Andrew P. Happer

Born on October 20, 1818, in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, to two Christian Presbyterian parents, Andrew P. Happer is one of the most renowned missionaries who carried out his work in China, most notably the city of Canton. His mother, Ann Harper, had the most impact on his future career choice as she directed him towards Christian missionary work through placing him in the preparatory department of Jefferson College in Pennsylvania at age 11. His daughter Lucile Lucy married George Bunker Glover. His daughter Mary Rebecca married Francis Williams Damon, son of Samuel Chenery Damon. His daughter Alverda Catherine married George Dixon Fearon, the nephew of James Sturgis Fearon and Samuel Turner Fearon. Education After graduating from Jefferson College in 1835, Happer entered the Western Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh in 1840. Upon graduation in 1843 from the seminary, he had been licensed by the Presbytery of Ohio. Happer was admitted in medical school at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Upon receiving his M.D., he had been ordained to the Presbyterian ministry on April 23, 1844. Originally he had wanted to travel to India to do missionary work, however after the Opium War and China's opening to the West, he decided he could start his career there. ==Missionary Service (1844-1891)==

Happer co-founded one of the first Protestant missions in China through the American Presbyterian Church. The Presbyterian mission was one of the first four American mission agencies in China to carry out missionary work there. Following the Opium War, the Treaty of Nanking opened five ports for foreign trade. As a result, China became open to missionaries. As one of only 31 Protestant missionaries (3 of them Presbyterian, Happer faced numerous challenges and difficulties. Few resources were available, with China as an intimidating location. Foreigners were not allowed to live in Canton so Happer moved to Hong Kong and worked and later led at the Morrison Education Society. Happer returned to Macau in 1845 and opened a boy's boarding school with twenty-seven enrolled students. Although the Opium War treaties had declared that foreigners could access Canton, the Chinese officials refused to let Happer enter the city. He had to move the school to a suburb of Canton. After realizing the responsiveness of the Cantonese people towards education and medicine, Happer opened his first dispensary in 1847. Happer carried out Christian evangelism through the dispensary in various ways, including preaching to his patients and holding chapel services for community residents. Overall, the dispensary treated seven thousand patients annually. This number rose to ten thousand in 1854 after the opening of a secondary dispensary. Management of these dispensaries was handed over to John Glasgow Kerr that same year. Kerr eventually opened the Canton Hospital that served a great portion of people from South China. After transferring the responsibility of the dispensaries to Kerr, Happer focused more on providing a Christian-focused western education to Chinese youth. Second trip to China - Focus on a Education and mission expansion (1859-1869) During his second mission, Happer focused on education and evangelism. He was passionate about converting Chinese individuals to Christianity and converting society through providing education. In 1850, he opened a set of day schools to educate young Chinese boys in both western and Chinese studies. The schools faced difficulty attracting youth from the upper class who were enrolled in traditional schools that prepared students for the civil service examinations. By December 1853, Happer opened a day school for Chinese girls which offered courses in reading, writing, and economics. By the end of 1853, the first eleven students graduated from the boy's boarding school with two students devoting themselves to the Canton mission. Happer went on medical furlough in 1855 and the Second Anglo-Chinese War delayed the Happer's return from furlough until 1859. Following the war, however, the treaties produced by the war promoted free and unrestricted access to Canton. This led to an upsurge of missionaries into the Canton with increased conversions to Christianity. In the 1860s, Happer founded the First Presbyterian Church, numerous boarding and day schools, and a training school serving preachers, teachers, and colporteurs of Canton. Happer served as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Canton, established in 1862. Through establishing multiple forms of educational services, Happer accomplished his mission of bringing Christian higher education to China, though much of the student body of the training school included those working for the church. In order to reach governmental Chinese leaders through western education, from 1865 and 1867, Happer directed the Chinese government's Interpreter's College in Canton and taught English and mathematics to students entering government services as foreign specialists. By introducing Christian teachings within his courses, he continued his mission of evangelism and observed the gradual growth of Canton Presbyterians. This is supported by the statistics reported from the Canton Mission that in 1866: 147 individuals were enrolled in mission schools. Final trip to China - Expanding Education and Religious Outreach (1870-1891) After a 1867 furlough to the US and marriage to his second wife, and revitalized by newfound love and the increasing presence of western influence in China, Happer returned to China in 1870. This missionary period was marked by a change in his missionary career from mission-centric to program-focused. Specifically, this included the local development of “evangelistic, education, and medical programs.”. In his evangelistic efforts, Happer continued being a pastor of the First Church, built a new sanctuary, attracted more upper-class citizens to the church, opened two new churches, and increased overall church membership. ==Contribution to Presbyterian literature==

Happer took great interest in writing about “theology and practice among Chinese converts” along with translating various portions of the Bible. From 1880 to 1884, he had been the editor of the most popular western language periodical in China, the Chinese Recorder and Missionary Journal. Through this position, he was able to publish various books, pamphlets, and forums about the Presbyterian faith and practice in the Chinese church. Under his direction, some religious books had been translated into Cantonese. One of his most esteemed projects had been serving on a China-wide committee of missionaries to design a Cantonese version of the New Testament. Along with the journal, Happer also held a position as Chairman of the Editorial Committee for the Presbyterian Press at Shanghai. ==Canton Christian College==

Happer was encouraged by the Canton Mission to narrow the purpose of the boy's training school. He, therefore, decided to pursue his greater vision of opening a non-denominational institution, the Canton Christian College in 1888. In order to integrate Presbyterian values within the college, the institution had Presbyterian faculty and supporters. While the Board of Trustees would govern the college from the United States, the Board of Directors consisted of mainly Presbyterians in China. Happer became the first president of Canton Christian College which offered various courses in both liberal arts and pre-professional fields, including medicine and science. As in the case with the boys training school and his own college, Happer had always desired to expand the education of the students to prepare them for all types of careers, not only Christian workers. To ensure that students would acquire advanced knowledge in technology and modern science, Happer ensured that teaching would be in English. As a devout believer in higher education, Happer constantly made decisions reflecting his desire to train his students to one day leading the economic and social advancement of China. Before completing his missionary work, Happer taught classes at the college in Canton. Although Happer left China with his wife for the last time in 1891, his impact would forever remain and lead to the rapid growth and development of missionary work opening China to the west. ==Legacy==

While residing in the United States, Happer was able to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the work of the Foreign Missions as an evangelist by the Presbytery. He had also been ordained as an evangelist in the Presbyterian Church in Monongahela City. On Saturday, October 27, 1894, in his own home in Wooster, Ohio, Happer died at seventy-six years and seven days old. While his accomplishments are significant and lasting, he himself admitted that it was not an easy journey saying, “My missionary life was in a new and most difficult field.”. Within a journal article written by Happer in 1872, was his hope for the future of China, the Chinese youth, and the spread of the Christian Gospel message. He discussed introducing new programs that would allow some Chinese youth to study in the United States for a period of time in the hopes that they too could receive a proper Western education and assume the roles of missionaries. This reflects his passion for enhancing the prosperity of the Chinese society through educating the youth to lead the future of the country. Happer also wrote about the work being accomplished to advance the educational movement in China and its promising future. Referring to the work of various missionaries, including himself, towards introducing Western education to Chinese youth, Happer describes China as such:“Now, since China has taken her place among the nations of the earth, she greatly needs men of her own country, with a thorough education in Western language and science, to carry on the international intercourse that this now position requires of her.”.Being a multi-faceted missionary, Happer focused on the advancement of education, health, and Christianity throughout Canton. His religious foundation is described in the future of China as:“A brighter day is in prospect for China, and the only hope of her regeneration is in the gospel of Christ.”. ==References==