oard. The Presbyterians show a better proportion of
buildings than this and the Methodists quite as good.

The subject of self-support is a live one. There has been good progress
made in this matter, but, of course, it will require many years to
teach the churches their full duty in this regard. Many churches have
reached the point where they take care of all local expenses. Some of
the missionaries go so far as to advocate not organizing any more
churches until the congregations can be self-supporting. The South
Brazilian Mission, in its recent meeting, adopted the rule that no
church should be organized hereafter until it could pay at last 60 per
cent of its own expenses--these expenses to include the care of the
house, the salary of the native pastor, etc.

I have already cited instances of personal work. I wish to say more
particularly that the great success which has attended the work in
Brazil must be in a large measure attributed to the fact that those who
have been led to Christ have been zealous in witnessing personally to
others of the grace which had been bestowed upon them.

One of the greatest laymen in Brazil is our Brother Thomaz L. da Costa.
He is the Superintendent of a very considerable business firm in Bahia.
He is a deacon in the First Baptist Church, one of the moving spirits
upon the Brazilian Foreign Mission Board and practically superintends
the work of the State Mission Board of Bahia.

Years ago he was converted in Rio through the agency of his
washerwoman. This faithful woman is a member of the First Baptist
Church. She decided she would attempt to lead Thomaz to Christ. So on
Saturday when she would bring his laundry she would invite him to come
to her house on the following day for dinner. I might say by way of
parenthesis, that there is not a steam laundry in Brazil. All of the
laundry work is done by hand. Sometimes there is quite a considerable
firm which employs many laundresses. Thomaz, after declining the good
woman's invitation many times, finally one day decided he would accept
it.

On Sunday he appeared at her house for dinner. After the dinner was
over she suggested that they, in company with several of her children,
should take a stroll through some of the parks. They passed through the
great park in the center of the city, and after a while they found
themselves in front of a building in which they heard singing. The good
woman suggested that they go upstairs into the hall f