from Los Angeles under date of Sept. 20th: "Now I have some good news
to tell you this time. The first one is this, that _five_ of
our brethren will receive their baptism on Sunday in the First
Congregational Church. I brought them all down to the church to be
proved by the pastor and the deacons, and they all gave their good
testimonies to the satisfaction of all. Dr. Hutchins [Rev. R.G.
Hutchins, D.D., pastor] was so glad on hearing this good news again.
There will now be eleven Chinese members among his white flock.
He spoke very kind towards the Chinese and our school in their
prayer-meeting, as he always did so in his preaching." Another item of
good news is, that by an arrangement among the ladies of this church,
a reduction in the teaching force which I have been compelled to make
is to be made good by volunteer service, each lady giving one evening
in each week. I earnestly hope that this good example may be followed
in others of our churches.

At San Buenaventura the new mission house, finished several months
ago, gives great satisfaction. It is not the property of the Mission,
but has been built for it and is rented to us at cost. We can rely
upon the use of it as long as the work continues in that place,--that
is, if the building lasts so long. We were paying $12.00 per month for
a low, ill-located and ill-built, untidy shanty, yet the best place
that could be had. We now pay $8.00 per month for a neat, commodious
building which furnishes not only an attractive school-room, but
living rooms also, for which our brethren pay a small rent, and thus
make for themselves something very like a Christian home. Four
of these brethren were recently baptised and received to the
Congregational Church.

No mention has yet been made in these columns of the new mission