Correspondence. TO THE EDITOR OF RECORDER, All your readers of the Medical profession are aware that the International Medical Association, composed of representative physicians from all parts of the civilized world will convene next May at Washington, U.S.A. The interest in mission work so manifestly on the increase during the last few years, has found not a few warm friends and supporters among the medical profession, several Medical Missionary Associations have been formed, and their journals sent out over the world. Men of the best ability have entered the foreign work, while physicians and surgeons in the front ranks of the profession at home recognize the value of their work to religion science and humanity. Such a cause and such a body of men, at work in so important a country as China should be represented in this World's Congress of Physicians and Surgeons. Missions as well as Medicine would be aided by a good representation. To start the matter-and we must not move slowly for the time of meeting is not distant-will those engaged in Medical Mission Work in China, allow me to nominate a Committee, who shall be competent to receive from all medical Missionaries in China, their votes for delegates-say three-who are now in the United States, or will be when the Congress meets. This committee to give each delegate elected a certificate of his election, duly authenticated by the U.S. Consul-General at Shanghai. I would nominate :— Rev. Luther H. Gulick, M.D. W. H. Park, M.D. Miss E. Riefsnyder, M.D. If those at home or going home can be selected there will be no expense incurred, unless the delegates should propose some plan of making mission work prominent, by pamphlets or otherwise. Rev. H. K. Junor, M.D., of the Canadian Presbyterian Mission, in Formosa, is now in the United States, and H. W. Boone, M.D. of the Protestant Episcopal Mission at Shanghai, is I understand soon to return home for a rest. Both would represent us well, cannot some one propose a lady delegate? Very truly yours, Philander Smith Memorial Hospital, Nanking, August 26th, 1886. Robert C. Beebe, M.D. The above letter was received shortly after the editorial on the same subject went to Press last month. EDITOR. Sir, TO THE EDITOR OF RECORDer. More than fifty years ago a medical mission and Hospital were started in Canton. From that time down to the present medical missions have been known as a powerful means of doing good to the Chinese. Large numbers have been brought to a knowledge of Christian doctrine and life who would never have heard the word of God save for this means of reaching them. Thousands upon thousands have been restored to health, while for others, the path to the grave has been robbed of its terrors. The natives have had a practical demonstration that Christianity means peace on earth and good will towards men. In other ways this medical mission work has been useful. It has made many friendly to that religion which has shown a desire to minister as well to their temporal as spiritual wants. As a center from which medical teaching and knowledge could flow out it promises, (in the near future), to spread still wider the blessings which it has been the means of disseminating in the past. The small seed sown in the city of Canton, more than half a century ago has, under the blessing of providence, been growing until it has become a goodly tree. From the extreme North of China to the South, from the sea coast to the far interior, medical missions have been planted and are working for God-for the souls as well as for the bodies of the people of this great nation. In China the field is vast the laborers are few. Our western modes of thought, feeling, education, dress and manners are alien to the people of this nation. We must reach them in every way in our power, street preaching, chapels, Book and Tract distribution. Schools for boys and for girls, all and every means must be faithfully used, and as already we see the beginning of the great harvest of souls, our followers will see this whole nation stretching out her hands to God. To me, all means of Christian work are equally noble. We need them all, and many more than we now use to turn this people to the knowledge and the love of the truth. God speed all good men and women who are laboring in this part of his vineyard. As a medical missionary there is one branch of the work to which my thoughts naturally turn. For some years I have been trying to see what could be done for medical missions, the first thing that struck me was that with sixty or more medical men and women in China we had no organization, no mean of interchange of ideas, no method of feeling the common pulse beat, no central heart from which the life-blood could flow giving support and strength to the most distant members. How cheering it would be to the worker in some far off field, to be able to meet others, to exchange ideas and experiences and to gain hints for better methods of work. How much we all would gain if we had a common means of intercourse. There seems to me to be but one way to gain this much-to-be-desired end. Let us organize. The misssions in China have their Conferences; they have their general conference. They have regular publications w hich go to all the missionaries in the field and afford the means of an interchange of thought. Let us follow this example. Where ever two medical missionaries can meet together, if only for once in a year let them form a medical Society. New workers are coming out-these will be, in time, Chinese medical men who will be glad to join the society. Let them adopt a set of rules, make reports of their work and discuss matters of interest which may come before them. These are the branch societies. In North, South, and mid-China and at Hankow, let there be larger medical societies. Make four districts of China and let the smallar bodies of each division belong to the central society of that particular district. Everybody must have a head. Let us have one great central society-meeting once in two years. Elect the officers of the central society from those who have already gained experience as officers in the four district societies. Let us honor Canton by electing Dr. Kerr of Canton, as our first president, and let us have a meeting of the central society in Shanghai at some time to be chosen in the year 1888. After this first meeting for organizing, let the central body hold its Biennial meetings in a regular rotation at the district centers, North, South, East and West. The reason for holding the first meeting at Shanghai is simply, that Shanghai is the most central and easily accessible point for the largest number of medical missionaries coming from the North, South and interior. I propose that the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer assemble at the place chosen by the votes of the members of the last meeting, all medical missionaries members of branch societies to be entitled to seats and votes in the central body, all, who can come, will attend the Biennial meeting and they shall constitute a quorum, to transact business and elect officers for the ensuing term. Reports from other societies can be read, questions of a common interest discussed and the sense of the body as a whole will be the guide for the action of all. Thus we get union, and union is strength. Our united action would raise our individual status in China, and it would gain us a respectful hearing among medical men and medical societies at home. In these days of printing no enterprise can hope to succeed without the aid of the Press. Let us have an organ of our own. Small beginnings are safest. A quarterly journal of forty pages. In this we could discuss the best methods of gaining the respect of the Chinese, of bringing them to a knowledge of God. We could garner the knowledge gained by the workers in so many fields-as to Chinatology-local diseases and the best means of treating them, and we could be favored wtth statistical information which might throw new light on some of those problems which perplex the best medical minds of the present day. In a word, we could take our place as a band of organized workers in the cause of science, and add our quota to the knowledge of the world. Should any question of importance arise demanding early and united action, the officers of the central Society could prepare a statement of the case, give their own view of the best method of dealing with it, print and foward a circular to each member of the society in China and collect the votes for a final decision of the matter. In doing all this we would not lessen one jot or one tittle of our present labors or our present usefulness. On the contrary, we all need the stimulus of exchange of thought, we will do better work if under the criticism of our peers, who alone can judge us rightly. One word more, let us not forget that we are working for the Chinese, let us have a copy of the quarterly Journal printed in Chinese on Chinese paper and send it to every Chinese medical graduate, every medical student or assistant, of any foreign medical worker, and let us urge them to write for this Chinese periodical and give their own views and experiences. Craving your pardon for the length of this letter, which only the importance of the subject can justify, and commending the matter to the careful, prayerful consideration of my missionary bretheren. I am my dear Sir, Faithfully Yours H. W. Boone, M. D. EDITOR OF THE RECORDER. DEAR SIR, It has been my privilege to attend the closing exercises of "Collegiate School" under the superintendence of the China Inland Mission at their sanitarium near Chefoo. These exercises were highly gratifying to me and to all those who saw them, so far as I have learned. The success and standing of this school seems to have made a generally favorable impression. The exercises showed great care and patience on the part of the teachers and quite commendable diligence on the part of the pupils. The school has two departments a boys' and a girls', entirely separate from each other. Besides, within the last year a third department for small children-chiefly Eurasians-has been put into operation. The school has been in operation for five and a-half years, during which time 60 pupils have been in attendance. Among these pupils, there has not been a single case of serious sickness, a fact that speaks louder than words for the healthfulness of this northern climate. There are especially two or three considerations that strangely commend this school to our favor, regardless of denominational or society differences. 1.-The decidedly religious character of the teaching and training. A gentleman said yesterday on the floor of the school-room "We make no secret of the fact that we are teaching religion to the pupils." A constant effort is made to bring them to a believing knowledge of the Saviour. 2. The advantage that this school affords to missionaries to give their children a start in their future education. They can here be trained ready to enter college without the necessity of sending then home so young as to require the presence of one or both their parents and thus interrupt, if not entirely stop, their mission work. 3.-A number of pupils outside the mission circles also attend, who when they go into business in the ports, cannot but create gradually a more favorable impression with regard to mission work tham has heretofore existed among the merchant class in China. Last year there were four boys who have been in school a considerable length of time, and who are now successfully engaged in business. 4.-The healthy and invigorating climate with sea bathing, &c., cannot but be greatly conducive to the physical development of the pupils. On the whole, I think we have great reason to be thankful that this school has been started, and that it has met with so much success, and it certainly deserves patronage. Chefoo, July 7th, 1886. We have received a letter from Rev. W. P. Sprague, of Kalgan, speaking in equally commendatory terms of this School. ED. THE NAME OF JESUS IN CHINA. TO THE EDITOR OF THE RECORDER. A recent criticism of the constant use of the name of Jesus, by missionaries, and native preachers in China might easily be replied to by references from Scripture to the "name that is above every other name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow" It would be in point to recall also, "How sweet the name of Jesus sounds," how all the deepest and richest thoughts of faith and love, in all ages have gathered, as did the lyrical expression of Bernard about that name: "Oh Jesus King must wonderful Thou conqueror renowned, In whom all joys are found." While therefore not in sympathy with the criticism of the use of that name I should still like to say a word about the form in Chinese of the word Christ. We are hindered from the use of that word be cause it can not be acclimated to the Chinese thought. To our foreign ears it is an utter barbarism wholly alien to our thought or expression. And if it be without force for us, it has still less of meaning to the native Christians. I notice with great pleasure therefore that the newly organizing "Church of Christ in Japan," has very wisely adopted the guadriliteral form, "Ki-ri-ssu-tu." "The Christian Church," is a noble name, can it not be rendered into Chinese as well as in Japan? Why should translators any longer bind themselves to the crudeness of the old form ? We can say as the Romanists do say. The name is euphonious, through foreign. The idea that the Chinese dislike four characters in a word though a tradition, is a figment, as witness the names for Mohammed, Sakya-muni, Amidha, and others. Is this not a good time to join the movement of the Churches in Japan, by using the name of Christ in a form, easily adapted to general expression, and not limited as the biliteral form has thus far proved itself to be. We could then use it in prayer and worship and should not feel as if we were introducing an unknown and uncouth term into our reverential devotion. |