without contradicting or scoffing. From this important point may best be reached the myriads of Central Asia; it is the easiest and most frequented road, by which thousands cross annually the Chinese frontier to Gertope and Ladak.

Dr. Ha berlin, who in 1844 was the agent of the British and Foreign Bible Society in Calcutta, ascended the Himalayas and crossed the Runang Pass, nearly 15,000 feet above the sea, to the point where the country of Tibet commences. He has given details of a printing establishment for prayers, in the land of prayer-wheels, by the revolutions of which the people are taught to suppose, that one mystical sentence goes up to heaven morning, noon, and night, from men, women, and children, aided by all the Lamas in Tibet, "Om mani-pani om;" which means, "Oh, may I be absorbed into Buddh." Dr. H. adds:

"In the printing-room was a cylinder, six feet in diameter, turned by a handle twice in a minute, by which, in one hour, could be offered 600 millions of prayers."

Smaller prayer wheels than this, called Tehu-Kors, may be found in every brook in Tibet and Tartary, left to be turned by the waters; in every tent, hung where the draughts of wind will keep them going; within the temples, and in niches outside the temples, where each passenger may give them a turn as he passes by. Sometimes, whole rows of these prayingmachines are kept revolving by the breeze, like windmills.

The Buddhists hold that the confinement of a human soul, itself proceeding from the Divine Spirit, in a perishable body, subject to all the changeful accidents of matter, is a state of misery; and that every effort of man, during this mortal life, should be directed, towards an escape from the necessity of passing into another body, and to a release from individual existence, and a return to lasting union with the Divine Being. This is the belief that induces the perpetual prayer—“ Om mani-pani om "—"Oh, may I be absorbed into Buddh," which is written everywhere, in streets, squares, houses, on all the flags that float from the summit of the public edificesand, besides this, is constantly diffused by Lama sculptors, who, maintained by rich and zealous Buddhists, ever travel, chisel and mallet in hand, over hill, dale, and desert, engraving the same six syllables upon the stones and rocks.

Ah! how this vain deep sigh of heathendom for a "higher life" than theirs, needs to be met by the treasures of the Word of God, and by the knowledge of salvation through Christ Jesus. Our world is nearly six thousand years old, and there is yet no printed Bible for Tibet-only parts of the New Tes tament-though other parts are translated; but there is a Bible for Assam, a Bible for the Eastern Mongols, a Bible for Burmah, a Bible for China, a Bible for the Karens, a Bible for the Sikhs, a New Testament and the historical books for the Afghans, and where are the young men to climb this throne of Heathendom, and make known to those Highland nations the message from the true God?

The harvest truly is plenteous and perhaps it shall no longer be said that "the labourers are few." The scenes of the last six weeks in Ireland are said to have presented a near approach to those of the Day of Pentecost. The baptism of the Holy Ghost is continuing in Scotland. There is a sound as of "abundance of rain " in England, the teachers for the heathen are being prepared of the Lord.

At the recent convention which closed the Revival Services.

in Dublin, Mr. Moody mentioned what had happened in Glasgow; he remarked that Dr. Laing, the successor to Norman McLeod in the church he occupied, said to him, "Now,

Mr. Moody, a great many amongst us say this is all excitement. I want to put it to the proof. Ask the young people to come forward to go to a foreign field to work for Christ. We have been trying to get volunteers and can't." Mr. M. said he could not do it, and when asked why, replied, "Because the young men would answer, 'Why don't you go yourself, Moody?' and he would never ask young men to go where he would not go too."

"Then," Dr. Laing said, "I will do it. I will ask them," for he could get out of the difficulty that Mr. Moody felt, by saying that he was too old to go. So he asked, at a young men's meeting, as many of them as were willing to give up their homes and friends, and go to another part of the world to work for Christ, to meet him in one of the churches close by the place in which they were then assembled.

When he went there to meet them, about ninety young men had congregated. He could scarcely believe his eyes. Rubbing his hands, he said, "There must be some mistake about this. I want those who are willing to say, 'I will go to any part of the world to work for Christ.'" Well, seventy or eighty of them pressed forward. He again rubbed his hands, and said, "There must be some mistake still." So he pictured to them the hardships and dangers of missionary life, and then he asked, "Now who is willing to volunteer?" Seventy-one of them rose to their feet in eager response. "Well," said he, "I will give you time to consider." But in a little time the band had increased to one hundred. He said he would give them three weeks longer, and at the end of that time there were 186 of them. The Missionary Societies had the money; they wanted the men, and now they had got them. Let all pray that the Spirit of Grace may continue to be poured down on these young men, who are willing to give themselves to the Lord for Foreign Missions.

The men that are wanted for Missions like these must be pious, simple, plain, straightforward missionaries—men capable of enduring hardness, and who can bear to live at a distance from European society. Superior linguists also must now give themselves entirely to the work of translating the Scriptures into Pushtoo, Kashmiri, Gurnuki, and Tibetan, and superintend their printing; which can be done at Peshawur.

Some Moravian missionaries have for years itinerated in Ladak, by the permission of the Rajah Gholab Sing, and preached, in their simple way, the Gospel to its merchants-. those scions of an ancient race, and representatives of the carrying trade which has crossed these table-lands from time immemorial, since commerce began with barter. Who is willing to aid to send forth from these passage-countries the good word of God? Now that China is open, and Tibet no longer closed, the hosts of the Lord will, surely at once, with the sword of the Spirit, proceed to take possession, in the name of the Truth, of those long benighted hundreds of millions of souls which crowd the plateau of Central Asia.

A TEN YEARS' RETROSPECT.

By a Lady Superintendent.

TEN years have come and gone since we began our work in the LONDON BIBLE AND DOMESTIC FEMALE MISSION. When we look back and contrast the "then" and "now," our hearts rise in gratitude to our Lord and Master for what He has graciously done by means of our Bible-women. We found the people eager for the bread that perisheth, but very averse to the acceptance of the Bread of Life. Now we are rarely troubled by any begging, while we are delighted with the earnest attention uniformly paid to the simple Bible-teaching. On one occasion in the early part of our labours, in compliance with a request, a lady called at one of the cottages and said to the

woman-—

66 'Do you wish to see me?"

"Yes, I do, ma'am. I want to know why you don't come to give me something as well as the others. I have as much right to the gifts as they have."

"Indeed," said the lady, "Will you inform me to what you have a right?" She replied, "I suppose rich people died and left a lot of money for the poor, and I have a right to my share."

Ten years ago it was no uncommon thing for us to meet with manifestations of this spirit, but now it is quite the reverse, for many hide their troubles from us; for instance, the Bible

woman went to visit an aged couple who were ill, she thought their manner strange, and she pressed them to tell the cause, and found that they had only had a small quantity of bread and a little tea for three days. The Bible-woman told them Miss would feel hurt at not having been informed, so that they might be relieved. The woman replied, "Miss has so many cases I don't like to worry her with my troubles."

At the commencement of our work we not unfrequently had base money palmed upon us; now such a thing is unknown, although our receipts from the poor women exceed 1007. per year. At first we were occasionally interrupted by a drunken woman. On one occasion a woman exclaimed, “Oh! I know you mean that for me." We assured her the story had been selected without thinking of her individually.

"I know better," was the reply, and it was only by an effort we avoided a disturbance.

The Meetings now are characterized by quietness and solemnity. Ten years ago we were often grieved by acts of dishonesty. Drapery was purloined, or figures on their clothingcards were altered to "higher value." Now, if we make an error, they bring back the article or their cards and point it out, refusing to take advantage of our mistake. We began with 11 women, now we have over 400 on our books. These are divided into two weekly meetings, each of which has an attendance fluctuating from 90 to 150; they are continued for two hours. The first hour is devoted to receiving pence and the sale of drapery. Then all secular work is laid aside, and a religious service is held.

The spiritual fruits of our labours have been of a most encouraging character. Many of the women are testifying by their lives that the Grace of God has changed their hearts. Sixtyfour of these are now regular communicants, besides those who have died or removed out of the district. We know also several instances where the wife, by her "chaste conversation coupled with fear," has won her husband. We believe it would not be difficult to fill a volume in narrating individual cases where heart and life have been changed. As from time to time we cast our eyes over the Meeting we observe numbers who arrest our at