oughly up to the date of writing it, about twenty years ago, yet what that has to offer may not be available or quite sufficient for all who would welcome more light from experience as an aid to them in their own efforts in this line in their own fields today. I will, accordingly, note a few facts as to methods and results in this field, especially during the last nineteen years, during which I have for the most time been responsible for the conduct of the work here.

In the first place, I think it to be true that there is "no royal road" to the development of self-support, any more than there is to learning, not even among the Karen Christians, deservedly praised in respect to their achievements in this line. In other words, they are most decidedly part and parcel of the great family to which we all belong, and which does not take kindly and naturally nor without a deal of grace to the practice of the principle involved in the precept that "it is more blessed to give than to receive." While it is no doubt true that they, like most other rude mountaineer races, are more independent by nature than some others, and thus are better materials for the development of self-reliance and selfsupport, yet the practical development of those graces had entailed much discouraging work upon those who started them off on that line, as well as upon those who have had to carry forward the excellent

work the pioneers began.

While among a people a habit like that of self-support, when once established, and yet which is directly counter to the love of ease and selfishness inherent in human nature, may be a very efficient ally in this cause, still the constant tendency is towards a "reversion to the original type."

From first to last there has been the need of unremitting pressure- pressure exerted through constant urging the highest Christian motives and a constant presentation of higher ideals to be achieved through giving as a means. This, of course, has had to be exerted by the successive missionary brethren in charge, fortified by the example and effects of their predecessor's labors on the part of all who followed the far-seeing and wise founder of the mission, Mr. Abbott. The same is equally true of a few most noble men among our native brethren, whose courage and tenacity of purpose I admire the more I know them and about them. This constant pressure has been especially necessary from a tendency among the people, more marked certainly than at home, where habits of stability have had time to crystalize, to tire of any given line of effort after pursuing it for a short time. "Ye did run well," and then the slowing down or ceasing further effort altogether.

Not only has there been this necessity all the way along of pressure from without

being brought to bear upon the body of people who do the bulk of the giving; but, as far as I understand and have seen, there has been presented to them all the way along worthy examples in giving on the part of their leaders, both missionary and native. In fact, almost all that can be predicated of their missionary leaders has been reproduced, and perhaps inspired, by the same qualities in their native co-laborers. Mr. Carpenter, especially, spent very freely of his own salary for the work while here, at his death left towards the endowment of our town school a generous sum, and this is to be supplemented by another large sum in the future as an annuity, the interest of which is at present used in the support of Mrs. Carpenter in her work in Japan. Many of our pastors have always, to a large extent, labored with their own hands in their rice-fields to aid in the support of their families. By this means alone could they be able to serve the small bodies of Christians settled in groups of only a few houses in their fields, often far distant from other Christians. At the same time the pastors are always the foremost givers for all the different objects outside of their own congregations.

The general evange

list for our field, who nearly corresponds to a Secretary of one of our State Conventions in America, and who is most invaluable to the work, is, and from his first appointment some ten years ago, has been supported by a fixed yearly sum assessed by the pastors upon themselves and cheerfully given by them in addition to their ordinary contributions to the general home mission funds.

It has also been a feature, not necessarily entirely peculiar to us, however, as may be said in regard to other features of work herein noted, to exercise the utmost care in our business method in receiving and accounting for funds passing through our hands. The missionary cannot be too careful in regard to this. We live in a country of suspicion, where inaccuracy and

rule; and hence, widely speaking, every man disbelieves every other. This is the atmosphere which our people breathe and by which they are more or less effected, usually more. Any doubt as to our absolute and transparent faithfulness and accuracy is not only fatal to their proper giving, but also to our usefulness to them in any respect as Christian teachers. Every contribution, however small, is receipted for, its duplicate being retained in book form. These amounts are transferred into a book containing a separate account with each of the 106 churches. This account with the individual churches is published in detail each year and corrections invited. Then the whole, with accounts for school, home and foreign missions and for all objects whose funds pass through our hands, are audited in detail by a committee of four of our most intelligent and trusted men, one of whom has been for years the cashier of one of the largest European firms in the province. Then a summary of accounts is read before the association and questions encouraged. Finally this summary is printed in the minutes, as is also a statement, showing the contributions of each church, for all objects. This, of course, consumes a large amount of time and strength, but anything less can hardly be satisfactory, considering the ends desired. to be achieved.

Again the matter of church-giving is not complete, either when adequate motives have been urged and accounts carefully rendered out when the money has been paid in. There is still lacking the element of definiteness in plan. The simplest plan is, of course, the best. We have always found the most effective one to be, after thorough discussion of the question of the need, selfassessment for a given amount for the total membership of each church; e. g., for the town school, an amount equal to one rupee and one basket of paddy for each member: for home missions, eight annas; a

the theological seminary, etc. Then each church knows definitely how much is expected from it; and, taking into due account lazy members, indifferent ones and other classes of non-paying ones, we can calculate very nearly the income actually forthcoming. With us this varies from fifty per cent to seventy per cent from the amount assessed at the given rate. Thus the rupee per member plan from our ten thousand communicants for the town school usually brings from 5,500 rupees to 7,000 rupees, according to crops and prices for the year and the urgency of solicitation. The plan leaves also abundant room for the giving by different members, according to their several abilities, and has the great advantage of the church's knowing when their work is done in any given line for the year in question. The carrying out of this ultimately depends, as anywhere else in the world, upon the faithfulness and tact of the individual pastor; and, not less, on the previous training and benevolent habit or otherwise of the individual church.

A word farther as to the motive made prominent in giving. Education and evangelization are the chief objects for which money is solicited, and these are considered only as different branches of the one great object to be kept in mind; i. e., “ Upbuilding the kingdom of God." I think that I hear this explicitly urged as a motive for our efforts in this direction far oftener than in the home land. No doubt many give out of emulation, many because of the urgency of the one soliciting, and many more from other inferior motives; but I believe that by far the most of our givers have it honestly and fully in mind that they by thus doing are actually adding to the efficient forces being used by God for the building up of his kingdom on earth. In giving for the maintenance of their village schools, for the town school and for its endowment, as well as for home and foreign missions, or for the support of their pastors, they do not consider the expenditure irrelevant or unworthy of this highest end. And now, after

about fifty years of effort along these lines, what is there to show as the results of labor under these methods?

There is a present membership of more than ten thousand in 106 churches, mostly supplied with their own pastors; as well as their own village schools; a foreign mission, with three steady workers in Bahmo among the wild Chins, under the direction of Rev. Mr. Roberts; a boarding-school in town with about three hundred pupils, all of whom are Christian or the children of Christian parents, studying up to the Matriculation Standard. All the teaching in this school is now practically being done by Karen instructors, all board and tuition being free to all, and with an endowment of more than one hundred thousand rupees, raised from among themselves. For all the buildings connected with the school and their furniture, as well as for the Memorial Hospital, in all worth about eighty thousand, they have never asked for a grant from the government or from America, with the exception of a small sum donated by the Ladies' Society in America towards two buildings occupied in part by American lady teachers at different times. All the expense to American churches for the entire work above noted has been the salary of the missionary in charge, a small appropriation for jungle travel and incidental expenses and the salary of one American lady matron in the school. The rest is provided for on the spot, chiefly by the annual contribution of the churches. The contributors are almost all paddy cultivators, and very few of them have more than enough to meet their daily necessities. From the 1st of March to the end of June of this year they have paid into my hands for Home Missions, Woman's Society, Town School, for the Karen Theological Seminary and endowment fund, a total of 18,163 rupees. All amounts given for pastors' salaries and other local church and village school expenses is not included in this and does not pass through my hands.- The Baptist Missionary Review.

U

PO HLINE, pastor of the church at Pyinmana, is well known in the Burma mission. A conspicuous figure at conventions and associations, his massive form, intelligent face and dignified bearing marking him "a Saul among his brethren" physically, intellectually and spiritually. But U Po Hline's interesting history is not so well known.

His early life was spent in the yellow robes of the Buddhist priesthood. There he learned the real inwardness and emptiness of the ancestral religion or philosophy. In it he could not find that which could satisfy his spiritual sense, nor was he satisfied to lead the indolent, selfish life of the

Buddhist priest. But familiarity with their arguments and contents of their sacred books, gained in the years of monastic life, was yet to be turned to good account. Casting off the yellow robe he became a tiller of the soil. By industry and good management, not common to his race, he possessed himself of rice fields, bullocks and buffaloes and money at interest among the villagers where he lived.

Loyalty to the British Government never has been and is not today true of the mass of Burmans. U Po Hline's broader intelligence led him not only to accept the inevitable, but also to see that benefits would accrue to his race from English rule. He

used his influence to restrain his people from acts of violence and in various ways lent his aid to the progress of law and order. In those troublous times he had one adventure of which he never speaks unless questioned on the subject. Returning from Rangoon, where he had marketed his harvest of paddy, he and his boatmen were attacked by dacoits. The boatmen, terrified, threw down their paddles and would have tried to escape by taking to the water. Not so U Po Hline. Neither his life nor his rupees were to be taken so easily. Crawling under the paung he seized his rifle and, to use his

own

esting. A copy of the Gospel of John, given him by a native preacher, was the means of shaking his faith in Buddhism, and of awakening a desire to know more about the "Jesus Christ religion." This desire was gratified by the missionary and his helpers. U Po Kline took his own time, carefully and earnestly feeling his way. Finally he

"Never mind. Do as you like, we will live together."

Wherever he went he fearlessly preached Christ. But it was in his own village that his influence was especially fruitful.

His ordination, at the Pegu Burman Association held in Toungoo, in 1894, will long be remembered by the missionaries present.