Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-09-13
End of a Noble Life.
AN AMERICAN MISSIONARIES REMARKABLE
1ARORs AMONG THE CHINESE.
Alexandria, Ka., Sept. ..

| AN AMERICAN MISSIONARIES REMARKABLE
LABORs AMONG THE CHINESE.
The Department of State at Washington,
has received from the legation at Pekin,
China, under date of the Sd of July, an ac-
count of the death and extraordinary life
work of the Rev. J. Crossett, an indepen-
dent American missionary in China. His
career appears to have been very remark
able one, characterized by absolute self
devotion He died on the steamer Ell Dorado
Ell route from Shanghai to Tientsn on the
| DIST of June last. He leaves a widow living
at Schuylersville, N. Y. In speaking of
Mr.. CrOssett Minister DENLY couples his
name with that of Father Damien, the
French missionary, who lately died on the
Island of Molokai, and says:
sMr. CrosSet S life was devoted to doing
good to the poorest classes of Chinese. He
had charge of a winter refuge for the poor
at Pekin during several winters. He would
90 out on the streets the coolest nights and
pick up destitute beggars and convey them
food. He also buried them at his own eX-
pense. He visited all the prisons, and of
ten procured the privilege of removing the
sick to his refuge. The officials had I'M
plicit confidence in him, and allowed him
to visit at pleasure all the prisons and
charitable institutions. He was known by
the Chinese as the Christian Buddha.' He
He was missionary pure and simple. de-
voted rather to charity than proselytism.
He literally took Christ as his eXemplar.
He travelled all over China and the East.
He took no care for his expenses. Food
and lodging were voluntarily furnished
him. lnnkeeperS would take no pay from
him, and private persons were glad to en-
tertain 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 millet.
He aimed at translating his ideal Christ
into reality. He wore long auburn hair,
parted in the middle, so as to resemble the
pictures of Christ. Charitable people furn-
ished him money for his refuge, and he
never seemed to want for funds. He slept
on board OF on the floor. Even in his
last hours, being deck passenger on the
| Ell Dorado, he refused to be transferred to
the cabin, but the kindly captain, some
hours before he died, removed him to a
berth, where he died, still speaking of go
ing to Heaven and entreating the byStand-
ers to love the Lord.
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, MI. Crossett wrote
to me beseeching that would have no dim
ner but would give the cost to the poor. He
attended the dinner, but touched nothing
but water and rice.
GIN theology he can hardly be said to
have been orthodox. He found good i'll all
religions. After long conversation with
him one day, 1 told him he was not a
Christian. but a Buddhist. He admitted that
there were many good things in Buddhism.
''The last important work of Nh. Cros
sett was an effort to provide for the deaf
and dumb. To further this project he
travelled to Han-Kow and then to Canton,
establishing everywhere schools for these
frt1 ynp
he went.
'This man taught the pure love of God
and of goodness. He completely 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 plain
ly as the poorest of his patients. On chart
table subjects he wrote we'll. The ideal to
him was practical.
''Let this American, then, be enshrined,
along with the devoted Frenchman, in the
annals Of men who loved their fellow
men"