THE WEST CHINA MISSIONARY NEWS

Vol. XL 1938 FEBRUARY No. 2

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE FRIENDS SERVICE COUNCIL NUMBER

The Editor of The West China Missionary News invited members of the Society of Friends in Szeehwan to make special contributions to this number. After accepting this friendly invi­ tation a committee was formed to deal with the matter. It was decided that probably the greatest value might be given to readers if some more general articles relating to Friends were included instead of a series of reports from Chungking, Tungliang, Sui- ning, Tungchwan and Chengtu, where Friends are living. ' The reason why this February number in particular has been selected by the Editor for the Friends Service Council is that thirty-nine years ago The News first came to light under the editorship of a Friend. Mary Jane Davidson. iJ er husband, JH. J. Davidson, certainly bad a finger in the pie; and it is good to read on another page of this issue his story of the early days. W e have ourselves been interested in examining the first numbers. As we turned the pages the uncritical rever­ ence which was ours receded when, looking at the date, we realised that reader and book were very much of an age. There is no doubt, however, that our attention was firmly gripped as we read this document, with its story- of the lives and thoughts of an age which, in this quickiy moving China, is already shrouded in the past. The heading at the beginning strikes a familiar chord for Friends. “ In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.” The words are obviously “ lifted” from The Friends of London, which, however, lacking the temerity of the West China Editor, does not ascribe the say­ ing to Augustine. These early volumes were large in size (8 inches by 104 inches). The first three numbers were bectographed and appear, now faint, now clear, a memorial to the loving labours of the producer. 200 copies, and all by hand!— irj these days when mechanical devices have invaded West China we are aghast at the thought! But, after the first three numbers, copies were sent only to the Missions and to subscribers— 19 copies had been ordered and paid for by 15 different people. By the end of the year the circulation was more encouraging: nearly 150 had subscribed. Although some of the earlier contributors bad doubts on the subject of evolution, there was no doubt about the evolu- 2 FRIENDS SERVICE COUNCIL NUMBER tion of The News. By the time No. 4 came along the hectograph had given place to some form of mimeographing, the stencil sheets being cut by hand, liven then it was not all roses. The Editor writes: “ Our News has again been produced under difficulties, the stencil sheets sent up from Shanghai beinghardly usable without tearing. ” Suggestions for the better production of the paper were invited, and by December 1899 a typewriter was used to cut the stencils. Dr. Joseph Beech, “ who is just new to China” , became assistant to the Editor at the end of the first year. Volume 2 appeared in printed covers, and before it was completed there was a great change. The Boxer troubles caused mis­ sionaries to move to the coast, and in August 1900 The News was printed at Shanghai. Having once advanced so far there could be no going back. A small printing press, which had been spoken of in several issues, was subscribed for, and with the help of some members of the Friends Foreign Mission Association was bought in London and brought to West China by the editor’s brother-in-law, A. W. Davidson. The press which Mr. Davidson set up at Chungking and worked, until his mission apparently considered he was spending too much time at it, was by no means the first in West China. “ There are now,” it is stated in April 1899, two Printing Presses in Szechwan, the Canadian Mission one at Chia Ting, and one in Chungking owned by a China­ m an.” Volume 3, which was started when the missionaries were returning after the Boxer upset, is the first in the size we have grown to associate with The News— a size which was adapted to the new press. The first number to appear from this press, however, was in May 1901. A notice by the publisher indicates that all troubles were not over. “ The Press” — they write of it with great pride, and always with a capital letter— ‘ on the way up river nearly suffered ship­ wreck, with the result that parts of it are completely des­ troyed.” A. W . Davidson also discovers he is ‘ a very poor amateur, assisted by three Chinese boys, who, until a month ago have never seen type .... They are unable to read the manuscripts sent in. Sub-editors will greatly oblige if they will .... try and have their notes written clearly.” The publisher pleads for typewritten copy; then gradually get­ ting more and more worked up he insists a few months later that it is “ absolutely necessary” either to type or write clear­ ly. Rev. W . Aldis wins the sympathy of all poor writers by responding from Paoning: “ The former is impossible; the latter difficult. However I will do my best.” The Editor in a footnote congratulates him on his success. ‘ We hope he and others may be encouraged to persevere!” As FRIENDS SERVICE COUNCIL NUMBER 3 the Editor had previously stated, the production of a paper of this type calls for more than the kind sympathy which has been expressed.” The pages show that practical co­ operation was indeed forthcoming to make “ a Paper which no Missionary in West China need be ashamed to acknow­ ledge as onr own’ periodical.” From these volumes it becomes apparent that these early workers spoke and thought in a different language from our own. Those were the days when people expired, but did not die. As one reads their quaint and pious phrases one won­ ders if our writings will seem as pedantic to the generations who follow us. We fear they will! However, through these pages we get some clear pictures of the time. One thing which emerges very distinctly is the power of rumours or ‘ yao yen ” Montague Beauchamp speaking of them may say: “ They unchallenged roll about like snow­ balls and gather in bulk. The ray of well-directed Truth touches them and they melt away.” Nevertheless it was difficult, to get them exposed to truth. Rumour was one of the most evil and dangerous of the forces which beset the pioneers. They were largely at its mercy, fearing it from day to day. One man had but to use a little disinfectant to have a whole population rise up and charge him with poisoning the water. Angry mobs could wreck a house, believing the foreigners to be guilty of stealing children. No one knew what the next rumour might be; nor whether it might not endanger property or life itself. Those were not easy days in which to live in China. For long periods the ‘ foreign devils” were secluded in their houses, especially the women who could not go out for fear of the attention they would attract. They ..lacked friendly contacts with kindred spirits among Chinese men and wo­ m en; it is therefore no wonder that the attitude of the pioneers was different from ours, "N othing but the convic­ tion that lam here a.t G od’s bidding would keep me. another day in China,” the Editor quotes in one early number. She adds: ‘ Our life in West China is not chosen because we like it.” It is no wonder they always spoke of toil and labouring: “ The Missions labouring in West China;’ ’ la m going to Kweichow “ and this may lead to my labouring there permanently.” To them the Chinese were: this benighted people;” it seems at times as though they were regarded as hardly human, not only 'idolatrous” and “ heathen.” The pioneers were born in imperialistic times. ‘ We fear nothing from any country now- we have a Union Jack in Port,” boasts one. There seems to have been no conscience against receiving indemnity when foreigners were killed or injured. They took it as their right as Christian missionaries 4 FRIENDS SERVICE COUNCIL NUMBER and members of “ enlightened’ 1 countries. It is true they strove to mitigate sentences which foreign officials demanded from the mandarins, but there seems to have been no realis­ ation that the ends do not justify the means, though means inevitably determine ends. They lived in China as unwel­ come strangers, whose presence was tolerated only because of treaties won in battle. They established churches and m is­ sion buildings with money paid as compensation after riots or murderous attacks. Jt is surprising to an observer not that present day Christian forces seem so weak, but that they have survived at all. There is no blame to the pioneers for thinking as they did. Although among the best products of their age, they reflected its limitations. Similarly there is no credit due to us for thinking differently from them. We have received some jolts that they escaped; we have been challenged by the European war, by communism, by the changing social standards. We have the joy of Chinese friends who can appreciate.our Western outlook; ours is the privilege of calling China ' ‘home. ’ ’ The word “ missionary” is a good and honourable name; yet reading these pages we have understood as never before why the word has gathered about it some taint of superiority and condescension. The burning zeal which drove these men and women forth determined their attitude to the people among whom they lived. They could not see, as we can see, that before they came God was here first; that He was pre­ sent even in the heart of the idolaters, with a message per­ chance which the missionary himself might learn if he would but listen. It, w’as a reflection of all this which dulled the name of ‘ missionary” for so many of us who are younger than Hie News. We sensed this attitude in missionary writings; we heard of it from our college friends from other lands. It was in part this fact - though not entirely so which led the Friends Foreign Mission Association in the days after the European war to change to the Friends Service Council, a name more appropriate to this day and generation. In these early numbers of The News we read of the First West China Conference and the appointment of the Advisory Board of Reference and Cooperation. There the brave story of the division of the Field” is told. As we read we realise that it was a great piece of statesmanship in missionary policy, though the “ division” has had the strange effect of making man join this or that branch of the church from geographical considerations rather than from special con.vic-- tion. Is the church healthier, we wonder, in places-where several separate missions work, and there is interplay of mind on mind? Or is there more life and power in those FRIENDS SERVICE COUNCIL NUMBER 6 places where only one mission is at work? After all the sin- does not lie in denominationalism. God, who made so many different creatures, must rejoice in diversity. Varying view­ points, different approaches are challenges leading to mental growth and progress. The sin is that we do not put into actual practice the truth we all believe; that despite our different groupings, we are members of one Church. Members of the Friends Foreign Mission Association played a leading part in the newly formed Advisory Board. Those who saw the need of it in the beginning were among those who first, realised when its usefulness had passed. A' few years ago the Friends Service Council withheld its no­ mination of a representative to encourage the Board’s demise. Now it has gone: but the Szechwan Christian Council is in its place. In the pioneer days when those who led the church were all 'foreigners and strangers” the Board was a vital organisation, but as Chinese leaders have stepped for­ ward its work has naturally been undertaken by an organis­ ation representative of the Christian forces as a whole. The

We Utterly Deny all outward wars and strife, and fight­ ing with outward weapons, for any end, or under any pre­ tence whatever; this is our testimony to the whole world. The Spirit of Christ by which we are guided is not change­ able, so as once to command us from a thing as evil, and again to move unto it; and we eertainly know, and testify to the world, that the Spirit of Christ, which leads us into all truth, will never move us to fight and war against any man with outward weapons, neither for the kingdom of Christ, nor for the kingdoms of this world. From A Declaration from, the Harmless and Innocent Peo­ ple of God, called Quakers, presented to Charles II. 1660.

Friends Service Council also suggested that The News might more fittingly become The West China Christian News: a title in keeping with its present role as the English mouthpiece of the Christian movement in West China. In these early numbers there was less humour than in the present volumes. Nevertheless there are some gems. Arthur Polhill writes in his diary on July 3rd, 1899: ‘ We three gentlemen came over from our inn . . . and entered the house in state. But oh! the dirt and filth on all sides! It gave one rather a shock. I expressed some sympathy with our Baptist friends that Chinese Houses absolutely needed thorough immersion to ensure conversion - and that sprinkling was absolutely useless. In fact they need what we may call the Naaman cleansing, even seven times under water.” Apparently the Quaker method of, shall we say, dry cleaning would not have worked at all. A cheerful “ labourer” writes from Yachow that “ the 6 FRIENDS SERVICE COUNCIL NUMBER denizens of the'City shew their respect for the Gospels by the distance they maintain between themselves and it.” We wonder for a moment if we have been altogether mistaken about the date when air services were first started in this country when we read in the last of the written numbers: ■ Mr. J. Walton, M .P., has paid allying visit to Chungking.” However.it is all made clear by the nole that 'he is the first traveller who can boast of taking a return trip by steam to Chungking.” He arrived Oct. 27th 1899, and left on Oct. 29th. ■ Encouragement for our student friends can also be gath­ ered in the story from Pachow, where the Examinations were taking place, of “ an old man nearly 90 years old who has been going in for these Examinations for some sixty years.” Any reader who is in danger of feeling superior because ■of residence in Chengtu, and who requires deflation, would be well advised to study these volumes. In the first numbers there are not even any Chengtu notes, and, reading between the lines, one realises that Chengtu was regarded as an out­ station. The movements of those who ventured forth to labour” for “ a season” in this city are faithfully recorded; ■while thanks are given to God for their safe return to ‘cos­ mopolitan Chungking.” With the memory still vivid of the recent visit of Sir Montague Beauchamp, we appreciate these words written at New Year time, 1900. 'I must also mention my banner - Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand’ - which has also been a great help to me. It is . . . my constant com ­ panion in town and country for the last few months. It goes in a sling across my back when I am walking and is now getting very widely known. P .T .L .” So have times changed that it was only as we were reaching for our dictionary we realised with a flash of pleasure the meaning of the three letters at the end. W e are also grateful to Sir Montague for a paper in which ' contact rather than preaching” is strongly emphasised: his message rings true today. The time has come, however, to put Volume I away. As we wrap) it in its paper cover the feeling of reverence re­ turns, and humility descends upon us. They were great folk, these people of 1899. How shall we and our work look to those who are bearing the torch thirty-nine years from now? W.G.S.

The shattering experiences of war, and the state of the world today, have brought home to us all the imperative need of the Spirit of Christ being lived out in the hearts of men of all nations, as the one hope for humanity. It is no longer a question of whether we ought to preach Christ or not: it is most grimly obvious that unless we do, we shall go down glive into.the pit. • G. K. H ib b e r x THE WEST CHINA MISSIONARY NEWS

At the first West China Missionary Conference held in Chungking in 1899, those missionaries of five societies present were impressed with the need of means by which their efforts could be co-ordinated and more co-operation between then! could be promoted. Rev. J. H. Horsburgh of the C.M.S., in a paper which was read to us, then likened our work to that in a harvest field and urged the division of that field for more efficient service. The result of this was the establish­ ment of an Advisory Board for mutual consultation in fur­ thering this end and the location of the various missions very much as they are today. This continued until its place was taken by the Szechwan Christian Council, where the chief responsibility for this co-operation lies mainly with the Chinese Church. At the same Conference we were told of the helpfulness of a circular letter sent out by members of the C.M.S to their workers, thus keeping each station in contact with the others. The possibility of devising means by which some­ thing of this sort could be run for all missionaries at work in the Province was discussed at this conference and it was decided to publish a News Lettsr for this purpose. Mary Jane Davidson of the F.F .M .A . wns asked to undertake the task of editing and circulating such a letter. In those days there was 110 Canadian Mission Press to print a paper in English: so what was to be done? Roneos there were none and typewriters were few'. I well remember the attempts to issue the first, number of The West China Missionary N tm . Some glycerine was obtained from one of the dispensaries in Chungking and a quantity of native glue was bought in the native shop. In the hot weather, when the first number was to be printed, it was no easy task to get glue and glycer­ ine into the proper consistency to avoid smudging, when the manuscript written with copying ink was applied - and one wondered after many failures whether the attempt had been worthwhile. From the first the missionary community loyally supported our efforts by providing us with the necessary news and articles; and for nearly forty years The West China Missionary News has furnished us with news and current thought of our Szechwan Christian community. In those days we had no D. S. Dye to design a cover from ancient Chinese patterns and had to be content with simple lines. I still continue to read the News and circulate it, with potes, among some of my friends who are interested in West China; and I send my greetings and best wishes to the Editor and Business Manager and congratulate them on the present success of the paper. R o b e r t J. D a v id s o n Boscombe, Hants. 8

FRIENDS IN SZECHWAN

I

The Friends’ Foreign Mission Association had already established work in India and Madagascar, when, in 1883, its attention was called to the claims of China. In that year, Henrietta Green, a Home Missionary of much exper­ ience, and Robert J. Davidson, a young man under twenty, applied to the Committee of the Association for work in China. As generally happens, a prudent party existed, who thought the Society of Friends was already doing all that it could do, but against this was a progressive party, who felt that the Society was called to take a share in the evangelis­ ation of the great Empire of the East, and believed that God would honour the faith of His servants The latter party prevailed, and Henrietta Green was sent out to China in 1884, her appointed field being Szechwan, where but half a dozen missionaries wpre then working. Rut Miss Green never reached the province. France was at war with China, and the British Authorities would not consent to single women going to the West. So Miss Green settled for a time at Hankow, studied the language and commenced Mission work there. But Miss Green’s views changed, and she felt that the tenets of the Society of Friends were not suited for work among the Chinese. She left the Friends and joined another Mission. She went on doing good work in Hankow till 1889. when she died there. Robert John Davidson, in the mean time, did not allow any delays or discouragements to diminish his concern for work in China. His father had, many years before, been a soldier in China, and after returning to Ireland and being converted there, he always had a deep sense of the spiritual needs of the Chinese. Not able himself to go, he longed that some of his sons should go and preach the gospel to them. And well they seconded his desire. Four of his sons and a grandson have been missionaries in China. Robert was strengthened in this concern by a lady who had been long in Mission work in London. This was Mary Jane Catlin, to whom he was married, and together they applied to the Friends’ Foreign Mission Association in 1885, and were accepted. They sailed for China in September 1886. They duly reached Hankow, but again untoward events hindered the entry of the Friends into Szechwan. Fierce riots in Chungking, resulting in all the missionaries leaving the city, made everyone agree that they must not proceed westwards. After some delay, an alternative and roundabout route was decided on, and R. and M. Davidson voya­ ged, in a small boat, for ten weeks up the river Han to Han- chung, in Shensi. Here they settled for two years, carrying FRIENDS IN SZECHWAN 9

on during his furlough the dispensary work of Dr. William Wilson, of the C.I.M ., and getting acquainted with the language and with many Chinese of Shensi and also of Szechwan. Tungchwan, three days’ journey from Chengtu, was thought to be a suitable centre for the work of the Friends. It was fairly easily accessible from Hanchung, and Tung­ chwan people were resident or trading there. One of these, Mr. Hsieh, gave much help and encouragement, and R. J. Davidson paid repeated visits to Tungchwan. On his second visit, in 1888, he succeeded in renting a small house, where he hoped to settle after the return to Hanchung of Dr. Wilson. In May 1889, Dr. Wilson returned, bringing with him a third member of the Friends’ Mission, Caroline N. South­ all. Soon after this, a fourth member came to join the little party of Friends, for Robert Huntley Davidson (in his young days always called Robin) was born. Now the time came for the move to Szechwan. The Davidson family stayed for a time at Paoning, where W. Cassels of the China Inland Mission and his colleagues wel­ comed them. Then trouble came, for R. J. Davidson, on visiting Tungchwan once more, to arrange for the residence of the missionaries, found that the authorities were arrayed against him. The District Magistrate had taken council with the Viceroy, and it was firmly decided that no settle­ ment of a foreigner would be permitted. The Magistrate would not see him, but through the landlord they informed him that he could not reside there. After a few days, the landlord was put in chains, and begged Davidson to release him from his bargain. Communication with the British authorities made it clear that they could do nothing to help him, so he was obliged to give up the premises and return to Paoning, whither C. N. Southall also travelled, and there the Mission conferred as to its future home. Chungking, though already occupied by three Missions, was so big a city that another might easily find scope, and so after corre­ spondence and a preliminary visit, the whole group moved there in 1889, and this became the first Station of the Friends’ Mission. ■ . ' Evangelistic, Medical and Educational work were set on foot, and other missionaries joined in the enterprise. Frederic S. Deane arrived in 1890, Alice M. Beck, Margaret Southall and Leonard Wigham at the beginning of 1892, and Mira L. Cumber and Isaac Mason at the end of that year. The Tungchwan District was always kept in view, and in 1897 I. Mason and his wife went to reside at Shehung in that district, where they were joined later by A. Warburton Davidson. In 1900, at last, the Masons entered Tungchwan, which has been a Friends’ Mission Station ever since. 10 FRIENDS IN SZECHWAN

From year to year other Missionaries joined us, and we were about ready for further advance. This came about in 1904, when, after a visit from a Deputation from the Com ­ mittee in London, three new Stations were opened. R. .J. and M. J. Davidson took up their residence in Chengtu, and Isaac and Esther Mason opened the Station at Suining for the Friends. Thus the Davidsons, in addition to all their ■work settling the Mission, opened two Stations, and the Masons opened three. Tungliang was at the same time opened by Benjamin and Florence Jackson.

II

In 1892 there were at Chungking seven missionaries of the F .F .M .A . A large Chinese house was occupied for re­ sidence by R. J. and M. J. Davidson, C. N. Southall, M. Southall, and A. M. Beck. These premises also accom­ modated the first Girls’ Day School - begun by C. N. South­ all CWighaxn) - and a part was kept for the Sunday and other meetings. We had narrow wooden forms for seating, and round straw mats to kneel on upon the earthen floor. Pas­ sers-by used to stroll in during meetings, and it was some­ times a trying experience to kneel with loose Chinese gowns <5n the tiny mats amid all that was around! A second rented house accommodated F. S. Deane, Leonard Wigham, and myself, and also a boys’ day school, and dispensary, and streetchapel adjoining. Some street preaching was done occasionally. At Chinese New Year, the four missions at Chungking united in open-air work for several days, using texts as posters and hand-bills, and having very many small groups preaching in all parts of the city. This was followed up by crowded evening meetings at the various halls, and some of the most enthusiastic meetings were held then. Montague Beauchamp of the C.I.M . was an enthusiastic open-air preacher, and I joined with him at the Chen T ’ai’s yamen front, and when I could speak a little I went regularly by myself for some time, preaching among the hucksters and quack-doctors there. In 1894 we built two foreign-style houses, a large meet­ ing-house, dispensary, and a commodious girls’ schoolroom. The girls’ school was then in charge of Alice M. Deane, and the boys’ school in charge of Leonard Wigham. In this year, in response to an urgent invitation from a Chinese family to render aid to an aged man with a broken leg, R.J. Davidson and I visited Yang Ch’i Chen in the Tungchwan prefecture, six days’ journey from Chungking. Simple treat­ ment was given to some hundreds of people on that trip, FRIENDS IN SZECHWAN 11 which extended to Shehung and Tungchwan, and Chengtu. We also preached, had conversations, and made friends in various ways. This prepared the way for further visits, and in 1897 we went to reside at Shehung city, and began work also in the neighbouring counties. In 1899 A .W . Davidson joined us and after a few months he was visiting some neighbouring markets, and at Yii Lung Chen was attacked by roughs and severely beaten. A settlement of this trouble soon followed, with apologies from the leading inhabitants, and a payment in compensation, which we agreed to take and devote to further work in the district, possibly a hospital. An out-station was opened at Yii Lung Chen, the place of the outrage. A small day-school had been opened at Tungchwan, in premises I rented. The time now seemed opportune for residence in that city, which, as the prefectural one, was chief in importance in the dis­ trict. In the spring of 1900 my wife and i. moved from She­ hung into roomy premises purchased by the Mission at Tung­ chwan and were received with friendliness by officials and people. Ten years earlier It. J. Davidson had been opposed, and had to give up his attempts to settle in that city. Then came the Boxer” troubles in North China. Things were peaceful in Szechwan; but foreign officials knew more of the dangers, and our Consuls called upon us to evacuate the province, and retire to the coast. We stayed on after the first message, but a more imperious message followed, and we had to leave; so the new work at Tungchwan was left for a long time without resident missionaries. On our return, the missionary group was increased by Mira L. Cumber and Dr. Lucy E. Harris, for work among women and girls, and the beginning of a small hospital. There was.much apparent interest in Christianity after the settlement of the “ B oxer” crisis, and the Tungchwan district shared in this. Attend­ ances increased, and the schools grew, so that more accom­ modation became necessary. A large compound was bought, on which suitable buildings were erected; they are in full use still. During this time of expansion there were also difficulties. The Boxer movement, driven out of North China, had a re­ crudescence in Szechwan, and for some months there was anti-foreign activity, from which several missions suffered. In the Tungchwan district five of our out-st.ations we're attack­ ed, and two completely demolished; adherents had to flee for safety, and one member was beheaded at Tai Ho Chen. For a time we had "to give relief to those who fled to us for refuge. We were hemmed in the city for some weeks, and it was reported we were killed. A night attack on Tungchwan was driven off; the missionaries had anxious times, but the local people were friendly, and we suffered no harm. Help 12 FRIENDS IN SZECHWAN was sent from the Chinese authorities at Chengtu, the Boxers ■were routed and dispersed, and Christian work continued. In 1904, after the visit of a .Deputation from England, the Friends1 Mission developed by opening work at three new centres, Chengtu, Suining, and Tungliang. The hospital promised for the compensation paid for the attack upon A . W. Davidson was duly built, and. with its extensions, continues its good work to these days. Dr. Lucy E. Harris has given some 35 years devoted service at Tnngehwan city. B. E. & II. Vardon and Dr. W. H. & L. Davidson took up residence at Tungchwan „and we moved to Suining. The M.E.M. were already at work there, but there was room enough for both; Suining was a convenient centre for some of the outstations which had been opened from Tungchwan. The Suining work included schools for boys and girls, as well as street-preaching halls; a commodious meeting-house was built, for local use and as a gathering centre for the country work. A training school for evangelists was also carried on thpre for some time. A second site accommodates a hospital, where Dr. W . H. and L. A. Davidson have long carried on their good work, in later years ably assisted by their colleague, Dr. H. P. Ch'en. In the early days we missionaries all wore Chinese dress, which, for men, included the queue. That was probably helpful at the time, but bas long ceased to be necessary. I s a a c M a s o n .

I ll

Early in 1914 Isaae Mason and his wife were loaned to the Christian Literature Society and settled in Shanghai. New workers came out, however, and for a few years we had thirty missionaries working in our five stations, together with many Chinese evangelists and teachers in main and out-stations. In each place we had primary schools for boys and girls, in Chungking a boys middle school, in Tungchwan junior middle school classes were carried on, while in Cheng­ tu we were a partner in the recently opened Union University and Union Middle School. Among those who gave a great deal of time and thought to the launching of the University were Dr. H. T. Hodgkin and Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Davidson. The latter moved from Chin Lung Kai to live outside the south gate in the house on the Friends’ Campus which is now occupied by Mr. Hsiung. While there he superintend­ ed the building of our first residence at the University which was soon after occupied by H. T. Silcock, and in which S. C. Yang now lives. Money was granted from the Arthing- FRIENDS IN SZECHWAN IS ton Trust for building the Friends College, and it was in­ tended that it should be built by J. H. Morrison after he had completed the Suining hospital and doctor’s residence. However the European War broke out and no money was allowed to be brought out of England for building purposes. Before very long the effects of the war began to be felt in a restricted budget. W e were far from any measure of self-support and as a first step towards this we welcomed our Chinese Friends 011 our executive committees; we put the problem of finance plainly before them and sought their help in the wisest destribution of income and in plans to .increase support from Chinese sources. Eventually all mission property, Qtber than the foreign residences, was turned over to the Szechwan Yearly Meeting and all ques­ tions relating to the mission work were settled by that body instead of by the Committee of Missionaries as formerly. After the war Arnold Silcock came out from England to build the Friends College, which was completed in 1925. Unfortunately we have never been able to build a modern Middle School dormitory. In Chungking the Friends’ High School for Boys had 120 pupils in residence in 1924. Many of the graduates of the school were in business positions in the city, in the pro­ fessions or in the employ of our society. The school was becoming more and more sejf-supporting, and it was wifh regret that in 1925 it had to close for a term because of a strike of the students. It reopened with Yang Fang-lin as principal; his kindness and efficiency have won for tfeeschool a good name and there are now about 300 junior middle school students, and 50 in the preparatory school. It was our hope to develop a senior middle school,.and we actually had first and second year classes started; but all efforts to .register the school without agreeing to give military training ■were unavailing, and we were regretfully compelled to close the two senior classes, this last summer. After the death of Benjamin Jackson and his wife, Tungliang had no foreign worker for some years. Later Leonard Walker was appointed there and later was joined by his wife. They are doing interesting and progressive evangelistic and medical work there and in the district. They have achieved a large measure of cooperation with the local authorities and one of the latest requests to them has been to “ teach religion” once a week in each of the five -prisons— a request containing no restrictions at all. A wire­ less set has also proved a fine means of contact and every evening the Chinese broadcast may be listened to by anyone ■who cares to visit the Walkers’ home. The news is noted by L. Walker and later translated and made public in the city. 14 FRIENDS IN SZECHWAN

In 1926 most of our missionaries evacuated, but some did not go far afield and were back at their stations before long. Clifford Stubbs was one of the first to return and he threw himself at once into the activities he had most at heart: his work at the Union University and his desire to create better understanding between Chinese and foreigners. Probably few westerners in Cbengtu bad more friends among the ■Chinese; and it was a terrible shock to all when he was killed on May 30th 1930, probably in revenge for the death of a young Chinese in the 1925 Nanking Road incident at Shanghai. The blank left by his going can never be quite filled; and the few years immediately after his death were hard going for the University Chemistry Department, of which he had been such an understanding and efficient head. For two or three years Friends had only one foreign worker at Chengtu, but in 1933 W . G. and Hilda Sewell returned. R. L. and Margaret Simkin, of the American Friends Service Council, have also been very closely associa­ ted with us in all our work. Several new workers have come to Szechwan in recent years; and now we have twelve on the field and four at home on furlough. Despite the difficulty of steadily decreasing income from abroad, the idea of public health work and team work in the country districts, together with a greater enthusiasm for evangelistic work have taken "hold of our Chinese Friends. We hope to see a good deal of progress along such lines. A.I.H.

The motive of the Service is to be found in the urgent desire that grips men and women when they have entered into living’ ex­ perience of God, to share this experience with others and to trans­ late it as a motive force into the common actualities of human life. The purpose of the missionary service is simple. It is the same as the purpose of Jesus: to redeem the Old World and to establish the New Man and the New Society; the converted soul and the Kingdom come on earth. From The Motive and Purpose of Friends’ Service.

To suffer, if need be, rather than deny the way of Love, which we believe to be right, and ultimately more potent than the way of force. Clifford M. Stubbs 15

THE QUAKER MESSAGE.1

R u fus M. J o n e s .

No one can properly appraise the significance of the central principle of Quakerism, what early Friends called the Light within, who does not approach it from a wide his­ torical background. If it is true that there is “ something of God ill m an,” as the original Quaker testimony declares, it has always been true and it did not begin to be true in 1647. Even a slight acquaintance with the spiritual progress of m an’s life on the earth is enough to establish the convic­ tion that there has always been a consciousness, however dim and flickering, that man does not live by bread alone, that he has come out of a deeper World than the visible, material one, that he partakes of that deeper World, belongs to it, as the fish belongs to the ocean, lives in the dominion of it, 80 far as he truly lives at all, and is a completely nor­ mal person just because he rises above things in time and space and is in mutual correspondence witii another order of Reality, which we call God. If that is not true as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, then Quakerism has been a false trail. The truth was central to Plato’s thought and to his successors. Even Aristotle, who was not a birthright Fri­ end, in a famous passage, declared that there is “ something divine in m an.” ' Plotinus, the greatest Greek philosopher after Aristotle, held that God “ is not external” to any one since He is “ the root of soul.” This stream of thought through these three supreme thinkers of antiquity fused with the doctrine of the Spirit which permeate? St. John’s Gospel, and became an ever recurrent1'feature of the great stream of Christian faith and life in the Western world. It came to fresh expression in the Quaker movement. It can be legitimately said, I think, that there are two alternative fundamental conceptions of man that have run a parallel course through the entire history of Christianity. One of them holds that man has suffered a “ fall” , a catas­ trophe which amounts to complete moral shipwreck, He is, aB “ mere m an,” utterly bankrupt spiritually. He has no natural capacity left in him for unselfish goodness nor for fellowship with God, no innate power to find Him, no native

(1) We make no apology for reprinting this recent article from The Friend, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We had hoped that Rufus Jones would have been with us in West China during this spring. Now, we fear, he may not come. Though we cannot hear hiB voice he may give us a message in the pages quoted here. (2) Nicomachean Ethics, 1177b. 16 THE QUAKER MESSAGE spring of efficient faith, no power to know Him if he found H im and no possibilities of spiritual recovery within himself. If he ever partakes of that higher sphere of being, if he ever becomes morally good and spiritually-minded, if he is ever saved, it will be because divine Grace from beyond him has bee'n supernaturally supplied to him. Everything which concerns true religion and genuine salvation, this view main­ tains, must be mper-added to man from above, from beyond him. Nobody has probably ever held this conception of man quite consistently, but it has run an unbroken course across the pages and it has claimed to be orthodoxly Chris­ tian, though it most certainly did not originate in the teach­ ings of Christ. The other fundamental conception is fully aware of m an’s defects, his weaknesses and failures and his need for help from beyond. He is not at a given moment what he ought to be. He cannot find normal spiritual health unaided. Ide cannot lift himself by sheer effort into fullness of life. He must become awake to the revealing and environing Life and Love of God, which constitutes the Heart of the Gospel and is at the same time the supreme fact of human experience. And he must responsively co-operate with that divine seeking Love. There must be a double search. It is the glory of man’ s imperfection that lie feels it and knows it and is dissatisfied with it. That “ something” which dis­ turbs him is a Beyond within him. Hf* is neve]-, at least, in sanity, reduced to a biological status. He sees beyond the needs of body, even when they are great. He is unsatisfied with any finite events that are merely run off in temporal succession and do not in any way enlarge the intrinsic scope of his life. He is, thus, essentially self-transcendent. He finds himself as spiritual being allied with a continuous More of a higher Order. He is always aware of a dim splendor whicl) runs on ahead of his achievements. He is able to come into reciprocal relation, with a divine, eternal realm of being, from which resources flow into him, and, at his best and truest, he may indeed find himself in vital conjunction with an environing Life which becomes his true world. In short there is a spirit in man which may be kindled and struck into flame by God and become a candle of the Lord, a revealing place of the Eternal Light. Jtis because man is like that, that a genuine incarnation of God was possible. It seems to me that there can be little question as to which one of these fundamental conceptions Quakerism his­ torically belongs. Neither one of them has often been held consistently and with rigor. And there have been, I am afraid, many Quakers who halted with hesitant feet between them both, as Polonius would say, “ very like a'whale,” and at the same time backed like a cam el!” I shall take THE QUAKER MESSAGE 17 my stand here today that Quakerism as a spiritual move- m iti belongs essentially in that stream of thought which I hfive suggested, rather than accurately described, in the se<'< d alternative conception of Cbristianty. Quakerism b( ongs in the Platonic, Johannine, mystical line of historical tb' tight. It sees the black squares as well as the white ones in this checkered life of ours, but it is entrenched in the faith that the black squares are on a white background, not the white squares on a black background. That faith was gloriously put by George Fox in his greatest opening: “ I saw that there was an ocean of darkness and death. But I saw that there was an infinite ocean of light and life and love that flowed over the ocean of darkness. In that I saw the infinite Love of G od.” Quakerism begins there, with that insight, with that discovery— love sufficient to flow over all oceans of darkness, the infinite Love of God at hand, available, operative. And that triumphant founder of our faith had the further experience, or felt be had it, of coming up through the flaming sword, and of being in the condition of unfalleri Adam. At the same time “ the ocean of darkness” is an unescapable fact. Man as yet is being made, and the world is very far from its finished, final stage. W hy the darkness is here is not our problem. W hy man was not finished at a stroke we need not ask. W hy the world was not flung out perfect at a creative jet is not ours to know. The one thing we do know is that we are fellow laborers with God in this amazing creation business. He needs our hands and feet, our lips and hearts, and, in some mysterious way, together we with Him are to be builders of the world as it is to be. A Quaker’s life must be fully as much outward as it is inward. The Quaker’s first business is to become a good organ of co-operation with God. He should be sensitive to the currents of the Spirit, gentle, tender, humble, honest, sincere, faithful, valiant, courageous, but above everything else a genuine transmissive organ of love, ready to sacrifice and suffer, eager to give and to share. And if he is to get that way, he must have discovered bow to draw upon the divine resources that, like an infinite reservoir, are within the reach of us all. He will hardly regenerate the world until he has the new life himself. This does not imply, and should not be taken to imply, that God supplies a Quaker’s mind with ready-made communications, or with messages that have been prepared for him without him. The higher meanings of life, the deeper wisdom of the son], the sure path of duty, the safe leadings of the Spirit, become ours only gradually. W e become wise and gentle and good and loving not through receiving infallible communications, but by acting faithfully 18 THE QUAKER MESSAGE on the best simple wisdom we possess and through humble obedience to the measure of light we have. The other main business of life for the Quaker, which must begin even before that first task is finished, is the co­ operative work in remaking the world as it is not yet, but as it ought to be. There can be, to be sure, no completely good individual unit until there is a good group to be the social environment for the unit. They are interdependent and hang or fall together. But unfinished and incomplete though we ourselves are as spiritual units, we must man­ fully grapple with this major business of helping to create spiritually ordered community groups. There can be no beginning of a Kingdom of God in the world until a genuine community life is formed. And it must be recognized, as Reinold Niebuhr will tell you, that the formation of a spiri­ tually ordered community is a slower and much more diffi­ cult process than fashioning an individual life. The local Quaker Society, i. e., the corporate meeting for worship and business, ought to be, and sometimes is, a specimen instance of a wellordered community group, influen­ cing the lives of all its members and in turn being formed by the contributing lives of the whole group. There can, as I have said, be no actual Kingdom of God in the world until there are real community groups, in which the Life and Love of God are manifested and which reveal and demon­ strate the social effectiveness of the way of love and co-opera­ tive fellowship. For this main business the seasoned Quaker must be eager to have his selfishness drowned by the inva­ ' ding love of Christ, and he must be ready to take up the burden of the world’s suffering.

It is not enough to hope for leadership in a world situation so desperately needing it. Everyone who resists the drift and shares in the great task of putting force and drive into making the world better and happier is doing something towards creating leaders and the kind of society in which they can serve mankind most fruitfully.

The clearness and strength of his central convictions had been supplemented by a rich and varied experience, and by the still widening range of his interests and sympathies. He had proved himself as a Christian leader, who learnt to entreat rather than command, to persuade rather than compel, to draw men rather than to drive them. The vigor of mind and strength of body which create confidence had been sublimated by that magnanimity which enabled him to guide and inspire without dictating. “Henry T. Hodgkin’1 — H. G. Wood. 10

GENERAL ADVICES

The Society of Friends has been helped from its earliest years by Advices to its members. These were distributed te local meetings in manuscript and eventually printed in the year 1783. During the 19th Century the General Advices were revised at intervals. The iast revision was undertaken in consequence of a decision of the London Yearly Meeting of 192-5 and, as now issued, was approved by the Yearly Meeting of 1928, with the recommendation that these General Advices should be read from time to time, at least once a year, either as a whole or in portions, at the discretion of the meetings. The earliest collection of Advices issued in the year 1656 concludes with these w ord s: ‘D e a r l y b e l o v e d F r ie n d s , THESE THINGS WE DO NOT LAY UPON YOU AS A RULE OR FORM TO WALK by; but that a ll with a measure of the l i g h t . WHICH IS PURE AND HOLY, MAY BE GUIDED; AND SO IN THE LIGHT WALKING AND ABIDING, THESE THINGS MAY BE FULFILLED in t h e Sp i r i t , n o t in t h e l e t t e r ; f o k t h e l e t t e r k i l l e t h , b u t t h e Sp ir it givetft l i f e .’ ’

I Take heed, dear Friends, to the promptings of love and truth in your hearts, which are the leadings of the Holy Spirit of God. Resist not His strivings within you. It is His light that shows us our darkness and leads to true repent­ ance. It is G od’s love that draws us to Him, a redemptive love shown forth in Jesus Christ in all His life and above all on the cross. He is the Way, the Truth, the Life. Be earnestly concerned in your meetings for worship to enter reverently into communion with God and with one another. Come with hearts and minds prepared. Yield yourselves up to the influence of the Divine presence so that you may find the evil weakening in you and the good raised up. God calls each one to the service of the meeting. Be obedient and faithful, whether by word or silent waiting; and receive the messages of others in a tender spirit. Live in love as. Christian brethren, ready to he helpful one to another. Rejoice together in the blessings of life sympathise with each other in its trials. Know one another as fellow workers in the things that endure. Watch over one another for good, praying that each may be a living member of the Church of Christ, and may grow in the knowledge of the love of God. Make it your aim to promote the cause of truth and righteousness and to spread the Kingdom of God at home and abroad. Be ready to take your part fearlessly in declar­ ing His message and in witnessing to His power. 20 GENERAL ADVICES

Remember tbe special opportunities for refreshment of spirit and for service which the first day of the week affords; use them faithfully as befits the friends of the Master who3e Dame we bear. Seek to know an inward retirement even amid the activities of daily life. Make a quiet place in your daily life wherein you may learn the full meaning of prayer and the gladupss of communion with your Heavenly Father. Be constant in the private reading of the Bible and other spir­ itually helpful writings. Gather daily in your families for united worship.

II Watch with Christian tenderness over the opening minds of your children. Help them to understand the teachings of Jesus. Seek to awaken in them tbe love of Christ and through example and training in self-control to bring them to obedience to the law of God in their own hearts that they may be joyful and willing in His service. Carefully maintain in your own conduct and encourage in your families truthfulness and sincerity. In your style of living, in your dress and in the furniture of your houses, choose what is simple and beautiful. Encourage the reading of good books, so that the taste thus formed may instinctively reject the trivial and the base. Be mindful for yourselves and for your children of the beauty and power of friendship. Choose such recreations as are pure and healthy. Let them be in harmony with your service to God and man, and in that service be ready at any time to lay them aside. Be on your guard lest the love of pleasure take hold upon you. Endeavour to make your home an abiding place of joy and peace, where the presence of God is known. Seek for your children that full development of God’ 9 gifts which true education can bring. Remember that the service to which we are called needs healthy bodies, well trained minds, high ideals and an understanding of the laws and purposes of God. Give of your best to tbe study of the Bible, and the understanding of the .Christian faith. Be open minded, ready constantly to receive new' light. Be zealous that education may be continued throughout life, and that its privileges may be shared by all. In looking forward to marriage, remember that happiness depends on the presence of a reverent and understanding love. Consider the serious responsibilities of parenthood, and do not forget the help you may draw from the loving counsel of your own parents. Seek to be joined in a common discipleehip of Jesus Christ. Ask guidance of God, desiring, GENERAL ADVICES 21 above all temporal considerations, that your union may be owned and blest of Him.

I ll

In your daily work, and in your social and other activ­ ities, be concerned for the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven upon earth. Live not for yourselves but for others. Remember your responsibility as citizens for the government of your own town and country. Study the causes of social evils. Work for an order of society based on mutual service and directed beyond all material ends to the true enrichment of human lives. Bring all your outward concerns under the ordering of the Spirit of Christ. Where you have a choice of employ­ ment, whether for yourselves or for your children, think first of the service that you may render to God and to your fellow-men. In your relations with others in your daily work, manifest the spirit of justice and understanding, and thus give a living witness to the Truth. While trying to make provision for yourselves and your families, be not anxious overmuch, but in quietness of spirit seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness. Be ready, in response to the Divine call, to save or to spend, to give or to bequeath. To one the summons is to bring fresh energy and vision into his work; to another to limit his en­ gagements or even to retire from business, that he maj7 be free for new service in the way of G od’s appointing. In view of the evils arising from the use of intoxicating drinks, consider whether you should not abstain from using them yourselves, from offering them to others, and from having any share in their manufacture or sale. Do not let the claims of good fellowship, or the fear of seeming peculiar, prevent you from standing by principles which you have con­ scientiously adopted. Avoid and discourage every kind of betting and gam­ bling and commercial speculations of a gambling character. Remember how widespread and diverse are the temptations to grow rich at the expense of others, and how apparently harmless indulgence often leads by degrees to ruin and crime. Be faithful in maintaining our testimony against all war as inconsistent with the spirit and teaching of Christ. Live in the life and power that takes away the occasion of all wars. Seek to take your part in the ministry of reconcili­ ation between individuals, groups and nations. Let the law of kindness know no limits. Show a loving consideration for all G od’s creatures. Follow steadfastly after all that is pure and lovely and of good report. Be prayerful, be watchful, be humble. Let 22 GENERAL ADVICES not failure discourage you. When temptation comes, make it an opportunity to gain new strength standing fast, that you may enter into that life of gladness and victory to which we are called. Finally, dear Friends, let your whole conduct and con­ versation be worthy of disciples of Christ. Be ye steadfast and unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

THE WEST CHINA MISSIONARY NEWS Editor-Homer G. Brown. Business Manager-Mrs. E. C. Lechler. Subscription Rates. In China, Mex. $1.50 per annum, postpaid- Abroad, Mex. $2.50 per annum, postpaid; $1.10 in gold if remitted from U. S. or Canada, 4/6 if remitted from England, All matters concerning advertisements, subscriptions, reprints ete., should be addressed to : The Business Manager, West China Missionary News, Cheng- tu, China. All other communications should be addressed to — The Editor, West China Missionary News, Cheng-tu, China.

HELP THE BIBLE SOCIETIES TO

PERMEATE CHINA WITH “THE LICHT OF LIFE”

"Every type of Chinese Bible or New Testament, also Scriptures in English and other tongues may be purchased at or through the

WEST CHINA BIBLE AGENCY

of the BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY

at CHENGTU, and MI HWA KAI, CHUNGKING or from the

NATIONAL BIBLE SOCIETY OF SCOTLAND CHUNGKING 23

BOOK REVIEWS

H enby T. H odgki.n : A Memoir. By H . G. Wood. Christian Movement Press. 5/- Net. Into Modern Physics there has been injected the “ Uncer­ tainty Principle.” By this we mean that the measuring device, when in use, disturbs the object that it is designed to measure. In eases of large objects the disturbance is neg­ ligible, but in the atomic world it assumes significant pro­ portions. The very process of observation imposes on a mea­ surement unavoidable limitations which make it exper­ imentally impossible to obtain all the information in regard to an atom which would be required to predict its future in­ dividual behaviour. We are almost limited to dynamic methods of measurement in many readies of the physical world; we are deeply indebted to these, notwithstanding the 'Uncertainty Principle.” In reliving with Dr. Wood the life of Henry Hodgkin, the reviewer constantly reverted to implications of this principle of physical measurements. As I tried objectively to take the measure of this personality who lived at white heat in the world— the missionary world--that most of the readers of this paper have elected, or to which they have been elected, I found myself asking: ‘ What was his stature in absolute terms?” “ Could we get his measure at all if we eliminated the conflict element?” The reviewer came to Chengtu within a month of Dr. Hodgkin’ s leaving after a short term of service here to take up the secretaryship of the Friends Foreign Mission Associa­ tion, in London. Since then he has crossed the trail of this vivid personality at many places. As a result of this acquain­ tance, albeit limited, he feels that he can truly say that the biographer-friend has drawn a correct picture. This book enables one to obtain a good view not only of the man and his life and his work, but also of the mission problems of our day. For almost thirty years Hodgkin was near the heart of Christian missions. Th-e reader is fortunate in having the author of “ Chris­ tianity and the Nature of History,” as the writer of this biography. Dr. Wood is sympathetic, but he discriminating­ ly shows us the growing mind and heart and work and friendship of a sensitive soul alive to the sense of problems and mission in the world. This book gives some of the stress and strain points of missions during this century and of Hodgkin’s reactions to and action upon the same. In this volume we see passed in review the world challenge of the first third of the 20th century to a giant physique, a richly endowed brain, a sympathetic nature, and a spiritually sen­ sitive soul. Henry Hodgkin’ s responses to these challenges 24 BOOK REVIEWS

are sufficiently presented to reveal the growing character and personality. The author presents the personality against the place-position-problein of each step of his career, so that it is easy for the reader to follow by this same step-by-step method. The reviewer however would cut across these arti­ ficial boundaries. Henry Hodgkin was from first to last a family man liv­ ing in ideal relations with parent, brother, sister, wife and child. Seldom does one find ideal relations in such degree. This broad family relationship could not be severed b}T work, by space, by time even when individuals were living in Eng­ land, in Ireland, in China, and, or America. Hodgkin fellowshipped with people all his days, in student life in Cambridge and London, in mission work in Chengtu, in mission-seeretaryship in London, in Fellowship of Reconciliation in Europe during and after the World W ar, in China Christian Council secretaryship, in principalsbip of the graduate school at Pendle Hill in America, and in cor­ respondence from the sick room in Ireland at the end. He was a spiritually sensitive soul who continuously discovered God and who progressively found men in the fellowship of work and friendship. Prayer as a most potent fact and factor was the secret of this triumphant life. He was a student and a writer all his life. By nature he was a conservative, and he forced himself to think, step by step, through any question before he would change his position. He was so courageously and intellectually honest that he did his best to do what he believed God and life dem­ anded of him. He was continually seeing implications and demands of the day, before most of his confreres were aware of the new day at the birth. Thus it was that he was a leader all through the years of his life. ' Ought” and 'must’ ’ and 1 mission” stood out as an integral part of this Christian life. He stands out as a man under opposition almost all his days. He was the protagonist of causes before most were even aware of'problems. We find this upstanding man cour­ ageously and whole-heartedly at the stress points of our times. W e measure the man and the problems and the questions that called forth his powers. Problems measure the man and in certain degree they affect the man. I cannot dis­ sociate Henry Hodgkin from the problems and the friend­ ships that filled his days. I measure him through the pro­ blems and in view of the * Uncertainty Principle” I cannot say with 100% certainty what H .T.H . would haye been without the problems against which we take his gigantic measure. The Christian missionary in any field, but especially in China, will do well to read this book: a. For review of the focal points in modern Christian missions; b. For a challenge BOOK REVIEWS 25 to awareness of the changing problems of social and spiritual life; c. For an example of fellowship in living; and d. For a pattern of prayer-powerful life lived in the com plex­ ities of modern times. Here is presented a God-inspired life lived in awareness, in sympathy, in peace, in strength, and in integrity, in the midst of shifting currents of thought and life of our day. Dan. S. D ye

“ I believe in God . . . and in Jesus Christ.” This is the ground of our hope, and this our incentive to the work. The'God in whom we believe is no abstract principle, nor is He infinitely remote. He is God in man, dwelling in man who is made in His image. There is something of His spirit in all men, and to that we make our appeal. While we do not want to be over-optimistic, there is an optimism that is sane and justified the belief in the glorious pos­ sibilities of human nature when sanctified by the Divine. G. K. Hibbert.

“CHINA THROUGH A COLLEGE WINDOW”

By '\Vil l i a m G. S e w e l l

Edinburgh House Press, London. 2s.6d.

I The reviewer who reads a book in manuscript before it has been bound up into the handy size which it finally as­ sumes suffers a slight disadvantage; nevertheless I read the manuscript of this book with the greatest interest and plea­ sure. This book does not idealize the work we are doing nor is it an indiscriminate eulogy of the students. On the other hand there is no emphasis on the seamy side of life or the weaknesses of the Church, nor are the disappointments and difficulties of the task unduly stressed. It is eminently fair; in fact the fairest presentation I have seen. Though its central theme is Chinese life in a Christian College it succeeds in bringing Chinese life as a whole within its scope. There are some books about China which people at home will be told they ought to read, and this will be one of them. But in the case of this book the sense of obligation will disappear before the pleasure resulting from the reading of a story with the fascination of a novel. The result will be that readers will get that feeling'’ and attitude which are essential steps toward the understand­ ing of China and of the Christian task. This will lead to a wider and deeper knowledge of China than can be gained by the mastering of statistics or the laborious study of the an­ cient religions of this land. 26 “CHINA THROÜGH A COLLEGE WINDOW”

With regard to the point of view, I find myself in agree­ ment with the writer, if I have interpreted him aright, and would place "friendliness” highest in the scale of Christian virtues and most point in its power to accomplish the desires of all who love our Lord Jesus Christ. F r a n k A . S m a l l e y

II

This is a book that may be safely recommended to those who feel that what need at the moment is recreation and amusement rather than a tough piece or work; it may be fairly described as light reading” . And yet in this com­ paratively small compass there is a remarkable amount of really solid worth. This is, perhaps, particularly true of Chapter V entitled The Soul of China” . In these few pages the ordinary English or American rpader may learn more of certain factors in the present conflict than he may get from large volumes of serious propagandists or ponderous publicists. The next chapter, “ Walking in Chinese Shoes,” is hardly less valuable though in a different way. The new or prospective missionary to China who reads these pages will have an advantage over most of his— or her— pre­ decessors. The book takes the form'of a series of sketches of life as seen on or from the Campus of Christian Universities in China. Scenes and .incidents observed with remarkable perspicacity are described with a vividness which is always delightful, though sometimes almost startling. Readers of this little journal may feel that some pages contain snapshots rather than imaginative pictures, and they may find in these a piquancy which others may miss. But do not be alarmed by this hint; tact and taste have never been disregarded. This is emphatically a book to get and read yourselves -—but even more a book to recommend to your friends— and on your next,furlough you can have quite a good time talk­ ing with them about parts of it. L eo n a r d T om k in son .

THE NATIONAL OPTICAL COMPANY.

Ophthalmic Opticians 1914-1937 281 Nanking Hoad, Shanghai. Telephone 91224 5Years experience in Kvetesting, frame-fitting, lens-grinding and accurate prescription-work. Moderate prices and prompt service. ' Our past work is proof of oar efficiency 27

SERVICE FOR TRUTH1

G e r a l d K. H ib b e r t What then are some of the tilings that Friends try fo express in their missionary service? Let us briefly sum tip: — (1) We believe profoundly in the Divine Initiative. W e believe that, long before we begin our missionary effort, God has visited the heart of every man and woman whom we may approach, preparing the way, calling, wooing, pleading. Our message of His actual presence already in «very soul gives us wondrous hope and inspiration. This thought of the Divine Indwelling, so far from cutting the nerve of missionary effort in the case of the early Friends, was the chief message which sent them forth. They gave their message with confidence, assured that God had. visited the soul in advance to prepare the way for His truth. The word of God to Pascal: ‘ Thou wouldst not seek Me, if thou hadst not already found M e,3 was in substance their philosophy of the conversion of any person.” (The Heart of the Christian Message, by Geo. A. Barlow.) This fundament­ al belief gives the atmosphere of our Missionary activity. (2) It follows that we regard our missionary service as a working out together of a fuller and deeper conception of the nature and the life of God. It is a co-operative search and a co-operatve finding—-in a double sense. We co­ operate with our fellows in seeking and finding God, and all the while we are all co-operating with Him. We thus start from a living experience of His love, and we proceed to develop an Authority that lives and grows and develops, and in the making of which we take our share. It is not merely something imposed from without, but the result of a vital fellowship with God and man. There is no room for patronage, or for a rigid hard dogmatism. (3) This will mean, among other things, that our aim will be to develop autonomous self-governing groups or churches or societies, which we shall expect to teach ns as much as we teach them. We shall not be greatly concerned if they develop along different lines from ours. We shall naturally share with them our own experience, and help them with our knowledge of the past, but we shall have no desire to cramp their growth or to mould them after our own pattern. Some will naturally need more guiding than others, but for all alike we shall covet the free guidance of the Spirit, in the belief that G od’s ways are not necessarily our ways, and that He may lead other peoples along other lines. We shall show a receptiveness, and a willingness to learn. (4) It will become increasingly clear that the great object

(1) Part oi a pamphlet issued by the Friends Service Council.- 28 SERVICE FOR TRUTH of the missionary worker is by his life to show forth religion as a supreme Friendship. As he shows men and women what true friendship means, by living among them the simple friendly life, he leads them to the very heart of Christianity. For he shows them that such friendship springs from friend­ ship with God. Life then becomes a practising of the pre­ sence of God, a communion of friendship and love between the human soul and God, and consequently a vital fellowship with our fellows. It is by our lives that we ultimately con­ vince others as to the reality of God. (5) But the practical life of friendship still needs an in­ terpretation. People must needs ask Why we are thus friendly and Whence this motive comes. Here comes in our message. 'We are not merely seekers, we are already to some extent finders. We come with a tremendous message of the Love of God in Christ Jesus, as a fact of our own and on which we are prepared to stake all. It' G od’s aim has been to reveal Himself to man, and if of all men Jesus alone gave God all that He sought, then in Jesus, God Himself is as nowhere else in the universe. This marks Jesus off as morally and spiritually unique, without our having to think of him in terms of magic or mechanism. He shows us the Divine life humanly lived; he liberates God and gives God free pla.v in his life. We need to give adequate weight to both these tremendous names, G od and C h r is t . The initiative is with God: ‘ ‘In the beginning G od” ; ' God so loved the world that He gave” ; ‘God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.” Jesus Christ was not an accident. He stands for us as the one in whom the Life of God welled up (we prefer this expression to broke in ” ) as fully as is possible within the limitations of humanity. “ In the fullness of tim e,” as mankind was able to bear it, God showed His nature and His self in the person of Jesus: God showed us what the universe stands for and what it means. Its mean­ ing and its ground is L o v e . Jesus was not “ mere m an,” though he was full}7 man; he was man as man should be, ideal man, one with God in heart and mind and will. This does not mean that God’s revelation of Himself is exhausted or finished; it means (at any rate to Christians) that though God “ has yet more light and truth to break forth from His word” , any further revelation, so far from contradicting the principles of Jesus, will arise from a fuller understanding of his character and teaching, and a deeper insight into his life. We believe that Jesus will never be discarded or out-grown; rather that if the Great Temple of humanity is to be fully built, his teachings and his principles will form the keystone of its arch. In him we see God transcendent: “ I delight to do Thy will, O Lord” ; in him we see God immanent; “ I and my Father are one.’1 - 29.

EDUCATIONAL IDEALS1 :

1. Imvard Light. • The Quaker concept of the Inward Light or the Seed of God in every man leads to a profound belief in the supreme value of the individual which is also characteristic of modern educational theory. Quakers believe that external authority must be re-inforced by inward conviction, that conduct must be regulated by personal ideals and personal loyalty, that truth is something that man gains rather by seeking than by being told. The educational expert embodies his theories in almost identical language. The ultimate goal of all education is the production of personalities not only fully developed and well balanced but “ integrated” — that is focussed, animated by one comprehensive purpose, inspired bj7 one ideal, made whole. Prefect integration is possible only through a know­ ledge of God, and here Quakerism has a contribution to make, with its insistence on a single standard in everything—-no truth less binding than an oath, no day less holy than the Sabbath, no man less holy than a priest, no meal less holy than a sacrament. It is not altogether a matter for wonder that Friends have always had a special interest in education. 2. Modern Problems. Three problems confront civilization to-day: the spread of violence coupled with the denial of civil and religious liberty ; the increase of leisure; and the challenge of a material conception of life. Quakerism, if it is true to its ideals, has something to contribute towards the solution of them all. We believe in the direct spiritual heritage of every man; a heritage that may be unworthily held, but cannot be wholly forfeited. This is a conviction that cannot be reconciled with a policy of intolerance and repression. Only in an atmo­ sphere of ordered freedom can the judgment be trained to dis­ criminate between liberty and licence; between discipline that safeguards freedom and restrictions that deny it; between invigorating enjoyment and selfish indulgence. As for leisure— a word that has a new meaning for the present generation — we have already been able to give a lead in the encouragement of special individual interests in our schools and by the broadening influence of our Adult School and Settlement work; but our use of the term “ hobby” suggests a lack of appreciation of the deep significance of the changes which are going on. A hobby, if it is to meet the need created by the inevitably extended leisure of thef.uture, must be capable of becoming a major interest, maturing as the

1 Fart of a Memorandum prepared for the Friends World Conference, 1937. so EDUCATIONAL IDEALS man matures/ a liberating and humanising influence. If education can do little to fit people to carry out the relatively monotonous and mechanical tasks by which they are going to earn their living, it can develop “ their power to contribute to the coriSmunity something of individual worth, with the impress of their personality upon it.” In answer to the challenge of materialism we believe that personality can only develop in relation to other personalities, and that the in­ dividual can retain his right to individuality only by recog­ nising the personal relationships which bind him to his fellows.

UNIVERSITY BOOK CLUB January 15th, 1938 The accession list of the University Book Club from December SOth to January 15th is as follows: Lynd, R. I Tremble to Think Christie, A. Murder on the Orient Express Dumas, A. The Count of Monte Cristo Frost. R. A Further Range Freuchen, P. Arctic Adventure . Warner, L. P. On a New England Campus Rourke, C. Audubon Merejkowski, D. The Romance of Leonardo Da Vinci Waterhouse, E. S. What is Salvation Maurier, D. D. I ’ll Never Be YoungAgain Payne, E. S. Thou My Beloved ' Diver, M. Honoria Lawrence Kipling, U: Something of Myself Alice W. Lindsay Secretary

u Smart Clothes Are Best Assets.”

HENG KONG - m y t a i l o r

and

. GENERAL OUTFITTER.

563 Siechuan Road, Shanghai, China.

We invite all missionaries passing through Shanghai to visit our shop and inspect our goods which are of the very best quality. Reliable workmanship guaranteed. If you cannot come to visit us, please send us your measure and we will do our best to give you satisfaction. 81

FRIENDS WORLD CONFERENCE 1 9 3 7

L e o n a r d T o m k in s o n . The connection of tlie Friends World Conference held at Srt'athmore College, near Philadelphia in September 1937 with the Society of Friends in West China was mainly through the persons of two representatives. Miss Alice Yang, daughter of the headmaster of the Union Middle School and Dr. Du Swun Deh, recently of West China Union Univer­ sity. Delegates from several tens of countries outside the U.S.A. represented at the Conference met with represen ta* tive American Friends in a preliminary conference befjre the main gathering. The chief feature of this smaller meet­ ing was the series of ten minute talks on ‘ 'Quakerism in My Country” . Dr. Du presented a very able paper in this series which made a considerable impression. It was for the most part through her own charming personality in the many personal contacts for which this meeting of a thousand Friends gave such unusual opportunities that Alice Yang made her very valuable contribution. The Conference was organised around the consideration of five main topics: (,1) ‘ "The Spiritual Message of the Society of Friends” , (2) “ The Individual Christian and the State” , (3) ‘ Methods of Achieving Economic, Racial and In­ ternational Justice’' (this was in practice treated as three separate topics, discussed by three separate groups), (4) “ Friends and Education” , (5) “ International Co-operation of Friends’ ’ . Questionnaires on these subjects were sent out all over the world in preparation for the Conference, and many local study groups in many lands studied these problems and the reports later presented by the various Commissions, which had sum­ marised the results of this previous study. At the Confer­ ence itself members divided into groups of about fifty in the mornings to consider one of these topics throughout the Conference, while in the afternoons reports were considered in united sessions of the thousand delegates. The Conference did not result in any formulations con­ cerning the various topics discussed, but delegates were, nevertheless, able to carry back to their fellows all over the world hew light and new inspiration and a sense of solidarity with many of like mind, scattered through many lands, which may prove of great value in these difficult times.

"This means that Chinese Christianity is seeking to discover how the principles of Christ may be applied in the industrial or­ der, and I take this as a promise of a very serious effort to carry on this same process in relation to many other questions that China is facing and that need to be met in the Christian way. Chinese Christianity is going to be applied to everyday life.” Henry T. Hodgkin, 1922. 32

MARY JANE DAVIDSON: PIONEER OF THE WEST CHINA MISSIONARY NEWS.

Almost forty years ago the first edition of the News made its appearance. It was written in longhand and multigrap­ hed by Mary Jane D avidso^, In this special number on the Friends’ Mission it seems peculiarly fitting to remember this pioneering Friend and friend of West China. Let us think bock to 1886 when Robert J. and Mary Jane Davidson name to China. The way was blocked at the moment, and they could not make their way to Szechwan until 2888 when they came via Hanchong, Sfcnsi. In those days missionaries were few and far between. Isolation by days was the expected thing, and hospitality was the practice whpn missionaries passed through a station. ‘ ‘Mary Jane” made her home to stand out in this hospitality of the early days. Here was a home that radiated comfort, cheer, cour­ age. Here were exchanged ideas and news without ' nose­ iness” and newsmongering.” After ten years of life in Szechwan Mrs. Davidson saw7 the opportunity of extending this social-spiritual-intellectual hospitality of her home to the missionaries scattered into the corners of Szechwan and over the borders of the Province. . The very exigencies of the country and the times, the roads and the lack of postoilice, made the contacts by means of the ‘ News” imperative. Mrs. Davidson submerged herself hy calling forth contributions from her co-editors which she laboriously copied and sent forth by the Ta Pang” which functioned as a letter and parcel-carrying agency. The News was timely and it has continued to meet a very real need. Thanks to the policy initiated by the first editor, the News has become an institution. This hospitality to people and ideas and to the Christian way of life could not be satisfied by the work on the News. The News was but one means to an end. Mary Jane con­ tinuously kept in mind and heart the personalities, situations and problems of West China missionaries and work. In her hand she held a teacup into which she poured a brew that had the aroma of open-minded hospitality. It is highly pro­ bable that ‘ Maiy Jane” presided at the teapot for more union discussions and committees than any other woman of West China. And after the sessions, which often extended into the night, the minutes were written up in neatness and clarity for the next morning’s session. It is possible that she has written as many minutes of union meetings in Sze­ chwan as any other person unless it was C. R. Carscallen. Out of the brew and the minutes we have inherited the MARY JANE DAVIDSON S3

Advisory Board, the Educational Union, the Union Univer­ sity, and the Union Normal School for Young W omen. The name of Mary Jane Davidson hardly appears on the pages of the early days of the News which she edited. Her name hardly appears in the various institutions which she “ mothered3'' into life. She will be satisfied if the hospitality to ideas and people and character which she instilled into them nt. their birth be a permanent characteristic during the time of their continuance. D. S. D ye

FRIENDS’ WORLD CONFERENCE OF 1937.

Note: To report a conference which one has not atten­ ded means necessarily giving merely -a review of reviews: The ideas in the following article are, perforce, those of others, many of them being, as will be seen, direct quota­ tions. J. B. Dye. “ The public meeting Sunday evening was claimed to be the largest gathering of Friends under one roof in all our history.” So wrote Elbert Russell in summing up his im ­ pression of the Friends’ "World Conference held at Swarth- more and Haverford in Pennsylvania, U.S.A., from Septem­ ber first to eighth, 1937. At that meeting there were about 3000 in attendance; but of that number only one-third were regularly appointed delegates. The 1000 delegates included Friends from 25 countries all over the world; West China was represented by Dr. Du Swun Deh and Alice Yang, daughter of Principal S. C. Yang. Thirteen delegates from Germany represented a branch of Quakerism which has grown to maturity since the World War. They took a valua­ ble part in the discussions. Many races and languages were represented. To quote Elbert Russell again : Quakerism is no longer merely an Anglo-Saxon or even Aryan form of Christianity. This was symbolized by the variety of races, tongues, and costumes. Hirakawa San spoke in .Japanese while Gilbert Bowles interpreted. Others spoke English with an accent that showed that English was not their native tongue. Jamaican, Mexican, Malagassy, Japanese, Chinese and Hindu countenances Broke the monotony of white faces. Picturesque touches were lent by Mrs. Hirakawa’s kimona, Mies Yang’s long divided skirt, Mr. Singha’s Indian turban, and Adrianally’s harp.” Is the Quaker method of conducting busin&ss and wor­ ship suited to such numbers? The first part of the question seems to deserve an answer in the affirmative. Rufus Jones writes: I had wondered whether such a large group of persons, from so many countries, in large measure unknown 84 FRIENDS’ WORLD CONFERENCE OF 1937. to one another, and with very diverse backgrounds, could fuse together into a single unified body and could do coherent and constructive business together. The actual event has dispelled the apprehension. It has proved to be a genuine ■conference in the proper meaning of the word." But in answer to the second part of the question, in re­ gard to worship, Rufus Jones speaks differently: ‘ Friends -do not stand very well the deepest and severest test of their spiritual quality, their ability to worship God in spirit and in truth in large corporate gatherings. This Conference was never up to the ideal, but was at least as good as is usually the case in gatherings of this size."' ’ Another reviewer makes this interesting comment: Deeper levels were more easily reached in the small morning groups, on the one hand, and in the other extreme of programmed public meetings, on the other, than in the plenary sessions.’ ’ During the first hour and a half each morning small groups of about 50 each met together for worship and fellow­ ship. Dr. Du, with an American Friend, acted as leader of one such group. He writes: ‘ I made a number of spee­ ches...... I became rather courageous because every time there was something within my heart that forced me to speak despite the language difficulties.” After a recess the Con­ ference then divided into larger groups which considered the following subjects: The Spiritual Message of the Society of Friends; The Inner Light; The Individual and the State; Economic, Racial and International Justice; and The W orld­ wide Co-operation of Friends. Afternoons and some of the evenings were devoted to plenary sessions, and there were ■also three large open programmed meetings. In connection with the large discussion groups one dele­ gate writes: The list of chairmen indicates the chief weak­ ness of the conference. It was dominated by the Anglo­ Saxon, or at least by the English-speaking, group. This is ■consistent with numerical facts, but does involve loss of a 'fresh point of view.” Another, however, speaking on an allied subject, says: The Conference marked the passing of the first stage of the modern expansion of Quakerism. If in our first missionary efforts there was any sense of religious superiority at home bases, and of the inferiority of the native converts, that was no longer in evidence here. We met as Quakers and as equals. This change has been foreshadowed by the growing autonomy of the native churches, and sym­ bolized by the merging in England of the Friends’ Foreign Missionary Association with the War Victim s’ Relief Com­ mittee into the Friends Service Council. There is still need for the stronger sections of Quakerism to help the weaker -all over the globe, but not for domination or patronage.” As regards the messages brought by the Conference, it FRIENDS’ WORLD CONFERENCE OF 1937. 35 is impossible to do more than touch on one or two points. The economic problems of the day were carefully considered. In reviewing the discussions PI. G. Wood, author of the biography of Dr. Hodgkin referred to elsewhere in this issue, writes: We are too comfortable, and whether we shall be able to play the part of emancipators depends on whether we can, so to speak, maintain the heroic in the midst of the rattier high standard of comfort that belongs to us as a Society. Our middle-class point of view is a limitation that we have to overcome.” The subject of the relation of the individual to the state, including the question of war, was much to the fore. A few quotations from T. Edmund Harvey, who is a'member of the House of Commons, will indicate some of the lines of thought touched upon: “'It should be part of a man’ s religion to see that bis country is well governed.” “ We have learned in our Quaker community to reach decisions without a vote, and by no tyranny of a majority over a minority, but by reaching some common ground which neither group, perhaps, had been able to see before. That, too, is a contribution that we ought to help to bring into the wider citizenship of the municipality and of the state.’ ’ If the time of trial should come again for some of us, may it be our prayer now that our lives may be so purified that if we should be called upon to bear the cross of persecu­ tion, our life shall witness better than our words for the cause for which we stand.” And from H. G. W ood: ' "T hat is a call for fearless peacemakers who will witness to the necessity of founding peace on righteousness and good­ will, and who with imaginative sympathy can fulfill the ministry of reconciliation.” There are many references in the reports to the present crisis, and the way in which it cast its shadow over the Con­ ference. Perhaps, however, it is driving us to a considera­ tion of deeper spiritual values of life. As a final quotation we give this from H. G. W ood: ‘It seems to be clear that ■■the most ominous feature of the present crisis is the loss of spiritual liberty, that the integrity of the conscience is being undermined, and men are losing that personal freedom which is the essence of- the good life. And perhaps a great part of the message of this Conference for me comes in the reminder that it is only where the spirit of the Lord is that there is liberty, and that we must stand fast with the freedom where­ with Christ sets men free. And it must be clear to us that this spiritual freedom cannot be maintained by any outward defences. Spiritual liberty can only be maintained by a vic­ tory of faith in our own hearts.” 36

UNIVERSITY NEWS It has been a privilege to have visits from Dr. W. Y. Chen, General Secretary of the National Christian Council, and the Rev. Ronald Rees, Religious Education Secretary of the Council of Higher Education. _ Mr. and Mrs. Dickinson, Dr. and Mrs. Sparling and Dr. Jean Millar, Miss Harris and Miss Virgo received a hearty welcome on their return from furlough. They travelled via Indo-China and Yunnan, the ladies of the party flying from Kunming to Chengtu in less than three hours, and the men following by truck with the baggage. Cable news has just come that another Canadian party - Miss Gormley, Miss MacRae and Miss Ruth Sparling - will be •leaving for China on January 22nd, by the same route­ * * * $ On Christmas Eve the whole community joined in earolling on the main playing field from 6 to 7 p.m. Staff and students, old and young, carried torches, bamboo flares, red candles or lanterns as they gathered from all directions to take part in the program­ me. The children were particularly thrilled to be carried shoulder high by their fathers or adopted uncles to watch all that was going on. Once again, the Choir rendered selections from Handel’s “ The Messiah” before a large audience in the Library. Students collected numerous secondhand garments to pass on to needy folk. * * * * Both staff and students have shared in war relief work, with the result that 400 dozen towels bearing the slogan “ Loyalty to China” and 400 undergarments, representing a contribution of about $550, have been sent down river by the Chinese staff and students. The subscriptions and donations of the foreign com­ munity have so far amounted to close on $700, of which $185 has already been remitted through the loeal Committee for War Relief, and $215 through the National Christian Council. Further sums will be disbursed shortly. * * * * During the winter vacation most of the women students are attending special courses in First Aid and Nursing arranged by Dr Pi T’ien-min, acting head o f the Department of Publie Health. The men students, except those in Medicine and Dentistry and 3rd and 4th year Pharmacy, are receiving Special Training at Sze­ chwan National University from Instructors appointed by the Government. The Spring Term opens on Wednesday, February 16th, regis­ tration taking plaee on Monday and Tuesday, February 14th and 15th. * * * * From Monday to Saturday evening each week, 7;30 to 7 p.m„ there will be an English news broadcast from the Chengtu station, some of the announcers being members of the University faculty. The regular University broadcast on Tuesday evenings, 8 - 8 20 p.m. during the month of February will be: Feb. 1st. Mr. Lin Min-chuin: “ New Discovery of the Monument of Chang Hsien Chung.” “ 8th. Dr. Lo Gweng-bi: “ Tuberculosis in Szechwan” “ 15th. Chen Hsu-te ij® It ±. M IS ft & A M Z. IS m “ 22nd. Dr. Dryden Phelps: “ Szechwan’s Sacred Mountain.” * * * * Already fifty staff and students of the University of Nanking have arrived in Chengtu. Others are in Chungking and Ichang UNIVERSITY NEWS 37 and will be following shortly. Fortunately progress is being made with the erection of accommodation. The first floor of the two- storey section of the University Hospital Laundry, to house 200 men students, will be completed before the end of the month. Satisfactory progress is also being made on the four staff resi­ dences located in the north-east corner of the Canadian Mission property on Chiang Hsi Kai. The framework of the houses is nearing completion and tiles are on the roofs. Plans are being made for the temporary accommodation of staff and students until these buildings are ready for occupation, and for the allocation of administration offices for the staffs of the University of Nanking and Ginling College. * * * * Will all who are thinking of going on furlough please note that Miss Robertson is now the Canadian Pacific Railway agent in Chengtu. and is able to secure particulars of sailings, fares, inter­ change routes and so forth. Provided folk make even a small part of their journey by with the C.P.R. they may book their passage with that company, and any such bookings made through or on the recommendation of Miss Robertson, Administration Building, will mean a small commission for the University.

C.H.S.K.H. WEST SZECHWAN SYNOD 1938. “ It was fine” ; “ The best Synod I have attended” ; “ Don’t you think it was thrilling?” ; these are some of the many favourable comments on the Synod that the writer heard from missionaries. As he had midday meals with the Chinese delegates, noticed the happy expression on their faces, and heard their many remarks, he soon came to the conclusion that they too had similar opinions-. Was it because the crisis in China had drawn us all closer together and to God? No doubt. Was it owing in part to the work of God’s Spirit through the meetings conducted by Miss Christen­ sen and Dr. Stanley Jones? Probably. Many other factors how­ ever contributed to make this Synod the spiritual success it was, and some of these will appear as the article proceeds. The various Committees that were held from January 12th- 14th were “ the sorting-house” of a large number of recommenda­ tions, requests and ideas that had been sent in from all parts of the Diocese... Those ideas which could be embodied in suitable recommendations to Synod were treated in this way. One em­ phasizes the word “ recommendations” lest it should be thought that nearly everything was prearranged by Committee and the delegates of Synod had more or less to accept the inevitable. This 'was far from the case, as was seen when questions of location came up for discussion and a revision of the recommendations was found necessary. The Finance Committee had an exception­ ally busy time trying to balanee the budget fcr 1938, but thanks to the work of Archdeacon Donnithorne (whom we were very glad to see restored to health again) and the splendid efforts of our Co-Treasurers Mr. Wu Kueh Chang and the Rev. D. Sargent, this .was at last accomplished. The Rev. A. Lutley most helpfully led a number of devotional sessions on our Quiet Day, Jan. 15th, and we were also privileged .to hear stirring addresses on that day from Dr. Ch’en and the Rev. R. Rees, of the N.C.C. .. Sunday Jan. 16th, marked another staye in the development of women’s work, when Mrs. Cheo a graduate from the W.C.U.U., was ordained as the first Chinese Deaconess of this Diocese. Mr. Wang Chi Shuen of Hanehow was at the same time ordained Deacon and everyone was most favour­ ably impressed with the serviee. 38 C.H.S.K.H. WEST SZECHWAN SYNOD 1938.

The Business Meetings of Synod were held from Monday morning till midday Wednesday. Bishop Song, as chairman, set the tone of the meetings in his opening remark by reminding us that we were one big family in Christ Jesus and that we did well to let this thought control our discussion arid decisions. He read telegrams from Archbishop Mowll and Bishop Holden that assured us of their prayerful remembrance. He spoke of the increased opportunities that had come to the Church in Szechwan with the advent of many students and refugees from other parts of China. He advocated that every Christian should set aside at least a cent a day to help relieve some of the distress occasioned by the war: That Chinese should reduce the number of meals to two a day: and that Diocese as a whole should aim at the preparation of ten thousand bandages for use at the Front at an early date. Considerable time was spent on the question of locations. The establishment of “ Tinghsien” Experimental Centre at Hsintu. and the earnest appeal in letter form of one of the leading work­ ers in the Centre to send a young man to help in their activities and at the same time make a definite Christian contribution to the work, led to the appointment of the Rev. Tuan Sheng Ngen to that district. This meant a definite sacrifice on the part of the Chengtu Church, as did the locations of Deaconesses Stewart and Cheo to Anhsien, and Mr. Fu Pei Chi to Chengtu, on the part of the Church at Mienchu. Other locations included that of Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins to Mienchu, where Mrs. Jenkins is to help in nursing at the hospital, and Mr. Jenkins, under the supervision of the loeal pastor, is to do evangelistic work in hospital and parish. Miss Armfield is to work at Chongchiang with Miss Elder, and Mr. Sherwood has been appointed to work at Wei Ch’en in the Mienyang Parish. On the departure of Miss Streeter on furlough this June, Miss Hensman will take her place at the Woman’s Col­ lege, Chengtu. The recommendations of the Board of Missions were readily passed. Miss Christensen is to be invited to conduct meetings at Hanchow, Mienchu, Anhsien. Chongchiang, Chongpa and Tehyang after the summer, and these meetings are to be followed by a “ Week of Witness”. The latter will be a repetition of the “ Week of Wit­ ness” that.was so successfully conducted in a number of parishes in 1937, and with sueh good results. Every parish made its own arrangements, but recommendations were made by the Board as to the way in which meetings might be organized and the Christians trained to give effective witness. Once again it was decided to hold Quarterly Missionary Prayer Meetings in the various parishes and thus remember the work of the. Church in other lands. The first Wednesday in every month is to be devoted by Chinese and foreign­ ers, as far as possible, to prayers and fasting and waiting upon God for China and the Church in this time of trial and opportunity. We are indebted to the Eastern Szechwan Diocese for having given us a lead in this direction. A report of the splendid work done by the Missionary Service League under the leadership of Mrs. Don- nithorne, this past year, was appreciated. The discussion of financial matters was carried on on a high plane. Much time has been spent the past year in thinking of ways in which misunderstandings might be cleared away, and the various departments of the work set upon a more satisfactory financial basis. It has now been decided, for instance, that Synod shall make fixed grants to the Educational and Evangelistic work. This will dissolve, it is hoped, the ever-recurring suspicion that both departments of the work have, that the other department is claiming too large a share of the financial resources. Another definite advance has been made with regard to the way in which C.H.S.K.H. WEST SZECHWAN SYNOD 1938. 39 pastors’ and evangelists’ salaries are to be paid. Formerly each parish was assessed at a certain amount which was to be the basis o f the workers’ salary, and the Synod Co-Treasurers made up their salaries from central funds to the required amounts. This worked well in the majority of the parishes where it was possible to raise the amounts at which the latter were assessed, but in a few instances, due to local circumstances, or to a too high assess­ ment, the amounts were not raised and the local workers suffered in consequence. In future l>y making a slightly different arrange­ ment in the method of the payments of the Synod funds, local deficiences are to be shared proportionally by the workers as a whole. A third improvement in the financial situation was made by the chairman asking each delegate at what figure he really felt his own parish could be assessed. Some of the delegates said more, others less, than the amounts that had previously been fixed by Synod, but it was most gratifying to find that the total amount of self-support money promised for 193i was slightly more than the original figure given on the budget The sums of money involved may have been very small, but the spirit of “ give and take” that was so manifest in the meeting created considerable enthusiasm, and this particular session closed with very earnest praise to God for His goodness. There is little of general interest to report concerning the recommendations of the other Committees. A warm welcome was extended to Dr. and Mrs. Lechler to return to Mienchu on the arrival of Dr. Wilford this autumn, and Dr Chiang Liang Yin has been appointed to work at the Mienchu Hospital as from this summer. The Rev. J. Duddington had some good ideas with regard to a Sunday Sehool Teachers’ Training Class that he hopes to hold at Mienyang from April 18th till 25th, and in general 'with regard to Lay Workers’ Training that he intends to implement in the near future. Manyfacetious remarks were made during the Synodand these did much to create a happy family spirit and so expedite business. Bishop Song touched a very human note when he said that the well-being of any Synod depended largely upon the catering arrangements. The latter were spendid, as were all the arrange­ ments, even down to the smallest details, made by our several Chengtu hosts and hostesses. Our chairman thanked the Y.W .C. A. for permitting us to meet in their building and extended vote of thanks to the many who in any way cared for our needs. We on our part thanked God for Bishop Song’s leadership, and for the great blessing that He had vouchsafed to us all in Synod. H. A. Maxwell.

CHENGTU CITY NEWS.

Mrs. Harkness of New York, was a visitor in early Jannary on her way home from Tachietila and beyond, and en route to Hongkong and New York. She was able to fret another panda. She left in early Jannary hy Enrasia plane for Sian and Hongkong. A “ T E A ” was git’en on January 4th at the W .M .S. ladies residence, Kang Dsen Kai, to welcome back Miss Wiimifred Harris and I)r. Jean Millar just retnrned from furlough. They travelled by way of Hongkong and Ynnimnfu, in company with the Sparling-Dick- inson families. Miss Pearl Strott has reached Chengtn from Fingyao, Shensi Province, after a journey fall of delays. She will be staying here nntil the end of February probably. She ¡3 visiting with Mrs. A. S. Kerry. 40 CHENGTU CITY NEWS

Other visitors at tlie home of Mr. and Mrs. Kerry have been: Dr. Parry; Mr. Clark; Mr. Jesperson; Mr. Davis; Mr. G. Kraft. Rev. Arnold Lea has been away conducting a childrens7 Bible School in Penshan. . Dr. Ralph Hayward of Kiating has been a visitor during the special meetings of tike General Secretary of the N.C.C, from Shang­ hai, Dr. Gihen. Dr. Harley Jermer, from Fowchow, spent partof the Chinese New Year holiday in the city. He took off some more of his language ex­ aminations, and then spent the time enjoying meeting friends and making summer plans. Dr. Chen, General S-ecretary oi the N.C.C. from Shanghai, while in Chengtn, conducted services in the Baptist church at Juan Ta Chin Kai. Dr. Cben and Dr. Rees visited Chengtn in the interests of the N.C.C. Their aim was to arrange far the co-operation of tbe S.C.C. in this time of national crisis. On January 19th a meeting of doctors was held at the home of Dr. and Mrs. T. M. Pi, Sze Tsen Sze, to meet wiiJu Dr. Rees and discuss the work of the N.C.C,. in this province. A group of seventy vonng women leaders representing Church, Educational, and Medical work, met at the home of Miss W ilbelmina ArL'etsiiiirer on January l£Kh, to listen tt> an address given 1>3T Dr. W ur President of Giniing Women’s College, Nanking. Her subject was W omen’s Responsibility in Making a New China,r. Dr. Wn is re­ cently arrived from Nanking and expects several others of her college to arrive shortly. She will be in Chengtn for a while. These meetings were continued dnring the Chinese New Year, Dr. T. M . Pi addressing the one of January 28th on tbe subject of “ Public Health and Plans for Expansion57. On February 4th Dr. Graham is expected to address the group on .the subject ^Chinese Early Culture” . Miss Brodbeck and Mist* Therolf of Yachow visited friends during Chinese New Year. Miss Brodbeck stayed with Miss Nelson and M iss Therolf with Miss Argetsinger at San Shen Kai. Miss Trotter and Mrs. Dudley of Shan Si Kai, attended their yearly conference meetings at Chungking. The Cheng in city com inanity greatly enjoyed the presence of oat of town members of the C .M .S. during the days of their Synod meet­ ings. These meetings were held at the Pi i'ang Kai Church. Staying with Mr. and Mrs, Lntley and attending these special meetings were: Miss Fngl from Tehyang; Miss Davis from Mienchu hospital; Miss Armfield from the Women's School at Mienyang and Miss Whitworth from Mienyang. A Iso Kev. H. A. Maxwell from Mienchu. Staying with Dr. and Mrs, Lechler were Archdeacon and Mrs. Donnithorne; Deaconess Stewart from Mienchow and Miss V. C. Mannett from the Yoh Teh Scho'ol at Mienyang. Other out of town visitors attending these meetings were: Dra. N. and J. Pariit of Shinto; Dr. Billington of Mienchn; Mr. and.Mrs. Dnddingfon of Mienyang; Miss Belcher of Mienyang; Miss Elder of Chungking; Miss Gondge of Mienyang. Mr. F. N. Smith of Yachow was a visitor attending the committee meetings of the Union Theological College. Dr. P. C. Hou, professor of Pathology, and head of the department of pathology of Cheeloo University, Tsinan, arrived dnring January, and is to teach the subject of Pathology here. He will also assist in the clinical1 work in connection with that department in tbe Men’s Hospital Sze Tsen Sze. . Dr. S. N. Cheer, formerly of Nanking, and now' living here, went to Chungking during Chinese New Year to consult with the President of National Central University regarding the next year's program and their budget. CREATIVE SPIRITUAL ACTION 41 action is creative we come to see that there is a possibility, not only of protecting the endangered one, but also of changing the mind of the evil-doer. The magic play of creative spirit can alter the evil mind, can forgive him, that is to say, fo r cruelty can give kindness; fo r antagonism, fellowship; fo r hatred, love. This wonderful form of alchemy, so to speak, is not known to or understood by man in his mere animalhood, nor is it grasped by his logical faculty which would only see the two opposing forces and regard that as final unless force were called in to cut the Gordian knot. It is only as man rises to some sense of a power greater than his own, when a man lives in a world of larger possi­ bilities, that he reaches a sense of the reality of the change from an impasse to a solution not wrought by force. It is the belief in this third stage, not alone in the two former stages, that constitu­ tes the strongest and least understood part of our peace testimony. The stages in experience on the spiritual level which we might term the redemptive level, are somewhat on the following lines. First there is the laying aside of fear—the recognition that the opponent and the self are in one group, both are men: next recognising that to use brutal weapons in order to persuade the opponent to alter his mind is useless; since it would be an appeal to his animalhood instead of to his manhood the weapons are laid aside: and lastly and most important of all there comes the re­ cognition that the enemy can be released from the toils of his hatred and be changed into a friend by the spiritual action of the self when a real reconciliation can be effected in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and good feeling. Friends are too often enmeshed in intricate questions as to the limits of force, how far it may be used, and such like quibbles, laying stress on the merely negative side and urging the use of non-violenee whilst paying far too little heed to the positive, creative action of the redeeming power of the spirit. It is at the foot of the Cross that we begin to have some idea that to turn away from the pain and evil in men and things is not the divine way, but only the human way, of dealing with them. In these dark days we sorely need to learn this deeper wisdom of the Cross, and under the leadership of the Christ, to find that our normal life cannot be in avoiding pain and difficulty as the natural man do.

Registered Trade Mark

Manufacturing Chemists and Dealers in Drugs. Chemicals. Pharmaceuticals, Hospital and Laboratory Supplies ANALYTICAL REAGENTS manufactured by Schering-Kalhlbaum, A-G., Berlin MICROSCOPIC STAINS, INDICATORS AND ANILINE DYES manufactured by Dr. K. Hoilborn and Soehne, Leipzig ( Original-Gruebler-Hollbom and Giemsa Preparations) LABORATORY EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES: “Jena” Laboratory Glassware, “ Berlin” Porcelain Ware, “ Reichert” Microscopes and Microtomes, “ Schleicher & Schuell” Filter-Paper. Analytical Balances, Scales, and Weights, Scientific Apparatus. HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES: Operating and Hospital Furniture, Invalid Chairs, Stretchers, Sterilizers, Disinfectors, Incubators, Surgical Instruments, Sur­ gical Rubbergoods, Enamel, Porcelain, and Glassware. X-ray Apparatus and Electro-Medical Supplies Please write for our Price Lists.

?3 m m $ f =ft @ PS w m # & 1b m it ^

si m m ® & sn m m m ** k æ #

KOFA LABORATORIES, SHANGHAI