The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-11-08

Christian college.
The physicians of the London Mis-
slonary society rave done good work in
| medical instruction. The ethod
Mission has an educational institution
| known as The Picking University, a
large name chosen not to describe pres
ent achievement but future hope. 1t
has two well developed departments
literary and medical. The entire plant
was swept away in the fury of the
| Boxer upheava1. The educational work
of the American Board is conducted at
Tungchou with well developed acadern-
ic, collegiate and theological depart
menIs. Tungohou was formerly a city
of sixty or seventy thousand inha5f-
tants, but it experienced the double
scourge of the Boxer movement and
the occupation by foreign troops, and
at the present time has but twenty or
twenty-five thousand inhabitants. The
new college buildings with foreign
houses were entirely destroyed. For
~tunately the school was o. in session
and but one of the students persisted,
while one hundred and forty of the
church membership were cruelty de-
stroyed without mercy shown to q sin
gle individual
At a meeting for the discussion of
the question of educational union DIR.
Sheffield urged the benefits not only OF
educational union but of a deeper
movement that would finally accom-
plish the un~if1cation OF the native
Protestant Christian church of China.
believe he said that fifty or a hum
bred years hence the names of Presby-
terrain, Methodist, Congregationalist,
ETC., will in China be only historical in
their meaoing. However at this discus
sion difficulties of administration were
urged, and it was questioned whether
after all the best work would not be
accomplished by each body within It's
own accustomed organization. Some
months later a committee vas appoint
ed by the London Mission to agitate
the question of educational union. The
American Board Mission responded by
appointing a similar committee. AS
the result of an evenings discussion
by these two committees, it was pro-
posed to unite in building up and sus-
tanning three schools-collegiate, theo-
logical, medical-with a woman's coll
legts in sight. At this point the Presby-
terrain Mission was invited to join the
tkAAAOily S1i1d tCSpOlioCo- l. iAAO
been understood that the Methodist in
Stitntion could not modify it's present
organization, but on consultation with
representatives of this school the gen.
erous proposal was made that the pres
ent large grounds belonging to the uni
versity - about twenty : five English
acres-be made over to the union uni
versity and the various departments be
built up IN close relations"
This plan was very acceptable to
some, put others felt thai it would be
better to ave the schools nearer to the
various stations, where mission work
is being carried on. At last a modi-
fed plan was developed by the commit
tee of the four. missions. The two
scientific and literary colleges at Pc
kin and Tungchou should be rebuilt by
the Methodist or American Board Mis-
sions; the London Mission would build
the medical department.; and the Pres
byterian Mission would in like name
build up the theological department;
but the teachers for all these schools
should be supplied from the four mis-
sions. Each of the four mission boards
will appoint three members of a Board
of Trustees which shall be a corporate
body with power to hold property in it's
own name. These trustees will have
direction of the entire university edu-
cational work. Missionaries teaching
in a given department will be support
ed by their respective Boards.
Special departments will for the
present continue to be the property of
the mission building up the department.
On the mission field there will be a
Board of Managers, six appointed by
each mission. This Board will have
control of all departments of the uni
versity, appointing teachers, arranging
curricula, etc. Each mission represent
ell in the union will have the privilege
of placing a teacher in each of the
schools at once. In the two collegiate
departments, when twenty students
from a given mission ere Under instruc-
ton, a teacher from that mission will
be required. In the medical and theo-
logical departments there will be
equality in the teaching staff from the
outset.
In the discussion representatives of
the Methodist mission said that they
had no anxiety as to the type of theo-
logical teaching their students would
receive in such a union theological
school, that they had used a theology
with their classes prepared by a Pres
bygationelist) for many years. The
speaker said on this occasion that he
was sure that the Methodists were as
good C~alvinists as the Congregational
lists and Presbyterians, and the two lat
ter a little better Armenians than the
Methodistsl We hope for the best re-
suits in thus permitting theological
students to listen to the setting forth
of the great truths of our common
Christian faith from the lips of those
who represent slight UNCONVENTIONAL
variations, but who stand together for
all that is vital in the Christian spirit
and purpose.
There are several manifest and i'm
portant benefits that will be experien-
ced by all denominations from this plan
OF educational union. % There will be
considerable economy in the teaching
force. In Christian schools in China
giving instruction in Chinese learning,
in specific Christian and Biblical lines.
and in western science and general lit
erature, the number of teachers re-
quired is out of proportion to the num-
Der of pupils. In union schools larger
classes can be organized without in
creasing the number of teachers. (2)
There will possibly not be economy in
/ The 0V1Nnn1ifTYr @c -