[Illustration: THE LOCKHART MEMORIAL.
(_In Lewisham Congregational Church._)]
Memorial to a Medical Missionary.
Medical missions have come into deservedly increasing prominence of
late years; and a few months ago a beautiful tablet was erected in
Lewisham Congregational Church to the memory of Dr. Lockhart, the
first Protestant medical missionary to China, who went out about the
year 1838. The tablet is a beautiful piece of work in alabaster and
marble, and is carved in the form of a triptych, _i.e._ in three
panels, the medallion portrait occupying the centre. On the left
hand panel appears the following inscription:--"In affectionate
memory of Dr. Lockhart, first medical missionary to China, founder
of hospitals at Macao, Shanghai and Pekin, who served the London
Missionary Society with untiring zeal for twenty-six years in the
mission field, and with unabated devotion in England to the last
day of his life. Member of this church for thirty-seven years.
Deacon and Church Secretary. Born October 3rd, 1811. Died April
29th, 1896." The following inscription appears on the right hand
panel:--"This memorial is erected by those who admired him as a
strong man, loved him as a friend, hold his services in grateful
memory, and who pray that his zeal for missions and his devotion
to the Church may inspire all who shall ever worship within these
walls." The tablet is placed on the wall of the church near the
vestry door, where Dr. Lockhart used often to stand before the
service, watching the people enter.
Self-control.
A man who lately came over from America told the writer that on
board the steamer one of the passengers went up to another in the
smoking-room and asked him to have a drink with him. The man thus
invited continued reading a newspaper and made no reply. The other
man again asked him to drink with him. No answer again. A third
invitation was then given in these words: "Sir, I have asked you in
as friendly a way as possible to drink with me, and each time you
went on with your reading, and had not the civility to answer me.
Now I ask you for the third time if you will drink wine, whisky,
or anything else with me?" The man then put aside his paper and
answered very quietly: "Do you see that glass, sir? Well, if I were
to take even a quarter of it, I could not leave off until I had
drunk all the liquor on board. This is why I would not drink with
you." All present admired the man's self-control, and learned a
striking lesson on the danger of putting temptation in a brother's
way.
An Ever-Recurring Question.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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