quire whether they are not involved in on some of the most debasing customs, as complicity with the hinderers of the Gos-, symbols of profound spiritual truths, quite pel. It is on the influence of pure Christianity, proclaimed by Christian missionaries, that we build our chief hopes for British India. A prelate who acts as Bishop Douglas is said to act is deserving of the severest censure; and those who are most warmly attached to the Church of England will bitterly deplore acts of bigotry which bring such a scandal not only on our own Church but our common Christianity." GLEANINGS. Bishop Gobat opened his first Christian school at Jerusalem in 1817, with nine children of both sexes. There are now five schools in Jerusalem attended by over 400 children, and in all Palestine 25 Protestant schools, attended by about 1,000 scholars. In self-defense, to retain their influence, about 100 schools have been established by Greek, Romish, and Armenian priests. So the light is spreading. The Niger mission of the Church Missionary Society is worthy of special interest, inasmuch as it is the offshoot of the West African mission, entirely conducted by native teachers, catechists, deacons, and priests, with a native bishop - Bishop Crowther at their head. This is the true method illustrated by the Hawaiian missions to the Marquesas and to Micronesia, and the Armenian mission to Koordistan, sent out by the Evangelical Union of Harpoot and is a promise of the ultimate success of the missionary enterprise. The field of Christian missions in what is distinctively known as the heathen world, embraces a population of 700,000,000. Of these, seven-eighths are attached to one or other of the three great systemsMohammedanism, Hindooism, Buddhism. The first is as yet relatively untouched, still pushes it proselytism in Africa, and everywhere stands as a barrier to the Christian faith. In India, university graduates take part in the most degraded rites of Hindooism and enrol themselves as its champions, and learned scholars of the West are putting mystical interpretations to the astonishment of even the Hindoos themselves. And Buddhism, with its 300,000,000 of votaries, has been hardly reached by Christian influence, but in anticipation of the coming onset, in Ceylon, is boldly upholding its atheistic philosophy by argument, and in Japan is setting its priests to the study of the Bible, with a view to its refutation. There is a good deal of hard work to be done yet, and ample scope for the ablest talent and the most thorough Christian consecration. The king of the Sandwich Islands, Kamehamaha V., died at Honolulu, December 11, 1872, at the age of 42. He was educated in the school of Mr. and Mrs. Cook, of the American mission, and came to the throne November 30, 1863. As the king left no heir, and had designated no successor to the throne, the Legislative Assembly of the kingdom was called to meet on the 8th of January to elect a sovereign. The twentieth annual report of the "Hawaiian Mission Children's Society" states that five sons and two daughters of that mission are now engaged in foreign missions, while four sons and ten daughters -the latter in schools- are in like work at the Hawaiian Islands, "making 21 descendants of the mission engaged in direct missionary work." The receipts of the society last year were $1,109.63. Keshuh Chunder Sen, the well known leader of the Brahmo Somaj, in India, himself rejecting Christ, says, in one of his eloquent addresses: "The spirit of Christianity has already pervaded the whole atmosphere of Indian society, and we breathe, think, feel, and move in a Christian atmosphere. Native society is being roused, enlightened, and reformed under the influence of Christian education." This is unexpected testimony. The progress of education in India is seen in the following facts: The average attendance of pupils in the government schools, and in those aided by the government, in 1854, was less than 50,000; in 1872, it exceeded 700,000, of whom 34,000 were in schools and colleges of the Church Missionary Society, and some 90,000 in the educational institutions of other Prot estant societies. From the opening of the University of Calcutta in 1857 to the close of the year 1870, 15,123 persons applied for entrance examination, of whom 7,279 were passed. These are the young men who are to hold the positions of influence. An effort is in progress to establish a Mohammedan university in Northwestern India, of a high grade, in which western science shall be taught in connection with the tenets of the Koran. A first instalment of $750,000 is now being raised for it, by subscriptions all over India. It seems like the beginning of a struggle for life against the inroads of Christianity. The increase of church-members in Madagascar in 1871 was 17,981, making an aggregate of 38,932; while the adherents to Christianity amounted to 315,231. Two thousand native evangelists are busy in telling the story of the Cross. The number of children in schools is 30,000. The Romanists claim a population of 4,000,000 in this country; the Methodists, reckoned in the same manner, including all the members of Methodist families and attendants on their worship, number over 10,000,000. Nearly one third of the December issue of the "Christian Work," one of the best English missionary publications, is made up of selections from the Missionary Herald." We are very glad to have English friends of missions made acquainted with the great work of the American Board, but should not the "Herald" be more uniformly credited with matter which is taken from its pages? The steady advance of the gospel in India is shown by the following statistics: The number of persons embraced in Christian congregations in 1851 was 93,739; in 1861, 138,577; in 1871, 211,497. The advance in the first decade was about 48 per cent., in the second, 54. The advance in the direction of self-support, and of contributions by the native Christians to various objects of Christian benevolence, has been much greater. A German missionary has just finished a translation of the Bible into the Sanskrit, the sacred language of India. This fact is one of the many that might be cited to show that missionaries are not neglectful of the learning of the ancient Hindoos; although not finding in it such valuable stores of religious ideas as to supersede the necessity of the Bible. Chan Laisun, the Chinese Commissioner of Education, now in the United States, by whose influence, in great measure, the Chinese government has been induced to send boys to this country for education, was, when a boy himself, under the instruction of Rev. Ira Tracy, a missionary of the American Board at Singapore, and soon after became a convert to Christianity and a hopeful Christian. Having recently discovered that Mr. Tracy was living at Bloomington, Wisconsin, Laisun wrote him, sending his photograph, etc., and signing himself "your grateful pupil." His history and his great influence for good, Mr. Tracy says, "make me think my life work has been worth ten times as much as I before supposed." "I do greatly rejoice to have had such connection with what he is doing for China." "Cast thy bread upon the waters," etc. The London "Record" gives, from a Colonial Church Journal, the following statement: "When we summarize the expenditure for 1871 of all the foreign mission funds gathered in the British Isles, we find that it did not fall far short of £900,000 ($4,500,000). This sum represents the money actually passing out of the offices at home, and administered from the United Kingdom. When to this we add the sums raised in the mission fields (subscriptions and government grants to schools), expended there by the agents of the same British societies, and amounting to about £200,000, we have a grand total of nearly £1,100,000 ($5,500,000). DEATHS. AT Bebek, near Constantinople, of diphtheria, October 16, 1872, Fanny Angeline, aged five and a half years, and October 24, Lizzie Kingsbury, aged eight years, daughters of Rev. J. K. Greene, of the Western Turkey mission. (The death of these children was noticed last month, but without the dates.) At Constantinople, December 5, after a painful illness of several weeks, Rev. Andrew T. Pratt, M. D., of the Western Turkey mission; 66 an earnest Christian, a thorough scholar, a modest man." His death will be felt as a great loss by all the missionaries in Turkey. At Sivas, Turkey, November 17, Fannie, daughter of Dr. H. S. West, of the Western Turkey mission, aged two and a half years. At Honolulu, December 18, 1872 (as announced in the "Hawaiian Gazette "), Rev. Artemas Bishop, within a few days of 77 years of age. Mr. Bishop embarked for the islands, as a missionary, November 19, 1822,- fifty years and one month before his death. At Rantoul, Champaign Co., Illinois, November 30, 1872, Mr. Henry K. Copeland, formerly of the Choctaw mission of the American Board. DONATIONS RECEIVED IN DECEMBER. MAINE. Cumberland county. Cape Elizabeth, Cong. ch. and soc. Portland, West Chapel soc. Yarmouth, 1st ch. Miss M. Chase, Hancock county. Southwest Harbor, Cong. ch. and so. West Brooksville, Cong. ch. and so. Kennebec county. Augusta, Cong. eh. and so. (of wh. from E. A. Nason, to const. Rev. JAMES H. ECOв, H. M., 50;) Lincoln and Sagadahoc counties. Bath, S. Y. Snipe, Piscataquis county. 400 Franklin co. Aux. Soc. C. B. Swift, Tr. Bakersfield, Cong. ch. and so. Franklin, Cong. ch. and so. 50 35 8047 27 00--107 47 5.00 12 00-17 00 8.90 287 06 15 25-24 15 Orange county. 1 00 4.00 Rev. A. R. Foxcroft and Dover, Cong. ch. and Gray, Tr. Boston, of wh. from Joshua Bates, 10; an old friend, 10; a friend, 5; 246 85 Chelsea, Winn. ch. and so. m. c. Nov. and Dec. 76.95; Cen. ch. and so. m. c. 41.62; Ann M. Dutch, 10; Bristol county. Berkley, Ladies of Cent. so. Lawrence, Cen. ch. and so. Essex co. North Conf. of Ch's. William Thurston, Tr. Amesbury and Salisbury, Cong. ch. and so. m c. 131 57-378 42 76 30-116 05 6 94 22 40 800---30 40 30.00 975 158 16 Russell ch. and so. m. c. 12.50; 43 10 Ridgefield, 1st Cong. ch. and so. Farmington, Cong. ch. and so. 11 70 700 120 00-138 70 205 90 Tr. 18 50 16.00 so. 216 00 335 71 813 10 372 50 32.00 Kensington, Cong. ch. and so. 77 35 21 38-596 01 Manchester, 1st Cong. ch. and so. to 15 00 const. Mrs. MARY PERKINS, H. M. 173 50 Newington, Cong, ch. and so. 89; m. 500-20 00 771.58; m. c. 20.67; College at. ch. and 80. to const. Mrs. LUMAN COWLES, ALFRED W. WELD, and Mrs. GAIUS F. WARNER, H. M. 290.24; (also books from Rev. S. N. Barnum, value 12;) Davenport ch. m. c. 10.18; Howard ave. ch. 38; North ch. m. c. 7.72; Nelson Hall, 50; a friend, ch. of the Redeemer, 22; South Meriden, Cong. ch. and so. 1,210 39 Waterbury, 1st Cong. ch and so. 8.97 94 65 L. A. Ilyde, Trs. Bozrah, N. S. Hunt and family, East Lyme, Cong. ch. and so.6; Mrs Greeneville, Robert M. McKee, 500 U. M. Webb, 5; 11.00 NORTH CAROLINA. Groton, Rev. A. L. Whitman, 5 00 Hanover, Cong. ch. and so. Jewett City, Cong. ch. and so. New London, 2d Cong. ch. and so. Norwich, 1st Cong. ch. and so. m. c. 18.17; Broadway ch. and so. m. c. 36 90; Old Lyme, Cong. ch. and so. Tolland county. E. C. Chapman, Tr. Ellington, Cong. ch. and so. 78; Erastus Talcott, to const. Mrs. H. H. TALCOTT, H. M. 100; 108 00 64.00 Marietta Cong. ch. and so., in part, 75.00 5 10 43 25 27 75 5 00 93 85-174 95 Mansfield, 2d Cong. ch. and so. Rockville, 1st Cong. church and so. 172.72; 2d Cong. ch. and so. to const. E. R. PILLSBURY, Mrs. SARAH H. GIBSON, Mrs. ELLEN M. HYDE, and Mrs. EVELYN C. DURFEE, H. M. 392.92; Rev. Giles Pease, 5; Vernon, 1st Cong, ch. and so. Gents' soc. 78.50; La. soc. 65.08; Windham co. Rev. H. F Hyde, Tr. Ashford, 1st Cong. ch. and so. Canterbury, 1st Cong. ch. and so. East Woodstock, Cong. ch. and so. West Killingly, Mrs. and Augustine Root Willimantic, Cong. ch. and so. Legacies Columbus, D. T. Woodbury, by J. J. Ferson, Ex'r, add'l, Wellington, Amos Abbot, add'l, Medina, 1st Cong. ch. and so. 40.00 Morgan, Lemuel Clark, 2.00 Salem, David A. Allen, 10.00 Toledo, Harry Chase, 10; George F. Pomeroy, 10; 20 00 7.00 8 43 5 00 10 00-673 43 124 32 265 63--389 95 1,063 38 ILLINOIS. |