EDITOR OF RECORDER, Correspondence. There is in press now in this city a book entitled written some years ago by E, a Christian of unusual earnestness and force of character. It was written not long before his death, which occurred at an advanced age. All whoever heard him in the domestic chapels, addressing Christians, or in the street chapels appealing to "outsiders," will never forget his manner of intense conviction as to the truth of what he was saying. His book represents the nature of the man highly educated in the classical literature of China, whose deep erudition is devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ and His Gospel. Only those of uncommonly high scholarship will be able to read these homilies or tractates upon Gospel themes, but those who can appreciate them, find a remarkable plea for Christian truths. such as is rarely, if ever, seen in the range of religious literature. Most of these essays, if not all, were published in Dr. Y. J. Allen's paper at Shanghai many years ago. It is now printed at private expense and sold at cost, viz., at the rate of twenty copies for a dollar ($1.00 per twenty copies.) Please send in subscriptions for it to the A. B. C. F. M. Press at Peking and the Presbyterian Press at Shanghai, when the announcement is made in the "Recorder" of its issue. The writer of this notice does not endorse all of the teachings of the book, by any means, but nevertheless sincerely recommends its careful perusal by all foreign and native Christians who can do so, leaving each to accept or reject, as his judgment dictates. Mr. Wang I Hwa was not a man of doubtful faith in Christ, and his book will endanger no one's belief in anything essential, while it will establish in the faith many now vascillating between the claims of many religions. Information is wished regarding the following books:-Symmachus' Greek Old Testament. Aquila's Greek Old Testament. Fritzohe's Libri Apocrypha Vetus. Testamentum Græce Leipsis, 1871. Robert Young's Concordance of the LXX. Deleitgh's Examination into the Origin and Plan of the Evangel of St. Matthew. Is there an English translation of this last named book? Where and how can these books be obtained, and at what cost? Yours &c. PEKING DEC. 22ND, 1885. J. CROSSETT. Uur Book Table. appreciate the assistance of good and well-adapted pictures, it seems to us that Dr. Williamson overestimates their importance, and we cannot but deprecate the freedom with which he proposes to give them away. The The Chinese Review for November as is now suggested." While we and December is at hand with its usual variety of Sinological lore. We are glad that there is one journal in China able to publish the more learned, and less popular, productions of our various industrious students. This number opens with an interesting article by Mr. G. Taylor on the "Aborigines of Formosa," followed by a paper on "Corea" by Mr. E. H. Parker, which together with the articles in the Recorder on the same subject give valuable information regarding that no longer Hermit Nation. Dr. Edkins writes on "Chinese Roots," and Dr. Macgowan on "Earthquakes in China." Mr. Oxenham again fills a number of columns with "A Chip from Chinese History;" after which follow the usual Notes and Queries, Notices of New Books, &c. Dr. Williamson sends us a tract on The Families of China.-How shall we reach them? He dwells on the "Importance of the Family," and urges that "China is emphatically the field for Christian Women;" but his special theme is that, "Illustrated Books are a most efficient means for reaching the families. He would have illuminated texts, illustrated books, and a periodical illustrated by chromos, for women and children. Books without pictures he thinks insufficient, for they create interest he says; and he thinks it best that they should be bestowed as gifts from our Christian ladies, rather than be sold. The author closes his plea by saying:-" We are far too apathetic: we jog along in the old ways. Let us arouse ourselves and strike into this new path for I am confident such efforts will be crowned with abundant success. In truth I cannot see how we can hope to reach the families without some such method no The third of the Anglo-Chinese Tracts published by the "Hongkong Union" is before us. subject is Looking unto Jesus, with an intimation that the tract was compiled by Mrs. F. J. Kimball. It is a short exhortation, largely in Scripture language, to make Christ Himself the objective point in our faith, rather than any mental statein ourselves. Two pages are occupied with the English version, and two with the Chinese. Foreign Cookery in Chinese, published by the Presbyterian Mission Press, Shanghai, is the second edition of a very useful little book in Chinese, prepared by Mrs. Crawford of Tung-chow Fu. The English Preface tells us that it is designed to aid both foreign house-keepers and native cooks. "The work opens with instructions to cooks in regard to cleanliness, and dispatch. Then follow two hundred and seventy-one recipes, the most of which are selected from standard authors on the culinary art.......It has an English and also a Chinese Index. In the Index the recipes are numbered both in English and Chinese figures, so that a person unable to speak Chinese has only to point out the number of any article desired, and the cook will find directions for its preparation.' One would think that any lady with tolerable servants, might, by the aid of this Manual, provide most completely for her table, and so reduce the labors of the house-keeper in China, already so proverbially light, Editorial Notes and Missionary News. We learn from the Quarterly Record of the National Bible Society of Scotland for January, that Mr. J. Wallace Wilson, who returned to Scotland after seven years of service in western China, has now entered the service of the London Missionary Society. Miss Gordon Cumming in her new book on China, makes very flattering notice of Mr. W. H. Murray and his efforts at teaching the Chinese blind to read by means of embossed dots. It may not be generally known that Mr. C. T. Studd, the celebrated cricketer, who went out last year as a missionary to China, had the large fortune of £100,000, when he determined to consecrate himself wholly to God. He went to Mr. Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission, and offered him the whole of this great fortune. Mr. Taylor refused, but Studd would not be denied. He put the money in the hands of trustees, and the interest goes to the China Inland Mission, while Studd goes to China just to have common fare with the other missionaries. This is Christianity. Surely God will honour such noble self-sacrifice.Christian Commonwealth. Mr. C. H. Carpenter's tract on "The Subsidy System in Missions," is a trenchant exposition of the evils of the method. It is interesting reading just now in connection with Dr. Nevius' Letters, that are certainly not diminishing in interest as they progress. We are not prepared to endorse all Mr. Carpenter's statements, or to push matters to the extreme that he suggests, but it is evident that the trend of the best missionary thought is in that direction. We wish we had space for quoting from him. An article in The Missionary (American Presbyterian, South) for January, on the same subject, reaches the following conclusion:"For these [Christian] natives to be supported in any way by foreign money is, in general, not an advan tage. We are not saying that no natives should be supported by the mission. The missionary himself needs native help, which the mission should pay for; but we believe that the policy in mission work now diminish than to increase the paid native help." should be rather to Dr. W. Ashmore, of Swatow, now in America, addresses a letter to Mr. Carpenter in the Watchman of Boston regarding his tract on "The American Baptist Missionary Union," and we need hardly say it is spicy reading. This is a discussion of the comparatively limited question whether the Foreign Missionary Board of the Baptist Church (North) is an economical agency for propagating the gospel, and has not the interest to other denominations that the rest of Mr. Carpenter's "Missionary Tracts have, though all of them have most immediate reference to the work of his own Church. We are informed that the new List of Missionaries which is being prepared by Rev. Dr. Farnham, will be published the coming month, after which we shall be able to prepare our Statistical Table of the Missionary Work. BOOK DISTRIBUTION AT WUCHANG. der such trying circumstances, won the admiration of us all, and cannot but be regarded as a hopeful augury for the future of the Native Church amongst us. The work of distribution began about 4 o'clock on the afternoon of the 15th., and was finished by about 9 o'clock on the morning of the 16th., when the distributors all gathered together at the house of a Missionary living near, prepared to do hearty justice to a breakfast provided for them. Special effort was made at Wuchang last September to reach the candidates assembled for the Triennial Kü Jen Examination. As on former occasions, it was conducted under the auspices of the Hankow Tract Society. At a special Committee Meeting held in June, the Secretary reported (1) The offer of 10,000 Gospels (Mr. John's Version,) from the National Bible Society of Scotland, and (2) The offer from a well known friend and helper of The distribution was effected the Society to bear the expense of most quietly. The Officers staan edition of 10 000 copies of Dr. tioned at the entrance of the Martin's Evidences of Christianity. Examination Hall offered not the These munificent orders were glad-least obstruction; and in more than ly accepted. Unfortunately only one instance, help was rendered by 8,400 copies of the "Evidences" soldiers on guard and people living were procurable in time, so 1.600 near, by giving shelter to both copies of the Trat entitled, "The books and distributors during the Mirror of Conscience," were sub- wet and stormy night. stituted. We were thus enabled to present to 10,000 of these students a neatly made-up parcel, containing a Gospel and a Tract, with the inscription plainly written on the band. After due consideration it was resolved to distribute these books on the occasion of their coming out from the third and final session of the Examination. The London Mission Chapel, affording a most convenient basis of operations, was kindly put at our disposal. Here on the ate noon of the 15th. of the 8th. moon (Sept. 23rd.) assembled a willing band of Native Christians from various Churches in Hankow and Wuchang; to whom, under the supervision and direction of the Wuchang Missionaries, the work of distribution was entrusted. They did their work well and nobly. The weather suddenly changed during the night, and came in wet, cold and windy-a change for which most were quite unprepared. The cheery way in which they rendered their voluntary, unpaid, service un The books were on the whole very well received by the Students. Very few cases of refusal. One of our number in passing a large number of them in the street, in the early morning, was very much pleased to notice that each had the small parcel of books in his hands. A marked improvement in the attitude of these scholars to Christian truth was noticeable in the great majority of those who visited our Preaching Halls. The haughty scorn, the contemptuous sneer and the angry disputation, are more and more becoming a memory of the past. And as we can point to one at least of their number who has been brought into the Church by a previous effort of this kind, we all feel encouraged to pray that God's blessing may richly follow the scattering abroad of these 20,000 volumes, and trust that we may see some tangible results of this united effort made by the agents of the English Protestant Missionary Societies stationed in this great centre. J. W. B. BIBLE SELLING IN NANKIN. Mr. T. Protheroe writes as follows of work for the American Bible Society in Nankin, during the Triennial Examinations :-In former years upon such occasions some difficulty was experienced in getting near to the Examination Halls; hustling, and stoning were indulged in; but owing to the abatement of their prejudice to the foreigner on the part of the literati, I was able to go in and out among the students, before and after their Examinations, and received most respectful treatment from them. Very rarely did I hear the phrase "foreign devil" from any of the students. I placed myself in their way as they left the city to return home, and so spent some three weeks. At times a small group of students would call to us from the door of their friend's house, at others, from inside the inns in which they were staying. Some of them would take a complete set of gospels, others, having purchased some previously, would ask for more. I disposed of 3,446 copies of the Gospels during the Examinations-only nine being donated. It is apparent to all who are in this field that there is a readiness to procure our books; and this, not because they are presented for sale by a foreigner; nor is it that they are cheap; but because some are desirous to learn their contents. Many read our Scrip tures. Sometimes a man who has read a Gospel of Matthew will speak of the Genealogy of Christ, as a list of names he cannot under stand. Some will recommend the books to others, saying they speak of the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, and the lame walking. SEMI-CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF MEDICAL HOSPITAL, CANTON. On the 31st of December, 1885, the Half Century Anniversary of the Medical Missionary Hospital was celebrated at Canton in the Preston Memorial Church, itself a gift to the Hospital by Dr. S. Wells Williams. Dr. Graves, as Chairman of the Managing Committee, made the first address, and read a letter from Dr. Parker the founder of the Hospital. Dr. Kerr, the Rev. T. W. Pearce, and Hon. Gideon Nye followed with addresses of great interest reviewing the history of Medical Missions in China and of the Hospital in Canton, in particular. We take the following paragraph from the report of Dr. Kerr's address :— "The Medical Missionary Society's Hospital in Canton was originated by the American Board of Foreign Missions, when that Society had existed only 25 years. Most of the Missionary Societies operating in China date the commencement of their agencies here since that time. Medical Missionaries had been sent out before, but had not established permanent institutions. The Moravians had had Medical Missionaries longer than any other religious sect. Whilst as a hospital this institution has for its object the alleviation of human suffering, it has also an ultimate object, viz., the extension of Christianity. We claim for this institution to be the first which has combined both these objects, and it may be said to be the originator of Modern Medical Missions. The Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society is a direct offspring of the Medical Missionary Society in Canton, and originated out of a meeting held in Edinburgh to meet Dr. Parker, and was formed as an auxiliary of the Society here. Dr. Kerr then gave a brief historical sketch of the hospital. Parker arrived in 1834 and began his Ophthalmic hospital in 1835. Dr. Kerr took charge in 1855. In 1856 the premises were burned, but the hospital was re-opened in 1858. Iu 1866 the present location was secured, and in 1865 the hospital connected with the London Mission Dr. |