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1 6 CHINA MISSION YEAR BOOK.repair, although an imperial funeral has an amelioratingeffect. The opening of the Peking Waterworks is anobvious and an important improvement. No reform inChina conies so near to the interests and so appeals to thesympathies of foreigners as that of the postal department.In 1906, 113 million articles were handled, which increasedto 168 millions in 1907, to 252 millions in 1908, and to306 millions in 1909 ;while the parcels rose from 1,363,000in 1906, to 3,280,000 in 1909. China is now fairly wellcovered with offices and agencies, but the old expensiveand useless courier service still holds on, and China isnot yet ready to join the Postal Union,II.It will probably be more clearly recognized infuture years than it now is that the Centennial Conference marked the close of one stage of Protestant missionsin China and the definite opening of another, of whichthe keynotes are efficiency and cooperation. These highideals cannot be suddenly achieved, but it is much thatnow more than ever before they are regarded as ends inview. The Kvangelistic Committee of the Conference wasnaturally merged into an Evangelistic Association, whosemeetings and publications serve the useful purpose ofcomparing methods, promoting effectiveness, and ofdirecting attention to the fact that, to whatever extentother forms of activity may be wisely and successfullyprosecuted, the ultimate purpose is and ought to beevangelistic. The Executive Committee of the Conference Education Committee (after long and unavoidabledelay in re-organization) got into touch with the Boardof Education in Peking with a view to opening the wayfor adjusting the curricula of mission schools to that ofgovernment schools. It was the opinion of the Vice-President of the Board, however, that the curricula ofthe government schools are not yet sufficiently fixed tomake this assimilation desirable. This intelligent and