It is impossible, as yet, to arrive at an answer to this question in this form, Experience has been almost uniform that in the beginning of mission work, it is almost impossible to get pupils to school on any terms: that as genuine conversions occur, and confidence is secured, prejudice gives way: and that foot-binding is one of the last customs to yield to either conscience, reason, of common sense. This fact greatly increased the difficulty of beginnfog on the line of self-support even the extent of requiring a small portion of the clothing tobe furnished by the parents of the girls. Butexperience has shown that ft cane done, and great progress has bon made, ren tothe extent in some cases of requiring all the personal expenses, suc ts food and clothing, ete, tobe supplied by the parents or guardians of the pupils. There isa growing sentiment in favour of female struction, enforcement, &c., all were striving to secure such observance. It was evident that all made a distinction between what may be termed a real and a formal obseryance—an observance in the spirit and in the letter: but none of the replies so far as
ances, and while interesting and instructive, read, defined what was meant] by the observ especially so far as they gave facts and experiences, were not replies to this question, or were they intended to be such, by the reader—only in part.
The same distinction between spirit and letter was evident in the remarks of all the speakers, and the same lack of a clear understanding of the sense of the term "observance" as used in the question, All gave prominence to the Sabbath requirements in their instruction to enquirers, and to the observance of those requirements on the part of members, in most cases requiring a promise of observance on the part of those entering the church. But the strictness with which the observance of the promise was enforced varied with the difficulties connected with the observance on the part of the native Christian, with the sense which was attached to the word "observance," with the amount of instruction which had been given, and the apprehension and
ofthe members. The importance of mak-appreciation of the requirement onthe part ing the Christians realise that the requirement was not a legal enactment or. ritual istic rule in the ordinary sense of a law, but rather was a command of God, to be observed as such and for the objects for which it was given, instead of as a human rule or a Church law, was recognised by the speakers: also the danger which attends whis the outward form which a spiritual rule must assume in its observance. The discussion was interesting, and showed that in this, as in other matters of the Christian life, the Church in China is on the up grade as its knowledge of Biblical truth increases, The next question was: "What is the best means for securing the ce-operation of native helpers with the foreiga missionary Church administration?" This question elicited a wide range of methods and experience, and ised as an essential
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.