Mission to Spain. PROSPECTS AT SANTANDER. sewing together narrow pieces of cocoanut people there no longer fear to wear boards, with cocoanut cord; their houses clothes. The people of the Marshall Islare simply a roof of pandanus thatch, ands, Kusaie, and Ponape, are all serfs. with open sides; their clothing (most of The chiefs own all the land, and when a the men have none) a sort of Adam and common native approaches his chief, he Eve's apron, made of cocoanut leaves; comes crouching." their beds a coarse pandanus mat, and another like it for a covering. Their weapons of war, offensive and defensive, exhibit more skill than any other manufacture. Their helmet and coat of mail, made of the fibre of the cocoanut husk, is of such firm and substantial fabric that it cannot be pierced by their spears, and I doubt whether a pistol ball would penetrate it; and their spears, varying from a foot in length to twelve or fifteen feet, armed with sharks' teeth on both sides, or with the dreaded stingoree, are fearful looking weapons. "The Marshall Islanders are all clad. They have the Adam and Eve's apron, but made of the bark of the hybiscus, and much longer than that of their neighbors in the Gilbert Islands. They also add the bustle to their garment, giving it the appearance of the Grecian Bend. They make very fine embroidered mats, nice fans, and curious baskets and satchels. They build more substantial houses, and much larger canoes, almost equal, in fact, to our schooners. And when we reach Kusaie and Ponape, we meet looms for weaving elegant belts, of thread made from the Manilla banana, and mats for carpets, superior to what we import from China. "In their civil polity, the Gilbert Islanders are democratic. The people meet in the council houses and discuss and decide all measures of state. This is evidently the case till we approach the northwest end of the group, near the Marshall Islands. There they have begun to imbibe the infection of royalty; but even there, the chiefs are not regarded with the abject reverence which is awarded them in the groups farther west. In Milli, one of the Marshall Islands, the will of the king is law. He has forbidden the men to wear pantaloons, and none dare to wear them. The same sort of despotic power kept the inhabitants of Ponape in a semi-nude state for many years; but the MR. Wм. H. GULICK, in two recent letters, notices briefly the increase of the little Sabbath gathering at his lodgings. On the 21st of December he wrote: "In my last to you, of November 26th, I said that the attendance on our Sabbath services fluctuated in number from five to eight. Since then it has steadily increased. Last Sabbath there were sixteen persons present, besides those of my own family — all adults but two. I cannot but wonder that they should take the trouble to climb up ninety-six steps, to attend our very simple services. It is an encouraging fact. Should we circulate printed invitations, or notices of our meetings, I fear we' should not have room for all who would be likely to come; and so long as we have the services in our parlor, it is as well' perhaps that we should continue in this quiet way.. I do not yet find a suitable room for a more public place of worship." A few days later, December 25th, he wrote again: "I mentioned in my last that the attendance on our services of the previous' Sabbath was sixteen, besides those of my own family. Last Sabbath we provided seats for twenty-five. They were filled early, and we brought out all the empty boxes we could muster in the house, which seated some twelve or fifteen more; but they still continued to come, until we had a compact congregation of fifty-two persons, ten of whom were women, and six children. Some sat on the floor, and others stood in the hall, near the doors. All were quiet, respectful, and attentive. "It is impossible to tell whether the interest in our work, now apparently on the increase, will continue, or whether, curiosity being satisfied, or Romish instincts aroused, there will be a falling off from our meetings. However it may be, we thank MISSION TO THE SANTHALS.-INDIA. THE "Lucknow Witness," as quoted in the "Bombay Guardian” of December 7, 1872, gives the following account of a remarkable work among the Santhals, one of the wild tribes of Northern India: "We rejoice to hear that a gracious and indeed glorious work of grace is going forward among the Santhals, in connection with the Indian Home Mission, best known to the public as Mr. Boerresen's mission. Since May last, a spirit of inquiry has been spreading among the people, and two hundred and twenty adults have been baptized. Seven villages have, in whole or in part, embraced Christianity, and the interest is spreading widely in all directions. Many inquirers are coming to the missionaries, and these excellent men are greatly straitened for help. The most hopeful thing about this movement is that it is being mainly pushed forward by the people themselves. Not a single man among the converts is put upon mission pay. A few teachers are paid very small salaries, and of the former native helpers, the highest salary paid to any one is six rupees, and that to an ordained native preacher! All the converts are learning to read, and the best spirit prevails among them. "One of the most successful assistants in this work is a woman about sixty years of age. She has been known to go on foot seven miles to talk - if she were a man we would call it preach to the people, and her word is attended with power. Whatever may have been meant by the order for women to keep silence in the churches, we presume no one will dispute the right of this' daughter' to 'prophesy,' as Joel predicted the daughters should, especially if her words carry conviction to human hearts, and lead men to forsake the worship of the devil - literally — and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. "Mr. Boerresen, who is a Dane, is assisted by a Norwegian brother, the only representatives of their respective nationalities, we believe in India. They are connected with no missionary society, and depend chiefly on friends in India for their support, and for the expenses con nected with their work. "The work among the Santhals began in connection with a man whose conversion was brought about in a very singular way.1 He was more perfectly inafter baptized. He then left, but in three structed [by the missionaries] and soon .... weeks returned with half a village of inquirers, and he has since brought over an entire village of devil-worshippers. He is still full of zeal and doing a great work for his Master. We make no comment on this incident. No Christian, however, who has studied the way of the Lord, and noticed how often our notions of elaborate agencies are confounded by the extreme simplicity of the method that yields suc cess, can read such an incident without feeling that the hand of the Lord is in it." 1 By a dream, which led him to visit the missionaries. ED. MISS'Y HERALD. JUST ESTIMATE OF THE MISSIONARY WORK. with energy, and that new missions may MR. BLODGET, writing from Peking, soon be commenced, now that God has so "No class of men bid missionaries on their leaving home, a more hearty Godspeed, or follow them more constantly in their sympathies and prayers, than aged, intelligent Christians. And who can weigh things in the balances of the sanctuary, if not they?" As illustrating this, he sends the following extract from a letter recently received by him from the venerable Dr. Pond, of Bangor : : - "We are still here, looking out from our humble watchtower upon the great interests of Christ's kingdom, for nothing else in this world is great. I honor you, my dear Sir, as a missionary of Jesus. The Apostles were all missionaries, and the missionaries of our time have a better claim to be called the successors of the Apostles than any other men living. The missionary work is prior, in the order of nature, to the pastoral work, and prior to it in point of importance; and to be a missionary to the vast empire of China is perhaps the highest point of all; for, of the great conflict preceding the millennium, China may be regarded as the Thermopyla. When China is converted, the world will be converted, and until China is converted, the world cannot be. I make these remarks, my dear brother, not to inflate you, but to comfort and encourage you. Toil on in faith, and accomplish as an hireling your day, and your work cannot be in vain in the Lord." wonderfully opened these lands to our efforts. I have long been accustomed to give $100 yearly to the American Board, from my earnings as a teacher, and design still to do so this year. I intend this as additional, as a thank-offering. My little property was invested in Chicago, and my loss from the fire proves to be very small. I wish gratefully to acknowledge this by adding $200 to my yearly contribution, knowing that your receipts from Chicago must be greatly diminished in consequence of the fire." LETTER FROM A NATIVE PASTOR. MR. NOYES, of the Madura mission, now in this country, sends some extracts from a letter recently received by him from a native pastor in his station field; copying his English "with very little change." Referring to his acceptance of a call to the pastorate in Kambam, three times repeated, he says: "You know that the Kambam church had extended two calls to me before you left. They also extended another call to me on the 11th of March, 1872, while I was in the theological school. As it has been a matter of long consideration, constant prayer, and earnest desire between the church and myself, I have accepted the call most willingly, and am now on my way to the field. I hope the Lord will graciously enable me for the work, and grant us our prayers soon. Please pray, and ask friends to pray, for the church and myself.” Noticing the Kambam valley station (now Periaculum) he writes: "I am very sorry indeed of the present state of our station, and we pray for it again and again without ceasing. You please come and accomplish the work you commenced there. We pray for your safe return." Referring to the departure of several missionaries, at the beginning of 1872, he says: "Their removal has considerably decreased the small number of our missionaries; but I am glad to say that the Lord hath most mercifully preserved the health of those who remain, and that they have divided the whole mission work among their few hands and carry it on bravely. God has also blessed the mission with the addition of four efficient native pastors this year, who have been ordained and installed over the churches to which they were called. The ten efficient men who graduated from the seminary with me are also going to work in different places of the mission field, and thus the mission has a good many encouraging events, although it seemed to have some unfavorable news at the beginning of this year. We faithfully hope and pray for good times in the mission. The few fruits that have appeared now we hope are first ones, for the abundant crops which we are going to reap hereafter. We pray for your return with some more reinforcements if possible. "We feel we are very much bound to our benevolent American Board. I dont know how I shall reward it for the good I derived of it. My all belongs to it alone. Through the strength of the Lord, I hope I can co-labor with it in Madura with all my might. I devote myself to the work of the Lord who hath redeemed me, and faithfully pray that He will most graciously employ me in his field and use up me only for his cause." GIVING FOR MISSIONS. DR. DUFF, in an address before the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland, in May last, is reported in the "Free Church Record" as saying: "Look at the number of communicants, at the amount annually contributed, and dividing it, find the average that each member of the Church contributed. He had no words to express his horror and amazement at the discovery thus made. He would be glad also to supply materials for ministers on this subject. One congregation numbered 710 members. How many of these contributed anything for the spread of the gospel throughout the world? There were 280; leaving all the rest giving nothing; and yet they were not poor. In another congregation of 800, there were only 130 who gave towards this object; in another of 700, there were only 85; in another of 746, there were only 77; in another of 513, there were only 125; in another of 642, only 40; in another of 230, only 79; in another of 1227, only 311; in another of 756, only 126; in another of 820, only 161; in another of 460, only 50; in another of 898, only 212; and in another of 732, only 150. He could not bring himself to believe that this fact had ever been understood before, or thought of. When they took an average, they found that there were large congregations in their Church that gave at the enormous rate of three pence a year, each, to the spread of the gospel! One large congregation in the Presbytery in Edinburgh gave at the rate of a farthing each per annum only, or the forty-eighth part of a penny per month, for the conversion of the world! Surely this state things of should no longer be tolerated in that church." LIBERALITY AT FOOCHOW. DR. OSGOOD writes from Foochow (August 30th, 1872), "I have printed some reports of the Chinese hospital in connection with our mission. These were distributed among the foreign community, which numbers less than two hundred. About a week after distributing them, I prepared a subscription paper, and asked the Lord to give me favor in the sight of those who had his silver and gold. As the result of two days work, I secured subscriptions in aid of the hospital to the amount of $1,127, and $500 for a building fund, total $1,627.” THE ESQUIMAUX. THE "Church Missionary Record" states: "By the census of 1855, the numbers [of the Esquimaux] are estimated at 4,000 in British North America. Beyond these limits they are found in the territory formerly known as Russian North America, and which, since its cession, on the 18th of October, 1867, to the United States, is better known as Alaska Territory. They form, as it were, a fringe of human beings, dotted about here and there on the sea shore of the vast continent, extending from Labrador in one direction, to Behring's Straits in the other; and, as we shall see presently, the gospel in its purity has been carried to this interesting race from one extremity of the vast continent to the other. The very thought of the Redeemer's praise being sung from the extreme east of this great continent to the far west is exhilarating,' writes one of our missionaries, and helps us to look forward with hope to the time when all the dwellers in the wilderness shall kneel before Him. May God hasten it!'" HISTORY OF THE SANDWICH ISLANDS MISSION IN DUTCH. DR. ANDERSON's "History of the Mission of the American Board to the Sandwich Islands," has been translated into the Hollandish or Dutch language, at Kalamazoo, Michigan. The translator is the Rev. A. Kriekard, pastor of the Reformed Church in Kalamazoo; and the work was printed at the Hope College Printing Of fice, in Holland, Michigan. The translation is said by a competent judge, to be in a simple and intelligible style and with evident sympathy on the part of the translator. GLEANINGS. Rev. Dr. Riggs, of Constantinople, is spending the winter in Egypt and Syria, for the benefit of his health, much impaired by the long-continued literary labors by which he has contributed so largely to the Christian literature of the Armenians and Bulgarians. Mr. Trowbridge is in England, raising money to establish a college at Aintab, in Central Turkey. He is meeting with much encouragement. The New Testament in the Foochow colloquial dialect has just been published. The translation was by a joint Committee of the Missionaries of the American and the Methodist Episcopal Boards. The missionaries of the American Board were Dr. Baldwin and Mr. Hartwell. A Hymn Book has also been published, to which Mr. Hartwell contributed. These works will be of immense value in pushing forward the work in that field. A native African is teaching Hebrew in Straight University, Louisiana, while completing his course preparatory to the ministry in his native land. Prof. Murray, of Rutger's College, has been appointed by the Japanese gov ernment "to take charge of all affairs connected with schools and colleges" in Japan. Seventy-two years ago the Church Missionary Society (of England) started with an income of less than $2,500. It now receives more than $750,000 a year. Then, it dared not think of anything more than "Africa and the East." Now, all the world is dotted over with missionary sta. tions. The Society can number 153 stations, 208 European ordained missionaries, 129 ordained natives, and 20,000 communicants. There are now, according to the "Christian Intelligencer," eleven Protestant churches in the city of Mexico, where regular services are held. The average of missionary life on the part of missionaries of the Baptist Missionary Union, is found to be equal to that of pastors at home. Statistics carefully gathered from the experience of other Boards, it is believed, would do much to correct an erroneous popular impression on this subject. Bishop Horden (English Episcopal), of Moose Territory, North America, states that his district is 1,200 miles long and 600 broad. When he went there he found the Indians in the most deplorable state. At Ruperts House they used to murder their parents when they became old, and put to death any one who complained of sickness, without the least feeling of shame or remorse. Now, heathenism, as a system, has disappeared, and Christianity is the established religion of the land. The "Lucknow Witness" (Northern India), of November 29th, 1872, presents the following item: "The steamer Genoa, which arrived in Bombay last week, brought forty four passengers, of whom forty were missionaries. We are glad to hear that among these were important reinforcements for the Presbyte 139939 |