but whatever it is I am ready. I have no fears. The day
before he died he said: I have one heart. I trust only in Jesus; I
have said this to you often. We laid him away just after the morning
meeting last Sunday. This is not extraordinary; we are glad so many
are like John and Mary. Twice the gates have opened this winter for
us, and now part of our church gather above and part here. Five more
are to confess their faith at the next communion. Pray for these
little ones.

* * * * *

The Chinese.

THE LOS ANGELES MISSION.

BY. REV. WM. C. POND, D.D.

An interesting letter from Mrs. Rice, wife of Rev. O. V. Rice, who has
charge of our mission at this prosperous and ambitious metropolis of
Southern California, prompts me to give my space this month to a
review of our work there. It had already begun when, twenty-two years
ago, I became superintendent. I tried to visit it in the spring of
1874, but a severe storm on our usually placid Pacific delayed our
steamer so long that I could spend only a few hours there. This was
sufficient, however, to show me that we had a good teacher and some
very promising pupils, but an indifference to contend with on the part
of American Christians which was both surprising and painful.

A few months after this I heard that Rev. Ira M. Condit, a missionary
recently returned from China, able to talk the Chinese language
fluently, and a very estimable brother, had gone to Los Angeles to
establish a Presbyterian mission. I did not hear of it by letter from
him nor from any one connected with the Presbyterian work in this
State. Denominational comity just then had not reached in the minds of
our Presbyterian brethren sufficient dignity to call even for a bow in
recognition. But I waived this matter, and believing that, with his
manifest advantages, he could do better work than we, and that there
was not room enough in the field, as it then was, for two missions, I
turned over to him our whole school--pupils, teacher, and whatever
conveniences or good-will we had gathered--and retired from the
locality. It was about two months only when I heard of six or eight
conversions in the Presbyterian Chinese mission of Los Angeles, but
they were the very ones of whom our teacher had spoken hopefully to me
on my visit to the city.

An interval of several years occurred. The great boom came, and Los
Angeles sprang to the front among the inland cities of the State and