Moses Clark White (;

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally writte ...

: ''Huáidé''; Foochow Romanized: ''Huài-dáik''; July 24, 1819 – October 24, 1900) was both an American Methodist pioneer missionary in China and a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

Life

Moses Clark White was born in Paris, Oneida County, New York on July 24, 1819. White matriculated at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...

in 1842 and graduated in 1845. After graduation from Wesleyan, he spent two years in

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

studying

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, and sometimes preached in the nearby town of

Milford, Connecticut Milford is a coastal city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located between New Haven and Bridgeport. The population was 50,558 at the 2020 United States Census. The city includes the village of Devon and the borough of Woodmon ...

. On March 13, 1847, White married Jane Isabel Atwater of Homer, who came from

Cortland County, New York Cortland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population of Cortland County was 46,809. The county seat is Cortland. The county is named after Pierre Van Cortlandt, president of the convention at ...

and was then a teacher in the

Sabbath School Sabbath School is a function of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Seventh Day Baptist, Church of God (Seventh-Day), some other sabbatarian denominations, usually comprising a song service and Bible study lesson on the Sabbath. It is usually held b ...

Rochester, N.Y. Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

In September 1847 Moses White and Jane, along with

Judson Dwight Collins Rev. Judson Dwight Collins (; Pinyin: ''Kēlín''; Foochow Romanized: ''Kŏ̤-lìng''; February 12, 1823 - May 13, 1852) was the first Methodist missionary to China. Life On February 12, 1823, Judson Dwight Collins was born into a Methodist fam ...

, arrived in

Foochow Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute t ...

, beginning their missionary work there. Jane, however, fell sick shortly afterwards and finally died of

consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...

on May 25, 1848, at the age of 26. In 1851, White was married a second time to Mary Seely, who came from

Onondaga, New York Onondaga is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States encompassing 65 square miles. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the town had a population of 22,937. The town is named after the native Onondaga tribe, part of the Iroquois Confederacy. O ...

and also went to Foochow as a missionary. During his seven years in Foochow, Moses White conducted a school for the secular and religious instruction of the Foochow people, and after mastering the local

Fuzhou dialect Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute ...

, he translated the

Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and form ...

, which was the first Christian document ever published in that vernacular. At the same time, White also served as a doctor, studying and treating the toxic effects of opium. Due to his poor health, Moses White was forced to leave Foochow in 1853 for

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

(his wife Mary also left one year earlier) where he resumed medical studies at

and began a medical practice which he continued until the end of his life. He received an

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. ...

degree from Yale in 1854. In July 1856, he published in ''

Methodist Quarterly Review Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

'' his summarizing treatise on

'' The Chinese Language Spoken at Fuh Chau''. White died on October 24, 1900.

References

Guide to the Moses Clark White Collection, 1845 - 1900

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Moses Clark 1819 births 1900 deaths Wesleyan University alumni American Methodist missionaries Methodist writers Methodist missionaries in China Christian missionaries in Fujian Christian medical missionaries American expatriates in China Missionary educators