These idols were of the forms. They show indisp Buddhistic thought, and an in Java and in parts of! images of Buddha in the hands resting on his knees up by excavators for fout fields of the central and to that of Krishna and C there in old buildings at the provinces.

It was the custom of their idols, or Anitos, v dells. They were suppos and yet this power con exerted otherwise than i

It was firmly belie the sight of these gods suffered at the hands. shiper who failed to es posed to be out of fa see his face in peace w Such, in briefest p which may be consider. belief of those whom

the time of conquest. The conversion of rapidly accomplished. tism almost at once. in rows. Where rel apparent, a large and friars were ready to burning questions of it was right to use i

near the city that the

All the city was under

to hold the service had comming officer of the city. ans in Lanila were soldiers, and were either on duty or in momenall to duty. Filipinos had not yet ir privileges in the matter of attendof non-Catholic services, and a servcharacter held in a theater was not There were few of the customary aids the Spirit of prophecy rested upon the aced the history of God's kingdom in the providential character of American ocspoke freely of the evident purpose of God ible to the entire Filipino people a career righteousness. With great power the bishop text, "He shall not fail nor be discouraged set judgment in the earth; and the isles shall is law." In the afternoon of the same day he one of the military hospitals. During his stay weeks several steps were taken looking toward a

It occupation of Manila and the Philippines. A was organized. Arrangements were made to forward regular preaching services in both English Tagalog. Mr. Prautch received license as a local cher, and the aid of Chaplain George C. Stull, of tana, and other workers who had a mind to help, enlisted in maintaining these services until the aral of regularly-appointed workers from the United

A Soldiers' Institute was opened under the care of Mr. and Mrs. Prautch. It had a great field among the crowds of soldiers, mostly volunteers, many of whom

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH: BEGINNINGS.

THE Methodist Episcopal Church was the first to send a regularly accredited representative of its Missionary Society to found its work in the Philippine Islands. That representative was Bishop James M. Thoburn, D. D., in episcopal charge of Southern Asia. His instructions came to him by cable from Bishop Andrews and Dr. Adna B. Leonard, secretary of the Missionary Society of that Church, in February, 1899, while he was holding the annual session of the Malaysia Mission Conference in the city of Singapore, to which he had been strangely led from Calcutta in 1885.

It was good news to the bishop. His heart had longed for such orders for more than a decade of investigation and prayer for open doors to the Filipino people. Now the doors were open. The orders had come. It was a period of storm and stress in the Philippines. On the 4th of February had occurred the outbreak of hostilities between the Filipinos and American troops, and rebellion was aflame on all hands. But it was with keen delight that the bishop set out on this trip, which he well knew was to make history.

On March 2, 1899, he preached his first sermon in Manila. Mr. A. W. Prautch, to whom reference was made in the preceding chapter, secured the Filipino theater in Calle Echague, and about one hundred persons gathered to hear. It was a service held under diffi

culties. Firing was going on so near the city that the shots could be plainly heard. All the city was under strict military guard. Permission to hold the service had to be secured from the commanding officer of the city. Nearly all the Americans in Manila were soldiers, and practically all of these were either on duty or in momentary expectation of a call to duty. Filipinos had not yet learned much of their privileges in the matter of attendance upon any form of non-Catholic services, and a service of a religious character held in a theater was not inviting to them. There were few of the customary aids to worship; but the Spirit of prophecy rested upon the speaker. He traced the history of God's kingdom in Asia, showed the providential character of American occupation, and spoke freely of the evident purpose of God to make possible to the entire Filipino people a career of peace and righteousness. With great power the bishop enforced the text, "He shall not fail nor be discouraged till he have set judgment in the earth; and the isles shall wait for his law." In the afternoon of the same day he spoke in one of the military hospitals. During his stay of two weeks several steps were taken looking toward a permanent occupation of Manila and the Philippines. A Church was organized. Arrangements were made to carry forward regular preaching services in both English and Tagalog. Mr. Prautch received license as a local preacher, and the aid of Chaplain George C. Stull, of Montana, and other workers who had a mind to help, was enlisted in maintaining these services until the arrival of regularly-appointed workers from the United States.

A Soldiers' Institute was opened under the care of Mr. and Mrs. Prautch. It had a great field among the crowds of soldiers, mostly volunteers, many of whom

had never been away from their homes until they came to this distant part of the world. There was much homesickness. Much of the drinking which disgraced us as a nation from Yokohama to Adelaide was due to the fact that the army furnished its men beer in the can

teen; but no recreationrooms were furnished, and no facilities with which to while away the hours that hung so heavily. The military government also permitted greedy brewers to import unlimited amounts of American liquors and keep it on sale in the most public thoroughfares. The yearly license fee for a saloon in Manila was fixed at only $4. Among these soldier lads, only God will ever know how much of lasting good was done by those who kept open this place of refuge and hope. Captain Plummer, a business man in Manila, gave lavishly of his money and time to make this Soldiers' Home a success. His sudden death in the latter part of 1899 was the first serious blow that was suffered by the infant Church. The help rendered by Chaplain Stull and Mr. and Mrs. Prautch was invaluable. Without their labors in preaching and in carrying