10 John Scudder

Chapter 10

JOHN SCUDDER

IT is always interesting to discover the fountain head of a great stream, hidden perhaps in a glacier far up on a mountainside. Likewise, there is profit in tracing any large and helpful movement of modern times to its origin. To-day medical missionaries, on errands on healing for body and soul, are found in every clime, and their name is legion. Where and when, in human history, did this great and beneficent mission have its beginning?

We can be sure that the name of the first medical missionary in the modern movement was John. But was it John Thomas, John Vanderkemp, or John Scudder? John Thomas, a ship’s doctor, had left his vessel at Calcutta, for the purpose of preaching the gospel to the people of India, some years before William Carey began his work. Then John Vanderkemp, of Holland, a physician of considerable reputation, who had been living in retirement for several years, was appointed in 1798 by the Missionary Society in London, for services in South Africa. But in the case of neither John Thomas nor John Vanderkemp did a knowledge of medicine appear to have influenced the appointing Society. Nor is there evidence that either man was expected to use his medical skill in the discharge of his duties as missionary. It seems clear that each one of these men considered he had turned aside from medical work, in order to preach the gospel. Each, however, may have practised medicine and surgery incidentally, as circumstances required. But it appears that John Scudder was the first missionary ever appointed because of his training as a physician, as well as because of his desire to proclaim the gospel. The American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions had been in existence only a few years, when it realized the importance of sending out men who could follow Christ’s example in healing the sick. Accordingly, the Board advertised for one who could qualify both as an evangelist and as a physician, for work in Ceylon. The appeal was read by Dr. John Scudder, a prosperous physician of New York City, whose missionary enthusiasm was already at white heat from having read a leaflet shown him by one of his patients. The leaflet was entitled " The Conversion of the World, or the Claims of Six Hundred Millions." This unexpected appeal for the dedication of his knowledge of medicine and surgery came to a man who from boyhood had been sensitive to the whisperings of duty. The parents had dedicated John Scudder to God a few months after his birth, on September 3, 1793, at Freehold, New Jersey. The father, Joseph Scudder, was a lawyer of repute and a gentleman of the old school. The mother, Maria Scudder, was a woman of exceptional culture, piety, and winsomeness, whose family had made a gallant record in Revolutionary days. His mother’s Christian character and the sturdy qualities of his grandfather were perpetuated in the child. As a lad, John Scudder would run about the streets of Freehold, gathering sticks for the fires of the poor. Once, when tugging at a heavy piece of wood, some one called to him, " John, what are you going to do with that? " He replied, " I am taking it to Miss Becky, who has no fire." At Princeton College, young Scudder had manifested deep interest in the conversion of his fellow students. He wished to enter the Christian ministry, but his father objected, and he therefore decided in favor of medicine rather than law. In time, he was graduated from the New York Medical College, and he secured considerable professional training as resident physician at the Almshouse. This was followed by a few years given to general practise. Such was the preparation of the man who read the advertisement of the American Board. Indeed, he had been yearning for an opportunity to serve Christ in foreign lands, and the need in Ceylon appeared to be a providential opening.

There were difficulties to be met. He had married a lovely young woman who probably had never given a thought to missionary service. In time, however, she responded nobly to the plan which so engrossed her husband. Some of his friends declared he was insane to think of leaving his established practise in New York to devote his life to " the heathen". A little daughter, two years of age, had to be considered, also; nevertheless, he offered himself and was accepted by the American Board, under whose auspices he served until his own denomination, the Reformed Dutch Church, organized its foreign mission work.

Preparations were presently made for sailing. A faithful colored servant, Amy, refused to be separated from the family. When told of the hardships of missionary life, she was quite unmoved, and she pleaded to be permitted to go with them. By a special arrangement with the Board, this devoted woman sailed with the first medical missionary family leaving American shores, and for many years she rendered valuable service in the Scudder home in India. A farewell to missionaries was not so common a hundred years ago as it is to-day, when thousands of them are sailing every year. When Dr. and Mrs. Scudder left for Ceylon, it was not the plan of Mission Boards to allow furloughs, and those who left America on such errands expected never to return to their native shores. Naturally, those who gathered in New York, at the Fulton Street wharf, to bid adieu to the party leaving for Boston, from which port they were to sail, were deeply moved. A young Christian merchant who witnessed the event wrote in his diary as follows:

" This morning I saw a missionary and his wife take their departure for India. I had the pleasure of being introduced to them. Dr. Scudder appeared cheerful, Mrs. Scudder was bathed in tears, but yet rejoicing. They were surrounded by many friends, and we can with difficulty imagine their feelings as one and another said, ’ My friends and sister, farewell forever I shall never forget Dr. Scudder’s look nor his words. His eye kindled and his cheeks glowed with ardor. As the vessel moved off, waving his hand, with a benignant smile on his countenance, he said, " Only give me your prayers, that is all I ask." The young merchant was so deeply moved by what he had seen, that he gave up his business to enter Princeton to prepare himself for missionary work. Unfortunately, he died before completing his preparation.

Besides Dr. and Mrs. Scudder, little two-year-old Maria, and black Amy, three other missionary families Messrs. Winslow, Spaulding and Woodward and their wives, sailed from Boston on June 8, 1819, on the brig Indus. The ship was commanded by a stalwart Christian, Captain Wills, who " put the whole ship at their command, as a floating Bethel." On Sunday morning there was public worship in the cabin, and afternoon services were held on deck. Morning and evening prayers were conducted daily. A conference was held every Thursday evening, a prayer-meeting once a month, and a theological class every afternoon. In private rooms there were numerous services of prayer. It was not expected that the seamen would find delight in the passenger-list of the Indus on this voyage, for such a program of meetings on a steamship in these days would not be suggested by the boldest of travelers. But very soon the seamen began to ask, " What shall we do to be saved?’ and presently a revival of religion was experienced aboard ship. The officers and sailors attended some of the meetings and showed a deep personal concern. Before the sailing-vessel completed its four months’ voyage, the first and second officers of the ship, the clerk, the cook, the steward, the carpenter, and most of the seamen had signified their acceptance of Christ. Dr. Scudder wrote his mother: " I believe there was not a thoughtless sinner on board. I have been in revivals of religion at home, but never did I see such manifestations of divine power." To him it was a matter for deep satisfaction. For some reason, probably unfavorable winds, Captain Wills was unable to take his vessel to Ceylon direct, so the entire party landed first at Calcutta, where the luxuriance and freshness of the vegetation fascinated the passengers who, for four months, had seen little besides sky and sea. From the deck of the Indus, ascending the River Hugli, the missionary party looked upon the native’s bamboo huts in the midst of palm trees, coconut groves, and the spreading banyan. However, their eyes fell on other scenes as well, on some that revealed the need for their mission to India. Of such scenes one of the party wrote:

" Soon after the ship anchored, we saw on the shore, directly opposite to us, great multitudes approaching the water, with a horrid din of music, carrying their gods to throw them into the stream. We could discern nothing of their appearance but that they were the size of a common man, and about the waist were painted black. They were held over the water some minutes, while the noise of various musical instruments continued, and then plunged in, to float down with the current. This drowning, or bathing, ceremony of the gods is an important ceremony among the Hindus. "

While waiting at Calcutta for a ship going to Ceylon, Dr. and Mrs. Scudder formed the acquaintance of William Carey and other missionaries. Here, too, came the first severe trial of their lives. Little Maria died after an illness of only three days. Three months later, in Jaffna, a similar affliction overtook them in the death of a babe only seven days old.

Ceylon is one of the rich gems of the Orient. The great island is beautiful in its wealth of cinnamon groves, coconut forests, palms, and rice fields. Dr. Scudder found in Ceylon a population of about a million souls, composed chiefly of Cingalese in the interior and southern sections, and Tamils in the northern and eastern districts. The Cingalese are Buddhists; the Tamils are Brahmins or Hindus. The new medical missionary family was sent to Panditeripo, in the Jaffna district, the extreme northern point of Ceylon, where deserted posts, once occupied by Roman Catholic missionaries from Portugal, offered excellent opportunity for work. In July, 1820, Dr. and Mrs. Scudder settled at Panditeripo and began at once to repair the dilapidated properties that had been abandoned by the Portuguese.

Although appointed as a medical missionary, Dr. Scudder was zealous in preaching the gospel. He had studied theology aboard the Indus and, immediately upon acquiring some knowledge of the language of the people, he began to preach to them. In May, 1821, he was ordained to the gospel ministry. The utter degradation of the people of Ceylon appalled him, and at times it was difficult to assure his soul that they could experience spiritual regeneration. He wrote home, " Were it not for the hope that the day is approaching when the heathen shall be given to the Lord for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession, my heart would sink within me." Yet still he toiled on, undismayed.

It can be easily understood how one holding such intense convictions would feel that every hour must be given to the proclamation of the gospel. Yet time was needed for his medical work. Early every morning he prescribed for the sick. The only physician in a great area, the people came to him in large numbers, when his skill became known. Surgical operations seemed miraculous to the people of Ceylon, and when they saw Dr. Scudder use the knife with such marvelous results, they sometimes proclaimed him superior in healing power to their greatest divinity. He regarded his medical work as a means to a greater end, and all who came to him heard him pray and tell of One who came to save them from eternal pain and misery worse than physical illness. Tracts were given to all who could read.

Dr. Scudder was not satisfied to reach only those who came to him. He went from house to house for personal conversation. He undertook tours into country districts, preaching as he went, and always carrying medicines and surgical instruments in order to help the suffering. He journeyed through areas infested with dangerous wild animals and serpents, yet he never was molested. He seemed to be divinely protected. Occasionally he was stoned or ridiculed, but not often. Usually the people welcomed him. Along the wayside he told farmers, fishermen, carpenters, and beggars, as they followed their various occupations, of the love of God revealed through Christ. He was a constant and a hard worker. " Eternity will be long enough to rest in," was one of his sayings. He was burning out his life, but he fed a flame whose light will fall on human paths for generations yet unborn. And in the midst of all his activity, he found time for unhurried periods of prayer, Bible study, meditation, and praise. Fully two and a half hours every day were given to such periods, and every Friday the entire morning was devoted to fasting and prayer. We, who live in a day of vaunted " efficiency," may be failing even to approach in usefulness the men who found strength by frequent prayer. Their lives were charged afresh with divine energy. Perhaps the "old-school missionary " was wiser than those who follow him.

Mrs. Scudder, also, became a missionary of the noblest type. Despite the care of her family, she assisted in the schools, taught the women to sew, visited the homes, took charge of the entire mission in the doctor’s absence, and furnished a large measure of the inspiration that made their household one of the most notable in the annals of missions. Meanwhile, old black Amy was a constant comfort to all in the house. Perhaps her labor as an unassuming servant made it possible for this home to be maintained so long in the Orient, and under conditions so favorable to its far-reaching usefulness. She, also, must be counted as a missionary, possibly the first of her race. With the same unbounded zeal which took him to the mission field, Dr. Scudder undertook to do far more than was safe for any white man living in the tropics; and during his early years in Ceylon he made long tours on foot that prostrated and weakened him to such an extent that he never fully recovered. By the autumn of 1829 it was evident that his condition required rest and a change of climate. He was finally induced to go to the mountains on the west coast of India. Just before he left his station, forty-one persons united with the church, which gladdened his heart as he started in quest of health. When Mrs. Scudder saw how the work at Pandeteripo would suffer if no missionary remained to give it attention, she bravely decided to remain there, although she shrank from the thought of living there alone. Almost a year later the doctor returned, improved in health, but not entirely recovered. While on his visit to continental India, he was impressed with the vastness of that field, and in a few years he and the Rev. Myron Winslow were allowed by their Board to locate at Madras and establish work in that great city. Madras is about two hundred and fifty miles north of the Jaffna district, on the eastern shore of Peninsular India. It has been the scene of many stirring events in other days, and was a meeting-point for Oriental splendor and British commercial and military life. This appealed to Dr. Scudder as a great base for missionary activity, with the almost countless towns and villages adjacent and easily accessible. Here he began work of a new kind.

He early recognized the importance of Christian literature as a Christianizing agency, and Dr. Scudder’s letters indicate that his chief aim in going to Madras was to establish a press for the purpose of printing the Bible and general Christian literature for distribution, in large quantities, among the Tamil people. But he was not satisfied to stay in Madras all the time. He traveled among the villages, preaching and distributing literature, with the help of native assistants; and though he was sometimes welcomed, there were occasions when he was treated with scant courtesy. Of one of these tours he wrote to his father: " I was not long since stoned, and the soreness of the bruises continued for some time. We should soon be torn to pieces, could the desire of many be gratified." On one of his journeys he gave away eight thousand bound volumes of tracts and five or six thousand copies of the Gospels. At this period, his letters seldom referred to his medical work. Here, as in Ceylon, the idolatry of the people oppressed him, and it was his great concern to point them to the " Image of the Invisible God." In earlier years he had asked sun-worshipers why they offered rice to the sun. One man replied, " The sun is a witness of God, therefore we offer him rice." Another devotee said they worshiped the sun because they could not see God, and added: " Suppose my child was sick. If I should come here to tell you of it, and if I could not see you, but could see that young man [meaning the one studying medicine with Dr. Scudder], I would tell him." The people sometimes believed the missionary to be worshiping a book, rather than the God who inspired it, since he used it so frequently in the public services.

Once, when journeying through forests and jungles, he was attacked by jungle fever and his death seemed imminent. His wife was urged to travel day and night if she wished see him alive. Accompanied by her little son and native porters, Mrs. Scudder began the perilous journey. Of this trip a friend wrote:

" In the worst part of the jungle road, as night drew on, the bearers became intimidated at the sound of wild beasts roaring after their prey, and suddenly fled, leaving Mrs. Scudder and her little one exposed to the most horrid death, and with none to protect them but Daniel’s God. What could she do? There was but one thing. She held her little one by the hand and spent that night on her knees in prayer. She heard the heavy tread of wild elephants, which could have trampled her and her little one to death. Then came the growl of tigers and other ravenous beasts, the sound approaching and then receding. They seemed to be circling around the little spot where she knelt, ready to spring upon their prey. But God... sent his angels in answer to prayer to guard these, his dear ones, from the death they dreaded. So they passed the night. Morning came, and the cowardly bearers returned and resumed their burden."

Mrs. Scudder found that her husband’s life had been saved, but his health was shattered. He was urged to return to America for a season, but he insisted on remaining in India, although he had served for nearly a quarter of a century in that trying climate. Soon after reaching Ceylon, in 1820, he wrote to his parents, " True it is I long to see you, but this can never again be the case; oh, no; we must dispense with this pleasure until we meet in the great day of account." Nevertheless, he was finally compelled to yield to the judgment of physicians and leave India for several years.

Broken in health, he was not easily associated with the athletic young figure who, twenty-three years before, waved farewell to his friends in America. Still, he was unwilling to retire to some quiet spot for recuperation. If he had only a few years left, he felt he must do all in his power to rouse the next generation of Christians to a sense of obligation to the non-Christian world. He found the adult Christians of that day indifferent to his message; he traveled many miles, during his three years or more at home, addressing young people’s meetings and talking personally to boys and girls. In later years, it was not at all uncommon for a missionary candidate, meeting the Board, to relate that his first impressions of foreign missions were received in one of Dr. Scudder’s meetings. It is estimated that he reached a hundred thousand children with his messages. He addressed students wherever the door was opened for him, his visit to Mt. Holyoke Female Seminary being of special significance. This institution, now Mt. Holyoke College, has, for many years, been a power in the mission field.

Meanwhile Dr. Scudder’s own family was being trained in the same ways. He had ten children and all of them volunteered to follow in the footsteps of their parents. With the exception of a son who died at school before receiving his appointment, and the four little ones buried in India, all the members of the family were enrolled as foreign missionaries, a remarkable and an unparalleled record.

While at home Dr. Scudder would sometimes exclaim, " There is no place like India. It is nearer heaven than America." He was glad, therefore, when he was permitted, in 1845, to sail for Madras. He appeared to realize that his time was short, yet he spent himself and his waning strength in his usual lavish way. He preached, and prayed, and prepared literature, and was a valued adviser to the younger missionaries. His enlarged acquaintance in America called for a vast correspondence and for contributions to religious papers. At the same time, his letters show that he kept up his medical work during the last years of his life, when he was living at Madura, to which station he was transferred soon after his return from America. It will sound strange to missionaries of this day to be told that Dr. Scudder’s published letters make no reference to either a dispensary or a hospital, nor is it apparent that he asked for such equipment. Like others of his day, medical work with him seemed to have been more or less incidental, and was considered as largely an aid to his program of direct evangelistic effort.

Dr. Scudder’s work could not fail to attract the attention of those in power, and he received signal honors from those to whom he made gifts of Christian books. At the same time, the native physicians of Madura, angered because the people flocked to the medical missionary for help, thus reducing their gains, resorted to witchcraft, in the hope of destroying Dr. Scudder’s life.

Although the visit to America did him much good, Dr. Scudder’s health was never fully restored. He grew weaker after returning to India. His journal reveals his feeling as his eyesight began to fail: " My eyesight has begun to fail, but, though I should become blind, if spared, I trust that I shall be able to preach. My voice is good, and though, under equal circumstances, I should much prefer losing my voice to my eyesight, still, under my circumstances, I would sooner lose my eyesight than my voice. I could do nothing without the latter." To the last, he had a passion for preaching the gospel. With failing eyesight came a greater grief, the death of his wife, to whom he was tenderly devoted. Shortly before her death she confessed that her constant prayer had been that all her children might witness for Christ in India. How her prayers were answered is well known. The husband’s grief was almost unbearable, but he sought and found consolation in the Unseen. Then came letters from America announcing that, two days after his wife’s death, his son Samuel had passed away at the Theological Seminary in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The double blow which had fallen on his heart was greater than his soul, in its weakened tenement, could bear; and friends saw that the sunset hour was approaching. A sea voyage was suggested, and he sailed, with his son Joseph, for the Cape of Good Hope, where he landed, in November, 1854. The voyage did him good, but only for a time. On January 13, 1855, he lay down to rest before attempting to speak at a service that had been arranged. He fell asleep quietly and met his Lord. His body was given burial in South Africa. A few years later the remains were given a final resting-place by the side of his wife in India. The animating desires of their souls were to live again in the missionary lives of all their children and their grandchildren. On the one hundredth anniversary of their sailing for India, fully a score of their descendants had responded to the Great Commission.

It has been computed that, if the missionary service of Dr. and Mrs. Scudder and their descendants were computed in years, it would cover more than eight hundred years. No less than thirty-one of their descendants have labored in India, and seven other descendants have labored in other foreign fields. This makes a noble and distinguished record. And what shall be said of those who follow in his train? To-day more than a thousand medical missionaries and over five hundred missionary nurses are conducting nearly seven hundred hospitals and more than twelve hundred dispensaries in earth’s most needy lands. These servants of God are offering relief to millions of suffering men and women every year and are pointing them to the Great Physician as one who can meet the needs of their souls.

"He welcomed them, and spake to them of the Kingdom of God, and them that had need of healing he cured."