The encyclopedia of missions . Descriptive, historical, biographical, statistical

Preface to the Second Edition xi

List of Contributors of Special Articles xiii

Abbreviations Used in the Encyclopedia xiv

Appendices:

I. directory of foreign missionary societies 817

II. CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE EXTENSION OF PROTESTANT MISSIONS

FROM THE TIME OF CAREY 824

III. LIST OF BIBLE VERSIONS 826

IV. MISSIONARIES WHO HAVE MADE TRANSLATIONS OR REVISIONS OF HOLY

SCRIPTURE 830

V. STATISTICAL TABLES 835

VI. ROMAN CATHOLIC FOREIGN MISSIONS 848

Preface To The First Edition

THE standpoint of this Encyclopedia is, primarily, that of one who, interested in foreign mission work, seeks to enlarge his vision and increase his knowledge; secondarily, that of one who, looking forward to a personal share in it, seeks to inform himself as to its various phases, that he may the more readily decide where he can probably labor to the best advantage. The basis is the Society in which each individual is more especially interested; its history, organization, development; its missions and stations. Then the view broadens to take in the countries, races, and religions in their relations to the work, not only of his own, but of other denominations. Special topics open up, individual workers stand out in prominence, and as one step after another is taken, it becomes apparent that the work is not divided, but is one; and all these with varied names are but portions of the one great army of the Church.

The plan thus includes two general departments: 1. The organized work — the societies, their origin and growth at home, and their work abroad; 2. The countries in which, the races for which, that work is carried on, and the religious beliefs that are encountered.

Accessory to these are : 1. A gazetteer of Mission Stations; 2. Biographical sketches of Missionaries; 3. Description and enumeration of Bible versions; 4. Articles on special topics closely related to the work of Foreign Missions; 5. Maps, appendices of bibliography and statistics, and indices.

It became early evident that to accomplish so much, minutiae must give place to perspective. However fascinating the details might be, they must be constantly used merely as illustrations. To do more, would not only have so enlarged its extent as to make the book unwieldy, but have blurred the distinctness of the impression that it has been sought to give. Thus in the accounts of the societies and their work personal terms are few. The history of Missions, both at home and abroad, is largely the history of individual men and women. Those who have stood at the helm and guided these great organizations were and are no less missionaries than those who have gone to the foreign field, yet even to mention the names of all within the space allowed would have almost made the work a mere chronicle. So of the countries and stations, the races and religions. The effort has been to give so much geography, history, etc., as would serve as a framework for pictures of missionary work and spiritual need.

With regard to the biographical sketches, it became evident very early that it would be necessary to draw the line sharply to exclude the living, and that to mention all, even of the dead, would be impossible. The sketches, too, must be brief, indicating rather than describing the work each did. So of the Bible versions; brief paragraphs were all that could be attempted.

When the question of special topics came up, the scope seemed unlimited. There were city missions; home missions; missions in their relations to commerce, music, the liquor traffic, the slave-trade; early Christian and medieval missions; the various questions under discussion in regard to methods of missionary work, — the lay element, education, self-support of native churches, etc. To treat even a few of these thoroughly, tho eminently desirable, would be impracticable. As careful a selection as possible has been made, and as much space given as seemed proportionate to the general scope of the work.

The plan led also to the decision to embody statistics and general lists in the form of appendices, which could easily be changed in subsequent editions, as the work developed. These appendices include: (a) A bibliography; (b) Lists of Bible versions, arranged alphabetically and geographically, showing the languages and dialects, the number of people reached by them, the linguistic families to which they belong, the characters

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION in which they are written, the amount of translation work done, and the society under whose auspices they have been prepared, and in the Index the page of the Encyclopedia where they are referred to; (c) A list of missionary societies with the addresses of their secretaries, the date of organization, and the page of the Encyclopedia where they are spoken of; (d) A list of missionary stations, giving their geographical location, the societies carrying on work in them, the number and sections of the maps where they are found, and the page of the Encyclopedia where they are described; (e) Tables of statistics: (1) By societies and missions; (2) By countries and societies; (3) A summary of the whole. The General Index includes names of persons mentioned, places referred to, and general subjects treated. The maps cover all important mission-fields with as much fulness as is practicable The effort has been made to locate every mission station of importance, and in some cases the outstations. The importance of political influence in Africa and of the languages of India has led to the furnishing of a map of each country specially designed to bring out those characteristics.

Specific statements as to the appendices will be found in prefatory notes to them.

Many questions came up for consideration. In the alphabetical arrangement of articles a difficulty arose in regard to the location of the societies. To place them under their corporate names would be confusing, and the effort has been made to designate each by the term by which it is most widely known, with cross-references wherever it seems necessary. If there is difficulty in finding any one, a reference to Appendix C will easily give the solution.

Then came the question of spelling. The spelling of foreign names is in hopeless confusion. No two societies agree. Often the same society is not consistent with itself. Governments have laid down rules, which Few follow; and no two Governments make the same rules. Should we spell Beirut, Beyrout, or Bey root; Maulmain or Moulmein; Harpoot, Harput, or Charput; Foochow or Fuhchau; Gurhwal or Garhwal; Punjab or Pan jab; Hyderabad or Haidarabad; Assiout, Assyoot, or Siout; San Paulo or Sao Paulo; Otjimbenque or Otyimbingue?

But instances almost innumerable could be added. The reader will find a few of the perplexities noted in Appendix D. To be absolutely logical or consistent was impossible. In India names the spelling of Hunter's Encyclopedia has been adopted. In Africa, the Church Missionary Society and the ABCFM reports have been followed in the main; elsewhere the editor has done the best he could, and if in any instance some mission station eludes the patient search of the reader, let him make a note of his failure for the benefit of future workers in this line.

Numerous requests have come in for an indication of the pronunciation of the names of places. To do this, however, was so manifestly impossible that no effort has been made. Each reader is at perfect liberty to pronounce Kachchh or Njenhangli as he chooses.

Another difficulty arose from the recurrence of the same name. If one is perplexed to distinguish the Washingtons that occur in every State of the Union he will understand the danger of confounding the various Salems of Africa, the Bethels of the West Indies and India, or the Bijnaurs (Bijnours?) of the Northwest Provinces and Oudh.

The question of statistics was also a perplexing one. After much consideration it was decided to give the general statistics in the form of tables in an appendix, introducing into the body of the Encyclopedia only such as were necessary in order to indicate the general nature and scope of the work in the different stations. So far as practicable, these have been brought up to date of publication.

At the commencement of the work blanks were sent to every mission society and mission station that could be learned of. The societies in almost every case responded, and many of the stations. With these as a basis and the careful study of the reports of the societies, the various Encyclopedias, etc., the great majority of the statements were prepared. In a few instances the society statements came from outside parties. Thus the article on the American Baptist Missionary Union was furnished by Dr. L. P. Brockett; that on the Moravian Missions, by Rev. B. Romig of Herrnhut; and so of a few others. Whenever it was practicable these statements were referred to persons connected with or specially informed regarding the societies, with a view to their being free from inaccuracy. Some countries, etc., were described by writers specially acquainted with them. Thus the India articles were prepared by Rev. C. W. Park, of

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION

Birmingham, Conn., formerly of Bombay; Japan, by Rev. W. E. Griffis, D.D.; Brazil, by Rev. J. Beatty Howells, long a missionary in that country. The subjoined list will indicate most of the writers. The biographical sketches are chiefly the work of Rev. Samuel Hutchings, D.D., whose eighty-three years of age have not dimmed his interest or dulled the keenness of his pen. For the lists of Bible versions we are indebted to the kind courtesy of R. N. Cust, LL.D., of London. The sketches of the versions have mostly been prepared by Dr. Bernhard Pick, of Allegheny, who has made the subject a special study. The Arabic version, however, has been described by its translator, Rev. Dr. C. V. A. Van Dyck, of Beirut; the Turkish version by Rev. H. 0. Dwight, of Constantinople.

In seeking for any title look first in the Encyclopedia ; also in the Index of Appendix B for Bible versions; in Appendix C for societies or faith missions; in Appendix D for Mission Stations; and in the general Index for all. The page references in the appendices refer only to articles, not to places where mention of any topic is made in other articles; e.g., the station of Allahabad will be found, by Appendix D, on page 41 of Vol. I. It will also be found, by the general Index, on page 250, Vol. II., etc. So of the versions. Any person desiring to look up the whole work of a Society will turn from the account of the Society itself to that of the country where it works, the stations it occupies, and the biographical sketches of its missionaries, as he finds them mentioned in the different articles. In giving accounts of stations only those have been included in the body of the work with regard to which some definite information is given beyond the mere fact of their being occupied by a certain society. The complete list appears in Appendix D.

It is a pleasant duty to acknowledge the kind courtesy of the many who have assisted in the work: of the publishers, who have furnished the means and have left the editor so free to carry out the plan as fully as was practicable; those who have worked in the office with an interest that has shown their task to be no mere perfunctory duty; the contributors, whose patience, consideration, and ability have done so much to make the work not merely instructive, but entertaining; the officers of the Missionary Societies, whose unfailing willingness to answer innumerable questions has been so often put to the test. To name each one would be to give the list of all with whom the editor has come in contact in his work; yet he cannot but make special acknowledgments to Dr. Dalman, of Leipzig, for his article on the Jews; to the Rev. S. M. Jackson, for the Bibliography; to Dr. Cust, of London, for his table of Bible versions; to the officers of the Church Missionary Society, for the free use of their atlases of India and Africa.

That errors and omissions, some apparently inexplicable, will be noticed, must be expected. Any report of such to the publishers will be gladly received.

The work in truth has been a labor of love, and the highest return that can come from it will be the consciousness that it has furnished a link in the chain that is to bind together the great divisions of the one great army of the Church, as they come through its pages to know and understand each other better.

Edwin Munsell Bliss.

New York City, March, 1891.