Francis Mason (missionary): Difference between revisions

'''Francis Mason''' (2 April 2, 1799 &ndash; 3 March 1874), [[United States|American]] [[missionary]] and a [[naturalist]],<ref name=mabberley>Mabberley, D. J. (1985) William Theobald (1829-19081829–1908): Unwitting Reformer of Botanical Nomenclature? Taxon 34(1):152-156152–156.</ref> was born in [[York]], England. His grandfather, also Francis Mason, was the founder of the [[Baptist Society]] in York, and his father, a [[shoemaker]] by trade, was a Baptist [[lay preacher]] there.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

After working with his father as a shoemaker for several years, he emigrated in 1818 to the [[United States]], and in [[Massachusetts]] was licensed to preach as a Baptist in 1827. In 1830 he was sent by the [[American Baptist Missionary Union]] to labor among the [[Karen people|Karens]] in [[Burma]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

In Burma, besides conducting a training college for native preachers and teachers at [[Tavoy]], he translated the [[Bible]] into the two principal dialects of the Karens, the [[Sgaw]] and the [[Pwo]] (his translation being published in 1853), and ''[[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]]'', ''[[Book of Genesis|Genesis]]'', and the ''[[Psalms]]'' into the [[Bghai]] dialect. He also published ''A [[Pāli|Pali]] Grammar on the Basis of Kachchayano, with Chrestomathy and Vocabulary'' (1868). In 1849, he described a new species of [[Pinus|pine]], ''[[Tenasserim Pine]]'' in the journal of [[the Asiatic Society]].<ref>J. As. Soc. Bengal 18, p. 74</ref> In 1850 he published a book of great value on the fauna and flora of British Burma titled '' The natural products of Burmah, or notes on the fauna, flora and minerals of the Tenasserim provinces, and the Burman empire''. It was published by the American Mission Press at [[Mawlamyaing|Moulmein]]. An improved edition appeared in 1860 under the title ''Burmah, its People and Natural Productions'', and a third edition (2 vols.) revised and enlarged by [[William Theobald]] in 1882–1883.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

He was a [[Freemason]] and briefly faced exclusion from his [[missionary]] work due to certain views held by his wife, [[Ellen Huntly Bullard Mason]], one of them being that God's way of speaking to Adam was revealed in the designs of the Burmese women's dresses.<ref name=mabberley /> He died at Rangoon.

See his autobiography, ''The Story of a Working Man's Life, with Sketches of Travel in Europe, Asia, Africa and America'' (New York, 1870).{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}