The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-05-14

girls who would have no other means of Christian instruction in Spain.
 One of our graduates of the first class that took the degree of B. A. in Madrid was immediately employed as the teacher of the daughter of an American lady who was married to a Spaniard, a member of the Cortez, a man high in position in Madrid, but whose daughter would otherwise have been put under the care of a Roman Catholic tutor. l pleaded with the mother, and here Is a long story of Gods providence, because l knew about that child years ago and wanted that child to come to our school, and found 1t impossible, and at last, as the mother would keep her at her side, one of our own graduates goes to her and Is her instructor
 One letter is pathetic. but I speak of that because there Is nothing in it from the girl herself. It Is written by her husband, 1t is an elegant hand, show
 ing education, showing refinement, showing thought. The man is engaged in the book trade in Spain and you can well understand that man who has that position must be an educated man, This young girl came to us when she was thirteen years old, a bright, attrac- tive child she was, and 1 thought of her as one who like many others, would re- main with us four or five or six years, according to the time needed. and would go away to be a Christian work CT at some time, To my dismay when the summer vacation had nearly passed l received a letter from the mother say ing that Mercedes would not return; she was engaged to be married to this very fine young man, whom the mother feared she would lose if she waited un- til she should receive her education with us. I expostulated in more than one letter, Do let that little child come back to us and have suitable training before she is married" But no; the Spanish desire that the children should be married and the thought that this good young man, and I believe he is so, would be lost to her prevailed, and this little girl of thirteen was mar ried. Now the husband writes for her, and one of the sentences touched me deeply. He writes In Spanish, but he says, q must tell you how pleased l have been with all that my wife learned at your school; the religious thought which she brought back with her have found an entrance and lodgment in my heart, and 1 do hope with her that our efforts may be multiplied in giving the good news to all Spain." The little girl who came to us not knowing how to read or write merely learned to sign her name and there it is. But she also | learned enough to go back and intlu- ence this man in such way that he was ready to announce himself an evangelical Christian.
 | The graduates and the students alike are earnestly desirous of helping all the girls in Spain, and one of the means which has been employed recently has been the publication of a little leaflet called the Monthly Letter. which Is sent out to over two hundred now, in- | cluding several exchanges in different parts of the world, in Mexico and the | United States. The letter Is published l in Spanish; 1t is conducted by the uni- 1 ted societies of Christian Endeavor, each committee having part of the 1 letter as her share of the work so that 1 1t is not a burden upon any one. And | this carries the news from the institute at San Sebastian to all those who have ever been members of the school. It is also a stimulant to those who are work | ing In the field, in many cases in lone l liness, to feel that their sisters, their former companions, have not forgotten them, and that they are still caring for them, praying for them and keeping their work ever in remembrance.
 | Eleven of our girls have married, and of these seven are helping their hus- bands as helpmeets in Christian work | There are three or four teachers, and the rest are pastors. In this depart ment l could tell you of many interest ing things: how these young women stand up nobly and bravely in Spanish society, where they are found doing honest, noble work for Christ. 1 I have alluded to the mothers meet ings. Think of the Sunday schools
 Think of the children in the schools in which they are teaching. Our gradu- ates have to-day more than fifteen hun dred children under their instruction
 scattered over Spain in twenty-five diff ferent cities. It is a pleasing coinci- dence for me that there should be just twenty-five, because twenty-five years ago the work in Spain was begun. It is a pleasing thing that these girls are sc scattered; they have not been retained in the north, but they are to be found all over the country; the east, the west
 the north and the south; and they are | indeed earnest workers, and believe the hope of Spain. They go into the Sunday school; they teach the day school children. In our own mission there are over seven hundred children under daily instruction taught by oul own graduates. And what does this mean as to the influence among the families? The mothers, the fathers. the brothers who are influenced? These children go home to carry the daily Bi- ble lesson which is part of their study
 daily committed to memory, passages of scripture which they may repeat ir their own homes; hymns which they love to sing, and sing so sweetly, are l sung in their own homes.
 l remember the case of one little child about six years of age who was so won. derfully quick in committing hymns that he was quite prodigy. It is q fact that these children have wonderful
 memories; but this child seemed to sur. pass the others, and he was in constant requisition in the neighborhood as a