than fifty. I invited these to remain to the after-meeting, and a large number of seats in the body of the church were filled with those who afterwards knelt and gave themselves to Christ in that prayer, Just as I am, without one plea.' They were for the most part young married people, youth, and children. It was one of the most interesting meetings of my missionary life. On Saturday and Sunday others came forward and signified their decision to live for Christ.

"I remained in Bansko eleven days, and more than seventy names were given to me of those who had openly consecrated themselves to Christ and his service. The members of the church seemed greatly awakened. A prominent member said to me, Everybody is touched.' Quite a number of people called upon me at the pastor's study for conversation and prayer. Many members of the church seemed troubled by their sins. One, a woman, said to me, I have never felt so deeply my sins in all my life as in these three days.' A little girl came to the pastor's study to see me, accompanied by her mother, to tell me how heavy her heart was, and as we knelt there together in prayer she seemed to find peace and pardon.

6

"One mother told me of the change in her children. They said to her in the morning after they arose, Mother, how light we feel!' And the teacher of the school came to tell me how happy the school children were. They wanted to sing continually Throw out the life-line,' a hymn which was new to them, but one which we had sung several times in the meetings. This teacher told me before I left that there was but one child in her room who did not think he had given his heart to Christ. Almost or quite every house among the friends was full of joy. It was the most widespread work of grace that I had seen in our mission."

THE WORK EXTENDING.

"On Thursday, January 13 (New Year's, old style), I went to Mehomia and held meetings for two days and a half, into which I crowded five services. Similar scenes were repeated here to those in

Bansko, only on a smaller scale, as this congregation here is much smaller than in that village. I should suppose that there must have been a hundred present at the last meeting on Saturday. Here some twenty-seven names were given me of those who had consecrated themselves to Christ. A cottage meeting held in this village on Friday afternoon was crowded, and many outsiders were present. Several of those who consecrated themselves to God's service were from the Greek Orthodox Church, and after I had left this village I heard that many women came to inquire about the meetings, wishing to attend them.

66

In the village of Banya I spent three days, holding some five or six services. Here a similar work was wrought, and I should think as many as ten gave themselves to Christ, and all the friends who were present at the meetings seemed much revived."

After this Dr. House visited Yakarouda, Eleshnitza, and Drama, with good results, though the gatherings were not so large. He reports that politically there was much excitement all through this region, the Christian population being in fear of the Mohammedans, who were very bitter in their hostility. That such spiritual fruits could be gathered in the midst of these commotions is a striking proof of the power of the gospel. In summing up the results of his tour Dr. House can say:

"On this tour I was absent about thirtythree days, and it was the most remarkable tour of my missionary life. I counted more than 130 persons who expressed their decision to live for Christ, and Christians in all these villages seemed much refreshed. Of course it is too early to know just how much this work means, but it was quite evident that the power of the Holy Spirit accompanied the preaching of the Word."

RESULTS OF THE FAMI

DR. BALLANTINE, of the gratitude expresse the aid which has b

the time of their distress by Christians in other lands. He says: :

"Some have been led to inquire about the reason for all this liberality from persons who have never seen them or known about them personally. Their own wellto-do townspeople have looked with hardly a moment's thought at their deep distress, and some have even fattened upon it, but how is it that foreigners who speak an alien tongue have a care for them, and send substantial aid to them in their time of need? Such things can hardly happen with simply a passing comment. As a practical result on every recent tour I have taken throughout the length and breadth of my district, I have found large numbers of persons who have come forward and clamored for baptism. Of such persons we have put off all we could, but have felt constrained to baptize all who seemed to have a proper understanding as to what the rite was intended to signify, and also who had been a long time under instruction from our teachers and preachers.

"My pastors and myself have within the past two months baptized between two and three hundred persons in various places. I have never witnessed such scenes before. We sincerely trust that this work can be followed up and these persons helped to live true Christian lives. This, however, can only be done by retaining our present staff of agents, and this seems to be an impossibility, judging from the present outlook. Retrenchment can only mean the abandoning of some well-worked centres, and the command has gone forth that this must be done! Disaster is the only outcome of all this, at least humanly speaking. I am sure that if our friends at home knew what this curtailment meant to we represent, the wholesale retrenc

"We have

taken a nur

orphan ch

parents

the

are doing well, and we hope for great things from them in the future. We have means at hand for their maintenance for at least a year to come. After that we must trust in Providence for their support. We have felt it right, however, to assume these responsibilities which God has seemingly thrust in our way. This opportunity also seems to be a rare one for us to be better able in the future to reach these same castes which these children represent. Several of these castes have as yet to our knowledge no representatives in the ranks of Christianity in either our own or in other missions. What a centre of usefulness may we not hope that each one of these persons will be hereafter to his or her fellow caste people, when they have grown old enough to be thoroughly imbued with the doctrines of Christianity, and when they have caught some of the Master's spirit, as we have every right to believe will be the case with most of them!"

North China Mission.

GROWTH AT PEKING.

MR. CHARLES EWING, writing January 22, gives a résumé of what has been accomplished at Peking and at many of its out-stations during the year 1897:

In reviewing the work of the past year the Peking station has reason for thanksgiving. We feared that the departure of such a seasoned and indefatigable worker as Mr. Ament might prove disastrous to some parts of the work, but with the abundant blessing of God we have had a most prosperous year. The work has not been cut down at any point nor the working force weakened; on the contrary, there have been expansion and development; our greatest need, as in the past, has been for the full complement of well-equipped and nsecrated native helpers. In some cases have been obliged to press into service who are not satisfactory.”

Of the two churches in the city of Peking ving writes:

North Church the helper who re for some years still continues and efficient work. He, with

the help of the chapel keeper and two or three other church members, preaches daily to those who attend the street chapel ; he also has charge of Sunday preaching and secures leaders for the week-day prayer-meetings. We hope to call a council to ordain him in May. The school has had a new teacher since last May, a young man just graduated from college, and he has done finely. The scholars have done a surprisingly large amount of work, and have done it well for the most part. A few have found the teacher too strict and have dropped out. This school is one of the very best of its kind in the mission; many of the heathen boys have been indoctrinated in Christian truth; some of them joined the church; and some bring their parents. The North Church has recently voted to send twenty taels to the American Board. After the ordination it is proposed that the North Church, with the assistance of the larger South Church, shall assume the support of the pastor. Gradually I hope that more and more they may take the expense of the work.

"The South Church is our home church; it receives more care from the missionaries than any other part of the work; it ought, therefore, to be the largest and most prosperous; and such it is. It grows the most rapidly, has the fullest development of Christian and church activity, makes the largest contributions. During the past year the native membership has contributed over $50 gold. With the help of the foreigners they have supported the country pastor and a boys' day school, besides making other special gifts. The Christian Endeavor Society, Sunday-school, three weekly prayer-meetings, and one preaching service have all been well sustained.

The

girls of the Bridgman school give great help and encouragement by their constant attendance, their attentiveness and reverence, and their earnest and tuneful singing. The workmen in the press should also be mentioned as helping in the same ways. Street chapel preaching has never been kept up more faithfully, and the results are good. Mr. Ament's leaving has made a vacancy that no one could expect to fill,

but Mr. Wilder has taken hold with zeal and wisdom, and the work has gone on well. The additions to the church have not been as many, but there are numerous hopeful inquirers and probationers.

"We need workers, and we need the prayerful interest of the Christians at home. It seems to me that, in always emphasizing the financial side, both at annual meetings and in continual deliberations, there may be, quite possibly, a drawing away of interest and attention from what must eternally be more important — praying and working. To be sure, we can't work without any money, but much less can we work without workers. Here at Peking we feel our need of workers, native and foreign, fitted for the work and fully consecrated."

Of the nine out-stations concerning which Mr. Ewing reports, we select one, the account of which is brief and characteristic:

"Ping Ching. This is a market town about fifteen miles southeast of Chochow and twenty miles northwest of Nan Meng. We never had any work there until last June, when one of our helpers, who had taken a year in the short course class at Tung-cho, went down there, rented a chapel for a year and fitted it up for use at a cost of about $14 for the year. The first six months amply justified us in the opening of this new out-station, for the expense did not make us overrun our appropriation, and six hopeful converts were part of the half year's fruit. There seems to be no reason why we should not look for great results in that place. The helper there preferred work rather than another year of study, and his age (about fifty) seemed to agree with his plan."

PANG-CHUANG.

Dr. Porter, under date of January 24, refers hopefully to several points in their district where progress is clearly shown:

"Our Christmas Association meeting was of great interest to us all. The work of three months was well reported. We have a secure opening at Ch'ih Ping, eighty miles south of us, and a good body of inquirers whom we may turn over to the

Lin Ching station. We have a work newly opened at Sang Yuan, thirty-three miles north of us on the canal. We plan to open a chapel there as soon as possible. We have made these enlargements despite the terrible reduction in our appropriations. The appropriations came a week since, and we are carrying a heavy burden in consequence of the continued reduction. It is like going down hill on a bicycle, one cannot let go without a crash. The Chinese proverb puts it more pithily: 'You cannot ride a tiger successfully; you cannot get on and you cannot get off.' I expect to get a fall when the treasurer overlooks my accounts. My faith in the increase of gifts from the churches at home is likely to fail me henceforth.

"Our statistics for the year are now complete. We have received in connection with the Pang-Chuang station 107 to membership. Our total membership is 641, with some 300 on probation. Our London mission neighbors have 552 members. We gave them 40 in 1896. From our high school tuitions we have received nearly 400 tiao (strings of cash), or about four sevenths of the expense for food. The Sunday collections and the annual subscriptions will amount to four hundred tiao, of which three fourths comes to us for disbursement. There is a general gain all along the line.”

**Our work has moved steadily forward this fall. The completion of the chapel gave us great satisfaction, as it does also the church members and probationers. We are waiting for the building to dry out and be ready for occupation. This we hope will be in season for our Christmas gathering of the church, which custom we have had now for three years or more, and to which we all look forward.

"We have received as many as thirty on probation since January, 1897, by far the largest number in the history of

the station. They agree, in being taken on probation, to put away their idols and cease to worship ancestors; to worship the true God and to study the gospel, and attend church, and to cease from evil practices, especially the use of opium, and to live in hope of eternal salvation. Although they know but little of the deeper truths and experiences of the Christian life, we are willing on such a profession of faith to take them on probation for a year or so, expecting them to make progress in the understanding and prac tice of the truth before they are admitted to baptism. We are glad to notice that although many of them are poor and illiterate, yet nearly all have a few acres of land or an honorable business on which they are depending for livelihood. They come to us not because of hopes for pecuniary advantage, this phase of the work is passing away everywhere, but rather from a real appreciation of the truth and help in the gospel message.

"The Boys' Boarding School, which is nearly self-supporting, opened this fall with the same number of pupils, thirteen, with which it commenced in the spring. There is little doubt that it will in time grow to be as large as before. Mr. Price again took charge of it on his

return.

On November I we commenced evening meetings with the opium patients and in-patients. This we hope to maintain as heretofore during the entire winter-a sort of protracted meeting. This meeting is the source of most of our gains. It is certainly a powerful agent. During the day I meet them in friendly conference and in study of our Christian books. Nearly all on the place have bought a primer, and a number of them commit a portion each day and recite to me in the afternoon. A number of these have never studied before. What a satisfaction to see them engaged in something that has the power to transform their lives!

we have also asked for for several years. A few hundred dollars would supply this, and will make our work so much more effective. Dr. Atwood is in crying need of a drug room where he can prepare his medicines. As it is, he has to do it in his study, where children have access and are constantly liable to pick up some poison.”

Japan Mission.

A NEW CHURCH IN TOKYO.

MR. ALBRECHT, of Maebashi, reports a visit to Tōkyō to assist in the organization of a new church under circumstances of special interest:

The council consisting of pastors and delegates of five churches and three individuals, two of whom were foreign missionaries, met on February 11, in the Reinanzaka Church in Tōkyō to advise regarding the organization and the reception into the Kumi-ai body of the new church gathered by Mr. Kozaki since his resignation from the presidency of the Doshisha. Pastor Tsunajima, of the Bancho Church, was chosen moderator of the council. The records presented to the council showed that the first services were held by Mr. Kozaki on the twenty-fourth of October of last year, in the Independent Church of which Mr. Tamura, author of the "Japanese Bride," is pastor. Services have been held since then every Sunday afternoon with an attendance of from thirty to sixty, while the midweek prayer-meetings have been held at the residences of the various members. the thirty members who constitute the church nearly all came from other churches, although several had for some years been without any vital church connection.

Of

"The finances of the church presented a peculiar feature. The church wished to be recognized as a self-supporting church, with full powers in the general meeting of the churches; but of the fifty yen or more which the church needs for defraying its expenses every month it raises itself only about fifteen yen per month, the balance being contributed by some of Mr. Kozaki's

sonal friends. In the private session of

the council it was urged by some that not the church but the pastor is really selfsupporting; but in view of existing precedents and in view of the fact that the church receives aid neither from the Japanese Home Missionary Society nor from the mission, the council cheerfully agreed to recognize the new church as a regular Kumi-ai church. The new church has taken the name of the district in which it intends to work, the Kyobashi Church, and its creed and covenant are those in use among the Kumi-ai churches. Mr. Kozaki's own statement of faith was brief and clear. His faith, he said, was well known through his preaching and his writings. It is essentially the same as it was twenty-two years ago when making his first profession as a Christian, nor does it differ in any essential point from that represented in the Kumi-ai churches. Of course the twenty years of his Christian life had not been without seasons of questioning and of doubt. Each of the fundamental truths of Christianity in turn demanded intellectual justification, especially in view of the agitations of the last few years; but as a result he could hold them with a firmer grasp and a stronger assurance.

The sermon by Pastor Hori, of Yokohama, from John 3: 2, was in the preacher's well-known spiritual style, setting forth the power derived from having God dwell in us. The address to the church by Pastor Okubo, of Takasaki, urged the power of united prayer, and exhorted to sympathetic coöperation with the pastor; while the charge to the pastor by the writer dwelt upon the need of showing to men God the Father as seen in Jesus Christ. The prayer of recognition was offered by Pastor Tsunajima, the moderator of the council.

"While the church starts with not inconsiderable difficulties, especially financially, it is certainly a hopeful movement and one which ought to have the sympathetic coöperation of the mission and the prayerful interest of the churches at home. A rapid growth can hardly be expected for the new church. The temper of Japan is no longer that of ten and