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368 CHRISTIAN LITERATUREthis loss falls on the missionary himself who can ill affordit. It is too much to expect that he will buy largely bookssuitable for free gifts to scholars and gentry. If he thinksof opening a book-shop, he must lay in a stock of books, andhe cannot obtain them on consignment until sold, as societieshave found that this plan usually ends in great loss. Thewar limits the amount of capital available for bookshops,and thus the sales of the central agencies are diminished.A careful survey of the list above disclosesNarrow a yer y na]TOW range of reading. It is impossible to say anything definite regardingthe amount of Christian books read by non- ChristianChinese. But speaking for the Christian Church, it isevident that up to the present it is either unable to buymany Christian books or lias no particular desire to do so.Perhaps both these causes operate. The tract societies ofcourse issue large quantities of small tracts for evangelisticpurposes. But the sale of larger books (except the BibleDictionary above mentioned) is far from satisfactory. Inthe lists above, the prices range from one cash to fifty orsixty cents. No book of a higher price lias succeeded ingetting a place on these lists. It is, however, very encouraging to reflect that virtually all of the best sellers deal whollywith Christian truth, very few books on general knowledgeattaining much popularity.All authorities are agreed that without anextensiveUnsatfefactorcolportage system, circulation willremain in its present unsatisfactory state.The effect of colportage on sales is seen in the Hankow-Peking society which employs a number of such agents. Inthe old examination time, the dissemination of literaturereached a very high point not since attained. The societiestens oftook advantage of the flocking together of so manythousands of students, immense quantities of such books asDr. Martin s Tien Tao So Yuan (?c it ffi ), and Dr. Faber sTzu Hsi Tsu Tung (g H found ffi. jfc), their way into thehands of the people for whom they were intended. Sincethe abolition of the examination system, no similar opportunity has appeared to take its place.