The introduction of the Christian faith into China was first accomplished in the sixteenth century by the Jesuit fathers, although there la no doubt that Chris obtained a foothold somewhat earlier date, as proof that a colony of Christians existed in the sity of Tai Nan-foo, in the province of Shantuvg. Evidence of this fact rests on the d covery of a stone tablet bearing the sigue of the cross and an inscription setting forth that the monument was erected as a memorial to the true faith of the Lord of Heaven, The Roman Catholic faith was the firat to obtain a foothold in China. In 1586, the Chines ror had ceded ered by Sailing from f the Portuguese possessions—three Jesuit fathers, who had formed a portion of the mission that came to the Enst under St. Francis Xavier, arrived at Macao, Syeedily these pioneers erected a temporary church, which in after years became known as the Cathedral of St. Joveph, and at a conclave held in 1585, it w resolved that Father Ricci should endeavour to enter the neighbouring province of Kuantung to wprend the gospel. Fortified by ti that had attend in the East Indies, Ric in his ability to convince, by argument, the wily and astute Chinese. "Adopting the m ners and costume of the natives he speedily into the society of the He confined himself entirely tations upon philosophical, astronomitific subjects. Ho proved to the pretentious theories
When he hind gained many adds rong, argument and i ventured to approach the aul that was so door to his heart—the ex: of a Saviour and the tenets of the Christian faith. His efforts were crowned with suees A number of converts, carried away by enthusiasm, earnestly begged for baptism. Fired by their zeal the catechumens overthrow several idols, The insult to the gods was punished by the flogging of the offenders, Ricci returned to Macho, and from Goa obtained scientific struments, clocks of unique design, and an additional re-enforcement to alf of ten Tesuit fathers, After giving them instruc. tious for their guidance, he finally set out for Peking, where he arrived towards the end of 1600. "'Meeting resistance from the mandarin who bad charge of the city gates, and who to appropriate the articles brought by his entrance to the Court was refused, and he found himself arrested.
The mandarin, finding his overtures to gain possession of the clock that struck the hours without any visible agency, in vain, reported is action to the Emperor, who, astonished at the news, ordered the stranger to be brought before him. The moment for which Ricci had so long prayed had now arrived, At the audience granted Ricci presented the various articles and the wonderful clock to the Emperor. A tower for its recepti ordered to be built under the direction of the Jesuit, and the Emperor placed in his private apartments pictures of the Saviour and the Virgin. Ricci sot to work giving information to the mandarins and the Court upon subjects allied to the use of the instruments he had brought to the capital, and hia name became authority. The father took. advantage of this prestige and made proselytes of the Court personages, and soon had the satisfaction of seeing the ranks of his converts swelled. The people seeing their rulers embracing the new faith, numbers came to be balti i The superv missions throughout the Empire, task of translating many scientific and works into Chinese, occupied his ti labours were rewarded by a formal ment by the Emperor and Empress to the Pope that they had embraced the Christian This indefatigable man From the access of the Ching dynasty in 1610, the history of the Jesuit fathers is a record of constant growth in power and inflaence, checked at frequent intervals by the jealous interference of the Franciscans, Doi Orde i ican and other 5 2 Jo The Jesuit plan was to lear the of old native superstitions on the part of the
tody the customs of the peopl ly substitute for the old ceremonial ritual of the Catholic Church. By this policy they have conquered where other creeds have failed. Their history is chequered by banishments and mass but all their vieiositudeshave resulted only in strengthening their power. By their mechanical skill the made themselves indispensable, and whenever the jealous suspicions of the people had been lulled to sleep, they began the true faith, Thus, when the English they found the Jesuit. mission away. The history of the labours of the Jesuits and other Orders of the Church would fill volumes, In the see of Peking there are now no less then ninety-six Jesuit priests, under the Rreara tha title of Vicar Avostolie of North. idence of the Bishop of Pechili, who also
China, At Peking" magnificent fane, dedicated to St. Ignatius Loyola, covers the site of the church erected by th 8 of Its pro:
as it is immediatel; bitter thorn in th houses, tha major parti repository for the exhibition of electrical apparatus,—air-pumps, models of steam engines and various instruments: the second ai ed for holding the collection by Pace David, a naturalist of tis voidable contribution of Northern Chis medal of the Bren exercise their vocation receiving both female wlalts and children, tending to their ws if sick, and also to their religious instruction, Scattered all over Peking are a number of stall cha which the converts assemble, Indeed, the capital boasts of a large number of natives professing Christianity, At Newchwang the mission is aleo that of the Society of Jesus, but the church is at present only a small building with three fathers jen tsin is the Laza original cathedral built in 1861 tion of the Grand Canal with as destroyed by the Chi The Government then built a maj structure in the settlement occupied by Europeans, and in addition gave the priests a large block of land whereupon to erect an The cathedral and mission are under the charge of Father Superior and twenty-five priests, who are engaged inthe work. The hospital with every modern improvement proved a great success, At Chefoo the mission is a ist one, under the juried Shanghai Superior of the Order. At Shanghai the largest establishments of the various Orders exist. The Jesuit fathers, the ists and the Mission des Etrangers have their headquarters there. With but few exceptions, the Jesuits are all French, the Lazarists Italians, and the Mission of the Strangers, French, the Catholic comnmuity in Shanghai, together with the native converts, worship b Father Desjacques, who has resided in China forty years, preaches on Sundays and holidays to the Europeans in English and French, and the Chinese have also sermons in the vernacular. Too much praise cannot b meted to these Jesuit fathers for the interest taken by them in not only religious but secalar matters. They have established schools for the instruction of children of foreig resident in China of all and every nationality or denomination. English, French, and the usual curriculum are taught by competent fathers. Music, both vocal and instrumental, embraced in the studies under the di of Father Basuiau, an accomplished m Phere is also a school for girls under the direction of some French Indies, wh the supervision of the Lazariet ani the crowning work effected by the Joauits la their magnificent establishment at Siccawei, near Shanghai. The grounds upon which the buildings ace erected cover about ous hundred acres. A cathedral, a mansion for the fathers to dwell in, and for the recep. tion of the weary workers in the interior of China, who triennially are allowed " month's from duty, All these buildings are ese, aid ib is hero especially that are visible, stranger visi purely Chin fa large main door, flanked on each side by smaller ones, open at all hour gatekeeper sits in company with some fri and, unless the exquisite clean there is nothing to denote the pi Around the wall of the lodge-prayers 3 there is a receptacle for engravings of the Virgin and various
holy water and a book for visitors' unamo Your card is given to one of the by and he directs you to follow situated in the quadrangle in cathedral stand. with stiff-backed Chinese chairs and circular tables, Pacing the doorway is picture Egypt." The Virgin and Child on the ave and (tuo Blight from Joveph are here deplete of features. The hou architecture Tguati 'The only evidence of European civilisation in the notice written in French, requesting visitors' cards, Presently a portly figure approaches, wit smooth-shaven head," queue, and dressed exactly like " middle-class native. Following the father, the visitor is firat conducted to the cathedral. The building is divided into a main and two subsidy Is, The pillars tively in the Oiuese language. Before every picture and representation of the cross are appropriate prayers, The: ats in the boily of the cathedral, and only a few benches here and there in the aisles, Straw mara are strewn around the floor for we oak pulpit, from which are rel by the fathers, stands below the organ gallery. The choir i# composed of Chine who have been admirably Before leaving the building amed-window, representing the Wilderness," which pace over the ground ion. This window was the gift_of a native convert, who a large junk-owler, a resident of Shanghai, to the quarters of the fathers, who are' enjoying a vacation, a large room with a billiard table and a magnificent piano is to be seen, Upon a long corridor open rooms on each side—the apartments of the brothers, furnished with extreme simplicity. library for reading, and a general refectory constitute the rest of the building, Room is provided for sixty fathers, Hard by is the foundling asylum, to which male or female children up to the age of ten years are admitted. The establishment is der the care of seven sisters, who are all ted by five converted Chines The building seldom contains tian 300 inmates, On one floor the nursery is situated. Ranged in rows of five are cradles containing puny, equalling, helpless babies, some only a day or 40 old, left by their unnatural parents ina receptacle placed outside of he main gate, Of the number left nim tenths are gil, To the noble women who
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.