Mission Work in Singapore.

THE London Christian of October 12 contains the following, written from Singapore by H. W. Fry:

Singapore has an unenviable moral reputation, although it is perhaps no worse than many other Eastern centers of European life. Notwithstanding this, the Lord does cause his light to shine even here. The light may be feeble and small, but still there is light.

The work of the Church of England is in the hands of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel entirely. As might be expected, the services are conducted with high ritual. There are those who protest against the observances practiced, but they are in a minority.

The Presbyterians have both a church and a mission here, and the one must not be confounded with the other. The mission is doing a good work.

The American Methodist Episcopal Mission, who work specially among the Chinese, have not been long in the field. Dr. West had to return to America on leave, and his place was taken by Dr. Luering. About four months ago six Chinamen came to him and said they had heard the open-air preaching, and wished to become Christians. They were in due course received, and since then they have brought so many others that now there is a Chinese membership of about sixty, gathered in during the past four months, much to the encouragement of the workers.

The Brethren also have a work here, not very large, but good is undoubtedly being accomplished, especially among the Chinese.

The Bible Society is doing a good work, which must claim the sympathy of every Christian. It is shortly expecting largely to increase its staff of workers, and a wonderful field of labor exists in the peninsula and magnificent islands of Malaysia.

The Soldiers' Home has been removed to a more commodious building, and the management has been intrusted to the Methodist Mission, which has put a Mr. Snuggs temporarily in charge. He appears to be a suitable, godly man, and therefore it may be assumed that the soldiers will have similar advantages, perhaps greater spiritually than the sailors have at the handsome Bonstead Institute.

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medan ways. The older one is fairly well educated, and gives promise of usefulness.

"His father is a sprightly, hale old man of about seventy years. His dress is somewhat a compromise between advanced English and advanced Hindustani fashions and his hair conforms to the morning aurora. Mr. Gardner formerly owned a large property, and he still enjoys a fairly good income. His grandfather came from England and was in the Marathi service for years, and finally organized a regiment of mounted cavalry, called the Gardner Horse, for the King of Delhi and married one of the daughters of the king.

"For many years the Mohammedan influence has predominated in the family, and all the accessories of prevalent Islam were to be found within the precincts of the place. Fifty years ago visitors found at the Gardner mansion a profusion of wealth and a decidedly Mohammedan tinge on all customs and ways of living. A costly two storied building for tazias was erected, and over the broadly extended granite grave was placed a brightly colored shamiana under which weekly were repeated the Mohammedan services for the dead.

"But now this is all changed, the costly buildings are tumbling down, and the remaining part of the family is strongly drawn to Christiauity. One of the young men who spent years in the Budaon and the Moradabad mission schools is employed as preacher; he is highly respected by his numerous relatives and is growing in grace and influence."

Religious Changes in Korea.

REV. H. G. UNDERWOOD, D.D., writing from Korea says: "A sort of mental revolution seems to be in progress throughout the land. Buddhism, which at one time held such sway over the hearts and minds of the people, seems to have entered upon its dotage; and the educated Korean will tell you that it is now relegated to women and children. Confucianism, too, has lost almost every vestige of a real religion as it is found in Korea, and is not much more than a system of morals, which all might, but few attempt to follow. The species of Taoism, or Demonism, in natural religion that is to-day most prevalent throughout the whole land seems also to be losing its influence upon the life and habits of the people. The educated of the land are beginning to realize that the pounding of tambourines and the offering of incense to the god of smallpox cannot have the same remedial effects as the proper use of medicines; that the tying of ribbons upon the branches of a tree or the burning of paper prayers before paper gods will result in little definite good. Thus throughout the land there has been a wavering in the adherence to the old faiths; we believe it to be a providential opening for the Gospel, and that it is the voice of God saying to his Church, 'Go work to-day in my vineyard in Korea.'"

The Little Maid's Sermon.

A LITTLE maid in a pale blue hood
In front of a large brick building stood;
As she passed along her quick eye spied
Some words on a letter box inscribed;
'Twas a box that hung in a vestibule
Outside the door of the charity school.

**Remember the Poor!" were words she spelled,
Then looked at the dime her small hand held;
For chocolate creams were fresh that day,
In the store just only across the way;
But gleams of victory shone o'er her face,
As she raised her eyes to the money place.

But her arm was short, and the box so high, That a gentleman heard, who was passing by: “Please, sir, will you lift me just so much?" (For the tiny fingers could almost touch.) The stranger stopped, and he quickly stood By the sweet-faced child in the pale blue hood.

As he lifted her, she gently said,

**Would you mind it, sir, if you turned your head?
For you know I do not want to be
Like a proud, stuck-up old Pharisee!"
He humored the little maid, but a smile
Played o'er his face, as he stood there the while.

**Excuse me, child, but what did you say?"
The gentleman asked, in a courteous way,
As he took in his the wee, white hand;
**I believe I did not quite understand."

**O, sir, don't you know? Have you never read," Said the child amazed, "what our Saviour said?

"We shouldn't give like those hypocrite men,
Who stood in the market places then,
And gave their alms, just for folks to tell,
Because they loved to be praised so well;
But give for Christ's sake, from our little store,
What only he sees and nobody more.

"Good-bye, kind sir, this is my way home; I'm sorry you'll have to walk home alone." The gentleman passed along, and thought of large sums given for the fame it brought, And he said, "I never again will be In the market place a Pharisee;

She preached a sermon, true and good, The dear little maid in a pale blue hood."

-Susan Teall Perry.

The Home Missionary Locomotive.

ARRANGED BY MARY E. HOLMES.

[Across the platform suspend a large sheet on which is drawn, in side view, a locomotive and tender, with the fireman and engineer. On each part print plainly the names as indicated in the text, and let the children point to these as they recite; after reciting, each steps back, gradually forming a semicircle; those in costume form another directly in front of the first.

A sheet with drawing large enough to be distinctly seen in almost any church can be rented at $1.50 and postage one way, on application to Miss Mary E. Holmes, Rockford, Ill. Frequently there are those in the congregation who can make the drawing and print the names.]

GREETING. [By a little girl.]

"FOR all our mercies, God be praised!
And for this pleasant place of meeting;
Kind friends and dear, assembled here,
The little children give you greeting.
It is not much that we can do

To spread abroad the wondrous story,
Yet we're stewards of God's gifts,

And gladly use them for his glory.
We are young, yet we have learned
That nothing from this duty frees us,
To send the Gospel far and near,

To bring our native land to Jesus."

Leader. Perhaps no single agency has done more for the civilization of this great country than has steam under its varied applications. To-night we wish to equip and send out our Home Missionary Locomotive. To build and supply it requires the united efforts of men, women, and children. We trust the zeal of our young friends will quicken the enthusiasm of us who are older. Children, what shall be our Boiler-that most essential and conspicu ous part of our engine?

No. 1 [a boy]. For this we gladly offer Love, which "endureth all things. Love never faileth. And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

No. 2 [a boy]. On these big Drive Wheels we inscribe Strength. "Now is come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ."

No. 3 [a boy]. For these smaller Truck Wheels we bring Service.

"And may our service our devotion prove;
Show us the way, and we will follow Thee.
In this great work appoint to us some part,
And each will yield an offering from the heart.
Teach thou our hearts that we may be
Prepared for service, Lord, for thee."

No. 4 [a girl]. The best of fuel will only smolder Το without the draft from a good Smokestack. fan the fires of our engine and help over the hard places, we shall need courage. "Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee." No. 5 [a girl]. Our Cylinder and Connecting Rod shall be Prayer.

"Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,
Unuttered or expressed;

The motion of a hidden fire

The Lord who gives the season
Will bless with quickening grace,
Till the whole broad world rejoices
O'er the ransomed of our race."

No. 7 [a girl]. I bring the Mercy Bell [she sings].

"Ring the bells of heaven, there is joy to-day,
For a soul returning from the wild;
See the Father meets him out upon the way,
Welcoming his weary wandering child."
[All on platform, thus far, unite in chorus.]
"Glory, glory, how the angels sing!
Glory, glory, how the loud harps ring!
'Tis the ransomed army, like a mighty sea,
Pealing forth the anthem of the free."

No. 8. The Whistle shall be Joy, to sound forth through this broad land, even to the gates of heaven, the news of sinners saved. "Likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repentetli, more than over ninety and nine just persous, who need no repentance."

No. 9 [two advance together]. The machinery would soon be worn and poor without us little Oilers "wipers" they call us-, -Meekness and Purity. [A says:]

"O learn that it is only by the lowly

The paths of peace are trod.

If thou wouldst keep thy garments white and holy Walk humbly with thy God."

[B says:] "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

"Since thou wouldst have us free from sin,
And pure as those above,
Make haste to bring thy nature in,

And perfect us in love."

No. 10 [a girl]. In darkness we often must go, but one Head Light illumines the path. [She sings:]

"Jesus bids us shine with a pure clear light,
Like a little candle burning in the night;
In this world of darkness each one must shine,
You in your small corner, and I in mine."

No. 11 [a girl]. For the Tender we bring Friendship. "In union there is strength."

No. 12 [a girl]. I bring as Fuel, Faith. "Lord, increase our faith."

No. 13 [a boy]. For Water let us take Righteous"Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled."

ness.

Leader. But it does not move.

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The real engine

cannot till the living fire is applied to the fuel-no more can our Home Mission Locomotive move without the presence and power of Christ. Can we have this?

All together. His command is, "Go ye therefore and teach all nations," and his promise is, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." [All sing one verse of "Coronation."] Leader. How shall this Locomotive cross the ravines and climb the mountains of difficulty?

No. 16. "Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain." Leader. What classes of people are awaiting its coming in our land?

[Enter children dressed in ccstume, one after the other.]

New Mexico.

"I come from the land where the light and the darkness,

The good and the evil, are ever at strife,

To plead for my famishing ones ere they perish,
For you have the bread and the water of life.
O, send to my people the Gospel of Jesus,

Let the words of the Master their fetters unbind; Come over and help us, for dark superstition Debauches the soul and bewilders the mind."

Alaskan.

"Not from the distant Orient, I,

Our land lies 'neath your own fair sky,
And Alaska, Alaska, has needs,
And earnestly, O Christian, pleads
For help to break the chains that bind,
And life's immortal way to find."

Mormon.

"O, dark is the fate of the wife and the mother
Where the lot of a woman is worse than a slave.
Enshrouded in gloom and encircled in sorrow,
Till love's dearest gift to a girl is the grave.

O, send to our people the Gospel of Jesus.
Let our priests and philosophers bow at his feet,
Let the heralds come from over the prairies
And quickly the offer of mercy repeat."
Indian.

"Where the birch canoe is gliding
Past the lilies of the lake,
Where the wolf and bear are hiding,
Where we hear the rattlesnake-
In a wigwam, rude and wild,
There dwell I, your Indian child.

"No one speaks to me of Jesus,
No one teaches me to pray,
No one tells me of a heaven,

Where all tears are wiped away.
No one reads to me God's word,
Sabbath bells I've never heard."

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City Waif.

"I bring a cry from the house of sin That little children are dwelling in; List to my voice from the home of want, Where the poor are cold, in their raiment scant. 'He suffers the children to come,' did you say? Where shall we find him? Show us the way."

Negro.

"The South is my native land
The calla lily, pure and white,
Rejoices in the glad sunlight;
Thousands of happy creatures run,
Untamed, unfettered, in the sun;
O, if there be a God of love

Who looks in mercy from above,

Whose power can change the savage heart,
Bid hate and cruelty depart,

Impel the strong to shield the weak,

Each one his neighbor's weal to seek

O teach us how to find his face,
Pity and help our suffering race.

O, Christian land of liberty,

I stretch my eager hands toward thee."

[The children in costume now sing the “Missionary Hymn."]

"From Utah's land of darkness

To icebound Labrador;
From mountain, plain, and river,
From east to western shore;
From Sitka's northern breezes
To climes of palm or pine,
Rings out one cry of sadness,

O, send us truth divine."

[Other children not in costume respond in song.]

"White are the fields to harvest,

The laborers are few,

Arise and for the Master

The glorious work renew.
Toil while the daylight lasteth,
Salvation free proclaim,

Till through our widespread nation
Is known Messiah's name."

[All together sing:]

"Let every wind bear tidings

Of Gospel peace and love,
While hymns of praise are swelling
From earth to heaven above.
Repeat the wondrous story,
Where'er the hearers be
Till Jesus in his glory

Shall reign from sea to sea."

[An older girl recites:]

"Christian, can you sit in silence,
While this ery fills all the air,
Or content yourself with giving
Merely what you well can spare?
Hear ye not the tramp of people
Marching on to day of doom?
They are dropping, falling swiftly,

Like the leaves, into the tomb.
Souls for whom Christ died are dying,
While the ceaseless tramp goes by;
Can you shut your ears, O Christian,

To their ceaseless moan and cry?"

-Home Mission Monthly.

On Taking the Collection.

BY KEV. ALFRED J. HOUGH.

I WAS taking my collection for the foreign mission work; And believing it the practice on the part of some to shirk From the clearest Christian duty-leaving others to sustain The sublimest work of ages-in my preaching I was plain, Rather personal in places, and, as people sometimes say, Struck out squarely from the shoulder, in the good oldfashioned way.

There were restlessness and motion, quite unusual in the

pews;

Women rearranged their bonnets, men had trouble with their shoes.

In the gallery all around me there was one continual stir, And a large amount of coughing for that season of the year.

This but acted as a challenge on a nature such as mine,

So I rose to the occasion, hewing closer to the line.

Uncle Ben, as was his custom, gave the sermon earnest

heed,

But his face wore some expressions that were difficult to read.

I discoursed upon the subject, argued, scolded for an hour,
And pronounced a peroration of considerable power.
The collection was my first one, and I naturally believed
It would reach a handsome figure; I was thoroughly de-
ceived:

When the ushers gave the total they both said, with solemn face,

It was far the smallest offering ever taken in that place.
Full of weariness, reflecting on the selfishness of men,

I went early Monday morning to talk with Uncle Ben.

He was milking, and I asked him what the bottom reason

was

That the people gave so little to the foreign mission cause? "Try your hand at milking, parson," Uncle Ben said, with a smile.

"Take this Jersey ;" and I sat down, pleased enough to make a trial,

Going at the business roughly, like a novice, pull, tug,

pound,

And that heifer in a moment laid me flat out on the ground. "Whoa, there, Bessie! Jump up, parson; ain't hurt much?

I'll brush your coat,

Here's your hat," he said. I swallowed something rising in my throat.

Then he sat beside that Jersey, humming some old-fashioned air,

Milking, humming, and the creature stood and never stirred a hair.

"Well," I said, regaining slowly calmness and a sweeter mood,

"Who would dream, to see that heifer, she would ever act so rude?"

Uncle Ben looked up and whispered: "It's a curious kind of trick,

How to get the milk out from her, and not have the creature kick.

Learn the lesson, parson, clearly; learn it here and learn it

now

You must touch a congregation gently, as I touch this cow.
Lay your hand upon the people with a stroke as soft as silk,
And you'll fill the plates with money as I fill this pail with
milk."
-Zion's Herald.

A MISSIONARY received a letter from a banker in Shanghai, China, asking him to recommend ten or more Christians to be employed in his bank, "because," he said, "the Christians are the only trustworthy men in the city."