Fay says that there is continued improvement in some of the church members, and he adds:

"To-day I was called out to receive a delegation from a village where I go to talk once a week. I found about twenty people with nearly twenty baskets of corn. I had asked them to bring corn to sell, as I had none. I had told them if they did not do so soon my mule would not be strong enough to bring me to their village. So to-day they came with three or four bushels of corn for the mule, as they said. I received it, and gave them above its value in cloth, which they expected."

Mr. Fay speaks of the multitudinous calls that are made upon him in reference to matters that are going on at the station. If a sheep is sick or an ox lame, the natives come for counsel or help. Amid all these distractions it is difficult to carry on the important work of the

station.

CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE.

Mrs. Webster, of Bailundu, gives a good report of the girls in her school, whom she finds it a real pleasure to teach. It speaks well for them that with an enrolment of thirty-six the average attendance has been thirty. Of the manners and character of the people Mrs. Webster writes as follows:

"You ask some questions about the people. There are all shades of complexions, from a shiny coal black to a very light brown. Those with black or dark seal brown complexions, when accompanied with good features, are really handsome. There is to me as great variety of features among them as among Americans; indeed I frequently see faces that remind me of friends and acquaintances at home. One of my own boys constantly reminds me of a cousin, not only in his face but in his actions as well. The majority have beautiful eyes, large and full, of a deep black or dark brown color. Their faces are very expressive and they have quite an amount of intelligence, many have more than the average.

In their life with one another they are kind and affectionate in their own way. But it is a part of their etiquette not to express or show affection in the presence of others, and, until one knows this, one would say they have little natural affection. Travelers have said so, but it is a mistake. Quarrels are rare among them and a fight is an unheard-of occurrence. I have often noticed and wondered at this, especially when traveling. They will come into camp tired and hungry, having eaten almost nothing in the morning, and before they can have any food there are frequently new huts to build, and, if not, the old ones have to be cleaned out, fresh grass and leaves gathered for their beds, wood to be cut for the fires, and water to be carried. When everything is in readiness for the night, then, and not before, they cook and eat their food. Through it all they are good-natured and cheerful, and a cross word is rarely heard. The average American under such circumstances would be as cross as a bear. They lead a gay, careless, happy life, and in their own way seem to enjoy life."

A SUNDAY-SCHOOL AT BAILUNDU. Mrs. Woodside writes from Bailundu: "Have you heard of our new department, a real, live Sunday-school? It was organized four weeks ago, and there are eleven classes, with a teachers' meeting every Friday evening. The attendance has been very good, numbering from 100 to 125. There are two quite large classes of men and women from the villages. Hitherto the village people have had the idea that the services here were intended only for the young people; hence the attendance of the older ones has always been very small. They seem to have a different notion in regard to the Sunday-school, and through this we hope to get them into regular church attendance. Mrs. Stover has the women's class, and she goes to the village of Chilume on Saturday afternoons to invite them and to let them know that next day is Sunday, so that they will not go off to their fields in the morning.

You will be pleased to know that Miss Clarke has been successful in gathering together a number of girls as scholars in a day-school. Some eight or nine of the girls have been coming regularly to school for some time. We have given them a house in which to sleep, because it is too cold for them to come across the swamp so early in the morning. They come to our station a little after sunset, attend the evening prayer service, and at seven A.M. the day-school begins. After the session of school is over the girls go off to work in their fields. Much opposition is made at the villages to the girls attending school, and it is evidence of no little strength of character in those girls who come in the face of such opposition.

"Our Sunday congregations are more than satisfactory; that is, so many come that we cannot accommodate them in our little schoolhouse, and at present it is too cold to hold the meetings outside. We hope soon to have a larger building ready. Three chiefs and their respective followers come with great regularity to the services, and each appears to be gaining a fair idea of what we are teaching, and at the same time appears to be weighing the matter in his mind. Other old men are also regular attendants and cheer us much by the evident thought they are giving to this new message.

"Speaking of the cold: last week one of my boys brought me a piece of ice over half an inch thick. How is that for Africa! All our banana trees are cut quite down by frost! And until ten o'clock each morning it is almost impossible to get comfortably warm!"

Marathi Mission.

PROGRESS AT SHOLAPUR.

WHILE at his summer rest at Mahableshwar, Mr. Gates wrote of the work at his station :

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One very encouraging feature of the work lately is the increased number of Sunday-schools. These have been opened for both high and low castes in Sholapur and the small villages. One teacher has carried on three Sunday-schools in his village, and he has been the only male Christian there.

"The sale of books has increased also,

which is a good sign. A new school for Hindu girls has just been opened. It is a sort of annex to a good school for boys in Sholapur. The prospects seem good there. In another place there are about twenty girls who have been coming to a Sunday-school. They have no day-school advantages, and want us to open a school for them. There are over fifty girls who can thus be reached, and I hope to have a school for them soon.

'There never has been anything among the Aryan-speaking people of India that corresponds to the congregation,' or village movement, among the Dravidianspeaking people, so far as I know. Perhaps we have not yet learned how to reach the Aryans, but it seems to me that the people are different and must be reached in different ways. Lately large numbers have been baptized on the spot. by the Methodists and others in North India, immediately after street preaching to large crowds. I have not seen my way clear to do it yet. One difficulty seems to be the danger of taking in unworthy perMen have often come to me for baptism one is here now who have afterward proved to be unworthy. A fine-looking high-caste man appeared not long ago and asked for baptism. He was well educated and talked well. I kept him a few days, and in the meanwhile found out that he was dishonest. I should have far more hope of good results if the people in a country village, where all are known to each other, would come forward for baptism, than if a company of

sons.

--

strangers who have met at a pilgrimage should come forward.

"On the whole, I never have seen more interest in preaching with so little opposition as in the past year."

SIRUR.

Mrs. Winsor, writing from Sirur, August 25, says:

"There is actually no end to the amount of good we can do in the Industrial School. Only yesterday a heathen boy, fifteen years of age, came to us saying that he wished to become a Christian and learn a trade. What can we do with the large number of applicants? Boys, strong and active, willing and happy to learn to work while they study in our English and vernacular schools, and who desire to become Christians, are continually appearing. I wrote you of our very active and earnest school inspector, who was having so much influence for good in the villages, both as a preacher and as superintendent of our village schools. His name was Kissan Kanhaba. A few days after I wrote that letter he was called away, dying suddenly of cholera, in a village about ten miles away. But, oh, the rich testimony to his earnest, beautiful life that comes to us from heathen lips! The Patil of Ranjangao was so kind at the time of his death, providing a coffin and also a place in his field for the last resting-place. Our pastor went out with some of the brethren to attend the funeral.

And such crowds as came! The whole compound was full. All standing room was taken, and outside the walls were those of every caste, standing and listening in respectful silence as the pastor spoke of the joy of dying the death of the Christian, referring to Kissan as one who had lived like Christ. We miss Kissan much; he was a fine, handsome person, but simple in faith and willing to serve Jesus anywhere, and now even the heathen weep for him."

Japan Mission.

TAUGHT OF GOD.

MR. CLARK, of Miyazaki, sends an account of unusual interest concerning a

"I first met Judge Koyabe when he called at our house with one of his fellowjudges, Mr. Maki, who is a deacon in our Miyazaki church, leader of the Young Men's Christian Association, Bible-class teacher, and otherwise one of our most active workers. Judge Koyabe has a son in the United States, now at Howard University. The son was converted two or three years ago in America and is now preparing for the Christian ministry. This fact and his letters to his father have changed the current of thought and planning of the father, though broad and beneficent before, from what he calls 'working for the flesh,' to an earnest consecration of himself to work for God.'

"This first call was a long one, and showed his more than willingness to talk on Christian themes. Many subsequent exchanges of visits and long talks together gave me a fuller insight into his experiences and beliefs. From these talks I learned that twenty-five years ago he hated foreigners intensely and all things pertaining to them.

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In those early days his first view of Christian truth was given him by reading a little book called Ten no sogen " (Sources of Heavenly Things), which providentially fell into his hands. As. early as twenty years ago, when he knew very little of Christianity, he was accustomed when beginning his daily law study to ask in prayer the help of the divine Spirit. Perhaps this was much like prayer to the unknown God,' but yet true prayer, and this habit of prayer has been continued through all these years. During these years too there has been something of interest in Bible study. This interest was very greatly quickened by the conversion of his son in America. Since then Bible study has become his recreation and has occupied all his spare mo

ments. It was carried on where no human teacher could be had, and entirely without the aid of any commentary except the Bible itself. But in all this study the guidance of the Holy Spirit has been specially sought, and his heart and mind kept open toward God as he studied. And this divine help has evidently not been sought in vain. Under the Spirit's leading he has thought over and over, deeply and broadly, the various themes of Christianity, and, being a man of judicial habits and philosophical mind, he has arrived at very definite conclusions on nearly all these questions, and from time to time has formulated his conclusions and written them out. Thus, absolutely independent of any human teacher, he has formed his system of theology by the study of the Bible alone, but evidently not without the guidance of God's Spirit.

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Another fact very real to him is the divine leading in all his life. He says very commonly, 'God permitted it.' I proposed to do so and so, but God did not permit it.' One incident of the past year impressed him much as a special providence. All arrangements were made for him to go to Gifu, to be judge in that city; but various hindrances arose and he was appointed to Miyazaki instead. The day he reached Miyazaki, taking up the daily paper he read of the great earthquake at Gifu, and among other items that the judge who went there in his place was killed - himself, his wife, and children. He considers that it was no other than God's interference that saved him from that fate. Thus, not only has he found out God and the truth from the Bible, under the teaching of the Holy

Spirit, but he seems to have proved these great truths by his own experience.

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His habit of scholarly investigation has led him to think through and to the bottom of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shintoism, and given him a clear understanding of their insufficiency and, by comparison, a fuller appreciation of the all-sufficiency of Christianity. Having formulated his conclusions, he was very desirous of comparing them with those of others in order to ascertain their truth or falsehood. Circumstances led him to arrange for an interview with our missionaries, who were spending their summer vacation on Mount Hiei. Before leaving Miyazaki for the mountain he wrote out his thoughts fully on various subjects, especially the Trinity; the work of the Spirit; the divinity and work of Christ: sin, its effect on the character and destiny of man; and other like subjects. His statement of belief was very thoroughly gone over by Drs. Davis, DeForest, and others, and elicited expressions of surprice and satisfaction at the clearness and correctness of the conclusions to which his Bible study had led him.

He spent four days on the mountain in this earnest comparison of his conciusions with those of others, and at the end of these days, at his own urgent request and after the most thorough examination possible under the circumstances as to his views on moral questions and his practices, he received baptism, Dr. Davis performing the ceremony in the presence of a large company of Japanese and missionaries.

"He proposes to devote his life to making known to others the great Bible truths. He considers that his mission is especially to the upper and official class of Japan, whose need of a missionary like themselves he fully appreciates. He intends in the near future to give up his official position and devote his whole time to evangelistic work."

Mr. Clark concludes his account with an earnest request for special prayer that God will make use of this man as he did of Saul of Tarsus. Let not this request be overlooked.

A SUMMER SCHOOL AND A SUMMER

TOUR.

Mr. Sidney Gulick, of Kumamoto, writing from Mount Hiei, August 23, says:

This is the first summer, I believe, that any of our mission has made a midsummer tour through Kiushiu. There were special reasons why it seemed necessary to make one this summer. There was held this summer the first Kiushiu summer school. Four years ago, under Mr. Wishard's lead and inspiration, the first summer school in Japan was held. Each year since, these have been held, and have been felt to be the means of much good. As, however, they have been held in central Japan, the Christian young men of Kiushiu have been unable to attend; hence the need and origin of the Kiushiu summer school. This was held at a hot spring on the sides of the great active volcano of Kiushiu, about twenty-five miles east of Kumamoto. The elevation of the place was sufficient to ensure a comfortable temperature.

"The school lasted ten days, and consisted of lectures each morning from some of the professors, and small meetings and exercises in the afternoons and evenings. Over one hundred students attended, being considerably more than was expected. Of these it is estimated that over one third were not Christians; many of the nonChristians were teachers in government schools, who came to find out about Christianity. There were also several Greek Christians, who were dissatisfied with what that church gave them and came to see what we Protestants could give. It was a fine opportunity for work, of which the Christian young men were glad to avail themselves. I gave two lectures and one sermon. The tramp to the great smoking crater was a good afternoon's tramp, which I took three times.

a very pleasant baptismal service. Of the seven persons baptized, five were students in our Kumamoto schools, who preferred to be baptized at home rather than in Kumamoto. This we strongly approve, as students who join the church away from home are apt to be rather weakkneed at home. On the whole I consider the summer tour a great success, as at this time alone do we meet the students of our schools in their own homes. At one place four or five young men and two young women traveled twenty-five miles in order to be with us for a Sabbath service.

"While in Kiushiu I learned that the governor of Kumamoto had been touring through his province, assembling the school-teachers and saying that none could be allowed to become Christians and that Christian teachers should be dismissed. This action of his brought down considerable criticism from the Liberal party, who charge him with being unconstitutional. Since my return I learn that he has just been dismissed by the new Cabinet, doubtless for complicity in the election frauds of last February. We all rejoice, as he has proved very hostile to Christianity and Christian schools. He was the person who was the occasion of the division of our school and the separation of our Christians into two parties."

Zulu Mission.

THE POSITION OF THE COLONY.

THE annual letter from this mission, prepared by Mr. Ransom, refers at the outset to some general matters relating to the present situation of the colony of Natal. This English colony is seeking, like some other portions of the British domain, for home rule. Its commerce and industries are developing rapidly. It will be borne in mind that, not long since, reserves of territory were assigned to each missionary station, and on these reserves the Christian Zulus for the most part live. Of these matters of general interest the mission letter says: —