Mission and Revolution in Central Asia - Svenska Missionskyrkan

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and Russia. Höijer even received a copy of the passage dealing with the Christian mission which runs like this in Höijer’s translation: “The Chinese government acknowledges the fact that the Christian doctrine teaches people order and unity and pledges not only not to persecute its citizens for accomplishing the duties of the Christian faith, but also to treat them as equals with other believers in the Empire. It sees Christian missionaries as good people, not working for their own interest, and the Chinese government allows missionaries coming with recommendations from Russian Consuls or from a foreign power to spread Christianity among its citizens and shall not refuse them entry to any open space in the Empire.” 16 As it was written “Christian missionaries” and not “Russian missionaries”, Höijer remarked that the Russian Consul had the possibility to protect any missionary entering the country. Consequently this was also valid for Swedish missionaries. The Consul agreed to this, but hoped that the Swedish King would address himself directly to the Russian government on this matter. When leaving Kashgar a few days later, Höijer and the Consul parted as best friends. This first positive impression of Swedish mission made upon Consul Petroffski was something that the missionaries could benefit from further on. However the Consul never whole-heartedly supported the Mission. 17 Höijer himself fell into disgrace with him for having written a series of articles in the periodical Missionsförbundet about his travels in Russia where he expressed harsh criticism about certain things in Russia. The Consul learnt about this criticism and was very indignant. When it was decided, in 1895, that new missionaries would be sent out and it was suggested that Höijer, knowing the travel roads to Kashgar be their guide, Högberg was decidedly against this. If Höijer comes here now, writes Högberg, that would inevitably create a stir and cause trouble, the Consul being “very distressed”. 18 After his exploring trip to Kashgar Höijer wrote a detailed report and sent it home to the Mission Board. Following that it could be said that Höijer’s contribution to the new mission project was more or less finished. Not until 1895 does he participate in the General Conference in Stockholm, where he makes a speech about what the reporter describes as his “adventurous missionary life”. 19 Later on he returned to the mission field in Russia from where he was called home a few years later by the MCCS Board having made himself “impossible as a missionary”, according to MCCS President Ekman. He had thrown himself into “a lot of risky undertakings, even of a political nature, that were hardly compatible with the beautiful calling of being an evangelical preacher…” 20 Höijer had caused the Mission Board trouble previously. Already in 1891, the year before the exploring trip to Kashgar, Högberg, who was then Höijer’s colleague within the Oriental Covenant (the Armenian Evangelical Covenant Church), wrote a letter home to Ekman, complaining about Höijer. It was impossible to consult with him on mission matters, says Högberg. Höijer took his own initiatives without consulting anybody else. On top of that he acted thoughtlessly and hastily, which gave him enemies among the population. Högberg continues: “I have had personal talks with Höijer, but he expresses no real regret over mistakes he has made, but rather he triumphs at feats, expressed in words like: ‘I seized him by the neck and threw him out.’ His opponents have written an official letter about him, but all this has only turned him into a martyr.” 21 16 Larson, 1905, p. 332 f. 17 Palmaer,1942, p. 18 f. Sjöholm relates about Consul Petroffski after the inspection made in 1913. The Consul was disobliging towards the missionaries. He reported untruthfully to the Chinese authorities that the newly arrived missionaries came with trunks full of weapons. (SMT, 1914, p. 77) 18 Högberg to Ekman, December 18th, 1895. 19 The Missionsförbundet, 1895, number 1 p. 89. 20 Ekman, 1903, p. 65. 21 rd Högberg to Ekman, July 23 , 1891. Högberg could get impatient with Höijer. (Högberg, 1920, p. 107). 3
Högberg concludes by expressing the hope that the MCCS President would rebuke Höijer. The best thing would be to for him to go back to Sweden and leave everything behind. Högberg reacted coolly to Höijer’s eagerness to go to Kashgar exploring the possibilities to start mission work there. Höijer had already been on his way there, but had turned back in Samarkand. 22 The reason behind the conflict between Högberg and Höijer, and also the main reason for Höijer’s discharge from the MCCS, was to be found in the business activity that the two missionaries had started in Tiflis, in Caucasus around the beginning of the 1890s. In order to divert the attention of Russian authorities the missionaries had opened a shop, the Swedish Shop. Inside the shop there was a room where the missionaries preached. In connection with this business activity, Höijer had muddled up the finances which led to great losses for the MCCS. This dissension continued after Höijer had come back to Tiflis, after his trip to Kashgar, and turned Höijer into an issue at the Conference in the summer of 1899. The embarrassing discussion was made public by the Dagens Nyheter. In 1901, the Höijer issue was again taken up by the General Conference which then decided to discharge him. 23 Höijer still had the conversion of the Russians at heart and in 1903, in Stockholm, he formed the Committee for Evangelical Mission in Russia. This mission organization, which later on turned into the Slavic Mission employed Höijer. For 12 years he was engaged in this work with mission activities in Russia and extensive travelling in Sweden and other countries for fund-raising. In Sweden, Höijer mostly visited MCCS congregations. He had no authorisation whatsoever to do so from the MCCS head quarters, and he was bitterly blamed for his arbitrariness. 24 In 1915 he got a post within the American Mission Committee. At that time, Waldenström had already warned the Americans about him. In a letter to the Missions Director in America he wrote, “Höijer is an adventurer and no missionary.” In 1925, at his post within this American organization Höijer is on board a ship, off the coast of Alaska. The ship sinks in the storm. After these hardships he had to be taken into hospital in Seattle, where he dies, the same year, nearly 70 years old. 25 Höijer’s good friend, Johan Sköld, missionary to China, remarks in an obituary at Höijer’s funeral, not without bitterness, that the Swedish newspapers had said very little about Höijer’s great life-work. On the other hand, several American papers gave him good obituary notices. At the annual meeting of the Swedish Evangelical Covenant Church in America, in the summer of 1926, the following words were uttered in memory of Höijer, “Many volumes could be written about Höijer and his life-work. He has been criticized by many… a great man, a hero has left us. His plans were always daring, but they were all directed towards mission work among the most forgotten ones, to whom no one else wanted to go. He gave up everything for the Mission. If he got encouragement and help he was happy. If not, he continued his own way straight ahead, all the same.” 26 At the MCCS General Conference in the summer of 1892, Höijer’s report from his travel to Kashgar was taken up. The Mission Board saw the development in the perspective of continents and speaks about “a door being opened to the heart of Asia.” 27 The 1893 General Conference decided unanimously to start mission work in Eastern Turkestan. At the same time, it was decided to close down the mission activity in Persia. Central Asia with all its 22 rd Högberg to Ekman ,July 23 , 1891. 23 th Bredberg, 1954, p. 207. The Dagens Nyheter, June 9th, 1899. General Conference minutes from June 7 , 1901, § 19. 24 th Sigrid Högberg to Sjöholm, March 12 , 1909. 25 Björk, 1965, p. 110. Gillén, 1952, p. 75 ff. 26 Ansgarius, 1926, p. 106. 1930, p. 25 ff. Pages where Höijer’s mission work is described. 27 MCCS year book, 1892, p. 60. 4
Page 1 and 2: Mission and Revolution in Central A
Page 3 and 4: 1. A Coming Storm 2. “Distressed,
Page 5 and 6: Preface by the Author 1981 Eastern
Page 7 and 8: is sometimes found. Here I use the
Page 9 and 10: total population in Xinjiang. In 19
Page 11 and 12: a narrow sense. Turkish Today this
Page 13 and 14: the “drowning” in the desert sa
Page 15 and 16: we lived in an oasis,” she exclai
Page 17 and 18: whole one gets to know them as scou
Page 19 and 20: The Indians dealt with the Chinese,
Page 21 and 22: opium-den. A hole in the town wall
Page 23 and 24: developed some patients with this p
Page 25 and 26: same time efforts were made to cont
Page 27 and 28: no unknown man was allowed. On the
Page 29 and 30: “Chinese religions are like a mot
Page 31 and 32: When he died it was impossible for
Page 33 and 34: there was nothing they could do abo
Page 35 and 36: Towards the middle of the 3 rd cent
Page 37 and 38: When they behaved in an aggressive
Page 39: decision, and Höijer became more a
Page 43 and 44: Owen Lattimore repeatedly underline
Page 45 and 46: his absolute loneliness. In the day
Page 47 and 48: Caucasus and the others became pion
Page 49 and 50: clear to him that something had to
Page 51 and 52: “Mr Högberg was clever enough to
Page 53 and 54: emoved. Raquette’s attempts to ma
Page 55 and 56: We have already touched upon some i
Page 57 and 58: The Boxer Uprising resulted in seve
Page 59 and 60: well-founded, the missionaries woul
Page 61 and 62: The basic training for the missiona
Page 63 and 64: industry” there were other achiev
Page 65 and 66: sketch does not exist”. 26 Manner
Page 67 and 68: instruments he needed. Often the mi
Page 69 and 70: were damaged. In the eyes there wer
Page 71 and 72: misleading. 72 Totally unaware of t
Page 73 and 74: Högberg adds, “If the sister who
Page 75 and 76: editing. 99 This revision was of co
Page 77 and 78: Sometimes fathers came quite openly
Page 79 and 80: Mission worked in favour of the pop
Page 81 and 82: P.P. Waldenström came to play a de
Page 83 and 84: the two people baptized last summer
Page 85 and 86: ecovery.” 187 Medical care was no
Page 87 and 88: applied to Hancheng. This station h
Page 89 and 90: But now we own a really good gramma
Page 91 and 92:
year attended Mission schools. In t
Page 93 and 94:
In his book The Cross over Asia fro
Page 95 and 96:
With the establishment of the print
Page 97 and 98:
was a baptism grave, which was howe
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and sided wholeheartedly with the B
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situated only a day’s walk from O
Page 103 and 104:
8. Severe Blood Letting in the Miss
Page 105 and 106:
slander from her missionary colleag
Page 107 and 108:
expresses how encouraged the missio
Page 109 and 110:
eluctant to go on holiday to the mo
Page 111 and 112:
“I have written a serious letter
Page 113 and 114:
In the autumn of 1925, the closing-
Page 115 and 116:
and the Chinese had been locked out
Page 117 and 118:
The recruiting of Eastern Turkestan
Page 119 and 120:
exercise their daily work they all
Page 121 and 122:
Chinese judicial system worked in t
Page 123 and 124:
BIBLIOGRAPHY (Language in which the
Page 125 and 126:
Axelson, Sigbert, Församlingens in
Page 127 and 128:
Grenljuset, A Christian calendar pu
Page 129 and 130:
- Vad har den kristna missionen utr
Page 131 and 132:
Ringgren, H and Ström, Åke, Relig
Page 133:
Asiatic, Journal, Vol. VI, No. 4, 1
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