The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-09-18 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE CHINESE SCRIPTURE DIFFICULTY
OBVIATED.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD,
Tranmere, Sept. 10, 1819.
.._

DEAR SIR,-A serious impediment to the diffusion of
Christianity in China has arisen from the suspension of
reprinting the Chinese Scriptures. The reason of the
suspension is a disagreement between the Protestant mis•
sionaries as to the translation of the Hebrew word Elohim
and the Greek word Theos. One party, with the Ameri-
can bishop at their head, propose Shin as the general ap-
pellative for all the Chinese gods. Another party, with
Dr. Medhurst at their head, propose adopting one of the
names, or rather titles, of the chief god of the Chinese, as
Shang-fe (supreme ruler), or simply Te (ruler), &c. &c.
A dear brother clergyman, a great linguist, and a profi-
cient Chinese scholar—the Rev. Jacob Tomlin, of Tan-
kersley—whose heart's desire it is to see the word of God
have free course in the vast empire of China, wrote to
me on the subject, asking for my opinion on the merits of
the different translations. lam no Chinese scholar, and
am not presumptuous enough to so beyond my depth ;
but I feel as great an interest in the dissemination of the
Scriptures of Truth, and the promulgation of the ever-
lasting Gospel amongst the Chinese, as Mr. Tomlin him-
self, and have therefore ventured to suggest a plan which
would obviate the literary difficulty, and cause the seed of
the Word of God to be scattered at once over that exten-
sive field. I send you herewith a copy of my letter to Mr.
Tomlin, and if you have room to spare I should feel
obliged for its insertion in your next number. It may be
the means of eliciting a more practicable mode from more
efficient sources, and thus bring about the object all true
Christians have at heart, viz. the promotion of the Sa-
viour's Kingdom in all the ends of the earth :

" Tranmere, Cheshire, Sept. 8,1849.
" MY DEAR FRIEND,—Many thanks for the " Corres-
pondence on the version of the Chinese New Testament,
now carrying forward at Shanghae ;" as, also, for Sir
George Thomas Staunton's little work, entitled, " An
inquiry into the proper mode of rendering the word GOD
in translating the sacred Scriptures into the Chinese lan-
guage." I read them both very attentively. The ques-
tion interests me very much. I regret that I have not
more time to devote to the important subject. The curacy
of Tranmere is no sinecure. The latest hours at night,
and the earliest in the morning, are the only portions of
the day that I am able to use for reading.
Not being a Chinese scholar, it would be arrant pre-
sumption, on my part, were I to obtrude any opinion
whatever on so learned a controversy. From the limited
knowledge I possess of the etymology of the appelations
for Gpd and Gods in the Chinese language, it would ill
become me to pass any judgment in the matter, or even
to express any preference fur one appellation to another.
However, since you, so great a linguist and distinguished
Chinese scholar, have been so kind as to ask and to insist
for my opinion, I diffidently venture to give it ; but you
must bear in mind, not as a Chinese scholar, butt as a
humble disciple of Jesus, whose constant prayer it is that
God's word may be known throughout the length and
breadth of this habitable globe.
" If Elohim must needs be translated into the Chinese
language, I certainly prefer—from all I have read on this
vexed question, the appellation Shin. An idea occurred
to me--it may have suggested itself to some one before—
that V.,e Hebrew latter, 'in, con !Hu; in the ancient
language of three points joined together, may have been
the origin of the term, that letter being the first in the
word Shaddai, which signifies Almighty, and which name
was claimed by God when he announced himself to the
"father of the faithful." (See Gen. xvii. 1.) Take it for
what it is worth. I give it simply as a conjecture. Some
may not scruple to pronounce the idea fanciful, and far-
fetched. Others, however, may perhaps deem it worthy
of being investigated, and Chinese scholars, who have ac-
cess to the ancient traditions of that vast empire, may find
something corroborative of my conjectural theory.
I said if Elohim must needs be translated.' Truth
to speak, I do not like to see the word translated into any
language. A great deal of controversial jar would have
been avoided, if the word appeared originally in the dif-
ferent versions, that are already extant, of the Bible. Had
I any voice amongst the Chinese translators, I would have
ventured to propose that the words Elohim,
Shaddai, &c., be retained as in the original, and no
attempt be made to render them into Chinese. Why
should not the Chinese learn to pronounce those names,
by which the true God revealed himself to his people, in
the days of yore ? It is true, the Chinese would not
know their meaning, at first sight, but let the missionaries

teach those people their signification. The Bible will
have to be explained to the Chinese, it no difficulty what-
ever occurred in the translation. The English translators,
I need not tell you. left a vast number df words untrans-
lated. And there is not one Englishman in a thousand
wko does not need to have explained to him the
words Jeluivah-jireh, Peniel, and a host of other
such expressions. The English clergyman is, therefore,
expected to be a man well versed in the languages in
which the Bible was originally written, so as to be able
rightly to divide the word of truth, and make it indeed
profitable for dcct rine, for reproof, for correction, for in-
struction in righteousness. The missionaries in China—
who are all learned men--might easily explain to the
natives the import of the respective names by which the
Almighty is and was called by all his true worshippers. I
confess I long for the time when every Chinaman, as well
as every human being, shall know the names of Elohim
and Jehovah. 'The whole creation growneth and ira-
vaileth in pain' for that period. It will be the dawn of
the most august period in the annals of the universe.
Then, ' the Lord shall be King over all the earth : in that
day shall there be one Lord, and his NAME SHALL BE
ONE.'

" T am, my dear Mr. Tomlin,
" Yours affectionately in the Lord.
" MOSES MARGOLIOUTII.
" The Rev. firbob Tomlin, Rectory,
" Tankersley, Yorkshire."

ST. MARK'S TRAINING COLLEGE, CHELSEA.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

SlR,—With reference to the meeting of the friends and
subscribers of the National Society for promoting the
Education of the Poor in the principles of the Established
Church, reported in your last edition of the STANDARD,
it appeared from what passed at that meeting that the
late Tractarian doings at St. Mark's Training College
have, I regret. to say it, in a great measure damaged the
Society. I had hoped that no reference would have been
made to the subject ; but Mr. Warren very injudiciously
and unnecessarily introduced it, and this led to the dis-
cnssion which ensued. Your reporter never told you this.
Good frequently comes out of evil; and I trust it may be
so in the present instance. The resolutions passed just
like a cow getting over a hedge with a heavy clog about
her neck, as they were allowed to pass only with the un-
derstanding that it should be reported by the agent at
head-quarters what an unfavourable impression the ru-
mour of the doings at St. Mark's College had produced
on the public mind. As to unanimity, there was no such
feeling, in the proper sense of that word. There was, it
is true, a cold assent to the resolutions, but there did not
appear to me to exist any great amount of cordiality on
the occasion. This was perceptible from the looks of the
Romanizers present.
There is no doubt that the proceedings in that College
have been, and probably still are, of a very qu:stionable
character, both as regards doctrines there preached and
certain practices adopted in the training ; and as pre-
sumptive evidence that such is the fact, a Rev. Tractarian
said (when a departure from some of the admitted prac-
tices of the College was proposed) that if any alteration
took place there from the present mode of proceeding,
he would hare nothing more to do with the Society ! I
consider this a pretty significant declaration.
Some time ago these proceedings at St. Mark's College
were specified and denounced in several editions of the
Record, and the challenge to refute the charges preferred
was never accepted. Under pretence of that institution
being of a strictly collegiate character (which it certainly
is not and need not be), there is preaching in the sur-
plice, intoning of prayers, and singing precatory parts of
the Church service, for the singing of which there is no
rubrical authority. It is very fit that the persons who
are to be the teachers in our parochial schools should be
taught to sing ; but is it proper that they should thus be
given a taste for Popery, and have in addition con-
tinually before their eyes the Romish pageantry and
religious pantomime which are exhibited at St. Murk's
College, Chelsea ? Let every portion of the Church ser-
vice be sung which is directed to be sung; but the into-
ning and singing of prayers appears to me quite inconsis-
tent with the nature of prayer, and destructive of devo-
tional feeling. Can we suppose that Solomon intoned or
sang his dedicatory prayer, or that Hezekiah intoned or
sang the prayer he offered up when he was threatened by
Sennacherib ? It is not said in the Acts of the Apostles
that Paul and Silas intoned or sang prayers and praises in
the prison at Philippi, but that they " prayed and sang
praises," which makes it clear that they spake the prayers
and sang the praises.
I feel quite convinced that were the training in St.
Mark's College conducted with tnore simplicity, and with
fewer Tractarian accompaniments, the Society would
obtain twenty subscribers for every one with whom it
meets at present. The proceedings to which I have called
attention have given great offence. Some of the practices
were at a former period, perhaps, matters of indifference ;
but since they have latterly become the symbol of a party
in our Church, who would again entangle us with the
yoke of Popish bondage, from which it cost our forefathers
so many sufferings and so much blood to deliver us, they
should be abandoned. This was the conduct of St. Paul,
who would give " no offence in any thing, that the minis-
try be not blamed," and who would " that no man put a
stumhlingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's
way."—l am, Sir, your faithful servant,

S. PRESBYTER,

15th September, 1819,

EXECUTION OF GLEESON WILSON.

Never in the history of capital punishment in Lancashire
has the execution of a criminal excited the same interest
in the public mind. The enormity of the murderer's
crime has concentrated attention on his doings for months
past, and the same desire to see a wretch who has so out-
raged humanity, that induced many to come some hundreds
of miles in order to be present at the trial, continued until
the majesty of the Taw had been vindicated by his extinc-
tion. In the belief that the execution would have taken
place on Saturday week, thousands of people were early
on the ground, determined not to leave ungratified the
morbid desire to witness the culprit's end, and it was not
until after twelve o'clock, the usual Maur of execution,
had passed on that day, that the crowd on the ground
could be induced to disperse.
On Saturday morning, as early as seven o'clock, many
were wending their way to Kirkdale, in order to secure
the best possible view of the gallows. Each hour increased
the number, and before the time appointed for the execu-
tion had arrived, every point commanding a view of the
fatal drop was occupied by anxious gazers. Various esti-
mates have been made of the numbers present; the lowest
we heard was 40,000, and many contended that twice that
number were in attendance. The railway turned the
occasion to a business purpose, by running cheap trains,
all of which were densely packed.
Madame Tussaud had a representative present to pos.
sess the clothes of the wretch, for exhibition in the me-
tropolis. Mr. Bally, the eminent phrenologist, was also
present to take a cast of the murderer's head.
All the vacant ground in front of the prison, and spread-
ing down to the canal, presented much the same appear-
ance with respect to numbers as Aintree or Epsom on the
Cup or Derby day. A barrier was erected round the
scaffold for the accommodation of the reporters and others,
the pressure upon which was so great that an irruption
appeared every moment inevitable, notwithstanding the
most sturdy efforts of all the police and javelin men to
beat the crowd back, for since Sir James Graham was at
the home office, the press have been refused admission on
these occasions to the interior of the prison.
About eleven o'clock one of the priests in attendance
on the prisoner, had the had taste to obtrude himself on
the attention of the assembled thousands by coming for-
ward, and placing his head under the gallows. He looked
up oracularly, touched the iron chain across the transverse
beam, and shrugging his shoulders, retreated into the
gaol. What this pantomimic action meant, puzzled every
one ; but the grave occasion did not prevent the crowd
from laughing heartily.

A few iminutes before twelve, the iron gate leading to
the drop was again opened, ard immediately the prisoner
appeared between two priests, the Rev. Mr. Duggan and
the Rev. Mr. Marshall. A general feeling of horror
seemed to pervade all present, which found expression in
the most distant part of the assemblage by bursts of exe-
cration. The priests read in English the service of the
Romish church for a departing soul, and the lips of the
prisoner moved to the responses. lle looked calmly on
the dense mass of human beings before him, without
evincing the slightest apparent nervousness. The priests
continued to read, and as the bolt was drawn they prayed
on their knees.

Calcraft, the executioner, was unable to be present
from illness, and the odious office was performed by
Howard, from York, who was specially brought to Liver-
pool by Mr. Wilson, the under-sheriff. Some artistic
skill is requisite even in strangulation, and the ineffici-
ency of the new functionary was offensively painful at this
critical moment. Instead of drawing the cap over the
face, as usual, the whole of the features of the murderer
in the agonies of death were distinctly visible. The
greatest lover of the horrible must have been satiated to
repletion by this sickening sight. Many turned away
their eyes, unable to contemplate the effects of the strug-
gle with death on the features of the criminal. His suf-
ferings, however, were brief, for he seemed to die almost
immediately. The neck appeared to be broken by the
fall. When life was extinct, the hangman turned the
body, then swinging in the air, round, and lowering the
cap, concealed the features. This was caused by the
shouts of those around, " Cover his face ! cover his face !"
Altogether, it is hardly possible to conceive a more dis-
gustingly painful incident.
The phrenological development of the murderer is such
as to account for the course of conduct he has pursued up
to the last moment of his existence. Secretiveness is
largely developed, and so is self-esteem—feelings that too
often constitute a fool or a madman.
On the platform, in addition to the prie.ts, was Mr.
Wright, a philanthropist, whose pleasure it is to visit the
public prisons of the country, and administer, by every
means in his power, to the mental comfort and instruc-
tion of criminals.
A considerable number of females, many of them very
respectably dressed, was present. Several cars had been
hired to convey them to and from the scene.
Up to the time when the prisoner retired to rest on
Saturday morning, which was about three o'clock, he
appeared quite calm, indeed rather more so than usual;
still he had no wish to go to bed, and although often
requested to do so by the officers in attendance upon him,
he declined to comply. When he did retire it was only
upon the most urgent desire of the officer, and at that
time he was quite overpowered with sleep, and would
have fallen off the chair had not the officer prevented him
from doing so. Before going to bed he had directed the
officer to call him up at six o clock, and the request was
promptly complied with. When he awoke, the same
indifference which had all along manifested itself was still
observable. About seven o'clock the Rev. Mr. Marshall
and the Rev. Mr. Duggan joined him, and these two gen-
tlemen were alternately in attendance upon him up to the
time of execution. Hopes were entertained that not-

withstanding the way in which he had persisted in assert-
ing his innocence of the crime, he would make a con-
fession of his guilt before the time for the execution
arrived, hut up to the last moment he refused to make
any such confession, and strongly maintained that I.e was
an innocent man. _

When his breakfast was brought to him, about eight
o'clock, he refused to partake of any ; but about eleven
o'clock he expressed a wish to have some refreshment, and
a cup of coffee and some bread and butter were Arrnished
to him, of which he seemed to partake heartily.
Shortly before twelve o'clock, when he was brought
into the press room, he was placed upon the usual chair,
aml the process of pinioning commenced. The Rev. Mr.
Duggan and the Rev. Mr. Marshall accompanied him to
the press room, and during the time the pinioning was
going on, these gentlemen fervently urged him to make
his peace with God. He looked around him and at those
near him with a painful indifference, and just before the
pinioning was completed be offered up a short incoherent
prayer, arid declared that he was an innocent man, and at
twelve o'clock, as the melancholy procession was ap-
• proaching the scaffold, the culprit again repeated that he
was altogether innocent of the dreadful crime laid to his
charge.
Thus terminated the life of one of the greatest criminals
that ever disgraced the human family.
It was rumoured last week that Wilson about three
years ago sailed as carpenter on board the Duncan, with
Captain Hinrichson, and the report became so prevalent
that Captain Hinrichson expressed a desire that the mate
of the Duncan should see the culprit. Accordingly, on
Thursday, the mate, accompanied by Mr. Dowling, pro-
ceeded to Kirkdale gaol. On entering the condemned
cell the prisoner had a cross suspended from his neck, and
a book in his hand. His religious instructor was in at-
tendance. The prisoner was asked if he had ever seen the
mate before, and he said " No." The mate was next
asked if he had ever seen the prisoner before, and the
answer was, " No." The prisoner smiled, and said,
" Thank you." Mr. Dowling and the mate then re-
turned. As they were leaving the cell, the prisoner, in a
cheerful manner, bid them farewell. The prisoner had
previously been informed of the rumour, and he expressed
a great desire to see the mate.
" In connection with the murders, a very curious fact was
communicated to Mr. Dowling, which, however, owing
to the technicalities of the law, could not be made avail-
able on the trial. It appears that on the very (lay on
which tt o prisoner took lodgings at Mrs. Hinnchson's,
in Leveson-street, he had also taken lodgings at the house
of a widow lady, in Upper Pitt-street, in the same neigh-
bourhood. He came there at seven o'clock in the even-
ing, and took his tea. After tea, he requested to have
some paper and writing materials. She brought him in a
piece of note paper, and he said that was too small, nod
desired to have a proper skeet of letter paper. She
brought him one, and in a few minutes he rang the bell,
and folded up the sheet on which he appeared to have
written something. The interval, however, was so short,
and the apparent writing so brief, that she thought to
herself that the note paper would very well have done.
She was in the act of removing the inkstand when he
abruptly asked what o'clock it was ? She answered,
"The clock is outside, I'll enquire." On this he got up,
and placing himself between her and the door said, "Tell
me now, you have a watch, I see, by the chain round
your neck." The lady, somewhat startled, hesitated for
a moment, and then pulled out her watch, a cold one,
and told him the hour. On this, he let her pass, and she
went out. The circumstance, as may naturally be sup-
posed, greatly alarmed her, and she kept her eye upon
him. He went up stairs to the bed-room appointed for
him, and she, placing herself in a position to observe
his movements, distinctly saw him enter every bed-room
in the house and examine them. Her impression was
that he had asked her the time to see what kind of a
watch she wore, and that his intention was that night to
rob the house. Her father, who is a most respectable
tradesman, lives opposite, and to him she communicated
her fears. He agreed that there was quite enough to
alarm. He went to the house, and stopped there till
twelve at night, when they closed the door; the prisoner
never returned. lie slept that night at Mrs. Ilinrichson's,
and the frighful proceedings next morning are already
known. The lady has deep cause for gratitude, for she
had, it is evident, a narrow escape.

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.