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Show Page four, high, value on these schoolfcf both for beys and for girls. Two women teachers were given the opportunity tc attend a summer school at Tunghsien, Nearly all of the men and women teachers attended cur cwn Institute in August and learned much that was of value. Training At the same time with the Teachers Institute there was held Leaders at the central station, as in 1924, a Conference for Christian Workers, with nearly all evangelists and Bible women in attendance as well as some leading lay members. For the special training of lay leaders there is now the Christian Training School at Lintsing, with several men and a few women from our field among the students. To this school we have loaned Miss Wyckoff for the two semesters; and for the autumn term we assigned also one of cur Chinese evangelists as a member cf the faculty. Even this new school does not bring to the Christians who cannot go far from home the training for service and leadership that is needed if the churches are to manage their own affairs. So in addition to our ordinary station classes for raen and women, special classes for leaders were planned at four centers| but banditry and war Interfered and only one of these classes was actually held. Besides these, we have several men and women in preparation for church and evangelistic work in three schools in Peking, two in Tsinan, and one in Tainan, Two ordained pastors are taking graduate work in theology. And the preachers in service have been asked to make out their own suggestions as to the best ways cf spending their time and talents for the advancement of the gospel. New Buildings For the more successful prosecution of our plans, four centers have secured new buildings, and in four different ways. At Tehsien (Techow) South Suburb, with funds sent from the Chicago Board, a suitable center for women's work has been erected, where social, devotional, and educational gatherings may be heldj from the time of its formal opening with appropriate exercises, this building has been in almost daily use and has been invaluable in connection with the reception of refugees. At Chiu Ch'engy where for years there has been a leased property, the local church has now used the lease redemption money to purchase a new place as its permanent home, not Ideal but one that the people will feel is their own. At Linghsien, instead of the property that has been rented, the church has secured a twenty-year lease of a more suitable place, the lease money to revert to the church at the end of the time. And at Sang Yuan, where it was necessary to give up the former rent, a more satisfactory place has been rented. In these three outsiations, it is worth noting that the local people have taken the initiative and put through the necessary negotiations, OVERSIGHT HERE ARE GREAT CHANGES FROM THE OLD DAYS WHEN THE MISSIONARY TOOK THE INITIATIVE AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALMOST ALL THAT WAS DONE, AS YET IT HAS NOT BEEN POSSIBLE TO TURN OVER THE SUPERINTENDENCE OF FIELD WORK TO CHINESE LEADERS. AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE, BUT THE MAN SELECTED WAS NOT YET WILLING TO ASSUME THE POSITION. HE HAS HOWEVER BEEN DOING GOOD FIELD SERVICE AND IS IN CONSULTATION WITH THE MISSIONARY CONCERNING ALL PROPOSALS FOR FORWARD MOVES. AS THIS DEVOLUTION OF AUTHORITY CONTINUES, THE MISSIONARY FINDS IT WISE TO DO LESS OF THE DETAILED FIELD WORK, BUT TO GIVE MORE ATTENTION TO FREQUENT CORRESPONDENCE WITH ALL OF THE CHURCHES AND THE EVANGELISTS, FOR |