Tt is with feelings of very deep regret that we have to record the death of the Rev. John Reside Hykes, p.p., which occurred at the Shanghai General Hospital at six o'clock on Tuesday morning, after a rather lengthy illness. The late Dr. Hykes, who had seen almost 48 years of missionary service in China, was a familiar figure to most residents of Shanghai and was a man of great ability, with great mind and memory, and strong personality.
Born in Franklyn County (near Shippenburg), Pa., on August 9, 1852, Dr. Hykes graduated from the Pennsylvania Normal School at Millersville, before he attained the age of 18 years, after which he taught in the school and also pursued a course of private study. It is interesting to record that his great-grandfather was a native of Alsace, his great-grandmother was French, and his maternal grandfather was born at Drumtochty, Scotland, but went to America when a mere lad. Dr. Hykes was admitted to the Central New York Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1873, and was ordained and appointed a missionary and stationed at Kiukiang. During his residence of 20 years in that port he became highly proficient in the knowledge of the Chinese language and also showed particular ability as a man of affairs. It was the latter reputation that singled him out as a suitable head for the China Agency of the American Bible Society, to which position he was appointed in 1893 and has since that time guided the work of the Society in Shanghai and throughout China.
Following in the footsteps of his two predecessors, the late Dr.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.