mountain side. Many a heart, now in this country, turns to that silent restingplace, with much of the feeling with which Jacob turned, in his dying hour, to Machpelah: "There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebecca his wife; and there I buried Leah." Stoddard, and Thompson, and Breath, and Wright, and Rhea, and Martha (Harris) Rhea, and a company of little ones whose dust is dear to those who laid them there, - these all lie buried in that little cemetery. No one can visit that spot, no one can rightly think of it, and not feel that it is hallowed, or without feeling how holy and precious the work is, in which and for which these laid down their lives, or the lives of those they loved. If, on Mount Seir, in Edom, the sons of Esau, as tradition says, hold converse with the skies - hearing angelic music and the songs of heaven - with what higher truth may it not be said, that the very windows of heaven are open to the dwellers on this mountain. There are those living who have had glimpses of its glory, as they have watched one and another, faithful unto death, pass from this mountain height within the pearly gates to take the crown of life, and join the throng and song of those who, out of much tribulation, have "washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." -- LETTERS FROM THE MISSIONS. Sandwich Islands. HONOLULU — OAHU. LETTER FROM MR. O. H. GULICK, June 9, 1868. The General Association. This communication has reference, mainly, to the meeting of the General Association of the Hawaiian Islands, which had been in session for some days "since the first of the month" - when Mr. Gulick wrote. Some of his statements respecting the Association, and the persons present, will interest the reader. There was, it is said, a full attendance, only three of the thirtyone native pastors at the Islands, and only four pastors of foreign, descent, being ab sent. Hawaiian Missionaries. "The presence of three returned missionaries Aea and Aumai, from Micronesia, and Rev. Kaiwi, just from Omoa, Marquesas Islands-and of Captain Bingham, the representative of our foreign missionaries, has the same quickening effect upon our deliberations that the presence of returned missionaries exerts at the meetings of the American Board. The trials of our Hawaiian mis sionaries, among the heathen of their several foreign fields, are no less real than those of missionaries who go forth from lands of a higher grade of civilization; and the reflex influence of those who have endured privations for the spread of the gospel, cannot but be healthful and stimulating to the churches who sustain them. One interesting fact in relation to our returned Hawaiian mission aries is, that almost without exception they are eager to return, at the earliest possible opportunity, to their missionary fields; and that although, as in several cases, they have been compelled by loss of health, caused by the hardships endured on the field, to return for a time, to recruit on the balmy shores of their beautiful native islands. aries to whom, and the American churches, under God, this land owes everything. A few of these, who may be present, have so far passed the meridian of life as to cease even to take a part in the business, the discussions, and the debates of this vigorous assembly, while two or three others among them are the most frequent speakerswhose words are listened to with the deference that should be accorded to age, experience, long-tried love, and paternal guidance. "We next notice, as members of this body, five or six middle-aged or young men, of foreign extraction, whom we judge bear no little likeness to the younger ministers of any New England Association. Hawaiian Members. "But our attention is drawn mainly to the fifty or sixty Hawaiian members, ministers and delegates of the churches, who constitute the bulk of the assembly. They are an earnest, intelligent, and wide-awake body of men. Not, generally, eager to speak, but paying careful and respectful attention to the counsels of the fathers, and responsive to the propositions of the younger leaders; generally rather cautious, and indisposed to advance new and radical measures, but ever ready to fall in with the progressive ideas of the few who, in such a body, are fitted to lead. "This body of Hawaiian ministers are constant and intelligent readers of the weekly and monthly newspapers published in their language. They are the leaders in every educational movement, having, during the past year, owing to the decay of the government school system, been the main agents in the establishment of perhaps twenty independent schools, in their various parishes. They are the conservative element, the guides of the people. One from Portugal. "But among them we notice two individual representatives of different types of humanity. One of them is Mr. Manuel, the Portuguese minister, very lately settled over the church at Kaneohe, the late field of father B. W. Parker. Mr. Manuel is the representative of an interesting class of our Oahu popu lation—the Portuguese sailor, shipped by the American whaler at the Azores, or Cape de Verd Islands, and after years of cruising in the Pacific, discharged at Honolulu. He is a convert from Popery, and a faithful fellow-laborer. One from China. "Again, among the lay-delegates, from the Maui Association, we notice Ahiong, the Christian Chinaman, a man of a literary turn, much intelligence, evident good sense, and one with his brethren in the bonds of the gospel. He came to the islands in the capacity of a coolie, about sixteen years ago, but is now one of the merchants of Lahaina. His Christianity has not changed the expression of his face, or shortened the length of his cue, or led him to drop the comfortable loose dress of his celestial home. The Chinaman, wherever he travels, is still a Chinaman. We admire the self-respect which saves him from ever being ashamed of his native land, or of its time-honored civilization. In this land he seldom, if ever, permanently adopts the European dress, and seldom is seen minus his cue. Ahiong joins freely in the discussions, being fluent in the Hawaiian language, and is always listened to with respect and attention; as every man of sense and discretion is sure to be in this assembly. His presence has drawn particular attention to the requirements of the heathen Chinese on our Islands, numbering between 2,000 and 3,000. He is, so far as I know, the only Christian Chinaman on the Islands. He advocates the instruction of his countrymen in eveningschools and Sabbath-schools, in the Hawaiian language, as the means of acquainting them with the gospel. Chinamen are generally ready to learn to read Hawaiian, and if by this means they may be brought into our Sabbath - schools, and under the influence of our Hawaiian Christian literature, they may, and will, be powerfully influenced for good. "It is proposed by the Hawaiian Board to employ Ahiong regularly, as a colporter and itinerant preacher, to labor among his countrymen, who are scattered throughout the country as laborers on the sugar plantations. The Sabbath-School Association, which holds its Convention in June, has this year, at its second annual meeting, given pleasing evidence of life and vigor. Its membership consists of the pastors of churches, Sabbath-school superintendents, and a delegate from each school. Many, however, of the pastors and superintendents were delegates. "There were present over one hundred members of this Association, representing perhaps 70 or 80 Sabbath-schools, located in every parish of the group. Much interest in regard to the manner of conducting Sabbath-schools was elicited, by the discussions, the essays, and the reports from the Sabbath-schools, which occupied the attention of the Association. An increase in the number and efficiency of our Sabbath-schools, the coming year, must be the result of such a Convention as we have just held. The numbers in attendance upon Sabbath-schools throughout the land have increased fully one third during the past year a result owing greatly to the attention paid to the schools by this Association." LETTER FROM DR. L. H. GULICK. DR. GULICK has also written respecting this meeting of the General Association, which closed its sessions July 13th, after “a very harmonious and active meeting of 13 days." A Confession of Faith and a Book of Discipline, which had been " under revision for two or three years," were adopted with "great unanimity." Dr. Gulick states: pas "Dr. Lowell Smith has resigned his torate, and Rev. A. O. Forbes was yesterday installed over the Kaumakapili church, with very appropriate ceremonies. The entire pastorate of the island of Oahu is now in the hands of native-born inhabitants of these islands, two of them being sons of missionaries, and only one of them being partially supported by aid from abroad. The whole pastorate of the island of Kauai is in native hands with the exception of Dr. J. D. Smith, who is proposing to resign as soon as a proper man can be found, which may be in a few weeks. So also, by a meeting of the Presbytery of Maui, within a few days, it is arranged that Dr. Baldwin, the last of your missionaries remaining in the pastorate on that island, shall give place to a native minister, already laboring among them. Four American missionaries remain pastors of churches on the island of Hawaii, but their work is being passed more and more into the hands of natives, of whom 12 are already ordained on that island.” North China Mission. LETTER FROM DR. TREAT, May 6, 1868. "Impressions." In this letter Dr. Treat briefly presents some of his “ 'impressions relative to missionary operations, after six months' residence in China." He writes: "I have been, above all things else, impressed with the responsibility which is laid upon the foreign missionary, in view of the spiritual poverty which everywhere meets his eye. In the four cities occupied by our mission, there are more than two millions of inhabitants; probably not one in a thousand has ever heard of Christ and him crucified. The seven brethren at present in the field are endeavoring to diminish the number of Satan's adherents in this region; but what are they among so many? Where are the men to enter in and possess the land for the Master? "I have been greatly encouraged by the evidence of progress in good things, which all the stations indicate, to some extent. The schools, for boys and for girls, at Peking, are in a flourishing condition, the latter especially. Mrs. Bridgman has sixteen girls, who are receiving a thorough Christian training. One of them has been baptized, and two others are candidates for that ordinance. Five persons, since my arrival in December, have been added to our little church in Peking, and a very promising man has been baptized at Kalgan within a month. "I have been greatly impressed with the earnest Christian zeal which our missionaries exhibit. I have rarely met a man who came so near my ideal of what a missionary ought to be, as Mr. Pictorial Illustrations - Plates Desired. "I have recently purchased 5,000 copies of a pictorial sheet published at the Presbyterian mission press, Shanghai, containing twenty-five illustrations of Bible incidents, with brief descriptions, and references to the places in the Bible where full accounts can be found. We sell these at all our chapels, and they are a great help in promoting the sale of tracts and books generally, and will ultimately increase the interest in the Scriptures. These can be sold at full cost. The Chinese like pictures as well as people in America, and I have thought that Christian publishe could do a good work, at comparatively little expense, and greatly aid the missionary cause, by donating to the missionary societies second-hand plates, not too much worn, of illustrations of Bible scenes, manners and customs, etc., which they may have on hand. The Kind Wanted. "If you think this suggestion of sufficient value to take any means to promote the object, please be careful to have good judgment used in the selection. Mr. Nevins was correct in his remarks at Buffalo-that respectable Chinese would be shocked at many pictures and statues in art galleries in America. I do not wish any pictures of nude forms, or statues, or any thing that can be easily construed to suggest indelicate ideas. In Foochow the female form is always modestly dressed, except in the country, in some cases of female children. "A few years since, a helper saw a foreign picture of Adam and Eve in Eden, exposed in the street for sale, but it suggested any thing but the idea of primitive purity to the Chinese, who were ignorant of its design, and he tried to purchase it to prevent its doing harm; but it was too high in price. This will illustrate why I give the above caution. "I have sometimes wished I could get a picture of the Lord's Supper in true, oriental style, so that people could understand about Johns' reclining on Jesus' breast, the dipping of the sop, etc. Why must artists put modern chairs, table, plates, etc., in all their representations of the supper? Benevolence. A quarterly examination of mission helpers is noticed as having been a "profitable season." On the second day, essays were read, many of which had reference to the duty of giving for religious and benevolent purposes, what was required of the Jews, what is to be expected of Christians, etc. — and Mr. Hartwell remarks: "We trust the discussions have done good. I hear that a subscription for the Board was started soon after, and sums agreed upon to be given at monthly concert collections, communion seasons, etc.; but the result has not been made public, and I cannot state at present what it will be. I think, however, that some of our Christians give a larger proportion for benevolent objects than many patrons of the Board, who give of their greater abundance and enjoy far richer luxuries than the converts here would ever dream of indulging in, even regarding the proportional difference of station. I have heard one of our helpers speak of fasting one meal a day, for a few days, to get a small sum to send to a poor man in another city, and whom he did not know personally. I would not have you infer from these statements that I think our converts are remarkably benevolent, or give as much as it may be their duty to give; but you should understand the facts as they are, both the encouraging and the discouraging. wished to embrace Christianity, and of receiving the various implements of devil worship which they had brought. Two of them had visited me before, and I had been once to their village. They are from two villages about twelve miles east of Máná Madura, and have relatives in various congregations of the Máná Madura, Tirupúvanam, and Mandapasálie stations. I rejoice much to see the influence of relationship working to bring men to Christianity, because it indicates a degree of thoughtful comparison of Christianity and all its accompaniments, persecution included, with Hinduism and its debasing superstitions, and so an intelligent choice of Christianity, instead of an ignorant venture in the doubtful hope of gain. These men say that their Pariah relatives in three other villages one within five miles of our house- are thinking to join We shall see. "I have frequently thought of a remark made to me last year, in Boston, that we must expect the converts from heathenism to do better than Christians in America in the way of giving; and while I think the idea correct, I cannot but ask, as a matter of justice towards our converts, how can we reasonably expect, that people who have been denied the blessings of the gospel for most of their lives, who have grown up under the debasing influence of a selfish heathenism, and whose consciences have been deadened through its influence, will at once, upon their conversion, exhibit in a higher degree the grace of Christian benevolence, than Christians who have been privileged to know the gospel from infancy, and have been educated under its benign and elevating influity. ence?" Madura Mission - Southern India. MANA MADURA. (30 miles S. E. of Madura.) LETTER FROM MR. CAPRON, April 25, 1868. MR. CAPRON mentions a tour in the itinerating work, during which he had some trying experience, and notices one village congregation which was found in a very "unsatisfactory and discouraging state." Yet there are brighter things. He states respecting the region visited : "The leaven is so working in the community, that villages which have not been visited by the missionaries, and very rarely by catechists, are not much behind villages where the gospel has been often preached, in the conviction that idolatry is doomed, and that Christianity must ere long prevail." A Deputation of Believers. "On my return, yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting a deputation of five men, who us. Giving Tithes Providential Prosper"Most of my helpers, and some of the Christians in the villages, have entered with much spirit into a resolution to give a tenth of their income to benevolence. The congregation in Séttúr, in particular, entered into a solemn agreement before they planted their fields, last October, that whether the return were larger or smaller they would give a tenth to the Lord; and as a result, the Lord has largely blessed them, and they have fulfilled their vows. Soon after their pledge it began to rain; and they ploughed their fields, and one Saturday sowed their seed. The heathen would on no account sow their fields on Saturday, and in fact lost several days before a lucky day came round. Meanwhile, on Sunday it rained, and the seed which the Christians had sown germinated, and their fields were becoming green. At the end of the season, when the water failed in the tanks, the first sown fields ripened into a full harvest, and the later fields of the heathen came lagging behind. All this was received by the Chris tians as a token of the blessing of God upon them, and at the time of the meeting of our local committee in Máná Madura, (March 4), they came with their offering - the tenth of their harvest two full |