land, it was true that their first care was for the church and the school house. But all this is greatly changed. Immigration into new lands is now by steam, and the people are of all nationalities and of all creeds and of no creed.

We must pre-empt them for Christ and a New Testament church by means of the Itinerant Home Missionary, sent out by the American Baptist Home Mission Society and sustained by you and me, and by every loyal Baptist Christian in the land.-Christian Herald.

District Missionary Work in the
West.

Rev. H. C. Woods, D. D., writes of the work being done in Kansas by means of district missionaries. In these, to some extent, frontier States, this work is one of great profit and value. He says: "The two district missionaries have done good service. Brother Whitehead labored between three and four weeks at Independence, where we have a good house, but church almost extinct. The church was revived, additions were made, and now they are anxious for a pastor. At Florence, a four weeks' service resulted in uniting an apparently hopelessly divided church. A floating debt of $300 has been provided for, and plans are laid for the liquidation of a debt of $300 to the Home Mission Society. One hundred dollars of this will be paid this year, perhaps more. Four were received for baptism, one by letter and six restored. The church now has a better prospect than for years. Brother Whitehead is just beginning work at Herrington. Brother Brown began at Hatton, a town of 3,000 population, The church was depressed, but services were held for three weeks. Result: The church revived and united; six baptized and two received by experience. Two other churches near have also been blessed by his labors, and, as the result of all, a field has been proposed by the grouping of these churches for a pastor whose support will be largely drawn from the field. We feel that the wisdom of appointing these district missionaries has already appeared. But the inability through lack of funds to keep pastors on fields thus prepared is likely to interfere seriously with the efficiency of their work. We shall be obliged to send

them to fields that can be grouped, and then made self-supporting."

Rev. S, A. Abbott, who has until recently been a district missionary in Wisconsin, but is now a pastor at Menomonie, also writes of this work in his State: "The need of an itinerating, evangelistic missionary service to aid and encourage the large and increasing number of feeble, pastorless churches of Northwestern Wisconsin, as well as to visit and evangelize new communities, both village and country, is becoming more and more apparent as these wilds are being rapidly settled, and the old forests are being transformed into harvest fields and thriving villages, and whose sons and daughters turn their faces toward the great centers of trade as soon as they are old enough to care for themselves, It is much easier and less costly to lead them to Christ in their homes than when once they have been swallowed up in the swirl of the great city; and when so led to Him, they go to swell the ranks of the stalwart Christian men and women of our great city churches. So I say there is a great need of such a service, and our city churches owe it to God and themselves to supply such a service through the Home Mission Society. My own field, in which I have for fifteen months been serving in much-felt weakness as District Missionary, has many districts yet untouched and in need of evangelistic work. We have, or did have up to January Ist, thirteen pastorless churches in our St. Croix Valley Association, and only four settled pastors (English speaking), making seventeen churches in all. So you see that your itinerent has had many flocks to shepherd, together with at least half a dozen more pastorless churches in the Central Association. These shepherdless flocks reaching out beckoning hands, are for the most part planted in growing villages ranging from 450 to 2,000 inhabitants, and cities from 6,000 to 12,000 people. A few churches are situated in farming communities. There are also many new fields which ought to be entered at once, villages of from 1,000 to 3,000 inhabitants where there are resident Baptists enough to constitute a church, if any prospect could be seen of finding a pastor. But for the most part our people are financially

poor, and I do not know of any of our pastorless people that are able to raise more than from $300 to $500 to annually support a pastor, and many of them not more than half that amount, but their need of pastoral service is just as great as in some of our city churches. Even when some of these churches are willing to combine their efforts and support a pastor, we cannot find the man who is wiling to do such work. Truly the harvest is great and white in this northland, but there are very few consecrated laborers. O, that God would send forth devoted young men to gather golden sheaves for Christ. The crying need is, first, pure, Bible evangelism, then organized instruction. I have been able to hold special meetings with most of the churches above named, visiting from house to house during the day, and preaching to appreciative audiences every evening. Into these churches it has been my pleasure to baptize nearly 100 happy converts during my term of service, with probably three times that number professing to be saved. Several of these churches are sustaining regular services by having sermons read or some such exercise, and nearly all of them sustain Bible schools, and nearly all have mid-week prayer meetings, some of which are very interesting indeed."

Brother Abbott, at this point in his letter, refers to some "bright spots" in his work. One of these is the town of Cumberland, and another is Shell Lake. At both these points some few active workers held the people together. A student preached for them during the summer, and in the latter place a house was erected, Many were converted and baptized by Brother Abbott in these towns, showing the value of holding on.

"In closing, permit me to suggest a policy which, if other districts are similar to this, would (it seems to me) be of great profit, and save many valuable members to our denomination who will be and are, merging into other churches, and that is a kind of a circuit system of evangelistic, pastoral work, in which one consecrated servant of Christ, well supported, can take the oversight of several of these weak, struggling churches, and infuse into them that strong, Christ-like principle of self-reliance in spiritual things which means direct reliance on God and His word. Then we shall have stalwart soldiers of Jesus Christ who don't

depend wholly on the minister, but upon Him, His Spirit, and His Word for their spiritual sustenance."

Oklahoma Territory.

Rev. L. J. Dyke, our General Missionary, of whose noble work at El Reno in securing the erection of a church edifice there Dr. Woods wrote in the last issue of the MONTHLY, writes us further of the work in the Territory. We make some extracts from his interesting letter:

"I have tried to do the best I could, often greatly discouraged, but God has opened the way for the accomplishing of what I undertook in regard to the building, and now he is getting honor to himself in the salvation of souls in it. We commenced a series of meetings one week ago, and up to this time ten, all men and women, except one little girl twelve years of age, have expressed a desire to become Christians.

"Last Sunday, February 1st, we dedicated the house. I had expected Brother Nichols to assist, but when the time came he could not come, and I was left alone. We had large congregations, and the people were enthusiastic. We raised in cash and pledges a little more than $100, enough so that I shall be able to meet my obligations at the bank and have something left toward seating."

"I held a meeting of two weeks at Edmond, closing one week ago last Wednesday evening. The meeting was very encouraging; large congregations, it was said the largest that had ever been gathered in the place. About twenty expressed a desire to become Christians, or to come back to their father's house from which they had wandered."

A new town is starting on the Choctaw R. R., near our Pleasant Valley Church, where we can probably center the Baptist interest of that vicinity. I shall endeavor to secure lots there soon. I expect to organize a church in the northwest part of the Territory in April. I learn there are about 30 Baptists in this neighborhood. We have just learned that the Rock Island R. R. Co. expect to make El Reno a division station of their

road. Many hopes are expressed as to the future of this place. We are having a very mild winter, which is very favorable to the thinly-clad, poorly-housed people of this

country. There have been but few days up to this time when one would not be comfortable with open doors. On the whole, I think we have reason to be greatly encouraged with our work."

Chinese.

Miss S. E. Stein, our missionary for this people at Fresno, California, sends us the following cheering note:

"I am now rejoicing over the conversion of one of my Chinese pupils. For a little time past he has talked and acted like a Christian. On the evening of our New Year he came out boldly and confessed his love for Jesus, and then began trying to lead other boys to Christ. Several girls from my Sunday-school class have also professed to love the Lord. We feel like singing: O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever.'"

Notes.

OREGON.—At Albány, Rev. G. Hill reports good progress. A parsonage costing $1,700 has been finished, and the activity in temporal affairs has been followed by activity in things spiritual. Many conversions and good interest prevails. The young people of the church are doing some outside mission work, also. Some forty have been recently baptized.

CALIFORNIA.-A most gracious revival has been in progress at the Palms. Rev. A, P. Brown, the pastor, was assisted by the newlyappointed District Missionary, Rev. O. B. Read, a very successful evangelist, withal. Sixty-one conversions are reported, and the whole community has been deeply moved by the Spirit's power. Brother Brown says that "the attendance crowded our hall to its utmost capacity. Scores of ranchers became interested, and old veterans walked over in squads from their National Military Home, three miles and a half away. It was also almost a clean sweep of the unconverted young people. Very few who came within the full influences of the services were left unconverted."

EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT.

Our Mission Schools-Their Value and Necessity.

[Extracts from a recent letter from Rev. H. N. Bouey, General Missionary for the Colored People in Missouri.]

I have been working in Missouri a little over a year under your direction, and have visited nearly every district and State organization in Missouri. I have thanked the Lord greatly for the splendid opportunity I have had to see the progress of our people generally, and especially in the Baptist connection.

Having traveled as missionary over fifteen years, and having been educated in an American Baptist Home Mission Society's school, it gave me a chance and desire to see the results of the Society's work among our people-its educational work especially.

In Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas, I have traveled and worked, observing as I went the character and force of the ministry. So, I have worked as a missionary where the Home Mission Society's schools do not exist as well as where they have been running for twenty odd years. No one has a better opportunity to note accurately the true condition of the people than the missionary of the Home Mission Society who is so well supported and encouraged.

No one denies the fact to-day, that the Home Mission Society's Mission work is at the foundation of our people's organiza tion all over this country, for the Society sought us in every State and Territory. Its old Trojans can be traced everywhere who organized churches, Sunday-schools, associations and conventions among us. This work was done once for all time to come.

But the work of improving these people was a more difficult one still. This the Educational work of the Home Mission Society was intended to do. Now, the question is, has it succeeded, and does the success show itself?

Richmond Theological Seminary,

Virginia.

The mission field in the State of Virginia seems to be neglected, and this can be seen as one goes over the field doing missionary

work.

I was appointed by the Virginia Baptist State Sunday-school Convention to do mission work during my vacation. I labored in the counties of Dinwiddie, Notoway, Prince Edward, Mecklenburg, Lunenburgh, Halifax, and Pittsylvania. I had to get over these counties as best I could in the months of June, July, and August.

I restricted myself to the Sunday-school work. I am glad to say, in many places I found the schools well organized and awake to the great work that they were doing.

The people were active and energetic; many of them possessing their own homes; and some have bought the farms that were owned by their former masters, and they are making the best of their opportunities. These were places where the people have educational advantages, and where the Missionary spirit is alive.

In other places I found the people disorganized, and seemingly with no aspirations, and no thought of the future. These were places where the educational advantages are very poor. Sometimes they could only have school three months in the year, and as a rule very few could read-I might say none could read intelligently.

Would you be surprised at such a state of things, when I tell you that I have seen men, with five and eight persons in family, work for seven and nine dollars per month? I saw a white man in Notoway county trying to hire a colored woman for fifty cents per month, and said she would only have to milk three cows, cook and wash for a family of five persons, two of whom were small children. I ask, how can any people prosper when they have to labor under such disadvantages?

I noticed in such places the white people are but little in advance of the colored; many of their churches were in a dilapidated condition and their Sunday-schools were poorly attended. I have seen in more than one Sunday-school (colored) a class of half-grown men and women stand and read a whole chapter in the Bible without a word of explanation; when this was done a col

lection was taken and the school dismissed, while the smaller children, some of whom had walked two and three miles, would get no attention.

Now, what do we need? We need consecrated missionaries to go among the people and preach Christ, giving them the plain Gospel which is the power of God

unto salvation to those who will believe it. I ask that more missionaries be put on the field who will give themselves to the work and will preach the Word. I pray that the good Lord will speed the day when we can have more than one missionary in the State of Virginia to labor among the colored people. R. B. HARDY.

Spelman Seminary, Georgia. The people say Mr. Alexander told them that Spelman girls were fine in everything and now they believe him and shall always have a Spelman teacher. The first few days I taught, the children came to school so untidy, their clothes were all torn off them, and their hair looked as if it had never been combed. Well, I thought I would wait a few days and see if there would be any change, but I waited in vain. At last I told them how they must come to school, with their hair in order and their clothes

clean, if they were patched. I can see the improvement already.

Sunday was big meeting day and a good many of the parents were out to church. At recess they came to me and told me how their children are improving, saying it is the hardest thing for them to send them to school with dirty clothes and their hair uncombed. They say there have been so many men teachers out here who didn't

teach the children to be refined.

A few days ago they had a fuss at the church where one of our girls is, and two preachers got to quarreling about who was to preach. Each one of them wanted to preach, and so it ended by drawing a knife in the pulpit. One said, “If you open your mouth I will cut your throat," and then cursed. She became frightened and ran out of the church until it was quieter. Then she went to the man who drew the knife and gave him a good talking to and he cried like a child. Now the people are all talking about how noble she was, and how she conquered him.