Forty Years in South China: The Life of Rev. John Van Nest Talmage, D.D.Fagg, John Gerardus
Religion
Forty Years in South China: The Life of Rev. John Van Nest Talmage, D.D.
Fagg, John Gerardus
Missions -- China; Talmage, John Van Nest, 1819-1892
Of the benefit of such membership we give one illustration, equally
applicable also to other forms of government. It will be remembered that
assemblies conducted on parliamentary principles were unknown in China. By
our full and equal membership of Tai-hoey, being associated with the native
members in the various offices, and in all kinds of committees, the native
members have been more efficiently instructed in the manner of conducting
business in such assemblies, than they could have been if we had only given
them advice. At the first, almost the whole business was necessarily
managed by the missionaries. Not so now. The missionaries still take an
active part even in the routine of business, not so much to guard against
error or mistake, as for the purpose of saving time and inculcating the
importance of regularity and promptitude. Even the earnestness with which
the missionaries differ from each other, so contrary to the duplicity
supposed necessary by the rules of Chinese politeness, has not been without
great benefit to the native members. Instead of there being any jealousy
of the position occupied by the missionaries on the part of the native
members, the missionaries withdraw themselves from prominent positions, and
throw the responsibility on the native members, as fast as duty to Tai-hoey
seems to allow, faster than the native members wish.
We now proceed to give answers to the definite questions propounded to us,
though answers to some of them have been implied in the preceding remarks.
We combine the questions from different sources, and slightly change the
wording of them to suit the form of this paper, and for convenience we
number them.
1. "Are the missionaries members of Tai-hoey in full and on a perfect
equality with the native members?"
Answer. Yes; with the exception (if it be an exception) implied in the
answer to the next question.
2. "Are missionaries subject to discipline by the Tai-hoey?"
Answer. No; except that their relation to Tai-hoey may be severed by that
body.
3. "Is it not likely that the sooner the native churches become
self-governing, the sooner they will be self-supporting and
self-propagating?"
Answer. Yes. It would be a great misfortune for the native churches to be
governed by the missionaries, or by the home churches. We think also it
would be a great misfortune for the missionary to refuse all connection
with the government of the mission churches while they are in whole or in
part dependent on him for instruction, administration of the ordinances,
and pastoral oversight. Self-support, self-government, and
self-propagation are intimately related, acting and reacting on each other,
and the native Church should be framed in them from the beginning of its
existence.
4. "Is it the opinion of missionaries at Amoy that the native Presbyters
are competent to manage the affairs of Presbytery, and could they safely be
left to do so?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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