New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-22
NEW PUBLICATIONS
AN AMERIoAN sINoLoGUE.


duty firmly and faithfully performed, and Of
constancv 10 the religious ideal Of life too seldom
encountered not to possess both deep interest ana
n sanitary lesson He came from an old New
England family which had bred preachers ID
singular abundance for several generations. MS
parents were pious, and he was brought up aicer
A manner which has become almost obsolete. ana
which used to be described as being in tne fear
and admonition of the Lord" His normal pent
was toward the natural sciences. There can DC
no doubt that with his unhaggng industry. pa
tience and love of the pursuit. he might nave
become great naturalist: but ne was destined
to other work. While still at Rensselaer, College,
when lust of age, he was invited to join mission
about 10 proceed TO China. The place appointed
for Linn was that of printer to the mission, his
father carving on that business. Young Williams
did not know much Of the craft at this tme' ana
he was not moved by any enthusiasm. But his
character was already formed, he felt that it was
a Question of duty, and, without any pretcnce OF
liking for the work proposed TO him, he accepted
IL and went
Thus carly and with little generalization his lot
was fixed, for with comparatively short intervals
the remainder of his working career was to pass
In that Middle Kingdom which he described SO
Iaboriously and faithfully. Chinese missionary
work in tho thirt,es was not encouraging 1t may
indeed be seriously questioned whether It has ever
been. OF is now; but then the Chinese Government
was openly hostile to the movement, and Cninese
prde and ignorance erected an lnsuperaole Darrier
against my attempt to approach the people lnti-
mateIv The foreign colony was crowded on q
strip of land where the socalled factories were
presided over by mandarin who was held stricoV
responsible for the seciusion OF the Foreigners
These, being outside barbarians,' and moreover
engaged in trade, which, according to Chinese
A.. %Nfo
with systematic disdain and contumely; and TINS
attitude of the Chinese authorities was carefully
encouraged by the East India Company, whose
,oljcv il was to secure monopoly OF commerce
Ivy driving out all other foreigners LII. Wiinans
lived to see great changes in the foreign poncy oi
China. He witnessed the opium war, tne aiileu
attacks, the TAPPING rebellion. He assisted III Tue
drafting of the treaties which threw open so many
new ports to foreign trade. and which gave per-
mission for the teaching of Christianity. bu5 IL
is not at all clear that half century oil alleged
progrcss has advanced the cause of the gospel in
the Middle Kingdom, and the present biography
makes it perfectly clear that one and perhaps the
chief cause of this bacl1wardness is the absolute
impossibility of squaring the practice oil the
Christian nations with the religion they profess.
The Chinese are an intelligent people. IL is not
possible to mslead them in plain matters and
they began at an early stage to ask why, IL the
English and other Western Powers were Christians,
they did so many things which went counter TO
the doctrine Of Christ. Many of these awkward
questions admitted Of no satisfactory answer,
though not TO answer them was 10 lose grounu
which could hardly be recovered.
DR. Williams does not appear TO have given HIM
self completely to missionary work at any time.
He soon found his vocation as slnoiogue. lie
learned the language with remarkable rapidity'
and thenccforth superintendent the publication Of
the mission organ, The Chinese Repository,
and compiled textbooks and dictionaries and
chrestomathics, besides writing his long-fa, Jus
and standard work on 1.-The Middle Kingdom
He was called to assist Commodore Perry IN his
japanese expedition, acting interpreter on that
OCCASION with very slender equipment in knowl-
edge of the japanese language. Later, he served
with the United States Envoy TO the Court OIL
Peixin Mr.. Reed. and finally was appointed Secre-
iarv TO the American Legation in China, and did
veoman's service there for many years, being al
WAYS the right-hand man of the Minister
In Justice, he himself should have been ap
pojnted Minister to China; but as Mr. Seward
once told friend of the Doctor III an access OF
frsnlkness, the truth was Williams was too good
a man for the place. and therefore could not re-
ceive the appointment That is TO say, Williams
being merely the best equipped man for the place,
and being also man of active conscience and
clear sense Of duty, could by no possibility go
through what any man who wants such an Office
has to go through Fortunately for himself he
cared nothing about worldly place and power.
A man who could marry and take wife to
China there to live upon $3.50 year, inclusive OF
rent and other charges, was assuredly not likely
TO solicit Office or TO feel disappointed because
il was not offered to him. Such man, however,
was needed TO tolerate the long-unrelievcd drudg-
ery of compiling a new and improved Chinese
foxxy hay n
work handicapped not only by inherent difficulties
Of unexampled extent, but by the necessity of
procuring special fonts of type which necessitated
the outlav of funds almost impossible to procure.
DIR. Williams went on with the work, notwith-
standing all obstacles, and successfully accom-
plishcd the tedious task, to the admiration and
benefit of all Chinese scholars.
In his latter years he revised ~ The Middle
Kingdom" thoroughly and gave 1t its final FORM
He had but few years to live when he left CHINA
for the last time, but they years OF grief,
darkened and saddened, yet not made hopeless, by
the death of his wife. During this time he was
chosen president Of the Bible Society and received
membership in many Oriental and linguistic so
eieties DR. Williams seems TO have been denied
facility of literary expression and perhaps this
fepriyation was necessary to the completion OF
The arduous and arid labors in which he was
principally engaged. With his extensive know[
edge, he would otherwise nave pcen sMongy
tempted to write books of description or poiemics'
which must have interfered scnsibly with MS
photographed studies In character ne was
peculiar being according to the testimony OF many
witnesses, SO Ieeply religious that his faith was
literally part OF his daily and hourly life, and
he appeared never TO be out Of the consciousness
OF it, With this broad foundation lie was per-
fcctly cheerful and free from repulsive Journalism
unaffected; simple sincere and straightforward
social in his tendencies, firm friend, loving
rarent, a devoted husband; in brief, good man.
Ills son has written his life modestly and sympa-
thesicaIly and no doubt there are thousands who
win welcome this handsome volume cordially. as
fitting memorial Of enc whose unblemished