Tidings from Shan-tung.
Shan-tsing.—Of the four candidates
baptized here this last month all had been
attending services for three years and
over. One has been coming for six years and another for five years. One man ex- amined was put back after nine years' attendance. One old man, seventy years
of age, gave his testimony very clearly and decidedly. I rather trembled for him as he has had so little teaching (he
lives a short day's journey away), but he had read the Bible for himself and evidently understood and believed the Gospel. The
one woman baptized surprised us, too, by
her clear answers to the questions put to
her. A few months ago her husband, who
is opposed to the Gospel, asked her on a Sunday morning to buy some vegetables. She said she could not as it was Sunday. He fell into a rage and rushed over to the
evangelist's house and told him to forbid
his wife attending worship as she would
not listen to him. After listening to the man's grievance, the evangelist said to him that his wife was a good woman and
not even the foreign missionary could for- bid her coming. The man went back home and we were afraid the woman
would be in trouble. But she came in quietly after dinner and said that her husband had been about the house all the morning in his temper, but towards noon he became quieter and she knew by
his manner that he would not scold her
if she did come to service, though she
dare not speak to him. Another time she did not know his mind
about her coming, but after prayer a thought occurred to her. Asitwas raining, she would ask him where the umbrella
was, although she knew where it was. So
she asked him, without looking at him. "The boy has taken it," he replied. " There is another somewhere," she said. "There it is in the corner," he re- plied, not roughly, so she knew she was
free to attend service that day. We sent to get his consent to her being
baptized, as we did not want her to get
into any trouble. It would have been
better for her to wait than make more dis- cord in the house. He sent word that he had been expecting for some time that she would join the church, and he was
very pleased for her to come into fellowship. We praise the Lord for "the drops," while looking for the showers. One old
lady, seventy-eight years of age, and
blind, is wanting baptism, and will likely be baptized with another promising en- quirer early in the spring. Please pray
for Shang-tsing.