IT IS VICTORY, NOT DEFEAT.
Dr. GRIFFITH JOHN is in no uncertainty about the future of missions in China: “Twelve out of the eighteen provinces,” he writes, “have been swept clean of missionaries; but here at Hankow, and in all the surrounding counties where we are at work, there has been no suspension. Christians have been meeting for worship as usual; hospital work has gone on, and our day-schools have never been closed. Till a fortnight ago the daily preaching was carried on regularly, but when the officials suggested that it would be advisable to suspend this branch of the work for the present, we thought it only right to meet their wishes. I do not take a desponding view of the future—quite the reverse. There are glorious days before us. I am amazed to hear that people are talking about giving up the work in China. They must be mad. Our prospects to-day are vastly brighter than they were six years ago. At that time I was beginning to despond. I do not despond now. My heart is full of eager expectation.”—Missionary Review.