Twentieth Century Impressions of Hongkong, Shanghai, and other Treaty Ports of China/The Roman Catholic Church
ECCLESIASTICAL.
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.
By Father J. de Moidrey, S.J., of Siccawei.
The Nestorians.
T is uncertain whether St. Thomas carried the faith as far east as China, but the inscription on the famous stone at Singanfu, the authenticity of which is beyond question, makes it certain that the Nestorian priest Olopen brought the religion of Christ to China in 635 A.D. It flourished for centuries, and there were still Nestorians at the time of Marco Polo.
The Mediæval Church.
The second period in the history of the Chinese missions opens in 1246, when the Franciscan friar, John of Plano Carpini, set out from Lyons, in France, reached Karakorum, the residence of the successors of Gengis Khan, and founded the great Christian settlement of Peking. St. Louis, king of France, sent presents to the Tartar princes through Friar William of Rubruquis, who brought him back a letter and a silk gown. Such was the success of the Franciscan missionaries that John of Montecorvino was consecrated Archbishop of Khambalu, or Peking, in 1308, with seven suffragan bishops, only three of whom, however, reached China. Another diocese was created at Zaitun in Fokien. The Blessed Odoric of Pordenone, and others, preached in many provinces. Thousands of converts had been baptized, several Franciscan monasteries had been founded, and there was hope of further development when the Tartar dynasty was overthrown by the Ming in 1368. During the period of disturbance which followed, the Chinese Church became isolated from the west. It was not abandoned, however. From 1370 to 1400, the Franciscan Order sent more than one hundred of its sons to distant Cathay. But, sad to say, it is not even certain whether they reached their destination. Nothing of the mediæval church of China remains, not even the annals of its decline or the names of its martyrs.
Beginnings of the Present Mission.
The overland route to China being now closed, the third, or actual, epoch in the history of the mission dates from the discovery of the sea route. St. Francis Xavier, the apostle of Japan, died on the island of Sancian, in December, 1552, in sight of the mainland of China, which he had longed to win to Christ. Three years later, the Dominican, Gaspard of the Cross, was the first to set foot in China by the south route. He was succeeded in 1575 by the Augustinian friars, Martin de Rada and Jerom Marin. Both missions, however, proved unsuccessful. In 1583 the Jesuits Ruggieri and Pasio, soon followed by the celebrated Matthew Ricci, and several of their brethren, were able to settle at Chaokingfu, near Canton, where they built a chapel and residence, and made numerous converts. Their field of action was soon extended to Nanking and Hangchow in Chekiang (where the graves of some of the first pioneers are still to be seen), and a few other places.
Missionaries at Peking.
Ricci had understood that the success of the mission must not be left to the mercy of local Mandarin caprice. He therefore set out, in 1595, for Peking, and resolved to gain admittance to the Emperor himself. After six years' effort he obtained permission to establish himself at the capital. His friendly relations with the monarch and the élite of the capital, and the protection afforded by the high Mandarins, enabled his brethren in the provinces to announce with courage the name of Jesus Christ to the poor and ignorant. Foremost among his noble disciples was Paul Siu, or Zi, of Shanghai, a Prime Minister, and the true founder of the Church of the Sungkiangfu, in which prefecture Shanghai is situated. The grave of Zi is seen at Zi-ka-wei (or Siccawei). This great result was obtained in less than fifteen years, and when Ricci died, on May 10, 1610, his funeral, at the imperial expense, was the consecration of the establishment of the Church in China.
Ricci was succeeded by Longobardi as superior of the Jesuits in China. Others remained in Peking as astronomers, the best known among them being Adam Schall von Bell. After the overthrow of the Chinese dynasty, the Manchus created Schall president of the Board of Mathematics in February, 1645, and entrusted him with the task of reforming the Chinese calendar. In 1650 he received an imperial edict so highly praising his life and work, that it has sometimes been understood as a positive approval of his faith and an authorisation to preach it. His successor, Ferdinand Verbiest, enjoyed the friendship of the great Emperor Kanghi. His death took place in 1688. Up to the beginning of the nineteenth century the Board of Astronomy was presided over by various missionaries. A second residence, founded by the French Jesuits, also exercised a powerful influence in favour of the evangelisation of the provinces.
The friendship of the imperial demi-god was only maintained at the expense of constant and arduous labour, and was, moreover, subject to eclipses. Fathers Schall and Verbiest suffered disgrace and even imprisonment. During times of persecution the astronomers, guarded at court as indispensable auxiliaries, found themselves unable to go to the help of their brethren. By order of Kanghi, they surveyed the whole empire and prepared the famous maps which have not yet been surpassed, if equalled. Other missionaries—Parennin, Gaubil, and Amyot—acted as interpreters to the Emperors, while Brothers Castiglione and Attiret were their painters, &c. The philological, historical, and scientific researches of these men were, and are still, universally admired in Europe and in China.
Missionaries in the Provinces.
It would be a great mistake to imagine that Jesuits alone laboured in China. We find them, indeed, in almost every province; but their number was never very large. In 1625, there were eighteen priests and four lay brothers. The almost complete list of Jesuits who have worked in China down to the suppression of the Order in 1773 includes 456 names, of which 81 were Chinese.
Other orders—Augustinians, Franciscans, and Dominicans—also obtained a foothold in China after persevering efforts. In 1633, the Franciscan, Antony of St. Gregory, and the Dominican, John-Baptist Morales, began successful work in Fokien, whence they passed into Kiangsi and other provinces. In spite of persecutions and also of the commercial jealousy which sometimes placed serious obstruction in the way of the Spanish missionaries at Macao, there were as many as 14,000 converts in the three coast provinces in 1665. In 1764, the Franciscans of the Manila province alone had five distinct missions in Shantung, Kwangtung, Kwansi, Fokien, and Macao, while others were labouring in Shansi, Shensi, Hunan, &c. Separate territories had not as yet been allocated to the different missionary bodies, but China and the adjacent countries were divided on April 10, 1690, into three dioceses—Peking, Nanking, and Macao. Many of the bishops were Franciscans or Dominicans. Besides these three sees, vicariates apostolic were formed in 1696, and, later, in Fokien, Shensi, Hukwang, Szechwan. &c., generally comprising several provinces. The first of the vicars apostolic to succeed in reaching his destination was Mar. Pallu, of the Paris Society for Foreign Missions, who arrived in China in 1682 and died in Fokien in 1684. Among the prelates we must note the Dominican, Gregory Lo, or Lopez, the only Chinese who has, as yet, been raised to the dignity of a bishop. He died a saintly death in 1691.
The Chinese "Rites."
Is the Chinese worship of ancestors and Confucius a purely civil function, or is it tainted with superstition? Can the words "heaven" or "emperor above" be applied to the true God? Such is the question of "rites." Ricci had tolerated the "rites," but his successor, Longobardi, condemned them unconditionally. The religions of the other orders adopted almost unanimously the opinion of Longobardi. The Dominican, J. B. Morales, hastened to Rome in 1643 to ask for the judgment of the Holy See on the question. Certain ceremonies were forbidden in 1704, after six years' consideration, and Cardinal Tounon was sent to Peking as a special envoy. But unfortunately the Emperor Kanghi had been invited to state his views, and he declared that the "rites" were free from all superstition. The autocrat became very indignant when the legate published the Papal Constitution, and war was officially declared against the Church.
The controversy was only ended in 1742 by the celebrated Bull of Benedict XIV, prescribing an oath for all engaged in the China Mission that they accept the condemnation of the "rites" and all its consequences. This oath is even now taken by every new missionary on his arrival, and by every native priest. The progress of the mission suffered a check, but there were also other causes at work to account for it.
Persecutions.
The first general persecution was that of the Ming Emperor Wangli in 1617. It lasted but a short time. Another small outbreak took place during the minority of Kanghi, when Father Schall was condemned to death at the instigation of the Mahomedan astronomer, Yang Koangsien, and, in fact, died in prison. Kanghi himself, as we have said, declared war against the Church, though he was always friendly to the missionaries at the court.
It was his son, Yungcheng, who initiated the almost uninterrupted series of persecutions which continued during the long and brilliant reign of his successor, Kienlung (1736–96), and, indeed, down to the opening of the Treaty ports.
The Vicar Apostolic of Fokien, the Dominican, Blessed Peter Sanz, and several of his priests, were martyred in 1747 and 1748; and the Jesuits Athemis and Henriquez with several neophytes suffered in Soochow in 1748. Many others, priests and laymen, bore similar testimony to their faith, and the life of the missionaries became a monotonous repetition of hardships. They were obliged to travel in disguise and to preach and officiate at night in continual danger of being discovered, imprisoned, and put to death. But their zeal was rewarded by the firmness of their neophytes, which withstood 150 years of unceasing persecution.
Other Missionaries.
These sufferings served only to increase the zeal of the missionaries, and new recruits constantly joined them. Since its foundation, the Paris Society for Foreign Missions had never relaxed its efforts to secure a real foothold in the south-western provinces. It was, however, only after 1769 that they began to meet with any permanent success. The fine missions of Szechwan, Yunnan, and Kweichow really date from the long episcopate of Bishop Pottier. In 1756 he found only 4,000 converts, but in 1801 he was able to number 25,000. His two successors, Bishop de St. Martin and the Blessed Bishop Dufresse (martyred 1815) governed and organised the mission with remarkable prudence amid almost continual persecution. In 1803 the first synod ever celebrated in China was held in Szechwan, and its statutes are still admired and put into practice. There were also Lazarists, or Vincentian missionaries. One of them, Appiani, who was secretary to Cardinal Tounon, died in prison in 1732 after twelve years' suffering. Another Lazarist, Pedrini, won the favour of Kanghi and Yungcheng, and founded the residence of Sitang at Peking.
From 1773 to 1856.
In 1773, the Society of Jesus was suppressed by Pope Clement XIV. Ten years later the Propaganda conveyed to the Lazarists the inheritance of the Jesuits in Peking. The old missionaries, however, remained to work and die with their successors. Nothing is more pathetic than the letter they wrote to the Superior of the Vincentians thanking him for having sent them "not mere substitutes but true brethren." The missionaries, however, were now too few for their task, and the surviving native priests were insufficient to carry on the work in the provinces. The French Revolution cut off the recruits of the foreign missions. Spain and Portugal were no more able to render assistance to their missionaries, and all the missions were reduced to great extremities. In the meantime persecution was steadily enforced, and the apparently enfeebled mission year after year witnessed the martyrdom of foreign and native priests, and their followers, including even women, a number of whom have lately been raised to the altars. Blessed Clet (1820) and Blessed Perboyre (1840) were Lazarists, and Blessed John of Triora (1815) was a Franciscan.
Though the work of the mission suffered much, it still had enough vitality to extend its field of action to Mongolia in 1798, to Korea in 1827, and to Manchuria in 1839. The Lazarists Huc and Gabet even attempted the evangelisation of Thibet and succeeded in passing a few months in Lhasa (1844–46).
At the end of this period the outlook began to change. The revived Society of Jesus re-entered China in 1842, and the organisations of the Propagation of the Faith and the Holy Childhood were set on foot to provide funds for the mission. Liberty to preach the Gospel was stipulated for in the treaties between China and the foreign powers, and the French Embassy was invested with authority to protect Catholics, native as well as foreign.
From 1856 to the Present Day.
This period begins with the suppression of the two sees of Peking and Nanking and a new readjustment of the missions. Pius IX divided China into vicariates apostolic, the number of which has been increased from time to time, each being entrusted exclusively to one congregation of missionaries.
The opening of China, the rapidity of the voyage from Europe, the better organisation of the several missions, the creation of several new missionary associations in Belgium, Germany, and Italy, and the comparative freedom enjoyed by the missionaries, make it possible now to send a much larger number of workers into the field. Seminaries have been multiplied, and the native clergy have become more numerous and more thoroughly trained. Several orders of nuns—the Sisters of Charity, the Franciscan Sisters, the Carmelites, the Helpers of the Holy Souls, the Little Sisters of the Poor, &c.—greatly assist in the evangelisation of women. Congregations of Chinese nuns have been instituted and a great impetus has everywhere been given to the preaching of the faith.
Persecutions have not ceased, but they are only local and often take the form of riots, which are generally fomented by the literati and more or less secretly favoured by the officials. The principal events of the period under review are the great Taeping rebellion, the second European war, the final peace in 1860, the Tientsin massacre of 1870, and the great Boxer outbreak of 1900, when bishops, priests, native Christians of both sexes and all ages met death with a faith, simplicity, and courage, the recital of which brings tears to the eyes.
The Present.
The mission to-day may be said to consist actually of one diocese, Macao, suffragan of the archdiocese of Goa (India), and 43 missions, which depend immediately on the Pope, through the Congregation of Propaganda. Of these, 38 are vicariates apostolic, four are prefectures, and one, Ili or Kuldja, is a simple mission. All, except three, are governed by bishops, and as three bishops have coadjutors, the total number of bishops is 44.
The care of each of these missions is placed exclusively under the control of one missionary body, and no other order of priests is allowed to work within the same field. This arrangement has done much to avoid friction and maintain union and fraternal charity. It does not extend to lay congregations, e.g., of teaching brothers or nuns.
THE TWELVE MISSIONARY SOCIETIES.
The Paris Society for Foreign Missions.—This is the most important missionary association in the Far East. Its missions in China form two groups of unequal importance—the Manchurian group comprising two vicariates only, and the south-western group with three vicariates in Szechwan, one in Kweichow, one in Yunnan, one in Thibet including the Thibetan borders of Szechwan, and the two prefectures of Kwangtung and Kwangsi. A part of Kwangtung, however, belongs to the diocese of Macao, and to the vicariate apostolic of Hongkong.
The Thibetan vicariate has a station at Darjeeling, in India, and several in Yunnan and Szechwan, but Thibet proper is not yet open to missionary work.
The Society has "procurations," or agencies, in Hongkong and Shangai, with a sanatorium and a large printing office in Hongkong. It includes 11 bishops, 399 French priests, 170 Chinese priests, 256,779 baptized converts, and more than 80,000 catechumens or worshippers ("adorateurs"). The more flourishing centres of these missions are at Szechwan and Kweichow. The work extends also to the aboriginal tribes of Southwest China.
Franciscan Friars of various branches.—Their field of work extends over eastern and northern Shantung, Shansi, the greater part of Shensi, Hupeh, and southern Hunan. They have 11 bishops, 176 foreign and 121 Chinese priests, 149,424 converts, and over 74,000 catechumens.
Lazarists or Vincentians.—These, also called priests of the mission, actually evangelise the greater part of Chihli, where they have three vicariates; the whole of Kiangsi, which forms three vicariates, also; and Chekiang, which has not been divided. The northern group is very promising; indeed, it is the most promising in China, especially since the Boxer troubles. The city of Peking alone contains nearly 7,000 Christians. The increase in the diocese was nearly 15,000 from July, 1906. to June, 1907. The Visitor-General and procurators reside in Shanghai. There is a general seminary at Kashing (Chekiang). The Vincentians have 7 bishops, 158 foreign priests (a few of whom are secular priests) and 113 Chinese priests, 216,948 converts, and about 54,000 catechumens. In the vicariate of Peking there is a Cistercian monastery with 6 foreign and 5 Chinese priests and 65 monks, most of whom are Chinese. They do not engage in missionary work proper.
The Jesuits have two missions—one in the south-eastern part of Chihli and the other comprising the two provinces of Kiangsu and Anhwei (Kiangnan mission). There are 2 bishops, 179 foreign priests, 80 Chinese priests, 226,542 converts, and 103,000 catechumens. The prefecture of Sungkiang, in which falls the district of Shanghai, is the most densely-populated with Christians throughout the whole Empire. Next comes Paotingfu in the vicariate of Peking. The respective totals are 58,336 and 44,777.
Belgian Missions (Congregation of Scheutveldt, near Brussels).—The immense territory extending from the Great Wall, near Shanhaikwan, to the borders of Russian Turkestan, and including the extra-mural parts of Chihli, Shansi, and Shensi, as well as Ninghiafu (Kansu), is entrusted to this congregation, which has three vicariates in Mongolia, one vicariate and one prefecture in Kansu, and a mission in distant Ili. This last is practically for the care of the descendants of the martyrs who were exiled to Turkestan in the eighteenth and first half of the nineteenth centuries. There are in Ili about 300 Christians, and their number seems to remain almost stationary. In the other vicariates the converts are mostly Chinese, the native Mongol tribes having so far paid little heed to the gospel news. The Ortos Mongols have 496 converts and 178 catechumens; the native Fangtze of Kansu have none. There are 4 bishops, 170 Belgian priests, 37 Chinese priests, 56,780 converts, and 18,000 catechumens. The General Procuration is in Shanghai.
Diocese of Macao (Secular Clergy).—This diocese, which, as has been said, depends on the archdiocese of Goa, and not on the Propaganda, comprises the Portuguese colony, the adjacent district of Hungshan, in Kwangtung, the islands of Hainan and Timor, and the Portuguese population of Singapore. In Chinese territory there are a bishop and 66 foreign and 8 Chinese priests, some of whom form a regular chapter, the only one in China. The number of Christians is 27,930, a large part of whom are of Portuguese descent.
Dominican Friars.—These have two vicariates in the province of Fokien, including Formosa. Excluding the island from consideration there are 2 bishops, 54 foreign priests, 17 Chinese priests, 51,299 Christians, and 30,000 catechumens. The vicariate of Foochow is much more important than that of Amoy, which was only established in 1883.
German Missionaries of Steyl (Congregation of the Divine Word).—There is one vicariate in the German colony of Kiaochau with all the adjoining prefectures. The centre is at Yenchowfu. It counts one bishop, 52 German, and 12 Chinese priests, 39,370 converts, and 43,300 catechumens.
Foreign Missions of Milan.—There are three of these missions in China—two in Honan and one in Hongkong—to which are annexed the three adjoining districts of Kwangtung. The missions have 2 procurators—one at Hongkong and another at Hankow—3 bishops, 35 Italian and 25 Chinese priests, 31,627 Christians, and 10,800 catechumens.
Spanish Augustinian Mission of North Hunan.—There is a procuration at Shanghai and another at Hankow, with one bishop, 27 Spanish, and 2 Chinese priests, 2,677 Christians, and 3,300 catechumens.
Seminary of St. Peter and St. Paul (Rome).—That part of Shensi which is south of the Tsingling Mountains was separated from the Franciscan mission in 1887, and entrusted to the Roman Seminary for Foreign Missions with one bishop, 15 Italian and 2 Chinese priests, 11,489 Christians, and 6,300 catechumens.
Seminary of St. Francis Xavier (Parma).—Part of western Honan was entrusted to this seminary two years ago. It forms a prefecture apostolic, but, so far, only 8 Italian priests are carrying on work there. They can claim about 1,055 Christians and double that number of catechumens.
| Bishops… | … | … | 44 | 1,981 | |
| Foreign priests | … | … | 1,345 | ||
| Chinese priests | … | … | 592 | ||
| Baptized Christians | … | … | 1,071,920 | ||
| Catechumens … | … | … | 426,000 |
The annual increase in the number of baptized Christians is now about 8 per cent., and amounted last year to more than 80,000. The proportion varies very much in different parts of China, but is increasing.
The number of baptized Christians in the several provinces in 1907, irrespective of the ecclesiastical divisions, was as under:—
| Chihli…… | 217,947 | Anhwei… | 27,992 | |
| Kiangsu… | 136,096 | Kweichow … | 25,368 | |
| Szechwan and Thibet | 119,961 | Chekiang … | 25,126 | |
| Kwangtung … | 102,125 | Shenking … | 20,628 | |
| Shantung … | 72,838 | Honan… | 18,487 | |
| Hupeh… | 52,549 | Kirin and Heilungkiang | 15,823 | |
| Fokien… | 51,299 | Yunnan… | 11,389 | |
| Mongolia and Ili | 48,495 | Hunan… | 9,176 | |
| Kiangsi… | 36,329 | Kangsu… | 7,985 | |
| Shensi… | 35,881 | Kwangsi… | 3,610 | |
| Shansi… | 32,516 | Sinkiang… | 300 |
Mongolia includes the outer parts of Chihli, Shansi, and Shensi, but does not include Ninghiafu.
HELPERS.
In addition to the clergy proper there are—
| Ecclesiastical students preparing for orders, Chinese or foreigners | … | 1,120 |
| Religieux, other than priests, foreigners | … | 229 |
| Religieux, other than priests, Chinese | … | 130 |
| Nuns, foreigners | … | 558 |
| Nuns, Chinese | … | 1,300 |
| Schoolmasters, other than religieux[1] | … | 4,160 |
| Schoolmistresses, other than nuns[2] | … | 3,282 |
| Native preachers (catechists)[3] | … | 4,350 |
There are many other helpers, paid and unpaid, the number of whom cannot be given on account of the different organisation of the various missions. In the Kiangnan mission, for instance, there are about 800 secular "virgins," that is to say, women who, living in their family, take no vows, but openly profess to remain unmarried. They are employed by the mission sometimes as school-mistresses and sometimes as caretakers of orphan asylums, or in visiting the sick, taking care of the chapels, &c.
Though the Chinese priests are as much priests as any Catholic priest, still in several missions the more important functions are, as a rule, entrusted only to foreign priests. But a Chinese priest may have foreign priests under his control, and is of superior dignity to any unordained foreigner. In addition to priests there are religieux of four kinds, viz., those who are destined for the priesthood, but are not yet ordained; those who belong to an order having priests but are simply lay brothers assisting the mission as architects, accountants, or in general household work; those who belong to some teaching order which has branches in Europe; and others who form special teaching congregations. The first three may be Chinese or foreigners, but the fourth class is composed exclusively of Chinese. Nuns, also, may belong to the great religious orders, which receive Chinese members on a footing of equality with foreigners, or they may be members of special Chinese congregations.
It is a well-known fact that Catholic priests, religieux, and nuns are bound to celibacy. It may be added that when they request to be sent to foreign missions it is generally for life, and with no prospect of a return home. Circumstances or superiors may decide otherwise, but the Catholic missionary gives himself up to his work for his whole lifetime in this world.
Schools.
It can be affirmed, as a general rule, that wherever there is a sufficient number of Christians a school is established, and all the children of Christian parents must attend it. The principal aim of these schools is the teaching of religious doctrine and morals, but more is taught according to circumstances, whenever children are able to learn more. In some cases the school fee is extremely small, the work being carried on practically at the expense of the mission. The organisation of these schools exhibits a considerable variety. The numbers and attendance are approximately as follow:—
| Schools. | Pupils. | |
| Paris Foreign Missions | 1,712 | 27,107 |
| Franciscan Friars… | 630[* 1] | 11,500 |
| Vincentians…… | 819 | 17,317 |
| Jesuits……… | 1,592 | 31,556 |
| Belgian Missions… | 284 | 6,590 |
| Macao……… | 36 | 2,871 |
| Dominican Friars… | 163 | 2,000[* 1] |
| Steyl Mission…… | 168 | 1,752 |
| Seminary of Milan… | 278 | 4,698 |
| Augustinian Mission… | 29 | 300 |
| Seminary of Rome… | 26 | 300 |
| Seminary of Parma… | 24 | 386 |
| Totals… | 5,652 | 105,938 |
As some missions do not include in this number schools for orphan children, it cannot be very far from the truth to say that there are about 6,000 of these lower schools attended by considerably more than 100,000 pupils. The number of girls is fairly equal to that of boys. Non-Christian children are generally not excluded.
To these village schools must be added those schools in which the Chinese classics are regularly taught. In a few missions they conform to the new official organisation, and are divided into lower elementary, higher elementary, and secondary schools, but in other missions they do not conform, so that it is impossible to give anything like a complete summary. In Shantung there are 86 of these schools with 1,158 pupils, in Honan 13 with 518 attendants, &c.
Some missions have normal schools for the training of masters and mistresses. There are also schools for boys who intend taking Orders, but who as yet follow the lower curriculum. Other schools, especially in the Treaty ports, are opened for foreign children. The teachers belong, in most cases, to the congregation of the Marist Brothers, or to an order of nuns. Mention must also be made of the schools which are now being opened in many places for Chinese boys and girls desirous of studying foreign sciences or languages. Some of these are lower elementary or higher elementary, and a few are secondary or even higher schools. Some priests or religieux are masters in Government schools at Tsinanfu, Lanchowfu, &c. The work of instructing catechumens, who cannot be baptized before they have been thoroughly instructed and trained, has led to the organisation of a special educational work, somewhat analogous to classes for adults.
Charitable Work.
The work of the Holy Childhood depends on alms furnished by young children. There is no mission in which it has not a branch. Children, mostly female infants, abandoned or exposed by their parents, are received in "Foundlings' homes," the total number of which is about 300. Many, probably the greater number of the poor little creatures, live only a few days or weeks owing to the hardships they have undergone before being rescued. Those who survive are provided with nurses and entrusted to Christian families. In many cases, these families adopt the child as their own. For instance, in the very poor districts of Ch'ungming and Haimên the villagers consider it an honour and a blessing to add a "child of the Holy Church" to the numerous children who already crowd their miserable hovels. Children, when not adopted, are brought up in industrial schools, on model farms, &c., until they are married or otherwise provided for. Orphans or pauper children belonging to Christian families cannot be supported out of the funds of the Holy Childhood; they are provided for by other benefactors. In 1907, in the seven Vincentian vicariates, more than 20,000 children belonged to the Holy Childhood.
Other charitable works include numerous hospitals, dispensaries, and homes for the aged, some of which are found in almost every mission. In Yaochowfu, Kiangsi, there is a lepers' asylum with 20 inmates, and there is another in Chefoo. In many places the secular "virgins" who take care of the schools and chapels visit also the sick in their neighbourhood.
Scientific Work.
There are several printing establishments at Hongkong, Siccawei, Yenchowfu (Shantung), Chungking (Szechwan). Peking, and Tsinanfu. Newspapers are published at Chungking, Yenchow, and Siccawei. The scientific publications of Hongkong and Siccawei are well known.
The Kiangnan mission maintains three first-class observatories—one at Siccawei for meteorology and seismology; another at the Zo-si Hills for astrophysics; and a third at Lukiapang, near Kunshan, Soochowfu, for terrestrial magnetism. There is also at Siccawei a museum of natural history and a large library, foreign and Chinese.
The French Protectorate.
The French protectorate of Catholic missions dates from the Treaty of Tientsin, June 27, 1858. The French Minister at Peking delivers passports to Catholic missionaries of all nationalities, and is charged with the protection of their persons and properties. The German mission of South Shantung has been placed under German protection. It is reported that an Italian mission is desirous of obtaining the Italian protection. Any foreigner may apply to his own consul for protection, but a Catholic missionary runs a risk of meeting with practical difficulties, principally in purchasing and holding property, outside of the Treaty ports, without the French passport.
The Legal Status of Catholic Missionaries.
By a decree of March 15, 1899, the foreign Catholic clergy in China were granted certain privileges of rank when visiting officials. The instrument in question did not confer upon them effective official rank, but enabled them to call upon officials and to be received in a manner befitting the various degrees of the Catholic hierarchy. Thus, there was an equality of rank between bishops and viceroys or governors, between vicars-general or deans and provincial judges, treasurers, and taoutais, and between other foreign priests and prefects, &c. The bishops were to give to the viceroy or governor a list of the priests specially entrusted with treating business matters with the officials.
The decree, which positively excluded native priests, changed but little the existing custom. It settled chiefly a question of etiquette. In dealing with Catholic mis- sionaries the courtesy of many high Mandarins goes far beyond the rules laid down in the protocol. Friendly visits are requested and paid, and these often serve the purpose of avoiding frichon and of bringing to a close protracted lawsuits. The decree was can- celled on April 10, 1908.
THE CATHEDRAL AT HONGKONG.
The first Roman Catholic church in Hongkong was that begun in 1842 on a site in Wellington Street granted by the Government. It was destroyed by the fire which in 1859 broke out in the neighbourhood of Queen's Road and Stanley Street. The present cathedral, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, was built by the late Mgr. Raimond, a former Vicar Apostolic of Hongkong, and was opened in 1888. It is a cruciform structure, with a low tower at the inter-section, and is an example of conti- nental Gothic. It occupies a commanding site in the Caine Road, on the western slope of the lovely ravine known as Glenealy. Near the main building stands a handsome Gothic tower, containing a peal of bells, added several years later. The principal features of the interior are the beautiful altars. That dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, presented by the Braga family of Portuguese settlers, is of Italian marble, the centre being occupied by a painting from the Academic School of Belle Arti, Milan. The altar, dedicated to St. Joseph, was presented by King Victor Emmanuel II, grandfather of the present King of Italy, and bears the arms of the Savoya Royal Family. The main altar, commemorating the Immaculate Conception, is of Italian marble, which contrasts with the Chinese marble of which the altar rails are made. The Blessed Sacrament altar has been newly decorated by the members of the Hongkong branch of the Apostleship of Prayer. The memory of St. Francis Xavier, the great pioneer missionary of the Far East, is commemorated in another small altar of Italian workmanship. The bishop's throne is of Venetian
PREMISES OF LA SOCIÉTÉ DES MISSIONS ETRANGÉRES, HONGKONG.
work, and the organ, a fine, though small, instrument, was brought from Italy and presented to the cathedral some eighteen years ago by the Portuguese community. The pictures representing the stations of the Cross were painted in Rome. The Bishop of Tavia and Vicar Apostolic of Hongkong is the Rt. Rev. Mgr. D. Pozzoni. The Provincial Apostolic and Procureur- General is the Very Rev. Fr. P. de Maria, and the Apostolic Mission Rector is the Rev. Fr. P. Gabardi. The assistants attached to the cathedral are the Rev. Frs. D. Arvatti, A. M. Leon, and F. Cheon.
THE SOCIÉTÉ DES MISSIONS ETRANGÉRES.
The Societe des Missions Etrangeres, founded in Paris, in 1658, for the propagation of the faith in pagan countries, had, in 1892, already sent 1.968 missionaries to the Far East. At the outset their work was arduous in the extreme, and no fewer than 67 suffered death on account of their religious beliefs. In IQ06 there were 1,420 missionaries of the Society engaged in spreading the Gospel. Of these, 36 were bishops in charge of 32 vicariates or dioceses, and they were helped in their evangelisation work by 739 native priests and 2,727 catechists. The Society, in its various missions, then had 5.478 churches or chapels ; 42 seminaries in which 2,247 boys were being educated for the priesthood ; 3,955 schools with 119,441 children; 337 orphanages with 21,461 orphans entirely supported by the Society ; 474 dispensaries ; and 112 hospitals or leper asylums. The Society has the entire charge of the Roman Catholic Church in Japan (four dioceses) ; Korea (one vicariate apostolic) ; Manchuria (two vicariates apostolic) ; Western and South China (seven vicariates) ; Thibet (one vicariate) ; French Indo-China (eight vicari- ates) ; Cambodia (one vicariate) ; Burma (two vicariates) ; French and British India (four dioceses) ; and Siam (one vicariate). Some of the results obtained during the last ten years will be seen from the following figures : — Years. Adult Pagans converted. Pagan children baptized. ... .'.. ,826 ,448
,700 .363
,003 '55.312
,112 .958 I90I .472 ,790
.587 .934
.321 .736
.470 ,871
,880 .138
.476 .899 Totals ... ,847 .455.549 As will be gathered from such facts as these the sphere of influence exercised by this great missionary enterprise is a large one. The possibilities of the work are enormous. Naturally, however, the question of organisation is an important and diflicult one. There is a general procuration in Hongkong, and there are secondary pro- curations in Shanghai, Saigon, and Singapore. Here all the administrative work is done and material assistance is sent to the mission- aries in the field. The Society has also at Pokfolura, Hongkong, a sanatorium for those of their workers who have broken down in health, and a Maison d'Etudes, to which is attached one of the best-equipped printing oflices in the Far East. Here books are printed, from type cast in the establish- ment, in almost all the languages of the Orient. The Very Rev. Father L. Robert, Procureur-General of the Society, resides in Caine Road, at the headquarters of the mission in Hongkong.
THE RT. REV. DOMINICO POZZONI, Roman Catholic Bishop of Tavia, and Vicar Apostolic of Hongkong, was born in December, 1861, at Paderno d'Adda, in the province of Como, Italy. He arrived in Hongkong as a missionary in 1885, and spent twenty years in the southern portion of the Kwangtung district. In the early days of his labours there, he and another missionary, dressed in Chinese costume and wearing the queue — the Mandarins preferring to receive them as Chinese — itinerated through the whole district; hut, later, the district was sub-divided into five sections, and, the Mandarins having changed their attitude, the missionaries reverted to the customary garb of their Order. Only once was the reverend father's life in danger, and that was
RIGHT REV. DOMINICO POZZONI, R.C. Bishop of Victoria.
when he received a call to the bedside of a dying convert, who had been removed by his relatives into the Temple of Ancestors in the neighbourhood — to the precincts of which Europeans were denied admission. Obeying the call, he dared the consequences, and but narrowly escaped with his life. Like many others in the mission field, he was often called upon to act as woh-t'au or arbitrator between Chinese disputants — not necessarily converts — the missionaries being greatly respected for the equity of their judgments, which were given dispassionately and without regard to monetary considerations. He was elected Bishop of Tavia and Vicar Apostolic of Victoria in 1905, in succession to the late Mgr. Piazzoli, and was consecrated on the ist of October of that year. The episcopal residence is in Caine Road, adjoining the cathedral.
TUNG-KA-DOO CATHEDRAL.
The Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier at Tung-Ka-Doo is a building in the style of the Roman basilica, without transepts. The Catholics obtained the site from the Taoutai in satisfaction of their claim that they owned a place of worship in the native city before they were expelled from China. The cathedral was built by Bishop de Besco. and was opened for worship in 1853, four years after the foundation stone was laid. The interior is of white, adorned with numerous copies of paintings by old masters, among thein being a painting of the patron saint of the cathedral.
ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH.
In the Rue Montauban, Shanghai, a little way back from the street, stands the Roman Catholic Church of St. Joseph, used for both foreign and Chinese services. It is a Gothic modification of the French Renaissance style of architecture, and was opened in 1862 on the Feast of the Assumption. Numbers of pictures adorn the walls, one being a large oil painting of St. Joseph and the Holy Child. Many of these paintings are the work of students at the Roman Catliolic School at Siccawei. The chapel by the south door contains a carved scene of the Crucifixion, representing Mary with the body of Jesus. ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH, SHANGHAI.