The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1884-06-04
THE MISSION FIELD.

ioi ehO Paoo 0oi ohO"o 9Hd1 ~
has mission stations in China, Greece,
Italy, Brazil, Mexico, and the Indian
country, making 7 missions, rs out-sta-
tions, % ordained missionaries, 33 female
assistants, Sc native preachers, licentiates,
teachers, and helpers-112 laborers in
all, with As organized churches, 1,75O
church-members-217 having been added
during the last YEARS. schools, with
545 pupils. The receipts from all sources
amount to $70,167 being an increase Of
nearly $4,000.
The scourge of smallpox in Marso-
van, Turkey, has, like the plaques in
Egypt, demonstrated that the Evangeli-
Gals are the favored people In the pop
ulation of $4,000, about $50 have died :;
but of these only one, child, was Pro.
testant. The Protestant population is
five or six hundred The explanation is
that the fatalists, believing that the
plague was decreed, would do nothing to
prevent it, while the Protestants Joined
works to their faith and used vaccina-
ton. The Government officials would
not vaccinate. They said 1t is from
God what can we do?"
The January February number
(Which has just arrived) of the Chinese
Recorder gives careful and complete
list of Christian missionaries in China,
Japan, and Siam, down to March, 1880.
There are upward of 500 missionaries,
male and female, in China. The China
Inland mission has the longest list of all
the societies. In Japan there are 157
missionaries. The American Board leads
with 30 missionaries, and the Methodist
Episcopal Church is second, with %.
Rev. G. A. Shaw, late missionary at
Madagascar, preaching at Abingdon, said
IN the course of his sermon, that one of
the greatest hindrances to the missionary
IN Madagascar was the enormous guam
tity of rum brought into the east side of
the island. 1t was a shame and disgrace
that the English flag should have been,
up to the present time, the protector of
the most iniquitous traffic which has ever
been carried on in Madagascar.
Rev. w. j. David, a missionary to
Africa, in recent letter, gives an &C.
count of the liberality of the little church
OF natives. They are few and poor, yet
they have given $12O to build a school,
800 for bell and belfry, and $75 to-
ward the support OF an evangelist, be-
sides contributing to other expenses.
Many churches in this country, larger
and older, are doing less.
"A writer in Tile Christian, pleading
for help for the Jewish Refugees Colony
in Palestine, pictures the present condi-
ton OF affairs as one showing converts,
inquirers, and strict Jews living peace
fully together under a Christian man
ager, with Christian missionary coming
weekly to hold Christian service, and a
Christian schoolmistress teaching the chill
dren; such thing has not been since
) erusalem was taken by the Romans.
What will come of it, or what place it
may hold in the Divine economy, re-
mains to be seen.
The American Bible Society held
its sixty-eighth annual meeting recently
at its rooms in the Bible House, New
York. The report showed that 2,I15,-
765 copies of the Bible were printed or
purchased during the year; of which
nearly 100000 were distributed the
circulation in foreign lands was 51O546
copies. Many translations and revisions
were made. The receipts of the society
were $640,7l9 and the expenses 1892
LOG. For the coming year the society
has appropriated $l73, 100 to be expend-
ed in foreign work.
-SHANGHAI.-Rev. DR.. Blodget re-
ports that the Methodist Church Mission
(South) is making extensive preparations
for its Anglo Chinese College at Shanghai.
The cost of the land and building can
hardly be less than 100000. 1t is pro-
posed to have the Chinese classics take
the place of Latin and Greek, and to give
a thorough education in the English Ian
guage and in the modern sciences. On.
portunity is also afforded for the study of
medicine and theology. A wealthy
Chinaman, interested in the work, has
virtually given $40, 900 to the institution
by the sale, below price, of valuable
piece of land. Contributions for the OBJ
ject are expected from the Chinese, as
well as from Americans, and good num-
Der Of Chinese boys have already entered
the institution. The Episcopal Mission
In Shanghai is gathering valuable body
Of native assistants.
-BULGARIA.-In Bulgaria much op-
position is found in the villages where
colporteurs and preachers 90, about Or
chania. Drunkenness is becoming ter
rible evil among these villages, making
perfect savages Of the otherwise peaceful
III l.. Il 4