Geraldine Taylor
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Mary Geraldine Guinness a.k.a. Mrs. Howard Taylor 金樂婷(December 25, 1865 – June 6, 1949), was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China, and author of many missionary biographies regarding the history of the China Inland Mission (renamed as Overseas Missionary Fellowship, (now OMF International [1]). She was the daughter of the famous revivalist preacher and author Henry Grattan Guinness, a friend of James Hudson Taylor, founder of the CIM. She became Taylor's daughter-in-law when she married his son (and fellow CIM missionary), Frederick Howard Taylor.
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[edit] Single woman and missionary
In her youth, Geraldine taught a Bible class for "factory-girls" in Bromley-by-Bow in the East End of London where they lived. She attended meetings at "Berger Hall" named after William Thomas Berger.
She left London for China as a second-class passenger on the "Kaisar-i-Hind" in January, 1888, age 22. The Hundred missionaries had all sailed to China the previous year. Aboard ship with her were the Pigott family of The Sheo Yang Mission (who were eventually killed during the Boxer Rebellion). At Colombo, Sri Lanka the missionary party boarded the "S.S. Deccan", bound for Shanghai. A stop in Penang, Malaysia allowed Geraldine a first contact with many Chinese who came on board. Then a stop at Singapore followed. Her first time on Chinese soil was later at a stop at Hong Kong.[1]Shanghai was reached at last. But Shanghai was not their final destination. Staying only long enough to exchange their European clothes for the national Chinese costume, the missionaries started on again, leaving this first station of the China Inland Mission behind them, and travelling north two and a half days' journey up the Yangtze River to Yangzhou. She arrived at Yangzhou on March 23, 1888.[2]
She wrote to her sister after a short time in China:
| “ | Oh ! if English Christians only knew the need and the longing willingness of these dear souls to hear the glad tidings, and the joy, the unspeakable joy of a missionary's life, they would surely cry from the depths of yearning hearts, " Lord, here am I, send me, send me."[3] | ” |
After training in China, Geraldine was stationed in Henan Province.
[edit] Legacy
Geraldine Taylor's books have inspired generations of young missionaries such as Jim and Elizabeth Elliot to engage in overseas work. However, her writings have received some criticism for omitting some less favorable details of her subjects, specifically regarding the life of Hudson Taylor. Historians Ruth Tucker and John Pollock have noted with dismay the lack of detail given to Taylor's humanity and personal relationships. Writer Alvyn Austin bluntly accuses her of a "conspiracy of silence" about the workings of the mission. Alfred James Broomhall's perspective as the definitive historian of the CIM is more sympathetic, as he cites the need for prudence and tact that often motivated Geraldine's editorial decisions.
Her niece, Joy Guinness, wrote her biography entitled Mrs. Howard Taylor: Her Web of Time, published by the China Inland Mission.
[edit] Published Works
- Peru: Its Story, People and Religion (1909)
- In the Far East (1889)
- The Story of the China Inland Mission (2 Vols.) read vol II here 1893
- One of China's Christians 1902 (Biography of Xi Shengmo)
- Guinness of Honan, China Inland Mission (1930) (Biography of her brother, Dr. Gershom Whitfield Guinness)
- Borden of Yale '09 1913 (Biography of William Whiting Borden)
- Hudson Taylor In Early Years; The Growth of a Soul 1911
- Hudson Taylor and the China Inland Mission; The Growth of a Work of God 1918
- Though War Should Rise 1914
- Pearl's Secret 1920?
- The Call of China's Great North-West, or, Kansu and Beyond, London: China Inland Mission (1923)
- With P’u and His Brigands 1922
- Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret 1932 (an abridged version of the previous 2-volume biography)
- Faith's Venture 1932
- Margaret King’s Vision 1934
- The Triumph of John and Betty Stam 1935
- By Faith: biography of Henry Frost 1938
- Sirs, Be of Good Cheer 1941
- A Story Without End
- Behind the Ranges: Fraser of Lisuland, S. W. China, Lutterworth press and the China inland mission 1944 (Biography of James O. Fraser)
[edit] References
- Guinness, Lucy (1889). In The Far East: Letters From Geraldine Guinness in China. London: Morgan & Scott.
- Broomhall, Alfred (1989). Hudson Taylor and China's Open Century: It Is Not Death To Die. London: Hodder and Stoughton.
- Broomhall, Marshall (1915). The Jubilee Story of the China Inland Mission. London: Morgan and Scott.
- Guinness, Mary Geraldine (1893). The Story of the China Inland Mission vol II. London: Morgan and Scott.
- Pollock, John (1964). Hudson Taylor and Maria Pioneers in China.
- Steer, Roger (1990). Hudson Taylor: A Man In Christ. London: Hodder and Stoughton.
- Taylor, Dr. and Mrs. Howard (1918). Hudson Taylor and the China Inland Mission; The Growth of a Work of God. London: Morgan and Scott.
- Tucker, Ruth (1983). From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya A Biographical History of Christian Missions. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan. ISBN 0310239370.
[edit] Notes
[edit] Further Reading
[edit] External links
- Hudson Taylor in Early Years-The Growth of a Soul - Volume 1 by Dr. and Mrs Howard Taylor
- Christian Biography Resources
- OMF International (formerly China Inland Mission and Overseas Missionary Fellowship)
- Missionary E-Texts Archive: Historical Writings by, about and for Missionaries
- Hudson Taylor in Early Years-The Growth of a Soul - Volume 1
- Taylor family tree
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Guinness, Mary Geraldine |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Guinness, M. Geraldine ; Guinness, Geraldine ; Taylor, Geraldine ; Taylor, Mrs. Howard |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Missionary in China and Author |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 25, 1865 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Liverpool, Lancashire, England |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 6, 1949 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
