The year 1882 seems to have been marked by a distinct advance all along

the line. The average attendance rose to sixty-five. The new students

were selected out of the possible admissions, and consisted of such as

gave most promise as to work and character, some of them being already

well advanced in their studies, and full-grown men. The secret of this

was the enlargement of the constituency of the institution, through

the reputation it had already won for itself among the Chinese in

general, and through the increase of native Christians. Perhaps the

most remarkable improvement was in the prosecution of their work by

the students; a state of things due to such causes as the presence of a

larger number of select and advanced pupils, with a fuller and higher and

prescribed curriculum, with formal public graduation at its completion.

So straitened had their quarters become that in the following year

another building was obtained, care being taken that its outfit should,

as heretofore, be of so plain a character as not to lift the men who went

out from the institution above their own people in their ideas and habits

of living. Of course, the growth of the school and its differentiation

according to the stages of the curriculum necessitated a considerable

increase in the force of teachers. After graduates began to go out,

several of these were employed. Lillian Mateer for a while helped in the

school, but it was not long until her marriage to Mr. Walker terminated

her connection with the Presbyterian work and her residence at Tengchow.

In the autumn of 1882 very substantial and permanent help came by the

arrival of Mr. and Mrs. W. M. Hayes, whose large services will require

further notice as this biography proceeds. Were it not that the story of

the life of Mrs. Julia Mateer is told fully in a suitable volume, much

would be said here as to her remarkable achievements, especially in the

school.

Mateer’s work in connection with the school lay only in part in the

classroom; but whatever shape it took, it was always of such a character

as to impress his own individuality in a remarkable degree. Both he and

Julia regarded personal influence as of such vital importance that they

were not quite prepared to welcome an increase of pupils so great as to

hazard this element of training. Dr. Corbett says: “As a teacher he was

enthusiastic and eminently successful. He was always wide-awake and never

dull; so he was able to keep the attention of every student. Any attempt

to deceive him was useless, and students found no comfort in going to

a recitation unless they had been faithful in their preparation.” The

truth is that, helpful as he gladly made himself to everybody who tried

to conduct himself as he ought, he was a terror to all triflers and

evildoers, old or young. Dr. Mateer’s surname in Chinese was Ti. The

tiger is called Lao Hu. It is significant that among themselves his

students sometimes spoke of him as Ti Lao Hu. One thing he believed with

his whole heart, and endeavored to impress in every legitimate way on his

pupils. This is that the highest office to which a Christian man can be

called is the ministry of the gospel. In all his conduct of the school

his dominating desire was to raise up faithful, able, well-educated men,

filled with the Spirit, to go forth as ambassadors of Christ to win China

for Him. As Dr. Corbett adds: “For this purpose he gave wise counsel,

intellectual effort, unceasing toil and daily prayer. He gave of his own

money freely to help the destitute, and make it possible for youths of

promise to fit themselves for usefulness.”

Such, briefly told, is the story of the Tengchow school. In the two

decades of its existence it had fully justified the consecrated wisdom

of its founder and head. From the little elementary department with

which it had opened, it had advanced so as to become also a high school,

and at length to do work of full collegiate rank. At the time when it

formally took the name of a college, there was an average attendance

of seventy-five, including three day scholars. It had educated more or

less completely perhaps two hundred pupils, who had come up from Chinese

families, some of them Christian and many of them heathen. Of those who

remained long enough to be molded by the influences of the institution

and were mature enough, all made a public profession of their faith in

Christ. They had been trained to live upright, godly, Christian lives;

and they had seen one of their number die in peace through his faith in

Christ. The character and the work of those who had gone out to do their

part in the activities of the world were such as to command respect and

confidence and influence. For the graduates who were beginning to be sent

forth there was a demand to fill positions of high importance, much in

excess of the supply, and by no means limited to Shantung. Besides all

that had been achieved, the prospect of far greater things in the future

was assured.

IX

THE PRESS; LITERARY LABORS

“Making books is a very important branch of missionary effort,

which I would by no means depreciate; but he who would

undertake it should be sure of his call, and should not begin

too soon. There is a temptation to forego active evangelistic

work for the less laborious and perhaps more congenial work

of sitting in a study, translating or studying the literature

of the language. Much precious time is sometimes wasted in

this way, especially in the earlier stages of a man’s life,

before he is quite able to weigh himself against his work.

It is a rare thing indeed that a missionary should undertake

writing or translating a book inside of five years, and then

he should be supported by the advice and approval of his older

associates.”—MISSIONARIES AND THE LANGUAGE, 1902.

Mateer was at no time a very prolific contributor to the home newspapers

and periodicals. For about ten years, with some frequency, he wrote for

“The Presbyterian Banner” letters concerning the work of the mission

done by himself and others in China; but after that he was too busy to

continue such writing, except at long intervals. Once or twice he sent to

the United States more labored replies to what he considered misleading

articles that had appeared in such periodicals as “The Princeton Review,”

in regard to the condition of things in China. He greatly deprecated

laudation of matters Chinese and unwarranted hopefulness as to the

immediate future of their country. He was strongly inclined to question

the wisdom of the policy which the United States was pursuing in China

forty or fifty years ago, and he did not hesitate to express in print

here at home his views on that line of topics. Beyond these fugitive

contributions to the newspapers and periodicals he published little else

in this country, save a booklet or two, one or more of which he prepared

for the use of the Board at their request. Sometimes he questioned

whether his slight use of the home press might not leave the impression

there that he was not doing as much as others who were more frequent in

their contributions; but all the same he gave himself to the other work

which his hands found to do.

Most of his contributions to current literature appeared in China and

were written for “The Chinese Recorder.” His articles in this periodical

extend over almost his entire missionary life, some of them being brief,

but many of them being elaborate discussions of great subjects affecting

directly or indirectly the work of evangelization in non-Christian lands.

His book on the Chinese term for God was not published until 1902, and,

of course, was in English, though with copious extracts from Chinese

literature. His only other English book was a review of Dr. Nevius’

“Methods of Missions.”

His publications in Chinese, as we shall presently see, were very

considerable in number, and were of large importance to the work of

missions; for he at no time allowed himself to be diverted to the

production of any treatise that would not be helpful in the one service

to which he consecrated his life. But before he began to avail himself

of the press for his own books, he was somewhat unwillingly compelled

for a while to take the management of a printing establishment. Down

at Shanghai there was already a mission press, the funds for the

establishment of which had in large part been contributed for that

distinct purpose, and which had been left hitherto to the management

of the Presbyterian missionaries of that general region. The Synod of

China—by order of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the

United States—was organized in the autumn of 1870, and the first meeting

was held at Shanghai. The condition of the mission press at that place

was brought before the synod, and was by that body handed over to the

foreign missionaries in attendance, as more properly belonging to their

control. A plan covering the entire operation of the plant, as drawn up

by Mateer in a committee and approved by the entire body, was sent home

to the Board for sanction, which in due time it received. One of the

things for which immediate provision was necessary was a man to take

charge of the establishment, and the choice, after repeated efforts to

secure some other suitable person, and after his own refusal to take

the place, returned to him in such a way that he felt that he could not

decline it, if limited to a period of a year, and with the privilege of

spending some time as necessary up at Tengchow. Of course, temporary

arrangements had to be made for the conduct of the school. For this

purpose Julia’s sister, Maggie, was called into service; and with such

assistance as she could command she gave excellent satisfaction. She was

also in possession of the Mateer home. As to the work to which he was

thus temporarily called at Shanghai, he said in his Journal:

While it is a very great trial to me to come to Shanghai, it is

not without some inducement. It will increase very largely my

acquaintance, and will enlarge my knowledge of China and its

affairs. Also I hope it may be the means of getting something

of great benefit done for Julia’s health. I am very sorry that

the doctor who treated her before is not here now. My great

sorrow is that it will interfere with my Chinese studies, and

prevent me accomplishing what I had designed.

It was not until August, 1872, that he finally went back to Tengchow to

resume his work there.

The details of his life while at Shanghai probably would not interest

most readers. He said of it in his Journal, under date of January 29,

1872:

I neglected everything to do the work in the press, and I

worked with an assiduity that I have rarely given to anything

in my life. I had hoped when I went to Shanghai to have some

time to study, but I found it utterly out of the question. The

demands for the press were imperative, and I just gave myself

to the work.

Two sides of his capabilities were there brought into special

requisition. One of these was his efficiency as a business manager,—a

characteristic due partly to his native qualities, and partly to his

habits of accuracy, of wise forethought, of careful oversight, and of

insistence on the faithful performance of duty by all employees. This

side of his character is brought out by his “letter books.” Separation

by the space of half a globe from the base of supplies made it necessary

to anticipate wants by eight or ten months. For convenient reference he

caused every business letter, and many others, to be copied. Especially

as the school and college at Tengchow grew on his hands he had to conduct

what was in reality a large miscellaneous business, under conditions that

were very exceptionally difficult. He had not only to provide for his

own wants in his family and in his work, but also to accommodate others

by acting as their agent. His orders had to go sometimes to Shanghai,

but more frequently to London, or to New York, or to some place in the

interior of the United States. Many are curiosities, owing to the nature

and the range of articles included—from a steam engine or a telescope or

costly chemical supplies to a paper of pins. Some of the lists cover more

than ten pages in the copy. Woe to the merchant or agent in London or New

York or Shanghai who by mistake or for other reason sent without adequate

explanation any article that was not quite in accordance with the order!

He might expect to get a sharp letter, and a demand to rectify the

mistake if that were practicable. Service as treasurer of the mission

also gave him drill. Shilly-shally workmen are one of the horrors which

sometimes call from him in his Journal groans of anguish. When he had

completed his charge of the press establishment, including as it did a

book department, a job department, a dwelling for the superintendent,

quarters for the workmen, all of whom were Chinese, a chapel for these

workmen, and other equipments, it was a well-organized business, running

regularly and smoothly, and doing its work about as efficiently as was

possible under the conditions.

The other side of his capabilities there especially called into exercise

was his mechanical gifts. As an illustration, the following from his

Journal, under the same date as that just given, will answer:

I had to get a Japanese dictionary started, and it was a most

embarrassing affair. My predecessor had made promises which

he could not fulfill. The men were there to print, and yet we

had to send to England for paper to do the job. Also all the

pronunciation marks for Webster’s dictionary were to be put in,

and we did not have the type or the matrices. I had to have the

letters cut on wood, and matrices made; this was a world of

trouble. Some of the letters were cut over half-a-dozen times

or more, and after all they were far from perfect. I also had a

set of shaped music types cut, and this took a deal of time and

pains to get them all properly cut, as also to get the matrices

made. I finally succeeded quite well in both respects.... I

also experimented not a little in stereotyping, and succeeded

in doing fair work. I trained one boy who stereotyped Matthew

before I left. In order to carry it on effectually and rapidly

I had a furnace and press made and fitted up, which after

sundry changes worked very well.... I also had a new style

of case for Chinese type made, which I think will be an

improvement on the old. I also had a complete and thorough

overhauling of the matrices, reassorted them all, and had new

cases made. This was a serious job, but it will I am sure prove

a very great help to the efficient working of the establishment.

He consented to manage the press only until a competent man could be

secured to take it off his hands. When casting about for such a person,

his mind had been directed to his brother John, nearly a year before he

was himself forced into this position. John had hoped to go to college,

and to prepare for the ministry, and to go out as a missionary, but,

on account of certain tendencies developed as to his health, he was

compelled to abandon his purpose. As to his mechanical gifts and his

ability to turn them into use in a great variety of ways, he resembled

Calvin; and the latter was so confident that John could soon fit himself

to be a competent superintendent of the press at Shanghai that he advised

the Board of Missions to make inquiry in regard to him. The result was

that eventually he was selected for the place, and he arrived in China

early in August, 1871. Before he could satisfactorily enter on his duties

it was necessary for him to acquire some knowledge of the language and

to acquaint himself with the business committed to his charge. This

detained Calvin until late in that year; and after a period of some three

months spent at Tengchow, he returned to Shanghai to assist John in

moving the press to new and much better premises that had been purchased.

The moving proper was a heavy job, requiring a week of hard, dirty labor.

The distance was about a mile, mostly by water, but by land a hundred or

more yards at either end. While thus engaged, although he was no longer

officially at the head of the business, he took the main charge, so as

to allow his brother to give his time chiefly to the acquisition of the

language and to other things that he needed to learn.

The new place is the same now occupied by the press in Peking Road. Under

the superintendency of Rev. G. F. Fitch, it has become the center not

only of the Presbyterian missions, but of the general missionary activity

all over China. In writing to his brother as early as November, 1869, he

said of this plant: “It is a very important place, and would give you

an extensive field for doing good. The establishment is not very large,

it is true, as compared with similar establishments in such cities as

New York or Philadelphia; yet it is the largest and best of the kind in

China. It not only does all the printing for all our missionaries, but

a great deal of job work for others; besides making and selling a large

amount of type.” After he had completed his term of the management,

and while helping John to get into the traces, he wrote to one of the

secretaries of the Board:

I am not in favor of enlargement, but I would be very sorry to

see the present efficiency of the press curtailed. It is doing

a great and a good work not only for our missions, but for all

China. It has exerted a prodigious collateral influence both

in China and in Japan, affording facilities for the production

of all kinds of scientific books, dictionaries, and so forth.

Aside from any general interest in the missionary work, having

at no small sacrifice left my proper work and given more than a

year to the press, and also having a brother here in charge of

it, I feel a lively interest in its future.

The last record that has come down to us concerning his work there is:

“We have just sold to the Chinese government a large font of Chinese

type. They are going to use movable metal type. This is a large step for

them to take, and it will do good. China yields slowly, but she is bound

to yield to Christianity and Christian civilization.”

At no subsequent period of his life had he any part in the management of

a printing establishment, but indirectly he continued to have much to

do with the press. He was a member of a joint committee of the Shantung

and the Peking mission, in charge of publications, and as such he had

to acquaint himself with what was needed, and with what was offered,

so as to pass intelligent judgment. Unofficially and as a friend whose

aid was solicited, he revised one or more of the books which his

associates submitted to him for criticism. At the General Conference

of Missionaries, held at Shanghai in 1877, a committee, of which he

was a member, was appointed to take steps to secure the preparation of

a series of schoolbooks for use in mission schools. Not long afterward

he published an elaborate paper on the subject, discussing in it the

character which such publications should have, and especially calling

attention to the need of peculiar care as to the Chinese words which

ought to be employed in the treatises on the sciences. That committee

diligently set itself to work, and initiated measures for a rather

comprehensive set of books by various missionaries to meet the want

recognized in this general field. He was himself called upon to prepare

several books, some of which he was willing to undertake; others he

put aside as not properly falling to him. In one or two instances he

claimed for himself precedence as to treatises suggested for others to

write. Some friction occurred, and when the Conference met again in

1890 that committee was discharged, and an Educational Association,

composed of missionaries familiar with the needs of schools, and

confining its functions more exclusively to the publication of books

for teaching—largely under his leadership—was formed. He was its first

chairman. This change he had warmly favored, and he was an active member

of the Association. In it he was chairman of a committee on scientific

terms in Chinese, a subject of great difficulty, and of prime importance

in the preparation of text-books. In the subsequent years he was so

much occupied with the revision of the Mandarin Bible, and with other

duties, that he could give to the technical terms only a secondary place

in his activities. Still, six years after he accepted this chairmanship

he says: “I have collected a large number of lists of subjects for terms

in chemistry, physics, mathematics, astronomy, geology, metallurgy,

photography, watch-making, machinery, printing, music, mental and moral

philosophy, political economy, theology, and so forth.” Subsequently he

continued this work.

The first literary production of his own pen in Chinese was a tract on

infant baptism; this was called forth by local conditions at Tengchow. A

small sheet tract, entitled “A Prayer in Mandarin,” also followed early.

As chairman of the committee appointed by the Educational Association, he

made a report on chemical terms, and recommended a new and distinctively

Chinese method for the symbols in that science. This was printed.

In a preliminary report of the Shanghai press, made in September, 1871,

he, in a list of books in course of preparation, mentions under his own

name as author the following: “1. Catechism on Genesis, with answers

to the more difficult questions,—_finished_, needing only a slight

revision. 2. An explanation of the moral law as contained in the ten

commandments,—_half-finished_. 3. Scripture Text-Book and Treasury,

being Scripture references by subjects, supplying in great part the

place of a concordance,—_one-third finished_.” All of these had been

under way for several years, but had been frequently shunted off the

track by other imperative work. Very soon after that date the catechism

was published. He had a good deal to do with Julia’s “Music Book,”

especially in coining appropriate terminology, though he never claimed

joint authorship in it. Along with Dr. Nevius, he published a hymn

book for use in Chinese services; and down to the close of his life,

especially on a Sabbath when he did not preach, he now and then made an

additional Chinese version of a hymn. In fact, whenever he heard a new

hymn that especially moved him he wished to enrich the native collection

by a translation of it into their speech. One which the Chinese came

greatly to like was his rendering of the Huguenot song, “My Lord and I.”

A subject that was always dominant in his mind and heart was the call to

the ministry, and it was significant that one of the last things on which

he worked was a translation of the hymn which has the refrain, “Here am

I, send me.” It was not quite finished when his illness compelled him

to lay down his pen; but recently at a meeting of the Chinese student

volunteers, constituting a company rising well toward one hundred and

fifty, that hymn was printed on cards, and a copy was given to each of

these candidates for the ministry. In 1907 he had carried a theological

class through the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and as an outcome his

translation was published. This is the last religious book he made in

Chinese. During his long service as a missionary he taught a number of

theological classes in various studies, and his lectures were regarded

as very superior, but he published none of them.

His schoolbooks all originated in the necessities of his own work as

a teacher. The first thus to force itself upon his attention was an

arithmetic. He was already at work on it in 1868, and it went to press

while his brother John was superintending the plant at Shanghai. The

preparation of such a book, to one unacquainted with the conditions

under which this one was made, may seem to have been a rather easy

undertaking, and to have required little more than a sufficient mastery

of the Chinese language and of English; yet there were some perplexing

questions that arose in connection with it. For instance, the method of

writing numbers horizontally was wholly unknown to the Chinese. Should

the new arithmetic use the western, or should it retain the Chinese

method? To retain the Chinese would be to train the pupils in a usage

that would be confusing in subsequent reading of western mathematics; to

abandon it would be equally confusing in printing the text of the book,

which, according to Chinese usage, must be arranged perpendicularly. The

difficulty was gotten over by duplicating each pattern example, giving it

once horizontally and once perpendicularly. Pupils using the book were

permitted to take their choice in performing their work, but in the text

proper all numbers appeared vertically. Such lines as those dividing the

numerator and denominator of a fraction stood perpendicularly, with the

figures to the right and the left. Until he published his arithmetic,

the Chinese numerals had been employed; he introduced the Arabic. At the

dawn of the new era subsequent to the Boxer outbreak, almost the first

book in demand by Chinese teachers and pupils outside the mission schools

was a western arithmetic; and among others put upon the market were many

“pirated” editions of Mateer’s book, printed on cheap paper and with

wooden blocks. The publishers had not yet learned the significance of

“copyright.” The circulation of the book, however brought about, had at

least the effect of immediately increasing the reputation of its author

among the scholarly classes outside the church. Of the editions issued

by the press at Shanghai tens of thousands of copies have been sold. Dr.

Fitch writes that “it is impossible to state the total number,” and that

“the book has gone into all parts of the empire.”

In October, 1884, he submitted to the schoolbook committee of the

Educational Association the manuscript of his geometry, and in doing so

he said of it:

It is the result of much pains and labor.... The book is

written in plain Wen-li, and much pains has been taken to

make it smooth in style and accurate in meaning. In the few

equations used I have introduced the mathematical signs

employed in the West, of which I have given a full explanation

in the beginning of the book.... Mathematical signs and

symbols are a species of universal language, used alike by all

civilized nations, and it is unwise to change them until it

is absolutely necessary. The young men who have given most

effective assistance in the preparation of this geometry are

decided in their opinion that we should not change or garble

the mathematical symbolism of the West, but give it to them in

its integrity. The only change made is in writing equations

perpendicularly instead of horizontally,—a change which is

necessitated by the form of Chinese writing.

The book was published the following year. To the same committee he

reports in March, 1882, that his algebra was then all in manuscript,

and only needing revision and some rearrangement before printing. The

geometry was followed by his algebra, first part. These have had a large

sale, though, because fewer studied this branch, not the equal of the

arithmetic.

On January 14, 1908, he sent to the manager of the press the preface to

the second volume of his algebra, which covers the same ground as the

“University” edition in the United States. Of this Dr. Hayes says: “Over

twenty years ago he began the preparation of Part II of his algebra, and

the draft then made was used in manuscript for many years. Other duties

pressed upon him, and he was compelled to lay it away unfinished. Yet

he had not forgotten it, but from time to time he would make a step in

advance. It was only a few months before his death that the work was

completed and published.”

There were a number of other books which he planned, on some of which

he did considerable work, but none of which he completed. One of these

was so colossal in its projected scope and scholarship that it deserves

special notice because indicative of the large things to which early

in his missionary career he was already eager to give his time and

abilities. This was a Mandarin dictionary. In its preparation he sought

to associate with himself Rev. Chauncey Goodrich, of Peking; and in

writing to him under date of June 6, 1874, he thus stated his conception

of the work:

My idea of the book is a dictionary of the spoken language of

north China, in all its length and breadth, including on the

one hand all the colloquialisms that the people use in everyday

life,—all they use in Chi-li and in Shantung, and in all the

Mandarin-speaking provinces, so far as we can get it, noting,

of course, as such, the words and phrases we know to be local.

Further, let it include as a prominent feature all sorts of

ready-made idiomatic phrases, and in general all combinations

of two or more characters in which the meaning coalesces, or

varies from the simple rendering of the separate characters.

Considerable preliminary work had already been done, when the death of

Mrs. Goodrich compelled her husband to withdraw from the partnership; and

the project was abandoned by Mateer, though with a hope that it might be

resumed. In 1900, however, as the fruit of this and kindred studies he

published an analysis of two thousand one hundred and eighteen Chinese

characters. This little book was designed to help children in dictation

exercises to write characters, and is still largely used for this

purpose by mission schools. The huge dictionary, though never completed,

had three direct descendants. With Dr. Goodrich it produced first a

Chinese phrase book, and then a pocket Chinese-English dictionary,

which for brevity and comprehensiveness is a marvel, and which is

regarded by almost every student of Chinese as a necessity. In marked

contrast with these two volumes is an immense dictionary left behind

in manuscript by Dr. Mateer. It is wholly in Chinese; and as it lies

unfinished it occupies more than a cubic foot of space, and consists of

a set of volumes. No comprehensive dictionary of the Chinese language

has been published for two hundred and fifty years, and the last issued

had been mainly classical. The object of this was to supply the evident

need of a great new work of that sort. One insurmountable difficulty

encountered was a phonetic arrangement commanding common usage. None had

the requisite approval. Fortunately, on this undertaking Dr. Mateer did

not spend his own time, except so far as that was necessary to direct the

preparation of it by his scribes when they were not otherwise employed.

In his letter to his college classmates in 1897 he says that he has

“well in hand a work on electricity, and one on homiletics prepared when

teaching theology.” Neither of these was finished and published. To his

college classmate, S. C. T. Dodd, Esq., he wrote in 1898 that he was

trying also to finish a work on moral philosophy. In March, 1878, he

wrote to Dr. W. A. P. Martin, of Peking: “You will remember probably

that when you were here I spoke of my intention to make a natural

philosophy by and by. You said, ‘Go ahead,’ and that you would retire

in my favor by the time mine was ready, say, ten years hence. If I am

spared I hope to have the book ready within the time, if not sooner.

As you know, natural philosophy is my hobby, and I have taught it more

thoroughly probably than has been done in any other school in China. I

intend when I visit America to prepare myself with the material and the

facilities for such work.” He was not able to find time for this work;

and when later Dr. Martin invited him to write for the revised edition of

his treatise the chapter on electricity, this privilege had for the same

reason to be put aside. He had also advanced far toward the completion of

a translation of “Pilgrim’s Progress” into Mandarin.

His “Mandarin Lessons” was published early in 1892, and immediately

commanded a success even larger than its author may have anticipated.

Ever since, it has gone on toward a more general use by foreigners

wishing to master the language, and has now far outstripped every other

work of its kind. He was a quarter of a century in making the book. June

28, 1873, he made the following entry in his Journal concerning it:

Most of last week and this I have spent in making lessons and

planning a much larger number than I have made. Mr. Mills urged

me to work at them for Dr. ⸺’s benefit, as he did not seem to

take hold of Wade. I did not think of what a job I was sliding

into when I made three lessons for Maggie a few years ago. I

have now laid out quite an extensive plan, and if I am spared

I trust I shall be able to finish it, though it will take a

deal of work. I believe that I can produce a far better book

than any that has yet been brought forth. I was not intending

to do this work now, and cannot work much more at it, as other

matters imperatively demand attention.

Guided by the hint in this quotation, we are able to trace the book

still farther back to its very beginning. June 20, 1867, he said in his

Journal: “Maggie Brown [Julia’s sister] has been pushing on pretty lively

with the Chinese. I made her lessons for a good while, which she studies,

and now she is reading ‘The Peep of Day.’ I tried to make her lessons

with a view to bringing out the peculiarities of Chinese idiom. It led

me to a good deal of thinking and investigating. I have a mind to review

and complete the work, and may some day give it to the world. My great

difficulty is in classifying the results attained.”

As the years went by his ideas of the plan for the work took definite

shape. In one of his letters concerning it he wrote:

Each lesson illustrates an idiom, the word idiom being taken

with some latitude. The sentences, as you will see, are

gathered from all quarters, and introduce every variety of

subjects. I have also introduced every variety of style that

can be called Mandarin, the higher style being found chiefly

in the second hundred lessons. The prevailing object, however,

is to help people to learn Mandarin as it is spoken. I have

tried to avoid distinct localisms, but not colloquialisms.

A large acquaintance with these is important, not to say

essential, to every really good speaker of Mandarin. It is,

of course, possible to avoid the most of them, and to learn

to use a narrow range of general Mandarin which never leaves

the dead level of commonplace expressions, except to introduce

some stilted book phrase. This, however, is not what the

Chinese themselves do, nor is it what foreigners should seek

to acquire. Many colloquialisms are very widely used, and they

serve to give force and variety to the language, expressing in

many instances what cannot be expressed in any other way. I

have tried to represent all quarters, and in order to do so I

have in many cases given two or more forms.

In the pursuit of his plan he sought the aid of competent scholars in

the north and in central China, so as to learn the colloquialisms and

the usage of words; also in the preparation of a syllabary of the sounds

of characters as heard in each of the large centers where foreigners are

resident. To accomplish this he also traveled widely. Late in 1889, after

a summer spent in studying the dialects of China, he, in company with

Julia, made a three months’ trip to the region of the Yangtse, going down

on the Grand Canal, spending a month on the great river, and remaining a

month at Nanking; always with the main purpose of informing himself as to

the current Mandarin, so as to perfect his book. This tour enabled him

to give it the final revision; and in his opinion it “more than doubled

the value” of the “Lessons.” As finished, they were a huge quarto of six

hundred pages, which with the help of Mrs. Julia Mateer he saw through

the press down at Shanghai. In 1901, assisted by Mrs. Ada Mateer, he

issued a more elementary work of the same general nature.

The protracted study and care which he put upon the “Lessons” were

characteristic of him in all his literary productions. Upon this subject

no one is better qualified to bear testimony than is Dr. George F. Fitch,

Superintendent of the Presbyterian Mission Press, at Shanghai, who speaks

from direct personal observation. He says:

One very marked characteristic of Dr. Mateer was the almost

extreme painstaking with which he went over any work which he

was getting ready for publication; revising and re-revising,

seeking the judgment of others, and then waiting to see if

possibly new light might dawn upon the subject. I remember

reading shortly after I came to China the manuscript of a paper

which he had prepared with great labor, upon the much-mooted

“term question”; and in which he had collected, with infinite

pains, seemingly a great number of quotations from the Chinese

classics and other native works, bearing on the use of Shen as

the proper word for God in Chinese. I urged him to publish at

once, as I thought it might be useful in helping settle that

question. But he stoutly refused, saying that it was not yet

complete. Nor did it finally see the light, in print, until

nearly twenty years afterward.

None of his books at all reveal the protracted and toilsome process

of the preparation. We see only the result of years of research. For

instance, in his library there was a long row of Chinese books each one

of which showed a large number of little white slips at the top. Each one

of this multitude of marks had been placed there by some student whom he

had employed respectively to read works in Chinese likely to use the word

Shen, in order to indicate the passages at which he needed to look. All

these were canvassed, and the different shades of meaning were classified.

From the “Mandarin Lessons,” and recently from the arithmetic, he

received substantial pecuniary returns, though not at all sufficient to

entitle him to be regarded as wealthy. In his manner of living he would

have been untrue to his training and impulses if he had not practiced

frugality, economy, and simplicity. As the means came into his possession

he used them generously both for personal friends and for the promotion

of the cause to which he had consecrated his life. Of his outlays for the

school and college we shall presently need to speak. The expenses of the

Yangtse trip came out of his own pocket. March 9, 1895, he wrote to one

of the secretaries of the Board:

The mission minutes spoke, if you remember, of my intention

to erect a building for a museum and public lecture room,

and present it to the Board. This I intend to do at once. It

will cost about twelve hundred dollars, possibly more. I may

say in the same connection also that my “Mandarin Lessons”

has fully paid all the cost of printing, and so forth, and I

expect during the next year to pay into the treasury of the

Board one thousand dollars, Mexican. This I do in view of the

liberality of the Board in giving me my time while editing

and printing the book. When the second edition is printed I

expect to pay over a larger amount. I need not say that I feel

very much gratified that the book has proved such a success:

especially do I feel that it has been, and is going to be, very

widely useful in assisting missionaries to acquire the Chinese

language. My scientific books are also paying for themselves,

but as yet have left no margin of profits.

May 20, 1905, he wrote to a secretary: “I may say, however, that in view

of the great importance of the school both to the Tengchow station and as

a feeder to the college at Wei Hsien, I have set apart from the profit

of my ‘Mandarin Lessons’ enough to support the school for the present

year.” December 13, 1906, he wrote to a friend in the United States: “My

brother is now holding a large meeting of elders and leading men from all

the stations in this field. There are about three hundred of them. It is

no small expense to board and lodge so many for ten days. I am paying

the bill.” In one of his latest letters to me he mentions this ability

pecuniarily to help as affording him satisfaction.

X

THE CARE OF THE NATIVE CHRISTIANS

“The need of the hour in China is not more new stations

with expensive buildings and wide itinerating. It is rather

teaching and training what we have, and giving it a proper

development. Most of all we should raise up and prepare pastors

and preachers and teachers, who are well grounded in the truth,

so that the Chinese Church may have wise and safe leaders....

There are already enough mission stations, or centers, in the

province, if they were properly worked. The need of the hour is

to consolidate and develop what we have, and by all means in

our power develop native agency, and teach and locate native

pastors,—men who are well grounded in the faith.”—LETTER TO

SECRETARY FOX, of the American Bible Society, January 6, 1906.

Dr. Mateer believed that sooner than most missionaries anticipated the

Chinese Christians will join together and set up an independent church.

He meant by this not merely a union of the ministers and churches of

the various Presbyterian denominations at work in the country, such

as has already been effected, but an organization that would include

in its membership all the Protestant Christians, and that would leave

little or no place for the service of foreign missionaries. He regarded

this as inevitable; and for that reason he considered it to be of prime

importance that such an effective preliminary work should promptly

be done, that this coming ecclesiastical independence might not be

attended by unsoundness as to creed or laxity in life. At the same

time, in holding up the care and the training of the native Christians

as so important a part of the work of the foreign missionary in China,

in anticipation of what is ahead, he was only for an additional reason

urging what he had in all his long career recognized as second to no

other in importance. Of course, at the beginning of the effort to

give the gospel to a people it is indispensable to do “the work of an

evangelist”; that is, to seek by the spoken word and by the printed book

to acquaint them with elementary Christian truth, and to endeavor to win

them to Christ; and we have already seen how diligent Dr. Mateer was in

this service, especially in his earlier missionary years. But he was just

as diligent in caring for the converts when gained; and in the school

and college it was the preparation of men for pastors and teachers and

evangelists that was constantly his chief aim.

The first body of native Christians with whose oversight he had anything

to do was that very small band that had been gathered into the church

at Tengchow. Mills was the senior missionary, and as such he presided

over that little flock until his death. In 1867 he was installed as the

pastor, and he continued in this office nearly twenty years. During this

long period Dr. Mateer at times supplied the pulpit and cared for the

church in Mills’s absence or illness, but for most of the time it was

only as a sort of adviser that he could render help in that field. We

have no reason to think specially unfavorably of Chinese converts because

some of those with whom he then had to do at Tengchow, or elsewhere,

proved themselves, to him, to be a discouraging set of professing

Christians. Were not a good many of Paul’s converts very much of the

same grade when he traveled among the churches, and wrote his letters?

Did it not take much patience, and fidelity, and persistence on the part

of Christ to make anything worth while out of his select disciples? Yet

these constituted the membership of the primitive church from which even

the missionaries of our day have originated. At any rate some of the

earliest experiences of Dr. Mateer with the native Christians were of a

very depressing sort. In his Journal, under date of March 17, 1864, he

made this record:

Since coming to Tengchow there have been great difficulties

in the native church. Several of the members were accused

by common fame of various immoral practices,—one of smoking

opium, another of lying and conforming to idolatrous practices,

and another of breaking the Sabbath. The second of these

confessed his fault, and was publicly reproved; the third also

confessed, and on his profession of penitence was restored to

the confidence of the church. But though the first confessed to

the use of the ashes of opium, he gave no certain assurance of

amendment; and he was suspended, and so remains. These matters

gave us all a great deal of anxiety and sorrow of heart. It is

sad thus to find that even those who profess the name of Christ

are so much under the power of sin. It is one of the great

discouragements of the missionary work. Yet God is able to

keep even such weak ones as these unto eternal life.

Under date of September 15, 1866, he told of a worse case of discipline:

We had a hearing with the accused, and gave him notice that

he would be tried, and of the charges and witnesses. We wrote

to Mr. Corbett at Chefoo, to get depositions for us. He did

so, and we met, and tried him. The evidence was sufficient

to convict him of lying, and of forging an account, and of

adultery; notwithstanding, he denied it all, endeavoring to

explain away such evidence as he was forced to admit. We

decided to excommunicate him, and it was done two weeks ago.

It must not be supposed that there was a great deal of such discouraging

work; as a rule, the native Christians tried to live correct lives; and

the worst that could be said of most of them at those early dates was

that they were “babes” in Christ. But we cannot appreciate what the

missionary needs to do as to the professed converts unless we look at

this depressing phase. Besides, incidentally we are thus shown one of

the methods by which the native Christians were trained in the conduct

of their own churches. Each case is dealt with just as is required by

the regulations of the denomination with which the church is associated.

The same formalities and processes are employed as if in the United

States; the same fairness and fullness of investigation, with witnesses

and hearing of the accused; and the same effort neither to fall below

nor to exceed what justice and charity combined demand for the good of

the individual and of the organization as a whole. As to this, in these

particular cases no exceptional credit can be claimed for Dr. Mateer; but

we can be perfectly sure that it commanded his hearty approbation. This

was a practical school also in which was called into exercise a quality

of which a young missionary, and especially a man of his type, seldom

has enough,—that of mingling a firm adherence to truth and righteousness

with a forbearing kindness that will not break a bruised reed or quench

the smoking flax. Gradually this became so characteristic of him that the

boys in his school and the Christians in the churches were accustomed to

come to him and unburden themselves not only of sorrows, but of faults,

with no expectation that he would condone wrong or shield them from its

just consequences, but confident that he would feel for them, and help

them if he could. Nor was it to these classes alone that his heart and

hands opened. As they came to know him better, the professor in the

imperial university sought his advice and the coolie turned to him in his

need; and never in vain.

But there was a brighter side to the experience of those early days.

Several of the boys in the school were converted. What joy this afforded,

we who live in Christian lands cannot appreciate. The little church at

Tengchow also steadily moved forward in those early days of its history.

In 1869 it had risen to about fifty members, and the attendance was such

that a building solely for its services became indispensable; and in due

time an appropriation was made by the Board of Missions, first for a lot,

and soon after for a house of worship. Pastor Mills was then absent, and

by appointment of presbytery Dr. Mateer acted as stated supply. As such,

having first bought the lot, he made an appeal to the Board for the new

edifice, saying:

We hold our services in the boys’ schoolroom, which has been

kept inconveniently large, for this very purpose. It is the

only room that will seat all, and it will not do it sometimes.

The desks have to be carried out every Sabbath; and all the

benches, chairs, and so forth, about the establishment carried

in, making a decidedly nondescript collection. Aside from the

inconvenience, two serious drawbacks are felt. One is the

want of sacred associations about the place. All heathen are

wanting in reverence, and no small part of what they need is

to have this idea instilled into their minds. We greatly need

in this work a house especially devoted to the worship of God.

The other drawback is the disorganizing effect the Sabbath and

week-day services have on the school. The room being in the

midst of the premises, it is impossible to prevent a large

amount of lounging, gossiping, and so forth, in the boys’ room

before the service begins. The superintendent feels that it is

a very serious drawback to the school, as well as an injury to

the native Christians.

Any American who is familiar with students and their habits will perceive

that in this matter Chinese young men and boys are very much like those

of our own land.

In that appeal there is another paragraph that deserves transcription

here:

It has been said that the Christians in heathen lands ought to

build their own churches, but this is impossible in the early

stages of the work, especially at the center of operations,

where the foreigner preaches and teaches in person, and where a

large part of his hearers are often from a distance. The church

at this place gives character to the whole work in the eyes

of the people at large, and must of necessity differ in many

respects from churches in small places presided over by native

pastors. Concerning these last we have already taken a decided

stand, requiring the natives to help themselves to a great

extent.

Dr. Mateer was appointed by the presbytery to serve a second year as

stated supply of the Tengchow church; and had it not been that he was

called in 1870 to Shanghai to take charge of the mission press, he no

doubt would have given his personal supervision to the erection of the

new house of worship. It was built during his absence, and when he came

back he rejoiced in its completion. At the death of Mills in 1895, Dr.

Mateer was chosen pastor, and was installed as such,—a position he was

able to assume because he had found in Mr. Hayes a substitute for himself

in the presidency of the college. He remained pastor until he went with

the college to Wei Hsien. Dr. Hayes had already for years worked quietly

and efficiently in the school, under the presidency of Dr. Mateer,

and had shown himself to be a man of exceptional ability and energy—a

man after Dr. Mateer’s own heart. After he assumed the presidency Dr.

Mateer was still to assist in the college, but he was so often absent or

otherwise engaged that both the college and the preaching were largely in

the hands of Dr. Hayes.

According to the “Form of Government” of the Presbyterian Church in the

United States of America, when a “call” is made out for a pastor it must

be certified to have been voted by a majority of the people entitled

to exercise this right; and it must fill the blank in the following

clause: “And that you may be free from worldly cares and avocations,

we hereby promise and oblige ourselves to pay to you the sum of ... in

regular quarterly (or half-yearly, or yearly) payments during the time

of your being and continuing the regular pastor of this church.” In the

settling of native pastors over the Chinese churches scattered through

the country, the filling of that blank, and the actual subscription of

the funds needed for this and other expenses of the organization, usually

require the presence of a missionary and of his earnest stimulation

and guidance. Sometimes the pledges are very liberal, if estimated by

ability of the members; and sometimes it is with great difficulty that

they are brought up to the measure of their duty. The salaries, however,

are almost incredibly small, and even according to Chinese standards are

scarcely sufficient for a livelihood. We need to keep this state of

things in mind in order to appreciate the amount that was inserted in

the blank in Dr. Mateer’s call to the pastorate of the Tengchow church.

In reporting the entire procedure to the Board of Missions, he said:

“The church in Tengchow in calling me for their pastor promised a salary

of cash amounting to fifty dollars, which is to be used to employ an

evangelist whom I am to select and direct.” Of course, he continued to

receive his own pay as a missionary from the funds of the Board. The

fifty dollars was probably a creditable amount, as contributed by the

native members out of their narrow means; and as a salary for a native

evangelist it was at least a fair average.

When reporting this pastorate to the Board of Missions, Dr. Mateer said,

“This is work that I love to do, especially the preaching.” When doing

the work of an evangelist among the people at large, sermonizing could

have no place. Even formal addresses of any sort were rarely practicable.

The best that the missionary can do when itinerating is to get attention

by any legitimate means, and then to talk, and hear and answer questions,

and bear with all sorts of irrelevancies and interruptions. But when a

church is organized, a sermon, consisting of a passage of Scripture and

a discourse built upon it, is just as much in place as it is in one of

our home houses of worship on the Sabbath. It was to the opportunity for

that form of service that he refers when he expressed his pleasure in

the pastorate. In this also he greatly excelled. Some who knew him most

intimately, and who appreciated fully his great worth and efficiency,

did not regard him as a very eloquent preacher in an English pulpit. He

commanded the attention of his audience by his strong, clear, earnest

presentation of the great religious truths which he believed with all

his soul. The personality and consecration of the man were a tremendous

force when he stood in a pulpit in his own land; what he lacked was the

ability which some speakers possess of carrying his audience with him,

almost irrespective of the thoughts to which they give utterance. But in

preaching to the Chinese he took on an extraordinary effectiveness. There

was in the man, in the movement of his thought, in his mastery of the

language, in the intense earnestness of his delivery, in the substance of

his sermons and addresses, much that captivated the native Christians,

and made others bow before his power. Mr. Baller, who had heard him

frequently, says: “His sermons were logical, direct, a unit in thought

and enriched with a copious vocabulary and illustrations. His points were

usually put from the Chinese point of view, so that a foreign air was

conspicuously absent.” To this day some of his addresses are recalled as

triumphs of real eloquence of speech; perhaps the most notable of these

being an address which he delivered at the opening of the English Baptist

Institution at Tsinan fu, in 1907. It was an opportunity such as never

before had come to a missionary in Shantung,—all the highest officials

of the province, and half-a-hundred others of lesser degree, being

present. He took as his theme “The Importance of an Upright Character,”

and more than rose to the height of the occasion. One of his most

memorable sermons was delivered before a convention of some three hundred

women gathered at Wei Hsien from the native church members of that region.

His ministry at Tengchow was fruitful of great good in many ways. One of

these was the growth of the church by the conversion of the natives. Just

before he removed to Wei Hsien, he recorded the fact that during all his

pastorate there had not been one of the quarterly communions at which

there were no additions. The beginning of his pastorate was signalized

by the accession of eighteen,—eight being from the college and six from

the girls’ school. Its close was marked by an accession of twenty-six, of

whom twenty-one were baptized, the largest number up to that date ever

receiving that sacrament, at the same time, in the Tengchow church. Only

one was from the college, all the rest having come in through the labors

of two associates in the station, Miss Snodgrass and Dr. Seymour.

Just as soon as by evangelistic itineration and other means converts

were made in the neighboring region, outside of Tengchow, it became

necessary for the missionaries to look after these scattered sheep in the

wilderness; and for a good while a large share of that work fell to Dr.

Mateer and his wife. In fact, it had been partly through their labors,

direct or indirect, that these converts had been won, and therefore

they felt it especially a duty to care for their nurture. That, of

course, involved a large variety of efforts. In the earlier years these

frequently consisted in part of interposition, so far as it was wise and

practicable to shield native Christians from gross wrongs to which they

were exposed. The hatred of the rulers and of most of the people for

foreigners and the foreign religion was bitter. Even at Tengchow the very

tombstones in the little cemetery where the missionaries buried their

dead were repeatedly broken,—an act regarded by the Chinese as the most

gross and cowardly insult that can be offered to a living man; yet it was

slow work to secure from the officials protection, or justice as to the

criminals. The case of Miao, of Chow Yuen, a district capital situated

fifty miles to the southwest of Tengchow, is specially notable. Early

in 1869 the Mateers and Margaret Brown, with a Chinese assistant, went

to itinerate, and on the way they visited him. When converted out in

his native district of Tsi Hea, he immediately began to endeavor to win

others to Christ. So he sent word to his clansmen and friends that he had

important business with them, and invited them to come to his house. This

occurred while the missionaries were there, and they witnessed what took

place at the gathering. Miao made a reception speech, in which he said:

“I have sent for you, and you have come. I said nothing in my letter, but

for you to come, and that I had an important matter to tell you. It is

this: I have led you in serving the Devil. There was nothing I would not

dare to do, and nothing that you would not care to follow me in doing.

I have now found something better. We have often engaged in doubtful

enterprises. I have now found something that there is no doubt about: it

is thoroughly reliable, resting on the strongest possible proof. I have

left the service of the Devil, and I want you to leave it. As I have led

you in his service, I want now to lead you out of it. I want to show

you the way and to present you to the true God. Examine for yourselves;

search to the bottom; and know that I am not deceiving myself nor you.

This doctrine of Jesus is absolute and unmistakable truth.” In writing

of this, Dr. Mateer adds: “These words were spoken with a fervor and an

emphasis that brought tears to my eyes. I thanked God for them, while I

prayed that they might not be in vain. Rice was then brought, and this

young Christian sat down with his friends and asked a blessing,—the first

they had ever heard,—praying for them directly and specifically. The

whole village came to hear, with many from neighboring villages. Save

the time occupied in eating, we preached to them nearly all day, keeping

it up till far into the night. The ladies also had crowds to hear them

all the time.” It was not long until Miao, partly of himself and partly

at the instigation of other native Christians, came to Chow Yuen, with

the determination to establish himself there as a preacher of his new

faith. In August of the same year the Mateers again visited him, this

time at his new place of residence, and did what they could to help him

in his chosen work. His education and character were such as to promise

well. Following the usual custom of a Chinaman when about to start a new

enterprise, a feast was made; some eighteen guests responded favorably

to invitations to be present, and at the close of the entertainment a

sort of meeting was held, and Dr. Mateer made a brief statement of what

Christianity is, what was the nature of this enterprise, and what was

Miao’s relation to it. He told the audience that the mission would pay

the rental of a small chapel, but that Miao would work gratuitously,

except so far as he might be assisted by the voluntary contributions of

his friends. All the Chinese present, with the exception of two members

from the Tengchow church, were non-Christians, yet the guests subscribed

a sum sufficient to meet the expenses of the feast and to leave a surplus

to go toward the support of the preacher. Some of his friends had already

promised to help to support him, and had presented him with a fine

signboard to hang in front of the room he occupied as his chapel, and

another for the back of the stand where he stood when speaking. All this

was so exceptional and so hopeful that Dr. Mateer came away rejoicing in

this apparent readiness even of the unevangelized to welcome the gospel.

But here begins quite another turn of the story. Miao had continued but

a few days at this work when a couple of constables seized him and the

man from whom he had rented the room for a chapel, and hurried them to

the office of the magistrate. The owner was accused of having rented a

house to “foreign devils,” and was forthwith beaten most cruelly to the

extent of two hundred blows. Miao was then called, charged with evil

doctrines and practices, such as kneeling in prayer and calling on unseen

personages. In reply he rehearsed the chief truths of the gospel, and in

answer to a taunting question, whether Jesus could suffer for him, he

said that he so believed. The magistrate ordered him to be beaten fifty

blows with the large bamboo and sent him chained to prison. That evening

he had a second hearing, and the next morning he was marched off, with a

chain about his neck and his hands bound together, thirty miles away to

Tsi Hea, but comforting himself in his weariness and suffering by singing

Christian hymns. The morning after his arrival he was called before the

magistrate and confronted with charges forwarded from Chow Yuen—such as

being in league with foreign devils, using false pretense of preaching

religion, seducing the people by artful works, being possessed of secret

magical arts, taking forcible possession of a house, influencing the

people to form combinations dangerous to the state, and a whole rigmarole

of offenses, big and little. He was commanded to confess, and when he

would not, he was first beaten three hundred blows with the small bamboo,

and then he received a hundred more in the face. The second day he was

recalled, and when he still would not confess he was again beaten. The

magistrate being especially searching in his inquiry as to how Christians

prayed, and as to what they prayed for, Miao as the best explanation

he could give kneeled and prayed in his presence. At this stage of the

affair Dr. Mateer, having been informed of the situation, arrived, and

secured a promise from the officer that he would go no further until he

heard from his superiors; and on his return to Tengchow he reported the

case to the American consul at Chefoo, though with little hope that under

the prevalent policy of the American government anything would be done.

In an article in “The Presbyterian Banner” he said: “I shall not soon

forget my feelings when I saw this Christian brother with a chain round

his neck and his body disfigured with bruises for the gospel’s sake.

I could not restrain the tears as I looked him in the face. It is one

thing to talk of persecution a thousand miles away, and another to see it

face to face. I assured him of our sympathy and unceasing prayers in his

behalf, and that I would do my utmost to rescue him.... Numbers of the

native Christians have boldly visited Miao in prison, and some of them

even prayed with him. All have been stirred up to pray as never before,

and made to feel that their only hope is that God will interpose on their

behalf. This young Christian has been guilty of no offense against the

state. The charges preferred by the officers are pure fabrications, the

inventions of malice and hatred to the truth, and would never have been

entertained by the officer had he not been only too glad of a pretext to

get the Christians in his power.” So soon as possible Dr. Mateer went to

Chefoo to see the American consul, and on his return home he learned that

Miao had been released, under some restrictions as to his whereabouts;

but no amends were made for the gross injustice done.

There was still a long sequel to this affair. After the period which

has since intervened the story seems to be unworthy of the dignity of a

full recital here; though it might be interesting to some as an example

of obstacles encountered by the work of missions away from places where

foreign influences are commonly powerful enough to prevent them. A

condensed account must suffice. It should be remembered that it was in

August that the persecution of Miao occurred. The purpose of it, at least

in part, was to shut Christianity out of Chow Yuen. To allow this would

have been to inflict on that cause a blow that probably would encourage

opposition of a like kind in other localities; and therefore it evidently

was the duty of the missionaries to prevent it if practicable. Especially

was it true of Dr. Mateer that he was too resolute a spirit to yield to

such a violation of rights secured under treaty with foreign governments.

Consequently late in November he went again to Chow Yuen, in order to

secure a house that could be used as a chapel; for in the interval

between these visits the room previously occupied for this purpose had

gone into other hands and was no longer available. The magistrate also

had been promoted, and another filled his place. Dr. Mateer soon found

a house, rented it, and secured the approval of the magistrate. Then

followed a series of chicanery, brutality, deceit, low cunning, and petty

meanness running over several months, and compelling two more trips by

him in the dead of winter. Once he took with him two other missionaries,

and they went armed with pistols in order to defend themselves if

attacked. The old woman who rented the room to him, and who in so doing

had been animated by ill will to her relatives and by a desire for money,

was seized and beaten by members of her own family, and likewise by the

magistrate. The same gang beat the middleman who, according to Chinese

custom, had negotiated the bargain. The whole rental was only about ten

dollars. Petty and miserable as the affair was, it had its ludicrous

features; as, for instance, when Dr. Mateer, in his determination not

to be ousted from the house until some satisfactory arrangement was

made, picked up the old woman and set her down on the outside, where she

exhausted her strength in billingsgate. It was not until the beginning of

March that the trouble at Chow Yuen was finally ended. The issue was a

triumph in the main for the missionary; another acceptable room was, with

the official approval of the magistrate, secured for a chapel, and the

money that had been paid for the rental of the other house was refunded.

The best of all was the fate that overtook the man who had been the

ringleader in the long series of wrongdoings toward the representatives

of Christianity. The magistrate did his best to shield this fellow, but

at last he had to yield. He called the man into his presence, and this

is what was done, as related by Dr. Mateer: “He was required to knock

head to me; and then I took him in hand, and though he tried to evade,

I compelled him to own up to his sin, and to make a distinct promise of

amendment; and then the substance of what he said was put on record by

the clerk, and a copy was given me.” It all illustrates what a determined

man who has right on his side may accomplish even in an out-of-the-way

city in China. It is characteristic of Dr. Mateer that in one place in

his Journal during this wearisome affair he says that if it were not for

his school he would go to Chow Yuen, and stay there until a settlement is

reached. Perhaps in later years Dr. Mateer and his associates would have

regarded it as inexpedient to go so far in the defense of a convert; but

in those earlier days this was a battle for toleration of Christianity,

and not a mere struggle to right the wrongs of an individual convert.

Other incidents of the dark side to the work of caring for the native

Christians might be given, but I have thought it best to turn chiefly to

the brighter phases of the subject. Of these there were many, and they

were of many kinds; but they were of so unsensational a character as

not now to be likely to awaken much interest in the reader. They belong

to the day of small things for the gospel in China; but let them not be

despised; by and by they will be treasured, if the record of them is

preserved, as the beginnings of the evangelization of Shantung. When they

occurred they brought the joy of approaching harvest. For example, in

connection with that last trip out to Chow Yuen, Dr. Mateer wrote:

As it was Saturday, however, I felt I must try if possible to

get home, so that the Sabbath service should not be neglected,

when so many inquirers were waiting to hear. I found not only

the ten who had come from Ping Tu, but some seven or eight

from other places. I had, of course, to commence teaching them

at once. I gave the half of each day to them, and continued

it without interruption for three weeks. They gave diligent

attention to the business of learning. At the same time Mrs.

Mateer had a class of women who were seeking admission to the

church. Last week all who were considered ready were examined

by the session and passed upon. Twenty were received,—fifteen

men and five women. They were all baptized together yesterday.

It was a new sight in Tengchow, to see such a number standing

up at once to profess the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope that we are

all grateful as we should be for such a signal token of God’s

presence with us. Our hearts are enlarged to look for still

greater things in the future. Our schoolroom was packed to its

utmost capacity, so that when the twenty rose up to present

themselves for baptism, it was with great difficulty that room

could be made for them to stand. Let us hope that the day of

small things is past in this part of China. Chinese officials

may persecute us, and foreign governments ignore us, but they

cannot restrain God’s Spirit. There are still a number of

inquirers.

In the earlier part of his missionary life he frequently made trips

of greater or less length to various places in the province to help

the native Christians by organizing churches, assisting their pastors,

holding services, stimulating to work for the gospel, administering the

sacraments, and in every other available manner forwarding the cause of

Christianity. Hospitality was gladly extended by the people; and it was

as gladly accepted, though not infrequently it introduced to quarters

that were odd and even uncanny. Dr. Mateer described guest rooms in which

he was entertained, and which were a strange combination of granary,

receptacle for lumber, bedchamber and “parlor,” crammed with all sorts of

corresponding articles, not excepting a coffin conspicuously displayed in

a corner. However, in his own home he lived without ostentation; and on

his journeys he did not find it hard to adapt himself to the customs of

his native entertainers.

In later years, though for the most part he left itinerations to the

younger members of the mission, yet he did not entirely discontinue them.

In February, 1896, for instance, he wrote to the secretaries of the Board

of Missions:

Three weeks ago Mrs. Mateer and I returned from a trip of

seventeen days to the district of Lai Chow, eighty miles

distant. Our friends protested against our taking such a trip

in the winter and in our state of health. We acted on our

own judgment, however, and went, and are benefited rather

than otherwise. The trip was exceedingly profitable. We

confined our visit to two stations, holding special services

each day—morning, afternoon and night. I received eight to

the church. At one station a new church was organized, with

twenty-six members, a branch from the older station. At this

older station there are many inquirers, and the work is in

a very hopeful condition, very largely as the result of the

influence of a young man, an undergraduate of the college, who

has been there teaching a day school for three years.

One of his last journeys of this sort was made not long before his

seventieth birthday, and the following is his record concerning it:

From Tengchow we came overland to Wei Hsien in shentzas. I made

it a point to spend the Sabbath at Lai Chow fu, and went out

and preached morning and afternoon to our little church at Ning

Kie, which is three miles from the city. Dr. Mills and I were

instrumental in founding the station some thirty-six years ago.

It has grown very slowly. Mrs. Mateer had visited it frequently

in subsequent years, and had taught the women, and there are

now a goodly proportion of women in the church. In the earlier

years evangelists were sent to labor in the region, and to

preach to and teach the people. In those days opposition to the

gospel was very great, and progress was very slow. In later

years, owing to change of policy, evangelists were not sent,

save on an occasional visit, and the church declined, though

it still lived. A few years ago special efforts were made, and

the church increased somewhat, and finally a native pastor was

settled over this church, in connection with another about

fifteen miles away. Before the expiration of the first year the

Boxer uprising brought the arrest and beating of the pastor and

much persecution to the church. The pastor did not return. The

church was discouraged, and the pastor was called elsewhere. If

we now had an available man, he could be located at Lai Chow

fu; but there is no man.

His last country trip was made some time in December, 1907. This is the

record: “Two weeks ago I went down on the railroad to Kiaochow to assist

our native pastors in a meeting for the women. There were about seventy

there from various other stations, besides those in town. The meeting

was most interesting, and must do a great deal of good. It was projected

and managed by the native pastors on their own account. There were five

native pastors present, and helping in the meeting. Many women spoke and

some made set addresses.” There were approximately one hundred and fifty

present, many of whom walked miles to be there. His own speech was a plea

to the mothers to consecrate their sons to the ministry, and the tears

ran down his cheeks as, while making it, he spoke of his own mother.

The reader needs to bear in mind that Dr. Mateer did not operate as an

independent individual, but as the agent of a thoroughly organized

system, in conformity with the government of the Presbyterian Church

and the regulations of the Board of Missions. Of these agencies there

is one that lies wholly outside the constitutional provisions of the

denomination, but that is approved as a part of the machinery needed for

the foreign field. This is what is called the “mission.” Its members

are the missionaries sent out by the Board and residing near enough to

meet together for the transaction of business. To the mission belong

such duties as to locate members and appoint their work, to make annual

estimates of funds and reënforcements needed, to receive the money from

the Board, and to apply it, according to directions, general or specific.

Dr. Mateer had much to do with inaugurating the “executive committees”

now so widely adopted by the missions. Many questions affecting the

operations sustained through the Board, of necessity came before the

annual mission meeting for discussion and action. Lines of policy as to

conduct of the work out in the field, if involving important features,

are left for decision to the Board; but full and frank consideration

of them by the members of the missions, either when in session or as

individuals, is usually welcomed.

An important discussion in which Dr. Nevius and Dr. Mateer were

especially conspicuous arose on their field over a theory advanced by

Dr. Nevius in his “Methods of Missions.” It was no personal controversy,

though, of course, the respective personalities of two such strong,

positive, earnest men inevitably tinged it. The question at issue

mainly concerned the pecuniary support of native Christians as agents

in the evangelization of their own people. No attempt need here be made

to state with fullness the positions taken or the arguments employed.

Broadly, the policy advocated by Dr. Nevius was that the main work of

evangelization should be thrown on the native Christians, and that those

who could read and understand “the doctrine” should voluntarily and

without compensation instruct those who could not; while the foreign

missionaries, paid as heretofore by the Board, should give themselves

to a general superintendence and to periodical examinations of the

catechumens and scholars taught by the native church members. Dr.

Mateer was just as earnestly as Dr. Nevius in favor of utilizing native

Christians in the evangelization of their people, and was just as eager

to develop among them self-support, but he was thoroughly convinced that

conditions were not ripe in China for the radical policy of withholding

from native laborers, as a rule, all pay from the funds of the Board;

and that an attempt of this sort before the proper time would result in

serious disaster. This brief statement will suffice to show that it was

a question over which wise and good men might readily differ, and that

the fact that they discussed it earnestly and fully is a sign of healthy

life. It seems to me to be a problem that cannot be satisfactorily

solved by theoretical argument, or by votes in a mission, or by even

the decision of a board. The only crucial test is actual trial. All that

needs to be said further as to this discussion is, on the one hand, to

emphasize the fact that Dr. Mateer, in his care of the native Christians

and churches, often labored hard and long to bring up congregations, in

the support of their pastors and evangelists, to the measure of giving

for which they were able; and, on the other hand, that he thought he

saw in certain fields evidence of the bad consequences of the policy he

controverted.

Until it is desirable to organize the churches of a given foreign

missionary field, after the order prescribed by the Presbyterian form

of government, the mission must continue in the entire supervision;

but it is the practice, just as soon as the way is open, to set up

presbyteries and synods, and to commit to them those matters which

belong to their jurisdiction. In these bodies ruling elders, as the

official lay representatives of the native churches, and all the native

ordained ministers sit as the equals in authority with the ordained

foreign ministers. The Board, unless in exceptional cases, has not been

accustomed to turn over to them the administration of the funds forwarded

for use on the field, or such matters as concern the policy and plans

it adopts; but all that pertains to the organization of churches, the

settlement of pastors, the acceptance of candidates for the ministry and

their licensure and ordination, and the administration of discipline

for the ministers, with complaints and appeals from the churches, is

left to the presbytery. Of course, as converts and churches and native

ministers increase, the tendency is to put them, as the majority, in

control in these bodies. It is a system which opens the way for some

dangers; nevertheless it is, in the nature of the situation, the only

course to pursue, and unless abused, it has a most wholesome influence on

the native Christians. It brings home to them the fact that, equally with

the foreigners who have given them the gospel, they have privileges as

members of the church of Christ, and also their responsibility as such.

Dr. Mateer believed with all his heart in the setting up of these regular

ecclesiastical bodies so soon as possible. Late in November, 1865, he

was one of the little band who organized the Presbytery of Shantung, at

a meeting held at Chefoo, when as yet there were no native ministers to

take part. The next meeting was held the following October at Tengchow,

and he was elected moderator and stated clerk. It is evident that if a

presbytery is to be of any considerable value to a native member the

language used must be his own, not that of the foreign missionary. With

this understanding, the following from Dr. Mateer’s Journal concerning

that meeting can be better appreciated: “It was voted that hereafter all

the proceedings be in Chinese, and at it we went. It was very awkward at

first, making and putting motions, but after some practice we got along

better. We had a very pleasant meeting indeed. One of the chief items of

business was a call presented by the native church for Mr. Mills, which

he accepted, and we arranged for his installation.”

It was ten years before such progress had been made out in the province

that it was practicable to hold a presbytery in the rural regions. In

a letter to his mother, dated December 24, 1877, Dr. Mateer said: “The

meeting of the presbytery in the country marks an era in our progress in

Shantung. Many of the Christians from all the region were assembled, and

evidently got much good from what they saw and heard. Our presbytery is

getting to be an important event, and a power among the native churches.

Our desire is that it may be more and more felt.” Sometimes the meetings

were saddened by the cases of discipline, after a native ministry began

to be enrolled; but if the case demanded it, even deposition from the

sacred office and excommunication from the church were imposed, and the

native elders and ministers were sturdy supporters of adequate sentences.

In contrast with this was the joy of receiving candidates for the

ministry, and sending them out to preach the gospel as they seemed to be

ready for that work. Occasionally a man up in years, and without thorough

education, but apparently qualified to be effective as a preacher, is

authorized by the presbytery to “exercise his gifts”; but usually those

who offer themselves are young men who after long courses of study, and

careful examination, are sent on this errand. For instance, in his report

for 1874 as stated clerk, Dr. Mateer said:

Considerable time was taken up in the presbytery by the

examination of candidates for the ministry. These were

thorough, and so far as they went were sustained with great

credit. One candidate was licensed to preach. He is not young,

as licentiates usually are, being about sixty. He is, however,

full of zeal for God, and may yet do good service. One of our

licentiates was ordained as an evangelist. This is the first

native preacher who has been ordained by this presbytery. It

marks a new step in our work, one for which we are devoutly

thankful to God. We have no more important work to do than to

raise up well-qualified natives to preach the gospel to their

countrymen. We trust this one will soon be followed by others.

Dr. Mateer was careful to treat the native elders and ministers as the

equals of the foreign missionaries, in the ecclesiastical bodies and

elsewhere; and as a consequence he commanded their confidence, so that

he was able sometimes to render important services by healing threatened

dissensions. This, as might be supposed, was especially true of his own

“boys,” who had as students learned to revere both his judgment and his

fraternal spirit.

In writing to “The Presbyterian Banner” concerning the meeting of the

Presbytery of Shantung, in September, 1869, he said: “The matter of

the formation of a synod in China was discussed, and a circular letter

was prepared, and ordered to be sent to the other presbyteries urging

the propriety of such a step at once. It is now twenty years since the

General Assembly took action looking toward and opening the way for the

formation of this synod.” That body held its first meeting at Shanghai

in October of the following year. The synod in the Presbyterian system

is the next higher organization above the presbytery, and consists of

all the ordained ministers of a larger district already containing three

or more presbyteries, and of ruling elders representing the churches;

or it may be constituted from delegates appointed by the presbyteries

on a fixed basis. It has the right to review all presbyterial action,

and also has authority to originate measures within its constitutional

jurisdiction. Among the missionaries in China at that time there was a

considerable number who regarded the synod as a sort of fifth wheel to

the coach, and as not likely to be capable of rendering a service worth

its cost in money and time. Under indirect form this phase of the subject

came into warm and protracted debate in that first meeting, and may be

said to have been fought out to a settlement. Dr. Mateer was a strong

believer in the importance of the synod, and in debate, and in other

ways, he threw the whole weight of his influence avowedly on that side

of the issue, and helped to win. Other problems were of such a character

as also to arouse his interest to a high degree. Ought the language used

in the body to be limited to the Mandarin or ought it to include local

dialects? On this question, of course, he stood for the Mandarin. Ought

a theological institution to be established; and if so, where? As to

this, a sort of compromise was effected, and an appeal was sent home for

a share in the “Memorial Fund,” to establish in China one or more such

schools, but leaving location to be determined later. The synod consisted

of twenty-four members, ten of them being foreign missionaries, and

fourteen native pastors and elders. The proceedings had to be translated,

during the various sessions, into several different dialects, in order

to be made intelligible to all. The body sat for ten days, and then

adjourned to assemble the next year at Ningpo. It was in connection with

Dr. Mateer’s attendance at Shanghai that he was induced to take temporary

charge of the mission press.

The second meeting of the synod was held at Ningpo. Dr. Mateer was chosen

moderator. Writing in his Journal concerning that meeting, he said:

The great difficulty of the synod was the language, and this

was indeed no small embarrassment. As I was moderator, I felt

it more than any other. It was all I could do to tell what

was going on at times. If it had not been for the practice

I had through the summer in Shanghai, I should have been

quite lost. The most interesting discussion we had was on the

qualifications of candidates for the ministry. The native

members insisted that they must learn English, and the foreign

members opposed. The native brethren finally carried their

point. The discussion at some points of its progress was really

exciting, and not a little amusing.

The next meeting was held at Chefoo, and as the retiring moderator he

preached the opening sermon. In his Journal he says: “I had prepared the

sermon quite carefully, having written it all out, and so had to read it.

It is the only sermon I ever wrote out fully in Chinese. I found reading

a Chinese sermon very awkward and embarrassing.” A committee of which

he was a member had been appointed by the preceding meeting at Ningpo

to prepare for deliberative bodies a compendium of technical terms,—for

the lack of which in Chinese they had been seriously hindered,—and also

to formulate rules of order. They made a report which was approved, and

authorized for use in the synod and in the presbyteries.

One other excerpt from the records of his pen must conclude the story

of his work in the synod, though it was continued down through his

subsequent years. He said:

Delegates, officially deputed, were present from the mission

of the Presbyterian Church South; also from the mission of

the United Presbyterian Church in Scotland; and from the

independent Presbytery of Amoy, composed of the missions of the

American Dutch Reformed and the English Presbyterian Churches

combined. They all expressed a desire for mutual coöperation,

and for the ultimate union of all the Presbyterians in China

into one Chinese Presbyterian Church. A committee was appointed

to correspond with the various Presbyterian bodies or missions

in China, and prepare the way for an ultimate union. This union

may not be accomplished for many years, but that it should come

as soon as practicable seems to be the almost unanimous opinion

of all concerned.

In 1907 one long advance was made toward the realization of the desire

so earnestly expressed by that synod a third of a century before.

After preliminary consultations extending over a number of years,

representatives of eight distinct missions, operated by as many different

Presbyterian denominations of Europe and America, met together, and

constituted “The Presbyterian Church of China,” and also offered a

welcome to any other Chinese churches of like faith and practice to

unite with them. Dr. Mateer thought that on account of the size of China

and the consequent expense of travel and variety of speech, it would be

better to make two ecclesiastical bodies out of this material. Belonging

to the new organization, there were, besides the foreign missionaries,

about a hundred native ministers, and forty thousand communicants. Dr.

Mateer was not a member of the body which met to declare and organize

this union; but, being present, he was invited to sit as a corresponding

member. Under the regulations of his American denomination, the names of

ordained foreign missionaries entering such new churches on the foreign

field as that just mentioned are enrolled in the minutes of the home

General Assembly on a separate list; and these ministers are entitled to

be received by the presbyteries without the examination required of those

who come from other denominations in foreign countries. This was the

ecclesiastical status of Dr. Mateer when he died. He was a member of the

Presbyterian Church in China; but he was still enrolled by the church of

his fathers.

The highest of all the organizations within the Presbyterian system is

the General Assembly. Its supervision, within constitutional limits,

extends over synods, presbyteries, and individual ministers and churches,

and it has other distinct functions pertaining to the entire denomination

throughout the world. Dr. Mateer was a commissioner from his presbytery

in China to the Assembly which met in 1880 in New York; and again to

the Assembly which met in Los Angeles in 1903. In this last he was

nominated for moderator, but failed of election, for reasons not in any

way disparaging to him. It is well understood that an election to that

office is contingent on so many incidental things that the choice can

seldom be foreseen. Local influences at Los Angeles were strongly thrown

in favor of the successful candidate, meaning by these the representation

in the Assembly and the Presbyterian visitors from all the Rocky Mountain

country and from the Pacific coast. Besides, to many of the commissioners

Dr. Mateer was a man but slightly known. His work had been great, but

it had also been quiet. Nor when on his furloughs had he in speaking to

the churches won renown by bursts of missionary eloquence. He made a

very creditable run for the moderatorship, and was beaten by a man of

high standing in the church. He was appointed chairman of the Judicial

Committee.

XI

THE SHANTUNG COLLEGE

“While I live I cannot cease to have a vital interest in the

college.... I cannot bear to be wholly away from the college to

which my life has been given.”—LETTER TO SECRETARY BROWN, April

10, 1907.

The change of the name of the school which Dr. Mateer had founded and

nurtured for nearly two decades was made at the formal request of the

members of the Shantung Presbyterian Mission, sent to the Board under

date of February 14, 1881. It was accompanied by a “plan,” and that part

of the paper was as follows:

I. That the Tengchow Boys’ High School be organized into and

constituted a college, to be called “The College of Shantung.”

II. That it be carried on and governed by a board of six

trustees nominated by the Shantung Mission, and confirmed by

the Board of Foreign Missions.

III. That the college embrace a six years’ course of study

in Chinese classics, general science, and Christian ethics;

including particularly “The Four Books” and “Five Classics,”

Chinese history, with Biblical and general history,

mathematics, physical, mental and moral sciences, evidences of

Christianity, and so forth.

IV. That the aim of the college be to educate thoroughly both

in Chinese and western learning; and to do this from the

standpoint and under the influence of Christianity.

V. That the Chinese language be the medium of instruction

throughout the course, English being taught only as an extra in

special cases.

VI. That there be connected with the college a department to

prepare pupils to enter it.

VII. That it be the ultimate design to make the students

attending the college self-supporting; and that in order to do

this the style of living be strictly on the Chinese plane; and

that natives be trained as fast as possible to man the college

with efficient professors.

VIII. That the college be located for the present at Tengchow,

leaving open the question of its removal to a more central

position at some future time.

For this request the main reasons were added _in extenso_. They are too

long to be given here; but they can be, in the main, compressed into two

general statements. One of these was the need of a high-grade institution

of this sort in northern China, and especially in the great province of

Shantung. It was conceded that Tengchow was not as central a location as

the college might ultimately require; but, being a literary city and a

treaty port, and as yet free from the special temptations and corrupting

influences of a mixed foreign population, it at least temporarily had

marked advantages. The other general statement is that the institution

was already in fact a college by reason of its curriculum, and was

equipped with buildings and outfit suitable for the advanced work which a

college ought to do. In order that it might retain the position it had

won, and in order to secure endowment and reputation, the new name was

very desirable.

In a letter dated April 4, 1885, the mission appealed to the Board for

a new house to be built for the accommodation of the chief foreign

assistant in the college, and incidentally gave a statement as to the

plant. They said: “At a remarkably small cost to the Board it has come

into possession of plain but extensive premises, which are very well

adapted to the purpose. With the small additions and changes proposed for

the current year it will have good boarding and dormitory accommodations

for eighty or ninety pupils, with roomy yards and courts. It has also

two large schoolrooms, three recitation rooms, one large lecture room,

a philosophical apparatus room, a chemical apparatus room with a shop

and storeroom. It has also a substantial stone observatory, costing one

hundred and sixty dollars.” In 1894, a grant for new buildings having

been made by the Board, steps looking to their erection were taken.

Writing of these, March 23, 1895, Dr. Mateer said, “We staked off the

ground to-day, and will make a start at once.” That year, however, on

account of his duties on the committee for the revision of the Mandarin

translation of the Scriptures, he laid down the presidency of the

college, though he did not cease to assist in the instruction and in

the management of it. February 8, 1896, he wrote to the Board: “The

headship of the college is now in Mr. Hayes’s hands, and with it the

major part of the work. I am especially thankful that the interests of

the college are in the hands of a capable man; nevertheless, when I am

in Tengchow a considerable share of the general responsibility still

clings to me, and no inconsiderable share of the work, and Mrs. Mateer’s

share is in nowise decreased. Our new buildings are finished, and are an

unspeakable convenience. The wonder is how we did without them so long.

They have served to raise our college in the estimate of the people of

the whole city.” These new buildings consisted of a main edifice of two

stories, dormitories, and chemical laboratory. The old temple structure

was converted into a chapel and various alterations were made as to uses

of the smaller houses. The original estimate of the outlay was eight

thousand dollars. Whether this sum was sufficient is not stated in any

of the records that have come into my hands; but inasmuch as nothing is

said about a deficit, it is probable that there was none, except such as

Dr. Mateer and others on the ground met out of their own pockets. The new

buildings were supplied with steam heat and electric light from a house

specially fitted for the purpose, with a tall chimney that seemed as if a

landmark for all the region; and some other additions were subsequently

made by means of special contributions. Taken altogether, the plant, into

the possession of which the Tengchow College eventually came, though

consisting largely of houses that were externally without architectural

pretension, and in part of the Chinese order and somewhat inadequate, was

extensive enough to indicate the magnitude of the work the institution

was doing.

One of the things on which the members of the mission laid stress in

their request for the elevation of the school to the rank and title of

a college was that it already had “a good collection of philosophical

and chemical apparatus, believed to be the largest and best-assorted

collection in China.” Dr. Mateer also was accustomed to speak of this

apparatus with a pride that was an expression, not of vanity, but of

satisfaction in a personal achievement, that was eminently worth while.

For instance, in his letter to his college classmates in 1897, he said:

“I have given some time and considerable thought and money to the making

of philosophical apparatus. I had a natural taste in this direction, and

I saw that in China the thing to push in education was physical science.

We now have as good an outfit of apparatus as the average college in

the United States,—more than twice as much as Jefferson had when we

graduated; two-thirds of it made on the ground at my own expense.” It

was a slow, long job to produce it. Early in his career as a teacher in

the Tengchow school he had little need of apparatus because the pupils

were not of a grade to receive instruction in physics; but it was not

very long until he recorded his difficulty, for instance, in teaching

pneumatics without an air pump. Some of his instruction at that general

period was given to a class of students for the ministry. He was always

careful to let it be known that his school was in no degree a theological

seminary; he held it to be vital to have it understood that it was an

institution for what we would call secular instruction, though saturated

through and through with Christianity. But again and again throughout his

life he took his share in teaching native candidates for the ministry;

and before the college proper afforded them opportunity to study western

science he was accustomed to initiate these young men into enough

knowledge of the workings of nature to fit them to be better leaders

among their own people. Thus, writing in his Journal, February, 1874,

concerning his work with the theological class that winter, he said:

I heard them a lesson every day,—one day in philosophy

[physics] and the next in chemistry. I went thus over optics

and mechanics, and reviewed electricity, and went through the

volume on chemistry. I practically gave all my time to the

business of teaching and experimenting, and getting apparatus.

I had carpenters and tinners at work a good part of the time.

I got up most of the things needed for illustrating mechanics,

and a number in optics; also completed my set of fixtures for

frictional electricity, and added a good number of articles

to my set of galvanic apparatus. With my new battery I showed

the electrical light and the deflagration of metals very well.

The Ruhmkorff coil performed very well indeed, and made a fine

display. I had an exhibition of two nights with the magic

lantern, using the oxyhydrogen light. In chemistry I made

all the gases and more than are described in the book, and

experimented on them fully. They gave me no small amount of

trouble, but I succeeded with them all very well. I made both

light and heavy carbureted hydrogen, and experimented with

them. Then I made coal gas enough to light up the room through

the whole evening. Altogether I have made for the students a

fuller course of experiments in philosophy or chemistry than I

saw myself. They studied well and appreciated very much what

they saw. I trust the issue will prove that my time has not

been misspent. I have learned a great deal myself, especially

in the practical part of experiment-making. It may be that I

may yet have occasion to turn this knowledge to good account. I

have also gathered in all a very good set of apparatus, which I

shall try to make further use of.

It was in this way that the collection was begun. As he added to it in

succeeding years, every piece had a history that lent it an individual

interest. Much of it continued to be produced by his own hand, or at

least under his own superintendence, and at the expense of himself, or

of his friends, who at his solicitation contributed money for this use.

Some of the larger and more costly articles were donated by people to

whom he appealed for help, and therefore peculiar personal associations

clustered about them. For instance, when home on his first furlough, he

met Cyrus W. Field, on a voyage to Europe, and interested him in the

Tengchow School. After reaching China again, he wrote a letter to Mr.

Field and solicited from him the gift of a dynamo. In the course of some

months a favorable response was received; and, eventually, that dynamo

rendered most valuable service in lighting the buildings. Two friends,

whose acquaintance he had made in the United States,—Mr. Stuart, of New

York, and Mrs. Baird, of Philadelphia,—gave him money to buy a ten-inch

reflecting telescope, with proper mountings and accompaniments; and when,

as so often happens in such matters, there was a considerable deficit,

his “Uncle John” came to the relief. In ordering through an acquaintance

a set of telegraph instruments he explained that the Board was not

furnishing the means to pay for it, but that it was purchased with his

own money, supplemented by the gifts of certain friends of missions and

education.

This must suffice as to the history of that collection of apparatus. It

is, however, enough to show why he had so much pride in it.

It was in 1895 that he laid down the headship of the college. He took

this step all the more readily because in his successor, Rev. W. M.

Hayes, now of Tsingchow fu, he had entire confidence as to both character

and ability. On his arrival in China Mr. Hayes was immediately associated

with Dr. Mateer in the school, and showed himself to be a thoroughly

kindred spirit. He continued at the head of the college until 1901,

when he resigned his position in order to start for the governor of the

province a new college at Tsinan fu. It may not be out of place to

add here that the governor at that time was Yuan Shih K’ai, a man of

large and liberal views, and that there was, as to the new college he

was founding, in the requirements nothing that made it improper for a

Christian and a minister of the gospel to be at the head of it. It is

due to Mr. Hayes to say that in accepting this position he was confident

that he had the approval of nearly all the missionaries associated

with him. However, it was not very long until Yuan was transferred to

the viceroyalty of the province of Chi-li, which dominates Peking, and

a successor took his place in Shantung, who was of a different mind,

and who introduced such usages into the new institution that Mr. Hayes

felt conscientiously bound to lay down his office. He is now one of the

instructors in the theological department of the Shantung Christian

University, into which the college at Tengchow has been merged.

In the request of the members of the mission for the elevation of the

Tengchow school to the rank and title of a college one of the articles

specifically left the ultimate location of the institution an open

question. The main objection to Tengchow was its isolation. It is away

up on the coast of the peninsula that constitutes the eastern end of

the province, and it is cut off from the interior by a range of rather

rugged hills in the rear. Though a treaty port, its commerce by sea has

long been inconsiderable, and gives no promise of increase. At the time

when that request was made, it is likely that some, though signing,

would have preferred that the college should be removed down to Chefoo.

To any project of that sort Dr. Mateer was inflexibly, and with good

reason, opposed; and it never assumed such strength as to give him much

apprehension. Along in the later “eighties” and in the early “nineties”

the question of location again arose in connection with the Anglo-Chinese

college which Dr. A. P. Happer, of the Presbyterian missions in China,

undertook to found. He progressed so far as to raise a considerable sum

of money for endowment and had a board appointed for the control. The

project at no stage received the hearty support of Dr. Mateer, though,

of course, so long as it did not threaten hurt to his own college or

the ideas which it represented he did not make any fight against it.

Dr. Happer had long been a missionary in southern China, and was beyond

question earnestly devoted to his work; his idea was that by means of

the Anglo-Chinese college he would raise up an efficient native ministry

for the churches. The conviction of Dr. Mateer was that, so far as this

result is concerned, the institution, by the very nature of the plan,

must be a comparative failure. English was to be given a large place

in the curriculum, and for students it was to draw especially on such

as could pay their own way. In a long letter dated March 18, 1887,

called out by the question of the location of the proposed college, and

signed by Dr. Mateer and Mr. Hayes, they frankly expressed to one of

the secretaries of the Board their reasons for believing so strongly

that an institution conducted on the plan proposed could not realize

the main object which its founder sought. They had found it necessary

years before, in the Tengchow College, to meet the question as to the

introduction of English, and the decision was in favor of using Chinese

alone in the curriculum; and so long as the school remained in charge of

Mateer and Hayes, they rigidly excluded their own native tongue. When the

Tengchow school was just emerging into the Tengchow College, Dr. Mateer

thus expressed his convictions on that subject:

If we should teach English, and on this account seek the

patronage of the officers and the rich, no doubt we could get

some help and countenance. We would be compelled, however, to

give up in good measure the distinctively religious character

of the school. We would get a different class of pupils, and

the religious tone of the school would soon be changed in spite

of us. Another result would also be almost inevitable, namely,

the standard of Chinese scholarship would fall. The study of

English is fatal to high acquisition in the Chinese classics.

We would doubtless have great trouble in keeping our pupils

after they were able to talk English; they would at once go

seeking employment where their English would bring them good

wages. Tengchow, moreover, is not a port of foreign residents,

but rather an isolated and inland city, and it would not be a

good place to locate a school in which teaching English is made

a prominent feature.

His observation since had served to confirm him in the conviction of

years before, and in the letter to a secretary of the Board, Hayes united

with him in stating clearly and forcibly their joint opinion on the

subject.