Him and fled; but woman was true to the end- last at the Cross and first at the tomb "-and she was rewarded by being made the first herald of the resurrection. And women have ever since been

among His most loyal followers and friends. When David prayed "that our daughters may be as corner-stones polished after the similitude of a palace," he recognized woman not only as the beautifier but also as the chief supporter of society. No community or country rises higher in morals or manners than the character of its womanhood. And women have always been among the most staunch and steadfast upholders of the Church and its blessed truths. Mr. Watson truthfully and happily said in his address before the late convention that whatever other advancements have been made along different lines, we are all agreed that there has been "no improvement in the United Presbyterian mother."

Yet until the organization of her forces a quarter century ago woman's influence in the Church was rather a latent power than a directly aggressive agency. And even when a few earnest souls began to rouse their sisters to action, some of us feared that their efforts would merely divert from the energies which were being put forth through the long-established agencies; but the years have abundantly demonstrated the fact that her efforts quickened and multiplied the zeal which was exercised through the old channels, and in addition she has undertaken and carried forward great enterprises which otherwise would never have been accomplished.

The women's missionary societies have accomplished a great work in the development of the working powers of the members themselves. A quarter century ago the number of our mothers or sisters who would permit their voices to be heard in public was small indeed, especially in the older and more conservative portions of the Church. Now the number who will respond to any call of this nature can scarcely be reckoned. The revised reading of Psalm lxviii. 11 has abundant confirmation in these days:

"The Lord giveth the word;

The women that publish the tidings are a great host."

It is high time that we had a metrical version to correspond to this most literal rendering. There has been a great broadening of knowledge through women's missionary efforts not only among the women, but among the men and the children also. We always want to know about that for which we labour, and thus missionary efforts have brought about a great diffusion of knowledge of the fields which lie open before the Church. It has also led to a more practical knowledge of the Word of God, the blessed means by which the world's great need is to be supplied.

And the work of the women during the past quarter century has been great in what it has undertaken and accomplished. We do not speak extravagantly when we say that the work accomplished by the women of the United Presbyterian Church during these years has been simply marvellous. Most of us know only a small part of what she has carried forward. Think of the number of lady missionaries in our foreign fields the number growing larger every year-and all supported by the Women's Board. Think of the hospital work in Egypt and India, and every medical missionary two missionaries, as has been happily expressed, and this work supported by our Women's Board. Think of the girls' boarding schools

The Illiterate and Educated Moslem: A Contrast.

Y

ESTERDAY was my weekly visiting day outside the precincts

of the City of Alexandria. As I started a cold, strong, easterly wind was blowing, so that an overcoat was a comfort, although the greater part of my journey was on foot. The new electric tramcars, which have just replaced the steam engines on the Ramleh railway, enabled me to get outside the aristocratic suburb speedily, and gave me the opportunity of conversation with a leading Greek merchant. Striking off to the south between Lake Aboukir and Lake Mareotis I soon found myself in a wilderness of sand, and on ascending a little hill saw a Bedouin encampment spread out in the valley before me. The tribe was full of excitement, and two of their chiefs were racing on Arab steeds. In the centre of the tents was a small pump attached to an Artesian well, from which the women were diligently getting fresh water. Some of the children were soon attracted up the hill to my side, from whom I learned that the excitement was caused by preparation for a wedding. The bride was to be brought on a camel from a neighbouring encampment with a band of music and dancers in the afternoon. As soon as the race ceased the men came toward me with their large white woollen shawls wrapped around them and guns slung at their sides and returned my salaam. After learning that they had tented in this spot for nearly three years, and were more or less permanent, so that I might visit them again, I invited them to sit down by my side on the sand and listen to a story from a book in my pocket. They agreed, and we were all engaged very quickly in the story of our Lord restoring to the man the use of his withered hand, and the lesson that He is the Source of the soul's life and health. They listened most attentively, asked simple questions in order to understand from their own point of view more fully the meaning, assented to the wonderfulness of it and its usefulness. The chief invited me to descend to his tent and drink coffee with them. But as it was an important time of preparation, and I thought they might be too busy to spare more time without inconvenience, I asked them to give me the privilege of calling again, if God will, another day to accept of their hospitality.

Making my way still toward the south I met a Fellah, or farmer, in his cultivated field-quite a different type of man. After a brief introduction, I asked him if he had heard of Jesus Christ. He said, "No. Who is He? I then said, "Do you pray?" He said, "Yes, I am a Muslim, and believe in Mohammed. That is all I know.' Without taking any notice of this point, I immediately said, “Let me tell you something about Jesus Christ," and then read to him some of the great things He did for sinful men as recorded in St. Mark's Gospel. He became deeply interested, and I was surprised at the warm expression of his thanks for all I had told him.

Soon after this I reached the great canal which joins the Nile to the Sea at the Port of Alexandria, and was joined by a young boatman rejoining his father on a barge of bricks by the canal. I had hardly begun conversation before he turned and said, “Are you a Moslem? I replied, "Yes, according to the etymological meaning of the word, that is, 'I surrender myself to God and His will day by day.' And from this point I tried to show him in the few moments how God accepts the surrender of the heart of the worst of sinners,

The

through Jesus Christ the One Mediator between God and men. message was entirely new, and I fear he understood but little, yet I trust he may be led to make further enquiry.

Wending my way by the canal side, with large floats of cotton sailing swiftly by before the strong wind, I saw two young farm labourers in conversation on the sheltered side of a very primitive mud-built shop, with a few tapes and cottons suspended to the roof. I instinctively descended to them, saying, I wish to rest and drink coffee." They left me, and returned shortly with the coffee, and found me talking with the children, Mohammed and Hassan and Ali and Mustapha. Opening my copy of the Gospel, my eye fell on the story of the raising of the daughter of Jairus and the healing of the woman by the touch of faith on her part. They listened, pronounced the teaching good, made no objections, would not let me pay for the coffee, hoped to see me again, etc.

I was now nearing a village named El Bêda, and saw a number of men outside a small mosque playing a game something like chess

in the sand, with two kinds of stone for men. I salaamed them, sat by their side, watched the game for a few minutes until it was finished, asked if the loser had to pay money, and was told they only played to pass away the time, as the cotton harvest was gathered in, and they had not much work to do. Then one, more intelligent than the rest, drew me aside, found I was wanting the nearest railway station, offered himself as my guide across the canal by ferry, explained how our boatman lost his leg by the bite of a pig when a boy, contrasted now and then, saying-If a Fellah met with an accident in time past, or fell ill, he died, as there were no doctors, or worse than none, but now he is taken to the nearest doctor or to Alexandria, and gets healing through medical skill; asked me if I were an American or an Englishman, accepted my copy of St. Mark's Gospel, as he could read a little, and seemed pleased to render me service. How many thousands of these illiterate children of the Fellaheen need the Gospel teacher to go to them, and explain in their own tongue and by means of illustrations drawn from their own surroundings and experiences, the