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410 CHINA MISSION YEAR BOOK.subscribed. The canvass was carried on very largelyby the Chinese secretaries and a few Chinese membersand the subscriptions were very largely from Chinesesources. One notable circumstance was the unanimousvote of the Municipal Council to give Taels 5,000 to\vardthe fund.In August the Board of Directors of the TientsinAssociation, secured an option on a most desirable lotfor Tls. 31,500. The limit of this option made a shortterm canvass necessary. This was inaugurated October23rd. In a canvass of seven weeks this amount waspledged and paid in and the purchase completed, and inaddition sufficient pledged to meet the current expensesfor the year. Tls. 36,700 was pledged by 504 persons.The first pledge was for Tls. 20,000, given by Mr. OuYang, a prominent Chinese business man of the citypreviously unknown to the Association workers. Thiswas paid in before the close of the canvass ; 95 per cent,of the entire amount secured came from Chinese sources,and a largely majority of the pledges were securedthrough the efforts of members of the Association.92 per cent, of the contributions were paid in eitherbefore the close of the canvass or within two weeks after.The greatest improvement in the work of the Student Associations has been along three lines :(i). There has been an increased emphasis uponthe work of evangelizing the non- Christian students, boththose in the Christian institutions and also those in thegovernment schools. This has come without decreasingthe splendid work already being done for the non-studentclass. In Nanking University this work resulted insome thirty men becoming Christians at one time.(2). The Bible classes have shown better judgmentin their selection of courses, study groups have morelargely replaced reading circles, larger numbers havebeen enrolled and the leadership has been more efficient.This work isgrowing so rapidly both in size and depththat it already demands the entire time of a special Bible