more than a dozen of those who are making Paris their home, of the Auxiliary as a reminder that, wherever our lives are cast, we are a part of the one great Body which must grow until it embraces all the world.

It would have been a real loss, in this brief stay in Europe, to have missed the glimpse it afforded of our Church activities in Paris; the large and handsome church, with its newly erected spire, a landmark in that part of the city, with its open doors and daily services; its gallery where invalids and mourners unseen may share in public worship; its chapel in the crypt, which sheltered the body of Bishop Worthington, as of hundreds of other passing travellers; its little Chapel of St. Luke in the Latin Quarter, and the hostel there, where the deaconess presides, where students are made at home, and where in the few hospital wards the lonely and stranger sick are cared for.

Near by is a ruined garden, once the resting-place and shelter and sacred spot for prayer and meditation of the Carmelite nuns. Some of the noblest ladies of old France have walked and prayed

and talked together there, and from it and their neighboring convent and the chapel underground they fled in the darkness of one night. Now the deaconess sets her tea-table there, and her students come for refreshment and for counsel, and her patients for the renewal of their courage and strength; and perhaps the prayer of many a gentle nun is being answered for a blessing upon the place where their loved cross still stands upon its mound beneath the trees. For a secretary who travels learns more and more how nearly all peoples of Christian lands are one; and as she sees some of the most beautiful things God has taught His children how to make and has moulded Himself with His omnipotent skill, it is not hard for her to believe in a Celestial Country to which all are drawing nearer, and where a perfect union shall be found.

Bay of Naples, August 14, S.S. Lutzow. And to-night this missionary party sails: The Bishops of Shanghai and Tokyo, Mrs. and Miss McKim, Mrs. and Miss Schereschewsky, and Mr. Browning, and, in such good company, the Travelling Secretary.

A

SI sat thinking on Good Friday of words I had heard, that "when the Cross, like the tree at Marah, touches the bitterness of life's sorrows, it makes them sweet," and of the bright joys of the coming Easter Day, my thoughts turned back to the years spent in Anvik, and of those I had known there who in some degree had had that touch of the Cross in their sorrow and a gleam of the Easter light and blessing; and I thanked God for the privilege of belonging to the ranks of those who go to "carry the torch

of the Cross" to the dark places of the earth.

There was Margaret, my first Indian daughter, who came to me on an Easter morning with beaming face, saying, "Oh, I'm so happy to-day!" And when I asked, "Why, what makes you happy?" she replied, "Because Jesus rose from the dead." And when, three years later, she went from earth, I had hope that "through the grave," she, too, "may come to her joyful resurrection." And there was Paul, who, believing, brought his child to the font, while round it stood

DEACONESS SABINE

with him as eponsors, Isaac, Alice and Dora-an Indian Christian baptism. This was his last act while he had strength to enter his canoe and walk to the church; and with his last breath on earth, some weeks later, he said to Mr. Chapman: "There is no dark now, it is all light." Surely it was the light of Easter that shone on his closing eyes.

There was Eva, a very young mother, whose baby boy, baptized at her bedside, and soon taken to the Good Shepherd, had seemed, in going, to draw his mother's heart with him. It was in a winter storm that he was laid away on the hillside, and this was the first time it was my sad duty to commit a little body to the grave, for he died during an illness of Mr. Chapman. For three other children I loved dearly I performed the same last rite. Yet while we missed them sorely from their places, yet even then the Easter light fell on the graves, and I know I shall again see Lucy, Andrew, our best beloved and brightest boy, a most faithful, earnest Christian, and our baby Douglass, who left our hearts so desolate. I miss even to-day the touch of his baby fingers, his pretty ways, his smile of content at being taken, but I know my arms will hold him close again in the everlasting Easter light.

But I have left Eva. Her heart followed her baby, and she begged Mr. Chap

893

man to baptize her too, on Easter morning -"the Great Prayer Day," as they call it in Anvik. She was too weak to come to church, so Mr. Chapman, Isaac and I went with the dog-sled over the river ice, after service in the little church. It seemed the dead of winter, but there was the bright Easter blessing of peace and hope, and we had the pussy-willows as type of the Resurrection, and the water of baptism in the small Indian cabin. It all comes back plainly to my mindthat swift ride over the snow in the bright spring sunshine, that poor desolate little mother made glad to have her great wish fulfilled on her dying bed, for she soon went to join her little Victor, both saved by their Risen Lord.

I recall two other Easter days as well, one when Julia, at her own request stood at the font to receive her Christian name; and, years after, another when she held her own little daughter in her arms for the same holy rite, and I stood by both, their godmother. Two young mothers could not bring their babies so far on that day, and again Mr. Chapman, Isaac and I went with the dog-sled to the upper village, where, in a neat cabin, was gathered as large a congregation as it could well hold. The two little girl babies who were to be taken into Christ's Flock looked so sweet in their white dresses instead of being wrapped in the gunnysack of the old days. Easter is a happy day in Anvik; the Light has dawned there; God grant it may deepen and broaden all over Alaska, so that the people who have sat so long in darkness may see and know that the Great Light has sprung up for them also.

But I have not told how the Cross has sweetened life's sorrows as well. I cannot go into details of the story, but can only speak of a wife, anxious and troubled at her husband's long delay in trapping near the spring break-up, who told me how she had spent her sleepless nights praying for the Father's protection; and when I went to her the next day to find him there, she told me she

had thanked God for hearing her prayer and bringing him safely home: Of a father who, almost crushed with grief at the loss of his only grown-up son, sitting at work over his fish-trap begged me to stop and tell him God's word to comfort him. He listened with tears streaming down his face, and, the following day, laid aside his work to hear again the words that had comforted him: Of John, so long on a bed of suffering, telling me one morning how he had laid the little silver cross that the bishop gave him at his confirmation on his heart, and the thought of Jesus' suffering had made his own pain seem light. John died in the faith of that Cross, and his son, inheriting his father's dread disease, had his whole spirit changed through very great suffering.

And there was the medicine-man who made confession before the assembled congregation of his deception and his determination to follow God's word, in spite of the older people begging him to continue "making medicine" for themand the hardest thing our people can bear is to be "talked about"-still he came again and again to kneel at the altar with God's people. And there was a young girl who bravely stood up in like manner, the only Christian in her own family, and promised Mr. Chapman she would stand firm against the teaching and practice of the medicine-men which her own mother follows, and came for the bishop's blessing in confirmation. At my last communion in Anvik last summer, I had the great happiness of kneeling with her, three other of my girls being with me.

I would gladly tell of Dora, one of those first year's daughters, afterward Mrs. Chapman's maid, and later a wife in the village. The great, sweet truths took hold of her in her long months of suffering, and her one happiness in pain and in the neglect of her husband was found in the Bible, prayer book and hymnal that were always beside her, intelligently read and loved; and the Home to which she longed to go seemed always

real to her. I was glad for her when her pain was ended and she could enter that joy: Or of Emma, who begged to be taken from her cabin where the old women wailed over her, to die in peace in Mr. Chapman's home, for she had known there a real home for months before. She "fell asleep" with the sound of "the Jesus song" in her ears that she had begged for with her last breath.

Some of these stories I have told before, but I have gathered them together here as a sheaf of memories. To them I will add what may seem a promise of still better things in the years to come. I had a letter last winter from one of my girls, who is married, and has two children, both my godchildren, and she wrote and thanked me for teaching her about God, telling me that she was trying to make her little boy a good child and teaching him to say his prayers night and morning. Mr. Chapman wrote

that Frank had requested some one to come to his village and teach him and his family to say the Lord's Prayer, so they could use it themselves when they could not come to Anvik. And Arthur, five years old, looking up with his sweet soul in his eyes, listening to the story of "the mighty Resurrection and glorious. Ascension," exclaimed, "Oh, when He comes back I will just run down to the front door and kneel down before Him and kiss His hands, and say, Oh, Jesus, I am so glad to see you!" Does it not make one hopeful in the promise: "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth on his way weeping and beareth forth good seed, shall doubtless come again with joy and bring his sheaves with him"? As I think of Mr. Chapman at Anvik and his long years of patient toil, I doubt not that his sheaves will be large, though he has often said when, like a child, I wanted to dig up the seeds to see if they grew: "We must wait for eternity to know the result."

THE OCTOBER CONFERENCE

T

HE officers' conference for October was held on the 15th. Mrs. Hutchins, president of the Long Island Branch, presided, and officers from the following branches were present: Asheville, one; Colorado, one; Los Angeles, one; Long Island, five (one Junior); Newark, four; New York, seven (two Juniors); Oklahoma, one; Pennsylvania, one; South Carolina, one; West Africa, one; Western New York, one; Utah, one.

Reports from the branches showed that many were emphasizing study and the necessity for becoming informed. The Oklahoma president said that, in sending out literature, she marks the more important parts and asks that the leaflets shall be carefully read. Miss Woodruff, who is about to return to Africa, reported the interest which the African women take in the Woman's

895

Auxiliary and the United Offering. A resolution to send a greeting to the Africa and other distant branches represented at the conference was unanimously passed. After the reports from the dioceses, Miss Coles gave a short but most inspiring account of the Pan-Anglican Congress. She spoke of the three points Mrs. Davidson made at the opening of the Congress, which, she said, we too should feel-our vocation, our opportunity, our responsibility. She told of the preparation by prayer for the Congress, and of the realization that God the Holy Spirit was wonderfully present.

After Miss Coles's helpful talk the subject of appropriations and apportionments was taken up for discussion. Mrs. Hutchins introduced it by explaining that Mr. Roberts, the Assistant Treasurer of the Board, had been kind enough to come in to answer any questions which those present would like to ask on the subject of offerings for missions. Mr. Roberts was asked what effect the dropping of "specials" would have. He replied that they have at present a very definite place in the work of the Woman's Auxiliary, but that, while "specials" may appeal to people, since the Woman's Auxiliary was organized as an Auxiliary to the Board of Missions, its first duty is to help the Board, and he gave a definition of "appropriation," "apportionment," and "specials," as fol

lows:

Four Definitions

1. An Appropriation is a promise to give something the Board does not then possess.

These promises are
ALWAYS FULFILLED

The appropriations are made in May for the year beginning on the first of the following September, not only with no money in the treasury for that purpose, but (speaking from experience) without sufficient contributions

on hand to meet the one-third of the current year's appropriations which are then still to be paid. 2. An Apportionment is a minimum contribution asked for from the Church to enable the Board to fulfil its promise.

The Apportionment is NOT ALWAYS FULFILLED The Apportionment is made the first of each year by the Board of Missions by direction of the General Convention, in proportion to the average gross receipts of the diocese for all purposes. The Apportionment to each diocese is then divided among the parishes by the bishop, or some local authority of the diocese, to be paid as early as may be in the fiscal year which begins September 1.

3. A Designated Contribution is a gift to aid the Board of Missions in meeting its appropriation, or promise, for some stated portion of the work.

These gifts are ALWAYS AP

PLIED AS REQUESTED Designated contributions apply upon the Apportionment of the parish or the Woman's Auxiliary, as the case may be, and can be made in any amount for a large number of purposes connected with mission work at home or abroad, hospitals, schools, etc., for which the Board of Missions has made an appropriation. The officers at the Church Missions House can always give information as to such appropriations.

4. A Special is a gift for some stated purpose to be sent over and above any appropriation by the Board of Missions.

Specials are ALWAYS PAID

AS REQUESTED

Specials necessarily, therefore, do not apply upon the Apportionment, for that is to enable

the Board to pay its promises or appropriations, while Specials, on the other hand, are to be sent to the field over and above any appropriation, or for some stated work for which no appropriation has been made.

It was explained that any branch desiring a definite object toward which to devote its gifts could get list of designated objects by applying to the officers of the Society. This was followed by the suggestion from an officer that a yet better way is to trust the Board that the Church has chosen, to know how to apply the money, and that the Woman's Auxiliary should give to General Missions without designating any particular work. And when it was pointed out that this was excellent in theory, but that in practice women had to have some definite object if their interest was to be aroused, the suggestion was made that, if the children of the Church can give in six weeks the great Lent Offering to General Missions, undesignated, the women might surely learn to give in the same way.

At twelve the conference adjourned for Noonday Prayers.

Τ

THE NOVEMBER CONFERENCE

Miss

HE officers' conference for November will be held in the Board Room of the Church Missions House on Thursday, the 19th, from 10:30 till noon. Hutchins, Chairman of the Massachusetts Junior Department, will preside, and the subject of the Conference will be the Junior Work. The Diocesan Officers are reminded that these conferences are held on the third Thursday of each month at 10:30 A.M., and are asked if they are coming to New York at any time during the winter to arrange so that they may be present at one or more of the conferences.