and prophecy, and nothing less would satisfy either our Chinese brethren
or myself. This promise and prophecy begin to be fulfilled. We hoped
then, and now we are gladdened by oft-recurring confirmations of our
hope, that we were laboring not only for these sojourners in our own
land, but for a mighty multitude to be reached by their testimony, and
to be leavened by the influence of their example.

This will be illustrated for our readers by the following extract from
an address delivered by one of our brethren at the last anniversary of
our mission at Santa Cruz. His English will require a little
straightening, but for the most part, I will give it just as spoken:

_Dear Friends_: I am glad to see you all here this evening; and that you
have an interest in the Chinese work. I will tell you a few words about
myself, what experience I had in my native land. I left California to go
to China, July 15, 1887, and after thirty-one days, reached my home. I
found a piece of red paper on the wall above my cooking place, with the
name of the stove-god written on it. We call it "Doy Shin;" "Doy" means
"Stove," "Shin" means "god." Every family worships the stove-god at the
cooking place. The first of every month they burn some punk, and twice
every month make a fresh cup of tea, which is left standing on the
stove. I found that several thousands of punk had been burned during my
absence, and the ends of the sticks were left in the bowls. I felt very
sorry for it; so I tore up the paper and break the punk-sticks in pieces
and burn them up. My wife felt very indignant, and was afraid the
stove-god might be angry and make me sick, and punish me. I say:
"Nothing to be afraid of. But I am only afraid that the true God in
heaven will punish me if I do not tear up the paper and burn up the
punk-sticks." I say: "I must entirely abandon this superstition and must
give this testimony for Christ. For he is the only God that can preserve