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198 EVANGELISMtwelve hours ride, as journeys go in China, and is brokenmidway by a market town, Kungkun. This town in itselfwas a strategic centre, but being midway on the road to andfrom Kochow, we were very eager to find an entrance. Wetried to rent or buy, but all in vain. Just at this time oneof our young preachers, having finished four and one-halfyears work at a certain chapel, became ambitious to add tohis education at Canton. Between the close of his work andthe beginning of his studies at the Canton ChristianCollege lay a period of two months. We seized theopportunity, and taking the preacher into our confidence,we sent him off with something like these instructions:The key to the situation, we believe, lies with the gentry.If they are favorably disposed, the people will come to us;otherwise, the people will hold aloof. Here are ten dollarsfor incidental expenses; spend a month in the town, getinto touch with the gentry in any way you can; do notattempt to preach, as from a pulpit, for you probablycannot secure a pulpit for such a hearing, but in any waypossibletell the gentry why the missionary comes, what hestands for, and why he opens chapels and schools. Go inand do the best you The can." young preacher went inand secured for himself living quarters in the corner of atemple. His next move was to call on all the Chinesegentry and leading citizens. Soon return calls led to feastingsand return f eastings. Due no doubt to his ownsuggestion, there arose a desire for the opening of a summerschool, a sort of normal class. He planned a course of onemonth s teaching. He arranged a curriculum whichincluded some mandarin, with which he was familiar, a bitof western mathematics, some English and lectures upon thenew educational system of China.Opening day came, bringing a few would-A Summerbe pup ji s ^he rabble however made ocnool any-i-i TI i i -i I j. TTthinglike school an impossibility. Hispupils fled. The very audacity of his next move enabledthe young preacher to win out. He went to some of theleading gentry, and said; "You wanted us to open thisschool. We have done our part, but you see the result.I do not know what we can now do, unless we set another