"SOWING AND REAPING."

66 Do you stick yourself in this precious lively back-room all day?" asked Tom Clark, who had been sent with a letter into the office where James White, a steady, diligent boy, was engaged as apprentice. "What do they give you a week for it? It ought to be something hand

Feeling that the latter question was not the business of his companion, James replied only by saying, "No, I don't stay in the room all day; I'm often out on errands."

"Oh, well, but I mean do you come here regular, — work here every day?"

"Yes," answered James.

"You must be a queer one, then," retorted the other. "I wouldn't be bound to be in one place every day regular for any money, let alone a dusty, dark, old place like this," and he bestowed a very disrespectful kick upon one of the law books lying about.

"Does your master let you come or not as you like, then," inquired James a little indignantly.

"Master!" echoed the stranger with a shout of derisive laughter. "Do you think I've got a master?" "Why, who sent you with the letter, then?" demanded James.

"Well, a gent that's down at the door on horseback asked me to bring it up; and I daresay, when I take back the answer, he'll give me sixpence, or mayhap a shilling if he is a real gent; and I call that a much easier way of earning money than poking in rooms and working; at any rate, it suits me a sight better. But, I say, what do they give you a week here?"

If our young readers wish to know what further passed between James White and Tom Clark, they will

find it in an interesting and instructive little book * of which the above is the title, "Sowing and Reaping." In the end it came to this, that James became a respected and useful man, and the last he saw of Tom was when he saw him in the hands of a policeman, for trying to break into a jeweller's shop. So much for making haste to be rich.

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INDIA.
PUNA.

More Baptisms.

MR. MITCHELL of Puna reports the baptism of three adults and three children. "Two of the adults," he says, a husband and his wife a very interesting couple -came here about three months ago from Dapulei, in the southern Konkan. They had there come in contact with a convert from this station, who was there as an hospital assistant. He preached to them the gospel, they received it in the love of it, and desired to be baptized. For this purpose they left their station and employment, and came to Puna. They found their way to the mission-house, and told me their simple story. I was delighted with their sincerity and earnestness, and immediately received them under instruction as candidates for admission to the Church. They made very pleasing progress, and I had no doubt that they were really born again. Every one connected with the church who knew this pair was pleased with them, so I found that there was no reason why their baptism should be delayed, and consequently administered the ordinance.

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Though they are of low caste-sweepers or scavengers-they are particularly clever and well-informed. They can both read and write Mahratti well, and besides, speak Guzaratti and Hindustani.

"The other adult baptized was the wife of a previous convert, who also seems deeply impressed with Christian views and feelings.

* See notice of "Books," page 71.

"The children baptized were the two youngest of the woman, just mentioned. She, together with her husband, immediately after her own baptism, presented them, and, according to God's appointment, devoted them to his service. The other child baptized was that of a man named Joseph, who has been a consistent Christian for several years, and is married to a young woman trained in our boarding-school, and also a church member.

"One of our converts brought to me a few days ago, a man, a cultivator, from a village twelve miles off. He said he had heard the gospel from one of our people about a year ago that he had ever since been anxious about his soul-that he had occasionally gone to the convert, Rama, who lives nearer to him than Puna, making inquiries-that he was now fully convinced that Jesus was the only Saviour-and that he had consequently renounced the Hindu gods. The change in his conduct had been observed by his people, and he had been called to suffer a great deal of persecution. His wife had left him and returned to her father's house; his elder brother, who shared the village property along with him, had taken possession of all the cattle, &c., and driven him away. He is now living at another village with a sister, who has kindly taken him in.”

BOMBAY.

Country Mission at Indapore.

THE Indapore mission was begun some ten months ago. At the head of it is the Rev. Narayan Sheshadri, an ordained native minister, himself a convert and pupil of our Bombay mission. He is an excellent man, full of zeal and enthusiasm, and just such a bright, hopeful, and energetic character as the position requires. Twice or thrice a week, Narayan and his assistants go to preach in some of the villages. Sabbath is the bazaar-day of Indapore. The missionaries, of course, take advantage of it.

It must not be thought, however, that the prejudice of the natives is gone. No such thing-as the following instances show. One day Narayan, speaking to the Mahars, felt thirsty, and asked for some water to drink. They

refused to give it. He tried all sorts of arguments, but to no purpose. Not one in the crowd would give him a drop of water. Another time, having ended their preaching at a village, Narayan and his companions found themselves exhausted and hungry. They applied to a veskar (gate-keeper) for some refreshment, for which they offered to pay. The man doggedly told Narayan, "If you choose to act contrary to your caste, you may; but on no account would I ever think of giving food to you who were once a Brahmin."

There is a school connected with the mission, the teacher being of course a native. The Mahars were at first dreadfully afraid of baptism, and therefore would not send their children to the school for a time. The missionary had great difficulty in convincing them that baptism, far from being foisted on them, would cost them much trouble to get even the sore trouble of forsaking their sins.

There is a colporteur, Hirasing, under Narayan's direction. He makes long excursions among the hundred villages, to dispose of Testaments and tracts.

Once a month Narayan preaches to the British engineers and labourers employed on the railway at some distance from Indapore. How interesting to mark the Lord's hand in movements like these! Narayan, a converted Brahmin, is now preaching the gospel, not only to the outcasts of India, but to our own Scotch and English countrymen.

AFRICA.

NINE BAPTISMS AT BURNSHILL.

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MR. LAING announces the baptism, on the 21st of September, of three men and six women. Eight of these persons," says Mr. Laing, "are of the Fingo race, and the ninth, a woman, is a Caffre. Four infants of some of these parties were baptized at the same time with their parents.

"The number of church members at this station is now close on two hundred, and in all probability it will soon be higher. The number of condidates for baptism is thirty-six.'

"CONSIDER THE RAVENS."

SOME of Christ's disciples, when they were called and

Matthew gave up his The fishermen left their

converted, lost their earthly all. situation in the custom-house. nets. If they still sometimes fished, they had lost at least their "business connection," for it could only be now and then. They feared not while the Master was with them. But he was soon to go away. No wonder they were sometimes anxious how they were then to get food and clothing.

Notice the tender, considerate sympathy of Jesus. He tells them not to be afraid. "Consider the ravens," he says, "they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them."