With a brief! summary of the recent doings of the Cantonese army in the Yangtze valley, Dr. Darroch the course of a lecture to the Union Church Ladies' Society told his audience that what had been done to-day was a repetition of what hal been done over 70 years ago. In the old days of classic examinations, the Literary Chancellor came twice jin three years, with a huge retinue, to a city in Hunan where Dr. Darroch spent some years, to hold examinations. As the or 60 students came out from the coc~ Ainewent of two nights and three days, missionaries took the opportunity of handing them little packets of literature consisting of a gospel Jong one or two tracts. Some such thing as this happened 70 years ago, and a scholar was so impressed the gospel that he studied it and by and by founded a sect, which eventually became the Taipings, They professed Christianity, took God as their heavenly King, and abhorred idols. 'They became 60 strong that they swept everything, before them, gaining Ngankin ant'
tanking, which they held for 12 years. In their zeal they destroyed the wonderful old pagoda, made of denutiful blue tiles, at Nanking, by placing © barrel of gunpowder under A Tall Story After an attempt to take Peking their power gradually weakened, and they withered away. Fighting went fon round Shanghai, and it was at this time that Gen. Gordon took Soochow. When Dr. Darroch caro to China 40 years ago he came la contact with a man who had been Taiping rebel, and was marked with their brand on the cheek. This, man told him many stories of their adventures, including one which was hard to believe, 1864 when the Imperialist troops took Nanking the Taipings breach in the walls on the commandeering. sampans river craft, 'These they clambered into until they were over-Toaded, and sank. This man said ho crossed the river, but it was on dead Dodics, leaping from one to. another until he gained the other side! He made for a small town' where he knew dwelt a small colony of his lown people, and there they hid firn until the trouble was over. AS ho was a Christian he knelt down night to say his prayers, much to the astonishment of his friends, By and by they knelt with him, and in time he had a church with 70 mombers—a large congregation in these days. The people were mostly squatters, or small farmers, on aad belonging to an old scholar in Ngankin, 200 miles away. Gradually rumours reached him that these people were worshipping for doctrines, and being afraid that the Government would be angry with him, he came to deliver the ultimatum that they were to give up the doctrines or leave his land. They told him they had a poole they could not read and could no! understand, and asked im to explain it to them. This proved to be a copy of the "Pilgrim's Progress," and he read of the City of Destruction, and of the burden borne Christian. Me pondered over it until he realized that it was tie burden of sin, and the truth cane to him also ahd he became a good (Christian, So here was a link with the tract or gospel, given 70 years Jago to the scholar leaving" the examination halls, showing the power lof a moving impulse which carried them near to victory, but there was something lacking. "They had rot enough of the principles of Jesus to make them good men, they committed atrocities and desolated the countryside. Had they carried out living principles they would have conquered China, Tums is a Shanghai Chinese office boy who has a grim sense of humour and a welcome originality in excuses for time off. Father Ihave make finish: " wanchee catchee one wife: one piece small baby have got, all were too hack-noyed for him and he requested two days' leave because some person oF persons unknown maliciously and feloniously had stolen and removed his wife's coffin, and he wished to find it and them,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.