SCHALL
521
SCHALL
understand the causes of these errors, and to demon-
strate to them the rehabiUty of the principles on which
they themselves based their corrections. To do this
they had to establish at the Board of Mathematics a
complete course in astronomy, and they had to begin
by compihng in Chinese a whole series of text-books
comprising not only astronomy properly so-called but
also even the most elementary foundations of the
science, such as arithmetic, geometry, and other parts
of mathematics. In 1634 they had composed as
many as one hundred and thirty-seven of these works,
of which they printed a hundred. The foreign re-
formers were not without opposition from supersti-
tious behevers of the traditional methods and espe-
cially from the envious. These became particularly
violent on the death of Paul Siu (1633, when he was
Colao or prime minister). Happily, Emperor Ts'ung-
cheng, who judged very intelligently of the methods
in dispute by the results of the pretliction of celestial
phenomena, continued to support the fathers in the
kindest manner. In 1638 Father Schall lost his
deserving fellow-worker, Father Hho, but by that
time the reform had already been accomplished in
principle; it had become law and needed only to be put
into execution.
All the provinces of China were soon informed of the important commission of reforming the calendar which had been entrusted to the missionaries. The news created a great sensation which benefited the whole mi.ssion. The honour paid to the missionaries of Peking redounded to the credit of al! their brethren; miny mandarins felt it necessary to offer public con- gratulations to those working within their territory. Everywhere the preaching of the Gosjiel was allowed unprecedented liberty. Father Schall i)rofit('d by this, interrupting from time to time his .sci(>iitific labours for the apostolate, not only in Peking but also in the neighbouring province's. Thus he founded a new Christian congregation at Ho-Kieii, capital of one of the prefectures of Ciii-li. However, his zeal was es- pecially exercised at the court itself. Christianity, which hitherto had won but few souls in the imperial palace, now took an important i)lace there through the conversion of ten eunuchs, among whom were the sovereign's most qualified servants. This cluss had always been most opposed to the preaching of the mi.ssionaries. This happy ])rogress of evangelization was disturbed and for a time stopped by the invasion of the Tatars and the revolution which, by o\erthrow- ing the throne of the Ming dynasty, brought about the accession of the Manchu dynasty of the T'sings, which still reigns. In the provinces laid waste by the insurrection prior to the foreign conquest several missionaries were massacred liy the rebel leaflers. At Peking Father Schall assisted th(> last of the Ming in his useless resistance by casting cannon for him. Nevertheless the Tatiirs regarded him favourably. Shun-chi, the first of the Ts'ings to reign at Peking, was only eight or eleven years old wli(>n he was pro- claimed emi)eror (1643). The regent who governed in his name for six years confirmed all SehalFs power re- garding the calendar. The yf)ung emperor was still kinder to the missionary; not only did he summon him to familiar interviews in his palace, but, in spite of the most sacred rules of Chinese etiquette, he used unex- pectedly to visit him in his house, remaining in his modest room a long time and questioning him on all kinds of subjects.
The imperial favour became a source of serious embarrassment to Father Schall and his fellow- workers. Prior to Shun-chi the "new rules" estab- lished by the Jesuits for the making of the Chinese calendar became compulsory for the official astron- omers, but the correctors themselves had no authority to insure application of them. Shun-chi wished to alter this, impelled no doubt by his affection for Father Schall, but also because he had recognized the
inefficiency of the native direction of the Board of
Mathematics. He therefore appointed Father Scliall
president of this Board, at the same time conferring
on him high rank as a mandarin to correspond with
this important office. The missionary thought he
might accept the office, which was more onerous than
honourable; the success of the reform, which was
theoretically accomplished, required it. But the rank
of mandarin accorded ill with religious humilitj\
Schall did all in his power to avoid it; from 1634, when
it was conferred on him for the first time, until 1657,
he made five appeals to the emperor or to the Supreme
Tribunal of Rites, to be relieved of it. In his ex-
planations to his brethren in the mission (16 Dec,
1648) he declared that he had refused it eight times,
that he had pleaded on his knees before the Tribunal
of Rites to be delivered from it, and that he only
finally accepted it at the command of his regular
superior and renouncing most of the advantages
whether honorarj' or financial which were connected
with the rank. Nevertheless this acceptance, not-
withstanding the reservations made, was the occasion
of other conscientious scruples concerning which the
sentiments of the Jesuits in China were divided for
several ycvirs. h'irst of all, was not every rank of
mandarin as exercised by a missionary a violation of
the canon law which forbade priests to hold civil offices?
A more serious question arose regarding the con-
tents of the Chinese calendar. The latter, as it was
drawn up by the Board of Mathematics and sub-
sequently spread throughout the emiMre, gave not
only astronomical information of a purely scientific
nature, but the Chinese^ likewise souglit and found
there indications conccTning lucky and unlucky days,
that is tho.se which should be chosen or avoided for
certain actions, and muc^h superstition was mixed
with this part. Wh(>n the calendar was seen to con-
tain the same things after Father Schall became
president, uneasiness was f(>lt among the missionaries.
Everybody did not know how the publication was
made. No one supposed that Father Schall had the
slightest share in the superstitions; they were in fact
the exclusive work of a section of the Board of Mathe-
matics which worked independently of Father Scliall.
Furthermore, the definitive and official publication of
the calendar was not within the fath(>r's province.
That was r(>.served to the Li-pou (Bureau of Kites),
to which Father Schall merely transmitted his astro-
nomical calculations. Besides, FathcT Schall's data
were expressly ilistinguished in the calendar itself by
the words, "according to the new rule". Neverthe-
less, even when they w(>re aware of these exj)lanations,
which Father Schall hastened to give, several learned
and zealous missionaries considered that his respon-
sibifity was too greatly involved and, consequently,
since his office did not permit him to suppress the
superstitions of the calendar, he was bound in con-
science to resign. Five theologians of the Boman
College to whom the question was submitted with in-
complete information decided in this sense on 3 Aug.,
16oo. However, fresh explanations given by leather
Schall and the approval of other very competent mis-
sionaries eventually placed the case in a different
light, and a new and better informed commission at
Rome concluded (31 Jan., 1664) that there was no
valid reason for Father Schall's resignation of the
presidency of the Board of Mathematics. The
preamble of the decision repeated and adopted the
arguments of Father Verbiest: "Tht father president
of the board", it stated, "does not concur positively
in the insertion of the superstitious matters which
have been noted in the calendar; he does not concur
therein, either himself, ff)r he does not sign these
jidditions or set his seal to them, nor through his pupils
(in the Board of Mathematics), forthelatteronly make
the insertion, without the father taking any share
therein. With regard to the distribution of the
