Bridgman, Elijah C.

English

Yale University

Yale University EliScholar – A Digital Platform for Scholarly Publishing at Yale Yale Divinity Library Occasional Publications Yale Divinity School 1998 Glimpses of Canton: the Diary of Elijah C. Bridgman, 1834-1838 Elijah C. Bridgman Follow this and additional works at: https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/ydl_pub ,tl,Jo.;...:--?t.,e-:}--,~ 1. 1~1::: f'ko.-h ..;_ s~' ~~ ~~ ~~- .1.~ - ~ ~bo-dl..... ur "l<.~ ~ ~ --t.~. £ J.~ L ~oA.. fa,_ .. t-_ ~ ~ ~ k ,-1-tlc-~ ti~ \t- ~ Glimpses of Canton: The Diary of Elijah C. Bridgman 1834-1838 ~- ~ - " ----~ ~ iWL ~ ~ ~ YALE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL LIBRARY OCCASIONAL PUBLI CATION NO . 11 GLIMPSES OF CANTON THE DIARY OF ELIJAH C. BRIDGMAN, 1834-1838 FOREWORD BY MARTHA LUND SMALLEY New HAVEN, CONNECTICUT 1998 COPYRIGHT 1998 YALE DIVINITY SCHOOL LIBRARY The Occasional Publications of the Yale Divinity School Library are sponsored by the George Edward and Olivia Hotchkiss Day Associates 409 Prospect Street New Haven, Connecticut I J FOREWORD T his facsimile reproduction of Elijah C. Bridgman's diary for the years 1834 to 1838 is being publish_ed in connection with an exhibit at the Yale Divinity Library entitled Windows on the World: a Selection of Missionary Diaries. Many missionaries were curious about the customs and cultures of the people among whom they worked. Perhaps more so than diplomatic, military, or business personnel stationed overseas, missionaries were able to walk freely among the common people observing everyday events, and their proselytizing intent gave them strong motive for trying to discern the thoughts and beliefs of the people they encountered. The missionaries' diary entries provide valuable historical insight and factual information about political events, economic conditions, social issues, and local practices. Elijah Coleman Bridgman was the first American missionary to China, arriving in Canton on February 19, 1830. Born in Massachusetts in 1801, he was educated at Amherst College and Andover Theological Seminary before his appointment by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions for service in China. Bridgman's initial and ongoing task in China was to learn the Chinese language, an occupation reflected throughout the journal volume from which these diary entries are taken. Bridgman was involved in translation and literary work in China for three decades. He established a mission press in Canton in 1832 and edited the Chinese Repository until in 1847. He was the first joint secretary of the Society for Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, established in 1834, and a founder of the Morrison Education Society. In 1847, he moved to Shanghai and devoted his time to Bible translation until his death in 1861. Bridgman's diary entries begin in March 17, 1834 and end December 12, 1838. In 1839, Bridgman was forced to remove to Macao because of the political difficulties that resulted in the First Opium War (1839-42). Many of Bridgman's entries record what he saw while walking around the city of Canton. His skill in reporting what he saw is evident in the following sample entry: May 31, 1836 A rat by the tail! Aye, sir, he was by the tail, and alive too. He was a round plump fellow, and well fed. How, where, & when he was caught I don't know. A strong twine was tied round his tail, & in this way he was hung up in the front of the butchers' stall. To the inquiry for the reason of this, the chief man in the establishment answered he was to be sold for food. "Who," said I, "ever heard of eating rats; beef, pork, fowl, fish, etc., are good, but why eat rat?" "To make the hair on the head grow long & sleek," said he, "ladies everywhere eat them for this purpose, & they are truly excellent." The bound volume from which these entries are taken contains a variety of other writings by Bridgman, including a few, very scattered diary entries from the 1850s, notes regarding the proper term in Chinese for "God," notes on Chinese theology, and Chinese language material, including dictionary entries with English translations. In addi-tion, the volume contains an extensive autobiographical sketch by Bridgman's wife, Eliza Jane Gillett Bridgman, written in 1870. This volume was donated to the China Records Project of the Yale Divinity School Library by Donald M. Blodget For more information on the Library's extensive manuscript and archival holdings related to Christian missionary work in China, please contact us via mail, or consult our website at: http://www.library.yale.edu/div/speccoll.htm. 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Glimpses of Canton: the Diary of Elijah C. Bridgman, 1834-1838

https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/context/ydl_pub/article/1015/viewcontent/op11_bridgman_1998.pdf

Glimpses of Canton: the Diary of Elijah C. Bridgman, 1834-1838

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