THE CHINESE.

LETTER FROM REV. W.C. POND.

Our anniversary was an occasion of much interest. The attendance was large, and our brethren acquitted themselves well. The Record-Union, the principal daily of Sacramento, published both the addresses in full.

We have good news from our evangelists. They are doing great good, if we can judge at all by what we see: and they are in training, I believe, for larger and better service in the years to come. I shall have much to write about this for the next Missionary, much more than I can crowd into the space allowed me.

The new work at San Buenaventura opens finely. It is already one of our largest interior schools; and two or three, possibly four, of the Chinese have already been led to believe; so that before Low Quong returns he expects to organize an Association and get Christian work into systematic operation.

I am greatly pleased also with the reports from Tucson. Yong Jin, who has done excellent evangelistic work at Santa Cruz, goes to Tucson next week. He is an earnest Christian, and though somewhat deficient in English is better educated in Chinese and is an excellent preacher.

FOUR MONTHS OF EVANGELISTIC WORK.

BY LOW QUONG.

In January last I was asked to do some evangelistic work in the Northern part of this State. The first place I visited was Oroville. There we have a branch mission with a fine mission house, or, we might call it a Chinese church and school combined. The church has a membership of about fifteen. The evening scholars were usually about twenty or more. This school has a faithful teacher, and all together makes a fruitful mission. Although I was there only about a month—yet I enjoyed the work very much, and my acquaintance with the brethren there and their kindness to me I can never forget. I will now give you some little incidents of my work there. The town has about three hundred Chinese inhabitants, and most of our brethren and scholars live in the town, but there were also a good many outside of the town. These are mostly miners. But even these hard-working men, when they got through their day's work, came to town at night to attend our evening school; and on Sundays also, to hear the preaching of the gospel.

At the end of the month, when Mr. Pond came to Oroville, we had the Lord's supper in our little Chinese church. It was held in the evening. One far-away brother was informed by letter, and he came over a long, rough road to attend the Lord's table. It was about eight o'clock when he reached the church. We asked him what time he started to walk; he said at one o'clock in the afternoon. He had walked fully seven hours just for the Lord's supper, and early in the morning he had to walk back again to his place, while we took the train for Marysville. During my stay at Oroville, four members were added to the Association and one was baptized and received to the church. We would have had two, but one had gone to work in a place sixty miles from town. He had waited for Mr. Pond to come up for nearly a whole month, so he could be baptized, and he had gone only a week when Mr. Pond came. Lately I have received a letter from him, that he has returned to Oroville.

The Chinese inhabitants at Oroville are very kind to the Christian Chinese. They never trouble them and always send their boys to the evening school. I heard not long ago from their teacher, that the whole mission house has been renovated and a new floor put down at the expense of the brethren and scholars.

CHIN GAING IN CHINA.

[EXTRACT FROM AN ADDRESS IN ALAMEDA, CAL., BY CHIN GAING.]

It is over eleven years since I left my home in China. Near the end of 1882 I began to attend the mission school in San Francisco. After being there about two years I joined the Christian Association, and six months from then I was baptized and joined Bethany Church.

Two years ago I returned to China. My friends there knew that I had changed my religion, and so, when I went back they asked me many questions.

My relatives wanted to know about the people in this country, what religion they had and what gods they worshiped. And whether the Chinese who went there believed the same as the American people.

I told them we believed in one God. They said, "Which one?"

I answered, the one that created the heaven and the earth, and all things in the world and the sea. The God who has all power and whom we ought to worship.

My mother then came up and said: "Do not talk such things; we are Chinese and must keep our customs."

I said I could not keep those which were against God. So they said: "If you have anything good, then keep it."

While in China I could not help seeing how much the people spent in foolishness. They have so many idol processions, which cost a great deal of money. The people gladly give to keep up their worship, as they are in darkness and know not the name of Jesus, which is the only name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.

But how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

And so it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace."