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38 GENERAL REVIEW OF THE YEARThe American Church Mission, as Bishop Boots abovestates, has been affected scarcely at all by the war.The American Baptist Foreign Missionary Societi/ says thatamongst the Chinese there is seldom heard an appeal to thepeople on the ground of what Christianity has done for theWest. The appeal now is to what Christ can do for thesoul. (This is an enormous gain). For the Hrst time themission in South China is asking for appropriations to doinstitutional or social church work. They are already considering the matter of an institutional church at Swatow.The Methodist Episcopal Mission reports practically noeffects through the Avar. The splendid exchange-rates havehelped the work, but the high cost of building-materials hasbeen some hindrance.The American Hoard Minion has not suffered in China.Possibly China is getting more men because the Board swork in Turkey has been stopped. Tin* union evangelisticeffort in Fukien has gone ahead as usual.The Methodist Episcopal Miss-ion, South, says that allplans for extending work are held up for the present, andfurloughs have been stopped.Other missions are planning very definite advance work.The Christian Literature Society reportsW^ that*>ute^Mhave slightly reduced their staff ofSocieties writers, and also slightly reduced their salaries. The Hastings Bible Dictionary has,however, been successfully completed, and is now beingprinted, over 4,000 advance orders have been received. ThePress Bureau work, after a brief rest, has been resumed. Aseries of extended Bible commentaries is being planned.Sales have been adversely affected. Other societies reportthat their sales also are decreasing. The increased cost ofpaper and other printing materials is being keenly felt, byall. Consignments of Bibles, paper, etc., have been lost onsteamers torpedoed in the Mediterranean. Many missionaries, especially Germans, have discontinued subscriptions tomagazines. One Society says that the general depression oftrade and the shortage of foreign imports affects theirwork considerably. The recent rise of silver is a seriousblow.