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THE KING’S BUSINESS
Significant statement was made some time ago by a Japanese railway contractor. He said, “I have charge of thousands of men. .1 do everything in my power to awaken their sense of honor; but the only ones I can trust without watching are those who have accepted the Jesus teaching.”— Christian Workers Magazine. INDIA.—The number of missionaries aiow in India is less than the number twen ty-one years ago. But the number of Indian helpers is steadily- increasing, more than 800 baptisms reported in the last two years. At Balasore the Christian com munity is rejoicing in the completion of extensive repairs in the church building, including an entire new roof and floor. About half the expense was met ,by the native Christians., In India where government roads are among the best in the world, an automo bile is a tremendous asset to the missionary who has touring to do. Here is one mis sionary’s account of a tour : “On Sunday morning we drove forty-five miles and met the leaders' of nine villages. We had a two hours’ session and then drove on to hold a similar conference with village leaders twenty miles away. That evening we held another conference. The day’s work included a drive of 100 miles and three meetings with leaders of thirty vil lages. By ordinary conveyance it would have taken two or three days to travel this distance.” CHINA.—Nearly all the graduates of the Canton Schools for the Blind are employed by various missions in Christian work. One is teaching 36 blind persons at Shiu Hing; another teaches IS blind at Kwai Peng; another 11 at Tung Shan; another 7 at Sai Nam and so on. Twelve are engaged in evangelistic work; numbers are school-teachers. One teaches massage in the Turner Training School for Nurses. Two give language lessons to new mission aries. Two are .kindergarteners. One blind girl teaches anatomy of the bones to the blind boys of the Ming Lei School, Canton.
PHILIPPINE ISLAND^.—Work begins at the training school in Iloilo at the unpopular hour of 5 :30 a. m., and continues long after the eight-hour day has been com pleted—and yet the school is full to over flowing. We may perhaps understand why our missionaries have to beg, borrow or buy automobles to use in their evangelistic tours after learning that on a Sunday preaching trip, a Missionary and his assistants rode ten miles in a one-seated ox-cart, which went at the rate of a mile and a-quarter an hour. The ox man may have remembered it was Sunday. AFRICA.—A new convert of Africa will often take a two days’ journey on foot to present a question of moral uncertainty to a missionary. If a man should preach every day to 10,000 Africans not one of whom had heard the gospel, it would take sixty-five years to tell the story;,to all of the unevangelized inhabitants. From one of the Bailundo out-stations the Portuguese have taken twelve men. The Christian teacher said, “I .will not let them go alone, so you can take me, too.” Teach ers from an Ochileso out-station were also taken. One of them committed his family to the mossionaries, since he might never come back, but he declared, “with my body I will serve the authorities and with my heart I will serve God.” This is a testing time for those taken as well as those who are left. JAPAN.—Count Okuma, the recent Prime Minister of Japan, says: “Although Christianity has enrolled less than 200,000 believers, yet the indirect influence of Christianity has poured into every Tealm of Japanese life. Concerning the future, it is my owrf conviction that no practical solution of many pressing problems is in sight apart from Christianity.” When it is considered that half a century ago death was the penalty meted out to those who becamle Christians, the testimony of this great statesman is significant.”—The Chris tian Workers Magazine.
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