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NeedlessEVANGELISM IN THE COUNTRY DISTRICTS 215free as possible to develop along its own lines. For sometime, the calling and paying of the men in this work will bein the hands of the mission council But nothing in thisplan will stand in the way of a county calling a man to thegeneral pastorate in the hsien city.<r* Chenchow to say J our ideal is self-support.^rT1 .,, . . , .,While we are scarcely in sight of it as yet weare using every legitimate means towards its attainment.Last year our Chinese Church contributed over a thousanddollars to the general work. As we have no rich membersand most of them living on the minimum wage this is a fairshowing. At times we have been in danger of overstrainingthis ideal, and the temptation have been to drive rather thanto lead. With us the Chinese show greater willingness tocontribute to buildings than to the support of the preacheror teacher. Our policy is that only when a church is willingand able to support him, should they be encouraged to callan ordained pastor. We have none as yet.It is probably true of us as of most mission stationsthat the day of self-support has been delayed by the tooliberal use of mission funds. We began by supplying thedifficult tobuildings and the salary of the preacher, and it ismake the change. In our schools we were glad to get pupilsat any cost. Now the struggle is on to make the pupils payfor food and books at least. This is a more serious questionin our poor district than it would be in the ports or wherethe Chinese have been enriched by foreign trade or othermeans. We are in the transition stage between a purelynon- Christian constituency and a struggling church, and itis not so easy for the Christians to understand why we arenot willing to do as much for them after they believe as wedid before. They are babes in Christ and will grow.,-. We begin with chapels, rented shops inL.anton ,-in -i i jmarket towns, and these shops develop intoself-supporting churches. Every dollar given by theChinese church-members is a means of grace to them. Toproduce stagnation, I know of no belter way than to open achapel, and to continue its support by perfunctory visitson the part of the missionary. The time has come whenchapels that have been opened for ten years, and are still