7. Korea.—This land, only slightly larger than Kansas, was closed to foreign influence until twenty-five years ago. It has a population of approximately twelve millions. There are 307 missionaries, including wives, two fifths of them in the south, in one fourth of the area of the country. Korea is a conspicuous example of an entire nation divided up among the missions at work in it. That division is now complete, and the eight denominations having representatives in the country each have a clearly defined territory. Responsibility for every foot of soil is definitely assigned, although millions of the Koreans have not yet had the gospel preached to them in an adequate way.
8. China.—This is the world's newest and largest republic. Bishop Bashford's statement is no doubt true that the greatest compliment ever paid to the United States in its history was when the leaders of China's new era accepted its form of government as their model.
According to the Statesman's Year Book, the population of the Chinese Empire is 433,533,030, with an area of 4,277,170. If we omit India alone there are more non-Christians here than in all the rest of the world. According to the World Atlas of Christian Missions there are at present in China 4,197 missionaries of all classes. This gives a total of 103,300 people and a parish of 1,018 square miles to each missionary. All the provinces and, except Tibet, all the dependencies have some mission stations, yet there are great populations which are yet unreached.
Let us look at two or three sections of the problem.
Sin Kiang has thirty-eight walled cities, but there are missionaries in only two of these cities.
Mongolia, twenty-four times the size of the State of Iowa or six times as large as the Province of Ontario, has but ten missionaries. One's heart is deeply moved as thought goes back to the time when Gilmour began his heroic labors in Mongolia. When he came within sight of the first native hut he fell upon his knees and thanked God for a redeemed Mongolia. In our time there is need of a thousand Gilmours with the same daring of faith and uttermost devotion of life to carry the gospel message to these vigorous and wonderful people just now emerging into the light of modern life.
Manchuria has a population estimated at 20,000,000, but only the southern and western portions are occupied at all. One of the missionaries in reporting to the Edinburgh Conference says that two thirds of the population in his field have not even been approached.
Dr. Fulton reported to the Edinburgh Conference that within 140 miles of the scene of the labors of the first missionary to China, Robert Morrison, there are three counties containing some ten thousand villages, averaging two hundred and fifty inhabitants each and so near one another that in some cases from a central point six hundred villages may be counted within a radius of five miles. He says that in hundreds of these no missionary or Christian preacher has ever set foot.
Some time ago a striking map appeared in China's Millions, and is reproduced in The Unoccupied Fields, contrasting England and Wales with the province of Honan. While conditions have changed somewhat since the map was made, it is still sufficiently accurate for illustration. On this map are shown 1,846 villages and cities. There are 106 walled official cities, only twenty-six of which have resident missionaries. Three other large towns are occupied as mission stations, only twenty-nine places occupied out of the 1,846.
| ENGLAND AND WALES | HONAN | |
| Area | 58,309 sq. miles | 67,940 sq. miles. |
| Population | 32,526,075 (1901) | 35,316,800 (1901) |
| Ordained Ministry | 32,897 | 112 missionaries (including wives and single ladies) |
| Local Preachers | 52,341 | 159 Chinese helpers (including women) |
| Average area of parish | 1¾ sq. miles | 1,788 sq. miles. |
| Average population of parish | 1,000 | 929,389 |