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In

of government is patriarchal, They are considered by the Laos to be a very honest, upright people. Their chief vice is opium smoking this village there were twenty-two people last year. The two fathers seemed to embrace the Gospel from the first, and after three months of instruction were baptized. One of these men was a confirmed user of opium. From the time he became a Christian until the present, he has not used opium at all. What was our joy on visiting them in their mountain home, to find that they all desired to be baptized. Although there are but two families, they have built a chapel at their village, for their daily use. On Sabbaths they go down to the plain to worship with the Laos Christians at the Chapel in Maa Con. We visited them on Saturday. On Sunday, of the twenty-three persons now comprising the families, twenty-two were present. Two were baptized last year. Of the remaining twenty, seven children received infant baptism, and thirteen adults were received into full church membership. The two women and children do not speak Laos. I have never seen a grander sight than that these twenty persons standing up to receive the seal of God, the patriarch of the village acting as interpreter between them and Dr. McGilvary.

Their Laos neighbors report that during the past year they have been very diligent in observing to do all they ought to do, so far as they understand it. Their building their own chapel, which is much the best house in the village was their own motion,

So important do they consider the observance of the Sabbath day that they have prohibited their Moosur friends from visiting them on that day.

From Yung Laa we made a visit to Moosur villages high up on the mountains. Providentially we were directed to the village of the Achan or teacher. He is the priest of three or four villages. In his village are some forty or fifty persons. We were received very cordially by all, but especially by this priest or teacher. He seemed to receive the truth gladly from the very first. He said " true, true, true," to every truth

[August,

of the Gospel presented to him. He said that he had heard that many years ago, a teacher of the true religion came to the city of Cheungsaan, and from there by boat descended the Great Cambodia River. That ever since that time he had looked for the return of this teacher, and "Now," says he, "I behold him." He said that nine nights before he had dreamed that this foreign teacher came and sat on the hearth stone where Dr. McGilvary was at that moment sitting. We spent two days at this village. At this point, just forty days from the date of leaving home, we received letters from Cheungmai, asking that I return. The return was made safely in less than two weeks. Surely the Lord has set before us a widely opened door in this Moosur race. This tour has given me to see the importance of spreading the gospel in these isolated places, as I have not seen it before.

CHINA.

NARROW ESCAPE FROM FIRE.

REV. J. GARRITT, Hangchow:-The subject on which I write to-day, is one which may well cause us all to turn to God with thanksgiving. On Tuesday night, March 15 a very large fire took place, starting but a small distance from our Fung-loh-k'iao compound. In this compound stand the dwelling-house erected by Mr. Lyon some years ago, and the chapel building, and also a street preaching chapel. The house stands back from the street about a hundred yards, but the west wall of the house forms part of the compound wall, fronting on an alley not six feet wide. At the corner of the alley and the street, is our front gate, with a little room upstairs for the gate keeper. To the right, or west of the gate, and not two hundred yards away the fire started, in some shop in which night work is done. The fire caught in some garments that hung by the fire, was communicated to the wooden partition, and in an incredibly short time was raging along both sides of the street. These houses were not enclosed in walls, but built side by side, shackly frame structure such as the great majority of the Chinese live in,

1892.]

They always burn like tinder. The wind was blowing towards the west, and so the fire tended away from our premises, but the houses being built up close, the fire came toward us to the east. High party walls opposite us finally stayed the flames. These walls are built of mud, and plastered; and they usually stop the progress of fires. But as the fire came up to the alley on our west, and along this alley nearly even to the house, our station was very dangerous. If the wind had carried the sparks into, instead of away from our compound, our house would probably have caught. We woke up about twelve o'clock, our room as light as day from the flames, and at once gathered some of our clothing together, ready for flight if it should be necessary. As the fire came nearer, Mrs. Garritt went to Mr. Judson's, a few minutes' walk away. But while there still seemed to be danger, we felt reasonably sure by two o'clock that we were safe. One of our Christians, a widow, lived in one of the houses without mud walls, and the fire was stopped where it was by pushing one of the frame structures over into the fire, thus making an open space.

The fire consumed altogether about a hundred kien, or apartments. Each apartment represents a family, the apartment referring only to the breadth, and not to the depth of the house. Most of these houses were rented, not owned by the inmates. If then they had time to take their clothing and valuables to a safe place, they were not much the poorer by the fire. But as most of these houses are shops also, they nearly always lose their stock in trade. Often the only things saved by the poor people are the clothes on their backs. The fire spreads so rapidly, too, that often there is not time to escape from the house. It was said that no one was burned in this fire, unless it was an old woman who lived alone, having no relatives. No one had seen or heard of her the day after the fire.

I saw, the day after the fire, posters stating that anyone left penniless or friendless, could find temporary shelter in certain charitable institutions. So one must feel that the Chinese are not, devoid of charity.

ORDER AND PROTECTION.

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Perhaps the most remarkable thing about a Chinese fire is the order that is preserved. Very soon after the alarm is given, a military official. with a squad of soldiers appears, and keeps order. There are also fire brigades, whose members are known by the lanterns they carry, held aloft on a short pole. These men line the streets on each side, giving passage to those who carry their goods to a place of safety, and to the water-carriers, but stopping any suspicious characters who cannot give an account of themselves. A man may carry off chairs, tables, or doors, or any such loose furniture, for doors and windows are always loose in China, but if a man is caught attempting to steal a trunk or box, he may be summarily thrown into the flames.

KOREA.

GOOD NEWS FROM THE NORTH.

REV. SAMUEL A. MOFFETT, Seoul:-Feeling the necessity of having some one look after the very promising work in the North, I made arrangements to leave Seoul the last of September.

Taking with me one of our country evangelists we reached Ping Au in about ten days, selling books on the way and preaching wherever we stopped for meals. At one village we found an old man of over sixty who had gotten hold of one of Mr. Underwood's tracts, and who met us in the road eagerly desiring to know more. We stopped and had a good talk with him.

In Ping Au work is being quietly done by our one member there, but there is great reluctance to identifying themselves with a foreigner. While here I was delighted to meet a man who brought good news from a point in the extreme North among the mountains. Several years ago he met Mr. Underwood here, and obtained books from him. He was again here on a visit to his parents and came to me applying for baptism for himself and six others whom he is teaching in far off Sam Syon. Giving him a course of study for the instruction of the class and after several talks and prayers with him, I promised him I would do all I could to have some one sent to his province to occupy the Eastern treaty port, Gensan, from which his home would be most easily reached. On the return trip we spent three days here, giving instruction to a few and enrolling

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four applicants for baptism, the first evidence that the wedge which has entered here is being driven in. In Au Ju for the second time I was prevented from seeing a number of men reported to be studying the Scriptures. It was impossible to get a room free from the erowd of curious Koreans and the men have not yet the courage to acknowledge their interest in Christianity before their fellow citizens. Their leader will try to obtain a private room for me another time and I hope we shall soon see some here who will count it a privilege to suffer reproach for Christ's sake.

EAGER LISTENERS.

From Ping Au to Eui Ju we found many eager listeners. It is to almost all of them a strange, new story and at first only excites curiosity and wonder› but the harvest time will come along this road even as it is beginning to come in Eui Ju.

This time I stayed in Eui Ju nearly a month and was busy from morning till night meeting all classes of people who came from every motive imaginable. Some came to see the foreigner, some came out of curiosity to know why I had come, others to inquire if I would give them a living if they studied the Bible, others came out of curiosity to see the man who report said had bought a house there, others came out of a real desire to be instructed in the truth. It was my privilege to baptize three men who had applied last spring and who gave every evidence of a sincere desire to serve Christ, even if called upon to suffer persecution as some here have already had to do. As yet persecution takes the form of reproach from one's family or friends, submitting to be thought a "fool" or a man with no sense of of shame or of respect for one's parents if he refuses to sacrifice to his ancestors. One of the Christians here who this spring refused to sacrifice at his father's tomb showed me a scar on his forehead which he received from his aunt who knocked him senseless with an ink stone.

WOMEN CONFESSING CHRIST.

Most encouraging reports were brought to me of the influence of the gospel among the women. Many of the Christians have been teaching their wives and seven women were reported as believers, while others have given up all sacrifice toward worship of evil spirits and devils. One night in the presence of their husbands I baptized two women the first in this province to be enrolled as believers. One was the wife of our evangelist who was one of the first

[August,

Koreans baptized by Mr. McIntyre in Monkden fifteen years ago.

VILLAGERS CONFESSING CHRIST.

We returned from Eui Ju by another route in order to reach a mountain village in the magistracy of Kon Syeng, where there were a number who ap plied for baptism last spring. Here we were most pleasantly surprised to find that an old man and his son who attended the Theological class last winter, had been so faithfully spreading the gospel news that there were nearly 20 men in various villages desirous of being baptized. I met a number of them for examination and found they had been diligently searching the Scriptures and that the old man had faithfully instructed them. Desirous that they should be enlightened on a few subjects bofore being baptized, I advanced some to the second class, enrolled others for the first time and promised them a visit in the spring. Here also two women, relations of the old man, were reported as having given up the worship of evil spirits and as being believers in Christ Jesus. With glad hearts we pursued the return journey taking with us the old man's son for this winter's Theological class in Seoul. More than ever desirious that we may send some one to occupy this province where we have nearly half our enrolled membership and more applicants for baptism than in any other province, we returned te Seoul in time to thoroughly enjoy Thanksgiving Day.

AFRICA.

IN THE BUSH.

REV. W. S. BANNERMAN, Talaguga:-I have recently made a long hoped for visit to the Bush people back of the Ogowe River. We started out early one morning, Bible-readers, three Mpongwe boys and myself. Our path, although it scarcely deserves that name, lay up the moun tain for a good half-hour. The summit reached, the journey was one alternate climbing and descending and skirting along the sides of hills and crossing, or being carried across, streams of water. I have seen woods from the Atlantic to the Pacific, but nothing like an African forest. For long distances at a time we could scarcely see the sky. There were huge trees equal to the finest of Washington State, and attached to them vines from one inch to a foot in thickness. Add

to this close underwood brushing your face, and the Pangwe path underneath it all; then there might be all the animals from the elephant to the monkey and boa to the parrot around and above you as usually pictured in the old geographies under the heading "Africa," and you see nothing of them.

After travelling about three hours and descending a steep hill we heard voices. There were five Pangwe women damming a small stream to catch tiny fish. They did not leave their nets and run; one of them had seen me before, and they had been expecting me for a long time. They were shy at first but stood by the path in a row and began asking and answering questions. They were fine specimens of full grown dusky maidens.

Two of them wore native bark cloths

before and behind, while the others were clad in Edenic simplicity-two had put on two or three small leaves, one the fifth was shrouded as I think I've seen fine statuary in art galleries. These women told us that their town was further on, and they begged us to remain there over night, they had long expected us, and they had long wished to hear the words of God-they would give us a house and food, they would soon be back with their fish which they would cook for us. We passed on to the town, were welcomed, held a meeting, spoke to them, asked them questions and sang for them. Most of the men and older women knew something about God and Jesus and Heaven and Hell. As rivermen trade with them, or as they visit the river, they ask questions about the "words of God." They hear that the "white minister" says that when a man dies that isn't the end of him; that God hates stealing and adultery, and lying and all wickedness and cruelty. They readily assent to most of this. They are always pleased to have us teach their children to honor their parents. But that God should hate lying, is a great stumbling block to them, for they specially love lying. The other forms of wickedness they love also, but it makes them much trouble, and they like to hear it condemned, and they know

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that stealing and adultery is wicked and expect God to hate them, but lying is so ingrained in their characters that they have almost come to look upon it as a virtue. The next town was small and people in their gardens. We rested only a few minutes. It was very warm and close, walking-clothing wet with perspiration.

The third town was very large, we took dinner there and held two meetings. We were well received, were asked many interesting questions and many childish ones. They were greatly disappointed that we would not remain over night, saying that it was a long distance to the next town. However they were partially satisfied by our promise to talk long to them on our return next day. The fourth town we reached at sundown; the people gave us a warm reception. No white men had ever before visited them. They were honored and we must remain with them over night. They gave us one of their best houses, a cabin, perhaps five by eight and six feet high. We had a most enjoyable evening. From 7 to 10 in the street, moving from one palaver house to another or sitting with them about their torches in the street, talking, answering questions and singing, an attentive, anxious, interested crowd, men, women and children about us all the time. The boys stretched themselves on low beds above the floor and I had my hammock swung above them. Well, if I must go, they will see the white man go to bed, or 'put to bed. ' The men and women, but especially the women crowded about the door and occupied the cracks in the wall to watch the white man go to bed, they were very much disappointed to see me simply pull off my boots and jump into my ham mock. However I had an audience for an hour longer. We had little sleep, the goats and chickens seem to have appropriated the adjoining house, and once the rats took possession from "cellar to garret." We were ready to start home soon after day-break, but even then the town was almost emptied. The people were off to their plantations. On the return journey we had good meetings.

HOME MISSIONARY MEETING AT SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

The commissioners to the late Assembly who went over the Union Pacific to Portland spent the Sabbath at Salt Lake City. Arrangements had been made by the brethren on the ground to have all the Protestant pulpits supplied by the ministerial delegates. "Notwithstanding the fatigue incident to the long journey," says the Salt Lake Tribune," most of the delegates were up and stirring at an early hour and at eleven o'clock every church in the city where a visitor was to preach was crowded to the doors." The city was flooded with the simple truths of the gospel, tellingly and eloquently put by Rev. Drs. R. M. Patterson, D. R. Frazer, R. S. Green, Alex. McKelvey, James Roberts, E. T. Lee and J. Wynne Jones. The Tribune adds:

Long before eight o'clock in the evening every seat in the Salt Lake Theatre was filled. The stage was occupied by the combined choirs of the Presbyterian, Congregational, Baptist and Metho list churches and the speakers of the evening. It was a grand feast of religion and eloquence, and is bound to prove of great and lasting benefit to the faithful workers in the Lord's vineyard in this valley. Before the exercises had fairly begun, Dr. McNiece announced that an over-flow meeting was being held at the same hour in the Methodist Church.

The Rev. Dr. E. R. Craven presided and explained in apt terms the object of the meeting. He told the audience that it was a union meeting of the evangelical churches of Salt Lake City in connection with the repesentatives of General Assembly. The Rev. Dr. Wm. C. Roberts, secretary of Board of Home Missions, proved to be a most interesting and eloquent speaker. He also has thorough knowledge of the peculiar conditions which now exist in Utah and which

'Mormonism,"

have existed here for years past. he said, "is striking deadly blows at the very foundations of society in these important particulars, namely, to family, to church and the state. It deals deadly blows at the family by encouraging polygamy; at the church, by placing the dreams and vagaries of Joseph Smith on equality with, if not above, God's oracles; and at the state, by disloyalty. When in the Territory about eight years ago, I read in one of the newspapers of this city a quotation from a speech made by a noted Mormon leader in which this passage occurs: "The sooner the United States flag is made to trail in the dust of the valleys of the Wasatch the better it will be for us." Thanks be to God, things have changed, through the labors of these Christian churches. The family is more respected, the church is more highly thought of, and the stars and stripes are being more honored. The future is brightening and good things may yet be expected from this benighted Territory.

The Rev. W. T. Elsing of New York followed in an address which was a vivid word-picture of the distress, misery and darkness that exist in overcrowded cities like New York. He was followed by Dr. S. E. Wishard, synodical missionary for Utah, who gave an interesting talk, in his characteristic manner. He compared the great gathering present with the state of things in Salt Lake City twenty years before. At that time ministers could secure no place to preach the gospel, except by going to a stable, and there Brother Welch told the old, old story of Jesus and his love. To-night the representatives of the leading branches of the Protestant Church speak on missions, without let or hindrance, in the Mormon theatre!

Dr. Mutchmore, of Philadelphia, was the last speaker. His address was a blending of wit, knowledge, and anecdote. One point covered was the labor problem confronting the Christian church. "

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