DEAR SIR,

Correspondence.

THE MISSIONARY CONFERENCE.

I would not deem it necessary to refer to the letters of Drs. Yates and Mateer in your January number, were it not to remove the imputation so gratuitously and ungenerously cast upon my friend, Dr. Y. J. Allen. He knew nothing of my letter, or his nomination, until the Recorder appeared. As for the statement in such good taste and expressed in such elegant language, "axes to grind," all I shall say is that it is a revelation to me to find one missionary believing that another was capable of trying to convene a conference to serve his private ends.

I will not at present continue the discussion. I will only say that I stand by my letter, and am prepared to extend, illustrate, and defend the argument there used. As for "grafting Christianity upon Confucianism," this is not my idea but the travesty of my critics. As well think of grafting a P. and O. Liner on a Chinese junk! What I contend for is that those principles which we find at the basis of the Chinese polity in all its phases, and which were known and inculcated long before Confucius was born, are from God and should be recognized by us, and full advantage taken of them.

I am charged with being "too sanguine." My censors do me too much honour ! What would this world do without sanguine and where would it be? The truth is, I am much more sanguine in regard to China now than I was thirty years ago. I have met with far more good in China than I ever expected; the varied capacities of the people are marvellous, while elements of promise abound in all directions. And I believe every man who has mingled with the Chinese sympathetically, and won their confidence, will speak in the same strain.

I have never affirmed or thought there was any "religious movement among the Chinese; but who does not see that there is a wide intellectual movement, that a social movement has also commenced? And there are unmistakable signs of great political changers and my argument is that we should take advantage of these features, and combine, and prepare to create a religious awakening. There are about 500 Protestant missionaries in China, all told, or about thirty to each Province. Suppose that the number of agents was properly or even partially organized and actively cooperating with each other, with God's blessing what might not be effected?

I can see no presumption in my letter; and if there is anything in it suggestive of such, I beg a thousand pardons. The reason for the nomination of the committee is stated in my letter.

I never intended to supersede the committee proper, which would fall to be appointed by the missionaries in the various Provinces. My only idea was a "preliminary committee," to save time and start the conference. And I defy any man in the same limits, to name a more representative, or an abler, committee.

But I will not press the matter. When we parted, the common understanding was that the next General Conference was to be held in ten years, following the example of the Indian missionaries. I can see great advantages in having a fixed time; and many disadvantages and especially a mighty one in having a preliminary debate before each as to the proper time. I think therefore we ought to have taken it for granted, and commenced our preparation. I do not think in these days of rapid inter-communication that it is too late yet; but we are not dependent on conferences, and better no conference, than to meet in an unharmonious spirit.

January 19th, 1886.

Yours truly,

ALEXANDER WILLIAMSON.

Echoes from Other Lands.

BIBLE DISTRIBUTION IN KANSUH.

A long and interesting journal of Mr. G. Parker, regarding a Bible-selling Journey appears in China's Millions. During August, September, and October, 1884, he travelled 2,700 li, and sold 2,683 Chinese Scriptures, (55 of which were New Testaments,) and 370 Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Tibetan, and Mongol Scriptures. He came largely in contact with Mahommedans, and makes the remark that, "The writings of Moses, David, Solomon, and the Gospels, using Mahommedan nomenclature, would do good service in half the provinces of China." Much of interest occurred in his intercourse with Tibetans.

SHALL WE HAVE CHAPELS?

The Rev. O. A. Fulton, of the Presbyterian Mission, Canton, writes to the Foreign Missionary :-"The opinion is gaining ground in our mission-and, I think in all our missions-that too much stress has been laid upon renting chapels as a condition of propagating the Gospel. The large part of our troubles grow out of connections with chapels. We can now go almost everywhere in this province and preach, and it is the exception when serious hindrance is offered. Every day the conviction is stronger in my mind that the fewer chapels foreigners rent, the better for the cause we preach. When the people are strong enough and zealous enough, they will rent their own churches, and will be all the stronger for self-government and self-support. Occasionally, in a new and distant centre, it may be wise to rent a chapel; but to condition the spread of the Gospel, and to restrict the labor of evangelists to chapel service, is not in accord with apostolic missions nor with sound progressive development. What is needed is the selection of certain definite fields, and a force constantly at work within these limits, until the Gospel shall have made converts in scores of villages, and these converts become the nuclei of future churches."

THE HOLY SPIRIT NEGLECTING NO MAN.

We extract the following from the Wesleyan Missionary Notices for October. Rev. W. T. R. Baker tells of a call from "The leader of a religious sect, and the writer of several books which he brought with him as the text of his discourse. Mr. Hill tells me he is really a man who has thought; he has given up idolatry, though probably he still does reverence before the tablet of heaven and earth. His books are inquiries into the nature of God and the origin of things, and there are some really good thoughts concerning God's universality, supremacy, and the impossibility of knowing Him. Naturally this old man preferred teaching to being taught, and in a passing hour nothing much could be done. But as books are written on such subjects from the Christian standpoint and in a scientific spirit, I rejoice to think that there are many such seekers scattered up and down China, groping for light and waiting for the consolation, who will grasp the truth, will see the light, and depart in peace. Since coming to China, I have grown more hopeful as to the speedy work of Christian Missions. Not that the difficulties are less than I thought; anything but that. But I see more clearly that the Holy Spirit is really neglecting no man, but is working in China apart from our work. And that belief gives such a leverage to my faith as to over throw the difficulties, gigantic though they be."

Editorial Notes and Missionary News.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

We are sorry to learn that Mr. and Mrs. McIver of Swatow are

obliged to return to England on

account of Mrs. McIver's health.

Not having received reports from several important missions, we are not able in this number to give the promised Statistical Table.

We learn from the St. Louis Presbyterian, that Miss Safford has made a deep impression on the Presbyterian Churches in that region. Of her addresses at Fulton, the Rev. Dr. Marquess reports: "For more than one hour she held her audience in rapt attention, moving them by turns to laughter and tears. The talk was one of the most powerful and beautiful addresses I have ever heard, surpassing all the speeches of the male missionaries whom it has been my privilege to hear, with, perhaps, a single exception, and fully abreast of that. Its breadth of thought, its fullness of detail, its powerful generalizations, its depth of feeling, its clear grasp of the salient points of heathen life and missionary work, its aptness and fertility of illustration, its massing of facts and thoughts in such number within a single address, its sparkles of humor and touches of pathos, betrayed a splendid mind as well as a large and noble heart. And this address was but the preface to six others equally fine."

We shall be doing our readers a kindness by drawing their attention to the London Religious Tract Society's publications, offered for sale by The Religious Tract Society of China, and particularly to the series of beautifully illustrated vol

umes on various countries, among
which are particularly noticeable,
those on Egypt, the Holy Land, Italy,
Scotland, Canada, and the United
Switzerland, Germany, England,

States of America. The moderate
prices at which these interesting
and instructive books are sold
($2.25 a volume) must render them
great favorites in all families.
text is usually worthy of the illustra-
tions, many of which are of a high
order of the engraver's art.

The

We have received from Dr. al," which must be a very useful Nevius a copy of his "Church Manubook for his churches regarding which we are publishing such interesting accounts from his pen. We will refer to Dr. Nevius' own analysis of the volume as given on It will doubtless prove page 62. the same general style of labor. useful to other workers following

In the " Review of 1885," in our last number, we spoke of one new body of home Christians which had sent two representatives to China during the year, a statement that still holds true. In the enumeration of Protestant Missionary Societies we should however have mentioned as a new organization among us, the "Book and Tract Society of China," of which Dr. Alex. Williamson is the Secretary, and which swells the total of British Societies at work in China to nineteen, and the total of societies to thirty-five.

Since the above item was written, the "Disciples of Christ" have increased the number of missionary societies in China, by the arrival from America of W. E. Macklin M.D., who thinks of work in North China.

We are informed that the British | earlier date, as do also Rev. Messrs. and Foreign Bible Society, at the Leaman of Nankin, and Hager earnest request of the Amoy Com- of Hongkong. mittee and others, has given permission to its agents in China to purchase and circulate Mr. Griffith John's version of the New Testament in Easy Wenli.