The national committee of Young Men's Christian Associations of!
China is conducting an evangelistic campaign among Chinese Government students, and the movement is apparently meeting with notable success, and in places too where, a few years ago, prejudice and opposition might naturally have been expected. To-day, on the contrary, the representative of the Aseociation, Mr. Sherwood Eddy, appears not only to have been welcomed in many cities, but to have received cordial official support. In the course of his travels to seven of the leading cities in China, Mr. Eddy has visited 'TNentsin, Peking, Paoting-fu, and Changsha, and the report we have received as to his reception and work in these places contains facta of special interest.
At Tientsin, meetings were attended by 2,000 students, 1,800 business men, and 1,500 schoo! boys from various institutions, several meetings being also held for women students. President Yuan Shih-kai is reported to have taken personal interest in the meetings held at Peking, receiving Mr. Eddy and expressing deep interest in his mission. Vioo-President Li Yuan-hung entertained Mr. Eddy to luncheon, and requested him to address the members of his family, and guesta The Ministry of the Interior gave a site for the erection of the pavilion in which evangelistic meetings were held, the site being within the Forbidden City, just in front of the Imperial Palace and next to the sacred altar where the Emperor annually worshipped the "Spirits of the Land." The Ministry of War gave 200 army tonto to make the Pavilion rainproof, and the Ministry of Education granted s half-holiday to the Government students that they might attend the opening meeting. In the main pavilion, and at twelve selected places about the city, Mr. Eddy and his friends had the opportunity of freely addressing orowda.
The mission was also very favourably received at Changsha. meeting of 3,000 students was presided over by the President of the Government college, who read a cordial message of greeting and approval from the Governor. On the second day the attendance was such that an overflow meeting had tob- held. On three successive days, students were granted a half-holiday to enable them to attend the meetings. Mr. Eddy and a group of Christian workers were invited by the Military Governor, the Civil Governor, and other officials to a banquet, und after dinner Mr. Eddy by request gave an address on Christianity, speaking for an hour and taking as his main theme the story of the conversion of the Roman Governor, Serguis Paulus. At each of the metings classes for the study of the Bible were formed. Altogether, the mission appears to have had a remarkable progress, and much may be expected from the scattering of new ideas amongst a class best able to appreciate them.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.