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previous. It seemed a strange providence that about this time took away the beloved sister of Mr. Ament, leaving a son and daughter, whose care must now devolve on Madam Ament. The following extracts will show how one brave heart in sorrow tries to comfort a mother in her distress.

Peking, Oct. 31, 1881.

BELOVED MOTHER:

The first mail since Mary's arrival has come with its sad letter from my 66 weeping mother." I cannot tell you how sick at heart I have felt since then, nor how much I have wanted to be with you and help you at this time of trial; how I have prayed that you might not be overcome by your grief, but "cast your all upon Him who careth for you." Mrs. Baldwin wrote a postcript to your letter of September 1st, telling us that Claribel was gone and her little children are motherless.

She was a good sister to me and I never half appreciated her real worth. But now it all comes up before me in the true light. What a happy, joyous spirit she had! Best of all, she loved her mother as few daughters have and was kind and considerate to the last. Her influence will live in all the places where she was known. Dear mother, do not give way to grief. God knows and only knows, how your motherly heart has been wrenched, but still God is great and God is good. So let us be brave and patient until the day when we shall all see each other face to face. That day is not far distant from any one of us, and he who is with the Master first is most blessed.

But

Mary and I are nicely settled in our new home. She brought many pretty things with her and I think we have the coziest home! Mary seems as strong as when she came to China, though not quite so enduring. I shall try and be careful of her and trust we both may have a long home life before us. in China one must hold everything lightly, as it may be taken away at any moment. Our work has been progressing finely. I expect to go into the country soon. The missionary for our new mission in Shansi has arrived and will spend the winter at Tung-chow. (This was Rev. M. L. Stimson, the first of the Oberlin Shansi Band.)

I will write to Mr. Leggat by this mail. Surely this afflic

tion must fall most heavily on him. sympathy.

He has my deepest

Your son,

W. S. AMENT.

The return of Mrs. Ament was a happy event, not only for Mr. Ament, but for the other members of the station. Each of the houses of the compound was now occupied and each was a centre of established work. The Aments occupied the south or front building, with its pleasant outlook upon old and famous acacia trees and pretty shrubbery. It is of this home that he speaks as being "the coziest in Peking."

A letter to Dr. N. G. Clark will begin the story of the work in its unfolding.

Peking, Jan. 23, 1882.

In Peking we are beginning to see some of the results of the last decade of work. One of the most encouraging features is the fact that our neighbors begin to take a little notice of our existence in other ways than by reviling us. It was only yesterday that a young man, son of a prominent official, desired to purchase a Bible and with an air of genuine sincerity requested instruction in our teaching. Yesterday also a literary graduate, teacher in a neighboring gentleman's family, came and drawing a Mark's Gospel from his sleeve wished to have it explained. He went away expressing a purpose to examine its contents still further.

We have in our employ a colporteur whom we have been wont to regard as more desirous to draw the Bible Society's money than to sell their books. However to the surprise of all he returned from a country trip a short time ago and stated that a little revival was in progress in a village where he had been preaching. We were well aware that the officials had been making efforts to stamp out a certain false religion under the ban of the government and were fearful lest his inquirers only desired the foreigner's protection. But this has not proved to be the case, as was shown by his bringing to light two young literary men who were willing to begin a systematic study of the Bible. They have joined our winter station class

and thus far have proved themselves worthy of confidence. The class now numbers nine men, three of whom have been school-teachers. Their principal work so far has been upon the "Life of Christ and the Evidences of Christianity."

MY DEAR MOTHER:

Peking, March 3, 1882.

We have been favored with two letters from you by the last mail. One came by Russia and has been almost four months on the way. I was very glad to hear, however late the letter was. Mr. Leggat has long ago reached you, and with him, I presume, the two darlings (his nephew Alex and the baby Claribel). Your hands and heart will be full in caring for these treasures. Claribel was a daughter to be proud of, and if she has gone to heaven a little earlier than most of her comrades, should we be unduly depressed? Mr. Leggat's home is broken up, but his children are taken to one, next to their own mother, who is the best person to care for them. My heart bleeds for Mr. Leggat, but I think we wrong our own souls when we practically accuse God of injustice in His dealings. with us. If our religion is worth anything, it should keep us in such cases as this. I am not the one to preach to so good and true a mother as you are, but I do think I have learned a few things since I came to China which no mother in America could have taught me.

Mary and I spent three days last week at Tung-chow with the Goodriches, Sheffields and Chapins. We leave for the country soon for a long trip. We are in good health and our work is in a good condition. The Methodists hope to establish a college in Peking.

Good-bye and God bless you, dear mother.

Concentrate your soul on this burning present moment. For the man who is true to the present is true to his best; and the soul that wins the ground immediately before it makes life a triumph.

V

-0. S. Davis.

I

LIFE IN PEKING

Peking, July 7, 1882.

AM just starting on a little tour to visit two young literary men of whom I wrote some months ago. I hear very good reports of their constancy. I am sorry that one of them is in very poor health and evidently is not long for this world. The other teacher is not so satisfactory as a Christian though a man of more force and courage. No foreigner has ever visited their village and the young men have had to endure some persecution. I hope my visit may help to dissipate the prejudices of the people. . The Peking station has a growing country work of wide dimensions. We have two street chapels in the city which can be filled daily the year around. We have the only country out-stations which have even discussed the question of self-support. I desire very much to see our little centres of work coming up to the point of self-support. In order to that a missionary must spend much time and do much faithful work in the country. Touring in North China means a fearful expenditure of time and strength. There are many other things I would like to say upon mission and station affairs, but I await a more favorable opportunity.

DEAR MOTHER:

Pu An Tun, July 9, 1882.

I have never written you concerning this place and I myself did not know of it till a short time ago. I am in a Taoist temple. I had supposed that all the temples were Buddhist or Confucian, and that the Taoists were a class of speculative philosophers who had no permanent abiding place. But I was mistaken. Taoist priests do not shave the entire head, but do up their hair after the ancient fashion, hence they can be easily recognized. No one can find out exactly what their ideas of worship are, and it is a question whether they know themselves. The priest in the temple where I am at present

threatened to put an end to his own life if I tried to put up here. There are a few brethren in the village and to-day a new man came. I baptized him last summer and I have thought all along that he would make a good preacher. This is quite an interesting village with an unusual number who can read. The village well is near the temple where I am, and so I am the centre of attraction. Without the temple are some fine old trees, and around the well under the trees six or eight men are sound asleep, in the midday; the crops about are dying for want of rain, a sad sight, since they had such a fine start in the spring but now are drying up. Everything seems to work against China. Even the heavens seem to dry up their sources of life.

This is perhaps the first tour I ever made when I was wholly unprovided with foreign food of any kind. In this village we have been obliged to buy our own rice and the two brethren and I eat together. Usually a ripe peach can be found which makes up for deficiency in other things. I am the first foreigner that has ever visited this place, hence the great curiosity. I am glad to leave the great road occasionally. The people are more frank and generous, and preaching to them is much easier than on the familiar routes. As the sun was setting the villagers began to gather in the temple court, and benches used at feasts were brought out for them. I preached and talked till my throat was tired and my head dizzy. There are three men here whom I look upon as hopeful inquirers. I am agitating the question of starting a free school here.

Monday, July 10th.-Three of us started for the market at Tou Tien, where we hoped to sell books. We first ate our breakfast at a tea shop, consisting of a bowl of dough and soup, a plate of chopped mutton and some wheaten cakes. While eating a man came in and inquired of our whereabouts and our doings. I judged from his appearance that he was a captain of a few soldiers appointed to guard the great road. The streets of Tou Tien were lined with little merchants selling hemp to make shoes, also paper for these soles, old iron, cloth, candy and everything conceivable, from a native point of view. As I had purchased no standing place from the head men of the fair, these little merchants were unwilling that I should block the way. One old man finally dropped me as a hard case and began beseeching the crowd to leave me with my books. He only succeeded in attracting the attention to me of some who

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