A Visit to Yale-in-China 
 
 June 1920 
 
 An Account of Changsha and of the Conditions 
 and Needs of Ya-li Prepared at the Request 
 of The Board of Trustees by 
 
 Anson Phelps Stokes 
 
 New Haven Connecticut 
 Yale Foreign Missionary Society 
 Mdccccxx 
 
 \/ii 
 
Contents 
 
 Page 
 
 1. The City of Changsha, 6 
 
 2. The Local Political Situation, 9 
 
 3. The First Impressions of Ya-li—Campus and Personnel, 13 
 
 4. The Organization and Interrelation of Departments, 17 
 
 5. The College of Arts and Sciences, 19 
 
 6. The Preparatory Department, 21 
 
 7. The Medical College and Pre-medical School, 23 
 
 8. The Nursing Schools, 26 
 
 9. The Hospital, 27 
 
 10. The Life of Ya-li, 29““" 
 
 11. The Influence of Ya-li, 31 
 
 12. The Growth and Resources of Ya-li, 32 
 
 13. The Policy of Ya-li, 35 
 
 14. The Needs of Ya-li, 41 
 
 15. The Significance of Ya-li, 48 
 
A Visit to Yale-in-China 
 
 To the Board of Trustees of Yale-in-China, 
 
 Gentlemen: 
 
 I AM submitting herewith as requested a report of my visit to 
 Changsha and Ya-li last June. It had been our original pur¬ 
 pose to proceed across country from Canton, a trip which in 
 normal times could have been made in about a fortnight, going 
 all of the way, except for the hundred miles of railroad from 
 Canton, by boat, horse and chair. But the disturbed political 
 situation in southern Hunan made this trip impossible, the district 
 having been during the past year the field of serious clashes be¬ 
 tween the Northern and Southern troops. We therefore went by 
 way of the Yangtse River following the itinerary outlined in 
 Mr. Leavens’ excellent “Information for Intending Visitors.” 
 My wife and I found the three days trip from Shanghai to Han¬ 
 kow by boat most comfortable and delightful. It is a trip which no 
 visitor to China should miss. From the upper decks one gets an 
 interesting and intimate view of the life of farms and villages, 
 and is impressed with the extraordinary industry of the people 
 everywhere. There are many picturesque temples, and at certain 
 places where the mountains come near the river the scenery is \ery 
 attractive. The steamer makes stops at several places, including 
 Nanking, the former capital, and Kiu-Kiang, the port from which 
 the summer station, Ruling, can be reached in a few hours. We 
 spent a day in Hankow, the principal commercial center of cential 
 China, and from there took a smaller but comfortable steamer 
 which enabled us to reach Changsha in a day and a half. We 
 arrived on Thursday, June 3 d, and remained until the 12 th. 
 
 5 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 i. THE CITY OF CHANGSHA 
 
 Changsha, which is a city of about 300,000 inhabitants, is built 
 on the east bank of the Siang River. The approach is attractive 
 owing to the hilly nature of the country, with a beautiful wooded 
 mountain—Yolosan—immediately opposite the city. This moun¬ 
 tain, with its ancient educational and religious institutions and 
 its forests, adds greatly to the charm of the whole neighborhood. 
 As one approaches the city the supply stations of the Standard 
 Oil Company and of the Asiatic Petroleum Company are seen on 
 
 opposite banks, as well as a large cotton factory built by a Chinese 
 firm. 
 
 The river at Changsha is over a quarter of a mile broad, with 
 a long, narrow island in the center on which are a few simple but 
 attractive European residences, including the British Consulate. 
 The city is distinguished for being the only one in China which 
 has a stone embankment or “Bund” built by a Chinese munici¬ 
 pality. It is also noticeable for better streets and shops than are 
 to be found in other cities of its size. It is unfortunate from the 
 standpoint of picturesqueness that the ancient wall with its gates 
 has been largely demolished, but if the proposed broad driveway 
 is substituted, it will not be without its advantages. On the Bund 
 are the American and Japanese Consulates, the offices of the three 
 steamship companies Jardine, Matheson and Company, Butter¬ 
 field and Swiie, and the Nisshin Kisen Kaisha,—the Customs 
 Office, the Asia Banking Corporation (the only foreign banking 
 company as yet represented in Changsha), and the office of 
 Andersen, Meyer and Company, the well-known firm of contract¬ 
 ing engineers. Opposite the Bund, on our arrival, were a few 
 Chinese junks, a river steamer, and American, Japanese and 
 Chinese gunboats. During our stay a British gunboat was added. 
 The city has made a start in electric light and telephone service, 
 but there is no water supply or sewerage system. There is a com¬ 
 plete absence of automobiles, carriages, and bicycles, although 
 there are a few jinrikishas. Man power is alone used for trans¬ 
 portation, and the coolies carrying on balanced poles every kind 
 of material and merchandise, and making a strange rhythmic 
 sound as they move along on a dog-trot, are one of the most 
 characteristic sights of this as of every other Chinese city. The 
 
 6 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 street scenes are constantly changing, and most picturesque. One 
 never wearies of them, although the number of blind, and of those 
 disfigured by disease is distressing. The noises of vendors and the 
 creaking of wheelbarrows used to carry heavy loads are often 
 deafening, but the streets are better paved and cleaner, and the 
 odors correspondingly less pervasive than in most Chinese cities. 
 The most impressive buildings are the two Confucian Temples. 
 Their paved courtyards, flights of stone steps, high walls and 
 temples with curved yellow tiled roofs and massive teak columns 
 leave an impression of much architectural beauty and of a certain 
 moral dignity. They are used only once or twice a year for formal 
 patriotic services in honor of Confucius. The lines of the build¬ 
 ings are charming, the general plans admirable, the old cypress 
 trees picturesque, but the places are ill-kept and deserted unless 
 occupied by the soldiers. They are lacking in the atmosphere of 
 worship. 
 
 Changsha is one of the “open ports” of China, the two others 
 in the province of Hunan being Yochow and Changteh. Under 
 the extra-territoriality laws, foreigners, unless they are mission¬ 
 aries, are not allowed to reside in China except in an open port, 
 and there they are under the jurisdiction of their consul. The 
 importance of Changsha from the standpoint of the foreign 
 merchant is due partly to its being the capital of the province, 
 and partly to the fact that it is the natural center of the tea, coal, 
 antimony and wood trade which represent the province’s main 
 exports. The antimony deposits are said to be the largest in the 
 world. Both anthracite and bituminous coal are found in quanti¬ 
 ties in the mountains, as are also iron, copper, lead and zinc. 
 As a result several factories have been started by the Chinese to 
 the south of the walled city, which is fortunately at the extreme 
 end of Changsha from Ya-li, the neighborhood of the latter 
 being more likely to develop as a residential section. The whole 
 trade of Changsha, as reported by the Customs in 1917 , was a 
 little over 27 , 000,000 *taels; while the direct foreign trade for 
 that year, the latest for which statistics are available, was 
 1 , 358,882 taels. This is, however, increasing very rapidly. 
 
 The foreign population of the city (excluding Japanese) is 
 about 200 , including children. Of this total Ya-li contributes about 
 
 ♦Under normal conditions a tael equals 67 cents gold. 
 
 7 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 one-third, foreign missionaries of both Catholics and Protestants, 
 another third, and the remaining three or four score persons are 
 mainly connected with the various firms and offices named. 
 
 We were met at the steamer by the Gages and Dr. Yen, and as 
 it was the King’s birthday, were immediately rowed across the 
 river to the British Consulate where a charming garden party was 
 being held. This gave us an opportunity to meet the most promi¬ 
 nent foreign residents, including the official, business and mission¬ 
 ary groups. The first impression which we derived, and one which 
 continued and increased during our ten days’ stay in Changsha, 
 was that there is not the sharp line of demarcation between the 
 missionary and non-missionary elements here that is unfortun¬ 
 ately to be met with in most large cities in China. I found among 
 the business men and foreign officials some of the staunchest 
 friends of the Yale Mission; in fact many of them spoke to me of 
 it in terms of special appreciation. It was delightful to find the 
 little community containing so many men and women of breadth, 
 social refinement and ideals, so that our Ya-li families feel that 
 there are enough different types and kinds of people with con¬ 
 genial outlook to provide an agreeable social life. 
 
 The people of Changsha are noted for their superior intelli¬ 
 gence and their high spirit. As the capital city of Hunan—the 
 province which kept out all foreigners until the very end of the 
 last century—it has much prestige among the Chinese. It has 
 been the home of distinguished scholars and patriots, and their 
 family houses, with large gardens, still give the little changed 
 old inner or walled city a certain dignity, while the number of 
 persons of ability and character that one meets in the streets 
 is striking. Practically all foreigners who live among the 
 Chinese like them, respect them and believe in them—and this is 
 particularly true of the foreign residents of Changsha. The last 
 named are treated with as much respect by the native inhabitants 
 as they would be by their fellow citizens in an American city. 
 
 So our first impressions were that the city was better built and 
 more attractively situated than most Chinese cities, that the 
 various groups of foreigners were more congenial, and that the 
 native population was a superior and friendly one. 
 
 8 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 2 . THE LOCAL POLITICAL SITUATION 
 
 It is necessary for any understanding of conditions at Ya-li 
 that the essential features of the local political situation at the 
 time of our visit should be understood. China during the past two 
 years has been a divided country. About two-thirds of the eighteen 
 provinces are nominally affiliated with the fedeial government 
 at Peking. The remaining provinces in the south and soutnwest 
 have broken away because of differences growing out of a dispute 
 on the subject of the legitimacy of the existing Parliament. The 
 Northerners claim that the present federal Parliament is the 
 only legitimate successor of the one duly elected in Yuan Shih- 
 kai’s time. The Southerners, whose leaders have been more in¬ 
 sistent on progressive policies, deny their rivals’ claims. The Post 
 Office, the Customs and the Salt Gabelle, the only departments of 
 the government under direct foreign supervision or control, alone 
 function nationally in anything like a normal way. To be sure, 
 China as a whole was represented at the Peace Conference, the 
 President, who is a moderate man of little foice but good pur¬ 
 pose, having appointed Mr. C. T. Wang, Yale iqio, one of the 
 most promising men in China and a Southern sympathizer, as one 
 of her representatives; but in general a line of separation between 
 North and South has run through the province of Hunan, and 
 Changsha, where the sympathies have been with the South, has 
 been one of the prizes for which they have been fighting. It must 
 also be remembered that the North is again subdivided into two 
 groups known as the Chihli party and the Anfuites, but these 
 parties are merely factions of rival political leaders. The public 
 has no interest in their manoeuvers, except that most of the in¬ 
 telligent men of high purpose are particularly opposed to the 
 Anfuites because of the general belief that they are under the 
 domination of Japan, and Japan is distrusted in China because 
 of her past policy of commercial and political aggression. 
 
 The governor in Changsha when we arrived was Chang Ching- 
 yao, a corrupt official who had secured his position because of 
 the military backing which he was able to provide, and who was 
 holding the job of Tuchun, or Military Governor, mainly for the 
 purpose of making as much money as possible for his own profit. 
 He was connected with the Anfuite party and was thoroughly 
 
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A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 selfish. Fortunately we were present when he was driven from 
 the city by the Southern troops under General Tan Yen-kai, 
 former Governoi of Hunan, who, although not a man of great 
 executive force, has been highly respected in the community and 
 is a warm friend of Ya-li, as his gift of land to the College and 
 his votive tablet in the Hospital testify. 
 
 The political storm was brewing at the time of our arrival. The 
 wealthier classes were removing their families to Hankow, the 
 jewelers, silversmiths and art dealers were sending away their 
 most valuable articles, the reins of the military police were tight¬ 
 ening, and everyone knew that Governor Chang’s days were 
 numbered. Finally, on June 12 th, the Southerners entered the 
 city to the great joy of the inhabitants, but only after Chang had 
 burned the Yamen, blown up such military stores as he could 
 not carry with him, and evacuated most of his army. There was 
 no organized fighting in the immediate neighborhood, but a large 
 amount of sniping took place. Even the British river steamer on 
 which we left the city under the escort of a gunboat was fired 
 upon frequently by Southern sympathizers because it was rightly 
 believed to be carrying a good many representatives of the de¬ 
 parting Northern army. There was satisfaction on all sides that 
 General Chang had been put to flight. He took refuge in the in¬ 
 ternational settlement of Hankow, and his corrupt and tyrannical 
 rule is now a thing of the past. He had most of Hunan in his power 
 for two years, and as Changsha is its capital, the city has suffered 
 terribly. While I was there he had a conference with some of the 
 Chinese gentry representing the Chamber of Commerce, whom I 
 met, and handed them an ultimatum that every shop in the city 
 must be opened the next day (they had been closed because of 
 fear of looting), that his paper currency, which was worthless, 
 must be accepted by every citizen, subject to beheading if his 
 orders were disregarded, and that the members of the Chamber, 
 whose president he took as hostage, must raise in two days,' 
 $ 400,000 additional for the “defense of the city/’ a euphemism 
 for the Governor’s private purse. His was a virtual reign of terror, 
 and executions for the most trivial causes were taking place on 
 the Bund every day, while the city was under strict martial law 
 with troops everywhere. This situation has been reproduced in 
 many other places under the deplorable rule of the Tuchuns. I 
 
 10 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 know of only one large city in Hunan which has escaped, namely 
 Changteh, where a Christian general, Feng Yu-hsiang, has been 
 reforming the city’s government, public works and morale in an 
 extraordinary way. 
 
 But most of the people of China are agriculturalists living 
 in small villages away from large cities, and their life goes on 
 with almost exactly the same routine as for centuries past. The 
 people, except in cities or on the line of march of one of China’s 
 nondescript provincial armies, are little affected, living peaceably 
 under the village “headmen.” These, and the business guilds, 
 family organization, and the conservative ethical teachings of 
 Confucius, which, in the main, intelligent missionaries should 
 and do respect, are the principal forces which prevent anarchy. 
 To establish a strong and honest government in China will be a 
 long process. The first step is to put into effect the Consortium, 
 whereby Britain, France, Japan and America will make certain 
 loans for improvement to the government with the understanding 
 that the Military Governors be put out of office and their troops 
 disbanded and used for the construction of public works. This, and 
 the training of an adequate number of capable, public-spirited 
 leaders of the future at institutions like Ya-li, are the only hope 
 of preventing the repetition of the conditions which we found in 
 Changsha. Fortunately the situation has greatly cleared up in 
 the past two months and there is reason to believe that the good 
 Province of Hunan with its sturdy peace-loving people will soon 
 cease to be the pawn of rival political parties. 
 
 We saw no signs of serious anti-foreign or anti-Christian 
 feeling. When I was in China twenty-four years ago, mobs would 
 have been attacking foreigners under the disturbed conditions 
 which prevail today. Then foreigners had to seek the protection 
 of the Yamen; now the Chinese think their best chance of safety 
 is under the roof of the foreigner, whether he be missionary or 
 merchant. The people know that the “missionary,” to use a much 
 misunderstood word, is their friend, and that in the long run his 
 teachings will do more than anything else to rid China of her 
 worst enemy, the corrupt official. It was also evident that in spite 
 of the unfortunate acquiescence of America’s representatives at 
 Paris in the Shantung award, the United States holds a position 
 of greater respect than any other country. The American flag 
 
 11 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 was seen flying over every Chinese home that could find the 
 slightest excuse for it, because of the Hay doctrine, the return of 
 the Boxer indemnity, the protest of America alone among the 
 great powers against “the twenty-one demands” of Japan, and 
 the general confidence in American idealism. 
 
 The disturbed political-military situation has affected Ya-li 
 less than might have been expected. It has resulted in a slight 
 deciease in the amount of money secured from the people of 
 Hunan for the institution’s medical work, and has occasioned the 
 withdrawal of some students. It has also made supplies and labor 
 more expensive, but in the main the work has gone on as usual, 
 and Ya-li, owing to the special services which it has been able to 
 lender to the community during this difficult period, has emerged 
 with an increased local prestige. The buildings of the institution, 
 and especially the Hospital and the Medical School, were places 
 of refuge during our stay in Changsha for many women and 
 children who did not dare stay in their own homes because of the 
 demoralized soldiery. The Hospital took care of the wounded of 
 both armies; the students helped in relief work and did it gladly. 
 
 I accompanied a group of them bearing Red Cross banners 
 through the streets of Changsha before daybreak the morning 
 wnen the city changed hands. Many refugees were brought back 
 to Ya-li. The bachelors of the Faculty were in demand by 
 Chinese members of the staff living in Changsha, as the presence 
 of a foreigner in the house was considered the best guarantee of 
 protection. One of the most pathetic and appealing incidents of 
 my stay was seeing Mr. Vorys—a fine example of the one-year 
 men from Yale—leading about fifty wounded soldiers who'had 
 been abandoned by the retreating Northern army. They had 
 evidently received very poor care and were most appreciative of 
 the protection and help given them by Ya-li. Mr. Gage was present 
 at important conferences with representatives of the gentry and 
 the foreigners, and used his strong influence for the maintenance 
 of peace and order in the community, while Dr. Yen was probably 
 more than anyone else in Changsha, either Chinese or foreign, 
 the man looked to for civic leadership in the emergency. His 
 house was a sort of G. H. Q. where decisions were reached on the 
 best methods of safeguarding Changsha’s interests. Here mis¬ 
 sionaries, gentry, foreign business men and officials met to dis- 
 
 12 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 cuss the situation. I shall never forget my last evening spent in 
 Dr. Yen’s study. Telephone messages from people in touch with 
 the Governor, from the railroad administration, from a neighbor¬ 
 ing city just taken by the Southerners, and from various officials 
 and influential citizens, were constantly being received and 
 decisions reached as to policy. It was evident that the gentiy and 
 all the other respected elements trusted him implicitly. So Ya-li 
 was directly and indirectly relatively little affected by the dis¬ 
 turbed political situation, while on the other hand it was able to 
 render increased service to the community. 
 
 3. THE FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF YA-LI 
 CAMPUS AND PERSONNEL 
 After the reception at the Consulate we crossed the river to 
 the Bund and walked along the Maloo to the Ya-li Campus, about 
 half a mile distant, up a slight incline. The Maloo is a great boon 
 to the community and a most unusual public improvement to find 
 in China, being an open, undeveloped boulevard, 110 feet broad, 
 extending from the river to the Hankow railroad, which is about 
 200 yards above the Campus. 
 
 As we approached Ya-li, which is about half a mile from the 
 north gate of the city, we were struck by the Hospital on the right 
 hand side, and by the buildings of the College on the left. The 
 front view of the Hospital is impressive. It is, outside of Hankow, 
 the most imposing and important modern building in central 
 China. Surrounded as it is by the residences of Dr. Yen and some 
 of the other physicians, and by the. new building erected by the 
 Chinese for the Medical School, it strikes one who sees it for the 
 first time as a remarkably well-planned and well-built building, 
 emphasizing in concrete form the humanitarian idealism of the 
 modern mission movement. It has an added interest to Yale men 
 because of being designed by a graduate—Mr. James Gamble 
 Rogers—the architect of the beautiful Memorial Quadrangle in 
 New Haven. 
 
 The buildings on the other side of the Maloo are devoted to 
 the College of Arts and Sciences and its Preparatory Depart¬ 
 ment. The general style of architecture adopted—an adaptation 
 of Chinese forms to the demands of western education is ad¬ 
 mirable, and the general plan of Messrs. Murphy and Dana, which 
 
 13 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 should be caiefully followed, is dignified and worthy of a collegi¬ 
 ate institution. The three completed buildings of the permanent 
 academic group, namely, the Dormitory, Science Laboratory, 
 and Chapel, are highly satisfactory, while the temporary building 
 for offices and classrooms, and the open-air gymnasium are well 
 adapted to their needs. The open quadrangle, with the athletic 
 held below, is dignified. The group of four college professors’ 
 houses and five bungalows—mostly memorial gifts—on the av¬ 
 enue leading from it, gives an impression of the coordination of 
 the influences of family life and educational work particularly 
 important in a country like China. Of the various buildings the 
 Chapel- in spite of a too small belfry—is noticeable for the beauty 
 of its lines and the appropriateness of its architecture. The more 
 carefully I examined the buildings of Ya-li the more convinced I 
 felt of the wisdom of the Trustees in employing competent archi¬ 
 tects to design them, and in sending out at considerable expense 
 an experienced man to supervise their construction. We owe much 
 
 to Mr. Stanley Wilson’s knowledge of building technique and to 
 Ins thoroughness. 
 
 . The Cam P us > which is situated on a gentle slope with charming 
 views of the hills across the river, contains about thirty acres well- 
 graded and planted with trees by Mr. Chang of the Forestry De¬ 
 partment. There are a few old graves near the center, but these are 
 soon to be bought and removed with the use of the fund provided 
 by his father in memory of Donald Frary, one of the most re¬ 
 spected men ever connected with the Mission. The grounds are in 
 
 charge of a devoted Chinese employee—a real college character_ 
 
 whose massive frame has resulted in his being called Goliath. He 
 
 is the man who saved the Ya-li buildings in the city when the riots 
 occurred a decade ago. 
 
 The favorable first impression made by the Campus was fully 
 maintained by the teaching staff and the student body. The first 
 evening we met the men of the Faculty together at Mr. Gage’s 
 house. I doubt if any collegiate institution in China has a more 
 competent and enthusiastic group of teachers. I believe that 
 t ere is more pulling together, more mutual appreciation and 
 orbearance at Ya-li than in almost any other institution of 
 its type in China. It was impressive to find sixteen Yale men de¬ 
 voting themselves to the same cause in the heart of China, and 
 
 14 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 showing the team-play spirit of Yale to the Chinese and to their 
 colleagues from other universities and colleges. In fact the Facul¬ 
 ty members form a very human and appealing group, anxious 
 every one of them to carry out the plans of the Trustees at home, 
 and realizing that these are and should continue to be in most 
 cases originally formulated by them as the active men at close 
 grip with the actual problems. Letters to and from individual 
 Trustees and members of the Ya-li staff discussing in a friendly 
 and constructive way the problems of the Mission do much to 
 maintain that personal touch which encourages the right esprit- 
 de-corps. I found in this connection how much the letters of our 
 Chairman and Secretary—Professor Williams and Mr. Wilder—- 
 were appreciated. 
 
 I cannot over-emphasize the impression made by the Yale 
 personnel—both men and women. The teachers and nurses are all 
 well fitted for their work. The men, and those women who are 
 salaried members of the staff, were chosen with this object in 
 mind, so the result in their cases was to be expected, but when the 
 wives of the Mission, in addition to their household duties, render 
 large and uncompensated additional service, it is worthy of com¬ 
 ment. Mrs. Gage helps in the teaching of Pediatrics, Mrs. Hume 
 and Mrs. Yen have organized the Social Service department, 
 Mrs. Dunham teaches the Mission Sunday School, Mrs. Powell 
 acts as Librarian, and so the list might be continued through the 
 staff. 
 
 I was much pleased to find the high regard in which the perma¬ 
 nent Chinese members of the Faculty were held everywhere. Dr. 
 Yen is in many respects the most influential citizen of Changsha. 
 Mr. Chang and Mr. Zee—also both Yale graduates—are highly 
 regarded, both as men and teachers. The Trustees should do all 
 in their power to encourage their special work. The former is the 
 leading authority on Forestry in central China; the latter the 
 man best qualified to do for teaching and research in Industrial 
 Chemistry in China what Professor Treat B. Johnson of Yale 
 has done in the same field in America. Indeed the policy initiated 
 by Ya-li of admitting Chinese on equal terms with Americans to 
 the permanent Faculty has fully justified itself. Two or three grad¬ 
 uates are already back on the teaching staff, and are having the 
 same influence in keeping the students loyal to the ideals of the 
 
 15 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 institution that we find from similar causes in New Haven. The 
 graduates will become and should become an increasingly im¬ 
 portant factor in determining its policy. Already there is a Ya-li 
 Alumni Association in Peking with 30 members, and others at 
 Pomona College in California and at the University of Illinois. 
 It will not be long before similar organizations are formed in 
 Changsha, Hankow, Shanghai and, I hope, New Haven. 
 
 The student body, which is drawn from over half of the Chinese 
 provinces, impressed me as wide awake, interested in their 
 studies and in their games, and potential material of profound 
 significance for the future of China. They are youth of high 
 spirit, occasionally going on strike for patriotic purposes, such 
 as to show their disapproval of the pro-Japanese acts of certain 
 corrupt Cabinet members, or of the Shantung award. Incidentally 
 these strikes organized by a national Student Movement have done 
 much to create a feeling of nationality and patriotism. Mentally 
 the students are in many respects equal to those of America, and 
 in some respects, such as in the development of the memory, 
 superior. Physically they are inferior, but sanitary living, athletics 
 and compulsory exercise are rapidly improving health conditions. 
 They have taken up the games of the West with enthusiasm, es¬ 
 pecially football, basketball and track sports. At present their 
 contests are mainly between classes, but when the railroad service 
 to Hankow is regularly installed it is not improbable that annual 
 matches with Boone University will be in order. 
 
 I was particularly impressed with an address made by Mr. 
 Wang, the efficient and respected Proctor, regarding the changing 
 spirit of the students. It was at a little party given to the members 
 of the graduating class in the College, and was delivered with 
 great earnestness in Chinese and interpreted for our benefit by Mr. 
 Tsao, the Secretary of the Hunan-Yale Medical Association, who 
 acted in this capacity for me on various public occasions. Mr. 
 Wang stated that when the school was opened the boys felt that it 
 was not dignified for them even to help decorate a hall for some 
 institutional purpose in connection with Ya-li, and that the idea 
 of public service in the every day routine of life was almost en¬ 
 tirely absent, but that now the students volunteered in all sorts 
 of ways to help the institution and render service to the citizens. 
 The old idea that a scholar must grow long finger-nails as 
 
 16 
 
 an 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 evidence that he is above doing anything except intellectual 
 work is rapidly passing away. 
 
 My dominant impression as I walked through the grounds of 
 Ya-li lor the first time, and it has continued by me, was one of the 
 profound significance of this new enterprise. It struck me as al¬ 
 ready part and parcel of China’s own new life. The Chinese motive 
 in the architecture, the knowledge that important parts of the edu¬ 
 cational work were under the joint auspices and support of Chinese 
 and Americans, the emphasis in the curriculum on the Chinese 
 Classics taught by Chinese scholars, the recollections of aid 
 rendered in various ways to all departments in the past by indi¬ 
 vidual Chinese, the placing of teachers of both Chinese and Ameri¬ 
 can nationality on the same footing—these and other facts made 
 me realize that Ya-li was at home in Changsha, that its citizens 
 were as proud of it as are its supporters in America. I felt 
 deeply thankful for the progress made in less than two decades 
 since Professor Wells Williams, who has been from the first the 
 far-seeing Chairman of the Executive Committee in New Haven, 
 and a few others of us met with three young Yale men of consecra¬ 
 tion and vision, who have all gone to their reward—Arthur 
 Williams, Lawrence Thurston and Warren Seabury—to take the 
 first steps towards the founding of a Yale work in the field of 
 Higher Education under Christian auspices in China. How they 
 would have rejoiced at what has been accomplished, but how 
 rightlv would they have called to mind the pressing needs which 
 must still be met before the ideal of a Christian University for 
 central China is fully realized. 
 
 4 . THE ORGANIZATION AND 
 INTERRELATION OF DEPARTMENTS 
 
 Although the College of Arts and Sciences with its preparatory 
 department on the one side, and the Medical College with its 
 affiliated departments on the other, have separate local boards of 
 management, they are both part of the work conducted by the 
 Board of Trustees from New Haven, and the interaction between 
 the two is highly advantageous to both. The medical section keeps 
 Ya-li in close touch with the gentry of Hunan and with some of 
 the most pressing needs of its citizens. The arts section, through 
 providing higher education for the graduates of mission schools, 
 
 17 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 keeps Ya-li in touch with the missionary societies and gives 
 picked men fundamental training in the humanities as a prepara¬ 
 tion to fitting them for leadership in the various professions. The 
 new Science Building, which has just been completed and is to be 
 opened this autumn, forms a natural bond between the two, as in 
 it pre-medical education is to be mainly centered. The Chapel 
 also meets the spiritual needs of both, while the Library, still in 
 its infancy, will soon become a unifying factor in the life of the 
 entire institution. 
 
 It was interesting to notice the simple, democratic form of 
 organization adopted for the different departments and for 
 their coordination. The College of Arts and Sciences, the Medical 
 College and the Preparatory Department each has its Faculty, 
 and its Dean nominated by his colleagues and confirmed by the 
 Trustees at home. Dean Gage, Dean Hume and Dean Hail are 
 each making a deep impression on the life of the institution, as is 
 also Dr. Yen who—following Chinese custom—has the title of 
 Principal of the Medical College. These Deans and the other 
 permanent members of the Faculty associated with them, form, 
 under the chairmanship of Mr. Gage, a Governing Board for 
 discussing and acting upon matters of general institutional im¬ 
 portance, subject in all votes regarding appropriations, higher 
 appointees, and permanent policy to the approval of the Trustees 
 at home. I was present at meetings of the Governing Board and 
 was impressed by the desire of all its members to do all in their 
 power to advance the welfare of the institution as a whole. Each 
 Department fully realizes the importance of all the others, but 
 the academic men are right in emphasizing the necessity of de¬ 
 veloping the fundamental work of the College of Arts and 
 Sciences on a scale commensurate with the plans of the medical 
 men. 
 
 In my judgment it is not a question of strengthening either the 
 collegiate side or the medical side, but a question of finding ways 
 and means of adequately developing both. The Medical College 
 could not well exist without the Middle School and the College 
 Preparatory, to train many of its best men, and the Arts College 
 could not continue to hold its high favor in the community 
 without the medical work. It is a good object lesson to college men 
 to have one professional school well developed, which will in time 
 
 18 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 be followed by other professional schools, such as schools of Engi¬ 
 neering, Forestry and Education, for all of which there is a need. 
 Furthermore, what has been found true in America is equally 
 true in China, that it is only when a hospital has a medical school 
 of high standing connected with it that the patients are assured the 
 best care. It is easier, however, to secure money for medical edu¬ 
 cation than for collegiate education, and too much emphasis can¬ 
 not be placed on the fact that the latter is vitally important not 
 only as a preparation for professional training, but because China 
 needs more than anything else leaders of broad knowledge, high 
 ideals and strong character. Such leaders can best be trained in a 
 college imbued with a Christian atmosphere and purpose. 
 
 5 . THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 
 The development of a collegiate institution of the arts and 
 sciences was the primary object of the founders of Yale-in-China. 
 It was their belief, amply justified by the history of the past two 
 decades, that nothing is more fundamental than the highest edu¬ 
 cation under Christian auspices of a picked group of Chinese 
 youth who may be fitted, to quote the words of the old \ ale 
 charter, “for Publick employment both in Church & Civil State. 
 That Ya-li has been successful in carrying out this policy is shown 
 by the fact that it is by the common consent of the best-qualified 
 judges—both Chinese and missionary—placed in the group of six 
 Grade A colleges in China, the others being St. John’s University, 
 Nanking University, Shantung University, Canton Christian 
 College, and Boone University. The influence of all of these 
 in the training of leaders is marked. St. John’s in particular 
 has been exceptionally successful in the quality of its gradu¬ 
 ates, three of whom, Dr. Yen, Mr. Chang, and Mr. Zee, 
 are members of the Ya-li staff. Our academic work is under 
 the general direction of Dean Gage and the College Faculty, 
 and includes a nine years’ course of study—four years in the 
 Middle School, two years in the College Preparatory (or Junior 
 College), and three years in the College of Arts and Sciences. 
 This is the new form of organization adopted to fit in to the 
 Chinese educational system. Heretofore the entire course of aca¬ 
 demic study was only eight years, but the extension of work of 
 College grade from four to a total of five years will produce 
 
 19 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 better results especially in a thorough knowledge of English_ 
 
 which is, and will continue for a long time to be, a well nigh essen¬ 
 tial prepaiation for advanced study in scientific branches. Among 
 the 40 College and 159 Middle School students, half of the 
 provinces of China are represented, 48 boys coming from outside 
 of Hunan. Twelve received the B. A. this year, this number in¬ 
 cluding those who had completed their work during the two 
 years piior to \ a-li s securing the degree-conferring privilege. 
 
 The academic curriculum is similar to that in small colleges 
 in America. A student determines which of four general lines of 
 study he wishes to follow, namely, preparation for the pro¬ 
 fessions of Education, Medicine, Engineering, or Christian work. 
 
 I he subjects taught are: Chinese (on which much emphasis is 
 placed), English, French, Religious Education, Mathematics, 
 Business Training, Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Biological 
 Sciences, (including Physiology, Hygiene and Sanitation), 
 
 I orestry (including Botany), Philosophy and Psychology, Edu¬ 
 cation, History, and the Social Sciences. 
 
 All the students of the College of Arts and of the Middle 
 School live in dormitories (except for a few who live at home), 
 attend the regular chapel exercises, and have their meals in the 
 buildings in which they live. They have various “ extra-curriculum ” 
 organizations which remind one of American college life, such as 
 athletic teams, glee club, Y. M. C. A., and debating and literary so¬ 
 cieties. They also publish a quarterly magazine entitled ‘‘The Yale- 
 in-China Student. They secure their books and stationery from a 
 well-conducted College Book Room, which is like a small edition 
 of the Yale Cooperative Store. The tuition fee for new students is 
 $120 a year inclusive of board. This is reduced $10 a year, if all 
 examinations have been passed, until a minimum of $80 is reached. 
 
 The Chapel and the Science Laboratory are the only two build¬ 
 ings on the collegiate side that can be said to provide adequate 
 accomodations. The one permanent dormitory is excellent, but 
 its facilities have to be increased by makeshift arrangements. The 
 temporary educational building will meet the actual needs for a 
 few years but must ultimately be succeeded by a permanent 
 building. The same is true of the Gymnasium. 
 
 I he Science Laboratory deserves a special word in view of the 
 fact that it is the latest of our buildings to be completed, and 
 
 20 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 that it represents a gift of approximately $50,000 from the China 
 Medical Board. The actual cost of construction was $45,000 Mexi¬ 
 can, in addition to $6,000 spent in equipment. The building was 
 erected within the appropriation, but it has not been possible to 
 provide it with any heating facilities. Mr. Harvey deserves special 
 credit for the thoroughness and resourcefulness with which he 
 has supervised every part of the work, a somewhat difficult task 
 with Chinese workmen not accustomed to American methods or 
 standards of construction. The building will provide adequate 
 accomodations for the instruction in Biology, Chemistry and 
 Physics, and it will temporarily house in its top story the pre¬ 
 medical students. From the standpoint both of usefulness and of 
 architectural beauty it is most satisfactory. 
 
 The administration of the College seems to be most effective, 
 with Mr. Gage as Dean, Mr. Leavens as Treasurer, Mr. Harvey 
 as Superintendent of Grounds and Buildings, and Mr. Wang as 
 Proctor. Mr. Hail’s place as Dean of the Middle School is being 
 temporarily taken by Mr. Williams. The Faculty at the time of 
 my visit included 22, of whom 9 were regular members of 
 the permanent staff, 5 were temporary appointees from Ameri¬ 
 ca, and 8 Chinese teachers. The policy of the Board of Trus¬ 
 tees to give no one a permanent appointment until he has 
 secured his second degree through specialization, and to insist 
 upon a year’s preparatory study of Chinese at one of the Language 
 Schools, has insured the high scholarly standing of the Faculty, 
 while the temporary appointees are invaluable in assisting in 
 English instruction, organizing the athletics, supervising the 
 social life of the students and aiding in various other ways. They 
 bring new life and ideas into the community, and on their return 
 to America are a factor in disseminating information regarding 
 Ya-li. 
 
 THE PREPARATORY DEPARTMENT 
 
 It is essential at the present stage of development in China for 
 a College to conduct its own Preparatory Department. In this 
 way alone can it be assured of an adequate supply of boys who 
 combine intellectual discipline with moral training. At the present 
 moment the public school system of China is entirely demoralized 
 and many of the so-called government schools are closed. They 
 
 21 
 
✓ 
 
 A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 will doubtless be opened again in a few years, but without the 
 nucleus of boys carefully trained from early youth on our own 
 
 Campus, we can have no assurance of creating the right collegiate 
 environment. 
 
 The efficiency of the Middle School owes much to a modest but 
 very competent man—Mr. Hail, its Dean—who was in America 
 on furlough at the time of my visit. He is serving as a “Visiting 
 Professor, teaching history to Yale Freshmen. It will be inter¬ 
 esting to get on his return, his comparative impressions of Ameri¬ 
 can and Chinese students. He has the work at Ya-li thoroughly 
 systematized, and the discipline is excellent, the study, dormitory 
 life and play of the boys being carefully supervised. As in the 
 College, the instruction is all given in English, except Chinese 
 Language, Literature and History, where the professors are 
 Chinese classical scholars with slight knowledge of English, but 
 in each case holding high Chinese degrees which entitle them to 
 respect. For admission to the Middle School a knowledge 
 of Chinese Literature and History, and ability to write the 
 language are the requirements on which most emphasis is laid. 
 The other subjects are Arithmetic, Geography and elementary 
 English, the last named being waived only when a man shows 
 superior acquirements in the Chinese branches. Many of the 
 students are admitted to the Middle School on certificates of the 
 Hunan Christian Educational Association made up of the mis¬ 
 sionary societies that conduct elementary schools in the province. 
 
 The importance of the work of the Middle School in China 
 today can scarcely be overestimated. The demand for young men 
 who know English and have some foundation of Western learning 
 is so great on the part of business houses and the government 
 services, that about five-sixths of the boys at Ya-li do not con¬ 
 tinue their studies beyond what it offers. It is to be hoped that 
 this condition will soon be improved, and that ultimately we 
 may concentrate all of our attention on the work of collegiate 
 and university grade; but in the meantime we must face condi¬ 
 tions as we find them and give these boys the best possible train¬ 
 ing for useful citizenship. 
 
 22 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 7. THE MEDICAL COLLEGE AND 
 PRE-MEDICAL SCHOOL 
 
 I was impressed with the fact that Dr. Hume and Dr. Yen— 
 who have been working for over a decade on the important prob¬ 
 lem of medical education in China—have planned wisely. There 
 is still a great shortage of personnel and equipment, but every 
 unit constructed, every man and woman elected to the permanent 
 staff, every step taken in the field of educational and administra¬ 
 tive policy shows that they have a clear understanding of China’s 
 needs and of the best principles to be followed, both in training 
 doctors and nurses, and in the study and treatment of disease. 
 These main functions of a medical institution are properly co¬ 
 ordinated. 
 
 The medical-educational work is divided into three depart¬ 
 ments : the Pre-medical School, Medical College, and the Schools 
 for Men and Women Nurses. The pre-medical students are to be 
 transferred this fall to the College of Arts and Sciences owing to 
 the opening of the new Science Laboratory given by the China 
 Medical Board. Instruction in the Medical College is in English 
 and covers five years, much of the time of the last three years 
 being devoted to practical, clinical and laboratory work in the 
 Hospital. The total number of medical and pre-medical students 
 who were admitted last fall was 92, but due mainly to civil war 
 conditions the number was reduced so that at the close of the year 
 it was 67, of whom 24 were from outside the province, an indica¬ 
 tion that the institution meets the needs not only of Hunan but of 
 central China in general. The geographical breadth of the Medi¬ 
 cal College’s appeal is also shown by the fact that entrance ex¬ 
 aminations are held regularly in Shanghai. Students are admitted 
 only on the completion of the College Preparatory course or its 
 equivalent. 
 
 The students who continued their studies to the close of the 
 year came from 16 mission schools, and 21 government and non- 
 Christian schools. Boone University led with 9 men, Nanking 
 and Soochow Universities came next with 3 each. Even Canton 
 Christian College—which is distant about ten days’ travel from 
 Changsha—sent 2. About two-thirds of the students are Christian, 
 3 having joined the church during the school year, and 5 others 
 
 23 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 having made definite decisions to accept and follow the teachings 
 of Christianity. 
 
 The Faculty includes, in addition to Dr. Hume and Dr. Yen, 
 Dr. Branch, Dr. Crawford, Dr. Shibley, Dr. Foster, and Dr. 
 Hadden. Each of these men is rendering exceptionally important 
 service. The last named is supported by the British Wesleyans. 
 As an evidence of cooperation it compares with the appointment 
 of Mr. Hamlin from Hamilton College and augurs well for the 
 future. Mr. Dunham, the efficient Business Manager of the Medi¬ 
 cal Department, and Miss Gage, the Head Nurse, whose work 
 cannot be over-praised, should also be mentioned. At the time 
 of our visit the pressure on the members of the medical staff, was 
 excessive, Dr. Hume being in America on furlough, and Doctors 
 Crawford and Foster being at language schools. Including the 
 absentees, the staff numbers 6 English and American doctors, 3 
 American-trained Chinese doctors and 3 similarly trained nurses, 
 and 3 American nurses. The foreign-trained staff is quite inade¬ 
 quate for the best teaching and hospital service. The war has pre¬ 
 vented the securing of the additional doctors and nurses most 
 needed, as well as limiting unduly the funds available for salary 
 purposes. But with the return to peace, and the offer of the China 
 Medical Board to continue for five years as much of its appropria¬ 
 tion of $41,605 Mexican and of $6,645 gMd as the Trustees can 
 duplicate from other sources, and the offer of the Commonwealth 
 Corporation to give $30,000 annually for the same period for the 
 extension of medical education, the future seems promising. 
 
 The work of medical education was established in 1914 by an 
 agreement entered into between the Hunan Ru-chun Educational 
 Association and the Yale Mission, each of which organizations 
 elected ten members to the joint Board of Managers which controls 
 the Hunan-Yale College of Medicine. The objects of this coopera¬ 
 tive association, which is almost entirely due to the efforts of Dr. 
 Hume and Dr. \ en, as stated in the (< Siang-Ya M agreement duly 
 ratified by the Board of Trustees in America, are as follows: 
 
 1. To maintain at Changsha a hospital for the treat¬ 
 ment of disease and one or more dispensaries for out¬ 
 patients. 
 
 2. To maintain a medical school whose curriculum shall 
 
 24 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 be determined after careful study of the regulations 
 of the Board of Education; and to request the Board 
 of Education to depute inspectors to examine the 
 standards adopted. 
 
 3. To maintain a School of Nursing for instruction in 
 the art of nursing; and in connection therewith, to 
 maintain a department of Obstetrics. 
 
 4. To maintain a laboratory for the investigation of 
 the cause of disease. 
 
 Under this agreement the Hunan Yii-ch c iin Educational Associa¬ 
 tion was to erect a medical school building and a nursing 
 school building, one unit of the first of which has already been 
 completed, and to meet the running expenses of the medical and 
 nursing schools up to a total not exceeding $50,000 Mexican a 
 year, while the Yale Mission undertook to erect the hospital, 
 which as it stands today is the most complete in China outside of 
 Peking and Shanghai, and to provide the salaries and expenses of 
 teachers, physicians and nurses who are graduates of western 
 universities up to a total of not to exceed fifteen persons. In gen¬ 
 eral all the expenses, except the salaries and allowances of teachers 
 and physicians who are western graduates, are met by the Asso¬ 
 ciation. The Board of Managers as constituted above has an 
 Executive Committee of seven. The agreement, which was made 
 with “the idea of permanence,” but definitely for only a ten-year 
 period, is working admirably, the only serious difficulty having 
 been due to the disturbed political conditions in Hunan, which 
 have made it impossible for the province to carry out in full its 
 financial obligations. Owing, however, to the resourcefulness of 
 Dr. Hume and Dr. Yen, and to the active cooperation of the 
 Chinese members of the Board of Management, the work has been 
 conducted without a deficit up to the present. The gentry of Hunan 
 have shown themselves true and liberal friends in the crisis. Their 
 association has secured during the year $41,080—twice as much 
 as last year—and has contributed to the running expenses 
 of Medical School, Nursing Schools and Hospital $27,985.35, 
 almost exactly half of their total cost ($ 56 , 957-58 Mexican), ex¬ 
 cluding the salaries of the American-trained staff. 
 
 The foundations of the Medical College are so sound and the 
 
 25 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 general results secured through the cooperative agreement are 
 so good, that it requires little imagination to predict that, except 
 for the China Medical Board’s splendidly equipped institution in 
 Peking, Ya-li, if advantage is fully taken of the new condi¬ 
 tional gifts, will not have to yield the palm to any other college 
 of medicine in China. 
 
 8. THE NURSING SCHOOLS 
 
 These two Schools, one for men and one for women, each pro¬ 
 vides a course of two years’ duration, the requirement for ad¬ 
 mission being approximately the same as for the Middle School, 
 namely, the completion of seven years of primary education. Be¬ 
 ginning this autumn an additional year’s work—i. e., the comple¬ 
 tion of one year in a Middle School—is to be required, with the 
 hope of ultimately demanding Middle School graduation or its 
 equivalent. It is advisable to train both men and women as the 
 social traditions of Hunan do not permit women nurses to look 
 after men patients under certain conditions. The whole future 
 of our own Hospital, and of other hospitals in China, and the 
 development of out-patient social service work depends on the 
 supply of well-trained Chinese nurses. These Schools, and the 
 one at Boone University, are the only ones of their character in 
 central China. They are being temporarily housed in the top of 
 the Hospital and in other places pending the erection of suitable 
 buildings. There is no difficulty in securing an adequate supply 
 of students, the number during the past year being 20 men and 16 
 women, in addition to 7 men and 4 women probationers. The 
 devotion and efficiency of Miss Gage in the development of these 
 nursing departments cannot be over-emphasized. Her success is 
 shown in the fact that all of the graduates, 20 in number, hold 
 good professional positions, except 4, of whom 2 are private 
 nurses, 1 a medical student and 1 a married woman caring for her 
 home. 
 
 Not only are the students in the Nursing Schools given specific 
 training for their professional work but every thing possible is 
 done, which limited facilities permit, for their physical, moral 
 and spiritual welfare. It is frankly recognized that a nurse is 
 more efficient if she understands the teachings of Christianity and 
 approaches her work in the spirit of Christian service, but here as 
 
 / 26 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 in all the other departments of Ya-li there is no compulsion or 
 undue pressure brought to bear upon students in matters of re¬ 
 ligion. 
 
 9. THE HOSPITAL 
 
 The Hospital was, at the time of our visit, in many ways the 
 most interesting place in Changsha. In addition to sixty ward pa¬ 
 tients there were a few private room patients, and the doctors were 
 taking in constantly soldiers wounded in the fighting between the 
 Northern and Southern troops. They also looked after the 
 Red Cross hospital and the sick and wounded left behind by the 
 retreating Northern army. Every part of the building not abso¬ 
 lutely needed for the care of the sick was occupied by women and 
 children refugees from the city who were anxious to have the 
 protection which the American flag and Ya-li’s position afforded, 
 and were willing to pay a small daily charge for the privilege of 
 living on the premises. 
 
 The building is of permanent modern construction and ad¬ 
 mirably designed. The only serious defect seemed to be that the 
 kitchen in the basement is gloomy and entirely inadequate. This 
 was due to economies made necessary by high war prices when 
 the Hospital was being completed. Some day a new kitchen in a 
 separate service building, probably between the two main wings, 
 will have to be built. There will also have to be more adequate 
 accommodations for dispensary patients. Each year has shown 
 improvement in the routine administration of the Hospital, 
 which through the efforts of Doctors Yen, Branch and Hadden, 
 and of Mr. Dunham, is now more efficiently conducted than ever 
 in the past, but is still suffering because of the shortage of 
 western-trained nurses, the inadequacy of surgical and other 
 equipment, the absence of certain specialists such as a dentist and 
 an opthalmologist, and the fact that dumb waiters and certain 
 other desirable features of the original plan have not been pro¬ 
 vided owing to the expense involved. I am glad to report, how¬ 
 ever, that by the generosity of the donor of the building, Mr. 
 Edward S. Harkness, the defects should be largely removed in 
 the course of the coming year. The general plan of the building, 
 and arrangement of wards, offices, etc., seem to be admirable. The 
 principal criticism heard was that during the past winter the 
 
 27 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 wards had been often very cold owing to the inability to provide 
 adequate coal because of its high cost under war-time conditions 
 and the disturbed situation in the province. 
 
 On entering the building one is impressed by the'votive tablets 
 hung up in the main hallway as gifts of distinguished citizens 
 who have wished to show their appreciation of the Hospital’s 
 services. Two of the former Governors of Hunan/and the recent 
 Chief of Police of the city, are among others who have in this way 
 expressed their sympathy with what Ya-li is doing. The extent 
 and genuineness of this appreciation was further manifest at the 
 dinner given to us by the gentry of Hunan who are helping to 
 maintain the Hospital, and in many personal conversations. 
 
 The Hospital’s finances, with its present inadequate staff and 
 equipment, are not discouraging, thanks to economical manage¬ 
 ment. It has no deficit. Except for the salaries of the American- 
 trained staff of the Medical and Nursing Schools it receives noth¬ 
 ing from the Ya-li treasury. Fees and the Hunan subscriptions 
 meet the major part of its routine running expenses. 
 
 The staff includes io doctors and internes, 63 nurses, (of whom 
 most are however in process of rather elementary training), 17 
 non-medical workers (including Evangelists) and 51 servants— 
 quite a complex but smooth-running organization. This staff 
 during the year ending May 30, 1920, attended to the largest 
 service in its history, namely 1,438 in-patients (301 being in 
 private rooms), and 27,757 out-patients. The total number of 
 hospital days was 21,324. The in-patients are of all classes, mer¬ 
 chants leading with 667, followed in turn by soldiers 355 (an 
 unduly large number owing to disturbed conditions), scholars 
 209, manual workers 185, and farmers 22. Medical cases were 
 771 in number, surgical 464, eye 107, genito-urinary 73, obstetri¬ 
 cal 23. 
 
 Such is the Ya-li Hospital. It is not too much to say that it is the 
 most important philanthropic institution in the large province of 
 Hunan. Its very existence is a symbol of the new day. It cares for 
 the sick, provides a laboratory for the study of disease, and affords 
 the means of teaching the doctors for the central China of the 
 future. It is little wonder that the people of all parties flocked to it 
 for protection when the city was disturbed by rival .armies. 
 
 28 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 io. THE LIFE OF YA-LI 
 
 The Ya-li group is now sufficiently large to give its members a 
 helpful and agreeable community life. With an American staff of 
 over twenty members, a foreign-educated Chinese staff of half the 
 same number, a group of thirty-five Faculty children, and some 
 three hundred picked Chinese youth, the basis of a very interest¬ 
 ing and natural social life is afforded. To these must be added 
 missionary and merchant families outside of the Ya-li Campus 
 with many of whom the relations are intimate. The Tyngs of the 
 Episcopal Mission, the Warrens of the Wesleyan Mission, the 
 Kellers, a Yale family, of the Los Angeles Bible Institute, the 
 Lingles of the Presbyterian Mission, Miss Hasenpflug of the 
 United Evangelical Mission, the Gottebergs of the Norwegian 
 Mission (who were unfortunately for us absent at the time of 
 our visit), and many others, have pleasant homes and interchange 
 courtesies with our families. The same is true of some of the 
 homes of the Chinese gentry, especially those who are connected 
 with the Medical School Board. It is interesting in this connection 
 to call to mind that a good friend of Ya-li, and a person in 
 whose work our Faculty is much interested is Miss Tseng, who has 
 started a girls’ school under Christian influences. She is a grand¬ 
 daughter of Marquis Tseng, one of the most distinguished Chinese 
 statesmen of the last generation, and was educated at the Uni¬ 
 versity of London. She has dedicated the grounds of her ancestral 
 temple to her work, which may well develop into a women s 
 college. Her school is of importance to \ a-li as it is educating 
 the daughters of the Hunan gentry, and incidentally providing 
 some excellent wives for our students! 
 
 The British and American consuls, the heads of the few foreign 
 firms, the representatives of the Customs and the Post Office, and 
 the officers of visiting British and American gunboats add variety 
 and interest to Changsha life. In all it is a limited but agreeable 
 society, and each summer there is the opportunity for broader 
 contacts at the two Hill Stations of Ruling and ICikungshan. Most 
 of the members of our staff, who can afford it, go to the former as 
 the change in climate is slightly greater, and there is a larger 
 opportunity to meet pleasantly with non-missionary as well as 
 missionary groups. Kikungshan is a newer settlement, north of 
 
 29 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 Hankow, more easily accessible, and less expensive. The principle 
 disadvantage here is that the missionary and non-missionary 
 communities are rather sharply separated. 
 
 During my visit at Changsha the Missionary Association met 
 at Ya-li bringing together the representatives of the different 
 Protestant missionary societies of the community. I was also glad 
 to notice members of some of the Missions and of the business 
 firms at the English service in the Atterbury Chapel on Sunday 
 afternoon. Mrs. Lownds, whose husband is at the head of the 
 Asiatic Petroleum Company, has been especially helpful in de¬ 
 veloping the music at these services. On Saturday afternoon there 
 was a baseball game on the Ya-li Athletic Field between the 
 foreign residents and the crew of the American gunboat on the 
 river. Half of the Changsha team was made up of members of 
 the Ya-li faculty, and they gave the Navy boys, who were a sturdy 
 lot, a thorough thrashing. The one-year bachelors add much to 
 our athletic resources, as their presence and their “mess” do to 
 the social life of the institution. They are in demand for oc¬ 
 casional picnics, especially to Yolosan, for walks in the country, 
 tennis games on the Faculty court or on the Island, and also 
 for small dinners and teas. Everything is done very simply 
 and naturally. Such occasions are to be looked upon as adding 
 pleasure and helpful contacts to the life at Changsha. They are 
 kept well in bounds and are not allowed to distract from more 
 serious duties. 
 
 The Governing Board has recently appointed a Religious Work 
 Committee to consider ways in which the spiritual life of Ya-li 
 and of the other missions can be advanced. The importance of 
 keeping the students and members of the Faculty in touch with 
 their own churches is fully realized. Our work is to aid all the 
 missionary societies; not to take their place or to set up an inde¬ 
 pendent church. There are, however, many ways in which the 
 Chapel can serve the religious life of the Campus and community. 
 I suggested that the Yale precedent of monthly corporate com¬ 
 munion services might well be followed. 
 
 The Faculty homes are frequently open to the Chinese students, 
 a matter of importance, for there is no way in which the ideals 
 of Christian service can be better taught than by giving an 
 object lesson of what the Christian religion naturally develops in 
 
 30 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 home life. Chinese students also greatly enjoy their own tea 
 parties and meetings. They provide their music and often get 
 up delightful entertainments, in these and other ways showing 
 that the points of resemblance in student life the world over are 
 many and close. 
 
 ii. THE INFLUENCE OF YA-LI 
 
 The influence of Ya-li is manifold. On the educational side it 
 has been of the greatest service to the leaders of public education 
 in Hunan, where Dean Gage is regarded as the leading educa¬ 
 tional authority in so far as western learning is concerned. The 
 College is also the capstone of the system of education under 
 Christian influences in the province, the mission schools of all 
 
 Protestant denominations sending their boys to Ya-li for their 
 
 ■ 
 
 higher education. There will perhaps some day be a provincial 
 university conducted by the government, but even then the private 
 institution will be as valuable in trying educational experiments, 
 and in standing for culture and character as it has been in our 
 western states. In the meantime it supplies the young men of 
 the province with their only opportunity for higher academic and 
 medical education of a modern type. A significant example of its 
 influence in the community is the elementary school founded, 
 conducted and supported by the College Y. M. C. A. Here poor 
 children of the neighborhood learn the rudiments of education by 
 modern methods, and get that start in life which will undoubtedly 
 lead some of them in future years to Ya-li. Teachers—thirty-two 
 in number—are entirely Ya-li students who contribute their 
 time without cost and entirely out of the spirit of public service. 
 An annual concert provides most of the money needed to finance 
 the school. The Association also conducts a night school and a 
 Sunday afternoon service for employees of the Mission. 
 
 On the religious side it is a factor working for unity and 
 breadth. The Ya-li Chapel is the recognized place for the most 
 important religious services of an interdenominational character, 
 and the members of the Faculty are leaders in all movements 
 which have to do with the coordination of missionary work. The 
 College itself is not a propaganda agency in the ordinary accept¬ 
 ance of the term. It is a Christian institution, with its chapel serv¬ 
 ices, its emphasis on moral principles, and its requirement of a 
 
 31 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 study of the Bible as necessary for the understanding of Christian 
 truth and Christian civilization. All the members of the Govern¬ 
 ing Board are earnest Christian men, and some of them are most 
 acceptable preachers. 
 
 On the public service side Ya-li’s influence has been important. 
 The most striking single fact has been the cooperation with the 
 Chinese secured in medical education through the Siang-Ya 
 agreement. This is declared by competent authorities to be tne 
 most successful case of educational cooperation between Chinese 
 and foreigners. There is no place where the gentry have shown 
 more appreciation of the work of a Christian educational 
 institution. It is almost as natural today for the sons of leading 
 citizens of Changsha to send their boys to Ya-li as it is for the 
 leading citizens of New Haven to send their boys to Yale. 
 
 Ya-li has taken the lead in organizing Red Cross activities, 
 tuberculosis and public-health work, modern forestry develop¬ 
 ment, care of the sick, and in many other ways. 
 
 12. GROWTH AND RESOURCES OF YA-LI 
 I was impressed with the material development of the institu¬ 
 tion and its business administration. The Campus of Y a-li, al¬ 
 though greatly needing enlargement, is on the best site that 
 could have been secured. The general plan and layout of the 
 buildings are admirable, and everything on the business, admin¬ 
 istrative, and upkeep side, is well attended to. It would be im¬ 
 possible to find a more competent Treasurer than Mr. Leavens, 
 and Mr. Harvey has assumed with marked success, in addition to 
 his teaching, the burden of supervising the construction of build¬ 
 ings and attending to the care of the property. Graduates may 
 feel that not a cent of money which goes to Changsha is wasted, 
 and that all of the buildings are carefully designed, placed, 
 and constructed, with due regard to the general plans of Messrs. 
 Murphy and Dana. 
 
 It was only in 1902 that the Yale Foreign Missionary Society 
 was organized and Lawrence Thurston, 98, sent out as its first 
 representative. In 1903 the first conference of Protestant Missions 
 in Hunan invited the Yale Mission to Changsha to undertake the 
 work of providing an institution of higher education for the 
 Province. In 1904 the first representative of Ya-li, Gage, ’98, and 
 
 32 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 Mrs. Gage reached Changsha with Professor and Mrs. Beach, to 
 make a survey of the situation, while the following year Gage and 
 Seabury, ’oo, took up their residence in the City, and Dr. Hume, 
 ’97, reached China. In 1908 the temporary hospital was opened. 
 In 1910 Dr. Yen, the first of our American-trained Chinese, joined 
 the staff. In 1912 the first class of three men graduated from the 
 collegiate school. In 1914 the College of Arts and Sciences was 
 opened and the Hunan-Yale plan for cooperation in medical edu¬ 
 cation was formed. In 1916 the first buildings on the present 
 Campus were completed. In 1918 the new Hospital was finished, 
 and in 1919 Yale-in-China was given power to grant degrees by 
 the Connecticut Legislature. 
 
 Such, in brief, is the history of the institution as outlined in Mr. 
 Leavens’ excellent “Graphic Story of Yale-in-China.” During 
 the past year it had a total enrollment of three hundred and seven 
 students. It owns real estate and buildings in Changsha repre¬ 
 senting an investment of about three-quarters of a million dollars 
 free from mortgage. Of this amount the Hospital and the land 
 upon which it is built represent a little over half—about four 
 hundred thousand dollars. The Society has accumulated no debt 
 except for about nine thousand dollars, entirely due to the bad 
 rates of exchange during the war. It owns thirty acres of proper¬ 
 ty in the best location near Changsha, a building in the city 
 now rented by the Y. M. C. A., a second lot in the city used 
 for the Pre-medical School, and in addition a tract of land a 
 few miles from the city, which is being used as a forestry station, 
 and is a place to which graves can be removed from property 
 bought in the immediate neighborhood of the Campus and needed 
 for the purpose of development. There are ten permanent build¬ 
 ings, and eleven bungalows, each of which should be good for at 
 least a generation’s service, and several other temporary buildings. 
 
 Ya-li has been carried through the financial difficulties of the 
 world war with the heavy extra burden due to theenormous change 
 in the cost of silver (whose total fluctuation was from 48 cents an 
 ounce in the early days of the war to a maximum of $i-37> ^ ast 
 winter) with less serious results than might have been expected. 
 As the salaries of our American staff are paid in gold and mostly 
 spent in silver, and as the cost of all supplies and labor has greatly 
 increased, the need of largely augmenting our budget for salary 
 
 33 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 payments was obvious. This was a heavy burden on the trustees, 
 and the months prior to the increase of salaries were equally hard 
 ones financially for the members of the Mission who are to be com¬ 
 mended for the spirit with which they met a difficult and trying 
 situation. In round figures the entire Ya-li budget is now about 
 $125,000 a year for running expenses, of which forty per cent is 
 provided from subscriptions, grants and fees in China. When new 
 money has been secured to meet the conditional gifts recently 
 made this total budget will be increased to over $200,000. 
 
 The Mission has secured generous subscriptions from its friends 
 in America during the past year of $55,827.94 gold, in addition 
 to gifts for buildings and special objects such as the sum of about 
 $20,000 received from the China Medical Board. There should 
 be added to this $54,500 Mexican, approximately equivalent to 
 the same amount in gold under the average exchange of the 
 period, secured in China during the year for fees from tuition, 
 medical treatment, local subscriptions, and the grant from the 
 Hunan Government. The full amount of this annual grant 
 ($50,000 Mexican) has not been received during the past two 
 years owing to the disturbed political situation, but enough has 
 been secured to meet the running expenses and to build the first 
 building for the Medical School. It is believed that with the re¬ 
 tirement of the Northern troops under General Chang, the pro¬ 
 vincial conditions will greatly improve. Competent observers are 
 confident that the grants of future years will be paid in full. It is 
 gratifying to note that tuition receipts are steadily increasing as 
 is also the income from the Hospital. During the five months 
 ending with May 1920 the latter was $11, 557 - 83 , all applicable 
 towards meeting current expenses. 
 
 It is worth noting that exclusive of the services of men on 
 furlough, the total costs of the home office for salaries, printing, 
 travel, etc., were less than $5,000, being not over 5 per cent of the 
 total amount raised in America, and of this sum a considerable 
 portion was specially given for administration expenses. It should 
 be remembered that the home office is not merely a collecting 
 agency for funds but a bureau for recruiting teachers, securing 
 supplies, providing publicity, and conducting all the important 
 business of the Trustees. Under these circumstances it is inevitable 
 
 34 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 that its staff and budget will have to be increased actually if not 
 relatively in the near future. 
 
 These figures are all gratifying, but Ya-li will not be on a 
 thoroughly sound financial basis until the income of all depart¬ 
 ments is increased and some large gifts secured for endowment. 
 
 13. THE POLICY OF YA-LI 
 
 1. General Policy. It is essential that the Trustees adopt a 
 more definite policy for development than has been possible in 
 the past. This should include at least six features: 
 
 (1) The completion of a well-rounded College of the 
 Arts and Sciences. 
 
 (2) The placing of medical education on the highest 
 level of efficiency. 
 
 (3) The development of work in engineering. 
 
 (4) The determination to build up a Christian institu¬ 
 tion of higher education that will fit so perfectly into 
 the needs of China that its management may ulti¬ 
 mately be transferred mainly to the Chinese them¬ 
 selves. It is impossible to suggest a date when such 
 a transfer may be made. It will depend on the char¬ 
 acter and ability shown by graduates of Ya-li, the 
 increase of educational and financial interest of the 
 Chinese themselves in the undertaking, the creation 
 of a Christian constituency sufficiently large and 
 influential to maintain the traditions of the institu¬ 
 tion, and the stability of China. Perhaps these con¬ 
 ditions will be brought about in half a century. 
 
 (3) The determination to continue to practice economy 
 by keeping expenses within the limits of the income 
 which can be safely counted upon. Provost Williston 
 Walker, the competent chairman of our Finance 
 Committee, is right in laying emphasis on this 
 policy. 
 
 (6) Cooperation with other institutions. This is so im¬ 
 portant that I will deal with it in a separate section. 
 
 2. Cooperation. Ya-li cannot develop adequately without active 
 and adequately credited cooperation with other institutions and 
 societies. There are precedents for four kinds of cooperation: 
 
 35 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 (1) Chinese. What the government and gentry of Hunan 
 and individual Hunanese have done should be considered as 
 but the beginnings of local cooperation and support. We hope 
 and believe that there will be endowments, gifts and buildings 
 in increasing number erected by alumni and other repiesenta- 
 tives of the people for whom the work is conducted, and that 
 the present Siang-Ya agreement for medical education, with 
 such modifications as experience may dictate, may form the 
 
 basis of a permanent arrangement. 
 
 (2) Colleges. What Hamilton College is doing through 
 the support of an instructor at Ya-li could be done by the 
 alumni and students of other colleges and universities which 
 have not the means to support a separate institution. The 
 plan of having Exchange Professors with American colleges, 
 and Visiting Professors on sabbatical leave should be encour¬ 
 aged. Professor John Rice of Williams College was a wel¬ 
 come visitor and a helpful Faculty colleague last winter. 
 
 (3) Missions. What the English Wesleyans are doing 
 through the support of a member of Ya-li’s medical staff 
 could probably be arranged with the Episcopalian and other 
 
 missionary societies in Hunan.* 
 
 (4) Foundations. What the China Medical Board and the 
 
 Commonwealth Corporation are doing to make our work of 
 medical education possible should be followed by other Foun¬ 
 dations on the medical and collegiate sides. 
 
 It is only when each of these forms of cooperation has been 
 developed that Ya-li can realize fully its opportunity for service 
 
 in China. 
 
 *The following is a copy of the invitation extended by a conference of the 
 
 missionaries of ten societies laboring in the Province of Hunan, convened at 
 
 Changsha from June 19 to 21 , 1903: ........ . fVlo v 1 
 
 “Resolved: That the Conference extends a cordial invitation to the \ ale 
 University Mission to establish an educational center in Changsha, it 
 recommends the societies working in Hunan to entrust the higher education 
 in the Province in Science, Arts and Medicine to this Mission, and also to 
 work as far as possible in primary education on lines that conform to the 
 plan of higher education that might be adopted by the \ ale University 
 Mission The Conference would also recommend the Missions to consider 
 the question of entrusting theological education to Yale University Mission 
 but does not feel able to give any indication of what the result of such 
 consideration will be. The Conference heartily welcomes the prospect ot 
 having University Extension and special work for the Literati carried on 
 
 in Hunan.” 
 
 36 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 It is not impossible that all of the above forms of cooperation 
 can be combined. Dr. Hume has suggested that Yale-in-China 
 should develop into an American University Mission in China, 
 and there is much to commend the suggestion. Under this plan 
 Ya-li as the College of Arts and Sciences would continue to be 
 supported and conducted by the graduates of Yale, the Medical 
 School could remain a joint enterprise in which the Hunan 
 gentry and Yale shared, as well as, perhaps, the Johns .Hopkins 
 University or some other institution with a strong medical 
 constituency. A great school of technology like Massachusetts 
 Institute or Cornell might support and conduct the much-needed 
 Engineering School, which would bear its name and be as much 
 its work as Ya-li is Yale’s work. Other colleges might come in, 
 supporting other departments or schools named after them, but 
 all part of the all-embracing University, which would require a 
 Board of Trustees representative of the different cooperating 
 institutions. It is possible that the various missionary societies 
 might help in the support of a Union Theological School, and 
 that some Foundation might establish a laboratory, or a particular 
 department of work. 
 
 The plan proposed for consideration has some features in 
 common with that suggested about ten years ago by Lord William 
 Cecil. But it has certain marked differences. His university was 
 to be in Hankow, was to consist largely of different denomina¬ 
 tional colleges, and was to be under joint British and American 
 control. It had much to commend it, but it did not prove to be a 
 feasible plan, partly because it necessitated the removal of Ya-li 
 from Changsha to Hankow. A precedent for university coopera¬ 
 tion which has been more encouraging is that of St. John’s Uni¬ 
 versity, whose medical department is known as the “University 
 of Pennsylvania Medical School,” because of its support by the 
 graduates of that institution. 
 
 We now have in Ya-li a well-established College which all the 
 Protestant Missions of the province have formally agreed to 
 adopt as the institution for the higher education of their boys. 
 There is also the important help that comes from Hunan and 
 from a number of cooperating agencies. Hamilton College sup¬ 
 ports Mr. Hamlin, a most useful member of our staff. The British 
 Wesleyans support their representative in our Hospital. The China 
 
 37 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 Medical Board, established by Mr. Rockefeller, provides half the 
 support for our Pre-medical School. The Commonwealth Corpo¬ 
 ration, established by the Harkness family, provides a large part 
 of the budget for the Medical College, while several colleges have 
 made inquiries as to other forms of cooperation. The problem of 
 how cooperation is to be effected in the wisest way seems to me 
 to be perhaps the largest problem of policy before our Board of 
 Trustees 
 
 As I have thought over this cooperative idea, which has never 
 been formally discussed in our Board of Trustees, it has seemed 
 to me full of possibilities, especially in view of the successful ex¬ 
 perience of the American University Union in Europe. During 
 the war this had an organization that was almost the exact pro¬ 
 totype of the one here proposed, and it had an origin similar to 
 Ya-li. It started with the Yale Bureau in Paris; then the Massa¬ 
 chusetts Institute of Technology suggested that it start another 
 bureau in cooperation with Yale, and little by little the plan of 
 an all-embracing American University Union was worked out, 
 each institution, however, conducting and supporting its own 
 bureau with its own men, but all subject to the general regulations 
 of a Board of Trustees representing different universities and 
 colleges in different sections of the country. Some would doubt¬ 
 less object to such a broad enterprise on the ground that Yale 
 might get less credit from it than from a separate undertaking, 
 but with this argument I have little sympathy. Yale has already 
 gained a great reputation from its pioneer work in the field of 
 higher education in China. It would continue to be exclusively 
 responsible for the College of Arts and Sciences, and to cooperate 
 in the work of other departments, such as Medicine, but the form 
 of organization proposed would enable the “Yale Mission” to 
 develop into an institution far more influential, far more ade¬ 
 quately supported than would be possible if all the work were 
 developed under a single American university. Furthermore in 
 the long run it might be better for China and better for Yale. The 
 needs of an adequate Christian University for central China are 
 so many and so large that they cannot be met by the graduates of 
 a single American institution. Hence the need of considering some 
 larger plan built on the Yale foundation. 
 
 That Ya-li will “lose its life to save it” in some such way as 
 
 38 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 this I have no doubt; and then at some distant day, there will 
 come the final transformation—when the entire undertaking can 
 be handed over largely, and perhaps ultimately entirely, to the 
 support and direction of a Board of Trustees of its own Chinese 
 graduates. When that day comes and Ya-li and its affiliated 
 Schools and Departments are strong enough to be cut loose offi¬ 
 cially from the Yale connection, there will be cause for profound 
 thanksgiving, and the spirit of the old institution in America 
 which created the new institution in China will find other outlets 
 for its beneficent idealism and desire for public service. 
 
 3. Trustees and Officers. The problems of educational policy, 
 finance and personnel are becoming so many and so important 
 that the Board of Trustees must be strengthened. It must command 
 the services of men of the same breadth of view and willingness 
 to give their time to its work as does the Yale University Corpora¬ 
 tion. With this end in mind it is probable that the Trustees’ meet¬ 
 ings should be held alternately in New York and New Haven to 
 suit the convenience of men living in or near the former city. 
 
 As Dr. Hume is so much needed in Changsha it would not be 
 right to continue him long in the position of Executive Secretary, 
 in which he is now rendering such important service. The Trus¬ 
 tees should find in the near future some Yale graduate of marked 
 ability as his successor. He should be able to carry the burdens of 
 the home office, to lead in securing personnel, subscriptions, pub¬ 
 licity and cooperation, and to represent the Trustees in various 
 conferences. He must be a man in deep sympathy with the Mis¬ 
 sion’s Christian ideals and with its broad educational purposes. 
 Here is an opportunity of real significance for vital service which 
 should appeal to the type of man sought after by the most rep¬ 
 resentative Missionary Boards and Philanthropic Foundations 
 for the positions of Executive Secretary or Educational Director. 
 It will probably be necessary to pay such a man a relatively large 
 salary—perhaps four or five thousand dollars—but the invest¬ 
 ment would be well worth while, and it is not impossible that one 
 or two friends of Ya-li could be found to finance it for a few years. 
 
 The time cannot long be postponed when the Trustees must 
 face seriously the problem of electing a President, whose 
 major task will be to coordinate the work of Ya-li’s different de¬ 
 partments and to advance the interests of the institution as a 
 
 39 
 
 « 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 whole. These tasks are at present attended to in a measure by the 
 Chairman of the Governing Board, but the powers granted him 
 are limited. If and when the Yale Mission develops into a large 
 cooperative enterprise involving separately supported schools, a 
 President will be a necessity. Furthermore the functions of the 
 Executive Secretary and Treasurer should be separated and the 
 former released for all the field work he may find necessary. The 
 recent appointment of Miss Dowd by the Trustees to conduct the 
 routine work of the office should prove most helpful. 
 
 4. Encouragement of Research. The time has come when suf¬ 
 ficient teachers and clerical assistance should be employed to give 
 those members of our staff who are specially qualified the oppor¬ 
 tunity for research and publication in fields of educational sig¬ 
 nificance. The beginnings have been made by Mr. Gage’s book on 
 the study of English, which has been widely adopted in China, 
 Miss Gage’s manual in Chinese on Bacteriology, Mr. Zee’s text¬ 
 books in Chemistry, and Dr. Yen’s and Dr. Hume’s scientific 
 papers. Mr. Harvey has made original researches in Chinese So¬ 
 ciology and Mr. Hail in Chinese History; and Dr. Latourette, 
 who had to retire from the Mission because of ill-health, and has 
 recently been elected to the Professorship of Missions at Yale Uni¬ 
 versity, has published important books on the history of the Far 
 East including “The Development of China” and “The Develop¬ 
 ment of Japan.” Other members of the Faculty have also written 
 occasional papers and articles, but the total literary and scientific 
 product of Ya-li is still relatively small. There are fields of in¬ 
 vestigation such as Chinese Medicine, Chinese Folklore, Chinese 
 Psychology, Chinese Literature and Art, Industrial Chemistry 
 as applied to Chinese problems, Reforestation, etc., etc., that are 
 most promising. 
 
 5. Salary Readjustments. The salaries paid our staff prior to 
 the war were small, but under the circumstances suitable. The 
 basal salary of $800 gold for a bachelor and $1200 for a married 
 man, with allowances for insurance, rent, summer change, and 
 children, and with provision for medical attendance, were as 
 high as those paid by any other missionary society, and when one 
 gold dollar purchased two silver dollars in China no complaint 
 was heard. But when, during the war, the silver dollar rose to par 
 with gold, its purchasing power was about cut in two, so the Ya-li 
 
 40 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 Trustees, in common with other similar missionary societies, 
 doubled payments with the purpose of providing equivalent com¬ 
 forts. This new basis should have been maintained until the rate 
 of exchange was again stabilized, when further readjustments 
 will have to be made. The so-called “cut” of last winter, which 
 reduced several of the “allowances” temporarily without ade¬ 
 quate warning, worked hardship in some cases. The Trustees have 
 fortunately restored the old rate, but they should make their 
 action retroactive. There must be a small margin provided over 
 the necessary costs of actual living, for books and charities, pio- 
 vision for old age, simple pleasures and other desiderata. I have 
 collected figures from different Changsha housekeepers which 
 show that recently they have had tp sacrifice efficiency to an over¬ 
 stern economy. 
 
 In this connection there should be a readjustment of the salary 
 basis. Under the present plan the years of service play no part in 
 determining a man’s salary, and no member of the staff, no matter 
 how able he may be, can expect any increase of salary over the 
 amount that he originally receives, except as allowances come to 
 him when he gets married and as he has children. It is believed 
 that the salary basis should be modified so as to provide for slight 
 increases after each regular furlough period, up to a given maxi¬ 
 mum. It is also necessary that salaries of members of the staff 
 when on leave in America should be increased. 
 
 14. THE NEEDS OF YA -LI 
 
 Although the development of the institution during the eighteen 
 years since its foundation has been most encouraging there are 
 still pressing needs. I shall not try to catalog all of these but will 
 merely mention some which seem to me, as a result of my visit to 
 Changsha, to be of special importance. Some minor needs and 
 some recommendations which affect matters of personnel, salaiies, 
 and relations between the Trustees and the Mission are referred 
 to in a separate confidential memorandum. 
 
 (1) Institution as a Whole. 
 
 1. Endowment. First in the list of needs must be placed general 
 endowment. The institution is existing almost entirely on gifts 
 to income—a dangerous condition. A few small bequests and gifts 
 
 41 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 totaling $10,392.28, almost equally divided between general 
 endowment, memorial bed and insurance funds, form the only 
 endowment of an institution whose budget last year required the 
 raising from various sources in America and China of about 
 $100,000 for running expenses, in addition to fees for tuition, 
 medical service, etc. Ya-li will not be on a permanently sound 
 basis until some of those who are contributing the most regularly 
 and generously to its support capitalize their annual gifts. As a 
 result of persistent effort by the Trustees under the leadership 
 of Mr. Clarence H. Kelsey, the President of the Society, of Pro¬ 
 fessor Williams, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and of 
 the three graduates who have successively held the position of 
 Executive Secretary, namely, Professor Reed, Dr. Sallmon and 
 Mr. Wilder, the list of annual contributors has been built up to a 
 total of nine hundred names. The number should be doubled this 
 year, and, what is of more importance, a substantial permanent 
 fund should be secured to give the institution financial stability. 
 Ya-li is no longer an experiment: its friends should show their 
 confidence in its future by gifts and bequests to its endowment. 
 A movement to accomplish this object must and can be conducted 
 so as not to interfere in any way with the University’s Endow¬ 
 ment and Alumni Fund campaigns, the history of recent years 
 having shown that Ya-li’s supporters are among the most generous 
 friends of Yale University. Their desire to aid the mother institu¬ 
 tion is increased as they realize the extent of her indirect con¬ 
 tribution through Ya-li towards China’s regeneration, and the 
 reflex influence for good of this upon Christian and public service 
 ideals in New Haven. 
 
 2. Recruits. Now that the war is over and that the exchange rate 
 has become more favorable, everything possible should be done 
 to increase the number of qualified men and women sent to Ya-li. 
 The institution is becoming so large that if the necessary expenses 
 can be met, almost any talents, knowledge and ability can be put 
 to good account, provided a candidate has good health, breadth 
 of view and high ideals of Christian service. It is essential, how¬ 
 ever, that in the teaching positions only those men should be 
 chosen who are fitted for special branches, for it must be re¬ 
 membered that the days when we merely conducted a boy’s school 
 have passed. We now have a College of Arts and Sciences and a 
 
 42 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 Medical College, and slowly but surely the institution is being 
 transformed into a university. I can think of no place in the world 
 where a man with a gift for teaching and a desire to serve his 
 fellows can invest his life with larger promise of usefulness. The 
 type of man we should seek cannot be better described than in the 
 words of the late President Bliss of the Syrian Protestant College 
 in his remarkable recent article on “The Modern Missionary” in 
 the May “Atlantic.” He appeals for “men of intellectual, social 
 and apostolic power: godly men, world men, modern men, re¬ 
 sourceful men, moulders of civilization, who can get abreast of the 
 width of the opportunity in these coming days of reconstruction 
 in the world—men worthy of the weighty and glorious responsi¬ 
 bility lying before them.” 
 
 3. Teachers for American Children. There is no public or pri¬ 
 vate local school which Faculty children can attend, and the 
 Trustees in the past have made no provision for their instruction. 
 Consequently the teaching of the children has had to be attended 
 to partly by the mothers of the Mission, partly by teachers en¬ 
 gaged and paid for by them. This seems to me a very unsatisfac¬ 
 tory arrangement. The Trustees should promptly secure funds so 
 as to add to the budget the service of certainly one and probably 
 two qualified teachers, so that children may be kept at the Mission 
 at Changsha through the elementary and middle grades at least up 
 to the beginning of High School studies, when it is possible for 
 them to be sent to America or to go to the American School in 
 Shanghai. The Ya-li Faculty School might well develop into a 
 model training school of great service in the teaching of students 
 of education in the College. 
 
 4. Land Purchases. It is essential for the future development of 
 the institution that additional land should be purchased. Prices 
 will undoubtedly go up in the near future as conditions in Hunan 
 become stabilized, and as the railroad to Hankow, which is within 
 200 yards of the College, gets into good working order. One 
 hundred thousand dollars is immediately needed for this purpose; 
 more could be profitably spent. Mr. Harkness has generously 
 provided $50,000 to purchase land for the expansion and pro¬ 
 tection of the Medical College. It is hoped that some donor will 
 do the same for the College of Arts and Sciences. 
 
 5. Library. In addition to the Seabury Memorial Fund of 
 
 43 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 $10,000 already secured, $50,000 is needed. Nothing would do 
 more to add a higher intellectual note to Ya-li than the construc¬ 
 tion of this much-needed library building. One of the few things 
 connected with my visit to Changsha which came as an unpleasant 
 surprise was to find that our College Library included less than 
 2,000 volumes, and that it was merely housed in one room of a 
 temporary lecture building. The needs of the more advanced 
 college students would not be met were it not for the excellent 
 private libraries of Dean Gage and others. Many important Chi¬ 
 nese books and manuscripts have been promised by local gentry, 
 and gifts from America are assured, when a satisfactory fireproof 
 building is constructed. It would be difficult to find a more ap¬ 
 propriate memorial than this. But the sending over of books 
 should not await the securing of the Library building. Some 
 graduate should, for instance, be found who would meet the ex¬ 
 pense of subscribing to all Yale University Press publications, 
 thus aiding at the same time what are probably the two most 
 significant Yale graduate movements of modern times. Other 
 suitable books—old and new—will be welcome, and may be sent 
 to the New Haven office for shipment, but as freight charges are 
 high and as we want the Chinese to escape our past errors, would- 
 be donors with attics full of old-time polemical theology are asked 
 to use due restraint! 
 
 6. New Residences. These are greatly needed to provide for 
 the normal increase in staff in future years. It is especially im¬ 
 portant that there should be a house or bungalow for a visiting 
 professor. The precedent established this year by which Pro¬ 
 fessor Rice of Williams College spent half his sabbatical year at 
 Changsha should be continued, but this cannot be done in the 
 future unless a furnished building is provided. A permanent 
 residence costs about $9,000, a bungalow $3,500 under existing 
 conditions. 
 
 7. Scholarships. It would be a stimulus to students in the 
 College and the Medical School if a few prize scholarships could 
 be endowed which would help enable the best students to pursue 
 graduate work at Yale University. These should be endowed at 
 at least $10,000 so as to provide $500 a year. 
 
 8. Stenographers. The members of the Mission staff holding 
 administrative positions at present have to spend too much time in 
 
 44 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 doing their own clerical work. One secretary-stenographer for the 
 College and another for the Medical College are highly desirable 
 in the interest of efficiency. 
 
 9. Superintendent Engineer. The grounds and buildings of 
 Ya-li are now sufficiently extensive to make the services of a 
 superintendent with engineering training highly desirable. Such 
 an appointment would relieve Mr. Harvey, Mr. Powell and Mr. 
 Smith of much time which should be devoted to teaching and 
 research, and would be a further assurance that future buildings 
 would be carefully constructed with the utmost economy and 
 efficiency. 
 
 (2) College of Arts and Sciences. 
 
 1. Special Teachers for Physics, English, Education and Re¬ 
 ligious Education. At present the English instruction is mostly in 
 the hands of the one-year men, who do good service, but need the 
 direction of an expert teacher of the English language well 
 trained in Phonetics, who should devote his entire time to organiz¬ 
 ing and directing this fundamental branch of instruction. Mr. 
 Powell, who is teaching Physics, should be freed for the develop¬ 
 ment of the work in Engineering, and Mr. Gage has so many 
 general responsibilities that he should have assistance in the vital 
 matter of training teachers. Religious education is now a subject 
 for which special preparation is necessary. 
 
 2. Permanent Educational Building. The instruction in the 
 College, other than that in the Sciences, is given in a one-story 
 temporary building which has outgrown its original purpose. A 
 new building, with a much-needed auditorium and with admin¬ 
 istrative offices, would cost $200,000. 
 
 3. New Dormitory and Dining Room. The present permanent 
 dormitory accommodates less than one-half of the students of 
 the College and preparatory schools. The building that is being 
 temporarily rented for additional dormitory puiposes is too far 
 from the College center and not permanently satisfactory. 
 
 (3) College of Medicine and Schools of Nursing. 
 
 These deserve every encouragement both on their own account 
 and because of their influence in maintaining friendly relations 
 with the community. The decision of the China Medical Board that 
 
 45 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 it cannot now carry out its original plan for developing a strong 
 Union Medical College at Shanghai places a specially heavy 
 responsibility upon us for medical education. The main needs 
 of the Medical College are: 
 
 1. Additional Professorships, such as Pathology, Pharma¬ 
 cology, Histology, Physiology, Anatomy and Ophthal¬ 
 mology. These departments are being inadequately 
 cared for. The grant of the Commonwealth Fund pro¬ 
 vides the salaries for some of them, but the maintenance 
 of even a reasonable hospital staff will only be possible 
 if the funds can be secured by meeting the China Medi¬ 
 cal Board’s generous offer made this summer, to match 
 dollar for dollar in the interest of medical education at 
 Ya-li up to the equivalent of about $40,000 gold a year 
 for five years. To secure the complete payment of this 
 conditional offer is a matter of prime importance. Now 
 that the war is over strong men can be found for the 
 vacant positions. 
 
 There are few ways in which the Hospital could 
 increase its services to the community more than by 
 the appointment of a dentist. At present foreigners 
 having serious trouble with their teeth have to go to Han¬ 
 kow, which is a long and expensive journey, while the 
 charges there are exorbitant. 
 
 2. Additional Nurses. There is no more appealing need at 
 Ya-li than that Miss Gage should be given adequate aid 
 on the nursing side. In this connection the work of Mrs. 
 Edward B. Reed who has led the movement to interest 
 Yale women in the support of our nurses, deserves every 
 encouragement. 
 
 3. Dispensary. The work of the out-patient department has 
 been growing by leaps and bounds. The present rooms 
 in the basement of the Hospital are quite inadequate for 
 this purpose and are needed for the service and storage 
 requirements of its regular work. Fortunately Mr. Hark- 
 ness has again shown his interest in the medical side of 
 Ya-li by making in a most far-sighted and characteristi¬ 
 cally generous way, an offer to contribute $25,000 to¬ 
 wards the erection of a special Dispensary building on 
 
 46 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 condition that the same amount is subscribed in Chang¬ 
 sha. I am confident that our Hunanese friends will rise to 
 this opportunity. 
 
 4. American Nurses Home. We have no suitable quarters 
 at present for the three American nurses on the Hospital 
 staff. The strain of their work is particularly heavy. 
 
 They not only have the routine care of patients, but are 
 responsible for a large part of the teaching in the Nurses’ 
 Schools, and owing to the language difficulty this latter 
 is no easy task. It would add greatly to the comfort, 
 efficiency and esprit-de-corps of our American women 
 nurses and of such American women doctors as may 
 be sent out, if a suitable residence could be provided. The 
 nurses’ homes needed for Chinese men and women can 
 probably be secured from subscriptions in Changsha, 
 while the servants’ building must be provided from some 
 source. The need of more adequate kitchen arrangements 
 at the Hospital has already been referred to. 
 
 There are many other needs. I have merely indicated those 
 which impressed me as a visitor, as of most importance. The 
 Mission has prepared detailed lists which can be secured on re¬ 
 quest of major needs, and of odds and ends required. The lattei 
 includes every kind of thing from typewriters in the middle, up 
 to a projectorscope and a moving-picture machine, which would 
 add greatly to the educational and recreational resources of the 
 institution, and down to subscriptions to individual magazines. 
 In fact Ya-li in its varied needs and activities can supply a field 
 of contact for the generosity of almost any one in the line of his 
 favorite hobby or interest. 
 
 The Trustees could prevent many of the financial difficulties 
 experienced at American Universities by adopting a geneial lule 
 that non income producing buildings should be accepted only 
 when their gift is accompanied by suitable maintenance funds. 
 If donors realized the cost of heat, light, repairs and janitor 
 service, they would be the first to see the justice of such a regula¬ 
 tion, which should be departed from only in rare cases. 
 
 47 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 
 15. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF YA-LI 
 
 I believe that there is no institution of similar character in the 
 world which is producing better results from the investment made, 
 and which can be supported with more confidence by friends of 
 higher education under Christian auspices. Ya-li is known 
 throughout China and has added greatly to the reputation of the 
 mother institution in New Haven, which happens to be better 
 known in the East than any other American University. This is 
 due largely to the fact that among the early missionaries to China 
 and Japan were many men educated at Yale, who naturally 
 urged their most promising students to go to New Haven for 
 their higher studies. The presence among these of Yung Wing, 
 ’54, who later was sent to America in charge of the first group of 
 Government students, was another important factor. 
 
 It can be seen from this report that I was deeply impressed 
 with the work of Yale in China. I know of no enterprise in the 
 Far East which is likely to contribute more directly to the estab¬ 
 lishment in China of a stable and progressive Government of the 
 republican type desired by its most enlightened citizens. Ya-li 
 cannot be looked upon as a narrow missionary undertaking. It is 
 a statesmanlike attempt to meet the higher educational needs of 
 China, by those who realize that China requires in its leaders 
 not only knowledge but character, and that this character can 
 be developed to the highest extent if based on the principles 
 of Christianity. Ya-li is entirely tolerant and appreciative of the 
 teachings of the Chinese sages and sees that they are duly pre¬ 
 sented to her students by competent Confucian scholars, but it 
 cannot be blind to the fact that in spite of the high ethical princi¬ 
 ples which the Chinese have inherited, there is a gap on the side 
 of motive, purpose, and spiritual ideals which Christianity alone 
 can adequately fill. 
 
 I anticipate that Ya-li will pass through the same stages of 
 development that have marked the mother institution. Both started 
 as collegiate schools, and later developed into colleges. Then 
 came the period when professional schools grew up around the 
 College. Later will come inevitably development into the well- 
 rounded University. In this connection it is interesting to re¬ 
 member that Ya-li’s Faculty, student body and income, sixteen 
 years after the founding of the work in Changsha, are all larger 
 
 48 
 
A VISIT TO YALE-IN-CHINA 
 than those of the mother institution at the close of its first century. 
 But the resources of the American people in general and of the 
 Yale brotherhood in particular are so much larger today that the 
 comparison loses its major significance. Rather should we think 
 of Ya-li’s need of increased financial support, and of more men of 
 scholarship, breadth of view, keen sympathy and faith. The 
 interest shown there reflects credit upon Yale and helps to keep 
 the University true to its public service and Christian traditions. 
 
 I approached China believing that Ya-li was an institution of 
 great significance for the Province of Hunan. I left knowing that 
 its influence is now a national factor, relatively fully as great as 
 that of Yale in America, and realizing that in preventing mis¬ 
 understandings between Orient and Occident and in helping to 
 interpret each to the other its work may well be considered as 
 potentially of international significance. 
 
 ANSON PHELPS STOKES 
 
 Yale University, 
 
 August 31, 1920. 
 
Printed at the Earl Trumbull Williams Memorial 
 by Yale University Press. 
 
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