Tae Donn of Shanghai has been very seriously ill, but is now happily restored. The engemes with which the daily bulletins of his progress, published in the Cairo paper, were awaited and perused, afford con. vineing proof of the high estimation in which he is held by his present ioners, while the completeness of his recovery shows the strength and general excellence of his constitution. The Dean has gone through an arduous and severe campaign in Egypt. He saw a good deal of the war, he ministered to the sick and dying daring the cholera epidemic, he has ind maw causes of anxiety and trouble. All this had its effect upon him, and we are not surprised to hear of his having suocumbed to the strain, His recovery will be hailed by his friends in China with heartfelt satisfaction, and a hope that his life may yet be spared for many years of usefulness and work.
Nor is it to be wondered at, that, with his restoration to health and strength, Dean Batcher's, thoughts should once more revert to China, Practically his old ties with Shanghi have been severed, and any renewal of them would no doubt be made upon an rely new and distinct basic, Ex. isting arrangements cannot be upset but it would be too much to eay that they do not admit of modification, or that they may not be added to or sup. plemented in a way that would ro. douad to the advantage of the com. munity, The plain trath is that Shang. Lai isa large parish, and the amount of parochial work in it was found many yours ago to be too much for one mai And at that time the overworked clergyman was Dean Butcher hima! 'a man of a great deal more energy capacity for labour than most people gave him oredit for, It may be said without exaggeration that the Dean was never an hour idle. Sermon-writing, literary work, and pastoral visiting took up nearly all his time during the week, while on Sundays be has been known to perform no fewer than five services. Four services wore a constant occurrence, and to these must be added an occasional funeral, which of course did not interfere with the late service in Hongkew Oburob, at which the Dean preriched for a very considerable period, Since Dean But-ober loft Shanghai, a great den! of thi work has been neglected. Pootung Church has boon shut up; how much tisiling is done among the shipping are not in @ position to say, but it safe to affirm that if all the pastoral ling on chore is properly attended to no clergyman would Lave much time to devote to the river, There are the sick to be seen to at their homes, the General Hospital to be visited one a day, the different philanthropic scoieties to be aided and looked after, and publio movements of an "improving"
tis, intellectual and moral—tondency to be supported, to sny nothing of the special services which are often such a tax upon a clergyman's tim and, in the onse of funerals, so grant a strain upon his feelings. In fine, the pastoral work of a place like Shanghai,—the proaching, the visiting, the paris business genorally—cannot be done by one man now any more than it could be done by one man six years ago, energetic and indefatigable though ho was, The spirit no doubt is willing enough, but the flesh is weak, and is in want of assistance and support. There is ample room for two clergymen, connected with Trinity Cathedral, in Shanghai; ample room for them, both in the Cathedral and outside it. We trust no one will think that we are undervaluing or ignoring the eccas sional services of Archdeacon Moule.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.