A History of Protestant missions in the near East

324 History of Protestant Missions in the Near East
pompous name, " The Eternal United School," was started
under the auspices of the Persian minister of education. The
outlook for the mission school seemed rather gloomy for some
months. But the " Eternal United School " soon enough disintegrated
from in ward dissension, the rebellious pupils quietly
returned with many apologies and promises, and the storm
has left the school in an even stronger position than before in
the popular esteem. It is
encouraging to see how many Muhammadan
pupils there are at present in the schools of the
In the Teheran girls' school there are
Presbyterian Mission.
forty-nine, as compared with eighty-eight non-Muhammadans ;
in the Memorial Boys' School in Tabriz there are eighty Muhammadans
and 135|Armenians. In Urumiah, where the American
Mission is most deeply rooted and firmly established by
its extensive work among the Nestorians, even separate schools
for Muhammadan pupils have been started ;
the boys' school
numbers sixty-three Muhammadans, as compared with thirteen
Syrians and Jews the ; girls' school has sixty -seven pupils, almost
all of them Muhammadans. So, by enduringjpatience and American
energy, a footing has been gained on very difficult ground^
and there is a hopeful outlook for larger efforts.
During these
last few years a decided change has come over the Persians ;
they are beginning earnestly to seek a European education.
Schools with Western ideals, and after a more or less European
pattern, are springing up everywhere; the Persian government,
foreign legations, municipalities and private citizens vie with
one another in building up new schools. In some places, like
the capital Teheran, and the commercial centre Tabriz, there
is already a brisk competition, which sometimes draws pupils
away from the mission schools. But, on the whole, this new
current is a helpful one, and it is bringing crowds of hitherto
uneducated youth of both sexes into school life, undermining
the old-time rote schools, and creating a strong appetite for
sound education. Up to the present time the Americans have
been able to hold their place as the leading educational agency
of the land.
If
there was a tendency, by the establishment of hospitals