Robert Samuel Maclay was born on February 7,
1824 in Concord in Franklin County Pennsylvania. He was one of nine
children born to Robert Maclay and Arabella Erwin Maclay. His father,
although raised in the Presbyterian faith, became an active member
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and dedicated himself to spreading
the Gospel. He was an upstanding member of society and a dedicated
member of the Democratic Party.1
His mother was an immigrant from North Ireland who shared her husband’s
religious devotion.2 Maclay
entered Dickinson College in the fall of 1841 and was soon elected
into the Belles Lettres Society.3
Throughout his college career, Maclay was heavily influenced by the
Reverend John McClintock. Maclay graduated from Dickinson on July
10, 1845 with a Bachelor of Arts, and received his Masters three years
later.4 At his graduation
in 1945, Maclay presented a commencement speech entitled “The Rule
and End of Life.” 5 One
year later, Maclay was ordained in the Baltimore Conference of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. However, Maclay’s ministry within the
United States was very brief; on September 10, 1847 he was appointed
as a missionary to China, where he began a missionary-career that
stretched over three countries and forty years.6
Throughout the 1840s, many churches in the United States experienced
a growing concern for the expansion of mission-work. In particular,
they began to sense a missionary obligation overseas.7
At the same time, the Methodist Episcopal Church suffered a split
in 1844 due to the controversial issue of slavery. Maclay avoided
the internal strife of the Church and responded to a letter soliciting
volunteers to minister overseas. The Methodist Episcopal Missionary
Society quickly sent him to China. On October 12, 1847, Maclay boarded
the “Paul Jones” and set sail for Fuzhou, a city he reached on April
12 of the next year.8 In1849,
Maclay wrote a letter to the Missionary Society requesting that Henrietta
Caroline Sperry, a woman to whom he was already engaged, be permitted
to join him in China. The Missionary Society agreed to provide her
with a salary of $300, an outfit of $150, plus passage. They were
married in Hong Kong on July 10, 1850, and one year later had their
first child, Eleanor Henrietta Maclay.9
The Maclays had a total of five sons and three daughters, six of whom
were born in East Asia. However, four of their children died at a
young age due to typhoid fever and other ailments.10
Nevertheless, Robert and Henrietta Maclay remained pioneers of the
missionary movement in China for the next twenty three years.
Upon his arrival in 1848, Maclay was immediately faced with the demands
of a missionary career. The Missionary Society had provided Maclay
and several other missionaries with meager instructions to acquire
a working knowledge of the language, preach the Gospel of Christ,
heal the sick, distribute literature, and establish schools.11
His first goal was to master the difficult Chinese language, in order
to preach in the dialect. However, in his first quarterly report he
stated “but we need not wait until we master the language before we
begin our labors.” 12 Although
the first years of the China mission were primarily preparatory, significant
achievements were made shortly after arrival. Maclay reported that
they were embraced by many Chinese who were eager to read Christian
literature and books. By May, 1849, three day schools for boys, each
with an attendance of twenty pupils, had been opened by Methodist
Episcopal missionaries. In December, 1850, Mrs. Maclay founded the
first school for girls. The school employed a Chinese teacher to teach
lessons in reading, writing, singing, geography, and arithmetic, by
incorporating Christian stories, doctrines, and hymns. Mrs. Maclay
reported that the school was successful not only in providing education,
but for improving the relationship between the Chinese and the Methodist
mission.13 Shortly after
the establishment of schools, Maclay and several other missionaries
were instrumental in the opening of chapel-like buildings throughout
Fuzhou. Here, the missionaries could distribute literature and respond
to questions about Christianity. Eventually, the missionaries achieved
a level of fluency that permitted them to preach in the dialect. Maclay
also described the establishment of several preaching places outside
the city. By 1852, a regular service was attended by members of the
mission movement and pupils of the schools.14
In 1857, almost ten years after Maclay first arrived in Fuzhou, Maclay
baptized the first convert. Maclay visited Ting Ang in his home, where
he examined his knowledge of Christian principles. Maclay then carried
out his baptism at an afternoon worship service in Tiengang Tong.15
He recounts, “The candidate audibly expressing his cordial belief
in them. I then proceed[ed] to baptize him, sprinkling the water on
his head while he kneeled at the altar.”16
Maclay baptized several more the next year, and soon established a
fully-operational Methodist Society including a Sunday school. The
first quarterly meeting and conference were extremely significant
to Maclay, who thought they might one day be compared to meetings
of the disciples in the Upper Room.17
However, despite its successes, the mission was slow, arduous, and
plagued with health problems. A physician was called to care for the
suffering members of the mission. Nevertheless, of the twelve missionaries
that had been sent between 1847 and 1851, only the Maclays remained
in China by 1854. Moreover, the task of procuring converts was difficult
and slow.18 Finally, in
his annual report of 1871, Maclay stated that he would return home
for physical recuperation, after having spent twenty three years in
China.19
Maclay’s accomplishments in China included the publication of two
books. The first, entitled, Life Among the Chinese: Characteristic
Sketches and Incidents of Missionary Operations and Prospects in China,
was published in 1861 and contains detailed explanations of the history,
religion, and government of China. His final chapter, “Appeal to the
Church,” is a plea for support of the mission movement in China.20
Four years later, Maclay published a volume that reflected his mastery
of the Chinese language. He prefaced his Alphabetic Dictionary
of the Chinese Language in the Foochow Dialect by expressing
his desire that “it may be useful to students of the Chinese language,
that it may tend to facilitate friendly intercourse between Western
nations and China; and, above all, that it may promote the cause of
Christian Missions among the Chinese.”21
In 1870, he sent a copy of his dictionary “with much pleasure,” to
the librarian at Dickinson College.22
Maclay’s missionary career was not limited to China. In 1870 he wrote
a letter to the Missionary Society appealing for the establishment
of a mission in Japan.23
In 1872, while Maclay was recuperating at home in the United States,
he gave an emotional address at a Society meeting, stressing the church’s
responsibility and opportunity.24
The bishops unanimously decided to name Maclay the superintendent
of the new mission. Maclay and his wife arrived at Yokohama, Japan
on June 1, 1873, where they began the next chapter of their missionary
careers.25
In August, 1873, Bishop William L. Harris, Maclay, and three other
missionaries gathered at Maclay’s home in Yokohama to organize the
mission. Each missionary was to be located in one of four cities,
and as superintendent, Maclay was to remain in Yokohama.26
Once again, Maclay was faced with the challenge of learning a new
language, which became his focus throughout the first year. The first
annual meeting was held in June of 1874. Maclay’s report cited evidence
of progress including the establishment of chapels for daily preaching
as well as irregular Sabbath services in Yokohama. By 1875, Maclay
could report the first Methodist church had been established in Japan
with good attendance and Sunday School.27
The third annual meeting took place in 1876. Maclay demonstrated his
mastery of the Japanese language by preaching a sermon and carrying
out the proceedings in Japanese. Furthermore, he reported significant
achievements including the development of a Christian community, the
establishment of Christian schools, and the translation of important
Christian works.28 He also
reported that he and his fellow missionaries “have baptized and received
into the Church over one hundred converted Japanese, while more than
an equal number are under their instruction as probationers.”29
The following years witnessed an attempt to further expand the Japanese
mission, the fruits of which became increasingly evident. By 1884,
there were over a thousand church members living in Japan.30
In 1879, Caroline Maclay suffered a stroke while playing the organ
at a Methodist service in Yokohama, and she died shortly after. She
was buried in a cemetery in Yokohama.31
Maclay’s ministry in Japan was further interrupted two years later
in 1881, when he was ordered by his physician to return home on a
medical furlough. During this time, he founded the Anglo-Chinese College
in Fuzhau.32 On June 6,
1882, he married Sarah Ann Barr, with whom he had no children.33
Again, his missionary career was far from over. After sufficient medical
recovery, Maclay returned to Japan. In 1873, Reverend John F. Goucher
asked Maclay to travel to Korea and survey the possibility of establishing
a mission movement there. Maclay gladly accepted this request and
made the journey from Yokohama to Seoul.34
Maclay arrived in Seoul, Korea on June 24, 1884 and was greeted by
the American minister to Korea, General Lucius H. Foote.35
According to his request, Maclay and his party were provided with
a small house for the duration of their stay. During this visit, Maclay
was well received by the government. He met with the Japanese minister
and sent a letter to King Kojong requesting permission to begin medical
and educational mission work. Much to his delight, Maclay received
authorization from the King to begin such work in Korea.36
Moreover, Maclay completed a careful survey of the country and attempted
to “test in a quiet way the disposition of the people, to discover
as far as we could the openings and most suitable methods for commencing
Christian work in Korea.”37
He found the Koreans to be timid at first, but later more open to
the movement. Missionaries began to arrive and take over the mission
in Korea. Maclay sorrowfully left Korea on July 13 to return to Japan.
He would have liked to stay in Korea and begin the mission work himself,
but his obligations in Japan prevented this. However, Maclay continued
to promote the mission in Korea while in Japan. He hired a Korean
who was living in Japan to begin translating materials needed for
use in Korea, and admitted seven Korean students to the Anglo-Japanese
College. In September, Maclay received word that the King specifically
encouraged the founding of a school and hospital in Seoul.38
Looking back on his short time in Korea, Maclay wrote
“While the days of our fortnight at Seoul were going by I became conscious
[of]…the opportuneness, urgency, and scared character of our mission
to Korea.”39 Maclay’s most
significant contribution to the Korean movement was the removal of
legal obstacles which opened the door for the Christian mission.40
He was asked to become the superintendent of the Korean mission, but
he rejected due to his poor medical condition.
Maclay left the missionary sphere in 1887, after forty years of mission-work.
He returned to San Fernando, California and became the dean of the
Maclay College of Theology, an institution that had been founded by
his brother, Senator Charles Maclay. He was also instrumental in the
founding of the Philander Smith Biblical Institute at Tokyo.41
He retired in San Fernando in 1893, and died at the age of 83 on August
18, 1907 in Los Angeles. Maclay was a man with great ambition and
dedication to his faith. Over the course of his career, he made pioneer
contributions to the Methodist Episcopal missions in China, Japan,
and Korea. He paved the way for innumerable missionaries who continued
his efforts to spread the Gospel in foreign lands. Maclay was recognized
by his alma mater with an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree
in 1864, and continues to be regarded as a pioneer with unrivaled
leadership qualities. Bishop Edward Thomson said of Maclay “He has
a quick, well-educated, and well-disciplined mind, and to habits of
business and a heart for his work, he joins correct judgment and a
strong will. Yet, with his great firmness he has great kindness, and
he avoids all parade of authority.”42
Endnotes
1. My Family, "Robert Samuel Maclay," http://members.fortunecity.com/kgoofy7/d62.htm
2. Montero, Johanna, “Robert Samuel Maclay,” http://www.dickinson.edu/~mo
nteroj/Robert%20 Samuel%20Maclay.htm.
3. Members of the Belles Lettres Society (Carlisle: Dickinson
College, 1941)
4. Montero.
5. Coleman, Stuart Kevin, “Robert Samuel Maclay, Class of 1845,” (Dickinson
College, Carlisle, 1975): 9.
6. Barclay, Wade Crawford. Widening Horizons, vol. 3, History
of Methodist Missions (New York: Board of Missions of the Methodist
Church, 1957), 367.
7. Ibid., 365.
8. Baker, Gordon Pratt, Those Incredible Methodists: A History
of the Baltimore Conference of the United Methodist Church.(
Nashville: Parthenon Press, 1972), 187.
9. Barclay, 369.
10. Montero.
11. Barclay, 368.
12. Baker, 188.
13. Barclay, 371.
14. Ibid., 365.
15. Ibid., 377.
16. Ibid., 377.
17. Ibid., 378.
18. Ibid., 374
19. Ibid., 384.
20. Maclay, Robert Samuel, Life Among the Chinese: Characteristic
Sketches and Incidents of Missionary Operations and Prospects in China
(New York: Carlton & Porter, 1866), 369
21. Maclay, Robert Samuel, Alphabetic Dictionary of the Chinese
Language in the Foochow Dialect (Foochow: Methodist Episcopal
Mission Press, 1870)
22. Maclay, Robert Samuel, Letter to R.L. Dashiell (Fouchow,
1870)*
23. Krummel, John W, “Methodist Beginnings in Japan: Part I,” Methodist
History 11, no. 2 (1973): 3.
24. Barclay, 667.
25. Ibid., 667.
26. Ibid., 668.
27. Ibid., 669.
28. Ibid., 670.
29. Ibid., 671.
30. Ibid., 689.
31. My Family.
32. Dictionary of American Biography. vol.11. “Robert Samuel
Maclay,” by Harry Emerson Wildes: 131.
33. Fortune City.
34. Hunt, Everett N. Jr., Protestant Pioneers in Korea, (Maryknoll:
Orbis Books, 1980), 11.
35. Kim, Chan-Hie, “Robert Samuel Maclay (1824-1907): The Pioneer
of the American Protestant Mission in Korea,” Methodist History
39, no. 3 (2001):176.
36. Hunt, 12.
37. Maclay, Robert Samuel, "A Fortnight in Seoul Korea in 1884," The
Gospel in All Lands 22 (1896): 358.
38. Ibid., 359.
39. Ibid., 358.
40. Maclay, Robert S, "Commencement of the Korea Methodist Episcopal
Mission," The Gospel in All Lands 22 (1984): 267.
41. Dictionary of American Biography, 131.
42. Barclay, 375.
Bibliography
Baker, Gordon Pratt. Those Incredible Methodists:
A History of the Baltimore Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Nashville: Parthenon Press, 1972.
The bias of this work is evident in its title, as it relays information
about the accomplishments of the Methodist Church with a very positive
outlook. A chapter written by Homer L. Calkin contains a detailed
account of Maclay’s experiences in China, and asserts him as
one of the most influential missionaries in China. Calkin also discusses
the contributions of Maclay’s wife and brother in the missionary
movement. Homer uses numerous footnotes and references to primary
sources.
Barclay, Wade Crawford. Widening Horizens vol.
3, History of Methodist Missions. New York: Board of Missions
of the Methodist Church, 1957.
Bashford, James W. New Chapters on the Awakening
of China. New York: Board of Foreign Missions of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, 1908.
Bucke, Emory Stevens. The History of American
Methodism. Vol. 3. New York: Abingdon Press, 1964.
Buckley, James M. History of Methodism. Vol.
2. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1898.
Coleman, Stuart Kevin. “Robert Samuel Maclay,
Class of 1845.” (Dickinson College, Carlisle, 1975)
Davies, Rupert E. Methodism. London: The
Epworth Press, 1963.
My Family. "Robert Samuel Maclay." Http://members.fortunecity.com/kgoofy7/d62.htm
Hempton, David. Methodism: Empire of the Spirit.
New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005.
Howell, Mabel K. 60 Years in China. Nashville:
Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1938.
Hunt, Everett N. Jr. Protestant Pioneers in Korea.
Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1980.
Hunt provides a history of various Protestant missionaries in Korea
from a theological perspective. Focuses specifically on the beginnings
and pioneers of these movements, and details the actions of Maclay
in Korea. Aims to show that missionaries did more than preach the
gospel.
Kim, Chan-Hie. “Robert Samuel Maclay (1824-1907):
The Pioneer of the American Protestant Mission in Korea.” Methodist
History 39, no. 3 (2001): 167- 180.
Extensive article about Maclay’s mission in Japan with two specific
aims: to connect the Claremont School of Theology with Korea, and
two prove Maclay as the first official American Protestand missionary
to Korea. Kim provides a brief biographical sketch of Maclay as well
as a comprehensive description of Maclay’s experiences in Japan.
References several of Maclay’s writings.
Krummel, John W. “Methodist Beginnings in Japan:
Part I.” Methodist History 11, no. 2 (1973): 3-51
Krummel gives a factual account of Maclay’s contributions to
the Methodist Episcopal mission in Japan. Provides specific details
on the process through which Maclay began and carried out his mission.
Krummel also describes, more generally, the status of Methodists living
in Japan in the mid nineteenth century.
Krummel, John W. “Methodist Beginnings in Japan:
Part II.” Methodist History 11, no. 3 (1973): 4-8
Krummel continutes his factual account of Methodism in Japan, but
also references Maclay’s work in China. He also details the
contributions of Henrietta Caroline Sperry, the wife of Robert Maclay.
Krummel, John W. “Union Spirit in Japan in
the 1880s.” Methodist History 16, no. 3 (1978) 152-168.
Latourette, Kenneth Scott. A History of Christian
Missions in China. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1929.
Luccock, Halford E. The Story of Methodism.
New York: The Methodist Book Concern, 1926.
Marquis, Albert Nelson, ed. Who’s Who in
America. Vol. 5. Chicago, A. W. Marquis & Company, 1899.
Maclay, Robert Samuel and Baldwin,C.C .,Alphabetic
Dictionary of the Chinese Language in the Foochow Dialect. Foochow:
Methodist Episcopal Mission Press, 1870.
Maclay’s extensive dictionary of Chinese was published in 1870;
twenty-two years after Maclay first arrived in China. In his preface
to the dictionary, Maclay expresses his desire that it be useful towards
intercourse between China and the Western nations as well as the Christian
mission in China.
Maclay, Robert S. "Commencement of the Korea
Methodist Episcopal Mission." The Gospel in All Lands
22. (1984): 267.
Maclay, Robert Samuel. "A Fortnight in Seoul
Korea in 1884" The Gospel in All Lands 22. (1896): 357.
Maclay, Robert Samuel, Letter to R.L. Dashiell
(Fouchow, 1870)
Maclay, Robert Samuel. Life Among the Chinese:
Characteristic Sketches and Incidents of Missionary Operations and
Prospects in China. New York: Carlton & Porter, 1866.
Maclay publishes his observations and research regarding the Chinese
in 1866, after a residence of twelve years. Maclay provides valuable
information regarding the history, government and several religions
of China as well as mission experiences. His final chapter entitled
“Appeal to the Church” reveals his motive, an attempt
to gain support for the mission movement in China.
Members of the Belles Lettres Society. Carlisle:
Dickinson College, 1941.
Montero, Johanna. “Robert Samuel Maclay.”
http://www.dickinson.edu/~monteroj/R obert%20 Samuel%20Maclay.htm
Paik, George L. The History of Protestant Missions
in Korea 1832-1910. Seoul: Yonsei University Press, 1970.
Porter, Lucius Chapin. China’s Challenge
to Christianity. New York: Mission Education Movement of the
United States and Canada, 1924.
Robert, Dana L. “Holiness and the Missionary
Vision of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist
Episcopal Church 1869-1894.” Methodist History 39,
no. 1. (2000) 15-27.
Robert, Dana L. “The Methodist Struggle over
Higher Education in Fuzhou China, 1877-1883.” Methodist
History 34, no 3. (1996): 173-189.
Robert seeks to explain the high number of Mehodist learning institutions
in the context of the education movement in Fuzhou. Provides a general
background on the Methodist mission in China and focuses specifically
on the role of education. Details the resistance to the mission movement
and struggles in Fuzhou. Alludes to the work of Maclay and his wife.
Simpson, Matthew, ed. Cyclopedia of Methodism.
5th ed. Philadelphia: Everts & Stewart: 1882.
Smith, John T. “Methodism and Education 1849-1902
Book Review.” The Journal of Religion 81. no. 1. (2001)
134-6.
Strickland, Rev. W. P. History of the Missions
of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Cincinnati: R.P Thompson,
1850.
Strickland provides an account of various missions of the Methodist
Episcopal Church before 1850. Describes the early mission in China
with a brief reference to Maclay. Provides the text of the “Report
on the Committee of China” which details the education and medicinal
efforts of the early mission, as well as reasoning for Fuzhou as the
mission location.
Taeko, Hiraiashi. “For the Sake of Our Japanese
Brethren: Book Review.” Pacific Affairs 70 (1997):
454-5.
Thiessen, John Caldwell. A Survey of World Missions.
Chicago: Inter-Varsity Press, 1955.
United Methodist Church Commission on Archives and
History. Missionary Files: Methodist Episcopal Church Missionary
Correspondence, 1846-1912. Wilmington: Scholarly Resources Inc.,
1912.
Whedon, D. D. ed. “Quarterly Book-Table Alphabetic
Dictionary of the Chinese Language in the Foochow Dialect.”
Methodist Quarterly Review 53. (1871): 169.
Whedon, D. D. ed. “Quarterly Book-Table: Life
Among the Chinese: Characteristic Sketches and Incidents of Missionary
Operations and Prospects in China.” Methodist Quarterly
Review 43. (1861): 527.
Wildes, Harry Emerson. Dictionary of American
Biography. Vol. 11. Malone, Dumas ed., New York: Charles Scribner’s
Sons, 1946.
Xu, Xiaogung. “A Successful Crusade to China.”
American Asian Review 10, no. 2. (1992) 51-65.
Discusses the Southern Methodist missionary activity in China. Focuses
on the relationship between the Board of the Church and the China
mission throughout the Methodist expansion in China. Xu asserts education
as the most successful component of the Methodist Mission. Does not
contain information specific to Maclay, but provides a contrast of
the Southern branch of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
December, 2005
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