jeers. I am rather short of stature and as I was passing by a store lately one lounger said to another, "There goes the Devil." "Oh," replied the other, "if he is so small as that, I am not afraid of him."

We have also had the small annoyances of having some windows broken, mud thrown into the chapel and a bunch of lighted firecrackers, which fortunately did not go off. A number of the hymn-books have been stolen, and others have been scribbled in or disfigured by pictures and obscene words. But the class of attendants that has given us the most of this trouble-a number of them welldressed people is wearying now of its attentions and we are relieved.

These have been trifles comparatively to us, but the determined efforts of the priests have had an effect on the poor, deluded people who attend their ministrations.

How often one is led to think of those solemn and scathing words of our Lord uttered against the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees: "Woe unto you; for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering, to go in." The

attitude of some of them is worse than that of the scribes of Christ's day; for they not only pervert the meaning of Scripture, but teach that the book itself is bad.

ENCOURAGED BY INQUIRERS.

After a short residence here, however, one comes to find that many people are not of the same mind as these fanatical priests. As in the days of Apostolic missions, there are some that hear the Word gladly. One man, after attendance at a meeting and a subsequent conversation wich my helper, brought his wife in the evening to have her convinced of the Bible way. We had a long and interesting interview, with an open New Testament before us. The same evening a gentleman called, a teacher in one of the State schools. He made some inquiries, among other things, about the decalogue. He had not known until recently that the Roman church has cut out of its catechism the second commandment, dividing the tenth into two so as to make the whole number ten. As he has to teach the school-boys, and expressed some difficulty in presenting one of the Commandments, I

was glad to give him a copy of the Westminster Shorter Catechism in Spanish.

Another young man has interested me most deeply from the very evident work of the Holy Spirit in his heart. He is a watchmaker by trade. His employer, a Swiss Protestant, who has had the young man in his house for over five years, gives a very favorable report of him. When he came to town from his country home to make his first confession, the priest put him off. This roused his suspicions, and he never went again. Some time afterwards a colporteur of the Valparaiso Bible Society sold him a book compiled and published by our Mission, which contained instruction about the Bible, Prayer, the Ten Commandments, the Apostle's Creed, etc., together with some selected portions of Scripture, a few prayers and a small collection of hymns. This book was his key to unlock the door of Truth. It opened the way for conversation with his employer and prayer with him; and in his room with this book he had a "little sanctuary." Strange to say, two years passed without his having read the Bible itself; but when he came to our services this was brought to his knowledge more thoroughly, and he is now much interested in its teachings. We have had several extended interviews, and I have been struck with his simple earnestness, and longing for the conversion of the members of his own family. He almost broke down with emotion in praying for their deliverance from error and in his intercessions for the priesthood of this land.

A COLPORTEUR'S NOTE-BOOK.

Besides the work in the chapel, the school and in personal conversations, my helper, a young Chilian student for the ministry, has devoted a number of hours a week to colporteur work in Chillan. What follows are extracts from his note-book. He says:

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The day that I went to the market I sold two Bibles. Some asked me what that book contained. Not knowing anything else than that it was prohibited, one said, "I believe that the priests prohibit that book because it does not say anything about God." "On the contrary" said another, "this book clears up the whole subject of religion; but the priests like the doctors, are mercenary, and it is not convenient for them to have the people examine into it. Just as the doctors dole out remedies to keep

a thousand ways he tries to convince them, and with the Bible in hand shows them its contents, saying: "Don't you see? Here are the prophets, were they Protestants? Here are the Evangelists and the Apostles, were they Protestants? Here is Christ, was Christ a Protestant? Then so am I." "Yes," the women reply "but that book denies the virginity of the Virgin; that's enough. That invalidates all the rest. And that book cannot stay in a Christian house."

When I went for the second time to a humble little house where I had before left two or three small books, the mother said to me: "I burned your books, because the Priest said in his address that those were the Devil's books, and that we ought all of us to deliver them to him, or else to burn them. And to drive away the Demon which is in Chillan, he distributed to us scapularies and prayers. It is a shame that a gentleman like you should be occupied with these things which make anybody abominable."

In a respectable house, some women exclaimed: "Ah, the New Testament! We

don't buy bad books." In another place "The Bible, ah that is the book that I wanted!"

There is a request which Paul once made of the Thessalonians which is the one above all others for us to make. "Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: and that we may be delivered from wicked and unreasonable men: for all men have not faith."

MISSIONS AMONG THE CHILDREN.

REV. J. F. GARVIN, VALPARAISO, CHILI. It has been the endeavor of the Board's missionaries in Chili to reach and influence the children and youth in our field. We have given much attention to this in Valparaiso. From the beginning most valuable and hearty co-operation has been rendered by English-speaking residents on this coast. They are teachers in our Sabbathschool; they provide for about forty per cent of the current expenses of our day-school, besides giving us a commodious building and

1892.]

play grounds for the same; they originated and have maintained for fifteen years an orphanage, which, although not actually an organic part of our work, is to a considerable degree practically so. This efficient co-operation on the part of members of the English community is very largely due to the influence of the late Rev. David Trumbull, D.D., who, while ministering to an independent English congregation, was by request of the Board a member of the Chili Mission. He labored and prayed not less for the salvation of Chili than for the upbuilding and welfare of his own charge. Indeed, he always maintained that Gospel work among the English-speaking population should anticipate or accompany work in Spanish as a most important factor in reaching the Chilians. The history of forty years of evangelical effort in Chili confirms his position.

SPANISH SCHOOL.

Our Spanish Sabbath-school has averaged during the first half of the year 115, with eleven teachers, of whom five are Englishspeaking residents not connected with our Mission.

The Escuela Popular (day-school) has matriculated 234 this year and has had an average attendance of 171. Here the Bible is a text-book and the teachers are all Christians. A large number of the scholars are also members of the Sabbath-school, and many have been instrumental in bringing their parents to the church and to Christ.

The Sheltering Home is an orphanage founded by Mrs. Beatty, an English resident, which was taken up and enlarged by Rev. Mr. Merwin and Dr. Trumbull, and is now managed by a Board of twelve Directors elected annually by the subscribers. The pastor of the Union Church and the missionary in charge of our Board's interests in Valparaiso, are ex-officio directors. Two of

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than $9,500 was given by English and German merchants in Valparaiso, and by other Christian residents there towards the construction of the building occupied by this Orphanage. Friends in America contributed through the Board last year the sum of $320 towards the current expenses of the institution. The children attend regularly our church and Sabbathschool. We earnestly desire that the prayers of our friends in America may follow their gifts in order that these orphan children committed to our care may be led to love and serve the Lord Jesus.

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AN INTRODUCTION TO SERGIPE.

REV. J. B. KOLB.

Sergipe is an Indian name. One of the early chiefs bore it, and it has been given to this province of northeastern Brazil.

The coast line of Sergipe is low and sandy, and extending some twenty to thirty miles inland, when it meets an elevated range beyond which stretches a vast rolling interior country. The cocoanut palm flourishes along the coast line, next after comes the sugar cane, while beyond the range cotton, corn and beans are the staples. The population is pretty well distributed, having about one man for each square kilometer, yet nearly all the large towns and villages are on the coast side of the range. Sergipanos are an industrious agricultural people. Even with the rude appliances which they possess, the hoe being the principal utensil, good crops are gathered in favorable seasons. Sergipanos are not always content to remain at home cultivating the soil and following the ordinary callings, but they migrate and are to be met with in all parts of the Republic; yet it is proverbial that the Sergipano never forgets his native soil.

Among the northern states of Brazil, Sergipe has not been slow in embracing republican and gospel truths. The good seed of the kingdom has already brought forth some fruit and more no doubt will yet appear.

It may be interesting to take an itinerating trip into this interesting state.

IN THE SADDLE.

The day before the missionary leaves home he calls for his faithful traveling companion, Snr. Herculano, to know whether our horses and all else is ready for an early start. The next morning at half past four we take a cup of coffee and some light food, then having had prayer together, commending ourselves to the Divine care, we mount our horses and are off. We have twenty-four miles

[November,

before us, to reach our first stopping place. As we jog along, we pass through a number The soil of sugar estates. which the cane deilghts in is a deep, rich, black loam, which insummer bakes hard and is dry enough, but in the rainy season be comes a deep, spongy mass and sometimes the roads through these estates become almost impassable.

After passing the sugar estates we climb the range, from the top of which we look back over the way by which we came,—a beautiful sight. We now strike the sandy soil, black and red sand, with stretches of hard barren earth in which only the coarsest grass and scrub trees will grow.

THE WORK AND THE FARE.

are

This brings us to the first point in our journey. We kindly welcomed by a family in hearty sympathy with the Gospel. The sun is now pretty high, at 9.30 A. M., and blazes down with a temperature of 90° in the shade. During the afternoon we make some calls and invite people to the service at night. These are of a very simple character, the singing of hymns, reading the scriptures, prayer, and preaching the Word. After the benediction an opportunity is offered to anyone to ask questions in reference to our belief or customs. We do not allow any interruptions during preaching. Afterwards we sit and sing, with the family and a few friends who have remained, until near midnight. Now for a place to sleep. No beds in sight. Our host brings out two hammocks; these are swung up in the same room in which we held our service. Here we sleep as well as we can. Snr. Herculano, being a native, does much better than his brother from afar. For breakfast, about 9 A. M. we have a sort of corn bread or cake, cooked by steaming it, which is called "cuscuz," and is eaten with butter; eggs and coffee,