CO-OPERATION BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS IN THE MISSION.
We have now surveyed the evangelistic, medical, and educational work in
the station district, viewed separately. It remains to unify the
results, that we may get, if possible, a definite conception of the
whole. The effectiveness of the mission machinery largely depends upon
the relation of these parts to one another. The mission ought not to be
three separate things but one thing; for the impression produced upon
the non-Christian population is the result of the combination of all the
various forms in which the one missionary spirit expresses itself. The
spirit which produces them all is one, and it is that one spirit which
influences and converts the heathen.
Now we already know the proportion in which workers and funds are
divided between the three branches (p. 68). We already know something
of the work done by evangelists in hospitals (p. 83), and by doctors in
evangelistic tours (p. 84); and of the extent to which the work in the
hospitals opens up the way for evangelists (p. 85). We already know
something of the work done by evangelists in schools (p. 99), and of the
evangelistic influence of the educational work (p. 102, 103), and of the
extent to which educationalists assist in evangelistic tours (p. 101).
If then we now add tables to show the help given by the medicals in the
schools and the work done by the educationalists in the hospitals we
shall be able to gain a fairly complete idea of the co-operation between
the three branches.
But it is just at this point, the relation between the medical and
educational work, that we shall probably find most difficulty. This
relationship has not been carefully thought out in the past, and
co-operation between medicals and educationalists is, we fancy, somewhat
rare. Few men could tell us exactly what policy is followed, or ought to
be followed. This is partly due to that confusion of purpose of which we
spoke in the first chapter, a confusion which obscures and confounds
our medical and educational missions. If both medical and educational
missions had had one common dominant purpose, the relation between them
would have been more easily seen; but since they were separated in
thought, each having its own particular and separate objects to pursue,
they naturally worked along parallel lines and consequently did not
meet. If they had had one common dominant object they would have met.
But generally speaking there is no clear understanding whether the
medical mission has any definite relation to the educational mission, or
the educational mission to the medical.
On the medical side, it is not clearly understood whether it is the
first duty, or the last duty, of medicals to attend to the children whom
we gather together in such large numbers, whether the medicals ought to
inspect all the children, whether they ought to be at hand to treat
children who are obviously sick, whether these considerations ought to
influence the location of the hospital, or of the place of residence of
the medical missionaries, or whether this work, if they really gave much
time to it, should be considered as withdrawing them from their _proper_
work. Consequently, the health of the children in mission schools has
often suffered, and the work of the school been hindered. In one school
something approaching to a revolution was produced by the constant care
and attention of a doctor. Phthisis, which had been a continual source
of trouble and weakness, was reduced considerably, and the whole work
and tone of the school improved enormously. If medical missionaries and
educational missionaries always realised that they were engaged in a
common work, this experience would be almost universal.
In our tables we cannot possibly enter into any details. The work of
medicals in schools cannot be exactly stated, it varies greatly in
extent and character; but it would, we suppose, always include attention
to the health of the children and consultation with the teachers, both
about the welfare of the school as a whole and of the care of individual
pupils. It might also include lectures in hygiene and kindred topics,
sanitation of buildings, and other assistance too varied to specify.
The table can only include visits and inspection of pupils.
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Total | Number | Total | Number | Remarks
Number | Regularly | Number | Regularly | and
of Schools. | Visited by | of | Inspected. | Conclusions.
| Medicals. | Scholars. | |
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| | | |
| | | |
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The relation of the educational mission to the medical has not been
thought out any more carefully. There is in hospitals an opportunity of
extraordinary importance, a field of great fruitfulness which is largely
neglected. If the hospital is a missionary hospital, founded to heal the
souls as well as the bodies of men, ought not the patients in them to be
taught as well as medically treated? Have they any claim upon the care
of educational missionaries? Have the educational missionaries any duty
in hospitals? Very few, we think, have given much attention to these
questions: no society, so far as we know, has followed any definite
policy in regard to them. A single instance will reveal how important
they may be. A doctor who was deeply interested in the teaching of
Chinese illiterates took steps to have the illiterate convalescents in
his hospital taught to read. The average time which these patients spent
in the hospital was three weeks, and in that time they could learn to
read the Gospels in simplified script fluently. They thus left the
hospital not only healed in body, but with a new interest in life, and a
considerable knowledge of Christian truth, and a power to advance in it,
and a power also to instruct others. In a hospital for Chinese coolies
in France this doctor taught one patient to read the Gospel. The patient
was then removed to another hospital where he taught no less than forty
of his fellow-patients to read. If such results can be obtained, it
would be well to consider whether we are making full use of the
opportunities afforded by the gathering of large numbers of patients
into hospitals all over the world. Illiterates are not the only people
who might profit by Christian teaching, classes for literates might be
equally valuable. Large numbers might leave our hospitals with a
considerable knowledge of Christian truth, and a new interest in life,
with power to advance and to teach others, if they were systematically
taught. In one missionary hospital regular courses were given on
Christian Evidences, and courses on the education of children might well
be given to parents in hospitals.
Here again a table cannot reveal the type and character of the work
done: it can only tabulate visits. The work would include the teaching
of illiterates to read, and instructing convalescents of higher
education either in classes or individually.
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Total | Number | Total | Number | Remarks
Number of | Regularly | Number of | of | and
Hospitals. | Visited by | Patients. | Scholars | Conclusions.
| Educationalists. | | Taught. |
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| | | |
| | | |
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We might now sum up this branch of our inquiry thus:--
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| Foreign | Native |Assisting|Assisting|Assisting|Remarks
| Mission | Assist | in |in |in | and
| -aries. | ants. | Evangel-|Hosp- |Schools. |Conclusions.
| | | istic |itals. | |
| | | Tours. | | |
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Evange-| | | | | |
listic | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ----
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Medical| ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ----
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Educa | | | | | |
-tional| ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ----
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Then we shall surely have some idea of the extent to which the whole
force works together towards one end.