The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-01-28
The Republic of China
XII-The Y. M. c. A. in China.
BY Frederic j.. Haskin

not to impIieate their association, and
at no title was the ". NJ. C. A. as an
organization accused by either side of
playing politics. Nevertheless. the
revolution was a revolution of young
men and students, q large share of
whom We're Y. NJ. c. A. men.
A student volunteer movement in
connection with general association ar
fairs is spreading to all the provincial
and educational centers. 1t is a note
worthy fact that the best results are
being obtained in the government
schools, the very places where the
greatest obstacles We're encountered
up to the overthrow of the Man"hu
dynasty. The leader ard moving
| spirit in this far-reaching campaign
is not an American. as might be sup
posed, but a young Chinese. He is
Pastor Ting Ii Mel, a veritable Apos-
tie Paul. Two years ago he organized
the student volunteer movement IN
China He goes from place to place
and the students are inspired to n
marvellous degree, SO that they organ
ize and keep going long after he has
gone. He is training an assistant,
LANG HAHN, who was the ragged son
Of an opium eater in Marking seven
years ago, but whose life henccforth
is dedicated to this ministry. He
also has five student volunteers. all
working without any compensation.
Pastor Ting carries his work to the
Chinese students in Christian colleges
and in the past three years he has
pledged eight hundred to the ministry,
which is more than were secured by
all the Protestant missionary orgnni-
cations in the first 100 years of Chris
tian ondcavor in China.
or great Importance are the annual
student conferences. Twelve were
held in 1912 as against four, five years
ago. Then only a handful of gov
eminent Students cared or dared to
enter them, and the leadership was
necessarily foreign, Last year the
conferences We're directed by the. Chi
neso themselves, and there We're al
most 1000 in attendance. The most
striking feature OF the conferences was
the active participation OF government
students. Nearly one hundred were
at the Peking conference alone, within
the very shadow of the once feared
Forbidden city, Before the rcvolu-
ton ii seemed that government stu
dent conferences would have to he held
separate from those for students OF
Christian colleges. Last summer
both classes blended most harmnni-
ouslv. In 1911 Manchu spies attend
ed the conferences. In 1912 members
of Yuan Shih k'ai's cabinet were on
the program and delivered straight
from-the-shouldcr Christian addresses.
More rogrcss can be made among
the Chinese by the Y. NJ. c. A.. in the
next five years, by jumping right into
tn" middle of the situation, thar in
the subsequent so years, should the
associations fail to make the most of
the conditions now before them. The
secretaries seem to be aware of their
great opportunities and are calling for
more assistance. They need twice as
many native ~lieutenants. More work
should be done, did funds permit, at
CHING Hua college, the official gov
nmc school, which prepares Young
men for matriculation in American
universities. The Chinese themselves
are so wrapped up in the cause that
they are already supporting Y. NJ. e.
\. work among Chincsc in the United
states. and there are. over 400 mem
horS in this country noW. Not even
governmental opposition remains to
impede development. one of the
great events of last year in Pcking
was the laying of the cornerstone of
the new Y. NJ. 6. a. building which
John Wanamakcr is providing for.
premier Tang Shao vi laid the corner
stone, a special letter was read from
the President of China, and w. w
f"n, under secretary of foreign affairs,
Il young Christian, son of a Chinese
| n1SIor and 81 rpl1HDatp nc tha ITpiynr-
Sity Of Virginia. delivered the address.
The exercises from first to last were
in English.
TomorroW-The Republic of China.
Standardization In the Past.