“A very interesting and impressive meeting was held in Bethany chapel on Thursday evening, April 8th. A large number of the Chinese friends and scholars of Mrs. S. A. Worley and Misses Jessie and Florence Worley, who for some years have been teachers in the schools of the California Chinese Mission of this city, had met together to bid these teachers farewell, as the family intended going to their new home in Stockton on the following day. After the regular exercises of Thursday evening, consisting of singing, prayer and a short address in Chinese, the meeting was thrown open to any who wished to speak or lead in prayer. The first who rose spoke of his regret at their departure and his gratitude for their kindness. He then said: ‘One year ago I hated Christian Chinese, and I hated the name of Jesus Christ. Then Miss Worley came to teach me, and read and explained the Bible to me, and by and by I came to love Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and all those who worship him.’ One after another the Chinese brethren came forward to bear witness to their love for these devoted teachers, and their sorrow for their departure. Many of them, like the first speaker, testified that they had been brought to the knowledge of the saving power of Christ’s love by the words and the example of their loved teachers. More than one tremulous voice and dimmed eye, gave evidence that their words were not the complimentary exaggerations of Chinese courtesy, but came deep from hearts filled with love and gratitude for kindness that had been bestowed upon them, and overflowing with grief at parting from their benefactors. ‘We have nothing to repay you, our dear teachers,’ they said, ‘for all your kindness in teaching us your language, and in leading us to Christ; but we can pray God that He will bless you and keep you wherever you may go. You will go to Stockton and we will go to China, and may never see one another again on earth; but in heaven we will meet again.’
The frequent brief prayers, offered in Chinese, were unintelligible to the Americans present, but the frequent recurrence of the words ‘Stockton’ and ‘Worley’ showed that these men, just awakened from heathen darkness, had grasped the idea of an omnipotent and loving Father, to whom they might confidently intrust their absent friends. What an ample reward to these teachers for their earnest and prayerful devotion must such testimony have been! What a foretaste of heavenly bliss they experienced in seeing this fruit of their labor in the redemption of so many souls from idolatry and heathenism!
H. M. P.”
More about Oroville.—I give, perhaps, more than its share of notice to our new work in Oroville. But this is our first attempt to reach the Chinese engaged in mining, and, probably, the first systematic attempt ever made in California. On that account it has a special interest and importance. The number thus engaged is large, and no man careth for their souls. We have our first fruits of the work there, in the person of Jee Kane, a very interesting young man. He has joined the Association, thus professing faith in Christ. Miss Waterbury is disposed to commence a work among the women and children, and has one woman already under instruction who seems thoroughly interested. Lee Haim, our greatly-valued helper at Oroville, is obliged to return to China, and Lem Chung, of the Sacramento Mission, takes his place for a time. Miss Waterbury reports that there was a good attendance and evident attention at his last preaching service, and after service his hearers crowded about him asking him questions about the miracles of Christ, of which he had been speaking. He told her, “I feel so proud of Christ. He was with me, helped me speak, put words into my mouth.”
CHILDREN’S PAGE.
[We give, just as they were written, two letters from Indian boys at Hampton for our young readers to puzzle over. We know they will sympathize with Jonathan’s longing for his ponies, and commend his purpose and effort to be content without them and study hard. Our older readers will doubtless be struck with the other letter as curiously resembling that of a German attempting English. His substitution of d for t, and of p for b is quite funnily Teutonic.—Ed. Missionary.]
My Dear Friend:—I thought I would write to you a few line, use to be in my home, last summer I went out on a hunting Buffalo away off in the west, we off in Texes country, and I saw many Texes and they was trying to fight the Pawnee, but every Pawnee was afraid, because they are good many Texes that makes the Pawnee afraid just like all white men the Pawnee do like them to fight and Texes kind afraid do and they stop and them went home every one. Would come back any more.