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Bazaar Sketches.

BY THE REV. T. F. MULHOLLAND.

No. II.-BoXEE BAZAAR.

THE above bazaar is decidedly the busiest and most enterprising in or around Cuttack, It is our equivalent for Broadway, New York; the Strand or Cheapside, London; Bold Street, Liverpool; Argyle Street, Glasgow; or Princes Street, Edinburgh. Other bazaars are suffering the neglect and desertion of old age, but Boxee is in the heyday of youth. In other bazaars the merchant waits till called on, and then if the goods which he shows, in answer to your inquiries, do not suit, why, pass on, and he relapses into his loved state of reclining indolence. The merchantmen of the Boxee bazaar, like the accomplished shopman in the old country, use all their wiles (lies included) to push their goods. One reason for the enterprise displayed here is that the owners of the principal stalls or shops are Mussulmans, who are much better business people than Hindoos.

În the afternoon or evening it is with some difficulty that one can thread his way through the dense mass of people who congregate here-some intent on buying, others equally anxious to sell; while the great majority is made up of those who wish neither to buy nor sell, but to enjoy the supreme luxury of the interested spectator, ready to give his advice to anyone suffering from a harddriven bargain. In the central position of the bazaar the din of buying and selling is so great that preaching there is out of the question. Besides, every minute you would be liable to have one foot in the midst of a mass of water melons, and the other in a mat covered with native cigars. The next movement would give you a standing on stale fish, or the box of a money changer.

The usual preaching stand is situated at a point where two roads intersect, and is favoured by the welcome shade of a small banyan tree. Here we have the opportunity of letting every passer by hear our message. Very many hear the gospel at this convenient spot. The actual good done will be fully revealed "in that day."

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When I was here some months ago we had the help (?) of a Mussulman, and the hindrance of a Brahmin- the former somewhat elevated with the effects of some drug or country spirits. He gave us his enthusiastic support while we showed the folly of idolatry. A large crowd had congregated watching the movements of our new ally. I say movements," for we had them sure enough. Our friend took hold of the poita of a Brahmin, and almost dragged it off him. By way of smoothing the ruffled feelings of the latter, he laughed loudly in his face. The next "movement" was to put his two forefingers on the painted spots between the eyes of a devotee of Rama-healing his insult with the same ointment. Here I interfered, but to little effect. A large stone was then held aloft in his hand, and my poor Hindoo hearers were asked to bow the knee. Nor was this enough. The climax was reached, and the whole system of idolatry suffered a humbling reductio ad absurdam when he actually prostrated himself and hugged the roots of the tree. The pious were shocked. sceptic laughed; and I must confess that my strong risible feelings compelled me to join with the latter. Concluding that we had enough object lessons for one night, I put out my hand to lead him away, but he seized it and shook it heartily, much to the amusement of the whole congregation. For my edification he said, in English, "Ah, Sahib, why do you waste your time on these fools? These fellows have no souls." And so our "help" departed.

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The "hindrance" we experienced from the Brahmin was rather unique. He, knowing the English language, had read our Bible, and he was prepared to prove from it that God sanctioned, or at least did not forbid, idolatry. The second commandment was at once brought to his notice; but his reply was somewhat on the lines of that of the Roman Catholic-that the idols were not worshipped as such, but only meant to keep God in the mind. When the people forgot God, and thought only of the idol, then it was wrong. Believing in the power of the written word, I got Joseph Das (one of our most worthy native Christian laymen, and an energetic fellow-worker) to slowly repeat aloud the second commandment, and inquire if our Bible favoured idolatry. Doubt

less helped by the aforesaid "movements," the answer of the people was conveyed in the well-known and emphatic shake of the head. This was chilling to our Brahmin opponent, and he forthwith gave us a few original quotations. Here the issue was brought to a point by my offering to give 20 rupees when he would find me these words in the Bible-he to give the same amount if he failed. The onlookers were now exceedingly interested when rupees entered the question. The Brahmin, seeing the dilemma, and noticing the grin on the faces of the people, left, uttering the words, "I am sure I can find them." My rupees, I felt confident, wert safe, and the Brahmin's elastic honour made his equally so to himself. The people laughed outright as they made way for our sorry hindrance" to pass.

This evening all went quiet enough for about half an hour, the peopie eagerly listening to and evidently understanding the message of the preachers. Sada Sebo, one of our native preachers, was setting forth the claims of God, and as our Master, He was entitled to our service. The word "Master" awoke the dormant Pantheism of the leading man in the audience. A hot discussion was the result. What our opponent wanted in logic he had in lungs. How he did shout and bawl. His argument was, all kinds of work, good, bad, and indifferent, was serving God. God made him with all faculties and passions, and in yielding to them he was serving his Maker. When sin, or the sense of wrong doing, was introduced to his notice, he took refuge in the broadest of Pantheism-all is part of God-God in everything, and everything in God. Had he listened, our preacher was well able to silence, if not to convince, his opponent; but listen he would not. Here we had a dozen speaking at once, while the two chief speakers were shouting in each other's faces. Each had clasped each other's hands. I felt that the meeting must close, and told the preacher so.

Our audience may have had a reverence for the second commandment, but certainly one at least had none for the eighth, for while our native preacher was using his eloquence on the side of truth, some one quietly slipped 6s. out of his pocket. So ended another evening of bazaar preaching.

Notes from Rome.

BY REV. N. H. SHAW.

THE CHRISTIAN APOSTOLIC BAPTIST UNION OF ITALY.

THIS Union is now an accomplished fact. The name is a long one, and not what I should have chosen, but is as it came out of the discussion at Turin on Thursday last. Between twenty and thirty ministers and evangelists met in the above-named city on Thursday and Friday, the 8th and 9th inst., and discussed the constitution of the Union, which had been prepared in Rome. Some modifications were made, and the discussions were very animated, but in the best spirit. Suffice it to say, that all were of one mind in desiring the Union, and in rendering it effective.

Mr. Wall was elected President for three years, and Dr. Taylor VicePresident; an Italian brother being elected Secretary. The Union formed, various modes of usefulness were discussed in the hope of utilizing our forces to the utmost. Local committees for evangelizing are to be formed here and there. It has been decided to have a journal of our own, and three Italian brethren are charged with the duty of bringing it out. A committee was chosen to make a selection of hymns and tunes for our churches, and various other operations were contemplated and prepared for. The meeting closed with hearty singing and fervent prayer, and we all felt that a very important step had been taken in the progress of our mission work in Italy.

EVANGELICAL UNION IN ITALY.

Union seems in the air. Scarcely had our Baptist Union been formed in Rome, when we heard that nine evangelicals at Florence had written a letter indicating a desire for the union of all the evangelical denominations in Italy. The proposal has been discussed by the Intermissionary Committee, and at its

FOUR FINANCIAL FALLACIES.

239 invitation between twenty and thirty ministers and others met together in Florence on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the 29th and 30th April, and 1st May. The meetings were preceded by a number of prayers with readings of the Scriptures and singing interspersed, and a very impressive address was delivered by Mr. McDougal of the Scotch church. The assembly decided that union was desired by the churches, and that it was possible (atterabile). A congress of representatives of the denominations was created, and a constitution agreed on.

A year must elapse before anything very decided is done, and then the nature of the union will have to be resolved upon. There are some who would like a fusion of all the denominations into one, and who (mistakenly, we think) consider the divisions of Christendom as an unmitigated evil. It is not likely that these will succeed in their aims, but we are hopeful that there may be some federation of the denominations which will free them from some evils which, if all we hear be true, have not been scarce in some parts of the Italian field. It is too soon to predict what will be done, but the meetings at Florence mark an epoch in the history of Italian evangelization, and cannot but be fruitful of good.

Would that English efforts to do good were not counterbalanced by English vices and evil customs! English horse-racing, with all its attendant betting, &c., has been introduced into Rome. Several days have been recently given up to these races, which are called the Derby. Moreover, advertisements have appeared on the walls and elsewhere to the effect that Mr., the noted English bookmaker, would be in such and such places to receive bets. Surely Italy had enough of gambling with its mischievous and omnipresent national lottery, without the introduction of the immorality of the English racecourse. It is humiliating to us to be thus hindered by our own countrymen.

Four Financial fallacies.

First-That a rich man is more able to give to benevolent objects than a poor man. "And, indeed, is he not?" exclaims Brother Jones. "Why, there is Brother Thompson, whose interest money is twenty dollars a day. Do you pretend to say that he is not more able to give than I am, who can do little more than make both ends meet?"

Yes, Brother Jones. He may be as able to give a thousand dollars as you are to give one, but you are as able to give the one as he is the thousand.

Second-That a rich man is under more obligation to give to the cause of Christ than is a poor man. Nay, he is under obligations to give more, not under more obligations to give. "Let every one of you, rich and poor alike, lay by him in store as God hath prospered him."

Third-That a man should pay his debts before paying money to the Lord's cause. Nay, for such a rule would exclude from the privilege of giving, all the Rothchilds and Vanderbilts of the world. This may be true: that, if your liabilities are larger than your resources, you are in duty bound to give nothing to benevolent objects; for you have nothing, and God does not command a man who has nothing to give part of it away. If, however, your property would sell for more than your indebtedness, then you have something, and you are to give as the Lord prospers you.

Fourth-That the poor widow's mite is more acceptable to the Lord than the rich man's munificence. Nay, had the rich men who cast in much, been as unostentatious and self-sacrificing in their giving, as was the poor widow, their gifts would have been as commendable in the eyes of the Lord, as was hers. That poor widow, of whom we hear so much, preaches a gospel of self-sacrifice, not a gospel of penuriousness, as many unconsciously hold. Ah, that poor widow! How Satan has used her memory, as he has used every beautiful and fragant thing under the sun, for the advancement of his cause in the hearts of men! You do not, my brother, by giving your two mites, establish a spiritual affiinty with that poor widow, unless those two mites are all your living, and you are a poor widow with no one to lean upon for support.—American Church Register.

THE ANNUAL ACCOUNTS should close on May 31st; but for the accommoda tion of friends who are late in sending their contributions, they will be kept open a few days longer.

THE ANNUAL MEETING will be held in Baxter Gate chapel, Loughborough, on Wednesday evening, June 25th. The chair is to be occupied by T. Roe, Esq., M.P. for Derby, and the speakers are our esteemed brother Pike, of Orissa, and A. H. Baynes, Esq., the able and devoted Secretary of the Baptist Missionary Society. We anticipate a good meeting, and look for more men and more money for foreign mission work.

Mission Services.

DURING the month services have been held as follows:

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Valuable and loving help in connection with the above services has been rendered by the pastors of the respective churches and other friends. In London a separate missionary meeting was held in each chapel, and in every case the attendance was as good as at the former meetings, when united. The chairman at Westbourne Park was Dr. Macfarlane, a retired Indian doctor, and at Borough Road, Mr. Richard Johnson. Juvenile meetings were held in connection with the various Sunday Schools, and considerable interest in relation to mission work was excited in the minds of the young. The juvenile association at Westbourne Park has raised during the year the noble sum of £73 78. 8d, and others have done equally well in proportion. With good organization, and with a few thoroughly earnest workers in each school, the foreign mission cause is sure to succeed-especially when it has the sympathy and smile of the pastor. And if they desire the divine blessing to rest upon their home work, pastors cannot do a better thing than foster the missionary spirit among the young. It awakens and develops the best feelings in their nature, and not unfrequently leads to a personal trust in the Saviour.

Contributions

Received on account of the General Baptist Missionary Society from
April 16th to May 15th, 1884.

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Subscriptions and Donations in aid of the General Baptist Missionary Society will be thankfully received by W. B. BEMBRIDGE, Esq., Ripley, Derby, Treasurer; and by the Rev. W. HILL, Secretary, Mission House, 60, Wilson Street, Derby, from whom also Missionary Boxes, Collecting Books and Cards, may be obtained.

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