Difference between revisions of "Robert Morrison" - New World Encyclopedia

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'''Robert Morrison''' (Traditional [[Chinese language: 馬禮遜; Simplified Chinese: 马礼逊; born [[January 5]], [[1782]] in [[Bullers Green, Northumberland|Bullers Green]], near [[Morpeth, Northumberland|Morpeth]], [[Northumberland]]; died [[August 1]], [[1834]] in [[Guangzhou|Canton]]) was a [[Scotland|Scottish]] missionary, the first [[Protestant]] [[missionary]] in [[China]]. At the age of sixteen he joined the Presbyterian church and decided that he wanted to become a missionary, and in 1807 he was sent to China by the London Missionary Society. He found the Chinese government hostile, but learned Chinese and acquired permission to reside in China as a Chinese Secretary and Translator of the East India Company. During his twenty-seven years of service, he baptized only ten converts, but each one remained loyal.
+
'''Robert Morrison''' (Traditional [[Chinese language: 馬禮遜; Simplified Chinese: 马礼逊; born [[January 5]], [[1782]] in [[Bullers Green, Northumberland|Bullers Green]], near [[Morpeth, Northumberland|Morpeth]], [[Northumberland]]; died [[August 1]], [[1834]] in [[Guangzhou|Canton]]) was a [[Scotland|Scottish]] missionary, the first [[Protestantism|Protestant]] [[missionary]] in [[China]]. At the age of sixteen he joined the [[Pesbyterianism|Presbyterian]] church and decided that he wanted to become a missionary, and in 1807 he was sent to China by the London Missionary Society. He found the Chinese government hostile, but learned Chinese and acquired permission to reside in China as a Chinese Secretary and Translator of the East India Company. During his twenty-seven years of service, he baptized only ten converts, but each one remained loyal.
−
Morrison produced a Chinese translation of the New Testament in 1813, and with his collaborator Dr. Milne, a translation of the entire [[Bible]] in 1821. He also compiled a Grammar of the Chinese Language (1815) and a Dictionary of the Chinese Language, in Three Parts (1815–23) for the use of westerners. Due to imperial edicts against the learning of Chinese by non-Chinese as well as the printing of books on Christianity in Chinese, Morrison and Milne moved to [[Malacca]], [[Malaya]] where they established a printing press and a school for [[Chinese race|Chinese]] and [[Malay people|Malay]] children, the Anglo-Chinese College. As the London Missionary Society's first missionary to China, Robert Morrison is regarded as the father of Protestant mission work there. He became an important influence in the modernization of China, and helped to build a cultural understanding between the East and the West.   
+
 
−
==Early Life==
+
Morrison produced a Chinese translation of the New Testament in 1813, and with his collaborator Dr. Milne, a translation of the entire [[Bible]] in 1821. He also compiled a ''Grammar of the Chinese Language'' (1815) and a ''Dictionary of the Chinese Language, in Three Parts'' (1815–23) for the use of westerners. Due to imperial edicts against the learning of Chinese by non-Chinese as well as the printing of books on [[Christianity]] in Chinese, Morrison and Milne moved to [[Malacca]], [[Malaya]] where they established a printing press and a school for [[Chinese race|Chinese]] and [[Malay people|Malay]] children, the Anglo-Chinese College. As the London Missionary Society's first missionary to China, Robert Morrison is regarded as the father of Protestant mission work there. He became an important influence in the modernization of China, and helped to build a cultural understanding between the East and the West.   
−
Robert Morrions was born [[January 5]], [[1782]] in [[Bullers Green, Northumberland|Bullers Green]], near [[Morpeth, Northumberland|Morpeth]], [[Northumberland]], the son of James Morrison, an active member of Scottish [[Presbyterian Church]].  In [[1796]], he followed his uncle James Nicholson into an appenticeship as a boot-tree maker, and joined the Presbyterian church in [[1798]] at the age of sixteen. He wanted to become a missionary and in [[1801]], he started learning Latin, Greek and Hebrew in private, but his parents were opposed to the idea. In [[1803]] he entered [[George Collison|George Collison's]] [[Hoxton Academy]] in [[London]] and was trained as congregational minister.
+
 
 +
==Early Life==
 +
Robert Morrions was born [[January 5]], [[1782]] in [[Bullers Green, Northumberland|Bullers Green]], near [[Morpeth, Northumberland|Morpeth]], [[Northumberland]], the son of James Morrison, an active member of Scottish [[Presbyterian Church]].  In [[1796]], he followed his uncle James Nicholson into an appenticeship as a boot-tree maker, and joined the Presbyterian church in [[1798]] at the age of sixteen. He wanted to become a missionary and in [[1801]], he started learning Latin, Greek and Hebrew in private, but his parents were opposed to the idea. In [[1803]] he entered [[George Collison|George Collison's]] [[Hoxton Academy]] in [[London]] and was trained as a congregational minister.
  
 
==Preparing to be a Missionary==
 
==Preparing to be a Missionary==
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==Missionary Pioneering in China==
 
==Missionary Pioneering in China==
−
He became a minister in [[London]] on January 8, 1807 and was ready to go to China.
+
He became a minister in [[London]] on January 8, 1807 and was ready to go to China. It was the policy of the British East India Company not to transport missionaries on its vessels, and there were no other available ships bound for China, so Morrions was forced to stop first in [[New York]] on April 20, [[1807]]. On May 12, [[1807]], he boarded a second ship, the ''Trident'', bound for [[Macao]].
−
It was the policy of the British East India Company not to transport missionaries on its vessels, and there were no other available ships bound for China, so Morrions was forced to stop first in [[New York]] on April 20, [[1807]]. On May 12, [[1807]], he boarded a second ship, the ''Trident'', bound for [[Macao]].
+
 
 +
<blockquote>''"Twenty-five years have this day elapsed, since the first Protestant Missionary arrived in China, alone and in the midst of perfect strangers, with but few friends, and with many foes."'' Robert Morrison, writing to the London Missionary Society in 1832 about his arrival in China</blockquote>
  
−
<blockquote>"Twenty-five years have this day elapsed, since the first Protestant Missionary arrived in China, alone and in the midst of perfect strangers, with but few friends, and with many foes." Robert Morrison, writing to the London Missionary Societyin 1832 about his arrival in China</blockquote>
+
The ''Trident'' arrived in Macao on  September 4, [[1807]]. Immediately [[George Thomas Staunton]] discouraged him from the idea of being a missionary in China. On September 7, [[1807]] he was expelled from Catholic [[Macao]] and went to the [[Thirteen Factories]] outside [[Guangzhou|Canton City]] an area where foreign trade had been allowed since the ban on maritime activities had been lifted in the eighteenth century. In  [[Guangzhou|Canton City]] he learned the [[Chinese language]] from a student called Yong Sam-tak. It was thought that they did not get along  well together. They also studied an early Chinese translation of Gospels named ''Evangelia Quatuor Sinice'' which was probably written by a [[Jesuit]].  Morrison tried unsuccessfully to adapt to Chinese customs. He fell ill and returned to Macao on  June 1, 1808, having  mastered Mandarin and Cantonese.  
  
−
The ''Trident'' arrived in Macao on  September 4, [[1807]]. Immediately [[George Thomas Staunton]] discouraged him from the idea of being a missionary in China. On  September 7, [[1807]] he was expelled from Catholic [[Macao]] and went to the [[Thirteen Factories]] outside [[Guangzhou|Canton City]] an area where foreign trade had been allowed since the ban on maritime activities had been lifted in the eighteenth century. In  [[Guangzhou|Canton City]] he learned the [[Chinese language]] from a student called Yong Sam-tak. It was thought that they did not get along well together. They also studied an early Chinese translation of Gospels named ''Evangelia Quatuor Sinice'' which was probably written by a [[Jesuit]].  Morrison tried unsuccessfully to adapt to Chinese customs. He fell ill and returned to Macao on  June 1, 1808, having  mastered Mandarin and Cantonese.  
+
In [[1809]], Morrison met [[Mary Morton]] and soon married her on February 20, 1809. The same year he accepted the post of Chinese Secretary and Translator to the British Factory of the East India Company, and was given legitimate residency in Canton. He returned to Canton alone, since foreign women were not allowed to stay in Canton. The couple had three children, James Morrison (March 5, [[1811]], died on the same day), Rebecca Morrison (July 1812), and [[John Robert Morrison]] (April 17, 1814). Mary Morton died in [[1821]].  In November [[1824]], Morrison married Eliza Armstrong, with whom he had five more children.
  
−
In [[1809]], Morrison met [[Mary Morton]] and soon married her on February 20, 1809.
+
<blockquote>"''A-Sam, a lad, showed some levity and disposition to laugh...The novelty of seeing a Fan-kwei - 'foreign devil' - sitting down to address them in their own language, perhaps in broken Chinese, on new and strange topics to them, appears at first very odd, and boys are disposed to levity..."'' Extract from Morrison’s journal, ''Memoirs of the Life and Labours of Robert Morrison'', by Eliza A. (Mrs. Robert) Morrison, Robert Morrison, Samuel Kidd, p. 372</blockquote>
−
The same year he accepted the post of Chinese Secretary and Translator to the British Factory of the East India Company, and was given legitimate residency in Canton. He returned to Canton alone, since foreign women were not allowed to stay in Canton. took up legitimate residency in Canton. The couple had three children, James Morrison (March  5, [[1811]], died on the same day), Rebecca Morrison (July 1812), and [[John Robert Morrison]] ([[17 April]], [[1814]]).  Mary Morton died in [[1821]].  In November [[1824]], Morrison married Eliza Armstrong, with whom he had five more children.
+
 
 +
Morrison remained in his post with the East India Company for the remainder of his life.  During his twenty-seven years of service, he baptized only ten converts, but each one remained loyal. The admission of the convert Liang A-fa to the office of evangelist was the first Protestant ordination performed in China. Liang was one of the Society's first converts. In his communications to the London Missionary Society, Morrison referred to "''Leang Afa, the Chinese printer, who was baptized and instructed by Dr. Milne (William Milne, 1785-1822), and scourged in Canton for making Christian books''" and later, "''Leang Afa is busy on the Scripture Lessons, which he expects to finish in two or three months : but I am in constant fear for his safety, as he is carrying on the printing in the city of Canton''."
 +
 
 +
In September, 1828, Liang wrote to Morrison, "''But the people here are all deceived and sunk in stupidity, respecting vain idols. Although I take the truth and exhort them, all my strength is too small to overcome such a multitude''." 
 +
 
 +
Liang's tracts in Chinese first introduced [[Hong Xiuquan|Hung Hsiu-ch'uan]] (1814-1864) to Christianity in 1836; Hung later led a religious and political rebellion against the Qing dynasty, the “Taiping Rebellion” (“Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace,” 1850 and 1864), the largest civil war of the nineteenth century.  
  
−
<blockquote>"A-Sam, a lad, showed some levity and disposition to laugh...The novelty of seeing a Fan-kwei - 'foreign devil' - sitting down to address them in their own language, perhaps in broken Chinese, on new and strange topics to them, appears at first very odd, and boys are disposed to levity..." Extract from Morrison’s journal, Memoirs of the Life and Labours of Robert Morrison, by Eliza A. (Mrs. Robert) Morrison, Robert Morrison, Samuel Kidd, p. 372</blockquote>
 
−
Morrison remained in his post with the East India Company for the remainder of his life.  During his twenty-seven years of service, he baptized only ten converts, but each one remained loyal. The admission of the convert Liang A-fa to the office of evangelist was the first Protestant ordination performed in China. Liang was one of the Society's first converts. In his communications to the London Missionary Society, Morrison referred to "Leang Afa, the Chinese printer, who was baptized and instructed by Dr. Milne (William Milne, 1785-1822), and scourged in Canton for making Christian books" and later, "Leang Afa is busy on the Scripture Lessons, which he expects to finish in two or three months : but I am in constant fear for his safety, as he is carrying on the printing in the city of Canton."
 
−
In September, 1828, Liang wrote to Morrison, "But the people here are all deceived and sunk in stupidity, respecting vain idols. Although I take the truth and exhort them, all my strength is too small to overcome such a multitude." 
 
−
Liang's tracts in Chinese first introduced Hung Hsiu-ch'uan (1814-1864) to Christianity in 1836; Hung later led a religious and political rebellion against the Qing dynasty, the “Taiping Rebellion” (“Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace,” 1850 and 1864), the largest civil war of the nineteenth century.
 
 
==Legacy==
 
==Legacy==
−
As the London Missionary Society's first missionary to China, Robert Morrison is regarded as the father of Protestant mission work there. He became an important influence in the modernization of China, and helped to build a cultural understanding between the East and the West.   
+
As the London Missionary Society's first missionary to China, Robert Morrison is regarded as the father of [[Protestantism|Protestant]] mission work there. He became an important influence in the modernization of China, and helped to build a cultural understanding between the East and the West.   
−
The hostility of the Chinese government and of the Catholic missions, which had been attached to the Chinese courts since the 1600’s, made it necessary for most Protestant missionaries to base their work in Southeast Asia.  Christian Chinese language works were largely printed in colonial settlements such as Malacca, Batavia and Singapore.  
+
 
−
Morrison produced a Chinese translation of the New Testament in 1813, and with his collaborator Dr. Milne, a translation of the entire [[Bible]] in 1821. He also compiled a Grammar of the Chinese Language (1815) and a Dictionary of the Chinese Language, in Three Parts (1815–23). for the use of westerners. The Bible translation took twelve years and the compilation of the dictionary, sixteen years. Due to imperial edicts against the learning of Chinese by non-Chinese as well as the printing of books on Christianity in Chinese,  Morrison and his collaborator Dr. William Milne moved to [[Malacca]], [[Malaya]] (both now in [[Malaysia]]) and established a printing press.  
+
The hostility of the Chinese government and of the [[Roman Catholicism|Catholic]] missions, which had been attached to the Chinese courts since the 1600’s, made it necessary for most Protestant missionaries to base their work in Southeast Asia.  Christian Chinese language works were largely printed in colonial settlements such as [[Malaysia|Malacca]], Batavia and [[Singapore]].  
 +
 
 +
Morrison produced a Chinese translation of the ''New Testament'' in 1813, and with his collaborator Dr. Milne, a translation of the entire ''[[Bible]]'' in 1821. He also compiled a Grammar of the Chinese Language (1815) and a Dictionary of the Chinese Language, in Three Parts (1815–23). for the use of westerners. The Bible translation took twelve years and the compilation of the dictionary, sixteen years. Due to imperial edicts against the learning of Chinese by non-Chinese as well as the printing of books on Christianity in Chinese,  Morrison and his collaborator Dr. William Milne moved to [[Malacca]], [[Malaya]] (both now in [[Malaysia]]) and established a printing press.  
 +
 
 
Morrison and Milne also established a school for [[Chinese race|Chinese]] and [[Malay people|Malay]] children in [[1818]], where they set up a printing press and published a monthly magazine in Chinese. The school, named Anglo-Chinese College (later called [[Ying Wa College]]), was moved to [[Hong Kong]] around [[1843]], after the territory became a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[possession]]. The institution exists today in Hong Kong as a secondary school for boys.
 
Morrison and Milne also established a school for [[Chinese race|Chinese]] and [[Malay people|Malay]] children in [[1818]], where they set up a printing press and published a monthly magazine in Chinese. The school, named Anglo-Chinese College (later called [[Ying Wa College]]), was moved to [[Hong Kong]] around [[1843]], after the territory became a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[possession]]. The institution exists today in Hong Kong as a secondary school for boys.
  
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* Singular proclamation : issued by the Foo-yuen or Sub-Viceroy, of Canton, translated from the Chinese. By Rev Dr Morrison. London : printed by Cox and Baylis, printers to the Royal Asiatic Society, 1824. 7 p. [From The Transactions of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland vol.1.] { CWML N311 }
 
* Singular proclamation : issued by the Foo-yuen or Sub-Viceroy, of Canton, translated from the Chinese. By Rev Dr Morrison. London : printed by Cox and Baylis, printers to the Royal Asiatic Society, 1824. 7 p. [From The Transactions of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland vol.1.] { CWML N311 }
 
* "The Lord's prayer in Chinese characters". [From Evangelical magazine ?] { CWML O187 }
 
* "The Lord's prayer in Chinese characters". [From Evangelical magazine ?] { CWML O187 }
−
 
−
'''Description and History of China'''
 
−
* A memoir of the principal occurrences during an Embassy from the British Government to the court of China in the year 1816. By Rev Dr Robert Morrison. London : [s.n.], 1819. 68 p. ; 22 cm. [Reprinted from The Pamphleteer vol. 15 (1819) pp.139-206.] { CWML O13 ; CWML O17 }
 
−
* A view of China, for philological purposes : containing a sketch of Chinese chronology, geography, government, religion & customs, designed for the use of persons who study the Chinese language. By Rev R. Morrison. London : Published and sold by Black, Parbury and Allen, booksellers to the Hon. East India Company; Macao: printed at East India Company's press by P.P. Thoms, 1817. vi, 141 p. ; 29 cm. { CWML H471 }
 
−
* Notices concerning China and the port of Canton : also a narrative of the affair of the English frigate Topaze 1821-22 : with remarks on homicides, and an account of the fire of Canton. Malacca : printed at the Mission Press, 1823. xiv, 97 p. : plan { CWML N294 ; CWML Q116 }
 
−
* China : a dialogue, for the use of schools : being ten conversations between a father and his two children concerning the history and present state of that country. By an Anglo-Chinese. London : James Nisbet, 1824. [iv], 120 p. { CWML Q96 }
 
−
 
−
'''Sermons and Religious Discourses'''
 
−
* Familiar lectures on the epistle of St. Paul to the Philippians : delivered to a few individuals in a private room at Macao, China, and now printed for private distribution. Malacca : printed at the Anglo-Chinese Press, 1818. v, 280 p. ; 18 cm. { CWML Q97 }
 
−
* Regard to the affairs of others : a discourse, delivered at Hoxton Academy chapel, February 6, 1825. By R. Morrison, D.D. London : printed and published for the author by Samuel Burton, 1825. 38 p. { CWML N294 }
 
−
* The knowledge of Christ supremely excellent : the means and the duty of diffusing it among all nations : being a discourse delivered before the London Missionary Society in Surry chapel, May 11 1825. By Robert Morrison. London : printed for Francis Westley, 1825. 34 p. { CWML G428 ; CWML J64 }
 
−
* [Semon preached at Surrey Chapel, May 11, 1825]. By Rev Dr Morrison. In Sermon reports : annual sermons for the London Missionary Society. From: The Pulpit no.109 (1825 May 19) and 110 (1825 May 26). { CWML G441 }
 
−
* A parting memorial : consisting of miscellaneous discourses, written and preached in China; at Singapore; on board ship at sea, in the Indian Ocean; at the Cape of Good Hope; and in England; with remarks on missions, &c. &c. By Robert Morrison. London : printed for W. Simpkin and R. Marshall, 1826. xi, 411 p. ; 23 cm. { CWML N310 ; CWML Q94 }
 
−
* Lectures on the sayings of Jesus. By Robert Morrison. Malacca : printed at the Mission Press, 1832. 2 in 1 v ; [ii], 5, [i], 421p { CWML Q129 ; CWML Q131 }
 
−
* Admonitions, addressed to a mixed congregation from various nations and belonging to different churches : being a sermon preached on board the American ship Morrison, at Whampoa in China, December 2 1833. By Robert Morrison. [Macao, China] : printed for the author at the Albion Press, 1833. [ii], 17 p. { CWML N284 ; CWML O198 }
 
−
 
−
'''Missionary Activity'''
 
−
* A retrospect of the first ten years of the Protestant mission to China : (now, in connection with the Malay, denominated the Ultra-Ganges missions) : accompanied with miscellaneous remarks on the literature, history, and mythology of China &c. By William Milne [1785-1822]. Malacca : printed at the Anglo-Chinese Press, 1820. viii, 376 p. ; 21 cm. { CWML Q115 } [Although credited to Milne, this work was largely written by Morrison]
 
−
* Memoirs of the Rev. William Milne, late missionary to China, and principal of the Anglo-Chinese College, compiled from documents written by the deceased, to which are added occasional remarks. By Robert Morrison. Malacca : printed at the Mission Press, 1824. [iv], viii, 231 p. ; 21 cm. { CWML Q99 ; CWML Q129 ; CWML Q137 }
 
−
* The evangelist : and miscellanea Sinica. [Macao, China] : sold by Marwick & Co ...and by R. Edwards, Canton; printed at Albion Press, 1833. 4 issues published during May and June 1833. { CWML O185 }
 
−
* "Observations respecting the primitive churches". By the late Robert Morrison. In Ralph Wardlaw [1779-1853], Civil establishments of Christianity tried by their only authoritative test, the Word of God : a sermon. Surat (India) : printed at the Mission press, 1835. iv, 48 p. { CWML N309 }
 
  
 
'''English Pedagogy'''
 
'''English Pedagogy'''
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* Shentian shengshu 神天聖書 [The Holy Bible]. Malacca : issued by the Anglo-Chinese College [英華書院], 1823. In 23 volumes.
 
* Shentian shengshu 神天聖書 [The Holy Bible]. Malacca : issued by the Anglo-Chinese College [英華書院], 1823. In 23 volumes.
  
−
'''Christian Tracts in Chinese'''
 
−
* Shendao lun shujiu shi zongshuo zhenben 神道論贖救世總說真本 [A summary of the doctrine of divine redemption]. [n.p. : s.n., ca.1811].
 
−
* Wenda qianzhu Yesu jiaofa 問答淺註耶穌教法 [An annotated catechism on the teachings of Jesus]. [n.p. : s.n., ca.1812].
 
−
* [Short abstract relative to the Scriptures]. [n.p. : s.n., ca.1814].
 
−
* Gushi Rushyaguo lidai lüezhuan 古時如氏亞國歷代畧傳 [An outline of Old Testament history]. [n.p. : s.n., 1815].
 
−
* Yangxin shenshi 養心神詩 [Edifying hymns]. [n.p. : s.n., 1818].
 
−
* Nianzhong meiri zaowan qidao xushi 年中每日早晚祈禱敘式 [The Book of Common Prayer]. [Malacca : s.n., 1818].
 
−
* Shentiandao zajizhuan 神天道碎集傳 [Miscellaneous essays on the way of heaven]. [Malacca : s.n., 1818].
 
−
* Gusheng feng shentian qishi dao jiaxun 古聖奉神天啟示道家訓 [Domestic instructor]. [Malacca : s.n., 1832].
 
−
* Zawen bian 雜文編 [Serial miscellany]. [Macao : s.n., 1833].
 
−
* Qidao wenzan shenshi 祈禱文讚神詩 [Prayers and hymns]. [Macao : s.n., 1833].
 
−
 
−
'''Other Works in Chinese'''
 
−
* Xiyou diqiu wenjian lüezhuan 西遊地球聞見畧傳 [A brief account of things that I have seen and heard during a voyage westwards around the world]. By "Chenyou jushi" 塵遊居士 [Dusty Traveller]. [n.p. : s.n., 1819]. 27 p. : map ; 28 cm. [A record of a journey supposedly undertaken by a Chinese traveller from China to Europe via India, the author's three-year sojourn in Paris, and his return to China via America.] { SOAS : RM c.157.h.1 }
 
  
−
'''Critiques of Works by Robert Morrison'''
 
−
* Urh-chih-tsze-teen-se-yin-pe-keaou : being a parallel drawn betwen the two intended dictionaries, by the Rev Robert Morrison and Antonio Montucci ... Together with Morrison's Horae Sinicae, a new edition with the text of the popular Chinese primer ... San-tsi-king. By Antonio Montucci [1762-1829]. London : printed for the author and sold by T. Cadell and W. Davies ... and T. Boosey ..., 1817. [vi], 174p : frontis. { CWML M15 }
 
 
==References==
 
==References==
−
*Hancock, Christopher. 2007. Robert Morrison and the birth of Chinese Protestantism. London: Continuum. ISBN: 9780567031778 0567031772 0567031780 9780567031785  
+
*Hancock, Christopher. 2007. ''Robert Morrison and the birth of Chinese Protestantism''. London: Continuum. ISBN: 9780567031778 0567031772 0567031780 9780567031785  
−
*Lovett, Richard. 1899. The history of the London Missionary Society, 1795-1895. London: H. Frowde
+
*Lovett, Richard. 1899. ''The history of the London Missionary Society, 1795-1895''. London: H. Frowde
−
*Mears, John. 1948. The king's men in China ... Robert Morrison, Griffith John [and] Chiang Kai-Shek. Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed.  
+
*Mears, John. 1948. ''The king's men in China ... Robert Morrison, Griffith John [and] Chiang Kai-Shek.'' Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed.  
−
*Morrison, Eliza, Samuel Kidd, and Robert Morrison. 1839. Memoirs of the life and labours of Robert Morrison ... with critical notices of his Chinese works ... and an appendix containing original documents. London: Longman [u.a.].  
+
*Morrison, Eliza, Samuel Kidd, and Robert Morrison. 1839. ''Memoirs of the life and labours of Robert Morrison ... with critical notices of his Chinese works ... and an appendix containing original documents.'' London: Longman [u.a.].  
−
*Rubinstein, Murray A. 1996. The origins of the Anglo-American missionary enterprise in China, 1807-1840. ATLA monograph series, no. 33. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. ISBN: 0810827700 9780810827707 0810829320 9780810829329  
+
*Rubinstein, Murray A. 1996. ''The origins of the Anglo-American missionary enterprise in China, 1807-1840''. ATLA monograph series, no. 33. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. ISBN: 0810827700 9780810827707 0810829320 9780810829329  
−
*Torr, James D. 2001. China: opposing viewpoints. San Diego, Calif: Greenhaven Press. ISBN: 073770649X 9780737706499 0737706503 9780737706505  
+
*Torr, James D. 2001. ''China: opposing viewpoints''. San Diego, Calif: Greenhaven Press. ISBN: 073770649X 9780737706499 0737706503 9780737706505  
 
==External Links==
 
==External Links==
 
*[http://www.acay.com.au/~bunton/china40y/chap2.html]
 
*[http://www.acay.com.au/~bunton/china40y/chap2.html]

Revision as of 17:27, 17 July 2007


For other persons of the same name, see Robert Morrison.
Robert Morrison
Robert Morrison 1807.jpg
Missionary to China
Born
January 5 1782
Bullers Green, Northumberland, England
Died
August 1, 1834
Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Robert Morrison (Traditional [[Chinese language: 馬禮遜; Simplified Chinese: 马礼逊; born January 5, 1782 in Bullers Green, near Morpeth, Northumberland; died August 1, 1834 in Canton) was a Scottish missionary, the first Protestant missionary in China. At the age of sixteen he joined the Presbyterian church and decided that he wanted to become a missionary, and in 1807 he was sent to China by the London Missionary Society. He found the Chinese government hostile, but learned Chinese and acquired permission to reside in China as a Chinese Secretary and Translator of the East India Company. During his twenty-seven years of service, he baptized only ten converts, but each one remained loyal.

Morrison produced a Chinese translation of the New Testament in 1813, and with his collaborator Dr. Milne, a translation of the entire Bible in 1821. He also compiled a Grammar of the Chinese Language (1815) and a Dictionary of the Chinese Language, in Three Parts (1815–23) for the use of westerners. Due to imperial edicts against the learning of Chinese by non-Chinese as well as the printing of books on Christianity in Chinese, Morrison and Milne moved to Malacca, Malaya where they established a printing press and a school for Chinese and Malay children, the Anglo-Chinese College. As the London Missionary Society's first missionary to China, Robert Morrison is regarded as the father of Protestant mission work there. He became an important influence in the modernization of China, and helped to build a cultural understanding between the East and the West.

Early Life

Robert Morrions was born January 5, 1782 in Bullers Green, near Morpeth, Northumberland, the son of James Morrison, an active member of Scottish Presbyterian Church. In 1796, he followed his uncle James Nicholson into an appenticeship as a boot-tree maker, and joined the Presbyterian church in 1798 at the age of sixteen. He wanted to become a missionary and in 1801, he started learning Latin, Greek and Hebrew in private, but his parents were opposed to the idea. In 1803 he entered George Collison's Hoxton Academy in London and was trained as a congregational minister.

Preparing to be a Missionary

After his mother's death in 1804, he joined the London Missionary Society. The next year, he went to Mr. David Bogue's Academy in Gosport for further training. During this period he was chosen to be a missionary in China. He returned to London and studied medicine with Dr. Blair at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, and astronomy with Dr. Hutton at the Greenwich Observatory.

Missionary Pioneering in China

He became a minister in London on January 8, 1807 and was ready to go to China. It was the policy of the British East India Company not to transport missionaries on its vessels, and there were no other available ships bound for China, so Morrions was forced to stop first in New York on April 20, 1807. On May 12, 1807, he boarded a second ship, the Trident, bound for Macao.

"Twenty-five years have this day elapsed, since the first Protestant Missionary arrived in China, alone and in the midst of perfect strangers, with but few friends, and with many foes." Robert Morrison, writing to the London Missionary Society in 1832 about his arrival in China

The Trident arrived in Macao on September 4, 1807. Immediately George Thomas Staunton discouraged him from the idea of being a missionary in China. On September 7, 1807 he was expelled from Catholic Macao and went to the Thirteen Factories outside Canton City an area where foreign trade had been allowed since the ban on maritime activities had been lifted in the eighteenth century. In Canton City he learned the Chinese language from a student called Yong Sam-tak. It was thought that they did not get along well together. They also studied an early Chinese translation of Gospels named Evangelia Quatuor Sinice which was probably written by a Jesuit. Morrison tried unsuccessfully to adapt to Chinese customs. He fell ill and returned to Macao on June 1, 1808, having mastered Mandarin and Cantonese.

In 1809, Morrison met Mary Morton and soon married her on February 20, 1809. The same year he accepted the post of Chinese Secretary and Translator to the British Factory of the East India Company, and was given legitimate residency in Canton. He returned to Canton alone, since foreign women were not allowed to stay in Canton. The couple had three children, James Morrison (March 5, 1811, died on the same day), Rebecca Morrison (July 1812), and John Robert Morrison (April 17, 1814). Mary Morton died in 1821. In November 1824, Morrison married Eliza Armstrong, with whom he had five more children.

"A-Sam, a lad, showed some levity and disposition to laugh...The novelty of seeing a Fan-kwei - 'foreign devil' - sitting down to address them in their own language, perhaps in broken Chinese, on new and strange topics to them, appears at first very odd, and boys are disposed to levity..." Extract from Morrison’s journal, Memoirs of the Life and Labours of Robert Morrison, by Eliza A. (Mrs. Robert) Morrison, Robert Morrison, Samuel Kidd, p. 372

Morrison remained in his post with the East India Company for the remainder of his life. During his twenty-seven years of service, he baptized only ten converts, but each one remained loyal. The admission of the convert Liang A-fa to the office of evangelist was the first Protestant ordination performed in China. Liang was one of the Society's first converts. In his communications to the London Missionary Society, Morrison referred to "Leang Afa, the Chinese printer, who was baptized and instructed by Dr. Milne (William Milne, 1785-1822), and scourged in Canton for making Christian books" and later, "Leang Afa is busy on the Scripture Lessons, which he expects to finish in two or three months : but I am in constant fear for his safety, as he is carrying on the printing in the city of Canton."

In September, 1828, Liang wrote to Morrison, "But the people here are all deceived and sunk in stupidity, respecting vain idols. Although I take the truth and exhort them, all my strength is too small to overcome such a multitude."

Liang's tracts in Chinese first introduced Hung Hsiu-ch'uan (1814-1864) to Christianity in 1836; Hung later led a religious and political rebellion against the Qing dynasty, the “Taiping Rebellion” (“Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace,” 1850 and 1864), the largest civil war of the nineteenth century.

Legacy

As the London Missionary Society's first missionary to China, Robert Morrison is regarded as the father of Protestant mission work there. He became an important influence in the modernization of China, and helped to build a cultural understanding between the East and the West.

The hostility of the Chinese government and of the Catholic missions, which had been attached to the Chinese courts since the 1600’s, made it necessary for most Protestant missionaries to base their work in Southeast Asia. Christian Chinese language works were largely printed in colonial settlements such as Malacca, Batavia and Singapore.

Morrison produced a Chinese translation of the New Testament in 1813, and with his collaborator Dr. Milne, a translation of the entire Bible in 1821. He also compiled a Grammar of the Chinese Language (1815) and a Dictionary of the Chinese Language, in Three Parts (1815–23). for the use of westerners. The Bible translation took twelve years and the compilation of the dictionary, sixteen years. Due to imperial edicts against the learning of Chinese by non-Chinese as well as the printing of books on Christianity in Chinese, Morrison and his collaborator Dr. William Milne moved to Malacca, Malaya (both now in Malaysia) and established a printing press.

Morrison and Milne also established a school for Chinese and Malay children in 1818, where they set up a printing press and published a monthly magazine in Chinese. The school, named Anglo-Chinese College (later called Ying Wa College), was moved to Hong Kong around 1843, after the territory became a British possession. The institution exists today in Hong Kong as a secondary school for boys.

Soon afterward, Raffles Institution, a boys’ school in Singapore, used his name for one of their “houses,” represented by the color blue. This house (division of a school) has continued to thrive.

Robert Morrison and Chinese helpers translating the Bible
File:Stone Morrison.jpg
Centenary marker to Robert Morrison: 1907

After Morrison’s death, the newly founded Morrison Education Society established another school for Chinese youth, located first in Macau (1838) and later in Hong Kong (1842).

Epitaph

Robert Morrison's Grave
Robert Morrison's tomb

Morrison was buried in the Old Protestant Cemetery in Macau. The inscription on his marker reads:

Sacred to the memory of Robert Morrison DD.,

The first protestant missionary to China,
Where after a service of twenty-seven years,
cheerfully spent in extending the kingdom of the blessed Redeemer
during which period he compiled and published
a dictionary of the Chinese language,
founded the Anglo Chinese College at Malacca
and for several years laboured alone on a Chinese version of
The Holy Scriptures,
which he was spared to see complete and widely circulated
among those for whom it was destined,
he sweetly slept in Jesus.
He was born at Morpeth in Northumberland
January 5th 1782
Was sent to China by the London Missionary Society in 1807
Was for twenty five years Chinese translator in the employ of
The East India Company

and died in Canton August 1st 1834.

Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth

Yea saith the Spirit
that they may rest from their labours,

and their works do follow them

Published Works By Robert Morrison

Chinese Philology and Pedagogy

  • A grammar of the Chinese language. By the Rev. Robert Morrison. Serampore (Bengal, India) : printed at the Mission-press, 1815. vi, [ii], 280 p. ; 27cm { CWML H472 }
  • A dictionary of the Chinese language. By R. Morrison. Macao, China : printed at the Honorable East India Company's press, by P.P. Thoms; London : Black, Parbury and Allen, 1815-1823. 6 v ; 30 cm. In three parts : Part 1: Chinese and English arranged according to the radicals ; Part 2: Chinese and English arranged alphabetically ; Part 3: English and Chinese. { CWML M84 }
  • Dialogues and detached sentences in the Chinese language : with a free and verbal translation in English : collected from various sources : designed as an initiatory work for the use of students of Chinese. Macao : printed at the Honorable East India Company's Press, by P.P. Thoms, 1816. viii, 262 p. ; 22 cm. { CWML Q118 }
  • Chinese miscellany : consisting of original extracts from Chinese authors, in the native character; with translations and philological remarks. By Robert Morrison. London : printed ... for the London Missionary Society, 1825. 52 p. : 12 folding ill ; 32 cm. { CWML H472 ; CWML M6 ; CWML N311 }
  • Vocabulary of the Canton dialect [Guangdongsheng tuhua zihui 廣東省土話字彙]. By R. Morrison. Macao, China : printed at the Honorable East India Company's Press, by G.J. Steyn, 1828. 3 in 1 v ; 24 cm. In 3 parts : Part 1: English and Chinese ; Part 2: Chinese and English ; Part 3: Chinese words and phrases. { CWML N150 }
  • Vocabulary of the Canton dialect. By Robert Morrison; with new introduction by Kingsley Bolton. Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 2001. 660 p. { ISBN : 1 86210 018 7 }

Translations from the Chinese

  • Horae Sinicae : translations from the popular literature of the Chinese. By Rev Robert Morrison. London : printed for Black and Parry (et al.), 1812. vi, [ii], 71 p. { CWML Q104 } [Also in Urh-chih-tsze-teen-se-yin-pe-keaou ...]
  • Translations from the original Chinese, with Notes. Canton, China : printed by order of the Select Committee, at the Hon East India Company's press, by P.P. Thoms, 1815. [2], 42 p. { CWML N280 }
  • Singular proclamation : issued by the Foo-yuen or Sub-Viceroy, of Canton, translated from the Chinese. By Rev Dr Morrison. London : printed by Cox and Baylis, printers to the Royal Asiatic Society, 1824. 7 p. [From The Transactions of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland vol.1.] { CWML N311 }
  • "The Lord's prayer in Chinese characters". [From Evangelical magazine ?] { CWML O187 }

English Pedagogy

  • A grammar of the English language : for the use of the Anglo-Chinese College [Yingguo wenyu fanli zhuan 英國文語凡例傳]. By R. Morrison. Macao, China : East India Company's Press, 1823. 97 p. { CWML L153 }

Translations of the Bible into Chinese

  • Sheng Lujia shi chuan fuyinshu 聖路加氏傳福音書 [The Gospel of St. Luke]. [Canton or Macao: s.n., 1811 (or 1812?)]. 80 ff. ; 28 cm. { Andover-Harvard Theological Library : R.B.R. folio BS315.C57 L8 1812 }
  • Chu Maixiguo zhuan 出麥西國傳 [Exodus]. [n.p. : s.n.],1844. [Translated by Morrison in 1819.] 34 f. ; 22.5 cm. { SOAS : RM c.502.p.5 (5) }
  • Shentian shengshu 神天聖書 [The Holy Bible]. Malacca : issued by the Anglo-Chinese College [英華書院], 1823. In 23 volumes.


References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Hancock, Christopher. 2007. Robert Morrison and the birth of Chinese Protestantism. London: Continuum. ISBN: 9780567031778 0567031772 0567031780 9780567031785
  • Lovett, Richard. 1899. The history of the London Missionary Society, 1795-1895. London: H. Frowde
  • Mears, John. 1948. The king's men in China ... Robert Morrison, Griffith John [and] Chiang Kai-Shek. Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed.
  • Morrison, Eliza, Samuel Kidd, and Robert Morrison. 1839. Memoirs of the life and labours of Robert Morrison ... with critical notices of his Chinese works ... and an appendix containing original documents. London: Longman [u.a.].
  • Rubinstein, Murray A. 1996. The origins of the Anglo-American missionary enterprise in China, 1807-1840. ATLA monograph series, no. 33. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. ISBN: 0810827700 9780810827707 0810829320 9780810829329
  • Torr, James D. 2001. China: opposing viewpoints. San Diego, Calif: Greenhaven Press. ISBN: 073770649X 9780737706499 0737706503 9780737706505

External Links

Persondata
NAME Morrison, Robert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 馬禮遜
SHORT DESCRIPTION first Protestant missionary in China
DATE OF BIRTH January 5, 1782
PLACE OF BIRTH Bullers Green, near Morpeth, Northumberland
DATE OF DEATH August 1, 1834
PLACE OF DEATH Canton, China

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