and all the chiefs turned up at court in extra dress. I read the account of the birth of Jesus, as given in St. Luke's Gospel, and explained fully the message of the angels. When I had done I was asked to tell more, and I embraced the opportunity to show the dignity of labor from our Lord's thirty years' life at Nazareth. "I must mention that our greatest hindrance to success is the idle life which the Waganda lead. As with Arabs, work is only for the lowest slaves. Many slaves have slaves themselves. As a rule only the women do any work. The staple food-plantains grows with no trouble, hence every man does nothing but go about with a retinue of his slaves. Here it is where mere teaching or preaching will absolutely fail. Unless we succeed in elevating labor, we shall get hearers, but no doers. Hence slavery - domestic, at least cannot cease, and if slavery does not cease, polygamy will remain. I have caused much astonishment by working myself during spare hours, making a broad road through our shamba. Chiefs passing by with their followers often stop to give me "a hand," and I hope, little by little, they will learn not to be ashamed to be seen doing something. "Some time ago an Arab arrived from Unyanyembe with guns and cloth, for which he wanted only slaves. Prices thus: one red cloth, one slave; one musket, two slaves; one hundred percussion caps, one female slave. I entered the lists at once, and told the king, in presence of the court, how these Arabs, who declare themselves subjects of Seyed Burgash, are transgressing the orders of their king. I told what cruelties are inflicted on the poor creatures on the way to the coast, and of the risk of capture. The king therefore declared he would sell them no slaves, and I witnessed afterwards the sale of their cloth, guns, etc., for ivory only. Some days after, I gave some lessons on human physiology. That told better than anything. When all were wondering at the structure of their own bodies, I pointed out the absurdity of Arabs wishing to buy such perfect organisms, which all the wisdom of all the white men could not put together, for a rag of cloth which a man could make in a day. The decree has now gone forth, in consequence, that no one in the kingdom is to sell a slave under pain of death. It will be another matter to see the order faithfully carried out. "Islam may be said to have prepared the way here to some extent, but it has done more harm than good. Some knowledge of the true God has been taught, but nothing of the sinner's relation to God. This latter I find it always necessary to point clearly out, as there is no need of redemption in the creed of Arabia. But I feel strongly the impotence of man's words to change the heart. But the power of the Spirit can, and the Word of God is also quick and powerful. "At present I am going through the reading of the Sermon on the Mount. It is certainly new teaching here; the king translating each paragraph from Suaheli into Kiganda for the benefit of all. Mtesa has really a sharp comprehension. He seems never to fail to catch the meaning at once. I know this, as he generally repeats the passage first in Suaheli to see if he has caught the sense, and then translates. "The chiefs and I are great friends. They come, most of them, repeatedly to see me, and send many presents of goats, plantains, etc." GLEANINGS FROM LETTERS. THE Gregorian Armenians have thoroughly reorganized their schools, bringing into their service one of the most popular teachers from Constantinople, with his wife, who is a graduate of the Girls' School in that city. In their girls' I spent a week in Yeri Bakan, a day's ride southwest of Hadjin. Pastor Sarkis, of the Sis church, is spending his summer there, and we occupied the week in holding meetings and examining applicants for church membership. On the Sabbath we had the Lord's Supper, received six new members, and baptized nine children. I shall never forget that week in Yeri Bakan. The love and joy reigning in the hearts of the people; their diligence in the study of God's Word; and, not least, my delight in making the first successful attempt at preaching in Turkish "without notes," — all combined to make that eight days a real Feast of Tabernacles to my soul. I fully believe there is no joy which earth can give equal to that the young missionary experiences when he finds himself able for the first time to speak freely the praises of Christ in the language of the people to whom he ministers.-Thomas D. Christie, Shar, Central Turkey. — Especially are we anxious for the coming of that fourth man, for the King's business requireth haste. Recent letters from Mosul and Bagdad point to a growing expectancy and desire that the order to advance shall be given; and there is no question but that God in his providence is preparing in those parts the way for that enlargement. Three papal priests, in as many villages around Mosul, have, without any direct and special pressure, expressed their dissatisfaction with their present faith, and their desire to embrace Protestantism. Of course at this distance we cannot estimate this fact at its true value, but we do see in it a sign of the times. I, for one, am very anxious to see a strong effort made for all those regions around Nineveh and Babylon, and to bear a humble part in initiating it.-A. N. Andrus, Mardin, Eastern Turkey. Among our pupils, self-supporting of course, are sons of men who long struggled, and at great expense, to establish a rival school. Two are sons of the most influential Armenian in the region. Not many days since complaint came from the teacher of the Bible class, of which one is a member, that he failed to prepare his lesson. "My lessons are too many," was his response to my inquiry. Knowing that his great aim was to learn Turkish, I said: "Well, Turkish is one of the voluntary lessons in the college, but the Bible is not, and as a Christian boy you will surely not wish to drop the Bibledrop Turkish." This I said, expecting that his father would be angry and remove him from the school. What then was my satisfaction to learn, a few days later, that the father's reply to his son's complaint was: "Of course you will learn your Bible lesson," and he does. - C. H. Wheeler, Harpoot, Eastern Turkey. - There has recently been a serious disturbance in Diarbekir, in consequence of the removal from office of the Armenian Bishop. The Armenian Patriarch at Constantinople has recently sent a couple of intelligent men, one of them an ecclesiastic, into this region to look after the interests of the Armenians. They found the Bishop to be a very indiscreet person, and recommended his recall. The bishop accordingly received a notice by telegraph to repair at once to Constantinople. Instead of obeying the summons he stirred up some of his followers of the baser sort to create a tumult. One of the church bells was rung, and a mob of some five hundred persons gathered, and rushing to another church where the commissioners were, gave them a severe beating. The police and three regiments of Turkish soldiers were called out, but before the riot in the church could be quelled, a good many persons were wounded; some of them seriously. All this shows that Armenia is not yet quite prepared for self-government! An outbreak of a similar nature and from a similar cause, was imminent here a few days ago. - Herman N. Barnum, D. D., Harpoot, Eastern Turkey. It has been a trying time among the Japanese in this part of the empire this summer. The cholera epidemic, together with the consequent great depression of business, and the great advance in the price of rice (more than three times higher now than it was six months ago), have made a severe strain upon both rich and poor. In most places all assemblies were prohibited, and the public preaching-places closed. Only a few of the Christians met together in a quiet way for a short preaching-service or prayer-meeting. But now public meetings are permitted in most places, and the gatherings are gradually increasing in size. - Wallace Taylor, M. D., Osaka, Japan. -The citizens of Tokio prepared a féte champêtre for the Mikado the other day, to which about one hundred and fifty of the resident foreigners, besides the diplomatic corps, were invited. This is the first occasion in which a Japanese emperor has met his people in any such way. The heads of the wards of the city of Tokio were presented to his majesty, as well as the committee of citizens who provided the entertainment, men, most of whom ten years ago would have been found to bow their faces in the dust if even an inferior daimio passed along their way, and who never dreamed of the possibility of their seeing even so much as the shadow of the Tenshi, the Son of Heaven. The Mikado has come down from his lofty height, and now occupies a position in relation to his people not unlike that of European sovereigns. D. C. Greene, D. D., Yokahama, Japan. At three new villages we have now a continuous work in progress: a reliable, earnest Christian spending his whole time either there, or going by day to the neighboring villages to teach. Two of these men are strengthened by other helpers. At the three places, God has given us very favorable homes to abide in, two of them being inns, and one a private house. In each case the owner of the house is himself an apparently unfeigned recipient of the truth, studying it daily and praying regularly. At each place there are groups of from four to eight persons studying the truth, and perhaps as many more beginning to pray. Is not this cause for rejoicing and evidence that God is leading us forward? — Isaac Pierson, Pao-ting-fu, North China. - The opportunity for labor increases throughout our field. Nothing new is yet developed in Peking, but I am confident that it is chiefly for want of effort on our part. With more workers and more strength we shall find new lines of work opening before us. The years at home seem almost like a dream, but their effect ought to be, I trust will be, permanent and helpful. To breathe once more a Christian atmosphere was a blessing which I only comprehended when I left it behind. Heathenism seems more intensely dreadful to me as I return to live in its midst, and the privilege of making Christ known here, seems in like measure more solemn and sacred. Miss Mary H. Porter, Peking, North China. A wealthy man, who was first attached to us by the cure of his son, has been coming every Sabbath for eight months to our services. He says he wants much to help us in this matter, and has offered us either of several tracts of land (as we may desire) which he owns in the suburbs. One of these is near to the west gate and adjacent to the moat where the water is so pure and clear that we have it brought even now to our house for drinking. This is the spot which we had already decided upon as being the very best possible without the gates. Moreover there are four foreign acres in it. Isaac Pierson, Tientsin, North China. MISCELLANY. MISSIONARY MAPS, AGAIN. A CORRESPONDENT sends us the following account of the method in which the church of which he is a member secured some excellent maps for use at monthly concerts. In our judgment something quite as valuable as the maps was secured by this method, namely the intelligent interest of the young people in missionary fields. The correspondent says: "Some three years ago, being greatly desirous of having maps, and wishing to obtain them as cheaply as possible, we took double width sheeting, cut it to the requisite sizes, tacked the pieces to cheap frames made of pine strips three inches wide, then coated the cloth with 'blank fix,' a preparation used by makers of drawing and glazed paper. It will dry in one day, and is then equal to any drawing paper. We then invited our High and Grammar School graduates to help, and a company of from ten to twenty young people spent a dozen pleasant evenings in our vestry during the winter, first drawing with pencil, and afterwards inking over. Any common black ink can be used, put on with a pencil brush. "As a result we have eleven excellent maps, as durable as can be bought, the largest six by twelve feet, the smallest four and one half by six. The materials, aside from the cloth, cost $9.00. The maps from which the drawings were made were kindly furnished at the Mission Rooms, and the places put down were as few as the necessary information to be conveyed would allow. No letters less than two inches in length were used, except in a few cases. We are still using the maps, and they are as good as new, each one being carefully rolled on its own roller and laid away after each concert. To have purchased maps covering the same ground would have cost upwards of $100." TOPICS FOR PRAYER FOR THE MONTH. (See page 488.) FOR a spirit of prayer to be given to Christians, leading them to earnest and specific intercessions (page 488). For the opening work on the borders of Russia, and the new disciples there (page 497). For peace and order in Western Turkey, so that our missionaries may be free to labor without such perils as now surround them (page 496). ARRIVALS. REV. L. BARTLETT and wife arrived at Cesarea, Western Turkey, September 25. Dr. and Mrs. Davis and Miss Chamberlin accompanied them to Cesarea on their way to Sivas. Rev. A. W. Clark and wife arrived at Prague, Austria, October 21, after a brief furlough in the United States. Miss Grace Bingham arrived at Aintab, Central Turkey, October 11. DEATH. Ar Marash, Central Turkey, October 17, Mrs. Alice M. Marden, wife of Rev. Henry Marden. This intelligence comes by telegraph from Adana, so that no particulars have as yet been received. DONATIONS FOR A MISSION TO CENTRAL AFRICA. [Pledges have been received as follows: From Robert Arthington, Esq., of Leeds, England, £1,000, and for a Mission Steamer on the Livingstone River, £2,000; from an Episcopalian, Boston, Mass., $500.] Previously acknowledged, see November "Herald," Malden, Mass., C. F. B. 1,243 41 4 00 $1,247 41 Alfred, Cong. ch. and so. 25.00 10 47 12 0072 47 9 00 155 56 21 2043 20 2. 00 14 10 10 00 72 35 George 10 50 Amherst, Cong. ch. and so. Loudon, J. P. Jones, Rockingham county. Exeter, Union mon. concert, Dover, 1st ch. by Miss C. U. Cush- VERMONT. Brattleboro, Central ch. m. c. 16.84; West Brattleboro, Cong. ch and So. Windsor county. Springfield, Cong. ch. and so. 26 84 15 68—193 51 57 25 17 3574 60 925 25 16.00 11 19 1 0028 19 600 76 50 10 00 107 00-193 50 8500 52 52 319 36 Brookfield Asso'n. William Hyde, Tr. Ipswich, 1st Cong, ch. and so. Essex co. South Conf. of Ch's. C. M Richardson, Tr. Topsfield, Cong. ch. and so. F. Root, Tr. Bernardston, Cong. ch. and so. 37 00 60 00 10 00107 00 50 00 Marsh, Tr. Springfield, 1st Cong. ch. and so. 96.61; South ch. and so. 70.20; |