NEWS FROM CHINA.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume III, Issue 153, 7 April 1876, Page 7

NEWS FROM CHINA.

Father Cjjoulliebe, S.J., of Hai-men, in China, in a letter addressed to the associates of the Holy Childhood, giving the following instructive particulars of the work which his companions have accomplished, writes : " Lately I was asking one of our good Christian women : ' How many children have you christened during the last two months?' • Seven, Father/ she replied. 'And you/ I said to another. • Eleven.' ' Well/ exclaimed a third one, •I ' baptized nineteen.' This last was a widow of seventy years. Our i assistant baptizers sometimes witness horrible scenes. One of them had the grief to see heartless parents burning alive two newborn infant girls without allowing them to be baptized. This barbarous detd was perpetrated in the sight of many parsons, without any one appearing to be surprised at it. It took place in the portion of tho Hai-men district called Kotn-po. Abandoned children abound there, owing to the dissolute manners of the semibarbarous natives. As we have as yet but few converts amon°" ">theni, and as prejudices are entertained against us, it is very difficult for us to baptize and take in the little ones thrown away. However, having founded half a dozen infant asylums on the borders of Kom-po, we succeed in saving every year several hundreds of these unfortunate creatures. Sinca I wrote yon, four years ago, we accomplished through your generous liberalities, the following good works in the two districts under my jurisdiction — Tsomming and Hai-men: adults baptized, 1,090; children baptized, 10,921 ; children instructed, 4,280 ; orphans supported, 13,238. See, young friends, what glory is yours! Not satisfied with saving souls by thousands, you save bodies besides. The new Superior of this Mission, Rev. Father Auguste Foucault, had scarcely taken possession of his office, when he quitted Shanghai to visit with great fatigues the western extremities of Kiangnan. He came back after having had the consolation of conferring the sacrament of baptism on some sixty candidates. The new converts preparing to enter the Church are said to number nearly 10,000. Father Foucault came also to see us in Tsomming. On his arrival, he wa obliged to spend the night in a hut made of reeds. The next da

in a hard rain he was wheeled many miles in a barrow, and exposed to fall into deep canals, the wheel of his vehicle having got out of the axle five times in an hour. He was deeply moved on hearing" of the zeal of our Christians for the Holy Childhood. He visited upwards of forty congregations. Tears of happiness came to his eyes on seeing a multitude of children prostrating themselves before him by groups of ten, twenty, thirty, and even eighty, to receive his blessing. ' How beautiful,' he exclaimed, ' the work of the Holy Childhood in this island ! lam glad to have commenced my functions as Superior by coming here to bless and encourage it.' In fact, the visit of our Eeverend Superior has filled every heart with joy, and has contributed not a little to give a new impulse to the blessed work of your Association."