CHINA AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES. Minister Wu Ting-fang is reported to have unearthed an anti-dynastic plot in New York, and he has warned the Viceroys of the coast provinces to be on the lookout for ammunition being shipped from America by members of revolutionary party.—Tong Hyao-yian has spent the month in England and France. He was received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and by the King. The attitude of press and people toward the Mission was most cordial.-The eldest son of Prince Su will proceed to Berlin to study.—The Prince Regent is said to appreciate the importance of China being properly represented abroad and will only approve the appointment of men to foreign posts who are conversant with one or more foreign languages. It is contemplated to increase allowances to diplomatic and consular establishments. — An agreement has been signed between China and Portugal agreeing to the appointment of a commissiou to delimit the boundaries of Macao. Missionary Journal. MARRIAGES. AT Yüncheng, Shansi, 5th January, Ar Shanghai, 3rd February, AUDA- BIRTHS. AT Chentu, Sze., 12th January, to Dr. and Mrs. HENRY T. HODGKIN, Y. M. C. A., a son (John Pease). AT Wuchang, 21st January, to Dr. and Mrs. JOHN MACWILLIE, A. C. M., a son (Donald McGlashan). AT Shanghai, 22nd January, to Rev. and Mrs. CHARLES THOMSON, C. I. M., a daughter (Agnes Mary). AT Kityang, near Swatow, 23rd January, to Mr. and Mrs. JACOB SPEICHER, A. B. M. U., a son (Benjamin Robert). Ar Weihsien, 27th January, to Rev. and Mrs. H. W. LUCE. A. P. M., a son (Sheldon Root). AT Peking, 30th January, to Rev. and Mrs. T. HOWARD-SMITH, L. M. S., a daughter. AT Ashiho, Manchuria, to Mr. and Mrs. E. MCKILLOP YOUNG, daughter (Katharine Margaret). DEATH. a AT Laohokow, Hupeh, 11th January, MARIE HELLAND, wife of Rev. O. J. A. Helland, Norw. Luth. M. ARRIVALS. AT SHANGHAI : 27th January, Miss E. ENGSTRÖM, from Sweden. 2nd February, Dr. and Mrs. S. COCHRAN and three children, A. P. M. (ret.); Miss C. E. CHITTENDEN, M. E. M. (ret.); Mr. M. P. WALKER, A. C. M. (ret.) 3rd February, Miss ETHEL A. FISHE, C. I. M., returned from England. 8th February, Rev. J. M. B. GILL, A. C. M., and Rev. L. C. PORTER, A. B. C. F. M. (ret.) 10th February, Miss E. E. HALL, C. I. M., returned from N. America. 13th February, Miss C. A. PIKE and Rev. E. A. BROWNLEE and child, all C. I. M., returned from N. America. 15th February, Miss F. ISAKSON (ret.) and Mr. A. E. WANDEL, both from Sweden and both Sw. M. S. 16th February, Rev. and Mrs. G. H. MALONE, A. A. C. M. (ret.); Miss M. H. FISHE, returned from England, and J. H. EDGAR, returned from Australia, both C. I. M.; Mr. and Mrs. EDGAR E. STROTHER, General Secretaries V. P. S. C. E. 17th February, Mr. and Mrs. FRANK M. MOHLER, Y. M. C. A. 2cth February, Mr. M. BEAUCHAMP, C. I. M, returned from England. DEPARTURES. 6th February, G. and Mrs. CECILSMITH and child, C. I. M., for England. 20th February, Mr. and Mrs. M. HARDMAN and child, C. I. M., for England. THE CHINESE RECORDER AND MISSIONARY JOURNAL Published Monthly by the American Presbyterian Mission Press, 18 Peking Road, Shanghai, China. Editorial Board. Editor-in-chief: Rev. G. F. FITCH, D.D. Associate Editors: Rev. W. N. BITTON and Rev. D. W. LYON. Bishop J. W. BASHFORD. VOL. XL Cburch Music and bymn-books. THE subject of Church Music, which specially engages our attention this month, is one which suggests several questions which are correlated, and among them the following: Admitting that a Union hymnbook is both desirable and feasible, will it not be necessary for some time to come to have two hymnbooks, one for the use of schools and old and large churches, where a great variety is necessary and can be appreciated, and one for the country people, who at best can have but a very imperfect knowledge of music and whose range of hymns is necessarily limited to few? It is wonderful how many times the ordinary Chinese Christian will sing the same hymn over and over again, seemingly enjoying it more each time instead of wearying with it, and to an extent that seems utterly incomprehensible to us Westerners. A new hymn or a new tune meets with scant acceptance, as a rule, until it has had time to introduce itself, and the people learn to recognize it as a friend. Hymn-books of three and four hundred hymns are quite out of place among such church members, who should not be burdened with the expense of the purchase of what is to them but little more than waste paper, inconvenient to carry about, and in which they wander as in a wilderness. A few simple, standard hymns is all that they need or can appreciate or appropriate. Taste in Hymnology. No one can make a study of the hymn-books which are in general use among the Chinese churches without noting that an altogether undue proportion of them are of the type generally known as "Sankey." Without at all reflecting on the usefulness of this class of hymn for a special kind of work, does not its preponderance in our hymnals serve to show that translators of hymns, at least in recent years, have played down to the supposed inferior taste or intellect of the Chinese Christian, and have succeeded in consequence in giving him an undue measure of less than the best? With the wealth of centuries of Christian praise for our heritage it is unworthy of us that we should be ready to lead the lips of the Chinese church captive to a hymnology less reverent, less dignified, and altogether less poetical in both spirit and form than the churches of our various orders have been wont to use. The cult of Christian worship is one of the most effective factors in the work of spiritual education and edification. For the fullest realization of this form of service we need the grandeur and dignity which is born of true reverence and not the thoughtless familiarity with sacred ideals which detracts so much from the worship observable in China at the present time. The deeply spiritual hymns of the ancient and medieval church, such as "Creator Spirit, by Whose Aid;' "Holy Spirit, Fount of Light;" "O, Happy Band of Pilgrims," and many another, are conspicuously absent from our collections, while those glorious soul-stirring German chorals of which Wesley made such effective use, might almost never have been. The Future Development of Church Music. * IT is hoped that the subject of Church Praise will not only receive a quickening of interest by the issue of the present number of the RECORDER, but that those who are specially concerned in this branch of Christian work will be encouraged to take steps with a view to the co-ordination of their work. The RECORDER will be glad to publish in the form of Church News or in the corespondence columns information about the progress made in this connection in the various centres of missionary work. Many missionaries are aware of what has been done by the English Baptist Mission in Shantung towards a new method in Chinese church music and |