Page 68 - Malaysia by John Russel Denyes
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which the Church must answer. The people for
the most part come to Malaysia both poor and
ignorant. They will follow the leaders whom they
find there. Whoever then makes the leaders of
Malaysia will fix the type of the coming civiliza-
tion. It has been with this thought in mind that
the Methodist Church in Malaysia has developed
its Einglish school system. Already eight thou-
sand boys and girls are being taught the best of
western culture. Not all will become Christians,
but all will become better men and women for
their contact with the consecrated men and wo-
men who have sought to transplant into their
hearts the noblest and best in their own.
Briefly then the policy for the immigrants is to
Christianize the future leaders through the
schools and through the Christianized leaders set
the moral, and social, and religious standards for
the coming day. The climax of the school policy
is in the Christian University at Singapore of
which the foundations, through the generosity of
the wealthy Chinese there, are already being laid.
It is given to the Church of today to do a work
which the Church of the next generation cannot
do. This generation is re-
Preparing sponsible for setting its stamp
Native Leaders, upon a civilization in its forma-
tive period, at a time when old
traditions and superstitutions are losing their
hold, when new conditions are forcing upon a peo-
ple new habits of life and thought. If the Church
is to mold public sentiment in this new era, she
must send forth not a few but many trained men
and women capable of taking their places as lead-
ers among the people. For at least another gen-
eration there must be a few well-qualified Ameri-
to teach organization, but the great work of
transformation must fall upon trained native
workers. Funds invested in the work of raising
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