Morning Calm v.17 no.107(1906 Jan.)

The Bishop's Letters. Ⅰ.

CHONG-DONG, SEOUL, COREA: October 29, 1905.

MY DEAR FRIENDS,

My letters have, I fear, not been written as regularly as they ought to have been, and now that I am face to face with the task of writing two or three together I will take subjects instead of writing as usual somewhat in diary form.

My first subject will be the Japanese work, which is one of great interest, and I hope that I shall be able to make it so to you and enlist your sympathies and prayers. I told you when I wrote from Japan in the spring that I had secured the services of a Canadian, Mr. Cartwright, with six years of experience in Japan, to take the oversight of the work here. I am thankful to say that he was able through the kindness of Bishop McKim, to come sooner than I expected. He is now in Corea, and at present on a tour of inspection of the places where the Japanese are living in the greatest numbers, He will soon be returning with a report of the possibilities and necessities of the work in the future, of which I shall have more to say later.

In Fusan we have our greatest number of Christians, that being the place where the Japanese have been longest settled in Corea, and the nearest point to Japan. There are several thousand Japanese there already, and being the terminus of the railway which is already built as far as Wiju, on the borders of Manchuria, it will become a place of considerable importance in the future. This system will probably soon be connected with the Siberian Railway, which will bring us within three weeks of Europe. When this is the case it will be made a port of call for the mail steamers, or at least so it is expected, and will become the most important town in Corea next to Seoul. In view of this we have long felt that we ought to have a church there, and if possible a Japanese priest, or at least a catechist. So far we have rented an upper room in the house of one of the oldest Christians, and he has been respon-sible for the Sunday services with an occasional visit from a priest to celebrate for them as opportunity occurred. This was not satisfactory as Mr. Hayashi is a very busy man, and it has been very difficult to send a Japanese-speaking priest regularly.

To make permanent provision there I determined, when I heard that Mr. Cartwright was coming, to go down and meet him and see what could be done. I stayed with Mr. Adamson, the head of the Australian Presbyterian Mission there, who has always been most kind in extending hospitality to us in the past. Mr. Cartwright's coming having been somewhat delayed, I was able to make inquiries before he arrived. I found that the price of land was rising so fast that we ought to buy at once. There was a bit of land on the market which, though not very good in shape, was yet big enough for what we wanted, namely, a small church and parsonage, and when Mr. Cartwright came we put the purchase through at once. And now we are erecting on it a parsonage which will be big enough for the catechist, and to hold services in till we can build the church.

The next point was to see whether we could get a catechist. On this point I had had some talk with Bishop Foss and Bishop Evington when I met them in Japan, and only last week I had a letter from Bishop Foss to say that they had found a man willing to come who was recommended by two of our Japanese priests in Tokyo as a suitable man for the work. He has not yet come, but I hope that he will be over soon and that the house which is being built will be ready for him when he comes. I would ask your prayers for that work and that man (his name is Mr. Igi). Please offer also your thanks-givings that we have been able to make some arrangement for the needs of our Christians in Fusan and for the extension of the Kingdom of God in that most important centre.

Meanwhile, Mr. Cartwright came up to Seoul--living in the late Bishop's house and boarding with me. Very thankful I have been for his company and help here in Seoul. But he has not been stationary, for on two Sundays in the month he has been down to Chemulpó, where there are, as you know, a certain number of churchfolk. We have only a Reader there, a busy man who is clerk in a bank. We want more help if the work is to grow, but it would take too long to-day to say much of what we shall want, and I must wait till I receive Mr. Cartwright's report dealing with the whole subject of the Japanese work in Corea, when we shall have to consider what we can do out of all that we ought to do

In Seoul, where there is the second largest number of Japanese residents, we are intending to lease the old Mission premises at Naktong, retaining, however, in our own hands part where Mr. Cartwright can live, and where we can have a small church for our people. It is not well situated for Corean work as it is surrounded by Japanese, but it is the very best possible site for work among the Japanese themselves. So far we have found a few Church members of whose exist-ence we were previously ignorant, and the teacher for whom Mr. Cartwright sent to Japan, a Christian of some standing and education, is doing his best to bring them back to their allegiance, for some of them have not been careful about their religious duties as they have not been looked up as they required. I hope sincerely that Mr. Kitoku (that is his name) will be of great use to us, for he seems to be very much in earnest, and as he speaks English well I can help him a little with advice or assistance when Mr. Cartwright is away. I have been very dependent on his advice in deciding how to deal with our property at Naktong to the best advantage, but I must not enter on that subject now.

As I said, Mr. Cartwright is now on a visit of inspection. He has gone to Pyengyan, Chinnampo, Wiju, and the American and English mines, which are all in the north-west of Corea I will leave you to look them out in the latest map you can find as a geography lesson; any way, I expect that they will all be known well by name soon. Then, crossing the country to Gensan or Wonsan, he was to go down to Fusan, and so home to Seoul. I expect him next week to meet Mr. King, of Tokyo, who is coming over to hold a Retreat for the Clergy the week after. We are most fortunate in having prevailed on him to come.

I know that you will pardon me for taking up so much time in writing about the Japanese work, for you are all intensely interested in Japan and things Japanese at present, and if you have at all realised the position that the Japanese hold and are likely to hold in this country, you will see how important it is that we should do all that we can to help these wanderers from their own land, for their own sakes and for the sake of those among whom they are going to live. We are beginning to think about this as regards our own people from England, and if it is true that they want help when they wander into other lands, it is equally true of the Japanese, or even more so, inasmuch as they have not the centuries of Christianity behind them to support them in the temptations and trials of such an experience. Pray for them, especially those of our own Church, and pray for Mr. Cartwright, Mr. Kitoku, and Mr. Igi, that they may by their teaching and example lead many to the truth and help them to set an example to others among their own people and to the Coreans as well.

I am, yours truly, ARTHUR B. TURNER, Bishop

II.

CHONG-DONG, SEOUL, COREA.

MY DEAR FRIENDS. --

The second subject I want to write to you about, and to interest you in, is an extension of our native work, of which we have been considering the possibility for some time. Before I went home last year one of our Catechumens, who had not learnt much of the doctrine but seemed an earnest man, came to me and said that he was going to move into the country, and might he do what he could to teach the people what he knew and come up to Seoul from time to time to get more instruction. After talking it over with Bishop Corfe, who naturally expressed some doubt as to the man's sincerity (we always have to ask why a Corean asks if he may do any-thing), I agreed to his doing what he could, and sent down to get an opinion of the place and people, as I was unable to go down myself. Then came Bishop Corfe's resignation, and I had to go home and could do nothing more in the matter, leaving it in Bishop Corfe's hands. During my absence he bought a small house there, and visits were paid from time to time by Mr. Bridle, Mr. Gurney and Mr. Laws.

When I returned I had a visit from the people there urging me to go down and see them, and if possible to send a foreigner to live there. I told them I could not do so at once; and I had a strong feeling that, though some of the men seemed in earnest, all was not right there, and after I had been here some weeks the truth came out, as it generally does if one can wait long enough. Mr. Bridle went down once or twice, and he found that there were serious and well-founded charges against the Catechumen who was living there--debt and immorality. We took away his Catechumen's cross, and then had to think what we could do to save the situation. The number of inquirers was very considerable, and, as I said, out of the number some seemed to be really in earnest, and it did not seem to be right to desert them altogether. So, after sending down from time to time three of our catechists from Kangwha that we might receive a true report (in the multitude of counsellors there is safety), I determined to send Mr. Bridle down there from Chemulpo. There were other reasons why it was advisable to make the change, of which I need not write fully now, but those of you who know anything of treaty-port work will easily recognise the fact that for a man who came to work among the Coreans it is a great strain, owing to the character of the Coreans who live in such a place, and in our own case this is aggravated by the fact that, in face of the two fairly-numerous bodies of Christians connected with the Methodists and the Roman Catholics, it is especially hard to make much way.

Any way, the change has been made, and Mr. Bridle has bought a small house in Souwon--that is the name of the place--and is fitting it up so as to make a residence for himself and the catechist who has gone down to assist him, together with a long room which will at present serve as a church. When the men become Christians, we are impressing upon them the fact that they will have to provide a proper church for themselves. I have no doubt that there are very mixed motives on the part of the men who have so far given in their names as inquirers. That has been found to be the case in almost every instance where work has been begun in Corea, and Mr. Bridle will have a very difficult task in picking out the men who are really in earnest; but I truly believe that patient and persevering work on his part, supported as he will be by your prayers, will bring results for which we shall be able in time to render thanks to God, but we must here, as elsewhere, “hasten slowly.”

The women's work in Souwon is a matter which has given us some anxiety. At present the matter has been solved by arranging for a fortnightly visit by Sister Isabel from Seoul. She has been down more than once already, and finds that the women are very keen and make considerable sacrifices to attend the classes, which she has held so far in our small house down there. The room has been crowded, and the women have been standing in the courtyard listening as best they could.

I have told you that the place is called Souwon. It is not far from Seoul and is easily reached from here by train, as it is the first town on the way to Fusan, about twenty-five miles south of the capital. It is an important place as the site of some very famous royal tombs and the seat of the chief magistrate, Kwan-chal-sa as he is called, of a very large part of the   province, to whom cases are referred from many other magis-tracies--a sort of Court of Appeal. Then, in addition to the people who are anxious to join the Church in the city and immediate neighbourhood, there are a number of villages within a radius of some twenty miles to the south, where there are also inquirers to whom Mr. Bridle or the catechist will be able to go from time to time, appointing in each village some one to act as the head man in their absence.

I hope you will see from what I have said that there seems to be hope that, in beginning work in this new station, we have not done it without a great deal of consideration, and it has seemed to me that, without seeking the work ourselves, God has opened out a prospect for us there which it would have been wrong for us to refuse to accept. And now I would only ask you once more for your prayers for the work and the workers, especially Mr. Bridle, whose responsibility will be great; Paul Kim, the catechist, the brother of Mark Kim, our catechist at Ankol; and for Sister Isabel, whose work will be of the greatest importance, for I have often told you that, in spite of the nominally low place of the Corean woman in the social scale, she has here, as elsewhere, a very great influence in the life of the family. I am, yours sincerely, ARTHUR B. TURNER, Bishop.

III.

CHONG-DONG, SEOUL, COREA.

MY DEAR FRIENDS,-- My third subject is of more importance in some ways than either of the other two about which I have already written to you. For a long time we have been thinking how best to help the Corean catechists by calling them together for instruction and for consultation as to any difficulties they may have in con-nection with their work. And further, I have been hoping ever since I came out to hold a meeting of the clergy of the diocese for consultation as to the affairs of the Mission. After waiting for a convenient time, we decided to hold both meetings this autumn, at a time when the work was not very pressing and the Coreans were free to come.

We began with the classes for the catechists, and we called together some ten men from Seoul and On-Sou-Tong and the city of Kangwha, who were officially or semi-officially engaged in the work of teaching their own countrymen. The instruction was undertaken by Mr. Badcock and myself, and I can assure you that I felt very unequal to the task and fear that I did the work in a very unworthy manner. I soon shook off most of my shyness however, and became so interested in the work that I enjoyed myself immensely, quite forgetting what inroads my several absences from Corea had made upon my knowledge of the language. I had Mr. Badcock to help me in difficulties and sometimes was able to get help from the Coreans, one of whom spoke a little English

The classes lasted some ten days, and we had a long day's work every day. We had two regular classes each day; in the morning on the Old Testament, which I took myself, including such big subjects as the Use of the Old Testament, Creation, the Covenant, Sacrifice. The treatment was naturally very slight, but they seemed interested, and it may have done some good in preparing for further instruction in the future. Then in the afternoon Mr. Badcock took the Creed for a course of lessons, and made especially a strong point of proving every-thing by frequent references to the Bible. This kept them up to the mark, and it was good to see the quick way in which they were able to turn up any text in the New Testament We have not got the Old Testament in print yet or even translated, and had to rely upon one or other of the more educated men who would read the Chinese version and trans-late it into Corean so that all could understand.

Then in addition to the classes we had morning prayer with a meditation or address, intercessions at midday, and compline in the evening with a short sermon from one or other of the Coreans. I was especially glad of this, as it gave me an oppor-tunity of hearing how they handled their subjects and what sort of teachers they were likely to be. The best undoubtedly was Mark Kim, our first adult Christian, and then Moses Kim (no relation), who was a boy in the school at Kangwha, and is now Mr. Badcock's organist and sacristan, and in many ways his right hand man. These two men resemble one another somewhat in character, both seeming to be strong men and, what is more, to have some real idea of what Christianity means and of the meaning of sin, which is often a difficult thing for Coreans to grasp. The third best man was, in my opinion, Mark Kim's brother Paul, who is a good teacher but lacks something of Mark's power. He has gone to help Mr. Bridle at Souwon, and I hope that he will there develop and become more useful to us than he has been up to the present in Kangwha.   Directly after lunch we had, in addition to these meetings, a choir practice under Moses' direction. This is very badly wanted, especially in the country churches, and I am afraid that many of our musical friends at home would have smiled at the sounds produced by some of the older men, even if they had been able to stay in Church at all. They would also, I am sure, have admired the persistency with which the men sang over and over again the same tune, in many cases being no nearer to the original than they were the first time. It was not so with all; there were a certain number among the younger men who made some progress and will, I hope, be able to help the others in their various villages.

Our evenings were devoted to discussions on points that I or Mr. Badcock had suggested—the rule of the Church, Self-support, Marriage and Burial customs, &c. These produced some interesting speeches from the men there, and I hope that another year we may have subjects which they will bring forward themselves. There were certain criticisms, some of which made one aware of a certain dangerous tendency on our part to make the Church too aristocratic. This we may have introduced from England, and we shall have to be on our guard against introducing too many of our insular English ideas or customs into the new Church we are trying to found here.

Altogether the meeting was, I think, helpful, and its success was in a great measure due to the careful way in which Mr. Badcock had arranged matters for us. Personally, I owe him a debt of gratitude. I was unable to ask Mr. Bridle to help us this year, but I hope that he will be able to do so another time. Mr. Gurney came in for the first two days and then had to go back to On-Sou-Tong and his, or rather Mr. Hillary's people in the south of the island. Another time, too, I hope that we shall have Mr. Hillary here to assist us. This was the first time, as I have said, that we have tried to do anything of the kind on a large scale. Naturally we hope to do better next time, but as we broke up I felt that we had been able to do something to bring our people together, and to make them know each other better, and that they went home with some new ideas and perhaps broader ideas of what the work of a catechist in the Church of Christ should be. Now we want you to remember these men and their needs, and to pray that they may have strength to do their work to the greater glory of God and not of themselves. The following week the clergy met in Kangwha and I asked Dr. Weir and Mr. Laws to join us. For two days we discussed   Mission matters and certain points raised in the meetings of the week before. I have left no space to deal fully at all with our meeting, but the questions raised were talked over fully and I hope will not end only in talk. One matter that we decided to do was to take up seriously the question of the revision of so much of the Prayer-book as we have in use at present, and we settled that our next meeting should be next spring, when we hope to be all here and to have welcomed it new member of the Mission in Mr. Wilson. After this meeting of clergy and laity I returned to Seoul to take a retreat for the Sisters, and as soon as that was over Sister Margaretta summoned the women teachers to a course of classes similar to that which we had had for the men. I cannot give you any particulars of this meeting for I have not been able to go to Kangwha, as I had hoped to do ; in fact, I had intended to be there while they were going on to see a little if possible of the women themselves, but was detained in Chemulpo and missed the opportunity. However, I hear that they returned much impressed by the experience, and I am sure that they will have benefited by what they have learnt. Now my paper has run out and I will say no more, but remain yours truly, RTHUR B. TURNER, Bishop.

Association of Prayer and Work.

THE quarterly reports coming in in December will finish the accounts for the year, instead of in January as formerly. Some local secretaries have, I am afraid, found it rather difficult to get their subscriptions in in time owing to the change of date for sending in the reports, but it is hoped that during 1906 members will have got more accustomed to the change, and things will go more smoothly.

We are indebted to many secretaries, members, and others for arranging special services of Intercession on behalf of the Mission on St. Nicholas' Day. On the Sunday following we have been promised several offertories, and hope that more will be sent in soon.

St. Anne's Missionary Guild, Buxton, has given a donation of £15, being one-third of the proceeds of a Sale of Work. Loughton Parochial Missionary Association has also sent us a donation, while the Missionary Association of St. Cyprian's Church at Durban, Natal, has sent £7. 11s, 6d. The Rev.W. T. Alston, in forwarding it, writes: “We have been glad to get together this amount during the last year in our parish as a token of our interest in the work of the Church in other parts of the world, and also to show how we have appreciated the good-ness of the Rev. S. J. Peake during his short stay with us in Durban over a year ago.”

We regret to say that owing to being so much away from town Miss Burd-Brooks has felt obliged to give up being county secretary for London. We are very grateful to her for her help in the past. Miss Trollope has most kindly offered to take her place, as we know she will be a very great help to all the work in London. There are a few other changes to note. Chittle-hampton is without a local secretary for a short time, but we hope soon to find someone to take up the work there. Amwell we regret to say, has lapsed altogether as a branch; Miss M. E. Rusher will be local secretary of Pershore in place of Miss Peake.

The contents of a good many collecting boxes have been received. Miss E. E. Simpson, 11 Cedars Road, Clapham Common, S.W., has very kindly consented to take charge of the collecting boxes, so all applications for them should be in future made to her.

Children's Branch of the Association of Prayer and Work for Corea.

MY DEAR CHILDREN, -- Another three months have gone by, so I know that means that you will all be expecting a letter from me again. I have been looking forward to writing to you because I want to thank so many of you for what you have been doing for Corea. Just after I wrote last time the members at Swindon sent a Contribution to the Children's Fund. I wonder whether each one of the forty-nine gave something. I expect you all did, but one thing I am quite sure you all gave then, and are giving now every day for Corea, and that is your Prayers.

Soon afterwards the children at the Portsmouth Orphan Home also sent some money for our Fund. They have always been such faithful little friends to Corea, and I know that a great many of them are not forgetting to pray regularly for the Mission. In Littlehampton some little girls have been very busy for some time making presents for the Corean Orphans, and I am sure there will be great joy when the scrap books, warm cuffs, and the other nice things they have made arrive at the Orphanage in Seoul.

Last but not least, the children of St. Barnabas' Home have not been idle; they have been working so busily that they have been able to make 24s. at a sale, for the Children's Fund. It was very nice, too, to get that 6d. from Maude, and to know that Corea is still remembered by the children of St. Barnabas' after they have left the Home. Some of you already see The King's Messengers magazine, and if there are others who would like to have it in 1906 I shall be very glad. It only costs 6d. a year, and it is very interesting. The November number told us how the great Bishop Selwyn spoke many years ago in a little country church on the words from the Apocrypha : “So my brook became a river, and my river became a sea.” It struck me as I read the words how well we could apply them to our Children's Corean Association. We are the brook, the King's Messengers form the river, and both do their part in swelling the great sea, which is the Church of Christ. Our brook grows larger as more members join us, and we are very glad that Dorothy, Hubert, Victor, and Sydney have lately come to swell our numbers. But if our brook grows in volume we must not be content unless it also grows in power. It must never be allowed to stand still, but each member must do his or her part man-fully till “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

I am afraid I do not quite know who these Coreans in the picture are, but the very curious things that the men are hold-ing in their hands are musical instruments. I wish we could hear a tune played on them! Next time I hope I shall have some news of the Orphans to give you. With best wishes for a very happy New Year to each one of you. From your affectionate Friend, MAUD I. FALWASSER. Ashurst, Winchester: December 1905.

NEW MEMBERS

Dorothy Iner Mountford, Hebert La Thange Watts, Victor Lidly Watt, Sydney Mari

CHILDREN'S FUND

Children of St Savio's Swindon Children RS3 Ophan Home Portret 1 . Chirnosu Bumabas Hus, Naw Brighton (by Sale Work, E .: Made Green Tould

St. Peter's Community foreign Mission Association.

THE new year begins very hopefully for the Association in many ways, the members of the various Branches have re-sponded well to all their claims and privileges. Financially the last twelve months have been encouraging; we are able to supply the ￡300 for which we are pledged to Bishop Turner, and there is a small balance towards the increased estimates for 1906.

The great success of the Bazaar Stall brought £110 to the General Fund, exceeding considerably the sum taken in the past two years, and we would again tender our warmest thanks and appreciation, not only to the members who held the Stall, i.e., Mrs. and Miss Robertson Macdonald and the Misses Trollope, but also to those who so generously contributed the plain work, fancy things, &c., which find so ready a sale.

A list of contributors is given in this issue. The curios were particularly handsome, especially the brass work, some of which was hand-beaten, and some very curious iron and silver boxes and trays were much sought after. There is certainly no diminution of attractions to collectors, and if, as is possible, Corea may be included in the United Sale for Missions held at the Church House each autumn, it will certainly be necessary to provide enough curios to furnish a stall also at the Kensington Town Hall. The Day of Intercession and Thanksgiving at St. Peter's Home was held on December 5, and was very largely repre-sentative of both Associations, members coming from Man-chester, Birmingham, Brighton, Farnborough, and even far-distant St. Ives. Continual Intercession was maintained in the Chapel from 9 A.M to 9 P.M., and the mid-day service was of a specially Intercessory character. The address at that service was given by the Rev. Maurice Bell, Vicar of St. Mark's, Regent's Park, on the inevitable duty of each baptized Christian to bear testimony—witness--be a martyr in Christ's cause, whether the witness is borne in mis-sionary work at home or abroad-- our own age can show its martyrs, the recent massacres in China and elsewhere of priests, religious and converts prove the ready willingness of workers, but no life is complete without the mark on it of the testimony faithfully borne. The afternoon meeting was densely packed, and in spite of the inevitable absence of the Rev. M. N. Trollope and Rev. E. W. Field, both through illness, there was much to interest, especially in the graphic, simple account given by Mr. Hillary of the work and real hardships undergone in the pioneer visit-ing of the newly-formed stations roend Kangwha. Everyone was convinced of the necessity of steady increasing support of the Mission Houses to enable the Sisters to carry on such arduous work both in the island of Kangwha and at Seoul, and while with deep thankfulness we can announce that a seventh Sister will start in the autumn to undertake work in Corea, it is also with anxiety as to the possibility of meeting an increased strain on our barely-sufficing funds. Evensong was sung at 5 o'clock, and the sermon preached by the Rev. Newton Mant, Vicar of Hendon. The day was similarly observed at St. Peter's Grange, St. Leonards, with continual Intercession and services at the same time as at the Mother-house, and on December 8 Mrs. Hillary met the members of the St. Leonards Branch, and interested them in the account of women's work for women in Corea. SISTER HELEN CONSTANCE, Secretary S.P.E.M.A. Parcels for Corean Stall received from :-- A.P.W.C., Great Berkhamstead, per Miss Norris; A.P.W.C., St. Peter's, Streatham, per Miss Badcock; A.D.W.C., Newcastle : A.P.W.C. per Miss Neuman; Ascot Priory patients, per Miss Frampton Members St. Matthew's. Viewsley, per Mrs. Sturges Cheddar Working Party: St. Peter's Grange Working Party. The Misses Addenbrooke, Miss Armour, Mrs. Bailey, Mrs. Brock, the Misses Blomfield, Miss Brunner, Miss Bethane, Miss Collins, Miss Cow, Miss Cronies, Mrs. Cowell, Miss M. Chilton, Miss Daniell, Mrs. Davies, Bliss Davies, Miss Egerton, Mes. Foster, Miss Fleming, Miss E Fowler, Mrs. Gaskell, Mrs. W. Gore, Miss Gore, Miss Geet, Miss N Gilbert, Miss A Goodchild, Mrs. Horsley Palmer, Miss Hall, Lady Jordan, Miss F. Jones, the Misses Kent, Miss Karslake, Miss Koe, Mrs. Maunsell, irs Mortimer, Miss Mangin, Miss A Mundy, Miss Mackett, Miss Merriman, Miss Martin, Captain Madan, Miss Newell, Mirs. Picton, Ms. Powys, Mi Pepper, Miss Potter, Mrs. Reynolds Stephen, the Miss Randall, Miss Ranson, Mr. Saunders, Mrs. Scott, Mrs. Stranahan, Friends (per Miss Street), Mrs. Tolley, A.P.W.C., Miss Tufnell, Mrs. Taylor, Miss Taylor, Mrs. Thornewill, Miss Vanghan, Miss Williams, Miss E. ). Williams, Miss Woodward, Miss de Winton, Miss Webster, and Mrs. Ward. Fox. A few parcels with no names enclosed are hereby acknow-ledged with many thanks.

The Central Committee.

A MEETING of the Central Committee was held on Tuesday, November 7, at which the Bishop's estimates for 1906 were con-sidered. The Bishop asks for about ￡1,300, in addition to the Block Grant of £1,500. As will be seen from his letter, he expects a considerable development of the Japanese work, and will probably have to ask for more money for this object in the near future. This will considerably reduce the balance at home, which will need replenishing Bishop Corfe and Miss Seccombe have now joined the Central Committee.

Lectures on Missionary Subjects.

THE Committee of the United Boards of Missions have arranged for a course of lectures on subjects concerning Foreign Missions to be delivered at the Church House during the approaching season of Lent. They will be delivered in the Hoare Memorial Hall, and the lecture will commence on each day at 3 PM. All supporters of Foreign Missions are invited to attend and to do their best to induce their friends to accompany them. SUBJECTS. (1) Thursday, March 1, 1906: “The Faith of Christ and the other Religions of the World.” - The Bishop of Derry. (2) Thursday, March 8: “Missionary Methods” -- The Bishop of St Albans. (3) Thursday, March 15: “Objections and Criticisms.” - The Bishop of Birmingham. (4) Thursday, March 22: “Missionary Progress up to 1700 AD.--The Bishop of Bristol. (5) Thursday, March 29: “Missionary Progress in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries.”-- Bishop Ingham. (6) Thursday, April 5 : “The Present and Future Outlook.”--Bishop Montgomery.

St. Luke's Hospital, Chemulpo.

August, 1905. “ GO along that road and in at the great gate of the hospital,” I say to a Corean woman with a sick baby on her back, who has wandered in at our front gate, which used to be the entrance to the out-patient department. When I have repeated it several times it seems to dawn on her that I am speaking her own language, or trying to, and after looking me well over she reluctantly goes away, and I return to my breakfast congratu-lating myself that I have used at least one Corean sentence with some success. Let us follow her. She goes along the road as directed, and sees almost at once the “great gate" so common to all Corean buildings, at the side of which is all inscription telling her, could she but read it, that this is the “Great English Holy Doctrine Hospital.”

She does not need this sign, for she almost certainly sees many others wending their way in the same direction, and seeing amongst them women of all ages she takes courage and enters Inside the great gate is a smaller one leading to the women's waiting-room, and here, snug and warm in winter or cool and airy in the summer, she lays her sick child on the floor and prepares to wait, than which a Corean loves nothing better. especially when, as now, she has plenty of company. At 8.30   she is given a tin ticket with a number on it, by which she knows, or if she does not will soon be told by someone who does, that no matter how long she may have to wait she will certainly be seen before twelve o'clock, and she is more than satisfied. It is not long, however, before things begin to happen, and at nine o'clock she might hear, were she listening, the doctor and hospital boys entering the men's waiting-room, while Miss Jephson and I take our places among the women. There is only an incomplete partition between the two rooms,

CHEMULRÓ HOSPITAL, "CORFE WARD."

and the doctor's voice can be distinctly heard as he reads the hospital prayers, while we and any who can read join in. After prayers she will be told to sit quiet and listen while doctor reads and expounds a short passage of Scripture; she may do the first if you remind her often enough, but the latter is quite beyond her since she cannot see the speaker, and she prefers to examine the material of which our dresses are we, or perhaps even more interesting, our shoes. After this  more tickets are given out, and any who come later than that must take their chance, for only those possessing a precious ticket are certain of being seen.

Then the Biblewoman reads and talks until it is time for them to be seen, telling the women of the two-fold use of the hospital and of the God who made them and the Saviour who died for them. She tells them, too, that they will be welcomed on Sunday afternoon, should they wish to come and hear more of the wonderful truths which she expounds day by day.

INTERIOR ON THE “CORFE WARD.”

We may follow the mother and her little one into the surgery, where the doctor asks her many questions in Corean, not one of which does she think of answering till they have been repeated by the interpreter. It is a somewhat lengthy process, but she goes away happy at last, having been told many times to give the baby the medicine twice a day for four days, and if it is not better to come again.   May we not hope that this woman who brought her baby to be healed of its sickness may, little by little, bring it also to the Saviour who called the little ones unto Him? MARGARET M. WEIR. ________________________________________ Report of St. Luke's hospital, Chemulpo. July to September, 1905. DURING this quarter the work has proceeded fairly steadily except during the first half of September, when we took a holiday. The summer was as last year the busy time, and August established a record number of attendances. Through-out the quarter there were 2,461 attendances, and 950 new cases were seen, 31 in-patients were admitted, and 31 operations were performed under anæsthetics. A boy who had been an in-patient since before the new hospital was opened was taken on as an extra hospital boy, and is gradually improving in the work, which now gives employment to three boys and a coolie for the rougher work. During our holiday the out-patient department was closed, and the in-patients were reduced to six chronic cases, which were left in the charge of the boys. On our return a change, long meditated, was made in our arrangements, by which a small charge is made to such patients as can pay, and the new plan seems to be well received by the Coreans. It will make a considerable difference in our finances, especially if in-patients are found to pay well. The spiritual work among the men is still vague, as so far a catechist has not been found for us and no real work has been possible, my own language only extending to a rather irregular Bible-class for the hospital and house boys, in which we are endeavouring to study St. Luke's Gospel. Among the women there are indications of what will be possible when we have a catechist, as my wife, with the assistance of Eunice, who is, I fear, only half-hearted, has got together a class of about a dozen women, practically all of whom were first met in the hospital waiting-room. Three of these have been admitted catechumens.

HUGH H. WEIR. 

The Spirit of Missions.

“LET us recognise the really important place occupied in the economy of Missions by prayer. It is a trite thing to say we should pray for our missionaries, but it is not so easy to remember what an instrument prayer is. If it be true, and it is true, that only the Holy Ghost can really convert a soul, then the bedridden invalid who prays for His gracious blessing on this or that station or school or other agency, or upon this or that missionary, or upon this or that opponent of the Gospel, or upon this or that inquirer, may have an actually larger share in reaping the harvest than the ostensible reaper. How can it be otherwise? Prayer alone moves the hand that moves the world. If, as the clock daily tolls the hour of mid-day, ‘the Evangelus Bell,’ as Bishop Dudley has called it, every heart was raised, even for a moment, to ask God's blessing on missionaries and their work all over the world, what power would pour down upon them, and how would the boundaries of Christ's kingdom be enlarged!"-(From Prayer Card of Women's Auxiliary of American Church.) ________________________________________ DEFICIT OF THE C.M. SOCIETY'S FUNDS.-- Mr. Pitt Bonargee wrote a letter from Harrow to the editor of the Daily News. In this he says : --"Your interview (with Mr. Eugene Stock) will be read by many with great concern. The policy of sturdy faith which has characterised the operations of this great Society is at once so inspiring and so sound that I cannot believe that its temporary financial difficulties can have any result other than a wholesome testing of its trust in God's Providence. . . . I am in no way connected with the Society, but I have had ample opportunities of seeing the work that it is doing in India, and any contracting of its operations would be disastrous. . . . I do not hesitate to assert that the steady evolution of national morality in India is primarily due to the work of great missionary Ieaders, and, in so far as India can be justly regarded as a Divine trust placed by God into British hands, it behoves the Christian conscience of Great Britain to be ever alive to a responsibility which is nothing if not Divine. . . . I believe that small efforts persistently made on a wide scale accomplish great things. Forty thousand people giving a penny a day will clear the C.M.S. deficit in less than a year. . . . I personally would not only join in such a scheme, but would gladly try and induce others to join.”--(C.M. Intelligencer)   UNITED PRAYER IN INDIA.—"At a recent prayer-meeting in Salisbury Square, the Rev. E. A. Hensley dwelt upon the longing for united prayer that is being exhibited by Christians all over India, and of the remarkable outpouring of God's Holy Spirit upon the inmates of Pundita Ramabai's home for rescued famine widows, who are giving themselves to prayer for specific topics sent to them at their request by missionaries and con-verts in all parts of India.”--(Home Gasette of C.M.S.) ________________________________________ A COMPLETE CHANGE OF FRONT.—“The young men and women of Japan are said to be to-day particularly accessi-ble to the Gospel. There is also a change of front among the education authorities with regard to missionary work. It was not so very long ago that most of the educationalists of Japan were actively antagonistic to Christian work being carried on among the students. In most of the Government schools there were teachers who were Christians--at any rate, in name--but for the most part they had hitherto been afraid to do any work of Christianising because of the active opposition of the Educa-tion Department ; but now all that is changed, and students are going in large numbers to the Bible Classes for instruction, while many of the teachers themselves are only too glad to come to the missionaries and talk over Christian truth. Thus to-day there is a great work going on; a great door and effectual is opened."—(Home Gasette of C.M.S.) ________________________________________ ONE RESULT OF THE MISSION OF HELP.--" The evan-gelical party seem to have thoroughly realised now that if they are not very well represented in South Africa it is not because there is any wish on the part of the bishops to exclude them, On the contrary they are assured of a warm welcome, and it is much to be desired that English settlers who are not quite in sympathy with the existing forms of religion in South Africa should be able to find what they need without being driven into other folds than that of the Church of their baptism. The Colonial and Continental Church Society is acting on the advice of some of the leaders who were engaged in the Mission of Help, and is appealing for men and for funds, ‘If we neglect this great opportunity,' they say, ‘there can be only two results--either the Church in South Africa will remain as she is, or rather become more and more the Church of one party, and for this the fault will be entirely our own. Further, that our   own people, who will be going out to the colony in large numbers, will drift away to other bodies, because they will not find the kind of services and ministry to which they have been accustomed at home.’ They are specially anxious to find someone to succeed the Rev. J. H. Warner as one of the chaplains of the South African Railway Mission. He had 300 miles of Transvaal Railway in charge." --(Greater Britain Messenger.) ________________________________________ THE NEW CAMPAIGN IN THE SOUDAN.-- Prebendary Moss, the Headmaster of Shrewsbury School, in addressing the annual meeting, said: “Nothing, I think, in the recent history of England impresses those of us who are old enough to recollect it with a keener sense of pathos than the death of General Gordon. Do you remember how he was within a few days-- might I not say almost within a few hours--of being relieved when Khartoum was assaulted, and that heroic soul passed away into the other world? It has always seemed to some of us a deplorable thing that the cause which General Gordon loved above all other causes, the cause of his Divine Master, should have been thrust somewhat into the background. The advantages, the blessings of British Government have been imparted to Khartoum and its neighbourhood, yes, and farther up the Nile; but there has been a backwardness in helping forward the great cause of Christian Missions. Let us rejoice with a great joy that this door, this wide door, is now open." (C.M. Home Gasette.) ________________________________________ “In Egypt proper, full liberty for proselytism is allowed to Christian and Moslem alike, the Government only requiring that nothing shall be done to disturb the peace. As regards the Mohammedan Soudan, Lord Cromer repeats the opinion that the time is still far distant when Mission work can with safety be permitted ; but he explains that to a limited extent exception has been made in the case of Khartoum, because there are many Christian residents, and because being the seat of government the action of missionaries can be carefully supervised. The Company of Missionaries just sent out to the Gordon Memorial Soudan Mission by the C.M.S consists of three clergy, a skilled agriculturist, a technical instructor, and a doctor. Archdeacon Gwynne will accompany the party to their destination, and will see them somewhat settled into their work before he returns to Khartoum, when he will be succeeded by   Dr. Albert Cook, who has great experience of missionary work in the Uganda Protectorate, and who has offered his services for another six months."--(C.M. Intelligencer.) ________________________________________ MISSIONARY OBLIGATION.--Lord Selborne, our new High Commissioner in South Africa, in the course of a recent speech at Johannesburg, said: “I am very glad of this opportunity of expressing my profound conviction that all the wealth of this country--the land, the flocks, the herds, the diamonds, and the gold--are talents for the use of which we shall have to give account; that the direction to spread the Gospel is a direct order which the Christian cannot evade, and that unless we in this country take the Bible for our guide, as expounded by the study and tradition of the churches throughout all ages, all wisdom will be turned to foolishness.” The place where this speech was made was well chosen, as we fear that there are few towns in the British Empire where missionary enthusiasm is at so low an ebb. --(Mission Field.) ________________________________________ THE NEW DIOCESE OF KEEWATIN.—“This young diocese was carved in 1902 out of the Dioceses of Moosonee and Rupertsland. It comprises some of the most important Missions of the former Diocese of Moosonee, and the greater part of the Indian Missions formerly belonging to the Diocese of Rupertsland, both those to the Ojibway Indians in the south, and those among the Cree Indians in the north. Whether from race characteristics or remoteness from civilisation, or both, the Indians in the north have proved themselves to be intelligent, teachable, self-reliant, and progressive, and the work of the Church has been abundantly blessed among them. The Southern Missions, on the other hand, present a very per-plexing problem. The Indians there are few in number and shut up on small reserves, they are in danger of becoming a vanishing quantity, and meanwhile they are inclined to be indolent, obstinate, intemperate, and immoral, with, of course, many notable exceptions. The day schools have been largely a faillure from the lack of interest of the parents, as evinced by the non-attendance of the children, and as yet there are no boarding schools in the diocese. The future of these Indian Missions deserves the most careful and prayerful consideration of the Church. On the other hand, the water power, the mines, the lumber, the railways, and agriculture have opened up the Rainy River, and the Lake of the Woods Settlement district, to   White Settlement. As a result, several new and fast-growing towns have sprung into being, offering a splendid opportunity to the Church; and though the progress of settlement is likely to be slower there than in the prairie regions, there is every reason to believe that it will be substantial. The southern part of the Diocese of Keewatin is likely in time to add very materially to the wealth and population of the Dominion. . . . I would earnestly commend the Bishop and his faithful band of helpers, both clerical and lay, and the important interests committed to their charge to the prayers and sympathy of the Church." -- (New Era.) ________________________________________ PIONEER WORK IN AUSTRALIA.--The Rev. Godfrey Smith has a huge parish called Cooktown in the Far North, well within the tropics, in Australia. He often has to visit the outside stations of his parish. On one of these occasions he sailed from Cooktown with a fair wind, and reached Port Stewart on York Peninsula, a distance of 165 miles, after two days. Then he had to hire a horse and ride for thirty-six hours, camping out for the night, to reach the next station. His next station was thirty miles off. He says that his congregations were most attentive, although he did not spare them in describing the degrading way in which they spent their lives. Yet many expressed a wish that another visit would take place, and in some cases amendment of life was promised. One of his stations, Ebagoolah, is a goldfield of some five years' standing. At first there were about 700 inhabitants, and a proposal was being taken in hand that a medical man should be secured for the place. It seems difficult to believe that the majority ruled that a Jockey Club would be of more benefit to the town than a doctor and hospital, as by the race club more notoriety would be given to the field, in which case outside attention would be attracted. So the hospital was allowed to languish. One man said that he was leaving his work in the mines to work a little claim of his own, as even if he got less money he would be better off than in an hotel. It was impossible to resist drink when boarding in an hotel. All his money went each week, and he saw ruin staring him in the face. The Bush Saloon is often the centre of all the evil of the camp. All vices have their home there. A miner has been known to hand the cheque for his wages to the landlord, and not to leave off drinking till it was all spent. Yet it is in such places that, when a branch bank is set up in a place, the bank staff have to live, and sometimes the travelling clergyman not only has to board, but to hold service there.--(Greater Britain Messenger.)   AN INFIRMARY OF NATIONS.—“In the Report of the Melanesian Mission we see much cause for thankfulness, tem-pered by regret that it should be necessary to speak of the islanders as belonging to a dying race. This is partly owing to disease. Long before the missionary came, whalers and other white men brought measles and other complaints. Regular communication with Australia and Fiji brings with it periodical outbreaks of influenza, to which, as a rule, a native succumbs in two or three days. Sickness follows in the wake of trade, whether the missionary is there or not; and in many places, for instance San Cristoval, the plague had begun and the people were dying out long before the missionary had appeared on the scene. Christianity has done something to preserve the people by stopping internecine raids, child murder, head-hunting, &c. ‘Our people,' says Bishop Wilson, ‘are those sick children in God's great family which Bishop Montgomery has written about, and as he rightly argues, the cripple and the delicate child in a family are not given less care than the strong ones, but more. They have but a short time to live, and all that can be done is done for them, that their short lives may be brightened. A dying race should not provoke contempt, but sympathy, and with sympathy--help. We are placed, then, by God in His infirmary, to work amongst a dying race; but a race which will surely die a Christian death. The South Sea islander finds no difficulty in accepting the faith of the Gospel. It means to him the giving up of savage customs, the fear of man, and greater still, the fear of ghosts; and taking in their stead the law of Christ, with love and peace as its outcome, and the fear of God with prayers and school, instead of the old sacrifices. At Lakona, Santa Maria, 400 people came together for prayers one Sunday last year, and at the end of the morning service, which had been held under the orange trees outside the church, expressed a wish that all their old ghost stones might be thrown into the sea, because they were a temptation to them to practise their old customs. On the day following stones of various shapes, round ones for making sunshine, long ones for causing sickness, and others for causing rain crops, death, &c., were brought together and thrown into the sea.' "—(Report of Bishop's Letter.) ________________________________________ NEWS FROM THE FAR NORTH.--The following extract is from Mr. Stewart, and was written last August. He will hear nothing of the outside world before next August. He says: " I left Nachvak hoping in six or eight days to reach the shores   of Ungava Bay, since we had been assured on good authority that the journey could easily be done in four or five days. . . ." A little later, he says, "We hoped to spend a night at the hut of an Indian, who was hunting in the neighbourhood for ptarmigan and deer, being employed by mining officials from Rousel Harbour, Labrador. In this we were disappointed, for the old man lay in a stone house, dead. Some Eskimo had found the old hunter frozen to death in his tent, and at once carried the body to the river bank, where they built a stone house, and there they laid the dead. . . . We had now been out for eleven days, and in the heart of the country--too far to turn back had we been ever so willing. Each day found us but a short distance on the way, and at night we were glad to lay us down in our shelter of snow. The greatest drawbacks of the march were the frequent immersions in the river, and after each dip, one's clothing and boots were instantly coated with ice." ________________________________________ COREAN EDUCATION FUND. JULY, AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER

I. Manuel, Ru, S. J. B. Collings, E : J. Nourant,

Major Cars 2 arey K si C o al,, ALIEN. CORN, TISTE ________________________________________

ST. PETER'S COMMUNITY FOREIGN MISSION ASSOCIATION

SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER NOVEMBER RECEIPTS. Swati Home Miss Ethel Gordon to Mrs. Duncan Miss Hut, Me Now, Str. Srbs Miss Flosd Jone : Si Simons, 5 M K. Wody, M . Jacoal-kawan, Weston, Miss Chan Dr. Hardin Beidet Toner, 1. in. Padday, 6. 5. R. Boodle : King, Mr. and is Francis a, Total, Co. d. D i s-Mio Cabide Forster, Miss E Boles, 31. Total, Oferty-Che per the Rev. J. V. Was Lt. Ba. Car e x Mies Agnes Thonon, b: Mr Price, S.; Ward Boxes is S. Peter Hot Aguilt. The Good Shepherd, . . Comis101, St. Peter's Harbour, La u .: St. Bumas , s. 6. Total, 25. 1. . Brak waris Oxford Branch, prisk. Randall St. Andrew's Branch Miss Robert sonal, .. . Cheddar Brand, per baste Locy. We Blancper Miss Graham, Down-St. Luke Bench per Miss Cook, 23. 14 Total de delal F. Roberto Manald, for Helenas monch). . ,: Miss Gregory, Mary's Sunday School, Putney, 25 Toal, 7. 10. Total for three months, Lot. s. ld. ________________________________________ HOSPITAL NAVAL FUND. Contributions received during Quarter ending Sepenberg s B Anson, RN, 5. Hon Lady Adam, C. m.; Sir J. Erion, R.N, N., 2. Total 43.7% Captain H PH Jones, Ken