Among the first American Missionaries were Dr. E. C. Bridgmanof the Congregational Church, who was transferred from Cantonto Shanghai in 1847 , and the Rt. Rev. Dr. William J. Boone, thefirst representative of the American Episcopal Church. He was firststationed at Batavia, then at Amoy, and came to Shanghai in 1845. Hewas the first missionary Bishop of the Anglican communion to be sentto China.
The best known of the Southern Baptist Missionaries in Shanghaiat an early date was Dr. M. T. Yates, who arrived in 1847. As he livedclose to the walls of the native city he saw much of the fighting whichtook place when Shanghai was in the hands of the rebels.
Other distinguished missionaries connected with Shanghai, areDr. W. A. P. Martin, who became a great Chinese scholar, Dr. YoungJ. Allen who both as translator and educator did a remarkable work,and Mr. Alexander Wylie (1847 ), Agent of the British and ForeignBible Society, who was acquainted with many languages and became aleading Sinologue.
The number of residents being small, there was not the same clearline of demarcation between the missionary and business communitiesas exists to-day, Both alike had the interests of the new Settlementat heart and helped in its development. Of course there were timeswhen they did not see eye to eye, and we find some of the missionariesobjecting to being taxed for the erection of jetties, on the groundthat as they were not engaged in commerce, they ought not to beasked to pay for what was of use only to the mercantile portion of thecommunity. The majority, however, were public spirited, and wereready to support anything of benefit to the community. The name ofDr. W. H. Medhurst appears on the Council in the year 1854 -1855
and that of Dr. M. T. Yates in the years 1868-1870.
Early Missionary WorkMissionary work was at first largely confined to Shanghai, butattempts were made to do evangelistic work in the neighbouringtowns and villages. In one case this led, as we have seen, to seriousfriction between the British Consul and the Chinese authorities,when Medhurst, Lockhart, and Muir-head were attacked by a mob atTsingpu.
The efforts of the missionaries were exerted in founding churches,schools and hospitals.
Among the first churches to be built were Christ Church in thenative city in 1850, and the Church of Our Saviour, which has alreadybeen mentioned. Another old church was that of the London Mission,on Shantung Road, erected in 1864. It has since given place to a newand more modern edifice. A Baptist Church outside the North Gatewas also built at an early period.
Among the first schools were those of the American EpiscopalChurch Mission in Hongkew, the schools founded by Dr. Bridgmanat the West Gate, and the Anglo-Chinese School under the auspices ofthe Missionary Society.
The first hospital for Chinese was opened by Dr. Wm. Lockhartof the London Missionary Society in 1843, near the South Gate. Thepremises were found inconvenient, and a local committee was formedfor the purpose of making an appeal to the foreign residents for fundsto build a hospital on a piece of land outside the North Gate.
When the sum of $2,881.47 had been raised, the subscribers werecalled together on December 3rd, 1846 , for the purpose of electingtrustees. At this meeting seven trustees were elected, who were tohold the property of the hospital in trust, on condition that it shouldalways be used as a Hospital for Chinese, and be temporarily rented tothe resident medical officer of the Medical Missionary Society of theLondon Mission in China.
In 186 1 this site was sold and a new building was put up onShantung Road, and the hospital became known as the Shantung RoadHospital.
See Chapter II.
In 1873 the Hospital Trustees leased from the London MissionarySociety for 25 years at $300 per annum, the land on which the presentmen"s hospital stands. In 1901 the site was bought outright from theSociety by the Hospital Trustees. In 1873 the hospital was entirelyrebuilt.
After many years of useful service, it obtained means for buildinga modern well equipped hospital from the legacy of Tls. 2,000,000
from the Lester Estate, and in 1927 adopted its new name, the LesterChinese Hospital, Although strictly speaking not a mission hospital, ithas always had close connection with the London Missionary Societyand has permitted that Society to carry on religious work among thepatients.
Another mission hospital, St. Luke"s was founded in 1866
under the auspices of the American Episcopal Church Mission. Itwas inaugurated by a gift of $150 gold sent to the Rev. (afterwards,Archdeacon) E. H. Thomson, by Mrs. Elizabeth Shields ofPhiladelphia. Mr. Thomson and Dr. McGowan opened a smalldispensary at a rent of $5 per month. Several of the community doctorsrendered their services free, among whom was Dr. R. A. Jamieson.
On account of its location it was at first known as the “HongkewHospital.“ The name ”St. Luke"s“ was adopted when it was movedto the present site in 188 0. A wealthy Chinese, Li Chiu-ping, gavethe land, and a little later helped to raise money to build two wards,with an office and operating room. In 1882 the Gutzlaff Hospital wasamalgamated with St. Luke"s. Recently this hospital also received alegacy of Tls. 200,000 from the Lester Estate.
Naturally as Shanghai developed into the largest and mostimportant treaty port, it became the head-quarters of most of theSee Chapter XXVIII.
Missions carrying on work in China.
Visit of Duke of EdinburghShanghai was visited in 186 9 by the Duck of Edinburgh, andas he was the first royal guest to be entertained by the community,he received a most enthusiastic welcome. Inasmuch as the Duke ofSomerset in a speech in theHouse of Lords a few months previous hadreferred to Shanghai as a “sink of iniquity,” much to the indignationof the residents of Shanghai, an effort was made to give the Duke ofEdinburgh a better impression of the community that prided itself onbeing a “model settlement.”