William Arthur (minister)
Encyclopedia
William Arthur was a Wesleyan Methodist minister and author.
, in the county Mayo
, eight miles from Castlebar
, Arthur was educated at Horton College, and at the age of twenty was sent to Goobbee, in Southern India, where he was engaged for several years in missionary
work in the Mysore. While there his progress in the Canarese language is said to have been remarkable; but being threatened with blindness
, he was obliged to return to Europe
, and was employed for three years in advocating with much ability the Indian missionary work of the Wesleyan Society. He acted in his ministerial capacity in Paris
from 1846 to 1849; since which time for seventeen years he has filled the post of secretary to the Methodist Missionary Society. In 1867 he was elected Principal
of the Methodist College Belfast
, and continued to fill that office until 1871, when he resigned, but still maintained his connection with the Conference as honorary missionary secretary. In 1866-67 he was President
of the Wesleyan Conference.
Arthur was best known as the author
of numerous pamphlets and books including:
His lecture on Systematic Beneficence gave the first impetus to that movement; and his own practice was referred to as a living example of it. His intimate knowledge of India
and its people made his counsel valuable to statesmen; and it was widely acknowledged that he was a power outside his own Church, and an aggressive proponent of Christianity. Arthur suffered various infirmities throughout his life, but lived to the age of 83, dying in Cannes, France.
Biography
Born at NewportNewport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, in the county Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, eight miles from Castlebar
Castlebar
Castlebar is the county town of, and at the centre of, County Mayo in Ireland. It is Mayo's largest town by population. The town's population exploded in the late 1990s, increasing by one-third in just six years, though this massive growth has slowed down greatly in recent years...
, Arthur was educated at Horton College, and at the age of twenty was sent to Goobbee, in Southern India, where he was engaged for several years in missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
work in the Mysore. While there his progress in the Canarese language is said to have been remarkable; but being threatened with blindness
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
, he was obliged to return to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and was employed for three years in advocating with much ability the Indian missionary work of the Wesleyan Society. He acted in his ministerial capacity in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
from 1846 to 1849; since which time for seventeen years he has filled the post of secretary to the Methodist Missionary Society. In 1867 he was elected Principal
Principal (academia)
The Principal is the chief executive and the chief academic officer of a university or college in certain parts of the Commonwealth.-Canada:...
of the Methodist College Belfast
Methodist College Belfast
Methodist College Belfast , styled locally as Methody, is a voluntary grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland, one of eight Northern Irish schools represented on the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, and is a member of the Independent Schools Council...
, and continued to fill that office until 1871, when he resigned, but still maintained his connection with the Conference as honorary missionary secretary. In 1866-67 he was President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the Wesleyan Conference.
Arthur was best known as the author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of numerous pamphlets and books including:
- A Mission to the Mysore, with Scenes and Facts Illustrative of India, its People, and its Religion (1847)
- The Successful Merchant— Sketches of the Life of Mr Samuel BudgettSamuel BudgettSamuel Budgett was an English merchant.Rising from humble origins, Budgett built up a wholesale grocery business called H.H. & S. Budgett, based in Kingswood Bristol, covering a large area of Southern and Western England and South Wales, which outlasted him by over a century...
(1852)- This was a bestseller: in the UK a 43rd edition was published in 1878 by William Mullan and Son.
- In the US, editions included: Swormstedt & Poe, Cincinnati (1856), Carlton & Phillips, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(1853) and D. Appleton, New York (1857). - It was also translated into Welsh
- The Tongue of Fire, or true Power of Christianity (1856)
- Italy in Transition: Public Scenes and Private Opinions in the Spring of 1860, illustrated by Official Documents from the Papal Archives of the Revolted Legations (1860)
His lecture on Systematic Beneficence gave the first impetus to that movement; and his own practice was referred to as a living example of it. His intimate knowledge of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and its people made his counsel valuable to statesmen; and it was widely acknowledged that he was a power outside his own Church, and an aggressive proponent of Christianity. Arthur suffered various infirmities throughout his life, but lived to the age of 83, dying in Cannes, France.