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The American Missionary

CONTENTS.

• EDITORIAL.
  • Our List of Good Samaritans
  • An Explicit Warning
  • Privileges of Life Membership
  • The American Missionary
  • The Roman Catholics and the Freedmen
  • Notes from New England
  • Death of Prof. A. Hatch
  • List of our Field Workers
  • Convention of Colored Roman Catholics
  • Among the Tennessee Mountains
  • Items from the Field
• THE CHINESE.
  • Glimpse at Shady Side
  • Anniversary of Chinese Missions
• BUREAU OF WOMAN'S WORK.
  • The Mountain Girls
• RECEIPTS

NEW YORK:
PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION.
Rooms, 56 Reade Street.

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American Missionary Association.

• President, Rev. Wm. M. Taylor, D.D., LL.D., N.Y.
• Vice-Presidents.
  • Rev. A.J.F. Behrends, D.D., N.Y.
  • Rev. F.A. Noble, D.D., Ill.
  • Rev. Alex. McKenzie, D.D., Mass.
  • Rev. D.O. Mears, D.D., Mass.
  • Rev. Henry Hopkins, D.D., Mo.
• Corresponding Secretaries.
  • Rev. M.E. Strieby, D.D., 56 Reade Street, N.Y.
  • Rev. A.F. Beard, D.D., 56 Reade Street, N.Y.
• Recording Secretary.
  • Rev. M.E. Strieby, D.D., 56 Reade Street, N.Y.
• Treasurer.
  • H.W. Hubbard, Esq., 56 Reade Street, N.Y.
• Auditors.
  • Peter McCartee.
  • Chas. P. Peirce.
• Executive Committee.
  • John II. Washburn, Chairman.
  • Addison P. Foster, Secretary.
• • For Three Years.
    • J.E. Rankin,
    • Wm. H. Ward,
    • J.W. Cooper,
    • John H. Washburn,
    • Edmund L. Champlin.
  • For Two Years.
    • Lyman Abbott,
    • Chas. A. Hull,
    • J.R. Danforth,
    • Clinton B. Fisk,
    • Addison P. Foster.
  • For One Year.
    • S.B. Halliday,
    • Samuel Holmes,
    • Samuel S. Marples,
    • Charles L. Mead,
    • Elbert B. Monroe.
• District Secretaries.
  • Rev. C.J. Ryder, 21 Cong'l House, Boston.
  • Rev. J.E. Roy, D.D., 151 Washington Street, Chicago.
• Financial Secretary for Indian Missions.
  • Rev. Chas. W. Shelton
• Field Superintendents.
  • Rev. Frank E. Jenkins.
  • Prof. Edward S. Hall.
• Secretary of Woman's Bureau.
  • Miss D.E. Emerson, 56 Reade St., N.Y.

COMMUNICATIONS

Relating to the work of the Association may be addressed to the Corresponding Secretaries; letters for "THE AMERICAN MISSIONARY," to the Editor, at the New York Office.

DONATIONS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS

In drafts, checks, registered letters, or post-office orders, may be sent to H.W. Hubbard, Treasurer, 56 Reade Street, New York, or, when more convenient, to either of the Branch Offices, 21 Congregational House, Boston, Mass., or 151 Washington Street, Chicago, Ill. A payment of thirty dollars at one time constitutes a Life Member.

NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS.—The date on the "address label," indicates the time to which the subscription is paid. Changes are made in date on label to the 10th of each month. If payment of subscription be made afterward, the change on the label will appear a month later. Please send early notice of change in post-office address, giving the former address and the new address, in order that our periodicals and occasional papers may be correctly mailed.

FORM OF A BEQUEST.

"I bequeath to my executor (or executors) the sum of —— dollars, in trust, to pay the same in —— days after my decease to the person who, when the same is payable, shall act as Treasurer of the 'American Missionary Association,' of New York City, to be applied, under the direction of the Executive Committee of the Association, to its charitable uses and purposes." The Will should be attested by three witnesses.

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THE AMERICAN MISSIONARY.

American Missionary Association.

OUR LIST OF GOOD SAMARITANS.

This number of the MISSIONARY contains the annual list of our workers, who go down the Jericho road to care for those who have been wronged, the poor and ignorant, who need the Gospel. Our ministers and teachers are not like the priest and the Levite, who looked upon the poor man and then "passed by on the other side;" nor do they merely pity and utter words of sympathy. They take right hold and help. They "pour in the oil and the wine," and they build the inns—that is, the churches and schoolhouses where they instruct and help the needy ones till they can take care of themselves and help to take care of others—the most genuine kind of assistance.

It must be remembered that this requires expenditure. The oil and the wine, the inn and the constant attendance, call for money. Our constituents, who furnish this, want the work done and well done, and they are willing to pay for it. But sometimes they need to be reminded of the cost. At our last Annual Meeting, the "two pence" which they had during the year put into our hands, counted in American money, amounted to $323,147.22; and they said: "Whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again I will repay thee." We are very careful to watch the receipts and expenditures, and we find that for the three months since the Annual Meeting, we have received from all sources $66,958.43; whereas, the current expenditures for the three months require about $86,000. We give this timely notice that they who commit to us this work may remit to us what is needed.

Let it be understood that the generous gift of that noble friend of the Negro race was not entrusted to us to do the work of the good Samaritans of the Churches. We are not permitted to use it for this. The yearly income of the Daniel Hand Fund is to do the work of Daniel Hand—no more. For this, God will reward him and generations will bless him, but he leaves the churches and individual Christians to carry on their own work as before and to reap the blessings of it. We cannot give the Daniel Hand Fund to [32] the churches. We cannot expend it for the churches. It relieves no one of duty and privilege. It is limited also, to its use. The churches and the schools to which we are already committed call for a great increase in self-denial and benevolence.

Pastors and members of the churches, the work is increasingly great. It enlarges itself. Other denominations are increasing their efforts to meet the pressing emergency. Let it not be said that our churches—the first in the field and the most efficient—are falling behind in the ranks. Let our banner be ever at the front. Let us do our work.

AN EXPLICIT WARNING.

One of our missionaries was recently at the North soliciting aid in sustaining his work. His appeal was repeatedly met by the response: "The Association is rich—it has just had a gift of more than a million of dollars." When he explained that only the interest can be used, and this for educational work only, the reply was: "This interest can be used in payment of appropriations already made for schools, thus releasing just so much for other purposes."

Now this is exactly what cannot be done. The Daniel Hand Fund is for new work, and only in the industrial, primary and normal schools. It is a priceless boon in this department, for we can now make enlargements here which were greatly needed, but for which we had not the means; but no part of this Fund can be applied to meet appropriations for other portions of the work. If our constituents will not enable us to meet those other demands, we can only report a debt; the Daniel Hand Fund cannot help us. We are confident this needs only to be understood, for we cannot believe that the 457,584 members of our churches have any wish to shelter themselves behind Daniel Hand.

PRIVILEGES OF LIFE MEMBERSHIP.

The question is sometimes asked in letters we receive, What are the privileges of a Life Member in the A.M.A.? We answer:

1. The privilege of voting at the Annual Meeting. Our amended constitution says: "Members of evangelical churches may be constituted members of this Association for life by the payment of $30 into its treasury, with the written declaration at the time or times of payment that the sum is to be applied to constitute a designated person a Life Member, and such membership shall begin sixty days after the payment shall have been completed."

2. A Life Member is entitled to THE AMERICAN MISSIONARY and to the ANNUAL REPORT gratuitously, if desired.

3. The highest privilege is that of being a live member, doing all that he [33] can to promote the interests of the Association and of the needy peoples for whom it labors.

THE AMERICAN MISSIONARY.

We have two objects in printing this magazine. First, to have it read, and, secondly, to have it paid for. The main purpose is the first, of course, for we wish to have it read if it is not paid for, yet we greatly prefer to have it both read and paid for. We believe that those who pay for it are most likely to read it, and for this reason we fear that this item will be seen only by those who do not need this reminder, but we draw the bow at a venture and tell our readers that the price of the magazine is 50 cents a year.

We wish to inform the pastors and churches that we have just issued a new Annual Leaflet, brief and packed with facts, and suitable for distribution in the pews before collections are taken for the Association. We shall be glad to furnish a supply gratuitously whenever called for.

Our Annual Report, also, is ready for distribution. Those who wish it will please send us a postal card requesting it.

THE ROMAN CATHOLICS AND THE FREEDMEN.

Soon after the war the Roman Catholics seemed to have made a strong effort to win the Freedmen to their faith, and many Protestants felt a good degree of apprehension that the splendors of the ceremonial and the absence of race distinction might captivate the Negro. But the effort was unsuccessful and appeared for a time to have been abandoned. It has often been said, however, that the Church of Rome never surrenders an undertaking; it may delay and wait for more auspicious times, but in the end it perseveres. There are some indications of the renewal of the zeal of the Papacy for the Negro. The article in another part of the magazine, entitled "The Colored Catholic Congress," is an evidence.

One thing is certain. The Roman Catholic Church deserves praise for its disregard of the color-line. The rich and the poor, the white and the black, bow at the same altar, and one of the highest dignitaries of the church is not ashamed to stand side by side with the black man on a great public occasion. Protestants at the North and the South must not allow the Romanists to surpass them in this Christ-like position.

We ask our friends to read Mr. Dodge's article about the school at Pleasant Hill, Tenn. One thousand dollars has already been pledged for this building, on condition that the remainder of the $5,000 be secured. We ask that this remainder be given by individuals, and not taken from Church or Sunday-school contributions—all of which are needed for current work.

NOTES FROM NEW ENGLAND.

I have swapped horses—exchanged a Georgia mule for a New England thoroughbred—and hereafter the "Notes in the Saddle" will be written from this dignified seat. And what a change it is from the South to New England!

Take a map and look it over. Put down in each State the illiteracy, and make the comparison. In this good Commonwealth of Massachusetts only seven-tenths of one per cent. of the native born white population are illiterate, while in Georgia twenty-three per cent. of the native whites, and in North Carolina thirty-two per cent. of the native whites, are illiterate.

The South is pre-eminently the great missionary ground for our Congregational Churches; for Congregationalism means the school-house as truly as the church—and here in New England there is most enthusiastic sympathy with, and support of, the American Missionary Association in its great work in that section of our country committed to its care by the churches.

They want the A.M.A. to take Congregationalism into the South, and whether it organize churches mostly of whites or mostly of blacks, New England demands that a Christian of any color be admitted into any church because he is a Christian. The feeling is intense here and growing more so.

Congregationalism could have planted its churches all over the South before the war, but it would not strike hands with slavery; so, to-day the children of the Pilgrims demand that the A.M.A., in its growing work, shall stand true to the historic principles of the fathers, and not compromise Christian truth for any seeming temporary advantage.

There is great interest in the work among the American Highlanders which the A.M.A. is pushing with such vigor. I spoke in a church near Boston recently, and, after the service, a young man, his eyes bright, his face flushed, hurried down the aisle and exclaimed, "I am a Kentuckian!" I had been telling some plain and rather painful truths concerning the people of Kentucky—the murders committed there; their lack of school privileges, etc. I thought this friend might question some of my statements, but I was delighted when he said: "I thank God that some one is ready to call attention to the terrible needs of my own State. I can't get people to believe me when I tell them of those needs. I was brought up on the edge of the mountains and know them well, and I do not believe there is any spot on earth more needy than that region of my own State." He accentuated his words by a generous gift to the Mountain Work of our Association.

A good friend of the A.M.A. in Gorham, Me., put into my hands the letter of Edward Payson, in which he accepted the call of the Second Parish Church of Portland, requesting that it be sold and the proceeds go to the A.M.A. work. It is a most interesting historical document, of value to [35] some one collecting historical literature. It was a generous gift, for this kind woman valued it highly.

The President, S.D. Smith, of the "Smith Organ Company," of Boston is filling our schools with music, gladness and praise. He has sent three organs to as many schools, within a few months, at no cost whatever to the Association, giving these grand instruments and paying freight on them to the field!

One message that comes from the work in North Carolina is of so much interest that it ought to have a place here. A teacher had been visiting her former field of labor, and she writes of this visit as follows:

"One young man, who was but a small lad when I left there, came to shake hands with me and said, 'Do you remember how you talked to me right out there under that tree? I tried at first to get away from you, but you would not let me go till I promised you I would give myself to the Lord. I thought, "Now I must not lie to that woman," and I did what I promised right there, and I have kept serving him ever since.'"

Such evidences of souls renewed is worth a life of even such self-sacrifice as this brave woman lives. Like testimony could be gathered of many of these A.M.A. missionaries.

DEATH OF PROF. A. HATCH.

We are called with sadness to chronicle the death of another of our noble Christian workers at the South. Prof. Azel Hatch, the Principal of our Normal School in Lexington, Ky., closed his earthly labors and entered his heavenly rest on the 31st of December, 1888. His illness began with a severe cold, but it was soon discovered that congestion of the brain had set in, and the end rapidly came.

Prof. Hatch was born January 16, 1852, was educated at Oberlin College and at the Union Theological Seminary in New York. He entered the service of this Association in 1876, and has occupied honorable positions in the schools at Montgomery, Ala., Tougaloo, Miss., and in Lexington, Ky. In every post of duty, Mr. Hatch has shown himself to be a faithful, conscientious and Christian worker, shrinking from no duty, winning the confidence of the teachers and pupils, and showing adequate results from his efficient labors. Mr. Hatch was reserved in manner, but courteous and affable, and a man of spotless integrity and of entire consecration to the work of the Master. It is a grief to record the death of such faithful men, but it is a consolation to know that their work was done and well done. The Christian life is not measured by its length, but by the discharge of the duties allotted by the Heavenly Father.

THE FIELD.

1888-1889.

The following list presents the names and post-office addresses of those who are employed in the Churches, Institutions and Schools aided by the American Missionary Association.

THE SOUTH.

NORTH CAROLINA.

SOUTH CAROLINA.

GEORGIA.

FLORIDA.

ALABAMA.

TENNESSEE.

KENTUCKY.

KANSAS.

ARKANSAS.

MISSISSIPPI.

LOUISIANA.

TEXAS.

INDIAN MISSIONS.

NEW MEXICO.

CHINESE MISSIONS.

CONVENTION OF COLORED ROMAN CATHOLICS.

"A National Convention of Colored Roman Catholics, composed of delegates from nearly all the colored Roman Catholic churches and societies in the country, began its sessions on the morning of January 1st, in the St. Augustine Colored Catholic Church in Washington. Every seat was occupied when Father Tolton, of Quincy, Ill., the only colored Catholic priest in the United States, began the celebration of solemn High Mass. Immediately in front of and beneath the pulpit sat his Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons, who delivered the sermon. He was clad in scarlet robes. At the conclusion of the sermon, the Cardinal welcomed the delegates in his own name, and in the name of the clergy and of the congregation. He said:

"'This gathering will mark an era in the history of the colored people of the United States, for never before have colored Catholics of the country met in convention.' He suggested that the convention discuss the education of the children—the religious education necessary to the life of the Republic. The universal level of the Catholic Church—its equality—was eloquently dilated upon, and attention was directed to the fact that a colored priest had celebrated mass in company with two white clergymen."

We quote the above from the People's Advocate, a paper published in Washington, D.C., by colored editors and in the interests of the colored people. In comments upon the above report, it adds:

"The presence of a Negro priest of pure lineage, born a slave, ordained at Rome, Augustus Tolton—the property of Stephen Elliot, as the record stands in the Vatican—the appearance of Cardinal Gibbons in his official robes to sanction the meeting, his eloquent reference to the universality of the Church of Rome that 'knows neither North, South, East or West; that knows neither Jew nor Gentile, Greek, Barbarian nor Scythian,' may mislead the unwary as to the real object of the movement. Its real purpose is to propagate the Roman Catholic faith among the colored people. So far as this meeting will secure from white Protestants a greater interest in, and a more Christian recognition of, the Negro as an equal participant in the Gospel plan, we regard it as Providential. We are not ready to concede that the Roman Catholic Church has been the friend of freedom, of education, of human rights and of progress. We do not see that anything is gained by claiming for Roman Catholicism to-day, or in the past, what is clearly not so. But the Roman Catholic Church has placed itself squarely on the doctrine of the Gospel as taught by Christ upon the question of universal brotherhood. Prejudiced as many may be by long years of training against the tenets of this church, all must acknowledge that this practice of the Romanists as manifested in the presence of a black man on terms of perfect equality, officiating at the altar of St. Augustine's Church, assisted on his right and left by white priests, in the presence of his Eminence Cardinal Gibbons, will be put in striking contrast with that of the white American [47] Protestant churches who are willing on every occasion to sacrifice the Negro to secure the co-operation of the South on other than Gospel terms."

Rev. George W. Moore, of the Lincoln Memorial Congregational Church, at Washington, to whom we are indebted for a full account of the sessions of the Congress, comments upon it as follows:

"Mr. D.A. Rudd, of Cincinnati, editor of the American Catholic Tribune, a colored Catholic paper, was chosen permanent Chairman. Upon assuming the office he spoke favorably of the attitude of the Catholic Church towards the Negro, saying especially: 'The Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man is taught and practised by the Catholic Church in no doubtful terms.' He advocated the starting of Catholic schools and the aiding of those already started. The following facts were presented by the Committee on Resolutions: There are twenty colored Roman Catholic churches in the country, each of which has a school annexed. There are sixty-five other colored Roman Catholic schools; eight colored Roman Catholic orphan asylums; and three reformatories. Five thousand colored children are taught in these schools, and three hundred children in the asylums. Seven colored students are preparing to become priests. The Pope from Rome cabled his greetings in response to a cable from the Congress, saying: 'The Sovereign Pontiff gladly and proudly blesses you with all his heart.' The influence, patronage and wealth of the Roman Catholic Church are all at the service of this movement, and if Protestants build up caste-churches in the South, the Romanists will not."

AMONG THE TENNESSEE MOUNTAINS.

BY EVANGELIST JAMES WHARTON.

My visit to the people among the mountains was rather a departure from my usual work—that of preaching to the colored people. I have preached here about two weeks, the attendance being good, and the interest deepening as the meetings went on, until now we have more than a score who have professed to find Jesus precious to their souls.

The condition of the natives in this vicinity is very sad. Their ignorance and pride coupled make it almost impossible to do anything for them. The rough roads over the rocks and mountains make it a dangerous undertaking for them to attend church in the evenings. Several of us started for a meeting among them on a recent Saturday afternoon, with rubbers, umbrellas and waterproofs, prepared for mud and rain. We crossed a rickety old wooden bridge that had been nearly washed away by the floods, and commenced to climb the mountain side by a road that was nearly as steep as a steeple and which wended around to nearly every point of the compass, ever going up, over ruts and rocks, roots and trunks of trees, now jumping across a ravine, and next climbing a fence. At last among the thickets and brush there were [48] some signs of life, and we came to an opening among the trees where we saw a miserable-looking old shanty. The first thought was, can it be possible that human beings live in a shed like this? We drew near and saw two women sitting with their knees up to the open fire on the hearth. They looked much surprised to see us. We told them that we were going to hold a meeting at a house a little farther on; will they go? No, they don't care to go, expectorating the tobacco juice from their mouths into the fire at the same time. We replied, "You would better go; it may be you will never have a chance to hear an Englishman again;" to which we got a reply, "Hear a w-h-a-a-t?" Whether they knew what an Englishman was, or not, or even if they ever heard there was such a country as England I cannot say; but I understand there are thousands of these people who know nothing of the outside world, and many who were never five miles away from their own door-step in their life. With a patch of ground for corn, another for tobacco, with wood for the fire, they are as contented as the President; alas, too contented!

We entered the cabin to which we were going by a door-way in which we must needs bend our heads very low to get inside. The first thing that struck us was the gloom and darkness. In each corner of the room was a bed, with a smaller one pushed underneath, and two sick people suffering from slow fever. It is no wonder, for eleven people occupied this one room, about twelve feet square. Need we wonder that misery and squalor are seen all around? An old soap box from the grocery formed a corner cupboard. Two old chairs which perhaps belonged to their great-grandmother, all frame and no seat, an empty box, and a bucket of water with a tin scoop, formed the whole furniture of the mountain cabin. Poor souls! I was told that I had done wonders when one day, during an address, I got them to smile! It was quite a treat to see a smile upon their faces. Joy seems to be outside their domain altogether, and the worst feature appears to be that they have no desire for anything different. If they get the idea that you think them low down and want to lift them up, they at once commence to stretch themselves up to their full height and stand upon their dignity. They will not fail to tell you plainly that you must not think they belong to the "know-nothing" class. They "know what is right and what is wrong, without you coming here." This is often said, even by those who live immoral lives. Pride of race is often affected towards the colored people. A colored man unfortunately had been drinking and was left at the depot. Some one stumbled against him, saying, "I did not know it was a man; I thought it was baggage." His companion spoke up and said, "It isn't a man; it's a nigger." Often their children are bright, cheery-looking children, well-behaved, unassuming and quiet. These poor mountain people might do well to take a few lessons from many of their despised, dusky neighbors.

The whole work, in my little time among these people, has greatly touched my heart and drawn out my sympathies towards them.

ITEMS FROM THE FIELD.

Trinity School, Athens, Ala.:

"During December there was a special religious interest in view of the meetings held by Rev. Mr. Wharton, your missionary evangelist. The meetings were well attended by our students and by the people. These meetings were greatly blessed to the quickening and upbuilding of Christians, and twelve persons professed conversion. All of our pupils except one, above the primary department, are professing Christians. Our student prayer meetings are exceedingly precious seasons to teachers and pupils. We have just organized a Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor which promises to be very helpful.

"On account of these meetings we could not make our usual preparations for a Christmas concert and presents to the children. Accordingly, we invited them all to our parlors to a reception on Wednesday the 26th, and to our great surprise, there came a Christmas box on Tuesday, with presents for every one, greatly to the joy of the little ones, yes, and of the large ones also. After the distribution of the gifts, delightful music bubbled from every throat, and the universal testimony was, 'This is the best Christmas I ever spent.'"

Straight University, New Orleans, La.:

"We are having a glorious revival. Every night during the Week of Prayer there have been glad hearts. I think there is scarcely a boarding student who is not thoroughly aroused. Most are seeking the Saviour. Eighteen have found peace. Many day students, and others who are not students, have been much interested. One young man who has been a scoffer at all good things, came to the meetings, and soon came under the influence and asked us to pray for him. As I write in Stone Hall, I hear on all sides the sound of prayer and singing."

The new church at Crossville, Tenn., was dedicated on Sunday, Dec. 30th. The new building is very tasteful and convenient, in a beautiful and central location. Six new members were received—all Northern people. The house was full both morning and evening. Much interest was shown. Rev. G.S. Pope preached in the morning and Rev. S.E. Lathrop in the evening.

Sherwood Academy opened its new winter term with increasing numbers. The school is gaining favor with all classes and is doing an excellent work.

"Habits and Manners," is the title of a neat little volume by Mrs. W.A. Armstrong, of Hampton, Va. It is made up of the lectures delivered by Mrs. Armstrong to the students of the Institution, and is a remarkably clear statement of the rules that should govern the habits and manners of ladies and gentlemen. These lectures, though originally addressed to colored [50] students, are equally applicable to white people, for here, at least, color makes no difference. The book has many other items of interest, as for example, rules for cooking, recipes, etc.

THE CHINESE.

A GLIMPSE AT SHADY SIDE.

REV. W.C. POND, D.D.

Our friends will get a quite one-sided and mistaken view of our work among the Chinese, as of any other missionary work, if they have nothing but the sunny-side reports to read. It is a war that we are waging, and war is serious business. The varied fortune of the battle involves defeats, incidental and temporary, on the way to the final victory. Sometimes it is hope deferred.

There are Chinese in whom we have come to be deeply interested, for whom we have long prayed, who have for years been among the most constant and most pleasing of our pupils, and for years have been convinced that an idol is nothing, but that the God of the Bible is the only true God, and the Christ of the Gospel the only true Saviour, who stop just there. Over and over again we ask about them, only to find them still just there. Not a step forward seems to have been taken, and meanwhile time—weeks that grow to months, and months that grow even to years— time that might be full of service, runs to waste. The heart gets sick with this hope deferred.

Then there are cases of disappointment. Bright hopes have darkened almost to the blackness of very despair. A brother whose conversion, (must I say apparent conversion?) has seemed to be unusually clear; whose walk as a Christian seemed, while he was with us, to be well-nigh perfect; whose spirit was singularly humble, devout and Christly; who was growing rapidly in knowledge of the word, and could already preach the word with power, goes back to his home in China. Sore pressure is brought to bear upon him, and he pays some sort of homage at an idol's shrine. He feels forthwith condemned. He will not be a hypocrite, and therefore will no longer profess to be a Christian. Now that he has returned to California, he is ashamed, he says, to show himself among the brethren. He stands aloof; keeps out of sight, and thus takes the very path along which Judas hastened to his doom. In vain do we show him the better way of faith; in vain speak to him of Peter, or of the Father's welcome to the prodigal, and the delight we once had in him adds soreness to the heartache of our disappointed hope.

These are not solitary cases. Yet we may thank God that they represent not the general rule, but the exceptions. The general rule is that of constancy and faithfulness, and these exceptions are such as occurred even [51] in the Apostolic ministries: how much more to be expected in ours! Yet the pain they bring and the shadow they cast are none the less real and deep.

Another element in shady side arises in a quite different quarter. "Coming events cast their shadows before," and these shadows just now obscure our sunny side. We resolve not to be worried about to-morrow, and yet we must not enter doors that open except we first count the cost. That coming event is a deficit that seems inevitable, unless we shut our ears to what sound like the calls of God. Our plan heretofore has been to listen to these calls and answer them if possible, believing that he who gives the commission will not fail to supply the means. Nor has this faith been put to shame. Yet, when the rules of arithmetic confront one at every summing of his probable resources and subtracting of his fixed expenditures, and the figures, like fleshless, bony fingers, point him to deficits and unpaid bills impending, then, even while faith maintains her hold, it cannot be denied that shadows cross our path. Our friends who have helped us hitherto must expect some urgent appeals before this fiscal year is ended. The utmost economy shall be practised. Each dollar shall be made to do full service, if care and watchfulness on our part can assure this, but the work must not be hindered. Souls are at stake, priceless and immortal.

I have not yet reached the end of my catalogue of shadows, but I soon tire of looking at the shady side. Shadow pre-supposes sunshine, and sunshine there is, clear, abundant, having cheer in it for the present and promise for the future—promise of harvests such as may make this year to be as the last and even more abundant.

ANNIVERSARY OF CHINESE MISSIONS.

Superintendent Dr. Pond is a modest man, and we, therefore, take the liberty of quoting from the Congregationalist a little sketch by our friend Dr. Holbrook, of the recent anniversary of the Chinese Mission as presenting a broad ray of sunshine over the "Shady Side," as given in Brother Pond's candid article above.

BUREAU OF WOMAN'S WORK.

MISS D.E. EMERSON, SECRETARY.

WOMAN'S STATE ORGANIZATIONS.

CO-OPERATING WITH THE AMERICAN MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION.

• ME.—Woman's Aid to A.M.A.,
  • Chairman of Committee, Mrs. C.A. Woodbury, Woodfords, Me.
• VT.—Woman's Aid to A.M.A.,
  • Chairman of Committee, Mrs. Henry Fairbanks, St. Johnsbury, Vt.
• VT.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,
  • Secretary, Mrs. Ellen Osgood, Montpelier, Vt.
• CONN.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,
  • Secretary, Mrs. S.M. Hotchkiss, 171 Capitol Ave., Hartford, Conn.
• N.Y.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,
  • Secretary, Mrs. William Spalding, Salmon Block, Syracuse, N.Y.
• ALA.—Woman's Missionary Association,
  • Secretary, Mrs. G.W. Andrews, Talladega, Ala.
• OHIO.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,
  • Secretary, Mrs. Flora K. Regal, Oberlin, Ohio.
• IND.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,
  • Secretary, Mrs. W.E. Mossman, Fort Wayne, Ind.
• ILL.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,
  • Secretary, Mrs. C.H. Taintor, 151 Washington St., Chicago, Ill.
• MINN.—Woman's Home Miss. Society,
  • Secretary, Miss Katharine Plant, 2651 Portland Avenue, Minneapolis, Minn.
• IOWA.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,
  • Secretary, Miss Ella E. Marsh, Grinnell, Iowa.
• KANSAS.—Woman's Home Miss. Society,
  • Secretary, Mrs. G.L. Epps, Topeka, Kan.
• MICH.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,
  • Secretary, Mrs. Mary B. Warren, Lansing, Mich.
• WIS.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,
  • Secretary, Mrs. C. Matter, Brodhead, Wis.
• NEB.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,
  • Secretary, Mrs. L.F. Berry, 724 N. Broad St., Fremont, Neb.
• COLORADO.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,
  • Secretary, Mrs. S.M. Packard, Pueblo, Colo.
• DAKOTA.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,
  • President, Mrs. T.M. Hills, Sioux Falls;
  • Secretary, Mrs. W.R. Dawes, Redfield;
  • Treasurer, Mrs. S.E. Fifield, Lake Preston.

We would suggest to all ladies connected with the auxiliaries of State Missionary Unions, that funds for the American Missionary Association be sent to us through the treasurers of the Union. Care, however, should be taken to designate the money as for the American Missionary Association, since undesignated funds will not reach us.

THE MOUNTAIN GIRLS.

But why the girls? Because the girls are immortal as well as the boys. Because the girls in their education have been neglected far more than the boys. Because the girls are to be the mothers of the next generation.

That they are immortal, and capable of becoming and doing much in this life would seem to be doubted even by their parents. The neglect of the girls in their physical, mental, moral, and religious education, is enough to draw pity even from the most stupid Christian.

Hundreds are put into field work from spring till autumn. They follow the mule and "bull tongue." They wield the heavy hoe, sprouting newly cleared land. They look after cattle on the ranges and the mountain swine, and if these are needed for meat, kill and dress them as a man would do. Said a woman the other day, "I wish I had as many dollars as I have alone [53] killed and dressed hogs." With parents the boy means a "heap" more than the girl. A boy can shoot deer and coon, fox and rabbit, can build cabins, can keep school, and "seems" be a doctor or go to Congress. With this impression, if anybody is clothed and sent to school, it is the boy, while as a rule, the girl is poorly clad and stays at home to do the boy's work, to make "craps," and grow up in ignorance. If in berry time they can get a few dimes to buy a calico dress and a pair of shoes, contentment settles over their faces. Aspirations for anything better they have not, for an avenue leading to a more hopeful life they have never dreamed of. To look into the future there is nothing sunny or bright. Illiterate, they marry young some poor fellow, and with no money they begin life, build their cabin home in the timber land, girdle a few acres of the stately trees of oak and chestnut, and there raise a family to take the same dark and gloomy view of life the parents have had.

Must this condition of things continue, among a people, too, who are all native born Americans, who have fair native abilities to become a power for good if trained in Christian schools?

Is it not time a special effort be made for these girls? They are growing older. They will soon be the mothers of a new generation. With illiterate mothers what will that generation be? Just what the present generation now is. What will it be if these girls now growing up are brought into a school like ours at Pleasant Hill? Here, if there can be sufficient room and ample teaching force, they will be taught and trained in a practical knowledge of all the duties of life, especially in those of the household. If we educate and save the girls we are using the very lever needed to lift these hopeless and neglected thousands living at our very doors, out of their degraded life and bring them into the light of the 19th century, and qualify them to take positions among the best women of the land.

The work for which I plead is full of encouragement and hope. It is not in Africa. It is within one or two days' ride of the largest and most wealthy churches of our country, those who love the Kingdom of Christ and have sent, and are still sending, their thousands of dollars to the ends of the earth, while these bright American girls are, by some strange oversight, neglected at our very doors.

The American Missionary Association has undertaken a noble work among them, and something has been accomplished, yet this good work has but just begun. The grey dawn has only cast a few signs of daylight over the mountains. To carry this work forward successfully in behalf of the neglected girls, there should be, in a great natural center of operations like Pleasant Hill, a spacious boarding hall with an industrial department and home, for those girls. It should not be stinted in size, but large, well-arranged, and well-equipped in all its departments from the primary upwards, where they can be taught everything a girl ought to learn, not only in books and in a Christian life, but taught to sew, knit, [54] darn stockings, to make good bread, and keep house with order and neatness, and do everything needed to be done in a Christian home. If the native girls can come from their cabin homes into such an institution and be thus thoroughly trained, the axe is then laid at the very root of the tree of a squalid life of illiteracy, and a life of Christian culture and hope comes in its place, where Christian mothers throw angelic brightness over their households, and families of children are trained to act well their part in this great and growing nation. The institution I suggest, and for which I must plead, should not only be large enough to accommodate girls near at hand, but from other neighboring States who stand in need of such a home and training. It should be a Bethel for these immortal waifs, a house of bread, so well provided for as to take the poorest who cannot pay a cent of their own expenses. On this base it will be doing the greatest and grandest work possible for the two millions and a half who are scattered as lost sheep over the mountains of our own land.

RECEIPTS FOR DECEMBER, 1888.