May 13, 1907.]
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADÉ REPORT
THE MISSIONARY CONFERENCE.
309
(Hangchow) stated that twenty years ago mis- sionaries in (Hangohow and masons in Ningpo found the romanized easier to correspond with. At present she employed an old woman of sixty- April 29th was devoted to educational ques-seveo, who was a heathen antil she was sixty, tions, and after a rather warm discussion, a and then learnt the romanis d in two months. resolution favouring the idea of a Christian She also mentioned the case of a woman of forty University composed of Denominational Col-who learnt romanized with practically no teach leges was carried.
ing. She said that God had taught her. Miss Laurence said she did not desire to say that God could not have taught this old woman mandarin characters (laughter) but she did not think-
On the subject of unity—the shibboleth of the two previous sessions-the Rev. 8. Coaling from Chingoboufu said something worth quot
sets of Diezel oil engines, combined with alternating current dynamos. These sets, are to be of 340 horse power each and are expected to be delivered and erected so as to be ready for use in the autumn. The work of reconstruct- ing a portion of our station, to boure these new sete, is now well in hand. I have every reason to believe that the adoption of this new plaat will result in a substantial raving in our fuel account, and reduce the expense of gnerating electricity to such an extent that we shall be able to lower the present scale of charges to the consumer. Your Board and managementing: are working with this end in view and hope to attain this object without, on the one hand, decreasing dividends or, on the other, endangering the stability of the Company by insufficient allowance for depreciation. he question of provision of funds for the purchase of the new plant, as above, and for other extensions in the Company's field of operations, has been the object of careful consideration by your directors, and whilst they are of opinion that it may be necessary at no distant date to increase our capital, they expect to be in a position to finance the requirements of the present year without resort to this measure. Should it, however, became necessary to take this step your Directors will call a special meeting of shareholders to explain the proposals. No questions being asked, the CHAIRMAN proposed the adoption of the report and Recounts as presented:!
Mr. BALLOCH, in seconding the motion, said: Gentlemen, I have much pleasure” in second. ing the resolution that the report and accounts as presented be adopted, and in doing so would like to express our congratulations to the manager, directors and staff on the very sound and satisfactory report they have been able to put before us. The handsome increase in the number of lamps served, and in the dividend disbursement speak well for the prosperity of the company, while the writing off of such a large amount 88 $44,120 from the valus of plant ls evidence of the safe lines upon whica its affairs are being run. The prospect of decreasing the cost of light to consumers without decreasing dividends through im. proved methods of generating power is very satisfactory. We trust that the directors will not find it necessary to call for an increase of capital If they are compelled to do 80. I feel sure that the money will be readily subscribed in full confidence that it will be carefully and profitably utilised,
The motion was carried unanimously, It was proposed by Mr. SAY. B. seconded by Hon. Mr. OSBORNE, and agreed that Messra, A. G. Wood and G. H. Medhurst be re-elected directors.
Meesra. C. W. May and W. Hutton Potts were reappointed auditore on the motion of Mr. TERRY, seconded by Mr. HANCOCK.
The CHAIRMAN-Thank you for your atten- dance, gentlemen. Dividend warrants will be ready on application to-morrow.
JAPANESE EXPORT OF RAW
SILK IN 1906.
The export of raw silk from Japan in 1906 reacbed a phenomenal figure, exceeding one hundred million yen in value. The following table indicates the approximate value of the ex port as compared with the figures recorded for 1903-the year preceeding the Russo-Japanese War:
Destination. United States France... Italy
Great Britain Cermany Canada...
***
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1903.
1906. Yeo.
Yep. 47,018,558 74,534,000
16 691,055 - 20,826,000
9,676,009
3,449,100
8,592,000
8,592,000
52,480 41,662 118,000 954,894 451,000
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Russia... Besides the above a quantity was exported to Hawaii, Egypt, China, Spain, sto. The note- worthy feature in that whereas there was no export to Ge many before the war, the new market was opened last year, when the Y5,000 | worth of silk exported to Russia was pro- bably due to the effect of the late war.
Freedom, he considered, was of far more importance than union. Union meant com- promise-union on what was common to both | sides. Anything peculiar to one side had to be eliminated; but were not those very peculiarities a source of glory and of strength ? Baptists, Anglicans and Presbyterians were really differ ent types of men (Loud laughter). Much was lost by any attempt to get uniformity in all things. Oxford and Cambridge might save many thousand taels a year by union (load laughter), but it would be a national calamity if they were to unite. The more variety they had the better (Laughter). The difficulties in the North had never been theological. Perhaps they bad loved each other with a little more difficulty since the union. (Laughter and applause.)
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He would have done so.
The Rev. Arnold Foster (L. M. 8. Wachang) moved an amendment that the last sentence in Resolution II be omitted. (The soutenos WAS, "That secondary wives may be admitted to | membership if obviously true Christians.”)—The, Rev. Watson (C.I.M ́) seconded the amend-" meat.
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The Rev. Arnold Foster said there was a great danger in passing resolutions in a Con- ference of this sort. They should not legislate on a subject on which there was a great division of opinion in the Christian Church. They could not pass this resolution with the words he wished to delete as a binding resolution on people, soms of whom could and some could not agree. He thought, however, that it - was desirable to discuss this question. There were no such people in China" as secondary wives Bigamy was a crime against the law in Chins as it was in England, but a men might have 8 wife and 8 number of concubines. The question they were dealing with was concubinage, a thing which the Chinees themselves had begua to revolt against. Would they allow a girl from Foochow Road to be baptised and be received into the Church and still live in Foochow Road? H did not ask the Conference to exclude these “secondary wives," but to leave the matter alone.
Miss Howell (Nanchang) spoke of the feeling which was gaining ground against concubinage. The Rev. W. W. Clayson (M.E.M., Canton) proposed that the resolution dealing with this imbject be referred to the Committee on wo- men's Work, General.-The Rev. A. H. Bridge (L. M. 8. Weichen) seconded. Un being put the amendment was declared lost.
An Anglican wrote: The peculiar interest of the Anglican Conference (høld just prior to the general conforancs] lies in two facts: first, that there is hardly one of the British and American Missionary Societies now at work in Chins which does not asknowledge the Church of England as the stock from which its found. ation sprang secondly, that the Anglican Communion stands as a sign-post, if it is not as yet a bridge, between those great Protestant Missionary Societies and Churches, on the one side, and the oven greater Roman Church and Missions on the other. It would be an eril thing indeed if during these days of the Centenary Conference the assembled body of Missionaries were to be wholly unmindful of those who are followers of the same God. believers in the same Lord, taught by the same Spirit. The Roman Missions were the first to take up the work the Nestorians bad failed to do; they are still first in the number of their converta; and with 8 consistency at least 8.4 great AS that of their Protestant fellow Christians then bare sealed their faith with their blood in many a person. On May 2nd the sixth session was devoted to tion. It is true that they csunot "join in this | literature. The foundation of a Christian Conference, it is true that we cannot approve | Daily Newspaper was proposed. The Rev. J. some of the methods of work which they adopt. | Darioch said "Matthew Ricci, the first Jesuit to But it is no less true that we share a common eater China, with his nas ociates and their Christisuity, that we serve a common Lord.converts, had within thirty years published It is partly because the Anglican Communion по leas than 340 treatises. In a single stands midway between these two great forces, generation this practically established Christin- that it enjoys a position of peculiar importance nity throughout the empire," but nover. and that its Conference has a peculiar interest, theless, he thought it was “siroady evident That Conference was moreover a represents- ❘ that the future of China is to be monkled live one. Seven Bishops and sixteen delegates | by the Protestant, and not by the Roman from the clergy assembled for it. The only Catholic Church.” Diocese whose Bishop was bsent was that of Victoria, which lost its Bishop so tra gically in the typhoon
1906. of September,
The
Conferene could not bat feel the loss of such a man as Joseph Hoare, a man who looked forward with keen interest to its assembling, who would have assuredly borne a loading part in its deliberations.
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A sensible resolution was passed that foreign dress for Chinese women converts, as insisted upon by some misguided missionaries, should be discouraged.
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The Rev. James Jackson of Wachang, who
rend a paper to prove that ancestor worship is the greatest single obstacle to Christianity, said any discussion of it should be calm, judicial, sympathetic, and ironio.". We may point out, calm'y, judíčinily, sympathetically, and ironi- cally, tha. a Christisa missionary at the outset of the Conference drew a pisture of Robert On April 30th a paper was read by Dr. Morrison looking dową on it with pleasure Lowrie, who said: Sing the Boxer year and and approval. Still, Mr. Jackson's remarks the war between Chins and Japan, the best generally were not far out of place.
We quote people in the Chinese communities #re « few: “Ancestral[sic] worship embodies Chinese recognising that China has nothing to four ideas of the solidarity of the family. Many of from the Evangelical Churches, but that they the practices are due to a false psychology ; the v may aid in reform. This is not trus of the exact belief being difficult of statement. It is Roman Catholic Church. The differences assumed that the departed spirit is dependent between them and us are expressed in two on the living descendants, and even that its current proverbs, to the effect that the former || continued existence is contingent on due per- control lawsuits, but not converts, while the formance of the rites. Ancestral worship must latter control converta, but not lawsuits. Another | be held to belong to a low type of religion, or to says that the R. C. Church is onay to enter and a very imperfect development of it. Whether hard to leave, the Protestant hard to enter and | idolatrous or not, it is a rival of the easy to leave. The great need of China is for worship of the one God. Its vies more evangelists to carry the Gospel everywhere. the future life and of "our relatie The ideal of the Christian Church has always | the dead is far abort been that every inliever is an evangelist. And | view. Its infiuenos han so on, and so on.
good and for *evil. It han May 1st was the day of women missionaries. of law and order, mutual They discussed woman's work in China.
respect for authority and for social During a fruitless argument about Ideogrn - } has strengthened the Chinese che phic v. Romanized scriptures, Miss Lauremos 1 culosting reverence for the living and