Page:The Chinese Empire. A General & Missionary Survey.djvu/93

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THE PROVINCE OF KWANGTUNG
49

Morrison, Legge, Chalmers, Eitel, Faber, and Schaub, now, alas! all, but one, gone to their rest. Evangelistic preaching has had a large place both in street chapels, as in Canton City, and also in village itineration throughout the country districts. This province has been the scene of the unequalled medical missions carried on for so long, and on so large a scale, in Canton by Dr. John Kerr, and in Swatow by Drs. Gauld and Lyall. The growth of the Church has led to much attention being given to church organisation, especially, perhaps, in the Presbyterian Missions. Education, both elementary, secondary, and theological, has had a foremost place, especially in the Basel Mission. In some of the churches the independence, self-support, and self-propagation of the Chinese Church have been specially aimed at, with a good measure of success. In the Presbyterian Church of England Mission there are about ten well-trained Chinese ministers, ordained to the full responsibilities of the Christian ministry, and supported entirely by the contributions of their own people. There are also native Mission societies, who support from native funds several Chinese evangelists in outlying islands on the coast, and direct their work through the organisations of the native Church. It is an indication of the stage reached as regards self-support, that in 1904 the whole personal staff of congregational school teachers, preachers, and ordained ministers in the Tiechiu branch of the English Presbyterian Mission was supported by the gifts of the native Church to the extent of $4835, or 83 per cent of the entire cost, only $1003, or 17 per cent of the whole, being furnished by Mission funds.

In some of the Missions a beginning has been made in providing a Christian education in English, to meet the new demand for an English education and Western learning, both among the Christian and the non-Christian community. In Hongkong much attention has been given to education, both English and vernacular, under the fostering care of the Hongkong Government. The largest effort to meet the new demand in this province is the founding