ing he will not consent to forego his right. He has permission." "We shall see." And the brother went out. A moment after he returned and said to us: "The organ will not play; I have hired it for the whole evening." And thus we were able to hold our meeting without any disturbance whatever.

The subject was "Jesus, who, because of the joy set before Him endured the cross." Fervent appeals were addressed to sinners and found, we are sure, the way to hearts. But that which impressed us, to an extent we shall never forget, was to see the members of the church group themselves round the platform after each address and sing in parts some of their most beautiful hymns. They brought to their singing so much enthusiasm and fervor that one could not help being deeply touched. At the end, several persons who appeared seriously affected by what they had heard, came forward and asked to be prayed for. The Holy Spirit was evidentiy working powerfully upon the hearers.

The meetings of the Association, properly so called, were also abundantly blessed. There was no cause of trouble, not even for a moment. It was a gathering of brothers, deliberating under the eyes of their Father.

The report of the churches considered as a whole is encouraging. There are, however, shadows in the picture. Some churches have not progressed on account of the indifference and incredulity of the people, among whom they are placed, which make it difficult even to obtain hearers. There are places also where they have to struggle against the systematic opposition of factory owners and other employers of labor who are under clerical influence. But in other parts of the field there is cheering progress. At Ougrée, where we were and where the work only began seven years ago, the church numbers nearly a hundred members, of whom twenty-eight have been baptized during the year, while other baptisms are to take

place shortly. The pastor of this church, with his helpers, has held three hundred and sixty meetings in the year in twenty different localities. They have sold two hundred New Testaments and twenty Bibles. They are about to build a new room at Seraing for meetings. Seraing, close to Ougrée, is a town of 40,000 inhabitants.

Their work is carried on in the midst of a very dense population of artisans, miners and metal workers, very poor, very ignorant, very superstitious, but with a religious sense that has to be awakened. The work there is difficult because of the deep ignorance of the people. It is a mission field in every sense of the word, but the success is magnificent and the prospect very encouraging. At Denain, the work is equally prosperous. There are twelve lay preachers who, with the pastor, gather four hundred and thirty-seven hearers every Sunday. Ten persons have been added to the church during the year. At Peruwelz, where there is an encouraging work, the mayor, a councillor, and a merchant, all three Catholics, have given three hundred and fifty francs ($70), to build the temple that they are going to put up. At Bethune where the work dates from three or four years ago, a little temple has just been opened. Another is to be built at Lens, in the midst of the mining district of the Department of Pas-de-Calais. The Association comprises fourteen churches or groups of believers, giving a total of nearly nine hundred members, forty-nine of whom have been baptized during the

year.

Encouraging efforts have been made by the members of several of the churches of our Association to increase their gifts. Unfortunately, our churches are poor, recruited from among the Catholics, their members are nearly all of the lower classes, the humble, There are no rich people among us, and few who are even in easy circumstances. Thus our gifts, though often meaning real sacrifices, are

small.

unless the Lord should raise up unknown friends for them, will suffer very much, and not a few will probably die of starvation. But I gave them all the advice I could and all the money I had, and told them that they must divide the small amount of money I gave to each into ninety parts, and every morning to take out one part, and plead with God to bless it, as they imagined Elijah did when the crow brought to him his daily little package of food. Then, cook and eat with thankfulness whatever they had, and not to go into debt, but to do faithfully the work that they were appointed to do. Most of them, I think, will do as I enjoined. We need your prayers.

The situation, as represented by the Viceroy, is unchanged, save that it is getting worse and worse all the time and no harvest can be reaped before next October.

The severest part of the famine affected districts begins here at Ongole and extends to the north, west, and northwest, indefinitely for hundreds of miles. To the south they have partial crops, and some under tanks good crops. On the northeast, at our Bapatla station, they have good crops, as the country is irrigated by the water from the Kistna canal; this lets the water out on the east side of it only; to the west of the canal all is like a desert. Hence, I send next week my cows to Bapatla. Mr. and Mrs. Thomssen will feed them until August. There is nothing or next to nothing for them here. The nice little pony that Brother Fuller very kindly gave to me when he left for America, I gave away for nothing to Brother Heinrichs a few days ago, as I do not feel able to keep it longer here, for fodder is almost impossible to get even at a fabulous price.

MRS. E. W. CLARK, IMPUR, ASSAM

IN Molung, our first habitation in these

was a

mountain fastnesses, Sunday blessed day, a full day. The covenant meeting of the preceding evening ran over into an early morning session, and in all twenty-four were received by the church for baptism and three restored to fellowship.

At the regular morning service the chapel-not small and with its pleasant bow front a building of no mean appearance-was filled to overflowing; girls and boys, not very small either, sat on the mat floor. Following this service we repaired to Nature's own baptistery down the hillside, whence these children of Nature

arose, we trust, to newness of life. In the

afternoon as we came together around the table of their Lord and our Lord, there cemed a good congregation and I felt sure there was rejoicing among the angels up yonder as there was with us here; the Holy Spirit was evidently present at our feast.

In the evening four couples were married, none of them young. They came

leaving their children at home; on a previous evening eight other couples in the same condition came, these all having lived together according to Naga custom, and becoming Christians later, now desired to be united by the Christian cere

One of our teachers in the Training School has started a new movement in the matter of giving. We have been teaching since the beginning of the mission, when the Clarks first came to the hills, that they ought to give, but our teaching has been very much like water on a duck's back,— it did not strike in. We felt that the time for talk had passed, and the period of action had arrived. So all the information obtainable on the subject of giving was placed in the hands of this teacherhe understands English—and the responsibility for doing something laid on him. He studied and decided to act. He preached a sermon on giving and said he would practise what he preached. He promised the church and God that he would give his time to the Lord, one eighth of his salary (rupees 12) and a handful of rice at each meal. Others have followed his example; some are giving one tenth of their income and a handful of rice when the meal is cooked, and others one twelfth. The matter is to be presented at our Naga Association which meets in a few weeks, and we are hoping that the This movement will sweep the hills. movement is encouraging our hearts not a little.

KOLS IN ASSAM

REV. O. L. SWANSON, GOLOGHAT

THERE

are now about 1,500 Kol members in Assam. I believe few missions can show larger and more satisfactory results after such a short time and so small means spent for it. I have not the slightest doubt it was the Lord's guidance, who moved us to take up this special work. If we do not Christianize the Kols, they will surely be Hinduized in Assam. They are not Hindus. But in Assam the heathen Kols begin to observe Hindu festivals and also begin to observe caste. Now is the right time to lead them to Christ. A generation later may be too late; they might be in the fetters of that iron system of Hinduism. I have strong faith that the whole number of tribes, commonly called Kols, will be Christianized within the next generation. This will make Christianity a strong power in Assam and in other parts of India, where the Kols are at home. We baptized seventy-two converts last year, almost all Kols. It is also a remarkable fact that the Kols are the best buyers of the Assamese New Testament. To the Assamese only few copies of the Testament

are sold; they do not want the Christian book, but Kols take it quite readily and pay for it, although they have the whole Bible in Hindi, which they also buy and read. The amount of Christian literature sold to the Kols is quite considerable. Kols are quite gifted for languages. Some of my Kol preachers can preach in three languages with equal acceptance, in Mundar, Hindi and Assamese.

AIMING AT SELF-SUPPORT

M. A. TRIBOLET, BASSEIN, BURMA

OUR church at Bassein is now not only suporting its own pastor at rupees forty per month, but gives monthly rupees fifteen for a preacher at Wakema. Last month we raised rupees fifty-one for the "Famine Relief Fund" in India and next month we expect to entertain the Pegu Association.

Our Sunday-school pays for the large "Picture Lesson" roll and one hundred small "Picture Lesson" cards besides the monthly leaflets, and gives annually a small donation to the India Sunday-school Union.

The Y. P. S. C. E. pays its own expenses and always has a few rupees on hand for emergencies. So you see, we are trying to do our share of the giving. And giving is living

If done for the dear Savior's sake. The first Sunday in January four were received into the church by baptism, four by letter, and there was one baptism in Yingan last week. The Bible woman reports the work in town as very encouraging.

PERSONAL NOTES

REV. W. S. DAVIS and wife of Allur, India, have returned to America for rest and are at Navesink, N. J.

REV. E. N. HARRIS and wife of Shwegyin, Burma, have returned to America for the benefit of Mrs. Harris' helath and are at Hamilton, N. Y.

A. H. HENDERSON, M. D., and wife of Mongnai, Burma, arrived in New York, April 21, and Dr. Henderson was obliged to go to a hospital at once for care.

MISS SARAH B. BARROWs of Zigon, Burma, reached New York, April 21, much improved in health.

REV. GEORGE H. BROCK and wife of Kanagiri, India, reached New York, April 23.

MISS MARGARET SUMAN sailed from Boston, May 1, for Ikoko Station, Lake Mantumba, Congo, West Africa.