Arthur Judson Brown Papers

Although the papers span the years 1884-1863, the bulk of the material concerns the years 1895-1929, the dates of Dr. Brown's career with the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions. It should be noted, however, that the material represents the personal papers of the clergyman, not any archival records of the Board. The papers of this mission executive document many developments in church and social history, including the ecumenical movement, of which he was a pioneer.

Correspondence, the first and largest series in the Papers, reflects the long life and career of Dr. Brown. Although there are some letters written by him, most of the material consists of correspondence he received. A wide variety of material is represented in the eight respective sections of this series:

The most extensive section of this series, Correspondence: General, contains professional, organizational, and personal material dating from the late nineteenth century to the 1960s. The correspondence of many prominent religious, political, and social leaders is included in this section. Because of his role in the Ecumenical Movement, Dr. Brown communicated with Catholic, Jewish, and Orthodox leaders, in addition to such influential Protestant clergymen as Henry Sloane Coffin, Nathan Soderblom, and John R. Mott. Often termed a "missionary statesman" himself, Brown received letters from five American Presidents and various other government officials. Booker T. Washington, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and John Wanamaker were among his famous American correspondents. In addition, members of European and Asian royalty, including Chinese commoner-turned-emperor, Yuan Shih-ktai, were in communication with Dr. Brown.

Correspondence: Family, the brief second section of the series, contains letters written and received by four generations of Browns. A1though not extensive, the material spans over one hundred years. The earliest letter, written by Abraham Brown to Elizabeth Marsh Brown on September 5, 1864, expresses sympathy at the death of Edwin T. Brown in the Civil War. Arthur Judson Brown's message to his brother Elliott, dated "Feb. 4th, 1895" is also of interest for it notes the former's astonishment at being "unanimously elected corresponding secretary Board Foreign Missions" and asks the latter's advice in the matter. Most of the correspondence of Mrs. Jennie Brown concerns a luncheon for Swedish Crown Princess Louise, which Mrs. Brown hostessed on June 5, 1926.

Correspondence Re: Publications contains original letters and typed extracts regarding any work of Dr. Brown's which appeared in printed form. Letters of thanks and commendation comprise the bulk of this section, although business letters also appear. Supplemented by the "Book Review" and "Re: Publications" sections of the Printed Material series, this section forms a chronological guide to the clergyman's literary career.

The fourth section of the series, Correspondence Re: Missions. houses originals, copies, and extracts of Arthur Judson Brown's correspondence with foreign missionaries, Christian nationals, and specific missions. Most of the material deals with the Near and Far East, particularly China. Some foreign language material and translations are included.

Correspondence Re: Anniversaries is composed of congratulatory messages pertaining to three major occasions: Brown's twenty-fifth year as Secretary of the Board of Foreign Missions (1920), fiftieth wedding anniversary (1933), and sixtieth wedding anniversary (1943). One letter, dated 1946, notes the fiftieth anniversary of Brown's service for the Board. The bulk of the material in this section regards Brown's professional anniversary. The most prominent well-wishers include clergymen Henry Sloane Coffin, John R. Mott, and publisher Fleming H. Revell.

Correspondence Re: Birthdays contains greetings sent to Dr. Brown from his seventieth celebration to his one hundred and sixth. The amount of correspondence for each occasion varies greatly: a single message for the eighty-sixth birthday, many for the centennial. A bound volume of letters presented to Dr. Brown from "The Church Peace Union" and the "World Alliance for International Friendship through Religion," is included.

Correspondence Re: Retirement is comprised of letters, copies, extracts, and a telegram regarding Dr. Brown's July 1929 retirement from the Board of Foreign Missions following thirty-four years of service. This section includes a bound volume of letters from members of the Chosen, Korea, Mission, entitled A Book of Remembrances.

Correspondence Re: Illness and Sympathy consists of greetings Dr. Brown received while hospitalized in 1922 and 1941; and expressions of condolence sent to the Brown family upon the deaths of Arthur Judson Brown (1963), Arthur Judson Brown, Jr. (1959), Elliott Wilbur Brown (1941), and Jennie Thomas Brown (1945). Dr. Brown received the condolences regarding the deaths of his son, brother, and wife; while correspondence regarding his own death is addressed principally to his daughter, Eleanor.

Diaries and Enclosures, the second series in the Arthur Judson Brown Papers, contains the clergyman's accounts of his 1901-1902 Asian tour, 1909 world tour, and the material found inside these volumes. Prompted by the Boxer Rebellion, Dr. and Mrs. Brown began a tour of Asia as representatives of the Board of Foreign Missions in February 1901. The clergyman recorded seventeen volumes entitled "Diary of Arthur J. Brown on Tour of Asia" during the fifteen month trip. His daily entries provide valuable accounts of the Near and Far East at the beginning of the twentieth century. The contents of each volume vary greatly, but generally include descriptions of professional conferences and meetings, visits to hospitals, schools, and churches, personal impressions, and travel adventures. Conflicts between Protestant and Roman Catholic missionary interests are mentioned frequently.

"Book VI" of the 1901-1902 Diary, written from Pao-ting-fu and Peking (Beijing) in the aftermath of the Boxers, is perhaps the most significant of the seventeen volumes. Dr. Brown's moving experiences at the Pao-ting-fu mission are recorded in the first pages of the volume. Reference to Yuan Shih-kai's troops, the Boxer ("Allied Villagers") takeover of a city thirty miles to the south, and the reconstruction of the missionary compound are also of note.

Topics included in Dr. Brown's Beijing accounts are the Boxer Rebellion, the subsequent indemnity question, and the suicides of Chinese women in connection with the march of foreign troops. A July 16, 1901 entry records Brown's interview with Sir Robert Hart, Inspector General of Imperial Maritime Customs. While in the capitol, he also met missionaries of different Protestant denominations and called on the Roman Catholic Bishop--indications of his ecumenical spirit.

The material enclosed in the seventeen volume diary supplements Dr. Brown's writings. Newspaper articles, receipts, notes, pamphlets, and a menu are among the items which relate directly to the entries. Four maps of Shandong (Shantung) Province, then governed by Yuan Shih-kai, illustrate a route suggested by F.H. Chalfant, the locations of Protestant missions in the province, "Mail Routes of Am. Pres. Miss. Service", and "Part of Shantung Showing F.H., Chalfant's Itineries l897."

During this five month world trip begun in July 1909, the clergyman recorded five volumes entitled "Journal of Arthur J. Brown World Tour 1909". The clergyman's writings and activities during the second tour are similar to those of his 1901-1902 trip, generally recording professional conferences and meetings, visits to missions and institutions, personal reflections, and travel descriptions. More specific passages are also significant: the question of Christian church cooperation in the first two volumes, and reference to the Russo-Japanese War in "Books III and IV." The fourth volume also contains the account of the clergyman's Peking interview with a son of Yuah Shih-kai, who stated that the governor had given him a copy of Brown's New Forces in Old China with advice to read it. The final book deals principally with the Brown's experiences traveling by rail from Harbin, China, to Berlin, Germany. A few enclosures, such as train schedules and calling cards, were contained in the 1909 diary.

Writings, the third series, primarily consists of works by the clergyman in either typed or hand-written form. Although much of the material later appeared in print, the only two printed items in this series are attached to specific writings.

Several typed, hand-written, and mimeographed addresses given by Dr. Brown and others appear in this series. Addresses welcoming him to China and Syria during his 1901-1902 Asian tour, are included. Translations are attached to some of the addresses. Two folders of "Prayers", most written by Dr. Brown, cover the years 1947-1961. Most of the "Poems" were written as birthday tributes to him. His brief essay, "The Death of John R. Mott", was made part of the permanent records of The Church Peace Union. Two complete manuscripts of Brown's autobiographical Memoirs of a Centenarian, are also included in this series.

Personal Items and Memorabilia, the fourth series, contains a wide variety of material. Genealogical information and family souvenirs, such as a recent copy of the 1791 will of Brown's great-grandfather, are included. The autograph of Horatius Bonor, nineteenth century Scottish hymnist and divine, is included with an explanatory note from Thomas Royall dated 1894. An assortment of invitations, to and from American Presidents, European and Asian royalty, dignitaries and professionals, represents highlights of Dr. Brown's career. A small collection of English and Chinese language calling cards, including that of Yuan Shihkai, appears in this series, as well as letters of introduction to foreign governments from President William McKinley, United States Consul John Fowler, and others.

A section of photographs, mainly composed of snapshots taken during Brown's two trips around the world, is located at the end of Personal Items and Memorabilia. The Chinese scenes of Pao-ting-fu, Peking, and Yuan Shih-kai's troopers, are of special interest. The only photo album in the collection, entitled "Our visit to Budapest July, 1920", was given to Dr. Brown as a souvenir of Hungary. A tintype of Edwin T. Brown in Civil War uniform, and photographs of Brown taken from 1880-1962 are notable. A tape-recording of the clergyman's 105th birthday speech is located at the end of the series.

Printed Material, the final series, houses a wide variety of material. It is divided into six sections:

The first section, Magazine and Newspaper Clippings, is also the largest. It contains material dating from 1884 to 1963, either written by or regarding Dr. Brown. This section includes all magazine and newspaper clippings except those regarding Dr. Brown's publications, which are arranged as Printed Material: Re: Publications. A wealth of topics concerning both social and church history, such as the Boxer Rebellion, the 1910 Edinburgh Conference, and the League of Nations, is represented. It is also an excellent source for tracing the development of the clergyman's career, point of view, and various activities.

Clippings from the Great Round World and The Assembly Herald frequently appear. Between 1920-1921, Dr. Brown wrote a column entitled "One Book A Week" for The Christian Work. During 1930 he served as Acting Editor of The Missionary Review of the World. Articles from North American, Asian, and European newspapers are located in this section. Many of Dr. Brown's early sermons can be found with Magazine and Newspaper Clippings, as they were reprinted in various publications. Two folders containing book reviews written by Dr. Brown between 1885-1887 for The Interior, then a leading Presbyterian weekly, appear at the end of the section.

The Minutes and Reports section contains committee reports, annual reports, typed extracts, and other organizational material dating from 1890-1962. Material related to the establishment of an Oregon State Board of Charities and Corrections, the 1900 Ecumenical Conference on Foreign Missions, and "Edinburgh 1910", reflects some of the clergyman's interests.

The Pamphlets section covers a wide range of religious, social, and political topics. The contents are divided into three parts: "Pamphlets: Including Notices" contains pamphlets, leaflets, one page printed announcements, and other material written by or regarding Dr. Brown. Printed form letters, also called "General Letters," are included in this section. Form letters are readily recognizable by their official nature and broad salutations (e.g., from "The Board of Foreign Missions" to "Pastors, Church Officers, and all Friends of Foreign Missions.") "General Letters" addressing specific mission groups are located with Correspondence: Missions.

"Pamphlets: Addresses" contains addresses made by Dr. Brown, usually before professional groups, which were printed in pamphlet form. "The Evangelization of the Great West", dated 1894, is the oldest work; while the one hundredth birthday address is the most recent.

"Pamphlets: Sermons" includes works preached by Dr. Brown in 1891, and 1911, in addition to French, German, and Swedish translations of the sermon "Implications of the Publican's Prayer," delivered at the Stockholm Cathedral during the 1925 Universal Christian Conference on Life and Work.

The section on Publications contains a host of material related to fourteen of Dr. Brown's works. Book reviews from magazines and newspapers, book jackets, and typed extracts are included.

The Church Bulletins and Newsletters section spans the years 1903-1965. Some of the material is from churches in Oak Park, Illinois, and Portland, Oregon, where Dr. Brown held pastorates early in his career.

Bound Material houses the clergyman's personal Bible, with markings and enclosures, "Philip's Authentic Map of Asia" and a "Map of the East."