TO ENCOMPASS THE WORK, AND THE WORK ENCOMPASSED
US

THE events of 1900 resulted in an extraordinary quickening of interest
amongst those who had a contact of some kind with Christianity. We very
soon found ourselves quite overwhelmed by the many openings and
opportunities which presented themselves on all sides. Hitherto
untouched villages begged for a visit, idols were destroyed by those
into whose homes we had never penetrated, leaders in the Church were
begging us to devise some means by which the women might be taught,
fathers were prepared for any sacrifice so that their daughters might be
received as scholars.

For some time, at vast expenditure of strength, we attempted by
travelling in different directions to spend, at any rate, one or two
days in the various centres we were begged to visit. Each month we
became more strongly impressed with the fact that the work of
evangelisation was being carried on with tremendous aggressive force,
not by us, but by the native Church, we being unable to even follow up
the openings made by them.

Such a mass movement afforded an unparalleled opportunity, provided
sufficient teaching were given to establish and build up in the faith
those who believed; but if left to itself, this large numerical increase
might prove a serious menace to the spiritual life of the Church. We had
to seriously consider our ways. Should we contribute our small part to
the widespread preaching of the Gospel and visiting of those who had
already heard through the Chinese evangelising agencies, or should we
leave to the Chinese Church the responsibility of propagating itself,
reserving ourselves to "preparing saints for the work of ministering"?

Chinese Christians going from place to place spread the Good Tidings
more effectually than we could hope to do, and where such conditions
exist, it is surely an indication that the people of the land should
hear the Gospel first from the lips of their own countrymen. Moreover,
the Government was seriously considering the establishment of girls'
schools, and we had to decide as to whether the work amongst the young
should be an unimportant branch of our scheme of missionary activities,
or whether our schools should be established with the object of becoming
training-centres for Christian helpers.

We were faced with this fact: unless we trained some Christian teachers,
the education of the young would be in the hands of heathen; no small
matter when the