for this the time has not yet come, yet we are encouraged to see that when the time does come the step will readily be taken.

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Six Christian weddings took place in 1891, and six church members died, but of these only two were buried with Christian rites. This statement indicates approximately the relative difficulty in carrying into effect Christian principles in the two classes of cases. On the other hand, two probationers have had funerals of parents not themselves Christians, in one case against powerful opposition. As one of the leading objects at a Chinese funeral is to make a display, and as the enormous crowds in attendance upon each of these occasions accomplished this end perfectly, in each case there was a general opinion that Christian funerals were by no means so bad as had been represented. It deserves mention that one man who was for many years a helper buried his mother within the year with heathen ceremonies, and that a precisely similar case occurred last year. This shows in a striking manner how difficult it is to arouse the spiritual nature even of those who have seemed to know and to feel Christian truth deeply.

The union of religion with business is well illustrated in the case of a carpenter, formerly a leader in a sect, who has pasted the Beatitudes on one side of his toolbox, and the Ten Commandments on the other, with a short printed prayer at the end. This plan might be introduced to advantage in nominally Christian lands.' Another man, who recently united on probation, resigned a position in a yamen as director of ceremonies to the district magistrate, the duties of which post involved substantially idolatry, but were light and materially added to his income. Another, as already mentioned, gave up a profitable business to devote himself to study. Several of the volunteer evangelists have made heavy sacrifices, both of time and money, in order to give themselves to preaching, and the number of persons who have learned to read runs doubtless high up among the hundreds, and many of these have become teachers of others.

"We have never had more cause for gratitude to God, and never more reason to be encouraged."

Shansi Mission.

MEDICAL WORK.

DR. GOLDSBURY, of Tai-ku, reports the prevalence of la grippe throughout that region, every member of the mission who attended the annual meeting at Fen-chowfu having been detained there nearly two weeks after the adjournment by an attack of this disease. At the time he wrote aH were recovering. He mentions several cases of interest at the dispensary: —

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About two weeks ago a two-year-old child, having both eyes sightless, was brought here by her grandmother, who said that the little girl's mother was dead and that the heartless father had threatened to throw the child away, leaving it by the roadside to starve or to be devoured by wolves, unless the foreign doctor could restore its sight. Under the circumstances I did the best I could; but without avail. When the man came to take his mother and daughter home, I talked to him as forcibly as I was able. He promised to keep the child, and I hope he will, though any one who is acquainted with Chinese promises can imagine how much they are worth. Although we know such things are constantly occurring around us, still it was very distressing to have it come so near home.

"During the late epidemic of la grippe great numbers of the Chinese were sick and there were many deaths. In Mr. Liu's village, where there are about 500 people, there were seventy deaths. Mr. Clapp's gatekeeper, Lao Fan, died from a compli cation of la grippe. He was one of the seventeen who a short time before had joined the church on probation. When asked during his sickness if he was afraid to die, he replied, Why should one be afraid who believes in Jesus? No word of complaint was heard from him during all his three weeks' illness. We feel coafident that he died trusting in the Saviour"

Dr. Atwood, of Fen-chow-fu, also write> hopefully:

"The outlook for the work here is daily brightening; while I write, an invitation for Mrs. Davis and Miss Hewitt to visit a village and talk to the women, three and one-third miles from the city, is presented. Ten opium patients have come in from that village recently, and are breaking off opium. I have taken in a man to study the Scriptures and teach the opium patients, giving him his food. He seems to be a truly earnest man who promises to be very useful in the Master's service. The four rooms that are finished for the hospital court are already filled to their full capacity. If we had twice as many rooms, they could no doubt be filled in less than a month.

"The opportunity for opening a school here seemed to us too valuable to be allowed to go by unused. Government support has been withdrawn from the three free schools in the city, to furnish food to poor people who must suffer for lack of food on account of the scarcity of rain and poor crops. The rainfall was very slight last year, and this winter no snow has fallen to speak of. The priests have prayed and beaten the temple bells in prayer, for snow, and the officials have visited the temples most industriously for the same purpose. The only results thus far seem to be windstorms and dustfalls. On the 8th, however, a slight fall of snow covered the ground for about twenty-four hours. Now there is no trace of it left, except on the tops of the mountains. We are hoping and praying that snow may come soon and relieve the stricken people. The suffering from disease has been great and will be still greater unless help comes from above before many weeks."

Japan Mission.

MISS DUDLEY reports some interesting experiences during a tour among the churches on the island of Shikoku. She found a fine school of twenty-seven girls in the new school buildings at Matsuyama, under the care of Miss Judson. There were seventeen baptisms on the Sabbath Miss Dudley was at Matsuyama, making

thirty within the year. She learned of increased interest in all the churches of that region. Mr. Newell reports that the school at Niigata has been greatly strengthened by the coming of Mr. Nakashima, who is an efficient teacher and an enthusiastic Christian worker. Mr. Hori, aside from his church and evangelistic duties, devotes a good deal of energy to the Girls' School.

OGAKI SINCE THE EARTHQUAKE.

Mr. Albrecht, under date of June 6, speaks of a day spent at Ogaki, the town which suffered from the earthquake in October last:

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'As you are aware, a Relief Corps from the Doshisha Hospital rendered very effective aid at that time, making an opening for Christian work which the mission felt ought not to be neglected. We were long in finding a suitable worker for this peculiar field, but succeeded last spring in securing Pastor Tomita from Tsuyama, in Okayama ken. He removed to Ogaki in April, renting a small house partially demolished by the earthquake, using it both for his residence and as a preachingplace. Wherever he went, on the strength of his cards of introduction from Drs. Berry and Hori, he was received very kindly and met with most respectful treatment. The officials, the patients treated so far as they can be found, and the people at large have the highest respect and only thoughts of appreciative kindness toward the members of last year's Relief Corps, but so far none of them seems to have gone beyond respecting the workers and the cause they represent. But even this is a great gain. In a city where nearly all the leading men are strong Buddhists, a sudden revolution of religious feeling cannot be expected. When gradually the cause of Christ shall make progress in this city, opposition to it will naturally break out from Buddhist priests and their followers, such as we meet everywhere at a certain stage of the work, and then the friendship of the mayor and other leading men of the town as well as the record of the work done by the Relief

Corps will be of great value. Mr. Tomita is working very wisely, looking not for immediate showy results but planning for a solid foundation for the future. He abstains from large preaching or lecture meetings, although an able preacher himself; he and his wife make many personal visits, and meet twice a week in their own house with the few whom they have so far been able to interest in Christianity for the study of the Bible.

"This work, as you know, is wholly unprovided for in our estimates for the current year, and in response to our appeal printed in the March number of the Herald we have not yet received $100. It is certainly not a work of our own seeking, but one into which we have been led by the hand of God in a most mysterious but direct manner. We ought to be enabled to prosecute this work with all the energy which its peculiar character demands. From the people themselves we cannot expect much for some years to come. About one half of the houses have been rebuilt so far, the part of the city which was burnt after having been thrown down still looking especially desolate. How some of those old people survived the winter in small huts in which I could not stand erect, formed by a few boards tied together with straw rope and covered with straw or brush, is a wonder to me. Many I found in huts formed for them by the earthquake itself, as it caused the walls of the house to give away, letting the heavy thatch roof come right down on the ground, forming a wedgeshaped hut well enough for the winter, but in the summer hot to suffocation, having no ventilation and resting directly on the hot parched ground. Yet in all this city I did not meet a single beggar, and not in the poorest hut was I asked for a gift. The people make the best of the present, be it ever so little, and borrow no trouble or anxious thought for tomorrow. The Buddhist temples which were overthrown I found still in ruins, only on the place of one I found a temporary place of worship erected, with an altar, evidently entirely new, idol-statues,

etc., in glittering gilt. Are we not right in bringing to these people the message of the love of God, as they can only learn it at the foot of the cross of Christ, after they have seen his power in such an awful and mysterious way?

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The week previous I spent the Sunday at Kusatsu, administering for the second time the sacraments of baptism and of the Lord's Supper in this town. It was a great privilege to welcome seven new members into the Christian fellowship, baptizing them in the name of the Triune God. So after nearly two years of seemingly fruitless, useless work, the seed sown is springing up, so that we have now a little company of fourteen Christians in this town and vicinity, where at the begin ning of the year we had not one. The time will come when in Ogaki also our hearts will rejoice over similar manifestations of God's saving mercy.

"Professor Ladd, of Yale University, has begun his lectures before the Doshisha professors and students. I need not say that they are listened to with increas ing interest. Some popular lectures before a mixed audience are also planned for After the commencement exercises Professor Ladd will go to Tōkyō. His coming here will be, I am confident, of vast im portance for the cause of Christ. There is no people on the face of the earth where strong, clear thinking will have greater effects than here in Japan, and the leaders of thought will not be influenced by missionaries, who of course cannot be specialists. Yale University is doing a most noble and effective kind of missionary work in sending Professor Lad over here, the first one, we trust, of a se ries of lecturers who will come and aid in molding the thought of this nation. showing to it the reasonableness of the truth as it is in Christ."

West Central African Mission.

FROM BAILUNDU

CHEERING reports come from this station. Mrs. Webster says that the girls. the school are prompt and regular in a

tendance, and show more interest in their work than ever before. Mr. Stover writes : "The most marked advance is in the attitude of the surrounding villages toward the gospel. You may remember that not very long ago I said that our young men were not well received at the villages unless accompanied by a white man. That is no longer the case. They are now well received, and interested attention is granted them. At the group where Samuel goes, the old men send out and gather all the people as soon as the young men arrive. One Sabbath, at my suggestion, the audience was counted and there were sixty present, not counting the children, and a great many who, when at home, attended regularly, were absent. At the place to which Moses goes the attendance was eighty, and, to use the common expression here, everybody was gone' that day. There are several at that group who wish to come here, and will by-andby. Others wish to, but are forbidden. I told you a short time ago of a lad who came from that group. He is now doing well, has begun to pray, though not in public. The third set of boys who have begun their work during the year are also well received. Last Sunday they found the whole village just about to start off to a beer drink, but when they saw the boys they turned back. But after all is said there is need of a mighty outpouring of the Spirit before there will be any real work of grace. One candidate for baptism was received last Thursday, and there are other applicants. This boy told me that he wishes to be a teacher. He learns very rapidly, and I think will begin English next year."

FROM KAMONDONGO AND CHISAMBA.

A good health report comes from these stations. Under date of March 24, Mr. Fay wrote:

"Our congregations are rather on the increase; we had 175 last Sunday morning, and very good attention. I had sixteen of the old men who remained at Sunday-school. I do not follow the lessons they have in the school, but take up some side topic to clinch the morning talk.

Some of these old men know quite clearly the way, but the Spirit has not yet touched their hearts, Many signs seem to show that before long a goodly number of the young people at the village will come out on the Lord's side. We have now three young men from the village coming to school, two of them having lately begun. So that now the boys' school lacks two of fifty; the girls' school has thirty-eight enrolled. So you see the imperative need of another lady."

By the same mail came another letter from Mr. Fay, dated April 22, in which he says:

"Last evening I held a meeting of the church, at which five names, four boys and one woman, were brought up for consideration, they requesting to be taken into the church. So a class will be formed to prepare them for entering the church. Besides these there are some of the younger ones who might come in if it were not for the power their uncles have over them. Some of those out of the church give better witness of a change of heart than some in the church; still, we must believe that all are trying. Since my return the lads have made good progress, especially some of them, in the Christian life. I hope that we are nearing a better time both for the church and for those whom we want to turn from their heathen ways."

From Chisamba, Mr. Lee wrote April 19: "I have the pleasure of reporting that the last month has been one of uninterrupted peace and prosperity. Our services have been unusually well attended. Marked attention and thoughtfulness have characterized Our congregations. Our station boys have conducted themselves in a most pleasing manner, giving many evidences of earnest desire to live consistent Christian lives. We have had much sickness among the boys, but the health of Mrs. Lee, Miss Clarke, and myself has been good. My building operations have gone forward satisfactorily, and altogether we have great reason to thank God for his goodness toward us since I last wrote."

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European Turkey Mission.

THE annual report from this mission shows that 117 persons were admitted to the churches during the year on profession of faith, making an increase of about 14 per cent. The circulation of the weekly Zornitza, the Christian Bulgarian newspaper, has been maintained against many obstacles. Mr. Marsh writes from Philippopolis, June 20: —

On June 5 the little chapel in Abdalan, our newest out-station, was dedicated. This village is about eight miles north of Pazardjik. Recently six friends from this village were received as members of the Pazardjik church; others will soon join them. The chapel cost less than $300. Some 110 persons were inside the building at the dedication, and others outside. Two of our pastors and one of our preachers were present for these services. The day was filled full of profitable exercises. It was thought probable that some might be present who would prove to be opposers and disturbers of the peace. But all were most orderly and attentive.

"On May 27 our preacher in Merichleri was present, by invitation, for the first time in a village an hour away from Merichleri. He preached in the home of the man who had invited him, and who has been interested some time in studying the Scriptures. Over thirty were present at this service. The next Sunday a member of the church in Merichleri went over to conduct a meeting. Last Sunday the preacher, after finishing the service in his church, went to the new village and preached to forty souls, who had been allowed to assemble in the schoolhouse. It looks as though some fields are whitening to the harvest."

A letter received from the pastor of the Yamboul church reports a Sabbath spent at Sleven. The house of the friend at which the service was usually held was too small, but two services were held in the yard. From Sleven the Yamboul pastor, with a colporter, went up into a mountain town and visited several villages; they had good sales of books. In the town of Katel the college teachers and

officials met them very cordially. The pastor is convinced that the gospel leaven is working, and goes back to his work refreshed and encouraged.

Western Turkey Mission.

OUT-STATION WORK.

DR. FARNSWORTH, writing from Cesarea, May 12, reports another of his extended tours, and we give here his interesting accounts of Eilenja and Yozgat :

"At Eilenja I spent two days and saw evidence of very healthy growth. While there I attended an exhibition of our school, for which the Armenians kindly granted the use of their new church. This they could do, as it has not yet been consecrated. All the people of the vil lage were present and a good impression was made. I took sufficient time for this tour, and made it deliberately. The outstations visited were eight, and at six of them I called on every Protestant family. If any was omitted, it was by mistake.

"The two churches visited, Yozgat and Soongoorloo, are prospering under their new pastors. The Sunday that I was at Yozgat, April 10, four persons were ad mitted to the church, one a boy but nine years old. His evidence of Christian character was peculiarly satisfactory. I saw two things here that interested me especially. One was their prayer-meetings. In preparation for their coming communion they had a sunrise daily prayer-meeting from the 4th to the 9th. It was my privilege to attend three of those meetings. About sixty were present. The one subject through the whole week was the sufferings of Christ. In the simplest way possible the pastor dwelt upon that history day after day, holding his hearers, as it were, spellbound. There was singing of appropr ate hymns and several prayers at each meeting; almost no remarks, except those of the pastor. What better preparation could there be for the celebration of the crowning act of our Lord's ministry?

"The other thing which interested me