In this great capital city nearly all the missionary societies of China have settlements, and in each of the missionary seminaries the stranger finds a hospitable welcome, but the one we like best of all to visit is the beautiful College of the Holy Saviour in Mayland. It stands in the very shadow of the cathedral, the tall spires of which, towering to the heavens, tell us in which direction to turn our steps to find it. We know full well that the door-keeper, the old Italian Brother with snow-white hair and coal-black eyes, will greet us cordially, and show us the garden and the grounds on which blonde-haired European boys play in brotherly fashion with pig-tailed Chinese youths. When Brother Onufrio—for this is the name of the door-keeper—is in very good humor and has the time he tells us stories of his experiences in the College of the Holy Saviour in which he has been in active service since its foundation. One of these is the wonderful history of the small Irish lad, Willy Brown, the son of a sea captain, and his friend, the Chinese foundling, Joseph. We shall tell the tale just as Brother Onufrio would tell it, beginning with the day in the first year of his residence in Hongkong when the crosses were placed on the spires of the dome of the cathedral.
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A few days before the Chinese New Year in 1858 the work on the cathedral had progressed so far that the great golden crosses could be erected. Securely fastened with strong ropes they lay at the foot of the scaffolding ready to be drawn up into place, and standing about in a half circle were missioners, pupils, and workmen. The Apostolic Prefect, dressed in festal robes, and attended by the small acolytes, Willy Brown and the Chinese Joseph, had blessed the crosses. Then at a signal the workmen pulled the ropes and, as they rose on high, the clear, piping voices of the boys rang out in the splendid old hymn:
The Royal banners forward go,
The Cross shines forth in mystic glow;
On which the One Who in our flesh was made
Our sentence bore, our ransom paid.
When the crosses had been put in place the Prefect made a speech, saying among other things, "Now afar over Hongkong and its harbor where it may be seen not only by all the people who dwell here but also by those who come in ships from far distant ports shines the sign of Our Lord." Of all that the head of the order of missioners said on this occasion this impressed little Willy most, and when the celebration was over the small acolyte went to Father Somazzo and said: "Father, the Apostolic Prefect said that the cross on the cathedral could be seen from all the ships that come into the harbor. From the cross can you see all the ships?"
"Yes, certainly, Willy," he answered. "From all the ships, streets, open squares, and hills round about from which the cross is visible, any and all those places are visible from the dome on which the cross stands."
"Oh, then, Father, let me climb up. It is not dangerous. The ladders are fastened tightly to the scaffolding, and the scaffolding is so strong that it will hold big men. Yesterday at recess Joseph almost climbed up; he would have gone to the very top, if the Prefect had not seen him and called him down. O Father, don't frown so at me, but let me go. I want so much to see whether my father's ship has come. He wrote that he would be here before the New Year, and I would know his ship at a glance from the golden picture of holy Saint George that's on the bow. Please, Father, please."
Father Somazzo shook his head and said: "The ship is too far away for you to see what is painted on the bow, and besides it is too dangerous for you to climb up there. You might get dizzy and fall, and what would your father say if he were to come here and find you a corpse, or with your legs and arms broken?"
"Oh, but Father, I do not get dizzy. I have often been up on the rigging of the 'Saint George', in the crow's nest, and even on the very highest yard. I know every bit of the rigging of the ship. O Father, let me climb up right now."
The teacher looked at Willy earnestly and raised his finger chidingly. "Willy," he said, "you've got that stubborn little head of yours set again. How often have I told you that it is not becoming for you to insist on having your own way. No, you cannot climb up to the dome under any circumstances. I forbid it."