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fH E KING’ S. -BUSINESS
“W e stopped nowhere after leaving Phil adelphia, and only saw a few steamers pass. Only a few hours out from Cadiz we were held up by a French man-of-war, searched and told to go on. W e had to show our passports, but no trouble whatever. W e had a rather interesting time in Cadiz. It was Holy Week, and they had the Easter processions, picturing the Passion. It was really very beautiful but so pathetic. The ignorance o f those poor, deluded people! The cathedrals were decorated beautifully, the candles' lighted everywhere, and before all the statues and pictures people kneeling counting off their beads. All flags were at half mast, women in black, no bells rang, no carriages oil the street; rich and poor have to walk. They have midnight pro cessions on the street. They had the Gar den scene—Jesus Captured, then Jesus car rying His cross—the mourning women fol lowing and finally Mary gorgeously dressed, ending up the procession. They have weird singing and drums and horns. Poor, igno rant people! Cadiz certainly is a city under the bonds o f Catholicism, in fact all Spain, as in other cities they have more doing than here. W e had planned to go to Seville and Granada, if we had to wait long for our boat.- Our steamer, too, was mostly Catholic. There were forty-six nuns and four priests on board. They had mass regularly—almost all the passengers attended mass. There were only three other American people on Board besides ourselves. There were twelve in our party.” There are indications that God is giving a considerable measure o f prosperity abroad in connection with North American missionary effort. For instance, during 1915 the native Christians contributed the sum o f $4,541,982.36, which is an increase during the year o f over $300,000. In addi tion, there are now abroad, besides 2,689 women evangelists, over 3,000 ordained men, 887 unordained men, together with 396 male and 183 female physicians. The total work ing force, inclusive o f wives, is 10,497. This
is an increase o f over 500. For instance again, the native workers nOw number 50,- 001; the total number o f stations is 19,516; there are 301 hospitals and 447 dispensar ies ; and 120,000 communicants were added during the year. W e may well bemoan the fact, before the unfulfilled need, that more is not being accomplished; but also we may well praise our- heavenly Father that so much has been wrought in His name and for His glory.— China’s ¡Millions. There has been a happy surprise for those who have investigated the financial receipts of the missionary societies o f the United States and Canada during the past year. It being a year o f war, and, therefore, o f financial strain and exhaustion; it was taken for granted ; that the Missionary incomes would considerably decline. But the opposite has occurred. Basing the com putation upon the published accounts of 192 societies, ;it is discovered tha't the year 1915, as compared with 1914, showed an increase o f $1,625,379, which is one o f 9.43 per cent. This is indeed encouraging, and we praise God for thus answering prayer. Increase o f funds does not indicate every thing. Nevertheless, it . indicates some thing, and that for which one can be most truly thankful.— China’s Millions... . “I have been able in the past two months to prganize seven new Sunday schools,” writes Cloyd E. Roark, class o f 1915, a missionary o f the American Sunday School Union, at Visalia, “thus gathering about the study o f His Word something like 150 or 175 persons not in habit o f attending any religious services. In some places not very far from towns, I find folks very destitute o f Christian teaching o f any kind. I have found young people 16 or 17 years o f age, who have never been in Sunday school and have never heard the Gospel story. To these as well as all others, it is a joy to tell the old, old story, which ever remains new.”
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