Talk:Robert Morrison (missionary)

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[edit] Quote

I removed the quote listed earlier, which actually is attributed to William Milne, Morrison's colleague.

[edit] Requested move

Robert Morrison (missionary) → Robert Morrison — This should be the primary page rather than one among several on the disambig page. Cf. WP:DISAMBIG#Primary_topic. Brian0324 18:57, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

I oppose that move. There are about a dozen other Robert Morrisons on the disambiguation page, and the main reason that this one has so many incoming links is its inclusion in the template Template:Protestant missions to China (which is transcluded in nearly 200 pages). I like templates being used to facilitate navigation between articles, but that transclusion should not lead to overriding the normal dismabiguation process, which works much much better when the primary page is the dab page. --BrownHairedGirl (talk) • (contribs) 19:33, 12 November 2007 (UTC)
Unless there is some justification to make this Robert Morrison a primary subject compared to the numerous other Robert Morrisons, no move should be done and Robert Morrison should remain a disambig page. Dl2000 20:20, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

I did a search on Google minus all Wikipedia sites and he is the only subject of all of the other individuals on the disambiguation pages that I could find in the first 3 pages (30 sites) of search results. The missionary is really the primary subject on the web and Wikipedia should reflect that.Brian0324 21:49, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

Brian0324, I think you are misunderstanding the policy about making something a primary page. We should make something a primary page only when the term is almost exclusively used in one manner with perhaps incidental or very outdated uses existing for the term in question. If the term has many multiple uses then a disamg page is most helpful to aid readers in finding the correct entry. FloNight♥♥♥ 22:03, 12 November 2007 (UTC)
I don't dispute that there are other Robert Morrisons, but there are none as notable. Is there one other that comes close? Joseph Smith, Jr. could be called Joseph Smith (Mormon), but I think that it makes sense as it is. I'm just saying that the missionary is most searched for.Brian0324 22:08, 12 November 2007 (UTC)
The point I was trying to make is that we do not give the term to the most notable when there are many other common uses for the term. Doing so causes problems. For example, would result in improper linking to the most notable use when folks intended it to be used for another purpose. This causes unnecessary confusion and wrong usage that can be avoided by using a disamb page which alerts readers/editors that the term may be used in multiple ways. FloNight♥♥♥ 22:18, 12 November 2007 (UTC)


I don't see a clear primary topic here. There isn't a single individual who dominates search results. A primary topic isn't just one that is first among close to equals, it is one that clearly predominates against all other uses of the term combined. (Whether we should have all the redlinks in the disambiguation page is debatable, but not relevant to whether this is the primary topic. GRBerry 22:13, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

Robert Morrison (rower) is the only other Wikipedia article that has the exact same name. A disambiguation link at the top of the page for the missionary should solve any confusion.Brian0324 22:37, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

I oppose the proposed move for the same reasons given by BrownHairedGirl and GRBerry above. Ubi Terrarum 00:35, 13 November 2007 (UTC)

  • Robert Morrison, 1st Baron Morrison was called Robert Morrison for much of his life, and prsumably still is, especially since the barony is extinct. If this Robert Morrison were clearly more notable, we could deal; but I don't see that he is. Nor that he would be if first' Protestant missionary in China were proven, which it is not. (Likely, yes.) Septentrionalis PMAnderson 03:03, 13 November 2007 (UTC)
    • This is off topic - but it is cited in the article that he was the first. I've never seen that in dispute.
  • Oppose. Given the number of people with this name how can we really decide a primary use? Vegaswikian 03:15, 13 November 2007 (UTC)
  • There is a fair amount of disagreement with this move. Understood that the evidence needs to be beyond doubt for the use of his name to be unmodified.Brian0324 15:42, 13 November 2007 (UTC)
    • Am I right to read that as meaning that you have withdrawn the move request? If so, could you remove the {{move}} tag from the top of the page? Thanks. --BrownHairedGirl (talk) • (contribs) 16:40, 13 November 2007 (UTC)
      • Done. Thanks to everyone for the input.Brian0324 17:28, 13 November 2007 (UTC)