The leavening influence of Christian teaching is unquestionably having far-reaching effects. Dr. Percy W. Brigstocke was appointed, in 1907, to act as colleague with Dr. Sterling, but he was transferred to Es Salt at the end of 1911. The old hospital and out-patient hall were insanitary, and much too small for the work, therefore it was with thankfulness that the Bishop in Jerusalem dedicated the new hospital, containing forty-six beds, on April 1, 1908. The opening of the spacious out-patient block took place on February 22, 1911. The patients are drawn from all classes, Muslims, Orthodox Syrians and Jews. They may be seen sitting side by side in the out-patient hall waiting for the doctor, who is an accomplished Arabic scholar. During 1912 there were 29,581 attendances of out-patients, 701 in-patients, 452 visits in town, and 411 major operations. The fees from the in-patients and out-patients during 1912 amounted to £326 18_s._ 10_d._, which goes to assist in the upkeep of the hospital. There is an out-station, for the expenses of which Dr. Sterling is responsible, at El Arîsh, the ancient Rhinocolura, "the River of Egypt" (Numbers xxxiv. 5; Isaiah xxvii. 12), a town of twelve hours' ride from Gaza, where the C.M.S. school has had an average attendance of fifty pupils. The population is entirely Muslim. Mr. W. Watson, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, has done heroic service not only by inspiring others to give and help the completion of the hospital and out-buildings, but also in attending personally to the purchasing of much building and furnishing material. How much Gaza owes to him and his Northumbrian helpers will only appear when the great audit of all things takes place.[48] Canon Sterling is largely his own clerk of the works. He is to be congratulated that after twenty years of missionary and medical work in Southern Palestine, he has been enabled to complete the group of medical and educational buildings which now adorn the C.M.S. Gaza compound. FOOTNOTE: [48] Adapted from _Handbooks of the C.M.S. Missions, The Palestine Mission, 1910_, a typewritten document by Dr. Sterling, 1912, and _Mercy and Truth_, 1911. It may not be generally known that General Gordon paid two visits to Gaza in 1883. On the first occasion he spent a fortnight, and afterwards three weeks in the C.M.S. compound. An interesting relic is the iron bedstead on which he slept. It is still associated with his name, and is being carefully preserved. CHAPTER XXII EL ARÎSH AND C.M.S. MISSION The border town of Egypt, El Arîsh, seventy miles south of Gaza, is generally identified as the "River of Egypt," which was the most southern boundary of the Holy Land in patriarchal times. At present the actual boundary between Palestine and Egypt is a line running from Rafah, the ancient Rhaphia, some thirty miles to the north of El Arîsh, to Akaba.[49]