'The regular monthly meeting. of the Nanking Missionary Association' was held last Friday evening at the " Quakerage." The Rev. F. KO. Meigs, President, was in the chair. The paper of the evening was read by the Rev. Timothy Richard of Shanghai, who was especially invited by the Association to come to Nanking for this purpose. His theme was "Our Attitude toward the Coming Reformation in China."
He called attention to the fact that the
demands great reforms in political and material prosperity of the Chinese people commercial circles, in education and religion, Not simply the moral reformation of the individual, but a reform of methods and means.
Ho did not undervalue the importance of individual reformation as lying at the foundation of all social and political progress, but his purpose was to point out another duty, also of importanc that of helping the people of China to li more comfortably. Some very valuable statistics were presented showing the great loss sustained annually by China from ignorance of scientific agriculture, from want of improved machinery and from lack of cheap and quick transportation. He reminded us that even froma financial point of view the idolatry of the Chinese wasa great curseto the land. Ho would not have Us give less thought to the spiritual needs of the people but more to theit_ material comfort. The "Gospel of the Kingdom" according to Mr. Richard includes material benefits, and most thoughtful Christians will agree with him. He quoted some one as saying that "we should give up our comforts or teach the Chinese how to get them."
The paper was an earnest and much-needed plea to the missionaries to aid in the dissemination of knowledge bearing upon these points and otherwise to help in
forms which are necessary to the general quiet way to introduce those great re: welfare of the nation. 'The paper was followed by a very earnest, discussion, for the most part in favour of the views' advocated, though there was some objection made to missionaries undertaking such work. A vote of thanks was passed expressing to Mr. Richard the hearty appreciation by the members of the Association of his instructive address. The other exercises of the evening included an instrumental solo by the Rev. Mr, Whitehouse of Chinkiang, and a duet by the Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Verity of Kiukiany all of whom happened fortunately to be in the city at the time.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.