THE KING’ S BUSINESS
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part o f what might be accomplished with more workers and more funds. Time put into this work will bring both earthly and heavenly rewards ; money thus invested will yield larger returns than if put into stocks and bonds. Next year more work will be done among the women and girls. |Classes will be organ ized for English and . Bible study. The writer o f this, the present superintendent, will devote her time to the work. She is now leaving for Pittsburgh and other East ern cities on a summer vacation o f two months, and while there will study meth ods used in teaching foreigners, whereby more efficient work may be done by the mission o f the First Presbyterian Church for these brothers whom God in His prov idence has seen fit to send to our very door. There must have been a purpose in this— it is a part o f the plan—and it may be that through the Christian people o f the Pacific Coast these two great nations will be won for Christ. ----------0------- -- The Friends’ African Industrial Mission is further pushing on its work in British East Africa. They have asked the govern ment for a new station between Kaimosi and Kitosh, near the northern end o f Lake Victoria Nyanza. The missionaries have been obliged to spend a considerable, amount o f l time superintending the making o f a road; which will mean much in opening up this district to the Gospel. The saving in cost o f transportation and doing away with the necessity pf using the black men as beasts o f burden, will be o f great advan tage to the mission. Boys come to the missionaries daily from long distances,, beg ging to be allowed to come to school. Sev enty-five boys recently came from two head men o f a town eight miles away. On hear ing that they could not come, the govern ment not yet having granted permission to open the school, they begged to be written down as “ school boys waiting until you get permission.”* This is considered remarkable by the missionaries, for this district has always been considered very backward and. unsettled.
they went out as employees on the railroad, they were counselled and exhorted to help each other and to hold a prayer-meeting every Sabbath. The leader informed me that-they had been out two years and dur ing that time never once omitted this Sab bath evening prayer-meeting.” It is not always easy for these boys to embrace Christianity, for Buddhism or Confucianism is a part o f their beings, and it is hard for them to give up the religion o f their ancestors. As one o f the boys said, he wanted to worship “ something that he could see.” To them, “ faith without works is dead,” and unless they can see the effects o f the Christian religion in the lives of those teaching it, it is as “ sounding brass and tinkling cymbal.” , A Japanese minister in an address not long ago said, “ Our people are deeply relig ious, but are not Christians,” and that is true. The prayers o f the converted ones are most touching. With them it is simply talking with God- They come to Him with their petitions as to an earthly father (as we have been bidden to do) feeling that they are talking to One Who will listen and answer. The little prayer circles on Thurs day and Sunday evenings seem quite cosmo politan. Even though small, three races, which comprise more than half'the popula tion o f the globe, are represented. Prayers are ascending from each; all have faith in the same God, who is Father o f all. This same Japanese minister in his address spoke o f the wonderful apprecia tion o f his people for what the American nation has done for the race, and it is even so. Chinese and Japanese' alike are very grateful for any help given them. The boys never fail to thank the teacher when the lesson is over for the help given. They never forget the members o f the teachers’ families in their prayers each evening at the close o f school. “ Truly the harvest is great but the labor ers are few. “While much is being done for the Orientals, yet considering the fact that there are 6,000 Japanese and 1,000 Chinese in Seattle, this is an infinitesimal
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