presumptious, I fear, for me to assume that the readers of
the Missionary remember the little sketch I gave some years ago of one
of our missionary helpers--Hong Sing. A very little man he is, in
"bodily presence weak" and in speech, for lack of lungs, sometimes "of
no account." Yet, though near-sighted almost to blindness, and though
often sick and always weary, in the intervals of work as a
house-servant he gained what seemed to me a remarkable knowledge of
the truth as it is in Jesus. The Bible was (and still is, I doubt not)
his unfailing companion, and its study his choicest rest.

Several years ago, his health became so precarious that he decided to
return to his native land. A letter from him, under date of "San Ning
District, July 9th, 1888," has interested me so much that I feel sure
that others will enjoy the reading of it. His English needs
straightening somewhat, for, while the words are ours, the idioms are
sometimes decidedly Chinese. I confess, therefore, to having done a
little correcting and even translating, yet, for the most
part, the letter is just as our brother himself wrote it.

"Mr. Pond:--Dear Brother, I must tell you that I think of you many
times and intended to write you many times, but some things prevented
me. I go out to tell the old, old story of Jesus, and many questions
have been asked. I am not able to write all, but I tell you a little.
Some ask: 'Do you believe our Confucius?' I said, 'I do.' 'Don't you
think his doctrine good?' I answer, 'Yes.' 'What was the matter, you
believe in Jesus, the foreign doctrine, and why not for our Confucius;
and what was the matter, you are entirely turned away from his
doctrine and not obey him; you think his doctrine not good enough for
you! He has taught us to worship the ancestors and also use a lamb for
sacrifice, why don't you obey?'

"Ques.--'Your Jesus men, was there any difference between them and
us?'

"Ans.--'No difference, our Jesus men wear hat just like your hat, wear
clothes like your clothes, walk just like you walk, but only one thing
was not like you--in worship. You all worship the idol, our Jesus men
worship the true God who is in heaven, and you all worship with meat
and fruit, etc., but we mean to worship with true heart. We believe
Jesus that we may obey Confucius doctrine, in which he has taught us
to be good. Those who are not Christians cannot obey what Confucius
taught. Before I became a Christian I was swearing and I sp