THE KING’S BUSINESS
860
SHANSI BIBLE INSTITUTE
may be described as conservative and evan gelical. Avoiding theological hobbies and religious extravagances we seek to hold the balance of Truth, and following the dic tum, “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity,” we endeavor to teach “those things which are most surely believed among us” in a spirit of brotherly love, free from sectarian bias. We seek to maintain in ourselves and inculcate in our students a love for the Truth and an entire submission to the Bible as the Word of God and as authoritative in all things that con cern life and doctrine. As may be seen from the above, it is the aim of the Institute to be thoroughly prac tical, to train the heart as well as the head, and to this end the men are expected from the beginning to take a share in such Christian work as they are able. They lead morning and evening prayers in the Institute on most days of the week; the more experienced among them also take turns in leading prayers in the Intermediate School. In the neighborhood of Hungtung there are about a dozen places where services are held every Sunday. These services the students lead, whenever appointed in the quarterly preaching plan. To all places within a radius of 25 li (8 1-3 miles) from the city, they walk, but don keys are provided for them when they are asked to take services at more distant places. Those who are not thus engaged on Sundays go out in bands in ’the after noons to evangelize the nearer villages, preach on the streets oi the city, or in the street chapel. During the week they also take turns in daily open-air and street- chapel preaching—a numerical table cover ing ten weeks automatically assuring that the party is composed of different men each day. A Christian Endeavor Society, recently organized, affords opportunity of gaining some experience in Christian Endeavor work.
T"' HE principal of the Shansi Bible Insti- tute at Hungtung, North China, F. C. H. Dreyer, thus writes, concerning the inception and success of the institution: For some years the need of giving a more thorough and systematic training to evangelists and other Christian workers made itself felt among the China Inland Missionaries in the province of Shansi. This led to the establishment of a Bible Institute at Hungtung, South Shansi, the former headquarters of the work of the late Pastor Hsi. Hungtung was chosen as being centrally located, a quiet city, with- put the excitement of larger centers, but with good opportunities for work both among Christians and non-Christians. The Institute was opened on February 24, 1910, with an enrollment of seventeen students. Owing to the Revolution, the school had to be suddenly disbanded in November, 1911, and it was not until September, 1913, that the second class began, with an attend ance of thirty men. This class completed the course in June, 1915, and the third class commenced on August 28, that same year. There are at present forty-two students in attendance. Of these twenty-six come from fifteen different stations in Shansi, four from two stations in Chihli, ten from six stations in Honan, and two from a station in Shensi. Of these students, two are connected with different Lutheran Missions in Honan, two with the English Baptists in Shansi, one with the Norwegian and five with the Swedish missions associ ated with the C. I. M:, and the remaining thirty-two with the C. I. M. In view of the smallness'of our Christian constituency in Shansi and the difficulty of securing a constant supply of really suitable men—a difficulty which Bible institutes in other parts of China are also experiencing—we are thankful to be able to draw students from so wide an area. The doctrinal teaching of the Institute
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