Foochow Mission.

PROGRESS AMID IDOLATRY.

MR. HUBBARD writes from Foochow, September 21:

"The Society of Christian Endeavor,' formed last spring with some misgivings on account of the approach of summer and the necessary absence of the missionaries, has been doing good work all summer, and we hope for great things from it this fall and winter. Now that they have tarried at Jerusalem with manifest blessing, it is possible to use quite a number of the members in the work of establishing Sunday-schools and holding meetings. A little more study of the language and the people, and I hope to be able to supervise such a work and movement. There is plenty of room for such work all about us. We do not need to take long and tedious journeys into the country to find people and places for work.

"The schools have opened auspiciously. The Girls' School has thirty pupils, I think, and others perhaps to come. The Boys' School in the city has opened under Miss Hartwell's superintendence, Mr. Hartwell not having returned from the North. The Woman's School will not open for a month or two, as the quarters occupied at Ponasang are too small, and those in the new premises in the city are not yet ready.

"The number of lead-foil beaters (for the manufacture of idol-paper) is constantly on the increase. The noise from their beating near our premises at the suburbs and the stifling fumes from the melting of the metal are consequently increasing. They have three relays of men, and thus keep up a constant din from early morning till midnight. I have awakened at two and three o'clock to hear some solitary beater hammering away. With the increase of numbers there is increased

ability to have theatres. Of late our nights have been veritable pandemoniums. This southern people hold their theatres all night till broad daylight. With gongs, drums, cymbals, clappers, bells, squeaky pipes, and stringed instruments, shouting

actors and firecrackers, they make night hideous. It were impossible for a person with weak nerves to stand it all."

North China Mission.

DOMESTIC LIFE OF WOMEN.

MISS PORTER, of Pang Chuang, in a letter of September 23, writes of Chinese houses in that vicinity:

"The main features of Chinese domestic and social life are quite the best for them in their present condition. Not only not opposed to the gospel, their theories and standards are such as, if tempered by its spirit of love, would be truly admirable. The Shantung women are selfreliant, self-helpful, faithful wives and affectionate mothers. The young women are, as a rule, modest, and, accepting the position of subordination to mother-inlaw and husband cheerfully, they rise out of it as the years go on, to a place in the family counsels. One would hardly desire for them a larger freedom until a gradual change has come in all the conditions of society. Nor would one desire to see that change other than gradual. I imagine that their morals are far higher than those of the majority of the peasantry of Europe, and their manners are incomparably superior. Yet they are ignorant, superstitious, and give way to fits of passion, in which they use the vilest of language and seem utterly to forget that regard for appearances which is generally such a controlling motive.

"The time has hardly come to look for much change in their homes. There are some households in the mission living in most carefully kept houses- the husbands and wives mutual helpers — the children trained to a loving obedience -little touches of taste and culture showing themselves in the appointments and ordering of the home; but as yet I know none such except when the money which supports it comes from the foreigners. These men are young helpers in the employ of the mission their wives Bridgman School girls. This is no test. When I see a

native home where the family live away from foreigners, supporting themselves without aid from abroad, growing more neat and caring to make home attractive, I shall count that the effect of the gospel: and this will come! - but slowly. As yet in Shantung we do not see the dawning of that day. Our helpers all have farms, and their families work them. They are industrious and thrifty, but neither neater nor more comfortable than their neighbors.

"These things are all secondary. Personal love to Christ will work the same changes in these women that it has wrought the world over. When that fills their hearts the homes must grow pure and bright. These burdened, weary - laden ones will find rest,' and that rest will work outward, finding expression in gentle words and acts first; later, in making the external things of the home attractive.”

TWO NEW NATIVE PREACHERS.

the uncle of this young man brought him to me as a candidate for a place in the printing-office. Mr. Hunt looked at the young lad for for some minutes in silence, put some questions to him through me as an interpreter, and then, in his abrupt way, not without humor, said: Take him and make a minister of him.' I took him into my school.

"The other young man is a son of our native helper Hung. The son's name is Hung Shan Chung. He goes into a country district eighty miles south of Peking in which we have labored for many years, and has about forty baptized persons, men, women, and children, under his charge. Several persons there now desire baptism. The church in Peking helps him in his outfit, as it helped the one just mentioned. Those to whom he goes have need to learn that the laborer is worthy of his hire,' and this instruction is now imparted to them. It is not pro

as

"Since writing last we have, at our station, sent forth two young men licensed preachers into important fields of labor. One of these, Jên Hsuch Hai, has gone to Cho Cheu, a city of say 40,000 inhabitants, forty miles southwest of Peking, on the road to Pao-ting-fu. We have labored there more or less for many years. I first visited the city in 1861. There are now several baptized persons in the city, and some inquirers. We found a house for the young man and his wife without difficulty, and they have commenced their labors under very favorable circumstances.

"Just before leaving Peking the young man addressed our congregation, and told of his coming to the metropolis to seek employment, with no knowledge of the Christian faith, or thought of becoming a Christian; of his entering our school, and afterward the school at Tungcho; his joining the church and being led by his conviction of duty to the work of the ministry. He invoked the prayers of the church for him, as now entered upon this work. I well remember the day when

stations, although the church in Peking may aid their efforts to provide them for themselves."

Shanse Mission.

AN OPIUM HOSPITAL.

MR. AND MRS. STIMSON, of this mission, have been spending a few weeks at Chieh Hsiu, and are much encouraged at the outlook. They speak of the city as very beautiful, aside from its heathenism. Mrs. Stimson has a class of some twenty boys, who are committing to memory a catechism of Christian doctrine.

Mr. Tenney reports the success of an undertaking carried on for a few weeks by himself and Mr. Atwood, at the village of Simien Chuang, where they opened an opium-refuge. Mr. Tenney says:

"Our friends in the village secured us a house, which we used free of rent for the time we were there. The town of Simien is remarkably well built for an unwalled, town. The house provided for us was not one of the finest, of course, but was well built. and comfortable, affording

really has charge of our evangelistic work, and which receives some financial aid from us sent there Mr. Fujita, a former student of ours, at the beginning of the summer, with the idea of continuing the work uninterruptedly. The repeated disappointments of the people made them loth to believe that the work was to be continued, and so the few faithful ones planned for one or two days' public preaching, and asked some help from Kioto. So I promised to go over near the close of the summer vacation, and was so fortunate as to secure Pastor Hori of the church of Nagahama — which lies about half-way between Kioto and Fukui - to go with me. Two of his church members also went.

"Arriving there late in the evening, we found that the twelve or fifteen Christians —most of them as yet unbaptized — had hired the largest and best theatre in the city for the two following days, and that the programme was for preaching-meetings from 2 to 5 o'clock each afternoon, and from 7 to 10 each evening, at each of which there were to be three or four sermons; that is, one from each preacher. We expressed some doubt as to an audience gathering in the daytime, but the Christians seemed confident of success. We were shown to a quiet hotel that the Christians had provided for us; and, after supper and 'good-night' to the Christians, who with remarkable considerateness left us early that we might rest after the long rough ride of the day, I donned my nightclothes and was just about to get into my bed on the floor, when one of the friends came back saying that there were three teachers desirous of meeting me. I explained the situation, but the friend said they would not care if I did not, and so I received them at once. They proved to be very intelligent men and apparently occupied very good positions as instructors in the Academy and in the Normal School - two government institutions which seem to be closely connected. After a talk of an hour or so they bade me good-night, with the arrangement that I was to visit their schools the next day.

"Early next morning, just as my Japanese bath was over, a card was brought me which proved to be that of the head of the flourishing medical school and hospital of Fukui, and, as he could not well be put off, I received him even before I was dressed. Meeting one of the Christians after breakfast, I suggested that we meet for prayer for a blessing upon the meetings, some time during the forenoon, but was pleasantly surprised on being told that such meetings had been held at halfpast five in the morning for a number of days.

"The first afternoon we had an excellent though not very large audience, composed chiefly of teachers and students from the schools, physicians, lawyers, and officials. I should have said there were nearly four hundred present; but as the Japanese leave their sandals at the door, the men who took charge and checked them off said there were fully five hundred. The four sermons, covering a period of three hours, had the very best attention. In the evening there was just about the same amount of preaching, but the theatre was packed, sitting and standing room all being occupied. The local newspapers reported an audience of 1,700, but I should not have put it above 1,200 or 1,500. Crowded as it was, we had good attention to the end; but I think the Christians were afraid to risk it a second night, and so announced that the public meetings would close with the afternoon session of the next day. At that meeting we had about 700 present, and it was a great success in every way. Mr. Hori's preaching was very direct, strong, yet tender. During the day I had other callers, an ex-judge who now has a small private law-school; the head of a private English school, who proved a very interesting man; a retired official who, more than any other of the callers, showed a heartfelt interest in Christianity; etc. In the evening the Christians had a praise-meeting, and it was evident that they were greatly encouraged and their faith greatly strengthened; and later reports show that the meetings were a real gain."

accommodations for about twenty patients. Our coming had been much talked over, so that, soon after our arrival, we had as many patients as we could attend to. Our patients varied in age from twenty years to over sixty. One had been addicted to the opium-habit for forty years. While the habit generally increases on its victim, yet there are those who are able to limit themselves to a fixed amount daily, and so continue the use during a long lifetime. The poorer ones of our patients did not smoke, but only took a decoction of the ashes. The use of the ashes in this way allows those whose means fail, to continue the habit after they cannot afford the pure drug. There is an inclined plane of prices in the ashes, accompanied by decrease in effectiveness, according as it has been smoked once or more. The method we employed prevented that terrible suffering which results from suddenly cutting off the opium altogether, and seemed to be successful in gradually obliterating the craving. Of course, we cannot speak of success or failure until several months have passed and we see how the patients hold out.

"On its evangelistic side our stay of nearly a month proved very satisfactory. Living with twenty patients for such a length of time caused that crust of exclusiveness to be broken down, and our relations with them and their friends became very pleasant. We had religious services with them twice every day, and frequently had many outsiders to hear the teaching and witness the praying. We believe that several of those whom we helped to break off the opium have learned to prize the truths of Christianity as well as the medicines of the foreigner.

"In addition to our work with the opium-patients, Mr. Atwood visited a large number of people in their homes to treat the sick. We were much touched by the gratitude which the people seemed to feel on our departure. All the patients clubbed together and furnished us a great feast; after we had finished eating they brought a cart to the door, and, with their friends to the number of sixty or seventy,

escorted us through the streets of the town till we had passed quite out into the open country. Those who belonged to the better class wore their dress-suits, such as are worn on ceremonial occasions, so that it made quite a conspicuous tribute of honor to us. An almost unlimited number of people in the town are anxious to break off opium, now that they have seen that it is possible, and they beg us to return as soon as Mr. Atwood comes back from Tientsin. Other villages have invited us to come and stay with them, so that it seems likely to open a new way of reaching the people that may be profitably and extensively employed."

Japan Mission.

DR. GORDON sends from Kioto, October 9, the following account of

A TRIP TO FUKUI.

"Those who have read The Mikado's Empire' will remember Fukui as the city where Mr. Griffis, the author of that valuable work, spent his first year in Japan. It is a city of about 50,000 inhabitants, the chief town of the province of Echizen, and lies in the middle of a large, fertile plain not far from the western coast. Mr. Griffis spent five days on the road between Kioto and Fukui; but with increased freedom from restraint and improved means of travel, two days now amply suffice for the journey.

"We have had work going on there at intervals for several years by students from our school who have gone there to preach during the summer vacation. But that kind of work, though valuable in making a beginning, is not very satisfactory if continued for a half-dozen years or more. It has been, indeed, somewhat like the old 'problem' about the frog who climbed so far up a pole in the night, and slipped back an almost equal distance during the day; after deducting from the gains of two months the losses of ten, so little was left that the little band of Christians there were a good deal discouraged. However, the Japanese Missionary Society - which