in the whole settlement left entirely un touched by the wonderful revival going on. After the first meeting, I preached among those people now and then. They manifested great interest in the meetings, I distributing tracts and religious papers among them. By and by one of them wanted to buy a Bible. I bought him one. One meeting shortly before Christmas lasted for seven hours, and yet they declared they were not tired. At that meeting some of them commenced to beg forgiveness from one another and settle certain personal difficulties. They came on their knees and cried to God, and I felt satisfied the Lord was in the work. Glory to God!

May the God of Israel lead the little band and make them true and faithful followers of Jesus! TORGER F. Hov.

North Dakota-Page City. Dear Bro. :-Please find enclosed my report. Our financial showing is somewhat better. Our church property is now the best in our town. We are devoutly thankful our debt is now only $170.

We have been compelled to close up one of our out station Sunday-schools for the winter. A good work has been done during the summer and fall. We hope to reopen it in the spring.

There are doors opening all around to preach the word, and yet we cannot respond. We are now stretching out as much as possible. How shall they hear without a preacher? We have many discouragements, yet we praise God; our labor for Him here is not in vain.

Truly yours, C. H. BROOKS.

Oregon-Douglas County.

Dear Bro.:-Douglas County has a territory containing nearly 12,000 square miles, with a population of nearly 16,000 people. This territory is rapidly settling up with a good class of people from the East. Roseburg is the metropolis of Douglas County, and has a population of 2,500 people. Oakland is an important centre of trade. It is twenty miles north of Roseburg and is surrounded by a large area of farming and grazing land. Then twenty miles north of Oakland is Drain, the seat of a Normal School. Oakland has a population of 450, and Drain has

nearly 600 population. To the south of us is Myrtle Creek, with a population of 500, and then Riddle, with some 300 people. All these villages are surrounded by thickly settled communities. Then to the northwest of Roseburg, on the coast, is Gardiner, a lumbering town, in which we have a good church house, but no preaching. At Elkton, another village, we have a house, but no preaching. The religious destitution in all this county is simply appalling. Many young men and women who have grown up here never have heard the Gospel preached. I am doing all I can to supply this destitution.. I have held one meeting in a rich community, eight miles north of Roseburg, in which we had three conversions. Two young ladies were converted whose parents are infidels of the Ingersoll type. I am also preaching on Thursday evenings in Wilbur, a small village eight miles north of Roseburg, where we have a small church of ten members. All south of us and on to Grant's Pass is one waste of destitution. Pray for Yours truly,

us.

GEO. W. BLACK, Missionary.

Washington-Spokane.

Dear Bro.: report one baptism this month. The boy who was baptized has been in the school about eight months; there has been a remarkable change in his life. Not only does he speak of the change in himself, but the other boys speak of it, and some have said if Jesus can make such a change in a man there must be truth in His religion.

Shin How was a professional gambler and well acquainted with all the evils of gambling, but since coming to the schoo he has entirely left his former way of living. One of his former companions said of him,

He has great courage in his mind; he used to gamble all the time, now he does not go near the gambling-house, not even a little bit."

His testimony when he came before the church was beautiful.

He said: "I believe in Jesus, I believe in God. I believe that Jesus is God's son, that He came down from heaven and suffered and died for our sins, that He arose the third day and that He ascended to heaven. I used to do many wrong things, but I come to school and learn to read the Bible and I

can't do them any more, what I read in Bible make me repentance, I ask Jesus to forgive my sins, and I believe He did. Now I must follow Him; what the Bible tells me to do I am willing to do. I love Jesus."

I have given this just as nearly as possible in Shin How's own words. All who see the boy are impressed with his earnestness. Hopefully yours,

FANNIE I. ALLEN.

Idaho-Clearwater.

Dear Bro.:-Here my report again. I am trying to preach to four churches, too much for one man; besides I have frequent calls to go to other points where there is no preaching. Oh, how I would like to go specially to the Nez Percé reservation, that has just been thrown open to settlers. It is fast filling up with people from all parts of the country and with classes that need the Gospel. Oh, how it burdens us to see this large new field unoccupied. We should have at least two good men to take and hold that field for Christ. J. B. YORK.

Indian Territory-Stonewall. Dear Bro.:-I write to you for information, and, if possible, aid for my little school. I came to the Chickasaw Nation in June, 1894, and have taught for the benefit of the destitute classes here since that time. My pupils are, like myself, colored, and mostly natives, under the co-operation of the Baptist Church. The Chickasaw freedmen, as you will observe, have never been provided with public schools. Ignorance and intemperance are gross here, forty miles from main line of railroad.

During the nine months' school term there are about forty pupils, more or less, regularly, but they are not able to support the school. Many children remain away in bad weather for lack of clothing. I have managed during the two years' work to help them secure some text-books and literature of the Society, for the Sunday-school children have advanced from alphabets to third reader, and are studying arithmetic, geography, etc. We have in progress of building a new church house, 26x50 feet, but we have not been able to have many good books to read, or subscribe for religious papers, etc. As a young man without a family, I have not been able to provide for myself or have sufficient matter to

read in my almost isolated position. But I can hardly think of leaving my post here to go somewhere else for more money, so long as I can partly see my way through.

My salary for teaching in the public schools in Mississippi was from $30 to $45 per month; here it has not been more than $40 in six months, this taken in farm produce or such as the poor people can spare. This is my first time to ask for public help. I trust you will consider our cause and needy condition, and help us if possible. For Christ,

J. H. BURNSIDE, Teacher.

Mexico.

The church at Monterrey, under the pastorate of Rev. Alejandro Treviño, is in a very prosperous condition. During the past six months there have been twentyfive additions-seventeen of these by baptism and eight by letter. Every Sunday the house of worship is filled, and there is talk of enlarging the building. The church has paid $100 towards the pastor's salary; $40 to the Association; $50 to the Home Mission Society; has collected $40 for a house of worship in New Laredo, and more than $70 for local expenses and benevolence, while there is more than $70 in the treasury. This shows commendable activity on the part of the church under the leadership of its new pastor.

On November 20, 1895, Andrés R. Cavazos was ordained at Santa Rosa, and on December 12, 1895, M. A. Villarreal was ordained at Sabinas Hidalgo.

Rev. T. M. Westrup rejoices in the prospect of occupying the new house of worship at Linares very soon.

Roman Catholic papers confess their dis appointment at the result of the feast of the Coronation of the Virgin of Guadalupe. The event was expected to give a new impulse to religious zeal; to create great enthusiasm throughout Mexico in the interests of the Church. There was almost an utter lack of enthusiasm. The hierarchy is in sadness because cannot dupe the people as formerly.

CHURCH EDIFICE DEP'T.

The New Chapel at Linares, Mexico.

The American Baptist Home Mission Society bought a lot in this, one of the oldest cities in the State of Nuevo Leon, in March, 1893, paying $300 for about 1,350 square yards, six small blocks distant from the principal square and the Cathedral. On the lot and included in the said amount were two thatched cottages, probably worth as much as was paid for all. Last year the Society resolved to build a chapel on the corner of this lot. A grant of $1,500 gold was made for the purpose, and netted here $2,820 silver Mexican dollars. A Monterrey firm, Messrs. Stout and García, built the chapel under contract for $2,700. The lot not being fenced, we proceeded to do this, in part making the fence of stone with brick coping, and in part, alongside of the chapel, of wooden palings, painted.

This cost $175.03, but the stone had been bought for the purpose by the missionary who preceded me here, Rev. F. Uriegas, who also made some necessary repairs, so that his bill for $214.48 paid by the Society, must be added, and likewise cost of deeds, tax on sale, stamps, etc., amounting to about $20; total, say, $3,409.50.

The $2,700 referred to also paid for twentyone benches and a platform.

The roof is of cypress shingles, the walls of brick; doors and windows pointed arches, two doors facing westward and four windows facing southward, three facing north, and a door opening into the yard. The back wall, eastward, has an arch filled in, so as to add to the length of the building if so desired. The inside measurements are 37 feet by 20 feet 6 inches. The ceiling is of wood, tongued and grooved, and has three coats of paint. All the woodwork, except the shingles, is well painted; the benches, pulpit and organ are all cherry colored. The floor is of mortar, dry, hard, very durable. The windows have Venetian blinds to protect them; if we had not so done, but put in sashes and glass, they would be broken continually, as happened in Monterrey till the blinds were put in. The frames are made so that window sashes may be put in at any time. In front of the doors is a pave

ment made of bricks laid edgewise. A small part of the expense was incurred in pulling down one of the cottages to make room for the chapel, and the materials were given to the brother who lives on the property, and at his own expense he rebuilt the cottage on a smaller scale on the opposite side of the lot. Total cost, not including organ, pulpit and lamps, say, $1,820 American money.

The chapel was formally dedicated on the 23d inst. Brethren visiting us for the occasion took part as follows: Revs. Alejandro Treviño of Monterrey, Trinidad Armendrizá of Montemorelos, Andrés Cavazos of Santa Rosa, Máximo Villarreal of Sabinas, and Refugio Garza of Cadereita. Misses S. Jones and Esther Galvan, missionaries of the Chicago W. B. H. M. S., also favored us with their presence. The missionary and members of the Presbyterian Church here were also invited and came and sufficient others to fill up the chapel.

THOMAS M, WESTRUP. Linares, Mex., Feb. 26, 1896.

The American Chapel, Los Angeles, Cal.

We have the pleasure of presenting our readers with a view of the New American Chapel, just completed at Los Angeles, California. It flies the stars and stripes. It is located in an important and rapidly developing portion of the city, and is neat, commodious, and attractive. It was erected under the personal superintendency of Rev. W. W. Tinker, our General Missionary for Southern California. It was aided both by gift and loan from our Church Edifice Fund. A very important part of the work of the American Baptist Home Mission Society is assisting in the erection of suitable chapels and meeting-houses-building nearly a hundred annually. Missionary money thus bestowed is productive of rich harvests. Five hundred dollars will assist in procuring a home for a new Baptist Church; who will give the next Five Hundred ?

FORM OF A BEQUEST TO THE SOCIETY— "I give and bequeath to the American Bap. tist Home Mission Society, formed in New York in the year eighteen hundred and thirty-two, the sum of for the general purposes of said Society."

We invite the especial attention of our readers to the very extraordinary utterances of one Eugene L. Didier, of Baltimore, regarding the Negroes. The utterances are so extreme as to be absurd, and would not merit attention had they not been published in a magazine claiming to represent ad. vanced religious thought. There are today in the schools carried on by the Home Mission Society in behalf of the Colored people of the South, more than six thousand pupils, and multitudes have already gone forth from these institutions, who are to-day doing most excellent work for their race, their country, and their God. Look on the pictures of some of these herewith presented, and see if there is anything in their ap pearance even suggestive of inferiority.

must be inspired and directed by the eternal and vital forces of God's own New Testament truth.

Believing as we do, we are under the most solemn obligation, moved by every consideration of patriotism and religion, love of country and love of God, to see that the saving health of the Gospel makes itself felt in the life of this nation. This we ought to do, first of all. E. B. H.

Christianity Must Save.

The evangelical Church has not a doubt that the hope of the commonwealth lies in the conserving power of Christ's religion. Christianity must save us, if we are saved at all. Some truths are as clear to the Christian mind as the axioms of mathematics, and this is one of them. If ours would be a lasting empire, the foundations of the State must be laid in Bible principle and verity, and our national progress and development |

REV. W. E. HOLMES.