Among the new schools reported in my last was that at Oroville. Its teacher is a daughter of Rev. Alvin Ostrom, pastor of the Congregational Church in that place, who himself was once a missionary in China, and has, in his enforced return to this country, been hungry these many years for an opportunity to preach Christ again to the Chinese. I hardly need say that with such a spirit in the work tokens of a coming harvest begin to appear. Two or three of the pupils began to venture in, on Sabbaths, to the half empty church, and to sit in unoccupied pews. Whereupon an irate Caucasian vents himself in the village newspaper in this wise:
“Ed. Mercury—‘What are our places of divine worship coming to?’ is a question with many. Are we to give way our places in the pews to the long-tailed Mongolians, or shall we be obliged to take sides with them? We answer, ‘No!’ Better send them and our pretended leaders away together to their proper places. We have no objection to his teaching them, but for the sake of common decency and the respect due to us, let it be a separate matter.
“Church-Goer.”
The community soon began to be astir. The pillars of the church began to tremble. Subscriptions began to be withdrawn. Families were reported as “going over to the other church.” The croakers rose to the ascendant, and the outlook grew dark. But silence and patience and gentleness, and pastoral diligence, having God and the right on their side, are winning the day; and fresh sunshine, gleaming through the whole church-work, already “puts to silence the ignorance of foolish men.”
Although the severe storms of the past two months have interfered with the attendance on our schools, and even made desirable the temporary suspension of one of them, yet there is much to encourage in the reports received. At Marysville three during last month “joined the Association,” professing thus their faith in Christ, and coming under probation with reference to reception to the church. At Sacramento the teacher writes, rejoicing over the return to the school, with heart apparently renewed, of one pupil for whom she had labored and prayed with great earnestness, but who first left our school for another, and then seemed to “go to the bad” with utter recklessness. But the Lord has brought him back, and he now applies to be received to the Association, and to be thus recognized as a believer in Jesus. This Sacramento school, as, also, the one in Stockton, that in Marysville, and those in this city, are a perpetual joy to me, in the spirit which pervades the work and the results vouchsafed. Indeed, I know not that I need except any of our schools from this statement, and I cease to mention them by name only because the list would be too long. The great lack just now is Chinese helpers trained for service. To select them wisely, to provide for their being trained, to put them into harness at the right point, where by teaching they can learn to teach and by preaching to preach, is the problem now before me.
WOMAN’S HOME MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION.
Room 20, Congregational House, Beacon St., Boston.
Miss Nathalie Lord, Secretary. Miss Abby W. Pearson, Treasurer.