. There was an enormous 
 amount of eye disease ; probably every third child 
 had bad eyes. Not a child cried, but all sat stupid, 
 and dosed in the arms of the women, one on each 
 arm. They were no doubt all drugged. The place 
 was managed by head amahs, old women, who talked 
 tremendously. ' Do they never cry ? ' I enquired of a 
 head amah, who has two children to look after. ' Oh 
 no, they are so well cared for ! ' she replied. 
 
 " Officials robed in silks, satins, and furs, with em- 
 broidered garments and precious stones, — nine persons 
 in all, two of them Taotais, — inspect these dirty build- 
 ings, and a mandarin's lady comes once a month for 
 the same purpose. The Customs Taotai thinks in- 
 stead of good harm is being done." 
 
 In his hospital work the Doctor not unfrequently 
 encountered curious phases of Chinese life. He men- 
 tions the case of one patient who was a great athlete, 
 said to be able to lift a man into the air with one 
 hand. In order to conserve and increase his strength, 
 according to Chinese theory, he had not slept lying 
 down for twenty years. At first he could only sit up 
 half the night, but at the present time finds it easier 
 to sleep sitting up than lying down. He leans his 
 head forward against his arms on the wall or window, 
 and so sleeps." 
 
282 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 On another occasion the Doctor was called to see 
 a man lying in his coffin, on a piece of waste land 
 behind the hospital. It was supposed that he had 
 died, and a coffin having been procured, according 
 to common Chinese custom, the body was placed in 
 it and put out upon the plain, instead of being in- 
 terred, — the usual practice being to bury after a longer 
 or shorter period, often many months elapsing be- 
 tween the day of death and the day of entombment 
 
 A man walking on the plain next morning fancied 
 he heard a rustle inside the coffin ; standing still, he 
 heard the noise repeated. In a short time a curious 
 crowd had collected ; the lid was removed, and the 
 man was found to be still alive. 
 
 Water was given to him, and he drank it. Dr. 
 Mackenzie was sent for, and when he saw the man 
 he was breathing quietly, but still unconscious, and 
 he ordered him brandy and milk. 
 
 At this time he writes to his father : — 
 
 " I am very fully occupied, for which indeed I am 
 exceedingly thankful. I will tell you how I am 
 spending my time. 
 
 " My hour to rise in the morning is half-past six 
 for winter, breakfast at a quarter to eight. At a 
 quarter past eight I conduct a sort of Bible class in 
 the hospital among the patients (those who are able 
 to come), and the dispensers and servants. This lasts 
 for three-quarters of an hour, and is, of course, in 
 Chinese. From half-past nine till eleven o'clock I 
 study Chinese ; at eleven o'clock dispensary work 
 
STRANGE PHASES OF CHINESE LIFE. 283 
 
 begins, and here and in the hospital I spend two 
 hours, until one o'clock. At one o'clock I take 
 dinner ; at two prepare my medical class work ; at 
 three I take the senior class in the medical school in 
 medicine or surgery ; at four or half-past four I am 
 free, and I try to get away for a walk, but there is 
 constantly something coming up to be attended to — 
 perhaps an operation, or a Chinese letter to answer, 
 or some case of discipline in the medical school to be 
 dealt with. 
 
 " On Tuesday evenings at seven p.m. we have a 
 Chinese prayer-meeting, with a review of the week's 
 work in the Bible ; this I conduct. On Monday even- 
 ing we have a Mission prayer-meeting, when we all 
 meet for consultation and prayer. On Wednesday 
 evening there is the Union Church prayer-meeting, 
 which is practically a united missionary prayer- 
 meeting, and which I always attend. 
 
 " Sunday is also a very busy day. Sunday-school 
 class at half-past nine ; Chinese service at half-past 
 ten ; medical school Bible class at three p.m. ; evening 
 service at six p.m. ; meeting for ' Blue-jackets/ from 
 English and American navy, after the evening service 
 in the church. 
 
 " There, I did not know what to write about, so I 
 thought it might interest you to hear how I get along 
 from day to day. I feel what a privilege it is to be 
 doing God's work among the Chinese. There is a 
 good deal of seed sowing, of course, but it is work that 
 has to be done by some one, and we are continually 
 
2§ 4 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 cheered by seeing the good seed springing up and 
 bringing forth fruit. Our loving Saviour is indeed a 
 good Master to serve." 
 
 The Sunday afternoon Bible class for medical 
 students, to which reference has been made, was not 
 confined to these young men alone, but other foreign 
 friends outside the Mission circle were in the habit of 
 attending it, and felt it a great stimulus to their 
 spiritual life. He had also a class in the Chinese 
 Sunday-school, which met, at that time, at half-past 
 nine, before the morning service. He took great 
 interest in his Chinese scholars, all of whom were 
 grown-up men, and not children, as is usually the 
 case at home. 
 
 In his diary he mentions one man who became a 
 Sunday scholar, and afterwards a patient. He seems 
 to have been brought to the class by one who had 
 long been a member of it, and was a true believer, 
 though his knowledge was very small. We would 
 fain hope his case is a typical one, and that there 
 may be many other Chinese disciples, poor, unknown, 
 and with little courage, and yet known of God, as the 
 day shall reveal. 
 
 Chang-yii-ch'wen, the keeper of one of the public 
 buildings of Tien-tsin, had been for many years a 
 Christian, and was a member of the Doctor's Sunday- 
 school class. He observed for some days in succession 
 a man engaged in picking up stray bits of rag and 
 paper in the neighbourhood of the hall, and entered 
 into conversation with him. He found the rag-picker 
 
STRANGE PHASES OF CHINESE LIFE. 285 
 
 at first somewhat reserved in his manners, and in 
 answer to the common Chinese question, " How much 
 money do you make daily by this work ? " he replied 
 indefinitely, " Oh, enough to live upon." But Chang 
 felt his interest in the man aroused, and continuing 
 the conversation, by-and-bye discovered that the 
 stranger, who also bore the common Chinese name of 
 Chang, was about forty years of age, and had land in 
 the country belonging to him. " Why are you away 
 from home then ? " was the natural enquiry. Oh, he 
 had left home because his family persecuted him so, 
 and would give him no rest. " Why, how is that ? " 
 " I was going to the meetings of a religious sect, and 
 they tried to stop me ; then, because I would not stop 
 going, they were constantly swearing at and torment- 
 ing me in every way. At last they would give me no 
 food to eat. I am not a member of the Church of 
 which I speak ; I am only a believer in its doctrines. 
 Finally, I felt I could bear it no longer, so I decided 
 to leave home just as I was, without any money, so 
 that I could escape from their persecution." " Can 
 you read ? " asked Chang. " No, not a character." 
 " Have you learnt the catechism ? " " No, but I know 
 that I am a sinner, and I have heard that the Lord 
 can save me, and I believe." " Why ! " exclaimed Yii- 
 Ch'wen, " I am a believer too ; I am a Christian. You 
 should come with me to our church on Sundays." 
 And so the stranger was brought to the Sunday- 
 school class, and became an attentive listener to the 
 Doctor's earnest words. 
 
286 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 In future conversations it was discovered that the 
 man had a friend in Tien-tsin, a neighbour from his 
 own country-side, and this friend had offered him a 
 situation, with his food and a yearly wage. But the 
 wanderer would not take it ; he said he " had some 
 occupation," but his real reason for refusing the offer 
 was that he feared he would not be able to attend 
 church if he accepted it, and he was afraid to confess 
 that he was a Christian. Some time after this friend 
 found the man out again, and repeated his offer of the 
 post. This time he ventured to say that he would take 
 the situation if he might have four days a month to 
 attend to a private matter ; but this was immediately 
 refused, and the friend departed. 
 
 He makes, by picking up paper, sufficient to keep 
 himself in food and lodging, and seems quite satisfied. 
 Pointing to the rich and well-dressed people passing 
 in large numbers along the Taku Road, Yii Ch'wen 
 asked him one day if he was not surprised that he 
 should be left so poor, while others had all they needed. 
 " Ah," replied the man, " this life is not for ever." 
 
 Later on he fell sick, and was brought to the 
 hospital, suffering from dysentery. He stayed for a 
 few days, but as there was no marked improvement 
 in his symptoms, he asked permission to leave, 
 wishing to be treated after Chinese methods. Some 
 days later his death was reported in a poor Chinese 
 inn. He was not a man of strong courage, but he 
 had readily given up his all for freedom to worship 
 the Lord in whom he believed. 
 
STRANGE PHASES OF CHINESE LIFE. 287 
 
 In May 1886 the Doctor mentions, in his diary, 
 the case of a man who had been that morning baptized. 
 He came into the hospital nearly blind, and great 
 improvement followed upon operation. He returned 
 home trusting in the Lord Jesus, but not baptized. 
 His first act upon arriving at his village was to take 
 down the idols in his home, and throw them into a 
 neighbouring pond. His conduct was so strange that 
 the people thought he was mad, and called him so. 
 After many months he came back to Tien-tsin to 
 receive baptism. Two months after being received 
 into the Church, he returned again from his village, 
 apparently as earnest as ever. It seems that he is often 
 overcome in arguments with his neighbours, because 
 his knowledge is so slight. 
 
 As an illustration of the curious modes of treatment 
 in vogue among Chinese doctors, I select a few cases 
 mentioned in Dr. Mackenzie's note-book, the results 
 of his own experience. 
 
 " I was called in to see a child, six months of age, 
 at one of the yamens. It was suffering from bron- 
 chitis. A large toad, with its belly in contact with 
 the child's body, had been employed, the claws being 
 covered with cotton wool, the object being to draw 
 away the heat. Scorpions had also been cooked and 
 made into a poultice, which was applied to the fontanel 
 of the infant. The stings were made into a broth, and 
 the child fed with it." 
 
 Another patient he mentions as having been treated 
 for typhoid fever at home. The doctor applied burn- 
 
288 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 ing incense to a piece of leaf laid on the skin. The 
 leaf was set on fire, and burnt the skin. Many years 
 after, over a hundred scars were visible on his body 
 as the result of this treatment. 
 
 Still another case was that of a man suffering from 
 severe dyspepsia, and very much reduced. He said 
 he had experienced slight discomfort, but was quite 
 strong a month ago, when he consulted a priest- 
 doctor, who stuck six needles into his gastric region, 
 after which treatment he had to keep his bed for a 
 month, and could eat nothing but slops. 
 
 " I was called to attend a woman in one of the 
 yamens, who was suffering from spasmodic asthma, 
 and found a slave-girl beating the back of the chest 
 with a large stick like a rolling-pin, with the idea of 
 giving relief." 
 
 The Doctor's diary contains many instances of 
 Chinese customs which seem strange and often cruel 
 to us. Among others, he notes the practice of laying 
 out a person who is dying before the decease takes 
 place. 
 
 " A Chinese friend of mine had an uncle, aged 
 sixty-four, who has been ill for some time past, and 
 the other day they sent him word the old man was 
 dying and had been laid out. In China, when all 
 hope is given up of a patient's recovery, the custom 
 is to dress them at once in grave clothes, and remove 
 them to a board and tressels away from the ordinary 
 bed, so that it shall not be defiled. As it is often 
 uncertain when a man is going to breathe his last, 
 
STRANGE PHASES OF CHINESE LIFE. 289 
 
 it not unfrequently happens that his last hours are 
 spent in torture, and his end hastened by this treat- 
 ment. In the cold winter of Tien-tsin, to be stripped 
 of warm garments and bedding and laid out in cold, 
 stiff clothing must indeed be trying. 
 
 " My friend arrived at his uncle's house, expecting 
 to find him dead, but instead of -this he was only 
 laid out in burial clothes ; he was surrounded by a 
 crowd of relatives, dressed in white mourning gar- 
 ments, waiting for him to breathe his last, while strips 
 of white paper, the sign of death in a house, had 
 already been pasted on the outer doors. ' Do you 
 know me ? ' my friend asked of his dying uncle. 
 ' Oh yes ; why did you not come before ? ' replied the 
 patient ; ' I am so thirsty, and they will give me 
 nothing to drink, and I am so cold, since all my 
 warm clothing has been taken away, and my bones 
 are sore with lying on this hard board. Move me 
 back to the kang, and take these clothes away ; I 
 am not dead yet ! ' The nephew gave him a bowl 
 of hot water, which he drank, and afterwards some 
 tea. He felt his pulse, and discovered that it was 
 stronger than when he had visited him before. 
 
 " ' Don't wait for me, father ! ' said a married 
 daughter who had just arrived ; ' I am here, so you can 
 go ! ' This remark was made in allusion to the idea 
 that the souls of the dying cannot pass away if they 
 are desiring to see some absent member of the family. 
 
 " The Christian nephew insisted upon his uncle 
 being moved back to his bed and dressed again in 
 
 19 
 
290 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 warm clothing, and gave him some arrowroot ; after 
 which the old man seemed better, and lived for about 
 a fortnight." 
 
 At about the same time the Doctor writes : — 
 
 " Here is an instance of the domestic misery so 
 often found in this heathen land. A man had been 
 attending our dispensary for several weeks, suffering 
 from a very painful and incurable malady, for which, 
 however, we could give him much relief. One day 
 his wife appeared with him, and wished to know 
 whether he could be permanently cured. Finding 
 that this was impossible, she began to upbraid her 
 poor husband for his inability to work, and, finally, 
 turning to me in the presence of the sick man, asked 
 if I would not give him a dose of poison to kill him 
 quickly, as they had to depend for their support upon 
 the labour of one son." 
 
 In July of this year Dr. Mackenzie writes to his 
 brother : — 
 
 " I have been away for a boat trip of ten days' 
 duration, to try and shake off my malaria this 
 summer, and so prevent breaking down as I did last 
 year. We are very badly situated in Tien-tsin for 
 getting a change, having no hills near and no seaside 
 resort nearer than Chefoo. 
 
 " Determined to get some sort of a change, I went 
 with Mr. King on this boat trip to one of our country 
 stations. The journey, however, was rather a mistake, 
 as in a small boat, with a little cabin, it was unbear- 
 ably hot 
 
STRANGE PHASES OF CHINESE LIFE. 291 
 
 " After the sun had been on the boat for some 
 hours, we were in a state of agony, endeavouring in 
 every way to cool ourselves, sitting with wet towels 
 round our heads and chests. It was a dreadful time ; 
 yet upon our return I feel the better for even such a 
 trying change ; the air, free from the neighbourhood 
 of a great city, was at least pure, and I feel freer from 
 the depressing languor of the malarial atmosphere of 
 this place." 
 
 " A Tauist priest came to the hospital to-day," he 
 writes, "with his right ear badly deformed. Two 
 and a half years ago, when his temple needed 
 repairing, he himself nailed both his ears to a door, 
 and remained thus for two days and two nights. 
 His object was to excite compassion and stimulate 
 liberality. In freeing himself one ear, the right, got 
 badly torn, and has since remained hanging as an 
 awkward fragment. The left ear, though torn through, 
 had healed in good position." 
 
 In the autumn of 1886 it was decided to try and 
 form all the medical missionaries in China, both men 
 and women, into a society, to be known as the 
 " Medical Missionary Association of China." It was 
 also arranged that a journal should be started by this 
 society, to be called the Medical Missionary Journal. 
 It is an interesting proof of the estimation in which 
 Dr. Mackenzie was held by his colleagues in medical 
 work, that he was chosen by them to edit the part of 
 this magazine which was to be devoted to the con- 
 sideration of the best methods of using medical 
 
292 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 missionary work as a means of doing the Master's 
 work and saving souls. 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie's time had always been so fully 
 occupied that it had seemed almost impossible for 
 him to use his pen in describing the wonderful work 
 he was privileged to carry on, or to express in writing 
 his ideas of a medical missionary's calling. This 
 work being almost entirely supported by the liberality 
 of the Viceroy, there was not the same need of 
 writing a report for the encouragement and interest 
 of foreign contributions as exists in many other cases. 
 But when this journal was started, he seemed to look 
 upon this appointment as a call coming, first of all, 
 from the Master ; and during the last fifteen months 
 of his life, the period of the magazine's existence, he 
 contributed to it repeatedly. 
 
 " The Evangelistic Side of a Medical Mission," and 
 " Some Spiritual Results of Medical Mission Work," 
 were the titles of two of these papers, and an editorial 
 called " The Double Cure," which appeared within 
 a few weeks of his death, and was his last contribution 
 to the pages of the periodical, speaks with no uncertain 
 sound of the aim which Kenneth Mackenzie kept 
 ever in view in the prosecution of his medical work. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 GLIMPSES OF INNER LIES. 
 
Visit to Peking — Most Blessed Meetings — His Favourite 
 Books — Rather Die than Deny Christ — Letters to a 
 Young Missionary — " In Nothing be Anxious " — Spiritual 
 Growth in Chinese Converts — Comparisons between Life 
 in Nazareth and in China — Railways Contemplated — 
 Kidnapping — Disturbance in the City — " Not Hard Work 
 but Worry that Kills" — Need of Spiritual Power — A 
 Helpful Meeting. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 GLIMPSES OF INNER LIFE. 
 
 IT has been before mentioned that Dr. Mackenzie 
 constantly acknowledged his indebtedness for 
 assistance in hospital work to the medical men of 
 the Tien-tsin community, Drs. Frazer and Irwin, and 
 also to the surgeons of the various gunboats which, 
 during the winter, are usually stationed in Tien-tsin, 
 besides those medical missionaries coming down from 
 the interior, and residing in the port for a time. 
 
 " I have had a very pleasant associate this summer," 
 writes the Doctor, " in Dr. Merritt from Pao-ting-fu, 
 who has been spending the summer here, with his 
 family ; he has given me great help every day in my 
 work. It is very enjoyable to have companions who 
 are interested in just the same line of things as one- 
 self. I have been very busy this summer, but greatly 
 enjoy the work. I get now an increasingly large 
 amount of surgical work, and generally have two or 
 three important operations every week-day. Eye 
 operations are of almost daily occurrence, and it is 
 a real pleasure to restore sight to those who come to 
 us, to all intents and purposes, blind. I feel I should 
 like to be relieved of the teaching work in my hands. 
 
 295 
 
296 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 I am afraid I did not count the cost when I started 
 with it. It is a tremendous tax upon one, the constant 
 preparation for class work in the midst of so many 
 practical hospital duties, and is especially felt during 
 the hot months of summer. Not that I do not enjoy 
 it too, and shall ever feel grateful for the privilege of, 
 in some measure, influencing the lives of a few of the 
 first representatives of Western medicine, as practised 
 by the Chinese themselves. Still it is a strain I 
 would not like to bear alone much longer. I have 
 very efficient Chinese helpers from my old classes, 
 but they can never quite take the place of foreign 
 associates. But this is too much about self and his 
 doings." 
 
 Towards the end of December Dr. Mackenzie 
 writes to his brother from Peking : — 
 
 " You will see that I have left home. I came 
 away two days before Christmas, with Mr. Gilmour, 
 who had visited Tien-tsin from Mongolia to get some 
 drugs from me. I thought a little change into 
 another region would do me good, and I was able 
 to get Dr. Leach, of the American gunboat Palos, 
 to take on my work during my absence ; so I came 
 away with Gilmour. He is a delightful companion, 
 and though the journey to Peking, at this time of 
 the year, is rather trying, I greatly enjoyed it. We 
 travelled by cart, as the river is frozen, starting about 
 9 a.m., and reaching our inn about 7 p.m. Then we 
 had a meal, and slept on the brick bed until 3 a.m., 
 when we had to get up and continue our journey 
 
GLIMPSES OF INNER LIFE. 297 
 
 during the night This part of it was very cold at this 
 season. We again travelled most of the Friday night, 
 and were thus able to get in at 8 a.m. on Christmas 
 morning. Every one was very kind, and welcomed us 
 heartily. 
 
 " I have been spending these days in social visits 
 amongst my friends in Peking, who are so very kind. 
 Yesterday I was lunching with Dr. Atterbury, and 
 was glad to see something of him and his work. 
 You will perhaps remember that it was he who came 
 down to Tien-tsin to take up my work during my 
 absence in England. I shall ever remember this act 
 of kindness. He has just completed a fine new 
 hospital for Medical Mission work, built at his own 
 cost. 
 
 " Depend upon it, there are not a few unselfish 
 people in the world, who live, not for themselves, but 
 for others. In these cases wealth is a rich blessing. 
 
 " I am very glad to know more of Gilmour. Living 
 away in Mongolia, he sees no foreign face, and 
 no fellow-countryman is there to sympathize with 
 him. He has no house of his own, and, living in the 
 miserable inns of the place, knows nothing of privacy, 
 for the Chinese and Mongols, according to custom, 
 crowd around him at all hours. He takes simple 
 medicines that I make up for him, and opens a booth 
 on the street, where he gives away his medicines and 
 preaches fche gospel to those who come around him. 
 It is a hard life, but God has given him much grace 
 and strength to bear it." 
 
293 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 A fortnight after he writes : — 
 
 " I stayed in Peking over the week of prayer, and 
 the meetings every day were delightful. I got to 
 know all the missionaries in Peking. Previously I 
 have been kept so closely to my work in Tien-tsin 
 that I only knew many of them by name, or in a 
 casual way ; now I can say I know most of them as a 
 friend knows his friend. 
 
 " I was received in Peking by all the friends with 
 such unbounded kindness, that I cannot but praise 
 the Lord for all His goodness to me. We had most 
 blessed meetings, and the spirit of prayer was poured 
 forth in such rich abundance, that it is evident God is 
 about to do a great work in North China this year. I 
 hope Maggie is keeping well. I wish I could see the 
 dear child now and again, and visit you all ; yet I am 
 far from being unhappy, God has given me rich joy in 
 my life-work. I know that I am doing work for God 
 here in Tien-tsin. The hospital is one of the most 
 important centres of usefulness in the whole of China. 
 It amazes me sometimes as I look back, to see how 
 wonderfully out of a small beginning God has de- 
 veloped a large and efficient institution. We seek ever 
 to bring home the precious gospel of the love of God 
 to our patients in hospital, so that from this centre 
 the Truth is carried away for hundreds of miles." 
 
 Writing to a medical friend in China, soon after his 
 return from Peking, Dr. Mackenzie says : — 
 
 " I am more and more impressed with the fact that 
 it is useless for us to pray for an outpouring of the 
 
GLIMPSES OF INNER LIFE. 299 
 
 Holy Spirit upon the people amongst whom we live 
 and labour, unless we are earnestly seeking His 
 presence ourselves. I am sure of this, that God 
 works through His people. Glory be to His holy 
 Name that it is so ! If the people are to get the 
 Holy Spirit, we must first seek it for ourselves, and 
 then, when we are filled, the Spirit will, like a great 
 stream that has overflown its banks, pour forth to 
 others ; or else (God grant that it may not be so in 
 our experience) He will pass us by, and use some 
 other of His servants. But the appointed channel 
 of His blessing is through His spiritual Church in 
 its various members. We are to be co-workers with 
 God, and yet after all the whole work is His ; we 
 need but to be willing and empty. But oh, how 
 much is implied in this. ' Hungering and thirsting 
 after righteousness,' ' Travailing in soul ' — these are 
 some of the expressions in the Word to denote the 
 state of heart of him whom God can richly bless 
 and use. This is no Sunday religion, dear brother, 
 but a life full of the healthiest activities and most 
 ennobling joys." 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie's time was so fully occupied that he 
 had little leisure for reading, and, with the exception 
 of professional literature, during the latter years of 
 his life read only books and papers which he con- 
 sidered helpful to personal piety, such as Andrew 
 Murray's "Abide in Christ," "Like Christ," and 
 others of the same series ; " The Life of Finney," 
 'The Christian and the Reaper." 
 
300 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 Some time before this date he had written to his 
 father :— 
 
 " I am glad you have enjoyed ' Abide in Christ ; ' it 
 is a book full of rich teaching. I think I have hardly 
 ever received more benefit from any book. It requires 
 much careful thought. I get very little time for 
 general reading, but such a book as this can be taken 
 up at odd intervals, and fill the mind with food for 
 meditation." 
 
 To a Christian friend, connected with the Chinese 
 customs service, who was at home on furlough, he 
 wrote, under date of March 1887, thanking him for 
 a book he had received, and continued : — 
 
 " I am looking forward to having a great treat in 
 reading it. At present I am still feasting on i Like 
 Christ,' and also another little book entitled ' Thoughts 
 on Christian Sanctity,' by Rev. H. C. G. Moule. This 
 latter book I am sure you would like, if you have not 
 already read it. You see, I haven't much time for 
 general reading, and these books, to be of any benefit, 
 must be assimilated, and this is a slow process. 
 Gilmour came in from Mongolia at the New Year, 
 and I let him take with him ' Abide in Christ.' .... 
 I have already got rid of half-a-dozen copies. 
 
 " Oh, dear brother, it is a precious thing to serve 
 the Lord. I have never known such joy in life as 
 God has mercifully granted me these last few months. 
 Jesus literally fills and satisfies one's life. It is such 
 a pleasure to see the students growing in knowledge 
 of God. The dear Saviour will indeed reveal Him- 
 
GLIMPSES OF INNER LIFE. 301 
 
 self in His glory to us (Chinaman or foreigner) if 
 we will but get near enough to see Him. 
 
 " You will remember and ; they are at 
 
 home on furlough after their three years' course. The 
 former has met with a lot of persecution from his 
 relatives because he has become a Christian, but the 
 Lord is sustaining him, and causing him to bear witness 
 for Jesus. He writes from his home that he would 
 
 1 rather die than deny Christ' Then is preaching 
 
 and holding Bible classes in his holidays, and has 
 already led some to the Cross. 
 
 "In the hospital there is a good work going 
 on ; the Lord Jesus seems to be working all the time 
 amongst our in-patients. We are having enquirers 
 always ; that is, no sooner is one batch gone than 
 another has taken its place. Last year there was 
 an average of forty in-patients all the time in the 
 wards ; out of this number we always have some 
 who are seeking the Lord, and give evidence of 
 having the Holy Spirit in their hearts. This is a 
 great joy to us." 
 
 After relating the case of a man who had come 
 into he hospital a heathen, in total ignorance of 
 the gospel, and had died full of joy in hope of 
 salvation through our Lord and Saviour, he con- 
 tinues : — 
 
 " Yes, indeed, St. Paul knew what he was about 
 when he wrote, 'The gospel of Christ is the power 
 of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.' 
 
 "This winter has been an unusually worldly one 
 
302 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 in Tien-tsin. They have had the municipal band 
 playing at the skating rink on Sundays regularly, 
 besides Sunday hunting. 
 
 " This is largely due to the influence of a growing 
 French and German element. What a sad spectacle 
 it is, while the Chinese are entering the Kingdom, to 
 see men and women from Christian lands trampling 
 under foot the precious gospel, and ashamed of it. 
 Yet so it was with the Jews, God's chosen people. 
 Oh to walk before Him with fear and trembling, that 
 we slip not ! " 
 
 To another friend, a young missionary in China, 
 with whom he frequently corresponded, he writes : — 
 
 " The first year in China is always a trying time, 
 because it is a time of preparation, and we yearn to 
 be doing. When you have got some hold of the 
 language, and can engage in work for the Master, you 
 will have your hands and your heart full. And yet, 
 even now, you are actively working for the Lord. To 
 do the work that lies at our hands, this is fulfilling 
 God's will. If I were you I would not touch medicine 
 for at least a year, but give your whole strength to 
 the language and to looking after your own health. 
 Medical missionaries are usually forced into medical 
 work from the beginning, and then have to lament 
 it ever after. Get a good foundation laid in the 
 language, and take plenty of exercise in the open air. 
 
 " You mention that in leaving England you fear 
 you will lose much religious teaching. I do trust it 
 will not be so. I am learning that public religious 
 
GLIMPSES OF INNER LIFE. 303 
 
 services are after all but imperfect methods of giving 
 religious instruction — I mean heart instruction. The 
 greatest help I find in the Christian life is in the 
 prayerful study of the Bible. John vi. 57 is a 
 striking verse, l As I live by the Father, so he that 
 eateth Me, even he shall live by Me.' Our Lord, it 
 seems to me, would have us learn that exactly the 
 same sort of relationship which existed between the 
 Man Christ Jesus, and the Father in heaven, is open 
 to us. He was ever depending upon the help of the 
 Father, was ever seeking to obey the Father, and was 
 in the closest communion with the Father. We can 
 only live as fruitful branches when we are in vital 
 contact with the Vine. We can only become and 
 remain in vital contact by eating of Him, partaking 
 of His life ; and this spiritual food can only be 
 obtained direct from Jesus. I fall into temptation 
 when I get up late in the morning, and lose my 
 communion with God over His Word. Nothing, no 
 united service, or even family prayers, can take the 
 place of this. Studying God's Word upon one's 
 knees I have found the most helpful of all methods. 
 How willing the Lord is to come and dwell in us if 
 we only want Him ! And then if He is dwelling in 
 us, the world wears a different aspect, and we are 
 very rarely long in doubt as to our course of action 
 in any matter." 
 
 To the same friend, at a later date, after a family 
 bereavement, he writes : — 
 
 " It is a terrible calamity to lose a loved parent ; 
 
304 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 yet the loss is ours only, and we should not sorrow 
 as those who have no hope. Dying is but ' going 
 home ' to the believer ; for has not our blessed 
 Lord abolished death, and brought life and immor- 
 tality to light through the gospel ? Let us just dwell 
 upon the verse, for there is no more death to those 
 who are in Christ Jesus. It is but the coming to the 
 end of our earthly journey, and entering into the 
 Promised Land. The verse rings of victory. What 
 a joy that you have found Christ so precious to you 
 of late ! He will bear the pain for you, and in 
 bringing it to Him you will learn to know Him better, 
 for is it not in sorrow and trouble that our dearest 
 friendships are made, that we come nearer to our 
 friends? He is our Friend. 
 
 " Let me give you a verse that has been full of com- 
 fort to me (Phil. iv. 6) ' In nothing be anxious ; but in 
 everything by prayer and supplication with thanks- 
 giving, let your requests be made known unto God.' 
 Verse 7, ' And the peace of God, which passeth all 
 understanding, shall guard your hearts and your 
 thoughts in Christ Jesus.' Verse 7 contains one of the 
 most precious promises in the Bible. Just think of 
 having His wonderful peace guarding one's heart and 
 one's thoughts all day long. But it is only on condition 
 that we fulfil the sixth verse. ' In nothing be anxious,' 
 — this is a distinct command, and if we fail to fulfil it 
 we shall not get the blessing. Sorrow even is anxiety, 
 and should be laid upon our blessed Lord. Then in 
 prayer and supplication we must not forget that 
 
GLIMPSES OF INNER LIFE. 305 
 
 thanksgiving is also distinctly commanded ; we must 
 praise God for His dealings with us, even though we 
 cannot make them out at times. Let us see to it that 
 the blessing we have gained is not temporary only, but 
 that this wonderful peace may be with us always. 
 
 " God is teaching you in all these matters, and 
 though our lessons are often hard to take to heart, 
 yet we do get a delightfully close realization of His 
 presence, in a way that we could not otherwise do. 
 Pray God to make you cease from anxiety about 
 yourself and your plans ; just be willing to do the 
 work our dear Father gives you at the time. I know 
 from my own experience rest is found for the weary 
 and the heavy laden, and a fulness of joy such as 
 we can obtain in no other way. But I trust you are 
 drinking from the Fountain Head already. My 
 position has come to this, Am I living near my 
 Saviour : then I am as happy as the day is long, and 
 as light-hearted as a child. It may be that I have 
 plenty of annoyances, but they don't trouble me when 
 His presence is with me. Am I downcast and 
 worried : then I am away from God. I have grieved 
 the Holy Spirit by my sin. While this is my con- 
 dition I am, thank God, in perfect health. When the 
 body is sick the heart is no doubt often sad, and 
 prone to be low-spirited by the very influence of the 
 body over the mind. Yet to faith we know many of 
 God's people have owed great peace in the midst of 
 pain and severe illness." 
 
 At a later date he writes to the same friend : — 
 
 20 
 
306 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 " I do trust you continue to find joy and rest in 
 God. I am afraid my last letter to you was not a 
 helpful one. Lesson : Never write to your friends 
 when you are worried and anxious. In the first 
 place, worry is absolutely wrong in a believer. Do 
 you know this in the Psalms (cxix. 165)? — 'Great 
 peace have they which love Thy law/ and in Psalm 
 lxviii. 19, new version, ' Blessed be the Lord, who 
 daily beareth our burden.' Is not the latter a great 
 improvement on the old version ? — ' Daily loadeth us 
 with benefits.' This was very precious, but not nearly 
 so delightful as the new. I hope you are keeping 
 quite well and strong in every respect this summer. 
 Don't be unwise enough to think that we are serving 
 God best by constant activity at the cost of head- 
 aches and broken rest. I am getting to be of the 
 opinion that we may be doing too much. We want — 
 at least this is my own want — a higher quality of 
 work. * He that is entered into his rest, he also hath 
 ceased from his own works, as God did from His' 
 (Heb. iv. 10). ' Let us labour therefore to enter into 
 that rest' (ver. 1 1). Our labour should be to maintain 
 unbroken communion with our blessed Lord ; then we 
 shall have entire rest, and God abiding in us ; that 
 which we do will not be ours, but His. 
 
 " I have not time for much reading now ; in fact, I 
 am getting confined to a very small circle of litera- 
 ture, of which the principal book is ' The Book.' " 
 
 Speaking of the Spirit's work among the medical 
 students and in the hospital wards, he writes ; — 
 
GLIMPSES OF INNER LIFE. 307 
 
 ■ It is very delightful to see growth around you 
 especially spiritual growth. It is worth suffering 
 much (though I have no cause to talk of suffering, 
 my joy has been so full), and coming a long way, to 
 see Chinamen drinking in the living water." 
 
 Writing to the same friend, he notes down some 
 comparisons between life in Nazareth and in China. 
 
 " Have you ever tried to picture what sort of a life 
 our Lord led in Nazareth ? Thompson, in his l Land 
 and the Book,' gives us some idea of what it must 
 have been. The carpenters' tools of the present day 
 in Judea are very similar to those used by the 
 Chinese carpenter. The house, probably built of 
 stone, must have been very bare and cheerless, 
 especially among the poor with whom our Lord lived. 
 Poverty and dirt generally go together, particularly 
 in an Eastern climate. I wonder if the peasant of 
 Nazareth was much cleaner or more comfortable 
 than the Chinese peasant of the present day? They 
 evidently had few belongings, for they could change 
 their quarters without much hindrance from impedi- 
 menta. The villagers were unlettered and ignorant 
 men ; they must have been chiefly occupied, as are 
 the poor amongst the Chinese, in striving after the 
 necessaries of life, in discussing ways and means. 
 Christianity has, for thousands in our native land, 
 converted earth into a paradise, compared with such 
 a scene as this. To us the life of a Chinese peasant 
 would be a perpetual martyrdom. 
 
 " * Christ Jesus, who thought it not robbery to be 
 
308 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 equal with God : but made Himself of no reputation, 
 and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was 
 made in the likeness of men.' From trying to 
 picture, however imperfectly, something of our Lord's 
 surroundings when on earth, I get new light upon 
 the verse just quoted. What a constant martyrdom 
 our Lord was ever going through while upon earth. 
 Yet these external things were as nothing compared 
 with the moral obliquity and spiritual deadness Jesus 
 was always meeting with. How His pure heart must 
 have been pained every day. • Yet He was sustained 
 by the constant peace of communion with the Father. 
 Thank God we have the like blessed privilege open 
 to us. * Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to 
 you ; resist the devil, and he will flee from you.' " 
 On March 25th, 1887, he writes to his father : — 
 " Tien-tsin is very busy this year ; trade must be 
 improving, judging by the large number of new 
 arrivals in this settlement. It seems certain, too, that 
 railways are to be introduced, at least in a small way- 
 This the first step is the most important one, for if 
 once started and accepted, their extension is only a 
 matter of time. Marquis Tseng has the credit of 
 finally convincing the Empress. He is stated to have 
 said to Her Majesty, ' I have lived for ten years in 
 Western lands, and have seen with my own eyes, and 
 can bear personal testimony, that railways can only 
 benefit our country and people, and cannot be harm- 
 ful.' A small line is therefore sanctioned to connect 
 some coal mines with Taku and Tien-tsin." 
 
GLIMPSES OF INNER LIFE. 309 
 
 But while signs of progress were apparent, looking 
 in the direction of a more complete opening up of the 
 country, at the same time there were still signs, even 
 in Tien-tsin, of that distrust and suspicion of foreigners 
 which is constantly cropping up, and at this time it 
 was to some extent directed against one who was 
 generally acknowledged to be a public benefactor, 
 ?>., Dr. Mackenzie himself. 
 
 " There are a lot of unfortunate stories about kid- 
 napping filling the air in Tien-tsin," he writes to a 
 friend in China. " Some six or eight people have 
 been seized and thrown into the yamen for stealing 
 children, and it is said that they call themselves 
 Roman Catholics, and profess to be in foreign employ. 
 A scandalous paper was pasted in front of the book- 
 shop vilifying the name of Jesus. 
 
 " Our English Consul called upon me to ask me to 
 let him know what I should hear from the Chinese 
 about the excitement. The French gunboat, after 
 receiving orders to leave, has been stopped by order 
 of the French Minister. I suppose the excitement 
 will subside in a short while, but it is strange how 
 these foolish reports are taken up and evidently 
 believed. 
 
 " Mr. called in the other day to warn me that 
 
 two different Chinese had told him that I was mixed 
 up in the affair. The French Consul was supposed 
 to have instigated the kidnapping, and I had supplied 
 the medicines with which the children are supposed 
 to be stupefied ! " 
 
310 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 The matter is thus referred to in the Chinese 
 Times of that date : " For some time past the Chinese 
 in. and about Tien-tsin hav^ been filled with con- 
 sternation on account of the frequent occurrence of 
 the kidnapping of children. Children disappeared, 
 and the offenders could not be discovered." 
 
 It goes on to relate how five men were arrested, 
 and after examination acknowledged their guilt, one 
 of them declaring he had been bribed by the French 
 missionaries to commit the crime. 
 
 " This statement, though suppressed by the magis- 
 trate, soon spread like wildfire through the city, and 
 the story was embellished as it spread from mouth to 
 mouth. The most absurd fables were invented : the 
 children's bodies were used in the composition of 
 foreign medicines ; their eyes were made into photo- 
 graphic chemicals ; they were sold to the steamers, etc., 
 etc. On Friday evening last a popular rising against 
 the foreign community of Tien-tsin seemed imminent. 
 The Viceroy Li, who is absent in Peking, was 
 communicated with, and immediately sent down most 
 stringent orders to the Tien-tsin authorities to deal 
 summarily with any persons attempting to make a 
 disturbance, and to take prompt measures to restore 
 tranquillity. The state of affairs during Friday, 
 Saturday, and Sunday was critical, but the precau- 
 tions taken by the authorities have now removed all 
 danger of an outbreak. A body of Chinese troops 
 was guarding the settlement on Saturday and Sunday 
 nights." 
 
GLIMPSES OF INNER LIFE. 311 
 
 In a letter to his brother, written at this time, 
 Dr. Mackenzie says : — 
 
 "It is a great blessing when one can cast care to 
 the winds, and acquire perfect freedom from anxiety. 
 This is evidently much easier for some than others ; 
 one thing I feel sure of, it is not hard work that kills, 
 but worry. I think I am very little troubled in this 
 way now, thank God ; for instance, I have fifty-four 
 in-patients under my charge just now, nearly all 
 surgical cases and of the greatest anxiety, and yet I 
 am not in the least worried, though my time is very 
 fully occupied." 
 
 Later on he writes to his father : — 
 
 " We badly need another medical missionary for 
 Tien-tsin, and in November last I wrote, offering to 
 pay passage money and to guarantee salary, if only 
 the Directors would find a man, but up to the present 
 we have heard nothing. It is my private opinion 
 that our Society is hardly in touch with the best kind 
 of men in England. The latitudinarianism of so 
 many Congregational ministers in England is a death- 
 blow to the missionary spirit of our Churches. Look 
 at our Society, heavily in debt, and hundreds of the 
 members of Congregational Churches giving annual 
 subscriptions of one or two guineas who have incomes 
 of some thousands a year, and yet will not increase 
 their subscriptions. What more forcible evidence is 
 wanted of their lack of faith in missions ? " 
 
 Doubtless, had Dr. Mackenzie lived he would have 
 modified these statements ; but he had been strongly 
 
312 John Kenneth Mackenzie. 
 
 impressed and pained, during his visit home, by the 
 small interest generally felt in foreign missions. 
 
 " As to the success of our work, I think it has 
 been wonderful, especially considering our unfitness 
 for the great struggle with darkness and sin in this 
 land. Were we and the Churches who send us full 
 of the Spirit of God, and sufficiently humbled and 
 emptied of self for our Heavenly Father to manifest 
 His marvellous power in and through us, of course 
 success would be vastly more. But considering, as I 
 say, what we are and what the Churches at home are, 
 the results of our labour have been such as to call 
 forth praise and thanksgiving to God. The work here 
 is manifestly God's, and none but His. I have men 
 around me in the hospital and medical school who are 
 so clearly born of God that there can be no .question 
 about it. The great sin of the present day is empha- 
 tically unbelief. That is, unbelief in God, for there is 
 plenty of faith to be found, only unfortunately it is 
 not the right kind of faith ; it is faith in self, faith in 
 our institutions, in our schemes, in our own wisdom. 
 Faith in our Lord Jesus must ever go hand in 
 hand with deep humility, as in the case of the cen- 
 turion, and true humility, I fancy, is very scarce in 
 the present day. Excuse my rambling on, and please 
 do not think me downhearted about my work. I am 
 full of hope, for never have I spent what I trust has 
 been such a profitable year during my short life. 
 The openings I have here are more than I could 
 ever have expected. The Viceroy is remarkably 
 
GLIMPSES OF INNER LIFE. 313 
 
 kind to me, and thoughtful of my work. There is 
 plenty of money and abundance of opportunities, 
 and the work could be extended indefinitely if we 
 only had more men of the right stamp." 
 
 In June of the same year the Doctor writes to his 
 father : — 
 
 " It is a great privilege to serve the Lord here in 
 China. I feel so thankful to God for giving me this 
 honour, and for leading me into a deeper apprecia- 
 tion of it. In our hospital work we are daily meeting 
 with men who have never heard of the way of salva- 
 tion, and who have no joy in life, and it is our 
 delightful privilege to tell them of a Saviour mighty 
 to save. But, oh ! we need power ; the deadness of 
 these souls is something awful ; their utter ignorance 
 of what sin is, the fearful lethargy into which they 
 have fallen, all reveal that our one great essential is 
 power, — Divine, life-giving power. And bless God 
 we have all this in Christ. When at the creation 
 all was darkness and chaos, it was He who said, ' Let 
 there be light, and there was light.' And it was He 
 too who breathed into man's nostrils the breath of 
 life, and man ' became a living soul.' If we did not 
 constantly bear this in mind we should get dis- 
 heartened, or else faithless in view of what we meet 
 with daily. But not only have we to look back into 
 the past for evidences of His mighty power : He 
 vouchsafes to manifest it even here and now, to cheer 
 our faith and to encourage to renewed energy. It 
 is our joy to see from among these lifeless souls men 
 
314 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 truly born again, and exemplifying the spiritual life 
 clearly and brightly amongst their fellows. It is a 
 wonderful sight thus to see a dead soul come to life 
 again ; no wonder there is joy in heaven. The Lord 
 has been so gracious to me of late, giving me so much 
 joy in my life, so much thorough satisfaction and 
 rest. I can truly bless His holy Name for all His 
 wonderful goodness and mercy towards me. Out- 
 ward circumstances have very little to do with heart 
 peace or real heart satisfaction. It is the presence 
 of the living Saviour, and this alone, in our lives 
 which gives it. 
 
 " I am so glad to hear you are keeping so well, dear 
 father. I hope you get little Maggie to learn some 
 sweet hymns, and sing them to you. I should so like 
 to hear that she sings praise to her loving Father in 
 heaven. Do you often talk to her about how Jesus 
 loves her ? I think it is a mistake to think that 
 children do not or cannot enter into the comprehen- 
 sion of spiritual things." 
 
 Writing to his friend Colonel Duncan, with whom 
 Mackenzie had corresponded at as frequent intervals 
 as his busy life would permit ever since he came to 
 China, he says : — 
 
 " Oh, why do not more of the Lord's people come 
 to this land ? It is evident that He is wanting to 
 pour out salvation upon the people of China, but is 
 hindered by the lack of messengers. I have just 
 come from a meeting we hold every Friday evening 
 for the study of the Scriptures, a believers' meeting ; 
 
GLIMPSES OF INNER LIFE. $t$ 
 
 and it was indeed a hallowed time, for the Lord's 
 presence was there in large measure. It is for the 
 special help of the dispensers and ward-attendants, 
 who are all Christians, and the converted patients join 
 in. As one after another spoke as the Lord moved 
 him, I could not help blessing God for the manifesta- 
 tion of His power. Only a few years ago many of 
 these men were heathen, worshipping idols, and now 
 they know God, and enjoy communion with Him. 
 All are working Christians, seeking daily to teach and 
 lead into the light the patients who throng our wards ; 
 and the Lord has given us such access to the people, 
 for from hundreds of miles they come seeking healing, 
 and place themselves with childlike confidence in our 
 hands. 
 
 " As to myself, the dear Lord is blessing me beyond 
 measure. I cannot recount His goodness, the instances 
 are too numerous even to mention ; I can only praise 
 and extol His holy Name. Since my return to China 
 I have led, humanly speaking, a very lonely life, but 
 the Saviour has led me in a way I could not have 
 imagined. These last three years have been full of 
 instruction to me. Though one of the Lord's chosen 
 people, I was previously so ignorant of Him ; now, 
 through His great mercy, I have been learning what 
 it is in some measure to walk with Him and to hold 
 close communion with Him. Oh, He has been so 
 good to me in filling up my life with such unutterable 
 joy and peace. 
 
 " I have been greatly blessed in being kept from 
 
3i6 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 anxiety. ' In nothing be anxious/ etc., has proved 
 of great comfort to me, both in regard to my 
 family sorrows and my hospital cares, for with so 
 many patients, and most of them surgical operation 
 cases often of the greatest severity, humanly speaking 
 I could scarcely have borne the strain ; yet I think I 
 was never in better health, and my heart as light and 
 free from care as I could wish. Excuse my writing 
 so much about myself, but I would testify to the 
 wondrous grace and mercy of the Lord, whose I 
 am/' 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 GROWING IN GRACE. 
 
Growth in Spiritual Life — Relations with Foreign Community 
 — Bible Study — Interest in " Blue-jackets " — Real Cross- 
 Bearing — Continental Sundays — Welcomes to New 
 Missionaries — Congenial Companionship — Opinion of 
 New Theology — Visit to Country Districts — Rough 
 Travelling — Chinese Inns — A Self-willed Carter — Fair 
 Day — Found at Last ! — A Roman Catholic Church — 
 Hospitable Friends — Teacher No. 2 — A Little Flock — 
 The Crippled Schoolmaster — Too Late — Priest-Doctors — 
 The Salt Merchant. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 GROWING IN GRACE. 
 
 THE Christian life was always spoken of by St 
 Paul as a progressive thing, the high aim placed 
 before every believer being that of attaining to the 
 measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. And 
 as God, through His servant, would never have called 
 His people to tasks they could not perform, to heights 
 impossible of attainment, we know that the Father of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ has pledged Himself to supply 
 all that is necessary to effect in us that to which He 
 calls us. 
 
 In Dr. Mackenzie's life this principle of growth was 
 strikingly manifest. He had always been an earnest 
 and devoted missionary since first he set foot on 
 Chinese soil, and he had ever given great prominence 
 to the evangelistic side of Medical Mission work. 
 
 But during the last year or so of his life his growth 
 in likeness to His Divine Master was evident to all, 
 and that passion for souls which can only possess any 
 heart as the result of the indwelling of God's Holy 
 Spirit in abundant measure, became the inspiring 
 thought of his life, During his early years in Tien-tsin 
 
 3*9 
 
320 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 he had, to some slight extent, shared in the innocent 
 and healthful recreations of his fellow-countrymen in 
 the community. He was fond of riding, and, as we 
 have seen, experienced great benefit from his morning 
 gallop over the plains ; he enjoyed skating, and during 
 the long northern winter used to secure almost daily 
 a limited time for this healthful recreation, while 
 during -the rest of the year he not unfrequently took 
 a turn at lawn tennis. Some will perhaps look upon 
 it as a defect in his Christian character, that as time 
 went on he began to feel such an absorbing interest 
 in the things that are unseen and eternal, that Bible 
 study filled up most of his leisure time, when his 
 manifold professional duties were finished, almost to 
 the exclusion of ordinary social intercourse. 
 
 He rarely took any recreation, with the exception 
 of his daily " constitutional," which he looked upon in 
 the light of a duty for health's sake. He used to say 
 sometimes, that on account of those in our Eastern 
 communities who frequently complain of the absence 
 of most missionaries from all their entertainments and 
 seasons of recreation, he had determined to make a 
 fair trial, and see as much of English society as time 
 would allow ; but he had not found this experiment 
 a success, and had therefore given it up. 
 
 Without doubt the highest ideal of the Christian 
 life is that a believer in Jesus, following closely in the 
 footsteps of his Divine Master, should be able to 
 go into all society, as Christ Himself did, shedding 
 around him the blessed influence of a life filled with 
 
GROWING IN GRACE. 321 
 
 the spirit of love and boundless charity ; for Chris- 
 tians are to be in the world as their Master was in 
 it, to bless, and comfort, and strengthen. This is the 
 ideal life, but it is perhaps only attained by the few. 
 
 It is no unfrequent circumstance to see the Chris- 
 tian, who has earnestly desired to be " in the world, 
 yet not of it," by slow degrees losing the freshness 
 of his first love, and finding, by sad experience, how 
 difficult a task it is to keep his garments unspotted 
 from the world. To escape this trying ordeal, the 
 monks and hermits of old separated themselves entirely 
 from the world of daily life and business, shunning 
 the holy and happy influences of the home life which 
 our Saviour Himself had blessed and sanctified. 
 
 We think they were wrong now, those holy men of 
 old, though we honour their noble lives and utter self- 
 abnegation, and we remember at the same time that 
 our Lord's life was not of the ascetic type at all. He 
 never shrank from any festive gathering to which He 
 was invited, and was found mixing with every grade 
 of society that Judea had to offer. Yet He ever 
 went, like the physician into the plague-stricken 
 district, to heal and to save. 
 
 So that in these matters it is not for us to judge 
 each other, but for each to seek guidance as special 
 circumstances arise, remembering that, as one has 
 well said, both as regards the saints of ancient times 
 and the followers of Christ in these later days, " God 
 will judge us at last by our sincerity, and not by 
 our wisdom." 
 
 21 
 
322 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie was, however, well known in the 
 Tien-tsin community in his professional capacity, for 
 he was frequently called in for consultation by Drs. 
 Frazer and Irwin ; and as one among them wrote, 
 when he was called away, " He had endeared himself 
 greatly by his kindness and singular delicacy of 
 manner, while his skill as a physician inspired uni- 
 versal confidence." 
 
 In a letter to his father during the summer he 
 says : — 
 
 " I have not written lately, I have been altogether 
 too busy. Dr. Irwin, the only doctor at present in 
 the settlement, was taken ill with acute dysentery, 
 and I had to attend him and his patients. He is 
 better, and is now gone to Taku for the sea-air, and 
 I have still to look after his practice. The foreign 
 community numbers over three hundred, and this 
 month of June we are having extra hot weather, 
 temperature over 100° Fahr. in the shade, and so more 
 people get sick. I am happily very well, but work 
 has too much of a rush about it just now to please 
 me. Dr. Macfarlane is helping me now with the 
 students, so that frees me somewhat." 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie always felt a great admiration and 
 sympathy for men of noble character with whom he 
 came in contact, who were hindered by " honest 
 doubt " from any open profession of faith in Christ 
 or an active Christian life. " They are not far from 
 the kingdom," he would say sometimes. 
 
 At his death a slip of paper was found within the 
 
GROWING IN GRACE. 323 
 
 covers of his Bible, on which subjects for prayer for 
 each day of the week were noted down. Among 
 more general subjects, he had particular days for 
 prayer for friends in England, for the medical 
 students, and for certain members of the foreign 
 community in whom he felt specially interested. 
 
 His fondness for Bible study has been alluded to. 
 A striking evidence of this was found in the Bible 
 he had in use at the time of his death, which bore 
 the date of January 1888, and could therefore have 
 only been in use for about three months. Passages 
 had been marked in almost every part of both Old and 
 New Testaments ; while whole books, such as Exodus 
 and the Song of Songs, had been carefully studied, 
 and the lives of particular prophets and kings, like 
 Samuel and Hezekiah, had been closely followed, 
 many appropriate and thoughtful remarks being 
 noted down in the margin. 
 
 His own circumstances formed the key to many of 
 the passages marked. " As a man chasteneth his son 
 so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee " (Deut. viii. 5 
 " Why art thou cast down, O my soul ? and why art thou 
 disquieted within me ? Hope thou in God : for I shall 
 yet praise Him who is the health of my countenance " 
 (Psalm xliii. 5). Against the passage in Deut. viii. 17, 
 " My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten 
 me this wealth," occurs the word " Blind ! " probably 
 suggested by an undercurrent of thought regarding 
 the great facilities and large pecuniary help God had 
 granted him for carrying on the hospital, together 
 
324 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 with the accumulated savings which had provided a 
 large reserve fund for the future carrying on of the 
 medical work, as he hoped. 
 
 Ezekiel's call and commission had been carefully 
 studied, and also the life of King Hezekiah, the last 
 passage marked being, singularly enough, " And all 
 Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him 
 honour at his death ; " a statement which could be 
 used with equal appropriateness to describe the state 
 of feeling in the city in which Dr. Mackenzie lived, 
 when so shortly after he was removed by death. 
 
 A few months before, a friend had sent out to the 
 Doctor a copy of the well-known text-book " Daily 
 Light on the Daily Path." He had found this so 
 helpful, that it was his intention to translate and 
 arrange it for the benefit of the Chinese converts, 
 had his life been spared.* 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie had always a strong conviction that 
 the Christian life should be one of gladness and 
 rejoicing, and that we have no right to allow the 
 sorrows and trials which may shadow our path to 
 destroy our peace, or fill our hearts with undue care. 
 Speaking one day of a person who was suffering 
 severely from depression, and whose convalescence 
 from a severe illness had thus been hindered, he 
 remarked : — 
 
 " Yes, I am well aware he has enough to trouble 
 him, but then we have no right to dwell morbidly 
 
 * This work has been undertaken by two members of the 
 London Mission, Miss Moreton and the Rev. Hopkyn Rees. 
 
GROWING IN GRACE. 32$ 
 
 upon the trials of this life. If I allowed myself to 
 dwell upon my own sorrows I might be the most 
 sorrowful of men, but this is not God's will in sending 
 us these means of discipline. We are rather to rise 
 above them, and find our joy in work for Him." 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie was always deeply interested in the 
 welfare of the seamen of the various ships of war 
 which wintered in Tien-tsin, and was a supporter of 
 the Gospel Temperance Movement. He had little 
 faith, however, in any but spiritual methods as a 
 means of helping and elevating them. Indeed, his 
 one idea in all his intercourse with his fellow-men 
 was to bring them into personal contact with a living 
 Saviour. 
 
 The Doctor almost invariably received great 
 assistance from the naval surgeons of the various 
 nationalities, and formed a warm and lasting friend- 
 ship with some of them. Of one he writes : — 
 
 " On Wednesday afternoons we give a holiday to 
 the medical students, and then I try and get a walk 
 
 with Dr. , a very dear Christian friend on board 
 
 the English gunboat. When you do meet with 
 a Christian officer in the navy you find him an 
 aggressive one, a sort of Hedley Vicars. It may 
 seem strange to you to hear there are so few Christian 
 men out here, and it is strange ; but whether or not 
 it is the result of Eastern life, with its greater luxury 
 and ease for foreigners, it is a fact that, with few 
 exceptions, the religious life is discarded in China 
 by our fellow-countrymen. Such a statement as this 
 
326 John Kenneth Mackenzie. 
 
 would be badly received by many, for great numbers 
 claim to be Christians ; but what men object to is 
 ( being religious,' as they like to call it ; in other 
 words, trying to follow Christ." 
 
 Referring to the Memoir of his friend, John Gordon 
 of Pitburg and Parkhill, which he had lately been 
 reading, the Doctor says : — 
 
 " His was a noble life ; such singleness of purpose 
 and consecration is only, alas, too rare. So many of 
 us fear to be singular, and fear what men will think 
 of us, rather than simply what our Master would have 
 us do. I lent the book to a friend of mine, a bright 
 young Christian, who stands almost alone among his 
 fellows in witnessing for the truth. One does admire 
 a man who takes up his cross and follows Christ in 
 these communities in China, for it is a real cross- 
 bearing." 
 
 In a letter to a friend, a former Tien-tsin resident, 
 he says : — 
 
 " I trust you will be settled in a port where you 
 will have happy service for the Lord. This has 
 been an unusually worldly winter, even for Tien-tsin. 
 They have had the municipal band playing at the 
 skating rink on Sundays regularly. The introduction 
 of so many French and German residents has tended 
 to turn our Sunday into one after the continental 
 model, — games and paper hunts and other amuse- 
 ments being held more frequently, I think, on Sunday 
 than on other days, and printed notices to this effect 
 come round in the most open manner. Well, perhaps 
 
GROWING IN GRACE. 3 2 7 
 
 this is not a thing to be altogether sorry for, as it 
 compels the Lord's children to separate themselves 
 more thoroughly from the world." 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie longed earnestly to see the gospel 
 making rapid progress in China, and for this reason 
 always warmly welcomed the arrival of new mis- 
 sionaries. 
 
 In the autumn of 1887 he was cheered by the 
 coming of some whose arrival was a source of special 
 satisfaction to him. The first of these was one with 
 whom he had been engaged in Christian work in 
 Bristol many years before, and whose way had been 
 opened up, after many days, to come out to the 
 mission field in connection with the China Inland 
 Mission. His letter to this friend of former days 
 contains the following passage : — 
 
 " Let me give you a hearty welcome to this land in 
 which I have lived now for twelve years, and certainly 
 bless the Lord for giving me the honour and privilege 
 of ever coming here." 
 
 The other missionary in whose arrival he took a 
 special interest was the medical colleague who came 
 out to join his friend Mr. Gilmour in the Mongolian 
 Mission. 
 
 More than eighteen months before, Dr. Mackenzie 
 had been appointed by the Tien-tsin Committee, 
 on account of his deep interest in the matter, to 
 write an urgent appeal to the Directors of the 
 L. M. S. for a medical colleague for Mr. Gilmour in 
 Mongolia ; and so deeply did he feel the necessity of 
 
328 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 such an appointment, that after pleading the fact that 
 our Lord avoided sending forth His disciples singly, 
 since He knew how dependent we are upon human 
 sympathy, he went on to say, that even, if necessary, 
 he was willing that his fondly-cherished scheme of 
 having a second medical missionary for his colleague 
 in Tien-tsin should, for the time, be set aside, and the 
 next doctor sent to North China be designated to the 
 Mongolian Mission. 
 
 It was therefore a matter of special rejoicing to 
 Dr. Mackenzie when, after long waiting, the news 
 came that a medical colleague for Mr. Gilmour was 
 on the way ; and he wrote the following letter of 
 welcome to Dr. Roberts, who, in the providence of 
 God, was destined, in the short space of a few months, 
 to take up and carry on Dr. Mackenzie's own work, 
 when he received his sudden summons to the higher 
 service above. 
 
 " Allow me to offer you a most loving welcome to 
 China. I think this is, beyond other countries, the 
 field for Medical Missions. The work is a glorious 
 one, and I thank God that I have been honoured to 
 take some part in the effort to bring China to Christ. 
 I am sure you too will bless the day that first brought 
 you to this land." 
 
 After an appreciative reference to his valued 
 friend and Dr. Roberts' contemplated colleague, Mr. 
 Gilmour, the Doctor concludes the letter with the 
 following texts : " My soul, wait thou only upon God ; 
 for my expectation is from Him. He only is my 
 
GROWING IN GRACE. 329 
 
 rock : I shall not be moved. Power belongeth unto 
 God " (Psalm lxii:). 
 
 It was decided that Dr. Roberts should remain in 
 Tien-tsin for some months, to get a start with the 
 language. They shared the same house together, 
 and, as is evident from Dr. Mackenzie's constant 
 reference to his new friend in his home letters, this 
 arrangement was a source of much satisfaction to him. 
 
 " I am very well, and the work is prospering," he 
 writes. " It is such a pleasure to have a congenial 
 friend in the same house with one. ... I think it is 
 good for digestion, not to speak of other benefits — 
 one eats food with more enjoyment. We have such 
 pleasant walks and talks together. Dr. Roberts is 
 well acquainted with Mr. Meyer of Leicester, who is 
 doing such good service for the Church of Christ." 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie held strongly to the doctrines of 
 grace, and had no 'sympathy at all with the new 
 theology. 
 
 " What do you think of Spurgeon's action ? " he 
 asks in a letter to his father. " I am delighted with 
 the stand he has taken, and trust it may do much 
 to awaken thoughtful students of the Bible to the 
 danger of many of the theories floating around. If 
 only it leads men to test for themselves — to search 
 and prove whether these things be so — it will be 
 doing good service. We are too much inclined to 
 take things at second hand. Now that we have a 
 good revised Bible no one need say, c I cannot go to 
 the fountain head for information.' " 
 
33o JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 The presence of two medical colleagues in Tien-tsin 
 at this time made it possible for Dr. Mackenzie to 
 carry out his long-cherished purpose of paying a visit 
 to the country districts around Tien-tsin, with the 
 view of strengthening the many scattered Christians 
 who had been led to a knowledge of Jesus as their 
 Saviour within the wards of the hospital. Many of 
 them had received baptism upon a profession of their 
 faith in Christ, and had returned to their homes to 
 witness for Him in places where the gospel had never 
 before been heard. 
 
 And it was thus that he spent the last Christmas 
 and New Year's holidays of his life, in the company 
 of one of his dispensers, who, like all his assistants 
 and servants, was his devoted friend. During this 
 three weeks of itineration he lived with the country 
 people as a guest in their homes, sharing their humble 
 hospitality, and endearing himself to them in a way 
 that will not soon be forgotten. 
 
 It was Dr. Mackenzie's intention to write an 
 account of this journey, which was to him a source 
 of much encouragement and rejoicing, because it 
 enabled him to see how widely the Lord was using 
 the work done in the hospital wards, and the men 
 there brought to a knowledge of the Saviour, to 
 spread the good news of salvation far and wide 
 through the surrounding districts. The discomforts 
 of such a journey in the bitter cold of a North China 
 winter, the separation from friends at the New Year's 
 season of reunion, were of small account to him in 
 
Crowing in grace. 331 
 
 comparison with the joy he had in seeing the progress 
 of God's kingdom in the land, and finding the men 
 who had confessed Christ in Tien-tsin standing firm 
 amid the trials and persecution of their own home 
 life. 
 
 From various sources, such as note-books, letters, 
 etc., I glean the following account of this last journey 
 of itineration : — 
 
 " The patients who have given hopeful evidence of 
 a change of heart, under the teaching of the Spirit of 
 God, often live three or four or more days' journey 
 from Tien-tsin, and except in the event of their visiting 
 us again, we have few opportunities of following them 
 up. I took advantage of the valued presence of Drs. 
 Macfarlane and Roberts to take a several weeks' 
 trip into the country at the end of the year, for the 
 purpose of visiting the homes of some of my old 
 patients, to see how their Christianity was wearing 
 among their neighbours. I had a companion in one 
 of the dispensers, Chang Kung Mao, and a very 
 encouraging journey it proved. 
 
 " In making such a trip one has to hire a cart, 
 without springs of course, and two mules to draw the 
 vehicle, into which you put your bedding and such 
 articles as you deem necessary for the journey. I 
 was well wrapped up, having a sheep-skin coat, 
 dog-skin stockings, felt boots, and felt and fur cap. 
 The Chinese have no fires, except for cooking, and 
 do not depend upon artificial heat, but upon a super- 
 abundance of clothing, to keep the body warm. 
 
332 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 " On the first day we journeyed over a barren plain, 
 mostly following the course of the Grand Canal. The 
 land had been under water through the canal having 
 broken its banks, and there was much distress and 
 poverty in the district. We stayed the first night at 
 Ning-hai-hien, and spoke to three of the men belong- 
 ing to the inn about Jesus ; one, an old man of seventy, 
 seemed much interested. The best inns have brick 
 beds called kangs, but most of them off the high road 
 have only a raised earthen platform at one end of 
 the room, which serves both for bed and seat. The 
 windows in every case are made of paper, and are of 
 course full of holes ; the floor is of earth, and altogether 
 inns in China are not desirable places. But one soon 
 gets used to anything, and if your health holds good 
 all goes well. Being very hungry from the cold, dry 
 air circulating around all day, when you get in at 
 night you get some hot food, in rare cases rice and 
 a little meat, and after your meal you feel inclined to 
 go to sleep. Your surroundings are too uncomfortable 
 to want dwelling upon, so you pull your cap over 
 your ears, dispense with your boots, the only article 
 of attire you remove, and throwing yourself on the 
 mattress, cover yourself with the native bed-quilt, and 
 go to sleep. 
 
 " The second morning we rose two or three hours 
 before the sun, and soon after ate half a hot sweet 
 potato, weighing a catty. We had rather a tiresome 
 time before reaching the next town. The carter 
 came to a part of the road where there was ice, and 
 
GROWING IN GRACE. 333 
 
 insisted upon trying to cross, even though it looked 
 unsafe. We urged him to return, but he only beat 
 the mules the more, and first one and then the other 
 floundered into the water, breaking the ice in their 
 struggles. The left cart wheel went through the ice 
 into a hole, and we were all but over. Finally the 
 shaft mule fell down, and had to be unharnessed, and 
 then the carter agreed to turn back. He harnessed 
 first one mule and then the other to the back of the 
 cart, but it would not move ; the man was meanwhile 
 cursing the mules with all his might, calling them by 
 every opprobrious name, though it was solely due to 
 his own obstinacy that this trouble had come. Some 
 passing carters were appealed to for help, but they 
 paid no heed ; at last some poor travellers on foot 
 came along, and thev helped, with the mules, to drag 
 the cart out of the ice. 
 
 " The next day we dined at a place where a fair 
 was being held. All sorts of things were offered for 
 sale on extempore stalls in the very midst of the 
 streets. It looked like a picture of Vanity Fair in 
 the ' Pilgrim's Progress.' Every imaginable Chinese 
 requirement was there, from horses and bullocks to 
 coloured cloths, drapery, and eatables. 
 
 " We have great difficulty in finding our way on 
 this barren plain, for the roads are constantly cross- 
 ing and dividing. Nor were our difficulties over 
 when we had succeeded in our search, and reached 
 the village or market-town we were seeking. 
 
 " As an example, let me describe what took place 
 
334 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 at a village called Ba-wang. Upon entering we soon 
 found ourselves surrounded by a curious crowd, eager 
 to gaze at the strange spectacle of a foreigner in the 
 place. Not seeing the face of the friend we are 
 seeking among them, we enquire of the nearest person, 
 ' Will you kindly direct us to the house of Mr. Chang ? ' 
 ' He docs not live here,' is the immediate reply, 
 uttered most emphatically, as though to shut off at 
 once all hope. ' But isn't this village called Ba-wang ? ' 
 ' Yes, it is.' ' Well, then, we know that Mr. Chang does 
 live here.' ' Oh, it's that man, is it ? ' as if waking up 
 suddenly to lively recollection. ' Well, he has gone 
 from home ; he does not live in this place now. 
 There is no man of that name here at all ! ' 
 
 "These are evidently impromptu answers, given 
 without thought, so we have to begin and make more 
 particular enquiries, and give some explanations. 
 1 Look here, friends,' we say, ' we know Mr. Chang ; 
 he was a patient in the Tien-tsin hospital ; he had 
 bad eyes for over four years, one was nearly blind. 
 He is about so tall, is a thin man, and has three 
 children ; now, you see, we are acquainted with him. 
 We are on the road travelling, and have called to pay 
 him a visit. Now won't you tell us where he lives ? 
 Really now, we have not come to collect a debt, nor 
 do we want to borrow travelling expenses from him ! ' 
 
 " These remarks are rendered necessary on account 
 of the suspiciousness of the villagers, who have a great 
 antipathy to strangers, and evidently look upon a man 
 as an enemy till he has proved himself to be a friend 
 
GROWING IN GRACE. 335 
 
 1 We assure you we have only come to see him. We 
 are Christians.' By-and-bye the suspicions begin to 
 disappear. 
 
 " ' What did you say his name was ? ' they enquire. 
 1 Chang ? No, there is no one of that name.' Suddenly 
 some one in the crowd exclaims, ' Why, it's " G'ar " ! ' 
 calling the man by some pet or nickname he has 
 borne since childhood. Apparently in many cases 
 their own proper names are not used or even known 
 among the villagers. ' Oh, if it's that man you 
 mean, G'ar lives at the other end of the village.' 
 And so at last we are allowed to discover our 
 friend's whereabouts, and receive a warm welcome 
 from him. 
 
 " At another large market-town, where the Roman 
 Catholics were strong, we sought two men of the 
 name of Hu, who had formerly been patients ; but 
 amongst a large clan of the same name we could not 
 trace our friends. At another place we found a Roman 
 Catholic church, built with brick, after a foreign 
 model, with little turrets and a large crucifix on the 
 top. There was a foreign priest living there, so I 
 called on him, and he kindly took me over the church. 
 He spoke no English, and had lived in this village of 
 two hundred families for three years. He said there 
 were thirty families of converts, and they had built 
 the church at their own cost. The interior was rather 
 dirty, and the pictures of the Virgin and the saints 
 were rather tawdry. 
 
 " We next made our way to Hsiao-shih, where four 
 
336 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 men lived who had been baptized, all bearing the 
 same surname, Hu. Kung Mao, the dispenser, went on 
 to seek them out, leaving me in the cart. He found 
 all our friends were absent at a large fair in the neigh- 
 bourhood, but as soon as their relatives heard who 
 we were, they came out and seized hold of us, and 
 literally took possession. They would not hear of 
 our going to put up at the inn. Leading the mules 
 to the door of the father of one of the ex-patients, 
 they quickly conveyed all our belongings on to the 
 kang of an inner room. 
 
 " After a while the son returned from the fair, and 
 gave us a hearty welcome. He is a fine young fellow 
 of twenty-two, the eldest son of a rich farmer, who 
 farms his own land of one hundred and fifty Chinese 
 acres. He reads w r ell, is intelligent, and was baptized 
 while in the hospital; he was an in-patient, suffer- 
 ing from rheumatism. His father is a thoughtful, 
 intelligent man of over forty, who treated us in the 
 most hospitable manner, insisting upon feeding our 
 carters and attending to our mules. He pressed us 
 to remain with him some days. Though not pro- 
 fessedly a Christian, he has learned a good deal of 
 the doctrine from his son. 
 
 " We were in the houses of three other Christians, 
 and saw not a trace of idolatry anywhere. 
 
 " Another man, the son of a well-to-do shopkeeper, 
 had been a patient ; he reads well, and keeps his 
 father's accounts in the shop. He has an elder 
 brother, who seemed bright and interested, but cannot 
 
GROWING IN GRACE. 33; 
 
 read. We dined with this family, and afterwards 
 preached in their house to many visitors. 
 
 "Two other old patients, each over forty years of 
 age, lived in this place. One of them, before his 
 conversion, was known as ' Xo. 2 Teacher.' He is 
 not an educated man, but has a gift for story-telling. 
 Before he came to Tien-tsin he did not know a 
 character ; now he can read his Bible. We dined at 
 his house and preached there, Kung Mao telling with 
 power the story of the prodigal son to the assembled 
 villagers. This man is poor, and his eyes still give 
 him trouble ; he has no land, but works for others ; he 
 has a son in business in the place. Another man, 
 named Shen, is less earnest ; he wished us, however, 
 to go and dine with him the day we left. He farms 
 his own land of forty acres. He was in the hospital 
 for granular lids, and improved under treatment, but 
 the trouble has recurred. These four Christians meet 
 together for conversation about the Word of God and 
 prayer, the three earnest ones every evening. Deng- 
 Yung joins them occasionally, but it is not convenient 
 for him, on account of his bad eyesight, to go regu- 
 larly at night. Tao-ping's father told us that after 
 the Chinese New Year he should give them a room 
 to hold worship in,— an old schoolroom, which is at 
 present let. The interest in this village is great, and 
 the Lord gave us an open door in every direction. 
 The Shen family earnestly begged us to stay longer 
 with them, but we rather hesitated at putting them to 
 so much expense in entertaining us, as they would 
 
 22 
 
338 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 allow us to pay for nothing, and every meal was a 
 feast 
 
 " Tao-ping, the son, rode over on his mule to the 
 next town we wished to visit, to show us the way. 
 The man we wished to see, a Christian named Wang, 
 is poor, having only ten acres of land. He gave us 
 a hearty welcome, and in the presence of a crowd 
 of fellow-villagers testified for Christ. We spoke a 
 few words to the people, left some books, exhorted 
 Wang to keep near Jesus, and soon left. Wang's 
 nephew, a young man of twenty, said he had learnt 
 the doctrines from his uncle ; he believed in Christ, 
 and was hoping, after the New Year, to come to 
 Tien-tsin and receive baptism. A number of the 
 villagers had learnt something of the truth from 
 Wang. 
 
 "At the next place we sought for a man of the 
 name of Ch'en, but found he was away from home 
 at the district city, where he was a party in a 
 lawsuit, which had been brought against him by 
 another man, relating to his right of ownership in the 
 shops where he carried on his business. We were 
 disappointed at not seeing Ch'en, as he had been long 
 in the hospital with lupus of the face. However, we 
 laid the matter before the Lord, and prayed for 
 guidance and for a blessing on the man, and went 
 on to the inn. It was the worst we had come across 
 yet, and after our snug quarters at the Shen village 
 we felt the cold bitterly on this Christmas Eve. The 
 walls were made of sun-dried mud bricks, unplastered, 
 
GROWING IN GRACE. 339 
 
 and so the wind came through them as through a 
 sieve, and it was so bitterly cold that we did not get 
 much sleep. 
 
 " Morning was welcome, and by daylight we were 
 on our way. We considered whether we should go 
 to the city and seek for Ch'en ; but we thought the 
 search would prove so difficult, that we decided to go 
 on to the next patient on our list. On our way, 
 however, we most unexpectedly met Mr. Ch'en. He 
 had finished his business on the previous evening, and 
 hearing from a friend that some people from Tien-tsin 
 were seeking him, he started off first thing in the 
 morning to look for us at our inn. We had started 
 before he arrived, and had we gone by the other 
 road should have missed him. We felt we had been 
 guided of the Lord. We returned with Ch'en to his 
 home, and entered his father's house. The father, a 
 most courteous old gentleman of sixty-five, received 
 us most kindly, as did also his mother and younger 
 brother. The room was soon full of neighbours, to 
 whom we preached, and afterwards we all, Ch'en in- 
 cluded, prayed together. We were hungry and tired, 
 and soon after went to our inn and had a late 
 breakfast. This was on Christmas Day. Ch'en's 
 father wished us to stay with them, but as they were 
 not well off we declined. After this we preached 
 until quite tired out, speaking on the parable of 
 the fig-tree, the prodigal son, the miracle of healing 
 the palsied man borne of four, and blind Bartimaeus. 
 Ch'en did some preaching and teaching too, and told 
 
34Q JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 us that his father and next neighbour were well 
 inclined to the gospel ; the former was very intel- 
 ligent, and had read some of the New Testament. 
 The innkeeper, who was a friend of Ch'en's, treated 
 us most kindly ; he knew something of the doctrine 
 some time before, as Mr. Perkins had stayed at his 
 inn and left some books. 
 
 " At the next town we sought for a man named 
 Lin, about forty years of age, who had left the 
 hospital nine months ago, after undergoing an opera- 
 tion for gangrene, having had his right foot removed. 
 He was originally a very small farmer ; after losing 
 his foot he was unable to cultivate his land, so he 
 had to sell it, and being, for a countryman, a very 
 good scholar, his fellow-clansmen, all with the same 
 surname, made him schoolmaster in the village, 
 and on our arrival we found him installed in this 
 capacity. 
 
 " But alas for his Christianity ! No sooner had he 
 reached home than he began to trouble himself as 
 to how he would ever be able to maintain himself 
 now he was a cripple. As it seemed as if he was 
 entirely dependent upon the help of his neighbours, 
 he was much afraid of offending them, so he kept 
 silent about the doctrine, and concealed the fact 
 that he was a Christian, and none of his neighbours 
 knew it. As soon as we reached his house he began 
 to explain to us why he had not preached to the 
 villagers ; he dare not offend them, as they sent 
 their children to be taught by him. We preached 
 
GROWING IN GRACE. ^\ 
 
 for some time to the neighbours, who flocked into 
 the schoolroom ; but they took little interest in what 
 we said, we fear, because Lin had been hiding his 
 light under a bushel. 
 
 " After exhorting Lin to cease to fear man and to 
 fear God, and so get peace in his heart, we gave 
 him some books and a calendar, and left. Next day 
 we crossed the Grand Canal, and made our way to 
 a place where two brothers named T'sai were living, 
 who were farmers. 
 
 " They were in the hospital about ten months ago ; 
 the younger brother's foot requiring amputation, the 
 elder brother was there nursing him. There were 
 five brothers in the family, and the elder was the 
 only scholar among them ; that is to say, none of the 
 others knew a character, while he could read and 
 write well. He took from the first a deep interest 
 in 'the gospel, and soon declared himself on the 
 Lord's side. He was a most hopeful, earnest, and 
 solid character, while his younger brother was dull 
 and apathetic, and though he also desired baptism 
 before leaving the hospital, I think it was without 
 any deep conviction of sin, but rather at the instiga- 
 tion and under the teaching of his brother. The 
 truth was very real to the elder man, and we hoped 
 much from our visit to him. 
 
 " Kung Mao went on before to find the family out, 
 and came back with the sad news that Djen Dsung 
 was dead. The very day after he brought back his 
 younger brother, recovered after the operation, he 
 
342 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 was himself taken ill, with what disease they could 
 not tell us. They said that for over eight months 
 he lay ill on his bed, and all the doctors within reach 
 failed to relieve him, and he died just a month before 
 our arrival. We went with the lame brother into the 
 house and saw the old mother ; their father was still 
 alive, but he was away at a fair. 
 
 "The old lady received us most kindly, and told 
 us how her son had longed to see us before he died, 
 and had wept because it was impossible, — wept 
 several times, the poor mother said, and was always 
 praying, reading his Bible, and talking to them about 
 the doctrine. How strange it seems, humanly speak- 
 ing, that this man should be called away just when 
 he had such a work to do ; but God knows best. 
 
 "The younger brother seemed very listless, but 
 the mother was quite hopeful, and sat with us all 
 the time we were there, and from her evident interest 
 we directed our remarks mainly to her. The father, 
 it seems, is still an idolater. 
 
 "At another town we met three more Christians, 
 and had a service with them at our inn. One of them, 
 named Yang, had been at the hospital waiting on 
 his son, who afterwards died. He was baptized before 
 leaving ; he owns several shops, one a cash shop. He 
 had lent his Bible to a friend, who had not returned 
 it. The second, named Chang, is engaged as buyer 
 in a large distillery. He buys grains and dates, and 
 is constantly travelling about the country. All these 
 three men can read well and pray aloud. 
 
GROWING IN GRACE. 343 
 
 " At the next place we visited we stayed the nighb 
 Miau-chia-tswang is a town where idolatry is rife. 
 When ill the people invite priests to come to their 
 houses ; they burn incense and go through idolatrous 
 ceremonies, but give no medicine. A Christian 
 named Ch'en, whose house we were seeking, a good 
 scholar who reads well, we found to be well known 
 as a believer in the place. He has met with much 
 opposition. One man had learned the doctrine from 
 him, and believed in Christ, but feared to confess his 
 faith on account of the displeasure of his friends. His 
 father and mother knew something of the gospel, but 
 were very indifferent. We preached to them and to 
 many neighbours. 
 
 " At the last place we visited, about thirty miles 
 from Tien-tsin, we saw a man named Leo, who had 
 been in the hospital two years ago. He is a farmer, 
 with one hundred acres of land, and also a salt 
 merchant, scraping the salt off the surface of the 
 soil, and afterwards putting it through some process 
 to purify it. He has two children, ten and eleven years 
 of age ; the elder had committed the catechism to 
 memory. He has also two brothers ; one of them is 
 an educated man and keeps a school. Our old patient 
 only possessed the catechism and a tract on the 
 parable of the prodigal son. He is a good scholar, 
 speaks well, and is fond of preaching the doctrine. 
 The keeper of our inn is a friend of his, and seems 
 a most hopeful man." 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 LAST THINGS. 
 
Chinese New Year — Paying off Epistolary Debts — Thoughts 
 about Prayer — The Last Report — Last Home Letter — 
 Busy Days — Desirability of Closing Medical School — The 
 Vivisection Question — The Last Sunday — Illness — Good 
 Friday — "I think the Lord is Calling me" — A Solemn 
 Farewell — "Quite Ready to go!" — The Dawn of Easter 
 Day — A Universal Sorrow — Funeral Honours — The 
 Christian's Good-night — At the Grave — A Chinaman's 
 Testimony — His Last Prayer — Loss of Official Patronage 
 — " I will never Leave Thee " — Appointments of Medical 
 Graduates — Last Memorials — A Biography in Stone. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 LAST THINGS, 
 
 THE Chinese New Year's season is the great 
 holiday time of the whole year in the Middle 
 Kingdom ; even the poorest coolies try to take their 
 ease for a few days, and almost all business is sus- 
 pended for nearly a fortnight. So that for a few 
 days the necessaries of life are purchased with 
 difficulty. 
 
 Of course every one is too busily engaged in anti- 
 cipations of pleasure-making to attend to any bodily 
 ailments, and at this season the dispensaries and 
 hospitals are almost deserted. 
 
 Consequently Dr. Mackenzie was able to take a 
 hard-earned holiday, which, as we find from his diary, 
 he spent in answering an accumulation of correspond- 
 ence with friends both in England and China. 
 
 " Chinese New Year is the great occasion for 
 paying off old debts," he writes, " and I am following 
 the very good custom set by the Chinese in this 
 respect, in trying to wipe off some epistolary debts." 
 
 To his friend Dr. Atterbury of Peking he wrote as 
 follows : — 
 
 "I wish more would write for the Journal (The 
 347 
 
348 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 China Medical Missionary Journal), and send a variety, 
 not merely confining themselves to medical matters. 
 There is the missionary side . of the question. 
 
 " Praise the Lord we have had a good year here in the 
 hospital. Thirty-nine patients were baptized during 
 the year. I feel so grateful to the Lord for thus 
 working, when there is so much in me that is dis- 
 pleasing to Him. Yet all the more is the glory His. 
 
 " He is teaching me some things ; one to have 
 more child-like faith, to believe that what He says 
 He means. And when Jesus says, ' Ask, and ye shall 
 receive,' I now know, as I never before did, that Jesus 
 will answer my prayers, perhaps sometimes by not 
 giving me that for which I pray. This year, God 
 helping me, I intend to trust Him more to use the 
 hospital to the salvation of souls. I was searching 
 out all the promises concerning prayer in the Word 
 the other day. Oh, they are so full and wonderful ; 
 I am so shamefaced that I have been so dumb before 
 the Lord for so long. Then, as to united prayer, two 
 of you agreeing together : we have had a united 
 noon-day prayer-meeting, just a few of us, which has 
 been much blessed to myself. 
 
 " Simplicity, directness, straightforwardness — these 
 are all needed in prayer. I have been for years 
 hypocritically repeating words in prayer, when I 
 never expected God to answer. How displeasing 
 to a loving Father is such conduct. The Lord 
 forgive me and teach me ! Isn't it a privilege to 
 trust the Saviour?" 
 
LAST THINGS. 349 
 
 To Mr. Stooke, of the China Inland Mission, 
 Chefoo, with whom he had been engaged in Christian 
 work many years before in Bristol, he writes : — 
 
 " I suppose you are hard at work at this delightful 
 language. Well, it only wants pegging away at, and 
 patience wins. 
 
 " I was away in the country on a journey last 
 December, a thing I cannot often manage, but I 
 have two medical colleagues for this winter, Drs. 
 Macfarlane and Roberts. I had a good time, and 
 was prospered by the good Lord. Then when I got 
 back we had a capital week of prayer. Gilmour was 
 in from Mongolia, and we managed to get two little 
 Bible readings every day, and God blessed us." 
 
 During this New Year season Dr. Mackenzie also 
 wrote the following interesting report of the work 
 done in the hospital wards and dispensary during 
 the year : — 
 
 " In accordance with the wishes of the Directors, I beg to 
 forward the following report of the work in my hands for 
 1887 :— 
 
 u Tien-tsin Medical Mission. 
 
 "Dispensary. — Number of attendances during the year, 
 
 13,799- 
 
 "Hospital. — Number of in-patients during the year, 591. 
 
 a Medical School. — Number of students in training, 9. 
 
 "The in-patients were thirty-five more than during the 
 year 1886, and I think they were drawn from a better class 
 in the social scale. The work in all its branches has gone 
 on uninterruptedly. The presence and help of my dear 
 friends, Drs. Macfarlane and Roberts, have been of great 
 
350 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 assistance to the cause, and a source of much comfort to 
 myself. While naturally their main energies are directed 
 to the study of the language, yet they have found time to 
 render valuable help — not the least valuable being their 
 earnest daily prayer for God's blessing. Dr. Macfarlane has 
 also given much service in the instruction of the medical 
 students, thus freeing me for more direct Christian labour 
 amongst the patients. 
 
 " In its medical aspect the work has been growing yearly 
 more and more full of interest. As the hospital becomes 
 more widely known we have a greater range of cases 
 presenting themselves, and consequently have broader 
 scope for usefulness ; and with the very efficient help now 
 at our command, we are able to undertake surgical opera- 
 tions of great magnitude, which, while being causes of 
 much anxiety, are also, when brought to a successful issue, 
 reasons for profound thankfulness. If our Directors be- 
 longed largely to the medical fraternity, I should be tempted 
 to become enthusiastic over some of the l cases ' treated ; 
 but this not being so, I will endeavour to keep my medical 
 enthusiasm under proper control. 
 
 " Private Practice amongst the Wealthy Classes. — As many 
 and various forms ot effort go to advance our common 
 cause, I would like to draw attention to the good work 
 accomplished this year by our chief medical assistant, Dr. 
 Lin-luen-fai. He was one of the Government students 
 sent to America to obtain a good English education. After 
 his return he passed through the medical course in our 
 school, and received his diploma, coming out first in his 
 class. More than three years ago he was attached as a 
 permanent assistant to aid in the hospital and school work, 
 receiving from the Viceroy a salary of forty taels a month. 
 In hospital and dispensary practice you necessarily fail to 
 reach large numbers of the wealthy and official classes. 
 At the commencement of the Medical Mission in Tien-tsin 
 I gave up a considerable share of my time to this depart- 
 
LAST THINGS. 351 
 
 ment — viz., visiting the. wealthy in their own homes. 
 While resulting in much pecuniary gain to the hospital at 
 a time when such help was needed, yet the distances to 
 be travelled, and the cumbrous etiquette from which you 
 cannot in courtesy escape, absorb so much time, while the 
 spiritual results are so meagre, that I gradually withdrew 
 from it, and refused, except in very special cases, to visit 
 patients at their own abodes. But, though I thought my 
 time could be better employed, yet I consider such a line 
 of work as having a distinct value of its own. I have, 
 therefore, encouraged Dr. Lin to obtain as much private 
 practice as he can without interfering with his set duties. 
 During the year he has thus attended a large circle of the 
 educated and influential with much success ; notably one 
 gentleman, whose interest in our work on its philanthropic 
 side gives cause for true thankfulness. H. E. Yen-hsin-heu, 
 a Taotai in rank, and one of the wealthiest men in Tien-tsin, 
 now acting as chief director of the new Chinese Railway 
 Company, has been for many years friendly and sympa- 
 thetic. He was cured of chronic dysentery while under our 
 treatment, and was a subscriber to the original building 
 fund of the hospital, and later on to the extension fund. 
 Last summer, after a trying overland journey, he was 
 taken seriously ill with an acute affection of the heart 
 and other complications. Ke was so dangerously ill that 
 there seemed small hopes of his recovery ; however, Dr. 
 Lin visited him twice a day, paying the most assiduous 
 attention to his treatment, while I saw him at intervals, 
 and after many weeks of anxiety he was mercifully restored 
 to perfect health. A man of great influence in the city, 
 and justly popular, he was besieged during his severe 
 illness by many friends, who besought him to stop taking 
 foreign medicine, which might do well enough for foreign 
 constitutions, but could not be expected to suit the more 
 intricate anatomy of the Chinaman. However, the whole 
 gravity of the case, together with the nature of the lesion 
 
352 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 and the object of the treatment, had been fully explained 
 to him — a questionably wise proceeding in ordinary 
 instances, but rendered necessary by the circumstances. 
 Mr. Yen, however, in spite of the opposition of his many 
 friends, preferred to trust himself in the hands of Dr. Lin, 
 and, happily, his trust was not misdirected. I should say, 
 by way of explanation, that in Tien-tsin, while Western 
 surgery is acknowledged as superior to Chinese, the same 
 does not hold good of the treatment of internal maladies. 
 One of the most earnest in entreating Mr. Yen to abandon 
 foreign physic was the present magistrate of the city, Mr. 
 Kung ; yet when the patient recovered, Dr. Lin received 
 a request to come and treat this magistrate's wife. Mr. 
 Yen's gratitude was very real. He not only presented two 
 commendatory tablets to be suspended outside the hospital, 
 — the ordinary method adopted by grateful patients, — but 
 he inserted, in the Chinese edition of the Times newspaper, 
 a paragraph expressing his indebtedness to Western medi- 
 cine, and urging more of his countrymen to avail themselves 
 of it. He also memorialized the Viceroy to the same effect, 
 thanking him, as the patron of the hospital, for the benefits 
 he had received ; and within these last few days he has 
 appointed one of our old students to the post of medical 
 officer to the China Railway Company. 
 
 •' The Medical School. — In December 1881 this small 
 school was started as an experiment. It was, and is, a 
 Government school, excepting that the foreign teachers are 
 medical missionaries. The idea of the scheme from the 
 Government point of view was to provide a few foreign 
 trained medical officers of the army and navy at a minimum 
 cost. The idea of the scheme from the missionary point 
 of view was to influence a band of educated young men 
 for Christ. It was hoped that it would be the beginning 
 of a much-needed medical college, with an efficient teaching 
 staff, and thoroughly furnished in all its branches. No 
 such institution exists in China, though an attempt is this 
 
LAST THINGS. 353 
 
 year being made in Hong Kong to found one under British 
 auspices. Our hopes as to the growth of the school have 
 not been realized, and we are compelled to acknowledge 
 that, so far as the Chinese are concerned, we are ahead of 
 the times. Chiefly due to the opposition shown by the 
 officers in the army and navy to the innovation of foreign 
 trained medical men, the interest in the growth of the 
 school has largely ceased. Several of the late students 
 have left the services dissatisfied with the treatment they 
 were receiving, and the present ones are naturally greatly 
 disheartened at the prospect awaiting them when they, too, 
 a few months hence, will finish their course. The work 
 of medical teaching is very onerous, and, although the 
 authorities seem prepared to continue the school on its old 
 footing, it appears to us wiser to add no more new students 
 while the outlook for them is so poor. 
 
 " We cannot say that the experiment has failed, for from 
 the Government standpoint they will have available, when 
 the present class has got through, nineteen men who have 
 undergone a three years' course in medicine upon the 
 Western model, have studied Western text-books, and have 
 been examined by Western practitioners. Nor from the 
 missionary standpoint can the experiment be declared a 
 failure. Sunday after Sunday, not to speak of the indirect 
 influences during the week, the students have been under 
 careful religious instruction, and we have had the joy or 
 seeing several of them come out on the Lord's side. Let 
 me mention an incident which greatly cheered my heart. 
 The subject in our Bible class was the transfiguration on 
 the mount. K. began the conversation by remarking, 
 ' The three disciples saw the Lord in His glory, and we 
 have now the like privilege. Last week,' said he, ' while 
 1 was reading and thinking over this lesson, I had a sort ot 
 vision. I saw Jesus as I had never seen Him before. I 
 saw Him in His glory, and it made my heart so glad.' The 
 young fellow gave this testimony before the class, evidently 
 
 23 
 
354 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 moved by the Spirit of God, for the Lord's presence was 
 very manifest just then in our midst. 
 
 "Mr. King told me only yesterday an incident which 
 may be worth recording. A friend spoke to him of a 
 conversation he had had with Captain von Hanneken, a 
 German officer in the Chinese service, who has had military 
 command for nine years at Port Arthur, a fortified station 
 at the mouth of the Gulf of Pechili. Dr. Chow, an old 
 student, was in medical charge of the military hospital at 
 the station, which was under the oversight of Captain von 
 Hanneken. Speaking of Dr. Chow, who has since left the 
 service and taken up a business appointment, the captain 
 said that he had been badly treated by the Chinese officials 
 at Port Arthur, though he himself had been greatly pleased 
 with the young doctor. ' He did his work faithfully and 
 well, and the only fault I had to find with him was that 
 he read his Bible too much, and did not take sufficient 
 exercise.' 
 
 " Spiritual Results in the Hospital. — In past years we have 
 had cause to thank God for sending many material blessings; 
 but, however stimulating to our faith these gifts may be 
 when sent in answer to prayer, they only lead us the more 
 hungrily to desire those spiritual blessings, the effect of 
 which will reach on into eternity. If last year was a good 
 one in this latter respect — and we believe it was — this year 
 has been a better. It may be safely said that there is a 
 perceptible growth manifest in the spiritual life of our 
 helpers. This is an omen of good things to come. 
 
 " In dealing with our patients we have aimed not only 
 at the healing of their bodies, but at the salvation of their 
 souls. Very many, thank God, have been attracted by the 
 story of redemption, and not a tew have thrown in their 
 lot with us. Let me give a few instances : — 
 
 " Chang-te-Chun, aged thirty, a soldier. He was in 
 hospital over two years ago undergoing a severe surgical 
 operation. He made a good recovery, and during his con-- 
 
LAST THINGS. 355 
 
 valescence became much interested in the gospel. Mani- 
 festing evidences of conversion, he was baptized in Tien-tsin 
 before his departure to his camp at Lu-tai, some two hundred 
 odd li from here. He has paid us visits off and on as oppor- 
 tunity allowed, and has ever showed a warm love for the 
 Saviour and a desire to propagate the gospel. On one 
 occasion he brought a subscription to be devoted to the 
 help of poor patients. In the hospital gatehouse during 
 another visit he met a Bible colporteur, whom he invited 
 to visit Lu-tai. The colporteur accepted the invitation, and 
 our soldier-friend gave him a hearty welcome. He intro- 
 duced him amongst his acquaintances, bore witness to the 
 truth, and in the public street urged the people to buy the 
 Scriptures and turn to the Saviour. His aggressive Chris- 
 tianity brought upon him so much persecution in the camp, 
 where the men are generally the ruffians and ne'er-do-weels 
 who have found their own neighbourhoods too hot for 
 them, that after having received a severe beating from his 
 comrades he decided to leave the army. In China, in time 
 of peace, no difficulty is thrown in the way of a soldier 
 leaving his regiment, as there are always more applicants 
 for enlistment than can be accepted, and his training 
 hitherto has not tended to make him a specially valuable 
 article in the market. Though Chang-te-Chun left the 
 army, he did not leave Lu-tai ; but being a man of many 
 expedients, and having saved some money, he opened a 
 general shop in the town, and has since prospered. He 
 continues as zealous as* ever, and is a witness for Christ 
 in his district. The Rev. Mr. Walker, of the American 
 Methodist Episcopal Mission, Tien-tsin, during a tour last - 
 year, visited Lu-tai with the colporteur above referred to, 
 and remained a day or two preaching in the place. He 
 told me he met two Christians there, both of whom had 
 been old patients, and he especially spoke in warm terms 
 of the earnestness of Mr. Chang, and of the help he had 
 received from him. Mr. Chang brought two men, who had 
 
356 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 been instructed by him, and who were hopeful inquirers, 
 to see Mr. Walker. 
 
 " It is very difficult in China for a man to be a Christian 
 and a soldier at the same time. Quite apart from the 
 character of his comrades, he has to face the observance of 
 idolatrous practices. Two or three times every year the 
 ' cannon ' are brought out for worship, offerings are pre- 
 sented, incense is burnt, and officers in turn prostrate 
 themselves before the guns. 
 
 " What has been said of soldiers applies with still greater 
 force to officers, whether civil or military. A blue-buttoned 
 military mandarin, who was an in-patient, showed much 
 interest in the gospel, and appeared to realize in some 
 measure his need of a Saviour, but the consequences staring 
 him in the face if he became a Christian were such that he 
 shrank back. ' It would mean ruin to all my prospects,' 
 said he, ' and I should have no rice to eat.' 
 
 "So with civil officials it practically means forsaking 
 office to become a Christian. Two men of this class during 
 the year were so far hopeful that they examined into the 
 truth with apparently open minds, and in each case were 
 considerably influenced. One was a Chow magistrate, and 
 the other a grain official, both scholarly men, but the 
 difficulty felt by each was, 'I cannot be a Christian and 
 continue to hold my office.' Social ruin they thought would 
 be the consequence, and they were not prepared to forsake 
 all and follow Christ. 
 
 " Lin-tsung-iin, aged thirty-six, is a Nankin man, and the 
 son of a sub-prefect. Though his rank is military, he has 
 a good education and belongs to a good family. Such a 
 combination is by no means common. Presumably for 
 this reason he is not attached to the army, but is employed 
 on the Viceroy's staff to fill special service appointments. 
 Mr. Lin was an in-patient in the fourth month of the year, 
 suffering from an affection of the elbow joint, which rendered 
 his left arm useless. He made a complete recovery, with 
 
LAST THINGS. 357 
 
 a useful arm. While with us he read the Scriptures and 
 other books, and took a pleasure in conversing about 
 Christianity. He had less pride than most men of his 
 class, and was altogether a very lovable man. When he 
 left, like so many more, he was undecided, and we could 
 only leave him to God, not knowing what the result would 
 be. However, he continued to attend Sunday services, 
 and, having become an applicant for baptism, he was re- 
 ceived in the tenth month. His friends proved his greatest 
 hindrance, and for a time kept him back. Living in good 
 style, and being an amiable man, he naturally had many 
 friends. Some of them belonged to the order styled in 
 China ' Chiu jou peng yu,' which means literally ' wine and 
 meat friends.' In this country such men are veritable 
 leeches, and Mr. Lin found it no easy task to shake them 
 oft. The early morning would find them in his guest room, 
 and when he went abroad they would be at hand ready to 
 escort him. Before his baptism he several times started 
 to service or to visit us, but with his 'friends' dogging his 
 steps he was ashamed to come. Then they began to 
 insinuate that he was going over to the foreigner. To 
 become a Christian is, with the wealthy Chinese, equivalent 
 to becoming a Kuritzu nu, — i.e., a devil's slave — devil being 
 the polite designation applied to the foreigner by the 
 Chinese in their own homes. It was his good old mother 
 — all honour to the old lady — who at last came to the 
 rescue, and gave the so-called friends a thorough rating, 
 declaring that her son was doing no disgraceful act in 
 joining the foreign religion. From this time he took a 
 more decided stand. He threw away his ancestral tablet, 
 and cleared all trace of idolatry from his house. His old 
 mother, over sixty years of age, who reads well, is much 
 interested in the gospel, having been instructed by her 
 son, and having studied the New Testament for herself. A 
 manservant in his employ is also under instruction. 
 
 " Keng-lien-Chen, aged thirty, pedlar. He was converted 
 
35$ JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 when in the hospital two years ago. He carried on his 
 calling for some time in Tien-tsin, and was received into the 
 Church. Needing a hospital coolie, and wishing to have a 
 Christian man, about seven months since we engaged the 
 pedlar. He gave great satisfaction, as he devoted nearly 
 all his spare time to teaching the patients what he himself 
 knew ; and as he had a good knowledge of characters, and 
 was well acquainted with his New Testament, he was a 
 great help. About a month ago he asked permission to 
 leave, as he felt it on his conscience to return to his home 
 at Lading, some three hundred li from Tien-tsin, and preach 
 the gospel to his relations and neighbours. ' Go, by all 
 means,' said I, for I much wish that more of the Christians 
 had it in their hearts to go and tell others what God has 
 done for their souls. I trust he may be sustained and blest 
 in his mission. 
 
 "We have had the privilege ot seeing what comfort 
 Christianity brings during the last moments of life, in two 
 cases dying in hospital within the year. One had served 
 the Lord for some years in the capacity of native preacher 
 in the American Methodist Episcopal Mission. He became 
 an in-patient for acute inflammation of the bowels, which led 
 to the formation of an abscess, and the cutting short of his 
 promising career at the age of thirty-nine. Mr. Wang-chih- 
 ho always had a bright and happy smile to greet one upon 
 entering his ward, and you felt, while conversing with him, 
 that Christianity did indeed mean to him faith in a living 
 Christ. The day before he died, though there were no 
 special symptoms to denote that the end was coming, he 
 himself realized that death was close at hand; yet, with 
 this presentiment, God graciously sent calmness and peace 
 of heart. On this day, after one of the dispensers had 
 been speaking as usual to the patients in his ward, Mr. 
 Wang addressed them, and spoke of his expectation ot 
 death and of the certain hope he had of life eternal in 
 Christ Jesus. His words were accompanied with spiritual 
 
LAST THINGS. 359 
 
 power, and, while speaker and listener wept together, 
 those who were able knelt upon the floor while the dying 
 believer prayed for God's blessing upon them. 
 
 " Another case was that of Wang-san, aged twenty-eight, 
 who entered the hospital in 1886, suffering from chronic 
 disease of the knee-joint, which totally disabled him. As a 
 last resource, excision of the knee-joint was performed under 
 antiseptic precautions, and he was able to get about again. 
 But his constitution had been shattered by his long illness, 
 and he died in the hospital eight months after the operation 
 was performed. Upon his first coming under our care 
 he was very callous and indifferent to everything but his 
 sickness; this condition lasted for about a month, during 
 which time it seemed well-nigh hopeless to move his heart, 
 but he awoke at last to a sense of his sinfulness and need 
 of a Saviour. When he got about again, after the operation, 
 he was baptized, and proved himself a simple-minded, 
 warm-hearted Christian. Not knowing a character when 
 he first came in, he could, at the time of his death, read his 
 New Testament fairly well, which speaks highly for his 
 interest and perseverance. At ten o'clock at night, four 
 hours before his death, I sat on the side of his kang; he 
 was evidently sinking, yet his mind was quite clear, and 
 we talked together of the life beyond the grave. He was 
 quite restful and happy — his was a simple faith, but oh, you 
 could not doubt its potency as you saw his face lit up with 
 the radiance of hope. After prayer together I wished him 
 good-bye, not expecting he would live until morning. His 
 last words to me were, ' Doctor, I shall be waiting for you in 
 heaven ; I am going on before.' This man, a year previously, 
 had been dark and dead in heathenism, now he was a new 
 creature in Christ Jesus. As I went to my room I thought 
 to myself, ( Oh, this is indeed worth coming to China for ! ' " 
 
 The Doctor's last letter to his father is dated March 
 20th, less than a fortnight before his death 
 
 ■ 
 
360 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 " I hope you are all keeping well," he writes. 
 " Alec tells me you are getting on nicely in the 
 trying January weather. 
 
 " Now business life has come back to Tien-tsin 
 with the opening of the river and the arrival of the 
 steamers. The opening up of the inland rivers also 
 increases my work, as a large number of country 
 people, who were not able to travel in the winter by 
 road, now come long distances very cheaply by boat. 
 
 " These cases are chiefly surgical ones of long 
 standing coming in for operation. We have a large 
 number of in-patients just now, and they are, quite 
 a lot of them, interested in the gospel and studying 
 their Bibles and catechisms. You would be in- 
 terested in the sight going on in the wards nearly 
 every afternoon — little groups of patients gathered 
 round one or two beds, and one of the hospital 
 helpers busy teaching them. 
 
 "Would that God would pour down a very great 
 blessing on the hospital this year. There is certainly 
 no such field for evangelistic work as the wards of an 
 hospital in a land like China, where it is well-nigh 
 impossible to come in touch with the people. 
 
 "It is very wonderful to see how step by step God 
 has opened up this work, and is now using it to 
 spread into all the districts around the precious 
 word of salvation. 
 
 " Dr. Roberts has gone to join Gilmour in Mongolia, 
 and the Macfarlanes are in the country, with Mr. Rees, 
 arranging their new home. I am therefore all alone." 
 
LAST THINGS. 361 
 
 During the days that followed the writing of these 
 letters Dr. Mackenzie's time was even more fully 
 occupied than usual, for of him it might be truly said 
 that he died in harness. Sickness was very prevalent 
 throughout the settlement of Tien-tsin, and the only 
 medical man then residing in the place had been 
 summoned to Taku, at the mouth of the river, to 
 attend some patients who were seriously ill with 
 small pox. As was his custom, Dr. Irwin had left 
 his practice in Dr. Mackenzie's hands, so that he had 
 a time of exceptionally hard work. It is possible 
 that from this cause he may have been predisposed 
 to sickness, but was apparently in perfect health 
 when, on Saturday afternoon, he attended as usual 
 the weekly meeting of the Chinese and foreign 
 workers connected with the Mission, for prayer and 
 consultation. 
 
 He afterwards took a walk over the plain with 
 Mr. King. The weather had been unseasonably warm 
 during the week, and consequently heavy winter 
 clothing had been pretty generally laid aside. One of 
 the cold bleak winds for which our northern springs 
 are distinguished suddenly came up, and Dr. Mac- 
 kenzie, having neglected to take with him his over- 
 coat, took a severe chill. On the next day, though 
 evidently suffering from cold, he attended as usual 
 both Chinese and English services. He had arranged 
 to dine with one of the Mission families, and had the 
 pleasure of meeting with his friends Mr. and Mrs. 
 Pigott, of the China Inland Mission, who had just 
 
362 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 returned to China after furlough, and were passing 
 through Tien-tsin to their station in the interior. 
 
 How little we thought it was the last Sabbath he 
 would spend on earth. He talked cheerfully and 
 brightly of the medical work, when questioned by 
 Mr. Pigott. In reply to enquiries made, with some 
 surprise, as to his intention of closing the medical 
 school when the students then in the classes had 
 graduated, he replied, that after much thought and 
 prayer about the matter, he felt convinced it was the 
 right thing to do, since the need for such trained 
 medical men was not yet felt in China, except 
 spasmodically, in times of special emergency, when 
 rumours of war were abroad. 
 
 " Will you, then, refuse students if they are sent to 
 you by the Viceroy ? " enquired his friend. 
 
 " His Excellency is not likely to send me any, 
 unless I make the request," he replied. 
 
 Being further pressed as to how he would make 
 his decision known to the Viceroy, he explained, " I 
 have never troubled myself about the future ; that is 
 in God's hands ; He will make all clear when the time 
 comes." 
 
 Some conversation was also carried on about the 
 Anti-Vivisection Society in England, with some ardent 
 members of which his friends had met while at home. 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie considered that it was possible to 
 push this matter too far, and related how a lady at 
 home had refused to shake hands with him, because 
 he could not conscientiously say that he believed 
 
LAST THINGS. 363 
 
 vivisection of every kind and under any circumstances 
 was to be condemned. 
 
 After conducting his afternoon Bible class, he 
 attended the English service, and then took supper 
 with his old friends Mr. and Mrs. Innocent, of the 
 Methodist New Connexion Mission. They thought 
 him feverish and far from well, but no serious illness 
 was anticipated. 
 
 The fever increased, but after a restless night the 
 Doctor rose, and went to the dispensary as usual. His 
 strength was, however, not equal to his desire to work, 
 and he was compelled to leave the place where he 
 had laboured so nobly and successfully, for the last 
 time, and go back to his bedchamber. At five 
 o'clock on Monday afternoon, the hour of our weekly 
 prayer-meeting, two of the members of the Mission 
 were absent. Just at the close Mr. Bryson came in 
 and informed us of the Doctor's serious illness. On 
 his way from the city he had been met by one of 
 the dispensers, who had told him that Dr. Mackenzie 
 was very ill, and the fever rising. Upon going up to 
 his room Dr. Mackenzie remarked to his colleague, 
 " I am afraid this is going to be something rather 
 serious, I have never felt anything like it before." 
 
 He was asked if he would like to have Dr. Irwin 
 called in, and upon giving his assent, that gentleman 
 was at once summoned. 
 
 Both doctors were agreed in fearing the disease 
 threatened might be small pox, as Dr. Mackenzie had 
 been attending patients suffering from that epidemic. 
 
364 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 When we heard this sad news, before the prayer- 
 meeting broke up we all joined in earnest supplica- 
 tion, that if it were the Lord's will the disease might 
 be rebuked, and our dear friend's valuable life 
 spared. 
 
 The next two days there seemed little change in 
 the patient's condition. Mr. and Mrs. King kindly 
 acted as nurses, with the help of some of the Doctor's 
 students, and to guard against risk of contagion every 
 one else was, by the Doctor's orders, excluded from the 
 room. 
 
 From that time Dr. Mackenzie seemed to entertain 
 no thoughts of recovery. Dr. Irwin was anxious 
 about this impression, and constantly reminded his 
 patient that they had both attended more serious 
 cases where recovery had supervened. 
 
 Frequent interviews and excitement were forbidden 
 by the doctor in attendance, but Dr. Mackenzie's two 
 senior colleagues kept watch for several nights in the 
 room below his bedchamber. 
 
 On Good Friday morning Mr. Lees was allowed 
 to see his sick friend, and he at once asked him to 
 pray with him. Allusion being made in the prayer 
 to the sacred memories of the day, the Doctor enquired, 
 " Is this Good Friday then ? " and seemed from the 
 expression of his face to derive pleasure from the 
 fact, as if in some way it brought him nearer to his 
 Lord. Our " beloved physician " had heard the call 
 which summoned him to rest from his labours, and 
 when another colleague entered the room he ex- 
 
LAST THINGS. 365 
 
 claimed, " I think the Lord is calling me to Himself. 
 What a joy it will be to go to Him ! What a mercy 
 to be prepared to go." 
 
 Another pathetic incident of that morning was 
 Dr. Mackenzie's parting with one of the ablest of his 
 staff, a man of high character and attainments, who 
 has long been a Christian man, but whose lukewarm- 
 ness has lately given us cause for anxiety. Fixing 
 his eyes upon him, he said with great solemnity : — 
 
 " Ah, sir, when it comes to this there is no peace, 
 no rest, for a man but in Jesus ! Don't let the world 
 get hold of you. Don't let anxiety to please your 
 worldly friends, and the cares and honours of the 
 world, drive you away from Jesus. I am afraid for 
 you." And then, as, speechless with grief, the man 
 turned to go, he held out his hand, and on his Chinese 
 friend taking it in sign of farewell, he added, " Whether 
 we shall meet again or not is for you to decide." 
 
 It was on the afternoon of this day that Dr. Irwin 
 first expressed fears as to the issue, and about one 
 o'clock on Saturday morning Dr. Mackenzie sent 
 for Mr. Lees to speak to him about his will and 
 receive parting messages for friends. He was then 
 in great pain, but it was characteristic of him that 
 his sole anxiety was that everything should be clearly 
 explained, so as to save trouble when he was gone. 
 
 The night was one of great distress, owing to in- 
 creased difficulty of breathing, and in the morning, 
 when Mr. Lees saw him again, he said, — 
 
 " Oh, I have had such a dreadful night. I cannot 
 
366 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 bear this much longer. Do pray the Lord to call 
 me away soon." 
 
 A little later he said, " I felt a presentiment on 
 Monday when I became ill. One does not usually 
 lay any stress on presentiments, but I had the feeling 
 that this would be my last illness." 
 
 " I hope not," replied his colleague. " I trust that 
 God will spare you to us for many years yet. We 
 want you, and the Lord's work wants you." 
 
 " Oh, it is all right," replied the Doctor. " I am 
 quite ready to go." 
 
 Some relief was experienced towards the afternoon 
 of Saturday ; the breathing seemed easier, and though 
 the inflammation had not begun to subside, it was 
 understood that the right lung was still not affected. 
 It was arranged that Mrs. Lees should watch over 
 the patient during the night, in company with two 
 of the Doctor's attached medical students. 
 
 We all retired to rest with the strain of intense 
 anxiety somewhat relieved, and were daring to hope 
 that the crisis had passed, and that the morning 
 might see some marked improvement in our dear 
 friend's condition. 
 
 Towards midnight Dr. Irwin left him, feeling more 
 encouraged about the case. 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie seemed easier and inclined for 
 conversation, but Mrs. Lees rather discouraged this, 
 fearing the least excitement might produce unfavour- 
 able symptoms. He enquired what Dr. Irwin thought 
 of his condition, and Mrs. Lees replied that he con- 
 
LAST THINGS. 367 
 
 sidered there was a slight change for the better, and 
 that we hoped God was going to spare him to us 
 to do some more work for the Master. 
 
 " You would like that, would you not ? " she 
 enquired. 
 
 " Yes," he said ; " I am quite ready, whichever way 
 it is. I only want the Lord's will to be done. It 
 would be nice to stay and do a little more work, if 
 that is His will." 
 
 Then, at a suggestion from Mrs. Lees that he 
 had better try and get a little sleep, he turned over 
 on his side, remarking, " Oh, this is so restful ; I feel 
 as if I could sleep so well for such a long time." 
 
 For some time he seemed to be peacefully sleeping, 
 till suddenly, about twenty minutes to four, the heavy 
 breathing suddenly stopped. One of the students, 
 who had been watching outside the door, instantly 
 noticed the change, and, coming in, at once felt his 
 pulse, and discovered that thus silently and peacefully 
 he had gone to be for ever with the Lord. 
 
 There seemed to be something specially beautiful 
 in the time of his release. " Very early in the morning, 
 while it was yet dark," on Easter Day, " God's finger 
 touched him, and he slept ; " and with the news of the 
 great sorrow which had fallen upon us as a Mission, 
 came thoughts of all that the glorious Resurrection 
 morning signifies to sorrowing hearts down all the 
 ages. 
 
 But the loss was felt to be indeed a heavy one 
 both by Chinese and foreigners. Seldom, perhaps, 
 
368 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 has any one been called away from one of our 
 Eastern communities whose death has been so 
 universally mourned, as his who might well be 
 called " the beloved physician." 
 
 Throughout the native city, from the home of 
 the Viceroy to the humble abode of many a poor 
 coolie, to whom the skilful hand, now cold in death, 
 had brought relief and healing, the news that one so 
 honoured and beloved had passed away was received 
 with dismay and heartfelt sorrow. " He was indeed 
 a good man and a skilful ; " " There will never be such 
 another physician ! " " How can the sick be healed 
 now?" — such were a few of the expressions that 
 might be heard falling from Chinese lips as the sad 
 news that "Ma Tai-fu " was dead spread through the 
 city. And not among the Chinese alone, but in 
 many a foreign home, where in times of sickness 
 life and health had been restored by his skill, and 
 hope rekindled by the confidence his presence in- 
 spired in every patient's heart, there also his loss 
 was mourned as no common sorrow. 
 
 The funeral took place on the afternoon of the 
 day following his death, only a week from the 
 commencement of his illness. 
 
 It was a lovely afternoon, the air balmy and 
 warm, and fragrant with the breath of peach 
 blossoms, — a great contrast to the bleak dust storms 
 and leaden skies of the day on which the beloved 
 departed lay dying. 
 
 Very striking was the wonderful burst of spon- 
 
LAST THINGS. 369 
 
 taneous feeling which affected our cosmopolitan 
 community, and brought men of every nationality 
 in unprecedented numbers to show their respect 
 by attendance at the funeral. Large crowds of 
 Chinese, whose special friend he was, thronged the 
 road to the cemetery, in many cases evidently 
 mourning the loss of one to whom they had been 
 sincerely attached. 
 
 " I never thought Chinamen could be so affected," 
 remarked one, who saw the marks of deep and 
 heart-felt sorrow on many a Chinese face, as they 
 stood by Dr. Mackenzie's open grave. " 
 
 Borne by Chinese dispensers and Christians, the 
 coffin was carried from the Doctor's home to the 
 little English church not far distant. It was almost 
 covered by beautiful wreaths and garlands of choice 
 flowers from the greenhouses of English, German, 
 and Russian friends, mingled with the humbler floral 
 offerings of many others who had known and loved 
 him. Among these last gifts of love glittered the 
 Star and Ribbon of the Double Dragon, conferred 
 Upon Dr. Mackenzie by the Emperor a few years 
 previously. 
 
 The coffin was borne up the aisle of the little 
 church past crowds of mourners of all nationalities, 
 conspicuous among them being two high officers, 
 deputed by Lady Li and the Viceroy to represent 
 them. 
 
 Suddenly the beautiful strains of the " Christian's 
 Good-night " were raised ; a sweet expression of the 
 
 24 
 
37o JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 comfort which comes to the mourners of those who 
 have fallen asleep in Jesus. 
 
 " Sleep on, beloved, sleep and take thy rest, 
 Lay down thy head upon thy Saviour's breast ; 
 We love thee well, but Jesus loves thee best. 
 
 Good-night. 
 
 " Until the shadows from this earth are cast, 
 Until He gathers in His sheaves at last, 
 Until the twilight gloom is overpast, 
 
 Good-night. 
 
 " Until the Easter glory lights the skies, 
 Until the dead in Jesus shall arise, 
 And He shall come, but not in lowly guise, 
 
 Good-night. 
 
 *' Only 'Good-night,' beloved, not ' Farewell; * 
 A little while, and all His saints shall dwell 
 In hallowed union indivisible. 
 
 Good-night. 
 
 " Until we meet again before the Throne, 
 Clothed in the spotless robe He gives His own, 
 Until we know even as we are known, 
 
 Good-night.' ' 
 
 The short service in the church was conducted by 
 the Rev. J. Innocent, of the English Methodist New 
 Connexion Mission. 
 
 The coffin was borne from thence to the end of 
 the road leading to the cemetery by twelve friends, 
 including gentlemen of the foreign community and 
 the representatives of seven missions, some of whom, 
 it happened, at that time were passing through Tien- 
 tsin on their way to interior stations. 
 
LAST THINGS. 371 
 
 From the end of the cemetery road to the grave 
 the bearers were twelve of Dr. Mackenzie's medical 
 students, who, at their own special request, were 
 allowed the privilege of rendering this last service to 
 their departed teacher. 
 
 An impressive service was conducted at the grave- 
 side by the Rev. J. Lees, the senior representative 
 of the London Mission in Tien-tsin, a portion of it 
 being in Chinese for the benefit of the large concourse 
 of native Christians who attended. Then the well- 
 known strains of the hymn " Rock of Ages " were 
 raised, sounding familiar even in its Chinese garb, 
 and bringing back to many a heart touching memories 
 of sacred services in the homeland so far away, the 
 land to which the day before the sad and startling 
 tidings of their heavy loss had been flashed to the 
 aged father, the widow, and little child. A shadow 
 seemed to have fallen over the lives of not a few, 
 as we turned away from Dn Mackenzie's early 
 grave. 
 
 Could it be true that he, little more than a week 
 ago so full of life and vigour, was now numbered 
 with the dead, having been called away from the 
 work for which he seemed so peculiarly fitted ? How 
 was it that he had been called to rest from his 
 labours, when the Master's injunction that we should 
 pray for more labourers to be sent into His harvest- 
 field seemed more incumbent upon us than ever 
 before ? 
 
 That he had in truth been called to higher service 
 
372 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 was the thought of many a heart, while the question 
 of Dean Alford, 
 
 " Who knoweth if to live be but to die, 
 And death be life?" 
 
 echoed through our thoughts. 
 
 There, in the quiet churchyard in the land of his 
 adoption, among the people whom he loved and 
 lived for, the tired body lies sleeping ; but we cannot 
 but believe that the active soul has found a higher 
 sphere of service in that land where it is said, " His 
 servants shall serve Him." 
 
 " The future world," writes General Gordon, " has 
 been somehow painted to our minds as a place of 
 continuous praise, and though we may not say it, 
 we ^cannot help feeling that if thus it would prove 
 monotonous. It cannot be thus. It must be a life 
 of activity ; death is cessation of movement, life is all 
 movement." 
 
 " The tasks, the joys of earth, the same in heaven will be, 
 Only the little brook has widened to a sea," 
 
 sings Archbishop Trench, and our hearts are inclined 
 to feel as if he may be more nearly right than we 
 know. 
 
 At any rate, we feel that the influence of such a life 
 as Dr. Mackenzie's does not end when the grave 
 covers him from our sight. 
 
 Such men, it has well been said, " create an epidemic 
 of nobleness ; " and though it is true that we can only 
 gaze with profit upon God's saints in so far as they 
 
LAST THINGS. tf$ 
 
 dimly reflect the image of their Saviour, we know 
 well that " men do become wiser and greater by 
 gazing at such examples, more ready to do and dare, 
 more willing to lift their eyes out of the mire of 
 selfishness and the dust of anxiety and toil, more 
 brave to try whether they too cannot scale the 
 toppling crags of duty and hold converse with these 
 their loftier brethren upon 
 
 1 the shining tablelands 
 To which our God Himself is moon and sun.' " * 
 
 And it was not merely an enthusiasm for humanity 
 that touched Mackenzie's heart and made him willing 
 to give up his life for the benefit of the millions of 
 China. Men have done noble deeds under the 
 stimulus of philanthropy, but a higher motive than 
 this was the mainspring of his life, and that was 
 a consuming love for his Divine Master. Like St. 
 Paul, he was willing to become a fool for Christ's 
 sake, and not a few men of the world so regarded 
 him. For they saw that with many opportunities for 
 enriching himself he accumulated no fortune ; that 
 although he might have yielded to the temptations to 
 vanity which recognised ability and success place in a 
 man's way, he yet grew more humble with the passing 
 years, while he curbed and mastered a naturally hasty 
 temper till men wondered at his calmness. 
 
 How striking was the testimony of a Chir.am m 
 who had known him intimately for years. While the 
 
 * Farrar. 
 
374 JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. 
 
 Doctor lay dying this man remarked, " I believe in 
 Dr. Mackenzie. He is a true man and a real follower 
 of Christ. We talk of getting rid of our faults, and I 
 suppose we all do try more or less earnestly to do so, 
 but I have known very few men who have really 
 much changed. Dr. Mackenzie has. Good as he was 
 when I first knew him, he has become better ; he 
 has become humble and patient, and has gained 
 control over his temper. Yes, he has grown more like 
 Jesus." 
 
 The Doctor had made it a matter of special prayer 
 that the year of which he only lived three short 
 months should be a time of very special blessing 
 to the hospital. It seemed a strange answer to this 
 petition, that in so short a time he who had been the 
 very mainspring of the work should have been removed 
 from it. But God's ways are not as our ways, and 
 His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. "He 
 buries His workmen, but he carries on His work." 
 
 A few short months after Dr. Mackenzie's death 
 saw the hospital entirely stripped of all the temporal 
 advantages and pecuniary help it had so long enjoyed, 
 with the patronage of the Viceroy and high officials 
 entirely withdrawn from it. 
 
 The reserve fund, which with so much diligence 
 and economy Dr. Mackenzie had accumulated through 
 many years, and which he believed would be the 
 means, not only of supporting the Tien-tsin medical 
 work in the future, but also of supplying the funds 
 for opening dispensaries and hospitals in needy 
 
LAST THINGS. 375 
 
 districts throughout Northern China, was wrested 
 from the Mission. The London Missionary Society 
 was merely allowed the option of purchasing the 
 buildings in which Dr. Mackenzie had for so many 
 years carried on his noble and beneficent work. 
 Meanwhile the Chinese authorities opened a Govern- 
 ment Naval Hospital in close proximity to what 
 had been known as the Viceroy's Hospital, but will 
 henceforth bear the name of the London Mission. 
 
 Yet all this failed materially to injure the work 
 which had been founded and baptized in believing 
 prayer. More than two years have passed since Dr. 
 Mackenzie's death, and during that time the work has 
 been carried on as successfully as before. God Him- 
 self sent us a physician likeminded with Dr. Mackenzie. 
 The sick attend at the dispensary in larger numbers 
 even than before. The hospital wards have been well 
 filled, while the spiritual blessings which in years past 
 have distinguished the hospital as a nursery of the 
 Church have still been vouchsafed to us by the Lord 
 of the harvest. 
 
 As to the pecuniary needs of the work, the Lord 
 who gave and afterwards saw fit to take away the 
 patronage of the rich and great Chinese officials, 
 has been pleased to supply what has been needed 
 from time to time, by putting it into the hearts of 
 His people, both here and in the homeland, to con- 
 tribute to the necessities of the work upon which 
 His smile still rests. 
 
 As to the further results of Dr. Mackenzie's 
 
&6 John Kenneth Mackenzie. 
 
 labours in quarters in which, while still with us, he 
 felt somewhat discouraged, the following extract from 
 the present year's report of Dr. Roberts, who succeeded 
 Dr. Mackenzie in the Tien-tsin medical work, shows 
 that even here his earnest labours are bringing forth 
 fruit as the years pass by. 
 
 " You will be glad to know," he writes, " that the 
 former labours of our lamented brother, Dr. Mackenzie, 
 in connection with the Government medical school 
 under his charge, have been far from fruitless. Up 
 to the time of his death it seemed to him almost 
 like labour in vain, seeing that the graduates were 
 not succeeding in obtaining appointments. 
 
 " It is very different now. In close proximity to our 
 own hospital is an imposing building, the Viceroy's 
 hospital, managed for the most part by three of Dr. 
 Mackenzie's former students, and with the prospect, 
 if well conducted, of doing much good in the healing 
 of the sick. In Port Arthur there is a naval and 
 military hospital and dispensary, which is much 
 appreciated by the soldiers, and it is also worked by 
 former students. Others again have been appointed 
 to Wei Hai Wei, a naval station. Dr. Chang has 
 been accepted many months ago for the post of 
 house surgeon to the Alice Memorial Hospital, 
 Hong-Kong ; while last, but not least, Dr. Mai has 
 been for some time successfully treating the father 
 of the Emperor in Peking." 
 
APPENDIX 
 
I. 
 
 NORTH CHINA.— NEW HOSPITAL AT TIEN-TSIN. 
 
 BY J. KENNETH MACKENZIE, M.R.C.S. 
 
 The new hospital on the London Mission Compound, 
 commenced in the autumn of 1879, is now completed, and 
 was publicly opened on Thursday, December 2nd, by His 
 Excellency Li Hung Chang, Viceroy of the Metropolitan 
 Province, Imperial Grand Secretary, etc. The occasion 
 was one of special interest, in that it elicited the hearty co- 
 operation of both Chinese and foreigners. The hospital is 
 built on the east side of the Taku Road, the main thorough- 
 fare between the native city and the foreign concession 
 and shipping. It is erected in the best style of Chinese 
 architecture, and has an extremely picturesque and attrac- 
 tive appearance. The front building, standing in its own 
 courtyard, is raised six or seven feet above the level of 
 the road, and is ascended by broad stone steps, which 
 lead from the covered gateway to a verandah with its mas- 
 sive wooden pillars running along its whole length. A hall 
 divides the building into two portions. On the right side 
 and in front is a spacious dispensary, which, thanks to the 
 liberality of the Viceroy, is wanting in nothing, rivalling 
 any English dispensary in the abundance and variety of the 
 drugs, appliances, etc. ; behind this is a roomy drug store. 
 On the left of the hall is a large waiting-room, with benches 
 for the convenience of the patients, and used on Sundays 
 and other days as a preaching hall. Behind and to one 
 
$8o APPENDIX. 
 
 side is the usual Chinese reception-room ever to be found 
 in a native building. Two other ante-rooms adjacent com- 
 plete this block. The rooms are very lofty, without ceilings, 
 leaving exposed the huge painted beams, many times larger 
 than foreigners deem necessary, but the pride of the 
 Chinese builder. Running off in two parallel wings at the 
 back, each entirely detached and separated by courtyards, 
 are the surgery and wards, the latter able to accommodate 
 thirty-six in-patients. The wards to the right wing, four in 
 number, are small, intended each to receive only three 
 patients. Here we can isolate dangerous cases, and also 
 receive persons, such as officials and others, who require 
 greater privacy. In the left wing is the large ward, with 
 accommodation for twenty-four patients, and beyond this a 
 kitchen and other offices. The wards are all furnished 
 with kangs, instead of beds, as is the custom in North China. 
 These kangs are built with bricks, with flues running under- 
 neath, so that in winter tfiey can be heated ; the bedding 
 is spread upon a mat over the warm bricks. Plenty of room 
 has been left for further extensions if found necessary. 
 
 The opening ceremony was a very interesting one. The 
 various rooms were gaily decorated with flowers, shrubs, 
 flags, etc. Men from the English and Chinese gunboats 
 helped Mr. Lees and Mr. King in the work of transforming 
 the rooms from their normal bareness into a right gala 
 appearance. While the place of honour was reserved for 
 the Chinese dragon, the other national flags were attached 
 together, and drawn from beam to beam, making ceilings of 
 variegated colours for the principal rooms ; the walls were 
 also draped with bunting. The waiting-room, where the 
 ceremony was to take place, was arranged as a Chinese 
 grand reception-hall ; everything in it was native, borrowed 
 from the yamens. The floor was covered with camels'-hair 
 carpets, brought from the temple for the occasion. The 
 drug store, empty of drugs, and in its gala dress, was laid out 
 with tables spread with refreshments, arranged by the ladies 
 
NEW HOSPITAL AT TIEN-TSIN. 381 
 
 of the Mission. Every delicacy in the way of cakes, fruit, 
 etc., was provided for the guests. The courtyard was matted 
 in, and the whole place hung with handsome Chinese 
 lanterns. 
 
 By the appointed time all the Chinese and foreign guests 
 had arrived, amongst them the three Taotais, the Prefect of 
 the city, and numerous civil and military mandarins. Of 
 the foreigners, the consular body was represented by the 
 English, German, Russian, and American Consuls, officers 
 from the ships of war, all the members of the missionary 
 body, and many others. 
 
 Upon the arrival of His Excellency an illuminated 
 address in Chinese was read and presented. The Viceroy, 
 upon receiving it, uttered many kindly words, showing his 
 appreciation of, and sympathy with, the work already done 
 — " while disclaiming any praise or merit as due to himself 
 in the matter, he took the opportunity of publicly expressing 
 his thanks to me and warm approbation of the zeal with 
 which foreign medical skill has been so freely bestowed 
 upon the people of Tien-tsin." 
 
 Speeches were then made by Henry B. Bristow, Esq., 
 H.B.M. Consul, and C. Waeber, Esq., Consul for Russia. 
 Mr. Bristow spoke as follows : "It gives all foreigners the 
 greatest pleasure to see His Excellency, the Grand Secretary, 
 acting as patron of an institution like the one just opened. 
 His Excellency has already gained great fame as a military 
 commander, and it is to be hoped that in the future he 
 would be also renowned for his encouragement of Western 
 medical science. The reminiscences of military triumphs 
 must always be embittered by the thoughts of friends killed, 
 provinces devastated, crops destroyed, and all the evils 
 which make war a curse to both victors and vanquished ; 
 but the recollections associated with the establishment of 
 benevolent institutions like the present brought to the mind 
 only thoughts of pain assuaged and misery alleviated, and 
 therefore he felt sure that His Excellency, when looking back 
 
382 APPENDIX. 
 
 in years to come on his last achievements, would dwell with 
 more unmixed pleasure on the establishment of institutions 
 like the present than even on his military successes in the 
 service of his country." 
 
 Mr. C. Waeber, Russian Consul, also spoke, and said 
 that " we have a proverb, ( in corpore sano mens sana/ 
 which may be rendered in Chinese by * T'i wang tse shen 
 ch'ing' — When the body is vigorous, then the mind is 
 bright. In this new hospital we have a proof of His 
 Excellency's great care for the welfare of his people, and 
 it permits me to hope that His Excellency will take further 
 steps for the development of this country by introducing 
 Western art and science." Mr. Taotai Mah, Chief Secretary, 
 replied for the Viceroy in French, stating again what His 
 Excellency had already said in Chinese, and thanking all 
 present for their interest in the good work. 
 
 After the speaking had concluded, the native assistants 
 were introduced to the Viceroy. The Viceroy, having 
 formally opened the building, commenced a careful in- 
 spection ; he examined many varieties of drugs, inquiring 
 into their properties, etc. ; wanting to know if we had any 
 remedies in common with the Chinese; whether most of 
 our medicinal agents came from the organic or inorganic 
 kingdoms; as to the cost of foreign drugs, and other 
 queries too numerous to mention. But in the surgery the 
 greatest amount of interest was excited ; the walls were 
 hung with anatomical and physiological charts, kindly lent 
 by Mrs. Williamson, of Chefoo ; on the operating-table and 
 shelves were spread the valuable collection of surgical in- 
 struments belonging to the hospital, with models of the 
 human body and heart, lent by the Tien-tsin civil doctors. 
 Everything in this department was new, even to those 
 high officials, such as the Viceroy and Superintendent of 
 Arsenals, to whom the latest inventions in electricity and 
 mechanics are immediately sent. [It will probably surprise 
 many to know that, although there is no railroad in China, 
 
NEW HOSPITAL AT TIEN-TSIN. 383 
 
 His Excellency is better acquainted with the working of the 
 steam-engine than most well-informed foreigners, having 
 studied it intelligently from models.] Questions without 
 number as to the uses, action, etc., of various instruments 
 were put, and required all one's readiness of mind to 
 give answers that would be easily comprehended. The 
 size of the human brain in relation to the body, as shown 
 in the wax model, drew special attention. The wards were 
 afterwards examined, and the working of the hospital 
 carefully inquired into. 
 
 The Viceroy and the other guests then sat down to the 
 refreshments already provided. It was evident, as each 
 took his departure at the close, that a very pleasant 
 afternoon had been spent. 
 
 The Scheme Purely Chinese. — Medical mission hospitals 
 in China have hitherto been mainly, if not altogether, 
 supported by foreigners, the few occasional subscriptions 
 obtained from the Chinese forming so small a proportion 
 of the funds used in the carrying on of these various insti- 
 tutions as to be practically of but little account. We have, 
 therefore, had an unique experience in Tien-tsin, in that the 
 hospital has been built entirely with Chinese subscriptions, 
 and the working expenses obtained from the same source. 
 We would humbly acknowledge the goodness of God in 
 the entire matter. He, of a truth, has heard and answered 
 prayer, and where the door seemed well-nigh closed He has 
 opened wide its portals. On the Sunday following the 
 opening, December 5th, a praise meeting was held in the 
 large waiting-room of the hospital, attended by members of 
 all the churches in Tien-tsin. Rev. J. Lees presided, and, 
 after an opening address, called upon Rev. J. Innocent, 
 New Connexion Methodist; Rev. W. L. Pilcher, American 
 Episcopal Methodist Mission; Rev. H. Porter, M.D., Ameri 
 can Board, and myself, who all spoke in words of praise 
 and thanksgiving for what God had manifestly wrought. 
 Much prayer was offered up that, as God had already given 
 
384 APPENDIX. 
 
 so many temporal blessings, and drawn the people so near 
 us, He would, in the days that are to come, pour down 
 richly of those spiritual blessings for which our hearts are 
 longing. 
 
 The Medical Mission accounts stand roughly as follow : — 
 
 Received from Viceroy for salaries of native helpers, 
 purchase of surgical instruments, drugs, medical 
 stores, and all expenses at temple dispensary and 
 new hospital for fifteen months, ending November 
 30th, 1880 Tls. 4,000 = ;£i,200. 
 
 The above amount has been placed in the hands of W. 
 W. Pethick, Esq., Secretary to His Excellency, and myself, 
 who are jointly responsible for its use. The Viceroy has 
 not been asked to contribute to the Building Fund. 
 
 BUILDING FUND. 
 
 Subscriptions to Building Fund from Chinese 
 
 to December 27th, 1880 ... ... Tls. 3,820 = £1,146 
 
 Sale of Medicines and Appliances to Chinese 500 = 
 
 Tls. 4,320 -£1,296 
 
 Amount paid to Builder 4,000 = 1,200 
 
 Balance in hand 320= 96 
 
 From Viceroy and general subscribers, the total amount 
 received, entirely from native sources, tls. 8,320=^2,496 
 during the sixteen months. 
 
 The new hospital has already received over 200 in- 
 patients, all of whom find their own food and clothing. 
 Out-patients are still seen by me at the Memorial Temple 
 four days a week. The register there shows the names of 
 over 5,000 patients, with more than 20,000 visits. 
 
A MEDICAL REVIEW OF DR. MACKENZIE'S WORK. 385 
 
 II. 
 
 A MEDICAL REVIEW OF DR. MACKENZIE'S WORK. 
 
 It has been thought that a few lines on the medical aspect 
 ©f the late Dr. Mackenzie's work might prove interesting to 
 some of his medical friends, and also helpful to any who may 
 be preparing for medical mission work in China. It is with 
 this hope that we now record the leading facts, knowing well, 
 however, that only an approximate idea can be thus gathered 
 of the amount of suffering relieved and of the high profes- 
 sional value of the work of our lamented colleague. 
 
 Before referring to the various reports which Dr. Mac- 
 kenzie published, and before the reader forms an opinion as 
 to their value, it is necessary to bear in mind the numerous 
 barriers to success which Dr. Mackenzie, in common with 
 almost every medical missionary in China, had to contend 
 with. These difficulties show us clearly the need of thorough 
 preparation before coming to the Mission field. 
 
 First we note the extremely chronic nature of many of the 
 cases treated. The reason is not far to seek. Many diseases 
 which are amenable to treatment based on a knowledge of 
 the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the body, must 
 necessarily, in a large measure, remain beyond the scope of 
 the native physician, as he is practically ignorant of these 
 sciences. 
 
 In addition to this, we must add the great distrust and 
 prejudice still existing in the native mind, though to a less 
 extent than in former years, in consequence of which a 
 Chinaman will often choose to endure months or even years 
 of suffering rather than seek help from the foreign doctor. 
 
 A very real hindrance often presents itself in the insani- 
 tary hospital surroundings, and we are often powerless to 
 improve matters. The hospital in Tien-tsin is an example 
 of this, being surrounded by numerous graves and inundated 
 plains, — a fruitful source of ague from time to time. In view 
 
 25 
 
3^6 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 of these facts, we are not surprised at the need Mackenzie 
 felt of thorough antiseptic precautions in order to success in 
 operative surgery. 
 
 By looking over the Doctor's Annual Reports we may 
 learn much as to the nature of his work, the varieties of 
 diseases treated, as well as their relative frequency. 
 
 STATISTICS OF WORK IN HANKOW. 
 
 Year. 
 
 No. of Out-door 
 Patients. 
 
 No. of In-door 
 Patients. 
 
 No. of Operations.* 
 
 1876 
 1877 
 1878 
 
 3,128 
 
 5.214 
 11,859 
 
 93 
 406 
 
 i,i37 
 
 55 
 
 75 
 
 123 
 
 Total 
 
 20,201 
 
 1,636 
 
 253 
 
 * Exclusive of opening abscesses and sinuses. 
 
 STATISTICS OF THE RELATIVE FREQUENCY OF THE COMMONER 
 DISEASES MET WITH AMONG THE OUT-DOOR PATIENTS. 
 
 Year. 
 
 Chronic 
 Rheuma- 
 tism. 
 
 Scabies. 
 
 Conjunc- 
 tivitis. 
 
 Eczema. 
 
 Malarial 
 Fever. 
 
 Syphilis. 
 
 Granl. 
 Conjunc- 
 tivitis. 
 
 1876 
 1877 
 
 277 
 
 5 6 4 
 
 228 
 
 595 
 
 336 
 
 422 
 
 140 
 166 
 
 51 
 
 170 
 
 Ill 
 
 108 
 
 122 
 
 46 
 
 Totai 
 
 841 
 
 823 
 
 758 
 
 306 
 
 221 
 
 219 
 
 168 
 
 The 253 operations performed in Hankow may be taken 
 as representative of the nature of the surgical work which 
 falls to a medical missionary in his early years of service. 
 We notice that operations on the eye for cataract, pterygium, 
 entropion, and iridectomy, are more numerous than any 
 others ; next come the excision of tumours, one of which 
 weighed twenty-five pounds, and was successfully removed, 
 the patient making a good recovery. Hare-lip cases were 
 
A MEDICAL REVIEW OF DR. MACKENZIE'S WORK. 387 
 
 fairly numerous, but vesicle calculus was only met with 
 four times; the lateral perineal operation was the one 
 adopted for removal. We mention this latter fact as it 
 presents a striking contrast to the great frequency of this 
 disease in South China, particularly Canton and its 
 neighbourhood. 
 
 Reference has been made, in a previous part of the 
 memoir, to several medical and surgical cases of general 
 interest, and to the Doctor's mode of solving the boarding 
 problem among in-door patients. It alone remains to refer 
 to his opium refuge work, and the views he held concerning 
 the opium smoking habit. 
 
 We are all familiar with the difference of opinion held by 
 medical men on this subject. Medical missionaries, some of 
 whom speak from the personal observation of thousands of 
 cases gathered from all grades of society, are unanimous in 
 condemning the practice from a medical and moral stand- 
 point, though at the same time they allow that in the case 
 of the robust and well-to-do the physical harm may be slight 
 compared with the degrading or at least hurtful moral 
 effects on the victim of the pipe. 
 
 On the other hand it is surprising to find some medical 
 men stating that the habit is practically harmless. That they 
 think so conscientiously we doubt not, though we are at a 
 loss to understand how they arrive at their conclusions — 
 conclusions so entirely opposite to those of a large majority 
 of independent observers. 
 
 During the Doctor's residence in Hankow we find he 
 treated no fewer than 993 cases for opium smoking; all, 
 except 25, were in-door patients. In the reports for 
 1876-7 we find that "broken health" is one of the main 
 reasons which the patients gave for wishing to relinquish 
 the habit; while in the report for 1878 Dr. Mackenzie, 
 writing of the difficulty in giving up the habit, sums up his 
 experience of 993 cases in these words : " The habit of 
 opium smoking, prolonged for any length of time, plays 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 havoc with the man's natural energy, rendering him indo- 
 lent and enervated. Few in this condition can, unaided, 
 combat the craving for opium and effectually reform. 
 The attempt is often made, but as often ends in disappoint- 
 ment. For a time they persevere, but when the intolerable 
 craving, accompanied by extreme bodily depression, with 
 violent achings of the joints and muscular pains, sets in, 
 they fly to their old enemy, and drown themselves in 
 opium stupor." The reference to this subject concludes 
 with a typical illustration of the kind of case generally 
 seeking admission into opium refuges. " A man of twenty- 
 five, emaciated and feeble, ... a fortune-teller, with once 
 a thriving business, who took to opium smoking, which led 
 to disastrous results. His earnings were squandered and 
 his health was broken down." The line of treatment 
 adopted is concisely put in the report for 1878: "There 
 is no medicinal specific guaranteed to cure ; the object 
 aimed at is to relieve symptoms as they arise, and so to 
 help the patient back to health and freedom." 
 
 Passing on to review the pre-eminently successful labours 
 of Mackenzie in Tien-tsin, we note, in the first place, a 
 general similarity in the nature of medical and surgical 
 cases met with in Hankow and Tien-tsin. We have not, 
 however, sufficient data for drawing any reliable conclu- 
 sions as to the comparative frequency of the various diseases 
 treated in the two districts, and must accordingly content 
 ourselves with calling attention — 
 
 (1) To the out-door patients' statistics. 
 
 (2) To the in-door patients' statistics. 
 
 (3) To the statistics of operations performed. 
 
 (1) Out- door Patients' Statistics. 
 
 During the first five and a half months' work in the city, 
 under the support of the Viceroy, Li Hung Chang, 3,174 
 new cases were seen, 10,552 visits paid by them, and, in 
 
A MEDICAL REVIEW OF DR. MACKENZIE'S WORK. 389 
 
 addition, 3,405 opium smokers received treatment as out- 
 door patients. 
 
 The report of this work yields the following interesting 
 facts : — 
 
 Diseases of Respiratory System . . . • 318 cases. 
 
 „ Alimentary System ...» 314 „ 
 
 „ Cutaneous System .... 248 „ 
 
 „ Eye Diseases 216 „ 
 
 „ Nervous System, etc., etc. . . 146 „ 
 
 While of individual diseases we have the following 
 figures : — 
 
 157 
 
 cases. 
 
 129 
 
 It 
 
 106 
 
 n 
 
 IOI 
 
 n 
 
 91 
 
 11 
 
 86 
 
 11 
 
 68 
 
 11 
 
 65 
 
 V 
 
 59 
 
 n 
 
 58 
 
 n 
 
 45 
 
 it 
 
 Dyspepsia 
 
 Chronic Rheumatism 
 
 Asthma ........ 
 
 Tinea Tonsurans ..... 1 
 
 Bronchitis ........ 
 
 Ulcers ....... 
 
 Syphilis ........ 
 
 Eczema ........ 
 
 Dysentery 
 
 Sciatica 
 
 Intermittent Fever, etc., etc 
 
 The results of Dr. Mackenzie's extensive efforts in Tien-tsin 
 to treat opium-smokers successfully as out-door patients, 
 by means of gradually diminishing doses of opium or its 
 alkaloid, morphia, are highly instructive, especially since 
 they were arrived at after ten and a half months' treatment 
 of such cases, during which time he prescribed for no fewer 
 than 5,106. 
 
 We find he gave up the practice, being convinced that 
 such a line of treatment was, in the vast majority of cases, 
 powerless to effect a cure. By a cure we mean not only 
 that the patient no longer smokes opium, but also that he 
 no longer requires to take the opium-containing remedy. 
 
 (2) In-door Patients' Statistics. 
 This department of the work the Doctor long felt to be 
 
390 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 the most valuable and satisfactory. The average attendance 
 of an out-patient was two to four days, which in many 
 cases meant that the patient was unable or unwilling to 
 give foreign medicine a more lengthy trial. On the other 
 hand, the average stay of an in-door patient was about three 
 weeks, implying more satisfactory treatment and better 
 results in most cases, while in addition it gave the patient 
 an opportunity of learning many of the vital truths of the 
 Gospel and the possibility of spiritual as well as physical 
 healing. 
 
 The nature and extent of Dr. Mackenzie's work among 
 his in-door patients may be gathered from the following 
 statement of cases treated in one year. An examination of 
 it reveals many interesting facts, e.g., the great preponder- 
 ance of " eye cases," especially of entropion, leucoma, and 
 granular conjunctivitis ; also of necrosis, fistula in ano, and 
 dyspepsia. We also notice the large number of cures or 
 improvements obtained, and the small number of deaths. 
 
 STATEMENT OF CASES TREATED IN THE WARDS OF THE 
 VICEROY'S HOSPITAL, T1EN-TSIN, FROM JANUARY 1ST TO 
 DECEMBER 3 1 ST, 1 886. 
 
 Diseases. 
 
 General Diseases. 28 cases, 
 
 Remittent Fever . 
 Intermittent Fever 
 Tertiary Syphilis 
 Rheumatism, Subacute 
 „ Chronic . 
 
 Measles 
 
 Diseases of the Nervous 
 System. 34 cases. 
 
 Epilepsy 
 Spinal Neuralgia 
 Hemiplegia . 
 Paraplegia . 
 Paralysis (local) 
 
 Number 
 Admitted. 
 
 Cured or 
 Relieved. 
 
 Unrelieved. 
 
 Died. 
 
A MEDICAL REVIEW OF DR. MACKENZIE'S WORK. 39 1 
 
 Disease. 
 
 Number 
 Admitted. 
 
 Cured or 
 Relieved. 
 
 Unrelieved. 
 
 Died. 
 
 Chorea 
 
 2 
 
 I 
 
 j 
 
 
 Tic Douloureux . 
 
 I 
 
 
 I 
 
 
 Locomotor Ataxy . 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 Sciatica . 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 Diseases of the Circulatory 
 
 
 
 
 
 System. 9 cases. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Valvular Disease of Heart . 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 
 I 
 
 Subclavian Aneurism . 
 
 1 
 
 
 I 
 
 
 Varicose Veins 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 Arteritis (causing gangrene 
 
 
 
 
 
 of foot) . 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 Diseases of the Respiratory 
 
 
 
 
 
 System. 38 cases. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Bronchitis . 
 
 17 
 
 17 
 
 
 
 Pneumonia . . 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 Phthisis 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 Pleurisy . . . 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 Asthma, Spasmodic 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 Laryngitis . 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 Empyema 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 Diseases of the Digestive 
 
 
 
 
 
 System. 78 cases. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Dyspepsia . 
 
 27 
 
 27 
 
 
 
 Dysentery . 
 
 9 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 
 
 Abscess of Liver . 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 Cancer of Stop ach . 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 Gall Stone Colic . 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 Hepatitis 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 Peritonitis . 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 Fistula in Ano . , 
 
 26 
 
 26 
 
 
 
 Ascites .... 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 Haemorrhoids 
 
 8 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 Diseases of 'the Genito-Urinar 
 
 y 
 
 
 
 
 Organs. 26 cases. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Spermatorrhoea . 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 Phymosis 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 Urethral Stricture 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 
 I 
 
 Orchitis . . , 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 Nephritis . . . 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 
 I 
 
 Varicocele . 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 Incontinence of Urine . 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 Cystitis 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 Calculus in Bladder 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
392 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Disease. 
 
 Diseases of the Bones and 
 Joints. 41 cases. 
 
 Necrosis . 
 
 Synovitis of Knee and 
 
 Shoulder . 
 Hip-joint Disease. 
 Arthritis of Knee . 
 „ „ Elbow 
 Sprained Ankle . 
 Anchylosis . 
 
 Diseases of the Skin. 34 cases, 
 
 Eczema . 
 
 Psoriasis 
 
 Carbuncle 
 
 Rodent Ulcer and Lupus 
 
 Ulcers .... 
 
 Burns by Kerosene 
 
 Gangrene (from frost bite) 
 
 Diseases of the Eye. 164 cases 
 
 Ectropion 
 
 Entropion and Trichiasis 
 
 Pterj'gium . 
 
 Glaucoma 
 
 Leucoma 
 
 Closed Pupil after Iritis 
 
 Cataract 
 
 Conjunctivitis Catarrhal 
 ,, Granular 
 
 ,, Purulent 
 
 „ Pustular 
 
 Corneitis 
 
 Ulcers of Cornea . 
 
 Hypopion 
 
 Ophthalmia Tarsi 
 
 Retinitis 
 
 Injuries. 29 cases. 
 
 Fractures (i compound of 
 thigh, I old ununited) 
 
 Dislocations .... 
 
 Gun-Shot Wounds 
 
 Contused and Lacerated 
 Wounds .... 
 
 Cut Throat .... 
 
 Number 
 
 Cured or 
 
 Admitted. 
 
 Relieved. 
 
 28 
 
 28 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 8 
 
 8 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 i5 
 
 15 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 57 
 
 57 
 
 ii 
 
 ii 
 
 13 
 
 12 
 
 21 
 
 21 
 
 8 
 
 5 
 
 12 
 
 ii 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 21 
 
 21 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 2 
 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 14 
 
 H 
 
 i 
 
 1 
 
 Unrelieved 
 
 Died. 
 
4 MEDICAL REVIEW OF DR. MACKENZIE'S WORK. 393 
 
 Disease. 
 
 Number 1 
 Admitted. 
 
 Cured or 
 Relieved. 
 
 Unrelieved. 
 
 Died. 
 
 Miscellaneous. 76 cases. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Tumours, Simple . 
 
 12 
 
 12 
 
 
 
 ,, Malignant 
 
 12 
 
 12 
 
 
 
 Nasal Polypi 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 Abscesses (Perinephritic 2) 
 
 16 
 
 16 
 
 
 
 Sinuses and Fistulae 
 
 21 
 
 21 
 
 
 
 Hare-lip .... 
 
 8 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 Unclassified .... 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 Summary of In-patients. 
 
 
 
 General Diseases ..... 
 
 28 cases 
 
 
 Nervous System 
 
 
 
 
 34 ,1 
 
 
 Circulatory System , 
 
 
 
 
 9 n 
 
 
 Respiratory System 
 
 
 
 
 38 „ 
 
 
 Digestive System . 
 
 
 
 
 78 » 
 
 
 Geni to- Urinary System 
 
 
 
 
 26 „ 
 
 
 Bones and Joints . 
 
 
 
 
 41 n 
 
 
 Skin 
 
 
 
 
 33 » 
 
 
 Eye 
 
 
 
 . 1 
 
 64 „ 
 
 
 Injuries . 
 
 
 
 
 29 „ 
 
 
 Miscellaneous 
 
 
 
 
 76 „ 
 
 
 Total 
 
 
 
 . 5 
 
 56 
 
 
 556 in-patients, each averaging 21 £ days' residence in hospital. 
 Average number of patients in the wards during the year, 42. 
 Seven deaths. 
 
 (3) Statistics of Operations Performed. 
 
 Nothing could be more suggestive as to the growth of 
 the Tien-tsin medical mission work than a comparison of 
 the number of operations performed during the first and 
 last years of Dr. Mackenzie's career. During the first 
 year, when he had no in-door accommodation and only a 
 very limited staff of native assistants, the operations, 
 though by no means few, were all of a minor nature, the 
 larger number being for hare-lip, 23 ; for tumours, 20 ; 
 for- pterygium, 14; and for entropion, 32. In striking 
 contrast to this is the tabulated list given below of opera- 
 
394 APPENDIX. 
 
 tions performed in 1886, some of which will be seen to 
 have been of the most serious nature. 
 
 These statistics speak loudly of Dr. Mackenzie s well- 
 earned reputation, and of the implicit confidence placed in 
 him by those who submitted themselves for treatment; 
 while they also indicate the high state of development the 
 work had attained to through the blessing of God, which 
 so manifestly rested on the indefatigable labours of His 
 servant. 
 
 viceroy's hospital, tien-tsin. list of surgical operations 
 performed from january 1st to december 3 1 st, 1 886. 
 
 Total 589. 
 
 Eye Operations. 212 cases. Cases 
 
 Pterygium (excised or transplanted) • • • • 35 
 
 Ectropion 2 
 
 Entropion 94 
 
 Iridectomy for Artificial Pupil 43 
 
 „ „ Glaucoma ....... 16 
 
 Cataract 17 
 
 Strabismus 2 
 
 Paracentesis Cornea 3 
 
 Amputations. 24 cases. 
 
 „ of Forearm . . . . . . . 3 
 
 „ „ Thumb 2 
 
 „ „ Fingers 5 
 
 » ». Leg . 1 
 
 I Pirogoffs . . 3 \ 
 „ „ Foot 1 Syme's . . 1 V . . . 5 
 
 ( Chopart's . . I ) 
 
 n » Toes 3 
 
 ,, „ Penis (for Epithelioma) .... 5 
 
 Excisions of Knee Joint 2 
 
 „ „ Portion of Rib I 
 
 „ „ Metatarsal Bone of Foot .... 2 
 
 Removal of Tumours 37 
 
 „ „ Toe Nails 2 
 
 », n Uvula 
 
 „ „ Nasal Polypi 2 
 
 Extraction of Bullet from Thigh 2 
 
 Lithotomy (supra pubic operation) I 
 
A MEDICAL REVIEW OE DR. MACKENZIE'S WORK. 
 
 ;95 
 
 Fistula in Ano 32 
 
 Hare-lip .......... 8 
 
 Haemorrhoids, External .5 
 
 i Ligatured . 4 \ 
 
 Clamp . . 1 > . . 6 
 Nitric Acid . 1 ) 
 
 Fissure of Anus ........ I 
 
 Circumcision for Phymosis ...... 7 
 
 Hydrocele tapped 5 
 
 Varicocele (radical cure) ....... I 
 
 Varicose Veins (radical cure) I 
 
 Operations for Necrosed Bone . ; . . , 31 
 Puncture of Bladder (supra pubic, for retention with 
 
 bad stricture) ........ 5 
 
 External Urethrotomy 3 
 
 Naevus destroyed with Thermo-Cautery .... I 
 
 Wiring Ununited Fracture ...... I 
 
 Scraping Lupus and Rodent Ulcers 5 
 
 Extraction of Needles and Splinters .... 3 
 
 Operation for Paraphimosis I 
 
 Splitting up Sinuses 27 
 
 Breaking down Adhesions in Joints .... 4 
 Abscesses opened (many antiseptically opened and 
 
 drained, 2 Perinephritic) 77 
 
 Abscess of Liver (antiseptically opened and drained) . I 
 Operation for Carbuncle , , , , . , ,16 
 Paracentesis Thoracis . . . . . . .16 
 
 „ Abdominis ....... 30 
 
 Dislocation reduced. 8 cases. 
 
 Hip 2 
 
 Shoulder ....... 3 
 
 Elbow 2 
 
 Thumb I 
 
 Fractures treated. 8 cases. 
 
 Clavicle . I 
 
 Humerus . . . . . . . I 
 
 Ulna I 
 
 Femur 3 
 
 Tibia and Fibula ... .1 
 
 Fibula . . I 
 
 Total . . 589 
 
S 9 6 APPENDIX. 
 
 III. 
 THE EVANGELISTIC SIDE OF A MEDICAL MISSION. 
 
 BY J. KENNETH MACKENZIE, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. 
 
 The medical missionary comes to China to advance the 
 cause of Christ. This is fully admitted. But there is not 
 the same unanimity of opinion as to how he can best 
 advance his Saviour's cause. Many contend that his pro- 
 vince is to confine himself to the healing of the sick, the 
 training of medical students, and in the course of years, 
 perhaps, adding to his multifarious duties the translation or 
 preparation of medical works ; meanwhile, showing general 
 sympathy in Christian effort, but leaving to his clerical col- 
 leagues the work of evangelization. Others, again, think 
 that he should personally take part in, if not superintend, 
 the spiritual work amongst his patients — in fact, be at the 
 head of the evangelists as well as the medical department 
 of the Medical Mission. Such a view does not imply that 
 he is not ready to welcome all the help he can get from his 
 clerical brethren. The following remarks are written to 
 advocate this latter opinion. There are two main objections 
 generally brought forward against it. The first, that a jack- 
 of-all-trades is a master of none, and that consequently you 
 cannot have a good doctor and a good parson in the same 
 individual. This is quite true. But I am not advocating 
 the making of parsons ; indeed I would wish to see every 
 medical missionary come out unordained, and it is not 
 necessary that he should ever directly engage in preaching. 
 To answer the other objection, viz., that he hasn't time, I 
 would reply, that the old saying, " Where there's a will 
 there's a way," holds good here. He must make time, for 
 his business is only half done if he neglects this portion of 
 it. How then can the evangelistic side of a Medical 
 Mission best be developed ? 
 
 The prevailing opinion seems to be in favour of establish- 
 
THE EVANGELISTIC SIDE OF A MEDICAL MISSION. 397 
 
 ing in connection with every such mission, as soon as 
 possible, a hospital with ward accommodation for in-patients. 
 It is evident upon the surface that the best medical work 
 can be achieved in this way, and there cannot be two 
 opinions, where the experiment has been fairly tried, that 
 the walls of an hospital give about the best opportunity to be 
 found anywhere for direct personal dealing with men's souls. 
 A statement one commonly hears made by clerical mis- 
 sionaries is to the effect, that in chapel preaching to the 
 heathen the difficulty is to get in touch with the people, to 
 approach them as individuals. The preacher deals with 
 his audience in the mass. We, in our hospital, on the 
 other hand, can come into direct personal contact with men. 
 Our relationship as doctor and patient removes at once the 
 sense of separation, amounting oftentimes to actual hostility, 
 shown by individual Chinese when approached by the 
 foreigner. 
 
 One of the best ways in which the medical missionary 
 can influence his patients is by keeping up the spiritual 
 life of his assistants, encouraging them to prayer and the 
 frequent study of the Scriptures. Of course, he can only 
 aid them as he is himself abiding in Christ, and drawing 
 strength and life from his Saviour. He cannot give what 
 he has not himself got. The knowledge of this should 
 stimulate us to a constant and close walk with God. It is 
 of little account for us to pray for the outpouring of the 
 Holy Spirit upon our assistants or patients, until the great 
 cry of our hearts is, " Lord, fill me ! " and then, when we 
 are full, from us will go forth streams of living water to 
 those around. Experience has taught me not to employ 
 any men specially for religious work. The helpers should 
 all be converted men, and they should carry the gospel 
 to the patients under the supervision of the doctor. By 
 helpers I mean dispensers who assist in the compounding 
 of drugs, and ward attendants or dressers, who correspond, 
 in the work they do, to our nurses at home. 
 
398 APPENDIX. 
 
 I can best set forth my ideas on the subject by describ- 
 ing our own practice. During the year 1886 there was an 
 average of 42 in-patients daily in our wards, with an 
 average length of residence for each of 2i| days. These 
 patients pay for their own food and provide bedding, 
 excepting in a few instances, such as severe accident 
 cases. We employ two dispensers, three ward attendants, 
 a cook, gatekeeper, coolie,— all but the last being working 
 Christians. 
 
 We begin the day with a Bible reading, at which the 
 helpers and most of the convalescent patients are present. 
 It usually lasts about three-quarters of an hour, and is 
 made as conversational as possible by asking and soliciting 
 questions, and inducing as many as are willing to take part. 
 People enjoy a meeting much more when they have some 
 part in it, however small. Above all things, the leader 
 should avoid " preaching " if the meeting is to be interesting 
 and profitable. 
 
 Most of our medical work in the wards is done before 
 two o'clock, so that the ward attendants are able to spend 
 a large portion of every day in teaching the catechism to 
 those patients who are both well enough and willing to 
 receive instruction. With a little management and en- 
 couragement from the doctor an enthusiasm can be aroused, 
 and the more advanced among the patients will help in 
 instructing the others. " How shall they believe in Him of 
 whom they have not heard ? " On Tuesday evenings we 
 hold a class, in which we try to gather up the work of the 
 week, " drawing up the gospel net," as it has well been 
 termed ; and on Friday evenings there is a special meeting 
 for the helpers and other Christians for prayer and the 
 study of the Scriptures, the medical missionary being the 
 leader at these various classes. 
 
 I want to set forth a few reasons why the medical man 
 should himself engage in evangelistic work. 
 
THE EVANGELISTIC SIDE OF A MEDICAL MISSION. 399 
 
 First. — He can best influence his own patients. 
 
 They are looking to him for relief from suffering, 
 and if he is doing his best to succour them, and they 
 see that he is equally interested in their spiritual state, 
 they will, out of sheer desire to please, begin to pay 
 attention to these matters. This may seem a low 
 motive, but never mind what is the motive if only the 
 interest. Many a man is aroused has gone to a revival 
 meeting to scoff and has remained to pray. 
 
 Second. — His assistants will be, under God, largely what 
 
 he makes them. 
 
 It is a common statement at home that a Church is 
 what its pastor is. Has he the missionary spirit? 
 Then the Church will be a Missionary Church. Is 
 he an aggressive man? Then the Church will be a 
 Working Church. It is a trite saying, and yet one we 
 often seem to forget, that men are taught by practice 
 rather than by precept. It is of little use for the 
 doctor to urge his assistants to Christian work while 
 he himself is showing but lukewarm interest, or none 
 at all. He must teach "do as I do" rather than "do 
 as I say." 
 
 Third. — Unless he attends to it, the full value of the 
 Medical Mission as a Christianizing Agency will not 
 be developed. 
 
 It is no disparagement to our clerical colleagues to 
 say this, for their main energies must necessarily be 
 devoted to church organization and public teaching. 
 
 Fourth. — His own spiritual life requires it. 
 
 If the life of the soul is to be anything more than a 
 name; if it is to remain in a healthy condition, it 
 must needs find a channel for its activity. " We 
 cannot but speak the things which we have seen and 
 heard." 
 
40O APPENDIX. 
 
 Then, too, there are so many depressing influences 
 surrounding him in his medical work. The daily drudgery 
 of the out-patient clinic, with its crowd of sick folk, 
 becomes at times trying to the flesh. A medical visitor 
 once said to me, " How can you spend your life amongst 
 these dirty wretches ? " And in the wards, though to the 
 lover of his profession there is much to attract in the study 
 of cases of special interest, yet there is also much to weary. 
 He has to work with imperfect instruments in the shape 
 of clumsy if willing men, in place of the intelligent and 
 tender nurses of our home hospitals. He has to put up 
 with ideas of cleanliness that do not always accord with his 
 own. All these things tend to depress a man. We need 
 the elevating influence of service for God to counterbalance 
 this state. When we aim at winning the souls of our 
 patients to Christ, we begin to find how dreadfully dead to 
 spiritual things the Chinese are, and how true it is that 
 we can do nothing without the Holy Spirit, whose it is to 
 convince of sin ; and this knowledge drives us to prayer, 
 that He, who is the Quickener of the dead, may come into 
 our lives and work, and then we shall have the joy of 
 seeing the light break in upon the souls of our patients, 
 and we ourselves will be raised above the drudgery of our 
 daily toil, and our work will become ennobling to our 
 higher nature. 
 
 Tien-tsin March 4th, 1887. 
 
 IV. 
 THE DOUBLE CURE. 
 
 The medical missionary has this great advantage over 
 his clerical brother, that the people seek him, he has not to 
 trouble about seeking them ; and yet they come only for 
 
THE DOUBLE CURE. 401 
 
 the material benefits he can confer upon them in the 
 healing of the diseases of the body. 
 
 It was the same in our Lord's day ; the great majority of 
 those who sought to see Jesus came only for bodily healing ; 
 very few indeed sought Him, in the first place, for spiritual 
 aid. And so we find Him, while daily surrounded by a 
 multitude of people, exclaiming, " Ye will not come to Me 
 that ye might have life." Our Lord was one day on the 
 way to the house of Jairus, with a thronging crowd surging 
 about Him, when into the midst crept a frail woman, who 
 had suffered for twelve years from a painful disorder. 
 Timidly she pushed her way through the crowd to get near 
 Jesus, and then stretching forth her hand she touched His 
 garment. There was much pushing and squeezing around 
 Him, but He felt only one touch, and that was the hand of 
 the poor helpless woman in her extremity. This touch of 
 faith delighted and cheered the Saviour's heart. 
 
 Let us not be satisfied with mere crowds flocking to us 
 for medical treatment. We have a higher vocation to fulfil. 
 Let us wait expectingly for this touch of faith, and with the 
 Master may this alone satisfy our hearts. 
 
 Our waiting-room may be full of patients, and all our 
 beds be occupied, and yet these men and women will pass 
 from under our care, pretty much as they came to us, so 
 far as higher things are concerned, unless we directly bestir 
 ourselves for their spiritual good. They seek us, it is true, 
 but for their bodies only ; if we would win their souls, we 
 must seek them. The command to us, as to all disciples, is 
 "Go ye" — "Compel them to come in." Deliver us from 
 thinking that we are obeying this command when we employ 
 an evangelist and say to him, " You go and preach to the 
 patients, while I attend to their bodies." This is not being 
 a medical missionary. 
 
 Let us look at our great ideal medical missionary — the 
 Lord Jesus Christ. What were His methods ? When 
 Nicodemus, the man of position, of unblemished moral 
 
 26 
 
402 APPENDIX. 
 
 character in the eyes of the world, sought the Lord for 
 some friendly conversation one evening, Jesus takes up the 
 theme, "Ye must be born again." When the respectable 
 man, the official perhaps, visits us to return thanks for 
 medical help, or to see some of the wonders from Western 
 lands which we may have to show him, the Lord help us 
 to be faithful to our commission. We may by so doing 
 offend him, — and no doubt Nicodemus was offended at first 
 by the direct personal dealing of our Lord. Yet what of 
 that ? it is ours to obey, it is His to provide. We have 
 in mind a rich patient, an official, who, when spoken to 
 concerning Jesus, uttered some very bitter things against 
 our Saviour's name, and was even inclined to argue against 
 Christianity, but who later on sent five hundred taels for 
 our hospital ; and when, a year after, he called, bringing 
 with him a friend to see the wards, he challenged his friend 
 that if he, the friend, would give five hundred taels, he 
 himself would repeat his former donation. The challenge 
 was accepted, and a thousand taels was added to our fund 
 that day. Again he brought another friend to see the 
 hospital, and persuaded him to give a donation of three 
 hundred taels. Having been under treatment some two or 
 three years later, he sent a third donation of five hundred 
 taels: Thus the Lord, through the agency of this former 
 opponent of Christianity, provided us with two thousand 
 three hundred taels. Depend upon it, we never injure our 
 cause by our faithfulness ; it is just the other way. 
 
 So, too, when they brought to Him the palsied man lying 
 on his bed, it is of his spiritual state Jesus thinks first, and 
 thus He says, u Thy sins are forgiven thee." 
 
 Should we not seek to imitate the Lord's method, 
 even though the result be but a very feeble copy of the 
 great original ? What is it that we have to impart ? Let 
 us be definite with ourselves. Is it some new dogma? a 
 system of doctrine from the West? If so, by all means 
 leave the religious element in the hands of the evangelist ; 
 
THE DOUBLE CURE. 403 
 
 he will expound your doctrines better than you can. But 
 -we reject such an idea. The Chinese have already more 
 than enough of mere empty doctrine. What we bring 
 them is no lifeless form, but a living personal Saviour 
 whom it is our privilege to present to the Chinese; and 
 this glorious privilege of representing our Saviour King, 
 and witnessing for HIM, we dare not commit to any second 
 party. 
 
 When we go our rounds in the wards we examine into 
 the cases before us, and prescribe the remedies according 
 to the best of our ability. We omit nothing within our 
 reach which can help our patients. We are lavish with 
 costly restoratives if they are necessary to the saving of the 
 man's life. But herein are we different from hundreds of 
 medical men in other parts of the world who owe no 
 allegiance to Jesus, and yet who spare neither strength, 
 time, nor money in the enthusiasm of hospital work. The 
 difference should lie in the fact that we are as thorough, as 
 definite in seeking the cure of the soul's malady, as they 
 and we alike are in succouring the bodies of men. 
 
 Our remedies frequently fail, but Christ, as the remedy 
 for sin, never fails. It is true it often seems to fail, but the 
 reason is that the remedy is not properly applied. It is 
 our great lamentation that the Chinese are so negligent in 
 regularly following up treatment. A man takes one or two 
 doses of medicine, and because he is not distinctly better as 
 a consequence, he declares the foreign doctor cannot cure 
 him, and ceases to attend. Have our medicines failed in 
 this case ? Certainly not. And so, though sometimes 
 discouraged, we yet persevere, having faith that we can 
 accomplish good, and that our work must tell in time. 
 Now let us act in the same way with this spiritual 
 malady sin. 
 
 The first essential is that the patient recognises the fact 
 that he is sick, else he certainly will not take the medicine. 
 We must press home this truth with all our might. Then, 
 
4Q4 APPENDIX. 
 
 too, we need to pray more for and with our patients, and to 
 labour on with thankful and restful hearts, knowing that as 
 surely as the rain comes down from heaven to moisten and 
 fertilize the earth, so certainly will the Holy Spirit be 
 poured out upon our patients, causing the Word to take 
 root in their hearts and to bring forth fruit in their lives. 
 
 But some will say, It is impossible to find time for this 
 double work. We beg leave to differ from them. The 
 medical missionary who is at the head of a large hospital 
 should be like a master-workman, overseeing everything, 
 setting each his task, while reserving to himself the delicate 
 and important workmanship. We would have him do less 
 work perhaps, but work of a higher quality. Do not let 
 him spend his strength in seeing vast crowds of out- 
 patients, when the statistics of many hospitals combine to 
 show that scarcely more than two visits are paid by each 
 individual, and therefore from a medical standpoint alone 
 the results are most unsatisfactory. This department must 
 be kept up, but let him leave it largely in the hands of 
 trained assistants, he himself doing well that which is best 
 worth the doing. 
 
A SELECTION FROM 
 
 Fleming H. Revell Company's 
 
 CATALOGUE 
 
Important Missionary Publications. 
 
 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JOHN G. PATON. Missionary to the 
 New Hebrides. Introductory note by Arthur T. Pierson, D.D. 
 2 vols., 12ino., portrait and map, in neat box, $3.00. 
 
 One of the most remarkable biographies of modern times. 
 
 "I have just laid down the most robust and the most fascinating; piece of auto- 
 biography that I have met with in many a day ID is the story of the 
 
 wonderful work wrought by John G. Paton, the famous missionary to the New 
 Hebrides; he was made of the same stuff with Livingstone." — T. L. Cuyler. 
 
 " It stands with such books as those Dr. Livingstone gave the world, and 
 shows to men that the heroes of the cross are not merely to be sought in past 
 ages," — Christian Intelligencer. 
 
 THE LIFE OF JOHN KENNETH MACKENZIE. Medical 
 Missionary to China ; with the story of the First Chinese Hospital 
 by Mrs. Bryson, author of "Child Life in Chinese Homes," etc. 
 12mo., cloth, 400 pages, price §1.50 with portrait in photogravure. 
 
 "The story of a singularly beautiful life, sympathetically and ably written. 
 . . . . A really helpful, elevating book."— London 3Iissionary Chronicle. 
 
 "The volume records much that is fresh and interesting bearing on Chinese 
 customs and manners as seen and vividly described by a missionary who had 
 ample opportunities of studying them under most varied circumstances and 
 conditions."— Scotsman. 
 
 THE GREATEST WORK IN THE WORLD. The Evangeliza- 
 tion of all Peoples in the Present Century. By Rev. Arthur T. 
 Pierson, D.D. 12mo., leatherette, gilt top, 35c. 
 
 The subject itself is an inspiration, but this latest production of Dr. Pierson 
 thrills with the life which the Master Himself has imparted to it. It will be a 
 welcome addition to Missionary literature. 
 
 THE CRISIS OF MISSIONS. By Rev. Arthur T. Pierson, D.D. 
 Cloth, §1.25 ; paper, 35c. 
 
 " We do not hesitate to say that this book is the most purposeful, earnest and 
 intelligent review of the mission work and field which has ever been given to the 
 Church." — Christian Statesman. 
 
 MEDICAL MISSIONS. Their Place and Power. By John Lowe, 
 F. R. C S. E., Secretary of the Edinburgh Medical Mission Society. 
 12rno., 308 pages, cloth, §1.50. 
 "This book contains an exhaustive account of the benefits that may, and in 
 
 point of fact do, accrue from the use of the medical art as a Christian agency. Mr. 
 
 Lowe is eminently qualified to instruct us in this matter, having himself been so 
 
 long engaged in the same field." — From Introduction by Sir William Muir. 
 
 ONCE HINDU: NOW CHRISTIAN. The early life of Baba 
 Padmanji. Translated from the Marathi. Edited by J. Murray Mit- 
 chell, M. A , LLD. 12mo., 155 pa«;es, with appendix. Cloth, 75c. 
 
 "A more instructive or more interesting narrative of a human soul, once held 
 firmly in the grip of oriental superstition, idolatry and caste, gradually emerging 
 into the light, liberty and peace of a regenerate child of God, does not often come 
 to hand." — Jlissionary Herald. 
 
 AN INTENSE LIFE. By George F. Herrick. A sketch of the life 
 and work of Rev. Andrew T. Prattt, M.D., Missionary of the A. B. 
 C. F. M., in Turkey, 1852-1872. 16mo., cloth, 50c. 
 
 new york. : : Fleming H. Reoell Company = : Chicago. 
 
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 EVERY-DAY LIFE IN SOUTH INDIA, or, the Story of Coopoo- 
 swamey. An Autobiography. With fine engravings by E. Whym- 
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 THE CHILDREN OF INDIA. Written for children by one of 
 their friends. Illustrations and map. Small 4to , cloth, $1,25. 
 "These are good books for the Sunday-School Library, and will help young- 
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 in India whom they are sending their money and their missionaries to convert." — 
 Missionary Herald. 
 
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 Hindu reformers, and a brief comparison between Hinduism and 
 Christianity. By J. Murray Mitchell, M.A., LLD. 12mo., cloth, 
 $1.60. 
 
 " A praiseworthy attempt to present a popular view of a vast and important 
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 ings and speaches of many workers. By Arnold Foster, B.A., 
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 AMONG THE MONGOLS. By Rev. James Gilmour, M.A., London 
 Mission, Peking. Numerous engravings from photographs and 
 native sketches. 12mo., gilt edges, cloth, $1.00. 
 "The newness and value of the book consists solely in its Defoe quality, that 
 
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 EVERY-DAY LIFE IN CHINA, or, Scenes along River and Road 
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Popular Missionary Biographies. 
 
 i2mo, 160 pages. Fully illustrated; cloth extra, 75 cents each. 
 
 Rev. C. H. Spurgeon, 
 writes : 
 
 " Crowded with facts 
 that both interest and in- 
 spire, we can conceive of 
 no better plan to spread 
 the Missionary spirit than 
 the multiplying of such 
 biographies; and we 
 would specially commend 
 this series to those who 
 have the management of 
 libraries and selection of 
 prizes in our Sunday 
 Schools." 
 
 From The Missionary 
 Herald : 
 
 "We commended this 
 series in our last issue, 
 and a further examina^ 
 tion leads us to renew our 
 commendation, and to 
 urge the placing of this 
 series of missionary books 
 in ail our Sabbath-school 
 libraries. 
 
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 somely printed and bound 
 and are beautifully illus- 
 trated, and we are confi- 
 dent that they will prove 
 attractive to all young 
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 SAMUEL CROWTHER, the Slave Boy who became Bishop of 
 
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 THOMAS J. COMBER, Missionary Pioneer to the Congo. By 
 
 Rev. J. B. Myers, Association Secretary Baptist Missionary Society. 
 BISHOP PATTESON, the Martyr of Melanesia. By Jesse Page. 
 GRIFFITH JOHN, Founder of the Hankow Mission, Central 
 
 China. By Wm. Robson, of the London Missionary Society. 
 ROBERT MORRISON, the Pioneer of Chinese Missions. By 
 
 Wm. J. Townsend, Sec. Methodist New Connexion Missionary Soc'y. 
 ROBERT MOFFAT, the Missionary Hero of Kuruman. By David 
 
 J. Deane, author of " Martin Luther, the Reformer," etc. 
 WILLIAM CAREY, the Shoemaker who became a Missionary. 
 
 By Rev. J. B. Myers, Association Secretary Baptist Missionary Society. 
 JAMES CHALMERS, Missionary and Explorer of Rarotonga 
 
 and New Guinea. Bv Wm. Robson, of the London Missionary Soc'y. 
 MISSIONARY LADIES IN FOREIGN LANDS. By Mrs. E. R. 
 
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 JAMES CALVERT; or, From Dark to Dawn in Fiji. 
 JOHN WILLIAMS, the Martyr of Erromanga. By Rev. James 
 
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 HENRY MARTYN, his Life and Labors. Cambridge-India- Persia. 
 
 By Jesse Page. 
 
 UNIFORM WITH THE ABOVE. 
 
 HENRY M. STANLEY, the African Explorer 
 
 fiore, F.R.G.S. Brought down to 1889. 
 DAVID LIVINGSTON, His Labors and His Legacy 
 
 MONTEFIORE, F.R.G S. 
 
 JOHN WICLIFFE and MARTIN LUTHER. By D. J. Deane. 
 
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 By Arthur 
 
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 Eustace P. Condee, M.A., D.D., 
 
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REFERENCE BOOKS 
 
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 BIBLE STUDENTS. 
 
 JAMIESON, FAUSSET & BROWN'S Popular Portable Com- 
 mentary. Critical, Practical, Explanatory. Four volumns in neat 
 box, fine cloth, $8.00; half bound, $10.00. 
 A new edition, containing the complete unabridged notes in clear type on good paper, 
 
 in four handsome 12 mo. volumes of about 1.000 pages each, with copious index, numerous 
 
 illustrations and maps, and a Bible Dictionary compiled from Dr. Wm. Smith's standard 
 
 work. 
 
 Bishop Vincent of Chautauqua fame says : *' The best cocdensed commentary on the 
 
 whole Bible is Jamieson, Fausset &. Brown." 
 
 CRU DEN'S UNABRIDGED CONCORDANCE TO THE 
 HOLY SCRIPTURES. With life of the author. 864 pp., 8vo., 
 cloth (net), $1.00; half roan, sprinkled edges (net), 2.00; half roan, 
 full gilt edges (net), $2.50. 
 
 SMITH'S BIBLE DICTIONARY, comprising its Antiquities, Biog- 
 raphy, Geography and Natural History, with numerous maps and illus- 
 trations. Edited and condensed from his great work by William 
 Smith, LL. D. 776 pages, 8vo, many illustrations, cloth, $1.50. 
 
 THE BIBLE TEXT CYCLOPEDIA. A complete classification of 
 Scripture Texts in the form of an alphabetical list of subjects. By 
 Rev. James Inglis. Large 8vo, 524 pages, cloth, $1.75. 
 
 The plan is much the same as the " Bible Text Book" with the valuable additional 
 help in that the texts referred to are quoted in full. Thus the student is saved the. time and 
 labor of turning to numerous passages, which, when found, may not be pertinent to the 
 subject he has in hand. 
 
 THE TREASURY OF SCRIPTURE KNOWLEDGE; consist- 
 ing of 500,000 scripture references and parallel passages, with numer- 
 ous notes. 8vo, 778 pages, cloth, $2.00. 
 
 A single examination of this remarkable compilation of references will convince the 
 reader of the fact that " the Bible is its own best interpreter." 
 
 THE WORKS OF FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS, translated by William 
 Whiston, A. M., with Life, Portrait, Notes and Index. A new cheap 
 edition in clear type. Large 8vo, 684 pages, cloth, $2.00. 
 
 100.000 SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS. By Rt. Rev. Samuel 
 Fallows, A. M., D. D. 512 pages, cloth, $1.00. 
 
 A complete Dictionary of synonyms and words of opposite meanings, with an appen- 
 dix of Briticisms, Americanisms, Colloquialisms, Homonims, Homophonous words, Foreign 
 Phrases, etc., etc. 
 
 " This is one of the best books of its kind we have seen, and probably there is nothing 
 published in the country that is equal to it." — Y. M. C. A. Watchman. 
 
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miGGMSTTSm BOOKS - - 
 
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 NEW NOTES FOR BIBLE READINGS. By the late S. R. Briggs, 
 with brief Memoir of the author by Rev. Jas. H. Brookes, D. D., 
 Crown 8vo, cloth, $1.00 ; flexible, 75 cents, net. 
 
 " New Notes" is not a reprint, and contains Bible Readings to be found in no other 
 similar work, and, it is confidently believed, will be found more carefully prepared, and 
 therefore more helpful and suggestive. 
 
 Everyone of the 60,000 readers of " Notes and Suggestions for Bible Readings " will 
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 Erdman, Rev. F. E. Marsh. Dr. L. W. Munhall, etc. 
 
 NOTES AND SUGGESTIONS FOR BIBLE READINGS. By 
 
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 Containing, in addition to twelve introductory chapters on plans and method of Bible 
 study and Bible readings, over six hundred outlines of Bible readings, by many of the 
 most eminent Bible students of the day. Crown 8vo, 262 pp. Cloth, library style, $1.00; 
 flexible cloth, .75 ; paper covers, .50. 
 
 THE OPEN SECRET; or, The Bible Explaining Itself. A series 
 
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 320 pp. Fine cloth, $1.00. 
 That the author of this work has a faculty of presenting the " Secret Things " that are 
 revealed in the Word of God is apparent to all who have read the exceedingly popular work, 
 "The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life." 
 
 BIBLE BRIEFS ; or, Outline Themes for Scripture Students. By 
 
 G. C. & E. A. Needham. i6mo., 224 pages, cloth, $1.00. 
 
 The plan of these expositions is suggestive rather than exhaustive, and these suggestions 
 are designed to aid Evangelists at home and missionaries abroad, Bible School Teachers, and 
 Christian Association Secretaries and Workers. 
 
 BIBLE HELPS FOR BUSY MEN. By A. C. P. Coote. 
 
 Contains over 200 Scripture subjects, clearly worked out and printed in good legible 
 type, with an alphabetical index. 140 pages, 16mo.; paper, 40c; cloth flex., 60c 
 " Likely to be of use to overworked brethren." — C. H. Spurgeon. 
 41 Given in a clear and remarkably telling form." — Christian Leader. 
 
 RUTH, THE MOABITESS; or Gleaning in the Book of Ruth. 
 
 By Henry Moorhouse. i6mo., paper covers, 20c; cloth, 40c. 
 A characteristic series of Bible readings, full of suggestion and instruction. 
 
 BIBLE READINGS. By Henry Moorhouse. i6mo., paper covers, 
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 A series by one pre-eminently the man of one book, an incessant, intense, prayerful 
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 SYMBOLS AND SYSTEMS IN BIBLE READINGS. 
 
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 This work is in truth "Multum in Parvo" containing within small compass a vast 
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 history of the manners and customs of the times, etc. 
 
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 Prevailing Prayer; What Hinders It. Thirtieth Thousand 
 
 To the Work ! To the Work ! A Trumpet Call. Thir- 
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 The Way to God and How to Find It, One Hundred 
 
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