FORMOSA
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GEO L MACKAY D.D.
S

ARTES
1837
SCIENTIA
VERITAS
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
E-PLURIBUS-UNUM
TUFBDR
SQUAERIS-PENINSULAM AMOENAM
CIRCUMSPICE
DS
895
F1
M15
1900
FROM FAR FORMOSA

DR. MACKAY, MRS. MACKAY AND FAMILY.
FROM FAR FORMOSA
The Island, its People and Dissions
BY
GEORGE LESLIE MACKAY, D.D.
TWENTY-THREE YEARS A MISSIONARY IN FORMOSA
EDITED BY THE
REV. J. A. MACDONALD
WITH PORTRAITS, ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS
THIRD EDITION
EDINBURGH And London
OLIPHANT ANDERSON & FERRIER
1900
Entered at STATIONER'S HALL.
All Rights reserved.
Printed by
THE CAXTON PRESS
171-173 Macdougal st.
New York, U. S. A.
له
EDITORIAL PREFACE
ལོ་ལས་
10 - 17- 2
-37
'daw
ORMOSA, at one time far off, has been brought near to
FORM
the Western world. All eyes were turned upon it when
it became the storm-center of the China-Japan War. But there
were those who had been looking across the seas to the Beau-
tiful Isle for more than twenty years before the war-cloud
darkened the sky. They were interested in its fortunes because
of one who had given himself, with Pauline faith and self-
renunciation, that it might be redeemed from error and sin.
George Leslie MacKay has long been the missionary hero of
the Presbyterian Church in Canada.
During his second furlough, which closed when he sailed
from Vancouver on October 16, 1895, Dr. MacKay was elected
moderator of the General Assembly of his church, and visited
many points throughout the Dominion, in the United States,
and in Scotland, addressing congregations and conventions.
Everywhere and on all occasions the impression made was that
of a great man and a hero. The demand for a fuller record
of his life and work became increasingly urgent. Friends who
knew that his information about Formosa was more extensive
and more reliable than that of any other living man, and who
believed that an account of his experiences and work would
stimulate the faith and zeal of the church, but who feared lest,
amid the uncertainties and perils to which his life is constantly
exposed, his career should be cut short before any record that
149467
3
4
EDITORIAL PREFACE
might be given to the public had been prepared, impressed
upon him the duty of meeting this reasonable demand. To a
man of his ardent temperament and active habits prolonged
literary work is the most irksome drudgery. He would rather
face a heathen mob than write a chapter for a book. But con-
vinced of its importance, he undertook the task, receiving
valuable assistance from the Rev. W. S. McTavish, B.D. For
weeks together he did little else than ransack note-books and
journals, and explore the stores of his capacious memory.
A few months ago Dr. MacKay put into my hands a mass
of literary material-notes, observations, extracts from diaries
and reports, studies in science, fragments of description,
sketches of character-and laid upon me the responsibility of
organizing this material into form and life. This responsibility
was increased rather than diminished by the very full editorial
powers allowed me. I knew how easy it was to be "worlds
away"; for, as Macaulay says about the writing of history, the
details might all be true and the total impression inadequate
and misleading. Every scrap of material was read and stud-
ied under the author's eye, annotations were made at his dicta-
tion, and the plan of classification and arrangement received
his cordial approval. As the work progressed and the gaps
in the story became apparent, additional matter was obtained,
and nearly all of the manuscript in its final form was revised by
him. The aim in editing has been to preserve in its integrity
not only the substance but the literary style of the author-to
retain something of the vigor, the boldness, the Celtic enthusi-
asm, so characteristic of Dr. MacKay's public speech.
It is believed that the intelligent public will appreciate solid
information as well as moving incident; and it was Dr. Mac-
Kay's desire that prominence should be given to what may be
least romantic, but is most instructive. The chapters in the
second division of the book, "The Island," are of necessity
brief and fragmentary, the exigencies of space preventing the
EDITORIAL PREFACE
сл
5
author's supplying fuller information about Formosa, its re-
sources and people. The editor is responsible for much of
the personal element found throughout the book, Dr. MacKay
reluctantly consenting to the introduction, necessary to an
understanding of a foreign missionary's life and work, of many
incidents and personal experiences elicited in the course of con-
versation. While the book was being prepared the political
relations of Formosa were being changed; these changes are
referred to as likely to affect mission work materially, though
not injuriously, but the Chinese view-point is retained.
For several months I was in constant and intimate associa-
tion with Dr. MacKay, coming into closest touch with him,
coming to know him as one is known only to the nearest and
most sympathetic friends. To see the man of indomitable en-
ergy, unflinching courage, and iron will shrink from anything
like self-assertion, and yield without dispute to another's judg-
ment, would be a revelation for which they are not prepared
who know him only as a man of speech and action. To see
his modest self-effacement, and to know how real his faith is,
how personal God is to him, is to grasp the secret of his suc-
Few men in any age of the church have had a vivider
sense of the divine nearness. The God he serves is a pavilion-
ing presence and a prevailing power in his soul. Such a prophet
is Christ's greatest gift to his church. To him there can come
no failure; whatever ought to be can be.
cess.
The publishers have spared no pains in the production of
this book. Maps have been specially prepared, the three of
North Formosa being reproduced from sketches made by Dr.
MacKay, that of the island from the British Admiralty chart;
illustrations have been made from photographs taken in For-
mosa by Koa Kau, Dr. MacKay's Chinese student; the cover
design represents the flower of the rice-plant, the rice in the
ear, and the method of rice harvesting described in Chapter
XXII.; and the greatest cart has been taken to avoid mechan-
6
EDITORIAL PREFACE
ical errors, to which a book dealing with life in a foreign
country is liable.
It remains only to acknowledge my indebtedness to the
Rev. R. P. MacKay, B.A., Toronto, secretary of the Foreign
Mission Committee of the Presbyterian Church in Canada,
without whose counsel and assistance the editor's work would
have been less satisfactory, if, indeed, it could have been done
at all in the press of other duties.
(C
From Far Formosa" is sent out with the prayer that it
may be used of God in stimulating intelligent interest in the
cause of world-wide missions.
ST. THOMAS, ONTARIO,
November, 1895.
J. A. MACDONALD.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTORY
PAGE
1. EARLY YEARS OF THE AUTHOR.
2. AT PRINCETON AND EDINBURGH.
3. TORONTO TO TAMSUI……….
4. FIRST VIEWS OF FORMOSA.
13
18
26
33
THE ISLAND
5. GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY.
6. GEOLOGY.
•
7. TREES, PLANTS, AND FLOWERS.
8. ANIMAL LIFE....
9. ETHNOLOGY IN OUTLINE
AMONG THE CHINESE
4I
48
55
76
92
IO. THE PEOPLE
•
ΙΟΙ
II. GOVERNMENT AND JUSTICE
•
104
12. INDUSTRIAL AND SOCIAL LIFE
14. BEGINNINGS OF MISSION WORK.
• +
16. ESTABLISHING CHURCHES
17. HOW BANG-KAH WAS TAKEN
18. TOURING IN THE NORTH.
113
13. CHINESE RELIGIOUS LIFE..
15. THE FIRST NATIVE PREACHER AND HIS CHURCH.
125
135
•
142
153
164
172
19. THE WAITING ISLES
20. THE COMING OF THE FRENCH..
182
189
7
8
CONTENTS
THE CONQUERED ABORIGINES
PAGE
21. PE-PO-HOAN CHARACTERISTICS..
205
22. RICE-FARMING IN FORMOSA.
209
23. MISSION WORK AMONG THE PE-PO-HOAN.
215
24. A TRIP DOWN THE EAST COAST
226
25. A SEK-HOAN MISSION...
238
26. LIFE AMONG THE LAM-SI-HOAN
241
THE MOUNTAin Savages
27. SAVAGE LIFE AND Customs
251
28. WITH THE HEAD-HUNTERS
267
AT HEADQUARTERS
29. A SKETCH OF TAMSUI...
281
30. TRAINING A NATIVE MINISTRY
31. OXFORD COLLEGE..
• •
32. NATIVE WORKERS FOR NATIVE WOMEN
33. MEDICAL WORK AND THE HOSPITAL
34. FOREIGNERS AND THE MISSIONS...
35. WITH THE ENGLISH PRESBYTERIANS.
36. RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT
INDEX
•
285
291
297
308
318
324
330
341
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
DR. MACKAY, MRS. MACKAY, AND FAMILY.
WATER-BUFFALOES DRAWING SUGAR-CANE
ABORIGINES EATING RICE
A VILLAGE IN EASTERN FORMOSA
}
Frontispiece
•
Facing page 78
46
113
172
DR. MACKAY AND STUDENTS ON THE MARCH....
DR. MACKAY AND STUDENTS DESCENDING A MOUN-
TAIN
•
CHAPEL AT SIN-TIAM, BUILT OF STONE
WINNOWING RICE WITH A FANNING-MILL.
·
BOUND FOR THE KI-LAI PLAIN
ARMED PE-PO-HOAN NEAR SAVAGE TERRITORY
•
LAM-SI-HOAN CHIEF AND PARTY
IN A LAM-SI-HOAN VILLAGE
·
UNSUBDUED ABORIGINES LIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS
ARMED HEAD-HUNTERS
Oxford COLLEGE, TAMSUI..
A PE-PO-HOAN WEAVER
A DENTAL OPERATION
ISLAND OF FORMOSA .......
MAPS
GEOLOGICAL MAP OF NORTH FORMOSA.
•
· •
BOTANICAL MAP OF NORTH FORMOSA
MAP OF NORTH FORMOSA SHOWING MISSION STA-
TIONS
""
180
191
212
(6
226
234
242
248
256
268
291
306
315
Facing page 41
49
55
153
9
INTRODUCTORY
(m)
IN

FROM FAR FORMOSA
CHAPTER I
EARLY YEARS OF THE AUTHOR
Point of view-Ancestors-Life in Zorra-William C. Burns-Home-
missionary service
AR Formosa is dear to my heart. On that island the best
FAR
of my years have been spent. There the interest of my
life has been centered. I love to look up to its lofty peaks,
down into its yawning chasms, and away out on its surging
sea. I love its dark-skinned people-Chinese, Pepohoan, and
savage-among whom I have gone these twenty-three years,
preaching the gospel of Jesus. To serve them in the gospel
I would gladly, a thousand times over, give up my life. Be-
fore what I now write has been read I will have set my face
once more westward toward the far East, and by God's good
hand will have reached again my beloved Formosan home
beyond the Pacific Sea. There I hope to spend what remains.
of my life, and when my day of service is over I should like
to find a resting-place within sound of its surf and under the
shade of its waving bamboo.
I love my island home, but not once in all these years have
I forgotten the land of my childhood or ceased to be proud
13
14
FROM FAR FORMOSA
of it. Many a time in those first friendless days, when tongues
were strange and hearts were hard and the mob howled loud-
est in the street; many a time among cruel savages in the
mountains, when their orgies rose wildest into the night;
many a time alone in the awful silence of primeval forests, in
solitudes never before disturbed by a white man's tread-
many, many a time during these three and twenty years have.
I looked back from far Formosa, in fancy gazed on my Zorra
home, and joined in the morning or evening psalm. Memo-
ries of Canada were sweet to me then; and now, when I come
to tell something of life in that far-off isle, the view-point I
take is life in the land of my birth.
My father, George MacKay, a Scottish Highlander, with
his wife, Helen Sutherland, emigrated from Sutherlandshire to
Canada in 1830. There had been dark days in Scotland-
the dark and gloomy days of the "Sutherlandshire Clear-
ances," when hundreds of tenant-farmers, whose fathers were
born on the estate and shed their blood for its duke, were
with their wives and families evicted, the wild notes of their
pibroch among the hills and the solemn strains of their Gaelic
psalms in the glens giving place to the bleating of the sheep
and the hallo of the huntsman. Ruined cottages, deserted
churches, and desecrated graves were the "gloomy memories"
they carried with them from Scotland, and they crossed the
sea in time to face the dark and stormy days of the Canadian
rebellion. They made their home in what was then the wilds
of Upper Canada, and on their farm in the township of Zorra
reared their family of six children, of whom I was the young-
est; and in the burying-ground beside the "old log church"
their weary bodies rest.
They
Peace to the honored dust of those brave pioneers!
were cast in nature's sternest mold, but were men of heroic
soul. Little of this world's goods did they possess. All day
long their axes rang in the forests, and at night the smoke of
EARLY YEARS OF THE AUTHOR
15
burning log-heaps hung over their humble homes. But they
overcame. The wilderness and the solitary place have indeed
been made glad. And more. They did more than hew down
forests, construct roads, erect homes, and transform sluggish
swamps into fields of brown and gold. They worshiped and
served the eternal God, taught their children to read the Bible
and believe it, listen to conscience and obey it, observe the
Sabbath and love it, and to honor and reverence the office of
the gospel ministry. Their theology may have been narrow,
but it was deep and high. They left a heritage of truth, and
their memory is still an inspiration. Their children have risen
up to bless them in the gates. From the homes of the con-
gregation that worshiped in the "old log church" at least
thirty-eight young men have gone forth to be heralds of the
cross in the ministry of the Presbyterian Church.
In such a home and amid such surroundings I was born on
the 21st of March, 1844. That was the year of the disruption
in Canada, and the Zorra congregation, with the Rev. Donald
McKenzie, its minister, joined the Free Church. The type
of religious life was distinctly Highland. Men believed and
felt, but seldom spoke about their own deeper personal spiritual
experiences. There were no Sabbath-schools or Christian
Endeavor Societies in Zorra fifty years ago. Children were
taught the Bible and the Shorter Catechism in the home, and
on the Sabbath in the church the great doctrines of grace
were preached with faithfulness and power. Men may talk
slightingly to-day about that "stern old Calvinism." They
would do well to pause and ask about its fruits. What other
creed has so swept the whole field of life with the dread artil-
lery of truth, and made men unflinchingly loyal to conscience.
and tremorless save in the presence of God? The iron of
Calvinism is needed to-day in the blood of the church. It
may be we heard much about sin and law in those olden
days, but love and grace were not obscured. It may be the
16
FROM FAR FORMOSA
children were reticent and backward in the church, but they
knew what secret sorrow for sin meant, and they found comfort
at the cross. Before I reached the age of ten the ever-blessed
Name was sweet and sacred in my ear. The paraphrase
beginning with the words
'While humble shepherds watched their flocks
In Bethlehem's plains by night,"
Wil-
repeated at my mother's knee in the quiet of the Sabbath
evening, early made a deep impression on my soul. It was
then that the thought of being a missionary first came.
liam C. Burns had visited Woodstock and Zorra on his tours
through Canada, and poured a new stream into the current
of religious life. His name was cherished in the home, and
something of his spirit touched my boyish heart. My grand-
father fought at Waterloo; his martial soul went into my
blood; and when once I owned the Saviour King, the com-
mand, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to
every creature," made me a soldier of the cross. To be a
missionary became the passion of my life. That was the
dominant idea through all the years during which I served as
school-teacher at Maplewood and Maitlandville, as scholar at
Woodstock and Omemee grammar-schools, as student of arts
in Toronto, and as student-missionary during the summer va-
cations at Blue Mountain, Port Burwell and Vienna, Lucan
and Biddulph, Forest and MacKay.
A quarter of a century has passed since I served the church.
in those struggling home mission fields. The greater part of
that time I have been far hence among the heathen, and am
called a foreign missionary. But not now-not once in all
these years—have I thought the foreign claims superior to the
home, or honored the foreign missionary above his equally
heroic and equally faithful brother who toils in the obscurity
of a broken-down village, in the darkness of ultramontane
EARLY YEARS OF THE AUTHOR
17
Quebec, or amid the pioneer hardships of the newer settle-
ments in Canada. It is not for me—it is not for any foreign
missionary-to look loftily on the ministry at home, or think
of them as less loyal, unselfish, and true. We are all mission-
aries, the sent ones of the King, and not our fields, but our
faithfulness, matters. Many of the church's first may be last
when the Master comes.
CHAPTER II
AT PRINCETON AND EDINBURGH
At Princeton Seminary-Offer for foreign service- Under Dr. Duff in
Edinburgh-In the Scottish Highlands-Accepted by the General
Assembly-Visiting the churches
AVING completed my preparatory studies in Toronto, I
HAVING
went to Princeton early in September, 1867, and was
enrolled as a student in the Theological Seminary there. The
three years spent in that historic institution were full of interest
and inspiration. All the professors were able, zealous, and
devoted men. Dr. Green, the Hebraist, was vigorous and
penetrating. Dr. James McCosh, of the college, lectured
every Lord's day on the life of Christ, with characteristic
energy and power. But it was Dr. Charles Hodge who most
deeply impressed himself on my heart and life. Princeton
men all loved him. No others knew his real worth. Not in
his monumental work on systematic theology can Charles
Hodge be best seen; but in the class-room, or in the oratory at
the Sabbath afternoon conference. There you saw the real
man and felt his power. Can any Princeton man forget those
sacred hours? How that charming face would brighten and
those large luminous eyes grow soft and tender with the light
of love! How awed we sometimes were when that trembling
hand came down on the desk and those lips quivered with a
18
AT PRINCETON AND EDINBURGH
19
strange and holy speech!
To look in on a Princeton class in
those days would be to see what a well-founded reverence
meant.
("
On Tuesday, April 26, 1870, I was graduated, having com-
pleted the full curriculum of the seminary. It was a memor-
able day. According to the old Princeton custom, the pro-
fessors and the graduating class met on the campus. The
graduates threw their prized diplomas on the ground, and with
the professors formed a ring, joining crossed hands. We sang
'From Greenland's icy mountains" and "Blest be the tie that
binds." Dr. Charles Hodge stepped into the circle. There
was a tremor in his voice as he prayed for us all and lifted
his hands in benediction. What a benediction!
His eyes
were moist as he said good-by. We parted in tears. The
class of '70 was soon scattered. That night I was on my way
to Canada.
The summer of 1870 I spent within the Presbytery of
Toronto, laboring in the mission stations of Newmarket and
Mount Albert. The Rev. Professor MacLaren, D.D., at that
time minister in Ottawa, was convener of the Foreign Mission
Committee. To him I stated my desire to go abroad as a
missionary. He encouraged me, and invited me to meet the
committee early in October. I have never forgotten that
meeting. It was not very hopeful or enthusiastic. It was a
new experience for the committee. They scarcely knew what
to do with a candidate for foreign work. When I formally
offered my services to the Presbyterian Church, and asked to
be sent as a missionary to the heathen, one member looked
me in the face and said, “Mr. MacKay, you had better wait
a few years." Another argued for delay: "As he is going to
Scotland, let him go, and on his return we can think over the
matter for a year or two." A third suggested Madagascar as
a field for future consideration. The convener pleaded for
immediate acceptance and appointment. I was told, how-
20
FROM FAR FORMOSA
ever, that the subject would be considered and the decision
made known to me in due time.
((
A fortnight later I found myself on board the steamship
'Austrian," of the Allan line, en route from Quebec to Liver-
pool. Money was scarce, and I was content with steerage
passage. It was dismal enough at best, but I was a novice
and unprovided for. The dreariness of the voyage was
somewhat relieved by a burly Englishman who entertained
his fellows in the steerage and found expression for his loyal
soul in a song about King George, which he sang regularly
every night, and danced his own accompaniment. From
Liverpool to Glasgow was a sickening run, on a coaster called.
"Penguin," with a drunken crew and carousing passengers.
In Glasgow I spent a delightful hour with the great Dr. Patrick
Fairbairn. Two days later, November 4th, I arrived in Edin-
burgh. That was my destination, and to meet one man there
I had crossed the Atlantic. That man was the venerable mis-
sionary hero, Dr. Alexander Duff. The story of his life had.
already fired my soul, and when I met him I was not disap-
pointed. I was a young man, unknown and poor; but when
he learned the purpose of my life, and that I had crossed the
sea to sit at his feet, his welcome was that of a warm-hearted,
godly Highlander.
While in Edinburgh I took a postgraduate course, hearing
lectures from Professor John Stuart Blackie in the university,
and from Drs. Smeaton, Blaikie, Rainy, and Duff, in New
College. Dr. Duff was professor of evangelistic theology, and
under his supervision I studied Brahmanism and Buddhism,
and learned Hindustani with Mr. Johnston of the Edinburgh
Institution, having in view the India mission field. Dr.
Duff's lectures were rich in matter and glowing with holy fire.
At times he grew animated, threw off his gown, and gave his
Celtic nature vent. He was specially kind to me.
I spent
many hours with him in his private room and at his home. I
AT PRINCETON AND EDINBURGH
21
well remember the evening he showed me the Bible recovered
after his shipwreck off the coast of Africa. It was doubly
holy in my eyes. I saw him for the last time on March 13,
1871. He had gone to Aberdeen to deliver a course of
lectures to the students in the Free Church College. Early
in March I followed, and the first day occupied a seat in his
class near the door. His unfailing kindness again was shown,
and his cordial words of introduction to the students secured
for me a hearty welcome: "Gentlemen, here is my friend from
Canada, bound for a heathen land. Show him that there are
loving hearts in the 'Granite City.'" A few days afterward,
at the close of his lecture, he walked down Union Street with
When near the Queen's Monument he stood still, looked
me in the face, grasped my hand tightly in both of his, spoke
words too kind and sacred to be repeated, wheeled about, and
was gone. Heroic Duff! Let Scotland and India and the
churches of Christendom bear testimony to the loftiness of thy
spirit, the consuming energy of thy zeal, the noble heroism of
thy service.
me.
There were great preachers in Edinburgh, under whom it
was a delight to sit. Who could forget Candlish or Guthrie?
Arnot was there then, and Lindsay Alexander, Cairns, Mac-
Gregor, and Alexander Whyte. With Candlish and Guthrie
I became personally acquainted-both truly great men, but
how very different! At Candlish's home I sat with him for
well-nigh two hours, until the bell rang for dinner. He paced
the floor all the while. Sometimes he would turn sharply and
ask about something in Canada. Then, running his left hand
through his long, unkempt hair, he would take a few more
rapid rounds. It was not altogether reassuring to a backward
young man. Guthrie, again, was the soul of geniality. His
family was with him in the room, and at his side his favorite
little dog. He sat in an easy-chair with his long legs stretched
out, bubbling over with humor.
22
FROM FAR FORMOSA
That winter in Edinburgh gave me experience in city
mission work, and with other students I labored among the
submerged outcasts in the Cowgate and Grassmarket. Like
every man who claims to have Scottish blood, I came to love
the famous old city, with its castle, cathedral, and palace, its
historic scenes and thousand cherished memories.
I was
proud then of being in Edinburgh, and although I have since
twice circled the globe, not in Orient or Occident have I seen
a city to compare with "Scotia's darling seat."
After the close of the colleges in March, I went north to
Sutherlandshire, the land of my forefathers, spending the time
chiefly at Dornoch, Tain, Golspie, and Rogart. The question
of my life-work now became pressing. No word had come
from Canada, and I began to despair of service in connection.
with the Canadian church. But on Friday evening, April
14th, while I was considering seriously the advisability of
offering my services to one of the Scottish or American
churches, a letter came from Dr. MacLaren stating that the
Foreign Mission Committee had decided to recommend the
General Assembly that I be accepted as their first missionary
to the heathen world. It sent a thrill of joy to my heart.
Accepted, and by my own beloved church!
The next day I left the heathery hills, and three days later
was on board the "Caledonia," bound from Glasgow to New
York. I was again a steerage passenger, but for my com-
panions had over seven hundred Irish Roman Catholic emi-
grants. I have seen something of the under-side of life since
then, I have looked upon human beings in all stages of degra-
dation and in all conditions of filth; but nothing has been
able to blot out of my memory the impression made by the
sights and sounds of that homeward voyage. Right glad I
was, after nearly three long weeks, to breathe once more the
pure air of heaven, and refresh my eyes with scenes that were
wholesome and clean.
AT PRINCETON AND EDINBURGH
23
The General Assembly of the Canada Presbyterian Church
was called to meet in the city of Quebec on the second
Wednesday of June. I was invited by the Foreign Mission
Committee to be present at that Assembly. That venerable
court was opened by the retiring moderator, the late Principal
Michael Willis. The Rev. John Scott, D.D., then minister of
St. Andrew's Church, London, was elected moderator. There
were "burning questions " before that Assembly. The "Or-
gan" was beginning to make itself heard in the church, and
the question of union with the "Old Kirk" in Canada was
quite to the front. But to me all interest centered around the
report of the Foreign Mission Committee. Would the Assem-
bly adopt the committee's recommendation? If so, to what
field would I be sent? The committee's report was presented
on Wednesday, June 14th. It urged the Assembly “to favor
mission work among the heathen." It stated: "A man has
offered, and the church seems prepared to meet the liability.
Mr. MacKay, a student of the church, having passed the
winter under Dr. Duff, is now in this city, ready to undertake
the work which the church may appoint." Three fields were
suggested-India, the New Hebrides, and China. The report
preferred China. The Assembly decided:
“That the offer of Mr. George L. MacKay's services as a
missionary to the heathen be cordially welcomed, and that he
be, as he is hereby, called by this Assembly to go forth as a
missionary of the Canada Presbyterian Church to the foreign
field;
"That China be chosen as the field to which Mr. MacKay
shall be sent;
"That the Presbytery of Toronto be authorized to ordain
Mr. MacKay to the holy ministry, and to make arrangements,
in accordance with the Foreign Mission Committee, for his
designation to the work whereunto he has been called."
That evening I was introduced to the General Assembly
24
FROM FAR FORMOSA
The "fathers
some of them
as "the first foreign missionary of the Canada Presbyterian
Church," and was invited to address the court.
and brethren" were kind to me that night;
thought me an "enthusiast," and pitied me. Dr. John Hall
of New York was on the platform, as deputy from the Presby-
terian Church of the United States; and when I had finished
speaking he led the Assembly in prayer, commending "the
young missionary" to the care of the eternal God, praying for
'journeying mercies" and the sure guidance of the Jehovah
of Israel.
In those days the church in Canada was divided and weak.
The union of 1875, that consolidated Presbyterianism in
British North America into one harmonious, strong, and ag-
gressive church, and that has made the Presbyterian Church
in Canada not the least in the great family of the churches
of the Reformation, had not yet been consummated. The
missionary effort of the church was directed almost entirely
to work at home. Now that a new move had been made, it
was necessary that funds be provided to meet the expense.
To assist in awakening an interest in the cause of foreign mis-
sions I was appointed to visit various congregations in Quebec
and throughout Ontario during the summer of 1871. I visited
a good many churches between Quebec and Goderich, carry-
ing out Paul's injunction to Timothy; but when I discussed
the "Master's great commission," and undertook to "reprove,
rebuke, exhort,” some of the congregations did not take kindly
to the exercise. Some very uncomplimentary things were
said, and I was called "
an excited young man." There was
a great deal of apathy, and the church was very cold. It
seems to me that was the "ice age." But there were some
noble exceptions. Several good meetings were held in Mon-
treal, and I was greatly cheered by the kind and encourag-
ing words of Principal MacVicar and the great geologist, Sir
William Dawson. A union meeting was held in Ottawa.
AT PRINCETON AND EDINBURGH
25
"
Rev. Dr. MacLaren was minister of Knox Church, and Dr.
Moore of Bank Street. Their noble words of commendation
and appeal stirred more hearts than mine. At Ayr I had the
good fortune to meet the pastor of one of the churches, the
late Rev. Walter Inglis. He was himself a veteran missionary
who had spent a quarter of a century in the Dark Continent.
He felt the coldness and apathy of the church, but his royal
nature touched it all with warmth and sunshine: 'Never
worry, young man. People will lecture you and advise you
and talk about the cost. Put it in your pocket and go your
way. Things will change, and you'll see a brighter day."
I look back on the experiences of that first tour of the
churches, and I contrast them with things to-day. Surely the
predicted change has come. Rip Van Winkle saw no greater
Ministers now are all as
in his day.
(C excited
"" as I was
twenty-three years ago, and they are much better informed.
Congregations are all organized for mission purposes. Mis-
sions is the most popular of all topics.
the story of missionary work abroad.
evenings at every General Assembly.
nated and sent out every year. The "brighter day” has come.
Thank God, I have lived to see it. The past is forgotten in
the joy of the present, and the future is pregnant with still
greater things. To-morrow will be as to-day, and much more
abundant.
People crowd to hear
Co
There are mission "
Missionaries are desig-
CHAPTER III
TORONTO TO TAMSUI
Ordination-Departure-On the way-Credentials-Alone-Japan-With
English Presbyterian Missionaries-In South Formosa-At Tamsui
'This is the land!"
THE Presbytery of Toronto, in accordance with the instruc-
tions of the General Assembly, made arrangements for
my ordination and designation on Tuesday, September 19th.
I appeared before the Presbytery in the afternoon and deliv-
ered my "trials." In the evening the ordination service was
held in Gould Street Church. The pastor, the Rev. John M.
King, D.D., now principal of Manitoba College, Winnipeg,
preached on the text, "His name shall endure forever." At
my side that evening was another candidate for the holy office,
George Bryce, who was under appointment to missionary and
educational work in Manitoba. Dr. Bryce has served the
church with honor and success, and has risen to distinction
among Canadian educationists and authors. That evening
we stood together before the Rev. J. Pringle, the moderator,
knelt together, and by "laying on of the hands of the Presbytery"
were together set apart to the work of the gospel ministry and
designated to our respective fields, he to go to the newer West
and I to go to the older East. The convener of the Foreign
Mission Committee came up from Ottawa and delivered the
"charge" to the foreign missionary. My companion was
similarly addressed in the name of the Home Mission Com-
26
TORONTO TO TAMSUI
27
mittee by the Rev. Dr. Laing, now minister in Dundas. The
speakers recognized the importance of the occasion as mark-
ing a forward movement in both the home and foreign work,
and as suggesting a union of aims and interests that must
never be sundered. The church's work is one, and conflict
will be fatal.
One month after ordination, October 19, 1871, I bade fare-
well to my old home in Zorra, to meet again an unbroken
family circle only when life's sea is no more. What was said
or what was felt need not now be told. God only knows
what some hearts feel. They break, perchance, but they give
no sign.
It was nearly noon when the west-bound train pulled out
of the station at Woodstock. Our first run was to Detroit.
Chicago was next reached-a dreadful sight-dust and ashes
and smoke. The "great fire" had just swept over the city, and
was still smoking and smoldering. The third run was to
Omaha, where I spent the first Sabbath day, and had the
privilege of preaching the blessed gospel to a crowd assembled
in the open air on the outskirts of the city.
Traveling was not the simple affair it is to-day. There
were no through tickets from Toronto to Hong Kong. The
missionary traveled over several roads and had to deal with
various companies. There was no recognized "missionary
rate." But the railway authorities were generous, and granted
me a reduction over their roads. At Omaha the agent looked
doubtful when I told him I was a missionary bound for a
heathen land and asked for the favor granted by the three
roads over which I had already traveled. "I do not know
you," he replied. "Where are your credentials?" I had no
credentials, nor any formal document by which I might be
certified. I was at a loss what to do. No one knew me.
Then like a flash the thought of my Bible came to me. It
was the parting gift of the Foreign Mission Committee. I
28
FROM FAR FORMOSA
produced it from my satchel and asked the agent to read the
inscription on the fly-leaf:
PRESENTED TO
REV. G. L. MACKAY,
First Missionary of the Canada Presbyterian Church to
China, by the Foreign Mission Committee, as a parting
token of their esteem, when about to leave his native land
for the sphere of his future labors among the heathen.
WILLIAM MACLAREN, Convener.
OTTAWA, 9th Oct., 1871.
Matt. xxviii. 18-20.
Psalm cxxi.
These were my credentials. None could be better. No other
was required. I was soon on my way again, and on October
27th arrived at San Francisco. Here I was the guest of a
kind-hearted Canadian, Mr. William Gunn. On Wednesday,
November 1st, I boarded the steamship "America," bound
for Hong Kong. My host and two city missionaries, Messrs.
Condit and Loomis, accompanied me on board to say fare-
well. The signal was given, the guns were fired, the stately
ship weighed anchor, slowly steamed out through the "Golden
Gate," and I was at last alone. Such experiences are com-
mon enough now, but then they were new and strange. I
did not feel afraid, nor sorry, nor glad. Thoughts of home
came, thoughts of the loved ones more than three thousand
miles behind, and thoughts of what might be before. The
sea was wide. The regions beyond were dark with the night
of heathenism and cruel with the hate of sin. Would I ever
return to my native land? And my life-what would it matter
against such fearful odds? Could it be that I had made a
mistake?
Such hours come to us all.
are hours of testing and trial.
Gethsemane. I found mine that day, and in the little state-
They came to our Lord. They
Sooner or later the soul enters
TORONTO TO TAMSUI
29
room the soul was staggered awhile. But it was not for long.
The Word brought light. The psalm marked by the committee
on the fly-leaf of the Book began, "I will lift up mine eyes
unto the hills;" and the promise was, "Lo, I am with you
alway." And then the Forty-sixth Psalm! Oh, how often it
has brought comfort and peace! When the waves dashed
in fury I read it. Aye, and when storms arose wilder, more
relentless, and deathful than any that ever vexed the broad
Pacific; when heathen hate and savage cruelty rose like the
hungry sea, the blessed words, "God is our refuge and
strength," opened wide the door into the secret of His pres-
ence. On that day in my state-room I read it again and again
-precious truth; glorious refuge; God, the eternal God.
Hark, my soul! he speaks: "Certainly I will be with thee."
Begone, unbelief! God in heaven is the keeper of my soul.
The glorified Jesus says, "Lo, I am with you alway."
Voyaging on the Pacific is a pleasure now. A quarter of
a century ago it was otherwise. There were no palatial Can-
adian Pacific steamers then. After twenty-six days the snow-
clad peaks of Fuji-yama, the Holy Mountain of Japan, was
a welcome sight. There were several other missionaries on
board, whose fellowship was refreshing and helpful. From
the ship's library I derived benefit and pleasure through such
works as "The Social Life of the Chinese," by Justus Doo-
little; "The Middle Kingdom," by S. Wells Williams; "China
and the Chinese," by John L. Nevius; and "China and the
United States," by Spears.
While our ship was lying at anchor in the harbor of Yoko-
hama I had my first introduction to life in the Orient. Every-
thing was new and interesting. The boatmen in the harbor,
with their rice-straw waterproof coats, reminded me of pic-
tures of Robinson Crusoe. Large, heavy wooden carts were
rolled slowly along with much pulling, pushing, and intermin-
able grunting. The smart rickshaw, a sort of overgrown per-
30
FROM FAR FORMOSA
ambulator, whisked by, the runners shouting, in their Japanese
gibberish, "Clear the way, clear the way!"
Leaving Yokohama, we sailed along the coast of China until
we entered a narrow strait, and, following its serpentine course,
were soon in the spacious harbor of Hong Kong. Magnificent
view!-houses ranged tier after tier far up the steep sides of
granite hills; and high over all waved the flag of "a thousand
years." I had scarcely got rid of the coolies, who in their
eagerness for the job of carrying my baggage had been pound-
ing one another with bamboo poles, when a Saxon accent
greeted my ears: "Are you MacKay from Canada?" That
night I was the guest of Dr. Eitel. Next day I took the
steamer for Canton. There on the pier I was hailed by
McChesney, a Princeton fellow-student. The night was spent
with the Rev. Dr. Happer, a veteran American missionary.
Having returned from Hong Kong, I took passage on the
steamship "Rona," and on the following Sabbath we dropped
anchor in Swatow harbor. No sooner had the ship's ladder
been lowered than two Englishmen, whom we had been
watching as they rowed out in a sampan, climbed on deck
and called out, “Is MacKay from Canada on board?" It
did not take long to make myself known, and the strangers
proved to be Mr. Hobson of the Chinese Imperial Customs
and Dr. Thompson of the English Presbyterian Mission at
Swatow.
Before my designation the Foreign Mission Committee in
Canada had correspondence with the committee of the Presby-
terian Church in England. Mr. James E. Matheson of that
church had written inviting the Canadian church to share
with his the privilege of work in China; and in appointing
me to China the General Assembly made special mention of
coöperation with the English Presbyterian missionaries. The
brethren at Swatow were, therefore, made aware of my com-
ing, and right cordial was their welcome.
TORONTO TO TAMSUI
31
There were strong inducements presented in favor of settling
in the Swatow district, but I resolved first to see Formosa.
An up-the-coast steamer carried me to Amoy, and there I
got a British schooner, "Kin-lin," and crossed the channel to
Formosa. I had no plans, but invisible cords were drawing
me to the "Beautiful Isle." The channel passage was the
last and worst of the entire voyage from Canada. It was a
night of thick darkness, howling blasts, and a plunging sea.
We landed at Ta-kow, on the south of the island. Here I
was met by a noble young physician, Dr. Manson, who took
me ashore in a sampan. On the following Sabbath morning,
in a British hong (warehouse) at Ta-kow, to a congregation
of captains, officers, engineers, and merchants, I preached the
gospel of a crucified Saviour. It was the last day of the year
1871, and that was my first sermon in Formosa.
""
On New-Year's day, 1872, I set out from Ta-kow to find
the Rev. Hugh Ritchie, of the English Presbyterian Mission.
He was at A-li-kang, twenty-six miles away. It was an in-
teresting walk, even though my Chinese guide was a man of
strange speech." In the evening, as I drew near the village,
I saw a man dressed in blue serge and wearing a large white
sun-hat. I took him to be Mr. Ritchie, and so accosted him.
"Is this MacKay from Canada?" he said, and with both
hands he made me welcome to Formosa. For twenty-six
days I enjoyed the hospitality of his home, and found him
a friend with a large heart, a Christian with a high ideal, a
missionary full of self-denying zeal, and his estimable wife a
laborer of like mind. I learned much about the island and
the methods of work in the south, and traveled many times
over the district occupied by the nine stations under Mr.
Ritchie's charge. I made good use of his Chinese teacher,
and mastered the eight "tones" of the Formosan dialect.
Where shall I settle? was a question still to be answered.
The missionaries on the mainland pointed to the "white
32
FROM FAR FORMOSA
fields" in the Swatow district. Here in the south they told
me of North Formosa, with its teeming population in city and
plain and mountain fastnesses, for whose souls no man cared.
No missionary was there. The foundations of a mission were
not laid. To that work I felt called. "I have decided to
settle in North Formosa," I said to Mr. Ritchie one day.
"God bless you, MacKay," was his glad response.
On March 7, 1872, Mr. Ritchie and I set out to explore
the field chosen for my future work. We took passage to
Tamsui, a seaport on the north of the island. At Tai-wan-
fu, in the southwest, the capital of Formosa, where the Eng-
lish Presbyterian Mission was established by the noble Dr.
Maxwell in 1865, we were joined by Dr. Dickson, leaving the
Rev. W. Campbell in charge of the southern chapels. The
"Hailoong" rolled and pitched for two days, and then we
steamed into the mouth of the Tamsui River and anchored
there. One look toward the north, another toward the south,
another far inland to the dark green hills, and I was content.
There came to me a calm, clear, prophetic assurance that here
would be my home, and Something said to me, "This is the
land."
CHAPTER IV
FIRST VIEWS OF FORMOSA
A beautiful parish-First glimpses-Prospecting-First night at an inn
-Malaria-A Pe-po-hoan village-With the aborigines among the
mountains-Parting company-Alone in Tamsui
EAUTIFUL indeed was that first view of North Formosa,
BEAUTIE
as seen from the deck of the steamer in the harbor at
Tamsui. We all stood and gazed, deeply impressed. In the
evening we wandered out over the broad table-land and the
downs toward the sea. The fine large fir-trees, not found
near Ta-kow, attracted Ritchie's eye and reminded him of his
Scottish home. But when he saw the situation of Tamsui,
standing over against a solitary mountain peak that rose sev-
enteen hundred feet, and backed on the east and south by
range after range climbing two thousand, three thousand, and
four thousand feet high, his soul was stirred to its depth, and
sweeping the horizon with his hand he exclaimed:
MacKay, this is your parish."
"And far more beautiful it is than Ta-kow," added Dr.
Dickson, with equal emphasis.
The next day was the Sabbath. There was no preaching
done that day. I could not speak the language, and Ritchie
and Dickson deemed it prudent not to arouse the opposition
of the people by untimely service. No preaching had ever
been done in Tamsui, or anywhere else in North Formosa, and
we left the people to surmise about us what they chose. We
33
34
FROM FAR FORMOSA
spent the day quietly in a room in the hong of John Dodd,
Esq., the pioneer British merchant at Tamsui.
As the purpose of Messrs. Ritchie and Dickson was to visit
the most northerly stations of their field by overland route
from Tamsui, I resolved to accompany them and "spy out
the land" in which I was to labor. It was one hundred and
ten miles southwest to their nearest point. Early Monday
morning we arose and made ready for the journey. It was to
be taken on foot. Ritchie and Dickson brought with them
one man each to serve as carriers. Our outfit was simple
and soon prepared. Some salted buffalo-meat, a few cans
of American condensed milk, pressed meat, biscuits, and
coffee formed our food-supply. Ritchie wore a blue serge
suit, Dickson a Scotch tweed, and I my Canadian gray. We
started out three abreast, with the carriers behind in single
file. Walking toward the harbor along the north bank of the
Tamsui River, we soon reached the ferry and crossed to the
opposite shore. Our shoes were off, and stowed away in the
carriers' baskets. With feet bare and trousers rolled up to
the knees, we sprung from the ferry-boat to the shining sand.
It was a glorious morning. The tide was out, and our path
lay along the sandy flats, left clean and cool by the receding
waters. All were in high glee. Soon we struck the trail,
that wound inland among little rice-fields, and in an hour or
two were on the high plateau. The scenery was charming.
Here and there were groves of fir, and around an occasional
farm-house waved the tall bamboo. It was early spring, and
the grassy sward was decked with innumerable dandelions,
violets, and other wild flowers. The air was vocal with the
sweet song of the sky-lark singing clear up against the blue.
We descended into a large rice-plain and soon reached the
public road. Toward evening we arrived at Tiong-lek, a
town of about four thousand population, and got quarters for
the night at the best inn. It was on the main street, a low,
FIRST VIEWS OF FORMOSA
35
one-story building of sun-dried bricks. This was my first ex-
perience in a Formosan inn. Our room was small, allowing
no space for anything but the three beds it contained. There
was no stand, table, or chair. The beds were of planks with
legs of bricks, and, instead of springs and bedclothes, had
each a dirty grass mat, upon which coolies had smoked opium
for years.
There was no window or other opening to the
fresh air. The glimmer that came from a pith-wick in a
saucer of peanut-oil revealed the black, damp earth floor, the
walls besmeared and mouldy; and crawling everywhere were
three generations of creatures whose presence did not add
to the "barbarians'" comfort. A stupefying smell of opium-
smoking, the odor of pigs wallowing in filth at the door, and
the noisome fetor of the whole establishment were almost too
much for my unaccustomed senses, and I thought surely my
companions were giving me a "strong dose." I soon learned,
however, that the inn at Tiong-lek was regarded as first-class,
and in some respects excelled any I afterward saw anywhere
in Formosa. We came to regard it as the "Queen's Hotel."
Other inns make no arrangement for meals or feeding travel-
ers, but this one had in the open court an "earthen range"
for the use of travelers, and an open room with a table, two
chairs, and a bench. Many a time have I been grateful for
that "range" upon which to cook our food, and that room
in which to eat it. To be sure, the floor was earth, and the
hens and ducks had easy access, and the pigs grunted indoors
and out; but it was the most homelike place we ever found in
any public house in all our travels on the island.
Leaving Tiong-lek, the road ascended to an upland, the
edge of which, called Table Hill, three hundred feet high,
overlooked a rich plain with many little farms. The houses
were encircled by bamboo, which gave the whole place the
appearance of a waving forest. Descending by stone steps,
we passed through the fields and bamboo-plantations, and in
36
FROM FAR FORMOSA
the evening entered the walled city of Tek-chham, with its
forty thousand inhabitants. That night we spent in an inn
compared with which the one at Tiong-lek was palatial. Next
day we passed small fields of barley and wheat, and trudged
over the weary sand-dunes, and at night were grateful for the
grass hut at the halting-place for coolies, where the inevitable
pig, with her swarm of little ones, took up her headquarters
under our bed.
Next day Mr. Ritchie succumbed to malaria. He had
been in Formosa only four years, but his system was honey-
combed by the poison, and that day he had to take the sedan-
chair. The dirty walled town of Tai-kah was next reached,
and our path lay over a low piece of country toward Toa-sia,
an inland Pe-po-hoan village. We were now within the terri-
tory of the English Presbyterian Mission, and at Toa-sia there
was a small chapel and a number of converts. They had
been advised of our approach, and about fifty of them came
out to meet us. They received us with great joy, for only
once before had a Christian missionary ever visited them. We
stayed there nearly a week. On the Lord's day the chapel
was crowded with eager Pe-po-hoan worshipers, and many
Chinese from a neighboring town were attracted by the strange
"barbarians." Our next move was to Lai-sia, a Pe-po-hoan
village not far away, where we remained until the next Sab-
bath, when we returned to Toa-sia. On Monday we started
out for Po-sia, a Pe-po-hoan settlement within savage territory,
far in among the mountains. No white man had ever been
in that plain. Many of its inhabitants had moved in from
Toa-sia, and now fifty-five of their relatives accompanied us
on our journey. They provided themselves with food for the
way. The men carried knives at their belts, and a few match-
locks, fearing the mountain tribes, who regarded them as
traitors. The first night we spent in the woods. The fires
were kindled and burned all night.
FIRST VIEWS OF FORMOSA
37
The entrance to Po-sia was through a narrow pass made
by some volcanic eruption among the rocks. At places the
pass was not more than six feet wide, with the perpendicular
walls of rock on either hand two hundred feet high.
On Tuesday we emerged into a plain six miles long and
five miles wide, completely inclosed by densely wooded
mountains. This was the Po-sia plain, and here lived six
thousand Pe-po-hoan. At the edge of the rocks we were met
by an outlook party that had been sent to welcome us, and
on the way had been hunting the wild boar. There was great
jubilation when friends met friends. They gave us an ova-
tion, and as we did not wear the cue they called us their
kinsmen. That night a great ox was killed, and a powwow
of huge dimensions was held to celebrate our coming. They
sang their wild chanting songs and awakened the echoes
among the mountains. We remained there for over a week.
Mr. Ritchie held service every evening, and on Sunday a
great crowd assembled. There was no church there, nor had
the gospel been preached there before, but here was illustrated
the self-propagating power of Christianity. Some of these
Pe-po-hoan had heard the truth at the English Presbyterian
chapels in the south, and, according to Christ's command-
ment, had returned to their homes to show how great things
the Lord had done for them.
We returned to Toa-sia, and there we parted, Ritchie and
Dickson continuing their journey to Tai-wan-fu, and I with
one Chinese started back for Tamsui. I returned by another
route and reached Tamsui on April 6th, after an absence of
twenty-three days. Here began my work, alone, without an
interpreter, and among those who hated and despised the
"barbarian." What I had already picked up of the Chinese
language I must now utilize or submit to being imposed upon.
After four days I succeeded in renting a Chinese house that was
intended to be used for a horse-stable by military mandarins.
38
FROM FAR FORMOSA
For this building I agreed to pay fifteen dollars per month. It
was a filthy place. A steep hill being dug out furnished the
site, and the road around separated it from the river. Situated.
as it was, it could not be healthy at any time. In the dry sea-
son the atmosphere was hot and oppressive, and when the rains
came the water streamed down the sloping hill and ran through
the building across the floor into the river in front. One room
was floored with unplaned boards, another with tiles, and the
others with nature's black soil. I moved into my new home
with all my furniture--two pine boxes. The British consul,
Alexander Frater, Esq., lent me a chair and bed; a Chinese, Tan
Ah Soon, gave me an old pewter lamp; and I employed a
mason to whitewash the whole establishment. It was thor-
oughly cleaned, portions of the walls hidden with newspapers,
and openings curtained with red cotton. In full possession of
this retreat, here is the record entered in my diary under the
date of April 10, 1872: "Here I am in this house, having been
led all the way from the old homestead in Zorra by Jesus, as
direct as though my boxes were labeled, 'Tamsui, Formosa,
China.' Oh, the glorious privilege to lay the foundation of
Christ's church in unbroken heathenism! God help me to do
this with the open Bible! Again I swear allegiance to thee, O
King Jesus, my Captain. So help me, God!"
:
THE ISLAND
1
39
CHAPTER V
GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY
Position-Climate-Rainfall-Depression-Malaria-First attack of fever
-Struck by a typhoon-A cloud-burst-Historical sketch-" Ilha
formosa !"
THO
HE island of Formosa lies off the east coast of China,
opposite the Fu-kien province. It is separated from the
mainland by the Formosa Channel, which varies in breadth
from eighty to two hundred miles. On the northeast and
southeast the island is washed by the waters of the Pacific
Ocean. It is about two hundred and fifty miles from north to
south. The average breadth is about fifty miles. It contains
an area of about fifteen thousand square miles, being about
one half the size of Ireland. Forest-clad mountain-ranges at-
taining the height of from seven thousand to fifteen thousand
feet run through the center from north to south, and from their
bases extends a broad stretch of lowlands, plateau and ravines.
This plain is drained by three large streams which run into the
Tamsui River. Precipitous cliffs from three thousand to six
thousand feet, clothed with vegetation except on the sea-face,
with two large and many small plains, which are silted inlets,
compose the eastern side of North Formosa.
Formosa is under tropical conditions. It lies between
20° 58′ and 25° 15′ north latitude and 120° and 1220 east
longitude. The Tropic of Cancer runs through it not far from
the center, so that only the south is really within the tropics.
41
42
FROM FAR FORMOSA
On account of its position and the altitude of its mountains
there is a considerable variety of climate, not only in that part
that lies within the tropics, but also in the north.
The climate of North Formosa is excessively trying to
foreigners. Those who have traveled in the Orient will under-
stand that statement, but to the average Westerner it will be
meaningless. In fact, it cannot be fully comprehended save
by those who have spent a number of years in such a climate.
From January to December flowers are in bloom and the
whole country is green. Foliage is renewed as fast as it de-
cays. We have no frost or snow, and those accustomed to
invigorating atmosphere cannot understand how at times in
Formosa we long for just one breath of the clear, crisp air of
a frosty winter morning. About once a year we do get a
glimpse of the snow's refreshing whiteness, but it is only a
glimpse, for it lies on the top of the highest mountains, and
around Tamsui remains only a few days.
March, April, and May may be called our spring season.
June, July, August, and part of September are very hot, and
the months most dreaded, because, although the temperature
varies from forty-two to one hundred degrees at Tamsui and
Kelung, yet on account of the weight of moisture carried by
the atmosphere the heat is much more oppressive and enervat-
ing than in other and drier regions of South China. In August
and September the tropical storms and typhoons come, which
help to clear the air. October and November generally bring
delightful weather in the north. About the end of December
our rainy season sets in, and continues through January and
February. It is rain, rain, rain, to-day, to-morrow, and the
next day; this week, next week, and the week after; wet and
wind without, damp and mould within. Often for weeks to-
gether we rarely get a glimpse of the sun. All the year around
we have to fight against depression of spirits, and say over to
ourselves as cheerfully as possible:
GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY
43
"Be still, sad heart, and cease repining;
monsoon.
1
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining."
Not only during the rainy season, but almost any time
throughout the year, we may expect heavy floating clouds to
be arrested by the mountains and to empty themselves into
the plains. Especially is this the case during the northeast
As the warm waters of the Japanese "Black
Stream" sweep northerly along the eastern coast of Formosa,
vapors ascend and are driven toward the island, there to be-
come heavy clouds, which condense, touch the mountain-tops,
and torrents of rain result. This accounts for the heavier rain
on the eastern than on the western side. During the south-
west monsoon, however, the wind drives these vapors away
from the northern part of the island, and then we have our
finest weather.
Keeping in view the dampness of Formosa and the power-
ful influence of the broiling tropical sun, it will be easily under-
stood that growth is very rapid. Scarcely a barren spot is to
be seen.
The rocks are clad in moss and festooned with
vines; the very trees in their wild state are covered with
creepers. But if growth is rapid, so is decay, and hence
man's deadliest foe-malarial fever. This is the blackest
cloud that hangs longest over our beautiful island. Because
of it disease and death work terrible havoc among the inhabi-
tants. Almost every form of disease is directly traced to this
one source. Seldom do three months elapse without one or
more members of every household being laid low. In the hot
season the natives are suddenly attacked, and .in many cases
succumb in a few hours. The bacteria of Asiatic cholera and
malarial fever, carried on the wind, sweep over the country
like a deathful pestilence. Sometimes the fatal effects of the
climate do not appear for many months; but they manifest
themselves so suddenly and unexpectedly that the physician
44
FROM FAR FORMOSA
has little chance to save life. Therefore we have often been
called to follow the beloved members of our little community
to the grassy resting-place out on the hill.
My first attack of fever was exactly one year after my
arrival on the island. I had been on an extended tour with
Captain Bax of her Majesty's man-of-war. We penetrated
far into the mountains, and were for a considerable time in
savage territory. Bax, although strong and healthy when we
set out, had to be carried back in a sedan-chair. On return-
ing to Tamsui I found my rooms chilly, damp, and mouldy.
While I was absent the place was not occupied, and when I
returned and lay down to sleep I became cold as ice, shook
and trembled like an aspen-leaf, my teeth chattering so loudly
that A Hoa heard it in an outer apartment. He came to my
relief and remained at my bedside the whole night. As there
was no fireplace in the building, it was impossible to get
warmed. Heavy doses of quinine broke the fever, but my
system was not free from it for years. Many times, on trips
among churches and in the mountains, have the mats under
me been wet with perspiration during the hot stage of the
disease.
Personal experience has convinced me that but few for-
eigners can resist the enervating influence of the climate in
Formosa, and hence I have pleaded for a native ministry to
carry on the work of the mission. If European merchants in
their well-built houses in Tamsui or Kelung find it impossible
to maintain their health, what would become of them had they
to live in Chinese houses on the east coast, or be exposed to
the wind and weather in inland traveling?
The position and topography of Formosa expose it to the
dreadful typhoon which sweeps across the Malay Archipelago,
over the Philippine Islands, and then northward to Japan, tak-
ing Formosa in its course. The name is from the Chinese ta-
fung or “great wind." The intense heat in southern latitudes
GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY
45
conspires with other causes to produce this fearful outbreak
of the elements, that results every year in untold loss of life
and property. As the main path of the typhoon is along the
Chinese sea-coast, the greatest destruction is on the ships and
islands. Trees are torn up by the roots, buildings are swept
away like chaff, great ships are broken to pieces or lifted from
their anchorage and deposited elsewhere, and thousands of
lives are lost. My first experience was in 1874, when the
great typhoon swept over the land. I was hurrying alone
from Kelung to Bang-kah. I came to a deep stream, and was
feeling my way across a narrow plank bridge, when a great
roar was heard, and before I reached the opposite bank the
typhoon broke. I was hurled headlong through the darkness
into the mud and water below. How I regained the slippery
bank and made my way through the storm-swept bamboo and
along the narrow winding path I cannot tell. It was nearly
midnight when I reached Bang-kah, and right glad I was to
find some shelter with the students there. That night a Brit-
ish merchant steamer bound for Tamsui was struck outside the
Kelung harbor, and in the morning only the fragments of a
wreck could be seen. Nearly all on board were lost, and now
on a rock a white marble cross commemorates their loss.
Some years afterward, with Sun-a, one of my students, I was
traveling to Kelung. When on the last mountain we looked
seaward across the harbor, and behold! a black wall stood be-
tween the troubled sea and the lowering heavens. Thousands
of sea-gulls were pressing forward with long, loud cries. We
understood the signs and made all haste. Just as we were
entering the town, with one indescribable roar the storm burst.
First a few drops of rain, then the wind loosened and the tor-
rents fell. Every living creature sought refuge. We rushed
into a half-finished hut, and were companions in distress with
a number of black pigs. There we stayed the whole night,
listening to the fury of the terrific gales and surging waves.
46
FROM FAR FORMOSA
Early in the morning we looked out to see the streets two feet
deep in the water, gardens and rice-fields flooded, and every-
where marks of destruction and loss.
Turning now to the history of Formosa, we find many of
the annals untrustworthy, being both inaccurate and fanciful.
The Chinese claim to have sent an envoy to the island during
the Suy dynasty, which was overthrown in 620 A.D. This
claim is entirely probable. With junks, such as the Chinese
possessed hundreds of years ago, it is not credible that they
could sail through the Formosa Channel
year after year with-
out seeing the island and touching it somewhere. The first
Europeans to visit Formosa were Portuguese, who settled
there in 1590. The Dutch landed in 1624, and two years
later were followed by the Spaniards. The Dutch expelled
the Spaniards in 1642, and they themselves were driven out by
Koxinga, the famous Chinese pirate. Koxinga was loyal to
the Ming dynasty, and when the Tartars came down from
Manchuria, and Sun-ti was proclaimed emperor, Koxinga re-
fused to submit to the usurper. He continued to molest the
coast to such a degree that in 1665 the emperor ordered all the
people to retire nine miles inland to escape Koxinga's grasp.
One might suppose that an emperor strong enough to secure
such obedience from his subjects might easily have defended
his maritime provinces against attack; but such is Chinese
strength and weakness. Having thus failed to reach the sub-
jects of the empire, Koxinga crossed the channel, drove the
Dutch out of Formosa, and proclaimed himself first king of
the island. His reign was brief and stormy, and in 1683 his
successors were dethroned by the Chinese emperor and For-
mosa made a dependency of the Fu-kien province. In 1874
the Japanese invaded the eastern part of the island, but left
immediately after the Chinese government made reparation
for the loss sustained by the Japanese junks that had been at-
tacked by the savages. In 1887 Formosa first became a sepa-
GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY
47
rate province of the Chinese empire. In 1894 war broke out
between China and Japan, and at its close the island of For-
mosa was ceded to Japan and is now under the flag of the
'Rising Sun."
"
The aboriginal or Malayan name of the island was Pekan
or Pekando. In 1430 the Chinese named it Ki-lung-shan
("Mountain of Kelung"), and the best port in the north still
retains that name. Subsequently they called it Tai-wan ("Ter-
raced Harbor "), and by that name it is known to all Chinese to
this day; and the capital of the island was therefore called Tai-
wan-fu ("capital city of Tai-wan "). "Formosa" is a Portu-
guese word. It is a descriptive name meaning "beautiful," and
was first applied to the settlement at Kelung in 1590. Sailing
along the east coast, their brave voyagers, sighting the green-
clad mountains with peaks piercing the scattered clouds, cas-
cades glimmering like silver in the tropical sunlight, and
terraced plains waving with feathery bamboo, exclaimed with
glad surprise, “Ilha formosa, ilha formosa!" ("Beautiful isle,
beautiful isle!").
CHAPTER VI
GEOLOGY
Formosan natural history unwritten-A great subsidence-The island
given back-Geological formation-Minerals found-Physical changes
—Earthquakes—Loss and compensation-The eternal Refuge.
HE natural history of Formosa is as yet an unwritten
THE
book. Even in the best authorities information is
meager and unreliable. Anything pretending to be Chinese
science is empirical and must be carefully sifted; and foreign
scientists have done little personal investigation on the island.
But the subject was too important and too interesting to be
neglected, and so in all our travels, establishing churches and
exploring in the savage territory, I carried with me my geologi-
cal hammer, chisel, and lens, and brought back on nearly every
occasion some valuable contribution to my museum at Tam-
sui. I ever sought to train my students to have eyes to see
and minds to understand nature's great message in sea and
grove and mountain gorge. In the hope that readers may be
interested without being burdened I shall set down here only
sufficient to convey a general idea of the formations, deposits,
and contents of the mountains and plains, and refer briefly to
the influences and agencies at work in modifying the topog-
raphy of the island.
Formosa is a continental island which became separated
from the mainland of China by the subsidence of the interven-
ing land some time during the Tertiary period, and similar sub-
48

HOPKIN
GEOLOGICAL MAP
OF
NORTH FORMOSA.
+Sulphur
Gold
Red earth or clay.
Sandstone.
Limestone.
Alluvial soil.
Granite compounds Gray-
Stone Trappaan rocks
Carboniferous quartzites
slate with quartz
lodes.
Slate.
REEF
RALR
CORAL REE
COPYRIGHT 1895 BY
FLEMINGH.REWELL COMPANY PUB NY
CORALREE
GEOLOGY
49
sidences have taken place all along the Chinese seaboard.
Beginning at the south point of Kamtchatka Peninsula, and
embracing the Kurile, Japan, Loo-choo, Philippine, Borneo,
Java, and Sumatra islands, we have Formosa about the middle
of this line, which once formed the eastern boundary of the
Asiatic continent. The Okhotsk, Japan, Yellow, and China
seas, with the Formosa Channel, cover the submerged lands.
Formosa is still connected with the mainland by a bank sub-
merged to the maximum depth of one hundred fathoms. This
is, indeed, the deepest sounding anywhere near the island, but
thirty miles off the eastern coast the soundings suddenly fall to
the depth of one thousand fathoms, and going farther seaward
to two thousand, three thousand, and four thousand fathoms,
until the dark unsounded depths of the Pacific are reached.
There have been, too, partial and total subsidences and ele-
vations in the geological history of the island, and there are
evidences of a total submergence to the depth of at least one
hundred fathoms, during which period the coral insect built a
layer to a considerable extent over its surface. Then came a
sudden upheaval. The fierce energies within broke out with
mighty volcanic action amid the terrific thundering of nature's
heavy artillery. The igneous rocks were lifted to the height of
fifteen hundred feet above the surface of the ocean, and For-
mosa was given back to the light of day. The coral was car-
ried up to these mountain-peaks and then sent in huge masses
tumbling down the sides. Heavy rains and sweeping storms
carried it as debris out to sea. Remains are still found at the
height of two thousand feet, and this, together with the coral
reef whose arms are stretched out beneath the waters around
the shore, attests the convulsions and changes of prehistoric
times.
The rocks of the island consist principally of sandstone,
slate, graystone, gneiss, limestone, shale, granite and trappean
compounds, basalt, clinkstone, coal, and coralline. In the
50
FROM FAR FORMOSA
northern, northeastern, and western sides there are ferru-
ginous, argillaceous, gritty, and silicious sandstones, inter-
mingled with carboniferous quartzite and solid schistose rock.
The eastern precipitous cliffs exhibit beautiful contorted gneiss
and graystone masses. The curves and flexures in the lines of
stratification are marked with wonderful distinctness. Around
So Bay, on the eastern coast, and extending south and north,
pyritiferous slate is dominant. The iron pyrites are very abun-
dant in the entire formation. Gray, brown, and reddish shales
are common in the northern parts. Mica-schist and micaceous
sandstone alternate with gneiss, and appear contorted, dis-
placed, and filled with lodes of quartz, varying from one eighth
of an inch to several inches, which ran through the fissures
when the mass was in a molten state. Massive limestone of
bluish-gray color is found with shales and gritty sandstones.
On the right bank of the Kelung River, near Pat-chien-na,
there is an interesting formation of quartzose sandstone, com、
posed of quartz-grains colored with iron oxide. It was evi-
dently carried by the waters through the valley and deposited
along the flanks of volcanic rocks which were vomited as
molten material long before the now valuable quarry became
cemented into hard rock. Tai-tun range is itself a mass of
dark-blue igneous rock, with an extinct crater twenty-five
hundred and seventy-five feet high on the southwest side.
Quan-yin Mountain is of the same material, and is extensively
quarried and dressed for door-steps, lintels, pillars, and the
foundations of buildings. Already such rocks are called quan-
yin stone by natives.
Coal is known to abound in two thirds of the island, and it
is more than probable that seams of different depths extend the
whole distance from north to south. The best-known mines
are at Poeh-tau, near Kelung. It is all bituminous, and is so
dislocated by upheavals and convulsions that the strata are full
of faults and fissures, which render the work less remunerative
GEOLOGY
51
than it might otherwise be. Europeans employed by a gov-
ernor sank a shaft, but there was so much blasting and cutting
of sandstone that it has never been a profitable enterprise.
Natives start at the outcrop at the side of a hill, following the
seam on its incline; they dig with picks, and with a small hand-
sleigh drag the pieces out. Opposite the Sin-tiam church there
is a seam two feet thick, tilted almost perpendicular, and there
it stands between the equally dislocated sandstone rocks.
Lignite occurs in a few sandstone ranges on the western
slopes.
Petroleum is found at several points between West Peak and
Au-lang. At the seaside I took up a bottleful and kept it for
ten years.
It appeared like olive-oil and burned with ease,
giving a bright light. Two Americans from Pennsylvania were
employed by the Chinese to sink a shaft, but at three hundred
feet the drills broke and the enterprise was abandoned.
Natural gas is obtained in several localities, and one has
only to remove the black soil to the depth of a foot or two,
strike a match, and in an instant the whole will be ablaze.
Salt.-Rock-salt has not been found in the island, but the
aborigines in the Kap-tsu-lan plain have a process by which
they extract the salt from the sea-water. Large quantities of
the water are poured over the hot sand on the beach until for
an inch or two in depth it becomes thoroughly impregnated.
This sand is then collected into a large iron leach-tub, to which
heat is applied, and into which more sea-water is poured.
The water, percolating, carries the salt with it, and when
evaporated a beautiful white salt remains.
Sulphur is found in great abundance, especially in the
north. The best springs are at Kang-tau, near the Kelung
River. I visited them in October, 1872. That was the first
time I had seen so strange a sight. Descending from the
height overlooking the Bang-kah plain, we found a winding
path, along which we hurried up the valley till we reached the
52
FROM FAR FORMOSA
springs. The ground, as we approached, resounded to our
feet like the rumbling of distant thunder. The narrow valley
was a place of interest and beauty. A score of springs boiling
and roaring, hissing like a great Mogul engine, sent up clouds
of steam and poured out volumes of hot sulphur-water. The
sides of the boulders and the lips of the crevices were all
flaked with beautiful golden-colored sulphur. A bath at any
temperature could easily be obtained, but the Formosans know
nothing about the medicinal properties of their sulphur-springs.
A valuable sulphur industry is carried on by the government.
Coolies are employed in the neighborhood of the springs, dig-
ging up raw material, a lava-like substance, grayish in color.
When this is melted in huge pans the sulphur comes to the
surface, the sediment, when hard, being a beautiful specimen
of igneous rock. There is another region, northeast by north,
with solfatara springs; but by far the largest spring is seaward
from Vulcan's Peak, fifty-six hundred and fifty feet high,
on the way to Kim-pau-li. There it is hissing, roaring, and
bellowing, like tons of blazing oil in a seething caldron.
Sea-captains often mistake Vulcan's Peak for an active volcano.
In from Sin-tiam, within the mountains, there is a region where
the fires became extinct less than one hundred years ago.
Iron in some form must exist in the interior of the island, for
at the sea-shore one can easily fill a cup with hematite of iron
by dipping a magnet and collecting the particles adhering to it.
There are also chalybeate springs along the bases of many hills
and mountains.
Gold was discovered in 1890 by a Chinese workman who
had been in California and Australia, and who was engaged in
excavating for the erection of a railway-bridge over the Kelung
River. Reports of this fact having been circulated, multitudes
were soon attracted to the place, and were from daylight to
dark digging for the precious metal. Gold-bearing rocks in the
interior are carboniferous quartzites, slaty and schistose, with
GEOLOGY
53
lodes of quartz. It is difficult to estimate the quantity procured
annually, although it must be considerable.
Great physical changes are continually taking place on the
island. What was once a large and beautiful lake is now the
fertile Bang-kah plain. Storms and freshets brought down
vegetable matter from the mountains, and the bottom of the
lake was gradually elevated. Meanwhile the waters were
grinding and pressing against the spur that joined the Tai-tun
and Quan-yin mountains, forming the lower bank of the lake.
At some time a violent earthquake-shock rent this spur, and
the waters rushed madly down to the sea, leaving behind
a rich alluvial plain, and cutting what is now the channel of
the Tamsui River.
Earthquakes are very common and do enormous damage.
In 1891 on one day four shocks were felt, and a month later
two more. Years ago at Kelung rumbling sounds were heard.
and the waters of the harbor receded until fish of all sizes were
left wriggling and floundering in the mud and pools. Women
and children rushed out to secure such rare and enticing
prizes, but shrieks from the shore warned them of the return
of the water. Back it came, furious as a charge of battle,
overleaping its appointed bounds, and sweeping away all the
houses in the low-lying land along the shore. The story of that
tidal wave is handed down as one of the great catastrophes in
history. At Kim-pau-li, not many years ago, a shock was felt.
Rice-fields suddenly sank three feet, and the sulphurous water
rose and still covers the place. Sugar-cane is now cultivated
in large tracts where boatmen plied their oars in 1872, and the
waters of the Tamsui River glide over places where stood vil-
lages in which I preached the gospel twenty-three years ago.
Changes are taking place, too, all along the shore. One might
suppose that the hard rocks on the east coast would be able to
resist all forces and influences. But no; tides and waves of the
great Pacific tunnel, undermine, and wear away the bases of the
54
FROM FAR FORMOSA
rocks, till needles, stacks, and arches stand up to attest the in-
ward march of the water. On the west coast, however, there
is compensation, for there the land is encroaching fast upon the
sea. During heavy rains the rivers transport large quantities of
mud, sand, and gravel from the mountains into the Formosa
Channel, building sand-bars, mud-banks, and extensive shoals,
as though the island sought to bridge again a pathway back to
the parent land.
Atmo-
What mighty changes! What resistless power!
spheric, organic, aqueous, chemical, and volcanic agencies are
ever at work lowering the mountains, elevating the seas, chang-
ing the face of nature. But note it well: they are blind and
mighty forces, but they are all under control of Him who lay-
eth the beams of his chambers in the waters, who maketh the
clouds his chariots, the flaming fire his ministers, who walketh
upon the wings of the wind, and by whom the foundations of
the earth were laid that it should not be removed forever. We
will not fear though the earth do change, though the mountains
be carried into the midst of the sea. The eternal God is our
refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
I will sing
unto the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises unto my
God while I have my being.

BOTANICAL MAP
OF
NORTH FORMOSA.
•
Primeval Forest.
Rice.
Tea.
Sugar
Indigo.
Orange.
HOPKINS & BLAUT Eng NY.
་་་་་་་་་་་
COPYRIGHT 1895 BY
FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY PUB NY.
THE
CHAPTER VII
TREES, PLANTS, AND FLOWERS
HE richness of the soil and the humidity of the climate
conspire to produce a luxuriant vegetation in Formosa.
Trees, plants, and flowers literally cover the ground. Apart
from a few exposed rocks, the crevices, ravines, and boulders
are overgrown with ferns, plants, grasses, and creepers of all
kinds and sizes. The trees are not tall, but large, having
enormous branches. The mountain-sides are clothed from
top to bottom with tangled undergrowth and trees of every
possible shade of yellow and green. Reference will be made
in this chapter to the many varieties found in this botanical
garden of nature. For the sake of brevity the names only of
many common or unimportant plants and flowers are men-
tioned.
I. Forest-trees
1. Shaulam (Thuya Formosana) is found in the mountains,
in rocky places, and upon the bare rock. It is an excellent
lumber-tree, has a beautiful grain, and when varnished with
certain Chinese preparations it takes on a fine finish that re-
flects objects like a mirror, and is the best in Formosa for
cabinet-work. It is nothing unusual to see boards and planks
of it from two to eight feet in breadth.
2. Oak (Quercus ilex), a pretty evergreen, of which there
are several varieties. It is hard red wood, which is used in
the manufacture of hoe, ax, and adz handles.
55
56
FROM FAR FORMOSA
3. Tallow-tree (Stillingia azebifera). The berry of this tree,
after the covering falls off, is about the size of a pea, whitish
in color, and hangs in clusters from the branches. The tallow
is extracted from the berry by pressure, and is made into
candles, which, when painted red, are used for idol-worship,
especially in Buddhistic temples. The leaves of the tree re-
semble those of the Canadian poplar, but in autumn they as-
sume the red and yellow tints of the soft maple.
4. Mulberry (Morus nigra). This tree is indigenous and
grows everywhere. An attempt was made to establish a silk
industry on the island, and the silkworm was introduced.
But the leaves of the mulberry proved coarser than those on
the mainland, and the raw silk being of inferior quality, the
enterprise was abandoned.
5. Fir. This is planted to protect the tea-plantations from
winds and storms.
6. Pine. Only a few small pines are found, and they are
seen on the sides of the mountains.
Camphor-trees are the
7. Camphor (Laurus camphora).
largest in the forests. On measuring one I found it twenty-
five feet in circumference. There is in my possession a plank
which a hundred years ago was the end of a native chief's
house. It is a single piece of more than eight feet square, and
on it are many aboriginal carvings. Camphor-gum does not
run like sap from the sugar-maple, nor does it exude like pitch
from the pine. It is procured in the following way: An adz
half an inch broad, and with a handle two feet long, is used
as a gouge. With this the roots, stumps, and branches of the
tree are chipped. These chips are collected and placed in a
sort of covered steamer over boiling water. In due course
the gum is distilled, and sublimates on the inside of the vessel
like hoar-frost. The process of distilling is continued until a
sufficient quantity is collected, when it is put up in tubs for
export. As the demand is great in European countries,
TREES, PLANTS, AND FLOWERS
57
the camphor industry is one of the most important on the
island.
8. Paper-plant (Aralia papyrifera). The so-called rice-paper
is made from the pith of this plant. The roll of pith, varying
from half an inch to three inches in diameter, is cut into pieces
according to the width of paper desired. It is then placed
upon a very smooth tile, shaped somewhat after the fashion of
a slate, with a brass frame the thickness of the paper raised
above the edges. The operator, having made the pith per-
fectly smooth and cylindrical, rolls it backward over the tile
with his left hand, and with his right pares it concentrically
with a long, sharp, thick-backed knife. The knife rests on
the brass frame, which serves as a gauge, and is drawn steadily
back and forth. A beautiful paper is thus cut, which is used
in making artificial flowers, or is exported to Hong Kong, where
it is used in the manufacture of sun-hats. Chinese artists find
large employment in painting cards of this paper, which are
readily disposed of to European and American tourists.
9. Pung-tree (Liquidambar Formosana). This beautiful tree
resembles soft maple. The leaves, especially when pressed
between the fingers, are quite fragrant.
10. Bead-tree (Melia Azedarach). This tree grows very rap-
idly. When about a foot in diameter its wide-spreading
branches and lovely lilac flowers present a picture very at-
tractive to a lover of nature.
There can be no doubt that
11. Banian (Ficus Indica).
the banian is a long-lived tree. Of all the several hundred
trees now in the college grounds at Tamsui, I planted every
one from small branches, two inches through and five or six
feet long. These were cut from large trees which survived
several centuries of tropical storm. The banian is an ever-
green, with rootlets running from the branches, which, if not
interfered with, eventually reach the ground, take root, and
grow as a support to the tree. The process of extension and
58
FROM FAR FORMOSA
reduplication may go on until the branches, supported by
their self-produced pillars, cover a vast area, and the original
tree becomes an evergreen canopy under which thousands may
find shelter.
12. Willow (Salix). As is to be expected, willows of differ-
ent varieties are found growing on the lowlands and on the
banks of streams.
13. Screw-pine (Pandanus). The leaves of this tree are
arranged spirally in three rows, and bear some resemblance to
those of the pineapple; thence the name screw-pine. The
fruit, when ripe, is also similar in appearance to the pineapple,
but is not edible. These trees are planted in the sandy dis-
tricts for hedges. The leaves, when withered, are used for
fuel, and the rootlets, cut a foot in length and hammered out,
are used for brushes.
14. Varnish-tree (Rhus vernicifera). The exudations from
this tree become an excellent varnish; but it must be used in
a dark room, and the varnished article must be left there until
it is thoroughly dry. It is very poisonous, and the effect on
different persons is very singular. I was once in a cabinet-
maker's establishment, remaining only a few minutes; but such
was the effect of the varnish-poison that for three days after-
ward my fingers were swollen to three times their normal size,
my face had a dropsical appearance, and my eyelids could
scarcely be opened. It was not so painful, but it was very
irritating and intensely disagreeable. The natives now eat the
fruit, though doubtless in days gone by they dipped their
arrows in the excretion to make them deadly weapons.
15. Thorn. This, as a tree, or as a creeper along the
ground, with spines of different lengths, is often met with on
the hillsides.
16. Tree-fern. This lovely plant is unsurpassed in beauty
by even the stately palm. In well-sheltered valleys it stands
fifty or sixty feet high, with fronds varying from ten to fifteen
TREES, PLANTS, AND FLOWERS
59
feet in length. It is used for posts, and its wood is manufactured
into cigar-boxes.
17. Rattan (Calamus rotang) is a species of palm. It grows
from twelve to twenty feet high; then it begins to creep along
in a vine-like fashion over other plants and above the branches
of trees, until it reaches fully five hundred feet. In pulling it
out the woodman often falls a prey to the savage head-hunter.
The exportation of rattan is an important industry.
18. Red bamboo. This is an ornamental tree, with reddish
stems and leaves, but it does not belong to the bamboo family.
It is a Dracana ferrea.
19. Betel-nut (Areca Catechu). This is an elegant tree,
straight as a rod, rising sometimes to the height of fifty feet.
Leaves are found at the top only. Its fruit is the well-known
betel-nut, which is extensively used for chewing by the Malay-
ans in Formosa and other islands, as a kind of intoxicant.
This nut is the pledge of reconciliation. When offered by
one and accepted by another, it is understood that the hatchet
is buried.
20. Betel-pepper (Chavica Betle). This is a creeper that is
often planted by the aborigines beside the betel-tree, up which
it is trained to grow. The leaf of this creeper has a pleasant
taste and is much relished by the native tribes, who chew it
all day long with the betel-nut dipped in lime. This is a filthy
and injurious habit.
21. Castor-oil plant (Ricinus). There are two species in the
north-the one with green stems and leaves, the other, more
lovely, with purple branches, leaves, and stems. Although
indigenous and of rapid growth, the seeds from which the oil
is produced are not utilized by the people.
22. Soap-tree (Sapindus Saponaria). The fruit is about the
size of marbles, grayish in color, with a kernel inside. Savages
and others on the border-land use it when washing clothes.
But the style of washing is unique. Whether it be done at
60
FROM FAR FORMOSA
ponds, creeks, or rivers, the garments are laid upon a plank
or a flat stone at the edge of the water. With a stick two
inches thick and two feet long, the garments are first pounded,
then rubbed with soap-tree seeds, turned over, and pounded
and rubbed again and again. When the clothes are con-
sidered sufficiently clean they are given a final rinse and taken
home.
23. Chestnut-tree (Castanea vulgaris). This tree grows to
a height of fifty or sixty feet in the mountains, and produces
fruit similar to that of the same family in America.
24. Cedar (Thuya orientalis). These are not large, and are
grown more for the purpose of ornamentation than utility.
25. Cayenne pepper (Capsicum Sinense). "Chilli" is the
Mexican name for all the varieties. That in Formosa is a
shrub two or three feet high, is very common, and the pods
are much used for domestic purposes.
26. Kiu-kiong (Lagerstræmia Indica). This is a very hard,
firm, close-grained wood, and is used for seals, knobs, and
other articles of that nature.
27. Wild mango (Cerbera Odollam), which grows to the
height of twenty feet, has evergreen, waxy leaves. Its fruit is
very peculiar and is about the size of a hen's egg. At first it
is green, but afterward it becomes a beautiful reddish pink.
But how deceptive! Inside it is nothing more nor less than
dry fiber, neither useful nor ornamental.
28. Pho-chhiu (Celtis Sinensis). This tree resembles the
peach, but its wood, which is soft and white, is not valuable
as timber.
II. Fruits and Fruit-trees
1. Longan (Nephelium Longanum). This is about the size
of a cherry, with a thin, bark-like rind. Within that rind.
there is a pulp which is edible, and in the center a kernel,
black outside and white within.
TREES, PLANTS, AND FLOWERS
61
2. Loquat (Eryobotrya Japonica). This is a yellow, juicy
fruit, with a kernel edible both in the natural state and when
preserved.
3. Persimmon (Diospyros). Of this there are several vari-
eties, but one is peculiar to Formosa. The most common is
red and about the size and shape of a tomato, for which,
indeed, it might easily be mistaken. The other is hard and
green, and is eaten after being cut and dipped in water.
4. Arbutus or strawberry-tree (Arbutus Unedo). It resembles
a strawberry, but one has to acquire a taste for it before rel-
ishing it. It is often pickled and used as a condiment.
5. Angular fruit (Averrhoa Carambola). This is a peculiar
fruit of angular shape, two inches long, and of yellow-green
color. When ripe it is very juicy, of a green-gooseberry flavor,
and is much relished.
6. Pomelo or shaddock (Citrus decumana). The formation
of this fruit is sectional, similar to that of the orange; but it is
considerably larger, being about the size of a citron. There
are several species of it. The fruit of one is reddish, and of
another whitish. The latter is preferred by foreigners.
7. Banana (Musa textilis). The stem of the banana is soft
and does not resemble that of hard trees. The young shoot
springs near the old plant, which falls after the fruit is ripened.
In one year there may be three successive bunches, each weigh-
ing about forty pounds. The ground around a banana-tree is
always wet, and where cultivated the neighborhood is more or
less malarious.
8. Orange (Citrus Aurantium). The sweet and bitter grow
here. There is a wild orange found in the forest, but it is much
smaller than the cultivated one. There is one species which
bears white flowers and golden fruit at the same time. The
natives call it the "four-season" orange.
9. Plum (Prunus domestica). Considering the little attention
paid to its cultivation, the Formosa plum must be described as
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
excellent. One kind is reddish to the pit and makes a deli-
cious preserve.
10. Pear (Pyrus communis). This is hard and woody, like
its wild uncultivated cousin in the West.
11. Crab-apple (Pyrus Malus). The apple is indigenous.
How interesting and suggestive the fact that we have in For-
mosa the original of the northern spy, maiden's-blush, pip-
pin, baldwin-indeed, of all the varieties of apple known in
the world; and that the difference between these fine fruits
and this scrawny crab is the result of horticultural care and
cultivation!
12. Guava (Psidium). The tree which bears this fruit is to
be found growing eight or ten feet high all over the hills; but
it is also cultivated in gardens or orchards, and its, fruit is im-
proved thereby. The natives salt it when green and eat it
when ripe.
13. Pomegranate (Punica granatum). The dark scarlet
flowers of the pomegranate are of surpassing beauty, but as
compared with that of Palestine the fruit is not to be desired.
14. Lime (Citrus Limetta). The rind of this fruit is dense, of
a greenish-yellow color, and really excellent when ripe. It has
a bitter taste. There are also "four-season" limes, producing
fruit and flowers at the same time.
15. Citron (Citrus medica). It is much larger than the lime,
and has a thick, tuberous rind. Its pulp is not so acid as that
of the lime.
16. Peach (Persica vulgaris). The wild peach is small, round,
and hairy, but the grafted variety is delicious when fully ripe.
17. Pineapple (Ananassa sativa). The best pineapples grow
in light loam in the vicinity of the sulphur-springs. The plants
are two feet high. One looking at them growing in the dis-
tance might mistake them for a garden of cabbages. Expor-
tation is more disastrous to this fruit than to any other.
who has eaten the rich and luscious pineapple in its native For-
One
TREES, PLANTS, AND FLOWERS
63
mosa cannot endure the very best offered for sale in foreign
markets.
18. Mango (Mangifera Indica). Nothing can be said in
praise of this fruit as it is found in North Formosa. It has
the taste of turpentine.
19. Papaw (Carica Papaya). The tree which produces this
fruit grows to the height of about twenty feet. The fruit itself
is very edible, is yellow when ripe, and has a milky juice.
Formosan mothers boil this fruit in the raw state, and eat it
with pork, for they believe that on such a diet they can more
liberally nourish their babes.
20. Jujube (Zizyphus Jujuba). The jujube-tree grows to
the height of thirty feet. Its fruit is eaten by the natives, but
is somewhat insipid.
21. Breadfruit (Artocarpus incisa). This fruit is used by the
aborigines exclusively. The plant has a viscid, milky juice.
22. Lichi (Nephelium Litchi). It has a soft pulp, which is
very delicious. It is often dried with sugar and used as a pre-
serve.
23. Hong-kaw (Nauclea cordifolia). This is a yellow fruit,
and is slightly larger than the egg of a common gray-bird.
24. Raspberry. Both red and black varieties grow in
abundance everywhere on the cleared hills; but though the
fruit looks full and enticing when ripe, it has not the flavor of
the Western berry, and is never eaten, unless, indeed, occasion-
ally by the herd-boys.
25. Fig (Ficus). The only indigenous fig is a creeping one,
which is a parasite. Starting out self-dependent near a tree, it
will fasten itself to the trunk and climb up till it reaches and
overshadows the topmost branches. The Chinese regard the
fruit, when boiled to a jelly, as valuable for medicinal purposes.
26. There is a creeping plant which produces a berry some-
what similar to the strawberry.
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
III. Fibrous Plants
At the outset it is well to state that there is no hemp, flax,
or cotton in North Formosa.
1. Jute (Corchorus capsularis). This grows ten or twelve
feet high, and is manufactured into cords, bags, and cables.
2. Grass-cloth or rhea (Bæhmeria nivea). It is cultivated
with great care, fertilized with liquid manure, and made into
grass-cloth and cords. It is found in Assam, Nepaul, and
Sikkim.
3. Triangular rush (Cyprus tegetiformis). This grows in brack-
ish water, and is cultivated in the Tai-kah region, at the boun-
dary of our mission. That place, indeed, has become famous
for its bed-mats made from this material. The mats vary in
price from two to five dollars each.
4. Banana.
Out of the fibers of the stem a thin summer
cloth is manufactured.
5. Pineapple. Very luscious. Out of its leaves a cloth is
made, similar to that made from the banana fibers.
6. Dwarf palm. Cords are made from the fibers of the bark.
7. Rain-coat (Chamaerops excelsa). The brown fibers near
the leaf-sheets are sewn together with threads of the same
material. The product is converted into coats which are worn
during the heavy rains by peasants and boatmen. The coat is
certainly a durable one, for even though exposed to sun and
rain for fifteen years it will not rot.
8. Paper-mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera). The bark is
stripped from the trunk and lower branches, and afterward
immersed in tubs containing water; but the liquid is not ready
for use for several days. When it is prepared, a framework
four feet square is made, and on it is fastened a coarse mate-
rial like bag stuff. The frame
The frame is held on an incline and the
liquid is poured gently over the canvas. The lower end of the
framework is then raised until the liquid spreads evenly over
TREES, PLANTS, AND FLOWERS
65
the surface and begins to thicken. It is then returned to the
inclined position and exposed to the drying rays of the sun.
The result is a sheet of gray paper resembling the material in
a wasp's nest. This paper is oiled and used in umbrella manu-
facture instead of cloth.
9. Géthô (Alpinia Chinensis). It grows wild on the hills,
among shrubs, everywhere. The leaves are long, and the
flowers are white and waxy, and yellow within. The fibers
are used in the manufacture of soles for one kind of grass
sandals.
IV. Leguminous Plants
1. Indigo (Indigofera tinctoria). There are two species. One,
with a small leaf, is cultivated in a sandy loam; the other, with
large leaves not unlike the Irish potato, is cultivated in new
land, sometimes around stumps.
2. Ground-nut or peanut (Arachis hypogaa). The appear-
ance of this plant in the field is like clover. It has pretty yel-
low blossoms. The legumes are produced underground; hence
the Chinese name, lok-hoa-seng. To dig the nuts is very
laborious work. The Chinese, therefore, make what pioneers
used to call a "bee," and from fifty to one hundred men,
women, and children can be seen together digging with
little scoops in the right hand, and picking up the nuts with
the left. They are usually boiled and have salt thrown over
them, or else roasted. Every rice-stall throughout the coun-
try has these useful peanuts on the table. From them an oil
is expressed which is used for both food and light.
3. Beans, of which there are many varieties, are cultivated
extensively.
4. Peas are less common and have fewer varieties.
5. Siusi (Arbus precatorius). This has long, narrow leaves
and very lovely round yellow flowers. There are rows of
it in the college grounds, and when all the branches are a
66
FROM FAR FORMOSA
mass of yellow the sight is charming. Nearly all the tea-plan-
tations have these trees planted around to protect them from
the wind.
6. Sensitive-plant (Mimosa sensitiva) grows wild in culti-
vated localities.
7. Vetch (Vicia Cracca). This is not unlike the bean, and is
found both wild and under cultivation.
8. Cessimum, sometimes called til. It is a Cessimum orien-
tale, and has black seeds, from which a bland oil, dark in color,
is made. This is very highly prized by the Chinese; in fact, it
is considered almost a household necessity.
V. Grasses
1. Rice (Oryza sativa). This is the great staple of the land.
Its culture is explained at length in another chapter.
2. Wheat (Triticum vulgare). This cereal is sown in Novem-
ber and harvested in May. At best the crop is poor, and
now that American flour is imported its cultivation is rapidly
diminishing.
3. Barley (Hordeum vulgare). There is but little barley
grown anywhere on the island.
4. Maize (Zea Mays). This is cultivated by both Chinese
and savages. When the grains are quite hard it is boiled and
eaten off the cob.
5. Millet (Panicum miliaceum). Of this there are different
varieties. One kind is only three feet high, while another, the
Sorghum vulgare, grows to the height of ten feet in good soil.
6. Oats are not cultivated. I experimented with Cana-
dian seeds. They produced straw four feet high, which was
like stalks of reed, but the kernels were worthless.
7. Sugar-cane (Saccharum Sinense velolaceum). There are
two kinds of sugar-cane cultivated, the one for chewing, and
the other for the manufacture of brown sugar for export.
TREES, PLANTS, AND FLOWERS
67
8. Bamboo (Bambusa arundinacea). There is one large
species which is split and made into baskets, hoops, etc.
Another kind grows to about the size of a large fishing-rod.
There is still another with small and feathery leaves which is
planted for hedges. The young shoots are cut off and used
for pickles. Boats, houses, bridges, baskets, chairs, hen-coops,
bird-cages, jars, water-vessels, pipes, lamps, beds, masts, doors,
hoops, mats, paper, are all made from this indispensable grass.
The savages also make earrings out of it, and the only musical
instruments they possess. It is to the Chinese what the cocoa-
nut is to the South Sea Islander and the date-palm to the
African. It rarely flowers or produces seed, so that when
flowers are seen those who are very superstitious declare that
some great change will certainly soon take place.
9. Couch-grass (Triticum repens) grows wild.
10. Sand-grass (Psamma arenana).
II. A most useful reed (Saccharum procerum).
There are numerous grasses, many of which bear red, white,
or black seeds. These seeds are used as beads by the wild
mountaineers. A most useful reed, lo-tek or arunde, is used
by builders; and the cellular tissues of lampwick (Lepironia)
we used in the early days in our little bamboo lamps.
VI. Bulbous Plants
1. Sweet potato (Batatas edulis). This is really a convol-
vulus, with pretty flowers, creeping tendrils, and large bulbs
underground. It must be distinguished from the ordinary
potato which produces such nutritious tubers, and which be-
longs to a different order, the Solanum tuberosum. The bulb
of the sweet potato is planted in March. In about six weeks
the vines are cut into pieces eight inches long, which are
planted in drills, and from these vine-cuttings the bulbs grow,
and are ripe about the end of June. A second crop is planted
68
FROM FAR FORMOSA
in a similar way in July and is ripe in November. Bulbs are
never grown from bulbs, but invariably from vine-cuttings.
There are three varieties, which differ in size, shape, and color.
2. Yam (Dioscorea sativa). There are several kinds-one
white, another reddish, a third grows in water, while several
others are produced on dry land on the hillsides. The dye-
yam, which is procured from the mountains, is used mainly by
the fishermen for dyeing their nets, clothes, and ropes.
3. Hoan-koah. This has a leaf in seven divisions, palmate
in form. Above-ground it is a creeping vine. The tubers, one
foot long, are beneath the surface. They are dried, grated to
powder, and used for food.
4. Taro (Aracacea). Also edible, similar to the yam.
5. Turmeric (Curcuma longa). The branches of the root-
stalk are used as a coloring-matter, medicine, and condiment.
The powder which is made from the root-stalk is of a lemon-
yellow color. This enters largely into the composition of curry-
powder.
VII. Vegetables
1. Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima). It grows to a large size.
One can occasionally be found weighing as much as sixty
pounds. The savages have a small, sweet variety.
2. Squash (Cucurbita Melo-pepo). Of considerable size.
3. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus). The common variety grows
larger than in America, and besides there is a large, soft,
and good species which is pickled and used extensively with
rice.
4. Melon (Cucumis Melo). This compares favorably with
that found in the West.
5. Watermelon (Cucumis Citrullus). This is extensively
grown on sandy soil, and is very refreshing.
6. Bottle-gourd (Cucurbita Lagenaria). When young and
tender this vegetable is sometimes eaten, but it is generally
TREES, PLANTS, AND FLOWERS
69
cultivated for its value as a water-bottle, water-dipper, water-
jar, or a jar for holding coral-lime.
7. Water-cress (Lepidium sativum). An excellent water-cress
is found in running streams, but it is rather strange that people
who eat and enjoy so many herbs and vegetables of all de-
scriptions should never partake of the wholesome cress. The
European sailors, however, especially the blue-jackets from
her Britannic Majesty's ships, soon found it out, and now
they can often be seen with their bonnets full, returning to the
ship to enjoy a fresh delicacy at mess.
8. Tomato (Solanum or Lycopersicum esculentum). The
tomato is truly indigenous, for it grows wild on cleared spots
within the mountains, among shrubs, and beside pathways. For
years I tried to induce the Pe-po-hoan to grow and use the
tomato, but so far my efforts have been in vain. The Chinese
themselves have an intense dislike to the taste.
regretted, for the large cultivated variety could be grown with
little trouble.
This is to be
9. Brinjal (Solanum Melongena). The fruit is of a purple
color, five or six inches in length and an inch in thickness. It
grows on a plant somewhat like a standing tomato when about
eighteen inches high. It is sliced lengthwise, boiled, dipped
in sauce, and eaten.
10. White cabbage (Brassica). There are several varieties,
which have been derived from Brassica oleracea, the original
species. The foreign drumhead cabbage has been introduced
and cultivated successfully. Occasionally one is found weigh-
ing twenty pounds.
11. Onion (Allium Cepa). The bulb is very small. The
whole plant, having been boiled to dissipate the phosphoric
acid, is eaten as a relish with rice.
12. Leek (Allium Porrum). This is used as the onion, but
it is preferred when it is in blossom.
13. Garlic (Allium sativum). This is extensively cultivated
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
and used for its well-known irritant, stimulating, and diuretic
properties.
14. Celery (Apium graveolens). This is used green, never
blanched. It is boiled, cut into pieces an inch long, and eaten
with rice.
15. Spinach (Spinacia oleracea). It is used as an esculent
pot-herb.
16. Turnip (Brassica rapa). The different varieties are all
white. One large kind resembles that in Western lands. It is
sliced, salted, and thus prepared for future use. The small
round variety is very sweet and succulent.
17. Bean (Papilionacea). Many types of bean are found,
some white, others black; some flat, others round; some large,
others small. They are all edible. The pods of a creeper in
the forest are sometimes two feet in length, while the cultivated
bean, which grows over water on trellis-work, is eighteen inches
long. The Dolichos soga might be designated the oil-bean.
18. Pea (Papilionacea). It is planted, not sown broadcast,
and its pods, when small, are picked, boiled, and used as a
vegetable.
19. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa). This is never used in the raw
state, but is always boiled before being eaten. Its property of
alleviating pain and inducing sleep is well understood.
20. Parsley (Petroselinum sativum) is cooked in lard before.
it is put on the table.
21. Mustard (Brassica Sinapis). This, when salted, is the
staple vegetable among the peasants.
22. Coriander (Coriandum sativum) is used as a salad,
dipped in soy.
23. Fennel (Faniculum vulgare) is sometimes used as a food,
but more frequently as a medicine.
24. Ginger (Zingiber officinale). This very useful plant at-
tains the height of about a foot, and has long, pointed leaves.
The rhizomes or roots are taken when green, sliced, and pre-
TREES, PLANTS, AND FLOWERS
71
pared as a relish. Around the city of Tek-chham there has
sprung up quite an industry in preparing it for market. It is
preserved dry, in sugar, in small earthen pots. It is not in
any way like the preparation in Canton which is brought into
Western lands. Plums, peaches, and pears are preserved in
small earthen pots like the Tek-chham ginger.
25. Ka-pek-sun (Cyperus). This is a sedge found in drains,
watercourses, and rivulets. The shoots, in the autumn, are
used daily at meals. The root, when sliced, is of a whitish
color, with black spots. It is truly a well-flavored, palatable
vegetable.
VIII. Other Kinds of Plants
1. Tobacco (Nicotiana Tabacum).
On the eastern coast
He
One laborer pinned him to
tobacco grows sometimes ten feet high. I never saw a living
creature put to death more expeditiously than was a venomous
serpent one day when we were erecting Oxford College.
was found under a heap of tiles.
the ground with a pole. Another took from his tobacco-pipe
a small quantity of nicotine and put it to the mouth of the rep-
tile. Instantly his snakeship drew himself up, stretched him-
self out, shuddered, and, being released, turned his whitish
belly upward and expired. I would have thought this incred-
ible had I not witnessed it. It should be stated, however, that
the said pipe was an heirloom for four generations. No won-
der the nicotine was somewhat rank.
2. Tea (Camellia theifera). The tea-plant is grown on the up-
lands and hillsides. It is generally planted in rows, and attains
a height of several feet. The pickers, stooping down, go be-
tween the rows and pluck the tender leaves with both hands,
depositing them in baskets strapped on their backs. Tea-
leaves are first of all dried in the sun. At times they are
trampled with the bare feet, then partially dried in heated
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
pans, after which they are taken in sacks to the tea-houses in
the city. There they are refired with great care, picked, and
graded according to quality. Hundreds of women and chil-
dren can be seen on low stools engaged in sorting during the
tea season. Flowers are used to flavor the tea, especially the
gardenia, which is cultivated in fields for this express purpose.
Tea is the universal beverage, and it is the badge of hospital-
ity. The moment one enters a cot, however humble, the order
issued, “Tsoa te” (“Infuse tea"). A few leaves are put
into a tea-cup and boiling water poured over them, and that
cup is the one from which the tea is sipped. Neither milk nor
sugar is ever used by the natives in their tea.
3. Dandelion (Leontodon Taraxacum). This is similar to its
New World relative.
4. Common thistle (Carduus). Similar to the common bull-
thistle, but smaller. This is the only variety found on the
island.
5. Mint (Mentha). The three varieties are found pepper-
mint, spearmint, and pennyroyal.
6. Plantain (Plantago major). This is said to follow in the
wake of man, and I suppose it does, for he would be a clever
botanist who could distinguish between the Canadian or
Scotch and Formosan plantains.
7. Rush (Juncaceae). This is used for cleaning tables, buck-
ets, and benches, as in North Britain and America.
8. Water-caltrop (Trapa bicornis). It is found in shallow
water, and is called by the Chinese "dragon's horns." Black-
ish outside, it certainly resembles the horns of the water-buffalo.
It is boiled before being eaten..
9. Fern. There is an almost endless variety, but the brake
is the most common. There is a beautiful creeper of such
variegated form that separate sections of the same plant would
be pronounced by any but skilled botanists to be parts of dif
ferent species.
TREES, PLANTS, AND FLOWERS
73
10. Duckweed.
This is the weed which causes the farmer
so much arduous toil in the rice-fields.
11. Thorn-apple (Datura Stramonium). It has a prickly
capsule, and grows in great abundance in some localities.
12. Artemisia is put up over the doors with green branches
of the banian, and is supposed to confer health and prosperity
upon the family.
13. Wood-sorrel (Oxalis Acetosella) has beautiful flowers, and
trifoliate leaves which resemble the shamrock.
14. As might be expected in that climate, fungi, mushrooms,
puffballs, mildew, rust, dry-rot, and moulds are very common.
The Penicillium glaucum is very destructive of books in hot,
damp weather, utterly ruining the best bindings in a few days.
15. Cactus with anomalous ferns is common.
16. Seaweed (Algæ) is found in green, red, and black vari-
eties in shallow water, and cast up in large quantities on the
beach by the waves.
IX. Flowers
1. Convolvulus (Convolvulus Byroniæ folius). It grows so as
to entirely cover large shade-trees. After the sun rises this
morning-glory is truly gorgeous.
2. Rose. There are the creeping rose, which trails along the
ground, the white single rose, and Zephyranthes rosea, with its
purple flowers. They grow wild on the hillsides and in open
spaces.
3. Magnolia (Fuscata). Owing to its choice fragrance this
is the favorite flower in all Formosa, the women especially
prizing its sweet-scented odor above all others. The Magnolia
pumila is also found.
4. Chloranthus (Inconspicuous).
5. Gardenia.
6. Hibiscus.
Cultivated for flavoring tea.
7. Crested cockscomb (Celosia cristata).
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
8. Honeysuckle.
9. Marigold.
10. White lily. During the months of March, April, and
May this beautiful flower, so much prized in Western green-
houses, and called the Easter lily, bedecks a thousand hillsides.
I had several planted on good, rich, and prepared soil at
Tamsui, and they grew to the height of four or five feet.
II. Azalea.
12. Hollyhock.
13. Vinca rosea. This bears purple-and-white flowers for
fully one half the year.
So tenacious is it of life that it is
found at the seaside and in all kinds of soil, and the smallest
fragment of root left in the ground will spring up and grow.
14. Wild violets. Violets, intermingled with lovely little
yellow blossoms, beautify all the uplands.
15. Bluebells (Campanula rotundifolia).
16. Pardanthus Chinensis.
17. Asclepias curassavica. This has a small yellow cup-like
flower, delicate and charming; grows wild on little knolls.
18. Be-te (Tabernaemontana recurva). This has attractive
white flowers.
19. Kui-hoe (Olea fragrans). This flower is highly appreci-
ated by the Chinese women as an adornment in their headgear.
20. Balsam. Cultivated in gardens.
21. Lotus (Nymphea Lotus). Found in ponds.
22. Chrysanthemum. Many varieties, carefully cultivated,
and brought to a high state of perfection.
23. To-tiau-lien (Bryophyllum calycinum). The white flowers
of this plant are often seen hanging over walls and rocks.
24. Un-tsu-chio (Costus speciosa).
25. Kim-chiam (Hemerocallis disticha). This is also used as
a vegetable.
26. Peony (Paonia Moutan) is cultivated.
27. Sien-tan (Ixora apperis). It has bright scarlet flowers.
Several varieties were doubtless introduced from China.
TREES, PLANTS, AND FLOWERS
75
28. Orchids. A common and interesting variety is the
lady's tresses (Neottia spiralis), called by the Chinese "cork-
screw." It seems to me that this orchid family surpasses all
others in the island for beauty and fragrance. Orchids are
pretty when seen in conservatories, but to be viewed to ad-
vantage they must be met in their home in the dense forests,
on the ground or on the branches of trees. The exquisite fra-
grance of some, and the varied forms and colors of others, re-
sembling, as they do, spiders, birds, and butterflies, render them
all objects of indescribable beauty and interest. At times one
stands as if on enchanted ground. In those primeval forests
the traveler becomes suddenly conscious of an influence that
soothes and charms, making him for a while oblivious to all
things else. It is the matchless fragrance of the orchid that
there year after year "wastes its sweetness on the desert air."
The botany of Formosa presents a subject of intensest inter-
est to the thoughtful student. For the missionary there is a
tongue in every leaf, a voice in every flower. Do we not, as
the great naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, said, “obtain a
fuller and clearer insight into the course of nature, and in-
creased confidence that the mighty maze of being we see
everywhere around us is not without a plan"? Who can
tread the ever green carpet of grass; who can see the many-
colored flowers and blossoms on plant and vine and shrub;
who can look up at the tangled growths of the bamboo, the
palm, the elegant tree-fern, or the stately pride of the silent
forests, and not be struck by the harmony between God's
work and Word? Understanding something of the flora of
Formosa, what missionary would not be a better man, the
bearer of a richer evangel? What convert would not be a
more enduring Christian? With reverent delight and adora-
tion we exclaim, "O Lord, how manifold are thy works!
wisdom hast thou made them all. The earth is full of thy
goodness."
In
CHAPTER VIII
ANIMAL LIFE
Mammalia-Birds-Reptiles-Fishes-Insects-Mollusca
I a cat
IT
T would require a volume rather than a brief chapter to dis-
cuss in detail the zoölogy of Formosa. The subject has not
yet received the attention of naturalists, and no lists or classi-
fication has been made. There is being manifested both in
the East and in America a desire for information about the
animal life of the island, and to meet in part the acknowledged
want I have prepared lists under the various subdivisions of
mammalia, birds, reptiles, fishes, insects, and mollusca. Those
interested in the subject will be able to fill up the outline, and
the general reader may not find this chapter uninstructive
reading.
I. Mammalia
Mammalia Peculiar to Formosa
1. Monkey, pouched (Macacus cyclopis). Many of this class
are found. We fed and cared for half a dozen from babyhood
upward, and observed how similar they were to the earliest
fossil monkeys.
2. Tree-civet (Helictis subaurantiaca).
3. Wild boar (Sus taivanus).
4. Flying-squirrel (Sciuropterus kaleensis).
5. White-breasted flying-squirrel (Pteromys pectoralis).
6. Red flying-squirrel (Pteromys grandis).
76
ANIMAL LIFE
77
7. Field-rat (Mus losea).
8. Country rat (Mus canna).
9. A smaller rat (Mus Koxinga).
10. Fruit-bat (Pteropus Formosus).
11. Blind mole (Talpa insularis).
12. Mountain-goat (Nemorhædus Swinhoii).
13. Deer (Cervus Swinhoii).
14. Spotted deer (Pseudaxis).
Mammalia not Peculiar to Formosa, but Found There
1. Squirrel (Sciurus).
2. Squirrel (Sciurus castaneorentris).
3. Indian rat (Mus Indicus).
4. Rat (Mus bandicota).
5. Gem-faced civet (Peguma larvata).
6. Spotted civet (Viverricula Malaccensis). All
these civets
are wild, ferocious, and untamable.
7. Chinese tiger-cat (Felis Chinensis).
8. Marten (Martes flavigula).
9. Musk-rat (Sorex murinus).
10. Large-eared bat (Nyctinornus cestonii).
11. Black-and-orange bat (Vespertilio Formosus).
12. Leopard (Felis pardus).
13. Bear (Ursus Malayanus). We had one to keep company
with the monkeys. It was amusing to see them tease and tor-
ment poor Bruin until he was enraged. Then he would stamp
with his feet. But when he was pleased he would put his head
between his fore legs and turn a series of somersaults, like a
ball rolling round and round.
14. Hare (Lupus Sinensis).
15. Scaly ant-eater (Manis longicauda). It abounds in the
mountains, is covered with scales, and is toothless. It burrows in
the ground, and, as its name suggests, feeds mainly on ants, with
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
*
which the island is infested. It has power to raise its scales,
which are hard and horny, and after disturbing the ants' nest
it allows the inmates to cover its entire body. Then it either
crushes them between its close-pressed scales, or, plunging into
a pool, releases them on the water. In either case it secures
its prey. The Chinese, referring to a man who would feign
weakness in order to accomplish mischief, have this saying:
"The manis feigns death to entrap ants." They have also a
superstition which leads them to pluck the seventh scale from
the end of the tail of this animal, and to hang it as a sort of
charm around the necks of children.
16. Wildcat (Felis viverrina).
17. Otter (Lutra vulgaris).
Domestic Animals
1. Black goat. Smaller than the brown goat of Western
lands.
2. Dog. This animal is wolfish in appearance and habit.
3. Cat. Similar in appearance and nature to the Western
house-cat.
4. Horse. There are only a few horses in the island, and
the few that are there have been brought from the mainland
of China. They are small and used only for riding.
5. Water-buffalo and ox. There seems to be a misconcep-
tion regarding these two animals. Wallace writes of Bos Chi-
nensis, the South China wild cow, as being the same in form;
Wright refers to the wild Formosan cow; and Blyth says it is
a cross between the zebu and the European bos. I never saw
and never heard of such an animal in the island. Under the
family Bovide there is first the ox (Bos taurus), descended from
the Bos primigenius, the origin of all domestic cattle. The For-
mosan cattle are smaller, of Jersey breed, and are not milked,
so that there is no butter, milk, or cheese made in North

WATER BUFFALOES DRAWING SUGAR CANE.
ANIMAL LIFE
79
Formosa. Then there is the now almost extinct bison, the Bos
Americanus. The so-called buffalo-robe is really a bison-robe.
The bison family is not found in Formosa. The third branch
of this family is the buffalo (Bubulus buffalus), which is dis-
tinctly Oriental, takes the place of the horse in Formosa, and
is by far the most valuable animal reared there. It is called
water-buffalo because pools of water where it may wallow are
necessary to its existence. (See chapter on Rice-farming.)
II. Birds
Land Birds
Formosa may not have as many or as beautiful birds as some
other tropical countries, but the island is not without its song-
sters, and has several species that are not found elsewhere.
Birds Peculiar to Formosa
1. Thrushes (Turdide).
2. Warblers (Sylviida).
Three species.
3. Orioles (Oriolida). One species.
4. Crows (Corvida). One species.
5. Babblers (Timaliida). Eight species.
6. Pheasants (Phasianida). Two species.
7. Partridges (Tetraonida).
8. Pigeons. Three species.
Three species.
Early in the morning the bam
boo-groves resound with the cooing of these beautiful birds.
9. Woodpeckers (Picida). One species.
10. Flycatchers (Muscicapida). One species.
11. Shrikes (Campephagida). One species.
12. Tits (Parida). Two species.
13. Weaver-finches (Ploceida). One species.
14. Goat-suckers (Caprimulgida). One species.
15. Owls (Strigida). Two species.
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
16. Jays (Corvida). Two species.
17. Skylarks (Alaudida). Two species. This is the sweetest
singer in Formosa. Many a time, traveling over the plateau,
where the dew-gemmed tea-plantations and tall fir-trees sparkle
in the morning sun, have I been charmed by the cheery notes
of the skylark poured out now almost within reach, and now
falling faintly from the deep empyrean.
Birds not Peculiar to Formosa
1. Kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda).
2. Hawk-eagle (Spizaëtus Nipalensis).
3. Kite (Milvus ictinus).
4. Swallow (Hirundo rustica).
5. Magpie (Pica caudata).
6. Quail (Coturnix Dussumieri).
7. Owl (Bulaca Newarensis).
8. Cormorant (Glaculus carbo).
9. Sandpiper (Totanus hypoleucus).
10. Snipe (Scolopax gallinago).
Sea Birds
1. Common gull (Larus canus).
2. Black gull (Larus marinus).
3. Tern (Sterna hirundo).
4. Wild duck (Anas boscas).
5. Teal (Querquedula crecca).
Domestic Birds
There are no turkeys on the island, but the universal custom
is to castrate male chickens of the hen family, and so there is
reared a capon which in flavor and size is not much inferior to
the gobbler. This fowl walks about the door quiet and tame,
and sometimes attains a weight of fifteen pounds. The goose,
common duck, and large Muscovite duck are common domes-
tic fowl.
ANIMAL LIFE
81
III. Reptiles
Serpents
1. One day, on returning from the country, and going up the
steps to the door of our house in Tamsui, I found a large ser-
pent, eight feet in length, lying across the threshold. With
help I succeeded in despatching him. The following day,
when about to leave my study-room, I was confronted by its
mate, of equal size and very fierce-looking. A loud call
brought two or three students, and we ended that one's life.
They belonged to the species Ptyas mucosus.
2. Once, as I entered a small shed like a hen-coop, a snake
which resembled the hoop-snake sprang from the roof and fell
coiled up in front of me. Its head was up in a moment, and
ready to spring. I jumped backward, and with the assistance.
of others I succeeded in securing this rare specimen for my
museum.
3. A few years ago we had a pigeon-cage, made of bamboo
wrought into the requisite shape. One night the poor birds
were flying about, greatly frightened. Upon investigation we
found a large snake of the python family bent over with its
head moving at the pigeon-hole. One vigorous blow brought
it down. When fully stretched out it was more than eight feet
in length.
4. At Tamsui, near the mission bungalow, I erected a second
story above an old kitchen for a small study-room. One
night, about eleven o'clock, I heard a noise among papers
which were lying over a hole in the floor. Supposing that the
noise was produced by rats, I called to those below. Presently
Koa Kau ran up, looked into the room, then darted downstairs
again, and in a twinkling pinned the exposed part of a mons-
trous serpent to the wall below. By this time fully three feet
of the body was through the hole into the room above. It was
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
exceedingly violent, but I soon thrust its head through with a
long Chinese spear. It measured nine English feet. Its tri-
angular head was protected by nine plates, the body highly
marked, the fangs not very pointed, and the teeth small and
inclined backward. The thought of that midnight companion
was by no means pleasant. It was similar to the hamadryad
type. The Chinese were greatly alarmed and would not rest
until it was buried out of sight.
5. Walking across the harbor, making the ascent to the pla-
teau, one day, my eye suddenly caught sight of something green
in the midst of the bushes at a turn in the path. At the same
instant it sprang to strike my hand; missing its aim, it
grabbed the end of my sleeve in its teeth. It proved to be a
green snake of the Dryophis fulgida species, eighteen inches in
length, with flat, triangular head. It is now preserved in alco-
hol in my museum at Tamsui. The Chinese have a great hor-
ror of this species.
6. When among tall grasses and rocks, ascending the high
mountain-ranges, I was more than once struck at by the
deadly cobra-de-capello. Owing to the tall grass on each
side I did not observe him, but fortunately he missed his aim.
One successful charge would never need to be repeated.
7. I procured one of the species Naja tripudians, and found
that keeping his head and neck in spirits of ammonia only
made him writhe in agony and lash his tail with fury. He
was four feet six inches in length.
Turtles
1. Green turtle (Chelonia viridis). They are found in large
numbers along the shore of eastern Formosa, and are from
three to five feet in length. They vary in weight from two
hundred to four hundred pounds. Going up from the water
at night, they dig holes in the sand on the beach with their
flappers, lay their eggs, cover them over, then with head erect
ANIMAL LIFE
83
start back for their home in the sea.
Hundreds never reach
their destination. The savages are on the beach, with fires
kindled, awaiting their game. The turtles fight bravely, but
being clumsy they are soon turned on their backs, in which
position they are helpless.
2. Hawk's-bill turtle (Chelonia imbricata). The mouth is
similar to that of the hawk; hence the name. It is the one
from which so many useful and ornamental articles are made.
3. Mud-turtle. These may be found in many of the fresh-
water streams.
IV. Fishes
Fish abound both in the waters around the shore and in the
rivers and streams, and every conceivable method is used in
fishing. Among the varieties may be mentioned:
1. Flounder (Platessa flesus).
2. Mullet (Mullus barbatus).
3. Mackerel (Scomber).
4. Shad (Clupea alosa).
5. Blackfish.
6. Shark (Carchariida). The peculiar hammerhead (Zygana
malleus) is eaten by the poorer classes. The blue shark (Car-
charias glaucus), from five to twelve feet in length, is caught
on the west coast, a day's journey south from Tamsui. The
flesh is eaten, though not relished. Oil is made out of the liver.
The fins, however, are counted a choice delicacy in all parts
of China.
7. Flying-fish (Exocetus volitans).
8. Trout (Salmo fario).
9. Sunfish.
10. Remora. An extraordinary creature with a suctorial
disk with which it attaches itself to other animals and sucks
their blood. A shark was once discovered in the mouth of the
Tamsui River, floundering about helplessly. We surrounded
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
and secured him, and found a remora about six inches long in
This little creature had power to make the monster
his ear.
of the sea utterly stupid.
11. Globe-fish (Diodon hystrix).
12. Diodon (Ostracion cornutus).
13. Porpoise (Phocæna communis).
14. Eel.
15. Thornback (Rija clavata).
16. Sole (Solea vulgaris). This is the most palatable of all
the finny tribes in Formosan waters, and is most prized by
Chinese as well as Europeans.
17. Periophthalmus. It is found in mud or muddy water, as
if depending on two leg-like fins for locomotion. With these
it jumps and bounds with great agility. They are the keenest-
eyed creatures I have ever seen. They are never caught nap-
ping. The slightest movement is observed, and like a flash
they disappear into the mud. It was years before I succeeded
in securing a specimen.
V. Insects
1. Cicada. If the sacred beetle engaged the attention of
the ancient Egyptians, the cicada won the affections of the
Grecians. Homer and Hesiod sang of the light, bloodless, and
harmless cicada. In modern times, Byron, making use of
the Italian name, spoke of the "shrill cicalas." The males
have an apparatus for the production of musical sounds, while
the females are dumb and silent. There are three important
species in Formosa; one reddish, another green, and a third
large and black. The last, the Fidicina altrata, is most fre-
quently seen. The female deposits her eggs on the branch of
In due time little grubs are hatched and creep down
the bark and into the earth, where they feed on the juices of
roots and bulbs. In a couple of months, as large, living
a tree.
ANIMAL LIFE
85
Hav-
beetles, they come up again, earth-stained, out of the ground,
and climb up the stem of a tree, very often a banian.
ing selected the sunny side, the beetle crawls on a fresh green
leaf, forces its claws through it, and there remains with its back
to the sun. The heat of the sun cracks its shell between the
shoulders; a whitish-looking, soft-winged creature comes out,
leaves its coffin, and flies away, singing “Katy did" and
Katy didn't." Its after-life continues for a couple of weeks,
and then, dizzy-like, it drops, turns over, and life is extinct.
Its little course is soon run.
""
The "pray-
2. The praying mantis. What a misnomer!
ing" is really waiting in that attitude in which he can seize the
prey which seldom escapes his vigilant glance. This insect is
savage and cannibalistic in habits. A large female came near
my study-room one day. She was captured and put into a
paper box with a perforated top. I watched her movements
closely and soon had the rare privilege of seeing her deposit
one hundred eggs in a thick, spongy bag which she produced
and affixed to the side of the box. This spongy bag hardened,
and in a fortnight eight dozen small cannibals came forth, and
were soon devouring one another without mercy. These
emptied bags are seen on thousands of branches, but I never
met a native who knew what they were.
3. Cockroach (Blatta orientalis). In summer this cockroach
is almost as common as the house-fly. It is found among
dishes, in bureaus, and on sideboards. One night at eleven
o'clock, in my small upper room, I observed a cockroach
moving slowly up the wall. Suddenly a gecko (chickchack)
appeared within three feet right above. With little jumps and
sudden movements he was soon close to the cockroach-so
close, indeed, that he grasped the left wing in his mouth.
Then he began to pull, shake his head, and show other signs
of pleasure. Slowly the pair were moving upward, when a
small lizard appeared, but was warned by very significant tail
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
movements to stand off. Soon the cockroach fell from his
enemy's grasp and tumbled to the floor. He was too unwieldy
for that active little chickchack.
4. Beetle. There are several species. Chinese boys make
a very ingenious and extraordinary-looking toy out of a variety
golden in color. The materials used in its construction are a
string about three feet in length, a tube four inches long, and
a stick slightly larger than an ordinary lead-pencil. One end
of the cord is put through the tube, and secured there by a
little key or fastener, so as to rotate without twisting. The
other end is attached to the center of the stick, to each end
of which there is tied a golden beetle. The boy, now hold-
ing the tube in his hand at arm's-length, gives the beetles an
opportunity of exercising their wings. Faster and faster they
go on their miniature merry-go-round, until they appear like a
yellow circle. Sometimes the effect is enhanced by fastening
little bits of bright-colored delf at intervals on the stick. I have
seen a foreigner give a Chinese boy a dollar for an exhibition
of this plaything.
5. Grasshopper (Acrida viridissima). There are numerous
varieties. One large green kind, which might indeed be called
a locust, lays its eggs on paths. The female makes a hole the
size of a lead-pencil, and putting her body down into it deposits
a heap of eggs, which are hatched by the heat of the sun.
6. Water-bug (Nepidæ).
7. Water-boatmen (Notonectida).
8. Bedbug (Acanthia lectularia).
9. Mole-cricket (Gryllotalpa vulgaris).
10. Field-cricket (Gryllus campestris).
11. Dragon-flies (Libellulida). This is a large family. One
member has a red body and is of surpassing beauty.
12. White ants (Termes). They are not ants, but Termis
bellicosi, and belong to the order Neuroptera, while the true
ants belong to Hymenoptera. They work in the dark, and if
ANIMAL LIFE
87
moving from place to place on the surface of an object they
invariably construct a tunnel or incasement of earth and dust,
with a passage somewhat larger than a large quill, and through
this they pass and repass, carrying on their work of destruc-
tion. They are extremely destructive of all kinds of wood-
work. They penetrate and riddle the large beams of a house
from end to end in a few months, leaving nothing but a thin
shell on the outside and the hard heart within. When they
have done their work in the sill of a house there remains only
a crust, sometimes no thicker than paper. They work up
through board floors, pierce the bottoms of trunks, puncture
furniture of every description, leaving the outside whole and
complete, but so honeycombed within as to be easily crushed
in the hand. Once we left a chest filled with clothes in our
house at Tamsui while we were absent for two months. When
we returned we found pecks of white ants in it, the clothes in
shreds, and the boards of the chest so eaten away that it could
not resist the slightest pressure.
13. Glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca).
14. Death-watch (Anobium striatum).
into furniture and makes a ticking noise.
15. Stag-beetle (Lucanus).
This insect bores
16. Sacred beetle of Egypt (Scarabæus sacer). This inter-
esting creature may be seen almost any day along the path-
ways in the college grounds. It is small, but of remark-
able strength. The female deposits her larvæ in the interior
of a ball about the size of a plum, made out of the excreta of
some herbivorous animal such as the ox. When this ball is pre-
pared it is transported to a hole already excavated, into which
it is rolled, and where the eggs are hatched by the sun's heat.
The living creature eats its way out of the ball and comes out
the sacred flying-beetle, so famous in Egyptian mythology.
The transportation of this ball, sometimes over considerable.
distances, is a very interesting sight. All principles of propul-
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
J
sion are employed, but the commonest is for the male to push
the ball from the rear with his hind legs, while the female goes
in front to steer its course and assist by pulling.
17. Golden beetle.
18. Tiger-beetle (Cicindela campestris).
19. Water-beetle (Hydradephaga).
20. Whirligigs (Gyrini).
21. Elater or skipjacks (Elaterida).
22. True ants. Of these there are several species. One
kind makes large nests, like those of wasps, in a tree; another
raises hillocks on the ground; but the most provoking of all is
a tiny brown species. Unless the legs of a dining-table are
standing in bowls of water it is impossible to keep the food
from being literally covered by the ants. Everywhere, at
every corner and every turn, they can be seen during the
summer months, moving in long lines.
23. Wasps (Vespa).
24. Bees (Apis). Hives are kept, but bees are often found
in nests in the woods.
25. House-fly (Musca domestica).
26. Mosquito (Culex pipiens). The female alone stings, but
so efficiently does she perform this service that there is not a
bed in the emperor's palace or the beggar's hut that is not fur-
nished with a mosquito-curtain to protect the sleepers.
27. Hawk-moth (Acherontia atropos).
28. Clothes-moth (Tinea rusticella). So destructive is this
insect that a second suit of clothes is an unprofitable care.
29. Atlas-moth (Atlacus atlas). I procured one which
measured from tip to tip of its wings nine and three quarter
inches, and of exquisite beauty.
30. Moon-moth (Atlacus luna).
31. Sphinx.
32. Walking-sticks (Bacillus natalis).
33. Incased insects (Psychida).
ANIMAL LIFE
89
34. Fleas. As great a pest as anywhere else on earth.
35. Lice.
36. Butterflies.
(1) Swallowtailed (Papilio machaon). Numerous and beau-
tiful.
(2) Peacock butterfly (Papilio io).
(3) Leaf-butterfly (Kallima paralekta). When this beautiful
specimen is on the limb of a tree one would require the eye of
a naturalist to distinguish it from a dead leaf. The resem-
blance is almost perfect, alike to form, color, and position.
37. Myriapod (Julus terrestris).
38. Centiped (Scolopendra). Next to venomous serpents
most dreaded by the natives.
39. Spider (Araneina).
40. Earthworms.
VI. Mollusca
To secure the glassy, shiny appearance of shells we place
them when alive in the ground. In a few days they are re-
moved and thoroughly washed. Those found at the sea-shore
dead are never perfect, for the water and sand grind and wear
off the external coat. These animals are found in sand and
mud, on timber, and resting on seaweed as they sail the sea.
1. Fountain-shell (Strombus).
2. The buckie of Scotland (Fusus or Cehrysodomus antiquus).
This is a shell in which the sound of the sea is always heard.
3. Whelk (Buccinum undatum). This has a rasp-pointed
tongue, with which it bores the shells of other mollusks when
in search of a delicious breakfast.
4. Cone (Conus imperialis).
5. Cone (Conus aulicus).
6. Money-cowry (Cypræa moneta).
7. Tiger-cowry (Cypræa tigris).
8. Snail (Helix aspersa).
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
9. Chiton (Magnificus).
10. Oysters (Ostreida).
II. Pecten.
12. Mussel (Mytilus edulis).
13. Unio littoralis.
14. Razor-fish (Solen vagina).
15. Limpet (Patella vulgata).
16. Boring-shell (Pholas dactylus).
17. Sea-urchin (Echinus esculentus). On the sea-coast of
Formosa pickled sea-urchins are used as a condiment with rice.
18. Starfish (Asterias rubens).
19. Sea-anemone.
20. Hermit-crab (Pagurus bernhardus). This is one of the
most interesting of all the living mollusks on the sea-shore.
The fore parts are furnished with claws and feelers and are
partially protected, but the hinder parts are soft, sensitive,
easily injured, and entirely defenseless. The hermit-crab has
no home, but is a semi-parasite, a kind of sea "tramp." It
depends on finding a home in the shell of some dead whelk
or other mollusk. I have often watched it on its search for a
suitable shell. One would be too large, another too small, a
third might be already inhabited, in which case a fight for
possession sometimes ensued. When a satisfactory one was
found and proved to be untenanted, the crab would whisk its
unprotected parts into it and march off, its house on its back,
as lordly as if it had a legal right to undisturbed possession.
21. King-crab (Limulus gigas). This resembles the ancient
trilobite. It is found in the shallow water on the land side of
Kelung harbor.
22. "Holy-water pot" (Tridacna squamosa). This receives.
its name because it is often used to hold the consecrated water
in Roman Catholic cathedrals in France and Italy. There is
an enormous one in a cathedral in Paris. In the Malacca
Straits it grows to a large size, and has been found to weigh
several hundred pounds. Large ones are brought in junks as
ANIMAL LIFE
91
ballast from the China coast to Formosa, but smaller ones are
found around the island. The preparing of them has become
quite an industry, especially in the city of Tek-chham. The
Chinese use a toothless hand-saw, sand, and water, as granite-
cutters do in sawing granite. The pieces of this shell which
are sawn off resemble marble. They are cut as desired, three
or four inches thick, ground on sandstone, and then converted
into bracelets, armlets, and other ornaments which are worn by
the savages, who value them very highly, and give in exchange
rattan, camphor, dye-root, and pith.
23. Periwinkle.
24. Triton (Triton variegatum).
25. Trumpet-shell.
26. Conch-shell.
27. Cockle (Cardidæ edule).
28. Harp (Harpa ventricosa).
29. Thorny woodcock (Murex tenuispinus).
30. Trochus (Trochus Niloticus).
31. Scallop (Pecten maximus).
32. Haliotis tuberculata.
33. Sea-acorn shells (Balanus sulcatus).
34. Lobster (Homarus vulgaris). Large; bluish green when
alive; a reddish-brown color when boiled.
35. Shrimp (Palæmon vulgaris).
36. Pea-crab (Pinnotheres pisum).
37. Paper-nautilus (Argonauta argo). It is difficult to con-
ceive of anything more lovely than this thin, translucent, boat-
shaped shell, which is propelled by water ejected from its
funnel.
38. Octopus (Octopus vulgaris).
39. Sepiida (Sepia officinalis). "Cuttlebone," which is placed
in the cages for canary-birds, is the calcareous internal shell
of this animal.
40. Pearly nautilus (Nautilus pampilius). Its mouth is like
a parrot's beak, the outside white, with brown stripes.
CHAPTER IX
ETHNOLOGY IN OUTLINE
Two classes-The dominant race-Ethnological table-The aborigines
Malayan-Traditions-Foreign opinion-Migration-Habits and
customs-Features-Linguistic differences
HE inhabitants of North Formosa may be classified as be-
THE
longing to either one of two great races; the aborigines,
both civilized and savage, are Malayan, the Chinese are Mon-
golian. To be sure, there are "foreigners" from Europe and
America; but their number is so small, and the part they play
in the life of the island so inconsiderable, that they may be
excluded from our present reckoning. The two great classes
have not to any extent mingled, and so there is no mixed race
on the island. The purpose of this chapter is not an exhaustive
study, but rather to set forth in outline the ethnology of North
Formosa, and to indicate the argument in support of the
opening statement classifying the people as either Malayan or
Mongolian.
The dominant race, first in numbers, intelligence, and influ-
ence, is the Chinese. They do not present any problem of
difficulty to the ethnologist, as their origin and racial relations
are easily traced. They are immigrants, or the children of those
who in earlier years crossed the Formosa Channel from the
thickly populated provinces of the mainland. They brought
with them their habits of life and their household gods. They
found the island wooded down to the water's edge, and the
92
ETHNOLOGY IN OUTLINE
93
home of tribes of wild, roaming savages, whose appearance was
strange to them, and whose speech was rude and barbarous.
Their entrance was disputed at every point, but their greater
numbers and superior skill prevailed. The savages were
driven back out of some of the richest plains; rice-farms and
tea-plantations took the place of forest tangle and wild plateau;
the rude hamlets of another race vanished; towns and cities
with their unmistakable marks of the "Middle Kingdom" took
their place; and the Chinese became a superior power in For-
mosa. They are in the main industrious and aggressive, show-
ing all the characteristics of their race, and retaining their
ancestral modes of life and worship. The large majority have
emigrated from the Fu-kien province, and speak what is called
the Amoy dialect. These are called Hok-los. A few are the
descendants of a tribe who moved from the north of China and
settled in parts of the Canton province, whence they afterward
crossed to Formosa. These are called Hak-kas ("strangers "),
with distinct forms of life and language.
The Chinese call all the aborigines of the island barbarians,
and classify them according as they live in the plains or on the
mountains, and according as they have resisted or submitted
to Chinese rule. In a large plain on the east coast are those
who have acknowledged Chinese authority and adopted their
mode of worship; these are called "Pe-po-hoan" ("barbarians
of the plain"). In a second plain farther down the coast is
another settlement of aborigines; these are called “Lam-si-
hoan "(“barbarians of the south"). Unsubdued mountaineers
they call "Chhi-hoan” (“raw barbarians"). A few who have
settled among the Chinese in the west are called "Sek-hoan"
("ripe barbarians "). These names are all Chinese, and indi- ·
cate the relations of the dominant race to the aborigines. Now
that Japan has possession of the island a new element will be
introduced. The relations of the Japanese to the present
inhabitants cannot as yet be set forth, but the indications are
94
FROM FAR FORMOSA
that they will treat the aborigines with fairness. The following
table will show the ethnology of the people:
Mongolian
Chinese
Malayan
Aborigines

Hok-los Hak-kas Pe-po-hoan Sek-hoan Lam-si-hoan Chhihoan
The classification of all the aboriginal tribes as Malayan
may, however, be regarded as an open question, and proof of
the statement may be demanded. There are several reasons
which have forced me to the conclusion that they are all descen-
dants of settlers from the islands around the Malay Archipelago,
and these I now submit.
1. Aboriginal Tradition.—I have picked up at first-hand
from various tribes traditions which support the contention
that they are of Malayan origin. One is that their forefathers
came from a southerly direction; that, being in boats, they were
wrecked; that they lived near the sea on level ground, and after-
ward, when others came, moved inward even over the moun-
tain-ranges; that they caught fish and turtle, entrapped the
wild boar, shot the deer with bow and arrow, were clothed in
deerskins, reckoned the time by tying knots on the stem of a
tall grass, and when their numbers in any one place increased
to upward of one hundred or two hundred they moved a little
distance away, cleared the ground, and called themselves the
"other village," "south village," "new village," or "large
village." Their houses were made of reeds, rattan, and bam-
boo. New-comers, bringing knives and similar utensils, pre-
sented them to the head men, and afterward, when the Chinese
put in an appearance, they exchanged skins and horns of deer
for guns, powder, and knives. They remembered the coming
of the "red-headed kinsmen," who treated them kindly, and
with whom they had free mercantile intercourse. These the
ETHNOLOGY IN OUTLINE
95
Chinese drove out and began to make settlements themselves.
Hatred sprang up, and head-hunting, which was prosecuted by
their fathers in their ancestral home, was resorted to.
There is a second tradition and a memorial custom which
point to the same conclusion. On the Ki-lai plain, on the east
coast, where the Lam-si-hoan are settled, two canoes are kept
to commemorate the coming of their fathers to the island. As
one shows marks of decay it is renewed or replaced. They are
kept under a thatched cover in the open plain not far from the
sea. Once a year the Lam-si-hoan assemble and carry these
canoes to the water's edge, when a number of their men enter
them, paddle out a short distance, and return. Then with re-
joicings the canoes are restored to shelter. The Lam-si-hoan
declare that their forefathers came in similar canoes from places
south and east of Formosa, and this custom is intended to pre-
serve that tradition.
At Lam-hong-o, a Pe-po-hoan village near So Bay, men of
eighty years of age told me how in the days of their grand-
fathers forty or fifty strong fishermen took a dislike to the
rainy weather in the Kap-tsu-lan plain and longed for their old
home. They lashed planks together and formed rude boats,
in which they set out in a southerly direction, bound for their
fatherland. My informants were of the opinion that their
ancestral home was one of the Philippine Islands.
At Sin-sia the villagers assert that their forefathers came, not
from the islands, but from the mainland of China, and were
non-Mongolian. It is certain that only one other village in
the Kap-tsu-lan plain speaks the same dialect as Sin-sia, and
these two villages recognize each other as kin, and are so
looked upon by all the rest. It is entirely probable that they
are descended, as they claim to be, from the aboriginal tribes
still found on the mainland of China.
2. Consensus of Foreign Opinion.-Travelers see in the various
tribes of Formosa the features and manners of the inhabitants
96
FROM FAR FORMOSA
of Luzon, Polynesia, the Malay Peninsula, the islands of Loo-
choo, Sunda, and Borneo, and of Siam and Yunnan; and there
is great unanimity of opinion that the aborigines of Formosa are
descendants of emigrants from the Malay Peninsula and the
islands of the China Sea. It is contended by some, however,
that the aboriginal inhabitants of Formosa were of the negro
race, and that they were driven back into the mountains by the
Malayans. I cannot admit the contention, as I have failed to
find the slightest trace of the negrito element, nor is the pres-
ence within the mountains of such a people suspected by any
known tribe. I have made careful inquiries among the moun-
tain tribes near Ta-kow in the far south, among the tribes at
Po-sia Lake in the center, and among more than a dozen tribes
in the north, as well as among the Pe-po-hoan and Sek-hoan, and
everywhere I received the same reply. They were all positive
that there were no woolly-headed races within the mountains
or anywhere else in the island. Superficial observers frequently
make strong assertions. Indeed, I was told a few years ago
that a white tribe, finely developed and with grayish eyes, was
to be found among the mountains. So persistent was the con-
tention that I resolved to put it to the proof. Making my way
into the place where they were said to dwell, instead of the
descendants of the Dutch, I found short-set, brown-featured,
black, lank-haired Malayans.
3. Natural Migration.—The ocean current that sweeps be-
tween Sunda, Java, and Sumatra on the one side and Borneo
on the other runs north through the China Sea and between
Formosa and the mainland. Another current sweeps between
Borneo and Celebes, through the Celebes Sea, and touches.
the north Pacific current, which runs as a black stream (Kuro
Siwa) across to the eastern side of Formosa. This ocean cur-
rent would very easily and naturally carry mercantile boats
and fishermen in their smacks from the islands in the Malay
Archipelago to the shores of Formosa. Indeed, examples of
ETHNOLOGY IN OUTLINE
97
such migration have taken place within my own time. Some
years after my arrival in Formosa strange-looking outriggers
sailed into the harbor of Kelung. In them were a number of
famished boatmen with tattoo marks from head to foot. They
were kindly treated, and in the course of time were taken to
Hong Kong, and thence conveyed to their home on the Pelew
Islands. Not infrequently boat-loads from the Loo-choo
Islands are wrecked on the shore of Formosa.
4. Habits and Customs.-The habits and customs of the
aborigines of Formosa will be referred to at length in subse-
quent chapters. Suffice it to say here that in nearly every
point they bear a marked resemblance to the habits and cus-
toms of the aborigines of Borneo. The tattoo marks follow the
same well-established pattern. Their dress and ornaments are
similar, and their houses suggest a common architecture. Like
Malay Islanders, they worship their ancestors, and within the
mountains they have the unmistakable head-hunting proclivities
of the Dyaks of Borneo.
So,
5. Physical Features.-The Chinese in Formosa are round-
headed, the aborigines medium between long and broad.
The sutures or lines where the bones of the skull are united, I
find in the skulls of the young to be only slightly traced; the
skull has the appearance of a round ball or bone. This is char-
acteristic of the islanders belonging to the lower races.
too, prognathism or projection of the jaws-"maxillary angle,”
facial angle "-points to kinship with the islanders of the
Malay type. The hair is round, thus showing that in its pos-
sessor there is no trace of the woolly-headed race. Its color is
black, identical with the Malayan. The eyes are Malayan in
color, and the nose conforms to the same type.
It may be objected that the various aboriginal tribes cannot
have had a common origin inasmuch as they now speak differ-
ent dialects. Linguistic differences, however, are not conclu-
sive. Scandinavians in Caithness, Finland, Orkney, and
98
FROM FAR FORMOSA
Iceland speak dialects or languages quite different from their
kinsmen in Norway and Sweden. Different circumstances ex-
plain the difference. Similar changes have taken place among
the Chinese in Formosa. A mainland man can be told at
once from his Formosan cousin, and the "Kap-tsu-lan twang"
marks the Chinese in that plain. In like manner crews and
passengers from the Malay Islands, shipwrecked at intervals on
the coast of Formosa, would be absorbed by the larger com-
munity already settled there, and would acquire the dominant
dialect; and where tribes have been isolated, with no means
of intercommunication, and with tribal enmities keeping them
separate, modifications and changes in their language are to
be expected. Such changes have taken place in the Highland
settlements in Canada, where the grandchildren of the pioneers
are entirely ignorant of the much-loved Gaelic of their fore-
fathers. An interesting instance came under my notice in one
of the Kap-tsu-lan villages where we have a church. There is
there a man who was shipwrecked on that coast. Years before,
he, with others, started in a boat from the Philippine Islands.
They passed Bashee and were driven out of their course and
upon the shore of Formosa, and he alone survived to tell the
tale. He was able, however, to understand a few words of the
dialect of the aborigines among whom he landed. He soon
learned the Pe-po-hoan dialect, and was subsequently married
to a Pe-po-hoan wife, and became, to all intents and purposes,
Pe-po-hoan.
The foregoing seems to me a cumulative argument, irresis-
tible and conclusive, that numerous adventurers, fishermen, and
traders from the islands south and east of the China Sea, and
others from the north and east of Formosa, with perhaps a few
from the mainland, entered the island at intervals, and formed
what is now called the aboriginal race, and that that race is
Malayan.
..
AMONG THE CHINESE
Dor M
99
MOU
CHAPTER X
THE PEOPLE
Chinese in Formosa-The Hok-los-The Hak-kas-The language—The
"barbarians"
TH
These butt care tillion are in the four districts by
HERE are nearly three million Chinese on the island. Of
these about one million are in the four districts served by
the Mission of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. They are
divided into two classes, the Hok-los and the Hak-kas. The
Hok-los comprise seven eighths of the Chinese population in
North Formosa. They are emigrants, or the children of emi-
grants, from the Fu-kien province, opposite the island. After
Koxinga, the Chinese pirate, drove the Dutch out of Formosa,
that rich and beautiful island was opened up for Chinese emi-
gration, and became an outlet for the overcrowded province of
Fu-kien. They found it inhabited by aboriginal tribes who,
though they were friendly to the Dutch, resisted the aggressive-
ness of the Chinese. Gradually the Chinese crowded these
aborigines back into the mountains, and they themselves now
occupy the large and fertile plains on the north and west. Be-
sides those who have made their home on the island, between ten
and twenty thousand come over every year from Amoy to en-
gage in the tea industry. Of these a percentage remain. The
Chinese in Formosa have all the marks of their countrymen in
Fu-kien, except that emigration has done its work in changing
somewhat their customs and point of view. They speak the
Amoy dialect. The women bind their feet and wear the same
dress as those in Amoy.
ΙΟΙ
102
FROM FAR FORMOSA
·
The Hak-kas ("strangers ") are supposed to be descendants
of a tribe that emigrated from North China into the Fu-kien
province and subsequently into Canton. There are about one
hundred thousand of them in North Formosa. They are brave
and vigorous, and have fought their way both on the mainland
and in Formosa. The women do not bind their feet, and as a
result are stronger and more robust than their Hok-lo sisters.
They help their husbands on the farm and in all outside work,
and are remarkably industrious. In consequence of this the
Hak-kas will thrive and become wealthy where the Hok-los
would fail and the aborigines would starve. They are found
mainly in towns and hamlets in the Sin-tiak and Biau-lek
districts, and are the pioneers in the border-land between the
Chinese and the savages. They speak a dialect of the Can-
tonese. The younger generation learn the Hok-lo dialect, and
in time the Hak-kas may become extinct.
It should be remembered that the written language in For-
mosa, as throughout the Chinese empire, is everywhere the
same, although the spoken language is so varied. It is not
easy for a Westerner to understand this. The written characters
remain fixed and represent the same ideas to all the Chinese,
but the names of these characters are different in the different
provinces of China. Not only so, but in Formosa there are
really two languages to be learned, the pronunciation of the
characters by the literary class being entirely distinct from
the colloquial. For instance, the character representing
"man" is pronounced "jîn " by the literary class and "lâng"
by the masses. There are no declensions or conjugations in
Chinese, their place being taken by the "tones," of which
there are eight in the Formosan vernacular. A word that to
an English ear has but one sound may mean any one of eight
things according as it is spoken in an abrupt, high, low, or
any other of the eight "tones." Each one of these "tones
is represented by a written character; hence there are upward
""
THE PEOPLE
103
of sixty thousand written characters in the language. There
are numerous other variations and complications which make
the learning of the Chinese language no simple task. A sharp
ear, a ready tongue, and a strong imitative faculty are requisite
for proficiency in public speech. Many foreigners never be-
come proficient in speaking the language, but may be none the
less useful in other departments of service.
The Chinese in Formosa have great contempt for the
aborigines, and treat them very much as the Americans have
treated the Indian tribes, bartering with them, cheating them,
and crowding them back into their mountain strongholds. The
aborigines in the plains, whom they call "Pe-po-hoan," the
Chinese regard with more favor than they do the savages,
but they are gradually dispossessing them and forcing them
back into territory to be reclaimed from the mountain tribes.
CHAPTER XI
GOVERNMENT AND JUSTICE
Form of government-The cue-Formosa a province-Official corruption
-Injustice in the yamen-" Mandarin eats cash "-Forms of punish-
ment-Money all-powerful-" Ridding up"-Punishment by proxy
-Oppression of Christians
HE government of China is patriarchal.
THE
The emperor
is in theory the father of two hundred and fifty million
Chinese. The present emperor, Kong-su, is ninth in the line.
of the Tartar dynasty, which succeeded the Ming dynasty in
1644. The first emperor of the Tartar dynasty was Sun-ti, who
belonged to Manchuria. One of his "reforms
One of his "reforms" was the intro-
duction of the cue. All Chinese men were compelled to shave
the forehead and dress the hair in a long braid, according to
the Manchurian custom. The cue was made the badge of
fealty to the emperor, and not to wear it is to endanger one's
head. Westerners are slow to learn that the cue has no reli-
gious or superstitious significance, but is purely political. It is
the "old flag" of the Chinese empire, the mark of loyalty to
the reigning dynasty. The people have become accustomed
to it, and what was once a disgrace is now regarded with pride.
A Chinese without a cue is a traitor and a rebel. When this
fact comes to be known by self-respecting people in the West
the emblem of Chinese loyalty will cease to be regarded with
ridicule, and the offensive "pigtail" will be blotted out of
English literature.
104
GOVERNMENT AND JUSTICE
105
Theoretically the emperor rules China, but practically the
affairs of the empire are managed by six boards, which appoint
all the higher officials in the various provinces.
After Koxinga was dethroned, in 1683, Formosa became a
dependency of the Fu-kien province. In 1887 it was raised to
the rank of a province of the empire, and a governor was ap-
pointed by the imperial authorities at Peking, as in the other
provinces. Under the governor were four officials, who had
rule over the four districts into which North Formosa was
divided. Under these magistrates others of lower grade,
having jurisdiction over smaller sections, were appointed, and
subordinate to these again were local officials and head men,
whose authority was correspondingly reduced. All these
superior officials were from the mainland, but the head men
usually belonged to North Formosa. All these magistrates
have judicial as well as governing powers. The administration
of justice is in the hands of the governor and his underlings.
Each subordinate official holds his office at the will of the
next above him. The income attached to any of the offices is
not sufficient to support the retinue which must be maintained.
As a result there is universal official corruption. From the
highest to the lowest, every Chinese official in Formosa has an
"itching palm," and the exercise of official functions is always
corrupted by money bribes. The mandarin supplements his
income by "squeezing" his attendants and every man who
comes within his grasp. His attendants have the privilege of
recouping themselves by "squeezing" all who through them
seek favors from the mandarin. In the matter of bribing and
boodling the Chinese official in Formosa could give points to
the most accomplished office-seekers and money-grabbers in
Washington or Ottawa.
The chief opportunity for corruption is afforded in connec-
tion with the administration of justice. The yamen or court-
house is the scene of unmitigated lying, scheming, and
тоб
FROM FAR FORMOSA
oppression. The mandarin comes in his sedan-chair, attended
by his retinue. He takes his seat on the dais in the yamen.
At his right stands his interpreter, an indispensable function-
ary, inasmuch as the mandarin, being a mainland man, is not
supposed to know the local dialect. On either side, in two
rows facing each other, stand the constables, and near at hand
the lictors and executioners. The yamen is crowded by friends
of the litigants and the rabble from the street. There are no
lawyers or counsel, and no trial by jury. The mandarin has
everything in his own hands. He sits in state, clothed with the
awful authority of the "dragon" throne. The case in hand is
presented, and the accused kneels before the judgment-seat,
the picture of abject humility. The mandarin examines him.
through his interpreter:
MANDARIN. Ask him if his name is Lim."
INTERPRETER. “The Great Man asks you if your name is
Lim."
ACCUSED. "The little child's name is Lim."
INTERPRETER. His name is Lim."
MANDARIN. "Ask him if he is guilty of the charge made
against him."
INTERPRETER. The Great Man asks if you are guilty of
the charge made against you."
ACCUSED. "The little child would not dare to do such a
thing."
And so the case goes on.
Sometimes witnesses are called;
this, however, is optional with the mandarin, who is subject to
other influences than the weight of evidence. The "almighty
dollar" turns the scale of justice. The financial strength of
the litigants and of their friends has been inquired into, and
the one who sends in the largest amount of sycee-silver is
certain to get the verdict in his favor. To be sure, all this is
sub rosa. There is the greatest parade of righteous judgment,
and a hint at bribery would be shocking. But the people all
GOVERNMENT AND JUSTICE
107
know the facts. They have a saying commonly applied to
their officials: “Koa chiah chi” (“The mandarin eats cash ”).
The magistrate has arbitrary power in the matter of punish-
ment. The sentence depends not a little on the humor the
mandarin may be in, but much more on the size of the bribe
paid. The most common sentence is the fine, and this is
graded according to the ability of the culprit to pay and ac-
cording to the fee privately given the judge.
The next punishment is smiting on the cheeks. This is often
administered to false witnesses; indeed, it often happens that
a witness whose evidence is not pleasing to the mandarin is
immediately beaten. The Great Man expresses his displeasure
at the evidence, and the constables lay hold of the witness by
the cue and turn up his face to the lictor, who gives him the
appointed number of blows. If the witness continues obstinate
in his evidence he may be beaten again and again.
Another punishment is the "bamboo." The culprit is
stripped by the constables under the eye of the mandarin, and
receives on the thighs from ten to one thousand blows with the
bamboo cudgel. Sometimes the punishment is inflicted at in-
tervals, as the "cat-o'-nine-tails" in the West. The "bam-
boo" is always painful, and at times the flesh is lacerated and
mortification sets in, which ends the victim's life.
The cangue is an instrument of humiliation as well as pain.
It is formed out of heavy oak planks, is nearly three feet
square, with a hole in the center, and is worn on the neck in
a public place for a month or two, in some instances both day
and night.
Imprisonment for a limited time or for life is a common
sentence. The prison is always a dark, dirty dungeon, where
tortures, illegal according to Chinese law, but cruelly real in
Chinese practice, are inflicted to extort money from the
prisoners and their relatives.
Decapitation is inflicted for murder, theft, incendiarism, and
108
FROM FAR FORMOSA
other grave offenses. The burglar or firebug gets no mercy.
Ordinarily it is a swift stroke from a sharp two-handed sword.
In the case of parricide the culprit's body is literally hacked to
pieces.
Pirates are punished by having their hands tied behind to
a post facing the glaring sun, and their upper eyelids cut off.
After several days of this torture they are beheaded in the
most excruciatingly painful manner.
It
In all these cases money wields all-powerful influence.
corrupts the mandarin in his judgment, the lictors and execu-
tioners in carrying out the sentence, and the local officials in
disposing of the bodies of the dead. The lictor has his oppor-
tunity to squeeze" when the sentence is the "bamboo," the
blows being heavy or light according to the bribe. The exe-
cutioner carries out the death-sentence deftly in a short, swift
stroke or with prolonged torture according to the money paid.
I witnessed the execution of four soldiers condemned for
burglary. One was on his knees, and in an instant the work
was done.
Three blows were required for the second. The
head of the third was slowly sawed off with a long knife. The
fourth was taken a quarter of a mile farther, and amid shouts
and screams and many protestations of innocence he was sub-
jected to torture and finally beheaded. The difference in the
bribe made the difference in the execution.
So manifestly corrupt is the whole system, and so difficult is
it to bring influential criminals to justice, that a periodical
"ridding up" is necessary. The imperial authorities at Pe-
king every ten or twelve years appoint some high official, with
power over all provincial magistrates, to go through the em-
pire and examine into long-standing grievances. This storm
of justice clears the air, and has done not a little to prolong
the life of the Chinese empire. I happened to be in Tek-
chham once when this "avenger of blood" was making his
rounds. There lived near the city a local magistrate who for
GOVERNMENT AND JUSTICE
109
many years had oppressed and imposed upon the farmers and
fishermen in his locality. He was always able to bribe the
superior magistrates, and was carrying on his extortions with
impunity. When it was known that the imperial official
would visit Tek-chham a petition was prepared complaining of
the local magistrate's conduct. As these poor people would
not presume to enter the Great Man's presence, they availed
themselves of the privilege of constructing an effigy or "grass.
man" on the side of the road, in whose hands they placed.
their petition. When the judicial cortège passed that way,
attendants, seeing the "dummy," brought the document, and
the official read the appeal as he was carried along. On ar-
riving at Tek-chham he made inquiries, and finding the com-
plaints true he summoned the magistrate. Everything was
prearranged. The magistrate prostrated himself before the
high official, but while he protested that "the little child would
not dare to do such a thing," a signal was given, and without
warning the executioner severed his head from his body. This
had fine effect on the community and on other magistrates.
Criminals are sometimes punished by proxy. If the guilty
party cannot be found, or if he can bribe the magistrate, some
careless fellow can easily be procured to suffer the punishment.
A little "cash" will do it. Once when complaint had been
made that a certain man had plundered one of our chapels,
the mandarin at Bang-kah reported to the British consul that
the man was under arrest. With several students I accom-
panied the consul to the yamen. No sooner had we entered
than a man was brought in wearing a cangue. I at once saw
that he was not the right man. When the consul told the
mandarin that this was not the man charged with the offense
he confessed that it was a case of proxy, but argued that by
punishing this man the real culprit would be so afraid that the
moral influence would be quite as salutary. Another instance
happened at Sa-teng-po, on the way to Kelung, where the
IIO
FROM FAR FORMOSA
chapel was ransacked by runners of the mandarin. Com-
plaint having been made, the mandarin investigated the case,
and two men soon appeared before the chapel wearing the
cangue. I was staying there at the time with my students. It
was an open secret that these men had nothing to do with the
case, but were bribed to wear the cangue for six weeks. We
treated them kindly, and in wet weather allowed them to come
inside the chapel, and in other ways relieved them. They did
not forget this kindness, and years afterward, when the mob
howled after me in the streets of Bang-kah, one of these men
stood up in my defense.
My first experience of the duplicity and unrighteousness of
the yamen was in the second year of my work. A merchant
at Chiu-nih, a large village near Bang-kah, had heard me
preach at other points, and invited me to his village and gave
a room for a preaching-hall. The work grew wonderfully, and
soon the country for many miles around became interested, and
on the Sabbath packed the hall and the street. Among the
converts was a teacher and his aged father. As the work
grew the enemy became more enraged and insolent toward the
converts. A prominent clansman forcibly seized the teacher's
small rice-fields, and the head man refused to give redress.
The teacher and his father prepared an appeal to the mandarin
at Bang-kah. But meanwhile their enemies had forestalled
them and prejudiced the minds of the yamen men, telling
them that the whole country around was in rebellion, joining
the "barbarian." A plot was laid. When the teacher and
his father, accompanied by six other converts, one of whom
was my friend the merchant, presented themselves before the
mandarin in the yamen, and when the old man was on his
knees before the judge, he was told by the Great Man that
it was insolent and disloyal to forsake the religion of their
fathers and to follow the "barbarian.” Then the plot was
revealed. All at once the constables shouted, rushed hither
GOVERNMENT AND JUSTICE
III
and thither, caught the Christians by the cues, jostled them, and
holding up long knives in the air, they rushed to the mandarin,
crying, "The converts brought these knives to assassinate
you." The mandarin pretended to be furious, and gave orders
to shut the doors and chain the prisoners. One of these was
a boy, the son of the teacher, but, being under sixteen, was
allowed to go; his little companion was chained along with the
others. They were all dragged to the prison, and put in the
stocks in the darkest dungeon. Mock trials were held, during
which they were compelled to kneel on red-hot chains. Again
and again they were bambooed and otherwise tortured. They
were then taken down seven days' journey to Tai-wan-fu
and imprisoned. The teacher and his father were dragged out
one morning to the execution ground. The son's head was
chopped off before his father's eyes. The old man was then
executed, and the two heads were put into buckets and carried
slowly back to Bang-kah. All along the way and at every
stopping-place the crier called to the multitude to see the fate
of those who followed the "barbarian." A poster with the in-
scription "Jip kon-e lang than" ("Heads of the Christians")
was fastened over the buckets. In this way they succeeded in
terrorizing the people. The heads were finally put on the
gates of the city of Bang-kah. The others of the party were
brought back to Bang-kah and imprisoned. Two of them
died from torture and starvation. The merchant lived eight
years longer, during which time he continued faithful to Christ
and ceased not to exhort other prisoners to accept the Saviour.
At first it was very difficult for me to receive letters from him.
Several were sent inclosed in small bamboo quills. After some
years the strictness was relaxed and I received letters from him
regularly. The substance of all was this: "I, Tan Su-bi, be-
lieve all things-heaven and earth, angels and men-were
created by the great God. I believe our Saviour Jesus be-
came man and died for Su-bi. I believe God loves me in
II2
FROM FAR FORMOSA
prison, and his Holy Spirit gives me comfort and keeps me
cheerful. I thank God that the gospel came to Tamsui."
The last letter closed with these words: "I believe Jesus my
Saviour has power to save me and give me eternal life." He
died shortly afterward. The instigators and participants were
never brought to justice, but years after they all confessed the
plot and that the Christians were entirely innocent.
This is only one instance of the corruption and inhumanity
of officialdom, and of the violence and injustice inflicted
upon Christians in North Formosa, witnessed during the past
twenty-three years.

FORMOSA ABORIGINES EATING RICE.

A VILLAGE IN EASTERN FORMOSA.
CHAPTER XII
INDUSTRIAL AND SOCIAL LIFE
Movement cityward-Chief centers-Industrial classes-Farming-The
pig a pet—Home life in the country-Education-A Chinese school
-A graduate-Theaters, plays, and actors-Amusements-Horse-
manship-A novel device-Woman-Marriage-Betrothal-Break-
ing a betrothal-First Christian marriage-Change in public opinion
TH
HE Chinese, like the Anglo-Saxons, are gregarious. There
is a tendency to gather together and to live in towns and
cities. In Formosa this movement gains headway by reason
of the protection which it secures. With savages in the moun-
tains not far away, and with desperate characters of all sorts
watching their chance for plunder, the isolation of rural life is
not very desirable. Life in town is thought to be safer, if not
pleasanter, than in the country, and even country people them-
selves often live in close proximity, grouping their dwellings
into little villages and hamlets. A dozen or a score of families
may live together, the men carrying on their farming-operations
in the neighborhood.
The three largest cities in North Formosa are Bang-kah,
with a population of forty-five thousand; Tek-chham, with a
population of thirty-five thousand; and Toa-tiy-tia, with a pop-
ulation of thirty thousand. Five other centers-Tiong-kang,
Sek-khau, Sin-po, Sa-kiet-a-koe, and Ba-nih-have each a popu-
lation exceeding ten thousand. There are a great many towns,
a still greater number of large villages, and innumerable ham-
lets and peasants' homes.
113
114
FROM FAR FORMOSA
In the cities and towns all classes of workmen and traders
are to be found. All work is done by hand. The hum of
machinery is never heard. A list of workmen would include
blacksmiths, carpenters, cabinet-makers, undertakers, idol-
carvers, silversmiths, jewelers, workers in pewter and brass,
implement-makers, locksmiths, weavers, tailors, dyers, shoe-
makers, masons, stone-cutters, brickmakers, lime and charcoal
burners. Traders and merchants of all sorts have their shops
and expose their wares. The silk merchants are important, and
fruit and fish merchants do a thriving trade. Skilled workmen
are paid from thirty to forty cents per day. Ordinary workmen
earn not more than twenty-five cents. They are generally
economical, and their expenses are light when compared with
the expenses of workmen in Western lands. But their life is
often empty and mean.
The farmer is not only more important than the mechanic
or the merchant, he is also more highly esteemed. He is
looked upon as being the real producer, and his work is more
honorable than that of him who merely handles his goods and
passes them on to the consumer. Farms are small and are all
under cultivation. Rice has long been the chief among farm
products. In a subsequent chapter on rice-farming the cul-
ture of this cereal is fully explained. Tea-culture is now be-
coming important, and Formosa tea is already a popular
beverage in Britain and America. The large plateau to the
southwest of Tamsui, that twenty years ago was a meadow
broken in upon by little rice-farms, is now a magnificent tea-
plantation. This industry gives employment every year to
thousands of people, many of whom are brought from the
mainland. Sugar-cane, sweet potatoes, and a little wheat are
cultivated. Onions, leek, celery, spinach, cucumbers, water-
melons, a Chinese white cabbage, and other garden stuffs are
grown. The indigo and camphor industries are increasing in
importance. The Chinese farmer, like the Pe-po-hoan in the
INDUSTRIAL AND SOCIAL LIFE
115
Kap-tsu-lan plain, uses the ox for dry plowing and the water-
buffalo in the miry rice-fields. The plow, harrow, hoe, and
sickle are his implements, and the ox, water-buffalo, and pig
his stock. He brings all his produce in baskets to the town,
and offers it for sale in an open space in the street. Failing to
dispose of his supply in this way, he may hawk the remainder
about the streets.
The pig is a great pet among the Chinese. It is always to
be found about the door, and often has free access into the
house. In our missionary journeys we frequently found our-
selves room-mates of an old black pig with her litter of little
ones. The affection of an Englishman for his dog is scarcely
stronger than the affection of a Chinese for his pig. Foreign-
ers in China should remember this, and not thoughtlessly excite
enmity and antagonism. Not long after my arrival, when in
my house at Tamsui, I heard loud voices and hurried tramp-
ing in the street in front. On opening the door I saw several
European sailors, from a ship lying at anchor in the harbor,
running in wild haste down the street toward me.
As they
came near, one of them, mad with rage, asked if I had a gun.
They were followed by a mob that seemed to be furious and
eager to overtake them. I directed the sailors down a narrow
lane, by which they escaped to their ship. Turning to the
crowd, I asked the cause of the disturbance. They replied
that the sailors had been striking the pigs belonging to one of
their families with their walking-sticks. The people were very
indignant, and had they overtaken the sailors there would
have been trouble. I appeased them by the assurance that
should the offenders misbehave again complaint would be
made to the authorities.
Farming in Formosa is very hard work, and only by strict-
est economy can it be made even fairly remunerative. Some
farmers own the land they work, but the majority rent. In-
deed, more than half of the cultivated land in North Formosa
116
FROM FAR FORMOSA
belongs to one man, who rents to others, the rent being paid
generally in produce. These tenant-farmers frequently live all
their days in the same place. The sons marry and still con-
tinue to live in the old home with their parents, two and some-
times three generations occupying the same house at the same
time. They are, on the whole, hard-working, honest, reliable,
and, as men go, moral. The peasants are indeed the best
class in the community, instances of immorality being rare.
Among themselves they are very friendly and sociable, the
social chat of an evening, or what my Highland ancestors
called a "ceilidh," being quite characteristic of rural society.
Education, as they understand it, is not by any means
neglected among the Chinese. It is more than a thousand
years since competitive literary examinations were established
throughout the empire, and those who succeed in passing these
examinations have always been the most honorable class in
Chinese society. They are not only socially the superiors of
all others, but from among them appointments are made to all
the chief positions of influence and power. Parents are there-
fore very anxious to have their sons educated. There is in
Formosa no system of public instruction such as now exists
in the more advanced States of the American Union or the
provinces of Canada. The competitive examinations, held by
the government in the fu cities, provincial capitals, or in
Peking, according to the degree, are conducted with tiresome
attention to form and details. The Four Books are the text-
books, and some saying of Confucius or Mencius the theme
of their essays. Without describing the system, which is very
elaborate, it may be said that the higher degrees can scarcely
be obtained by any who have not more than ordinary ability,
and the physical strain of preparation and examination very
frequently wrecks the health of the student. The percentage
of the successful competitors is very small, but the reflex influ-
ence of this wide-spread interest in education is very powerful.
INDUSTRIAL AND SOCIAL LIFE
117
The unsuccessful candidates for the highest degree, and the
graduates holding lower degrees, constitute the literary class.
They are the teachers, and, being generally poor, their services
may be obtained for very little financial remuneration. They
find employment in the families of the rich or in teaching the
village school. Rich men frequently pay the salary of a
teacher for the children of their poorer neighbors. Ordinarily
the teacher secures a room and arranges with the parents in
the locality to have their children taught, the fees going to pay
the teacher.
A Chinese school is the scene of great industry and of great
noise. The students all study aloud, and their shrill drawling
voices make a disagreeable babel. The text-books are the
Chinese classics, and the parents have no cause of complaint
on the score of frequent change. The books never change.
from century to century. The characters are first learned; but
it is purely mechanical work, not the slightest attention being
paid to the meaning of the words. The book-language is
entirely different from the vernacular, and the boy has to
commit to memory pages, and even whole books, without
understanding anything of their significance. After years of
such severe work the boys begin to prepare definitely for the
competitive examinations. There is nothing really educative
in the system. Unconsciously the style and sentiments of the
books are absorbed, but originality, in either thought or expres-
sion, is not only undesirable, but utterly impossible.
When a young man succeeds in passing the examinations
for even the lowest degree, preparations on a most elaborate
scale are made at his home for honoring him on his return.
No one but an eye-witness can imagine the scene. A feast is
prepared, theatrical performers are often engaged, a procession
goes out to meet the graduate, who affects all the airs ima-
ginable, and his conceit is swollen beyond endurance. His
swagger is supercilious to the point of silliness. To recognize
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
his old companions is a condescension for which they feel ex-
tremely grateful. The whole performance tends to make these
graduates the most obnoxious of all the people one meets.
Mention has just been made of theatrical performances, and
it should be said that theatrical entertainments among the
Chinese are very different from those with which foreigners are
familiar. The actors as a class are numerous enough, but
there are no opera-houses or halls erected for entertainment
purposes. These shows in Formosa are almost invariably ex-
hibited on a platform in the open air, and generally are asso-
ciated with idolatry. In the open space in front of the temple
plays are most frequently performed. No admission fee is
charged, the expense of the show being borne by previous sub-
scription, or defrayed by some wealthy citizen. There is not
much art in a Chinese play; to a foreigner, indeed, it appears
absurd and dreary. The motif is generally patriotic. Histori-
cal or fictitious scenes are presented, in which some rebel or
traitor is the “villain,” and after much intrigue, sedition, and
other crimes against the government, he is arrested, condemned,
and punished. This kind of play is patronized by the govern-
ment as tending to inspire the common people with respect and
awe for the emperor and his representatives. Love, marriage,
and murder, to be sure, are the stock in trade of Chinese play-
wrights, and virtue is always rewarded, while vice is as surely
punished. The costumes of the actors are exceedingly ridicu-
lous, and the way in which they "speak the speech" would
excite the disgust of less particular personages than Shake-
speare, and make the town crier an artist in comparison.
Everything is spoken in a shrill falsetto drawl, and accom-
panied with such endless, excessive, and excited action that
Hamlet's judgment that "some of nature's journeymen had
made men, and not made them well, they imitated humanity so
abominably," would seem to have special reference to Chinese
players. In truth, the text of the play, being in the book-
"(
""
INDUSTRIAL AND SOCIAL LIFE
119
I
language, is very imperfectly understood by the audience; and
were it not for the colloquial "asides" and the explanations
given by knowing ones to those about them, the performance
would indeed be a "dumb show" to most of the auditors.
have frequently stood in the crowd and watched the players,
and sometimes they would give spice to their parts by a refer-
ence to the "black-bearded stranger." There are no actresses
in these companies, the parts of female characters being taken
with remarkable skill by men. The social standing of actors
is low, but probably as high as their merit or their morals
deserve.
Puppet-shows are very popular among almost all classes of
people, and are, in their way, decidedly clever. Kite-flying
among the Chinese is a science compared with any like exhibi-
tion seen in Western lands. The children have their tops,
which they handle with exceptional skill, and their jackstones,
which never lose their popularity.
Boat-racing is a common sport, and at Bang-kah I once
witnessed an exhibition of military horsemanship, that regularly
draws immense crowds of spectators. The horses are run
singly in a long trench several feet high, without bridle or
saddle. They are trained, and are eager for the race. The
rider carries a bow and arrow, and the object of the game is
to shoot at a target set up on one side of the trench near the
end of the course, after the principle of the game of tent-
pegging. The horses require little urging once they enter the
trench. A curious custom is slitting the horses' nostrils to in-
crease their speed. Jockeys observed that after the race a
horse seemed to have great difficulty in breathing, and this
extra puffing they supposed was caused by an insufficient es-
cape for the air from the lungs. To relieve this difficulty, and
to add to the racer's speed, the nostrils are slit open.
Among the Chinese in Formosa the position of woman is
higher than among pagan and savage races, but immeasurably
120
FROM FAR FORMOSA
lower than in Christian lands. The birth of a daughter is no
occasion for rejoicing, if, indeed, it be not regarded as a
calamity. The inferiority of woman to man is not an open
question. She is regarded as useful, but her death, even when
a wife and mother, is trivial compared with the loss of a
brother or son. As she advances in years, however, she is
treated with more respect, and in old age compensation is
sometimes made for the neglect of earlier years.
Marriage is in every way encouraged, not so much as a
satisfaction for cherished affections and a fulfilment of social
instincts, but in order to obtain male posterity, who shall
guard the graves of the dead and minister to the needs of the
departed spirits of their ancestors. The bearing of this is
shown in a subsequent chapter dealing with Chinese religious
life. The social aspect of the question is one of the most per-
plexing problems facing the advocates of reform.
Marriage is arranged by the parents of the contracting
parties, without regard to the feelings and preferences of the
parties themselves. A third party-a match-maker or go-
between-is a most important character. Through her the
arrangements are made. Prenatal betrothal is rare, but not
by any means unknown. The betrothal of children under ten
years of age is more common, but the general age for a girl is
between fifteen and twenty. The most common method is for
the parents to purchase a young girl and bring her up in their
own home to be a wife for their son. This is much cheaper,
as she earns more than she costs, and no gifts or money need
be paid her parents at the marriage. In such a case the girl
is called Sim-pu, and is regarded as one of the family, but too
often is treated with great harshness and cruelty.
Parents may choose out a suitable wife for their son, and it
frequently happens that the son agrees in the selection and is
delighted with his betrothed. But human nature is the same
the world over, and sometimes the Chinese young man does
INDUSTRIAL AND SOCIAL LIFE
I2I
not take kindly to his parents' choice. If the girl has been
brought up with him in his home he may come to love her,
and not to marry her would be a real grief. But should his
wayward fancy fly far from home and picture maidens fairer
than the drudge of his mother's kitchen, he may refuse to ac-
cept his betrothed wife, and if so he will find some way of
evading the domestic arrangement and the custom of his
country. It is looked upon as a calamity for the betrothal to
be broken off, and it is believed dire calamities are sure to
visit the family of one who violates so venerable a custom.
Young men sometimes run the risks, however, and follow
affection rather than custom.
An instance of the breaking up of an early betrothal came
under my notice, illustrative of both the old and the new order
of things. At Go-ko-khi, where our first chapel was built,
there lived a man of great local influence, named Tan Phauh.
He was a powerfully built man, who had been through sev-
eral rebellions on the mainland, and was not used to having
his plans thwarted by anybody. His services in connection.
with the establishing of our first church are told hereafter.
He was a loyal Chinese, and, although he became one of our
earliest converts, he never was unpatriotic or disloyal as a cit-
izen. There lived with the family a girl who was betrothed to
his second son. She was a good, hard-working girl, and was
kindly treated, and really loved as a daughter. The whole
family became Christian, and this son joined my class of
students and traveled with us, preparing himself for the min-
istry. Association with other students, and college life at
Tamsui, widened his horizon and greatly developed his intel-
lectual powers. He began to think for himself, and self-con-
sciousness developed independence. His ideals were enlarged
and his standards of life changed. The thought of his be-
trothal began to be burdensome. He had nothing against the
girl, but she was not his ideal, and he could not cherish for her
122
FROM FAR FORMOSA
the "supreme affection for one" that philosophers call love.
She was uneducated, and took no interest in the larger subjects
and ambitions that now fired his soul. Under such circum-
stances young men who, thinking themselves in love, voluntarily
entered into an engagement without the advice or knowledge
of their parents have been known to fret and become discon-
tented. Poor Theng cannot, then, be blamed for fretting over
a betrothal to which he was not a party, made years before he
understood or cared. On the occasion of one of his visits
home the question of his marriage to Sim-pu was raised, and
he distinctly refused. He did not love the girl and could not
marry her. The grief, disappointment, and anger of his parents
were almost beyond control. They were Christians, but the
custom was an old one, and, besides, they loved Sim-pu. The
father went to bed and stayed there till his anger cooled. The
mother felt even more strongly. I visited them and reasoned
with them, explaining the nature and terms of Christian mar-
riage, and the teachings of the Bible on the subject. The eld-
est son agreed with me, and thought his brother should be
allowed to choose for himself. The younger son stood by the
venerable social custom, and wanted to know what kind of a
lady Theng would like for a wife, that he should refuse one
whom they all loved so much. But Theng was unmoved. In
the struggle between love and custom the tender passion pre-
vailed. He would not give his hand, for he could not give his
heart. The girl felt badly, for she had had her day-dreams.
Theng married a girl he loved, and Sim-pu married a young
farmer living a few miles away. The old man often told me
that only Christianity and the grace of God could reconcile
him to his son's action. The girl did not cherish any hard
feelings, as she would have done were she not a Christian.
When passing near where she lived, she insisted on my visiting
her new home, and her welcome to myself and the students who
were with me had no suggestion of animosity or secret regret.
INDUSTRIAL AND SOCIAL LIFE
123
Marriage, according to Chinese law, is consummated by
the exchange of necessary documents between the parents of
the prospective bride and groom. No license is required, and
no one is authorized to perform the ceremony. There are
endless social preliminaries, formalities, and ceremonies, and
on the marriage day the bride is carried from her own home
to the home of the groom, and there with him bows before
the ancestral tablet of the family. Feasting and tablet-worship
mark the occasion.
It was at Go-ko-khi, the first station established in the
country, that the first Christian marriage was celebrated. The
formal documents were exchanged, complying with the law of
the land, and then the ordinance of marriage according to
Christian form and teaching was performed. The young man
belonged to the clan Taî, and was twenty-five years of age;
the bride was of the clan Ti, and was in her seventeenth year.
He could not possibly marry one of his own clan. To do
that would be to violate the most sacred and inflexible cus-
tom. Such a thing as the marriage of two persons having the
same surname is not known among the Chinese.
The news that the missionary was about to perform a mar-
riage ceremony spread rapidly through the region; and the
whole neighborhood became excited, alarmed, and enraged.
The wildest stories were told: "She is going to be the mis-
sionary's wife for a week;" "The missionary is to kiss her
first;" "Her own eyes are to be taken out and others put in
their places;” “The amount to be paid the missionary will
ruin the family."
On the afternoon of the marriage day a great crowd gath-
ered at the bridegroom's house. After a long wait music
was heard in the distance, and the children began shouting,
(C
They're coming, they're coming!" Presently a sedan-chair
with an old woman, the go-between, appeared, and immedi-
ately behind a larger and more beautiful one, draped with red
124
FROM FAR FORMOSA
cloth. Then came twenty-five pairs of bearers carrying pres-
ents of all descriptions in tables turned upside down and
suspended from poles borne on the bearers' shoulders. Fire-
crackers and squibs kept up an incessant noise, doing honor to
the occasion. The bride's chair halted before the door, and the
bridegroom, dressed as gorgeously as though he were a great
official, stepped forward and removed the front part of the
chair, and led his bride, whom he saw that hour for the first
time, into the house. They were then called out into the
courtyard, where hundreds of excited spectators—the majority
of whom, of course, were women-crowded every available
space, eager to witness the ceremony. A Christian woman
acted as bridesmaid, and the groom was supported by a native
preacher. I then addressed the people on the institution of
marriage as ordained by God and sanctified by Christ, and
emphasized the importance of monogamy and mutual respect
and forbearance. The contracting parties were then ex-
horted, the "vows" put, and they were pronounced husband
and wife.
As soon as the service was over the young couple were taken
back into the house. In view of the suspicions of the people,
I deemed it prudent to take leave at once, and set out with
the students to the nearest chapel. In a few days the report
of the Christian marriage spread far and wide, and now the
missionary was praised as liberally as he had previously been
blamed. The Christian ceremony was pronounced everything
that was beautiful and good, and during all succeeding years,
although I not only performed the ceremony hundreds of
times, but also waited for the subsequent festivities, and even
accepted invitations to heathen households, no unjust insinua-
tions were ever again made, or anything said against the
morality of Christian marriage.
CHAPTER XIII
CHINESE RELIGIOUS LIFE
Heathenism in Formosa-Gods and goddesses innumerable-A new can-
didate-Praying with divining-blocks-Idol-making industry-Wip-
ing out devotional arrearages-An offering of two hundred hogs—
Seventh Moon Feast," a hideous spectacle-Ancestral worship-
Annual family gathering-An open sesame "-A burdensome
curse-Lifted by the gospel
ELIGIOUSLY the Chinese in Formosa are related to the
RE
Chinese on the mainland, especially in the Fukien prov-
ince. They are all idolaters. Transportation and separation
from the huge mass may, indeed, have had the effect of loosen-
ing the bonds and making idolatry in Formosa less unyielding
in its hold and less hopelessly blinded in its outlook than it is
in China. The incessant struggle for life in a new country may
also have done something. At all events, it would seem as
though there were more laxity, more indifferentism, among the
masses of the people than may be found on the mainland.
But the heathenism of Formosa is of the same kind and
quality as the heathenism of China. It is the same poisonous
mixture, the same dark, damning nightmare. The original ele-
ment was Confucianism-a system of morality, with its worship
of heaven, its deification of ancestors, and its ethical maxims.
Centuries after, Tauism was added—a system of demonolatry,
with its spirit-superstition and wretched incantations. Then
from India Buddhism was brought-a system of idolatry, with
its shrines and smoking incense. These three systems existed
125
126
FROM FAR FORMOSA
side by side until the dividing-walls began to crumble; and
now the three are run together, a commingling of conflicting
creeds, degrading the intellect, defiling life, and destroying all
religious sentiment. In Western lands one hears much about
Oriental religions, the beauties of Buddhism, and the like.
One who knows is not deceived. These indiscriminating
laudations are false and vain, the outcome of ignorance or the
enchantment of distance. I know something of the delights
of Buddhism, not as seen from the platform of a Parliament of
Religions, but as Buddhism really is in its own country. For
twenty-three years I have been in the midst of heathenism,
brushing against its priests and people; and I know the poison
of its sweets, the fatal flash of its light, and the stagnant fetor
of its life.
It is not needful that an exposition of the complex religious
system of the Chinese be here presented. Of late years the
literature on that subject has greatly increased, and students
will find in the works of such authors as Wells-Williams, Ne-
vius, Du Bose, and others, intelligent and detailed discussion.
What they have reported regarding the mainland is to a large
degree true in regard to Formosa; and for the purposes of this
book, beyond a general survey, all that is possible is some ref-
erence to points and customs not dealt with by the authors
mentioned.
The Chinese in Formosa have innumerable gods and god-
desses, many religious festivals, and countless superstitions that
burden their life. The names of their idols would fill pages,
and the details of their beliefs and worship volumes. There
are gods having authority over each of the various powers of
nature, departments of industry, relationships of life, states of
feeling, physical conditions, and moral sentiments. Some have
been worshiped for centuries; others are of recent date. Some
are universal, receiving the adoration of all classes throughout
the Chinese empire; others are local or special, and are rever-
CHINESE RELIGIOUS LIFE
127
enced only in particular localities or by certain orders. The
origin of the worship of many of the idols is a mystery, but
modern instances are suggestive. In 1878 a girl living not far
from Tamsui wasted away and died, a victim of consumption.
Some one in that neighborhood, more gifted than the rest, an-
nounced that a goddess was there, and the wasted skeleton of
the girl became immediately famous. She was given the name
Sien-lu-niu ("Virgin Goddess "), and a small temple was erected
for her worship. The body was put into salt and water for
some time, and then placed in a sitting position in an arm-
chair, with a red cloth around the shoulders and a wedding-
cap upon the head; and seen through the glass, the black face,
with the teeth exposed, looked very much like an Egyptian
mummy. Mock money was burned and incense-sticks laid in
front. Passers-by were told the story, and as they are willing
to worship anything supposed to have power to help or harm,
the worship of this new goddess began. Before many weeks
hundreds of sedan-chairs could be seen passing and repassing,
bringing worshipers, especially women, to this shrine.
men sent presents to adorn the temple, and all took up the cry
of this new goddess. But the devotees were disappointed, for
the divining-blocks gave no certain answers; and while they
might continue to reverence an unanswering goddess whom
their ancestors had worshiped before them, they had not the
same respect for a new candidate. One woman who had
heard the gospel several years before, while we were preaching
in the town of Kim-pau-li, was being carried to worship at this
temple; and when on a high narrow path, through some acci-
dent she was tumbled down the bank in her sedan-chair. She
returned home very much displeased with herself, and angry at
those who introduced this new object of worship. Her confi-
dence in the idol was all the more easily shaken because of the
secret working in her mind and heart of the gospel heard years
before. Indeed, all attempts to make the worship of this new
Rich
128
FROM FAR FORMOSA
goddess popular and universal failed, and failed because "the
light of life was in the field." A hundred years ago, however,
she would soon have had millions before her presenting their
offerings and beseeching her favor.
Idol-temples are common throughout the country, and idols
may be seen under trees and near bridges for travelers and
chance devotees to burn money and toss the divining-blocks.
Their method of petition is saddening to behold. Divining-
blocks are used. These are made of bamboo roots split into
two pieces, each piece having one side convex, the other flat.
With these two blocks, two or three inches in length, the peti-
tioner stands before the idol and offers his prayer. The peti-
tion is presented in the form of a question; e.g., “O idol, will
you give me wealth?" The blocks are then waved in the
hands three times and tossed on the floor. If either the two
convex or the two flat sides are turned upward the answer of
the idol is in the negative; but if one convex and one flat side
be upward the answer is in the affirmative. If the petition be
granted the blocks are returned to their place, and vows may
be made and mock money either burned or placed in front of
the idol. The offerings presented are in accordance with the
favors granted. Should the divining-blocks return a negative
answer from the god, the petitioner, if very importunate, will
try again and again, and this “heads or tails" form of prayer
may be kept up until the desired answer is obtained.
Idolatry is the mother of a very extensive industry, as the
manufacture of idols is a thriving business. There is little art
about it, as the Chinese idols are inartistic in form, grotesque,
hideous. They are made sometimes of stone or bronze, gen-
erally of wood or clay. The wood of the camphor-tree is
often used in idol manufacture. After much use the idol is
taken back for repairs-repainted, regilded, an arm or head to
be replaced, an ear reset, or the eyes to be touched up or made
new. The various parts are cut out or moulded into shape and
CHINESE RELIGIOUS LIFE
129
put together by the idol-maker, and the devotee walks out of
the place with the God of War or the Goddess of the Sea!
The paper money used in worship is made out of tinfoil, beaten
thin, and sold in packages. A great number of men are em-
ployed in the manufacture of candles for idolatrous purposes.
Many of the Chinese, especially the women, are devout
worshipers; many others are skeptical, and the majority are
careless. Idolatry has a powerful hold on their minds, but it
is only when reverses and troubles come that the average man
will resort to the temple. They believe the gods have power
to help or to injure them, but so long as things go well they
are careless about their devotions. There are great occasions
when a feast is held or a general offering made, and then all
devotional arrearages are wiped out. I once attended an im-
mense gathering in honor of the God of Medicine, when an
offering of two hundred hogs was made. It was on the birth-
day of the god, and in a grass hut on a small plateau five miles
north of Tamsui the idol was seated. In front of the god,
pork, fowl, rice, fish, eggs, tea, and spirituous liquors were set.
A Tauist priest performed incantations, bowing, chanting, and
beseeching the god to be favorable and to partake of the feast
provided. Fragrant incense-sticks were burned, and at inter-
vals mock money was offered. Outside the hut men were busy
preparing the great feast for the god. Two hundred dressed
hogs, on frames prepared for the purpose, were ranged all
around in rows, an orange in the mouth of each, and a large
knife stuck in the back of the neck. These hogs varied in
weight from fifty to four hundred and eighty pounds. Fully
four thousand men, women, and children were present, each
family displaying its own articles to the best advantage. In
the evening torches, music, and theatrical performances added
to the honor done to the poor camphor-wood god in the grass
hut.
The most elaborate and hideous scene I ever witnessed was
130
FROM FAR FORMOSA
the "Seventh Moon Feast." The seventh month was the time
for making offerings to all departed spirits. It was a time of
great festivity and excitement. The custom prevailed in all
the cities and towns in North Formosa of erecting, in an open
space of several acres, great cone-like structures of bamboo
poles, from five to ten feet in diameter at the base, and some-
times fifty or sixty feet high. Around these cones, from bottom
to top, immense quantities of food, offered to the spirits, were
tied in rows. There were ducks and smaller fowl, dead and
alive, pork, fish, cakes, fruits, bananas, pineapples, and all
manner of delicacies in season; and fastened everywhere in the
mass were hundreds of huge fire-crackers. On one occasion I
saw fifty such cones at a feast at Bang-kah. It was a grue-
some sight. When night came on and the time for summoning
the spirits approached, the cones were illuminated by dozens
of lighted candles. Then the priests took up their position on
a raised platform, and by clapping their hands and sounding
a large brass gong they called the spirits of all the departed to
come and feast on the food provided. Out of the night and
the other world" the dead were given time to come and to
gorge themselves on the "spiritual" part of the feast, the es-
sence, that was suited to their ethereal requirements. Mean-
while a very unspiritual mob-thousands and thousands of
hungry beggars, tramps, blacklegs, desperadoes of all sorts,
from the country towns, the city slums, or venturing under
cover of the night from their hiding-places among the hills-
surged and swelled in every part of the open space, impatiently
waiting their turn at the feast. When the spirits had consumed
the "spiritual" part, the "carnal" was the property of the mob,
and the mob quite approved of this division. But the time
seemed long. At length the spirits were satisfied, and the
gong was sounded once more. That was the signal for the
mob; and scarcely had the first stroke fallen when that whole
scene was one mass of arms and legs and tongues. Screaming,
""
CHINESE RELIGIOUS LIFE
131
cursing, howling, like demons of the pit, they all joined in the
onset. A rush was made for the cones, and those nearest
seized the supports and pulled now this way, now that. The
huge, heavily laden structures began to sway from side to side
until with a crash one after another fell into the crowd, crush-
ing their way to the ground. Then it was every man for him-
self. In one wild scramble, groaning and yelling all the while,
trampling on those who had lost their footing or were smoth-
ered by the falling cones, fighting and tearing one another like
mad dogs, they all made for the coveted food. It was a very
bedlam, and the wildness of the scene was enhanced by the
irregular explosion of the fire-crackers and the death-groan of
some one worsted in the fray. As each secured what he could
carry, he tried to extricate himself from the mob, holding fast
to the treasures for which he had fought, and of which the less
successful in the outskirts of the crowd would fain plunder him.
Escaping the mob, he hurried to his home, expecting every
moment to be attacked by those who thought it easier to way-
lay and rob the solitary spoilsman than to join in the general
scramble in the plain.
One cannot estimate the demoralizing effects of such feasts;
and it is to the credit of that progressive governor, Liu Ming
Chuan, that the barbarities of the "Seventh Moon Feast" have
been entirely abolished in Formosa. Such a sight as has been
described will never again be witnessed there.
In a general and broad sense all their worship is ancestral,
as their gods are the deified spirits of some of the distinguished
dead. But the worship of their gods is not the real religion of
the Chinese, the idol-shrine is not their most holy place. Their
real religion is the worship of their ancestors, their real idol the
ancestral tablet. The worship of ancestors is certainly of very
ancient date, and was sanctioned by the Chinese sage Con-
fucius. Their doctrine is that each man has three souls. At
death one soul goes into the unseen world of spirits, the second
132
FROM FAR FORMOSA
goes down into the grave, and the third hovers about the old
homestead. For the first the priest is responsible. The second
and third claim the services of living relatives, the grave being
tended for the one, while the other is invited to take up its
abode in a tablet of wood; and from that hour the ancestral
tablet becomes the most sacred thing in the possession of the
family. It is simply a narrow piece of wood, about a foot long,
two or three inches wide, and half an inch thick, set in a low
pedestal, and on one side are inscribed the ancestral names.
The eldest son has charge of the tablet and its worship. It is
placed in the main hall of the house, offerings are presented.
before it, and incense burned to it every day. The son regards
that tablet as in very truth the abode of a personal being who
is far more to him for weal or woe than all the gods of the
empire. The gods are to be feared and their favor is to be
propitiated; but ancestors are loved and their needs in the
spirit-world generously supplied. The heathen Chinese have
no knowledge of the "Father's house of many mansions,"
where "they hunger no more, neither thirst any more."
them the dead are dependent on their living relatives, and
should they be neglected they would become beggar spirits,
hungry, naked, penniless, with will and power to punish their
undutiful offspring for their neglect. Food must therefore be
offered before the tablet, to satisfy the hunger of the spirit;
paper clothing must be burned to hide its nakedness, and paper
money to give it independence in the world of shades.
To
There are some things that appeal to human nature in this
ancestral idolatry. Its motive may be fear, but its basis is filial
piety. And there is something very solemn about their annual
family gatherings before the spirit-tablets of their dead. The
most sacred time in all the Chinese calendar is the last night
of the old year, when the chief family feast is held and sacri-
fices are offered to the ancestral guests. To be present on such
an occasion, the son returns home, it may be, from beyond the
CHINESE RELIGIOUS LIFE
133
Pacific. The household assemble in their family oratory.
No stranger is there. Before them are the sacred tablets,
their household gods, and with reverence they present their
offerings, burn their sacrifices, and bow themselves in worship.
Pork, fish, fowl, vegetables, rice, and some spirituous liquor
constitute the food, which is offered smoking hot, and the
spirits feast upon its essence carried up in the ascending steam.
Paper clothing and mock money are burned, and as the smoke
curls up the spirits are clothed and enriched. Lest any vaga-
bond spirit, neglected by its living offspring, should be hover-
ing about seeking an entrance into this hallowed place, a
supply of food is set outside the door, that the hungry soul
may be satisfied and not intrude. This ancestral feast on the
last night of the year is to the Chinese what Passover night is
to the pious Jew.
"(
""
It has been my custom never to denounce or revile what is
so sacredly cherished, but rather to recognize whatever of truth
or beauty there is in it, and to utilize it as an open sesame
to the heart. Many, many times, standing on the steps of a
temple, after singing a hymn, have I repeated the fifth com-
mandment, and the words "Honor thy father and thy mother
never failed to secure respectful attention. Sometimes a frail
old man, whose cue was white, and whose hands trembled on
his staff, would nod approvingly and say, "That is heavenly
doctrine." Having gained common ground, and having dis-
coursed on the duties to earthly parents, the transition of
thought to our Father in heaven is easily made. Prejudices
have been overcome in this way, and minds disposed to the
truth of the gospel. The worship of idols is first given up;
but it may be months-perhaps a year-before the tablet can
be forsaken. The truth about the soul, death, and the here-
after must be firmly grasped, or it will wring the heart to throw
away the tablet.
Ancestral worship has its beauties, and in its exaltation of
134
FROM FAR FORMOSA
marriage it may indirectly have been a blessing; but it has its
darker side, and in its train follow domestic infelicity, miscar-
riage of justice, and a social and moral bondage that subjects
the millions of the living to the degrading service of the dead.
A marriage that does not result in the birth of a son, who will
guard his father's grave and worship at the ancestral shrine, is
a source of perpetual misery, giving the husband just cause for
ill-treating his wife, putting her away, or resorting to con-
cubinage. Should an only son whose parents are dead be,
arraigned before a magistrate and found guilty of the most
heinous crime, the fact that there is no one else to attend to
the offices of ancestral worship would interfere with the exe-
cution of、a just sentence, as the magistrate would shrink from
the responsibility of depriving the spirits of the departed of the
care and support they require. And this ancestral worship
blocks the way of all change and progress, because to make
any change in social customs or religious forms "would disturb
the status between men and spirits, and thus prove fatal to the
repose of the dead and the safety of the living."
This venerable cultus, the worship of ancestors, is indeed the
most stubborn obstacle Christianity has to face. It is so en-
grained in the nature, and appeals so touchingly to the heart,
that it requires the strongest conviction and the finest moral
courage to break its thraldom and brave the scorn of friends
and relatives, to whom neglect of one's ancestors in the spirit-
world is the most inhuman and cruelest of crimes. The gospel
of the risen Saviour, shedding light on the immortal life, and
redeeming men from the heavy bondage of ignorance, super-
stition, and fear, is proving itself the only power that can save
to the uttermost. It drives out the false by the expulsive power
of truth, and under its vivifying influences the devotees of the
tablet turn from the darkening past and look forward and up-
ward to the hills of the Homeland, where the weary rest in the
light of God.
CHAPTER XIV
BEGINNINGS OF MISSION WORK
Purpose-Learning the language-With the herdboys-First sermon-
The literati-Coming of A Hoa-Conversion of Go Ek Ju-A Chris-
tian family
IN
N April, 1872, I had secured a house in Tamsui, and faced
the question, Why am I here? Is it to study the geology,
botany, or zoology of Formosa ? Is it to examine into ques-
tions about the racial relations of the inhabitants? Is it to
study the habits and customs of the people? No; not for
that did I leave my native home. Not for that did the church
in Canada ordain me and send me out. My commission is
clear; I hold it from the King and Head of the church: "Go
ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Whatever else may be done, that commission must be fulfilled.
More than that. Whatever else may be done must have a
real and positive bearing on the fulfilment of that commission.
Whatever of history, geology, ethnology, sociology, or of any
other subject may engage the missionary's attention must be
regarded in its relation to the gospel. To get the gospel of
the grace of God into the minds and hearts of the heathen,
and when converted to build them up in their faith-that was
my purpose in going to Formosa. I had it clearly before me
at the beginning, and nothing has been allowed to obscure it
or make it less than supreme.
But the question of ways and means had yet to be answered;
135
136
FROM FAR FORMOSA
and taking things as they came, my first duty was to learn the
language. Already I had mastered the eight tones of the
Formosan dialect and had learned a few words. But what
was that compared with the task scarcely begun? I had no
teacher, and there were then no books of much use to a be-
ginner. My Chinese servant, who returned with me from the
trip down the west coast with Messrs. Ritchie and Dickson,
was my only helper. I spent hours with him pronouncing
words and imitating sounds. He was not used to that kind
of service, and at times would look at me doubtfully, as
though he thought me a little daft. I kept away from the
main street and wandered out into the country in the hope of
meeting some peasant with whom I might converse, and from
whom I might learn something of the language of the common
people. Out on the downs I saw a dozen boys herding water-
buffaloes. As soon as I went near they yelled, "Foreign
devil, foreign devil!" jumped on the ground, waved their
large sun-hats, and disappeared behind boulders. The next
day I tried them again. They looked at me in silence, but
on the alert, and ready to run at the first sign of danger. The
third day I spoke to them, and as I had carefully practised
my words they exclaimed, in utter astonishment, "He knows
our language!" That the "barbarian" could speak even a
few of their words interested them very much. I took out my
watch and held it up for them to see. They were around me
instantly, feeling my hands, fingers, buttons, and clothes. The
herdboys and I became friends that day, and ever after they
would wait my coming with eager interest. I was out there
on the plateau with them every day for four or five hours,
talking to them, hearing them talk, noting down new words
and phrases, until my vocabulary began to grow with a rapidity
that quite amazed my servant. I learned more of the spoken
dialect from those herdboys than in any other way, and years
after, when they grew to manhood, they continued friendly, and
BEGINNINGS OF MISSION WORK
137
were always delighted to recall the first days on the buffalo-
pasture. Several of them became converts to Christianity,
one a student and preacher.
All this time I was working away at the written characters
with my English-Chinese dictionary. It was slow and vexa-
tious. Without a teacher or helper, and having none of the
improved dictionaries, it sometimes took hours to find the
meaning of one character.
In this way I learned the spoken dialect in the daytime
from the herdboys, and studied the characters from the books
at night, all the while practising aloud in order to train both
tongue and ear. Something new was learned every day, and
my old servant had to listen to new words and sentences and
hear the old ones over again every night. It is entirely prob-
able that he said some things I did not understand, and that
were not very complimentary. I am quite sure he became
sick and tired of my questions and cross-questions. After a
few weeks in my service he collapsed, and left me to march
up and down the room reciting and rehearsing by myself. I
never saw him again. These exercises were not in vain, how-
ever, and as I shunned all Europeans and English-speaking
Chinese, and spoke to every other man who would listen to
me, within five months I had so far mastered the language
that I was able to preach my first sermon; and while it was
much shorter than the sermons I was accustomed to hear in
Zorra, it was listened to by some of those heathen hearers
with strict attention. The text was, "What must I do to be
saved?" The room was full. Some sneered, others laughed
outright, but some were respectful and attentive.
While studying the language I was also coming into touch
with the people. The proud, conceited literati would enter
my room, open my Bibles and other books, throw them on the
floor, and then strut out with a grunt of contempt. I got a
large sheet of Chinese paper, printed on it the ten command-
138
FROM FAR FORMOSA
ments, and pasted it on the outside of my door. It was soon
daubed with mud and then torn down. A second was simi-
larly treated. The third was put up and remained untouched.
One forenoon a young man, prepossessing in appearance,
and of more than ordinary intelligence, called upon me and
questioned me on many subjects. When he was leaving I
invited him to return in the evening and have another talk.
He promised, and was there at the time mentioned, and re-
mained during brief exercises and the singing of a hymn. I
read one of our hymns, the subject of which is the brevity of
human life, and presented him with a copy of the hymn-book.
There was something about the young man that attracted my
attention and made me think more about him after he had
gone than about any of the others with whom I had met. He
was intelligent and respectable, but there was a seriousness,
a downrightness, that marked him as superior. I had been
pleading with God to give me as the first convert an intelligent
and active young man. Long before I had reached Formosa
that had been the burden of my prayer. That night when I
was alone in my room the thought flashed upon my mind that
my prayer was heard, and that this young stranger was the
man I had prayed for. So powerfully did the conviction
come home to me that, although I had not a tittle of evidence
of his conversion, I slept little that night for very gratitude.
In a day or two the young man returned, bringing with him
a graduate of some note, who discussed questions of religion
with me for some time. It was clear now that there was to
be a conflict with the literati, and that day I began studying
their language and religion with more earnestness than ever.
The next time the young man came he brought with him six
graduates, who remained for two hours discussing and ques-
tioning. A few days later he brought several others. Then
he came with a literary man of a higher degree, a ku-jin, and
twenty graduates and teachers. By this time I had become
BEGINNINGS OF MISSION. WORK
139
so interested that with the utmost eagerness I entered into the
discussion and attacked them on their own ground. Question
after question was put to them touching their three religions,
Confucianism, Buddhism, and Tauism. They were surprised
at the “barbarian's " knowledge of their sages and their teach-
ings. Their spokesman was soon entangled, and in a little
while they all left the room. Within half an hour the young
man returned. He looked more serious than ever. I read the
hymn "A A day's march nearer home." His eyes brightened,
and he said, "What you read now suits me. I love those
words, and I am convinced that the doctrines you teach are
true. I brought all those graduates and teachers to silence
you or to be silenced. I have thought a great deal about
these things of late, and I am determined to be a Christian,
even though I suffer death for it. The Book you have has
the true doctrine, and I should like to study it with you." I
wrote down all the young man said in my journal, at his own
request; and with the record now before me, my mind goes
back to that day in the month of May, 1872. I recall some-
thing of the feelings of that hour-the strange thrill of joy, the
hope, perhaps the fear, the gratitude, and the prayer. I look
back through these twenty-three years, see the earnest face of
that young man, and hear again his words of resolve and con-
viction. Were those true words? Who can say one syllable
was untrue? That young man became a Christian, a student,
a preacher, and to-day, after twenty-three long years of trial
and testing, he is there still, the chief among the native preach-
ers, the man to whom, more than to any other, the care of
sixty churches in the mission in North Formosa falls. His
name is Giam Chheng Hoa, better known as A Hoa.
any one who knows anything about the history of mission
work in Formosa say that A Hoa's brave resolution, made on
that day so long ago, has failed?
Will
Some time after A Hoa became a disciple, a painter in
140
FROM FAR FORMOSA
Tamsui named Go Ek Ju persisted in disturbing our meet-
ings and molesting us. When I was addressing the people at
night, with the door open, he would pass by and throw peb-
bles inside. When the door was closed he would look through
holes and listen to all that was said. His habitual custom was
to lie in wait for A Hoa when on his way home after worship.
First alone, then with others, he would jerk A Hoa's cue, slap
him in the face, stand right before him in the street, and insult
him in other ways. We just pleaded with God every day to
give the man light from above. One afternoon a medium-
sized, thin-faced, pock-marked, intelligent-looking fellow came
to me at our house and said, "I am sorry for my past conduct
toward A Hoa and you, and beg you to forgive me."
It was
Go Ek Ju, the painter. He took his stand as a Christian that
night, and publicly declared his allegiance to Christ.
After his conversion he spent every hour of spare time in
study. But his aged mother-how she cried, raged, and
threatened when she heard what her only son had done!
How true it sometimes is that a man's foes shall be they of
his own household "! His two sisters sent him word privately
to keep away from the house, lest something serious should
happen. The poor, warm-hearted son was to be pitied, and
A Hoa went with him to his former home. They were re-
ceived with bitterness, for relatives, neighbors, and constables
goaded the mother on to desperation. At length I went to
the house with him and A Hoa. Go Ek Ju sat beside me.
The mother, who was engaged pounding rice, looked angry
and fierce. She gave a few replies to my explanations, then
flew into a rage and moved toward her son with a mallet in
her uplifted hand. I intercepted her, grasped the mallet, and
threw it outside. We walked out, subject to abuse from the
infuriated mother. We now prayed for that woman.
In a
few days one of the daughters was prostrated with a severe
illness. Sorcerers, doctors, and idols were consulted in vain,
BEGINNINGS OF MISSION WORK
141
and the poor mother's heart was bleeding. Some one advised
European medicines, and I was called in to prescribe. The
malarial fever from which the girl was suffering soon yielded
to the remedies. With the mother's heart now softened and
gladdened, there was no difficulty in getting her consent to the
son's continuance as a student. Before long, son, mother, and
daughter all shared in the hope of the gospel. It became a
Christian household, and all have remained steadfast until this
day. The son has been a preacher for twenty-one years, and
the mother a Bible-woman for a third of that time.
CHAPTER XV
THE FIRST NATIVE PREACHER AND HIS CHURCH
The first student-A Hoa's early life-Studying together-A Hoa's first
prayer—Beauty in nature-First trials—First testing—First baptism
-First communion-First chapel-First services-First preacher-
First female convert
NATIVE ministry for the native church was an idea that
took shape in my mind before leaving Canada. My
prayer had been for a young man of such gifts as would mark
him out for the sacred office. The prayer had been answered,
and the coming of A Hoa seemed to indicate the mind of the
Head of the church. From the very beginning I began train-
ing the first convert for the work of the ministry. He became
at once both pupil and companion. On the morning after his
confession he came to my house, and as my old servant had
wearied of my everlasting Chinese chatter, he set to work and
made the room clean and neat. The result was that he joined
himself to me and took full charge of all housekeeping affairs.
The early life of this first convert and preacher is deserving
of notice. His family surname is Giam. When his father
was ten years of age the family came from the mainland
of China. Their old homestead was near Foo-chow. His
mother was born on Steep Island, northeast of Formosa, and
belonged to the clan Tan. When thirteen years of age she
moved to Tamsui, and five years later was married to Mr.
Giam. There in Tamsui, in the very house I afterward rented
THE FIRST NATIVE PREACHER AND HIS CHURCH 143
in 1872, and in the very room I first occupied, their first-born
son, who was to be so great an instrument in God's hand in
overthrowing the heathen religion and bringing many of his
countrymen to a knowledge of the world's Redeemer, was
born.
A Hoa opened his eyes to poverty and a hard life, for his
father died before he looked upon his face. His widowed
mother was left poor, and could ill afford to provide nourish-
ing food for herself and child. As a result he was weak and
delicate, and his mother took him to an idol in the town,
seeking advice. The answer was, "Let him be called my
child, and name him Hut-a." In time this name, which means
"Idol's Child," was changed to Hok-a, then to Hoa, and lastly
to A Hoa. He grew up a filial son, and his care and respect
for his mother, who is still alive, are very touching. During
boyhood his days were spent with his mother and his even-
ings with his teacher, a relative, who belonged to the Squeers
school of dominies. The years from ten to seventeen were
spent almost entirely in study. He then entered the service
of a mandarin, who gave him employment first as scullion and
last as private secretary. He traveled considerably in China
from Foo-chow to Tientsin, and spent six months in Peking.
Shortly after this he returned to Tamsui, and not long after
his return I landed in Formosa. How he was led to the gos-
pel, and his decision to become a Christian, have already been
told.
A Hoa proved a faithful servant and a most apt and diligent
student. I began by teaching him to read and write the
romanized colloquial, i.e., the Chinese spelled with English
letters. His progress was simply astonishing. Nor was I
losing time myself. With a helper like A Hoa, who was as
eager as myself, I found my stock of Chinese words rapidly
increase, and the difficulties of pronunciation more easily over-
come. When in the house we read, sang, studied, drilled, the
་
144
FROM FAR FORMOSA
whole day long. A neighbor entered one day to see if we
had both become altogether crazy. He meant well, but was
a little afraid of us. He brought us two cups of tea as a spe-
cific, and suggested a visit to the nearest temple as a good
thing for people affected as we were. There may have been
some humor in the scene, but we started a hymn, and, fearing
. another outbreak, the man bolted out of the door, dropping
the tea-cups on the floor in his frightened haste. He would
not venture back, but in about an hour a little boy came in for
the fragments of the dishes.
As A Hoa advanced in his studies I procured a map of the
world, and it was amusing to watch him as his eye took in the
vastness of other countries than China. His Chinese notions
about geography were upset, and he soon began to have
thoughts about the wide world outside the Chinese wall and
beyond the broad Pacific. Astronomy, too, became a favorite
and inspiring study. But the chief subject was the Bible and
"that wonderful redemption, God's remedy for sin." He was
with me every evening as I preached to the people, and their
threats were as angry against him as against the "barbarian.”
He traveled with me, too, on short trips into the country.
One morning we called on one of his old friends, a farmer,
living not far from Tamsui. When they recognized us two
fierce dogs were set on us, and the children yelled after us,
pelting us with stones.
In all these services A Hoa was only a companion, and
never did more than join in singing. The time had come
when his own gifts must be exercised. One evening, when we
were alone in our room, I asked him to engage in prayer.
He had never attempted audible prayer in his life, and the re-
quest came upon him unexpectedly. Immediately he fell on
his knees before a rickety old bamboo chair. He was terribly
in earnest, and his halting words and broken petitions were
charged with intense emotion. Grasping the arms of the
THE FIRST NATIVE PREACHER AND HIS CHURCH 145
chair firmly with both hands, he shoved it about the hard, un-
even floor, making a hideous creaking accompaniment to his
faltering sentences. By the time the prayer was finished he
had moved half-way across the room. The scene had even to
me a ludicrous aspect, and had others been present it would
scarcely have been to their edification; but the prayer was sin-
cere, and to God in heaven it was an incense of sweet smell.
I noted the words: "Lord, thou art the true God. I did not
know thee a few months ago. Help me to know more and
more of thee. I know now that the idols our people worship
cannot save their souls. I thank thee from the bottom of my
heart that Pastor MacKay came to us. Lord, help me by the
Holy Spirit to bring my mother, relatives, and neighbors to
Jesus. We do not know much, but, O God, help me, help us.
This is my heart's desire."
One morning early I started out with A Hoa, crossed the
Tamsui River, visited a Buddhist priest in a temple, and then
began the ascent of the Quan-yin Mountain, the side of which
was covered with tall grass that would cut like a knife. When
we reached the summit, seventeen hundred feet above the sea,
our hands were sore and bleeding. The view from the moun-
tain-top repaid us for the pain and toil. It was magnificent.
But poor A Hoa was greatly perplexed, wondering what
under the whole heavens could be my purpose. Like all
other Chinese, he had no eye for the beautiful in nature, and
to climb a mountain for the mere pleasure of gazing on the
scenery was to him past comprehension. At first he was a
little afraid as we looked down upon Tamsui lying at our feet,
and far inland saw the broad stretches of the Bang-kah plain.
His senses were dormant, however, not dead. Standing there
together we sang the One Hundredth Psalm, and before the last
verse was finished the great Spirit, who makes all things beau-
tiful in earth and sky and sea, touched A Hoa's soul.
nature was stirred to its very depths. It was the birth-hour
His
146
FROM FAR FORMOSA
of the beautiful. His new-born soul had now an eye and ear
for God's message in creation, and from that hour he became
a devoted student and ardent lover of everything in nature.
In the autumn of the same year we visited Kelung for the
first time. On the way we passed through Bang-kah, the
largest city in the north, where the citizens showed signs of
bitterest hostility, and many followed, reviling and pelting us
with stones. A Hoa was now becoming familiar with the
taunting cries that everywhere greeted us: "Foreign devil!
Black-bearded barbarian!" At Sek-khau, on the banks of the
Kelung River, broken bricks gave emphasis to the cries when
our backs were turned. As dark came on we were making
our way along a path through tall reeds and grasses, when, at
a sudden turn, a band of robbers with their long spears flashed
their lights in our faces. When I told them we had no money,
and that I was a teacher, they repeated the word "teacher"
and disappeared. We were carrying torches, but a storm was
brewing, and soon a strong blast left us in utter darkness.
We were then on a strange road in an unknown territory.
Gusty winds came howling down from the mountains, driving
sheets of blinding rain. What were we to do? We could
not return. To stand still was alike out of the question. On
we went, creeping along the wet and slippery path, a Canadian
missionary, a Chinese convert, and a heathen basket-bearer.
Here we stumbled over boulders, there one slipped into a
crevice in the rock, and somewhere else we all three staggered
into the mire of an unfenced rice-field. But underneath and
round about us were "the everlasting arms." Kelung was
reached before midnight, and the rest of the night was spent
in a low damp hovel. A Hoa early learned that the path of
duty in the service of Christ is sometimes rough and sore, as it
was for Him who first went up to Calvary.
At Kelung we stood on the stone steps of a large heathen
temple, sang a hymn or two, and immediately the crowd
THE FIRST NATIVE PREACHER AND HIS CHURCH 147
He had
It was
gathered, filling the open space and the street. It was a mob
of angry idolaters. Some of them were A Hoa's old acquain-
tances and companions, and when they saw him stand beside
the hated “foreign devil" their contempt for the Christian
missionary was as nothing compared with their feelings toward
the Christian convert. I turned to A Hoa and invited him to
address the people. It was a moment of testing.
never before spoken for Christ in the public street.
only a few months since he himself had first heard the gospel.
He heard the scornful and vile words of his old friends and
comrades, and when I turned and asked him to speak he was
silent and hung down his head. Immediately I read the first
verse of a hymn, and we sang it together. The words were
those of the old Scotch paraphrase that has so often put iron
into the blood and courage into the hearts of trembling saints:
"I'm not ashamed to own my Lord,
It was enough.
((
he ashamed."
Or to defend his cause;
Maintain the glory of his cross,
And honor all his laws."
A Hoa raised his head, and never again was
Looking out over that angry mob, he said,
in the calm, clear tones of a man who believes and is unafraid,
"I am a Christian. I worship the true God. I cannot wor-
ship idols that rats can destroy. I am not afraid. I love
Jesus. He is my Saviour and Friend." His testimony was
brief, but it was his first, and it was brave and true. It is
easy for a young man now to take his stand for Christ; there
are other converts to cheer and encourage him.
But it was
different then. That word uttered by A Hoa to that crowd
of rough and bitter heathen before the idol temple in Kelung
was the first ever spoken for Christ to that generation by a
native Christian in North Formosa.
On the second Sabbath in February, 1873, exactly one year
148
FROM FAR FORMOSA
after my arrival in Tamsui, at the close of service I announced
that a number were to be admitted by baptism into the Chris-
tian church. The cry was raised outside, "We will stop him.
Let us beat the converts." The house was filled, and the
street in front was crowded. After the singing of a hymn five
men came forward and made public confession of their faith
in Christ. Each man spoke in clear, decisive tones. Their
names were Giam Chheng Hoa, aged twenty-two, scholar;
Go Ek Ju, aged thirty-one, painter; Ong Tiong Sui, aged
twenty-four, writer; Lim Giet, aged twenty-six, carpenter;
Lim Poe, aged forty-two, farmer. They were then baptized
into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost, after which each addressed the people. There were
many yells, jeers, and taunts, but A Hoa spoke with great
boldness and effect.
The next Sabbath these five sat around the Lord's table.
It was a memorable day for us all. Never before had they wit-
nessed such a service. Never before had I presided at such
a communion, and when I read the solemn warrant for the ob-
servance of this sacrament all were visibly affected. Poor Lim
Giet broke down completely, sobbing out, "I am unworthy, I
am unworthy;" and it was only after he had spent some time
in prayer in the little room that he could be induced to par-
take of the sacred elements. That first communion marked
an epoch in A Hoa's spiritual history, and from that day he
regarded himself as no more his own, but fully committed to
Jesus Christ and called to his service.
But God, who had so strangely led this young man, and
who was so strangely fitting him for the work of the ministry,
was at the same time preparing a place for the exercise of his
gifts and making ready a people to hear his word. Ten miles
up the river from Tamsui is a country village called Go-ko-
khi. One day, while I was preaching in our rooms at Tamsui,
a widow named Thah-so, from that village, attended the ser-
THE FIRST NATIVE PREACHER AND HIS CHURCH 149
vice, and at the close came up and said, “I am a poor widow
living at Go-ko-khi. I have passed through many trials in
this world, and the idols never gave me any comfort. I like
the doctrines you proclaim very much, and I believe the God
you tell about will give me peace. I will come again and
bring others." Next Lord's day she was there with several
other women. Week by week the number of her companions
increased, until at last a boat-load would come down the river
and enter the preaching-room. So interested were they, and
so much in earnest, that they persuaded us to visit their village.
At last A Hoa and I went up the river to Kan-tau, then to
the right up a smaller stream that ran through fine rice-fields,
until we reached Go-ko-khi. A number of the villagers met
us and led the way to the house of Tan Phauh, the head
man. He was a tall, strongly built, manly looking fellow, and
when I gave him some commandment sheets he pasted them
on the walls of his house in the presence of neighbors and
others; then, turning to all, he said that he had lost all confi-
dence in idols, and was determined to live by the ten com-
mandments now put up.
I procured an empty rice-granary for a sleeping-room and
preaching-place. There we began our work and made our
headquarters for several months, during which time we
preached the gospel in the beautiful valleys and villages in
that vicinity. Tan Phauh, the head man at Go-ko-khi, gave
a plot of ground opposite his own house for a chapel site.
Stones were collected, sun-dried bricks prepared, and the
work of building the first chapel in North Formosa begun.
There was great interest manifested by the villagers, but when
the walls were about three feet high a company of soldiers
and constables sent from the prefect in Bang-kah arrived and
ordered the work of chapel-building to cease. They were
armed with guns, spears, and knives, and by beating gongs.
and drums, yelling, threatening, they thought to frighten the
150
FROM FAR FORMOSA
simple-minded villagers. When they entered the head man's
house Tan Phauh drew himself up to his full six-feet-two
and faced them. He was originally a mainland man, who
had been in several rebellions, and the bluster of a few soldiers
was nothing to him. Pointing to the commandment sheets on
the wall, he said, "I am determined to abide by the ten com-
mandments." The soldiers then made a rush for Widow
Thah-so's house, but she held up her hymn-book and said she
was resolved to worship only the true God. Very soon the
soldiers left the village, saying that the "foreign devil" had
bewitched the villagers, using some magic art; and their supe-
rior officer, the prefect in Bang-kah, reported the case to the
British consul, and asked that the missionary be prevented
from building a fort and taking guns up the river by night.
But despite all intrigues and plots the Lord's work pros-
pered in Go-ko-khi, the building was finished, and on opening
day the room was crowded, while many stood outside. That
was our first chapel, and there more than one hundred and
fifty declared their rejection of idols and their desire for Chris-
tian instruction. It was a great day for us, and that night
our hearts were full of gratitude because of all that the Lord
had done. We met in the chapel regularly for instruction and
worship. Many of those who came were still heathen idol-
aters, and none of them were accustomed to anything like a
Christian service or public addresses. Strange indeed are a
missionary's first experiences. Sometimes when we had sung
a hymn and I began to address them, one or two would take
out their pieces of steel, strike a flint, light their long pipes,
and when the smoke ascended I would pause and remind them
that they wanted Christian instruction and should keep quiet.
" Oh yes, yes, we must keep quiet," and with that they would
nod their heads with great politeness. No sooner would I
get fairly started again than some one would spring to his feet
and shout, "Buffaloes in the rice-fields; buffaloes in the rice-
THE FIRST NATIVE PREACHER AND HIS CHURCH 151
fields!" Another reminder of their duty would bring another
reply: “Oh
"Oh yes, yes, we must keep quiet." And for a few
minutes all do keep quiet and I go on with my address. Then
an old woman with her little feet hobbles to the door and
shouts out, "Pig has gone; pig has gone; pig has gone!" One
interruption follows another; but we never blame those restless
people, for such services are strange and new to them. Within
two months, however, the congregation assembled in the chapel
at Go-ko-khi was just as attentive as any I ever addressed
anywhere in Christendom.
A Hoa, the first convert, was appointed preacher in the first
chapel, and chief among his helpers was the first female con-
vert, Widow Thah-so. She was baptized there three years
afterward, when sixty-two years of age. A Hoa's natural abil-
ity, kindness of heart, devotion, and sincerity of purpose gave
him great influence in Go-ko-khi and the surrounding country.
Thah-so grew into great beauty and strength of character.
She continued to the close a firm believer and zealous worker.
In 1892 she told me that she had one daughter in China, who
had never heard the gospel. I could see that the old mother's
heart had been greatly exercised, and that she was “again in
travail until Christ be formed" in her daughter's soul. A
passage across the channel was arranged, and Thah-so went
in search of her child. Her visit was not in vain. After
remaining with her daughter for several weeks she returned
home, feeling that her work was done and the time of her de-
parture at hand. The end came soon. I visited her a day or
two before her death. For two days she was quiet and silent;
then suddenly the familiar voice was heard again in clear,
strong tones singing a verse of the psalm, "I to the hills will lift
mine eyes," and one of the hymn, "Forever with the Lord."
When she came to the line, "My Father's house on high," the
voice ceased awhile. Then the eyes opened wide, the face
shone as with a radiant light, and in accents sweeter than any
152
FROM FAR FORMOSA
sounds of earth the words came: "The golden gate is open.
Don't keep
Thus in the
The large white sedan-chair is coming for me.
me. Don't call me back. I'm going home."
"white sedan-chair," too fair and beautiful for other eyes
than hers to see, the strong heroic soul of our first "mother in
Israel" passed away. Dear old Thah-so! For twenty years
she served her Lord on earth, and at the last there was given
her an abundant entrance into the eternal kingdom.

MAP
OF
NORTH FORMOSA
Capital.
□ City.
• Town.
★ Village.
• Hamlet.
HONG-SIA
DTAI-KAH
B
LÂNG
TIONG-LEX
Ang-mng-kang
Todo-krau
EGRAPH
LEK-CHHAM
HIONG-SAN
N
T
S ATHÔ GÛ
8TIONG KANG
OBA-NIH
R
TELEGR
CAB
PAT-LE-RUN!
Piteng
GỖ ĐÓ KHÔ
LÂM
KHÁM CHỊU NH
THỔ KHÔNG
RAI
DISTRI
OGEH-BAI
ASAI THÂM
VAULEK DISTRIC
★TANG-SHKAK
INGO
**
SA-KAK-ENGO
TED
TAM SUI
TOA-TIU-TI
SIN-TSNGO
TOA-KHO-HAM
KİM-PAU-LIQ
ÂU
PAK-TAU
CHÂU VẬ
U-UẬ
OPAT-CHIAL
SEK-KHẤU
TALPAK-HU
BANG-KAH
PANG-Kio
PROKONG-KOAN
OSLALTIAM
SOKELUNG
LOAN-LOAN
SUI-TNG-KHA
TENG-SIANG-KHOE
DIST
KHUT CHHION
*CHIẾN-KHI-KHAU.
Poet-oug-sid
TÉNG PHÍA ĐỎ-0 chân nào
SAVAGE
TERRITORY
R
Sin-Si
RICTSAM-TIAUS
CHÂU SAO
Toa-tek-ui
Ki-lipstan
Bu-loan
Sin-a-han
SA-KIAT-A-KOED
TAN
Tang-mig
KI LEK-KAN
Pi thâu
Sau
•Ta-na-
Chin-tsu-k-kan•
Ki-bú-lan
ban-sia-that
pan
ka-le-ban
BAY
am-hong-o
COPYRIGHT 1895 BY
FLEMING H.REVELL COMPANY, PUB NY.
HOPKINS & BLAUT, ENG NY.
20
CHAPTER XVI
ESTABLISHING CHURCHES
Christianity a life-Every convert a missionary-Tan He-Church at Sin-
tiam-Work at Tek-chham-Among the Hak-kas-At Kelung—A
pugilist-Subduing banditti-Chapel built in a month-Most beauti-
ful church in Formosa-At Tsui-tng-kha
C
HRISTIANITY is not a system of philosophy that may
be taught, but a life that must be lived. The religion of
Jesus is distinguished from all other religions in its incarnation.
Its power is the power of a divine Personality. It is propa-
gated by personal contact. Christ gives life to men, and
then says,
As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you."
Every Christian is a missionary. He may have been nursed
in the lap of Christendom and trained in a luxurious religious
home, or he may have been born a pagan and "suckled on
a creed outworn." It matters not. If he has been "born
again,” and feels the throb of the Christ-life, he is a mission-
ary sent by the living Christ to touch dead souls to the new-
ness of life. This primary truth needs heavy emphasis, for
there is everywhere perpetual danger of its being neglected.
The far-sweeping purpose of the election of grace is being
ignored, and the churches are crowded with people whose
largest thought of salvation is that their own souls shall be
cared for. Not until Christianity is not only believed, but
lived, will the churches either at home or in heathen lands
become the power the Master meant them to be.
153
154
FROM FAR FORMOSA
The success of missionary effort in North Formosa is in no
small measure due to the inculcation of this primary truth of
Christian discipleship. Converts are taught that the grace of
God has been given to them, not for their sakes alone, but in
order that they may be channels for the communication of
that grace to others. One of the most delightful experiences
in a missionary's life is to observe how eager converts are to
be of service in helping others out of the darkness of heathen-
ism from which they have so recently emerged. Looking
back now and recalling the incidents connected with the estab-
lishing of churches, it is surprising to note in how many cases
the way was opened, humanly speaking, not by the mission-
ary's effort, but by the zeal and Christian enterprise of the
converts. Some of the most conspicuous and useful workers
in the mission were found as Andrew found Simon and brought
him to Jesus.
One evening in 1873 a young man who had been attending
our services, and whom I knew, entered my house at Tamsui,
accompanied by a stranger who seemed reticent and bashful.
The young man introduced his companion, saying, "This
friend of mine has heard the gospel and is now a believer in
Jesus Christ. We have talked it over a great deal, and
he desires further instruction, that he may tell others of the
Saviour.". I had some conversation with the stranger, and
was impressed by his earnestness and modesty. He was a
farmer's son, known to several of the converts, and had been
attending the services, in which he became deeply interested.
As I came to know him better my confidence increased and
he was enrolled as a student for the ministry, and one more
faithful never studied in any college. He is now known as
the Rev. Tan He, pastor of the church at Sin-tiam.
A
Sin-tiam is a compact and busy town nestling at the foot of
the mountains some eighteen miles inland from Tamsui.
man living there had been at Tamsui and had heard the gos-
ESTABLISHING CHURCHES
155
pel. On his return home he reported to his friends, where-
upon several others came out, followed us in our touring from
place to place, and at last persuaded us to visit Sin-tiam.
When we arrived there great crowds were in the town, it being
a season of feasting the gods. Very few of the people had
ever seen an Anglo-Saxon, and on all hands the familiar cries,
"Barbarian! Foreign devil!" could be heard. Presently a
rush was made toward a certain point, and angry voices were
heard shouting, “The barbarian struck a boy." This was an-
swered by wild cries from the outskirts of the crowd: "Kill
him! Kill the barbarian; he is not very big!" As we were
some distance from the center of attraction I pressed through
the crowd until I came to the boy, who had indeed an ugly
wound on the head, which was bleeding profusely. Having
the necessary surgical instruments, I dressed the wound and
bound it with my handkerchief. Now a new cry was raised
by the crowd: "Ho sim, ho sim!" ("Good heart, good
heart!"). A few days later an old man was injured by falling
upon a heap of stones. One of the students carried him to a
shelter under a tree, where his suffering was relieved, and
again the cry, "Good heart, good heart!" was heard.
As a
result the people became friendly, and an old couple gave us
the use of a room for our services. A congregation was soon
gathered and a chapel became necessary. One rabid idola-
tress threatened to smash my head with a stone if we persisted
in building a chapel; but the work went on, and the chapel
of unplastered stones was finished and dedicated to the wor-
ship of God.
The present church at Sin-tiam is one of the finest buildings
in North Formosa, and its situation one of the most pictur-
esque. The church stands on the rising ground at one end
of the town, its stone spire being the one conspicuous object
visible for miles around. A stone wall incloses the church
property. The Sin-tiam River sweeps round in a wide curve
156
FROM FAR FORMOSA
a few rods from the door, the space between being covered
with “stone eggs," carried down by freshets and worn smooth
by the water. At the back of the church stands a high bluff,
the slopes of which are covered with verdure. In front, across
the river, steep hills rise abruptly from the water's edge, ascend-
ing tier after tier, like a giant stairway, terminating in lofty
mountain-peaks. Clinging to the slopes are groves of trees,
feathery grasses, reeds and ferns of every description; the
moss-covered rocks are festooned with great masses of purple
morning-glory and trailing vines of pink and white roses; and
everywhere blooming myrtle-trees, pure white Easter lilies, and
the sweet-scented honeysuckle add to the luxuriant beauty of
the scene.
What though idols of camphor-wood are enshrined in many
houses in Sin-tiam! Here stands the church of Jesus Christ,
and here are gathered, week after week, more than two hun-
dred who bow in adoration before the God of all the earth.
They have endured hardships for the name of Jesus. They
have been robbed and persecuted, and in the dark waters of
the swift-flowing river two of the converts faced the death and
won the crown of martyrs for the faith.
The congregation worshiping in the beautiful Sin-tiam church
is now self-sustaining, supporting their pastor, bearing all other
expenses; and although by no means wealthy, they contribute
to the general work of the church in Formosa, help the poor,
and send voluntary offerings for the relief of famine-stricken
districts. Tan He, their faithful and beloved pastor, wields
a great influence, and is growing in intellectual and spiritual
strength year by year.
Tek-chham, a walled city of forty thousand inhabitants, was
one of the places visited on my first trip down the west coast
the week after landing at Tamsui in 1872. I had a "prophet's
chamber" there, and after frequent visits succeeded in renting
a small house for chapel purposes. No sooner had we got the
ESTABLISHING CHURCHES
157
place cleaned out than indignant crowds filled the narrow street,
jostling, reviling, spitting in our faces. After three days the
turmoil ceased, largely through the influence of a literary man
to whom I had given medicine on a previous occasion. With-
in a month thirty persons enrolled themselves as Christians,
and larger premises had to be secured. The work grew until
a still larger building was required. There is now a large
preaching-hall, with real glass in the front windows; and there
a once proud Confucianist graduate is preaching the gospel
of Christ. In the country round about Tek-chham are many
Christians, but as the city gates are closed at night they could
not attend evening service. The Christians in the city con-
tributed money, and in other ways assisted in securing a suit-
able building outside the wall, and there another literary man
is preaching Jesus as the only Saviour.
Ten miles from Tek-chham, toward the mountains, is a Hak-
ka village called Geh-bai. To this village we were led by
several Hak-kas who attended services in the city church.
The villagers assembled under a beautiful banian-tree, where
fully a thousand people could find shelter from the broiling
sun. They were greatly delighted, and one fine old gentleman
welcomed us to his house for the night, one of the largest and
cleanest in the island. The old man was genuinely interested,
and walked many times to Tek-chham to the Sabbath services
there. That evening a great crowd gathered in the open court
to hear the new doctrine. One man, seventy years of age,
exerted himself with such success that a house was rented, re-
paired, and fitted up for chapel services. The congregation
became organized, and when a native preacher was sent among
them four months of his salary was paid in advance. There
in that Hak-ka village, high among the hills, is a flourishing,
self-helping Christian congregation.
The church at Kelung was established largely through the
instrumentality of Ko Chin, a convert who afterward became
158
FROM FAR FORMOSA
an elder and preacher. He had lived with his family among
the beautiful green hills around the Kelung harbor. Becom-
ing filled with the desire for more wealth, he moved to Sek-
khau and became an extensive cattle-buyer, traveling through
the whole of North Formosa. He was an intense idolater,
and being something of a musician, became somewhat famous
as a drummer and guitar-player in idolatrous processions. In
1872, a few months after I began to preach in Tamsui, he
came to hear the “barbarian." The following Sabbath he was
there again. When a chapel was opened nearer his home he
attended there, walking generally ten miles to be present. In
Kelung he rented a house and furnished it as a place of wor-
ship. On the appointed day I was escorted to the place to
conduct the dedicatory services. More than four hundred
were present. Ko Chin continued regular and faithful, and
at the age of forty-five was baptized. Finding his business
lucrative, but a hindrance to Sabbath observance, he gave it
up, returned to the old homestead, and brought up his entire
family to worship God. In due time he was ordained an elder
in the Kelung church, and subsequently became a student and
finally a preacher at the Margaret Machar Memorial Church
on the east coast. During the French invasion in 1884 his
dwellings at Kelung were destroyed by looters, his property
was confiscated, and himself and family persecuted. In a
very literal sense he "took joyfully the spoiling of his goods."
His services as preacher were blessed of God, and when he
fell a victim to the malarial fever the elders and deacons of
his church gathered about his bed and sang the One Hundred
and Twenty-first Psalm, the first he ever learned. His "going
out" was kept by the God in whom he put his trust.
The missionary abroad, like the missionary at home, some-
times finds the bread cast upon the waters after many days.
Back of the Quan-yin Mountain, near Tamsui, is a beautiful
plateau in which stands a hamlet called I-khut (“Round
ESTABLISHING CHURCHES
159
Pool"), where we have a chapel and congregation. The first
man to show interest in our work there was a pugilist and
gambler whom I had met shortly after landing in Formosa in
1872. Going through the valley, I passed a small rice-shop
where were several gamblers squatted on mats on the floor. I
entered into conversation with them and asked if their sage
Confucius would not be displeased with them for their waste
of time. The majority seemed indifferent, but one became
very angry. He was a powerfully built man, and had distin-
guished himself as a pugilist. It was his custom, when he lost
in gambling, to use physical force in compelling the winner
to return the money. Everybody-even his own brother-
dreaded him. He was very angry on the occasion of our first
meeting, but something of the words spoken remained in his
memory and touched his conscience. In after-years he fre-
quently fell in with converts and native preachers, and began
to take a lively interest in our work. In due time he joined our
ranks, and with as much energy as he had put into the works
of sin he entered now on the service of Christ and his church.
He visited the people in that locality, exhorting them to accept
Christ, and the result of his enthusiastic efforts was a suitable
building and a flourishing congregation.
Twenty years ago the most lawless region in North Formosa
was round about Sa-kak-eng, a town of two thousand inhabi-
tants, northeast from Toa-kho-ham. The people lived in
terror of a large band of ruffians and highwaymen who had
their headquarters in the mountains near by. The customary
method of redress-punishing the kindred of such criminals—
could not be adopted, as the relatives of these banditti lived
either on the mainland of China or in out-of-the-way places in
Formosa. They were all the more daring because the towns-
people sometimes compromised with them, and when it suited
their purpose joined with them in resisting official investiga-
tion and interference. The subprefect and retinue narrowly
&
160
FROM FAR FORMOSA
•
escaped death on one occasion, his sedan-chair being pierced.
by spears and lances. The banditti would form a company
and march into the town, singing boastfully, with a wild kind
of yell,
"Lin kho koa;
Goan kho soa; ""
which means, "You trust the mandarins; we trust the moun-
tains." I had very great difficulty in gaining an entrance into
Sa-kak-eng, and when the chief of a strong clan gave me a
room in the rear of his shop there were loud threats of drag-
ging us to the hills, gagging us, and gouging out our eyes. So
violent was the opposition that I had to change my quarters
to the outskirts of the town. The mob often surrounded the
building, and once when A Hoa and I came out of the door
a howl was raised, and a large flat stone flung by a man near
by grazed the top of my head, and, striking against the wall,
was broken into three pieces. Neither of us flinched, but,
turning round, I picked up the pieces of stone as mementos of
the day. One of the pieces weighed three pounds; another I
brought as a contribution to the museum in Knox College,
Toronto. Several months afterward, on entering the chapel, I
saw a man lying on a bench. He rose to his feet, and, bow-
ing low, said, "Will you forgive me?" He then confessed
that he was the man who threw the stone, and that his inten-
tion was to put an end to my life. For the next three months
he was with the native preacher every day, and before the
year closed he passed away rejoicing in the hope of salvation
through Christ. Sa-kak-eng is quite a changed place. The
desperadoes have been scattered, their forest retreats cleared
and cultivated, chapel buildings purchased, prejudices against
converts and preachers overcome, and every year marks pro-
gress. On our last visit we were escorted in high honor to the
next chapel, four miles away, a band of music leading the
procession.
ESTABLISHING CHURCHES
161
At Pat-li-hun, across the harbor from Tamsui, at the foot of
the Quan-yin Mountain, stands a solid and handsome chapel
that was built within one month. Our first place of worship
there was a banian-tree, our next a fisherman's house, then a
slender grass-covered structure, and then a building of dried
mud. This last being destroyed during the troubles with the
French, we resolved on erecting a more substantial structure.
On the first day of May the stones for the foundation were
ungathered on the mountain-side, the lumber and bricks were
up the Tamsui River at Toa-tių-tia, the coral for lime was un-
burned, and the clay undug. The plans were drawn, masons
and carpenters employed, and the work pushed forward. The
thermometer stood at times at one hundred and twenty, and
the blowing sand inflamed our eyes; but on the last day of
May the work was completed and the chapel ready for occu-
pation. The walls of sun-dried and burnt brick are two and
a half feet thick, plastered white on the inner side, finished in
stucco-work without, and strong as solid masonry, having with-
stood rain-storms, hurricanes, and earthquakes.
The most beautiful church in all the mission is at Toa-tių-
tia. This town stretches along the Tamsui River about a
mile from Bang-kah, and almost connected with the new
walled city of Tai-pak-fu, and is the most progressive place of
business in North Formosa. The railway-bridge across the
river is fourteen hundred and sixty-four feet long. All the
British and other Western merchants have establishments there.
Our church is a splendid structure of stone, with turrets and
tower and a capacious auditorium. I have seen that church
crowded from platform to door with eager and attentive hear-
ers; and on October 18, 1891, after preaching to over five
hundred people from the text, "The Lord is a great God, and
a great King above all gods,” I dispensed the sacrament of
the Lord's Supper to one hundred and thirty communicants.
In the congregation there was a stranger, a Corean Christian,
162
FROM FAR FORMOSA
named Phok I Peng, who was traveling through Formosa in
search of his brother. So impressed was he by the eagerness
of the Chinese converts and the heartiness of their worship
that he said at the close, "This is truly the kingdom of God
come down to earth. I can never forget this scene. Peace
to you all."
Ten miles east of the city of Bang-kah, on the south bank
of the Kelung River, is a town of four thousand inhabitants,
called Tsui-tng-kha. In 1890 a new building, costing seven
hundred dollars (Mexican), was erected there by the native
Christians. The entire cost of both site and building was paid
by the churches in Formosa, and the deed of the property is
stamped in the name of the native church. A Hoa planned
the building and superintended its erection, and now a native
preacher is stationed there.
The conduct of two members of the church at Tsui-tng-kha
is an answer to the question often asked about the stability of
Chinese converts. Several years ago a man of the Tan clan
allowed his eldest son to attend the chapel services to see
what kind of doctrine was taught. The young man became
interested and brought two younger brothers. One of the
members of the church taught them to read the romanized
colloquial, and they studied the gospel with growing earnest-
ness, until all three confessed their faith in Jesus Christ. Then
they refused to worship idols and ancestral tablets in their
home. This aroused the father's wrath, who, fearing there
would be no one to worship at his grave, forbade his sons'
going again to the chapel, and ordered them to attend idola-
trous ceremonies every night. To pacify their enraged parent
they resolved to "bow in the house of Rimmon," but while
they held the lighted incense-sticks before the idol they turned
their heads away. But they still attended the chapel services,
which when their father found out, he visited the chapel se-
cretly; and when he saw his sons singing praise to Jehovah-God
ESTABLISHING CHURCHES
163
he shrieked and ran about like one mad. After this they met
together on the Sabbath in some quiet place in the mountains,
and sang, prayed, and read the Word, praying most of all for
their angry father. Then they would meet at night in a grass
watch-house among the rice-fields. But nowhere were they
long unmolested. Their father's anger became more cruel
and watchful. At the close of the year preparations were
being made for the customary idol festival. They refused to
take part in the ceremonies. He became wild with rage, and,
seizing a long knife, rushed at the eldest son. They all escaped
and found refuge in a convert's house. The father would not
be appeased, and drove his daughters-in-law, with their little
children, out of the house. Neither the sons nor their wives
dared come near the place. Then the mother's heart relented.
She could not give up her children, and after much pleading
the father gave her the knife and promised not to injure the
sons should they return. They did return. The father for-
gave them, and they were permitted to worship God in the
home; and on every Lord's day, with their wives and children,
they joined in the services in the chapel at Tsui-tng-kha.
CHAPTER XVII
HOW BANG-KAH WAS TAKEN
The stronghold-Waiting an opportunity-Forbidden-Expelled-Back
again-Mobbed-Victorious-Changes-Honored
ANG-KAH was the Gibraltar of heathenism in North For-
ANG-KAI was the Gibraltar of
BAN
mosa. It is the largest and most important city, thoroughly
Chinese, and intensely anti-foreign in all its interests and sym-
pathies. In 1872 I visited it with A Hoa and got a foretaste
of the reception awaiting me on every subsequent occasion.
In my journal of 1875 I find the following entry, made after
having experienced anew the malignant hate of the Bang-kah
people:
"The citizens of Bang-kah, old and young, are daily toiling
for money, money—cash, cash. They are materialistic, super-
stitious dollar-seekers. At every visit, when passing through
their streets, we are maligned, jeered at, and abused. Hun-
dreds of children run ahead, yelling with derisive shouts;
others follow, pelting us with orange-peel, mud, and rotten
eggs. For hatred to foreigners, for pride, swaggering igno-
rance, and conceit, for superstitious, sensual, haughty, double-
faced wickedness, Bang-kah takes the palm. But remember,
O haughty city, even these eyes will yet see thee humble in
the dust. Thou art mighty now, proud, and full of malice;
but thy power shall fall, and thou shalt be brought low. Thy
filthy streets are indicative of thy moral rottenness; thy low
houses show thy baseness in the face of heaven. Repent, O
164
HOW BANG-KAH WAS TAKEN
165
Bang-kah, thou wicked city, or the trumpet shall blow and thy
tears be in vain!”
We had previously established churches north, south, east,
and west of Bang-kah. She sent hirelings to surrounding
villages and towns to reprimand the magistrates, incite the
people, and frustrate us in the execution of our work. Three
large clans, through their head men, ruled the city. All the
others had to acquiesce in every proposal. Foreign merchants
never succeeded in establishing themselves there. Attempts
were made, but their Chinese agents were dragged out of the
city and narrowly escaped death. It might seem that mission
work should have been begun in Bang-kah first. Indeed, I
received a communication from a very devoted and excellent
missionary in China-one who has now gone to his reward—
in which he said, “I hear you have stations in several towns
and villages. Why don't you begin at Jerusalem?" Now I
did not begin at the "Jerusalem" of heathenism for the same
reason that I did not go to Madagascar or to India. I sought
to follow the lead of my Captain. He led me to Formosa,
and to point after point where chapels were already opened. I
knew the time would come when Bang-kah would be entered.
The authorities of Bang-kah issued proclamations calling on
all citizens, on pain of imprisonment or death, not to rent,
lease, or sell either houses or other property to the barbarian
missionary. But in December, 1877, the time came for estab-
lishing a mission there, and in spite of all their attempts to
prevent our entrance I succeeded in renting a low hovel on
the eastern side. On getting possession I placed a tablet of
paper on a wooden frame above the door, with the inscription,
"Jesus' Holy Temple." Shortly afterward several soldiers
who were returning to their encampment near by came, stood,
looked up, read the inscription, and immediately threatened
me with violence. Then they returned to their encampment
and reported to the general, who despatched a number of
166
FROM FAR FORMOSA
officers to order me out of the place, stating that the site be-
longed to the military authorities. I demanded proof of their
statement. It was produced, and it was at once evident that
I could not maintain my position there. We must respect
Chinese law and act wisely if we would successfully carry on
the Lord's work, and so I at once admitted their claim, but
stated that, as I had rented from a citizen, I would not leave
that night. Till long past midnight angry soldiers paraded
the streets, shouting threatening words. At times they were
at the door, on the point of smashing it, rushing in, and dis-
posing of me with their weapons. Again and again they ap-
proached, and it seemed in that dark, damp place as if my end
were at hand. On leaving the place in the morning great
crowds went in front; others followed after, jostling and sneer-
ing; and many viewed me from their low-roofed houses and
flung filth and missiles down at me. It took me several hours
to make my way a short distance to the river's bank. Enter-
ing a boat, I went down the river to the Toa-liong-pong
chapel, three miles away, to find my students. We spent the
rest of the day there, and in the evening, after preaching in
the chapel, we entered the little room and prayed to the God
of heaven to give us an entrance into the city of Bang-kah.
Rising from prayer, we returned immediately to the city. It
was dark, but some lights were visible. Not knowing exactly
whither we were going, we met an old man, and inquired if
he knew any one who would rent even a small house for mis-
sion work. "Yes," he replied, "I will rent you mine." We
accompanied him, and, passing through dark streets and over
rubbish, came to a small back door opening into a dirty room
with mud-floor. We entered and began to write a rental
paper. The house had to be rented by a native, for foreigners
cannot hold property away from the treaty ports. To be par-
ticular I said, "Do you own the site?" Oh no," said he,
"but I can secure the owner this very night." In half an
HOW BANG-KAH WAS TAKEN
167
hour the owner was with us, another paper prepared, and both
contracts signed and stamped. I was in full possession, and
that according to Chinese law, by midnight.
He gave us
possession at once, crept out a back way, and disappeared.
On
In the morning I put up a tablet over the door with the
same inscription as before: "Jesus' Holy Temple." In less
than an hour crowds filled the street, and the open space in
front of a large temple was thronged with angry citizens.
People came and went the whole day long. The second day
the whole city was in an uproar, and the hubbub produced
by their thousand voices fell very unpleasantly upon our ears.
Still I walked the street among them, now and again extracting
teeth, for we had friends even among so many enemies.
the third day lepers and beggars and other lewd fellows, hired
to molest us, pressed around with their swollen ears and dis-
gusting-looking features. They tried to rub against us, expect-
ing us soon to quit the premises. About four or five o'clock
the excitement grew to a white heat. Hundreds had their
cues tied around their necks, and blue cloth about their loins,
to signify that they were ready for the fray. One stooped
down, picked up a stone, and hurled it against the building.
In a moment their screams were deafening. They were on
the roof, within and without, and the house was literally torn
to pieces and carried away. No material was left. They
actually dug up the stones of the foundation with their hands,
and stood spitting on the site. We moved right across the
street into an inn. No sooner had we done this than scores
were on the roof and many more climbing the walls. The
crash of tiles could be heard as they attempted to force an
entrance. By this time the shouts and yells were inhuman.
One who has never heard the fiendish yells of a murderous
Chinese mob can have no conception of their hideousness.
The innkeeper came to us with the key of the door in his hand
and begged us to leave, lest his house be destroyed.
168
FROM FAR FORMOSA
Then there was a lull. The Chinese mandarin, in his large
sedan-chair, with his body-guard around him, and with soldiers
following, was at the door. Just then, too, her Britannic Maj-
esty's consul at Tamsui, Mr. Scott, put in an appearance. We
sat down together. The Chinese official told the consul to
order the missionary away from the city. The consul quickly
retorted, "I have no authority to give such an order; on the
other hand, you must protect him as a British subject." I
love British officials of that caliber. When the consul left I
accompanied him to the outskirts of the city. On my return.
the mandarin was literally on his knees beseeching me to leave
the city. I showed him my forceps and my Bible, and told
him I would not quit the city, but would extract teeth and
preach the gospel. He went away very much chagrined, but
left a squad of soldiers to guard the place. In two or three
days the excitement subsided. In a week I was offered a site
outside the city, and the promise of help from the Chinese
authorities to erect a building there. I refused point-blank.
As I was lawfully in possession of the site as well as of the
building which had been destroyed, I was determined to have
our mission building in Bang-kah, and on that spot. The
officials then said that I would not be allowed to build in that
place again because it was within only a few feet of the exam-
ination hall, although, in fact, the hall was a mile and a half
away. Having exhausted their whole stock of excuses and
subterfuges, they yielded. I erected a small building on the
original site-not one inch one way or another—and opened
it, with soldiers parading the street to preserve the peace. Still
the three strong clans continued to be bitterly opposed to us
and our work. Every citizen who dared to become even a
hearer was boycotted. The former owner of the site had to
flee for his life. In time a few became friendly. We pur-
chased a larger site and erected a good, commodious place of
worship, roofed with tiles. During the French invasion in
HOW BANG-KAH WAS TAKEN
169
1884 that building was destroyed by the looters, the materials
carried away, and indignities heaped upon the preacher and
converts. Within three months after the cessation of French
hostilities three stone churches were erected. One of these was
in Bang-kah. It is a solid, handsome, substantial church, with
stone spire seventy feet high, and lightning-rod three feet
higher. It is of stone hewn at the quarry; has pillars and
turrets of modern style; the inside is plastered beautifully
white, the outside finished in stucco-plaster like colored stone-
work. There are rooms for the preacher, and an upper room
-the only one in the mission-for the missionary.
In 1879 six students and I, on foot, and my wife in a sedan-
chair, were going through one of the streets after dark on our
way to the chapel. It was the tenth day of a heathen feast,
and the idolatrous procession was about to disband, so that
the devotees were wrought up to the highest pitch of fury and
agitation. There were thousands of them in the procession,
leaping and yelling as if under the afflatus of evil spirits. We
were recognized. There was a pause, and a torch was thrust
into the face of my wife in the chair, nearly destroying her
eyes. A dozen dragged two students by their cues, while
others were tumbling a third on the stone pavement. Wilder
and wilder grew the infuriated mob. Louder and louder
sounded their gongs and yells. Things looked dangerous,
when an old man from a house right there rushed up and said,
"This is Kai Bok-su, the barbarian teacher. Do not interfere
with him or his company. Take my advice and go on in your
procession." Fortunately there was a narrow lane at right
angles to the street where we met the processionists. Into this
he hurried us out of danger. We went directly to the chapel,
where I preached on the words of the psalm, "As the moun-
tain, are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about
his people from henceforth even forever.”
Changes have taken place in that once proud city. In 1887
170
FROM FAR FORMOSA
I was there during the time of idolatrous rites and processions.
Perhaps there never was such a gathering of people in that
city before. A Hoa and myself took our position purposely
at various places near the temple, on the cross-streets, by the
wayside, and on the wall of the new city. Once we were
right above the gateway through which the processionists
passed, but we were neither molested nor slandered. They
went along with smiling faces. That very evening we sat in
front of the large temple where years before the mob met to
kill us. The same Bang-kah head men were in the procession,
and as they came near us they halted and greeted us kindly.
Before dark I extracted five hundred and thirteen teeth and
addressed an immense throng. But what a change! Who
ever dreamed of such a change! I never witnessed such a
half-hearted, listless procession. By removing an idol or two
the whole performance would have amounted to little more
than a sight-seeing farce. But idolatry is far from being dead
yet. There is indeed a great change, but hard battles must
yet be fought before heathen hearts will yield to Jesus and
follow him.
But it was on the eve of our departure to Canada in 1893
that Bang-kah gave evidence of the greatness of the change
produced in that city. In the chapel, on the occasion of our
last visit, two marriage ceremonies were performed in the pres-
ence of a large assembly. The head men of the city sent their
visiting-cards, with a message to ask if I would be willing to
sit in a sedan-chair and be carried in honor through the streets
of their city. I begged some time to consider, and decided
that, as in the past they had acted toward us as they chose, so
now I would allow them to do the same. A procession was
formed on the same level ground, near the same old temple.
Eight bands of music, with cymbals, drums, gongs, pipes, gui-
tars, mandolins, tambourines, and clarionets, took the lead.
Men and boys with flags, streamers, and banners followed;
HOW BANG-KAH WAS TAKEN
171
scores with squibs and fire-crackers set off after the manner of
Chinese celebrations. Five head men, a magistrate, a military
official, and two civil officials came next in order; and then
three large red "umbrellas of honor," with three flounces each,
presented by the people, with their names inscribed, were car-
ried in front of me, as I sat in a handsome silk-lined sedan-
chair. Following the chair were six men on horseback, twenty-
six sedan-chairs, three hundred footmen in regular order, and
various other parties behind. Thus we passed through the
streets of Bang-kah, and on all hands received tokens of re-
spect and honor.
On arriving at Bang-kah "jetty," where the steam-launch
was waiting, our Christians stood and sang, "I'm not ashamed
to own my Lord." Heathen and Christian alike cheered us
as we boarded the launch. Two bands of music accompanied
us all the way to Tamsui, and from the launch right up to our
dwelling-house. In front of our door was the climax of the
demonstration. And all this was from the head men and citi-
zens of Bang-kah, the erstwhile Gibraltar of heathenism. And
thus was Bang-kah taken. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us,
but unto thy holy name, be the glory!
CHAPTER XVIII
TOURING IN THE NORTH
Traveling on foot-“Perils of waters "-Sedan-chair-Rickshaw-Rail-
way-Struggling with a donkey-Change and incident-With a hill-
man-An old Confucianist-Doomed savages-Among pioneers-A
man of faith-At Lam-kham-An opium-smoker-Pleasant memories
THE
`HE headquarters of the mission in North Formosa are at
Tamsui, and from that point tours are frequently made,
visiting the churches in order and exploring the regions beyond.
This is a most important part of the missionary's work. Re-
sponsibility is put upon the native preachers settled at the vari-
ous chapels, but oversight is required in matters of organization
and administration. These periodical visits are encouraging
to the preachers and stimulating to the members. In making
tours of the churches I never travel alone, but always with a
company of students, who are in this way introduced to the
work and become acquainted with missionary methods.
There are many modes of traveling, the chief of which is
traveling on foot. It is often dangerous and always wearisome.
The paths are so rough-now over mountains, now across hot,
blowing sands, now through jungle-and the mountain torrents,
especially during the rainy season, are so numerous and diffi-
cult to cross, that there is little physical enjoyment. Sometimes
the traveler is carried across the stream on the shoulders of a
coolie. Generally we wade the streams, going in pairs, hand
in hand, holding in the disengaged hand a long bamboo pole
with which to feel the way. On one occasion Lien Ho, one
172

Dr. MacKay.
DR. MACKAY AND STUDENTS ON THE MARCH.
Burden Bearer
A Centurea.
Koa Kau. Thien-leng. Sun-a.
A Hoa.
TOURING IN THE NORTH
173
of the preachers, was nearly drowned. His companion slipped
and fell, and losing his hold, he was swept down by the cur-
rent, tumbling over and over in the seething waters, until at
a sharp curve in the stream he was rescued by two of the stu-
dents who were on shore. At some points there are ferry-boats,
and by holding on to a rattan stretched across the stream and
spiked to trees at either end, the boatmen cross with ease and
safety. Sometimes the boats are abandoned by their owners
and left on the rocks. Once we came to a broad, rapid stream
and saw a boat on the opposite shore. The boatman was no-
where to be seen, and no answer came to our calls. At last
two of our students swam across and fastened the end of a long
rope to the boat, by which it was hauled to our side. Several
volunteered to be oarsmen, and when we had all crouched on
the bottom they shoved out from shore. But they were power-
less in such a current. In spite of all their efforts the boat was
carried down the stream and dashed to pieces on the stones
of a dam a short distance below. Beyond a few bruises and a
thorough wetting we were none the worse. We never thought
of kindling a fire to dry our clothes, for we knew that another
stream and another had to be crossed, and a similar experience
might await us at each. Travelers are not always in "perils of
waters," for during fine weather in some districts the roads are
good and the streams bridged or easily forded; but in other
parts and at other seasons an unexpected bath is of frequent
occurrence.
On most of the larger rivers are numerous boats which carry
passengers up or down stream. These boats are made of
camphor-wood planks, wide, flat-bottomed, and light. They
are built to run the rapids, and are called "rapid boats."
Going downstream the steersman stands in the bow with a long
oar, and the trip is generally pleasant. The trip upstream is
very tedious; the boatmen, wading through the water, grasp-
ing a pole tied across the bow, haul the boat slowly along.
174
FROM FAR FORMOSA
The sedan-chair is another vehicle of travel. It is carried
by two or four coolies, who can go twenty miles a day. The
sedan-chair is sometimes a necessity; but to sit cooped up in
such a box is to any foreigner who loves scenery and fresh air
a great discomfort.
The rickshaw, a light covered gig drawn by a coolie, is very
common, especially on the roads connecting Bang-kah, Toa-
tių-tia, and Tai-pe-fu. These cities are situated at the points.
of a triangle, each about three miles from the others; and the
roads between are wide and good, having been built by that
energetic and progressive governor, Liu Ming Chuan. About
one hundred and fifty rickshaws run on these roads every day.
An effort was made to establish a line of English carriages, but
had to be abandoned because the horses could not compete
with the coolies.
A line of railway runs between Kelung and Tek-chham, about
fifty miles. The engines are all made in Germany or England,
and the cars are fitted up in English style. The road is now
owned and operated entirely by Chinese.
I am sometimes asked why we do not use a pony or donkey
in traveling. I tried the donkey once, and am not enthusi-
astic over the experiment. There were no stables at the inns
or chapels, and no provision for caring for the animal. And
in the matter of time nothing was gained, as a coolie had to be
employed to carry necessary food and clothing, and the time
made by the donkey was lost by the coolie. The donkey was
a present from the commissioner of customs, who was retiring
from the island. We called him "Lu-a,” and the students had
considerable sport with him at Tamsui. One day we planned
a trip to a chapel five miles away. Lu-a was brought to the
door for my use, and as it was a great occasion I mounted
and led the way. The students followed, greatly enjoying the
sight of a foreign missionary astride a donkey. All went well,
however, until we came to a narrow plank bridge crossing a
TOURING IN THE NORTH
175
ravine twelve or fifteen feet deep. The bridge was not more
than three feet wide, and when Lu-a came he halted suddenly,
planted his fore feet well forward, and set his ears back in a
settled sort of way. Coaxing and urging both failed. I then
dismounted and began to pull. The students took in the situa-
tion and thought to assist by pushing, one of them taking hold
of Lu-a's rat-tail. But it was all in vain. Lu-a was estab-
lished." A consultation was then held and various plans dis-
cussed. Thinking that the donkey might have changed his
opinion, I made another effort, and seizing the halter, began to
pull with all my might. But he braced himself all the more
firmly with his fore feet, and then began to kick. This had the
effect of scattering the students in the rear, but I kept pulling
in front. Lu-a then opened his mouth and brayed, making
sounds such as the students never heard before, and as only a
sulky donkey can make. The whole performance was so novel,
and the donkey's heels went with such rapidity, that the stu-
dents, shouting "Cheng-bi, cheng-bi!" ("He's pounding rice,
he's pounding rice!"), lay down on the ground and laughed
themselves nearly sick. But Lu-a conquered; and what made
our defeat all the more humiliating was that one of us could
almost have carried him across, he was so small, and that we
lost an hour and a half of valuable time in the contest. Since
then I have not experimented in this kind of locomotion.
Our experiences in traveling are never monotonous, as there
is always change and incident enough to give interest; but to
readers of the record one trip would appear much like another.
Sometimes we take the chapels along the much-traveled pub-
lic road, at other times the scattered savage villages, and at
others the less frequented paths inland from the sea, where the
Chinese pioneers are subduing nature's wildness and opening
the way for the advancing settlements. In 1890 we traversed
the entire length of the field from north to south without once
approaching the public road. The narrow paths along which
176
FROM FAR FORMOSA
we went skirted and climbed the rugged mountains and wound
through scenery of extraordinary beauty. The Chinese gen-
erally have but feeble sense of the sublime, and it was gratify-
ing to observe the Chinese students gazing with wonder and
admiration upon the picturesque scenery through which we
passed. The truth of God had opened their eyes and touched
to life their dormant senses.
We were accompanied on that occasion by a hillman, sev-
enty-four years of age, who was my traveling-companion. He
had nerves of steel and muscles of iron, and it was a pleasure
to walk with one who had such powers of endurance. The
others of our party were often far in the rear, and we had to
sound an occasional hallo for their encouragement and gui-
dance. After traveling a long distance in this way my com-
panion began to show signs of fatigue, and at last, when we
came to a large flat stone at the top of a particularly difficult
piece of climbing, he sat down, perspiring and puffing, and said
in a beseeching tone, "We move too fast.”
As we walked along, this hillman spoke a great deal about
the folly of idolatry, and offered me his god of the north pole,
god of the kitchen, and god of war, before which he had been
bowing himself for seventy long years. This offer was made
good, and on our return we carried them with us as a contri-
bution to my museum at Tamsui.
On the arrival of our party we set out again, all moving to-
gether. Our guide knew the way, and taking the lead, he
rushed on ahead to a village near by to advise a school-teacher
of our coming. We were welcomed at the school-room by the
teacher, a particularly fine literary gentleman. Looking about
the room, I was a little surprised to find on his table a copy
of the Old Testament, a hymn-book, and a New Testament
Catechism. He caught my glance, and laying his hand on
the Bible, said, "Here I find what I longed to know. This
Book tells me how this world was made." And he went on to
TOURING IN THE NORTH
177
speak of the delight and profit he found in studying the story
of creation. The native preacher, himself one of the literary
class, had given this teacher the Book, and as it was the open-
ing chapters of Genesis that first arrested his own attention, he
directed the mind of his inquiring friend to the same portion.
The teacher became interested, and soon the new light began
to dawn. There was a chapel not far from the school, and on
the night we held service there he was present. During my
address he would give expression to his consent and approval
in emphatic exclamations, like the "Amen" of an old-time
camp-meeting. At the close he rose and addressed the assem-
bly: "I am sixty-four years of age, and have taught school for
twenty-three years. I heard the gospel from the lips of the
native preacher who is here to-night. He came to my school-
room more than ten times. I believe this new doctrine with
all my heart. It is good. I was a Confucianist, but Confu-
cianism did not satisfy my soul. I read in the Bible how God
created the heaven and the earth. I read, too, of eternal life
after death. These things impressed me deeply. I kept pon-
dering on them even in my school. Then an old friend came
and brought Kai Bok-su, the foreign missionary. My old friend
I found to be a Christian, and though he is over seventy years
of age he is young again. He has fellowship with God.
have come now to understand. For many years I have not
believed in idols. Now I am satisfied, and before all here I
declare myself a believer in God and in Jesus. The gospel
is good news to an old man like me.” There was profound
silence all the time, for this old disciple of Confucius was re-
spected by all. His words were earnest, for in them was the
reviving hope of an old man's life.
At Toa-kho-ham, a town near the mountains, we saw twenty-
four savages imprisoned and condemned to punishment for the
death of several Chinese camphor-workers in the border-land,
whose heads were taken by the head-hunters of the tribe. The
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
prisoners were secured with chains about their legs. Their
tattooed women strolled about, unfettered and unconcerned,
as if careless about the fate of their braves. But there was
sympathy in their hearts, and although they loved the freedom
of their forest retreats, that "touch of nature," love for their
husbands and sons, bound them by invisible cords to the place
of their imprisonment.
Our next night was spent at a village of Hak-ka Chinese,
where we had to defend ourselves against the lances of the
most blood-thirsty mosquitoes I ever encountered. They were
regular warriors, and a smudge of weeds was but poor protec-
tion. Foreigners in Formosa invariably carry mosquito-cur-
tains, but touring through inland settlements must be done
without such luxuries.
At a chapel among the hillmen we were given a reception
that, whatever might be said of its style, lacked nothing in the
matter of heartiness. Guns and fire-crackers sounded out
their glad welcome. A sumptuous feast of fowl and fish was
prepared at the chapel, and the building was filled the entire
day. Three hours were spent in listening to their recitations
of psalms, hymns, and Bible selections, some in the Hak-ka
dialect and others in the Hok-lo. Away yonder among the
rugged hills a beacon-light is glowing, and those weary pio-
neers are finding their way back to God.
On our way toward the sea the first man to greet us was
one who had been blind, but whose sight was restored. He
had been treated some time previously, but when he caught
sight of me that day, he rushed up, his eyes wide open, and
exclaimed, “God did it; God did it! I can see now. God
did it without medicine." Advocates of faith-cure might add
this man to their number and regard his case as an unanswer-
able argument.
There was faith and prayer, but there was
work as well. The man had been suffering from anemia and
granular ophthalmia. The treatment prescribed was for the
TOURING IN THE NORTH
179
toning up of his system, and a wash was prepared for his eyes.
Reckless living was strictly forbidden and hygienic regulations
enforced. Under the care of the native preacher he had
made slow but sure progress, until his health was restored and
his sight became clearer. When the supply of medicine was
exhausted he no doubt prayed more earnestly and lived more
consistently, and he thought that as his eyesight was restored
when he was not taking drugs, his cure was exceptional and
miraculous. "God did it," was his testimony, which, indeed,
was true; but means were suited to ends, as must always be
done if we would be blessed of God.
On returning from an inland tour we sought refuge for the
night at Lam-kham, a day's journey southwest from Tamsui.
There was no public inn, and no one would give us lodgings.
We found a deserted cart-shed, in which we took shelter. A
young man who was baptized at our first country station lived
in that neighborhood, and when he found us out escorted us
to his home. One evening a place was prepared and arrange-
ments made for a service. I preached the gospel to the peo-
ple, and set on the table eight idols which had been surren-
dered by their devotees. There is at Lam-kham a gnarled
banian-tree twenty-five feet in circumference, said to have
been planted by Koxinga. It is supposed to have in it the
spirit of one of Koxinga's followers, and is reverenced, if not
worshiped, by many of the people.
On my next visit to that place a man fifty-eight years of age
came up and expressed great interest in us and our work. He
followed us to Tamsui for the express purpose of overcoming
the opium habit, which was fast ruining him. The pipe was
placed in my museum, and then the struggle began. It was
terrible beyond description. Those who have never experi-
enced it cannot understand the power of the habit. When the
craving came on, his body writhed in agony. Remedial mea-
sures were adopted, and by Christian fellowship and divine
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
grace he held on, going from strength to strength, until the vic-
tory was won. He told me that it was he who, as head man
of the village, led the people of Lam-kham in their opposition.
to us and in refusing us shelter. He spoke afterward at many
of our large gatherings, and always made three points promi-
nent: first, that he had been an opium-smoker and had been
cured; second, that he had resisted our entrance and vilified
us at Lam-kham; third, that he was now a follower of Jesus
Christ, and by his grace feared neither men nor devils. He
went back to his home and led his friends in constructing a
thatched building for chapel purposes. After this building
was destroyed by a typhoon a substantial and comfortable hall,
roofed with tiles, was erected, at a cost of one hundred and
fifty-six Mexican dollars, one hundred and twenty-six of which
were given by the poor peasants themselves. Two poor old
women, who walked four miles every Sabbath to attend the
services, brought two fowls each as an offering. These were
sold, and with the price five hundred tiles were purchased for
the new chapel.
Looking over my journals, I find the record of many trips
made in all directions. There are many brief entries of ser-
vices held, churches opened, and sacraments dispensed. There
is mention of interesting cases and encouraging experiences.
The fidelity and affection of my students are recalled by inci-
dents recorded. The journal of one trip of forty-six days,
made with the Rev. Tan He, in the autumn of 1888, is crowded
with interest. There were hardships, exposure, perils, and dis-
appointment; but a glance at the record recalls not these things.
To a stranger all would be meaningless, but to me the very
names of the places awaken pleasant memories. There were
Lun-a-teng, Toa-tin-tia, Tho-a-hng, Ang-mng-kang, Au-lang,
Lai-sia, Tiong-kang, and Tek-chham. As I write these names
there rises before my inner vision picture after picture of eager
congregations assembled in pleasant chapels, singing praise to

DR. MACKAY AND STUDENTS DESCENDING A MOUNTAIN.
TOURING IN THE NORTH
181
Jehovah-God, of whom until a few years ago they had never
heard, listening with appreciative attention to the gospel mes-
sage, sitting down together at the holy table and commemo-
rating the dying love of the Man of Calvary, and coming with
their little children, in response to Christ's gracious invitation,
and covenanting in the ordinance of baptism to bring up their
children "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord"; and
then their heart-felt good-bys as we left them one by one, to
preach the gospel and establish the church of Christ at other
stations. It is easy to name over the chapels and to reckon
up the statistics; and for all these marvelous tokens of God's
blessing we are humbled into gratitude. But the real story can-
not thus be told. It is not written in the records of ink, but
in hearts that have learned to love the Saviour-hundreds of
them now before him in the glory, hundreds more loyally serv-
ing him in the church upon earth. They are our epistles, and
in their hearts and lives is written the record of our tours in
North Formosa.
·
CHAPTER XIX
THE WAITING ISLES
The prophecy of the isles-Visiting Steep Island-On Pinnacle Island-
Sea-birds' island home-Agincourt Island-An old fort-Present-
day inhabitants—A tragedy—Adrift—Our last visit—Agincourt's
voice
THE
HE isles shall wait for His law! That Old Testament
prophecy has been an inspiration in my life. I have seen
it fulfilled in Formosa. It has been fulfilled in the archipelago
of the South Sea. The islands of the frozen north will yet
sound his praises. It is not a poetic fancy. It is not a base-
less dream. He has spoken it whose words are sure. When
the continents shall have turned unto the Lord, and when their
kings shall have come to the brightness of his kingdom, surely
the waiting isles shall "fly as a cloud, and as doves to their
windows."
When Formosa had heard the gospel our eyes began to look
longingly east and north toward the lonely little islands beyond
the blue horizon-line. Off the northeast coast a few hours' sail
is Steep Island. We talked much about it because A Hoa's
mother was born there, and because upward of three hundred
Chinese dwelt there, many of whom had never heard the gos-
pel. Passage for myself and several of the students on board
a junk loaded with planks was engaged from Tamsui. We set
out, but the winds were contrary, and after two days of tossing
and seasickness we rounded the northern point of Formosa
182
THE WAITING ISLES
183
and ran into Kim-pau-li, on the northeast. Here we got water
and food, for our supply was well-nigh exhausted. Setting sail
again, we were driven far out of our course, first eastward and
then to the north. For five days and nights we were carried
hither and thither by the merciless waves. On the fifth day,
scarcely knowing where we were, having been driven back over
our track, we sighted land. What was our delight when we
found that we were on the lee side of Steep Island, and right
grateful were we for the welcome of the islanders.
The Chinese call Steep Island Ku-soa (" Turtle Mountain "),
and from certain points of view the island does resemble a huge
turtle standing on guard with head erect. One side is almost
perpendicular, fully twelve hundred feet high. The rock for-
mation is a laminated kind of slate, argillaceous sandstone,
and igneous rocks. On sailing around the island we noticed
sulphur steam ascending its sides, and near the sea-line were
whitish cinders and hot water. The whole is evidently an ooz-
ing, seething mass of sulphur.
The inhabitants are nearly all fishermen. They grow on the
island sweet potatoes, Indian corn, and several kinds of vege-
tables. There is only one village, and on the occasion of our
visit the people were suffering from the effects of a fire which
left forty families homeless. Near the village there is a natural
pond, with no visible outlet, but having some underground com-
munication with the sea. At low tide the water is fresh, but
at high tide it is brackish. During certain seasons hundreds of
wild ducks make this pond their rendezvous. The only spring
of fresh water sends a stream trickling down an irregular ledge
into the pond. Near it stands a solitary ebony-tree, the last,
no doubt, of a numerous family.
The poor people were very hearty in their welcome, and
gave us the best of what little they had. They brought their
sick and suffering, and we sought to give them relief. With
glad hearts they listened to the gospe" message, and their des-
184
FROM FAR FORMOSA
titution gave point and pathos to their pleading for a native
preacher. When we left them the whole village accompanied
us to the shore, and with many words of gratitude, and begging
us to return, they watched us sail out of their life again. Five
hours in an open boat rowed by a crew of their stalwart fish-
ermen against a heavy sea, and we were landed on the shore
of Formosa opposite Steep Island, and near to one of our
chapels, where we found rest and food.
Away to the northeast of Formosa, more than a hundred
miles from Kelung, are three islands, called Pinnacle, Craig,
and Agincourt. The Chinese names, Flower-pot, Bird, and
Large, are descriptive and singularly appropriate. These
islands belong to Formosa, but are self-governing and practi-
cally independent.
Pinnacle Island is an irregular bare rock, upon which noth-
ing grows and where no land animal could live. It stands one
hundred and seventy feet out of the water, and serves only as
a resting-place for sea-birds wearied with their long flight.
Craig is also unfit for man's abode, but was surely heaved
up to be the home of the seafaring birds that gather there in
flocks that at times literally darken the sky. On one side the
island is a rugged and perpendicular wall of rock two hundred
feet high. From that side it slopes down to the water's edge,
forming a surface of two or three acres, which is smooth, with-
out trees or shrubs, but completely covered with soft grass, in
which the birds lay their eggs without making any kind of nest.
I discovered twelve different kinds of grasses, but no flowers.
Insects, including the dreaded centipede and several species
of beetle, abounded. But the characteristic of the island is its
bird-life. Gulls and terns gather there in millions. As they
return homeward they hover over the island for a little, and
then settle down like a wide-spreading mantle of wings. The
whole sloping surface is covered, and the sight is worth the
voyage to see. But the cruelty of man destroyed for us the
THE WAITING ISLES
185
beauty of the scene. On one occasion while we camped there
a dozen or a score of men came from Agincourt to gather the
eggs, and their large baskets were soon filled. When the birds
came home in the evening and settled down in the grass, the
men, carrying lighted torches, caught them alive and crammed
them into large sacks. They were then taken to a large stone
near which a fire was kindled, and there, one by one, they were
dashed to death and piled in heaps several feet high. The
sight and the wailing screams of the poor birds were sickening.
In the morning they were dressed, salted, and dried. After se-
curing the birds the men hooked turtles of immense size. Our
crew made purchases, and on our return trip we were surrounded
by birds living and dead, eggs sound and unsound, whole and
broken, and in one corner a huge turtle five feet long lay on its
back, groaning all night like a human being. What a night!
Agincourt is much larger than Pinnacle or Craig, and stands
out of the water five hundred and forty feet. It contains per-
haps ten acres, and is the home of more than a hundred Chi-
nese, who came originally from Kelung, Formosa. They live in
low stone huts on one side of the island, and about their huts
are trees, shrubs, grass, and flowers. Maize is cultivated and
eaten in every form, but generally pounded in a mortar and
made into porridge. Millet, pumpkins, cucumbers, and beans
are grown, which, with their salted birds and shell-fish, consti-
tute their food. Unlike the Chinese elsewhere, they care little
for rice. Skipping from hillock to hillock I saw flocks of
goats, but no other animals were seen.
On a high place above the huts I came upon an old fort
like the Pictish remains seen in Sutherlandshire, Scotland. It
looked to be very ancient, but who were its builders and what
its purpose remained a mystery. The oldest inhabitant, a man
past fourscore, could give no account of it. One wondered if
it belonged to the Dutch régime, and if, when they fortified
Palm Island, at the mouth of the Kelung harbor, they also
186
FROM FAR FORMOSA
planted their guns here. Or were mutineers from some pass-
ing vessel left ashore on this lonely isle? Or is it the work
of some shipwrecked crew, some Robinson Crusoe or veritable
Enoch Arden? Nothing is left to tell the tale. Certain it is,
however, that anxious hands in the far-gone past put stone upon
stone, and there they stand, marking the place where, perhaps
centuries ago, their builders sat, waiting wearily for the sail
that never came, listening nightly to
"The myriad shriek of wheeling ocean-fowl,
The league-long roller thundering on the reef.'
The present-day inhabitants of Agincourt we found to be
bright and kindly in their disposition. On our first visit, in
1879, our party was made up of myself and wife, a friend from
Scotland, and several students. When the people sighted us
they watched us from the rocks along the shore until we were
within speaking distance, when they warned us not to try to
land, as the shore was dangerous. One of their men plunged
into the water and swam out to our junk, having fastened round
his waist a rope, the other end of which was secured to a rock.
When he was taken on board and the rope fastened to our
junk, we were hauled to shore. The ledge was very rugged,
and as the waves carried the junk near enough, each one had
to be ready and jump to shore, there to be caught by our new-
found friends. It was a perilous landing, and were it not for
the strength and bravery of those fishermen one of our num-
ber would not have returned. Our stay was made pleasant by
the unfailing kindness of the people, who, though poor and
ignorant, received us graciously, and listened with interest to
the gospel we preached.
A few years ago an American sailing-vessel was becalmed
near Agincourt, and the captain's son and a traveling-com-
panion rowed to shore in search of game. Before their return
a gale arose, and the ship was driven before the storm until it
THE WAITING ISLES
187
found shelter in Kelung harbor. The captain reported the
catastrophe, and a steamer was sent in search of the missing
men, but no trace of them was ever found. The islanders may
have been blamed, but I am confident that in their hands the
young men would have been kindly treated. It was not the
poor islanders that did the deed, but the merciless, hungry sea.
I set out a third time to visit Agincourt. This time our
junk was a small coal-boat that had been cleaned and ballasted
with sand. With a good supply of food and fresh water, we
set sail at dark. Our course lay in a northerly direction, but
when morning dawned we were far down the east coast of For-
mosa, opposite So Bay. Putting about, we had to fight our
way back against wind and wave. We were carried eastward
until land was out of sight and night came down. Dense
fogs had settled on the Formosa hills, and the crew were ter-
rified and almost helpless. There was no compass on board
except a small one attached to my watch-guard. The helms-
man had completely lost his bearings, and our boat began to
drift. The seamen were horror-stricken, but the students were
calm and undismayed. In such circumstances nothing but a
real trust in the living God can stand the stress and strain.
Meanwhile I watched the scudding clouds, on the lookout for
the beacon-lights of heaven. At last there was a rift and the
glorious stars were seen, steady and true as of old. The
helmsman was changed, the boat's course altered, and next
day we sailed into Kelung harbor and found shelter at the
mission-house there.
Our boat was repaired, a new crew secured, and we put out
again. This trip winds and waves were favorable, and in due
time the three islands were sighted. Craig was passed and we
steered for Agincourt. The people went wild with joy, and
not in vain did we tell "the old, old story." Their lot is hard,
like life in St. Kilda, and their island is one of "the loneliest in
a lonely sea"; but the gospel is for them, and the word spoken
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
on those journeys will not return void. For He said, "Surely
the isles shall wait for me;" and the voice of storm-swept Agin-
court will be heard when
"'Midst the streams of distant lands
The islands sound his praise;
And, all combined, with one accord
Jehovah's glories raise."
CHAPTER XX
THE COMING OF THE FRENCH
Threatenings-The first shot-Hostilities-The Black Flags-The mis-
sionary's epitaph-Persecutions in Sin-tiam-At Kelung-My val-
uables—A perilous hour-Astride a shell-Collapsed—Shut out—A
narrow escape-A prisoner of war-The French leaving-" The mis-
sion wiped out "-Indemnity-New churches- Feng-shuy-" Nec
tamen consumebatur "
IN
N 1884 a black cloud began to shape itself on our hori-
zon, and soon the heavens were overcast and threatening.
Those were days of darkness in North Formosa. China had
become involved in a dispute with France about a boundary-
line in Tonquin. It was not settled satisfactorily, and France,
without declaring war, sent a fleet to the China Sea and bom-
barded the forts at Foo-chow and other places. As Formosa
was under the jurisdiction of China it became one of the cen-
ters of attack, as was the case more recently in the war with
Japan. In the summer of 1884 several French war-ships ap-
peared, and very soon the news spread throughout North For-
mosa that the French were coming. The people were both
alarmed and enraged. Their animosity was aroused against
all foreigners and those associated with them. The missionary
was at once suspected, and the native Christians were accused
of being in league with France. Torture and death were
threatened against all our converts. Chinese soldiers ground
their long knives in the presence of the Christians, and some-
times caught the children, brandished their sharpened knives
189
190
FROM FAR FORMOSA
over their heads, and swore that they would all be cut to pieces
when the first barbarian shot should be fired.
Letters from preachers and converts in different parts of the
field were brought to me at Tamsui at all hours of the day and
night. A cloud hung over our entire mission work. In July
I was on Palm Island, at the mouth of Kelung harbor, teach-
ing the students in the mission-house there. Chinese soldiers
paraded in front of the building, sometimes, indeed, strutting
into our study-room, jeering and vilifying us all the while, and
threatening to kill us all on the spot should the French, then
in the harbor, take action. One day a movement was seen
among the French fleet. One large man-of-war weighed
anchor and took position near the Chinese fort. The guns
were directed and ready. The Chinese in the fort were in
readiness for attack and would have answered the first charge.
We watched every movement, awaiting anxiously the opening
shot. But all remained quiet that day.
Shortly afterward a letter came from a native preacher re-
questing me to visit a Christian family, ten miles from Kelung,
where there was sickness. We left Palm Island on this errand,
but our departure was none too soon, for on August 5th five
French war-ships bombarded and destroyed the Chinese fort.
Four days after the bombardment, in company with an Eng-
lishman, I went around the coast in a steamship, and was al-
lowed to go on shore to examine the smoking fortifications.
Soldiers were lying on their faces, with bodies shattered. Evi-
dently they had been fleeing when exploded shells ended their
lives. These shells were sent with such terrific force as to cut
off branches of a tree that were half a foot in diameter. A
magazine that had exploded hurled masses of concrete to an
incredible distance. The Englishman and myself, with one of
my students, were invited on board the flag-ship “La Galis-
sonair" and taken through every part of the vessel. When we
went down below our attention was directed to three holes,

CHAPEL AT SIN-TIAM, BUILT OF STONE.
目
​

THE COMING OF THE FRENCH
191
nearly a foot in diameter, just above the surface of the water,
made by shells from the Chinese fort. The vice-admiral
spoke in the highest terms of the gunners who aimed so truly.
Though he was a man of war, this officer was also a man of
sympathy; for when my student looked afraid as the soldiers
under drill and their officers dashed to and fro with swords
dangling at their sides, he said, "Poor fellow! Tell him not
to be afraid; we have no pleasure in killing people."
Now that the first shot had been fired and hostilities really
begun, the joy of the ever-enlarging mobs of looters knew no
bounds. They had nothing to lose in the war, but everything
to gain. It was a rare opportunity for plunder and vengeance.
They hoisted and carried black flags, butchered swine, drank
sam-shu (liquor), and carried on their work quite methodically.
It seemed as if there would be wholesale bloodshed. The
Christians were their first and special object of attack. Seven
of the best of our churches were utterly destroyed, and others
were greatly impaired. At Toa-liong-pong, near the home of
Koa Kau, the mob tore down the chapel, and, having made
on the site a huge mound, they erected beside it, out of the
bricks of the ruined chapel, a pile eight feet high, and, after
plastering it over with black mud, they inscribed on the side
facing the road, in large Chinese characters, the epitaph:
"MacKay, the black-bearded devil, lies here. His work is
ended."
At Sin-tiam the mob entered the chapel, took the communion-
roll, which was in the drawer of the desk on the platform, and
beginning with the first name, they marked every member as a
victim. The name of the first having been announced, forty
or fifty were despatched to set fire to his dwelling, plunder his
property, beat his family, and destroy all their belongings. So
suddenly was the attack made on the mission buildings that
the native pastor's wife and family narrowly escaped with their
lives. A man and his wife, each over sixty years of age, were
192
FROM FAR FORMOSA
taken to the water's edge in front of the church and given
their choice between denying their God and death by drown-
ing. They spurned the threat and would not recant. Then
they were taken into the water knee-deep and the alternatives
again presented, this time money being offered if they would
renounce their faith. A second time they refused. Then in
mad rage they were dragged still further into the flowing Sin-
tiam, and a third chance given, to be a third time refused.
There they suffered, martyrs for the faith, to whom death was
nothing compared with dishonoring their Lord.
Another man, belonging to the same church, had splits of
bamboo placed between the fingers, and these then tightly
bound with cords. He was entreated to return to the religion
of his fathers, but he remained steadfast. The cords were
pulled tighter, and yet more tightly, until the blood oozed out
at the finger-tips. Still he refused to surrender. He was then
knocked senseless, and his assailants rushed off, in answer to
the call of hundreds with the black flag, to destroy the prop-
erty and torture the members of other Christian families. He
recovered consciousness, survived the injuries received, and
became more devoted to the cause of Christ than ever before.
The brothers of one man closed the door on him when he
was flying for his life, because he was a Christian, and they
tauntingly asked him, "Where is your God now? Why can-
not your God protect you?"
Another was seized, hoops of bamboo bound around his
head, and splits of wood tied around his legs, until he swooned
away. Kicked and beaten, he was left for dead; but he sur-
vived, and harsh treatment was unavailing, for he did not for-
sake the true God.
The infuriated persecutors seized a young man, dragged
him to a tree, and then, throwing his cue over a branch, they
pulled it until his toes could scarcely touch the ground. Even
this atrocity did not satisfy their malignant rage, for, while
THE COMING OF THE FRENCH
193
spitting upon him and jeering at him, they sneered, "This is
one who joined the barbarian's church.”
An elder and his family escaped to a coal-mine in the neigh-
borhood, and for ten days they continued there, going out at
night into the fields in search of potatoes to keep themselves
alive. It was impossible to cook food, for the smoke would
have betrayed their hiding-place. Thirty-six families at that
once prosperous station were left homeless, houseless, penniless.
Three years afterward the Sin-tiam Christians sent me a let-
ter to the effect that, though they had to begin life, as it were,
anew, after the days of trial, they were in as good circumstances,
and some of them in even better, than previously. Thus the
true and loving God vindicates his own cause. Their enemies
perished miserably; several of the ringleaders were murdered
by the savages, others died of fever, and others were imprisoned
by officials. "For evil-doers shall be cut off: but those that
wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth."
At Kelung the entire town was deserted by the Chinese.
There was there an elderly female convert who owned a small
house and some property. Wrapping the deed in a handker-
chief, she placed it between her shoulders under her gar-
ments. Having bound feet, she could only hobble along with
the aid of a staff, but still she hoped to evade the searching
eyes of the persecutors. Unfortunately, however, they caught
her, stripped her of her upper garments, found the deed, took
possession of it, beat her with the sides of their long knives
until she was horribly bruised from head to foot, and then they
let her go. After peace was restored she returned to Kelung,
and continued one of the most zealous followers of Jesus at
that station.
These are only a few examples of the trials and sufferings
endured by Christians in North Formosa as the result of the
French attack.
In October the French war-ships were in position before the
194
FROM FAR FORMOSA
Tamsui forts. An English man-of-war was by this time in the
harbor to protect foreigners, and I was asked to go on board
with my family and to take my valuables with me. I told the
good friends that my valuables were in and around the col-
lege, and that I knew they could not go on board. Valuables!
The men who were my children in the Lord, who journeyed
with me, ministering to me in sickness, wading streams, scal-
ing mountains, facing danger by sea and by land, never once
flinching before any foe-they were my valuables! While
they were on shore I would not go on board. If they were
to suffer we would suffer together.
When the bombarding began we put our little children under
the floor of the house, that they might not be alarmed. My
wife went out and in during these trying hours. I paced the
front of the house with A Hoa, while shot and shell whizzed
and burst around us. One shell struck a part of Oxford Col-
lege, another a corner of the Girls' School, and still another a
stone in front of us, and sent it into mid-air in a thousand atoms.
A little to the west of us another went into the ground, goug-
ing a great hole and sending up a cloud of dust and stones.
The suction of one, as it passed, was like a sudden gust of wind.
Amid the smoke from forts and ships, and the roar and thun-
der of shot and shell, we walked to and fro, feeling that our
God was round about us. "Thou shalt not be afraid for the
terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day."
When the firing ceased, six unexploded shells, weighing forty
pounds each, were found within a hundred feet of our door.
With great care we had them conveyed to the river, placed in
a boat, and sunk.
One poor heathen, not far from the college, found a shell,
sat astride it, and began to work with chisel and hammer to
extract the powder. It burst, carrying off both his limbs into
the branches of a tree under which he was sitting. He lived
for a few minutes, the explosion having so twisted the flesh
THE COMING OF THE FRENCH
195
and arteries that the escape of blood was somewhat interfered
with. But for that last moment, with half his body blown
away, his mind was still on the treasures of earth. Seeing the
contents of his pocket on the ground, he said with his last
breath, "Pick up that dollar." Poor, dark, hopeless heathen-
ism!
From the commencement of hostilities until that date I had
no rest night or day. After the bombardment I was ill and
unconscious for some time. Here is the written statement of
C. H. Johansen, M.D., who attended me at the time: "I have
been the medical attendant of Rev. Dr. MacKay, who in the
beginning of the war was overburdened with work, and in
anxiety about the Christian people of the stations. This, com-
bined with the pernicious influence of the hot Tamsui climate,
brought on inflammation of the brain (meningitis cerebralis
acute). During many days he was without sleep, and this
brought on utter exhaustion of his system. The fever was
never less than one hundred and two degrees during those days.
One day a crisis seemed to approach; everybody's opinion was
that the result would be fatal, all medicines having failed to
produce sleep. Fortunately I heard that the steamship 'Hai-
loong' had brought ice to Tamsui for Mr. John Dodd. At
my request, Mr. Dodd gave all the ice he had to cool Dr.
MacKay's burning head. Almost immediately after the appli-
cation of the ice he fell into a sound sleep, which lasted for
thirty-six hours. Then the ice was finished, but he awoke
saved."
The second week of October, my wife, children, and the
Jamiesons left Tamsui for Hong Kong in accordance with the
orders of the British consul. On the 21st I was induced to
board the steamship "Fu-kien" to make a round trip and re-
turn to Tamsui. Four days afterward, as we entered the
Hong Kong harbor, we heard that Tamsui was blockaded, and
that we could not return. At length, hearing that the block-
196
FROM FAR FORMOSA
ade had been raised, I left my family still at Hong Kong and
went on board the steamship "Hai-loong." When half-way
across the Formosa Channel we had to tack about and return
to the mainland for shelter, because of a terrific storm and
heavy sea. After some delay we again headed for Tamsui;
but when in sight of that port we saw two large French men-
of-war, one on either hand, guarding the entrance. We started
as if to pass between them, and signaled, "Blockade raised."
We were answered by a blank shot. Our captain signaled
again. This time we were answered by a shell whizzing across
our bow. Immediately the bugle sounded, and we saw guns
run out, and men at their posts ready to give us two full broad-
sides. Our little merchant steamer moved slowly back, and
when the captain boarded the French war-ship he was told that
the report of the blockade being raised was false, and that if
we had moved a foot farther forward the third shot would
have sunk us. We then steered to Amoy, on the mainland,
and after a delay of one hour there we steamed for the Pesca-
dore Islands, not far from Formosa, where the French head-
quarters were. There the French admiral was interviewed,
and after returning to Amoy we once more set sail for Tamsui.
One day, at two o'clock in the afternoon, I stepped ashore, and
was met by preachers, students, and converts, many of whom
wept for joy.
After some time, desiring to visit the churches, I procured
a pass, of which the following is a copy:
"BRITISH CONSULATE, TAMSUI,
May 27, 1885.
"TO THE OFFICER IN CHIEF COMMAND OF THE FRENCH
FORCES AT Kelung:
The bearer of this paper, the Rev. George Leslie MacKay,
D.D., a British subject, missionary in Formosa, wishes to enter
Kelung to visit his chapel and his house there, and to proceed
THE COMING OF THE FRENCH
197
through Kelung to Kap-tsu-lan, on the east coast of Formosa,
to visit his converts there. Wherefore I, the undersigned,
consul for Great Britain at Tamsui, do beg the officer in chief
command of the French forces in Kelung to grant the said
George Leslie MacKay entry into, and a free and safe passage
through, Kelung. He will be accompanied by two Chinese
followers belonging to his mission, named, respectively, Giam
Chheng Hoa and Iap Sun.
"A. FRATER,
“Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at Tamsui.”
I took a bamboo pole, twenty feet in length, and tied there-
on the old flag of Great Britain; and, with the two preachers
mentioned in the pass, and a burden-bearer, proceeded up the
river. Through Bang-kah we passed, the flag waving in the
breeze. In a few hours we neared the Chinese encampment.
Soldiers rushed out and shouted in their own dialect, "The
British flag!" We marched right on. Soldiers opened right
and left. We passed through thousands of them, and right
up into the presence of the Chinese commander-in-chief, Liu
Ming Chuan. A few words inspired mutual confidence, and I
changed my flag for a flag of truce. The general stated that
I would be treated with respect by all the soldiers under his
command, but he advised me not to approach the French,
lest I should be fired upon. An American was in the employ
of this military official, and he drew up the soldiers under his
command into two lines to present arms as we passed between.
We were then escorted within sight of the boundary between
the Chinese and the French, who were still in earthworks on
the tops of the hills and peaks.
We crossed the river in a longboat, and went into a cleared
spot of ground—a tea-plantation—planted our flagstaff, stood
beside it, and waited for the French signals. We were observed
immediately, and eight soldiers ran down the steep hillside to
198
FROM FAR FORMOSA
meet us. When within hailing distance one waved his hand.
I understood that to mean that we should advance, and accord-
ingly we moved forward. When in a winding path, where the
reeds were in some places above our heads, marching single
file, we came suddenly face to face with the soldiers. I was
in advance of our party. Straightway four of the soldiers
dropped on their knees, the other four stood still, and all
leveled their rifles at my breast. Turning around, I pointed
to my flag of truce, and signaled the bearer to step to my side.
One of the soldiers advanced. I stepped forward, saluted him,
and showed him my pass. He glanced at it, and after some
altercation, in which one of the Frenchmen who knew a little
English acted as interpreter, we were blindfolded with our
pocket-handkerchiefs, and conducted by the soldiers, one on
each side of me, and one with each of my followers. They led
us through streams of water, among tall grass, under a burning
sun, for seven long hours. Had we been taken in a straight
course we could have covered the distance within an hour.
About six o'clock in the evening we were brought into the
presence of the French colonel in the Chinese custom-house,
and there a number of impertinent questions were put to us.
We were told that we could not remain ashore for the night,
but would be sent on board a man-of-war in the harbor, as
prisoners of war. We were then led away to the water's edge,
taken into a boat, relieved of the blindfold, and in five minutes.
were alongside of the man-of-war. There was much sneering
and laughing among the soldiers and sailors, for they sup-
posed that in me they had captured a German spy. We were
ordered upon deck, where the white-haired commander, after
a short interview, gave orders that my party should be kindly
treated. I was taken into his cabin, not as a prisoner of war,
but as a guest. The good old Frenchman said he had heard
about our mission work, for they had an English pilot in the
fleet who was an old Formosan friend of mine. In the morn-
THE COMING OF THE FRENCH
199
ing he went ashore with us himself, and the insolent colonel
was much more civil. The old commander said he regretted
that we would have to be blindfolded again in going back
through the lines, but it was in accordance with the usages of
war. In returning through the lines all were more respectful
and friendly when they learned who we were.
Soldiers were
told off to take us within sight of the Chinese lines. They
shook hands cordially, and watched us until we recrossed the
stream in the same boat and went outside of their boundary-
line.
Once more at liberty, we visited the Kap-tsu-lan plain, on the
east coast, and found the chapels clean, and the converts cheer-
ful and happy. The persecutions and hardships they endured
only bound them more closely to the cause of Christ. There
were no desertions from his standard, and everywhere the
heathen marveled to see men and women prefer suffering and
even death to peace, dollars, and life that could be theirs only
by denying their Lord.
Leaving Tamsui in June, 1885, under a burning sun, we pro-
ceeded to Kelung, and boarded the French man-of-war com-
manded by Vice-Admiral Lespes. We were told we could get
ashore anywhere, as the French would soon be away. I im-
mediately rowed to Palm Island, and arrived in time to save
our property from the mobs that were gathering in crowds to
loot and plunder before the owners returned. I hoisted the
British flag over the mission premises. In half an hour we
heard the bugle sound, and there was commotion among the
ironclads. A tremendous cheer rent the air, for the French
sailors were glad the war was over. One ship steamed slowly
up, followed by another and another, until eight were in line
out at sea. One remained to pick up stragglers. I boarded
her the following day, and the commander assured me that
he was disgusted with the whole affair, as was also the admiral
himself.
200
FROM FAR FORMOSA
On shore I found not a vestige of the Kelung chapel save
rubbish. The temples had been plundered, the carved work
defaced, buildings overthrown, roofs torn from houses, and poor
Kelung was lying silent and deserted. The Chinese were on
the hills, waiting the departure of the French, when they would
return to their desolated homes in the town.
When the French left, the heathen were jubilant. They
thought Christianity was blotted out because the chapels had
been destroyed. Everywhere the shout of derision was made.
to ring in our ears: "Long-tsong bo-khi!" the meaning of
which is, "The mission is wiped out." We were not discour-
aged, however, and I prepared a statement of our losses in the
destruction of mission property by looters, and submitted it
to Liu Ming Chuan, the commander-in-chief of the Chinese
forces. Without delay or argument, and without reference to
Peking, he paid as indemnity the sum of ten thousand Mexican
dollars.
When I received the indemnity money and planned the re-
building of the chapels I had to decide whether to erect twenty-
four fragile structures or twelve medium ones or six substan-
tial, commodious buildings. Deciding on the last, I drew
plans and made models. Standing on the site of the ruins at
Sin-tiam, we lifted a song of praise to God. With our chapel
in ruins, the townspeople and others looking on thought us.
crazy. But out of the ruins another building would rise, and
so we sang with glad and hopeful hearts. I employed men to
go into the neighboring hill and quarry sandstone; and others
with their boats to bring poles, boards, and lime for building.
Neither the workmen nor the overseers ever saw a building like
the one we now planned to erect. I made some of the models
out of turnips, others out of brick and mortar, and still others
out of wood. We began work at three places simultaneously
-at Sin-tiam, Bang-kah, and Sek-khau-and in twelve weeks
we finished three splendid edifices. How imposing they looked,
THE COMING OF THE FRENCH
201
with their seventy or eighty feet of tower and spire of solid
masonry! And how our spirits revived as we saw them rise
in their splendid beauty on the site of our ruined churches!
But why use money in building spires? Was it for orna-
mental or for useful purposes? For both ornament and use,
especially as a standing disproof of the Chinese superstition
about feng-shuy, by which in a general way people mean
'good luck," and which has reference to a thousand things.
They suppose, for instance, that there is a sort of equilib-
rium, or indefinable something, in earth or air, which must not
be recklessly interfered with. It is only necessary to con-
tinue the wall of a new chapel a few inches above the surround-
ing buildings to arouse neighbors into fury and consternation,
for that would interfere with feng-shuy. Thousands of dis-
turbances have been caused by foreigners carrying on their
own work in their own way, but unwittingly running counter
to this Chinese notion. Knowing that the governor was pro-
gressive in his ideas, that he was friendly to myself and the mis-
sion, and that he had no great affection for the Bang-kah peo-
ple, who through all the French troubles had maligned and
abused him, I thought it opportune, now that new churches
were being built, to erect spires upon the chapels at Bang-kah,
Sin-tiam, and Sek-khau, to show the heathen that their notion
of good luck was vain superstition. We continued the tower
above the gable of the roof seven feet, and then higher and
higher. The people would stand and gaze for hours in won-
der and amazement. But they made no disturbance, save that
they quarreled among themselves. The point in dispute was
whether it was the scaffold or the newly erected spire that was
swaying in the wind, and once the contention almost ended in
a hand-to-hand fight. We finished the spires. On the front
of each, in stucco plaster, I put the burning bush, with the his-
toric motto, “Nec tamen consumebatur," in Chinese characters.
The cry about the mission being wiped out now ceased to
202
FROM FAR FORMOSA
be heard, and the people called themselves fools for tearing
down the old chapels. "Look now," they said, "the chapel
towers above our temple. It is larger than the one we de-
stroyed. If we touch this one he will build another and a
bigger one. We cannot stop the barbarian missionary."
While the work of rebuilding chapels went on, other depart-
ments were not neglected. Medicines were dispensed, the
students were taught, the various fields were visited, and every
night the gospel was preached.
New churches were erected in place of those destroyed.
Repairs were made wherever needed. And that was not all.
Not only had we our forty chapels, as before the coming of
the French, but five new stations were opened, and at each a
chapel was erected. Month by month and year by year the
work prospered. Point after point was occupied. Chapel
after chapel was built. The forty became fifty, and the fifty
increased to sixty. That was how the mission was wiped
The fire of God was indeed in the bush, but over it all
was inscribed "Nec tamen consumebatur."
out!
THE CONQUERED ABORIGINES
203
CHAPTER XXI
PE-PO-HOAN CHARACTERISTICS
Subduing the savages-Chinese and Pe-po-hoan-Original houses-
Frankness of Pe-po-hoan-Pe-po-hoan cruelty-Nature-worship-
Dislike of idolatry
As
But
S has already been indicated, the Chinese in Formosa have
been gradually overcoming the various aboriginal tribes
and subduing them to their own modes of life and worship.
We have, therefore, on the island aborigines in all stages of
civilization. In the mountains are the wild, unconquered sav-
ages, who scorn the intruder's claim, and never lose an oppor-
tunity to wreak vengeance on some ill-fated Chinese head.
These the Chinese call Chhi-hoan ("raw barbarians").
the power and patience of the superior race are too much for
the unskilled and shiftless savage, and tribe after tribe is being
brought under subjection. We come now to speak of these
conquered aborigines, and of life and work among them. The
most important are the Pe-po-hoan, with whom are allied the
few settlements of Sek-hoan. The Lam-si-hoan, farther south,
are not far removed from savage, and have only recently sub-
mitted to Chinese authority.
The Pe-po-hoan are found in many parts of the island; but
their home in North Formosa is in the Kap-tsu-lan plain, a
rich, low-lying tract on the east coast, between the mountains
and the sea. This plain is of recent geological date, and was
formed by the filling up of a large bay by sand and debris
205
206
FROM FAR FORMOSA
washed down by mountain streams. The soil is admirably
adapted for rice-culture, which is, indeed, carried on very ex-
tensively by the inhabitants. The atmosphere, however, is
very damp; heavy vapors driven in from the sea, and floating
clouds tapped by the mountain-peaks, not only make traveling
uncomfortable and at times well-nigh impossible, but make life
itself, to both native and foreigner, a burden too heavy to be
borne. The dread malaria works havoc in every home. Prior
to their subjugation by the Chinese the Pe-po-hoan lived in
houses very different in style and very much superior to those
they now inhabit. Their raised floors were much more con-
ducive to health than the damp mud-floors of the Chinese
dwellings now to be seen everywhere in the plain. In this re-
spect, at least, the change has been for the worse.
The Pe-po-
hoan is by nature simple, easily imposed upon, thriftless, and
improvident. He has still a streak of the savage, and in those
qualities that go to insure success he is distinctly inferior to his
Chinese conqueror. There were at one time thirty-six thriving
villages in the Kap-tsu-lan plain. The Chinese settlers came
in, enterprising, aggressive, and not overscrupulous, and little
by little the weaker went to the wall. The Pe-po-hoan were
crowded out of the cultivated land, many of their villages were
scattered, and they had to begin life anew in the waste jungle.
And very often, when they had succeeded in reclaiming land
to grow rice and vegetables enough to supply their meager
wants, the greedy Chinese would again appear, and, either by
winning their confidence or by engaging them in dispute,
would gain a foothold and in the end rob them of their lands.
Being unable to read and being ignorant of law, they are
almost entirely at the mercy of their enemies. It sometimes.
makes one's blood boil to see the iniquities practised upon
these simple-minded creatures by Chinese officials, speculators,
and traders.
When foreigners first come in contact with the Pe-po-hoan
PE-PO-HOAN CHARACTERISTICS
207
they are delighted with their frankness of manner and warmtli
of emotion, and forthwith express the opinion that this race is
superior to the Chinese. I never shared that view. The
longer my experience among them the plainer appears to me
the inferiority of the Malayan. For downright cruelty and
cut-throat baseness the Pe-po-hoan far outdistance the Chinese,
and with all their easy good nature they manifest the revenge-
ful spirit of the race to which they belong. One example will
illustrate Pe-po-hoan cruelty. A girl was engaged to be mar-
ried to a young man. One night, when the whole village was
staggering in a drunken carousal, the girl was lost. Her dead
body was found by a search-party, stripped of its clothes.
Suspicion fell on her lover. He tried to escape, but was seized
and placed in the stocks, a rude construction of logs extem-
porized for the occasion, capable of inflicting great agony.
His hands were stretched out above his head and tied.
In a
few days he was removed to the sand-bank beside the sea.
The father and mother of the maiden took an old knife,
slashed his limbs, and cut portions of his body and put them
into his mouth. He was left there on the burning sand with
the blood oozing from his wounds and drying in the heat of
the sun. His thirst became intolerable, and he cried piteously
for some one to end his misery. But no; his sister was not
allowed to go to him with one small "bamboo" of water to
quench his thirst. There he perished, and his body was left
to the ravenous dogs of the plain. Such is Pe-po-hoan venge-
ance.
Originally the Pe-po-hoan were nature-worshipers, like the
savages in the mountains. They had no temple, idol, or
priest. They had no idea of a personal God, but believed in
the existence of innumerable spirits, whose favor and help it
was to their interest to propitiate. They reverenced the spirits
of their ancestors, who had gone away, as the American Indian
would say, to the "happy hunting-ground." They had all the
208
FROM FAR FORMOSA
superstitions of the savage, and indulged in such feasts and
orgies as still constitute the religious rites of the untamed
mountain tribes.
But all this was changed when they bowed their necks to
the yoke of civilization. Their conquerors forced upon them
not only the cue and their style of dress, but also the whole
paraphernalia of Chinese idolatry. Whenever a tribe submits,
the first thing is to shave the head in token of allegiance, and
then temples, idols, and tablets are introduced. At the pres-
ent time the religion of the Pe-po-hoan is the potpourri of
Confucian morality, Buddhistic idolatry, and Tauistic demon-
olatry, to which they have added relics of their own nature-
worship and superstition. Some of the younger devotees are
the most bigoted idolaters in China, but very many of the
people hate the new order of things. Idolatry does not suit
the average Pe-po-hoan, and it is only of necessity that he sub-
mits to even the formal observance of its rites and ceremonies.
It is political rather than religious, and to the large majority
is meaningless, except as a reminder of their enslavement to
an alien race.
CHAPTER XXII
RICE-FARMING IN FORMOSA
The honored farmer-A Formosa farm-Irrigation-The water-buffalo
-Rice-culture-The farmer's lot
ORMOSA is essentially an agricultural country, and the
FORMOSA an
farming class is both important and honorable. In all
parts of China the place of honor is given to the literary man;
but the farmer makes a good second, and is much more highly
esteemed than either the mechanic or the merchant. The em-
peror pays honor to husbandry once a year by holding the plow.
In Formosa the agricultural class is the mainstay of the coun-
try. They are, on the whole, hard-working, honest, and free
from many of the vices that characterize city life. As the
Kap-tsu-lan plain is one of the richest parts of the island, and
as rice is the great staple of the land, special reference may
now be made to this department of industry. A plain and
brief account of rice-farming should find interested readers
among other classes than those who themselves till the soil.
When we speak of a farm in Formosa one must not ima-
gine broad fields inclosed in high fences, and each farmer the
proud possessor of one hundred or one thousand acres. The
entire farm of a family in Formosa would make but a garden
for an agriculturist in America. The owner of eight or ten ·
acres is looked upon as in easy circumstances. The farms a are
all small and are entirely without fences. A rice-farm is
209
210
FROM FAR FORMOSA
divided into little irregular plots for the purposes of irrigation.
These plots are made by throwing up around each low mounds
of earth, by which means the water is retained at the required
depth.
Rice is grown in fields flooded with water, and the farmer
exhibits great ingenuity in the various modes of conveying the
water to where it is required. The most efficient is by a great
watercourse constructed along the circuitous bank of the river
near Sin-tiam, by which the whole of the Bang-kah plain is
thoroughly irrigated by water taken from within the moun-
tains. In the construction of this watercourse a tunnel eight
feet by six was made through an extensive rock; an aqueduct
fifty feet high carries the water over another river, and when
it reaches the Bang-kah plain it is divided into innumerable
drains and conveyed to all the farms. A clumsy contrivance
like a treadmill is sometimes used for slight elevations; a wind-
lass fixed in a box-trough, the lower end of which is in the
stream, is operated by two men, and works an endless chain
of carriers conveying the water up the trough and depositing
it in a drain on the bank. Another method of irrigation is
comparatively simple. On the uplands a circular reservoir is
excavated and is supplied by the heavy rains. These reser-
voirs are exceedingly useful, not only for the purposes of irri-
gation, but also as bathing-places for the water-buffalo. By
these methods every foot of rice-lands is adequately supplied
with water.
For dry plowing the ox is used, but in rice-cultivation the
water-buffalo is indispensable. He is, indeed, by far the most
valuable animal to the farmer, and so highly prized that proc-
lamations are often issued forbidding the people to slay him
for food. He is more uncouth than the ox, and on account
of his intractability of temper would seem to have been only
recently domesticated. Large pools of water are absolutely
necessary for this creature to wallow or bathe in; hence the
RICE-FARMING IN FORMOSA
211
name water-buffalo. As soon as released from the plow he
will plunge into the pond and remain there a considerable
time, with only part of his head, his nostrils, and his horns above
water. The implements required by the farmer are few and
simple, and are no improvement on those used centuries ago.
A broad hoe, a wooden plow with an iron share, a heavy
wooden harrow or "drag," and a harvest-sickle are all that he
requires.
The rice grown in Formosa must be distinguished from the
rice (Zizania aquatica) found growing wild in Rice Lake, On-
tario, and other parts of America. It is a distinct variety
(Oryza sativa) and of superior quality. A mountain-rice is
grown on the dry uplands, and does not require irrigation, but
it is quite inferior.
Rice is not sown broadcast in the open field, like wheat and
other cereals, but requires to be transplanted. The seeds are
first steeped in water and spread out in large baskets under
cover till they have begun to sprout. They are then sown
thickly in a small bed, which is protected from winds and birds
and watered with a liquid fertilizer. At the expiration of three
months the crop is about six inches high and is ready for
transplanting.
Meanwhile the large rice-field has been plowed, harrowed,
and prepared for the plants. The field slopes down to one
side, and the plots already referred to are submerged in about
three inches of water. The water from the reservoir or aque-
duct is first run into the plot farthest up the slope, from which
it is let into the others, one by one, by opening a place in the
dividing mounds or dikes. The entire field must be kept under
water from before the transplanting until the grain is ready to
harvest.
Transplanting rice is a very arduous and wearisome task.
The farmer digs up the plants from the bed in spadefuls, leav-
ing a liberal supply of mould about the roots. With a large
212
FROM FAR FORMOSA
flat basket of these seedling plants he goes into the miry field,
where the mud and water reach his knees. The basket floats
on the water. Carrying a supply of the plants in his left
hand, the farmer wades backward from end to end of the
row, and breaking off tufts, he sinks them in the soft mud be-
neath the water at intervals of about eighteen inches. The
rows are about two feet apart. Then a fortnight later he goes
over the whole field again on his bare knees, removing the
duckweed and other obnoxious growths. This is perhaps the
most distasteful part of the farmer's work, and is a fruitful
source of rheumatism. Before the grain is ripe he may pos-
sibly go through once more, bending the bunches down to
protect them from sweeping winds.
Three months after the transplanting comes the harvest.
This is a busy season with the husbandman. The water is
drained off; the rice is cut rapidly by a reaper with the sickle
or bill-hook, and made into bunches large enough to be held
conveniently between the hands. The reaper is followed im-
mediately by a thresher, who draws after him a portable tub.
This tub has poles set up around almost the entire mouth, to
which is fastened a canvas screen to prevent the rice-grains
from flying away. At the open space the thresher stands, and
taking a bunch of rice, he gives it two smart strokes on a lad-
der-like framework placed within the tub after the fashion of
a wash-board. The straw is then bound into sheaves, and
when dry is stacked away to be used as fodder for the water-
buffalo. The grain is carried home in large baskets and placed
on a winnowing-floor in front of the house. There it is cared
for, heaped up, and covered every night with rice-straw, and
spread out in the morning with wooden hoes. It is then win-
nowed in a fanning-mill similar to that used by Western farm-
ers, and is stowed away in granaries. The next process is the
hulling, which is done in a hand-mill constructed on the prin-

WINNOWING RICE WITH A FANNING MILL.
RICE-FARMING IN FORMOSA
213
ciple of the millstone. This removes the chaff. The bran-
like shell is removed by pounding the grain in a mortar. The
rice is then ready for the pot.
The sheaves are no sooner removed from the field than the
plowman is once more in the mud and water, a second crop,
which is now ready for transplanting, is immediately "set," and
the second harvest is reaped in September or October. After
the second crop is removed, some plant sweet potatoes, others
mustard or rape for fertilizing. Three crops can thus be se-
cured in the course of a year.
As two crops, and sometimes three, are reaped every year,
the farmer is kept busy from spring to autumn. During seed-
time and harvest his wife rises at three o'clock in the morning,
cooks rice and salted vegetables, prepares hot water for the
men to wash with, and about four calls them up to breakfast.
The men are in the field about five o'clock and work till ten,
when a lunch of boiled rice and some salted vegetable is car-
ried out to them. At noon they return home for dinner, and
rest for an hour and a half. In the afternoon the same kind
of lunch is taken to the field. At seven o'clock they return,
wash their breasts and limbs, and sit down to a better meal,
generally consisting of a tiny cup of hot liquor, pork, and fresh
vegetables boiled with rice. At nine they retire.
The farmer's lot in North Formosa is not altogether an
unhappy one. He works hard and is generally thrifty and
economical. His wants are few and easily supplied. There
is monotony, perhaps, but then he knows nothing of the
"nameless longing" that fills the breasts of much-read farmers
in the restless West. He has no high ideals, and if he suc-
ceeds in providing himself and his family with rice and vege-
tables he does not object to the drudgery of his lot. The
Pe-po-hoan farmer in the Kap-tsu-lan plain would be tolerably
comfortable were it not for the oppression of the Chinese
214
FROM FAR FORMOSA
landowners and yamen men, who often rob him of his hard-
earned cash and evict him from his land. Under the Japa-
nese régime all this is likely to be changed, and the various
aboriginal tribes may look forward to a brighter day under the
flag of the "Rising Sun."
CHAPTER XXIII
MISSION WORK AMONG THE PE-PO-HOAN
Beginnings-Traveling-Night in a rice-field-" Discouraging "--The
first chapel-Results-" No room for barbarians "-Night in an ox-
stable-An old feud-Savage craft-A surgical operation-At Sin-
sia-Service at Pak-tau-Dr. Warburg
H
AVING gained a foothold for the gospel and established
churches among the Chinese in the north and west, our
attention began to be directed toward the civilized aborigines
in the Kap-tsu-lan plain on the east. I had already learned
something of the Pe-po-hoan character, and was prepared to
find them more emotional, approachable, and responsive than
the Chinese, although, perhaps, less solid and stable. The
obstacles to the gospel among them were not different from
those meeting us everywhere. They were all heathen, blinded
by superstition, degraded by idolatry, and with few and weak
aspirations after higher things. Many of them are poor, and
are kept in poverty partly by their own indolence, partly by
untoward circumstances, and mainly by Chinese exactions and
oppression. They are warm-hearted, and, notwithstanding
many weaknesses and failures, work among them has been full
of inspiration and encouragement.
Setting out from Tamsui with a party of students, we made
our way over the mountain-ranges south of Kelung and entered
the Kap-tsu-lan plain. As this plain is but a few feet above
the sea-level, and as the rainfall is very much greater than in
215
216
FROM FAR FORMOSA
other parts of the island, traveling is always attended with
discomfort and difficulty. By keeping near the sea one can
find a rather dry path, but inland, during the rainy days, one
has to wade through sticky mud, sometimes a foot and a half
in depth. The paths through the rice-fields are narrow and
winding, and when the fields are irrigated are at times com-
pletely submerged. Traveling near the base of the mountain,
we passed by the mouth of a ravine, and there we heard yells
and screams. Immediately a Chinese came up, breathless, and
reported that four of his companions had just been speared
and beheaded by the savages, and that he escaped by dodg-
ing. On entering again on the steep brow of a hill overlook-
ing the sea, I was in advance, and was just past the mouth of
the gorge when three savages with spears rushed out and at-
tacked several elders who were a little way in the rear. The
elders, with great presence of mind, threw themselves into the
water and got out of reach of the deadly thrust.
Once, overtaken by night, we got astray and went miles out
of our way.
The night was dark, and we were wet, hungry,
and absolutely without our bearings. We staggered round
and round the plats of a rice-field, stumbling into the mud
and water, until we stood still and thought awhile. It was a
moment for serious thought. We were lost and in a strange
territory. No light could be seen near or far. But we re-
membered that we were on our Master's business. My stu-
dents uttered no word of complaint; indeed, they were posi-
tively cheerful. We thought of God in front, God in the rear,
God on the right, God on the left, God within, God above,
and underneath the everlasting arms. So we plodded along,
tumbling into mud-pools, scrambling out, and pushing on
again. The first object with which we came in contact I
knew by touch to be a rice-stack, and we passed the night
under its bulging sides.
The next night was spent in a grass-covered hut. Its sides
MISSION WORK AMONG THE PE-PO-HOAN
217
("
were of reeds, but the mud had been washed from the inter-
stices and now the rain was driven in on the black floor.
Going right to one of the villages of about three hundred in-
habitants, we were received with disdain. The men grunted,
and calling out Barbarian!" and "Foreign devil!" walked
away. Women and children ran into their houses, and then
urged wolfish-looking dogs upon us. We stood listening to
the yelping of these hungry creatures, and were obliged to
leave, for not a soul in the village would hear our words. We
visited another village and received similar treatment. This
experience was repeated in a third village. Up and down
through that plain we labored, tour after tour, and still no one
came forward to accept our message of salvation. "How
discouraging!" I hear some one say. Who calls such experi-
ences discouraging? I do not. I never did.
I never did. Our business
is to do our duty, and to do it independently of what men call
encouragement and discouragement. I never saw anything
to discourage in twenty-three long years in North Formosa.
At length three men from a fishing-village by the sea came
and said: "You have been going through and through our plain,
and no one has received you. Come to our village and we will
listen to you." One was a very old man who was fittingly nick-
named "Black-face." A second was middle-aged and had once
been an actor on the stage. The third was a young man. On
arriving at their village we sat on large stones in front of the
head man's house. We talked over matters with some of the
influential men, and partook of rice and fish. When evening
came on a tent was constructed out of poles and sails from
their boats on the beach. Several stones were placed at one
end and a plank laid upon them for a platform. At dark a
man took a marine shell with the end broken off, such as they
used in days gone by when setting out on the war-path, and
with this "trumpet" he summoned an assembly. Families
brought benches out of their huts and arranged them in rows.
218
FROM FAR FORMOSA
These preparations completed, they invited us to proceed with
our service. We sang, preached, conversed, discussed, an-
swered questions, till the small hours of the morning. The
following day the inhabitants decided to have a house in which
to worship the true God. They sailed down the coast into
savage country for poles, and although they were attacked
and wounded, returned with their load. Bricks were made
out of mud mixed with rice-chaff, moulded into shape, and
dried in the sun. We erected the walls, covered the roof with
grass, and built a platform of mud. Then every evening, at
the blowing of the "conch," the whole village turned out.
They continued to carry their old benches till we procured
new ones, and there they sat to be taught the everlasting gos-
pel of our Redeemer. In several weeks-not months-boys
and girls learned many of our psalms and hymns, while the
elder people acquired more or less Christian knowledge.
After laboring there day and night for six or eight weeks I
came to be much impressed by three different classes who at-
tended our services. There were poor old toothless women,
who had wrought hard in the constant struggle for existence,
squatted on the bare earth, weaving, and as they threw the
thread they crooned in a low voice:
'There is a happy land
Far, far away."
That land was very real to them—just as real as to their sisters
in Christendom--and they came to look wistfully for the sign.
that would call them, not to the grass-thatched chapel out in the
narrow street, but away to the temple not made with hands, in
the land where the weary rest.
Then there were the boys, with
their bright young faces, into whose lives our songs brought
something of hope; and all day long they sang in their own
tongue our children's hymn:
"Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the Bible tells me so."
MISSION WORK AMONG THE PE-PO-HOAN
219
And not the least attractive were the hardy, bold, brave fisher-
men going out in the mornings through the surf, standing-
not sitting—in their boats, and as they pushed their long oars,
kept time to the stroke, singing the old Scotch paraphrase:
"I'm not ashamed to own my Lord,
Or to defend his cause."
It was grand. Standing away yonder on the sandy beach
looking at them and listening to their voices, I wished that it
were possible for the critics of foreign mission work to drop
down and, just for once, see for themselves that the gospel of
Christ is still "the power of God unto salvation to every one
that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."
Despite many weaknesses and imperfections in these poor
aborigines, quite a number of that first village remained con-
stant to the end, and have gone home to God. The village
became nominally Christian. My apartment during those
weeks was a low, musty room, where I slept on a box at night.
To that place the cast-off machinery of idolatry was brought,
and more than once I dried my clothes before fires made of
idolatrous paper, idols, and ancestral tablets. Three men were
employed to carry other paraphernalia of idol-worship to the
museum in Tamsui
A deputation from another village came to make inquiries.
I detained them, that they might be present at an evening
service. They heard fully two hundred voices ring out the
praises of Almighty God, and they were so charmed that they
at once invited us to visit their village. I do not know what
others would have done, but I formed a procession, heading
it with A Hoa at my side, and arranging the converts in
double column behind. We marched slowly along the circu-
itous path, singing as we went. At the end of our short jour-
ney we drew up into a compact body, and another stirring
song of praise rose from our lips. With God's message sung
220
FROM FAR FORMOSA
and preached we captured that village, and the people decided
to have a place of worship. Willing hands soon completed a
building, and a native preacher was left in charge of the work,
as another had been in the first village. We thus had five
hundred who had thrown away their idols and were nominally
Christian; and when they all assembled in the open air to sing
the songs of Zion I forgot the dark night in the rice-field, the
cruelty of our first reception, and the many weary hours at
night, among old baskets, ropes, and nets in a damp room, a
stranger and alone. Oh, it was soul-inspiring, refreshing, glori-
ous! We visited other villages and preached the gospel year
after year to those dark-skinned aborigines. A third chapel
was erected, a fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, yes, even a
nineteenth chapel in that Kap-tsu-lan plain, and over each a
native preacher was placed.
(C
The most southerly village in the plain is Lam-hong-o
("South-wind Harbor "), on the south side of So Bay. It was
visited on a previous occasion, but we were scorned and our
message rejected. We resolved to revisit it. It was nearly
dark when we climbed the steep mountain near the sea, and
had yet to descend on the other side. Holding on to the
rocks with our hands, we slid down in safety and then followed
a long bend inward. When we reached the village the rain
was descending in torrents. Approaching a house, I asked if
we could remain overnight. No room for barbarians," was
the curt reply. We went to a second house and received a
similar rebuff. The door of the third was slammed in my face.
It was hopeless. The night was so dark and the Pacific Ocean
so tempestuous that we could not go east; mountains stood
to the south; on the north was the harbor, and on the west
savage territory. We thought of one Chinese family in the
corner back of the village, and hoped for better things than
from the Pe-po-hoan. We set out, making our way now over
seaweed, now thumping against a boat, and now caught by
MISSION WORK AMONG THE PE-PO-HOAN
221
the prickly screw-pine. When we reached the door I called
out, “Can we get any accommodation here for the night?"
A white-haired man slowly opened the door and drawled out,
"No room here for barbarians," and slowly closed the door.
We stood there in the dark and rain, not knowing what to do.
Then the door opened again and the old head reappeared.
Man's better nature triumphed, and it was with gratitude we
heard the Chinese drawl once more: "It is very stormy. You
can go into the ox-stable if you like." I see it still, there on
the left, with its bars across like an old-fashioned farm gate.
We crawled through. The old man held a light until we could
see the one empty stall, and then all was dark. We secured
rice-straw and prepared to spend the night with the water-
buffaloes. In about half an hour a dim light appeared at the
door, and there stood the Chinese with a bowl of warm rice
for each on a tray. And what was strangest of all was his
refusal to accept cash for either the lodgings or the rice. We
had with us Ko Chin, an elder, who, though born in Formosa,
had never spent a night in an ox-stable before. He told me
afterward that the thought that I was so far from my native
land, and in such a place, exercised him greatly. It made
that night memorable in his life, for, though he was a good
Christian before, he was more determined, more devoted, more
self-sacrificing ever after.
On the morning after the night in the ox-stable we went up
the mountain to the site of a Pe-po-hoan village called Kau-
kau-a. There oranges now grow, and peaches, pumelos, per-
simmons, plums, and bread-fruit. It is almost within savage
territory, and the savages had been friendly until some of the
villagers gave them dog's flesh for venison. When the truth
came to be known the savages swore vengeance and began
hostilities. The Kau-kau-a people had to leave the place. They
moved three miles north to So Bay. There many died of
malarial and other forms of fever. Those who survived chose
222
FROM FAR FORMOSA
another site and founded the village of Lam-hong-o. There
are now eleven families descended from the Kau-kau-a vil-
lagers. Fifty years have elapsed since the feud began, but
no reconciliation has ever been effected, and the savages are
still their sworn enemies.
A chapel was in due time erected at Lam-hong-o, and,
despite my protestation, was named "MacKay Church," in
memory of my father. Many evenings, when I was address-
ing them, bitter, burning tears rolled down their cheeks as they
thought of the cold-hearted manner in which they received us
at first. The chapel came to be a place of safety as well as
of worship. Many nights the women and children, for fear of
the savages, slept on the tiled floor, while their husbands and
fathers were out on the sea in their fishing-smacks. The
savages were very artful and daring. Sometimes they would
make marks in the sand in imitation of turtle tracks, so that
when any villager went hunting the turtles they would spring
from their ambush and run him through with their long lances.
One evening, on going toward the gate, I heard in the hedge
a whistling noise. Hastily stepping back, I learned that a
dozen savages were outside; but my sudden movement made
them think they were discovered, and so they decamped.
In 1884, at one village near the sea where we had a teacher,
but as yet no chapel, the people had to guard their families
nightly with loaded guns. On the occasion of one of our vis-
its the savages were out on a head-hunting expedition, and
the converts, men, women, and children, sat up till daybreak,
and at intervals made the hills ring with our sweet hymns, sung
to their wild mountain airs. The savages prowled around and
occasionally threw stones and other missiles. While there I
cut out of a man's thigh an iron arrow-head that had been
shot from the bow of a savage. It was embedded nearly five
inches in the flesh, and as it had been there for four months it
was an ugly sight. The poor fellow sat day after day watch-
MISSION WORK AMONG THE PE-PO-HOAN
223
ing it slowly corrupting, and suffering increasing pain. I had
surgical instruments with me, and, after two hours, succeeded
in performing the operation. When the arrow-head was re-
moved and laid on the man's hand his gratitude knew no
bounds. He was at that time a heathen, but he listened to
the message of a Saviour who "healeth all our diseases, and
bindeth up our wounds," and it was delightful in after-years
to hear him tell the heathen around how he was led to forsake
idolatry and worship the living and true God.
•
Sin-sia is a Pe-po-hoan village with quite a percentage of
Chinese. On the bank of a clear mountain stream stands our
chapel, called "Burns's Church." Beautiful is the situation,
and the structure is worthy of the site. It is built of stone,
plastered, and well lighted with glass windows. I drew the
plans, but the construction was superintended by a native
preacher, Tan He. It is extremely difficult to get a building
erected in Formosa for the sum specified in the contract; but
so shrewdly did Tan He do his work that there were no ex-
tras. The splendid donation from Mrs. MacKay, of Detroit,
sufficed to complete the building in memory of one of the
world's greatest evangelists and missionaries. The preacher
is Pe-po-hoan, and both aborigines and Chinese meet for the
worship of the God of all the earth.
Nearly south of Tai-tun Mountain, and nestling at its base,
is Pak-tau, a Pe-po-hoan village, with upward of a hundred
aborigines in the homesteads around. It is two hours' brisk
walk from Tamsui, three from Bang-kah, and four from Sek-
khau. We secured a place of worship there in 1891. Sulphur-
springs hiss and roar in the vicinity, and a warm medicinal
stream runs within five minutes' walk from our chapel. I had
in view the establishing of a church there fully fifteen years
ago, for we knew something of the value of the springs.
Scabies can be completely cured by bathing in these waters;
and tinea, in various forms, can be so far removed that other
224
FROM FAR FORMOSA
medicines eradicate the fungi or bacilli with greater effi-
ciency.
tau.
In conducting a mission few things require more attention
than the placing of the right man in the right place. Who,
then, should be sent to Pak-tau? Why, an able, earnest Chi-
nese preacher whose wife was a Pe-po-hoan, whom we brought
up from childhood, and who received careful Christian instruc-
tion. Success attended the young preacher's mission work.
One Sabbath, my wife, three children, women from the Girls'
School, and students from the college attended service at Pak-
They found the building literally packed, and scores in
the branches of a tree where they could both see and hear.
It was a great day, and the speakers were carefully selected.
First came one who had been a Tauist priest, because many
of his old associates were present; then a Pe-po-hoan from the
east coast and another from one of our southern stations, be-
cause their relatives were among the hearers; then four Pe-po-
hoan women whose homes were in Kap-tsu-lan rose and sang
"Jesus loves me," because their Malayan sisters were sitting
near by; six Chinese Bible-women sang another hymn, because
Mongolians were listening. Such a variety made the services.
both interesting and profitable. Each hearer got a suitable
portion of the bread of life. I addressed them on Joshua
xxiv. 15:
"Choose you this day whom ye will serve," and
called on them to decide for or against the world's mighty
Redeemer. A few weeks afterward ten young Pe-po-hoan
women who became interested in the way of salvation went
out to Tamsui to see the Girls' School, Oxford College, and
the museum. Agreeable and intelligent, they showed a lively
interest in all that they saw. The work at Pak-tau goes on
prosperously.
Touring in the Kap-tsu-lan plain is full of interest, but one
trip is much like another. Variety is sometimes given by the
company of some European traveler or scientist. In 1888,
MISSION WORK AMONG THE PE-PO-HOAN
225
Dr. Warburg, from Hamburg, Germany, joined us at Kelung
for a tour. He was a young naturalist collecting specimens
for his college, and he procured many plants and flowers, and
many relics and weapons belonging to the aborigines. He
had an open eye for mission work, and was greatly interested
when more than three hundred assembled for worship. As
we marched inward to newly reclaimed valleys, upward of
thirty tattooed savages from the mountains presented them-
selves and were photographed. At one aboriginal village, near
a mountain-spur, fully five hundred of our converts met, and
we had a glorious gathering. When we were parting the
doctor said:
“I have seen sixteen chapels, and people in them worship-
ing God. I have also seen native preachers standing on plat-
forms preaching the truths of Christianity. I never saw any-
thing like it before. If people in Hamburg saw what I have
seen they would contribute for foreign missions. If scientific
skeptics had traveled with a missionary as I have, and wit-
nessed what I have witnessed on this plain, they would assume
a different attitude toward the heralds of the cross.'
CHAPTER XXIV
A TRIP DOWN THE EAST COAST
Setting out-Eager for a chapel-Ordinances and sacraments-Afloat—
Beauties of the ocean-In sight of savages-In Ki-lai-The cook.
preacher-Burning the idols-Five hundred-A perilous pull-A
sample program-Edification-Glengarry Chapel-In a new plain—
Home again
N August 27, 1890, at 8 A.M., I set out from Tamsui, with
Tan He, Sun-a, and Koa Kau, on a trip far down the
east coast of Formosa. The reason for never traveling with-
out several students or preachers is that they may become
practically acquainted with all departments of mission work,
efficient in service, and prepared for all emergencies. The
work is divided, and each has his allotted task.
Our purpose
on this trip was to visit chapels in the Kap-tsu-lan plain, and
to go farther south to another plain, where a number of Pe-po-
hoan families have settled. That south district is the Ki-lai
plain, and is the home of about four thousand semi-civilized
aborigines called Lam-si-hoan. Of life among that people we
will speak in another chapter. In this attention will be directed
to the Pe-po-hoan villages.
We took a steam-launch up the river to Bang-kah, railway-
train to Tsui-tng-kha, and walked the rest of the distance to
Kelung. Sun-a, who is a most dexterous tooth-extractor,
practised his profession on a number of patients by the way.
At Kelung a service was held. Next morning we passed
Ki-a-liau, with Chhim-o Mountain rising twenty-eight hun-
226

BOUND FOR THE KI-LAI PLAIN.
A TRIP DOWN THE EAST COAST
227
1
dred feet high, and extending its base, rough with recently
fallen boulders, to the water's edge. Traveling was very dan-
gerous, owing to the loosened rocks overhead and the wet and
slippery stones beneath. Once I disturbed a mass by leaping
over a chasm, and it came tumbling down at my heels. To-
ward evening we turned a point and were in full view of Lam-
a-lin, a fishing-village with thirty or forty families. Lim Kau
Pau, the head man and owner of the entire range of hills
around, came out to welcome us. There was no chapel there,
but we sang and preached. In the morning Mr. Lim took us
over his estate, and, pointing to one place here and another
there, he would say, “That would be a nice site for a chapel."
It meant something for that Chinese landowner to make such
an offer, for he knew what a chapel meant. He knew that
idols and tablets would be cast away. When we were leaving
the village he ordered out two boats to carry us down the
coast past a difficult and dangerous promontory. On return-
ing from this trip, as we neared his homestead, his servants
came out yelling, running, and beckoning to us, followed by
his son, who begged us to remain overnight. We could not
wait, but that evening the son and the servants followed us to
the Teng-siang-khoe chapel. Is there not an "open door" at
Lam-a-lin?
That day at Phi-thau the villagers pleaded for a chapel.
Before leaving, medicines were dispensed, teeth extracted, and
then the gospel was preached to a large crowd. Off again
through bamboo-groves, across "the point" to Na-tang. We
reached "Burns's Church," Sin-sia, about dark, and spent an
hour singing, speaking, and examining inquirers. The next
day being the Sabbath, we held three evangelistic services, had a
Sabbath-school, and dispensed the Lord's Supper. Another
day's tramp brought us to Ta-ma-ien, a Pe-po-hoan village,
where thirty-nine communed, four infants were baptized, and
an elder and deacon were ordained.
228
FROM FAR FORMOSA
A river-boat took us near Hoan-sia-thau on Tuesday, Sep-
tember 2, 1890, at 10 A.M. Beating of the drum brought men
from their nets, women from their looms, and children from
their play. At once we attended to the suffering, examined
inquirers, listened to recitations, ordained two office-bearers,
addressed hearers, and administered the sacrament to forty-one
communicants. After dinner we crossed a narrow strip of
sand to the sea and entered a fishing-boat with eight rowers.
They pulled with great energy, and by sundown entered the
mouth of a mountain stream, then rowed on the fresh water till
8 P.M., when we landed at the Lau-lau-a chapel. Services soon
began, and at the close a young couple stood up, attended by
two others, and by the ceremony of Christian marriage were
made husband and wife. This event was unexpected, for the
bride arrived only an hour before from another Pe-po-hoan vil-
lage. At daybreak a fishing-outfit was engaged. We put out
in the face of a heavy sea and brisk gale. We were tossed
about all day, and could not enter So Bay harbor till 4 P.M.
Once there no time was lost in addressing our people at Lam-
hong-o church, and in securing a boat suitable for our trip
beyond. The only available one was about twelve feet long
and quite open.
This little craft we manned with six Pe-po-
hoan rowers, all Christians, and pushed away at 5 P.M., sing-
ing a hymn, while preacher and converts stood on the shore
waving us God-speed.
Once round the point, away down the coast the rowers
pulled, hugging the shore. Night came on, but no one thought
of sleep. Each selected a
be out of the rowers' way. I sat in the stern beside the helms-
man—a good position for surveying the scene.
It is grand
at any time, but that night it was sublime. Long and high
ranges of forest-clad mountains stood like dark perpendicular
walls on the right. On the left lay a broad and boundless
expanse of water. Stars were twinkling brilliantly above;
spot in which to sit or crouch, and
A TRIP DOWN THE EAST COAST
229
Medusa, Nereida, and Infusoria, children of the ocean, were
blazing below. I have seen many wonderful sights in the
steamer's track in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea,
but never before witnessed anything comparable to the phos-
phorescent glory of that night. Sitting low in the boat, on a
level with the surface, I scooped out handfuls of jelly-like
globules, my fingers like so many rods of red-hot iron, drop-
ping balls of molten fire. Countless millions of Noctiluca
miliaris rose to the surface with lightning speed, then darted
hither and thither, like sparks from a blacksmith's anvil. Oars
scattered jets of light at very stroke, and our little craft seemed
gliding on a glittering surface and through flames of amber
and gold.
"Within the shadow of the ship
I watched their rich attire-
Blue, glossy green, and velvet black;
They coiled and swam, and every track
Was a flash of golden fire."
Now and then westerly winds blew between long ranges
and filled our little sail. By dawn we were close to the shore,
where stretches a long level piece of ground. Savages were
at the beach, and their houses could be seen a short distance
up the mountain-side. Our boat was quickly headed seaward.
I recognized the place at once-the "spur," the creek, the
rocks. It was the spot where, on June 4, 1876, H. B. M.
man-of-war "Lapwing" dropped anchor on the rough sea,
while her commander, chief officer, and myself got into one
of her lifeboats, manned by six "blue-jackets," without any
weapon of defense, and were rowed toward the shore. Sev-
eral hundred savages came down the spur of the mountain
and watched us. Our boat tried hard to land, but the surf
was against us. We hailed, beckoned, and threw several shin-
ing silver dollars toward them. They were naked and vicious-
looking, but no one dreamed of danger-only to land and see
230
FROM FAR FORMOSA
them.
The surf saved us.
one would have returned.
Had we succeeded in landing no
Many an unsuspecting explorer
God holds the winds
has been murdered there by that tribe.
and the waves in his hand, and was behind the surf that day.
We pulled away, and at noon, under the scorching sun,
thermometer 120 in the open boat, we drew up at Hoe-lien-
kang, a trading-post at the sea in the Ki-lai plain. This is
the plain I longed to visit during the past, where Kap-tsu-lan
people moved, and where a cook from Oxford College went
of his own accord, and began to teach and preach to the
Pe-po-hoan. Hoe-lien-kang lies on a sea-washed sand-bank,
and has two rows of thatched houses, with a street two hun-
dred feet wide. Its inhabitants are mostly Chinese, with a few
Pe-po-hoan families in the outskirts, engaged in trade with the
aborigines. Close at hand is an encampment of Chinese sol-
diers under a military official.
Our boat was no sooner hauled on the pebbly beach than a
Chinese officer, the head man, sent an invitation to have dinner
with him, and showed us other attentions. I was surprised to
hear my name on every hand. We were never there before,
but some of them knew about our work in the north. Our
new friend ordered his hostler to saddle a pony, and of course
put on the string of bells. Thus the unexpected did happen,
for I rode a fine, plump, if not fiery steed, preceded by a groom.
About dark we entered Ka-le-oan, the Pe-po-hoan settlement I
longed to visit for upward of a dozen years. We found the
cook who turned out preacher in a small grass-covered bam-
boo dwelling that had been erected for him. As they had
been writing and waiting for us a long time, the warmth of
their welcome can hardly be imagined. The room was soon
packed and a large crowd stood in front of the door. Instead
of continued preaching, we tried to grasp the state of affairs.
Really good work had been done by the cook-preacher. Not
a few had a clear idea of the gospel message, while many
A TRIP DOWN THE EAST COAST
231
more were evidently weary of idol-worship. They seemed ripe
for decisive action. Being told that the military mandarin
declared that they must continue idolatry as being a token of
subjection to China, I rode up to the encampment, had an
interview, and got a gracious reception. Whatever was said
or done in the past, it was all right now. Soldiers began to
praise our mission: one had got medicine from me at Tamsui,
one from a preacher at Kelung, and another knew the Bang-
kah preacher. Yamen men joined, praising the men, the
museum, etc. There was only one opinion, and the officer
wished me "peace." I galloped back, and asked all who were
for the true God to clean their houses of idols and take a de-
cided stand. A council was held at dark in an open space;
it turned out to be a noisy and boisterous meeting. The
chiefs were declaiming aloud in their native tongue. I stepped
among them and asked an explanation, and if there were differ-
ence of opinion. An answer came quickly. The five villages
were unanimous to a man. They wanted to worship the
Jehovah-God. They went further. An idol-temple built for
themselves at a cost of two thousand dollars was handed over
for chapel services. The following was a joyous day. No
one went to work. The head man invited our party to join
him, and ordered four boys to follow, carrying eight baskets,
one on either end of a pole. We then went from house to
house and from village to village, until the idolatrous para-
phernalia of all were collected into the baskets and carried
to a yard near the temple. There was a large pile of mock-
money, idols, tablets, incense-sticks, and flags. A great crowd.
assembled, and several vied with one another in firing the
heap. Many showed their contempt for the dirty, dusty,
greasy old idols. One chief took special delight in poking
the burning objects of worship, while roars of derisive laugh-
ter followed the pulling out and holding up of a blazing
"goddess of mercy." The temple was lighted up long before
232
FROM FAR FORMOSA
dark, and the people crowded in. I called on all to join in
singing:
"All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice."
Precision of attack may have been wanting, some voices may
have been off the key and out of tune, but they sang with
heart and soul, and never was the old Hundredth Psalm more
fittingly sung than on that night when it signalized the conse-
cration of an idol-temple to the honor and glory of the eternal
God.
Ka-le-oan is the name given to the settlement, no doubt
after one of the same name in Kap-tsu-lan, whence most of
the people hail. There are five villages: Toa-sia, which means
"large village," where the church now stands; Tek-a-na, Bu-
loan, Ian-ko, and Chhit-kiet-in all about five hundred. This
is the entry in the record of our trip to that settlement:
"Nearly five hundred idolaters cleaned their houses of idols
in our presence.
"They declared themselves anxious to worship the Lord
and Redeemer.
They gave a temple built for idols as a house in which
to meet and worship the only living and true God. Are
missions a failure?"
For an entire week the pony and groom were at my dis-
posal, without charge, and I went this way and that through
the Ki-lai plain, preaching, dispensing, tooth-extracting, and
studying the rude life and manners of the Lam-si-hoan. On
Wednesday, September 10th, we made ready to return north-
ward. We gave medicines in the military encampment, by
permission of the official. The mandarin himself threw off all
mandarin ceremony, and talked, laughed, handled the forceps,
and had his teeth examined. He even stood at our backs to
see us attending to the sick and suffering among the soldiers.
A TRIP DOWN THE EAST COAST
233
There were not a few malaria patients among them, and I am
quite sure we left the soldiers and their general all wishing for
our speedy return.
A crowd followed us to the seaside and shoved our craft
afloat. The rowers had to pull hard against a northeaster.
At dark we were skirting the shore near the steep mountains.
Here and there, like flaming beacons along the shore, the
night fires of savages burned holes in the darkness of tangled
foliage and forest. All night long the rowers struggled against
wind and wave, afraid to go too near the shore, for the rocks
were sharp and the savages cruel; afraid to launch out into
the deep, for our craft was light and the sea was wild. Morn-
ing came, and, drenched and weary, we were still amid white
billows. All that day we pulled almost in vain, thankful that
we were not dashed on the rocky ledges. No one had tasted
food since the previous morning, for though we had a supply
of rice we could not land to have it cooked.
The weary
rowers were fast becoming weak. Eyes brightened when at
3 P.M. we turned a point and ran into a basin three hundred feet
wide, one hundred feet deep, with fifty feet of a pebbly beach,
and a perpendicular wall several hundred feet high standing
at the back and sides. There was a veritable security from
storms and savages. A sweet spring of water tumbled over
the high cliff above, forming a stream of fresh water, which
ran into the bitter sea. Rice was cooked in the water-jar I
was carrying back as a sample of Lam-si-hoan pottery, and
with a condiment of salted venison it was a delicious meal.
By 7 P.M. the sea calmed somewhat, and we struck out again.
Toward cock-crowing So Bay was entered, and a breath car-
ried us to Lam-hong-o. Soon preacher and people were astir,
and all day was spent in the chapel. Children were examined,
three were baptized, and sixty-five sat down around the Lord's
table. By sea-boat we ran to Ka-le-oan, there gave medicines
to the sick, inquired after members, arranged matters with
234
FROM FAR FORMOSA
elders and deacons, and walked over to Lau-lau-a, where simi-
lar work was done and the night spent.
Leaving Lau-lau-a, we visited every station in the Kap-tsu-
lan plain, spent a night at each of the twenty chapels, and
inspected work at six other points. We never traveled there.
before as on this occasion. Taking a river-boat, we rowed,
Thus I had a fair chance
The streams rush rapidly
where practicable, to each locality.
of making a pretty accurate map.
near the mountains, but run sluggishly enough in the level
plain. At many points they are so narrow that the boat had
to be pushed along with two bamboo poles. On these narrow
dark streams, with trees and bushes overhanging and meeting,
charming spots could be seen through the foliage, and the
sun shone at intervals through the clouds floating overhead.
Arriving at and leaving a Pe-po-hoan village was simply soul-
inspiring. As our party would start a hymn, a crowd of men,
women, and children would join and make the banks resound
with joyful notes. I always enjoy this a thousand times more
than singing in a chapel. It is so grand, so free from for-
mality, thus to praise our God on the flowing water, amor
trees, and within hearing of the birds he makes to sing. It
would be wearisome to the reader to give the names of so
many strange places and state what was done at each; but a
sample of our program may be of interest.
1. On arrival we visited the sick in their homes; then, taking
our stand outside in an open space, we gave medicines and
extracted teeth. The filthy betel-nut gives tooth-extracting
prominence. The four of us worked, but each patient passed
through my hands for diagnosis.
2. We wrote the names of all the families, with their worldly
possessions, in a book. This was necessary on account of re-
movals to new settlements. I think we know the circumstances
of every family, and what the stations are able to do toward
self-support.

ARMED PE-PO-HOAN NEAR SAVAGE TERRITORY.
A TRIP DOWN THE EAST COAST
235
3. We held meetings with the elders and deacons concerning
contributions, chapel repairs, Sabbath attendance, etc. Here
is progress. Every chapel in the plain was either re-roofed,
plastered, and otherwise repaired, or materials were on the
ground; and only in one village did an elder ask for assistance.
4. Children, young men and women, were examined in pres-
ence of all on subjects previously assigned, and other subjects
to be studied were selected.
5. Singing practised for an hour by the people in divisions,
such as old men, women, young men, girls, and children.
6. We preached in turn, short addresses being most profit-
able, and I immediately questioned them on what was spoken.
7. Office-bearers elected by the congregations, and I or-
dained them.
8. Baptized infants and adults, though the reception of
many adults was delayed for further instruction.
9. Observed the Lord's Supper, having not a few refreshing
communions.
The above labor was accomplished, and much more. The
effect at every station was marked. Converts were stirred
up, and the contrast in their condition and demeanor on our
arrival and at our departure was very marked, especially where
we remained overnight and had opportunity for meetings,
afternoon, evening, and morning. There is a world of mean-
ing in the words “edification,” “building up," "grow up into
Him in all things," "for the perfecting of the saints." I have
stated that at one place nearly five hundred cast their idols
away. Some good people may think the work among them
was about done then. If I know anything about it, if twenty-
three years' experience be of value, then I should say the work
was only begun. Paul knows best, and says they must be
built up. I do not believe in perfection on this side of the
"river," but such converts as we have in Formosa, like some
we have in America, are a long way from what is attainable
236
FROM FAR FORMOSA
here. Many things are needed in leading them on. One
thing before all things else is needful, viz., patience.
One of the churches visited was "Glengarry Chapel," at
Tang-mng-thau, where a spreading gourd served as a dispens-
ing-room. At the service all were orderly and reverent. We
sang many hymns, and I told them about Glengarry in Can-
ada, and the kind young friends there who raised the money
for the building of that chapel. They were greatly interested,
and the thought that people at home would deny themselves
for poor heathen in far Formosa was not without its influence.
Leaving Kap-tsu-lan, we entered the plain of Toa-o, which
is a triangular extension running far inland from Kap-tsu-lan,
flanked on two sides by high, steep, densely wooded moun-
tains. It is new ground, only now being reclaimed from the
jungle. The reeds are cut with knives, then the whole set on
fire, large hoes dig the roots, farmers sow or plant their grain,
and in this way much is cleared. Houses are built in a few
days. Poles are put in the ground, a thatched roof put on,
sides closed in with reeds, plastered with mud, a door of split
bamboo tied to one side, holes left instead of windows, and the
family move in. At times it is dangerous to travel in any part
of that plain, on account of savages who have been driven to
desperation by Chinese soldiers. On arrival at the east end
we called on one Colonel Tan, an old friend, who persisted in
sending a number of men with spears to escort us by the way.
The night was spent at Phoa-po-o, where one hundred assem-
bled and we preached the gospel. The morning following was
lovely, and, according to every day's work, men were armed
to lead the way to a new village through reeds and grasses.
No one goes out to work without weapons at his side. Forty
odd-looking fellows went along with us, several of whom had
Martini-Henry or Remington rifles, some carried old Ameri-
can muskets, the most swung over their shoulders Chinese
matchlocks, and others held long spears in readiness. Four
A TRIP DOWN THE EAST COAST
237
times the number of savages would have had to flee before
them that day. The Pe-po-hoan welcomed us at Teng-phoa-
po-o.
We followed our usual program and set off with half
the village at our heels. At length we came to Thien-sang-pi,
the most inland settlement in all that region. People are only
beginning to test the virgin soil and erect huts.
We walked half a mile farther, mostly through wet grass, to
the rather sharp curve in the mountain. There I got up into
a tallow-tree out of the wet rushes and sat on a large branch,
admiring a pool of water in the bend which no foreigner ever
gazed upon before. Crescent Pool is an appropriate name for
it. It is full of nearly a dozen varieties of fish, and the marshy
land around has eels thirty and forty pounds in weight. Two
savage villages were visited, one at the base and the other on
the spur of the mountain. Old and young looked dissipated
and haggard.
At Cheng-kui-sia upward of one hundred met outside, and
we had an open-air service, then crossed several streams, and
walked through rice-fields to Ang-chha-na, where three times
the bricks were made for a chapel and destroyed by the rain.
Being quite within the mountains, they have very few dry days.
At dark oil was put into bamboo poles six feet long, stuck in
an open space, and in that flickering light we proclaimed the
message of salvation to a crowd of poor toil-worn aborigines.
Thus we labored in that plain, taking all the chapels in order,
then back over the hills to Kelung, Tsui-tng-kha, Bang-kah,
Toa-tiu-tia, and out again to Tamsui, after an absence of forty
days. It was one of many such tours, not much different in
experiences and results from others. If the reader has gained
a more accurate idea of the lights and shadows of mission-
ary life, and if hearts are stirred up to more earnest prayer and
more consecrated service, the recital will not have been in vain.
CHAPTER XXV
A SEK-HOAN MISSION
Refused accommodation-Ordered out-Invited back-A plot-The trai
tor-Building a chapel
N the west coast are settlements of aborigines that have
made considerable progress in Chinese civilization. They
are called Sek-hoan ("ripe barbarians"). On one of our visits
to Sin-kang, a village of these civilized aborigines in the Biau-
lek district, on the west coast, three days' walk from Tamsui,
and as many miles from the sea, the people refused us accom-
modation for the night. At dark, however, a stalwart-looking
native made provision for myself and students under his
thatched roof. On inquiry we learned that preparations were
being made for worshiping the spirits of their ancestors. Their
own savage customs and superstitions had been mingled with
those of the Chinese, with the result that no outsider could be
allowed within the precincts for three days. Accordingly our
host was urged to expel us; but though he stood alone he re-
fused. Later on a letter was handed me from the head man.
It read thus:
"You black-bearded barbarian, with your Chinese disciples,
must either leave in the morning or stay in the house for three
days."
After a while I sent this reply:
"We the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ will neither
leave in the morning nor stay in the house, but by the power
238
A SEK-HOAN MISSION
239
of our God we will preach his gospel in your streets on the
morrow and following days."
Immediately the whole village was greatly excited, and
many gathered around the place where we were.
Some were
for killing, some for beating, and others for leaving us alone.
The counsel of the last prevailed. Morning dawned, and I
told my students to choose between remaining or going back
to the north. In a moment they were at my side, ready to
abide all consequences.
We walked into the streets and
found villagers in groups, squatted on the ground, with stones
and other missiles in readiness. They were true pictures of
men with pent-up rage, and with vehement grunts did they
denounce us. A stone thrown by a young man passed the
shoulder of a student and grazed my head. We sang several
hymns and then returned to the house. On the second day
we were out again, and on the third. On the fourth day a
number came near us and spoke somewhat friendly. They felt
not a little ashamed of their conduct, which feeling was never
overcome; for not once in subsequent years did they refer to
our first reception. Once converted to the religion of Jesus,
the man who threw that stone became a student, traveling
over mountain and valley with us, acquiring knowledge, and
later a preacher laboring in Kap-tsu-lan, till he fell a victim
while bravely nursing suffering ones during an epidemic.
Weeks rolled by, and I was approached at Tamsui by two
men from Sin-kang, with an earnest request to visit them and
preach the gospel. We accompanied them back, and ere long
had a chapel in course of erection. When the walls, which
were built of sun-dried bricks, were five feet high, a rum-
bling noise was heard and the earth shook with convulsions.
The earthquake left the building leaning over. Unfortunate
omen! "The earth is against them, and the spirits opposed,"
shouted some, and all resolved to unite to quash our proceed-
ings at once. Every hamlet and town within miles joined in
240
FROM FAR FORMOSA
the cry, and excitement ran so high that danger and death
threatened us every moment.
We maintained our position,
however, finished the thatched chapel, and proclaimed Christ,
and him crucified, night after night to upward of a hundred
hearers.
One Sabbath afternoon, when engaged in service, a letter
was put on the table before me. I was therein warned not to
enter savage territory again or death would be the result. Our
plans were previously arranged to enter the next day. At
cock-crowing we were on the march. When on the top of the
first mountain-range a piercing yell told of savages at hand,
and at a stream in the valley below we met more than fifty of
them. Salutations were exchanged. The wild mountaineers
pointed their guns upward, fired a volley, and bade us follow
them. They welcomed us to their mountain retreat, where we
spent the night, and they were entirely friendly. The origin of
the letter warning us against the savages remained a mystery
for years. But when on my last visit to that village, before re-
turning to Canada in 1893, the mystery was solved. A man
of eighty years of age, Ap Hoan, confessed that he wrote it,
and that he urged to the utmost the savages to waylay and
kill us.
They not only refused, but in time forced him and
his family beyond the domain of their tribe. There being evi-
dence of his conversion, I baptized him at his own request,
and along with him two others who, like him, had passed the
limit of fourscore years.
This uncultivated valley was gradually transformed into rice
and potato fields. A chapel was built, and has served as a
center for work in that region. From that village trips are
made into savage territory. There are about one thousand
Sek-hoan at Sin-kang, and in all points work there is similar
to work among other semi-civilized aborigines.
CHAPTER XXVI
LIFE AMONG THE LAM-SI-HOAN
The Ki-lai plain-A tropical scene-Racial marks-Government-Agri-
culture-Pottery-making-The village well-Architecture-A simple
costume-A novel shade-Tobacco and betel-A public bath-Morals
and manners-Forecast
HE Ki-lai plain, far down the east coast of Formosa, is
THE
the home of about four thousand aborigines who have
been subdued by the Chinese, but who are scarcely started on
the road to civilization. To this plain I have made several
trips, and have learned not a little about the people. On my
first visit I had the use of the pony already referred to, and
enjoyed many a ride over the broad, clean, winding roads.
The plain is about thirty miles long from north to south, and
about six miles in width between the mountains and the sea.
It was formed out of mountain debris carried down by the
streams, and sands washed up by the waves. Along the shore
is a stretch of sand, and back of this an upland, upon which
more than a thousand water-buffaloes find pasture. Farther
inland the soil is light, and in places stony, but suitable for
grazing purposes. The land nearer the mountains is a rich,
deep black loam, mostly of decomposed vegetable matter
washed down from the densely wooded mountains. The beds
of the mountain torrents reveal that up in the country of the
savages, where the explorer dare not go, there are granite, coal,
slate, and mica.
241
242
FROM FAR FORMOSA
This plain is by far the most tropical-looking place I have
ever seen on the island. The roads are remarkably good and
evidently receive not a little care. On either side large ever-
green shade-trees sometimes grow, and every mile or so rest-
ing-places are made of bamboo sticks, upon which burdens are
laid while the carriers sit down, eat betel-nut, and rest. The
scenery is refreshing after the narrow paths, paddy-fields, and
inevitable water-buffaloes of the north. There is an acre of
mountain-rice that needs no artificial irrigation; next is a
patch of taro, then wild indigo, watermelons, sweet potatoes,
golden pumpkins, the climbing bean, and, not least welcome,
beautiful green grass. In the fields grow rows of pride-of-
India trees, and at intervals are erected small square shade-
huts. The birds sing among the branches, the sun shines
overhead, and one feels "the wild joys of living."
The inhabitants of this plain, where "every prospect pleases,"
are perhaps the latest arrivals of the aborigines of Formosa.
Like the other tribes, both civilized and savage, they are allied
to the Malayan race, and in some respects show even more
strongly marked likeness to the present-day islanders in the
Archipelago. Their dialect is peculiar, and quite distinct from
the Pe-po-hoan and the mountain savages. They are entirely
ignorant of the Chinese language, and have themselves no lit-
erature of any sort. Chinese authority is acknowledged, and
an encampment of Chinese soldiers under a military mandarin
is stationed in the plain; but the people do not shave their
heads or wear the cue. The old men have their hair short;
but some of the younger generation are imbibing other notions,
and are quite proud of their long black locks parted in the
middle..
Their government is tribal, or perhaps their companies might
be called clans. All the men are divided into ranks, on the
principle of seniority. There are nine such companies: the
first being composed of all the men from fifty-five to sixty years

LAM-SI-HOAN CHIEF AND PARTY.
AX
LIFE AMONG THE LAM-SI-HOAN
243
of age; the second of those from fifty to fifty-five; and so on
down to the ninth company, made up of the youths from fif-
teen to twenty. Every five years the senior company is re-
tired and a new one formed. On a day appointed a contest
of running a mile and back decides who is to be chief of the
new company. The chief of the whole tribe is chosen in a con-
test among the chiefs of the several companies. Each com-
pany is subject to the one above it in rank, and to each some
special task is assigned. One company makes roads, another
tills the soil, a third attends to the wicker-work, and other de-
partments have each a company to carry them on. When any
special work has to be done, such as hunting, harvesting, fight-
ing, several companies may combine. Inferiors in age and
rank are all under control of superiors. In case of an offense
being committed superiors drive the offenders out of the village,
and they dare not return until after six days, on pain of being
beaten, having their property destroyed and family driven out,
and they themselves exiled from the village until called back.
One evening at Ka-le-oan a dozen fine, strong fellows were
performing tricks and feats for their own and my entertain-
ment, when three of their superiors appeared, and the young
men bounded out of sight in a moment, thus signifying ready
obedience and fear. The inferior company was out on a hunt-
ing-expedition, and when the superiors saw these young fel-
lows taking it easy instead of sharing with their comrades the
trials of the chase, they were very angry and drove them from
the village in punishment. A day or two afterward word
came that three of the tribe had been killed by the savages,
and then the young men were summoned back to go on the
war-path.
The rich soil is pretty thoroughly worked, the farmers being
hard-working and industrious. Mountain-rice, millet, and taro
are grown extensively, and fine sweet potatoes, Indian corn,
beans, watermelons, and small pumpkins. The short-handled
244
FROM FAR FORMOSA
hoe is the chief implement, and is used in the fields very dex-
terously. Wherever they learned the art, there are in that tribe
blacksmiths able to do all the making and mending required.
Pottery is manufactured, both the mixing and moulding being
done by the hand. At Sa-ka-eng, in the north, the Chinese pot-
ters use a horizontal wheel, like the people in Palestine; and
Thomson's description in "The Land and the Book" accu-
rately describes the Chinese process. But these Lam-si-hoan
pottery-makers do not belong to that school; they use neither
mould nor wheel. The clay is dug up, pounded in a wooden
trough with a stone, and mixed with water. A lump is then
taken and bit by bit added, made into the required shape, and
then smoothed with the hand and water. The jars are similar
in shape to those made in Syria and Judea, but not so high, and
have an ear on each side for the hand. They are always
carried on the head; if empty they are inverted, the mouth,
which is about six inches across, fitting like a cap. Twenty or
thirty women returning along the road from the village well,
talking, laughing, singing, their figures well developed, their
carriage erect, their hands hanging at their sides, each with a
filled water-jar on her head, make a picture that even a weary-
eyed globe-trotter turns to see.
((
""
The people live mainly in villages. Each village is sur-
rounded by stately bamboo-trees, and inclosing all is a deep
moat or ditch. On entering the large gate into the village
there, on one side, stands a long open shed of bamboo, in
which a number of men sit, making various kinds of wicker-
work and discussing questions of the day. Near at hand,
shaded by large trees, is the village well, a circular hole twenty
feet deep, fully a hundred feet in diameter at the mouth, and
narrowing down to two or three at the bottom. At one point
the side is cut down, making a more gradual slope, up which
the earth had been carried, and which now serves as a path
down to the water. Around the mouth of the well and down
LIFE AMONG THE LAM-SI-HOAN
245
this incline a railing of bamboo is run. All day long the
women come and go with their water-jars on their heads, get-
ting their supply from this general reservoir.
The houses are all after one design, entirely different from
the Chinese, and in the matter of floor distinctly superior.
Each house is about fifty feet long, twenty feet wide, twelve
feet high at the ridge, and sloping down to about four feet at
the eaves.
Boards are lashed with rattan to a sort of balloon
frame. The grass roof is fully two feet thick, and projects over
the eaves three or four feet, making a kind of low veranda.
The building is constructed with regard not so much to the
comfort and convenience of the inhabitants as to the power and
destructiveness of the typhoons, which sweep over the plain
every year. Every house is floored with rattan about an inch
thick, laid close together and bound or laced with rattan splits.
This makes a strong, neat, and clean floor, and, being raised a
foot above the ground, is much healthier than the mud-floors
of Chinese houses. Indeed, it makes a very comfortable bed,
and is generally put to that use. At one end of the room a
space is built up with earth, making the "fireplace." There
are two doors to the house, one on each side, made of bamboo.
The houses are not arranged in any particular order, each one
being quite independent of every other and of any general plan
or survey. At every door there is at least one ugly dog, al-
ways lean and hungry.
A typical Lam-si-hoan costume is simply made and easily
kept in repair. The women all wear earrings made of bam-
boo, and generally a kind of waist-cloth. The men are con-
tent with the earrings, and do not worry if even that sugges-
tion of clothing be lacking. The women have a fondness for
necklaces made of shells an inch square, tied together with
thread and beads. The more extravagant of the young women
set their hearts on bracelets of brass and other ornaments, which
they keep bright and shining. Tattooing is not practised by
246
FROM FAR FORMOSA
any of the tribe, and they are unable to explain the origin of
the custom among their kinsmen in the mountains, or its dis-
use among themselves.
The tropical sun is very hot and the rain heavy, and as a
protection they have devised a simple but effective shade.
A frame of light wood is made, three feet long and eighteen.
inches wide, across which the fine tops of reeds are laid, and
secured close together with rattan bands. A thin piece of
board across the middle acts as a support, and to it strings are
attached, with which the shade is tied around the neck; and
in this way it is worn on their shoulders by the workers bend-
ing over their task in the sun or rain, without interfering with
their movements or the freedom of their hands.
Rice is the staple food, and at meal-time the whole family
squat around a large plate set on the floor, and, not with
spoons or chopsticks, but with two fingers and the thumb,
each "takes rice." A piece of raw meat is relished as a sweet
morsel, and is not cut with a knife, but torn with fingers and
teeth.
Tobacco is grown very largely, and the dried leaves are
rolled as required into huge cigars six or eight inches long and
about an inch and a half thick. Cigar-smoking and betel-nut
eating are universal with both sexes. Under the shade of the
trees, in their houses, by the roadside-everywhere—men and
women may be seen, singly or in groups, each with a small
gourd full of lime made from burned sea-shells and coral, and
bags of tobacco-leaves and betel-nut. Their mouths are dirty,
disfigured, and seemingly tireless. When walking or resting
the whole time is employed in preparing or using the betel
and cigar. The habit is not only unspeakably filthy, but de-
grading and ruinous to their health.
But lest one might think them indifferent in the matter of
cleanliness, one will be taken to see the public baths with which
some of these villages are provided. I was invited to inspect
LIFE AMONG THE LAM-SI-HOAN
247
the one at Chhit-kha-chhoan, a village of more than a thou-
sand people, gathered together at the base of a high, steep
mountain. A clear, cool stream from a mountain spring is-
sued from the side of a rock and supplied water for the inhabi-
tants of the village. The bathing arrangements are very sim-
ple. Two sets of split-bamboo spouts, one four feet long, the
other eight, are erected seven feet high, and convey the water
out from the side of the rock. From these spouts the pure,
fresh water is pouring all the year round, and there, with noth-
ing but the sky or clouds for walls or covering, is the public.
bath. But even in that primitive state of society there are
rules and regulations, and the fixed law at that bathing-place
is that the men stand under the outer streams and the women
under the inner. At all hours of the day they are coming and
going; the women with their jars, which they first fill and set
aside; then they stand, sit, or crouch under the water-streams,
chuckling and grunting with delight as the cool water falls upon
them; and when they have exhausted that pleasure, or other
duties call, the jars are raised again, and with heads erect they
march homeward, singing, it may be, some snatch of song.
In society constituted as it is among the Lam-si-hoan, neither
refinement of life nor elegance of manners need be looked for.
Their lives have not been touched by those great movements
that have fixed the standard of manners in Christian civiliza-
tion, and they never indulge those habits of thought and intro-
spection that awaken self-consciousness and a sense of shame.
They never heard the name of God, and have no knowledge
of his grace and truth. The life they live is full of toil and
hardship, and their nature-worship is powerless to redeem or
sanctify. To their minds, darkened by innumerable supersti-
tions, the thought of anything unseen that is not to be dreaded
is hard to grasp. The spirits they believe in are vengeful and
cruel, and were it not for their direful power would be neglected
altogether. Without priest or idol or temple, they live in
248
FROM FAR FORMOSA
sea.
bondage to a fear of spirits everywhere, in earth and air and
To Christianize them would require a distinct and sep-
arate mission, as their plain is difficult of access, and the voy-
age down the coast dangerous. With "very much land to be
possessed" in the more enduring cities and settlements in the
north, it seemed unwise to expend much of our strength on
this unstable and vanishing tribe. The aborigines cannot sur-
vive the coming and presence of the dominant race.
The re-
peating-rifle and spear of the mountain savage on the one side,
and the unscrupulous greed and destructive vices of the Chinese
on the other, are making inroads on this people, who have not
the compensating strength and endurance of either the savage
or the civilized.
The future of the Lam-si-hoan is not hard to forecast. They
have little moral or social recuperative power, and they imbibe
nothing of the rejuvenating life-streams of civilization. Theirs
is the tragedy of many savage tribes alike in the East and in
the West: the first touch of the civilized man is the touch of
death. China's civilization in the Ki-lai plain is represented
by the soldier and the trader; and in their footsteps follow car-
nal passion and deadly lust. Already poisonous liquors and
corroding licentiousness have begun their havoc, and instead
of strength and vigor, physical haggardness and wreckage are
added to intellectual degradation and moral poverty.

IN A LAM-SI-HOAN VILLAGE.
THE MOUNTAIN SAVAGES
249
A
CHAPTER XXVII
SAVAGE LIFE AND CUSTOMS
Of human interest-Personal contact-Trip with Captain Bax-A crafty
chief — Social organization-Houses -Food-Dress-Tattooing-
Musical instruments-Marriage-Morality-Religion-Superstition
Ascent of Mount Sylvia-Disappointment-On a grave-Hospi-
tality-Christmas with the savages-Destructive influences—
Woman's lot-Missionary work
I the sa
T matters little how far removed the civilized may be from
the savage, or how many generations may have come and
gone since our ancestors lived in huts and dressed in skins;
we are all of us interested in the life of those tribes who have
maintained their wild independence, and with much heroic
endurance roam the plains or pierce the jungles, scorning the
sweets of civilization, living only for to-day, and counting a
calamity whatever checks desire or curbs their restless will.
The savage's will "is the wind's will," and there is a fascina-
tion about his reckless dash and careless abandon.
Savage life can be seen in all its lights and shades in the
primeval mountain forests of Formosa. How many centuries
the deer and boar have been hunted among these hills by
swarthy Malays history does not know. A thousand years is
as far back as the annals go, but the island was theirs before
the annals were kept. Save for the encroachments of the
Chinese, circumscribing their territory and furnishing them
with the destructive, repeating-rifle, these savages in the moun-
tains are to-day in life and manners what they were ten centu-
251
252
FROM FAR FORMOSA
ries ago.
What I have learned of their customs and beliefs
has been through personal contact with them for weeks to-
gether in their hamlets and villages. There was constant
danger, for no one can tell how or when the savage nature will
manifest its savagery; but intercourse with them was always
interesting and instructive.
"
One year after landing I made an extensive trip into sav-
age territory in company with Captain Bax, of H. B. M. ship
Dwarf," who was desirous of seeing the natives in their
mountain home. Three days' journey from Tamsui a party of
friendly natives, with their chief, got ready to escort us. We
were led through many streams, along and over many hills,
and halted beside a cool spring at the base of a high moun-
tain-range. After dinner we began to ascend the mountain,
but it was steep, rugged, and literally covered with rank vege-
tation. Those in advance had to cut the creepers and other
growths with long knives, and so difficult was the ascent that
the boldest held his breath for a time." Before we reached
the top, thirty-five hundred feet high, the chief himself com-
pletely collapsed and had to be hauled up with a long rattan.
That range was the dividing-line between the Chinese and the
savages. To penetrate farther was at our peril, but we had
counted the cost and were resolved on taking the risk. After
cutting our way over another range we stood on the summit
of the last, and our leaders shouted. The answer was returned,
and a party from the tribe in the valley below, with guns,
spears, bows and arrows, started up in our direction. When
half-way down we met them face to face; signs were made,
and we were allowed to pass on, they following closely. Tat-
tooed women and naked children came out to see the strangers.
At dark we were in a large valley, where we came upon a
group of several hundred savages squatting on the ground to-
gether. A halt was called, and as there were no houses or huts
to be seen our people started fires, cooked rice, and prepared
SAVAGE LIFE AND CUSTOMS
253
a shelter for the night. Standing around that glowing fire,
shut in by mountain and forest, those savage chiefs, with their
wild-eyed braves, heard for the first and perhaps last time the
solemn strains of David's Hundredth Psalm. The "people"
understood not, but the night wind brought back the echoes
telling that mountain and valley understood and answered the
call to "sing to the Lord with cheerful voice." The chiefs
fixed their eyes on us in silence all the while, and when we
lay down they squatted round the fires. It was too cold for
us to sleep, and all through the night, like sentinels on duty,
those savage eyes kept sleepless watch against anything sus-
picious on the part of the strangers.
At daybreak we persuaded the chief and his son to take us
to see their dwellings. After much hesitation and parleying
more than thirty started with us. Through jungle, over wind-
falls, our clothes torn by thorny shrubs, we pushed our way.
A sound was heard, and looking up a large bird was observed
perched on a tree. Suddenly all were breathlessly still. The
old chief crawled up like a cat, and when under the tree let
drive a heavy charge from his Chinese matchlock. The beau-
tiful bird was brought down, put into a bag, and one of the
men carried it on his shoulder. Captain Bax and I were be-
ginning to suspect the chief's leading. Presently we came to
a clearing, and the chief stepped back and told us that there
were Chinese in the huts, and if we would go around and engage
them from the open he and his men would attack them from
the bush, and they could not escape. The old rascal thought
to make us tools for his head-hunting braves. We were in-
dignant, and in no mild terms told him that he was not honor-
able; that we came far to pay him a visit, and he deceived
us. They all listened as the interpreter translated, and anger
gleamed from every eye. Then after a little conversation
among themselves they seemed mollified; the chief acknow-
ledged he was wrong, and promised to take us to their own
254
FROM FAR FORMOSA
villages. Going in an almost opposite direction we were sur-
prised to come upon a well-beaten path, winding, to be sure,
but good for traveling; and when on the top of a very high
range we were ordered to halt and remain silent. A peculiar
shout was raised and immediately answered from another moun-
tain-top. Going down one range and up another, we saw their
village, with several hundred men, women, and children gaz-
ing at us, and half-starved dogs yelping like very devils. Other
terrible noises, wild and hellish, were explained as the shouts
of rejoicing at a feast that was being held over a Chinese head
that had been brought in fresh from the border-land.
We were invited to a seat, and several to whom I had given
quinine for malaria the evening we were in the valley came
forward and claimed me as a friend. We were interested in
the architecture of their huts, and produced note-books and
pencils to make sketches. The savages stared at us for a
while, and when they understood what we were doing they
began chattering angrily among themselves. The young men
darted into the huts and reappeared with long iron-headed
spears. They were wild with rage. Every eye flashed. We
took in the situation and quietly put away our books and pen-
cils. Gradually the excitement subsided and we tried to ex-
plain. But no explanation would satisfy. In our ignorance.
we had committed a great offense. They have a superstition
that making a photograph or picture extracts the essence of a
thing, and they believed that our innocent sketches would not
only take the essence out of their houses, but could be used
to our advantage and to their hurt. We were afterward as-
sured that had we persisted neither of us would have returned
to tell the tale.
That evening we were again in the valley, and when our
fires were lighted fully five hundred savages from the bush
gathered round. We made some presents, and then by means
of an interpreter I told them of the great Father and of Him
SAVAGE LIFE AND CUSTOMS
255
who "died to make us good." Our party sang hymns for an
hour or two, and with a prayer that the Holy Spirit would seal
something of our message in those dark heathen hearts we lay
down to rest. Next day we made our way, through a drench-
ing rain, down slippery paths, out into the cleared land. We
had gone farther than white man had ever penetrated before;
but on emerging from the bush the captain was prostrated.
with fever and had to be carried back to Tamsui in a sedan.
I kept up until the first night in my own house, when for the
first time I felt the dread fever's hands of ice and fire.
There are many different tribes in these mountains, and
each tribe has its peculiar features in language, customs, and
modes of life; but all that is distinctive of savage life is com-
mon to each. They usually live in hamlets or villages built
on the top of a mountain or high upland. The largest village
I saw had about seven hundred inhabitants; the average pop-
ulation is about one hundred and fifty. Each village has a
head man, and each tribe a chief. The greatest brave, the
one most gifted to command, is generally chief; and his son,
if brave and popular, sometimes succeeds him in office. The
chief's authority is absolute, but he has a kind of council,
composed of a half-dozen of the older braves, with whom he
confers in matters of unusual importance.
Their houses are usually constructed of planks, bamboo, or
wickerwork; sometimes of reeds daubed with mud. Their
best houses are floored with rattan ropes half an inch thick,
but are without division or partition. The parents sleep on
the east side, the boys on the west, and the girls on the south.
A village consists of a half-dozen such houses; a score makes
a large village. The skulls of boar and deer fastened on the
walls, shining black with smoke, served for interior decoration;
and outside, under the eaves, is an entire row of these orna-
ments, relieved by an occasional Chinese cranium, some fresh,
others old and weather-beaten.
UorM
256
FROM FAR FORMOSA
The hunt is the main source of savage food-supply. In the
forests game is plentiful, and with guns, spears, bows and arrows,
boar, bear, deer, and smaller game-indeed, anything that has
life are secured for food. They are not at all dainty, and
eat what they can get, if they cannot get what they want;
but as the choicest of morsels they enjoy a piece of raw flesh
cut warm from the slain animal before it is dead. A little
farming is done, the work generally falling to the women.
Three or four acres of ground are sufficient for a village of one
hundred, each family having a separate plot. Mountain-rice,
maize, taro, a little sweet potato, and pomelos are cultivated,
while berries, plums, and a small variety of orange grow wild.
A hoe with a short handle is the one implement required.
The dress of the savage is not altogether unpicturesque.
A sack of coarse linen, open in front, and with holes for the
arms, serves the purposes of a coat, and is often ornamented
with bright red or blue threads plucked from a piece of flan-
nel obtained in barter, interwoven about the bottom. Caps
are made of rattan, and besmeared with the blood of the deer
or boar, and sometimes covered with the skins of animals
killed in hunting. Buttons, beads, and brass wire are greatly
prized for ornamentation. Women have artistic head-bands
of beads, shells, and carnelian. Rows of brass rings are worn
on the legs and arms, and armlets of white shell are thought to
look well against the reddish brown of a woman's arm. Men
and women wear earrings, the woman's style being a stick of
bamboo five inches in length and half an inch thick, wound
round at intervals with a fine yellow grass; the men are con-
tent with ones of a larger size, but shorter. These are stuck
through holes made in the ears, and to a foreigner look neither
comfortable nor pretty; but custom has laid its hand heavy
on these dusky children of the forest, as on the aristocracy of
European or American society. However much or little other
clothing is worn, every man must have a broad belt of braided
Mou

THE
UNSUBDUED ABORIGINES LIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS.
SAVAGE LIFE AND CUSTOMS
257
rattan, in which he carries a long, crooked, sharp-pointed
knife, so useful for cutting tobacco, betel-nut, wood, and in
case an animal is to be skinned or a Chinese beheaded. This
belt is also very useful when food is scarce; an extra twist or
knot is said to greatly mitigate a hungry man's distress.
Tattooing is practised by all the mountain savages, and is
done with great care. A well-defined pattern is carefully
followed. The blue-black lines on the forehead are short,
straight, vertical; those on the cheeks are invariably curved
and are regularly arranged. From the ear to the side of the
mouth are three curved lines; underneath them a row of
diamond-shaped marks; lower down three more curved
lines extending from ear to ear below the mouth; below this
another row of ornaments; and lower still three curved lines
complete the design. No prize-winner on presentation day
feels prouder than a savage when standing up to be tattooed.
They have only two musical instruments-one a simple
affair made of the hard rind of the bamboo, three inches long,
half an inch wide, with a "tongue" cut in the center and a
string attached to either end. It is made on the principle of
the "jews'-harp," and produces a similar sound. The other
is a "nose-flute," made of bamboo, a foot long, blown into
with the nose, and played upon with the fingers like a flute.
The savages all marry; old bachelors and old maids are
alike unknown. Marriage, however, is a social privilege from
which a man is debarred until he has proved his merit as a
hunter and has brought in at least one Chinese head; but if
the Chinese are unusually careful about their heads, and keep
beyond spear-reach of the most daring brave, the chief may
grant a special dispensation to one who has won his spurs in
a deer-hunt or in a contest with the wild boar. The parents
of the girl make arrangements for her, and answer all proper
questions. There is no great ceremony, except that the bride
is gaily decked with ornaments and articles of many colors
258
FROM FAR FORMOSA
before she is led to the house of her husband, and that danc-
ing, drinking, and wild carousing express the good wishes of
the tribe.
These savages are singularly free from many moral and
social vices common alike among civilized and uncivilized
peoples. Gambling and opium-smoking are very rare; mur-
der, theft, incendiarism, polygamy, and social impurity are al-
most unknown, except where the baneful influence of Chinese
traders and border-men has corrupted the simplicity of the
savage. Tribes are continually at war with one another, and all
agree in regarding raids on the Chinese as both legitimate and
praiseworthy; but among themselves crime is rare.
Should a
brave be convicted of incendiarism or wounding another in a
drunken quarrel he is condemned to procure a certain number
of deer-skins and to give a feast at his own expense for the
tribe.
Whatever of religion these savages possess may be called
nature-worship. They are entirely without any of the notions
or the symbols of Chinese idolatry. They do not bow down
and worship anything seen or unseen, and have no conception
of a supreme personal God. There are feasts, however, that
have a certain religious significance. At the end of harvest
they have a dance and feast expressive of reverence and grat-
itude to the heavens and the earth. They believe, too, in the
existence and continued influence of innumerable spirits, the
spirits of their ancestors and great braves who have left the
body. The distinction between the soul and the body is marked
by the names given-ta-ni-sah, meaning the soul, and egyp, the
body. Their notions of the place of the departed spirits are
very vague and general, but the belief in their direful power is
a source of perpetual fear and torture. Food and liquor are
sometimes set for the spirits of the departed, and then con-
sumed with some sort of invocation to the spirits to bless and
prosper. I was present on one occasion when one tribe was
SAVAGE LIFE AND CUSTOMS
259
engaged in this ceremony. The right hand was held up with
the index-finger extended, and all joined in the invocation:
Na-e-an [Heaven], hang-ni-ngi-sa-i-a-ku [give us hearts of
peace, give us long life, give us prosperity]; han-pai-ku [we
are about to eat]." At the same time the forefinger was dipped
four times in the liquor, and then the following words were
added: "Ma-ra-nai [Earth], han-pai-ku [we are about to eat];
ai-mu-na-va-hi [you spirits that have already departed, give us
peace]."
Some tribes have ceremonies in connection with the worship
of their ancestors three times a year. They regard it a duty
to praise and reverence their progenitors for the hardships
they encountered and for their skill in killing the boar and
deer. In an open space in the village the tribe meets; men
and women join hands in a circle around liquor, cakes, millet,
and salted fish, placed there for the spirits expected to be
present. At times they join hands in a long row, two or three
of the leaders waving white-and-red flags at the ends of long
bamboo poles. This ceremony invariably takes place at night,
and a weird thing it is to watch their half-naked bodies bound
forward and backward, with many wild leaps into the air, their
flags flying in the lurid torch-light, and all the time the most
unearthly yells and shrieks keeping up a sort of pandemonium
chant.
They reverence to the utmost degree of superstitious vener-
ation the chirp and movements of little birds. Should any
expedition be under consideration—especially hunting, and
most of all head-hunting-they will go out and throw sticks
up into some tree and disturb the birds. Should the chirp be
a certain sound and their flight be in a certain direction, noth-
ing could induce the chief to call out his braves.
Their rev-
erence for the little tailor-bird has more than once been the
cause of annoyance and inconvenience. On one occasion I
planned the ascent of Mount Sylvia, whose peak towers more
260
FROM FAR FORMOSA
The services of a
The chief's son, who
than eleven thousand feet above the sea.
chief and a dozen braves were secured.
afterward became a Christian, acted as interpreter. Our point
of departure was a place we called "Huts." When Captain
Bax made his trip this was the farthest inland point then
reached. Two of the men went in advance, cutting the
prickly creepers; but the first day our clothes were torn and
our hands sorely lacerated. The second day, on a high peak,
the signal-shout of our guides was answered by several shots
in rapid succession, and then another band of savages met us.
They surrounded me, scrutinized me from head to foot, then
grinned and said, "You have no cue; you must be our kins-
man."
After spending the night in their village we crossed another
range and followed a dark defile, where, looking over the
ledges of rock, an impetuous torrent could be seen dashing
over boulders two hundred feet below. In the afternoon we
A halt was called;
were within the bounds of another tribe.
rice-balls were ranged in a circle, a large bamboo of native
liquor, with a drinking-cup, in the center. They all sat down,
drank, and fired several volleys. Two dozen of the local tribe,
with their chief, who had been watching us from concealment
all the time, suddenly appeared with their matchlocks ready.
Our chief made signs and the guns were lowered. Each one
advanced in turn, and putting his hand first on my breast,
then on his own, said, "You are our kinsman." Then the
members of the two tribes threw their arms around one 'an-
other's necks, and with their faces together drank to the health
of both.
On the morning of the fourth day we were making the
ascent of Sylvia. There is excitement and interest in the
thought, for Sylvia is the pride of our mountains. Higher and
higher we wound and cut and climbed. Far up we reached a
little open space among the tangle, and could see that next
SAVAGE LIFE AND CUSTOMS
261
day would take us to the topmost peak. Below could be seen
all the ranges, with their intervening valleys. All around was
the wild luxuriance of cypress and camphor, orange, plum, and
apple, chestnut, oak, and palm, while the umbrella-like tree-fern
rose majestically some thirty feet high, with its spreading
fronds fully twenty feet long. Far up in the crotch of the
camphor or cypress could be seen the ribbony ferns, and
hanging down from the branches orchids varied and beautiful.
On one side is a grove of bamboo with sky-blue stems and
feathery tops. In the jungle the trees are interlaced by a net-
work of prickly rattan. Standing there on that jutting crag,
gazing on that marvelous scene above, around, below, listen-
ing to the music of a torrent tumbling from a chasm high
overhead, far to the west the waters of the Formosa Channel
gleaming like a long line of blue light, and, between, the moun-
tain-ranges, looking as though the dark-green sea stood still,
"with all its rounded billows fixed and motionless forever,"
the effect of it all was overwhelming.
But after that night of ecstasy came the morning of disap-
pointment. With the snow-capped heights of Sylvia almost
within reach, the chief announced his decision to return to
"Huts." He had been out interviewing the birds, and their
flight warned him back. There was nothing for it but to fall
into line and retrace our steps. Reluctantly, but with much
more rapidity, the descent was made, and we arrived at the
village in time for the braves to participate in the devilish jubi-
lation over a head brought in during our absence. One ugly
old chief, wild with the excitement of the dance, put his arm
around my neck and pressed me to drink with him from his
bamboo, mouth to mouth. I refused, stepped back, looked
him sternly square in the face, and he was cowed and made
apologies. When we left them they were urgent in their in-
vitations to their "black-bearded kinsman " to visit them again.
When in the forests near West Peak, nine thousand feet
262
FROM FAR FORMOSA
high, I strolled about outside a savage village, and was sud-
denly called to halt by strange and angry shouts. Looking
around for an explanation, I saw savages with their chief stand-
ing a little way off, their hands on the handles of their long
knives. They gesticulated wildly and seemed almost frantic.
I then advanced to the chief, put my hand on his shoulder,
and immediately the turmoil ceased. The cause of it all was
that I had been standing upon an old grave, and, according
to their superstitious notions, to touch a grave is sure to bring
dire calamity to the tribe. They bury a dead body in a hole
several feet deep, the knees drawn up to the breast, and all the
weapons of the dead deposited in the grave. It is covered
over with twigs and leaves, and then all rush away, not daring
to look back or to return to repair the grave.
I was in that region with some of the students for three
weeks, unable to return to the cleared land owing to the im-
passable state of the streams, swollen by continual rains. We
had no provisions and were entirely dependent on the savages.
But we lacked for nothing. What food they had or could get
we shared. They brought us Indian corn and wild honey
preserved in bottles made out of the bamboo. They offered
us a spirituous liquor made out of mountain-rice, of which they
are very fond, and which seems to make them drowsy. Mr.
E. C. Baber, the British consul, who was with me on one tour,
sampled the liquor and pronounced it "poor stuff."
One year I spent Christmas day with the savages. Koa
Kau, another student, and an elder from Sin-tiam accompanied
me. We crossed the river at Sin-tiam and were soon within
the mountains. Next day, when walking some distance in
advance of the others, I came upon a savage woman with a
child on her back. She looked afraid at first, but when I
spoke she smiled and the child laughed aloud. A little farther
on her husband appeared, his hand grasping his knife and a
fierce look on his face. The woman spoke to him and then
SAVAGE LIFE AND CUSTOMS
263
he was friendly. Hearing that I wished to visit their chief,
who holds rule over eight villages, they offered to guide me.
Through reed-marshes and jungle, up hill and down, over
rocks and fallen trees, we made our way. Again and again
bird-listening was resorted to, but always with favorable results.
When we reached the chief's village we were taken into his
august presence. He received us graciously. The students
and myself were to be his guests, while the rest of our party
should be given quarters in another house. A bear had been
killed that day, and a fresh piece of his flesh was brought in
for us; but we were not equal to raw bear's meat not yet cold,
and had to decline with thanks. The women gathered some
rice, threshed it, tramped it in a large tray to remove the husk,
and pounded it in a tub with a wooden stamper four feet long,
grasped by the middle, until in a very short time the hulls were
off and the rice ready for the pot. The pot was supported
by three old knives stuck in the ground as spits. At supper
each made rice into a ball for himself with a wooden ladle and
his fingers, and reached for some of Bruin's haunches, broiled
to suit the taste of a brave.
The chief's house was one large room fully thirty feet long,
with a fire blazing at night at either end. Men stood around
one fire, women squatted beside the other. There were five
beds on poles along the walls. The highest was given to me,
and one close by to the students. We had candles made from
the heart of the fir-tree, and as one burned out it was replaced
by another. On one couch across the room lay the savage
mother with her sleeping new-born babe. She was human and
had the instincts of a mother; but she was an untutored sav-
age, and, savage-like, she smoked incessantly her long bamboo
pipe. The men smoked, told stories, and discussed the chase.
and an expedition to the border-land to be undertaken soon.
The women were busy thread-making on the spinning-jenny;
and as they wound the rhea they laughed, twitted one another,
264
FROM FAR FORMOSA
and chatted as their sisters do in Christian countries. Yes,
sisters! for He made them, died for them, and from the glory
bends on them a Brother's eye. We proposed a song—“one
of the songs of Zion." They all looked and listened with evi-
dent interest. The aborigines are much more musical than the
Chinese. We sang several hymns, and through the chief's son,
who once visited me at Tamsui, I told them of the far-away
home and of God's love for the world. It was Christmas
night; and away there in a wild place, where no white man
had ever been, and in the company of men and women and
little children who never before heard of his coming, it sent a
thrill to the heart to tell of the Babe of Bethlehem, the Man
of Nazareth and Calvary. I could not help thinking of their
sad state, and of the opportunity and responsibility of the thou-
sands in Christian lands who on that very day took up the
Christmas carol:
"Hark, the herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born King."
These tribes are continually changing their headquarters.
When a chief or the head of a family dies they do not care to
remain in that vicinity, but begin anew in some other quarter.
The abandoned site is soon overgrown by shrubs and vines,
and only the absence of immense trees marks the place of their
former habitation. Their mode of clearing the forest-land is
rather novel. Climbing the trees, they lop off the branches
with their knives, then girdle the trunk, and in time the storms
lay the dead trees low. The land is afterward cleared for the
village and rice-fields. Some of the tribes are rapidly dimin-
ishing in numbers and losing their independence, and will, in
course of time, be absorbed by the superior race. Natural
increase does not keep pace with the waste. The hard lot
of the savage woman unfits her for maternity, and makes her
progeny less able to endure the hardness of savage life.
SAVAGE LIFE AND CUSTOMS
265
One of the sad things about their life is the condition of
woman among them. The heaviest burden rests upon her.
All day long she toils in the fields, and at night carries home
the fruit of her work. Then she goes out into the bush and
gathers firewood, returning with a heavy load on her back.
Exposure, drudgery, poor food, and all the other ills of her
burdened life soon tell on her strength; the strong, healthy,
finely developed girl is old before her time, and at an age
when her civilized sister is in her prime she is worn, haggard,
and utterly repulsive in her decrepit ugliness. Centuries of
civilization and the influence of Christianity would equalize the
burden of men and women, and teach those idle braves that
the weaker sex is not the beast of burden for the lords of the
tribe. Whatever new burdens might be imposed by the sharper
struggle for existence in a more highly organized and compli-
cated state of society, they could scarcely be more cruel or
crushing than those that make a savage woman's life too dreary
for pleasure and too unromantic for tragedy.
As yet our missionary work among the savages is little more
than skirmishing. Occasional tours to their villages may do
something-have, indeed, done something-for their benighted.
souls. But we do not call that mission work, and at present
it seems difficult to do more. No missionary from the West
could live long in the mountains, so great is the rainfall, and
so ruinous to health. The multiplicity of dialects presents an-
other obstacle. A native may yet be raised up to carry the
gospel to his fellows. Till then we hope to do what may be
done by such methods as are within our reach. Several of the
chapels in the border-land are attended by savages with more
or less regularity. We keep in constant touch with them, and
under ordinary circumstances have no fear of personal violence;
but all attempts to evangelize them must, for the present gen-
eration at least, meet seemingly insuperable obstacles. The
blankness of their moral life, the blindness of their spiritual
266
FROM FAR FORMOSA
vision, the deadness-not absence of their receptive faculties,
make the effort to move them with the dynamic of truth a
seemingly hopeless task. Add to this the extreme hardness of
their lot, the keenness of life's struggle, the barrenness of life's
outlook, and, most of all, take account of the utterly damning
effect of intoxicants introduced by the wily Chinese trader, for
which, when once awakened, the savage thirst is insatiable.
Facing a conspiracy of such resisting and demoralizing forces,
mission work indeed seems hopeless. But the obstacles are
only seemingly insuperable; the task is only seemingly hope-
less. The gospel has brought light to the savage mind. Men
and women have believed and been made free. Their fiercest
passions have been tamed, their deadliest lusts curbed and
sanctified. Some are still fighting life's winning battle among
their native mountains; some have gone to the better world.
With confidence I look forward to meeting in the land of the
hereafter one and another who first heard of God and heaven
around the gleaming night fires in the forests of Formosa.
CHAPTER XXVIII
WITH THE HEAD-HUNTERS
Their ruling passion-Probable origin—Hereditary hatred of Chinese—
Pe-po-hoan a traitor-By nature a hunter-Head-hunter's outfit-
Planning a raid—Attack by daylight-Under cover of night-Return
of the victors-A head-hunting feast-Disposing of the head-A
fight with Chinese-Failure-In Chinese hands—Vengeance—Be-
trayed by kinsmen-After British "blue-jackets "
H
EAD-HUNTING is the ruling passion among the sav-
ages in Formosa. This is the one crime of violence laid
to their charge. To this, as to nothing else, they give them-
selves from earliest youth to decrepit age, following it with an
ardor that never cools and a cruelty that never relents. The
deer and the boar may lose their power to stir the old chief to
enthusiasm, but to his dying day his right hand never loses its
cunning; and to see his braves return with the spoils of a head-
hunting raid is as life to his bones. The last desire of the
dying is that his sons may prove worthy of their sire and by
stealthy step and certain thrust add to the trophies of the tribe.
Hideous and gruesome as this passion appears to all civilized
peoples, it must not be taken as incompatible with the coexis-
tence of moral qualities not always found, or found but feebly
developed, in other savage or half-civilized races. As has
already been said, in several points of morality these mountain
savages will compare favorably with other and higher races.
Like their nearest of kin, the Hill Dyaks of Borneo, whom they
resemble with significant closeness in most of their distinctive
267
268
FROM FAR FORMOSA
features of character and in their customs and habits of life,
they are truthful and honest to a remarkable degree; and gross
immorality, when found among them, is nearly always trace-
able to border-land association with the Chinese.
Head-hunting may be traced back to the petty village and
tribal wars; and as life has no sacredness in the eyes of the
savage, and an enemy has no rights, it became simply a ques-
tion of mode as to how their enemies should be put to death
and some wrongs atoned for. The bringing back of the head
was regarded as satisfactory evidence-a kind of medical cer-
tificate that the sentence of the tribe had been carried out.
When hostilities became fixed, and certain tribes or races were
regarded as unforgivable enemies, a premium was put upon
their heads, and the brave who showed most skill was counted
worthy of greatest honor and made head man of his village or
chief of his tribe. So it may have come about—at all events
it has come about-that the hill savages of Formosa look upon
the enemy of their tribes as a mark for their spears, and his
head as specially designed to ornament their huts.
These aboriginal inhabitants held the island to be theirs by
the right of centuries of possession; and when the Chinese
came they were regarded as intruders, who would not respect
native rights. The Chinese justified every suspicion, and shrank
from nothing that would give them possession of the land.
The natives were driven back into the mountains, their liber-
ties curtailed, and their life molested. The Chinese, therefore,
became the hated enemy of the savage, and to avenge the
wrong of his tribe not only merited applause from men and
maidens still living, but won the approval of ancestral braves,
whose spirits, watching the fortunes of the tribes, had powers
for weal or woe, and would surely punish the family whose
sons held back from the work of vengeance.
While the Chinese are hated with the intensest hatred, and
their heads prized as trophies of highest price, the savages have

ARMED HEAD HUNTERS,
WITH THE HEAD-HUNTERS
269
no tenderness of feeling for their kindred who have acknow-
ledged Chinese authority. The various tribes of conquered
aborigines in the plains are looked upon as traitors, and when
opportunity offers they are made to pay the penalty. A Chi-
nese head may be a first prize, but the chance of a Pe-po-hoan
is never missed. Indeed, it would almost seem that the treason
of those who have yielded to the oppressor inspires a bitterer
hate.
The savage is by nature a hunter. He has the instincts,
the senses, and the hardy endurance required. He knows the
haunts and habits of game. He can wait long and follow far.
His foot is soft, his aim sure, and into the chase he throws all
the passion of his soul. When the game is human, not animal,
there is added zest in the chase, and his vengeful hate suffers
not his energies to flag. No sleuth-hound is truer to the scent,
no tiger is stealthier of foot. Everything is planned before-
hand. For weeks, perhaps months, back of all other thoughts
is the prospective raid. From some ambush on the hilltop the
movements of the fated victims on the plain are watched.
What time the farmers come and go, when the rice will be
reaped or the vegetables dug, when the fishermen leave home
and when they return, who among the country people go into
town, what the defensive strength of a village is, where and
when the raid could best be made-all this the scouts know
long before the appointed day arrives.
The outfit of a head-hunter is simple. The necessary things
are a spear, knife, and bag. The spear is of bamboo, about
twenty feet long, with an iron arrow-shaped head eight inches
long. This is light, strong, and easily used, and always car-
ried in the hands. The knife is of iron, eighteen inches long,
sharp-pointed, and generally crooked, with a one-sided open
hardwood sheath. This knife is always in the savage's belt,
and the belt is always worn. The bag is of strong twisted
rhea-cord, open like a net, carried over the shoulders with
270
FROM FAR FORMOSA
strings tied round the neck, and capable of holding two or
three heads. Every head-hunter has the spear, knife, and bag.
Sometimes bow and arrows are taken, and occasionally a
matchlock gun.
Always on the lookout for Chinese, they will attack them
anywhere and at any time, should the opportunity be favor-
able. But should a month or two go by without a head being
brought to the village they become restless and unhappy. The
old-time passion begins to burn, and arrangements are made
for a head-hunting expedition. The chief calls his council
braves together, the matter is talked over, and proposals con-
sidered. The raid having been settled on and preliminaries
arranged, the hunters then look to their weapons. As many
as fifty sometimes join the expedition; but when they come
near the border territory, where the Chinese may be seen, they
divide into small companies under the guide of the oldest and
bravest.
Sometimes they start out during the day, in which case the
savages go singly. They know where and when their victims
may be found, and rely more on the surprised attack and sud-
den thrust than on the skill or strength of open combat. With
all his daring the savage is at heart a coward, “bold in am-
bush, base in open field." He watches from behind a boulder
or bush until his victim is within spear-thrust, when suddenly
and without warning he strikes the blow; or he creeps up be-
hind the unguarded workman and takes him unawares. This
is his method with the rattan and camphor workers in the for-
est. The rattan industry is very extensively carried on by the
Chinese, and many woodmen are employed. The rattan grows
sometimes to the length of five hundred feet, creeping vine-
like over other plants and above the branches of trees.
workman cuts the stalk near the root, and, going backward,
pulls it out of the entanglement like a long rope. While he is
so engaged the savage creeps up and thrusts him through with
The
WITH THE HEAD-HUNTERS
271
his long spear. Camphor-working is equally dangerous. The
Chinese chip the trunks of the camphor-tree with a short adz,
on their knees or bending over all the while. That is the
hunter's chance, and many a Chinese head is off before its
owner has time to turn around. The farmers are exposed to
danger in their fields near the mountains. Often the face of
a hill is cleared and planted, while the top and opposite side
are still bush. The savages are concealed in the bush, and
having observed the coming and going of men and women to
the potato-patch, watch their chance, and before the alarm
can be given the deed is done. The head-hunter frequently
conceals himself beside lonely paths through fields of reeds,
tall grass in the plains, or at the mouth of a mountain gorge
near the sea. Then he waits the coming of some solitary
traveler, and the first warning of danger is the last thrust of
the spear. In such ways head-hunting is carried on in the
daylight, and in a surprisingly short time the hunter is back
again in the security of the forest, with the proof of his skill
in the rhea-net on his shoulder. A wild yell gives the signal
to his village, and in the plain below friends are beginning to
wonder what is keeping husband or father—he never was so
late before.
But night is the favorite time for the head-hunter. Then
the men go in companies. Their plan is to select a house
standing apart and to surround it, making a wide circle, and
gradually closing in until at a signal the attack is made. Some-
times one creeps up and sets fire to the dry thatch of the roof,
and when the inmates are aroused and rush out they are in-
stantly speared, their heads thrust into the bags, and in a mo-
ment not a sound is heard but the crackling of the burning
embers. If there is no reason for such haste, the hunters first
secure the door, then thrust damp grass smudges through the
chinks and openings, smoke the inmates to suffocation, and
then secure their heads. This is safe only when a house is in
272
FROM FAR FORMOSA
a lonely place, where there is no danger of relief from neigh-
bors. Failing to find a house to their liking, the hunters will
take account of any theatrical performance in town, or other
attraction that may be depended on to draw the country
people and detain them until a late hour. Stragglers are never
safe on these roads at night. Or, failing in this, they lie in
wait for the farmers and their men, who go to the harvest-
field early in the morning and return when the light has failed
in the evening. A man or woman bent over the hoe all day,
or trudging in the rice-field, is not always on the alert, and
proves an easy mark. The women and children in the fishing-
villages are always afraid for the terrors of the night; and men
never know, when they push off in the evening, but that their
loved ones will have fallen victims to the cruel savages before
they return; for on the mountains behind the village the sav-
age spies are taking note of all.
The heads having been secured, the hunters return with all
haste to the village. When on the peak of the nearest moun-
tain they shout their wild whoop of victory. The villagers
have been waiting, and when that yell is heard a party is sent
out to meet the braves and escort them home. All the village
is out of doors. Old men and women, youths and maidens,
the youngest child in the settlement, even the very dogs, all
know the meaning of the yell, and go wild with excitement.
They are all on the way to welcome home the heroes. Such
shouting, shrieking, and demon-like howls! The dogs seem
as though they were made for nothing but yelping on that one
occasion. The hunters recite their experiences-how they es-
caped detection, how they did the deed, perhaps what wounds
they got in the fray. Everything is told with many gesticula-
tions, and every point is greeted with fresh demonstrations of
delight.
In due time the hunting-party reaches the chief's house, and
the spoils are exposed to inspection and further jubilation. If
WITH THE HEAD-HUNTERS
273
there be more than one head the joy of the village knows no
bounds; but one is sufficient to call out all the fiendish noises
that men or devils could well desire. The head is placed in
the middle room, or, if the crowd be too large, in an open
space outside. Beside it is set a vessel with liquor distilled
from the mountain-rice; this is for the spirit so rudely surprised
out of its body, and in return it is asked to put the hunters in
the way of securing other Chinese heads. A circle is formed
round the head, all joining hands-old hags with girls of six-
teen, boys of ten with men of seventy. An old man carries
a hollowed gourd-shell full of liquor, and with a bamboo cup
supplies old and young. They all drink, and the liquor, which
is mildly intoxicating, adds to the excitement. Round and
round the head they circle, dancing a sort of double step, the
braves leaping and yelling, the shrill voices of the children
mingling with the broken-voiced utterances of their grand-
mothers, who are the most hideous and excited of all, and
over all the old chief urging on his tribe to fresh manifestations
of delight and gratitude. All the while a wild bacchanalian
song is chanted, the sound of which is like nothing outside the
caverns of perdition. No alphabet I know can be so arranged
as to represent such sounds. The nearest approach to spell-
ing the song I heard in the village at the foot of Mount Sylvia
would be "Hi-yah; hi-yeh; hi-yo-heigh!" That begun low
and ending in a high nasal screech, with many reduplications,
and punctuated with many fiendish yells, might give some
idea of the song of the savage at a head-hunting feast. The
meaning of the song is that they are rejoicing now over their
enemy, and are grateful for the head brought back by their
braves.
This demonstration is kept up all night and until the third
day. Should any get dizzy with the dance, or drunk with the
liquor, their places are given to others, and they given time to
recruit. On the third day the head is finally disposed of. In
274
FROM FAR FORMOSA
this the tribes differ. One sets up a tripod of poles in the
village, with the head on the top. Others leave it exposed
till the flesh drops off. Only rarely is the head boiled and
the flesh eaten; but it is common enough to boil the brain to
a jelly and eat it with vengeful relish. They offered it to me
as a rare treat.
When the flesh has been removed the skull is hung up as a
trophy to be prized, sometimes on the wall inside, oftenest out-
side under the eaves. The brave who can exhibit the longest
row of skulls is the envy of the tribe. Every house has this
decoration, and the chief's looks like the museum of an anato-
my specialist. They are never taken down, and the smoke
and rain of years only adds to the ghastliness of the sight.
The cue is always hung up on the wall inside. I have more
than once, during hours of sleeplessness, counted the skulls
and cues in a savage's house and thought of all that passion
meant to them and to sorrowing families out in the plains. I
cannot say that I dreaded a like fate, or that those ugly evi-
dences of cruelty kept sleep away or made sleep miserable
with fearful dreams.
Far inland from Toa-kho-ham there is a Chinese settlement
and trading-post, where in 1877 I witnessed a fight between
the settlers and a band of two dozen head-hunters. The band
had divided into two companies and attacked different points.
One company had already secured their prize and were mak-
ing their escape with three heads. The other party had sur-
rounded the camp in which we were, but the yells of their
comrades alarmed us and we rushed out in time to resist at-
tack. A few moments more our stockade would have been
burned and the inmates beheaded. The alarm was now
sounded and the entire settlement was in hot pursuit. The
savages fled beyond the cleared land, reunited their forces,
then turned viciously upon their pursuers. A battle ensued.
Both sides were armed, but
It was a wild and bloody scene.
WITH THE HEAD-HUNTERS
275
the rapidity with which the savages dropped on their backs,
lifted one foot, steadied their leveled matchlocks between
their toes, and fired was something marvelous. Leaping, fir-
ing, yelling all the while like demons, these bloodthirsty Malay-
ans held their ground for nearly an hour. But the Chinese
were no cowards, and at last, fearless of death, dashed forward
and drove the savages back into their mountain retreats.
Should the head-hunting expedition end in failure the braves
are utterly ashamed, and in some tribes dare not return to their
own village for three days. Failure is in any case a disgrace,
and they take care to fail but seldom. But should one of their
number be caught or killed, then there is wild lamentation in
the tribe, and the fatal place is shunned for years.
And woe to the head-hunter that falls into the hands of the
Chinese. The mercy he has shown is meted out to him. At
Sa-kiet-a-koe, a Chinese city of sixteen thousand inhabitants
in the Kap-tsu-lan plain, I witnessed a scene illustrative alike
of the character of both races. A month before, at a Chinese
house a mile out of the city, where many were assembled at
night for idolatrous worship, one came in and reported a mys-
terious stirring among the stalks of hemp outside. Savages
were at once suspected, and the men armed themselves with
guns and other weapons and started in pursuit. The savages
fled. Five were killed, five escaped to the bush, one sought
refuge in a tree; but the dogs traced him, and he was taken
prisoner, brought to the city, and imprisoned. He was kept
in ignorance of his fate until on the appointed day he was led
to the execution ground near the military mandarin's yamen.
People crowded about in large numbers. Two executioners
arrived, each with a heavy broadsword about two feet in length.
Men and boys stood around feeling the weapons and remark-
ing on their worth. The third gun sounded, and in a few
minutes twenty soldiers with musty Remington rifles came
hurriedly along. Behind them two coolies carried the miser-
276
FROM FAR FORMOSA
able creature in an open, shattered sedan-chair. A bamboo
stick, holding a paper with written characters stating the crime
for which he was to die, was stuck through his hair and down
his back, inside the cords which bound his hands behind him,
and extended two feet above his head. When the chair was
dropped the wretch crouched and had to be dragged out. His
face was horribly contorted and the very picture of despair
and cowardly fear. He crouched for a moment, then fell for-
ward. One blow was struck from behind, then the other exe-
cutioner advanced and sawed the head off with his large blade.
The head was tied to a bamboo pole and carried away to be
put up on the west gate. Scores were there on purpose to get
parts of the body for food and medicine. Under such circum-
stances, or if a savage is killed inland, the heart is eaten, flesh
taken off in strips, and bones boiled to a jelly and preserved
as a specific for malarial fever.
Sometimes the savages are taken by the treachery of their
kinsmen, the Pe-po-hoan. One famous old chief was on the
top of a mountain with a band of twenty-four braves, when
he was beckoned by a party of Pe-po-hoan to approach and
drink one another's health. After much hesitation the savages
came; but hardly had the liquor been tasted when the crafty
design was revealed and the savages attacked. After a des-
perate hand-to-hand struggle the men escaped, but the chief
was taken a prisoner. He was handed over to the Chinese
authorities, who gave a reward to his captors. After being
imprisoned, beaten, tortured, he was dragged through the
streets, and women rushed forward, thrusting long needles
into his flesh by way of avenging the death of their husbands,
sons, and friends. When the signal was given for him to
kneel, with diabolical glee he said he was not ashamed to die,
for at his house on the mountains was a row of Chinese heads
lacking only six of completing the hundred, every one the
prize of his own daring skill. Around him were several Chi-
WITH THE HEAD-HUNTERS
277
nese border-men who had adopted the cannibalism of the sav-
ages, and these cut away the skull and ate the brains, in the
hope that they too would be brave like the chief whom they
so greatly feared.
The savages do not scruple to take the heads of foreigners,
and sometimes those who are unacquainted with the shores
have narrow escapes. In 1876 I was invited on board H. B. M.
ship "Lapwing" as the guest of Lieutenant Shore, now
commander of the Coast Guards of England, and went for a
sail down the east coast of the island. At So Bay the great
man-of-war stood at anchor, and two dozen of the blue-jackets
got leave to go ashore. They were told off under charge of
navigating officer Murray, and soon had a fire kindled on the
rocks and were out with their drag-net for fish. I accompanied
the officer, and was strolling along the beach. Suddenly a
Chinese rushed up to me, pointed his finger toward some
boulders near the water, and without speaking disappeared. I
looked in the direction indicated, and a few yards away saw
objects moving toward us. They were the head-hunters, with
their eyes on the blue-jackets, creeping stealthily, like so many
tigers, until they would be within reach. Without giving any
reason I had the fire moved to another spot. This told the
savages that they were discovered, and they vanished into the
darkness. Had they not been detected they would certainly
have succeeded in their designs, and in the night could not
have been overtaken. The blue-jackets returned with the fish,
broiled them on the hot stones, ate them with relish, and not
until their jollification was over and we were safely back on
board were they made aware of their danger.
Many other incidents might be told, but the foregoing will
illustrate the kind of life the savages live, and will suggest
something of the obstacles in the way of all effort to make
mild a savage people and "subdue them to the useful and the
good."
AT HEADQUARTERS
270
CHAPTER XXIX
A SKETCH OF TAMSUI
Nearing port-Up the river-The mission buildings-The town-Pop-
ulation-Industries-Hospital
SAIL
AILING northward from Hong Kong, through the For-
mosa Channel, on the left is seen the mainland of China.
At Amoy we turn eastward, and, crossing the channel, the
vessel steers for the harbor at the port of Tamsui. If it is
high tide she glides smoothly over the sand-bar that guards
the entrance; if low tide, anchor must be dropped. From
the upper deck of our steamer lying at anchor we get a bird's-
eye view of Tamsui. Before us, looking eastward, in the
background, stretching north and south, and rising tier above
tier in stately grandeur, are those massive mountain-ranges
left by tremendous volcanic upheavals of past ages, and now
clad in perennial verdure. Here and there on their sloping
sides are seen patches of tea-plantations. Farther down, and
interspersed with trees and grasses, lie the rich green rice ter-
races. No fences, no straight lines, no precise measurements,
but leveled fields of every size and shape, edged with green,
and forming a regular descent, each distinct and lower than
the other, down through the valleys almost to the sea-shore.
At last out swings the signal. Up comes the anchor, and
with leisurely dignity our vessel heads forward into the mouth
of the Tamsui River. On the south, at our right as we enter,
lies Quan-yin Mountain, seventeen hundred feet high, covered
281
282
FROM FAR FORMOSA
with tall grass, groves of bamboo, banian and fir trees. Nest-
ling at its feet are villages and farm-houses, almost concealed
under ancient spreading banians, swaying willows, and prickly
screw-pine hedges. There, too, at times buried in several
feet of water, lies a mud-bank, where oyster-beds have been
arranged. To the left is a low stretch of sea-sand bounded
by black volcanic rocks and broken coral, where women and
children are gathering oysters and seaweed. There, among
the drift of sand, stands "the black beacon," and a little
farther on "the white beacon"; then a fishing-village, with
boats drawn up on the beach, and rows of nets hanging out
to dry. There is a battered Chinese fort, and up the hill just
behind it another fort, with modern massive earthworks, con-
cealing guns and soldiers.
Going slowly on, we pass low whitewashed buildings-
Chinese customs offices, with their European residents. But
here the hill rises abruptly two hundred feet, and on its face
stands a tall, red, weather-worn, solid-looking structure, the
old Dutch fort, now the British consulate; and there from its
height floats the flag of world-wide empire. Beneath its
shadow, surrounded by well-kept gardens, is the handsome
residence of the British consul. And there, just opposite us,
right on the summit of the hill, surrounded by avenues of
trees, are those two red, airy, and artistic-looking buildings that
we espied far out at sea, and that present a style of architec-
ture different from anything seen in any of the treaty ports.
of China. They are Oxford College and the Girls' School-
the mission buildings of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.
Near them, and almost hidden by trees, are two white dwell-
ing-houses occupied by the missionaries. These are one story
high, with tiled cottage roofs and thick whitewashed walls, and
are called bungalows. Farther on stand two other bunga-
lows-one, a little in the rear, for the customs secretary, and
the other, on a line with the mission buildings, occupied by
A SKETCH OF TAMSUI
283
the foreign commissioner of the Chinese imperial customs.
From there a Chinese graveyard slopes down to a gully, where
a small stream runs and empties itself into the river in front.
Right there begins the town of Tamsui, and it extends along
the low bank of the river and the face of the hill at the back.
The Chinese do not call the town by the name Tamsui;
that is the name of the district in which it stands. They call
the town "Ho-be." The consular papers call it "Tamsuy."
Foreigners mistook the name of the district for that of the
town.
The population of Tamsui is 6148, with 1013 families. Just
here it might be explained that the Chinese in North Formosa,
in giving the population of a town, invariably include all the
villages and surrounding country coming under the jurisdiction
of the town magistrate. Thus, in the case of Tamsui, there
are four such villages: Sio-pi-teng, with a population of 73;
Sin-tsng-a, with a population of 1112; Sio-pat-li-hun, with a
population of 1580; Sio-koe-lang-a, with a population of 1320.
The whole population of Tamsui, therefore, according to the
Chinese method of reckoning, is 10,233.
Tamsui is a busy enough place. Like other towns, its
market is crowded with fishermen, farmers, gardeners, and
hucksters, noisily disputing over their wares. Rice-shops,
opium-dens, Chinese temples, and drug-stores, side by side,
claim patronage, and carpenters, blacksmiths, barbers, and
chair-coolies ply their trades. But it is, on the whole, rather
a smoky, dirty town, not particularly noted for anything but its
shipping-trade, and that it is one of the treaty ports where
foreigners can hold property. This is really what gives it its
importance.
Close by the chief thoroughfare stands the MacKay Hos-
pital. From a sanitary view, no building could be better sit-
uated, because the ravine, with its unfailing stream of water,
sweeps around three sides of it. All filth and garbage are
284
FROM FAR FORMOSA
immediately carried away. To this institution patients come
from miles inland, and are treated for various diseases. Just
adjoining the hospital are the chapel and the preacher's dwell-
ing-place. Only a few rods away are the steamship company's
hongs. To the east stands the North Hill (Tai-tun), thirty-
one hundred feet high; and away northeast, with its head
toward heaven, stands the highest peak, thirty-six hundred feet
above the sea.
CHAPTER XXX
TRAINING A NATIVE MINISTRY
The dominant idea-Reasons for a native ministry-An educated ministry
-First college-Methods of work-The missionary's museum-
"Cui bono?"
ISSION work in North Formosa is dominated by the
idea of a native ministry. The purpose is to evangelize
the people, to enlighten their darkness by the power of divine
truth, and to drive back the mists of error and the black
clouds of sin that have through all the past obscured their
vision of the City of God. That is the purpose of all foreign
mission work. But in the carrying out of that purpose meth-
ods must be adopted suitable to the circumstances of the case.
What would be reasonable and effective in one field would
be absurd and useless in another. What would succeed in
Europe or America would fail in Asia. China is not India,
and Formosa is not China. The man or the mission that
supposes that a good theory must be capable of universal
application, and that social forces, hereditary customs, or even
climatic influences need not be taken into account, makes a
grievous mistake.
All the reasons that led me to lay such emphasis on a native
ministry in North Formosa need not now be recited. They
had to do with the language, climate, social life of the people,
and the capabilities of the natives for Christian service. I
was at the first convinced that the hope of the mission lay not
285
286
FROM FAR FORMOSA
in foreign workers, and every year only confirms that opinion.
The Lord of the harvest has raised up from among the natives
of the island laborers whose services in those white fields will
not be fully appreciated until we and they shall, at the harvest-
home, come with rejoicing, bringing our sheaves with us.
One reason for a native ministry that will be appreciated by
all practical and genuine friends of missions is that it is by far
the most economical, both as to men and money. Natives
can live in a climate and under conditions where any foreigner
would die, and they can be hale and happy where I would
tremble with chills and fever. And the cost of a native
preacher and his family is so much less, that the contributions
of the churches can be made to support a very much larger
staff than if foreigners alone were employed. It is much more
expensive to live in Formosa than on the mainland, but even
with us the expense of a native is only a fraction of what is
absolutely required for one accustomed to life in the West.
The total cost per month for a preacher and his family is cov-
ered by nine dollars and eighty-three cents Mexican money—
less than nine dollars in gold. The following table presents
the average:
Rice per month.
Salt vegetables
•
Coal or wood...
Carrying water and cleaning rice.
Shaving heads...
·
Shoes, stockings, and clothes..
Total
•
$3.00
4.00
1.50
.65
.30
.38
$9.83
But having settled on a native ministry, and having among
the first converts those fitted and desirous to begin their stud-
ies in preparation for the work, the question of their training
came early to the front. Let it be clearly understood that the
mission stands for a trained ministry. Whatever good an
TRAINING A NATIVE MINISTRY
287
uneducated minister may accomplish in Christian lands, he is
next to useless among the heathen. Be it foreign or native,
the ministry that will command the respect of the people and
will endure must be intelligent as well as zealous. But in order
to an educated ministry, great buildings, large libraries, and
wealthy endowments, however helpful they may be, are not, at
the first, absolutely indispensable. As good work cannot be
done without these, but if the work done is genuine, increased
facilities will follow. Our first college in North Formosa was
not the handsome building that now overlooks the Tamsui
River and bears the honored name of Oxford College, but out
in the open under the spreading banian-tree, with God's blue
sky as our vaulted roof.
Beginning with A Hoa, I invariably had from one to twenty
students as my daily companions. We began each day's work
with a hymn of praise. When weather permitted we sat under
a tree-usually the banian or a cluster of bamboos—and spent
the day reading, studying, and examining. In the evening we
retired to some sheltered spot, and I explained a passage of
Scripture to the students and others gathered with them. In-
deed, wherever night overtook us, in all our journeyings, I
spoke on a part of God's truth, ever keeping the students in
view. They took notes, studied them, and were prepared for
review on the following day.
Another favorite resort was on the rocks at Kelung. In the
sampan we placed an earthen pot, rice, leek, and celery.
Then we rowed ourselves out to the tables and pillars of sand-
stone by the sea. At noon each one gathered small sticks for
a fire with which to cook our food. But we often dispensed
with cooking, for each had provided himself with a sharpened
nail with which to open the fresh oysters taken off the rocks.
Study continued till 5 P.M., after which we coasted in shallow
Several would plunge in and bring up shells, living
coral, seaweed, sea-urchins, for study and examination. Some-
water.
288
FROM FAR FORMOSA
times an hour was given to fishing with hook and line, for the
double purpose of supplying us with food and securing speci-
mens for examination.
As chapels were established we remained at each a day,
week, or month, studying daily till 4 P.M. All were trained in
singing, speaking, and debating. After four we made visita-
tions to converts and heathen in the vicinity. Students were
frequently invited to dine with friends, and thus they had
golden opportunities for presenting the truth. Every evening
a public service was held in the chapel where we were.
A fourth method, and by no means the least profitable part
of their training, was on the road in our traveling together.
All manner of subjects were then discussed-the gospel, the
people, the way to present the truth, and God, the Author of
all. It was the daily habit of each one, when on the road, to
collect specimens of some kind-plants, flowers, seeds, insects,
mud, clay-and then to examine them at the first halting-place.
In all these ways, during the early years, and sometimes
even since the college buildings were erected at Tamsui, the
students were trained to become efficient workers, fluent speak-
ers, skilful debaters, successful preachers. The college is now
the center of our work, but whatever helps to develop the
faculties of the students, inform their minds, or chasten their
hearts, is pressed into service.
My own study and museum in Tamsui are open to the
students, and good use has been made of their resources.
After twenty-three years of accumulation the study is well
furnished, having books, maps, globes, drawings, microscopes,
telescope, kaleidoscope, stereoscope, camera, magnets, galvanic
batteries and other chemical apparatus, as well as innumerable
specimens illustrative of geology, mineralogy, botany, and
zoology. What would be otherwise a parlor is in our house a
In that room is a vast collection of every conceiv-
able kind of article of use or interest to Chinese, Pe-po-hoan,
museum.
TRAINING A NATIVE MINISTRY
289
or savage. There are collections of marine shells, sponges,
and corals of various kinds, classified and labeled. All sorts
of serpents, worms, and insects are preserved. There are idols.
enough to stock a temple, ancestral tablets and religious curios,
musical instruments, priests' garments, and all the stock in
trade of Chinese idolatry, as well as models of implements of
agriculture and weapons of war. The various savage tribes
in the mountains are well represented. There is one idol ten
feet high, different from any other I ever saw, and a complete
collection of relics representing every aspect of savage life.
Some things are quaint enough, others suggestive of sad
thoughts, others gruesome and repulsive, because indicative of
ferocity and savage cruelty. Keeping watch and ward over
the whole scene are four life-size figures representing four sides
of life in Formosa. In one corner is a Tauist priest, arrayed
in his official long red robe, with a bell in one hand to arouse
the devils possessing any man, and a whip in the other to drive
them out. In the next corner is a bare-pated Buddhist priest,
robed in drab, one hand holding his sacred scroll, the other
counting his string of beads. Opposite to him is a fierce-look-
ing head-hunter from the mountains, his forehead and chin
tattooed, his spear at his side, bows and arrows strapped across
his shoulders, a long knife at his girdle, and his left hand
clutching the cue of some unfortunate victim. In the fourth
corner is a savage woman, rudely attired, and working with
her "spinning-jenny," as they may be seen in their mountain
home.
There may be good people in Christian lands who will read
these pages with painful astonishment, horrified that a mission-
ary should spend time collecting and studying such things. I
do not attempt to justify my conduct in the eyes of such per-
sons. Had they any conception of what it means to train
native-born heathen to become missionaries of the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ, or could they conceive the reflex influ-
290
FROM FAR FORMOSA
ence of all this study on mission work, in humbling the proud
graduate, conciliating the haughty mandarin, and attracting
the best and brightest of the officials, both native and foreign,
they would not so readily write across these paragraphs their
ignorant and supercilious "Cui bono?"

OXFORD COLLEGE, TAMSUI.
CHAPTER XXXI
OXFORD COLLEGE
The building-Canadian liberality-The grounds-Reflex influence—
College work-Curriculum-Students-An evening in the college
hall-Drill-Addresses-An inspiration
Ox
XFORD COLLEGE stands on a beautiful site about
two hundred feet above the waters of the Tamsui River,
which it overlooks, facing south. The building is seventy-six
feet from east to west, and one hundred and sixteen from
north to south. It is built of small, red, burnt bricks from
Amoy, on the mainland of China. The entire outside was
oiled and painted, as a protection against the heavy rains.
The main hall has four arched windows of glass. A raised
platform extends the entire breadth, with a blackboard of
equal length. There are desk and stool for each student; a
map of the world, astronomical diagrams, and a rack for tunes
on cotton cloth. The college has accommodation for fifty
students, two teachers, and their families. There are two
lecture-rooms, a museum and library, bath-room, and kitchen.
Every room is well ventilated, lighted, and furnished. There
is an open court, around which runs a porch or veranda two
hundred and fifty feet in length.
It was during my first furlough in Canada, in 1880, that the
people of my native county, Oxford, Ontario, at the sugges-
tion of the "Sentinel-Review" newspaper of Woodstock,
undertook to raise funds sufficient for erecting a college build-
291
292
FROM FAR FORMOSA
ing in Formosa. Ministers and other Christian friends ap-
proved of the proposal, and it was carried out with enthusiasm
and vigor. At an immense farewell meeting held in the
Methodist church, Woodstock, on the eve of my return to
Formosa, the sum of $6215 was presented to me; and with
that money the college building at Tamsui was erected, and,
as was fitting, it was called Oxford College. It is with grati-
tude and pleasure that I recall this and other tokens of regard
on the part of my home friends; and when I think of that
farewell meeting in 1881 there stand out against the back-
ground of loving memory the form and features of Oxford's
greatest son, the late Rev. John Ross, of Brucefield, whose life
of faith was to me an inspiration, and whose labor of love the
Canadian church ought not to forget.
After finishing the building, the next work was to lay out
the grounds. In the proper season, trees, shrubs, and seeds
were planted. These had to be attended to, lest the ravages
of worms and white ants would destroy them all. To-day
there is an avenue of evergreen banian from the new public
road (named by the foreign community College Road) up to
the college door. It is three hundred and sixty feet in length.
The trees meet overhead and form a great shelter for the
students during exercise hours. There is another avenue,
quite similar, between the college and the Girls' School. It
is three hundred and seventy feet long, and extends to the
wall behind the two buildings. There is also an avenue,
though not so long, on each side of the college. The paths
are about ten feet wide, and are covered with coral gravel
from the sea-shore. A hedge of privet and hawthorn incloses
the mission property; it is four feet across the top, several
feet high, thirteen hundred and four feet in length, always
green, and at times covered with beautiful purple flowers.
There are twelve hundred and thirty-six evergreen-trees planted
on the grounds as groves, and one hundred and four oleanders
OXFORD COLLEGE
293
between five hundred and fifty-one banian-trees; and when
the oleanders are in bloom-and they bloom for months—
their lovely flowers contrast beautifully with the dark foliage
of the evergreen spreading banian.
→
My evenings at Tamsui are sometimes spent walking round
and round the paths among the trees and groves, exercising,
superintending, meditating. The order and beauty are refresh-
ing, and the fine appearance of things is a help to the college.
Chinese people and officials visit, wonder, and admire; con-
verts walk around and rejoice. Is such a part of mission work?
Yes; most emphatically, yes. I, for one, went among the
heathen to try to elevate them by making known to them the
character and purposes of God. Our God is a God of order.
He loves beauty, and we should see his handiwork in trees,
plants, and flowers; moreover, we should endeavor to follow
the order which is displayed so visibly throughout the God-
created, star-studded universe.
""
In Oxford College I addressed the students daily from one
to five times. They always took copious notes. Subjects
were regularly reviewed and the classes constantly drilled.
On being questioned as to what lines of thought were most
convincing, one who is a literary graduate said, "The fulfil-
ment of prophecy, especially the resurrection of Jesus Christ.'
Another thought the ten plagues and their critical import
would influence many if studied. But twenty out of twenty-
five unhesitatingly declared that the reasoning from effect to
cause, and particularly from design to designer, would deeply
impress the native mind. Thus I have been right all along as
to how best to present the eternal truth of Jehovah to Chinese
minds.
Biblical geogra-
The Bible is used as our great text-book.
phy and history are studied with special reference to Judea,
Egypt, Persia, Greece, Syria, Arabia, Jerusalem, Rome, Baby-
lon, Nineveh, Corinth, Ephesus. Courses of study are fol
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
lowed in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. A
study is made of the lives of the great men of the Bible.
Attention is given to the zoology, botany, and mineralogy of
Bible times. Nor are the modern sciences neglected. Due
prominence is given to all the important subjects in the cur-
riculum of a Western college. Special attention is given to
the systematic study of the doctrines of God's Word. The
biblical doctrines of God, man, sin, the person and work of
Christ, the church, sacraments, death, judgment, future rewards
and punishments, with an examination of proof-texts and
arguments on all sides, are the subject of much study and ex-
position.
In the college are freshmen, students of several years'
standing, and helpers who have had considerable experience
in preaching. About a dozen students are Chinese, and the
rest Pe-po-hoan. Perhaps the former surpassed the latter
in mental acumen and unabated diligence; but it must be
admitted that all studied with a commendable spirit, energy,
and zeal. Every hour was turned to good account in the
development of the physical, mental, and moral man. We
devoted hours to church history, biblical theology, zoölogy,
geography, astronomy. Addresses, varying from one to six,
were given every day. The questions of the Shorter Catechism
were all discussed and committed to memory. We met every
night in the college hall for one or two hours, and there women
from the Girls' School sat in the center, surrounded by the
college boys. It would be impossible to estimate the sound,
solid, and far-reaching results accruing from these continuous
nightly meetings; but a sketch of an evening in the college
hall may be of interest.
Promptly at seven o'clock the college bell is rung. Students
file into their places along two sides and the end of the hall.
Women from the Girls' School occupy the center; children
take seats in the front and corner; onlookers gather about the
OXFORD COLLEGE
295
door. In all, over a hundred busy workers assemble. The
illness is serious indeed that will keep any one away at this
hour; sometimes a student appears shaking with malarial fever
and wrapped in a blanket. The desks are movable, so that
all can sit closely together if necessary. On the platform are
table, lamps, and generally flowers. Behind it, and in constant
use, are blackboard, maps, and a frame containing twenty-four
hymn-tunes neatly copied by a student on white cotton.
the table are laid copy-books ready for inspection.
On
First we sing a hymn, then have a few words of prayer, in
which one of the students leads. Children, then women, read
and recite in turn and answer questions. All the exercises are
enlivened by singing. There are no organs in North Formosa
churches, and the truth is, we do not feel in need of them.
All the people, old and young, endeavor to take part in the
service of praise; and, whatever may be said of our music, we
have never had indifferent, half-hearted singing. Foreigners
of many nationalities, who could not understand one word of
the language, have enjoyed and heartily commended this part
of our worship. Many have been evidently touched as they
looked and listened.
Our college drill is varied but orderly. One student takes
the platform, pointer in hand, to indicate notes in the tune to
be learned; all in the hall stand and beat time with the right
hand. One, with the children, leads off with the first line, and
the rest chime in. A second verse may be sung by the women
alone, the third by the students, the fourth by the whole band.
One row of students may sing the first line, another row the
second, the women the third, and so on. No one knows when
his turn will come, and so all are kept on the alert. If the
sounds are not full and clear, we have a few minutes for cales-
thenic exercises, especially such exercises as develop the throat
and chest. Then they sing again. Scripture lessons, geogra-
phy, history, or any subject may be taken up next.
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
Students take turns in five-minute addresses on the platform.
Each is criticized by his fellows, and any fault in the manner,
dress, expression, or the matter is pointed out. New-comers
tremble, but as months pass by they overcome bad habits,
learn to stand fire, and become ready platform speakers. They
develop their own natural talents without aping any one, and
in time learn to speak in public with a confidence, and yet
with a freedom from conceit, that could not be obtained with-
out such persistent training.
In the midst of all I often take twenty or thirty minutes to
address all assembled on some biblical or scientific subject.
Our drill and worship over, the women retire first, students
follow, and all disperse for fresh studies. Sometimes there is
a debate, sometimes an exhibition of magic-lantern views, with
an address. No two evenings are exactly alike throughout the
season. They are most enjoyable meetings. Cramming,
dullness, and monotony have no place in Oxford College.
Would that mission critics could see for themselves the glist-
ening eyes and the cager faces of little children, strong young
men, and gray-haired women in that crowded hall! Would
that some echo of those soul-stirring songs of praise—many of
them mountain airs-could reach my native land! In the
midst of care, sickness, and toil, what an inspiration to hear
those converts from heathenism, many of them preparing to
carry Christ's blessed evangel into the darkness from which
they have been led, ring out on the midnight air "The Lord's
my Shepherd," or "A day's march nearer home"!
CHAPTER XXXII
NATIVE WORKERS FOR NATIVE WOMEN
Woman's ministry-Reaching Formosan women-A glimpse at Chinese
social life—Tin-a from birth to marriage—The foreign worker among
native women- "Low-born barbarian "-Meaningless etiquette-
Fever-The native Bible-woman-Her training-At work—The
Girls' School-Curriculum-Students-The plan that succeeds
WHEN J
""
THEN Jesus went through every city and village preach-
ing, the Twelve went with him, "and certain women
also. The great Head of the church knew well the need
that existed, and would exist in all future ages, for the special
ministrations of women in the living temple he was erecting.
In North Formosa some of the most zealous and successful
workers, who were one with the little band of students in our
early struggles, and who bravely, and almost single-handed,
stemmed the tide of bitter persecution, were women, of whom
fragrant memories are still cherished by the church there.
With terrible odds against them, some of them lived and died,
clinging to the one living God with a simple confidence, te-
nacity, and determination not easily understood by those who
spend their lives in the walled gardens of Christendom.
How is it possible to convey to Christians in Western lands
any definite conception of the life of a Chinese woman? How
is it possible to present the difficulty of bridging the chasm
that exists between Circassian and Mongolian, or of reaching
women to whom the customs, ways, and ideas of their Western
297
298
FROM FAR FORMOSA
sisters are altogether incomprehensible, and in many cases lu-
dicrous and absurd? But without some insight into Chinese
social life one cannot understand the nature and obstinacy of
the difficulties in the way of reaching Formosan women with
the gospel, or how those difficulties are to be overcome. Only
a glimpse can be given, but to those who care to think a
glimpse may be full of meaning.
The Chinese wife who is childless has a sorrowful life and
often a miserable death. Those who have no children of their
own frequently buy or adopt a child, or the husband may take
to his home a second wife. As might be expected, there is
even less happiness when a second mistress has been installed.
If the first wife be loved by her husband, all the more intense
is her grief that no son of hers will ever worship at her hus-
band's tomb. The fact is, barrenness is considered sufficient
justification for ill-treating a wife, or casting her out on the
cold charities of the world.
When a daughter is born, little notice is taken of the event.
If she should be deformed in any way, such as having a hare-
lip, she may be immediately destroyed. If the parents already
have girls, and are poor, even though it costs the mother a
terrible struggle for the maternal instinct cannot easily be
eradicated—the child must sooner or later be put out of the
way. As the struggle for life is hard and keen, the sooner the
unwelcome baby girl is sacrificed the better.
But let us follow little Tin-a. If she come into this world
in, say, a fairly well-to-do merchant's family, she is destined.
to grow into womanhood in a respectable circle. But how
many strange superstitions are connected with her childhood!
When four years old her pink plump toes are bent tightly to-
gether under the foot, cramped into position, and firmly bound
by strong cotton bandages. The foot is then thrust into a lit-
tle pointed shoe, the large toe being the prominent part of the
foot. This wretched shoe she wears night and day. The
NATIVE WORKERS FOR NATIVE women
299
mother steels herself against the daughter's screams, for the
feet must not be neglected, lest Tin-a's chances for a good
marriage be spoiled, and she be doomed to slavery all her
days.
For several years she is allowed to play with her brothers
about the door. She becomes the plaything of those around
her, and is scolded, indulged, and beaten by turns. It is
understood that she must be submissive to her brothers, who
rule over her; and in due course she must learn to cook rice,
wash clothes, and to sew and embroider dresses. She must
use every artificial and natural means of rendering herself out-
wardly as attractive as possible, for she believes that the great
end of existence is to be well married. Heart and intellect
receive a wretched kind of training, if training it can be called.
She is taught some Chinese proverbs and the moral maxims,
which pass glibly over the tongue, while her mind is filled with
ill-natured gossip, low jests, filthy sayings, and a thousand
slavish superstitions.
When about ten years of age she is confined to the house,
and no man, save those of her own family, is allowed to con-
verse with her. If strangers enter her father's house she may
peep through the cracks from an inner room, but she must
on no account permit herself to be seen. Whatever she may
be in reality, the parents, who are looking forward to a few
hundred dollars at least when she shall leave their home as a
bride, represent her as being endowed with numberless virtues;
and she herself, at New Year's or on heathen festivals, with
the aid of silks, satins, powder, jewels, embroidery, and per-
fume, must make a fine show. Above all things, she must,
with due amount of simpering, profess to be so exceedingly
modest that she cannot bear to have men look upon her.
This period of close confinement is an anxious one to the par-
ents, because such is the state of society that, should she break
through the restraints and be seen alone on the streets, all their
300
FROM FAR FORMOSA
labor would be lost, the family would be disgraced, and the
girl's chances of marriage ruined forever. One would like to
draw the veil over such a state of affairs, but we are facing the
fact that the morals in heathen lands are very low. Could we
expect them to be higher? Perhaps not, and yet the picture
has a brighter side. It is under such conditions that the power
of the gospel of Christ is seen. Already its power has been
manifested in raising out of such surroundings women and
girls who become neat and cleanly in appearance, ladylike in
deportment, and lovely in character.
When Tin-a is about fourteen years of age, a go-between,
who is generally an aunt or some quick-witted old woman, is
secured. This almost indispensable lady, by making many
journeys and holding many conversations, arranges with the
parents of some young man for a betrothal, which is usually
settled in consideration of a sum of money, say from one hun-
dred to three hundred dollars, which is paid over to the father
and mother of the expectant bride. The augurs having been
consulted, and an auspicious day fixed upon, a feast is pre-
pared at the bridegroom's home. The bride is carried thither
in a closely covered sedan-chair, over which a red cloth is
thrown. After bowing with him before the ancestral tablets
and household gods, and going through many other ceremo-
nies, she belongs henceforth, soul and body, to this man and to
his mother, to use or misuse as they see fit. Those of us who
love the Chinese most are saddest to confess the cruel bondage
that too often faces the Chinese bride.
And now the question comes, How are women in such a
state of society, with such social customs, and in such a coun-
try as Formosa, to be reached and taught the gospel of Jesus?
A foreign lady goes to take up her abode in Tamsui. Rosy-
cheeked, healthy, and hopeful, she thinks she can do her own
housework while studying the language. In this she proceeds.
for a few months. But the hot weather comes, and with it
NATIVE WORKERS FOR NATIVE WOMEN
301
fever. The color gone from her face, and strength from her
arm, the lady must hand the housework over to a Chinese
male cook. She studies faithfully, but the Chinese language
is of all things earthly the most intricate and difficult to mas-
ter. Even if she learn to articulate clearly, she is surprised to
find at the end of one year how few ideas she can express.
Enthusiastic, perchance, and eager to be at work, she goes
out among the Chinese, who crowd about to stare at her.
Her dress is not like theirs, and some dispute as to whether
she is a man or woman. Presently the cry is taken up, and
it follows her everywhere: "Barbarian! low-born barbarian!"
The very fact of her being there in a foreign land, far away
from relatives, lowers her in their estimation; for however
much the heathen in North Formosa have learned during the
last twenty years about Western lands, they are so busy earn-
ing their rice that they will not take time to study Western
ways and customs. The foreign lady, in the simple act of
going out on foot into their streets, offends against their ideas.
of propriety.
She has heard, perhaps, that a little girl, with whose parents
she is acquainted, is ill, and with Christian sympathy and
desire to help she makes her way to their home, taking some
delicacy with her. They may not seem frightened, and, pos-
sibly with a great show of welcome, they invite her in. She
tries to speak a little to them, tells them of one God, but she
feels helpless amid their chatter and questions about dress, hat,
buttons, and why foreign ladies bind their waists and not their
feet. They urge and entreat her to stay, to drink tea, to come
again. In time she will learn that a great deal of this is only
part of Chinese etiquette and politeness, empty and meaning-
less. The truth is that the Chinese are amazed at her utter
disregard of the ordinary rules of polite society, that forbid
visiting in this way where there is sickness, and forbid any but
members of the family entering the sick-room. They scarcely
302
FROM FAR FORMOSA
wait till she is out of hearing before they begin to ridicule
barbarians in general, and this one in particular. The foreign.
lady, kind-hearted, sincere, trying to converse in broken Chi-
nese, and really anxious to do good-who could fail to sym-
pathize with her under such circumstances? Time and the
leveling power of Christian influence may change these cus-
toms; meantime they must be reckoned with, and stolid facts
faced with open eyes.
The foreign lady finds she is confined almost entirely to the
seaport; for a week or ten days inland means more fever, and
the suspension of her work for a time, if not permanently.
To go over mountains to join Bible-women working in the
Kap-tsu-lan plain is simply out of the question. Apart from
the fact that the way is often impassable, the climate is so
damp and the region so unwholesome that even native work-
ers dread it. No foreigner has ever spent many days there.
without suffering, and no medical man who knows the country
would dare give his consent to a foreign lady making the
attempt. Even with the best of care in the north she may
often be prostrated with fever. At the end of the fourth or
fifth year of faithful study and effort, compared with the little
Chinese woman at her side, she is still almost helpless in teach-
ing. This native Bible-woman is thoroughly familiar with the
language and customs of her own people, and has been trained
in the Holy Scriptures so that she can quote and explain with
aptness and effect, while her foreign sister struggles with the
idioms of the language, and is in perpetual danger of violating
one of the thousand rules of Chinese society.
Let us now turn to any one of these native Bible-women
and see what she is accomplishing. Who is she? What is
her history? How does she work? There is A So, a gray-
haired widow, one who has reared a family, has grandchildren,
and will, therefore, command respect. Some of her sons are
married, and she has an influence over their households. At
NATIVE WORKERS FOR NATIVE WOMEN
303
one time she knew not of Jesus, but a chapel was opened near
her door. At first she reviled the "foreign devil," but liked
to hear the singing through her lattice-window. Then she
listened to the preacher, and noticed the students, who seemed
so neat, clever, and affable. At last she began to enjoy the
services in the building, and more and more was delighted
with expositions of the truth. Especially did she love the
psalms and hymns, for she found comfort in their consolatory
truths. Her idols were thrown away and she publicly declared
herself a Christian. By and by Canadian ladies gave a large
sum of money, and the Girls' School was erected. Having
spent several sessions there, A So was sent to a chapel, where
her time was fully occupied in teaching children and young
girls, visiting the neighbors, answering their thousand queries
regarding the mission, the missionaries, God, and heaven, and
in telling them of the truth that she had learned, and of how
she came to cast her idols away. She reads, and they are
surprised; prays, and they listen; sings, and they are delighted.
She finds out their ailments and afflictions, and, in common
with the preacher and his wife, she endeavors to comfort them.
She knows when and how to appear in a neighbor's dwelling,
and how to act in such a way that her visits may be accept-
able. She is respected on account of her gray hairs, neat ap-
pearance, and woman-like manners, and the heathen women
look up to her because, like the preacher's wife, she is better
posted in all the affairs of life than they are. She sympathizes
with the women, for she has suffered just as they. She knows
all about foot-binding. Sickness and death have been in her
home, and when the little ones they love are taken away she
knows how to sympathize, and with the comfort wherewith
she herself was comforted of God in the dark days of her own
sorrow she goes in to bereaved mothers, and not in vain talks
of the Shepherd and his fold. Every Saturday she visits the
houses of new converts, and tells women to be ready at a certain
304
FROM FAR FORMOSA
hour the next day, when she will call for them to go to wor-
ship. Gradually and almost imperceptibly the women are
drawn toward the truth, and they scarcely know how much
they have learned to love this devoted Bible-woman till she
is transferred to another station. Not a few of these Bible-
women are most enthusiastic and efficient workers, and all are
of great assistance to the native preachers. Some of them
have been the means of bringing whole families to Christ, and
more and more is the Master's seal set to the work of these
native workers.
As a college was needed to train men for the ministry, so also
a large school building was required at some central point where
women and girls could spend months at a time, under constant
supervision and such influences as would remodel the lives of
the older, and direct in the right channels those of the younger.
The ladies of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the
Presbyterian Church in Canada came forward with hearty
enthusiasm and gave the necessary funds for the building.
Near the close of 1883 we began the work of construction on
the same grounds as Oxford College, and but a few rods away
from it. We often worked till midnight with a large gang of
men. Students would stand outside and sing hymns to cheer
the workmen. In eleven weeks the neat, roomy structure of
cut stone was ready to be opened. It is the same size and on
the same frontage as Oxford College. The front door leads
directly into the hall or assembly-room. On each side of this
is a small class-room. Behind the hall is an open court, sur-
rounded by dormitories, and there are kitchen, servants' bed-
rooms, and storage-rooms. There is no need for comforts
such as are to be found in a European or American ladies'
college. These would only unfit the women for their own
homes, where foreign luxuries are not to be had. A sufficiency
of light and ventilation is most important and is amply pro-
vided for.
NATIVE WORKERS FOR NATIVE WOMEN 305
On the whole, only native preachers are employed; there-
fore running expenses have amounted to but a small fraction
of what they would otherwise have been. Two native matrons,
a preacher, and his wife live in the building. Much of the
teaching—indeed, most of it—has been entirely voluntary.
Older ones, or those further advanced, have taught the new-
comers and little children. Often it is convenient to have a
preacher's wife and children, or his mother, in the Girls' School
while he is at college; so that in this home for Christian work-
ers there are gray-haired women and little children, daughters
and daughters-in-law, all busy reading, writing, and singing
side by side. Teachers from Oxford College can easily carry
on the work of the two institutions. The English language is
not taught. If desired, a Chinese teacher can teach them to
read and write their own characters. Native women can sur-
pass a foreigner in teaching the romanized colloquial; that
is, Chinese words spelled with English letters. That is the
hope of our women, for it is useless to expect them to acquire
the Chinese characters. Each one who learns the romanized
colloquial can read her own Bible. There is a girl there who,
when seventeen years of age, learned in one month to read
the Catechism of the New Testament. Chinese girls and
women are not in need of foreign ladies to teach them sewing,
dressmaking, and embroidery; they are experts in the art. In
other mission fields it is very different.
It is inconvenient, if not impossible, throughout North For-
mosa to secure girls, Chinese or Pe-po-hoan, to remain in the
Girls' School at Tamsui for any great length of time. It is
demanding too much in the present state of our work to expect
poor little girls to journey from the east coast away from
their parents. There is a hard struggle for existence, and the
larger girls cannot be spared from the Kap-tsu-lan plain. In
considering a sensible and useful plan for the education of the
girls in any mission, the daughters of those employed by the
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
mission, and whose interest it is to patronize the institutions of
their employers, must not be taken into account. A school
managed on those principles, and reaching only those selfishly
interested, is not likely to be largely influential. Our object
must be to reach the daughters of independent farmers,
mechanics, laborers, and merchants. To attain that in China
the plans adopted must be large, flexible, and Chinese-like.
Recognizing these fundamental facts, the Girls' School was
established. Bible-women are there trained for service at
every station in the mission. These are
These are "looked out" by the
native preachers just as candidates for the ministry are in
Christian lands. They are bright Christian women, and come
up from the various churches, often bringing with them two-
or three girls, the daughters of converts there. It is entirely
Chinese-like for a mother to intrust her daughter to another
woman who will care for her while absent from home. Some-
times the Bible-women bring their own daughters, daughters-
in-law, or other relatives. In this way the Girls' School has
had as many as eighty during one session.
The women are taught reading, writing, and singing, Bible
history and geography, the Scripture catechisms, and also at-
tend addresses in the college during the day and take part in
recitations and other exercises in the evening. They are
trained in methods of teaching, and in every way equipped
for their work. Then they are sent to stations where their
gifts will yield the best service. In this way a hundred little
communities are reached, and women and girls, Christian and
heathen, in the remotest part of the mission are brought into
touch with the stronger and healthier life at the center.
I am not speaking for other missions or other missionaries.
Neither am I theorizing about work in Formosa. I am simply
explaining the plan adopted there, and stating results which
are evident and verifiable. After an experience of more than
twenty years I may be permitted to say that, in my opinion,

A PE-PO-HOAN WEAVER-THE MATRON OF THE GIRLS' SCHOOL.
NATIVE WORKERS FOR NATIVE WOMEN
307
only by some such large, flexible, and Chinese-like plan will
North Formosa ever be evangelized. The expense of main-
taining a large foreign staff is so great, the language and social
customs of the people present such formidable obstacles, the
climatic conditions are so wasteful of life, making the field,
except in and about Tamsui, a hungry devourer of men, and
the success which by God's manifest favor has attended the
work of those native Bible-women has been so real and abid-
ing, that I have stood and still stand, now as confidently as
ever, for the plan that is least expensive, most effective, and
that succeeds. In North Formosa that plan is native workers
for native women.
CHAPTER XXXIII
MEDICAL WORK AND THE HOSPITAL
Importance of medical missions-Native doctors-A doctor's charges-
Classification of diseases-Diagnosis-Diseases of the seasons-The
medicine-man-Cures for cholera, catarrh, dyspepsia-Malignant
malaria-Treatment by Tauist, Buddhist, sorcerer, doctor-Malarial
poison-Foreign treatment-Dentistry-First attempt-Instruments
-Methods and results-MacKay Hospital-Influence of medical
work on mission
T¹
HE importance of medical missons does not any longer
need to be emphasized. It is admitted by all who know
the history of modern missionary work. From the very begin-
ning of our work in Formosa heed was given to the words and
example of the Lord, and by means of the healing art a wide
door for immediate usefulness was opened. No part of my
preparatory training proved more practically helpful than the
medical studies pursued in Toronto and New York. I found
the people suffering from various ailments and diseases, and
the power to relieve their pain and heal their diseases won for
the mission grateful friends and supporters.
But it must not be supposed that there are no doctors in
Formosa. There are large numbers of them, and the practice
of medicine, if it is not scientific, is certainly interesting and
deserving of study. There are no authorized schools of medi-
cine, no examinations, and no degrees. Custom is the only
law, and success the only diploma. By experimenting on
himself or on others a man may come to know something of
308
MEDICAL WORK AND THE HOSPITAL
309
the medicinal values of certain compounds. Or he may be
associated with an older practitioner and learn from experi-
ence. Or by studying books on medicine and copying the
important parts, he may learn enough of theory to begin prac-
tice. One who has himself been a sufferer and tried many
remedies has all the knowledge required for prescribing for
other people. A clerk in a medicine-shop, by reading and fill-
ing prescriptions sent in by doctors, may begin himself to pre-
scribe. Failing in other lines, a man may purchase a stock of
recipes and set out as a doctor. To be sure, one must have
either knowledge or shrewdness; otherwise he will lose the
confidence and patronage of the people, and then his occupa-
tion will be gone.
A Chinese doctor's charges would not be regarded as exor-
bitant by Western physicians or patients. For one call one
hundred cash-equal to about ten cents-will be expected.
The regular practitioner holds a high place in the estimation
of the people, and his services are fairly remunerative. The
traveling doctor, however, who generally combines sleight-of-
hand tricks with the sale of plasters and nostrums, does not
enjoy their confidence or respect.
The native doctors classify diseases as either internal or ex-
ternal, and it is but rarely that both classes of disease are
treated by the same man. As internal diseases are more mys-
terious because of their secret operations, those who devote
themselves to their cure are counted worthy of greater honor
than those whose specialty is external sores and wounds.
Diagnosis is made by feeling the pulse. The doctor seats
himself opposite his patient, whose hand rests on a piece of
cloth on the table. If the patient be a male, the doctor, using
his own right hand, first feels the pulse of the patient's left
hand, then that of his right; if the patient be a female, the
doctor, using his own left hand, takes first her right and then
her left. He places his thumb on the prominent part of the
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FROM FAR FORMOSA
bone of the wrist, and the first three fingers on the pulse. The
different states of the pulse are described by five different
words. The first means that it is high and full; the second,
that it is low or deep and slow; the third, that it is deeper and
lower still; the fourth, that it feels as if empty; and the fifth,
that all motion is gone and nothing can be felt.
The heart and liver are supposed to produce these different
states of pulse. It is believed that the heart has seven open-
ings, through which wind and an evil principle enter, causing
these changes in the pulse. Diseases differ according to the
seasons of the year. Those of the spring are supposed to be
caused by the liver, those of the summer by the heart, those
of the autumn by the lungs, and those of the winter by the
kidneys.
The doctor invariably writes out his prescription, which is
taken to the drug-shop and filled. The druggist weighs out
the various ingredients with considerable care, and wraps them
together in a paper, inclosing the prescription along with the
medicine, and marking the names of the articles on the outside
of the package. The masses are kept in ignorance, however,
for very familiar substances are given names quite unknown
in the language of the common people. Minerals, rocks, and
shells are often ground to a powder and roasted. Vegetables,
roots, flowers, barks, and seeds are used as infusions.
In matters of surgery the natives acknowledge the superior-
ity of foreign practitioners, but in dealing with internal diseases
preeminence is claimed for their own doctors. It is only slowly
that their ignorance is exposed and their superstitious notions
overthrown. When one thinks of many of their remedies one
wonders at the simplicity of patients that makes such prescrib-
ing profitable.
For Asiatic cholera many trust to a counter-irritant and ex-
ternal applications. The skin on several parts of the body is
pierced with needles, and jerked or pinched between the
MEDICAL WORK AND THE HOSPITAL
311
knuckles of the index and middle fingers until it becomes red.
Hair and ginger are sometimes mixed with camellia-oil and
rubbed over the body. A specific for catarrh is made out of
three ingredients infused in boiling water-a chip cut from a
coffin after it has been put into the grave, a piece of the hem-
pen mourning-clothes, and a handful of the earth out of the
grave or taken from beside the coffin after it has been lowered.
The tartar allowed to collect around the teeth-of which, I
can bear testimony, a supply may be easily obtained—is con-
sidered a valuable antidote for dog-bite. The sallow counte-
nance and disagreeable flatulence of a dyspeptic may be cured
by a diet of dog's flesh, that of a puppy being preferable, and
that of a mad dog not to be despised. A common remedy for
gastritis is jerking the skin of the neck with the fingers after
steeping them in warm water or spirituous liquor. If an in-
fant's skin be of a black or dark color, pieces of a broken fry-
ing-pan are ground together with a screeching noise until the
child begins to cry. If a man has been exposed to winds or
rain, and painful cracks in the skin result, it is supposed that
the real cause of the trouble is that the man offended the
moon by pointing at her with his middle finger; and to be
cured he must face the offended mistress of the night, placing
his hands together as in the act of worship, and politely bow,
humbly confessing his sin, and asking forgiveness.
It must not be inferred from what has just been said that
the Chinese are simple-minded and gullible beyond all others
that dwell upon the earth. It does seem incomprehensible,
however, that so shrewd a people can be deceived and blinded
by such ignorant quackery. And yet is it so very strange?
What about the most enlightened nations of Europe in the
last century? What about some Western peoples and coun-
tries to-day? One does not need to travel far to find those
who are willing to be duped.
The most malignant disease, the one most common and
312
FROM FAR FORMOSA
most dreaded by the people, is, as has been suggested, ma-
larial fever. They suppose the disease to be caused by the
patient unluckily treading on mock-money put in the street or
on the roadside by a priest or sorcerer; or by a conflict be-
tween the hot and cold principles in nature; or by two devils,
one belonging to the negative principle in nature, fanning the
patient, thus causing the chills, and the other belonging to the
positive principle, blowing a furnace and producing heat and
fever. But to mention the names of these devils would be to
incur their displeasure, and so the people never use the name
"chills and fever," but call it "devils' fever," "beggar's fever,"
or some other harmless name.
The treatment for malaria depends upon the adviser. The
Tauist priest makes charms out of peach-leaves, green bam-
boo, and yellow paper, which are tied around a button of the
sick one's clothes, or to the cue. Sometimes red thread is tied
around the wrist, and kept there for weeks at a time.
Or a
stamp, like that of Lau-tsze, the founder of Tauism, is pressed
on the back. But perhaps most effective of all is for the priest
to arouse the devils by ringing a bell or blowing a kind of
horn, after which he proceeds to drive them out with a whip.
The Buddhist priest prescribes tea made from the ashes of
burnt incense, or he writes such a word as "arsenic " on a
puffed cake, which he puts into boiling water and, when cool,
gives it to the patient. Failing other remedies, he sends the
afflicted to the nearest temple, where he must remain for some
time under the table of an idol to escape the attacks of the
designing devils.
The sorcerer takes three bamboo sticks about three feet in
length, ties red cloth around one end of each, and charms the
fever demons away from those possessed. Or he makes a
figure like a man out of rice-straw, into which he invites the
wicked spirits to enter, and having carried the straw man some
distance from the house, he presents to the spirits an offering
MEDICAL WORK AND THE HOSPITAL
313
of mock-money, pork, duck eggs, rice, and vegetables. As
effective a remedy as any other used by the sorcerer is the
tying of seven hairs plucked out of a black dog around the
hand of the fever patient.
The native doctor will talk wisely about the disagreement
between the two principles in nature, which nothing but his
medicines will overcome. The chief ingredients of his remedies
are seeds of plantain, prepared orange-peel, licorice root, root
of white peony, Pterocarpus flavus, Sida, Panax (ginseng),
Levisticum, Bupleurum, Scutellaria, Clematis libanotis, and
quince.
I have no more faith in the prescriptions of the native doc-
tors than I have in those of the priests or sorcerers. Indeed,
I have known doctors to write out prescriptions for their pa-
tients and collect their fees, but for their own use they kept
carefully folded in paper from five to twenty grains of quinine.
To this dreaded disease foreigners give such names as sun-
pain, intermittent fever, chills and fever, fever and ague, dumb
ague, jungle fever, African fever, and I have heard it called
Tamsui fever. Its real cause, no doubt, is malarial poison
generated by the decomposing of organic matter, and its in-
tensity depends on the constitution, climate, and surroundings
of the sufferer. I spent weeks with the savages in the moun-
tains near Mount Sylvia, and found them generally healthy.
Pe-po-hoan farmers moved into that neighborhood and began
to build their huts and cultivate the land. Within one week
the entire settlement was prostrated with fever in its most in-
tense form, and the sufferings of those poor savages were sad
to see. Another instance of the poison being generated by
the upturning of the decomposed matter in the soil occurred
in connection with the building of the Girls' School at Tamsui,
where, after digging down several feet for the foundation, the
workmen suffered more or less until the building was finished.
A singular thing is that one limb or one hand or one side may
314
FROM FAR FORMOSA
be affected and may go through all the stages, and the other
parts of the body remain as before.
Several methods of treatment are followed. A first attack,
in a good constitution, may be overcome by anything that will
produce a good sweat; but when the system is saturated with
the poison, long-continued and persistent treatment is required.
Lemons cut in slices and boiled till all the juice is extracted
make not only a refreshing drink, but, if used liberally, an un-
questionably good medicine during a fever attack. I have
used Podophyllum and Taraxacum in pill form at first, then
frequent doses of quinine, followed, if necessary, by perchlorate
of iron. A liquid diet, exercise, and fresh air are always in-
sisted on.
My prayer is that some discovery may be made
that will do in the case of malaria what vaccination does in
the case of smallpox, and that by killing or eradicating this
devouring poison life in tropical lands may be made less cruel
alike for native and foreigner.
It is not an uncommon thing in Formosa to find half the
inhabitants of a town prostrated by malarial fever at once. I
have seen households of twenty or thirty with not one able to
do any work. In such circumstances the native preachers,
living in the midst of the sufferers and knowing their life, are
able, by means of foreign medicine, in the use of which they
have been trained, to do incalculable service to afflicted hu-
manity, and so to commend the gospel of their Master, who
"healed many who were sick of divers diseases."
Dentistry should be mentioned, along with the treatment of
fever, as a most important department of medical missionary
work in Formosa. Toothache, resulting from severe malaria
and from betel-nut chewing, cigar-smoking, and other filthy
habits, is the abiding torment of tens of thousands of both
Chinese and aborigines. There are numberless superstitions
cherished by the people regarding the growth, defects, and
treatment of the teeth; and the ways by which they attempt

A DENTAL OPERATION-DR. MACKAY, A HOA AND KOA KAU.
MEDICAL WORK AND THE HOSPITAL
315
to drive out the black-headed worm, believed to be gnawing
inside and causing toothache, are, some of them, amusing,
some disgusting, and some, indeed, ingenious.
The methods by which the natives extract teeth are both
crude and cruel. Sometimes the offending tooth is pulled
with a strong string, or pried out with the blade of a pair of
scissors. The traveling doctor uses a pair of pincers or small
tongs Tis not to be wondered at that the people all dread
the operation, as jaw-breaking, excessive hemorrhage, fainting,
and even death frequently result from the barbarous treatment.
ments.
My first attempt to extract a tooth was in 1873. On leav-
ing Tek-chham with the students one day we were followed
by a dozen soldiers who had been sent to watch our move-
One of their number was suffering intense pain from
a decayed tooth; he said, "There is a worm in it."
I had no
forceps, but after examining it I got a piece of hard wood,
shaped it as desired, and with it removed the tooth. It was
primitive dentistry, to be sure, but the tooth was out, and the
poor soldier wept for joy and was most profuse in his grati-
tude. Years after, when a number of soldiers were reviling
the "barbarian missionary," a tall officer stepped forward and
reproved them, saying that I was the teacher who relieved him
of the aching tooth.
My first dental instruments were very rude, having been
hammered out by a native blacksmith according to my direc-
tions. Now I have the very best instruments made in
New York. The lance is rarely used, and the key, hook,
punch, or screw, never. A chair is not needed, and with
a hundred other sufferers waiting their turn any elaborate
preparations would be a waste of time. The Chinese have
considerable nerve, and endure the pain of an operation won-
derfully well.
Our usual custom in touring through the country is to take
our stand in an open space, often on the stone steps of a tem-
316
FROM FAR FORMOSA
ple, and, after singing a hymn or two, proceed to extract teeth,
and then preach the message of the gospel. The sufferer
usually stands while the operation is being performed, and the
tooth, when removed, is laid on his hand. To keep the tooth
would be to awaken suspicions regarding us in the Chinese
mind. Several of the students are experts with the forceps, and
we have frequently extracted a hundred teeth in less than an
hour. I have myself, since 1873, extracted over twenty-one
thousand, and the students and preachers have extracted nearly
half that number. The people now know that they do not
need to suffer the excruciating pain of toothache, and that
they need not run any risk in obtaining relief. The priests and
other enemies of the mission may persuade people that fever
and other diseases have been cured, not by our medicines, but
by the intervention of the gods; but the relief from toothache
is too unmistakable, and because of this tooth-extracting has
been more than anything else effective in breaking down pre-
judice and opposition.
Patients are treated in all the cities and villages where we
may happen to be. Medicines are given, and treatment pre-
scribed for them in their homes. The headquarters of this
department, however, like those of all others, are at Tamsui.
There is the hospital building, with its wards and necessary
equipment. At first I had only one room, but in 1880 a com-
modious building for hospital purposes was erected at a cost
of three thousand dollars, the gift of Mrs. MacKay, of De-
troit, in memory of her husband, Captain MacKay, and is now
known as the "MacKay Hospital." This has been a great
blessing to thousands of people. Referring to the report for
1894, during which time I have been on furlough in Canada,
I find that thirty-one hundred and fifty-six new patients and
seventy-five hundred and eighty old patients were treated in
the year.
Now it is not claimed that all treated were cured, or that all
MEDICAL WORK AND THE HOSPITAL
317
cured became Christians. Large numbers were cured during
these twenty-three years, many more were relieved, and the
services rendered made them much more kindly disposed to-
ward the mission. Many became converts themselves, and
their example told with their relatives and friends. The reflex
influence of all this medical work cannot be estimated. The
direct results in the conversion of patients cannot be told. We
could tell of many interesting cases. Bun Hien, a man of
fifty-six years, almost blind, formerly a ringleader of bad char-
acters, was cured of his blindness and converted to God, bring-
ing his children and grandchildren with him. A young woman
who took opium to commit suicide was treated, and recovered;
and as a result her father-in-law, sixty-two years of age, came
to the chapel and believed the gospel, living consistently on to
the close of his life. A man named Chiu was badly burned,
and a native preacher dressed his wounds successfully, so that
they were healed; and Chiu came to the chapel, bringing his
seven children, and they all became Christians. But space
would fail to tell of Chhi Hok, of Lim O, a gong-beater, of
Kho Ban, whose son was healed after being gored by a water-
buffalo, of Chhi, a fever patient, of Ku, who was bit by a dog,
and Ong, an opium-smoker, of a Confucianist teacher who was
a victim of “furious insanity"-space would fail to tell of
these and of hundreds of others who by being healed of physi-
cal infirmities were led to a knowledge of the Saviour who
heals the great trouble of the soul. Many of them were ad-
versaries of the truth, and were brought to consult the foreigner
only as a last resort; but out of enemies they became friends.
Some of them are now in the presence of their Lord; others
are constant in his service in the church on earth.
CHAPTER XXXIV
FOREIGNERS AND THE MISSION
Reported hostility-Sympathetic relations in Formosa-Experiences with
foreigners-Foreign kindness to native preachers—“ Barbarian ”
rarely heard-Address and presentation from foreign community
IT
T is a common complaint on the part of missionaries that
foreigners, whether merchants residing in the country or
travelers passing through it, are either indifferent or hostile to
Christian missions. One reads of the haughty contempt,
sometimes ill concealed, of the foreign community for mission-
aries and their work. One hears of a chasm deep and wide
between the missionaries and the other foreigners in the cities
and port towns of China and Japan. We are told by mer-
chants, officials, and travelers that the missionaries are weak,
narrow-minded, entirely without influence, and that their work
is a failure or a fraud. Missionaries, on the other hand, hint
that the foreign merchants are worldly, the military and naval
officers and men loose livers, the consuls unsympathetic and
unspiritual, and the average traveler a one-eyed, prejudiced,
vagabond globe-trotter, whose presence in the vicinity of a
mission is a distinct calamity.
It is not for me to speak of things as they exist in other
mission fields, although I should be sorry to think of what one
hears regarding the relations of foreigners to mission work as
having any very substantial basis in fact. There may be a
chasm such as has been referred to, and, if so, it has probably
318
FOREIGNERS AND THE MISSION
319
been dug by both parties. But speaking of Formosa, and
looking back over the entire history of our mission there, I am
bound to say that the most cordial relations have ever existed
between the workers in the mission and the resident or tran-
sient foreign community. Again and again in the preceding
chapters reference has been made to kindnesses shown and
services rendered by European and American merchants, and
by consuls, commissioners of customs, and physicians. The
representatives of the great foreign firms of Tait & Co., Boyd
& Co., Douglas, La Praik & Co., as well as others in the
employ of the Chinese, have always taken a genuine interest
in our work. Consuls and commissioners of customs like
Frater, Allen, Hosie, Ayrton, Morse, Hall, Bourne, and Hob-
son have been my personal friends, and I recall their names
with gratitude. More than one trip into savage territory was
relieved by the company of one or another of those gentlemen.
Hobson, when commissioner of customs, went with me
once, and neither of us will forget our experiences in the
mountains. Shivering with cold, we spent the greater part of
one day in a hut filled with smoke from the wet firewood, and
at night poor Hobson was kept awake, partly, perhaps, by the
savage atmosphere of the place, and partly by the noise of a
dry deerskin in which I had wrapped myself, and which at
every movement cracked like the going off of a pistol. I
remember, too, one hot evening when Hobson and Dr. Ringer
walked from Tamsui to Pat-li-hun to share with me such a
dinner as I had not seen before in a twelvemonth.
Medical men have invariably manifested a desire to assist
our work, and have rendered valuable services in many ways.
Dr. Ringer not only waited upon me in times of serious illness,
but during his residence at the port of Tamsui rendered gra-
tuitous service to the mission, having our hospital under his
charge.
Scientists from various countries have visited us at Tamsui,
320
FROM FAR FORMOSA
and an hour or two in my museum secured for the mission
their sympathy and interest. They saw there what would take
them years to discover for themselves, and not infrequently
have they been made friends of foreign missions by accom-
panying us on a tour of the chapels.
One Sabbath in 1873, when at Go-ko-khi, I was surprised
by the sudden appearance of a tall stranger, who saluted me
by name with an accent that suggested the Stars and Stripes.
He was J. B. Steere, an American scientist, now professor in
the University of Ann Arbor, Michigan, who was making a
tour through the tropics, collecting specimens for the museum
of his college. He became our guest at Tamsui, and for a
month we had delightful intercourse together. He took great
interest in my students, and once during my absence, when he
was left in full possession for several days, he undertook to
teach the students two tunes. He did not know the language,
but he could use a hymn-book in the romanized colloquial.
He put the notes of the tunes on the blackboard and drilled the
students in singing them, and on my return I was greeted
with the One Hundredth and the One Hundred and Twenty-
first psalms, sung to tunes that are still favorites, and are called
the "botanist's tunes" to this day by those who were in the
class then.
So I might go on to tell of ship-captains, officers, and
engineers who have in different ways rendered aid to our work
in Formosa. High and low have expressed their sympathy,
and the foreign residents have gone out of their way to show
kindness to the native preachers and converts. British Am-
bassador O'Connor and British Admiral Salmon visited Oxford
College, as did also the commander of a British man-of-war,
and, addressing the students, myself interpreting, spoke in the
kindliest terms of greeting and good will. I have found for-
eigners of all nationalities ready to acknowledge their indebt-
edness to Christianity, and willing to help the mission and
FOREIGNERS AND THE MISSION
321
•
missionaries.
The fact that they were not themselves mission-
aries gave peculiar emphasis to their words, not only in Europe
and America, but also in heathen communities. In return the
students and converts have been taught to treat with respect
and honor all foreigners, and the contemptuous epithet "bar-
barian," so often cast at foreigners twenty years ago, is rarely
heard in North Formosa to-day.
That the relations existing between the mission and the for-
eign community are sympathetic and cordial is testified to by
the address, engrossed on silk, and accompanied by a magnifi-
cent telescope, presented to me on the eve of my departure
for Canada in 1893. I value this address, even though it
does me honor overmuch, and I have consented to its repro-
duction here because it expresses in unmistakable terms the
interest of the entire foreign population in the work into which
I have put my life.
"To Rev. G. L. MacKay, D.D., on the eve of his departure from
Formosa.
"TAMSUI, 17th August, 1893.
'DR. MACKAY: We here assembled felt that we could not
let you depart without wishing you God-speed and a pleasant
voyage home, and expressing our regard for you, and our
estimation of the great work you have so nobly undertaken in
Formosa, and carried on so successfully during the past twenty
years.
"We have not always given expression to our thought, but
we have highly appreciated your great success, and the mar-
velous progress you have, by God's help, been able to make
in getting at the hearts of the Chinese people around us; a
success which, we think, is without parallel in the history of
Christian missions in China.
"You cannot but regard with much thankfulness and satis-
faction the great and noble work you have been engaged upon,
322
FROM FAR FORMOSA
and to which you have devoted your life these many years.
In material blessings alone, resulting from your labors, resides
sufficient cause to make any man proud and happy; and if
there were nothing else to show than the good feelings be-
tween natives and foreigners, due to your teaching, that alone
would be sufficient cause for triumph. Those of us who
remember Formosa as it was at the time of your arrival recog-
nize a great alteration for the better in the demeanor of the
natives generally; and we ascribe the improvement in a great
measure to you. Suspicion has given place to confidence, and
the most timid never dream of fearing molestation, let them
roam the country where they will. Who with time to ramble
can forget the neat and wholesome-looking mission chapels
scattered broadcast through the land? And who can fail to
remember the bright and cheerful welcome received at such
spots as Sin-tiam, when on pleasure bent amid the glorious
scenery of Formosa the Beautiful; the kindly reception and
smiling welcome, the glad readiness to anticipate one's wants,
the keen desire to make our stay at the mission station com-
fortable, and to give us a bright memory to look back on?
All this is the outcome of your teaching and your influence.
"Besides the admiration and respect we feel for your work,
and the gratitude for the benefit we derive from the good feel-
ing between Chinese and foreigners, which you have done so
much to develop, we also feel that we have even, as a com-
munity, a special relationship with Kai Bok-su. You have
been a standing symbol and example to us of faith in the
Unseen, especially at those times when one or another has
passed from among us and from the visible world. You have
been ever ready to sympathize with us and help us, and to
remind us of the great realities, sharing with us, as only such
a man as yourself can, in all our last offices for those who have
gone from us. Had we marriage or other occasions for joy
among us, we feel that you would then equally sympathize
FOREIGNERS AND THE MISSION
323
"
with us and help us. Therefore, individually and as a com-
munity, we wish to express our appreciation and our gratitude.
'It only remains to ask you, Dr. MacKay, to accept from
the foreign community of North Formosa, and the captains,
officers, and engineers of the visiting steamers, a feeble token
of our esteem. If our offering should serve to bring nearer
to your vision the 'glory which the heavens nightly declare,'
and give you delight and relaxation in the bringing, we shall
all rejoice.
“L. TE BRETON,
B. P. WHITE,
CHARLES PYE,
ALFRED G. ROBSON,
J. R. WILSON,
R. MUSSEN,
ARNOLD C. CLARKE,
HARRISON W. LEE,
G. BALL,
F. W. E. DULBERG,
WILLIAM GAULD,
WILLIAM DAVIS,
FRED B. MARSHALL,
F. M. TAIT,
R. H. OBIY,
M. JENSSEN,
B. C. MATHESON,
F. FENWICK,
E. A. DONALDSON,
PAUL SCHABERT,
J. MERLEES,
F. C. ANGEAR.”
JAMES CROMARTY,
ISAAC ROBERTS,
J. D. EDWARDS,
V. LARSEN,
J. REMUSAT,
H. B. MORSE,
W. S. AYRTON,
O. E. BAILEY,
G. M. HINRICHS,
G. SCHNEIDER,
G. NEPEAN,
W. CLONEY,
A. F. GARDINER,
A. BUTLER,
P. W. PETERSEN,
A. SCHWARZER,
J. S. ROACH,
WILLIAM ROBERTS,
F. F. ANDREW,
E. HANSEN,
F. ASHTON,
CHAPTER XXXV
WITH THE ENGLISH PRESBYTERIANS
North and South-Mutual respect-Founding of their mission—Staff of
workers-Visit of Mr. Campbell-Tour with Mr. Ritchie-Stations
and statistics—Medical work-Education-A noble history
LTHOUGH the island of Formosa is not more than two
A hundred and fifty miles in length, those in the
hundred and fifty miles in length, those living in the
south are separated from us in the north as far as if the length
of a continent lay between us. There is no direct connection
by sea, and the overland route is tedious, difficult, and dan-
gerous. The mission in South Formosa, carried on by the
Presbyterian Church of England, although reaching northward
to a point not far from the most southerly station supplied by
our mission in North Formosa, is still so far away that for all
practical purposes we are in different countries. Once in
years missionaries from Tamsui and from Tai-wan-fu may
meet, but it is only as
66
Ships that pass in the night and speak each other in passing."
No two missions could possibly be more friendly; and al-
though we have not touched each other except remotely, and
although our methods of work differ very materially, we are
((
one in hope and doctrine, one in charity." They have a
larger foreign staff, while we throw greater emphasis on a na-
tive ministry; but God has no fixed method by which his ser-
vants must work, and each according to his ability and his
324
WITH THE ENGLISH PRESBYTERIANS
325
circumstances must serve our common Master. The mission-
aries in South Formosa are indeed brethren beloved. When I
landed in their midst, a stranger and a novice, those then in the
field gave me the heartiest welcome, initiating me into the
work, and then accompanying me on an exploring expedition
through my own chosen field. The story of their work has
been told by one of their number, the Rev. William Campbell,
F.R.G.S., in his "Missionary Success in Formosa." I have by
me only the two most recent reports submitted to the Synod
of the Presbyterian Church of England, upon which I depend
for extracts and statistics.
The work in South Formosa was begun in 1865 by J. L.
Maxwell, M.D., a devoted Christian physician. Writing of
his service in 1870, the convener of the Foreign Mission Com-
mittee under whom he labored said: “It is in some respects
almost romantic in its incidents, and very glorying to God in
the large results of the work as compared with the smallness of
the human agency; for it is principally through one mission-
ary, a noble Christian physician, who went out for us in 1865,
Dr. Maxwell, that the work has been carried on." The
founder of the mission is indeed a noble Christian, and since
his retiral from the field he has continued in the service of
foreign missions, being editor of " Medical Missions," published
in London, England.
When I arrived in 1871, Revs. Hugh Ritchie, William
Campbell, and Dr. Dickson were on the field. The present
staff, according to the report for 1894, includes Rev. William
Campbell (1871), Rev. T. Barclay, M.A. (1874), Rev. Dun-
can Ferguson, M.A. (1889), Peter Anderson, L.R.C.S. and
P.Ed. (1878), W. Murray Cairns, M.B., C.M. (1893), Mr.
George Ede (1883), Miss Annie Butler (1885), Miss Joan
Stuart (1885), Miss Barnett (1888). The report records "the
unexpected removal by death of the Rev. William Thow,
which has left a deep wound in the hearts of all the brethren
326
FROM FAR FORMOSA
and of the entire native church. Mr. Thow was a noble mis-
sionary, and had got into remarkable touch with the Chinese
Christians, from many of whom the most tender, sympathetic
communications have been received." It was my privilege to
know Mr. Thow, having met with him on the field, and he de-
served the words of appreciation that have been spoken by his
fellow-workers and his church. Mr. Ritchie and Dr. Gavin
Russel have also been called to rest from their labors in
Formosa.
The first missionary to visit me at Tamsui was the Rev.
William Campbell, who traveled inland with me, preaching the
gospel in the towns and villages. Years afterward he visited.
me a second time, and made a trip through the Kap-tsu-lan
plain. He was a delightful companion. One evening at
Kelung we agreed to spend ten days without speaking English,
beginning on the following morning. We were to set out on a
tour in the morning, and before daybreak the call to rise was
heard: “Liong tsong khi lai” We were soon making our
way along winding paths, talking all the time, but never using
an English word. At last my friend turned to me and said,
MacKay, this jabbering in Chinese is ridiculous, and two
Scotchmen should have more sense; let us return to our mother
tongue."
"
In 1875 the Rev. Hugh Ritchie came up to Tamsui, and,
accompanied by nine of our preachers, I set out with him on
a trip that lasted seventy days. We inspected all our work in
the north, visiting all our stations, and then journeyed south-
ward, over mountains, across sands, through forest jungle and
rocky gorge, until we reached the most northerly stations in
the South Formosa mission. We went from station to station,
inspecting their entire work. Then we met with the mission-
aries and native workers in a conference of preachers and
office-bearers at Tai-wan-fu, where for several days we took
sweet counsel together, myself and the preachers from the
WITH THE ENGLISH PRESBYTERIANS
327
north being privileged to take part in the discussions along
with the southern brethren. I have visited South Formosa
several times since then, and have lost none of my affection
for the mission whose missionaries have labored so devotedly
and whose converts impress a stranger as being earnest and
sincere.
At the close of 1894 the South Formosa mission reported
twenty organized congregations, eighteen not yet organized,
with twelve hundred and forty-six members on the communion-
roll. The work was greatly interfered with by the sickness of
several of the most efficient and experienced missionaries.
Malarial fever is their foe, as it is ours in the north. Their
stations are among Chinese, Pe-po-hoan, and Sek-hoan. In
the Tai-wan district there is one station among the Chinese
and four among the Pe-po-hoan. In the Tong-soa district
are eleven among Chinese and one among Hak-ka Chinese.
In the Ka-gi district are five among Chinese and four among
Pe-po-hoan. In the Chiang-hoa district is one station among
Chinese and five among Sek-hoan. On the east coast are
three stations among Pe-po-hoan. There are twenty-six na-
tive preachers, none of whom have yet been ordained, and
eight students studying with a view to the ministry. Cheering
items of news are reported from several churches, and the re-
port says that, "at a general conference of preachers and
office-bearers to be held in February, it seemed all but certain
some decisions would be reached by the native brethren which
would lead to their assuming a greater amount of responsibil-
ity in the management of the church's affairs. The brethren
are of opinion that the day is not very distant when they will
be able to go forward to the ordination of one or two native
pastors, which would indeed be a red-letter day in the For-
mosa mission."
Of the influence of medical work in their mission the Rev.
William Campbell writes: "Work in our hospital reaches two
328
FROM FAR FORMOSA
classes, the out-patients and those, every Tuesday and Friday,
who have medicines dispensed to them. Thus every year a
wide door and effectual is opened for seeking to influence
thousands of persons-coming, moreover, not from one town
or village, but from a region covering many hundreds of
square miles." A deeply interesting work for the blind was
initiated by Mr. Campbell, and is contributing its quota to the
success of the mission, being conducted with every token of
blessing.
The missionaries-some of them, at least-are convinced of
the importance of throwing more responsibility on the native
preachers and teachers, and hence of developing native talent
by thorough education. Mr. Campbell writes: "It is a source
of much regret to us that the work in our college does not de-
velop as we wish to see, or as the necessities of our field now
urgently require. With very little effort about twenty students
could be accommodated in the present college buildings; and,
taking the usual percentage of loss into account, this number
ought to be always at work if we are to make anything like
healthful and necessary progress. During 1892 we had the
names of only eight regular students on our roll; one a native
of Chin-chew, two Hak-ka Chinese, and five children of Pe-
po-hoan parents. There is obviously much need for full and
sympathetic inquiry into the causes which for years past have
been preventing a larger number of Chinese youths from ac-
cepting our offers to bring them within reach of college instruc-
tion. Chiefly on account of having no Christian teachers, our
congregational schools have been few indeed, and it is well
known to friends at home that, for want of proper accommoda-
dation, Mr. Ede's middle school had to be given up in the
autumn of 1890. The few years' work of this latter institution
convinced us all of its exceeding importance and value at the
present stage of our mission. It was only necessary that it
should have gone on a number of years longer in order to
WITH THE ENGLISH PRESBYTERIANS
329
furnish young men for the college, for managing local schools,
the hospital, and almost any other department of Christian
effort."
The mission in the south was founded under trying condi-
tions, but it has done a great work and has a noble history.
There are worthy names on its roll of service. It has been a
light in a dark place, a witness for God and truth, a bringer
of good tidings to thousands. The methods adopted differ
from ours, but the spirit is the spirit of the gospel of Jesus, and
I rejoice with the brethren there in every success achieved, and
hail with supreme delight any "forward movement" for the
ingathering of souls and the upbuilding of the City of God in
South Formosa.
CHAPTER XXXVI
RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT
Survey-Foreign medical assistants-Rev. J. B. Fraser-Rev. K. F. Junor
-Rev. John Jamieson-Rev. Wm. Gauld-Mr. Gauld and the native
preachers-Statistics for 1894-Mr. Gauld's report-Chapels-Native
preachers-Self-support-The changed relations-" Eben-ezer "
STANDING
TANDING on the prominence of the present, one is dis-
posed to look backward over the past and forward into
the future. Twenty-four years ago, in the autumn of 1871, I
first left my native land, young and inexperienced, the first
foreign missionary sent out by my church. I went out not
knowing whither, for my field of labor had not been chosen.
But the God who "shapes our ends" led the way, and early
in 1872, lifting my eyes to the green-clad mountains that stand
round about Tamsui, clearer than human voice ever spoke to
the outward ear, I heard the voice of God whisper to my list-
ening spirit, "This is the land." In the autumn of 1881, at
the close of my first furlough, I set out a second time, not
alone now, and not unknowing, for Formosa, the land of my
labors, the native home of my wife, had been written upon my
heart. And now for the third time, in the autumn of 1895, at
the close of my second furlough, I am setting out again, this
time with my wife and our three children, and Koa Kau, my
Chinese student-companion. Farewells have all been said, and
trusting the guidance of Him who knows the way and never
leads astray, we go out in the glad confidence that in Formosa
330
RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT
331
we have work to be done and a witness to be borne for Jesus
our Saviour and King.
There are many things about missionary experiences in
North Formosa that are still untold. Looking back over the
years, I see one helper after another entering into our life and
taking part with us in our work. Mention has already been
made of Dr. Ringer, the resident physician to the foreign com-
munity, who from the beginning until 1880 gave such valuable
service in connection with the hospital and medical work, tak-
ing upon himself the chief responsibility of that department.
Dr. Johansen followed him, and for six years, until 1886, dur-
ing which there were trying and troublous times, he laid the
mission under obligation. Then came Dr. Rennie, and from
1886 till 1892 he was chief officer of the hospital and medical
work. Since then Dr. F. C. Angear has had charge and over-
sight of this important department, and, like his predecessors,
has given generously of his time and rendered most efficient
service to the mission.
In 1875 we were joined by the Rev. J. B. Fraser, M.D.,
and wife. Dr. Fraser, son of the late Rev. W. Fraser, D.D.,
for many years one of the clerks of the General Assembly of
the Presbyterian Church in Canada, had two years' experience
in medical practice, and, after graduating in theology, was
ordained and designated by the Presbytery of Toronto in
September, 1874, and sent out by the Foreign Mission Com-
mittee to have charge more especially of the medical work.
After a faithful service of nearly three years his home was
broken up by the death of his wife, in October, 1877, and he
was compelled to return to Canada with his children. He is
now minister in Leith, Ontario, and is an active and useful
member of the Foreign Mission Committee.
The year following, in the summer of 1878, the Rev. Ken-
neth F. Junor arrived at Tamsui, having been commissioned
by the Canadian church, and he continued in the service until
332
FROM FAR FORMOSA
1882. For a considerable part of the time, during my first
furlough in 1880-81, he was the only foreign missionary in
the field, and, with the native preachers, had oversight of the
entire mission, which at that date had twenty chapels, each
with a native preacher, and in all over three hundred members
in full communion with the church. Mr. Junor's health broke
down, and in November, 1882, he returned to Canada. He
is now engaged in important city mission work in New York.
In 1883 the Rev. John Jamieson and his wife arrived and
entered upon their work, which was carried on against great
odds until 1891, when Mr. Jamieson, after repeated and pro-
longed periods of physical weakness, was called away by death,
and his wife returned to Canada.
In May, 1892, the Rev. William Gauld, having completed
his college training, was appointed to Formosa by the Foreign
Mission Committee, and in September of the same year he
and Mrs. Gauld arrived in Tamsui. They were most heartily
welcomed by the workers in the field, and with commendable
ability and zeal began the study of the language, people, and
methods of work. During my present visit to Canada Mr.
Gauld has been the only foreign missionary in the mission,
and through all the times of disturbance and unrest consequent
upon the recent war and the long-continued resistance of the
islanders to Japanese rule, the affairs of the mission have been
managed with great discretion and success. The Foreign
Mission Committee was enabled to report that "Mr. Gauld
has entered upon the work in Formosa with such sympathy
and judgment as encourages us to expect gratifying results.
The committee was somewhat alarmed lest Dr. MacKay's
return home so soon after Mr. Gauld's arrival would lay upon
him a responsibility he might not be able to bear. These
fears have been disappointed."
A Hoa, Sun-a, and Thien Leng were associated with Mr.
Gauld in conducting the mission, and their experience and
RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT
333
judgment were to be depended upon. Of A Hoa Mr. Gauld
wrote at the close of 1893: "Though constantly in consulta-
tion, there has never been the slightest approach to friction
between us, and the longer and better I know him the more I
can love him, trust in his honesty, and respect his judgment.
In cases of difficulty that have arisen he has invariably been
deputed to visit the locality in which the disturbance took
place. On his return his smiling face, no less than his words,
invariably announced his success in restoring harmony. Yet
this man receives only $20 (silver) or $11.43 (gold) per month
from the mission for his services."
In the report submitted to the General Assembly of 1895 the
statistics of the mission showed: 2 foreign ordained mission-
aries; 2 native ordained missionaries; 60 unordained native
preachers; 24 native Bible-women; 1738 native communi-
cants (male 1027, female 711) in good and regular standing
in the church; 2633 baptized members; 60 dispensaries at
chapels; 10,736 treatments at the hospital; $2375.74 contrib-
uted by natives for mission purposes; $264.10 contributed by
natives for the hospital; $269 contributed by foreign commu-
nity for the hospital.
In his report for the same year Mr. Gauld says: “Oxford
College is still closed, pending Dr. MacKay's return. It has
been one of the most useful institutions in connection with the
mission, and we doubt not will continue to exercise its influ-
ence for good in days to come.
(C
During 1894 the Girls' School was kept open for a short
time. After the commencement of the war it was deemed
unwise to keep the girls so far away from their parents, and
accordingly they were sent home.
"The longer our experience the more do we value the native
ministry as an important factor of the work. The majority of
our native agents are doing excellent work, and the two native
ordained pastors are superior men. When I last visited Pastor
334
FROM FAR FORMOSA
Tan He's congregation at Sin-tiam-a country town, or rather
village-worship was held on Saturday evening, when about
seventy were present. On the Lord's day there were present
in the morning about one hundred and seventy, in the after-
noon about one hundred and twenty, and in the evening about
seventy. Of course many of the country-people returned to
their homes, not remaining for the evening service. What a
delight to address such attentive audiences! At week-night
services, besides singing and prayer, an attempt is made to
teach the people to read. In this young church there is cer-
tainly a variety of gifts. To know Tan He is to love him.
He is not so good a superintendent as Pastor Giam Chheng
Hoa, but in his own sphere is a most useful man, cheerful,
orderly, cleanly, and true, a faithful pastor, a good preacher,
a sympathizing friend. He has now for many years been ex-
ercising a Christian influence upon his countrymen, and still
continues, by God's grace, the same blessed work. Pastor
Giam Chheng Hoa is a remarkable man. Well taught in the
doctrines of the gospel, he preaches them with faithfulness and
power. By nature he has very high executive ability, which
has been improved by twenty years of experience. He knows
his own people, from the governor of the island to the ragged
opium-smoking beggar, and has influence with them all. His
services in the mission are invaluable, and we trust we shall be
permitted for many years to enjoy the benefits of his influence
and counsel. Other preachers and Bible-women are doing
their work in their own way, and to good purpose. We long
for the time when we shall have a native church supporting a
native ministry without foreign aid, and also helping the needy
in other parts of this poor sin-cursed world. It is a cause for
thankfulness that, while the death-rate here was very high
during the past year, not one of our mission staff, foreign or
native, was called away from the work in which all are so
much needed.
RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT
335
"We long for a rapid increase of true believers, and we de-
sire, even more earnestly, that those received into the church
may be true to Christ, steadfast in the faith, showing clearly
by their lives that they daily live with him.
In preceding chapters reference has been made to many
points where mission work is being carried on and where
chapels have been erected. The location of each chapel is
indicated on one of the maps, which gives the names of the
sixty points occupied by the mission. The complete list is as
follows:
1. Tam-sui.
2. Pat-li-hun.
3. Go-ko-khi.
4. Chiu-nih.
5. Lun-a-teng.
6. Toa-tiu-tia.
7. Bang-kah.
8. Sin-tsng.
9. Sia-au.
10. Sa-kak-eng.
II. Tho-a-hng.
12. Ang-mng-kang.
13. Tek-chham.
14. Tiong-kang.
15. Au-lang.
16. Sin-tiam.
17. Sek-khau.
21. Ta-ma-ian.
22. Hoan-sia-thau.
23. Ki-lip-pan.
24. Ka-le-oan.
25. Pho-lo-sin-a-oan.
26. Lau-lau-a.
27. Lam-hong-o.
28. Sai-tham-toe.
29. Chin-tsu-li-kan.
30. Pi-thau.
31. Ta-na-bi.
32. Sau-hut.
33. Tang-mng-thun
34. Sin-a-han.
35. Bu-loan.
36. Ki-bu-lan.
37. Ki-lip-tan.
41. Poeh-oug-sia.
42. Aug-chha-na.
43. Thiau-sang-pi.
44. Teng-phoa-po-o.
45. Tang-koe-soa.
46. Teng-siang-khoe.
47. He-is-a.
48. Pak-tau.
49. Pat-chiau-ua.
50. Pang-kio.
51. Toa-kho-ham.
52. Pi-teng.
53. Lam-kham.
54. Tiong-lek.
55. Toa-o-khau.
56. Pak-mng-khau.
57. Gek-bai.
18. Tsui-tng-kha.
38. Toa-tek-ui.
58. Tho-gu.
19. Koe-lang.
20. Sin-sia.
39. Thau-sia.
40. Sa-kiat-a-koe.
59. Sin-kang.
60. Ba-nih.
At each of these chapels a native preacher is stationed, and
in many cases there is associated with the preacher a native
trained Bible-woman. The students of Oxford College give
valuable services, assisting the preachers at various stations,
preaching the gospel, and teaching the people from house to
house. Irregular and occasional services are held at many
336
FROM FAR FORMOSA
points where there is no chapel or organized congregation. In
this way the mission is gradually extending, and its growth is
substantial and healthy.
Several of the preachers are engaged in the superintendence
of the mission and in the educational work at Tamsui. The
following native preachers, trained and equipped for their
work, are in charge of chapels :
I. Tan He.
2. Tan Leng.
3. Go Ek Ju.
4. Tan Theng.
5. Chhoa Seng.
6. Lim Giet.
7. Tsun Sim.
8. Siau Tien.
9. Li Kui.
10. Lau Chheng.
II. Tan Ho.
I2. Tan Ban.
13. Keh Tsu.
14. Tan Eng.
15. Eng Goan.
16. Tan Siah.
17. A Lok.
18. Iap Tsun.
19. Thien Sang.
20. Lau Tsai.
21. Tan Kui.
22. Eng Jong.
23. Ang An.
24. Thong Su
25. Jim Sui.
26. A Hai.
27. Pat Po.
28. Jit Sin.
29. Chin Giok.
30. Ki Siong.
31. Pa Kin.
32. Hok Eng.
33. In Lien.
34. Hong Lien.
35. Kai Loah.
36. Sam Ki.
37. Keng Tien.
41. Tsui Eng.
42. Chheng He.
43. Chhun Bok.
44. Tiu Thiam.
45. Bio Sien.
46. Eng Seng.
47. Chhong Lim.
48. Teng Chiu.
49. Beng Tsu.
50. Tek Beng.
51. Tu Iau.
52. Li Iau.
53. Tsan Un.
54. Tan Sam.
55. Li Sun.
56. Eng Chhung.
57. Tsui Seng.
38. A Seng.
58. Kho Goan.
39. Gong A.
40. Tong San.
59. Lim Ban.
60. Bun Seng.
The all-important question of self-support is constantly kept
before our minds, and the native Christians in North Formosa
are taught to give of their means for the maintenance of ordi-
nances and for the extension of the church. A self-supporting
mission is our ideal. But what is meant by self-support? What
I understand by a self-supporting mission is one in which all
the work is carried on and all the agents supported by those in
the mission itself. The church in North Formosa will be self-
supporting when its college, school, hospital, chapels, and all
RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT
337
other departments, with all laborers, whether native or foreign,
will be supported by the members and adherents of the native
church. We are as yet a long way from that position, but we
are on the way, and are moving in that direction. Four of
our congregations are now entirely self-supporting; and last
year the contributions from the natives themselves amounted to
$2639.84. There is a great work to be done, not in Formosa
alone, or China, but throughout the entire foreign mission
field, before help from the churches in Europe and America
can be dispensed with. The statistics of native contributions
call for patience on the part of ministers and churches in the
home field. It
It is too much to expect the heathen, either at
home or abroad, to pay for his own conversion. Converts
must be taught self-reliance and self-denial, but it sometimes
happens in heathen countries that to accept Christianity is to
invite oppression, boycotting, and robbery. In many native
congregations there is not one member who, even according to
native standards, has "a competent portion of the good things
of this life." But out of their poverty I have seen them give
willingly for the support of gospel ordinances.
Another problem facing the mission in North Formosa is
the coming of the Japanese. We have no fear. The King
of kings is greater than emperor or mikado. He will rule and
overrule all things. We do not speculate. We do not prear-
range. The Japanese question must be faced, as all others
have been faced, with plans flexible enough to suit the changed
circumstances, and faith strong enough to hear the voice of
God across the storm. There will be difficulties, dangers, and
trials before things are adjusted, but Formosa is given to Jesus,
and the purposes of God shall be fulfilled.
Why should we fear? Surely we can say, "Hitherto hath
the Lord helped us." I look back to the first days, and recall
the early persecutions and perils, of which the reader will never
know. I remember the proclamations issued and posted up
338
FROM FAR FORMOSA
on trees and temples, charging me with unimaginable crimes,
and forbidding the people to hold converse with me. In 1879
I was burned in effigy at an idolatrous feast. Again and
again have I been threatened, insulted, and mobbed. But
the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather
unto the furtherance of the gospel," and now the church of
Jesus Christ is a real factor and a positive power in the moral
and spiritual life of North Formosa.
I
After what has been told, will it be said that missions are a
failure? With more than two thousand confessed followers
of Jesus Christ now in the churches of North Formosa, who
were born, most of them, in the darkness of heathenism, and
with the social and moral life of the people impregnated with
Christian ideas, am I to be told by some unread and untrav-
eled critic that mission money is wasted, that missionary suc-
cess is mere sentiment, and that converts do not stand?
profess to know something about foreign mission work, having
studied it at first-hand on the ground, and having examined it
at the distance of half the globe's circumference. I profess to
know something of the character of the Chinese, heathen and
Christian, and something of men in other lands than China.
And I am prepared to affirm that for integrity and endurance,
for unswerving loyalty to Christ, and untiring fidelity in his
service, there are to-day in the mission churches of North
Formosa hundreds who would do credit to any community or
to any congregation in Christendom. I have seen them under
fire, and know what they can face. I have looked when the
fight was over, and know that it was good. I have watched
them as they lay down to die, and calmly, triumphantly, as
any soldier-saint or martyr-hero, they "burned upward each
to his point of bliss." Tell me not that they will fall away.
Four hundred of them have been counted worthy and have
entered into His presence, the first-fruits of the harvests now
ripening in the white fields of North Formosa.
RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT
339
But the half has not been told. These chapters are but a
fragment. Not to-day or to-morrow can the story be written.
The real story is not finished; it has only begun. There are
chapters to be added from the yet unread pages of the book
of God. Formosa is rooted in God's purpose as surely as
Orion or the Pleiades. That purpose "will ripen fast, unfold-
ing every hour." To help on its fulfilment this snatch from
the history of the past is broken off and sent out to the
churches at home, while we go out again to far Formosa,
stretching forward to the things which are before. We are
not afraid. Our confidence is in the eternal God. Oh, may
Jesus, our exalted Redeemer-King, keep us all, and all his
church, here and yonder, true and faithful till he come. May
we live in the light of certain victory. The kingdom of the
world shall yet become the kingdom of our Lord and of his
Christ. The isles shall wait for his law.
INDEX
Aberdeen (Scotland), Free Church
College at, 21.
Aboriginal tradition, 94.
Aborigines, Chinese contempt for,
102; conquered at Formosa, 205;
and the dominant race, 248; sav-
age, 251.
Address to author from foreign com-
munity at Tamsui, 321.
Agincourt Island, 184.
Agricultural course, Tamsui mis-
sion, the, 209.
Among the Chinese, 101.
Ancestors, worship of, 131, 259.
Angear, Dr. F. C., 331.
Animal life of Formosa, 76.
Asiatic cholera, 43; native treat-
ment of, 310.
Author, the, 3; his parentage, 14;
home life at Zorra, Canada, 15;
Christian upbringing, 16; early
drawn to mission work, 16; pre-
paratory studies at Toronto, 18;
graduation, and first missionary
duties, 19; theological studies at
Edinburgh, 20; great Scottish
preachers, 21; called to work in
foreign fields, 23; tour among the
Canadian churches, 24; ordina-
tion, 26; departure for " Far For-
mosa," 27; crossing the Pacific,
29; at Yokohama, 30; masters
eight tones of Formosan dialect,
31; takes passage for Tamsui, 32; |
arrival at scene of labors, 33;
spying out the land, 34; experi-
ence of Formosan inns, 35; visits
English Presbyterian Mission at
Toa-sia, 36; moves into his home
at Tamsui, 38; first attack of
fever, 44; difficulties in acquir-
ing the language, 136; acquires
facility in spoken dialect from
herdboys, 137; tour with A Hoa,
145; records of missionary tours,
174; experiences during the
French blockade, 189; suffers
from acute meningitis, 195; mis-
sionary labors among the Pe-po-
hoan, 217; makes a trip down
the east coast, 226; threatened
by savages, 240; visits the Lam-
si-hoan, 241; departure on a visit
to Canada (1893), 170, 321; ad-
dress and presentation of foreign
community to, 321; retrospect
and prospect of author's work,
330; persecutions and perils
things of the past, 337.
Baber, E. C., British consul at Tam-
sui, tour with, 262.
"Bamboo," the, punishment of, 107.
Banditti, subduing, 160.
Bang-kah, 45; population of, 113;
how taken, 164; hatred to for-
eigners at, 164; hostilities to mis-
sionaries at, 165; great change of
demeanor toward, 170; author
honored at, 171.
Baptism of converts, 148.
"Barbarian" as an epithet ad.
dressed to Europeans, 136, 146,
238, 301, 321.
341
342
INDEX
Baths, public, among the Lam-si-
hoan, 246.
Bax, Captain, trip into savage terri-
tory with, 252.
Beginnings of mission work, 135.
Betel-nut eating, filthy habit of, 246.
Bible-women, native, 141, 301, 335.
Birds, veneration for their chirps,
259.
Birds of Formosa, 79.
Blind, the, mission work among,
328.
Bombardment of Tamsui, perilous
position during, 194.
Botany of Formosa, 55.
Brahmanism and Buddhism, studies
in, at Edinburgh, 20.
"Bread cast upon the waters," 158.
Bryce, Rev. Dr. George, of Winni-
peg, 26.
Buddhistic idolatry, 208; cure for
malaria, 312.
Burning the idols, 231.
Burns, William C., 16.
"Burns's Church" at Sin-sia, 223,
227.
Calvinism, stern old, 15.
Campbell, Rev. William, of South
Formosa, 325-328.
Canada, financial aid given by, for
mission work in Formosa, 292,
303.
Canada Presbyterian Church, 3, 6,
23, 28, 304.
Candlish, Dr. Robert, 21.
Catarrh, native specific for, 311.
Cheng-kui-sia, open-air service at,
237.
Chief's village, visit to, 263.
Chinese, the, physical features of,
97; among the people, 101;
government of, 104; criminal
justice among, 109; corruption
and inhumanity of, 110-112; in-
dustrial and social life of, 113;
farming, 115; education, 116;
theaters and amusements, 118;
marriage customs, 120; religious
life of, 125; idolatry among, 128;
degrading feasts of, 131; worship
of ancestors, 134; feeble sense of
the sublime, 176; baneful influ-
ence of Chinese traders, 258;
hated by the aborigines as intru-
ders, 268; attacked by native
tribes, 270; the prey of the head-
hunters, 272; social life of, at
Tamsui, 298; doctor's charges,
309.
Christmas with the savages, a, 264.
Churches, establishing of, 153; de-
stroyed during hostilities, 191.
Coal-boat, adrift on a, 187.
Coal-mines at Poeh-tau, 50.
Coming of the French, the, 189.
Communion services, 148, 161, 227.
Confucianism, 125, 177, 208.
Confucianist, an old, 177.
Converts, baptism of, 148; eager-
ness of, 162.
Cordial relations between the laity
and the mission, 321.
Craig Island, 184.
Curriculum of study at Oxford Col-
lege, Tamsui, 293; at Girls'
School, 306.
Dawson, Sir J. William, of Mon-
treal, 24.
Dead, mode of burying, among the
savages, 262.
Dentistry and the medical missions,
314.
Departed spirits, savage notion of
place of, 258.
Dialects, multiplicity of, 265.
Divining-blocks, praying with, 128.
Doctors, native, and their diagnosis
of diseases, 309.
Dodd, Mr. John, of Tamsui, 34,
195.
Donkey experiences, 175.
Dress of savages, 245, 256.
Duff, Rev. Dr. Alexander, 20.
Earthquakes, prevalent, 53; at Sin-
kang, 239.
East coast, trip down the, 226.
Edinburgh, post-graduate (theologi-
cal) course at, 20; great preachers
of, 21; mission work at, 22.
INDEX
343
Educated ministry, need of, 287.
English Presbyterian Mission at
Tai-wan-fu, 32, 324; among the
Chinese, Pe-po-hoan, and Sek-
hoan, 327.
Establishing churches, 153.
Ethnology of Formosa, 92.
Farmer's lot, 213, 243.
Farming in Formosa, 209.
Feasts, savage, religious significance
of, 258.
Fibrous plants, 64.
Fishes of Formosa, 83.
Flowers of Formosa, 73.
Foreign devil"
as an epithet, 136,
146, 150.
Foreign Mission Committee of Pres-
byterian Church in Canada, 30.
Foreigners and the mission, 225,
318.
Forest land, mode of clearing, 264.
Formosa, its geography and history,
41; the climate and its enervating
influences, 42-44; destructive
Chinese typhoons, 45; the Dutch
and the Japanese in, 46; aborigi-
nal (Malayan) name of island, 47;
geology of, 48; mineral resources
of, 50-52; earthquakes in, 53;
atmospheric, aqueous, and vol-
canic agencies at work in, 54;
plant life of, 55-60; fruits and
fruit-trees of, 60-63; grasses of,
66; vegetables, 68-71; tobacco,
tea, and other plants, 71-73;
flowers of, 73-75; animal life, 76-
78; birds, 79, 80; reptiles, 80-
82; fishes, 83; insects, 84-89;
mollusca, 89-91; races of, 92–98;
the Chinese in, 101-103; form of
government, 104; criminal jus-
tice, 109; outrages upon native
Christians, 110-112; industrial
and social life, 113; farming in,
115; education in, 116, 117; the
theater, sports, and amusements,
118, 119; betrothal and marriage,
120-124; Chinese religious life,
125; idolatry, 128; ancestral wor-
ship, 133; heathenism in, 164;|
|
modes of travel, 172; sedan-chairs
and the rickshaw, 174; touring in
the north, 175; the gospel mes-
sage and its results, 179-181;
the waiting isles, 182; the coming
of the French to, 189; attacks on
mission churches and outrages
upon native converts, 191–194;
looting of mission buildings, and
indemnity therefor, 200; rebuild-
ing of the chapels, 202; essentially
an agricultural country, 209; mis-
sions (English Presbyterian) in
South Formosa, 324; need of
self-supporting missions in, 336.
Forms of punishment, 107.
French, coming of the, 189; leaving
of, 199.
French invasion in 1884, 158.
Fraser, Rev. J. B., M.D., 331.
Frater, Alexander, British consul at
Tamsui, 38, 197.
Fruits and fruit-trees, 60.
Gauld, Rev. William, 332.
Geh-bai, flourishing Christian con-
gregation at, 157.
Geography of Formosa, 41.
Geology of Formosa, 48.
Gibraltar of heathenism," Bang-
kah, 164.
Girls' School at Tamsui, 224, 282,
292, 313, 333.
Glengarry Chapel," Tang-mng-
thau, 236.
Gods, Chinese, 126.
Go Ek Ju, the painter, conversion
of, 140.
Go-ko-khi, erection of first chapel
at, 121, 148; work prospering in,
150.
Gold on the Kelung River, 52.
Government and justice, 104.
Gunn, Mr. William, of San Fran-
cisco, 28.
Guthrie, Rev. Dr. Thomas, 21.
Hak-kas, among the, 102, 157.
Harvesting operations, 212.
Hatred of foreigners at Bang-kah,
164.
344
INDEX
Head-hunters, with the, 267; mur- | Lam-a-lin,
derous equipment of, 270; savage
propensities of, 271; hideous rev-
els of, 273; reprisals of Chinese,
275; menace of, to Europeans,
277.
Headquarters at Tamsui, 135.
Heathenism of Formosa, 125.
Hill Dyaks of Borneo, Formosan
kindred, 267.
Hindustani, author learns it at Edin-
burgh, 20.
History of Formosa, 46.
open door "at, 227.
Lam-hong-o, chapel at, 222.
Lam-kham, night sojourn at, 179.
Lam-si-hoan, life among, 226, 241;
heathen darkness among, 247;
future of, 248; deadly result of
civilization among, 248.
Language and dialect, 97, 98, 102.
Lau-lau-a chapel, 228; native mar-
riage at, 228.
Licentiousness, corroding, 248.
Life among the Lam-si-hoan, 226,
241; future of, 248.
Hoa, Giam Chheng (A), 139, 142, | Lights and shadows of missionary
219, 332.
Hodge, Dr. Charles, 18, 19.
Hok-los, the, 101.
Hong Kong, 28, 195.
How Bang-kah was taken, 164.
life, 237.
Liquors, trade in poisonous, 248.
Lord's work prospering, the, 150.
McCosh, Dr. James, 18.
Machar Memorial Church, 158.
Idolatry, Chinese, stock in trade, MacKay, George, 14.
289.
Idol-making industry, 128.
Idol-temple offered for chapel ser-
vices, 231; idol-burning, 231.
Idol-worship, natives weary of, 231.
Importance of medical missions,
308.
Industrial and social life, 113.
Inglis, Rev. Walter, 25.
Insect life in Formosa, 84.
Intertribal wars, 258.
Irrigating rice-fields, 210.
Jabbering in Chinese, Scotch, 326.
Jamieson, Rev. John, 332.
Japanese, coming of, 337.
Junor, Rev. Kenneth F., 331.
Ka-le-oan, cook-preacher at, 230.
Kap-tsu-lan plain, 215; many chap-
els on, 220, 234, 239.
Kau-kau-a, 221.
MacKay, Rev. G. L., D.D. (See
under Author.)
MacKay, Rev. R. P., 6.
MacKay, Mrs. (of Detroit), church-
building donation from, 223, 316.
'MacKay Church" at Lam-hong-o,
222.
MacKay Hospital at Tamsui, 283,
316.
McKenzie, Rev. Donald, 15.
MacLaren, Rev. Professor William,
19, 22, 25, 28.
MacVicar, Rev. Principal, of Mon-
treal, 24.
McTavish, Rev. W. S., 4.
Malaria, 43; native remedy for, 276,
312; need of cure for, 314; a foe
to missions, 327.
Malays, the, 207, 224, 242, 251.
Maplewood (Ontario), school-teach-
ing days at, 16.
Marriage among savages, 257.
Kelung, 45, 47; church at, 157, Martyrs for the faith, 192.
237.
Ki-lai plain, the, 241.
King, Rev. Principal J. M.,
Winnipeg, 26.
of
Knox College, Toronto, 18, 160.
Ko Chin, the convert, 158, 221.
Laing, Rev. Dr., of Dundas, 27.
Maxwell, Dr. J. L., 324.
Meaningless Chinese etiquette, 301.
Medical work and the hospital, 308;
influence of, on mission, 317.
Mission, English Presbyterian,
work of, 325.
Mission work, beginnings of, in For-
INDEX
345
mosa, 135; among Pe-po-hoans,
215; location of missions in
North Formosa, 335.
Missionary, to be one the passion
of the author's life, 16.
Missionary experiences, 150.
Mollusca, Formosan, 89.
Money, thirst for, among the Chi-
nese, 164.
Moore, Rev. Dr., of Ottawa, 25.
Morals and manners among the
Lam-si-hoan, 247.
Mountain forests, savage life in,
251.
Mountain savages, 251.
Museum at Tamsui, 288.
work among the, 215; encourag-
ing nature of, 215, 219; English
Presbyterian work among the,
327.
Pe-po-hoans, the, 37, 205; con-
quered aborigines, 205; their
home in the Kap-tsu-lan plain
(North Formosa), 205; social
characteristics, 206; their cruelty,
207; nature-worshipers, 207; Chi-
nese idolatry forced upon them by
their conquerors, 208; murderous
propensities of, 216, 276.
Perils of waters," in, 173.
Persecutions suffered by native con-
verts, 192.
Musical instruments of the savages, Phoa-po-o, gospel preached at, 236.
257.
Native Bible-women, 302.
Native ministry, need of, 44, 285;
cost of maintenance of, 286.
Native preacher, the first, and his
church, 142.
Native workers for native women,
297.
Nature-worship among the savages,
258.
Newmarket (Ontario), missionary
labors at, 19.
Night in an ox-stable, a, 221.
"No room here for barbarians,"
221.
Non-failure of missions, 338.
Official corruption, 105.
Opium-smoking habit overcome,
179.
Oppression of Christians, 110.
Ordinances and sacraments, 235.
Oxford College, Tamsui, 194, 224,
230, 282, 291, 304, 305, 320, 333,
335.
Pak-tau, church at, 223; sulphur-
springs at, 223; prosperous mis-
sion at, 224.
Patience needful in the work of con-
version, 236.
Pat-li-hun, chapel at, 161.
Pe-po-hoan, village of, 36; mission
Phosphorescent glory of Formosan
waters, 229.
Pinnacle Island, 184.
Plant life in Formosa, 55.
Po-sia plain, 37.
Pottery, manufacture of, by the
Lam-si-hoan, 244.
"Power of God unto salvation"
manifested, 219.
Preachers, native, 336.
Presbyterian Church in Canada,
Tamsui mission of, 101, 282.
Presbyterian (English) missions in
South Formosa, 324.
Presbyterianism in Canada, consoli-
dation of, 24.
Princeton Theological Seminary,
author a graduate of, 19.
Railway operations in Formosa, 174.
Rattan industry, 270.
Refused accommodation, 238.
Religious life among Chinese in
Formosa, 125.
Reptiles of Formosa, 81.
Retrospect and prospect, 330.
Rice, the staple food, 246.
Rice-farming, 209.
Rickshaw, locomotion by, 174.
Ringer, Dr., of Tamsui, 319, 331.
Ritchie, Rev. Hugh, of South For-
mosa, 326.
Ross, Rev. John, of Brucefield,
Canada, 292.
346
INDEX
Sa-kak-eng, 159.
Savage life and customs, 251.
Toa-tiu-tia, population of, 113;
church at, 161, 237.
Scott, Mr., British consul at Tam-Tobacco-growing, 246.
sui, 168.
Tonquin, dispute with France, 189.
Sedan-chair, the, as a mode of Toronto (Canada), mission labors
motion," 174.
Sek-hoan mission, a, 238.
Self-supporting missions in North
Formosa, 337.
Sent ones of the King, the, 17.
"Seventh Moon Feast," barbari-
ties of, abolished, 131.
Sin-kang, opposition at, 238; earth-
quake at, 239.
Sin-sia, church at, 223.
Sin-tiam, 154; church at, 156.
Social life, Chinese, 298.
South Formosan mission, 324; no-
ble history of, 329.
Steep Island (Ku-soa), visit to, 182.
Steere, Professor J. B., of Ann
Arbor, 320.
Sulphur-springs of Pak-tau, 223.
Sutherlandshire (Scotland), au-
thor's visit to the "land of his
forefathers," 22.
Sylvia, Mount, ascent of, 260;
snow-capped heights of, 261, 313.
Tai-wan-fu, capital of Formosa, 32,
47.
Ta-kow (Formosa), author's first
sermon at, 31.
Tamsui, blockade of, 195; sketch
of, 281; mission buildings at, 282;
population of, 283; a treaty port,
283; MacKay Hospital at, 283.
Tan He, Rev., 154; missionary trip
with, 180, 226; builds church at
Sin-sia, 223; at Sin-tiam, 334.
Tattooing, 245, 257.
Tauism, 125, 208, 224.
within Presbytery of, 19; or-
dained at, 26.
Toronto to Tamsui, 26.
Torturing of converts, 192.
Touring in the north, 172.
Trader, Chinese, wily character of,
266.
Training a native ministry, 285.
Travel, modes of, 172.
Trees, plants, and flowers, 55.
Tribal life, 255.
Trip down the east coast, a, 226.
Tsui-tng-kha, church at, 162, 163,
237.
Typhoons, destructive character of,
245.
Village life among the savages, 244,
255.
Waiting isles, the, 182.
Warburg, Dr. (of Hamburg), bota-
nist, visit of, 225.
With the English Presbyterians in
South Formosa, 324.
Woman's Foreign Missionary So-
ciety of Canada gives aid to Girls'
School at Tamsui, 304.
Woman's ministry, 297.
Woman's position higher among Chi-
nese than among pagan races, 119.
Women, savage, fondness for orna-
ments, 256; hard lot of, 265.
Woodstock (Ontario) Grammar-
school, 16.
Woodstock
291.
"Sentinel Review,"
Tauist priest, incantations of, 129, Work of the missions, prosperity of,
289, 312.
Tea-culture, 114.
Teeth-extracting, 168, 227, 315.
Tek-chham, 113, 156.
Thah-so, Widow, first female con-
vert, 151; death of, 152.
Tin-a from birth to marriage, 298.
Toa-kho-ham, 159, 177.
202.
Worship of ancestors, 131, 259; a
stubborn obstacle to Christianity,
134.
Yokohama, 29, 30.
Zorra (Canada), early life in, 14;
bids farewell to, 27.
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
APR 3 0 1997
DATE DUE

FEB 19 1997
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
UNIV. ur MICH.
AU 10 1986
F
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