|
||||||||
William David Rudland (February, 1839 – 10 January 1912) was a British Protestant missionary to China with the China Inland Mission. He was one of the pioneer missionaries that were recruited in the early years of the agency by Hudson Taylor. Serving over forty years in China, Rudland translated the New Testament into the Taizhou vernacular (a romanized version), and published the work at the printing press that he operated with a native helper. In the year 1906 alone, Rudland's press (that had been brought over with the Lammermuir Party in 1866) printed 1000 Psalms with references, 500 copies of Genesis, 2000 Chinese character tracts, and 20,000 other Chinese character books.[1]
Contents |
William Rudland was born in Harston, but lived in Eversden, Cambridgeshire, the son of William Rudland and Abigail Newman. He was a blacksmith and a farm mechanic by trade.
Rudland was not disqualified for service as a missionary by his lack of formal education or ordination. The newly formed China Inland Mission was recruiting from all classes of society, seeking only individuals with a common devotion to the “Great Commission” given by Jesus, to “Preach the gospel to every creature”. Rudland joined the mission and accompanied the “Lammermuir Party” to China, leaving London in May, 1866.
During the treacherous four month voyage to China, Rudland made use of his blacksmith skills to make small repairs to the Lammermuir (clipper). There were daily language lessons in Chinese – something that Rudland struggled with a great deal at first. But his determination was noteworthy. He is quoted as saying:
"I could put up with anything, could I but tell (the Chinese) of a Saviour’s love."
The group arrived in China on 30 September 1866.
One of the fellow missionaries aboard the vessel was an attractive woman named Mary Bell. She had managed to gather the attention of many of the sailors to attend Bible studies with her during the voyage. Evidently, she did not go unnoticed by Rudland, either. The two were married the following year in China.
Initially, all of the “Lammermuir Party” lived in Hangzhou, under the close leadership of Hudson Taylor. Frederick Howard Taylor and his wife, Geraldine later recalled the situation:
How little Rudland, for example, or any one else in those early days, could have foreseen the usefulness for which he was being fitted. Of all the Hangchow party he was the one who seemed, at any rate to himself, least likely to do much in China. He could not get hold of the language ; and the more he tried to study the worse became the -headaches, that left him utterly discouraged. But Mr. Taylor was developing as a leader no less than his fellow-workers along other lines.
" I wonder could you spare time to help me a little ? " he said to Rudland one day, after prayerfully considering how to meet the difficulty.
Gladly would I," responded the young man, " but what is there I can do ? "
" Well, I am troubled about the printing-press. The workmen seem to get through so little when left to themselves, and I really have not time to look after them. You managed so well in putting the press together ; do you not think you could superintend it for me now ? "
In vain Rudland protested that he knew nothing about printing.
" If you will just go in and begin at the beginning," said Mr. Taylor, " the men will be pleased to show you how to set up type, etc., and the fact of your being there will keep them to their work."
So Rudland left his books for the cheerful activity of the printing-room. The workmen were glad to have his company and proud to display their superior knowledge. Listening to their conversation by the hour together, he found himself picking up words and phrases more quickly than he could discover their English equivalents. It was the Gouin system to perfection I and all his spare time he was fain to spend over the dictionary to make out what he had been learning. The headaches were soon conquered, and the lines laid down for a life service, that was to include the translation and printing of almost the entire Scriptures in a dialect spoken by millions to whom the Word of God was thus made accessible.
After the Rudlands were married, the couple endured the violence of the Yangzhou riot of 1868. One of the targets of the rioters was the printing press that Rudland operated there.
In 1869, Rudland and his family were assigned to the city of Taizhou, Jiangsu, where he would spend many years.
William and Mary had several children in China: Ebenezer William Rudland born September 1868 in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu; Marie Annie Rudland born November 1869; Charles Rudland born 1871; and Grace Bell Rudland born August 1872.
In 1870, little Annie died and she was buried at the mission premised at Hangzhou next to the Taylor's daughter, Grace Dyer Taylor. However, due to the danger of offending Chinese cultural practices, her grave was removed to the small Protestant cemetery in Zhenjiang, again next to the Taylor family plot. The cemetery was destroyed during the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
Mary’s struggle with tuberculosis was failing in 1874 and they attempted to return to England on furlough for her to recover. She died on 23 October 1874 in London.
William married another missionary named Brealey and continued to serve in Taizhou. Wallace George Rudland was born to the couple in October 1876. Rudland was widowed a second time in 1878. The following year, on 16 December 1879, he was married again to another missionary named Annie K. Knight. Anna Rosa Rudland was born to them in September 1880.
Rudland made a second furlough to England in November 1887. He returned to China and lived in Taizhou until his death of cancer in January, 1912.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||