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:

Druze woman.-Eight months. Mrs B.-What have you done for them?

Druze woman.-At first I did not do anything, but after a while, they getting very bad, I went to an Arab doctor. They were covered with a film then, but I could see some. The doctor cut off the film with a pair of scissors, and put in kohl, and said I must drink no water for several days, and keep the kohl on all the time. This made them much worse, and now I cannot see at all.

Here she beat upon her breast, and groaned out, "Oh, my children!" Mrs B. - Where are your children?

Druze woman. -With their father. Mrs B.—Where is your husband, their father?

Woman.-(Beating her breast.)He has put me away, and takes the children; and my heart is turned to gall for them.

Woman.-Not yet.

Mrs B.-If your eyes should get

"No," ," said her brother, "that cannot be. According to the Druze religion, if a man puts away his wife, she is as dead to him and the children. But if her eyes should get well, he would repent bitterly of the step he has taken; for my sister is young, and beautiful as the moon, and very smart to work."

Mrs B.-Do you think that is a good religion that allows a man to treat his wife so? Just because your sister has been unable to work for eight months, he has put her for ever away, and will not suffer her to see her dear children, and does nothing for her support.

Druze man.-No, no! It is a bad religion, very bad; will not please God.

Mrs B.-Why, then, do you not forsake your "bad" religion, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, become His disciples, and thus get a religion that will please God and save your souls?

Druze man.—If God please, we shall all become Gospel readers, and

teach us the way, we would all become

Mrs B.-Not followers of us, but followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, I trust.

I examined the poor woman's eyes. The whole ball of both appeared to be covered with a very thick red film, with no appearance of the natural eye whatever.

"My poor sister,” said I, “I fear you will never see again; but I will try what I can do for you." Beating her breast, she exclaimed, "God bless you; God spare your husband; God spare your children, and establish your good deeds!"

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Mrs B.-I fear not. If I had seen you when your eyes first became sore, it would probably have been an easy matter to cure them.

The poor woman beat her breast in despair, and her brother murmured "Fate, Fate!"

Readers, think of the condition of a people who have such a religion, and divorce an innocent woman because Providence has afflicted her with blindness. The Druze women have no surety of their homes or their lives. What great reason has woman to be thankful for the Gospel!

Christian sisters, cease not to pray for the poor Druzes of Mount Lebanon.

Druze man.-Why does he not open a school at our village? We have long been asking for one.

Missions.

But sickness came, and all was changed. The priests said the missionaries were "disease makers,” and

stirred up the ignorant people to attack them. Savage bands of angry men gathered together. They burned the huts and plantations all around the mission-house, and by the light of the blazing wood, the missionaries could see the naked savages running up and down with fierce gestures. Daily the danger grew greater, and at length the missionaries had to flee for their lives. Fortunately, they had a boat, which they reached in safety. The teachers got into a canoe, and at midnight they set out on their voyage.

Gladly would they have steered their course to the friendly island of Aneitum, which was only thirty miles distant, but the wind was against them. Eromango was quite close at hand, but if they had gone there, the natives would most likely have killed them, and feasted on their bodies. They had nothing before them but a lingering death at sea, unless the wind should change and allow them to reach Aneitum. However, they had not much time to think of this, for a sudden storm came on, and drove them back to Tana! It seemed as if there was nothing but death for them, either on land or sea. They landed without being seen, and crept back to their house, which they reached before daybreak, no one having missed them.

The morning again brought the horrid sound of the war-whoop to

their ears-that fearful yell which is enough to make the bravest heart tremble. But along with the savage war-whoop, another cry was heard— the joyful one of "Sail, ho!" That ship was their deliverer; the captain kindly took them on board at once, and they went with him to Samoa.

They were followed to the ship by the Christian natives, who, with tears in their eyes, begged them not to leave them. The teachers promised to return as soon as it should be more safe, and with this promise they left Tana.

Two years after, the native teachers returned. By this time, the people were ashamed of their violence, and promised to treat them well. “Only,” said they, "keep away the books; it was the books which caused all the trouble before."

You will wonder what the books had been doing. I must tell you

that the missionaries had set up a printing-press, which was one cause of the hatred of the heathen. The priests called the books, "the voice of the foreigners' God," and persuaded the people that if they touched them they would be bewitched.

Now that the teachers had been invited back to Tana, you will naturally suppose that the natives kept their promise to treat them well. And so they did, until fever and ague came;

and then the old cry was set up that it was the "new religious men who caused it," and again a persecution broke out, even more fierce than before.

One of the teachers was murdered while he was engaged in prayer. His companion says, "We know not what a day may bring forth. But they can only kill the body, our souls are in the hands of our Master in heaven." This man was attacked by a party of heathen; he folded his hands and said, "Lord Jesus, into Thy hands I commend my spirit!" His life was spared that day. The fierce warriors seemed to have been awe-struck by his Christian meekness.

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ness of the people, but we are not quite destitute of joy. Our work is a work of joy; and Jesus is fulfilling His word, 'Lo, I am with you always.' The work is growing here; we want more brethren here. I am now very ill. I cannot say what will befall me, whether I am to live or die. Oh, pray for Tana, and send us more help!"

He died soon after this letter was written; but his prayer was answered. The people of Tana were a good deal excited by hearing of the great changes which had taken place in Aneitum. A party of them resolved to visit it, and see for themselves if what they heard was true. So they went "without club or spear," and found that all was indeed true. They were so much impressed by what they saw, that they returned to Tana, to be helpers to the teachers, instead of opposing them as before.

Some of the Aneitum converts then came as teachers to Tana, as you read in the last chapter. The mission has prospered greatly, and when the "John Williams" next visits Tana, we hope to get still more cheering news of its

happy she looks!

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thing she is thinking about.

is it, little girl, that lights up your face with smiles?

"Well done, Mary!" says the minister; "how have you managed to fill your box so well?"

This is the day that the minister has agreed to meet the little children who have missionary boxes. They are all to take their boxes, and the minister will open them and see how much money there is in each, and then he will seal them up and give them back to the children, that they may begin again their work of filling them.

And then the kind minister, who loves the little lambs of his flock, will talk to the children about what is being done in heathen lands, and will show them how very much the money which they have given is wanted.

Would you like to go and stand by him, and watch, and hear what he says?

Here is little Mary, she has arrived first. See how her eyes sparkle as he takes the box. It is so full that you scarcely hear any sound when he shakes it. See, he opens it. What a number of coins! All copper? No, not all; there is a shilling; yes, and some six

hemmed handkerchiefs for my brothers, they have given me money to put in my box."

Here comes merry little Alfred. His box is nearly full too. His mamma has put in a halfpenny every time that he said his lessons without one mistake.

And now the children come crowding in. Some have a very little money in their boxes, only two or three pence; but the minister smiles on them all, for he is glad that they have tried, and he hopes they have done what they could.

"And now, dear little children," he says, "you have brought all this money for the Missionary Society, that is, you have brought it to buy Bibles, and to pay for teachers to instruct the poor heathen people, who do not know anything about Jesus Christ. How sad it is that, though for years and years missionaries have been trying to tell them about the Saviour, there are yet so many who never heard His name! It is because we can send so few