congregated here, among them some ten or twelve Americans who were
teaching the Chinese the English language. This night school is
popular with young, ambitious Chinamen, for when they learn our
language it is much easier for them to obtain work in stores and
offices, and even as house servants. The books used had the Chinese
words on one page and the English sentences opposite. Sometimes
converts to Christianity are made through the medium of the night
school, but it takes time and patience to win a Chinaman from
the religion of Confucius. It is worth the labour, however. The
difficulties in the mastery of English are a great barrier to
conversions. Nevertheless they do occur. A Chinaman is readily reached
through his own language. Hence the importance of raising up native
teachers of the Gospel who can speak to the hearts as well as to the
understanding of their countrymen. As we observed in the foregoing
chapter, in the Orient, as in Syria and Egypt, Jews and Mohammedans
sometimes allow their children to attend the English schools, and to a
large extent from a worldly motive. The Syrian or Arab who can speak
English is in demand as a dragoman, an accountant, an office clerk in
the bazaar, or a camp-servant or boatman. Indeed a great revolution is
now taking place all through the East. Nearly all the young Egyptians
can talk English, and this is the first step towards their conversion
to the faith of the Gospel. When they are able to read the books of
the Christians in the English, they are led to look favourably on
the Church. They catch the spirit of belief in Jesus Christ from the
Christian tourist. They lose the narrowness and bigotry which the
mosque or the synagogue fosters, and in time they examine the claims
of a religion which has built up the great nations of Europe and
America. The future has in store great developments for the Church in
Palestine and the old land of the Pharaohs through the agency of the
English schools, and I believe the readiest way in which to convert