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208 EVANGELISMdetermined to follow as closely as possible a station planof occupation. First to open the cities (ksiens), then thelarger market towns, the latter to be opened when the timewas indicated by an invitation from Christians or catechumens who had heard the gospel in the larger centres.This rule has been adhered to as far as has been compatiblewith the leading of the Spirit. Our minds have been keptopen to any proper influence that would cause us to deviatefrom this plan but on the whole we have adhered to it.Except in one instance, that of a busy market thirty li fromour main centre, we have steadily refused to open chapelsat any point where there were no Christians to form thenucleus of a church. We have a church in each of the sevenhsiciis and in eight villages or market 1owns.The work in the three districts is carriedCantonon chiefly by the Presbyterian and Congregational boards, with some chapels of the Baptist andWesleyan missions. In tho Banning district the PresbyterianChurch has twelve chapels; in Yinping district fourteen,and in Hoiping four. In connection with these chapels aretwenty organized churches, five of which are entirely selfsupporting,and the others partly so The American BoardMission las nearly an equal number of chapels with severalself-supporting churches. The Presbyterian and AmericanBoard missions have occupied the chief centres, and all theimportant market towns have been supplied with chapelsby those two missions. Care has been taken to avoid overlapping by these two missions, the field has been sodivided that each has a well-defined territory, and work iscarried on without any unnecessary expense, and in aspirit of harmony and mutual benefit.The strategic centres are the market towns, each oneof which is the centre of trade for scores of villages. Thepeople attend these markets about every five days, and onmarket days large numbers are found at the chapels. Thesetowns should be occupied as fast as chapels and preacherscan be secured. The beginning is to rent a shop and fit itout in an attractive style, and station there a live man topreach and, on the days between the markets, to visit thenear-by villages. He makes a monthly report of these visits