rate, as a precautionary measure, a letter of enquiry should be addressed to the Secretaries of this Society before responding to any of these numerous appeals.

A Palestine Exhibition and Sale of Work, in aid of the Building Fund of the New Girls' School at Jerusalem, was opened on September 26, at the Memorial Hall, Clifton, by Bishop Cheetham, who spoke from personal experience of the great need which existed for a New Building. Costume Lectures were given by Miss Amy Smith and the Rev. H. H. Ashley Nash, whilst the Rev. J. M. Eppstein ably explained Jewish Exhibits and Customs, thus introducing himself to many of the supporters of the Society, amongst whom he has lately gone to reside. His address is-3, Brandon Villas, Charlotte Street, Bristol, and not 5, as stated last month. Each evening a Lantern Lecture on Work amongst the Jews in Europe and Asia was given by the Rev. C. S. Painter. Owing to the unfavourable weather the attendance was smaller than expected, but, after paying all expenses, the sum of £50 was realised.

A Palestine Exhibition was held at Reading from October 17 to 21, in aid of the Hospital and Medical Mission Work in Jerusalem. We are unable to give any particulars this month, but we trust that it may be a great success. We understand that a "Palestine Exhibition" is to be held at Tiverton on November 28, 29 and 30.

Dr. Masterman writes :-"On our way up to Galilee Mrs. Stern and I paid a visit to Samarin. We were extremely surprised and delighted with all we saw. The situation of this quickly rising Jewish town is magnificent, the finest sight I know of in Palestine, embracing views of the sea, forest, mountain and plain. The well-built houses, solid streets and roads, public gardens, and miles of vineyards on all sides present a scene quite unlike anything elsewhere here. The Jews seem to be industrious and happy: much of the actual manual labour is performed by the fellahin under Jewish supervision. European ploughs and carts are used extensively. Splendid roads, which would be a credit to any European country, are being rapidly pushed from the colony towards Haifa on the one side and Nazareth on the other. We followed the latter for some miles. The main street of Samarin is fully a mile long, with comfortable houses and small side streets on each side. At the centre of the town there is a fine large synagogue, much more like a large English Dissenting Chapel than the ordinary Jewish synagogues here. Near it is a large building (for Palestine) not yet

quite finished, and three or four storeys high, for the Administrative offices. Water is laid on to the streets and houses, being pumped up the hill by a steam pump. We did not see the Hospital, but it is described as being very complete, and wellmanaged. Smaller colonies are springing up under the protection of the great one, in the districts around. No doubt there is another side to all this, but it is interesting as a ray of hope towards the settling of Jewish affairs."

"

13 THE VERY REV. W. LEFROY, D.D., Dean of Norwich.

20 REV. T. GRAHAM, M.A., Incumbent of St. Bride's, Liverpool: "God's call to the Church on behalf of Israel." The Service each night will commence at 7.30. St. Paul's Church, Onslow Square, can easily be reached by the Metropolitan Railway, being close to South Kensington Station.

We earnestly hope that as many as possible of the friends of Jewish Missions will attend the course. As there must be some expenses connected with these services, it is hoped that those who cannot be present will kindly help by sending a contribution to the Secretaries, 16, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C.

A Sermon to Jews on the subject, "When will the Jews return to Palestine?" was preached in Christ Church, Spitalfields, on Monday, October 2nd (Feast of Tabernacles), by the Rev. G. H.

Handler. The whole service was conducted in Judeo-German. The Rev. J. H. Scott, M.A., Rector, cordially invited all his Jewish Parishioners to the service.

prayers,

LETTERS FROM ABYSSINIA.

HESE letters, of which we spoke last month, are dated the 12th and 13th of April, and were received by Mr. Flad in Kornthal, on the 29th of August. "Through God's grace and mercy, and your we arrived safely at Debra Tabor after seventy days' journey. We travelled with a caravan of Abyssinian merchants, and had many opportunities to read and explain the Word of God to our fellow-travellers. They listened willingly, and accepted our tracts with gratitude. One of the merchants, a Mohammedan, was so deeply impressed, that he said one day: I love this book (Bible) and the words it contains. Please give me two copies, that I may take them to my native country. One of them I mean to give to my brother, who is a Christian, and the other I wish to keep for myself.'

The caravan went only as far as Mackkaly, the former capital of the late King John. From there we had still three weeks to Debra Tabor, our destination. We knew that the country was very unsafe, but putting our confidence in God, we went on by ourselves, and taking the way through Sokota, reached our families and friends in safety. Once we were stopped on the way, and all our luggage was searched through; however, when the people found nothing but books, we were soon set at liberty.

"There was great joy amongst our people when we arrived. All our relatives, friends, and fellowChristians came together and thanked God with us, that He had brought us back into their midst. One person only was disappointed, and that was Mr. Argawi's wife. Poor woman! When she saw that her husband was not with us, she at once began to weep and lament, she threw dust upon her head, and scratched her face with her finger nails. She thought her husband was dead. We assured her that it was not so, and also explained to her why her husband was not with us, having gone to Europe to see our father Flad, and to tell him, the Committee, and all our friends of our difficulties and sufferings. Finally she believed, but it took a long time till she calmed down. She is staying at Abu Hara, with Hiob Negusie and Beleta (our agents). The latter is her uncle, and she and her boy are well taken care of. "Abu Hara is a little village near the Blue Nile. Part of the population are Falashas, and we have some proselyte families there. It is an out-of-theway place, which till now has not been touched by the Mahdists. (See the Map of Abyssinia in the February number),

'The brethren at Abu Hara (Hiob Negusie and Beleta are there), had the great joy to meet several of the proselyte families, who came over from Macha (a province on the other side of the blue Nile, and about a day's journey from Abu Hara).

"We had a happy day with them, read to them the Word of God, and comforted and cheered their hearts by speaking of our God and Father, who remembers His children when they are in distress. Before they returned to Macha, we gave them some money to help the distressed proselytes, for which they were very thankful. They begged us to come over and visit them. We should like to do so, and combine a missionary tour with the visit, but we are rather afraid to leave our families, because the rumour has spread that the Mahdists are planning a new invasion in May.

Sanbatu, Meherat, and Wondam Hooning Negusie are staying with the proselyte families at Debra Tabor. These families are all immigrated refugees from Dembea, the province in which our Mission stations are located.

"Since our arrival we have endeavoured to do some work among our scattered people. We gather our proselytes on Sundays and holy days, at the two places Debra Tabor and Abu Hara, and have services and prayers with them. Others we meet in the markets, which are held in different places. We live here, of course, like strangers, but we have often been cheered by the kindness of the people in this province.

The governors of Debra Tabor and Abu Hara have been very good to our wives and children, and during our absence have often supplied them with corn. We are very thankful for this, and should be so glal, if you could send them some small presents and a letter, that we may still enjoy their protection.

"Some priests of the Abyssinian Church also showed themselves friendly, and attended several of our services. One of these priests put the question to us: Why did God forbid Adam to eat of the fruit of the tree of life?'

fr

"We answered: God wanted to try Adam, in order to see whether he should be obedient,' where upon the priest replied: "You are right, my son.' and we added: We, too, if we disobey the voice of God, shall be condemned.' The priest said: 'Truly, what I have heard till now has little profited me, but your answer has helped me.'

"We spent some more time with him and showed him from many passages the way of salvation. Alas! the Word does not often meet with a good reception from these Abyssinian Christians, because they are too much bent upon useless disputations about the worship of the Virgin, the saints, and the feasts in commemoration of departed relatives. On such days regular banquets are arranged, and there is no end of eating and drinking.

Since we resumed our work, the Lord has given us the great joy of seeing three Falashas baptized. They live in our immediate neighbourhood, and we have invited and exhorted them to come regularly to our services on Sundays, The many

Saints' days, which every body is forced to observe in Abyssinia, offer us many opportunities of visiting our proselytes. We have built straw houses at Debra Tabor and Abu Hara, and gather the proselyte children into a school. We have also received two orphan boys, whose parents (proselytes) were killed by the Mahdists. Debtera Beroo's wife took one of the boys and gives him food.

"We have been cherishing the hope of returning to our own province Dembea, but the rumours about the Mahdists have cut off this hope. Even in this far-away place we do not seem to be safe, and we may yet be obliged to flee still more southward to Godjam. Just at present the state of things in the country seems pretty settled, and the ways are safe. We have had a good harvest (harvest time is from December to February), and in consequence of this the famine is on the decrease. Corn is again cheaper. We pay now one dollar for what we had to pay, two or three years ago, nine and ten dollars. We are thankful to God for this mercy. very "The proselyte families, who are now with us at Debra Tabor, and Abu Hara, form only a small part of those formerly gathered at our three stations in Dembea. The rest are scattered about in all directions. We have heard that a good many have settled down in the country of the Shangallas. These people are a heathen negro tribe, between the high land of Abyssinia and the Blue Nile. We feel sorry about our people there, as we are afraid their spiritual life will suffer among those heathen.

"The three loads of Scriptures and tracts, which Mr. Argawi gave us at Massauah, soon disappeared, when we had arrived among our people. With them we have been able to supply the men, who had lost their books during the flight, but we had not sufficient to satisfy all those, who begged for books and tracts.

"We thank you much for your valuable and precious letter of the 9th of January. We are ready to carry out your instruction and follow your counsels, but there can now, as you see yourself, be no question of our return into our own province, and to our respective work. Please have patience with

us.

We are people with whom one ought not to be grieved, but for whom one ought to have pity. Call, please, to your own remembrance and that of your friends, the many sufferings we have gone through, and the distress and danger we are still

WORK AMONGST THE JEWESSES IN BUCHAREST.

HE Society's Missionary in Bucharest, the Rev. J. Mühlenbruch, writes as follows about this most important branch of the work:-" The readers of the Intelligence will no doubt remember that, when I was in England in the spring of 1892, I pleaded hard for a lady helper, who should give up her whole time to carry the Gospel message of a loving Saviour to the benighted Jewesses-to gather round her in classes the grown up girls who have left school and entered some business or other-and to visit them in their homes. After my return to Bucharest I was very glad to meet with a suitable lady in the person of Mrs. Oczeret, the widow of the late Rev. L. Oczeret, the Society's Missionary at Safed. She arrived at Bucharest on the 16th of December, 1892, and entered at once with heart and soul upon her most difficult but blessed work. Jewesses have souls, though the Jews teach that they have not. It is therefore our bounden duty to look them up, to acquaint them with Christian truths and to tell them of the way of salvation. The women are in many cases more bigoted than the men, because it is believed among them that they can only get to heaven by the righteousness of their husbands, and if not married, by that of their fathers and brothers. They are therefore most anxious to keep their male relations from becoming Christians, and from reading Christian books. The wives anxiously guard their husbands, the mothers their sons, and the sisters their brothers. Many a man has been kept back by his wife from embracing Christianity, and from reading the New Testament and controversial books. A certain Jew once said to me: 'I should like to come to your services, for I believe that Christianity is true, and should like to be baptized, if it were not for my wife; she is dead against it.' Another man has been a believer in Christ for many years, but fears to make a public confession by baptism on account of his wife and daughters. The owner of a

bring him a New Testament, "But," said he, "watch your opportunity, and do not come when my wife is there, she would take away the book and burn it.' A young man at Jassy became convinced about six years ago by reading tracts, and especially the New Testament. He was at first a courageous youth, and, though not baptized, publicly tried to convince the Jews that Jesus of Nazareth is the true Messiah. His mother did all she could to draw him from his faith in Christ; she travelled with him to Buhus, and consulted the 'wonder-working' Rabbi there. Once

she turned him out of her house on a cold winter's night, and he travelled on foot to the next town. Then his mother felt remorse for her harshness and brought him back. In all these trials the young man remained firm in his faith, and when the mother saw that neither her kindness nor her severity availed anything, she made a last attempt by opening a business for him and getting him married, hoping that the worldly prospects and the wife would hinder his becoming a Christian. The mother was not wrong in her conjectures, for she has prevented him from taking that

married they find it next to impossible to make a stand.

"The Jewish women are not only very bigoted but are also extremely ignorant in religious matters. Bigotry and ignorance always go hand in hand. Of their own Scriptures they know next to nothing, and of their religious rites and feasts most of them have only a vague idea. It is startling, but a fact, that many Jewesses of Bucharest and Roumania do not know why and when the Feast of the Passover was instituted! When I visited Galatz on my Missionary tour I asked

step these six years. It has not uprooted his faith, neither has it choked the word in his heart, for he still reads the Bible and prays; but his wife and mother watch him carefully, and he is like a bird with clipped wings, moaning and sighing under his yoke. There are other instances like it, and the female sex have a greater influence upon the men than is generally supposed. Unattached young men can flee away and escape, unless they are caught in a trap like the young man at Jassy, but as soon as they are

a Jewess, the wife of a photographer-it being the last day but one of the Feast of Tabernacles-whether she could tell me why the Jews celebrate that feast, and why it was instituted by God. She answered frankly, without so much as blushing, that she did. not know anything about those things. Their forefathers had kept the feast and so did they now, but why and wherefore was nothing to her; that was for the learned men to know. I expressed my surprise that she knew nothing about her religion,

and offered to sell her a Bible, but was informed that she could neither read nor write! This case is only one of very many, for most of the elder women do not know their a. b. c. As bigotry among them is so strong, and ignorance so great, and as most of them are somewhat dull of understanding, it is a very difficult task to teach them anything; and one has often to travel over the same ground again and again before they seem to grasp the smallest truth concerning the kingdom of heaven and its righteousness. In business, worldly affairs, pleasures, or gossip of the place, they are quite au fait It is, therefore, not an easy task to sow the good seed in the hearts of Jewesses, and it requires a great deal of tact, patience, and perseverance; and above all it requires that the workers, as well as the friends of the cause, should lift up holy hands and continue instant in prayer. Only when the Almighty speaks His powerful "Ephphatha" will they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and believe and be saved. Will not all ladies who read these lines make it a special object to plead with God through Christ for the poor Jewesses in general, and especially for the work amongst them in Bucharest?

Besides prayer, however, another important item is needed in carrying on Missionary work. If you pray for the work of the labourer you must al-o ask God to provide the means for his maintenance. The labourer is worthy of his hire; for he must live. The salary for the lady-helper in Bucharest for one year was raised by the extra voluntary contributions of a few friends; but it is difficult, and falls hard upon a few, to collect the sum required. I would, therefore, propose and beg all ladies who read these lines to contribute something, if only one shilling towards it. And whoever has the will is kindly asked to send in the contribution soon, the first year having nearly expired. I would, however, ask friends not to let the General Fund of the Society suffer by this appeal, as the Committee require all they can obtain for their most extensive and blessed work in three parts of the world.

"Mrs. Oczeret has succeeded in gathering round her quite a number of Jewish girls, as the illustration shows. They are grown up, some have left our School, and are employed all the week in shops. Every Saturday morning they come to the Mission premises, when Mrs. Oczeret gives them a French lesson from 9.30 to 10.30, and after that they invariably all remain for our German service for adult Jews, which lasts till half-past eleven. In the afternoon, at 2 o'clock, they come again for English and German lessons, and whilst Mrs. Oczeret takes some for their

lesson, Mrs. Mühlenbruch goes with the rest into the Chapel and sings Christian hymns with them, of which they are immensely fond, asking for one hymn after another. After the lessons Mrs. Oczeret has a Bible Class, which nearly all the girls attend. It is no doubt a blessed work.

"On the other days of the week Mrs. Oczeret visits the girls and their parents, and other Jewesses with whom she has come into contact. Her circle of acquaintances is widening almost every week.

The following are a few extracts from her weekly journals-Went to see Mrs. R-, and stayed for an hour and a quarter. Read to her St. John i. and explained it, trying to make clear to her the plan of salvation. She listened very attentively, having her eyes fixed upon me all the time. Two of her girls were present and they said they understood everything. I explained why the Jews are dispersed and persecuted, and read several passages from the Old Testament. She said she believed all that Isaiah had written, and that a time will come when all Jews will worship our Lord as their Messiah. She herself would like to become a Christian.

"Mrs. M-, whom I had visited the other day came to-day to the evening service with her invalid son. I talked to them after the service and promised to get some tracts and a New Testament for the young man.

"Visited Mrs. M——, and read and explained to her the 21st Chapter of St. Luke. She listened very attentively and seemed to understand. May God send conviction to the hearts and minds of these poor benighted souls. She exclaimed, weeping, 'How can I go to heaven, when I am so poor and can do no good?' I explained to her that only Christ can save, and that He said, how much more likely the poor are to enter the kingdom of heaven than the rich.

"This afternoon Mrs. Mühlenbruch kindly took me to see Mrs. F-- a woman who is not far from the kingdom of God, and who has been for some time. under her special care. We found her at home and

her sister with her. We soon turned to religious topics, Mrs. F. assented to everything, whilst her sister contradicted now and then. We encouraged Mrs. F. not to give up her husband in despair, but to go on praying for him. She makes a very good impression with her simple childlike faith.

"Called this morning upon the family R-, who seemed delighted to see me. The mother expressed her gratitude for being able to send her girls to the Mission School and to the Saturday classes. She also mentioned that they had been visited by Mr. and Mrs. Mühlenbruch.

"Visited Mrs. K, and had a long and, I hope, profitable conversation with her. A grown-up