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From the Evangelical Magazine.

JAPANESE BOOKS.

Extracts of a Letter of the Rer. W. H. Med-
hurst, Missionary at Batavia, dated 20th
July, 1827; addressed to the Directors of the
London Missionary Society.

Honoured Fathers and Brethren,

SINCE I last addressed you, I have been variously and incessantly occupied; and so little leisure have I had, that it has been impossible to get up my journal as usual, or to forward my quarterly communications as before.

Japanese Books transcribed.

ed by all that could give charm and hope to life, he prepared for death; and when he was first seized by the malignant fever, which in a few days terminated his mortal existence, he revealed to his most excellent mother-in-law, Madame Vernet, his apprehensions that he should not see the birth of his child, and that her daughter would soon become a mourning bride. From that moment his whole mind and heart were occupied with those subjects which alone appear important in the prospect of eternity. Every interval of reason was improved to converse on the things of God; and even in his long continued delirium, he spoke, though with incoherence, almost entirely on themes which, in health, exercised so habitually his intellect and his heart. The evening The object that has swallowed up so much before his death, he experienced an alleviation of my time, I will state to you in a few words, of his sufferings, which flattered his family, but and I have no doubt, when you hear the reawhich did not deceive the sufferer. It was son, you will concur in opinion, that it was Just the accustomed hour of family devotion, certainly worth all the time and expense that and he requested that the domestics might be has been bestowed upon it. You are perhaps summoned and placed around his bed, and then aware, that our brother Morrison has (as had his lips, soon to be sealed in death, offered for the late Dr. Milne) long had it in contemplathem and for himself the most fervent and tion to get, if possible, some insight into the humble supplications to the Friend of sinners language of Japan, in order to ascertain wheand the Saviour of the lost. A few hours gave ther the present Chinese version of the Scripthe termination of every hope-the fever retures would do for the Japanese; and, if not, turned with frightful violence, and in the what alteration would be necessary in order to morning he was a corpse! His beloved sister, render it useful and intelligible to the latter and her husband, the Duke de Broglie, though people. No opportunity had occurred for asapproaching him from their chateau in Nor- certaining these facts until last February, when mandy, with the greatest possible despatch, a number of Japanese books came into my were not permitted to hear or to utter a last hands, with liberty to make what use of them adieu! they were at Auxonne, on this side of I could for several months, and to copy as the Jura, when they met the sad messenger of much as I pleased. I soon perceived that the death; and ere their arrival at Coppet, their space of a few months would admit of no more brother had been committed to the grave. The than mere copying, and that, by myself, I could funeral was most solemn; many hundreds of never copy sufficient to be of any utility in that persons, of all classes, pressed to show their re- space of time. I therefore resolved, beside de spect and love, and to express their grief. The voting my whole time for the period specified chateau was full, and the park crowded with to this one object, to hire about a dozen Chi affectionate and deeply afflicted mourners. In nese to assist me in transcribing. The first the celebrated library of the house, the funeral works that struck my attention were dictiona service was read, and an affecting prayer of ries, of which several presented themselves fered up, by the worthy minister of the parish; The first was a Dutch and Japanese Dictiona and an immense train of friends and sufferers ry, drawn up by the Japanese themselves, and formed a most honourable and touching proces- printed in Japan. It consisted of two thic sion, and accompanied the body to the shadow volumes, octavo, very closely printed, and ver of the wood which was the appointed place of full. The Dutch word is first given, (the ar sepulture. Here is the mausoleum erected rangement alphabetical,) then the meaning i over the remains of M. Necker, and his illus- Chinese, and after that, the Japanese to cor trious daughter, Madame de Staël; but it was respond. I copied all the Japanese myself, an at the threshold of this mausoleum that were translated every Dutch word into English, s deposited the remains of their not less distin- that the dictionary now contains four lar guished descendant. He marked the spot him- guages, Dutch, English, Japanese, and Ch self, declaring, with a humility for which he nese. Appended to this, was a Dictionary was so remarkable, that he was unworthy to be bastard Dutch words, taken principally from interred with such illustrious dead. Since his the French and Latin, which had also the Ji death, his youthful widow, who was not per-panese and Chinese meanings annexed. Th mitted, during several days before the departure of her husband, to witness the terrible pro

disconn has given birth to a son.

Third work was a Japanese and Dutch Di tionary, with the Chinese annexed, arrange according to the Japanese alphabet; this ht

258

in

every Chinese word ascertained, with long ex-
planations and extracts from standard works,
proof of the meaning given. Fifthly, there
was copied another Chinese and Japanese Dic-
tionary, also arranged according to the Radi-
cals, but smaller and more compact, with the
meaning of each Chinese word in Japanese.
Sixthly, was transcribed another Chinese and
Japanese Dictionary, arranged on a different
plan, but equally important and useful with the
former; and, Seventhly, I procured two Japa-
nese and Chinese Dictionaries, arranged ac-
cording to the Japanese alphabet, with the
sound of the Chinese characters, and the mean-
ing of every Chinese word in Japanese, toge-
ther with the different methods of writing used
in Japan; appended to which are numerous
graphical representations of Japanese arms and
implements, manners and customs, history and
adventures, geography and astronomy, plates,
maps, and charts-in short, a complete Ency-
clopædia thereby. Thus I have been enabled
to collect eight Dictionaries, of various kinds,
from which I have no doubt that as good a
knowledge of the language can be procured as
is possible out of Japan. Further, I have pro-
cured a transcript of a Japanese and Dutch
Spelling-book, giving the sound of all the let-
ters in the Dutch alphabet, with capitals, ita-
lics, points, and signs (medical and astronomi-
cal), and, in short, every describable mark to
be found in European books, with the method
of joining words; all described and explained
in Japanese, intended, no doubt, primarily, for
the use of the Japanese, in studying European
tongues, but useful alike to Europeans in at-
tending to Japanese literature. Amongst the
other books, I also met with the "Thousand
Character Classic," so well known in China,
with a Corean translation and a Corean alpha-
bet annexed; this I have also copied, with the
hope of its proving useful to some of our Mis-
sionaries, who may in future have their steps
bent towards Corea. Whilst treating of helps
for acquiring languages, I may also mention a
vocabulary of the dialect of Matsmai, which
differs in some respects from the Japanese:
this work was said to be procured in Nanga-
sacky* for fifty rupees, and is now out of print;
however, I have got it copied for about a tenth
of that sum. In addition to the Dictionaries
and other helps, I have transcribed the four
books of Confucius, in Chinese, with a Japa-
nese translation interlined with the Chinese.
This work I consider to be invaluable, because
it shows the precise method in which our
Scriptures must be written, in order to be in-
telligible to the great mass of the Japanese,
and convinces us of the necessity of some addi-
tion being made to our present version; for if
the books of Confucius, which are read in their
schools, and on which their faith is fixed, re-
quire a Japanese translation in order to be in-
telligible, how much more must the books of a
foreign country require it?-books of which
they know nothing, or against which they have
been unjustly prejudiced. Besides the transla-
tion of the Four Books, I perceived the neces-
sity of having some original works in the Ja-
panese language: I therefore got transcribed
a work partly of imagination, and parly histori-

cal, which consists of five volumes;
ther of three; besides a work on m
description of canes, a treatise on app
finally, two works-one consisting
and the other of ten volumes, treati
botany, natural history, and statistics
with the history and manners of th
from the earliest ages to the present

From my anxiety to collect as ma
rials as possible, while the opportun
I have had less leisure for studying
guage itself; but from what little
have been able to get into it, I have
the Chinese characters are not in ge
in Japan, except in a very abbreviate
with some Japanese characters by th
explain their meaning. The Japan
bet consists of forty-seven letters,
there are two forms, like our Ger
and the Roman letters; and eith
other of these forms appears by the
Chinese in alinost all their book
therefore, to be generally useful in Ja
be written in this way; and, with
now in my possession, I have littl
being able (if spared) to make such
to the present version of the Chin
tures, as to render them intelligible
panese. Providence in the mean
open a way for the admission of ligh
dark and benighted land. It is a g
that books begin to be brought awa
pan, and that Missionaries have fall
them; perhaps something better m
in reserve: our duty is to embrac
opening, to make the best of the me
in our hands, and leave the ever
Japan has been hitherto sealed a
Gospel-no Missionary could pos
near its shore, neither could any na
from thence-little was known of
guage by the propagators of true C
and little did the Japanese know of
as it really is. Now God seems to
a way for us to acquire some knowl
former; and who can tell, but in th
a few years, he may also bring abon
of communicating the latter? The
travelling westward toward us, and
vite us to travel eastward in our th
exertions towards them. Oh, tha
would answer our expectations, that
fear Jehovah from the west, and his
the rising of the sun." The word
pun, means expressly "the rising su
this prophecy in Isaiah may be acco
without much distortion, to the pr
Upon the whole, I think you will co
I did right to embrace the oppor
placed in my hands, and I dare s
not complain of the time that has
on this important object, or of
(about 600 Java rupees*) which ha
out upon it.

From the Baptist Magazi EDUCATION IN IRELA THE Commissioners of "Educati appointed by the House of Common

sented their Ninth and final Report, dated London, June 2, 1827. This was ordered to be printed on the 18th of the same month.

It will be recollected by our readers, that, in their First Report, they had recommended that schools should be established in Ireland, in which the children of Roman Catholics, and of the different sects of Protestants, should be taught together, each school having masters of the same denomination with those of the parents of the children. The Commissioners now say:

"During the progress of our inquiries into these Institutions, we were requested by his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant to submit to the test of actual experiment the plan of education recommended in our First Report; and, in order to enable us as well to effect this, as to complete the inquiries in which we were already engaged, your Majesty was graciously pleased to extend for a year the period originally allotted for the duration of our commis

sion.

"It has therefore become our duty to represent to your Majesty, that, in our attempt to effect that object, we have experienced difficulties, which have not only prevented us from establishing schools in which the experiment might be fully tried, but have induced us to desist altogether from any further proceedings in that undertaking." p. 3.

The insurmountable difficulty referred to, was the arrangement of the books, the use of which formed so essential a part of the plan so recommended. They say, "until this preliminary step should be secured, it would have been obviously premature to appoint masters, or provide school houses." p. 5.

The Commissioners say "We beg leave to recal to your Excellency's recollection the particulars of a Minute of Conference held between our Board and the four Roman Catholic Archbishops on this subject, bearing date the 8th January, 1825, and which, so far as relates to the works in question, was as follows:

"In these suggestions, for uniting Protestant and Roman Catholic children in literary, and separating them only for religious instruction, Dr. Murray expressed his concurrence.

"The Commissioners then observed, that separate religious instruction should not commence until the difference of religious belief should make it impossible for instruction any longer to be received in common; and they inquired whether it would be objected to, on the part of the Roman Catholic clergy, that the more advanced of the Protestant and Roman Catholic children should, at certain times, during school hours, read portions of the Holy Scriptures together, and in the same classes, but out of their respective versions, subject to

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apart for the purpose of receiving religious instruction; and he said that there could be no pos sible objection to the Roman Catholic children then reading out of the sacred volume itself the gospels and epistles of the week; he added, that no objection would be made to a harmony of the gospels being used in the general education which the children should receive in common, nor to a volume containing extracts from the Psalms, Proverbs, and book of Ecclesiasticus, nor to a volume containing the history of the Creation, of the Deluge, of the Patriarchs, of Joseph, and of the deliverance of the Israelites, extracted from the Old Testament; and that he was satisfied no difficulties in arranging the details of such works would arise on the part of the Roman Catholic clergy.

"The Commissioners then stated, that they considered it of the utmost moment that no books or catechisms should be admitted, either in the course of the literary or religious instruction, containing matter calculated to excite contempt, hatred, or any uncharitable feeling, in any class, towards persons of a different religious persuasion.

To this Dr. Murray cordially assented." p. 5. and First Report, p. 96.

Several plans were submitted, first to the Protestant Archbishops and Bishops, and then to the Roman Catholic Prelates, to obtain such a compilation of the Scriptures as would be unexceptionable to both parties. Two selections were submitted, one by the Protestant Bishops, entitled "Scripture Lessons;" another by the Roman Catholics, called "Christian Lessons." On the former being subunitted to Dr. Murray, the titular Archbishop of Dublin, he replied, in a letter to the President of the Commissioners

"As the work which you have had the goodness to send me is a compilation taken exclusively and verbatim from the Protestant version of the New Testament, I think it would be open to the objections already stated by the Catholic Archbishops to the Commissioners with reference to a similar work. Allow me, however, to observe, that those objections might, in my opinion, be removed, if the matter of the work were abstracted both from the Catholic and Protestant versions, where they substantially agree, without the words being taken throughout literatum from either, according to the principles explained by us to the Commissioners, when last we had the honour of an interview with them." p. 12.

A work prepared by one of the Commissioners, entitled "Christian Lessons," it was understood would be approved by the Roman Catholic clergy. On this being submitted to them, they made some alterations in it and proposed it as the school book.

"In some instances, too, the sense is expressed in words which, though intended to be a faithful translation of the original, are not in the precise language of either version. Your Grace will observe also, that a few of the lessons have been put together with a view to inculcate particular Christian duties, the texts composing which have been selected from various parts of the New Testament, according to the discretion of the compiler. The remainder of the work appears not to differ very materially from the selection submitted to our notice by the direction of the Archbishop of Dublin; and it has been submitted to us under the idea that it might (if at all admissible) be much improved and enlarged, by the introduction of some extracts, as well from the Old Testament, as from the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles." p. 13.

had adopted, in reference to general ed on the 25th of January, as follow:-

"1. Having considered attentively a national education which has been s to us,-Resolved, that the admission of tants and Roman Catholics into th school, for the purpose of literary ins may, under existing circumstances, be provided sufficient care be taken to pr religion of the Roman Catholic child to furnish them with adequate means gious instruction.

"2. That in order to secure suffic tection to the religion of the Roman children, under such a system of educ deem it necessary that the master school in which the majority of the pu fess the Roman Catholic faith, be Catholic; and that in schools in w Roman Catholic children form only a a permanent Roman Catholic assista ployed, and that such master and as

The following extract from the reply of the Lord Primate to Thomas Frankland Lewis, Esq. President of the Commissioners, will show some of the objections to the "Christian Les-appointed upon the recommendation sons."

"I am now to inform the Commissioners what objections can be made, on the part of the Established Church, to the volume which they have substituted. To me it appears, that the point at issue between the two volumes is no less than that great question between the Churches of Rome and England, what is the rule of faith?' The Church of Rome gives authority, the Church of England gives evidence, as the basis of Christianity: the latter appears as a faithful witness of the sacred records, and of the interpretation which has been put upon them by the first believers; the former, as an infallible teacher, drawing her doctrines and institutions from herself, or from a secret store of tradition, which is independent of the written word, and the key of which has been committed to her custody by the great Founder of our Religion. In our system, the Church is nothing without the Scriptures; in that of Rome, its powers and doctrines might have been as they are, had the New Testament never been written. This irreconcileable difference between the two Churches appears upon the first inspection of the volume now before me. The work which we prepared is provided with references to the sacred writers, so that every reader may satisfy himself of the fidelity of the quotation; and, if he be competent to such inquiries, of the correctness of the original reading, and accuracy of the version. There are no references in the printed work. The Church delivers her Christian Lessons,' as they are styled, but without any intimation that they are derived from a higher authority. There is nothing wherein a child or a peasant could conjecture that there was such a book as the New Testament in existence. This omission you will perceive to be of vital importance. Should Government or the Legislature determine on insisting upon the circulation of the work, it will be our duty to submit; but we could not express our consent, and still less give our active support to the measure, without withdrawing our protest against the as

the express approval of the Roman Bishop of the diocese in which they employed; and further, that they, of them, be removed upon the represe such Bishop."

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"4. That in conformity with the protecting the religion of the Roma children, the books intended for their instruction in religion shall be selec proved by the Roman Catholic Pr book or tract for common instructi rature shall be introduced into any which Roman Catholic children are which book or tract may be objected ligious grounds, by the Roman Cath of the diocese in which such scho blished.

"6. That appointed, as we have Divine Providence, to watch over a the deposit of Catholic faith in I responsible as we are to God for t our flocks, we will, in our respectiv withhold our concurrence and su any system of education which wi accord with the principles expres foregoing resolutions." p. 16.

The Archbishop of Armagh rer these

"Various misgivings are awake mind by these resolutions; the su is, that the source of the present d out of the power of the Commission me leave to suggest a very easy m mitting the justness of this opinion ment. One of the objects of the Con and I presume the chief one, in rec schools of general instruction, wa kindly sympathies of our nature, by habits of youthful companions as the benign precepts of the Go be matured, as life advanced, into ties of Christian neighbourhood. I however, that the success of this will entirely depend on the care sinister influences are excluded minds of the children, during the

will of course be used on these occasions for the children of that communion, contains the following questions and answers:

"Q. Is there but one true church? A. Although there be many sects, there is but one true religion, and one true church.

"Q. Why is there but one true church?-A. As there is but one true God, there can be but one true church.

"Q. How do you call the true church?-A. The Roman Catholic Church.

"Q. Are all obliged to be of that true church? A. Yes.

"Q. Why are all obliged to be of that true church?-A. Because no one can be saved out of it.

"Q. How many ways are there of sinning against faith?-A. Chiefly three.

"Q. What are these three ways?-A. First, by not seeking to know what God has taught; secondly, by not believing what God has taught, &c.

"Q. Who are they who do not believe what God has taught?-A. Heretics and infidels.

"The Commissioners will surely agree with me, in thinking that it would be desirable to have these passages expunged; that as long as they shall continue to be privately inculcated upon the Roman Catholic children by their religious instructors, any other lessons they may receive will teach them dissimulation rather than cordial good feeling. The same wise and benevolent motives which make the Commissioners desirous to discover a religious book which might be common to all parties, must inspire the anxiety that what is peculiar in religion should be conveyed to the youthful mind without poisoning or drying up the fountain of those sentiments which, next to the love of God, it is the great business of the Gospel to feed and purify-peace on earth, good-will towards man.' Let them, then, endeavour to reinove these questions and answers. Should they succeed, the appointment of their Board will indeed be an auspicious era in the history of this country. But if they fail, or if it should be their feeling that they ought not to try that these matters are beyond their sphere, that they relate so exclusively to religion as not to be approached without invading the rights of conscience, I can no longer elude the desponding conviction, that their wishes will be disappointed, and their labours ineffectual." pp. 16, 17.

The following letter from the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, will show the termination at which this business arrived:

"Dear Sir-I have been honoured with your letter of the 14th instant, intimating a wish to receive an answer to the suggestion

of making further inquiry, as all reasonable ground of doubt appeared to me to be removed by my letters of the 17th July and 26th December of last year. I can, however, have no difficulty in stating anew, in terms, if possible, more explicit than I did before, that the Roman Catholic Prelates objected to the compilation in question, on the ground that it is composed of passages taken exclusively and verbatim from the Protestant translation of the New Testament; and that so long as it shall continue to retain that character, they will not recommend the use of it in the national schools, under any modification which it can

assume.

"I will avail myself of this opportunity to express an opinion, which you will not, I am sure, consider at variance with that respect which I sincerely entertain for the Board of Education Inquiry; it is, that the Board has created for itself a very needless difficulty, by requiring, as a matter of necessity, any scriptural compilation to be used in schools, for the purpose of general instruction. Were the religious instruction of the children confided wholly to the care of their respective pastors, what appears to be the only remaining ground of disagreement would be removed; and the rest of the plan suggested by the Commissioners might, without any difficulty, be carried into immediate and extensive operation." p. 26.

As the Commissioners could not agree upon a united Report, three of them, T. Frankland Lewis, W. Grant, and A. R. Blake, Esqrs. state as follows:

"We are still of opinion, that for the children of the lower orders in Ireland, a system of separate education would be found to be pregnant with evils; that it would tend to increase, rather than to diminish, that distinctress of feeling between persons of different religious persuasions, which is already too prevalent; and we think it therefore most desirable, that a system should be adopted, under which the children might imbibe similar ideas, and form congenial habits, and from which suspicion should, if possible, be banished, and the causes of distrust and jealousy be effectually removed.

"We are of opinion, also, that no system of education can be considered as deserving of that name, which shall not seek to lay the foundations of all moral obligation in religious instruction; but as the difference of their respective tenets renders it difficult for children to receive religious instruction together, we still think that no better course can be adopted than that of uniting children of the different persuasions, for the purpose of instructing them in the general objects of literary knowledge and of providing facilities for their instruction

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