awakened concerning them, and much help had been sent for their
benefit from the kind readers of the "Christian" paper. They numbered
many hundreds, and Miss Macpherson undertook care and responsibility
concerning them, for which the strength and powers of an older
labourer were totally unfit. In this, and countless other instances,
Miss Macpherson has proved herself ever ready to "fulfil the law of
Christ" (Gal. vi. 2). The case of these infant toilers had rested on
her heart from the first moment she had been made acquainted with
their sufferings. The first sight of them is thus described by her
own pen:--

"In a narrow lane, having followed high up a tottering spiral
staircase till we reached the attic, the first group of tiny,
palefaced matchbox-makers was met with. They were hired by the woman
who rented the room. The children received just three farthings for
making a gross of boxes; the wood and paper were furnished to the
woman, but she had to provide paste and the firing to dry the work.
She received twopence-halfpenny per gross. Every possible spot, on
the bed, under the bed, was strewn with the drying boxes. A loaf of
bread and a knife stood on the table, ready for these little ones to
be supplied with a slice in exchange of their hard-earned farthings.

"This touching scene, which my pen fails to picture, gave me a
lasting impression of childhood's sorrows. Never a moment for school
or play, but ceaseless toil from light till dark."

Miss Macpherson's first attempt for their benefit was to open
evening schools, the inducement to attend which was the gift of sadly
needed clothing. These schools were opened in various localities, the
chief gathering being held in a house kindly provided for us by