~~~~~~19 .! II_ . t;1·· ~.~.I~.~.· ·.· .... I.~ ..... 0)) ·1.fI. ~I~· ~I~u~ !; 1~ • •.• ' . $ , • ~.. -. •. ~.~, • ~ _. ~,~ ) ~ ~ . r.,. r ~ _ ""lr '=-

I I I

I THE I

TWENTY"SEC0.ND ',ANNUAL/REPORT II

OF THE

FOR THE ,YEAR ENDING 31st DECEMBER, 1897.

1

HEAD-QUARTERS, HANKOW AND WUCHANG.

DEPOTS, .. HAN KOW, CHUNGKING" ANOCHENGTU.

; HAXKOWt PJUNTl~D AT 1'n1:: "X. It S. S. )USSIO~ ,rUESS."

1898.

J I j

I I I

I ~

Day Missions UbratJ

THE

TW}~NTY-SECOND ANNUAL REPORT

OF THE

FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31st DECEMBER, 7897.

HEAD-QUARTERS, HANKOW AND WUCHANG.

DEPOTS, - HANKOW, CHUNGKING, AND CHENGTU.

H A ~KO\Y:

PRINTED AT THE" N. B. 8. S. MISSIO~ .rRESs."

1 8 {) 8.

®fftcera nnll (tolll1nittee for 1898.

--'-4'¢-'--

~resi~etlt.

REv. GRIB'FITH JOHN, D.D., LONDON MISSION.

Secretar}1 an~ Ureasurer. REV. G. G. 'WARREN, 'WESLEYAN MISSION.

Colportage $ecretar}1. R~v. ARTHUR DONSEY, LO:-\DON MISSION.

!Depot Secretaries. ( A. L. GREIG, ESQ., NATIONAL BIBLE SOCIETY.

HANKOW, t A. MITCHELL, ESQ., NATIONAL DIl3LE SOCIETY.

CHUNGKING, H. C. RAMSAY, ESQ., CHINA INLAND MISSION,

CHENGTU, FA. WCETT OLSEN, ESQ., CHINA INLAND MISSIOlI(.

J5~ecu U"e Conllni ttee. Rev. JOSEPH S. ADAMS,

JOHN ARCHIBALD, Esq.,

a,.ev. Taos. BRAMFITT,

Rev. W. A. CORNABY,

Rev. A. D. COUSINS,

Rev. E. F. GEDYE, M.A., ... Rev. L. KRISTENSEN,

R(,v. D. NELSON, ...

Rev. T. E. NORTH, B.A., ... Rev. JOHN SKOLD, ...

Rev. C. G. SPARHAM,

American Baptist Union.

Xational Bible Society.

TVesleyan Mission.

Wesleyan ]Iissio'n.

London 111 i"sian.

Wesleyan ]fisl5ion.

Alliance ]IissitJ1l.

XOI'LL'l'!lirl11 Missiun.

rVes/ryan Mission.

8u,t>di sit }.[1·ssion.

London lIlissicn.

REG U L A T ION S.

I. Nam!l.-That this Society shall be denominatod the" CltSTltAL CHIX.1. RF:LHIIOUS

T.a.\.OT Socn:n," and thr.t its headquurt..ers shaUDe Hankow and Wud.ang.

II. ObJect.-!That the object of this Society shall be the circulation of Books and

Tracts, prepared on the s!l.me principles as those of the Religious Tract Societies of

London and America..

III. Membarship.-That a.ll Protestant Missionaries and Bible Society Agents,

labouring in Central and Western China., and all persons willing to co·operate ill

furthering the objecta of the Sooiety. may, on applica.tion through the Seoretary. be

elected members thereof.

IV. Executive.-That the business of the Society shall be conducted by an

Executi.,e Committee of Eleven in addition to Officers. This Committee shall be elected by ballot at the Annual Meeting, from members resident a.t headquarters, and empowered

to fill up vacancies. It shall meet when necessary (four to form a quorum) for the

examination of tracts and the translI.Ction of general business.

Y. Annual Meeting.-That the Annual Meeting of the Society shall be held a.t Hankow. during the first week in January, to adopt the Report for the year past, and

to elect the Officers and Committee for the year entered upon. General Meetings llIay

be held at other times when important business requires it.

Y1. Branch Societies.--Tha.t the Committee shall be authorised to aid members

of the Society in distant parts In the formation of Branch Societit!S.

VII. Society's Publications.-That all Books and Tracts published by the Society

must first be submitted to the Committee for examina.tion, and no Tract or Book shall

be &dopted which is not approved of by a m&jority of the Committee.

VIII. Other Publications.-That app1ications made by members of thE Society for assistance towards the publication of booIB accepted by anrl specially required ill their own lIission, shall be granted, if supported by a majority of the Cemmittee.

IX. Prices.-Tha.t the prices a.t which tra~·ts should be sold arc to be fixed by the

Committee.

X. Subscriptions.-That the Treasurer shall be authori.~d to solicit !Subscriptions

on beha.lf of the funds of the Society.

XI. Report and Catalogue.-Thll.t an Annual Report and Catalo:;ue shall b~ printed, and circulated throu;hout China.

REPORT OF THE

'tnlral ®binq 1l1diginu5 ~rnrt ~nde1~, ~897_

INTRODUCTION.

After a yea.r of comparative calm we find ourselves in the midst of stirring events which are fraught with the utmost good or the direst ill to the land and work we love so well. Yet our prevailing note is one of thanksgiving and praise for the past year, and of confident hope for the year the threshold of which we crossed but a.

few da.ys ago. PERSONALIA.

Our energetic and mfluential friend and brother, John Archibald, Esq., left us early in the SprIng for his furlough, and is effectively advocating the claims of Christian literature for the­Chinese in his own powerful and persuasive way. Weare sorry to· be about to lose the services of Walter Milward, Esq., who for· five years has quietly and efficiently discharged the onerous duties of Depot Secretary in Bankow. We shall ever cherish the memory of his kindly h€lp and unfailing brotherliness, and shall pray that in his new sphere of action his work may be as full of' blessing as it has heen amongst us.

Our Secretary and Treasurer. too, is leaving us for a furlough long deferred, but, though his energies for the time being will be spent in a different service, he assuredly will not forget the claims of this Tract Society amid the rush and hurry of deputation work in England, but will at all times keep it in the first rank of missionary schemes to be advocated not only on the platform but by th& firesides of the Christian folk at home.

6

CIRCULATION.

The tota.l number of issues from the Central Depot during

the year are :-

Books, Hymn Books, Folders,

Sheets, Calendars, Other Societies' Works,

269,507 1,9B2

253,247

113,963

294,220 21,(167

958,G46 N _ B. S. S. Introduction to Scriptures, 270,000

Total, . __ 1,228,646

This is some 17,703 less t.ha.n the issues of last year, but these were exceptionally large, owing to tha re-stocking of the Chung­king anu Chengtu Dapot3 after the riots of tLe precedillg year, all i

if this is allowed for the sum total will be seen to be rea.Uy larger than ever before; and in any case lve could console onrselves with the thought that the history of our Society teaches us that a year of phenomenally large sales is not infrequently follO\Vf~d by a year of lessened output. But though the number of our sales may vary somewhat from year to year onr progress in the aggregate is

like the rising tiue, which, though each advancing wave retires

back to the bosom of the sea after it breaks i.tself on the shore,

the strong tide keeps ad \Taneing ever till the sea is full; even so the general average of our sales keeps OD auvancing aud will for ever

grow. Comparatively few cases of all the direct go(}(l accomplished by

this immense mass of Christian literature t.llUS circula.ted broadcast.

throughout the Chinese-speaking world have reacbcu Ufl during the

year. But this is not because of the paucity of SUell ItESults, but

because of their multiplicity; for so. greatly does the "olume of Chdst.ia.n knowledge extend and grow that it is no lOl1ger possible

for missionaries to record and tabulate the innumerahle cases of

~4tenmeJlt and cOllvetSioll which are brought about throup

'1

the reading of our books a.nd tra.cts. Throughout the eighteen provinces immense multitudes of the people read our books, and

nnt oniy the poor and humble folk, but also the learned and accomplishedZiterat·i {Led tbe p.roud and powerful mandarins are

fast becomillg conversant with Christian truth through reading

cur publications and those of our sister .agency ihe Blble Societies

of this land.

Two or three instances ant of many which the wJ."iter of this Report hoas met with dnring the present year may be adduced.

Tn the spring of the year, in the city of Yingch'eng. ill the

pl'ovince of Hupe}!, a ma.n who Was being examined by the district mandarin ()ll a serious ehal'ge, seeking to screen hhnself

from the veng-eance of the law, declared himself to be a member

of ·the Church, but the malJdarin ordered 11im to be beaten, saying,

"You are no lll3mbsr of tl~a Christian Chllrch. for its pastors

teach people to b6 good, and th~y would never countenance men

who ·actas you have dOlle," The lllun repeated that he was

n member of Ule Cbu1'ch, ana that he had that very day been to

Sunda:y worsl1ip, wheJ.'eupon the mandarin ordered him to be

beaten agnin, saying) "Now 1 know yon do DOt speak the truth ii'01' to-day is }1~l'idn,y and not the Sabbath,"

At tbe city of Telmg tn, in the same province, as the Prefect was

exallliuillg into the very sp-vele ,persecution which raged in the

north of his prefecture duriil~g tbe sprillg and summer of this

year, 110 interro.gated seyeral '(i)f the inquirers and COllverts "ith

searc:hJng miuuteHess as to their knowledge of the Christian Faith,

·and showed that he is perfectly familiar, not only with the leading

·doctrines of ChristialJi~y., hut also with the. main outlines of its

ritual and aclmillistra tic,n.

A snbardinate mandarin of the sume prefecture, when talking

with .the missiona!"ies about the unse~tled state of the neighbour­

hood 1L1ld the wicked lawlessness of the men Vi' ho were the chief

·aetors in .the persecution just referred to, said, " Alas! alas!. no

{)ne call subdue and change these evil men. Even your Jesus,

although He gave His life for the salvation of the world, "ill not

be able to save more than ODo or two of them. "

· One' instance from humbler life, out of many discovered in the examination of an unusually large number of candidates for admission· into the Church, must suffice for· this Report. One of the Wesleyan Mission colporteurs has during the year frequently visited a small market town near ~s'aitien. On one of his first visits he sold a tract to a respectable, though poor,. man residing on the street there. On his next visit the man bought other beoks, saying he had read and enjoyed the first. On' every subsequent visit the colporteur found the man growing in grace and in knowledge of the truth, and on the third Sunday in December, when the senior minister of the Wesleyan Mission paid a pastoral visit to the Ts'aitien Church, he presented him with 'great joy and exultation as an earnest seeker after admittance into the portal of the Church as a fully recognised candidate for holy baptism. It would be easy to enumerate other similar

cases, but we hasten to refer to one of the m?st remarkable facts ever recorded in the history of Christian Missions in China.

This fact is the writing and publication of an anti-footbinding tract by the literati of the great anti-foreign and anti-Christian province of Hunan, and its endorsement and support by the great anti-foreign and ultra-Confucian Vicerey, Chung Chih Tung, him­self. This tract is undoubtedly the outcome of our perilous and long-continued efforts for the evangelisation and conversion of the province, and the fact of its publication synchronously with the opening of no less than seven mission stations in different parts of Hunan, causes our hearts to rejoice with great joy, and to swell and yearn with the anticipation of an assured realisation of our long.deferred hopes for the salvation of the brave and stalwa1"t inhabitants of this exclusive province which has so long resisted every attempt to introduce our holy religion within its borders. And although more than one of our publications denounces the painful and pernicious practice of footbinding, this tract has been adopted by us, and after one or two slight verbal alterations, and the addition of a preface by Dr Juhn, is being published with all haste, and will be scattered abroad through all the land as

-widely as the funds at our disposal will admit.

9

NEW PUBLICATIONS.

Owing to the immense development of Christian work in- this: centre during the year, and the consequent great increase itt; the work and burdens of the entire missionary community the- pro­duction of new tracts has been wellnigh impossible, and with, the exception of an excellent re-issue of "The Pilgrims Progress-" in an a.ttractive form the Hunan tract just referred to is the only' new publication the Society has to report at the end of the year.. But we are not disheartened or alarmed at this temporary relaxaiion of the literary activity of the Society, for it will assuredly revive again, and in time to come, as new tracts are imperatively needed,

men will be raised up who will be enabled to supply the new demand. Meantime we rejoice at the production of our Hunan tract, and believe it is, perhapg, of a far greater import in the present aLd that it is pregnant with far greater and more far-reaching results in the future than would have been the publication of a tract published in the ordinary way by a member of our own Society.

THE DISTRIBUTION OF BOOKS AND TRACTS AT THE RECENT KUJIN EXAMINATIONS.

On the application of the missionaries of Nanking, the southern capital of the Empire, a grant of 20,000 copies of our publications

was made for the purpose of pres~ntation to the vast crowd of students competing for the M.A. degree in that city. At the same time we ourselves made a similar distribution to the 10,000 competing for the same degree at \Vucbang, the capital of our own

province. The total number of books and tracts distributed was 50,000,

including 20,000 granted by the Shanghai Society for the Diffusion of Christain Knowledge, and 10,000 copies of the Gospel of St

Luke presented by the National Bible Society of Scotland. The books were neatly done up in 10,000 parcels and deposited

in the London Mission Fa Kiai Chapel, Wuchang, early on

Saturday, September 11th. 011 the afternoon of the same day distributors, native and foreign, assembled in the same chapel at 4.80, a.nd after 8, brief prayer meeting the Chinese brethren divided

10

=into-bands and took up their stations at the main entrances of the examination hall.

A'.few students cume' out ut dusk on Satnrday f and others later

in -the· evening, but the m':tjarity did not le.1ve tile Imll tm a.bout·

midd-d.You Sunday. 1'n,e weather was yery trying. It was cold

andwet,::and on Sunday CIte of tbe fiereest gales 011 record in

Hankowwas blowing. 11m native brethl'eu, though til'ed, chilled .. :and wet, sllo,Yed no. desire to gire oyer before the work was

. completed. ,nth but few exceptjollS tile bcol~s were well received,

. and the fl'f:que'llcy with '\\'hith we meet "jib graduates wlJO Lave

ibeen :ftliYourably impressed with the bookr; presellted to them at

;previous 'provincial €xmninntiolls leads lIS tf) confioently expect ~that in tha comi·ng years the results of this distribution will silow

,themselves in lessened antagonism to Christianity on the part of

many of ,these -studeuts, l1nel in the complete conversion of at least some of t·~m. The misE'iOltaries ",ho took part were:­

The Reys. J. ehola, Swedish Misslon E. F. Gedye, M.A.,

·Wesl~yan Missioo~; L. H. Roots, B. A., American Protestant

Epi~oopal MissiolJ; A. D. Cousins u1ld C. G. Sparllam, London

Mission.; and A. L. Greig, Esq, National Dible Society of Scot­

land. They diU. ,yihut they couLl tv cheer ana encournge the men,

.and .to-waN!s the 'end lJelped in the work of distrihution.

'The best thanks 'Of all concerued are due to the missionaries of

the Lomloy. awl SWdlish l\1issbns ill \V ~iClu:lg rH' their generous

hospitality, and fen' the forethought which the) showed for the

physical.comfort of l1a~iyes anu. foreigners alike.

GRANTS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS.

We beg to tender ·ou·l' grateful lhallics to all tLo~e societies and

friends who have assisted us by their fillancinl cunt.ributions

.during the year; espet'ially to "G. B.," who has continued, per

William J. Slowan, Esq" aud the London Mission, his handsome

:8ubscription of £50; 00 the Upper Canacla Religious Trac~ Society

for their generous grant of £102 15s lId iOl'the support or .ealporteurs; but above all t3 that· Parent and Queen of Tract

Societies, the Religious Tract f:iociety of London, who though for

~o.me years past the funds at its disposal for foreign work have been

11

!faduaUy lessening, bas, notwithstllndillg, never reduced its grant·

in aid of ·our work until the past Y€1lr, when, in consequence of the serious dimillutio~ 'Of its trade profits, owing to the l{eenness of~'

modern competition, it was reluetalltly comp€'lled to reduce by

£100 the grant of £400 formerly allocated to thiR Society. That

its reluctance to reduee was exceooinggreat is shown by the fact

that the r-eduction has been so long delayed, and that now it has

talren place it is ill a m:lch srn·tIler proportion than the rate of the -curtailment of t)le Society'S resources, 'We would earnestly-and

with 110 mere 10eal or selfish aim-pra.y to Him wllOse are the

silver and gold .to pour into its tr-e. .... sury frem the boulldlc~8s store

·of His resources, and to bless with a great and mighty blessing

every member .of the committee., which nt a considerable sacrifice

of.time and of worldly gain so unselfif.ll]Y ndmillister the fmH]s of

that great Society. A nd we woulU earnestly en treat of all those

into whose l1ands the Lord 1111's committed in trust much of this world's goods to remember the -claims which the people of this

greataud populous Empi,l.'e ha\'e upon tllCir sympathy and

I)l';)'ctical a.id in this the day of lier rnde awakenillg to a. sellse of

her :.politiea,l powerlesslleE!sand isolation, anu of her religious help. lessness and waut.

CONCLUSION.

And now, brethren, amid tlJe l'estles!mess and the fear of these·

anxious times, when mell holJ theil' braath in alarm alld scarcely

aare Leven to thiuk and wonuer wllU,t may oe· the fate in sto-l'e for ,this ancient Empire, with its old-world philooophy, its effete and.

·tlying political orgn.llisation~ alld its mnlti~m1illous anu uocile

'people, we, and aU th03e who toil with llS fm" her salvutioll, will,

'strong in the strength of a Div:ne cOUlll1issiO'n and of an assured

'faith, march fearlessly and w~th unfalterillg awl unhalLillg steps­

forth iuto the unknown and anxious future which stretches away

dim and fearful before our view, knowiug tI!-t\;t amidst the fu.teful -nl'ash and the final ruin of tl1e Empires of this world the Kingdom

-of our God and of His Christ Fhall arise fl1ir and irresistible, and

that the bitter pains of China ill this her hour of peril and anguish

are but the birth pangs of &It new and beUer life to her patienL and

loDisufferwa JODi.

12

OUR COLPORTEURS IN CENTRAL CHINA.

When our friends of the Upper Canada Religious Tract Society ~enerously offered to place a certain sum annually at the disposal of this Society for the employment of colporteurs, they, no doubt, simply proposed tci extend the ordinary work of the Society by increasing its circulation.

What has actually come to pass is that the means thus provided have enabled us to realise a long-cherished desire, and call into existence a new and m()st useful agency for the extension of the Kingdom of Christ in Central China; a result which, considering the cost at which it i~ maintained, is, assuredly, far above all that our friends s.nd supporters could reasonably ask, or even think.

Were this colportage department to be regarded as nothing more than a suitable machinery for the scattering of books and tracts, it

would still be fully worth all the expenditure of time and money entailed by its maintenance. The selling of books is, however, only a part of the work, for our men are also preachers, and wherever they go they publish the story of the Saviour's love. It is no 8mall thing to be able to report that, in addition to the work of tract distribution, this department has, during 1897, enabled

not less than thirty earnest Christian men to spend a considerable

portion -of their time in preaching the Gospel to the heathen. These c~lporteurs are, moreover, better instructed in the Scriptures than ordinary converts, and as they travel from place to place, in the course of their regular work, they hold meetings in the homes 'of the CBristians, w'ho welcome them gladly, and are delighted to

receive fuller instruction in Bible trnth. Many of our Chinese

'Christians live so far from the nearest mission station that they 'can attend services only on rare occasions, and to them the :periodic811 visit of the colporteur is' a real Godsend. Our men aiso ado an !important work in visiting and instructing candidates for

Church membership; indeed, of the large number brought into the 'Churob in Central ChinaJ during the past year, very many not only

reeeiveCl t11eir first· impressions fl'om tlle colporteur, but !heir subsequent instruction also. These are j::ome of the maLlY "'!lYs'

in wbich Oltr native brethren, the colporteurs employed by U!'!, hn:\"e been striying to advance tIle Kingtlom of their Lord and Master, .and ",heil we regard the work of these men, its tlioroughnesEl', its ·efficiency! and its malJysidedness, we long for the meaus to great11 extend it.

We wish to make it very clear that we do not employ Christian Chinese fiS colpDrteurs simply becau::le they ha,ppell to ]Ja~e the power of getting- riel of It lal·ge number of tracts, lea,ying it to them­selves as to how much, or how lit tIe, Christiull wcrk they shall

undertalce over and above the routilJe business of boohsellillg. Our aim is to seek ont earnes~ Christia,n men who are 10llging to do more for God thhrn is possible ill their circunlstances, and by

giving them a small reguL1r allowallce in '?:ages, 01' ill books to sell, on the pt'oceeds of which they enn Ii \'e, set them free to pnt all their time and strength into dil'e'!t Chrif3tiall W01 k, doing tlleir bookselling oJlly as one of the things expected of them. The

various mi~siolJS are tlms eImLled to call into nctivity the enthusiasm and evangelistic zeal of mallY who would otherwise lack opportl1~ity. Of those employed at first ElS colporLeurs )Jot a. few gradually become fit~d to be put ill clHLrge of a mission 6tation. The rEsponsible positioll of a Ilative preacher ill charge of a uis&t'ict is not all easy olle to fill. CuI portage work is not ollly n ~pleudid traiuiug school, but it is a fine test of clJRl"Uctel' and fi tness, while the responsibility of the colporteur's position is. of course very ll1uch less thau that of the uative preacher. Seyeral meu who were trained alld tested as colporteurs now OC~llpy important Fpberes in connection with lllore than 01le l1lissiOll. 11wy haye uheHdy gh;en evidence of tlle sOUlld preparatioll tlley thus received f01' their life-work.

In Central Chilla 'We are face 10 face with a new ordel' of things. Only a .few years ago it was necessary to persuade mell to interest

themselves in Christianity, and even when interested many '\Tere

reluctant to identify tllemsel ves with the 'Christian Church. as they

feared the persecution whieh was a.1most 'SU1'e to follow an opell

I :

14

profession of their faith. Now, while in not a few places the ola a.nimosity and hatred still, exist, there a,re many other places where

opposition has almost died ·down, and in those places large numbers are seeking Church membership. ':the strain to find suitable men and methods to meet these new conditions is a heavy one; were i~ not for the existence of this colportage agency it is surely not too much to say that our burden in Central China) durillg the pas&

year, would have been greater than could have been borne. It is obviously impossible to find efficient native preachers to look after every new place that opens up, and in these circumstances the va.lue of the colporteur as an itinerant evangelist and pastor is very much increased. In fact, this department has proved itself to be such a splendid auxiliary to the regular missionary work and methods, that, in our opinion, it would be a great calamity if anything were to occur to interfel'e with it, or curtail its operations.

In the colportage account the value of tracts and Scriptures sold is given as TIs.413.57. The particulal's of the circulation are as

follows:-

Book Tracts. 44,511 Sheet Tracts, 64,700 .calendars, 19,885

t. 128,5.96 Gospels., 6,238

New Testaments, 611

Other Scriptures. 264 ----

Total, ... 185,709

We are again indebted to the National Bible Society of Scotland Ior grants of Scriptures. Most of the Scriptures distribute.d have teen sold to people already interested in Christianity, and while we very cordially express our appreciation of the generous grants made by the Bible Society, we would take this opportunJty to assure our friends of that Society that the Scriptures granted are, by means of our colporteurs, conveyed to the very folk who are.

most likely to make the best use of them.

11)

"The distribution of these publications has involved much travel­ling and labour. Quite half of this immense province of Hupeh hafil been systematically gone over lately, and our men have also made journeys into Honan. In Kiangsi we have a solitary eolporteur, of whose work we have received incidental testimony from a heathen, from which it is evid-ent that, in his distant field of labour, our brother is faithfully preaching and selling books_ In Hunan we are now fairly esoo.blished, and we maintain two colportellrs who visit many places in the Siang Valley.

The Rev. J. Skold, of the Swedish Mission, reports of the man under his charge that he has worked a good deal in the Mach.eng district. He has had good sales in Sungpu., where he haa. the joy of tinding people interested in the truth. They had previously bought the four Gospels., but were anxious to iutve other books which ~xplained their meaning, as they 'cou~d not properly under· staBdthem. The oolporteur was ahle to supply the wants of these enquirers. DuriHg the yeal'1 Mr, Skold and Mr. Freden have themselves visited. Sungpu,tlrlls being the first visit since the. mu.rder of the twa Swedislo. missionaries in that place in 1893· •.

They were able te go through the whole district, and had splel.1did .opportunities of preaching and bookselling, and they also received many .friendly v.isits from men of influence and position. They were .conrteoasly treated by the authorities, who prepared temples for their lodgings, and issued satisfactory pr,oclam~tions for their· protection. Mr. Skold was very much impressed by the fact that se many of the people in the Maoheng district enquired of them 'U Who is Jesus?" Many professed to have read about Him in (lur Christian books, and wished to learn mor.e. It is impossible to read Mr. Skold's bdef report, remembering all the perseoution and .' bitter hatred which have existed in t.he distriot of whioh he epeaks, without feeling that a wondel,'ful change is taking place in the temper of the people, and although the Swedish Mission has no~ yet succeeded in renting a house there, it seems certain that at no distant date the wrath of man will be m~de to praise the Lord, and the blood of Ria servants. wm be l\venged in righteousnesa Wld meroy.

16

'~he Rev. T. Branlntt, of the ·"resleYan Missfon, wrftes:­"We have employed ill all seven colporteurs, five of whom have

reeeh'ed a regular wnge; tbe others have received ~nly an 'allowance of bool~s, the proceeds of the sa-Ies of which have had to cover:

·travelLillg e~pellses alld serve as wages.

"The bl'ethr31l. hitve itillerateu round the Wesleyan Mission

stations in the Wuchang, Hauyang, 'fehngan, and Ngallluh pt'cfee­

,tures. Th~y have paid mallY visits to sCil'ttered members (If the

Church, and have been' a comfort and a strength to them. They

have preached mallY times to the heathen, as they have sold their

books, and hi1ve been the means of bringing many into the Church

who would not have been reached by auy other Christian agency.

" 011e colportenr, Mr. Tsang Keh-tsen, has been espeeially blessed

ill the conver~ioil of sonls. ami 110t uuly lJave t.hel!9' been several

persolls ba.ptised at Ts'uitiell \\:ho have been brought to the Lord.

tlll'Ollgh his instrlllllelltalit)" Imt. a new church has be,m established.

at Sillkow as the wl'eet result of Ilis luhQltu'!!. It lllay be added

that these lll'ethl'ell relIt their own bonse" lUlU thus the chureh will

be self·snpporting frolll'tlJe first day of its fI!)UIHlillg." Mr. P'eng Lan Sheng. who WitS olle of the fit'st colpm·taurs

employed ill cOllllecLioll with this brallch, pas DOW found Lis true sphere as the lluti ve preacher in nharge· of t.he Loudon Mission work ill the province of HiI1Htn, whtre he is· striviug, with great courage aHd res:mrce, to gtLiu an entrance illtl!}t lllallY cities and

towns. He has alreaJy 1l11uer his charge gl'OUPS of ChristiltllS at

four c9utres, who,;e existence is veL'y lJ.rgely owing to the iuclefatigahle labours of himself aud other colporteurs. The. story

of the fcrruatioll of the first Christian Chur~h ill the Siang VIl~YJ

at He!Jgcbow, is cOlltributed Ly the Rev. C. G. S~rha1lL

Mr. Bpadmm writes:-

", In the spring of 1807, Dr. Gl'iffith John and I made a journey

into HUllau, wLich, while it failed to~ea1ise all oor expectations,.

bad yet so we encouragillg results. The immedia.te- 'Object of our

visit was to ,meet a number of men who had assoc-ia.ted themse1.ves with 'he two or iliree convertB we haA in Heugch~w, a,ud, together-

with thelli; had formed a Christian Society. These men were reported as being anxions for baptism. Bnt uesitles this, one of the

m~)3tpL·o~ille-.1t of tIn ILmgdlJw gell~L'Y had sent a special

invitation to Dr. John, and h3.u ex.pressed the hope tbat the

Lowloll Missionary Society might esta.blish a mission iu that city, a.nd COlluuence edilc.ttioual work on Western lilles.

" 'Ve left Hallkow 011 l\lurl:h 22, alld reached Hengchow on April 5th, but instead of the pelLceful entry iltt~ the city that we

had anticipa.ted, we fouud 9. crowd d:lly posted on the biLllI{ well

armed with mud aHd stolle~. anuprepill'ed to rain missiles and cursea

upon us as sooa as we cam3 within rJ,qg). TJ.9iday, April 6th.

was a day of str tIIge experiences. Early in the moruiugthe crowd!

011 the h·l.llk raappearbd, and the pelting was carried 011 with true­

H:llu,nese p3rsistellcy. '1'11e1'e were llllmel'OUS ganh(mts lying in. the river; oc~a.!iionally 0. soUier ill uniforlll wuul,] ap?ear in the:.

midst of tue cl"Owd. 'rhe Chill Bien pa.id U3 a hl'lna.l visit, u.s u.lsa. did u. red-button mandal'ill who had charge ot all the gunboats, but no serious attempt was made to coutl'ol the orow.1; indeed,. the

cOllvictlou forced iti'ltolf upon us that th3 officials were really

illstigatiug tue whole troliLle. About midday the depot of the

National Bible Society of ~cotland was rtl.iued. "By two p.m. It was clear that the officials wou1t1 110t, or could

not, Pl'owet us, alld the ex.ciLuneut being _ !n..k.use we lifted anchor.

dropped a ft:\v Ii dowll stream, and callle to anchor again seme

dh,tance htc-low the city, but still wi tlJin sight of it. Tw.() small

gUll boats now followed us, and vigorously repressed any at.tempt

at disturbance on tile Lank. "The convel·tsC.tme to us, ana with t119:11 tlJirteeD' of the men

who had associatedthell1selves with them. rrb.esa m.eil all impressed

us fav~urably, amI showed a very fair knowledge of Christian

truth. U lider ordinary circulllstauces we should lJot ha\"e hesitated

to ba.ptise them, Lut with the city ill such a ferment we did.

hesitate. alJd eyen urged tbem not to pJ·ess for baptism theu, but to·

wait. till we could visit them again, whell we would hope for quieter ti:nes. Bui it was no good. Hunan per~istulCy again made itself

apparent, as -thesem&If&a.id~h&y ha,dfullj couliWd·,tl.le eoati wer.a

18

f prepared to faoe persecution, and that :t~ would be greatly'

, disappointed if we did not baptise them. " It -wa.s a solemn little service that we lteld on board our boat·

that night. After prayer, Dr. John spake tQ the men from Matt . . xxviii. . .16-20, and I from Acts xx. 82 ; then the 18 were baptised.

and with :",prayer and benediction our 'Sanice came to an end •.

Nearly-a.-handred Hunanese bave, at different times, been baptised

at Hankow,· but we' believe this to h.a.ve been the first time that

Protest8rB.t:Hunan Christians have been baptised within the borders· of their own •. prOviIlOO. Thus was defeat turned into victory, and.

with characteristic confidence the oonv-erts had prepared 3J great

feast··to.:celeuWite it. This was brought on board the boat, and we·

sat down 'together to eat as soon as th-e service was over.

" Next mOl'l'ding our chief concern was for the depot, and the day'

was spent .in negotiating with the District Magistrate for its­re-establishmerit. Messrs. Peng and Hiung went ashore more than·

·once; taking messages from us, and arguing their case with the:

-offieials ~with considerable ability. 'Ve occupied ourselves by'

·conversing with those who came to see us, and selling li>G>oks to them as opportunity occllIred. On the previous da.y we h.ail been .encouraged by seeing that numbers of people who joined the crowd ·on,the·hank, after raiding the book depot, held the stolen. publica~

tions in their hands. It proved to us that though the books.

were stolen and scattered they were not destl:oyed, and· in the-

,course -of this day one man rowed up to our boat, and asked for a,

·copy -of" The Life of Joseph." "How do you know we have sucb.

;a book?" I asked him. He replied that some time Ilgo a colpor-·

teur -had been selling books in Hengcho.w, wOOl'e he had been

:.attacked and his books scattered. He had then seen a copy of this·

book, and ever since had desired to procuuQ ene.. By evening word~

,came from the Yamen that the depot, mig»t· be re-establish ed, :lond

that the officials would guarantee the fia.fety of i~e· depot keeper~

We, accordingly, made hasty prepaIla,ti~ns) some boxes of·books were'

.brought out, and Mr. Li, looking rather pale but very resolute, got.

ready to go ~h~re. Soon the boat irom the· Yamen came alongside ..

Besides the ordinary boatmen there were soldiers commi.eiion~

19

1'10 take the book! to the depot. . Li ana Wang a.ccompanieil~'

them. A south wind ha.d sprung up, bringing copious rain j.the night was dark and wild. We watched the boxes of books being ~ 'placed on the Yamen boat, and then said' good-bye' to our two heroic na.tive friends, and watched them till their boat was lost in the darkness. Many a fervent prayer did we offer that they might be kept in peace, and allowed to carryon their work. And it is with deep thankfulness that now, nine months later, we can recall i 'God's goodness in answering our prayer. The depot has not again ,been molested, and is doing a steadily increasing business.

" It had been our hope that we might ourselves have had large : sales of books in Hengchow and the surrounding district. In this 'we were disappointed, but we have the satisfaction of knowing that ,the depot is now more securely than ever established, and mean­'!While steps are being taken which, we trust, will make it possible lor ;us at ilO distant period to return to Hengchow and carry on wor~. 'On ,the homeward journey we called at Hengshan, where our 'vigor01!1S friend, Li Yiu-ken, is at work. He sells his books at a : stall.naa.r the Yamen, and we were gratified in receiving from one -of the,officials a very hearty testimony to his good character.

" We ;reached Hankow on April 16th, having completed the ;r.eturnjou;rney in twenty-five days."

.A month or two ago, the scholars of Hengshan, for some reason "Of other,.-ati&ckea. the book shop in that place, and carried off all .-our stock of books and tracts, which, with Mr Li Yiu-kp.n's rparsonal eftects and the furniture of the shop, they publicly .burned on the foreshore. Fortunately no one was burt, and a :new.supply of tracts was on the way at the time. A recent letter informs us that Mr Li began wOl'k again as SOOl1 as the books arrh"ed, and there is good reason to hopa that this outburst oC feeling is only a prelude to a more complete and satisfactory occupation of the Hengsban district in the neal' future. It is .interesting to note that Mr Li Yiu-ken is one of those on our 'staff whc. receive nothing but the proceeds of their sales. To the faithful, earnest work of these men no small amount of the circu­la.tion effected is due. They have done an enormous ameunt of

to

perSistent w('lrk in--mn:ny vmages and tOWns~ returning agn,in nml lIg~in to tile ~laUle place. :\Vhereas ill fol'mei~ years they 'met· with .nothing'but insult, Rnd in some rasesilljUl'Y, they DOW mr~t with

a good denl of "liilldll€SS, oftell Leilolg recch'ed into tIle houses 'of those intel'e8tt-d fllld t:h~l'e clltel'taillfd. "IJile there is still enough

of ridicule lind persecution' to 1{cept.lJemhumL1A. One great difficnlty of snpf-rintflldi):g this~o]Fvrtllge wOl'k~is

that of gettil:g reporis' of tLe \\'o1'k uODe from the mf."l} themselves. They do tLeirworh jlJ a tuatter-of-fl;ct way, allu are yery fuiLhfu}"

but they SE'em mmLle to grasp the points of imporiallce wheo it comes to reporting.

A few mOllths ngo one of tlle colportenrs came into my own study, lookiJlg yery !:lad find dl>pressell. I asked him whllt was the

matter. "Nuthhlg," lIe l'f'l'li(:d. After Sittillg for a while he

explained tlmt he ,,'ishu.l to llUye a l1ew supply of tracts and

books. "Bllt," I sHid, " you CUlIIlOt Illtye sold all I gave you 01JJy

a-few days ago/' "Th~t is qnite 11'ue," he answered; "the fact

. is all those books lwye Lee}1 dE'stroy( d Ly my twO' sallS, who nre

v.ery Litterly (~pp(Js~d to Chl'istiUJlity. 'rIley have- bnrnt e,'ery Cluistiull L1l01, ill the )IOl~l"·tl. "AIJd" lly ~ lJOdll llll-Y haye cnm:en this special time to show their hostility?" ,,'Well, you know,

pastor;" IJt~ said, "Ihud t]I1'ee SOlJl:l, the RecolJ(1 of ",110m was favourably .(Jifposed to Chl'istiallity, but he was ta}ien ill very

suddenly, and in my iutellse anxiety I did not cease to prny day

and night for him. He died, JlOWeyer, in two or tllree c1ayR, and my two l'email1illg sons flCCI1Se me of ha\'}lIg l)1((!f(;t! kim to' d"ath.

That is wIly LiJE'Y \vHe. :0:0 angry." A lIew snpp'ly of tracts was

given, and we lwve llew tIle sn1isfac:ticn of lCHl11illS tlHl.t the two SOilS are bt:'col11illg illtel·esttd ill tbe Gospel.

eMr Y~n CIJ'i PalO ,\Hl!t early hi tIle yeH fa Ii. ,-illflge iJll Hwnng P'i, to prea.ch alld sell boooks. The "illage folk gathered roal1cl"lJim,

bO'J1g11t his boaks, auU sec·med f;0' mt;th illtel'estell tha.t he retunled seYel'al times to the snme' plnc(l. DlIe of Mr Yen's

hearers, a. youug mall narnell Hwltllg Wen Shan, was so mueh

impressed }'Y the Gospel that lJe began to attend services in

Hwang P~i city, notwiLhstanding the fact that the distance from

21

his home is considerable. In Juue last he was baptised in Hankow,

having given evidence of a real change of heart. After his baptism he returned to Siang Tan, in Hunan, to follow his business. He began at once to proclaim the Gospel to his friends and acquaintances, and has now gathered around him a band of

thirty or forty earllest enquirers, who have, by this time, been visited by Mr P'eng Lan Sheng. Many of these enquirers, are of

the same trade as himself, and {l'om the'same district, but thel'e ate also not a few natives of Siallg Tan. Thus has . .the faithful work of a single colporteur in Hwang P'i borne fruit in the distant province of Hunan. In less than one year the earnest labours of l\Ir Yen Ch'i Poo, in a small yillage in Hwang P'i, have resulted in

the formation of a Christian community lD the large and

important city of Siang Tan, in the anti-foreign province of Hunan. In 18UG Mr Archibald was driven out of this, very city after havhlg been very badly treated by the crowd.

But at the same time and place there was among Mr Yen's hearers a man named Hwang Fa Yuen, wbo. having heard t11e Gospel in Hanlmw twenty yem'8 090, returned to his' home and cleared it of every vestige of idolatry, becoming at that tjme a worshipper of the true God, who was, however, to 4im the Unknown. By his efforts a number of his neighbours were induced to give up idolatry, and they have remained non-idolaters ever since. Hwang Fa Yuen, after gladly receiving further instruction in the Yvord of God, wa~ baptised,

Many other such cases would come to light if only our native workers could be brought to realise how intensely interesti11g they

are to the supporters of the Society. 'V~ kuow, however, that our men have done splendid work during the year, and we have

abundant proof of the Divine approbation. There Were many agencies at wod{ for eVRllgelisillg the Chinese before this depart­ment was organised, but it has come in to fill a place which was filled by none othel\ For all tire blessing of tLe past year we

would give tlntn}\:s to our bountiful Father, and 'white earnestly

commending tlle wOl'k to His care, we would ascribe to Him all

the glory.

2:3

THE ANNUAL MEETING.

The Annual Meeting of the Society was held at the Rest,

Hankow, 011 January 7th, lS9S-tLe Presid€l1t, Dr. John, bemg

in the chair. .-The first part of the meeting was, according to cnstom, deyotcd

to the subjects suggested by the E\'angelical Alliance in conllectioll

with the Week of Prayer.

The General Report alld Financial Statement was read by the

Secretary and -Treasnrer, the Rev. T. H1'3111fiLt; tlJe Colportage Report by the Colportage Secretary, the Rey. A. Bonf'~y.

The fir.st resolut.ion was-" That tIJe General Report und tho

Colportage RpFort now I'ead Le adopted." The Rev. G. G. "'ARREN rropos(d tlJis resolution. He referrc(l

to his recellt fl1l'longb ill Englund. 189(; allI 1807 were both

unfortunate Jea~-s for adYccutiJlg tile cluims of tIle Celltral CIJiuu,

Religious Tract Rociety ill Englalld. III the former year the Indian Famine Funu obtailled a 1110110po1y of tIle iuterests and

cOlltributions (If charitaLle pE:Ople. In lE97 tlJe Di~!l110!,d JubIlee

was t;upreme. If only the '97 RerOl t lwd hnrr£·ntd to be its

sixtieth, iustead of its twcHty-secon(l, or if in allY olh",r "'ny tIle

magic number CDuiu bn·e been iJltrodnced, EJlglidl ulldiellces

might have been charmed to take an interest in the Society _j but,

alas, the H cycle" last year was not "of Cathay." He had lwd

the privilege of l'Ppreselltillg. tIle work and lleeds of the Society at

the aDllual meE:tiug of the Religious Trllct Scciety iII Exeter Hnl1,

May, 189(t But the committee of that great Society lw.u been

compelled lDO.;t reluctantly to dimiuislJ theh' grallt. Notwith­

standillg the fact tl~at the llOme contributions and sales' of the

R.T.S. were as great as fornierly, the }ieelll1eSS of competition ha.d considerably -lessened the profits, which al'e whoJJy dE:\loted to the distribution of their own wholesome literature, alld to helping

8ue-h,tract societi4'\s as om' own. all. the missio1.l field.

213

Dl' GILLISON seconded the resolution moyed by Mr Warren,

and said tbat befor~ spealiing further in support of 0 the motion, he

should like-for hillls~lf' persolJally, and WfiE SU1'e he could for all pl'esent-to express to both Mr Bramfitt and Mr ~1ih\'ard how deeply they f~lt illdehted to th(m fer tla:ir iInoalraLle utd lmtiring

senices for tl1e8e fiye ~(ars to t1e Eccidy. n:liollCw mnoL 11l~y felt

losing them at lLut t:mf', fl~d to r.SSt:l e 11.( m tl;at 11;( y d;dl €wr

foll?w hoth of them with tIlel!, Dfi'(:'<:t:on ahd ilJeir prnyers. (Applau~e.) He had m11(·h rka~t"re ill 8("{ r.dirg 11,e 1:G01 tiell ()f the Report, becauf:e lie Leliend that tIle EcdltJ 'Hl~ doiJ!g a "uk ill Chilla oyer a yery large fino.. lts filult n:n:n r p 1 S li10 nlly fiooeted tIle r.mrireo, Dud ,\"('re 1:0W Leilog ru~d ill tlJOm:nnds of home~ anll Yil1!1ges '\]I('1'E' tIle miff-in II1J lor.d ](\('l' i.Hn. He belieyed, morraY( r, 11H:t the lrHldl g G(.,W)1 cf tIle bebd in itlolatl'y-wllicll they who lInd lHn flllle ~uns ill (IJllllt l.ul l~ost clearly percein~d to be tu.killg place-Wits ill 110 fmnll measure due

t~ the circu:aticll of t.lle puLlicatiolls of tlJeir and cf IdLdrrd

societies. He felt tl'at af: a n:edical mif:sklHI1}' l.e eWfd a dtht of

gratitude to the Society for the greut help it IHld uecll to llim in

his own work. They hitll sold several thousand cabb worth of

Looks aml tracts ill the lJOspital lIm·jng the PllPt )Oeal', lllJd he met

,,·ith no more clJeerillg sigllt, as 'he went ronnd his ".i1rds, than that

of one here and allother there earue"tly perusing a Gospel or a tract, 01' talldllg O,"€l' its contellts with the eyangelist or with 0 a

fellow-sufferer. Dundles (,f hooks were often carried by patients to their distant homES. He would remiud friends othat ill the

present straitened conditioll of the Society's funus, contributions from anyone present wonld be welcomed.

The 0 resolution, 011' being put to the meeting, was carried unanimously.

Rev. JOSEPH S. ADAMS, in rising to mo\'e a \!ote of thanks to the

subscribers, said tJmt it was comparatively easy to write a .report,

but to make a speech, when tl?-e 8pea.Jier in front had used your points, was not so easy. He desired to emphasise the remark of Dr. Gillison ,,;ith respe~t to subscriptions. In hearing' the Secretary's report when l'ead ill committee, and ill l'Qadil1~ the

24

report of a kindred· society published in Shanghai, he had been surprised to see how few were the local subscriptions compared with those h'om abroad. The Central China Tract Society did not send its agents abroad seeking ~hat they may devour in the way of subscriptions; but in view of the decreasing income, and ever increasmg ·circ~ation, the time had come to appeal to the persons most dil'ectly benefited by the Society, the missionaries th~mselveR. ~rhls had not hitherto been necessary. He now appealed for help to the Society on the ground that the

. inissionary's work was so greatly helped by the Society's literatUl'e. The li~erature- supplied was scriptural, suitable to the people'i1 need, ~nd in every way just what was wanted. Then it helps the worker himself. If they had to write and print their own tracts and books, they' should not circulate hundreds where now thousands were published. . And the books issued v:ere splendid introductions to the study of native thought and ways of putting the Gospel. Mr Adams concluded by moving a hearty vote of thanks, which had the merit of being honest and sincere, to the subscribers everywhere, and hoped that their numbers might greatly increase.

The Rev. H. B. SUTTON seconded the motion, which, on being put to the meeting, was carried unanimously.

A. L. GREIG, Esq., proposed a vote of thanks to the officers and

committee of the Society, which was seconded by the Rev. C. W. Allau, and also carried unanimously.

The Rev. Dr. JOHN, who was warmly received, said-At the close of such a meeting as this, it is not easy to find al\Ything Dew to say. I may, however, call attention to a few facts of special significance 'connected with general work of the past year. Once more we are called upon to rejoice over a very large circulation of Christian literattire. The circulation in 1897, though not quite as large as that of 1896, which reached the magnificent number of 1,806,852, was one of the largest ·we have ever had, being 1,228,647. If we add the circulation of the National Bible Society of Scotland to that of the Tract Society, we shall find that there 'wer~ Rent forth from Central China dnring the past year more than

25

a million and a-half of Scriptures and tracts. The Bible· Soci~ty ch'culated last yea,r :-Bibles, 112; Testaments, 8,680; portions~

275,745-ill all, 2H4,53"1 books. Thus the urlited circulation of

the two Societies amounted to 1,518,183. Tbat is all enOr1110U$ circulation. 'Ve must thi1l1{ of it, howeyer, not only ·as immense ill itself, but also as covering an immense area. Our Scriptures and tra.cts are fiuding th~ir wn.y into every part of the iEmpire, and they are being read by tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of people. How many have been influenced by. them we canuot say; but that multitudes bave been influenced, mOl'eor less, there can be no doubt whatever. It is 110W too ,late in the day to pooh-pooh this department of the missionary work. The old story about our Scriptures and tracts being devoted to the soles of the Chinese has lost its flavour, and is now seldom heard. Tbe

man who repeats it, or belives it, is looked upon as a man whose ~ducation has been somewhat neglected.

There can be no doubt whatever that the productions of the Cbristian press in China are being widely rea~ these days, and

are producing a deep impression on many minds. An event

occurred during the autumnal examinations for the M.A. degree of deep significance. At Nanchang FIl, the ca.pital of the Kiangsi Province, one of the questions put to the students was this :

"'Vhat do you know of the re-peopling of the world by Noah and his family after the flood?" The, text-book recommended wa~ the Old Testament, and at once there was a great demand for the book. A colporteur happened to be in the city at the time, and fifty copies were sold in one day. The Bible has· found its way into the Imperial Palace, and copies are in circulation in the Metropolis. The examiner, who put the question, possessed a copy, and had been reading it. All this is new in China. It shows one thing at least, namely, that the attitude of the official class to our Christian literature is undergoing a great .and vital change.

The extension of the work into Hunan during the past year is a fact full of significance. In March and April last Mr. Sparham .and myself visited Hunan. Our main aim in going to Hunan ~4is time was to visit some converts in . Hengchow, and, if possible,

f!3tablish n, missionary station in that important city. ",Ve found

-Hengchow in a sta:ta' of greltt excitement, on account of a recent

v,isit paid to the place by Dr. Wolfe, the well-known German

tirJ.vrller, and we were compelled to. beat anignomillious retreat~ We were atta~l:ed furior:sly by tbe mob, alJd actnally driven away

ill the midst of a pE.rfect stor~n of stmes. 'Ve were, however,

greatly encouraJeu ~y wbat we S LW of the converts. 'rrhey clung

'to us ill the midst of the storm, aud eyjnced the utmost courage

tl.rmghOl t. Yo I'haye uJrea ly Leen told of the mp.etillg' we hau

on 10 trdonr boat, whe:1 th 1't 'en of ille conv£-rts were ba.pti~ed.

I ~1:.all never for;et tha"J r tt:e me( ti;}g. If there ever was a

:Dethel on etrt'l, on~' boat was a Bethel that eyellillg. I felt spre

that 1ll( s~ of tl e Ihir: (e:1 woull st:'l.lld file we]}, and II.at the little

c1 urch plllllted at Hengl'llOw on that stormy day would tal\e root

Rr d grow. Ands,lch has Leen the case. Though we were driyen

r.W,Ly, onr lJative h~ll ers we:e dlo'yed tJ rell::aill, and the work liaS

b.:eli go uJ 011 1 rospel'Ously eve. r sin..:e.

III Ma~ las'j 1\1:. P't llJ Lan l:>h<.n.;. one of O'U' nativeeva.ngelists,

was se:lt to II !ngd- ow to tdo chJ.l'ge of the work there, alld tC)

propaga~e ihJ G J8l el in the S ll'l'omding dstrict.s. He ~ucce3dt)a

in renting a 10 lse in one 0: the sl;bt.rJs of HCllgdlOw, allrl ill

gettillg tle 1',e '2l t. lld the tW) Dis~rict Ma.;istrat( s to iHsue four

proch mJ.tions i I ~a\o :1' of ClIriBLiul it.~·. lh lH1S since pllrcbae:ed

tl1e 'honse. Unfol' ~l1fate'y lhJ mngistrute CJultl llot s~e his WIly

t.> stamp ,hJ (~eed wit lout ]'< cei ~ illg special orders from Ole ViceloJ and, tbe GOVlrllCr of H,lIIuu. ~rhe ordel'~, I nm gInd to

say,ha':e bun sent, aud we are eyery day expectil]'g to recei,-e the

deed' dulysi.;ned al1d 1;( aIel. Lurillg'tlJeSe mouths All' P'eng llas

been wor:~il g likJ all apostle ill H l1Df n.

What IS the pres:.mt stilte of tl)~11gS inHll1~an? In connection with the Lonclou;'Mjssional'Y Society there is a.'wOlk going on at

four im'por~ant 'cities, nauL'}y,'Hcn3chow, Hel:gslmn, 'Sial1g-tsll,

ah~ 'Ngan-) en. At Heng~bow the chfrpel is open'daily fo~ pnbhc

r~eaclling, aLd on Suudaj's fome' 40 or 50 ~lJlistian~ meet re,iularly for - 'vorslJip. At Hengshan we !raye' another very

interesJ.ing groupof Chlistians meeting regulady for worship; and

27

so we have at Siang-tan and Ngan-jen_ In the Soutll of HUl1~n~

on the Canton border, in the Lin-wu District, there is a work going

on in connection with the American Presbyterian Mission. In the East of Hunan, on the Kiangsi border, ill the Cha·lblg District,

the China Inland Mission has a station_ At Chang-teh. ill the

West, Messrs. Brown and Chapin, of the Alliance Mission, have

sncceeded in establishillg themsehes. In the K orih the American

Episcopal Missioh IJas just coml11elJced a work. 'Thus there are SEven spots ill Hllllan to-day where Christia11 worl\ is carried on by

PrdestUllt missions. rIlle provillce is cpculng to the Gm:pcl, and

I trnst will be wide ope11 SOOll.

'l'lJ'lr8 is progl-ess also in other directions. 'The telegrnph has

been uuccessfdly introduced. The line from Cll!1ngslm, the

capital. to \Vuehang, has been completed, a11(1 HltllUn is now

cOllllecied with tite re:.t of the EmtJil;e, awl with Ow whole outel'.

wodd. The el~ctric light ill CIJl111gsha is also an accomplished

fact. Thus IIullan is moving. It is not open yet; but it is

opelling undouLtetlly.

To \\ hat is tLis partial opening cf B unall to l)e nsc.ribed? I rend a statelllent in oue of the Eng1ish papers, llOt many months

since, to the eff",ct that Hunan was actual1y open, and tl.iat the

result was due to the circllla,tioll of the publications of Olle

particular Society. Now I haye 110thiug but praise to bestow upon

the puLlicatiolls of that Society; but it is sheer 1I011SenSe t::> speak of HllllUU as having beeu opslled by them. The result is to be

ascribed, not to any olle Cd.use ollly, but to a combination of

callse~. 1'he persistellt attaoks of the missionaries on HW1au, fer

the last twenty or thirty years, ba\'e had a great deal to do with

the bringing around of the present state of things. Though not allowed to live in Hunan, their visits to the proyinCe, as preachers

and oolporteurs, have been numerous. The noble work of the

native oolporteurs ill Hunan, carried on for many years with

hardly a break, has had much. to ·do with it. ~he degradation of

Chow Hall, aud the suppression of the Hunan UlHii·foreign. literature, have had everythiug to do with it. And the China­

J:l}l:lll war must he l'p.gart1ed as fI maill fllf'tol" in 0~~r I:'D 11 f>ft yours T~

explain the liew order of things that is l10W setting in, not only in Ruuan, but in every province throughout the- Empire. There ha\'e been many influences at work, and God has beeu 'forking ill and through them all, and all have .betln mnde subservient to the realisation of what we witness to-day in Hunan. But what we witness to-day is only the beginning of things. 'Ye shall see greater things than these.

The anti-footbinding movement is another fact full of signifi­cance. Some months since Mr P'eng Lan Sheng sent us six copif\s of a brochure on foo,tbinding, issued by the Changsha Anti-footbinding Society. It is a most interesting ballad in itself j but tbe most illterestillg fact about it is that Hunan should take a leading part in this noble crusade. Hunan, however, is not alone. An influential Chinese Anti-footbinding Society has ~een

established at Shanghai, and branch societies are multiplying over the land. One of the most l'emarkable facts connected with this movement is that some of the most influential men in the Empire are taking a deep interest in it, and helping it on. Scholars, and even officials, are writing trhcts against the barbarous custom. One of the best things I have seen is a preface to one of the Anti· footbinding Society'S publications, written by Chang Chili-tung, the Viceroy of Hupeh and Hunan. It is a strong, clear, and emphatic denullciation of the cruel practice. One of the most useful tracts issued by the Central China Religious Tract Society last year is one on footbinding, consisting of the Changsha ballad and the Viceroy's preface. An introduction has been added by myself, in which the evil is viewed from a Christian standpoint, a.nd the Christian Church in China is called upon to take immediate

action with l'egard to it. I am sincerely lloping that the missionaries will do all they can to bring this vital question before the converts during the year on which we are now entering. So far 'the moyement is not a Christian movement, that is, the

Christian Church in China has not taken it up as a Church. I am gla~' to be able to say that there is quite a sentiment springing up ahioilg O,!f converts against 'tllB custom; but', I long to see it

8pre~tl~ng amI deepening. I do not ::iCC 'vhy the movement ::ihoulU

29

not become at once a grand Christian movement, and thus this year (1898) be known in the history, of the Church in China as the

foo·t-unbinding year. This movement is cau,sed by the union of D;lany concurring

influences. No individual and no society can claim the entire credit of it. But our Tract Society can claim an important share

in the credit. Our publications have been dealing with the evil for many years. I think I am right when I say that the Central China Religious Tract Sosiety was the first to take the matter up.

Our publications have been sown broadcast over the land; and it is a great joy to me to think of them as having something to do with stirring up the native mind on this momentous question.

The rem.arkable increase in Church membership in this province

(Hupeh) during the past yea,r is another fact of very. great interest. Speaking of ~he London Missionary Society, I can safely say that we have not had a year so prosperous sill~e the establishment of, the Mission. There were baptised in connection with. the London

Mission, including the thirteen baptised in Hunan, 606 persons in all. In 1896 there were bapt~sed 434 in all. Now compare this

with past years. I began work in Central China in 1861. At the

close of the first year we had had 11 baptisms; at the close of ·1870 we had had 29i); and at the close of 1880 we had had 1104. Thus last year alone gave us more than twice as m~ny as the first nine, and these two years, 1896-1897, have given us nearly as

many as the first nineteen. The other missions have all had s. prosperous year. The accessions for the year in this. province, in

connection with all the missions, must have been considerably

above a thousand, probably not far from one thousand nVQ

hundred. Surely that is something to thank God for.

TheTe has been much sowing in this province during the past 36 years. The reaping time is como. 'What we are seeing to-day shows the folly of judging a great spiritual work, suell as ours is.

by early appearances. People want returns for their money, and

quick returns, and if they do 110t get them at once they growl and sneer. A flippant critic, writing of the missione:ry. work in India, some year.s since, said: "A great deal is beil1g said by the

80

missipnaries about unseen influence, leaven, seed-sewing, and

what 110t. For myself, I want crops." '\Vonderful ! " For myself, I want crops." I should like to Imow who does not want

crops. 'Ve all want crops; But th~ husbandman sows the seed, and then "waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long pati~nce for it., until he l'eceive the early and latter rain." The husballdman wants crops; but he does not expect to sow and

reap on ilie same day. Though there were not a single conv~rt in China, I should still go on plowing and sowing, for well I know

that they who sow in teal'S shall reap in joy. But, thank God, it is not all sowing with us in Central China now. We are begiunir;g to reap a goodly harvest. 8.till the reaping of the present is insepal'l1bly connected with the sowing of the past; aml the one is not no whit less real, or less divine, than the other. Such is tL~ present aspect of things in Central China. In many other parts

of the Emph'e the outlook is equally brjght. 'V l! Ilre, I verily believe, on the eve of enormous religious changes. Never ill its Listory has so grand a prospect been opened to Christianity in this

land. And what do we need. now? We need Faith-implicit faith in

God, God's will, God's purposes, GO<.l's promises, God's faithfnl­nese;. 'Ye lleed the faith that \1"ill dare anything and everything in obedience to the Divine command. You have heard of the

coloured woman, who was in the habit of s[),ying that if God told

her to jump through a stone wall, she would jump at it. Getting through the stone wall was God's work, not hers. 8.he would

simply do what God told her to Qo. You smile; but tllat is the faith we want. We are e'\'"er culled to jump through stone walls; (Lna we know that if we do not jump at them we shall neyer jump

tIt rough them. What was China to Morrison but a stone wtt.ll ?

\Vhat has Hunan been to u~ but a stone wall? And what La"e 'We been "doing these thirty or more leal'S but jumping at it. But we" have not been jumping in vain. The:re nre signs of yielding. A bl'ea,ch has b~en effected. Another jump, :an(l we shall jump at­it and through it.

\Ve need Union. The Protestant missions in China must be

81

ene. We WRlit perfect union for many reasons. But we vrant i; hOW for a special reason. 'Ve are all standing in· the presenco'of

one common foe~a strong, watchful, impla.cable fce: I refer to

thA Roman Catholic Church ill China. The hcu,then ill til9se parts

have pl'~ctioally cea.sed to trouble llS. rhe opposition now come:.

{l'om the pril-sts and proselytes of Rome. During these two years

tbey have given us endless trouble in Centra.l ChiHa; and sllch has

been the experience of other missionaries in other parts of tho

country. We have no desire tooppose them or interfere with them

in any way. 'Ve simply want them to let us alone, and let ou~

converts :a.lone. THey would look upon China as their own

legitimate and exclusive inheritance, and keep the Protestan,t

missionary out. As 10l1g as the work moves on slowly

they are comparatively quiescent; but 110 saOller does it show signs of a strong vigorous life than they are up in arms. Such is the case these days in thAse parts. If we unite

our fGrces, and holcl together, we shall triumph; if we do not 'We

sha.ll be beaten ignominiously. 'Why should we not unite our

forces und be one? The points of difference between us are few

and insignificant; whilst the points of agreement are many and

vital. I would not abolish denominationalism. Let that st3!nd.

It is not uniformity we want, but unity, and we want to IJit npon

Borne plan hy which our unity can be shown forth in all its strength

and bea.uty. I wish we could hale in Central China a Union

Chapel, which would hold from 1[;00 to 20CO people, find in which

united meetings might be regnlnrly held. This would be a step in

the right direction. I Rimply throw out the suggestion to-dny.

Please think of it. I am willing to give TIs.tOO towards the

ere0tion of such fL huilding. 'Yhat will you giyc ?

We need Courage. There is at present n rnsh into the ChrisHan Church, and the work -iR r::preading on eyery IlflDd. Opportunitje~

are multiplying, new" t1ifficnlLies are springing up, n1,d we 'cften feel

D.S if the burdell were too heavy for us. ~rhe eat]y mjs~ionnries

needed courage, a.ml we need it quite as much, if 110t more. They

needed the courage to wait; and we need the cot:ra.ge to c1rire und

to do, The missionary who would rise to the OC( aEian in theso

32

days in China must dismiss the word impossible fl'om hi~

vocabularly. "Impossible," exclaimed Napoleon, "there ill nothing impossible. It is a word only found in the dictionary of fools." Let 'US be done with it. "Be strong and of a good

courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed; for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." These were Godis words to Joshua; and these are His words to us. May God help ns to be strong for Him and His Killgdom this year.

At the conclusion of Dr. John's address the meeting adjourned till 2.30.

At the afternoon meeting the officers and committee were chosen.

Various items of business were transacted, amongst which was the resolution to increase the price of some of the books which have

been sold at a loss. The cos~ price of all books is to be printed on the English catalogue, so that missionaries who use the Society's

literature will be enabled to see how much they are dr.awing on the

Society's income. One method of contributing to the funds would be to pay the full price, instead of the catalogue price, for all literature ordered from the depots.

It was decided that the financial year should end 011 December 15th, instead of December 31st, as formerly.

Messrs. Bramfitt and Milw.ard, upon whom s11ch a large s}lare of the work of the Society has fallen, being about to 1euye Hankow Jor a while, were assured of the high appreciation ill which tIle Society holds them for their work s sake. It is to be Loped tllat

before long both these gentlemen will return to HanKow, and that the Society 'will again reap the benefit of their auyice anu help.

Day tK\ss\ons l\brart

as

List of Subscriptions and Grants, 1897

Rev. O. M. Jackson ($10.00),

Canadian Presbyterian Mission (Sh. TIs. 32.00), ...

M. Craven, Bradford (per L.M.S.), ...

Rev. A. Foster, B.A. ($6.11),

L. & C. Wigham,

"B. G.," per Wm. J. Slowal1, Esq. (£50), ...

London R.T.S. for year (£300),

Mrs. B. H. Bruce, New Zealand, per Dr. John (£2),

C. J. and M. D., per Rev. A. Bonsey ($H}.OO),

Upper Canada R.T.S. for Colportage (£102.15.11),

TIs.7r10

30.95

33.45'

4.40

5.00

332.18

2,17L56

14.5[;

7.20

742.57

'rotal taels, 3,348.97

Audited and found correct.

A. MORLEY.

January 6th, 1898.

General Oolportage Balance Sheet, 1897-

INCOME. Jan.l.

To Balance down , . .. TIs. 418.48

$, Sales ill all, ...

" Grant for Upper Canada Religious Tract Society, ...

u Balance due to Treasurer,

413.57

742.57

237.32

EXPENDITURE.

By Wages,

u Travelling, Carriage of Dooks, etc.,

Total tabls, 1,811.94

... TIs. 787.S0 198.17

" Purchase of Books at Cost Price ($1147.87 @ 72), 82G.47

Total taels, 1,811.94

PARTICULARS OF DEBIT BALANCE.

Colportage Account-

Cash in band-London ~Iissiont

" " -Wesleyan )'Iission,

Dooks in Stock at Selling Price­

London Mis3iona.ry Society, .. ,

Wesleya.n Misl:;ionn.ry Society,

~.M.S. Stock and Sales in Hunan (report not yet in), ...

TIs. 35.33

22.77

TIs. 100.00

46.87

32.35

Total taels,

Audited and found. correct.

A. MORLEY.

Ja.nua.ry 6th, 1808.

TIs. 58.10

179.22

237.a2

Treasurer's General Balance Sheet, 1897.

INCOME.

Jan.1.

To Balance down-General Balane::, ... TIs. 579.61

" Colportage (Mr. Skold), 80.00

" Grants alld Subscriptio~s, " Colporteurs' Sales, ., Balance due to Treasurer on General

Account, Less Colportage Balance in hand,

" Book and Tract Sales-Genera],

312.70 68.10

Total taels,

EXPENDITURE.

By Printing-N.B.S.S.,

" " -Native Printer,

" Editor's Assistant,

" Freight and Duty, " Insurance, " Purchaso of other Societies' Publications, " Miscellaneous (mcluding \Vages), " Colporteurs' \Vages,

II " Travelling Expenses,

Total bels,

Audited and found correct.

A. MORLEY.

Ja.nuary 6th, 1898.

TIs. 609.61 8.346.97

413.57

254.60

1,689.51

6,316.26

TIs. 4,604.81

877.91 41.07

184.56 9.00

21.10 D2.B4

787.30

198.17

6,816.26

I I ~

86

CATALOGUE AND PRICE LIST OF PUBLICATIONS.

A discount of 10 per cent. off the following prices is allowed on all

purchases of lOG copies of anyone tract, or on 1,000 cash worth and

upwards.

The Society forward their publications to all ports in China freight

and duty paid.

Those marked '* may be had in sheet form for use as posters.

Please address all orders to the Society, and make all cheques payable to the Society; not to individuals by name.

Note.-The column hE'aded " cost" indicates the cost of production; the column headed" selling," the price charged by the Society to its

customers.

PRICE PER COpy No. BOOK TRACTS.

Cost. Selling -- --

~:t~~t Cash Gash C.O.R.T.S. Union Hymn Book. 200 100

. ~ Il'* ~ ~ ('t ~) The Pilgrim's Progress. Rev. }V G. Bu,rns 85 90 tj Jt M Ht ~ (rg ~)

The Pilgrim's Progress. Part II. do. 65 70 ~ 19m JR (~ 3JI!)

Civilizatioll. 74 parts, complete. Dr. Faber 240 BOO i JC ti ~ ].I (rg i!) I

Christian Evidences. Dr. Martin 120 120 lE it fit "fi ('t it)

Peep of Day. Rev. TV C. BUT1lS 65 70

.~ :k ~lil 1f II\l M (3t m) -1 . Commentary on Matthew'g Gospel. Dr . .John . 70 30

lB JIl! II; If :liun!!: m;I (:1; ill!)} Rev. D. Hill

21 Exhortations to Abandon Opium .. Dr. John 15 15 12 illustrations. Dr. Dudgeon

jJj ~ ft ~lf ( t{ J.I) ~ ~ The Gospel Nnrra,tive III Verse. ]ir8. A. Poste7' 29 20

~ *~ 11 tn (" ~) # ~ The Old Testament .Narrative in Yerse. Mn.A.J?O$ter 27 20 J

PRICK PEa Copy

No, BOOK TRACTS. Cost. Sl-lJing

~=-~~--~--------.I~--iii ~ &i it (:t J1I! & 'f: ~) Cash Cash 5 Leading the Family. 8 Illustrations. Rev. Dr. John 30 15

~ W W. Jtl (J( m!) 6 Civilization. Seven parts. Dr. Fabel' 24 20

IlQ mlil 1f f3 ~l -ti- tI ("!1. t'=) 7 Harmony of the Gospels. Rev . .f. A. Ingle, M.A. 30 20

3C § m HJJ (:5C ~: & t; m ~ 8 Guide to Heaven. Rev. Dr. John 30 15

fi 11 RI ~a (~ Jm) 9 The Acts of the Apostles in Verse. Mrs. Foster. 13 15

f.~ ~ A ~, (~ ~~fD .; 10 The Ga.te of Virtue and Wisdom. do. 36 15

~ m ~ ~ (:5C J.I) 11 Ten Prize ESRu,yS. (Sos. 46·55.) Rev. D. Hill 35 15

~ J!! fj!' ai ~ ¥ ~ (~ ml) 12 Tl'lllletriclii ClasBic. Rev. Dr. John 22 15

It II i\ fnl (~ ~!ln 13 Eight Uha,ptel's of 'rrnth. do. 25 12

~ mAr, rp, ~ "!J. m & 'g ifi) 17 Catechism of (Jhristiall DoctrilJe. do. 25 10

~ mt Wj B; *a ~ (~ mI) 18 Tile ~l.'wo }:i'riellds. Rev. ]Jr. Milnt 17 10 *1 ~ mi fiJJ (~ f~) 19 The Red vwarf. 5 Illustrations. Rev. Dr. John 16 10

ijl ~~ ~ ft ( j( ~m & ~ ~) 20 Right GUldance. B Illustratiuns. do. 18 10

8 ~ ~ ~ M (~ ~) 21 Truth Uonr.erlling Astronomy. Illustrated. do. 13 10

~ 8 l1ID !ak (~ :!I) 22 Anti-footbinding- ba.11ad. 12 8

*~ ~ {I It; t!) 24 Life of Joseph. Rev. O. G. Spa1'ham 10 6

" 15 ff (~ ~) 25 Llfe of MOHes. Rev. W T. BaTber, M_A. 10 6

iii =t tel .~ (,.~ m) 26 Prodigal's Return. Rev. T. E. North, B.A. 10 6

iI ~ Z PGir"'('g iW) 27 The Lost Dheep. Rev. O. G. Sparham 10 6

1M m ~ • ~ (f: 16) 28 Persecntiolls ill Madagascar. Mrs. Fostel'

:it If ~ ~ ()C g!) 83 Enord of Yege~al'ianism. RBf1.. J. RaCB 10 6

'S8

I " BOOK TR~CT8.

PRICK PI:1\ COPY \ No.

Cost. SelUng -Cash ~" J,{ HJJ it t~ tm) iftC t1J Uash

34 Mirror of Uonscience. It I.i ~, 10 6 tIl 1: ft III {!£ J.!j

36. The Sermon on the Mount. R~v. D,·. John 11 6 1

o iJ!: ~ " (~ ~) 36 Opium, Gambling, and Footbinding. m _ JJt 7 5

JlilQ it * S (~ 16) 6i- 8 Do. (!£ m!) 10 4

37 Great Themes of the Gospel. &.', D,'. John .. m m ~ (!: m) 6i 9

Do. (!£ II) 10 4 98 Selection of Important 'fruths. do.

S j$ m (~ ~) 89 The God of TllUnder. illustrated. Rev. T. Bramfitt 5 S

,jtt ~ t. iii (" f}P:) 40 Outline LIfH of Christ. Rev. C. G. Spm'ham 6l S • '* 11 ;t (~ @)

Rsv. D. Hill 5 41 Tlle Christian Soldier. S

.1. Wi 'II - if! it Z ~ (" ") 4 s 46 Unity and l:io\'erei~nty of God. ::EMIat

J: •• ~+jd:tt. 47 On the Ten Comman(1ments. do. do. 4 s

ti4-ff::tJ.lEfPIII 48 Worship Due t.o God. do. fI~tn 4 8

.t \i ~'iIt 'It :I iii ~ 49 On Rewards and Punishments. do. m~tn 4 8

r 50 " II *" iE "J( m: z. it)

Mysteries of Divine Providence. do. ::EMl!/l 4 8 I

4-iftrl~I'~J{. I 61 Vanity of the W orId. do. do. 4: 8 I, .et.~~~.J.I do. 52 Repentance and Renewal. do. 4: s"

m~.-ut~lImil fPJtA3i 53 Prophecy Fulfilled in ·Uh~st. do. 4: 8

JIIS • 1M. ,Ji ~ jJfJ ti it 54 Jesus the 8a Vlonr. do. ~!P. 4 8

JIIS 1* ~ tx '* II ~ 11-do. a 55 The Christian Chul'ch. do. 4

56 jjjI ff It ~ Z ~II ~

'Xhe Christll.lJl Law: of Love. .<lo. IUv. Dr. 'oh1J ' '5 B

89

--

I No. PRICE PEa COpy

BOOK TRACTS.

Cost. Selling i

7Jasl~ tI&zllfttt (~ BD Up.slt 57 Parable of the Hower. Illustrated.Rev. W.ScarboTough S 2

- il f Z "'" I 58 Parable of the Prodigal Son. do. do. a 2

~.Zna I 59 Parable 01 Lhe Leaven. d~. do. a 2

1! :f.E At' Z " '60 Parable of the .BarrenFi~ Tree.do. do. S 2

~ g; .. ,), 91 * (~ JJJ. & 'fi tf) 6_6 IlItroQuction to Bible. F'. book form. Rev. Dr. Jolm 2 2

;JiiltA::t '.-

67 Trne Saviour of the W orid. do. do. 2 2

~*kfl~ 2 2 08 SalleD t Doctrines of Christianity .do. do.

~ 11 J.ft Ii * 2 2 69 Rejecting the False. do. do •

70 • ~Zm

On RegeneratIOn. do. do. 2 2

~ U)J 11 ~ 71 Superstitious Uustoms Exposed.do. do. 2 2

;J(iilJt. 2 72 True Way of Seeking Happiness.do. do • 2

• ~Z:$. . _.

78 Origin of all Things. do. dll. 2 2

ff~z.* 74 Doctrine of the Resurrection. do. do. 2 2

1lI1Itfiet* 2 2 75 Exhortation to Repentance. do. do.

lI~zfi* ,

76 On the Atonement. do. do. 2 2

1:ii •• 77 Truth concerning God. do. do. 2 2

~imz*Jiij 78 Plan of the Universe. do. do. 2 2

'79 it!J&*BII

2 2 An Outline of Chemistr1. do. do.'

61 ~ lilt it 2 2 80 Leading the J'arent. do. do.

81 m it If iI

Leading the Prince. do. do. 2 2

~I ~ lit m 82 Leading the People. do. do. 2 2

- ,"- , .... - .. _,.,

-liIlllgiRlillllllllJr_~_'%"'~': 3 9002 10638 0190;""'"

J~~~--.....--.. .. -:~ ... ------------- -- - ~.. .

PlUCK PER COpy

No. BOOK TRACTS. Cost. Selling

,--- ~~~--~=------------------------I-=-~ fiffiilll(fM

83 The p'usahs Explained. F.B.form. Rev. T. Bramfitt

r----Ca.sh Cash

2 2

'I:fIi1~~ 84 On 'Rewards and Punif1hm.ents. do. do. 2 2

'Jtj"et~t'D' .. 85 011 Repentance. do. do. 2 2

it~fI~ 86 On Filial .t'ie~y. do. do. 2 2

'i.~z~ 87 On Deliverance from Sin. do. do. 2 2

1t1Jtftmrmf\ 88 New ~ong of Exhortation. do. Rev. A.. Bonsey

if~flJljl - , " 89 Rules for Holy Living. dO.Rev. W. T. Bm'ber, M.A.

2 2

2 2

:JCfif!ttmnmQ 90 The Fivefold ,Tablet. do. * ~ ~ 2 2

S¥ •• 93 Trlmetrical N.ew Song. Illust1'ated Sheet. S 2

rf1~H:9m.Zfl: 94: A Cure for the Opium. fIabit. do. do. 2 1

:tm !, ~ Ii (~ im) 95 Methods of Mission Word. do. Rev. D. Hill 2 1

m ~ ~ m (~ fJI) 96 Doctrinal'l'eaching of llhristianity.do. D,' . John

~ Ii I: WI} (~3j!> 97 Moral'feaohing oJ Christianity., do. do.

2 1

2 1

m nl ).. It (~ 3lH) 98 The 'Word was made Flesh. do. Rev. (J.G. Sparkam 2 1

*m~IDlnt'P5lr 99 Great Principles not confined to China. do. Dr. Faber 2 1

..t~tlft 100 On God. do. P'I'emar6. 2 1

101 Seiipture Extracts: Posters [three] Rev. Geo. King 2 1

n~M 102 Calendar for 189 ,Yellow Pa.per. 5 4

Do., Whi~e do. 4 S