A National Protestant Sunday School Convention was held in April in the city of Mexico. Representatives from six of the different missions were present. The convention adopted, unanimously, a resolution favoring the establishment of a high grade Christian college in Mexico, to be operated on undenominational lines. A permanent committee was appointed to provide suitable literature for the schools.

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in its last session passed some resolutions condemnatory of the Chinese Exclusion Act, and declared: "1. That laws of Congress enacted in contravention of treaty obligations, in violation of the traditions and fundamental principles of our government, and in disregard of the just rights of men lawfully, and by our invitation, residents of the United States, are unworthy of this great nation, and a reproach to our Christian civilization, and they will work injuries to, if not entirely destroy, our commercial relations with, and our moral and religious influence over, the Chinese people. 2. That all such laws now on our statute books be repealed or so amended as to make their provisions consistent with just and honorable dealings with the Chinese government."

We have received copies of the Lone Star of Bangalore, India, organ of the Baptist India Mission, Rev. John McLaurin, editor, containing an article on "The Educational Question," with the request that we republish it in this magazine. The position it takes is that educational work as conducted in India is secularizing Christian missions; tends to exalt intellect at the expense of heart in religion; tends to discourage work among the poor and in the country districts; tends to produce a class of missionary government apologists; and assists the classes which least need help, and which in the past and now oppose God's poor and oppose Christianity. It may be true that in some of the India missions missionary money is being wasted in educational work, but we are satisfied that in our own Methodist missions no more attention is given to education than its importance demands, and we can well trust the wise oversight of Bishop Thoburn in this matter.

The fact that the late Decennial Missionary Conference in India did not by resolution condemn the opium traffic, intemperance, and the Contagious Diseases Act has awakened considerable discussion, and the missionaries have been severely censured for their apparent indifference to these crimes. We understand that the missionaries as thus gathered were not prepared to take specific action on any subject, as they were not appointed to represent their missions. It was not a delegated Conference. Yet, after condemnatory resolutions were admitted and passed, it was a mistake to reconsider their action and withdraw them. It left the impression that the majority of the missionaries were in sympathy with the crimes condemned, and the enemies of Christian

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ity have used it against them. Their action has grieved the home churches. We are glad to see that many of the different missionary bodies in India, in their separate meetings, have endeavored to remove the false impression made, by the passing of very emphatic condemnatory resolutions. Our own missions have been unanimous in their action in opposition to everything which tends to degrade the race or retard the progress of Christianity.

How common it is to hear people say they give away "what they can spare." While using this expression they are very complacent and self-satisfied, being sublimely oblivious of what their words imply. To give only "what we can spare" shows a complete absence of anything like self-denial and an utter disregard of our obligations to God. Acceptable offer. ings are what we feel that we can not spare, but what through a sense of duty and indebtedness we give up for the cause of Christ or the benefit of our fellowcreatures. Did the Israelites in the wilderness give only what they could spare when their offerings were "much more than enough," so that they had to be "restrained from bringing?" Did David and his subjects give only what they could spare when "they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they of fered willingly to the Lord?" Unless we are influ. enced by better principles than those which charac terize the majority of people we shall never offer so willingly after this sort." See Exod. 36 and 1 Chron. 29. It was not these Jews, but those who lived in the time of Malachi who gave only what they could spare, when they offered "polluted bread" upon God's altar and presented for sacrifice animals that were blind, lame, or sick.- Christian Steward.

In connection with the action of the Russian gov. ernment toward the Stundists the following facts, says the New York Independent, in regard to Bible and evangelistic work in Russia will be interesting. It is estimated that about half a million copies of the Scriptures are sold annually in that empire. Of these the greater portion are sold to the orthodox Russians. Most dissenters of the Old Believers' type are without Russian Scriptures and refuse to purchase them. The Protestant sects, including the Molokans, Stundists, and others are willing purchasers; but their numbers are comparatively small. Preaching in the Established Church is rather on the increase, but the quality of the sermons does not seem to improve, as all must be submitted to the bishops, who exercise a very careful censorship. Of religious literature there is next to nothing except the tracts that give Church news; papers, pamphlets, magazines, and books for the instruction of the common people do not exist. As to a religious liberal party among the orthodox, there is no such organization, although there are isolated individuals. The followers of Count Pashkoff, of St. Petersburg, it is supposed, are rather diminishing in numbers.

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The facts connected with our money and our responsibility should be kept before us. The fact that it is God who gives men power to get wealth; the fact that all the gold and the silver are God's, and that men are only intrusted with what is put into their possession, that they are but God's stewards; the fact that God requires of men in proportion to what he gives them, that the measure of their responsibility to him is the measure of his beneficence to them; the fact that only those will be judged faithful in the use of their means who have honored the Lord with them, by giving as he directs them to give; that only so much of their treasure is laid up in heaven as they have given to him; that God reckons the money given, not by the size of the gift itself, but the amount that is left behind.-Rev. H. K. Allen.

The eminent minister, the Rev. Andrew Fuller, once said to a friend: "There was a period of my ministry marked by the most pointed systematic effort to comfort my serious people; but the more I tried to comfort them the more they complained of darkness. Wherever I went among them one lamentation met my ear, Ah, sir, I can get no comfort, I am unable to appropriate any of the great and precious promises to myself; I look for light and behold darkness.' I knew not what to do, nor what to think, for I had done my best to comfort the mourners in Zion. I was therefore at my wits' end. At this time it pleased God to direct my attention to the claims of the perishing heathen in India; I felt we had been living for ourselves and not caring for their souls. I spoke as I felt. My people wondered and wept over their past inattention to this subject. They began to talk about it. The females especially began to collect money for the spread of the Gospel. We met and prayed for the heathen; met and considered what could be done among ourselves for them; met and did what we could. And while all this was going on the lamentations ceased. The sad became cheerful, and the desponding calm. No one complained of a want of comfort. They were drawn out of themselves. Sir, that was the real secret, God blessed them while they tried to be a blessing." Many afflicted, languishing, comfortless churches of to-day, mourning over the desolations of Zion, could in a little while be made exceedingly joyful, if they would only lose sight of themselves in their interest for the millions perishing in heathen darkness.

What shall be the future policy of our Missionary Society? Shall we give up the race, abandon all attempts to meet the increasing demands made upon us, and settle down in a resigned spirit to a policy of partial failure; or shall we summon the hosts of Israel to a new advance, one great united effort all along the line, a movement that shall make itself felt all over the globe? Our Foreign Missions should have an advance of five hundred thousand dollars a year, and should have it at once. The home

work-city, frontier, and South-should have a million more. The Missionary Society, which had an income of about two hundred and fifty thousand dollars when I became a missionary, ought to have, can have, and must have two million five hundred thousand dollars before the new century dawns upon us. A great rally of our people would speedily achieve this result. It ought to be done in a single year; it can surely be done during the coming seven years. God forbid that we should be tempted to do anything for vain glory, but may God also forbid that we should be blind also either to our duty or to our opportunity. Our Missionary Society should march in the van of all the organizations which God is marshaling for the conversion of the race. Our Church was late in the field; but if she does not win and hold the leading place in all the missionary world, it will be because she refuses to know the time of her visitation, and throws away an opportunity such as never comes twice to any people. Now is the time, the very hour, to rally anew around the banner of our great Missionary Society, and carry it far to the front amid the advancing hosts of God's militant people.-Bishop Thoburn.

Some churches endeavor to obtain money for the benevolences by entertainments, sociables, fairs, excursions, and other things of a similar character. There is much to be said in condemnation of these methods. They are an infringement on the devil's patent. They are not and cannot be made conducive to the spirituality of God's people. The practice of them does not deepen individual piety or promote the Lord's work among the ungodly. On the other hand they absorb the thought, and fritter away the energies of the Church in the serving of tables, while the great concerns of God are left to suffer. They detract from, rather than minister to, the spirit of benevolence. They foster wrong habits of giving: Giving spasmodically instead of regularly; giving from strife and competition rather than from principle; giving to be seen of men, instead of for the glory of God; giving to get something back in the way of pleasure and amusement, rather than hoping for nothing again but the approbation and blessing of God. They are not practical and wise methods of getting our offering, for they involve too much expenditure. There is a great waste both of means and of effort. The net gains bear but a small proportion, often, to the gross receipts, and scarcely offset the pains, the perplexities, the worryings, and the jealousies. Man gets the lion's share, and the Lord gets what is left. There is no thought in it all of honoring the Lord with our substance, and funds raised this way are not offerings to God, but money dragged out of unwilling pockets and dumped into the Lord's treasury. It is a method of securing means to carry on the Lord's work that savors more of shirk. ing duty than of doing it, more of getting some one Ise to give than of giving ourselves.--Rev. H. K. Allen.

MR. T. W. STAGG, who came to India some time ago as Bishop Thoburn's private secretary, has accepted a position in the Anglo-Chinese Mission School at Singapore, and will probably identify himself with the Malaysia Mission in the future. Mr. Stagg came to India in hope of ultimately entering mission work, and his friends will be glad to hear that he has so soon found an open door.-Indian Witness.

The Indian Witness of April 15 says Dr. and Mrs. Peachey T. Wilson, of Budaun, N. W. P., sailed from Calcutta per steamship City of Calcutta, April 14. Mrs. Wilson had kept her bed since January 10 up to the time of starting, but is now gaining strength, and it is hoped the sea air will prove so beneficial that her recovery will be hastened. Dr. Wilson came to India over thirty years ago. Mrs. Wilson came in 1879, since which time neither of them have been away from their work.

The Malaysia Mission Conference, at its session in April last, reported 56 probationers (an increase of 22), 106 full members (a decrease of 40), 4 local preachers, 7 Sunday schools with 208 scholars. The Anglo-Chinese School at Singapore reports 450 scholars, with an average daily attendance of 346, and 19 boarders. The Anglo-Chinese School at Penang reports 215 scholars, with an average daily attendance of 132. The Conference reported in favor of the salaries of the missionaries in the mission being paid in an equal number of gold and silver dollars in order to meet the changing value of the money.

Rev. J. E. Robinson writes from India: "This movement among the depressed classes of India toward Christianity is gathering strength with the passing months. Many thousands are at this hour asking to be made Christian disciples. In some instances this privilege is denied them, rightly or wrongly, because of lack of provision for such an emergency. Others are deterred by the unusual character of the movement, and appear afraid to grapple with it. Happy is it for our own Church that at this crisis such a divinely equipped leader as Bishop Thoburn is at the front, and that he has for coadjutors at the strategic points tried veterans of recognized ability and bravest enthusiasm, who know how to grapple with the situation and achieve victory for God and the Church. Would to God that these noble men were backed by the Church according to their hearts' desire and the urgent needs of this important hour! For all that our giant Church is doing we give God praise, but we long for the time to come when she will put forth her strength in real earnest for the subjugation of the heathen world to Christ. Has she not come to the kingdom for just such an opportunity as this?"

Sunday, April 9, was the twentieth anniversary of the organization of the Calcutta Methodists into a church by Wm. Taylor, now Bishop Taylor. Rev. F. W. Warne is the pastor of the church then organized, now known as the Dharamtala Methodist Episcopal Church. At the celebration of the late anniversary Mr. Warne reported that the church had never received any aid from the Missionary Society, but had been built up entirely by the people in India. Since the commencement of the year more than fifty persons have been converted in and through the church services.

Need of Chapels in India.

BY REV. R. HOSKINS, PH.D., OF CAWNPORE. IN the Northwest India Conference we need sixty small cheap chapels to house our existing congregations of from fifty-five to three hundred persons. At the last Annual Conference provision was made to build ten of these chapels (about ninety rupees were given for each), but in the meantime three thousand persons have been baptized and ten or fifteen newly formed congregations have come into existence. Of course we utilize all the local resources of free labor and free materials, but in most cases some aid has to be given.

On the Bulandshahr District there are about five thousand Christians in one hundred and thirty villages, and not a single chapel of any form or shape, except that money for two small chapels costing ninety rupees has been sanctioned. The case is similar on the Kasgunj District, with five thousand Christians and not a chapel of any form or shape yet built.

Our appropriations from the Missionary Society has been so small that for several years we have not been able to do anything for buildings, and consequently our village congregations in many places do not and cannot collect for worship. This state of things is very bad for the work, and our great success in winning the people increases the embarrassment.

The people will gather under the shade of a tree, but the dogs howl and the enemies hurl missiles, and the rain scatters the people. Who will furnish money to build small cheap chapels for our village congregations?

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The Opening of Wiley General Hospital, Kucheng, China.

BY REV. M. C. WILCOX,

Presiding Elder of Kucheng District.

THIS important event occurred March 23, 1893. The principal address was given by Rev. Nathan Sites, D.D., the senior member of the Foo-Chow Mission. Remarks were made by others-native and foreign-and instrumental music was furnished by Miss Sites and by Mrs. M. C. Wilcox. Owing to the heavy rain the attendance was smaller than was expected. Yet a representative audience assembled and the exercises were interesting and profitable.

In the course of his address Dr. Sites described his first visit to Kucheng, about twenty-eight years ago. He was the first missionary of any society to visit this city, and to him belongs the honor of opening missionary work in this beautiful part of the Fo-Kien Province. He also sketched the history of the work then begun, speaking of the opposition formerly manifested to the Gospel, especially in 1870, when the place of worship of the (English) Church Missionary Society, as well as our own, was demolished, and both missions were obliged to locate their headquarters in other parts of the city.

But after a time a friendlier spirit began to be shown, and the work throughout this region has grown more and more prosperous, especially since foreign missionaries have made this city their residence. For instance, five years ago the Kucheng District had 372 members and probationers. At Conference last fall 803 were reported-an increase of 431, or 113 per But the opening of this new department of mission work will, we believe, help accelerate this rate of increase.

cent.

Peculiarly appropriate is the name chosen for the hospital by its superintendent aud adopted by the Board of Managers of the Missionary Society, New York. Throughout the Methodist Episcopal Church the name of Bishop Wiley is "as ointment poured forth." As Rev. Isaac N. Wiley, M.D., he came to Foo-Chow in 1851. His health failing, he returned to America in 1854. After serving the Church as pastor, as President of Pennington Seminary, and as editor of The Ladies' Repository, he was elected bishop in 1872. To the end of his life missionary affairs commanded a large share of his attention and sympathy. China was especially dear to him. Twice he revisited this empire in an official capacity. In 1877 he organized the Foo-Chow Annual Conference. Returning in 1884 he was unable to preside over the Conference, but during its session closed his earthly labors at Foo-Chow, where all that was mortal awaits the resurrection morn.

Under the skillful superintendence of Dr. Gregory the Wiley General Hospital-the first of the Parent Board in the Fo-Kien Province-can hardly fail to be a potent instrumentality for extending the Re

deemer's kingdom. An earnest native preacher has been secured as chaplain, and the religious features of the work will receive careful attention.

As a rule patients are expected to pay their own expenses while in the hospital. But many who greatly need somewhat prolonged medical treatment are too poor to do this. To meet the needs of such it is proposed to provide a number of free beds (including food). The cost of one such bed is estimated at twenty dollars per year, United States money. The native officials and gentry of this city will be asked to contribute for this purpose. But we also appeal to others, and especially to those who knew Bishop Wiley, to help in this laudable undertaking.

Perhaps some one who reads these lines would like to endow a bed, so it, together with food, would be forever free to poor patients. This would require a sum sufficient to yield twenty dollars per year interest. Are there not individuals or Sunday schools that would contribute smaller amounts-say enough to provide for one or two free beds for a year at twenty dollars each? Money, whether designed for immediate use or as endowment, can be sent to Secretary C. C. McCabe, D.D., 150 Fifth Avenue, New York. Or friends who desire to make temporary provision for beds can for. ward their contributions directly to Dr. J. J. Gregory. All gifts, large or small, will be gratefully received, and the money carefully administered for the benefit of the very poor.

It seems needless to say that such contributions as we earnestly ask for will make it possible to alleviate much suffering, and at the same time to reach and win to a knowledge of the truth hundreds and thousands who are now "without God and without hope in the world." Any inquiries addressed to Dr. Gregory, or to the writer (Foo-Chow, China), will receive prompt attention.

Good News from Foo-Chow, China.

REV. J. H. WORLEY writes to Bishop Mallalieu that earnest evangelistic work in the city of FooChow is producing most encouraging results. He

says:

"When I wrote you that the Chinese had changed during my visit to America, I meant for the better, and the experiences of the past few months have confirmed that statement. Now for an account of the evangelistic work in Foo-Chow which you planned when you were with us at Conference. I know this will interest you, especially as I am able to give an encouraging report.

"Brother Lacy and Miss Bosworth for several months past have held services in our Second Church in the heart of the great heathen city, with an average congregation of one hundred and sixty. Brother Miner and I began immediately after Conference, and have kept steadily at work, continually enlarging our operations. Brother Miner began with Sunday

night at our Fourth Church, and I with Sunday afternoon at our Third Church, together with a service at the Second, and on Tuesday and Friday nights at the Fourth.

"Not long after commencing this work Brother Miner proposed to relieve me of all my work at the Fourth, so I could give more time to the Third if I chose; so with the help of the theological students and the native pastor of the First Church he has been holding three week night services at the Fourth, and has lately started a Sunday afternoon service at the same place. In connection with all this work Miss Bonafield has a service at the Fourth on every Sunday afternoon, at two o'clock, for women and children. At all these services there are crowds of people in attendance, and to relieve the pressure a new arrangement is to be adopted, so that a double meeting can be held each evening at six for boys and at seven for men. Besides all this Brother Miner has started a day school for boys in the church, where forty-three have been enrolled.

"Since Brother Miner took the work off my hands at the Fourth Church I have had three services each week at the Third, and in connection a similar work at the First Church. The First Church is within the limits of the mission compound. For some years it has been supposed that the heathen would not come to services in it because it was not readily accessible from the public street; but since it has been thrown open to the heathen, and special services held for them, the congregations have gone as high as two hundred and forty.

"We are taking the opportunity in all our services of teaching the truth of Christianity rather than preaching in the usual way, which seems to be better every way than formal preaching. I have organized a night school at the Second Church for laboring men, where, three nights in each week, they study Christian books. Brother Miner has also started a boys' school at the Fourth Church, with forty-four scholars.

"Our regular services for the heathen and average attendance are as follows: First Church, once each week-two hundred and forty. Second Church, four times each week, besides night school for men-one hundred and sixty. Third Church, once each weeksixty. Fourth Church, Miss Bonafield's services, four times each week-fifty; and Brother Miner's services, four times each week-eighty. And as this church is on a busy street it often happens that while Brother Miner is holding a service inside the church a native preacher is telling the Gospel story to a crowd gathered about the front of the church.

"The plan has been adopted of having inquirers give their names, and when thus enrolled the names are called at every service. To get a Chinaman to allow his name to be called in a church is a great thing. Our method of teaching the Gospel from Christian books and from the gospels enables us to

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utilize to the best advantage the students in our School of Theology. What they learn in the school they communicate to the heathen people, and so spread the light of God's truth among the heathen.

"Our Chinese members are delighted with the success of these aggressive movements, and the old preachers who have long toiled amid many discouragements are filled with joy. That great and good man, Sia Sek Ong, says that the interest is real, and that many among the heathen are inquiring the way. Dr. Sites, the veteran missionary, has attended many of the services, and is greatly cheered by what he has seen. Dr. Gracey, the United States Consul, recently attended one of these services, and said he had never seen anything like it in China.

"At first we used picture cards, with Scripture texts upon them, to secure the interest and attendance of the people, but now they come because they want to do so. There is no trouble about an audience who are glad to hear the Gospel. Foo-Chow, which has so long been regarded as a hard field, is ripe for the Gospel. The only trouble with this work is that it has so grown on our hands that we can scarcely find time for anything else.

"We need several additional men here in FooChow. In fact, the great pressing need of the FooChow work is a half dozen energetic young men who can be put to learning the language and do nothing else until they learn it. The all-important thing is to learn the language; without this but poor service can be performed. We must have more men, and they must have time to learn the language."

DR. N. SITES writes to Bishop Mallalieu as follows:

"Ruth and I have put in three very encouraging weeks on the Ming Chiang District. We visited all the old stations and preaching places, seven in number; held religious services in all of them, preaching Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.' In addition to these older preaching places we made a tour of several days in and through six townships seldom or never before reached, and everywhere, in the old or the new, we found many ready, attentive hearers, a dozen to twenty women at a time giving the most intense interest in the old, old story of Jesus and his love.'

"I rented in two new and important centers, and the parties from whom we rented, in both cases, are men of influence in their respective communities.

"In our itineraries we always had one or more of our native preachers along, endeavoring to encourage and strengthen them as well as have them imbibe some of our spirit and methods. We rejoiced, the Church was glad, and sinners are coming to Christ. "Your earnest purposes and wise plans for the city are already in full working order.

Brother Lacy and Miss Bosworth are visiting ChingSing Dong Sunday afternoons, assisting in the Sunday