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“...a cobbler; Morrison
made lasts for boots; and for a time he
was a strolling player. All the time he was
studying hard and keeping a journal of
his inner life. During his years of training
for the ministry in Hoxton Academy, he
offered himself to the London Missionary
Society in 1804. The directors accepted
him, but whether for Timbuctoo or for
China they did not decide at first. At
Gosport, under the teaching of Dr. Bogue,
he was further prepared for the Mission
field. By the time he sailed to China he
had become a good classical scholar, who
had besides a knowledge of astronomy and
medicine. But his most important study
in his training for China was of a manu-
script in Chinese in the British Museum.
This had been given to Sir Hans Sloan by
a Mr. Hodgson, of the East India Com-
pany ; it contained a Gospel Harmony and
the greater part of the remainder of the
New Testament translated by Roman
Catholic missionaries. This book Morrison
transcribed with the aid of an educated
young Chinese...”
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