| Abstract: | 在長老教會在台發展的歷史中，有一群被稱為「姑娘」的女宣教師。未婚的她們，在通過審核與訓練之後來到台灣宣教。她們參與的宣教可分為三層面：醫療、教育及巡迴宣教（Evangelism）。醫療方面，烈以利等姑娘開拓了馬偕醫院、樂山療養院等北台灣教會醫療機構的護理制度，建立不同於公立醫院日式風格的西式護理教育。而醫院福音工作更是突顯出教會的醫療機構以及這些姑娘們的特別之處。
在教育方面，淡水女學校在金仁理姑娘等人的努力下成長，學生逐年增加。加上該校重視基督宗教教育、而非「忠君愛國」的日本教育傳統，一方面成為不同於同時期其他女校的特色，同時也使得不少人藉此成為基督徒。婦學堂則以造就婦女成為賢妻良母或宣教人才為目的，一方面呼應了塑造賢妻良母的日本女子教育理念，一方面也讓這些婦女從原先限制於家庭的生活空間解放出來，特別有些失去丈夫的婦女更藉此機構建立了新的人際關係與生活目標，重新獲得自信。至於幼稚園，則成為教會傳福音、並提供淡女畢業生就業的管道。巡迴宣教部分則包含三方面：街頭佈道、組織本地婦女、參與地方教會的兒童主日學及音樂教育，因著姑娘參與其中，使得婦女在教會的勢力逐漸擴大。
若是姑娘對於教會宣教有著相當大的貢獻，那麼為何姑娘竟是在加拿大長老教會於北台灣展開宣教近三十年之後才得以來台？關鍵在於馬偕一手主導教會事務、強調本地化傳道事工（native ministry）以及他對姑娘的觀感。此外，透過整理外籍男宣教師的妻子她們參與宣教工作的情況，發現宣教師夫人雖然亦致力於宣教，但是受限於當時強調婦女應以照顧家庭為重的歐美社會風氣，以及基督教傳統中妻子要順服丈夫的理念，因此呈現出「夫唱婦隨」的現象。而實際上，姑娘正是男性主導的教會面對在宣教區男宣教師不易接觸女性、宣教師夫人又必須將重心置於家庭而無法全力宣教的情狀下，設計出來的制度。不論是宣教師夫人或姑娘，皆受父權社會及男性主導之教會的掌控。
In the history of PCT’s (Presbyterian Church in Taiwan) development, many female missionaries who were called “Ladies” took part in it. Being unmarried, they came to Taiwan to preach after examination and orientation. The mission they participated in can be divided into three aspects: medical care, education and Evangelism. Regarding medical care, Miss Isabel Elliot and other ladies established the nursing system of Mackay Memorial Hospital, Happy Mount Leprosy Colony and other medical institutions in northern Taiwan, which is different from Western nursing education with Japanese-style in public hospitals. Preaching the gospel in hospitals also reveals the difference of church medical institutions and these Ladies.
As for education, with the efforts of Miss Jane Kinney and other Ladies, The Girl’s School grew and had more students every year. In addition, the school put emphasis on Christian education rather than Japanese tradition of education as “to be loyal to sovereign and country”. This distinguished itself from other girl’s school at that time, and on the other side, many people became Christians. The purpose of Women’s School was training women to become intelligent wives and virtuous mothers, or to become the new force of missionary. On the one hand, it responded to Japanese idea of women education to mold intelligent wives and virtuous mothers, but also liberated these women from their living space which had been limited to their houses. Especially, some women who lost their husbands made new relationships and life goals by this institution, and they recovered their confidence of themselves. With regard to kindergarten, it became the resource for church to preach and for graduates of The Girl’s School to obtain employment. Evangelism included three aspects: preaching on the street, organizing local women, and participating in children’s Sunday school and musical education in local church. Women’s influence in church increased gradually because of Ladies’ participation.
If these Ladies contributed enormously to church mission, then why did they come to Taiwan after Canada Presbyterian church had begun mission work in northern Taiwan over thirty years? The key factor is that Mackay dominated church affairs all by himself, he placed emphasis on native ministry, and his impression of Ladies. Furthermore, while studying the circumstances of foreign missionaries’ wives participating in mission work, it is found that although wives of missionaries also devoted themselves to mission work, however, they were restrained by the way of western society which insist that family is women’s priority, and the Christian traditional idea of wives’ obedience to husbands, resulted in the appearance of “wives accompany husbands”. In fact, due to the circumstance that female were unapproachable for male missionaries in mission districts, while their wives had to focus on their family and unable to devote in mission work with all their strength, the formation of Ladies was led by male-dominating church. Whether wives of missionaries or Ladies, they were all dominated and controlled by patriarchy and male-dominating church. |
