, and
Biblewoman, all rolled into one," in the district from which they all
came. This was the woman, a part of whose life-story is told in this
book, and after reading the many striking incidents which it contains,
I gladly welcome the opportunity afforded me of writing a brief
introduction.

Even as a study of human life, the story is one that is full of
interest. It takes us far away from the ordinary beaten track right
into the heart of China; and so intimate is the writer's acquaintance
with the habits and customs of the people, that there are few, even of
those who know Chinese life well, who will not be able to learn
something from reading these pages.

The Chinese are a people of strong character; and although this woman
stands out as being possessed of marked ability and determination,
there are other lives of which we catch a glimpse in which similar
features can be clearly discerned.

It is, however, as an illustration of the power of the Gospel, in the
heart of one who was brought up in heathenism, that the narrative
possesses its supreme interest. In this case from the time when the
great decision was made, after long resistance, to yield to Christ and
trust in Him, there was no going back. We read of many trials,
sorrows, testings, but the onward and upward course is steadily
maintained.

The religious devotee, when converted, always makes a better disciple
than the person who has been entirely indifferent to the concerns of
the soul; and so it was in the case of "Everlasting Pearl." She clung
strongly to the vow that she had taken when she became a vegetarian,
and on this account she long withstood the claims of the Gospel; but
when at last she heard the call of Christ, then she turned to Him in
full surrender and whole-hearted obedience, and became a burning and a
shining light amongst her relatives and neighbours.

The reader will observe the record of not a few dreams and visions in
the story; but instead of these tending to discredit its truthfulness,
they will only confirm it to those who know the life of the people of
this class in China.

The statement is constantly being made that the Gospel spreads more
through the life and testimony of the converts themselves than by the
work of the missionaries. The way in which this woman was brought to
Christ, and the way in which she led others to Him, illustrates this
fact; but truth is many-sided, and here we also see how large a
ministry th