acts regarding the people among whom we work are brought to us
constantly. Yesterday four pupils entered school who were perfect
wonders. The oldest of them is seventeen years of age, and the youngest
perhaps ten. The oldest has been to church three times during her life,
the others have never been. They have never been to Sabbath-school, and
know nothing about Christ and God. They have never in their lives heard
the word Bible. The _oldest_ one has seen a preacher three times--the
same man each time. They made their first visit to town, and beheld the
first railroad car yesterday. They do not know who made them! Ever since
their arrival I have been saying over and over, "Surely we have Africa
at our very door." I cannot realize it. The responsibility is so great
that it makes me tremble.

Many of our pupils have little or no religious training at home. We have
a good many pupils whose parents are "_Hard Shell_ Baptists," and do not
allow them to go to Sabbath-school, and teach them not to pray for
forgiveness of sins. A few afternoons ago, the pupils were all asked
what they desired to be. One little boy raised his hand to say that he
was going to be a "Hard Shell" minister, for they were already saved,
and had no praying to do. This answer was a result of his training at
home.

We have many features of encouragement connected with our work here.
Especially are we pleased with the work that is being done by a class of
our advanced boys and girls. There are ten of them out in the wooded
country, teaching for three months those who cannot find their way to
our school. Every two weeks, these pupils come in to give a report of
their work. It is understood by them that it is a part of their duty to
tell us just what work they do and _how_ they do it. We supply them with
reading matter for their pupils--especially are we careful to let them
have Sunday-school books, etc. These pupils will be out of school three
months, and will then return to their school work. Every one who is out
is a Christian, and we feel that their influence for good is very great.
It is a joy to us to feel that our little school here in this town is
spreading its influence out into darker portions of the State. Each one
of these pupils has no less than forty pupils in his school, so that the
work of the school here at Marshallville reaches over six hundred souls!
This is indeed a dark portion of the field, but God's loving care is
about us, and we are