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322 CHINA MISSION YEAR BOOK.Union in West China has been carried a step furtherthan elsewhere. The West China Conference of 1906planned the establishment of an educational union whichprovided for the regulation and supervision of primaryand secondary work in the schools and the adoption ofuniform courses of study and a common system ofexamination. This union has since developed its plansand is preparing for the building and equipment of theWest China university in Chengtu. Four missions arecontributory to this work, namely the American BaptistUnion, the Friends Foreign Mission (British), the MethEpiscopal Church of America, and the MethodistChurch of Canada. Each of these missions will providehostels for its own students in the new university.Work is already begun. But the West China Conferenceof 1908 emphasized the union nature of its missionaryenterprise by its announcement of the ideal of "oneChristian church for West China." In 1899 thisconference had dealt with the problem of comity by theinstitution of an Advisory Board ;in 1908 it proceeded torecommend a common recognition of church memberson an equal basis by all the missions concerned. A freeinterchange of members .was the ideal aimed at. Thisproposal is awaiting the sanction of the Boards concerned.Another phase of the union movement to be notedis the formation of union conferences of missions of thesame church order. A council, representative of thewhole of the work of the Presbyterian churches inChina, has been formed and has begun its work.Similarly at a conference of the representatives of all theAnglican missions in China, held in 1907,it was decidedthat at the conference of 1909 representation of thewhole church should be provided, Chinese as well .asforeign clergy being present. This conference was dulyheld in Shanghai. It is believed by some of those whoare taking a deep interest in the work of union that thisdrawing together of churches of the same or of similar

FEDERATION AND UNION. 323church order will facilitate the progress of all unionschemes.A movement on a larger scale, looking to union asits ultimate aim, is that of federation. This providesfor the coming together in definite organization of allthose churches and missions which are working in asingle area. The area unit is general!) the province.In most of the centres where the federation movementhas been adopted, meetings of representatives of themissions at work in the district have been arranged for,and committees appointed to deal with questions affectingthe work of each and all and to plan for the common good.Such questions as the division of the field and theeffective occupation of territory, the coordination ofwork, common rules for the admission of converts,and the promotion of union efforts along special lines ofwork are being dealt with by the Federation Councils attheir annual meetings or through their committees. Theresult in all cases where the proposals have been workedhas been a closer drawing together of the missions, andit has been found that the Chinese workers have takenup the idea of federation with great enthusiasm. Thefinal scope of the federation proposals include the election on a representative basis, by the Provincial Councils,of a federation council for the Empire. The followingare the rules which were adopted by the ShanghaiConference of 1907 for the work of federation -:That the work of the Federation shall be(a) To encourage everything that will demonstrate theexisting essential unity of Christians. To watch for opportunitiesof united prayer and mutual conference between representativesof different bodies of Christians in China ; and, as opportunityoffers, to initiate and arrange for representative meetings for thefurtherance of Christian unity.(b) To devise and recommend plans whereby the whole fieldcan be worked most efficiently and with the greatest economy inmen, and time, and money.(c) To promote union in educational work.(d) The encouragement of the consideration of all questionsas to how the various phases of Christian work can be carried on

322 CHINA MISSION YEAR BOOK.Union in West China has been carried a step furtherthan elsewhere. The West China Conference of 1906planned the establishment of an educational union whichprovided for the regulation and supervision of primaryand secondary work in the schools and the adoption ofuniform courses of study and a common system ofexamination. This union has since developed its plansand is preparing for the building and equipment of theWest China university in Chengtu. Four missions arecontributory to this work, namely the American BaptistUnion, the Friends Foreign Mission (British), the MethEpiscopal Church of America, and the MethodistChurch of Canada. Each of these missions will providehostels for its own students in the new university.Work is already begun. But the West China Conferenceof 1908 emphasized the union nature of its missionaryenterprise by its announcement of the ideal of "oneChristian church for West China." In 1899 thisconference had dealt with the problem of comity by theinstitution of an Advisory Board ;in 1908 it proceeded torecommend a common recognition of church memberson an equal basis by all the missions concerned. A freeinterchange of members .was the ideal aimed at. Thisproposal is awaiting the sanction of the Boards concerned.Another phase of the union movement to be notedis the formation of union conferences of missions of thesame church order. A council, representative of thewhole of the work of the Presbyterian churches inChina, has been formed and has begun its work.Similarly at a conference of the representatives of all theAnglican missions in China, held in 1907,it was decidedthat at the conference of 1909 representation of thewhole church should be provided, Chinese as well .asforeign clergy being present. This conference was dulyheld in Shanghai. It is believed by some of those whoare taking a deep interest in the work of union that thisdrawing together of churches of the same or of similar

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