THE receipts for the month of March did not move forward in advance of those of the preceding year for the corresponding month, but declined about $5,000, so that for the first seven months of the financial year we must report a falling off from donations of about $9,500, and from legacies of about $55,500, a total of about $65,000. The legacies have fallen behind not only those of the preceding year, but those of the preceding five years, being less than the average for those five years by about $26,500. We must therefore call with more urgency than ever for a marked advance in the gifts of the living, during the months immediately before us.

We need not apologize for the unusual amount of space given in this issue to the letters from the missions. They will be found to be full of interest and cheer. No single number of the Herald, for many years certainly, has contained more reports of special religious awakenings. The Week of Prayer seems to have been a peculiarly blessed season, and revivals which began then have continued in many places, particularly at several mission stations in India, Japan, North China, and Turkey. Since the reports of awakenings in Japan, given among the letters, were in type we hear of the addition, on the first Sabbath of March, of seventy-eight persons to the churches of Kobe and Okayama and vicinity. This does not include the recent converts in the Girls' School at Kobe. The year gives promise of being one of large ingathering in all our missions.

We learn from the Secretary of the Committee in New York, having in charge the matter of the next Annual Meeting of the American Board, that the Committee has been organized with Rev. Dr. W. M. Taylor as chairman, Rev. C. H. Daniels as secretary, and Mr. Caleb B. Knevals, 48 East 23d Street, as chairman of the Committee on Entertainment. The Committee has arranged to furnish entertainment "to all who are entitled to it by the late rule of the Board," and they will also assist in finding suitable accommodations in hotels and boarding-houses for all who wish to pay their own way.

AMONG the "Notes from the Wide Field" will be found the annual statistical table of Protestant missionary work in Japan. It is a remarkable record of growth, and should stimulate all branches of the Christian Church to redouble their efforts for the conversion of that empire to Christ.

THE letter of Mr. H. M. Stanley, written from the Aruwimi River, August 28, which has been given to the public, while most interesting, is not a little disappointing. It was evidently not the purpose of the explorer to tell the public just what had been accomplished or what his plans were for the future, and there is little information in regard to Emin Pasha or to the state of affairs in his domain, though we are led to the conclusion that he does not regard his stay in the Central Provinces as important, and would gladly escape if he could do so with due regard to the interests of his followers. Just what Mr. Stanley expects to accomplish by his return to Wadelai we are left to infer. Our own impression is that he will not return by way of the Congo, but that he and Emin Pasha will be heard from in due time as on their way to the East Coast, through the region known as the British Sphere of Influence. We trust there will be some adequate outcome of this vast expenditure of strength and life. Since Mr. Stanley's letter was published, telegrams from Egypt report that the Mahdists have been defeated by the Senoussists, and also that an expedition of the Mahdi had been defeated by Emin Pasha, who now is supreme in Bahr-el-Gazelle. If this latter report is correct, it may change the whole aspect of affairs in Central Africa.

THE call is continually coming to us, from many parts of the world, for Christian books. Just now an appeal comes from Marash for the back volumes of Notes on the International Sunday-school Lessons, Peloubet's, Vincent's, or the Pilgrim Series. These are desired for use by the students in the Theological Seminary, and doubtless many copies of these Notes could be spared from the shelves of libraries in this country. In view of the public discussion in Japan as to the basis of morals, the call comes for any recent volumes relating to ethics, such as Martinson's, Hopkins' Law of Love, and the Scriptural Idea of Man, Haven's or Fairchild's Moral Philosophy. Such books would do excellent service at this critical period in Japan.

REV. O. P. EMERSON, formerly of Peacedale, R. I., has been chosen Secretary of the Hawaiian Evangelical Association, as the successor of the late lamented Rev. A. O. Forbes, and he has already entered upon the duties of his office at Honolulu. He was cordially welcomed by the people at the islands, where he was well known as the son of Rev. John S. Emerson, one of the early missionaries on Hawaii.

ON the first day of April, 1839, Rev. Robert W. Hume and his wife, Mrs. Hannah D. Hume, sailed from Salem, Massachusetts, to join the mission of the American Board in Western India. Fifteen years later Mr. Hume died at sea, while with his family on the way to the United States, and Mrs. Hume reached the shores of her native land with six fatherless children. Two of her sons have long been missionaries in India, and one of her daughters was for several years engaged with them in Christian work. The semi-centennial anniversary of her sailing for India finds Mrs. Hume residing in New Haven, rejoicing in what she has been permitted to do personally and through her children for the kingdom of Christ in a pagan land, and testifying that the love of Jesus, which has been the motive, "has also been the solace all the way."

How to select a Sunday-school library so that it shall furnish reading suitable for the Sabbath, interesting to the young and yet instructive and helpful, is a problem which many find it hard to solve. For this purpose we are convinced that no class of books combine so many elements in their favor as do those relating to missionary lands and missionary laborers. They are full of incidents from real life, often portraying strange adventures among strange people, such as fascinate the young, but always in connection with earnest Christian purpose, and not seldom with heroic devotion. So thoroughly convinced have we been that an effort should be made to place books of this character before the young people of our land, both for their own good and for the increase of missionary interest among them, that a plan has been in mind for some time to make up one or two "Missionary Libraries" which could be recommended to Sundayschools and offered at a low price. But just now we find one such "Library" ready at hand which we are prepared to recommend cordially to all Sundayschools. It is the "Missionary Biographical Series," published by F. H. Revell, New York and Chicago. We commended this series among the Book Notices in our last issue, and a further examination leads us to renew our commendation, and to urge the placing of this series of missionary books in all our Sabbath-school libraries. These volumes were originally published in England and have not been circulated in this country to any extent. The series consists of: (1) William Carey, the Shoemaker who Became a Missionary; (2) Robert Moffat, the Missionary Hero of Kuruman; (3) Bishop Patteson, the Martyr of Melanesia; (4) James Chalmers, Missionary and Explorer of Raratonga and New Guinea; (5) Robert Morrison, the Pioneer of Chinese Missions; (6) Griffith John, the Founder of the Hankow Missions, Central China; (7) Samuel Crowther, the Slave Boy who Became Bishop; (8) Thomas J. Comber, Missionary Pioneer to the Congo. These volumes are handsomely printed and bound. and are beautifully illustrated, and we are confident that they will prove attractive to all young people. We wish it clearly understood that this recommendation is made of our own motion and not by suggestion of the publisher. But in order to facilitate the circulation of these books we have made arrangements with the publisher by which the Library may be obtained at the publication office of the Missionary Herald, Mr. Charles E. Swett, 1 Somerset Street, Boston. The price of this set of eight volumes is six dollars, a low price considering the style of books, and from this price the usual discount will be made to Sunday-schools. We make this arrangement in the belief that we are doing a good work both for missions and for young people in our Sunday-schools and homes.

REV. AMERICUS FULLER has accepted the office of President of Central Turkey College at Aintab, to take the place of the lamented Dr. Trowbridge, to which position he was chosen by the concurrent action of the managers in Turkey and the Trustees in the United States. Mr. Fuller has long been familiar with the work of the college and for some time previous to Dr. Trowbridge's death was acting president, and his acceptance of the office for which he is so well qualified gives great satisfaction to the mission and to the friends of the institution.

PLEASANT reports are reaching us as to the reception of Christian books in the Imperial Palace of China. It is probably inexpedient to say more here than that some who are near to the new emperor and his wife have recently received and welcomed instruction as to the Christian religion, and have now the Word of Life in their hands. May that Word bring light to them and to their people.

REFERENCE has been made recently to the edition of the Scriptures in weekly numbers, published at Milan, Italy, by a private publisher. It is now said that ninety thousand of these parts are sold every week. This venture seems to have stimulated other work, and Signor Bonghi, an eminent leader, formerly a cabinet minister, has prepared an illustrated life of Jesus, and twenty thousand parts of this are now being sold each week. These are hopeful signs for Italy.

AT the beginning of the year there were seven thousand Japanese at the Sandwich Islands, eight hundred of whom were women, and the number is constantly increasing. A late paper from Japan reports that a vessel sailed from Yokohama for Honolulu February 18, with 880 emigrants on board. The work of evangelizing these emigrants is progressing, and at last reports eighty-four converts had been baptized, including the Japanese consul with his entire household. The work is largely under the direction of Mr. Miyama, who is connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Friend reports that drunkenness has nearly ceased among the Japanese in Honolulu, and that the evangelical movement has been greatly helped by the devoted character and work of the consul and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Ando. The same paper contains an account of a remarkable Japanese convert by the name of Fukui, who had been exiled for his violent attacks upon the government. He was very bitter against Christianity and made known his hostility to the consul at Honolulu, who earnestly preached Christ to his visitor. The Spirit of God mightily convinced this man of his sins and he continued in deep distress for hours until he found peace in Christ. Having been a dissolute and intemperate man, though of great intelligence and force, his conversion has awakened much attention.

THE Buddhists of Japan do not think highly of Colonel Olcott and the theosophists. This would-be apostle of Buddhism, as will be seen from Dr. Davis' letter on another page, appeared in Kyōto to instruct the Buddhists in regard to their religion, but strange to say they do not recognize his teachings as good Buddhism, and the Colonel left without completing his lectures. Where will he go next? Having finished India and now Japan, how would it do for him to teach theosophy to the lamas of Tibet?

WE referred last month to the restrictions placed upon the press at Constantinople by the Turkish government, and we now learn that permission has been given to continue the publication of the monthly Zornitza. But a singular requirement has been made in regard to the motto which has been used on the paper for twenty-two years, a motto suggesting the name of the paper, "Until day dawn and the day star arise." Hereafter the words "star," "dawn," and others of like import, suggestive of hope and the coming of a better day, are strictly forbidden. These restrictions are significant and call for no comment.

WE are not surprised at hearing that the death of Viscount Mori, of Japan, has caused great mourning throughout his native land. He was regarded by his countrymen as one of their ablest statesmen and a brilliant scholar. The assassin was doubtless a lunatic who had nursed his wrath against the statesman because, on one occasion, he had not removed his shoes from his feet when visiting some of the sacred shrines at Ise. Though he had accomplished so much, Mr. Mori at the time of his death was but forty-one years of age, and had he lived he would have secured yet wider influence within the empire. We notice that it has been affirmed by some correspondents that he was a Christian. This was not the case, though had he been such it need occasion no surprise that he was buried with Shinto ceremonials, since it was nothing more than a "state funeral," a vast pageant at which an immense number of people were assembled, including ministers of state and the students from the universities, the funeral procession extending nearly a mile. Public schools, which had been molded by his hands, were closed for a week in token of mourning. The death of this statesman is a public loss.

A YOUNG lady would hardly care to be alone in the interior of Africa, and such a situation should be carefully avoided; but not long since, Miss Jones, of the East Central African Mission, was deprived by an accident of the company of others whom she expected would meet her at a certain large heathen kraal at a distance of several hours from Kambini. On her arrival at the kraal she told the chief she was expecting other friends, and that they would stay in camp several days. He gave her a hut, borrowed three chairs of an Indian trader, and sent to the hut various articles, including wood, water, and fire, for cooking. When the friends who were expected did not come, people gathered, listened to the reading, and when at night Miss Jones had prayers with the children, the hut was crowded with the people, who would not go away save on the promise that the missionary would sing again to them in the morning. It was a form of missionary labor not planned for, but under the circumstances quite successful.

A COMMITTEE of missionaries in Foochow, one from the Church of England, one from the Methodist Episcopal Church, one from our American Board have issued a circular making an appeal for twenty-six new workers, and asking all Christians to join in prayer that they may be sent to Foochow during the coming year. The thirteen who were sent the preceding year make the missionaries only more anxious to receive others.

WHILE we are rejoicing over the progress made by the gospel in Japan, it must not be forgotten that there is bitter opposition to the truth on the part of many of the Japanese. Mr. O. H. Gulick reports from Kumamoto that while the mission schools in that city are prospering, yet the best and largest school in the place, having some seven hundred pupils, has as its foundation-stone opposition to Christianity, and that the older generation and well-to-do classes manifest great hatred toward the new faith. Mr. Ebina says that few can appreciate the amount of scorn felt and expressed toward the Christians by the mass of their fellow-countrymen.