3. The Evangelical Missionary Fields

Dutch and the Danish-Halls missions Trainins of had employed only theological grad-

On- uates in the missionary service; when arias. these were lacking,. it became neces sary to follow the example of the United Brethren and to send out lay missionaries. At first but little stress was laid upon education; soon, however, missionary schools were established whose course of four to six years became gradually more thorough and systematic. Excepting in Amer ica and Scotland, where it was from the beginning the rule to draw the missionaries from the theological seminaries or from the universities, the mis. sionary societies in Protestant countries have founded .schools for their missionaries. Only from the last third of the nineteenth century has the percentage of theological graduates who have en tered the missionary field become considerable, especially in England; on the continent it is still

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lcissions to the 11asthen quite small, although it is increasing. From about the middle of the last century and to an ever-increasing extent, qualified physicians and unman ried women have been sent out, the latter principally to be active as teachers, physicians, and deaconesses among the heathen and convert women.

3. Rise of Missionary Organisations

In the course of the nineteenth century the missionary organizations have increased so greatly that now it is scarcely possible to give a complete list of them. This increase has its root, in the first place, in the great variety of church forms among Protestants. To an ever-increasing extent each denomination took up the mis sion work independently,, and, in this way, because of the multitude of sects, in England and North America especially, there arose a great number of missionary organizations; but the vari ous theological tendencies and schools within the State churches also led to the founding of separate missions. In addition to this, new missionary so cieties have been called into being. by different the ories as to missions, and, usually in connection with such views, by the individual characteristics of potent personalities, and finally by motives touching political divisions at home or colonial policy. On the one hand, the great number of missionary organizations that arose in this way unquestionably augmented missionary zeal, but, on the other hand, it resulted in a division of strength, caused much friction, and increased the cast of mis sion work, so that at present a concentration of the existing missionary societies is rather to be desired than the founding of new ones. Unfortunately, the efforts tending toward- a combination of the mis sionary organizations is accompanied by an indi vidualistic tendency, the extreme expression of which are so-called free missionaries, who pursue the work of evangelization on their own account, without belonging to any society. Their numbers as well as their very doubtful success can not well be estimated.