Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-10
AMERICAN MIssIONARIEs IM CHINESE EMPIRE
PuV Accomplishing Great
Work Among the Yellow Races Of the orient
Frnrnt the Val hinpfn Star

N haces OF the OTient
lington Star
Thus there Is an American missionary
for every one OF the 1897 Clevelands
which tho population of China would
make numerically; q missionary for
an area only seven hundred square
miles less than tho area of the Nutmeg
state. Placing the entire number of
missionaries, Catholic and Protestant,
at 1000 roughly there Is a missionary
for every 1000 square miles OF territory
"a Rhode Island i'm extenD and every
100000 Of population Ca Scranton al
most, i'm heads).
The statements concerning American
missionaries are exclusive of the
American Catholic missionary. It has
been impossible to ascertain the num-
ber Of American Catholic missionaries
i'm China. since they are sent out not
by central organization, but by the
various orders to which they belong.
According to officers of the Society
for the Propagation of the Faith, the
Catholic missionary organization which
busies itself raising money for the sup
port Of missionaries sent out by the
missionary orders, the number is very
small indeed, the church's Chinese
work being almost wholly in charge of
continental priests.
The strongest of our missionary
boards in China is the board of foreign
missions of the Presbyterian church in
the United States of America. 1t has
244 missionaries in the field, garrison
ing twenty-seven stations and 1896 out
stations. It's native helpers number $50.
1t has 1870 organized churches, with
nearly $4,000 communicates 5000 being
added last year. In its 252 schools are
5000 pupils and students. Sabbath
school scholars number over 5000.
Its two printing presses turned out
over S1OOO.OOO pages of reading matter
last year, and it's twetny-three hospitals
and seventeen dispensaries took care of
nearly 1400 900 patients.
The work of the Missionary society of
the Methodist Episcopal church is
close second to that of the Presbyterian
board Among the leaders are also the
American Baptist Missionary union,
the Domestic and Foreign Missionary
society of the Protestant Episcopal
church. the executive committee of for
eign missions, Presbyterian church
south; the board of foreign missions,
Reformed church in America; the board
of foreign missions of the M. Il. church
south and the American board of com
missioners for foreign missions (Con-
gregationaD. These societies do the
1t is interesting to note, however, that
many religious organizations. which are
more local than national in reality, if
not in name or purpose. are in the
China field. For example, the Chris
tian and Missionary alliance, the Rev.
DR.. A. B. Simpsons organization, and
the Scandinavian Alliance Mission of
North America. Then. too. there are
five womens boards at work. chiefly
engaged in maintaining schools. hospi
tails and dispensaries. Indeed one of
these boards the Woman's Union Mis-
sioinary society, treats about thirty-five
thousand patients in its one hospital
and dispensary combined, doing more in
this direction than any of the other
societies. except the Presbyterian
North, the American board, the Protest
ant Episcopalian and the Presbyterian
South.
Most of the missionary effort Is con-
fined to China proper, as is also the case
with other Protestant bodies and the
Roman Catholics. OF the dependencies
has the greatest number of
mission stations. Mongolia is now
being developed evangelically. Very
little attention has yet been paid to
Tibet and Hsin-chiang. According to
Harlan p. Beach, a retired missionary
and an authority on the China field, our
boards are leading factors in thirteen
of the nineteen provinces of China
proper and in Mongolia.
In the province of Chill, wherein is
Peking, the capital of the Congrega-
tionalists and the Methodists, north,
are dominant, in Shan-tung, which the
Germans desire to seize, the Presbyter-
ians, north in Klangsu, wherein isl
the Presbyterians, north and
south. and the Methodists, south; in
Che-kiang, the Baptists and the Pres
byterians, south; in Fo-kien, the
Methodists, north, and the Congrega-
tionalists; in Kwang-tung, wherein is
the Presbyterians, north,
and the Baptists; in Kwang-si, across
the boundary from Indo-China, the
Christian and Missionary alliance.
In Sze-chwan, bordering on Thibet,
the center of which is 100 miles in
line from Shanghai, on the
coast, the Baptists are leaders; in