ment. The canteens are too generously patronized and two murders have taken place. The Germans are the best drilled men in Peking and easily take the prizes. However, our cavalry beats them all. I hope to go to Tientsin to-morrow for a little change. Your old husband hopes that our little family may have a rich and glorious year at the top of this new century. May kind Providence allow me to see you before its close. Now, for General Chaffee's reception.

January 6, 1901.-Sunday morning, the first Sabbath of the new year. I returned last evening, with Miss Wyckoff, from Tientsin. We had a miserable, cold ride on the train, taking eight hours to make eighty miles. Our first snow is on the ground. I had a pleasant visit in Tientsin and lectured on Chinese history to the Y. M. C. A., mostly soldiers present, a goodly company. I felt like a boy let loose from school, spent money freely, bought stove, new cap, boots for riding, etc.

To reach the train and to leave it are the quintessence of inconvenience. It is all for the military, and civilians have no rights. Russians squeeze you on one hand and Germans on the other, and you are helpless. Dr. Arthur Smith has been elected pastor of Union Church and is doing good work. Prayer-meetings are well attended. Mrs. Smith still distributes tracts to foreigners and Chinese alike on the streets. Wilder has taken hold of the native work so that Tientsin was never in so good condition. We shall observe the Week of Prayer. Pen Yuan has prepared a program, though there will be no union meetings of the Chinese.

Good news comes from the country districts. In Cho Chou we are occupying our new premises right in the centre of the city and in Nan Meng the members are enlarging the area of the chapel. I suppose the French have reached Tai Yuan Fu, and I trust they are making that miserable place smart for its crimes against unarmed foreigners.

After morning service Li Pen Yuan preached a fine sermon on: "Lo I am with you always." The house was crowded. I begin inquirers' classes to-morrow after the regular week of prayer meeting, led by Deacon Kuo. I think we shall have a fine series of meetings. I am glad now I can bend to the legitimate work of the missionary. Dr. Phipps, Y. M. C. A., insists that I must take a regular service for the soldiers. So I begin next Sunday evening and give up my enjoyment of writing to you. I trust your loss may be their gain.

DEAR MARY:

Sunday, Jan. 27, 1901.

I am doing what I do not recall that I ever did before, remaining at home deliberately and missing all the services. I need the rest and felt that it was imperative. You see there is no let up for me. It is a constant strain from morning till night. Gilbert Reid will doubtless give up his scheme and engage in regular mission work. He wants Stelle to go with him, but he is too late, as Stelle's fortune is linked with ours and he would not leave Peking under any consideration. I must make one more trip to Cho Chou before the [Chinese] year closes, and expect to set out next Tuesday.

TO THE SAME:

Peking, Feb. 11, 1901.

I am back from my Cho Chou trip. Messrs. Backhouse and Peachey went with me and proved very interesting and profitable companions. Backhouse is from a Quaker family, very rich, but he is very democratic in spirit and has set out on a career for himself as an independent student of Eastern languages. Peachey was a student in the British Legation.

The new chapel at Cho Chou is dedicated and is fairly lined with the banners and umbrellas presented by the gentry and officials. The whole city seemed to interest itself to provide us a good time. They did this in part to show their regret over a false arrest to which we were subjected by the French and Germans, an account of which may appear in some of the papers. There was not the shadow of a shade of a reason for gathering me in. One of the Chang boys was staying on the new premises and he was wanted on the serious charge of extorting money, which was not sustained at his trial. Our claims for indemnity had been long settled and I was there to dedicate the chapel and to marry the poor boy whom the French condemned to five years' imprisonment, just to save their face and to make people think they had a case.

In Cho Chou I baptized Teacher T'an whom you may recall as an inquirer of some years' standing. He has taken a bold stand as the first one received since the great persecution. Pastor Jen and the young helpers all seem to be developing in solid graces of mind and heart. Who should come in just now but Sung Yu Tung. He was our chapel keeper and with

his mother was the last person to leave our courts. They managed to escape to their old home in Shantung. I am glad to see him, as he was a reliable fellow. My plans are not definite, scheming to get home as soon as possible.

MY DEAR MARY:

W. S. A.

Peking, Feb. 18, 1901.

The last day of the [Chinese] old year. I sincerely trust the day of reconstruction will not forget the calendar. Yesterday, Sunday, was a beautiful day. I preached to a crowded chapel and the whole service seemed uplifting and helpful. I spent the afternoon with Dr. and Mrs. Sheffield and had a good home visit and spiritual consolation. I reviewed my whole work in collecting indemnity and they fully approved and are prepared to defend the course taken. The correspondents who have written were all in the dark, and had made no proper inquiries. I have invited correspondents to come and see what was being done, but they did not come. I have been very unjustly treated by these writers, and my friends are coming to the front in defense, as all the missions have done the same things, and all believe they are right. So also does Mr. Conger, who is our good friend. Do not be disturbed by anything you see in the papers. The correspondents jump on to the missionaries when they are out of matter, and news has been very scarce this winter.

Dr. Sheffield thinks it better for the work that I return home now than wait a little longer and make my class reunion in 1902. He does not think that of sufficient importance to warrant any delay now. So perhaps in a month or so I shall be on my way home. I am in good health and cannot claim a change on that account.

On Thursday next, Dr. Edwards writes from Pao Ting Fu, they will try and find the bodies of Miss Morrill and Miss Gould and properly bury them. They were buried under the débris of the city wall, when it was blown down by the German troops. Dr. Peck is here and has been requested to go to Pao Ting Fu temporarily.

Nothing affright thee;
All things are passing;
God never changeth.

-Longfellow.

If you are slandered never mind it;

it will come off when it is dry.

-C. G. Finney.

XVI

AN EPISODE IN MISSIONARY EXPERIENCE

HE War Correspondent in
new thing under the sun.

T

mission fields was a For half a century

the missionary work had gone on slowly burrowing its way into Chinese life and experience. No special incident had elicited any large interest in the details of mission work. But conditions were changing. The Japan-Chinese war of 1894-1895 hastened a considerable number of correspondents to the Far East. The brilliant efforts in China at reform in 1898 served to enhance a world-wide interest, and to bring the newspaper correspondent into a realm that was new.

There was therefore nothing strange, when two years later eight nations moved to the rescue of their ministers in Peking, in the coming of many correspondents. Every considerable newspaper in the United States sent out a writer to gather up every item of available news for the benefit of its readers.

In the early autumn of 1900, our American military officers were in haste to leave North China. They had made little effort to understand the real condition of affairs. The burden thrust upon them had the semblance of war, for which there seemed to them no adequate reason. It was natural that the correspondents should be much influenced by the opinions of the army. Out of this anomalous situation there arose an episode

in Dr. Ament's career demanding a detailed study. When Dr. Ament and Mr. Tewksbury entered the Mongol palace on the 16th of August, they found one dead body and two little sleeve dogs in charge. Deserted by its owners, the Fu was secured as a temporary residence for the Christian refugees of the American Board Mission, of whom there were two hundred and more entirely dependent upon Dr. Ament's care.

Here for two years and three months the work of recuperation went on. In October, 1902, the mission occupied its own premises, rebuilt and expanded.

During the siege and at its close the clothing of the Christian refugees had been replenished in part by goods gathered from within the legation defense circuit. The better class of goods had been sold at auction, while the inferior garments were distributed according to the need of the refugees. It had been agreed upon by Mr. Conger that whatever was found in the quarters deserted, and occupied after the siege, should be sold in like manner for the benefit of the sufferers, including those who had been driven from their homes and had finally returned to be cared for.

Thus it was that all the various goods found in the Mongol palace were placed upon sale. Many of these were of considerable value, and Dr. Ament's quarters became the resort for a few days of many visitors, civil and military, who were desirous of securing some memento of the siege.

From the funds thus obtained and the resources of indemnities which began to be secured, a sufficient amount of grain was purchased to carry the people gathered in the Mongol Fu through the winter.

A second step in settling the affairs of the Christians followed closely upon that of securing sufficient food and shelter. This was seen in the visiting of the centres