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Our Life in China. 
 
 BY 
 
 HELEN S. C. NEVIUS. 
 
 NEW YORK : 
 
 HURST & COMPANY, Publishers, 
 
 122 Nassau Street. 
 
Entered, according to Act of Congress, In the year 1868, by 
 
 Robert Carter and Brothers, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United Stales for the 
 
 Southern District of New York. 
 
 Copyright, 1891, 
 By HURST & COMPANY. 
 
 ARGYLE PRESS. 
 
 Book Manufacturers, 
 
 265-267 Cherry St., N. Y. 
 

 TO MT HUSBAND, 
 
 THE REV. JOHN L. NEVIUS 
 
 I DEDICATE 
 
 THIS NARRATIVE 
 OF 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA, 
 

 VI CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. page 
 
 Incidents in Missionary Life— Leaving Ningpo 300 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 First Summer at Tung-chow 327 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 Description of Shantung — Incursion of the Rebels .... 348 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 Various Incidents at Tung-chow — Cholera 378 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 Work among Women in Tung-chow 400 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Tsing-wan-ts — Views of Missionary Life — Absurd Rumors. 423 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 Illness and Death of Mr. Rankin 446 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 Last Summer at Tung-chow 455 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 Sojourn at Ningpo — Modes of preparing Tea for Market . 470 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 Trip up the River Yiang-tse — Leaving China ...... 494 
 

 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 VOYAGE TO AND ARRIVAL IN CHINA. 
 
 I remember that, in one of my earliest 
 lessons in geography, I was told of a country 
 directly underneath me, on the opposite side of 
 the globe ; and my teacher added the sage re- 
 mark, that, if I should make a hole directly 
 through the earth, I would come upon a very 
 strange people, called Chinese. The idea 
 haunted me. Some vague conceptions of the 
 " pneumatic express" dawned upon my infant 
 mind. Would it be possible, I wondered, to 
 make such a small, safe tunnel, and to glide 
 swiftly through until I could see, with my own 
 eyes, those singular men, with hair braided 
 down their backs, and grown-up women, with 
 feet no larger than my own, whose food was 
 " rats, cats, and puppies " ? 
 
8 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 Well, in the course of years it came to pass 
 that I did go to China ; not, as I had once im- 
 agined, through that extraordinary hole in the 
 ground, but with my missionary husband, in a 
 sailing vessel called the " Bombay." 
 
 We sailed from Boston, on the 19th of Sep- 
 tember, 1853. The "Bombay" was an old, 
 India trader, neither comfortable, nor, indeed, 
 seaworthy; though, of that fact, we were, at 
 the time, fortunately not aware. 
 
 Our " state-room" was on deck, opening off 
 the dining cabin; in size, just three and a half 
 feet wide, and not quite six long. 
 
 How two people managed to stow themselves 
 away, within such narrow limits, may be a mys- 
 tery to some ; but we did it for six long months. 
 Indeed, it was a discipline well suited to prepare 
 us for the change, from the ease and comforts of 
 home, to the varied experiences of missionary 
 life. 
 
 Though the ship was badly provisioned, I do 
 not think we suffered in consequence, as we had 
 a capital steward, who made the most of the 
 materials within his reach. Although a voyage 
 of such length, even under more favorable cir- 
 cumstances, must necessarily be more or less 
 monotonous, we were, by no means, unhappy. 
 

 VOYAGE TO AND ARRIVAL IN CHINA. 9 
 
 Our captain was kind and obliging. We read, 
 studied, sang, or walked the little space of deck 
 in front of the house, for exercise; and thus, by 
 keeping busy, the time passed pleasantly and 
 profitably. 
 
 I amused myself with my guitar, until, find- 
 ing it prevented the officers from their custom- 
 ary sleep in the daytime, I was obliged to give 
 it up. We were both good sailors, and the 
 " wonders of the deep" were an unceasing 
 source of interest and pleasure. I well remem- 
 ber our first storm. It occurred just as I was 
 recovering from sea-sickness, and I had not been 
 on deck since we lost sight of land. My hus- 
 band insisted upon my going out, — "It is so 
 glorious ! " he said. " You must see it ! " And 
 indeed it was glorious, — far beyond my powers 
 of description. It brought vividly to mind the 
 beautiful 107th Psalm, — 
 
 " They that go down to the sea in ships, that 
 do business in great waters : 
 
 " These see the works of the Lord, and his 
 wonders in the deep. 
 
 " For he commandeth and raiseth the stormy 
 wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. 
 
 " They mount up to the heaven, they go down 
 again to the depths." 
 
10 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 I know of no sight more impressive and awful 
 than the ocean in, or immediately after, a storm. 
 The consciousness it gives of the presence, 
 power, and majesty of God is overpowering. I 
 have often wondered that a godless man can en- 
 joy it. 
 
 Nearly every Sabbath during the voyage, 
 when the weather would allow, Mr. Nevius held 
 religious services. As the cabin was very 
 small, they were necessarily upon deck. They 
 were attended by the captain, and most of the 
 sailors, who listened with attention, and showed 
 at least external interest. It seemed, however, 
 that there was often more " squaring the yards," 
 "working the ship," and more probability of 
 "squalls" and storms, on the morning of the 
 holy day, than the actual state of the weather 
 appeared to indicate. These various contingen- 
 cies rendering it quite impossible to secure the 
 quiet necessary for public devotional exercises, 
 we were not unfrequently obliged to omit them 
 altogether. 
 
 While off the Cape of Good Hope we were 
 several days " hove to " in a gale; and numer- 
 ous ships near us were in the same condition. 
 One of these days was peculiarly trying, the 
 ship rolling so that for mere safety I was 
 
VOYAGE TO AND ARRIVAL IN CHINA. 11 
 
 obliged to stay in my berth. The door to the 
 cabin was open, and thus I witnessed an amus- 
 ing incident. When the ship gave a lurch 
 unusually violent, out from the pantry rolled, 
 not only plates, dishes of all kinds, and various 
 culinary utensils, but also a barrel of pickles, 
 which emptied its contents upon the cabin floor. 
 Oh, such a scene ! It was so ludicrous that, 
 not withstanding the wild commotion without, 
 and the fact that it was rather a catastrophe on 
 board such a poorly found vessel, we had a 
 hearty laugh. All but the poor steward ! I 
 doubt whether the risible muscles of his ebony 
 visage were the least disturbed. It was too 
 serious a matter for him, poor fellow ! He 
 scrambled hither and thither, gathering up the 
 fragments, and at length restored order, and 
 succeeded in making fast every movable article. 
 After being nearly four months at sea, we had 
 a glimpse of the island of St. Pauls, at a dis- 
 tance of ten miles. Being the first land we had 
 seen since we left Boston harbor, it was invested 
 with wonderful interest. Again and again we 
 read the description given of it in a nautical 
 work of the captain's ; of its being the resort of 
 a few fishermen; of its having one, and only 
 one object of interest, namely, a hot spring, so 
 
12 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 situated that one could catch fish from a cold 
 spring close at hand, and toss them into that, 
 and cook them there. 
 
 On the 30th of January we passed through 
 the Straits of Timor. When we came on deck, 
 about five o'clock in the morning, we were mid- 
 way between the islands of Timor and Ombay. 
 The sun had not yet risen, and mists partially 
 obscured the mountain-tops. These tropical 
 islands, clothed in richest verdure, with trees 
 and plants of many kinds and colors, seen from 
 the ship, as we sailed slowly by, seemed almost 
 too beautiful for earth. There are skeptics, I 
 believe, who aver that the " spicy breezes," 
 which "blow soft o'er Ceylon's isle," are only 
 imaginary; but I have often had an opportu- 
 nity of noticing these land-breezes, and I can 
 say from experience that, though very soft and 
 balmy, they are real and delicious, like the 
 perfume of flowers. With the aid of a spy- 
 glass, we discovered numbers of small villages, 
 — some at the water's edge, and others far up 
 the mountain-side. From several of these islands 
 the natives came off in their long, narrow prows, 
 with a few articles for sale, — nothing, however, 
 of value, — only some specimens of coral, shells, 
 and birds. The latter were beautiful ; and so 
 
VOYAGE TO AND ARRIVAL IN CHINA. 13 
 
 many were purchased by us and the men on 
 board, that for a few days our ship had something 
 the appearance and sound of an aviary. But, 
 for some reason, the birds did not thrive; and 
 before we reached Shanghai few of them were 
 living. 
 
 One morning, at daylight, we found ourselves 
 near a fine large ship, on the deck of which was 
 a lady with a spy-glass in hand. She had de- 
 scried me also, and for a long while we looked 
 at each other through our glasses. After break- 
 fast, a boat came off from the stranger ship, with 
 the compliments of the captain and his wife, and 
 a present for the "Lady of the Bombay." As 
 we were nearly becalmed, our captain and my 
 husband returned the courtesy by going on 
 board the " Rose Standish." They found her 
 accommodations very good ; and the captain and 
 his wife were cultivated and religious people, 
 and exceedingly kind. I think they suspected 
 that we were not very comfortable on our ship, 
 as they invited, and even urged, us to make the 
 remainder of the voyage with them, as their 
 guests. We thought, however, for several rea- 
 sons, that it would be better to remain where we 
 were. Our acquaintance with this Christian 
 family has, to me, a mournful interest. Only 
 
14 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 a week or two after reaching Shanghai, Capt. 
 Pearson lost his life in assisting to protect the 
 foreign settlement from an attack by the Chinese. 
 
 After leaving the islands, we were still sev- 
 eral weeks in reaching our destination. The 
 weather was bad, and, for days, our captain was 
 not able to take an observation, so as to fix our 
 exact position. On one of these days we passed 
 a sunken rock ; the ship scraping it, without 
 other damage than losing part of her keel. 
 The danger was great, as, had we gone a few 
 feet further on the rock, we had probably been 
 wrecked. 
 
 At length, the muddy, yellow color of the 
 water indicated very plainly that we must have 
 reached the mouth of the Yiang-tse-kiang ; but 
 the fog was dense, and no pilot near ; so, when 
 we came to shallow water, we were obliged to 
 drop anchor. I remember well the appearance 
 of the Chinese junks lying near us. Seen 
 through the mist, they seemed immense, and 
 very weird and phantom-like. It was cold and 
 stormy; and our situation, without a fire, and 
 with necessarily much exposure, was exceedingly 
 uncomfortable. We lay for three days at an- 
 chor, waiting and hoping for a pilot. At length, 
 some one discovered a white flag on a small 
 
VOYAGE TO AND ARRIVAL IN CHINA. 15 
 
 Chinese vessel, in the distance ; and it was not 
 long before it had brought us our much-wished- 
 for pilot. I cannot express the interest we felt 
 in him, coarse and grotesque as he seemed. 
 He was, to us, the type of his race, among 
 whom we had come to live and labor. He told 
 us in " Pigeon English," which we then heard 
 for the first time, that the rebels had taken 
 Shanghai; and that " they makee too muchee 
 bobbery, altogether too great a fighty ! " The 
 fellow proved an incompetent pilot. He three 
 times ran our ship aground. In the first two 
 instances the rising tide prevented serious con- 
 sequences ; but in the third we were hopelessly 
 fast in the mud, unless we could secure the aid 
 of a steam-tug to draw us off. Here our pilot 
 ran away, and left us to get to Shanghai as best 
 we might. We were still several miles from 
 Woosung. 
 
 At this conjuncture, a foreign compradore's 
 boat, from Shanghai, came* alongside, and a 
 young English lad, who commanded it, came on 
 board the " Bombay." He explained more fully 
 the state of affairs at Shanghai, and gave us 
 some scraps of news from the outer world, to 
 which we had so long been strangers. He also 
 invited my husband and me to go up to Shang- 
 

 16 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 hai in his boat ; assuring us that we would thus 
 reach our friends before dark of that day; 
 whereas, there was no immediate prospect of 
 the " Bombay's " stirring from the spot where she 
 then was. The opportunity was too tempting 
 to be refused; so, in a chair suspended from a 
 spar, I was lowered— « whipped," it is called, 
 in sea-phrase— from the deck of the "Bombay"' 
 to the little compradore boat. 
 
 The banks of the river were low, and the 
 scenery tame; but to us, after being so long at 
 sea, it appeared delightful. The first few 
 miles we enjoyed most thoroughly. Then, how- 
 ever, night came on, and the boatmen positively 
 refused to proceed. They were evidently afraid 
 of something; and, on making inquiry, we found 
 that between us and the city lay the whole im- 
 perialist fleet; to pass through which, especially 
 in the night, was a perilous undertaking. 
 
 The captain of our boat, the only foreigner 
 on board except ourselves, was a boy of sixteen 
 with plenty of English "pluck," but with little 
 discretion. 
 
 At one o'clock, when the tide was strong in 
 our favor, and the full moon made it almost as 
 light as day, we again got under way, and 
 proceeded quietly until just below the fleet, when 
 

 VOYAGE TO AND ARRIVAL IN CHINA. 17 
 
 the clang of gongs from vessel to vessel gave 
 warning that they were all on the alert for in- 
 truders. Our little "John Bull " came into the 
 cabin, and, placing two loaded revolvers beneath 
 his waistcoat, exclaimed, "I'll teach them to 
 meddle with me ! They shall not stop my 
 boat ! " And so we went on for some little dis- 
 tance, the sounds from the junks becoming more 
 ominous. Rockets were fired upon us, some of 
 which fell either on our boat or in the water 
 close to us. My husband now thought it time 
 that he should interfere; and he told our little 
 captain that we must stop at once. Almost as 
 soon as our anchor dropped, a small boat from 
 one of the junks pulled towards us. It was 
 filled with dusky figures, each holding a spear 
 or sword erect and glistening in the moonlight. 
 They came on board, and would at once have 
 searched the boat for contraband articles, which, 
 I think, they would have found, had not the 
 English boy thought of an expedient which 
 caused them to alter their minds. He told them 
 in Chinese, — which we of course did not under- 
 stand, — that I was the sister of a merchant in 
 Shanghai, with whom he knew them to be on 
 friendly terms. This falsehood was, I suppose, 
 their reason for not detaining or injuring us. 
 
18 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 With many humble apologies for having stopped 
 us, and most polite salaams, they went, one 
 after another, into their "sampan," and shoved 
 off. All this time I had been standing with 
 my husband on deck, not particularly alarmed ; 
 but I afterwards found that the shock to my 
 nerves had been very great. After the danger 
 was over, and we had come to anchor close under 
 the flag of the English Consulate. I trembled at 
 every foot-fall, and more than once before day- 
 break, begged Mr. Nevius to go on deck to see 
 if we were really safe. The strange music of 
 cannon on the city wall, where a continuous 
 firing was kept up, did not assist in composing 
 our minds to rest. Altogether it was not a very 
 delightful adventure. 
 
 It was only a few days after this that these 
 same imperialists attacked the foreign settlement ; 
 in assisting to protect which, our friend Captain 
 Pearson was killed. 
 
 The pretty chapel of the American Episcopal 
 Mission was one of the first sights which greeted 
 our eyes, the morning after our arrival. Leav- 
 ing me in the boat, my husband went on shore 
 to find our mission families. He called at a 
 house near the chapel, and inquired for Mr. 
 Wight or Mr. Culbertson. A lady, hearing the 
 

 VOYAGE TO AND ARRIVAL IN CHINA. 19 
 
 inquiry, recognized him at once and asked, "Is 
 not this Mr. Nevius? We are all expecting 
 you ; " giving him at the same time a most kindly 
 welcome. This was Miss Emma Jones, of the 
 American Episcopal Mission. 
 
 Mr. Nevius soon returned, in company with 
 Mr. Wight, who, we were grieved to learn, was 
 on the eve of embarking for the United States. 
 The gentlemeu brought with them a sedan-chair ; 
 for, though the distance was short, the mud was 
 so deep that it was almost impossible for a lady to 
 wade through it. That was my first experience 
 of a mode of locomotion with which I afterwards 
 became very familiar. 
 
 The Chinese city of Shanghai is, compara- 
 tively, a small and insignificant one. The for- 
 eign settlement, although not then as large and 
 flourishing as it has since become, was still a 
 place of much importance. We were surprised 
 at the number and size of the foreign hongs 
 and merchants' residences. At the time of this 
 first visit to Shanghai, owing to the city's being 
 in the hands of the rebels, with continual fight- 
 ing between them and the imperialists, all for- 
 eign residents, whose houses were in exposed sit- 
 uations, had been obliged to leave them. There 
 were three or four mission families crowded into 
 

 20 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 one house ; but that circumstance added materi- 
 ally to the pleasure of our visit. It was before 
 the days of disunion and secession, and the har- 
 mony and sociability of our new friends were 
 truly delightful. The distinctions, Northern 
 and Southern, English and American, seemed 
 well-nigh forgotten, in that far-off land. All 
 were hard at work; some of the gentlemen 
 preaching daily, others translating and making 
 books; and the ladies, with a few exceptions, 
 were occupied in their schools, which at that time 
 were large and flourishing. 
 
 We remained in Shanghai about two weeks, 
 and then sailed for Ningpo in the schooner 
 " Speck," in company with the excellent Mr. 
 Goddard, a Baptist missionary of Ningpo. 
 
 A day or two previous, Rev. Mr. Wight and 
 family, and Mrs. Coulter, whose husband had 
 died at Ningpo, had left for America. Their 
 ship had not yet fairly got out to sea, and when 
 we came to anchor for the night below Woosung, 
 we found ourselves close to it, and soon went on 
 board to pay our friends a visit. We found them 
 in great perplexity ; Mr. and Mrs. Wight had a 
 family of small children, the youngest a babe of 
 seven months. The child's wet-nurse had been 
 left in Shanghai, and they had depended upon 
 
VOYAGE TO AND ARRIVAL IN CHINA. 21 
 
 two goats to give milk for the baby on the voy- 
 age. But even before they were out of sight of 
 land, they found this plan did not answer; and 
 the question was, " What shall be done? " It 
 was risking the child's life to take her, and our 
 coming just at that time seemed providential. 
 Mr. Goddard urged them to leave the babe with 
 his wife, who had previously offered to assume 
 the charge of it ; and we also promised, very will- 
 ingly, to take it, in case our services were re- 
 quired. " Can I, must I, part with my dear 
 baby ? ' ' exclaimed poor Mrs. Wight, the tears 
 streaming down her cheeks. It was a terrible 
 struggle, but there were only a few moments in 
 which to decide it, as we must return to the boat. 
 And so, although it nearly broke her heart, she 
 gave her baby for a time to our care. 
 
 Taking the little Annie with us, we went again 
 on board the " Speck," and were soon out at sea. 
 Two Ningpo women, one of whom was Annie's 
 nurse, were with us, and occupied the berth at 
 one side of our cabin. The nurse proved of 
 not the least use in taking care of the child, as 
 she soon became deathly sea-sick. The night 
 was stormy, and the waves being short and 
 "chopping," the "Speck" rolled from side to 
 side fearfully. Mr. Goddard took charge of 
 

 22 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 Annie: I would gladly have done so, but it 
 would not have been safe, as I could not keep my 
 footing, the ship was so unsteady. During the 
 night, a groan from Mr. Goddard made us aware 
 that he must be suffering great discomfort, and 
 my husband called to him, — 
 
 " Mr. Goddard, are you sea-sick? " 
 
 " Yes, / am sea-sick I " he answered. 
 
 Such an impatient, querulous tone, from such 
 a good man ! We knew matters must be get- 
 ting desperate, and Mr. Nevius insisted upon 
 relieving him of the care of little Annie for the 
 rest of the night. The poor child moaned and 
 cried piteously, and it was indeed a very uncom- 
 fortable time for us all. 
 
 Owing to head winds and a very rough sea, 
 we were three or four days in reaching Chinhai, 
 which lies at the mouth of the Ningpo River. 
 The scenery there is beautiful. High hills on 
 either side, with the walled city near the water, 
 and numerous junks at anchor, appeared in the 
 light of the setting sun that Sabbath evening, 
 when we first saw them, even more lovely than 
 they really are. 
 
 As the " Speck " could not get up to the city 
 that night, we went in a small boat, sculled by 
 a man standing on a platform in the stern. It 
 

 VOYAGE TO AND ARRIVAL IN CHINA. 23 
 
 was late in the evening before we reached Ningpo. 
 We saw none of the ladies of our mission that 
 night, with the exception of Mrs. Rankin, our 
 kind hostess. Mr. Rankin was the only one of 
 all the circle whom I had met before. He had 
 visited at mj father's house some years previous, 
 when I was but a child. 
 
24 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 NINGPO. — MISSIONARY WORK COMMENCED. 
 
 Ningpo Fu, that is, " City of the Peaceful 
 Wave," is in longitude 121° 22'. Its latitude, 
 29° 35', is about that of New Orleans. It is a 
 large and important place, with three hundred 
 thousand or more inhabitants. It is surrounded 
 by a substantially built stone wall, twenty feet 
 in height, fifteen in width at the top, and twenty 
 at its base, which is in pretty good repair, though 
 very ancient, and in many parts overgrown with 
 moss and plants. I do not think there is any- 
 thing in China more interesting than these ven- 
 erable city walls. That at Ningpo has a high 
 parapet, with embrasures ; and the top of the wall 
 inside the parapet is a tolerably good paved 
 road either for walking or riding. Near each 
 city gate is a long and easy flight of steps, which 
 can be ascended by horses as well as persons. 
 Prom the wall you have an extensive view of 
 the river and plain, the former filled with junks 
 
NINGPO. 25 
 
 and other smaller craft, and the latter cut up 
 with canals intersecting each other in every 
 direction. 
 
 " The plain in which Ningpo lies is a magnifi- 
 cent amphitheatre, stretching away from twelve 
 to eighteen miles, on one side to the base of the 
 distant hills, and on the other to the verge of the 
 ocean. As the eye travels along, it catches 
 many a pleasing object. Turn landward, it will 
 see canals and water-courses, fields and snug 
 farm-houses, family residences, hamlets, and vil- 
 lages, family tombs, monasteries, and temples. 
 Turn in the opposite direction, and you perceive 
 a low, flat country, but little elevated above the 
 level of the ocean ; but the river, alive with all 
 kinds of boats, and the banks studded with ice- 
 houses, most of all attract the attention. From 
 without the city, and while still upon the ram- 
 parts, look within its walls, and you will be no 
 less gratified. Here there is nothing European, 
 — little to remind you of what you have seen in 
 the West. The single-storied and double-storied 
 houses, the heavy, prison-like family mansions, 
 the glittering roofs of the temples, the dilapi- 
 dated official residences, the deserted literary and 
 examination halls, and the sombre Tower of 
 Ningpo, are entirely Chinese. The attention is 
 
26 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 also arrested by ditches, canals, and reservoirs 
 of water, with their wooden bridges and stone 
 arches." 
 
 The above extract from Milne gives a very 
 life-like and correct picture of Ningpo and the 
 country about it. The streets of the city vary 
 in width from four to ten, and possibly in some 
 places to fifteen feet. They are well paved, and 
 are spanned by frequent ornamental stone gate- 
 ways, or arches, which have been erected to com- 
 memorate the virtues of noted persons of former 
 generations. 
 
 The Ningpo plain is devoted to rice culture. 
 It is irrigated by artificial means from the canals, 
 and at certain seasons is almost covered with 
 water. Vegetation is rank and luxuriant; 
 and, as might be expected, there is so much 
 malaria in the atmosphere as to make it very un- 
 healthy both for foreigners and natives. 
 
 The Presbyterian mission-houses are in a 
 suburb on the north bank of one of the two 
 streams which here unite to form the Tatsieh, or 
 Ningpo River, as we are more apt to call it. In 
 one compound there were three houses occupied 
 at the time of our arrival by Mr. Way, Dr. 
 McCartee, and Mr. Rankin. A little chapel 
 stands just north of Mr. Rankin's house, one 
 
MISSIONARY WORK COMMENCED. 27 
 
 part of which, next to the chapel, is occupied by 
 the girls' boarding-school. The boys' school 
 and Mr. S. Martin's house were somewhat re- 
 moved towards the north gate. Mr. William 
 Martin occupied a house which adjoined our 
 large church in the city. Mr. Quarterman, the 
 only remaining member of the mission, boarded 
 with his brother and sister, Mr. and Mrs. Way. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Knowlton, American Baptists, lived 
 just opposite us, close under the city wall, while 
 the dwellings of Dr. McGowan and Mr. Lord, 
 members of the same mission, were on the city 
 side, some distance up the river. The other 
 missionaries all resided within the walls. 
 
 There was at Ningpo, at that time, a small 
 but growing mercantile community. Nearly all 
 foreigners lived in houses constructed after 
 western models, and better adapted than those 
 of the natives to secure a free circulation of air 
 and protection from the heat. Those of our mis- 
 sion had been built with reference to economy, 
 rather than durability or comfort, and were, 
 consequently, in frequent need of repairs and 
 changes. 
 
 The Presbyterian Mission at Ningpo had been 
 commenced about ten years before our arrival. 
 Dr. McCartee was the pioneer. He was joined 
 
28 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 in a few weeks by Rev. Mr. Way and Mrs. Way ; 
 
 and a few months later the mission was further 
 strengthened by the accession of Rev. Messrs. 
 Culbertson and Loomis, and their wives, and Rev 
 Walter Lowrie. The latter was one of the first 
 missionaries sent by the Presbyterian Board to 
 China, but he had been detained for two years in 
 the southern ports, before finally coming to live 
 in Ningpo. His memoir, edited by his father, 
 the Hon. Walter Lowrie, contains most interest- 
 ing accounts of his voyage to China, his arrival 
 there, various journeyings by sea, where he was 
 several times in great peril, and, finally, of his 
 sad death at the hands of pirates. 
 
 Mr. Lowrie had been absent for a time in 
 Shanghai, engaged with Dr. Bridgeman, Dr. 
 (since Bishop) Boone, and two or three English 
 missionaries, upon a translation of the Sacred 
 Scriptures. He was obliged to return to Ningpo 
 on business connected with the mission. As he 
 was crossing the Hangchow Bay from Chapoo 
 his boat was attacked by pirates. They sprang 
 on board with spears and swords, striking down 
 all who attempted to resist them. Mr. Lowrie 
 seems to have remained throughout wonderfully 
 calm and self-possessed. Unable to bear the 
 sight of the cruelty shown to the poor Chinese 
 

 MISSIONARY WORK COMMENCED. 29 
 
 passengers and boatmen, he left the cabin and sat 
 at the bow of the boat. It is supposed that the 
 pirates feared that, should they spare his life, 
 he might bring them to punishment by reporting 
 them to the- authorities. Whatever their motive 
 may have been, they discussed for a moment 
 whether it would be better to kill him at once, 
 or throw him alive into the sea. Deciding upon 
 the latter course, two men approached and en- 
 deavored to effect their purpose. Being unable 
 to accomplish it, a third came to their assistance. 
 With great presence of mind, Mr. Lowrie re- 
 moved his shoes, and evidently hoped to save his 
 life by swimming. As they were in the act of 
 casting him into the sea, he turned and tossed 
 his little Bible, which he had until now retained 
 in his grasp, upon the deck behind him. He had 
 been seen reading it a few moments before. 
 What words of comfort, I wonder, had that pre- 
 cious book afforded him in this hour of danger and 
 death ! Perhaps, " Whosoever loseth his life for 
 my sake and the gospel's, shall save it; " or, 
 " Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death 
 of his saints." Some sweet message of comfort 
 and love, we may be sure, was sent him in that 
 time of need. He swam several times towards 
 the boat, but one of the pirates stood ready with 
 
30 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 a spear to prevent his approach. Seeing this, he 
 turned away, and soon sank beneath the waves. 
 His devoted and attached Chinese servant, who 
 had been terribly beaten by the pirates, succeed- 
 ed in reaching Ningpo ; and from him was learned 
 all that is known of the last hours and death of 
 Walter Lowrie. 
 
 In the spring of 1854 the work of the vari- 
 ous members of our mission was, as nearly as I 
 can remember, as follows : Dr. McCartee had 
 charge of a dispensary, and was also engaged in 
 other departments of mission work. Mr. Way 
 superintended the press, Mr. S. Martin had the 
 boys' boarding-school, and Mr. and Mrs. Rankin 
 the girls' boarding-school. Mr. William Mar- 
 tin, I believe, gave himself more particularly to 
 book-making and literary labors, for which he 
 was peculiarly fitted. All the gentlemen de- 
 voted more or less time to preaching. Very 
 few ladies at Ningpo paid much attention to the 
 written language, — a knowledge of the vernacu- 
 lar being fully sufficient for conducting their mis- 
 sionary labors either in the schools or among 
 the native women. 
 
 We had only been at Ningpo a few days before 
 we settled down to the study of the spoken lan- 
 guage. We were fortunate in securing, at once. 
 
MISSIONARY WORK COMMENCED. 31 
 
 the services of an excellent teacher ; which made 
 this employment more pleasant, and our progress 
 more rapid than it could otherwise have been. Mr. 
 Du, or Du sin-sang, that is, Teacher Du, was 
 not an accomplished Chinese scholar ; but he an- 
 swered our purpose none the worse for that. 
 Previous to our going to Ningpo, the spoken 
 language had been reduced to writing, by the use 
 of the Roman letters. Our first work was to ac- 
 quire the sounds of the language as expressed by 
 this Romanized system, — neither a very long 
 nor disagreeable task. From the first, I pre- 
 ferred learning the language from my teacher's 
 lips, rather than from books. Even had we been 
 supplied with grammars and dictionaries, of 
 which, in the Ningpo dialect, there were none, I 
 should probably have made but little use of 
 them. • 
 
 It was not many weeks before my husband and 
 I were able to talk a little with our teacher and 
 the servants ; and we became so interested and 
 absorbed in the study as to enjoy it greatly. 
 But then came on the warm, debilitating weather 
 of summer, which we found exceedingly trying. 
 It was impossible to go out to exercise after the 
 sun was well up ; so we attempted the plan of 
 rising very early, and exercising at that time. 
 
32 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 Behind our mission houses are paddy-fields, 
 with only narrow foot-paths between them. 
 Walking in that direction was too disagreeable, 
 besides being very unhealthy; so we tried the city 
 wall. Crossing the river at what is called the 
 Salt Gate Ferry, we entered the city, and, as- 
 cending the wall from within, found a walk as 
 quiet and retired as we could wish. It would 
 have been truly pleasant had not the weather 
 been so oppressive, and had our strength been 
 greater. Ah, there was the trouble ! Almost 
 before we were aware, the effects of a first sum- 
 mer in a most trying climate had told upon us 
 both. I became too weak to walk, and then my 
 indefatigable husband procured some Chinese 
 ponies ; for I could " never get strong," he said, 
 "without exercise." Oh, those miserable ani- 
 ^nals ! Even after this lapse of years, I think I 
 can see them, kicking and springing, running 
 hither and thither, utterly regardless of my feeble 
 efforts at control. It was not many weeks before 
 we concluded that early morning exercise at 
 Ningpo was more injurious than beneficial. 
 
 At the end of eight or nine months of hard 
 study my husband was able to engage in chapel 
 work, — more, however, in a conversational way 
 than by formal preaching. In a little more than 
 
MISSIONARY WORK COMMENCED. 33 
 
 a year he took part with others in missionary 
 work in general, teaching and preaching as cir- 
 cumstances required. 
 
 I find, on reference to my journal, that, before 
 the close of the year 1854, 1 had commenced the 
 work of visiting among the women in their own 
 homes, and I had the satisfaction of finding my- 
 self understood ; though, of course, my vocabu- 
 lary must have been limited. As a general 
 thing in these visits, I was very kindly received, 
 and listened to with attention. This was not 
 always the case, and my patience was sometimes 
 sorely tried. I had gone on one occasion with 
 Miss Dyer to visit a family in some way con- 
 nected with one of the native church members. 
 A slight degree of familiarity with foreigners 
 may have made them less deferential and respect- 
 ful than they would otherwise have been. Miss 
 Dyer, as an older resident, was the principal 
 speaker. There were four women present, and 
 about a dozen children, some crying, some play- 
 ing ; and this confusion reached a climax, when 
 one of the women in an adjoining room caught a 
 rat, and brought it in where we were sitting. 
 After holding it with the tongs for a while, she 
 tied a string to its leg, and kept it performing 
 sundry evolutions upon a table. We soon left. 
 3 
 
34 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 feeling that we had made a complete failure. As 
 this was one of my first visits among the women, 
 such a result I felt to be very disheartening. 
 
 Another day, at about the same date, taking 
 with me my ah-m (the name in Ningpo for a 
 female servant), I started out to visit in a differ- 
 ent neighborhood. We first went to see my 
 ah-m's mother-in-law. The old woman was 
 very ill; and, after conversing with her for a 
 short time, we went to a neighboring house, 
 where I had at least twenty women and children 
 to hear me. The tax upon my voice in speaking 
 to so many was very great ; but I was much en- 
 couraged to find myself well understood, and able 
 to command their attention. 
 
 A week later I visited the same places. I did 
 not think the circumstances quite so favorable, 
 and for some reason I spoke less freely. But my 
 ah-m was sure I was understood. I found the 
 old woman mentioned above very weak and able 
 to speak but little; but she said, the doctrine 
 was good, and she believed in Jesus. This was 
 but a day or two before her death. Possibly 
 some ray of light had penetrated her darkened 
 mind, and Jesus may have revealed himself 
 to her before he called her hence. At least, 
 it cannot be wrong to hope that such was 
 

 MISSIONARY WORK COMMENCED. 35 
 
 the case. We had just started for home, when 
 a man invited us to go to his house and teach, 
 literally, "talk the doctrine." Thinking I 
 might not have another so favorable opportu- 
 nity, we went back and had a pleasant visit. 
 They invited us very cordially to come again. 
 
 These incidents are given merely as specimens 
 of this kind of work. The visits here referred 
 to were all among the poorer classes ; but our 
 attention was not confined to them. As oppor- 
 tunities offered, and other duties would allow, 
 I made an effort to reach the women in the 
 more respectable and influential families. Here, 
 too, I was almost always received very politely, 
 and listened to with attention, and cordially in- 
 vited to repeat my visits. The other ladies in 
 the Presbyterian Mission, and in the others as 
 well, were also in the habit of visiting more or 
 less among the women. I mention my own ex- 
 periences only because they are all with which I 
 am familiar. 
 
 The girls' boarding-school, at the time of our 
 going to Ningpo, was in charge of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Kankin ; but Mrs. McCartee came every day to 
 teach in it. 
 
 Much of the time, both of missionary ladies 
 and gentlemen, was taken up in entertaining 
 
36 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 Chinese guests ; though, en account of our some- 
 what isolated situation on North Bank, we had 
 fewer of such interruptions than they who lived 
 within the city ; not, indeed, as many as we de- 
 sired. One old woman, with whom I frequently 
 exchanged visits, was the type of a numerous 
 class in China. She was a strict religionist, and 
 as perfect a Pharisee as I ever met. She was so 
 complacent and self-satisfied that it seemed im- 
 possible to make any impression upon her. She 
 had fasted from animal food for eighteen years ; 
 had spent much time and money in worshipping 
 in the temples ; and in various ways had accumu- 
 lated a great store of merit for the future world. 
 
 I remember on one occasion when she was visit- 
 ing me, we were talking of sin, of the evil of our 
 own natures, etc. "No, no!" she exclaimed, 
 
 I I my heart is not sinful. It is perfectly pure and 
 clean, — as white as the snow. You may ask my 
 neighbors if I have ever done anything wrong." 
 Speaking of the transmigration of souls, she 
 said, " That must be so, or where would all 
 the people constantly being born into the world 
 get their souls from?" The case of this old 
 woman was most distressing. Months after this, 
 when I went to see her, I found her very ill. 
 She was scarcely able to sit up, yet was engaged 
 

 MISSIONARY WORK COMMENCED. 37 
 
 in the idolatrous practice of " feeding the hun- 
 gry spirits, or demons." When I made some al- 
 lusion to the spread table and burning candles, 
 she remarked, very coldly, "You have your 
 customs, and we have ours." While I was in 
 her room she set fire to an urn of tinsel paper, 
 made into representations of silver ingots. In 
 this way it is supposed to be converted ■ into the 
 money currency used in the world of spirits. . I 
 think her object in burning it in my presence was 
 to show her indifference to me and to our holy 
 religion. I visited her not long after, when she 
 was upon her dying-bed. Her mind was dark, and 
 her body racked with pain. I spoke to her of 
 Jesus, and again urged her to put her trust in 
 him. " If Jesus will restore me to health, then 
 I will believe in him," was her only answer. I 
 never saw her again. 
 
 During my second year, I had a number of 
 women who came to me on Sabbath afternoons. 
 They were mostly from the neighborhood. I 
 tried to teach them faithfully ; but I never had 
 the pleasure of knowing that they were benefited 
 by it. Other ladies in Ningpo had similar 
 classes. Of late years, and since I left Ningpo, 
 a plan has been adopted of gathering large num- 
 bers of women together in industrial classes, giv- 
 
38 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 ing them work and religious instruction at the 
 same time. I believe they have been very suc- 
 cessful. They were commenced by Mrs. Morri- 
 son, of our mission, assisted by some of the native 
 Christian women. 
 
 Among the many pleasant memories of those 
 early days in Ningpo, one of the sweetest will 
 always be connected with Mrs. Gough, of the 
 English Church Mission. I think she was con- 
 sidered by all who knew her an almost fault- 
 less character. She was a most earnest worker. 
 I remember that at one time she was connected 
 with three different schools, giving some time 
 daily to each. The climate of Ningpo proved 
 very trying to her health ; and, before many years 
 had passed, she was obliged to return to her 
 native land. She lived to reach London, but died 
 very soon after. Though thus early called to her 
 rest, she had not lived in vain. The influence of 
 her lovely spirit and example will long remain 
 with those who knew her. 
 
 Mrs. Knowlton, of the Baptist Mission, who 
 with her husband reached Ningpo only a few 
 weeks after we did, early commenced her labors 
 among the women of her own church, and others. 
 Through all these years, though suffering from 
 constant physical weakness, and frequent ill- 
 

 MISSIONARY WORK COMMENCED. 39 
 
 nesses, she has been working on bravely, a de- 
 voted helper to her laborious and self-denying 
 husband. 
 
 When I look back to our early life in Ningpo, 
 I feel that we were indeed privileged, to have 
 been associated with such a noble band of men 
 and women. Besides our two American Mis- 
 sions, the Presbyterian and Baptist, there were 
 several most excellent members of the Church of 
 England, and also of other denominations. It 
 was truly pleasant to see the general harmony 
 and affection which existed among all these. We 
 met constantly in prayer-meetings, and socially ; 
 and pulpits were sometimes exchanged. I do 
 not mean to say that any of us did not feel oc- 
 casionally troubled at not being able to see "eye 
 to eye" in some matters which to us seemed im- 
 portant; but it was generally agreed to leave 
 those disputed points undisturbed. We felt that 
 we were truly one in all essentials, and, surround- 
 ed as we were by the darkness of heathenism, 
 differences of church government, or forms of 
 worship, or even some slight variations in doc- 
 trine, were realized to be comparatively unim- 
 portant. We had too much work to do to be 
 able to spend our time contending for trifles. 
 
 When I had been six months in Ningpo, 1 
 
40 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 commenced teaching singing to the pupils in oui 
 two boarding-schools. There were, I think, 
 about forty boys and thirty girls ; and these, to- 
 gether with some others, assembled twice a week 
 in the chapel. I had a black-board made with 
 lines for writing music, which was of great as- 
 sistance, as we had no music-books. The first 
 step in this formidable undertaking was to get 
 them to make one sound in unison. After ex- 
 plaining the matter, I said to them, " Now listen 
 attentively to me, and then make the same sound 
 precisely." They tried to obey; but some were 
 one, some three, and some four or five notes 
 astray ; probably every tone and half-tone in the 
 octave had its representative. "Very well," 
 said I ; " but I think you can improve on that." 
 Then I made a high tone and a low one, to show 
 them the difference, and again explained that 
 what I wished was that they should as nearly 
 as possible imitate me. Again I sounded " Do," 
 prolonging the sound that they might more 
 easily catch it. Again they essayed, and this 
 time with much better success; for I do not 
 think the voices ranged over more than five or 
 six tones. Nearly the whole two hours were 
 spent in the attempt to make one sound in uni- 
 son. At our next meeting we succeeded in 
 
MISSIONARY WORK COMMENCED. 41 
 
 making the one sound quite accurately, and then 
 added a second, — do-re, do-re, re-do, re-do, — we 
 said or sang, until our patience was exhausted ; 
 and then added a third. When they had gained 
 an idea of what was meant by tones and inter- 
 vals, I wrote the notes on the black-board. 
 
 The Chinese learn to read notes very readily, 
 and I am persuaded that the most practicable 
 method for teaching them a foreign system of 
 music is that which I was led to adopt. For 
 the first three months we did little else but 
 practise the scale, which they at length so com- 
 pletely mastered as to be able to strike accu- 
 rately, and without assistance, not only the natural 
 intervals, but every other ; as, for instance, from 
 one to four, one to seven, and vice versa. I 
 gave them simple exercises written on the black- 
 board ; and when some of the airs I had known 
 from infancy were reproduced, from Chinese lips, 
 with correctness of time and a good degree of 
 melody, I felt much gratified, and very hopeful 
 for the future. I did not confine them to singing 
 the usual do-re-me, etc., but early substituted a 
 single syllable, and from that again we easily slid 
 into words. I divided the class into different sets 
 for the different parts, so soon as I had discovered 
 to which the voices were naturally adapted; and 
 
42 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 in the course of six or eight months had a good 
 choir, capable of carrying all four parts, soprano, 
 alto, tenor, and bass ; and the accuracy with which 
 they sang, considering, of course, all the circum- 
 stances, was most remarkable. From the first, 
 I taught them to " beat time," and they became 
 so accustomed to the practice, that even when 
 singing by themselves, just for their own amuse- 
 ment, I used to notice them going through the 
 motions ; not as I had intended, with a slight 
 movement of the hand, but with the whole arm 
 below the elbow, down, up ; down, left, right, up, 
 as the measure happened to be. 
 
 Never forgetting that the main object in 
 teaching them was to enable them to praise God 
 in the sanctuary, as soon as I thought they 
 were equal to it they learned church tunes. 
 One of the first of these was a plaintive old air, 
 which I had always loved, called, in America, 
 " Bartimeus," and usually sung to the words 
 commencing " Mercy, thou Son of David ! " 
 We had in Ningpo a translation of that hymn, 
 and it used to bring tears to my eyes as I listened 
 to my Chinese singing it. Another tune was 
 Lenox, which, as the four parts come in with a 
 good deal of irregularity, was quite a trial of 
 skill. 
 

 MISSIONARY WORK COMMENCED. 
 
 43 
 
 I cannot say that I think our style of music 
 is exactly suited to the Chinese language or 
 poetry; but, in the absence of anything better, it 
 has been a source of much pleasure and profit to 
 those who have acquired it. 
 
 I may add that the native men and women, 
 who are now at the head of our out-stations at 
 Ningpo, were many of them members of my 
 singing-class ; and they are now teaching the con- 
 verts connected with the churches which they 
 are gathering from the heathen, much in the 
 same way in which I taught them. 
 
 Since we have been in the United States, Rev. 
 Kying Ling-yiu sent me a kind message in a let- 
 ter to my husband. "Tell Mrs. Nevius," he 
 said, " that she is still teaching music in China, 
 through us. I am teaching our men, and my 
 wife the women." 
 

 44 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 
 POOTOO. — GLANCE AT THE RELIGIONS OF CHINA. 
 
 At the beginning of the year 1856, I met a 
 new and most unexpected trial. My voice, 
 which before had been strong and reliable, gave 
 way ; and for many months I could neither sing 
 nor speak aloud. My general health also be- 
 came so much impaired, that at length my kind 
 physician, Dr. Parker, gave it as his opinion that 
 my only hope of restoration lay in a temporary 
 return to my native land. What this involved 
 can only be appreciated by those who have been 
 similarly situated. 
 
 During that year of ill health almost all mis- 
 sionary work, on my part, had to be discontinued. 
 Hoping to derive benefit from the purer air of 
 the country, several weeks in the early spring 
 were spent among the hills, twenty or more 
 miles from Ningpo, at Tien-dong, a Buddhist 
 temple and monastery. We occupied two small 
 rooms in one of the back courts, Mr. Nevius 
 
pootoo. 45 
 
 spent part of his time in Ningpo ; and Mr. S. 
 Martin, who was also sojourning for a few 
 weeks at Tien-dong, was occasionally absent ; so 
 that I was sometimes quite alone, with the ex- 
 ception of my Chinese woman and a man-servant. 
 But so quiet and respectful were the monks, of 
 whom there were a large number, that I felt in 
 no danger ; and, except for the intense loneliness 
 of the place, should have enjoyed my stay there. 
 
 On one of my husband's returns from Ning- 
 po he brought me a present of a beautiful brown 
 pony, — horseback exercise having been recom- 
 mended for my health. This pony was a real 
 comfort and pleasure, and we made much use of 
 him up to the time of my leaving for the United 
 States, when he was purchased by the Knowl- 
 tons. Mrs. Knowlton rode him for years in 
 going to and from the chapel where she went to 
 meet her school children, or female inquirers. 
 
 In the second and third summers of our Chi- 
 nese life we spent a short time on the island of 
 Pootoo, in the Chusan Archipelago, situated 
 about seventy miles from the main-land. It had 
 the advantage of pure sea air and freedom from 
 malaria, which makes Ningpo and Shanghai,, in 
 summer time, exceedingly unhealthy. Pootoo 
 is devoted exclusively to the Buddhists ; having 
 
46 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 four large temples with monasteries attached, 
 and not far from a hundred smaller ones. The 
 number of priests is variously estimated from 
 seven or eight hundred, to several thousands. 
 
 I believe it is more than eight hundred years 
 since this island was first devoted to religious 
 purposes ; and some of the buildings were con- 
 structed at that time. Others again are of much 
 more recent date, but all, even the newest, have 
 a dilapidated, faded appearance, which indicates 
 a great falling off in resources, as well as in the 
 devotion of the people generally to the Buddhist 
 religion. 
 
 Close to the landing is the " White Flowery 
 Monastery," — to me, the least interesting of the 
 many temples and monasteries on the island. A 
 paved walk leads from it to the Sien-z, which oc- 
 cupies a central position, and has been, in times 
 past, a magnificent establishment. Arriving at 
 the temple, you enter through a massive stone 
 gateway. Some little distance at your left is 
 another entrance, near which is an order carved 
 in stone, to the effect that every equestrian 
 on arriving at this place must invariably dis- 
 mount. Whether or no I dismounted from my 
 Brownie, I cannot remember; I presume, how- 
 ever, I had left him standing without. In China 
 

 pootoo. 47 
 
 all persons are expected to walk when passing 
 near gifts of royalty. Here the gift had been 
 an immense marble tablet, from the celebrated 
 Emperor Kang-Hi. It is preserved in an oc- 
 tagonal pagoda, with a porcelain tiled roof. 
 Adjoining this is a lotus pond, which, though not 
 what it once was, is still very pretty. It is 
 crossed by an arched stone bridge. There are 
 numerous other buildings, — some used as temples 
 for the idols, and some as sleeping places for the 
 lazy, stupid priests, who doze away their lives in 
 this pretty retreat. Had they a spark of energy 
 or ambition, they would make some effort to 
 rescue these buildings from the decay and ruin 
 in which we now find them. 
 
 Our rooms were not in the Sien-z, but at the 
 Heo-z, about a mile further on. This is a very 
 lovely place, though the buildings are dilapidated 
 and unfit for residences. We secured a large 
 room or loft, over the entrance to the monastery. 
 The lower story was only partly enclosed, being 
 used as an entrance and passage-way for persons 
 going to and from the temple. On three sides 
 of our large room were windows, looking tow- 
 ards the sea, the Sien-z, and the Heo-z, of the 
 latter of which our building formed part. At 
 one side was a beautiful grove of pine and cam- 
 
48 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 phor trees, and close behind rose the highest hill 
 on the island, — a mountain it seemed to us after 
 leaving the flat plain of Ningpo. One reason 
 for our coming to the Heo-z, rather than either 
 of the other temples nearer the landing, was its 
 proximity to a sandy beach which was a capital 
 bathing-place. Some years before this, an Eng- 
 lish chaplain had lost his life while bathing on 
 this beach ; having ventured, I suppose, to an un- 
 safe distance. Thus on our guard against possi- 
 ble danger, we had many refreshing baths. As 
 several other families from Ningpo were also at 
 Pootoo, we planned some delightful picnics and 
 rambles in company to various points of in- 
 terest. 
 
 During the summer, years ago, it was very 
 customary for foreigners from Ningpo and 
 Shanghai . to visit this island ; but of late such 
 visits seem nearly discontinued. Since the 
 opening of Japan, and of other parts of China, 
 by the recent treaties, foreigners, in choosing 
 summer resorts, have generally given the prefer- 
 ence to places situated in more northern lati- 
 tudes, or more accessible. 
 
 The passage between Pootoo and the main 
 land was not always safe, owing to the number 
 of pirates who infest those quarters. We our- 
 

 
 pootoo. 49 
 
 selves never had the fortune to fall into their 
 hands, though more than once we narrowly es- 
 caped them. A few days after returning from 
 our first visit to Pootoo, Mr. Russell of the 
 English Church Mission, and Mr. Wm. Martin 
 of our own, who were on their way from Ning- 
 po, where they had been to procure provisions 
 for their families, who were still on the island, 
 were captured by a piratical fleet, consisting of 
 fourteen vessels. A small boat from one of 
 these came towards them, the men in it brandishing 
 their weapons in a frightful manner. Of course 
 resistance was useless. The robbers drew the 
 foreigners' boat to the side of their own, and pro- 
 ceeded to help themselves to everything in it. A 
 globe lamp of Mr. Russell's they hung up in 
 their captain's cabin. They demanded Mr. 
 Russell's watch, and, having received it, asked him 
 to teach them to wind it. They then asked for 
 Mr. Martin's watch, and upon his assuring them 
 that he had none, replied, " You certainly must 
 have one ; every gentleman carries a watch." 
 They had taken quite all their provisions, but, 
 some one suggesting that the " white devils " 
 might be hungry, returned a part ; and as our 
 friends were about leaving, the captain presented 
 them two pounds of tea, with his compliments. 
 4 
 
50 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 These piratical gentlemen also had the assurance 
 to promise their captives to pay their respects to 
 them, whenever they should visit Ningpo. Mr. 
 Russell and Mr. Martin finally reached Pootoo in 
 safety, having been sent on shore in a small boat 
 belonging to the pirates. I suspect they scarce- 
 ly knew whether to be more amused or annoyed 
 with their adventure ; though it was a narrow 
 escape, and the losses they sustained were by no 
 means trifling. By the way, I suppose that at 
 the present time, and for many years past, a 
 principal source of revenue to the Buddhists of 
 Pootoo is derived from offerings made by pi- 
 rates. After capturing some peaceful trading 
 junks, and perhaps putting all on board to death, 
 they repair to the island to offer up their thanks 
 to their favorite deity, Kwan-yin, the goddess 
 of mercy. 
 
 I once supposed that Brahminism of India 
 and Buddhism of China were nearly identical ; 
 but that, I find, was a mistake. Buddhism was 
 introduced into China from India, early in the 
 first century of the Christian era, — ambassadors 
 having been sent by the Emperor Ming-Te, to 
 the West, in search of a new religion. There 
 are different theories as to what induced this 
 emperor to send such an embassy. I cannot 
 

 BELIGIONS OF CHINA. 51 
 
 but think that some glimmering ray from the 
 star of Bethlehem had penetrated to distant 
 China ; some faint echo of the angels' song, — 
 " good tidings " — " peace on earth " — " good 
 will to men." 
 
 Buddhism was founded by Shakyamuni, an in- 
 dividual of the royal caste in India, who lived, 
 it is supposed, about nine hundred years before 
 Christ. He gave up his life to reflection and 
 contemplation, and to teaching his doctrines to 
 his disciples. At the time of his death his re- 
 ligion was already widely extended in India. 
 Afterwards such persecutions arose from the 
 Brahmins as drove the Buddhists quite out of 
 the country. Brahminism seems thus to have 
 been much the older of these two rival religions. 
 The Buddhists are exceedingly tolerant, and many 
 Hindoo deities are now incorporated with their 
 own. Shaky amuni was greatly revered by his 
 numerous disciples, and after his death anything 
 which had once belonged to him, as one of his 
 teeth, or a lock of his hair, was considered a 
 sacred relic, and an object of worship. It is said 
 that for the preservation of these relics, pagodas 
 were first erected. Now, however, they are 
 often made merely for ornament, or to secure the 
 propitious influences supposed to emanate from 
 
52 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 them, or as tombs for celebrated individuals of 
 the Buddhist order. 
 
 Having visited numbers of Buddhist temples, 
 in fact, having lived for weeks in different ones, 
 I surely ought to be able to describe them. Yet 
 I really am afraid to attempt it. They vary 
 somewhat in different parts of the country, both 
 in size and style of the buildings. They are 
 usually made of well-burnt bricks ; their sloping 
 tiled roofs, which are often ornamented by gro- 
 tesque carved images of lions and dragons, are 
 supported by immense wooden pillars. There 
 are usually at least three large halls separated 
 from each other by paved courts. Entering the 
 first building, one sees an image of Buddha, sit- 
 ting like a tailor at work, and with a sardonic 
 smile upon its countenance, apparently gazing 
 out upon the follies and vanities of the world. 
 It is made of wood and plaster, and is usually 
 covered with gilt. Not far from this is a mili- 
 tary character, grasping a sword or some other 
 warlike implement. This is the guardian of the 
 temple. There are several other large images 
 in this outer hall ; but I will not speak of them at 
 length. The second building is usually the 
 finest of all, being sometimes nearly a hundred 
 feet wide, more than fifty deep, and high in 
 

 
 RELIGIONS OF CHINA. 53 
 
 proportion. The principal idols are three large 
 gilt figures, representing the past, present, and 
 future Buddhas. They stand in the most prom- 
 inent place, and, like the images I have already 
 described, are in a sitting posture, and are con- 
 structed in the same way. They are often at 
 least twenty feet in height. On the two sides of 
 this building are eighteen images of persons 
 supposed to have been absorbed into Veh, that 
 is, Buddha. If it were not too sad, it would be 
 amusing to notice the peculiarities of these vari- 
 ous figures. They are represented in all sorts 
 of attitudes, and there seems to have been an 
 attempt to depict almost every conceivable pas- 
 sion in their distorted countenances. Occasion- 
 ally, however, you meet with one too benevolent 
 and pleasing to be found in such bad company. 
 In this second hall is generally seen an image of 
 Kwan-shi-yin, — a favorite deity with the female 
 votaries of this sect. She is supposed to confer 
 children, especially sons, and many are the 
 prayers and offerings at her shrine. I have seen 
 some images of this goddess which were almost 
 beautiful. She is usually represented with an 
 infant in her arms, and one cannot but be struck 
 by the resemblance she thus presents to our 
 Western representations of the Madonna and 
 
54 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 child. The back buildings generally have 
 smaller images, and the number of these is so 
 great, that I shall not attempt even to enumer- 
 ate them. On the sides of the courts are small 
 rooms, in which are frequently portrayed the 
 Buddhist ideas of hell; poor lost souls, undergoing 
 every imaginable torment. Some are being 
 ground between grindstones; some thrown off 
 precipices ; and others, again, are represented as 
 in various stages of transformation into animals 
 of the lower order ; for instance, a man with a 
 wolf's head, or a wretched donkey with the face 
 of a man. Most of these temples are monasteries 
 as well, and many of the smaller rooms are the 
 sleeping apartments of the monks. I must not 
 neglect to mention the dining-room and kitchen. 
 These are the most comfortable apartments in 
 the whole establishment. In the kitchen are 
 sometimes seen immense iron kettles holding two 
 or three barrels, which are used for boiling rice, 
 when the temple is thronged with worshippers. 
 Various conveniences for cooking, and an abun- 
 dant supply of food, show that these devout indi- 
 viduals are not yet insensible to all sublunary 
 pleasures, even though they may.be on the road 
 to the attainment of that blissful state. The 
 dining-room contains long, narrow tables, and 
 
RELIGIONS OP CHINA. 55 
 
 seats sufficient to accommodate several hundred 
 guests. 
 
 I must give these Buddhist priests, for whom 
 I confess I feel but little love or sympathy, the 
 credit of showing great taste in the selection of 
 the sites for their establishments. They are, 
 when in the country, found in most romantic and 
 sequestered spots ; and even in the cities, they 
 are sometimes almost concealed by noble trees 
 and shrubbery. Beautiful avenues of bamboo 
 and pine often lead to these Buddhist temples, 
 some of them extending even for miles from the 
 entrance. Frequently, tall old trees, artificial 
 cascades, fine arched bridges, lakes, and miniature 
 ponds, unite to form a scene of beauty not often 
 surpassed in more civilized lands ; and, as many 
 of these temples are hundreds of years old, the 
 charm of antiquity is also not wanting. 
 
 Women in China, as elsewhere, are more re- 
 ligiously disposed than are men, and constitute, by 
 far, the larger proportion of worshippers usually 
 seen in Buddhist temples. Most of them are 
 somewhat advanced in years. The more active 
 duties and enjoyments of life are past, and the 
 future, with its dread uncertainties, forces itself 
 upon their attention. " How shall I prepare for 
 death, and the unknown hereafter ?" is their 
 

 56 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 anxious inquiry. They have never heard of the 
 Saviour, or of heaven ; but they have a sense of 
 sin, and a felt want of something to rest upon 
 when earthly supports and pleasures shall fail 
 them. It is not strange, then, that they resort 
 to their idol temples, and make use of the vari- 
 ous methods for securing those longed-for bless- 
 ings which their own false religions present. 
 Let us rather pity than blame them. 
 
 One of the most common sights in China 
 is that of women going either in groups or 
 singly to the temples. They usually carry a lit- 
 tle basket containing incense-sticks and candles. 
 On reaching her destination, the worshipper 
 at once lights both candles and incense, and 
 places them either in front of some one particu- 
 lar image, or, as is more often the case, before 
 several. This duty performed, she returns to 
 her starting-place, and commences her prostra- 
 tions. Folding her hands before her, she first 
 makes a profound bow ; she then kneels upon a 
 cushion placed for the purpose, and, bending 
 slowly forward, strikes her forehead upon it, 01 
 upon the floor or ground. This act is usually 
 repeated at least three times before each idol, 
 and sometimes much oftener. After this she 
 goes to a priest and buys a paper upon which is 
 
RELIGIONS OF CHINA. 57 
 
 a picture of Buddha. The worshipper's name is 
 written upon it, together with the year, month, 
 day, and hour of her birth. It also contains 
 an assurance of happiness in a future state. 
 This paper is at first of little importance, but 
 after the name of Buddha has been chanted over 
 it a great number of times, its value becomes in- 
 estimable. Having received it, the worshipper 
 goes off by herself, and, either sitting or kneeling 
 on a cushion, spends hours repeating as rapidly 
 as her lips can form the words, " Na-mi O-mi-to 
 Fuh ! Na-mi O-mi-to Fuh ! " — one of the names 
 of Veh, or Buddha, — assisting her memory by 
 means of a rosary, in the same way that the Ro- 
 manists do. Sometimes, instead of remaining 
 apart, the worshippers sit in rows, and they then 
 often vary their employment by interchanging 
 bits of gossip, congratulations, or condolences. 
 When they are chanting together, as they some- 
 times do, the sound is very peculiar ; it always 
 seemed to me like the mournful whistling of the 
 wind. But though a sad sight to a spectator 
 who realizes its sin and folly, there is very sel* 
 dom in this worship the least appearance of 
 solemnity; you feel, rather, that it is a mere 
 form. It is apparent that many resort to the 
 temples chiefly for the sake of seeing and being 
 

 58 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 seen ; and indeed it is not strange that closely 
 secluded females should gladly embrace any ex- 
 cuse for gaining a glimpse of new scenes and 
 faces. Though Chinese women of the better 
 classes are rarely seen in the streets or pub- 
 lic places, you often meet them at the temples. 
 
 There is another mode of worship which I 
 think is practised only by a certain class of 
 women, who consider themselves very religious. 
 It is called " worshipping books. '' There are, I 
 suspect, many " book worshippers " in Christian 
 lands, — but none like these. Placing an open 
 volume on the ground before her, the worshipper 
 points with her finger to a character or letter, 
 and then kneels and knocks her head on the 
 cushion or ground, precisely as if she were before 
 an idol. The books thus used are certain Budd- 
 hist works which are thought to be peculiarly 
 sacred ; but, of the meaning of the characters, 
 the woman is totally ignorant. As she goes 
 through the same performance with each separate 
 character, it is slow work, and wearisome too. 
 The merit accruing from it is consequently great, 
 and a more conceited, self-complacent class of 
 persons I have never met. 
 
 There are nunneries, as well as monasteries, 
 connected with the Buddhist religion. As far as 
 
RELIGIONS OF CHINA. 59 
 
 I have known them, the nuns have not been a 
 good or interesting class of women ; but to this, 
 perhaps, there may be honorable exceptions. 
 The " sisters " are taught to read, and, I should 
 think, are as well educated as the priests. 
 Infants and young children are bought and 
 reared by the-" sisters," and it is principally in 
 this way that the succession is kept up. Some- 
 times, however, females feeling that they have 
 " a vocation" voluntarily devote themselves to 
 this life, and others embrace it for the simple 
 reason that it affords them a livelihood. It is 
 almost impossible to distinguish the nuns from 
 the monks, for they wear about the same kind of 
 garments, have also unbound feet, the same heavy 
 shoes, and their heads are shaven in just the same 
 fashion. Connected with every nunnery is a 
 "lady abbess," to whom the other nuns are 
 obliged to yield obedience. In such establish- 
 ments there is always a hall containing idols ; but 
 these are usually neither numerous nor large. 
 
 I have never heard of the Chinese professing 
 to feel any love for their gods. They pray to 
 them, and pay them external honors, because 
 they have an end to gain, or because they fear 
 them. It seems to me that in most cases they 
 have so little faith in them that they awaken 
 
60 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 neither love nor fear. But if they are guilty of 
 insincerity in the worship of their gods, no such 
 insincerity attaches itself to their worship of de- 
 mons and spirits generally. These they fear 
 beyond measure, and every artifice is made use 
 of either to propitiate or frighten them. But I 
 cannot enter upon this subject, which has been 
 treated of at length by Mr. Nevius, in his 
 " China and the Chinese," and in other works on 
 China. I shall be glad, indeed, if anything I 
 have said has awakened sufficient interest in any 
 one to induce him to continue a study which is 
 of such importance in understanding the true 
 condition of the Chinese. 
 
 No one can be even partially acquainted with 
 the Buddhist religion, without being struck by its 
 similarity to Romanism. Celibacy of the priests 
 and nuns, fasts, the use of the rosary, reciting 
 masses for the dead, burning candles and incense, 
 are only a few of the points of coincidence. 
 
 There is another sect in China, which in some 
 respects resembles the Buddhist; in others again is 
 very different. I refer to Tauism. It was found- 
 ed about six hundred years before Christ, by the 
 philosopher Lao-ts. It is said that on one oc- 
 casion Lao-ts and Confucius met, and conversed 
 together ; but their characters and doctrines were 
 
RELIGIONS OF CHINA. 61 
 
 very dissimilar, and there seems to have been no 
 affection existing between them. It is thought 
 that at first the Tauists were not idolaters, but 
 that this feature of their religion was adopted 
 from the Buddhists. Theoretically, the Tauist 
 religion is much more philosophic and transcen- 
 dental than Buddhism, but as practised, they are 
 very similar. To a superficial view, Buddhist 
 and Tauist temples seem nearly alike; but, upon 
 examination, they are found to have marked 
 differences. The images are usually smaller, 
 and less costly, but they are very numerous. 
 There are the god of the sea, of the rivers, of the 
 hills, of the stars ; the god of thunder, the god of 
 lightning, and hosts of others. In this system, 
 much importance is given to astrology and al- 
 chemy. 
 
 The chief ambition of the Tauists is to become 
 Sien-jin ; but what these Sien-jin are, they them- 
 selves have but a very confused idea. They 
 seem to be ethereal, fairy-like creatures, dwelling 
 at their pleasure either among men, or in a far- 
 off and beautiful abode, the sacred mountains. 
 There is a book in China which contains a his- 
 tory of several hundreds of them. The rules 
 given for the attainment of that marvellous state 
 of purity and blessedness are inconceivably ab- 
 
62 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 surd. The devotee must go through certain bodi- 
 ly exercises which I do not understand sufficient- 
 ly well to attempt to describe. He must also 
 prepare and eat a mysterious kind of food called 
 Elixir of Life. Others again think it is possible 
 to become Sien-jin, through the aid of evil spirits 
 and magic. The stories of ghosts, and fairies, 
 and genii, both good and bad, which are circulat- 
 ed in China, excel all the vagaries of the Ara- 
 bian Nights, or the nursery tales ever invented 
 in Western lands. 
 
 The mode of worship practised in Tauist tem- 
 ples, resembles that of the Buddhists, but the ob- 
 jects to be attained are different. As the gods of 
 war, of riches, of longevity, of medicine, and the 
 like, belong to the Tauist sect, so the prayers 
 offered at their shrines are naturally for such 
 blessings as they are supposed to confer. There is 
 a class of Tauist priests who are allowed to mar- 
 ry. They dwell with their families within the 
 temple enclosure. But the straiter sort affect 
 to despise all the social relations, and with 
 some exceptions resemble the Buddhists both in 
 their mode of dress and way of living. Budd- 
 hists shave the whole head, while Tauists leave 
 the hair long at the sides, curling it in a very un- 
 graceful way on top, where it is kept in place 
 
RELIGIONS OF CHINA. 63 
 
 by a large hair-pin. They both wear long loose 
 robes ; but they are of different colors, so that 
 they are easily distinguished at a glance. 
 
 The Tauist religion is patronized by the gov- 
 ernment, and the Mandarins are obliged, on cer- 
 tain occasions, to repair to the temples of the 
 gods of the city, and of war, and others, to go 
 through a form of worship. On New Year's 
 day I have been to the Cheng-hwang-miao in 
 Ningpo, when the temple was crowded with 
 officers and gentlemen making prostrations be- 
 fore the idols, while the smoke from the burning 
 incense was almost stifling. 
 
 I had no intention of indulging in a disserta- 
 tion upon the religions of China ; though it is a 
 subject in which I feel a deep interest. But 
 having said so much about Buddhism and Tauism, 
 I must make some slight mention of Confucian- 
 ism, the pride of the Chinese. It seems scarcely 
 more proper to call a Chinaman's devotion to 
 Confucius a religion, than it would to give that 
 name to the intense love of science and litera- 
 ture, and the court paid to scientific and literary 
 men, by so many of the educated classes in our 
 own country. In both instances there is danger 
 of such inordinate admiration becoming idola- 
 trous; and in China that disposition is not 
 
64 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 checked. On the contrary, the more implicitly 
 a Chinese scholar yields himself to his devotion 
 to his great master, the better satisfied he is with 
 himself. 
 
 Confucius was born in the province of Shang- 
 tung, about six hundred years before Christ. 
 When it is remembered that he received no aid 
 from the light of revelation, his teachings must 
 be regarded by every candid person as most re- 
 markable. He laid great stress upon the five 
 virtues, " benevolence, uprightness, politeness, 
 knowledge, and faithfulness." Also upon the 
 duties growing out of the reciprocal relations of 
 prince and subject, parent and child, husband 
 and wife. The most remarkable of all his pre- 
 cepts, as far as I know them, is that near ap- 
 proach to the " golden rule," "Do not to others 
 what you would not have others do to you." 
 
 Confucius frankly confessed his inability to 
 enlighten his countrymen upon strictly religious 
 subjects. It was his chief endeavor to enforce 
 upon his followers the practice of duties relating 
 to this life only. When asked some questions 
 concerning futurity, he replied, "'Not knowing 
 life, how can we know death ? " By the purity 
 of his life and teachings, he secured the un- 
 bounded respect and veneration of his pupils, 
 
RELIGIONS OF CHINA. 65 
 
 who are said to have numbered three thousand. 
 But. notwithstanding all that is good and noble 
 in the life and character of the great sage, I 
 confess that in reading Dr. Legg's translation of 
 the classics, which are chiefly made up of his 
 sayings and doings, my veneration for him was 
 not increased. Although Confucius did not 
 positively inculcate idolatry, he encouraged it, 
 both by example and precept ; especially in that 
 subtile form known as ancestral worship. 
 
 There are numerous temples all over China 
 dedicated to the worship of Confucius. In these 
 there are very seldom any images ; but a tablet, 
 with his name inscribed upon it, is the object 
 before which offerings are placed, and prostra- 
 tions made. These offerings are usually sheep, 
 deer, and smaller animals : but I have seen in a 
 Confucian temple, in Ningpo, a whole ox skinned 
 and placed upon a small bench before the tablet. 
 It was left in that way a day or two, and was 
 then probably used as food. The officials, by 
 whom these offerings are made, are obliged to 
 resort to the temple long before day has dawned. 
 Connected with Confucian temples, or forming 
 part of them, are the examination halls. There 
 are also other apartments devoted to different 
 purposes; such as collections of numerous tablets, 
 
66 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 with the names of celebrated individuals of the 
 past inscribed upon them. A person, in wor- 
 shipping Confucius, simply prostrates himself be- 
 fore the tablet, and remains for a moment either 
 in silent contemplation or devotion. 
 
 There is in Confucianism nothing gross and 
 disgusting, as in the Buddhist and Tauist relig- 
 ions; but it is not on that account much less to 
 be feared as a hindrance to the spread of Chris- 
 tianity ; perhaps for that very reason it is the more 
 to be dreaded. Many of the literati are bitter in 
 their denunciations of the idolatry of their coun- 
 trymen, but they feel no repugnance to it as 
 practised by their own class. When little boys 
 are first sent to school, they are obliged to pay 
 their respects to Confucius, which they do by 
 making a very low bow towards the tablet repre- 
 senting him. I am afraid I have given but a 
 poor and meagre account of this system of morals, 
 or religion, as one may choose to call it. I 
 very willingly acknowledge that I have still 
 much to learn about the religions as well as the 
 character and customs of the Chinese. 
 
 Besides these three principal sects, there are 
 others, which, though smaller, have still consid- 
 erable influence, especially in certain localities. 
 
VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES. 67 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES. — RETURN TO 
 NINGPO. 
 
 In the early part of the year 1856 our 
 friends, Mr. and Mrs. Rankin, returned to the 
 United States, — Mrs. Rankin's health having for 
 months been seriously affected. After their de- 
 parture, Br. and Mrs. McCartee took charge of 
 the girls' boarding-school, until, at the close 
 of the same year, they themselves, on account of 
 Dr. McCartee's ill-health, were obliged to visit 
 their native land. As my health, since my first 
 illness, had steadily ' declined, it was at length 
 decided that I should accompany them, with the 
 hope that a short sojourn at home would restore 
 my lost voice and failing strength. We sailed 
 from Woosung, the mouth of the Shanghai Riv- 
 er, on the 14th of December, 1856. Of the 
 trial of parting from my husband, under such 
 circumstances, I need not speak here. We knew 
 that many of our missionary friends disapproved 
 
68 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 of the separation; but we ourselves Lad little 
 doubt as to our duty, and have ever since been 
 most thankful that we decided the matter as we 
 did. 
 
 Our ship, the "Wild Pigeon," was a very pleas- 
 ant one. The captain was kind, and our little 
 party, consisting only of Dr. and Mrs. McCartee, 
 Rev. Mr. Wight of Shanghai, and myself, passed 
 our time as agreeably as the monotony of a sea- 
 voyage would allow. We reached New York in 
 the month of March, after a favorable passage 
 of only ninety-eight days. 
 
 The year and a half in which I was absent 
 from China was an eventful one in our mission. 
 In the month of October, 1857, our good Mr. 
 Quarterman was called to his rest. He was one 
 of the best of men, and a devoted mission- 
 ary. The disease of which he died was small- 
 pox. Mr. Samuel Martin was suffering from a 
 severe throat affection, which obliged him, not 
 long after, to return home. Mr. Way was also 
 in poor health. Mr. William Martin and Mr. 
 Nevius were, for a time, the only well men in 
 the mission, and their duties were very arduous. 
 
 On account of the illness or absence of so many 
 of their foreign teachers, the native assistants, of 
 whom at that time there were only two or three, 
 

 VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES. 69 
 
 had to assume much more responsibility, as well 
 as more actual labor, than they had before been 
 considered adequate to. They were found fully 
 equal -to the emergency ; and, from that time to 
 this, they have been aiding with great zeal and 
 efficiency in the missionary work, not only at 
 Ningpo, but in new and distant stations. About 
 this time our mission was reinforced by the ar- 
 rival of Rev. Mr. Inslee. 
 
 There was in Ningpo, for many years, an 
 English lady, who, by her indefatigable energy 
 and remarkable Christian character, exercised 
 an influence hardly second to that of any other 
 missionary. Long before leaving her native 
 land she had desired to devote herself to God's 
 work among the heathen, but had been deterred 
 by the opposition of her father, and, after his 
 death, by the necessity of assuming the care 
 of a deceased brother's children. At length, 
 at the age of forty, all obstacles were removed, 
 and she then at once gave her life and her for- 
 tune to the work she had so long loved. She 
 was one of the earliest missionaries at Ningpo, 
 where she established a boarding-school for girls. 
 The history of her life would be replete with 
 interest; and the influence for good which she 
 exerted upon the Chinese must remain forever. 
 
70 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 There are many who disapprove of unmarried 
 ladies engaging in missionary work in foreign 
 lands. Such, could they know of the life and 
 labors of Miss Aldersey at Ningpo, would, I 
 think, be disabused of this mistaken idea, or 
 obliged to yield their prejudices. True, there 
 are not many Miss Alderseys, but there are 
 many who could imitate her to a good degree. 
 
 Miss Aldersey had in her employ, at the time 
 of my visit to America, a young Chinaman 
 named Zia, one of our church-members. Not 
 requiring his constant services in the school, she 
 sent him occasionally on short excursions to the 
 country, in order that he might attempt some 
 more direct missionary work. San-poh was but 
 little known during those early years, foreigners 
 having but rarely visited it. Its people had the 
 reputation of being rude and lawless. I cannot 
 remember what first induced Miss Aldersey to 
 send Mr. Zia there. However, he went, and met 
 with such unlooked-for success, that native as- 
 sistants were obliged to go to his help. There 
 were numbers whose hearts seemed prepared to 
 receive the gospel. The missionaries, fearing 
 lest their presence might rather retard than ad- 
 vance the work, left it for some time in the hands 
 of the assistants. When Mr. Nevius first went 
 

 VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES. 71 
 
 to the new station, there were a large number of 
 applicants for baptism, seven of whom were re- 
 ceived on the following Sabbath. Of those first 
 San-poh converts, none have forsaken their Chris- 
 tian profession, nor brought reproach upon it. The 
 work thus commenced has spread, until there are 
 now in that neighborhood two churches, and more 
 than one hundred and fifty church members. Mr. 
 Zia, who has been for some years an ordained 
 minister, is the pastor of one of these churches ; 
 and the lamented Kying Ling-yiu had charge of 
 the church at Yu-yiao up to the time of his 
 death. Its present pastor is the Rev. Bao 
 Kwang-hyi, another of the young ministers con- 
 nected with the Ningpo Presbytery. 
 
 During this year there were serious disturb- 
 ances at Ningpo. My recollections of them are 
 very indistinct. I suppose they were chiefly 
 owing to the hatred existing between the Can- 
 tonese, of whom there were many in Ningpo, and 
 the Portuguese, who had a kind of monopoly of 
 the coast trade. In truth there was little to 
 choose between them, for a worse class of men 
 than either, it would be difficult to find. But as 
 the Portuguese were foreigners, the ill odor in 
 which they were held extended in a measure to 
 other nationalities, and for a time the lives of the 
 
72 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 missionaries and mercantile community were con- 
 sidered far from secure. It was reported that a 
 time had been fixed for the assassination of all 
 foreigners ; and for many days and nights great 
 anxiety was felt. Whether there was truth in this 
 or not has never been known. The missionaries 
 were not molested, but the wretched Portuguese 
 met with a retribution so terrible that we almost 
 lost sight of their just deserts in pity for their 
 sad fate. The Cantonese attacked them in their 
 quarters and massacred nearly all of them. From 
 the mission-houses they could be seen rushing 
 frantically hither and thither in their vain at- 
 tempts to escape. 
 
 When I had been in the United States about 
 a year Mr. and Mrs. Rankin returned to China ; 
 and, although my health was only partially re- 
 stored, I felt that I could not allow those dear 
 friends to go back without me. We sailed from 
 New York in the clipper-ship "N. B. Palmer, " 
 the 1 9th of March, and reached Hong-kong the 
 15th of June following, making the passage in 
 the remarkably short time of eighty-eight days. 
 
 Our voyage, though so prosperous, was very 
 destitute of incident; not even diversified by the 
 unwelcome variety afforded by violent storms, or 
 dangers of any sort. We anchored but once from 
 
RETURN TO NINGPO. 73 
 
 New York to Hong-kong, and that was at An- 
 gier, on the island of Java. We had light, baf- 
 fling winds for some days while in the vicinity 
 of the Straits of Sunda ; but the beauty of the 
 scenery through which we were passing quite 
 compensated for the delay. Arriving at Angier, 
 the ship was quickly surrounded by numerous 
 Malay boats, containing fowls, fruits and vege- 
 tables, shells, etc., for sale, the owners of which 
 being evidently aware of the fact that such things 
 are very fascinating to seafaring people. Dur- 
 ing the afternoon of the day we spent at anchor 
 off Angier the captain kindly took his passen- 
 gers on shore for a stroll. We had a narrow 
 escape from a plunge-bath, as the gig was pass- 
 ing through a very narrow, rocky entrance 
 leading to the landing. Angier, though rather 
 a large Malay settlement, is a poor place, con- 
 taining nothing of special interest, except its 
 trees, fruits, flowers, and birds. Close to the 
 landing is a noble banian-tree, which is one of 
 the most prominent objects seen from shipboard. 
 The banian, and also numerous palms, plantains^ 
 tamarinds, and other tropical trees, gorgeous 
 flowers, and birds of brilliant plumage, give to 
 these Eastern islands generally, a peculiar charm, 
 which, to persons from less genial climates, seems 
 
74 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 at first particularly delightful. In a short time, 
 however, the novelty wears off, and, though still 
 everything in nature is pleasing, the warm, ener- 
 vating climate, the indolence of the natives, and 
 numerous discomforts, scarcely equalled else- 
 where, make life less enjoyable than in many a 
 land not so favored in the respects I have above 
 alluded to. 
 
 There are very few foreign residents at Java ; 
 indeed, there were at the time of our visit, if I 
 remember rightly, only one lady, and half a 
 dozen of the other sex. It seems very custom- 
 ary for strangers to call sans ceremonie at the 
 Government House ; at least the captain did not 
 hesitate to take us with him there. We were 
 very politely received by the governor and his 
 wife, a pleasant German lady from Batavia. She 
 spoke no English and we no German ; but by the 
 aid of a little French, and I suspect a good deal 
 of pantomime, we succeeded pretty well in con- 
 versing. In the extreme isolation of their lives, 
 the visit of even total strangers, such as we were, 
 seemed not altogether unwelcome. They es- 
 corted us through their pretty flower-garden, and 
 kindly furnished us a guide for a stroll through 
 the village. The houses were small and low, 
 but they were neatly whitewashed, and the 
 
RETURN TO NINGPO. 75 
 
 white, contrasting with the heavy foliage of the 
 magnificent trees which shaded them, gave them 
 a pretty, picturesque appearance. On return- 
 ing from our walk, we again called at the gov- 
 ernor's. He and his wife and their physician 
 were seated in a wide veranda facing the sea. 
 It was delightful there; but as it was already 
 after lamplight we remained but a short time, re- 
 turning to the " N. B. Palmer " in a native boat 
 belonging to a Malay, who supplied the ship with 
 water and provisions. The oarsmen, as they 
 rowed, sang the wildest songs, accompanying their 
 music with such excited gestures that we would 
 have been really alarmed, had we not been sure 
 that it was all in good nature, and possibly in 
 part for our special entertainment. 
 
 We had enjoyed our visit at Angier greatly, 
 but one day was enough to exhaust its interest, 
 and we were glad to weigh anchor and feel our- 
 selves once more in motion towards China. 
 
 The great kindness and unwearied attention of 
 my fellow- voyagers, together with the strong at- 
 traction at its close, made this voyage, other- 
 wise so lonely, an unusually pleasant one. 
 
 We were detained for several weeks at Hong- 
 kong. Had we been obliged to remain all that time 
 on shipboard, the long delay would have been al- 
 
76 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 most intolerable. But kind friends on shore — 
 Rev. Mr. Ashmore, 0. E. Roberts, Esq., U. S. 
 Consul, and the Messrs. Spieden, merchants — 
 entertained nearly our whole party, in such a cor- 
 dial, hospitable manner, that their kindness will 
 ever be most gratefully remembered. 
 
 Hong-kong has a character peculiar to itself. 
 It is neither Chinese nor English, but rather a 
 combination of both. It stands at the foot of a 
 mountain, the highest point of which, Victoria 
 Peak, rises seventeen hundred feet above the level 
 of the sea. As the town extends, it is gradually 
 creeping up the steep behind it, and many of the 
 foreign residences are situated in such elevated 
 positions as to command an extended view, as 
 well as comparatively pure air. The island is 
 not quite ten miles long, and is considerably less 
 than three in width. Before it was appropriated 
 by the English it was only a small settlement 
 inhabited by poor Chinese fishermen ; while now, 
 not much more than twenty years since it be- 
 came an English colony, it has not only a large 
 foreign population, but also, it is estimated, about 
 ninety thousand Chinese settled there; their 
 city, or section of the city, rivalling in size, 
 though not in appearance, the foreign part. 
 The harbor is excellent. " Landlocked with bold 
 

 RETCJRN TO NINGPO. 77 
 
 rocks and swelling hills, the navies of every 
 European power might here safely ride at an- 
 chor. Fair weather or foul, this bay of Hong- 
 kong is always picturesque. Full of life and 
 movement too, from the shipping which crowds 
 its waters, the scene is one of great attraction to 
 residents and casual visitors alike. The day- 
 break gun wakens up all early risers ; the loud 
 screaming whistles, and scarce less discordant bells 
 of the river steamers soon after begin the busi- 
 ness of the day, and keep up one incessant 
 alarm from seven in the morning to eight or 
 nine o'clock, and again from four in the after- 
 noon until long after dark, on their return from 
 Canton or Macao. The snorting and puffing of 
 gun-boats diversifies the sounds ; while from the 
 shore and the streets a busy hum of cries and 
 sounds indescribable and untranslatable tell the 
 drowsy stranger that a city in the tropics has 
 leaped into life and activity before the sun at- 
 tains his scorching power. If he turns out for 
 an early walk or ride, as most Anglo-Easterns 
 do, and bends his steps upwards to the higher 
 grounds, he will find the convolvulus spreading 
 its beautiful flowers for the fresh breath of dawn, 
 creepers of wild luxuriance covering each wall 
 and bank ; and. looking seaward, a whole series 
 
78 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 of bays lie at his feet, stretching away in the 
 distance. Market boats, laden with provisions 
 from the main land, with their richly colored sails 
 of matting, and many picturesque forms, are 
 crowding into the harbor. Square-rigged ships 
 are pressing all sail to gain the long-desired ha- 
 ven, while others are unmooring to proceed to the 
 several ports with their outward cargo. Ships 
 of war, trading junks, merchant craft from every 
 country, — all are here to bear testimony to the 
 activity and importance of the trade which in 
 some way or other finds in Hong-kong a con- 
 necting link. Native craft in numbers from 
 the adjoining coast each differing in shape and 
 color, according to the port, crowd the anchor- 
 age. The great, bulky Shantung junk, laden 
 with peas and beans ; the Shanghai hulk, with 
 its gaudy colors, and mythic eagle on the stern, 
 but little differing in exterior ; and the long, low 
 craft of Ningpo, — all are there ; Hainan and 
 even Siam and Singapore, each has its type." 
 
 The residence of the governor, and the palace 
 of the bishop, and a somewhat imposing cathedral, 
 are the most pretentious edifices in the foreign 
 settlement ; but the dwellings of the merchants 
 generally are commodious and elegant. 
 
 Towards evening in the summer season, it is 
 
RETURN TO NINGPO. 79 
 
 customary, or was at the time of which I am 
 writing, for a great part of the foreign popula- 
 tion to assemble upon the parade-ground where 
 the music of a military band afforded a pleas- 
 ant entertainment. I remember one such even- 
 ing in June, 1858. Leaving our ship, we came 
 on shore in a native boat, and went at once to 
 the "green," where the troops were exercising, 
 and the band performing. The latter was com- 
 posed of Sepoys from India, some of whom were 
 as black as the blackest negro. It was shortly 
 after the Indian mutiny, and these Sepoys, I was 
 told, were a part of one of the mutinous regi- 
 ments. It gave me very sad sensations, as I 
 imagined the scenes in which they had probably 
 taken part. I inquired of a friend if there 
 were not danger of these Indian troops joining 
 with the Chinese against foreigners. He replied 
 that that could hardly be, as the most bitter 
 hatred existed between them; exceeding even 
 their common hatred to foreigners. A large 
 number of ladies and gentlemen were assembled 
 on the green, promenading or conversing in 
 groups ; a few equestrians galloped to and fro, 
 and there were many ponies led by their grooms, 
 their riders having dismounted. The different 
 nationalities represented, with their varied cos- 
 
80 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 tumes, added much to the animated and interest- 
 ing scene. 
 
 At the time of my visit in Hong-kong, affairs 
 between foreigners and Chinese were in a most 
 unsatisfactory state. Steamers passing between 
 Hong-kong and Canton were not unfrequently 
 attacked, and foreign residents there were in con- 
 tinual danger. One day a German missionary 
 was walking quietly through the streets of Can- 
 ton, when he noticed a woman who was approach- 
 ing him start back, an expression of horror 
 depicted in her features. Her eyes were directed 
 to some object behind him, and, turning quickly, 
 he saw a knife suspended over his own head. It 
 was too late to prevent the blow, which fell upon 
 his forehead, severing an artery, and inflicting 
 a severe wound. There were three ruffians en- 
 gaged in the attack, and he knew that his only 
 safety was in flight. They pursued him, but he 
 escaped; not, however, without receiving two 
 more wounds. While in Hong-kong it was re- 
 ported that Ningpo had been captured by the 
 rebels ; but the rumor was incorrect, as it was 
 not until some years later that that city fell into 
 their hands. 
 
 After a somewhat tedious voyage up the coast, 
 owing to baffling winds and extreme heat, we 
 

 RETURN TO NINGPO. 81 
 
 reached the mouth of the Shanghai River, on the 
 25th July. The United States man-of-war, 
 "Minnesota," was at that time stationed there, 
 and we anchored not far from her. Shortly after, 
 a small boat, manned with foreign sailors, pushed 
 off from the steamer, and made towards us. I 
 was not long in discovering that the gentleman 
 in the stern was my husband. While awaiting 
 the arrival of our ship, he had been for several 
 days the guest of the excellent Admiral Dupont. 
 Our whole party, at the. admiral's invitation, 
 took tea on board the " Minnesota," and the same 
 evening proceeded up the river to Shanghai. I 
 think a stranger, hearing our animated conversa- 
 tion and cheerful songs, as we sailed up the 
 Woosing River that pleasant summer evening, 
 would not have received the impression that 
 missionaries were by any means an unhappy class 
 of people. 
 
 But the happy hearts and buoyant spirits of 
 some of our party were destined soon to receive 
 that proof of a Father's love, — affliction. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Rankin, with their three children, had taken 
 passage for Ningpo a few days after our arrival. 
 They were about embarking, when little Johnny 
 was attacked by cholera. The disease ran its 
 course with frightful rapidity, and, after a few 
 

 82 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 hours of suffering, the dear child closed his eyes 
 in death. He was a lovely boy, and a great 
 favorite with us all. His parents bore the blow 
 with sweet resignation, having ere this learned 
 to say, "Not my will, but Thine, be done." 
 Perhaps we were all too happy in the enjoyment 
 of our many mercies, and needed just that re- 
 minder, severe though it was. 
 
 Within a few weeks we were all in our homes, 
 and busily engaged in our various duties. Dr. 
 and Mrs. McCartee had reached Ningpo a short 
 time before us. The Rankins resumed the girls' 
 school, Mr. Nevius had charge of the boys'. He 
 had also a most interesting Bible-class, which had 
 been continued, with but few interruptions, for 
 several years. It consisted of all the native 
 assistants, and several members of the graduat- 
 ing class in the school, and a few of the teachers 
 in mission employ, — in all, between twenty and 
 thirty. They used to meet twice a week in our 
 dining-room. Their intelligent, eager counte- 
 nances, quick replies, and the heartfelt interest 
 manifested in their lessons were most encouraging 
 to their teacher. These native Christians have 
 a wonderful knowledge of the Bible. Mr. Nevius 
 would frequently say to them, " There is in the 
 Scriptures a verse containing such and dnch an 
 
RETURN TO NINGPO. 83 
 
 idea ; can any of you repeat it, or tell me where 
 it is?" Almost invariably, several would an- 
 swer with the exact words of the text, and prob- 
 ably the place where it could be found. Hav- 
 ing few religious books or commentaries has not 
 been in all respects a disadvantage to our native 
 Christians. They study the Bible itself so 
 thoroughly, that many of them have become, 
 without exaggeration, "mighty in the Scrip- 
 tures. " Mr. Gamble, my fellow-passenger from 
 the United States, soon after his arrival, assumed 
 charge of our mission press, which position he 
 has ever since filled with great energy and effi- 
 ciency. Mr. Samuel Martin and family had 
 already left for home ; we missed them greatly. 
 Not long after this, Mr. and Mrs. Way were also 
 obliged to return to the United States. Mr. Way 
 had, I think, been about seventeen years in 
 China without once leaving it. They also were 
 a great loss to our mission, as they were loved 
 by all. Neither of these families have been able 
 to resume their work in China. 
 
 My health, though much better than when I 
 left the country eighteen months before, was by 
 no means perfect. As opportunities for useful- 
 ness opened upon every side, I used to long for 
 greatly increased physical strength. Not being 
 
84 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 able to use my voice as freely as I once could, I 
 employed much of my time the first few months 
 after my return in translating the well known 
 child's book, "Peep of Day." I have the sat- 
 isfaction of knowing that it has been used exten- 
 sively by those who are acquainted with the 
 Romanized colloquial of Ningpo. I resumed my 
 visits among the women, as far as my voice and 
 strength would allow. One day when I was 
 paying a visit in a respectable family who lived 
 near us, the lady of the house, as we sat con- 
 versing, informed me, with no apparent annoy- 
 ance at the fact, that her husband had three 
 ivives, adding, " I am the chief." A younger 
 woman entered with tea and tiffin. Pointing to 
 her, my hostess remarked, " She is the mother of 
 these children," — two nice little boys who hung 
 about her with as much freedom and affection as if 
 she had been their own parent. The third wife was 
 absent with her husband, at a place some distance 
 from Ningpo. Polygamy is not common in China, 
 but there are occasional instances of it. 
 
 A friend, Mrs. B , of Shanghai, was 
 
 spending a few days with me during the month 
 of November. One morning we noticed a bridal 
 procession passing the house. First came the 
 bride in the bridal chair, — a huge, gayly painted 
 
RETURN TO NINGPO. 85 
 
 sedan carried by four well-dressed bearers. Next 
 followed a band of musicians, together with at- 
 tendants, and several porters with loads of bed- 
 ding, and embroidered pillows, etc., etc. 
 
 The house where the wedding was to take 
 place was near at hand, and, though we were not 
 invited guests, we ventured to follow the proces- 
 sion, and enter the court, — quite sure that once 
 there, we would be politely invited to the " inner 
 apartments." 
 
 When we reached the house, where a large 
 number of male and female guests were assem- 
 bled, the bride was still sitting in her closed 
 sedan, and the bedding was being carried into 
 her room. After peeping in at her through the 
 curtain of her chair, we went, by invitation, to 
 see the bride-chamber, which was ornamented 
 for the occasion. There were many finely 
 dressed women in waiting, several of whom we 
 were told were the daughters-in-law of the fam- 
 ily. On coming again to the reception hall, we 
 had an opportunity of seeing the bride leave the 
 sedan, and together with the bridegroom, who, 
 by the way, she then saw for the first time, per- 
 form their first act of worship, which is the most 
 important feature in the marriage ceremony. In 
 front of the sedan was placed a small imitation 
 
86 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 of a saddle, emblematic of something, I forget 
 what, with a gaudy red flannel covering thrown 
 over it. There were three cushions upon the 
 floor in front of a table, upon which stood the an- 
 cestral tablets, and several red wax candles burn- 
 ing. A man, who acted as master of ceremonies, 
 stood at one side. When all was ready, he 
 called out with a loud voice, " Prostrate your- 
 selves ! " At once the bride and groom and a 
 male attendant, for whom the third cushion was 
 spread, all knelt. Two waiting women at the 
 bride's side, assisted her to obey the order. 
 Another call, " Raise the incense ! " and the 
 male attendant placed three small bundles of 
 lighted incense-sticks in a vase on the table. 
 Then came more prostrations. I think the un- 
 happy couple had thus to rise and kneel, full 
 twenty times, in performing the ancestral wor- 
 ship. When it was completed, a handsomely 
 dressed boy, with a tasselled cap, came forward, 
 and read, in a clear, loud voice, a congratulatory 
 paper, with the names of the parties, the year, 
 month, and day of the wedding, ending with best 
 wishes, etc., etc. This finished, the bride and 
 groom, followed by a crowd of women, were con- 
 ducted to the bride's room. On the front of a 
 Ningpo bedstead is an enclosed platform, several 
 

 RETURN TO NINGPO. 87 
 
 inches from the floor, two or three feet wide, with 
 a seat at the head and foot. The bride seated 
 herself at the head, and the groom at the foot of 
 the bed, facing each other. Two cups of wine, 
 tied together by a long string, were handed one 
 to each. After tasting it, the wine was poured 
 back and forth from one to the other, and they 
 drank again. Here the bride and groom for the 
 first time saw each other's faces, — one of the at- 
 tendants, with a long stick, having removed the 
 covering of the bride's head just before she 
 tasted the wine. 
 
 Next, two cups of some sort of food, emblemat- 
 ical of kind and cordial feeling, were brought, 
 and one presented to each. These, like the 
 wine, were exchanged, and I think mixed. 
 
 Presently the groom rose, and for one mo- 
 ment sat upon the side of thv bed; the next he 
 rushed precipitately out of the room. This is 
 usually the signal for a general merry-making, 
 — the women and children trying to prevent 
 his escape. But that day, for some reason, 
 he was permitted to make his exit without mo- 
 lestation. 
 
 Now commenced the dressing and undressing 
 of the bride. Her tire-woman took off the large 
 crimson, embroidered wrapper, which had envel- 
 
88 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 oped her from head to foot, and also some other 
 garments, and then proceeded to re-dress her, 
 adding garment to garment until it seemed as if 
 she must be burdened by their weight. This 
 over, she was brought out from the bedside to a 
 dressing-table, where a basin of hot water was 
 given her to wash her face. This operation, un- 
 fortunately, served to render more apparent the 
 fact that the poor bride's face was very badly 
 pock-marked. One and another of the women 
 present exclaimed, " Oh, what a pity ! She 
 would not be very ugly, were it not for the 
 small-pox ! How dreadfully she is pitted ! " 
 I felt so sorry for the young creature ; and I 
 remarked, by way of consolation to her, and 
 of reproof to the others, " What matters it, 
 if she is good and lovely, whether she is or is 
 not pretty ! " Afterwards I heard them re- 
 peating my remark, evidently pleased that I had 
 taken the poor thing's part. 
 
 When she had been duly washed, dressed, 
 powdered, and painted, a luncheon was set before 
 her ; and while the waiting women held up the 
 veil of pearls at each side, she ate a few grains 
 of rice, and a morsel of other food. She was 
 not allowed to take more, even if she wished it. 
 After this, she was led here and there, to pay 
 

 RETURN TO NINGPO. 89 
 
 her respects to the guests, who were expected to 
 examine her fine clothes, and, also, her tiny feet, 
 and to express unbounded admiration of every- 
 thing about her, especially of the little feet, 
 which were so small as to compensate, in a meas- 
 ure, for the ugliness of her face. She was soon 
 after conducted to her mother-in-law's apart- 
 ments, to pay her respects to her. She had not, 
 as yet, come near her new daughter-in-law, nor 
 given her one kindly word of welcome ; and she 
 did not exhibit the least warmth or interest in 
 meeting her. After following the bride from 
 place to place, we came away, feeling that a 
 newly married Chinese lady is not to be envied. 
 Through all these performances she is not ex- 
 pected to say one word, unless in a very low 
 tone to her attendants. She stands like a 
 statue, or walks about like an automaton, — a 
 poor, sad, lonely creature, no matter how gay 
 the assembled company. There are so many 
 forms and trifling practices connected with be- 
 trothals and marriages in China, that it would 
 require a volume to describe them minutely, nor 
 would they be of interest to most persons. I 
 shall not allow myself to go into particulars. 
 The marriages of our native converts, although 
 agreeing in some respects with those of other 
 

 90 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 Chinese, have always a Christian ceremony sim- 
 ilar to our own. 
 
 When a Christian, as is often the case, is 
 obliged to marry a person who is still a heathen, 
 he or she is placed in a most trying position. 
 Of course a Christian cannot consent to perform 
 the usual idolatrous rites; while the other party 
 is equally unwilling to omit them. Sometimes, 
 when the bride is a Christian, and her husband 
 and his family are not, she is forced to kneel be- 
 fore the ancestral tablets, and, if she resists, a 
 most unhappy scene is sure to follow. 
 
 Of course it is most desirable that Christians 
 should never marry heathens ; but when a be- 
 trothal has taken place in infancy, or childhood, 
 the marriage often cannot be avoided, as the 
 Chinese regard the betrothal almost as binding 
 as a marriage, and are nearly as unwilling to 
 break it. 
 
 Our boarding-school for girls has furnished 
 wives for most of the native pastors, and there 
 have been some very happy marriages between 
 pupils in the two schools. There is no social 
 intercourse allowed between these pupils, but 
 they see each other at church and occasionally 
 elsewhere ; and, if I am not mistaken, there have 
 been some cases of "falling in love" among them. 
 

 RETURN TO NINGPO. 91 
 
 At least they have strong likes and dislikes, even 
 when not a word has been exchanged. 
 
 When I was teaching my singing-class in the 
 chapel on North Bank, the boys sat on one side, 
 and the girls on the other, quite separate. But 
 a few times I intercepted little billet-doux pass- 
 ing between them, not always of so " sweet" a 
 character either ; for one of these, I remember, 
 
 read as follows, — "You, K H , need 
 
 not look so proud, and walk so loftily. You 
 have scald-head, anyhow, and are no better than 
 others ! " (Scald-head is a disease not uncom- 
 mon in China.) The writer of this grew to be a 
 
 lovely and useful woman. K H is 
 
 now an ordained and efficient minister. He had 
 then a somewhat haughty bearing, and was very 
 good-looking. This, however, seemed not to have 
 awakened admiration among the little girls, so 
 much as their dislike, because they thought him 
 "proud." 
 
 From about the time of my visit in America 
 there were many encouraging indications that 
 the work which had heretofore advanced so slow- 
 ly was beginning to make more rapid progress. 
 The number of native converts and inquirers 
 was greatly increased ; out-stations were formed, 
 long itinerations were undertaken, and the Sab- 
 
92 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 bath church services became more solemn and 
 interesting. The sermons preached on these oc- 
 casions were carefully prepared, and listened to 
 with the deepest attention, while "our hymns of 
 love and praise," led by one of the young men 
 from the school, and joined in most heartily by 
 nearly the whole congregation, were indeed soul- 
 stirring. I have always regarded it as a delight- 
 ful compensation for the injury sustained to my 
 voice that, chiefly owing to my efforts in teach- 
 ing singing, our native Christians have since 
 been able to join so heartily and sweetly in the 
 praises of the sanctuary. Besides the two 
 boarding-schools, there were at this time several 
 day-schools under the care of different ladies in 
 the mission. It was so difficult to induce the 
 pupils to attend with regularity, that we were 
 obliged to pay them a small sum each day. 
 However, the fault lay with the parents rather 
 than the children. 
 
 On some of Mr. Nevius' itinerations, in the 
 autumn of 1858, 1 accompanied him. We went 
 together to San-poh, and visited, besides our out- 
 stations there, many of the towns and villages 
 which are scattered over that fertile plain. 
 Here I, as well as my husband, had as much 
 work as my strength was equal to. Mr. Nevius 
 
BETURN TO NINGPO. 93 
 
 would leave me at some respectable house, while 
 he went out to find the men of the place, either 
 in their fields or shops. Curiosity would soon 
 bring a crowd of women and children about me, 
 and, after their many questions were answered, I 
 would tell them of our object in coming, and 
 urge them to forsake their idols and turn to 
 Jesus. The poor creatures seemed often pleased 
 and grateful for our interest in them ; and we 
 could but hope that some of the seed thus scat- 
 tered might some time spring up and bear 
 fruit. 
 
 This kind of work is fatiguing in the extreme ; 
 too much so indeed for a lady, unless she is unu- 
 sually strong. Even the gentlemen often corre 
 home from their itinerating tours quite worn 
 out. 
 
 I have very pleasant recollections of a visit we 
 made, in company with Mr. and Mrs. Knowlton, 
 to the region called by foreigners Snowy Valley. 
 This jaunt was undertaken for recreation rather 
 than work ; though it is always intended to com- 
 bine the two, as far as practicable. Leaving 
 Ningpo in boats at evening, we made the first 
 stage of our journey by night. Morning found 
 us approaching the hills, and near the termi- 
 nation of boat navigation, 
 
94 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 As I have before remarked, the Ningpo plain, 
 being devoted to rice culture, is irrigated from 
 the canals, and for several months each year is 
 completely submerged. The warm spring sun 
 causes rapid evaporation, and at times it seems as 
 if we were living in a vast vapor bath. In the 
 spring and early summer it rains almost con- 
 stantly, and the effect upon health and spirits 
 is anything but favorable. Another source of 
 great annoyance is the intolerable odors, which 
 load the atmosphere so that one would gladly 
 stop breathing or smelling, if that were possible. 
 With great delight, then, we occasionally escape 
 to a region of pure air and lovely sights. There 
 is no scenery in the neighborhood of Ningpo 
 more inviting than Snowy Valley and its vi- 
 cinity. A few miles from the terminus of boat 
 navigation on the river we reach the foot of the 
 mountains, and the landscape becomes wild and 
 broken. There is, however, as in Chinese sce- 
 nery generally, a strange mingling of wildness 
 and softness. Many of the hill-sides are ter- 
 raced and cultivated to their very tops. In 
 one instance we counted seventy of these ter- 
 races. Other hills are covered with almost un- 
 broken forests of bamboo and pine. The most 
 remarkable feature of this locality is the water- 
 
SgsSre^ 
 
RETURN TO NINGPO. 95 
 
 falls and ravines which, in Western lands, would 
 attract crowds of admiring visitors. Mountain 
 streams, forcing their waj to the plain below, 
 form a succession of water-falls of great height 
 and singular beauty. Near each of these cata- 
 racts is a Buddhist monastery ; and innumerable 
 smaller shrines are scattered here and there, by 
 the wayside, or in niches in the rocks. Tsin- 
 dziang-ngaen, the first of these falls, is about 
 three hundred feet high, and the rocks on either 
 side are much higher. Not far from this, on 
 another stream, is a very lovely cascade called 
 Long-ing-den, "Dragon's shady dell." About 
 five miles distant is still another fall, five hundred 
 feet high, and in some respects more beautiful. 
 It is called Z-wu. The volume of water is not 
 great, and, before it reaches the rocks below, it 
 is converted into light, feathery foam. Taghanuc 
 Falls, on the west bank of Cayuga Lake, in New 
 York, is strikingly like it, but Taghanuc is not 
 half as high, nor has it as much water. The 
 descent to the bed of the stream below seemed 
 almost impossible ; but, a short distance from the 
 precipice, my husband discovered a footpath, 
 down which we all scrambled, and, with only a 
 few bruises and scratches, reached the bottom in 
 safety. Here the view was magnificent ; the fall 
 
96 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 itself, the towering rocks, the grand old trees 
 with their tangled underwood, and the clear 
 stream gliding swiftly over its bed of pebbles and 
 rocks, formed a scene ever to be remembered 
 with pleasure. 
 
 The old monastery, where we spent our nights, 
 afforded but the poorest accommodations. Like 
 nearly all similar establishments it is evidently 
 going to decay. At certain seasons it has 
 crowds of worshippers, but the dilapidated build- 
 ings and general air of neglect are evidence 
 that the resources of the place are not what 
 they once were. One evening, taking a lighted 
 candle in my hand, I went from my room 
 through several courts to meet my husband, 
 whom I was expecting home. As I was pass- 
 ing through the largest hall of the temple, a 
 gust of wind extinguished my light, and left me 
 groping my way in the dark, among the huge, 
 grim figures on every side of me. Just then, 
 the great bell of the temple began to toll ; and 
 as its tones reverberated through the nearly 
 empty rooms, although I am not particularly 
 superstitious, I confess to feeling that I was not 
 quite as far removed from the presence of the 
 evil one as would have been agreeable. At 
 

 RETURN TO NTNGPO. 97 
 
 length, I found a door, and was glad to make 
 my escape into a different atmosphere. 
 
 After a few days spent very delightfully at 
 this place, we returned to Ningpo by a different 
 route, stopping the first night in the valley just 
 below the monastery, at the house of one of our 
 servants. Some member of his family lud died 
 five days previously, and preparations were be- 
 ing made for the funeral on the morrow. The 
 ceremonies and performances were something 
 after the order of an Irish " wake." A concert 
 of the most doleful music, interspersed occa- 
 sionally by the explosion of fire-crackers, was 
 kept up through the whole night. Immense 
 kettles of food were cooking on the fires, and, as 
 the house had no chimneys, we in the second 
 story were nearly smothered by smoke. But 
 nothwithstanding the smoke and the noise and 
 confusion, we slept part of the night, and early 
 the next morning resumed our journey. The first 
 stage was made on rafts of light bamboo poles 
 fastened together. It was a pleasant day, all 
 the more so that the sun was obscured. The 
 stream had frequent rapids, do^n which we 
 glided swiftly, though the water was often so 
 shallow that the raft touched the stony bottom. 
 After reaching the deeper part of the river, we 
 

 98 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 took boats for the remainder of the journey. 
 Some of the Ningpo river boats are very com- 
 fortable, that is, to persons who can accommo- 
 date themselves to circumstances. They are 
 sculled by a man who stands in the stern. In 
 the middle of the boat is a small cabin, about 
 ten or twelve feet long, and six or seven wide. 
 It is covered by a matting, which, as it droops at 
 the sides, leaves only a narrow space in the 
 centre, where even a short person can scarcely 
 stand erect. In one end is a raised platform, on 
 which we spread our mattresses at night. 
 There is a little window at each side, which, if 
 wind and weather allow, we keep open to admit 
 light and air ; and often at evening, or when the 
 sky is clouded, the matting overhead is lifted 
 and pushed back, allowing an unobstructed view 
 of the river and surrounding country. The 
 little cabin, which has usually a tiny table and 
 one or two chairs, serves as a bedroom at night, 
 and a parlor and dining-room by day. On our 
 return from " Snowy Valley," on the occasion 
 to which I have alluded, we were not so fortu- 
 nate as to secure such comfortable boats as those 
 I have described. We hung up screens to pro- 
 tect us from the wind, and spread our mattresses 
 on the floor. Having been broken of our rest 
 
RETURN TO N1NGPO. 99 
 
 for several nights in succession, we reached 
 home pretty well tired out, but feeling that the 
 pleasure of the excursion far more than com- 
 pensated for the fatigue. 
 
 One evening, in the autumn of this year, as my 
 husband, Mr. Gamble, and myself were sitting in 
 our parlor, we heard an unusual noise in the 
 rooms below. Supposing it was made by the 
 servants, we took no notice of it, until the wash- 
 erman came running upstairs in great distress, 
 exclaiming, " The clock is missing ! " The two 
 gentlemen ran below, and, sure enough, the 
 empty shelf where the clock had stood ac- 
 counted for the noise we had heard but a 
 moment before. The thief had entered by the 
 front door, and carried off the clock and a few 
 other small articles. I mention this trifling 
 incident, only because a narrative of life in 
 China might be thought by some uninterest- 
 ing and incomplete without some thefts and the 
 like to vary it. But I must add that this was 
 the only loss of any amount which we experi- 
 enced while living in Ningpo. It was our cus- 
 tom to allow Chinese guests to go freely through 
 all parts of our house, examining books, pic- 
 tures, and various mementos of home ; but we 
 rarely missed anything, though they might 
 
100 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 easily have pilfered had they been so dis- 
 
 I find the two following incidents in a letter 
 of about the same date as the events of which I 
 have been writing. 
 
 There was a local insurrection in the country 
 a few miles from Ningpo, occasioned by oppres- 
 sion and extortion on the part of the officers. 
 Troops were sent thither, and, after a short 
 struggle, the country people were obliged to 
 yield. Among the terms imposed upon them 
 was the surrender of their chief and leader. 
 This man, named S. Chu-feng, was brought to 
 Ningpo, and, for the few days previous to his 
 execution, was confined in a cage exposed to the 
 gaze of all who cared to see him. Much sym- 
 pathy was felt for him, as he was not more to 
 blame than many others ; and, in fact, the provo- 
 cation was so great as almost to justify the 
 revolt. My husband visited him in his prison, 
 and had a long and serious conversation with 
 him. A day or two after this interview, as Mr. 
 Nevius was passing through a street in the city, 
 his attention was arrested by several open bas- 
 kets suspended from a pole. In each of these 
 baskets was a gory head, evidently just decapi- 
 tated ; and one of these he recognized as that of 
 

 RETURN TO NINGPO. 101 
 
 poor S. Chu-feng. It was a horrid sight, but 
 one, alas ! too common in this age of anarchy and 
 rebellions. 
 
 About the same time Mr. Nevius went, by re- 
 quest, to visit a prisoner at the English Consul- 
 ate, — a man who at one time declared himself an 
 American citizen, at another an English subject, 
 as suited his convenience. He professed to have 
 been praying since he had been in prison, but 
 said "he did not get any comfort." Mr. 
 Nevius concluded, after conversing with him, 
 that he was " anxious" only to get released 
 from confinement, and feigned this appearance 
 of religious interest only to awaken sympathy 
 and gain assistance. He exhibited as deplorable 
 ignorance of the Bible, and the way of salva- 
 tion through Christ, as a very heathen. 
 
 The number of such characters in foreign 
 ports is so great as to be a disgrace to our nom- 
 inally Christian nations, and a great hindrance 
 to the spread of the gospel. Some of these law- 
 less foreigners have been well educated, and be- 
 long to highly respectable families in their native 
 land. But, having given loose reins to the 
 downward tendencies of their natures, in the 
 course of a few years they sink so low in sin and 
 infamy, that even the heathen look upon them 
 
102 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 with astonishment. I have in my mind more 
 than one such person, who, having left a home 
 of affluence and refinement, has hy indulgence 
 in opium-smoking, intemperance, and other 
 vices, speedily changed from a young and vigor- 
 ous man into a faded and decrepit creature, just 
 tottering on the edge of an unknown and dis- 
 honored grave. Sometimes, at the last hour, 
 a missionary is summoned to listen to heart- 
 broken confessions of penitence and grief; and 
 to point the wanderer to Him who is able to 
 save unto the uttermost all who come unto God 
 by Him. Sadder still is the case of others, 
 whose consciences are so blunted and hardened 
 by their lives of sin, that even in the hour of 
 death they feel no sorrow for the past, and no 
 longings for a better life. 
 
 

 CHURCH AND SCHOOLS AT NLNGPO. 103 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 CHURCH AND SCHOOLS AT NINGPO. — CHINESE 
 WOMEN. 
 
 Our communion season, about the beginning 
 of the year 1859, was one of great interest to us 
 all. Twelve persons were received into the 
 church by baptism. Of this number, two were 
 husband and wife ; three were a grandmother, 
 daughter, and grand-daughter ; and another was 
 little Ping-fong, whom I shall mention hereafter. 
 As the applicants knelt to receive the holy ordi- 
 nance, our hearts were filled with joy and thank- 
 fulness, and many prayers were offered that the 
 vows then assumed might never be broken. 
 
 Another of those who, on this day for the first 
 time, sat down to the table of our Lord, was 
 a member of the graduating class in the boys' 
 school. His name was Chong-eng. He had 
 been for years in the school, but it was not until 
 the time drew near when he must leave us, that 
 he became more particularly anxious upon the 
 
104 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 subject of religion. His mother was a poor 
 woman, and in a measure dependent upon him 
 for support. She had looked forward to his leav- 
 ing the school with impatience, and had secured 
 him what she considered a good situation in busi- 
 ness. What were her grief, then, and indignation 
 when she found that these cherished plans were to 
 be thwarted, and, worse still, both he and she to 
 be disgraced through his becoming a Christian ! 
 When Chong-eng had positively decided to confess 
 Christ, he visited his mother to acquaint her with 
 his resolution. As he had anticipated, she received 
 the avowal with a storm of tears and curses. But 
 he was firm, and returned to the school, where he 
 had yet a few days to remain previous to the 
 expiration of the time of his indenture. He re- 
 ceived baptism the Sabbath preceding that I have 
 mentioned. On the Saturday before, his mother 
 made her appearance to endeavor once more to 
 prevent this dreaded calamity. Threats, argu- 
 ments, entreaties, were freely used, not only with 
 Chong-eng, but also with us, for having, as she 
 said, perverted her son. Mr. Nevius and I both 
 tried in every possible way to allay her fears and 
 soften her prejudices; but with no success. At 
 length she gave herself up to despair. I never 
 saw a more wretched-looking creature. She was 
 
CHUKCH AND SCHOOLS AT NINGPO. 105 
 
 detained at our house for some days by a storm, 
 but I could not induce her to eat our rice. " She 
 would not be indebted for food to those who had 
 thus caused the ruin of her son." I have a vivid 
 recollection of her, as she sat hour after hour on 
 the side of her bed, scarcely speaking a word to 
 any one, and her expression the concentration of 
 disappointment and ill-humor. Years passed. 
 Chong-eng became a minister of the gospel, and 
 a very useful man. He married a pretty and 
 amiable girl, who had been adopted when a child 
 by Dr. and Mrs. McCartee. His mother — the 
 bitter enemy of Christianity, and most violent op- 
 poser, though she did it in ignorance — has since 
 followed her son's example, and professed Christ 
 before men. Surely we ought not to limit the 
 power and grace of God ! 
 
 Ping-fong, whom I mentioned before as one 
 of the twelve who received baptism on the same 
 day, was a great favorite of mine. His history 
 was a strange one. One morning there was a 
 knock at the outer door of the school-court. A 
 servant opening it found a small boy, who said 
 he wished to attend the school. He was ragged 
 and weary ; and, had it not been for a certain air 
 of manliness and independence, he might have 
 been taken for a beggar. His brogue was so pe- 
 
106 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 culiar that it was with difficulty our Ningpo peo- 
 ple could understand him. He had come, he said, 
 from the city of Tong-Yiang, one hundred and 
 fifty miles in the interior, with the hope of gain- 
 ing admittance to this institution. Mr. Nevius, 
 and Mr. Cobbold, of the Church of England, had, 
 on a long itinerating tour, visited the vicinity of 
 Tong-Yiang, and an uncle of Ping-fong had 
 chanced to hear them speak of our boys' school 
 in Ningpo. He related what he had heard at 
 the house of Ping-fong. It so happened that 
 just at this time the boy was in great trouble. 
 His father had been a scholar, and his family 
 were very respectable, although in greatly re- 
 duced circumstances. His two mothers (for his 
 father at the time of his death had two wives) 
 and his brother had come to the decision to ap- 
 prentice Ping-fong to learn the tailor's trade. 
 To this he had a great repugnance. As he told 
 me afterwards, when his uncle was telling them 
 about the free school in Ningpo, the " words 
 fell into his heart," and, from that time, when 
 his brother and his mothers were discussing their 
 plans, he was saying to himself, " Oh, if I 
 could but get to Ningpo! " No one guessed his 
 thoughts, and he did not disclose them. But 
 when he had matured his project, unknown to 
 
CHURCH AtfD SCHOOLS AT NINGPO. 107 
 
 any one, he started for Ningpo. He had only 
 about two hundred cash — hardly equal to twenty 
 cents — with which to defray the expenses of the 
 journey. He had never been from home, and did 
 not know the way; yet he seems to have met with 
 little difficulty. He walked most of the distance, 
 and at the end of six days had reached Ningpo. 
 I can imagine his anxiety while the question of 
 his admission to the school was yet undecided 
 His story seemed so strange, that it was not un- 
 til letters had been written to certain individuals 
 whom he mentioned as acquaintances, that we 
 felt sure he was speaking the truth. At length 
 all such doubts were removed, and he began his 
 studies. He improved rapidly, and by his good 
 conduct became a favorite with both teachers and 
 pupils; and, better than all, he soon began to give 
 evidence of love to the Saviour. When he had 
 been with us a few months, his older brother, 
 who had succeeded in tracing the little runaway, 
 came to Ningpo in search of him. He seemed 
 delighted to find Ping-fong doing so well, and 
 willingly indentured him to the school for six 
 years. Before the close of the first year Ping- 
 fong was taken very ill. We thought he would 
 die, and he thought so himself. When Mr. Nev- 
 ius told him this he said, " Ping-fong, are you 
 
108 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 afraid to die?" He promptly answered, "No." 
 " Tell me why you do not fear to die?" contin- 
 ued Mr. Nevius. He paused a little, and an- 
 swered, " Jesus Christ died to save sinners. I 
 am a sinner, and I have asked Christ to save me ; 
 I know he will not reject me." He remained 
 quiet a few moments, and then added, very 
 thoughtfully : " When I remember how God 
 called me from my distant home in Tong-Yiang, 
 and brought me here so that I might learn of the 
 Saviour ; and when I think how kind and good 
 he has been to me, I feel sure that he will never 
 cast me off." At another time he seemed 
 troubled, not for himself however. "I hoped," 
 said he, " to have gone back to my home, and 
 have told my friends of Jesus; and now how can 
 they hear of him ? Will you promise me, Mr. 
 Nevius, that, if I die, one of the native assist- 
 ants shall go there to teach them?" The prom- 
 ise was made, and his mind seemed relieved. It 
 pleased God, however, to spare his life, and he is 
 now, after having graduated from school, engaged 
 in assisting at an out-station, at the same time 
 that he continues his theological studies. He is 
 not by any means a faultless character ; but there 
 is much to admire in him, and we hope that he 
 will prove a very valuable man, and carry into 
 
CHURCH AND SCHOOLS AT NINGPO. 109 
 
 his work of preaching the gospel the same quali- 
 ties which so distinguished him as a boy. He was 
 only about eleven j-ears of age when he came to 
 us. Those who love to trace particular provi- 
 dences, I think, will not fail to see one in the 
 case of Ping-fong. 
 
 Although Mr. Nevius was at this time super- 
 intendent of the boys' school, the principal care 
 and tuition of the pupils devolved upon Mr. Zi, 
 the native teacher. He was an elder in the 
 church, and a most judicious and consistent 
 Christian. His influence was excellent, and, 
 while under his care, the boys improved rapidly 
 both in their studies and deportment. He died 
 several years since, loved and regretted by all 
 who knew him. 
 
 The girls' school, which was superintended by 
 Mr. Rankin, was also under the more immediate 
 charge of the natives. Mr. Lu, another of the 
 members of the church, and Mrs. Lu, devoted 
 themselves to it; and, if improvement in the 
 pupils was a test, no plan could have been 
 better. 
 
 Every one familiar with the Presbyterian 
 Mission in China has heard at least the name 
 of the Lu family. Long years ago, when mis- 
 sionaries first went to Ningpo, the father of the 
 
110 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 present Lu sin-sang, was employed as a teacher. 
 He afterwards accepted the position of secre- 
 tary to an officer, or something of that sort, and 
 went to reside in a distant province. He did 
 not himself embrace Christianity, but must have 
 been convinced of its worth ; for. as he was leav- 
 ing home, he said to his wife, — " Now, if at any 
 time in the future our son, Kyise-Dzing, should 
 wish to become a Christian, you must not oppose 
 him ; for the religion is true." The young Mr. Lu 
 was employed for a time by Mr. William Martin 
 as his teacher. While imparting instruction in the 
 language, he became interested in Christianity, 
 and, in the course of a few months, it was evident 
 that he sincerely believed the gospel, and was 
 desirous to obey it ; and now he, like so many 
 of our Chinese Christians, had to endure a species 
 of persecution, perhaps as hard to bear as any 
 other. When his mother heard of his purpose, 
 notwithstanding the parting injunction of her 
 husband, she positively forbade her son to make 
 a profession of Christianity. She threatened 
 suicide in case he did so ; she would not survive 
 the disgrace, but would surely drown herself. 
 This was no unmeaning threat ; on the contrary, 
 there was every reason to think she would carry 
 it into execution. Mr. Lu's wife, tc whom he 
 
CHtTRCH AND SCHOOLS AT NINGPO. Ill 
 
 was devotedly attached, for a time joined with 
 the other members of his family in their opposi- 
 tion. Even in his private devotions, he was 
 constantly interrupted and ridiculed. At length, 
 worn out by this sort of treatment, he was taken 
 violently ill, and for weeks his mind was so much 
 affected that his friends were fearful he might 
 become permanently insane. His family were 
 greatly alarmed, especially as they felt that his 
 illness was perhaps the result of their unkind- 
 ness. When, therefore, he began to recover, they 
 relaxed in their opposition, and Mr. Lu united 
 with the church. He soon after had the pleas- 
 ure of seeing his wife a follower of Jesus ; and, 
 as years have passed, one and another has joined 
 them, until now, his mother and sister and his 
 son, besides his wife's aged grandmother, and 
 other relatives in the family, are all professing 
 Christians. The younger Mrs. Lu is a veuy in- 
 teresting person. Modest, retiring, gentle, with 
 yet a great deal of force of character, she is con- 
 sidered by some of her foreign friends as almost 
 a model Christian lady. Her sincere piety and 
 the refinement of her manners have had an ex- 
 cellent influence upon the pupils. Most of the 
 time for the last ten years she has been 
 matron of the school, and the duties of her 
 
112 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 position she has discharged with great faith- 
 fulness. 
 
 She has but one child living, — a son, who is 
 now studying theology. I think she had lost 
 three children before she became a Christian, 
 and at least that many since. Before she had 
 learned of Him who took little children in his 
 arms and blessed them, her feelings towards her 
 children who died in infancy were just like those 
 of her heathen country women. They were 
 not even buried. Now this is not because Chi- 
 nese women are destitute of natural affection. 
 By no means ; on the contrary, they love their 
 children, while living, with the same devoted 
 affection that Christian mothers do. But a 
 wretched superstition, the fruit of heathenism, 
 has blighted the tender mother love. It is sup- 
 posed, if a child dies in infancy, that this event is 
 a proof that the soul which inhabited the little 
 body originally belonged to an enemy, or to 
 some defrauded creditor of an ancestor, who, 
 having failed to get his dues in the previous 
 state, has entered this child's body, to give anx- 
 iety, care, and trouble until the debt is fullv 
 cancelled. When therefore an infant dies, the 
 love of its parents dies with it. Many precau- 
 tions are made use of, such as sweeping the 
 

 CHINESE WOMEN. 113 
 
 house, exploding fire-crackers, and the like, to 
 frighten away the dreaded spirit. 
 
 A few years since Mrs. Lu lost a dear little 
 girl, about two years old. It had been the pet 
 and darling of its parents, who, having lost so 
 many other children, clung the more closely to 
 this. It was indeed a lovely child, and when 
 God took it from them the grief of its parents 
 was intense. I saw it in its coffin. The mother 
 was bending over it, stroking and caressing the 
 little face as if it had been in life. No one who 
 saw her then could doubt her love. She has 
 since been called to part with a little boy, who 
 died when some months younger. But she sor-^ 
 rows not now, as " others who have no hope; " 
 for she knows that though her loved ones cannot 
 return to her she will soon go to them, and that 
 together they will spend an eternity with Him 
 who said, " Suffer little children to come unto 
 me, and forbid them not ; for of such is the king- 
 dom of heaven." It is delightful to see such 
 evidences as these of the purifying and enno- 
 bling influences of Christianity on our native 
 converts. 
 
 Among those who have been educated at the 
 girls' school, there have been some very interest- 
 ing and lovely characters. I regret that I have 
 8 
 

 114 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 not known them intimately enough to give a 
 sketch of any one of them. Several are now 
 wives of our native assistants. Others there 
 were, who, having illustrated the beauty and ex- 
 cellence of consistent Christian lives, have been 
 early removed to a better world. Such were 
 Ah-yuing, wife of Tsiang Vong-kweng, Yuih-ing, 
 wife of Bao Kwang-hyi, and Ah-6, the faithful 
 wife and helper of the lamented Rev. Kying Ling- 
 yiu. The children educated in our boarding- 
 schools are entirely free from most of the su- 
 perstitions prevalent among their countrymen. 
 They have an advantage in many ways over those 
 brought to a knowledge of Christianity later in 
 life. 
 
 It may perhaps be considered strange, by 
 many persons in this country, that our female 
 pupils are allowed to observe the objectiona- 
 ble practice of compressing the feet. In the 
 course of years no doubt our native Christians 
 will of their own accord, abandon it; but until 
 they do so. our mission has not thought it best 
 to make it "a case of conscience," or of dis- 
 cipline. In Ningpo nearly ail respectable 
 females have compressed feet; a large-footed 
 woman, and a woman of abandoned character, 
 are almost synonymous. In our mission families, 
 
CHINESE WOMEN. 115 
 
 and in the different schools, there have always 
 been a few girls whose feet have never been 
 bound, and the mortification to which they were 
 subjected, in consequence, has been almost un- 
 bearable. In passing through the streets, on 
 their way to and from church, they have been 
 the subject of epithets and insulting remarks, to 
 which it seems almost cruel to have exposed 
 them. Another thing: it has heretofore been 
 nearly impossible to make suitable marriages for 
 those who, by not binding the feet, had ren- 
 dered themselves objects of notoriety among their 
 own people. Even the young men educated in 
 our schools much preferred a wife with little feet. 
 But I think a great change is taking place in 
 this respect, and I quite hope that soon they will 
 have a more correct taste. Among the school 
 girls were some who were so mortified with the 
 size of their feet that, when they were grown 
 and had returned to their friends, they resorted 
 to the expedient of placing a false heel under 
 the middle of the foot, in such a way that they 
 could wear a small shoe. The pantalets, which 
 are always worn so as to cover the ankle, in this 
 case also covered the natural heel, projecting 
 over the top of the shoe. When this is well done 
 the deception is perfect, though it is never a 
 
116 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 pretty foot, according to Chinese ideas. I should 
 think it would be exceedingly uncomfortable; 
 but " anything for fashion " seems to be a lady's 
 motto the world over. I was pleased to see 
 that the wife of one of the native assistants, who 
 had resorted to the expedient above mentioned, 
 afterwards, of her own accord, discarded the false 
 shoe, and returned to the simplicity of nature ; 
 not quite that either, for her foot had been some- 
 what disfigured by compression, although the 
 process had been incomplete. When a foot has 
 been thoroughly bound, 'it is nearly if not quite 
 impossible to dispense with the bandages, and to 
 restore the foot to its natural shape. It would 
 occasion great suffering, and, in fact, in many 
 cases, it would be useless to attempt it. Some- 
 times when the Chinese are remonstrated with 
 on the wickedness or absurdity of this custom, 
 they readily admit it ; but assert that, in their 
 eyes, compressing the feet is not nearly as per- 
 nicious a fashion as that of Western ladies com- 
 pressing their waists. They insist upon think- 
 ing — whether with reason or not there may be 
 difference of opinion — that the usual slender 
 waists of foreign ladies must be the result of our 
 peculiar mode of dress ; and, as this involves 
 compressing very vital parts of the body, it must 
 

 CHINESE WOMEN. 117 
 
 be more injurious to health than their practice 
 of binding the feet. 
 
 Who knows but that the Chinese are right ? 
 
 Were our object in living among the Chinese 
 simply to effect a change in either their outward 
 deportment or national costume, it would cer- 
 tainly be an unnecessary waste of time and 
 strength ; as they are an exceedingly courteous 
 and polite people, and their mode of dress is both 
 graceful and convenient. As their fashions 
 change but little year after year, they are saved 
 thereby an endless amount of labor and an- 
 noyance. 
 
 The garments worn by males and females are 
 very similar, but perfectly distinguishable to 
 those accustomed to them. Both sexes wear 
 loose flowing trousers, and a long double-breasted 
 tunic or sacque, buttoned closely round the neck 
 and at one side. The women generally wear 
 gayer colors, and garments profusely ornamented 
 with embroidery. At Ningpo they have a pret- 
 tily made petticoat reaching nearly to their little 
 feet, which they take special pains not to cover. 
 
 The costume of the Chinese in different lo- 
 calities differs but little, yet there are certain pe- 
 culiarities which a native discovers at a glance, 
 and which determine unmistakably to what part 
 
118 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 of the empire the wearer belongs. On the whole, 
 I think a Ningpo lady's dress is prettier and 
 more becoming than any of the northern cos- 
 tumes, or of the more southern, as far as I am 
 familiar with them. The Ningpo style of dress- 
 ing the hair, though unnecessarily artificial and 
 elaborate, is really becoming, and more tasteful 
 than the stiffer coiffures of ladies elsewhere. 
 The time consumed by women in China, in ar- 
 ranging their hair, is much greater than is re- 
 quired by foreign ladies ordinarily. I have been 
 told by our female servants that they usually 
 spend a full hour upon theirs ; while it is not 
 unusual for persons of leisure to devote two hours 
 to this object. But this waste of time, as it 
 seems to us, is, I suppose, one of their most 
 agreeable recreations, and helps to while away 
 many an otherwise tedious hour. 
 
 Women of the lower and middle classes are 
 obliged to assist in performing the ordinary work 
 of their families. They cook, wash, and sew, 
 look after their children, etc., and are generally 
 busy and industrious. In the monotonous rou- 
 tine of these every-day duties, their time passes, 
 if not very pleasantly, yet rapidly, and they are 
 often at least negatively happy. But in the case 
 of the wealthy, who consider labor a degradation, 
 
 
CHINESE WOMEN. 119 
 
 and who, by their total want of education, are 
 shut out from all intellectual pleasures, and, 
 by the customs of the country, from much social 
 intercourse, life must often prove indeed a weari- 
 ness. Of course, as they know of nothing better, 
 their situation is not so unbearable as it would be 
 were they aware of the different position and 
 the happy lives which women in some other parts 
 of the world enjoy. They frequently occupy 
 themselves with games of chance; cards and 
 dominos, if I remember rightly, are some- 
 times favorites ; and many, though not all, are 
 taught embroidery, in which the Chinese ex- 
 cel. In former times ladies of rank were often 
 instructed in music, and performed upon the lute 
 and other instruments. But nowadays this ac- 
 complishment must be rare, as I have seldom 
 seen a Chinese lady who had the slightest 
 knowledge of any musical instrument whatever. 
 Chinese females are greatly given to petty 
 gossip. Many hours are passed in discussing 
 household matters; matrimonial schemes; the 
 characters and conduct of the different daugh- 
 ters-in-law, in their family, or among their 
 friends ; or the mothers-in-law, their kindness or 
 tyranny, as the case may be; the beautiful 
 feet of certain ladies of their acquaintance, or 
 

 120 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 perhaps the piety of some relative ; or the re- 
 puted power of a favorite deity, and the special 
 advantages derived from worshipping at some 
 particular temple. As the Chinese are an ex- 
 ceedingly superstitious people, stories of ghosts 
 and hobgoblins, and mysterious appearances 
 of all sorts, form an exhaustless fund for an- 
 ecdote and tale. Then there is the kindred 
 subject of geomancy, or luck, which is rich in 
 topics for conversation. So that, after all, " wo- 
 man's tongue " need not remain quiet in China 
 for want of subjects to talk about. 
 
 But, oh, the utter worthlessness and vanity 
 of all this foolish conversation! I long to 
 have the women of China capable of some- 
 thing nobler and better. And indeed there is 
 no lack of natural ability. Their minds are 
 bright and active, and all they need to place 
 them on an equality with their favored sisters 
 of other lands is a truly Christian education, 
 and the purifying and ennobling influence of a 
 life of faith and obedience to the precepts of the 
 gospel. 
 
 How dark, how utterly cheerless, must be the 
 inner life of heathen women, whether their social 
 position be high or low ! There must come times 
 in the lives of even the most thoughtless among 
 
CHINESE WOMEN. 121 
 
 them, when this vain, fleeting world, with its 
 few illusory pleasures, appears in its true light, 
 and a longing for something nobler and better 
 must possess their souls. The book of nature, 
 spread open before them, speaks to their hearts 
 of the great Creator. They see his hand, they 
 feel his breath, — they would fain know more. 
 But, ah! can poor ignorant women, in their 
 feeble searchings, "find out God"? Where 
 their greatest sages have failed to give one dis- 
 tinct utterance, is it to be expected that these 
 poor creatures can gain a clear conception of 
 Him who has indeed given glimpses of himself in 
 his glorious works, and in the hearts and con- 
 sciences of his creatures, but who, in his revealed 
 word only, has \ ' brought life and immortality to 
 light" ? And thus it is that, wearied and disap- 
 pointed in their vain search, yet feeling that they 
 must have something to fill the natural longings 
 of their hearts, they turn to their own false sys- 
 tems of idolatry. But these, though they may 
 for a time divert the mind and allay its restless- 
 ness, cannot impart hope and comfort for the 
 future. When death is realized as at hand, 
 when its cold touch is felt, then, oh, then, 
 what can cheer and sustain them ? " Heart and 
 flesh fail them," but no Saviour is near witb 
 
122 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 sweet assurances of his presence and love. There 
 remains for them, for our poor lost sisters, only 
 a " fearful looking for of judgment," and a vain 
 shrinking from the retributions of the future, 
 which they instinctively feel must await them. 
 And if, as it sometimes happens, even conscience 
 seems dead, and natural love of life has well- 
 nigh faded away, and death is regarded with 
 apathy, or mere stoical indifference, the case is 
 not less pitiful; for when no veil can longer 
 hide the dread realities of a future world, how 
 fearful must be the awakening ! 
 
 We women in Christian lands realize far too 
 little how entirely our present elevated position 
 is due to the prevalence of true religion. Ought 
 we not, in gratitude for the distinguishing bless- 
 ings conferred upon us, to make more strenuous 
 efforts for the good of females in still heathen 
 nations ? Not only is there the greatest need 
 of schools for the education of children ; but the 
 women also must be taught. There is room for 
 the united efforts of hosts of women even in 
 China. No closed "zenanas" prevent our 
 reaching those whom we long to instruct. The 
 females are secluded, to be sure, but patient, 
 judicious effort will usually gain access even to 
 the homes of the rich and powerful ; while thou- 
 
CHINESE WOMEN. 123 
 
 sands of humbler dwellings welcome our pres- 
 ence : and I am convinced that encouragements 
 will not be wanting in the future, as certainly 
 they have not been in the past, to reward every 
 faithful worker in this humble sphere of Chris- 
 tian effort. Not until Chinese women have been 
 Christianized will they be raised from their 
 present degraded position to fill their rightful 
 place as the helps and companions of man. And 
 shall not we, who are already experiencing the 
 blessings and advantages of birth and training 
 in Christian lands, be willing to forego some of 
 the pleasures and luxuries of our favored homes, 
 in order to carry these blessings to those who are 
 now without them ? Freely we have received, 
 let us freely give. 
 
 But the work begun by us will be carried for- 
 ward by the dear converts. There are no more 
 effectual messengers to the hearts and homes of 
 heathen females than they who, having experi- 
 enced the power of the gospel in their own souls, 
 can speak sympathizingly and lovingly to such 
 as are still strangers to it. The experiment has 
 repeatedly been tried. We have already, in 
 almost every mission station, numbers of hum- 
 ble Christians, who, by their consistent conduct, 
 and improved dispositions, are " living epistles," 
 
124 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 which the heathen around them are obliged to 
 acknowledge and appreciate. They are i; lights 
 in a dark place," a " little leaven," which is 
 working surely, though slowly, upon the dense 
 mass of superstition and wickedness. And, as 
 converts increase, it will not be difficult to find 
 competent females willing to act as assistants to 
 the missionary's wife, or other foreign teachers, 
 in visiting among native families, and instructing 
 the women and children. In my opinion, this 
 work is scarcely second to any other in impor- 
 tance and hopefulness. To say the least, it is a 
 most interesting auxiliary to other departments 
 of missionary operations. 
 
 ' : Elevate woman, if you would renovate socie- 
 ty. " ' is a saying which has been so often quoted that 
 it has become trite ; but it has not lost a whit of 
 its truthfulness from its frequent repetition. 
 
 There are not a few individuals, and among 
 them I know of some excellent missionaries, who 
 dislike the idea of unmarried ladies undertaking 
 a mission, such as I have suggested, in a foreign 
 and heathen land. Of course I do not expect 
 that anything I can say would remove their 
 prejudice ; but I can only record my own convic- 
 tion that the work of visiting an~. teaching from 
 house to house, day after day : giving instruction 
 
CHINESE WOMEN. 125 
 
 m the truths of Christianity, and urging the 
 obligation to believe and obey them, is in China 
 an enimently practicable life-work, and one which 
 promises to any one having "faith and patience " 
 a sure and blessed reward. There would be 
 some difficulties, some annoyances, and not a few 
 discouragements. A life spent in this way of- 
 fers very few u worldly enjoyments," while it 
 involves many serious trials ; but, after all, the 
 " hundred-fold, even in this life," I believe, will 
 always be realized. Is not the consciousness 
 that we are working for Christ, in direct obedi- 
 ence to his command, enough to compensate for 
 some discomforts, some losses and crosses? 
 Among the happiest and most useful persons I 
 have ever known were single ladies, who had 
 given themselves and their all to this work of 
 bringing heathen women to a knowledge of 
 Christ. Are there not many, in this favored 
 land, who would gladly join us in our efforts for 
 the good of Chinese females ? I think I can 
 assure such that, even if their trials should prove 
 greater than they had anticipated, so also would 
 their pleasures; and at the close of their lives, 
 should they be long or short, they would have 
 the unspeakable pleasure of having tried to do 
 something for Jesus. 
 
126 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 
 
 During the year 1858, a very important 
 meeting took place, in the north of China, between 
 the plenipotentiaries of China, and of Russia, 
 England, France, and the United States. This 
 meeting resulted in the formation of new trea- 
 ties, securing to foreigners greatly increased priv- 
 ileges. There seemed no reason to doubt that 
 the Chinese had acted in good faith, and that their 
 new engagements would be strictly adhered to. 
 We missionaries, as well as the friends of Christ's 
 cause everywhere, were much encouraged, and 
 felt that the time had come for extending our 
 efforts to those regions from which we had until 
 then been excluded. 
 
 While the foreign ambassadors had returned 
 to submit the newly formed treaties to their re- 
 spective governments, previous to their ratifica- 
 tion by the Chinese, the missionaries were 
 earnestly considering in what way they might 
 
FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 127 
 
 best avail themselves of the anticipated openings. 
 The American treaty, although it conferred but 
 slight advantages for our work, had, owing to an 
 adroit insertion of a clause insuring a share in 
 the benefits obtained by the " most favored 
 nations," made us participants in everything 
 gained by any one of the new treaties, or of all 
 combined. Although, as American citizens, we 
 had no legal right to reside anywhere but at the 
 open ports, yet fully expecting the speedy ratifi- 
 cation of the other treaties, which'secured much 
 more freedom, it was decided, early in the year 
 1859, to try the practicability of commencing a 
 new station at Hang-chow, the capital of the 
 Che-kiang Province. As the climate of Ningpo 
 was trying both to Mr. Nevius and myself, and 
 for several other reasons, we very willingly 
 undertook this new mission. 
 
 Hang-chow is situated upon the Tsin-tang 
 River, some distance from where it empties into 
 the Hang-chow Bay. It is in the northern part 
 of the province, about one hundred and thirty 
 miles distant from Shanghai on the north-east, 
 and Ningpo on the south-east. It is an exceed- 
 ingly well-built city, surrounded by a wall more 
 than thirty feet in height. Many of the houses, 
 both shops and private residences, are large and 
 
128 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 costly ; and the place has an air of respectabil- 
 ity and importance, very different from ordinary 
 Chinese towns. Its streets, which are paved 
 with stone, are clean and comparatively wide. 
 The surrounding country is rich and populous. 
 Although on two sides of the city there is a vast 
 plain, in which rice is extensively cultivated, it 
 does not seem as low and malarious as the 
 region about Ningpo. Numerous canals inter- 
 sect this plain, — some broad and deep, others 
 narrow and winding here and there like by-roads 
 in our own country. 
 
 Boats filled with passengers or produce are 
 seen on every hand ; and many are the evidences 
 of great productiveness in the soil, and of the 
 industry of the inhabitants. The town stands 
 near the river, which is at high water about two 
 miles wide. A mountain range stretches for 
 many miles without the walls, in the southerly 
 direction, and a spur of this range, in the southern 
 part of the city, affords most desirable building 
 sites. Almost as a matter of course these 
 situations have been appropriated by the Budd- 
 hists or Tauists. who have here numerous tem- 
 ples, — or rather, they once had ; many of 
 them have since been destroyed by the rebels. 
 
 At the time of our residence there the popu- 
 

 FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 129 
 
 lation of Hang-chow was estimated at about one 
 million, and many years previous, when it was 
 the metropolis of the empire, it must have been • 
 much greater. Marco Polo, the Venetian travel- 
 ler, who visited China about the year 1200, speaks 
 of it, as "pre-eminent above all other cities in 
 the world, in point of grandeur and beauty, as 
 well as from its abundant delights, which might 
 lead an inhabitant to imagine himself in para- 
 dise; " and in another place describing Si-wu or 
 West Lake, an artificial sheet of water just with- 
 out the city wall, he says : " All around the lake 
 are beautiful palaces and houses, so wonderfully 
 built that nothing can possibly surpass them; 
 they belong to the great and noble men of the 
 city. In the middle of the lake are two islands, 
 on one of which stands a palace so wonderfully 
 adorned that it seems worthy of belonging to the 
 emperor." Such description of the Hang-chow 
 of the present would certainly be exaggerations ; 
 but still I can easily imagine that in former 
 times, when emperors honored it by their pres- 
 ence, and it was the resort of the aristocracy 
 and nobility of the land, it must have presented 
 as gay and animated an appearance as one can 
 well conceive of in China ; and I do not wonder 
 at the harmless enthusiasm of the noted traveller. 
 9 
 
130 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 Lest I might myself be thought to overcolor 
 somewhat in my admiration of Hang-chow, I 
 shall quote a description from a more modern 
 writer. Barrow, in his " Travels in China," 
 says of Si-wu and its surroundings: "The nat- 
 ural and artificial beauties of this lake far ex- 
 ceeded anything we had hitherto had an oppor- 
 tunity of seeing in China. The mountains 
 surrounding it were lofty, and broken into a 
 variety of forms that were highly picturesque, 
 and the valleys were richly clothed with trees 
 of different kinds, among which three species 
 were remarkably striking, not only by their in- 
 trinsic beauty, but also by the contrast they 
 formed with themselves and the rest of the trees 
 of the forest. These were the camphor and tal- 
 low trees, and the arbor-vitsa. The bright shin- 
 ing green foliage of the first, mingled with the 
 purple leaves of the second, and overtopped by 
 the stately tree of life, of the deepest green, pro- 
 duced a pleasing effect to the eye ; and the land- 
 scape was rendered still more interesting by the 
 very singular and diversified appearance of 
 several thousand repositories of the dead, upon 
 the sloping sides of the inferior hills. Here, as 
 well as elsewhere, the sombre and upright cy- 
 press was destined to be the melancholy compan- 
 
FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 131 
 
 ion of the tombs. Higher still, among the 
 woods, avenues had been opened to admit of rows 
 of small blue houses, exposed on white colon- 
 nades, which, on examination, were also found 
 to be mansions of the dead. The margins of the 
 lake were studded with light, aerial buildings, 
 among which one of more solidity and greater 
 extent than the rest was said to belong to the 
 emperor. The grounds were enclosed with brick 
 walls, and mostly planted with vegetables and 
 fruit-trees; but in some there appeared to be 
 collections of such shrubs and flowers as are 
 most esteemed in the country." 
 
 Since this great city, with its environs, creates 
 so striking an impression upon intelligent and 
 travelled foreigners, it is not strange that the 
 Chinese have regarded it with unbounded admi- 
 ration. They have a saying, " Shang yiu tien- 
 tang ; hia yiu Su Hang ; " that is, " Above is 
 heaven, below are Su-chow and Hang-chow." I 
 have not seen Hang-chow since it was captured 
 and in part destroyed by the rebels. I suppose 
 it will never regain the prosperity and impor- 
 tance which it enjoyed before that deplorable 
 event. However, to those who love beautiful 
 natural scenery, it must ever be a place of much 
 interest. 
 
132 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 A favorite evening excursion with us while we 
 were living in Hang-chow was a stroll on the 
 margin of pretty Si-wu. The emperor's palace, 
 described by Marco Polo, was presented to the 
 Buddhists, and it is many years since it was 
 graced by the presence of royalty. But Si-wu 
 is still a lovely spot. The water, though not 
 deep, is clear and pure; pretty arched bridges 
 and raised causeways cross it in different direc- 
 tions, and there are many small temples or rest- 
 houses at various points; and, if I remember 
 rightly, there are several eating-houses or refec- 
 tories for the accommodation of pleasure-seekers. 
 Towards evening many of the rich families from 
 the city come out for a row on the lake. There 
 is a kind of boat nicely adapted to such purposes, 
 having a roof and closed Venetians, so that fe- 
 males within may see without being seen. It is 
 a pretty sight, these flat-bottomed boats gliding 
 here and there, bright eyes peeping through the 
 lattice, and the sound of merry voices showing 
 that even Chinese ladies sometimes have happy 
 hearts, and are fond of innocent amusements. 
 
 When Mr. Nevius first visited Hang-chow he 
 was in company with Dr. Bradley, U. S. Consul 
 at Ningpo, and Mr. Russell, of the Church of 
 England Mission. It was at a time when for- 
 
FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 133 
 
 eigners but seldom penetrated so far into the in- 
 terior; and perhaps a little spice of novelty and 
 insecurity rather added to than detracted from 
 the pleasure of the trip. They were one day 
 visiting some place of interest in the neighbor- 
 hood of Si-wu, when they suddenly found them- 
 selves face to face with a party of Mandarins 
 who had come out for a row on the lake. The 
 officers seemed much startled, and not quite 
 pleased with the encounter; and afterwards it 
 was found impossible to obtain any services from 
 th# natives, who evidently were much in awe of 
 the magistrates. The gentlemen, moreover, were 
 the objects of constant surveillance, one of the 
 ya-mun underlings following them like a shadow. 
 [Ya-mun is the name given to the officials' resi- 
 dences.] At last, from necessity they requested 
 this individual to procure them a boat in which 
 to return to Ningpo. He did so very willingly, 
 and they started for home. To their annoyance 
 he took them directly to a ya-mun within the 
 city, where they were detained a long while; 
 and it was not until after most tedious delays, 
 and they had begun to realize the fact that they 
 were virtually prisoners, that they were for- 
 warded on their journey. The officers were not 
 aware that they were treating thus unceremoni- 
 
134 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 ously a representative of the government of the 
 "country of the flowery flag," as Dr. Bradley 
 was travelling strictly incognito. The gentlemen 
 were amused, and I suspect somewhat vexed, to 
 find, one morning, that they had as travelling 
 companions a boat-load of criminals in chains, 
 who were being carried from one city to another. 
 After submitting to the annoyance of being 
 transported at government expense for about 
 half the distance to Ningpo, they insisted posi- 
 tively upon their escort leaving them ; and, after 
 much demurring on the part of the officers, t^ey 
 were allowed to proceed by themselves. On 
 this tour Mr. Russell and my husband had but 
 little opportunity for preaching, but they made 
 careful observations of Hang-chow, and its vicin- 
 ity, and were convinced that it was a most im- 
 portant centre for missionary operations, and 
 ought to be occupied as soon as possible. 
 
 It was no small trial to both Mr. Nevius and 
 myself to think of leaving Ningpo. The work 
 there was in a most interesting stage of progress ; 
 and the pleasant circle of foreign friends gave 
 it no small attraction as a place of residence. 
 But when a missionary has already made the 
 greater sacrifice of leaving his native land, and 
 the fond ties that bind him there, he is seldom 
 
FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 135 
 
 unwilling to submit to other privations, if the 
 cause of Christ seems to demand it. 
 
 In the latter part of February my husband 
 again visited Hang-chow, and while there, was 
 the guest of Mr. Burdon, a missionary of the 
 Church of England, whom he found spending 
 some time in a boat without the city walls. 
 During his visit, with the aid of our Ningpo 
 assistants, they succeeded in hiring some apart- 
 ments connected with a temple in the city, to 
 which Mr. Burdon at once removed. In one of 
 the suburbs about four miles distant from the 
 city wall, my husband was so fortunate as to 
 find a place to which he thought he might safely 
 take me. It was an old monastery, and the 
 rooms he engaged were small and dark, but he 
 was glad to secure them until he could find bet- 
 ter ones. Having completed the arrangements, 
 he came home to Ningpo to spend a few days, 
 and on the fourth of April we started together 
 for Hang-chow. 
 
 We left home about nine o'clock in the morn- 
 ing, and, favored by both wind and tide, at even- 
 ing were within a few miles of the city of Yu- 
 yiao, where we have now a prosperous out-station. 
 While obliged to lie at anchor several hours 
 waiting a change of tide, the sight of a high hill 
 

 136 OUR LIFE IN CHINA, 
 
 not far off tempted Mr. Nevius to take a run on 
 shore. Having been ferried over a branch of 
 the river which intercepted his path, he made 
 his way up to the summit of the hill, where there 
 was a house, which in the dim twilight he mis- 
 took for a Buddhist temple. It proved to be a 
 farmer's dwelling, and its inmates were not a 
 little startled by the sudden apparition of a 
 "red-haired man," as foreigners are usually 
 called. However, finding he could speak their 
 language, and had evidently come with peaceful 
 intent, they soon became composed, and enjoyed 
 his visit greatly ; considering it as entertaining 
 an episode in their uneventful life as a visit 
 from a Chinese Mandarin, or Japanese " Tom- 
 my" would seem, in a quiet farmer's family in 
 America. When he reached the stream, on his 
 return to the boat, he found that the ferryman 
 who had promised to await him had already 
 gone. It was dark, and there were no other 
 boats near. When he attempted to get back by 
 a circuitous route, his progress was constantly 
 impeded by little canals and ditches. After 
 wandering about until his patience was almost 
 exhausted, he saw a light glimmering in the 
 distance, and guided by that he soon reached a 
 little hamlet. Here a good-natured man kindly 
 
FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 137 
 
 ferried him across the river and piloted him to 
 our boat, a' distance of two or three miles. Such 
 instances of true politeness are by no means un- 
 common among the Chinese. 
 
 On the evening of this day we were in some 
 danger from pirates. Even the rivers of China 
 are infested by small piratical craft ; and it is a 
 sad fact that many of these, like the larger 
 vessels of the same class on the coast, are in 
 command of dissolute foreign sailors. Our boat- 
 men were much alarmed by the report that a 
 boat farther up the river had been attacked and 
 plundered, and several persons either killed or 
 wounded. On this account a large number of 
 passenger-boats started in company, and we thus 
 passed safely through the danger. 
 
 We spent part of the next day at San-poh, our 
 new out-station. 
 
 On the morning of the 6th of April we 
 crossed the Tsao-wo River, a stream of consider- 
 able size, which empties into Hang-chow Bay. 
 We had much difficulty in securing boats in the 
 canal on the opposite side, as nearly all had been 
 impressed into government service for the pur- 
 pose of carrying troops to a neighboring city 
 which was in rebellion. This canal, between the 
 Tsao-wo and Tsin-tang Rivers, is the finest one I 
 
138 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 have ever seen. It is very broad, the water is 
 deep, and its banks are much pleasanter than 
 those of many of the rivers on the plains. 
 Just before dark we reached Shao-hying, a 
 large and flourishing city containing about 
 eight hundred thousand inhabitants. It would 
 have been our shortest route to have gone from 
 here directly to Siao-san, a city opposite Hang- 
 chow, on the Tsin-tang River ; but in order to 
 avoid the more public thoroughfare, and a very 
 inconvenient land carriage, we chose to leave the 
 main canal, and take one which, branching off 
 towards the south, would bring us to a point 
 fifteen miles above the city, on the opposite bank 
 of the river. 
 
 After leaving Shao-hying, our route was 
 entirely uninteresting. The weather was bad, 
 our boat a poor one, and we were not sorry when, 
 at about dusk the next evening, we reached Nyi- 
 gyiao, the terminus of the canal. This is an un- 
 walled town of no great importance, and, as I 
 remember it, without the least beauty of any sort. 
 Here the people were much startled by our ap- 
 pearance, and afraid to have anything to do with 
 us. We had such difficulty in getting a boat 
 to take us down the river, that we were glad to 
 secure one of the very poorest sort, even at an 
 
FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 139 
 
 exorbitant price. It was covered by a coarse 
 bamboo matting, supported by a pole in the 
 centre ; some rough rails covered the bottom ; it 
 had no window nor doors ; in fact, no divisions 
 nor partitions from stem to stern. We impro- 
 vised screens by hanging up shawls and bed- 
 quilts, and managed with some difficulty to put 
 up our travelling bedstead in such a position that 
 we imagined we might be sheltered from the rain 
 and wind, at least in a measure. But we had 
 not much sooner lain down to sleep than the rain 
 forced its way through the matting and poured 
 over our bed. The bed was moved to a drier 
 spot, and again we essayed to sleep ; and again 
 the relentless rain pursued and found us. 
 Several times, through the course of the night, 
 we were obliged to repeat the same operation . We 
 had not rain alone to contend with, but the wind 
 whistled through every crevice, and swayed our 
 temporary partitions in a most threatening man- 
 ner. I had drawn a warm hood tightly over my 
 head, and — shall I tell it? — had also prevailed 
 upon my husband to allow me to envelop his 
 head in an old sun-bonnet, which I happened 
 to have with me. He yielded under protest; 
 but I believe he owed to it his escape from ill 
 effects consequent upon such exposure. 
 

 140 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 We were very glad when the morning dawned, 
 and this most uncomfortable night was only a 
 thing of the past. The morning was as charm- 
 ing as the night had been unpleasant. The 
 storm w^s over, the sun shone brightly, and we 
 were gliding rapidly down the Tsin-tang River, 
 and approaching the end of our journey. "Wc 
 reached Loh-o-tah about ten in the forenoon. 
 I was delighted with it. Though the monastery 
 is small and going to decay, its situation is love- 
 ly. It stands on the bank of the river, and is 
 shaded by immense camphor-trees, and though 
 but a short distance from a busy suburb, it is 
 most quiet and retired. Mr. Nevius, on a pre- 
 vious visit, had made an arrangement with the 
 abbot for accommodations for himself and me ; 
 but I think the old priest had hoped I might not 
 actually come. However, he allowed us to take 
 our rooms, and we spent the morning in arrang- 
 ing them. 
 
 The chief attraction of the place is the lofty 
 pagoda, at the foot of which the monastery stands. 
 Loh-o-tah [or Loh-o pagoda] is indeed a most in- 
 teresting object. It was built more than a thou- 
 sand years ago. It has seven stories, and on 
 each story are eight windows. It is octagonal in 
 form, and over two hundred feet high. The 
 
FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 141 
 
 diameter of its base is about seventy feet ; and 
 its outer walls are twelve feet in thickness. It 
 is built of large well-burnt bricks, which have 
 stood the storms of centuries, and are still in a 
 good state of preservation. It had formerly 
 steps, and a balustrade leading from the bottom 
 to the top on the outside ; but these have been 
 quite destroyed by repeated strokes of lightning, 
 and now it can only be ascended by the stairway 
 on the inside. This tower was built in con- 
 sequence of a superstitious notion that it would 
 protect the bank from the encroachments of the 
 river, by offering resistance to a remarkable tidal 
 wave, which sweeps up the river with almost 
 resistless impetuosity. 
 
 It happened that on the day of our arrival at 
 Loh-o-tah there were crowds of worshippers; 
 many of whom remained throughout the night, 
 chanting, beating drums, and making prostrations. 
 I noticed that the women here seemed particular- 
 ly devout. They would kneel before the idols, 
 and strike their foreheads upon the floor with 
 such force as to produce a hollow sound, which 
 we could hear distinctly where we were standing, 
 twenty or thirty feet distant. After dark the 
 pagoda was illuminated, and nothing could be 
 
142 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 more beautiful than the appearance it then pre« 
 sented. 
 
 The next day Mr. Burdon, who was still 
 living in the city, came out to pass the day with 
 us. At evening we accompanied him some dis- 
 tance on his return, and, on our way home, 
 visited a Tauist temple, called Uh-hwang Miao, 
 which crowns the summit of a hill. We met 
 here an old Ningpo man, whose case was some- 
 what peculiar. He had brought to this temple 
 all his little property, the earnings of a lifetime, 
 and in exchange was allowed to spend the rem- 
 nant of his days within its sacred precincts. 
 He had two small rooms, or closets, in one of 
 which he slept, and the other he had made an 
 oratory, where, kneeling before a picture of his 
 god, he spent much of his time muttering prayers, 
 and counting his beads, and frequently kneeling, 
 and knocking his forehead in the way I have 
 mentioned when alluding to women's worship in 
 the temples. By the way, we found this devotee, 
 though an inmate of a Tauist temple, worship- 
 ping a Buddhist deity, without apparently sup- 
 posing there could be any inconsistency in so 
 doing. He had gone through with the performance 
 called keh-teo, or knocking the head, so often., 
 that it had raised a large callous protuberance 
 

 FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 143 
 
 on his forehead. He was a neatly dressed, cheery 
 old man, whose white flowing beard and vener- 
 able appearance, interested us much. My hus- 
 band spoke to him of the better way, and be- 
 sought him to believe in Jesus, whose blood 
 alone could cleanse his heart, and gain him 
 those eternal blessings for which he longed. He 
 listened respectfully, but we had no reason to 
 think he apprehended very clearly the wonder- 
 ful truths which he then heard for the first time. 
 Poor old man, so near the eternal world, yet so 
 misguided, so deluded ! 
 
 While staying at the Loh-o monastery we had 
 crowds of visitors. It was the season of the year 
 particularly devoted to worship in the temples, 
 which were thronged with both men and women 
 as I had never seen them in Ningpo. Many of 
 the women coming to our temple, hearing of the 
 foreign lady sojourning there, and actuated by 
 curiosity alone, would desire to see me. Among 
 those who requested an interview was the wife of 
 the highest officer in the province. I have al- 
 ways regretted that I happened to be so situated 
 at the time of her visit as not to be able to re- 
 ceive her. 
 
 One day Mr. Burdon, Mr. Nevius, and my- 
 self visited several temples situated within a few 
 
144 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 miles of Loh-o-tah. It was a day which I can- 
 not forget. I never, either before or since, saw 
 anything like the multitudes of worshippers who 
 were wending their way towards the different 
 monasteries. One scene, in particular, burned 
 itself into my memory. As alms-giving is con- 
 sidered peculiarly meritorious by votaries of the 
 Buddhist sect, the well-known fact is taken ad- 
 vantage of by beggars from all parts of the 
 country ; and when the pilgrims approach their 
 sacred places they find themselves besieged by a 
 motley crowd of as wretched a class of human 
 beings as this world affords. Blind and lame, 
 sick or starving, some crawling along the ground, 
 some running and leaping, they constantly placed 
 themselves in such positions that we could not 
 possibly avoid seeing them. Sick and horror- 
 struck at the sight of some poor creature with a 
 foot or a hand actually eaten off by disease, we 
 would turn away, and our eyes would fall upon 
 some monstrous deformity, or heart-rending suf- 
 ferer. I had never even imagined such a loath- 
 some spectacle as that of the beggars, as they 
 lined the way for a long distance before the en- 
 trance to the Tien-choh temple. They resorted 
 to all sorts of expedients to gain the attention of 
 passers-by, and to secure their alms. Some be- 
 
FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 145 
 
 sought us, in a plaintive, sorrowful tone, hard to 
 resist, to pity and help them ; others demanded 
 our assistance in a most peremptory manner, 
 with loud and boisterous voices. Some assumed 
 an air of great sanctity, and, while they chanted 
 their prayers, held out their hands to receive the 
 " cash," which they did not doubt such extreme 
 piety would extract even from " hearts of stone ; " 
 while others, quite as sensible, had taught their 
 little dogs to kneel and hold a cash-basket sus- 
 pended from their mouths, in which to collect 
 the gifts of the charitable. It would have been 
 easy to spend a fortune on these poor mendi- 
 cants; but, having left home without expecting 
 such demands, we had taken very few "cash," 
 and thus I fear earned the reputation of being 
 less kindly disposed than we really were. 
 
 While at Tien-choh-z, the gentlemen at- 
 tempted a short address to the people assembled 
 in one of the courts. But a young and intelli- 
 gent-looking priest came out, and, with a very 
 excited and indignant manner, requested us to 
 leave ; saying, with some reason, that, if the for- 
 eigners did not themselves believe in that kind 
 of worship, they had no right to interrupt such 
 as did. 
 
 On leaving Tien-choh-z, we went to another 
 10 
 
146 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 very pretty monastery, called Yuih-ling. Here 
 we met an individual who I think deserved the 
 name of "fop." He was an exquisite, who 
 evidently rested in the idea that the clay from 
 which he was moulded was very different from that 
 of ordinary mortals. He certainly admired him- 
 self unboundedly. A servant stood constantly 
 at his side, and, every moment or two, refilled or 
 adjusted his tobacco water-pipe, and held it while 
 his master smoked. This gentleman had a re- 
 markable fondness for watches, having three on 
 his person, one or two of which were suspended 
 in conspicuous positions on the outside of his 
 garments. We had been introduced to him but 
 a few moments, when in an adroit way he turned 
 the conversation to the subject of watches. As 
 ours were out of sight, I think he half suspected 
 we had none. I presume he regarded even me 
 with some degree of respect when he found that I, 
 also, carried a time-piece. 
 
 Before returning home we visited a Buddhist 
 monastery, which has since been destroyed by 
 the rebels. It was near the city walls, and was 
 much frequented by the citizens. It had an im- 
 mense hall containing five hundred idols. They 
 were in size somewhat larger than a very large 
 man, and each stood or sat upon a high pedes- 
 
FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 147 
 
 tal. The j were, as works of art, much better 
 executed than is common in Chinese temples, 
 and must have cost enormous sums of money. 
 A visit to this hall seemed something like going 
 to see a collection of statuary. 
 
 There was at this monastery a well, which 
 had a strange story connected with it. It is so 
 thoroughly Chinese, that I must try to recall 
 it. There was, many years ago, — how many I 
 know not, — at this Tsing-z monastery, a monk, 
 so holy and devout, that to him the gods vouch- 
 safed miraculous gifts, and such a degree of dis- 
 cernment of spirit, good and evil, as has rarely 
 been possessed by mortals. One day this holy 
 man saw a fair young maiden, with downcast 
 eyes, and modest demeanor, entering the sacred 
 portals. Reverently she approached an idol 
 shrine, as if to worship. But no sooner had the 
 eyes of the monk rested upon her than he de- 
 tected her true character. She was an incarna- 
 tion of the fire-god; and, notwithstanding her 
 grace and beauty, her presence boded ill to the 
 temple. Consternation and dismay spread 
 through the monastery. A few days later their 
 worst fears were realized, and the original Tsing-z 
 was burned to the ground. ' ' Be comforted, dear 
 brothers," said the holy monk above mentioned, 
 
148 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 " What can this fellow 
 "He is mad," said others. 
 
 "your temple shall speedily be rebuilt. I my- 
 self must leave you for a time ; but on such a 
 day I wish you to go to the well, which is in 
 the south-east corner of the central court, and 
 draw from it the. materials you will certainly 
 find there. He forthwith departed, and, on reach- 
 ing an immense forest in the province of Fuh- 
 kien, several hundred miles distant, he began to 
 cut down trees, and throw them in a well which 
 was near at hand, 
 mean? " said some. 
 But, paying no attention to these malicious re- 
 marks, he continued his labors. The brethren 
 at Tsing-z, obedient to his command, proceeded, 
 at the time appointed, to the well, and found 
 most beautiful timbers waiting to be drawn out. 
 They worked night and day, but could not ex- 
 haust the store. For every one removed another 
 took its place, until, worn out with fatigue, they 
 began to murmur. "I would there were no 
 more ! " exclaimed one tired laborer, as he was 
 striving to raise a log of unusual size and beauty. 
 No sooner were the words uttered, than he felt 
 his burden become immovable ; and not the strength 
 of all the brothers combined could stir it. And 
 there it remains to this day, proof positive of the 
 truth of the story. A priest is always in attend- 
 
FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 149 
 
 ance who, for a small fee, lowers a lamp down to 
 the edge of the water, and reveals the mysteri- 
 ous object. We ourselves saw it. How it was 
 conveyed from distant Fuchow to its present po- 
 sition is inexplicable, except on the supposi- 
 tion of an underground canal. It is truly re- 
 markable that such a silly story can be credited 
 by any one ; but I think it is at least partially 
 believed by great numbers. 
 
 I fear an account of so many temples may 
 prove tedious ; but I wish to speak of just one 
 more, which we visited a few days later. It 
 is the Yuing-si monastery, situated among the 
 hills, several miles from Hang-chow. It is more 
 like a " fashionable watering-place " in Western 
 lands than anything I have elsewhere seen in 
 China. It does not exhibit the evidences of de- 
 cline so common in many similar institutions. 
 On the contrary, judging from the number and 
 character of the worshippers present on the day 
 of our visit, it must be as flourishing as ever. 
 Behind the large buildings devoted to the idols 
 are numerous apartments occupied by the monks, 
 of whom there were in all five hundred, and by 
 guests sojourning there. I made the acquaint- 
 ance of several very interesting ladies from the 
 city of Su-chow. They, in company with other 
 
150 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 members of their family, were spending some 
 time during the spring at Yuing-si, employing 
 themselves either in acts of worship, or in social 
 intercourse with others of their own class, who 
 were there for the same object. These ladies 
 were elegantly dressed, and had much ease and 
 suavity of manner. We mutually enjoyed our 
 short interview, and parted with the hope of 
 meeting at some future time. The courts and 
 corridors of ,this immense establishment were so 
 numerous and intricate that I could never have 
 found my way through them without a guide. 
 Nearly all the rooms on the second floor were 
 used as dormitories for the priests, or for the 
 numerous guests. In some of these rooms we no- 
 ticed a most unusual article of furniture in Chi- 
 nese houses, namely, a bathing-tub. The kitchen 
 and dining-room were necessarily on a most ex- 
 tensive scale. The former contained numbers 
 of those immense iron kettles, which I have before 
 alluded to, filled with rice and vegetables boiling 
 for dinner. After leaving the temple, as we 
 were passing through a long, winding avenue of 
 pine and bamboo, we met some boys with a few 
 pretty gray squirrels, which they wished us to 
 buy, — not to carry away with us, but to set free 
 again, in order to acquire merit, which is sup- 
 
FIRST VISif TO HANG-CHOW. 151 
 
 posed to accrue from the practice called " fang- 
 seng" (letting go alive). A little further on a 
 long, large snake was offered us for the same 
 purpose. 
 
 We were then on our way to visit an institu- 
 tion such as can be found, I presume, nowhere 
 but in China, and very seldom even there. It 
 was an "Asylum for Animals," connected with 
 the monastery we had just left. Horses and 
 donkeys, buffaloes and oxen, sheep and pigs, 
 with numbers of fowls of every sort, are brought 
 to this place, in order to secure merit by so doing. 
 It is supposed that animals which live and die 
 under the fostering influence of so holy an in- 
 stitution as the Yuing-si monastery are in a fair 
 way to rise high in the .scale of existence in 
 another state. It is then only natural that 
 many a favorite old animal is thus given a friendly 
 shove by those whom it has served faithfully in 
 the past. But in many cases I imagine that no 
 motive of affection has room for operation. In 
 one apartment were numbers of pigs, in another 
 several bullocks and buffaloes, in another were 
 quantities of chickens and geese. The latter, 
 with a few donkeys, seemed to be the musicians 
 of the establishment. This was not at all an 
 agreeable place to visit, and we remained but a 
 
1 52 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 few moments. A little distance from the asy- 
 lum is the animals' burying-place, — a deep pit. 
 with a high wall round it. 
 
 A few days after our expedition to the Yuing- 
 si monastery, my husband received a visit from a 
 high military officer. He was passing our tem- 
 ple with a large detachment of troops to encamp 
 in the neighborhood, and, hearing of Mr. Nevius' 
 presence, called to see him. He was very polite 
 and affable, and, having had a slight acquaintance 
 with foreigners at the open ports, was compara- 
 tively well informed concerning Western lands. 
 When my husband returned his visit, he was re- 
 ceived with great ceremony, — a line of soldiers 
 being drawn up on each side of the walk from the 
 outer court to the reception-room, where the 
 ta-jin [great man] was seated. He was exceed- 
 ingly cordial, and they conversed for an hour on 
 a variety of subjects, such as foreign customs 
 and manners, ships, houses, agriculture, and fire- 
 arms. Much also was said in explanation of the 
 Christian religion, and the object of our work in 
 China. Tea and tiffin were brought in, as a 
 matter of course. 
 
 When my husband came home from the city 
 that evening, he brought me a piece of news for 
 which I was not at all prepared. After leaving 
 
FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 153 
 
 the ya-mun, he visited an old Tauist temple on 
 the Ts-yiang-san, — the highest hill within the 
 city walls. To his surprise, when he suggested 
 to the old priest in charge to rent us a few 
 rooms in one end of the temple, his offer was ac- 
 cepted. Realizing the importance of such a step, 
 and how much depended upon it [for a foreign 
 lady had never before lived at Hang-chow, and it 
 was very doubtful whether it would be per- 
 mitted], it was not until we had spent a day or 
 two in serious deliberation, and prayer for guid- 
 ance, that we came to a final decision upon it. 
 Then, without further delay, we moved very 
 quietly to 6ur new quarters. Our few articles 
 of furniture were carried in by coolies. I went 
 in a closed sedan, in order to avoid observation, 
 and Mr. Nevius rode the pony. A few curious 
 glances, from persons whom we met, made me 
 aware that I was noticed as a foreigner ; but we 
 reached our new home without the least moles- 
 tation. Mr. Burdon had sometime since been 
 obliged to return to Shanghai, so that we were 
 quite alone, there being no other foreigners 
 nearer than Ningpo and Shanghai. The Tauist 
 temple, of which, as I have said, our rooms were 
 a part, was a forlorn old building, but its sit- 
 uation was most charming. Although only a 
 
154 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 few moments' walk from some of the most popu- 
 lous parts of the city, it was as quiet as the 
 country. It stood on almost the highest point 
 of the hill, and commanded an extended view. 
 Below us lay the city, spread out like a map, with 
 streets and alleys branching in every direction, 
 and beyond it flowed the broad Tsin-Tang River, 
 with blue hills bounding the horizon in the dis- 
 tance. Our presence becoming known, we began 
 to receive visits from many of the common people, 
 and also from persons connected with the ya- 
 muns. These were invariably respectful, but 
 they seemed to find it difficult to understand the 
 motive which had brought us there, or by what 
 authority we had ventured to settle among 
 them. 
 
 Some of our Chinese friends suggested that, if 
 we should follow the native custom, and pay our 
 respects to those in authority, our position would 
 be less doubtful in the eyes of the people. At 
 this time Mr. Culbertson and Mr. Gayley of 
 Shanghai happened to pay us a visit. They were 
 delighted with Hang-chow, and the prospects 
 of our mission. Fully agreeing with Mr. Ne- 
 vius in the expediency of the plan mentioned 
 above, they accompanied him on a long round of 
 visits. The day previous they sent their cards, 
 
FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 155 
 
 and in every case, with one exception, an answer 
 was returned signifying pleasure at the proposed 
 interview. Hang-chow, being the capital of the 
 province, has a large number of officers of vari- 
 ous grades residing there, and it would have been 
 an endless task to visit all; so the gentle- 
 men selected only those in high positions. The 
 reception was all that could have been desired. 
 One of the chief officers asked a great many 
 questions, seeming particularly curious about our 
 religion and our native converts. " How much 
 money do you spend in the course of the year ? 
 Do you pay the Chinese for becoming Christians, 
 and if so, how much ? Do you keep a record of 
 the names of the converts ? How do you know 
 that when you have their names you have also 
 their hearts ? " he asked ; and also whether there 
 were any Christians in Hang-chow. These ques- 
 tions were seriously asked, and not at all in a 
 facetious spirit. He evidently desired infor- 
 mation upon those subjects of which he was natu- 
 rally ignorant. The provincial governor alone 
 did not return the visit in person, but, as is com- 
 mon, sent an inferior officer with his card the 
 same day. On the following morning our Shang- 
 hai friends left us, and my husband made the 
 remaining official calls by himself. Before he 
 
156 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 had completed his tour of the ya-muns, the officers 
 began to arrive to return his visits. As I was 
 only " the mean woman of the inner apartment," 
 as these grand gentlemen are wont to style 
 their wives, it was not to be thought of that in 
 my husband's absence I should venture to en- 
 tertain his guests; therefore they only left their 
 cards and departed. Towards evening, after Mr. 
 Nevius' return, he received the supreme judge, 
 who sat a long while, and conversed very affably. 
 He inquired if we were acting by the authority 
 and consent of our king, in thus coming to live 
 in Hang-chow. These numerous interviews with 
 educated men — of course I mean educated in a 
 Chinese sense — gave an opportunity to impart 
 much information concerning our objects in com- 
 ing to China, the Christian religion, and other 
 important matters ; and the result was very fa- 
 vorable in many ways. 
 
 Our position became more comfortable, and 
 numbers of the citizens came daily to visit us. 
 As I was careful to avoid unnecessarily infring- 
 ing Chinese rules of etiquette, whenever guests 
 were announced I withdrew to my proper place, 
 "the inner apartments." Between the two 
 rooms was a lattice with only a paper covering, 
 and I used to avail myself of a slight aperture 
 
FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 157 
 
 in the screen to get a glimpse of the " lords of 
 creation," as they sat conversing without. In 
 this I was only conforming to a Chinese cus- 
 tom. I have often heard my husband and 
 other gentlemen remark that, when visiting Chi- 
 nese friends, they were frequently attracted by 
 a slight rustling at the lattice, and, glancing 
 towards it, would see a row of bright black eyes 
 gazing upon them through holes punched in the 
 paper. 
 
 We were fortunate in having with us a ser- 
 vant, who, from long connection with ya-muns, 
 was perfectly accustomed to the required eti- 
 quette in intercourse with officials, and indeed 
 with visitors of all sorts. This was Hyiao-fong, — 
 a man who has since given us great anxiety and 
 trouble, but who for years was a most faithful 
 and attached servant. We can but hope that, 
 though he has wandered far, and brought dis- 
 grace upon his Christian profession, he will yet 
 be brought to repentance, and be found among 
 Christ's own at his appearing. 
 
 I had not as many female visitors, while living 
 within the city, as at Loh-o-tah ; still there were 
 a few each day. On one occasion, hearing that 
 guests were awaiting me in the parlor, I went 
 in to see them, and, in a moment, to my utter 
 
158 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 astonishment, found myself surrounded by seven 
 or eight women, all on their knees, going 
 through the ceremony of " knocking heads." 
 Not accustomed to being an object of adoration, 
 and, in fact, feeling somewhat confused by this 
 demonstration, I fear I was almost too peremp- 
 tory in my manner, as I begged them to rise, 
 explaining that our customs scarcely allowed 
 that peculiar mode of salutation. These women 
 were the servants of an officer's wife, and had 
 been sent by their mistress to pay her respects, 
 by proxy, to the foreign lady, with the request 
 that I would return the visit, at her residence. 
 I fully intended to do so, but was prevented by 
 causes which I could not control. 
 
 Besides Mr. Culbertson and Mr. Gayley al- 
 ready mentioned, we had at different times the 
 pleasure of seeing Mr. and Mrs. Reuben Lowrie, 
 and Mr. and Mrs. John, of Shanghai ; the former 
 spent a few hours with us at the Loh-o-tah, the 
 latter at our home in the city. None of our 
 Ningpo friends visited Hang-chow while we 
 were there ; but we received frequent letters and 
 tokens of kind remembrance. 
 
 One day, while calling upon a certain manda- 
 rin Mr. Nevius chanced to remark that the fla- 
 vor of the tea he was drinking was peculiarly 
 
FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 159 
 
 fine. No sooner were the words uttered than the 
 officer replied, "I shall give myself the pleasure 
 of presenting you some." And, sure enough, in 
 the course of a day or two a box of the same 
 sort was brought us, with the officer's compli- 
 ments. Now this seems a very trifling thing ; 
 but, in fact, it was only the beginning of a rather 
 onerous exchange of courtesies. When the offi- 
 cer was calling in person a few days later, he es- 
 pied a common lithograph, — which, by the way, 
 Mr. Nevius had placed in a somewhat conspicu- 
 ous position, hoping it might take the fancy of 
 his expected guest, as it did ; and, upon his ex- 
 pressing his admiration of the picture, he was at 
 once told that he must accept it as a present. 
 It was now his turn to feel that he had been 
 somewhat too indiscreet in his praises ; but he 
 took the picture, and we would have been glad 
 if that had been the end of it. But no ; soon 
 after he left, an inferior officer arrived from his 
 ya-mun, bringing with him two coolies, who 
 carried between them a burden consisting of six 
 hams, and eight boxes of very choice tea. We 
 would gladly have declined the proffered gift, 
 but the messenger insisted upon leaving it, say- 
 ing that his master would be much oflended 
 and very indignant should any part of it be re- 
 

 160 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 turned. In the then state of our affairs, Mr. Ne- 
 vius thought it best to accept the civility, though 
 well aware that one object of such unbounded 
 generosity was to secure some valuable foreign 
 article in return. In accordance with the Chi- 
 nese custom, he presented the messenger and 
 the coolies each a sum of money, and returned 
 with his thanks the message that, " as soon as he 
 could obtain it from Shanghai, he should present 
 the ta-jen, with a spy-glass, as an insignificant 
 token of his appreciation of his distinguished re- 
 gard." In due time the spy-glass arrived, and 
 was presented as had been promised. 
 
 After the interchange of visits with the offi- 
 cers, we met with only respectful treatment from 
 all classes ; and, from our pleasant experience in 
 Hang-chow, we felt more than ever its desirable- 
 ness as a missionary station. We were obliged 
 to go to Ningpo for a time ; but before leaving 
 made arrangements to come back in the course 
 of a few weeks, to take up our abode perma- 
 nently. Our rooms, having no glass windows, 
 and being in every way much dilapidated, needed 
 many repairs, and Mr. Wong, the owner of the 
 temple, willingly consented that we should make 
 any alterations in our part of the house which 
 we thought necessary. This Mr. Wong was a 
 
FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 161 
 
 very singular character. Though a direct de- 
 scendant of one of the gods of our temple, he 
 was not in any respect godlike ; in fact he was 
 such a "Jack Falstaff" in looks and character, 
 that we often gave him that name when speaking 
 of him. On his first visit he assumed a de- 
 cidedly superior manner, as became a person of 
 such exalted lineage ; but after conversing for a 
 short time he seemed to find the assumption of 
 such dignity too fatiguing, and became both more 
 natural and more agreeable. When we left for 
 Ningpo he, together with a crowd of two or 
 three hundred persons, came to see us off. 
 
 Our journey back to Ningpo was not particu- 
 larly eventful. One night I had a somewhat 
 unpleasant experience. In consequence of over- 
 fatigue I became very ill. When we arrived at 
 a place where we were obliged to leave one boat, 
 and walk some little distance to another, I was 
 quite unable to undertake the exertion, and, as 
 we could not at that hour of night procure a 
 chair and chair-bearers, my kind husband took 
 me in his strong arms and carried me himself. 
 When we reached the other side, we found the 
 canal so low that the usual boats were not there, 
 but had been obliged to lie in deeper water 
 several miles distant. Mr. Nevius could find 
 11 
 
162 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 only a very small and dirty boat, in the bottom 
 of which we spread our mattress, so that I need 
 not be obliged to sit up, and were soon again in 
 motion. Violent pain, distressing nausea, a 
 filthy boat, and a dark, rainy night, are not very 
 delightful concomitants, but they are neverthe- 
 less very good discipline. 
 
 After remaining a week or two in Ningpo 
 Mr. Nevius returned to Hang-chow to begin re- 
 pairs on our rooms. Our landlord, supposing, 
 from our anxiety to remain in the city, that we 
 would give almost any rent which he chose to 
 demand, became very troublesome, — so much so 
 that Mr. Nevius found rooms in another temple. 
 It was not until he thought he was in danger of 
 losing us altogether that he became more rea- 
 sonable, and consented to a written agreement 
 to lease us the house, for a term of years, at only 
 a fair and just compensation. He was also diffi- 
 cult to please in the contemplated improvements. 
 However, at length carpenters and masons were 
 at work, and the dark, old rooms with a new 
 floor, whitewashed walls, and glass windows, as- 
 sumed a more cheerful appearance. 
 
 Our two native assistants had a comfortable 
 house situated in the heart of the city. It was 
 rented from a gentleman by the name of Vi, 
 
FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 163 
 
 who from the first showed us much kindness. 
 He was so much attached to Mr. Nevius that he 
 requested the privilege of becoming a sort of 
 adopted brother; and, in order to consummate 
 the relationship according to the Chinese cus- 
 tom, he wished us to adopt his little daughter. 
 Under the circumstances we hardly felt at lib- 
 erty to decline the flattering offer. The rela- 
 tion was merely nominal, and did not necessa- 
 rily involve any very important duties ; as the 
 child would remain for the most part with its 
 parents. Our Chinese advisers informed us 
 what would be expected on our part in complet- 
 ing the agreement. The principal feature of 
 the affair was an interchange of presents. I find 
 myself unable to remember of just what these 
 consisted, with one exception : I have still a gar- 
 ment made of some pretty silver-gray silk which 
 Mr. Vi gave me at that time. The little girl 
 was called in Chinese Ts-yuong, but her parents 
 desired that I should give her a new or addition- 
 al name, and I called her Amelia, or, as the na- 
 tives pronounced it, Ah-me-le, after my friend 
 Mrs. Reuben Lowrie, of Shanghai. She spent 
 a good deal of time at our house, and I became 
 much interested in her. She was bright and 
 engaging, and would have been pretty, except 
 
164 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 for a bad scar over her left eye, which gave 
 her a peculiar, and not very pleasant, expression. 
 There was, however, a serious drawback to a very- 
 close intimacy between us, little Amelia having 
 when we first knew her a contagious cutaneous 
 eruption, which , though common in China, is, to 
 say the least, not agreeable. She seemed fond 
 of me, and it was remarkable to notice how nat- 
 urally she adapted herself to her position when 
 with us, not seeming to feel the least dread of 
 the ' ' barbarians ' ' she must formerly have con- 
 sidered us. 
 
 Mr. Vi had once been wealthy ; but, in conse- 
 quence of opium-smoking, and idle and lux- 
 urious habits which it involves, his property was 
 gradually wasting away. Of late, his wife had 
 undertaken the management of their financial 
 concerns, and had given her husband only a lim- 
 ited allowance to spend on his opium. They 
 were both very desirous that he should be cured 
 of his bad habit, and for this purpose he accom- 
 panied Mr. Nevius to Ningpo, and placed him- 
 self under the care of the late Dr. Parker, of the 
 Scotch Presbyterian Mission. A cure was .ef- 
 fected; but unfortunately, like most of his class, 
 his reformation was not permanent, and after a 
 short abstinence he returned to his pipe. 
 
FIRST VISIT TO HANG-CHOW. 165 
 
 The subsequent history of this family was as 
 sad as could well be imagined. When, a year 
 or two later, the Tai-ping rebels captured Hang- 
 chow, they took Mr. and Mrs. Vi and their 
 children, together with many others, prisoners, 
 and drove them before them for some distance. 
 Coming to a canal, they said to poor Mr. Vi, as 
 if it were something for which he had reason to 
 be very grateful, " We'll not kill you ; you can 
 just jump into that canal." It was in vain he 
 plead for his life. They forced him into the 
 water, and each time that he rose to the sur- 
 face, and attempted to regain the shore, stood 
 ready with drawn swords to beat him back, until 
 finally he sank beneath the water. Mrs. Vi 
 they obliged to go with them and act as a servant. 
 She was employed in making over articles of 
 clothing which they had taken from others ; and 
 when, as was often the case, she failed to please, 
 they beat her most cruelly. After a few weeks 
 or months, she and her three little children 
 were allowed to return to her desolate home. 
 At that time we were in another part of the 
 country, and utterly unable to give them assist- 
 ance. It is years since we have had any tidings 
 from them, but I hope hereafter to hear of them, 
 and possibly to see them. None of the Vi fam- 
 
166 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 ily ever expressed interest in Christianity ; their 
 affection for us was entirely personal. 
 
 After Mr. Nevius had succeeded in commenc- 
 ing the repairs on' our house, he arranged mat- 
 ters so that they might safely be left in the 
 hands of the native assistants, and returned to 
 Ningpo. It was always pleasant to get back 
 there. We enjoyed exceedingly meeting our 
 missionary friends, and none the less our native 
 Christians. I have often been asked, " Are the 
 Chinese in the least affectionate? " Could they 
 who doubt it hear our Chinese friends' cordial 
 greetings when we meet them, or witness their 
 tearful farewells at parting, their question would 
 be answered. 
 
TEMPORARY SOJOURN AT HANG-CHOW. 167 
 
 CHAPTER VH. 
 
 TEMPORARY SOJOURN AT HANG-CHOW. 
 
 The favorable reception we had met with on 
 our first visit at Hang-chow seemed sufficient ev- 
 idence of the practicability of missionary families 
 residing there ; and, when we returned the second 
 time, it was with the expectation of making it 
 our home. For this reason it was necessary to 
 carry with us articles for house-keeping. A few 
 vessels were constantly going from Ningpo to 
 Hang-chow by sea, and, although we were aware 
 that that route was not considered quite safe, we 
 thought that, having so much furniture to trans- 
 port, it was better to attempt it than to go by 
 the usual overland journey, which was always 
 fatiguing, and, on account of having so much 
 freight, would also be very expensive. We left 
 Ningpo on Monday, the twenty-seventh of June, 
 at about eleven o'clock in the evening, that 
 being the hour when the tide was favorable. 
 Our boat was a rough, but strong, little craft, 
 
168 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 which, when our tables, chairs, book-cases, etc., 
 had been stowed away in it, was somewhat 
 crowded. The second evening we encountered a 
 fearful gale, and, had not our boatmen been well 
 acquainted with the locality, we might not have 
 weathered it. As it was, we ran on, notwith- 
 standing the storm, until we reached a safe 
 anchorage, where we passed the night. The next 
 forenoon we had sailed only a short distance 
 when we again came to anchor, as the boatmen 
 insisted upon waiting until the next day, when 
 the higher tide would make it safer to pass the 
 shoals which lay just before us in our course. 
 
 At the mouth of the Tsin-tang River occurs 
 the phenomenon of the bore, or tidal wave, seen, 
 I believe, in such a degree, in only two or three 
 other localities. We had heard accounts of it 
 from the natives, but did not realize how fearful 
 it was until we ourselves encountered it. I can- 
 not give a better idea of this part of our trip to 
 Hang-chow than by quoting from my husband's 
 journal of that time, commencing Wednesday, 
 June twenty-ninth. " We are now just outside 
 the point, where the remarkable bore, or tidal 
 wave, commences to form, and the anxiety of the 
 boatmen is excited to an unexpected degree. The 
 danger apprehended is that of striking on the 
 

 TEMPORARY SOJOURN AT HANG-CHOW. 169 
 
 shoals in the midst of the rushing tide, and 
 being overturned and broken to pieces. Our 
 boatmen insisted upon remaining at this place 
 until to-morrow, when the tide, being a little 
 higher, will make the passage more practicable. 
 Our boat has been lying up on the mud all day, 
 and, in order to gain a better shelter from the 
 sun, we have spent several hours in a temple 
 close by. In the cool of the evening we enjoyed 
 a delightful ramble on the brow of the hill above 
 us, where we had a fine view of the bay and the 
 islands which intersperse it. When we returned 
 from our walk we found the boatmen sacrificing 
 to the deities of the place, in order to secure their 
 assistance and protection for our anticipated jour- 
 ney on the morrow. After tea I found them 
 very interested auditors, while I spoke to them of 
 the folly of idolatry, of the power and omnipres- 
 ence of Him who controls all creatures and 
 events, and of salvation through the Redeemer. 
 " Thursday, June 30th. — We were told that 
 one tide would certainly sweep us from Ken-p'u 
 to Hang-chow, but here we are laid up on the 
 mud again, near the village of Ong-ko-bu, 
 about fifty l li ' from our destination. This morn- 
 ing the wind was against us, and the boatmen 
 seemed afraid either to propose to detain us 
 
170 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 another day, or to proceed on our way. Though 
 tbey had already engaged two additional men, 
 who professed to be familiar with the passage, 
 they here hired another man from the shore, 
 supposed to be a still safer pilot. Not far from 
 our last night's anchorage the bay suddenly con- 
 tracts, and the tide, being rapidly forced into a 
 smaller compass, rushes into the channel with 
 great rapidity. When it meets with opposing 
 winds, sharp, angry waves are formed. The pas- 
 sage is interesting and exciting in the extreme. 
 The water in some places foams and boils in a 
 furious manner ; the helmsman watches with 
 eagerness the motions of the pilot, who is taking 
 soundings with his bamboo pole, ready to give 
 the alarm of shoals, and point out the way to 
 avoid them. This route is only practicable at 
 spring tides, and then the water on the bar is 
 not much more than ten feet. Boats come down 
 with the ebb without cargoes, drawing generally 
 only two or three feet. As we lost some of the 
 tide while waiting outside one of the shoals for 
 the water to rise, we found we could not reach 
 Hang-chow, and stopped at this place about three 
 p. M., because it affords a mooring for boats, 
 which is somewhat protected from the bore when 
 it comes in. I have been on shore twice, and 
 

 TEMPORARY SOJOURN AT HANG-CHOW. 171 
 
 made some attempts to talk with the people, 
 which were, however, very unsatisfactory, on 
 account of the difference of our dialects. 
 
 " Friday, July 1st. We have at last reached 
 our destination, and find the place still open to 
 us, and everything in as quiet and favorable a 
 condition as we could have expected. Last night 
 was a time long to be remembered. We waited 
 for the tide until past midnight. Our boat, 
 which was resting quietly on the beach, several 
 feet above low water, was bound to its place by 
 several cables on different sides, as if in antici- 
 pation of some unseen and sudden emergency. 
 About one o'clock we heard a low rumbling 
 sound in the distance, growing louder and louder, 
 and giving sure notice of the approach of the 
 tidal wave. This at spring tide comes in with a 
 crest ten or twelve feet high. About ten min- 
 utes intervened between our first hearing the 
 wave and its appearance. As it came foaming 
 along the shore and passed quickly by us, with 
 its deep, hoarse sound, the scene was exceedingly 
 grand. The water sprang up about us as if by 
 magic, and in an instant our boat was afloat. A 
 few boats in whose company we had expected to 
 start, being more easily worked, loosed from the 
 shore, and were immediately borne out of sight 
 
172 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 by the rapid current. We were soon, however, 
 under way, and were borne along with almost 
 railroad speed. It being nearly morning, I went 
 below to get a little sleep. But a few moments 
 had passed before the pilot, with the sounding 
 stick, gave the alarm of an unexpected shoal. 
 The anchor was dropped with all despatch, to 
 keep us from drifting on it. [A peculiar kind 
 of anchor is used here, and the only one that can 
 be depended on, as any other, native or foreign, 
 will drag.] Running out on deck, I found that 
 our anchor was down and our sails filled, the 
 wind being strong against the tide ; with both 
 these we were barely able to hold our position. 
 There was only about a foot of water under our 
 keel. Our situation was one of great peril. We 
 were in danger, in case the boat struck, of being 
 instantly capsized, especially if it received the 
 force of the current on its side. It was quite 
 dark, but the pilot knew the direction in which 
 the channel was. To sail for it, though the 
 wind was strong and favorable, was out of the 
 question, as the tide took us so much faster than 
 the wind could. The plan adopted was that of 
 raising the anchor a little, so as to let it drag 
 slowly, and turn the helm so as to throw the bow 
 over towards the channel. In this way we worked 
 
TEMPORARY SOJOURN AT HANG-CHOW. 173 
 
 gradually into deeper water, and were soon out 
 of danger. This was a half hour of the most 
 painful suspense. Though I have encountered 
 several storms at sea, I never felt a sense of such 
 imminent danger. The boatmen declared that 
 we were ' saved by a very, very little,' and at- 
 tributed it all to the protection of Jesus. They 
 had evidently, for the time, forgotten their idol- 
 atrous offering." 
 
 The morning after our arrival our boatmen 
 came to see us. They seemed much impressed 
 by our preservation from death the night previ- 
 ous, and said they were sure it must have been 
 owing to the protection of Him to whom they 
 knew we had prayed for help. They told us 
 that they had learned that one of the boats which 
 had been in company with us part of the way 
 had capsized, and several of those on board had 
 been drowned. 
 
 We found the work on our house progressing 
 very well, but, as it was not yet completed, we 
 spent some time in the rooms which Mr. Burdon 
 had formerly occupied in a temple a little further 
 down the hill. As we could bring only a limited 
 supply of food with us from Ningpo, and had few 
 conveniences for cooking, we were very uncom- 
 fortably situated while living in this place. We 
 
174 OUK LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 would not have minded it so much, except that 
 we both suffered in health for the want of some- 
 thing wholesome to eat. Chinese cookery is at 
 all times disagreeable to me, and more especially 
 when I am suffering from loss of appetite, as has 
 often been the case in China. Our kind-hearted 
 servants were much distressed because they could 
 not provide us more tempting food. Their anx- 
 iety one morning exhibited itself in an amusing 
 way. They had only been in our employ a short 
 time, so that allowance should be made for their 
 almost childish simplicity. They were attempt- 
 ing to bake some " flannel cakes " upon a grid- 
 dle, and, in spite of all their efforts, the cakes 
 would adhere to the iron. " What shall we do? 
 Mrs. N. must have something to eat ! " ex- 
 claimed the cook. " Well," replied the other, 
 " we are told that, if we pray even for trifles, God 
 can hear us, and maybe, if we ask him to help 
 us about these cakes, he will do so." Where- 
 upon one went off by himself and proffered his 
 request. When the cakes were brought to the 
 table they certainly were, for some reason or 
 other, a great improvement upon the previous 
 ones. 
 
 It has always been our fortune to have such ex- 
 cellent domestics that I can scarcely sympathize 
 
TEMPORARY SOJOURN AT HANG-CHOW. 175 
 
 with those whose experience has been different. 
 The Chinese accomplish much less work than well- 
 trained foreign servants ; but, bj allowing them 
 to take their own time, and do things in their 
 own way, we need have but little trouble with 
 them. This of course involves the necessity of 
 employing a greater number than is quite con- 
 sistent with our Western ideas, but I think it is 
 the truer economy in the end; as if, for the 
 sake of avoiding expense, or from preference, a 
 lady devotes herself to domestic pursuits, she 
 will of course have but little time or strength for 
 much else. On the other hand, I have known 
 ladies who, with large families of children, and 
 necessarily many domestic cares, by availing 
 themselves of the assistance of the natives, were 
 able to perform a wonderful amount of mission- 
 ary work, without neglect of home duties. 
 Such an one was the late Mrs. Happer, of 
 Canton. 
 
 Before removing to our rooms in the temple 
 on the Ts-yiang hill, two official placards, warn- 
 ing any one against molesting us, were given us 
 by the officers, to be posted on the outside of our 
 door. We were glad to have them, though they 
 seemed hardly needed, as the people were so 
 kindly disposed. We had many visitors, and the 
 
176 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 public services, which had been commenced the 
 first Sabbath after reaching there, were attended 
 by as quiet and orderly an audience as is usual 
 in older stations. Everything had thus far been 
 so favorable that we felt much encouraged, and 
 very thankful that our steps had been directed to 
 such a hopeful and interesting field of usefulness. 
 We were consequently much surprised one even- 
 ing, when we had been there but a short time, 
 to hear that Mr. Wong (the "Jack Falstaff," 
 before mentioned) had been summoned to appear 
 before the authorities, in consequence of his hav- 
 ing rented his house to foreigners. He was 
 questioned as to his connection with us, and 
 seems to have been greatly alarmed, and com- 
 pletely cowed. When an official, in a thunder- 
 ing tone, said to him, " Do you know what de- 
 capitation means?" he meekly replied, "I 
 ought to die." Supposing that merely a hint of 
 such a nature would have the desired effect, 
 Wong was dismissed, with a command to request 
 us to leave Hang-chow. But Wong, who was a 
 strange mixture of temerity and cowardice, of 
 generosity and avarice, influenced probably by a 
 strong desire to receive the rent which we paid for 
 our rooms, urged us to give no attention to the 
 message of the officers. 
 
TEMPORARY SOJOURN AT HANG-CHOW. 177 
 
 We met with no other interference for some 
 time after this, but there were strange rumors 
 afloat all through the city to the effect that there 
 had been a great battle, at the north of China, 
 between the Chinese and foreigners, in which sev- 
 eral English gunboats had been destroyed, and 
 many lives lost. Our servants were constantly 
 urged to leave us, as our countries were at war. 
 We did not know what all this meant, but felt so 
 sure that it could not by any possibility be a fact 
 that the Chinese had gained a victory in a battle 
 with the English, that we gave but little atten- 
 tion to the rumor. One afternoon, about the 
 middle of July, Mr. Nevius came into my room 
 with such a grave and anxious countenance that 
 I knew he must have received bad news. He 
 showed me a letter which had just arrived from 
 Mr. Rankin, at Ningpo, confirming the reports 
 which had reached us from native sources. It 
 appeared from his letter, that the French, Eng- 
 lish, and Americans had all been engaged in the 
 attack upon the Ta-ku forts, and had there suf- 
 fered a disastrous defeat. Our position was now 
 very embarrassing. We were willing to run 
 risks so long as we had the right on our side, but, 
 if our country had been actually at war with 
 
 China, it would have been only folly to re- 
 12 
 
178 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 main where we then were. After earnest 
 prayer for guidance, to Him who says, " Com- 
 mit thy way unto me," we decided that it might 
 be better for us to go either to Shanghai or 
 Ningpo, at least for a time. My husband the 
 same afternoon called upon the Che-hien, but was 
 told that he was " not at home." Not believing 
 this to be true, Mr. Nevius requested to be in- 
 formed just when he could have an interview, as 
 his business was important. Thereupon, a sub- 
 ordinate made his appearance, and, acting evi- 
 dently for his superior, assured him that though 
 we could not be allowed to reside permanently in 
 Hang-chow, if we desired to remain a few days 
 longer, we would not be molested. We felt from 
 the first that it would be better for us, not only 
 on account of our influence, but also for our 
 safety, not to exhibit timidity. Accordingly we 
 went out to ride and walk, just as usual. 
 
 When we returned from a stroll, the evening 
 after receiving the news mentioned above, we 
 found a letter from Mr. Wm. Martin, written at 
 Tien-tsin. He had been a spectator of the at- 
 tack upon the Ta-ku forts by the combined forces 
 of the English and French. We were greatly 
 relieved to find from him that our government 
 was not involved in the difficulties, and that 
 
TEMPORARY SOJOURN AT HANG-CHOW. 179 
 
 though the American treaty had not yet been 
 ratified, it undoubtedly would be within a few 
 days, as the legation was on the point of leav- 
 ing for Pekin, where no difficulty was appre- 
 hended. Feeling that under these circumstan- 
 ces there was no such urgent necessity for our 
 immediate departure, we determined at least to 
 await some further developments. 
 
 The following day, as our family were en- 
 gaged in morning worship, we heard a commo- 
 tion in the court below, and a priest belonging 
 to our temple came rushing in to tell us that Mr. 
 Wong had been seized by five underlings from a 
 ya-mun, and that they were then dragging him 
 oif down the hill. Hereupon, Hyiao-fong went 
 in pursuit, and in a short time he returned in 
 triumph, having rescued Wong. The five 
 " braves " seeing they had been discovered, and 
 probably fearing the foreigner himself might 
 make his appearance, or from some other motive, 
 let go their hold of Wong, and retreated pre- 
 cipitately ya-mun-wards. On the forenoon of 
 this day, Mr. Nevius addressed a letter to the 
 Che-Men, or district magistrate, informing him 
 of the reliable news we had received from Tien- 
 tsin, and expressing the hope that as Americans 
 we might be allowed the privilege of remaining 
 
180 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 in Hang-chow. The same afternoon the supreme 
 judge again called, and we were somewhat en- 
 couraged b y his visit to hope for a continuance 
 of good feeling on the part of the officers. On 
 the morrow, Mr. Nevius received a very polite 
 and carefully worded letter from the district 
 magistrate. He still urged our return to Ning- 
 po as necessary in the present disturbed state 
 of public feeling ; and also upon the ground that 
 by remaining we made him liable to reprimand 
 or punishment from his superiors. He suggested 
 that at another time the question of a permanent 
 residence might be taken under consideration. 
 
 The easiest way of solving our difficulties 
 would have been to yield at once to the 
 wish of the authorities. But there were several 
 important reasons why we did not do so. The 
 officers, by their kindly interchange of civilities 
 a few weeks previous, had given a tacit consent to 
 our residence in Hang-chow. Allowing our- 
 selves to be driven away, when our countries 
 were still on friendly terms, would have had an 
 unfavorable effect upon the people, and would 
 probably have necessitated the return of the na- 
 tive assistants, and the abandonment of our mis- 
 sion. It was likely also that, in case of our ab- 
 sence, all natives who had been connected with 
 

 TEMPORARY SOJOURN AT HANG-CHOW. 181 
 
 us, either as teachers, workmen, or merely friends, 
 would suffer in consequence ; when as yet, with 
 the exception of our landlord Wong, none of 
 them had been interfered with. We were, more- 
 over, hoping to receive favorable news from the 
 north, which would induce oven the officers to 
 be willing to allow us to remain ; while yielding 
 too readily would embolden them to pursue a 
 like course 'in any future attempts to settle 
 among them. The heat of summer was at that 
 time — the latter part of July — intense, and to 
 have made the journey across the country would 
 have been at great risk to health. Mr. Nevius, 
 in reply to the letter of the district magistrate, 
 referred to some of the above-mentioned reasons 
 for our stay, and urged that we might at least 
 be permitted to wait until the weather became 
 cooler, but still offered to leave immediately if 
 they insisted upon it. To this communication 
 no answer was returned, and, construing silence 
 into consent, we decided if possible to remain. 
 
 We received letters from our friends both at 
 Shanghai and Ningpo, fully approving of our 
 course, and expressing the hope that we would 
 not leave unless it should be absolutely necessary 
 to do so. Mr. Wong was a second time arrested, 
 and confined in prison. One day he was called 
 
182 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 before the magistrate and sentenced to be beaten. 
 He begged that the sentence might not be execu- 
 ted, and was graciously granted three days' re- 
 prieve. If, at the end of that time, we should 
 not have left the city, he was told he need ex- 
 pect no further mercy. We received certain 
 significant intimations, from various quarters, 
 that a sum of money would be efficacious, not 
 only in gaining Wong's release, but in amicably 
 arranging our other difficulties. We felt, how- 
 ever, that it would be much better to avoid 
 bribery in every way, and so paid no heed to 
 these suggestions. Zong-foh, a San-poh man, 
 who was with us at that time, occupying a posi- 
 tion between a teacher and a servant, was of 
 much assistance. He used to go almost daily to 
 visit Wong in prison. We were glad to be as- 
 sured that our ease-loving landlord was confined 
 in a comfortable room, outside the common pris- 
 on, and that, as he had a sufficient allowance of 
 good food, his position was by no means as bad 
 as it might have been. He never received the 
 threatened beating. I suppose it was promised 
 him with the hope of intimidating us, as well as 
 of frightening him. Notwithstanding his im- 
 prisonment, he still seemed desirous to have us 
 
TEMPORARY SOJOURN AT HANG-CHOW. 183 
 
 remain, and occasionally sent us messages to that 
 effect. 
 
 It soon became known through the city, that 
 our residence there was against the wishes of the 
 officers. And, most unfortunately for us, there 
 was just then a remarkable excitement all through 
 the country with reference to the coolie trade. 
 This odious traffic had been carried on to some 
 extent at the open ports, and there had no doubt 
 been some cases of kidnapping. But so greatly 
 had the truth been exaggerated, that it was be- 
 lieved by many that foreigners were all impli- 
 cated in the outrage. There was a book printed 
 and distributed broadcast, with the professed 
 object of warning people against the danger of 
 being captured and carried away to a fate even 
 worse than slavery. I cannot attempt an accu- 
 rate resume of this most singular tract ; but, 
 though I may not remember the incidents per- 
 fectly, I am sure that I shall not in the least 
 exaggerate its absurdity. 
 
 The story was somewhat as follows : The 
 writer professed to be a doctor from the prov- 
 ince of Kwang-tong, who, with several hun- 
 dreds of other unfortunates, was kidnapped and 
 carried on board a vessel bound for a foreign 
 land. Their sufferings during the voyage were 
 
184 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 represented as horrible in the extreme, unallevi- 
 ated by a gleam of hope ; for they were all well 
 aware of the fate awaiting them. On arriving 
 at port the captives were consigned to a kind of 
 prison, or pen, in which place they were fed like 
 so many animals fattening for slaughter; and 
 each day a certain number of those who were in 
 the best condition were led out to execution. 
 And what was the object of this heart-rending 
 cruelty ? It was this. The bodies of all those 
 who thus suffered death were, by some mysterious 
 process, known only to the outside barbarians, to 
 be manufactured into opium ! From this fate 
 the author of the tract was saved in the follow- 
 ing manner: A high officer of the "outside 
 country" was taken violently ill ; and his dis- 
 ease baffled the skill of his medical attendants. 
 As he was lying at the point of death, the cap- 
 tive physician said to his jailer, " I am well ac- 
 quainted with his Excellency's malady ; and also 
 with its cure." These words were repeated in 
 the presence of the sick person, who at once 
 commanded the physician to be summoned. He 
 was so entirely successful in his treatment that 
 in a few days the patient was perfectly restored. 
 The doctor was cruelly remanded back to prison, 
 and would have soon been led forth to share the 
 
TEMPORARY SOJOURN AT HANG-CHOW. 185 
 
 fate of his wretched companions, had he not 
 thought of a fortunate expedient. He informed 
 the jailer that, just one year from the time of his 
 first attack, the officer would have a return of 
 his illness, which in all probability would prove 
 fatal. A3 bad news flies swiftly, before night 
 this rumor had reached the ears of the officer. 
 Again he summoned the physician, and, trem- 
 bling with alarm, demanded to know in what way 
 he could ward off the threatened danger ; or, in 
 case of its appearance, what remedy he should 
 use to save his precious life. The doctor as- 
 sured him that it would not be possible to avoid 
 the recurrence of the attack ; and that there was 
 but one medicine which could prevent a fatal 
 termination, and that one remedy, a small quan- 
 tity of which he had brought with him, from the 
 "Middle Kingdom/ ' had all been consumed in the 
 first illness. " What is the medicine, and where 
 can it be procured?" cried the officer, almost 
 palsied with fear. " It grows only in one spot ; 
 a mountain side in my native place, near the 
 
 city of , in China,"- answered the doctor. 
 
 " Return at once to the place you speak of; 
 procure the remedy I need, and bring it hither," 
 commanded the officer. "A ship awaits you; 
 delay not an hour." It needed no second order 
 
186 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 to induce the doctor to depart from a place 
 fraught with such bitter memories of the past, 
 and such dismal anticipations of the future. 
 Before night, in a well-appointed foreign ship, 
 with an excellent commander and crew, he was 
 sailing towards the land of his birth. He was 
 treated with the greatest deference, each person 
 on the ship striving to win his favor ; and he 
 scarcely realized that he was the same individual, 
 who, a few days before, had lain a hopeless 
 prisoner among the opium captives, in the coun- 
 try of the "outside barbarians." After a favor- 
 able passage they landed near the city of . 
 
 On leaving the ship he assured the captain that 
 he would only be absent as long as was necessary 
 to secure the required medicine. Directing his 
 steps towards a range of blue mountains in the 
 distance, he was soon out of sight of the ship. 
 And once more he was free. Oh, the bliss of 
 that moment ! Only a person who like him has 
 but just escaped from the horrible fate of being 
 killed, and made into opium, and then either 
 smoked or eaten, can possibly imagine it. This 
 soul-stirring narrative of personal experiences 
 produced a profound impression. 
 
 It was not strange that people credulous 
 enough to believe such a ridiculous fiction as 
 

 TEMPORARY SOJOURN AT HANG-CHOW. 187 
 
 this, should readily give credence to others a 
 shade less incredible. It was also reported and 
 believed that foreigners were impressing the 
 natives into their army to fight against their own 
 people at the north; that having them once in 
 their power, the Chinese were obliged to submit 
 to the indignity of having their queues cut off, 
 and their faces whitened; after which a potion 
 was given them by which they were completely 
 deprived of the power of speech. The origin of 
 this story we never knew. 
 
 Another similar fiction relating to us became 
 current in the city. Seeming to consider it im- 
 possible that one man alone should dare to offer 
 resistance to the will of their rulers, many of the 
 common people imagined that we had a regiment 
 of soldiers whom we were drilling on the hills 
 daily. When it began to be known that we were 
 thinking of going to Shanghai or Ningpo, they 
 surmised that it was only to lead back a large 
 body of troops with which to redress our injuries. 
 
 While such absurd and incongruous fabrica- 
 tions were being circulated, it was not surprising 
 that the feelings and manner of the people 
 changed somewhat towards us. We met with 
 little positive rudeness, but sometimes threaten- 
 ing glances, and an expression of suspicion and 
 
188 
 
 OUR LIFE Ltf CHINA. 
 
 dislike made us aware that it would be unsafe to 
 trust ourselves too fully within their power, 
 while thej remained in their present excited and 
 revengeful state. It gave us peculiar sensations 
 to find ourselves suspected of such monstrous and 
 unnatural crimes. But, in these trying circum- 
 stances, our Chinese friends and servants behaved 
 admirably ; nothing could have been better. They 
 fully identified themselves with us, and were con- 
 stantly on the watch to guard us against possible 
 dangers. We were glad also to find that the 
 silly stories I have mentioned above were not 
 by any means credited by all, and every day we 
 received visitors as kind and sociable as ever. 
 
 Our Sabbath services continued to be well at- 
 tended, and there were many indications that, if 
 we could only in any way retain our position 
 until the storm should blow over, our mission 
 would have most encouraging prospects. For 
 weeks we were daily expecting news of the rati- 
 fication of the American Treaty. That of the 
 Russians, which was already in operation, guar- 
 anteed the right of itinerating through the 
 country, for the purpose of preaching the gospel, 
 but not of permanent residence. From our own 
 treaty, notwithstanding the "favored nation * ; 
 clause, we could expect but little help ; and as 
 

 TEMPORARY SOJOURN AT HANG-CHOW. 189 
 
 the two nations, England and France, from whom 
 we had anticipated greatly enlarged privileges, 
 were then engaged in actual war, our prospects 
 for the future were not at all encouraging. The 
 uncertainty in which we were obliged so long to 
 remain was as hard to bear as the actual danger 
 to which we were constantly exposed. The 
 officers, though acknowledging that our govern- 
 ments were in friendly relations, assured us that, 
 as their people could not distinguish us from the 
 English or French, it would not be possible for 
 them to protect us in case of an attack, even 
 should they desire to do so. 
 
 We were not at all surprised, in the latter part 
 of August, to receive from our good friend, Dr. 
 Bradley, then United States Consul at Ningpo, 
 a letter telling us he had received a communica- 
 tion through the Ningpo tao-tai from the lieuten- 
 ant-governor, residing at Hang-chow, informing 
 him that "a certain American citizen by the name 
 of ' Nee ' [Nevius] had located himself within 
 his jurisdiction, and refused to depart, though 
 repeatedly requested to do so." Together with 
 his private letter to us was a formidable docu- 
 ment addressed to the lieutenant-governor. In 
 it, while assuring him that the Mr. " Nee M who 
 was dwelling in his city was altogether an un- 
 
190 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 objectionable character, he acknowledged that we 
 Lad at that time no treaty right to reside there. 
 He asked that, as a matter of friendly civility 
 and courtesy, we should be allowed to remain 
 until the hot weather should be so moderated, as 
 to make our return less dangerous. Dr. Brad- 
 ley strongly advised us, in case there were not 
 a friendly response from the lieutenant-governor 
 in answer to his communication, to leave at once. 
 We waited several days after this in the hope of 
 the desired reply, but, as none was received, we 
 felt constrained to yield to Dr. Bradley's request. 
 By this time the ' ' coolie excitement ' ' had 
 greatly abated, and the war at the north received 
 much less attention. Confidence in us was 
 gradually returning, and in these respects there 
 seemed no necessity whatever for our leaving. 
 On our last Sabbath we had the most interesting 
 service of any while in Hang-chow. It was held 
 in our Chinese reception-room. There were 
 present at least fifty very respectable men, and 
 a number of women who sat with me in an ad- 
 joining room, where we could hear without being 
 seen. All listened with most respectful atten- 
 tion, and seemed affected by the truths presented. 
 We had at this time numerous visitors, to whom 
 we were careful to explain not only the truths of 
 
TEMPORARY SOJOURN AT HANG-CHOW. 191 
 
 Christianity, but very particularly, our object in 
 going to Hang-chow, and our reasons for leaving 
 there. We were certain that by many this was 
 perfectly understood, and that, as they would 
 be sure to impart their knowledge to others, 
 there was much less danger of our leaving a 
 wrong impression than if we had left when first 
 requested to do so. 
 
 We had, moreover, the satisfaction of feeling 
 that our stay in Hang-chow had not been without 
 the results most dear to a missionary's heart, — ac- 
 tual conversions. Several persons we thought 
 gave evidence of true faith in Jesus. One of 
 these was a woman by the name of Su. She 
 came first to see me when we were occupying 
 rooms in the temple lower down the hill. Her 
 husband was a tailor, in easy circumstances. 1 
 felt from the first much attracted to her, she was 
 so gentle and affectionate, and withal so inquir- 
 ing. It seemed as if she had for years been 
 longing for just such a religion as that of Jesus ; 
 having been altogether unsatisfied with their own 
 false systems. She felt herself sinful and un- 
 deserving; and unspeakably precious to her was 
 the offer of a Saviour. I think she loved the 
 Lord Jesus, almost as soon as she heard of him ; 
 and a new world of light and beauty opened be- 
 
192 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 fore her. She came to me frequently with won- 
 dering questions, some of which I could not 
 satisfy. It seemed strange to her that Christians, 
 having a knowledge of the way of salvation 
 through Christ, could so long have failed to give 
 that knowledge to others. I can never forget 
 my last interview with her. Overcome with 
 fatigue from preparations for our journey, I was 
 lying down to rest, and she came in and sat 
 beside me. She was very sad, and aside from 
 regret at our going, evidently was depressed in 
 mind from some other cause. Presently she said, 
 "Nee S-meo [Mrs. Nevius], I wish to ask you 
 two questions before you go : Do tell me, when 
 I get to heaven, will I meet my ancestors there, 
 and my dear little children who died years ago ? " 
 She added, ' ' You know my ancestors never heard 
 of Jesus, and so they could not believe in him ; 
 but will he not save them, notwithstanding?" 
 I was much distressed, and for a moment could 
 not reply. But then I told her that we must 
 leave such matters as we could not understand 
 entirely with God ; that, since he had so loved us 
 as to give his dear Son to die for us, we must 
 never on any account doubt his love, nor his 
 justice, nor his goodness. I told her that I 
 would rather not try to answer her first question ; 
 

 TEMPORARY SOJOURN AT HANG-CHOW. 193 
 
 but would gladly tell her the Christian belief 
 about the blessedness of little children who have 
 died, either in Christian or in heathen lands. I 
 assured her that I had not a doubt that, if 
 she through grace should reach the home of the 
 blessed, she would find her lost darlings await- 
 ing her. An expression of great sweetness illu- 
 mined her countenance. I love to think of her 
 as she appeared at that time. It seemed as if 
 she was then experiencing some of the happy 
 effects of that faith which is the evidence of 
 things not seen. I felt a strong hope that she 
 had given herself to Him who was able to keep 
 that which she had committed to Him, until that 
 day ; and that, if we should never meet again on 
 earth, we might hope to meet hereafter. She 
 continued to attend services at the house of our 
 native assistants until they left the city, after 
 which time, for a long while, we completely lost 
 sight of her. When the rebels captured the city, 
 she and her family effected their escape. 
 
 A few years since, when some of our native 
 preachers or colporteurs were visiting a village 
 in the district of Ningpo, though not very near 
 the city, they were told that there was a woman 
 in the place who did not worship idols, and who 
 believed the same kind of doctrine as that they 
 
 13 
 
194 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 preached; and that she taught her children to 
 kneel down and pray to an unseen God. The 
 natives were much interested in this account, 
 and went at once to visit the woman. They 
 found to their surprise and pleasure that she was 
 this same Mrs. Su, my Hang-chow friend. From 
 the time of our assistants leaving Hang-chow, 
 she had never met a foreigner, or received any 
 religious instruction whatever. But through all 
 these dreary years passed among those who knew 
 nothing of Christianity, and who practised only 
 idolatry, she had kept the faith, and was still 
 " clinging to Jesus." Of course, there was much 
 darkness and ignorance to be removed, but not 
 long after she was thus accidentally discovered, 
 she received baptism, and became a member of 
 one of the Ningpo churches. I think she is 
 highly respected as a consistent, devoted Chris- 
 tian ; and, if I am not mistaken, she is now giving 
 much assistance in instructing the women in her 
 neighborhood in the truths of the gospel. The 
 " bread cast upon the waters," during those try- 
 ing months spent in Hang-chow, was " found 
 again after many days." 
 
 At least one other person dates his conversion 
 to instruction received at the same time. 
 
 Our experience in Hang-chow confirmed us in 
 
TEMPORARY SOJOURN AT HANG-CHOW. 195 
 
 the impression we had previously formed of its 
 comparative healthfulness. We felt the heat less 
 sensibly than during any previous summer spent 
 in China. 
 
 Our house, after it was repaired, was both 
 comfortable and pleasant, although somewhat too 
 small. On the side overlooking the city and 
 facing the Tsin-tang River, were our parlor, bed- 
 room, and guest-room. These three had board 
 floors, glass windows, and whitewashed walls. 
 Although the house had but one story, owing to 
 its situation upon the top of the hill, it was not 
 at all damp. The back rooms were left much as 
 we found them, with only a brick floor and paper 
 windows. In these we had a Chinese reception- 
 room, a dining-room, and kitchen, and one or two 
 small apartments used by the servants. 
 
 In preparing to return to Ningpo, we decided 
 to leave all heavy articles of furniture, both be- 
 cause it would be difficult to transport them 
 across the country, and in order that they might 
 be there ready for use whenever we should be 
 permitted to come back. 
 
 When the day was fixed for our departure, Mr. 
 Nevius sent his card to the oflicers, informing 
 them of his intention, and received theirs in re- 
 turn. Thus, notwithstanding the peculiar rela- 
 
196 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 tions we had sustained towards the officials, we 
 parted, at least nominally, friends. On the day 
 we left, a large number of people had collected 
 to see us off. Many expressed earnest desires 
 that we should speedily return, and seemed really 
 to regret our going. We left our rooms in charge 
 of a native ; the two assistants remained in their 
 own hired house, and everything was so kindly 
 ordered that we could scarcely realize that we 
 had been driven away. Yet so it was ; and our 
 dream of life and work in Hang-chow was over. 
 But being obliged to leave just when we did, 
 though it seemed to us so unfortunate, was really 
 a very marked and kind providence, for it was 
 not long after this that the Tai-ping insur- 
 gents captured the city, at which time there oc- 
 curred scenes of such atrocity and cruelty as I 
 am sure I never could have endured to witness. 
 It was then that our friend, Mr. Vi, was put to 
 death as I have before mentioned. Nearly all 
 our acquaintances either fled from the city, or 
 were killed or captured. The accounts we re- 
 ceived, from fugitives who had made their escape, 
 were fearful. It is thought that not far from 
 twenty thousand persons were massacred. Dead 
 bodies were lying on every side in the streets or 
 in the houses. Those who succeeded in making 
 
TEMPORARY SOJOURN AT HANG-CHOW. 197 
 
 their escape, and reaching some place of safety 
 with their lives only, considered themselves 
 fortunate. 
 
 The temple, of which our rooms were a wing, 
 was burned to the ground ; while, strange to say, 
 our part remained uninjured. A native, who 
 visited it, brought us word that it was occupied 
 by the rebel commander, as his head-quarters, 
 and that the troops were making themselves very 
 much at home with everything we had left be- 
 hind us. He said our dining-table was in a sad 
 state, having been used for chopping meat upon 
 for his Excellency's dinners. Other articles of 
 furniture were also either entirely missing or 
 much defaced. We had left one or two large 
 boxes of Christian books in the Chinese character, 
 and were not sorry to hear that they had been 
 opened and scattered, as there was a possibility 
 that they might thus do some good. 
 
 We were grieved to learn that the kindly dis- 
 posed military officer, whom I mentioned as call- 
 ing upon my husband during our first visit, while 
 we were staying at the Loh-o-tah, met his death 
 soon after the rebels attacked the city. He was 
 killed as he was leading a company of soldiers 
 out through a gate to meet the enemy. I sup- 
 pose he was a brave, good officer, as well as a 
 

 198 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 very agreeable and intelligent gentleman. The 
 rebels retained the city only a few days, when it 
 was recaptured by the Imperialists. 
 
 The commanding position of our house led to 
 its being again chosen as the residence of a mili- 
 tary officer. We heard occasionally of it, from 
 persons coming from Hang-chow, though for a 
 long while, owing to the greatly disturbed state 
 of the country, communication was very infre- 
 quent. At length, news reached us that our old 
 home was in ruins, having been burned to the 
 ground, — whether by accident or intention, we 
 had no means of ascertaining. Our losses of furni- 
 ture and various articles left in the house were 
 considerable, but that we regarded a trifling 
 matter compared with our great disappointment 
 in being obliged to relinquish a station of so 
 great importance, to which we had been led by 
 such unmistakable providences. Still, in looking 
 back to that period, I feel that we had abundant 
 cause for gratitude. From our perilous journey 
 up the Hang-chow Bay, all through those days 
 and nights of uncertainty and danger, we felt 
 conscious that our heavenly Father was watch- 
 ing over and protecting us, and it was by no 
 means an unhappy season. On the contrary, we 
 experienced truest pleasure in the privilege of 
 
TEMPORARY SOJOURN AT HANG-CHOW. 199 
 
 enduring some little " hardness " in our Master's 
 service. 
 
 I am thankful that, after an interval of six or 
 seven years, missionary work has been resumed 
 in Hang-chow, and representatives of our own 
 church, and of the Church of England, and sev- 
 eral other societies, are now residing there. I 
 hope it will prove a most successful station, and 
 a pleasant place of residence. 
 

 200 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 CHAPTER VIH. 
 
 MISSIONARY LIFE AND OCCUPATIONS. — VIEWS 
 OF CHINESE CHARACTER. — ARRIVAL OF MIS- 
 SIONARIES. — REMOVALS BY DEATH. 
 
 On our return to Ningpo at the end of August, 
 1859, we were sadly impressed by the too evi- 
 dent effects of a Ningpo summer upon our for- 
 eign friends there. With few exceptions they 
 were thin and pale, and went about their neces- 
 sary duties, with a weary air which it pained us 
 to see. The season had been sickly, and there had 
 been some cases of illness and death from cholera. 
 Among those who fell victims to that disease 
 were Mrs. Parker of the Scotch Presbyterian Mis- 
 sion, and two " sisters of charity," connected with 
 the large Romanist establishment within the city. 
 
 I have sometimes regretted that there is so 
 little intercourse between the missionaries of the 
 Romish church and ourselves. We used often 
 to meet the sisters ^with their black dresses and 
 large white bonnets, as they glided quietly 
 

 ROMISH MISSIONARIES. 
 
 201 
 
 through streets and by-ways, intent on errands 
 of duty and mercy, and I could but honor their 
 self-sacrificing spirit, and hope that the saving 
 truths of the gospel which they labored so ear- 
 nestly to communicate to others had indeed been 
 received by faith into their own hearts. Still 
 we knew that there was much error mixed with 
 their instructions to the heathen. There are 
 great numbers of Roman Catholics in China; 
 many more than all Protestant Christians com- 
 bined. This is not strange when we bear in 
 mind that it is now several centuries since 
 they began there the propagation of their faith ; 
 and that in all these years their missionaries 
 have been numerous, with abundant sources of 
 wealth at their command. 
 
 Some of the early Jesuits were men of great 
 learning, and perhaps also of sincere piety. Of 
 one of these, Matteo Ricci, it is said, " He not 
 only made himself so thoroughly conversant 
 with their language as even to gain the applause 
 of native literati, but he studied also their char- 
 acter, their sciences, their history, and their cer- 
 emonials. With this view he lived for seven 
 years among the bonzes, adopted their dress, fell 
 in with their manners, and humored their prej- 
 udices. To the Chinese he became a Chinese, 
 
202 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 that he might win them over to his cause." It 
 is further stated that " he first attracted the at- 
 tention of the learned by drawing a map of the 
 world, on which, according to Chinese usage, 
 China was placed in the centre, and the countries 
 of Europe on the margin," — hardly a truthful 
 representation bj the holy father, one would 
 think. After these glimpses into his character 
 and life, we are obliged to credit the charges 
 laid against him by the Dominicans, that " he 
 was too tolerant of Chinese prejudices, and sac- 
 rificed Christian purity to expediency." Be 
 this as it may, he was wonderfully successful ; 
 and, at the time of his death, had made many 
 converts; not only among the poor and un- 
 learned, but also from the highest ranks of soci- 
 ety, and in every province of the empire. 
 
 The fortunes of Romanism have been verv 
 fluctuating ; at one time it has bid fair to become 
 the prevailing religion of the empire, and then 
 again has been well-nigh crushed out by storms 
 of persecution and trial. In the severe ordeals 
 to which the Romanists, both native and foreign, 
 have been subjected, many of the latter have 
 suffered martyrdom; and of the former, not a 
 few, imitating the faith and steadfastness of their 
 instructors, have submitted either to death or 
 

 ROMISH MISSIONARIES. 203 
 
 exile. As we read of the zeal and heroic forti- 
 tude of those early martyrs, we can but feel 
 the deepest regret that they had not suffered for 
 a purer faith and a better cause. 
 
 It is said that the Romish missionaries of the 
 present day are not by any means the equals 
 of their predecessors. They have but a limited 
 knowledge of the language, and attempt the 
 composition of few new books either of religion 
 or science. I do not think I am mistaken in 
 my impression that, notwithstanding the limited 
 number of Protestant missionaries, and the 
 short time, comparatively, during which they 
 have been in China, their position and influence 
 in the eyes of the Chinese are much superior to 
 that of the Romanists. I often wonder that we 
 do not hear more of them. 
 
 The way in which they make their converts 
 accounts for their almost incredible number. 
 Believing that baptism, when administered by 
 themselves, is a saving ordinance, they resort to 
 strange expedients in order to secure subjects 
 for it. I have been told that the " sisters " at 
 Ningpo sometimes go to the villages in that 
 neighborhood, and, when a crowd of women and 
 children, such as a foreign lady is sure to at- 
 tract, comes about them, they seize a favorable 
 
204 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 moment, and sprinkle as many of the babies as 
 come within their reach; thus gaining " con- 
 verts " without number. All such baptized 
 children, notwithstanding the fact that their par- 
 ents are heathens, are counted among the num- 
 ber of their proselytes. The transition from 
 Buddhism to Romanism is so easy, that, instead 
 of wondering at its rapid spread, I think it is 
 surprising that it has not been more popular. 
 
 There is an impression current, that the Ro- 
 mish missionaries invariably conform to the cus- 
 toms of the natives, both in dress, and style of 
 living; thus gaining much in influence over 
 them. But this certainly is not always the 
 case. A French priest, with whom my husband 
 became acquainted, assured him that, at least in 
 his mission, they lived as nearly as possible as 
 they had been accustomed to in their native land ; 
 having the same kinds of food, light foreign 
 wines at table, etc. I believe the Romish priests 
 always adopt the native costume ; but, aside from 
 its convenience, I doubt if they gain much even 
 by that. If Ricci's policy of " adopting their 
 dress, falling in with their manners, and hu- 
 moring their prejudices ; in fine, becoming Chi- 
 nese, in order that we might win them over to 
 the cause," were correct, then, indeed, there 
 

 MISSIONARY COSTUME. 
 
 205 
 
 would be a good reason for laying aside our na- 
 tionality or individuality. Such means of gain- 
 ing an influence are suited to the genius and 
 spirit of Popery, but not to that of Protestant- 
 ism, which, having nothing to fear from light and 
 investigation, has no need to appear to be what 
 it is not ; nor to make use of doubtful arts and 
 subterfuges, in order to increase the number of 
 its proselytes. 
 
 Some few Protestant missionaries have also 
 adopted the Chinese costume, and conformed, in 
 a measure, to the native style of living ; but this 
 course is not generally approved of. It may 
 have certain advantages of which I am not 
 aware, but they would have to be very great 
 to compensate for what is lost by giving up our 
 own habits and customs, and a part at least of 
 that respect and influence which belong to us 
 simply as foreigners. 
 
 The adoption of the pretty native costume is 
 too trifling a matter to be considered in the light 
 of a sacrifice. I have worn it at times, and 
 doubtless may occasionally do so in the future. 
 In visiting freely among all classes, not only at 
 the open ports, but in the interior villages and 
 cities, I never experienced serious inconvenience 
 in consequence of my foreign dress. When I 
 
206 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 wore the Chinese dress, however, I was in one 
 instance not a little annoyed. My husband and 
 myself were accompanied by a native preacher, 
 and, as we passed from village to village, we 
 were followed by shouts of boys and men. ' ' Here 
 comes a red-haired man, with a native and his 
 wife!" 
 
 The expense of the Chinese costume and mode 
 of living I presume is considerably less than 
 that of ours ; which may render their adoption, 
 in certain cases, necessary; but, as a general 
 thing, even the limited salary of an American 
 missionary is enough to allow of his living in a 
 sufficiently respectable way, in foreign style j and 
 with not only the bare necessaries of life, but 
 also some of its luxuries ; for instance, a pretty 
 well-filled library, a few pictures adorning the 
 walls, and an occasional exotic, such as an easy- 
 chair, or an etagere, with many a souvenir of the 
 dear home and friends far away. And these 
 things, while they might be considered by some 
 as superfluous, or even as sinful indulgences, 
 are not without important uses in the prosecu- 
 tion of our work. I do not know what I should 
 have done, had I been without my good melode- 
 on, a stereoscope and pictures, daguerreotypes, 
 photographs, and the like, to assist in entertain 
 
MISSIONARY LIFE AND OCCUPATIONS. 207 
 
 ing the many visitors, who have, from time to 
 time, come to see us. Especially with Chinese 
 women, whose minds are so utterly untrained, 
 and who are so deplorably ignorant, of not only 
 books, but everything else, are these helps very 
 desirable, if we would gain an influence over, 
 and interest, them. 
 
 As for the motive of economy, I am perhaps 
 not sufficiently affected by it ; nor have I much 
 sympathy with self-imposed austerities, whether 
 in the Romish or the Protestant church. But 
 lest anything I have said might give the idea 
 that missionaries live luxuriously, and are in the 
 reception of larger salaries than they actually 
 receive and need, I will just mention \iiat a good 
 book-keeper in a foreign mercantile establish- 
 ment, though a young man, with a limited edu- 
 cation, and no knowledge of the Chinese lan- 
 guage, is able to command two or three times 
 as large a salary as that of a missionary. And 
 that is not considered too much to meet the ex- 
 penses of living, and to compensate for the risks 
 run in a foreign and often unhealthy climate. 
 But then, the missionary does not expect nor 
 desire to be paid for his services ; at least not 
 with money. He receives, in the consciousness 
 that he is living a life of obedience to the ex- 
 
208 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 pressed will of Christ, together with the pure 
 happiness which flows from efforts to benefit 
 others, a recompense all-sufficient, even in this 
 world, while he hopes to meet hereafter the most 
 blessed of all rewards, in those words of our 
 Saviour, "Well done, thou good and faithful 
 servant ; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord ; " 
 and is it not written, "Verily I say unto you, 
 There is no man that hath left house, or breth- 
 ren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or 
 children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, 
 but he shall receive an hundred-fold now in this 
 time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and 
 mothers, and children, and lands, with persecu- 
 tions, and in the world to come, eternal life " ? 
 
 Well, then, may Christ's servants, both at 
 home and abroad, who have from love to him 
 given up even the wish to accumulate much of 
 this "world's goods, rest content. Treasures laid 
 up above are better far than any others. 
 
 But to return from this long digression into 
 which I have been led, I scarcely know how. 
 As, in consequence of our household effects hav- 
 ing so many of them been left at Hang-chow, we 
 were not able at once to resume house-keeping, 
 our ever kind friends, Mr. and Mrs. Rankin, 
 offered us a home with them, and the next few 
 
MISSIONARY LIFE AND OCCUPATIONS. 209 
 
 months were spent at their house. Mr. Nevius 
 resumed charge of the boys' school, and also the 
 church j of which he had for some years been 
 pastor. In his temporary absences his place had 
 been supplied by other members of the mission. 
 In all that I have thus far written, I know 
 that I have been able to give only a very imper- 
 fect view of the multiplied duties and employ-, 
 ments of missionaries generally. Except when 
 they go away from their stations for the express 
 purpose of recreation and rest, their work is 
 never done. Their evenings are apt to be occu- 
 pied either with services, teaching Bible classes, 
 conversing with inquirers or visitors, or in no 
 less exhausting labors in their studies. There 
 are exceptions to this ; some persons feel that, in 
 the end, they accomplish more by devoting fewer 
 hours to work, and giving up every evening to 
 rest and relaxation ; and perhaps they are wise 
 in doing so. But there are so few variations and 
 diversions in those out-of-the-world places, where 
 much of our life has been spent, that it is really 
 easier to plod on from morning to night, and 
 from one day to another, in either study or work 
 of various kinds, than to "throw care to the 
 winds," and take the mental and physical rest 
 which would in reality be best for us. 
 H 
 

 210 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 Aside from the ordinary routine of preaching, 
 studying, book-making, and so forth, missionaries 
 have frequent demands upon their time and en- 
 ergies of a different character. In most of the 
 open ports, the United States Consulates have 
 heretofore been without interpreters, and the con- 
 suls, having no knowledge of Chinese, have been 
 obliged to ask assistance from their clerical 
 friends in transacting official business. In sev- 
 eral instances missionaries have accepted the 
 office of consul, for a longer or shorter time, 
 though they generally regret being obliged to 
 step aside from their more important work of 
 preaching the gospel. Their services, too, are 
 often required to sit as jurors in consular courts. 
 
 In those stations where there are large mission- 
 ary communities, there are occasional social 
 gatherings, which are often truly delightful. In 
 Ningpo there has been for years, in fact, since it 
 was first occupied by foreigners, a " Missionary 
 Association," which meets with different families 
 in rotation, aud is attended by all the resident mis- 
 sionaries, and not unfrequently by a few others. 
 It combines the two objects of a " debating club" 
 and a " sociable." The subject for discussion is 
 chosen at a previous meeting, and one person 
 sometimes has a written essay upon it, with the 
 

 
 MISSIONARY LIFE AND OCCUPATIONS. 211 
 
 reading of which the evening is opened. Or, in 
 case there has been no written paper, the appoint- 
 ed person opens the discussion with an extem- 
 pore speech, and is usually followed by the other 
 gentlemen present. The influence of this " Asso- 
 ciation" has been very great. Many important 
 questions connected with our peculiar work as 
 missionaries have been brought forward for con- 
 sideration, in such a way as to elicit a free inter- 
 change of opinion; conflicting views and prac- 
 tices have been either modified or changed, and 
 an effect, both salutary and strong, has evidently 
 proceeded from it. The ladies accompany their 
 husbands, and I fancy are often as interested 
 listeners as those who take a more prominent 
 part in the discussions. In the beginning, or 
 at the close, of the evening, there are usually re- 
 freshments, either very simple, or somewhat 
 more elaborate, as the taste of the hostess may 
 dictate. 
 
 At the newer and smaller stations there are 
 naturally fewer of these social interviews ; but 
 even there we have quiet little " tea-drinkings," 
 which are pleasant breaks in our very monoto- 
 nous lives. I feel sure, however, that we mis- 
 sionaries often err in not making more of each 
 other's society, and contriving in various ways 
 

 212 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 to forget, for the time, our work and our sur- 
 roundings. 
 
 In most stations the missionaries, and other 
 religiously disposed foreign residents, either mer- 
 chants of various sorts, mere transient visitors, 
 or persons in the civil service, are accustomed to 
 meet at least once, each Sabbath, for public wor- 
 ship. The missionaries who conduct the exer- 
 cises usually have written sermons, prepared with 
 the same care as if they were to be delivered to 
 home audiences. Of course these exercises are 
 in English. In large foreign settlements, such 
 as Shanghai. and Hong-kong, there are chaplains 
 connected with the established church of Eng- 
 land, and also occasionally of other denomina- 
 tions, who hold Sabbath services and pay special 
 attention to the religious wants of their coun- 
 trymen. Some of these clergymen, like the late 
 Mr. Hobson of Shanghai, have been persons of 
 great piety and most exemplary lives, while oth- 
 ers resemble, to a sad degree, pictures frequently 
 given us of the " sporting parsons " of England. 
 The same remark holds good of the chaplains on 
 board "men of war," both English and Ameri- 
 can. Some of these have been persons of such 
 marked and elevated Christian character that, 
 wherever they go, and under whatever circum- 
 
VIEWS OF CHINESE CHARACTER. 213 
 
 stances they are placed, their influence for good 
 is wide-spread and powerful ; while others, hav- 
 ing grievously failed in their duties on shipboard, 
 seem not less remiss in their intercourse with 
 foreigners with whom they come in contact at the 
 ports where they happen to be temporarily sta- 
 tioned. This class of clergymen, I scarcely need 
 say, feel no special interest in the work of mis- 
 sions, and take no pains to inform themselves 
 upon it. This being the case, it is not strange 
 that they leave the country with the impression 
 that but little has been accomplished, or that it 
 is a hopeless undertaking. We have often been 
 troubled by the false and injurious reports circu- 
 lated by travellers, ship captains and foreign resi- 
 dents, who are not in sympathy with us, respect- 
 ing the national peculiarities of the Chinese, and 
 the supposed hypocrisy of the native converts to 
 Christianity, together with innuendoes as to the 
 character of the missionaries, and their alleged 
 want of success. 
 
 It is not strange that irreligious people should 
 feel little interested in the spread of the gospel ; 
 but I cannot understand how any one can be guilty 
 of so dishonorable an action as to make completely 
 false statements, either willingly, or when by 
 any means they might have been more correctly 
 
214 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 informed. Yet such has been the case in numer- 
 ous instances. Let me quote an extract from an 
 article which appeared a few years since in a 
 Hong-kong " daily." The writer says, "Ask 
 any man of mind and experience in China, 
 and he will tell you that it is childish to expect 
 to convert the Chinese, by any means yet at- 
 tempted, to what we call in England, Ireland, 
 and Scotland, Christianity." Hereupon follows 
 a dissertation to prove that the only feasible plan 
 for converting a nation is to teach them " civil 
 engineering," and the like, in which way, he 
 adds, "you will do more for Christianity, in fifty 
 years, than the old lady's string of tenets (by 
 which he must mean the gospel), uttered from 
 the mouth of any number of maudlin missionaries, 
 could effect in fifty centuries." I might give 
 extracts from other writers or travellers, almost 
 as interesting, and quite as reliable ; but one such 
 is enough. It is certainly not pleasant to be 
 thus misunderstood, or misrepresented ; but, if it 
 were not that this and similar statements have 
 created such a false and mischievous impression 
 upon many who are not acquainted with the 
 facts of the case, they would not be worth notice. 
 Only a few moments since I received a visit from 
 an intelligent lady, who in the course of our con- 
 
VIEWS OF CHINESE CHARACTER. 215 
 
 versation remarked, referring to a little book she 
 had read describing a Chinese boy, "I was so 
 surprised, I really could not understand it. 
 How could it be possible that a Chinese should 
 be so intelligent?" adding, "I used to feel a 
 deep interest in the Chinese, while I have now 
 not the slightest, since I have learned that they 
 are so degraded" When I inquired upon what 
 she had based her opinions, she found it difficult 
 to tell. She had recently read some work, by 
 whom written she could not say, and also the 
 letters of some recent traveller, whose name she 
 had likewise forgotten, which had given her an 
 idea of the extreme " stupidity " of the Chinese, 
 as well as of their " degradation," and of noth- 
 ing more. Consequently she seemed almost 
 unwilling to be disabused of her incorrect opin- 
 ions, or to open her heart to any feeling of love 
 or sympathy for my adopted countrymen. That 
 they are in many respects very degraded, I sor- 
 rowfully admit ; but, for that very reason, a 
 Christian ought to feel for them the more. It is 
 rather late in the day for any one to be startled 
 by the fact that a China boy, or man, shows 
 signs of "intellect." I presume, if our dis- 
 tinguished countryman, Mr. Burlingame, were 
 interrogated on this subject, he would speak of 
 
216 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 the Chinese in much more flattering terms than 
 I dare use, for fear of being thought guilty of 
 exaggeration, and that, too, while he would feel 
 deeply their need of the true religion, and of 
 greatly advanced attainments in those arts and 
 sciences which are the pride of civilized Christian 
 nations in this nineteenth century. 
 
 Several years since, a young Chinese gentleman 
 graduated at Yale College, who took the first prize 
 for English composition, and that, as I have been 
 assured, not in any measure in consideration of 
 being a foreigner, but because of the real ex- 
 cellence of his production ; while only a few 
 months ago, another young Chinese, at another 
 college, had the Greek " valedictory.' ' There is 
 now in China a native physician who received 
 his medical education in Scotland. He became 
 not only exceedingly well qualified for his pro- 
 fession, but also an excellent botanist. These, 
 and other similar cases which I might mention, 
 prove, to say the least, that the Chinese, if 
 given the same opportunities for improvement, 
 will not be very inferior in intellectual attain- 
 ments to our boasted Anglo Saxon race. 
 
 I was mentioning, not long since, some in- 
 cident connected with a Chinese gentleman, hear- 
 ing which, a friend exclaimed, " It does sound so 
 
VIEWS OF CHINESE CHARACTER. 217 
 
 droll to hear you speak of a Chinese as a 
 1 gentleman.' " When I inquired if she were 
 accustomed to consider only such persons " gen- 
 tlemen " as she had reason to believe were truly 
 pious, she answered, "By no means;" that, 
 on the contrary, " some of the wickedest men 
 she had ever met were acknowledged by all 
 to be very elegant gentlemen." After such 
 an admission, it was not difficult to convince her 
 that she had been decidedly mistaken in her 
 previous estimate of the Chinese. Indeed, as 
 far as the mere matter of external manners is 
 concerned, there is but very little for us to teach 
 those to whom that subject has been made a 
 study, — not left, as is too much the case in our 
 country, to each individual's own disposition, or 
 sense of propriety. Chinese boys are taught 
 from their earliest years to pay great deference 
 to their superiors in age or station ; and, as for a 
 graceful bow, surely they may at least have 
 credit for that. Years ago, when the boys of the 
 boarding-school were chiefly under the care of 
 the foreign missionary, there was less attention 
 bestowed upon manners and etiquette than is 
 usual in Chinese schools, and the boys, naturally 
 taking their foreign teacher as their standard of 
 excellence, in this, as in other respects, acquired 
 
218 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 the habit of inclining the head at the slightest 
 possible departure from a perpendicular, when 
 chancing to meet an acquaintance in the street j 
 and on grand occasions, such as the customary 
 New- Year greetings, when the natives make such 
 profound and graceful sweeps that one wonders 
 at their skill in recovering their equipoise, our 
 poor students seemed decidedly stiff and awk- 
 ward. This was considered by the older church- 
 members, and other Chinese, as an evidence of 
 ill-breeding, and a great defect in the school, 
 and was criticised severely. There has, how- 
 ever, of late years, been more attention bestowed 
 upon this department of education, so that our 
 pupils are able to pass as gentlemen, though they 
 do not excel in the respects above alluded to. 
 
 I do not think that little girls in China have 
 nearly as much attention given to their manners 
 as children of the other sex ; and, consequently, 
 they are hardly their equals in the grace and 
 propriety which often surprise us, even in very 
 young boys. The girls in our school have a 
 disagreeable way of affecting " shyness.'' Ad- 
 dress them, and they shrug their shoulders and 
 sidle off, with a mixture of timidity and disgust 
 which is not at all pleasing, and which is usually 
 either entirely assumed, or only a habit, of 
 
VIEWS OF CHINESE CHARACTER. 219 
 
 which I think they might be broken. This habit 
 is not by any means common to all Chinese girls ; 
 on the contrary, many have sweet, engaging 
 manners, and are very winning. I cannot say 
 that they are ever graceful^ as their poor little 
 cramped feet render grace, at least, of motion, 
 quite impossible. 
 
 It is pleasant to notice how many points of 
 resemblance there are in little children the world 
 over. Persons who find it difficult to believe 
 that a Chinese can be a "gentleman " or is 
 possessed of " intellect," may be surprised to 
 hear that our little " Orientals " are playful, fond 
 of sports and frolic, and not unfrequently mis- 
 chievous, and addicted to practical jokes, — 
 though not indeed to the extent that character- 
 izes youths of Western lands. Perhaps, owing 
 to the enervating effects of the climate, our 
 Ningpo school-boys have not been very ready to 
 adopt the plays which are favorites with their 
 class in this country, though their teachers have 
 made strenuous efforts to introduce them. Their 
 tastes incline to quieter sports. There is nothing 
 which seems to have more fascination for them 
 than kite-flying, while "marbles," and certain 
 mild games of " ball," are also common. I sus- 
 pect that in colder latitudes, where the adults 
 
220 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 have a much better developed physique, the 
 children will exhibit a corresponding fondness 
 for more athletic out-door games. 
 
 I alluded not long since to the pleasant epi- 
 sodes in our monotonous lives sometimes afforded 
 by visits from our countrymen and others. Still 
 more rare, and not less delightful, are the friend- 
 ships formed with lady visitors, or the wives of 
 foreign residents, who, desirous no less than 
 ourselves of the good of the natives, join heartily 
 in assisting us in every way in their power, and, 
 by warm sympathy, as well as material aid, have 
 
 helped us much. Such an one was Mrs. H , 
 
 of New Haven, who spent a year or two with 
 her brother, the United States Consul at Ningpo. 
 Another, to whom, in some perplexity, I applied 
 for aid in the support of some native female as- 
 sistants, thanked me warmly for the privilege, 
 and gave me at once a larger sum than I should 
 have thought of asking for. This was Mrs. 
 
 T , recently of Shanghai. Many similar 
 
 acts of kindness and courtesy on the part of 
 other foreign residents I should take pleasure in 
 mentioning here, were it proper to do so. 
 
 Although at the foreign settlements in China, 
 and, I think, also at most other Eastern ports, 
 there has not been as much intimacy or sympathy 
 

 VIEWS OF CHINESE CHARACTER. 221 
 
 existing between the missionaries and other for- 
 eign residents as would have seemed natural, and 
 on various accounts desirable, there have been 
 many cases of the warmest friendship and mu- 
 tual interchange of kindly offices. 
 
 The fact that many of the most prominent 
 mercantile establishments in China have been 
 directly engaged in the opium traffic, has been 
 of itself a sufficient reason why intimacy between 
 the two classes should seem, at least in the eyes 
 of the natives, somewhat anomalous; the one 
 residing in their midst professedly with no other 
 object than to elevate and benefit them, the other 
 amassing wealth at the expense of their degrada- 
 tion and misery. 
 
 One of the standing objections brought by the 
 Chinese against foreigners is the fact that by 
 them opium was introduced into their country ; 
 thus, for the love of gain, effecting the ruin of 
 millions; and it is a charge to which we are 
 obliged to plead guilty. We can only answer, 
 in extenuation, that if the Chinese did not desire 
 the drug, and offer such an inviting market for 
 it, it would not be brought to them. And that, 
 moreover, it is only a very small proportion of 
 foreigners who have ever had the least connection 
 with it, while the great majority regard it with 
 
222 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 as much abhorrence as do the Chinese them- 
 selves. 
 
 Natives, who have much intercourse with the 
 foreign settlements, soon become fully aware of 
 the character and objects of the various classes 
 composing it. 
 
 By the way, the Chinese are very quick in 
 their appreciation of character. Foreigners are 
 often surprised to find how correct has been their 
 estimate of themselves or of others. 
 
 In the latter part of December we were cheered 
 by the arrival of a much-needed reinforcement to 
 our mission at Ningpo. Mr. and Mrs. Green 
 and Mr. and Mrs. Danforth arrived in time to 
 celebrate the New Year with new friends and in 
 new scenes. Mrs. Danforth had been very ill 
 on the voyage, and was obliged to remain some 
 time at Shanghai, before resuming her journey 
 to Ningpo. 
 
 It would be difficult for those who have not 
 experienced it to appreciate the pleasure with 
 which we look forward to welcoming recruits to 
 our little missionary band. And, when they 
 arrive with young and happy hearts, radiant 
 with health and hopefulness, it seems like breath- 
 ing a breath of our native air, or as if, in seeing 
 them, we had had a glimpse of cheerful home 
 

 ARRIVAL OF MISSIONARIES. 223 
 
 scenes and faces. I do not like to admit that 
 we all become so dull and sedate as this would 
 seem to imply, but certainly the " toning-down " 
 process in most mission stations is quite too 
 rapid. Next to real piety and practical energy, 
 I think no qualification for missionary life is 
 more important than a cheerful, sunny disposi- 
 tion, and a good fund of " animal spirits." 
 
 But it is not with pleasure only that we look 
 forward to the advent of "new missionaries." 
 We feel also no small degree of anxiety ; for past 
 experience has proved that an accession of num- 
 bers does not necessarily imply an increase of 
 strength or of happiness. Thus it is with reason 
 that we wonder whether our expected friends will 
 be persons of the " right stamp." Will they be 
 loving and devoted Christians? Will they be cul- 
 tivated and agreeable ? Will they be additions to 
 our social gather iDgs ; and to us personally will 
 they be congenial ? For, after all, they may 
 possess every other qualification and prove most 
 efficient and useful missionaries, yet, owing to 
 differences in tastes, or previous habits of living, 
 we and they may never become intimate. It is 
 a mistake to suppose, because our aim in life and 
 our circumstances are similar, and we are, as a 
 matter of course, thrown much together, that, 
 
34 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 srefore, we are necessarily admitted to the 
 /aner sanctum of each other's hearts, and be- 
 come more than very good friends. But do we 
 not often see this same result illustrated even 
 within the narrow limits of the home circle? 
 How few brothers and sisters, even where educa- 
 tion and external circumstances have been pre- 
 cisely the same, sustain to each other that still 
 nearer relationship, wherein soul meets soul ! 
 
 " Few are the hearts, whence the same touch 
 Bids the same feelings flow." 
 
 But when we are privileged to meet a mission- 
 ary associate between whom and ourselves we rec- 
 ognize the spell of that " electric chain," where- 
 with some hearts are bound together, the tie is a 
 very close one, and lasts till death. Many such 
 friendships we have been privileged to make, and 
 the recollection of them will always be sweet, 
 though in some cases they can never be renewed 
 on earth. 
 
 Near the close of the first month of the new 
 year, Mrs. Lord, of the American Baptist Mis- 
 sion, was removed by death. She left five little 
 children, the oldest of whom was only in her 
 sixth year. Mrs. Lord was a most faithful and 
 devoted wife and mother. Naturally warm-hearted 
 
REMOVALS BY DEATH. 225 
 
 and affectionate, she was bound up in her family, 
 to whom her presence and care seemed a neces- 
 sity. Yet when, near the close of her illness, 
 she realized fully that all those tender ties must 
 soon be broken, such grace was given her that 
 she was able trustfully to surrender all to the 
 care and faithfulness of her heavenly Father. 
 On the morning of the day before she died, 
 she said with a most cheerful manner to a friend 
 who sat by her side, " Do you not congratulate 
 me? " And in the course of that last day she 
 remarked to her husband that " she never had 
 thought it possible that she could feel so willing 
 to die, or so happy and peaceful in the prospect." 
 And this calm renunciation was not in the least 
 owing to a torpor of intellect or affections, for, 
 to the last, her mind was clear, and her heart 
 seemed overflowing with love and tenderness. 
 As the last hour drew near, she exclaimed, " I 
 think I must be dying ; for now it is growing 
 dark." But no shadow nor darkness rested 
 upon her soul : there all was light and gladness. 
 When her little children were brought to her, 
 she gave them each her farewell with perfect 
 calmness and resignation, and not long after, 
 without a struggle or groan, she fell asleep in 
 Jesus. 
 
 15 
 
~£6 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 jJear little Lucy said to me the morning after 
 her mother's death, " Mamma is asleep ; she can- 
 not open her eyes." She was too young to un- 
 derstand at all the nature of death, but had an 
 indefinite idea that her mother had gone to 
 " Heaven, the place where God is, and the holy 
 angels and good little children are." 
 
 For a week or two after Mrs. Lord's death, 
 Mr. Nevius and I were Mr. Lord's guests, — I 
 taking some little oversight of the poor mother- 
 less children. The baby was quickly removed 
 to the house of one of our most loved missionary 
 ladies, and when I returned to Mr. Rankin's, I 
 took Lucy with me ; while her little sister Fan- 
 ny went to live with Mrs. McCartee, and the two 
 boys were kindly received by an English mission 
 family. Thus in a few days that happy home 
 was made desolate. 
 
 Little Lucy was a sweet, affectionate child, and 
 we soon learned to love each other. She and a 
 daughter of Mrs. Rankin, of about the same 
 age, were nice playmates and bedfellows. It 
 was amusing to see them after they had arranged 
 themselves for the night, each with a doll, nearly 
 as large as herself, resting upon her arm. 
 
 During the autumn and winter of this year, 
 my health was very poor, and my voice so weak 
 

 REMOVALS BY DEATH. 227 
 
 that I was able to do but little which required 
 much strength or effort in speaking. When all 
 about me were so busy it seemed hard that I 
 should be useless. Weak and disheartened, I 
 often felt like echoing those quaint words of 
 Herbert, — 
 
 " All things are busy, 
 Only I neither bring honey with the bees, 
 Nor flowers to make that, nor the husbandry 
 
 To water these. 
 I am no link in Thy great chain, 
 But all my company is a weed. 
 Lord, place me in thy consort; give one strain 
 To my poor reed." 
 
 Our good friends began to suggest the impor- 
 tance of my leaving Ningpo before the heat of 
 another summer. But I was very averse to 
 taking my husband from a place where it seemed 
 to me that his services were more needed than 
 they could be elsewhere, and I think, if I had 
 been allowed the privilege of deciding the ques- 
 tion, we would never have left there, though I 
 can now see many reasons, aside from my health, 
 why it was much better that we did so. 
 
 In the month of April our hearts were sad- 
 dened by the occurrence of another of those 
 mysterious events for the solution of which we 
 must wait the revelations of eternity. I refer 
 
228 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 to the death of Rev. Reuben Lowrie, of Shang- 
 hai. His health had been declining for months, 
 but he and his many friends had hoped that he 
 might rally, and be long spared to the work 
 which he so loved, and for which he was emi- 
 nently fitted. 
 
 He was a younger brother of Rev. Walter 
 Lowrie, whose death at the hands of pirates 
 I have already described. These brothers, I 
 think, must have resembled each other in many 
 respects. Both were possessed of clear, com- 
 manding intellects, and of deep and ardent piety. 
 Mr. Reuben Lowrie spoke the Shanghai dialect, 
 particularly well, and preached in it with ease 
 and power. His death was a great loss to the 
 cause ; or rather it appeared so to us. How lit- 
 tle we know of God's plans and purposes ! Many 
 of his providences in heathen lands, where again 
 and again he has removed those who were pre- 
 eminently fitted for his work, seem as if expressly 
 intended to teach his church to " cease from 
 man," and to depend for success entirely upon 
 him, — a lesson which we have been slo w to 
 learn. " Not by might nor by power, but by my 
 Spirit, saith the Lord." 
 

 VISIT TO JAPAN. 229 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 VISIT TO JAPAN. 
 
 Owing to the unsettled state of China, not 
 only in consequence of the war in which she was 
 engaged with the allied armies of France and 
 England, but also on account of the movements of 
 the Tai-ping rebels, who were then threatening 
 various places on the coast, it was not practicable 
 to attempt a residence at any of the usual re- 
 treats in the neighborhood of Ningpo. 
 
 While we were still living in Hang-chow, we 
 had been somewhat surprised at receiving an ap- 
 appointment from our society at home, to go in 
 company with Dr. and Mrs. Hepburn, to begin a 
 new station in Japan. Although we were not 
 prepared, even after we were driven from Hang- 
 chow, at once to accept this appointment and 
 permanently give up China, it was decided, in 
 June of 1860, that, in consideration of the low 
 state of my health, and the doctor's imperative 
 advice that I should not remain longer in Ning- 
 
230 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 po, we should spend a few months in Japan ; 
 leaving the question of remaining there, or com- 
 ing back to China, to be decided by providential 
 indications in the future. 
 
 At a recent meeting of the Ningpo Presby- 
 tery, Mr. Nevius had been appointed to prepare 
 a " Compendium of Theology," — a work much 
 needed by the theological students and others. 
 It was almost impossible, amidst the constant in- 
 terruptions to which he was liable at Ningpo, to 
 find the time necessary for the accomplishment 
 of the task assigned him ; and a temporary so- 
 journ elsewhere was for this reason most oppor- 
 tune. 
 
 We took passage for Shanghai, en route for 
 Japan in a pretty little vessel called the 
 "Heather Bell." On the second night we an- 
 chored at Woo-sung, the mouth of the Hwang-po 
 River, upon which Shanghai is situated. We 
 counted nearly a dozen French ships of war, 
 lying at anchor not far from us. They swarmed 
 with soldiers, many of whom were Manilamen, 
 miserable-looking objects, wrapped up in their 
 blankets, as if suffering from the cold, although 
 it was already June. Six or eight of the ships 
 were getting up steam preparatory to starting for 
 the Peiho. We were told that there was not a 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 231 
 
 cordial state of feeling existing between the 
 French and English ; that in fact, though acting 
 together against the Chinese, there was so little 
 kindliness between them that they scarcely knew 
 whether to consider themselves friends or ene- 
 mies. 
 
 We found our foreign friends at Shanghai 
 very uneasy, on account of an anticipated attack 
 from the insurgents who were near them. On the 
 day of our arrival, two hundred men were taken, 
 on suspicion of being rebels, and would at once 
 have been put to death, as such, had not the 
 French interfered, and insisted upon the captives 
 having a fair trial. It was found upon investi- 
 gation that they were, as they asserted, a detach- 
 ment of disbanded Imperialist soldiers. 
 
 There was a report that Su-chau, the capital 
 of the province, had already been captured by 
 the insurgents ; in consequence of which, busi- 
 ness in the foreign settlement was nearly sus- 
 pended ; and so few ships were offering for Ja- 
 pan that we were detained about two weeks 
 before sailing. 
 
 Although Shanghai was early occupied as 
 a mission station, it has never been a very suc- 
 cessful one. When we first reached China, the 
 American Episcopal Church had a large mis- 
 
232 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 sion there ; while the American Baptists (South- 
 ern), Methodists, Presbyterians, and several Eng- 
 lish societies, also had their representatives. 
 One member of our mission, Rev. Mr. Culbert- 
 son, resided in the same compound with " Bishop 
 Boon's Mission," as that of the American Episco- 
 palians was called, while two or three families 
 were at South Gate, on the opposite side of the 
 city, three miles distant. Their dwelling-houses, 
 together with a church and two small school build- 
 ings, formed a pretty little settlement, in the 
 midst of a dense Chinese population. Such a 
 situation was much better adapted to missionary 
 work than if it had been nearer the foreign com- 
 munity. 
 
 We spent some time at South Gate, with 
 Mrs. Reuben Lowrie. She and her sister, with 
 her three little children, were about preparing to 
 return to the United States. We missed Mr. 
 Lowrie constantly; the place seemed sadly 
 changed without him. 
 
 As it was important that we should be nearer 
 the shipping, we came over to Mr. Culbertson's 
 several days before leaving. Their kind hospi- 
 tality we have enjoyed again and again ; and, no 
 matter how frequent our visits, their cordial 
 welcome was ever the same. 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 233 
 
 Bishop Boon's Mission had just received a 
 large reinforcement, among whom were Mr. and 
 Mrs. Dudley Smith, and Mr. and Mrs. Parker, 
 who were afterwards associated with us in Shan- 
 tung. 
 
 We were so fortunate as to secure a passage 
 direct for Kanagawa, in a large English ship, 
 called the " Challenger ; " the captain of which 
 was a good Christian man, — such as is not seen 
 as often as could be wished in his position. 
 
 As our visit to Japan was merely an episode 
 in our " Life in China," I shall not hesitate to 
 describe both the country and our sojourn there. 
 
 We were about a week in going from Shang- 
 hai to Kanagawa; scarcely long enough to 
 recover fully from sea-sickness. Indeed, some 
 of the passengers were violently ill the whole 
 way. We took with us, from Shanghai, a little 
 son of Rev. Mr. Syle, of the American Episcopal 
 Mission. He was in very delicate health, and 
 was sent to Japan, with the hope that a more 
 favorable climate might invigorate him. He 
 went to be the guest of Mrs. S. R. Brown, of 
 the Dutch Reformed Mission, of the U. S. 
 Dear Freddie was one of the loveliest children I 
 ever knew. We became fast friends, and he 
 was my frequent visitor, and a sweet little com- 
 
234 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 panion. It is now several years since he was 
 taken from earth to a better world. It seems 
 natural to think of him there. « Of such is the 
 kingdom of heaven." 
 
 The night before we reached Japan we were 
 in much danger, as the captain was uncertain as 
 to his position, and the night was dark and fog- 
 gy. But, when the morning dawned, we found 
 ourselves in mid channel, and fairly in the Yed- 
 do Bay, with the " Country of the Rising Sun" 
 spread out before us. Kanagawa, and Yokaha- 
 ma, the foreign settlement, were plainly in sight 
 on the shore. Behind them rose a succession 
 of low, undulating hills; while apparently near 
 though m reality seventy miles distant, towered 
 the symmetrical and snow-capped Fusiyama — 
 the sacred mountain of Japan. This is an'ex- 
 tinct volcano, — in shape, a very perfect cone, — 
 m height, over fourteen thousand feet. At even- 
 ing, as the setting sun gilds the clouds and 
 mists which rest upon its summit, its "purple 
 robes of gold and violet" seem 'indeed a fitting 
 mantle for this prince of mountains. And when 
 at dawn of day the whole mountain-side is 
 tinted with a roseate hue, it is no less beautiful 
 Look when you will, it is always lovely, and 
 always fascinating ; and I do not wonder in the 
 

 VISIT TO JAPAN. 235 
 
 least at the reverence and affection with which 
 the Japanese regard it. It is Fusi jama which we 
 see so often represented by native artists, either 
 in paintings or on their lacquered ware. 
 
 The early history of Japan is enveloped in 
 much obscurity ; and, until within a few years, 
 its present character, the singular form of its 
 government, and the peculiar habits and customs 
 of its inhabitants have all been very imperfectly 
 understood. As I do not feel myself capable of 
 speaking with confidence on this subject, I shall 
 avail myself of some statistics and information 
 from Sir Rutherford Al cock's " Three Years in 
 Japan," as fuller and more reliable than any 
 other work within my reach. The quotations in 
 the pages following will be nearly all from 
 him. 
 
 I quite agree with Sir Rutherford in his 
 remark that " writers on Japan have hith- 
 erto seen everything through highly colored 
 glasses, reminding one of Dr. Pangloss, who 
 "likes everything, and everybody, and believes 
 everything is the very best in the best of all possi- 
 ble worlds." Similar to this was the impression 
 made upon many of the officers connected with 
 our American squadron, to whom belonged the 
 honor of opening the long closed empire. It 
 
236 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 certainly was not strange that, under the inter- 
 esting circumstances of their first visit to the 
 " beautiful Isles of the Rising Sun." they should 
 have been ready to regard not only the country, 
 but the natives, in somewhat too favorable a 
 light. 
 
 A limited trade between China and Japan has 
 existed for many years ; but both nations have 
 been too self-contained and unambitious to ex- 
 tend their commerce as they might, had they 
 been so inclined. 
 
 "Toa half-piratical, half-trading expedition 
 of three Portuguese adventurers in a Chinese 
 junk, driven, they knew not whither, by 
 stress of weather, is due the first discovery of 
 Japan itself." The unknown coast upon which 
 these adventurers landed ' ' proved to be that 
 part of Japan owning the sovereignty of the 
 Prince of Bungo ; and we find the Japanese, 
 though vigilant, manifested no reluctance to ad- 
 mit the strangers. They even showed them 
 much kindness, and no obstacle was interposed 
 to a free trade of the inhabitants in the inter- 
 change of such commodities as they had with 
 them. This was the commencement of European 
 intercourse and trade, carrying us back to A. D. 
 1542-5. 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 237 
 
 " A few years later, Hansiro, a Japanese 
 noble, fled his country for ' an act of homicide ' 
 (having run some fellow-subject through the 
 body, no doubt) , and took refuge in Goa. There 
 he was converted and baptized. 
 
 '• This proved the second link in the chain; for, 
 being enterprising and shrewd, and animated, 
 probably, with the hot zeal of a new convert, he 
 soon persuaded the merchants of Goa. nothing 
 loth, we may imagine, that they might establish 
 a profitable trade with Japan : while to the Jes- 
 uit fathers he promised a rich harvest of souls. 
 He obviously preached to willing ears in both 
 directions, and foremost among his ' listeners 
 was the Jesuit &postle of the East, Francis 
 Xavier. 
 
 " A ship was forthwith loaded with goods and 
 presents, wherewith to commence a permanent 
 trade. For the accomplishment of spiritual ob- 
 jects, Francis Xavier himself embarked with the 
 Japanese refugee, and a number of his order, as 
 missionaries. A goodly freight : Jesuit fathers 
 to win souls ; merchants to make money ; mer- 
 chandise for the people, and their carnal wants ; 
 presents to propitiate the authorities, — all were 
 duly provided ; and thus auspiciously began this 
 second chapter. 
 
238 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 "On arriving at Bungo they were received 
 with open arms, and not the slightest opposition 
 was made to the introduction of either trade or 
 religion. No system of exclusion then existed ; 
 and such was the spirit of toleration that the 
 government made no objection to the open 
 preaching of Christianity. Indeed, the Portu- 
 guese were freely admitted to go where they 
 pleased in the empire, and to travel from one 
 end of it to the other. The people freely 
 bought the goods of the traders, and listened to 
 the teachings of the missionaries. 
 
 "And a little later we find it said, 'If the 
 feudal princes were ever at any time ready to 
 quarrel with the merchant, it was because he 
 would not come to their ports.' Passing onward 
 a few years, we find the Christianity of the Jes- 
 uit fathers spreading rapidly and universally ; 
 princes and rulers, nobles and plebeians, women 
 and children, of all ranks and in large numbers, 
 embraced the faith. Churches, hospitals, con- 
 vents, and schools were scattered over the 
 country. Intermarriages between the Portu- 
 guese and wealthy Japanese were frequent. 
 
 " After forty years, the Koman Catholic faith 
 was in such high esteem, and had such undis- 
 puted possession of the field (no Protestant ele- 
 

 VISIT TO JAPAN. 239 
 
 ment having at that time appeared on the scene), 
 that a Japanese embassy, composed of three 
 princes, was sent to Rome, to Pope Gregory 
 Thirteenth, with letters and valuable presents. 
 Their reception at Rome was not only magnifi- 
 cent, but their whole progress through Spain 
 and Italy was one continued ovation. ' A nation 
 of thirty millions of civilized and intelligent peo- 
 ple had been won from the heathen ! ' Great in- 
 deed was the joy and triumph, and this was the 
 culminating point of the church's success. But, 
 strange to say, in that same hour, while the ar- 
 tillery of St. Angelo, answered by the guns of 
 the Vatican, was thundering a welcome to the 
 Japanese ambassadors, an edict had gone forth 
 from the Kubo-sama, or sovereign lord of Japan, 
 banishing all Catholic missionaries within six 
 months, on pain of death, and ordering all crosses 
 to be thrown down, and all the churches to be 
 razed to the ground. 
 
 " When the Jesuit Superior, Pere Yalignani, 
 returned with the ambassadors, after an absence 
 of eight years, he found this edict in force, and 
 partially carried out. The old King of Bungo, 
 the great protector of the Jesuits, was dead, his 
 successor ill disposed. All their Christian com- 
 munities, schools, and hospitals had been sup- 
 

 240 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 pressed, and the missionaries dispersed, expelled, 
 or forced into concealment. 
 
 " The first edict for the banishment of the mis- 
 sionaries was published in June, 1587. 
 
 « In the year 1635, the Portuguese were shut 
 up in Decima, and only allowed to trade there 
 amidst, it is said, the jeers and derision of their 
 Dutch rivals. 
 
 "A year or two later, the fall of the last 
 Christian stronghold, Simabara, marked the 
 final catastrophe, and the close of all relations 
 with foreigners but the miserable ones allowed to 
 the Dutch factory in Decima, Since that date, 
 until recent treaties were signed, no Japanese 
 had been allowed to leave his island home, nor 
 foreigners to land. All who had been cast on 
 shore, or made the attempt, had either been killed 
 or imprisoned." 
 
 Sir Rutherford further adds: "The deter- 
 mining cause of the downfall and utter destruc- 
 tion of the Roman church in Japan is to be 
 sought in the pretension to a spiritual supremacy, 
 which is but another name for the monopoly of 
 power, since all that is political or secular must 
 bow to God's vicegerent on earth, who claims the 
 right to bind and to loosen, to absolve subjects of 
 
K,-<9I 
 
 VISIT TO JAPAN. 241 
 
 their oath and fealty, and dethrone kings bj hi? 
 edict. 
 
 " This, and no other cause, it is impossible 
 to doubt, led to the final expulsion of every 
 European, the extermination of every Christian 
 convert, and the closing of every port for two 
 ceDturies. The annihilation of commerce and 
 material interests was merely a necessary conse- 
 quence of the close connection that had subsisted 
 between the professors of religion and the trad- 
 ers, taken in connection with their common 
 nationality." 
 
 I have given these lengthy extracts, because 
 I thought that others besides myself might feel 
 interested in tracing the introduction, progress, 
 and final overthrow of Roman Catholicism in 
 Japan. It seems to me very sad that nations 
 which, like China and Japan, have at early 
 periods been so cordial and unsuspecting in 
 their intercourse with other countries, should, in 
 consequence of unjust and wrong dealings, have 
 afterwards so completely changed in their policy 
 and disposition. In both of these cases it seems 
 that the emissaries of the Pope have, by their 
 injudicious eagerness for gaining both temporal 
 and spiritual power, wrought their own ruin, as 
 well as great injury to others. 
 16 
 
242 OUR LIFE IN CHINA, 
 
 I have been struck by the coincidence that 
 it was in the very same year in which Roman 
 Catholicism in Japan was finally suppressed, and 
 the last of the poor native converts were " buried 
 under the ruins of their captured city, or hurled 
 from the rocky islet of Pappenberg in the Bay of 
 Nagisaki," that the Pilgrim fathers, fleeing from 
 religious intolerance, landed upon the rocky 
 shores of Plymouth, New England, " there to 
 plant the seeds of a Protestant faith, and a 
 great Protestant empire." 
 
 During our first summer in Ningpo, we had 
 the pleasure of meeting many of the officers con- 
 nected with the United States ships Plymouth 
 and Powhatan, which had just returned from 
 Japan. The accounts they gave us of the coun- 
 try and people, of whom we had until then known 
 so little, were full of interest. 
 
 In order to give a correct idea of the difficulties 
 attending early negotiations, and to appreciate 
 the remarkable change which has now taken 
 place in Japan, I shall again quote from Sir R. 
 Alcock, who certainly cannot be charged with 
 prejudice in favor of America or Americans. 
 After having hinted at some causes which he 
 thinks contributed to the favorable result of open- 
 ing the empire to foreign nations, he says : "It 
 

 VISIT TO JAPAN. 243 
 
 was under these circumstances that Commodore 
 Perry appeared off Cape Idzoo on July 8, 1853, 
 with an American squadron, consisting of two 
 large-class steam frigates, and two sloops of war. 
 And having delivered a letter from the President, 
 proposing a treaty of amity and commerce, which 
 the Japanese authorities showed little disposition 
 to grant, though by no means prepared for what 
 they evidently anticipated might, be the conse- 
 quences of a refusal, the commodore took his de- 
 parture, with a promise, or a menace, whichever 
 way it may have been taken, of returning the 
 following year, and with a ' larger fleet,' for a 
 definite answer. 
 
 " On February 12th, 1854, accordingly, the 
 commodore reappeared in the Bay of Yeddo, 
 with three steam frigates, four sloops of war, 
 and two store-ships, a squadron of nine vessels." 
 
 This formidable demonstration produced so 
 great an effect that Commodore Perry succeeded, 
 though not without very tedious delays, in se- 
 curing a treaty, opening two unimportant ports, 
 and promising aid to ships in distress. 
 
 " This treaty of Commodore Perry's brought, 
 in due time, a diplomatic agent of the United 
 States to Simoda, in the person of Mr. Harris, 
 with the special title of Consul General. There 
 
244 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 he resided until 1857, when, having a letter of 
 credence from the President, he succeeded, with 
 no small difficulty, in obtaining permission to 
 proceed to Yeddo to present it, either to the 
 Tycoon himself or to his ministers. But the 
 Japanese would have been untrue to their own 
 nature and instincts if this had been conceded 
 without a stout resistance. 
 
 "The way in which parallels of attack and 
 words of counter-defence were drawn by the two 
 contending forces engaged in it was very amus- 
 ing to trace. The thorough-going and clear- 
 headed American, feeling he held a key in the 
 President's letter, which, rightly used, might 
 open the gates of Yeddo, determined to put it to 
 its destined use, on the side of attack. The 
 Japanese officials, first of Simoda, and after- 
 wards others delegated from the capital, bent 
 every resource of subtlety and finesse, to get it 
 out of his hands and leave him where he was, at 
 an outer post. This on the side of the defence, 
 These two parties, pitted against each other, 
 under every possible form of courtesy, sought a 
 diplomatic victory, — entrance into Yeddo and 
 a treaty being the prizes, if won by the Ameri- 
 can ; and a final abandonment of a system of ex- 
 clusion and isolation, with all their traditional 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 245 
 
 policy in regard to foreigners, on the part of the 
 Japanese, the bitter fruit to them, if they were 
 defeated." 
 
 After most vexatious delays, Mr. Harris was 
 at last permitted to go to Yeddo, where he spent 
 several months framing a treaty. Having pre- 
 vailed upon the Tycoon and his ministers to 
 yield to his demands, he found himself again on 
 the point of defeat in consequence of a combina- 
 tion formed by the hereditary princes and daimios. 
 
 Having received a promise that in the course 
 of a few months the treaty should be formally 
 concluded, he returned to Simoda. 
 
 A very short time after this, the allied armies 
 of England and France gained a complete victory 
 over the Chinese, and extorted from them a 
 treaty "opening the whole length and breadth 
 of the empire, all the navigable rivers, and the 
 gates of Pekin, nearly as hermetically sealed to 
 foreigners as Yeddo itself had been for the last 
 three centuries." 
 
 The United States frigate Mississippi proceeded 
 at once to Simoda to communicate this interest- 
 ing item of news to Mr. Harris. It was just 
 what he needed, and he hastened again to Yeddo. 
 Alcock's account of the result, is as follows : 
 "The Imperial commissioners were despatched to 
 
246 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 meet him (that is, Mr. Harris). ' What news 
 is this ? ' ' Treaties have been signed with four of 
 the greatest powers of the West, after the 
 destruction of the Chinese batteries, by the Eng- 
 lish and French. The same four powers will in 
 another month be knocking at the gates of 
 Yeddo. Do jou wish to lose all the advantages 
 for which you have labored and risked so much ? ' 
 1 No ! ' ' Very well, then, conclude without de- 
 lay your treaty with the United States, already 
 drafted, agreed to, and signed on both sides 
 Give it formal execution, and thus secure your- 
 selves from less moderate demands, which may 
 within the month be urged by other powers, 
 backed with imposing squadrons. ' And the dates 
 were filled in accordingly, and the treaty for- 
 mally executed on board the * Powhatan,' on 
 the third day from Mr. Harris' arrival. 
 
 1 ' Throughout the negotiations, apparently 
 single-handed, and without any material support 
 from his government, the American diplomatic 
 agent thus surmounted all difficulties, and proved 
 himself fully equal to the occasion. How such 
 success was secured, with the knowledge since 
 attained, it is easy to see ; but it detracts noth- 
 ing from the credit due to the strategic skill with 
 which the negotiator turned the weakness of the 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 247 
 
 Japanese, the strength of his neighbors, and 
 even his own want of material support from the 
 government he represented, all equally to ac- 
 count, for the success of his mission. Where 
 others might have seen motives of discourage- 
 ment, he found all the elements of victory." 
 
 Ii is a sad fact that the consequences of yield- 
 ing to the pressure of necessity, and concluding 
 the American treaty, were most disastrous to all 
 who participated in it. The Tycoon was assas- 
 sinated, and the ministers, and even inferior offi- 
 cers, such as secretaries and interpreters, were 
 either killed or sent into banishment. 
 
 But it was now too late to attempt any retro- 
 grade policy, and in quick succession, the Japan- 
 ese were obliged to conclude treaties with Eng- 
 land, France, Russia, and I know not how many 
 smaller powers. " It fairly rained treaties." 
 
 We Americans have rather flattered ourselves 
 that we are the " favored nation " in Japan, and 
 the delusion, if it is such, is so pleasant that we 
 scarcely care to be disabused of it. We are cer- 
 tainly under great obligations to his excellency, 
 Mr. Harris, for his fearlessness and determina- 
 tion, as well as his diplomacy, under circum- 
 stances as trying as can well be imagined. 
 
 The government of Japan is a very compli- 
 

 248 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 cated one, and it seems that foreigners, even 
 those well situated for investigating it, had formed 
 very erroneous impressions concerning it. I do 
 not understand it well enough to attempt a 
 description, nor would it be exactly in place here. 
 There seems to have been, ever since the open- 
 ing of the empire to foreigners, and perhaps 
 before, a constant succession of revolutions and 
 counter-revolutions. Whether the chief cause of 
 these disturbances has been the desire on the 
 part of some to introduce a more liberal policy, 
 and to inaugurate a new era of progress, I can- 
 not say. Progressive measures, I know, are very 
 repugnant to the more conservative members of 
 the government, who regard them as ' ' fraught 
 with danger to the stability of the empire; " as 
 perhaps indeed they are. 
 
 It was in the summer of 1858 that the Amer- 
 ican treaty was finally concluded. Two years 
 later, when we went to Japan, an important and 
 lucrative foreign trade had already been estab- 
 lished, and settlements had been formed at 
 Nagisaki, Kanagawa, and Hakodadi. The lat- 
 ter of these places I have never visited, but, from 
 accounts of others, I think it must be rather 
 dreary and desolate, compared with some more 
 southern localities. 
 

 VISIT TO JAPAN. 249 
 
 Kanagawa, which is only seventeen miles dis- 
 tant from YeddOj was a small village, important 
 only as offering a good anchorage, and being in 
 close proximity to the capital. Its situation 
 upon the Tocado [the main road which runs 
 through the empire, and is much frequented by 
 daimios and their suites going to or returning 
 from Yeddo] made it so objectionable to the 
 natives as the site for a fureign town, that for- 
 eigners were, after a short time, obliged to remove 
 to Yokohama, — a retired spot across the bay, 
 two and a half miles distant by water, and four 
 and a half by land. While we were in Japan, 
 the American consul and missionaries were still 
 residing in Kanagawa, though most of the resi- 
 dents and the other consuls had already left 
 there. The mercantile community consisted 
 chiefly of branch establishments from large firms 
 in Shanghai and Hong-kong, and also a rapidly 
 increasing native population. 
 
 Soon after the "Challenger" anchored in 
 Yeddo Bay, Mr. Nevius went on shore, first to 
 Yokohama, and afterwards to Kanagawa, where 
 he had no difficulty in finding our missionary 
 friends. Towards evening, Dr. Hepburn and he 
 came off in a native boat, for little Freddie and 
 me, and took us to his house. 
 
250 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 We found Dr. and Mrs. Hepburn nicely 
 settled in a temple, which had been repaired 
 and arranged so that it was both comfortable and 
 pleasant. Rev. S. R. Brown and family lived 
 in the same compound, in a house belonging to 
 the temple. Another family, for some time con- 
 nected with a small Baptist organization in the 
 United States, occupied a little house in one cor- 
 ner of the same enclosure. Dr. Hepburn's 
 "temple " was very unlike buildings for similar 
 purposes in China, being much smaller, and of a 
 lighter construction. A long, covered passage- 
 way led from it to Mr. Brown's house, which 
 was a large, low building, very irregular in de- 
 sign, with little alleys leading through it in dif- 
 ferent directions. It was a poor old place 
 when they went there ; but a few repairs and 
 foreign furniture quite changed its appearance; 
 while the extensive garden surrounding it gave 
 it a pleasantly rural and sequestered air. I 
 think they must have been sorry when obliged 
 to leave there and go over to Yokohama to live. 
 
 Dwelling-houses, shops, and also the temples 
 are all built rather low, — very seldom, I be- 
 lieve, having more than one story. They have 
 wooden frames, very securely joined together, 
 but the walls are only laths, or light pieces of 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 251 
 
 wood, filled in with some kind of mortar. Houses 
 of the poorer class are usually covered with 
 thatch, but those of the better sort have long, 
 sloping tile roofs, — I think not so pretty as 
 some we have seen in China. It is necessary 
 that buildings should be of some such style, as 
 earthquakes are very common, and every few 
 years the Japanese anticipate having their dwell- 
 ings shaken down. Heavy stones and bricks 
 tumbling about one's head would not be agree- 
 able, nor, I should fancy, would the heavy tiles 
 or timbers which are now used. I think, in a 
 country where earthquakes are so common, sim- 
 ple tents would be admirable, as they could do 
 little harm, no matter how violently shaken. 
 However, there is nothing so fearful but that 
 people get used to it. In Japan we do not fear 
 earthquakes, as I had imagined I should. " Did 
 you feel that ? " some one cries. " Yes, of course 
 I did; a good shake, was it not?" When a 
 wrench, unusually strong, causes the timbers to 
 sway and creak, people usually feel like rushing 
 out of doors, —though, even then, such as are 
 particularly stoical, sit still, to see if more are to 
 follow. It is singular to notice how differently 
 persons are affected by the strange and inexpres- 
 sible sensation of the earth trembling and quiv- 
 
252 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 ering, or shaking, as it does in an earthquake t 
 be it ever so slight. Yeddo seems to ha^e been 
 singularly unfortunate, having been, I do not 
 know how many times, partially destroyed by 
 earthquakes and the fires which invariably ac- 
 company them. 
 
 For several weeks after reaching Kanagawa, 
 we boarded with Dr. and Mrs. Hepburn, at 
 Jo-bu-ts-gee, as their temple was called, having 
 apartments on one side of the dining room, cor- 
 responding with their parlor, which was opposite. 
 All partitions in our houses were the usual native 
 sliding-screens, which, being simply paper pasted 
 over a kind of lattice, while they screen from 
 sight, do not prevent the transmission of sounds ; 
 so that, without desiring it, persons are con- 
 stantly in danger of overhearing conversations 
 not intended for them. These paper partitions 
 are very pretty, and sometimes also convenient, 
 as, when larger rooms are required, they can be 
 shoved to one side, leaving a large open space. 
 For a long while Sabbath services where held at 
 Dr. Hepburn's; and, by thus removing the 
 screens, a room sufficiently large and very pleas- 
 ant was secured. Before our arrival, Mr. Browu 
 had preached regularly every Lord's day, but 
 afterwards he and Mr. Nevius alternated. The 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 253 
 
 service was subsequently removed to Yokohama, 
 as more convenient for most foreign residents. 
 It was well attended, by, it seemed to me, a 
 larger proportion of the merchants and civilians 
 than is common in China. 
 
 Missionaries and other foreign settlers were, 
 in those days, much thrown together, and a cor- 
 dial and pleasant state of feeling existed among 
 them. Perhaps the consciousness we all felt of 
 insecurity and danger, may have been one bond 
 of union and sympathy; while another reason 
 for such pleasant social relations lay in the fact 
 that the first missionaries were for the most 
 part, persons well calculated to command the 
 respect and affection of those with whom they 
 came in contact. E. M. Dorr, Esq., the United 
 States consul, was very kind and obliging, and 
 gave the missionaries much assistance in securing 
 residences and in various other ways. His Ex- 
 cellency, Mr. Harris, from the first, also exhib- 
 ited a kindly interest in them and their success, 
 visiting them at their homes and inviting them 
 to the American Legation at Yeddo. 
 
 Very soon after reaching Japan we com- 
 menced the study of the language, not perhaps 
 with the energy and interest we would have felt 
 had we been certain of living there permanently, 
 

 254 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 but with such good success as to enable us, in a 
 few weeks or months, to have a sufficient smat- 
 tering of it to use in necessary intercourse with 
 the natives. Our knowledge of Chinese was of 
 some assistance, as, though the two languages 
 are entirely separate, and very different, Japan- 
 ese scholars also understand a certain amount 
 of Chinese. When sore pressed for the meaning 
 of a word, my teacher would turn to it in a 
 Chinese dictionary, or write it himself. If I 
 did not recognize it, I would carry it to my hus- 
 band, and among us we usually managed to 
 solve the difficulty without applying to Dr. or 
 Mrs. Hepburn, who had already made consider- 
 able progress in the language. 
 
 Although Mr. Nevius for a few weeks gave 
 some time daily to the study of Japanese, he 
 was principally engaged in his Chinese work on 
 Theology, which under such favorable circum- 
 stances progressed rapidly. 
 
 Had my health been better I should have en- 
 joyed the study of this new tongue, exceedingly. 
 It is a beautiful 'language, — capable of great 
 force of expression, and with an endless variety, 
 in fact a most unnecessary variety, in its forms 
 and changes. It is much more musical than 
 Chinese ; but whether it is also "more difficult " 
 

 VISIT TO JAPAN. 255 
 
 as Las been asserted, I hive my doubts. I sus- 
 pect that one reason for its having been thought 
 so is that those who have acquired it, after 
 having mastered the Chinese, must necessarily 
 have done so at a somewhat advanced age ; which 
 would account, at least in a measure, for its 
 proving to them more difficult of acquisition. 
 My principal reason for not crediting the asser- 
 tion alluded to is that I cannot possibly conceive 
 of anything involving more hard study to ac- 
 quire than the written character of China. It 
 is, however, possible that the spoken language 
 may present greater difficulties than are found 
 in some few of the colloquials of China. 
 
 The Japanese have three different forms of 
 writing their language. They have two sepa- 
 rate alphabets, called the Katakana and the Hira- 
 kana ; and they also use the Chinese character 
 either by itself or in combination with their 
 own letters. A page of a Japanese book pre- 
 sents a strange medley; cursive, irregular 
 strokes, chasing each other down the column, 
 here of one kind and there of another, with occa- 
 sional Chinese characters, introduced apparently 
 only to give an air of respectability to the other- 
 wise unmeaning-looking composition. A well 
 written or printed Chinese book, with its elabo- 
 
256 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 rate and intricate symbols, is calculated to im- 
 press a novice with the idea that the subject 
 treated of must be somewhat recondite, to re- 
 quire such a difficult style of writing to express 
 it. But, at a first glance, one almost wonders 
 whether the irregular though simple letters of a 
 Japanese book can be made to convey any 
 weighty ideas whatever. 
 
 There is an extensive literature in Japanese ; 
 while many of the books used in schools and 
 read by the more educated are in the Chinese 
 character. It is my impression that the women 
 in Japan are more commonly taught to read 
 than those of China ; which is natural, as many 
 of the books in circulation are written in the 
 simplest style, which is easy to learn when com- 
 pared with the Chinese character. 
 
 Sign-boards and inscriptions in various places, 
 the names and headings of books, etc., etc., are, I 
 believe, usually in Chinese ; while the works of 
 Confucius are almost as well known here as in 
 the land of his birth, and are held in the highest 
 veneration. While many foreigners have an 
 idea that the Japanese are vastly superior to the 
 Chinese, their own estimate of themselves is dif- 
 ferent. They look up to the Chinese as their in- 
 structors and models ; and surely they ought to 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 257 
 
 be able to form a juster estimate of their relative 
 positions than others can. That they do thus 
 regard them is evident from the fact that they 
 have adopted from China, not only the written 
 language and literature, but also a whole system 
 of ethics. 
 
 There is a certain quickness and shrewdness, 
 and a readiness to learn of others, in which the 
 Chinese compare unfavorably with the Japanese, 
 but in most respects I think our staid and some- 
 what too conservative Chinese may claim the 
 pre-eminence. 
 
 Some of the early visitors in Japan were im- 
 pressed by the supposed purity and morality of 
 the inhabitants. I wish, indeed, that they had 
 not been mistaken ; but that they were so, most 
 grievously, is well known to every one who has 
 resided in the country even a short time. There 
 is a lamentable absence of modesty in Jap- 
 anese females. On one summer afternoon's ride 
 I saw two entirely nude women, the one in her 
 bath-tub beside an open window, another sitting 
 unconcerned on a bench near the house. From 
 a bundle of clothing at her side, I inferred that 
 she had just completed her ablutions, and was 
 about making her toilet. These women sat ap- 
 parently as unconscious of impropriety as if 
 

 258 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 they had been clad with ceremonious precision. 
 An artist desiring to make a study of the human 
 form divine need not go farther than Japan for 
 models. In the warm weather many men in 
 the streets have no clothing except a narrow 
 strip of cloth round the loins ; and the women 
 also are slightly clad on the upper parts of their 
 bodies. 
 
 It would be very pleasant to attribute the 
 custom of women frequenting the public baths 
 with persons of the other sex, and other equally 
 notorious facts, to the unconscious simplicity 
 of their innocent natures ; but stubborn facts 
 will not allow this easy explanation. I am en- 
 tirely unacquainted with females of the upper 
 classes of Japan ; but I presume they excel their 
 less favored sisters in the domestic virtues. 
 There as elsewhere poverty and vice too often 
 go together. 
 
 It was for a time supposed that the Japanese 
 were an exceedingly temperate people ; while, in 
 fact, intemperance is so prevalent that Dr. 
 Hepburn speaks of them as a "nation of drunk- 
 ards." In this vice at least, says Sir R. Alcock, 
 " The Japanese have nothing to learn from for- 
 eigners ; that certainly cannot be laid to our 
 charge. They are as much given to drunkei* 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 259 
 
 ness as any of the northern races of Europe, as 
 quarrelsome as the worst, and far more danger- 
 ous in their cups." There is a species of spir- 
 ituous liquor called saki, which is a common drink. 
 It produces an effect very quickly, rendering 
 persons who have taken it talkative and mis- 
 chievous. There was nothing which we feared 
 more, in our rides and rambles, than meeting in- 
 toxicated yaconinSj as the two-sworded gentry 
 are called ; and even the peasantry, who are at 
 other times civil and well disposed, when under 
 the influence of saki are quarrelsome and dan- 
 gerous. 
 
 But notwithstanding these national blemishes, 
 and others besides, which I should be obliged to 
 mention if my object were to present an accurate 
 analysis of the Japanese character, they have 
 many admirable traits. All they need, or at 
 least their principal want, is the introduction 
 of a pure Christianity. Give them this, and it 
 will not be long before they will be fairly enti- 
 tled to take their place among the most highly 
 civilized nations of the world. 
 
 Had Protestant Christians shown the same 
 earnestness and perseverance which characterized 
 the early Romanists, perhaps long ere this the 
 Bible would have been a well-known book in 
 

 260 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 Japan, and, by the beneficent influence which in- 
 variably emanates therefrom, would have given 
 them what they are now entirely destitute of, — 
 a knowledge of God ; would have corrected the 
 depraved public sentiment ; instilled new and cor- 
 rect views of the sanctity of the social relations ; 
 have taught a juster notion of the value of hu- 
 man life, now so thoughtlessly sacrificed ; in fine, 
 would have made the Japanese, what they cer- 
 tainly are capable of being, a noble Christian 
 nation. ■ 
 

 VISIT TO JAPAN. 261 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 VISIT TO JAPAN — CONTINUED. 
 
 A few mornings after reaching Japan, there 
 was brought to us from Yeddo, for sale, one of 
 the prettiest little piebald ponies which I ever 
 saw. I fancied it at once ; and, after my hus- 
 band had ridden it to try its gait and disposition, 
 he bought and presented it to me. 
 
 I named the pretty creature Donald, after a 
 little boy in the United States. He was very 
 tiny, and not very strong ; was spirited though 
 gentle, with a bright, intelligent eye, and arching 
 neck, and such a dainty, thorough-bred air that I 
 scarcely needed to be told that he had been a pet 
 and favorite in some wealthy family, as was the 
 case. His walk was rapid, and his gait so easy 
 that I had many a long country ride upon his 
 back, while still too weak to have ridden at all 
 upon most other horses. 
 
 Much has been said of the fine roads of Japan, 
 but aside from the Tocado, the imperial road to 
 
262 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 the capital; I saw none which compared at all 
 favorably with roads in Western lands. They 
 are wider than the foot-paths of Southern China, 
 but j owing to the nature of the soil, and to so 
 little attention being given them, walking is at 
 certain seasons quite out of the question, and 
 sometimes, except on the Tocado, even riding on 
 horseback is also almost impracticable. 
 
 Soon after we purchased my pony, we rode 
 one day, in company with Dr. Hepburn and 
 several others, to a beautiful valley near Kana- 
 gawa. The good doctor had forgotten that the 
 recent rain had softened the roads, and so before 
 we knew it we found ourselves in almost a quag- 
 mire. The mud was so deep that the horses 
 sank in almost to their knees. The earth was 
 jet black, and reminded me of that in the woods 
 at home, or of the black " muck " of the western 
 prairies. On we went, sinking deeper and deep- 
 er in this '"'slough of despond," until I became 
 so nervous and miserable that Mr. Nevius kindly 
 turned off into a little path which beckoned in- 
 vitingly to one side ; while the more courageous 
 members of the party pressed forward. I do 
 not know whether their perseverance was re- 
 warded by anything more charming than our 
 quiet ride home. We picked our way through 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 263 
 
 the narrow paths winding here and there, until, 
 though not having been very far from home, we 
 had ridden a sufficiently long distance. 
 
 Another evening Mr. Nevius and I, accom- 
 panied by the groom, or betto, as he is called, 
 who always runs at the side of the horses, or 
 within a short distance of them, started out 
 rather early, the sun being obscured, so that it 
 was pleasant to do so. After passing through 
 the town, we turned up a path running over a 
 hill, and soon came into a retired country road 
 lying through pine woods, with so much under- 
 growth that we had frequently to push away the 
 branches from in front of us. The view was 
 very changing, — now tall trees, then again low 
 bushes, then cultivated patches, with glimpses 
 of lovely scenery in the distance and at our sides. 
 The groom was our guide ; but we were not sure 
 that he knew where he was leading us, until he 
 brought us at length to a temple called Bic-ken- 
 zie, where we had been before. The situation of 
 this temple is delightful, and it is kept perfectly 
 clean and orderly. The walls are low, and the 
 floors matted. The timbers and woodwork seemed 
 particularly fine. We dismounted, and sat for 
 a while on the steps, and had a drink of refresh- 
 ingly cold water. We noticed the groom take a 
 
264 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 dipper of water and throw it into the horses' 
 mouths, not to drink, but merely to cool them. 
 They were used to it, and seemed to like it well. 
 On our way home, passing by some groups of 
 children, they called out to us " Ohaiyo!" pro- 
 nouncing the word just as we do the name of the 
 "Buckeye State" of America. This is their 
 usual salutation ; but shouting it out in such q 
 free and boisterous manner was not altogether re- 
 spectful. The Japanese, especially the children, 
 frequently accost foreigners with several other 
 epithets or phrases, not very agreeable to hear, 
 such as baka, fool; to-jin, Chinaman; jiki-jiki, 
 quick, quick : and even ohaiyo, which simply 
 means "good-morning," onata, "you," or yoka 
 "good," when used in this way, are merely in- 
 excusable familiarities or impertinences, which 
 the Japanese would never presume to use among 
 themselves, at least towards their superiors. 
 
 The country in the immediate vicinity of 
 Kanagawa has a mild sort of beauty. It is not 
 nearly so wild and diversified as the hilly region 
 back from Ningpo ; nor does it equal Hang-chow ; 
 but still there is a freshness and softness in the 
 landscape not often seen elsewhere. There, as in 
 China, you see many indications of the skill of 
 the inhabitants in the cultivation of the soil. 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 265 
 
 There was nothing in Japan which I admired 
 more than its trees and flowers. The latter in- 
 deed are usually almost odorless, but thej are 
 none the less beautiful to look upon. 
 
 " The flora of this district (that is, near Kana- 
 ka wa) is very remarkable (as indeed is that of 
 the whole of Japan) for the great abundance of 
 evergreens. Four-fifths of the plants growing 
 wild in this neighborhood belong to this class, so 
 that even during the winter months the country 
 has a clothed and cheerful aspect. The assort- 
 ment of showy, flowering plants is not so great 
 as might be imagined ; but for this the abundance 
 and variety of foliage fully compensate. The 
 Japanese are great amateur gardeners. Every 
 cottage of any size has its garden attached to 
 it." The " camellia japonica " is very com- 
 mon ; oleanders, hydrangeas, wistaria, and many 
 other flowers which in Western lands are either 
 very rare, or hot-house plants, there flourish in 
 the open air. 
 
 The trees of Japan seemed to me more beauti- 
 ful than any I had ever seen elsewhere, but per- 
 haps that was because they so much excelled in 
 variety and size those to which I had been ac- 
 customed in China. Oaks, pines, maples, and 
 bamboos are only a few of the numerous varie- 
 
266 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 ties used either for timber or for shade in the 
 vicinity of Kanagawa. 
 
 I must not forget to mention the hedges, which 
 are a noticeable feature of the country, and 
 which, for variety and beauty, can hardly bo 
 equalled elsewhere, not even in "old England." 
 You often see miserable farmer dwellings sc 
 prettily enclosed and surrounded as to produce, 
 notwithstanding their own ugliness, a pleasing 
 effect. " Here is a low hedge, or border rather, 
 made of the tea-plant, two or three bushes deep, 
 and growing about three feet high, not unlike 
 the ordinary flowering camellia, of which it is a 
 species. Now we come to an enclosure fenced 
 in with nectarines, and there is a hedge of pome- 
 granate. Now it is a tall, close-twisted fence of 
 cryptomeria, while over that porch of thatch 
 the wisteria spreads, with insatiable desire, its 
 far-reaching arms, to be covered in spring with 
 glorious clusters of purple flowers." 
 
 The vegetables of Japan are so numerous that 
 it would seem as if in this department little 
 more could be desired. They include Irish po- 
 tatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, beans, carrots, tur- 
 nips, beets, yams, ginger, the egg-plant, cucum- 
 bers, leeks, garlic, etc., etc., an almost endless 
 list. But there was no vegetable which I liked 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 267 
 
 better than young bamboo sprouts; which, cut 
 in slices, boiled, and nicely prepared for the 
 table, are a real delicacy. This is also eaten 
 in China. 
 
 Rice, cotton, millet, tobacco, wheat, etc., are 
 also extensively grown. 
 
 The simple enumeration of the fruit-trees of 
 Japan, as of China, would give an idea of deli- 
 cious and abundant fruit, while the fact is that 
 practically there is none at all fit to be eaten. 
 The varieties are poor, and that miserable prac- 
 tice, so common in China, of plucking the fruit 
 while it is still quite green, also prevails there, 
 so that we scarcely know what its taste would be 
 were it allowed to mature. They have peaches, 
 pears, plums, apricots, persimmons, oranges, 
 lemons, figs, etc., etc. The grapes of Japan are 
 pretty good ; and so also are some kinds of mel- 
 ons. The absence of good fruit is not owing to 
 natural causes, for both climate and soil are 
 thought well adapted to it, but rather to neglect 
 in securing good varieties, and want of skill in 
 cultivation. 
 
 It would seem as if, among so many beautiful 
 trees and flowers, there ought to be numerous 
 birds enlivening the landscape by their melody ; 
 but, strange to say, there are comparatively few 
 
268 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 of any sort, and scarcely any which sing. The 
 forests would be noiseless did not the insects sup- 
 ply the void by a chorus as loud if not as sweet 
 as the songs of many birds. 
 
 There is an abundance of wild game in the 
 region of Yeddo. In passing through paddy- 
 fields, or near them, we frequently come close 
 upon great numbers of white and gray storks 
 four or five feet tall. They, as well as the wild 
 fowl, are very tame, as they may well be, feel- 
 ing quite secure of their lives, go where they 
 may. There is a stringent law forbidding the 
 killing of birds or animals within twenty miles 
 of Yeddo, — an exception being made, I fancy, 
 allowing the slaughter of the human species, 
 foreigners at least, whenever a Japanese feels in- 
 clined to try his skill as a marksman, or to test 
 the temper of his sword. 
 
 This law against shooting has been most an- 
 noying to the foreign settlers, especially the 
 English, who again and again have violated it ; 
 in some cases receiving not only from the Japan- 
 ese, but from their own officials, almost too severe 
 a punishment for so trifling an offence. 
 
 It was my invariable custom while in Japan, 
 whenever I was well enough, after spending the 
 day in study or other employments, to go out 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 269 
 
 towards evening with my husband for about two 
 hours' recreation. We occasionally crossed the 
 bay to Yokohama, to visit or shop, and sometimes 
 rode off, in quiet country paths, over the hills or 
 through the valleys. Then again by ourselves, 
 or in company with others, we would take a can- 
 ter on the wide, home-like Tocado, — home-like, 
 however, only as regards the comparatively wide, 
 smooth road. The scenes we meet there could 
 never be found in other lands, either in city or 
 country. 
 
 A ride on the Tocado gives a striking glimpse 
 of Japanese every-day life. The houses in sum- 
 mer are so open that in passing in front we can 
 see quite through them. They certainly are 
 much cleaner than Chinese houses of the same 
 class. There is a singular absence of furniture. 
 No chairs, sofas, tables, or bedsteads are used. 
 A low stand, perhaps not a foot high, some 
 dishes of china, or lacquer, and a few tray3, 
 besides some simple cooking utensils, seem about 
 all a Japanese family requires for house-keeping. 
 The matting which covers the floor is stretched 
 over straw mattresses about six feet long, and 
 three or four wide ; and these form a soft, pleasant 
 bed, upon which the natives sleep at night, 
 wrapped in thick, wadded quilts, their heads rest- 
 
270 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 ing upon the strangest little pillows made ol 
 wood, with only a tiny cushion to support the 
 head or neck. 
 
 Most of the road from Kanagawa to Yeddo 
 is lined with houses, which, in some cases, are 
 grouped into little hamlets, in others are much 
 scattered. There are numerous trees shading 
 the road, which lies most of the way near the 
 water's edge. The whole distance is thronged 
 either with pedestrians, or travellers on horse- 
 back. You meet also numerous pack-horses 
 and porters, carrying heavy loads. The cango 
 is a kind of conveyance, not at all equal for ease 
 and convenience to a common Chinese sedan. 
 It consists of a semicircular piece of wicker 
 work, the ends of which are swung from a long 
 pole. The occupant, having spread a cotton quilt 
 or some garment in the bottom, stows himself 
 away, in a posture so bent and uncomfortable 
 that I should think it would soon become unen- 
 durable. The norimon is better ; but it is by no 
 means pleasant. It resembles an Indian palan- 
 quin, rather than a Chinese sedan, and is carried 
 usually, perhaps always, by four bearers ; while 
 the lighter and more unpretending cango has but 
 two. 
 
 The greatest difficulty in riding on the Tocado 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 271 
 
 is the risk we run of knocking down, or going 
 against, foot travellers and children, who swarm 
 on every side. The groom usually sees to this, 
 and clears the road ; and we were always strictly 
 careful to ride slowly where the road was crowd- 
 ed. Some of the "fast young men " from Ka- 
 nagawa, dashing recklessly along, three or four 
 abreast, often come in too close proximity to per- 
 sons on foot, who, however, usually manage to 
 get out of the way of their horses' hoofs. One 
 evening, as Mrs. Hepburn was riding my Donald 
 in company with Mr. Nevius, they met such a 
 party. As they were endeavoring to slacken 
 their speed somewhat in passing, the horse of one 
 of the gentlemen fell, pitching its rider directly 
 over its head into a pond of muddy water, seri- 
 ously injuring his spotless white trowsers, and 
 his feelings, no doubt, still more. 
 
 Here and there on the Tocado are guard- 
 houses, with yaconins in waiting. Whenever we 
 approached these places the groom was sure to 
 come up and place his hand upon the bridle of 
 one of our horses ; not for our protection, but to 
 show that he belonged to us ; so that the yaconins 
 would not molest him. The abject, cringing 
 manner with which the common people approach 
 these lordly two-sworded men is really pitiable. 
 

 272 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 They sometimes almost crawl ; while the yaco- 
 nins appear to receive this homage as only their 
 natural right. 
 
 One evening while we were staying at Dr. 
 Hepburn's, I sat on the steps in front of the 
 house, awaiting the return of Dr. and Mrs. Hep- 
 burn, who had been at Yokohama. They came 
 in just before dark. Mrs. Hepburn's first excla- 
 mation as I met her was, " I have been struck ! " 
 And indeed she had been struck a blow, so vio- 
 lent, that had it fallen upon her head, as had 
 evidently been intended, she would not have 
 been there to tell us of it. As they were pass- 
 ing through a narrow street, very near home, 
 some person coming from behind, with a long 
 bamboo or a heavy pole, had aimed a blow at 
 Mrs. Hepburn's head. It fell upon her shoulder, 
 however, doing no other damage than giving her 
 a severe bruise and a fright. Her friends were 
 all, of course, much excited, and very indignant 
 at such a cowardly and unprovoked attack. A 
 reward was offered for the arrest of the offender ; 
 but I think he was never discovered. This inci- 
 dent confirmed us in the opinion that our lives 
 were altogether insecure. In fact, we had long 
 been painfully aware of this. Every few months 
 from the time of foreigners first settling in J a- 
 

 VISIT TO JAPAN. 273 
 
 pan, some fearful tragedy had been enacted. 
 The first murder of foreigners was that of two 
 or three Russians from a Russian squadron lying 
 in the harbor. An officer and two men had 
 gone on shore early in the evening to make some 
 purchases, and in returning to their boat, while 
 passing through a principal street, they were at- 
 tacked, and the officer, and at least one of the 
 men, were killed. So many Japanese were in 
 the immediate neighborhood that it would have 
 been easy for them to avert this terrible catas- 
 trophe, had they desired to do so. 
 
 During the month of January, a few weeks 
 before we left Japan, and while we were keep- 
 ing house in a little temple quite removed from 
 the other mission compound, and in a very 
 exposed situation, had any one chosen to molest 
 us, there occurred another sad event, the death 
 of Mr. Hewskin, Mr. Harris's interpreter. He 
 was returning on horseback, late one evening, 
 from the Russian Legation. He had an escort 
 of three mounted yaconins and several men car- 
 rying lanterns, yet, notwithstanding these pre- 
 cautions, he was waylaid and wounded so 
 severely that he died a short time afterwards. 
 A Romish priest, connected with the French 
 consulate, arrived in time to administer "ex- 
 
 18 
 

 274 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 treme unction," and Mr. Hewskin, I believe, 
 expired in his arms. The assassins were never 
 brought to punishment; indeed, I am not sure 
 that they were even known ; certainly not by- 
 foreigners. 
 
 Mr. Hewskin had been with Mr. Harris since 
 his first residence in Japan, and his assistance to 
 him and other foreigners had been invaluable. 
 It was also supposed that he was a great favorite 
 with the Japanese. What, then, could have in- 
 duced any one to perform so cruel, yet cowardly, 
 an act? 
 
 Soon after this murder, all the foreign min- 
 isters, except Mr. Harris, left Yeddo for a time. 
 He certainly showed great fearlessness in re- 
 maining, as well as remarkable confidence in the 
 natives, whom he professed to believe regretted 
 the assassination of his secretary, and entertained 
 only kind intentions towards himself. Whether 
 his confidence was misplaced or not, I am not 
 capable of judging. 
 
 I have mentioned incidentally our house- 
 keeping. After we had decided to remain 
 some time in Japan, as Mrs. Hepburn found the 
 duties of caring for so large a family too onerous, 
 we removed to a litttle temple called So-ko-jee. 
 It stood at the foot of a very steep hill, upon the 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 275 
 
 top of which was a " lookout," with an extended 
 view far over the bay, and the surrounding town 
 and country. The temple was not at all pretty 
 externally, but within was very cosey and com- 
 fortable. Two gentlemen, who had previously 
 occupied the house, kindly left us some articles 
 of furniture ; and what else we needed for the 
 short time we expected to remain we had little 
 difficulty in gathering together, or disposing of 
 when we left. We had only the native matting 
 on the floors. This would be a nice substitute 
 for carpets, were it more durable. 
 
 As I look back to those pleasant days in 
 So-ko-gee, they seem to me very like other days 
 away back in my childhood, when I used to 
 experience unalloyed happiness in " playing keep 
 house." Japanese houses all have a kind of 
 " play-house" (not theatrical) look, and our 
 temple, for some reason, seemed particularly 
 of this character. Its low walls, paper parti- 
 tions, and white matted floors were very unlike 
 dwelling-houses, either in China, or at home. 
 It was, however, quite large enough for our use, 
 having a parlor, dining-room, and study, with 
 two sleeping-rooms, and one or two small apart- 
 ments used as a kitchen and servants' room. 
 The kitchen was inconveniently far from the 
 
276 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 sitting-room, but that did not prevent my run- 
 ning to it many times in the course of the day. 
 At no other period during my missionary life did 
 I allow myself to give so much time to domestic 
 pursuits. Having only native servants, who 
 knew nothing of foreign cooking, I was obliged 
 to do most of this myself. Although it was 
 rather too much of a tax upon my limited 
 strength, I enjoyed it, and was glad of the expe- 
 rience I then acquired. Whenever any point in 
 the culinary art completely baffled my knowledge 
 or ingenuity, or when my faithful " cook-book " 
 was unable to guide me, I had only to apply to 
 my kind friends at Jo-bu-ts-gee, for aid and as- 
 sistance, which were always most cheerfully 
 given. 
 
 With the exception of milk and butter, — and 
 the latter we could generally procure from the 
 foreign settlement, or the ships, — we had an 
 abundance of good, wholesome food. Oysters, 
 clams, and prawns, of unusually large size and 
 fine quality, could be obtained at any time, as 
 also fowls, eggs, and vegetables in profusion. 
 For meats, with the exceptions mentioned, we 
 were dependent upon the foreign market at Yo- 
 kohama. The natives of Japan, like the Chinese, 
 live mostly upon rice, which is of an excellent 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 277 
 
 quality ; native wheat flour is also pretty good, 
 though not by any means equal to that of the 
 United States. 
 
 Our servants could not speak a word of Eng- 
 lish, but while boarding at Dr. Hepburn's we 
 had acquired enough of their language to get on 
 without much difficulty. 
 
 One day while I was at work in my kitchen, 
 I heard a child, in a shed which stood in one cor- 
 ner of our garden, and only a few feet from 
 where I then was, crying very bitterly, as if in 
 pain. I inquired of the servant what was the 
 matter, and he replied very carelessly, " Oh, that 
 is nothing ; the child has small-pox I " — seem- 
 ing to regard that disease as we in America would 
 measles, or other comparatively slight ailments. 
 However, I had so often in China been ex- 
 posed to small-pox, that I was not particularly 
 alarmed at hearing that we had a case in such 
 close proximity. 
 
 I regretted very much that while in Japan I 
 had so little opportunity to become acquainted 
 with the native women. With a few exceptions, 
 I was never in any private dwellings, so that I 
 know little from personal observation of their 
 home life and customs. Many women called 
 from time to time, just from curiosity ; but my 
 

 278 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 knowledge of the language was too slight for 
 more than a very simple conversation. 
 
 Young girls, both in China and Japan, are 
 very good-looking ; some of them really pretty. 
 But in both countries they fade early. In Ja- 
 pan they have adopted the strange custom of 
 painting or dyeing the teeth of all married wom- 
 en, which makes them hideous. I cannot imag- 
 ine anything more ugly than a smiling Japanese 
 matron. The contrast between the red gums 
 and the jet-black teeth is so unpleasant as to 
 rob even a smile of all its sweetness. 
 
 Japanese mothers have an amusing way of 
 disposing of their young children. It must, on 
 some accounts, be a misfortune to be the oldest 
 child, at least, the oldest girl ; I am not sure 
 that the same duty is imposed upon boys. You 
 often see a little girl of only seven or eight years 
 of age with a younger baby tied upon her back, 
 running about at play, or through the streets, 
 apparently but slightly disturbed by her burden. 
 In the same way mothers carry their very 
 young infants, their poor little heads lolling 
 about at great risk of dislocating their necks. I 
 am sure they must be uncomfortable ; but they 
 do not cry. I think, having found by experience 
 that crying brings no relief, they have come to 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 279 
 
 the philosophic resolution to bear their trials, 
 not only with resignation, but with assumed 
 cheerfulness. 
 
 In the latter part of August, 1860, in com- 
 pany with the other missionaries, we attended a 
 party given by Mr. and Mrs. Schoyer of Yo- 
 kohama. The invitations were for a dejeuner; 
 at one o'clock ; but, as some of the guests were 
 late, we did not sit down -to breakfast until two. 
 The meal, having five or six courses, was as pro- 
 tracted a3 a dinner. We sat at table until nearly 
 five o'clock, which so over-fatigued me as to 
 make me ill, and unfit for enjoying the various 
 entertainments which followed. However, after 
 taking a rest, I was able to go for a while to 
 look at some curious juggler performances. 
 The actor, it was said, was one who was often 
 employed to perform before the emperor. After 
 dark there were some pretty fireworks. During 
 the juggler's exhibition we had the privilege (I 
 cannot call it pleasure) of listening to some na- 
 tive music ; horrible, discordant sounds, not as 
 near an approach to harmony as we sometimes 
 hear in China. 
 
 Our Kanagawa party left at about nine o'clock, 
 though urged by our kind hostess to remain to 
 dinner, which I believe was not partaken of until 
 

 280 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 midnight. The prettiest feature of this day's 
 fete was the tasteful decoration of the house. 
 Nearly all the inner partitions between the rooms 
 had been removed, and the walls were hung with 
 evergreens and flowers. Exquisite taste had 
 been displayed, and after lamplight the effect 
 was most striking. It seemed like fairy-land. 
 
 On the ninth of September we experienced a 
 very severe typhoon. Fourteen houses in Yoko- 
 hama were blown down, and a great amount of 
 property destroyed ; but no lives were lost, or at 
 least none among foreigners on shore. It was 
 probably in this storm that the " Camilla, ' ? an 
 English man-of-war, was lost at sea, somewhere 
 between Hakodadi and Kanagawa. She sailed from 
 the former place about the first of the month, 
 and was never heard of afterwards. She had 
 on board, with her officers and crew, in all one 
 hundred and thirty men. It seemed too dreadful 
 to imagine what was undoubtedly her fate. 
 
 During the autumn the two United States 
 men-of-war, Hartford and Niagara, visited Japan; 
 We had the pleasure of meeting the commanders, 
 and many of the officers from each. We were 
 also invited to receptions on board both vessels, 
 at only one of which, however, I was able to be 
 present, on account of illness. Mr. ]^evius and 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 28l 
 
 I saw the noble Niagara as she came into port. 
 She was bearing the Japanese Embassadors back 
 from their visit in the United States, and as tht 
 time allotted for her outward voyage had more 
 than expired, we were somewhat anxiously 
 watching for her coming. One day, as we were 
 climbing, as was our wont, to the watch-tower 
 on the hill above us, to catch a breath of the 
 fresh sea air, Mr. Nevius remarked, " It is high 
 time that the Niagara should be in," and a step 
 or two further up, as he glanced seawards, he 
 added, " and there she is ! " Very beautiful she 
 appeared, moving " like a thing of life " through 
 the calm waters of the bay. She did not anchor 
 at Yokohama, but after stopping a very few 
 moments went on to Yeddo with the embassa- 
 dors. We speculated much as to their sensa- 
 tions upon finding themselves once more upon 
 their native soil, and wondered if they were 
 glad to be at home, and whether happy hearts 
 were waiting to welcome them. We also felt 
 some curiosity as to the reception they might 
 meet from the government, and the effect likely 
 to be produced by such an influx of new facts 
 and ideas as they might naturally be supposed 
 to bring with them. But, if any excitement en- 
 sued upon their arrival at the capital, or any 
 
282 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 special interest was felt in their report concern- 
 ing the strange lands they had visited, little or 
 nothing was known of it by foreigners. I could 
 never hear that the members of the embassy 
 were held in higher esteem by the natives on ac- 
 count of their distinguishing honors and advan- 
 tages. Even the redoubtable " Tommy," the 
 pet and darling of American ladies, and a rather 
 nice young man he was, was regarded in Japan 
 only as an ordinary individual, by no means su- 
 perior to many who had not been privileged to 
 bask in " fair ladies' smiles " or listen to their 
 gentle words of affection and interest. 
 
 I suspect American ladies did themselves little 
 credit in the eyes of these Eastern gentlemen, by 
 their freedom of manner or of words ; and, if a 
 "bird of the air" could have repeated the ac- 
 counts which the Japanese without doubt carried 
 back to their friends and relatives, of the social 
 life and customs of Americans, certain individu- 
 als I am sure would have been much astonished 
 to find what mistaken ideas had been formed of 
 them. It would certainly hardly become the 
 Japanese to affect disgust at any style of dress 
 which they may have witnessed in America, but 
 I have understood that the " low necks and short 
 sleeves" of our ladies struck them as very ex- 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 283 
 
 traordinary. It is not so strange that the 
 Chinese should be surprised at these peculiari- 
 ties ; as their own female costume is at once very 
 simple, and exceedingly modest ; and it is a fact, 
 that foreign ladies' evening dress at first impress- 
 es them very unfavorably. 
 
 The Japanese costume is neither so pretty nor 
 so graceful as the Chinese. Women in both 
 countries dress the hair in an exceedingly elabo- 
 rate style, rivalling even the present fashions at 
 home. 
 
 Mr. Stuart, the excellent chaplain of the Niag- 
 ara, told us many entertaining incidents relating 
 to the Japanese Embassadors and suite, especial- 
 ly of " Tommy," or To-me (which, if I remem- 
 ber rightly, was his Japanese name), in whom 
 he was much interested. 
 
 Among the many pleasant recollections of our 
 residence in Japan, there is nothing which we 
 remember with more satisfaction than a visit 
 from some Christian sailors belonging to the Niag- 
 ara. As Mr. Nevius was accompanying Mr. 
 Stuart to the landing, where he was to take a 
 boat to go off to the steamer, they met a party 
 of these sailors, who, having leave of absence for 
 the night, were seeking some inn to stay at. As 
 there was no such place at Kanagawa, Mr. Ne- 
 

 284 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 vius at once invited them to come up to So-ko-jee } 
 where we would gladly receive them, and make 
 them as comfortable as our limited accommodations 
 would permit. Mr. Stuart strongly advised them 
 to accept the invitation ; but it was not without a 
 good deal of urging that they finally consented 
 to do so. I was not a little surprised just at 
 dusk to see Mr. Nevius returning in company 
 with eight stalwart sailors. Nevertheless, when 
 I learned who they were, I was very glad indeed 
 to welcome them, and set to work at once to get 
 them a supper, and make arrangements for the 
 night. We gave them Mr. Nevius 1 study, and 
 the guest-room off it ; but as there was only one 
 bed, they were quite satisfied to make use of the 
 soft native matting on the floor instead, — a very 
 good substitute. We had no difficulty in hiring, 
 for the night, as many warm cotton " comfort- 
 ables " as were needed; and so with very little 
 trouble they were all supplied with resting- 
 places. 
 
 We Bent out and procured a quantity of the 
 excellent oysters or clams which are so abundant 
 there, and it was not long before I and my two 
 good Japanese servants had ready an evening 
 meal which our guests seemed to enjoy heartily. 
 I have not mentioned that soon after the sailors 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 285 
 
 came in, and had gone to their rooms, and while 
 Mr. Nevius and myself were occupied in another 
 part of the house, we heard them singing to- 
 gether the dear old hymn, " There is a fountain 
 filled with blood." The tune was a peculiar 
 one, with plaintive minor strains wandering high 
 and low in a most singular measure. It could 
 hardly be written, I fancy ; but, as they sang it, 
 with their full, manly voices, and hearts over- 
 flowing with emotion, it was beautiful, and most 
 touching. 
 
 Hearing of our unusual visitors, some of the 
 other missionaries came in at evening to enjoy 
 the rare pleasure of seeing Christian sailors. 
 Our usual evening worship was converted into a 
 prayer-meeting ; at least it grew into one quite 
 unexpectedly to ourselves. After having read a 
 chapter from the Bible, Mr. Nevius requested a 
 very respectable elderly man to offer prayer, 
 which he did ; and, immediately after, he arose, 
 and in a quiet, dignified way, told us of his past 
 life, its trials, sins, and follies, and of his conver- 
 sion on the passage from the United States in 
 the Niagara. This man was called " Uncle Bill," 
 and seemed to be much looked up to by the 
 others. After " Uncle Bill " had finished speak- 
 ing he said, addressing the others, " Come, breth- 
 

 286 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 ren, don't be backward, but tell what the Lord 
 has done for jour souls." Then one after an- 
 other either made a few remarks, or knelt in 
 prayer. Many of the sailors were foreigners, 
 and all were ignorant and uneducated, yet we 
 were astonished to hear with what ease and 
 beauty they spoke of God's dealings with them, 
 and their present happiness in his service. One 
 poor Swede, called Andrew, knew so little Eng- 
 lish that it was with difficulty he related his 
 simple but affecting story. He, like all the rest, 
 evinced the most unbounded love and respect for 
 Mr. Stuart, their chaplain. And well he had 
 deserved their affection, having been to them a 
 most faithful, loving friend. One hymn which 
 was sung at this impromptu service was most 
 spirited and soul-stirring. It was the one com- 
 mencing, " Come, ye who love the Lord," with a 
 chorus, " I'm glad salvation's free." And we 
 could not doubt, as we listened to this joyous, 
 happy singing, that they experienced then a 
 purer pleasure than the world with its danger- 
 ous fascinations had ever afforded them. 
 
 The next morning, alter breakfast, a pleasant 
 hour was spent at family worship, and, soon after, 
 our guests prepared to take their departure. 
 Then we noticed grave consultations, as if some- 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 287 
 
 thing of importance was under consideration. 
 And presently, after all the others had left the 
 house, " Uncle Bill," extending his hand, as if 
 for a farewell "shake," poured into Mr. Nevius' 
 hand a quantity of silver currency ; I cannot say 
 how many Japanese itzebus. It was with much 
 difficulty that we succeeded in convincing him 
 that we could not possibly accept pay for the 
 slight service we had been privileged to render 
 them. Before the ship left port, Mr. Stuart was 
 the bearer of a very pretty little cabinet, which 
 was a present sent us by the sailors, as a token 
 of their appreciation of the visit at our house. 
 
 One day, while the Niagara was still at Kana- 
 gawa, we attended a reception given on board to 
 his Excellency, Mr. Harris. On the minister's 
 arrival, a salute of thirteen guns was fired, after 
 which the band at once struck up "Hail Colum- 
 bia! " and we one and all waxed patriotic. But 
 seriously, it was delightful, in that far-away 
 country, to listen to our soul-stirring national 
 airs, and to see our beautiful "star-spangled 
 banner" unfurled to the breeze, and to meet 
 our fellow-countrymen, with whom we could talk 
 sympathizingly of the dear land far away. 
 
 Captain McKane, of the Niagara, was one of 
 those truly good men who never fail to secure 
 
288 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 the respect and affection, not only of those under 
 their command, but of all with whom they come 
 in contact. The sailors spoke of him with the 
 greatest veneration and reverence ; and I remem- 
 ber particularly their mentioning the intimate 
 and cordial relations existing between him and 
 his chaplain, Mr. Stuart. 
 
 At the recommendation of the American Min- 
 ister, the twenty-ninth of November was ob- 
 served by the American residents in Japan as a 
 ' ' Thanksgiving day, ' ' and services were held at 
 the United States Consulate in Kanagawa. 
 Rev. Mr. Brown preached an excellent sermon, 
 which I regretted not hearing, having been de- 
 tained at home by illness. Some persons, rather 
 censoriously as it seemed to me, criticised Mr. 
 Harris' action in this respect severely; but I 
 admired it. I only wish this beautiful national 
 holiday might be observed wherever American 
 citizens are found. 
 
 Towards the close of our visit in Japan, we 
 were distressed beyond measure, by hearing of 
 the danger threatening our beloved country. As 
 the indications of the disruption became more 
 and more alarming, our hearts sank within us. 
 Perhaps we felt it the more from being obliged 
 to meet constantly with persons of other nation- 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 289 
 
 alitieSj who, so far from sympathizing with us 
 in our regrets, seemed almost if not quite grati- 
 fied at what they were pleased to regard as the 
 "downfall of the boasted Republic." It was 
 not until we reached Nagisaki, on our passage 
 back to China, that we heard of the commence- 
 ment of actual hostilities, in " the firing upon 
 Fort Sumter." I can never forget the emo- 
 tions that intelligence excited, — a strange mix- 
 ture of grief, shame, and indignation. Another 
 thing which made our position, in common with 
 other American missionaries, particularly trying, 
 was that Northerners and Southerners had until 
 then been so closely and intimately associated 
 that mere local distinctions had been almost lost 
 sight of. But no sooner did we know the bellig- 
 erent position in which our two sections of coun- 
 try had placed themselves, than a slight line of 
 demarcation began to form even between those 
 who had been friends for many long years ; and 
 as home matters became more serious this feeling 
 increased. Sitting at dinner, one day, in the 
 early part of "the war," some expression from 
 Mrs. P., a Southern lady present, drew from Mrs. 
 N., a Northerner, the remark, " Is it possible, Mrs. 
 P., that you love your own one State better than 
 you do the Union?" " Indeed I do," was her 
 
 19 
 
290 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 decided rejoinder. " Well, I assure you," was 
 Mrs. N.'s no less decided reply, "if my State 
 had been guilty of what South Carolina has, I 
 would not own that I was her daughter ! " — cer- 
 tainly not a "soft answer " calculated to " turn 
 away wrath." But in this case the dear South 
 Carolina friend was so sure of Mrs. N.'s love for 
 her, and knew so well how often she had, not 
 quite " fought, bled, and died," but, at least, had 
 " fought " for the South in wordy battles with 
 those who assailed it, that she did not take of- 
 fence at this plainness of speech. As time 
 passed on we all learned to be more circumspect, 
 and to pay more scrupulous regard to each other's 
 feelings and prejudices. On the whole, consid- 
 ering the intensity of feeling on both sides, I 
 think we deserve some credit for remembering 
 through all, that, though differing so widely in 
 certain respects, we were bound together by one 
 tie stronger and more precious than all others. 
 We used to meet constantly in Sabbath services, 
 and social prayer-meetings ; and when, as was 
 often the case, some crushing sorrow fell into our 
 midst, we forgot all else in our common sympa- 
 thies and griefs. And now that those dark days 
 are happily over, I trust that the old spirit of 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 291 
 
 love and harmony will be restored, never again 
 to be disturbed. 
 
 During the winter of 1860-61, we were 
 grieved at hearing from Ningpo of the complete 
 failure of the health of Mrs. Danforth, one of 
 the newly arrived missionaries, and also of Mrs. 
 Rankin's severe illness, which made it probable 
 that both she and her husband might be obliged 
 to return to the United States. This possibility, 
 and several other considerations, decided Mr. 
 Nevius that it was his duty to return to Ningpo 
 as soon as a good opportunity offered. We had 
 but little doubt, as the war at the north of China 
 was over, that it would be quite practicable, in 
 the course of a few months, to go * to some more 
 favorable climate to commence a new station, if 
 that plan should still seem desirable. 
 
 It was by no means from want of interest in 
 Japan that we did not determine to remain there. 
 On the contrary, it seemed to us then, as it does 
 now, a most interesting sphere for missionary 
 operations. But at the time of our visit, there 
 was little or nothing which could be done, except 
 in acquiring the language, and preparing books. 
 Long years of "patient waiting" were evidently 
 in store for those who had given themselves to 
 Christ's work in Japan. And while this was the 
 
292 OUR LIFE IN CHINA, 
 
 case in that country, China was waiting with 
 wide-open doors for the introduction of Christian- 
 ity, not only in the " five open ports," but 
 through the length and breadth of the land. 
 Under these circumstances our duty seemed clear ; 
 but it was with deep regret that we parted from 
 our missionary associates and other valued friends 
 in Kanagawa and Yokohama. 
 
 We took passage for Shanghai in an old Eng- 
 lish steamer, called the " Cadiz." The principal 
 inducement for choosing this vessel rather than 
 a sailing ship, such as the one in which we had 
 come, was that she would pass through the "in- 
 land sea," the beauty of which we had heard de- 
 scribed in glowing colors. The " Cadiz" had 
 good accommodations, a pleasant captain, and 
 agreeable passengers ; but she was old and worn 
 out, having been in service many years. Her 
 boilers were so frail that every few hours they 
 would burst, and no little time was required for 
 repairing them. As, with an engine constructed 
 as ours was, there was little or no danger from 
 this slight accident, and as, in several cases, it 
 fortunately occurred at points of the route con- 
 veniently near land, it was sometimes rather 
 welcome than otherwise, at least to the gentlemen 
 on board, as it gave them the opportunity of en- 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 293 
 
 joying a ramble on shore. The only two ladies, 
 Mrs. Brown, the captain's wife, and myself, as 
 we did not leave the ship, found such frequent 
 delays somewhat irksome. 
 
 We came on board the steamer on Friday, the 
 first of February, but a break in the boiler de- 
 tained us until the morrow. The first day after 
 leaving Kanagawa was a wretched sea-sick time. 
 The weather was bad, the wind ahead, with 
 short "chopping seas/"' and the vessel pitched 
 with that peculiar motion which most persons 
 find the one above all others to produce sea-sick- 
 ness. We anchored the first night in a harbor 
 called Aigero. The next morning, early, we 
 again got under way ; but the weather continu- 
 ing bad, and the sea very rough, we ran in to 
 Simoda, and anchored close to the shore. This 
 was the' Sabbath, and Mr. Nevius held service in 
 the cabin. After tiflin in the afternoon, the gen- 
 tlemen went on shore. Mr. Nevius had a quiet 
 walk by himself, climbing to the summit of a hill 
 which gave him a widely extended view. He 
 also visited the temple where his Excellency, Mr. 
 Harris, and poor Mr. Hewskin lived for a long 
 while before going to Yeddo. Simoda is pleas- 
 antly situated, with hills very like those at Ka- 
 nagawa rising behind it. On Monday we had 
 
294 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 clear sailing with a favorable wind and less mo- 
 tion, and by Tuesday morning we were near the 
 entrance to the inland sea. 
 
 Suonada Sea, which I believe is the native 
 name for this land-locked passage, lies between 
 the large island of Nipon, and two smaller ones, 
 Kiu-siu, and Si-kopf. It is at places very nar- 
 row, but at some parts must be from thirty to 
 forty miles in width. It has numerous small 
 islands, many of which are barren, and I pre- 
 sume without inhabitants. 
 
 On Tuesday afternoon we passed between two 
 islands with a town and a fort on either side : 
 one the pilot called U-ra, and the other Kada- 
 no-shima. We anchored that night at Osaca; 
 the new port nearest Miako, the capital, and 
 residence of the u Spiritual Emperor, " as he was 
 in those days called by foreigners. The anchor- 
 age was across the bay at Hiogo. I saw it only 
 at evening, but Mr. Nevius, who went on deck 
 before we weighed anchor the next morning, said 
 it was a beautiful spot. 
 
 All Wednesday we were passing a succession 
 of most lovely islands, some of which were cul- 
 tivated and thickly populated, to judge from tho 
 numerous villages which dotted the hill-sides. We 
 spent that night in a small bay, called I-no-no- 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 295 
 
 shiina. We had sailed but a short distance the 
 next morning when a fog settled over the water, 
 so dense that we could not see our way. They 
 backed the vessel to a safe anchorage, in doing 
 which the boiler burst. While thus detained, 
 the captain and the gentlemen passengers took a 
 run on shore, in spite of the fog and rain. They 
 visited a temple, where they were hospitably en- 
 tertained by the head priest, who donned his 
 robes and performed a service for them. The in- 
 habitants were evidently much alarmed at their 
 presence, and, as they entered the village, they 
 heard a great commotion, and a universal slam- 
 ming to of doors, while the females remained in- 
 visible. 
 
 On Saturday, the ninth, we anchored in a very 
 narrow passage, called Shi-mo-no-saki. Our coal 
 had given out, and it was determined to obtain 
 some, if possible, from a large town which stood 
 near the water's edge. The only persons on 
 board, who understood Japanese, were ourselves, 
 and one of the passengers, who was a Jew. The 
 latter, whose whole attention while in the coun- 
 try had been given to trade and barter, was for- 
 tunately much better supplied with that class of 
 words than Nr. Nevius, who, however, was better 
 qualified to carry on general conversation. The 
 
296 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 two together were able to transact the necessary 
 business, and they accompanied the captain and 
 purser on shore. They ascended a flight of 
 steps leading from the beach to what was appar- 
 ently the principal entrance ; but at their ap- 
 proach a gate which obstructed the way was at 
 once closed and barred. They conversed through 
 the gate with some officials who made their ap- 
 pearance. Their request for coal at first met a 
 refusal ; but having been reminded of the treaty 
 stipulations, and at the captain's request assured 
 that, unless they furnished the needed article, 
 men from the ship would at once be landed to 
 take it by force, they gave a reluctant consent. 
 However they still made many difficulties, and 
 it was not until some time in the succeeding 
 night that the coal was brought. During the 
 afternoon the gentlemen all enjoyed another 
 visit on shore. 
 
 The next day, the Sabbath, we were out in the 
 open sea, or at least so it seemed, for the waves 
 were high, and we suffered much from sea-sick- 
 ness ; so that it was impracticable to hold ser- 
 vice. Just at evening we came to anchor in a 
 sheltered nook with small islands on every side. 
 
 Early on Monday forenoon we passed through 
 the narrow channel separating Hirado and Kiu- 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 297 
 
 siu. It was a very exciting time, and we were 
 for a few moments in great danger. Just in mid- 
 channel is a low, bald rock, between which and 
 the main land there was barely room for a large 
 vessel like ours to pass. At the most critical 
 point, in consequence of the fires in the engine 
 being low, the ship began to go back instead of 
 forwards, and that too in the direction of the 
 rock, which was so close to it that it seemed but 
 a few vards distant. 
 
 By some skilful manoeuvring of the sails 
 the defect was supplied, and a welcome breeze 
 carried us past the danger. 
 
 The scenery at this point was perhaps the 
 finest of the whole route, though amidst so many 
 beautiful and varying scenes it was difficult to 
 give the preference to any one. 
 
 On the afternoon of this day we reached 
 Nagisaki. Mr. Nevius went at once to see the 
 missionaries, Mr. Williams, now American Epis- 
 copal Bishop of China, and Dr. Schmidt, and 
 Mr. and Mrs. Verbeck, of the American Dutch 
 Reformed Church. He was accompanied back 
 to the ship by Mr. Williams and Dr. Schmidt. 
 The two or three days that we remained in port 
 we spent very agreeably on shore with the mis- 
 sionaries, returning to the steamer at night. Mr, 
 
298 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 Nevius was away during the days, making the 
 most of his opportunity for seeing Nagisaki and 
 its surroundings. 
 
 Dr. Schmidt and Mr. Williams were living, in 
 a bachelor way, high up one of the steep hills 
 back of the town. Mr. and Mrs. Verbeck oc- 
 cupied a house somewhat lower down the hill. 
 In company with these friends we visited a large 
 temple near their dwelling, and also Desima, 
 which, though pleasantly situated on the side of 
 the bay, is only a small square, not larger than 
 many a village common. It is closely built, and, 
 notwithstanding its limited size, has been for many 
 years a place of no small importance, as the 
 only foothold of foreigners in Japan. 
 
 The scenery around Nagisaki is not so tame 
 as that near Yeddo, the hills being much higher 
 on every side ; but I think on this account as well 
 as from its somewhat lower latitude, it may be 
 much warmer in summer, and not so desirable 
 as a place of residence. 
 
 After a pleasant visit at Nagisaki, where 
 several new passengers came on board, we again 
 weighed anchor and sailed for Shanghai, the dis- 
 tance between these two places being, I believe, 
 about four hundred miles. We had delightful 
 weather and a smooth sea nearly all the way over. 
 
VISIT TO JAPAN. 299 
 
 The passengers by this time had become very 
 sociable, and quite like old friends. These ship 
 friendships are easily made, and, in most instances, 
 almost as quickly forgotten. 
 
 We reached Shanghai on Sunday the seven- 
 teenth, more than two weeks from the time we 
 left Kanagawa. 
 
300 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 INCIDENTS IN MISSIONARY LIFE. — LEAVING 
 NINGPO. 
 
 Soon after our return from Japan, Mr. and 
 Mrs. Rankin, and their sister, Mrs. McCartee, 
 arrived in Shanghai from Ningpo. The health 
 of Mrs. Rankin was such that her immediate 
 return to the United States was considered im- 
 perative. Mr. Rankin remained in China. 
 
 As I was desirous of spending a short time 
 with Mrs. Rankin before her embarkation, my 
 husband proceeded to Ningpo, leaving me to 
 come down the coast some days later, in company 
 with Mrs. McCartee. 
 
 After a pleasant visit at Shanghai, Mrs. McCar- 
 tee and I went to Ningpo in a steamer belonging 
 to the firm of Olyphant & Co. Leaving Woosung 
 Thursday at noon, we reached home Friday 
 afternoon. As we were at anchor during the 
 night, we in reality made the passage in only 
 about eighteen hours. 
 
INCIDENTS IN MISSIONARY LIFE. 301 
 
 On reaching Ningpo, we went again to our 
 comfortable quarters at Mr. Rankin's. After his 
 return, a few weeks later, we kept house together 
 in a very informal but pleasant way. He then, 
 as always, did everything in his power to con- 
 tribute to our comfort ; and we had the satis- 
 faction of thinking that we helped a little to 
 cheer him in his loneliness. 
 
 We were grieved to find Mrs. Danforth, one 
 of the newly arrived missionaries, very ill. Of 
 a naturally delicate constitution, the climate 
 seemed at once to fasten disease upon her. In 
 the hope that the bracing air of Shantung, of 
 which we heard glowing accounts, might prove 
 beneficial, Mr. and Mrs. Danforth left Ningpo, 
 shortly after our arrival, for the North. They 
 went in company with the Gayleys, of Shanghai. 
 
 The missionaries at Ningpo at this time de- 
 voted much attention to itinerations in the in- 
 terior. The country was not only nominally, 
 but really, open to missionary efforts. Had it 
 not been for the disturbances occasioned by the 
 " long-haired rebels," we would have gone back to 
 Hang-chow. As it was, we could only look back 
 lovingly and sorrowfully to our old home there, 
 and turn our eyes elsewhere when considering 
 the question of a new mission station. We 
 

 302 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 would gladly have settled permanently at Ningpo, 
 but my health declined so rapidly during the 
 few months we were necessarily detained there, 
 that it was not considered safe for us to remain 
 even through one summer. 
 
 The climate of Ningpo affects different in- 
 dividuals very differently. While there are a 
 few who seem to enjoy as good health there as 
 elsewhere, most persons suffer seriously. Fever 
 and ague are so common, that they are scarcely 
 noticed ; while liver complaints of various forms 
 and aggravated characters are frequent, and often 
 fatal. There are also many cases of consumption 
 among the natives, and foreigners have been 
 very subject to throat and chest affections ; others 
 again suffer from mere debility. Without serious 
 illness, and before we are aware, .we find our- 
 selves strangely weak, and as nervous as weak. 
 Trifles " light as air " seem now momentous. A 
 simple occurrence, a word, or an action, which 
 once would have been passed unnoticed, or only 
 received with a smile, now appears a truly 
 serious matter to fret and grieve over ; unless, in- 
 deed, one has a marvellous deal of amiability or 
 fortitude. One effect of the climate seems to 
 be to make good people unnecessarily conscien- 
 tious : or, rather, while it may seem to the in- 
 

 INCIDENTS IN MISSIONARY LIFE. 303 
 
 dividual that he is actuated by conscience alone, 
 a looker-on cannot help thinking to himself or 
 herself, " Oh, how much human nature, or self- 
 will, can secrete itself unknown in a good man's 
 bosom ! " And then, when strength has de- 
 parted, so that every dictate of reason or 
 prudence says, " Rest and recruit" just then 
 we feel a morbid impulse to keep at work, even at 
 the risk of making martyrs of ourselves. Had I 
 not to plead guilty myself to having experienced 
 nearly all these distressing symptoms, I should 
 hardly have felt at liberty to allude to them. I 
 wish, indeed, they were peculiar to myself; but 
 most certainly they are not. All alike, mis- 
 sionaries, merchants, and civilians, gentlemen 
 and ladies, adults and children, with very few 
 exceptions, feel the injurious effects of the 
 scorching sun and malarious atmosphere of those 
 southern latitudes. It is, however, remarkable 
 that Ningpo and Shanghai are far more un- 
 healthy than the more southern ports, Fuchow, 
 Amoy, and Canton. This must be owing to 
 local causes. Oliphant, in " Lord Elgin's Mission 
 to China and Japan," thus gives his impressions 
 of the climate of Shanghai, which is generally 
 considered somewhat preferable to that of Ningpo : 
 " During this period of our stay (the latter part 
 

 304 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 of July) at Shanghai, the climate was more op- 
 pressive than I ever remember to have felt it in 
 any part of the world. The thermometer did not 
 show a higher temperature than at Tien-tsin, but 
 there was a stifling heaviness in the atmosphere 
 which acted in a most distressing manner both 
 on health and spirits. Cases of sun-stroke were 
 of daily occurrence, chiefly among the sailors in 
 the shipping which crowded the river. Upward 
 of a hundred merchantmen, waiting hopelessly 
 for cargoes, were lying at anchor under the 
 broiling sun, their lists of sick daily increasing 
 under the deleterious influence of the climate." 
 A few months later he adds, ' ' We had now been 
 nearly eighteen months knocking about on the 
 coast of China, and the results were beginning 
 to manifest themselves. Mr. L. went home on 
 sick certificate ; of those that remained, all of 
 us suffered more or less from the effects of the 
 climate ; and the hot days, chilly evenings, and 
 malarious exhalations of Shanghai were not 
 calculated to remove a tendency to ague, where 
 such existed. Our own experience enabled us 
 without any difficulty to credit the fact, which is 
 established by official returns, that the China 
 station is the most unhealthy to which our ships 
 
INCIDENTS IN MISSIONARY LIFE. 305 
 
 are sent ; the sickness and mortality being greater 
 here than even on the west coast of Africa." 
 
 Sir R. Alcock, alluding to difficulties which 
 he had experienced in his efforts to secure fair 
 dealings from foreign merchants in their com- 
 mercial relations with the Chinese, says, that 
 years ago, he "had a conversation with one of 
 them, honest and outspoken enough to tell the 
 whole truth." The merchant replied to his ex- 
 postulations, " No doubt your anticipations of 
 future evil have a certain foundation . 
 but in what way am I and my brother land- 
 holders and speculators concerned in this ? . 
 
 . It is my business to make a fortune with 
 the least possible loss of time. ... In 
 two or three years at farthest I hope to realize a 
 fortune and get away. . . . You must 
 not expect men in my situation to condemn them- 
 selves to years of prolonged exile in an unhealthy 
 climate for the benefit of posterity. We are 
 money-making, practical men ; our business is to 
 make money, as much and as fast as we can 
 . . . ." Sir R. adds, " Successive mer- 
 chants, clerks, and store-keepers, generations of 
 them, so to speak, come and disappear ; stay 
 their time of five or ten years, and carry off a 
 fortune. . . . The merchant feels that 
 20 
 

 306 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 he must be quick in a climate as trying as that 
 of China. He has to snatch a fortune from the 
 jaws of death ; and, unless he make haste, it is 
 more than probable that he will only dig his own 
 grave, and be snatched away himself." 
 
 When to these unfavorable influences of the 
 climate are added the almost equal danger from 
 overwork, and the want of sufficient recreation 
 and relaxation, it will, I think, no longer seem 
 strange to any one that frequent changes in the 
 mission circles are necessary ; or that deaths have 
 been sadly frequent. On the contrary, it is re- 
 markable that so many have been able to remain 
 for eight, ten, or more years, without even one 
 return to their native land. 
 
 It was one of my greatest comforts while in 
 China, that though my husband's health was by 
 no means perfectly good, he was seldom obliged, 
 even for a day, to abstain from work. During 
 our sojourn at Ningpo, at the time of which I 
 am now writing, besides his chapel preaching, 
 and frequent itinerations, he kept three native 
 teachers busy assisting him in the writing or 
 revision of his books. I mention my husband's 
 employments, as I am naturally more familiar 
 with his work than that of others. But the 
 various members of the mission were all actively 
 
INCIDENTS IN MISSIONARY LIFE. 307 
 
 employed ; and every day brought to light evi- 
 dences that their labors were not in vain. 
 
 The San-poh stations were then very prosper- 
 ous. On one of Mr. Nevius'" visits to the city 
 of Yu-yiao he administered baptism to several 
 converts ; among others to a young man named 
 Zi Da-ching, whose case was a very unusual 
 one. There was a native Christian connected 
 with the Yu-yiao church, by the name of Dzing. 
 He was a carpenter, and, in the prosecution of 
 his trade, had been employed to do some work 
 within the city prison. Here, as elsewhere, he 
 used often to talk of the dear Saviour, and the 
 plan of salvation as revealed in the Bible. Among 
 his listeners was the person alluded to above, 
 who, strange to say, was not imprisoned for any 
 crime of his own ; but was freely, or rather for 
 a compensation, suffering this penalty for an- 
 other. A rich man who had been guilty of 
 murder, or some other crime, had hired him to 
 go to prison in his stead. This procedure is not 
 a very unusual one in China. On a certain oc- 
 casion there was an insurrection in the city ; and, 
 in the confusion and alarm consequent upon it, 
 the prison was left unguarded, and all the in- 
 mates, with the exception of Zi Da-ching, 
 escaped. In reward for his faithfulness in re- 
 

 308 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 maining, notwithstanding the tempting oppor- 
 tunity for gaining his freedom, he was promoted 
 to a position of some responsibility, and made a 
 kind of overseer of the other prisoners. Still, 
 in common with the rest, he was kept in close 
 confinement. While in this position, he heard 
 from carpenter Dzing, of Christianity, and joy- 
 fully embraced it. Desirous to obey all its 
 commands, he very -soon requested baptism. A 
 notice of his admission to the church, I find in 
 a letter from Mr. Rankin. It is as follows : " At 
 Yu-yiao, on Monday last, he (Mr. Nevius) 
 baptized in the jail, the head man of whom I 
 have frequently written. It was a very solemn 
 and interesting occasion ; and I hope that God 
 will bring great good out of it. Already ten 
 of the twenty-two prisoners express religious 
 interest, and pray, and keep the Sabbath. It 
 was exceedingly interesting to notice their sav- 
 age-looking faces (for some of them have been 
 guilty of manslaughter), listening on that oc- 
 casion, as well as on the day before, when I was 
 there, with intense eagerness to the word spoken. 
 A general reformation has also taken place in 
 the prison, the men having applied themselves 
 to making straw shoes through the head man's 
 instrumentality, — thereby making some money 
 
INCIDENTS IN MISSIONARY LIFE. 309 
 
 for themselves. The officer in charge is de- 
 lighted with the change from their former habits 
 of gambling, and cursing, and idleness; and the 
 news will be spread outside also, and do good." 
 
 With the after history of Zi Da-ching, I am 
 not very familiar. When the long-haired rebels 
 captured Yu-yiao a few years latter, these pris- 
 oners were all liberated ; and he, being a person 
 of good presence and abilities, was made an 
 officer in the army of the insurgents. When 
 they were finally conquered, he had nearly lost 
 his life from the Imperialists, and was only saved 
 through the intervention of the missionaries. 
 He is now, I believe, a quiet and respected citi- 
 zen in one of the villages of San-poh. 
 
 Another baptismal service, which took place 
 at about this time,- and at which it was my 
 privilege to be present, though of a different 
 character, was scarcely less interesting. I need 
 not apologize for introducing a letter of my 
 husband, in which he describes it as follows, — 
 
 " I wish you could have been present with us 
 to-day, to witness an incident which was a 
 pleasant one to us; and one which I am sure 
 you would have been much interested in. This 
 morning, Mr. Green, Mrs. Nevius, and myself, 
 left Ningpo to visit the station at Bao-ko-tah, 
 
310 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 about six miles distant. The native elders, Lu 
 and Zia, accompanied us, it being our principal 
 object to examine an old blind woman, with 
 reference to her admission to the church. We 
 reached the place before noon ; and, there being 
 a lady in the party, an unusually large crowd 
 soon gathered to see us, composed principally 
 of women and children ; the men being very busy, 
 some in ploughing the fields, and some in mak- 
 ing preparations to go out to sea, to engage in the 
 fisheries. After exchanging salutations with the 
 church-members, and speaking a few words to the 
 people, we were introduced to the old woman, who 
 was desirous of being baptized. It was not a little 
 difficult to find a quiet place where we might 
 hold a session meeting. We persuaded the peo- 
 ple, however, to retire for a while, and chose for 
 our place of meeting the sleeping-room of the 
 Christian school-teacher, which, by the way, is 
 a model of neatness and cleanliness. Mr. Green 
 and Mrs. Nevius were also present at the session 
 meeting. 
 
 "The first appearance of this applicant for 
 church-membership excited our deepest interest 
 and sympathy. She is seventy years old, per- 
 fectly blind, and very deaf. After asking God's 
 blessing and direction, I commenced questioning 
 
INCIDENTS IN MISSIONARY LIFE. 311 
 
 her ; which I did by drawing my chair close to 
 hers, and speaking very loudly. I asked her 
 whether she was in the habit of secret prayer, 
 and what she prayed for. She replied that she 
 was old, and had a very poor memory, and 
 could not express well in words what she clearly 
 understood and felt in her heart. She then 
 went on to enumerate the objects of her prayers, 
 including the enlightening influences of the 
 Spirit ; the forgiveness of her sins ; assistance 
 to live a godly life ; and, more particularly, a 
 participation in the blessings and enjoyments of 
 heaven. She spoke of her delight in prayer ; 
 of the amazing love of God for such a poor, 
 worthless creature as she; and seemed to have a 
 sense of the nearness of God through Christ, 
 and to be filled with gratitude. As she spoke, the 
 tears rolled down her cheeks from her sightless 
 eyes, and, could she have seen, she, too, would 
 have witnessed tears in the eyes of others. 
 
 " She spoke at length of the sin of having dis- 
 regarded God for so many years, and worshipped 
 idols, but said, as if she felt that it was some 
 extenuation of her guilt, ' It was because I did 
 not know of God and his love.' She also spoke 
 of the many sins of the heart and the tongue. 
 I asked her whether she felt that she had got rid 
 
312 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 of her propensity to sin, and whether she was 
 ever conscious of a feeling of resentment when 
 others treated her with unkindness and neglect. 
 She answered, with earnestness, * I will tell you 
 the truth ; I will keep back nothing. My 
 daughter-in-law sometimes abuses and curses me, 
 and I say to her, " How dare you speak so to 
 me, when I am your superior, and you are my 
 daughter-in-law ? I sometimes reprove her harsh- 
 ly; but I do not now curse her in return." ' 
 
 11 1 asked her if she had ever procured and laid 
 up paper money for use in a future state (an 
 idolatrous practice common among women). She 
 said, 'I will deny nothing; I did procure a 
 great deal of this money; but I have destroyed 
 it. I have the greatest aversion to it. I have 
 given up everything, and my trust is in Christ, 
 and Christ alone.' 
 
 " I questioned her on the Trinity, and she gave 
 evidence of more clear and just views on this 
 subject, than I would have thought it possible for 
 one in her circumstances to acquire. I asked 
 her if she had no fears that her feelings might 
 change, and she revert to the old idolatrous 
 practices of her people. She answered, promptly 
 and earnestly, ' Never. I am old ; my mind is 
 fixed on heaven, and earth has no attractions for 
 
INCIDENTS IN MISSIONARY LIFE. 313 
 
 me.' ' But,' said I, ' do you think you can 
 depend upon yourself ? ' She said, ' No, but I 
 will never cease to pray, and Christ will never 
 forsake me.' Such were all her answers, clear, 
 prompt, and full of earnestness and fervor. The 
 native elders asked her a few questions, after which 
 there was a slight pause. She improved the oppor- 
 tunity to address us much as follows : ' I trust you 
 will allow me to be baptized. I am now seventy 
 years old, and I cannot stay here much longer. 
 I want to be numbered among God's people. Oh, 
 receive me, for my heart is fixed on God and 
 heaven.' This appeal, with the manner in 
 which it was uttered, was most touching, and 
 went to our hearts. We all felt like saying, 
 1 Who shall forbid water, that she should not be 
 baptized ? ' The notice was soon circulated 
 through the village that Siao Ah-m was about to 
 receive baptism. After dinner, a large company 
 assembled to witness the first baptismal service 
 in Bato-ko-tah ; the other church-members having 
 been baptized in Ningpo. The audience was 
 most attentive and solemn. Siao Ah-m respond- 
 ed in a loud and decided voice to the questions 
 proposed, and all were deeply interested and im- 
 pressed. The occasion was improved to exhort 
 those present to flee from the wrath to come, and 
 
314 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 lay hold of eternal life. After a few parting 
 words, we left the village for our boat, thanking 
 God for what he had permitted us to see and 
 hear. : ' 
 
 In a later letter written from Ningpo by Mr. 
 Rankin, there is this further mention of poor 
 Siao Ah-m : " The old blind woman lately baptized 
 there (that is, at Bao-ko-tah) is very poorly, and 
 seems eager as well as ready for death. Besides 
 her affliction, she is badly treated by her daugh- 
 ter-in-law, who lives with her." 
 
 Long ere this those sightless eyes have opened 
 to witness the beauties and the glories of the 
 many mansions prepared for her, and those who, 
 like her, having been forgiven much, have loved 
 much. 
 
 During the month of April, the American 
 Charge d'affaires, Commodore Stribling, sent 
 to Ningpo a request to Dr. McCartee to accom- 
 pany him, as interpreter to the United States 
 Legation, on a trip up the River Yiang-ts. He 
 did so, and was absent from home, I think, two 
 months, visiting many important cities and towns, 
 and gaining much valuable information. He was 
 sadly impressed by all he saw of the insurgents ; 
 and, had he previously entertained any hopes of 
 good to the country in consequence of their usur- 
 
INCIDENTS IN MISSIONARY LIFE. 315 
 
 pation, these hopes must have been dissipated by 
 the scenes of distress and anarchy which inva- 
 riably followed or accompanied them. He says, 
 in a published account of this tour, describing the 
 once prosperous city of Nankin, which is beau- 
 tifully situated upon the south bank of the noble 
 Yiang-ts : 1 1 Nankin, once a palatial city, a res- 
 idence of mighty kings, but now looking like 
 a desolation of many generations, w r as the next 
 city we visited. If I should attempt to compare 
 the situation of the people at these two places 
 (that is, at Che-kiang, which was still in a state 
 of siege, and Nankin, which had been long in the 
 hands of the rebels), I should say that those at 
 Che-kiang were like persons in all the agonies 
 of shipwreck ; while those at Nankin were like 
 men left floating in silent despair upon the sur- 
 face of the ocean, after the vessel has gone 
 down, when even the excitement of despair is 
 past. Just opposite to Nankin, across the 
 Yiang-ts, was once a large and populous city, 
 called Kiang-yio. We saw the city walls still 
 standing: but perfect solitude reigns within. 
 The inhabitants submitted to the insurgents after 
 they took Nankin. They were compelled to 
 deliver up their crops, and were put upon ra- 
 tions. These were served out scantily, and in 
 
316 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 insufficient quantities to support life. They 
 murmured, and threatened to apply to the Im- 
 perialists. The insurgents heard of it ; and one 
 day the sun went down upon the corpses of seven- 
 teen thousand people, who, the day before, were 
 in the midst of life. Some fifteen thousand 
 escaped to the Imperialist camp ; but the city has 
 lain desolate ever since. " 
 
 It was a great disappointment to us mission- 
 aries when we were at length obliged to open our 
 eyes to the fact that Christianity had much more 
 to dread than to hope for from the insurgents, 
 should they be successful in their attempts to 
 gain the empire. Their obscure and insignificant 
 origin, their rapid growth and progress, and, 
 finally, their no less rapid disintegration and 
 destruction, form a remarkable chapter in this 
 world's history. What at first gave them power 
 and attraction was, no doubt, an element of truth 
 derived from Christian missionaries. Their 
 founder, Hung-sew-tswen, had a slight acquaint- 
 ance with Mr. Roberts, an American missionary 
 at Canton, and either from him or his native as- 
 sistant he received a few Christian books, which 
 he carried back with him to his home in the 
 country. He appears to have hastily perused 
 them, and then laid them away. Long after, 
 
INCIDENTS IN MISSIONARY LIFE. 317 
 
 when recovering from a severe illness, some of 
 the truths contained in these books recurred to 
 his mind, and gave shape to his mental wander- 
 ings; and these vagaries in turn moulded all his 
 future life. Having gained some conception of 
 the one true God, and of the evils of the preva- 
 lent idolatry, he conceived the project of estab- 
 lishing the new religion and eradicating the old. 
 And when in the course of a few months he had 
 secured a few adherents, and also incurred per- 
 secution in consequence of his opposition to idol- 
 atry, he was persuaded that he and his followers 
 were the " Israel of God," whose mission it was 
 to "slay the Amalekites," sparing none, old nor 
 young, male nor female. Perhaps at first there 
 was much sincerity mingled with the religious 
 fanaticism of this strange movement. But, if so, 
 of late years it must have sadly deteriorated. 
 Although iconoclasts, and having done a great 
 deal to overthrow the prevailing religions of 
 China, they have had nothing much better to 
 offer instead. Hung-sew-tswen, soon began to 
 arrogate to himself divine honors, claiming direct 
 inspiration from God, and considering himself 
 the equal, or nearly so, of the Lord Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 Although we can but sympathize with the 
 

 318 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 longings after a purer faith, which have been 
 evinced in the adherence of such vast numbers 
 to the corrupt form of Christianity found among 
 the insurgents, I think we can scarcely regret 
 that they have met with a signal overthrow. 
 Although frequent attempts were made by the 
 missionaries to dwell among them, efforts for 
 their improvement were found to be less hopeful 
 than those among their more idolatrous country- 
 men. 
 
 I kept no journal, during the few months we 
 spent in Ningpo, after our return from Japan ; 
 but a pocket diary contains some jottings of that 
 period which I shall insert, stopping occasionally 
 to explain certain allusions which could not 
 otherwise be understood. 
 
 " Sunday, May 5th. — Mr. Green preached in 
 English. Mr. Rankin conducted the communion 
 service. I was so weak as to be scarcely able to 
 sit up, and consequently could not enjoy the 
 exercises. Mr. Nevius preached on board the 
 Bethel, and spent the morning at the boys' 
 school, where he had service. While he was 
 away, Mr. Rankin read aloud to me one of Dr. 
 J. Alexander's excellent sacramental discourses. 
 
 "Monday, 6th. — Poorly again to day, have 
 scarcely any appetite, and am very weak, lying 
 
INCIDENTS IN MISSIONARY LIFE. 319 
 
 down almost all day. Went up to Mr. Green's 
 at dusk. Buffaloes scared me in going up. 
 Dr. Fish called to see me at evening." 
 
 The " buffaloes " mentioned above were great, 
 fierce, ungainly creatures, which have frightened 
 more than one timid lady, and gentleman too, I sus- 
 pect, if they would but own it. The milk which 
 we used at Ningpo was all from these water- 
 buffaloes. The Chinese there, and in other 
 places where we have lived or visited, use no 
 milk or butter. Indeed, they have a great aver- 
 sion to both, as well as to cheese ; which they 
 regard with quite as much disgust as we do many 
 of their articles of food. At Ningpo, we buy a 
 small quantity of milk daily from some China- 
 man who keeps buffaloes for the purpose of sup- 
 plying foreigners with this article, and our butter 
 is made by shaking the milk thoroughly in a 
 wide-mouthed bottle. It is both expensive and 
 requires a good deal of labor when made in this 
 way, and we use but little of it. But, though 
 very tasteless and perfectly white, it is a great 
 deal better than none at all. The buffaloes have 
 a natural antipathy to foreigners; and some of 
 the most ill-natured among them, as soon as they 
 catch a glimpse of a " red-haired " man or 
 woman, make after him or her, in a most fero- 
 
320 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 cious manner, and would surely inflict injury 
 were they not restrained. 
 
 " Friday, May 10th. — Mrs. Knowlton and I 
 spent the day with Mrs. Jones (of the English 
 Baptists). Mr. Nevius commenced packing boxes 
 for going away. Weather rainy and warm. 
 Zong-we has returned from San-poh, where it 
 seems he had formed apian for marrying a woman, 
 who is 'put away, ; — not even divorced. He 
 is very angry with Mr. Nevius because he does 
 not approve it, and says he will not go with us 
 to the North." 
 
 This man, Zong-we, was a singular character. 
 A year or two before, we had taken him into our 
 family, and tried most faithfully to make him a 
 good washerman. In this, however, we failed, 
 as he nearly ruined our clothes, besides trying 
 us sorely by his slowness. He was a very snail 
 in his motions ; and, though really young, went 
 about the compound with a solemn countenance, 
 and a slow, stooping gait, like an old man of 
 eighty. Still, though not agreeable, we felt 
 some real affection and respect for him, because 
 he was evidently an earnest and sincere Chris- 
 tian. He learned to read the Romanized Ningpo 
 Colloquial; and long after we had retired for 
 the night we could invariably hear him in his 
 
INCIDENTS IN MISSIONARY LIFE. 321 
 
 room, which was near ours, studying his Bible, 
 or engaged in prayer. And he evidently became, 
 if not as "diligent in business" as we could 
 have wished, at least very " fervent in spirit." 
 We were not sure but that he really tried to do 
 his work well, and so, though it was very annoy- 
 ing, we bore with him a long while, hoping for 
 improvement. We thought if he succeeded in 
 becoming a good washerman, he could always be 
 sure of employment among foreigners ; which 
 would be a good thing for one in his situation. 
 
 Poor Zong-we ; s family relations had been most 
 unfortunate ; and not long after he came to live 
 with us, at the advice and wish of his friends, he 
 procured a divorce from his miserable wife. We 
 supposed that after such an experience he would 
 be content to remain alone, and were not a little 
 surprised to find, just as we were about leaving 
 for a new station where we should greatly need 
 his services, that he intended to contract such a 
 marriage as the one I mentioned in my diary. I 
 think he did not really understand that the con- 
 templated step was a wrong one. I cannot re- 
 member just how the affair was settled ; but 
 Zong-we did not go with us to Shantung, of 
 which I was afterwards very glad, though at the 
 time much inconvenienced thereby. He has 
 
 21 
 
322 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 since married, I do not know whom ; and the last 
 time I saw him, his cup of bliss seemed full. He 
 was carrying a fine large baby in his arms, and I 
 presume his highest earthly ambitions are now 
 quite satisfied. 
 
 "Saturday, May 11th. — Avery busy day. 
 Had carpets taken up, books packed, etc. Towards 
 evening, Mrs. Green and Mrs. Morrison went 
 with me a short distance up the river to call upon 
 my former ah-m, Yiang-ko siao-yi (that is small 
 or younger aunt of the Yiang family). She was 
 not at home, having gone to some relatives of 
 hers in the country. I felt very sorry not to see 
 her ; am also much annoyed by Zong-we." 
 
 Yiang-ko siao-yi, whom we went to see, had 
 been with me for some time as a servant. She 
 accompanied us to Hang-chow, where she proved 
 an invaluable friend and companion. She was a 
 faithful and consistent Christian. Very few 
 Ningpo women will do the washing in a foreign 
 family, but this ah-m did ours beautifully, and 
 was also a good seamstress, and she thus saved 
 me much time and labor. While we were in 
 Japan I was distressed to hear that she had be- 
 come insane. Although I could not expect to do 
 much for her, I was anxious to see her once more, 
 and so went, as I have said, to the place where I 
 
INCIDENTS IN MISSIONARY LIFE. 323 
 
 supposed she was staying. I did not feel sure 
 that her friends were telling me the truth, in say- 
 ing that she was absent from home, but I could 
 not tell why they should wish to prevent an in- 
 terview. 
 
 "Sunday, 12th. — Mr. Lord preached in Eng- 
 lish from 'We have here no continuing city,' — 
 a very good sermon. I went with Mr. Nevius to 
 Chinese service in the city church. He preached 
 from Rev. vii. 9-17. I feel very sadly to-day, 
 thinking of this being our last Sunday in Ningpo. 
 It seems a trial, almost more than I can bear, 
 that I should be the means of taking Mr. Nevius 
 away. 
 
 " Tuesday, 14th. — In the morning the church 
 had a farewell meeting. Mr. Nevius spoke, and 
 also many of ihe native converts. In the afternoon 
 there was called a church meeting, at which Mr. 
 Nevius resigned the pastorate. A request was 
 sent to Presbytery to have the San-poh members 
 formed into a separate church. We said good- 
 by to many of our native friends, especially the 
 women. Attended Presbytery in the evening. 
 
 "Wednesday, 15th. — Poorly all day, could 
 not go to prayer-meeting. Mr. Green called to say 
 good-by, as he is going to the San-poh stations. 
 Mr. Nevius sent for Dr. Fish to see me. (Dr. 
 
324 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 Fish was our medical attendant at that time.) 
 Am able to eat scarcely anything nowadays, and 
 have constant nausea. 
 
 "Friday, 17th. — Just the same ; lying on the 
 couch all day; am very weak and growing 
 weaker. This makes me think that perhaps we 
 really ought to go away from Ningpo. Our 
 passage is taken for Shanghai in the ' Vivid,' 
 — a small sailing vessel, which will leave to- 
 morrow evening." 
 
 Up to this time I had persisted in thinking 
 that there was no urgent necessity for going 
 elsewhere, and this notwithstanding the advice 
 of our good physician and other kind friends. 
 But when I found my strength all leaving me, 
 even before the weather had become very warm, 
 I began to realize that unless we left soon I should 
 probably not go at all; and so was somewhat 
 more willing to yield my will to that of others. 
 
 The next entry, that of May eighteenth, is in 
 the handwriting of my dear friend Mr. Rankin. 
 It brings back a flood of old memories. He says, 
 as if it had been written by me : " Found my- 
 self very weak this morning. There have called 
 
 Mrs. K , Mrs. G , Mrs. McC , and 
 
 Messrs. Russell and Burdon. Mrs. Morrison 
 dined with us. Mr. R. as usual about the house, 
 
INCIDENTS IN MISSIONARY LIFE. 325 
 
 greatly anxious to see his wife and children. Left 
 his poor, forlorn house at five P. M. for the 
 1 Vivid, ' he following. Why don't he go home ? 
 Good-by." 
 
 A great many of the native Christians had 
 assembled to see us off. They came with us as 
 far as the bank of the river, and Mr. Rankin 
 accompanied us on board. A few moments after 
 he had playfully penned the above entry in my 
 diary, the "Vivid" got under way, and he 
 left us. We never saw him again until he came 
 to our house in Tung-chow, a poor, suffering in- 
 valid, almost at his journey's end. 
 
 We reached Shanghai Monday evening, May 
 twentieth, and, as we had so often done before, 
 went directly to our kind friends, the Culbertsons, 
 whose house was near the landing. The next 
 day Mrs. Mills and Mrs. Farnham came over 
 from South Gate to invite us to be their guests 
 while we should remain in Shanghai. We ac- 
 cepted the invitation of the latter, and spent the 
 time of our stay under their hospitable roof. 
 
 We found great difficulty in securing a passage 
 for Che-foo, as but few vessels were sailing for 
 that port, and of those few scarcely any were 
 willing to take passengers. 
 
 At length, after a delay of more than two 
 
326 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 weeks, we sailed for Shantung in a Bremen bark 
 called the " Amalia." Our passage was rather 
 a slow one, having unfavorable winds, and the 
 last few days very dense fogs, so that we were 
 often entirely uncertain as to our exact position, 
 and obliged to sail cautiously. All through the 
 night previous to reaching Che-foo there were 
 men on the lookout, and a horn was incessantly 
 blown to prevent collision with other vessels. 
 When morning dawned we were within sight of 
 the shore ; and, having a strong and favorable 
 wind, by three P. M. we had come to anchor in 
 the harbor of Che-foo. 
 
FIRST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 327 
 
 CHAPTER XH. 
 
 FIRST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 
 
 On the breaking out of the late war in the 
 United States, the missionaries connected with 
 Southern societies found themselves in a most 
 perplexing and trying position. Although in 
 many cases enthusiastically interested in their 
 work, and very successful, they were, in conse- 
 quence of being cut off from supplies from 
 America, reduced to the alternative of return- 
 ing home, or engaging in secular business. One 
 or two became interpreters, and others entered 
 into mercantile operations of one kind or an- 
 other; giving, at the same time, as much 
 attention as possible to direct missionary work. 
 The qualities which had made them efficient in 
 their previous employments, also gave them suc- 
 cess in secular pursuits. In every case with 
 which I am familiar, a few years in business suf- 
 ficed not only to secure a present competence, but 
 also an income which would render them inde- 
 
328 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 pendent, pecuniarily, in the future. When the 
 necessity was. removed, they gladly returned to 
 their life-work among the heathen. 
 
 One of those who thus engaged in mercantile 
 business was the Rev. J. Landrum Holmes. 
 
 He was a person whose peculiar loveliness of 
 character made him a favorite with every one. 
 Handsome, talented, ardent, with very winning 
 manners, he was peculiarly fitted for usefulness 
 among the Chinese, to whom such qualities are 
 very attractive. 
 
 The "Amalia," in which we sailed from 
 Shanghai to Che-foo, had been chartered by Mr. 
 Holmes, who, with a younger brother, not a 
 clergyman, had already established a prosperous 
 firm in that newly opened port in the Province 
 of Shantung. 
 
 Our fellow-passengers from Shanghai were 
 Mrs. Yates, of the Southern Baptist Board, and 
 her daughter, Miss Annie, who had come to pass 
 the summer at the North. Soon after the ship 
 cast anchor Mr. Holmes came on board to ac- 
 company Mrs. Yates to his house. Mr. Nevius 
 had already gone on shore to make arrange- 
 ments for taking me off, expecting me to remain 
 on the ship until his return; but when Mr. 
 Holmes rather urged my going in company with 
 
FIRST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 329 
 
 his party in his boat, I consented to do so. I 
 ought to have waited for Mr. Nevius, for there 
 was no means of conveyance from the landing 
 to Mr. Holmes' house, a distance of a mile or 
 more, and to my seeming at least ten. The road 
 was one bed of heavy sand, into which our feet 
 sank deeply at every step. The day was warm, 
 and, in my weak state, I was entirely unequal to 
 such an exertion. But I quite deserved my pun- 
 ishment, and I tried hard to conceal the discom- 
 fort my foolishness occasioned me. It is need- 
 less to say that I did not escape some words of 
 reproof for this exhibition of insubordination. 
 
 Che-foo, or Yentai, as the village is usually 
 called by the natives, was, before it was opened 
 to foreign commerce, only a small fishing town. 
 Tung-chow, about sixty miles distant, is the 
 port originally ceded to foreigners, but the har- 
 bor there not proving good, Che-foo was chosen 
 instead. 
 
 Although Shantung, and the more northern 
 port, Tien-tsin, had been but a few months 
 opened, several missionaries of different societies 
 were already on the ground. Mr. Hartwell, of 
 the Southern Baptists, and Messrs. Gayley and 
 Danforth, of our own mission, had gone on to 
 Tung-chow; and Mr. and Mrs. Holmes, with 
 

 330 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 M. and Madame Bonheur, and M. Roa, of the 
 French Protestant Mission, and Mr. and Mrs. 
 Hall, English Baptists, were settled at Che-foo. 
 I cannot say that our Che-foo friends had 
 Becured very comfortable residences. On the 
 contrary, they could scarcely have been more 
 inconvenient, and I fear unhealthy, — at least 
 they must have proved so in any other than a 
 good climate. Mr. Holmes' house, which was 
 rather better than the others, was a very low, 
 one-storied Chinese building, the different rooms 
 opening off a small enclosure or court. It was 
 situated in the village, only a few moments' 
 walk, however, from the country. I think the 
 house had been supplied with board floors and 
 glass windows, to make it fit for a foreigner to 
 live in ; but, if so. the floors were only a little 
 raised above the ground, and there being no 
 Venetians nor verandas, the hot summer sun 
 beat down upon it most unmercifully. Not a 
 tree nor shrub relieved the eye, or sheltered 
 from the heat. The kitchen was in a small cor- 
 ner near the entrance. Mrs. Holmes' parlor 
 and sleeping-room were on one side of the court ; 
 on another, was a guest-chamber ; on another, a 
 small apartment used by the natives or foreign- 
 ers, as necessity required; and, on the fourth, 
 
FIRST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 331 
 
 was a store-room of some sort, and a chapel, or 
 Chinese reception-room. 
 
 The air, owing, in part, to the miserable way 
 of building without outside windows, was impure 
 and stifling, not at all calculated to conduce to 
 the health and vigor of those obliged to breathe 
 it. 
 
 When our fellow-passengers from the ship and 
 ourselves were added to Mr. Holmes' family, 
 which consisted of Mrs. Holmes and a little 
 daughter, about two years old, and two Chinese 
 boys whom they were educating, besides ser- 
 vants, it seemed as if their house was already 
 more than full. But before night there was 
 another arrival. Mr. and Mrs. Danforth and 
 Mr. Hartwell came from Tung-chow, to seek 
 medical aid for Mrs. Danforth, who had become 
 so ill that they were afraid to remain longer in 
 Tung-chow, where there is no physician. But 
 warm, sympathizing hearts are always rich in 
 expedients ; the parlor had to do double duty, 
 and for the night was turned into a bedroom, 
 our kind host and hostess, having, however, to 
 sleep on the floor. It was in vain that we 
 begged the privilege of doing without a com- 
 fortable bed ourselves, rather than they should 
 be so inconvenienced. I found out afterwards, 
 
332 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 in some way, that they had passed an almost 
 sleepless night, in consequence of the annoy- 
 ance occasioned by fleas, of which, a person 
 giving a true picture of Shantung life, is obliged 
 often to speak. There are greater trials in life, 
 of course, but few more irritating and provoking, 
 than the petty persecutions of these miserable, 
 remorseless, relentless insects. 
 
 I have not mentioned that there came in com- 
 pany with us from Shanghai a young Chinese 
 girl, who was betrothed to a native Christian, 
 associated with Mr. Holmes in his business. 
 Their marriage took place the second evening 
 after our arrival. 
 
 We were anxious to proceed at once to Tung- 
 chow, but were detained a day or two, by diffi- 
 culty in getting our boxes off the ship. 
 
 At length, all obstacles having been removed, we 
 started, about two p. M. ? on the twentieth of June. 
 Our party consisted only of Mr. Nevius and 
 myself, our servant, Hyiao-fong, and the mule- 
 drivers; but being obliged, on account of the 
 narrow roads, to go single file, it seemed quite a 
 cavalcade. I rode in a mule-litter, Mr. Neviu3 
 and Hyiao-fong on horseback, and there were two 
 pack mules. 
 
 A mule-litter is a kind of palanquin ; the 
 
FIRST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 333 
 
 poles supporting it rest upon mules, one before 
 and one behind ; a driver walks at their side. 
 For a short distance it is rather agreeable, though 
 unsociable, as a litter is intended only to carry 
 one individual. But, after a few miles, it be- 
 comes very fatiguing, as it has no springs. and 
 no seat for sitting erect. The mules, as they 
 walk, impart a rough, jolting motion, or some- 
 times, when they chance for a little distance to 
 keep step, a sideways swing, which some one has 
 most appropriately termed, one the "pepper 
 box," and the other a " sieve motion." In 
 order to sit or lie with any degree of comfort, 
 we place our mattresses on the bottom, with as 
 many pillows as are at hand to lean against, 
 and then vary our position as much and as often 
 as possible. But after ten or twenty miles of 
 this sort of travelling, every bone and muscle in 
 the body seems to enter a protest, and refuses to 
 be comfortable ; no matter how desirous we are 
 to make the best of our only practicable way of 
 performing these long journeys. 
 
 About three miles out from Yentai, or Che-foo, 
 is the village of Chukee, where Mr. and Mrs. 
 Parker and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, of the American 
 Episcopal Mission, were endeavoring to form a 
 new station. Little Harry Parker had ridden 
 
S04 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 with me in my palanquin from Yentai, and we 
 stopped to leave him with his mother; but as we 
 had been rather late in starting we tarried for 
 only a few moments' chat, and thenjiastened for- 
 ward, so as if possible to make the first stage 
 of our journey by daylight. 
 
 The scenery in the vicinity of Yentai is beau- 
 tiful, and indeed nearly the whole way from that 
 place to Tung-chow there is a pleasing succes- 
 sion of gently undulating hills and valleys. We 
 passed through several narrow rivers, which, 
 though at certain seasons rushing torrents, were 
 then either nearly or entirely dry, sandy beds. 
 Only in one or two instances had we any difficulty 
 in fording them. The great defect of the Shan- 
 tung scenery is the absence of forests. The 
 contour of the hills is beautiful, but they seem, 
 in contrast to the luxuriant vegetation of the 
 South, rather naked and barren. 
 
 It was after dark when we reached an inn at 
 the small village of Sing-tien, where we were to 
 spend the night. I had already had some expe- 
 rience of the discomforts of journeying in a 
 country without hotels, or other conveniences of 
 travel found in Western lands, but I had never 
 seen anything quite so forlorn as the room in 
 which we passed that night. It was at the back 
 
FIRST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 335 
 
 of the stable-yard, where the mules, horses, 
 and donkeys were kept ; and the odor therefrom 
 was almost intolerable. It had but a mud floor, 
 and paper windows, which, like the ceiling, 
 were black with smoke, and literally festooned 
 with cobwebs. The furniture of the room con- 
 sisted of an old board bedstead, a rickety table, 
 and perhaps a chair, while the dust, which cov- 
 ered all, appeared to have been accumulating for 
 years. I suspect the room was seldom used, as 
 the muleteers, who alone would be likely to 
 patronize such an unpromising "hotel," slept in 
 the one large outer apartment, upon the " kang," 
 which I will describe hereafter. 
 
 We had brought our own mattresses and bed- 
 ding, which we spread upon the tottering bed- 
 stead, in the hope of a comfortable night's rest. 
 Soon, however, the mules and horses close by our 
 window became uneasy, kicking and screaming, 
 hearing which, their drivers went out, and with 
 blows and shouts quieted them for a time. Re- 
 peatedly, in the course of the night, their services 
 were in requisition for the same purpose, while 
 the fleas, as if emulating the quadrupeds without 
 in their efforts to prevent our repose, made us 
 painfully aware of their presence also. 
 
 By five o'clock the next morning we were 
 
386 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 again on the road. At mid-day we stopped at a 
 much cleaner and more comfortable inn, where 
 we took dinner and rested until two o'clock. At 
 six in the evening we were nearing Tung-chow. 
 I was forcibly reminded at that time, as often 
 afterwards, when approaching the city, of repre- 
 sentations and descriptions of Jerusalem. Lying 
 in nearly the same latitude, with hills and moun- 
 tains in its immediate neighborhood, its walls 
 and parapets running now low through a valley, 
 now up over a hill-top, with occasional towers 
 and higher buildings rising above the ordinarily 
 low structures, and particularly the clear blue 
 sky, against which the walls and hills stand out 
 in bold relief, it has often suggested to my mind 
 the holy city, without, however, any such tender 
 associations as must ever cling to " Zion the 
 beautiful." 
 
 Tung-chow is situated upon the northern shore 
 of the Shantung promontory. Although a pre- 
 fectural city, it is comparatively small, having 
 somewhat less than one hundred thousand inhab- 
 itants. It in reality consists of two separate 
 cities, each completely enclosed with a wall. 
 The smaller one lies close on the sea-shore, and 
 is called the Swai-tsing, or water city ; the larger 
 is so near at hand that a stone could be nun" 
 

 FIRST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 837 
 
 from its wall to the other. The streets of Tung- 
 chow, though wider than those of southern towns, 
 still scarcely deserve to be called roads. They 
 are paved with stone, and are very rough. One 
 street is paved almost entirely with old discard- 
 ed millstones, which, as they are now worn 
 smooth and slippery, are very precarious foot- 
 holds for horses or mules. 
 
 Some distance from the city Mr. Hartwell's 
 native assistant met us, having brought out Mr. 
 Gayley's horse for my husband to ride back, as 
 it was a better one than that he had thus far 
 been riding. As he passed me, in order to reach 
 the city sooner than my slow-walking mules 
 could perform the distance, my animals started 
 and ran away with me ; not very far, nor very 
 fast however, as the driver succeeded in stopping 
 them before they had done other damage than to 
 break the harness, and to alarm me somewhat. 
 
 Mr. Nevius had a similar adventure. As he 
 was passing through the suburbs, a vicious mule, 
 tied to a feeding- trough, broke loose, and, drag- 
 ging part of the trough with it, rushed after Mr. 
 Nevius. Its frightened owner begged him to get 
 out of the way as fast as possible ; so off they 
 went pell-mell flying through the streets. How the 
 race ended I do not know, but before I reached 
 
 22 
 
338 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 the city Mr. Nevius had found our friends, and 
 come back to accompany me in. 
 
 I remember well that I was not a little curious 
 as to the kind of place in which I should find our 
 friends located, and my husband would not satisfy 
 my curiosity in the least ; in fact, he seemed rather 
 to enjoy my anxiety, and the relief I felt, when 
 we passed a house of particularly forbidding 
 exterior, to find that we did not stop there. At 
 length a foreign lady or two standing in the 
 street showed, without words, that our journey 
 must be over; and at once my mules passed 
 through a narrow gate, between high stone walls, 
 into a paved court, where the litter was taken 
 off, and I was delighted to find myself at the 
 Hartwells. The warm, cordial welcome given 
 us by them, and Mr. and Mrs. Gay ley, was truly 
 delightful. Their house, though not at all in 
 foreign style, was sufficiently roomy for a moder- 
 ately large family, and, compared with those oc- 
 cupied by the missionaries at Yentai, was pleasant. 
 
 Our furniture and all heavy articles had been 
 sent in a junk from Che-foo, and arrived the 
 next morning after we reached Tung-chow. 
 
 For several weeks the Gayleys and ourselves 
 boarded with the Hartwells, but we felt sorry to 
 impose such a burden upon Mrs. Hartwell, who, 
 

 FIRST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 339 
 
 though most patient and hospitable, was very deli- 
 cate and unfit for so much additional care. But 
 we had great difficulty in procuring houses. A 
 suitable and pleasant one was then being repaired 
 to be occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Danforth. This 
 was the Kwan-yin tang> temple of Kwan-yin, 
 the Goddess of Mercy ; where we afterwards 
 passed many happy days. The only other house, 
 which was at that time available, was a very 
 poor one, next door to Mr. Hartwell's. As that 
 was better than none, it was rented, and carpen- 
 ters and masons set to work repairing and put- 
 ting it in order. It was decided that the Gayleys 
 and we should occupy it together. In the mean 
 while we all remained at Mr. Hartwell's. 
 
 There were from the first encouraging indica- 
 tions that the progress of missionary work in 
 Tung-chow would be more rapid than it had 
 been in the older stations at the South. 
 
 Mr. Nevius, who, fortunately, had already 
 some knowledge of Mandarin, was able at once 
 to commence preaching and conversing with the 
 natives. For the first few months I could study 
 but little, as my health continued poor, and my 
 voice was so weak that strangers could scarcely 
 hear me. But gradually I became accustomed 
 to the dialect. Tsao, the native assistant, who 
 
340 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 had accompanied us from Ningpo, being an ex- 
 cellent Mandarin speaker, gave me many useful 
 hints ; and, almost before I knew it, I found my- 
 self able to communicate with the natives in that 
 dialect. 
 
 The Mandarin, or Court dialect, is spoken all 
 over the northern provinces, but it varies much 
 in different places. Each large city has its pe- 
 culiarities of pronunciation more or less marked, 
 and its residents can be easily recognized by per 
 sons familiar with the various places. The ver- 
 nacular of Tung-chow is real Mandarin, but it 
 has numerous sounds and phrases, never heard 
 in Pekin, or where what is called standard Man- 
 darin is spoken. 
 
 As my health improved, I began to study in 
 earnest ; and, if every one enjoyed it as much as 
 I did, the acquisition of new languages would be 
 no hardship. 
 
 It was not until the middle of July that we 
 were able to remove into our own house, and even 
 then the repairs were not completed. The day 
 was intensely hot, the thermometer standing at 
 over 90°. In the afternoon, as I was resting in 
 a small bedroom opening off of our parlor or 
 study, a Mandarin from a distant city called, ac- 
 companied by rather a numerous suite. Mr. 
 
FIRST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 341 
 
 Nevius received him in the outer room. As 
 there was no egress from the one where I was 
 lying except through that, I was virtually a 
 prisoner. This I would not have minded at all, 
 had it not been that our only window, which 
 opened on a court, had as yet no curtain nor 
 screen, and before it the Mandarin's retainers 
 stationed themselves, intent upon getting a view 
 of the foreign lady. They seemed to enjoy the 
 tableau so thoroughly as quite to forget the im- 
 propriety of their conduct. I was much annoyed, 
 but obliged to ignore their presence. Had 
 they come back a few hours later they would 
 have found a closely curtained window. 
 
 Mrs. Gayley and I kept house together, divid- 
 ing the work and the responsibility. Our ser- 
 vants, with the exception of Hiao-fong, were all 
 quite untrained ; and even he had not been 
 taught either cooking or washing. Had our 
 house been more conveniently arranged this would 
 have mattered less; as it was, we were taxed 
 almost beyond our powers of endurance. 
 
 As that place was only a sample of numerous 
 private dwellings in Tung-chow, I will describe 
 it as nearly as I can remember it. 
 
 The high stone wall against the street formed 
 the outer wall of our rooms. There was no 
 
342 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 window in it when we went there, but one was 
 soon after opened, to allow a freer circulation of 
 air. Just back of our room was a long court, 
 at each side of which was a small room, one a 
 chapel, and one Mr. Gayley's study ; and beyond 
 was Mrs. Gay ley's parlor, with a bedroom open- 
 ing out of it. Then came another and larger 
 court, which was the only vacant space on the 
 premises for drying clothes, and the like. Next 
 was the dining-room, with a closed passage-way 
 at one side, and between it and the kitchen was 
 a small court. Behind the kitchen was another 
 small house where the servants slept. The rooms 
 at the back were all very contracted, and were 
 entirely without a pantry or closets of any sort. 
 Whenever I went from my room to the kitchen, 
 I had to go through Mrs. Gayley's parlor, and 
 three separate courts ; which, either in the hot 
 sun or in rainy weather, was no trifling journey. 
 Some one suggested riding a donkey back and 
 forth, but I doubted if even Mrs. Gayley's 
 amiability would have been proof against the 
 intrusion of that long-eared quadruped, making 
 frequent transits through her best room. All 
 the water used on the premises had to be 
 brought from without, and that for drinking was 
 carried a distance of nearly half a mile. In 
 
FIRST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 343 
 
 our kitchen, which, by the way, was a miserable 
 place, without a board floor or glass windows, we 
 sometimes used a foreign cooking-stove, and 
 sometimes a native range. We were much in- 
 convenienced from having no guest-room, but 
 Mr. Gayley's study was frequently used as one, 
 and occasionally the dining-room, in which case 
 we took our meals in Mrs. Gayley's parlor. But 
 notwithstanding these various drawbacks, we 
 passed a very cheerful summer. The chapel in 
 both Mr. HartwclFs house and ours was daily 
 opened for services ; and within only a few weeks 
 there were several hopeful inquirers. 
 
 The window, which I have mentioned as having 
 been opened in the front wall, admitted, besides 
 air, sounds and scenes not always desirable. 
 Every few days a fair was held on the street, 
 just at that point. Numbers of farmers, coming 
 in from the country with their produce for sale, 
 ranged themselves along on each side of the road, 
 each man with a mule or donkey behind him, 
 and bags of wheat, Indian corn, beans, etc., in 
 front of him, opened for inspection. This occa- 
 sioned great noise and eonfusion : the cries of the 
 buyers and sellers, mingling with the unmusical 
 braying of the donkeys and mules, were often 
 almost deafening. Occasionally some inquisitive 
 
344 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 person would manage to raise himself to a suffi- 
 cient height to take a peep through our window, 
 which had been purposely made at such an eleva- 
 tion as not to allow passers-by to gaze within. 
 
 During the month of August I was very un- 
 well, having a return of my throat affection and 
 other , ailments, brought on, my husband was 
 sure, by over-exertion in attending to the wash- 
 ing department. For several weeks I was un- 
 able to speak except in a whisper, and was 
 obliged to remit study ; and could do but little 
 work of any sort. Both the Hartwells and Gay- 
 leys had left Shanghai in poor health, but their 
 restoration after reaching Tung-chow was very 
 rapid. We were not at all disappointed in the 
 climate. Though the weather during some 
 months of summer was hot, the effect of the 
 heat was unlike that of either Shanghai or 
 Ningpo. In a good foreign-built house I think 
 we should not have suffered from it at all. The 
 atmosphere was clear and bracing, and for many 
 weeks there was scarcely any rain. Day after 
 day the sun rose in a cloudless sky, while the 
 fresh sea-breezes prevented the heat from becom- 
 ing extreme. 
 
 Every one seemed to be gaining in health ex- 
 cept poor Mrs. Danforth. For her. the change 
 

 " FIRST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 345 
 
 to this favorable climate brought no relief. She 
 and her husband remained at Yentai ; but from 
 week to week we heard of her failing strength. 
 She had looked forward with delight to being 
 settled in a quiet home of their own, and fancied 
 that the realization of her wish might restore her 
 wasted energies. Although to a person so ill as 
 she, the long, hard ride from Che-foo to Tung- 
 chow, with no more comfortable conveyance than 
 a mule-litter, seemed utterly impracticable, her 
 friends at length yielded to her earnest desire, 
 and the journey was undertaken ; and, in fact, 
 she did not seem injured by it. But one glance 
 at her emaciated form was sufficient to convince 
 one not blinded by hope, that her days on earth 
 were nearly ended. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Danforth went at once to the 
 Kwan-yin temple, where one room had been com- 
 pleted, and hastily put in order. The poor in- 
 valid was laid upon her bed, from which she was 
 never again to rise. Masons and carpenters 
 were at work close at hand; but she seemed 
 scarcely to notice them, so happy was she to be 
 at home. It was not in our power to procure for 
 her the many delicacies, and almost necessaries, 
 which are found in sick-rooms in our own coun- 
 try. As I look back at her long and painful 
 
C46 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 illness, my heart aches to think of the many 
 trials and deprivations to which she was subject. 
 
 She failed very rapidly ; and, only two weeks 
 after reaching Tung-chow, she went to join the 
 blessed company of the "just made perfect " in 
 heaven. Could Ave then have looked forward a 
 few years into the future, how clearly we would 
 have understood that she was indeed l ' taken 
 away from the evil to come." 
 
 When all but her husband had relinquished 
 hope of Mrs. Danforth's recovery, and her other 
 friends were daily anticipating her departure, we 
 remembered sadly that we were strangers in a 
 strange land, without even a spot in which we 
 might bury our dead. It became necessary at 
 once to make definite arrangements ; and the 
 gentlemen of the two missions went to the offi- 
 cers to ask to be allowed to purchase some place 
 suitable to be used as a mission graveyard. 
 They were kindly received, and the magistrate 
 readily gave the assurance that any ground which 
 might be selected for such a purpose should be 
 secured to us. 
 
 Close by the sea-shore, about a mile from our 
 dwellings, are bold, treeless bluffs, too rocky and 
 bleak for cultivation. Though close to the water- 
 city, they are seldom visited, and are quiet even 
 
FIRST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 3'17 
 
 to loneliness. One of these bluffs was chosen for 
 our graveyard. The ascent to it from the city- 
 is gradual ; but on the other sides it is abrupt, 
 and difficult of access, while at its base the 
 ocean breaks with one continuous sound, — now 
 soft and low, and again, when the winds sweep 
 over its bosom, like a pealing anthem of some 
 grand cathedral service. Never was mass or re- 
 quiem said or sung more deep and tender than 
 the ocean's dirge as it moans and sobs on the 
 rocky beach of our Hill Cemetery at Tung-chow. 
 The view from the summit is lovely. Far off to 
 the north and east stretch the blue waters of 
 the Gulf of Pechele ; while to the west and 
 south are the two cities, and a wide extent of 
 country highly cultivated and picturesque. 
 
 To this sweet spot, on the evening of the 
 fifteenth of September, we brought all that was 
 mortal of our dear Mrs. Danforth. 
 
 Hers was the first grave of any Protestant 
 missionary in the Province of Shantung. 
 
348 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF SHANTUNG. — INCURSION OF THE 
 REBELS. 
 
 China, in the Eastern Hemisphere, corre- 
 sponds in many striking respects to the United 
 States, in the Western. Its area is about the 
 same, and, lying in nearly the same degrees of 
 latitude, it has similar variations of climate, as 
 also of natural productions. 
 
 To a person who has lived long in Ningpo, 
 the change from that region to the Shantung 
 Province is very great. Ningpo has been de- 
 scribed as " very hot in summer, very cold in 
 winter, and damp the year round; " while it 
 would not be inaccurate to say of Shantung, 
 that it is not extremely warm in summer, nor 
 very cold in winter ; and, with the exception of 
 a few weeks in summer, is dry the year round. 
 In Ningpo, the mercury seldom sinks to the 
 freezing-point, and never more than a few de- 
 grees below it ; while in Shantung, it sometimes 
 
DESCRIPTION OF SHANTUNG. 340 
 
 falls nearly to zero. But in Ningpo, owing to 
 the debilitating effects of the summer's heat, 
 and the dampness and frequent changes, we are 
 more susceptible to cold than in the North, and 
 require even warmer clothing. 
 
 The eastern part of the Shantung Province 
 is a rocky promontory, bounded on the north 
 by the Gulf of Pechelee, and on the south and 
 east by the Yellow Sea. It is very mountainous ; 
 but in the vicinity of Tung-chow the mountains 
 are not usually high. The valleys are fertile 
 and richly cultivated. Although the population 
 is not nearly as dense as in the southern prov- 
 inces, the last census estimated it at 27,000,000, 
 — nearly three-fourths that of the whole United 
 States. 
 
 It is not common, either in the north or south 
 of China, to see solitary farm-houses. The 
 people usually dwell, either in cities and villages, 
 or in the numerous little hamlets scattered over 
 the plains, or nestling among the hills. 
 
 I was much disappointed in the roads of 
 Shantung, which I had heard described as really 
 road-like, contrasting favorably with those of 
 Southern China. They are wider, to be sure, 
 but ill made, rough, and disagreeable ; and, in 
 the parts which I have seen, not fit for foreign 
 
350 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 carriages of any description. The natives have 
 no wheeled vehicles, with the exception of a 
 kind of cart, which, by some strange misnomer, 
 is often called by foreigners a "chariot." I 
 suspect it may bear a striking likeness to the 
 "chariots" of poor " Pharaoh and his host; " 
 but I doubt if, since that time, anything quite 
 so clumsy and ungainly has borne so pretentious 
 a name. This cart is a small, covered box, 
 without seats or springs, and rests upon two 
 great heavy, wooden wheels. You seldom see 
 these "chariots" at Tung-chow, but on the 
 plains they are more common. Horses, mules, 
 and donkeys are all used as beasts of burden, 
 but horses are not very numerous. You see 
 comparatively few sedan chairs in Shantung, 
 though they are used on certain occasions. 
 Women usually ride on horseback, or on mules 
 or donkeys, led by a servant. They always sit 
 astride. A thick veil covers their faces; but 
 they are, of course, much more exposed than 
 they would be in covered sedans. 
 
 The soil of Shantung varies in the different 
 localities. Its productions are very like those 
 of the northern and middle States of America. 
 Millet, sorghum, wheat, and maize are extensive- 
 ly cultivated. Sweet potatoes, and numerous 
 
DESCRIPTION OF SHANTUNG. 351 
 
 varieties of beans, together with onions, turnips, 
 cabbages, leeks, melons, cucumbers, radishes, 
 etc., etc., are found in abundance. 
 
 The fruits of Shantung are very poor, many 
 of them scarcely fit for use. There are apples, 
 pears, peaches, plums, grapes, and apricots, of 
 which only the last two compare at all favorably 
 with the same fruits at home. 
 
 As I have elsewhere remarked, there are few 
 forest or shade trees in Shantung; and not 
 nearly as many nor as beautiful flowers as are 
 found at the South. Still, the hills at certain 
 seasons are almost covered with sweet, modest 
 wild flowers. I would not, by any means, give 
 the impression that Shantung is a treeless, 
 barren country ; but only that it presents fewer 
 floral beauties than Japan, or the more southern 
 and moister climates of China. 
 
 I do not think the birds of Shantung are 
 very numerous, but I remember, among them, 
 some sweet singers; particularly, a species of 
 lark, which, soaring in mid air, pauses on the 
 wing, and warbles forth a song which fills the 
 air with melody. 
 
 The natives of this part of China are gener- 
 ally much larger in stature than the Southern- 
 ers. They are also a hardier race, capable of 
 

 352 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 enduring great exertion. We could but notice 
 the large proportion of persons of advanced age, 
 as compared with that class at Ningpo. 
 
 The houses of Tung-chow are built of stone 
 and brick. They are almost invariably of one 
 story. They seldom have board floors ; and 
 their windows are simply lattice-work, with 
 paper pasted over it. The furniture is very 
 scanty, consisting merely of a few tables, stands, 
 and chairs ; besides the inevitable ' ' kang, ' ' 
 which is the bed by night, and the divan and 
 lounging-place for the whole family by day. 
 Women, when at leisure, or when engaged in 
 sewing, usuallv sit a la Turk on their " kangs: " 
 and they are also apt to take their meals there. 
 The " kang " is a platform of mason work about 
 two feet high, varying in size according to the 
 wants of the family. It is sometimes not larger 
 than an ordinary bedstead, but very frequently 
 occupies the whole side of a room, being per- 
 haps twelve feet long, and, at least, six wide. 
 It is so constructed that fire can be kindled be- 
 low, with a flue for carying the heat and smoke 
 to every part, so that it becomes thoroughly 
 warm, though not hot. As it retains its warmth 
 a long while, persons sleeping upon it are not 
 likely to suffer from cold, even though they may 
 

 DESCRIPTION OF SHANTUNG. 353 
 
 have but little covering. The heat of these kangs 
 is to me very disagreeable, but the natives seem 
 to enjoy it. 
 
 Although the climate of the northern provin- 
 ces is so cold, no use is made of stoves nor fire- 
 places, nor of braziers, such as are common in 
 Japan ; the nearest approach to them being these 
 kangs, which I have just described. In the 
 cold weather, the natives wear thickly wadded 
 garments, adding one to another until they re- 
 semble walking feather-beds. To keep their feet 
 and hands warm, they often use foot-stoves, and 
 tiny hand-stoves, which are both pretty and use- 
 ful. Indeed, I do not know what the poor wo- 
 men would do without them. Fuel is very 
 scarce and expensive in China ; that is, in those 
 places where we have lived. The natives resort 
 to all sorts of expedients to secure enough for 
 the simplest cooking purposes. Dry grass and 
 roots, and straw are often used for boiling the tea- 
 kettle, and straw is always, I believe, burned in 
 the kangs. You very often see a little girl sit- 
 ting on the floor beside these oven-like beds, or 
 the cooking range, thrusting straw into the open- 
 ing, a little at a time, keeping up a steady blaze. 
 
 Foreigners in China burn both wood and coal. 
 
 I scarcely know which is preferable. 
 23 
 

 354 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 There are coal mines in various parts of the 
 empire, but as yet they have been very poorly 
 developed. I presume they will hereafter be- 
 come a source of revenue to the government, 
 as well as a great convenience to the inhabitants, 
 in the scarcity of fuel which is so characteristic 
 of the country. 
 
 It was in the Province of Shantung more than 
 two thousand years ago that the great Confu- 
 cius and his distinguished pupil Mencius were 
 born. " The tomb of the former, who died 
 B. c. 479, at Kiuh-fau, is a majestic monument, 
 embosomed in a forest of oaks, whose gloomy 
 shades are well fitted for nourishing the respect 
 and homage paid his memory." 
 
 Little commerce is carried on between Shan- 
 tung and the adjacent countries. There is some 
 intercourse between Tung-chow and Corea, and 
 Kwan-tung across the Pechelee Bay, but there 
 are very few junks, or sea-going vessels of any 
 kind, as compared with the southern provinces. 
 
 I have given this hasty glance at the country 
 and people of Shantung, in order that any one 
 who has followed our wanderings thus far may 
 be able to form a somewhat definite idea of our 
 new and last China home. We found the peo- 
 ple simple-minded, and unsophisticated; and at 
 

 DESCRIPTION OF SHANTUNG. 355 
 
 first remarkably well-disposed towards foreign- 
 ers. 
 
 A few days after the death of Mrs. Danforth 
 we removed to the Kwang-yin tang (that is, 
 Temple of the Goddess of Mercy). This was a 
 small establishment a short distance from the 
 other mission houses. At that time it belonged 
 to an old Buddhist priest who was an opium- 
 smoker, and, like many of his class, in impover- 
 ished circumstances ; so that he was desirous of 
 making some money even at the sacrifice of pride 
 and prejudice. It was only this which induced 
 him to rent or lease us the temple, on such terms 
 that our mission will be able to retain it for an 
 indefinite term of years. We would have 
 preferred on most accounts to live in a more busy 
 and populous part of the city ; but still this place 
 answered our purpose very well. 
 
 Kwang-yin tang was on three sides surrounded 
 by vegetable gardens, only a small corner of 
 which was rented by us ; while the remainder 
 was cultivated by outside persons with whom we 
 had no connection. There was rather a preten- 
 tious porch and gate at the main entrance on the 
 street, but we nearly always made use of a small 
 door a little at one side. A high wall separated 
 the outer court from the inner one, on three sides 
 
356 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 of which were our apartments. The main room 
 of the temple was at first a cheerless, dark place, 
 with several idols, large and small, occupying a 
 prominent position on a raised platform at the 
 back of the room. When we went there to live, 
 the whole was so changed that it could scarcely 
 have been recognized as a temple at all. A par- 
 tition divided the once large room into two 
 smaller ones, which we used as parlor and bed- 
 room. The idols had all been enclosed with 
 mason work, neatly plastered and whitewashed. 
 A large glass window opened from both rooms 
 upon the court in front, and the vegetable garden 
 behind, and a good board floor had taken the 
 place of the old one of brick, or rather had 
 been placed a little distance above the bricks. 
 On the court side was a wide veranda ; on the 
 right and left were tw r o other good-sized build- 
 ings, which served nicely for dining and guest 
 rooms. The kitchen was in a corner of another 
 tiny court ; and Mr. Nevius' study was a small, 
 low room on a court in the opposite corner. In 
 order to go either to the dining or guest room, 
 kitchen or study, in fact, to. any part of the 
 house besides our two rooms, we had to go some 
 little distance in the open air. The apartments 
 which were afterwards used for the school, and 
 
DESCRIPTION OF SHANTUNG. 35T 
 
 also those occupied by the servants, were on the 
 sides of the outside court, and in a building 
 which we had erected, situated at a still further 
 remove. 
 
 I cannot say that I should recommend the 
 Kwang-yin tang as a perfect model for convenience 
 or elegance. In stormy, or cold weather, it was 
 neither safe nor agreeable to have to run through 
 the rain or snow, when I was obliged to attend 
 to domestic matters in the kitchen, or to oversee 
 the girls in the school-room. Still, with all its 
 disadvantages, I liked the place. Just in front 
 of the dining-room door was an old arbor vitse, 
 so tall and aspiring that it seemed as if deter- 
 mined to see out beyond the narrow confines of 
 its little enclosure ; while opposite it was a pretty 
 young willow with graceful branches sweeping 
 the ground. These two trees, the only ones in 
 the court, were great pets of mine. The arbor 
 vitae was a favorite with other living creatures 
 also, the magpies, in particular, often congre- 
 gating there and chattering with very boisterous 
 voices. 
 
 It seems almost trifling to describe so minutely 
 our house and its surroundings, but as some per- 
 sons have expressed a desire to know "just what 
 kind of houses we live in, and how they are fur- 
 
358 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 nished," I will venture still further to say 
 that our parlor had in winter a common " in- 
 grain " carpet, and a foreign " gas-consuming " 
 air-tight stove; a mirror, and several good pic- 
 tures on the walls ; a large American rocking- 
 chair, and some other easy-chairs, and an 
 etagere ; besides a chintz-covered lounge, and a 
 Japanese cabinet, which I used for a workstand. 
 The other rooms had less furniture, but all that 
 was really necessary. 
 
 The ceilings of our house were composed of 
 the stalks of kao-liang, or sorghum, tied to- 
 gether, and attached to the rafters, with coarse 
 paper pasted over it, and that carefully white- 
 washed. When it is new and well done, this 
 kind of ceiling looks nicely, and answers its pur- 
 pose very well indeed. My kitchen was too 
 small, but much better than I had ever had be- 
 fore, being furnished with a little pantry, and a 
 cooking-stove, — two luxuries in house-keeping. 
 
 Mr. Nevius had a room fitted up close to the 
 street, which he used as a chapel, and reception- 
 room for Chinese visitors. 
 
 The side building, which I have spoken of as a 
 guest-room, was occupied by Mr. Danforth, who 
 boarded with us until his return to the United 
 States. 
 

 INCURSION OF THE REBELS. 359 
 
 Before we were settled in the temple, and 
 while workmen were still engaged in certain 
 parts of the house, rumors reached us of an in- 
 vasion from a band of rebels called tu-fe or nien- 
 fe (that is, thieves or banditti). Coming from 
 the East, they swarmed over our section of the 
 promontory, visiting not only the cities, or such 
 of them as they dared attack, but also small 
 villages in the country. 
 
 A few extracts from letters written to my 
 parents about this date will give a better idea of 
 that sad month of October, and a few days pre- 
 ceding it, than I could give from memory only, — 
 
 " September 21st. — Away up here, hundreds 
 of miles from Nankin, the head-quarters of the 
 Chang-mao (long-haired rebels), we are now in 
 a ferment of excitement on account of a threat- 
 ened attack from insurgents of some sort, proba- 
 bly only local banditti. It is said they are now 
 besieging Hwang-hien, a city twenty miles dis- 
 tant, which Mr. Nevius and Mr. Gayley visited 
 a few weeks since. 
 
 " Several of the Tung-chow city gates are kept 
 closed by day, and all are shut at sunset, — some 
 hours earlier than is usual. This evening as 
 Mr. Nevius and I were going out for a short ride, 
 we were told at the gate, that we must be back 
 
360 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 early, or we would not be able to enter the city. 
 We noticed great numbers of country people 
 hastening to gain protection within the walls, — 
 women, some of them carrying one or two chil- 
 dren, riding a donkey or mule, and a man trudg- 
 ing along at their side. One old woman, astride 
 a mule, had a large load of grass strapped each 
 side of her. There were a good many soldiers 
 on the walls keeping watch, ready to ward off 
 intruders should they make their appearance. 
 A day or two ago, in consequence of a very 
 alarming rumor, the city banks had a great run 
 upon them, their note issues being presented for 
 specie payment. A proclamation was put out by 
 the authorities stating that a bill for a thousand 
 cash would only be allowed six hundred, and so 
 on in that proportion. The next day matters 
 were better, though still somewhat troublesome. 
 One thing which makes it probable that the tu-fe 
 will not molest this place, is that Tung-chow has 
 the reputation of being a very poor city, with 
 hardly enough wealth to pay the robbers for cap- 
 turing it. It is quite possible, however, that we 
 may soon be in a state of siege. 
 
 " September 23d. — Last evening, about nine 
 o'clock, Mr. Nevius had a visit from one of 
 the city officials with whom he has become ac- 
 
INCURSION OF THE REBELS. 361 
 
 quainted. This officer has gone out to-day with 
 a band of soldiers in the direction in which the 
 rebels are said to be, to drive them away ; or at 
 least, to show them that, they are on the watch ; 
 and more particularly to give confidence to the 
 people, who are fearfully excited. His object in 
 calling last night was to borrow our horses for 
 the expedition. It seemed a strange idea to come 
 to borrow foreigners' horses for such a purpose ; 
 but Mr. Nevius and Mr. Gayley promised him 
 theirs, and were rather glad to do so, because he 
 has been kind and obliging to us, and they are 
 pleased to have an opportunity to make him some 
 slight return. We hear that he is to ride to-day 
 in his sedan chair, only occasionally mounting 
 
 the horses. J suggests that he will be 
 
 likely to make use of the latter, in case he gets 
 too near the rebels ; as he would have hard work 
 to escape in his heavy chair, with four bearers. 
 How ridiculous to think of going to fight shut up 
 in a closed sedan ! By the way, this man is the 
 one through whom we secured the site for our 
 cemetery. It happened to be upon public lands 
 which could not be sold ; and the missionaries 
 felt uncomfortably about taking it without being 
 able to secure a title. Our assistant, Tsao, 
 called upon the officer and explained to him that 
 

 362 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 the foreigners would much prefer paying for the 
 land. The officer assured him that no difficulty 
 would ensue in consequence, but that it was quite 
 impossible to sell that ground, as it belonged to 
 the emperor. "But," he added, "if your for- 
 eign friends feel uncomfortably about it, why, 
 Mr. Nevius has a very fine stereoscope, and, if he 
 pleases, he can just send me that ! (The stereo- 
 scope, which it seemed he so much admired and 
 coveted, was one which had been sent me by a 
 brother, and I prized it so much that I did not 
 care to part with it. But I believe another, 
 equally good, was ordered from Shanghai, and 
 presented to his Excellency.) Our nights at 
 this time are greatly disturbed by a noisy patrol 
 in the streets. Every time they pass our win- 
 dow they give a tremendous twang to their 
 gong, enough, certainly, to frighten away sleep 
 from the citizens, if not to alarm the rebels. 
 
 " October 9th. — Since I last wrote you, we have 
 passed through a very trying time. During the 
 latter part of last week, rumors from the rebels 
 became still more definite and alarming. People 
 from the country came flying to the city. The 
 gates were all shut and barricaded, but thousands 
 were drawn up over the walls by ropes. Among 
 this number was Mr. Gayley, who, having re- 
 
INCURSION OF THE REBELS. 363 
 
 turned from Yentai (Che-foo), had no other way 
 of reaching his house. Mr. Nevius and a China- 
 man pulled him up with a rope. On Saturday 
 I was ill and could not leave the house, but Sun- 
 day I was upon the wall a short time, and while 
 there saw a whole family thus drawn up ; among 
 whom were several women, young and old, and 
 one ten-days-old baby. I had my doubts whether 
 this little personage would reach the top alive, 
 as it was bundled up so tightly that I feared it 
 would be smothered ; and, besides, it received a 
 good many hard bumps in making the ascent. 
 But a loud, healthy cry, and a sight of its little 
 red face, reassured me. The young and active 
 women, as they were being hauled up, braced 
 themselves out at a right angle from the wall, 
 and partly walked up its nearly perpendicular 
 face. But one old woman just gave herself up 
 as a dead weight, and so came up rubbing and 
 striking against the stones. 
 
 " A strange sight met our eyes as we looked 
 over the wall, at the bottom of which there were 
 literally thousands of ownerless mules and don- 
 keys, running wildly about, apparently much 
 puzzled and annoyed at their unwonted freedom. 
 Their masters, having ridden to the foot of the 
 wall, had been obliged to leave their animals 
 
364 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 there, with only a faint hope of ever seeing 
 them again. But what will not a man sacrifice 
 in order to save his life ! We have been told 
 that many women flying from the rebels, in their 
 terror and desperation, have thrown their little 
 children into rivers and ponds at the road-side, 
 in order to prevent their falling into the hands 
 of their enemies. Nearly every evening we see, 
 in the red glare of the clouds, the reflected light 
 of burning villages ; and in the daytime heavy 
 smoke rising here and there, in places more or 
 less remote, tells the same sad story. 
 
 "There is a report that the rebels are encamped 
 in immense numbers in the Hwang-hien valley, 
 twenty miles distant, and that they are now en- 
 gaged in undermining the walls of that city, 
 and that, after capturing Hwang-hien, they will 
 at once advance upon Tung-chow. 
 
 " Yesterday the gate nearest us was opened for 
 a short time, and Mr. Nevius and Mr. Danforth 
 embraced the opportunity to ride out on horse- 
 back. They went a long way, and did not get 
 back until evening. I was terribly anxious 
 about them. It seemed to me very ynprudent 
 to venture out at such a time ; for, though the 
 main army may now be miles distant, we know 
 that bands of rebels have been very near us 
 
INCURSION OF THE REBELS. 865 
 
 They witnessed most fearful sights. Not quite a 
 mile from the city, noticing an unusual appear- 
 ance in a certain spot, they rode to it, and there 
 lay six or eight well-dressed and very respectable 
 women, dead by the roadside. Each had a rope 
 round her neck, which was worn and red, and 
 the lacerated back of one of them showed very 
 plainly that their heartless captors had been 
 dragging them over the ground. Nestling close 
 at the side of the women, who were doubtless 
 their mothers, were several little children, also 
 dead. There were no marks of violence upon 
 them, and probably the little ones had died of 
 starvation. Only the day before, as we were 
 upon the city wall, we had noticed some objects 
 moving at or near this spot, and had we been 
 able to go thither sooner, we might have saved 
 these poor children from their sad fate. The 
 gentlemen visited a village some miles from 
 Tung-chow, the inhabitants of which had with 
 great bravery endeavored to protect themselves 
 from the rebels ; but overpowered -by superior 
 numbers, they had been conquered and cut 
 down, and there they were lying in various 
 places and attitudes, just as the rebels had left 
 them. One poor creature was tied to a tree, his 
 blackened body showing plainly that he had been 
 
366 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 tortured by fire, and another, also tied to a tree, 
 had been literally hacked to pieces. 
 
 "Their village was in a lovely, retired spot in 
 a gorge of the mountains. No doubt they loved 
 it well, to be thus willing to sell their lives in 
 its defence. 
 
 ' ' The gentlemen found an old man by the road- 
 side, about five miles from Tung-chow, almost 
 dead apparently from fatigue and starvation. 
 After restoring him to partial consciousness, by 
 food and wine obtained in a neighboring village, 
 they constructed a rude litter and employed 
 some men to carry him to Tung-chow, hoping to 
 save his life. It was, however, too late. He died 
 just before reaching the city. 
 
 " Many of the villages through which they 
 passed were still almost deserted, their inhabit- 
 ants having fled, either to Tung-chow, or to 
 places of concealment in the mountains. In one 
 or two cases, they had well-nigh suffered injury ; 
 the enraged villagers, seeing two strange-looking 
 men approaching, took them for rebels, and were 
 on the point of attacking them. But a few kind 
 words of sympathy and encouragement were 
 enough to turn the tide of feeling to gratitude 
 and affection, and they soon came crowding 
 around them with their sad tales of distress. 
 
INCURSION OF THE REBELS. 367 
 
 " We have now staying with us, a family whom 
 Mr. Nevius found a few nights since in the 
 streets. The man, whose name is Fan-yin-tai, 
 is badly wounded, and we have many fears for 
 his recovery. A band of rebels attacked his 
 village, and the villagers fought and drove them 
 off. A few days later they came in greater num- 
 bers. Hearing of their approach, Fan-yin-tai 
 took his family and concealed them on the top 
 of a high hill. He then went back to his house 
 to procure food and other necessaries. These he 
 had placed upon a donkey, and was already half 
 a mile from his house, on his return to his 
 family, when the rebels overtook him, and at 
 once attacked him. As they struck his head, he 
 naturally threw up his hands to protect it, and 
 thus both his hands and head have received 
 frightful wounds, nearly twenty in all. We may 
 be able to save his life, but he cannot possibly 
 recover the perfect use of his hands. His family 
 consists of his wife and child and an aged grand- 
 mother. It goes to my heart to witness their 
 distress ; but they bear it bravely. I ought to 
 have mentioned that this poor, wounded man 
 actually carried his mother upon his back a great 
 part of the distance between his home and Tung- 
 chow ; she having become unable to walk. 
 
368 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 '• October 11th. — We are expecting to Bend off 
 our man Chong-shu to Yentai to-night. He will 
 travel after dark, in order to avoid observation 
 should he pass through the vicinity of the 
 rebels. 
 
 " We are more quiet to-day, and hope our diffi- 
 culties may be nearly over. One cause of 
 anxiety at present is the non-arrival of the Cul- 
 bertsons, whom we have been expecting for 
 weeks, from Shanghai. A steamer from the 
 South reports having seen a Siamese vessel (prob- 
 ably the one in which the Culbertsons sailed) 
 dismasted, and evidently attempting to get in to 
 shore ; so where our friends are now is altogether 
 uncertain. They may have been driven by stress 
 of weather farther down the coast, or they may 
 have been lost at sea. But we will hope for the 
 best. [The Culbertsons were driven down the 
 coast in a typhoon, as far as Amoy, which place 
 they reached in safety.] 
 
 " October 12th. — The man did not go last 
 evening, as was expected, it being thought best 
 to detain him a day or two. There is a report 
 that Yentai has been captured by the rebels; 
 another report says that there was an engage- 
 ment between them and the foreigners, in which 
 the latter were worsted, and obliged to send off 
 
INCURSION OF THE REBELS. 369 
 
 for reinforcements. Just at dusk this evening. 
 
 J and Mr. Danforth were on the wall at the 
 
 east gate, and some one came to them saying that 
 there was a foreigner desiring to gain admission 
 to the city. Looking through the embrasures, 
 they saw Mr. Andrew Holmes, a brother of Rev. 
 J. L. Holmes, of Yentai. After some difficulty, 
 they succeeded in getting the gate opened. Mr. 
 Holmes was just returning from Tien-tsin (near 
 Pekin), having made the long journey alone, on 
 horseback. He speaks of the country through 
 which he has passed, as one scene of desolation ; 
 the rebels having passed over his route before 
 him, burning villages, capturing or killing the 
 inhabitants, and not only so, but putting to death 
 every living creature. He says in some places 
 the streets were so crowded with dead bodies of 
 donkeys, cattle, dogs, and fowls, besides many, 
 many human corpses, that he was scarcely able 
 to pass. 
 
 1 ' A terrible rumor has reached us this evening 
 from Yentai ; whether it is true or not we have 
 no means of ascertaining, but we have many 
 fears. It is said that when the tu-fe approached 
 Yentai, Rev. Mr. Holmes and either Mr. Dudley 
 Smith or Mr. Parker, of the American Episcopal 
 Mission, went out to meet them, and have not 
 
 24 
 

 370 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 returned ! We were at tea at Mr. Hartwell's, 
 with Mr. A. Holmes, when this story wa3 brought 
 there by the Chinese. Mr. Holmes had run 
 great risks in his journey from Pekin, every 
 mile having been beset with danger ; and he felt 
 safe and happy to be at Tung-chow, so near his 
 home. It seemed too sad that he should hear 
 such news. I think he felt at once that the 
 probabilities were that it was true. He will, I 
 suppose, leave in the morning for Yentai, though 
 the route is not considered safe. His anxiety is 
 so intense that he prefers to run some risk rather 
 than wait longer. We will send our letters by 
 him. It may be a long while before you hear 
 from us agaio, as communication is difficult. It 
 is possible that we may be obliged to leave Tung- 
 chow for a time ; that is, if we can by any possi- 
 bility get away. If the rebels return, as they 
 threaten to do, the place would no doubt be sur- 
 rounded, so that we might find it impossible to 
 escape either by sea or by land. It is a comfort 
 to see the entire confidence with which we are 
 regarded by the natives. They evidently know 
 that we are their friends. 
 
 " Within the last few days, several individuals 
 have been captured within the walls, supposed to 
 be spies. They were executed at once. 
 
INCURSION OF THE REBELS. 371 
 
 " Much fear has been felt that the rebels would 
 attempt to set fire to the city, and, during the 
 excitement, gain admission and easily capture it. 
 
 " Thursday, October 18th. — It is nearly two 
 weeks since our friends Mr. Parker and Mr. 
 Holmes met their sad fate at the hands of the 
 rebels. The rumor which reached us the night 
 when Mr. Andrew Holmes arrived from Tien- 
 tsin, proved to be true. There was an impres- 
 sion among foreigners at Yentai, that these 
 banditti had some connection with those at Nan- 
 kin, who had thus far shown some deference to 
 foreigners ; and it was supposed that there would 
 be little or no danger from seeking an interview 
 with them, while much good might be done in 
 inducing them to assume a different policy, per- 
 haps ensuring the safety of the town of Yentai, 
 and other villages in that vicinity. With some 
 such hopes as these, the two gentlemen left their 
 homes ; while neither they nor their friends were 
 at all disturbed by anticipations of danger. 
 They could not, I think, have known as much as 
 we at Tung-chow, of the true character of the 
 tu-fe. On the morning after leaving home they 
 found themselves near a large body of the rebels, 
 and still not suspecting danger, they went for- 
 ward right into the face of death. Of the 
 

 372 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 minute and distressing particulars of this sad 
 event, I must not speak further here. Nor of 
 those two sad watchers at Yentai. As day after 
 day passed, and a torturing possibility grew into 
 certainty, their grief was such as a stranger 
 ought neither to ' intermeddle with,' nor attempt 
 to describe. 
 
 ' * Messrs. Parker and Smith lived, as I have 
 said, at Chukee, about three miles back from 
 Yentai ; Mrs. Holmes had gone to pass the time 
 of her husband's absence with them. They did 
 not quit their house until one midnight a mes- 
 senger came with horses and a letter from the 
 kind and considerate English Consul at Che-foo, 
 begging them to leave at once as the rebels were 
 close at hand. They did so, but were scarcely 
 out of the village, when it was entered by the 
 advance of the rebel army. Their house was 
 plundered, many articles of value were carried 
 off, and much was wantonly destroyed. 
 
 " October 23d. — Mr. Nevius had a call to-day 
 from a man who was carried off by the rebels 
 about a month ago, and only a few days since 
 made his escape from them. He represents 
 their numbers as almost beyond computation. 
 He says there are three different bands, distin- 
 guished by, and usually called the white, red, and 
 
INCURSION OP THE REBELS. 373 
 
 black flags; the latter is said to be the most 
 cruel and blood-thirsty. He says the section he 
 was with did not often take life, unless resistance 
 was offered, and then they never hesitated to do 
 so. He represents them as less courageous than 
 I had supposed ; and says they are exceedingly 
 afraid of firearms, of which they have few or 
 none. To prevent their captives from escaping, 
 they dress them in their own clothes, so that 
 they must inevitably be taken for rebels, and 
 when making an attack, place them in the thick- 
 est of the fight, taking care that enough of their 
 own men are near them to prevent their making 
 their escape. They are particularly fond of cap- 
 turing little boys, whom they dress in fine clothes 
 and allow to ride the horses. The company 
 which has been in this vicinity had the black 
 flag. They captured a great many women and 
 young girls. This poor man says that when his 
 family found that he had been carried off, all of 
 them drowned themselves, with the exception of 
 two or three little children, who are all that are 
 left of a once large household. Probably they 
 feared being taken also, or possibly they were 
 beside themselves with terror. I do not wonder 
 at their fright, poor things ! 
 
 " Aside from our own danger, we have suffered 
 

 374 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 more than I can express, in witnessing the mis- 
 eries of the poor natives. In passing through 
 the streets, we often see persons with their heads 
 apparently half severed from their bodies ; while 
 wounds and bruises of various descriptions meet 
 our eyes on every side. Mr. Gayley's and Mr. 
 Hartwell's houses have been turned into tempo- 
 rary hospitals ; and these gentlemen are most 
 kindly devoting themselves to dressing wounds, 
 and providing simple remedies such as are within 
 their reach. Fewer wounded persons have come 
 to us on account of our place being in a less 
 crowded thoroughfare ; still we have had many 
 demands upon our time and sympathies. How 
 often I wish that I had some medical skill, it 
 would be so useful here ! I hope never again to 
 feel such need of a knowledge of surgery ; but 
 that also would often be invaluable to a lady as 
 well as a gentleman. "Why would it not be well 
 for ladies contemplating missionary life to devote 
 some time to medical studies, or at least to gain 
 some practical insight into the mysteries of nurs- 
 ing, and the elements of medical science ? Our 
 Romanist sisters have made much use of this means 
 of gaining an influence. With a spirit of devo- 
 tion and self-sacrifice well worthy of imitation, 
 they go among the poor natives, dressing wounds 
 
INCURSION OF THE REBELS. 375 
 
 and sores, and seeking to relieve not only their 
 spiritual, but their temporal wants. Protestant 
 medical missionaries have also performed a good 
 and noble work of the same kind ; but I see no 
 good reason why it must be confined to men 
 only. 
 
 " October 26th. — We are all quiet at present, 
 and have no more fear of the rebels returning 
 before next spring. They have gone, it is said, 
 to their haunts in the south-western corner of this 
 province. What a comfort it is to feel safe and 
 easy again ! How thankful we are that in this 
 time of danger we have been kept in safety ! It 
 has been good for us to be thus cut off from all 
 human aid, and made to realize our dependence 
 upon God alone. We have found him an all- 
 sufficient help in this our time of danger, and I 
 hope we shall trust him more implicitly in the 
 future. Our friends in Yentai were much sur- 
 prised at our remaining in Tung-chow, away from 
 foreign protection, but we are glad that we were 
 able to do so. The people seem to feel more con- 
 fidence in us than before. This communion in 
 suffering has created a bond of sympathy between 
 us. 
 
 " We have a comfortable and pleasant home. 
 The old temple with its foreign adornings, glass 
 
376 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 windows, board floors, etc., scarcely knows itself, 
 so changed is it from the gloomy old Kwan-yin 
 tang." 
 
 The weather, all through this autumn of 1861, 
 was charming ; and the atmosphere so pure and 
 health-giving that, in spite of all anxieties and 
 inconveniences, I, as well as the other invalids, 
 grew much stronger ; and, to my joy, I was soon 
 able to commence more systematic study of the 
 language, — not only the vernacular, but also the 
 written character. 
 
 Mr. Nevius spent much time in his study, hard 
 at work upon his book-making, not, however, to 
 the exclusion of chapel-preaching, and occasional 
 itinerating. In company with the other mission- 
 aries, he visited the neighboring cities and vil- 
 lages, preaching and distributing books. I re- 
 member that on one of these days, coming back 
 from Hwang-hien, he was obliged to walk fifteen 
 miles. He had gone with my pony, which, not 
 being strong, gave out, so that he was afraid to 
 ride him. Another day he had an equally hard 
 tramp over the hills in another direction. He 
 went to'visit the wounded man Fan yin-tai. Not 
 familiar with the road, he had much difficulty in 
 finding the right village, so that the day was 
 well spent before he could start homewards. 
 
INCURSION OF THE REBELS. 377 
 
 The weather proved inclement, and the road over 
 the mountains was so stony and bad that he was 
 obliged to walk for ten miles, leading his horse. 
 I was thankful to see him home safely, especially 
 as the country was then still infested by small 
 bands of robbers. 
 
•378 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 VARIOUS INCIDENTS AT TUNG-CHOW. — CHOLERA. 
 
 Our first winter in Tung-chow was a pleasant 
 one. We had never been more isolated ; even 
 Shanghai and Ningpo seemed very far away. I 
 think we were two full months without receiving 
 a mail ; and that too, at a time when matters in 
 America were in a state to occasion us the great- 
 est anxietj. As I have no "journal" of that 
 period, I shall make occasional extracts from 
 letters to my parents, or other home friends. 
 
 Reading over these old letters has brought to 
 mind very vividly some of the events of that 
 quiet winter. On the 7th of December I wrote : 
 ' ' Mr. Nevius has gone out to our new chapel to 
 commence an evening service. He expects here- 
 after to be there about every third night. It is 
 rather lonely for me to have him so much away ; 
 but I would not detain him from these services, 
 if I could. Our long winter evenings are about 
 the pleasantest time we have, when I am reading, 
 
VARIOUS INCIDENTS AT TUNG-CHOW. 379 
 
 writing, or sewing, and Mr. Nevius sits near me 
 studying. I am sometimes sorry he does not 
 take his evenings for recreation, and general 
 reading ; but he thinks it necessary, in order to 
 accomplish all he wishes, to keep plodding on 
 in the way he does. He has scarcely read an 
 English work since he has been in China. He 
 has now in the press at Shanghai, or already 
 printed, a book called ' Guide to Heaven,' — a 
 tract on Ancestral Worship; ' Mark, with Notes,' 
 and one volume of Theology ; and he has about 
 ready to be printed a second volume ; also i The 
 Assistant's Manual,' and a tract called ' The Two 
 Lights ' (that is, those of Nature and Revela- 
 tion). He is at present preparing the third 
 volume of Theology, which, when finished, will 
 make about half of the contemplated ' Compen- 
 dium.' 
 
 " You will be glad to know that my health is 
 much better than it has been for a long while. 
 I am busy all day, and some days am not obliged 
 to lie down to rest at all. I get tired enough by 
 night, but am not made ill by fatigue, as I here- 
 tofore have so often been. 
 
 "December 17th. — Evening. Mr. Nevius 
 is away again at chapel. He has invariably had 
 good audiences, who listen with attention and in- 
 

 380 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 terest. It certainly seems as if the Tung-chow 
 people are more easily influenced than the 
 Chinese generally are. 
 
 " I have just engaged a female servant. I have 
 had none since coming here, and should not 
 care for one now. except on account of learning 
 the language. Although Mandarin is spoken all 
 over the north of China, local peculiarities are 
 very marked. Tung-chow is full of provincial- 
 isms. Moreover, "women's talk" is very dif- 
 ferent from men's, and it is much harder for us 
 to understand them, or they us. I can speak 
 Mandarin pretty well, but make wretched work 
 with these Tung-chow women. Most unfortu- 
 nately, the woman who has come to me as a 
 servant, I find, is not a native of this place, and 
 her dialect is very different from this. I scarcely 
 know what to do ; for I am sure she will not wish 
 to leave me, and yet she will be but little help 
 in learning this language. 
 
 ' ' I had a visit to-day from two ladies, the wife 
 and sister of Suen sin-sang, Mr. Nevius' teacher. 
 The former I liked very much, she is so sweet and 
 lady-like. They had been out to dine, and were 
 in full dress. My dress is very common com- 
 pared with that of a well-dressed Chinese woman. 
 I never mean to be shabby ; but the absence of 
 
VARIOUS INCIDENTS AT TUNG-CHOW. 881 
 
 satin, embroidery, and flowers, must make us 
 seem plain to them even in our best c gear.' 
 
 "I am very much occupied just now out of 
 study hours, in getting ready for Christmas. I 
 can make but few presents this year. Tung- 
 chow has the poorest shops of any place I ever 
 lived in. "We can buy scarcely anything either 
 for use or ornament. Mr. Nevius is sadly in 
 need of a pair of warm winter gloves. I must 
 try to make him some ; I think I can cut them 
 out of cloth and maybe cover the backs with 
 fur. 
 
 " December 28th. — I had a little company 
 on Christmas, but the kitchen was so cold that I 
 could not remain in it long enough to make very 
 elaborate preparations. After all, we contrived 
 
 a little interchange of presents. J gave me 
 
 two pretty fur rugs. I gave him a watch-case : 
 — the gloves, I am sorry to say, were not a 
 ' success.' I debated long whether to present 
 Mrs. G. a pair of button-hole scissors, or a copper 
 tea-kettle (which I brought from Japan), but 
 decided upon the former. Mrs. H. received a 
 pin-cushion, which I have enjoyed making for 
 her. Mrs. Gay ley gave me a lamp-mat, and a 
 pair of mittens; Mrs. H., a beautiful muslin 
 ' set,' collar and cuffs (which she had ordered 
 
382 OUR LIFE IN CHINA, 
 
 from Shanghai), and a goose! So you may 
 feel sure that for one good dinner at "least we 
 are provided. A few other little gifts were also 
 made and received. 
 
 " Ningpo, we hear, is in the hands of the rebels, 
 but we have had no letters from there, nor indeed 
 from anywhere, for about six weeks. We feel 
 very much out of the world, especially since 
 winter set in, and our mails have been so irregu- 
 lar. The last, we hear, was by some mistake 
 carried up to Tien-tsin, and there the mail 
 steamer got frozen in ; so that we will have to 
 wait until it can be brought back overland. 
 
 " I find the acquisition of ' the character ' 
 very fascinating, and to my surprise I acquire it 
 readily. Still it is an almost endless work. I 
 
 wonder how J , with his other duties, has 
 
 been able to gain so good a knowledge of it. If 
 I am well, and able to study, in the course of a 
 few months I can read very simple books : but it 
 will be long before I can use it in composition. 
 It is more than a month since I commenced, and 
 I know only three or four hundred characters. 
 If you would like to see some specimens just 
 examine any China tea-chest, and I think you will 
 be sure to find some there. 
 
 " March 3d. — Yesterday was an important 
 
VARIOUS INCIDENTS AT TUNG-CHOW. 006 
 
 and interesting time to us. Three persons were 
 admitted to the church. Of these, one is our 
 servant Ahpao ; who came with the Danforths 
 from Ningpo. I think he has been seriously 
 inclined ever since the death of Mrs. Danforth. 
 Another is Lin sin-sang, Mr. Gayley's^ teacher. 
 He is a scholar with a degree. I suppose he is 
 a very intellectual man, and a good writer; but 
 he has always been particularly disagreeable to 
 me. He has some odd ways, which are amusing, 
 though at times rather annoying. He usually 
 carries about a dog-skin to sit upon ; and last 
 summer, when he was employed as Mr. Nevius' 
 teacher, he used always to bring it with him, and 
 carefully spread it upon our chairs, before seat- 
 ing himself. He is also very dainty, and ap- 
 parently affected in other respects. But still, 
 the gentlemen think well of him, and I trust he 
 may prove a good and useful man. 
 
 ' ' The other person who was yesterday received 
 into the church is Mr. Chang, who is acting as a 
 scribe for Mr. Nevius ; and also as my teacher. 
 He does not seem naturally a strong character, 
 yet he has shown a great deal of firmness in his 
 determination to become a Christian ; his family 
 being much opposed to it. One evening not 
 long since, as he was coming here to attend 
 
384 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 Bible class, his older brother met him and began 
 to abuse him for having disgraced himself and 
 his family by adhering to the foreigners' relig- 
 ion. Finding that words had little effect, he 
 tried blows, and had nearly torn poor Chang's 
 clothes off him. Finally Mr. Chang said, 
 ' Now, elder brother, if you kill me you cannot 
 shake my purpose ; for I will be a Christian.' 
 Hearing which, his brother left him, saying, 
 ' Very well then, from this hour you cease to 
 be my brother ! ' 
 
 " Some time since we felt greatly encouraged 
 about Suen sin-sang. He is a fine-looking, gen- 
 tlemanly man, of very good family. He is now 
 poor, and an opium-smoker. He did not at first 
 seem favorably impressed by Christianity ; but 
 his interest increased, and it was evident that he 
 had become intellectually convinced of its truth 
 long before he felt willing to yield obedience to 
 its commands. Mr. Nevius labored most faith- 
 fully with him, and they had daily long and 
 earnest conversations. At length we hoped that 
 the matter was decided, and that Suen was will- 
 ing to confess the Saviour, no matter what ob- 
 stacles might oppose. But in this we were 
 mistaken ; and I cannot express the trial it has 
 been to us. He meets with violent opposition in 
 

 VARIOUS INCIDENTS AT TUNG-CHOW. 385 
 
 his family ; and, instead of standing firm, he is 
 evidently inclined to yield. His wife, whom I 
 thought so gentle and interesting, it seems is 
 often quite the contrary. She is unusually 
 bright and intelligent, and must also be possessed 
 of a wonderful amount of determination and 
 courage, which qualities she exhibited lately in 
 a singular way. She was trying to dissuade 
 Suen from joining the church, and, finding him 
 rather obstinate, she vowed that if he did so she 
 would commit suicide ; and, in attestation of the 
 sincerity of her purpose, seized a large knife and 
 cut her finger quite to the bone. 
 
 "But what seems to have most influence upon 
 Suen is the fact that his mother, to whom he 
 has always been accustomed to yield implicit 
 obedience, positively forbids his being a Chris- 
 tian. The family try all sorts of ways to keep 
 him from coming to church on the Sabbath. 
 Once they hid his clothes, so that he could not 
 dress until late in the day ; and again they locked 
 him in a room, and kept him there until after 
 the hour for service. Fancy a foreign gentleman 
 being deprived of his liberty in any such way ! 
 I am quite out of patience with Suen ; but Mr. 
 Nevius has still much sympathy for him. 
 
 " Mr. and Mrs. Gay ley are at Yentai ; they 
 25 
 
386 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 were obliged to go there to have a tooth of Mrs. 
 Gay ley's extracted. She had been suffering in- 
 tensely for days, but none of the gentlemen felt 
 able to undertake the rather difficult dental opera- 
 tion." 
 
 Suen sin-sang proved to be a real " missionary 
 trial." From the time in which he began to 
 show signs of vacillation in yielding to his wife's 
 and mother's opposition to Christianity, his 
 course was steadily downwards. He soon gave 
 up all profession of interest in religion, and, not 
 only so, he became an opposer : and we heard, 
 after he had left Mr. Nevius' employ, that he 
 took particular pleasure in spreading injurious 
 reports respecting us. He also returned to his 
 practice of opium-smoking, of which he had 
 apparently been entirely cured. 
 
 Mrs. Suen had been in the habit of visiting 
 me ; but her visits were discontinued, and before 
 long we lost all trace of the family. 
 
 In the month of April, Mr. Danforth was 
 taken very ill, and it became necessary that he 
 should go to Che-foo in order to consult a phy- 
 sician. Mr. Nevius and I accompanied him. He 
 was kindly received by one of the missionary 
 families, and after a few days was so much im- 
 proved that Mr. Nevius ventured to leave him, 
 
VARIOUS INCIDENTS AT TUNG-CHOW. 387 
 
 and go j in company with Mr. Smith, of the 
 American Episcopal Mission, on an itinerating 
 tour round the promontory. On this tour they 
 met with much encouragement. People every- 
 where listened well to preaching, and eagerly 
 received Christian books. 
 
 During the two weeks of their absence I re- 
 mained with our friends at Che-foo, assisting 
 when needed in nursing Mr. Danforth. When 
 my husband returned, Mr. Danforth, though ap- 
 parently convalescing, was not able to undertake 
 the journey home; so we returned without him. 
 Soon after this, Mr. Nevius and Mr. Gay ley 
 started upon another long contemplated itinera- 
 tion to Lai -chow and vicinity. 
 
 One evening during their absence we received 
 a message from a friend at Yentai, saying, "If 
 you would see Mr. Danforth alive, come at 
 once ; for he is very ill, just at the point of 
 death." It happened that the Halls of Yentai 
 were then at Tung-chow, and that same evening 
 Mr. Hall, Mrs. Gayley, and I started for Che- 
 foo. It was a hard journey. We stopped at a 
 miserable inn late at night, and early the next 
 morning were again on the road. We found 
 Mr. Danforth very ill ; but in a day or two he 
 rallied somewhat, and Mrs. Gayley, who could 
 
388 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 not well remain long away from her family, 
 went back to Tung-chow, making the long jour- 
 ney in one day. She was quite alone, but met 
 with no difficulty whatever. 
 
 When Mr. Neviu3 returned from Lai-chow, 
 he was startled to find our house closed, and 
 evidently unoccupied. Not a person was to be 
 seen. Soon, however, a servant appeared, ex- 
 plaining the mystery, and giving him a letter, 
 which I had left for him. He was nearly worn 
 out by his hard missionary tour, and for days 
 had not been at all well ; but, without a night's 
 rest, he started again, and the next morning 
 was at Che-foo. 
 
 Mr. Danforth's illness continued, and assumed 
 such a character as to require either Mr. Nevius' 
 or my constant attention, besides much assist- 
 ance given us by other friends. After a time 
 he accompanied us back to Tung-chow; but his 
 health was never perfectly restored, and in a 
 few months he was obliged to return to the 
 United States. 
 
 He was a great loss to us and to our work, 
 for which he was so well fitted. 
 
 The twentieth of June we had a remarkable 
 hail-storm. There was first a thunder-shower, then 
 a calm, then a long-continued murmuring sound, 
 
CHOLERA. 889 
 
 like distant thunder, which it may have been. 
 Then came the hailstones flying in every direc- 
 tion. Our windows, which open like doors, 
 were thrown back, or they must inevitably have 
 been broken to pieces. The largest hailstones 
 were the size of an egg, but most of them were 
 somewhat smaller. The ground was white with 
 them. When Mr. Nevius returned from chapel, 
 soon after the storm was over, he proposed, just 
 for the novelty of the thing, to gather the hail- 
 stones and make ice-cream with them. Little 
 children in the neighborhood joined in the fun, 
 and soon there were two large buckets collected, 
 and the ice-cream was made forthwith. 
 
 In this month the literary examinations were 
 held in Tung-chow ; and scholars from all parts 
 of the promontory were collected. There were 
 said to be more than four thousand there at one 
 time. All the chapels were kept open from 
 early in the morning until late at night, and 
 our houses were overflowing with visitors. It 
 was a capital time for preaching and distributing 
 books. 
 
 One Sabbath morning in July, when we were 
 up at Mr. Hartwell's attending an English ser- 
 vice, we heard for the first time, that cholera 
 had broken out at Yentai, with great mortality 
 
390 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 among the natives. I think it was the evening 
 of the same day that we heard of the death of 
 Mrs. Dudley Smith, from that disease, at Chu- 
 kee. Only a few weeks before we had enjoyed 
 a delightful visit from her at Tung-chow. Mrs. 
 Smith was one of those rare characters who 
 seem fitted to grace any sphere. Intellectual, 
 and thoroughly educated, with fine conversa- 
 tional talents and a cheerful temperament, she 
 was a great acquisition to our little mission cir- 
 cle ; while in any society, either at home or 
 abroad, her presence would have been no less 
 welcome. I think her friends in China will re- 
 member, as a most prominent characteristic, her 
 peculiar unselfishness, together with her unusual 
 efficiency in every emergency. We saw both of 
 these traits illustrated in her care for the 
 wounded among the sufferers from the rebels. 
 She appeared to know intuitively just what 
 was required to be done, and never shrank from 
 a disagreeable duty if her services seemed nec- 
 essary. We had hoped much from the influence 
 of her beautiful life, no less than from her active 
 labors among the Chinese ; and her sudden re- 
 moval appeared to us a dark and mysterious 
 providence. 
 
 Before we had at all recovered from the effects 
 
CHOLERA. f>01 
 
 of this sad event, news reached us from Yentai 
 of the death of Madame Bonheur, and of a 
 daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hall, — the pretty, 
 bright little Theresa, — both from cholera. Mad- 
 ame Bonheur was a charming person, uniting 
 real worth with vivacious manners and disposi- 
 tion. She spoke German and English quite as 
 well as her native French, and was highly ac- 
 complished. She had been in China too short a 
 time to have acquired that language, or to com- 
 mence any kind of missionary work. Must we 
 then think her brief life, or that of others, who, 
 like her, have been early called hence, either 
 wasted or a failure? Ah, no! Let us trust 
 Him who knows best when to remove those who 
 love Him, and whom He loves, from earth to 
 heaven, that their offering has been accepted, 
 and that the good they had willed to do, He 
 will accomplish for them ; while they are spared 
 the sorrow and care of a longer life in a world 
 which must be to every one, more or less, a 
 "valley of tears." 
 
 Only a day or so later we heard of the 
 death of Mr. Hall, at Yentai, from the same 
 disease. He had a medical education, and, dur- 
 ing the ravages of the pestilence, had been in- 
 defatigable in his efforts to assist ana relieve the 
 
392 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 poor natives in their terror and distress. Up to 
 the time of his own illness he was constantly 
 going among them with remedies and advice. 
 Death found him at the post of duty. 
 
 Just at this time, Mr. and Mrs. Mills, from 
 Shanghai, arrived at Yentai en route for Tung- 
 chow. Previous to leaving home she had lost a 
 little boy, from cholera, and on the passage from 
 Shanghai had herself been at the point of 
 death from that disease. Hearing of their arri- 
 val, Mr. Gayley, their brother-in-law, went to 
 Che-foo to accompany them to our city ; for 
 which place they were on the eve of starting, 
 when the Mills' only remaining child was stricken 
 down with cholera. After a few hours' illness 
 he died ; and the next day, his sorrowing parents, 
 with Mr. Gayley, brought his body, to place it 
 in our burial-ground at Tung-chow. 
 
 Symptoms of cholera speedily developed them- 
 selves in Mr. Gayley ; but remedies were 
 promptly applied, which we hoped would be suc- 
 cessful. He seemed recovering ; but a relapse 
 took place, and almost before we realized his 
 danger he was taken from us. Many circum- 
 stances connected with Mr. Gayley 's death were 
 peculiarly afflictive. Mr. Mills and he, besides 
 being brothers-in-law, had been, for years, most 
 
CHOLERA. 393 
 
 intimate and congenial friends ; and they and 
 their families had anticipated great happiness in 
 being associated in that new and promising sta- 
 tion. Mr. Gayley's disposition was amiable 
 and lovely ; and he was well qualified for useful- 
 ness among the Chinese, to whom he had become 
 much attached. His loss was a very great one 
 to them, as well as to us and his family. 
 
 Mrs. Gayley was left with two children, — one 
 a boy of five or six years, and the other a 
 beautiful little girl not two years old. Only 
 one week passed, however, before that dear child 
 was taken from her. After a few hours' suffer- 
 ing, she, too, slept in death. Mrs. Gayley's sis- 
 ter, Mrs. Doolittle, was then visiting Tung-chow, 
 with her two children, both of whom were ill with 
 cholera. One recovered, but the other, after 
 lingering several weeks, died. 
 
 There were no other clearly marked cases of 
 cholera among the foreigners, but it raged among 
 the natives frightfully. From morning until 
 night we could hear from neighboring houses 
 sounds of weeping and wailing, while new-made 
 graves were seen in every direction. It is not 
 usual for the Chinese to bury their dead soon 
 after their decease ; but among the very poor, or 
 in cases of emergency, such, for instance, as 
 

 394 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 the prevalence of cholera during the height of 
 summer, it is often done. 
 
 A minute account of the rites and ceremonies 
 observed in China, connected with death and 
 burial, would necessarily be very lengthy, and 
 to most persons tedious. An accurate descrip- 
 tion of these and other peculiarities and customs 
 can be found in Doolittle's " Social Life of the 
 Chinese," where two or three long chapters are 
 devoted to " Death, Mourning, and Burial," 
 alone. Some of these observances are extraor- 
 dinary and inexplicable; others, again, are quite 
 rational and proper. 
 
 There is a great deal of noisy demonstration 
 both at the time of death and at prescribed in- 
 tervals until the burial has taken place, and for 
 weeks afterwards. They have no one ceremony 
 corresponding to our funeral services ; but in 
 place of them there are chantings and idolatrous 
 performances by either Buddhist or Tauist 
 priests. Gongs, fire-crackers, and most doleful 
 music, loud weeping, and the customary wailings, 
 all combine to prevent a funeral occasion from 
 being solemn, or, in most instances, even sad. I 
 believe it is considered an accomplishment to 
 know how to ( ' wail ' ' properly ; and if this con- 
 sists in being able to counterfeit the sounds and 
 
CHOLERA. 395 
 
 semblance of deepest woe, success in the art is 
 often attained. I cannot tell the number of 
 times in which I have been completely imposed 
 upon, and allowed my sympathy to be aroused 
 quite unnecessarily. One day, in Tung-chow, 
 as we were passing a house, a funeral procession 
 emerged from it. Half a dozen large mats had 
 been spread on the ground before the door. 
 Presently twenty or thirty women came out, 
 all dressed in sackcloth from head to foot. 
 Half of them, probably the near relatives, 
 knelt on the mats, bowing towards the coffin, 
 until their heads touched the ground. They 
 were all weeping and wailing bitterly. One in 
 particular seemed in a paroxysm of grief. " 
 my father ! my father ! " she cried at the top 
 of her voice. There is real, uncontrollable grief, 
 thought I, while my heart ached in sympathy. 
 But just then, at a given signal from the master 
 of ceremonies, her voice and every other was 
 hushed ; their distorted features resumed their 
 usual placidity, and all appearance of sorrow 
 disappeared. A large red canopy was held over 
 the coffin, which, accompanied by the male friends 
 and relatives of the deceased, was carried off to 
 the grave. The women, after following it a few 
 steps, all returned very quietly to their dwelling. 
 
396 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 In this case, I think it had been weeks, if not 
 months, since the death occurred. 
 
 I do not wish to give the idea that the Chi- 
 nese are heartless. I do not consider them so ; 
 but I think their deepest grief is not often man- 
 ifested on these public occasions. 
 
 But to return to Tung-chow, and the sad 
 events occurring there. In the absence of any 
 physician we prepared quantities of medicine, 
 and gave it freely to all who desired it ; and we 
 had the satisfaction of knowing that in many 
 instances it proved efficacious. There was a 
 little herdsboy employed by us to lead away 
 our cows to pasture on the hill-side, and watch 
 them there. One day he was absent, and on 
 inquiring for him we found that he was ill, — so 
 ill that his friends had laid him out to die, 
 thinking he was past hope of recovery. We 
 sent him medicine with all haste, and it had so 
 rapid an effect that in a few hours he was out 
 of danger. 
 
 A man whom we had just engaged as a ser- 
 vant in our family, being attacked with cholera, 
 was determined to return at once to his home in 
 the country, miles distant. A mule-litter was 
 procured for him. As he was about starting, a 
 fellow-townsman who was Mrs. Gayley's servant 
 
CHOLERA. 897 
 
 came to him, desirous of sending a message to 
 his family, informing them of his own continued 
 health. A few moments after, he was attacked 
 with cholera in its most dreadful form. His suf- 
 ferings were past description ; and before the 
 message to his family could have been received 
 he was a corpse. 
 
 I think Mr. Hartwell's teacher and servants 
 were all ill ; but, owing perhaps to early remedies 
 and most faithful nursing, they all recovered. 
 We had no other cases of cholera in our own fam- 
 ily: and, notwithstanding all our anxiety and 
 grief for the loss of so many valued friends and 
 associates, we continued through the whole of 
 that trying time quite as well as usual. 
 
 I have not mentioned the arrival of Dr. and 
 Mrs. McCartee, and Mr. and Mrs. Green from 
 Ningpo, and Mr. Smith and his little daughter 
 from Yentai, whom we had the pleasure of wel- 
 coming, a few days after Mr. Gayley's death, to 
 the Kwan-yin tang. In order to accomodate 
 them Mr. Nevius' study and the dining-room 
 had to be turned into guest-chambers, and we 
 dined in pleasant weather on the veranda, at 
 other times in the parlor. The society of these 
 dear friends was more than sufficient to compen- 
 
398 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 sate for some trifling changes in our household 
 arrangements. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Green's little son had been ill 
 for a long time, and they brought him North, 
 hoping a change of climate might benefit him. 
 It was, however, too late for any such favorable 
 result. One night, only a week after they came 
 to us, while all — even his parents — slept, 
 
 "An angel with an amaranthine wreath, 
 
 Pausing, descended, and, with voice divine, 
 Whispered a word that had a sound like Death, 
 
 u There fell upon the house a sudden gloom, 
 \ A shadow on those features fair and thin ; 
 And softly from that hushed and darkened room 
 Two angels issued, where but one went in." 
 
 When the morning dawned, " Little Willie " 
 was no longer with us. 
 
 After the cholera had abated at Tung-chow, it 
 still lingered in neighboring cities and villages. 
 In the southern ports there is usually more or 
 less cholera every summer. There were many 
 cases in Shanghai during the summer of 1862. 
 It was then that the lamented Mr. Culbertson 
 died of that disease ; but I never, while there, 
 heard of its sweeping over the country as a gen- 
 eral and fatal epidemic, as in the West, or other 
 parts of China. 
 

 CHOLERA. 399 
 
 I think there was a similar visitation of it in 
 the North twenty or thirty years ago, but none 
 had occurred since: and I do not know that 
 we would be more liable to it there than in this 
 country. 
 
 The Greens were with us until the middle of 
 September, when they returned to Ningpo. The 
 McCartees remained a few weeks longer, and 
 then removed to Che-foo, where they had decided 
 to locate. 
 
 Early in October Mrs. Gayley left China. It 
 was with deep regret that we bade her farewell, 
 for she was a much esteemed and congenial mis- 
 sionary associate. 
 
 The news of Mr. Gayley's death reached 
 Shanghai just as Mr. Culbertson was breathing 
 his last. 
 

 400 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 WORK AMONG WOMEN IN TUNG-CHOW. 
 
 During the warmest weather of summer, 
 especially while cholera was prevailing, mis- 
 sionary work was naturally much interrupted. 
 However, I found myself becoming familiar with 
 the dialect ; and, after we had settled down again 
 in a quiet routine of daily work, I began a 
 course of visiting among the native families, 
 either our near neighbors, or others somewhat 
 remote. Of some of these visits, and of vari- 
 ous incidents occurring from day to day, I kept 
 a record in my journal. On the seventeenth of 
 October I wrote as follows : ' ' After studying 
 with my teacher, and arranging for dinner, I 
 took my good washerman Futang (who is, 
 we think, a sincere Christian), and went out 
 to make some calls on our nearest neighbors. 
 Turning up a long, narrow lane, and entering a 
 small court, a woman saw us and came out to 
 invite us to her room. The only vacant chair was 
 
WORK AMONG WOMEN IN TUNG-CHOW. 401 
 
 given me, and after seating myself I began the 
 conversation by the usual inquiry, ' What is 
 your honorable name ? ' c Kong, ' she replied ; 
 'what is yours?' 'Nee,' I said. Then fol- 
 lowed the customary questions, ' How old are 
 you ? How many children have you ? ' etc., etc. 
 In the meanwhile her co-lodgers had gathered 
 in, in all six or eight persons. After talking 
 some time myself, I requested Futang to explain 
 more fully the truths of our religion. He spoke 
 beautifully, with great animation, and just to the 
 point. 
 
 11 Going from here, an open door, with two young 
 women peeping out from behind it, seemed, I 
 thought, an indication that I ought to enter. 
 So I spoke to the young women, saying that as 
 I was a neighbor, I had come for a friendly call, 
 and would have done so sooner had my health 
 allowed. A few kind words are generally 
 enough to gain me a cordial welcome anywhere, 
 and in a few moments my new acquaintances and 
 I are chatting like old friends. But here not 
 an answering smile could I gain. The older 
 woman of the family looked like an icicle, and 
 the others were not much better. They seemed 
 very unhappy among themselves; and I sus- 
 pected their coldness towards me originated in 
 26 
 

 402 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 that cause, rather than in intentional rudeness. 
 I would have remained longer with them, only 
 that the room where we were sitting was so full 
 of tobacco-smoke that I could scarcely breathe. 
 1 ' I was about going to a house a little distance 
 from there, on the same side of the street, but 
 ' a lion in the way,' in the shape of a fierce 
 barking dog, frightened me off, I confess it, 
 and I entered a doorway opposite. Here a nice- 
 looking old lady made her appearance, and cor- 
 dially invited me in. I loved her at once, she 
 looked so like a dear old ' home grandmother ; ' 
 all except her soiled, torn dress. And oh, what 
 would a tidy old American lady say to the con- 
 fusion of the room into which she led me ? The 
 ' kang ' was covered with garments, upon which 
 they were engaged in sewing. A bench at one 
 side was covered by jars containing grain of 
 some sort in process of fermentation, the odor 
 from which was very disagreeable ; while crocks 
 and earthen vessels of various descriptions were 
 scattered promiscuously, without the least at- 
 tempt at order, and everything was dusty and 
 untidy. Notwithstanding all this, I had a pleas- 
 ant visit ; the old woman was very ready to lis- 
 ten, while her replies showed that she really 
 understood what she heard. Her daughter-in- 
 

 WORK AMONG WOMEN IN TUNG-CHOW. 403 
 
 law also appeared nicely. I invited them to 
 come and see me, and promised to visit them 
 again soon. 
 
 ' ' At the next house we had also a rather en- 
 couraging visit. I noticed, standing on a kind 
 of dressing-table, two cases containing each six 
 little idols, prettily dressed and painted. They 
 looked exactly like dolls. I asked if they were 
 in the habit of worshipping them. Not know- 
 ing that I would disapprove of it, they promptly 
 answered, ' Yes.' I told them that in our 
 country we had little figures precisely like 
 those, for young children to play with, but we 
 would never dream of worshipping them. And 
 then I explained to them that our object in liv- 
 ing in their midst was to urge them to forsake 
 their senseless idols, and learn to love the Lord 
 their Maker and Saviour. My voice had already 
 nearly given out, so I allowed Futang to do the 
 most of the talking. When we came away from 
 this place we left several books, as we had also 
 at each of the other houses." 
 
 I was greatly pleased with Futang. Though 
 only an ordinary servant, with scarcely any edu- 
 cation, he was just what I needed in these visits 
 among the women. According to Chinese ideas, 
 it was quite proper that I should be thus accom- 
 

 
 404 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 panied. I was careful to discourage his as- 
 suming any consequential airs on account of 
 being made so much of a preacher, and I do not 
 think it injured him. 
 
 I had a call that same afternoon from two 
 women who lived near the Kwan-yin tang. One 
 of them was very old ; the other worried con- 
 stantly because "she had so many children she 
 did not know what to do." The first-mentioned 
 came to see me very often. She had a way of 
 groaning, or rather grunting, the whole time, I 
 think from habit merely, as she did not seem 
 ill. She had gained in consequence the very 
 inelegant sobriquet, "The old grunter." 
 
 Lin sin-sang, who was then in mission employ, 
 and Ning-kwe, the Ningpo assistant, returned 
 that evening from a three weeks' tour in the 
 country. They had met with a good deal of en- 
 couragement, and seemed to have been very 
 laborious and faithful. 
 
 The next day, after the usual Sabbath ser- 
 vices were over, as I was teaching my woman, 
 and the young wife of one of the native con- 
 verts, — we were conversing about idol-worship, 
 which they both condemned as at once senseless 
 and useless, — Foh-hyi sao (literally, sister-in- 
 law Foh-hyi) said, "I never worshipped idols, 
 

 WORK AMONG WOMEN IN TUNG-CHOW. 405 
 
 even before I heard of the religion of Jesus." 
 "Why not?" I asked. " Because I did not 
 like them." "But," I further inquired, "if 
 you did not believe in your own religions, what 
 did you believe ; who did you think had given 
 you your being?" "I did not think at all," 
 was her honest confession. This thoughtlessness, 
 I imagine, is the strongest of all reasons why 
 the poor creatures seem so contented in their 
 ignorance. 
 
 I used occasionally, when I had particular 
 families in view who lived at a distance from the 
 Kwan-yin tang, to ride a donkey, Futang ac- 
 companying me ; and once or twice, after some 
 other visits had been paid, I went to his house, 
 which was in a remote part of the city. It sur- 
 prised me to see how differently he appeared 
 there from what he did at our house. He said 
 nothing amiss, but his manner was decidedly 
 lordly. 
 
 One day, when Futang's engagements were 
 such that he could not accompany me, I took my 
 ah-m, Tsu sao-sao (that is, sister-in-law of the 
 Tsu family), as she was called by the natives. 
 As we were leaving the first house, where noth- 
 ing had occurred worth mentioning, a little girl 
 came to us, and very politely asked us to go and 
 

 406 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 see her mother, who lived next door. The 
 mother informed me, the first sentence I uttered, 
 (which was simpl y, ' ' Ni hao ma?" equivalent 
 to "How do you do?") that she could not un- 
 derstand a word I said. But I seated myself on 
 the side of the kang, and began talking; and 
 she did understand, in spite of herself. " I do 
 so want you to believe what we tell you about 
 Jesus," said I. "Why, of course I believe; 
 why shouldn't I?" she replied. She and I 
 evidently had different ideas as to what "be- 
 lieving" consisted in; but she was simple- 
 minded and well-disposed, and it was a pleas- 
 ure to talk with her. 
 
 Across the same court were two women, one 
 named Liang, and the other Li. I went to 
 Mrs. Liang's room first. I remembered her as 
 a person whom I had seen before, and it pleased 
 her to find that she was recognized. In the 
 course of our conversation, I was explaining 
 how we poor mortals are constantly sinning; 
 and thus, as every sin deserves a punishment, 
 how much we need a Saviour. Said I, " Every 
 time we get angry, we are guilty of sin." 
 "Why," exclaimed Mrs. Liang, "lam angry 
 all the time ! I scarcely think that can be sin." 
 Afterwards, as I was telling them that at death 
 
WORK AMONG WOMEN IN TUNG-CHOW. 407 
 
 good people go to heaven, while the wicked 
 must go to hell, Mrs. Liang shocked me by 
 saying, very quietly, "Jam going to hell; I 
 wish to." I scarcely knew what to say, but 
 replied, " You deserve to go to hell ; but I do 
 not think you really desire to." " Yes, I wish 
 to go there ; it is the place for me," she insisted. 
 "Very well, then," said I, "if that is so, I 
 will not talk to you about Jesus ; you must not 
 believe in him ; for if you do, you cannot go 
 where you say you wish to." I crossed over 
 to see Mrs. Li, who was a young and intelligent 
 woman. I was pleased to find that she could 
 read a little. She was the only one among all 
 these common people who knew anything of 
 letters. I was already too tired to talk much, 
 so I remained here only a short time. As I was 
 coming out I met Mrs. Liang again, and said to 
 her, ' ' How could you say you wished to go to 
 that fearful place of punishment ? " To which 
 she replied, " I have no children ; my sons are 
 dead; why should I care to live longer?" 
 "But," said I, " I have no children either, yet 
 I have no such feelings as you have expressed." 
 " Oh," she exclaimed, "your situation is as dif- 
 ferent from mine as heaven is from earth. You 
 have clothes to wear, food to eat, and a home. 
 
408 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 Just think of me ! What have I to live for?" 
 I did so pity the woman. She did not ap- 
 pear to be extremely poor, but seemed so deso- 
 late and despairing. I do not think she meant 
 more by her reckless language, than simply to 
 say that she would rather die than live. Now 
 that her children were dead, she could imagine 
 no place more miserable than this world was to her. 
 
 On the twentieth of October Dr. and Mrs. Mc- 
 Cartee left for Yentai, after having been with us 
 for three months. We missed them sadly ; for 
 their sojourn with us had been a most pleasant 
 episode. As, however, they were only going to 
 Ohe-foo, sixty miles distant, we still considered 
 each other as " neighbors." 
 
 About this date there were several additions 
 to our church, among them, my woman Tsu sao- 
 sao. She had been with me nearly a year, but 
 for the first few months I could not feel very 
 hopeful of her becoming a Christian. What 
 first gave me much encouragement about her 
 was finding that she had been active in spreading 
 a knowledge of Christianity among her friends 
 and relatives. The day of her baptism she said 
 to me, quite of her own accord, " Nee S-meo 
 (Mrs. N.), my heart is very joyful. At night, 
 upon my bed, I lie awake and think of Jesus, 
 
WORK AMONG WOMEN IN TUNG-CHOW. 409 
 
 and his great goodness in bringing me to a 
 knowledge of himself, and in allowing me to 
 receive baptism and become his disciple. How 
 can I be thankful enough ! I am certainly in- 
 expressibly happy." She seemed to have sin- 
 cere and unusual faith in prayer. I found that 
 she had been teaching her neighbors very liter- 
 ally that whatever they asked for in faith they 
 would assuredly receive. And her teachings met 
 with a striking confirmation. A woman living 
 within the same enclosure, whose room was next 
 hers, was longing for the return of her husband, 
 who had been absent from home seven years. 
 Tsu sao-sao advised her to ask the " True God " 
 to send him back. And sure enough, a few days 
 later he returned. 
 
 Tsu sao-sao, although I think she was a sin- 
 cere Christian, gave me in various ways a good 
 deal of trouble. She was of rather too respect- 
 able a class to feel contented in her situation as 
 a servant ; and after a time I concluded that it 
 would be better for both of us that she should 
 return to her home. She is now dead. Mr. 
 Mills, who wrote to us of her illness and death, 
 felt hopeful of her ; and I do trust that she is 
 now where " faith is lost in sight." 
 
 Late in the autumn of 1862, I commenced a 
 

 
 410 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 small school for girls. I had at first only two 
 pupils, and they were daughters of church-mem- 
 bers. One, the younger and pleasanter, was 
 Hyiang-yuing, adopted child of Chang, my 
 teacher; the other, Tsing-hyiang, was the 
 daughter of a man usually called " Oil Wang," 
 his occupation being that of peddling oil. I had 
 also, for several weeks, the wife of an old church- 
 member, named Cheo, staying with me. I 
 think I scarcely ever met any one else who had 
 so few ideas. She was not very aged, certainly 
 not over seventy, but her memory was so impaired 
 that she would forget nearly as fast as she 
 learned. But the poor old lady was really de- 
 sirous to understand "the religion/' and I was 
 determined that, if she did not, it should certainly 
 be no fault of mine. She was a whole week in 
 learning the one verse, " Thou shalt love the 
 Lord thy God with all thy heart," etc. I com- 
 posed a short and simple prayer, suited as I 
 thought to her capacity ; but she was more than 
 a week in learning the first half dozen sen- 
 tences. It was both amusing and pitiable to see 
 her engaged in study, sitting on the kang, with 
 her prayer spread open before her. She would point 
 with her poor withered finger to character after 
 character, highly delighted with every successful 
 

 WORK AMONG WOMEN IN TUNG-CHOW. 411 
 
 effort to call them to mind, and equally vexed 
 when memory failed her and she found both 
 word and meaning gone from her. I have no- 
 ticed her many a time raise her clenched fist and 
 strike her own forehead a hard blow, determined 
 that if there were any virtue in beating, to 
 quicken a dormant memory, she would not be 
 deprived of it. I expended a great deal of time 
 and patience upon her; and the two girls, 
 Hyiang-yuing and Tsing-hyiang, also taught 
 her faithfully. She had line upon line. At 
 last our exertions were signally rewarded. After 
 weeks of drilling, she could repeat the whole 
 prayer, understanding it fully. She knew also 
 a great deal of Bible history, and we thought 
 she perfectly comprehended the plan of salva- 
 tion through Christ. Her husband had always 
 represented her to me as stupid beyond any pos- 
 sibility of learning anything ; and I shall never 
 forget his astonishment when he found his mis- 
 take. He was in the parlor one day, and I sent 
 for Mrs. Cheo ; the time for the grand exhibi- 
 tion having arrived. I was fearful that the sight 
 of her lord might frighten away all her hard- 
 earned knowledge, and I think it would, had I 
 allowed him to speak to her. But I began in a 
 very quiet way, asking her such questions as I 
 

 412 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 felt sure she could not have forgotten, and she 
 gradually gained confidence, until her display of 
 erudition surprised even me. We went over the 
 story of the Creation, the Fall, with some allu- 
 sions to various Old Testament characters, then 
 on to the New, our Saviour's birth, his holy 
 life and teachings, and finally his death, and 
 the object for which he died. At last Mr. Cheo 
 could restrain himself no longer, and, striking 
 his hands with all his might upon his knees, he 
 shouted, " Wonderful ! wonderful ! I never 
 could have believed it! Never! Never ! ; ' I 
 am not sure but that the old man half thought 
 there was something miraculous about it. Mrs. 
 Cheo herself was greatly delighted that her 
 reputation for hopeless stupidity was in a meas- 
 ure removed. I was sorry that she could not 
 remain with us longer, for her mind, which had 
 been such a blank, seemed waking up, and I 
 think she might in time have become an intel- 
 ligent Christian. Her husband was a most sin- 
 gular character. We thought him in some re- 
 spects hardly sane, but he gave evidence of real 
 faith in Jesus, and was received by baptism into 
 our church in Tung-chow. 
 
 My teacher, Chang, also taught the two girls, 
 Tsing-hyiang and Hyiang-yuing, the character, 
 
WORK AMONG WOMEN IN TUNG-CHOW. 413 
 
 with which they were before unacquainted. Les- 
 sons in the Bible I gave them myself. I enjoyed 
 instructing them, as they were anxious to learn ; 
 and Hyiang-yuing especially was a lovely girl. 
 I was one day asking her if she had formerly 
 enjoyed going to the temples to worship. She 
 replied, " No, not at all." When I inquired 
 the reason of her dislike, she said, drawing her- 
 self into the attitude of a " graven image," and 
 assuming as ugly and repulsive an expression as 
 possible, " Oh, the idols looked so ; and I could 
 not endure them!" adding, "Mother did not 
 like them either ; she said they were only made 
 of mud or wood. ' ' Very soon after Hyiang-yuing 
 came to us, we felt convinced that she both loved 
 and trusted in Jesus as her Saviour. She was 
 ever studious, obedient, and amiable, and gave us 
 little trouble of any sort. Tsing-hyiang was very 
 unlike her. Although a pretty girl, and of a nat- 
 urally pleasant disposition, she had been thor- 
 oughly spoiled by her parents, who had indulged 
 her every whim, and cultivated a spirit of self- 
 will and insubordination, which made her a diffi- 
 cult pupil to deal with. Still she, too, soon 
 gave evidence of a pleasing change of character, 
 the result, we hoped, of the influence of the 
 Holy Spirit upon her heart. 
 
414 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 Our second winter confirmed us in our opin- 
 ion of the favorable climate of that part of 
 Shantung. The weather was almost uniformly 
 bright and beautiful, and though colder than 
 Ningpo, it really seemed warmer. Snow fell to 
 the depth of several inches or a foot, but did 
 not lie long, disappearing without any general 
 " thaw," such as frequently makes our winters 
 in America so disagreeable. The smaller streams 
 were all frozen, and ice formed in solid blocks on 
 the beach, like huge bowlders, though the sea 
 was not frozen, except close to shore. 
 
 Before the close of January, 1862, another 
 little grave was made in our fast-filling ceme- 
 tery. It was that of an infant daughter of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Hartwell, who died, it was supposed, 
 from the effects of cholera, which she had 
 months before while it was prevailing in Tung- 
 chow. 
 
 Although my health during tins winter was 
 not good, I was able, with some interruptions, to 
 continue my ordinary duties, teaching the pupils, 
 visiting the women, and studying the written 
 language, which was so engrossing that I was 
 constantly tempted to confine myself too closely 
 to it. 
 
 In our instruction of pupils and inquirers, we 
 

 
 WORK AMONG WOMEN IN TUNG-CHOW. 415 
 
 felt the want of a catechism in Mandarin, and 
 I was glad to be able to put my newly acquired 
 knowledge of the character to account in pre- 
 paring one. It was not a translation, as I knew 
 of none which was exactly what we needed ; 
 some being too simple, and others, like the 
 " Shorter Catechism," much too profound for 
 women or children, who had not been previously 
 instructed. Mine began with such questions as 
 were comprehensible to the most ignorant, but 
 soon" passed on to subjects from the Bible, em- 
 bracing a compendium of both Old and New 
 Testament history, the fundamental and essen- 
 tial doctrines of the Christian system, and ex- 
 planations of church ordinances and religious 
 duties. 
 
 I found it very useful in my own teachings, 
 and it has also been used by others in Tung- 
 chow, and in other places where Mandarin is 
 spoken. 
 
 Before we had made an addition to our house 
 of several rooms for the use of the school, the 
 pupils learned their lessons with me in my sit- 
 ting-room. It was a great relief when I had a 
 place for them elsewhere. Like other Chinese 
 students, they studied aloud, and the confusion 
 was quite too much for me. 
 
416 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 Mr. Nevius had at that time a class nearly 
 every day of the week, either in the Bible or in 
 Theology, besides his preparation of books, and 
 chapel work, and also his own study of "the 
 character," to which he devoted every leisure 
 moment, through the day or in the evening. I 
 think it was nothing but his habit of systematic 
 and regular exercise which enabled him to per- 
 form such an amount of work without injury to 
 his health. Nearly every afternoon he spent 
 about two hours either in long walks in the 
 country, or, when I could accompany him, we 
 took pleasant horseback rides over the hills, or 
 on the sea-beach ; which, by the way, is the 
 most interesting feature of Tung-chow. At 
 high tide, a ride on the beach is impracticable, 
 but when the water is low we have a wide space 
 nearly as hard and smooth as a floor. Many a 
 gallop have we had there close to the water's 
 edge. Our horses seemed nearly as much re- 
 freshed and animated as ourselves by the fresh 
 sea-breezes, as away we cantered at a gait any- 
 thing but slow. I was sorry, indeed, when in- 
 creasing poor health obliged me to relinquish 
 this almost our only enjoyable recreation. 
 
 My husband with much trouble had procured 
 for me a capital horse. Dinah, as I named her, 
 

 WORK AMONG WOMEN IN TUNG-CHOW. 417 
 
 became a great favorite with all the foreign 
 ladies. She was a well-formed animal, very fleet, 
 and kind and gentle in the extreme. She had 
 been taught, before we had her, to ask for food 
 by raising her fore-foot and neighing, until it 
 was brought her. She soon learned that I could 
 never resist her entreaties ; and no sooner did 
 she see me than the foot would be raised, and a 
 call seemed to say, "Please, ma'am, bring me 
 some beans, or corn, or something else nice to 
 eat ! " She became rather tyrannical, but re- 
 paid me fully by pacing so fast on the beach 
 that my husband's more clumsy animal would 
 have to gallop at full speed to keep up with us. 
 Besides the visits which I have already de- 
 scribed among my neighbors and other poor fam- 
 ilies, while we were living in Tung-chow, I made 
 a successful effort to reach a different class of 
 individuals. It would be as much a transgres- 
 sion of the rules of etiquette which prevail 
 among the upper classes in China to venture to 
 pay a visit without a previous invitation, or, at 
 least, without having first announced our inten- 
 tion, as such a course would be in this country. 
 Accordingly, when I wished to call upon the 
 ladies in the family of an officer or wealthy per- 
 son, I first sent a servant to inquire whether 
 
 27 
 
418 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 such a visit would be acceptable. Sometimes, 
 when I had not taken that precaution, I had my 
 sedan put down outside a door, while the same 
 message was sent in to the ladies ; and, upon re- 
 ceiving an invitation to enter, would at once do 
 so. In making these visits, I always went in a 
 sedan, accompanied by a servant. To have gone 
 to such places on foot, or unattended, would have 
 been regarded by the persons visited as treating 
 them with disrespect, and would have weakened 
 my influence with them, if it did not prevent 
 my seeing them at all. 
 
 I scarcely need say that' I took care, in all 
 these visits, to be dressed in a suitable manner. 
 
 I found the ladies in the officers' families, as 
 also in those of the more wealthy private citizens, 
 very affable and well disposed. 
 
 I had always to satisfy their curiosity by al- 
 lowing them to examine most thoroughly my 
 dress, my hair, bonnet, gloves, and shoes ; and I 
 in turn made any remarks I pleased upon their 
 costume. I did not dislike this, as it was a 
 good way of getting acquainted, and took off 
 the- stiffness of a first meeting. We always 
 asked each other names and ages, and many 
 questions about our families, and, these over, we 
 slid very naturally into talking about the object 
 

 WORK AMONG WOMEN IN TUNG-CHOW. 419 
 
 of our living in China, the evils of idolatry, 
 and our earnest desire that they should embrace 
 the religion of Jesus. They usually ^assented 
 to what I said, and sometimes exhibited a good 
 deal of interest, though I do not know of any 
 lasting impressions being made. Here, as in 
 similar efforts among the poor, we could only do 
 what we felt was duty, leaving the result 
 with God. Possibly eternity may reveal some 
 good effects, of which we, at the time, were not 
 aware. I never felt discouraged in that partic- 
 ular branch of my work ; on the contrary there 
 is nothing that I look forward to with more 
 pleasure, on my return to China, than again en- 
 gaging in it wherever we may happen to be sta- 
 tioned. 
 
 The houses of even wealthy Chinese are not 
 at all pleasant, according to our Western ideas. 
 The absence of carpets, sofas, easy-chairs, and 
 the like, gives them a very cheerless, comfortless 
 aspect. They are clean as compared with the 
 houses of the poor, and are often large and 
 well built, containing plenty of furniture, such 
 as it is, — tables, hard chairs, tea-poys, orna- 
 mented scrolls on the walls, etc., but very little 
 that is really pretty or graceful. In Tung-chow 
 the rich, as well as the poor, sleep on the hangs ; 
 

 420 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 but the former have handsome bedspreads, or 
 thickly wadded quilts, and plenty of nice pil- 
 lows, while the poor, of course, have nothing of 
 this sort but what is absolutely necessary. 
 
 The daily employments of Chinese ladies of 
 wealth or rank are very different from those 
 of persons in their stations in other countries. 
 No delightful drives, fascinating novels, morn- 
 ing visits, or engrossing fancy work ; no milli- 
 ners nor dress-makers, nor exciting shopping ex- 
 peditions, steal away their hours. Fine equi- 
 pages and drives they have never dreamed of. 
 They manage to substitute embroidery in some 
 cases, for other fancy-work, and as for books, 
 never having known the pleasures of reading, 
 they do not feel the want of them. And if they 
 do lose something by not having books to read, 
 they also gain something by not having them 
 to write; which I realize more fully than 
 I did before I commenced this narrative of " Our 
 Life in China." As I have remarked elsewhere, 
 much of a Chinese lady's time is taken up in 
 making her toilet, more still in chit-chat, and in 
 many families by games of chance ; and not a 
 little time and thought are expended in the selec- 
 tion of materials for dress, articles of jewelry, 
 

 WORK AMONG WOMEN IN TUNG-CHOW. 421 
 
 etc., which are sent from the shops to the house, 
 for their inspection before purchasing. 
 
 Elderly women often do a good deal of sewing 
 and attend to the lighter duties of house-keeping, 
 which, together with a general oversight of all 
 the sons and daughters-in-law, and their chil- 
 dren, furnishes them with enough occupation to 
 prevent them suffering from ennui. 
 
 The mother or grandmother of a large family 
 in China feels herself a very queen, and acts 
 accordingly. Even her liege lord, to whom she 
 is bound, theoretically, to show such deference, 
 seldom cares to dispute her sway. And the 
 luckless daughters-in-law are subject to the 
 double tyranny of their husband and his mother. 
 " Passive obedience and unconditional submis- 
 sion " must be their rule of action from the day 
 of their marriage, until, in turn, having arrived 
 at the dignity of grandmothers themselves, and 
 being freed from further restraint, they revenge 
 themselves for all they may have suffered in 
 former times, by severity to their own daughters- 
 in-law. But, to do them justice, I must say 
 that there are many cases of sincerest affection 
 between the different members of Chinese fami- 
 lies ; many more than could be expected, con- 
 sidering the way in which their marriages are 
 
422 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 arranged. I may not have mentioned that be- 
 trothals are all made without consulting the 
 parties most interested, and in many cases while 
 they are still young children. A bride and 
 groom have very seldom even a passing glimpse 
 of each other, before marriage. 
 

 CHINESE NEW-YEAR. 423 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 TSING-WAN-TS. — VIEWS OF MISSIONARY WORK. 
 — ABSURD RUMORS. 
 
 The Chinese do not divide their year, as we 
 do, into an unvarying number of months and 
 days. It is composed of lunar months, which, 
 in order to keep the ' ' wheels of time ' ' running 
 smoothly, obliges them to insert every few years 
 an additional or intercalary month. 
 
 The new-year holidays are observed in China 
 more generally than in any other country in the 
 world. The closing days of the old year are 
 devoted to preparations for the new. Business 
 affairs are settled, debts are paid, fine clothes are 
 either purchased or hired, and edibles in profu- 
 sion are prepared for the entertainment of guests 
 in the coming season of merry-making. 
 
 During the first few days of the first month 
 the male members of the family go abroad to 
 present their greetings to relatives and friends 
 
424 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 After that the women, at least the elderly mar- 
 ried ones, are allowed the same privilege. 
 
 It has been truly said that ' * for at least one 
 day of the year every Chinaman is a gentleman." 
 Even the coolie, who the day before was bearing 
 burdens in the street, is suddenly transformed 
 into a well-dressed, stately personage, who, with 
 a dignified bearing, and sometimes a really grace- 
 ful manner, meets his friends with a profound 
 salaam, and offers them the congratulations of the 
 season. Nearly every person whom you see on 
 the street is dressed in silk, satins, or furs, and 
 wears a ceremonial cap. The temples are 
 thronged on new-year's morning, and through 
 the day, by men who perhaps scarcely ever visit 
 them except at that time. 
 
 In the year of our Lord 1862 the Chinese 
 new year did not occur until the middle of Feb- 
 ruary. Mr. Nevius and the other missionaries 
 had many calls from gentlemen ; and I and the 
 other ladies from women, many of whom, I pre- 
 sume, had been hearing of us since we first went 
 to Tung-chow, but until then had had no oppor- 
 tunity of seeing us. The first who called no 
 doubt carried back favorable accounts of their 
 reception to their female acquaintances, who in 
 turn resolved to satisfy their curiosity by paying 
 
TSING-WAN-TS. 425 
 
 us a visit also. Of course we exerted ourselves 
 to interest and amuse them. I made it a point 
 never to allow them to leave without hearing a 
 simple exposition of Christianity, making sure 
 that they really understood it. Most unfortunate- 
 ly I was at that time very unwell, and my voice 
 was so weak that it pained me to attempt to use 
 it. I was really ill ; and perhaps ought not to 
 have undertaken any work whatever. But the 
 necessity was so pressing, and the temptation to 
 do was so strong, that I persevered, even at the 
 cost of permanent injury to my health. My good 
 Futang was called from the kitchen at all hours 
 to assist me to " talk the doctrine " to my guests; 
 and my Christian woman also gave me much as- 
 sistance in entertaining and conversing with them. 
 
 They often came in parties of half a dozen or 
 more, gayly dressed, and evidently bent upon 
 seeing and being seen. They would stay so 
 long that before they left I was completely tired 
 out, and sometimes ready to cry from mere phys- 
 ical exhaustion. 
 
 The most of these visitors having come from 
 mere curiosity, when that motive was gone did 
 not care to repeat their visits. But among the 
 many whose acquaintance I then made, were ten 
 or twelve women who seemed truly interested in 
 

 426 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 what they heard of the religion of Jesus. I 
 succeeded in forming them into a class which 
 came regularly to me for instruction. They 
 improved so rapidly, and showed such interest in 
 Christianity, that I felt very hopeful of them, and 
 was even expecting that at no distant time they 
 might be fit subjects for admission to the church. 
 
 The " Prayer" which I had at first prepared 
 for the use of old Mrs. Cheo, had been enlarged 
 and improved, and printed as a sheet tract in 
 Chinese style on blocks. Nearly all the women 
 of my class committed it to memory, and seemed 
 to take great pleasure in making it their own. 
 
 It might be a matter of surprise to some that 
 we did not at once teach these inquirers ' ' Our 
 Lord's Prayer." That, however, requires a much 
 greater degree of knowledge and faith than per- 
 sons who are not yet fully free from the entangle- 
 ments of heathenism are capable of. It does not 
 seem right to place those holy words in the mouths 
 of such as can neither appreciate nor adopt them. 
 Later in their religious experience, when they 
 have learned to know and love " Our Father who 
 is in heaven," they enjoy, no less than ourselves, 
 that beautiful and perfect formula for devotion. 
 
 About the first of April, Mr. Nevius and I 
 went to the village of Tsing-wan-ts, fifteen miles 
 
TSING-WAN-TS. 427 
 
 distant, the home of old Mr. and Mrs. Cheo, to 
 pay them a long-promised visit. In a letter to 
 my sister I wrote from there as follows : ' ' We 
 started from Tung-chow yesterday at noon, after 
 a busy morning of preparations. I did not have 
 a very pleasant ride out. The roads were bad, 
 and the mules refractory ; besides I had a very se- 
 vere headache. By some misunderstanding J , 
 
 who went on horseback, and my mule drivers 
 took different roads, so that I did not have his 
 company. 
 
 "This village is situated in a gorge between two 
 hills, and the principal street is on the edge of a 
 narrow ravine. It is so out of the way that we 
 had difficulty in finding it. When within a mile 
 
 from here I met J and old Mr. Cheo coming 
 
 to meet me. 
 
 ' ' The rooms we occupy are on the street, sep- 
 arated by a court from those of the family. 
 There is only the usual earthen floor, and the 
 windows are lattice covered with paper. We 
 have no fire, but manage to keep warm by wear- 
 ing more clothes. The fatigue of yesterday has 
 made me quite miserable to-day. Not having 
 slept at night, I did not rise at my usual early 
 hour. After a late breakfast, taking Futang 
 along to help talk, and ciceroned by a very old 
 

 428 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 woman. I went out to make calls. There is but 
 this one Christian family in the village, and 
 many of the people are opposed to the ' new doc- 
 trine.' Mr: Nevius and Mr. Cheo have gone 
 off to preach and distribute books in the neigh- 
 boring villages. Before they went Mr. Cheo 
 
 told J he would be glad if I would go to a 
 
 certain well-to-do femily, the head of which is a 
 man much opposed to Christianity. He said that 
 he could not accompany me there himself, but 
 my old-woman guide would escort me. We 
 made that our first visit. We were well re- 
 ceived, the man explaining, very graciously, that 
 this old woman was his mother, a younger one 
 his wife; this was sister-in-law No. 1, that No. 
 2, and so on. Of course I had to undergo a 
 pretty thorough inspection; even my old merino 
 dress was to them an object of interest. I al- 
 lowed Futang to do most of the " preaching," as 
 I felt scarcely able to sit up, and not at all equal 
 to the effort necessary for speaking in such a place. 
 In order to make these people hear we have al- 
 most to shout. They have such a habit of raising 
 their voices when conversing among themselves, 
 that they do not expect to understand us unless 
 we do the same. After several other visits of no 
 particular interest we returned to Mr. Cbeo's. 
 
TSING-WAN-TS. 
 
 429 
 
 •' April 6th. — As I was about taking out my 
 portfolio for writing, several women called to see 
 the stereoscope. We did not bring ours with us 
 when we first came out, but old Mr. Cheo had 
 told his neighbors about it, and they seemed so 
 
 anxious to see one that when J went into town, 
 
 a day or two since, he brought it back with him. 
 The people seem to admire it vastly, though 
 they are scarcely able to appreciate it. As I 
 write, twenty or more men and boys are standing 
 about watching me. A woman writing a letter 
 is something of a curiosity in these parts. I can 
 endure being gazed at as well as most persons, 
 but indeed I do not like it. And when a crowd 
 of women, with scores of unwashed, dirty-faced 
 children, every one of whom has apparently 
 dined on onions or garlics, to judge by their ter- 
 ribly offensive breath, comes pressing about me, 
 particularly anxious to take my hand, or try on 
 my gloves, or to examine my hair, and I am 
 morally certain that when they have gone I 
 shall find traces of them, in the form of insects, 
 too disgusting to mention, adhering to my clothes, 
 you will understand how it is that it sometimes 
 requires real self-control to keep from rushing 
 off to my room and locking myself in. Many 
 of the children are in a state of nature, in the 
 
430 OUR LIFE IX CHINA. 
 
 one sense, at least, of being destitute of a single 
 article of clothing. There are other disagree- 
 able things which we have to meet in our inter- 
 course with them which I could not think of 
 mentioning in a letter. When you remember, 
 
 dear M , that I am naturally far from being 
 
 insensible to these peculiar annoyances, you will 
 realize that my life is not all play ; and I am 
 sure you will give me credit for some fortitude. 
 As disagreeable as these things are, I believe I 
 have never yet quite lost my patience, nor re- 
 pulsed these poor people when they have shown a 
 disposition to be friendly. 
 
 ••After dinner to-day, while I was lying down 
 to rest upon the kang in a little room where we 
 sleep, I heard our man Shing-ping, who, though 
 not a Christian, is well instructed and very 
 hopeful, talking with visitors in this room. He 
 related the parable of the 'barren fig-tree,' 
 and applied it to them in a very practical way, 
 alluding to their having been spared during the 
 cholera°season, while so many were cut down by 
 
 it. J had yesterday at morning worship, read 
 
 and explained that parable, and I was glad that 
 Shing-ping had appreciated it so well. It is 
 beautiful to see how perfectly the parables are 
 adapted to the wants of such persons as these. 
 

 VIEWS OF MISSIONARY WORK. 431 
 
 "We have had a very satisfactory visit at Tsing- 
 wan-ts, and hope that real good has been accom- 
 plished. The villagers, either at their own 
 homes, or here at Cheo's house, have \ery gen- 
 erally heard the gospel, and we know that Ged's 
 word cannot return to him void. Before Mr. 
 Nevius went off to his day's work, we read 
 together, l In the morning sow thy seed, and in 
 the evening withhold not thine hand ; for thou 
 knowest not whether shall prosper either this or 
 that, or whether they both shall be alike good,' — 
 a capital verse for missionaries. Sometimes per- 
 sons seem so very unlikely to appreciate the 
 truth that we are tempted to refrain from speak- 
 ing to them, when perhaps they, who are appar- 
 ently the most hopeless, are the i chosen ones ' 
 who will receive it 'into good and honest 
 
 hearts.' I am, dear M , more and more 
 
 thankful that our lives are given to this cause. 
 So far from the ' romance ' having worn off, as 
 you remember so many of our friends prophesied 
 it would, this, our life-work, becomes every year 
 more interesting and satisfying. The changes 
 we have passed through of late have made us 
 realize more than ever that this world is only a 
 'pilgrimage,' and it is such a comfort to know 
 that we are engaged in employments which will 
 
432 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 tell on eternity. You, I am sure, will believe 
 me sincere when I say that I would not ex- 
 change our life, so quiet, so obscure, — more than 
 that, so unappreciated by some whose sympathy 
 I should value, — for any position offering mere 
 worldly pleasures. You will think I have lost 
 all ambition ; it is hardly that, but my ambition 
 has, I feel, a better object. I never was more 
 desirous than now of undertaking and perform- 
 ing something really worth the effort. That ac- 
 complished, I think I should be quite willing to ' lay 
 me down to sleep,' even here in this wilderness, — 
 
 " < My name and my place and my tomb all forgotten, 
 The brief space of time well and patiently run; 
 So would I pass away, peacefully, silently, 
 Only remembered by what I have done.' 
 
 " There is not the least hardship to me in work. 
 I enjoy it far more than rest ; but it is inexpres- 
 sibly trying to see so many opportunities for 
 usefulness which my limited strength will not al- 
 low me to take advantage of. There is work here, 
 not only for men, but for women as well. When I 
 think how many ladies there are in America, who, 
 if they would, might come and help us, I feel very 
 sadly, sometimes, I fear, almost indignant." 
 
 Since I have been at home in the United 
 States, I have realized more fully than ever be- 
 

 VIEWS OF MISSIONARY WORK. 433 
 
 fore that there are many ladies, some in almost 
 every church, who could well be spared to go 
 where they are so much more needed. I do not 
 mean that a person suitable to engage in the 
 missionary work would not be "missed" from 
 her circle at home. On the contrary, I 
 hope no one will go abroad, professedly to 
 engage in that service, whose absence would not 
 be felt at home. But when a well-qualified 
 person breaks away from the duties which have 
 hitherto occupied her here, from a conscientious 
 regard for her own personal duty to the heathen, 
 or rather, in obedience to the Great Head of the 
 Church, others will come forward to take her 
 place, stimulated perhaps to greatly increased 
 activity by her faithfulness and devotion. Such 
 ought to be the case, and I think it usually is. 
 How a gifted and pious young lady of mature 
 years, who has not home duties to bind her here, 
 can settle down contentedly to a life of ease or 
 inactivity without ever once asking herself the 
 question whether she may not have imperative 
 duties elsewhere, I do not understand. I can 
 even go a step further : I feel sure that many 
 ladies as well as gentlemen who are most useful 
 here, working earnestly from day to day, would 
 be still more useful in heathen lands. Here 
 
 28 
 

 434 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 they are lights among innumerable other lighta 
 perhaps as luminous as they; there they are 
 solitary lights in a dark place, — how dark per- 
 haps only we who have lived enveloped in its 
 gloom can realize. 
 
 Some Christians in this country seem to take 
 pleasure, almost, in the idea that " there are 
 heathen at home; no need to go to China to find 
 them." If it is a fact that there are real 
 heathen in our midst, it is a shame and disgrace 
 to our churches. But there are no heathens 
 here, in the proper sense of that term, none who 
 might not, if they would, become acquainted 
 with Christianity. Churches, chapels, mission 
 and Sunday schools, are found everywhere, and 
 all who will may " come and take of the water 
 of life freely." How different the condition of 
 the poor, degraded idol-worshippers of India and 
 China ! I think no right-minded person would 
 be so disingenuous as to class together those 
 whose situations are so opposite. It is certainly 
 paying a poor compliment to our enlightened 
 country to profess to believe that, religiously, it 
 is not much superior to those lands where dark- 
 ness, superstition, and heathenism, with all theii 
 attendant miseries, still reign unbroken. Thai 
 latent dislike (for it is nothing else) to the 
 
VIEWS OF MISSIONARY WORK. 
 
 435 
 
 foreign missionary cause, which exists in the 
 hearts of many professed Christians, is a mys- 
 tery which I cannot fathom. I wonder, indeed, 
 if it is possible that a true disciple of Christ, as 
 he listens to that last solemn command, " Go ye 
 into all the world and preach the Gospel to every 
 creature," can respond in actions, sometimes al- 
 most in words, "No, Lord, I will not go myself, 
 nor will I send others ; and if any one wishes to 
 go, I will, just as far as in me lies, discourage 
 and dishearten him or her ; and if they who 
 have gone profess to have accomplished thy pur- 
 poses, and won souls to thee, I will, whenever 
 opportunity offers, speak detractingly of their 
 labors, and impugn their motives." 
 
 How I wish I might be mistaken in believing 
 that there are many professed Christians who 
 entertain such feelings ! 
 
 But we know that, in whatever light our 
 efforts may be regarded by individuals, either 
 in the church or out of it, the Saviour himself 
 loves the work, and sympathizes with those who, 
 from love to him, have gone to engage in it. So also 
 I think, must all they who are "one with Christ." 
 
 It would be very ungrateful in me not to 
 acknowledge most heartily the many tokens of 
 kindness which we have received simply as mis- 
 
436 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 sionaries from those whose messengers we love 
 to consider ourselves. 
 
 I think it would be far better for Christians at 
 home, and not less for us missionaries, if there 
 were some way of bringing us nearer together. 
 So little is known of missionaries, or their em- 
 ployments, that it is not strange they should 
 sometimes be misunderstood. We would like to 
 feel that we are watched, not censoriously, but 
 sympathizingly and intelligently, by those who 
 really care whether or not we are successful. 
 Perhaps some of us .need just such an incentive 
 to earnest labor. Missionaries, I need not say, 
 are by no means perfect men or women, and it 
 would not be strange if they should sometimes 
 sleep when they ought to be awake, or rest when 
 they ought to work, or, as is more often the case, 
 work when they ought to rest. I do not think 
 the effect would be bad upon them if they knew 
 that many kind and sympathizing, but keen and 
 watchful eyes were bent upon them to see that 
 their duties are done and well done. 
 
 I am glad to feel that a juster appreciation of 
 the importance of the work of foreign missions 
 is gaining ground in the church. The romantic 
 enthusiasm which was felt in the earliest mis- 
 sions has long since been dissipated, but as its 
 
VIEWS OF MISSIONARY WORK. 
 
 437 
 
 real claims become better known, I think the 
 lost interest will be revived, and perhaps a 
 more healthy sentiment, and more lasting, will 
 be substituted. "Why! the early missionaries 
 used to live in bark houses ; and were in dan- 
 ger of losing their lives ; and had great difficulty 
 in getting food to eat," I heard a good old 
 Christian say; and she added honestly, " Mis- 
 sionaries nowadays do not have such sufferings 
 to encounter, and I no longer feel the same 
 sympathy for them." Her interest of old had 
 been in the " sufferings of the missionaries," 
 rather than in the success of the cause of Christ 
 among the heathen ; and when, as she supposed, 
 there was no further need of sympathy on the 
 ground of personal suffering, she ceased to care 
 for the missionaries or their work at all. Per- 
 haps the sooner that sort of fictitious inter- 
 est in the cause of missions has quite disap- 
 peared the better. 
 
 When I had read the above to a dear young 
 friend, who, by the way, is expecting to accom- 
 pany me, before long, to our missionary home in 
 China, she remarked, "Mrs. Nevius, I wish, 
 if you could just as well as not, you would say 
 something to ministers." " Why should I 
 say anything to ministers?" I asked. "Oh! 
 
488 OUB. LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 if they would not, when they chance to meet a 
 young lady who has determined to become a 
 missionary, put on a ' long face ' and draw a 
 deep sigh, and remark in such an extremely 
 solemn tone, ' It is a great undertaking.' 
 
 " ' Only that and nothing more.' 
 
 "It was so delightful to be met as good Dr. 
 met me in New York. I was introduced 
 
 to him as * under appointment as a missionary.' 
 He grasped my hand most warmly, and a whole 
 volume of kindness and sympathy was in his 
 voice, as he exclaimed, ' May the Lord bless 
 and keep you ! The Lord will go before you, 
 and the Lord of Israel will be your rearward.' 
 Oh ! it was so comforting, so encouraging, I felt 
 ready to go and work, if need be to suffer, with 
 such sympathy and prayers to uphold me ! It 
 was so different from the usual disheartening 
 formula with which ministers almost always 
 meet me nowadays. l So you are thinking of 
 being a missionary, are you ? ' ' Yes, sir, I 
 am expecting to go to China ! ' ' It is a great 
 undertaking? " 
 
 But Miss must excuse me from address- 
 ing one word to ministers in particular. They 
 certainly cannot be wanting in sympathy for 
 

 VIEWS OP MISSIONARY WORK. 
 
 439 
 
 their Master's own cause, or for their co-laborers 
 in his vineyard. Since they, for good reasons. I 
 must not doubt, have not been impelled to go them- 
 selves to the dark places of the earth, they certainly 
 would not intentionally discourage their brothers 
 or sisters who have been able to obey the Mas- 
 ter's command, " Go ye." Could they know 
 how much we value their words of cheer, how 
 much they might help us by their counsels or 
 reproof, I think we should not so often be al- 
 lowed to doubt their sympathy, or to guess it 
 only from inference. 
 
 I trust I may be pardoned this long digression 
 when I promise it to be the last of this nature ; 
 at least, I will try hereafter to confine myself to 
 a simple narration of the events of our remain- 
 ing years in China. 
 
 About the first of May, 1862, my two school- 
 girls, Tsing-hyiang and Hyiang-yuing, together 
 with some others, were received by baptism into 
 the church. Near the same time, Mr. Hartwell 
 had also the pleasure of receiving several addi- 
 tions to his church. These events, so favorable 
 in themselves, were the occasion of a new and 
 most unlooked-for interruption in our hitherto 
 prosperous operations. The natives, seeing so 
 many persons coming out from heathenism and 
 
440 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 joining this foreign religion, were startled out 
 of their usual apathy. They could not under- 
 stand it, and many theories were suggested to 
 account for it. At last, some particularly wise 
 and discerning persons explained the whole affair 
 in a manner satisfactory to all. We foreigners, 
 they said, were possessed of a secret by which 
 we could gain an irresistible power over 'persona 
 who allowed themselves to come under our in- 
 fluence. Some averred it was the "evil eye;" 
 others that it was witchcraft ; and others, again, 
 knew positively that it was by a charm or potion, 
 which we mixed with the tea which we gave our 
 guests when they came to visit us. This latter 
 supposition was confirmed by the fact that many 
 who had been known to be unfriendly to us be- 
 fore they came to see us, after one visit would 
 become our stanch friends. This was inexpli- 
 cable except on the supposition of some such 
 unholy influence. The reports spread every- 
 where, and assumed more alarming shapes. Not 
 content with carrying on our iniquitous practices 
 on a small scale, they suspected us of insinu- 
 ating our charms into the flour used by bakers 
 in the city, and even into the wells in private 
 families. The business of the bakers suffered 
 much from these suspicions ; and the wells on a 
 
ABSURD RUMORS. 
 
 441 
 
 certain street which we had frequented were 
 emptied of their contents and searched. We 
 were told that in every case a small red bag 
 with a powder of some sort was found in the 
 bottom of the well, placed there, probably, by 
 the well-cleaners themselves, to whom this panic 
 yielded a rich harvest. 
 
 My little school came in for its share of sus- 
 picion and dislike. It appeared as unlikely to 
 the Tung-chow people that we should be willing 
 to spend our lives in efforts to benefit others, 
 without some bad motive at the bottom, as it 
 does to some people at home. They did not 
 suspect us of " going abroad to see the world," 
 or choosing that employment because it offered 
 attractions for ease and luxury. On the contrary, 
 teaching and supporting a school of girls seemed 
 to them a very dull, tiresome vocation ; and 
 as useless as dull. At last, they found the clue 
 to the mystery. We were getting these girls 
 together one by one, in a quiet, unostentatious 
 way, and, when a large number had been col- 
 lected, and they had been sufficiently improved 
 by their good living, a foreign ship was coming 
 along, and the ill-starred maidens were all to be 
 sent off to some distant land, — not to be made 
 into opium, but to be used in the preparation of 
 
442 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 that mysterious " elixir of life," which religion- 
 ists of the Tau-ist sect believe has the effect to 
 insure perpetual youth. The bodies were to be 
 boiled, and from them would be expressed a kind 
 of oil, which, when eaten, has marvellous effects. 
 I could never get from the natives a very clear 
 idea of what they did believe on this subject. I 
 suppose, in fact, their own ideas were as confused 
 as mine. But they were really frightened, and, 
 for a time it was impossible to get any more 
 pupils. Our Chinese friends or domestics were 
 both amused and annoyed by these reports re- 
 specting us. They were also ashamed of their 
 own countrymen. When going to and fro from 
 my school I could see groups of men, standing 
 on a mound which commanded a view of our 
 court, watching me to see in what suspicious 
 performances I might be engaged. A month or 
 two after the visit I have already described, we 
 went again to spend a few days at old Mr. 
 Cheo's. We found that the villagers of Tsing- 
 wan-ts and all that region, who before had shown 
 themselves very friendly, were now so afraid of 
 us as not to be willing to come near us. As the 
 women would no longer visit me, I sent my ali-m 
 out to see them as they sat at work under the 
 trees. They were so sure that she must herself 
 

 ABSURD RUMORS. 
 
 443 
 
 be my accomplice, and as such might be carry- 
 ing round " charms " for their destruction, that 
 they insisted upon searching her. Her hand- 
 kerchief, which, like other women, she carried 
 folded in her hand, they made her unroll before 
 them, to see if in its folds some of the mysterious 
 medicine might not be secreted. As they gained 
 confidence, they crowded about her with many 
 questions and rumors. " Why," said they, "a 
 woman named ' Li,' from the Hot Springs of 
 Wen-shih-tang, went into the city and called up- 
 on a certain foreign lady who lives there. From 
 that time she has never returned to her home, 
 nor been heard from. There is no doubt but 
 that she has been sent off to the ' outside country,' 
 to be used for no good purpose." The ali-m 
 listened patiently until they had finished, when, 
 straightening herself up as she stood before 
 them with a manner, no doubt dramatic, she 
 exclaimed, " I am that woman, — I am Mrs. Li, 
 from Wen-shih-tang. I have been shipped to 
 the 'outside country,' have I?" She was for 
 a moment thoroughly vexed ; but she was a kind 
 creature, and, after having so effectually refuted 
 one of their silly stories, she spent a long while 
 conversing with them, endeavoring to explain 
 all the circumstances which had led them, in 
 
444 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 common with others, to entertain such views of 
 the foreign teachers. 
 
 On our way home to Tung-chow we stopped 
 at another village to visit a very respectable 
 woman who had been to see me at our house, 
 and who had seemed somewhat hopeful. I had 
 been much interested in her, and was anxious to 
 keep up the acquaintance. My sedan was set 
 down before the door of her house, and Mr. 
 Nevius knocked at the gate. A person opening 
 it saw who the visitors were, and slammed to 
 the door with an air anything but hospitable. 
 In a moment another head appeared, and we 
 sent in our request for my acquaintance. I am 
 not sure whether she was at home or not ; but a 
 message was returned to us that she had been 
 absent all day worshipping at a temple in another 
 village. A crowd of people collected round, 
 and they were evidently not kindly disposed ; but 
 we were not molested by them. 
 
 The next day it was reported in the city that Mr. 
 Nevius and myself had been seen in the streets 
 of the above-mentioned village, searching for 
 children, with the design of kidnapping them, 
 which had so enraged the villagers that they 
 drove us out of Jhe town; and that they had 
 determined to come at once to Tung-chow, drive 
 

 ABSURD RUMORS. 
 
 445 
 
 away the foreigners, and kill the native con- 
 verts. 
 
 Our situation at that time was not very pleas- 
 ant; but we were not much alarmed by the 
 threats concerning us. 
 
 It was with deep regret that we found that 
 many of those who had before appeared so fa- 
 vorably inclined, from this time stood aloof 
 from us. Not one of my class of women, in 
 whom I had become so interested, ever came 
 near me again as an inquirer. I do not think 
 it possible that they could themselves have 
 believed the absurd stories told of us ; but, 
 more likely, their families would not allow them 
 to continue their visits. The fact that they had 
 been on the point of identifying themselves with 
 us, seemed to others " confirmation strong " of 
 our power of gaining an unlawful influence over 
 the natives. 
 
 In the course of a few weeks this excitement 
 passed away ; the absurdity of the reports, after 
 men's minds had had time to consider them 
 coolly, most effectually worked their own cure. 
 Credulous old women, who, perhaps, were the 
 first to originate the stories, were also the last 
 to disbelieve them. I presume many such will 
 vouch for their truth until this day. 
 
446 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 ILLNESS AND DEATII OF MR. RANKIN. 
 
 About the twentieth of May Mr. and Mrs. 
 Rankin and their children, Abby and Sue, with 
 Dr. and Mrs. McCartee, reached Tung-chow. 
 Mrs. Rankin, on her return from the United 
 States some months before, her own health much 
 improved, had found Mr. Rankin very unwell. 
 The previous year had been a most trying one 
 for the missionaries at Ningpo, on account of 
 disturbances from the rebels. 
 
 They had captured the city and held posses- 
 sion of it a short time, when the Imperialists, 
 aided by the English, recovered it. The rebels 
 did not molest foreigners, but the natives suffered 
 much from them. Our missionaries on the North 
 Bank had arranged with the native Christians in 
 the city, that, if at any time in particular danger, 
 they should toll the bell of the large Fuzin 
 church, when, if possible, they would go to their 
 assistance. One day, after the rebels had gained 
 

 ILLNESS AND DEATH OF MR. RANKIN. 447 
 
 possession of the city, the bell began tolling, and 
 at once Mr. Rankin and Mr. Morrison attempted 
 to fulfill their promise and go to the rescue. 
 The sentry at the gates allowed them to enter, 
 and they passed hastily on to the church, where 
 they found all in confusion. The native 
 preacher and perhaps others had been seized and 
 carried off, and those who remained were natu- 
 rally much excited and alarmed. The gentlemen 
 with real bravery went through street after street, 
 among the various companies of soldiers, until they 
 at length found the assistant, and secured his re- 
 lease. I do not know what arrangements were 
 made for the safety of the converts ; but I remem- 
 ber that the missionaries were obliged to seek fre- 
 quent interviews with the commanding officers, and 
 that there were alarms and excitements without 
 end. It was no wonder that the foreign teachers, 
 with such a load of responsibility and anxiety for 
 others as well as themselves, should have been 
 worn out with fatigue. I think they all suffered 
 more or less ; and Mr. Rankin was never really 
 well after it. His fine constitution received a 
 shock from which it never recovered. A disease 
 common at Ningpo fixed itself upon him and he 
 failed rapidly ; not, however, being obliged to give 
 
448 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 up all work until shortly before he came to the 
 North. 
 
 He was urged to return to the United States ; 
 and had he done so at an early stage of his ill- 
 ness he might perhaps have recovered ; but like 
 many others he waited too long. He knew the 
 feelings with which some people in this country 
 regard the return of a missionary on account of 
 ill-health, and preferred, for this and other rea- 
 sons, to remain in China. He hoped also that the 
 climate of Shantung, which had benefited others, 
 might prove favorable to him. 
 
 Towards evening of the day on which we were 
 expecting our friends, Mr. Nevius mounted his 
 horse and rode out in the direction of Yentai to 
 meet them. He returned soon after, with a mes- 
 sage to me from Dr. McCartee to avoid if possi- 
 ble exhibiting surprise at Mr. Rankin's altered 
 appearance. Had it not been for this I think I 
 must have lost my self-control ; for I was very 
 weak, and when, a few moments later, the party 
 arrived, I was greatly shocked. Could it be that 
 that pale and wasted form was our dear old friend 
 Mr. Rankin? He was exhausted from the jour- 
 ney, and so weak and tottering that he could not 
 walk even from the mule-litter to the house, 
 without a strong arm around him for support. 
 
ILLNESS AND DEATH OF MR. RANKIN. 449 
 
 Disease had made sad inroads ; but his mind was 
 as clear and his heart as warm and affectionate 
 and grateful as ever. 
 
 I had, in my house-keeper's pride, or rather in 
 my natural desire to please those who had done 
 so much for us, exerted myself to make the old 
 temple seem pleasing and attractive. The win- 
 dows were all open, and I "studied effect" in 
 the arrangement of every article of furniture, 
 even to a footstool. It was just at twilight of 
 a lovely, mild day, and I am sure the Kwan-yin 
 tang never looked more pleasantly. Mr. Rankin 
 was delighted ; and I think he never changed his 
 opinion of the place. Their rooms, which were 
 those Mr. Danforth had before occupied, were 
 comfortable and cheerful. The McCartees had 
 the ones opposite. Dr. McCartee's discerning 
 eye had seen at once the true character of Mr. 
 Rankin's disease, and he had scarcely any ex- 
 pectation of his recovery. Indeed, it was evi- 
 dent to all that his restoration would be almost a 
 miracle. Notwithstanding this we could but 
 hope that the change might prove beneficial, 
 and I trust that it was so in some respects, al- 
 though it did not arrest the progress of disease, 
 then so firmly seated. He became weaker and 
 weaker, and our hopes grew fainter. Though 
 
 29 
 

 450 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 perfectly aware of his danger, and fully resigned 
 to God's will should he remove him speedily from 
 earth, he never relinquished his hope of recovery. 
 Life was very dear to him. He wished to live 
 that he might accomplish much in his Master's 
 service. I never knew an illness of so danger- 
 ous a character as free from intense suffering 
 either in body or mind; or, if he suffered, he 
 was so patient and uncomplaining that we were 
 seldom aware of it. I love to think of those few 
 weeks in our last summer at Tung-chow. T was 
 most of the time too unwell myself to go from 
 home ; and when for an hour at evening the other 
 members of the family were all absent, either 
 walking or riding, I would sit with our dear in- 
 valid. Many pleasant, quiet chats we thus en- 
 joyed. In reviewing his missionary life he was, 
 as I thought, sometimes a little desponding, and 
 I tried to cheer him by calling to mind his inces- 
 sant activity. On one such occasion I remember 
 his replying, " Ah, yes, I have been busy, very 
 busy ; indeed I fear that I have been rather a 
 busy, than a faithful laborer." He loved to talk 
 of his beautiful home in America ; of his brothers 
 and sisters, and of his aged father and mother, — 
 that mother who, as she bade him farewell when 
 he was leaving home for the last time, had added 
 

 ILLNESS AND DEATH OF MR. RANKIN. 451 
 
 the words which only a noble Christian would 
 have been capable of : " Henry, be faithful unto 
 death!" 
 
 On the morning of the first of July my hus- 
 band, as usual, went early to Mr. Rankin's room. 
 The sun had scarcely risen, and the fresh breeze 
 from the ocean was peculiarly delightful. 
 Though he could not go abroad to enjoy it him- 
 self, he desired that others might do so, and re- 
 quested Mr. Nevius to take Mrs. Rankin out for 
 a snort morning ride on my good Dinah. He 
 exhibited much anxiety lest his wife's unremit- 
 ting attention to him should injure her own 
 health, and not unfrequently would insist upon 
 her leaving him for rest or recreation. Her 
 judgment was naturally influenced by her wishes, 
 and she ever looked on the bright side, never re- 
 linquishing hope of her husband's recovery. I 
 was rejoiced that it was so, and, indeed, I sympa- 
 thized in the feeling. Had we fully realized 
 how soon one whose presence we so valued would 
 be taken from us, we could not have felt cheer- 
 ful and light-hearted, even though we knew that 
 for him death had no terrors. 
 
 But at length the certainty forced itself upon 
 us that the event we feared was close at hand. 
 
 Instead of indulging further in personal rem- 
 

 452 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 inisceuces I shall quote from a small memorial 
 volume a notice of Mr. Rankin's death, together 
 with some remarks respecting him which, how- 
 ever, to those who knew him well, do not seem to 
 give a full idea of his many excellences. 
 
 " On the morning of July 2, 1863, he was 
 lying feebly, but tranquilly speaking to the dear 
 friends about him. His last message had been 
 sent to his eldest child, a son at school in the 
 United States ; a note full of filial and brotherly 
 affection had been sent to one of his sisters at 
 home. His farewell words were spoken calmly 
 to the beloved wife and two little daughters, who 
 were with him in his chamber of sickness. With 
 the exception of a brief period of aberration, his 
 intellect was clear to the last. To his dear 
 friends, Dr. and Mrs. McCartee, and Mr. and 
 Mrs. Nevius, and to a native Christian, who were 
 attending him, he expressed his abiding interest 
 in their common work and his unfaltering trust 
 in the Lord Jesus Christ. . As the sun reached 
 its meridian his blessed spirit ascended to behold 
 the Sun of Righteousness. The legacy of Jesus 
 was received by him in all its fulness, — peace 
 here, glory beyond. After nearly thirty-eight 
 years of life upon earth, more than half of which 
 were full of usefulness, he fell asleep. Within 
 
ILLNESS AND DEATH OF MR. KANKIN. 453 
 
 the soil of that empire, for whose people he had 
 given his strength that he might win some of 
 them to Christ, his body rests. 
 
 " The voyager in the northern Chinese seas, as 
 he approaches the province of Shantung, may see 
 upon the hill that overlooks the city of Tung- 
 chow among other stones there set up, one of 
 pure white marble. Beneath it is all that was 
 mortal of Henry V. Rankin. 
 
 ' ' There, by loving friends, who mourned not as 
 those without hope, was his body laid to await 
 the day of resurrection. But this marble monu- 
 ment is not his best or most lasting memorial. 
 
 " He is remembered by many in his native land 
 as an unwavering friend, a Christian scholar, a de- 
 voted follower of Jesus, and an eloquent preacher 
 of the gospel. His frank and generous spirit 
 and his guileless life have left their fragrance in 
 many homes, and his works have followed him to 
 the mansion of his Father's house above. 
 
 " In the schools and chapels of Ningpo, — the 
 place of his missionary labors, — his memorial 
 abides in souls once benighted by heathenism, 
 now rejoicing in the light of gospel truth. His 
 sermons are still speaking their instructive doc- 
 trine. His pure and prayerful life still abides 
 an eloquent example. 
 

 
 454 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 " From select portions of God's Holy Book, 
 which he translated and published, the words of 
 life shall long enter into heathen dwellings. The 
 sweet hymns composed by him shall long continue 
 to ascend from lips that have learned to sing in 
 the language of China the praises of Immanuel. 
 
 ' ' These are his best memorials, and they can 
 never be forgotten. Before the throne of God 
 some are now standing, and others shall be 
 gathered, who have been instructed by our de- 
 parted brother in the way of salvation. As they 
 cast their crowns before the Lamb, they will ever 
 praise him through whose grace this faithful 
 teacher was seht to tell them the glad tidings of 
 the love of that Saviour whose cross he so ear- 
 nestly preached." 
 
OUR LAST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 455 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 OUR LAST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 
 
 It is very distasteful to me to make such 
 frequent allusions to myself, my work, or my 
 health; but in a truthful narrative of our life 
 in China this could not be avoided. 
 
 In a letter to a dear sympathizing sister, 
 dated the fifteenth of August, 1863, I wrote, as 
 follows : " Dinner is over. Mr. Nevius is in his 
 study commencing his afternoon's work, which, 
 at present, is preparing a Commentary on Acts. 
 Mrs. Rankin is in her room, and her children 
 are at play, while I am chatting with my far- 
 off sister. Were we together I should most 
 naturally tell you in the first place about my 
 health, which, however, is, by this time, such 
 a worn-out subject that I fear you are tired of 
 hearing it mentioned ; still I trust to your for- 
 bearance. I have been very poorly all summer; 
 in fact, much of the time ill enough to be in bed. 
 I do not suppose I have been able to speak aloud, 
 
456 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 on a average, one week out of four during the 
 last three or four months." [Here follows an 
 enumeration of various ailments, which, though 
 possibly interesting in a sense to a near relative, 
 
 I am sure would not be so to others] . ' l J 
 
 is sure that one reason why I don't get stronger 
 is that I undertake more than my strength 
 is equal to ; ' making an effort to appear well 
 when I am ill,' etc. But I think that I could 
 scarcely live in such a place as Tung-chow 
 without I felt a true interest in our work, and 
 made some effort to help it along. Perhaps I 
 ought to identify myself so completely with my 
 husband as to be satisfied with his work with- 
 out attempting any other myself. But that is 
 a point of perfection to which I have not yet 
 attained. 
 
 " The McCartees returned to their home 
 week before last. I received a note from Mrs. 
 McCartee to-day, in which she says : ' I am 
 much concerned that you are getting to feel old. 
 Don't stay at home any longer and entertain 
 " all the world." Suppose you come down here. 
 .... I think Mr. Nevius must not wait until 
 he has finished this, that, and the other. I have 
 noticed that so many people here have died 
 when their translation, or publication, or die- 
 
I 
 
 OUR LAST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 457 
 
 tionary, or house, was just completed, that I am 
 half superstitious.' 
 
 " Dr. McCartee also advises us very strongly 
 
 to go away somewhere for a change. J 
 
 sometimes of late speaks of our return to the 
 United States within a year or two as quite 
 possible. I cannot endure the thought of taking 
 him away from his work. Rather than that I 
 should prefer to stay here, even if I do not 
 recover. 
 
 " At the end of two, or, at the most, three 
 years I think I should be more than willing to 
 leave China for a long visit home ; for, by that 
 
 time, J will have completed his Theology, 
 
 and other work which he has planned, and will 
 himself need a long rest. But do not think from 
 this that we are likely to come home very soon. 
 It is much more probable that we shall take 
 a trip somewhere down the coast. The captain 
 of a sailing vessel, now at Yentai, has offered us 
 a free passage to Amoy. He will sail about two 
 months hence, and it is possible that we may 
 accept his kind offer. If I were well I should 
 enjoy such a visit very much ; but as I now am, 
 especially with my voice so weak and uncertain, 
 I dread going among strangers." 
 
 On the twentieth of the same month, I made 
 

 458 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 an entry in a letter to my parents, of a very 
 different character, as follows : ' ' We have had 
 a great freshet. It rained all day yesterday. 
 At sunset there seemed some signs of clearing, 
 but in the evening it began again to pour. Our 
 rooms leaked badly, and at ten o'clock Mr. 
 Nevius was hard at work moving boxes and 
 furniture to prevent their getting wet. 
 
 " Between eleven and twelve we heard a 
 great uproar in the school-girls' room, and, start- 
 ing out to learn the cause, found even the inner 
 court flooded with water, which already covered 
 the lower steps of our veranda, and was several 
 inches deep on the one in front of Mrs. Rankin's 
 room, which is considerably lower than ours. 
 
 " The women and school-girls came rushing 
 into our part of the temple to find a safe retreat, 
 the water in their rooms being already over 
 their beds, or kangs. Some waded, and some 
 were carried by the men, and all were in a great 
 state of excitement. Mrs. Chang, the teacher's 
 wife, seemed to blame her husband, though for 
 what it was hard to tell ; ' Chang sin-san< 
 kept saying, "Lie still; go to sleep; don't be 
 afraid ; there is no danger ; ' ' but I knew better, 
 and I told him so,' she exclaimed, in a most 
 injured tone. 
 

 OUR LAST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 459 
 
 " Little Hyiang-yuing was in dismay when 
 she remembered that her pet. a tame ground- 
 mouse, had been left behind to the imminent 
 peril of its life. So her father, very kindly, 
 went back to her sleeping apartment, and res- 
 cued it. 
 
 "The water continuing to rise, Mr. Nevius 
 and one of the men waded over to Mrs. Rankin's 
 room to prevent damage there. Before they had 
 things properly arranged, in came the water, 
 oozing up through the floor, and pouring over 
 the door-sill. At the same moment it entered 
 the dining-room. When Mr. Nevius crossed over 
 there to lift to a safe elevation some trunks and 
 boxes, which, for want of a store-room, I was 
 obliged to keep there, he heard a voice calling, 
 Nee sin-sang ! Nee sin-sang ! from the garden 
 without. It proved to be a neighbor, who, with 
 her little son, had made her way through the 
 fields behind our house in order to reach the 
 Kwan-yin tang. As the water, in the outer 
 court and passages, was then too deep to allow 
 her to come through in that way, Mr. Nevius 
 drew her up through a window seven or eight 
 feet from the ground. 
 
 " There is a stream in front of our house 
 which is often quite dry, but in heavy rains it 
 
460 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 rises very suddenly. Last night it was a rush- 
 ing torrent. Mr. Nevius was anxious to get out 
 to look after an old woman who lives in one of 
 the neighboring houses, and also to see if he 
 could not render assistance to others who might 
 be in danger; but he was met by so swift a 
 current as nearly to carry him off, and was 
 glad enough to find himself safely back in our 
 own enclosure. 
 
 " The water was at its greatest height at mid- 
 night. By that time the roof of the Kwan- 
 yin tang was leaking in every room, particu- 
 larly in the main building, where are our parlor 
 and bedroom. Nearly half the ceiling has 
 fallen off, or is still hanging in tattered shreds. 
 The water abated as rapidly as it rose, and, in 
 a few hours, the courts were empty. As the 
 flood subsided, it left a residuum very hard to 
 remove, both in the house and in the courts. 
 Every matting has been taken up. The floor, 
 in the girls' school-room, and, also in the chapel 
 caved in, and two partition-walls and several 
 doors had to be pulled down, as they were on 
 the point of falling. Part of the stable-wall fell 
 during the night almost upon the horses. Such 
 a wet house as ours is to-day I am sure you 
 never saw. Two of Mrs. Rankin's boxes, 
 

 OUR LAST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 4Q1 
 
 which stood in the veranda, she did not remem- 
 ber until the water had reached them, and many 
 articles which they contained are badly soaked 
 and injured. Several boxes of mine will also 
 retain some disagreeable traces of this little 
 deluge." 
 
 The day after the one on which the above was 
 written, Mrs. Rankin and I had a most provi- 
 dential escape. We were returning from the 
 garden, and had just come through a narrow 
 passage-way, when a high wall, which formed one 
 side of it, fell, in a heavy mass, which must 
 certainly have crushed us had we been be- 
 neath it. 
 
 Much damage was done in certain parts of 
 the city by the flood. It caused great distress 
 among the poor, and several lives were lost. A 
 water-gate, where the stream passed under the 
 city wall, had, very carelessly, been left closed, 
 and thus, when the water rose, not finding its 
 usual egress, it spread abroad over that region 
 of the city near its banks. 
 
 The walls of our house were so thoroughly soaked 
 that it was months before they were perfectly dry. 
 This, in a damp climate like Ningpo, would have 
 rendered the place very unhealthy ; but I do not 
 know that it had that effect in Tung-chow. 
 
462 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 About the first of September the Rev. Mr. 
 Moule, of the English Church mission at Ning- 
 po, paid us a short but pleasant visit. When ho 
 left, Mrs. Rankin accompanied him back to 
 Yentai, where she remained with her sister, Mrs. 
 McCartee, for several months. I felt her absence 
 very much. The scenes of joy and sorrow 
 which we had passed through together had drawn 
 us very near each other. 
 
 There was an incident, connected with the lat- 
 ter part of our stay in Tung-chow, which I have 
 failed to mention in its order of time. Indeed, I 
 cannot remember just when it occurred, but think 
 it was in the autumn of 1862. The main build- 
 ing of the Kwan-yin tang, as I have before men- 
 tioned, contained several large idols, standing on 
 a raised platform in the middle of the back part 
 of the room. Owing to the prejudices of the 
 people, and the danger of making a disturbance 
 in the city, it was not thought advisable, when 
 we first engaged the house, even to suggest their 
 removal ; but, as we could not endure to have 
 them constantly in sight, they were walled in 
 with brick and mortar. A stranger would not 
 have guessed their presence, and we would 
 seldom have thought of them except that we 
 needed the space they occupied, for the house was 
 
OUR LAST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 463 
 
 small, and had no closets nor clothes-presses. At 
 length, after two years had passed, we concluded 
 that we might anticipate the time somewhat when 
 the " idols shall be abolished," by removing 
 ours and consigning them to some place where 
 they would be less in our way. The priest, who 
 owned the temple, at first was averse to the 
 change, but when reminded that, by the terms of 
 the lease, the Kwan-yin tang would probably 
 never revert to its original purposes, and conse- 
 quently the images would be of no further use, 
 he withdrew his objections so far as to say that 
 Mr. Nevius might do as he pleased ; he would 
 take no responsibility in the matter. Not know- 
 ing what effect this step might produce upon the 
 people, we proceeded cautiously, but at length 
 determined that there was no good reason why 
 we should not at once undertake it. A company 
 of masons were employed in another part of the 
 establishment, and Mr. Nevius called them in 
 and requested them to commence the work of re- 
 moving the goddess and her attendants, the outer 
 doors having been carefully closed to prevent the 
 entrance of intruders. It struck the masons as 
 sacrilegious, and several were afraid and unwill- 
 ing to attempt it. The overseer, a respectable 
 elderly man, in particular appeared much discon- 
 
464 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 certed. He shook his head disapprovingly, and 
 was evidently annoyed ; while his son, a youth 
 of about nineteen, seemed to have so little fear 
 or respect for the gods, or the customs of his peo- 
 ple, as to consider the undertaking very good 
 fun, and he at once commenced breaking down 
 the outside wall in front of the shrine. Seeing 
 there was no help for them, the others all joined, 
 and in a few moments the three figures, brilliant 
 in gilt and paint, appeared in view. Then came 
 the more difficult task of taking down the images. 
 They were found to be very solid, the frame of 
 wood imbedded in the pedestal, so that they could 
 not be removed without somewhat injuring them. 
 The middle one, a huge male figure, weighing, 
 perhaps, six or eight hundred pounds, was at 
 length dislodged, and slid down an inclined plane 
 formed by a plank resting one end on the plat- 
 form and the other in the window of the inner 
 court. The other two figures were females, and 
 somewhat smaller. One had a baby in her 
 arms. As one after another they were slid 
 down the plank, a finger or a hand would break 
 loose and fall off, which struck the young mason 
 in a comical light, and he was unsparing in his 
 sarcastic remarks about the power of the gods, 
 who allowed themselves to be thus uncere* 
 
OUR LAST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 465 
 
 moniously dethroned. Mr. Nevius had prom- 
 ised to injure the idols as little as possible, and 
 to store them in a small loft over one of the 
 rooms. The two female figures were, with much 
 difficulty, elevated to their place of storage, but 
 the other was so heavy that, by common consent, 
 it was decided that it would be dangerous to at- 
 tempt to raise it ; besides, it was so large that it 
 could scarcely be passed through the trap-door, 
 even if the timbers should prove strong enough 
 to support it. It was already nearly dark ; some- 
 thing must be done with the unwieldy creature ; 
 so we decided that we could not do better than 
 to bury him in the court. A large hole was dug, 
 a matting wound round him, and he was low- 
 ered to his ignominious grave, — 
 
 Not a gun was heard, nor a funeral note, 
 As Kwan-yin from his platform we hurried; 
 
 Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot 
 O'er the hole where this image was buried. 
 
 Slowly, not sadly, we laid him down, 
 
 This hero of many a story; 
 We carved not a line, we raised not a stone, 
 
 Rut left him alone in his glory. 
 
 No useless coffin enclosed his breast, 
 
 Nor in sheet nor in shroud we bound him; 
 
 Rut he lay like a warrior, taking his rest, 
 With an old mat wrapped around him. 
 30 
 
466 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 " What a powerful god! " the young mason said, 
 
 But none whispered a word of sorrow; 
 Though some viewed the deed with no little dread, 
 
 And we anxiously thought of the morrow. 
 
 But there was, we were glad to find, no special 
 cause for anxiety, as the affair created no excite- 
 ment whatever. 
 
 During the month of September, I was not a 
 little tried by two persons in whom I was deeply 
 interested. My oldest pupil, Tsing-hyiang, ex- 
 hibited a very untractable disposition, and gave 
 me much anxiety, lest our hopes of her being a 
 truly converted person might prove unfound- 
 ed. My former ah-m — Tsu sao-sao — also 
 evinced an unlovely and, I feared, unchristian 
 spirit, toward a woman named Li sao-sao, whom 
 I had taken into my employ as a servant. I 
 think, on looking back to that time, that with 
 reference to both these persons I did not suffi- 
 ciently bear in mind the fact that sanctification 
 in many true believers is indeed only com- 
 menced, while the most unlovely traits of poor 
 human nature are too often allowed to exhibit 
 themselves with alarming frequency and inten- 
 sity. There was nothing that I could fix upon 
 as an evidence of hypocrisy or of positive un- 
 fitness for church communion ; or rather, there 
 
OUR LAST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 467 
 
 was nothing in either more reprehensible than I 
 have witnessed in professing Christians in this 
 country whose standing in the church is unques- 
 tioned. Tsu sao-sao was frequently censorious ; 
 she was also unjust in her opinion of those she 
 fancied had usurped her place in my affections ; 
 and in some other respects I did not feel quite 
 satisfied with her. 
 
 The woman Li sao-sao, alluded to above, was 
 in some respects a very interesting person. She 
 was a plain country woman of the poorer class, but 
 had a good mind and more than ordinary common 
 sense. When she first came to me she had very 
 confused religious ideas. I do not think she had 
 ever given much thought to the subject. Most 
 Chinese women are ready to acknowledge that 
 they are sinners ; but Li sao-sao, when I in- 
 quired her opinion of herself in that particular, 
 told me frankly that she did not think she was a 
 sinner ; on the contrary, she considered herself a 
 very harmless, good sort of person. She was 
 not in the habit of lying or stealing : she did not 
 wish ill to any one ; so far as she could see, 
 there was nothing in her of a reprehensible 
 nature. When I suggested certain offences, such 
 as anger, pride, etc., of which every one, I 
 thought, was more or less guilty, she did not 
 
468 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 deny having indulged in them, but so had every 
 one else, and she not more than others : therefore 
 there was no sin in them. However, if I said 
 they were wrong, she supposed they must be. I 
 noticed that from this time she became very 
 thoughtful, and was evidently reflecting upon 
 what she had heard ; and it was not I0112; before 
 she made the discovery that her heart, which she 
 had before supposed so delightfully pure, had a 
 strange propensity to do the things she would 
 not ; while the things she would, she found her- 
 self totally unable to perform. I heard nothing 
 more of her blameless life and meritorious deeds. 
 She had found her need of Jesus, and I think 
 she sincerely and gladly accepted his offer of 
 pardon and salvation. 
 
 After I became too unwell to go out among 
 the women, I sent Li sao-sao daily ; and had 
 much comfort in feeling that she was, perhaps, 
 able to do quite as much good as I could have 
 done, had I gone in her stead. 
 
 We had but few visitors at that time, the 
 effect of the injurious reports relating to us, 
 which I have already mentioned, not yet having 
 worn off. 
 
 Early in September, Mr. and Mrs. Roberts, 
 from Shanghai, visited Tung-chow in the hope 
 

 OUR LAST SUMMER AT TUNG-CHOW. 469 
 
 of benefiting their little daughter, who was ill. 
 In this they were sadly disappointed, for their 
 baby died a few hours after their arrival. The 
 next evening, at sunset, we made the little grave 
 on the hill by the sea-side. Dr. McCartee had 
 accompanied the Robertses to Tung-chow, having 
 been summoned hither by illness in one of the 
 mission families. Sixty miles in a mule-litter, 
 or on horseback, is a long distance for a doctor's 
 professional ride, or for a patient to be carried, 
 as has several times been necessary in order to 
 secure his services. These journeys were a 
 great tax upon Dr. McCartee's strength and 
 kindness; but, under the circumstances, they 
 seemed unavoidable. 
 

 470 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 SOJOURN AT NINGPO. — MODES OF PREPARING 
 TEA FOR MARKET. 
 
 On the twenty-first of September we received 
 a letter from Dr. McCartee, informing us that 
 two vessels at Yentai were on the point of sail- 
 ing, the one for Hong-kong, the other for Amoy, 
 in both of whicfy we were kindly offered a pas- 
 sage down the coast. He urged our accepting 
 the invitation of one or the other, and without 
 delay trying the effect of change and rest upon 
 my health. 
 
 After consulting with the other missionaries, 
 and having earnestly asked direction from Him 
 who so often, in our lives, had verified the 
 promise, " In all thy ways acknowledge Him, 
 and He shall direct thy paths," we decided to 
 start the next morning for Yentai. 
 
 After a few hours of busy preparations, in 
 which we were assisted by our friends, both 
 
 i 
 

 SOJOURN AT NINGPO. 471 
 
 foreign and native, we bade good-by to Tung- 
 chow. We expected to be gone only a month 
 or two, but, notwithstanding this, our Chinese 
 friends, especially the girls and the women, 
 seemed to feel our going very much, and many 
 tears were shed. 
 
 We left home at nine o'clock in the morning, 
 I in a shen-tz or mule-litter, and Mr. Nevius 
 on horseback. By seven at evening we reached 
 Sing-tien, the village where we stopped on our 
 first journey to Tung-chow. The inn seemed 
 forbidding in the last degree, and the air was so 
 stifling that my lungs almost refused to breathe 
 it. I was greatly relieved when Mr. Nevius sug- 
 gested continuing our journey by night. He left 
 his horse, and mounted a donkey which knew 
 the road so perfectly as to be quite capable of 
 acting as our guide. The owner of the don- 
 key assured us that if we would allow it to have 
 its own way we need have no fear of losing the 
 road ; and so, through all the hours of that 
 dark night, we followed our wise little leader up 
 hill and down, through fields and over streams, 
 in narrow, rocky, and precipitous paths ; some- 
 times on the edge of chasms and precipices, 
 without ever one mistake. Brave little donkey ! 
 so patient and watchful. I slept occasionally, 
 

 472 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 notwithstanding the jolting, and was certainly 
 not more fatigued than if we had passed the 
 night in that miserable inn. Mr. Nevius, how- 
 ever, was completely tired out. At four o'clock, 
 just at daybreak, we forde<l a small river. I 
 enjoyed the strangeness, almost grotesqueness, 
 of our night journey ; but I do not think I 
 should recommend it to persons generally, espec- 
 ially invalids. I found myself so prostrated as 
 to be obliged to keep my bed most of the time 
 for days afterwards. 
 
 We reached the McCartees at six o'clock, and 
 were glad to find our friends all well. Neither 
 of the vessels was to sail for several days : so we 
 need not have hastened our leaving Tung-chow 
 as we did. 
 
 It was decided that for several reasons it 
 would be best for us to accept the invitation of 
 Capt. King, of the "Agnes," whose wife, a very 
 agreeable American lady, was with him. They 
 were exceedingly kind and hospitable, and, had 
 it not been for sea-sickness and ill health, the 
 voyage would have been a very pleasant one. 
 
 The records of the journey ings of an invalid 
 in search of health are not often very entertain- 
 ing, and I shall not presume upon the patience 
 of my readers by giving my experience at much 
 
SOJOURN AT NINGPO. 473 
 
 length. We spent several weeks at Amoy, 
 where we were most hospitably entertained by 
 Mr. and Mrs. Cowie, of the English Presbyte- 
 rian Mission, and received many kindnesses from 
 other missionaries, both English and American. 
 An excellent physician, who was called in to see 
 me soon after our arrival, took a discouraging 
 view of my health, and urged us to give up our 
 intention of remaining longer in China, and 
 return to the United States immediately. I 
 did not improve as I had hoped from the change 
 of scene and air ; but we did not feel prepared 
 to decide at once to leave China. 
 
 As you enter the harbor, Amoy presents a 
 beautiful appearance. Most of the foreign resi- 
 dents live on a small, rocky island called Ku- 
 long-su, and as every one has chosen as high and 
 airy a building site as possible, and as the houses 
 are usually large, when seen from the bay they 
 show to good advantage. Amoy is also an 
 island. The town itself is the most miserable 
 Chinese city I ever saw. The streets are narrow 
 and filthy. The American missionaries all re- 
 sided on the Amoy side, but their houses were 
 not considered healthy ; indeed, they could not 
 have been so in such an unfavorable location. 
 
 The missions at Amoy have been, in some 
 
474 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 respects, more favored than any others in the 
 country. They have large, self-sustaining 
 churches, and Christianity has taken deep hold 
 there. Mr. Nevius was glad to have the oppor- 
 tunity of familiarizing himself with their mode 
 of operations, and of witnessing its results. He 
 visited the churches in the city, and also accom- 
 panied some of the missionaries to their distant 
 out-stations. 
 
 After leaving Amoy, we spent a few days in 
 Hong-kong. where we were the guests of my 
 old friend Mr. Speiden. From there we went 
 to Canton. Mr. Preston, of our mission, was a 
 classmate of my husband in Princeton ; he went 
 to China shortly after we did, and it was delight- 
 ful for them to meet again after their ten years' 
 separation. 
 
 Canton is a beautiful city, very large and 
 well built, superior to any Chinese town I had 
 before visited, except Hang-chow, as it was be- 
 fore the rebels captured it. Although foreign- 
 ers have resided for many years in the suburbs 
 of Canton, it is only recently that the city prop- 
 er has been opened. Formerly, no "outside 
 barbarian" dared to venture within the gates; 
 well knowing that he would probably lose his 
 head, in consequence of his temerity, should he 
 
SOJOURN AT NINGPO. 475 
 
 attempt it. Now there seems no difference in 
 that respect between this and other cities. 
 
 Although it has not, thus far, proved a very 
 successful mission-station, there have been, of 
 late years, some more encouraging indications. 
 Mr. Nevius was particularly pleased with Mr. 
 Preston's chapel services, which were well at- 
 tended by a very respectable class of persons, 
 while Mr. Preston entered into his work with 
 unusual heartiness and spirit. 
 
 The boarding-schools of Mrs. Bonny and 
 Mrs. Happer interested me greatly. The latter 
 had been in China since she was a child, and 
 was, consequently, not only perfectly at home 
 in the language, but also in the manners and 
 habits of the people; and her influence over 
 them was very great. Her school I thought a 
 model for all others, at least in many respects. 
 I noticed, with particular pleasure, the attention 
 she paid to the manners of her pupils, never 
 allowing them to transgress their own rules of 
 propriety, or to fall into habits which would 
 be considered rude among their own country- 
 women. Her influence over them religiously 
 was also very great. She entered into their 
 joys and sorrows, trials and temptations, in 
 a most natural and interested way; and they 
 
476 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 felt that in her they had a faithful, loving 
 friend. 
 
 Another lady whose acquaintance I made on 
 that visit was Mrs. Condit, who was loved and 
 admired by every one. She was a devoted 
 missionary, and had made excellent progress 
 in the language, both written and spoken ; and 
 by her winning manners was particularly fitted 
 to be useful among Chinese females. 
 
 Within a year or two after our visit, both 
 of these ladies, so loved and useful, were 
 removed by death. 
 
 Among the most valuable agencies of the 
 Canton Mission has been the hospital, for many 
 years under the judicious management of Dr. 
 Ker. I am sure his- faithful and laborious 
 efforts in connection with it must yet meet with 
 an abundant reward. 
 
 We spent two or three weeks with our 
 friends in Canton, the pleasure of the visit 
 marred only by my poor health, which made 
 even the privilege of meeting persons whose 
 acquaintance I was so glad to form, a very 
 weariness. 
 
 In the latter part of December we sailed for 
 Shanghai in an American steamer called the 
 Foh-kien. Her accommodations were ample, and 
 

 SOJOURN AT NINGPO. 477 
 
 the most bountiful provisions were made for the 
 table, which, however, was very poorly patron- 
 ized; for we sailed against a heavy monsoon, 
 and the motion of the vessel was such as to 
 produce sea-sickness of the worst character. I 
 was ill nearly all the way, being seldom able to 
 leave my berth. It was a welcome relief when 
 we stopped a few hours at Fuchow. This also 
 gave us a glimpse of the pleasant circle of mis- 
 sionaries there, who, as elsewhere, were hard 
 and successfully at work. At that time their 
 prospects seemed encouraging, but a few weeks 
 later there was a singular outburst of feeling 
 against them, a furious mob quite demolishing 
 their churches, and ill-treating the native Chris- 
 tians. 
 
 We reached Shanghai on the fourth of De- 
 cember, and went at once to the house of Mr. 
 Gamble, my fellow-passenger from the United 
 States, in the N. B. Palmer, seven years be- 
 fore. He was occupying rooms over a church 
 situated in a busy street outside the city walls, 
 and also somewhat removed from the foreign 
 settlement. There being scarcely any native 
 families near, it was rather an unpromising 
 location for missionary work, at least among the 
 women; but as our host was still a bachelor, 
 
478 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 this mattered less. Close to the church was 
 the press where Mr. Gamble kept a large corps 
 of Chinese workmen employed in printing the 
 Scriptures and religious books for missiona- 
 ries all over China, besides other miscellaneous 
 work. 
 
 While at Shanghai, the late Dr. Henderson, 
 a highly valued Scotch physician, advised us so 
 strongly to return to the United States, and 
 warned us so earnestly of the danger of a long 
 delay, that we scarcely felt at liberty to further 
 discuss the matter, though it would have been 
 Mr. Nevius' preference, as well as my own, to 
 remain at least a year or two longer in China. 
 
 A day or two after our arrival, Mr. Gamble 
 had the pleasure of welcoming a much-loved 
 sister from Ireland, who had come to cheer the 
 home and heart of her missionary brother. And 
 a few days later a welcome reinforcement of the 
 Tung-chow mission, Mr. and Mrs. Mateer, and 
 Mr. and Mrs. Corbett, arrived from the United 
 States. Mr. Corbett was very unwell when he 
 reached Shanghai, his illness being apparently 
 due to the miserable diet furnished them on 
 ship-board. 
 
 We hoped their dangers by sea were over 
 when they had reached Shanghai, but shortly 
 

 SOJOURN AT NINGPO. 479 
 
 before they arrived at Che-foo, the steamer on 
 which they had taken pas-sage ran aground, and 
 the . passengers were obliged to go on shore. 
 They walked for many hours, through snow 
 and sleet, before they found a place of shelter. 
 Then they were received by a Chinese family, 
 who treated them very kindly, giving up their 
 own hangs for them to rest upon, and offering 
 such food as their house afforded. A gun-boat 
 went down the next day from Che-foo, and 
 brought them all in safety to their journey's 
 end, at least to Che-foo. Their long overland 
 trip to Tung-chow had still to be made. 
 
 When the question of our return home had 
 been decided, Mr. Nevius concluded to go at 
 once to Ningpo, in order to secure the aid of 
 trained native scholars to assist him in finishing 
 and revising different* works for the press. He 
 felt that he could not leave the country without 
 accomplishing this object, as doing so might in- 
 volve the loss of years of hard labor. 
 
 We arrived at Ningpo about the first of the 
 year 1864. It was both pleasant and sad to be 
 there again. Sometimes the weight of old asso- 
 ciations was really oppressive ; and we constantly 
 missed the dear familiar faces which used to 
 make Ningpo such a cheerful, happy place. 
 
480 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 Our mission at that time consisted of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Green, Mr. and Mrs. Morrison, and Mr. 
 .Dodd. It seemed strange to find ourselves such 
 "patriarchs." With one exception, there was 
 not a missionary at Ningpo who was there on 
 our arrival ten years before. Some had removed 
 to other parts of China, or returned to their 
 native countries, but many had died from the 
 effects of climate or overwork, or more probably 
 from both causes combined, as was the case with 
 Mr. Rankin. 
 
 The native Christians met us with hearty and 
 affectionate welcomes, and were evidently much 
 rejoiced to meet their old friend and pastor 
 " Nee sin-sang " again. 
 
 The three months which we spent at Ningpo 
 at that time, though they afforded very little of 
 general interest in a narrative, were a busy and 
 interesting season to us. I was not sure but 
 that, having for so long been accustomed to 
 speaking only Mandarin, our Ningpo might be 
 rusty ; but we found no difficulty whatever in 
 that respect. 
 
 My husband at once commenced work, assisting 
 wherever his services were most required in the 
 ordinary employments of the mission. Mr. 
 Green and Mr. Morrison were both only partially 
 
SOJOURN AT NINGPO. 481 
 
 recovered from long and dangerous illnesses; 
 while the duties which necessarily devolved upon 
 them were extremely arduous. 
 
 Shortly after reaching Ningpo, Mr. Nevius 
 went with Mr. Dodd to Bao-ko-tah, the nearest 
 out-station, where he preached and administered 
 the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. At the 
 close of the service a woman came to them with 
 a singular case of conscience. She wished to 
 know whether it was right to think of Jesus 
 after she had gone to bed at night. She said 
 that by the worshippers of Veh it was con- 
 sidered wrong to think of him at that time. 
 She also asked, whether, in case she really had 
 no leisure for prayer in the morning, it would 
 answer as well to say two prayers at night. 
 
 Mr. Nevius and Mr. Dodd made several 
 visits to the San-poh stations, where they were 
 delighted to find affairs in a most prosperous 
 condition. On one of these visits they assisted 
 in ordaining Mr. Zia to the office of the minis- 
 try, and installing him pastor of one of the 
 churches ; and in ordaining Kying Ling-yiu as 
 an evangelist. 
 
 At a meeting of the Ningpo Presbytery, of 
 which Mr. Nevius was still a member, six can- 
 didates — all, with one exception, graduates from 
 
 31 
 
482 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 the school — were licensed to preach the gospel. 
 This was a very important measure, and has 
 been fraught with the happiest results. Presby- 
 terianism, as it seems to me, is wonderfully 
 adapted to the wants of mission fields. Its form 
 of government is so strong yet flexible, and 
 suited to the emergencies of Christianity in its 
 infancy ; its doctrines are so sound and whole- 
 some, and its practices so scriptural, that it is 
 suited to the wants of the church, not less when 
 she is coming up from the wilderness of heathen 
 error, than in the lands where Christianity has 
 already, in a measure, performed her purifying 
 and ennobling work. 
 
 As I was too unwell, while at Ningpo, to at- 
 tempt missionary labor myself, I was glad to be 
 able to do something by proxy. I was very 
 anxious to interest our converts, who had been 
 trained in the girls' boarding-school, in the same 
 kind of work in which I. and my imperfectly 
 instructed women in Tung-chow, had been en- 
 gaged. I was so fortunate as to secure the ser- 
 vices of two young women who had some years 
 before completed their education in the school. 
 One of them was Kying-lan, the wife of the 
 Elder and native assistant Yi Loh-ding, who was 
 carried off by the rebels. No tidings have ever 
 
SOJOURN AT NINGPO. 483 
 
 been received from him, and it is supposed that 
 he is dead. Kying-lan had not been considered, 
 in all respects, suited to this new employment, 
 but I was pleasantly disappointed in her. She 
 was systematic and industrious, and her heart 
 seemed in her work. The other, Siu-vong, was 
 a cheerful, kind-hearted person, with hearty, 
 cordial manners, well adapted to making friends. 
 Her husband was a heathen, but he had much 
 respect and affection for his Christian wife. 
 
 Siu-vong and Kying-lan sometimes went to- 
 gether, and at other times alone, in their visits 
 among the women. They seldom met with 
 rudeness or ill-treatment. I gave them the re- 
 sult of my experience in that kind of work, and 
 at first used to direct very explicitly what they 
 should say, what answers to make to certain ob- 
 jections which they would be likely to meet, etc., 
 etc. But I gradually gained confidence in them, 
 as I found they were very discreet, and succeeded 
 well in their new and difficult undertaking. 
 They came to me every evening, when from their 
 lips .1 made a journal of their day's work, noting 
 down just where they had been, whom they had 
 met, and sometimes long conversations which they 
 had held. I could do this, though I was seldom 
 able to speak except in a whisper. It was as 
 

 484 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 much for their sakes as my own, as it gave me 
 an opportunity of imparting instruction, if they 
 needed it, and also encouragement if they seemed 
 at all disheartened. I have those journals still, 
 but as they resemble very much my own of a 
 similar nature, I will not insert them. After I 
 left Ningpo, Mrs. Green kindly took charge of 
 this work, but Siu-vong's husband, not very 
 long after, objected to her continuing it, and she 
 was obliged to give, it up. 
 
 On my return to China I hope to be able to 
 do much, not only myself, but in engaging our 
 native Christian women in this department of 
 labor. The experiment has been tried by vari- 
 ous missionary ladies who have " Bible women/' 
 as they are sometimes called, under their super- 
 intendence ; and has been found to succeed well. 
 
 I know of no other way in which Chinese 
 women, in the seclusion of their homes, can be 
 reached. Either foreign or native women must 
 go to them with the "good news " of salvation, 
 or the great majority can never hear it. 
 
 I was much interested in Mrs. Morrison's in- 
 dustrial classes, which she was about commenc- 
 ing at that time. Once or twice a week she 
 would gather the women of a certain locality 
 together for an hour or two, paying them a 
 
SOJOURN AT NINGPO. 485 
 
 small sum, perhaps about two cents, for the time. 
 While they sewed, she, or a native Christian, 
 would read to, or converse with them; giving 
 such instruction as they needed, in the rudiments 
 of Christianity. The plan seemed to work well, 
 and I think was adopted in other places also. 
 It, of course, is suited only to women of the 
 poorer class. 
 
 Mr. Nevius took advantage of every leisure 
 moment during this sojourn at Ningpo, to hasten 
 forward the completion of his books, having sev- 
 eral teachers and scribes constantly occupied. 
 He worked night and day, now with one, now 
 with another, and had the satisfaction of crowd- 
 ing into a short space of time the work which 
 ought properly to have occupied a much longer 
 period. It seemed necessary ; but the effort was 
 too much for him, and his health suffered in con- 
 sequence for nearly a year after. 
 
 While at Ningpo I could make but few visits 
 of any kind, but I occasionally went out to see 
 an old friend. I went again to find my ah-m, 
 Yiang-ko siao-yi, who, as I mentioned in a 
 former chapter, had become insane. I was 
 shown to the door of her room, which she always 
 kept closed and bolted. It was thought doubt- 
 ful whether she would open it, but when told 
 
486 OUR LIFK IN CHINA. 
 
 that it was I, she allowed me to enter. She was 
 the saddest creature I ever saw, and it appeared 
 to me that her mental derangement was un- 
 doubtedly a species of religious melancholy. 
 While I was with her she constantly repeated 
 the words j " Kyiufeh Ice, ! Kyiufeh 1<b!" " I 
 cannot be saved ! I cannot be saved." She 
 seemed pleased to see me, but I left her with a 
 heavy heart, her case appearbxl so hopeless. 
 Her friends said that she often urged them to 
 repent of their sins and believe in Jesus, even 
 while for herself she felt there was no hope 
 whatever. 
 
 One day, in the latter part of March, Mr. 
 Nevius and myself visited an extensive estab- 
 lishment where tea is prepared for the foreign 
 market. We had often witnessed the process of 
 tea-picking on the hills in the vicinity of Ning- 
 po, where it grows in large quantities ; but we 
 had never given much attention to the final 
 processes necessary to fit it for exportation to 
 distant lands. That used by the natives is pre- 
 pared in a more simple way. We found in this 
 establishment eight or ten long ranges, each 
 with twelve or more deep, iron pans, with appa- 
 ratus for heating them underneath. In these 
 pans the leaves, after having been carefully 
 
MODES OF PREPARING TEA. 487 
 
 assorted and wilted, are heated over a slow fire, 
 a man standing by, who, with the palm of his 
 hand, lightly stirs the whole with an even rotary 
 motion. In answer to our questions, a man con- 
 nected with this establishment gave us a good 
 deal of information upon this subject, which, by 
 the way, I find interests many people who pro- 
 fess entire indifference to most other matters 
 connected with China and the Chinese race. I 
 wish, for the sake of such, that I were more au 
 fait in the subject. From all which I have 
 been able to learn, I think there can be no doubt 
 that both black and green teas can be made from 
 the same plant, by varying the mode of preparation 
 and the time of gathering it. The young and 
 tender leaves are much valued by the natives, 
 who invariably drink their tea without either 
 milk or sugar ; but that variety, I think, would 
 not be a favorite in Western lands. It is nearly 
 colorless, and has a very delicate flavor. It is 
 very expensive even in China. The Chinese 
 never boil their tea, as is common in this country. 
 They make an infusion of it by pouring boiling 
 water upon the leaves, allowing it to stand a few 
 moments before it is used. It is usually made 
 in the cups from which it is drunk. A small 
 quantity of leaves having been placed in the 
 
488 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 bottom, the cup is filled with boiling water, and 
 the saucer is placed over the top while it "draws.' 7 
 Davis, in his work on China, says, " The speci- 
 mens brought from the black and green tea 
 countries differ slightly in the leaf; the latter 
 being a thinner leaf, rather lighter in color and 
 longer in shape than the other. But, besides 
 this, the great difference in the preparation con- 
 tributes to mark the distinctions between the two 
 kinds of the manufactured article ; for the 
 Chinese themselves acknowledge that either 
 black or green tea may be prepared from any 
 tea plant. The green teas are less subjected to 
 the action of fire than the black, and therefore 
 retain more of their original color ; but they are 
 at the same time infinitely more liable to suffer 
 from time and damp. If the two kinds of tea- 
 leaves are examined after having been expanded 
 in hot water, it will be observed that the black 
 contain the stems of the leaves as well as a por- 
 tion of the stalks on which they grew, while the 
 hyson (green) leaves have generally been pinched 
 off above the leaf-stem. The black tea thus 
 contains much of the woodv fibre, while the 
 fine green is exclusively the fleshy part of the 
 leaf itself, which is one good reason why it 
 should be dearer." We were also told, at that 
 

 MODES OF PREPARING TEA. 489 
 
 establishment in Ningpo, that a foreign coloring 
 ingredient is usually introduced into the green 
 teas to improve their color, but that it is in very 
 minute quantities and of a harmless character. 
 I suppose there is no doubt that " Prussian 
 blue,'' which is certainly far from being innox- 
 ious, has sometimes been employed ; but it must 
 have been in very small quantities. Gypsum, 
 and I think indigo also, have sometimes been 
 used to improve the color, if not the quality, 
 of our favorite beverage. 
 
 Americans have the credit of bringing about 
 this bad habit of coloring the teas. It is said 
 that years ago, when foreign trade was princi- 
 pally with Canton, the supply of green teas, 
 which alone were desired in the American mar- 
 ket, was altogether insufficient to meet the 
 demand. American sailing-vessels were obliged 
 to leave within a certain time, and they were 
 determined not to go without their cargoes, and 
 the Chinese were naturally equally desirous 
 that they should be supplied. So they went to 
 work manufacturing green varieties out of old 
 black, and in some cases damaged tea-leaves; 
 using, not very sparingly, " Prussian blue" 
 and " gypsum" Of late years, since other 
 parts of the empire have been opened to foreign 
 

 490 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 commerce, and the demand is so equally divided 
 between black and green varieties, there can be 
 no such irresistible temptation to the manufac- 
 ture of either one kind or the other. 
 
 The black teas, at least some varieties, in the 
 process of preparation, are trodden by barefooted 
 men, and when finally ready for market go 
 through a similar process as they are being 
 placed in chests. Davis says, " The tea, when 
 prepared, is first of all put up in baskets, and 
 subsequently packed by the contractors in chests 
 and canisters. The black teas are trodden 
 down with the feet to make them pack closer ; 
 but the green tea-leaves would be crushed and 
 broken by so rude a process ; they are accord- 
 ingly only shaken into the chests." Our in- 
 formant at the Ningpo tea hong assured us that 
 hogs' -blood is often used in the preparation of 
 black teas. 
 
 In " Doolittle's Social Life of the Chinese" 
 I find the following account of the method of 
 preparing Cango as witnessed in a tea-district 
 near Fuchau: "1. The leaves are exposed in 
 the sun or in any airy place. The object of this 
 is not to dry them, but only to wilt them slowly 
 and thoroughly. 2. A quantity of leaves thus 
 wilted are put into a shallow vessel usually made 
 

 MODES OF PREPARING TEA. 491 
 
 of the splints of the bamboo, and trodden down 
 together for a considerable time until all the 
 fibres and stems of the leaves are broken. The 
 object is simply to break the stiff parts or fibres. 
 Men barefooted are employed to do this work, 
 because the Chinese do not appear to have found 
 a more convenient, expeditious, and effective 
 method of attaining the object in view. It does 
 not seem to them a filthy and objectionable 
 operation. 3. These leaves are then rolled in a 
 particular manner by the hands of the operator. 
 The object is solely to cause them to take a 
 round and spiral form. If not rolled in this 
 way they would remain flat, — a shape not adapt- 
 ed to the foreign market. While lying on the 
 vessel the hands, spread out, are passed around 
 sometimes in a circular manner parallel to the 
 bottom of the vessel, lightly touching the leaves. 
 4. They are now placed in a heap to heat for 
 half an hour or longer, until they become of a 
 reddish appearance. 5. The leaves are then 
 spread out in the sun, or in a light and airy 
 place, and left to dry. They must be thoroughly 
 dried, else they would mould and become unfit 
 for the foreign market. 6. The leaf is next 
 sold to the agents of foreigners, or to native 
 dealers, who take it away to expend a great deal 
 
492 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 of labor upon it before it is shipped to foreign 
 countries. It is sifted on coarse sieves, and 
 picked over several times in order to separate the 
 different qualities, to remove the stems, the large 
 or flat leaves, etc. The large leaves are put by 
 themselves, and the small by themselves. It is 
 dried several times over slow fires in iron pans, 
 in order to prevent its spoiling through moist- 
 ure, according to circumstances, as the weather, 
 length of time on hand, etc., seem to require." 
 
 Other varieties differ considerably in their 
 preparation, but this one description gives a 
 sufficiently correct idea of the whole. 
 
 The tea plant is a shrub, which seen at a dis- 
 tance resembles somewhat the common currant- 
 bush. Its blossom is very like that of the ca- 
 mellia japonica. " The camellia bears the same 
 name among the Chinese as the tea shrub, and 
 possesses most of its botanical characters." . . 
 u The picking of the leaves is usually performed 
 by women and children, who can, in this business, 
 earn from three to six cents a day. 
 
 "There are three seasons for picking the leaves, 
 namely, in the third, fifth, and eighth Chinese 
 months, when each shrub is picked over at in- 
 tervals of ten or fifteen days, two or three times 
 or more, according to its thriftiness, and the 
 

 MODES OF PREPARING TEA. 403 
 
 demand in market for the dried leaf. If there is 
 no prospect of selling the tea at a profit the leaf 
 is not picked. A pound of green leaves makes 
 only about three or four ounces of tea. The 
 first picking is the best and commands the high- 
 est price." 
 
 So much for the tea plant. If I have failed 
 to give a correct idea of its culture or prepara- 
 tion, I hope that I may be excused on the ground 
 that other duties and interests in China were of 
 so much more imperative a nature as to prevent 
 my giving much attention to other matters, even 
 to one of such general interest as this. 
 

 494 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 TRIP UP THE RIVER YIANG-TSE. — LEAVING 
 CHINA. 
 
 About the first of March we returned to 
 Shanghai in one of Dent & Go's steamers, a 
 free passage having been politely proffered us. 
 It was with sincere regret that we parted from 
 our Ningpo friends, both native and foreign, 
 who had done so much to make our sojourn with 
 them pleasant. Mr. Dodd accompanied us to 
 the boat; and late in the evening, before the 
 steamer weighed anchor, Mr. Green and Mr. 
 Morrison, who had just returned from an itiner- 
 ating tour, came a long way down to the anchor- 
 age to bid us good-by. 
 
 We had hoped to engage passage from 
 Shanghai direct to New York, or, failing in 
 that, to be able to find a ship going to Califor- 
 nia. But we were disappointed, as there was 
 scarcely a vessel of any kind at that time bound 
 either for New York or San Francisco. The 
 privateers of the " Southern Confederacy" had 
 
TRIP UP THE RIVER YIANG-TSE. 495 
 
 carried on their business so successfully as to 
 drive nearly every merchant vessel carrying the 
 United States flag out of those waters. Undei 
 these circumstances, we thought very seriously 
 of returning to Tung-chow, and waiting for bet- 
 ter times. Dr. Henderson, who himself, a few 
 months afterwards, fell a victim to the climate, 
 urged the necessity of our leaving China with as 
 little delay as possible, cautioning us against 
 the risk of remaining through the unhealthy 
 season. We felt the importance of his advice, 
 and would have left sooner had there been a 
 suitable opportunity. At length, after much 
 detention, and visiting and making inquiries on 
 board a great many ships, Mr. Nevius secured 
 passage for ourselves, and Mrs. Rankin and her 
 children, who were to accompany us, in an Eng- 
 lish vessel bound for London. It seemed a very 
 roundabout way of reaching home to have to go 
 first to England, and a few years earlier or later 
 there would have been no such necessity. It 
 was one of the many ways in which, even in 
 China, we were made to realize the existence of 
 "the great rebellion. " 
 
 While waiting for our vessel to sail, we were 
 invited by Mr. Tyers, of " Olyphant & Co.," to 
 take a trip up the River Yiang-tse to Han-kao. 
 
496 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 We were glad to avail ourselves of this favorable 
 opportunity of seeing the interior of China, and 
 making observations and investigations respecting 
 its advantages for missionary efforts. We went 
 on board the steamer late one Monday evening 
 in the latter part of May, and the next morning 
 got under way. I was ill the first day, and 
 not able to leave my berth ; but that mattered 
 less, as the scenery we were passing was tame 
 and uninteresting. The first night we reached 
 Chin-kiang, one of the newly opened ports. It 
 is not now a place of much wealth or influence, 
 but formerly was large and flourishing, with a 
 population estimated at 500,000. It was cap- 
 tured by the rebels the year before we reached 
 China. They held it for three years, when, 
 owing to supplies failing, they were obliged to 
 evacuate it. Looking from my window, I could 
 see by the moonlight a background of hills, the 
 irregular wall of a Chinese city, and one large 
 foreign house upon the hill-side. That, I be- 
 lieve, was the custom-house. Most of the few 
 foreign residents lived in boats, or the hulks of 
 old vessels fitted up as residences. 
 
 The next day, at noon, we passed the city of 
 Nankin. Its walls, which are about fifteen 
 miles in circumference, run, in some places, 
 

 TRIP UP THE RIVER Y1ANG-TSE. 497 
 
 close to the water's edge, and, in others, stretch 
 far away over high hills, enclosing miles and 
 miles of unoccupied ground, and cultivated 
 fields, or gardens. More than ten years pre- 
 vious Nankin had been captured by the insur- 
 gents, and a great part of the time since then 
 the Imperialists had been closely besieging it. 
 As we passed, we could see the long lines of 
 tents belonging to the besieging army, which, 
 like a great boa-constrictor, was coiled around 
 the ill-fated city. The rebels were known to be 
 hard pressed for provisions, and it was not sup- 
 posed they could hold out much longer. Only 
 a little frontage on the river was left them, and 
 they evidently made the most of that for fishing. 
 Close to the wall of the city is a narrow stream, 
 upon one side of which were the Imperialists, on 
 the other the rebels. 
 
 Early Thursday morning we passed the fine 
 old city of Ngan-kin, sometimes called by for- 
 eigners Gan-kin. It lies on the northern shore, 
 and is the capital of Ngan-hwe province, which we 
 entered, not far from it. This city was then the 
 residence of one of the highest insurgent chiefs. 
 
 On the afternoon of that day we passed one 
 of the most interesting objects of the whole 
 route, the " Siao kwu-san," "Little Orphan," 
 
 32 
 
498 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 a most singular island lying midway in the 
 river. It rises abruptly from the waves, one 
 towering rock two or three hundred feet high. 
 On its summit is a small temple, or idol shrine, 
 and somewhat lower down is a larger building, 
 evidently of the same character. These can be 
 approached only by steps hewn in the rock. I 
 was surprised to see in such a rocky place an 
 abundance of beautiful foliage. An hour or 
 two after leaving this pretty spot, we discovered 
 the entrance of the Poyang Lake, and had a 
 glimpse of another island called '•' Ta kwu-san," 
 the "Larger Orphan," also apparently a high 
 precipitous rock. Like its young sister just 
 mentioned, it evidently is not altogether neg- 
 lected, as its brow is crowned by a towering 
 pagoda. They are both, no doubt, appropriated 
 by the Buddhists. 
 
 It was evening when we reached Kyiu-kiang, 
 where the steamer anchored a short time. There 
 were here only a few foreign houses, but those 
 few were large and conspicuous, and, seen from 
 the river presented a fine appearance. There 
 was not one European lady living there. 
 
 The next afternoon (Friday) we reached 
 Han-kow, our journey's end. While there, we 
 were the guests of Mr. and Mrs. John, of the 
 
TRIP UP THE RIVER YIANG-TSE. 49tf 
 
 London Mission. They had visited us several 
 years before, while we were living at Hang-chow. 
 We seemed destined to meet in out-of-the-way 
 places. Their new mission at Han-kow had 
 commenced most prosperously, and at that early 
 date gave indications, since fully verified, of 
 being a station of no ordinary interest. Mr. Cox, 
 and Dr. and Mrs. Schmidt, of the English 
 Wesleyan Society, were the only other mission- 
 aries located there. 
 
 Han-kow is situated on the Yiang-tse Kiang, 
 six hundred miles from its mouth, at the point 
 of its confluence with the River Han. Seven 
 years before our visit it had been completely 
 destroyed by the rebels, only one house, we 
 were told, having been left standing. But, as 
 if by magic, it had already recovered itself, and 
 was again a place of much commercial impor- 
 tance. It is compactly built, extending at that 
 time for at least five miles along the banks of 
 the Han and Yiang-tse Rivers. It was, how- 
 ever, narrow, in comparison to its width. Its 
 population was very great, about four hundred 
 thousand. It had few objects of interest, such 
 as temples, gardens, or fine streets, which are 
 usually found in Chinese cities of equal size; 
 

 
 500 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 but that was not to be expected in a place of its 
 character and recent growth. 
 
 Opposite Han-kow, on the right bank of the 
 river Han, is the smaller city of Han-yiang. It 
 also was ruined by the rebels, and has been only 
 partially restored. 
 
 Across the Yiang-tse, which is at that point 
 three quarters of a mile wide, is Wu-chang, the 
 capital of the Hoopeh province. " Its hills ter- 
 raced with houses, and crowned with pagodas, 
 and its double wall lining the margin of the 
 river, with towers,, gateways, and bastions, all 
 combine to give it an imposing and majestic ap- 
 pearance." The situation of these three cities, 
 Wu-chang, Han-yiang, and Han-kow, reminded 
 us somewhat of New York, Brooklyn, and 
 Jersey City, but the river Han is much nar- 
 rower than the East River separating New York 
 and Brooklyn. Indeed, it is here so narrow 
 that one might easily throw a stone across it. 
 It varies from a hundred to a hundred and 
 fifty yards in width. But it is very deep, and 
 is navigable for hundreds of miles beyond this 
 point. Navigation of the Yiang-tse is made 
 difficult, if not impossible, by rapids, about one 
 hundred and fifty miles above Han-kow. 
 
 The population of these three cities combined 
 
TRIP UP THE RIVER YIANG-TSE. 501 
 
 Pere Hue estimated at eight millions ; but I fear 
 the " good father " was either fond of making 
 a large story, or else, like myself, was unskilled 
 in the art of computation. Half that estimate 
 would not have been a small one. A modern 
 English traveller says, " Perhaps their united 
 population may have equalled that of London, 
 but certainly never exceeded it." I, however, 
 think that in the good days of old, before the 
 " troublesome pests " (as the imperialists style 
 the rebels) had ravaged that fair region, this 
 wonderful place may have had the presumption 
 to "more than equal London." 
 
 The current is so strong in the Yiang-tse that 
 few native vessels were anchored in it, but the 
 Han for a long distance was crowded with junks 
 and lighter craft. There is not much foreign 
 shipping at Han-kow, but large river steamers 
 constantly ply between that place and Shanghai ; 
 and merchant vessels also, some of heavy draft, go 
 there to take in cargoes for America and England. 
 
 From what we saw of Han-kow we were con- 
 vinced that it is not only a very important com- 
 mercial centre, but also an equally important 
 one for missions. No American society had 
 then, or has yet, any mission on this great river. 
 It seems lamentable that while merchants of all 
 

 
 502 
 
 OUR LIFE IN CHINA. 
 
 sorts, with praiseworthy energy, have taken 
 advantage at once of these promising openings 
 for commerce, the church has been so remiss in 
 her efforts to plant in them the standard of the 
 cross. Plenty of men and plenty of money 
 seem always at the beck and call of commerce ; 
 but neither men nor money are often ready when 
 Christ by his providence says, " I have opened 
 the way : enter in and possess the land for me." 
 Why is it? 
 
 Our voyage up the Great River had not been 
 slow, but our return, owing to the strong current, 
 was exceedingly rapid. We spent part of a day 
 at Kyiu-kiang, taking tiffin with a friend on 
 shore, who also accompanied us in a walk 
 through the city, — that is, the gentlemen walked; 
 I was in a sedan. We gained the highest point 
 of a hill within the walls, which afforded a bird's- 
 eye view of the whole vicinity. The walls are 
 extensive and the city is pleasantly situated, but 
 now, like nearly all in this region, it bears sad 
 testimony to the reckless character of the rebels, 
 who a few years since held possession of it. The 
 houses are wonderfully few. Its population must 
 at present be small, for which reason I suppose 
 it will not be likely to be chosen as a mission 
 station. But it would seem as if there ought to 
 
TRIP UP THE RIVER YIANG-TSE. 503 
 
 be at least one or two missionaries there. It is 
 sad to think of its being left without any attempt 
 made for the good of its inhabitants. But it, 
 alas ! is only one of thousands of cities in this 
 vast empire which have never yet heard the 
 " good news " of a Saviour. Ever since our visit 
 to Han-kow I have had a strong desire to live 
 and labor in some place in these remote inland 
 provinces, either to follow the Yiang-tse still fur- 
 ther towards its source, or to seek a home on the 
 shores of the spirited Han. 
 
 I have heard old sea-captains, who were famil- 
 iar with the noble Mississippi, express the 
 opinion that both for beauty and purposes of 
 commerce, that river is inferior to the Yiang-tse 
 kiang, or Ta-kiang (Great River) as it is as 
 often called in China. They seem to me very 
 much alike. The banks of both are often low 
 and uninteresting, and navigation on both re- 
 quires the aid of a good pilot acquainted with 
 the channel. I do not think there are as many 
 lagoons and marshes on the Ta-kiang as on the 
 shores of the Mississippi ; but still in certain 
 parts there are not a few of these. 
 
 The " Robert Low," in which our passage 
 had been engaged, returned from Hang-kow, 
 where she had been taking in a cargo of tea, 
 
504 OUR LIFE IN CHINA 
 
 shortly after our arrival in Shanghai, but did 
 not sail for England until the first of July. It 
 was with mingled feelings of sorrow and pleasure 
 that we prepared for a homeward voyage. The 
 prospect of meeting our parents and other loved 
 friends, on the shores of our native land, was 
 truly delightful ; but the necessity of bidding 
 farewell to China, dear China, was most painful ; 
 and for the time feelings of intense sorrow and 
 regret predominated. Our missionaries in Shang- 
 hai, and also some valued acquaintances among 
 the merchants, had shown us every kindness, 
 and we felt most sadly to part with them ; while 
 Ningpo on the south, and Tung-chow on the 
 north, almost equally divided our affection and 
 our regret at leaving them. But at length the 
 farewell words were spoken, the anchor was 
 weighed, and we bade adieu to Shanghai; a 
 little more than ten years after our first arrival 
 there. 
 
 THE END. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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