FAREWELL TO OLD WORKERS WELCOME TO NEW.

The removal from the town of Macclesfield of the valued treasurer and secretary, Mrs. Lees, deserves our special notice this month. The chronicles of Mrs. Lees' work carry us back to February, 1870, when our C.E.Z. ex-secretary, Miss Cockle, first held a drawing-room meeting in her house at Knutsford. In 1873, Mrs. Lees brought to Macclesfield her zeal and love for Zenana Missions, and since then, the Association, including a vigorous working-party, has continued steadily to progress.

Almost with the regularity of clockwork, the annual sale of work and meeting combined have been held at "Sunny Bank." Deputations, including the well-known names of Mrs. Greaves, Ridley, Weitbrecht, Ball, Bardsley, Misses Blandford, Swainson, S. Mulvany, Valpy, Phillips, Bartlett, and others have pleaded our cause there. The working-party has ever been a great centre of missionary interest, and several of its members are now in the mission-field. Earnest prayer and steady effort have marked the upward growth of this Association, which has now been entrusted as a precious legacy to the hands of other willing workers, whose names we shall gratefully enroll. The Association Secretary, while bidding farewell to this much-valued Christian friend and worker, is glad to feel that her interest will help on our work and stimulate effort in the county of Leicester, where Mrs. Lees hopes to reside.

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We much regret to have to record the death of two valued local workers. Mrs. Bignold, who had been since 1877 the kind and helpful C.E.Z.M.S. Treasurer for Norwich, died on December 12th, after about a fortnight's illness. It is a cause for great thankfulness that Miss Pelham, daughter of the late Bishop of Norwich, has consented to fill her place, and also to accept the office of President of the Association, left vacant through the death of Mrs Pelham.

We are sorry that these particulars did not reach us earlier.

Mrs. Maw, our Secretary and Treasurer for Kenley, Surrey, has also entered into rest. In addition to giving her energy to Home work, she had willingly yielded her daughter for foreign service. Miss Maw hoped to have gone to India in 1892, but her departure has been postponed through failure of health.

At Luton a C.E.Z.M.S. Conversazione was held in the Parish Church Girls' School (St. Mary's Hall) on February 12th. On entering the Hall,

which had been tastefully decorated, there was a great deal to be seen both interesting and instructive. One table was piled up with work that had been done during the winter months by members of the senior classes of the Sunday-school, and other willing helpers, under the guidance of Mrs. J. F. Hamlyn: on another table was displayed a large number of curiosities, some lent by friends in the neighbourhood, but the greater part lent by C.E.Z.M.S. Miss Hasell (of St. Alban's) did great service in explaining to visitors the different objects of interest. At the end of the room was an exhibition of dolls for India. During the evening, Mrs. Piper gave two short addresses on the work of the Society: her earnest, solemn, and loving words are not likely to be forgotten. As the Conversazione was held more for the purpose of awakening fresh interest than for raising money, it is satisfactory to state that from the collection, the refreshment-stall, and admission to the Doll Exhibition, a sum amounting to nearly 57. was realised.

COMMITTEE NOTES.

At the General Committee on Wednesday, March 7th, the death from cholera, at Kummamet on February 1st, of Miss Clara H. Ward, who joined the South India Mission at Ellore from Australia at the end of 1892, was reported, and a Minute was adopted expressing the Committee's sincere sympathy with her relatives, and their sorrow for her early removal from the mission-field.

The Secretaries also reported the arrival in England, on February 10th, of Miss Newman from Kashmir, and the sailing, on February 23rd, of Miss Hull, on her return to that Mission.

The resignation by the Misses Leslie Melville of the Hon. Association Secretaryship for Lincolnshire was accepted with much regret, and with cordial thanks for their valuable services. The Committee gratefully accepted the offer of their nieces, the Misses Leslie Melville of Welbourn Rectory, Lincolnshire, to undertake the duties of the Secretaryship in that county.

Requests from the C.M.S. to our Society to strengthen the staff of ladies in the Nuddea Village Mission, with a special view to the Christian women of the district, and also to send ladies to Quetta, were considered. It was agreed that the former request should be borne in mind when considering the location of workers needed in Bengal. In

regard to Quetta, it was felt there was no immediate prospect of occupying a new station, involving the erection of a mission house, owing to the urgent prior necessity of strengthening existing Missions.

Suggestions were made whereby Miss Highton's urgent appeal for workers at Baranagore might be met.

A letter was read from one of our workers showing the need of two European ladies being stationed both at Bhagalpur and Jamalpur, if any itinerating is to be undertaken among the unevangelized millions in Behar, and offering to forego half her salary in order to facilitate the appointment of an additional lady. The Committee gratefully acknowledged this generous offer, and agreed to keep before them, and to bring before the readers of INDIA'S WOMEN, the needs of the district of which Bhagalpur is the centre.

It was reported with much thankfulness that Miss Harding had offered to undertake temporarily the charge of the Krishnagar Girls' Boarding-school, while Miss Bristow is learning the language, thus releasing Miss Eleanor Sampson from the necessity of postponing her needed furlough for another year, as she had generously offered to do.

The appointment of Mrs. Partinkar, who had formerly been trained at St. Catherine's Hospital, as assistant medical missionary at Jandiala was sanctioned. It was noted with much regret that Miss Parslee felt obliged to postpone her furlough for the present, as it was found impossible to provide satisfactorily for carrying on the work both at Ajnala and Jandiala.

The proposed arrangements of the Corresponding Committee for carrying on the school work at Sukkur till the holidays, with occasional visits from the ladies at Hyderabad, were sanctioned. Miss Compton's offer to reside there temporarily was warmly appreciated.

It was reported that Miss J. P. Brandon had been ordered home on medical certificate, and that the Misses Coleman were going to the hills for needed change. Miss Waitt had been sent to Trichur from Trevandrum to work with Miss Crooke.

The Committee also acknowledged the generous offer of the Misses Brandon to hand over to the Society, on certain conditions, houses at Masulipatam, Bezwada, and Kummamet, of the value of Rs. 25,000, and would be prepared to take steps to carry out the necessary arrangements after consultation with Miss Brandon on her arrival in England.

Proposals for the establishment of an Undenominational Medical School for Eurasian and Christian women in North India were considered. The desirability of such a school was fully recognised, but there were practical difficulties in the way of the Society contributing to its establishment, and taking part in working it according to the scheme suggested.

A grant of Rs. 20 per mensem was made towards a hostel for Christian girls at Ootacamund, under Miss Ling.

A letter was read from the Rev. R. W. Stewart concerning buildings required for ladies in the Hing-Hwa and Lo-Nguong districts, and bearing high testimony to the spirit of zeal and concord among the workers.

DEATH OF MISS WALLINGER OF COONOOR. UST as we are going to press, the tidings have reached us of the home-call of another loved and honoured labourer in the foreign field. A telegram received by her relatives tells us that Miss Amelia Wallinger, our honorary missionary at Coonoor, died, after a short illness, on Saturday, March 3rd. She returned to India, after a few months spent in England, at the beginning of October last, in the hope of remaining at her chosen post of work for Christ in the Nilgiri Hills, for the full period of five years. The Master had been preparing her for the service of the inner sanctuary. She has passed into the presence of Him Whom her soul loved. We hope to be able to give some particulars of her life and work in an "In Memoriam " sketch in our next Number.

SOR

DEATH OF MISS CLARA HELEN WARD.

ORROWFUL tidings reach us from South India. Miss C. H. Ward, the last missionary sent to India by our Australian Auxiliary, died of cholera on February 1st.

Miss Ward went to India from Melbourne in November, 1892, and was stationed at Ellore, a town which has owed the chief number of workers of the C.E.Z.M.S. to Australia. From time to time bright letters that she has written have come to hand at this office, after travelling round by Australia. One extract, which we give here, as a message from a voice, now silent, has been waiting for insertion :

You would like to have an idea of our schoolrooms. They are all the same-a large barn, with matting on the floor, like that on tea-chests, one or two blackboards, one small table, one chair, a cupboard, and a mapstand. The children sit on the floor, or stand, grouped round their teacher. In some of the schools the children

are very poor, and so they have prizes given them of a skirt and a jacket, which is all the clothing they wear. The skirts are made simply of print, with a hem at the bottom, and a string run in the top; there is no shaping. They are all worn long, i.e., down to the ankle. I tell you so that you can perhaps make some.

Miss Ward was working at Kummamet when she received her call to rest. Our July Number of last year, p. 329, contained part of a letter from Miss Ward, telling of her heart-ache for the little wives of India, old almost before the days of girlhood had begun, and of the untaught thousands. This extract closes with the appeal :- Labourers! labourers ! Oh, do pray for more labourers!

Mr. Eugene Stock has kindly written an In Memoriam, which will appear in our next Number.

TH

Gifts and Bequests,

HE first page of this Number opens with a little sketch of A.L.O.E.'s home at Batala. This house, which Miss Tucker named Gurúb-iAftab, or Sunset, because there she hoped to spend the close of "life's little day," is her legacy to our Society. It joins a building which she named Sunshine, because it was occupied by her colleagues, and she felt that younger workers should live in the brightness of noonday.

Miss Pinniger, of Bhagulpur, faithful to the end in her zeal for this Society, has remembered it amongst the many claims upon her affection; we have had notice of a bequest of 100%.

Miss Caroline Cay, of Tunbridge Wells, whose death we had to mention in our last Number, p. 120, has left the Society 3000l.

These legacies do not bring an immediate accession to our income, but they enable us to look forward in hope and gratitude to the future.

The generous gift of the Misses Brandon, our missionaries at Masulipatam, is mentioned in our Committee Notes, p. 158.

What can we say for these and many other gifts, which come from friends whose names are often known only to the Giver of all? They are trusts for which we are the honoured stewards. Each one is accompanied by the solemn reminder, "Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful."