The PREPARATION of i 
 MISSIONARIES |). || 
 
 | for LITERARY WORK s \ 
 We 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 This report is typical of others representing highly : hay 
 specialized phases of missionary effort which may +3) 
 be prepared, if called for, in the future. Before 
 
 issuing it in a permanent edition, or preparing other 
 
 reports like it, the Board desires a wide-ranging 
 
 missionary criticism and will welcome every pos- 
 
 sible suggestion. 
 
 
 
 My BOARD OF MISSIONARY PREPARATION 
 e 25 Madison Sihenrk New York 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 We ‘.? 
 
 ah Weseick Tae tO Oa, D.D. 
 he Rev. James L. Barton, | D.D. 
 
 Prof. “Harlan P. Beach, D. D. \ 
 
 David Bovaird, M.D. (G 
 
 Prof. : O. E. Brown, D ie 
 
 Prof. Ernest De pd a Burton, D; .D. 
 
 Miss. Helen B. Calder 
 
 Prof. Edward W. Capen, Ph.D. 
 
 Prof. W. O: Carver, D.D.. 
 
 The Rev. Wm. 1.,Chamberlain, Ph.D. 
 
 The Rev. George Drach : 
 
 The Rev. James Endicott, D.D. 
 
 Prof. Daniel J. Fleming, Ph.D. 
 
 Dean H. E. W. Fosbroke, D.D. 
 
 Pres. Henry C. King, D.D. 
 
 Prof. Walter L. Lingle, D.D. 
 
 The Rt. Rev. Arthur §. Lloyd, D.D. 
 
 The Rev. R. P. Mackay, D.D. 
 
 W. DOUGLAS MACKENZIE, Chatrutn 
 FENNELL P. TURNER, Secretary . 
 WILLIAM I. CHAMBERLAIN, Treasurer 
 
 
 
 i sn 4 fates 
 Pres. W. Douglas Mackentic D 
 John R. Mott, LL.D.. si 
 The Rev. Frank Mason North. 
 
 Pres. C. T.’Paul, Ph.D. 4 
 Prof. Henry B. Robins, Ph.D. 
 Dean James E. Russell, dae D 
 T. H. P. Sailer, Ph.D. 
 Miss Una Saunders 
 Prof. E. D. Soper, D.D. 
 Robert E. Speer, D.D. 
 Pres, J. Ross Calm D. D 
 Fennell P. Turner 
 
 Pres. Wilbert W. White, PhD. 
 Pres. Mary E. Woolley, Coicng" 
 
ARCHIVES . 
 WISSICHARY RESEARCH LIBRAR: 
 Critle © NOT ies Tan of ears ated 
 
 THE PREPARATION OF MISSIONARIES 
 FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 } 
 
 THE REPORT OF A COMMITTEE APROINTED BY 
 THE BOARD OF MISSIONARY PREPARATION 
 
 Proressor EpmMunp D. Soper, D.D., Chairman 
 THE REVEREND Morris W. EHNES 
 
 Tue Reverenp Siwney L. Guticx, D.D. 
 
 THE REVEREND Frep P. Haccarp, D.D. 
 
 THe ReEvEREND S. G. INMAN 
 
 ProFessor JOHN P. Jones, D.D. 
 
 PresmwENT Henry C. Kine, D.D. 
 
 D. Witiarp Lyon, D.D. 
 
 Tue RevereND D. MacGriivray, D.D. 
 
 THE REVEREND J. LovELL Murray 
 
 Miss ExizaBetH C. NortHrup, M.A. 
 
 Mr. Henry W. PrEasopy 
 
 THe RevereND S. H. Wainwreicut, D.D., M.D. 
 Tue ReverEND Howarp A. WALTER 
 
 Tue ReveREND STANLEY Wuite, D.D. 
 
 Dean Tatcotr WiiuiaMs, LL.D. 
 
 Dean WALTER WILLIAMS, LL.D. 
 
 ProFessor CLinton T. Woop, M.A. 
 
 THE REVEREND SAMUEL M. Zwemer, D.D. 
 
 Board of Missionary Preparation 
 25 Madison Ave., New York City 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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ARCHIVES 
 MISSICNARY RESEARCH LIBRARY 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 The following report has been prepared by the Board of 
 Missionary Preparation in response to the urgent plea of 
 a conference held early in 1915,,under the auspices of the 
 Committee on Literature of the Continuation Committee 
 of the World Missionary Conference. It was thought at 
 first that a brief statement to be appended to a general 
 report on the Preparation of Educational Missionaries 
 would suffice. The Executive Committee of the Board of 
 Missionary Preparation appointed, at its meeting held 
 March 23, 1915, a special committee to formulate such a 
 statement. This committee, composed of Dr. T. H. P. Sailer, 
 Chairman; Dr. J. P. Jones, Mr. D. W. Lyon, Mr. F. P. 
 Turner and Dr. S. H. Wainwright, together with the 
 Director, held a meeting on April 24, 1915. After full 
 discussion, this committee made the following recommen- 
 dation: 
 
 After thoughtful consideration of the request of the Executive 
 Committee of the Board of Missionary Preparation, it is the judg- 
 ment of this special committee that the end in view will not be 
 most helpfully attained by the modification of the report on the 
 preparation of educational missionaries. 
 
 The committee, therefore, recommends that the Executive Com- 
 mittee of the Board of Missionary Preparation take steps to 
 organize a special committee to report on preparation for literary 
 work, possibly dividing into two sections on vernacular literature 
 and on literary work in English. 
 
 Acting upon this recommendation a committee was duly 
 organized with membership as given on another page of 
 this report. This committee completed its first report in 
 the fall of 1916, and presented it at the annual meeting 
 in December. The Board gave it a general discussion at 
 that meeting and ordered. its printing for more adequate 
 criticism. Since then the report has undergone the careful 
 
 ili 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 scrutiny of each member of the Board of Missionary Prep- 
 aration. It was presented also at the January, 1917, meet- 
 ing of the Foreign Missions Conference and later given the 
 personal attention of most of the Foreign Secretaries and 
 of the specialists of the Mission Boards of North America. 
 Meanwhile, each member of the committee which in itself 
 represented a wide range of literary experience, was urged 
 to give the report most exacting consideration. Out of 
 the many suggestions thus obtained the basis was laid for 
 a thorough-going revision of the report which is now 
 presented to the constituency of the Board for its candid 
 consideration. 
 
 The questions which this report seeks to answer are very 
 perplexing. They cannot be treated dogmatically. It is 
 hoped that such a conservative presentation as that made 
 herein by the Committee on Preparation for Literary Work 
 will, on the one hand, guard against the natural impulse 
 of candidates with literary ability to wish to specialize in 
 literary work too soon and, on the other, conserve such 
 ability, when coupled at least with the requisite qualities 
 and experience, for this highly needed type of special mis- 
 sionary service. 
 
 FRANK K. SANDERS, 
 Director of the Board of Missionary Preparation. 
 
 SEPTEMBER, 1917. 
 
 iv 
 
II. 
 
 {it, 
 
 IV. 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 . THE NEED FOR LITERARY WoRK AND WORKERS............ 1 
 1. The Function of Literature in Missionary Work......... 3 
 em Mer Peschitn@PPOLtiinity rally NCCU. oc'<'s'c cc «sie pre ole «eee 5 
 
 3. The Forms of Literature and Kinds of Workers Needed.. 10 
 
 THE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE LITERARY WORKER.......... 14 
 1. The Peter a PGC OTTIES IU ete sy gee 2d 2 oc UTd dls vie evn aneiaai a «ote a8 15 
 eee new Laer amon Gril Gee tira wiaiel« cae apse’ Siaialeaty aide Siew precae 4 16 
 
 3. The Special Knowledge Necessary for the Literary 
 WV ORRCIEEN ES Cee Oke rate Celsse Geet hs gastos edinee 17 
 
 THE SELECTION AND DESIGNATION OF LITERARY WORKERS.. 19 
 
 TuHeE PREPARATION OF THE LITERARY WORKER.......---e- 21 
 
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THE PREPARATION OF MISSIONARIES FOR 
 LITERARY WORK 
 
 The following report was undertaken in response to the 
 request of those who are deeply interested in the right 
 solution of the important problem of producing a true, 
 Christian literature in lands now quickening into self-con- 
 sciousness, studying their own ideals and interpreting their 
 own history. It is unique in that it touches on the activity 
 of a comparatively small number of those who devote them- 
 selves to the missionary enterprise. Literary work at its 
 best is a highly specialized form of missionary activity. 
 Every missionary recognizes its importance; many, con- 
 scious of a real message to their people, have been notably 
 useful in meeting its demands, even when bearing crushing 
 burdens of another sort. There is a growing feeling, how- 
 ever, that the needs of the future will call for an increasing 
 number of men and women, who will be set apart, by their 
 mission or by several missions acting cooperatively, for this 
 important work, either for short periods of time or per- 
 manently, as experience or circumstance may dictate. The 
 whole task of literary production is becoming standardized 
 and cooperatively managed in the greater regions of mis- 
 sionary activity, so that an opportunity is given to the one 
 with literary power which has in the past been almost 
 unknown. 
 
 I. Tue NEED For LITERARY WoRK AND WORKERS 
 
 No man or woman who is a candidate for the mission 
 field is, as a rule, given an immediate appointment to literary 
 work. A literary worker develops into that activity on the 
 mission field. But while this is true, the choice of the man 
 or woman to do literary work must proceed on certain 
 recognized principles. With these we may attempt to deal. 
 
 1 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 The first question concerns, naturally, the meaning given 
 to the terms “literature” and “literary work” on the mis- 
 sion field. Without question the Bible takes its place of 
 preeminence as the supreme literary need of all the peoples 
 to whom missionaries are sent. To provide the Christian 
 Scriptures in the vernacular is the first concern of the 
 missionary purposing to plant his faith firmly in any land. 
 This has been recognized from the very beginning of Prot- 
 estant missionary enterprise. The result has been that the 
 whole or parts of the Christian Scriptures have been trans- 
 lated into all the important languages of the world and 
 into many of the dialects. The work is by no means com- 
 plete. Not only are many peoples unreached by the entire 
 Bible or even by the New Testament, but the needs of care- 
 ful revision are so insistent that much energy must be 
 expended for many years to make the pure Word of God 
 available in such form as shall carry its message clearly 
 to the minds and hearts of waiting peoples. 
 
 But while we as Christians are “people of the Book,” and 
 are vitally interested in the work of the Bible Societies and 
 of all other agencies employed in the translation, publica- 
 tion, and dissemination of the Scriptures, that is not the 
 problem we are asked to face in this report. The purpose 
 here is to deal with literature in its widest meaning. All 
 that is needed to nurture Christian faith and make it intel- 
 ligent, to train in Christian service, and to stimulate growth 
 in grace is of the greatest importance. But this is only one 
 phase of the task. Many kinds of literature, more or less 
 secular in character, form a part of the provision to which 
 the Christian forces must devote their attention if they are 
 to do their full duty by growing peoples who look to them 
 for guidance. It is “literature” then in a very broad sense 
 with which we deal. The field of the literary worker is 
 as wide and as important as the intellectual and spiritual 
 needs of the people among whom he works. 
 
 2 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 1. The Function of Literature in Missionary Work 
 
 The spoken word of the Christian preacher and the 
 printed page are both essential to the full proclamation of 
 the message of the missionary. While the emphasis should 
 be laid upon preaching as the main agency for reaching the 
 non-Christian population, the effectiveness of the printed 
 page cannot be overestimated. In the words of Dr. Ritson, 
 “The printed page alone is the ubiquitous missionary.” It 
 is to be found where the missionary cannot go. It has cer- 
 tain advantages over preaching, especially among thoughtful 
 people. What is read can be reread and pondered; it can 
 be read to others; it can be made the basis of discussion 
 between friends who would not have it known that they 
 had the slightest interest in the claims of Christ. The 
 rapid transformation of society in Asia by Christian prin- 
 ciples and ideas, even where there has been no discernible 
 movement toward the Christian Church, is due far more 
 widely than can be estimated to the influence of literature 
 which is distinctively Christian or at least Christian in tone. 
 It was once stated by Dr. Charles R. Watson that “No 
 agency can penetrate Islam so deeply, abide so persistently, 
 witness so daringly, and influence so irresistibly, as the 
 printed page.” What is true of Mohammedan peoples is 
 true of adherents of other faiths. 
 
 Christian literature ministers to the intellectual and re- 
 ligious needs of the growing Christian community. The 
 promotion of worship, the conduct of Sunday-schools and 
 other agencies of the Church, the interpretation of the 
 Bible, and the building up of the Christian life, all demand 
 books and periodicals and various other forms of literature 
 with which we are familiar. Direction must also be given 
 in the practical affairs of daily life and in Christian and 
 social service. A literature for women is almost non-ex- 
 istent. Books, pamphlets and periodical literature dealing 
 
 3 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 with their special problems are even more needed than 
 among us. Children must have stories and books of in- 
 struction in nature study and in useful crafts and arts, 
 while those who are older demand many of the forms of 
 reading which come crowding daily into our homes and 
 which in most cases we merely take for granted. One of 
 the immediate and growing effects of the introduction of 
 Christianity into any country is the liberation of the human 
 mind, involving the creation of an insatiable desire for 
 knowledge and the raising of ideals and desires. This must 
 be met by the Christian Church at the peril of losing its 
 hold on the intellect of its converts just at a time when all 
 the world seems new and when the mind must be fed or 
 else relapse into apathy or, worse still if possible, be ruined 
 by the flood of pernicious literature which lies ready to 
 hand. 
 
 Educational work is making it necessary to provide many 
 books and other printed matter for schools and colleges. 
 These volumes are partly religious, but are more largely 
 on the various subjects taught in the schools. To some 
 extent this need is met through secular channels which, 
 however, can at best only issue books colorless religiously. 
 Hence the conviction is strong that the missionary has a 
 distinct responsibility to provide many of the books to be 
 used in educational institutions. Our schools must be held 
 to high academic standards; they must also be unmistak- 
 ably Christian.. The whole problem involved in this double 
 demand is voiced by Dr. Ritson in a pregnant question, 
 “Has a missionary Society which takes no responsibility in 
 providing healthy Christian literature any right to assume 
 the task of education?” 
 
 Christian literature should make an important contribu- 
 tion to the formation of the new world order. Such prob- 
 lems as those of social and economic reconstruction, the 
 relationship of capital and labor in the new industrial life 
 
 4 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 of the peoples of the East, the race problem, which raises 
 its head wherever white man and oriental meet, the de- 
 termination of the meaning and rights of nationality—these 
 and a host of other questions are bound to arise wherever 
 the Christian message is preached and men begin to feel 
 after a new social and political order. Christian literature 
 must not fail at this point. It aims not only to evangelize, 
 but to impregnate all the relationships of life with the spirit 
 of Christ. In some backward countries conditions are as 
 yet too primitive to present a demand for the interpreta- 
 tion of the new age, but these sections are few indeed as 
 compared with those where the seething mass of humanity 
 is laying a heavy hand on Christianity to interpret its life 
 in the midst of their confusion and uncertainty. 
 
 What of Christianity itself? All the forces of unbelief 
 and evil are seeking to undermine its influence. A literature 
 must be built up whose function is to present the faith in 
 its true light, defend it from attack, show its relation to the 
 great non-Christian religions, and thus make its appeal 
 clear and strong to those who otherwise might be led to 
 believe that Christianity could not stand up under strong 
 opposition. Many questions arise in the minds even of the 
 most faithful Christians which demand an answer. Above 
 all else Christianity must not be obscurantist. It must 
 frankly face all the problems of life and provide the Chris- 
 tian interpretation. More potent than any other agency is 
 the printing press to present the case for the faith and cause 
 it to appear in its true light. 
 
 2. The Present Opportunity and Need 
 
 All that has been said concerning the function of litera- 
 ture relates, of course, to the opportunity and need of the 
 present day. But from the beginning of the modern mis- 
 sionary period literature has been produced to’meet the 
 needs of the Christian society and the individual believer. 
 
 5 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 In pointing to the needs of our own day no word must be 
 spoken in disparagement of the past,—that is secure. Some 
 of the best work of the past century has been literary, and 
 we can never surpass it. Robert Morrison, the first Prot- 
 estant missionary in China, was perforce almost exclusively 
 a literary missionary. William Carey has as one claim to 
 distinction the reputation of being the creator of Bengali 
 prose. Dr. James C. Hepburn was the writer of the first 
 great Japanese-English dictionary, and Dr. W. A. P. Mar- 
 tin’s “Evidences of Christianity’ has been marvelously 
 effective in commending Christianity to the Chinese and 
 Japanese. Robert Moffat, by his translation of the Bible 
 into the speech of the Bechuana nation, started a movement 
 which has given to hundreds of African peoples portions 
 of the Scriptures in their own tongues. These are but a 
 few of a large number who have heard the call of God to 
 literary labors. The complete catalogue of books and other 
 literature in various tongues would provide impressive 
 evidence of the need and place of literary work in the 
 missionary enterprise. 
 
 But no one can be found who believes that the present 
 condition is satisfactory. The exact reverse is the case. 
 Literary work is one of the neglected fields and alarm is 
 felt because of the dangers involved. The parable in the 
 Gospel of the man whose house was swept and garnished, 
 but whose last state was worse than the first, is suggestive 
 here. The devils of foul literature and antichristian polemic 
 are becoming very bold in mission lands. The young men 
 and women in our schools must read, and if we do not pro- 
 vide reading of the right sort, the other kind is not far to 
 seek. This is the most serious aspect of the situation and 
 it is very real. One is amazed to find displayed in book 
 stalls in the East all kinds of antichristian literature. In . 
 large part these are translations of works of German, 
 British, French and American writers, and they are widely 
 
 6 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 read. Another class of literature, so-called, is in the form 
 of pictures and printed matter which at its best is indecent, 
 but which frequently descends to the lowest levels of lewd- 
 ness and shame. Comparatively little has been done to meet 
 this situation in a positive way by providing wholesome and 
 uplifting reading matter for both old and young. 
 
 Leaving aside this more tragic aspect of the need, the 
 fact emerges in studying the titles of the literary material 
 now being provided that much is obsolete and ill-fitted to 
 present needs. This is true of all forms of literature. In 
 the case of translations, it becomes increasingly apparent 
 that the work in many instances was not well done. Lack- 
 ing clarity and not being presented idiomatically, the works 
 are not liked; there is little danger of their becoming “best 
 sellers.” In other cases only selections have been translated, 
 giving the impression of scrappiness in the final result. But 
 apart from the defects of what we already have, even the 
 best books grow old, especially in the long-worked fields, 
 and new books are therefore constantly demanded. And 
 finally, when one compares the titles now available which 
 are suitable to the needs of today with the vast extent of 
 the demands and the needs, the disparity is appalling. A 
 quotation from Dr. Ritson again will make the real situa- 
 tion clear. “If a farmer began to count the seeds in a 
 sackful, his brain would begin to reel. But if he were set 
 down with his single sack on the limitless prairie of North- 
 western Canada, it would be the greatness of the field that 
 would stagger him, and not the multitude of seeds in his 
 sack. The number of human beings in the world who know 
 little or nothing of Christ is more impressive than the 
 annual output of all literature agencies combined, even if 
 the output be expressed in pages. The existing organiza- 
 tions with all their activity have only touched the very fringe 
 of the world’s need.” 
 
 As every one knows who has any acquaintance with 
 
 7 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 world conditions and their relation to the Christian propa- 
 ganda, a new situation has developed in recent years, for 
 the most part since the opening of this century. We are 
 face to face not only with more people accessible to the 
 gospel, but with people whose whole idea of life and out- 
 look on the future is new and strange to themselves. The 
 world in which they live is far different from that of even 
 a generation ago. The old landmarks have in many places 
 almost disappeared. The counties of eastern and southern 
 Asia and certain sections of Africa are being born anew 
 intellectually, economically and socially. A liberation of the 
 human mind is taking place. Old formulas do not speak 
 the truth for today. An eager search is being instituted 
 for what will give the needed satisfaction, but alas so many 
 know not where to turn. This heightens our responsibility 
 at the same time that it opens up a marvelous vista of 
 opportunity. We are bound, as we have been so largely 
 responsible for this awakening, to provide food and nourish- 
 ment in every needed form for these growing peoples. The 
 rapid increase in the number of readers in all these coun- 
 tries is one of the most significant phenomena of our times, 
 a renaissance fraught with the greatest possibilities of good 
 and also of evil. They demand something more than a 
 handful of tracts. We must give them works worthy of 
 the greatness of our religion. 
 
 While peoples remain illiterate and during the years when 
 the Church is being planted, the problem of literature does 
 not press for solution. This accounts in large measure for 
 the relative neglect of this arm of mission service in the 
 past. But in most countries the old stagnation is past. 
 More and more the common people are becoming readers, 
 and the church is an established fact in the community. 
 No longer is there any excuse for neglect, and yet relatively 
 speaking, very little, if any more literary work is being done 
 now than formerly. One reason for this is at once sug- 
 
 8 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 gested,—the missionaries are so fully occupied with itin- 
 erating and preaching, taking care of converts and young 
 churches, managing institutional work and attending to 
 numerous distracting calls that there is no time for the 
 slow, patient and laborious literary task awaiting them. 
 The missionaries are already overworked,—yet this work 
 must be done. To put it in the words of the late Dr. J. P. 
 Jones, “It is the highest branch upon the ‘missionary tree, 
 and will become the most fruitful and possessed of the 
 most valuable fruit if the enterprise is properly conducted.” 
 
 We are led to the conclusion that the missionary for lit- 
 erary work must be recognized as having a distinct and 
 important function. This has not been sufficiently recog- 
 nized in the past, so that men have not been given their 
 chance to make what might prove to be their most valuable 
 contribution to the world’s evangelization. It does not 
 mean that they are to be withdrawn completely from other 
 phases of missionary activity. Inefficiency and even total 
 failure will surely mark the literary missionary who gets 
 out of touch with his fellow missionaries and out of sym- 
 pathy with the native church and its growing needs. 
 
 The difficulty is that other work so fully occupies the 
 energies of the missionary force that to use Dr. Ritson’s 
 words, “It is increasingly difficult to find missionaries with 
 sufficient knowledge of native languages and adequate ex- 
 perience, either for translation or original work.” The 
 fault lies not with the individual missionaries, but with the 
 lack of a policy which takes account of and makes adequate 
 provision for the future and its needs. It means taking the 
 “long view,” it means faith and courage, to detach men 
 from aggressive evangelism or from students clamoring 
 for instruction, to devote themselves to a form of service 
 which is so different from what one ordinarily conceives 
 as missionary work. Yet this is one of the imperative de- 
 mands of the hour, and Dr. Ritson puts it in the plainest 
 
 9 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 language when he says that “the time has fully come for 
 the missionary Societies to take direct action in regard to 
 Christian literature.” * 
 
 3. The Forms of Literature and Kinds of Workers Needed 
 
 In view of the statements made relative to the function 
 of literature, it is quite evident that many kinds of litera- 
 ture are needed. When we not only consider the immediate 
 needs of the Christian communities, but attempt to plan 
 a literature which shall so guide these communities that 
 they may be saved from the mistakes, the schisms and the 
 heresies which have marred the history of Western Chris- 
 tendom, we are solemnized by the scope as well as the ex- 
 ceeding delicacy of our task. 
 
 To summarize the issue briefly, as the Church in any land 
 develops the need for a new form of literature, this litera- 
 ture must be provided. In the end this will mean a complete 
 literature, from the Bible on one hand, to leaflets on all sorts 
 of practical matters on the other. It is possible to be more 
 specific. In the volume entitled “The Continuation Com- 
 mittee Conferences in Asia, 1912-13,” full lists are given 
 which shed much light on our problem. 
 
 Even a casual survey of these lists reveals the wide scope 
 of the literature needed. Without any attempt to be ex- 
 haustive, we introduce here a summary giving the kinds of 
 literature for which an increasing demand is felt. 
 
 Theological literature—a very broad field in itself. 
 
 Apologetics—the defence of Christianity and refutation of the 
 various forms of unbelief. 
 
 Commentaries and other Biblical helps. 
 
 Sermons by well-known preachers. 
 
 Literature to assist in evangelistic campaigns. 
 
 1 For a very competent survey of the existing situation on the mission field 
 as regards Christian literature, see Dr. Ritson’s “Christian Literature in the 
 Mission Field,” published by the Continuation Committee of the World Mis- 
 sionary Conference in 1915. 
 
 10 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 Christian experience and conversion. 
 
 The life and work of Christ. 
 
 History—Biblical, church and secular. 
 
 The comparison and the history of religions. 
 
 Works on missions in the world—the whole movement of the 
 expansion of Christianity. 
 
 Biographies—of great men and women and of saintly characters. 
 
 Devotional literature. 
 
 Translations of the Church Fathers and of the great religious 
 and literary classics. 
 
 Philosophical and scientific works, both technical and popular. 
 
 Sociology—community betterment, etc. 
 
 Works on reforms—temperance, purity, etc. 
 
 Fiction and stories with a Christian tone. 
 
 Sunday-school literature. 
 
 Art and music and poetical works. 
 
 Special literature for women and children and their interests. 
 
 Medical literature, technical and popular—personal hygiene, sani- 
 tation, etc. 
 
 A list could not be much more inclusive. To put it 
 briefly, what we in Canada and in the United States need 
 in our church and community life, the peoples who are 
 inquiring about Christianity and western civilization and 
 are pushing into the churches in the non-Christian world 
 will need also. As we have felt the obligation to evangelize 
 so we must feel the need to nurture and educate. Our aim 
 does not stop at heralding the name of Christ; it pushes 
 on to completely Christianize all the relations of life. We 
 want to see Christian communities in every land which are 
 intelligent as well as godly, which feel a sense of obliga- 
 tion to make their lands thoroughly Christian as well as 
 to lead blameless lives themselves. The part to be played 
 by Christian literature in this whole movement is enormous. 
 
 This literature will be multiform. Books come to mind 
 first as the leading form literature must take. The more 
 fundamental literature will inevitably take this form. But 
 we must not imagine that our work is done when an 
 
 11 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 adequate output of books is provided for. Periodical 
 literature is greatly needed. The call comes for the more 
 technical theological journal and at the same time for the 
 popular, illustrated monthly magazine. The weekly paper 
 is as much needed there as with us at home, as is periodical 
 literature for women and children. A literature of leaflets 
 and tracts for free distribution and quick reading is every- 
 where in use, with increasing demands for a larger output. 
 Another avenue of approach which is now open in Japan 
 is the willingness of the secular press to receive Christian 
 articles. It goes without saying they must be worthy of 
 our faith, Much work in some lands remains to be done 
 in reducing languages to,a written form and in providing 
 dictionaries and grammars. ‘This is the case notably in 
 pagan Africa and in other sections where men live in the 
 savage or semi-savage state. 
 
 Even such a short survey as we have provided empha- 
 sizes the range of ability required to provide an adequate 
 literature. There is a demand for original thinkers able 
 to write books fitted to the spiritual, moral, and intellectual 
 requirements of the thinking people. Increasingly the 
 native Christian writer will take his place as a leader of 
 thought among his people. At present, for the most part, 
 he must collaborate with the missionary literary worker. 
 The work of translation and adaptation of western works 
 will never be completely superseded by original work in 
 the languages of the mission field. In countries like Japan 
 where the mind of the educated people has been moulded 
 upon western models, the need will always exist for transla- 
 tions of the best work in Europe and America. This means 
 working with a Japanese helper who can furnish much 
 to make the translation idiomatic and clear. 
 
 One of the most important phases of the work will be 
 editorial, not merely passing upon and correcting what is 
 sent in by missionaries and native writers, but directing 
 
 12 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 and planning their work for and with them. The dis- 
 covery of natives who have talent and can be trained 
 into acceptable writers is a large feature of this service. 
 The work of the literary missionary is truly creative, and 
 at the same time a work of discovery. Every talent he 
 has will be put to the test, if he is to function effectively 
 as a literary worker. 
 
 An exceedingly important question is the relation of 
 the missionary and the native writer in the production of 
 literature. Is the literary work of the future to be done 
 by foreign missionaries or by native Christians? The 
 outstanding fact in most countries is that at present and 
 for some time to come the brunt of the undertaking must 
 be borne by foreigners, yet not by foreigners alone. The 
 cooperation of capable and trained native writers is con- 
 stantly needed, and the encouragement of natives to write 
 is a most necessary feature of the literary worker’s task. 
 Wherever the natives work side by side with missionaries 
 the closest cooperation is urged. Not only can the mis- 
 sionary be of the greatest assistance to the native, but the 
 native can make himself indispensable to the foreigner. 
 The outcome is clearly seen. The time must come when 
 natives of each country shall bear the full burden of pro- 
 viding an adequate Christian literature for their fellow 
 Christians. But this day is far off in most countries, so 
 in the meantime it becomes necessary for missionaries to 
 do this work, training natives to work with them, that in 
 the end they may assume the whole. 
 
 In Japan the intellectual transformation has reached a 
 more advanced stage than in any other country. The 
 Japanese mind “is being literally transformed into the 
 image of the western mind.” The question is raised 
 whether the literary output must not proceed largely, if 
 not entirely, from the pen of Japanese writers. The temp- 
 tation is to say that this is the case—that Japanese writers 
 
 13 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 must do the writing, needing little or no assistance from 
 the foreign missionary. But the temptation must be 
 resisted. A large place is still left for missionary coop- 
 eration in literary production. While Dr. Sidney L. 
 Gulick believes it would be folly for any American college 
 student to prepare himself for the production of Christian 
 literature in Japan, if he does so with the expectation of 
 working independently of Japanese assistance, he is led 
 to make this further statement: “A really able American 
 writer, however, who is assisted by a gifted Japanese, 
 would doubtless be able to render service of the highest 
 value, which neither the American nor the Japanese work- 
 ing independently could possibly make. While the Japanese 
 writer should be sought and utilized to the utmost possible 
 extent, for many years to come there will no doubt be 
 opportunity and call for talented foreign writers to make 
 their literary contributions. Such contributions, however, 
 to be effective, must be the joint product of the foreigner 
 and a Japanese co-worker.” 
 
 The existence of Christian Literature Societies in various 
 countries is a great boon. Intelligent direction is now 
 being given to the output of the presses, overlapping is 
 avoided, the most gifted writers among missionaries and 
 native Christians are being discovered and given tasks in 
 accordance with their various capacities and with the spe- 
 cial calls for literature in the field. Under such direction the 
 work of the literary missionary is enhanced many times 
 over, for actual needs are met in a far more satisfactory 
 fashion than could be true where haphazard methods are 
 still in control. 
 
 II. THE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE LITERARY WORKER 
 
 The first fact to be kept in mind is that, like all his fellow 
 workers in the mission field, the literary worker is a mis- 
 sionary. He is one with them in every essential, different 
 
 14 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 only in the form of activity. If he devotes himself exclu- 
 sively to his appointed work and becomes a recluse, he will 
 not succeed in the work to which he is assigned. So great 
 is this danger that in the opinion of some, no one should 
 devote himself exclusively to literary work for a long 
 period of time. He must be with his fellow workers in 
 their councils; he must understand their problems by 
 actual contact with the work; he must know the life of 
 the people by sharing it with them. This would indicate 
 that back of the special qualifications which should be his, 
 must be found those which obtain in the case of every 
 trie missionary. In the remarks that follow, emphasis 
 will be laid on the special qualifications of the literary 
 worker, but not to the neglect of several general qualities 
 which should always be mentioned in considering the 
 question of the appointment of missionaries. 
 
 1. The Great Essentials. 
 
 The first is personal religious experience. That experi- 
 ence may vary all the way from a lofty mysticism to the 
 simple faith of a very practical man or woman, but the 
 one essential is that it should be vital, an experience of 
 fellowship with Christ. This means a growing knowl- 
 edge of the Bible, a veritable love for its message; it means 
 that prayer is no mere form, but a living fellowship with 
 Jesus Christ; it means also a growing sense of horror, of 
 sin in all forms and a life of increasing victory over 
 temptation. Loyalty to Christ is the deepest motive to 
 service, and unselfish devotion to the coming of his King- 
 dom the center of all life’s thoughts and activities. In 
 addition to all, there must be strong conviction concerning 
 the great Christian verities. For no one is this more true 
 than for the literary worker, who must be employed con- 
 stantly in inculcating positive truth through the written 
 word. The character of God, the person and work of 
 
 15 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 Jesus Christ, the authority of the Bible, the nature of 
 sin and its consequences, and the issues of life and death 
 will demand of him a personal viewpoint from which he 
 may make all these doctrines telling messages to the hearts 
 and minds of sin-sick men and women, whose great needs 
 are the joy of forgiveness, the peace of deliverance, and 
 the hope of a purer life now and hereafter. 
 
 An excellent summary of qualities is made by Dr. 
 Stanley White as particularly appropriate in the literary 
 worker: 
 
 Broadmindedness 
 
 Sympathy 
 
 A readiness to recognize the good in existing religions. 
 
 An absence of the spirit of attack in dealing with other religions. 
 Scholarship of the highest quality. 
 
 Linguistic ability. 
 
 Spiritual insight. 
 
 Courtesy and refinement, the spirit of the gentleman. 
 
 And some would add that the saving sense of humor 
 should not be omitted when the special qualities of the lit- 
 erary worker are mentioned. 
 
 2. The Literary Gift. 
 
 Here we come to a dividing line between missionaries 
 in other forms of activity and the literary worker. In 
 this respect a literary man must be born and not made. 
 We can do no better than listen attentively to Dr. Talcott 
 Williams, of the Columbia University School of Jour- 
 nalism: 
 
 “No training, no preparation will enable a man to do literary 
 work unless he has the ability for it. The task requires certain 
 adaptation. In the School of Journalism we weed out without 
 hesitation the men without this adaptation, even if they learn 
 their lessons. Any man can be trained to write mechanically a 
 grammatical sentence and to paragraph his work. It is practicable 
 by a somewhat wearisome drill to secure the accuracy of the 
 
 16 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 multiplication table. By a great deal of correction and patient 
 supervision a moderate degree of clarity can be secured. Beyond 
 that training cannot go. The work such a man turns out will 
 never be read by anybody except as men read railroad reports 
 or text-books. There the output of such a man will end. It 
 cannot be raised above it unless there is the capacity to write. 
 If he has this capacity all that I have outlined will be of the 
 greatest value. 
 
 “In order to put ‘thoughts into effective form for proper use’ 
 or to act ‘as editor of periodical literature’ a man needs ‘news- 
 paper initiative,’ the capacity to write and not simply to frame 
 sentences. Without this he will turn out the same dull stuff which 
 renders shelves full of books unreadable.” 
 
 These wise words sum up about all that needs to be 
 said on this point. The literary worker of the type so 
 highly desired has “ink in the blood.” Others have made 
 statements to the same effect, but none with such clarity 
 and authority as Dr. Williams. 
 
 A most difficult question arises at once: How can a 
 man himself, or others for him, determine whether he 
 possesses this peculiar gift? His own liking and taste 
 should lead him to make the attempt, but further than 
 this the only test of the pudding, is the eating. A man 
 can show that he possesses the literary gift only by writing 
 so that people will read what he writes in spite cf their 
 attitude to him or to his theme. 
 
 3. The Special Knowledge Necessary for the Literary 
 W orker. 
 
 Considerably more is demanded of the literary worker 
 by way of exact knowledge and of cultural background 
 than of any other missionary. What he writes and what 
 he edits must be suited to the peculiar environment—his- 
 torical, ethical, ethnic, geographical, social and religious— 
 of the people for whom he writes. This requires capacity 
 for long-sustained reading and investigation, innate sym- 
 
 17 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 pathy and love for the people and all that concerns them, 
 and the perseverance and faith required to perform the 
 difficult task imposed on him in face of unfavorable cir- 
 cumstances and in view of other calls more clamorous and 
 appealing to a man’s sense of immediate need. It is more 
 necessary, if possible, for him to master the language than 
 for any other worker. This means, then, unusual linguistic 
 capacity, but even more the patience to acquire the ver- 
 nacular and the literary language so that he may be able 
 to write directly to the hearts of the people and cause 
 them to desire to read what he prepares for them. The 
 immensity of this task is such as to make the stoutest 
 hesitate, yet it is an absolute sime qua non for the literary 
 worker. Mr. D. Willard Lyon, of China, takes us a step 
 further: 
 
 “To me the chief incentive to press forward in my linguistic 
 studies is the need of being so thoroughly in touch with Chinese 
 thought as to be able to sense the needs of the hour and to make 
 sure that these needs are being met. This demands a far more 
 thorough type of linguistic training than is required for dictating 
 ideas to a Chinese writer who has become accustomed to one’s 
 vocabulary.” 
 
 The man chosen for literary work certainly faces no 
 easy task. Doubtless it is the most taxing and the most 
 difficult form of service. In closing this section, a word 
 from two successful literary missionaries may be used. 
 First that of Dr. S. M. Zwemer, of Cairo: 
 
 “As regards special qualifications, the man who engages in 
 literary work should above all have a broad cultural outlook. All 
 literary work done on the foreign field should be free from sec- 
 tarian prejudices or narrowness of vision. The broadest possible 
 education, therefore, is essential. Literary work, however, on 
 the foreign field also includes the laying of foundations for the 
 ethical and spiritual faith of millions. Needless to say the one 
 who undertakes this task must himself be thoroughly grounded 
 in the faith once for all delivered and come to his task, not with 
 
 18 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 the interrogation points of doubt, but with positive convictions 
 of truth.” 
 
 The second quotation is from Dr. D. MacGillivray, 
 written with China in mind, but readily adapted to the 
 situation in any other country: 
 
 “Naturally he must have good eyesight, as he will constantly 
 need to be reading Chinese, which puts a big strain on the eye- 
 sight. . . . Confinement to the office during stated hours, rain 
 or shine, suggests that he should possess a robust constitution. 
 The literary worker leads a life of exacting strenuousness. He 
 will probably be much in demand on committees and for public 
 addresses in English and Chinese. If he is working at a station 
 in the interior he will be able to vary his work by occasional ex- 
 cursions into other kinds of work. But if in association with 
 other workers, these opportunities will be few. . . . What leisure 
 he can find he will devote to studies in English and Chinese. 
 This he must do, or he will become dry and uninteresting. .. . 
 His aim should be to train his Chinese writers so that they may 
 gradually emerge from the status of employees into that of col- 
 leagues. This training calls for the highest qualities on the part 
 of the literary worker.” 
 
 III. Tuer SELECTION AND DESIGNATION OF LITERARY 
 WORKERS 
 
 The feature of greatest practical difficulty is now to be 
 faced. When and upon what principles shall literary 
 workers be selected and designated to their specific task? 
 Is it possible, as in the case, for example, of the medical 
 man, to decide definitely on the form of work he will enter 
 and to prepare for it through a course of years, assured 
 that he will be given that appointment? Clearly not. 
 There must be no misunderstanding at this point. It is 
 the almost unanimous opinion of experienced missionaries 
 that no young missionary, however talented and well 
 trained, can qualify to be a literary missionary until after 
 he has passed through a term of service on the field in 
 
 19 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 evangelistic, educational or some other work. In addition 
 to his literary training, it is an absolute requirement that 
 he master the language and be perfectly familiar with 
 the life of the people. This involves years of missionary 
 service, at least the period before the first furlough. It 
 clearly demands the use of that furlough for special prepa- 
 ration for definite literary work. In tropical countries, 
 where the time of service between furloughs is short, 
 the testing period may even last until the time of the second 
 furlough. 
 
 How, then, in actual practice, is the literary missionary 
 led into his task? Again there is an answer that is almost 
 unanimous. Men and women should be set aside for longer 
 or shorter periods for a definite literary task. This means, 
 in the first place, that when a missionary has shown him- 
 self to possess literary ability and tastes, he should be 
 relieved temporarily of other duties in order to translate 
 or write some book, and upon the completion of the task 
 should resume his work in the regular ranks. Such expe- 
 rience in literary work temporarily may or may not lead 
 to his appointment to regular work along literary lines, 
 which may become his work for the remainder of his mis- 
 sionary career. A number of men are in such lines of 
 work at the present time, and the number must be increased 
 to meet the needs now arising. 
 
 The British Societies have done better than the American 
 in the support of literary work. According to Rev. Jacob 
 Speicher, of the China Baptist Publication Society, the 
 British Societies support sixty per cent. of the literary 
 missionaries in China, the Continental and Canadian 
 twenty-three per cent., while the American support only 
 seventeen per cent. It is very clear that this is one of 
 the greatest unused opportunities lying before our Amer- 
 ican Societies to forward the evangelization of the non- 
 Christian world. Notable progress has been made by the 
 
 20 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 International Committee’ of the Young Men’s Christian 
 Associations by the setting aside of trained men for this 
 work. Their example must be followed far more widely 
 by other American Societies. The call thus to designate 
 missionaries already on the field to literary tasks was 
 voiced in almost every conference held by Dr. Mott in 
 Asia in 1912-13. 
 
 Is there anything, then, a student volunteer can do 
 during the period of his training? He surely may consider 
 literary work as a possibility, and keep it in view in his 
 preparation. This would lead him to broaden his view 
 and to cultivate his literary gifts, neither of which would 
 be a loss should he never have the call to devote himself 
 to literary work. Of course, it will be the exceptional 
 man who will take this long view, but it is exceptional 
 work we are dealing with which demands just such a man, 
 one with determination, forethought and patience. A very 
 interesting letter from Dr. D. MacGillivray, of the Christian 
 Literature Society for China, contains the following sen- 
 Pence’. 
 
 “You observe that in my judgment no missionary candidate 
 should enter at once on this work, and yet it is of such transcend- 
 ent importance that its claims ought to be presented early to the 
 minds of some men, who have special leanings or special leadings 
 toward newspaper and literary work. It often happens at college 
 that there are some young fellows who are turning to journalism, 
 and they often take the college paper as a starter. I think it 
 would be a good thing if Christian young men of that type were 
 made acquainted with the possibilities of a rich investment of 
 their lives in China along their favorite line.” 
 
 IV. Tue PREPARATION OF THE LITERARY WORKER 
 
 The entire discussion of the preparation of the literary 
 worker is determined by what has been said on selection 
 and designation. It must be remembered, as in the section 
 
 21 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 on qualifications, that the preparation he receives in com- 
 mon with the regular missionary will receive incidental 
 notice only. 
 
 In common with other candidates, the literary worker 
 should secure college and theological training. In college 
 special emphasis should be placed on English literature 
 and composition. Beginning thus early he will observe 
 the rule, “Write, write, write,’ as the only method of 
 acquiring style. He should keep in mind such experiences 
 as that of Robert Louis Stevenson, who found it necessary 
 to spend years in constant practice to develop style. He 
 was in the habit of writing and rewriting his compositions 
 —occasionally as many as ten or eleven times over—to 
 satisfy his own conscientious sense of fitness. There 
 is no royal road to the work of a successful literary 
 worker. During these days, with a good library at 
 his disposal, he should form the habit of wide reading. 
 His interests will be varied if he proves to be a successful 
 literary worker, and the foundations of his knowledge on 
 most subjects must be laid in these early days or never 
 be laid at all. One of the points where the literary worker 
 may fail in his exacting task is in regard to knowledge 
 and accuracy of statement. He may find himself ignorant 
 at a place where if he only knew more he might increase 
 his efficiency manyfold. It is suggested that he sécure, if 
 possible, an appointment on the college paper and make 
 the most of the opportunity. In these days he may be able 
 to test himself out and discover his fitness or unfitness 
 for such work from the advice of his friends and critics 
 and his instructors. While college courses in general 
 education and pedagogy would prove valuable, ‘“‘so as to 
 know the best way of presenting the truth to different 
 classes and ages,” he should know as many languages as 
 possible. For those whose call is to Biblical translation 
 and the preparation of commentaries and other helps which 
 
 22 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 demand technical and exact linguistic skill, a knowledge 
 of the Scriptures in the original Greek’ and Hebrew is 
 essential. Of modern languages, French and German are 
 well nigh indispensable. This is true of Spanish or Portu- 
 guese, of course, for Latin countries. 
 
 If a theological course is important for the evangelistic 
 missionary, it is even more so for the literary worker who 
 is to write on religious and theological themes. His work 
 will lead him into theological and religious channels 
 constantly. Christian apologetics, as well as Christian 
 doctrine, will be a kind of reservoir from which he must 
 draw copiously. Theological emptiness would be a calamity 
 in a man of this particular work more than in any other. 
 At some time in his preparation a good course in com- 
 parative religion or the history of religion should be 
 taken, on which further studies in the religion of a par- 
 ticular country will be based. Even more fundamental are 
 courses on the psychology and philosophy of religion. So 
 much is clear and may be recommended without hesitation. 
 It is about all that can be said to the missionary candidate 
 who has had no experience on the field. 
 
 Any candidate who reads these lines will see clearly the 
 direction in which this report is leading. No man or 
 woman can expect to be sent to the mission field as a 
 literary worker. It follows, then, that little can be said 
 in the way of specific direction for the preparation of the 
 literary worker before he goes to the field for the first 
 time.* 
 
 The next stage in the evolution of the literary missionary 
 
 1It is recommended, therefore, that the young man who believes that he has 
 the qualification for literary work and has decided that in this way he can make 
 his greatest contribution as a missionary, study carefully the suggestions for 
 ' the preparation of the ordained man issued by the Board of Missionary Prep- 
 aration, taking this as his guide in his preparation. Or perhaps his secondary 
 choice may be for the work as a teacher. If so, let him take as his guide the 
 pamphlet on the “Preparation of the Educational Missionary,” supplementing 
 these suggestions by what is said here about the special preparation of the 
 literary worker. 
 
 23 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 will be on the field during his early years of service. But, 
 paradoxical as it may appear, the literary worker should 
 not be in literary work at all during this time. He is a 
 regular missionary doing work just like his fellows. Of 
 course, he has a special appointment, but it is not to literary 
 service. Whether he be placed in educational work or in 
 the more general evangelistic or administrative service, 
 his chief task is to learn the language and to orient him- 
 self in the country. In every respect the embryonic literary 
 worker must prove himself to be an efficient missionary 
 in some other field than that of literary work. This is a 
 prime requisite. He must be a missionary of proved worth, 
 first, in some other line, if he is to qualify as one fit to 
 be designated to literary work. He must become a real 
 missionary in spirit and in practice. Even more thor- 
 oughly than is essential for the “regular” missionary, he 
 must lay deep foundations in the vernacular and in knowl- 
 edge of the life of the people. All their interests must 
 be in a sense his—their customs, mental outlook, historical 
 development, social organization, economic condition, and 
 religious life. Failing here, he can never realize his ambi- 
 tion to help provide a Christian literature for the people. 
 He may be a man of great literary promise, but this will 
 not save him. He simply must know the people and their 
 language to be called into this unique literary field. 
 Dr. S. M. Zwemer states the case thus: 
 
 “Early years on the mission field of future literary workers 
 should be spent in evangelistic and educational work—both if 
 possible. The former to bring him into touch with the common 
 people and the popular form of the non-Christian faiths; the lat- 
 ter to give him an insight into the mind and thought of the educated 
 classes and the modern movements on religious and social lines. 
 The very fact of this need emphasizes the choice of these workers 
 not before but after a period of service.” 
 
 But while literary work will not be his province during 
 24 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 this period, the literary worker will be in a very real sense 
 in the making. During this term of service he will inevi- 
 tably be differentiated from others. Gradually it will 
 become clear that this man or woman will find the broadest 
 field of usefulness along literary lines. This process of 
 differentiation is in no sense arbitrary. His literary gifts 
 and his bent of mind will become evident to all, and he 
 and his fellow workers will realize that everything in his 
 work on the field leads to but one conclusion, that he should 
 turn his energies to literary tasks. While others are spend- 
 ing their spare time, such as a missionary has, in the lines 
 of their particular interest, he has it on his heart increas- 
 ingly to preach his message through the printed page. 
 Not exactly in spite of, but through, all his regular work 
 this tendency will develop until it becomes a foregone 
 conclusion to his coworkers that this man has made it 
 inevitable that he be assigned to literary work. And thus 
 he becomes a literary worker. His reading, his delight 
 in writing, the ability he shows in producing readable 
 material, and his vision of the possibilities of this form 
 of service—all these are factors in the final conclusion 
 which is reached. He has won his literary spurs and can 
 safely be designated to that work. 
 
 So far, then, as direct preparation for his specific task 
 is concerned, the first furlough appears to be the only open 
 period for our literary worker. He has now, let us say, 
 been recommended by his mission and designated by his 
 Board to this task. He should be allowed by his Board 
 so to plan his stay at home that all needed preparation 
 and training may be secured. It may be necessary for 
 him to lay aside for a time all other work on the field to 
 make a special study of the language or of some subject 
 on the field itselfi—with a native scholar or at a university. 
 He knows the field, his work, and the particular training 
 he needs. This training will lie in nearly all cases along 
 
 25 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 at least two lines. He will seek guidance in the technique 
 of writing and editorial work. These can be secured in 
 this country at several centers. The Columbia University 
 School of Journalism, for example, offers facilities of the 
 widest range to all who are to be connected with journalism 
 in any of its branches. It would be wise for most to 
 pursue such courses where at the same time a first-hand 
 study could be made of printing, publishing and distribution 
 of literature. Not that in all, or even many, cases will the 
 literary worker engage in these practical activities, but that 
 all knowledge he may possess along these lines will never 
 be amiss, and may prove to be of the highest value. 
 
 Aside from these two fields for training the range of 
 subjects to which he may desire to devote special attention 
 is almost limitless. Every missionary will desire to take 
 courses on subjects connected with his immediate task. It 
 may be theology or history or sociology or education or 
 household economics. The furlough is his great oppor- 
 tunity for study at one of the educational centers of the 
 country, and he should make the most of it. 
 
 Our treatment has run the danger of being theoretical. 
 An ideal situation has been depicted. This has been neces- 
 sary in the nature of the case. No one man or woman 
 will follow exactly the evolution presented here. Yet if 
 the convictions of the wisest missionaries and mission board 
 secretaries are of any value, the mode of procedure herein 
 given must be followed if the best results are to flow 
 from the largely increased emphasis which is to be placed 
 upon the production of literature on the mission field. 
 
 A very delicate question is that of the permanence or 
 the temporary character of the assignment to literary work 
 on the part of any worker.. Is he to be such exclusively, 
 or, if he be assigned to a special literary task, shall he 
 return to his regular work when that task is completed? 
 Or, again, will not most men who write do so in connec- 
 
 26 
 
PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 
 
 tion with other work? Most probably the last description 
 will cover the actual experience of more men and women 
 than the others. But however that may be, the principles 
 stated hold quite as well for them as for another who may 
 be called to give all his time to literary work. He must 
 have certain aptitudes or he would not be chosen to devote 
 even a part of his valuable time to writing, and he needs 
 training to make himself more effective. In many ways 
 this part-time literary worker has an advantage. He is 
 in the closest touch with the people and the church and the 
 life of the community, and nothing can compensate for any 
 lack here. 
 
 All that has been said in this report must be interpreted 
 in the light of the necessity of a sense of Divine guidance 
 in entering and continuing in literary work. No higher 
 form of service can be imagined. This makes it impera- 
 tive that the literary worker carry with him at all times 
 a deep sense of the Divine call to that particular form of 
 service. If other workers stand in need of this conviction 
 in immediate contact with the pulsing needs of humanity, 
 the more so does the literary worker, partly isolated as he 
 is and compelled to struggle with his problems alone. Only 
 the consciousness of God’s presence will provide the patience 
 and the energy to enable him not to be ashamed as he 
 handles aright the word of truth. 
 
 27 
 

 
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