creasing.

Notwithstanding the general outward relaxation of law, the number of virtuous individuals and virtuous families has doubtless been steadily increasing from the beginning of the missionary work among this people. The churches were, probably, taken as a whole, never so free from immoralities as they are now. The breakwater against the terrible ocean of license, which surged around our Hawaiian Zion, has been laid deep and permanent. It has in places so nearly reached the surface, that female virtue is a known quantity on these sunny isles, where, a few years ago, the name was unknown and the fact unheard of. Virtue that stands these trials is virtue. Our preachers, whether foreign or native, give no uncertain sound on questions of morality. A public sentiment is being gradually created, by the influence of the gospel, assisted by the teachings and example of a number from foreign lands, in spite of the terrible counter influences of which I have spoken. There are many parents willing to make effort and to practice self-denial, to have their children kept from vice, and to raise them above the vicious community around. We do not open a school for boys or girls, but it is filled to its utmost capacity; and many apply for admission who cannot be received.

"But for the conserving effects of the Gospel, during the last half-century, there would have been now scarce an Hawaiian left to tell the story of the extinction of the race, through foreign vices grafted upon native depravity. That the race still continues to decrease is no wonder; but that it is in existence to-day, with many manifestations of true Christianity, is one of the modern miracles of grace. That there is so much vice and immorality should astonish no one; but that there is any virtue, any piety, any civilization, should cause us to shout over the triumphs of redeeming mercy.

“And we should not allow a desponding thought with reference to the future. The aboriginal race will continue to diminish; vice will continue its depredations; the new conditions of civilization will continue to prove fatal to still another portion of the natives; but a certain part will

struggle above these depressing influences. There will be pure Hawaiian blood here for generations yet, while many families will grow up of a mixed origin, with a steadily increasing intelligence and virtue. We are laboring not alone for Hawaiians of the present, but with an eye to the Anglo-Hawaiians of the future; and the higher we lift the Hawaiian race, the more influence do we exert for good on the people who are to succeed them.

Why should we be more disconsolate in working for a dying people than for a dying individual? If this race is, in some sense, to become extinct, we will only the more earnestly labor for it, and lay it to rest with Christian burial. Its history has been a marvelous one, shedding great glory on the missionary enterprise. Its frailties, no less than its virtues, come from its being one of the most impressible of races, easily influenced to good, and too easily drawn to evil. With so much amiability, and with, now, so many Christian advantages, we may yet hope for much from the Hawaiian, - the Hawaiian nation and the Hawaiian church."

In confirmation of some of the more trying of Dr. Gulick's statements, the following passages will be given also, from a letter written at about the same time by one of the fathers in the Hawaiian mission.

-- -, asso

A Time of fiery Trial. "The present is, as you are aware, emphatically a time of temptation on a gigantic scale. The powers of darkness rule the hour, and the King will have it so. Moreover, his officers, in several instances, have confessed to me that they have no power to make a single change for the better. Judge ciate justice of the supreme court, when I consulted him in regard to some of these awful crimes that are openly stalking through the land, confessed that he had no power to aid us; and he significantly added, as the utmost he could do for us, that he strongly advised me to put the whole matter into the public papers, and keep it there! As he has gone to his grave, no harm can come from thus referring to his advice.

"A large part of the government offi

cers, in all this part of our island, are notoriously addicted to drunkenness and other vices. This is true of foreign as well as native officers. We are having, therefore, most fearfully acted out the sentiment promulgated by the present King when he was Minister of the Interior, that morals had nothing to do with fitness for office, and would weigh nothing with him, pro or con, in selecting men for the posts to be filled by him.

"You can readily understand, therefore, how fierce are the assaults of the adversary upon the cause of truth in these days. Never, during the past twenty-six years, has there been any thing like it in the Islands. The summing up of the reports read before our General Association, in June last, were absolutely frightful, touching these matters.

"You will naturally inquire how the churches bear the terrible ordeal. By the grace of God, not a few of his professed people have thus far resisted the pressure brought to bear upon them by the powers of darkness; and doubtless many will so be kept to the end. Yet it cannot be denied that the havoc has been fearful in portions of our Zion. Of some of our churches, scarcely more than a name remains; and in some others, the signs of spiritual disease are so many, that dissolution would hardly surprise us at any

time."

Educational Affairs. "The Board of Education have made a most wretched failure in their experiments with our schools. But little more than two years have elapsed since they put all missionary influence, in the matter of public education, under their feet, and assumed the entire control of public educational affairs, making one of our bitterest foes their executive agent. And now the country public schools are reduced to a mere nullity, a name, a sham. Never was failure more complete. The school-tax is in the hands of immoral, and in every way unfit men, who somehow manage to use up the yearly amount in from four to six months; and then the children are left to seek mischief only, whilst retrograding towards the ignorance of barbarism."

North China Mission.

PEKING.

(N. E. China, lat. 39° 54′, N. long. 116° 29′ east.) LETTER FROM MR. BLODGET, August 14, 1867.

SOME statements in this letter, respecting climate, openings for more laborers, and the policy to be pursued in connec tion with increased efforts, will interest at least such persons as are themselves thinking, or have friends who are thinking, of making China their field.

Climate. "Very little rain falls during the entire year in all this region of country. The climate is dry in the extreme. and for months the sky remains clear and almost cloudless. In this respect our climate is quite the reverse of that at Shanghai, where rains are very abundant, producing great moisture and dampness, and consequently fever and ague. East winds prevail at Shanghai, and are very trying. Here they are very infrequent, and less trying than in any place which I have ever known.

"The principal rains fall here in the summer months. Then we have very heavy showers, but no long storms and misty weather. During the fall, winter, and spring, storms are very infrequent. The mercury seldom falls below zero in the winter, seldom ever goes down to

way. Besides, we have in the cities a very great amount of dust, and frequent dust-storms over the whole country. A few months since, during such a storm, I was obliged to light my lamp to read in the middle of the afternoon. The dust pervades every thing. The natives retire before it as before a storm of rain. Those who are exposed for a long time are in danger for their lives. Cases of death of persons overtaken in the open plain by dust-storms are not infrequent. These storms are most violent in March and April.

seven brethren are here. Four of our stations are unoccupied." "We must still urge upon you the imperative necessity of sending us help." But with reference to the native helpers and church, and movements towards self-support, his statements, though brief, and made before it was fully known what would be done, are very gratifying; serving, like similar reports from many other mission fields of late, - not those of the Board only, but of other societies also, to encourage the hope that a brighter day is dawning upon foreign missionary efforts, in connection with the more efficient action of native Christians. He

"We shall endeavor to do more and more through our native agency. I suppose propositions will come before the 'Union' [native] at its meeting next week, to arrange for the ordination of several pastors. They will all be on the principle of the church assuming a proper proportion of the support of a pastor. Our meetings (anniversaries) with the native Christians are now in progress. To-day the subject of self-support has been very prominent. The leading minds in our community take very strong ground in the matter. One address to-day took the ground that the churches could support all their institutions. How much may be accomplished we do not know; but just at this time it seems to me that our people will certainly take a very gratifying step in advance. It is something new for the people to be saying that the 'help' which the mission has given them has proved a 'burden,' like the mother carrying the child after it was fully able to walk. The mission has been advised by them to withdraw its supports as fast and as far as possible. These are statements by our native brethren, the result of their own thoughts, unsuggested by any thing that has been said by us directly. The statements went beyond what I had thought possible for our people. You will hear more of this. We endeavor to keep the thoughts fixed upon our great Master, and to lead our brethren to feel his constraining love."

On the 8th of November Mr. Hazen wrote again, that the position taken by

leading men, at the public meetings of the Union, was very gratifying, yet he was somewhat disappointed in the action of the Union. It did not go so far as he had hoped it would towards at once inaugurating a system which might soon grow into entire self-support. "There was a good deal of timidity apparent in regard to ordaining the men" who had been called, by seven churches, to become pastors, "and on the part of the candidates, as to assuming the duties of the pastorate," and it seemed best to yield something, for a time, on the question of support.

LETTER FROM MR. FAIRBANK, November 2, 1867.

THIS letter also refers to the matters which are noticed by Mr. Hazen, and gives some account of arrangements made for the expected ordination services, in different places.

Progress - Churches calling Pastors — Tithes. "The year 1867 has been marked by a great advance of opinion and interest favorable to the settlement of pastors. Some of our licentiates received calls before the assembling of the churches for the anniversary meetings. The arrangements for calling others were completed here during the progress of those meetings. Seven churches, having received favorable answers from their nominees, laid their papers before the Union and asked that body to make arrangements for the ordinations. The Union insisted on having the subscription - lists of the sums pledged for the support of the pastor laid before them, and made determined efforts to have those lists enlarged till they should represent a tenth of the income of the church members. Hoping that at least a fair approximation to this result may be attained, arrangements were made for the ordinations.

"This call by the Union for the tenth,' was made in view of the results attained by this year's anniversary meetings. During those meetings the duties of Christians, as church members, were fully discussed, and the rule of giving a tenth of one's in

come, as the minimum, to religious objects, was earnestly advocated in several very impressive addresses, that were principally the spontaneous expression of the convictions of the native leaders of the church. At the close of the meetings, on Saturday, the interest thus awakened culminated, and more than forty individuals pledged themselves to give the tenth.' These were mostly persons employed by the mission, but the motives for thus pledging themselves were supplied not so much by the missionaries as by the leading members of their own body. There were also pledges to give the 'tenth' of the produce of fields, &c. We may expect that much of the interest and determination thus awakened will abide, and that many others will devote the 'tenth,' and that henceforth the habit of giving liberally will characterize our churches. We are, however, well aware that the leaven has only begun to work, and that the utmost care and effort will be required to perfect the process.

Expected Ordinations. "The meetings for ordinations will be held during the next two months, and we expect that the arrangements for the support of the pastorate will be improved. And we hope that the number of those who shall give for this object may be enlarged, so as to include not only the communicants and the baptized, but also many others who are favorably disposed to Christianity. The Union will ordain no pastor till arrangements have been made by the church for his support, which include a liberal subscription-list from the membership.

"The missionaries will devolve on the pastors all pastoral duties and labor, only holding themselves ready to fill any gap, and to help the unfledged pastors by advice and sympathy, and in any way they may help them without endangering their independence. Still we expect that we shall long have to bear something of our present burdens. 'Beside those things that are without,' the care of all the churches' will come upon us 'daily.' "We propose to have meetings for six consecutive days in connection with each

of the expected ordinations, - beginning on Tuesday and closing with a communion service on the following Sabbath. We shall bring as much force, missionary and pastoral, catechetical and lay, to bear on the communities visited, and to give interest to the meetings, as can be secured. And in case very special interest should be aroused, and the blessing of the Lord descend and a revival be initiated, we would continue the meetings, and try to realize all the blessed results that may be hoped from such conditions."

"Our Christians are much scattered, so that there are not more than five or six neighborhoods, in our rural districts, that can number half a dozen resident male members. The cases of conversion have been sporadic, and our prayers for revivals, and an effusion of the Spirit on whole communities, have not been answered.

"We have organized more than twenty churches, which divide among them the villages, numbering about a hundred, where Christians reside. They have taken their names from villages central to, or prominent in, the area covered by each parish. That area, in most cases, is so large that it is only on special occasions that all the members will assemble in one place for worship. On the Sabbath, with the few exceptions where villages are so near each other that it is easy to assem ble in one place, the little company of Christians in each village, with their families and others more or less interested, have services by themselves. And it will be necessary for each of the pastors now to be ordained to hold meetings in different places, in order to give instructions to all his flock. You will see that this state of things offers many hindrances to building up churches in which the 'lively stones' are fitly joined' and knit together in love. It is hard to awaken a special interest in our church.'”