The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-04-27

After DR.. John r. Mott and Sherwood
Eddy, representing the Edinburgh con-
tinuation committee, had held five sec
tional conferences with the missionaries
| in various parts of China, they met final
ly on March IL to IA. in Shanghai, dele
gates from the churches of the whole ma
ton, and there canvassed comprehensive
ly the results so far obtained in the
evangelization of the Chinese people and
the principles upon which the further de-
velopment of the missionary enterprise
in that land must be prosecuted.
There were in attendance 10 mission
representatives. about two-thirds for
eigners and one-third Chinese. The rep
resentation was remarkably general, in
Guiding all Protestant mission forces of
every variety. The conclusions adopted
by the conference before the adjourn
ment are voluminous but of concentrat-
ed interest throughout. 1t was agreed
that under present circumstances no one
can say precisely how much of China
remains yet to be evangelical, but the
provinces of Yunnan, Kwangsi, and
kweichew in the extreme southwestern
portion of the country and Kansuh in
the northwest are as yet almost I'M
touched. Mongolia, an especially difficult
field, has scarcely dozen missionaries in
all Its vast extent. Eastern Turkestan,
an immense area, is occupied in only
three centers in the extreme west, around
Kashgar. Tibet has not been entered at
all, although five or six missions are
working along its borders and ready to
take the first opportunity of pressing into
the country. 1t was agreed in the con-
ference that survey of the entire Chi
nese field and mapping of districts yet
untouched should be requested immedi-
ately. And since there is so much terri
tory still to be evangelical, it was voted
that no mission should hereafter enter
any occupied district without the full
consent of the forces already on the
ground.
AS was to be expected, the conference
spoke with great positiveness in favor
of single missionary church in China.
all Western UNCONVENTIONAL
lines. Even pending actual organic
union. it was urgently recommended that
all churches should discard every dis
tinctive name and assume only the sim
gle title, THE Christian Church in
China Churches of similar ecclesiasti
cal order which already enjoy intercom-
munion were urged to combine at once.
while federation, local and provincial,
was recommended where churches felt
unable to surrender UNCONVENTIONAL Pc
cularities. A hymnal for all the churches
and a book of prayer for voluntary use
in public worship were ordered prepared
by committees appointed for the purpose.
1t was also recommended that the Chi
nese be received to a share in the ad-
of foreign funds used for
the support of their churches; that
church buildings as far as possible
should be built on ground not owned
by the missions; and that Chinese con-
should be encouraged to send
20 local and district or
CARNATIONS in which missionaries have
no part
In regard to new missionaries the
boards at home We're urged to send none
but the most thoroughly trained and edu-
Gated men and women, already tested as
TO their ability TO acquire a foreign Ian
yuage. 1t was insisted that no candi-
late should be considered qualified for
any form of mission work in China I'M
ess he was regarded as capable of as
sured success in similar work at home.
The opinion of the missionaries was also
that all workers entering China for the
first time should be sent out for a period
If service at least as itinerants in the
1eld, in order that they might become
acquainted with Chinese con-
iitions. Schools for instruction of mis-
sionaries in language were recommended
n Pekin, Canton, Marking and Hang
row.
The need of Christian literature in
China came into view strongly in the
conference. Books especially needed are
expository works. Bible
dictionaries, and concordances, while