Old China Books: New York to Shanghai only 6 months! Truly a “Slow Boat to China.”
The story of the church in China
By Arthur Romeyn Gray, Arthur M. Sherman
Published 1913
Part 1: The Beginnings in Shanghai
“…it was a whole-hearted send-off, and with tears many and fears many and endless God-be-with-yous ringing in their ears, the little company sailed on December 14th in the good ship “Horatio.”
It was a long journey but a restful one. Several letters were sent back by means of such vessels as were passed at sea, (that being the custom of those days when a ship was not afraid of losing a couple of hours by stopping in midocean,) and these told of some seasickness and much study of the Chinese language. One wonders which was the worst for the beginners. At length on the 24th of April Hong Kong was reached, and after a short stay there the party proceeded to Shanghai…
Shanghai at Last. The 17th of June, 1845, should be a red letter day in the history of our work in the Valley of the Yangtse, for it was then that the small party reached the city which has since been the headquarters of our work, Shanghai.
What days of bewilderment must have followed! The strange looking town, the babel of incomprehensible tongues, the filthy streets, the unspeakable smells, the utter strangeness of it all! And then along with this came the feeling that they were to live in the midst of all this for—perhaps the rest of their lives.
It was a very different thing to take up residence in China in those days from what it is now. No steamships or cables or posts bound the missionary to the home land. Today if a Bishop needs to he can communicate with the Board of Missions and get an answer within twenty-four hours. Then it meant anywhere from five to seven months to do this. Now, there are hospitals and doctors and railroads, but then in illness or trouble there was practically nobody or no thing to turn to. Surely those first days in Shanghai must have been days of wonderment and consternation.…”
I will never complain about a long plane flight to China again. This is truly a slow boat to China. No wonder where this saying comes from!
January 23rd, 2010 at 6:53 am
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