William G. Shellabear
Comments on article: InfopediaTalk
William Girdlestone Shellabear, Reverend (Dr), often abbreviated to W. G. Shellabear, (b. 27 August 1862, England - d. 16 January 1947, Hatrford-Connecticut, U.S.) soldier, Methodist missionary, planter and scholar, a pioneer publisher with at least 55 published works particularly Malay literature. His translated English edition of the Sejarah Melayu or "The Malay Annals" is still in print, and available today. He left a legacy of many books on Malay vocabularies, dictionaries, text-books, and religious works for the Christian Mission. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree by Ohio Wesleyan University in 1913.
Early Life
Shellabear first came to Singapore in 1887 at the age of 25 years as an Officer with the Royal Engineers. Being deeply Christian, he left military service to join the Methodist Mission and helped with outreach to the native communities. To help them with their publishing needs, he went back to England to study the art of printing.
His Contributions
In 1890, he started the Methodist Mission Press. The Press printed his books on vocabularies, dictionaries, text-books, and translations of Christian hymns, and other religious works for the mission. Shellabear made a special study of languages and gained a fluency in Malay. He studied and loved Malay literature and could read and even write in the Jawi script and romanised language. In 1917, his interest in literature made him study Arabic with all the determination and eventually became fluent in the Arabic.
Shellabear started a monthly Methodist journal in 1891, The Malaysia Message, (now renamed Methodist Message) which chronicled the developments not only of the local churches but also of the society and its government. In 1901, he began work on a 6,500-word Malay-English vocabulary which was completed and published in 1902. From 1902 to 1915, Shellabear integrated his scholarly work in the Malay language which had begun with his editing of the Sejarah Melayu or "The Malay Annals", and the complex task of Bible translation, evangelistic outreach, plus work for the Mission Press. In June 1913, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree by Ohio Wesleyan University, in recognition for the publication of the complete Bible in Malay in August 1912 and the completion of the New Testament in Baba Malay some months later. He was elected President of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society in 1914, and the society bore the expense of photographing the entire Hikayat Sri Rama or "The legend of Sri Rama", a classical Malay literature manuscript which he had first deciphered and written about 16 years earlier.
Between 1916 and 1920, he made many trips back to England and the U.S. but each time yearned to return to his work and the people he loved in Malaya and Singapore. Missing the life and the activities in the Far East, he returned for the last time to Singapore in November 1920. His health faltering and unable to work, or even sleep, he returned to the U.S. with his wife.
He became a professor at Drew Theological Seminary, and later at Hartford Seminary Foundation until 1938, when he retired. In the years following his retirement, Shellabear continued to assist other Malay scholars with the preparation for publishing of books. He wrote his memoirs entitled The Life of the Reverend W. G. Shellabear, D.D. published in 1942.
Rev. Dr. William Girdlestone Shellabear died in his sleep, in Hartford, Connecticut, on 16 January 1947 at the age of eighty-four.
Some published works of W. G. Shellabear
(1964). Kitab kiliran budi kumpulan beberapa perumpamaan Melayu. Kuala Lumpur: Pustaka Antara.
(Call no.:R 398.99923 SHE)
(1925). Malay English vocabulary containing over 7000 words words or phrases with their English equivalents together with an appendix of household nautical and medical terms. Singapore: Methodist Pub House.
(Call no.: RSEA 499 230321 SHE)
(1912). A practical Malay grammar. Singapore:{s.n.]
(Call no.: RSEA 499 2305 SHE)
(1963). Hikayat Hang Tuah. Singapura: Pustaka Antara
(Call no.: RCLOS 899193 SHE)
Author
Vernon Cornelius
References
Hunt, R. (1996). William Shellabear: A biography (pp. 131, 247, 259, 341). Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: University of Malaya Press.
(Call no.: RSING 266.0095957 HUN)
Hutton, P. (1978). Make what I can sell:The story of Jack Chia-MPH (pp. 15-25, 35). Singapore: Jack Chia-MPH.
(Call no.: RCLOS 388.7610705095957 HUT)
Makepeace, W., Brooke, G. E., & Braddell, R. St. J. (Eds.). (1991). One hundred years of Singapore (Vol. 2, pp. 268-269). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 ONE)
The information in this article is valid as at 1997 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the library for further reading materials on the topic.
Subject
Personalities>>Biographies>>Community Leaders
Shellabear, William G., 1862-1947
Missionaries--Singapore--Biography
Authors and publishers--Singapore--Biography
Philosophy, psychology and religion>>Religion>>Christianity