issionary of to-day, as it met Philip in the days of old. The
practically unanimous opinion of the Shanghai Conference held in 1890
shows that the same need is still strongly felt by the missionaries of
all the societies.

'In addition to the Scriptures and the Catechism, I think small
simple books containing little portions of Scripture history or
little portions of Scripture teaching would be very useful. The
Bible is all very well for those who have advanced a little, but
there is very little of the narrative portions even--the simplest
parts of the whole book--which you can read without encountering
terrible names of persons or places, or quotations from the prophet
Isaiah or Jeremiah. When a Mongol comes upon these he feels
inclined to give up in despair. Even in China my experience has
been that people are slow to buy a complete gospel, even at less
than the paper on which it is printed costs, while they will buy
with avidity very small books at almost their full value.

'Chinamen themselves notice this, and when surrounded by a crowd I
have heard them remark laughingly, "Small books go quick."
Remembering my instructions, which among other things say, "Pause
before you translate," I have hitherto refrained, but now have a
very small illustrated narrative in the press, another also
illustrated in manuscript, and other two not illustrated in
contemplation. If I find funds--the Peking branch of the Tract
Society is bankrupt just now--and get them out, you shall have
specimens. Probably they won't look well, being first attempts, but
you need not be ashamed of the Mongol of them, as they have been
written under my direction by a "crack" native scholar, and
carefully revised by Schereschewsky, who is a general linguist of
good ability, and has paid so much attention to Mongolian that he
revised the Gospel by Matthew in conjunction with Mr. Edkins, and
is at present at work on a Mongol dictionary.'

Medical missions were only in their infancy in 1874, and Gilmour in the
same report describes what many another has felt. He illustrates also
one of his fixed principles, viz., always do _something_; and never let
the work stop simply because you cannot do what is ideally the best.

'I know very little about diseases and cures, but the little I _do_
know is extremely useful. Alm