Percy C. Mather
Encyclopedia
Percy Cunningham Mather was a pioneer British
Protestant Christian
missionary
to China
, the second China Inland Mission
missionary to Xinjiang
.
Mather was born in Fleetwood
, Lancashire
, England
in 1884, the son of a railway employee and an Irish nurse. Mather went into railway service like his father. In 1903 he was converted to Christianity
through the ministry of J. H. Doddrell of the Wesleyan Methodist Church
. Mather soon became a Sunday school teacher and local preacher. While his ordination was delayed, he learned about the China Inland Mission (CIM) and decided to go to China after assisting his sister financially to get an education.
In 1910 Mather sailed to Shanghai
, then moved up the Yangtze river to attend the Anqing
language school. Afterward he was stationed in Ningguo
in Anhui
Province. Mather was influenced by reading Roland Allen
's book, "Missionary Methods: St. Paul's or Ours?" and then he volunteered to join George Hunter
in Ürümqi
, Xinjiang
, arriving there in 1914. Until 1926 the two itinerated in Xinjiang and Outer Mongolia
. When Mather joined him, Hunter had a work among all the different peoples of Central Asia. Mather joined full heartedly in the work, but his specific focus was towards the Mongols. Quickly he set about learning Mongol, but the only Mongol teacher he could find in the city with extra time was in the local jail. Afterward he produced a grammar, and a dictionary in Oirat Mongolian, as well as a grammar and dictionary of Manchurian, but they were never published, and it is unclear what became of the manuscripts.
Following intensive medical studies while on furlough in 1927, Mather returned to China to concentrate on medical work as well as on translations, grammars, and dictionaries of Mongolian languages.
Mather was caught up in hostilities in China during the Chinese Civil War
, and was accused of political intrigue. He died on May 24, 1933, of typhus
, during the siege of Ürümqi, when caring for people wounded during the Muslim Rebellion led by Ma Chung-ying. He was buried in Ürümqi.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Protestant Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, the second China Inland Mission
China Inland Mission
OMF International is an interdenominational Protestant Christian missionary society, founded in Britain by Hudson Taylor on 25 June 1865.-Overview:...
missionary to Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
.
Mather was born in Fleetwood
Fleetwood
Fleetwood is a town within the Wyre district of Lancashire, England, lying at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 26,840 people at the 2001 Census. It forms part of the Greater Blackpool conurbation. The town was the first planned community of the Victorian era...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1884, the son of a railway employee and an Irish nurse. Mather went into railway service like his father. In 1903 he was converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
through the ministry of J. H. Doddrell of the Wesleyan Methodist Church
Wesleyan Methodist Church (Great Britain)
The Wesleyan Methodist Church was the name used by the major Methodist movement in Great Britain following its split from the Church of England after the death of John Wesley and the appearance of parallel Methodist movements...
. Mather soon became a Sunday school teacher and local preacher. While his ordination was delayed, he learned about the China Inland Mission (CIM) and decided to go to China after assisting his sister financially to get an education.
In 1910 Mather sailed to Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, then moved up the Yangtze river to attend the Anqing
Anqing
Anqing is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Anhui province, East China. It borders Lu'an to the north, Chaohu to the northeast, Tongling to the east, Chizhou to the southeast, and the provinces of Jiangxi and Hubei to the south and west respectively....
language school. Afterward he was stationed in Ningguo
Ningguo
Ningguo is a county-level city in the province of Anhui，People's Republic of China, under the administration of Xuancheng City. It has a population of 380,000 and an area of ....
in Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
Province. Mather was influenced by reading Roland Allen
Roland Allen
-Life:He was born in Bristol, England, the son of an Anglican priest; but was orphaned early in life. He trained for ministry at Oxford and became a priest in 1893. Allen spent two periods in Northern China working for the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel...
's book, "Missionary Methods: St. Paul's or Ours?" and then he volunteered to join George Hunter
George W. Hunter (missionary)
George W. Hunter was a Scottish Protestant Christian missionary in China and Turkestan. He served with the China Inland Mission.-Early life:...
in Ürümqi
Ürümqi
Ürümqi , formerly Tihwa , is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
, Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
, arriving there in 1914. Until 1926 the two itinerated in Xinjiang and Outer Mongolia
Outer Mongolia
Outer Mongolia was a territory of the Qing Dynasty = the Manchu Empire. Its area was roughly equivalent to that of the modern state of Mongolia, which is sometimes informally called "Outer Mongolia" today...
. When Mather joined him, Hunter had a work among all the different peoples of Central Asia. Mather joined full heartedly in the work, but his specific focus was towards the Mongols. Quickly he set about learning Mongol, but the only Mongol teacher he could find in the city with extra time was in the local jail. Afterward he produced a grammar, and a dictionary in Oirat Mongolian, as well as a grammar and dictionary of Manchurian, but they were never published, and it is unclear what became of the manuscripts.
Following intensive medical studies while on furlough in 1927, Mather returned to China to concentrate on medical work as well as on translations, grammars, and dictionaries of Mongolian languages.
Mather was caught up in hostilities in China during the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
, and was accused of political intrigue. He died on May 24, 1933, of typhus
Typhus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
, during the siege of Ürümqi, when caring for people wounded during the Muslim Rebellion led by Ma Chung-ying. He was buried in Ürümqi.
See also
- Historical Bibliography of the China Inland Mission
- George W. HunterGeorge W. Hunter (missionary)George W. Hunter was a Scottish Protestant Christian missionary in China and Turkestan. He served with the China Inland Mission.-Early life:...
- Emil FischbacherEmil FischbacherEmil Fischbacher 巴醫生 was a Scottish Protestant Christian missionary to Xinjiang. He served with the China Inland Mission.Fischbacher was born in Glasgow, Scotland, 9 August 1903....
- Otto F. SchoernerOtto F. SchoernerOtto Frederick Schoerner was a missionary with the China Inland Mission to Chinese Turkestan and Gansu....
- List of China Inland Mission missionaries in China