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240 CHINA MISSION YEAR BOOK.ingness to preach to the common people. But of late,as evidenced by a leading article in the most influentialChinese daily, public lectures for the uneducated arerecognized to be next in importance to schools andnewspapers in the training of the nation for representative government. This would seem to be at least anunconscious tribute to the power of preaching as practised by the heralds of the Gospel.The calling of a pastor, in its two-fold duties ofpreaching and the care of souls, has hitherto had littleattractiveness to Chinese youth seeking a life work.To us a profession held in great honor, to them it hastoo much seemed a difficult and odium-incurring serviceof foreign missionaries. Yet in spite of this difficulty,the church in China has, during the past decades,produced many faithful and consecrated ministers oftheGospel.The theological training of these men has beensecured in various :ways in classes, or in home studyunder the direction of individual pastors, or in yet moredesultory method. The educational qualifications requiredin men so trained has also varied greatly. But the callfor theological schools has, within recent years, becomemore and more insistent. The past decade has seen theestablishment of over a dozen schools in the part ofChina IKMV under review, and a number of others areprojected. The necessity of many such schools isvouched for both by the rapid growth of the church andby the tremendous area to be covered. This reportcovers the provinces of Kiangsu, Chekiang, Anhui,Kiangsi, Hupeh, Hunan, and Szechwau, a territory aslarge as that of the United States east of a line runningsouth from the foot of Lake Michigan, or five times thesize of Great Britain and Ireland. With the attentionof the educated classes turned toward the truth as neverbefore, the need grows more and more imperative of themost talented and best equipped men possible as preachers and pastors. The fact that there are good training