God, and so now he is trying to finish his course at a middle school in order eventually to become a Christian missionary.

At Christmas time last year, a very interesting party was held. It was interesting because it was the Christmas party of a family of whom all the members are Christian. Three years ago the mother and grandmother were baptized together and about a year afterwards the father and head of the family was baptized.

Then the little box shrine at the

Christian and since all my family have become Christians, I am happier than I ever was before, and no matter what troubles may come, I shall still be happy because I believe in Jesus Christ."

Another woman, the mother of seven grown-up children, who was baptized during the past year, said: "Oh, I am so happy to have become a Christian, I want to tell everyone about it; I wish I could write about it to the newspaper, because surely if people only knew about it, they would all become Christians. And please

entrance disappeared, family prayers were held, the little son of ten was brought to the church for baptism, and the Kawagoe church had increased by one family. And it is when whole families become Christian that the church really gains strength. But to return to the Christmas party, every one present was expected to contribute something in the way of song or story. When it came to the grandmother's turn she modestly refused to do anything, but when no refusal would be accepted, she stepped to the head of the room and said: "I cannot sing a song or tell a story; I can only say this, that since I became a

teach my children and persuade them also to become Christians." Where could one find more enthusiastic missionary spirit or better testimony to what the Church can do?

But the Church here in Kawagoe is not doing all that it might, and in the most important way in which it might improve just now, it requires the aid of the Church at home. Kawagoe is not a place to attract many sight-seers, but when a visitor does come, there are several interesting and beautiful Buddhist temples, as well as a large silk factory, a new police station and a reform school. But I never heard of anyone being taken

church members in Christian countries, from his childhood has been trained in the principles and practices of the Christian's religion? It is for the sake of the new and untried Christians that we want a new church, which shall suggest the presence and holiness of God. The present one suggests nothing but poverty and ugliness.

We want a church also that shall provide a quiet and restful place of worship and shall be easily accessible to all. The present one is built in such a way that the service must necessarily be interrupted by every late-comer, which is distracting for the worshippers and distasteful to the late-comer. It is also arranged in such a way that when the weather is warm and the windows are opened, they are constantly filled with the faces of curious and critical passers-by, some smelling of drink, some smoking and many talking and laughing. They get a complete view of the inside of the church, the faces of those there, and then they can go away and spread the news abroad of who has recently joined the Christians. It is rather a hard ordeal for the new Christian, a dampener of the ardor of the inquirer and many times

the cause of the new-comers failing to come again.

We also want a church large enough to hold all the members, inquirers and visitors, and at the same time leave room where outsiders might sit if persuaded to come in. The present church is filled comfortably at ordinary services, is crowded at special services, and there are never vacant seats into which a chance visitor might drop.

The present situation of the church is very good, being in a central part of the town; and all we need is to buy the land back of the present building and an unused store beside it, set a new church-like building back much further from the street, open up an attractive entrance, and then say with pride: "This is the place where the Christians worship the one, true God." It can be done for $10,000, and for that we must rely on the sympathy and generosity of the people at home.

The Kawagoe church is not yet independent, as it cannot pay the salary of a clergyman, but it pays its own remaining expenses, and last year raised enough money to repair the foundations which were so weak as to be dangerous when

J

ever even a small earthquake occurred, to whitewash the inside and paint red the outside, so that we need not represent Christianity as being dirty as well as poor and ugly. But unless help comes from America, there is no hope for a new church. May we not have a few

crumbs from the tables spread so bountifully with beauty and comfort, with which to nourish our little flock of new believers? We have faith that the generosity and sense of proportion of the people at home will not fail us.

A

SMALL but enthusiastic conference, organized and managed by Mr. E. M. Camp, president of

the Seabury Society, met for two weeks in August at St. Faith's School, Poughkeepsie. The fact that all were sheltered under one roof resulted in a correspondingly close spirit of fellowship, and the fact that the membership represented a greater proportion of students than in previous years, made possible for leaders to use a more thorough course of instruction than has been possible heretofore.

The Rev. Dr. Samuel Hart gave a most interesting and valuable course of lectures upon its structure and growth, of the Book of Common Prayer. The Rev. Pascal Harrower, of the New York Sunday-school Commission, gave an equally interesting series of lectures on Sunday-school work, and the department of "Church Economics" was covered by Mr. Camp.

The "Mission Study Department" consisted of two classes. Miss Elizabeth Houghton taught last year's course on China to those who had not already studied it, and the Educational Secretary of the Board of Missions conducted

a normal study class for those wishing instruction as to the method of teaching the new foreign course recommended for 1908-9. The text book for this course was "The How and Why of Missions," for which special chapters on the administration of the Board of Missions and of the policies of the native churches in our foreign fields are being prepared.

The Rev. Harvey Officer, of the Order of the Holy Cross, had charge of the devotional side of the conference. Under his leadership its religious feeling was deepened as the conference progressed, and the intellectual side of the gathering was given the necessary motive and guidance.

The Woman's Auxiliary was represented by Miss Grace Lindley. Her talk on "Prayer and Missions" was felt by all to be one of the most helpful of the whole conference. There were addresses by returned missionaries at the open-air evening sessions, and in this way the vision of the needs of the mission field rounded out the instruction of the day.

About fifty people attended the conference, from fifteen dioceses, and most of them returned to their homes with definite plans for utilizing the instruction and information gained.