Page 68 - Malaysia by John Russel Denyes
P. 68

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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