The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-14
LIVED TODO GOOD DEEDS
THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF AN
AMERICAN IN CHINA.

His Career That of an Independent
Missionary Who Saw Good in All
Creeds - The Amelioration of the
Condition of the Most Poverty
Stricken OF the Chinese His Aim.
WASHINGTON. Aug. Is. The department
of state has received from the legation at
Pekin, China, under date of July 3, an &C
count Of the death and extraordinary life
work of Rev. J. Crossett, an independent
American missionary in China His career
appears to have been very remarkable
one, characterized by absolute self devotion.
lie died on the steamer Fl Dorado en- route
from Shanghai to Tien-Tsin on June
last. He leaves a widow living at
Schuylersville, n. Y. In speaking Of Mr.
Crossett, Minister Denby couples his name
with that Of Father Demien, the French
missionary who lately died on the Island of
Moloka, and says: "Mr Crossett's life was
devoted to doing good to the poorest class
of the Chinese.
WINTER REFUGE FOR THE POOR.
He mad charge of the winter refuge for
| the poor at Pekin during several winters
He would 60 out on the streets during the
| coldest nights and pick up the destitute
| beggars and convey them to the refuge,
| where he provided them with food. He
also buried them at his own expense. He
visited all the prisons and often procured
the privilege of removing the sick to his
refuge. The officials had implicit conf
dence In him and allowed him to visit at
his own pleasure all the prisons aud chari-
table institutions. He was known by the
| Chinese as Christian Ru1dha ~
ATTACHED To NO ORGANIZATION.
''He was attached to no organization of
men. He was missionary pure and sim
| pie, devoted rather to charity than to
| proselytism. He literally took Christ as
| his examplar He Travelled all over China
and the east. He took no care of his ex-
penses. Food and lodging were voluntarily
furnished him. Inn keepers would take no
pay from him and private persons were glad
| to entertain him. 1t 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 little rice
OF mlllet. He aimed at translating his
ideal, Christ, into reality.
WORE HIS HAIR LIKE CHRIST.
HE wore long auburn hair, parted in the
| middle, so as to resemble the pictures of
Christ. The charitable people furnished
him money for his refuge, and he never
seemed TO want for funds He slept on "A
board or on the floor. Even in his last
| hours, being a deck passenger on the Ell
| Dorado, he refused to be transferred to the
cabin, but the kindly captain, some hours
before his death, removed him to a berth
where he died, still speaking of going to
! heaven, and entreating the by-standers tc
| love the Lord
AN EXAMPLE OF HIS CHARACTER.
GAS an instance Of the character of the
| man, | will state that when on one occasion
/ gave my annual dinner on Thanksgiving
day to the Americans, Mr.. Crossett wrote
| to me beseeching that | would have no din
ner. but would give to the poor. He at
tended the dinner, but touched nothing but
water and rice. In theology he can hardly
| be said to have been orthodox He found
good in all religions. After long conver-
satlon with him one day | told him be was
not christian, but a Buddhist. He an
swered that there were many good things
in Buddhism.
HIS LAST IMPORTANT WORK.
"The last important work of Mr.. Crossett
was an effort u provide for the deaf and
dumb To further this project he Travelled
| to HarakOw, and thence to Canton, estab-
! fishing everywhere schools for these unfor-
tunates. lie was successful wherever he
went. This man taught the love Of
| God and goodness. He completely sacrificed
himself for the good Of the poorest of the
poor He acted out of principle to the let
ter, he lived as plainly as possible. On
charitable subjects he wrote well. The ideal
to him was practical. Let this American
then be enshrined, along with the devoted
| Freuchman, in the annals OF men who loved
their fellow men. y