The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1886-12-08
THE MISSION FIELD

-OenUral Turkey college, reports that
this year there sixty six students in the col
lege proper-a larger number than ever before.
1t Is now ten years since the college was open
ed, and the whole number who have graduated,
including the medical department, ls sixty three
These graduates, as body, have taken high
position, and are credit to the institution f. ON
which they have come forth. A little more
than one half of the students of lest year were
church MEMBERS thirteen of them having made
confession of Christ during the year.
Dome BETTER THAN AT HOME -
We see 1t stated that IN Japan the churches con-
nected with The Presbyterian Union have In
creased their membership eighty per cent In
two years. The number IS now over 600. In
our home churches the average rate OF Increase
IN two years Is six or seven per cent. In Japan
the growth Is. therefore, ten or twelve times as
great as In the United States. At such a time,
let us not fall short In support of the foreign
mission work of our Church.
-MADAGAsCAR.- Trouble has arisen
between the French and the Madagascar gov
eminent IN reference to the treaty which was
recently ratified. 1t seems that an appendix
explanatory of certain clauses of this treaty was
agreed upon and signed by the French plenIpo-
tentaries and the prime minister of the Mala-
.gasy queen. The French government, however,
wished to repudlate this appendix but the
Malagasy stoutly refused TO do So and proposed
to abrogate the treaty rather than consent to
the Interpretation which the French put upon
1t. The position of the French at Antananarivo,
the capital, Is anything but comfortable The
treaty called for French Resident In that CITY.
who should supervise the foreign relations OF
Madagascar. The Resident Is now there with
his staff and an escort OF fifty soldiers but there
Is nothing whatever for him to do The Mala
gasy propose to attempt nothing new in the way
OF foreign negotiations, and the Resident is ma
tnra llxyft flol
ported that mission work Is prosecuted with
vlgor and that there is no fear of interru ptlon.
Rev. George Cousins, writing 10 The Nonco,
tormlSt says that this Resident is acting In a
conclllatory spirit and is giving no faVors to
the Jesults, All this seems very hopeful for the
progress of Chr stan faith in Mad 4gascar.
missions AND JAPANESE WOMEN -
The Christian missions In Japan are doing some
thing to elevate the position of women, though
progress IN thus direction is slow, owing to the
preIudices OF the people a missionary now
laboring IN that country Z. us describes that
prejudice: The husband is compared to beav
en-, the wife to the dirt under his feet The
husband Is the day, the wife the night wo-
man may have every beauty, grace and virtue,
still she Is lower than the lowest man Wo
mans position In Japan is better than In most
other Eastern lands, still 1t Is not what we find
1t In Christian lands Woman In Japan is never
her own mistress. She seems never to come of
age. Until married she must obey her father
when wife, the will of her husband if a Wild
ow, her eldest son. l know one case however
where the mother ruled as with rod of iron
and made her sons life must miserable He
often came to us with his trials and troubles.
Sometimes she would watch him, and when she
found him praying would throw water on him
Still he kept on praying, and believed she would
become Christian, and she did. And one New
I ears morning she took all her gods, for she
had many of them, and threw them into the
canal. l received letter from this young man.
after his mothers conversion. In which he stated
there was hope for all japan, now that his moth
er had accepted the truth.
-BoRNEo. The whole of British
North Borneo is without single Protestant
missionary, neither Is there any provision for
the spiritual needs of the British residents.
There Is no reason why this state of things
should continue for a single day, except the
apathy OF the Christian Church. Already
several priests are in the field, and finding good
entrance amongst the natives These are Dyaks
Malays, and Chinese friend, who knows
Borneo, suggests that mission work might be
commenced at Sandakan, whore the British mer
chants RESIDE and that ltineratlons by boat and
overland might be made to Kudat, Gaya-Papar
klmaur, down to Babuan. Two men of good
constitution, able and willing to endure hard
ships for Chrlsts sake, would find noble work
re,dy for them. One of them should be medl-
cal missionary The Malay language, with
few local idioms, is in ordinary use The
Chinese as yet, are confined to the coast line.
The interior Is accessible by boat for long dis.
tances. The climate is SAID to be excellent.
Sandakan Is free from fever, and has many of
the comforts Of life, so that there would be no
disadvantage, but the contrary, in one or both
OF the missionaries being married MEDICAL
Missions OF Home and Abroad
BLIND IN CHM Mr.. Murray. the
agent OF the National Bible Society Of Scotland
IL Ptking, has started what we trust may prove
to be great work amongst The blind in China
Having succeeded, with the help Of Bells and
Braille's systems, in mastering the Chinese Ian
guage, and expressing 1t by dots, Mr. Murray
mad books printed ~ embossed character His
hr5t pupil, blind beggar boy, learned both to
read tuehty, aud to write with remarkable
accuracy within six weeks and in turn became
teacher to two blind men, one of whom could
read well in less than two months" To China
men 1t seems miraculous that sightless bepoars
should be thus cared for by forei zners, and
endowed with apparently supernatural powers.
When one was sent out to read IN the streets in
company with a native colporteur, crowds
gathered round to hear and buy the book. It
IS evident that the Mission might be greatly
aided in spreading the knowledge of Christian
truth by the agency Of a whole legion of blind
readers. A hlndrance to this important branch
OF Mr.. Muray's work is the need of providing
board and lodging for the beggar pupils 9l0
will defray the years expenses Of one man.
Friends who may wish to know more of the
history of this interesting missionary (n early
manhood humble Scotch srtissD) should read