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208 CHINA MISSION YEAR BOOK.however, the amounts are shamefully small. The average, in the various missions reporting, runs from a fewcents to three dollars and seventy-seven cents yearly permember. The total average is probably not far fromone dollar. This is a poor showing.Most missions give poverty as the excuse for lack ofself-support. One large mission saysare mostly poor some of them very poor. We have;very few indeed who do not have to work hard for ameagre living."Several give the lack of zeal and thesmallness of the membership as the chief causes.Other missions report their churches able to supportall their work, except schools and hospitals. Othersreport some few able and the larger number of churchesunable to do so.The fact that there is such a diversity in amountsgiven, where other conditions are fairly uniform, wouldindicate a lack of proper training and leadership to bethe chief cause of failure to properly support the work.When we compare our average contributions withthose of the older missions, as for instance those at Arnoy,where the average for three missions is a little overseven dollars a year per member, we must confess thatthere is no sufficient excuse for our being so far behindas to give but one dollar.A few missions report a decline in the amount ofcontributions during the last few years. This is partlybecause of the large increase of student membership inthe churches. It may also indicate a change to a betterbasis and motive in giving. Againit is easier to raise: "Our membersfunds for new work, oftentimes, than for the runningexpenses of old work. Many of the missions are givingmore attention to the development of present stationsand less to the opening up of new work.There has been a general increase in the willingnessof the Christians for independent witness and work forthe Master. A few evangelists are supported individually by laymen.One man supports a school for orphans.