In Joshu the chief industry is silk-worm raising and in Echigo it is cultivating rice. Women are universally used in both places for both industries. Silk culture is a house employment, and being light and clean, is a suitable occupation for the gentler sex. But it does seem to be contrary to the fitness of things to see young girls and women, dressed as men, standing up to their knees in mud and water for hours at a time, digging till the sweat drops from their faces, and I have wondered whether this difference in the status and employment of women has anything to do with the great difference between the two provinces in the social and religious condition of the people. In Joshu there are few temples and the houses are large and neat. In Echigo temples abound and it is one of the strongholds of Buddhism, while the houses are small and untidy, at least on the outside. In Joshu in many places houses of ill-fame have been suppressed, while in Echigo they flourish to a most glaring and offensive extent, while the province sends hundreds of its young women to all parts of Japan for this nefarious business. "In Joshu Christianity at one time seemed to sweep the province, and although it was almost frozen out by the chilling effects of unevangelical preaching, there are still many church organizations remaining, with neat church buildings and some show of life. Echigo, on the other hand, has been a hard field to work from the beginning. Outside of Niigata, where the missionaries live, there is scarcely a town that has a church organization or a building of its own. More than twenty years ago Dr. Palen, a Scottish medical missionary, had a chapel and hospital in one town, but he left before seeing even one Christian. There are now only three Christians in the place. sionaries of the American Board and the preachers who are coöperating with them. While both need more preachers and more aid in many ways, Echigo is, I think, one of the most needy provinces in the empire. Four or five more preachers could be placed at once in towns where work is now carried on more or less regularly, while there are a dozen towns of over 5,000 inhabitants where no regular work has ever been attempted. "On account of the lack of church building my preaching services were held almost entirely in theaters. These were crowded and the audience attentive. The bitter opposition to the preacher in former years is breaking down. There is still much persecution and ostracism of individuals from friends and relatives in spite of the fact that the constitution allows freedom of faith. But there are hopeful signs and a more cordial reception of the faithful missionaries who so long have quietly been sowing the seed of the gospel. They should be warmly backed by friends on the field and by the churches at home till Echigo is won for Christ." "The evangelists in this field are very devoted to their work, and, so far as I know, orthodox, as well as earnest, practical workers. They are all very fond of Mr. Clark, who spends much of his time touring with them through this whole province. "We have a night school for men and boys with about forty regular comers, including officials from the prison, bank clerks, a lawyer, and many boys from the high school. They are an interesting class. I have also a class of five girls twice a week, which I hope will be the beginning of getting hold of the girls. It is much easier to reach the men and boys, as yet, than to reach the women and girls, because there is no school to bring the girls into touch with us and to open their homes. "Since coming here I have appreciated something of what a missionary's wife has to do in keeping a large family in working order and bringing up her children. Mrs. Clark also takes in some Japanese girls to train. One of the special features of this house is the swarms of sight-seers who come to see the one foreign house of this province. They come mostly in groups and are shown GILBERT ISLANDS. all around, and then are talked to and given tracts. Many of them listen with great interest to a talk about Christianity and are very glad to receive the tracts. They go back to their homes all over the province with these tracts and some remembrance of what they have heard, and tell their friends, and then when the friends come up to see the capital of the province, they also come to see how we look. Their names are written in a book, and as Mr. Clark goes about from place to place he often hunts them up and returns the call. The work in Hiuga is quite new. Six years ago there was very little being done in this province. Now there are a number of churches." Micronesian Mission. THE report of the work in this island group during 1897 is not what it would have been had Mr. Walkup been able to make his usual tours on the Hiram Bingham among the islands. On ac count of the absence of Mr. Channon from Kusaie, Mr. Walkup has been compelled to devote his time to the Gilbert Island Training School and has seen comparatively little of the islands. He reports that the school on Kusaie has had a prosperous year, and that one of the sailors on the Bingham, having been in school for a year, has been left as a helper on the island of Tarawa and another family was left on Tapiteuea. There have been connected with the school twenty young men, five couples with six children, thirty-six souls in all. In almost all the islands of the Gilbert group the Roman Catholic missionaries have encroached on the work of our missionaries. The British Commissioner has established government schools on many islands, in which reading, writing, and arithmetic are taught, but there is connected with them no worship, not even a song. Of Tapiteuea Mr. Walkup says: "In these government schools all the children attend from 9 to 12 o'clock; of the fifteen teachers selected only two were Catholic natives. The thirteen Protestant teachers have morning and evening prayers and afternoon sessions, with singing and the teaching of the catechism. Many of the scholars are leaving the Catholics and buying Bibles." Of Nonouti the report is not hopeful. The government agent gave only four villages to the Protestant natives, and ordered the catechist, Abera, to disband his selected school, though he appointed him teacher of a village. Later on the Commissioner released the larger scholars from the requirement to attend the forenoon class, and permitted the girls to sleep in a room by themselves on the mission premises. Of Apemama Mr. Walkup says: "It has no strictly secular school law, and thus our two catechists have the only schools on the island. These schools have been full, and all the books have been sold, and the contributions nearly sufficient to support the catechists. We see also the result of the work of the Holy Spirit in some candidates for the communion. There is still much dark minister, we left as teacher their deacon, who has been for two years in school at Kusaie, besides our Banaba deacon from the Training School church and another Banaba Christian family. These four families have been teaching in four villages, and some muscular work has been done in the building of new churches in each village and schoolhouse. On reaching the shore a great change could be seen in the people, but not as much as a whaling captain visiting Kusaie reported between his two visits of four years apart. Of the 450 population, 154 have been in school, and in order to get books they have given the fins of 180 sharks ($18.00) and $15.00 in cash, and mats that sold for $4.25 ($37.25 in all). The cord and nuts for contributions will realize some $8.50. Of the 73 disciplined church members all have been restored, and 75 others received on profession. On close questioning of the new minister and his co-laborers they admitted that some of those received are not entirely walking as children of light.' As we talked to this audience of 350 souls (the largest assembly except on a Sabbath at Tapiteuea) I felt strongly how little our words would amount to, as I exhorted them to walk as children of light,' unless the Holy Spirit should be present and do His own powerful work." 6 NOTES FROM THE WIDE FIELD. FIJI. THE Wesleyan churches of Fiji have long been independent of the mother church in Great Britain, and hence reports of the work within the islands have not been easily obtained. The Work and Workers in the Mission Field, for June, gives some extracts from the Australasian Methodist Missionary Review containing good news from this portion of the island world. It seems that a remarkable spiritual awakening has taken place within the last few months. The revival commenced in October last on the historic island of Bau. The following description is given of the great stone building at Bau known as the Cakobau Memorial Church, in which the District Synod met and where the revival began :— "Stone buildings in Fiji are rare, but nowhere in the South Seas is there a building made up of such rare stones as are embedded in the thick walls of the church at Bau. In those old walls are to be found great slabs that were for ages ground into shape by the action of wild waves on the neighboring reefs; stones that were once gods; stones gathered from the ruins of ancient heathen temples; stones taken from old fortifications, over which men once fought and bled and died; grim, hard stones that for ages absorbed the tears and blood of generations of men who walked this green earth without God and without hope in the world. Today, within the four walls of this strange edifice, stands, where it has stood for many a year, a rough boulder of gray rock that was once the killing stone, against which scores of poor victims of lust and murder have been dashed to death to make a feast for the lords of Bau. This grim memorial of darker days has been turned into a baptismal font, from which many hundreds of men, women, and children have been baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." The revival commenced at a special service held by members of the Synod and hundreds of people of Bau. The report says: "The number of inquirers increased, and the divine influence, that rested so unmistakably on the first meeting, spread from one congregation to another, from town to town, producing everywhere the selfsame results, viz., increasing crowds of earnest men, anxious souls asking the way of life, and an ever-growing religious enthusiasm, free from extravagances of any kind." This revival spread to other circuits in Central Fiji, and hundreds of men and women in Bau, Navuloa and Rewa have professed conversion. The latest word is that the revival is still progressing and that more than 1,000 persons have joined the Christian classes. The report concludes as follows: "A Love Feast was held recently at Rewa, when the great church was densely crowded, and many had to stand outside, clustering about the doors and windows of the building. At this meeting more than 200 new converts were received. Our native agents are full of zeal in connection with this work, and write in a most thankful spirit of their experiences in pointing the seekers to the Cross of Jesus. They describe the movement as the most wonderful and far-reaching that has taken place for long years in Fiji." BIBLIOGRAPHICAL. MISCELLANY. The Twentieth Century City. By Rev. Josiah NOTES FOR THE MONTH. SPECIAL TOPICS FOR PRAYER. That our Heavenly Father may, in his gracious providence, give potency to the plans made for sending supplies and reinforcements to our work in Micronesia, and grant, also, his protecting care to the lonely and isolated workers in the time of possible peril. That our Heavenly Father may, by the intervention of his divine power, and by the mighty impulse of a living Christ, move upon the hearts of his people now to give willingly for his kingdom. That while millions upon millions are being spent upon carnal warfare, the Lord of Hosts may secure treasure from his people with which to hold the outposts of Christ's kingdom where unusual victories are being won. DEPARTURES. June 25. From New York, Mrs. Bertha D. Stover, rejoining the West Central African Mission, and Miss Sarah Stimson, to join the same Mission. ARRIVALS IN THIS COUNTRY. June 20. Rev. and Mrs. Thomas S. Smith, of the Ceylon Mission. July 7. At Boston, Mrs. C. L. Goodenough, of the Zulu Mission. DEATHS. May 24. At Adams, Natal, Lincoln, the youngest son of Rev. and Mrs. George A. Wilder, of the East Central African Mission. May 30. At Kalgan, North China, Miss Henrietta B. Williams, daughter of Rev. Mark Williams. May 31. At Tungabhadra, India, Rev. Samuel B. Fairbank, D.D., of the Marathi Mission. (See page 300.) Beach Bluff, Mrs. Ellen B. Hinck- 1.00 Manchester, Franklin-st. ch., 7; H. P. Huse, 10; Mrs. Albert Kidder,2, 19 00 Nashua, Y. P. S. C. E. of Pilgrim 25.00 New London, 16.00 Portsmouth, North Cong. ch. 107 11 Salem, Y. P. S. C. E., toward sup port Rev. H. B. Newell, 20 00 Windham, George A. Senter, 2 28 Legacies.- Dublin, Mrs. Lucy B. 912 26 200 00 1,112 26 Boston, Allston ch., 380.36; Pil- 208 43 |