The Missionary Review of the World — March 1891

THE REGIONS BEYOND. .[March

MISSIONARY REVIEW OF THE WORLD.

VOL. XIV. No. S.-OldSeries.–MARCH.–VoL. IV. No. S.-New Seria.

THE REGIONS BEYOND.-PART II.

[EDITORIAL. ] Beside the literal ground unoccupied for Christ, there is the unclaimed, untrodden, territory of Divine promises. What did God say to Joshua in chap. i., v. 3 1 "Every place that t~e sole of your foot shall tread upon, . that have I given unto you," and then "He draws the outlines of the Land of Promise-'-all theirs, on one condition: that they shall march through the length and breadth of it, and measure it off by their own feet. They never did that to more .than one third of the property, an'd consequently they never had more than one third; they had just what they measured off, and no more. Now, if we turn to the New Testament, in the Second Epistle of Peter we read about that other" Land of Promise" that is opened up to us, " Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be "partakers of the Divine nature, having es- caped the corruption that is in the world through lust." Mark the close analogy between those two passages. Here is God's true Land of Promise, "exceeding great," " exceeding precious j" and it is God's will that we should, as it were, mtlasure off that territory by the feet of obedient faith and believing obedience, thus claiming and appropriating it for our own, becoming partakers of the Divine nature, and escaping the corruption which is in the world through lust and which was typified by the Canaanites that had to be expelled before the Land of Promise could be possessed.

Now, let us look at these promises. They are marvellous I How many of us have ever imagined the wealth and the extent of that land 1 And how many of us have ever taken possession of the promises of God in the Name of Jesus Christ? It is a territory for faith to lay hold on and march through the length and breadth of, and faith has never yet done it. The faith of the Church has, thus far, taken possession only of a very small portion of this exceeding great and precious land, and the rest lies in " the regions beyond." .

We are limited by sight; sight makes a great deal of the visible and temporal, and unbelieving disciples prefer that which iil tangiblQ tQ that which is unseen and eternal. Sight emphasizes numbers. Hear what God says: "One of you shall chase a thousand, ~nd two put ten thoueand to flight." That is God's arithmetic. Twice one thousand is two thousand, but in God's arithmetic twice one thousand is ten thousand. God is sublimely indifferent to numbers. It is not quantity but quality for which God cares; He would rather have one consecrated Ulan or woman than a thousand who are halfhearted in His service; so He keeps sifting down, and down. and down, just as He did Gideon's great multitude, till He gets the choice "three hundred" with whom He can do mighty works.

Sight emphasizes power. See how'sublimely indifferent God is to power. While we are seeking the patr(mage of great, or rich, or mighty men, God is taking up the poor and the weak, and the despised and the base, and the things that are nothing, and with them bringing to nought the things that are something.

Fellow-believers, we have to take possession of this region of unclaimed promises; and, inasmuch as we are applying this truth especially in the interest of missions, let us give onrattention to a most important distinction. Christ says, in Matthew: "Go, . • . make disciples of all nations. All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the age." That is His promise. Then, in Luke, He says: "Behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you, but tarry yc in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high."

THE PROMISE OF CHRIST AND THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER are not the same thing. Christ's promis~ is the promise of His personal presence, and the exercise of His omnipotent power in behalf of His missionary band. The promise of the Father is 'the promise of a descending Holy Spirit to break down internal barriers in the minds and the hearts of men, and to endue His own disciples with the wondrous unction from above. Now, these are two promises–not to speak of any others. Think of them in their bearing on Christian missions.

When Joshua saw a man standing in the neighborhood of the city of Jericho, he said, challenging him, " Art thou for us or against us~" This strange personage said, " Nay, but as Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come;" and Joshua perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord, and took off his own shoes in reverence, and waited for His commands; and, in accordance with the precise directions that He gave, Joshua moved round that city once a day for six days, and seven times on the seventh day; and then, without a blow being struck, the walls fell, and they went into Jericho and took captive all that were within it. What is that but an historic allegory in the Old Testament illustrating the facts of the New 1 When. the Acts of the Apostles opens, which corresponds, in the New- Testament, to the book of Joshua in the Old, we have there the hosts of God on the Day of Pentecost simply surrounding the fortress of Jewish prejudice, superstition, and alienation from God, with the trumpet· blast, the preaching of the Gospel, and on that day also without a carnal blow being struck, without any human philosophy to account for it, three thousand were pricked in their hearts, and said, " What shall we do 1" and were taken captive for God. What is all this bnt. the Captain of the Lord's host going before the missionary band, and repeating the miracle of Jericho ¥ Walls fall at once that might have stood for a thousand years but for His presence. All human calculation is disappointed when the Captain of the Lord's host appears on the scene.

The promise of the Holy Ghost is one of special grace from above on teachers and preachers; and then also on those that hear the vVord j as, in the house of Cornelius, it becomes converting grace to the hearers as it has been anointing grace to those that speak.

Look at this territory of promise. Suppose that the Church should pass all that has been attained, overleap all barriers, disregard the measure· of past human attainment, and simply march over the length and breadth of these promises, claim the presence of the Captain of the Lord's host, claim His intervention, the fulfilment of His word, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the age," claim the prostration of barriers that no man could prostrate without the power of His presence and influence! Suppose that the Christian Church should get down on her face before God to-day, and pray the Captain of the Lord's host to remove the obstacles that prevent our going into Thibet, that has stood there on her heights, walled about by her mountains, and thus far defied even the Moravians to obtain access to the shrine of the grand Lama worship,-what might we not see in the year 1891, if we believed that this Jericho that could not be taken by the power of man could be taken by the simple fiat of the Captain of the Lord's host I And suppose that there was this believing appropriation of the Promised Spirit in anointing power on teachers and preachers, and in converting power on audiences that hear the Word in the communities in the midst of which these men are laboring, vhat new things we might see! It is vety noticeable that Peter did not say, on the Day of Pentecost, that this was the fulfilment of what had been spoken by the prophet Joel. TiLe more minutely we study the Scriptures the more we shall believe in the inspiration of the very words of Holy Scripture. Thore is no mistaking the words Peter uses here. He does not say, "This is the fulfilment of what Joel said." He simply says, "This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel. This is not spirituous intoxication, but spiritual exhilaration. It is not new wine, but it is the new wine of the kingdom, even as Joel foretold." This wa~ a foretaste; the fulfilment of Joel's word is yet to come. There is to be a greater Pentecost, to which that was only like the first few drops that indicate the mighty rain that is to come down on the mown grass and refresh the earth j and we ought to pray to-day for, and claim from God, a Pentecost so much greater than the first Pentecost, that it should at last begin to fill up to the full the language that Joel uses in that remarkable prophecy. III.-REGIONS BEYOND OF PRAYER.

is This suggests regions beyond even the promises that faith has not taken possession of,-namely, those regions beyond that prayer yet to tread. Faith and prayer are so intimately associated that we cannot speak of one without at least implying the other. But let us mark that there are different levels of pmyer. As we follow our blessed Lord, as He teaches His disciples, He goes from one rung in the ladder to [mother, and lifts them with Him, higher and higher, to a sublimer level of prayer.

Our Lord's first lesson on prayer was, " Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." But then, as we go on in Matthew and come to chaps. xvii. and xxi., a new element is empltasized: "Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shan receive." Now, it is not simply asking, but asking in faith and receiving according to faith. But when we come to the Gospel of John, we read, in chap. xvi., the most marv:ellous words our Lord ever spoke on prayer, in the New Testament: «Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My Name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My Name He will give it you." Now, this is beyond simple asking; beyond even asking in faith. This is asking by virtue of, and because of, our identification with the Lord Jesus Ghrist. His Name is His person. To ask in His Name is to ask by virtue of our identity with Him, our individuality being merged into His personality in the sight of God, so that God does not look on us as we are, in ourselves, but looks on us as we are in Ghrist Jesus. Here is a " region beyond," in the matter of prayer, that one man or woman in a thousand has scarce dreamt of. When I go to the Father in Jesus' Name-reverently let me say it-Ghrist is the suppliant rather than myself; and because th·e Father can deny the Son nothing that He wants, it is certain that what I ask in His Name I shall receive-nay, I have already received it; and it is my privilege to believe that I have received that which I ask.

Now, suppose the Christian Church should get hold of this power of prayer, and get above the level of simply asking, or even of asking in faith, and realize her identity with her Lord and the privilege of praying in the Name of Jesus; then, keeping in fellowship with Christ, nourishing and cherishing this daily walk with Him, and therefore having, within, the motions that His Spirit creates, the groanings unutterable awakened by the Holy Ghost-.these, presented in the golden censer of Christ before the throne, shall certainly be heard and heeded by the Father. And so I believe that the greatest need of missions to-day is NEW PRAYER-prayer on the highest level of prayer.

IV.-REGIONS BEYOND OF GIVING.

There is yet another" region beyond" that has not been taken possession of, and that is the region of sanctified giving. We are coming now to a very practical matter. There is a whole world of promise and of power to be 'taken possession of in the matter of consecrated means. The Church of God is doing nothing to-day in comparison to what she might do and ought to do. We feel ashamed, however, to speak of giving as a duty, because it grows on our convictions more and more that we ought to lose sight of it as a duty, and only think of it as a transcendent privilege. There is something in love that takes off the asperities of duty. "I delight to do thy will, 0 my God." That is the atmosphere of service-not the law atmosphere-" I ought to do this thing," but the love atmosphere, " My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work." Now, in this unclaimed and untroddcn region with regard to giving, there are three or four things to which we want to call especial attention.

In the first place, individual giving is a region beyond, yet to be reached by the Church of God. "Let everyone of you lay by him in store." God's principle is not that the rich should give, nor that the poor should give, but that rich and poor should alike give j and every man, woman, and child thus have part in this consecration of substance.

Then we need systematic giving. ".Upon the first day of the week let everyone of you lay by in store j" at stated times, with regularity, as a matter of habit, so that, just as regularly as the week comes round, there should be an account with God that is audited, corrected, adjusted, to see that there be no failure in this part of our duty. Just as we are to bring a certain portion of our time and set it entirely apart to God, so we are to bring a certain portion of our substance, statedly and habitually offering it to the Lord.

Then there must be proportionate giving. We must give, first, according to our ability, and, secondly, " as God hath prospered us." And this law of proportion must never be overlooked. The difficulty with the Church to-day is that, too often, we are calculating how little we can give to satisfy the claims of conscience, whereas we ought to ask, " How much can I give to God ¥ and how little can I reserve for myself, and yet satisfy the absolute necessities of my own reasonable wants ~" Vv'e ought to turn the rule of our giving entirely round. Give to the Lord the first portion, not the last. Give to the Lord the largest portion, not the least.

Then there ought to be self-denying giving, which lies still further beyond in this untrodden territory. A woman went round in a church to get offerings from the women of the congregation for foreign missions, and her uniform plea was, "You can give this, and you will not feel it a bl:t." That was the damaging recommendation. Here is the trouble in the Church of Christ: we give and we do not feel it j neither does the world feel it very much! 'We cannot conceive how God can take much pleasure in a gift that costs us nothing j and let us pray God never to let us use such an argument as that. Rather give until you do feel it.

Much is said from time to time about the generous giving of disciples. There are thirty millions of Protestant Church-members to-day, and twelve millions of dollars is the aggregate sum that is given to foreign missions by these Christians; whereas, if everyone of them gave one cent a day, it would amount to over one hundred millions, and if everyone of them gave three cents a day, it would give us over three hundred and twenty-fh'e millions a year! There is something wrong when, in the coffers of American and British Christians, there lie twenty-live thousand millions of dollars, and God cannot get for the whole work of foreign evangelization more than twelve millions of that immense sum!

At the same time, individual examples show us what giving is possible. There was Sarah Hosmer, of Lowell, Mass., a poor woman living in an attic, and working with her needle. She saved, on six different occasions, fifty dollars, and sent it to educate a native preacher in Oriental countries j and, when she was borne to her rest, six men were preaching in foreign lands whom she had helped into the ministry.

Travellers pass by, in Scotland, the estates formerly owned by Robert Haldane, in the neighborhood of the Bridge of Allan, and one feels a degree of reverence that inclines him to take off his shoes, for it seems that he is standing on holy ground. The fragrance of the act of that godly man who sold those estates, and offered the $175,000 that they yielded to establish in Benares, the centre of Hindu idolatry, a mission for the Lord Jesus Christ, is still shed abroad all through that country, and people pass those estates not without a reverent thought of Robert Haldane, and a grateful recognition of the power of a consecrated life.

Then, in Alloa, when the writer of these lines was delivering the closing words of one of his addresses, he saw an old man there, leaning on his staff. He was nearly ninety years of age, and the chairman whispered, " That is David Paton. He has given his entire fortune-$l,OOO,OOO-to missions, and he is living now on a little annuity which has been reserved that he may not come to absolute want." And yet, when that man heard my plea for missions, he managed to get out of the little that was left him $1250 more, which he gave the next day, and subsequently sent yet another $2000.

There was Mr. Hamilton, a mere clerk in a surveyor's office in Glasgow, and all the income that he had was perhaps $350 a year-yet he annually gave to the U. P. Church $100, nearly one third of his entire income. And when, in 1887, there was a special call made by the Synod for $100,- 000 for missions, that man furnished one-hundredth part of the amount. He sent $1000, one hal£ of the savings that he had made all through his lifetime. And after his death his cash account was found, with the Lord's offering indicated there, and it was discovered that he spent only one shilling a day on his own needs, besides the three shillings a week for lodging -ten shillings sterling a week in all-that he might give the more to the cause of the Lord J csus Christ.

Well may we feel that we have never denied ourselves anything for our Master when we read the story of such a man as that, living seventy-one years with slender income, and in that frugal fashion, that he might be one of the noblest givers in all Scotland, giving~unobtrusively and quietly" as to the Lord, and not unto men. "

God showed the church in that annus mirabilis, 1878, to which we have referred, what could be done by a few consecrated givers. In that one year there was given to the Lord, on the altar of missions, by less than twenty individuals in the United States and in Great Britain, nearly one million pounds sterling, or $5,000,000! Thus God first showed ns, in 1858, what wonders He can do in opening the way before His Church. And then, in 1878, lie showed both what wonders He can do in giving la1'ge harvests from the seed sown, and what other wonders He can do in moving His people to come forward, like Barnabas at Cyprus, to lay the proceeds of their estates on the altars of Christian missions.

V.-THE REGION BEYOND OF HOLY LIVING.

We notice one more region that lies beyond-namely, the region of holy living. That is the most important region of all. We must not measure onrselves by ourselves, or compare ourselves among ourselves, or stop where others have stopped, or where we have now attained; but we must go on, if this world is to be evangelized, to a life of which very few know much. We compress all that we would say on this point in one maxim: ".A holy life is a life in a supernatural realm-a walle with God." That is strong language, but the New Testament is stronger: "He that dwelleth in love d welleth in God, and God in him. " Notice the expression that Jude uses – " praying in the Holy Ghost"-as though the Holy Ghost were a divine atmosphere in which the praying disciple moves, which he breathes, which exhilarates him, which nerves him to duty, which vitalizes him, which strengthens him 1 And that is exactly the truth. A man that is a truly holy man is breathing the Holy Ghost as a sacred atmosphere. And that is the atmosphere of missions.

The thing that, more than anything else, has led the writer to devote hims.elf to the advocacy of missions has been that he has recognized in the working of missions the nearest approach to the repetition of all the supernatural occurrences of the Old Testament and of the period of the Acts of the Apostles. There is the Pillar of cloud and fire, going before God's people,' causing Red Seas to present a passage on dry ground, causing fortress walls to fall instantaneously without a blow being struck, causing the enemy, like Amalek, to be defeated as long as the arm of faith and prayer is extended. When Christ says, "I am with you," He means omnipotent power; He means guidance, guardianship, government. Jesus Christ is with us in even sense that is most precious, when we seek to proclaim the Gospel to a dying world.

We must learn to look for DIVINE INTERPOSITION. In Psalm ii. the kings of the earth are represented as conspiring together to break the bands of Jehovah, and cast away the cords of His dear Son. Wh~t does Godeay,to them 1 "Yet have I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion j" and He says to His King, •• Ask of Me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. " That text has been preached from a great many times asa missionary text, as though it meant that the whole world is to be converted. But the next verse addR: "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron: thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." This Psalm is the encouragement of the Church of God, but not in the direction of the harvests that are to come from the sowing. There are abundant such encouragements elsewhere; but here the encouragement given is that, although the kings of the earth conspire and rulers take counsel to obstruct the work of missions, to defeat the plans of the great King Himself, He who has even His enemies as His inheritance, and the hostile territories of conspiring kings with which to do as He wills, shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel, and break them with the iron rod of His just rnle.

Missionaries of the Cross have seen many such interpositions of God. We refer again to two as examples of many.

In Turkey, in 1839, at the crisis of missions, the Sultan Mahmoud said, "There shall not a representative of the Christian religion remain in the empire. " And Dr. Hamlin came into the house to Dr. Goodell, and said, " Doctor, it is all over with us-we have to leave; the American Consul and the British Ambassador both say that 1t is no use to meet, with antagonism, this violent and vindictive monarch.!' Dr. Goodell, sitting in his chair, rocked to and fro with undisturbed serenity. Dr. Hamlin said, " Well, you do not seem to give yourself much anxiety." That devout and godly man looked up to heaven and said, " Dr. Hamlin, the Sultan of the Universe, in answer to prayer, can change that decree." And they, gave themselves to prayer, and the next day the Sultan Mahmoud died, and the decree has never since been mentioned, save as a matter of history. There a ruler conspired against the King of Zion to defeat the plan of evangelizing His empire, and to expel His missionaries; but He stretched forth His rod of iron and instantly " dashed him in pieces, like a potter's vessel. "

And in Siam, in the crisis of missions, in 1851, when another hostile king would not even allow the missionaries to get premises in which to live, or ground upon which to build, and would scarcely lIuffer them to obtain a lodging; and when they were only waiting for a vessel to bear them away from the harbor of Bangkok, believing that their work was all in vain ; meanwhile they called upon Almighty God to interpose, and again the King of Zion stretched forth His rod and smote that monarch, and broke him likewise in pieces, "like a potter's vessel." And when his corpse was borne to burial, the question came up, " Who is to be his successor 1" and again God was besought to interpose. The man that was selected was the only man in the empire that had ever been trained by a Christian missionary. Though not himself a Christian, in studying language and philosophy and history and political economy with the missionaries, he had imbibed tolerant and catholic principles and impulses, and he inaugurated in the Empire of Siam the n;l.Ost aggressive and the most liberal policy in all Asia j and his successor, Chulalangkorn, is to-day the most enlightened sovereign on that continent. He and his wife are nursing father and nursing mother of Christian missions. Only two years ago they made munificent presents to our American missionaries to enlarge the borders of their hospital and dispensary work, as they have again done more recently.

Verily, A NEW STANDARD OF HOLY LIVING IS NEEDED. These" regions beyond" must be entere,d. Faith must enter the unclaimed territory of promise. Prayer must enter the unclaimed territory of divine power in the diviue presence. We must get a new standard of giving, that shall be individual, that shall be systematic, that shall be proportionate, that shall be cheerful, and that shall be self-denying. And we must get a new standard of living, that shall dare to invade the supernatural, that shall walk with God, and dwell in God, and pray in the Holy Ghost, and shall recognize the word of our Master, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world," and the word of the Father that the Holy Ghost shall come down to anoint disciples, and bring the unconverted to the knowledge of Christ. Oh! we must enter this nnclaimed and untrodden territory, and then it may be permitted to some of us to see the glorious day come, when the Gospel, having been preached as a witness among all nations, the King himself shall come in His beauty, and those that have looked long for Him, with fainting desire, shall be permitted to share in the glory of His enthronement and coronation !

A very dear friend of the Editor, Miss Agnes E. Henderson, M.D., daughter of ex-Provost Henderson, of Aberdeen (for many years a director of this society), goes out to. India as a medical missionary in connection with the Free Church of Scotland. At a large and deeply interesting farewell meeting held in Aberdeen, Professor Salmond, who was in the chair, stated that Miss Henderson had with high distinction completed her curriculum as a tnedical student, obtained her degree, and dedicated herself to the service of Christ. She was about to go first to Bombay, there to stay for a year, to learn the language, and acquire a knowledge of the peculiar character of Indian diseases. After that she would proceed to Nagpore to labor as a medical missionary. Her services would cost the Church nothing, as provision had been made by the liberality of her father for carrying on the whole work of this post of which she was to be the first occupant without any charge to the Church.

That was not the only instance of It missionary going out at her own cost, because,. as Professor Salmond said, another missionary was present who occupied precisely the same position. How is it that there is not far more of this kind of thing? Many a Christian family might with ease support one of its number in foreign service, and thereby show allegiance to the Master, take a noble share in evangelizing the heathen, and bring a rich blessing upon themselves.

THE MISSION' OUTLOOK

THE MISSION OUTLOOK.-III.

BY REV. J. MURRAY MITCHELL, M.A., LL.D., NICE, FRANCE.

Let us now glance at the Asiatic countries in which Mohammedanism is the ruling religion. There has been, in varIOUS quarters, a disposition to think well of Mohammedanism. Its one merit is its discouragement of intemperance. It may raise savage races up to the Arabian civilization of the seventh century, but it fixes them there; and further progIess is attainable only by rejecti ng it. But how difficult to make it relax its grasp! Mackay of Uganda speaks of the" strange venom" in Islam which makes it almost impossible to Christianize any race that has accepted it, however imperfectly. Still, when Mackay speaks of "the universal failure of missions to Moslems," his language is much too strong. In fact, he admits so himself when, at a later date, he writes of " the work already accomplished among Mohammedans in Persia and India" as having proved "a decided success" (Memoir, p. 419).

Throughout the Turkish Empire work among Mohammedans is exceedingly difficult. After the Crimean War it seemed as if the door was opened for work among the Turks; and good Dr. Schauffier said to us in Constantinople, in October, 1859, that the prospects were most cheering. But from about 1864 Islam has wakened up as from deep lethargic sleep; and the command has evidently gone forth from high quarters that mission work among Mohammedans must be suppressed if possible, and in all cases opposed. This is what is called" the new departure of Islam." Theconcessions of the Hatti Humayoon of 1856 are ignored. Mission schools are closed, and when representatives of foreign powers are able to compel their reopening, Moslem children are forbidden to attend. Mohammedan schools and mosques are provided with a zeal formerly unknown.

In Persia the repression is not so strong. The missionaries believe that the Shah's three visits to Europe have considerably liberalized his views; and although the persecution of the Babis shows that fanaticism is not dead, yet the Bible can be circulated to some extent among Mohammedans, and religious inquiry goes on in private.

In Arabia, so far a~ it is under Turkish dominion, the public preaching of the Gospel would be at present impossible. But a majority of the Arabs do not acknowledge Turkish sway; and a definite effort ought to be made, on their behalf. Medical'missionaries at least would be safe, perhaps, even where the blighting shadow of the Turk has faUen. The Scriptures can be circulated-from Aden especially. On the whole, Arahia has been unreasonably overlooked in the distribution of the missionary force.

We come now to speak of Africa. Every portion of the field at which we have glanced has interested us deeply; but as he names Africa one feels his heart swell in his breast. The Dark Continent! Dark as Erebus it has been for generations without number. One of the latest testimonies regarding its religion is that of Mackay. He tells us that the Africans aCknowledge God, but worship only devils. They are "guilty of every form of uncleanness, and robbery, and tyranny, and murder." Yet we must not despond. The possessing demon can be cast out. Mackay de- clares it indisputable that" the African is capable of Christianization, and of rising to take his place among the foremost races of men.' , We ask anxiously, as the prophet did of old, 'What of th'e night 1 that is, how much of it is past ¥ Thank God, the midnight is gone j yes, there are streaks of light on the eastern sky.

Let us glance first at North Africa. Time was when all North Africa, from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, was Christian j and not a few of the men who stand high in the records of the Church were born and flour- ished there. But the sword of the Moslem swept the professors of the faith away, all except a small, oppressed remnant in Egypt. It is a Rolemn question why this was permitted by Him who has the hearts of all men in I1is hand j and the answer is equally solemn which good men have given- namely, that the civilized people of North Africa took little or no interest in the extension of the Gospel among the aboriginal inhabitants, and that the lamp-stand was removed because the lamp gave little or no light. Steadily Islam has advanced in all North Africa to within six or perhaps * four degrees of the equator, almost exclusively by war and conquest j and the Arabs have ruined many fair provinces to the south of the line. But we believe that the wave of devastation ,has stopped in its onward march, and in the goodness of God will henceforth steadily recede. Stanley has spoken of an early date, when he hopes that Islam will no longer be seen to the south of the equator.

But let us begin with Egypt. Much toleration prevails j conversions from Islam take place from time to time; the circulation of the Holy Scrip- tures is considerable; and more than 800 Mohammedans attend the mission schools.

Then, as to the rest of North Africa, under which designation we include Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, Tripoli, and the Sahara, more than forty agents are at work exclusive of those connected with the Bible societies.t The people generally are not hostile j but the priestly and 'political authorities are strong in their opposition. Yet conversions take place. Travelling south, we come to the Soudan-a region more than three thousand miles by fifteen hundred, and containing perhaps fifty millions of people. Here reigns the Mahdi with his fixed belief in his commission to conquer the world. The Moslem in this region have set up schools for the blacks-schools which succeed in proseletyzing. Protestants are doing next to nothing. A young Englishman, Wilmot Brooke, is working his .. So said Mr. Joseph Thomson some years ago. But now that Emin Pasha's power in the equatorial parts has fallen, we must say the sway of I.lam reaches the Equator.

t Mr. C, F. Baldwin mentions that there are more than thirty in Morocco and Mogador. See MISSIONARY lbrvlBw, Oct., 1890, p. 776. way to the Soudan by the Niger. Several young men from America bad chosen this sphere of labor, but alas! they all perished on the way.

Then comes Central Africa-between the Soudan and the Zambesicontaining the mighty Congo, with its innumerable tributaries, and the region of the Tanganika, Victoria, and Nyassa lakes. The churches have not been regardless of the claims of. Central Africa; in the Congo Free Statc alone eight missionary bodies are laboring, the London Missionary Society on Tanganika among them; the C. M. S. has done admirable work at Lake Victoria; the Universities Mission and the two Scottish Missions are diligent in Nyassa land. Here, then, is an excellent beginning.

To the south of the Zambesi there are older missions, all of them doing admirable service. How eagerly the great European Powers have partitioned nearly all Africa among themselves! We trust it is well; for at least the hideous slave-trade will be retarded and gradually extinguished; but while we rejoice that Divine Providence will overrule for good the earth-hung.er that infects the European races, and while we acquiesce in this part being for Germany, and that for France, and this other for Britain, and so on, let the desire and determination of the Church be-all, God helping us, for Christ !

Our remarks are lengthening out too much ; yet we dare not' conclude without a reference to the work among Eastern Christians. Under this name we include the Nestorians, the Armenians, the Jacobite Syrians and the Syrians in South India, the Copts and Abyssinians, and the members belonging to various nationalities of the Greek or " Orthodox" Church. The work among these venerable communities is carried on-chiefly, though not solely-by the American Congregationalists and Presbyterians. It is of immense consequence for the Eastern churches themselves. It is hardly less so for the Mohammedans among whom the Christians live, inasmuch as the spiritual life of the churches has been low and languid, and their ritualistic worship appears, to the followers of the Koran, to be absolutely idolatrous. Unhappily it is believed, in many influential quarters in England, that the Americans desire to break up the constitution of the ancient churches among which they labor. This the missionaries very earnestly deny. In faet, they began by endeavoring to spread light among the clergy, and turned, only when the attempt was unsuccessful. to the ordinary members of the churches. And new communities have been formed only when those who receive scriptural truth and seek to walk in accordance with it are persecuted and excommunicated. One of the most statesman-like acts of the" great Elchee" (" the great ambassador," as the Turks called Sir Stratford Canning, afterward Lord Stratford de Redcliffe) was the securing of the recognition of the Protestant Armenians as an independent community with guaranteed rights. This was in 1846. Since then the Protestant Christians in the Turkish Empire, including Egypt, have increased to fully 70,000. Their teachings among the Nestorians in Persia and the Bulgarians in Europe have also been greatly blessed. Bulgaria has wonderfully sprung all at once into national life j but had it not been for Robert College on the Bosphorus, such an.,awaken- ing would have been impossi?le.

The influence exerted on the old churches of the East by these new communities is by no means small. In some cases the missionaries, or the pastors of the reformed churches, are invited to preach in the pulpits of the older. The priests, as a rule, oppose the reformation j but the people are often friendly to it, or at least not unfriendly.

. We dwell on these things all the more earnestly because of the scant justice that is done in certain quarters in England to these important missions.

We must now hasten to conclude. We do so, as we promised, with a few remarks suggested by the survey we have taken.

We have expressed our·admiration of the feeling which prompts the Shanghai Conference to make the demand for a thousand missionaries. Mr. Hudson Taylor asks as many for the" China Inland Mission." But these things unavoidably suggest the question, What are the claims of China as compared with those of other mission fields ~ Missionaries in India will be slow to admit that the necessities of that great continent are inferior to those of China j they .will probably maintain that, in its present sorrowful unrest, the claims of India are paramount. Then, not to speak of Japan, Korea, and Siam-each, it may be urged, in a condition that may rightly be called critical-what are we to say of Africa? As now so won- derfully revealed, its demands are overwhelming. Its hideous superstitions, its fetich-worship, its demon-worship, its human sacrifices, its cannibalism, its inter-tribal wars, its slave-trade-yes, we now see the heart of Africa, and we see that it is bleeding at every pore. Then, let us remem- 'ber what fearful mischief the Christian nations of the West have done to unhappy Africa by the drink traffic. Oh, that it were possible to be as great a blessing as we have been a curse I The population, perhaps, ex- ceeds three hundred millions. What is to be done for the vast Dark Continent' It seems to us that, when God Himself has opened a dooraye, doors-which were closed from the beginning of the world, He is distinctly calling on His people to enter. But further, there are the Mohammedan kingdoms, both in Asia and Africa, and the battle with Islam is barely begun.

The question then occurs, Is it not needful that a survey be taken of the entire heathen world, and an estimate formed of the relative claims of each portion ~ It is a difficult task, and would require the co-operation of many men to do this with any approach to accuracy. Yet the Romish Propaganda attempts a solution of the problem j and the comprehensive mind of Cromwell contemplated the formation of a similar institution.

It might, perhaps, be possible to form an international commmittee, representing all Protestant missions, to map out the great battle.field and suggest a plan Qf campaign i at present, each mission, each regiment chooses its own field and fights its own battle, with little or no reference to others.

But, in the mean time, the topic should be taken up in such magazines as the MISSIONARY REVIEw,and suggestio~s offered, out of which some orderly scheme might erelong be evolved. Unless something of this kind is done,. there will be increasing collision, however unintentional, in the foreign field. Connected with this is the question of what is called mission comity, which is of vast importance and no small complexity.

In the earnest call for European missionaries, in which we heartily rejoice, let not the Church forget that the evangelization of each land must be conducted mainly through its own believing children. When conversions take place churches must be formed and, after the example of Paul and Barnabas, elders" ordained in every church" (Acts. xiv. 23). Next, the raising up of native preachers and teachers is a matter of primary im- * portance. We say teachers-i.e., schoolmasters, as well as preachers.

At the present time a large body of Christian teachers would be of unspeakable value in India and Japan. This matter has been far too much overlooked. In recent discussions we have heard much about the necessity of self-denial. But we have not heard enough. The principle is both deeper and wider than many think. We have been told that it is binding on all missionaries-" Missions arc 80 expensive j" but is there any reason for saying that it is more binding on missionaries than on other Christians? Ministers at home j all office.bearers in the Church j all members of the Church; every man that professes himself a Christian-is not self-denial the imperative duty of all such? Yet how much luxury among multitudes who, in the judgment of charity, mnst be held to be real Christians!, Has any Christian a right to try to be a millionaire? If he has become so, has he a right to remain so? For meanwhile the outlay of the Church by no means keeps pace with the increase of the wealth of the nation or, as we believe, of the Christian portion of it j and all our missions languish for lack of funds. A trumpet-blast is needed to rouse the slumbering Church. Fields are white to the harvest j the laborers are ready to go forth; but means to send them are a-wanting. "Well," says a ~elf-complacent church, " let us have cheap or even self-supporting missionaries. " Self-support, in many places, would be easy j for example, in India a well-educated man could readily find Government employment, and have three or four times the salary of an ordinary missionary. Is that desirable, seeing that very little time would remain for evangelistic work 1 Many seem to think it is. Yes; these are enlightened days j many have got far beyond the standpoint of St. Paul, and they think it well to muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn.

As we have glanced over the recent history of missions, we have been greatly saddened by the many deaths that have met our eye; and the .. In a paper read before the Decennial Conference at Calcutta in 1882, the writer had occasion to dwell on this snbject at considerable length. question has repeatedly arisen, Was this a necessary sacrifice 1 We gaze with tearful admiration on the men who go forth in entire devotedness to meet, in Christ's name, almost certain death j but how awfully accountable are they that send them forth if they do not, with much prayer and forethought, take every possible precaution against danger! It is certain that, in the ardor of their souls, the young warriors, eager to. be in the high places of the field, will themselves seldom do so j it must be done for them. And we must give a word of waUling to the young warriors too. Is there no danger that sometimes they may take the suggestions, of their own fallible minds for an impulse from on high 1 do they prayerfully seek to distinguish between these things 1 We have been led into this train of thought espccially by what has happened in the case of the young American missionaries whom we referred to as having lately sought to reach the Soudan. All have perished. * Their precious lives were simply thrown away. So has it been in other cases. 0' est magnifique; mais ce n'est pas la guerre. Of old the enthusiasm of martyrdom became in many cases the fanaticism of martyrdom j and the Church had to put forth her most strenuous efforts to repress the evil. Something of the same kind may rise up in modern days. Weare aware that these remarks may be thought to savor of cold, worldly prudence. "Ve are willing to bear the imputation, if we can only help to save very precious lives which ought to be dedicated to the Master's cause on earth. Heaven, we believe, can afford to wait for these men. Earth cannot afford to lose them.

Already there are cheering examples, not a fcw, of men and women possessed of means who have dedicated themselves and their possessions to the work of God abroad. Such cases will multiply as the pulse of the Church beats higher. Let rich parents encourage their children to go forth, and supply them with sufficient means to do so. We must not rest satisfied till the noblest of the land shall count it their highest distinction to become missionaries of the Cross. So was it in former days. Columba and many of the Celtic missionaries were of noble jf not princely descent. Raymond Lull was a nobleman of Majorca. Xavier was a Portuguese of position. And in our own day Keith Falconer, so early snatched away, was an earl's son. If such examples awaken any snrprise, it only shows how deplorably defective is the conception which the modern church has formed of the" grace" of being called to "preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. "

There are not quite three hundred medical Il!issionaries, men and women, in the foreign field at present. Why should there not be as many medical missionaries, whether ordained or unoruained, as there are ordinary missionaries 1 Why not more 1 Such Mohammedan countries * See the MU8Wnary Herald, Oct., 1890, p. 394. They were three young men and the wile of one of them. They arrived at Sierra Leone at the beginning oC the rains. They were implored to wait till the dry seasou before penetrating into the interior. But they refused. .. It was the Lord's work, and He would surely protect them I" Here was beautiful zeal, but not according to knowledge. ' are Turkey and Arabia, which will hardly tolerate preaching missionaries, will pay high respect to medical men. We believe that medical ladies also 'Vould be welcome. Assuredly there is much need of them! What a glorious sphere of usefulness would be opened up to lady doctors among the inmates of the Harems, accessible only to women, throughout all Mohammedan lands! But now we really must conclude. May God grant that the heart of the Church may glow with a warmer and warmer mis- sionary spirit-not mainly the excitement aroused by passionate appeals from pulpit or platform or press, but with the deep and holy zeal which springs from a clear perception, imparted by the spirit of truth, of the supreme glory of the enterprise; yea, may we all drink more and more deeply of the missionary spirit of the great Master Himself-a spirit that combined the most perfect devotedness, the most perfect calm, and the most perfect assurance of full and final and eternal victory I [P.S.-Since the above was in type, Dr. Mitchell sends the following additional notes.-ED.] I.-MOHAMMEDANISM IN CRINA.

There is great diversity among the estimates that have been given of the number of Mohammedans in China. In the last issue of the Nordi8k Missionstidsskrijt they are reckoned as 20,000,000. In the reports of the British and Foreign Bible Society they are said to be 30,000,000. Some years ago inWestern China-especially in Yunnan and Kashgar- the Mohammedans were active in proselytizing. In these provinces, however, they were entirely crushed; the cruelty they had shown being far exceeded by the retaliations of the Chinese.

From 'the beginning of Islam efforts were made to win over the Chinese. An uncle of Mohammed visited the Chinese Emperor Tai Tsong in the year 628. In 755 about 4000 Arabs were sent to the assistance of the Emperor Song Tsong, and for centuries thereafter there was a close con- nection between the Chinese and the Arabs. * H.-SCANDINAVIAN MISSIONS.

As the readers of the MISSIONARY REVIEW are probably not so well lOformed about these missions as about many others, we may give one or two notices in addition to what we have mentioned above.

In Zululand the Norwegian missions have 9 stations. In Natal they have 3, and the Swedish Mission, 4.

In Madagascar the Norwegian missionaries, in 1888, baptized 4393 persons. The attendance at church was 49,069, being about 10,000 more than in 1887. Among the Sakalavas, on the west coast of Madagascar, they have in Morondava (which is under the Hova Government) a church of 140 souls. On the south coast there are 2 Norwegian missionaries and 7 native teachers.

In the Congo Free State there are about 20 Swedish missionaries. ~<bout two years ago Dean Vahl, writing in the Allgemeine Missions Zeitscnrijt, said : "Including teachers in Lapland, there are 57 Swedish missionaries' of these 16 are ordained, 18 are women, and 31 are native helpers.

ANSWERED PRAYERS

ANSWERED PRAYERS.

BY MISS LAURA M. LATIMER.

The 16th of September is the great day when the Mexicans celebrate their independence. I was living in the city of Guanajuato–a strange, quaint city, where the streets are veritable stairways, and the houses are so built into the rocks and the rocks so encroach into the houses that onp. can hardly tell where rocks end and dwellings begin. Because of its rich silver-mines, it is one of the first cities taken in revolutions. Its towering crags that. surround the city afford a safe hiding-place for the attacking army. This national festival was my holiday, and for a little rest I went to Silao, a city thirteen miles away. When I reached the mission house I found the portera and his wife alone, and greatly alarmed. He told me that a thousand robbers had entered the city of Guanajuato to commence a revolution, in order to sack the city. The Governor of the State had telegraphed to the President of Mexico for fresh troops, and they were just beginning to arrive. The mob was already gathering in the streets of Silao. To quiet their fears, I reminded them of the Sabbath-school lesson that week. I opened the Bible and read to them-" And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray Thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the. Lord opened the eyes of the young man i and he saw: and, behold, the moulltain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." All that day I could hear him reading aloud to his wife from the book of Kings; Sev- eral members of our little church came and stood with them all night by a little grated window, watching the street. With an earnest prayer for protection I went to bed and slept soundly all night, although the streets were filled with a mob, who broke every window in the great hotel, with yells of, "Death to the Americans." The next day the stones began to come into the mission house, but I securely locked the great street door, and the crowd passed by, and we were not molested. When I returned to Guanajuato the portera oiold me that at the time of greatest danger the surgeon of the hospital called at my house. He said that he was very tired, for he had been dressing wounds all day, but he could not rest until he knew that I was safe. He stood by the door, on the street, until all danger was passed, and his presence there was a protection. He was a Catholic, and a stranger. But I always felt that a kind Providence had in this way, in answer to prayer, protected my home. The mayor of the city sent two policemen to guard the street door. The daughter of my cook heard one policeman say to the other, " Why were we sent here ~" " To protect a lady," was the reply. " But who is the lady 1" he still questioned. "She is a Protestant i" and that satisfied him. The soldiers quelled all disturbances, and the robbers fied.

In this same city, several years before, the missionary heard the mob coming down the street with yells of " Huerte a los Protestantes /"-death , to the Protestants. He ran in haste to the street door to close it, but it was too late. He could see the flash of the knives with which they were to kill him and his family, and with an agonized prayer to God for help, he turned to face death, when suddenly peal after peal of thunder shook the house; the rain began to fall in torrents; and the terrible lightning so terrified the mob, just as they had reached the threshold, that everyone of them fled affrighted to their homes. And thus the lives of the missionaries were saved, and the mission church was not destroyed.

At the time of the last revolution in Mexico, the army marched upon Pachnea, and from the hills that overlook the city they threw their bombshells upon the defenceless inhabitants. The mission church had just been completed, and the congregation had assembled for the first time in this new chapel to worship God.· Mr. Ludlow, the pastor, knelt down to pray, and he commenced by thanking God that now they were able to worship under their own vine and fig-tree, with none to molest or make them afraid, when suddenly, without any warning, the bomb-shells came crashing into the city. He opened his eyes and discovered that everyone had left the church in haste, and he was alone. The bomb-shells fell thick and fast. First one part of t.he mission house went crashing in, then another. The pastor and,his family took refuge in a little passage-way be~ tween the school-room and house. He opened his Bible and read to them the promises of God, promises of protection in hours of peril, and they sang" Jesus, I rest in Thee," and then they knelt in prayer. When they rose from their knees the danger was over and they were safe, but their beautiful church was in ruins. There were cannon-balls everywhere in the school-rooms, fresh and hot. The doors and chairs and benches were riddled with bullets. The streets were filled with the moans of the wounded. Death and ruin was everywhere, except in the little passage-way where they prayed.

One of the most unmistakable interpositions of God in answer to prayer was the way that Mexico was opened for the Gospel. It took an army of soldiers to carry the Bible into Mexico. The Americans won every battle. They were in a strange country unknown to them. They had only a few thousand men to battle with the vast hosts of the enemy. It was not nqmbers that won the victory. It was God. Our invading army changed the future of Mexico. The Bible agents and chaplains who accompanied the United States Army scattered Bibles everywhere along their route, and the Word of God broke the power of papal Rome in that oppressed country. Those who have carefully studied the marvellous results of the Mexican War have been amazed at what God has wrought.

AFRICA.

In the depths of a dark African forest, Henry M. Stanley was obliged to wait for a company of his men who were missing. It was midnight. He was hemmed in by hostile savllges on all sides. The terrible shadowhaunted, pathless wilderness lay dark and dismal before him. All his plans had been brought to naught by une~pected obstacles. He was sick with fever. " Death and disaster, disaster and death," encompassed him. He feared that his brave followers had been massacred, and he prayed earnestly to God to protect those brave men who were in peril. Alone with God in his tent at that midnight hour, reaHzing his utter helplessness to accomplish what he had 80 bra~'ely undertaken, conscious that the issues of every effort were in other hands, he made a vow that if the lives of his heroic men were spared, and his own efforts crowned with success, he would acknowledge to the world that all the way through that perilous journey it was God who had led him and brought him safely, iu answer to prayer, when all his own plans had failed. The following day the missing ones arrived, and they soon emerged upon the plains, and the deadly, gloomy forest was behind them. The marvellous success of that expedition has given to the world one of the most inspiring examples of the power of prayer. One day Dr. Livingstone, in the heart of that Dark Continent, became disheartened. He was surrounded by the cannibals, sick with fever, and his men were about to desert him to return to their homes. He says : " The prospect of being obliged to return distressed me exceedingly, and I went into my little tent with the mind directed to Him who hears the sighing of the soul j but soon the men entered, and with the most artless simplicity of manner told me to be comforted, they would not forsake me, thcy were all my children and would die for me." Dr. Livingstone was 'greatly oppressed with the vastness of the " Dark Continent," and his constant question was, ""Vho will penetrate Africa~" The weeks that Stanley remained at Ujiji with Dr. Livingstone were a time of preparation and inspiration for future work. Was it chance, or was it God in answer to prayer, that led the most successful of all explorers of Africa through so many dangers to find Livingstone 1 During the recent cruel persecutions of the Christians in the kingdom of Uganda, the missionaries, driven from their homes, found refuge near the lake, and there they waited, praying to God to interpose and put an end to the cruelties of the brutal king l'Iwanga, for their mission was broken up, the native Christians were clubbed to death, burned alive, and torn to pieces. Their prayers were soon answered, for just as Mwanga was meditating a general massacre of all the Christians, he was dethroned, pursued, and hunted by his enemies. ,This bloodthirsty, savage king fied to the Christians for safety. One of the French missionaries took him into his house, fed him, clothed him, and King Mwanga became a Chris- tian. And he wrote this letter to Mr. Mackay : June 25, 1889.

I, Mwanga, beg of you to help me. Do not remember bygone matters. We _are now in a miserable plight; but if you, my fathers, are willing to come and help to restore me to my kingdom, you will be at liberty to do whatever you like. Formerly I did not know God, but now I know the religion of Jesus Christ. Consider how Ka1ema has killed all my brothers and sisters; he has killed my children too. Mr. Mackay, do help me; I have no strength, but if you are with me I shall be strong.

I am your friend, MWANGA.

The scattered, persecuted native Christians placed the penitent king again upon his throne, and restored to him his kingdom.

Every year the river Nile overflows its banks and floods the country. The natives go out in little boats and sow their seed by casting it upon the waters. The rice sinks down into the mud, takes root, and when the flood is over they gather a rich harvest. For many years the brave missionaries in Africa have been sowing the seed of the kingdom upon the water in floods of persecution, and now the harvest has commenced.

At Banzameteke a missionary had labored six years with no success, when suddenly he was astonished at the pentecostal answer to his prayers j for one Sabbath morning the people collected all their fetiches and gin bottles and burned them in the public square, and nine hundred men, women, and children were baptized that day.

The saddest of all stories is the story of the graves in Africa. The heroic Bishop Taylor, on foot, going from station to station, and at each mission finding new graves of his missionaries j passing on his weary way, leaving the silent dead in their lonely graves, to " wait till Jesus comes j" passing missions where the carefully built houses are vacant, the churches deserted, the school-rooms silent, and only a missionary's grave to tell the sad story.

Slavery and rum have so desolated Africa that a cry, piteous and awful, ascends from that country, " How long, 0 Lord, how long~" "Home after home is made desolate, region after region is ravished, State after State is demolished, nation after nation is mowed down like grass."

I attended the Women's National Temperance Convention which met in Chicago. I sat in Battery D, and watched the ladies as they came pouring in at the door by hundreds. There were ladies from, California, from Oregon, and from every State all the way across this continent to Maine-earnest Christian women, who had come from the East and from the West, from the North and from the South, to plan together how they could put down intemperance. They were reaching out their hands to help remove this evil from every country on the globe. .

That same month across the sea there was a remarkable conference in session at Brussels, a congress unique in history. The representatives of seve~teen great nations-Great Britain, Austria, Belgium, Congo Free State, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Persia, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Turkey, and the United States-the nations that rule the world, had come together to put down slavery in Africa, to save a land that had no claim upon them but its utter helplessness.

While the great Christian powers were convened in Europe to devise means to ,overthrow the horrible slave-trade in Africa, the slave-dealers were having a remarkable congress on the Nile-200 delegates, Moham- medan Arabs, met to suppress the traffic in liquors; for the rum-trade, which destroys so many lives, diminishes the number of their victims. The action taken by them is " to surround the entire coast of Africa with a cordon of armed dhows, and confiscate every European vessel containing liquors, and sell the crew into slavery." It seemed to me that God had rallied all the great religious forces of the world, Christian and Mohamme- dan, to help those patient, suffering, praying missionaries in Africa.

The whole history of missions is made up of remarkable answers to prayer. The beginning of the great work in Japan was traced to a little room where the missionaries met every day to pray.

In the State of New York is a little village nestling among the hills. , Near by is a river, where the high ruggeq rocks and rainbow falls have a wildness of beauty unsurpassed. In this little village a minister once lived in a parsonage which was much too small for his increasing family. His salary was hardly sufficient to feed and clothe the six little children. He had been for several years principal of one of the public schools in Brooklyn, and his oldest son, who was sixteen years of age, was ready for college. He was eager and impatient to continue his studies, and the father found it hard to control the impetuous boy, who would not brook delay. He was at work in a store, but complaints came constantly fro.m the merchant that he was more interested in his books, which he concealed behind the counter, than in selling goods; and finally the boy declared that he would run away to sea if he could not go to college. It was a time of great anxiety to the father and mother. They could never expect to feed and clothe and educate six children on a preacher's salary in those days. After much worry and planning and anxious thought they could see no way out of the perplexity, and so they dropped the burden that , they could not carry, and gave their children to the Lord for special work in His service, with earnest prayer and as careful training as the mother of Moses gave her little one, though she knew that he was no longer hers, but the king's. The children grew to realize more and more that the prayers of their par3nts followed them constantly.

In those days people knew but little about misi>ions. -A few years be- fore Lee, with one of the flat-headed Indians from Oregon, had visited them, and after t.hat there was a new interest in the cause of the heathen in the minister's family. The pastor carefully scattered the Missionary Advocate among the children Of the Sabbath-school. There was one little girl in his congregation into whose heart the preacher's words sank deeply. She eagerly listened, and stndied with intense interest the missionary paper, with its strange pictures of lands and people be- yond the sea, and always as she gazed upon those dark pictures of heathen cruelty a feeling came to her, a dim foreshadowing of the future, that sometime she herself would sit under those palm-trees in India. As the years passed by, and there seemed no way to realize the dreams of her childhood, she forgot her early resolve to. be a missionary. But one day, years afterward, just a few weeks before she graduated in the medical college, suddenly the forgotten VOWI3 of her childhood came to her. The rush of recollections came like a revelation, and in a flash she realized what all the training of years had been for, and she was so overcome that she burst into tears. She was the first lady physician sent to heathen lands from America as a medical missionary. The daughter of her early pastor said to her, "How were you led to become a missionary 1" She replied, " It was your father who did it j the result of his labor and prayers."

The faithful minister lived to see his prayers answered also in a remarkable way in his own family. His sons became ministers of the Gospel, and his youngest daughter a missionary. His eldest son was the late Dean of the Theological Seminary of the Boston University, a school which has sent scores of missionaries to foreign lands-to China, India, Japan, Mexico, South America, and to the islands of the sea.

Captain Hore, F.R.C.S., is returning to England via United States, after a successful mission tour in A~stralia, New Zealand, and Tasmania. To the regret of his co·workers and admirers, he is forbidden to return to the region of Lake Tanganyika, where he has for thirteen years done such ser- vice to missions. The doctors prohibit such return. He built a steamer there, made valuable explorations, surveyed Tanganyika, for which he re- ceived the Royal Geographical Society's Award, and for two years lived at the famous slave and ivory mart of Ujiji, where he was much in contact with Tippoo Tib. American friends who know of his journey through the States will doubtless avail themselves of his presence to get him engaged in lectures describing the Central African missions, native tribes, and customs, and the development of civilization. Mr. S. E. Bridgman, College Rook Store in Northampton, Mass., will act as his medium of communication. . Here is a rare chance for those who wish missionary lectures.

Dr. G. F. Pentecost seems to have met a cordial reception in India. He held his first meeting with the educated natives of Calcutta on December 24th, and the Albert Hall was full to overflowing. The Opera House was then engaged for a fortnight miEsion to the higher classes of residents, and 'great expectations are indulged. We hope they may not be disappointed. Nevertheless, we believe that our brother has taken on his hands what Lincoln would call a " big job," and nothing will make thiR mission a true success but the power of prayer. We know personally that many, both here and on the other side of the sea, are engaged in earnest supplication to God that this errand may prove to be guided by God's good Spirit. The Engtish residents of India are very difficult to reach. They are mostly of two classes, either very High ChurchAnglicans-mere formalists and rituaIistsor else absolutely indifferent and often infidel. Such walls are of adamant, and only the power of God can break them down.

1891·1 THE GREAT COMMISSION

THE GREAT COMMISSION [EDITORIAL. ] The four Go~pel narratives, at the close of each, and the Acts of the Apostles, which has been well called the "Fifth Gospel," has at its beginning words which are intended to instruct and guide disciples as to the great mission and commission entrusted to the Church. Each differs from the other, yet each presents something essential to the full and complete knowledge of the Lord's will and our duty. And as in a composite photograph we get various facial forms and features blended in one portrait which combines individual peculiarities in a collective result, so, if we carefully project these five forms of the commission upon one sensitive plate and get a composite picture, we shall see at a glance the mutual relations of each special word of instruction, and the completeness of the grand total. While we reverently seek to combine these five fragments, we do not mean to imply that they were all thus blended in our Lord's own teaching, nor to assume to settle either their logical or chronological order; our aim is simply to present a summary from which nothing shall be omitted which belongs to anyone narrative, and to group together words of instruction or promise which seem to belong together by closer affinity. The attempt so to arrange and combine has been attended with such profit to the writer that he hopes it may prove no less a blessing to the reader. The obvious parallelism of the thought we seek also to represent.

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying: •• Peace be unto you!"

And, when He had so said, He shewed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again: "Peace be unto you !"

All power is given unto Me In heaven and in earth.

As My Father hath sent Me Even so send I you."

Then opened He their understanding That they might understand the Scriptures; And said unto them, " Thus it is written, And thus it behooved Christ to suffer, And to rise from the dead the third day; And that repentance and remission of sins Should be preached in His name Among all nations, Beginning at Jerusalem: And ye are witnesses of these things.

Go ye, therefore, into all the world, Make disciples of all nations, And preach the Gospel to every creature : Baptizing them in the name of the Father And of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Teaching them to observe all things Whatsoever I have commanded you: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; But he that believeth not shall be damned.

And behold I send the promise of my Father upon you. Depart not from Jerusalem But wait for the promise of the Father, Which ye have heard of Me.

For John truly baptized with water, But ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, Not many days hence. But tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem Until ye be endued with power from on high. Ye shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost Coming upon you; And ye shall be witnesses unto Me, Both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, And in Samaria And unto the uttermost parts of the earth." And when He had said this, He brElathed on them And saith unto them, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost !"

., And 10 I am with you alway Even unto the end of the age.

And these signs shall follow them that believe : In My name shall they cast out demons ; They shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; And if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them ; They shall lay hands on the sick And they shall recover. "

So then, after the Lord had spoken unto them, He led them out as far as to Bethany; And He lifted up His hands and blessed them, And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted from them ; And while they beheld, He was taken up And a cloud received Him out of their sight And He was carried up and received up into heaven, And they worshipped him And returned to Jerusalem with great joy And were continually in the temple Praising and blessing God. And they went forth and preached everywhere, The Lord working with them And confirming the word With signs following, Amen.

1891.J JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH, AS DEVELOPED BY BUDDHISM IN JAPAN.

BY HENRY C. MABIE, D.D.

Among the objects of most striking interest which the traveller sees in the ancient city of Kioto, Japan, are the temples of Hon-gwan-ji- " Eastern" and "Western," so called. One of these temples is quite new, in fact it is yet building. To those sanguine souls who are inclined to think that the force of idolatry in Japan is spent, that idolatrous shrines generally are in the last stages of decay, and that no more will be built, we commend a few facts concerning the present building of this new Hongwan-ji structure. It is built entirely from the free-will offerings of the people of the Buddhist sect which it represents, from all parts of the empire. These contributions are of costly jewels, metals, woods for the building, human hair, and money without stint.

On one of the platforms of the temple are twenty-four coils of rope from three to four inches in diameter made of this human hair. Attached to one of the coils is a placard with this inscription: " Since the thirteenth year of Meiji (1880), when the rebuilding of the two halls of the Eastern Hon-gwan-ji was 'begun, the faithful laymen and laywomen of every place have been unanimous in presenting to the principal temple, Hon-gwan-ji, strong ropes made of their own hair, to be used for the work of erection. The number of these ropes reached fiftythree. Twenty-nine of them became worthless from use. The total length of the remaining twenty-four is 4528 feet, and the total weight 11,567 pounds. "

Besides these ropes were several large coils of hair, several of them gray, the gifts of the aged, which came in too late to admit of being used. The total cost of this temple is to reach the enormous sum of $11,000,000. The offerings of devotees in Kioto, apart from gifts for erecting the temple, ' to these two shrines, during the year 1889 amounted to the sum of $367,000, Mexican. And yet most of the contributions were from people who are extremely poor. Out of Kioto's population of nearly half a million less than five hundred people pay a tax amounting to $15, so poor are they.

Magnificent, however, as the temple is, and regal as the offerings were, the peculiarities of the sect whose primal shrine is here are of far more interest to me. Specially so, on account of the characteristic worship and belief of the sect.

These people are a sect of the Buddhists, but they represent a departure from pure ancient Buddhism of rare significance. They worship Buddha, indeed, but him only in the character of Amita, or Amit,abha, whom they conceive to be the idealization and glorification of highest discipleship to the primitive Buddha; they eschew all works of merit; they depend on the absolute unconditioned mercy of Amita j they have a doctrine of justification by faith only, apart from meritorious deeds; their priests are not celibates nor ascetics; they carryon active and aggressive missionary operations, and to this end they highly educate their young priests,send- ing some of them to the Doshisha Congregational College in· Kioto, and even to Oxford, England. Three hundred of these neophytes are gathered in one school near their chief Kioto temples.

They base their doctrine on that portion of the Buddhist Scripture known as the" Sam-bu-Kio," in which is recorded the peculiar vow made by Amitabha that he would ., accept Buddhaship, but under the condition that salvation was made attainable by all who should sincerely desire to be born into Buddha's kingdom, and should signify their desire by invoking his name ten times." This vow is called the "Former, or Real V ow," and hence the name given to the two great temples in Kioto, " Hon-gwan-ji," meaning" Temple of the Real Vow," referring to their basal doctrine.

This sect is now divided really into two, the one known asthe "Jodo" sect and the other as the " Shin Shin."

Originally they were one, taking their rise in the beginning of the· twelfth century under a great teacher, known as Honen Shonin. This man was enough in earnest to break with earlier Buddhists, and to outline a doctrine far in advance of Buddha's in some respects. He taught the worship of Amita, and also the doctrine of justification by faith in Amita's boundless mercy; but he also urged the value of meritorious deeds, and insisted on the cardinal idea of Buddhism, that no help can be expected in the conquest of passions outside of one's self. It was at this point that there sprang up early in the thirteenth century a departure from the teaching of the Jodo sect. The man to inaugurate the departure was Shinran Shonin, a disciple of Honen.

This Shinran is described as a sort of Luther of his time, and presenting a striking parallel in his teachings and in his martyr-like devotion to their maintenance. He was determined enough to submit unflinchingly to banishment for conscience' sake, and to bravely maintain his school in a monastery among the mountains at Takate in Shimo-tsuke. He is buried at Otani, on the mountain-side above Kioto. To his grave myriads of his disciples make annual pilgrimages from all parts of Japan. The Shin Shin sect is the outgrowth of his influence, and the new Hon.gwan-ji temple is specially to his honor. The Shin Shin sect differs from the J odo sect in its teaching at the following points: first, it holds that salvation is due to faith only in the power and willingness of Amita to save mankind, and that the invocation implied in the Real Vow is to be used only as an act 'oj thanksgiving, and not .as an act of merit, for mercy received; secondly, that this Elalvation is received at once, and not at death, and that the believer is taken thenceforth under Amita' s merciful protection; thirdly, that morality is of equal importance with faith; fourthly, that while Nirvana, or eternal happiness, is to be attained (as all Buddhists teach) by the extinction of the passions through many deaths and re- births, yet this extinction of passions (contrary to the usual Buddhist teaching) may be reached through help from another-that is, from Amitabha, he being the chi~f of the Buddhas. The name Amitabha signifies "boundless life" or "im- measurable light."

The Shin Shins maintain that their rival sect, the Jodos, have departcd from the former and true teaching at these several points. The Shin Shins have undertaken to restore the true teaching respecting the" Former Vow." Hence they are sometimes called the Protestants of Japanese Buddhism. The proportions to which this sect of reformers has grown is remarkable. They have in all Japan 18,000 temples and shrines, and are accounted the wealthiest and most powerful of all the sects. They possess no fixed properties which might be considered endowments, but depend entirely on the offerings of the people for support and for purposes of propagandism. They actively undertake missions abroad, especially in Corea and China.

In support of these general statements respecting their belief, I quote a short creed prepared by one of their later apostles, Rennio Shonin, and given by Murray in his " Handbook of Japan. " The creed runs as follows: " Rejecting all religious austerities and other action, givi~g up all idea of self-power, we rely npon Amita Buddha with the whole heart for our salvation in the future life, which is the most important thing, believing that at the moment of putting our faith in Amita Buddha our salvation is settled. From that moment invocation of his name is observed as an expression of gratitude and thankfulness for Buddha's mercy. Moreover, being thankful for the reception of this doctrine from the founder and succeeding chief priests, whose teachings were so benevolent, and as welcome as light in a dark night, we must also keep the laws which are fixed for our duty during our whole life." A most extraordinary statement this to proceed from men presumably destitute of revelation. Substitute for Amita Buddha, here conceived of as the chief of the Buddhas, the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and you have substantially the New Testament doctrine of justification by faith as amplified by Paul in the Epistles to the Romans and Galatians.

A still more modern statement of the belief of this remarkable sect is given by Mr. Akamatsu, a distinguished member of the sect in Kioto, and published in the April number, for 1881, of the Ohrysanthemum, now discontinued.

Says Mr. Akamatsu: " Amita Buddha always exercises his boundless mercy upon all creatures, and shows a great desire to help and influence all people who rely upon him to complete all merits, and to be re-born into Paradise. Our sect pays no attention to other Buddhas, but putting faith only in the great desire of Amita Buddha, expect to escape from the miserable world, and to enter into Paradise in the next life. From the time of putting faith in the saving power of Buddha we do not need any power of self·help, but need only to keep his mercy in heart, and invoke his name in order to remember him. These doings we call I thanksgiving for salvation.' "

I Is this an uninstructed groping for" the grace of God which bringeth salvation," which is accurately and specifically met in Paul's great exposi· tions ~ Is this an ignorant worshIp of the essential Christ under the phrase of Amita Buddha r We would not dare say that these doctrinal conceptions, purely considered, are generally entertained by the adherents of the sect, much less that they have popular power to bring spiritual rest and the sense of salvation to the mass of q,evotees! But who shall say that, where so explicit ideas of mercy, grace of some sort, justification through belief of some sort, and hence salvation, however inadequately conceived, are formulated and taught, that they have redeeming power over none ~ How shall we account for the existence of the conceptions at all in any measure, by even a single mind, except on the ground that " He hath not left himself without a witness among any nation" 1 Be all this as it may, what a prepared soil is here, in the providence of God, for such missionary endeavor as shall be able. to go in among such a people and explain to them the real way of God more perfectly! What an evangelizing oracle the Epistle of Paul to the Romans would prove in meeting this unique state of heathen mind! May God raise up and bring some man to the Kingdom of the Sunrise for such a time as this !

KIOTO, JAPAN, Oct. 15, 1890.

How MISSIONARIES ARE MADE.-Dr. Cyrus Hamlin has told in a fiveminute speech how it was he came to be a missionary. He said: "In the vast majority of cases missionaries are made by the influence of the family. My widowed mother made me a missionary. She had me read every Sunday out of the Panoplist, and then later out of the Missionary Herald. We had in those days in our town a missionary contribution box, a cent box, and we were enoouraged to earn some special cents for that box. I remember well one occasion which was, I think, a turning-point in my experience. When the fall muster came every boy had a pocketful of cents to spend. My mother gave me seven cents, saying, as she gave them, I Perhaps you will put a cent or two in the contribution box in Mrs. Farrar's porch on the common.' So I began to think as I went along, Shall I put in one or shall it be two ~ Then I thought two cents was pretty small, and I came up to three-three cents for the heathen and four cents for gingerbread ; but that did not sound right, did not satisfy me, so I turned it the other way, and said four cents shall go for the heathen. Then I thought the boys will ask me how much I have to spend, and three cents is rather too small a sum to talk about. I Hang it all,' I said, I I'll put the whole in.' So in it all went. When I told my mother some years after that I was going to be a missiollllry, she broke down and said, I I have always expected it.' "

lIIISSIONARY GEOGRAPHY

MISSIONARY GEOGRAPHY-COMPARATIVE OPENINGS FOR THE GOSPEL IN DIFFERENT SYSTEMS.

BY REV. DR. J. H. SHEDD, OROOMIAH, PERSIA.

In glancing at the fi~ld which our Lord says" is the worIel," one thing is clear now which was not so clear one hundred or even fifty years agonamely, the actual condition of the inhabitants of our world. The maps and globes have changed. Vast tracts of Asia, Africa, America, 2nd the islands of the sea, that were a terra incognita or laid down as unknown deserts, have been explored and now are delineated j and the names of lakes and riverll and nations, and their populations and resources, and their political and religious condition are known. The missionaries have usually been the pioneer explorers. In crossing China, in describing the tribes and haunts of the Himalayas and all Western Asia j in first setting foot on the cannibal islands of the sea j in penetrating the thousandll of miles of interior Africa, the constraining motive has been the same which led the great Apostle to preach the Gospel not where Ohrist was named, but carried him from Jerusalem to Philippi and Athens, to Rome and to Spain. This exploring work has been done, and few places upon the surface of our globe -from Greenland's icy mountains to India's coral strand or to Africa's sunny fountains-remain unrevealed. We know the actual state of the unevangelized world in all its terrible depravity, suffering, and need.

This vast increase of knowledge is acting and reacting on the Christian Church and Christian nations. The parable of the Good Samaritan is better understood. The question, Who is my neighbor ~ is answered from the seven hundred millions of Asia, and the two hundred millions of Africa, who are our fellow-men, fallen among thieves, wounded by sin, and robbed of their birthright by the vices and superstitions and errors of their false religions. Certainly there is a growing interest and sympathy. The dense mist of passive neglect that hung over the Protestant world has lifted. A great and happy change has taken place since Carey, the shoemaker, in England, began to plead for the heathen a century ago, and was told by the wise old fathers, "Young man, mind your own business. When God wishes to convert the heathen He will do it without your help j" or since the young men by the hay-stack at Williams College began to pray eighty years ago, and only. two or three of them dared to offer themselves to the cause lest the Church would take alarm, and refuse to have any part in so fanatical a movement. Now the volunteer missionary students in this country number nearly 5000 since the Northfield meeting in 1886., and some 200 of these have already sailed for the foreign work.

This increase of knowledge also awakens a deeper sense of responsibility for those with whom we are brought into relation and contact. The world is brought together by commerce and easy and rapid travel. The prophetic words are fulfilled, "Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. " Every day the telegraphic wires flash the news from distant lands-so often the echo of the woes and miseries of mankind without the Gospel. To the ear that is open, what sounds of sorrow and cruelty and suffering come from the dark places of the earth! Now it is the .horrors of Siberian prisons; next, famine, with several millions of famished and dying in.en in China; then the cholera, starting up from the hot-bed of Hindu or Mohammedan shrines, and the sacred festival and holy pilgrimage carrying the seeds of death to myriads of victims; or it is the open sore of the world in the awful slave-trade of Africa. Surely the dark places of the earth are filled with the habitations of cruelty even to the bodies and earthly life of our fellow-men, such as we, in the comfort and ease and security of this happy land, little understand. Yet here is the responsibility, not only for the temporal welfare, but for the immortal souls of onr fellowmen. Here is the fact that the world is daily growing smaller, that a young lady in seventy-three days can travel around the globe.- In no time in all the Christian centuries has the providence of God been so plainly p'ointing to momentous events and changes. The present century has cleared the way for rapid movement.

Another fact stares us in the face, that whithersoever we turn the people are fast awakening from the mental and moral apathy of centuries. The Bible and the missionary have set the world to thinkmg. The crisis is confronting us of a world awake and alert for action. The current of intellectual activity is very sluggish in Oriental and tropical lands; but there is not a nation, nor tribe, nor island but has been touched by the awakening from afar; and every year the breeze is fresher and stronger. The calico and sheeting, the sewing-machine, the telegraph or other wonders of science, :ind the missionary tract and testament are everywhere; and men are wondering what will come next. As in the host of Midian, when Gideon and his little band were encamped against them, men are telling their dreams to their fellows, and expecting conflict and change.

Another very significant fact is that in the van of this ceaseless and onward impulse of progress is the English-speaking race. Says a recent writer: " 'We stand at the dawn of a new epoch, which from the point of view of universal history is quite as momentous as that in which the Northern tribes broke in upon and destroyed the fabric of the moribund Empire of Rome. It is a revolution vaster and more rapid than that which founded the modern European world on the wreck and ruin of the Roman Empire. The world is passing into the hands of the English-speaking races. Already the English tongue is becoming the lingua franca of the planet. Already the territories over which the laws are made and justice administered, in the language of Shakespeare and Bacon, exceed in wealth, in extent, in the number of their populations and in the limitless latent possibilities of their development, all other lands ruled by all other nations of the earth. In a hundred years, unless the progress be checked, Englishspe3king people will outnumber all the men of other tongues in the world. English, ideas, English laws, English civilization are becoming as universal as English speech. The future of the world is English."

The young Greek who marched with Alexander across Asia to the waters of the Ganges and back saw a most wonderful expansion of human knowl- edge, and was filled with expanded views of human destiny. The man who could say Romanus sum considered the world his tributary, and his heart dilated at the extent and power of his empire. The young Christian soldier. who marched with Constantine under the luminous symbol of the cross to the overthrow of Paganism saw a brighter vision-Christianity ruling the world in equity and love. The young reformer who was thrilled by the religious fervor of Luther's age was lifted to a higher elevation still. The heroes of the Elizabethan era, with their legend, "Westward ho I" and the new world and new seas to be explored and delivered from the Spaniard, were inspired with a still nobler purpose and wider vision. What shall the young man to-day diseern? Have the romanee and adventure and high purpose of life all faded out? Or is there an inspiring vision} The Christian young man to-day leads the progress of a raee of exhaustless resourees and energies that is re-making the whole world. How great must be the responsibilities of living at sueh a time, at the threshold of such momentous changes I Reverently we may say: .. We are living, we are dwelling, In a grand and awful time, In an' age on ages telling- To be living is sublime."

Add one more fact : it is the rapid and great increase in the resources of the Church in connection .with the openings and changes in the world. In the century past Christian population has more than doubled, and the Protestant population has quadrupled. It is not now a little company of despised Galileans who hear the command, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature," but it is the mighty Christian Church of the foremost nations of the earth, with means and men and women in exhaustless abundance. It is especially to the generation noW' coming forward to whom God intrusts the great commission to take possession of all nations not for worldly gain or honor, but for Christ's kingdom and glory.

It were pertinent..to ask the question here, How far our so-called Christian nations shall yield to the spirit and law of Christ in their dealing with ignorant and heathen people ~ Vice is more easily planted than virtue. Shall drink and opium and fire-arms and social immorality go to the ends of the earth in every ship? Shall purely selfish and mereenary counsels rule in our intereourse with China ~ What profit if Africa is saved from Arab slave-traders to be ruined by European rumsellers ~ How far the nations of the earth are open to Christian influenee depends largely on the treatment they reeeive from Christians. But this broad subjeet I pass, calling attention simply to the great work yet to be done before Christian nations and rulers shall love their neighbors as themselves, doing justly and loving mercy toward the weaker and inferior races.

We turn now to the outlook in unevangelized lands. To what extent can true Christians work in faith that all other religions and systems shall yield and fall before the religion of Christ F We can see that the influence of steam, electricity, science, education, commerce, and civilization-the mingled good and evil-is permeating all lands. Row far can the true religion conquer?

Let us not overlook the difficulties. The cry, " On to Richmond," in the great Civil War was a sad illusion. There is no mistake worse than to under-estimate the stubborn resistance and mighty power of evil in the world. When we review the forces of Christianity, go about Zion and count her towers and weapons, think of Providence and truth and enlighten- ment and the Divine Spirit and grace, all on the Christian's side, it may seem easy to many missionary volunteers to go out into the heathen world, or to gather in the ignorant souls and teach them and see their conversion.

But in reality the spies who have gone and examined can truly say, "The cities are walled and very gteat, and we saw the children of Anak there. "

Let us notice some of these strongbolds that are walled and thoroughly entrenched in opposition to true Christianity. Geographically we fiud : , 1. Buddhism, and the allied systems connected with it, holds sway over a full third of the human race in Eastern and Southeastern Asia. Thibet, China, Japan, Siam, and Burmah contain nearly 500,000,000 souls.

2. Hinduism, in Southern Asia, in India with nearly 200,000,000 votaries.

3. Mohammedanism, from India westward over Asia and Northern Africa, with nearly 200,000,000 adherents.

4. The corrupt forms of the true religion, Judaism and the Russian and Roman power in so many parts of Christendom, might be mentioned.

These are the Religions of the Books, entrenched by ages of dominion and tradition, and defended by organized systems of worship, education, and priesthood. Then beyond the Religions of the Books are the outlying regions of barbaric heathenism-all Africa to the west and south, the islands of the sea, the primitive tribes of Asia and America, a mighty host of nearly 200,000,000 of lost and dying men. – A fact of great significance is that in all phases of this great conflict there are, with special difficulties, also special features of encouragement.

Let us turn our faces to the two hundred millions of heathen without sacred books. They are the lowest in the scale and the most repulsive, requiring for their redemption that the messengers of Christ follow them in patient sacrifice of comfort and of life to the habitations of cruelty and the abodes of cannibalism in the jungles of Asia, the islands of the sea, the forests of America, and the recesses of the Dark Continent. These, it might be thought, are the most hopeless and the last to be elevated; certainly they are not the races that human wisdom would select for mission work. Let us remember that our ancestors were such barbarous heathen till Christian missionaries planted their schools and stations of beneficence in the forests of Europe and Britain. The colored population of this country is but one hundred or two hundred years removed from savage ancestors. The Indians of our country and of Mexico and South America are not yet fully Christianized.

But we should notice that in the last eighty years wonderful changes have taken place through missions for these lowest heathen. We see the Hawaiian, Fijian, Samoan, and other groups of islands as truly Christian- ized as any of the higher races. Thirty years ago cannibals in Fiji were eating missionaries and their converts j now 100,000 out of a population of 110,000 are found in places of Christian worship. We see Madagascar turning from the bloody work of martyring Christians only thirty years ago, now to ask admi.ssion into the family of Christian nations. Heathen- ism is virtually ended in the islands of the Southern Ocean. The greatest island in the world, New Gui.nea, is waiting for God's law. A greater Bririn is rising in Australia and New Zealand and South Africa, and the Southern cross is fast becoming the brightest constellation in the Southern Hemisphere. .

In Africa we see changes quite as wonderful. April 29th, 1873, Liv- ingstone died. Alone, upon his knees, in the heart of Africa he died. He thought himself a defeated man, a failure! But he had travelled 29,000 miles on foot to explore that continent j and instead of .failure his life thrilled the world and converted Stanley, and his death opened the very heart j)f the Dark Continent. There is that heart of Africa to-day, throb- bing with savage humanity, and waiting for the touch of divine compassion and sympathy. Shall the disciples of Christ go and teach the savages by the slow and sure ministries and the loving words of the Gospel, or shall the cruel trade in rum and fire-arms destroy them q The King of Uganda is a case in point. He is seeking a religion-at least a change j a year or two ago accepting the Arabs and murdering native Christians and such men as Bishop Hannington j this year turning from the Arabs and begging Stanley to come and help him Christianize his whole nation.

Here is certainly in Africa an immense missionary field, among millions of men too degraded and ignorant to have any learned systems to set against the Gospel. Their very ignorance and barbarism is an encourage- . ment not for one Bishop Taylor only and his mission to strive for self- support j but a field so ripe and perishing that it will be strange indeed if the next half century does not witness laborers by the thousand, foreign and native, braving all the difficulties, and gathering in the souls by the million.

In Asia, too, this class of heathen is the most hopeful of all mission fields. The Karens are such. Among them the Baptists have hundreds of churches, and thirty thousand strong are marching on to conquest. The lnlooloos, of whom thousands were baptized in a few j1j.01).tps, ~re of the same class. In fact, according to Sir William Hunter there are fifty millions of indigenous races in the confines of India that in the near future must succumb to one or another of the stronger religions. The query is, Shall it be the holy religion of Christ ~ It is well to distinguish this most inviting and open field in all parts of the world. It is well to know that among our Indians and Africans, and among all this class in Asia aud Australasia, there is no organized obstacle to the pure and loving faith of Christ. The only obstacle is the wicked heart, full of sin and superstition, on the one hand, and the lukewarmness of the disciples of Christ on the other. It is well to know that thus far the greatest successes of missions have been gained among these ignorant and barbarous races.

But do you say that these are only the outworks, and, if captured completely, beyond them are the mightier systems rearing their walls in defiance and scorn at the soldiers of the cross?

What of Buddhism in China and the East? The answer comes back again of special difficulties and special encouragements. The difficulties certainly are great. The conquest of China will be a greater event in the Christian annals than when the religion of the Nazarene ascended the throne of the Cresars ; yet though so far off I can remember when Neander, the historian, wrote words like these: "It will be a great epoch in the history of the Church when the Gospel enters China, and Chinese converts truly accept of Christ." At that time Japan was entirely closed. There is still one isolated land from which Christian teachers are entirely "excluded. This is Thibet, the home of the high-priest of Buddhism.

But look on the other side. The barriers have given way. The Christian religion is well established to-day in China and Japan. The native brethren and the missionaries also consider that the thirty years before us will suffice to plant the Church in Japan, and to cast the mould for all future time of a natIOn of forty millions to be on the east of Asia a Christian power, as the British Isles are such a power on the west of Europe. It is not impossible, for now is the hour of opportunity for Japan. Later will follow Siam, where the prime-minister says, "My country was not opened to the West by cannon nor by fleets, but by the American missionaries."

Then also comes China, where the way is open to Christian missions on a scale never before seen. The China Inland Mission sent out over one hundred men and women in a year. The advance is clear, and America, with Christian influence and intelligence, is in the van. Every town in our land. could as well as not send a missionary to China, and support him or her in that land. It is nothing chimerical nor improper, with the cheap means of travel and the love of Christ constraining us, and the awful condition of China's millions, that we make the same efforts we would to rescue men and women from famine and death or from fire and earthquake ill our own land, Let us tum to Hindustan. The same might be said of Hinduism ih India that I have just said of Buddhism and China; except that Brahmanism is more firmly entrenched, is the very citadel of heathenism; and the key of the citadel is Ca8te. The encouragement to mis~ionary labor in India is constantly increasing. The field is completely open surely, and the' opinion of Sir John Lawrence, the wise statesman and thoughtful observer, may be taken as correct: " It seems to me that year by year and cycle by cycle the influence of these missionaries must increase, and that in God's good will the time may be expected to come when large masses of the people, having lost all faith in their own, and feeling the want of a religion which is pure and true and holy, will be converted and profess the Christian religion, and having professed it, live in accordance with its precepts."

The contest must be more difficult and longer against such a system than among the savage heathen, but the results are just as certain. Already a church of more than 150,000 members is gathered, and this church is doubled every ten years.

But what of the still more difficult system of Islam 1 I can only allude to this field and to our work in Western Asia, the Bible Lands, the lands where our Saviour lived and the Apostles preached. The centre of the enemy's camp is stm there.

There meets the missionary in those lands first a false or corrupt Christianity that blunts the conscience and hardens the heart by its selfrighteousness and formalism. Back of this confronts us the religion of the false Prophet, aspiring to rule the world, and hence the bitter supplanter and enemy of the cross of Christ. How is this stronghold of specious error and half-truth, of blind fanaticism and pride, to be pulled down 1 Where is the weak place that invites assault and promises victory? Let me answer in a word: Fifty years ago Islam would allow no Christian missionaries to labor for Mohammedans, and by its organic law will allow none to-day. Every apostate is an outlaw, and is exposed to the death penalty. But in India under the British Government this penalty cannot be executed. In Persia the government is weak and the system is divided against itself, and the rulers are not disposed to aid the ecclesiastics in religious matters. In Turkey the pressure of Christian powers is also felt, and Christian missions cannot be entirely destroyed. In Egypt the revolutions of the past few years give practical toleration to Christian work. In all North Africa there is as much toleration as existed in the Roman Empire in the days of the Apostles and early Church. This may be said of all Moslem lands, even of the Soudan and Afghanistan. Consider, also, that over against this mighty system of intolerance is another advancing power, the Englishspeaking races, pouring into every Moslem land an increasing volume of capital and commerce and influence. This is true of Egypt and the Upper Nile, Arabia, India and Afghanistan, Turkey and Persia; and we can see that the chances of Islam making head as a rival power are indeed small.

Then we should reckon another factor still more important. The old churches of the East, by their unfaithfulness, were the occasion of the great heresy or apostasy of Islam. Their revival is the pledge of its downfall. There is now an evangelical church of 2500 members in Persia, a similar church in Egypt, a similar church in Syria, and another of over 12,000 active members in other parts of Turke,y. These are bodies of living Christians in the midst of Moslem conquerors; the scattered leaven to leaven the whole lump, inwardly; the materials for the spiritual assault, outwardly. They and the missionaries are at work with the Bible, the press, the power of prayer and of the daily life. The Moslem is now on the defensive, with no hope of converting the Ohristian to this faith, while the Ohristian is on the aggressive, full of faith in the ultimate triumphs of the truth. The converted Moslems all along the line, from the Ganges to the Straits of Gibraltar, are the pledge of many more. Great events may transpire suddenly to change the face of the East, and when such events come we know they wiIl be guided by the pierced Hand that rules the world. Thus the very difficulties of the problem invite to greater achievements. There is no more inspiring work in the world than to labor for the overthrow of Islam. The conflict may. be a long one before the last Moslem yields to Jesus, but the irresistible influences are at work, the motives of the cross are sufficient, and the end is as sure as the promises of God.

I cannot pursue the subject further, and will only add: Happy is that young man of education and "Ohristian experience and consecration who shall enlist for his life work in some one or other of the divisions of the great conquest of the world for Christ!

"ON Sabbath, January lIth, 100 ministers in Edinburgh and Leith preached, by common consent, on the divine authority and permanent obligation of the Sabbath Day. The preachers included ministers of all evangelical denominations, mauy of them prominent men in the three great Presbyterian churches, Episcopalians, Congregationalists, Baptists, and Wesleyans. The evidence of unanimity in conviction and feeling in defence of a divin(> institution which is at prtlsent the object of continual assault, it cannot be doubted made a good impression on all the churches, as well as on the general community.') So writes that prince among men, Dr. Andrew Thomson. May we not suggest that if, on the same Sabbath, at a future day, all pastors conld similarly agree to present the great facts of modern missions with especial reference to the increased obligations resting upon God's people both to occupy the whole world field and to multiply very largely their gifts, the effect would be like a thunderstorm all around the sky.

FAITH HALL, LERADO, MEXICAN BORDER MISSION

FAITH HALL, LERADO, MEXICAN BORDER MISSION.

BY MISS JENNIE BROWN, TUSCALOOSA, ALA.

Faith Hall, of Lerado, stands as a proof of Miss Holding's descent from Israel, "who as a prince had power with God, and prevailed"-a witness to the world of God's power and willingness, in answer to believing prayer, not only to open the windows of heaven in spiritual blessings, but when the material interests of His kingdom must have pecuniary aid; in proof that the gold and the silver are His, and that His stewards, solillited only by the influence of the Holy Spirit, will respond to the prayer of faith, and send their gold from afar to build the" waste places of Zion.", When the recipients of God's bounties will not give even the crumbs that fall from their children's tables for the Master's use, the disbursers of the impoverished treasuries of the house of the Lord are obliged to protest many drafts written in love, and signed by the blood of perishing souls. When this Christian heroine's petition was refused on earth, with inspiration high as heaven she turned from the limited treasuries of earth to the limitless pledges of heaven, and made request, "The heathen, thino inheritance," are in want, and "man shutteth his bowels of compassion against them. " The fixed and eternal laws of the kingdom were fulfilledknock, ask, receive.

In the year 1887 Miss Holding attended the Woman's Board of Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, which met at Catlettsburg, Ky., to requestthe society to grant her $7000 with which to build a house containing a hall that could be used as a school-room and chur~h. None who heard her will ever forget her earnest pleadings. Such words could only come from a heart where human love had touched the Divine, and gone forth reflecting the Christ-like compassion for the multitudes" in • error's chains." She drew a strong contrast between Mexican darkness, defilement, alld falsehood, and Christian light, purity, and truth. The mission buildings were so small they could not receive those who were longing to learn to read the message of life. They had no room to accommodate those who would see Jesus.

"For months they had not been able to take those who crowd their doors. None but a missionary who stands in the midst of a down-trodden and poverty-stricken people can comprehend the anguish of spirit when compelled to turn away from their pleading 100K;S and words, and leave them in their helpless misery."

"Can't you, won't you, my dear sisters, give us $7000 for this building? God's work demands it; we must have it this year. " As that saintly woman resumed her seat, she must have felt, Surely my petition will be given me.

When the Executive Committee had made the appropriations for the obligations of the society, it was found impossible to give a grant of $7000 to the Lerado Mission. None but those who have assisted in distributing missionary funds know how the heart aches as they look at the discrepancy between the demand and the supply j how the soul cries out, " 0 Lord! how long shall those who are clothed at the expense of Thy love, and called by Thy name, shut their ears to the cry of a perishing world ~"

The president sorrowfully told Miss Holding of the inability of the society to grant her request, assured her of their continued sympathy and prayers, commending her to the care of the God of Jacob; who would de- fend and" send her help out of Zion."

What seemed disappointmeut proved to be love most true. Christ would lead His chosen one into a richer experience, a broader faith j into extremity, that she might prove the exceeding greatness of His promises.

Miss Holding rose to bid the society farewell, preparatory to leaving for her mission at Lerado. With a voice full of tears, she said, "My dear sisters, we must have that building this year." With inspiration she said, " I have asked for that building j God's work demands it j we shall have it." Every heart present, touched by sympathetic faith, repeated the as- surance-" shall have it." Heaven echoed back to earth-" shall have it." A triune Deity ratified the promise of incarnate God, " according to thy faith be it unto thee."

On Miss Holding's return to Lerado she was greeted by many anxious and expectant faces j because of the tumult of hope and fear, all hesitated to ask the question so near to their hearts.

As soon as possible, Miss Holding assembled the whole household. She did not wish to give them disappointment without sharing with them her hope and expectation that" deliverance should arise from another place."

After explaining to them that it was impossible for the Woman's Mis- sionary Society to give them the building that year, she asked them if they would all join her in a day of fasting and prayer, asking the Lord to supply the means for building. All heartily joined their beloved teacher in. calling upon the Lord, who had promised to deliver in the day of trouble.

Three public prayer-meetings were appointed for the fast day. As Miss Rolding was stepping out of the door at the close of the evening prayermeeting, a little girl-the youngest pupil in the school-took her by the hand and said: " Will we commence to build to-morrow 1" Miss Holding said, " The child's faith had gone beyond mine. " I hesitated just a moment, and replied, ., No, dear, we will not commence to build to-morrow, but we will get the lot ready.' " Miss Holding requested that the pupils, and all that could help. be in the orchard at six o'clock in the morning to transplant the trees and prepare the lot for the building of the house. . Promptly at six o'clock they were on the ground to show their faith .by their works. Accounting Him faithful who had promised, they made ready the ground. As soon as the orchard was cleared the first pledge of a covenantrkeeping God arrived-a letter containing money for the buildings.

Miss Holding, surely gathering that God intended that she should com- mence to build, without gainsaying began the work, knowing that He who had begun the work would also finish it.

Miss Holding said, " I knew God had heard our prayers, and would give us the building; but I thought in my heart, surely our Heavenly Father will move on the heart of some rich man or woman to send us the $7000 ; but it came in small sums, just as it was needed. I had to pray and believe all year." .

The bountiful Giver of all kept the dire~tor of His building, the con- servator of His funds, asking at the door of mercy, tarrying at heaven'i!

gates with thanksgiving; not that he would weary His beloved, but that in the audience chamber of heaven, beholding His glory, she might" be changed into the same image from glory to glory," and become to this people a living expression of the graces of thc Holy Spirit.

This sanctuary, which is of the Lord's own right hand planting, is an inspiration to the faith of the donors from almost every State in the Union, and those which hear of it will rejoice to know that justification by faith alone will be preached to a people" where superstition usurps the place of the Gospel, and priestly absolution supplants a divine forgiveness; where baptism is synonymous wit~ regeneration, lying wonders of relics are put in the place of the work of the Holy Spirit."

At the next meeting of the Woman's Board of Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1888, at Nashville, Tenn., Miss Holding presented the fOllowing report : " , This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.' As I come to my fourth annual report, I find in my heart only a feeling of praise and thanksgiving. So manifestly hath the Lord been with us our cup runneth over; prosperity in every part of the work, health and happiness maketh the soul glad. We would not rejoice so much in these outward things if we did not look upon them as the manifestation of , the good hand of our God upon us.'

"Last year we realized the necessity of enlarging our buildings. We asked for an appropriation for that p,urpose. / You did not have it in your power to grant our request j we remember how sorrowfully you refused us j we turned to Him 'who holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands,' and whose spirit' moveth upon the hearts of men,' and He gave us the thing which we asked.

" The new building or, as we call it, the house we prayed for, and which you have christened' Hall of Faith,' is completed and occupied, and free of debt. It is a large two-story building, containing nine rooms. How eagerly we have watched it grow into its present fair proportions, becom- ing, indeed, ' a thing of beauty!! There it stands, a blessed reality- a tangible evidence of direct answer to the prayer of faith. "

" So great has been the increase in numbers that we have found it necessary to become an organized church. To meet the exigencies of the case, by my request Brother Sutherland preaches twice a month at the seminary, both in English and Spanish. We have a membership of twenty-four. The Sunday-school numbers seventy-nine.

" Our missionary society-Lerado Band-has a membership of seventytwo. The year's contributions, $59.60. The baby of the school-Maria Villareal, six years of age-is supported by the Band. All things stand out as beautiful tints. upon the dark background. When we take into consideration the sloth and utter carelessness of the Mexican character, we can more perfectly approximate the advancement of our pupils. Our souls are encouraged by drawing comparative lines, present and past. From one flashes rays of light which give promise of the full life ; the other, only a dark line of simple existence, into which no glimmer of light had ever entered. The three natures of the household have in a measure kept pacephysical, intellectual, and spiritual. This one school upon the border can no more meet the demand of this people tban one drop of water can quench the thirst of famishing millions. We have pleaded, 'and we plead again, and will continue to plead as long as strength and life remain, for the establishment of Christian schools in every city of Mexico. The rapid growth and unrivalled prosperity of this border mission lead us to hope that th-e Board, and through the Board the women of the Southern Methodist Church, will be encouraged to enter the numerous doors now standing invitingly open."

Weare told of an Irishman who, when his opinion was asked as to the comparative merits of the sun and the moon, replied that he preferred the moon, because the moon shone by night and the suu shone by day when there was no need of shining. He reminds us of some Christians, who, in their comparative estimates of Christianity and morality, give morality the preference, on the ground of the Irishman, that Christianity is an unnecessary luminary in the presence of nineteenth-century ascetics, forgetting that nineteenth-century ascetics are the reflection and product of Christianity.

The Presbyterian churches of Great Britain and Ireland held their annual season of prayer for foreign missions during the week beginning November 30th. The Presbyterian churches in the United States, in accordance with the direction of the General Assembly, held" simultaneous meetings" for the same purpose during the week following December 6th to 13th.

A native Japanese, in Bethany Church, Philadelphia, gave a fine definition of prayer and its answer. He said: "They remind me of two buckets in an old-fashioned well, while one was going up the other was coming down."

'tHE WALDEN'SIAN' CHURCH

THE WALDENSIAN CHURCH AND ITS EVANGELICAL MIS- SION IN ITALY.

BY PASTOR J. P. PONS, TORRE PELLICE, ITALY.

[Last April I had the pleasure and honor of a visit to the Vaudois Valleys, as the guest of that rare man of God, Rev. J. P. Pons, President of the Synod. and author of the paper which follows. I spent the whole day- Saturday-in" walking over the hills and valleys of Angrognia, and visiting the beautiful and historic scenes connected with the Waldensian history. I went to the Rock Simon, where one saint, bound about with cords, was" hurled one hundred and fifty feet on to the rock below. I went to the Church of the Cavern, where for centuries the little body of believers escaped persecution, hiding from their implacable foes in the merciful shelter of a cave. I had to get down on hands and knees, crawl through a narrow opening, and then I found myself in an apartment cut out of solid rock by some convulsion of nature, and where hundreds of people could be comfortably accommodated; and I went also to the neat little chapel of Pra de Tour, and saw the very pool that the persecutors threatened to make flow red with the blood of the martyrs. On Sunday I preached four times at successive services in the valley, from 9 A.M. to 8 P.M., to attentive and decorous audiences, Rev. M. Peyrot, Bonnet, Meille, and Pons being my courteous hosts and attendants. The impression left on my mind by these experiences was that God has a great work to do for these descendants of His precious witnesses who counted not their lives dear for His sake. The young men studying in the college at Torre Pellice on a few francs a week, that they may get into the sacred calling; the self-sacrificing pastors, accomplished men as they are, who are living on a pittance that they may serve these poor saints; the whole aspect of affairs in these valleys, where a baptism of blood made every spot a Golgotha, impressed me with a peculiar solemnity, and seemed to say that before this martyr people a great future lies, in the evangelization of Free Italy. Think of a people, poor and few, who since Apostolic days have steadily and steadfastly kept the flag of the cross at masthead even in the stormiest seas, and when the little ship of their ecclesiastical organization seemed to be sinking, and would have sunk had not Christ been in it-think of all the marvels and miracles of deliverance God wrought for them, of which the siege of La Basille is only the most prominent and historic-and then say, whether a people so preserved and so persevering for Christ must not, like the Saviour, have been made perfect through suffering, in order to become Captains of Salvation to the poor, down-trodden, priest-ridden people of Italy. Let us help the Waldenses by prayers and by money, and make up for their poverty by our liberality.

The Waldenses in Piedmont, Italy, have recently held festivals in various places, celebrating "the remembrance of the return of their forefathers to the paternal firesides, where they learned to pray to God, where their fathers fell asleep in peace, where they struggled and suffered for liberty." Although the persecution of the Waldenses did not wholly cease until about the middle of the eighteenth century, an event of much importance in their history occurred in 1689-the permission then granted them to return to their mountain homes from the various parts of Europe to which they had been driven. Here they have since remained. In 1848 the Sardinian Government granted them full religious and c~vil liberty. They are now also permitted to establish congregations elsewhere in Sardinia besides the three retired valleys of the Cottian Alps to which they had before been obliged to confine themselves.-EDlToR.] The Waldenses both are and always have been" a peculiar people," not only of Italy, but of Europe j and the place where they live and have lived for more than seven centuries is also totally different from the country which surrounds them j and the valleys of the Cottian Alps, near Pinerolo, seem to have been especially provided by God for their preservation. If they had not been hidden from their enemies behind a rampart of mountains, they would have perished as a nation long ago.

I.

As to the origin of the Waldensians, my confined limits do not allow me to speak about such a controverted question. There certainly is a great interest in knowing whether they werQ a pure, primitive church, which never went wrong nor needed reformation, or whether their religious principles were due to Peter Valdo, the merchant of Lyons. After all, we would better leave this question to the historians as a matter of no consequence in the present state and to the present duties of our people.

For ages every man's hand has been against them, though their own has been against nobody except in self-defence. Nor can we wonder at this, because they have ever been, since the twelfth century, a thorn in the side of the Church of Rome, a perpetual witness against the errors of the papacy, a light, greater or smaller, shining in darkness, as the Waldenses' motto says, " Lux lucet in tenebris. •, But though thus preserved from destruction, the Church of the Valleys was not shielded from great and numerous persecutions, nor guarded from cruelties such as have been seldom equalled, and never surpassed j and all that during not less than five centuries. That such things should have been allowed may seem mysterious, but we know that the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church, and that seed is even now bearing fruit, and will, we trust, do so henceforth.

When God prepares a suitable instrument for His will and purpose, before everything He breaks it! The last of this series of persecutions has been the most atrocious and dangerous for the existence itself of the little flock. It took place in the year 1686, the year in which all the people were imprisoned-viz., 14,000. The following year about 3000 emaciated

1S91.J TlrE WALl>ENSlAN Cnu1WJt

beings crossed the Alps and took refuge in Switzerland; but alas! about 10,000 had perished in loathsome dungeons! The remnant of the exiled were hospitably received, housed, and fed by the generous inhabitants of Geneva and other cities of that generous country, or in Germany.

But after living some time in foreign countries, the poor Vaudois were seized with an unconquerable home-sickness, and resolved to return to their native land, to kindle again their lamp. After much prayer and consultation a party of 800 men, led by the heroic Henri Arnaud, succeeded in entering their valleys, on Sunday, August 27th, 1689.

That glorious return was solemnly celebrated by the Waldenses in the year 1889, and we had the honor of seeing our king partake of our joy, who was there represented by Count Lovera, Prefect of Turin.

The worst days were over, but still the Waldenses had troubles from the Church of Rome, till the beginning of this century living in constant dread of bad edicts. They received moral and temporal aid from their brethren from England and Holland, which enabled them to keep up their schools and their worship.

In the early part of this century three noble men of England-Dr. W. S. Gilly, General Beckwith, and the Rev. Dr. Stewart-were providentially sent into the valleys to help us in the foundation of the College of La Tour and in the improvement of the instruction of youth, as in the foundation of a theological seminary. We said, providentially, because the 17th of February, 1848, the King of Piedmont, Charles Albert, emancipated the Waldensian Church from the oppressive disabilities and restraints under which she had so long suffered and labored, and that event found us ready to occupy the field open to the truth of the Gospel.

The barriers were removed, and the Waldenses, under the impulse of their newly acquired freedom and revived spiritual life, were prompt to undertake the great work for which God had certainly preserved and prepared them. If their " Barbes" had not feared, in the past centuries, to go through all Italy preaching the Gospel, despite the danger their life ran, their descendants were quite decided to continue the interrupted mission-" Woe is unto Me, if I preaoh not the Gospel !"

II.

The first mission to the Italians was' begun by the W aldEmsian Church in Turin, and after some years it had congregations in that city, in Genoa, Alexandria, and many other places in Piedmont.

When, in 1859 and 1860, all the Dukes of Tuscany, Parma, Modena, and the King of Naples were driven from their thrones, and their States annexed to the kingdom of Sardinia, the largest part of Italy was so opened to the Gospel, that the ancient Church of the Valleys sent its evangelists, teachers, and colporteurs everywhere, including the distant island of Sicily.

To prepare fit men for that great work of evangelization, the Theolog- . ieal Seminary of La Tour was removed from there to Florenae, as hetter adapted, that city being the Athens of Italy. In the same year,. 1860, the Synod appointed a special Committee of Evangelization, as the Table could not provide for the wants of the native churches in the valleys, and the new congregations spread throughout Italy, which were increasing every day.

Some years later the provinces of Lombardo-Venitia were liberated from Austrian power, and immediately the principal cities, as Venice, Mantua, Verona, were visited by one or more of our evangelists. At last Rome was opened, and our Church, availing itself of this liberty, sent the first pastor who has preached the Gospel to the Romans in modern times, after the fall of its walls. He was the actual president of our committee, the Rev. Dr. Matteo Prochet.

The mission has been gradually extended, and its progress will appear, looking at the following statement: Forty years ago the Waldenses had 15 native churches in the valleys and 18 ministers (15 pastors and 3 professors). Now the ministers are 81, and the settled churches more than 60.

I give here the statistics of the Waldensian missionary field : Settled congregations.. • • •. . . . . . . . . • . . • • •. . .• 44 Missionary stations…••.••….•..••……… 53 Ordained ministers……………………. . I41 ) . . Lay evangelists …•…•••……•…, …….. . 9 Teacher evangelists……………………. . 588 ( II Teachers or schoolmasters……………… . 8I I all 132 workers Colporteurs ……….•••••. , ………….. . Bible-readers and Bible-women………….. . 8J The regular attendants at the church amount to …..•. " …… . 6,536 The occasional hearers of the Gospel to ………………….. . 49,929 The number of communicants (members) ……. _…………. . 4,428 Members admitted last year ……•……… , .•…••…. , .••.. 586 Catechumens last year…..•••••••..•…….•………••• " •.• 618 The day-schools last year…………………………….. .. 67 The attendance of pupils last year………………• " ..•….. 2,560 The Sabbath schools last year. . . .. . . .. . . .. . … …… .. …. .. 57 Attendance of pupils last year………………………….. . 2,866 There are also 17 evening schools, with 582 young people or adults. The present expense of the mission is about $60,000 per annum, of which about $16,000 are contributed by the Waldensian churches, the offspring of the mission. For the remnant we seek the help of other churches. As our missionary congregations in Italy "four times exceed in number the native congregations in the valleys, our agents in the field of evangelization are 132, and they are doing a great work j some of them having many places to visit in a week, we need aid. We say to all our brethren in faith, in the words of Carey to Pierce and Fuller, " We will go down into the pit, if you will hold the rope !" The progress made by the evangelical movement is not completely indicated if we look only at the figures. As they stand they represent, no doubt, a gain; but it is quite impossible to show by them the general impression produced by the preaching on the many thousands of occasional hearers.

We have ascertained that a general improvement of the public opinion has been the happy result of our labors.

It was evident last year, when the prefects, senators, and many members of Italian Parliament assured their sympathy to our church, coming to La Tour to assist at the Second Centenary of the Glorious Return of our forefathers. They spoke cordially to the descendants of the martyrs, and we felt how imp?rtant is the change of the opinion and attitude of our countrymen toward us. The daily press also gave to us many precious tokens of this great and real improvement.

All this awakens rejoicing, but it is not yet the conversion of the multitudes, which we long for so much. Our evangelists have done their best to attract and retain the hearers, bq.t we know that all the country is under the spirit of indifference, unbelief, and the deepest superstitions. The more we approach Rome the greater the darkness and errors are. Your Catholicism in America is a great deal less intolerant and superstitious, because the influence of Protestantism forces the Papacy to adapt its practices to the milieu in which it lives and works.

When I read, in this REVIEW, an account of the Roman Catholic Lay Congress of 1889, held in Baltimore, I felt more than ever the necessity of evangelizing Italy. Here is the head of that universal army, here is the " man of sin who exalteth himself against all that is called God, . . . setting himself forth as God." England and the United States mnst keep their ground, but all evangelical Christians share the duty to unite their efforts to hasten that day when we shall hear the mighty voice saying, " Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great."

Now, in that hope, " we beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with us in your prayers to God for us."

A Methodist Episcopal bishop of this country boasts that in the last ten years the gifts of the churches for missions had increased steadily by the sum of $50,000 a year. For the coming year the missionary committee has appropriated the following sums: Foreign Missions, $566,352 ; Home Missions, $459, t348. This seems a small sum for so large a body. The United Societies of Methodism, under J ohn Wesley, now !ncludes about six and a third millions of ministers and members, and a domestic and personal affiliation of about thirty millions of adherents. The Methodist Episcopal branch alone has 2,252,621 ministers and members, 26,200 Sunday-schools, and 2,554,000 teachers and pupils.

EXTRACTS AND TRANSLATIONS FROM FOREIGN PERIODICALS

EXTRACTS AND TRANSLATIONS FROM FOREIGN PERIODICALS.

BY REV. C. C. STARBUCK, ANDOVER, MASS.

-M. Saillens, in a pleasant little tract entitled L'.Age d' 01' (" The Age of Gold"), occasioned by a discourse of the noted female anarchist, Louise Michel, whom a good nun has well described as une sainte egaree, " a saint that has lost her way," remarks, after speaking of the many points which anarchists and Christians have in common, that nevertheless they are exactly opposed as to two points. the cause and the cure of present ills. "The revolutionists say, Change societYI and men will be good. Christians say, Change man, and society will be good." "Anarchism," he remarks further, "is merely Jesuitism reversed. The same fanaticism, the same blindness, the same implicit obedience to secret chiefs, the same contempt of morality, of justice, of the rights of others."

-The report rendered to the Synod of the W aldensian Church, September 1st, 1890, by the Table, or Executive Commission, which is chosen annually to govern the Church ad interim, is interesting. in view of the recent celebration, so interesting to .the whole Protestant world, of the Glorious Return, when, two centuries ago, the expatriated Waldenses forced their way back to their native valleys, in which they have since maintained themselves. It was hoped that this great celebration might issue in a great spiritual reawakening. But patriotic celebrations, with all their benefits, do not always give much room to the" still, small voice" of the Divine Spirit. It is the general testimony of the parishes that no fruits of revival have been seen. In some the crust of religious indifference seems to be growing thicker and thicker. The catechumens, once confirmed, partake of the Holy Supper once or twice, and then remain absolutely indifferent to it. But in most of the parishes attendance is good, great interest is manifested in the services, even to tears, but there is a noted unwillingness to do. The pastor, elders, and deacons seem to be regarded as charged with the sole responsibility of all the administration of the means of salvation. To overcome this paralyzing misconception of a private Christian's duty seems to be the point toward which all the endeavors of the leading brethren are bent. And it is plain, notwithstanding the dead weight of old habit, aggravated by that of modern unbelief, good progress is making in the right direction. In many pariAhes a large number of the brethren are becoming active in prayer, in Bible study, visitation of the sick, and other offices of piety and charity. The old confusion between "the Vaudois people and the Vaudois Church" is giving way to a more spiritual discrimination. There, as. elsewhere in Europe, the national or quasinational crust may break away altogether; for" all are not Israel which are of Israel." But the living nucleus, the true inheritrix of the traditions and the· promises, will be set free for unencumbered energy in the works of conversion.

-In a very interesting essay by the Rev. Arthur H. Smith, of the North China Mission of the American Board, on "The Natural History of the Chinese Boy and of the Chinese Girl," the author quotes a description which, he says, sums up the whole system of Chinese education- "gnawing a wooden pear. " A very small proportion of boys and next to no girls enjoy this dismal privilege. "The great majority of pupils, when they leave school, cast aside all their little store of learning as a wornout pair of shoes." There seems to be the same difference between the Chinese and us as that which some French journal declares to exist between Catholic and Protestant countries. In the former countries, parents are as fond of their children as in the latter, but have but a glimmering conception that childhood has a world of its own, which must be divined, entered into, and provided for. In Protestant countries alone, says this journal, is there (fairy stories apart) a children's literature. The full significance of the Saviour's blessing on the little ones seems to have been reserved for the lands of the Reformation.

In China, Mr. Smith remarks, a youth learns two excellent lessons which do much to make amends for the dreariness of his biting on the " wooden pear"-if he has done so. He learns obedience and he learns industry. " But of intellectual independence he has not the faintest conception or eVlln a capacity of comprehension." An uneducated Chinese youth " knows that he knows nothing, that he never did, never shall, never can know anything, and also that it makes very little difference what he knows. He has a blind respect for learning, but no idea of gathering any crumbs thereof for himself. The long, broad, black, and hopeless shadow of Confucianism is over him. It means a high degree of intellectual cultivation for the few, who are necessarily narrow and often bigoted, and for the many it means a lifetime of intellectual stagnation. Measured by what it has totally failed to do, when it might and should have done it. we charge Confucianism with being intellectually one of the most elaborate, compendious, and far-reaching failures which has ever wrought out its ultimate results upon this distracted earth !"

As to daughters, the Chinese say, "A daughter with the virtues of the eighteen Lo-hans"-whatever they may be-" is not equal to a splayfooted son." Why ~ Because a daughter cannot offer the ancestral sacrifices, without which a family is given over to ignominy and, as is supposed, to every conceivable evil. The reason also why girls are as good as never educated is, that after marriage they are (not socially, -but legally) no longer the children of their parents. To educate them " is like putting a gold chain around the neck of some one else's puppy." If the puppy is whistled away, what becomes of the chain ~ Neither man nor woman being recognized by Confucianism as having any eternal and therefore individual value, the selfishness of mere Socialism has full sway.

" One of the weakest parts of the Chinese social fabric is the insecurity of the life and happiness of woman. But no structure is stronger than its weakest part, and Chinese society is no exception to this law. Every year thousands upon thousands of Chinese wives commit suicide, tens of thousands of other persons are thereby involved in serious trouble, hundreds of thousands of yet others are dragged in as co-partners in the difficulty, and millions of dollars are expended in extravagant funerals and ruinous lawsuits. And all this is the outcome of the Confucian theory that a wife has no rights which a husband is bound to respect."

-The Rev. George Ensor, in the Church Missionary Intelligencer for November, 1890, makes an important remark respecting heathen systemsnamely, that usually in them the moral and the religious elements are in inverse proportion to each other. Thus the highest morality· is perhaps found in Confucianism. Yet Confucianism is very nearly atheistic. On the other hand, an extraordinary depth of religious feeling appears in Hinduism; yet morally it is worse than worthless, it is foul and cruel. This may well remind us of what Dr. Dorner so justly says of our Lord, that in Him we cannot separate ethics from religion. There is no saying of His of which we can declare that it respects man without equally respecting God, or God without equally respecting man. . But, says Mr. Ensor, the much-lauded Islam, in its Paradise of lust, • displays a moral corruption of which the foulest Tantras of Hinduism, the most immoral votaries of Krishna, are simply incapable. They cannot even comprehend it. Our own Mormonism alone approaches it.

-The Rev. Henry Rice, writing in the Harvest Field for November, 1890, on " British Influence in India," remarks: "We may point with just satisfaction to the improved state of the country, to communication by land and water, to railways, electric telegraphs, etc. This is unde- niable. But all the while religion has been largely shuffled off or almost entirely left to missionaries. Little or nothing has been done as a com- munity to let our light shine before the heathen. We have feared that we might acknowledge Christ too openly, and that the natives of the country would imagine that we wished to enrol them forcibly among the number of His disciples. We have, perhaps, feared their numbers. and practised a cautious timidity, until it has come to pass that goodness has been left to itself, and greatness made the foundation and support of our authority. There has been an endeavor to rule by power, and make a display of what may be called great works, tacitly trusting that the Hindus would be awed by wonder, and render the obedience due to superior knowledge and energy. The most subtle and the most formidable forces of heat and electricity have appeared alike obedient to our will and subservient to our convenience. The effect has been very great upon a people who believe in sorcery, whose jugglers and snake-charmers perform feats which at first sight can hardly be accounted .for by anything short of Satanic agency. But we may. say without hesitation that the higher means of spreading the true religion in this country have been largely wanting. Living example in ordinary men has been the exception, not the rule. All has been too much confined to externals. The influence held by the British is an in- fluence derived from wonder at the visible greatness of their power and energy. It excites awe, perhaps, but it does not create the feeling of reverence which internal goodness of principle alone can call into being. Where there is no reverence there can be no love."

The Harvest Field remarks, speaking especially of female agency, and of India as " weirdly fascinating" to cultivated women, " In the divine enterprises to which India invites the V{est, America· is aiready doing an almost equal share with Britain. Could anything be more admirabJe? Divided there, and disposed sometimes to emphasize division, the two nations join here."

The same article speaks at length of the broad and fruitful efforts mak- ing by our countrywoman, Mrs. Brainerd·Ryder, M.D., to advance general and also technical education among the women of Bombay.. These efforts are not specifically religious, but they allow full discussion of religion, and are of course underlaid by Christian motives. The Society for Technical Education of Women has, as its president, the Hon. Justice K. T. Telang, C.LE. The Vice-Presidents are Khan Bahadur, M.C., Murzbun, a Parsi, and Pundita Ramabai j on the Advisory Board are the Bishop of Bom- bay, Bishop Thoburn, of our M. E. Church, and the Vicar-General of the Jesuits.

-The Rev. W. J. Chamberlain, of Mandanapelle, says: "We baptized here a young Brahmin of twenty-five years. He came to us a year ago, entered into full and earnest converse with us, and left with a promise to return in eight days. He did not appear, nor, after the most diligent inquiries, could we find him, He came to town a month ago, and walked directly to the mission compound, as he said, 'driven by God.' He was baptized on the following day, and soon after accompanied me on a tour into the region of his home. "

-The Rev. F. Hahn, of Gossner's Mission among the Kols, quoted in the Harvest Field, says: " How is it that Roman Catholic/! are permitted to break the marriage law with impunity, .•• while Protestant minillters are liable to punishment for doing so?" Protestant Christians should com· bine, not to persecute the Roman Catholics, but to insist that there shall be one manner of law for all Christians in India. Otherwise, without any intention of the Government, of which Mr. Hahn acquits it, it may be throwing the mighty weight of " Cresar in India" (as the empress is officially called) into the scale of the sacerdotal Cresar of the Tiber.

-A non-Christian graduate of a Christian college in India remarks, in a Christian magazine, quoted in the Missions-Blad for October, 1890, that one hostile European of high place can counteract the work of ten. missionaries. He refers to one who used to tell the people that if any applicant for an appointment was recommended by missionaries, he would reject him without any further inquiry. The writer, however, remarks that so desperate a hostility to missions as this on the part of Europeans is very rare. But," before the missionaries rises a strong and gigantic fortification, whose garrison are by no means despicable soldiers in intellectual wars. Behind they are assailed by a Bradlaugh and an Ingersoll. And to render the situation yet more perplexing, there sometimes come flank attacks from hostile local officials of their own nationality."

"The missionaries are not likely in the near future," continues this non-Christian adviser, "to advance the banners of victory very widely in any direction. But they may and ought to accustom the Hindus to look upon them as assailants worthy of their steel. And this is what educational missions are in a fair way to accomplish." '" A patriotic feeling,' many say, 'is awakening among the people of India, and their resistance is about to become more energetic.' This is the exact truth ; and let me say to the educational missionary, You have no occasion to be ashamed when you are declared to be largely responsible for this state of things. Hitherto the lion has been couching in serene disdain of you. Now he feels that, after all, you are not so much to ·be despised, and he is rousing himself for defence and for a counter attack."

" There was a time, " says this Christian]y educated but not Christian theist, "when the inner world was almost the exclusive object of human study, while men looked down upon the physical world with contempt. We are now veering to the opposite extreme. Weare so completely taken up with the visible and palpable, that we act as if everything invisible was chimerical." Tillthe tide changes, he thinks that conversions in India will be few.

" True it is," he remarks, "that often, when by a Christian education one devil has been driven out of the young Hindus, seven devils worse than he come in his stead. But he who believes that Christ is mighty to drive out every devil must believe that sooner or later his power and lordship will be acknowledged by all."

He says in conclusion, in reference to the contemptuous criticisms of the missionary work, " As the Chinese say, a tower is measured by its shadow, and greatness by its slanderers."

Mr. Herman Jensen, who comments on this article, remarks that we lllust. not exaggerate the present position of the Brahmins in India. A poor Brahmin will feel honored to stand side by side with a wealthy and educated Sudra.

He remarks also that missionaries formerly were too much in the way of recommending their converts, simply as such, to the Government, which has given a handle to those who wished to discredit their recommendations altogether.

"This writer also," says Mr. Jensen, " has learned that missionaries are too willing to exaggerate. Till the severity of absolute truth is exacted of all missionary reports, every missionary society will end its days with sorrow, if not with shame."

There are as yet many more "free-livers" than" free-thinkers" in India. The latter tendency is as yet a mere rootless result of the former. -It is known that the English Universities' Mission in Central Mrica ill very distinctly of the Anglo-Catholic type. But happily it is absolutely free from that arrogant and encroaching temper which sometimes renders the missionaries of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel hardly less uncomfortable neighbors than the most encroaching Roman Catholi~ orders. In particular, remarks the Church of Scotland Home and Foreign Record, the relations between the Universities' Mission and the Scottish Mission in Nyassaland have always been of the friendliest. Archdeacon Maples, of the former mission, writes of the latter: "The hospitality and friendliness of the Blantyre Mission to ourselves are so well known that I will not dilate on them here, but will content myself with remarking that if there is a place on the face of the globe where the Church in occupation of the field extends the entente cordiale to missionary visitors from another, that place is Blantyre. The mission buildings, with the beautifully laid out' square,' with its home-like looking lawn, its deodoras, and the noble church seen at the end through a vista of greenery, form a coup d'a!il which surpasses anything I have ever seen at any missionary station in Africa. " The Record quotes the following from Vaughan's standard work, "The Trident, the Crescent, and the Cross:" "Thousands with slender faith and scanty knowledge have embraced the name of Christ. Among these were many hundreds of Mohammedans. One of the Mohammedan converts, with a simple and ingenuous candor, said' he hoped God would be more favorable to him when he worshipped Jesus Christ than when ho worshipped Mohammed, for then they had nothing but trouble, but with the Christians they found pity, as also money and rice [largely bestowed also on those outside] which they did not obtain from the Zemindars' [Mohammedan landlords]_ He might have been the spokesman of the majority [of these , famine' or 'rico ' Christians] thus gathered within the Christian fold.

, We find pity and help' was really the voice of converted thousands. It was a voice which fell far short of the agonizing cry, , Men and brethren, what shall we do ~' (Acts ii. 37.) And yet it was a natural voice, and it was true. They began, no doubt, at a very low level; yet, commingled with the selfish aim was a certain vague impression that Chdstianity rested upon a basis of truth and justice. Many a pleasing story might be told of those who, star~ing on such a defective principle, have rapidly advanced in light and knowledge and faith, until at length they have become burning and shining lights. . . . But there is another picture, and one which charms the eye with its glowing and beauteous tints. Numbered among the Christians of India are multitudes of persons, the narrative of whose conversion would grace the fairest page in the history of the Church of Christ. • • , If deep repentance, earnest faith, and burning love, if complete self-sacrifice, if a fearless confession of Christ at any cost, be marks of genuine conversion, then has the Church of India multitudes within her pale distinguished by these marks. . . . Try them by whatever test we may, we find them approved as the regenerated children of the Most High. It has been our privilege to mix with many such, and we have uo hesita_ tion in saying that among them are Christians so advanced in the life of grace that we have, as it were, sat at their feet and learned the deep things of God."

Much is made by many of the fact that by far the most of the converts in India are from the lower classes. As to this, the Indian Witness, Calcutta (as quoted in the Record), says: "It is very true that four fifths of the converts are from the lower castes-many of them, indeed, from the lowest; but those who reject the idea of such people becoming the successors to the Brahmins have not probably given much attention to the rapidity with which many of them rise in the social scale. A youth of eighteen, perhaps the son of a sweeper, becomes a Christian, and begins to study. Three years later he is a student in a high school, and at twentyfive he is the most intelligent and cultured man in the village where he lives. His wife is so superior to all the other women in the village, and is able to help them all in so many ways, that the young couple are everywhere received with honor. Already their sweeper origin is nearly forgotten." How much more in two or three generations !

-The Rev. George Cockburn, M.A., writing in the Record from Ichang, China, says that the Mandarins, who are apt to have a smattering of Western culture, show a disheartening readiness to truckle to the JUost puerile superstitions of the people, and that since the young Kwang-su has come to the throne, the hands of the clock have gone backward. It is rumored, we may remark, that the young emperor seems sullenly resolved not to appear too much under the influence of his father, who has become a decided advocate of Vvestern progress.

-Whatever may be thought of the West African, or Negro proper, the East African Bantu (of which race the Caffres and Zulus are a branch) is, says the Record, "sharp and clever, and although a spirit of levity does seem to rule the African, it does not make him, as Major Wissmann contends, impervious to spiritual truth." Of two East African boys at school' in Edinburgh, one took the highest place in his class, " and both showed themselves not in the least degree inferior."

-Mr. Frederiek WellsWiIliams, a native of Macao, China, and the son of the author of " The Middle Kingdom," says of the Chinese civilization "that, with such a cast-iron system, any change must come from outside. • • • Almost inevitably the great tonic of new life and aims must be from Europe and America. Chinese statesmen recognize the radieal nature of the change to come, one of whom declares it a greater change for China to find herself face to face with the nations of the far West than anything that has occurred in her history. How to adapt herself to this imminent transformation is the problem for years to come. The next two or three generations will be best employed in observing and applying the institutions of other lands. As a cat watches a mouse, China watches Japan, whose rapid progress irritates the Celestial and shocks his pride. Japan may be to China the hyphen, the copula, between the old life and the new. But we shall see no more than the beginning, for Asiatic civilization moves slowly, by centuries j yet some day a great destiny wiIl be realized."

INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT

II.-INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT.

EDITED AND CONDUCTED BY BEV. J. T. GBACEY, D.D.

Korea.'s Political Relation with Ohina. be 80 gracious as to give me to take back to my master. For, if the Throne It is a matter of no small interest to sends envoys, we will not be able to ac· the missionary world to know the exact commodate them properly. Then measure of the independence of Korea would we be sinners evermore. '" e as a kingdom. A late occurrence throws beg your Celestial Graciousness, our a good deal of light upon the subject. most affectionate parents, to treat us Being strictly official, it shows China's like a red child (i.e., a new-born babe), claim to sovereignty over Chosen, and and not inflict any penalty upon us for Chosen's evident disposition to secure expressing this desire. If your Heavthe recognition of at least a little larger enly Majesty bestows the letters of conautonomy, possibly as testing the tem· dolence upon me to take back, so as to per of the Court at Peking as to Chosen's save the trouble of the envoys, my tendency to secure acknowledgment of Prince and my country will ever bathe her independence. in thankfulness."

The immeditate occasion of this reo To this, however, the Government of assertion by China of her Imperial con· China declined to accede; but seizing trol of the little peninSUla was as fol. the only argmuent in the petition based lows: The Queen Dowager of Korea on Korea's poverty, adapted the former died. It has been the custom hitherto custom merely to a more economical for the Government at Peking on such base, but reaffirming the sovereignty occasions to send an embassy of con. of China over Korea. The reply was: as dolence to Korea, as to a vassal. Korea follows: sought to reduce this to an ordinary let. ter of official sympathy as between "RESCBl:PT FBOM THE THBONE-MEfriendly and equal sovereigns. Accord. MOBIAL NOTED.-That Kingdom for ceningly, the Korean First Envoy at Peking turies past having been the Eastern was instructed to solicit a modification vassal and reaped Our Graciousness of ullage, and addressed to the " Board always, on occasions of any death of of Rites" at Peking the following com. that Kingdom's household, We have munication : always sent Envoys to convey Our Sym- pathies. Such Missions have hitherto II This small kingdom, a vassal to the gone overland, making many halts on Throne which has from time immemo. the way. But this time, not having the rial reaped the benefits of Imperial slightest doubt but what that Kingdom favor, even as late as 1882 and 188!;< is in poverty, We will depart from the notably during the two rebellions when old rule and make slight changes. the Throne raised us from the earth and Therefore the Mission shall proceed by saved our ancestors' ashes, we thank water [sea] with the Pei-Yang squadron again and again for having given us new to land at that Kingdom's port of life. But this small kingdom has Jeuchuan [Chemulpol. When the cersuffered grievously from these two reo emonial shall have been performed. the bellions, and the people being in pov. Mission shall return by the same route. erty d1j.ring the past six or seven years, By such a temporary change that Kingthe condition has been getting worse dom will incur no heavy expenses. and worse. This unfortunate year the When the Prince of that Kingdom premother of my Prince died, and the sents you both with presents, you are funeral expenses are such that we must not allowed to accept anything. That economize. Most humbly prostrating Prince, hearing this Heavenly Declaraourselves, we beg the Great Emperor to tion, will forever be grateful. But you give us the instructions and the letter will see that all rites are strictly obof condolence which the Throne would

2:13

served. Let this Decree of Mine be at not take in the Gospel. All atonce obeyed by the Superintendent of Pei-Yang (of the Northern Seas, Li-Hung tempts to bring them to a knowledge Chang, the Viceroy of Chihli). Let the Board of Rites at once instruct that of the true God have as yet failed ut- King to obey." terly… ' Poor brutes in human shape, We ha7e no room to recount the exact manner in which this edict was executed . . . they must perish off the face of on the one part, and accepted on the other. These were, of course, religious the earth like brute beasts." (" Serproceedings, and might appear as if the relation was similar to that of some mons on National Subjects," p. 234.) Europeansovereign recognizing the Pope as religious emperor in his dominions. The article we now present on this But there can be no mistaking the recognition of the political relatiQl1s involved people has been translated and conin Korea saying" This small Kingdom" is a "vassal to the Throne," and the densed for our columns at our request by authoritative utterance of China that " that Kingdom for centuries past Rev A. Hartmann, from the German having been the Eastern vassal, ..• let the Board of Rites instruct that King of Rev. H. G. Schneider, a missionary to obey." This indirectly and directly involves serious political questions. among these aborigines. Mr. Hart- Korea has existing treaties with European nations, and receives minis- mann was himself a missionary of the ters from the same, such as are accredited only to sovereign States. But if she Moravian Church among these Black recognizes and China asserts her vassalage, what then? Fellows of Australia from 1864 to 1873, , This is diplomatic correspondence incidental to religious rites, but Korea and is now a missionary to North Amermay not alone have the decision of her fate. Japan may have something to say ican IndiansatMoraviantown, Bothwell, when the issue is pushed into practical politics, and 80 may western powers; Ontario, Canada. It strikes us that nevertheless it must be said in the face of Korea's confessed vassalage to China. Mr. Kingsley would have found a bet- J. T. G. ter specimen to put in evidence of the The :Black Pellows of Australia. bottomless pit of original depravity, on FmsT PAPER-PBs-MORAVIAN MISSIONS. the other side of the court room. The PREPARED llY REV. A. HARTMANN. " Settler" and the Colonist might toss It is a no less brilliant and benevolent dice with the poor Papuan for front rank, author than the Rev. Charles Kingsley who, taking the position that man might in the lowest depth of submerged actually fall by original sin too low to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ and humanity. Read and judge. be recovered again, points his proposition by the illustration worn threadbare J. T.G. by saints, sinners and scientists, of the poor Papuan of Australia. He says: The continent of Australia was taken " The black people of Australia, exactly possession of by Captain Cook in the the same race as the African negro, can- name of the English Crown. It was taken, not bought, from the original pos- I sessors of the country. The first settlers were convicts. They, and alas! too many of the emigrants who followed, treated the aborigines as they thought fit, robbing them and abusing their wives, and killing them if resistance was offered. Colonial history gives no rec- ord of an organized war with the na- tives; the latter must have been few and weak, and the severities and cruelties practised upon them were therefore unwarrantable. Their thefts and attacks were in many cases incited by want, or by revenge for wrongs suffered by them. By the introduction of intoxicants, the low became the lowest of the low. A disgusting sickness, of which many of the blacks suffered and perished, as a consequence of vice, was also introduced among them. Of the cruelties inflicted on some of them in individual cases we would rather not speak. Just think of a cowboy glorying before his master that with his own hand he had killed six or seven blacks, and that for the mere sport the chase of human beings afforded him! Dismissal from service piled up the dead bodies and kindled was the only punishment for this mur. over them a large fire to destroy every derer. It is not too much to say that trace of their awful murder. Through the majority of European inhabitants a combination of peculiar circumstances looked with contempt on the blacks, the crime was discovered, and the murconsidering them little if any better derers condemned to suffer the extreme than dangerous animals, for whose ex- penalty of the law. During the trial tirpation any measures were justifiable. the whole population of the colony was in a great excitement. Many, and even So matters went on for fifty years. But men of influence, were full of sympathy in 1838 II society was formed for the pro. for the murderers. All possible means tection of the aborigines. In 1839 a law were employed to have the murderers was passed appointing land commission. acquitted. Large Bums of money were ers with full power to put a stop to the raised to employ the most skilful lawcruelties perpetrated on the natives by yers in their defence, and witnesses reo the settlers beyond the colonial boun. ceived terrible threatenings, and even daries. At the same time, the following the chief witness, one of the most honnoble proclamation was made by the orable men of the district, hardly ven- Governor: ., As human beings, who tured to return to his home. The govpartake of the same nature as ourselves; ernor himself, a brave man, occupying as the original possessors of this terri- the most difficult position in this catastory, from which we derive much of our trophe, nevertheless signed the deathwealth and prosperity; and as subjects warrant of these murderers. Although of the Queen, whose power extends over the blacks now enjoyed the protection every part of New Holland, the abodg. of the law, yet slow progress was made ines of this country have the same right in the improvement of their condition. as Europeans to the protection and as- Still, during the last thirty years the sistance of the law. His Excellency be. moral obligations toward the natives lieves it his duty to inform every inhab- have been fully acknowledged. Efforts itant of this colony that each new de. have been made by the government and spatch from the Secretary of State in by private individuals to better thei~ England speaks of the increasing stress condition by supplying them with food, laid by Her Majesty's Government, the clothing, schools, churches, and mission- Parliament, and the whole people, on aries. But alas! much that was well the proper and humane treatment of the meant came too late to save them as a natives of this land. His Excellency race. Too long these unhappy beings also most urgently and solemnly de- had been treated as animals; too long clares that it is their conviction that had there been no place on earth where nothing whatsoever is so essential to they were suffered, cared for, or loved. the honor and welfare (or interests) of Only at the throne of God, the Just and the colony as humane care and consid- the Merciful, was compassion shown eration of the aborigines. " for them; but the poor blacks did not know Him, and it was long before As one result of this Proclamation, those whites who did know it showed and the laws put in force with it, mur· them the way to Him. derers were punished. Seven convicts who, by the Government, had been ap. EFFORTS TO IMPIOVE THE NATIVES. pointed shepherds to some of the squatters, went out on horseback to hunt There is no rule without exception, blacks. They discovered a small tribe and in this case the rule was bad and of about thirty, men, women, and chil- the exception good. Among the many dren. They surrounded them, tied who looked down and trampled on the them together with a long rope, and natives of Australia there were found then butchered them in cold blood in some noble souls, whose hearts were full the dell th of the wilderness. They then

INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT

of love and sympathy for them. For in. poor parsonage at Paramatta, a few stance, since the beginning of this cen· miles from Sydney. Mr. Marsden tury there have been noble, humane gov· preached to the convicts and to all the ernors, who did everything in their colonists" Jesus Christ and Him cruci. power to ameliorate and improve their fied" with undaunted courage and un· condition. These efforts sometimes met tiring love. With the blacks, however, with resistance and ingratitude on the he pursued another plan. With the help part of those whom they sought to ben- of Governor Macquarie he established a efit. The blacks would stay for a week model farm, in which several families or two in the paradise prepared for of natives were placed under the guidthem, and then suddenly disappear and ance of a qualified overseer to be trained return to their wandering life. Too to farm work. much was expected of them; the most beautiful palace would have been a pris- Besides this, a boarding-school was on for them. Instead of being grad. commenced for native children, in which ually accustomed to order and a civilized they should be taught reading, writing, life, a degree of liberty being allowed arithmetic, and the elements of the them, they were expected to settle down Christian religion. The whole undertakat once. Many such efforts· were made ing was a failure, and after a few years' and proved failures. The hearts of the trial had to be given up. The children natives were difficult to reach, and the were not to be confined within walls, love of a wandering life was not to be nor were the minds of these ignorant eradicated in a hurry. Even the friends heathen to be prepared by the disci. and benefactors of the race were dis_ pline of civilization for Christianity. couraged, and came again and again to The idea was to teach them first to be the conclusion that for this race there men, then Christians. People forgot .was no hope of deliverance. As, on the that though a missionary is a civilizing one hand, too much was expected from agent, yet that civilization must be the them, so, on the other, too little was giv. fruit, not the root of Christianity. Mr. en them, causing again failure. Marsden in his old age acknowledged this mistake, and spoke thus concern. We are reminded here of the noble ing it : "The Bible," said he, "pro- Governor Macquarie and the chaplain claims free sovereign grace for poor sin- Rev. Samuel Marsden. Thelatter, born ners. No self.righteous person can enat Leeds in 1764, was the son of a poor ter heaven; he would rather hunger and artisan. He attended first the parish perish than accept this free gift. Civschool and then the grammar school at ilization is not necessary before Chris- Hull. His father, being unable to sup· tianity. Let both go hand in hand, if port him any longer, and needing his you will ; but you will find that civilizahelp at home, desired his return. But tion rather follows than precedes Chris· Joseph Milner, the author of a well. tianity. Speak to the heathen of the known Church History, desired that the living God and the Saviour who died talented boy might remain, and procured for them. That will come home to for him the assistance of a company of their hearts !" pious and wealthy men, who made it a point to support poor and talented the· Further efforts were made by pious ological students. After completing his and zealous Methodists. The first, studies preparatory to the ministry, who was sent exclusively for work Marsden, after repeated requests, at among the natives, was Walker, of whose length accepted the position as chaplain work, however, nothing is known. Tho to the convict colony at Sydney, Aus- missionaries Leigh, who commenced tralia, and started thither with his ex- work in 1815, and Cartwright, who folcellent wife in August, 1793. On March lowed in 1820, began at once to speak 2d, 1794, they arrived and entered the of the main point, but the natives did not then understand English, and their teachers did not learn Papuan, forgetting of the work to the pouring in of unprinthat the Word of God reaches the heart cipled colonists and the absence of of the heathen only when translated into such law protection as would have prehis native tongue, and that the first and vented desolating wars between the most important work of a missionary is native tribes and guarded the latter to make the language of the heathen against the outrages of the whites. tribe among whom he labors his own. Herein he touches indisputably the sore point in the condition of New Holland; In the year 1828 they relinquished and sad as his conclusion is, it in notheir work for the time, justifying their wise represents the natives as beyond step by the unsteadiness of the abo- improvement. rigines and the great expense of the mission caused by journeys and repeated Another recorded failure in the hisattempts at founding stations. tory of Australian missions is that of the Church Missionary Society of London, Meanwhile, Missionary Threlkeld, of England. Marsden, who died in 1838, the London Missionary Society (prop- had already prevailed upon this society erly intended for the mission in the to send out missionaries. Watson and South Sea Islands), came to New South Handt were appointed to Wellingtondale, Wales, and was desired by the governor north of Sydney,and were joined later on to remain and devote himself to the in the station they had formed by Gun. work among the natives. The society ther. But after eleven years of faithful approved of the plan, and Threlkeld re- and self-sacrificing labor they were ceived from the Government 10,000 obliged to leave, for the shepherds and acres of land at Lake Macquarie for a workingmen of the district (it was the settlement of natives. With firm faith, old story of liberated convicts) exercised unwearied perseverance, and holy love the most baneful influence on the na· he set to work. After laboring for six tives; and to this came drought and years without visible results, the Lon- grasshoppers, which drove the natives don Society, which had spent £3000 on from the district. The missionaries, the work, thought it right to use their therefore, devoteq their energies to work funds in more promising fields. Threl- among the colonists. keld, however, could not leave his Papuans. He carried on the work, The Methodists had again established partly from his own means and partly mission stations in different places in by the assistance of friends and the 1838 and 1840, and met with some de. government. He learned the native gree of success. In the saIDe year mis. language, prepared a grammar, trans- sionaries were sent out by the Lutheran lated parts of the Bible, as well as a Missionary Society at Dresden (now number of hymns. Leipzig), and a number also by Gossner, at the request of a Scottish Presbyterian Generally three or four tribes lived on minister in New South Wales. The the reserve, but their stay was never of a Lutherans, after a few years of fruitless long duration. The news of a corroboree labor, left the natives and became pas. (er dance) or oftener the information that tors to various congregations of Euroa hostile tribe was approaching was suffi- peans. A few years Jater the Gossner cient to scatter them,in spite of all Threl- missionaries followed their example. keld's efforts to keep them. All the ef- The natives had, indeed, begun to dis. forts,sacrifices,and pains of this excellent tinguish between these whites and those man remained fruttless, and as the con- whom they had known hilherto. They tributions of friends flowed more scan- put confidence in the missionaries and tily, and the support of the Government showed at times a desire to work, but was stopped, this champion of the Gos- soon tired of it, and rewarded the kind· pel found himself compelled to leave the ness and patience of the messengers of station. That was a bitter pill! Yet peace by continual thefts. At length still the noble man attributes the failure all the tribes of the district formed tive, is it to be expected that he will themselves into robber-bands, who at- make a distinction in favor of those few tacked and robbed the neighboring sta- who giT8 themselves out as his friends; tions in broad daylight wherever the that he will put full confidence in them, objects of their plunder were not pro- and accept their word, their advice, their tected by revolver and gun. But, in the message? Will he not rather take admean time, the missionaries had the joy vantage of their kindness and, by stealof seeing two of the natives converted. ing their goods, recompense himself for Still the results were, on the whole, so what has been taken from him? Sad sad and unsatisfactory that some of the to say, that in Australia it is not the obmissionaries left the place, with a view duracy of the aborigines but the hardto Illbor among the settlers. Those who heartedness of professing Christians remained directed their efforts to the which has been the greatest stumbling- Bame object, without losing sight of the block in the way of the Gospel. poor natives; and Missionary Gerler wrote, in 1855, "I llm convinced that The Glad Tidings in Morocco. the time is not far distant when the blacks will cry out, ' What must I do to BY JAMES EDWARD BUDGETT MEAKIN. be saved?'" Further efforts made by the English Church, under the direction (For some years editor of the Times of Moroc()/).) of the energetic Archdellcon Hale, of Adelaide, were put an end to by the It is only of late years that any sysdying out of the natives. Of later trials tematic attempt has been made to bring and successes experienced in connection the Gospel before the people of Morocwith different churches and societies we co, though they live, as it were, at the will not now speak, but notice them as very doors of Europe. A small body cotemporary with the missions of the of missionaries are laboring among the Renewed Brethren's Church (Mora- Moors. So far, however, only' a very vians), of which it is our intention to small number have sufficiently surspeak in the next paper. mounted the initial difficulty of the language-Arabic-to be able to do T,he enumeration of aU these failures much in the way of direct teaching or is very discouraging, yet it shows the controversy. But there are other ways difficulties attending the work of evan- in which the people may be reached, gelizing this spoiled and degrllded race. such as by medical treatment of the sick. Let us weigh these well, not forgetting that by the grace of God they may be The benighted condition of Morocco surmounted, and we have a strong proof is such that the aims and objects of misof 'the necessity and duty of carrying sionary laborers are not yet realized, and on mission work. The faith and love the Mohammedans cannot imagine that of Christendom and of its messengers anyone of their number could prove can llnd should overcome, in spite of all himself, weak enough in their faith to the opposition of the servants of sin seriously entertain any other. Once and Satan. Still, in considering what they become fully alive to the,facts of has been and may still be said regard- the case trouble and fierce opposition ing the work in Australia, we must take may be expected. into account not only the sad state of the natives, but also the bllneful influ- The initial difficulty in dealing with ence which has been exercised upon the Moors is their utter self-satisfiedthem by thousands of ungodly whites ness and indifference to outside influduring the last century. If contempt, ences. What was good for their fathers bad treatment, robbery. violence, and is good for them ; and they are brought murder are connected with the idea of up so sure of a heaven of material bliss, the white man in the mind of the na- even after a life of sin, provided that they comply with certain forms, that they see no reason even to listen to the emissaries of Christianity. But, thank God! there are many who have listened, with certain religious duties which are and some among them who have obeyed carefully defined in the' Book to be Read' and been baptized, but these are few (the Quran), we are sure of eternal bliss I"~ and weak, needing much instruction. We who have lived in Morocco can The next ob,stacle to the work is the testify with one accord that this empire utterly erroneous ideas possessed by the is too steeped in sin to allow us to lay Moors concerning Christianity and bare the truth. Crime and misery Christians. They believe, to begin abound, and justice is all but unknown. with, and often tell us so, that we wor- Possessed of a beautiful country, the ship a woman as equal with God-a Moors drag out an almost torpid existmost awful idea to such strict Unita- ence without enjoying one tithe of the rians as Muslims are. They say then blessings within their grasp. Such is that we worship bread and wine as Morocco to-day, and I do not hesitate God; that we have introduced the to give as the reason that it is a victim greater part of the history of Christ into to the spell of Islam. the Gospel, and that we have eradicated every prophecy about Mohammed ex- The difficulties to be met with are not cept John 14 : 26, which they declare small nor few. The fear of the" powrefers to that teacher. It is easy to see ers that be," and the feeling that the whence these ideas come, but still more acknowledged convert must become an Bad to note what they judge from the outcast, cut off from his dearest friends; specimens of nominal Christians with and subject to bitter persecution in whom they have had to deal, to be proportion to his boldness in his new equally tenets of our religion. They faith, is a very serious matter, and s have no doubt that every good Chris- man's change of heart must be real and tian gets drunk once a week or more thorough before he can be expected to often if he can, and that it is their in- make an open profession with such revariable rule to make up for only being_ sults. Even when he has the example allowed one wife by supplies from the before him of others who have stood streets. The wearing of a hat and the and suffered it is easier for him. Neveating of pork are looked upon as ertheless, thousands of Moors have equally essential to the Ohristian life, learned the difference between nominal and it ill generally considel."ed that dis- and real Christians, so much so, that honesty, venalism, and every abuse of while the name Nazarene is still applied power are matters of course with the fol- to all, the names MaseeaM and Kitab~ lowers of the Messiah. (Christian and Biblical) are now given by them to the missionaries and their "The difference between your way few sympathizers to distinguish them and my way," said an intelligent Moor from the others. Medical work among one day to a lady missionary, "is that them and the kindness shown to them yours is hemmea in on either side by re- in many ways are steadily taking effect; strictions which must make your life and although few have come forward miserable, and you have nothing to from among them, and after careful hope for, after all, for your heaven has teaching and examination have been no earthly joys. My way, on the other baptized, there is a pleasurable certainty hand, leaves me room to do much as that a far greater number have the truth I like in this world, and in the next the planted in their hearts, that they know pleasantest sins of this will be our law- the way of salvation, and that but for ful and continual pleasures. Think of fear of man they would acknowledge it. that! Then, too, our lord l'rlohammed, We must not think hardly of these weak the messenger of God-the prayers of ones. God be on him, and peace I-is so good and powerful that, however we may sin BISHOP HANNINGTON'S BONES.-It was against God now, so long as we comply a remarkable Providence that enabled the Church of England Missionary So- ed that he would get rid of the bones by ciety to recover the body of their mar- taking them to the white man. He tyr-Bishop Hannington, who was mur- passed the place twice, and I fancy it dered in Oentral Africa, under circum- was on the second journey that he took stances that would have seemed to the bones to Mr. Jackson. forever preclude the possibility of his receiving Christian burial at all, much "The above is in substance what less the return of the remains to Chris- Marko says. Some of the details may tian England. The story has been most be incorrect." vividly told, but now we have the de- tails of the way in which God's provi- -The American Board has rightfully dence kept ., all his bones." applied to Mr. Blaine for the protection of American property interests in con- It was with peculiar interest that we nection with the newest outrages of the read the communication made by Rev. Spanish authorities on the American R. H. Walker to the Church of England missions in the Caroline Islands. We Missionary Society, in explanation of the trust our Government will speak with manner of the recovery of Bishop Han- some vigor to that anachronism in modnington's body. A strange interest will ern civilization known as the Governhang around this story for a long time to ment of Spain. It is little worth while come. Little wonder that it has recalled allowing this representative of an effete the story of the Ark of the Lord turned civilization to be strutting with misused loose under divine supervision alone. authority in a remote corner of the Mr_ Walker wrote: .. When Bishop globe. At best, Spain is out of joint Hannington was murdered, the same with the times. She feeds on memories day his body was carried to another and mumbles beads; her battles are place, because the people feared that the bull-fights and her victories autos-daje, dead body of a white man might bring and she might as well be relegated to evil on them. But the people of the some museum of political antiquities. next place refused to have it ; and so it Has Mr. Blaine ever secured any indemwas carried from place to place, each nity for Mr. Doane, and will he now refusing to alJow it to remain in their call Spain into court for protection not country. A coast man, who we under- of missicnary, but of American interstand was one of Bishop Hannington's ests? porters, accompanied the corpse. At last it reached a place on the boundary -There is a tract entitled" Christian of Busoga, or in the country of the Women of North China to the Christian Bakeddi. Here they agreed to build a Women of England upon the Opium Inhouse for it, and on a framework or bed- iquity." In this these Chinese Christian stead, such as they make for smoking women declare to all Europe, and to all meat and fish on, the body was laid, and mankind, that" foreign opium in Chinais left to decay. An agreement was made a greater scourge than war or pestilence." with the coast man to live at this house These China Christians are taunted with and to take care of it, and in return the having adopted the l'eIigion of "the people would give him food. foreign devils, who are making China into a hell by their opium ;" and what " To this place Marko, the messenger is worse, the poor weak little Christian from Mwanga to Mr. Jackson of the Church in the Celestial Empire is well- Imperial British East Africa Company, nigh decimated by the use of the drug. came on his way with letters. He seems to have heard that the people -A collector of Bombay has among there had experienced bad harvests and his curiosities a Chinese god marked drought of late years, and that they at- "Heathen Idol," and next to it is a tributed this to the fact of their having gold piece marked " Christian Idol." the white man'~ bones; and he suggest-

EDITORIAL NOTES ON CURRENT TOPICS

III.-EDITORIAL NOTES ON CURRENT TOPICS.

RUSSIA is exciting no little criticism special attention to the instruction of and animadversion by her course toward mISSIonaries. Miss Swain, M.D., was the Jews and the exiles' in Siberia. the first woman medical miSSionary to Lately the details have been published Asia. of a horrible outrage upon a Jewish lad named Rutenberg, at Bialystok, about The EpOCH OF ORGANIZATION seems to one hundred miles from Warsaw, by a have come. Certainly in Christian work Russian medical man, Dr. Gravonsky. the organizations are both multiplying The boy, with some schoolmates, had and extending their bounds. Some of plucked some apples off a tree and, being them have overleaped the limits of caught in the act, was carried into a stable States, denominatIOns and even conti- where he was brutally branded with nents. For instance, "The Young lunar caustic on the forehead, chin, and Men's Christian Association," "The both cheeks with the words" Jew" and Young Women's Christian Temperance "thief" in Russian, Polish, and Hebrew. Union," "The Society of Christian A photograph has been circulated show- Endeavor," now enrolling one hundred ing the horrible branding of this lad's thousand members, "The White Rib- countenance, and has awakened snch in- bon Army," "The Boys' Brigade," dignation that the authorities have " The King's Daughters," "The Shut· prohibited its sale or circulation. in Society," "Kitchen Gardens," "Guilds," "Christian Workers' Train- THE HONOR ROLL of Wesleyan Meth- ing Classes," "Bible Corresponding odist and Methodist Episcopal mission- Schools, .. "Parochial Associations," ~ aries is a very long and illustrious one. "Chautauqua Classes," "Working- Among Wesleyan Methodists the name men's Clubs," and others. of Thomas Coke stands pre-eminent. He had a hold upon both continents, being Our only apprehension is that these the first bishop of the Methodist Epis- forms of Christian effort and organiza- copal Church under Wesley's commis- tion may wean away from the churches sion. He died on the way to India. those whom they should attract to them, He poured his private fortune into the may fail to acknowledge the supervision cause of missions. The Rev. John of pastors and church officers, and es- Hunt will always have front rank for pecially may, in the pride of numbers, work among the Fiji people. The Rev. commit that fatal mistake of overlook- Elijah Hoole was fifty years in India. ing quality in quantity Samuel Leigh won undying fame in New Zealand, and John Thomas in the There are many Christian parents, Friendly Islands. says the Ohurch Missionary InteUigencer, who are leading people in the Christian From the Methodist Episcopal world, who claim reserved seats at Church, Melville Cox died in Africa. crowded missionary meetings, and join George Bowen, of Bombay, was known in congratulations over the increasing as " Good George Bowen." Among the number of candidates for missionary ser- living missionaries, William •Butler, vice, but who will not bear of their own founder of twenty missions of this sons and daughters offering for that ser- church in India and Mexico, Bishop vice. What a rare jewel is consistency! Thobum, of India, and Bishop William Taylor, of Africa, are perhaps the best Among missionary books we feel con· known generally. Dr. Maclay, who strained especially to recommend " Mis- spent forty years in China and Japan, sionary Enterprises in the South Sea now in his old age is professor in a the- Islands," by John Williams, an edition ological seminary in California, giving of which is published by the Presbyte. rian Board, 1334 Chestnut Street, Phil- dially to every reader who is interested adelphia. It was this remarkable bopk in missions. which led the Bishop of Ripon to ex- claim, when he laid it down, "This is We have received from the publish. the 29th chapter in the Book of the Acts ers, James Nesbit & Co., London, a copy of the Apostles." It is the story of a of a little work known as " Once Hindu triumphal progress. John Williams -Now Christian," edited by Dr. J. Mur- moved in every direction, 2000 miles ray MHchell, our esteemed correspond. from the shores of Tahiti, and within 22 ent. It is the autobiography of a very years, from 1817 to 1839, carried the admirable man, one of the ablest and Gospel to all the islands within that inost devoted Christians in India, Baba radius, and saw not only some of those Padmanji. It is intensely interesting, islands, but whole groups of them, turn- and gives us a remarkable insight into ing from idolatry to the living God. the difficulties of a native convert in India, and it shows how remarkably Perhaps the most compendious ency- useful a man may be who is brought clopredia of missions which has yet ap. out of East India society into a thorough peared is that entitled" Conquestsof the espousal of the Gospel. Mr. Padmanji Cross," by Edwin Hodder. It is pub. has been the author of about seventy. lished by subscription, Cassell & Co. five books and tracts published by the being the publishers. Only two vol- Book and Tract Society of Bombay, umes have as yet reached my table, but Christian Vernacular Education Society, those two volumes far surpass anything and others. If there be any profits from else in the line of comprehensive mis- the book they are to go to Mr. Padmanji sionary biography and history which I himself. We wish the book might be have seen. thoroughly circulated.

The Editor would again call attention In March, 1887, certain papers ap. to "Alden's Manifold Cyclopredia," peared in the Ohristian (London) on which has now reached volume No. 25. the subject of "Unemployed Native Though not a distinctly missionary Agencies in Heathen Lands." They book, we have found the articles in it were by Hudson Taylor, Reginald Rad. which pertain to missions to be exceed- cliffe, and James E. Mathieson, some of ingly helpful and excellent in every re- the most devoted students of missions spect, and we are coming to regard this to be found in the world. These cheap and handy cyc10predia as an brethren regard the raising up of a vast authority. host of native converts, who shall take up this 'Gospel mission for their fellow· Dr. S. A. Mutchmore, editor of the countrymen, as the only practical way Presbyterian, has already published a of reaching the nearly four hundred volume describing his travels in Eastern millions of native Chinese. They con· Europe and Asia Minor. The second tend that a few hundred European mis· volume has now been issued, "The 110. sionaries, not exceeding six hundred, gul, the Mongol, the Mikado and the do very little toward the evangelization Missionary." These letters have of this great empire, and they quote Dr. already appeared to a large extent in Nevius, who has been very successful the Presbyterian, and for raciness, read. in the employment of such unpaid ability, originality, and power to grasp, agents. Rev. Donald MacIver, of South. and present the most interesting mat· ern China, says that the rapid increase ters of foreign travel, we know of noth. of converts has been accomplished, 110t , ing published in modem times that sur· by Dr. Nevius's sermons, or those of , passes them. We commend them cor- his assistants, but by the simple wit· ness of the converts. Eight agencies are at work in China to accomplish its was presiding officer. It was a fit choice. Mr. Field's" Draft Outlines of evangelization. (1) Bible distribution; an International Code" is regarded as an (2) tract distribut,ion ; (3) chapel preach- authority. In it he favors arbitration 'ing; (4) translation and literary work; as to the dispntes between nations by a (5) schools; (6) itinerations; (7) med- reference to disinterested parties. If ical missions ; (8) work among women. we may judge from appearances, the Dr. Nevius says, "I am disposed to time of Universal Peace is not very think that the number of conversions near. All Europe seems rather prepardue to each of them would be found to ing for war. increase about in the order in which they are mentioned above; arid that An Anti-Slave·Trade Conference sat the number traceable to them all to- at Brussels from November 18th, 1889, gether would be but a small fraction of to July 2d, 1890. The beneficial results the whole, and that by far the greater seemed liable to be frustrated by the reproportion is to be referred to private fusalof the Netherlands for a time to social intercourse. That is (lertainly sign the stipulations. The Congo Free our experience in the South of China. State must have a revenue if it is to re- Probably seven eighths of our member- press the slave-trade, and this revenue ship have been brought in, not directly must come from a tariff on imports. All as the result of the preaching, either of the other powers and now also the the European missionary or of the ap- Netherlands have consented to this. pointed Chinese evangelist, but simply The Liverpool Chamber of Commerce at from private Christians telling to their first protested to the Government of friends and neighbors about the Baviour Great Britain against the signing of the they have found. This state of matters stipulations, but the Government nobly is, on the one hand, cause for thankful- replied that these duties were levied ness, for the evidence it gives of the only in the interest of human rights. reality of the religion of these Chinese Every year it is said that four hundred Christians ; and it also is full of hope thousand human beings are carried into as to the future of Christ's kingdom in abject slavery from the Congo region. China. If every individual member of 'he 30,000 Christians in China were a A Hebrew-Christian Conference was true missionary, then the Middle King- held in Chicago on November 24th and dom would soon be evangelized. 25th last. This gathering has excited a lively and extensive interest, as well it •• But it seems to me that this state of might. The Conference seems to have matters is full of important lessons for been called mainly through the efforts all interested in the progress of the Gos. of William E. Blackstone, Esq., whose pel in that land. We are to give most interest in the Jews is known everyattention to the method God's Spirit uses where. We have heard of no other conmost. We are not to give up our preach- ference in modern times where Chrising tours, nor our distribution of Scrip- tianA and Jews have met together for tures and tracts ; we are not to close the friendly discussion of points of hIour hospitals and schools; but we, as terest and matters of difference. The foreign missionaries,should give most audiences were very large, and some of attention to the work of training our the Jewish rabbi were present and took converts in the knowledge of Scripture, part. It is very noticeable that in the developing their gifts and graces, and present time the attention of all Chrissuperintending and guiding their efforts tendom seems to be drawn to God's anto bring to the truth their friends and cient people. Our attention has been kindred." called to the fact that a somewhat sim- ilar gathering was held two hundred and At the Universal Peace Congress, held in London, David Dudley Field forty yeBl'S ago in the Plain of Ageda, in upon the part of persons not accustomed Hungary. Some three hundred rabbis to such surroundings. We think that met in this Council in a large tent, and this}s the only charitable if not the the discussion lasted seven days. We only possible explanation, and we pre- anticipate only good results from a gath- fer to dismiss this horrible story with- ering of this character. In all our ap_ out further comment. proaches to the Jew, we have this great advantage, that he is familiar with the It seems now to be generally admitted prophesies of the Old Testament con- that the position taken by Dr. Lunn and cerning Christ, the Messiah, which have Rev. Hugh Price Hughes as to Wesleyan been so remarkably fulfilled in Chris- missions in India was a mistake. Dr. tian history. Lunn had been less than two years in India, and wrote impulsively and indis- We have purposely abstained hereto- creetly. As to Mr. Hughes, he did not fore from any reference to the startling know of the facts, except as obtained stories concerning Stanley's rear gnard. through Dr. Lunn ; but as it was in his pa- The terrible revelation with regard to per that Dr. Lunn's strictures were pub- the brutality of Barttelot and the cruelty lished, Mr. Hughes acted as his sDcond. of Jameson have caused to be applied A competent committee has examined to this history the appropriate title of the whole matter, and thrown consider "The African Chamber of Horrors." able discredit upon Dr. Lunn's testi- The scheme for poisoning the nephew mony. This is another example of the of Tippoo Tib, the statement that Ma- fact that foreign missionary work will jor Barttelot actually fastened his teeth bear even the severe and searching crit· into the :flesh of a woman, and even icisms to which :it ~has been lately exinto her face, his fatal kick upon the posed. boy Soudi, his fatal flogging of the lad John Henry, whose ears he threatened We regret to learn that M. Saillens, to cut off, and to whom he administered who has been one of Dr. McAll's printhree hundred lashes, his stabbing of cipal helpers in his French work, has the chief Ungunga, etc., might easily resigned connection with the McAll account for the shooting of such a missions, with which he has been conhuman fiend as he showed himself. nected for seventeen years. This will be a great loss to the mission, but the The story of Jameson's cruelty, buy- separation has been made in an entirely ing. a little girl with six cotton handker- friendly spirit on both sides, though it chiefs, causing her to be murdered, was caused by some little differences of cooked and eaten, that he might have a opllllOn. From personal acquaintance practical illustration of cannibalism, with M. Saillens we can testify that a and calmly taking six sketches with his more accomplished and perfect gentle- Kodak to represent the stages of the pro- man we have not met, even among the ceedings-all these things defy descrip- polite French people. Although he will tion and almost credence. It is our no longer be a director or agent of the judgment that all these were acts of per- mission, he will speak in the Salles from sons virtually insane __ that there is no time to time. possibility of otherwise accounting for such atrocious cruelty and barbarity on Dr. McAll writes, .. Our work gives the part of the representatives of a us much encouragement, both as to Christian nation; we cannot believe numbers and evident seriousness. We they were in their right mind; and it cannot enlarge; our resources do not is a well·known fact that climatical in- allow that, to our great regret. No an- :fluenge, together with prolonged expo- swer has yet been received from Dr. sure and privation. som etimes brings on Loba, of Kalamazoo,-Mich., who was ina peculiar type of insanity or monomania vited to join the, work, and who seems especially adapted to it from the fact congregation, but all this served as grathat he is a native of France." tuitous advertisement, and saved us all outlay on this head. One paper, La We perhaps owe it to Dr. McAll to Rappel, suggested that as soon as the say, with reference to an article which ship would be towed away from Paris, appeared in this REVIlIlw in July last, in we should hire a balloon, and so have which the Editor indulged in some our hearers part way to heaven to begin friendly strictures on the mission, that with." Dr. McAll remarks that he is" not prepared to express an absolute agree- The announcement has been made at ment with what is there said respecting the Wesleyan Mission House, in Lonthe overtaxing of the workers. With a don, that the Rev. Alexander McAulay few exceptions of voluntary painstaking, has suddenly died at Sumerset East, the requirements laid upon our mission- Cape Colony. He was an ex-President aries are not at all extreme. In the of the Wesleyan Conference, on an evancase of some of them, they undertake gelistic tour among the Wesleyan other and collateral engagements, good churches in South Africa. He was in in themselves, but not favorable to full his seventy-third year. More than activity in the mission, and liable, to- thirty years ago he began work in the gether with its duties, to bring on over- East End of London, where he spent fatigue. Mr. Greig is a tremendously fourteen years, beginning with a congre-· hard worker, but does his work with gation of eighteen persons; in ten years peculiar facility, and in a way quite vol- he built four large chapels, each seating untary." Dr. McAll confesses the over- 1000 persons, besides organizing other taxing of himself, especially since losing enterprises. He had also during the two of his most valued helpers, but past ten years visited the West Indies, hopes for relief when an assistant is where he exercised a most helpful reobtained. Dr. McAll says that David vival influence. Such a man cannot be Paton, .Esq., to whom we have already other than missed in the great mission referred, had given more than any other work of the world. contributor to the McAll work, probably nearly if not quite six thousand pounds, In the Ghristian (London) for Decemand that he left no money behind him, ber, Mrs. Grattan Guinness gives a long but gave it all away during his lifetime. and critical examination of General Booth's book, "In Darkest England." Dr. McAllfurther says, " The' Bateau She especially calls attention to many Missionaire '-' Le Bon Messager,' we existing agencies which in his book brought to Paris for about seven weeks, ending in July. Certainly it was a great a are entirely overlooked, and the hrissuccess-moored at the Pont de la Concorde. On Bome Sundays we had four tian adds that Mrs. Meredith, with her meetings on board, the people waiting Prison Mission to Women, aud Mr. anxiously to be admitted. It would George Hatton, with his coadjutor, Mr. hold 160 or 180 in the cabin. I think William Wheatley, long before led the that about eight hundred were there in way into this philanthropy, and that the one day. To the close we kep t up four Salvation Army is indebted for its methmeetings daily in all. I think the at- ods to the plans which they have been tendance was about twenty-five thou- following. The Ohristian mentions sand. Never did I have or see greater George Holland, of Georgeyard, whose attention and respect-very many were work is like the waters of Siloah, that intelligent,and many young Frenchmen. flow softly; then there comes to mind Almost all never heard the Gospel be- a multitude of names, each of which fore. The infidel and worldly news- awakens memories of orphans housed papers tried to write the affair down, and homed, or girls rescued, or, still beteven inserted pictures of the ship and ter, prevented ; of work of every conceivable kind for the glory of God and Mr. Silas Farmer, of Detroit, Mich., for the good of men. Miss Macpherson, gives the following reasons why we Archibald Brown, F. N. Charrington, should be specially interested in mis. Henry Hill, William Cuff, Dr. Stephen- sions to the Chinese. First, the an· son, Peter Thompson, Miss Steer, Miss tiquity of the nation and the interesting Child, Evans Hurndall, J. W. Atkinson, peculiarities of the people and the coun. Christian Community, Strangers' Rest, try. Secondly, the peculiar and friend- Seamen's Missions, Mrs. Birt in Liver- ly feeling toward America and Ameri. pool, William Quarrier in Scotland, and cans. Third, the debt which America innumerable others all through the owes to Chinamen for labor in this coun· land. Positively one's heart aches to try, notwithstanding the persecution to think of the noble army of God's ser- which they have been subjected. vants who serve Him and slle His face in Fourth, women especially should be in· the squalid parts of our great cities, who terested because of what the Chinese are, for the moment at least, forgotten women are, and because of what we obby lllany of the churches, and by indi- tain from China. Fifth, the unusually vidual donors accustomed to contribute favorable conditions for missionary to their funds. effort. Sixth, the unusually large field which China presents for missionary Notwithstanding these statements, it labor. seems to us that General Booth's scheme ought to have a full and fair trial. We Lord Wolseley believes that the believe that if it be not entirely success- Chinese are the coming nation, that the ful, it may at least lead the way to a great battle of Armageddon will take larger and more prominent work for the place between the Chinese and the Eng. poor not only of London, but of all our lish.speaking people; that a general is great cities. to arise among them who will train them in the science of arms and prepare them A young man's guild has been formed for a great assault upon the Russian in connection ~ith the Church of Scot- Empire. The Chinese are capable :of land, and the ninth annual convention wonderful endurance, have a stolid in. of delegates met in Hamilton, Scot. difference to death, and he prophesies land, from the 5th to the 7th of October that before them Russia will fall; that last. Delegates were present from all then they will overrun India, sweeping parts of the country, even from the Ork. the British into the sea, and at last Eng. neys. The membership of the Guild lish, Americans, etc., will rally for a desembraces about twenty thousand, with perate conflict. Lord Wolseley is an over five hundred branches, extending authority on military matters in Britain. from Montreal to Ceylon. This Guild Whether or not he is a prophet remains is marked with peculiar missionary zeal; to be seen. no less than eleven of the Church's mis. sionaries have gone through this Guild. The compression of ladies' feet in We have seldom read with greater in· China is merely a mark of gentility. terest the account of any similar meet- Various accounts are given of the origin ing. The Town Hall on October 7th of this custom. One is that an emperor was crowded to overflowing. Mr. Camp- was jealous of his wife, and to prevent bell, M.P., presided, and among the her from gadding abroad put her feet speakers were Professor Charteris, Dr. into iron stocks. Another is that a cer- Marshall Lang, Mr. Hoxier, M.P., Mr. tain empress, Tan-ke (B.C. 100), was Parker Smith, M.P., Mr. Somerville, born with club feet, and that she caused M.P., and Rev. Archibald Turnbull, the emperor to issue an edict adopting . B.D., Darjeeling. Five Guildsmen her foot as the model of beauty, and rehave, during the past year, gone into quiring the compressing of female inthe mission field. fants' feet so as to conform to the imperio untarily chosen as a permanent order of al standard; while a third account is that things implies either a very imperative the Emperor Leyuh (A.D. 961) was amus- call of duty or a great lack of prudence. ing himself one day in his palace, when The duty may and very often does exhe thought he might improve the ap- ist, and then the course adopted canpearance of the .feet of a favorite concu- not be too highly commended. But bine. He caused her feet to be so bent economics have a place in missionary as to raise the instep into an arch, to life as well as elsewhere, and· there is resemble the new moon. The figure certainly a very terrible waste of vital was much admired by the courtiers, energy in this mode of life. Men may who soon began to introduce it into endure it, as soldiers endure the hardtheir families. It is said that another ships of the camp or the march, but it emperor, two hundred years later, is cruelly hard for the ladies. One has placed a stamp of the lotus flower but to look at many of the ladies at the (water-lily) on the sole of the small shoe Conference to see that they were mere of his favorite concubine, so that at shadows of their former selves, their every step she took she left on the ground heroic spirits not being proof against the print of the flower; hence girls with the physical and mental trials of such a small feet are complimented at the pres· life. The statistics of the great society, ent day as "the golden lilies." The whose name is synonymous with the operation of bandaging and compress- highest consecration and self-abnegaing the feet is very painful; children tion, show a terrible sacrifice of precious cry very much under it. Mortification material. It is said that one half of of the feet has been known to result those who enter China under its ausfrom the cruel practice. Cnstom, how· pices return within two years, either to ever, imposes it as a necessary attrac- their homeland on earth or to the home tion in a woman. An old gentJeman at above, and that the average term of ser- Canton being asked the reason why he vice for the whole body is only three bandaged his daughter's feet, replied and a half years. The policy which that if she had large feet she could not leads to this alarming sacrifice must be make a good marriage. backed by the strongest arguments of necessity before it. can be fully justified." A " Heavenly Foot Society" has been formed by Chinese women at Amhoy. The Habitations of Ornelty. Rev. John Macgowen, missionary at Amhoy, now in England on a visit, in a Bishop Crowther, speaking of the speech delivered at Manchesterrecently Niger xegion, says; "About four days stated that the Society was the result of before our arrival at Ohambele, an old his persistent teaching that the Chinese rich woman died and was buried. The custom of binding the feet was in open proceedings of the burial were stated as – violation of the precepts of the Gospel. follows; When the grave was dug, two It is his belief that the example will be female slaves were taken, whose limbs extensively imitated, and that the final were smashed with clubs. Being unresult will be a death·blow to the bar- able to stir, they were let down into the barous practice. grave, yet alive, on the mat or bed on which the corpse of the mistress was laid, Rev. B. C. Henry says, with regard to and screened from sight for a time. Two the wearing of nati ve Chinese costumes other female slaves were laid hold on by the missionaries in China : " Chinese and dressed up with best clothes and dress too often means a Chinese house, coral beads. This being done, they pure and simple, and native furniture, were led and paraded about the town native utensils, native food. These, to show the public the servants of the when necessity requires, may be cheer- fich dead miatresl! whom they would fully eqdllred tor a time, but to be volattend in the world of spirits. This foreign missions, addressing requests to was done for two days, when the un- ministers in different parts of the fortunate victims were taken to the edge Church to write briefly on some aspect of the grave, and their limbs were also of foreign missions and the Church's re- smashed with clubs, and their bodies sponsibility. The first series in the laid on the corpse of their mistress, and symposium appeared on December 10th, covered up with earth while yet alive. discussing the supreme motive of mis- We can only imagine what would be the sions-the _prayer, " Thy Kingdom feelings of these unfortunate victims. Come" -the Missionary-the Mission- Some of the Bonny oonverts attempted ary obligations-the need of consecra- to rescue these last two females by a tion-the debt to missions, and the large offer of ransom to buy bullocks for necessity for a full presentation of the the occasion, but it was refused them. facts. The idea is a good one, -and Can there be any doubt as to the urgent might be well imitated in other quar- necessity of sending Christian teachers ters. We must not only strike while the among this poor ignorant people, who iron is hot, but make it hot by striking. are slaves to Satan, and yet glory in their shame? After these atrooious deeds It is no smaIl gratification to the ed_ were performed, volleys of trade oan- itor to have received from France a copy nons were fired for days in honor of the of "La Crise des Missions," which is dead. I counted ten of these cannons a translation into the French language in the street opposite the house of the of the " Crisis of Missions." The ed- dead, about four or six pounders eaoh." itor supposes himself to be desoended from the Huguenots, his original name From Bolobo, Congo Free State, having been Pierre, the Frenoh for an English Baptist missionary writes: Peter; after the expulsion of the Hugue- " Our neighbor's wife died; a man and nots and their arrival in England, it bewoman were killed, so that she might came very natural that the next generanot go alone into the spirit world. Her tion should be known as Pierre-son, or spouse was then wound up in oloth, and Pierson, Peterson being another form of wrapped round and round with piece the same name. Having his little book after piece until it made a big barrel translated into the Frenoh language at shaped bundle two yards long and one this orisis of foreign missions, he feels in diameter. Hearing that two more as though he were like a son, bringing victims were to be sacrificed on the day to his old mother a tribute of filial love. of the funeral, I determined at least to put in a protest, and, together with An aged clergyman met a man who Miss Silvey, arrived on the scene just was declaiming against foreign misas the executioner was carrying the sions. " Why," asked the objector, young woman to the grave, at the mouth "doesn't the Church look after the of which the young man who was to be heathen at home?" "Oh, we do, ' , her companion in misery was bound and said the olergyman, qllietly, handing the ready for the last act-that of being man himself a tract. placed in the grave in a sitting position and bnri~d alive, with the corpse sup- One of the singular revenges of hisported on their knees. It was, indeed, tory is noted in the fact that the first a sad sight to see a couple of well-built stone of fhe monument erected to the young people, with fine, intelligent memory of the missionary John Willfaces, weeping bitterly at the prospect iams, who was oruelly killed in the of a cruel death and making their mute South Sea Islands, was Jaid by the son appeals for help." of the man who slew him.

The Ohristian Intelligencer of New York has started a symposium on

THE MONTHLY CONCERT OF MISSIONS

IV.-THE MONTHLY CONCERT OF MISSIONS.

[EDITOBIAL. ] The Land of the Aztecs.

-Between the southern limits of in either direction may be found all the California, New Mexico, Arizona and featnres of a continent.

Texas, on the one side, and the conti- Historically, this country is equally nent of South America on the other, interesting. Here is the colossal there stretches an irregular triangle of museum of American antiquities.

land which, from a breadth of eighteen Cortes' conquest of Mexico dates back hundred miles, gradually tapers down- neaxly four centuries; yet this era is com.

ward to a narrow isthmus less than fifty paratively modern. Far back beyond the miles from sea to sea. Spanish invasion, into the dim distance The upper and much the larger part of of prehistoric times, stretches Mexican this triangular country is Mexico, which civilization, the monum(mts of whose dips down into the great waters of the unique, antique grandeur even now are Gulf like the arched head and neck of a among the wonders of the world. For camel. Below it lies Central America, example, there is the Teoccali of Cho- in shape somewhat like a half square, luba, its four stories coinciding with the bisected at its diagonal and resting its cardinal points of the compass, its balle base line on the Pacific. more than fourteen hundred feet square, This country of Mexico is, from every its summit rising to a height of one point of view, one of the most interest- hundred and sixty.four feet. Though ing in the world. In physical features undoubtedly built as a temple or grand it is very l'emarkable, having the capac- altax, it was also, like the Pyramid of ities and possibilities of an occidental, Cheops, a sepulchre; and a square sep- tropical paxadise. The Tropic of Can- ulchral chamber has been found with- cer divides Mexico into two nearly in, having no egress, and supported by equal parts, one of which lies on the cypress wood. In it were idols of Temperate, the otheron the TorridZone. basalt, curious vases and two skeletons.

On the western coast is the long, narrow At Mitla, in Oaxaca, have been discov- gulf of California, seven hundred miles ered very unique ruins, palaces with in length, famous for its pearls, and quaint, arabesque ornaments; a vast once known as the Vermilion Sea, from hall. whose ceiling is borne up by six its reddish hue; on the eastern side the porphyry columns, the like of whicli are Gulf Stream has its mysterious fountain. not elsewhere to be found in this hem- The configuration of the country is isphere, and which bear the marks of peculiar. A vast plateau, with a series the primitive days of art.

of table-lands varying in elevation from Politically, the country of Mexico six thousand to eight thousand feet, wields a peculiar fascination over the dotted with volcanic cones, forms the student of political history. In a double great bulk of the interior; and this sense this is a land of earthquakes and plateau abruptly descends toward the volcanoes. Frequent and violent social Pacific, while it gently sbpes to the upheavals characterize its annals. From broad lowlands which border the Gulf. the conquest, about 1522, until now, it Such a country must present all varie- has enjoyed little respite from these po- ties of climate. A few hours' journey litical eruptions and revolutions. After enables the traveller to pass from torrid exactly three centuries of Splnish dom- heats to the frigid realms of ice and ination, in 1822, it became for a short snow. There are three distinct and time an independent State under an well-defined climatic zones, with cor- emperor; in 1824 it was constituted a responding varieties of fiora and fauna. Federal Republic, but afterward came Within a range of five hundred ·miles under military dictatorship. In 1862, by French intervention, it became sub- twenty thousand victims were slaugh- ject to the sovereignty of an Austrian tered upon it. The papal religion has prince, and then again became a Repub- been forced upon the people, but it has lic. There is no social stability; quiet scarcely lifted them above the level of is but the interval between eruptions these old rites and superstitions. To and explosions. keep them down and keep them under, it was necessary to leave them in that The population is of a mixed hetero- ignorance which is the mother of super- geneous character, composed of every- Btition and to cater to their vices. thing, but compacted into nothing; and Hence to-day seven eighths of the pop- this is one secret of social disquiet. ulation cannot read or write. Marriage The whites of Spanish descent, called has sunk into concubinage. The Bible creoles, constitute at once an oligarchy is almost an unknown book, and the and a landed aristocracy. There is a name of Jesus is inseparable from that much larger body of mixed Spanish and of Jesuit. With a drunken and disso- Indian blood who count themselves lute priesthood for teachers and exem- among the whites, but are not of pure plars, with the very churches and con- lineage. Indians form the bulk of the vents identified with extortion and population, and their abject poverty re- licentiousness, the drift of society has .duces them to practical sl.:.very. With been toward atheism on the one hand this mixed mass are further mingled a and the indifference of religious apathy few negroes, and everywhere may be on the other; while the more abject poor found the mestizos, with their varieties, and oppressed lower·clas~es, pulverized the zambos, mulattoes, terzerons, and beneath the millstone of social tyranny quadroons. Add to all these the numer- and slavery, are only waiting for oppor- ous foreigners, especially French and tunity to feed their resentment. The German, and you have the body politic, only power that can remould such a pop- which throughout, like the feet of Neb- uIation is the pure Gospel of Christ. uchadnezzar's image, is of elements that Notwithstanding the sway of a nominal refuse to assimilate and combine, out- Christianity, Mexico is as much a field for wardly mixed but not mingled. Protestant missions as China or Africa.

The Mexican religion is well symbol- This popuIation of over ten millions, ized by the Teoccali, to which we have with a score of cities having each over already referred. The elevated summit- 20,000 inhabitants, lies on our borders, platform once sacred to the Aztec our next-door neighbor. Contact there deities now bears aloft a chapel to the must be, and it must be more close and Virgin. Another race has succeeded it frequent, as modern enterprise is so rapand supplanted the Aztec; so another idly annihilating space and time, and religion, with its new deities, saints, and pushing railways and telegraphs through sacrifices has reared its very shrine on the heart of the land of the Aztecs. the temple platform of a more ancient Lacking a river system and good harbors, superstition. Yet down beneath the Mexican commerce naturally Hoats to corrupt Romanism of Mexico, we find our ports. Awaking to the superiority the old relics of an abandoned faith. of our civilization, Mexican society be- gins to court closer fellowship with our That ancient Aztec religion was a institutions. Now is the tum of tide strange mixture of countless deities and in the affairs of this neighboring nation. deified passions and cannibal cruel- Whether avarice and ambition shall ties. That huge round block of red conquer Mexico in the interests of trade porphyry in the museum of the City of and traffic, or the spirit of the Gospel Mexico, once the capstone of the great shall impel laborers to till these opening pyramidal temple, was once the bloodi- fields for Christ, is the pivotal issue of est stone of sacrifice known on earth. the hour. Its side bears graven records of horrible cruelties, and it is said that every year Forty.four years ago, in 1847, in con- still in the State of Guerrero, until Manection with an unjustifiable war, the thilde Rodriquez went with her Bibles United States troops invaded Mexico, and tracts and anointed tongue to the but they bore in their knapsacks that homes of the people. Eight years ago, blessed book of God, which thus by the Rev. J. Milton Greene went with Rev_ strange fate of war found its way into Procopio Diaz, and found a welcome the Aztec land. The furrows ploughed again in Guerrero. Within seven weeks by cannon were strange furrows in they held thirty-two services, estabwhich to sow the seed of the Kingdom. lished six churches and thirteen congre- Yet so it was. Then seven years later, gations, and baptized two hundred and Miss Melinda Rankin, in Brownsville, eighty converts. Texas, just across the border, a few miles from Matamoras, set up her sem- There were similar signs, elsewhere inary. The revolution of 1857-8 open- in Mexico, of a breaking down of the ing Mexico to Protestant missions, Mr_ barriers of ages. When Mr. Forcada Thompson, agent of the Bible Society, entered Zilacuaro twenty.four years ago, crossed the Rio Grande to Matamoras he found that for six years Bibles and in 1860 ; and that heroic woman, Miss tracts had been making ready the paths Rankin, followed in 1864, and in 1865 of the Lord. A Mexican had opened a personally raised in our country the bookstore and taken with him four hun- $15,000 to push on her pioneer work, dred Bibles and a large lot of tracts, and herself training and sending out native had sold or given away the entire stock_ colporteurs. In 1866 she began work The circulation of the blessed word of at Monterey, and six years later the God had proved a similar John the Presbyterian General Assembly formally Baptist in Tabasco, preparing the way took up Mexico as a mission field. In of the Lord. September of that year a pioneer band of seven, Rev. Messrs. Pitkin, Phillips, The true policy of missions in Mexico Thompson, with their wives, and Miss is to raise up an efficient native ministry Ellen P. Allen, took ship from New to whose charge the churches may be York and went straight to the Mexican entrusted. In the theological seminary capital. There they found a large body at San Luis Potosi, this training work of people prepared for organization into is carried on. The girls' boarding- Protestant communities, and in J an- school, in charge of Miss Snow for five nary, 1873, Rev. M. N. Hutchinson and years, passed into the hands of Miss wife took charge of the work. During Bartlett, when Miss Snow became Mrs. the same year Zacatecas became to the Hamilton. Twenty-five pupils were here northern what Mexico city was to the gathered. southern States, the evangelical and evangelizing centre, and from these The fact that even figures sometimes points evangelism radiated. lie is illustrated in the reports of the statistics of the Mexican field. The re- The methods of work were simple duction in the number of converts and and effective. Protestant worship, with church-members reported by the Pres- Scriptural ordinances and sacraments, byterians, for example, led some to de- Christian schools, Bible teaching, evan- preciate the work and even to affirm gelical hymnology and the education of that it was going backward. But at first a native ministry were the seven-fold all baptized persons were classed with secrets of success. Of course these de- communicants, and so reported; but voted men and women had to breast according to Presbyterian usage elseopposition and sometimes dare and bear where, the lists of baptized children persecution. In the outbreak in Aca- haye been separated from those of compulco in 1875, several persons lost their muning members, and the latter only lives, and the work for a while stood reported. The fact is that, instead of a large loss, there has been a total gain of ten per cent over and above all reductions and losses by death, and the work made Juarez Governor of Oajaca. Revois growing both in interest and promise. lution having broken out there, his position was very difficult, but he not It is very difficult to give any fairly only reduced chaos to order, but sent accurate photograph of the present con· out armed forces to effect pacification dition of missions in Mexico. Before elsewhere in the Republic. In 1857 he what is written can be put in type, the was made Constitutional Governor of whole condition may have undergone Oajaca ; then in November, 1857, Presisuch change as to demand a revision if dent Comonfort made him . Secretary not reconstruction of the report. At of State, and afterward he became Presithe time of the Jubilee Report of the dent of the Supreme Court of Justice. Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, In January, 1858, he became ell-officio they had a total force of eighty.nine Constitutional President of Mexico, by laborers, of whom fifty.six were native the withdrawal of Comonfort. To him preachers, teachers or helpers, twenty· Mexico owes a great debt. He secured one licentiates, and four women. There recognition from the United States. were ninety churches, with 4314 com- In 1860 he drove Miramon, his rival, municants, and a gain of one sixth dur- from Mexico ; then, entering the capital ing the year. Over six hundred pupils in 1861, he was formally elected Presiwere gathered in schools. This repre- dent for four years, and executed with sents but one denomination. great severity the decrees against the clergy, by the confiscation of church Some reference ought to be added as estates. He was governor when France to Benito Juarez, the Mexican Presi- invaded the country and put Maximilian dent, and the descendant of the Toltec into power. In 1865 this ill-fated prince race.· Educated by a wealthy family, he issued his fatal decree declaring the rebecame distinguished in the law, and public extinct, and sentencing to death afterward, as a politician of most liberal all J uarists taken in :arms. Though ideas, went from the position of justice the term of Juarez had expired, the bold of the peace to presiding judge. In Toltec issued a proclamation that he 1846, at the age of 39, he was made should hold office until the driving out deputy to the Constitutional Congress of invaders should make possible a new in Mexico City. He was prominent in election. The United States now inthe administration of the famous manos terposed, our own Civil War being at an muerias, whereby the clergy had to end, and in 1866 Napoleon withdrew furnish a loan to pay war expenses in his troops, and Maximilian was shot in the conflict with the United States. 1867. Juarez probably would have been Then for four years he was Governor unable to prevent his sad end, as it was of Oajaca. During the period of peace judged by court-martial a justreprisalfor he opened roads, built up schools, re- his guerilla mode of warfare on Mexico. formed finances, and left the public treasury enriched when he retired from After a ten yeo.rs' struggle, in which the government. After being banished Juarez had held up the standard of the under Santa Anna, in 1853, he spent republic against treason at home and time in Havana and New Orleans, and armed intervention from abroad, he WIlS in 1855 joined Alvarez, whom he ac- again elected President, and died still companied to Cuernavaca, where he rep- in office, June 18th, 1872. He was an resented his native State in the choice of honest reformer and a man of statesa temporary President for the Republic. manlike ability. He is believed to have Alvarez being selected, Juarez was made done more than any other man of his Minister of Justice. To him was due generation to deliver Mexioo from tIle the Ley Juarez, the law abolishing the despotism of a corrupt papal church privileges of the clergy and the army. and open the way for the Protestant re- General Comonfort, who became Al- ligion and repUblican freedom. varez's substitute in December, 1855,

GE:NERAL MISSIO:NARY I:NTELLIGE:NCE

V.-GENERAL MISSIONARY INTELLIGENCE.

The Scandinavia.n Mission in Liverpool, by Rev. James Johnston, Bolton, England.

No lack of encouragement is sup- Kjaldstrom, of Hull, and Pastor Snellplied by the pUblication of the nine- man, of London, who have conducted teenth annual report of the Scandi- services in the Finnish tongue. This navian Mission in Liverpool, to sailors, brief record of what is being accom- ~migrants, and others who chiefly hail plished yearly for thousands in the great from Northwestern Europe. Last year port of Liverpool, who would otherwise marked the fifth anniversary of the be spiritually destitute, constitutes the opening of Gustaf Adolf's Church in most eloquent appeal for assistance. the famous English shipping port. The organization has the cordial aid of sev- Organized Missionary Work and Statiseral prominent Li veTpool citizens. Its tics. Edited by Rev. D. L. Leonard, committee further includes the Swedish Bellevne, O. and Norwegian, Danish and Russian Consuls, and the most influential mem- -The China Inland Mission sent out bers of the resident Scandinavians. As no less than 59 missionaries in 1890, of in previous years, the work has been whom 32 were unmarried women. The continued among the mariners and number sent the year before was 55. American-bound emigrants without in- These toilers represent various societies, terruption. The services of the year such as the Swedish, the Norwegian, the 1889 number 331-averaging from six to German Alliance, and the Bible Chrisnine services weekly-and the attend- tian missions. ance in the aggregate to 31,000. Day by day the pastors and laymen have vis- -The number of missionary stations ited the ships, boarding-houses, Sailors' in Africa now exceeds 500. There are Home, emigrant houses, and hospitals, 400,000 converts, and the number is ininviting the wayfarers to the services, creasing at the rate of about 25,000 a comforting the sick, and distributing year. Within five years more than 200 religious books and tracts. During the natives have suffered martyrdom for year the British and Foreign Bible So- their faith. ciety presented the society with 2500 Gospels. The spacious reading-room -It is stated that not one in 10,000 in the basement of the church, which is of the Chinese have yet heard of the provided with admirable supplies of Saviour of mankind. The province of newspapers and religious literature, has Shen-si, which possesses 88 walled cities, become an appreciated quarter for rest, has 86 without 8. missionary. Another conversation, and general knowledge. province has 56 such cities, and 54 ut- When it is repprted that 549 Scandi- terly unreached by the true Light. Nine navian vessels dropped anchor last year other provinces of the empire are equalill the Mersey no greater proof of the ly destitute. need of the mission is required. For the maintenance of this remarkably suc- –The Free Church of Scotland had cessful undertaking the Hon. Treasurer, last year 181 branch stations; 51 or- Mr. C. Brodersen, 10 South Castle dained European missionaries; 14 or- Street, Liverpool, will gratefully ac- dained natives; 10 licentiates; 8 medknowledge the donations of friends ical missionaries ; 3 nati ve physicians; whether in Europe or America. Pastor 23 male and 35 female teachers; 15 lay O. Heden has been assisted in his min- evangelists and mast~rs of industrial istrations by Pastor J. A. Axelson and departments; 625 native helpers; 42 Mr. A. Andersen Hetland. Occasionally native churches; 6620 communicants; help has been volunteered by Pastor 26,826 pupils in schools of all grades.

-The Y. M. C. A. is spreading all over the world. There are now formed upward of 4000 associations, and of these 1000 are in papal lands, and nearly To which add Brazil Mission, 365 ; Cen- 300 in Mohammedan and heathen coun- tral Mexican Mission, 1650 ; China Mistries. There are 21 in India and Ceylon, sion, 348; Mexican Border Mission, 12 in Turkey, 6 in Syria, 12 in Africa, 5 1838 ; bishops, 8 ; travelling preachers, in China, 7 in Persia, and 200 in Japan. 4862 ; grand total, 1,177,150. There are going to be openings in every quarter for the young men who have a -Though the Salvation Army has fitness for secretaries and evangelists In Great Britain as its principal work-field, connection with these associations. and finds its chief. task in ministering to the poor and degraded of the great -Statistics of the Lutheran Church, cities, aggressive operations are also gathered by the Rev. J. N. Lenker, of pushed continually and with vigor in Leadville, Col., show in Europe a total heathen lands. Thus a few weeks since of 22,980 ministers, 29,644 churches, and a detachment of fifty young men and 43,133,696 baptized members; in North women sailed for India to reinforce the America, 4710 ministers, 7964 churches, members of the order already there. and 6,511,500 baptized members. In. These new recruits volunteered for this eluding the statistics of Oceanica, South particular service largely as an affec- America, Africa, and Asia with those tionate tribute to the memory of the already given, he makes the grand total late Mrs. Booth. As showing the in the world of 28,406 ministers, 38,381 financial strength of the Army, it is credchurches, and 50,061,280 baptized memo ited with owning property in various bers. countries to the amount of $3,250,000.

-Methodism in this country has over -The Methodist Episcopal Church, four and a half million members, led by North, with its 2,236,000 members, conover 30,000 preachers; Baptists nearly tributed last year for home, foreign, and four million followers, led by over 28,000 freedmen's missions, $1,799,000. But ministers; Presbyterianism, a million though this sum is large it yet repreand a half, led by a ministry of 11,500 ; sents an average of but eighty cents per besides a host of smaller denominations, member, while the Congregationalists, and a band of Sabbath·schools scholars with a membership of only 492,000, gave numbering over nine millions. In the to similar objects $1,877,000, or at the whole country there is a gain to the rate of $3.81. In all its foreign work Christian churches the past year of this great and active church reports a 1,089,853 members, 4867 ministers, and gratifying growth. The largest gains 8494 churches. were mads in North India, where in a single district last year 2677 were bap- -Statistics of the entire membership tized of whom 1020 were adults. The of the Methodist Episcopal Church, total increase in all the fields was 5553, South, are given as follows: Georgia, or nine per cent. The Methodist Epis- 132,606; Texas, 126,884; Tennessee, copal Epworth League, though but two 114,351 ; North Carolina, 111,630 ; Vir. years old, has 300,000 members. ginia, 108,341; Alabama, 88,702; Missouri, ~2, 933; Kentucky, 80,685 ; Mis- -Madagascar, with its 230,000 square SISSIppi, 72,203; Arkansas, 69,378; miles and population of 3,500,000, is South Carolina, 67,094; West Virginia, one of the wonder-lands for missionary 24,779 ; Louisiana, 23,269 ; Florida, 23,- success. The Church Missionary So- 044 ; l:[aryland, 10,866; Indian Terri- ciety has 12 representatives at work tory, 8130; California, 7491; Illinois, upon the island, and has gathered 6361; Kansas, 2803; Oregon, 1569; 10,000 adherents, and the Society of Colorado, 1138 ; Indiana, 1104 ; District Friends, with a force of 15, has gained of Columbia, 772; New Mexico, 542; 32,000. But the London Missionary Montana, 456; Washington, 342; Ne· Society, first in the fiel d, and called to braska, 300; Arizona, 225; Idaho, 80. bear the heat and burden of the day, can easily reckon up by far the largest are 6271, and the expenditures for the results. To her 30 English toilers are year were $lJ4,742.42. The Japan Mis- joined as auxiliaries 827 native ordained sion was opened in 1873. and has 1686 ministers and 3459 other nati ve helpers. church-members, an increase for the In the churches are found 40,000 mem- year of 211, and the cost was $27,503.50. bers, while 160,000 adherents listen to the Gospel. The local contributions Christian Church (Disciple).-Secamounted last year to $18,340. retary, Rev. A. McLean, Cincinnati, O.

Arabian Mission.-Treasurer, Prof. Report for the year closing October J. G. Lansing, New Brunswick, N. J. 18th, 1890.

Report for the year closing October This church has a membership of over 1st, 1890. seven hundred thousand, and sustains missions in India, China, Japan, and This Society was formed in August of Turkey, in addition to work in England 1889, and the field chosen for its first and Denmark. It has in heathen lands operations is likely to be Southern 32 stations and 33 missionaries from Arabia and the Aden region. Two America (of whom 16 are women) and missionaries are already there or on 25 native helpers, a total of 58. The their way thither, and making prepara- church-members number 1418, a gain tion for their work by studying the for the year of 158, a net gain of 135. language. Its receipts for the first year In day-schools 817 pupils are found, ani 'were $4738.47 with a bequest of $5000 2063 in Sunday-schools. The receipts in addition, and the expenditures were were $67,750.49,8 gain of $5820.34, but $3144.64. $12,000 came froll} a single bequest. An earnest call is issued for $100,000 in Evangelical Association. – Secre- 1891. tary, Rev. S. Heininger, Cleveland, O. Reformed Church in the United Report for the year olosing Sept., 1890_ States.-Secretary, Rev. Allen R. Bar- This society has a mission conference tholomew, Harrisburg, Pa. in Germany and another in Switzerland, but its work for the heathen is wholly Report for the year closing May 6th, confined to Japan, where 5 missionaries, 1890. with 10 native itinerant preachers and 3 local preachers, sustain 31 appoint- Until 1865 this church contributE1d ments. A theological seminary gives through the American Board in all training to 13 students. The number about twenty eight thousand dollars, of church-members is 378. of whom 115 and had its representatives in Asia were received last year. In 1888-89 Minor and among the American Indians. the receipts for the Japan missions were In 1878 a mission was opened in Japan, $9513.03. to which 7 missionaries have since been sent. The number of native preachers Methodist Church (Canada).-Sec- is 17. The churches are 12, with a retary, Rev. Alexander Sutherland, D.D., membership of 1656, and the contribu- Toronto. tions for nine months 'of 1889-90 were $2835.15. The number of converts was Report for the year closing June 1st, 218. A girls' school is sustained, and a 1890. theological school with 26 students. The cost of the mission for three years is This church has a membership of $59,209.64. 233,868, and has increased by 36,399 in four years. It sustains missi;;ns among North Africa Mission.-Secretary, the French, Indians, and Chinese in Edward H. Glenny, 21 Linton Road, Canada, Manitoba, and British Colum- Barking. bia. Its foreign work is confined to Japan. In aU fields the missionaries The figures are from the Monthly number 67, with 44 native assistants Record, December, 1890. and 46 teachers. The church-members This society was organized in 1881, is undenominationol, and has its work Income. sundry funds ..•……•.••• $10.172.35 among the Mohammedans, Jews, and Tuition and public funds. •…….• 40,066.75 Europeans in Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, U. S. Gov't, on account of tuition Tripoli, and Northern Arabia, with a 24.700.08 population of 14,000,000. It has 53 mis- and subsistence for Indians. _… . 8,900.00 sionaries in the field, of whom'31 are lo- Slater Fund, paid to Institutions.. . cated in Morocco and Algeria, 2 are physicians, 36 are women and 28 are Total …………………. $408,038.97 unmarried. In November 7 were sent Balance in hand September 30th, out, and 4 others have been accepted. 1889…….. …. ……………. 4.471.67 Canadian Church (Episcopal).- Secretary, Rev. Charles H. Mockbridge, Total….. ……. ……… $412,510.64 D.D., Toronto. DANI1IL H.um Fmm. INcoHlI: ACCOUNT. Report for the year closing July 31st, Income collected 1889-90……….. ~,686.76 1890. Balance in hand September 30th.

Hitherto this church had contributed 1889…………………… …. .. 16,688.56 through the Church of England, but last year sent out its first missionary, Total……… …. ……… $51,375.32 and to Japan. The total expenditures Amount expended in the South….. $47,482.27 were $14,785, of which these are the Balance in hand and appropriated… 3,893.05 principal items: Total. … ………………. $51.375.32 S. P. G………………………….. $1,880.59 REC1tIl'TS J'OR THlI: WORK OJ' THE YEAR. C. M. S…………………………. 1,410.44 S. P. C. K……………………….. 470.15 For current work • •. •. …..•..•.••• $408.038.97 Income from Daniel Hand Fund…. 34.686.76 Colonial and Con. Church Society. . •• . 470.15 Proportion of General Expenses.. . . . •• 245.00 Total …………………. $442,725.73 Appropriat~d Contributions. American Board.-Secretaries, No.1 S. P. G…………………………. $3,301.73 Somerset Street, Boston, Mass. C. M. S…… _…. ……….. ••• •••••• 275.71 Bishop of Madras ……………….. 305.00 Report for the year closing August Zenana Missions…. . .. .. . .• •••• ••• •• 1,289.53 31st. 1890. Parochial Missions to Jews………… 1,424.06 London Society, Jews …………….. 2,321.81 No. of missions………………… . 22 Rev. J. Cooper Robinson, Japen Fund. 1,227.06 Stations and out-ltatiOns •••••••.•••• 1,053 American Missionary. Association. -The main work of this society is in Ordained missionaries.••••••.•••.•.• 183 the Southern States among the freedmen and the" Mountain whites," with large Lay …………. .. 17 emphasis given to education. but missions are !Llso sustained among the Ind- Women (wives. 181) .. .. 333 ians and the Chinese in this country. Whole No. from America.••.•••….. 533 The Treasurer's Report (October 1st, 1889-September 30th, 1890) gives a grati- Native pastors………………… .. 174 fying exhibit. showing a credit balance of $2,089.24, an increase of receipts over Total native helpers…………….. . 2,417 last year of $31,820.09, a total of $408,- 038.97, and if the income be added from Total American and native •..•.•.••. 2.950 the Daniel Hand Fund, $34,086.76, the aggregate amounts to $442.725.73. the No. of churches……………….. .. 387 largest ever received by the Association. No. of church-members…….. _…. . 36,256 RECEIl'TS. Added during the year…………. .. 4,554 From churches. Sabbath schools. missionary societies and Individ- No. of adherents……………… .. 127,000 nals…………… ………… ••• 8186,470.61 No. of church-members from the be- Estates and legacies.:…. • •••••• 137.739.18 ginning……………… …….. .. 115,000 Average congregations….. ………. 62.200 Under theological training.. . .. . . . . .. 247 In 66 colleges and high schools.. . . . . . 4,600 In 56 girls' boarding schools. . •..• .•• 3,180 In 889 common schools…. .. .. .. .. .. 33,114 Whole number under Instruction…. 47.329 Native contributions….. …. ……. $117,494 Total receipt…………………….. $763,434.07 Protestant Episcopa.l. – Secretary. Rev. WilliamS. Langford, D.D., 22 Bible House, New York.

Report for the year closing December 31st, 1890. According to the Living Chu.rch Alma- Nonconformists in this total is thus nac for 1891, this church has 4163 stated: clergy, 299 candidates for orders, 2330 parishes and missions, and 508,292 com- Wesleyan Missiouary Society……….£124,883 municants. The number of baptisms Londou Missionary Society…. . . .• . . . . . 98,830 IMt year was 61,665, of which nearly Baptist Missionary Society. . . . . .. . •… . 63,470 47,000 were of infants. The contribu- English Presbyterian Foreign Missions. 14,492 tions for the year are $12,754,767. .. Friends" Foreign Mission Association. 13,156 Wesleyan Ladies' Auxiliary for Female In addition to work carried on in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Education…….. …. ……… ……. 7,661 Greece, and Hayti, missions are BUS- United Methodist l!"'ree Churches' Fortained among the Indians and freedmen, and in West Africa, China, and eign Missions.. .. . …. …………… 6,283 Japan. These are the figures for the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists Foreign three fields last named : Missionary Society.. . …………… 7,195 Bishops….. .. ….•. …. …. •… 4 Eight smaller societies and value of Presbyters (of whom native, 14)…….. 32 needlework….. …. … …. ………. 33,682 Deacons (native).. .. •. … ..•. . .. . . . . . .. 18 Total. ……………………….£364,652 Candidates for holy orders……… •••• 22 Scottish and Irish Presbyterian soci. eties contributed £185,646, aud Roman Catechists, readers, etc. (native)……. 'J7 Catholio societies £9819. The amount for 1888 was £1,334,491, and for 1887 Stations……………. …. …. ……. 196 was £1,228,759.

Baptisms……………. …………. 585 United Presbyterian Church, Scot- land.-These figures set forth the growth Adult baptisms…………………… 331 witnessed by this society in thirty years, and in six important and decisive par- Confirmations……… …. …… ….. 265 ticulars. As will be noticed, the de- velopment of both causative forces and Communicants ……….. " …. .. .. … 2,242 of results has been steady, and the two have kept pace in a remarkable manner. Increa.e……………. …… ……… 305 The first column includes ordained na- tive pastors, Zenana missionaries and Scholars in day schools …..• …….. 2,434 European teachers, but excludes all native evangelists and teachers. Scholars in Sunday·schools…….. .. 8,247 Native contributions………….. : …. $5,527.79 The appropriations for work among the American Indians and freedmen is $85,007.50, and for foreign missions $162,504, or a total of $247,511.50.

British Contributions to Foreign ~! "'"Q)~ ..d~ 1>,' Missions.-Canon Scott Robertson has ~lS ~~ "[;Q ;.0) prepared with great care the following .~+::.£ ,>:IS -"il ~,g summary of the gifts of British Chris- ~~ j~ ~~ tians to foreign missions in 1889. Os .s :9~ Though somewhat smaller than in 1888, ~~ ~t. it is yet larger than for any previous -bS year. Of the grand total, £1,301,306, ~ ° – – " — – he estimates that £670.000 came from – § 8"t0d 0 members of the Church of England. The channels of contributions were: – — – -0 – 1859…. 30 1 85 4,552 £16,900 £2,090 Church of England Societies•…•….. £523,226 1869…. 63 7 48 5,740 29,100 8,020 Joint Societies of Churchmen and 1879 …. 81 12 68 9,187 32,300 6,500 1889 …. 117 l!3 96 14,899 40,500 10,470 Nonconformists ……………… .. 217,963 English and Welsh Nonconformist 1 Societies ……………………. . 364,652 Missionary Failure.-The cry about Scotch and Irish Presbyterian Socie- the failure of the modern mission sug- gests a close study of the following statis- ties ………………………….. . 185,646 tical table, compiled to show the growth Roman Catholic Societies. . …..•…• 9,819 at intervals of five years during the past thirty years, or from the beginning of Total contrihutions…….. . … £1,301,306 missionary work in the Methodist mis- sion of North India. The number of The share of 'English and Welsh communicants given is, with the ex- ception of 217 Europeans and Eurasians, native membership. ~~!~ln=~:~~:::':':::':::::.:':::::::.::::~:::::: 1858~ 186~ 1:~ 1::~11 '~I'~I ':; Number of Sunday..schoo!s ……………. , ……. 9 31 104 164 4-30 703 " "school scholars…… …………. 397 860 4,540 6,~ 17,366 26,585 " ~1 :~~~f~~~:::::::: ::::::::::::::::~:::. 4~ 1,Jll 3,~ 6,~,1 7,~7 t2j~ 16,~~ Christian boys in schooL……………. 4 130 257 296, 442 t,243 2,027 " girls in school. .. " …… .., 126 168 350 715 971 1,327 Baptisms during past year……………… …….. .. 115 289 5701 7B9 1,169 1,959 Christian community.. .. .. .. .. .. …. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. 11 .. . . 11,000 " men teachers and evangelists………….. …. women teachers and Bible readers. ,…. .. …• 320 300 The number of children in schools tive Christians live. Christian con. includes only 260 pupils other than verts reside in more than 600 towns and pure natives. Twenty missionaries direct work in 225 centres where na· villages, where they BUpport their own work.

AMERICAN MISSION IN EGYPT. A COMPARISoN SHOWING THE lIHSSlON'S GROWTH AND STATUS, DEC. 31, 1889. 1854-1889.

PERIODS: FmST, 5; OTHERS, 10 YEARS. 1859. 1869. 1879. 1889.

Number stations and churches. . ……………….. .. 3 8 48 112 ~. organized congregations, Christians. . …. . 2 11 29 1 5 12 pastors (native) ………………………. .. 1 6 7 licentiates" . .. ……………. …. . .. . 13 . 8 *14 theqloglcal students …………………… . 180 9B5 2,971 communicante, Dec. 81. ……………….. ' 48B 2,088 5,654 4 $566 $4,726 " of attendants, Sabbath A.M'……………… . 100 5 39 $6,495 Amonnt contributions for church purposes……….. . 118 1,575 9B Number Sabbath schools ……………………… '. 2 (1) 100 4,427 h school pupils…. .. . . . . . . . . .. . .. , .. . 20 $829 H 400 1,200 50 300 83 Amouut contributions Sabbath·school pupils…. , …. . 2,150 Number harem workers ……………………… . "i4 44 " women taught in harems. …. .. ………… .. 'iii 2,218 4,557 females hearing word in churches, harems, 633 1,537 1,156 schools, etc…. ………………….. . .. . 60 352 female ~om!ll~nicant8, ~ec: 31. . ………….. . 281 681 4 women s mISSIOnary SocIetIes …….. ……. . 12 61 159 members women's missionary societies. . . . .. . 10 29 $273 $596 $2.723 100 Amount contributions women's missionary societies .. 6,446 20,720 2,100 6,350 6,304 Number day and training schools……………….. .. 4 $2,051 $4,694 4,386 $3,213 $12,148 1,918 :: pURils, enrollmeutt ……………………. .. 100 51 199 boys ………………………….. .. 45 31 117 100 20 35 " H girls., ………………………… . 55 25 13 $13,872 Teachers {Males…. ………………………. .. 3 B 31,067 Females…………………………. .. .23 10,184 Amount paid by natives for school purposes………. . 3 883 $6,384 Book department: Total volumes sold …. …….. . 600 '(f)' $860 $27,358 250 Scriptures …………………………………….. . (?) 75 Total receipts…. .. .. .. .. .. .. …. .. .. .. . .. … .. …. .. (?) 50 Total paid by natives for all purposes……………. . (?) 68 Training college: Pupils…….. .. ……………. .. 25 NUl;'!-ber of gra?ustes… .. '.' …… _. ………. …. ..- ~11 III servIce of Chnst.. . ……… . teachers trained and workiug. ' ……….. ' .. . 64 2,981 pastors. preachere, etc., trained …….. , ….. . 1,315 college pupils in theological class. .. .. …. .. . $2,123 " sch~ols.-outgrowth.. . .. . .•• .. .. …. .. ….. .. . puplls III same………………………… . Total enrollment, college …………………….. .. Amount fees paid by pupils ………………….. ..

* In 1890, theological students, 19.

t Sects, 1889: Protestants, 1,822; Copts, 3,718 ; Mohammedans, 831 ; others, 433. ~ Seventeen in 1890. Monthly Bulletin. steamer. The annual drink bill of Japan is $86,000,000, an average of -Wo hive Bishop Walker's church $2.40 for every individual in the Emon wheels, and now the Free.Will Bap. pire. It is encouraging, however, to tists have built a floating ohuroh, whioh learn that a total abstinence society has was launched recently at St. Louis. It been organized in that country, and that iii intended to 0lrry the Gospel along many are uniting with it. the Mississippi from St. Paul to New OrleanEl. -The missionaries in Africa deem the work of one woman equal to that of -TJie Presbyterian Church has now twelve men, since the women can go in Alaska seven missions and fOllr anywhere, even among the fiercest ohurches, with seventy to eighty com· tribes, unmolested. The female mismunicants each. Besides the Presby- sionaries are held in high esteem; their terian. the Moravian, the Protestant motives are never questioned, and they Episcopal, the Methodist Episcopal, the are listened to with greatest respect. Roman Catholio, and the Anglioan ohurches have missions in Alaska. -From the recent report of the Jap- -The Church Missionary Society of anese Minister of Education it appears England proposes to send out one thousand new missionaries during the next that education is now offered to all the fi ve or six years. A much larger proportion than heretofore will be laymen. children in Japan, and that there are -It was recently reported from the nearly three millions of pupils in the Presbyterian Mission at Wei Hien. China, that there were 650 inquirers, pllblic schools of the Empire. There and that 150 had been baptized. This is most gratifying news. is a remarkable growth of intelligence -The spirit of intolerance seems to among the people. The standard of rule unmitigated in Russia. It is stated that the procurator of the Holy education is advancing, as is shown in Synod has advised the Czar to banish all foreign missionaries, and to suppress the fact that many new studies have foreign worship except in the Baltic provinces, where the Lutheran religion been introduced in the Imperial U~:liis barely tolerated. versity of Tokyo. ' -The working of the marriage laws of India is illustrated in a recent inci- -A congress of French Protestants dent. A marriage was arranged between was recently held in Paris, having in an edllcated young girl of twelve and a view new consecration and practical lawyer of twenty.three who was suffer· study. The meetings were very earnest. ing from white leprosy. The girl was The subjects considered were such as ,kept in ignorance of the disease of her the relation of the evangelist to the paspurchasing husband. and learned it only tors and churches, difficulties in the way when she met him at the marriage ser- of evangelization in Roman Catholic vice. She merely looked up with tearful countries, and the getting of converts eyes to her father, and then submitted into the church, especially where differto her lot with a resignation character- ent denominations are represented in istic of the Hindu maiden. the same place. A resolution was adopted asking the French Evangelical -American enterprise is now sending Alliance to study means for promoting :r;um to Japan, as well as to Africa. It a confederation of French Protestant is carried over the Union Pacific Rail- churches. way an4 forwarded to Yokohama by -Another mission is to be established in Alaska by the Reformed Episoopal Church. The government having prom- ised $1000 for buildings and $1000 toward expenses, Miss Benson, of Phil. adelphia, offered to contribute one half of the remaining expenses on condition that the Church would raise the remain- der. These propOSitions bave been 00cepted, and an appeal has been made tions on the confines and books prepared for funds. in Thibetan to equip the missionary as . Boon as the wall is broken down. A -The interesting fact is stated that prayer union has been formed among while the number of Christians in Japan the Moravians to pray for the opening is only about one in one thou~and, and of Thibet. in no province do Christians even' approach to a majority, yet there have -Dr. B. H. Badley, 'President of been eleven members of the House of Lucknow Christian College, writes to Representatives chosen from their num- the Independent of the North Indian ber. There are also three professed Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Christians in tho House of Peers. A Church. Its foundations were laid in Christian has been ohosen President of the dark days of the mutiny of 1857, by the new House of Representatives. A Dr. Butler. In August, 1858, the statisformer vice-president of the liberal tics were: Missionaries, 3 ; helpers, 7 ; party is an active Presbyterian elder. church members, 1; probationers, 4; After his ~lection he was advised to give orphans, 6; day scholars, 41 ; native up his office in the church, as it might congregations, 35. In 1889 the figures create prejudice against him, but he re- were: Missionaries, 30,; Zenana and plied that he regarded his office in a native, 72 ; helpers, 389 ; church-mem- Christian church as more important bers, 4989; probationers, 4793 ; than his seat in the Diet. It was then orphans, 617; day scholars, 17,241; suggested that he absent himself from Sunday-school scholars, 28,400 ; native the meetings, but he answered that he congregations, 13,529. The mission has rega.rded attendance at Christian wor- its own publication house, a theological ship as a greater privilege, as well as a seminary, a college, and 8 woman's colhigher duty than any other. This shows lege, and is in all respects splendidly sturdy Christianity in Japan. equipped for work.

-It is said that Hebrew is rapidly -In the year 1800 only one twentybecoming again a Iiving tongue in Pales- fifth of our population was in towns of tine. Jews driven by persecution from more than 8000 inhabitants. Now more other countries are gathering in the land than one fourth of our population is of Israel. They do not know each massed in cities. Thill fact is startling. other's language, but all of them under- It has its great lesson for the Church. stand something of Hebrew, and the Here is where the work of evangelizaconsequence ia that Hebrew is becoming tion must be pressed. While we are the medium of communication among sending missionaries to fOl,eign lands, them. Two weekly newspapers are now God is sending thousands of foreigners published in Jerusalem in Hebrew. It to us, that we may Christianize them would seem expedient that missionaries right at our own doors. The problem of to the Jews in Palestine should be able city evangelization is one of the great to speak in the Hebrew language. problems of Christian missions to-day.

-Thibet is one of the few countries -Dr. Arthur Mitchell, Secretary of where the preaching of the Gospel is the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Misprohibited. Very little is known of the sions, was greatly impressed in his repeople. The population is set down as cent visit, with the vast unoccupied 6,000,000. They have two forms of re- fields in Central China. He found cities ligion, one of which is a type of Buddh- of from 75,000 to 300,000 with not one ism. Various attempts have been missionary of any denomination. These made to carry the Gospel into the coun- fields are open, too. "There is as littry, but they have all been practically tle excuse," he says, " forIeaving a city unsuccessful. The Moravians have long of 100,000 on the New York Central Railwaited to enter the field, having sta- roe.d without 8 single ~reaqber of the GOIl_ pel, as for leaving cities of that size and Miss Frances E. Willard, "no steamer double that size utterly neglected with- could revolve its wheels fast enough to in twenty-four hours of Shanghai." convey me to the Dark Continent. I should go where my color was the cor- -The Rev. J. A. MacDonald, a Wes- rect thing, and leave these pale faces to leyan missionary in Bengal, says that in work out their own destiny." India idolatrous practices are coming into disrepute. He thinks that the -Along the West Africa coast thirtyreign of false gods is drawing to a close. five languages, or dialects, have been mastered, and portions of the Scripture -The Foreign Mission Board of the and various religious and educational Reformed Church has sent out an ear- books and tracts have been translated nest appeal for special contributions to and printed, reaching thus about eight meet the needs of the work. It makes million people. these suggestions: "One cent a day from every member of the Reformed -This is woman's age. Even in Church in this country, 90,878, would slow-moving China, women are coming give $331,707 a year for this blessed ser- to the front. The Amhoy MontMy Ohurch vice. Five cents a week (a single car- Magazine contains a prize essay by a fare) saved and given to it would yield young woman on " How Shall Christian $236,283. Women Lead their Heathen Sisters to Worship God." -An ignorant Hindu woman became a Christian. Her husband told Dr. -The Moravians, at the close of a Murray Mitchell that his wife was century of missionary work, show a realways singing. Dr. Mitchell asked the markable record. The total number of man to write down some of the words their members at home is but one-third she sang and bring them to him. He of those in the mission fields. One in did so, and the following is the transla- every sixty-five of their adult members tion: has gone to labor as a missionary.

" To my poor house there came a lofty strauger- -Reginald Radcliffe says that the Oh, it was Jesus, the darling of heaven. sooner we understand that the New I ran to bid Him welcome. Testament does not ask nor expect the evangelization of the world to be done " With gods of stone what have I now to do ? by ministers, any more than a general I clasp my Saviour's feet; expects the fighting to be done by him- My whole soul clings to Jesus. self and his officers, but in far greater part by the rank and file, the sooner " Since to my breast I clasped those blessed feet, will the day of missionary advance be- Rich, rich am I, 0 Jesus I gin. The apostles did not send to And Thou wilt never leave:' Jerusalem for foreign pastors, but out of the converts in each town found na- -Sometimes converts in heathen tive overseers which they placed over countries may teach us older Christians the flock. lessons in systematic beneficence. It is said that the Christians in Ceylon -The Young Men's Christian Assohave four methods of giving for the sup- ciations are spreading all over the port of the Gospel. First, the tithes of world. There are now above four thoutheir earnings. Second, the offering of sand associations. Of these there are, trees-the setting apart by each family in India and Ceylon, 21; in Turkey, of a cocoa· nut tree, the produce of which 12; in Syria, 6; in Africa, 12; in they sacredly devote to benevolent pur- China, 5 ; in Persia, 7 ; in Japan, 200. poses. Third, the offering of labor-de- There will be openings in all parts of voting a certain amount of time to work the world for young men who are fitted in the interest of the church. Fourth, to be secretaries and eyangelists in conthey reserve a handful of rice from neotion with these associations. every day's meal.

-" If I were black and young," says