May 21.
In this country and the home lands to-day Protestant mission ary circles are celebrating the centenary of the birth of J. Hud-gon Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission. To the majority of laymen the centenary may mean nothing. To many, however, it will recall a very remarkable personality: a small man, physically unimpressive, yet possessing a power which was, felt by all who came in contact with him, whose courage and zeal in the faith built up the large organisation which is now carry. ing on his work. Mr. Hudson Taylor was born at Barnsley on May 21, 1892, He studied medicine and became an M.R.CS. The missionary spirit was strong in him, and in the early autumn of 1858 he set sail for China, landing in Shanghai in March of the following year, preparatory to commencing his life-work. From. that time he devoted all his en-orgies to the evangelization of the Chinese. His inspiration he shared with others. His message, backed up by his own ample, proved irresistible, his gift of leadership consolidate ed behind him a body of workers on. principles which have often been derided and most bitterly criticised and which, shorn of the beliefs which are their funda. tion, might be considered to just: ity much that has been said against them. They cannot, however, be separated from their principal motive power, which is an implicit faith in God. Nor is it possible in attempting an estimate of the influence of Hudson Taylor to separatd the man from his inspiration. As well separate Edison from electricity lor Sir Oliver Lodge from science, What would be left would be mere man, And in the case of Hudson Taylor, separate him from his religion and all that is eft would have been a moderately clever surgeon.
The views afd methods of Mr, Taylor are naturally reflected in the arrangements of the mission which he, as director, guided for many years. Its doc trinal basis might be described in the language employed when these subjects are mentioned in controversy as "extreme funda~ mentalism". It is interdenominational and international. It never (goes into debt. And it never solicits funds. Its members know and understand that they depend for their support upon whatever money the mis-: sion may receive as voluntary subscriptions and donations, be these great or small. It "takes no thought unto the morrow". Social position or scholastic at tainments do not obscure missionary merit—the enthusiasm for evangelization and the spread of the Gospel. In this onnection, the present director of the mission, writing in "China's Millions," sums up the position:
"With regard to the diversity the personnel of the mission due to its international and me terdenominational character, and also to the varying social standing' and intellectual training of its) members, Mr. Ta} this, render ce-operation more. dificult than in the ease of an organisaunilateral in low ship, were in thei the utmost value in tion for effective service among emancipation
criticism of others arising from complacency and the a restricted outlook could be brought about, not so much by holding academic views and theories regarding wide fellowship, as by the prolonged and exacting self-discipline. involved learning to fit in with others and task."
to work with them in a common
The quotation is given at length since in many circles social dis-{tinetions are of such marked importance. The belief that the jean be ignored is regarded Utopian, but in practice it worked extremely well, as also have the principles of the mission's economy.
Mr, Taylor's first stay in this jeountry lasted for sil Then he returned to England. The need for missionary work here "was always in his mind and in 1866 he set sail with his first band of followers, the nucleus lof the China Inland Mission. His policy of boldly striking out into hitherto unreached areas often brought unfavourable criticism upon his head. It proved itself, however, and in its success jereated a steady demand for Imore workers. 'The result is that the China Inland Mission is the largest of its kind in the country. The policy is still being carried jon. Stations are being opened in' faraway Tibet and distant Turkestan. And still recruits fare coming in. From smal] beginnings there has grown Breat organisation, with financial, business, shipping, and other departments. Not least in ithe organisation are: the Chefoo Schools, with the foundation of which Mr. Hudson Taylor personally had much to do. lunstinting in his. self-s devotion to the evangells: inland China and ready to go to fall lengths in hardships, toil, danger in order to advance it, Mr. Taylor was no ascetic. He was a man who thoroughly enjoyed life. He had a keen sense of humour. He needed it' jin the work he had undertaken, when: faced. with apparently insurmountable obstacles and suf-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.