t )l i n 
 
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 PUBIIG MUSEUM 
 
 OP 
 
 CHI-NAN-FU, CHINA. 
 
€iix-mn4n ’Enhlu iP^xtseitnt. 
 
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 J. Its Historyi — Although its history has been largely 
 in visions of the night and of the day it has been none the 
 less real Before I arrived in Chi-nan-fu I had never given 
 any serious thought to museums as evangelistic agencies. 
 I had never seen any in the south where my former missionary 
 experience was passed. It was soon thrust on my attentioni 
 Mr. Davies, whose guest 1 was during my first week here, 
 is an enthusiast on the subject, and urged its claims most 
 forcefully. Circumstances had thus far prevented his in- 
 augurating it, blit when the way should open he certainly 
 would. At first I listened with a cold ear. I had other 
 schemes in my head besides “ Chinese entertainment.” How- 
 ever I promised to think of it. The more I thought of it, 
 the less inclined was I to dub it mere entertainment, and the 
 more convinced that it was Paul’s being “ all things to all men, 
 by all means to save some.” t began to collect the opinions 
 and testimonies of other missionaries, and found they were a 
 unit in its favor. I found, moreover, that this unanimity was 
 on account of the pronounced success of one such enterprise 
 in this province, viz., the Museum of the English Baptists jit 
 Ch‘iiig-chow-fu. On going down to ndission meeting at Teng- 
 chow in October I was the guest for a day of Mr. 
 Whitewright, who has charge of this museum, and was 
 enabled to learn facts at first hand, as well as observe its 
 methods and results. I was in the mdseunl a large part 
 of the day. At eight o’clock, when it was opened, there was 
 a crowd of over a hundred waiting to be let in. They saw 
 the sights the museum had for them, and passed Out at the 
 other end of the building into the preaching hall, whete a 
 
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 native preacher was waiting to receive them. As soon as 
 this installment was out the front door was opened to another 
 nearly as large. And so they sncceeded one another all day* 
 at intervals of twenty to thirty minutes, in companies of fifty 
 to one hundred. I watched faces and listened to comments 
 inside. In all cases it was wonder deepening now and again 
 into admiration. It was then I became enthusiastic for 
 museums. Many if not most of these people had been taught 
 to despise us. This display of science and invention enforced 
 respect. They listened then, and they will listen hereafter 
 to Gospel preaching with a new interest. On reaching the 
 coast I immediately sent olf an order for over $150.00 worth 
 of tools and raw material wherewith to make articles for our 
 Chi-nan-fu Museum. On returning I reported to Mr. Davies 
 what I had done, and he promised hearty co-oj)eration along 
 the lines laid down. Such is its history. 
 
 JI. Its Purpose . — As already intimated it is not to 
 amuse the Chinese. Neither is it to civilize them according 
 to Nineteenth Century methods. We are in love with that 
 civilization ourselves, and think it highly desirable for the 
 Chinese. But it is far from being necessary to salvation, and 
 it is their salvation for which we work first, last and all the 
 time. Its purpose then is to attract the people within preach- 
 ing distance and hold them till we instill some saving truth. 
 We trust the Gospel itself to hold them after they begin to 
 feel its power, but in these first stages, while they are yet 
 filled with prejudice, we would furnish these other attractions. 
 That at the same time it will have a civilizing influence is so 
 much clear gain. I can find no better expression of our 
 purpose than Mr. White wright’s summing up of the results 
 of his museum : — 
 
 “ 1. It brings people about us in a friendly way. It 
 brings people, especially of the educated and official classes, 
 who are otherwise very hard to reach at all. 
 
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 2. It does a great deal towards breaking down supersti- 
 tion and prejudice and also hostility to the foreigner. 
 
 3. Those who visit it learn something of the vast superior- 
 ity of Western science and civilization. 
 
 4. We find numbers, as has been above indicated, especi- 
 ally of the student class, willing to listen to the preaching 
 of the Gospel after they have paid a visit or two to the 
 museum and found us not to be the barbarians they formerly 
 thought us to be. 
 
 5. Our evangelists and Christian workers constantly meet 
 in the country with people who are friendly and willing to 
 receive them through having visited the museum and been 
 kindly received there.” 
 
 How it accomplishes this result in part is shown by the 
 following; “Occasionally a literatus is rather haughty, as one 
 who came into contact with foreigners for the first time in his 
 life, and not being satisfied with the explanation given of the 
 orrery in the museum, aunounced that foreigners knew nothing 
 about astronomy. He further stated that there was no such 
 thing as electricity ; if there were the Chinese would have 
 had it ages ago. The assistant asked him to hold for one 
 moment the handles of a battery while he talked to him about it. 
 He is reported to have left the premises not only a sadder, 
 a wiser and humbler man, but also to have been converted to 
 a sound belief — in electricity.” 
 
 Again, “ During the present year, while the examina- 
 tions for the first degree were in progress, there were in the 
 city students with their tutors from the eleven counties of the 
 prefecture. Over eight thousand visits were paid by these 
 men, and most of all these also went into the preaching hall 
 and listened to the preaching of the Gospel. I should say that 
 in former years, before the museum was opened, we have had 
 great difficulty here in getting any of this class to listen to 
 preaching at all.” 
 
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 III, Its Location. — Chi-oan-fu is a city of 200,000 
 inhabitants, made np generally of the same elements found 
 elsewhere. There is a large official class estimated b)’’ some 
 as one-tenth the population. It is too a city with a little more 
 than its share of wealth. One writer calls it “the Paris of 
 China.” Beside these advantages Chi-nan-fu is the provincial 
 capital; and as such is the gathering point of people from all 
 parts of the province. Civil and military examinations are 
 held at frequent intervals, which call together thousands of 
 scholars and expectant officials. These are the men who in 
 the near future will be the making or unmaking of China. 
 Mr. Whitewright tabulates the patronage of the museum at 
 Ch'ing-chow-fu as follows : — 
 
 “Total number of visits from commencement in 1887 to 
 Uov. 1st, 1895, 270,000; total number of visits in first half 
 year of 1895, 44,450. During the last two years numbers 
 have been turned away, as the place has been crowded from 
 morn to eve during examinations and the New Year season. 
 At other times the visitors vary from lOO to 400 per day.” 
 Now remember that Ch‘ing-chow-fu is to Chi-nan-fu as the head 
 of a ])refecture is to the capital of a province. If the former 
 is patronized so well how much more the latter. 
 
 IV. Its Needs , — Let lis listen to practical experience. 
 Mr. Whitewriglit : — 
 
 “ We have about 200 stuffed natural history specimens, 
 nearly all procured here and prepared by a native assistant, 
 whom I have taught myself. There are also several cases 
 of corals. Shells, fossils, mineralogical specimens, etc., etc. The 
 walls are hung with astronomical diagrarasj natural history 
 diagrams and ma{)Si Though the Chinese are much more 
 interested than we would be inclined to think in natural history 
 specimens, still it is not on these things we rely for interest and 
 instruction. Pur that we depend chiefly on electric and other 
 apparatus, workiilg models of foreign inventions, etc. We 
 
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 have found very useful sewing machine, microscope, telescope, 
 stereoscope (with carefully selected slides), magneto-electric 
 machine, air-pump with apparatus for experiments, working 
 electric telegraph, telephone, electric battery, bells, etc-, models 
 of suction pumps, etc., etc. A small hand dynamo is very 
 valuable as so many experiments can readily be worked with 
 it. A model electric railway, which we have just set up, is a 
 source of very great interest. A large four- shared plow is 
 very interesting to people so dependent on agriculture.” 
 
 What are needed are the things best ad^ted to accom- 
 plish the purpose before stated. For that utility must be our 
 criterion. We want no things pretty but useless, ijo things 
 curious but useless, no toys funny but useless ; but we want 
 useful things, some of which will be pretty, some curious and 
 some excessively funny — to the Chinese. Mr. Whitewright 
 mentions “ working models of foreign inventions.” I wish I 
 could rummage through the Pj^t Of%e a few days. I could 
 select an ideal museum for the Chinese. 
 
 Now why am I telling you all this ? I suppose all have 
 jumped to the conclusion I am trying to get contributions 
 wherewith to buy these articles. By no means, I have 
 thought to give friends in America the chance to help niissious 
 in a uew way. On your shelves of bric-a-brac are many 
 things both you and your friends are tired of looking at — shells, 
 minerals, fossils, stuffed birds and animals, models, etc., etc. 
 Some of you once children, now young men and wonjen, have 
 mechanical toys that really illustrate something which ypu 
 have outgrown. Many have skillful fingers and can make 
 things that we need, of which the cost of material will be 
 trifling. Some carpenter might make a small model of an 
 American dwelling house, another a Church or school house. 
 Some young lady instead of sending her next pair of embroifierr 
 ed slippers to the minister might send them to the museum. 
 Embroidery is essentially a useful art with the Chinese. Both 
 
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 knitting and crocheting are unknown arts here, so a few articles 
 of that kind would be useful. In short any useful article 
 of wood, metal, skin or cloth, either taken from your present 
 stock, made for the occasion, or begged from friends will be 
 acceptable!^ ^ 
 
 Box and send by freight or express to Mr. Wm. Dalles, 
 156 Fifth Ave., New York. Also mark, “For Eev. V. F. 
 Partch, Chi-nan-fu, China.” Such packages will reach me 
 safely in due time. ' 
 
 V. F. Paetch. 
 
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