SABBATH-KEEPERS IN CHINA.
By M. E. Cornell
The Ti-ping Revolution—The Revolutionists’ Christian Commandment-Keepers. THEIR MISSIONARY OPERATIONS.
With his few followers, he (Sui-tshuen) now experienced the usual worldly effects of devout opposition to the sinful and idolatrous practices of his neighbors. Hung and his friends lost their scholastic employment and became very poor. Unable longer to maintain themselves at home, they determined to visit other districts and preach the true doctrine. Hung, Fung-yun-san, and two other friends, left their native villages and started upon a proselyting mission to the independent tribes of Miau-tze. Passing through a village of Hung’s relatives, the Le family, they converted and baptized several of them. Afterward Hung-jin was engaged as teacher at this place, and in course of time baptized upward of fifty persons. “Sui-tshuen and his friends continued their journey; everywhere preaching the new doctrine, teaching men to worship the one God, Jehovah, who sent his Son to atone for the sins of the world; and in every place they found some willing to accept their words. Hung at last reached the village of his cousin Wang, and at this place preached with such devout eloquence as not only to convert hundreds to Christianity, but to cause many to believe that he and Yun-san were descended from Heaven to preach the true doctrine.” “Fung-yun-san was moved to continue teaching the gospel; . . . he remained preaching by the roadside. Meeting with some workmen he knew, he journeyed with them to a place called Thistle Mount, where, assisting them in their work, he at the same time taught them the way to immortal life. Some of the workmen, convinced by Yun-san’s preaching, went to their employer and informed him. The master engaged Yun-san as teacher of his school, and was himself soon baptized. Yun-san remained in the neighborhood of Thistle Mount several years, and preached with great zeal and success; so that a large number of persons, whole families of various surnames and clans, were baptized. They formed congregations among themselves, gathering together for religious worship, and became soon extensively known under the name of ‘the congregation of the worshipers of God.’” “After a journey of much suffering, by reason of his poverty, Sui-tshuen, at last again reached the abode of his cousin Wang. He soon heard of Yun-san’s earnest and successful career at ‘Thistle Mount’; and, rejoicing, joined him, preaching the gospel and teaching everywhere.” “These primitive Christians soon numbered two thousand, and were increasing day by day. Rapidly the surrounding country came under the influence of the new doctrine. Men of great influence, and graduates of the first and second degrees, with great numbers of their clans, joined the congregation.” “Hung-sui-tsuen, upon his arrival, immediately replaced their former books with copies of the Bible he had brought from Canton, reserving only such parts as were of the New Testament.” “In the department of Siang, Kwang-se, an idol named ‘Kan-wang-ye’ had long been celebrated, the natives far and near believing in its power. Sui-tshuen, becoming acquainted with their grossly superstitious and ignorant veneration for this idol, was greatly enraged, and, with three friends, started for the temple. Reaching the place, they found the idol of a dreadful and imposing aspect; nothing daunted, Sui-tshuen with a stick dashed the idol to pieces, destroying its fine raiment and the vessels of spices and incense.” “When the people became aware of this desecration of their idol, they set about apprehending the perpetrators. A young boy becoming, as they thought, possessed by the demon, told them not to molest the destroyers. The people therefore desisted, and this event greatly advanced the reputation of Hung-sui-tsuen, soon leading to an important addition to his followers. The iconoclastic zeal thus introduced was quickly followed up by the destruction of many images.” “About this time—the latter part of 1848—66Hung-sui-tsuen’s father died, at the age of seventy-three. He had long given over the errors of idolatry, and had received Christian baptism. Upon his death-bed he admonished his children, saying: ‘After my decease, you must not call any Buddhist priests, or perform any heathen ceremonies, but merely worship God, and pray to him.’” SPIRITUAL GIFTS AMONG THEM.
“At the end of 1848, Hung-sui-tsuen and his friend Fung-yun-san left the congregation of God-worshipers at Thistle Mount, and returned to their homes. Upon their arrival, they were joyfully received by the God-worshipers. They now heard of singular occurrences having taken place among the brethren during their absence. It appeared that often while engaged in prayer, one or other of them was seized by a sort of fit, and, falling to the ground in a state of ecstasy, was moved by the spirit and uttered extraordinary words of exhortation, reproof, or prophecy. The more remarkable of these rhapsodies were noted down, and reserved for the inspection of Hung-sui-tsuen. Those he principally pronounced as true were uttered by one Yang-sui-tshin, who afterward became one of the principal Ti-ping chiefs. This same Yang was said to possess the power of healing sickness by intercession for the afflicted, many having been cured in a wonderful manner, after prayer to God.” “Hung-sui-tsuen compelled his followers to observe strict order, and although Fung-yun-san was the original chief founder of the congregation, they all with one accord acknowledged the superiority of the former; electing him as their leader as well for his personal merit as his extraordinary ability to command and organize a strict discipline among so heterogeneous a multitude as themselves.” “At this time, Hung prohibited the use of opium, and even tobacco and all intoxicating drinks, and the Sabbath was religiously observed. About the same period he sent to Kwang-tung for his whole family, giving as his reason that a pestilence would shortly visit the earth and carry off the unbelievers. Singularly enough, some parts of Kwang-se were visited by a malignant distemper, whereby the number of his adherents was greatly increased, many believing they escaped disease merely by joining the God-worshipers.” “Sui-tshuen and Yun-san at this period left ‘Thistle Mount,’ and retired to the privacy of a friend’s house situated in a mountainous recess. The Manchoo soldiers were sent against them here; but, afraid to enter the glen, contented themselves with blockading the pass, sure of the ultimate capture of the inmates. At this critical moment it is reported that Yang-sui-tshin, in a state of ecstasy, revealed to the brethren of Thistle Mount the impending danger of their beloved chiefs, and exhorted them to hasten to their rescue. A considerable body marched against the soldiers who watched the pass, routed them with ease, and Sui-tshuen and Yun-san were carried off in triumph.” “We were always received with such kindness and hospitality that every house in Nankin became our home.” “I shall ever remember with feelings of the liveliest pleasure the first few days I spent with the Ti-pings at Soo-chow. I could not move through the streets without experiencing the excessive friendliness of these warm-hearted converts to Christianity and civilization, thousands of whom were afterward destroyed by a nation whose religion and civilized institutions they were earnestly striving to imitate.” “The kindness I experienced was disinterested, genuine, and without a motive. All I saw of the Ti-pings, their earnest religious enthusiasm, patriotism, and generally noble sentiments, impressed me seriously. Before leaving Soo-chow, I became warmly attached to their cause, than which—all my future intercourse has convinced me—a more righteous, or holy, never existed upon earth.” “When about to leave Nankin, Mr. Holmes writes:— “‘On Wednesday we had determined to return. On announcing our intention, we were entreated to remain a few days longer. He (Chang-wang) also invited me to come back again, and bring with me my family, offering to give me a place in his own house.’” “The name of Almighty God, the Father, is elevated three spaces; that of Jesus Christ is raised two spaces; and the imperial name and titles of Tae-ping-wang himself are lowered one degree from the customary position.” “The Chang-wang was considered the most learned and accomplished man in the Ti-ping ranks, and hence his title, ‘Accomplished Prince.’ His modest and unpretending manner, politeness, and education, made him one of the most agreeable of companions. . . . The Rev. Griffith John, describing his visit to Nankin, wrote:— “‘The Chang-wang at Nankin begged of me to inform the foreign brethren, for him, that the following are his views: You have had the gospel for upwards of 1800 years; we only as it were eight days. Your knowledge of it ought to be correct and extensive; ours must necessarily be limited and imperfect. You must therefore bear with us for the present, and we will gradually improve.’” The Ti-ping chief proclaimed that “henceforth all you soldiers and officers may designate us as your lord, and that is all; but you must not call me holy, lest you encroach upon the designation of our Heavenly Father and Celestial Elder Brother.” “Although not even a shadow of an effort was made by Admiral Hope, or any other British authority, to fulfill the pledges given on the part of England, with an almost incredible forbearance and good faith, the Ti-pings to the very day, nay, nearly to the very hour, faithfully, but entirely to their own prejudice, refrained from any attack upon Shanghae.” “Not a single case is upon record in which the Ti-pings have ever retaliated upon European life or property when they might have done so with every justification.” “In the villages around San-li-jow, I particularly noticed the exactitude with which the Ti-ping soldiers paid the country people for everything they required. I was told by one that a soldier dare not so much as take an egg without paying for it; and the villagers all stated it was ‘good trade’ with the Ti-pings, because they gave a better price than the Imperialists.” The Bishop of Victoria thus writes of them:— “Throughout their long line of march, for 1,500 miles, over fertile and populous districts, plunder, murder, and rape, the usual attendant curses of Asiatic warfare, were denounced, and punished by death. With more than Puritanical strictness, they waged an internecine war with the most dearly cherished sensual habits of their countrymen. The ten moral rules of the decalogue were enforced, and a stricter interpretation attached to its terms. Amorous glances, libidinous songs, and all the common incentives to profligacy, were prohibited and abandoned. The drinking of wine, the smoking of tobacco, gambling, lying, swearing, and above all, indulgence in the fumes of opium, were denounced and abolished with a moral determination which permitted no half measures.” “In contradistinction to the Manchoos, the marriage knot, when once tied, can never be unloosed; therefore, the custom of putting away a wife at pleasure or selling her—as in vogue among the Chinese—or the proceedings of the British court of divorce, has found no favor in their sight.” “Every woman in Ti-pingdom must either be married, the member of a family, or an inmate of one of the large institutions for unprotected females existing in most of their principal cities, and superintended by proper officials—no single women being allowed in their territory otherwise. This law is to prevent prostitution, which is punishable with death, and is one which has certainly proved very effective; for such a thing is unknown in any of the Ti-ping cities.” “Woman is by the Ti-pings recognized in her proper sphere as the companion of man; the education and development of her mind is equally well attended to; her duty to God is diligently taught, and in ordinary worship she takes her proper place; many of the women are zealous and popular teachers and expounders of the Bible; in fact everything is done to make her worthy of the improved position she has attained by reason of the Ti-ping movement.” “The institutions for unprotected women are presided over by duly appointed matrons, and are particularly organized and designed to educate and protect those young girls who lose their natural guardians, or those married women whose husbands are away upon public duty, and who have no relations to protect and support them.” Hung-sui-tsuen, in remarks on the seventh commandment, says:— “Among the sons and daughters of the Celestial Hall (place of worship), the males are on one side and the females on the other, and are not allowed to intermix. Should either men or women practice lewdness, they are considered outcasts, as having offended against one of the chief commands of Heaven. The casting of amorous glances, the harboring of lustful imaginations . . . or the singing of libidinous songs, must all be considered as breaches of this command.” “The Ti-pings have abolished the horrible custom of cramping and deforming the feet of women. . . . All children born since the earliest commencement of the Ti-ping revolution have the natural foot. This great benefit to the women, their consequent improved appearance, and the release of the men from the tail-wearing, shaven-headed badge of former slavery, form the two most conspicuous of their distinguishing habits, and cause the greatest difference and improvement in their personal appearance.” “The greatest physical comfort to the women is their enjoyment of natural feet and the ability to move about as they wish. . . . It is utterly impossible to describe a more striking contrast than that presented in the walk and carriage of two women, one having the compressed, and the other natural feet; the former, even when standing still has a very unsteady appearance, but when stumbling along with the usual uncertain tottering gait, apparently in danger of rolling over at every step, the crippling custom excites the utmost disgust and the greatest commiseration of its victims.” THEIR PROCLAMATION AGAINST THEIR OPPRESSORS.
“Ever since the Manchoos have spread their poisonous influence through China, the flame of oppression has risen up to Heaven, and the vapor of corruption has defiled the celestial throne, the offensive odor has spread over the four seas and the demoniacal influence has distressed surrounding regions; while the Chinese, with bowed heads and dejected spirits, willingly became the servants of others. How strange that there are no men in China! China is the head, Tartary is the feet; China is the land of spirits, Tartary the land of demons. Why may China be deemed the land of spirits? Because the true Spirit, the great God our Heavenly Father, made heaven and earth, the land and the sea, and the Chinese honor him; therefore from of old China has been termed the land of spirits. Why are the Tartars to be considered demons? Because the devilish serpent, the king of hades, is a corrupt demon, and the Tartars have been in the habit of worshiping him.” “But alas! the feet have assumed the place of the head, and demons have usurped the land of spirits; while they have constrained our Chinese people to become demons like themselves. If all the bamboos of the southern hills were to be used as pens, they would not be enough to detail the obscenities of these Tartars. . . . The Chinese have a form peculiarly their own; but these Manchoos have commanded them to shave the hair round their heads, and wear a long tail behind, thus causing the Chinese to assume the appearance of brute animals. The Chinese have a dress peculiar to themselves, but these Manchoos have caused them to wear knobs on their heads, with Tartar clothes and monkey caps, while they discard the robes and head-dresses of former dynasties, thus causing them to forget their origin. The Chinese have their own laws and regulations; but the Manchoos have manufactured devilish enactments, so that our Chinese people cannot escape the meshes of their net. . . . The Chinese have their own language, but the Manchoos have introduced the slang of the capital, designing thus to seduce the Chinese by their Tartar brogue.” The following references to Chinese history are found in one of Hung-sui-tsuen’s published works:— “The Chinese in early ages were regarded by God: together with the foreign States they walked in one way. From the time of Pwan-koo, down to the three dynasties, they honored God as history records. T’hang of the Shang dynasty, and Wan of the Chow, honored God with the intensest feeling. The inscription on T’hang’s bathing-tub inculcated daily renovation of mind, and God commanded him to assume the government of the empire. Wan was very respectful, and intelligently served God; so that the people who submitted to him were two out of every three. When Tsin obtained the empire he was infatuated with genii, and the nation has been deluded by the devil for the last two thousand years. Suen and Woo of the Han dynasty both followed this bad example. When Woo arrived at old age, he repented of his folly, and lamented that from his youth up he had always followed the wrong road. Ming of the Han dynasty, welcomed the institutions of Buddha and set up temples and monasteries to the great injury of the country. But Hwang of the Sung dynasty was still more mad and infatuated, for he changed the name of the Shang-te (God) into that of Yuh-hwang (the pearly emperor). But the great God is the supreme Lord over all the world, the great Father in Heaven. His name is most honorable, to be handed down through distant ages; who was this Hwang, that he dared to alter it? From Hwang of the Sung dynasty up to the present day, for these seven hundred years, men have sunk deeper and deeper in error. With the doctrine of God they have not been acquainted, while the king of hades has deluded them to the utmost. God loves the upright, and he hates the vicious; little children, be careful to avoid error. The great God sees everything; if you wish to enjoy happiness, refine and correct yourselves.” ASTONISHING APATHY OF ENGLISH MISSIONARIES TO CHINA.
“When the statements of the various missionaries are perused it must be wondered how it is that those who have been sent to China through the Christian generosity of the British public, have never yet attempted to succor or guide aright the great Christian revolution. The Bishop of Victoria, the Revs. Griffith John, Muirhead, Edkins, Mills, Milne, Lobschied, Lambath, and many others too numerous to mention, have rejoiced in the most eloquent terms about the Ti-pings, have partially approved, and criticised their acts, when sending their reports to England. What have they done to assist those who have ‘entreated’ them, as Mr. Holmes, the Baptist missionary, was entreated, to come and teach the word of God? Absolutely nothing!” “Last year, it was estimated that the whole number of Protestant Christian converts in China, the result of more than thirty years of missionary labor, was some 1,400, and these included all the employees of the different mission establishments, many of whom, I have good reason to know, have an amount of faith similar to that of the Portuguese rice Christians of Macao, who, not long since, struck in a body, and told the priests they would not be Christians any longer, unless they received another quarter of a catty more rice per day! England sends more missionaries among the poor benighted heathen than any other nation; yet the work of all she has sent to China put together will not equal the proselytes of one Jesuit!” “What excuse can missionaries give for their surprising negligence of the Ti-ping rebellion? Can it be that ministers of the gospel egotistically preferred their 1,400 converts to the 70,400,000 and upwards, of those who might have become Christians under the Ti-ping authority during 1861–62, had our missionaries helped them, and our government permitted them to exist? Of course not! Well then, why? Let the British officials who prevented the few missionaries who would have gone to the Ti-pings, reply for them, and those who would not go at all, reply for themselves. Their reasons must indeed be plausible to find approbation. If the Ti-pings were very bad, all the more occasion for teaching them; if very good, how is it the missionaries allowed them to be sacrificed without protest? In all probability, no reply would be given; but the conduct of the British consuls at Canton, Ningpo, and Shanghae, affords the true answer, as far as those missionaries who were willing to preach the gospel to the Ti-pings are concerned. At Canton they were refused passports to the territory of the insurgents. At Ningpo the missionaries were withdrawn from that city when it was captured by the Ti-pings, as Mr. Consul Hervey states in his despatch of Dec. 31, 1861, to Mr. Bruce: ‘I would here state that with a view of avoiding needless discussions with the insurgents, I thought it best to desire our missionaries to abandon the city.’” “Captain Corbett, R.N., writes to Admiral Hope from Ningpo on the 20th Dec., 1861: ‘The missionaries are gradually removing out of the city. I thought it my duty to remonstrate with them against remaining where, in the event of any difficulty arising between ourselves and the Ti-pings, they would prove a source of great embarrassment to us.’” “Why all this anxiety to force the missionaries away from their duty? To get them out of the way before the commencement of the hostilities already decided upon, seems the only answer!” “At Shanghae Mr. Consul Medhurst has interfered with the missionary work; but, above all, Mr. Bruce’s regulations actually prohibit the communication of missionaries or any other British subject with the Ti-pings; in consequence of which, I was compelled to smuggle the Rev. W. Lobschied up to Nankin in May, 1862.” “It will thus be seen, the teaching of the word of God and the spreading of the gospel unto the uttermost ends of the earth has in China been made subservient to official intrigue. This may somewhat explain the extraordinary apathy of missionaries.” “Whatever may have been the benefit of missions hitherto, their wanton, cruel sacrifice of the greatest Christian movement this world has ever witnessed has dimmed their glory with a shadow all time cannot remove; it is even needless to blame them for neglecting the innumerable and less favorable points of the Ti-ping religion—the grand and unalterable fact was the possession of the whole Bible as their only faith, and the hitherto unparalleled free circulation of it by the martyred revolutionists.” “I shall ever regret that, while missionaries are sent with exhaustless munificence into parts67that will not even profess Christianity, to the Ti-pings—under whose authority millions have professed and accepted the Scriptures with an enthusiasm and firmness of purpose never excelled—not one has been sent or volunteered to go.” ENGLAND HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEFEAT OF THE TI-PINGS.
“In writing this work I have been prompted by feelings of sympathy for a worthy, oppressed, and cruelly wronged people; as well as by a desire to protest against the evil foreign policy which England, during the last few years, had pursued toward weak powers, especially in Asia.” “As a talented writer has just proved, ‘It is not once nor yet twice, that the policy of the British government has been ruinous to the best interests of the world. It is not once, nor yet twice that British deeds have aroused the indignation and horror of highly civilized and half-civilized races.’” “Can we look upon our acquisition of India, of our old American colonies, of New Zealand and the Cape of Good Hope annexations, &c., or our wars with China, Burmah, Japan, and last, though not least, our war upon the Ti-ping Christian revolution, without remembering the fate of the mighty empire of Imperial Rome?” In connection with this subject I cannot forbear quoting the following extract from a letter written by the Bishop of Victoria to the Archbishop of Canterbury, dated Hong-Kong, May 23, 1853, and in which, referring to the Ti-ping revolution, he states:— “‘And if Britain, and, above all, Britain’s church, neglect the call, and arise not to her high behest as the ambassadress of Christ and the heraldess of the cross among the Eastern empires, then the page of history will hereafter record the melancholy fact that, . . . Britain, wielding the mightiest scepter of the ocean, and ruling the vastest colonial empire of the world, failed to consecrate her talents to Christ, and ingloriously intent on mere self-aggrandizement and wealth, fell from her exalted seat in merited ignominy and shame.’” “The Chinese Christian patriots have still a chance of successfully defending themselves, and they have strong hope, for their chiefs have repeatedly said, ‘The Mings took a hundred years to found their dynasty, and possibly so may we; but most assuredly, sooner or later, we shall expel the Tartars, and succeed; for the Heavenly Father is with us, and who can triumph against him.’” “Let us trust that, phœnix-like, the Ti-pings may arise from the ashes of their former glory and yet succeed . . . that they may again print and widely circulate the Holy Bible, which throughout all their former territory, British bayonets and Manchoo torches have for a time destroyed, and that England will not have to answer for the sin of crushing the first Christian movement in modern Asia, and the last apparent opportunity of Christianizing and liberating China.” “While looking forward hopefully to the future of the Ti-pings, because the cause of liberty is theirs, and the cause of the gospel is theirs also, let it be remembered (as applying to the former phase) that a great man has said:— “‘For freedom’s battle once begun,
Bequeathed by bleeding sire to son,
Though baffled oft, is ever won.’” “And let it be remembered (as applying to the latter phase) that the Ti-ping movement was originated through acceptance of the gospel, and that to comfort those who are persecuted for its sake, it is therein declared: ‘We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.’” “The New York Herald’s China correspondent, under date of Feb. 22, 1864, says, Mr. Roberts’ statement, briefly, is this: ‘His proper name is Hong, but he assumed the title of Thae-ping-wang, meaning Great Prince of Peace, after he started the revolution. In 1837, some one gave him a religious book printed in Chinese. For about eleven years nothing was heard of him. In 1848, he applied to Mr. Roberts for baptism; who required that he should state in writing, who he was, where he was born, who his family was, from whom he received his religious instruction, &c., which he did, evincing so much wonderful knowledge of the true doctrine of Christianity that Mr. Roberts would not believe that he could be sincere; for he displayed a familiarity with principles which are not often taught to heathen, and not knowing that he had ever had a book, he (Mr. Roberts) at once rejected his application, as one made by an impostor.’” “Mr. Roberts, Dec. 31, 1853, says, ‘A copy of Matthew and Genesis has just come to hand from Nanking, printed and published under his (Thae-ping-wang’s) own directions, without note or comment, and approved for circulation by the stamp of his own seal on the first page. Several hundred block cutters and printers are said to be engaged by him in this good work. . . . Thousands are now reported as believing, and are only waiting the arrival of missionaries to gather the harvest. Several thousand persons in Kwang-si, where this movement commenced, are said to have cast away their idols, and have believed in the Lord Jesus. Thus the witness with me testifies; he has been there. But, above all, that which caps the climax, Thae-ping-wang himself, has kings, counselors, generals, and adherents, perhaps to the number of several hundred thousand, perhaps a million, of men and women, have cast off their idols, and profess to believe in the one living and true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who made heaven and earth, and daily worship him. Is not this the moral, the religious sublime? It will be marked in history as one of the wonders of the world. But more, they have written and circulated religious tracts, and are now printing and circulating our Holy Scriptures, without note or comment.’—Messiah’s Throne, pp. 304, 305.” STILL FURTHER INFORMATION.
A writer in the North China Herald, 1874, says:— “There now exists, in the southern border of the province of Shangtung (China) a peculiar society, or sect, who profess to have received their doctrine originally from the west. They are known as the ‘Nameless Sect.’” “They have a knowledge of an invisible, omnipresent, almighty Being, whom they worship. This god whom they worship is known among them by three names—the living Buddha of the West, the One not born of father or mother, and the Heavenly Father—all meaning and pointing to the one God, who is eternal. They do not worship idols. Each member of this sect repeats daily a hymn or moral discourse, in which such sentiments as the following occur: ‘Do not injure others in order to benefit yourself,’ ‘Abstain from evil thoughts, words, or deeds,’ ‘Let none covet earth’s pleasures, but set your hearts firmly on the Heavenly Paradise.’” THEIR SYSTEMATIC BENEVOLENCE.
“Every member of the sect is expected to contribute money according to his ability, but there is no compulsion, and each one is left to determine for himself the amount of his contribution. These contributions are paid to the leader under whose guidance the members contributing may be at the time. The aggregate amount contributed by the members is paid to the highest officer of the district, who takes the whole amount west, and pays it again to another, who is supposed in turn to take it still further west, and pay it over to the proper person, and so on until it reaches its final destination. It is a little singular, but no one appears to know what use is to be made of this money, or just where its final destination is.” SECRET MEETINGS, NUMBERS, WHEREABOUTS, &C.
“Since the severe persecutions which this sect have encountered from the government, their religious rites and ceremonies, and all matters pertaining to their church discipline, have been conducted in secret; so that those who are not members do not know what is done or who are members of the sect. When the leader goes on his regular visits, the converts, like the early Christians in times of persecution, meet in the house of some brother, men and women together, where they join in silent, solemn devotion. The leader then exhorts them to be faithful, admonishes and instructs them. *” “This singular religious sect exists in great numbers throughout the eastern and southern borders of Shantung. They have shown a uniform spirit of kindness and friendliness toward the American Protestant missionaries who have visited them, and who have succeeded in gaining their confidence, and great numbers of them have eagerly embraced the doctrines of the Christian religion.” There is little doubt that this “nameless sect” is composed of the remnant of the persecuted Ti-pings, who are at this present time secretly encouraging each other, and waiting and hoping for deliverance in some way from their cruel oppression. May the Lord hasten it in his time. M. E. CORNELL.