Twentieth Century Impressions of Hongkong, Shanghai, and other Treaty Ports of China/The Anglican Communion
THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION.
By the Ven. Archdeacon Banister, Hongkong.
The object of this article is to describe briefly the history, activities, and organisation of the Anglican Communion in China. England and America have contributed, each their share, to the corporate activities of the Church, on behalf of the peoples of the Far East. Efforts are now being made to combine in one corporate body the different congtegations of the Anglican Church in China, whether owing their origin to the work of the American or English branch of the Anglican Communion. There are in China and Hongkong eight different dioceses, and it will be convenient to deal with each in order, beginning from the south.
Before days of treaties, the Church, both in America and England, turned its eyes to the many millions of the Far East. The first step taken by the English Church was the formation of a special fund, by the Church Missionary Society, in 1807, to print a version of the Chinese New Testament, which had been found in the British Museum by the Rev. W. Mosely, a nonconformist minister. In 1824 the same society held a consultation with Dr. Morrison with regard to the prospects of a mission to China. In 1836 the Rev. E. B. Squires was sent out by the Church Missionary Society, but he worked only in Singapore and Macao, and left the East in 1840. About the same time the Prostestant Episcopal Church of America began its efforts on behalf of China, and in 1835 the Rev. H. Lockwood and the Rev. R. Hanson were sent to Canton, but, finding they were unable to remain there, proceeded to Batavia. In 1837 the Rev. W. J. Boone, M.D., was sent out, and subsequently became the first bishop of the American Church in China. The result of the war of 1840, and of the subsequent Treaty of Nanking in 1842, was the cession of Hongkong to Britain, and the opening of five Treaty ports to the commerce of the world. This led to a forward movement on the part of all missionary societies, and the Anglican Church, both in America and England, laid larger plans, which, in their later developments, have resulted in the eight episcopal jurisdictions now existing in China.
Diocese of Victoria.
The Bishopric of Victoria, the mother see of the English Church in the Far East, was founded in 1849. Endowment had been provided by an anonymous donor, a friend of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel and the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge; and one of the pioneer missionaries of the Church Missionary Society, the Rev. George Smith, was appointed first bishop. His jurisdiction extended to the whole of the East, including China and Japan, and he and his immediate successors, Bishop Alford and Bishop Burdon, travelled, in prosecution of their duties, in both China and Japan. It was in the time of Bishop Burdon that Japan was made a separate diocese, to be afterwards separated into the six dioceses of the present day.
The Church in the diocese of Victoria owes much to the far-seeing faith of the first Consular Chaplain in Hongkong, the Rev. Vincent Stanton, who founded St. Paul's College for the training of clergy and catechists for the work of the Church. Though it has had many vicissitudes, it is now fulfilling the object of its founder in providing teachers for the Chinese churches of the diocese. It is at present under the direction of the Rev. G. A. Bunbury, as sub-warden, and the Rev. A. D. Stewart, as tutor, and its limited accommodation is fully occupied. The work of the Church in the diocese of Victoria is almost entirely missionary, and is carried on by the Church Missionary Society, in the provinces of Kwangtung, Kwangsi, and Hunan, and in the Colony of Hongkong.
The bishop resides at St. Paul's College, Hongkong, and the work within the Colony is now entirely diocesan, both sections of the Christian community—European and Chinese—being represented in the Colonial Church Council. The cathedral of St. John the Evangelist is the centre of the Church's work amongst the British population, and was founded in 1842. It is a large Gothic building, contains a fine organ, and the musical and other services are reverently rendered without excess of ritual. A chaplain, appointed by the Church body and the bishop, is responsible for the services. The present chaplain is the Rev. F. T. Johnson.
St. Andrew's Church, Kowloon, was erected in 1906, at the sole cost of Sir Paul Chater, a distinguished resident of Hongkong. It was dedicated and opened for service on October 6, 1906, by the Archdeacon of Hongkong, the Ven. William Banister, acting as commissary for His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury. The late revered Bishop of Victoria, the Right Rev. J. C. Hoare, D.D., was taken to God in the fierce typhoon which caused such terrible loss to the Colony on September 18, 1906. He had made all arrangements for the consecration of the church, and his wish that it should be opened on October 6th was carried out. The Rev. A. J. Stevens was appointed to the charge of St. Andrew's, and the spiritual care of the churchpeople resident on the Kowloon Peninsula.
Hongkong is now one of the largest ports in the world, and the spiritual interests of the sea-going population are cared for by the Mission to Seamen's Society, and there are now two chaplain's at work, the Rev. J. H. France and the Rev. T. C. Thompson. The seamen's church is dedicated to St. Peter. A new organ has recently been erected, and dedicated to the service of praise and prayer by "those who go down to the sea in ships."
At the invitation of the bishop of the diocese, the Church Missionary Society began work in 1862, when the Rev. J. Stringer was sent out. Since that time the work has expanded and extended, until it has now passed out of the control of the Church Missionary Society, and is merged into the diocesan organisation, under the bishop and a Chinese Church body. There are three churches for the Chinese, St. Stephen's, at West Point; Holy Trinity, at Kowloon Old City; and All Saints', at Yaumati. The Chinese Church is self-supporting, with the exception of a small grant made towards the stipend of the catechist at Yaumati, from funds of the local Church Missionary Association.
The missions on the mainland are carried on by the Church Missionary Society—with European missionaries at Canton, Pakhoi, Shiu Hing, Kweiling (the capital of Kwangsi), and Yung Chow (a city in south Hunan).
At Canton the spiritual interests of the Anglican community are cared for by the Rev. P. Jenkins, of the Church Missionary Society, and services are held in the well-kept Christ Church, which is supported by the members of the local community.
The philanthropic activities of the Church consist of a large and most successful hospital at Pakhoi, founded by the late Bishop Burdon, and carried on for many years by Dr. E. J. Horder. In connection with the Pakhoi hospital there is also a large leper asylum, where lepers, both men and women, are cared for and tended in every possible way. The influence of this work at Pakhoi has enabled the Church Missionary Society to extend its operations to the city of Liem Chow.
There are several educational institutions. First among these is St. Paul's College, which is now really fulfilling the pious intentions of the founder. St. Stephen's College, a public school for sons of Chinese gentlemen, under the direction of the Rev. E. J. Barnett, with a staff of English and Chinese masters, is worked in connection with the Church Missionary Society; in 1907 there were 150 students on the books. The Diocesan Boys' School, a day and boarding school for European and Eurasian and Chinese boys, under the able direction of Mr. G. Piercy, as head-master, and a staff of masters, has had a long, useful, and successful career. The Diocesan Girls' School, a day and boarding school for the education of European and Eurasian girls, is a flourishing and growing institution which owes its origin to the work carried on for many years, under the auspices of the Female Education Society, by Miss Margaret Johnstone. The Eyre Diocesan Refuge is an institution for the reform and training of a special class of unfortunate girls, who have been sold into the slavery of sin. It is a "Door of Hope" for any who wish to escape from this degradation. Started by Miss Eyre, of the Church Missionary Society, it was taken over, as a diocesan institution, in 1908, and placed under the direction of the bishop and a strong committee of ladies, under the patronage of Her Excellency Lady Lugard. The Victoria Home and Orphanage was started by the Rev. J. B. Ost, of the Church Missionary Society, in the eighties, and after a useful career at West Point, is now situated at Kowloon Old City. It is for the protection and education of friendless and poor girls of the untainted class, who, through misfortune, find themselves homeless, and for those who are rescued from cruel mistresses or masters by the authorities. The Fairlea School, formerly under the Female Education Society, and now under the Church Missionary Society, has for many years given a Christian education to Chinese girls, Christian and others. For many years it has been associated with the name of Miss Margaret Johnstone, now retired through ill-health. Its old scholars are found all over the world wherever the Chinese dwell. To meet the new aspirations of the Chinese it is to be developed into a Chinese Girls' High School.
St. Stephen's Preparatory and Girls' School is intended for the children of the wealthy classes in Hongkong. It is hoped that it will develop into a Ladies' College with a department for small boys, as preparatory to St. Stephen's College. At present there are between thirty and forty scholars.
Diocese of Fokien.
The diocese of Fokien is the east sub-division of the original diocese of Victoria. The distance from Hongkong, the different dialect spoken, and the very extensive nature of the work, employing thirty or more European and Chinese clergy, made it absolutely necessary that a new diocese should be formed, and in 1906 this was done. The Ven. Archdeacon H. McCartie Price, of Osaka, Japan, was consecrated first Bishop of Fokien on February 2, 1906. Bishop Price is the son of a Church Missionary Society missionary, the Rev. W. Salter Price, now Vicar of Wingfield, Suffolk, and formerly a missionary in Sierra Leone, West Africa, and afterwards in Japan.
The diocese of Fokien includes the whole of the Fokien Province, and is entirely missionary, with the exception of the provision of church services for the European communities at Amoy and Foochow. The missionary work of the Church is, however, confined to the northern half of the province, beginning with the prefecture of Hing Hwa and extending to the borders of the provinces of Kiangsi and Chekiang. The history of the Church's activities in this diocese is full of interest, and the remarkable progress made since the Church Missionary Society sent its first missionaries, the Rev. W. Welton and Rev. W. Jackson, to Foochow, in 1850, is one of the most striking features of the Church's work in China.
The chief personality in the Church's expansion during the fifty-eight years of its work in the Fokien Province has been the Ven. Archdeacon J. R. Wolfe. He came out in 1862, and is still working in the diocese. When he arrived there were not ten converts, now there are twenty-four cities and towns occupied as mission stations where European missionaries reside. There are eight hospitals, in which thousands of patients are treated every year. There are four leper homes and refuges, and two homes for the blind, where industrial work is carried on. There are native Christian churches in twenty-six cities, besides those in country towns and villages.
The district of Fuh Ning, in the north-east of the province, is the field of work of the Dublin University Mission.
Two Church societies—the Church Missionary Society, and the Church of England Zenana Society—maintain a large staff of workers. In schools and colleges, in hospitals and refuges for the blind, lepers, and the sick, they find ever widening spheres of work.
Scattered throughout a wide extent of territory, the twenty-four stations where Europeans reside are centres of Christian activities, educational and philanthropic; all witnessing to the power of the "Body of Christ." There are 220 out-stations, and about 23,000 adherents, of whom 11,300 are baptized, and there are 4,200 communicants. There are 19 native clergy. There are 200 day schools for children, and the members of the different congregations contribute in the year over £1,20O, or $12,000.
In Foochow there is a Divinity College, founded by the late Rev. R. W. Stewart in 1878. The original building was destroyed by a mob, but the college was rebuilt on another site at Nan Sai.
There are also, at Foochow, a Boys' High School, and a Girls' Boarding School, a Women's Training Institution, and Junior Boys' Boarding School.
Diocese of Mid-China.
The diocese of Mid-China was separated in 1880 from the diocese of North China, founded in 1872. The original title of North China was given when Dr. Russell, of the Church Missionary Society was consecrated the first bishop on December 2, 1872, in Lambeth Palace Chapel. In 1880, after Bishop Russell's death, the diocese was divided into North China and Mid-China, and Dr. G. E. Moule was consecrated Bishop of Mid-China. He has now resigned, after nearly fifty years of missionary service, first as priest, and then as bishop.
Shanghai was the first station, occupied by the Rev. T. McClatchie, colleague of the Rev. G. Smith, afterwards Bishop of Victoria, in 1844. It is still the headquarters of the Church Missionary Society secretary, and for sixty-two years work has been carried on in the city and settlement of Shanghai. From this beginning the work has spread to other cities also.
Ningpo was occupied in 1848 by the Rev. R. H. Cobbold and the Rev. W. A. Russell, afterwards Bishop of North China. It has been the home and scene of work of many able missionaries, the most distinguished being the Ven. A. E. Moule, Archdeacon of Mid-China (who is still working and who still gives service, by his personal activities and by his pen, both in English and Chinese), and the late Rev. J. C. Hoare (who arrived in Ningpo in 1878, and for more than twenty years carried on the work of training catechists and clergy for the mission). The latter was the founder and first principal of Trinity College, Ningpo, where most, if not all, of the present native clergy of Mid-China were trained.
Hangchow was opened by Bishop Moule, then the Rev. G. E. Moule, in 1864, and has, up to the present time, been the residence of the bishop. He has seen the work spread to the different centres of his diocese, and has watched over the growth of the native Church, as one place after another has been occupied.
Sai Chow, farther down the coast from Ningpo, was occupied in 1887, as the result of the evangelistic work of the students of Trinity College, Ningpo, and the Rev. J. C. Hoare. There is now a growing Church with about 1,500 baptized members, and also a medical mission with a fine hospital, containing 52 beds, opened in 1905, under the charge of Dr. Babington.
Another district city, Chu Ki, is occupied by the Rev. J. B. Ost. The mission here was started by the conversion of one man who saw the sign, "Holy Religion of Jesus," over a chapel in Hangchow. After inquiring who Jesus was and what the name meant, he carried the news and his faith to the villages of his native hills in Chu Ki, where now there is a Church of 500 or 600 Christians.
The most conspicuous philanthropic work in this diocese is the large medical mission in Hangchow, so long carried on by Dr. Duncan Main and his assistants. It has the well-deserved reputation of being the largest and best equipped missionary hospital in China.
The workers of this diocese have contributed very largely to the literature of the Church, both in Chinese and English. Archdeacon Moule, the Revs. J. C. Hoare, W. S. Moule and W. G. Walsh, have given permanent contributions, in their theological, historical, and expository works, to the library of truth needed for the Church's service.
Diocese of Shanghai.
The diocese of Shanghai, comprising the province of Kiangsu, is presided over by the Right Rev. F. R. Graves, D.D., who was appointed bishop in 1893. The work of the American Episcopal Church in China was begun (as stated above) by the sending out to Canton, in 1835, of the Revs. H. Lockwood and F. R. Hanson. Unable to settle in Canton, they worked amongst the Chinese in Batavia, the capital of Java.
The Rev. W. T. Boone was sent out in 1837, and when the five Treaty ports were opened in China the mission removed to Amoy. In 1884, Bishop Boone was consecrated and returned to China with nine new missionaries, and Shanghai became the centre of the mission, and Amoy was abandoned. The first convert and the first clergyman, was Wong Kong Chai (1851–86). Bishop Graves is the fifth Bishop of Shanghai.
Work in the province of Kiangsu is carried on at six main stations, Shanghai, Soochow, Wu Sih, Kiading, Kiangwan, and Tsingpoo, each of which is a centre for work in sub-stations in the surrounding districts. There are four large churches in Shanghai, viz., Jessfield, Sinza, Honkew, and in the native city of Shanghai.
There is a body of lo foreign, and 12 Chinese clergy, who are assisted by a staff of catechists and school teachers. The mission has always placed great reliance upon its Chinese clergy, who are carefully trained in a theological school before ordination, and who have proved such valuable workers.
Work for women is carried on by the ladies of the mission, aided by a body of earnest native Bible women, who have been educated for the work in the Training School at Jessfield.
The most striking feature of this diocese is the splendidly equipped and successful College of St. John, under the Rev. F. L. Hawks Pott, D.D. It was founded in 1879, by the Right Rev. S. I. T. Schesuchewsky, the third Bishop of Shanghai. It is situated at Jessfield, about five miles from Shanghai. The present large buildings were erected in 1892. The science hall was begun in 1898, and formally opened in 1899. In 1902 the pressure of an increasing demand for education on the part of Chinese led to steps being taken for the third enlargement of the institution. The corner stone of the new building was laid in 1903, and a year later it was formally opened, under the name of the "Yen Hall," in honour of a distinguished Chinese clergyman, the Rev. Y. K. Yen, M.A. In January, 1906, the college was incorporated, under the laws of the United States, as St. John's University. There are 263 students in all departments.
One of the greatest gifts of American Christianity to China is the well-equipped colleges for higher learning in different parts of the country. Amongst the best and most successful is St. John's College, Shanghai. Its influence is felt all along the Yangtsze Valley, and it will take a still more influential position in the future. There is a successful mission hospital, called St. Luke's Hospital, in Seward Road, Shanghai. The head physician is Dr. Boone, a son of the first Bishop Boone. The staff of this diocese have contributed very largely to the increasing Christian literature of China. They have assisted in the translations of the Bible, Prayer Book, and Hymn Books, and have produced many original works and translations of theological, historical, and expository books on the Chinese clergy and Christians.
Diocese of Hankow.
The diocese of Hankow, founded in 1901, embraces the four provinces of Hupeh, Hunan, Kiangsi, and Anhwei. The missionary district of Hankow was separated from that of Shanghai by the general convention of the American Church. in 1901. The first Bishop of Hankow, the Right Rev. J. A. Ingle, D.D., was consecrated at Hankow, on February 24, 1901. He died on December 7, 1903, and was succeeded by the Right Rev. L. H. Roots, D.D., in 1904. The foreign staff consists of 14 clergymen besides the bishop, 5 physicians, and 2 laymen. The Chinese staff consists of 13 laymen, 36 catechists, 59 school teachers, and 16 Bible women. The work is educational, medical, and evangelistic. The present bishop, is a broadminded and sympathetic churchman, who, while maintaining strenuously the Church's historical position, holds out the right hand of fellowship to all who really love the Divine Head of the Church. He is much beloved for his sympathetic attitude towards those who are not within the bounds of his own Church.
Diocese of North China.
The present diocese of North China was separated from the original diocese of North China in 1880. It has since lost the province of Shantung (which became a separate diocese in 1903), and now comprises the five provinces of Chihli, Shansi, Shensi, Honan and Kansu. The bishop is the Right Rev. Charles Perry Scott, D.D., consecrated in 1880. In 1862 the Rev. J. S. Burdon, afterwards third Bishop of Victoria, was sent by the Church Missionary Society to Peking. He translated there the Prayer Book, a Bible History, and put Dr. Martin's Evidences into Chinese. He was afterwards joined by the Rev. A. Atkinson and the Rev. T. McClatchie, but the latter soon returned to Shanghai. In 1865 the Rev. W. H. Collins joined the mission, and the work which he started in 1869, at a place called Yung Ching, has been carried on ever since. In 1873 Mr. Burdon became Bishop of Victoria. In 1875 the Rev. W. Brereton joined the mission. In 1879 the Rev. W. Banister, now the Archdeacon of Hongkong, was designated to Peking, but before he came out the Rev. W. H. Collins resigned, and the Church Missionary Society finally withdrew in 1880. In 1863 the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel sent Dr. J. A. Stewart to Peking, and he was joined in 1864 by the Rev. F. R. Mitchell. Soon afterwards, how- ever, they both withdrew, and the work of this Church Society was suspended for ten years.
In 1872 the S.P.G. sent out the Rev. C. P. Scott and the Rev. M. Greenwood to Chefoo. In 1878-79 there was a terrible famine in North China, and Mr. Scott and Mr. Capel were permitted to distribute ;f4,ooo in relief. The lavourable impression made by such generosity led the churches to take advantage of the feeling ; and Dean Butcher, of Shanghai, and Admiral Ryder, urged the S.P.G. to establish a strong mission in Shantung, under a resident bishop. An offer of ;^io,ooo led to the ultimate foundation of the Bishopric, and accordingly the Rev. C. P. Scott was consecrated Bishop of North China.
Since 1891 the Rev. F. L. Norris has been trying to form the nucleus of a Training College at Peking. Tai An Fu was opened in 1878, and Ping Yin in 1893. This diocese suffered in the early days of the Boxers' movement. On December 20, 1899, the Rev. Sydney Malcolm Wellbye Brooks was murdered by Boxers while on his way to support the Rev. H. Matthews, who was alone at Ping Yin. On June i, 1900, the Rev. H. V. Norman and the Rev. C. Robinson suffered death by Boxers at Yung Chin. Several of the Chinese Christians were put to death, and the new church at Tai Hang Chuang was burnt down. The mission ministers to Anglican Christians at Chefoo (1874), Peking (1880), Tientsin (1890), Shan Hai Kway, Pei Tai Ho, Newchwang, and Weihaiwei.
Diocese of Shantung.
The diocese of Shantung extends over the province of Shantung, except such portion as is now German territory. The work of this diocese is carried on in Chefoo, Weihaiwei, Tai An Fu, and Ping Yin. There is a staff of 8 clergy, and 25 native helpers. Progress is being made under the direction of the present bishop, the Right Rev. Geoffrey D. Iliff, D.D. (1903). A Conference has been established as an advisory council to the bishop, at which both the foreign and native workers are repre- sented. A theological college has been also founded, where the native clergy and catechists are to be trained. Diocese of Western China. The diocese of Western China extends throughout the province of Szechwan and comprises the field occupied by the Church Missionary Society, and the China Inland Mission. The China Inland Mission has work in different parts of this province of Szechwan, but in 1895, the eastern portion, i.e., east and north of the Kialing River, was assigned to the Church of England members of the China Inland Mission, and the superintendent, the Rev. W. W. Cassels, was consecrated first bishop of this diocese. The China Inland Mission began work in 1877, when Messrs. Judd and McCarthy, occupied Chungking. The Church Missionary Society began work in 1888, when the Rev. J. H. Horsburgh made extensive itinerations with the object of founding a mission. A party of 15 missionaries was sent out with Mr. Horsburgh in i8gi, and, after many difficulties, the work was established in various centres. There are now 10 stations with resident European missionaries, the most distant station being on the borders of Thibet. There are now on the staff of the diocese, 18 foreign clergy, and one native, 17 lay workers, and 63 women workers. The bishop— the Right Rev. W. W. Cassels, D.D. (1895) — lives in the city of Pao Ning. A training institution has been established, where native clergy and workers will be prepared for their work. Little has been done in the way of educational or medical work. The statistics of the Anglican Church in China, for the year ended December 31, 1906, were as follows : — Dioceses
Staff : Clergy, Foreign ...
„ Native ...
Lay, Foreign
„ Native
Doctors
Women : Foreign ... 256 Native
Converts : Catechumens - 5,103 Baptized 23,396 Communicants ... 10,756 Baptisms (1906) 1,952 ,, Children 904 Native contributions ... $42,000 = ^'4,200
HONGKONG CATHEDRAL.
The members of the Church of England among the early settlers in Hongkong lost no time in providing themselves with a place of worship. Through the efforts of the Rev. W. Phelps, R.N., and Mr. A. J. Johnson, subscrip- tions were raised, and in the year following the British occupation of the Colony a " matshed " structure was erected upon what is now the military parade-ground. In 1843 the first colonial chaplain arrived in the island, and on Christmas Eve held his first service in the church. The unpretentious little building was not long to continue, however, for on March n, 1845, the foundation stone of the cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, designed by Mr. St. J. Cleverly, Surveyor-General, and estimated to cost ^^6,960, was laid by Sir John Francis Davis, then Governor of the Colony. On March II, 1849, the new building was opened, and in the following May it was created a cathedral by letters patent. The first bishop of Victoria, the Rt. Rev. George Smith, D.D., arrived in the Colony early in 1850; and in September, 1852, during the chaplaincy of the Rev. S. W. Steedman, the cathedral was consecrated. Bishop Smith resigned in 1867, and was succeeded by the Rt. Rev. G. R. Alford, D.D., during whose occupancy of the see the first stone of the new choir was laid by the Duke of Edinburgh. The next occupant of the bishop's chair was the Rt. Rev. John Shaw Burdon, D.D., who was consecrated on March, 15, 1874, and who spent upwards of twenty years in the faithful ministry of his high office. He retired in 1895, beloved by all, and was succeeded by the Rt. Rev. Joseph Charles Hoare, D.D., a man of noble nature, powerful personality, and cool courage. Bishop Hoare's tragic end in the great typhoon of 1906 will not soon be forgotten; the story of his calm resignation to the horribly inevitable will ever be told in the Colony when men speak of the heroes of peace. The present bishop is the Rt. Rev. Gerard Heath Lander, D.D., who was enthroned on November 23, 1907.
To return to the cathedral. In 1891 the Church, which had up till that time been governed by the local legislature, was disestablished, and its control handed over to a Church body, consisting of the bishop, the senior chaplain, and six laymen elected annually—a form of direction which exists to this day. The first chaplain, under the new order of things, was the Rev. R. F. Cobbold, M.A.. who succeeded the Rev. W. Jennings, M.A., and was, in turn, followed, in 1902, by the Rev. Frederick Trench Johnson, M.A., the present incumbent. The lay-members of the Church body are Mr. W. Armstrong, the Hon. Dr. J. M. Atkinson, Dr. Francis Clark (hon. treasurer), Mr. G. A. Hastings, Mr. E. Ormiston, and Mr. A. Bryer (hon. secretary). The cathedral is now entirely self-supporting, there being no endowment.
There is a certain "feeling" of the Early English Gothic style about the structure, and the tower, lofty and graceful, adds a pleasant home-note to the general characteristics of the city. There is a lack of proportion in the building, due chiefly to the length of the choir. To remedy this it is proposed to bring forward the altar and erect a reredos.
The cathedral contains some excellent examples of stained glass. The east window is filled by a memorial to the late Mr. Douglas Lapraik, who died on March 24, 1869. The subjects—the Crucifixion and the Ascension—are treated with a fine breadth of feeling and colour. The clerestory windows in the choir were presented by Lady Jackson, in 1900. In the north transept is a window to the memory of the late Dr. F. Stewart, a former Colonial Secretary, the subject being the sufferance of the children, whilst in the south transept it has been decided to insert a window as a memorial to the late Bishop Hoare.
The upper portion of this window is designed to show St. John in the Isle of Patmos, writing the Revelations, as instructed by an angel sent from God. In the top centre light appears the Lamb enthroned, and upon the Book with Seven Seals, worshipped by the elders, and surrounded by hosts of angels, who sing, "Amen, blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, and honour and power and might be unto our God for ever and ever." Encircling these are "they which came out of great tribulation," &c., holding palms (Rev. vii. 14). At the base of the window, pictures relating to the sea are placed; on the left, Christ calling the disciples, St. James and St. John, whilst mending their nets in the boat; in the centre, Christ stilling the tempest; and, on the right, Christ walking upon the sea and appearing to the disciples in the boat. In the window will appear the inscription: "To the glory of God, and in grateful memory of the episcopate of the Right Rev. Joseph Charles Hoare, D.D., fourth Bishop of Victoria. Born November 15th, 1851; consecrated St. Barnabas Day, 1898; died September 18th, 1906." The cost of the window has been borne by the community, and the designs are in the hands of the well-known Westminster firm of Morris & Co. An additional memorial to the late bishop is the brass tablet, erected by his wife. family, and relations in England, which sets forth the tragic manner of his death. A window depicting the perils of the deep, in memory of Hongkong residents who perished in the wreck of the s.s. Bokhara off the Pescadore Islands, on the night of October 10, 1892, fills one of the smaller lights; another, representing St. Peter receiving the keys, is to the memory of the Hon. Mr. Donall, who died in 1873; a third was erected by the students of St. Paul's College as a tribute to Bishop Smith's devotion to the Colony; and, in a fourth, honour is paid to Elizabeth Frances Higgin and Emma Gertrude Ireland, two hospital sisters, who lost their lives whilst in the execution of their duty during the plague outbreak of 1898. In the baptistry, two windows of exquisite workmanship are erected to the memory of the wife of Edmund Sharp, a former trustee of the cathedral. In the north aisle are two windows presented by the officers and men of the 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment, "in memory of their comrades who died in China between October 24th, 1858 and December 18th, 1860." A window to the memory of the widow of Henry Kingsmill, depicts women of Old and New Testament mention.
There are numbers of mural tablets, amongst others those commemorating the Peninsular and Oriental officers who perished in the Corca, which foundered, with all on board, in a typhoon on the China Sea on June 30, 1865; the wife of Bishop Burdon; Capt. Colthurst Vesey; Robert Lyall; Capt. Augustus Frederick Hippolyte Da Costa, a captain in the British Corps of Royal Engineers, and Lieut. Dwyer, of the Ceylon Rifles, who were "wantonly attacked and murdered by some Chinese pirates whilst walking by the seaside at Whang Ma Kok, in this Island," on February 25, 1849; Lieut. H. M. Dallas, of the 98th Regiment; William Harding, "one of the best specimens of the British sailor, killed, 1st June, 1848. in a gallant attack by the boats of H.M.S. Scout, off Chimmo Bay, on a large piratical vessel subsequently taken"; Arthur Gordon Ward, organist of the cathedral for eight and a half years, who died in 1905; and Charles May, who died at sea on his homeward passage in 1879, after forty-five years' labours in the Civil Service.
The bishop's throne, a fine specimen of the Chinese carver's art, was presented to the cathedral by Messrs. Robert and Edward Alford, former residents of the Colony, in memory of their father's labours in the diocese. The pulpit was presented by Sir William Robinson, and the choir stalls were constructed of timber taken from the old British man-of-war, the Victor Emmanuel.
On the column behind the lectern hang the colours of the old Hongkong Regiment—the King's colours, and the old yellow regimental ensign—which were deposited in the cathedral for safe-keeping, and "as a memorial of that regiment for ever," at the close of the morning service on October 12, 1902. The regiment afterwards returned to India, where it was disbanded on October 23rd of the same year.
The services of the cathedral are held according to the general usages of the Church of England, matins being sung at 11 a.m., and evensong at 5.45 p.m., with celebrations of the Holy Communion every Sunday at 7.30 a.m., and on certain Sundays at noon. Services are also held on Wednesdays and Fridays, and on Saints' and Holy Days. There is a large and well-trained voluntary choir of between forty and fifty voices, and all the best cathedral services and anthems are in regular use. The full cathedral choir sings matins and evensong on alternate Sundays, with the exception of certain festivals, when the complete choir attends both services. All other services are more or less of a congregational character, and under existing circumstances only a small section of the choir is able to be present at these.
The first organ was erected in the cathedral in 1860, and was dedicated on Christmas Day of that year, the organist being Mr. C. F. A. Sangster. The splendid instrument now in use was erected in 1887, and was opened on June 21st of that year, "on which date" says a brass memorial affixed to the pillar in front of the organ, "the Acting Governor (Major-General W. G. Cameron, C.B,), and the members of the Legislative Council attended a solemn service of thanksgiving in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Accession of Queen Victoria." It is a three-manual organ, with between forty and fifty stops, and was built by the well-known London firm of Messrs. Walker & Sons. The present organist is Mr. Denman Fuller, F.R.C.O., L.R.A.M., who succeeded Mr. A. S. Ward in 1905.
The cathedral is now lighted by electricity, and in summer time punkahs are used to keep the temperature as low as possible. The pews of teak-wood and rattan are roomy and comfortable, and every seat is provided with books for the use of members of the congregation. The excellent custom is followed of leaving the building open to all seeking a retreat for quiet meditation.
ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH, KOWLOON
The idea that Kowloon should have its own church was mooted in 1897, but it was not until 1904, when a grant of land fronting the Robinson Road had been made by the Government, and Sir Paul Chater had generously undertaken the entire cost of the building, that St. Andrew's Church was commenced. The late bishop of the diocese, the Rt. Rev. J. C. Hoare, D.D., performed the ceremony of laying the foundation stone on December 13, 1904, and on October 6, 1906, the church was dedicated by the Ven. Archdeacon Banister. A melancholy interest attaches to this date, for it was that fixed by Bishop Hoare for the consecration of the church; but his death, in the typhoon of September 18th, made it necessary for another to consummate the work which he had so much at heart. The church, though small, does not lack dignity. It is built of granite and red brick, in the Early English Gothic style of architecture, and is a fine example of modern work. The spire contains a peal of tubular bells, and the interior of the church, with its capacity for three hundred persons (though at present there is seating accommodation for two hundred only), is graced by a handsome east window, also given by Sir Paul Chater, representing the Crucifixion and the Last Supper, with figures of St. Peter and St. Andrew. The small marble shafts around the main columns are of Grecian marble, direct from Athens. The late Bishop Hoare made himself responsible for the provision of the holy table, pulpit, prayer-desks, and choir and chancel seats; the Rev. F. T. Johnson for the font and for communion vessels, which communicants at the cathedral and Peak church were invited to present; the hon. architect (Mr. Bryer) gave the brass eagle lectern; Messrs. Wilks and Jack undertook to collect for and subscribe to the installation of the electric light; the Hon. Mr. E. Osborne contributed to and collected for the bells; and there were many other generous helpers. A vestry, consisting of the chaplain and elected lay-members, directs the affairs of the church. The chaplain is the Rev. Arthur Joseph Stevens, B.A., who also, pending the day when Kowloon becomes wholly responsible for the support of its chaplain, holds the position of Assistant Chaplain of St. John's Cathedral.
Bishop of Victoria.
THE RIGHT REV. GERARD HEATH LANDER, D.D., fifth Bishop of Victoria, was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and at Ridley Hall, and was ordained in 1884 to the curacy of St. Bride's, Liverpool. Afterwards he was appointed to St. Benedict, Liverpool, and subsequently to St. Philip's, Litherland. In 1894 he was appointed Hon. Canon of Liverpool, and, in 1895, Vicar of St. Cyprian, Liverpool. On June 29, 1907, St. Peter's Day, he was consecrated Bishop of Victoria, in the parish church of St. Mary, Lambeth, and was enthroned in the cathedral church of St. John, Hongkong, on Saturday, November 23, 1907. He succeeded Bishop Hoare, who came to China in 1875, was appointed Bishop of Victoria, on June 11, 1898, and lost his life in the typhoon of September 18, 1906, while out with four of his Chinese students, preaching and teaching. When last seen he was kneeling in prayer on the deck of his small yacht, the Pioneer.
THE ARCHDEACON OF HONGKONG, the Ven. William Banister, came out to China in the year 1880. He was educated privately, and at the Church Missionary College, Islington, London. He was ordained deacon in 1879, and priest in 1880, by the Bishop of London. From 1879 to 1880 he was Curate of St. Mary's, Bulderstone, near Blackburn, Lancs., under the late Archdeacon of Blackburn. He was sent to Foochow, and was for some years located at Ku Ching in the charge of a large missionary district with its manifold operations. In 1893 he was given direction of the Church Missionary Society's Theological College, Foochow, and remained there until 1897, when he was appointed to Hongkong and became secretary of the Church Missionary Society for South China. In 1902 he was appointed Archdeacon of Hongkong by the Bishop of Victoria.
THE REV. FREDERICK TRENCH JOHNSON, M.A., Chaplain of St. John's Cathedral, Hongkong, is a son of the Rev. Canon Johnson, Rector of Carbury, County Kildare, Ireland. Born in 1872, he was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, where he subsequently took his degree, and in 1896 he was appointed Curate of Holy Trinity, Belfast. Two years later he came out to the Colony as assistant chaplain, and in 1902 he succeeded the Rev. R. F. Cobbold on that gentleman's resignation of the chaplaincy.
HOLY TRINITY CATHEDRAL, SHANGHAI.
The existing Anglican cathedral is the fourth church which has stood upon the site, and dates back to 1869. The first building, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, collapsed in a storm in 1850, only three years after the foundation stone was laid. The congregation had but a very short while before been assembled within the church, and as a thank-offering to God for their escape they rebuilt the church, which was opened again in the following year. In 1860 it was decided, at a general meeting of the congregation, that a large and permanent church, worthy of the port, should be built on the site of the old building. Accordingly the old church was pulled down, and a temporary structure for services was erected near the side of the compound. The outcome of the effort was the church as it stands to-day, with the exception of the tower, the foundation stone for which was laid in 1891. The new building was opened for service in 1869, and in 1875 it was elected by Bishop Russell to be his cathedral, the Rev. C. H. Butcher being appointed dean.
The cathedral was designed by Sir Gilbert Scott, and is a cruciform structure of beautiful proportions, except that the chancel is shorter than was intended by the architect. There is some good modern glass, the chapel lights being especially worthy of note; and one of the most interesting windows is that in the south aisle to the memory of the Hongkong cricketers, who were wrecked on their return voyage after an inter-port cricket match. In the narthex are several memorial slabs, some of which were transferred from the earlier churches. The building presents an imposing exterior, which is seen to great advantage in the spacious compound by which it is surrounded. The close, bounded by the Kiangse, Kiukiang, Hankow, and Honan Roads, contains also The Deanery, the Cathedral School, and other houses.
The patronage of the cathedral was formerly in the hands of the Foreign Office, but now it is vested in three trustees, who are elected annually by the British subscribers to the establishment, and have certain powers in regard to the appointment of incumbents and in respect of all disbursements. The funds of the cathedral are derived from an endowment, supplemented by pew-rents and voluntary offertories.
The present incumbent, the Very Rev. A. J. Walker, M.A. (Cantab.), was appointed by the trustees in 1903, and was made dean by the bishop in the following year. His assistant chaplain is the Rev. R. G. Winning, B.A., now acting as chaplain-in-charge during his absence on leave.
The Cathedral School is under the care of the Rev. F. Perry, B.A., and has some forty scholars, most of whom are in the choir.
The Church of St. Andrew, situated in the Broadway, is a daughter church of the cathedral, and is connected with the Missions to Seamen. The chaplain, the Rev. H. M. Trickett, resides at a house adjoining the church.
BISHOP MOULE, the late incumbent of the Mid-China See, stands in the foremost rank of the men who have devoted themselves to mission work in China. For close upon fifty years he laboured as student, teacher, evangelist, and bishop, until, overtaken by age and infirmity, he resigned his task into the hands of younger men, and retired to the rest he had so justly earned. The Rt. Rev. George Evans Moule, D.D., was born at Gillingham Vicarage. Dorset, in 1828. He was educated privately until he went up to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, in 1846, where he took honours in classics and in mathematics. It was while at Cambridge that he felt the missionary call, and he was one of the founders, in 1848, of the Cambridge Union for Private Prayer, which now numbers hundreds of men all over the world. He was ordained in 1851, and was given a curacy at Fordington, Dorsetshire. Four years later, in order to prepare himself for missionary life, he undertook, in addition, the chaplaincy of the Dorset County Hospital. Joining the Church Missionary Society in 1857. he came to China, and, having whilst in Hongkong married his cousin, Adelaide Griffiths, he proceeded in the following year to Ningpo. He was there during the Taeping rebellion; and he and his brother, now the Ven. Archdeacon Moule, who joined him in 1861, were under fire, and in great personal danger. In 1864 he planted a mission in the vast inland city of Hangchow and that place has been his home ever since. He was consecrated Bishop of Mid-China, in succession to Bishop Russell, in October, 1880, the service taking place in St. Paul's Cathedral. During the twenty-eight years of his labours he proved himself, in the words of an eminent writer on the work of the Church Missionary Society in China, "a true father in God, and also a most loving brother in Christ to his fellow-missionaries and the whole of the scattered Christian flock." He witnessed a wonderful accession to the number of his co-workers, and had the joy of seeing three nephews join the mission. Shortly before his resignation, in 1907, he was made an Honorary Fellow of his College in recognition of his life-long labours, and especially of his literary work. He has translated parts of the Prayer Book into classical Chinese, has contributed several papers on religion, topography, and language to European periodicals in China, and he was one of a committee of missionaries appointed to supervise a Chinese version of Scripture. In his retirement he still resides at Hangchow.
THE RIGHT REV. HERBERT JAMES MOLONY, D.D., was appointed to the Bishopric of Mid-China by the Archbishop of Canterbury, on February 26, 1908, in succession to the Rt. Rev. Bishop Moule. Ordained deacon in 1888, and priest in the following year, Bishop Molony worked for two years in the parish of St. Stephen, Low Elswick, and then proceeded to India for the Church Missionary Society to join the band of evangelists in the Gond mission. In 1904, he was appointed clerical secretary of the Central Provinces Diocese, and later returned to England. He was consecrated bishop on St. Paul's Day, January 25, 1908, in Westminster Abbey, and on his appointment to the Mid-China See in the following month, he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity, causa honoris, from his Alma Mater. Bishop Molony visited England in 1908 as representative of his diocese at the Pan-Anglican Congress and the Lambeth Conference.
THE REV. A. J. WALKER, M.A., Dean of Shanghai Cathedral, is the son of a clergyman, and was educated at the Merchant Taylors' School and at St. John's College, Cambridge, where he was a choral student. Entering the Church, he was for a time Curate of St. John's, Tunbridge Wells, before volunteering for work in the mission field. He came to China under the aegis of the Church Missionary Society, and was stationed at Ningpo as vice-principal of Trinity Training College for Chinese students. A year after his arrival he went to Hongkong to meet his bride, Miss Middleton, to whom he was married in St. John's Cathedral by the late Bishop Hoare. He returned to Ningpo, and, after five years' earnest work, went to England on leave. At the end of his furlough two appointments were offered him—the head-mastership of Shaoshing School and the office which he now fills. He came to Shanghai in April, 1904, and has since that date endeared himself to his congregation by his earnest and kindly zeal in the cause to which he has devoted his life. He took the initiative in the formation of the now excellent choir at Holy Trinity Cathedral. Despite the indifference which threatened to prevent the realisation of the idea, he started the Cathedral Choir School, which, under the head-mastership of the Rev. R. G. Winning, himself a former choral scholar of King's College, Cambridge, soon had a roll of fifty boys. Mr. Walker was responsible for the formation of the Communicants' Guild, which was started in October, 1907, and now numbers nearly one hundred members; and has interested himself, also in the prison, hospital, Hanbury School, and kindred institutions. He is hon. chaplain to the Shanghai Volunteer Corps. Mrs. Walker has closely identified herself with her husband's work; notably in connection with the Ladies' Benevolent Society and the Mothers' Union. Mr. Walker visited England in 1908, and attended the Pan-Anglican Congress as delegate for Shanghai.
THE REV. R. G. WINNING, B.A., Acting Chaplain-in-charge of Holy Trinity Cathedral, was a choral scholar of King's College, Cambridge. He was ordained deacon, in 1906, and priest in the following year. Upon coming to China he was, in April, 1906, appointed head-master of the Cathedral School. In December, 1907, he resigned in order to take up the secretaryship of the foreign branch of the Y.M.C.A. in Shanghai. In the absence of Dean Walker, Mr. Winning has been assigned by the trustees, with the approval of the bishop, to the acting chaplaincy of the cathedral, and he has taken up his residence at The Deanery. He has in Mrs. Winning a most sympathetic second in the work he is called upon to undertake.