A History of Protestant missions in the near East

348 History of Protestant Missions in the Near East
nected with these depots, they had book-shops in charge of
Egyptian managers. From these centres twenty-six colporteurs
constantly travelled, through the whole of Egypt.
Primary schools, also, for boys and girls were everywhere instituted.
It is true that in all the towns there were already
Koptic schools for boys, but the teaching in them at that time
consisted for the most part of mechanical reading and writing
lessons, so that it was not difficult to enter into competition
with them. The only obstacle was the absence of a desire to
learn. There was, however, at that time a regulation exonerating
from enforced labour those who could prove that they
attended a school. Concerning this beneficent rule, which redounds
to the credit of the Egyptian government, there
sprang up a lively conflict between the Koptic hierarchy and
the American Mission. The Koptic priests tried to exclude
the children of the American schools from the benefits of the
regulation. Had the priests succeeded, the schools would
have collapsed. But, however willing the local Moslem
authorities may have been to do the Koptic bishops this
favour, their intrigues were against the law, and the Americans
were of all men the least likely to permit themselves to
be imposed upon. An unpleasant incident occurred in 1869,
when certain Koptic Protestants in Assiut broke into the
Koptic church, tore down the sacred pictures from the altars,
and destroyed them. This foolish attempt at iconoclasm cost
those who took part in it dear, and the mission could not and
would not protect them against the consequences of their
act.
The number of adherents of the American Mission increased
rapidly. While at the beginning of 1870 there were
but 180 communicants, there were 4,554 at the beginning of
1895. In the same period the number of organized congregations
increased from two to thirty-three.
The organization
of these congregations was after the American Presbyterian
pattern. This vigorous growth taxed the organizing
powers of the missionaries. A Protestant ecclesiastical community
had to be formed. This body found official expres-