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Show A NEW DAY IN MISSIONS 9 It would be impossible to exaggerate the satisfaction with which we missionaries sat in the first meetings of the Chinese- „ „ „ „ „ „ „ American Provincial Associations in the three w l l n 1 r l h . <• i •»«•• • ,, •CHINESE provinces of the Mission. Many a question arose IN THE °f *ne sort concerning which we foreigners, DISTRICT meeting in isolation from our Chinese co-workers, ASSOCIA- used vainly to say: " 1 wish I knew what the TiOiNi) Chinese think about this." We heard promptly, when such questions arose, what they think, and took intelligent action. Aside from these questions, on which we acted, I am sure, •more intelligently because of the presence of the Chinese, there were many questions which, naturally, were decided precisely as they would have been decided had the Chinese not been there. But in the end, even with reference to this class of questions, there will be a great saving of time, in that it is not necessary, after the meeting, to explain these actions to the Chinese. Chinese •delegates, having taken a share in shaping them, are better interpreters of them to the Chinese who were not present than we •can possibly be. Some useful questions, also, were brought up by the Chinese delegates, which we should not have thought of otherwise. So far as I could judge, business was transacted as promptly as in the old days. It will go more smoothly with each •succeeding veai". And the spirit of brotherhood in the meetings -was without a Haw. The highest joint body, the North China Council, has not yet met, but we expect to see the same hearty spirit of cooperation -manifest throughout its sessions. Some idea of the ungrudging spirit in which the invitation to cooperation was given may be o-ained from the epochal vote at the annual meeting of the Mission a year ago: "Voted,That all classes of Mission business be -referred to a Committee of Reference and Counsel composed of •equal numbers of foreigners and Chinese from each of the three -districts, except matters concerning missionaries' salaries, furloughs, care of the Board's property, language study, school for missionaries' children, and other matters manifestly relating only -to the missionary body." |