In efforts to reach pagan and Mohammedan people with Christian truth, it is often found that the remnants of ancient Christian churches existing among them, and some times in pllitical subjection to them, have substituted the forms of religion for its reality, and are in almost as much need of enlightenment as those by whom they are over borne. It has seemed that the renewal of those churches in moral and spiritual life, would provide the best means of Christianizing the races with whom they are in contact. With these aims the rev. Mr. Perkins and his wife were sent in 1833 by the American board to Persia to begin mission work among the Nestorians. Dr. Grant and his wife joined them in 1835. The bishops and priests of the Nestorian church for the most part received the missionaries cordially, and encouraged their efforts for the reformation, admitting that their people had wandered from the right way. They in some instances put themselves under instruction, and prepared to co-operate with them, fol lowing their example in giving expositions of Scripture, which they had never ceased to consider the ultimate standard of truth. Mrs. Grant by her school awakened great interest in the education of women. Dr. Grant not only was highly useful as a phy sician and surgeon, but gained great influence for the truth through this means. A boarding school for girls under the care of Miss Fidelia Fisk and a high school for boys under that of professor Stoddard, where hundreds of young men and women have received Christian training, have been highly useful. The Moliar»medens seeing- what
was undertaken for the Nestorians, said, " Are we to be passed by," and claimed a share iu the generous labors of the missionaries. Eighteen ordained missionaries and their wives, 3 missionary physicians and the wives of two of them, and 1 male and 8 female assistant missionaries, have been employed in this work, and the success has been most gratifying. They had no printed Scriptures, now they have the Bible in both the ancient and vernacular. Spelling-books, geographies. arithmetics, and relirdous books, in all, 11,000 volumes have been printed. and 3 periodicals are circulated. Far and wide oral Christian instruction has been given. The benefit of spiritual religion is evinced in the daily life of many, and their example makes a most favorable impression. Seventy have become preachers of the gospel. The missionary spirit is growing, and several hun dred dollars are contributed annually to carry the gospel to other peoples, the Nestorians themselves engaging in this work, and laboring among Moslems, Jews, Armenians, and Malakans of Russia. One of these Nestorian preachers has gained among the latter 1200 converts, Five arc pastors of self-supporting churches. It was net design of the American missionaries to interfere with the established church organizations, but there have been formed "reunions on the apostolic basis," which include 767 members.