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250 CHINA MISSION YEAR BOOK.POSTGRADUATE STUDY.Most of the missions require further study fromstudents who have left the college and have becomepreachers. The methods employed sometimes separately, sometimes in combination are examinations andgatherings for Bible study. The Church MissionarySociety prescribes courses of study for all catechists, withyearly examinations. The American Board Missionrequires preachers, after leaving college, to pass througha further course of three years. The Methodist Episcopal Mission, through its general conference, arranges afour years course of study for all preachers who enterthe regular ministry. The English Presbyterian Mission,in addition to the Presbyterial examinations whichcandidates for the ministry have to pass, seeks to encourage all its preachers to engage in systematic study.In Swatow, for example, preachers are expected to pass asemi-annual examination. In Wukingfu the preachersgather together in spring for a fortnight of Bible teaching and in the autumn are examined on the teachinggiven in spring. A similar planis followed in theAmoy field, except that the teaching is sometimes givenat the ordinary preaching meetings, when the preachersgather together in different places for special evangelisticwork. The Berlin Mission reports that Bible teachingis given at quarterly conferences. The WesleyanMethodist Mission organises conventions for Bible studyin country centres. The American Presbyterian Missionin Canton made the experiment last year of a four daysBible study conference during the vacation, an experiment which they report will probably be repeated. TheBasel Mission arranges annually a short course of instruction for its preachers, and further requires them to enteran outline of the sermons they preach in a book. Thesuggestion made at the Shanghai Conference to establishcorrespondence classes for Bible study does not seem tohave been tried, so far as the provinces of Canton and

THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION. 251Fukien are concerned, and unless the district in whicha mission works is one of enormous extent, the plan ofconferences for Bible teaching is likely to be moreeffective than that of correspondence classes. Much canyet be done to develop this department of the work,which is one of great importance and profit.There is at present but little cooperation betweenthe missions in the matter of theological education. InCanton some of the missions which have no theologicalschool of their own send their students to the colleges ofother missions, and union with other missions in thisdepartment of the work is at present a subject underdiscussion in the case of at least one important collegein Canton city. But the only existing union college inthe provinces which we are dealing with is the collegein Arnoy. The American Reformed Church Missionand the Knglish Presbyterian Mission have, from anearly period, made common cause in the matter oftheological education, but in 1907 the union was broadened to include the L,ondon Mission. Each missionappoints two members to representit on the Board ofManagement of the college, and bears a proportionalshare in the expenses of the institution, besides helpingin the teaching. Union in theological teaching certainlymakes for economy and efficiency, but those who attemptto carry it into practice must be prepared to meet withmany and great difficulties, which it will require muchtact and patience to overcome. This at least hasbeen the experience of the missions in the Arnoy field.Nor do the difficulties arise only from the side of themissionaries. It is surprising to find outbursts of asectarian spirit amongst the Chinese also leading tosquabbles between the students of the different missions, but the fact that sectarian feeling is already inevidence should surely act as a spur to all movementstowards federation and union, that the seeds of divisionmay not become more deeply rooted in the Chinesechurches.

THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION. 251Fukien are concerned, and unless the district in whicha mission works is one of enormous extent, the plan ofconferences for Bible teaching is likely to be moreeffective than that of correspondence classes. Much canyet be done to develop this department of the work,which is one of great importance and profit.There is at present but little cooperation betweenthe missions in the matter of theological education. InCanton some of the missions which have no theologicalschool of their own send their students to the colleges ofother missions, and union with other missions in thisdepartment of the work is at present a subject underdiscussion in the case of at least one important collegein Canton city. But the only existing union college inthe provinces which we are dealing with is the collegein Arnoy. The American Reformed Church Missionand the Knglish Presbyterian Mission have, from anearly period, made common cause in the matter oftheological education, but in 1907 the union was broadened to include the L,ondon Mission. Each missionappoints two members to representit on the Board ofManagement of the college, and bears a proportionalshare in the expenses of the institution, besides helpingin the teaching. Union in theological teaching certainlymakes for economy and efficiency, but those who attemptto carry it into practice must be prepared to meet withmany and great difficulties, which it will require muchtact and patience to overcome. This at least hasbeen the experience of the missions in the Arnoy field.Nor do the difficulties arise only from the side of themissionaries. It is surprising to find outbursts of asectarian spirit amongst the Chinese also leading tosquabbles between the students of the different missions, but the fact that sectarian feeling is already inevidence should surely act as a spur to all movementstowards federation and union, that the seeds of divisionmay not become more deeply rooted in the Chinesechurches.

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