The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-07-04

ON i, service undreamed of twenty years ago. Calls for evangelists, Bible teachers for mission schools, Young Women's Chris tan Association secretaries, social settle ment workers and directors of other lines of Christian activity engaged in by the women of the west, are making them selves more and more loudly heard in China. Eyangelstic movements of recenr years touching thousands of the educated classes, have brought many women as we'll as men students into a favorable att titude toward Christianity. If these wom- en are to be properly instructed and brought to the point of church member ship, new kind of woman evangelist and Bible teacher must be provided for tEem. The missionaries are realizing, to !, that the large investments in education for Chinese girls should begin to bring n returns in native leaders who feel the responsibility for the evangelization or their own people, and who can work hand in hand with them, sharing their burdens and from their large experience in things Chinese helping to solve some of their problems. With such, opportunities and demands for better prepared leaders, the school for women and our Bible Teachers Training School was the result.
 HOME TRAINING
 '"The well-known Mrs. H ow q Taylor has called this a home mission training school, because it prepares Chi- nese women for all lines of home mis- sionary work among their own people, continued Miss Britain. During the past year students from ten provinces and fourteen denominations were enrolled. While most of these were graduates from mission schools, we also had numbers of high school and college graduates, normal school graduates and teachers, and a growing student body who came from non-Christian or government schools. These young women have become Chris tians during evangelistic campaigns, or have been won through personal work. Many of them were strangers to the Bible but quick to realize the need of it; for even teachers in government schools when converted are willing to resign their positions and enter our school as pupils. And they make wonderful pupils! One of the faculty writes Of them:
 "'It is a wonderful experience to take these educated young women, themselves teachers of all that a Christless educa- tion can give, and introduce them to the word of God. As we lead them ctep by step into an understanding of Gods plan for the world we sometimes marvel at the readiness with which they respond
 THEIR OWN PEOPLE
 Great leaders have always realized thu. T LatrTe missionary can do more fol Ter own people than numbers of fsreisn ms SCI al ies can do," reminded Miss Br.'- tain. Faster Ding Iii Mel whc las been called .lie John Mott of China, knew that the hope or any nation is ia ltc na- i've !ei -,' hin. and while trayri.,,, over China in he interest of the student vol ln- teer movement, he covenanted with other pastors to pray for the opening of a school fer the Christian training oe the educated young women of his country. Following this was the establishment of our school in 1912
 There is a special need for the train- ing of women for Christian work as well as men, Miss Britain said because the Chinese homes are always open to the native missionaries and Bible women.
 The church must be indigenous in China,'' she added, and the ideal of all foreign missionary work is toward this accomplishment.
 ''The young life, especially the students, are beginning to feel the burden of their country politically. and with this has come a reaction upon the young people of the Chinese church. Many educated young women have bad a vision of China's needs and possibilities, and they are realizing more and more the large place for themselves in active Christian service.
 q really think one of the most hopeful signs in China today is the recent mis- sionary movement that has resulted in the organization of an interdenomina- tional board of missions This board IS composed entirely of Chinese who are sending their Christian missionaries into the provinces. Recently this board has sent eight Chinese missionaries to Yunan, provinca so inaccessible on account 1T | f,a ai1i thar ta1Sac IO,,S.r t1 20 from these to Shanghai than it took me to come from Shanghai to Birming- ham, Two of the seven who went to make the survey for locating the mission stations were students from our Ranking school. The new organization is sup ported entirely by Chinese money, and the sending out of Chinese missionaries $ one of the significant results of the long years of missionary work in that coun- try. The Chinese are contributing iibe,- ally toward the support of the board, some of them sending money from abroad. and it has inspired Chinese churches to support their own mission aries. Our school at Ranking is looked uron by the board as a source of supply for their trained native workers.
 So it is that we believe the Bible Teachers Training School for Women Is beginning to realize it's mission by mak- ing a distinctive contribution to the evan gelzation of the women of China, con cluded Miss Britain. Letters coming 'ir ca oh year, both from those desiring work CTS and from those with whom graduates are already placed, bear testimony to the fact that a new and better equipped tyne of woman evangelist is being sent forth to do her part in the great warfare now being waged for Christ in China