"Many a time when there has been extra distress, she has laid the case before the Lord, and He has vouchsafed an answer; and, finding that their Bible-woman's prayer has been answered, the sufferers have been induced to come to hear more of Him who has only been to them hitherto a God afar off. Can nothing be done to save us this loss of our Bible-woman, who has been with us eleven years ? Our parish is overburdened with claims. Will not one of the Lord's stewards of His silver and gold retain for us one who is truly a mother and a friend to the poor, who will feel her loss so much? "Yours very truly, "J. E. W." REPORT FROM STEPNEY DISTRICT. The new WORK is progressing on the Stepney district. woman, Lydia M-, is making her way amongst the mothers by sympathy and love shown in many ways, for souls as well as bodies, though never accustomed to this work before. She loves it. She has been with us not quite four months, but has obtained 60 new subscribers, which, with 73 on the books when she began, make 133 to call on every week. The Bible money for the last two months has been 37. 10s. 6d. On such a poor district it is very encouraging. She reads and prays in all places that she can. Having seen much affliction, she can tell them how she found strength and help in God's Word. Several new mothers appear much impressed, and pay great attention to the reading of the Bible. It is too early as yet to speak of results, but we have four mothers converted through listening to the Bible-woman, and the husband of one has become a changed character and remains firm. The poor little girl whom we rescued from her wicked father has lost her mother; she died trusting in Jesus, and her suffering life is over. The child is doing well, but there are two more girls with the father, and we dread to think what will become of them. BIBLE WORK IN BETHNAL GREEN. "DEAR MADAM, A Bible-woman's Letter. "I came into this district in November last. Found that many were out of employ, which causes the work of selling Bibles to progress but slowly, as the poor in many cases could hardly get food. But things are better now. I have sold 53 Bibles and Testaments, and have 65 subscribers on the book, all paying except two. The Mothers' Meeting is very encouraging; the average number from last October is 51 each Monday, and during the time my Superintendent reads they are very quiet and attentive, although most of them have either babies in arms or little ones by their side. There are a few aged, but more young mothers. We hope that the Lord is blessing the work, as a good number of them attend the church, and many others attend chapels and mission-rooms. But still we know that some never hear the Word of God except at this meeting. 66 Many of the people cannot read. There is one who has been coming to the meeting for several years who tells me she never had a serious thought until the Bible-woman prevailed on her to come and listen, and now she and her husband attend worship regularly, and both teach in the Sunday-school. She does indeed bless the day she was persuaded to come to Mothers' Meeting. There was a woman seventy-five years of age, who is now gone into the infirmary; she could not read, but if she heard the Bible-woman was in the street she would stand at the door, so that I could not pass without reading a few verses from our dear Saviour's book. I believe there is in many hearts a great longing for the truth, even in those to whom the Bible, as a book, is at present a blank, as so many hundreds cannot read; but they often say, 'We will have a Bible, for the children go to school, and they will soon be able to read to us.' They often remark that the School-board is a great blessing. The men are some of them bootmakers, and a great many cabinet-makers. Many are needle-women, some help their husbands polish, some help in the boot work, some are brush drawers, and some weavers, and others machinists. They are very fond of flowers, and, amid all their poverty and dirt, many of them have pretty little gardens. BIBLE NURSE-WORK. We must now give a statement of Receipts and Expenditure of our Nurse Branch of the Bible Missions : STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE OF MOTHERHOUSE AND BIBLEWOMEN NURSES, FOR THE YEAR ENDING OCT. 16TH, 1878. RECEIPTS. EXPENDITURE. DATE. £ 8. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ 8. d. £ s. d. £ 8. d. Balance, 16th Oct., 1877 659 14 3 £ s. d. 115 1 0 Jan., 1878 456 5 6 730 18 427 0 113 12 11 97 4 6 10 1 7 878 17 5 886 7 6 206 13 0 288 19 0 756 3 633 7 715 14 5146 5 8 32 0 6 983 11 8 106 16 0 355 28 711 13 030 13 514 13 7 94 10 3 25 3 7 876 13 10 161 8 6 281 18 2 708 10 634 16 11 4 14 7 139 17 3 26 7 1 914 6 4 170 0 0 100 0 0 70 0 0 70 0 0 The Districts that have been worked in this year are as follows: No. Special District. 1 E. C.-Whitecross St... 2 Clerkenwell .... 3 W.C.-Gordon Square 4 Drury Lane 5 St. Martin's Lane 6 N.-Finsbury 7 Hoxton ..... Montford No. of Nurses ON 42 S.E.-Mint Street Lambeth Deptford, No. 1 Ditto No. 2 Swanscombe Wandsworth, No. 1 Hibble Mountford No. of Nurses. 43 44 45 46 47 48 Chertsey 49 S. W.-Westminster 51 Neill Balam Rout Burus Gross Lichfield Hodge G. E. Child Scoble Stollard 1 68 Thorogood No.2. Jarrett 1 69 .... Utton.. Bull 1 70 Parker ............ Out of the number visited this year 453 persons died. STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE OF MOTHER-HOUSE AND BIBLEWOMEN NURSES, FROM APRIL, 1868, TO OCTOBER 16TH, 1878. LIFE PICTURES OF LONDON'S SICK AND POOR. "I was sick, and ye visited Me." WE often wish that some of the dwellers in our comfortable drawing-rooms could read with us on the Tuesday mornings of every week the five reports that come in from our visiting Pioneers, who have each the charge of about 12 of our Bible Nurses, with whom they visit fortnightly if they have not a local Superintending Lady, but only monthly if they have. We would fain find a local Superintendent for each Nurse district who would really visit; but what between the delicate health of the Lady and her many other claims and absences from London, the regular oversight and help of the Nurse Pioneer also is indispensable in almost all cases. For it is a work that needs sympathy. To be always, week after week, going forth amongst those whom poor living and worry, keep down in the world, is utterly depressing unles |