t way
alone, but made up a very respectable sum, which, as "New Year's Gifts to
Jesus," they placed in our treasury.

The picture, as we are able to give it in our magazine, is not large
enough to show all the points of interest about this cake. It represents,
of course, a Chinese pagoda, but with the idols omitted. Possibly there is
in it a little symbolism of _ascent_--the excelsior spirit which comes
from new life in Christ. Beginning at the shell foundation, we see two
cards which bear in Chinese an inscription literally translated thus:
"Eyes see; hands must not touch." Above this were the more abrupt or
pointed English words: "Hands off." Over the door at the head of the steps
is a framed inscription: "Happy New Year, 1896." In what might be called
the second story there is another inscription, which, being interpreted,
reads: "Blessed News Chapel"--_i.e._, Gospel Chapel--while on the right
post are characters which, literally translated, mean: "Blessed Land: good
cultivating"--_i.e._, to good cultivation this happy land yields large
returns. On the left-hand post the characters literally translated mean:
"News Chapel: righteous pastor: forms intimate friends"--_i.e._, the
righteous pastor of this Gospel Chapel makes warm friends.

On either side of the cake are Chinese New Year's lilies (narcissus)
growing to perfection in saucers supplied with nothing except clean
pebbles and pure water--these are said to symbolize purity and mercy.
Above the lilies rise great clusters of artificial flowers, which also
have some symbolical import; I am unable to say what.

This will be a good place to say a few words about this mission, which has
now been in existence for more than twenty years. During all this period
it has occupied, _rent free_, a small brick building belonging to our
ex-Governor and United States Senator, Hon. George C. Perkins, who began
his wonderfully successful career in this town of Oroville. He has not
even required us to pay the taxes upon it, and when a rumor reached my
ears that his agent had received an offer for the purchase of it, Mr.
Perkins kindly assured me that we should have the first chance to buy it,
and he would help us out by a generous donation. That's the sort of man he
is.

There has always been a large Chinese population engaged mainly in mining,
whose headquarters were at Oroville. When our mission was established the
number was estimated at not less than twenty-five hundred. Chin