Satisfaction A letter received some time ago from a brother minister, who had been for some years chairman of the Standing Committee on Ministerial Relief in his Presbytery, says, "The interests of disabled or superannuated brethren, and the care of widows and orphans opens a field, which engages the heart as much as the head. I look back with such satisfaction to a presbyterial chairmanship on this Fund that I can anticipate a larger satisfaction to you. Orphans, who by slight help, have since shown how much they have been benefited, widows whose Christian labors have been furthered after self-denying helpfulness to their husJands, and disabled or superannuated ministers, are surely objects of benevolence, whose gratitude and prayers give the richest rewards to labor spent in their behalf." Those who labor for the annuitants of the Board of Relief and those who make contributions to their support, are sure of their gratitude and their prayers, and this places any thing we do for them among the sweetest and most sacred things of our Christian life. What satisfaction can any Presbyterian have, unless extremely and distressingly poor, in giving only a nickel or a dime, each year towards supporting the 900 families on the roll of the Board? And yet, a dime a member is far above the average contribution of many well-to-do congregations! Why are the contributions so exceedingly small from so many church people? It is simply because they do not stop to think what they are doing when they worship God in giving a nickel or a dime to this sacred cause. If Jesus were sitting by your side in church when you make your offerng to God for the support of his disabled servants, would your sacrifice be as small as it has been in days gone by? Well, the Master is present when every offering is made, and were he to speak to you, I fancy he would say, Well, well! is that all the gratitude you have to my faithful, old, wayworn servants who have done so much for your immortal soul your home and your country? they look over the annual report of church collections and see the small returns from many congregations. I wonder if they are satisfied, and I imagine them reading that ninth chapter of First Corinthians! Yes, they say, we know that "God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." Then I think I hear them say, do these small contributions show that God's people are "Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness which causeth through us thanksgiving to God?" "For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; and for their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift." These good old people never utter any complaints to the Board concerning the small collections from the churches for their support and comfort on earth, but they often say they are longing for heaven! And do you wonder? A more generous support given them in their old days would make their earthly homes a little bit more like heaven, and their last days would be among their best days on earth. Are you satisfied? Satisfied! Satisfied? No, no, no! For the stupendous work committed to the Board of Relief of providing a living for nine hundred families, the contributions of the churches are pitifully, painfully small! We have many evidences from all parts of the country that there is a growing and deepening interest in the benevolent and righteous undertaking of the Church to do more evenhanded justice to her worn-out ministers and their dependent households. In all this we have profound satisfaction. Will you not pray for this blessed work of Ministerial Relief in the home at the family altar, in the church, in the Missionary Society, in the Young People's Meeting and in the Sabbath-school, and answer your prayers Sometimes I wonder what the dear old as far as you can by your generous contribu ministers of the Church really think when tions? ALEXANDER HENRY, D.D., SECRETARY. Work Among Foreigners Our work among our foreign citizens is continually expanding. This is due to several causes. For one thing, the number of foreigners in our country is constantly increasing. Last year brought the largest number that ever came to our shores during the same length of time. Then, too, Christian men and women are realizing more and more our duty to these strangers within our gates. Earnest appeals are frequently sent to us from different parts of our land, asking us to send colporteurs to work among these people of various nationalities and languages. The foreigners themselves are looking to us for help. Within the last month, we have received two earnest letters from the PresiIdent of the Ruthenian National Mutual Aid Society of America, asking us to assist them in the publication of a religious paper, and send Ruthenian colporteurs among their people, who, we are informed, are inclined to be Protestants and Presbyterians. These indications of Providence must be heeded. God is sending these people who need the gospel to our very doors. It is our duty and our privilege to minister to them. Patriotism, as well as Christianity, summons us to undertake the work, even though it seems strange and difficult. It is, in reality, Foreign Missions at home. The Bohemian Paper The Christian Journal, an illustrated weekly paper of sixteen pages, has been published in the Bohemian language for more than six months. It is under the editorial care of the Rev. J. R. Miller, D.D., and the Rev. Vaclav Losa, and is printed in Pittsburgh. From different parts of the country letters are coming, telling of the good this paper is doing, and the favor with which it is being received. Some of these letters tell how the Christian Journal was the means of opening the eyes of the writers and leading them to Christ; and all express their approval of the paper, and their joy that it is being published. We will quote a few sentences from some of these letters: "Your papers come regularly every week. I am pleased with them beyond measure. Nothing in the world has ever brought me more joy. was a lost sheep for twenty-four years, and not until now was I able to find my Shepherd." "I see that your paper is full of good Christian reading, and I would not be without it for any price. Please send it to my dear people in Bohemia, as they cannot get in any other way a paper like the Christian Journal. Find enclosed a money order for $1.25." "This paper opened my eyes, and yet more it opened my heart for my dear Saviour. I have been twenty-one months in this country. was hard for me at first, because I could not speak a word of English. For the whole time I did not hear a word about God, and my conscience fell asleep. But your paper woke me up. My heart was hungry for the Bread of life, and now I feel happy because I have something good for my soul." A New Mission Among the Italians West Church, Wilmington, Delaware, has entered upon work for the Italians, in conjunction with the Board. We give an extract from a recent bulletin published by that church: West Church is doing a work among the Italians in A Letter from a Pennsylvania It is now some four months ago since I began to liked to buy the Word of God. I sold a Bible to a Pole, and he told me to come for the money next Saturday. When I came, I was surprised to hear that the priest had forbidden him to read the Bible; and he wished to know the reason for such a prohibition. He told me how the Bible came to the priest: "After you went away,' ," he said to me, "I took the Bible and went to the priest; he examined it care. fully and said he would like to see the man who is selling such books." When I heard it, I did not hesitate to go with my Polish friend to the priest's house. The priest, seeing me, asked, "Are you selling the Bibles?" I answered, "Yes, sir." He asked, "Do you know that it is the Word of the living God?" I answered, "If I did not know that the Bibles I am selling are the Word of the living God, I would not sell them. I would rather try to find a more profitable employment." The priest said, "Do you not know that the people are unlearned, and that the Bible is not for such people?" "Yes, know the people are unlearned, and therefore wish they may read how God's Word preaches to them. I can read you Rev. 1: 3, 'Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein." He called my attention to his books and advised me to sell such books, which would bring me more profit. "The Bible is not suitable for the people," he said. I asked him, "When do you light the candle, when it is dark or light?" "Of course, when it is dark," he answered. replied, "Then we need always light to shine into the darkness." Psalms 119: 105. On account of the presence of the Pole, the priest was ashamed and began to talk to me very kindly. I had another talk with a Slovenian priest, who told me that nobody can be saved who is not a Roman Catholic. I asked him, "Where did you read that?" I spent a half day with him, but he could not persuade me. When I wished to read something to him, he told me that he had his own Bible and that I need not teach him.. In another town I found a man who complained that the priests had forbidden him to read the Bible. He wished to know why. After I explained to him all I could, the people there bought four Ruthenian and two Polish Bibles. I could write more, but you know how our people are living. We need to be raised to the heavenly places, we need to be personally connected with our God. For that purpose we are working among our people, and the Lord will be gloried. Readers of the ASSEMBLY HERALD will rejoice to hear of this work among our foreign citizens. They will realize its importance and wish to see it extended. The appeals that come to us for help in this direction are more numerous than ever before, and far beyond our financial ability. We trust we shall have your prayers and your gifts to carry on this important work. From a Colporteur in West Virginia "One day, in a Polish home, I was talking about the necessity and usefulness of reading the Bible. I tried to explain to those who were present, and they listened to me, that the Bible is the Book of books, worth more than silver and gold, and revealing to us our Saviour, Jesus Christ. All at once the woman of the house interrupted me, saying: 'I know very well what kind of a book this Bible is and how it influences the reader. My sister read the Bible and was spoiled by it. She did not care to go to the confession to a priest and when we tried our best to make her go, she told us, that oral confession to a priest is useless; that the Bible teaches about another wholly different confession; that Roman Cath olic confession was not instituted by Christ, and that the first Christians knew nothing of it. I tried, with another of my sisters, to take her to the priest by force, but all in vain. She does not care for dances, though she loved balls before she read the Bible. Thus you see how she was spoiled just by reading this book." Of course, I explained to her that this was just an evidence of her having found, through the Bible, something better than she had before. "The woman argued further, that without making the penance commanded by the priest-that is, saying a certain number of prayers-there can be no forgiveness of sins. Here I had an opportunity to tell her that Christ calls us to repentance, which means to believe in Him and His accomplished work for us, to forsake our ways and follow Him. "Once more she took refuge in what her priest said, namely, that the Roman Catholic Church is the only one that brings a man to salvation. I related to her an incident, which happened a short time ago in her own church. A poor man was turned out of the church_twice, because he had no money to pay for a seat. Is this the way Christ wants us to treat a poor sinner? Would a truly Christian church do this? She was unable to answer. "Some other time I visited a house where I sold a Bible about four weeks before this visit. The young man, who bought the Bible, was not at home. I inquired whether he was ever reading it. 'Yes he does; he has read it all, and he would read constantly and forget even his sleep. And he reads mostly aloud, in order that we all may listen and hear him. The other day the midnight hour was long past when we retired, so interested we were in what he read to us.' To "Once I gave a Bohemian Bible to one Slovak family on credit. When I came to collect the money for the same, they quickly paid the full amount. my question, if they liked the book, the young woman said: 'Yes, I just love the book, and this book has saved us already many a dollar. My husband used to spend his evenings in the saloon and I was angry many times, but since this book came to our house, he does not care to go out, but regularly takes this book and reads aloud to me. I am very sorry that I do not read, I have plenty of time as I keep no boarders, but I never learned to read the Bohemian language. I was reared here in America and can read only English.' I promised to bring her an English Bible very soon, and she gladly promised to buy it. "I come in contact once in awhile with some Bohemians. It is extremely difficult, however, to induce a Bohemian to buy a Bible. He despises everything that tells him about God; he is an infidel. Yet God has souls among them, too, that come to Him and are saved. One of them bought a Bible from me. He was then sick. When I visited him again last week he was well again. He told me that he read his Bible twice already, that it is a splendid book, that it is a light to him and to all in the house. "O, I know that it is not the will of God to leave people in darkness. I myself was brought from darkness into light four years ago through the preaching of the glad tidings of the Gospel, And for that reason I gladly am spreading the news to those in darkness and advise them how to find the light. "Recently I started an English school in Wheeling. Of course, I teach just the beginnings. I have now twelve Ruthenians and one Pole as my pupils. I hope to teach them the way of life, too. As soon as started this school, the Polish priest followed my example and announced to his congregation that his organist would open a similar school, and invited all to join. He had ten pupils the first Saturday. He treated each one with a cigar, and after they had a smoke he taught them how to count up to 100. At the close of two hours he asked fifty cents from each one and got $5 for the evening. Next Saturday he had not one pupil-they all came to me. "There are in Wheeling and neighborhood Slovaks, Poles, Ruthenians, Croatians, Bohemians and Ital ians. Collectively, 360 families, 2424 men (not taking into account women and children). I sold among tem 234 Bibles and 142 New Testaments, and many portions and religious volumes. I visited every house and left in each household a seed of the truth. firmly believe that God will bless this sowing of the seed." EDWARD B. HODGE, D.D., SECRETARY. ECHOES OF THE DAY OF PRAYER.-We are receiving interesting and, on the whole, encouraging reports from a number of colleges as to the way in which the Day of Prayer was spent. President Ruston, of the German Presbyterian Theological School of the Northwest, writes: "The day was one of blessed experience. It was spent, as our custom is, in prayer and conference. We have felt that a large part of the service should be devoted to supplication; and we have taken therefore the matter of higher education to the throne of grace, seeking that God may raise up a worthy ministry, and that the youth of our Church and land may not be educated away from the faith of the gospel." The principal speaker on the occasion was an alumnus of the school, the Rev. John F. Mueller, of Marion, South Dakota. His address was most helpful and stimulating, furnishing a sort of keynote for the rest of the conference. He insisted that the Bible must be at the foundation of a true education, and that what is called the higher education, exerting as it must a powerful influence for good or for ill in the Family, the Church and the State, ought to be Christian in fact as well as in theory. Buena Vista College, at Storm Lake, Ia., reports that the Day was observed by laying aside all college work, and by observing the time as a Holy Day rather than as a holiday. President Reed writes: "At the hour of the morning chapel we had a preaching service, at which all the students were required to be present. In the afternoon the religious associations had their devotional meetings, and in the evening I conducted and spoke at another meeting. Attendance not compulsory. I followed this up by evening meetings and a Sunday afternoon meeting, until the following Tuesday. There were two conversions, and sixteen additions to the membership of the associations. The meetings then closed to begin in the church the following evening; which meetings are still in progress. The interest in the religious work among the students is better than ever before. There have been two or three decisions for the ministry during the past year and others are considering the subject seriously." · Occidental College, to which Mr. Baer has recently been called as President, reports that there was deep spiritual interest manifested in the observance of the Day this year. A number of class prayer-meetings were held in the College proper and in the Academy; and joint meetings of the Y. M. C. A. and the Y. W. C. A. were features of the occasion. A preaching service occurred in the morning. The acting President, Dr. Wm. S. Young, writes: "The religious conditions of our institution are good. We have twenty-three candidates for the ministry. We have eighteen student volunteers; and our institution aims to be in reality what it is in theory, namely through and through filled with the Spirit of Christ. Our student-body is a unit, so far as they are Christians at all, in seeking to maintain this spirit. There were among our enrollment last term only a little over forty who were not confessors of Christ." Carroll College, at Waukesha, Wis., held services morning and afternoon, at both of which a sermon was preached by Dr. Balcom Shaw. President Carrier writes that there was a deep interest throughout the school, and some half dozen of the students decided that day to lead a Christian life. The next week special services were held in the college at chapel time, and an hour service in the afternoon. Most of the students have also been attending evangelistic services in the city churches in the evenings. Twenty-one candidates for the ministry are reported, and it is believed that others are seriously considering the subject. Lenox College, at Hopkinton, Ia., reports that the spiritual condition was never better. There is a daily voluntary noon prayer-meeting, which is remarkably well attended. An increased interest in the subject of a call to the ministry is perceptible. The Day of Prayer was observed in a manner which proved helpful and inspiring to the faculty and the students. Prof. John B. Rendall writes from Lincoln University: "We had Dr. McWilliams, of Ossining, N. Y., with us on the Day of Prayer for Colleges, and every student was out, and the Doctor seemed sent of God. I suppose that Lincoln University stands in the front line in candidates for the ministry. The numbers show no sign of decrease. In each college class there is a goodly number, and they often the best minds, looking forward to this high calling." Maryville College, Tenn., devotes ten days every winter to a series of special meetings, and special prayer-meetings preparatory to this series are held for some time beforehand. The Day was remembered at the chapel-service in the morning, and at the special noon-day prayer-meeting under the auspices of the Young Men's Christian Association. There is a steady movement in the direction of the ministry among the students throughout the years; and this movement is so constant that the President finds that it needs not so much to be stimulated as rather guided and kept within limits. Men who want to be ministers, but who do not appear to be fit for the privilege by nature or grace, he tries to keep away from it; while the solid characters, who give evidence of a divine call, he takes pleasure in encouraging in every possible way. Alma College reports the religious condition as quite up to the level which it ordinarily enjoys. There are seventeen candidates for the ministry. The Day of Prayer came in the midst of special services that were continued for three weeks. There was a sermon in the morning, and in the evening a union meeting of three congregations. President Sanders writes from Biddle University that, with perhaps two or three exceptions, all of the students are professing Christians. The day was in no sense a holiday, but the time was devoted to earnest thought, prayer and effort. There were four distinct services, with frequent prayers, the burden of which was for a deeper work of grace among those gathered in colleges, and that larger numbers might be inclined to take up the work of the ministry. At the German Theological School of Newark, the Germans, Italians and Hungarian students observed the Day in a manner which appears to have been of a very helpful character: services being held at eight and eleven in the morning and at five in the afternoon. The messages seemed to be pressed home by the power of God's Spirit. The Churches of Bloomfield, in sympathy with the occasion, made "Our Colleges" the theme of their midweek meeting on the eve of the Day. At Hanover College, the scene of some remarkable manifestations of religious interest in days gone by, the Day of Prayer was kept, as in many of our institutions, by the entire suspension of regular college work and the holding of appropriate religious services. About seven-eighths of the students are professing Christians, and an improvement over recent years as to candidates for the ministry is perceptible. An interesting feature of the Day of Prayer at Park College, Mo., as regularly observed, is the faculty prayer-meeting in the morning. There were, besides, two general gatherings in the chapel, and at various appointed hours during the day faculty and students met in smaller groups. Of course class-room duties were suspended for the day. By mail and by wire messages came from the thirteen candidates for the ministry representing the college in Princeton Seminary, from the six at Auburn, from the three at McCormick and from the one at Omaha. These are but specimen items; yet they are fairly representative. Only one or two of our letters thus far are somewhat discouraging. Our readers cannot fail to be impressed with the fundamental place given to the Bible, to religion in general, and to a call to the min-` istry in particular, in our Christian Colleges. There is manifested a tender interest in the spiritual welfare of the students, and a con stant effort to foster religious impressions. There seems to be a hopeful feeling with regard to greater zeal for an increase of the ministry; and we must thank God, and find encouragement in this fact for renewed supplications, while we look to see the choicest and best of the sons of the Church devoting their talents to the work of preaching the gospel. |