HE interesting group on our first page represents three of the Native Missionaries in the Palestine Mission. In the centre sits the Rev. Michael Kawar of Jerusalem, on his right stands the Rev. Seraphim Boutaji of Nazareth, and on his left the Rev. Chalil Jamal of Salt.

It is of the work done by the latter at Salt that we propose to give our young readers some account in this number of the Token. Salt is the ancient Ramath Gilead, situated on the east side of the River Jordan.

The account of the place and the work that is being done there shall be in Mr. Chalil Jamal's own words :

"Salt is a large village, inhabited by Mohammedans and Christians. The Christians are about two-fifths, and the Mohammedans three-fifths. The whole population consists of about 8000 souls. Generally speaking, the people of Salt live together very amicably and peaceably; but as this place is the centre of commerce to the neighbouring Bedouin tribes, many of the Moslems of Nablous have come over to carry on mercantile business; and this, I am sorry to say, has made some of the Moslems of Salt rather bigoted, so that not a few of them entertain bitter feelings against the Christians; still, they can do no harm to them. The Saltese are cultivators of the soil. Corn and raisins are exported to Jerusalem and to Nablous.

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Salt is famous for grapes. are upwards of 1800 vineyards. It is a blessing that wine and araki (a kind of strong intoxicating drink) are not known to the Salt people. The grapes that are not consumed fresh are either made into raisins or pressed, and the juice is made into dibs (honey) and milban (a kind of sweetmeat), and these are stored against

the winter. Generally speaking, the Saltese are a very lazy people, and almost all of them are very dull of understanding; but the young, when put under proper tuition, are very clever, and quick of understanding. This is seen in our schoolboys. The people, though poor, hire servants to plough their fields; these servants, or ploughmen, are fed during the whole year, and one fourth of all the crops is their portion.

The Salt people are divided into families, and these families are subdivided into heads of families. The most numerous and powerful family is that of the Kiraad, a Moslem family.

The Mosiems, Greeks, and Latins here are satisfied with a mere outward form or profession of religion. The following instance proves this,

Early in May this year, I passed a night in a Bedouin Christian camp. Being a Christian, I did not like to let the night pass with their talking without proclaiming my Master and Him crucified to them. After speaking for a long time in the most simple way about Jesus, and how we are to seek him, &c., an old man said, "But where shall we seek that fellow ? we do not know where he is." Though the people are ignorant, yet there is one thing good in themthat is, they like to hear the Word. "Faith comes by hearing."

Early in February last, the nights of every Monday and Thursday were set apart for meeting together in one of the houses of the brethren by turns, to read the " Pilgrim's Progress," and to pray. The one in whose house we meet explains what he reads, and then I explain it more fully, and apply it to the state and heart of each of us. (These two night meetings are besides the two Bible and prayer-meeting

nights, and also besides the two singing nights.)

In one of these night meetings for reading the "Pilgrim's Progress" two of the brethren who were angry with each other were present with us, and as they proved very obstinate to be reconciled with each other, I seized the opportunity of speaking to their consciences; first, by reading a touching story of two angry brothers, and how they were reconciled with each other; and, at the most touching part of the story, I asked the reader to stop for a moment, and then said, "Oh, how glad and happy we should be if A. and B. would imitate those two deceased brothers!" &c. Looking at them, I said, "I ask you, in the name of Christ, to be reconciled with each other." At once one of them got up in the midst of us, and with tears in his eyes, embraced the other; and so did the other, and both begged pardon. This fact is one of the many blessed results of these night meetings.

Again, it is my custom to give notice of administering the Lord's Supper three Sundays previously, during which time I meet with the communicants and candidates twice in each week

for prayer, and to explain to them the doctrine of this holy ordinance, and what is intended by it, and how we are to approach the Lord's Table.

The first time I made this arrangement I had reason to be thankful; for, on the afternoon of Thursday before Easter, five of the brethren came and asked me to say a word of comfort and exhortation to them, to set their troubled minds at ease, for they wished to come to the Lord's Table the following day (Good Friday).

We knelt down at once, and asked God's blessing and presence, and then read 1 Cor. xi. 17 to the end, and explained it, and to God be all the glory and praise, He graciously touched their hearts with His Holy Spirit. One said, "I am fully decided to ask pardon to-night from all whom I think I have offended, or who have offended me, either in word or deed." "I was at enmity with D.," said another, "for about three months, and never spoke a word to him; but this morning, as he passed my shop, I got him by the arm, and took him into my shop, and at once embraced him, and with tears said 'Brother, forgive me for Christ's sake.' When he saw my tears," he continued, "he also wept

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and embraced me, and exclaimed, 'Forgive me, my brother, forgive me, for Christ's sake,' and with tears we kissed each other, over and over again." soon as he finished speaking, my heart was moved with holy rapture and thankfulness to God for this fruit of the Spirit. All the time I was praying, "Amen" was their response to almost each petition. When prayer was over, I saw that their eyes were red with tears. Whenever I administer the Lord's Supper, such excellent and blessed fruits precede it.

We are, thank God, loved by all those amongst whom we live, both Moslims and Christians, and all speak favourably of us as a well-organized and principled community. The young soldiers of the Cross-I mean our schoolboys-are doing wonderfully well, and are behaving manfully. I here insert three instances out of many to prove this, viz.: Once the Latin priest met one of our schoolboys, whose parents belong to the Latin Church, and said, "Salim (this is the boy's name), why, don't you know the Virgin Mary? 'No, father," replied the little boy, we honour the Virgin, but we do not worship her as you do, for worship belongs to God."

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once

Wakeem, another of our schoolboys, whose parents are Greeks, was accused by the Latin priest of having insulted the crucifix. I sent the boy with his father to the Latin priest to clear himself of this accusation. As the priest was not in his room, his schoolmistress met them in the court of the convent. Mistress," said Wakeem, 66 'did you hear me insult the crucifix ? " No, you did not insult it," was her reply. But you blamed one of our schoolboys for crossing himself." "But," she continued, "why don't you worship the Virgin and the Cross ? "Because

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it is written," said the boy," Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve;' also the angel said to

"But she is

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St. John, 'Worship God.' our advocate and intercessor," said the mistress. "No! it is written, We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. For there is One God, and One Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.' "But they are the way to heaven," said the mistress. "No, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life,' said the Lord Jesus. 'No man cometh unto the Father

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but by Me,' -was the reply of the young champion of the Cross. Then the mistress turned aside with anger, and said to his father, Take away your son from them before he is fully spoiled and corrupted." "If you call this corruption," said the father, "I wish that my son be corrupted and spoiled more than he is."

Once another schoolboy, called Shukrey, saw one of his fellow-schoolboys, called Fayaad (a Moslim boy), going to the gardens at dusk. "Are you going to the gardens, Fayaad, to steal pomegranates ?" “How do you know this ?” said Fayaad. "I knew it from your face," said Shukrey; "and pray tell me," he continued," is it not true?" Fayaad, not knowing what to answer, confirmed Shukrey in his suspicion. Then Shukrey looked steadfastly into Fayaad's face, and said, "Do you know the Ten Commandments?" "Yes, I know them," said Fayaad. "What is the Eighth? "Thou shalt not steal."" You say you know the Commandments; if you do, how dare you go down to the gardens to steal ? Fayaad felt ashamed," said Shukrey, "and, with joy, returned home with me from his evil way."

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The big boys in our school have started a kind of prayer-meeting for themselves, out of school-hours, to read a portion of a nice tract which I have given them for this purpose, and then part with a prayer. This prayer-meeting was and is a matter of great blessing to them. On asking them once about what blessings they have found or felt

as the result of their prayer-meetings, they answered, "We saw that we are sinners." 66 But," said I, "I am sure that you believed yourselves to be sinners before this." "Yes, sir; but now we feel the weight of sin more than we felt before.' "What is the remedy for sin, my boys ?" I inquired. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ," answered one. "To trust with all our hearts on the Lord Jesus Christ," answered another. This prayer-meeting is often held every day, and two or three times a week, when they have no time to spare, on account of preparing their lessons. It really makes the heart of a Christian glad, to see a gang of Bedouin boys falling on their faces to the ground, and imploring God to bless them, and to bless their school, and their parents, and their country.

Our school is, thank God, very prosperous, and the boys are very promising; it is a proverb in the mouths of the people here to say, "Like the school of the Protestants.' On the 16th August we had our school examination, and it was the first examination held in Salt. The lessons in which the boys were examined were geography, history, arithmetic, an essay on wealth and poverty, reading grammatically Deut. iv., Matt. v., and Rom. xiii., hymns, texts, catechism, Bible history, &c. The examination commenced at twenty minutes to 9 a.m., by singing Ta-a-lah, yaRah-maan, a hymn to the Triune God, and concluded by singing the Arabic National hymn, Mahab-ba-tal, Awtaan, and lasted three hours and twenty minutes.

M

Y DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS,-I have been asked to write something for your little TOKEN, and I have thought that perhaps you would like to hear about my school-days in India. I do not mean the days when I was at school myself, but when I was privileged to teach little children in that far-off land.

Have you ever pictured to yourself a school of black children ?—a black schoolmaster, a black schoolmistress, a black board, of course, maps with the names in a foreign tongue, and books not one of which you can read. Under such circumstances one feels somewhat puzzled, and it makes one long to skip over all the trouble of learning the language, and begin at once to teach such interestinglooking girls as greeted me as their new "ammal," or mother.

But I have not told you where my first introduction to most of them took

place. It was by the roadside, far away from any dwelling, on the borders of a sandy waste which extended for some miles a funny place, you will say, to find a number of school-girls; but the news had spread that the Missionary and his wife were within a few miles of the home they had been travelling many months to reach, and these children had come out with their teachers to greet us, and welcome us among them.

The next few days were full of excitement and bustle. There were so many people to welcome the return of my husband, and all was so new and strange to me, that it was some days before we had unpacked our boxes, arranged our house, and settled ourselves down for work.

My work, as you will suppose, was among the children, and school-life soon began in right good earnest. But you will say, What could I do? My language was English, and theirs a difficult