St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1907-05-15
The Shanghai conference.

In these days of wonderful develop
ment in the Chinese empire any event
which is associated in the public mind
with that nation becomes of world in
terest; hence the third general confer
ence of the Protestant missionaries in
China, to be held at Shanghai from
April 25 to May Z offers interesting pos
sibilities for conjecture. The conference
is to be essentially an occasion for action
rather than detailing past accomplish
ment, and how far the recommendations
of this important gathering may achieve
results depends on the manner in which
they are voiced and the problematic
frame of mind in which the Chinese gov
eminent happens to be at the time. The
logical reflection, in any attempt to fore
cast results, is to the petition last fall
from the anti-opium society to the gov
eminent asking for decree against the
use and production of opium; that petit
ton had immediate result in such de-
cree as was asked-so much is matter
of history, and the working out OF the
decree is now being watched.
The most significant purpose OF the
coming conference is that to appeal to
the Chinese government to allow com.
plete religious liberty for all classes OF
Christians; hardly less important will
be the declaration of the government
respecting, the spiritual and philan-
thropic objects of missions, upon which
declaration, in measure, may be based
the hope of favorable response to the
appeal for religious liberty. The prece-
dent of the successful appeal of the anti
opium society, however, is hardly safe,
| for since last fall there has developed in
China a considerable reactionary serti-
ment. Such an anti-foreign feeling can
not be permanent; events must force
another state of the Chinese national
mind, and it may be that this missionary
conference will, of itself, aid in the ere
action against the reaction" if one may
so express it.
The extent of the Protestant mission
airy force in China at this time is indi-
Gated by the fact that there were, Dec.
81, 1906, 1888 Protestant missionaries
in that country. The total includes the
representatives of 33 American Protest
ant missionary societies, rs similar
British societies, "a similar Continental
societies and many independent mission
aries, working without any home So
cietv. The total includes 1904 men,
114S wives and 1881 single women.
This is a large increase over the number
at the time of the first general confer
ence, held in May, 1877, at Shanghai,
when there were but 25 missionary So
cieties in China, including 473 indi-
vidual missionaries. The second con-
ference, in 1890, showed an increase to
1896 missionaries.
The present conference will differ some
what from the preceding two, in that it
will be less in the nature of mass meet
ing, and more of a misunderstanding
body. There will be little time devoted
to reading papers-the papers have been
prepared and printed in advance, so that
the DAYS of the conference may be filled
with more definite and result-getting
work. 1t is, of course, centennial cele
bration Of the arrival in Canton OF
Robert Morrison, though actual mis-
sionary labors in China, as they are un
derstood today, did not begin unit
1912. Many missionaries personally
known to New England people will b'
present, and the American Board will b.
represented by Rev. James l.. Barton
, foreign missions secretary, and Rev. Ed
ward c. Moore, chairman of the pruden
tial committee. The proceedings will b
!, watched with deep interest, both be
cause of local representation on the spo
/ and because of the far-reaching effec
t they may have on the future develop
ment of China.