attends infidel meetings). Before we set off in the morning the Bible-woman had asked me to join her in prayer for the soul of this man, saying of herself, I am only a poor simple woman. I have no words of my own. But when I think of the wondrous love of Christ, I feel I can go anywhere, and He will speak for me.' She said she afterwards found the man more attentive and less argumentative than he had ever been before, adding, 'How can he long withstand the Word of God when he begins to listen?' I feel sure, from what I have heard of the mothers of this meeting, that God has indeed owned and blessed the labours of both the Lady and Biblewoman. I must tell you something of a poor man's prayer. "Many of the men of the above district also now attend the class in the neighbourhood conducted by Miss who likewise superintends a class for mothers. I took the fathers' class for her in her absence on Monday last; and when I looked upon those strong, hard-working men, sitting in the spirit of little children, wanting to hear more of the 'Old, old Story,' I could but say, What has God wrought? "After reading for our lesson part of the 13th of Luke, I asked one to pray, which he did most earnestly; and no one could fail to know the real way of salvation who listened to his earnest cry for more of the Spirit of Christ in the workshops and in the courts around. "He said, "Some of us have tried, dear Lord, to put off our sins and make ourselves better by leaving off some things and doing other things, but found it all failure till we came to Jesus, and He took away sin and gave us a new heart. Lord, if there's a man here to-night trusting to his own doings and good resolutions, help him, of thy mercy,-oh, for Jesus' sake, help him to chuck all his own doings down as worthless, and come to Thee for help, and he'll be sure to get it.' Then he thanked God for all that Miss had been to him and many more. 'Though, dear Father, she is often disappointed in us, we do believe in that day many will thank thee for salvation through the blessed message brought by her to us poor men.' "At another meeting I attended, only eight women were present, all Jewesses, and listened with earnest attention to the Word, and joined most heartily in the singing. One, a widow, after the meeting, testified to the loving care of God to her and her children, and the comfort His Word was to her." In a recent survey of our humble co-workers, the Biblewomen, after nineteen years we find that only about thirty-four remain of those who were on our lists, even in 1860-thirtyfour out of about 300 now regularly paid agents, not to speak of twenty-three besides who are pensioned--and we can thus account for nearly sixty of the old list; but the rest are younger women, and have not so long a history. We cannot be too thankful that He who watches over the work of His own Word, and over all the companies of those who publish it, has educated for us, in His own way, so many of these earnest messengers, often in the school of deep affliction. The trouble of a hard life, the loss of husband or of children, has often first prepared them to receive with meekness the engrafted Word into their own hearts, and then faithfully to offer themselves for this service-the service of God's Word-in which there is room for all manner of consecrated lives and purses, and hands and hearts. "Hitherto the Lord hath helped us." "I am often asked," says one of our Lady Superintendents, "if I can name any practical result of the 'Moody and Sankey services?' I will just mention one. A young lady whose father held a high position at Court, called upon me lately, and told me she and a friend had been to the Haymarket many times, hearing those soul-stirring, telling addresses, and now 'wanted to do some thing for Him to whom she hoped to live in future, instead of her former listless idle life ;' she said, 'I am too delicate and nervous to visit with you; but it is possible I might help some other way, and I come to you to give me something to do that I can do.' She is making clothes for the babies and bed-gowns for poor mothers; and has already sent me a nice parcel." OUR TOTAL RECEIPTS FOR 1875. THE sum we have received in Donations this year FOR OUR (Inclusive of £521 from the Bible Society.) Also for Bibles from the Poor ... For their Clothing £ 8. d. 11,523 5 8 For Dormitory Houses... For certain other SPECIFIC FUNDS we have receivedForeign Fund ... ... ... ... 404 4 6 118 14 7 100 5 0 ... 50 0 0 From G. M. E., for training Old-fashioned Servants..... ... CHANGE OF AGENTS DURING THE YEAR. 243 15 0 22,160 10 0 The number of districts dropped for the present is eleven:— Mecklenburgh-square, Poplar (3), Kensal, Barbican, Bethnalgreen (1), Clerkenwell, Portland-town, Hoxton-market, Ivylane, Harlington, Kentish-town. Six more women have this year been placed on the pensionlist of 3s. 6d. per week, making the total number twenty-three, at a cost of 1547. for the year. The number of new districts opened during the year has been seventeen:-Lambeth-walk, Kensal, Wandsworth (3), Gravesend, Cromer-street (2), Deptford, Bow-common (2), Ball's-pond, Tooting, Nine Elms, Wandsworth (2), Oakley, Eagle Wharf, Upper Holloway, Camberwell, Cow Cross (2), and Kingston. The number of new women supplied to old districts and to new ones in London is forty-nine: thirty Bible-women, ten nurses-nine to the country. The number of women transferred in London is fourteen. Twenty-four have left the Mission; of whom four are dead, six are pensioned, and four dismissed. The remaining ten resigned from want of health or other causes. Twelve ladies have resigned their superintendence. Seventeen new Superintendents have joined us. We have supplied nine Bible-women to country districts: viz., to Alnwick, Reading, Llanrwst, Bedford, Norwich, Aberystwith, Hastings, Honiton, and Alfreton. SUMMARY OF DONATIONS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR BIBLE-WOMEN. Our Donations to Special Districts have been this year ... The Lady Superintendents have received in payment from the For Bibles... For Clothing £4,425 9 5 7,097 16 3 11,523 5 8 £17,620 14 9 £6,298 6 6 ... 1,636 6 4 Total Income, with Donations From this the Lady Superintendents have dispensed in Paid for Bibles There has been paid to 12 Pioneers in Salary £626 17 11 ... 247 11 3 Returned to the poor in clothing material, and by payments for work ... Rent and furniture, with light and fire in Mission-rooms... Total ... The WORKING FUND has disbursed :Pensions to 23 superannuated Bible-women Aid to Bible-women in illness or need, and to other cases specially requiring it Plain meals at Monthly Meetings Fee of professional Accountant Home Clerks, Secretary, and service Postage and carriage of parcels, with expenses of transit, printing, stationery, cards, account-books, and incidental expenses... ... £154 4 6 543 19 7 29 19 3 ... 200 0 0 491 0 0 636 2 8 2,055 6 0 We have now, therefore, 156 BIBLE Lady Superintendents, 26 NURSE Lady Superintendents, 12 Bible Pioneers, 4 Nurse Pioneers, 3 Matrons of Houses, and 5 Central Workers, for the oversight and help of 275 Bible-women and Nurses, for whom the Mission is responsible, as well as for all needful changes and current revisions among them. FOREIGN AND SPECIFIC FUNDS. We have paid salary from our Foreign Fund in aid of 32 native Christians employed as Bible-women abroad, or chiefly hitherto as Scripture-readers. We have one Bible-woman in China, one in Caffraria, eight in Syria at Beirut and Damascus, with Abou Selim, one Bible-man; 10 in India, 3 in Burmah, 2 in Madagascar. We have not just now any suitable agent in Jerusalem, which we much regret. We have 2 in Berlin, 1 in Warsaw, 2 in Paris, 1 in Bordeaux. The friends who support these Bible-women hear of them from time to time in our pages, and may wish to know the balance which was in hand on October 15th in our Specific Fund for such purposes. RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE OF CERTAIN SPECIFIC FUNDS NOT Included in General Balance-sheets. The Summation of our affairs for nearly 19 years may interest some of our readers. hands There has in that period passed through our 309,1731. 5s. 9d., of which 102,2317. 4s. 6d. have been the payments of the poor, viz.:-17,0357. 128. 7d. for Bibles; 80,1277. 5s. 6d. for clothing; 5,0617. 10s. 6d. for food and lodging in 2 Dormitories; towards expenses of nursing, by lotion, 67. 15s. 11d.-Total, 102,2317. 4s. 6d. RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE IN NINETEEN YEARS. RECEIPTS. (Continued on page 371.) |