The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1889-08-22
nE,-B OF A WONDERFUL. MISSION
AIRY IN CHINA.
II. ps,o,esd to No Sect, and Was NOT
Prose1yter, but Practiced Chari's oA INC
Highest Kind.

the legation at Pekln, China' uhoei
date of the third of July, an ac-
count of the death and extraordl-
nary life work Of Rev. J. Crossett'
Independent American missionary
in China.
His career appears to have been
a very remarkable one, character
lied by absolute selfdevotlon. he
died on the steamer Eldorado, en-
route from Shanghai to Tientsln,
on the first of June last. He leaves
a widow living at Schuylersvllle,
N. Y.
In speaking of Mr.. Crossett,
Minister Denly couples his name
with that of Father Damien, the
missionary who lately died On the
2 island of Moloks, and says:
"Crossett's life was devoted to
doing good to the poorest classes OF
Chinese. He had charge OF the
winter refuge for the poor at Pekln
during several winters. He would
90 out on the streets the coldest
nights and pick up the destitute
begears and convey them to the
refuge, where he provided them
with food. He also buried them at
his own expense. He visited all
prisons and often procured the
privilege of removing the sick to
his refuge:
:'The officials had implicit con-
fdence in him, and allowed him to
visit at leasure all the prisons and
charitable institutions. He was
known by the Chinese as the
ssChristian BuGdha.'' He WAS at
tatched to no organization Of men
. He was missionary pure and
simple, devoted rather to charity
than to proselytism. lie literally
took Christ as his exemplar. He
8 travelled all over China and the
East. He took no care Of his ex-
peases. Food and lodging were
voluntarily furnished him. Inn
keepers would take no pay from
him and private persons were glad
to entertain him. It must be said
that his wants were few. He wore
the Chinese dress, had no regular
meals, drank only water and lived
on fruit with a little rice or mil,
let. ...
IS '.He- aimed at translating his
ls5deal Christ, into reality. He
wore losg auburn hair, parted in
the middle, 50 as~to resemble pic
lures of Christ. Charita61ee-people
furnished him money for his refuge
and he never seemed to want for
funds. He slept on board or on
the floor. Even in his last hour,
being deck passenger on the
Eldorado, he refused to be trans
ferred to the cabin, but the kindly
5 captain, some hours before he died,
removed hin to birth where he
died, still speaking Of going to
heaven and entreating bystanders
to love the Lord.
ssAs an instance of the character
of the man, I will state when on
one occasion I gave my annual din
ner on Thanksgiving Day to Amer
leans, Mr.. Crossett wrote to me be-
seeching that I would have no din
ner but would give to the poor. He
attended the dinner, but touched
nothing but water and rice.
'In theology he can hardly be
said to have been orthodox.
'sHe found good in all religions.
After a long conversation with him
one Gay, I told him he was not a
Christian, but a Buddhist. He an.
swered that there were many good
things in Buddhism. The last i'm
portant work of Mr.. Crosset was an
effort to provide for the deaf and
dumb. To further this project he
travelled to Harkow and thence to
Canton, establishing everywhere
schools for these unfortunates. He
was successful wherever he went.
sgThis man taught pure love Of
God and of goodness. He complete
ly sacrificed himself for the good Of
the poorest Of the poor. He acted
out his principles to the letter. He
was as poor and lived as plainly as
the poorest of his patients. On
charitable subject he wrote well.
The ideal to him was practical. Let
this American, then be enshrined,
along with the devoted Damien in
the, annals of men who loved their
fellow men,"
The most valuable book in the
world is said to be 4 Hebrew Bible
at the Vatican in Rome. In 1872
Pope Julius. then in great financial