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194 EVANGELISMandOur chapels are without exception inmarket towns. It has been impossible so farto rent or purchase property in any villagefor this purpose."We aim to have a primary schoolconnected with each chapel, but are still far from this ideal.We have at various times opened schools for boys or girlsin different villages, but the anti-foreign spirit andsuperstition of the villages have usually closed them aftera very brief history. We employ none but Christianteachers. A local teacher of ability and character is thebest means of securing permanency.Until w r e secure a visible and permanent place for theChurch in the corporate life of the villages our work mustbe largely pioneering. It has to be remembered that thelarger part of our field has only been even nominallyoccupied during the past five or six years, and that we areworking in what is not merely virgin soil but ground morethickly overgrown with superstition, lawlessness, and antiforeignbitterness than perhaps any other part of China.Several important divisions of the district have for anumber of decades been leagued to oppose the entrance ofChristianity. There is a great amount of uprooting to bedone before the good seed can find fruitful soil. Ourschools and especially our hospital are doing much to makeevangelistic work worth while._ Our evangelists are all, excepting onetowho.. .Evangelists j i ihas a roving commission, engaged in localpastoral work. They are responsible for chapel preachingon market days (every fifth day) and for a Sunday service.They prepare candidates for baptism, visit the churchmembersin their homes, and in some cases are also elders ofthe church. These workers are moved to other centresevery three or four years.. So far most of our work has been developedby the use of foreign funds. At severalcentres the members have contributed fairly liberallytowards the building of chapels and they are graduallyassuming responsibility for chapel expenses but all salariesare still paid by the Mission. In our primary schools we