Talmage Memorial by Kip

Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
From Chinese Recorder, Vol. 23, November, 1892, pp. 530...
In Memoriam--A Veteran Gone Home
by Leonard W. Kip of the Amoy Mission

When Dr. Talmage, three years ago, bade good-by to the friends at Amoy, he was also taking leave of the place where so many years of his useful life had been passed. It is forty-five years ago last August since he landed for the first time in Amoy. That was the day of small things.

The converts might be counted on the fingers of one hand. Thus it was that he bore his share, and a large part it was, in the building up of the Church, from the early beginning to the present organized Churches represented in the Tai-hoey, or native Presbytery.

While he loved preaching, into which he threw himself with all his heart and soul, he also greatly enjoyed work in his study. By this he prepared to do a great and lasting work in the instruction and training of preachers and pastors for the growing needs of the Church. When the time came, 30 years ago, to organize a native Presbytery, he took a prominent part in this preparatory step towards the ordaining and installing two native pastors over the 1st and 2nd Churches of Amoy.

The native Christians always found in him a sympathizing and kind helper, and responded by an ever increasing respect and love. Nor was this feeling confined to the natives, bat shared in by his fellow missionaries, as well as the foreign community.

Some may remember him as present at the first missionary conference at Shanghai in 1877. The general esteem in which he was held was testified by choosing him as one of the presiding officers. In this position he contributed much to the successful carrying on of the conference.

As years passed by, and his strength began to fail, he gradually left the care of the country work to the junior members of the mission. This allowed him to devote himself more carefully to theological instruction and literary work. So it came to pass that he was unknown by face to the more distant Churches.
Ten years ago he made a tour of these at the Chinese New Year season. He travelled by easy stages and met the different Churches on appointed days.

Everywhere he created a profound impression by his venerable appearance and his instruction and earnest words to the brethren and sisters w ho bad gathered to see and hear him. Since then he has never been forgotten by these Churches. Enquiries as to his condition were constantly made up to the present time, when all heard with sorrow that he had been taken away. Many inquiries were also made as to whether he would again return to China, but we have been compelled to give a discouraging answer. It was evident that his work in China was done, but not /or China. For sometime before he left, he had been engaged on a dictionary of the characters in the Chinese Bible, with the character sound and meaning given in the Romanized Colloquial.

After his return to his native country he continued to revise and perfect it, while he had strength to do so. But at last the pen was laid down. Now there only remained the waiting for the end of his earthly life and the beginning of the better life above.

And so he passed away, just as he had completed his 73rd year, on Friday,
Aug. 19th, 1892.

Thirty-one years ago he welcomed me to his Chinese home. I may be permitted to look back on those years of brotherly intercourse and communion with emotions of pleasure, as well as gratitude to God, who has so graciously given me so kind and helpful a fellow-laborer. And it is fitting that one who has so long companied with him should write these few and imperfect words of memorial.

His will be an honored name in the Chinese Church History that is yet to be written. A better memorial still will be the Church, whose foundation he helped to lay on the one foundation—Jesus Christ. He lived to see the little one become a thousand. But what is this in comparison to the Church of Jesus that is yet to fill the land. To help in this work were his best efforts given, and so he will assuredly join in the song of rejoicing in heaven and on earth, when this whole region shall have turned from idols to serve the living and true God.

Leonard W. Kip. October, 15, 1892.

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