Arizona republican., 1901-06-01
WORK OF CHURCH IN CHINA.
Account Given by Member of Women's
 Missionary Society.


 ference. M E. church South. an account ia given of the present condition of the work of that denomination fiji China, as made .at the last session of the China mission conference. recently held Tn Shanghai. and over which B shop A. w. Wilson, so well known in Washing ton, presided.
 There is nothing discouraging from beginning to end. the letter states. Every report is full of encou ragement and hope for the future. United states Consul General Goodnow. speaking be- fore the conference, praised the native Christians, saying that whatever skep- ticsm he had had of the genuineness Of the faith of the converts from heathen- ism had been broken down. and that he, with many others, believed there were many thousands, in China who valued their faith in Christ more highly than their lives" He still believed that when, in an interview with Li Hung Chang in the summer, he said flor every one who lost his life for being a Christian. ten would rise to take his place." he had spoken prophetic words.
 There are thirty-two members of the onference--twenty foreign ministers and twelve native. Two hundred and forty-one were baptized during the year. There are Senior Epworth leagues, with 2IS members. and twelve Junior leagues with 229 members. The membership of the church is 99S.
 The church in China has about the ea,,,a onilartinpa Hova fhnSa i'm ica--pastor's .alary, church extension. missions. bishops collection, etc. The amount contributed for presiding elders and preachers in charge was $l.175.90; bishops, SEQ: missions. $149.23 church extension, $476.10: Bible society, $2l .2l. "Is this" the writer asks, bad for an infant church so lately gathered in from heathenism? We must remem- Der, too. the fact that the church is composed of the very, very poor"
 Regarding the schools, it is stated that the past year has proved a suc- cessful ard, on the whole, a satlsfac- tory one in the progress of the Anglo Chinese college in Shanghai. V'he at tendance was POO for the fall term and 1S0 for the spring term, these numbers being the limit set for the two terms respectively. The progress of the stu dents was good in the regular course of sturdy
 The church work. Epworth league and Y. M. c. A. work have been carried on successfully. Five young men joined the theological class last spring. The religious condition of the college is good. Regarding the work the presl- dent, Mir. D. l.. Anderson. wrote: School work has had many hindrances in the interior since September. 1898, when the empress dowager overthrow the reform party and usurped the pow CTS of government. Schools of the new learning are not nearly so popular as they were previous to that time. and the bitter persecution which was but recently ended has cooled the ardor of many who seemed anxious to acquire the new learning. and one after another has dropped out"
 Continuing. Mir Anderson says: ''The continued success of the two institu- tions of learning-the Anglo-Ehineae college and the Soochow Anglo Chinese school-is a matter for grateful appre- ciaticn.
 Ut is true the distressful condition of the country, especially the bitter per- secution by the government, aimed at the new learning could hardly fail to have a somewhat depressing effect on the attendance, but there has been no reaction, and by every token we expect in the near future a more vigorous inn pul:,e will be given to our educational work. especially in regard to these two 
 ''The board of foreign missions has succeeded in getting seven or eight acres of land for the proposed Soochow university grounds though it involved the moving of a Buddhist temple and many Chinese graves. The amount by the Chinese for the pur- chase of land and erection of buildings was $1S,093.72. and up to the time of the Boxer movement in the north sub- scriptions were being made. One Chinaman gave s60oO. the largest amount contributed, though there was a subscription of 5000. one of $1, 300 and three of $1.008 each. A subscrip- tion of $500 was paid as late as June, when. aa is well known, the mission aries were ordered to Shanghai because of the unsettled state of affairs.
 "The work of clearing and building the wall has gone steadily on and a handsome wall incloses three sides of the new property.''
 The letter further says:
 The personal reports of the differ ent ministers are of much interest, but passing over much we come to the re- ports of the representatives of the wo- mans board of foreign missions within the bounds of the China conference. We have eighteen missionaries with twelve associates, the wives of mission aries. The women held their annual immediately after the adjourn ment of conference, conducting it as we do ours. except that Bishop Wilson presided"
 An account was given of the comple- ton eff the McGarock memorial, a beautiful annex to McLyeire school, which was very much needed. This was done at a cost of $6,000 In gold Star.