lid. It was pathetic to see poor little orphan Amy stand and watch them hammer together the coffin. She shed no tears, but said, "It was with my heart to cry."

Funeral service in the afternoon in the chapel. Miss Allen said she never heard anything in Zulu more beautiful than Mr. Bridgman's discourse. He commenced by speaking of the fact that a year ago that day there was a wedding (Miss Welch's). "To-day," he said, "there is another wedding. Thy Maker is thy husband." His text was, "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." Man thinks those blessed who live and prosper. God says blessed are the dead. His voice was husky with emotion. He spoke of Yona most affectionately. Seventeen years ago she came to the station a naked little heathen. From the day of her conversion no word has been spoken against her character. She has become refined, neat, brave. She went on that hard mission to Mashonaland, and there she lost her husband and baby. But even in this terrible sickness she expressed a desire to get well, and go back to that country again. I said a few words after Mr. B. The oxcart carried the ladies down to the grave. Mr. B. and I rode on horseback. We covered the coffin with palms, and while the men replaced the earth, sang some of the hymns we had sung Wednesday. It was a sweet and solemn time, and I felt that all the money and men spent in this whole Zulu mission were more than recompensed by the Christian life and death of this once dirty, superstitious little heathen. The memory of her life is precious, and many will mourn her death. Miss Moffat spoke the other day of knowing her through her father's letters. Her farther (a son of Robert Moffat) most kindly and gallantly escorted Yona over a part of the difficult road from Mashonaland.

[For the story of Yona's life, see Missionary Herald for January, 1890, page 37.-ED.]

JAPAN.

FROM MISS MEYER.

Those who have rejoiced in Miss Meyer's successful labors in the Sendai School for boys, will follow her with interest to her new work in Kyoto. Some of the causes of this change, as given by her in a letter to a friend, will throw light on some phases of missionary work.

PERHAPS you have already learned that the Sendai School, on which so many fond hopes were built, which was founded with so many earnest prayers, has really been compelled to banish the Bible from its curriculum.

The trustees were not only (most of them) not Christians, but some were violently opposed to Christianity. Public opinion was also hostile to it; so that when a fitting school was required for the higher middle school (college), it was proposed to build a new one rather than to utilize ours. The school was running in debt yearly. Mr. Neesima, the real founder, had died; Mr. Ichi-bara was in America, and even the Christian teachers felt that it would be better to drop the Bible as a textbook from the school (its study has never been compulsory). We missionaries, while strongly sympathizing with the teachers in their dilemma, felt that we could not do otherwise than resign. The trustees and native teachers did all in their power to keep us, even sending a delegate to mission meeting. It was finally decided that the two gentlemen should return, and as a kindness continue to aid in the school until they should be able to employ a foreigner, but that I should take the place formerly held by Miss White in the Kyoto Girls' School. On hearing this they sent the principal to Mount Hiei, where most of the mission were encamping, to urge my return to Sendai. He was told very kindly and sympathetically, but no less firmly, that the confessedly Christian schools have the first claim on our missionaries and teachers; so that the school at Kyoto had prior claim to that at Sendai. The decision was received in the right spirit, and I was treated royally on leaving. As that was the official closing of our connection with the school, we foreigners were convened, and in the presence of many invited guests, with much ceremony, each presented with a gold medal, in token of their appreciation of our work.

Only this evening I received a letter from Sendai, saying that the Christian students were meeting together for prayer, and to plan personal work among their non-Christian fellow-students. There are still a number of earnest Christians among the students, whose influence will be felt. I need not tell you it was hard for me to leave Sendai. The little church had grown up since I went there, and I had known the personal history of nearly every one, with the various stages through which they had come to a knowledge of the truth. Just before vacation six women had been baptized, after many prayers and a vast amount of teaching and helping. Still harder was it to part with some almost persuaded, whose progress I had watched anxiously for long months. But the call was unanimous, the path seemed clearly one of duty, and so I am at Kyoto.

Here all have been most kind, and my welcome, both from foreigners and natives, has been full of kindness. My heart is greatly drawn to the women and girls of Japan, and I am sure I shall greatly enjoy working here among them. My home friends may smile to learn that what at home always seemed to me very undesirable, should become my lot here; but I think it

will be easier to be Lady Preceptress over one hundred Japanese girls than over the same number of Americans. To take all possible precautions against the difficulties which loom up before me in this relation, I have asked for an Advisory Committee, consisting of both Japanese and foreigners.

As Miss White left Kyoto before my arrival, I have not been able to gain information from her as to the school and its various needs; and Miss Denton has been so worn out with the care of the sick, that she is not yet able to return. I count it very good fortune that I am with Miss Wainwright. She is very busy in her own department (music), but has made considerable progress in the language, and enjoys work outside.

Being thus out of my old work, and only beginning in the new, I am not able to give you much information, but hope before many months to be able to report some progress.

Extracts from a letter from Mrs. Gulick, of Kumamoto, Japan :—

SOON after our return from the mountain, we went to Fukuoka and other stations for a flying visit. We can go by railroad now, which is a very great help. Then on the 9th of October we started for a long tour to Hinga and Satsuma, and were gone nearly four weeks. We had good visits everywhere. Mr. Clark went with us to Hinga, and it was his, and my, first visit. Mr. Gulick introduced him to the people as the one who was to live among them and carry on the work. They welcomed him very warmly, while they seemed to have much affection for the missionary who, with great labor, has visited them twice a year for the last four years. Mr. Clark rented a house and returned to Osaka, where his family are, to wait until a passport for them to live in Hinga can be obtained. We came on through Satsuma and Southern Higo, stopping at all our outstations for one or two days. Soon after our return we went again to Fukuoka, to try and help restore harmony to the church, which has long been divided by a quarrel. I hope to send sometime a little fuller account of our trip, if I can get time to do so. The Bassetts are here, teaching in the boys' and girls' schools, and are very pleasant neighbors.

Miss Julia Gulick has gone to Kobe for the winter, to help Miss Dudley and Miss Barrows in the Women's Training School. They felt as if they must have more help, and urged their need so hard, that she consented to go for the term, until the end of March. We miss her very much, but are glad for her that she can be in the old home, in a warm, comfortable house this winter.

I am happy to say that, at last, house building is about to commence here

in Kumamoto. Mr. Sidney Gulick and the ladies are to build right away. Our Japanese friends have come to the point when they think it safe to build. It is too late for us, however, for as we are planning for a vacation, to begin next fall, we gave up our house grant, so that when we leave here we shall store our things, and be without a home.

Mr. Harada has returned to Japan, and is now in Kumamoto, visiting his mother. He took dinner with us to-day. He has improved very much by his trip abroad, and will, we hope, be a power for good in Tokyo, where he is to be. He preached a good sermon in our church last Sunday evening.

The church have begun a building for themselves, and we are all very happy over it. They have only $600 for the building, so it cannot be very large or elegant. I wish they had a little more.

Long ere this you have heard, through the papers, full accounts of the dreadful earthquake in Central Japan, which in a few moments of time threw down thousands of houses, and buried hundreds of people beneath the ruins. Then fires broke out, and multitudes who might otherwise have been saved were burned to death. There has been no such severe earthquake in Japan for thirty-seven years. If it had occurred in the larger cities the loss of life would have been much greater; but it is appalling to think of the suffering of the poor houseless people who lost their all by the flames, just as the winter was coming on. Even those who had houses remaining, did not dare to live in them while the shakes continued, but made temporary shelter for themselves out of the screens and sliding doors of their houses. Foreigners and natives have contributed most generously of money and clothing, and many are on the ground distributing clothes, blankets, and food to the sufferers. The orphans, one hundred in number, are being cared for, part in Ogaki, and part in the Orphan Asylum in Okayama. Mr. Clark was in Ogaki for a while, helping Dr. Berry in a hospital he established there for a short time for the wounded.

WHAT A MUSIC TEACHER CAN DO.

BY MISS M. E. WAINWRIGHT.

KYOTO, Sept. 21, 1891.

MY DEAR MRS. BLATCHFORD: I am sure you have seen the yearly report of this school, so I will speak only of my department, which is music, and is a growing one, too. This last year there have been forty-five music pupils, and forty in the spring term, which is the largest number I have ever had.

WHAT A MUSIC TEACHER CAN DO.

191

You wish to know what some of my obstacles are. The greatest one at present is lack of organs. I should have five, at least; but there are only four, and two of those are nearly worn out, and can be used only a little longer. There is a steady advancement, about the same as in American pupils, though not quite so rapid; but when I compare their music with ours, I am surprised that they do so well as they do.

I have done a little outside work that I have enjoyed very much indeed. Through the last school year I have gone twice a month to a little town seventeen miles from here, going Friday P. M., and coming home Saturday evening, always taking an interpreter, though at the Friday evening meeting, at which I always spoke, I sometimes spoke in Japanese. Saturday we went from house to house, and that was the most pleasant. I met many very pleasant people, and saw many nice homes, but some very poor ones. sure the dugout or the sod house of America would be preferable to some of the houses I have seen in my tours.

I am

During the fall and winter terms I also went to another place,—an old castle city some twenty-five miles beyond the one I have just spoken of. I do not know that I can compare this year with the past years. In many ways they are alike, with a steady advance, both in work and interest. The opportunities are many and pressing. We do not lack for them. It is only hard to have to say "No." One of them is, helping poor girls in school. I should be very glad if some one would undertake to educate a girl. The expense, for a year, is about thirty dollars. I did not intend to make this a begging letter, but I am afraid I have. This is one of our opportunities.

Again Miss W. writes while out on a tour.

KYOTO, JAPAN, December, 1891.

I WRITE from Kusatsu, where I came in evangelistic work. I am just in from service, and am feeling specially happy; and though I ought to go to bed, and get rested for the morrow's work, I must first write you a little. We had such a good meeting; there were about sixty present, and they were so unusually quiet and attentive, and stayed through the entire service,— a remarkable thing for the majority of those who come to these services. Papa will wonder what I talked about. I told the story of Jesus going into the house of Matthew, as found in Matt. ix. 9-13, and also of his healing the woman who touched the hem of his garment. I thought that certainly this Christ, whose very garments gave out healing as he passed, could touch the heart of these people, and I believe he did. I never saw them so thoughtful before. I have another meeting to-morrow. Oh, for a message