r. One of our patients had even
resorted to the Buddhists or agnostics to recite prayers and use charms
to drive away his sickness.

At the present rate of spiritual declension, in another century many
will either be Buddhists or agnostics.

The times of prayer are not observed save by the ah-hongs and mullahs
and a few of the old men.

These few particulars showing the indifference and ignorance among the
men, what can be expected of the women? They are heathen, except in
name. In our prefecture, we receive a welcome among them whenever we go,
but how long this will continue it is hard to tell. In the southwest of
this province, where formerly much friendliness was shown towards the
missionaries, latterly a spirit of bitterness and opposition has been
manifested owing to a few becoming interested in the Gospel and
attending regularly on Sunday. The ah-hongs have warned their people
that if any join the church they will be put to death when the foreign
ambassador arrives from Turkey. Who this individual is, is not very
apparent, and from whence he will get his power to put Chinese subjects
to death is a mystery. Doubtless it is only a scheme of the ah-hongs to
put the people in fear.

So far, however, we have open doors here and no opposition, but owing to
lack of workers there is NO ONE TO ENTER IN, NO ONE to take the Bread of
Life to them, NO ONE to bear the glad news to them.

After the rebellion of 1895, when retribution fell heavily on the
Mohammedans, thousands of them were reduced to the verge of starvation;
women, who had been accustomed to the comforts of a good home, were
deprived of their warm winter clothing and left only with thin summer
tattered garments, right in the depth of winter with a thermometer
registering below zero (Fahrenheit). By the help of many kind friends in
different parts of China, we were enabled to open a soup-kitchen and
provide hot food every day for six weeks, during the bitterest part of
the winter, to an average of three hundred persons each day, and also to
give away several warm garments to those in direst need. Every day we
taught the people to repeat hymns, grace before meat, and told them
stories from the Bible. On the Chinese New Year's Day we gave them a
special treat of mutton-broth and afterwards showed them, with the magic
lantern, some scenes in the life of our Lord. In the winter of 1896-7 we
again provided food to an average of one hundred and twenty each day,
ne