Stanley Peregine Smith (19 March 1861 – 31 January 1931) was a British

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

missionary to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Early life

Stanley Smith was the son of Henry Smith F.R.C.S., and his wife Alice Underwood, of 13 John Street,

Berkeley Square Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Kent, ...

, London. He was educated at

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and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

. Stanley Smith was one of the

Cambridge Seven The Cambridge Seven were six students from Cambridge University and one from the Royal Military Academy, who in 1885, decided to become missionaries to China through the China Inland Mission. The seven were: * Charles Thomas Studd * Montagu ...

, students from

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, who in 1885 decided to become missionaries in China. He was a

Cambridge Blue A blue is an award of sporting colours earned by athletes at some universities and schools for competition at the highest level. The awarding of blues began at Oxford and Cambridge universities in England. They are now awarded at a number of other ...

having rowed as stroke for Cambridge in the 1882

Boat Race The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. It is also known as the Uni ...

. He was born again in one of

D. L. Moody Dwight Lyman Moody (February 5, 1837 – December 22, 1899), also known as D. L. Moody, was an American evangelism, evangelist and publisher connected with Keswickianism, who founded the Moody Church, Northfield School and Mount Hermon Sc ...

's revivals and helped found the Cambridge Christian Union, forerunner of many student Christian organizations. Following his conversion and call to mission, Smith had a soapbox in Hyde Park where he preached "not the milk and water of religion but the cream of the gospel".

Travel to China

Stanley Smith with another of the Cambridge Seven, the brilliant young cricketer C. T. Studd started his ministry in Shan-Si Province, in northern China. He was an excellent linguist and was said to be as fluent in his preaching in Chinese as he was in English. In November 1899 the Stanley Smith family sailed from China arriving in Plymouth on 16 December, so they were not in China at the time of the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, was an anti-foreign, anti-imperialist, and anti-Christian uprising in North China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious F ...

Move to Shanxi

Shortly before the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Stanley Smith left the China Inland Mission after some disagreements on doctrine, but continued to have good relationships with the mission. He continued in China and opened his own work in East

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

. Although in the latter years he often faced trials and disappointments, he continued with his teaching and preaching (and writing up his diary) until the night before he died, on 31 January 1931 in Tse-Chow.

Family life

Stanley Smith married a fellow missionary Sophie de Reuter from Norway on 16 September 1888.Makower, Katherine: Not a Gap Year but a Lifetime. Apologia Publications 2008 They had one son, Dr Algernon "Algie" Stanley Smith (14 February 1890 – 28 July 1978), one of the founders of the

Ruanda Mission Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

. After Sophie died he married secondly Anna M Lang (born circa 1864) from

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. They had three children: Henry (born 1895); Mary (born 1898); and Robert (born 1901).

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Stanley P. 1861 births 1931 deaths Protestant missionaries in China Protestant writers Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge English Protestant missionaries British missionaries in China